thoughts-of-ghanashyam

[thoughts-of-ghanashyam]

𝕮𝖑𝖆𝖜𝖘 𝖔𝖋 𝕵𝖚𝖘𝖙𝖎𝖈𝖊 A poem about Lord Narasimha

In Indian mythology, as in Western mythology, the lion is the king of beasts. The lion is brave, majestic, the king and can achieve a lot. It's not for nothing that many people in India are called "Singh". "Singh" comes from "Simha", lion. The Sikhs call themselves a lion, which is nothing other than Simha in the Panjabi language.

In the following poem ‘Claws of Justice’, I have humbly tried to narrate the story of Lord Narasimha, the fourth incarnation or lion avatar of Vishnu and his fight against the Demon King Hiranyakashipu.👹

You can find the musical interpretation of the following poem in my Soundcloud 🎹.

CLAWS OF JUSTICE 🦁

"In the stillness of space, where whispers float, Hiranyakashipu, with power he couldn’t contain, the boon wrapped him tight, but he missed the note, Prahlada’s faith was fire, untouched by disdain.

He sought to silence a son, with truth in his veins, but silence speaks loud when the soul remains pure. In the pillars of pride, the essence sustains, the unseen God, where certainty is unsure.

Boons can twist minds, make the mighty blind, he challenged the divine, yet missed its form, Vishnu’s in the pillars, in the voids that bind, between day and night, the calm before the storm.

At twilight’s edge, where reality fades thin, no man, no beast, no time could resist, Narasimha emerged from where worlds begin, neither earth nor sky, just a primal twist.

Claws of justice, no weapon can match, power’s illusion crumbles where truth is born, pride meets its end, in the cosmic latch, in the heart of the dusk, the veil is torn.

From darkness he came, not bound by time, neither man nor lion, but something more, in the place between, where gods and demons rhyme, Narasimha’s roar settled the cosmic score.

No blade, no spell, just the essence of fate, Hiranyakashipu, crushed in the grasp of dawn, in the threshold of night, where the hours wait, the eternal truth, in the twilight drawn.

In the roar of Narasimha, all illusions cease, the king of pride met the end he couldn’t see, where light and dark find their final peace, faith remains, unbroken and free.

Ugram viram maha-vishnum jvalantam sarvato mukham - nrisimham bhishanam bhadram mrityur mrityum namamy aham."🙏🦁📿

[thoughts-of-ghanashyam]

𝕽𝖊𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖓𝖐𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝕷𝖊𝖆𝖉𝖊𝖗𝖘𝖍𝖎𝖕: Lessons from ancient wisdom

In an era marked by a growing skills shortage across all sectors and a widening gap between what employers offer and what employees expect, it is crucial to rethink the fundamental principles of collaboration. Emphasis must be placed on factors such as empathy, communication, mindfulness, and meaningfulness.

Both employers and employees need to find a balanced compromise to ensure sustainable, respectful collaboration and secure the long-term success of their organizations—both economically and interpersonally. However, managers must lead the way as role models for their employees, particularly in conveying respect, motivation, and the achievement of common goals.

But what makes a good leader?

Current analyses, marketing, and employer branding trends and too many so called coaches offer many “ultimate solutions” for a leadership rethink. Yet, ancient wisdom may provide deeper insights through active self-reflection and reorientation. Despite massive changes in our material world, fundamental human needs like protection, health, genuine happiness, and contentment have remained relatively the same. This growing gap between employers and employees contributes to psychosocial problems in our society, with the rapid economic and technological advancements outpacing our mental capacity to keep up, leading to mental distortions, especially among younger generations.

Ancient wisdom in modern leadership

A profound example of a good leader is Lord Hanuman from the revered Indian epic Ramayana, composed by Vālmīki between the 4th century BC and the 2nd century AD. At the center of the Ramayana is Lord Rāma, an incarnation of Vishnu, who descends to earth to save the world from the demon lord Ravana. The epic narrates the life of Rāma and his beloved wife Sita, their abduction to Lanka (the later Sri Lanka) by Ravana, and their eventual rescue with the invaluable help of Hanuman, the monkey god.

Hanuman, an incarnation of Shiva, is one of India's most cherished deities. His devotion and friendship with Rāma and Sita epitomize "Dasya Bhava," the devoted love of a servant for his Lord. Hanuman’s legendary physical strength and iron will, complemented by several key qualities, make him a timeless role model for today's leaders:

Emotional Intelligence Hanuman’s emotional intelligence is one of his most crucial attributes. Known for his ability to perceive and respond to the emotions of those around him, he forges deep connections with powerful deities. His compassion and understanding enable him to bridge divides and promote cooperation even in the toughest situations. Emotional intelligence is invaluable for leaders, helping them build trust, inspire loyalty, and encourage collaboration.

Simplicity and Humility Hanuman’s devotion to those around him, his empathy, and his heart hold more value than wealth or fame. Free of false ego or vanity, he only showcases his abilities when necessary. Goal-oriented action, coupled with empathy and compassion, serves as a great motivator for others.

Composure and Decisiveness Throughout the Ramayana, Hanuman remains calm in complex situations, enabling him to make the right decisions based on a balanced mind. Clear decisions and solution-oriented behavior strengthen the common course of an undertaking, ensuring balance, security, and optimism for all involved.

Effective Communication Hanuman’s effective and open communication is another vital quality. As a diplomat, strategist, and messenger for Rāma, he persuades Bhibhishan (Ravana's brother) to support Rāma, a decisive factor in Rāma's victory. Hanuman’s communication skills extend beyond speech; they encompass listening, observing, and empathizing, fostering trust, conveying ideas, and motivating others to action.

Honesty and Integrity Hanuman's honesty and deep commitment are central to his character. As a servant of Rāma, he lives by dharma, embodying ethical and moral principles by following his heart. Good leaders also need honesty and integrity to build trust and establish and maintain ethical standards.

Strategic Thinking Renowned for his strategic thinking, Hanuman meticulously assesses Lanka’s army's strengths and weaknesses, gathering crucial information for the impending war. Strategic thinking is essential for leaders to achieve long-term success and seize opportunities.

Collaboration and Teamwork at Eye Level Hanuman exemplifies teamwork at eye level. As a key member of King Sugriva's Vanarsena, the Monkey Army, he works collaboratively, showcasing his teamwork skills in the monumental task of constructing the Ramsetu sea bridge from India to Lanka. Leaders must foster collaboration and teamwork at all levels to drive innovation, achieve goals, and build strong, respectful relationships.

These qualities, exemplified by Hanuman, are timeless themes that we often forget in our daily "monkey business." The Ramayana and the poem "Hanuman Chalisa" are rich in wisdom and guidance, offering insights that can help us become better leaders, team players, professionals, and friends.

So let us be inspired by these enduring values and endeavour to embody Hanuman's qualities in our daily lives - for ourselves and for all those around us.

Thank you for your attention! Jay Shri Hanuman.

[thoughts-of-ghanashyam]

𝕲𝖍𝖆𝖓𝖆𝖘𝖍𝖞𝖆𝖒

"I am" just a seeker of truth who shares the sublime knowledge of the great sages of the world as well as his own thoughts and poems.

In the course of this, I have started to put old poems of mine to music. In the spirit of Sankirtana, I only want to spread the Holy Names and neither earn money nor put myself in the foreground. And if in the end I reach and touch even one soul with it, then that fills my heart with joy.

This is the poem that I first realised musically ...

"Ghanashyam strolls where shadows loom"

(Ghanashyam is one of the many names of Lord Krishna and means massively dark; of the colour of the darkest cloud that is about to rain)

"Ghanashyam strolls where shadows loom, Whispers clash with monsoon's boom, In a land where the clouds kiss the earth, Fertile dreams find a newer birth.

Krishna's dance in the rain so grey, Stories told through skies that sway, Darkness seen as fortune's embrace, Clouds of change paint a sacred face.

Ghanashyam, bring the rain, Fill the fields, end the pain, In your storm, life begins, From the dark, hope spins.

Village folks with prayers so high, Look to you, oh, swollen sky, In the murk, they see the light, Krishna's blessing in the night.

Cotton clouds and heavy hearts, Every drop a work of art, Ghanashyam, the tale's unwound, In the thunder, wisdom's found.

Ghanashyam, bring the rain, Fill the fields, end the pain, In your storm, life begins, From the dark, hope spins.

Ghanashyam is Shri Krishna and Shri Krishna is Ghanashyam One is all and all is one and this is the way the world is done.

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna. Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare. Hare Rama, Hare Rama. Rama Rama, Hare Hare."

You can find the song for free on my Soundcloud ...

May all beings everywhere be happy and free, and may the thoughts, words, and actions of my own life contribute towards that happiness and freedom for all.

Thank you for your attention.

Hari Om Tat Sat.

[thoughts-of-ghanashyam]

𝕬𝖗𝖙𝖎𝖋𝖎𝖈𝖎𝖆𝖑 𝖎𝖓𝖙𝖊𝖑𝖑𝖎𝖌𝖊𝖓𝖈𝖊 𝖛𝖘. 𝕮𝖔𝖓𝖘𝖈𝖎𝖔𝖚𝖘𝖓𝖊𝖘𝖘

At least since the broad masses have discovered artificial intelligence (AI) in the form of Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, ChatGPT and the like, the market around the topic of AI is booming.

Humans are thus taking another hurdle on their way to becoming faster, better, more artificial and supposedly more perfect. It feels like there are new possibilities, improvements and enhancements to be discovered in this segment almost every day. "The machine" can search for information on any topic in a matter of seconds and compose an answer that can rival competent college-level term papers - likewise, it can create digital works of art that most users could never create themselves in this lifetime - provided the prompts entered are coherent and understood by the machine.

With this leap in development, opinions are also splitting on whether AI is a "savior" or the "ultimate evil." Suddenly, dystopian stories à la Terminator, in which a supercomputer overrides the orders of human developers, takes over weapons systems, and nearly wipes out the human species through global destruction, don't seem so far off. Although I use this technology myself from time to time, I also see it as a double-edged sword in a way. So I can't classify it as either salvation or diabolical - the truth, as so often, probably lies somewhere in the middle.

All gloomy predictions are ultimately based on the simple idea that artificial intelligence can become more intelligent than humans themselves. In this context, the question arises as to what intelligence is and what distinguishes the "human biomachine" from the "AI machine" in this respect. In my humble opinion, no machine is intelligent in the human sense - not even the human brain, because neither can experience anything in depth. The essence of human consciousness is experience itself. Therefore, human potential in conjunction with our deep spiritual levels exceeds any machine. One only has to be aware of this fact or learn to recognize this for oneself in essence.

Because in the end the machine always only imitates - however much faster than the human being. We have already experienced this leap several times in our evolution - for example at the beginning of industrialization, when the steam engine took the previous activities of man ad absurdum. The same scenario played out on a different level with the introduction of the first computers. And although these computers have repeatedly made quantum leaps in recent decades and demonstrated computing powers infinitely superior to those of humans, the supposed "knowledge" is based only on the processing of huge, ever-growing volumes of data.

But the machine doesn´t "know" the creative process of computing as such - just as little does it possess real creativity or intuition. It merely imitates knowledge, which is not the same thing. And even if artificial intelligences are meanwhile developing independently, all basic information is based on already existing information.

With a little optimism, artificial intelligence could lead to a future in which its vast data-processing capabilities could help predict natural disasters, make all kinds of transportation more efficient, and so on. I don't even want to go into the many other pros and cons here, nor into the factors around pessimistic aspects such as the possible spread of disinformation, conspiracy theories, election and / or consumer manipulation, and so on. Because this would go beyond the scope - besides, it is not really what I am concerned with in these lines.

Ultimately, all positive and negative aspects spring from the dualistic human mind - as do all kinds of bigotry, racism, sexism and other value systems. What began with gossip has culminated today on the Internet and on social media platforms. Ultimately, however, it´s not the Internet that gives rise to bodyshaming or bullying, for example - it's merely an output channel that reflects the current level of consciousness of its users.

Accordingly, the Internet does not have a state of consciousness, just like AI, because they are not conscious. AI can record, mix, combine, and recombine audiovisual data and information of any kind in fantastic ways, but human consciousness is infinitely more than data and information. In fact, "information" is a concept that had no reality until the human mind created it. It is the same with our individuality or our "individual self" - for this too is in principle a purely illusory construct of the mind, which sees itself as something separate.

For example, from a Buddhist perspective, it is not possible to separate the self from its environment. The Buddha says in the Lankavatara Sutra:

"Things are not what they seem… Deeds exist, but no doer can be found" (Majjhima Nikaya).

This does not mean that nothing is real. It means that our mind's projections of reality are illusions and that the elements in the universe that make up everything physical that we see - solid, liquid, gas, etc. - do not exist when broken down to a subatomic level. And this is not a philosophical or purely spiritual view, but cutting-edge science. Broken down to its essence, this means that ultimately all things on a subatomic level are made of the same energy, the same origin - just in different manifestations.

This idea should not be lost sight of in all current developments - because a loss of this awareness would mean a far greater danger in the current context around artificial intelligence than AI itself.

Due to the exponential development of technologies, we are constantly exposed to new, external stimuli and challenges. And our, comparatively very slow, evolutionary development, especially the mental one, can hardly adapt to this - or keep up.

We shift our personal reference points more and more outward, towards these technologically generated stimuli, and thus run more and more the risk of forgetting the core of our true being, indeed of our whole being. Through this constant shifting of reference points, we are also increasingly going into separation - both from ourselves and from everything around us. In the long run, this also means an increased potential for loss of our universal dharma, which in turn negatively impacts our individual as well as our collective karma.

Driven by the additional desire to simplify certain processes, tasks or activities, if at all possible, the current human dilemma is intensified - we thereby massively increase the daily audiovisual stimuli that enter us from the outside. This, in turn, causes our mind to become more and more erratic and to run on a kind of "continuous fire mode". A massive strain that has contributed a significant amount to skyrocketing mental illnesses such as burnouts or depression in recent years.

In this way, we shift our self and our search for happiness further and further into the outside world, relying more and more on machine or digital solutions, which in turn are devoid of any soul, intuition and genuine creativity. We focus on supposed perfection, even if this may not correspond 100% to our own imagination or even to "reality".

Now one can argue of course in such a way that also man could secure his survival in the context of his evolution only by copying certain behaviors and develop accordingly. However, this happened - and always happens with the corresponding consciousness of the experience - on the one hand within the framework of the action itself as well as the mental and energetic aspects connected with it. All this has also a not insignificant share in the individual as well as collective cause-effect principle of karma.

If, on the other hand, we rely too much on machine-generated approaches to solutions, this can certainly lead to a considerable stagnation, if not reduction, of our own potential together with the corresponding conscious experiences. In this context, therefore, we usually find ourselves in an unconscious downward spiral, unless we succeed in creating an appropriate balance that brings us into a healthy equilibrium between mind and technology.

In my eyes, it would therefore be advisable, with all the possibilities that these technologies offer us, to place a parallel increased focus again on looking inward more frequently and more intensively and thereby also withdraw the senses through "Pratyahara". Pratyahara", the fifth limb of the classical Ashtanga Yoga (Raja Yoga) system, is primarily about disciplining the senses (such as taste, sight, hearing, smell, touch) and the mind through a proactive withdrawal from one's sensory center - the perception center in the brain.

It has already been described in the Upanishads that

"Only the seeker can experience absolute reality who, though he has ears, does not hear, though he has eyes, does not see, and even though he lives in this world, does not perceive it by preventing his inner perceptual centers from cooperating with the outer sense organs."

The mind still perceives the stimuli, but it no longer reacts immediately. It can remain in silence. Through this withdrawal, sensory impressions generally become more conscious and controllable in the long run. It is therefore not a matter of limiting the senses - on the contrary: the mind is thereby trained to perceive subtleties which would otherwise remain hidden from the senses, or which we have increasingly lost in the modern world.

We are so much more than we think we are - at the same time we are less individual than we would like to be. When we manage to become aware of the inseparability of being in this universe and recognize our true essence, we glimpse our true nature. And to realize one's nature is to realize the nature of everything. And by that I don't mean the ego, but the part of our being that lies beyond it and usually acts subconsciously.

By looking inward, we can learn to rediscover and explore this very unconscious part of the mind, of being. In this way we can gain new experiences of what it means to experience ourselves, to deal positively with our energies and to proactively open its subtle levels or its gates for us. By opening these gates we can also activate deep-seated potential in the form of knowledge, intellect, concentration, creativity and intuition - potential that we have never "learned" in the classical sense, but that has always been there - so basically it is only "uncovered" or "activated".

Haven't you sometimes wondered where sudden creative ideas or inspirations come from? Inspirations which for example spontaneously and very subtly warn you of a certain action and thus protect you from possible disaster? They happen suddenly, without you being able to control it knowingly!? Exactly this unconscious potential, combined with the act of experiencing, is what sets us apart from artificial intelligence. This potential rests in each of us and possibly goes back to the very source from which our energies originated and of which they are still a part. The energy that is the foundation of all our existence and at the same time connects us with everything.

How one wants to call this source is up to everyone - because whatever we call it, in the end this is also only a spiritual concept. A concept of something that is so wonderfully abstract that it exceeds our rational mind and basically cannot be put into words or described. It should only be important that we recognize with awareness - that we carry this unlimited potential within us and that it cannot be replaced by machines - so we should not even try to strive for it.

So let's just try to become more aware of ourselves again - and thus also of the deep connection with everything that surrounds us. In the end, this awareness contains one thing above all: immeasurable love.

Wouldn't it be wonderful to be constantly in love with everything, rather than in a permanent, individual separation? Wouldn't it be incredibly liberating if it were no longer relevant whether we were female, male or trans? Whether we are atheistic, spiritual or religiously inclined, black, white, brown or whatever? Or even whether we would be human or animal?

Wouldn't this elementary insight be a real spiritual revolution? And what exactly would this deep insight move for possibilities in areas of science as well as artificial intelligence? I believe that there would then possibly be considerably less reasons for dystopian fears, further technlogy-induced threats or a constant, self-separating humanity. In any case, it would be a healthy balance between collective spirituality and science - and this would also have a positive effect on all of our karma.

So each of us could go on this personal, inner journey to discover our own essence including the love inherent there. And yes, this essence and love is always there - in every living being - even if it is all too often overlaid by negative layers of individual and collective karma. But be that as it may - basically there is nothing to lose, but a lot to gain.

I myself am still on this path of introspection and balance. In the process, with a lot of patience and in the form of constant mind training, integral yoga and meditation, I was able to let some traumas go in peace, break cyclical behavior patterns and thus come a little closer to my essence, my true "I"…or should I say "we". It is also important to say that good and loving gurus / teachers are indispensable on this path - as guides, contact persons or companions. Good friends and / or a community / Sangha also facilitate the path by a lot, give support and motivation.

In the end, however, you have to find and follow the right path yourself - because no two people are the same, and accordingly every path is different.

However, the goal is and always remains the same - it is basically a journey home!

At this point I can only emphasize how liberating such steps feel, especially in this time. However, it takes patience and stamina - and especially when it comes to meditation and yoga, these factors should not be seen in the current "lifestyle" context. It is not so much about rest, relaxation and body-conscious, Pilates-like activities. These are just incidental phenomena, but they should never be the sole goal. The goal should be real empowerment, learning to control the mind (because usually it is rather the other way around) and creating a clear awareness.

Because only this awareness is the key to unleash your own potential. Potential that no machine can imitate - neither today - nor in the future!

Thank you for reading!

Hari Om Tat Sat.

[thoughts-of-ghanashyam]

𝕰𝖍𝖊 𝖊𝖘𝖘𝖊𝖓𝖈𝖊 𝖆𝖇𝖔𝖚𝖙 𝖆𝖇𝖘𝖔𝖑𝖚𝖙𝖊 𝕶𝖓𝖔𝖜𝖑𝖊𝖉𝖌𝖊

“Those who are learned chop down the tree with the axe of knowledge. It is such people who can unite with the brahman and it is such people who become truly free.

As long as one is ignorant, one confuses the physical being (jiva) with the soul (atman). What really is knowledge? The place where one lives is a house. That which provides nourishment is food. And that which removes ignorance is knowledge. All else is useless.

A person seeking true knowledge meditates as follows ...

I am not the physical body. I am the shining brahman. I have no birth or death. I am the shining brahman. I have no connection with the earth and whatever is in it. I am the shining brahman. I am independent of the air, the sky and the five elements. I am the shining brahman. I have no place of habitation, but I am everywhere. I am the shining brahman. I cannot be smelt. I am the shining brahman. I cannot be touched. I am the shining brahman. I cannot speak or hear. I am the shining brahman. I have no senses. I am the shining brahman. I have no breath of life. I am the shining brahman. I am beyond all ignorance. I am the shining brahman. I am always pure, always happy and all-knowing.”

Garuda Purana

[thoughts-of-ghanashyam]

𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔦𝔫𝔫𝔢𝔯 𝔤𝔬𝔬𝔡𝔫𝔢𝔰𝔰

When I look into my quite turbulent past, there was hardly a more difficult aspect in my current life than to discover my own "goodness" and to develop an open-hearted self-love.

Especially on the streets, it is extremely difficult to develop love for others when you are always at the mercy of confrontations. In any case, in the past I was firmly convinced that hatred and violence really pursued me - no matter where I went, I was always provoked, looked at askance or physically attacked.

Accordingly, over time I also developed a corresponding attitude - and that although I was per se always a person who preferred to solve conflicts verbally and peacefully, rather than with violence. But when the going got tough - and that was the rule rather than the exception - I was not afraid to use it without compromise - after all, I had been trained in martial arts and knew how to "tackle" certain things. Paradoxically, I have subconsciously always waited for something to happen in this direction, even if my innermost actually resisted.

Similarly, with this development, a dark shadow developed in me, which took over me more and more over the years and caused a growing feeling of worthlessness and a not insignificant amount of self-hatred. Incidentally, this also affected my relationships, which always ended in minor or major disappointments or even disasters. Because the more the shadow grew, the more I tried to hold on to light moments of supposed love. But in the end, almost all of my relationships at that time were of a rather fleeting nature or had a thoroughly toxic character. In the process, I'm sure I hurt a few good souls myself, which in retrospect I'm very sorry about.

But the idea that I was both the receiver and sender of these emotions didn't even occur to me at the time. I was like a magnet that projected my inner attitude outward and attracted correspondingly pronounced equivalents. The classic cause-and-effect principle, also called karma, came into full play here. But instead of changing my attitude and the corresponding actions, I let myself be carried away further and further by this self-produced vortex of negativity.

Developing true love for all living beings

But how can one develop true love for others if one cannot truly love oneself and is always consumed by self-doubt? Even a conscious spiritual path will only be of limited help here if one is not prepared to recognize the good in oneself. I also had to experience this painfully on my own body and soul. Because although the encounter with my first spiritual master and the associated path of Sanatana Dharma and Bhakti Yoga certainly saved my life at that time, I began to understand many elementary aspects of self-love and "inner beauty" of beings only much later.

In general, many people today seem to find it very difficult to believe in their inner goodness and a "noble" character. I don't know where this tendency comes from, which is so extremely strong especially in the western society. Perhaps this is a hidden legacy of Christian original sin and the societies that grew out of it, that we tend to see ourselves as limited and pathetic personalities who are little more than vermin walking the earth!!!?

I really have no idea, but what is certain is that the seed of this attitude has been sown deep in the hearts of many people and is just waiting to germinate and sprout.

But wherever this tendency comes from, it has become so much a part of our flesh and blood that deep down we don't even know how to get along without it. And even if we are superficially convinced that we are self-confident and at peace with ourselves, nowadays a few negative comments on the Internet are enough to shake this supposed self-confidence, at the latest in lonely hours.

But what would happen if we could accept our basic innate goodness and dignity? What would happen if we realized that deep down we are not this fearful and limited being and that we are capable of much more than we might currently believe ourselves capable of? What would happen if we could escape the rampant cynicism in our world to see that we all possess an inner beauty, without exception? It would definitely change our lives radically. Wouldn't it?

Personally, I now firmly believe that this is possible, even if each of us must find our own personal path to freedom and holism.

Accept that there is suffering in this world

First of all, we must accept that there is suffering in the world and that it is inevitable - this includes our own suffering, whether it is shame, depression, fear, desire or hatred. However, nothing in the world has a permanent character, no matter how endless a suffering may seem to us.

The point, then, is to become aware of suffering where its roots lie: in the mind.

The difficulty lies in locating and discovering the roots of suffering without becoming attached to it and lost in it. Things are the way they are and that is how we should learn to accept them for ourselves. This does not mean that we should simply accept injustices of any kind or let malicious, unstable or even violent people hurt us. Quite the contrary. But that is not the point here. Because before we can understand others and their basic actions, we must first get to know ourselves. Because only if we recognize ourselves, we can also recognize the essence of all other beings. If we do not learn to recognize ourselves, our whole life will be like flying blind without instruments.

Discover who you really are - the inner heaven

But who are we actually? What defines us? As I have already written elsewhere, we are not our body and nothing with which we otherwise identify ourselves in our society. Everything we are, or what we think we are, originates in our mind. But what does our mind look like? How can we imagine it? Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, a master of Vajrayana Buddhism, scholar, poet and teacher once said:

"Our whole existence is fleeting like clouds in autumn; Birth and death of beings appear like movements in dance."

This image can also be applied very nicely to the nature, or rather the nature, of our minds. At least, I believe that this is so.

Heaven here stands for our pure awareness, our inner essence, our self, which exists detached from any influences and projections from the material outer world. Heaven is endless, pure and free from any boundaries.

The autumn clouds passing underneath the sky, the rain showers and storms, affect the environment, but the sky itself, remains completely unaffected. This active and constantly changing part is the discursive and analytical part of the mind - our ego. It determines, conditioned by mutual projections from the outside world, what we "want to have or not to have" and is the source of our cognition, self-view as well as of all emotions, which in turn condition our actions. This part of the mind is erratic, grasping, distracting, confusing and constantly in motion - even when we are asleep.

The great spiritual master and guru Ramana Maharshi described this context as follows:

"There is no duality. Its present cognition is based on the ego and is only relative. Such cognition requires a subject and an object, whereas awareness of the Self is absolute and requires no object."

So if we focus exclusively on the storms and clouds and let them carry us away, this can steer us into abysses from which we may never be able to get out. Such a path can, in the worst case, cause us to develop consistently negative to evil traits and deny us a view of heaven for a lifetime or beyond.

If, on the other hand, we learn, at least from time to time, to be able to take a look at the endless sky, this will also help us to uncover our actual "inner goodness" piece by piece. The more we succeed in this, the more we recognize the boundless beauty in ourselves - and with a little practice also that in every other living being. Because in the end we are all inseparably connected with all living beings of this world.

The sun behind the clouds

Speaking of sky and clouds - where has the sun gone in this effigy? I am truly no philosopher and even less I am a spiritual master. Accordingly, my thoughts and lines are certainly anything but perfect - apart from the fact that there is no perfection in the material world. But within the framework of my humble and simple thoughts, I believe that the sun shines in every "inner sky"...no matter how many autumn clouds darken the sky - whether by day or by night.

Just as the sky remains untouched by the clouds and storms, so does the sun. Sun and sky are always existent and interwoven with each other, but without a clear touch. Despite everything, the sun is THE central point in our small universe. Its rays and particles touch everything earthly and supernatural. It stands for the Absolute Truth and is the source of all life.

Buddhists would call it most likely the Buddha nature. Hindus as Vishnu, Brahman or Krishna, Christians as God and Muslims as Allah. But even as an atheist, one will come to a point where one cannot deny an absolute truth that pervades and determines our existence in one way or another.

The way to recognize the inner beauty and goodness would be to cultivate the ability to look through the autumn clouds to the endless sky.

Of course, this is not an easy path, and unfortunately there is no shortcut - at least I haven't found one...I am still in the middle of the path myself and therefore still relatively at the beginning. But as the saying goes, "the path is the goal" and this requires quite a bit of courage...because nothing can have as many abysmal depths as the supposed self.

A fundamental key is to develop equanimity and mindfulness...for oneself and for one's environment.

Meditation is the key

Meditation can be a great support in this, observing said clouds and storms. First from a distance, then bit by bit up close and then from changing perspectives. First we greet them, then we get to know them, then we accept them and at some point we let them move on. In these moments we will always have a brief glimpse of the endless sky.

What sounds so abstract becomes easier each time, even if it seems almost impossible at first. But with the awareness that the sky is always present behind the clouds and that the warming sun is also there, makes this process more bearable.

Which kind of meditation is the right one, every person has to find out for himself.

I myself explore my heaven (mind) with the help of Metta and Vipassana meditation, among view other things. On this way I learn bit by bit to develop more love and compassion for others as well as for myself. At the same time the Vipassana practice helps me to overcome the suffering (Dukkha) caused by "not seeing" (Avija) and delusion (Kilesa).

On the other hand, I cultivate the contact to the all-pervading sun with Bhakti Yoga and my love for Krishna. But this is only my modest and very personal way. As I said, every person has to find his own way.

More spiritual science than religion

It does not need any religious affiliation to discover the inner beauty and goodness, because especially the Buddhist spiritual training works detached from such aspects. But also the classical Vedic wisdoms and the path of Sanatana Dharma see themselves more as spiritual science than a classical religious culture, because the search for oneself is nothing else than the search for God and vice versa.

Help for these paths is available in various meditation centers as well as in Hindu or Buddhist temples. Many offers are free of charge or on donation basis, so that one has nothing to lose, but much to gain.

Be brave and discover your inner goodness

So be brave and take the first step to discover your self and your inner beauty.

There is a beautiful quote about this from Thomas Merton, a former Trappist, writer and mystic:

"Then I felt as if I suddenly saw the secret beauty of their heart, the whole depth of their heart into which never a ray of sin, of desire, of self-assurance reaches, the core of their reality, the man each is in the face of the Divine. If only they could see themselves as they really are. If only we could always see each other in this way. Then there would be no more war, no more hatred, no more cruelty, no more greed.... I suppose then our biggest problem would be that we would all fall on our knees before each other and worship each other."

Thank you for your attention - may all beings experience happiness - including yourself.

Om Tat Sat.

[thoughts-of-ghanashyam]

𝕷𝖎𝖋𝖊 𝖇𝖊𝖙𝖜𝖊𝖊𝖓 𝖔𝖗𝖉𝖊𝖗 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖔𝖘 ☯️

If one breaks down the life, no even the whole world on two fundamental forces, then only order and chaos remain at the end. These two elementary forces determine the course of the world and therefore also every life in all universes and spheres.

By the way, this aspect is not only valid for material science, but also for spiritual science. It also forms a general principle for psychology and resulting patterns of behavior. Jordan B. Peterson has written a wonderful book about this (12 Rules for Life), which I can only recommend to everyone in this context.

We humans (and probably all other living beings) love order. Order is the beauty and perfection of nature, recurring and relatively punctual seasons, the ebb after the flood and vice versa. However order is expressed, it gives us structure and security in the first instance.

What began in the communal horde at primeval times, currently finds its culmination in various forms of society. Order is the everyday rhythm of life, the beloved routine that doesn't throw us off track. Relationship and family, the circle of friends, daily meditation, going to the gym, the job, good food at the right time and everything else that determines our everyday life. But order is also laws, the state and society, which restrict us so far to secure this beloved order, but on the other hand also give us a sufficient sense of freedom. Order is the framework in which our material life takes place.

But order is also boredom and stagnation, because there are no more real challenges before loud order and structure. Order is likewise the steps of marching troops or the general "equalization" of a society. Order can thus degenerate all too quickly into an instrument of oppression - namely when it gains the upper hand and, for example, massively restricts or completely abolishes the fundamental rights and freedoms of living beings. Slaughterhouses and concentration camps (yes, I have deliberately listed these two terms together) are also parts of a radical and egomaniacal order, as we have experienced it many times in history or even experience it every day.

If order gets out of balance, it can be just as destructive as the supposed chaos.

Chaos...these are the uncontrolled forces of nature - earthquakes, floods or volcanic eruptions. Chaos is the ugly face of nature with things like plagues or pandemics. Chaos is murder, war, destruction and decay. Chaos is also the end of a relationship, the sudden death of a loved one, or the unexpected loss of a job. Things and events in which we lose control of our universal or individual order and suddenly become disoriented and helpless. This disorientation can in the worst case lead to further chaos in the form of physical as well as mental illness, drug addiction, violence, self-destruction, murder or suicide. Chaos is first and foremost something we want to avoid - at least as far as it is within our limited power.

However, similar to order, there is another aspect to chaos - the so-called second side of the same coin. Because if chaos arises from excessive order, change can also arise from this very chaos - for example in the sense of a revolution. Let us think here, for example, of the peaceful revolution of Mahatma Gandhi, which arose out of a maelstrom of oppression and misery and brought down an empire with peace and nonviolence.

Chaos can therefore, in addition to negative aspects, also provide us with motivation for proactive actions and thus spur us on to peak performance. Chaos is thus the unknown constant in our universe - the white spot on the map - the unexplored terrain. It challenges and encourages us in equal measure, it makes us progressive, creative and inventive. Without chaos, we would probably still be dwelling in caves and roaming the forest or steppe with a club.

So in the end, it's all about finding the right balance between these two forces. Almost every philosophy or religion of man has dealt with this principle. Good and evil, light and shadow, black or white, yin and yang. As diverse as the systems and representations are, they are equally universal.

But how do we create this balance? How do we manage to live in a healthy order and at the same time have one foot in chaos? Here, too, there are certainly thousands of possibilities - many of which are sold to us at an expensive price by hip life coaches with lots of pretty colorful pictures.

Personally, however, I believe the answer is both complex and simple in equal measure. Because the true link between order and chaos is probably consciousness. I therefore think that the keyword is "anchoring".

So let's keep it like a boat anchoring off a coast in a stormy sea. Storms come and go - so it is with order and chaos. In the end, nothing lasts in our world.

I found a beautiful verse in the Bhagavad Gita about this, too:

"O son of Kunti, the contact between the senses and the sense objects gives rise to fleeting perceptions of happiness and distress. These are non-permanent, and come and go like the winter and summer seasons. O descendent of Bharat, one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed. "

(BG 2.14)

So let us remain anchored - no matter how stormy the sea. We may be buffeted, we may even sink, but in the end, as I said, nothing is insistent - not even suffering.

So let's find that one place in life where we want to drop anchor - based on what or who we really are. Let's find out what our inner self really wants from life and hold on to that. Then, if we keep bringing ourselves back to that place by reminding ourselves of our true identity, values and purpose, we can learn to be in balance with chaos and order.

Thanks for reading! Hari Om Tat Sat!

[thoughts-of-ghanashyam]

𝕷𝖊𝖆𝖗𝖓𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖙𝖔 𝖘𝖊𝖊 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖑𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙 𝖎𝖓 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖉𝖆𝖗𝖐

Truly, these are dark times of strife and hatred.

In life as such, the search is currently less and less for agreements, but rather for the differences. This causes that in case of disagreements and conflicts of any kind, more and more often a respectful dialogue on eye level is lost. Even more, no attempt is made to actually strive for this.

In the course of this, there is no longer a search for a consensual, peaceful solution in the middle of two positions, there is also no discourse and no mutual attentiveness.

Instead, discord is sown without knowledge and understanding and everyone sees himself in the absolute right. All too often, this discord results in hatred, the consequences of which can end in absolute chaos. People are defamed, verbally, physically and psychologically attacked, society is deliberately divided.

Above all the mental and spiritual well-being hardly plays a role in this development, since only material values are of are important. Once more I am ashamed to be part of this ignorant society and also to be involved myself to be drawn again and again partially into some of such behaviors.

With this habitus we will never manage to leave this cycle of hate. Is this what we really want? Is this how we want to be treated?- I don't think so.

We are all united by a common core, which lies beyond all material things, beyond our origin, beyond ideology, beyond belief or even beyond species. This core connects chaos and order and brings ourselves into balance - as long as we only fathom it thoroughly enough and learn to understand it. For to understand this core is to understand the fundamental nature of all things.

This core, our consciousness, our soul, the true "I" that lies beyond the ego, makes us all equal...and no, there are no exceptions and no one is "more equal" than someone else.

So, in this course, first and foremost, we should not get carried away by this general vortex of ignorance and hatred. We should try not to judge others blindly and to put them into prefabricated pigeonholes - even if this is the easier way and part of our basic instincts.

So let's try to treat strangers the way we would like to be treated the other way around. Let's try to accept other opinions objectively and above all to reflect ourselves. Let's try not to see criticism of ourselves directly as a personal attack. Let's try to see the light behind supposedly dark facades. Let's learn to listen more instead of just looking at the surface of things.

Let's forget the old "eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth" principle. All this is false ego and will not help us with God to leave the current Kali Yuga. Let's stay steadfast, let's stay anchored - in humility, peace, compassion and a positive mindset focused on the essential: the "light" in us and in every other living being.

The Bhagavad Gita says in this regard:

"Someone who is not envious, but is a good friend to all living beings, who does not owner and is free from false ego, who is equal in both happiness and suffering, who is tolerant, ever equal, who is tolerant, always contented and self-controlled, and who devotes himself with determination to devoted service, with his mind and intelligence fixed on Me - such a devotee of Mine is very dear to Me."

(BG 12.13-14)

Let's just try... for us, for everyone, for the whole world. Thank you for your attention!

May all beings experience happiness.

[thoughts-of-ghanashyam]

𝕽𝖊𝖈𝖔𝖌𝖓𝖎𝖟𝖊 𝖞𝖔𝖚𝖗𝖘𝖊𝖑𝖋. 👁️

One of the most fundamental questions among spiritual seekers is the question, "Who am I?" One of the tenets of Vedic philosophies is that we are not our bodies - I have already written some humble thoughts on this as well. But if we take the question further, it still remains difficult in principle. So, if we assume that we are not our body and it´s only a shell for this current life in the material world - who or what is this "I" that is aware of this body? What does this "I" actually refer to? All the definitions we use in our material life are shaped by our way of life, our culture and our social environment, among other things. So how can we even grasp such abstract things - because we were already this "I" before we received our name by our parents. We were already this "I" before we were born and we will be this "I" also in a new life. So how can we even rationally grasp this "I" that we embody? We have to realize that our, no any existence in our material world does not depend on our name. But also this simple "I", which says so much and yet so little, is only a designation for an infinite, abstract, formless and nameless being, which we call the "I". And this very name is the same for each of us, whether we are Atheists, Christians, Jews, Muslims or Hindus. Once we have absorbed this fact, processed it and understood its essence, we know who we really are. Then "I" also know who you are, then "I" know who everyone else is who reads these lines. It is just the same one "I", which in turn is an individual particle of the universal "I", the supreme personality of Godhead. All that you have, what I have and what we all have is different, but what we are is in the end one and the same. But how can we define this "one and the same"? I have been searching for years for this answer that could save us so many problems, conflicts and differences worldwide - if we would only really understand it and realize that we are all the same - no matter if human or animal. I think that there is no real word or definition for it, as our minds are incapable of grasping infinity.

But maybe the answer is simply silence!?!

Silence, which paradoxically can be so present in certain moments that you can literally feel it and even hear it - even if it is not really there or tangible.Perhaps we are just this silence, shaped by our individual karma and coupled with this one spark of divine energy that consciously or unconsciously always draws us to its origin - the source.

We are nothingness and at the same time part of so much more, even if we have given many names to this state through our life, culture, relationships and conditioning.

So let us reconsider ourselves from time to time - in search of our "I" - in stillness and silence. Because maybe exactly this silence is at least the entrance to our self.

Thank you for the attention - may all beings experience happiness!

[thoughts-of-ghanashyam]

𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖜𝖊𝖆𝖕𝖔𝖓 𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖞 𝖋𝖊𝖆𝖗. 📿

"In the present day also, people all over the world may join together in the Krsna consciousness movement and protest against the present degraded governments of the world's godless societies, which are based on all kinds of sinful activities. Srimad-Bhagavatam states that in the Age of Kali, thieves, rogues and fourth-class people who have neither education nor culture capture the seats of governments to exploit the citizens. This is a symptom of Kali-yuga that has already appeared. People cannot feel secure about their lives and property, yet the so-called governments continue, and government ministers get fat salaries, although they are unable to do anything good for society. The only remedy for such conditions is to enhance the sankirtana movement under the banner of Krsna consciousness and protest against the sinful activities of all the world's governments. The Krsna consciousness movement is not a sentimental religious movement; it is a movement for the reformation of all the anomalies of human society."

Srila Prabhupada on Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Adi 17.141

[thoughts-of-ghanashyam]

𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖗𝖎𝖙𝖞 𝖜𝖎𝖙𝖍𝖔𝖚𝖙 𝖆𝖓𝖞𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖎𝖓 𝖗𝖊𝖙𝖚𝖗𝖓

"Charity given to a worthy person simply because it is right to give, without consideration of anything in return, at the proper time and in the proper place, is stated to be in the mode of goodness."

Bhagavad Gita 17.20

[thoughts-of-ghanashyam]

𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖗𝖔𝖆𝖉 𝖙𝖔 𝖕𝖊𝖗𝖋𝖊𝖈𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓 𝖎𝖘 𝖕𝖆𝖛𝖊𝖉 𝖜𝖎𝖙𝖍 𝖎𝖒𝖕𝖊𝖗𝖋𝖊𝖈𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓

Memories and thoughts ...

Before I met my first spiritual master, I was young, wild, violent, addicted and disoriented. I had no ideals and lost a very good friend due to his drug addiction. Despite a supposedly large circle of friends, I felt alone and was searching for elementary answers about life.

By a supposed coincidence, which retrospectively is probably more to be attributed to my karma, I finally ended up at a Sunday fest in a Vaishnava temple, a few kilometers from my hometown.

After only a few minutes, I was touched by the positive energy that this place exuded with all its people of different backgrounds. But I will never forget the presence of the master as he entered the room with his entourage. I was spellbound by the fable he recited that day, enriched with passages from the Bhagavad Gita. It was as if he was giving the lecture just for my current life situation and the worries, fears and questions associated with it. What can I say? The very next Sunday I visited the temple again and soon became a regular guest. The whole thing ended up with me becoming a novice of the temple and I took a pioneering direction in my life. It is rightly said that one should not search frantically for one's spiritual master - the master will find you.

However, the Master became my absolute role model and guide to my path of salvation - even more, I looked at him almost like a saint. The way of the community thus became the only true one and my devotion omnipresent.

All the greater was the disappointment when exactly this supposedly perfect saint had to leave the temple because he had broken his celibacy and had become a drug addict himself. How could I stay on course when even my respected master had not managed to go his way? I questioned everything and was so depressed that I left the temple again and continued on my way alone. I kept my spiritual compass, but after a few years I got caught again in unwanted currents that made me circle again in negative paths, which in the end brought me to the edge of my own existence.

However, it was exactly this experience in the end that opened my eyes. I recognized with the time that there is no perfection in the material world. This is exclusively reserved for the Absolute, the supreme personality of Godhead. Thus, today I am even grateful to my first master for his transgressions. Because these have shown me that he was also only a human being like you and me and that the way to perfection is always paved with imperfection. And this is absolutely OK!

No one is flawless and that is exactly what makes us human. Otherwise we would not be where we are. It is rather the question whether we can learn from our own failures and draw positive conclusions from them. And whether we can keep our chosen spiritual path with devotion and mindfulness despite all failures - and accept ourselves as we are. Because even if my master was flawed, he still showed his disciples a path with transcendental knowledge from the Vedas that can lead us all to salvation. It was perfect knowledge from the perfect source - there it was not decisive that the messenger was flawed.

Likewise the ways to the absolute are various - also here there is in my humble eyes not only this "one way" but many winding paths. How could it be otherwise? The Absolute is omnipresent, just as we are all part of Creation, no matter how different we are. The Divine appears to us every day in various forms - why should there be only one path to the Absolute in this course?

In the end, I am grateful for this small but essential realization and feel more connected today than ever before. Be it to my past and current masters, to the absolute as well as to myself. I am not perfect and I will never be, but I accept myself and my mistakes - work on them and try to walk my personal path with dedication and mindfulness. For myself, for others and for the supreme personality of Godhead.

May all beings experience happiness. Thank you!

[thoughts-of-ghanashyam]

𝕰𝖑𝖊𝖛𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓 𝖆𝖙 𝕯𝖊𝖆𝖙𝖍 💀

"For the soul there is never birth nor death. Nor, once having been, does he ever cease to be. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing, undying, and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain.”

Bhagavad Gita 2.20

[thoughts-of-ghanashyam]

𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖘𝖆𝖎𝖓𝖙𝖑𝖞 𝖛𝖎𝖗𝖙𝖚𝖊𝖘

"These are the saintly virtues of those endowed with a divine nature: fearlessness, purity of mind, steadfastness in spiritual knowledge, charity, control of the senses, performance of sacrifice, study of the sacred books, austerity, and straightforwardness; non-violence, truthfulness, absence of anger, renunciation, peacefulness, restraint from fault-finding, compassion toward all living beings, absence of covetousness, gentleness, modesty, and lack of fickleness; vigor, forgiveness, fortitude, cleanliness, bearing enmity toward none, and absence of vanity."

Bhagavad Gita 16.1-3

[thoughts-of-ghanashyam]

𝕿𝖔 𝖈𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖙𝖊 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖋𝖎𝖗𝖘𝖙 𝖒𝖚𝖘𝖙 𝖉𝖊𝖘𝖙𝖗𝖔𝖞

The path to absolute truth and to the liberation of our consciousness is blocked by one essential factor: our ego.

Nourished by obstacles such as desire, aversion, inertia, restlessness or doubt, it clings to the material world and our addiction to confirmation as well as the satisfaction of our material desires. But all these confirmations and satisfactions don´t make us happy - quite the opposite. It is never enough - we always want more and this in the fastest and easiest way possible. This system is constantly promoted by our absolutely materialistic society and trained in us from childhood on.

In the long run, this results in frustration, which can end in anger, dissatisfaction, aggression or even depression. The current Corona pandemic in particular has confirmed this once again. While super-rich people and corporations have been able to increase their material wealth many times over, many people, especially young people, have to struggle with severe depression, massive fear of the future and many other psychosocial problems.

But in order to break out of this cycle and turn towards a higher goal, the absolute truth, we must first understand the actual path. And this path leads us down - to the base.

This base is self-knowledge and the associated "destruction" of the ego and all the material obstacles connected with it.

So, in order to truly connect with the Highest, we must self-reflect, dutifully practice self-discipline, lead a mindful, empathic life, and systematically study the truths of transcendence. These are the foundations, so to speak, that will give us the stability to ascend spiritually.

What seems impossible at first glance is not so dramatic at second one. Because since the material consciousness was trained to us, this means in the reverse conclusion that we can also act differently.

So let's start today!

[thoughts-of-ghanashyam]

𝖀𝖓𝖕𝖑𝖚𝖌 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖒𝖆𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖎𝖆𝖑 𝖜𝖔𝖗𝖑𝖉

We are more and more busy drawing our supposed happiness from the material world and transferring our minds to virtual worlds. Facebook, Instagram, TikTok...and now the upcoming Metaverse. We are literally escaping into the virtual and material world, confusing true happiness with superficial pleasure.

We have revolutionized communication with people around the world on one hand, but have forgotten how to communicate and interact with strangers in the same space without reservations on the other.

We are so busy getting our personal validation from the material world that we are losing "US" more and more in the process. In this way we have forgotten who "WE" really are and what makes the "I" really happy. We prefer to be rated by virtual "friends", who are mostly complete strangers, and thus reduce ourselves more and more to our appearance - the body.

But in fact we are not our body, our species, our race, our gender, our culture or our religion. At the end of the day, the essence of life is one and the same - call it "energy", "soul" or whatever you want. But it is this very essence that makes us all the same and strive, consciously or unconsciously, for the same desires: a truly happy life without suffering and pain.

Discovering this mysterious essence, the true "I", is certainly not easy and the ways to get there are many. It is also not always nice and comfortable. In fact, it can also be a real, painful struggle. But as the saying goes, "the journey is the destination".

So let's take the time and courage to put our minds back in our hands and unplug the virtual world once in a while. Let's use technology privately for what we need it for the least and not let technology use us. Let's take more time for ourselves again, to get completely calm and let's go in search of our "I".

Be it at home or during walks through the forest. Let's create a place where we feel comfortable and then go into ourselves - see ourselves as part of creation, the world, nature, the universe. Let's listen again to the sounds of nature as well as our own breath. Let us stay in the here and now instead of in the past and future. Let us enjoy the power of silence and move in the natural flow of the energies that surround and permeate us. Let us learn to recognize ourselves again, because we are all unique and beautiful souls on a journey to the absolute truth.

In the search for an inner peace and the true "I", it is also not about religion. As Srila Prabhupada said, this path is a spiritual science, whether you are a Christian, Muslim, Jew or even an atheist. On the path, some obstacles will also hinder us, be it sensual desire, rejection, inertia, restlessness, or doubting what we are doing it all for.

But these obstacles can also be overcome. So meditation can help to set the necessary focus on the essential, to fade out these obstacles to the "I", the true consciousness, and to free the mind. Everyone has to find out for themselves which way is the right one - because there are incredibly many types of meditations, each of which works with completely different points of concentration.

Some focus on sitting quietly as in Metta, Shamatha or Anapana meditation, others focus on jumping around wildly, still others use slow movements as in yoga or chanting.

One that really always helps me to clean my mind - among other techniques - is the Japa meditation. This can be done sitting still or even while walking, so it's pretty suitable for everyday use. During Japa you concentrate on several things at the same time, so that the thoughts (obstacles) have less chance to get the upper hand and after some time you can glide into a deep meditative state. The only thing you need for this is a mantra and a mala necklace.

A very proven mantra, which I myself use every day, is the Maha Mantra:

“HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE”

Even though this kind of meditation is a quick and easy way to switch off, be patient with yourself. It is always possible that it will not work 100% for you right away. Especially at the beginning it is quite normal that the "mind monkey" rages and many thoughts race wildly through your mind.

If you still find it difficult after several attempts, try the following: concentrate more on the beads in your fingers, then on the sound of your voice and then on the feeling while you speak the words. In the end, meditating is also a learning process and your body and mind need to get used to this new form of engagement. But stick with it and do it for a while - then you will soon realize the benefits and take a first step towards your consciousness.

So don't be afraid - just go offline, unplug and give it a try!

Hari Om Tat Sat.

[thoughts-of-ghanashyam]

𝕰𝖘𝖈𝖆𝖕𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖒𝖆𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖎𝖆𝖑 𝖜𝖔𝖗𝖑𝖉

Be it at home or during walks through the forest. Let's create a place where we feel comfortable and then go into ourselves - see ourselves as part of creation, the world, nature, the universe.

Let's listen again to the sounds of nature as well as our own breath. Let us stay in the here and now instead of in the past and future. Let us enjoy the power of silence and move in the natural flow of the energies that surround and permeate us. Let us learn to recognize ourselves again, because we are all unique and beautiful souls on a journey to the absolute truth.