Last Friday was Guru Poornima and I was fortunate to be present in the local celebration at Hospet where Shri Naikji conducted a special Guru Puja and sang some scintillating bhajans.
Attached image has Guruji’s message (transcribed in Hindi) I do not have the exact english translation, so if any reader of the blog can kindly translate and leave the translation in English, I would greatly appreciate it.
Lance Secretan - ex-CEO of ManPower - has written a superb book on Conscious Leadership titled “One - The Art and Practice of Conscious Leadership”
This book is based on the premise that we are all one and are connected to each other in ways that are not apparent on the surface, but dig a little deeper and we find the connections. It is divided into two parts - the first talks of the oneness and how we seemed to have lost the oneness and the second part talks of 6 principles (CASTLE - Courage, Authenticity, Service, Truthfullness, Love and Effectiveness) that help us regain the oneness.
I loved this book. Lance draws superb examples from Industry and his practice which makes this book immensly readable. Plus each of the chapters relating to the CASTLE principles have a workbook that allows space for one to reflect on the principles in our own situations.
Click here for Lance’ blog. (Corrected the link!)
This weekend, I stumbled upon “The Bhagavad Gita: A Walkthrough for Westerners” by Jack Hawley and on a quick reading purchased it. It was a good decision. I have read Eknath Easwaran’s three volumes on ” The Bhagavad Gita for Daily Living” quite a few times and have regarded it as one of the finest translations of Gita for the modern world.
Since the time Guruji advised us all to read The Gita regularly, I have always carried the pocket book of The Shrimad Bhagavad Gita ( search for code 455 and yes don’t be surprised by the price, it does cost rupees six only!) from Gita Press with me always, reading it as and when I have time.
I am yet to complete reading Jack’ translation, but having read the first two chapters, I can say that this book comes from the rich depth of someone who understands the meaning behind the verses and someone who has walked on the spiritual path.
Jack’s translation of the 2nd chapter is so beautiful that I have re-read it quite a few times. Looking up for Jack on the Internet I stumbled upon his website and found his responses to the Spirituality and workplace so apt that I reproduce them here.
LW: How to introduce, channel, and better use spirituality in the workplace to enhance wellness?
JH: In the West, the term wellness, especially when used in connection with workplace connotes the promotion of the physical well being of workers. It’s a good and smart thing to do, and in some cases concern for workers’ health is of the same family tree as spiritual values, but I do not consider this to be a
main aim of spirituality.
I’m apprehensive that people will begin using spirituality as a method or strategy for enhancing worldly things. Ramakrishna, the renowned Indian saint of the late 1800s, explained spirituality this way: “Using spiritual means to achieve worldly ends is not spirituality; using worldly means to achieve spiritual ends is spirituality.” It is important today to understand that spirituality at work is not just another way to manipulate workers to work harder. Increased productivity may be a byproduct of spiritual values at work, but it is certainly not the purpose of it.
LW: How can we increase a holistic approach to work, integrate the spiritual and the material sides of life into the work?
JH: First, just acknowledge that both the spiritual and material sides coexist. Convey to people that spiritual aspects of life are legitimate topics for them to think about and factor into their work and their lives. Second, trust that a balanced, whole person (i.e., holistic person) is indeed a good thing to
become-and a good thing to foster, advance and encourage at work. Third, know that if you do this merely to enhance profits your effort will probably fail. Do it because humans are both spiritual and worldly beings. Do it because you know that people need to live a more balanced existence in a more spiritually balanced world.
I look forward to reading this book at leisure and I am sure I will go back mark pages and read them over and over again. Also in my to read list is Pujan Roka’s The Bhagavad Gita on Effective Leadership I have been searching for this book in bookstores in Bangalore without luck, seems like I may have to order this via Amazon or wait till I go to US to purchase a copy of this.
Meanwhile, if you dear readers have any recommendations on Leadership books written from a Spiritual perspective, please do let me know.
Related Website: Check out Apex
A chance encounter over the web and the next thing I knew that Rajesh personally came down to meet me when I was at Accenture way back in 2003. I have cherished that meeting. Ever since I have been a close follower of Emergic and Rajesh’ writing. His blog entry “On Turning 40” is a must read.
He writes:
“The day after we had sold IndiaWorld for $115 million in November 1999, my wife, Bhavana, told me: “We are custodians of God’s money. If God has given us money at such an early age, there must be something He has in mind for us. We have to utilise this wealth for the greater good.” These are words which have formed the bedrock of my life since then. Till then, I was an entrepreneur trying to prove that I could, even after repeated failures, be successful at least once. Since then, I have come to believe that what good we need to do, we have to do in our present life - while we still have the physical and mental energies. “
What an amazing spiritual thought process this couple have!.
The autumn 2007 issue of The Blue Mountain Journal is now online.
Being with people who are different is not only unavoidable; it is necessary if we want to grow. Without the company of those who differ from us, we grow rigid and narrow-minded. Those who associate only with people their own age, for example, lose a great deal: the young have much to learn from the old, and older people from the young. Similarly, if you are a blue-collar worker, it is good to know an intellectual
or two; it will cure you of any awe you might have of higher education. Even the difference between an egghead and a hardhat is only one percent. Their feelings, their responses to life’s perennial problems, are very much the same.Most of us can treat others with espect under certain circumstances – at the right time, with the right people, n a certain place. When those circumstances are absent, we usually move away. We avoid someone, change jobs, lave home, move to southern California. Yet when we respond according to ow the other person behaves, changing whenever she changes, and she is behaving in this same way, how can we expect anything but insecurity on both sides? There is nothing solid to build on. Instead, we can learn to respond always to the Self within – focusing not on the other person’s ups and downs, likes and dislikes, but always on what is changeless in each of us. Then others grow to trust us. They know they can count on us – and that makes us more secure too. We can try to remember this always: the same Self that makes us worthy of respect and love is present equally in everyone around us. When we base our relationships on this unity, showing unwavering respect and unconditional love to all, we give them – and ourselves – a sure basis on which to stand. Everyone responds to this. It is one of the surest ways I know of to take our latent divinity a reality in daily life.
To have a Guru in life does not mean sailing on a boat with no storms; it means having a boat that no storm can sink!
When someone young, someone close to you passes away, the reality of what life is dawns. As we get engrossed in the daily humdrum of life, fighting petty battles, chasing the next hike, promotion, car, house…, death puts everything in perspective. Life is too short, too fragile, too precious to be wasted in irrelevant, meaningless pursuits.
I have been trying to remember my last meeting with Vishal and for some reason I am not able to remember whether we had met for lunch or was it the drive back home when he was in Bangalore. Irrespective, It just goes to show that I didn't invest my 100% attention in either of those two situations. Conversations - unfinished, unsaid words…..come back to haunt you over and over again.
I met Guruji two weeks back….it was such a solace to hear him….words can't describe it. The knowledge, the practices, the sadhana that we have had been doing as part of the follow up in Art of Living helped me and my wife to a large extent to cope.
For those who are reading this, my only request is to view life in the context of your own death. This is not to turn morbid or fearful. Just to be aware of the impermanance of our own lives and then to give your 100% to everyone and everything around you.
I had written back in March about the 7 things to do on my list. While I haven’t been able to make significant headway in most of the things I have listed, there has been some movement on one of the goals that I had set for myself - to be an "Art of Living" teacher. I am about to undergo a fortnight of training in moving towards this goal starting this weekend. I am very excited as I embark upon this journey.
What this means is that I will have no access to the internet, emails. So blogging will come to a complete halt till 9th Jan 2006.
My best wishes, to all you dear readers, for a great new year ahead! I hope and pray that we all have a peaceful and happy year ahead! Let me end this entry with a prayer for the well being of all.
"Lokasamasta sukhino bhuvantu"
Recently during a talk, Guruji spoke about how one should live in this world. He said, you should be like the wick of a diya (oil lantern). It burns and dispels darkness with its radiance and light. If the wick is fully immersed in the oil, it will not be able to burn. And if it is out of the oil, it will burn for a while and die off. One should be in this world and at the same time be a bit outside of it to burn and serve.
Back to the routine of day to day existence after spending the best Navaratri of my life at the Art of Living Ashram. The first five days were spent in silence during the Advanced course and it was an awesome feeling to go into silence and coming out of silence along with the Guruji.
The advanced course had over 1000 people from all over the world attending and I typically hate crowds and my mind was chattering away about the number of people in the Ashram, number of people with whom I had to share my room with, the crowded vishalakshi mantap and so on. To top I was unwell going into the course.
It was quite interesting to observe that the mind which was chattering away and complaining about all the small stuff….suddenly seemed to move into a different plane altogether and the complaints, aches, pains vanished.
And the Navaratri celebrations! What do I write about them? One has to be present physically to soak into the celebrative atmosphere…so many Homas, Yagyas, Puja and the awesome satsangs every night!
And the physical presence of Sri Sri himself!
I honestly did not want these nine days to end!
