Ego is that state of awareness which thinks of you as separate from the other. Ego thinks in terms of guiltiness and shames and glories of the past, and it thinks in terms of fears and hopes about the future. It never thinks about what ‘is’, but always thinks about ‘what was’ and ‘what could be’. Ego thinks in terms of many as opposed to the One, the one pure intelligence.

What is pure intelligence?

It’s commonly called ‘common sense’, or the ‘presence of mind’. At any moment, when you do the most appropriate thing in the most appropriate way without any influence of the stored up memories of your past and without any regards to fears of failure or hopes of future rewards, you let the pure intelligence act through you. This pure intelligence may be called the Soul or super-ego or God or universal consciousness. The term ‘pure intelligence’ is used here in preference for others because ‘intelligence’ is one term you can easily identify with compared to the other terms.

So, how is the ego different from pure intelligence?

Ego is self identity. It’s labeling yourself, painting the ‘pure you’ with distinct qualities. And this ego labels others too. The ego cannot but think in terms of these qualities and it always defines yourself as somebody distinct from others. But these qualities and definitions are not fixed or constant. The paint wears off in time and as it wears off, the ego freshly paints the worn off patches of with new qualities and new definitions, and gives an illusion of continuity. This illusion of continuity of qualities strengthen self identity. Now, completely strip off these qualities and definitions, and you will find that the ‘pure you’ and the ‘pure other’ are one and the same, there has always been only one existence, call it the One, or the Soul, or God. The consciousness of this God is pure intelligence itself.

The foremost quality of ego is self preservation. It always tries to impose it’s definition of yourself onto others around you and into your own future. That’s where the problem comes and conflict comes. You define yourself as somebody now, and you want to preserve this definition of yourself into the future until you get a better definition. You are afraid that if you lose this definition of yourself, you will fall. You will become lesser. This fear is the hallmark of the ego. So, when you actually get to the future, your ‘new’ ego tries to define itself anew and comes into conflict with your older definition of yourself that tries to preserve itself. Similarly, when you try to impose your definition to others, the ‘other’ ego resists it and there comes a conflict. So you see, there is a conflict both in terms time and space. Remove this illusion of time and space and there is no more conflict. But pure intelligence doesn’t need any preservation, because it knows itself to be only existence.

So, how do I identify whether I’m acting egoistic or with God consciousness?

This ‘attempt’ to identify is itself ego. Don’t ‘try’ to identify, but just be. Pure intelligence doesn’t ‘try’ or ‘attempt’, it just IS.

Pure intelligence works in harmony. In reality, there is is only one, the pure existence, consciousness, bliss absolute. It’s not ‘my’ existence or ‘my’ consciousness or ‘your’ consciousness, but it’s THE consciousness, THE existence and bliss. It’s not that I am intelligent or I was intelligent or you are intelligent, but it’s THE pure intelligence. This intelligence acts harmoniously. That is, the intelligence acts through you now in a certain way and it may act through you in a different way in some point of time in the future, but there is no conflict between both the ways. There is harmony. So, when pure intelligence acts through you now and does something, it’s helpful for you in the future, and you’ll never regret. Similarly, the intelligence may work differently through you and somebody else (a different point in space), but there is no conflict between both of you. There is only harmony. All of us complement and complete each other and don’t conflict each other when there is only intelligence and not egos acting.

But the ego is always intent on conflict. The ego says “I’m right and he is wrong”, or, ” I was wrong”, or “I made a mistake”, or “I’m afraid that I will fail”, or “I should be like this in the future”. Note that pure intelligence at times uses idea of future as a guidance for present action, as in reserving a ticket now for your future travel. But, pure intelligence is all about the present. Ego, on the other hand, lives in the past or in the future. When you imagine unreal things, like a future dialogue between you and somebody else, know that it’s the ego. You may imagine your future now, but you can never live your future, sure it may become real when it happens eventually, but it’s unreal as of now, it’s just imagination. When you feel guilty about your past mistake, or relive your past glory, know that it’s the ego.

Pure intelligence is about reality. Ego is about imagination. Note that pure intelligence visualises, but never imagines. Visualisation is creativity, imagination is speculation. Through visualisation, you create your own world for yourself. Through imagination, you lose yourselves in the mires of time.

Ego always needs and craves for something. But pure intelligence is rich by itself and doesn’t need anything from outside, because, it knows that there is no outside.

Pure intelligence fulfills. Ego imitates. When you are in the state of ego, you try to imitate your own past success or you imitate somebody else. Pure intelligence is ever original, ever creative.

Ego always looks up to others for help. It looks for an authority, It wants a rulebook so that it can imitate. Pure intelligence is intelligence itself, so it doesn’t need somebody external to lay down rules for itself. But beware, pure intelligence doesn’t even lay down it’s own rules for itself. When you say you are sufficient by yourself and you will never accept others opinions, it’s still your ego. Pure intelligence, though it doesn’t need external rules, does appreciate the wisdom behind rules laid down by wise men, which is nothing but an expression of the same pure intelligence, though at different time through a different person. Pure intelligence is always intent on finding harmony.

But acting without rules doesn’t mean chaos. Pure intelligence not needing rules don’t mean it acts haphazardly, but it helps you do take the most appropriate action now in the most appropriate way.

This pure intelligence is God, it’s You, it’s Now. It’s the only reality. All else is stored up memory and imagination. All else is unreal.

(This is an account of some of the questions that arose in my mind and the answers that popped up in my awareness.)

Other posts that may interest you:

• Performing action without attachment to reaction
• Jill Bolte Taylor’s stroke of insight
• What is happiness?

When you are going through a conflict, don’t try to escape from the conflict, but just be aware (in the present moment), and see what is it that prevents you from being normal. You’ll find that, invariably, it’s your own misconceptions and unrealistic expectations, and not the things ‘outside’.

I was chatting with a friend last night and this point came up during the conversation. No wonder, as I have been reading a lot of J. Krishnamurti these days.

Lyrics of the song:

I love the mountains
I love the clear blue skies
I love big bridges
I love when great whites fly
I love the whole world
And all its sights and sounds
Boom De Yada, Boom De Yada, Boom De Yada, Boom De Yada
I love the ocean
I love real dirty things
I love to go fast
I love Egyptian kings
I love the whole world
and all its craziness
Boom De Yada, Boom De Yada, Boom De Yada, Boom De Yada
I love tornadoes
I love Arachnids
I love hot magma
I love the giant squids
I love the whole world
Its such a brilliant place
Boom De Yada, Boom De Yada, Boom De Yada, Boom De Yada
Boom De Yada, Boom De Yada, Boom De Yada, Boom De Yada
Boom De Yada…

(A Discovery Channel commercial)

One person who commented on the post couldn’t accept the fact that global warming is caused by human activities. He said,

What about the other side of the coin? Earth is about 3 billion years old and just 50 years of human action could change the world climate - total farce. Don’t get me wrong, if this the only way we reduce carbon emissions, the change is more than welcome but the premise is still debatable.

Here is my reply to the comment:

Let’s be clear about one thing here. It’s not that just 50 years of human action is affecting 3 billion year old Earth. All the climate change caused by human action doesn’t affect in a significant way the Earth operates. But this climate change caused by our activities does affect in a significant way our life on Earth. Am I making myself clear? It’s like a mosquito sitting on your hand and sucking your blood. It’s not of much significance to you. It takes less than a second for you strike a blow, finish the life of the mosquito and carry on with your work. But you getting rid of the mosquito is very significant from the mosquito’s point of view. It’s a question of life and death for the mosquito. In much the same way, we are sucking away earth’s resources resources in an indiscriminate manner and polluting the environment, the result of which is climate change and this climate change has become a life and death issue for us human beings, but it doesn’t mean a thing to Earth.

Debates have happened over this issue in the past, but now it’s been proved and widely accepted that climate change is caused very much by human activities. So, there is no point in further specluation. It’s time for action. And it’s utter foolishness to say that we have to ’save the Earth’. But we definitely have to take action and save our own lives on this planet.

The way Dr. Taylor explains her experience is very similar to the way yogis and spiritualists explain their ‘enlightenment’ experience. Dr. Taylor says that we all can have such experience when we can switch off our ‘I and mine’ness, the sense of individuality, the thing more popularly called as ‘ego’. In almost all spiritual traditions, we are advised to renounce our selfish ego (or at least have conscious control over our ego) in order for our awareness to shift higher into more spiritual realms.

But it’s very unique to have a ‘brain scientist’ explain her ‘enlightenment’ experience. We know that there are two halves of the brain, left and the right. From what Dr. Taylor says, the left part of the brain is that which gives us the sense of individuality. The left part of the brain thinks sequentially, it’s the logical part of the brain, it’s that part of the brain which stores and analyses your past experiences and plans for the future. While the right side of the brain is what connects us to the universal consciousness, it’s the intuitive part of the brain, it’s all about the (present) moment, it’s all about Love, Peace and Joy. Dr. Taylor explains in the video how the dominant part of our brain controls our awareness.

Dr. Taylor says that we can willfully switch our awareness back and forth between the universal and individual consciousness when we can have control over the ego. She says that any of us can do this, and when when everyone living in the world can have this conscious control over themeselves, she pictures a “world filled with beautiful, peaceful, compassionate, loving people who knew that they could come to this space at any time.” A beautiful vision indeed!

Watch the video.

Visit Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor’s website

Wings of Fire: An Autobiography of Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

I wonder why some people tend to see science as something which takes man away from God. As I look at it, the path of science can always wind through the heart. For me, science has always been the path to spiritual enrichment and self-realisation.

the best way to win was to not need to win. The best performances are accomplished when you are relaxed and free of doubt.

I often read Khalil Gibran, and always find his words full of wisdom. “Bread baked without love is a bitter bread that feeds but half a man’s hunger”–those who cannot work with their hearts achieve but a hollow, half-hearted success that breeds bitterness all around. If you are a writer who would secretly prefer to be a lawyer or a doctor, your written words will feed but half the hunger of your readers; if you are a teacher who would rather be a businessman, your instructions will meet but half the need for knowledge of your students; if you are a scientist who hates science, your performance will satisfy but half the needs of your mission.

I have always considered the price of perfection prohibitive and allowed mistakes as a part of the learning process. I prefer a dash of daring and persistence to perfection. I have always supported learning on the part of my team members by paying vigilant attention to each of their attempts, be they successful or unsuccessful.

To succeed in your mission, you must have single-minded devotion to your goal.

Total commitment is the common denominator among all successful men and women. Are you able to manage the stresses you encounter in your life? The difference between an energetic and a confused person is the difference in the way their minds handle their experiences. Man needs his difficulties because they are necessary to enjoy success. All of us carry some sort of a super-intelligence within us. Let it be stimulated to enable us examine our deepest thoughts, desires, and beliefs.

I have used the word ‘flow’ at many places without really elaborating its meaning. What is this flow? And what are these joys? I could call them moments of magic. I see an anology between these moments and the high that you experience when you play badminton or go jogging. Flow is a sensation we experience when we act with total involvement. During flow, action follows action according to an internal logic that seems to need no conscious intervention on the part of the worker. There is no hurry, there are no distracting demands on one’s attention. The past and the future disappear. So does the distinction between self and the activity.

To live only for some unknown future is superficial. It is like climbing a mountain to reach the peak without experiencing its sides. The sides of the mountain sustain life, not the peak. This is where things grow, experience gained, and technologies are mastered. The importance of peak lies only in the fact that it defines the sides. So I went on towards the top, but always experiencing the sides. I had a long way to go but I was in no hurry. I went in little steps–just one step after another–but each step towards the top.

“God can do tremendous things through the person who doesn’t care about who gets the credit. Ego involvement must go,” writes [Robert] Schuller. “Before God trusts you with success, you have to prove yourself humble enough to handle the big prize.”

It has been my personal experience that the true flavour, the real fun, the continuous excitement of work lie in the process of doing it rather than in having it over and done with.

Life is a difficult game. You can win it only by retaining your birthright to be a person. And to retain this right, you will have to be willing to take the social or external risks involved in ignoring pressures to do things the way others say they should be done.

God’s providence is your inheritance.

More quotes from Abdul Kalam.

65.55.107.16 - - [24/Mar/2008:21:42:15 -0500] “GET /wordpress/ HTTP/1.1″ 500 - “-” “msnbot/1.0 (+http://search.msn.com/msnbot.htm)”

That’s the signature MSNBot left in my access logs. Imagine the same entry repeated over and over and over again for tens of thousands of lines in the log file. The whois info for IP 65.55.107.16 confirms that it’s from the Microsoft Corp, but reverse dns returns bl1sch4081307.phx.gbl (see also this post at seoroundtable.com).

I straight away blocked MSN Bot from further accessing my website. Only about 10% of the total traffic to my website is from MSN and Live search and I don’t mind losing that traffic. Here’s how to do the block just in case you want to know…

<Limit GET POST>
Order Allow, Deny
Deny from 65.55.107.16
Allow from all
</Limit>


Add the above lines in your .htaccess file. This will block the IP 65.55.107.16 from accessing the site. Replace 65.55.107.16 with 65.55. to block the entire IP range.

We all know about MS’s buggy ‘blue screen’ software and their unethical business practices to destroy competitors and monopolise the market, but why would MS target innocent webmasters like me? There are stories around the web that Microsoft Live.com Plays Referrer Stats Games and Ruins Your AdSense Income, though in my case, they did not send any referrer spam, just that their bot ran wild across my little site like a mad elephant.

More stories about MSNBot and Microsoft Live from the web

• Goodbye MSNBot!
• Microsoft Needs To Quit Fucking With My AdSense Scripts
• Yell if Microsoft’s Live.com Spammed You Too
• Are you taking the MSNbot Gamble?
• MSN Bot gone crazy?

I had to practise each religion for a time — Hinduism, Islām, Christianity. Furthermore, I followed the paths of the Śāktas, Vaishnavas, and Vedāntists. I realized that there is only one God toward whom all are travelling; but the paths are different.

Truth is one; only It is called by different names. All people are seeking the same Truth; the variance is due to climate, temperament, and name. A lake has many ghats. From one ghat the Hindus take water in jars and call it ‘jal’. From another ghat the Mussalmāns take water in leather bags and call it ‘pāni’. From a third the Christians take the same thing and call it ‘water’. Suppose someone says that the thing is not ‘jal’ but ‘pāni’, or that it is not ‘pāni’ but ‘water’, or that it is not ‘water’ but ‘jal’, It would indeed be ridiculous. But this very thing is at the root of the friction among sects, their misunderstandings and quarrels. This is why people injure and kill one another, and shed blood, in the name of religion. But this is not good. Everyone is going toward God. They will all realize Him if they have sincerity and longing of heart.

A man can reach the roof of a house by stone stairs or a ladder or a rope-ladder or a rope or even by a bamboo pole. But he cannot reach the roof if he sets foot now on one and now on another. He should firmly follow one path. Likewise, in order to realize God a man must follow one path with all his strength. But you must regard other views as so many paths leading to God. You should not feel that your path is the only right path and that other paths are wrong. You mustn’t bear malice toward others.

Many people think they cannot have knowledge or understanding of God without reading books. But hearing is better than reading, and seeing is better than hearing. Hearing about Benares is different from reading about it; but seeing Benares is different from either hearing or reading.

Can you weep for Him with intense longing of heart? Men shed a jugful of tears for the sake of their children, for their wives, or for money. But who weeps for God? So long as the child remains engrossed with its toys, the mother looks after her cooking and other household duties. But when the child no longer relishes the toys, it throws them aside and yells for its mother. Then the mother takes the rice-pot down from the hearth, runs in haste, and takes the child in her arms.

Two friends went into an orchard. One of them possessing much worldly wisdom, immediately began to count the mango trees there and the number of mangoes each tree bore, and to estimate what might be the approximate value of the whole orchard. His companion went to the owner, made friends whith him, and then, quietly going into a tree, began at his host’s desire to pluck the fruits and eat them. Whom do you consider to be the wiser of the two? Eat mangoes. It will satisfy your hunger. What is the good of counting the trees and leaves and making calculations? The vain man of intellect busies himself with finding out the ‘why’ and ‘wherefore’ of creation, while the humble man of wisdom makes friends with the Creator and enjoys His gift of supreme bliss.

God laughs on two occasions. He laughs when the physician says to the patient’s mother, ‘Don’t be afraid, mother; I shall certainly cure your boy.’ God laughs, saying to Himself, ‘I am going to take his life, and this man says he will save it!’ The physician thinks he is the master, forgetting that God is the Master. God laughs again when two brothers divide their land with a string, saying to each other, ‘This side is mine and that side is yours.’ He laughs and says to Himself, ‘The whole universe belongs to Me, but they say they own this portion or that portion.’

Men are like pillow-cases. The colour of one may be red, that of another blue, and that of the third black; but all contain the same cotton within. So it is with man; one is beautiful, another is ugly, a third holy , and a fourth wicked; but the Divine Being dwells in them all.

By constantly repeating, ‘I am free, I am free’, a man verily becomes free. On the other hand, by constantly repeating, ‘I am bound, I am bound’, he certainly becomes bound to worldliness. The fool who says only, ‘I am a sinner, I am a sinner’, verily drowns himself in worldliness. One should rather say: ‘I have chanted the name of God. How can I be a sinner? How can I be bound?’

If one has faith one has everything.

Do yourself what you wish others to do.

As long as I live, so long do I learn.

Read more quotes from Ramakrishna at wikiquote. Or if you’d like to have a detailed reading of Ramakrishna, check out the The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna.

Jai Sri Ramakrishna!

More links:

• A very good introductory essay on Sri Ramakrishna
• My Master — from Vivekananda’s 1896 Lectures on Ramakrishna
• http://www.ramakrishnavivekananda.info/ — Ramakrishna-Vivekananda literature
• Ramakrishna Math and Mission centres worldwide
• Vedanta Kesari — An English monthly, published by Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai

Image source: The Star

Yes, there are many who can perform this Yoga posture, but what’s special about the man in the picture is that he performs all such complex Hatha yoga postures with such an ease at the age of 99 . His name is Swami Yogananda (not the Paramahansa Yogananda of ‘Autobiography of a Yogi’ and ‘Kriya Yoga’ fame). This 99 year old Yogananda works in association with the the Art of Living Foundation and travels around the world to teach his brand of yoga called ‘Sukshma Vyayama’.

Swami Yogananda has never taken medication in his 99 years of life on earth. He is such an expert at preserving the energies he gained through yoga that he eats only once a day, and after three days of food he takes up fasting for a week! Physically he is very much fit and healthy, mentally alert as well. He’s learning the English language at this age and hopes to write a book on yoga! Although the Swami says he is 99, official records say he was born in 1927, but who cares if he is 100 or 80, that he remains healthy and vigorous by any standards, even at this ripe age, is a perfect example of what regular practise of yoga can do to the human body.

I took up the Advanced Meditation Course offered by the Art of Living Foundation two months back. ‘Sukshma Vyayama’ is taught as a part of this course… very very simple set of excercises of about 15 minutes, but very very effective. With regular and sincere practise of these excercises (complemented with a healthy lifestyle), I’m sure anybody can live with full vigour till 100 and even beyond. Swami Yogananda aspires to live till he is 150! I wish he lives much longer as an ambassador of this ancient science of Hatha Yoga. May he inspire more and more people to live a life of health and vitality. God Bless.

An article about Swami Yogananda appeared in The Star, a Malaysian daily.

See also, an article about Swami Yogananda in youthejournalist.com.

Personally, I got into all this ‘positive thinking’ stuff (and spirituality) eight years ago when I read the book “Thought Power” by Swami Sivananda. That was a time when nothing was going right in my life, I can say it was the lowest point in my life, the book was a real life saver for me in that kind of a situation. Ever since, I’ve been reading and learning more and more about positive thinking and applying these principles in my life, it’s been a fascinating journey and the results have been excellent so far. But still, I won’t say life has become perfect for me, far from it. It takes lifetimes to become a master and attain perfection. I’m still playing around with ‘positive thinking’ and ‘law of attraction’, I’m still evolving, and along the way, I’ve had this wonderful opportunity of watching The Secret. Let me share a few things emphasized in the film.

Think about what you want, not what you don’t want. Is there something that is not right in your life? Forget about that something that’s not right, think about how your life would look like when everything is set right. Think about how good you’ll feel when things are perfect, close your eyes and bring those nice feelings, live those feelings in your mind right now. That’s the way to attract what you want and let go of what you don’t want, not by mulling over what’s not right and figuring out ways of how to set things right, that way, you will keep figuring out, and that something that’s not right will remain that way. You should think (and know) that you are already on your way to having right things in your life and prepare yourself to feeling good .

For example,

• do you hate war? Now, stop thinking about war and it’s destructive effects, stop participating in anti-war rallies. By focusing on war and being anti-war, you only give more and more energy to a strife filled world. The right way is to focus on a peaceful world, be pro-peace. Do whatever you can do to ignite peace and love in the minds of people.
• Worried about global warming? Stop thinking about CO2 emissions, stop worrying about cutting down of trees. You can think about Carbon-di-Oxide if you are a scientist, but you are not going to bring about a green, pure and healthy environment by speaking to people about the dangers of CO2 emissions, rather talk about the alternatives like fuel cells and cleaner energy sources, talk about planting more trees and the love you feel when you grow and nurture greens. Emphasize on the beauty and joy of living in a green, clean and harmonious environment.That’s positive thinking for you, and that’s the only way you can bring about change.

Watch your feelings — this is another thing emphasized in the film. Continuous monitoring of your thoughts can be an amusing past time, and it’s a process that can actually help in your meditation and knowing about thought patterns. But if you want to know quickly whether or not or you are thinking and acting the right way, monitor your feelings. When you feel good and have feelings of love, compassion, peace, etc., know that your thoughts (and actions) are in alignment with your purpose, and you are on heading in the right direction. When you have negative feelings and emotions like fear, anger, jealousy, sorrow, etc., know that you are not thinking right and it’s time to introspect and change your thought patterns.

I very much enjoyed watching The Secret and learnt a few things from the film, I would recommend it to anybody. But It’s not as if you watch the film, apply what’s said in it, and suddenly you get everything you want in life, no, it doesn’t happen suddenly. There could be fantastic results in the beginning, but there will also be mistakes and some frustration along the way. Thinking is an art that takes time to master… it takes time to learn, internalize and apply the law of attraction to perfection. But the film itself is a good start, it drives home the point of positive thinking and law of attraction very well…. One thing I find a little annoying in the film is too much talk about attracting money and wealth. I don’t deny the importance of money in today’s materialistic world, but money can take you only so far… money is only a means, not an end in itself. Agreed, money and material wealth can make you feel good sometimes, but not always, not eternally. There are much higher things worth pursuing as a human being.

Learn more about The Secret from The Secret official website and The Secret article at Wikipedia.