Seasons Greetings

Get more out of life with deep silence 2011 is drawing close and 2012 fast approaching. This festive period of the generally accepted calendar year is marked by resolutions. Shopping spree or crazy buys form a large pie of the folklore of festive periods. Vendors make the maximum out of the low level of awareness on purposeful buying. A chunk of the budget goes for crackers causing air and noise pollution. Another craze is satisfied through partying accompanied by high powered music (noise) which disturbs the quietude of our neighbourhood. We should resolve to uphold righteousness on all levels, i.e. manas (mind), vch (speech) and karman (actions) through socially responsible, non-discriminatory and non-addictive, lifestyle and attitudes. One of the most powerful resolutions would be to daily allocate time to carefully listen to the sounds of silence. Oscar awarded Resul Pookutty, sound engineer of world acclaimed movie Slumdog Millionaire acceptance speech is enlightening. Amidst the hullabaloo of the ceremony he concluded: I come

from a country and a civilization that has given the universal word. That word is preceded by silence, followed by more silence. That word is OM. So I dedicate this award to my country.

Meditative silence empowers us to discover the true self. Thereafter we are able to enjoy the beauty of life even better. Just as newborn babies need silence to sleep, most of us desperately need to quieten down to be able to think clearly. The rational mind plays a crucial role; leading the process where we become silent and drift away even in a noisy environment, shutting out sound. The eight-fold process (ashtnga yog) described in the Sutras of the Yog Darshan of Maharshi Patanjali is the silence of being. It is the silence of our tm or inner self, a silence that transcends ego and reaches into the pure field of consciousness. It exists within us all times. It is the answer to all the sounds we generate. When this silence recedes into the background the noise of the universe within us emerges. Silence is a deep-rooted fundamental of the tm, anchored in being in the present, in realising the pure potential of the moment. It allows us be serene in extremes: joy-sorrow, success-failure, victory-defeat, hot-cold, abundance-scarcity, praise-abuse, etc. The tm cannot be cut, burnt, drowned, or withered. It is our body which grows old and die. That self realisation shall allow the spring of deep detachment to flow out of our mind, speech and action and attain the level of nishkma karma. The Vedic (universal) way of living requires that we should consciously learn to withdraw from the world of physical sound, as a start to access the silence within. Brahma Yajna or SandhyoUpsn Vidhi is prescribed at twilight (dawn and dusk) to bring us to that inner quietness and discover our real self as well as the Supreme Being. Expounded on the practice of Sandhya, many people have adopted the idea of maunvrat or vow of silence as a spiritual practice. They affirm to have found clarity of vision in silence. Reaching that self-stilled silence costs no money as opposed to merrymaking with the sounds of fire crackers and indulgence in tamasic food and drinks. We need to be transformative, starting with the self and expanding this positive attitude or energy to the outer environment our family, friends and society at large. Money thus saved could be spent in paropkr and improve the physical, mental/moral and social standards of the needy. It is more a discontinuous leap or a sudden

experience of awareness. Only then we shall be free of the cacophony clouding festive periods.
To succeed in that objective we need to affirm the importance of a holistic approach to education, beyond reading, writing, mathematics, etc. where our young people are instilled to become caring, compassionate individuals dedicated to seeking truth, standing up for what is just and right and who are models of integrity. The common question resurface: How does one balance the spiritual self and the practical self? The physical self has its needs - food, shelter, clothing, toil to earn a living, interact with people and situations, pay bills, etc. Spirituality is food for our soul, inherent and natural to us. These all blend to create what is called life: our existence or presence on this earth planet. We are at the optimum self when both the physical and spiritual self are in harmony. We need give as much attention to our physical self as we should feel comfortable doing. The thumb rule to be in harmony is to observe our feelings before and not after the act. The smallest guilty feel always disturbs harmony. We need to listen to our inner self, be aware of our reactions prior to any action and examine its source. It is when we fail to observe that we encounter guilt on post-mortem basis. We identify a good course of action only if the idea of that act comes with a feeling of well being and satisfaction. If not, we should abandon the idea. And is it not an easy one? Yes, but we dont always follow it. Why? Our mind is often ruled by our ego which trains the mind not to listen to the little voice from the heart which is the soul speaking or issuing an instant warning of impending hurt and devastation - deeming it as foolish. That voice is our safest bet. Our soul is your truest companion, choosing to carry us within it, yet surrounding it; housing it yet protecting it. It is our soul that leads us towards our purpose in this lifetime. At this turn of time, let us pledge to Listen to our inner voice and tap into our inner inspiration; Commit ourselves to live a virtuous life anchored on noble thoughts, speech and actions, i.e. hand-inhand with good and goodness - away from bad and badness; Re-affirm our readiness to live to the ideals of Dharma the moral, social and ethical values: Dhriti (patience), ksham (forgiveness), Dama (mind-control), asteyam (non stealing), Shaucham (cleanliness), Indriya nigraha (control of the senses), Dhi (intellect), Vidy (knowledge), Satyam (truth), Akrodha (non anger), and the richness of our heritage to our children. innate to the soul, the natural way of life: self-discipline, integrity, high character, responsibility, honesty, etc.; Stand firm against coercion to compromise on the ideals; Serve as role models and motivate others to come under the umbrella of virtue, i.e. noble Guna (character), Karma (actions), and Swabhava (instinctive qualities).. Rally our self confidence, patience, devotion, hard work and commitment to tread on the rugged path to progress and success! Perceive this precious gift of life and life's challenges as positive pinpricks -- stimulating, not paininducing -- re-establishing the balance on the physical, moral and spiritual planes. We shall then be empowered to creatively and inspiringly deal with every problem which comes as a challenge. May the lord bestow his blessings upon all for a bright future! Bramdeo Mokoonlall

Darshan Yog Mahaavidyaalaya & Vaanprastha Saadhak Aashram, Rojad, Gujarat, India