Power in Patience

“We could never learn to be brave and patient, if there were only joy in the world” ~ Helen Keller

 

A martial arts student went to his teacher and said earnestly, “I am devoted to studying your martial system. How long will it take me to master it?”

The teacher’s reply was casual, “Ten years”.

Impatiently, the student answered, “But I want to master it faster than that. I will work very hard. I will practice every day, ten or more hours a day if I have to. How long will it take then”?

The teacher thought for a moment, “20 years”.

What’s the lesson in it for us?

The Kung Fu Master has conveyed a powerful message in a such a simple way to the warrior. In Hindi language Patience means धैर्य  (Dhairya) and Dhairya implies courage – it is patience in the face of danger. Even in our daily routine we get impatient and anxious that the outcome may not be as we want it to be. This means we do not have trust in the universal order of things to accept in grace the outcome. And so we take preemptive hurried action often resulting in a lesser result or failure.

Most of our educational and training institutions of learning and parents too miss out on teaching the virtues of patience and courage to students. Perhaps the teachers themselves are not aware of the intangible power of these virtues and believe in quick-fix short-term solutions. In corporate or in our personal life we are in a race to aggressively achieve goals often without a pause ~ to breathe and think. Those familiar with yoga will know all movements are gradual and graceful and yet they bring about a harmonious balance between mind and body.

In oriental philosophy too the sage Lao Tsu taught that all straining, all striving are not only vain but counterproductive. It does not literally mean to do nothing, but to discern with a quiet mind and follow the natural forces to follow and shape the flow of events and not to pit oneself against the natural order of things.

I am sure the student above would have bowed in humility and gratitude to the Master for this beautiful lesson.

 In Ernest Hemingway’s words ~ “Courage is grace under pressure”!

Have a lovely day dear friends :)

 

 

 

Mantra for staying in Balance

When you have the blues :( – eat chocolate (dark) :)

And when you feel euphoric :) – eat chocolate (dark) :) :)

 

Have a super day dear friends :) :)

 

Annual Flower Show 2015

“The temple bell stops but I still hear the sound coming out of the flowers” ~ Basho

 The  Agri-Horticultural Society of Western India has been managing the Empress Garden Pune since 1880, with an aim to nurture and preserve flora of the region. The Society organizes annual flower shows and arranges various programs throughout the year to create environmental awareness among people. This year too the flower-show was held on 23 to 26 Jan 2015.

I’d love to share a few of the pictures which hopefully capture the enthusiasm of the flower-lovers and the beauty of flowers.

 

Near the entrance

 

Marigold Yellow

Bonsai

“Every flower is a soul blossoming in nature” ~ Gerard De Nerval

Pink twins

 “Deep in their roots all flowers keep the light”. ~Theodore Roethke

Roses are red …why ..

Grain Art

With different climates in different parts of the country India grows a variety of spices and condiments used in almost all traditional cooking. The grain art below has a number of spices and condiments creatively arranged. Some of the ones used below are: Cinnamon, Moong dal, udat dal, massor dal, tuar dal ginger, garlic, green-chilly,cloves, fenugreek, nutmeg, asafoetida, cardamom and star aniseed.

Grain Art – village scene

 

Enthusiast visitors and garden lovers not only enjoyed the beauty of flowers but purchased garden material too. Some typical rural food and snack preparations were laid out in the food stalls.

A rural delicacy called Hurda (roasted tender jowar) was also available. Hurda parties are organized at distant farms and villages in the month of December where the fresh grain (jowar) is roasted on coal in mud pits giving it a earthly taste but not many city folk are able to enjoy such rare outings.

Hurda

 Keen learners

Children too have the innocence of flowers!

Garden material and implements

 

Thank you friends have a beautiful day and remember the Chinese wisdom “When you have only two pennies left in the world, buy a loaf of bread with one, and a lily with the other”.

Cheers :)

Come lets discover the ocean of truth!

Another gift from God a brand New Year 2015 has begun :) So lets not get distracted with the little pebbles in the sands and set sail to discover the treasures in the great big ocean of truth. For isn’t that our real purpose in this life?

The vast and beautiful ocean is not far it lies deep within ourselves. The journey will be quiet and lonely to begin with but as we trim our sails to the winds we enjoy the bliss of freedom. And this bliss in real terms is here and now ~ love, nature, peace and harmony and unleashing our hidden creativity and genius.

Cheers dear friends ;)

2014 in review and thank you my dear blogger friends

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 50,000 times in 2014. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 19 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

Merry Christmas and a Very Happy 2015

Peace on Earth will come to stay when we live Christmas every day. ~ Helen Steiner Rice

Residents in our society (community) got together last evening for a Christmas Carol Night! The Carols were were sung with verve, spirit and joy by the young and the old with the audience enthralled and unmindful of the cold.

Carol singing

 

In all the lovely carols I always found the The Little Drummer Boy very touching and meaningful. The poor boy believes in himself and goes in faith to see the newborn King. He does not waver even though he has no rich gifts to lay before the King. As soon as he sees the Newborn King the little drummer boy’s hands start playing the drums as his offering ~ And his little lamb too comes alive. So finally it’s faith that has real value which is much more valuable than the material riches of the world.

“It is not the gift! but the thought that counts”. ~ Henry Van Dyke

My warm greetings to all my blogger friends for a wonderful and cheerful holiday season. May your homes always be full of Joy and Peace!

 

The wisdom in traveling light

In the last century, a Tourist from abroad visited a famous Indian Yogi who lived a peaceful life. He was astonished to see that the Yogi’s home was only a simple room filled with books. The only furniture was a Mat and a kerosene lantern.

“Yogi ji where is your furniture?” asked the Tourist.

“Where is yours?” replied the Yogi.

“Mine? But, I’m only a visitor here.”

“So am I,” said the Yogi!

Would love to hear your views?

To end on a lighter vein! :) :)

 

 

Sweet lessons on life

 

Howdy folk

In my Texas neighborhood, I always looked in wonder at the carefree cute little squirrels flitting about playfully enjoying their acorn meal :) Light on their feet and mischievous taking a photo was always an exciting challenge. This lovely poem (by AB) brings out my true feelings of those moments.  :)

As I walked, my head bowed down,
With the weight of all worldly matters,
I saw this squirrel merrily running around as if the world belonged to him,
But it did belong to him.

I saw him going about his task joyfully without a care in the world.
He was performing the most mundane task of searching for something to eat, or perhaps playing around after he had his fill,
But he, just like me is God’s creature. I marveled at the difference between him and me.
He lived on trust, knowing he will be taken care of.

As he scampered, climbed trees, ran down again, performing in his own little theater as he was the actor and also the audience. He knew the secret of the universe and practiced it,
Whereas I, despite knowing the secret of the universe still believed it was I, who was doing everything, :(
And instead of walking joyfully without a care in the world, I was dragging my feet as if they were in chains.

Oh, to take some life lessons from a squirrel; for he is as much His creation as I am.

I’m relaxing

Enjoying my acorn feast

Have a wonderful weekend all you lovely folk :)

 

Relaxing is an art!

“Relaxation means releasing all concern and tension and letting the natural order of life flow through one’s being” ~ Donald Curtis

Life is getting more and more stressful for everyone if only  we could learn the art of true and deep relaxation. In the picture below at the beautiful Andy Brown Park in Coppell Texas I witnessed a flock of geese swimming peacefully. Though calm and orderly above the water below they must’ve been paddling vigorously – another example of balancing ‘action with inaction’ and both are necessary!

 

Flowing with nature

 

Why do we find it difficult to meditate? We may sit quiet outwardly yet our mind is not relaxed and remains full of thoughts.  It is the art of relaxing within that we need to learn and one way is to have faith in the natural order of life and flow with it.

Would you like to share with us your way of relaxing? 🙋

 

Colour in the sky

” If you surrender to the wind, you can ride it.” ~Toni Morrison

Hi folks Just sharing a few pictures of the balloon festival here in Plano TX . For the thousands of young and old it was a fun day the main attractions were the colourful hot air balloons and the skydivers in full flow. With everyone in high spirits enjoying the festive fervour on the ground and in the air :) The food stalls made brisk sale all the day. :)

 

 

Crowded snack stalls behind

 

 

Lady bug “me wanna fly too” :)

 

 

 

 

time to go home

 

“Out of the 10,000 feet of fall, always remember that the last half inch hurts the most” ~ Charles Purcell