My mission

To jog-bicycle around the world, climb the mountains, swim the seas and soar the skies. Since they are not remotely possible, I settled for a daily dose of spiritual triathlon -- jogging, cycling and meditation -- necessarily in that order. My idea of a spiritual triathlon is 10 miles of jogging and 10 miles of cycling followed by an hour of meditation. I sincerely feel that not less than a spiritual marathon can tame the mind and mould it the way you want it to. So go ahead and have fun taking a dekko at my spiritual athleticism. But don't forget to drop in a word or two on how you feel about my blog and my way of life. Your advice is always valuable to go that extra length to the Garden of Eden

Food for cycling thought

A Zen Teacher saw five of his students return from the market, riding their bicycles. When they had dismounted, the teacher asked the students, "Why are you riding your bicycles?" The first student replied, "The bicycle is carrying this sack of potatoes. I am glad that I do not have to carry them on my back!" The teacher praised the student, saying, "You are a smart boy. When you grow old, you will not walk hunched over, as I do." The second student replied, "I love to watch the trees and fields pass by as I roll down the path." The teacher commended the student, "Your eyes are open and you see the world." The third student replied, "When I ride my bicycle, I am content to chant, nam myoho renge kyo." The teacher gave praise to the third student, "Your mind will roll with the ease of a newly trued wheel." The fourth student answered, "Riding my bicycle, I live in harmony with all beings." The teacher was pleased and said, "You are riding on the golden path of non-harming." The fifth student replied, "I ride my bicycle to ride my bicycle." The teacher went and sat at the feet of the fifth student, and said, "I am your disciple."

Sunday, July 22, 2007

Keep away from people who have the 'gift of the the gab', they are out to corrupt you

A man died and went to heaven. As he stood in front of St Peter at the Heaven Gates, he saw a huge wall of clocks behind him.
He asked St Peter, "What are all those clocks?"
St Peter answered, "Those are Lie-Clocks. Everyone on Earth has a Lie-Clock. Every time you lie, the hands on your clock will move."
"Oh," said the man, "Whose clock is that?"
"That's Mother Teresa's. The hands have never moved, indicating that she never told a lie."
"Incredible," said the man. "And whose clock is that one?"
St Peter responded, "That's Abraham Lincoln's clock. The hands have moved twice, telling us that Abe told only two lies in his entire life."
"Where's my clock?" asked the man.
"Your clock is in Jesus' office. He's using it as a ceiling fan."

Imagine, if we were to have clocks, ours would be enough to fan an entire city. We lie for a reason. We lie without a reason. And we lie just for the heck of it. For what? To show that we too are 'smart'. When people tell me that someone is 'smart', I know for sure that he lies through his teeth about his so-called incredible achievements. But very often people don't want to believe that he is lying because they would lose his 'good' company. He becomes so addictive for them that they start feeling bored when he is not around. Whether he is a friend, or an acquaintance, or even someone who is just a mere face in the crowd, they warm up to him with the glee of a teenager.

What makes people flock to those who have the 'gift of the gab'? Their naivete? Or is it their innocence? Or just the simple fact that he is 'good fun' as they call him? All and none. It is simply because most of them want to become like him -- smart -- but unfortunately they haven't been endowed with the talent. And so they take the easy way out. Patronise one who has. That is how the world has given rise to a Hitler, a Napoleon, a Mussolini, a Mao, a Stalin or any dictator that has ruled the earth with an iron fist.

Every ideology is false, every ism is a trap and every leader is a wolf in sheep's clothing. They wait for an opportunity to gobble you up because you have been a witness to his evil ways. That is how the saying 'Revolution eats away its own people' has come about. Whether it's the French Revolution or the Russian Revolution or any ideological revolution, the stronger of them has either killed or exiled his nearest leaders for fear of being exposed.

So, be aware of people who try to mesmerise you with their words. And keep a mile's length away from them. For they not only corrupt your mind, but they destroy your soul too. And we are so caught up with our ambitions that we can't realise them even if they are in our midst, because we need the other and vice versa. But, still you can avoid them by becoming aware of everything you do. When you become aware, the very act of awareness opens up a whole new world that you have been hitherto unheard of. And this world, like lightning, destroys all the garbage from your mind, as you are guided by the soul, and creates a godly space. And when the space becomes bigger and bigger, all the falsity in the being is annihilated. And that is how you become holy. And the ground you stand on becomes a sacred place. Not because you go on a pilgrimage. It is a sheer waste of time. You can utilise your time to go in. And delight in your being.

Went on a long 30 km bike ride to derive a cyclist's high -- the equivalent of meditative awareness. It pervades my being with such a wonderful calmness that meditation happens automatically. And lasts for most part of the day. Till I get back on my bike and start it all over again. What a wonderful vehicle a cycle is. Isn't it?

1 comment:

Unknown said...

I enjoyed reading your blog which I came upon quite by chance as I was looking for a quote by Leonardo da Vinci. I, too, am a keen bike rider. I usually ride alone contemplating the sea, the countryside...trying to get in tune with my thoughts and my body.Things that have ravelled up within my head tend to become unravelled. I arrive home tired but invigorated at the same time. I think I understand how you feel...what you write about in your blog. I'll definitely come back to it another day.Thanks for your thoughts!