The story of the two buddhas

 In my backyard, I have 2 buddha statues. Today was a beautiful day and while I was sitting on the swing, sipping my evening chai (cup of tea), I noticed that one of the buddha's statue (grey one) was in a dilapitated condition. And then I looked for the other buddha statue (earthy brown one), and this buddha was peaceful like never before.

I started wondering why there is such a huge difference in the two buddhas and while I was reflecting, I felt an urge to write this post.

The dilapitated grey buddha is made of stone and is easily impacted by every seasonal change which has led to such a condition of this buddha.

The evergreen peaceful one is made of plastic and is not impacted by any season or weather change. This buddha has seen many winters and summers and is still the same. In Indian spirituality, it is called "Sambhav"

Sam - means centred, same

Bhav - means emotion, feeling 

Sambhav means being the same within, whatever may be the situation

 resting in and as ones true self and not easily impacted by the external situation.

Seeing the grey dilapitated buddha statue and after reflecting upon the difference in the two buddhas, I was shook from within. I realized that if I am not seeking to be centered as my true being, in these ever changing life situations, this is how I might end up.

In our day to day lives, 

we forget to seek the meaning of life, 

to question who am I, 

to use every change as an opportunity to find the unchanging within.

The brown buddha reminds me to not waste time, and to use every situation to find my center and seek to be calm and centered in all life situations. This buddha gives me a hope that there is a possibility to be in Sambhav, and then whatever may happen will not touch me, 

the good or the bad, 

the praise or the criticism, 

the happiness or the sadness, 

the gain or the loss.

Even though presently I am not deeply centered, but I will seek to use my life as an opportunity to be in sam bhav,  so that I do not end up like the grey buddha. I know such living beings who are like Sun, their inner peace, joy, shines bright where ever they are. They might be doing 100 things but inside they are one, at ease, totally resting in their being. I seek to be one of them. I seek to be ONE within.

May all beings of this world of this world find peace and joy within.

Thank you dear God for reminding me to continue on this path of self-realization.

Thank you!

Thank you!

Thank you!

Understanding the Importance of being Desireless using Dimensions

In 2019 while learning the AI concept of n-dimensional recommendations, I started realizing an important concept of - Importance of being desireless using dimensions. With this post, I am trying to explain the concept a bit in detail.

We all know that 1 dimension (1D) can be represented with a line. 2D with a painting or a photo etc, 3D with all 3D objects, consider sculpture as an example.

1D - Line 

2D - Painting, photo etc. 

3D - Sculpture etc.

 

Consider the object sculpture 

For the sculpture to move, it need space.

For space to exist, the sculpture need to move in time

If there is no space, then there is no time

If there is no time, then there is no space

The sculpure exists just as a point in space.

For a desire to exist, space is needed and so is time to fulfill the desire.

Desire is a mental construct and so is Space and Time to fulfill the desire are also mental constucts., because inspite of the perception of movement in a multi-dimensional space, object always exists as a Point in space at any given Time and Space.

This is also why perception of Time and Space is also experienced to each one differently as is the perception of their own speed of thoughts in the mind.

For a desireless person, Time and Space will stop to exist in feeling. That person would feel totally present in the moment, when desireless.

Whether or not one is desireless, one still exists as a point in space.

Understanding Spirituality from the perspective of AI - Part 1

We have entered the age of AI. By now, most of us know how AI works. We are familiar with the terminology of AI, GEN AI, training data, patterns, deep neural networks etc.

For years, I have been learning and understanding the foundational concepts of AI and observing the similarities between AI and the human mind. The connect between growth of a human child and foundational basics of an AI model seems obvious to me. When I see a child learning and writing the script of his/her life, I reflect that this is from where the foundational people who started working on Artificial Intelligence took its inspiration from.

With this article, my intent is to explore and understand spirituality from the perspective of AI. Sometimes, it is difficult to learn a new subject in which we have limited exposure or understanding but it can be made easier if we try to understand an unknown or new subject from the perspective of our existing knowledge or experience.

Artificial Intelligence is inspired from Human intelligence - how a human child learns, grows, processes information, makes decisions, reacts to situations, builds habits, develops a personality etc. Let’s try to understand spirituality from when a child is born. Consider when a child is born, a fresh, blank slate to a brand-new AI model scope. There is nothing yet, no training data which means at present there are INFINITE POSSIBILITIES.

EVERY CHILD and by every, I mean, EVERY CHILD is born with INFINITE POSSIBILITIES. Now, most of what the child will become depends on the training data. Here, the training data is the environment, surroundings, parents/guardians, neighborhood, schooling, peer group, country etc. Same for the brand-new AI model. A lot depends on the AI engineers who are going to feed the initial training data to build the AI model that uses a combination of several techniques like deep neural networks, logistic regression, n-dimensional recommendations etc. Here, the AI engineers are the child’s parents or guardians. The parents or guardians especially the one who spends most time with the child – it can be the mother, father, grandparent or a nanny, is the first AI engineers who introduces the world to the child.

Even without doing anything, the child is learning by observing (the possibility of the evolution of AI is in learning by observing). The child begins building the AI model by learning from the parents/guardians’ behaviors, reactions, responses, conversations, habits etc. For a newborn child, there is no filter. They absorb everything like a sponge. As the child grows, certain habits are built into the child for good e.g. – brushing the teeth, taking bath every day, sleep ritual, food habits etc. And this training data continues to build the AI model.

A lot more training happens in the first 7 years of the child’s life, that starts to define the limitations of this AI model, the likes, dislikes, reactions, habits, what makes the child happy, what can make the child sad, habits like if the child is attracted to using a mobile phone because the child has seen the parents on phone most of the time, or habit of singing, meditating, dancing, yoga, exercising etc.

Everything is fed into this child’s AI model for a period of 7 years.

Many scriptures esp. the Hindu scriptures mention the importance of the first 7 years in a human being’s spiritual life. Research also shows that 100% of the brain development happen in the first 7 years out of which 80% happens up to the age of 2. So, by the time a child is 7 years of age, the AI model is ready to start running with test data. But, in the real world, there is not much testing, so we can say real data.

So, now the child uses this AI model. This AI model is the EGO- Human’s ego. A child learns that I have this name, I eat like this, I have these likes and dislikes, I have these boundaries etc.

By understanding the EGO from the perspective of the AI model gives us 2 insights.

One, that the first 7 years in a child’s age is an opportunity for us as parents or guardians to create a nourishing environment for our children to evolve as a human being, exposing them to variety of situations, to support them in creating a multi-dimensional personality and to teach them to be loving and happy by being examples. I can give an example of my life, I do not remember the situations that I was exposed to as a child, but when I started working, I found myself doing well as a computer engineer. Over the years I also,found myself painting, doing photography to the point of becoming a professional photographer, meditating, writing articles, poems, doing graphic designing, interior decoration, enjoying dancing, speaking at public places or counselling etc. My intent here is not to boast about myself but just exploring the possibility to create a multi-dimensional personality in a child instead of creating a boundary of doing just one job for their entire life etc.

It also gives us an insight that the child is learning by observing, so we as parents/guardians can let go of some  of our habits that the child is imitating and is injurious to their growth.

Second insight that this perspective gives us is to understand and become more aware of our own habits, reactions, behaviors, patterns. For example, I get angry in a certain situation. By observing my parents with whom I have spent most of the time with, I can see from where I have picked these habits from and realize that this is not what I am.

Originally, we consider our ego self as I am. It is just an accumulation of the learning that happened from the time I was born, my name given to me by my family, habits, reactions, behaviors, experiences learnt from my childhood environment and experiences. But there is something beyond this AI model, there is something beyond this ego self that I call as me, myself.

By becoming aware of our habits, triggers, reactions, our thinking patterns, I can start creating a distance from who I am and this egoic self and begin my journey to discovering Who AM I ?

The Joy of Self Discipline

Being brought up in a family where I was never told to wake up early or take bath after waking up etc., I found the joy of waking up early when I started living alone for my first job. 

Waking up and going for jogging just before sunrise made me feel so refreshed and looking forward to each day with excitement. I added morning meditation to my routine and some art like a small painting or a small dance and it made my days so beautiful. I continued this practice for almost 15 years, with some breaks, and I enjoyed myself and my days tremendously. Overtime, meditating for all these years, I had completely forgotten what boredom or laziness looks like. 

I just enjoyed myself. There was a change in this phase, after having a baby few years back. Even though it was one of the most rewarding experience ever, I was no more able to wake up early, meditate, spend time in any creative pursuit, since I was not getting enough sleep. Recently, I started the morning routine again, which started from having a light dinner, no gadgets at night, sleeping by 10 pm and waking up by 5 am. 

Waking up at 5 am, being alone with the silence of the twilight, gives me such orientation for the day. After taking bath, I sit for meditation and then yoga. I feel settled in my being and energetic in my body, I cook for my beloved people either in silence of some lovely background music. And then the day begins with my beloved people waking up - hugging them is so precious and makes me look forward to each day. I do not touch my mobile until around 8:45 am. 

This self discipline is not forced from outside but I thoroughly find joy after I discipline myself. I have always felt that Discipline comes out of joy and not out of restraint or external force. On days that I skip my morning routine, I feel a difference in myself and my body and hence I go back to my morning routine again. 

What wonders self discipline can do, we cannot imagine. What magic meditation does in the morning to our being, yoga or exercise to our body, we do not know unless we experiment ourselves. But discipline follows inner joy. It needs a little will in the beginning until we start enjoying ourselves.

Message for Chaytanya on her Second Birthday

I keep slipping on this slippery slope

That "You are mine"

How not to slip on this beautiful slippery slope

"Your presence, your warmth, your smile, your small gentle gestures,

your words, your tantrums, your love"

Everything about you takes me into a different realm

A realm that was unknown to me,

Yet so much me

 

I live in multiple dimensions with you in this simple ordinary life

In which your innocence, your love, your creativity, your pure being

makes everything extraordinary!

How beautiful is this realm!

How tempting is this slippery slope that you are mine

Yet I remember that you are not mine

You were Not sometime back, and you will not be in the future

You are a Free Soul who chose us as mediums

So grateful are we to you for choosing us as your parents

 

Nothing is permanent!

And I am basking in the warmth, innocence and love of your child-like being,

your sweet presence,

your arms around me,

And this joy of being "mama"

Thank you "Chaytanya! I love you!

May my love frees you, and never binds you!

 

Amen!

Home Decoration - Transforming our space

A very dear friend has asked me to write a post sharing my knowledge on home decoration. For me, it is such a vast knowledge that I might not be able to put it in one post but I am so grateful to him for having me get started on this topic.

For me, a Home is my/our Temple, where we live. You will not find a mandir in our home, since I intend to transform the entire space in which we live into a Mandir/Temple. 

I am a lover of beauty in all and everything around and I cannot live without decorating. Even if I have to live in a space with one floor mattress, in a shared room, for 2 weeks, I will decorate it. For me it does not matter if the space is owned or rented. If I am living in it, it is loved, transformed and decorated creatively for those moments.

Home is a space which must be enriching and rejuvenating. A space from which we do not get bored or want a break from. That is possible only if we transform the space into a loving, meditative buddha-field.

When it comes to decorating home, there are two aspects to it 

1. Decorating the space with objects (furniture, furnishing, art, plants, etc.)

2. Transforming the space with vibration of love, soothing sounds, fragrance, laughter, creativity. No TV, No unwanted noise, no clutter, no unnecessary objects, etc.

I will share my knowledge and tips for both. Since I have worked as a professional photographer and a painter, I tend to use the learnings from both these artistic pursuits in Home decoration.

Tips on decorating the space with Objects:

1. Respecting the spaciousness of the space

It is important to remember that every object has energy and we must add objects to our space carefully and not just because we go shopping a lot.

The word 'Room' simply means 'Space'. If we fill the room with objects completely, we cannot survive. Keeping that in mind, the objects (furniture or furnishing) must be added so it makes the space look more spacious and not cluttered. 

Some examples of the spaces decorated by me:

Tip on making the space look more spacious by adding an object:

I have learnt this particular tip from photography. Our eyes have a tendency to see the objects and not space as is. In order for us to experience the complete space, add an object like a large plant, or colorful flowers or anything to the end of a large empty space. If we see an object at the very end of a large space, we see the entire space with it compared to when not adding any object. This will make the space look and feel bigger even after adding the object.

For example, in the above pic you are bound to see the orange ottoman from the other end of the space too.

And the christmas tree while moving your eyes from the front of the space to the back

2. Make the home colourful

Do you ever wonder why we feel dull when there is no sunlight in winter for weeks ? Or why winters are more dull than summers. One main reason is that colours are missing. Colours are extremely important in making the home more ALIVE and beautiful.

You can experiment with colours as per your taste. I have changed many homes in my life, many countries, cities and houses, and I have always made it a point to not repeat. Every new space is a complete experiment in every way. I will share some pics to make this point.

Add colours in a beautiful subtle way. Colours have energy, choose colours wisely.

Tip on making the space more colourful without being loud

If you ask me, easiest way to add colour and must thing is put a contrasting coloured carpet. You can't imagine how the choice of the carpet can transform the whole space beautifully. Carpets usually covers the major space and a beautiful contrasting carpet can make the whole difference.

Few more must dos 

- Colorful cushions with peaceful art if possible - adds to creativity and making the environment soothing

- Add a lot of alive Green plants and trees - alive plants have their own energy and supportive of creating a harmonious environment

- Choose a colour theme for each bathroom and room. Use curtains, cushions, rugs, bathroom mats, towels etc. to match the theme and you will not regret it

- Play with colours and enjoy

3. Be Creative

The beauty of creativity is that it is Infinite. Be creative. Be inspired.

Some quick pointers

4. Do not block your entryway with any object. Energy must flow freely

5. Bedrooms (especially) must have minimum furniture - if possible just a bed and nightstand. Each and every object in the bedroom can impact your relating with your partner or loved ones. (How? is out of scope of this post)

6. Do not add a mirror facing the entry door - it will reflect back all the incoming energy

7. Keep the corners empty. Corners carry the maximum energy and you can test this if you just stand in a corner with eyes closed and body relaxed and just feeling the space. 

In case if you have items in the corner, try to move them once in a while so energy can flow

8. Keep your home(temple) clean

9. Any art that you have must feel peaceful, alive, joyful or whatever feeling you want to come back to when you are home, Look at the art for a few moments and feel how it feels. If it makes you feel unsettled or chaotic then do not buy it. These days there is a lot of art with no meaning, just colors. I would suggest do not buy that since every object has energy - add an artwork that is powerful in transforming the space.

Tips on transforming the space:

1. Sounds

Sound is the deepest sense that is experienced when any spiritual seeker reaches to the point of self-realization. 

Sound is experienced by the baby in the womb very early on.

Every matter when scientifically explored is just a vibration and a sound

I cannot stress the careful usage of sound on our state as human beings. We have never kept a TV in our house so that there is no unnecessary sounds or images and it ensure that we have more time to spend in creativity and being with our loved ones.

Tips on using the sound carefully

- No unnecessary sounds, noises (including TV. If you want TV, keep a separate space just for watching TV and it must not be in the common area where family gets together and chit chat or eat )

- Play background soothing music - if possible flute (the music of the bamboo flute goes quiet deep) and it does have a tremendous impact on transforming the space into a rejuvenating energy field

- Play mood music

- Invest in a good indoor waterfall

- You can add a melodious wind chime for the outdoor setting

- Keep a small separate space for fighting or throwing out the rubbish so that fights are reduced and in the remaining areas, we speak to each other lovingly, respectfully and the entire house is not affected by the vibration of fight or negativity. 

2. Lighting

Lighting has a deep impact on our moods, energy levels and sleep. A sunny day in winters make such a difference. Buy a house with lots of windows and towards the direction of the sun if possible.

Invest in good lighting, lamps etc, and light the space just enough that you see faces of the people in the evening. It adds to the aesthetics when you are aware of the surrounding objects but they do not interfere when looking at the faces of the loved ones. Just sufficient light adds to the mood and to a state of relaxation. Light candles in the evening if possible.

As the evening approaches, dim the lights and see how the sleep is transformed especially for people with sleep issues. Do not use artificial lights like mobile, tablet etc, just before sleeping.

3. Fragrance

Ventilate the entire space and use incense stick (agarbatti) - if possible original sandalwood (chandan) one

4. Lovingness

Remember our home is only a temporary abode and the people we live with today wont be with us forever in these bodies. Feel reverence and enjoy living with them with love and gratitude. 

As I told, I have moved homes a lot and I enjoy it as it declutters the house and the mind, reminds the impermanence of life and gives me a fresh canvas to decorate every time. One challenge however, is to transform the energy of the space. People who lived in a space have the spaces vibrate with their energies. The best way to transform the space and make it into our home is by being loving. Love has a very high vibration and it can transform everything sooner than we can imagine.

5. Inviting and Warm

Let your home be so inviting and so warm that 

each one who enters your space feels touched, 

is rejuvenated inside and out, 

each one who stays in your space even for a short while

feels at home, feels your warmth, care and love.

I hope this article will inspire you to create and transform your space even more. If it does, do let me know and I will be inspired to share more.

Message for chaytanya on First Birthday

 

A magical being

I have been blessed with a magical being.

In normal language, blessed with a baby girl.

I see her as a magical being - who appeared from nothing, into this world, into this body. We have given a name to this magical unknown infinite being - Chaytanya Shree (meaning Supreme Godly Consciousness).

Seeing her, being with her, I feel utterly surprised as to...how pure, how trusting, how joyful, how playful, how natural, how simple and yet infinite - she is God-like. 

She is joyful without having any materialistic or spiritual object. 

She is totally receptive and trusting - with all the possibilities of harm from the surrounding people

She is totally natural with no differences of good or bad, with no conditioning.

She is everything that I ever want to be through all my spiritual pursuits. She is in a state that most humans seek...a state of consistent peace, trust, joy. The most surprising thing is that 'I' was also like her, and all of us were born the same, and yet no one seems to be like her. 

As adults, we somehow lose our original face and spend our lives seeking to discover it. And still, as adults we pretend to know what is best for this new life, and no sooner that the baby is born, and we are all ready to teach her.

Khalil Gibran has said - "

Your children are not your children.

They are the sons and daughters of life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you.
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts.
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls.
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
****************************************
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you."

We feel that children belong to us, she is mine - and with this feeling of  'mine', we sow seeds of pain and darkness in our lives and in the life of this new one. 

Chaytanya is not mine or ours. We have just been a medium for her to enter into this world. We can love, respect, nourish and support her in fulfilling her destiny, but we don't want to teach her or make her into a copy of ours. 

I don't know anything that I can give to this baby except love and respect, but I really seek to learn from her all that she is. Through her, I wish to discover my original face, the one I was born with.

Gratitude to the space - called home

Flowing is the way of life

flowing like the snow falling gracefully and disappearing into nothing

flowing like the rain falling rhythmically and disappearing into nothing

flowing like the river falling and disappearing into the ocean

Flowing is the way of life

As life flows, everything renews itself. is renewing itself

something appears from nothing

something disappears into nothing

we are flowing with life journey into the new

The new home ...

before we move into the new space,

my heart wishes to express tremendous gratitude for the current space

that we have called home for the past 3.5 years

Thank you dear space for offering yourself to us

for allowing us to create a home in you

for showering tremendous blessings on us

for allowing us to see inexplicable sunrises on the lake

for all the rainbow surprises 

for allowing us to spend hours to enjoy the moon-rises on the lake.....the reflections spreading to eternity

for allowing us to see the gently falling snow for hours, within warmth and music

for allowing us to see the changing seasons with starking clarity...of the leaves falling ...new leaves blooming...colours changing....every year 

for the walks on the lake, each one being equally surprising and joyful as the first one

for showing us some transforming views leaving us speechless

Thank you dear space for showering on us 

millions of moments of love, prayer and togetherness

creating opportunities to grow and be creative

As we pack, removing each and every painting that was created in you

removing the decorations that were done with love

there is only gratitude for the joyful, loving, blessed time spent in you

though I have changed many spaces in the past

a realization descended

that 

wherever my beloved is 

a beautiful, loving home shall be created

my beloved is my home

his embrace is my abode

thank you dear space for offering us to transform you into our home

and blessing us with so much 

As I leave you to move into another space

I shall take my home with me

and explore the opportunity of creating another space as our new abode  

🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓

New painting

One candle can light a million lamps 

One light can enlighten the whole world

Just this...

The music is flowing through my senses
hundreds of gentle pollens floating gracefully in clean air
with the background of clear blue sky
Shimmering water with each drop shining as bright silver
the blue of the sky reflected in the water making it a shade darker
The unending sea changing colours with every glance

The cars pass by as small objects covering the space for sometime
disappearing into nothingness
leaving the space of road Empty
The greens behind this sometimes filled, sometimes empty road
seemed to have been painted recently with fresh colors
but the painter seem to be hidden within these trees

Hundreds of pollens still floating by gracefully
with the background of clear blue sky
and my glance moving far to the endless horizon of nothingness
which gives something inexplicable to me, just by being there, or not being there...

slowly the glance moving back from the horizon
to the shimmering silvery water
to the freshly painted green
to the sometimes filled, sometimes empty road
to the floating pollens
to the blue room filled with soothing music
to the movement of hands on the keyboard, adding beats to the music
to the slow breathing, and a reminder of being alive
and a deep exhale of gratitude

- Tanu Shree

Mandala art on glass bottle