This is the speech I prepared for the program Digsoochi 2011 at Mysore organized by Rotary Club Midtown
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Namaste
well let me start with that question which should be bugging most of you guys….what should I do with my life!?
when I asked the same, people said…listen to your heart….
I did that….and listened.
my heart said…
lub….dub…lub….dub….and ya of-course sometimes it said lubdublubdublubdub!!
Leave alone the meaning of the words, I couldn’t even guess the language that it spoke J
So today let me talk about something which I feel will help in listening to that language of the heart which we can understand.
Todays discussion is going to be about that.
Before that…….let me say something….about me.
Well, I work as an administrator at Deenabandhu.
So to start with let me tell something abt the org I work for. About deenabandhu…..
What do I do here?..spending time with children…research and workshop for the teachers…administration work! I get to play a lot with the children and so many of the pets around. Some time we go on the terrace and watch stars…sometime we will just play in the rain! I am back to my childhood J but with more understanding.
I know…Inspiring isn’t it? But do not get inspired! If you get inspired by what others do one day me another day someone else will inspire you…and all you will end up will be just some confusions! as each and every work done with interest is inspiring. What I do, should not be the inspiration for you.
The very source of inspiration is with in you! My job here is to give you some hints to recognize it!
Now the question is how one can sense or feel that inspiration that is there within. How can one identify the true aspirations that he has within.
Let me start with a small experiential experiment. This one Antony De Mello suggests in his book ‘Awareness’. A beautiful book. If you ask me, I would say ‘must read’. So experiment is:
This soul feeling is what many refer to as ‘inner voice’. This is that language of the heart that you can understand! Don’t you? Did not understand what it said?
This soul feeling is the one which when followed drifts you away from confusions and keep on inspiring you always!
Now first lets see why this voice should be given more priority than the other!
I met this girl. A decent bharatanatyam dancer. She went to participate in a state level competition and did not win any prize. She said that the judges were all local people and hence gave prices to local students. Her arguments may be fair…I cannot comment…but fair enough even if she complains! But what astonished me was that she said that she will not dance again!!!!!
This want happens is you value yourself on the face of the prize or the judgments of other people. In this case lets not bother whether the judges were just or not.....just assume that they were. Now the question is What is this prize or judgement anyway? Others opinion about how you are! Others opinion whether you are better than the other person or not! isn’t it? If you really enjoy what you are doing then why bother about what others opinion is? Just enjoy your dance!
You know about that story of donkey, grandfather and a boy..don’t you?
[Narrate the story how they changed what they were doing by listening to the opinion of other people and how atlast the donkey fell off from the bridge!]
With me…these prizes lost some significance with this particular incident.My father asked to wrap up all the medals and cups and put them up on attic, when I started decorating my house with them! At that moment I felt sad! But later on I realized, as my father didn’t bother about it, they lost significance…..I lost the fear of not getting prize! Not that I lost the expectation of winning a prize but it started mattering less!
So if you keep on getting influenced by others opinion…by that I mean the prizes, judgments, respect, status…don’t you think you keep changing and remain always distracted. So isn’t it evident that if we act according to this voice..materialistic one…it will be always confusing?
What is success anyway?
Jatti kalagadalli gelladode garadiya samu, pattuvasaredagella viphalavennuveyem?
Mutti nodavana maikattu kabbinagatti…gattitana garadiphala manku timma!
meaning: If a wrestler loses in a fight do you think all his practice and the trouble he took be what he is went waste? Touch him, you will feel how strong he is…he is as strong as an iron….that strength is the result of the practice.
Another thing that bothers most of us is fame. Let me talk something about that.
I was around 15years old, my father took me to a temple on the hill side. There was a beautiful temple on one side and on the other side another temple was under construction. There were brinks lying around to be used in the construction. There was this small kid playing and jumping around. It was around 6:30 in the evening. I again asked my father,the same question which I was asking myself several times over and over again. “Dad, what should I do with this life? How will I know what I am supposed to do?” he though for a while…and with a pleasant smile which he holds almost always. He said…see that brick, it will ask this little boy ‘what am I doing here? What should I do with my life?” The boy will reply “hey brick, wait for a while….you see that temple? You will be used for it. But don’t have in mind, whether someone will see you or recognize you as you may be covered with sand and cement and paint, but you will be doing that thing for which you are here. He added, Don’t suffer with such a question. It will be answered if you stop bothering about fame, money, status, respect, recognition etc.
Akkiyolagannavanu modalaru kandavaru….akkarada barahakke modaliganaaru….
Lekkavirisilla jaga tannadi bandhugala…dakkuvude ninage jasa? Mankutimma!
meaning: Do you remember who discovered to boil the rice? Do you remember who first wrote the first ever alphabets? People don’t remember any of them….do you think you will win?
When we don’t even remember who discovered those things without which we cannot exist…do you think people are going to remember you?
So all these motivations are not good enough alwa? We will land up no where if we follow this voice! Isn’t it?
These are all the conditioning that society has made us believe. If you look deep inside…about the concept of prize, respect, fame, status these are all nothing but that the dependencies that you have developed for the society. Only when you get free of these dependencies will be you able to follow your dream fearlessly.
Freedom and courage is what you need to follow your heart. If you have any bondage to fame, money, status, recognition you will never be free. You will only act or react in accordance with your bondage So in order to follow your heart, the inner voice…you first have to become free. This freedom will give you all the needed courage!
This courage is what you need to follow your heart
Now when I made my point clear about why this voice, let me tell you something about how to enrich it? How to strengthen your inner voice?
Lets start with an example again…
How many of you here smoke? You can honestly raise your hands J, no one is judging you!
What did you feel when you smoked it for the first time? You coughed….you were very nervous! Your body said no…your feelings said no……But when you did not yield to it…you rather became insensible to these voices and then it went numb…didn’t it? Now you do not hear that voice anymore.. isn’t it?
So first point is…if you stop acting for it or start ignoring it….it becomes weaker!
This ignorance creates inner conflicts and will destroy your ability to respond to this voice!
By ignoring You start to put layers over layers!
That means you drift away from your voice.
Now our job is to remove each layer one by one.
Swamy Vivekananda once said: suppose there is a screen hiding you from me, in which there is a small hole through which I can see some of the faces before me, just a few faces. Now suppose the hole begins to grow larger and larger and as it does so, more and more of the scene before me reveals itself, and when at last the whole screen has disappeared I stand face to face with you all….every good though that you think and act upon is simply tearing the veil, as it were; and the purity, the infinity, the god behind, manifests itself more and more ….
For me god means…life…..To know what brings you more nearer to life you should start listening to this inner voice.
By starting to listening to this voice, you will feel that you are gaining more courage.
When you stop lying you will gain courage to face the world in the way you are!
When you stop cheating you will gain the courage to face the world with your true capabilities!
When you are true to your inner voice you will become free of trying to create impression in others mind!
Once one have that courage one will stop bothering about status, money, fame and recognition!
This courage to be your true self will give you freedom!
This is a loop. More free you are from your bondage to fame, status more courage you gain. More courage you have to face the world with your true self more free you become. A circle! Which is not vicious any more!
If you lack this freedom or the courage you will not take risks. As you feel you will lose your existence if you do not achieve them. Life is not about achievement its about living each moment. Live free J.
These fame money and everything is for the society ..the thing that remains for you and your relations are your personality, your attitude towards life and sensibility.
Why I chose this org?
[narrate that story….. where in a child wasn’t scared to bring a kitten to the ashram where as a child will be scared of its parents to express his sensibility to a puppy or a kitten]
This sensitivity should not be hampered! This is one which educates us.
This voice is educating me now, I am not yet a very good student but I am trying to be one.
I am not indicating that I am all clear with what I am doing or how my life should be. All I want to say is this is the very beginning. My journey has just begin and I wish you too a very happy jouney.
You can follow this inner voice and choose a career. You can choose your career that appeals to you at any point in your life. But will be better if its earlier and when you are young and not committed to a family or a job. Socially and emotionally you will be more free. That is why they have chosen you guys for this workshop!
A simple check that I am can suggest before you chose your carrer or work or job or what ever is : Am I willing to do it just because it adds value to Me? Or simply because I enjoy doing it or may be it is needed?
I would like to end this with these line:
This digsuchi, you are searching for is with in you…The one thing that will show you the way is with in you…..and that is your true educator!
More you ignore it more feeble this voice becomes…..and all you may end up listening will be lubdub lubdub.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Namaste
well let me start with that question which should be bugging most of you guys….what should I do with my life!?
when I asked the same, people said…listen to your heart….
I did that….and listened.
my heart said…
lub….dub…lub….dub….and ya of-course sometimes it said lubdublubdublubdub!!
Leave alone the meaning of the words, I couldn’t even guess the language that it spoke J
So today let me talk about something which I feel will help in listening to that language of the heart which we can understand.
Todays discussion is going to be about that.
Before that…….let me say something….about me.
Well, I work as an administrator at Deenabandhu.
So to start with let me tell something abt the org I work for. About deenabandhu…..
What do I do here?..spending time with children…research and workshop for the teachers…administration work! I get to play a lot with the children and so many of the pets around. Some time we go on the terrace and watch stars…sometime we will just play in the rain! I am back to my childhood J but with more understanding.
I know…Inspiring isn’t it? But do not get inspired! If you get inspired by what others do one day me another day someone else will inspire you…and all you will end up will be just some confusions! as each and every work done with interest is inspiring. What I do, should not be the inspiration for you.
The very source of inspiration is with in you! My job here is to give you some hints to recognize it!
Now the question is how one can sense or feel that inspiration that is there within. How can one identify the true aspirations that he has within.
Let me start with a small experiential experiment. This one Antony De Mello suggests in his book ‘Awareness’. A beautiful book. If you ask me, I would say ‘must read’. So experiment is:
What kind of feeling comes upon you when you’re in touch with nature, or when you’re absorbed in work that you love? Or when you’re really conversing with someone whose company you enjoy in openness and intimacy without clinging? What kind of feelings do you have? Compare those feelings with the feelings you have when you win an argument, or when you win a race, or when you become popular, or when everybody is applauding you. The latter feelings he calls worldly feelings; the former feelings he calls soul feelings.
This soul feeling is what many refer to as ‘inner voice’. This is that language of the heart that you can understand! Don’t you? Did not understand what it said?
This soul feeling is the one which when followed drifts you away from confusions and keep on inspiring you always!
Now first lets see why this voice should be given more priority than the other!
I met this girl. A decent bharatanatyam dancer. She went to participate in a state level competition and did not win any prize. She said that the judges were all local people and hence gave prices to local students. Her arguments may be fair…I cannot comment…but fair enough even if she complains! But what astonished me was that she said that she will not dance again!!!!!
This want happens is you value yourself on the face of the prize or the judgments of other people. In this case lets not bother whether the judges were just or not.....just assume that they were. Now the question is What is this prize or judgement anyway? Others opinion about how you are! Others opinion whether you are better than the other person or not! isn’t it? If you really enjoy what you are doing then why bother about what others opinion is? Just enjoy your dance!
You know about that story of donkey, grandfather and a boy..don’t you?
[Narrate the story how they changed what they were doing by listening to the opinion of other people and how atlast the donkey fell off from the bridge!]
With me…these prizes lost some significance with this particular incident.My father asked to wrap up all the medals and cups and put them up on attic, when I started decorating my house with them! At that moment I felt sad! But later on I realized, as my father didn’t bother about it, they lost significance…..I lost the fear of not getting prize! Not that I lost the expectation of winning a prize but it started mattering less!
So if you keep on getting influenced by others opinion…by that I mean the prizes, judgments, respect, status…don’t you think you keep changing and remain always distracted. So isn’t it evident that if we act according to this voice..materialistic one…it will be always confusing?
What is success anyway?
Jatti kalagadalli gelladode garadiya samu, pattuvasaredagella viphalavennuveyem?
Mutti nodavana maikattu kabbinagatti…gattitana garadiphala manku timma!
meaning: If a wrestler loses in a fight do you think all his practice and the trouble he took be what he is went waste? Touch him, you will feel how strong he is…he is as strong as an iron….that strength is the result of the practice.
Another thing that bothers most of us is fame. Let me talk something about that.
I was around 15years old, my father took me to a temple on the hill side. There was a beautiful temple on one side and on the other side another temple was under construction. There were brinks lying around to be used in the construction. There was this small kid playing and jumping around. It was around 6:30 in the evening. I again asked my father,the same question which I was asking myself several times over and over again. “Dad, what should I do with this life? How will I know what I am supposed to do?” he though for a while…and with a pleasant smile which he holds almost always. He said…see that brick, it will ask this little boy ‘what am I doing here? What should I do with my life?” The boy will reply “hey brick, wait for a while….you see that temple? You will be used for it. But don’t have in mind, whether someone will see you or recognize you as you may be covered with sand and cement and paint, but you will be doing that thing for which you are here. He added, Don’t suffer with such a question. It will be answered if you stop bothering about fame, money, status, respect, recognition etc.
Akkiyolagannavanu modalaru kandavaru….akkarada barahakke modaliganaaru….
Lekkavirisilla jaga tannadi bandhugala…dakkuvude ninage jasa? Mankutimma!
meaning: Do you remember who discovered to boil the rice? Do you remember who first wrote the first ever alphabets? People don’t remember any of them….do you think you will win?
When we don’t even remember who discovered those things without which we cannot exist…do you think people are going to remember you?
So all these motivations are not good enough alwa? We will land up no where if we follow this voice! Isn’t it?
These are all the conditioning that society has made us believe. If you look deep inside…about the concept of prize, respect, fame, status these are all nothing but that the dependencies that you have developed for the society. Only when you get free of these dependencies will be you able to follow your dream fearlessly.
Freedom and courage is what you need to follow your heart. If you have any bondage to fame, money, status, recognition you will never be free. You will only act or react in accordance with your bondage So in order to follow your heart, the inner voice…you first have to become free. This freedom will give you all the needed courage!
This courage is what you need to follow your heart
Now when I made my point clear about why this voice, let me tell you something about how to enrich it? How to strengthen your inner voice?
Lets start with an example again…
How many of you here smoke? You can honestly raise your hands J, no one is judging you!
What did you feel when you smoked it for the first time? You coughed….you were very nervous! Your body said no…your feelings said no……But when you did not yield to it…you rather became insensible to these voices and then it went numb…didn’t it? Now you do not hear that voice anymore.. isn’t it?
So first point is…if you stop acting for it or start ignoring it….it becomes weaker!
This ignorance creates inner conflicts and will destroy your ability to respond to this voice!
By ignoring You start to put layers over layers!
That means you drift away from your voice.
Now our job is to remove each layer one by one.
Swamy Vivekananda once said: suppose there is a screen hiding you from me, in which there is a small hole through which I can see some of the faces before me, just a few faces. Now suppose the hole begins to grow larger and larger and as it does so, more and more of the scene before me reveals itself, and when at last the whole screen has disappeared I stand face to face with you all….every good though that you think and act upon is simply tearing the veil, as it were; and the purity, the infinity, the god behind, manifests itself more and more ….
For me god means…life…..To know what brings you more nearer to life you should start listening to this inner voice.
By starting to listening to this voice, you will feel that you are gaining more courage.
When you stop lying you will gain courage to face the world in the way you are!
When you stop cheating you will gain the courage to face the world with your true capabilities!
When you are true to your inner voice you will become free of trying to create impression in others mind!
Once one have that courage one will stop bothering about status, money, fame and recognition!
This courage to be your true self will give you freedom!
This is a loop. More free you are from your bondage to fame, status more courage you gain. More courage you have to face the world with your true self more free you become. A circle! Which is not vicious any more!
If you lack this freedom or the courage you will not take risks. As you feel you will lose your existence if you do not achieve them. Life is not about achievement its about living each moment. Live free J.
These fame money and everything is for the society ..the thing that remains for you and your relations are your personality, your attitude towards life and sensibility.
Why I chose this org?
[narrate that story….. where in a child wasn’t scared to bring a kitten to the ashram where as a child will be scared of its parents to express his sensibility to a puppy or a kitten]
This sensitivity should not be hampered! This is one which educates us.
This voice is educating me now, I am not yet a very good student but I am trying to be one.
I am not indicating that I am all clear with what I am doing or how my life should be. All I want to say is this is the very beginning. My journey has just begin and I wish you too a very happy jouney.
You can follow this inner voice and choose a career. You can choose your career that appeals to you at any point in your life. But will be better if its earlier and when you are young and not committed to a family or a job. Socially and emotionally you will be more free. That is why they have chosen you guys for this workshop!
A simple check that I am can suggest before you chose your carrer or work or job or what ever is : Am I willing to do it just because it adds value to Me? Or simply because I enjoy doing it or may be it is needed?
I would like to end this with these line:
This digsuchi, you are searching for is with in you…The one thing that will show you the way is with in you…..and that is your true educator!
More you ignore it more feeble this voice becomes…..and all you may end up listening will be lubdub lubdub.
