For Today

This morning as I was driving to work, I looked up and suddenly saw the mountains. They were all around me – gentle sloping hills that rose to greet the clear blue sky. Ancient and sturdy, they had been here all the while but somewhere along the way I did not see them. 

I looked around and saw soft cotton-like clouds that dotted the sky and lime green willow trees and pink peach blossoms lining the streets. Where had I been all this while? When did winter blossom into spring?

Thinking about it, I realize that often times we are not a part of the present moment. Every moment we are either living in the past or in the future. We are thinking of what we should have done and having regrets of the past or we are worrying about the future – about what could happen and what should be done.

And before we know it, this Present moment which was spent worrying or planning has become a part of the Past and we are already in the Future – and we are not sure where the Present moment actually went.

Minutes go into hours, days into months and our time is going by fast – and all the while our present is lost.

So I say to myself – forget about the yesterdays, forget about the tommorows – think only of Today and of what I can do to make it worthwhile and memorable.

So for Today I will take deep breaths – and let the clear mountain air flow into my body giving me energy and hope. I will breathe out slowly and release all the tension and negative energy.  I will enjoy the companionship of my friends and family. I will try and bring smiles to the people around me. I will try to make a difference (even if it is small one) to at least one person. I will give thanks for all the blessings in my life. 

I will look around and see the gifts of nature. I will see the mountains and the clouds, smell the fragrance of the flowers and taste the freshness of the mountain water. 

For Today, I will live my life meaningfully.

Fireworks during the Royal Wedding (15 Oct 2011)

Under a crystal clear October sky
thousands are gathered
on the steps of the national stadium –
Changlimithang.

Strangers and friends
stand amidst mingled breaths
and joyful laughter
this clear frosty autumn night
waiting - in collective anticipation.

Then with a loud cracking sound
a fiery red flame shoots into the sky
and with a ‘pop’ bursts into a thousand stars. 

The second follow and then the third 
and soon the night is a splash of colors –
golden sparkles, streaming silver
crackling green and sparkling blue.

And with each ‘Phak pok Phak”
and every ‘Woosh’ and “crackle”,
there is  a vivid explosion in the night 
a brilliant shower of colors
Frizzling and streaming
spiraling and dreaming
cracking, flaming, dizzying…

Strangers become friends 

and adults become children.
For in this timeless moment

                                      everyone comes together in joyous harmony 
                                           as history is made in the Dragon nation
                                                 under one clear October sky.

The Power of the Mind

The power of the mind is phenomenal. As Marcus Aurelicus once said centuries ago ‘Our life is what our thoughts make it.’ Similarly many learned people across the ages have observed the importance of the mind and how it has an extremely significant bearing on the way people live their lives.

The ultimate aim of all human beings, as we know it, is happiness. Yet the very concept of what is happiness is elusive because it is relative and personal. To some people happiness is material well being, to others it is emotional security, and yet to others spiritual growth. Would a person be happier if he had more wealth, more fame and more security? Often happiness is associated with results, with greater achievements, more glory, more wealth, always something more, and something better. However, does this actually guarantee happiness?

I have never ceased to be surprised when I pass by people living in sparse conditions, having little possession and living hand to mouth – yet seemingly happy with the life they have been born in and what fate has dished out to them. Then on the other hand, there are many people who have been blessed with so much material possession and have fame and prestige in society, yet seem so discontent in life. The question that often arises in my mind is why this difference?

It has also never failed to amaze me that two people born of the same environment and value system can look at the same situation and see it differently. This different light in which the situation is perceived is the result of the human mind and the attitudes of the people. Happiness, as I see it, is a state of mind. It is all in this little space in our head that determines whether we are happy with what has been given to us. Ultimately, it is a choice we are making. As the great poet Milton wrote nearly four hundred years ago ‘The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell and a hell of heaven.’

In the end, your state of happiness is what you make of it and how you choose to perceive a particular situation. After all it is not so much the situation that matters but rather how you choose to look at it. I recall reading a story sometime back of a man who once got robbed of all his belongings. He chose to look at his loss lightly and saw it as a good opportunity to have gotten rid of his old belongings. However, his friends and neighbors kept telling him how sorry they were for him and how unfortunate it was. Then having heard it once too often, he too began to feel the sorrow and loss of his belongings.

This story made me realize just how much one’s thoughts influence one’s perception of situations and of life in general. It is not the situation but rather our mental attitude and our perception that causes the suffering. Once that is realized, you will find that happiness is within your grasp.

This I think is comforting – the knowledge that happiness is within our grasp and that it is not the situation or achievements that will make you happy but rather your perception of the situation and your choice on how to handle it. Then, you will find, your life is as happy as your thoughts allow it to be.

Autumn

Autumn

Leaves falling

    In the evening light

Autumn