Your Presence is Enough...

Soon after I completed my LL.M. program in the US, I was offered an incredible internship at one of the largest corporations in New York. I was on a high - with bubbling energy, confidence and enthusiasm. A couple of weeks before I was due to start my internship, Emily, an Art of Living teacher who I had come to know and love dearly, asked if I would like to come and help the International Association for Human Values (IAHV) organize and conduct trauma relief and stress management workshops in New Orleans (which had, at the time, just been hit by hurricane Katrina). After spending some time convincing my dad that this was THE thing to do before starting my internship, I packed my bags and immediately set off to New Orleans to help the wonderful volunteers of the IAHV. Needless to say, I felt hugely important for being asked to join them! :)

But surprise (or should I say a wave of dullness!) was in store for me. When I landed in New Orleans, and in the small house where the volunteers were living, I felt completely out of place! Not because the group was not welcoming - they were very warm and welcoming... but somehow, I was at a complete loss as to how I could contribute. Everyone else was the picture of dynamism and had an endless flow of ideas and energy. All I wanted to do was sleep - all the time! For a while I thought that this was because I was new to the place and they had perhaps been there for months. But this was not the case at all - almost everyone on the team had arrived in New Orleans over the course of the same week in which I had - some even arrived later!

I truly cannot explain how useless I felt amidst that group of people! Where was the bubbling energy, confidence and enthusiasm I felt just a few days ago? I was ready to conquer the whole world! And now..... :( The days dragged on... I felt like nothing but a piece of heavy baggage that the group had to drag along with them everywhere they went. I started wondering why Emily had invited me in the first place! I kept thinking "this group doesn't need me! They are complete and super powered in themselves!" I sat around trying to smile and pretend to be enthusiastic. But it was no use! I soon felt that the team could sense my lack of energy and utter uselessness!

Finally, the efforts of the team started bearing fruit - we found a venue and the first trauma relief workshop was organized to start the following evening. As we drove to the venue in the morning to help set it up, I fell asleep (as usual) in the car. When I woke up, I could see Emily looking at me out of the corner of her eye as she drove the car - her eyes full of love and compassion. I asked her "I don't know why I am feeling so sleepy and dull all the time! The energy of this place is so heavy (for me)!" Emily said in her loving way "yes, the city atmosphere is dull because its people are shocked and in low spirits." I didn't say anything at the time, but wondered - "why am I the only one seemingly consumed by this dull energy while the rest of the team seems untouched!?" Other thoughts started bombarding my dejected brain - "maybe I have been too far away from knowledge and this high energy group during the one year of my LL.M. I have lost that subtle Prana and Shakti that is needed to do this kind of service work!" Almost as if she was reading my thoughts, Emily said kindly, "don't worry - you will feel better after the workshop!"

Although I did feel my prana go up a trace after the first session of the workshop, the next morning, the dullness had returned with a big bang! Even after the long morning breathing and meditation (during which I felt I was only sleeping!) :P I felt dull and heavy and useless! One of the team members picked up Sri Sri's book titled "Celebrating Silence" at the end of our morning meditation and read a page selected randomly (as always). My dull brain could not understand most of the beautiful knowledge that was being read... But suddenly, close to the end of the knowledge sheet, a phrase that was read ever so softly, touched me deep in my heart: "...your presence is enough."

Don't ask me the context, for I don't remember. But tears started rolling out of my eyes. The sense of being useless lifted off my mind. I felt a rush of freshness and a true smile dawned in my heart. That day, I offered myself for all the small things that were going on - chopping vegetables, cooking and spicing the food for the volunteers, cleaning the house and the venue - just anything that I saw anyone else doing, I just offered to do it with them. During the second session of the workshop, I shared my own life experiences with enthusiasm. Just that one phrase had shifted something in me.

When it was time to go back to New York, I felt a lot lighter and happier. But my intellect still nagged a little - it was still hung on the question of whether or not my presence was really needed there... But my ego dared not ask. Several months later, however, when I met Emily again, I found the courage to share with her my feelings about my time in New Orleans. Emily listened to me patiently and said, "Mrinalini, you have no idea how inspiring it was for the team that a dynamic, successful young person who has her life in perfect order wanted to come and join the relief efforts even for a short time. Indeed your saying yes and actually coming there moved many things in our own minds." Indeed, I had heard that a large group of youth came to New Orleans after I left and stayed for several weeks to organize a large number of trauma relief and stress management workshops for the victims of Katrina as well as for groups that were volunteering their help in the region. Indeed, my presence had been enough! :)

It has now been almost 10 years since this episode. I never managed to locate the knowledge sheet from which this beautiful phrase was read... But it doesn't matter :) because every time I start wondering whether I am needed in any place; whether I am truly useful to any service project, when I start comparing my apparent skills and capacities with those of other volunteers, I remember this phrase. It is a privilege and an honor to even want to help out - it is said that even the desire to engage in service is part of our good karma. Once we have this wish, and once we have this opportunity, our presence is enough! :)

Today's 'Present' recipe

Chocolate-Date-CocoNUT laddoos

Ingredients


15-18 large Medjool dates (remove the skin and the seeds)
3 tablespoons raw unsweetened chocolate powder
3 tablespoons grated coconut (fresh or dry)
2-3 tablespoons crushed almonds and other nuts (not peanuts)

Method

Chop the dates into small pieces and place them in the large pan. Add all the other ingredients in knead till well mixed. Make small round balls and place on a beautiful tray. Serve immediately with hot ginger-lemon tea :)

Learning Archery...before the battle!

A few years ago, I was listening to recording after recording of Sri Sri's talks and Q&A sessions on Youtube. I was not looking for anything specific - just listening. I was, and still am, always amazed at the number of questions he answers, and how each question is somehow also my personal question - some are questions that I am consciously aware of and want to ask Sri Sri, and others are questions that I am not consciously aware of, but ring a kind of "wake up" bell in my mind :)

I remember that back in those days, my life (both personal and professional) was moving smoothly and was soft and comfortable like a bed of roses. I had been admitted to a prestigious Ph.D. program, where (I was told), I was considered a promising candidate. My personal life was beautiful (I had met the love of my life - my hubby - around that time :)) Yet, I felt very strongly that my everyday practice of yoga and Sudarshan Kriya brought a certain depth to my life and to the joy that I experienced in everyday things. I was very grateful to my mom and my friends who had skilfully "forced" me into learning and practicing Sudarshan Kriya every day. But the question that came into my mind every now and then was - how can I know whether the spiritual path, the practice of Sudarshan Kriya, meditation, the beautiful practical wisdom from Sri Sri that I loved listening to, was really helping me become a better, more caring, more centered, more calm and more skilful person? This question, I was not able to find any answer to.

So that day, as I browsed through various recorded talks of Sri Sri on Youtube, I chanced upon one in which a person asked - "Guruji, when I am in the midst of a rage of temper, no knowledge comes to my rescue. No breathing technique, nothing helps. In such situations, what can I do to prevent or immediately calm down my temper and my mind?" Sri Sri shook his head with a compassion and love that is ever present in his eyes: "You can do nothing. It is like wanting to learn archery in a battlefield." (meaning you will lose the battle :))

I realised in this instant that the regular practice of Sudarshan Kriya and meditation during the best and smoothest times of our lives is like learning archery well before the battle starts. It helps us become stronger and more skilled to face the hardest times that we might face (later) in life. And inevitably, in this life, we all go through rough and smooth patches. In fact, many a times, I have experienced that the awareness and calmness that the regular practice of these techniques brings to my mind, helps me avert situations that might otherwise have become really nasty and difficult.

I remembered another time when a senior teacher of the Art of Living said - when someone is drowning in front of your eyes, you can't give them sermons about "why didn't you learn how to swim?" At that time, you have to help them come out of the water in what ever way possible. You have to encourage people to learn swimming well before they reach a (possible) situation where they may be close to drowning OR after you have helped them out the first time over.

It is interesting that soon after I heard this piece of wisdom from Sri Sri on Youtube, my life's circumstances took many unexpected turns - I went through several years of difficulties - shocks at the personal and professional front, and long periods of extremely bad physical health. In fact, those of you who know me most closely are perhaps aware that it is only now that I am slowly coming out of this phase and reverting to a "normal" life. Yet, I suspect that many of you who know me a little less closely, might be surprised to hear that I was going through any type of hell the last few years at all - right? ;) It is during these last few years that I have felt the greatest and deepest sense of gratitude to everyone who is responsible for bringing, and lovingly holding me on this path and ensuring that I keep up my breathing practice, and through it my high spirits, despite all odds.

Today, as I experience "normal" physical strength and energy levels after what seems like an eternity, I write to tell you all my dearest friends - don't postpone learning archery. You never know when you might need to go to battle!


Recipe to learn archery effortlessly:

1. Go to www.artofliving.org
2. Select your country and a city closest to you from the drop down menu on the top of the screen
3. Register for the next Art of Living Happiness Course
4. Join the course and watch how your life turns into a joy ride :)

Recipe for more short term joy:

Mixed Vegetables in Peanut-Coconut sauce:

Ingredients

Vegetables and spices:

10 medium sized broccoli florets
2 carrots (medium sized) - chopped into medium sized sticks
150 grams tofu - cut into medium sized cubes
20-25 fresh green beans - chopped into two or three pieces each
1 tsp Thai Curry Powder (or, if not available, use 1/2 tsp each of turmeric, coriander powder, and ginger powder)
I tbs oil

For the sauce:

1/2 cup peanuts (roasted ones taste better)
1 cup coconut milk (not too thick)
Soy sauce to taste (about 1 tablespoon is what I use)
1 Tablespoon sweet chilli sauce
1 inch piece of fresh ginger - grated.


Method:

In a high speed blender, mix and make a smooth thickish sauce using the peanuts, coconut sauce, soy sauce, chilli sauce and ginger. Set aside

In a large frying pan or wok, heat the oil, add the spices, stir and cook on medium to low heat for 30 seconds (or till you can smell the fragrance of the spices rising from the wok/pan), add the vegetables and cook on medium to high heat, while stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes. Add the peanut-cobnut sauce and mix well to quote all the vegetables. Turn down the heat to a minimum and cook in a closed pan for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and serve immediately with fresh Basmati rice.

The Perceptions of Reality and the Reality of Perceptions

The Art of Living, Germany chapter recently announced a wonderful event - a special workshop for teachers and volunteers of Germany - a new workshop, one that has so far only been offered at a few other places, called Synergize.

The theme of the workshop, as the name suggests, is that "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts." What a wonderful concept - so true and so beautiful! Everyone has different abilities and when each is permitted to contribute what he/she is good at, the results can be beyond what any individual could have imagined possible! :) I was excited! Surely, this workshop would also help me play my role in my (new) job much better. :)

I signed up for this opportunity immediately, pretty certain that all other teachers and volunteers all across Germany would sign up too. Somewhere along the way (a few days ago), however, I started getting the feeling that this workshop is "by invitation only" - the central team in Germany will decide who is invited to this event. I immediately picked up the phone and called one of the key organizers in Germany and asked if I can extend the invitation to those volunteers in Munich who I feel would be inspired and would benefit from this workshop. The response was, as expected, a YES :)

I set out to call the other teachers in Munich to ask them who they thought should be invited. I wanted to invite everyone who was either regular for knowledge, follow ups or service because all these were signs that the person was interested in this beautiful knowledge and would be willing and eager to join the Art of Living Munich Volunteer Group. Once again, the response from all the teachers was a big YES! Everyone was looking forward to attending the Synergize workshop and take all eager volunteers, new and old, with them.

In the midst of it however, a message came from one person that "headquarters" will decide who can and cannot join. I was immediately irritated and wanted to know - "How in the world can 'headquarters' know who the strong and eager volunteers are at local Art of Living Centers?" "Do they not want to empower all teachers and volunteers just like Sri Sri wants to empower everyone on this planet to take charge of their own lives and also contribute to community service projects?" And my mind went on and on... I messaged angrily back and forth and got more and more convinced that "headquarters" wanted nothing more than to hold on to their power and had no interest in empowering teachers and volunteers in local chapters. In the mean time, I kept going on in my mission to invite everyone who came to my heart and mind.

On Thursday we got together as usual for the weekly knowledge sessions :) This time, we are listening to Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's Commentaries on Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. Sri Sri explained in the first chapter how everything we percieve goes through so many layers of (what can be called) filters and distortions - any object or event that the eye 'sees' is really not 'seen' only by the eye. In fact, if the mind is lost in thought, the eye might be looking, but we will not 'see' anything. Going even beyond the mind, how an object is 'perceived' by us, depends on our own memory of things coupled with our intellect's conditioning (e.g. if we have been bitten by a dog, our memory of the bite and the intellect's dictation that dog = bite, will lead us to perceive a dog as danger. Another person, who loves dogs and has always been licked by them, will perceive the same dog as 'cuddle toy' :D) I was amazed by this knowledge! How incredible then that what I perceive as reality is not necessarily reality in any objective sense! It is a subjective reality - one that is distorted by my own concepts and conditioning!

After the knowledge session, I was somehow able to 'let go' of my feverish desire to invite everyone I know to the Synergize workshop. This morning, however, I woke up restless. Again I was irritated. I had no news from 'headquarters' about whether or not our Munich volunteers could come to the workshop. But I didn't want to send out a set of reminder emails and calls in this state of mind. So I started my morning yoga and pranayama with a prayer in my mind - "please guide me to the right action and the right line of thought and feeling." Soon I was deep in my morning yoga and breathing - happy and present. After Padmasadhana and Sudarshan Kriya, I was in a deep quiet state of meditation. A small thought arose during this meditation from absolutely nowhere - "We consider our perceptions of reality to be the one and only truth even though every object or event perceived by our senses is filtered through 5 different layers - of the senses, the mind, the memory, the intellect and the ego!” I started coming out of meditation with the realization dawning on me that just because I perceive that the "headquarters" as being disinterested in empowering the volunteers, they are not necessarily so! Maybe they are indeed eager to welcome as many new and old volunteers as possible! In fact, they had already said YES to bringing the volunteers from Munich to the workshop!

I also realized that just as my (often feverish and childish!) actions are dictated by my (limited) perceptions of reality, everyone else’s actions are also dictated by their own perceptions of reality – and accordingly, they, just like me, see their specific actions as being necessary to benefit (or protect or inspire) others! Most people (and certainly people in the Art of Living) are driven by good intentions! At worse, they, like me, just have limited perceptions! ☺ This realization brought my erstwhile restless mind back to a state of love. And this is the only state of mind from which I wish all of my actions to emerge ☺

Many years ago, when I did my first Art of Living course, our teacher told us that with regular practice of Sudarshan Kriya, yoga and meditation, our perception, observation and expression improves - I feel I am slowly understanding what he meant when he said this :)

So here’s to this beautiful knowledge of how our mind perceives reality and what the actual reality of human perception is, and to remembering that my perception of reality is not the only reality and reality is more than the sum total of my or people's perceptions :)



Today's Recipe: Matar Paneer

Ingredients

250 grams home made paneer (you can get the recipe here)
500 grams frozen or fresh peas
300 grams (or 3 large) tomatoes - chopped into small cubes
1/2 onion - chopped very fine (optional) - avoid this if you want to prepare a satvik dish :)
3 inch piece of fresh Ginger - grated
1 tsp Indian cumin seeds
1 tsp Turmeric powder
1.5 tsp Coriander powder
1/3 tsp Asafoetida (Hing)
1/2 tsp Garama Masala
1/2 tsp red chilli powder (optional) or 2/3 tsp sweet paprike powder
2 tablespoons + 1 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon of fresh cream (optional)
15-20 fresh coriander leaves
Salt to taste

Method

Cut the paneer into medium sized cubes. In a frying pan, add 2 tablespoons of oil, heat the oil, reduce the heat to medium, fry the paneer in the oil so that atleast 2 sides of the paneer are golden brown. Take the fried paneer out of the frying pan and set aside in a bowl. Add one more tablespoon of oil to the frying pan. Warm the oil. Add the cumin seeds. When the seeds start sizzling, reduce the heat again to medium, add the onion and fry till lightly brown. Add the remaining spices (other than Ginger) and stir to mix well. Once the spice mix releases its fragrance and is lightly sizzling, add the tomatoes - stir well. Add the ginger and salt, stir again. Add the peas - stir. Place a lid on top of the frying pan and let cook on medium heat for 10 mintes. Add the paneer - mix with a light hand to ensure that the paneer doesnt break too much. Once again place the lid on the frying pan and cook on minimum heat for another 3-5 minutes. Pour the fresh cream on top, garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve immediately.

The Purpose of Words...

Over the last several weeks I have spent several hours of my 'free' time reading post after post, article after article, on or via social media websites about the movie PK, the movie Kamaal Dhamaal Malamal, other movies, books, and most recently - cartoons. The debates and protests bordering on all kinds of extremes had my intellect so extremely activated that I lost all track of what my heart was crying out. I watched myself as I first felt extreme aversion to the PK debates - I did not understand why a movie that I had no interest in watching was being debated so hotly. For long I avoided joining the debate knowing full well that it would spark counter reactions from which ever side I was (knowingly or unknowingly) opposing. When I finally did jump into the debate, I realized that with each post I was posting and each comment I was counter-commenting on, my entire intellect, mind and consciousness was getting pulled into a whole negative vibe and energy. I was angry and irritated - my intellect, in the process of analyzing so many articles and counter articles, asked all kinds of questions - "Why is the mainstream cinema and media of India critiquing only the Hindu religion (including the most beautiful aspects of it) most of the time? Why can they not see that there are ills in all religions? Why is the censor board of India only receptive of dissenting voices of representatives a specific religions? Why are TV anchors respectively listening to counter points expressed by people of some religions and drowning the voices of dissent emerging from other groups in shout-out matches? I am all for free speech - but aren't voices of dissent of ALL religions also important - isn't a dissenting opinion also an exercise of the right to free speech? Shouldnt those who critique others also be open to critique themselves?

And then came the Paris shootings and the accompanying cry of "I am Charlie" in several languages. I was shocked! Dissent and engaging in debate is one thing - but killing in the name of dissent is another! And yet, my intellect only got angrier as people started comparing the PK debates with the shootings in Paris. My intellect craved to read more articles and more comments. And as I kept reading, I got more and more sucked into the whole atmosphere of anger and irritation. I even looked at some of the cartoons of Charlie Hebdo, only to feel even more shocked! Some voices started coming out of a different part of my mind - they said - actually, I am NOT Charlie. I don't even want to be Charlie. I do not want EVER to write books or make movies or even paint cartoons that hurt the sentiments of ANY religious group. Afterall, there are so many good aspects in ALL religions. Yet, I could hear myself thinking and trying to categorize which of the comments and counter comments (or actions) are 'right' and which are 'wrong.' I continued to debate on social media. Yesterday, after a particularly nasty round of comments and counter comments, I spent a restless night trying desperately to get back to hearing what my painfully heavy heart was trying to tell me. I even wrote to Guruji (as usual) explaining to him what my state of mind and heart was.

This morning, I remembered what Guruji (Sri Sri Ravi Shankar) says often - "The purpose of words is to create silence." I remembered that if my words do not bring silence, they have failed to acheive their goal and are meaningless. Perhaps, in all of the debates on social media and elsewhere, the one thing that my intellect had been searching for desperately was a comment or article that could bring it to this space of silence. And yet, all I came across only added more fuel to the fire of anger and the feeling of injustice inside me. As they say - anger and hatred are no solution to anger and hatred.

Sri Sri says that "Even if one civilization, religion or culture goes missing, then there is something missing for the whole world. Every culture is a part of the world heritage and we have to preserve and maintain all of them." Why is it then that the most intelligent and highly educated people in the world are moving away from religion? For my own self, I can say that all the violence in the name of religion certainly has me feeling aversion even to the word religion! Yet, there are beautiful aspects to all religions. Another one of Guruji's comments that I heard a very long time ago, said something like - "religion is like the banana peel and spirituality (human values) are like the banana inside. All over the world, people seem to be throwing away the banana and are fighting over which peel is better." Adding to the whole confusion are artistic and literary works, including by famous actors and authors, focussing on the ills of one or the other religion.

Religious texts of most religions promote unconditional love, brotherhood, celebration of the diversity that exists on the planet, acceptance and patience for different thoughts and beliefs. The mystical saints and Gurus of India, the Lamas of Buddhism, the Sufi saints, Christian ascetics have all experienced the sweetness of unconditional love and the bliss that comes with this experience. And they have written volumes describing and praising this as the only experience worth pursuing. Why then are there no popular (modern) debates and discussions on books that bring out the NICE aspects of one or more religion? It seems as though we as a human race somehow get attracted again and again to the negatives. And focussing on the negative will only make the negative (and negativity) grow! Rather than focussing on artists that have highlighted yet another negative (or seemingly negative) aspect of one any religion, can we not elevate our own consciousness by discussing the virtues of texts and works that uplift human spirit? How about comparing what the Sufi saint Rumi said about divine love with what Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and the pope have to say about the same today? Perhaps then the intellectuals, the educated, the deep thinkers, all of who were, in the yesteryears, actively engaged in religion and the accompanying philosphy, will resume these constructive and uplifting debates also!

In the spirit of focussing on the good that is shared by all religions, with the aim of brining people of all faiths together, in the hope of brining some silence through words (within myself and those who I reach) I share with you some of my favorite quotes from all (major) faiths:

"Love is not an emotion. It is your very existence"~ Sri Sri

“Love is the water of life,
jump into this water.
Every drop from this ocean brings a new life.” ~ Rumi

"He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love." 1 John 4:8 (Bible verses)

Today's peaceful and silent recipe:

Lemon Rice

Ingredients

2 cups Basmati rice
2/3 tsp turmeric
2/3 tsp salt
2 tablespoons cooking oil (or coconut oil)
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1 whole red chillie - broken into 2 (optional)
1.5 tsp white Urad dal
2 tablespoons peanuts
8-10 fresh curry leaves (broken into 2)
Juice of one medium sized lemon

Method

Wash the Basmati rice thouroughly, add to it 3.5 cups of fresh water, add the turmeric and salt and cook till done (following the instructions on the packet). Remove from heat and carefully spoon it out (trying not to mash or break the rice) onto a larger more open bowl or serving plate. Set aside to cool. Once the rice is no more steaming hot, add the juice of the lemon and mix into the rice (carefully with a light hand so as to not break the rice)

In a tadka pan or a small frying pan, warm the oil and add the mustard seeds. Once the seeds start to crackle and jump, reduce the heat to minimum and add the Urad dal. Once the Urad dal seeds become light brown, add the red chillie and peanuts and in the end, the curry leaves. Stir for about 30 seconds. Remove from heat and pour this mixture into the rice and mix in carefully and uniformly. Serve immediately.