Attraction on the Spiritual Path

The creation is full of charming, beautiful objects and individuals. Everything in creation, in nature, is a gift to us from the divine - it is there for us to appreciate and enjoy. The problem arises, when we want to own or possess. Because the reality is that once we possess, the thing possessed soon loses its charm and we are attracted to something or someone else. This is a potentially never ending cycle and I have often wondered about the nature and tendency of our minds to be attracted to things and people even after we already have such beauties of creation within our homes and hearts. Recently, listening to the story of a close friend going through a separation, this topic and the wonder came back to me.

In his commentaries on the Bhakti Sutras, Sri Sri says, if there is anything in this world that is charming, I (Krishna) am the charm. Elsewhere he says, your non-attachment to the mundane is your beauty, your attachment to the divine is your charm. Combining these two statements together, I was not completely surpized when my teacher at the end of the Art of Living teacher training course (way back in 2004) said: "beware, your students might appear to fall in love with you. It is not you they are in love with - it is the charm and grace of the knowledge, of the enlightened Master that they experience radiating through you. You can respect their love, because it is actually love for the highest knoweldge." Indeed, I have had several students express deep love and admiration for me and I have always reminded them and myself that what they are drawn to is the knowledge and the grace and wisdom of the Master - and these alone are worth pursuing (and being in love with). At the same time, when ever I have felt attracted towards the charm and grace of an Art of Living teacher, this knowledge has kept me centered.

I wanted to share with you all, however, an early experience of mine with this beautiful and true knowledge. Despite knowing that what I love about all Art of Living teachers is, essentially, the grace and wisdom of the enlightened Master that radiates through them, there is no escaping the fact that I have been drawn to several wonderful teachers on the path. In the early years, when I had been with this knowledge only a few years, I remember being utterly in love with one extremely handsome, young, charming (but, unfortunately, not single) teacher from whose lips, Sri Sri's knowledge flowed like the cool holy water of the Ganges. Whose smile was radiant like Krishna himself and whose eyes were full of mischief, love and wisdom (a deadly combination) - just like Sri Sri's. Can a young girl help but fall in love? Yet, the intellectual 'knowing' that what I was drawn to was nothing but the highest knowledge and wisdom, made me push away the loving feeling that arose in my heart each time I laid my eyes on this charming instrument of the Divine. Lets call him Mr. Krishna :) I was particularly upset that I was attracted to someone who was already in a committed relationship.

Soon after, I heard about the Guru Mandala - the matrix of sorts that exists around the elightened (or around the gate to enlightenment) that keeps us entanlged and away from reaching the enlightened. The Mandala, for example, might have very horrible, nasty people in it who put us off and keep us away from our center (or from the spiritual path itself), or it might have very attractive charming people - in whose charm, again, we remain trapped, and thus remain away from our own nature, which is enlighenment. This partial knowledge about the Guru Mandala shook me - being in love with an Art of Living teacher was like being trapped in the Guru Mandala! OMG I told myself - shake out of it immediately. I started wishing even more strongly to be out of trap of the Mandala so I could keep my mind one tracked on enlightenment, or in the short term, at least more focussed on my work (that was suffering dearly as a result of my love struck state of mind) :) It helped for a few days - but the next time I laid my eyes on Mr. Krishna, all the resistance vanished and I was once again helplessly in love. Yet, I fought with this feeling and tried hard to throw it out of my mind and heart, not least because I felt deeply guilty 'wanting' someone who was in a relationship with another. "I have work to do - I have places to be and things to acheive in my life - this is no time to be in love," I told myself - but to no avail. Later that week, as I continued to fight with my feelings and even went to the extent of avoiding seeing Mr. Krishna, I heard a bit of knowledge from Sri Sri - I dont remember all of it (as usual), but this small bit hit me hard and stayed - "if you are in love with someone, that love is a gift to you."

I was shocked. How can this crazy one sided love be a gift? I asked myself - "I know this piece of knowledge is for me - but how am I to use it in the current situation? I need to work hard on several projects and dont need this distraction of being in love - if I consider this to be a gift, how will I get out of being in love with the wrong guy and get my work done??" Nevertheless, I let it go. I went about my day as usual, but with some kind of new lightness in my heart. I stopped fighting with the feeling of love that arose in my heart when I saw or thought about Mr. Krishna. The next morning, as I walked out of my home to get to work, there was a smile on my face and in my heart - and a new wisdom dawned - It is impossible to not feel this love and it is futile to try and fight with it in our intellects. If we are on the spiritual path, being drawn to teachers who give the highest knowledge of the enlightened is as natural and inevitable as being drawn to the knowledge and to the enlightened Master himself - in fact, it is indeed a gift, because not everyone is attracted to the spiritual path and to the practical, beautiful wisdom it brings into our lives. The only thing we can do is know that it is inevitable and accept it - then the feverish tendency of the mind to want to possess the beauty it perceives, dissolves, and leaves us with an innocent feeling of gratitude - and a love devoid of desires and fantacies. The uncomfortable grip of attraction that I was in, had vanished - all that remained was a gentle feeling of gratitude and beauty - how wonderful Guruji, that the Divine has created people like Mr. Krishna who so gracefully and beautifully share your practical wisdome and knowledge with the world.

Flowing away with the maya(illusion) of the 'loving feeling' that arises in the face of one who is a (mere) instrument of the divine, or wanting to somehow 'possess' them, is problematic - not the love itself. The knowledge that what we are attracted to is not the person, but the wisdom, grace and knowledge that radiates through the person, is important because it keeps us focused on our commitments. But it is equally important to know tht being drawn to one who is an instrument of the divine is inevitable and is indeed a gift - ironically, this knowledge too keeps us away from the feverish grip of maya.

At the right time, I was attracted to and fell in love with the right person (my hubby), the love and attraction was not one sided, and has led to a relationship that helps each of us grow and walk further on the journey called life and on the beautiful path, called the spiritual path - keeping all our (other) commitments intact. Because, as Sri Sri says, commitment indicates a mature mind and only a mature, centered mind can reach its goal.

Todays irresistable, attractive, and committed recipe:

Vegan Banana Blueberry Waffles

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients:
2 Cups whole wheat spelt (Dinkel) flour
1 Tbs Corn Flour / Corn Starch
1 Tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp Baking soda
1 pinch salt
1/2 tsp vanilla powder

Wet Ingredients
1/2 Banana
1 TBs Whole Brown sugar
1 TBs sugar
3 Tbs coconut oil
1 TBs chia seeds (soaked in 100 ml water for 10 minutes)
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup rice or soy milk or almond milk
1 TBs almond butter
1 cup blueberries


Method

Mix all the dry ingredients. Set aside. Mix all the wet ingredients (Other than blueberries) in a high speed blender. Pour wet ingredients into the dry ones and mix well. Add the blueberries and mix again. Warm a waffle iron and follow the instructions to make waffles in it. Serve with maple syrup/honey, fresh cut fruits and vegan whipped cream.

The (un)importance of being 'Important'

After a long break, the 'small' mind was blessed with a post from the 'big' mind :) Here it is...

Over a period of 4 years (that ended last December), I was working (apparently tirelessly) on my Ph.D. The topic was fascinating - intellectual property protection for agricultural seeds in India (OK - it was fascinating for ME at least :D!) What made the research all the more exciting (for me) was the fact that it was somehow connected with Sri Sri's vision of promoting Zero Budget Organic Farming using traditional seeds.

The thesis journey was in itself a bundle of miracles and brain waves - every breakthrough in the data analysis, every new idea, theory, understanding, insight, came out of a space beyond my intellect - indeed, in these times, I was aware more than ever of how 'I am not the doer.' Yet, as I drew closer and closer to completing my thesis, a subtle feeling took over my consciousness. It started as a confidence and a resolve - "I am doing some important work, I need to give it my 100% effort and enthusiasm." Over time however, it transmogrified into: 'I am doing something important, so I am important, and I should get due importance and recognition." With this feeling, came a heaviness. A burden in my head and my heart - "I have to live up to the expectations of my family, friends, colleagues, my Guru(!). I have to work and work hard for this 'important' cause. I have to make sure that this work reaches far and wide and has a big impact. Only then will I be truly using the skills and talents that the divine has blessed me with!"

I was perhaps at a peak of feeling this 'importance' (and the accompanying heavy weight on my head and heart) when I had the opportunity to visit Sri Sri who was at Bad Antogast for a weekend. I was fully prepared to tell him all about my research and how much its findings would support Sri Sri's vision of Organic Farming. Another part of me was thinking that "maybe I don't need to tell him anything! He knows everything already - so he will just shower me with a lot of love and attention as an indication that what ever I am doing in life right now is great and I should keep going forward." :) I was also dreaming about how he might tell everyone what a wonderful job I was doing, and how everyone in the Satsang would then smile at me with awe and admiration. What happened, however, was something quite different.

Sri Sri met everyone with a great deal of love and affection (as always) and gave everyone copious amounts of prasad and laddoos. I, on the other hand, didn't get so much as a glance from him :( I was devastated. My ego was getting crushed under its own weight and the resulting pain was almost unbearable. No matter how hard I tried to attract Guruji's attention, he kept turning the other way! I left his meeting room feeling hopeless and miserable, my tail well between my legs (in fact so far behind that it was not to be seen at all :(

Early in the spiritual path I had heard that it is very difficult for a Guru to ignore his devotee/disciple. I had also heard that if a Guru ignores you, it is for a very specific reason - there is something subtle but profound behind that. No one ever told me though what exactly it means when a Guru ignores you - what is the message he is giving? A million thoughts raced through me - maybe I was not doing my work 100%? Maybe I was too absorbed in my work and was not giving enough attention to my other responsibilities? Maybe my work was not really useful to his vision? Maybe many people are doing similar work? Finally, when I was able to settle back into some sort of mental silence, a different thought came to me - So what if my work is important? So what if it is unimportant? What if my work and I are not important at all? What if I am not born for any great or 'important' purpose on this planet? The sum and substance of numerous pieces of spiritual wisdom that had been coming my way over the last several months (which I was conveniently ignoring or overlooking) came flooding back into my memory - our lives are not even a dust speck in this vast universe. The time that we spend on this planet is like a microfraction of a second when compared to the infinite time for which this universe has and will continue to exist. In this universe, my work is insignificant. More importantly, 'I' am insignificant!

Quite contrary to what one might expect, this memory (or realization?) did not fill me with a sense of being useless. Instead, it lifted off the heavy weight of 'importance' that I was carrying around in my head and heart. I again felt a sense of lightness and belongingness to everyone around me. The judgment of whether or not they were doing something as 'important' as I was, left me. A deep feeling of joy and confidence, devoid of ego and feverishness dawned on me. It felt like I had finally escaped from a golden cage! I also went back to my thesis with a renewed sense of enthusiasm, this time unaccompanied by the pressure and weight of 'importance.'

This morning, as I browsed through the various quotes and Q&As from Sri Sri on facebook, I came across this question: "Guruji, when you ignore us, what does it mean?" Guruji's answer was simple: "When you think you are important, you will be ignored! Got it?" I laughed and laughed. What a simple and effective way of bringing a devotee back to innocence and simplicity :)

PS: Guruji says that spiritual knowledge is not an end in itself - it is a means to an end. What the 'end' is, I am not sure. But at other times in my life, when I have felt utterly useless, Guruji has showered me with praises and given me 'important' tasks to do. During these times, the sum and substance of the knowledge I received was the opposite: never forget that everyone on this planet, including you, are unique. You are here for a unique and important purpose. So feel proud and happy and do your work with confidence - knowing that you are the chosen one. Chosen to be an instrument of much needed transformation.

So here's to the importance of being 'important.' And also to the utter unimportance of it :)


Today's unimportant important recipe: Vegan mousse au Chocolat

This recipe is much awaited (and therefore important) - many have asked me for this recipe because its a really healthy dessert option - rich in calcium and iron. It is however, just another dessert, one of thousands to choose from on this planet (& so its unimportant). But who cares about its importance? I love it and so will you :)

Ingredients:

For the Pudding:
120 ml rice milk, oat milk or soy milk
50 ml thick coconut milk
3/4 tsp agar agar powder

Other ingredients:
20-22 large medjool dates (skin and seeds removed)
4 heaped tablespoons raw unsweetened chocolate powder (I love the Govinda brand - see here)
1 tablespoon agave syrup (optional)

Method

Make the pudding: heat the rice/soy/oat milk and coconut milk to almost boiling point. Add the agar agar powder to the milk while stirring it rapidly with a balloon whisk till the agar is well blended in and has no lumps. Bring the heat down to medium or low and let simmer while stirring occasionally, for about 2 minutes. (If lumps form, blend the whole pudding mix in a high speed blender and then bring it back to the stove, bring the mix to a boil and then simmer on low to medium heat for about 2 mins). Let the pudding cool at room temperature (or if you are in a hurry, use a basin of ice water to cool it quickly) until quite thick and stiff (you should be able to cut it into cubes and scoop the cubes out without them breaking).

Put the pudding cubes, dates, chocolate powder and agave syrup into a high speed blender or food processor. Blend on high speed for about 5-6 minutes or until all the ingredients have blended into a smooth thick paste. Serve with fresh strawberries. Enjoy!

PS: Did you know? Raw chocolate is an amazing source of calcium and protein! 100g of the raw unsweetened chocolate powder (the above recipe uses about 50g) has an whopping 132 mg of Calcium and 21.7 g of protein!

Quantifying grief?

One of the first books I read about Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and the Art of Living is titled Guru of Joy. Written by FranCois Gautier, the book relates people's experiences with Sri Sri and the Art of Living in a simple, sincere, and beautiful way. One of the stories in the book is about how Sri Sri gave so much attention to a person who was grieving over the death of her cat, and so little to one who's mother had recently passed away. I do not remember the details of the story, but what I took away from it was this: One cannot judge the extent of grief or misery that anyone is going through.

Another time, in a public talk, someone asked Guruji - "Why does the Art of Living give so much emphasis to helping the middle and upper class people manage their stress? Why not focus all of one's energy only to providing material relief to people who belong to economically weaker sections of society?" Sri Sri's answer, as always, was sensitive beyond imagination. He said (and I paraphrase based on my memory) "Just a comfortable bed does not bring restful sleep. Even rich people often suffer from deep grief and stress. We cannot exclude anyone from our efforts. In the same way, just bringing material comforts to the poor is not enough."

I confess that neither of the above experiences touched my heart. I really felt that only the poorest people, in the poorest countries, truly needed and deserved help from any organization, especially from a humanitarian organization like the Art of Living.

In 2005, I went to the US to do my masters in intellectual property law. Close to the end of my LL.M, hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. The US Art of Living group was calling to people around the US to join them in their relief efforts. A good friend of mine, Emily Peck, an Art of Living teacher, called me and asked if I could join them for a week or so. My first thought was, "why do people in a developed nation need help from the Art of Living? What is their loss and suffering compared to the loss and suffering of people in developing countries which are constantly suffering all kinds of natural and man made disasters?" Nonetheless, I said "yes." I joined Emily and her team in New Orleans for 1 week.

Doing what they are truly experts at, the Art of Living was conducting free trauma relief workshops in communities affected by the hurricane. I hung around with them wondering how I could contribute... I was not a trained trauma relief teacher and honestly, compared to what I had seen in India during the course of my life, the city of New Orleans looked fantastic! The only thing out of place was the air (or maybe it was the vibe?) - it was so heavy! I felt half drunk and sleepy almost all the time! On mentioning this to Emily, she said in a her ever caring style - "yes, the city atmosphere is dull because its people are shocked and in low spirits."

I frankly could not understand where the grief was... everyone who had lost their homes had been provided fantastic shelters in fully equipped large vans that doubled as huge cars! They had mobile homes! They could go caravaning!

On the second day that I was there, I went with the team to assist a trauma relief workshop. About 20 people were in the workshop - people from all kinds of social and economic backgrounds. The workshop seemed not too different from the Part I course of the Art of Living. I attended the workshop like one of the participants, sharing some experiences here and there like I always do when assisting a course. At the end of the course, as always, the teacher asked if anyone wanted to say or share anything. A local lady, who I thought was mostly disinterested in the workshop, was the first to raise her hand. She started crying and talking all at once. The only thing I could understand was that after the very 1st day of the workshop, she was able to finally sleep a full restful night of sleep without nightmares of the hurricane taking over everything, her whole life. She spoke of how the smell in the mobile homes donated to them was nauseating and she feared that the paint was poisoning her. She was so grateful for the relief that the workshop had brought to her.

It was in this instant that I first appreciated the weight of Sri Sri's words - "Just a comfortable bed does not bring restful sleep. We cannot exclude anyone from our efforts."

Since then, the weight of Sri Sri's words has struck me over and over again in various ways. Most recently, in my own life, struggling through a short but extremely painful period of bad health, repeated infections, rapid weight loss, and bouts of unexplainable, severe depression, I have recognized the full force and meaning of his words. During this time, more than during any other in my life so far, I have experienced the benefit and depth of the Sri Sri's teachings. Having finally understood the medical cause of this bad health phase, I am not only grateful for the speed with which I am now recovering, but most deeply, for the compassion, advise and moral support that Sri Sri himself and all the wonderful teachers and volunteers of the Art of Living (including my dear husband) have showered on me during this time. It is Sri Sri's words of wisdom and the compassion of those around me that has kept me afloat, far far away from taking extreme steps that I had, during much less difficult periods of my youth, often contemplated.

Grief, whether or not logically justifiable, cannot be quantified and cannot be judged. In order to overcome grief, misery, suffering or pain, one needs compassion, skill and knowledge. A single gesture of compassion and a few words of self knowledge can go a long way for one who is in deep distress, for reasons that are often incomprehensible.

This time, when Art of Living Germany has called out for help in its flood affected regions, I do not hesitate to say, yes - help and compassion are needed here, as they are needed anywhere else in the world. It is beautiful to see how so many people from so many countries are here to help. But more are needed. And even if our contribution may appear small and meaningless, as many a wise men and women have said, every drop contributes to making the ocean. I invite you all to take some time out and contribute to these efforts. Who knows? You might unknowingly help someone suffering silently come through an extremely difficult phase of their life. And who knows? You too might benefit from the exercise in mysterious and unimaginable ways.

For the "official" invitation from the Art of Living to join the flood relief efforts in Germany, click here

For an energizing recipe to help anyone and everyone come out of grief (even if momentarily), see below:

Zero Sugar Energy Balls

Ingredients

4-5 unsweetened Dinkel Zwiebacks (spelt rusks) (If you don't mind sugar, use chocolate filled double cookies instead)
10-12 medjool dates (please remove the seeds!)
2-3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 tablespoons coconut flakes (or fresh grated coconut)
4 tablespoons almond butter
5-6 pieces each of any nuts of your choice - e.g. walnuts, cashewnuts etc. (I would not include peanuts though, as they make the taste strange)
2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
1-2 tablespoons honey (I used Akazien honey)

Method

Put all the ingredients into a blender and beat up well. Scoop out the mixture from the blender and roll into big or small balls. Roll the balls over extra coconut flakes, or, if you don't mind some sugar, dip into melted chocolate before serving.

Note: If the mixture comes out too dry or too sticky, add more dates/almond butter or Zwieback as needed.

"Aren't you tired?"

"So, so you think you can tell... Heaven from Hell,
blue skies from pain.
Can you tell a green field... from a cold steel rail?
A smile from a veil?
Do you think you can tell?
And did they get you to trade your heroes for ghosts?
Hot ashes for trees?
Hot air for a cool breeze?
Cold comfort for change?
And did you exchange... a walk on part in the war... for a lead role in a cage?
How I wish, how I wish you were here.
We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl, year after year,
Running over the same old ground.
What have you found? The same old fears.
Wish you were here."

This old Pink Floyd number: "Wish you were here," has always been my favorite! But I never really stopped and thought about the depth and true meaning of its lyrics until I heard one (of several) simple, yet profound talks by Sri Sri, where he starts with a commonly asked question - "Are you tired?" What follows this straightforward question, is a discourse on a fact so simple, that we are hopelessly unaware of it! Sri Sri says: "Only when we are tired, can we come "home"!"

Since the time I first heard this talk, I've noticed ever so often that I am actually just not tired enough! I continue to run like a hamster in a wheel, swim around like a fish in a bowl - doing the same things over and over and over... This conference, that dinner invitation, another meeting, another round of drinks with friends, another few hours in the office, another few hours of sleep, once more a visit to the mountains, a trip abroad... The same cycle with minor modifications here and there - over and over and over. And I am not tired. I am not even bored!



In the spiritual (note: not religious) traditions, it is said that only the most intelligent or the most fortunate truly get tired - not physically or even mentally, but tired at a deeper level - tired of repeatedly doing the same things over and over and ending up in the same place - with "the same old fears" and the same old struggles. The rare but precious moments when I am truly tired of attending yet another "important conference", going for yet another trip abroad, accomplishing yet another task, another party, winning yet another accolade... are the moments in which I long to come "home."

We know "home" to be a place where we can be ourselves, a place of comfort. But there is a "home" that is even closer to us than our dwelling place, one we rarely turn our attention to - the silent space within us - the space of deep, still meditation. The space where there is a glimpse of an answer to the deepest mysteries of life, diving into which (almost ironically!) also gives us the energy to continue skillfully through this illusion called life.

These moments when I am truly tired, are also the moments in which I feel truly grateful. Grateful first and foremost, for the tiredness itself - it is responsible for my quest for a deeper meaning to life. It alone is what makes me, if not a better person, at least a more introspective one. It opens up a new paradigm - a new way of looking at every event in life. It is what brought me to Sri Sri - the enlightened teacher who has the skill and the patience to guide me towards the answers - to guide me "home" - to that space of silence, to that space of true celebration.

I invite you, all my dear friends - whether or not you are tired - to come and experience the beauty and depth of this vast space within you. I invite you, to jump out of the comfortable routines and experience something spectacularly new. I invite you, to a beautiful weekend of fun-filled wisdom, laughter, and life transforming SKY breath meditation with one of the most respected meditation teachers of our time. I invite you, to come home!

Recipe to attend the first ever Online Meditation and Breath Workshop with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in Europe (26-28 Feb 2021)

Ingredients:

A registration confirmation at bit.ly/MeditationDe
A smile
A (relatively) light/empty stomach
A yoga mat, blanket and comfy cushions in any quiet corner of your home

Method:

Sign in 15 minutes before start time, on the Zoom link you get on registering.
Find a comfortable spot in your own home where you wont be disturbed.
Enjoy the ride into infinity, on the endless wave, the present moment! 

The Beauty of Belonging'ness'

It was the year 1998. I was in the first year of law school. The law school is located in a far away village area of India. As I walked from the school to my student hostel one afternoon, I heard an old lady waving and calling out to me. When I walked to her, she told me to lift a large basket full of cow dung that was lying on the ground and place it on her head (it was dry cow dung - just in case you are wondering, :) dried cow dung is used as cooking fuel in rural India and is carried home in baskets placed on the head from the farms where it is left to dry. See picture below)

Just how heavy these baskets are, I realized for the first time that day as I lifted it up with the old lady's help. As soon as the basket was stable on her head, she walked away. So did I, feeling very happy within me for getting an opportunity to help someone. After several minutes of enjoying that feeling, it struck me that the lady had not said a word of thanks (or any word at all) after I helped her! In fact, she had not even requested help - she just told me to place the basket on her head - it was clearly too heavy for her to lift up herself. What was even more amazing was that I did not expect a "thank you" from her - it didn't matter! The opportunity to help was in itself my reward as it left me feeling happy.

In one of the knowledge series, Sri Sri talks about how a baby doesn't feel grateful for all the love and caring that the mother showers on her. She takes it for granted because she feels a complete and total belonging and connection with the mother - when food is needed, it will be given and has to be given :). When couples do the chores in their homes or together carry the grocery bags from the car to the apartment, they do not feel a sense of gratitude towards one another - this is just the done thing and they feel happy doing things together. The closer we are to people and the more we consider them to be part of us, the lesser will be our hesitation to ask for and accept help. The more will be the ease with which we offer help, without expecting anything in return - not even a "thanks".

More recently, as I was going through a period of bad health, the above incident from 1998 came back to me. I remembered how the old lady had asked for the help she needed with such a high degree of belonging that she did not feel the need to say "thank you" and I didn't expect or miss these words of formality. The memory came to me almost as a moment of "revelation" as I realized how much my ego prevented me from asking people for help. I complained endlessly about how the elevator at the U Bahn was not working just when I was feeling so tired and unwell. It was so difficult to get my 2 year old (paced comfortably in the kinderwagon/pram) up and down from U Bahn station using the stairs. Yet, I was more willing to suffer this hardship than ask someone for help! In other words, I was more willing to suffer physical pain than the pain of a punctured ego! Yet, the fact is that people are not just willing, but happy to help.

In another meeting recently, Sri Sri, while answering a question (which I do not remember) from the audience, asked: "If you see that a person on the street needs some kind of help, will you not go and help them? Yes, of course you would. Then what makes you think that others will not be willing to help you?" We forget that others are not different from us - everyone wants to be helpful. We are all raised that way. Having faith in the goodness of those around us and feeling one with them is the key to spirituality - and that is what we call the "feeling of belonging," or simply "belongingness." And it is beautiful! :)

Today's beautiful recipe: Paalak Paneer (Spinach with Indian Cheese)

Ingredients

750 grams fresh spinach
500 grams home made Indian cheese (Paneer) - see Paneer recipe here
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1.5 tsp Coriander Powder
1 tsp cumin seeds
1-2 green chillies (optional) - slit open from the middle and cut into large pieces
2 Tablespoons fresh cream or soy cream
1 inch piece of fresh ginger - grated
Salt to taste

Method

Wash the spinach really well. Stem cook it or cook it in boiling water till it can be mashed easily (7-9 minutes of steaming should be adequate). Put the steamed/cooked spinach with 1/2 to 1 cup of the water into a high speed blender and beat to a smooth thickish liquid. (You can add more or less water depending on how thick you like the spinach in the dish to be). Set aside.

Cut the Paneer (Indian Cheese) into large cubes. In a large frying pan (a non-stick one would be best), warm the oil and add the cumin seeds. When the seeds start sizzling, add the coriander powder and green chillies. Reduce the heat to half and stir for a minute. Put the paneer in and mix well so the spices quote the paneer cubes evenly. Add the salt and stir well again. Turn the heat to minimum and place the lid on the frying pan. After 2-3 minutes, turn the paneer over to make sure that none of it is stuck to the pan or over cooked. Add the steamed/pureed spinach and grated ginger mix well. Once again place the lid on the frying pan and let cook on low heat for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and remove the lid from the pan. Add the cream/soy cream on top just before serving.

Tastes amazing with steamed rice or Indian bread.

Shouting out loud... for PEACE!

Something in me hesitates when it comes to talking to (most of) my wonderful friends, relatives and acquaintances about peace, non-violence, compassion and ironically, even about friendliness. Such is the intensity of this hesitation that it turns into embarrassment when ever I choose to ignore the hesitation and actually express my thoughts on these subjects. Although the embarrassment may be triggered to some extent by the reactions (or non-reactions) of the people who I express my thoughts or ideas to, in greater part, the embarrassment is the direct result of my own deep seated concepts/notions on what is or is not considered "cool" by people around me.

After hearing the news of the gruesome rape and murder of a young girl in New Delhi recently, I spent the last several weeks worried about this hesitation and embarrassment in me. It is no wonder that violence is on the rise in society today - most of those who are or feel violent do not hesitate in expressing their violence or aggression. On the other hand, so many people who are deeply concerned about bringing peace within societies or within individuals in the society are just busy hesitating or feeling embarrassed! The opinion of the person to whom the concern for peace is expressed is secondary - I daresay, it is perhaps not relevant at all! What is relevant is that the people who feel strongly about non-violence (including myself), are so very often not brave enough to say it out loud!

In a public talk given by Sri Sri a few years ago (one I was lucky enough to attend), someone asked Sri Sri: "Why are there so many bad people in this world and such few really good people?" Sri Sri said - "There is no shortage of good people in this world. But there is a shortage of wise people. Make that distinction." He then went on to add "how many really 'bad' people do you personally know? People who are murderers, rapists, robbers or thieves? How many? Probably none, or at most 1 or 2. And how many 'good' people do you personally know - people who you call your friends or acquaintances? You know so many! The problem in society is not that there are too many bad people - the problem is that these very few really bad people actually go out and do something! (They shoot people, they bomb buildings, they make their presence and their feelings known! Loud and clear!) While the majority who are "good" just sit around and talk!" (Oh! how terrible that such and such person or group did such and such horrible thing! Many don't even talk, they just click their tongues and move to the next page of the newspaper!).

Sri Sri also gave examples of how, during his childhood, there was a shame associated with being violent. If a child said the word "gun", people around him would all get shocked and stare - "oh look at what words he used! How could he say that!" Where and when did that sense of shame associated with violence and aggression disappear? How did it change into an acceptance of gifting violent video games, toy guns, and even violent action figures to our own children and to those of our neighbors and friends? What can be done to bring back that shame associated with violence and aggression? How can the human values of love, compassion, friendliness, sharing, smiling and serving become the "cool" things to do? And most importantly, when will I stop hesitating or feeling embarrassed to invite people to come out in the open and engage in constructive thought, talk, and action to find solutions to the growing problem of violence?

HH Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is a world renowned humanitarian and peace ambassador. To millions across the globe, he is an enlightened teacher. On 26th January, India's Republic Day, the Art of Living Foundation has organised a "Google + Hangout with Sri Sri" to find ways of creating a "Violence Free, Stress Free Society." It is the largest ever online international meeting of common people and celebrities, people from all walks of life, people from more than 150 different countries, different religious and cultural backgrounds, people who care about peace, non-violence and non-aggression, all coming together to ask questions, find answers, organise constructive action, and make the voice of peace and non-violence heard loud and clear!

Almost 20000 people have already signed up. I invite you, this time without hesitation or embarrassment, to come and contribute to this voice.

Recipe to join the Google+ Hangout:

Ingredients:

A will to create or contribute to creating a stress-free, violence-free world
OR
A will to help yourself or people around you better cope with stress
AND
A laptop, PC, or phone with an internet connection

Method

Register for the Hangout at this link (you can bring upto 9 guests along): http://goo.gl/ATWDz

Post your questions, comments and suggestions following the steps indicated on the above link or send them by email on or before Friday, 25th Jan to: presse@artofliving.de

Join the Hangout on 26th Jan, 2013 at 4pm, German time (or 8.30pm IST, 10.00am GST, 3.00pm GMT)

Choosing Joy over Comfort

Every midwife knows
that not until a mother’s womb
softens from the pain of labour
will a way unfold
and the infant find that opening to be born.
Oh friend!
There is treasure in your heart,
it is heavy with child.
Listen.
All the awakened ones,
like trusted midwives are saying,
'welcome this pain.
It opens the dark passage of Grace.
--- Rumi

I loved the above poem from Rumi (a 13th century Sufi saint and poet) and it struck something deep inside me when I read it recently. I could relate to what Rumi says here immediately. I shared one of my personal experiences with such a pain before (here). Today I share another one...

I was in New York from 2006 to 2008 looking for a job, preparing for the New York Bar exam, working part time as a secretary for the Art of Living center in NY and (of course) teaching Art of Living courses in a number of schools. One fine morning, as I sat in the Art of Living office, answering emails, the then co-ordinator of Art of Living's Youth Programs, Annelies, came and sat in the office with me. She started telling me about how she and another teacher, Narsciso, had started teaching a course to at-risk youth in a detention center in NY city. She was saying that the 15 or so kids there, very prone to violence and bad temper and all using all kinds of narcotic substances, were the most challenging group that she had ever taught. She and Narciso did not know exactly how to deal with the group. As I sat listening to her, a suggestion came out of my mouth (I say "it came out" because it came not from intelligent thinking, but as a flash from somewhere!) : "why don't you split up the group? Start with one group and if there is a student or a few students that start disrupting the class, send them to another room where another teacher or one of you can teach them separately. You can tell them that if they want to be re-integrated with the rest of the group, they have to listen well in this class, do the breathing and then in the next class they will be re-united."

Annelies liked the suggestion but said that she and Narciso both needed to be in the room with the other kids as it was impossible for a single teacher to teach them. She then looked at me and said, "Would you like to come with us to help?" My first thought was "no way! I have no experience teaching at-risk youth. They would all be totally out of control if I try to teach them!" But Annelies's smile somehow made me give the exact opposite response: "ok! I guess I can come along... When?"

So the details were given to me and on the designated day, I got up, got ready and left for the given address. As I came closer to the detention center however, something inside me started screaming "no no no... I cant do this! What if they hate me? What if I disrupt the whole session even more? What if this... that... blah blah blah" my mind was chattering endlessly and the extreme pain of intense resistance gripped my entire mind and being. Despite the resistance, I followed the mantra that I use all the time in life: "feelings change all the time, so follow your commitments, not your feelings!"

When I reached the detention center and met Annelies and Narciso at the entrance, as expected, my feelings had already started changing... a sudden confidence and smile had come over me. I marched in, with my heart full of joy and mind completely blank. We reached the group and Annelies asked three of the most naughty disruptive students to go to another room. They were immediately furious. "NO! We want to be with everyone else!" But Annelies didn't budge and with the help of the detention center authorities, the three kids were escorted to a different room already prepared for this purpose. Now Annelies turned to me and said "Why don't you go ahead and teach those three kids and Narciso and I will continue with the other kids." I was shocked! Why me? I was the least experienced of the three teachers there and the three kids were the most disruptive kids of the class!!!

Very half-heartedly, I went with heavy steps, prepared for the worst 1.5 hours of my life, to the other room. I sat down with the kids and looked at them. They were very angry and were yelling repeatedly that they want to be with the rest of the group. Looking at their behavior, once again, a sudden calm came over me. I said "we will for sure bring you back with the other kids but you must first do the breathing as I instruct you, giving your 100%." The kids agreed immediately. I lead them through their first ever Sudarshan Kriya and the results, as expected were amazing. When they opened their eyes after the breathing, they were visibly calmer and yet, quite happy. They no more demanded that they be taken to the other group. I had been wondering the day before whether at risk kids would even have the attention span needed to listed to the beautiful stories that are part of the YES course. Now, as they sat there, calm and happy, a story from Indian history came to me- how India had won its independence from the British without any violence. The kids were listening in rapt attention. "Winning a war without any violence! Wow! Who was this Gandhi guy? How did he do it? Was he a magician?" :D The 1.5 hrs were already over (it seemed like it had been just 10 mins since the start of the class!) I told them that I would come back a few days later and that since they had learned the breathing so well, they would be joining the rest of the group for sure the next time. They were thrilled. So was I :)

We taught these wonderful kids, all hailing from broken families, living in at risk environments full of gang violence and substance abuse, for several months. Their experiences and the transformation we observed in them during this time was incredible, no doubt. But the greatest transformation happened within me. Each time, before entering the class and often during it, my fears and their reactions caused me deep anguish and pain. But the mantra of following my commitment (rather than my feelings) and the memory of the joy I felt when I saw the smiles on their otherwise stressed and angry faces, made me keep going back, ready to face any discomfort... and experience ever greater joy!

Today's joyful (and comfortable!) recipe:

Eggless (almost vegan) Whole Grain Pancakes (I got the best, yummy, fluffy pancakes ever :) - even tastier than the normal ones and a lot healthier!)

Ingredients

1 cup whole grain spelt flour (Vollkorn Dinkel Mehl)
1/3 cup whole grain rice flour (Vollkorn Reis Mehl)
2 tablespoons white flour (weizen mehl)
1/3 tsp salt
2 level tablespoons Sucanat (or whole brown sugar - powdered well if possible)
1/2 tsp Cinnamon Powder
1 tsp baking powder (Backpulver)
1/3 tsp baking soda (Natron)
1.25 cups rice milk or soy milk (I guess normal milk should also work fine!)
1 tablespoon silken tofu (Seiden tofu) - Optional (not needed if using soy or normal milk)
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons melted butter (optional)

Method

In a mixer, blend the silken tofu and the rice/soy milk - beat up really well so the tofu mixes completely in. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, mix all the dry ingredients (spelt, rice and white flour, salt, cinnamon, sugar, baking powder and baking soda). Add the Olive oil and the rice milk-tofu mix. Mix with a gentle hand using a wooden spatula till all the ingredients are well mixed with no flour clots. Add the melted butter (while it is still warm and liquid!) and stir lightly again till well mixed. (I got the idea of adding melted butter from here - I usually make these pancakes vegan, but I guess the melted butter does something, because this time, the pancakes turned out even better, softer and fluffier than before!)

The batter should not be too liquidy - but must still be pourable.

Heat a (non-stick) pan on medium heat, pour in 1/2 tablespoon of oilive oil and spread it around the pan. Pour a ladle full of pancake batter (do not spread out too thin onto the pan - keep it a little thick so it can be fluffy, but not so thick that it remains uncooked). Once bubbles start forming (and you see the corners turning a light brown), you know that the pancakes are ready to flip. Cook till both sides are a golden brown or a not too dark brown.

Serve immediately with marmalade, maple syrup, fresh cut fruits, chocolate spread or any way that you'd like to :)

Anger Facts # 3

While I was in India earlier this year, I was traveling with my mommy, hubby and baby (hereinafter referred to as "my family") from Goa to Bangalore. My family, who had been more organised than me, were booked on an earlier flight and my flight was scheduled to depart 45 minutes later than theirs. I was rather unhappy with myself - they would have to wait for me in Bangalore for almost an hour - how dumb of me to not book my tickets on time!

Anyhow, we reached the airport well in time and first checked in my family onto their flight. Once they were safely in the security area, I left for the other terminal from where I needed to check into my flight. I had just finished checking in my bags when I got a call from my husband... "Our flight is 4 hours delayed!" I was shocked! "What? But what about Meera? She will get so restless! We don't even have enough baby food to last her 4 hours!" My husband was resigned to the inevitable - they were already in the security area and there was no way they could come out - all they could do was accept the situation and wait!

Somehow, I (who am usually the first to resign to acceptance) was not convinced that this was how it was going to be. But my mind didn't seem to have any answers - "what in the world can I possibly do in this situation? I am in a different terminal, the security guards are not going to dream of letting me out of the airport to get to the other terminal since my baggage is checked in; Even if I do get to the other terminal, what in the world can the airline ground staff do now that my family has already gone through security check? Would there even be available seats in any flight leaving sooner??" The questions were endless and there was no solution in sight.

Despite these doubts and impossibilities, I found myself walking towards the exit gate of my terminal, with my boarding card and my hand baggage in hand... I paused at the exit and looked around for the security guards... there were none in sight! As if on an evening walk, I danced out of my terminal and marched into the other terminal - once again, unnoticed and unquestioned! I proceeded to the airline ground staff member who had checked in my family's luggage and (conveniently) forgotten to mention that the flight was 4 hours delayed. I was quite calm... I went up to him and said, "you just checked my family's baggage into a flight that is 4 hours delayed! Why didn't you tell us? Now my family with my baby are in the security area with no extra food for the baby. This is not acceptable." The gentleman was totally unshaken: "The flight departure time is mentioned on your boarding card - you should have read it!" I was now completely amazed at the man's indifference. I walked away convinced that talking to him was like talking to a stone wall (or at best similar to writing a complaint that would end up in the bin without any action being attempted on it.)

Interestingly, my mind was still calm, but something inside me kept nudging me to continue "doing" something. I saw another ground staff member (this time a very busy looking lady with a huge walky-talky in her hand). Without pausing to think what I should say to her, I walked towards her. As soon as she looked at me, I said "where can I lodge a complaint against your airline?" Her eyes became big and concerned and she said "why madam, what happened?" I calmly repeated the exact words I had said to the previous ground staff member. This time, the reaction was entirely unexpected... She said "Madam, how many people are there inside?" I said "My husband, baby and my mom." What happened next, I have no idea. She started running around in all directions and after 5 minutes came back to me and said "another flight of ours is leaving for Bangalore in 5 minutes. Please ask your husband to come out with the baby and we will re-check their baggage." I immediately said, "what about my mom? She is 70 years old. I am not going to let her wait for 4 hours and travel alone!" The lady looked horrified for a second and said, "madam, we have only 2 seats." I didn't know what to say (I should have said, 'yes, that is enough because my baby will anyway not need a seat! She is only 13 months old!') But this didn't occur to me at the time. However, without waiting for me to speak, the lady disappeared again and came back in 2 minutes yelling, "madam, please ask them all to come out at once. We have seats for everyone!"

I called my husband and he, along with my mom and Meera, looking completely confused, came out of the security area and were immediately made to re-check their luggage, get new boarding passes and escorted to the boarding gate of the other flight!" My husband kept asking: "What happened? What did you do? How is this happening?" :D All I could say is, "I have no idea!" :D

In the mean time, I had only 10 minutes left to board my flight! I went running out of the terminal (once again, the security guards were apparently on an extended tea break!), running into my terminal, waltzing through security check and reaching my boarding gate just as the last few people were boarding.

And so it happened... despite my tardiness (in not booking my flight tickets on time), I reached Bangalore (only) 5 minutes after the rest of my family :)

Sri Sri says "When you are meditating, you don't need to show aggression. Things will happen without need of aggression for the one who meditates." :)

Today's aggression free (effortless) recipe: North-South Chickpeas

Ingredients

2 cups chickpeas (the recipe tastes MUCH better if you use small black chickpeas, called Kala Chana, rather than regular chickpeas, called Kabuli chana - See picture below) - soaked in 4-5 times the quantity of water for 12 to 24 hours.

1 cup coconut milk
8-10 fresh curry leaves - chopped into 2 or 3 pieces each
2/3 tsp cumin seeds
1/3 or 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder (Or 1 green chili - chopped)
1/2 tsp sugar or 1 tsp grated jaggery (Gur)
1.5 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 tsp Coriander powder
1/2 tsp curcuma (Turmeric) powder
1 tablespoon ghee or cooking oil
Salt to taste

Method

Pressure cook the chickpeas till soft. Drain most of the water (leave about 1/2 cup of water in). Add the 1/2 the salt and grated ginger mix well and set aside in a closed container (or in the pressure cooker itself).

In a large frying pan, heat the ghee/oil. Add the cumin seeds. Once the seeds start sizzling a little, reduce the heat to minimum and add the turmeric powder, coriander powder, chili powder and jaggery and stir well (make sure the spices don't burn - you know they are burnt if a heavyish smoke starts coming out of the pan!). Add the curry leaves, stir again. Add the coconut milk and the remaining salt and grated ginger. When the coconut milk starts simmering (this will be soon!) add the chickpeas-ginger-salt mix and stir well. Place the lid on the pan and let cook on low heat for about 5-6 minutes. Pour into a serving dish, garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve immediately with masala-raisin rice or fresh rotis. (Recipe coming soon!)

"How fortunate we are to perceive the infinity within us..." :)

Today is Guru Purnima. Purnima means "Full Moon" and Guru Poornima is the full moon dedicated to remembering all our teachers, especially the Satguru - one who gives us knowledge about the Self. Today, with a heart full of love and gratitude for my Guru, HH Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, I re-post here what Sri Sri says about Guru Purnima and its significance. (Taken from here)

“The Guru principle is so vital in life. There is an element of the guru in every human being. That wisdom in each one has to be invoked and awakened. When this element is awakened, misery in life disappears....

The word guru is used today to mean expertise – like an expert in business management. Guru means enormous, the biggest. Of course, expertise is a part of it. There is perfection in everything. There is that depth.

In our consciousness, wisdom comes to life when the guru tattva comes to life. When we have no desires of our own, then the guru tattva dawns in our life. Do you ever wish to do something for someone without expecting anything from them? Then you have played the role of the guru. The mother is the first guru. Then there are the teachers – the veena (musical instrument) teacher and so on. The Satguru gives you knowledge of the truth, the ultimate reality, spiritual knowledge.

On Guru Purnima, one must reflect, “Where was I before I got this knowledge? Where am I now?” When you see the contrast of where you were without this knowledge, then gratitude wells up.

This full moon is also called Vyasa Purnima. Vyasa categorized the entire lore of wisdom into the 4 vedas, the Upanishads, the Upavedas, the 27 Smritis, 27 Upasmritis – a huge lore of knowledge pertaining to every aspect of life from Ayurveda to architecture to alchemy to medicine. This full moon is named after him.

This day we remember the contribution of all those who have been on this planet for the wellbeing of the human race. We remember what they have done. We see the contrast (brought about by spiritual knowledge) in our lives and feel grateful.

How fortunate you are to perceive the infinity within you - in this finite framework of the body-mind complex. The body and mind are finite but the expression of the spirit is infinity.

For the Seeker, the New Year is from Guru Purnima to Guru Purnima. When it is half way for the rest of the world, we celebrate one whole year on the spiritual path. One year towards the Divine manifestation in our life. One year towards feeling the oneness and seeing the world through the eyes of the guru. That is the guiding star for us. Let me do that which a guru, a wise person would have done in this situation. A wise person would never react. He would respond. You will learn by putting yourself in that position (of the guru or wise person) again and again - by attempting infinite patience, immense intelligence, complete compassion and unblemished joy.

Nobody knows when the tradition started. Billions of years before, on this earth, so many sages and rishis have been here and so many (will come) in the future too. We thank of all those in the past, present and the future for the continuation of wisdom on this dear planet. Without wisdom it is not living, only existing. Life begins with wisdom.

This Guru Purnima think about all the blessings that you have received and feel grateful."


Today's Pure and Grateful Recipe: Ghee (Clarified butter)

Ghee is of great significance in an Ayurvedic diet. Ghee is said to optimize the digestive fire and aid in proper digestion of food. A spoonfull of ghee can thus be added on top of the food that you are eating at any meal - it adds to the taste and helps the digestive process. It is also said to have a purifying effect on the food and the body.

Ingredient

As much butter (unsalted is better) as you like (at least 250 grams is needed to make a good quantity of ghee)

Method

In a heavy bottomed pan, on high heat, let the butter melt. Reduce the heat to medium and let the butter keep cooking till you can see the bottom of the pan through the butter. The butter will froth a lot - once the froth settles a little, you can remove the froth floating on top with a spoon and continue to let the butter cook. When the butter froths up a second time, turn off the heat and skim off the froth from on top. You will see a deep brown sediment at the bottom of the pan - thats the sign that the ghee is ready. :) Let it cool for 10-15 minutes (but don't let it solidify!), transfer after straining, into a completely clean and dry glass jar. Store in tightly closed glass jar in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks.

"Stay with the Pinch, not with the Guilt!"

At the end of each yoga class that I teach, I read a knowledge sheet from one of Sri Sri's books titled Celebrating Silence. The page that came up recently was titled "mistakes." Sri Sri says "It is hard not to see your own mistake. Outwardly, you may justify yourself or try to prove your innocence to someone else, but a mistake pricks the conscience. Do not justify yourself. Instead, feel the prick of the mistake. That very pinch will take you out of the mistake. The pinch will not let the mistake happen again. Live with the pinch, not the guilt." This is one of my favorite knowledge sheets and as I read it out in my yoga class, I remembered fondly the first time this knowledge came alive in my life. I share with you all, this very personal story:

My uncle (Dad's youngest brother) is, by profession, a biotechnologist and an entrepreneur (rare combination in India!) - he has his own biotech research company (and is also a great cook!) In addition to these admirable qualities, another quality I admire in him a great deal is his willingness and readiness to help any and everyone - at any time and ALL the time! Amazingly, his feeling of belongingness with people is so strong that he also feels no hesitation in asking for help when he needs it - another admirable quality in my opinion, as my ego interferes way too often with my asking for help (until its too late!)

On one such occasion (when I was in my early 20s and had just started teaching the Art of Living's Youth Empowerment Seminar (YES)), my dear uncle asked for my help in modifying and improving the language of a project that he was writing for his company. This was, of course, a huge compliment to me, (had I had the maturity to realise it back then) because it suggested that he trusted and liked my language skills. Being a restless young adult however, I found this request rather annoying and very half-heartedly sat down next to the computer with him to edit the document in question. From the get go, I got irritated at the smallest mistake I found in the document. Rather impolitely, I also made this irritation very obvious! Uncle was patient for a long time... he kept listening to me and agreeing with all my suggestions without commenting at all on my behavior. Finally, after several rude noises and complaints had already come out of me, and the barrage of irritated expressions were becoming more frequent, my uncle suddenly exploded! He yelled "I don't need your help, you can leave! You think this work will not happen without your inputs? You talk great spiritual wisdom and constantly talk about how seva (service) and Karma Yoga are so important to you, yet you can't do this one small thing for your family without grumbling so rudely?"

I was shocked! Immediately, my mistake was clear to me! I could feel the pangs of deep guilt jolt through my entire being! For a moment, I was too shocked to speak! Finally, in a small voice, I said "sorry uncle, you are right. I will do the work now. Please let me." My uncle, the gracious soul that he is, immediate accepted the apology and sat back down in the chair. We resumed the work and completed it cheerfully!

While I was doing the work though (after the explosion that set my brains right), I was very aware of the discomfort that was inside my mind and body. I was also immediately reminded of Sri Sri's knowledge on mistakes (which I taught to my YES students all the time!) - "stay with the pinch, not with the guilt." The feeling of guilt was arising in my mind with several associated thoughts. "How could I behave so badly?" "I wish I had not done that!" At the same time, I felt an intense pinch (physical discomfort) at the level of my body - my throat, chest, head - they all felt this strong PINCH! "Applying" the knowledge, the best way I could imagine how, I kept taking my mind away from the guilty thoughts to the pinch I felt in my body. As I observed this pinch, it somehow seemed to intensify and become clearer... The thoughts associated with guilt started fading into the background somewhere and my mind focused more and more on just the physical discomfort. "Oh God!" I thought, "I never want to feel this kind of pinch EVER again!" From that day on, without any effort, I never felt irritated on receiving any work given to me by my uncle (or any other family member I think!?). Perhaps because at a very sub-conscious level, I never wanted to feel that pinch again! :)

Over the years I've noticed that when I go on a guilt trip, I learn nothing. Because one cannot blame oneself for too long - the guilt eventually turns into blame leveled at the other... and when this happens, it is the end of my learning from the mistake. Sri Sri's knowledge sheet on mistakes has several other beautiful suggestions and useful observations - and I have had the good fortune of being able to use these several times in my life so far!!! More stories coming soon... :)

Today's guilt free recipe: Dal Tadka

Ingredients (for 4 to 6 servings)

2 cups yellow mung beans - washed well and soaked in 5 times the quantity of water for 3-4 hours
4 tablespoons cooking oil
15-20 fresh curry leaves - chopped into 2 or 3 pieces each
2 tomatoes - chopped
1.5 inch piece of fresh ginger - grated
1.5 tsp cumin seeds
1/3 or 1/2 tsp red chili powder (or 1 or 2 green chilies - chopped)
1 tsp turmeric powder (curcuma)
1.5 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp Hing (Asafoetida) powder
7-8 Fresh coriander leaves to garnish
Salt to taste

Method

Drain the water from the pre-soaked mung beans and add fresh water upto about half inch above the level of the lentils. Cook in the pressure cooker for 3 whistles or if you have the type of pressure cookers we have in Germany, keep for 5-6 minutes on the flame and then let the pressure release at its own speed. In short, cook till the lentils are soft! (If you don't have a pressure cooker, you can soak the mung beans overnight, use twice the quantity of water, and slow cook in a closed vessel - this will take about 20-30 minutes once the water comes to a boil).

Once the lentils are cooked, add the ginger and salt to it and set aside in a closed container.

In a small frying pan or tadka pan, warm up the oil. Add the cumin seeds. Once the seeds start sizzling a bit (do not burn them!) add all the spice powders (and the green chilies). Stir on low heat for 20-30 seconds. Add the curry leaves and stir again for 15-20 seconds. Add the chopped tomatoes, stir, and let cook covered for 2-3 minutes (or till the tomatoes are soft). Transfer the entire spice mix into the lentils, stir quickly to let the aroma spread throughout the lentils. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve immediately with fresh Basmati rice, lemon rice or Rotis :)

Finding the "Switch"

My current favorite book is titled "Stumbling into Infinity" written by Michael Fischman about his experiences on the spiritual path, particularly his time with the Transcendental Meditation group and later with the Art of Living Foundation and HH Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. There were so many "wow" moments in the book that I cannot write them all out in this blog... But one (of the numerous) rather practical tips I came across was related to Michael's experience in India where he thought that no one in the Ashram was answering his questions because he was a foreigner. When Michael complained to Sri Sri about this, he just smiled and took Michael through a rather peculiar exercise of turning off a light bulb that was beaming directly into Sri Sri's eyes. Micheal was unable at first to turn off the light even though he thought he had tried all (four) switches. Guruji kept saying "you missed the switch!" After several attempts, finally, Micheal "found the switch." Although rather cryptic, Micheal got the message (albeit after a few hours of pondering) - in order to "make" people listen, he needed to make a "switch" in his own mind - namely, stop thinking that people were not listening to him because he was a foreigner! I could immediately relate to the story...

During my (endless) studies as a law student, I often had to conduct interviews and field studies and my approach was always laced with a conviction that no one in India would really answer my questions because (1) I am a girl and (2) I am an Indian! In accordance with this conviction, I did indeed get a lukewarm reception and response in most of my interviews in India. Reading Michael's story in the book, I thought - "Aha! I need to make a switch in my own mind!" I started talking to myself - "Maybe this conviction in my mind is baseless! Why should people not listen to me or answer my questions on these meaningless grounds?" But I was at a complete loss on how exactly to go about actually making this switch... there isn't really a switch that we can turn on and off in our own minds you know!! So how exactly does this knowledge function??

As I do when any such (spiritual) question confuses me, I mulled over it for several days... finally, I gave up and wrote a long letter to Guruji explaining my mental condition. Thereafter, I kind of forgot about it all and just went about doing all that was necessary to prepare for the field trip to India. I reached India as planned and started the seemingly endless rounds of interviewing people from one city to the next. When I was near the end of perhaps the 10th one, the senior gentleman I was interviewing said rather forthrightly... "We are helping you only because you are one of us, an Indian. We would not have entertained any foreign student if he/she were to ask for such detailed opinions!" While outwardly smiling and saying "thank you," from the inside, I was jolted and suddenly remembered my question: "How to make the switch?" I realised that without actually DOING anything, the switch had already happened! The thought that people would not answer my questions had not crossed my mind at all through out the trip! Indeed, all the interviews had been so fruitful, informative and detailed! The people were welcoming, friendly and more than helpful! How had the "switch" happened?? As I thought in amazement about this, I remembered one of the things that Sri Sri says often... Our own awareness is the first step towards overcoming any short comings and unwanted tendencies, habits and concepts. Once we become aware, most of the job is done! The key role played by spiritual practices (meditation, breathing techniques, yoga etc.) in our life, is to enhance this very awareness. In my experience, what ever the other steps are, all happen automatically, or maybe at a very subtle and unconscious level!

My husband was recently listening to a talk on the "Power of Intention" by Dr. Wayne Dyer. As the topic sounded interesting, I decided to listen for a while also... Dr. Dyer quoted several wonderful sentences from various spiritual, scientific and religious texts and paraphrased a lot of it as follows: "When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change!" The phrase reminded me of my above experiences in India :) The talk (at least the first 20 mins or so that I heard) as well as the book are amazing! I'll leave you to discover the other treasures therein, on your own!

In the mean time, here is today's recipe, breaking through all concepts of what should or should not go into a muffin :D

Everything Muffins

Dry Ingredients:
1 cup Buckwheat Flour
1 cup whole brown rice flour
1/2 to 2/3 cup whole wheat or other flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/3 tsp salt (unless the lentils/chickpeas below are salted, in which case, skip the salt)
2/3 tsp cinnamon powder


Wet ingredients
1 cup brown sugar/agave syrup/maple syrup (you can also skip this and use an additional banana instead)
2 or 3 very very ripe bananas
2/3 cup silken tofu
1 cup left over lentils, chickpeas or any other dal from the previous meal (you may wash away any extra masala from the chickpeas if you like)
2/3 cup oil or butter
2/3 to 1 cup assorted nuts and raisins (crush the nuts into desired size - I chose to grind them to powder)
1/3 cup milk/soya milk/almond milk, or apple juice
1 tsp vanilla

Veges and Fruits
1 whole apple or carrot - grated
1 whole zucchini (or any other vegetable) - grated


Method

Pre-heat the oven to 180° C. Place the muffin cups into the muffin tray or grease the muffin tray and set aside.

Mix all the dry ingredients really well.
Separately, mix all the wet ingredients - you can use a blender if you like, but do not blend for more than a minute.

Pour the wet ingredient mix into the dry ingredients and mix using a wooden spatula till smooth. Add the Veges and Fruits and mix well again.


The batter should be thick and difficult to handle and not of pouring consistency. (But not like cookie dough or dough for bread or rotis - if it is this thick, add some more milk/juice/water). Scoop out by spoonfuls into the muffin tray, filling each muffin cup till the very top. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes or till a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Makes 12 large muffins.


Serve warm with butter or marmalade :)

PS: Although it may seem like these will be really strange tasting muffins, they are actually really tasty and of course, nutritious - with whole grains, fruits, vegetables and lots of protein. My daughter who had been fussing and refusing to eat anything solid, ate three of these muffins in one day very happily! :)

Anger Facts # 2

The story goes that when Guruji heard the phrase “million dollar smile” he asked, "why should a smile be so expensive?" He said smiles should be given away for nothing. Anger, on the other hand, should be very expensive (i.e. expressed very rarely) for only then is it valuable. If our anger is cheap (i.e. frequent), no one will take it seriously. It will at best be an annoyance and at worse, the person expressing it will be labeled “short tempered” and “to be avoided!”

As I said in one of my older posts (Anger Facts # 1), as a child, I rarely lost my temper. In those days, I remember that when once every few months or so, I got really angry and blew my lid, everyone around me sat up in attention – the anger was noticed and the reason why it surfaced was investigated closely. Most of the time, my expression of anger solved the problem that caused it to come up. Later during my teens and early 20s, when it became “fasionable” to be angry all the time, no one took my anger seriously at all. My closest friends in law school just termed me “moody” and despite my yelling at a situation over and over again, the situation didn’t change at all! It was only after a few months of regular meditation and yoga that I realized as an experience that anger when expressed constantly, loses its oomph and its power to reform (people or situations).

But anger is also an amazing thing in many ways. Guruji makes a beautiful distinction between “getting angry” and “showing” anger. In the former, our entire being is shaken by the anger – it is often also coupled with hatred or irritation at the level of the heart. Anger of the latter kind, i.e. anger that is just shown, is a more superficial anger – it is expressed in order to achieve a purpose but is not felt at the heart level. The heart is pure and untouched by the anger and instead, such anger is expressed out of love and concern for the person to whom it is shown. A classical example would be the anger expressed by a mother towards a child who is taking her hand towards fire. First the mom will say “don’t do that… you’ll get burnt.” Eventually, if the child persists in trying to touch fire, the mother will give the child a scolding (or even a slightly sharp rap on the hand as an evil lesser than a burnt hand) showing great anger, but at the level of the heart feeling only love and concern for the child. Such a showing of anger doesn’t affect the whole human system in a negative way, but is short lived and dies immediately. Showing anger, in short, is OK and even necessary in many situations. But getting angry… well… in my experience it helps no one.

My baby girl is an expert at recognizing the different types of anger :D When I am just showing anger (which I do sometimes in order to prevent her from eating all types of stuff off the floor for example), she realizes immediately that she is doing something that’s forbidden for her own good. So she stops what she’s doing, looks and me and immediately raises her arms up, asking me to pick her up – its like her way of saying sorry, I accept my mistake, lets be friends again now :D When I am really angry and annoyed at anyone or anything, on the other hand, she just gets confused and starts crying loudly. She wants me nowhere near her, she runs instead to papa :)

Blessed are those who can distinguish between the two types of anger! Accepting the love and concern shown as anger for our own good and ignoring the other type, especially if expressed too often!

Today's recipe: Baingan ka Bharta

Note: This recipe is not recommended for you if you have high pitta (example, if you are a person prone to getting angry rather often :D). Also, Aubergine (Baingan) is a highly tamasic vegetable/fruit (i.e. might make you dull and sleepy). If you are having trouble sleeping, it will therefore of course likely help you a great deal! Finally, I rarely use onions in my cooking (because it is highly rajasic). The original Baingan Ka Bharta made Punjabi style uses a whole lot of onions... Apples, as used in this recipe, are a great satvik substitute for onions and will (hopefully) help reduce the tamasic quality of this dish!

Ingredients (for 3-4 people)

4 large aubergines (Eggplants)
1 large apple
2 large tomatoes
1.5 cups green peas
1/2 tsp lemon juice
Salt to taste
1 1/4 tsp Coriander powder
1/2 tsp Turmeric (Haldi) powder
1.5 tsp Garam Masala (you can buy it in any Indian store, or can just take some from me :D)
1 green chilli (optional) - chopped (Avoid if you have high pitta)
1.5 inch piece of Ginger - grated
3 tablespoons cooking oil
8-10 Fresh Coriander leaves - chopped

Method
Pre-heat the oven to 180° C
Put the aubergines in the oven and bake till the inside is soft and the outside is charred or easy to remove (will take about 30-40 mins). Those of you who have the good old stoves with real fire, just place the aubergines one at a time directly on the flame, rotating it periodically till the outside skin is totally charred and the inside is soft.

Remove the aubergines from the oven and let them cool down. Once cool, peel off the skin and throw it away.


Chop up or mash the flesh of the aubergines well. Add salt, Garam masala and grated ginger to the mashed aubergine and mix well. Keep aside in a closed dish.

Chop the apple and the tomatoes into small pieces. Heat oil in a large pan and add the chopped apples. When the apples are half cooked, add all the spices (Haldi, Coriander, green chilies) and the tomatoes and cook on medium heat for 2 minutes stirring with a light hand so that all the spices are properly mixed with the apples and the tomatoes. Add the peas and stir again. Place the lid on the pan and let cook for another 8-10 minutes (or till the peas are cooked) on low heat. Once the peas are cooked, add the mashed aubergine and mix well. Add more salt if needed as per your taste. Once again place the lid on the pan and let cook for 5-6 minutes. Remove from the heat, and put into a serving dish. Mix in the lemon juice and sprinkle the chopped Koriander leaves on top just before serving.

Goes best with fresh home made chapatis! :)

RIGHT NOW! Right, Now! :)

Given my Vata-Pitta Dosha with a frequent Vata imbalance (i.e. air and space element in one's system/nature that makes one forgetful and confused if out of balance, but creative and spiritual when in balance) I am often constantly on the run and busy doing several things at once. In any given moment, I often feel like doing three different things - cooking, playing with my little baby girl and working on my PhD! Meera usually wins the tug of war in my mind and has all my attention. UNLESS I need to cook for HER! :) After quickly distracting her with her favorite toys, I run into the kitchen to prepare her meal which I know she will demand rather loudly very soon. But now that Meera knows that she can get my attention just by being naughty or by coming running to me crying, her toys don't interest her for too long :(

A few days ago, as the above routine was repeating itself for perhaps the 100th time, I got really frustrated! I looked at Meera tugging at my trousers while I was trying to cook up her favorite dinner and said "Meera, you know that mom is busy doing stuff just for you right? Then why cant you just relax and wait a few moments? What you need is coming right your way - food AND all of mom's attention (while she feeds you)! But Meera continued crying and demanding that she be picked up RIGHT NOW. I finally gave up and tied her around me in the baby carry system. This made her happy, but slowed down my work in the kitchen considerably! As expected, soon enough, Meera started crying again! She was hungry. She wanted the half cooked dinner NOW! As I tried to pacify her that the food was almost done, a thought occurred to me - isn't this what we all do so often? Cry and cry for things that we want RIGHT NOW without realising that nature is probably preparing something better for us already... If only we would be patient!

I remember Guruji saying once that just like a mom arranges all the toys around her kids to distract them (so she can take care of the "other" things that need her attention around the house), God or nature arranges all the beautiful things around human beings to "distract" them. But just like the mom has one ear only for her baby, Nature is constantly listening - it provides us exactly what we need when we start crying... and often, well before that! :) Once when I was in a particularly low phase in my life (long story - left for another blog post) due to unexpected and shocking things happening one after the other in my life, I went crying to Guruji.

He said in his usual loving but firm style - "you have nothing to worry about. Look back and see, haven't all your wishes always come true? You will do everything you want to do (notwithstanding the circumstances)!" I did look back and realised that this was so true! All our (good) wishes do come true - All we have to do is be patient - everything we need for our growth (spiritual or material) is on its way and will reach us at the perfect time. :D

Today's patient recipe: Mung Beans in Coconut Curry Sauce

Ingredients (for 2-3 servings)

1 cup Mung beans (whole green Mung beans)
1/2 cup coconut milk
5-6 curry leaves - chopped (not fine - just chop each leaf into 2 or 3 parts)
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
3/4 inch piece of ginger - grated
1 green chilli - chopped (optional)
Salt to taste
4-5 cups water
3 tablespoons Cooking Oil

1/2 lemon
10-12 Fresh coriander leaves

Method

Soak the mung beans in 5 times the amount of water (i.e. 5 cups or more) overnight. Drain the water, add four to five cups of fresh water and pressure cook till the beans are cooked. (If you don't have a pressure cooker, cook it the regular way on low flame - it will just take a little longer... usually around 45 mins) Add the coconut milk, ginger and salt to the cooked lentils and set aside.

In a separate pan (maybe a small frying pan or tadka pan), heat the oil. Put in the cumin seeds. Once they start making a small sizzling sound, reduce the flame to minimum and add the turmeric powder, coriander powder, and chopped green chilli. Stir gently for 10-15 seconds. Add the chopped curry leaves and stir again for 10-12 seconds. Pour this spice mix into the cooked lentils, stir quickly and immediately close the lid of the lentil containing pan (to hold in the aroma and flavour).

Serve while still hot by pouring the lentils into soup bowls, laced with a dash of lemon juice and garnished with fresh coriander leaves :)