This a re-post from an article which I liked in the PsychCentral blog. I am sharing it because over time I have seen how such habits inhibit one's authentic happiness. I have come across these and similar conditionings in myself and many clients. Bottom line is the lifetime practice of "questioning the status quo", the self-inquiry and
Did you know true happiness cannot be achieved by having something or doing something? It is not the result of figuring things out or knowing how things are either. It is neither about going somewhere or being someone. Actually it surfaces as a result of gaining insight into what is not, how things are not, who
Dear Rumi ... What Is True Knowledge? Rumi Calendar – Response to the July Question What is true knowledge? What is to know? Tell me about ‘not-knowing’ Do you know any name without a reality? …or have you ever plucked a rose
Dear Rumi ... Do I have Free Will? Do I have free will and choice in life, or is it all predetermined? What do "acceptance" and "surrender" mean in real life? Rumi Calendar Series - Response to the June Question This is an age old unanswered question which Rumi says will never be
One needs money, but how much is enough? Should I care about the material world? Or should I go and live in a cave or a monastery to be realised? Anything wrong with being rich, or being poor for that matter?
You might be quite normal just the way you are but if you try hard to fit in; to be normal; then you won't be yourself, you won't be natural, and you certainly won't be truly happy! It's been a while I wanted to write about the differences between 'normal' and 'natural'; mostly because I
Why being vulnerable is being essentially yourself Nobody likes being vulnerable. Besides our survival instinct to protect ourselves from real dangers, we are also gradually conditioned from infancy to protect ourselves from perceived dangers. At times we can’t help but to contract, panic, freeze, fight, fly in face of no real danger; and this conditioned
Can you truly see what is in front of you? Is seeing really believing? Can you really see other people’s perspectives? Our minds are amazing but in doing what they are designed to do –particularly in today’s busy world saturated with sensory inputs and information overload– they can filter out critical information in favour of speed of processing. This can lead into seeing and believing a distorted version of what is actually out there, sometimes leading to our blockage and stuckness. What is filtered out is mostly that which we are not paying attention to and hence not present to. These stem from many factors such as just the way a “normal” brain works, as well as our personal histories, our future hopes, our beliefs, fears, desires, thoughts, feelings, emotions and many other factors. Learning to see multiple perspectives and shifting our perceptions is very helpful in discovering new directions which may have always been in front of our eyes. It also helps us be less judgemental, less reactionary and more present. Check out these amazing examples of how our brains distort or reconstruct the reality to suit the context.
I came across this article in The Age by Sarah Berry in relation to surprising revelations by Victoria’s Secret model, Cameron Russell as to the superficiality of the image and what really goes on behind the glamorous world of modelling to which many young women may aspire! Here is The Age’s article Power of Image. Watch this short video of Cameron’s TED talk which ends
The New Biology – From Victim to Master of Your Health If you feel inadequate in achieving your goals, or feel unhappy about your life, work, relationships or even about your physical health, then it’s time to check your fundamental beliefs and perceptions. Particularly if you know that the unacceptable situation you are in, feels familiar and
