Category: Philosophy

The 3 gunas(attributes) of the mind – satva( सत्व ), rajas( रजस् ) and tamas( तमस् ).

This idea is often oversimplified to things like food. I wonder if this idea of gunas of the mind can be put to some real use.

We spend one-third of our life sleeping, which is perhaps tamasic.

We spend another third working, which is mostly rajasic.

The remaining third with TV, house-keeping and bill-paying. This is definitely not satvik.

Where is the satva ? Satva in my understanding is ‘awakened state of non-action’. When the mind observes the surroundings calmly with no impulse to react or judge, without ego.

When the mind enters the realm of satva, it gives us a small chance to elevate ourselves beyond the mundane.  The chance is small, but is definitely the only one.

I wonder what people will do to enter the realm of satva, if they are aware of this possibility. I will probably go for a long walk on a calm road with trees on the sides (and try not to think about important things).

‘Change is the only constant’

We have heard this many times. Have n’t we ? But, how deeply do we understand this idea ?

If you believe in science, then you will appreciate probability theory. “Good” and “bad” things in our life are merely perceptions. Mathematically, these are just positives and negatives in a graph called life. A straight up-trending line in a graph would sound too silly and unnatural to even a school child. Then why do we expect it in our life ? Are n’t we being too irrational ?

I am happily confused.

“Death is very likely the single best invention of Life” – This is a quote by none other than Steve Jobs, Apple’s founder. His untimely death is a shocker and makes me take a fresh look at the common attitude to seek material perfection.

It makes me wonder about life more. And death. Ironically, this is my first blog post using my new iPad, an Apple product launched by Steve Jobs one and a half years ago. It created a new category of gadgets then. Very much like the iPod and the iPhone. But the fact remains that everything is so stupidly transient in this world. Micro planning one’s own life seems to me as the most stupid thing one can do. Can’t life flow like a river? It can, only if we would allow it to.

>My wife hated my red shoulder bag that I used to carry to office. I always agreed with her that it does not look so great, but sheer laziness prevented me from buying a new bag even after it tore partially, because of the heavy library books that I carried in it(which I usually don’t manage to read).

Finally on a spending-spree-evening, we set out to buy a new bag. I found a decent one. My wife was happy mainly because it was not red.

The next morning to office was interesting in the sense that I discovered some new things about my own mind. My eyes started scanning the shoulder bags of my colleagues and other people in my office campus ! My mind started comparing the colors, looks, features. A faint whiff of discontent passed me.

I always believed comparison is bad. Especially for trivial things. How easy is it for the mind to take roads that the intellect does not like ! Talking about comparison, I think a major part of the stress that we swallow in modern times is because of comparisons that we unknowingly make with people and their possessions around us.

Comparison coupled with greed is evil.

>Can the ancient concept of ‘aparigraha’ help an overpopulated developing country like India ?

‘aparigraha’ (अपरिग्रह) means non-possessiveness. The term usually means to limit possessions to what is necessary or important. The Yogic and Jain traditions have this concept.

A country of 1 billion can never become prosperous by managing to provide a luxury car to every family. We need algorithms totally different from a country like USA to attain prosperity. Karthick ponders on similar lines.

Optimal use of resources is the need of the hour.
But, the first step is to stop imitating the west like a monkey.

Happiness is often wrongly tied to the possession of things.

>Why do hours seem like minutes while I spend time with family and friends ?
Why do 10 minutes seem like eternity while I download software from the internet ?

What is time ? Does it matter ?

Do watches turn us into robots ?
What if nobody had watches ?

The pondering continues…

>At many points in my life, I face the dilemma to choose between the two paths:
1. Go with the plan
2. Go with the flow

Choosing the first one makes me feel in control of my life. It boosts my ego and creates a certain pride inside me.

But sometimes, the second one feels just perfect. Then I listen to my heart instead of my brain. This fills my soul with a feeling of relaxation.

Whether I choose the plan or the flow, the words of Robert Frost never cease to inspire me:
“Two roads diverged in a wood and I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.”

>Happiness is a butterfly. If you chase it, it will keep flying away.

But if you sit quietly without thinking about it, you will be pleasantly surprised to find it sitting on your shoulder !

>A beautiful new white shirt – with a tiny black dot on it near the collar.

The first thing that one would say on seeing the shirt will be:
“That black dot has spoiled the shirt”

That is how most of us view life. One small imperfection is sufficient to make us eternally unhappy. We cling to a few imperfections and ignore all the beautiful things that we are blessed with.

We keep worrying about a few tiny black dots. Till we die.

Did nature design us to be worriers ?
Or is it nature’s way to put a few imperfections in everyone’s life so that the world is not full of ‘ordinary’ people ?

>Patience. Patience.
My mind is alien to this concept.

Restlessness. Hyperactiveness
They are good buddies of my mind.

Well, don’t mistake me to be a hyperactive guy. I am among the laziest.
Its my ‘mind’ that I am talking about.

The constant chattering of the mind. Its judjemental nature. Its sentimental nature. Largely drives my life.

I want more control over my life. I want my mind to simply shut up when I ask it to.

I read this somewhere recently – ‘An ounce of action is better than tonnes of thought’. I have promptly added this thought to my thought library. No action yet.