Reframe. Receive. Rejoice!

Tags

holidays, photography, spiritchat, spiritual

Some of you may know that I tend to take a lot of photographs with my phone when I am walking the forest. Over time, I have learnt the importance of ‘framing’ the scene properly. Proper framing – and reframing when necessary – often provides better perspective for the photographer. In digital photography, attention to framing is perhaps becoming a lost art because snapshotters feel that they can ‘crop’ or edit out the unwanted parts of the photo later. My proposition is that it is better to slow down, take time to (re)frame the scene properly. Reframing avoids clutter – both in photography and in life situations.

Once we learn to reframe our situation, we allow for FUD to dissipate from out life. What is FUD? Fear. Uncertainty. Doubt. FUD is supplied to us from various sources – sometimes even from those whom we know and trust. They may do it inadvertently, without even knowing that their propensity for FUD is clouding our heart’s viewfinder, and preventing us from seeing what we need to see. They are showing us what they think is ‘beneficial’ for us. They truly do believe that they know what is best for us. As you gather with friends and family over the next few weeks, observe the FUD dispensers. And carry some ‘cleaning cloths’ for those times when the frame gets really dirty…

After the appropriate framing, we may need to adjust our camera’s aperture (opening) to receive the proper amount of light. This setting is also called ‘exposure’. Again, with digital software, we can ‘correct’ the exposure ‘after the fact’, after the photo is taken. But we may save ourselves a lot of unnecessary angst in life if we ‘receive the correct amount of light’ to begin with. Over- or under-exposure to life’s situations often waste our precious mental and spiritual resources to fix the situation ‘after the fact’. We may even have to return to reframing! With proper tools and training, we can learn to receive the appropriate ‘light’ and energy to move to the next step along our path, at the precise time that we need it. Just in time receiving!

So, we have framed properly and received the correct amount of light on our camera’s sensor. What’s next? If we had managed to hold the camera perfectly still, whle having kept proper focus, it may be time to rejoice! Reframing and receiving help us create a joy-filled awareness of time and space. We admit the possibility to recreate a moment of joy every time we reframe a negative situation. We have the potentiality to recreate joy when we open ourselves to new light, and shadows.

In reframing, receiving and rejoicing, we can recognize, reduce and eventually remove the fear, uncertainty and doubt that hold back our spiritual progress.

What situation or relationship can you reframe in your life today? How can you adjust your life’s input filters to receive the proper light and guidance? Are you ready to rejoice, to find joy in the moment, through reframing and receiving? Pause and examine. The answers may perhaps be the best gifts you can give to yourself.

Namaste,

Kumud

Join us Sunday, December 18th at 9amET/2pmUTC in #SpiritChat on twitter – we will reframe, receive, rejoice and reduce FUD 🙂

Original View of the Rocky River (Fall 2016)

Reframed View of the Rocky River (Fall 2016)

Energy Balance and Equanimity

Tags

balance, energy, equanimity, spiritchat, spiritual

Immediately following our live chat on ‘Energy of the Heart’ last week, I had the opportunity to be part of a ceremony with a group of more than two hundred people. The chanting of ancient mantras (seed-words) is combined with offerings into a ‘sacred-fire’, and is called a homa. The sound-vibrations created by the mantra various chants led by two priests, who train from childhood in the traditional methods of chanting, raised the energy level for all present in an unprecedented way.

I felt very fortunate to be part of this energy-raising and energy-balancing experience of the homa. On further research of some of the mantras used in the ceremony, it became clear that the energy-shift that I felt while being in that energetic-space was real, not imaginary. As Wikipedia suggests:

The Sanskrit word mantra- (m.; also n. mantram) consists of the root man- “to think” (also in manas “mind”) and the suffix -tra, designating tools or instruments, hence a literal translation would be “instrument of thought”. -Wikipedia

Why do I share this story with you? For one, it seemed to be relevant to the theme of ‘energy’ we have in #SpiritChat for the month of June. The energy balance created by the combination of sound, fire, heat, aromas (created by the fire offerings), and the food shared at the conclusion – it still resonates strong within me, almost a week later. The impromptu sense of community created by the sharing of vibrations by people from different backgrounds, color and age groups created waves of energy renewal that perhaps reached far beyond where the sounds faded to virtually nothing.

As I reflect some more on the necessity for restoring energy balance in our lives, I wonder – where does imbalance arise from? It is perhaps because we live our lives in a world of opposites – we want to gravitate towards joy, good health, happiness and wealth – away from sorrow, illness, pain and poverty. When the pendulum of life swings away from our preferred direction, we immediately seek balance towards the center.

But the center is a tough place, which once attained, to be able to remain in. We are not trained to remain in the center. Many of us feel more alive when we are strongly for- or against- something. Anything. Equanimity is such a transient state in our ‘normal’ lives that we are like ‘deer in the headlights’ when we do face it. What if we were to create a spiritual and emotional life where equanimity is our default state? A state where opposites disappear – where we accept both joy and sorrow – as one. As Osho says – true balance is a state where we do not merely immerse oursleves in the ocean, we dissolve into it, become one with.

It is in that balance wthat we shall truly know the ocean, won’t we? Be the water. Be the salt. Be the waves. Be the shores. Know That balance.

Namaste,

Kumud @AjmaniK

Join us in #SpiritChat on twitter – Sunday, June 19th at 9amET/1pmUTC for a conversation about ‘Energy Balance’. We will talk about personal energy balance, what affects it, how we have disturbed nature’s energy balance and how to restore it. I look forward to feeling the community’s energy and vibration. Namaste!

On Intelligence and Spirituality

Tags

intellect, intelligence, spiritual, spirituality

The beautiful idea that we are “spiritual beings having human experiences” has been permeating the personal lives of some of us for a while. This inner permeation diffuses out to our families, our communities, and eventually to society at large. This permeation is perhaps how it becomes possible for the truly awakened and enlightened Ones, few as they may be in number, to eventually influence and affect the lives of many, nay thousands and eventually, millions.

The idea that our ‘spiritual being’, the one that has this human experience, acts with intelligence, with inputs from our ego, our mind, our emotions and our intellect, is worth exploring. We are all familiar with mental and even emotional intelligence, as measured by IQ and EQ respectively. Perhaps we are less familiar with Spiritual Intelligence, as denoted by Spiritual Quotient or SQ. But before we delve into the idea of SQ, it is perhaps worthwhile to examine the idea of intelligence itself. What is it anyway? Beyond the dictionary definition, Wikipedia defines intelligence as:

Intelligence has been defined in many different ways such as in terms of one’s capacity for logic, abstract thought, understanding, self-awareness, communication, learning, emotional knowledge, memory, planning, creativity and problem solving.

For the purpose of this brief reflection, I have chosen to extract a narrower definition of “spiritual intelligence” (SQ) from the above as “the capacity for self-awareness”. I like to include the word ‘capacity’ in my definition because it connotes the warm idea of potential, and the fact that regardless of how much SQ we started with (at birth) or how much SQ we may have now – we have the ability to change it if we so desire. I picked the word “self-awareness” from the broader definition, as it closely denotes the journey of those on the spiritual path, using their spiritual tools, within their spiritual practices.

Having defined spiritual intelligence, we can now ask some questions of it. What are some traits or characteristics that separate those with ‘higher’ SQ from those with ‘lower’ SQ? Some key traits may be the degree of expressed empathy, the extent of action(s) taken when inspired by kindness, the amount of inner-peace that one may carry with them, the comfort level that we may have with being in active stillness and silence, and so on.

Along similar lines, one may further inquire ~ how do mental (IQ) and emotion intelligence (EQ) contribute to spiritual intelligence (SQ)? Or do they? Mental intelligence is often measured by capacity for learning, memory and problem solving. Do these skills necessarily equate or relate to development of SQ? Emotional intelligence (EQ) is often indicated by capacity for emotional knowledge, sensitivity and discernment. It would seem that EQ is a better indicator of capacity for higher SQ, as compared to the correlation between IQ and SQ. What are your thoughts?

Swami Vivekananda, a Hindu monk from the late 1800s, had mentioned the concept of involution in one of his essays. My interpretation of the same is that he connected spiritual intelligence to involution to propose that we are born with a certain amount of SQ. We receive this SQ as we do our genetics, and then combine it with our family life, our society and our environment, our education and our experiences, to either grow it or diminish it. In addition, another luminous light that has inspired me, had this to say about the role and importance of SQ in our lives:

• For the transformation of Ignorance into integral Knowledge, the growth in us of a spiritual intelligence ready to receive a higher light and canalise it for all the parts of our nature is an intermediate necessity of great importance.
Sri Aurobindo (1872 – 1950) in: The Life Divine (1985)

I hope I have given you some seeds that you can plant in your spirit-garden, to water and nourish, so that they can grow into strong plants with beautiful flowers that reflect the involved spiritual intelligence of each seed…

Namaste,

Kumud

P.S. Please join me and the #SpiritChat community, Sunday February 22nd at 9amET/2pmUK/7:30pmIndia for a conversation about Spiritual Intelligence. Thank you for reading, your support, and your contributions. Much #gratitude!

The Heart of Spirituality

Tags

heart, spiritchat, spiritual, spirituality

The heart of the matter is that we need to take care of our heart.

From a physical perspective, the value of a healthy heart cannot be overstated. In order for us to make positive, forward progress in our journeys, an effective, efficient heart matters.

From a mental perspective, the ‘heart of our mental processes’ needs to be healthy, so that we can rely upon our intellect to give us the wisdom to make good decisions.

From an emotional perspective, the ‘core of our emotional state’ needs to be healthy, so that our emotions remain in balance with our intellect.

When we combine the physical, the mental and the emotional, we find that the enlightened confluence of these three “heart centers” can create a “heart-centered consciousness”.

And out of that heart-centered consciousness can emerge That self-awareness which connects us to the higher Self. It is that same consciousness that can lead us to act with goodness, think in goodness, feel the goodness that permeates all the elements around us in nature, and within us.

That’s my perspective on “the heart of spirituality”. With all my heart, I ask you to consider this as an invitation to explore this question:

What is the heart-center of your work, your dreams, your thoughts, your emotions, your life?

Take a few minutes. Meditate on the question. Write a few words, or a few paragraphs. And, if you happen to be on twitter on Sunday (Feb 15th) morning from 9-10amET (2pm UTC), join us and share in our weekly conversation in #SpiritChat.

Namaste,

Kumud

P.S. She calls it “the zen-tangle” ~ I share with you, in the hope that inspires reflection… Enjoy!

Our Spiritual Character

Tags

character, freedom, spiritchat, spiritual

Three years ago, on the third Sunday of January, we had a conversation in our weekly twitter chat about The Spirit of a Dreamer honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. As I was considering our topic for this week, in a world which seems filled with a lot more turmoil than it perhaps was then, I was led to consider this question: What was it that made MLK Jr stand out and make such a huge impact on our world? What was the reason for his greatness, his ability to move and motivate so many to take action for their rights, their freedoms?

One of the distinguishing qualities of a leader who makes a lasting impact upon our world with an impact that is felt by many generations to follow, is their strength of character. That single word, character, has many different definitions, some of which are:

Character refers to the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual ; the quality of being individual, typically in an interesting or unusual way ; strength and originality in a person’s nature

What does the word “character” mean to you? In addition to “mental and moral” qualities, are there “spiritual” qualities that can be ascribed to one’s character? There are some who believe that we are born with many of the “elements” which define our character, our uniqueness, and we refine them as we live our life. Do you agree with this thesis? Or do you believe that our character is largely shaped by the habits that we acquire and the lessons that we learn as we live our life?

So, what was it about MLK Jr and his character that inspired people to aspire? History states that his turn towards the adoption of non-violence was influenced by the likes of Mohandas Gandhi, Tolstoy (War and Peace), and Thoreau (Civil Disobedience). It must have taken great inner conviction, developed over time, to adopt non-violence in those violent times of the Civil Rights movement. It must have taken great force of character, and he must have paid a heavy “price”.

No matter what price he had to pay, I, for one, am grateful that MLK Jr decided to make his truth his character. The impact of his decision was literally “brought home” to me in a piece of writing that came with the weekly schoolwork this Friday. I share a few lines with you…

I have a dream that the world could live in peace. That the 7 continents could live without war. That people could talk things out before declaring hate on their enemies.

People can win their freedom without fighting. People should be able to talk out hate and turn it in to happiness and Joy.

I have a dream that we can live without war and hatred. People can truly win with kindness. War doesn’t do anything but make problems. We need to choose between kindness or hatred.

I choose kindness.

– A. Ajmani

So, there you have it. The impact of those who live and act with high spiritual character, on the generations that follow. One of my influencers, Swami Vivekananda used to say – “if there have been Rishis (spiritual visionaries) before, we can be Rishis too”! I agree, and I say, why not? Why not we elevate our spiritual practices to such a level that our every thought and action reflects our vision, our dream – our dream of peace, of kindness, of a world without war – or whatever our dream may be that we would like to manifest…

If one person’s dream was dreamt and achieved, so can yours and mine. It’s one way to build character…

Namaste,

Kumud

P.S. Join us (with host @AjmaniK) on twitter in #SpiritChat Sunday January 18th, 9am ET for a chat about “Our Spiritual Character”. If you have comments about this post or questions for the chat, please add them below. Thank you!

Ready? Q1. "Spiritual Character". Reflect on that. What feelings does it evoke"? #SpiritChat

Q2. When we are living our potential, we are "in character". What does it take to be in that life-mode? #SpiritChat

Q3. Think of some character traits of Martin Luther King, Jr. Why were they relevant? Are they still so? #SpiritChat

Q4. What builds character? What tears it down? #SpiritChat

Q5. "Character is more of a moral than a mental attitude". Agree or disagree? #SpiritChat

Q6. What is it that remains when character is lost? How can it be regained? Can it? #SpiritChat

Q7. What is the connection between character, dignity, and truth? Do share. #SpiritChat

Q8. How is the character of a community established? How is it preserved? #SpiritChat

Q9. Send a message about character to past, current and future generations. Thank you! #SpiritChat

Final Q10. Share YOUR work (book, blog, site etc) which enriches your character. Thank you! #SpiritChat

Storify summary of the chat: https://storify.com/ajmanik/our-spiritual-character

A Spirit of Adventure

Tags

adventure, spiritchat, spiritual, spirituality

From the day that we are born into the physical realm, our adventure begins. We may or may not be conscious of the adventure, but we are immersed in it as we steadily grow in the physical space around us. As newborns, a lot, if not all of our learning about the physical world comes from adventures in using our senses – we see, we hear, we ’speak’, we ‘eat’ (and mouth our toys :)) – and more… As we grow further in the physical space, we learn to crawl, to walk, and then, to run, and our spirit of adventure grows as we explore more of of the world around us. 

As long as our spirit of adventure leads us, our exploration continues. For some of us, as we grow ‘older’, this spirit of adventure seems to wane or weaken, or even get buried, as we assume more ‘responsibility’. Then, the ‘balancing act’ between what others think of us and our actions, and what we think of ourselves and our actions, begins. Our ‘conditioned’ mind tells us is that it is all part of ‘growing up’, even though our intuition and our heart may tell us, tug at us, to pay more attention to our spirit of adventure!

Some of us ‘adults’ do discover that adventure need not be confined to our actions in the outer, physical world. There are many layers to our being, and the physical layer is just one of them. We discover that ‘rearranging our inner furniture’ gives us as much a sense of adventure as white-water rafting in a river with category 5 rapids 🙂 We may come to the realization that ‘walking the dog’ and watching him or her explore new territory with unfettered joy rekindles the spirit of adventure within us. 

And so, the adventure continues. We, the #SpiritChat community, embark on a ‘group adventure’ every Sunday – at least that is the way that I look at it. The space that we ‘meet in’ gets colored by all our diverse life adventures, as we ‘play’ with the question and answers. One way that the spirit of adventure is rekindled is when we rediscover play, humor, light and lightness. Even though our outer world may be weighed down, and feel dark, we can lighten and brighten it by living in That awareness of inner shine and lightness.

For those of you who have read this far, and all of you who have supported #SpiritChat and/or continue to support the community, I am grateful. Without all of you, our weekly conversations would not have the same Spirit of Adventure that we experience every week. It is all of you that remind all of us that the (inner) adventure continues as long as we want it to continue…

Namaste, and be well in all of your life adventures,

Kumud

P.S. Join us Sunday June 29th at 9amET / 2pm UK / 6:30pm India in our twitter chat… If you cannot join us live, I invite you to share your ‘greatest’ adventure with the #SpiritChat community in the comments below. Thank you!

Spiritual Ideas and Ideals

Tags

ideals, ideas, spiritchat, spiritual, spirituality

The first two weeks in May have had us discuss two important influencers in most people’s lives – Teachers and Mothers. A lot of us are indebted to them for our foundation, our values, our thought processes, our work ethics and more. For some of us, they probably even represent(ed) our very first view of what constitutes an “Ideal person”. For some of us, our very idea of spirituality may have emerged from our association with a spiritual teacher or Guru, and in some cases, that may have coincided with a Mother or Mothering figure. But what is an “ideal” person anyway? Some dictionary definitions of ideal are

satisfying one’s conception of what is perfect…

existing only in the imagination; desirable or perfect but not likely to become a reality

representing an abstract or hypothetical optimum

If we are to adopt any one of those definitions above, the idea of an ideal person is (at least to me) a little bit intimidating, if not impractical. Perfection may be an ideal goal, but it often is unachievable. We often hear that we should strive for excellence and not perfection. The second definition implies that an ideal is not likely to become a reality. The third statement suggests that an ideal  is an abstraction. 

So, if we accept any of the above three definitions – that ideals are mere concepts, unlikely to become reality, represent abstractions, then what is the purpose of even having any ideal(s)? Are they even necessary? Do they set us up for (spiritual) disappointment and perhaps, even failure? Or do you have a totally different personal definition of what an ideal constitutes?

Regardless of the definition, I believe that ideals are necessary because even though they me be unlikely to become reality, they can help to fire our imagination with ideas on how to work towards making them a reality. The achievement of our Ideals can serve as our calling, the inner voice which guides and inspires us, the light which, by it’s shining, helps to steer us out of our dark moments. And, armed with actionable ideas, and a commitment to consistent action, we can move closer towards our ideals.

So, in the context of the above questions arise. What are some of your ideals? Do your ideals encourage you to explore new ideas or do they tend to suppress them? How do we overcome obstacles when holding on to our (spiritual) ideals? Are ideals even useful in today’s world? How do our ideals shape our values? Or do they?

I invite you to think about these ideas, meditate about your ideals, and share with us on Sunday May 18th at 9amET / 2pm UK / 630pm India in our weekly conversation on twitter in hashtag #SpiritChat. If you cannot make the live chat (or are reading this post after the event), please share some ideas and ideals in the comments below, for the benefit of the community. Thank you!

Kumud

Full chat transcript is available at http://bit.ly/sc-tr-0518 ; Questions asked during the live chat hour are listed below…

Ready? Q1. Share with us – one (or more) over-arching IDEAL(s) in your life… #SpiritChat http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/468014411312291840

On to Q2. The realization of an #ideal faces obstacles like…? You overcome them by…? #SpiritChat http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/468015829544878080

Q3. Is the notion or idea of having ideal(s) intimidating to you? Why or why not? #SpiritChat http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/468017237446885377

Q4. What is the practical purpose/benefit of having, holding to ideal(s)? Is there any? #SpiritChat http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/468018699052789760

Q5. Ideas. Q5. Share with us – one (or more) mind-bending IDEA whose “time has come”… #SpiritChat http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/468020301784424448

Think. Q6. What new IDEAS (may) have arisen within you, in working towards your ideal(s)? #SpiritChat http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/468022348810301440

Q7. What new (and old) ideas/ideals are useful to you as ‘tools’ for spiritual growth? #SpiritChat http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/468024242450472960

Final Q8. To those looking for new ideas, new ideals, struggling with old ones, you say… #SpiritChat http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/468025662646018048

Bonus Q9 🙂 Looking for ideas to make this hour, this community better… please email/DM/FB or tweet 🙂 #SpiritChat http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/468026821456703489

On Detachment and Inner Healing

Tags

attachment, detachment, healing, pain, spiritual

The idea or concept of “detachment” as a spiritual practice has great potential for those who want to lighten their load a little – and we all have life-moments when we need to lighten the load, don’t we?

One way in which we are urged to practice detachment is to be non-attached to the “outcome(s) of our actions”. We are encouraged to “just do the work” and have “faith” that the results will work out for the best – for our best, and for the best of our communities, and for the world on the whole. In fact, one of the central tenets that I grew up with, came from the famous passage of the Bhagavad Gita

Your right is to work only,
But never to its fruits;
Let not the fruits of action be thy motive,
Nor let thy attachment be to inaction.

This tenet is said to contain the essential principle of disinterestedness or detachment. It encourages us to develop a natural tendency, while doing our work, to remain deflected from disinterestedness – particularly if we think of fame or fortune along the way. The tenet of detachment goes beyond that though. It encourages us to work with a perfect serenity – steadfastness in inner composure – indifference to the results.

Those who act by virtue of an inner law ate on a higher level than those whose action(s) are dictated by their whims and emotions. This is the true inner poise and self-mastery. It is the true conquest of anger, sensitiveness, pride and ambition. It is the true Yoga – a temperance that is fired by equanimity in “success” and “failure”.

As I reflect on detachment and disinterestedness, I feel that there is a “hidden benefit” to their practice. I posit that true healing can be ours with any practice that can help us achieve inner poise and self-mastery, equanimity and an attitude that remains unruffled. Yes, external stressors will always surround us, for that is the price that we pay for living in this world of ours. But we do not have to live of this world – like raindrops on a lotus leaf, we can dance lightly with life and the rainstorms that it brings our way. We can maintain our inner health, and even attain healing, by focusing on detachment and disinterestedness – which can lead to renunciation.

“Detachment is a plant of slow growth; if you pluck the tender plant to look for the pods, you will be disappointed.” -Sri Sathya Sai Baba

So, how do we actively practice detachment? What can we renounce – outwardly and inwardly – that can bring us to health, trigger healing within us? Can detachment and disinterestedness lead us to “escapism” and/or lack of “accountability? Is it not our "duty” to be engaged and interested in helping solve world problems – rather than be detached and disinterested? Do you believe that detachment is even relevant to you and your life?

I hope that if you have read this far, you are thinking a little bit more about the role of “detachment” and “healing” in your life. If you would like to share your thoughts, I invite you to share with the #SpiritChat community – in the comments below, or in our live twitter chat (login via http://www.tchat.io/rooms/spiritchat ) at 9am EDT (UTC-4, 1pmGMT) on Sunday March 9th, 2014.

Kumud

P.S. Please note that due to the Daylight Savings Time change on March 9th 2014 (US clocks shift one hour ahead, from EST to EDT), #SpiritChat may occur one hour EARLY in your time-zone, at 1pm GMT. Thank you.

Here are the questions asked during the live chat. The answers are compiled in the storify summary. A full, complete transcript is also available at the hashtracking site (1239 tweets, 90 contributors, 6.4M timeline deliveries, 0.39M reach). Enjoy!

Ready? Q1. Detachment or non-attachment (the same?) - what does it look and feel like to you? #SpiritChat

Q2. What are some inner consequences of not practicing non-attachment...?  #SpiritChat

Q3. Non-attachment to the "fruits of our actions" - is it important? Is it feasible? How so? #SpiritChat

Q4. Detachment from thoughts and opinions - how could we accomplish this? What are the benefit(s)? #SpiritChat

Q5. What kind of detachment can lead to 'outer and inner' #healing? Or can it? #SpiritChat

Q6. "There is no detachment where there is no pain." Agree or Disagree? Why or why not? #spiritchat

Q7. Desire (for worldly objects) creates attachment, creating pain. How do we break this cycle to 'heal'? #spiritchat

Final Q8. To those who are wanting to practice non-attachment, attain healing, you would say...  #spiritchat

Spirituality and The Inner Olympics

Tags

inner, olympics, spiritual, spirituality

Every four years, the world assembles in a ‘summer’ or ‘winter’ city, in what is ostensibly a celebration of ‘Olympic’ ideals and values. Athletes and their supporting caste of administrators, friends and parents spend roughly two weeks in ‘competition’, to test their mettle with the ‘best of the best’.

We, the ‘non-Olympians’, look on, cheer on, and hope on that the athletes get an opportunity to perform at their best. Some of us, including me, hope that the competitors perform with the Olympic spirit in mind, and in heart. For, all things being equal – which they rarely are – those who demonstrate the greatest heart, are the ones who leave a lasting impression on us.

Yes, there are the feats that defy our idea of what mere-mortal human physical capacity can achieve. The first perfect score(s) in gymnastics (Nadia Comaneci, 1972), the ‘rag-tag’ USA ice-hockey team prevailing over the favorite USSR in 1980, the plethora of swimming medals by Michael Phelps, and the list goes on.

And then, there are the ones who did not taste ‘victory’ by winning any medals, but instead, won our hearts, and were forever established in the consciousness of their nations. One of the least known examples (at least among non-Indian readers) is perhaps, Milkha Singh, The Flying Sikh. The race for which Singh is best remembered is his fourth-place finish in the 400 metres final at the 1960 Olympic Games. He overcame considerable childhood trauma, including being orphaned during the partition of India, to establish himself in a billion hearts and minds… a huge ‘winner’ in the “inner” Olympics.

In the context of spirituality, we often talk about “inner” growth and “outer” actions separately, although we often conclude that the inner and the outer are simply reflections of each other. There is a lot that the “outer” Olympics can teach, or lend, to those who are engaged in “inner” Olympics, via sports like Journaling, Healing, Yoga, Meditation and more. For one, the Olympic motto of “Citius, Altius, Fortius” – Swifter, Higher, Stronger – has a lot of connotations in our “inner” Olympics. In addition, the “inner” Olympics can draw inspiration from the ubiquitous Olympic symbol – the five interconnected colored rings on a white background – in the sense of infinity, unity, oneness, harmony, diversity and more.

So, as we observe and watch the Olympics over the next two weeks, let us pay some attention to the life lessons, the stories, the struggles, the preparation, the sacrifices, of these athletes. For beyond all the confetti and the celebration, the commentaries and the criticisms, the defeats and the disappointments, the judging and the judgements, the politics and the punditry, there lies a field – where the “inner” Olympics, the greater,’invisible’ spiritual battle is fought. Let us congregate there, in the Olympic spirit, and reflect – how do we get to the ‘victory’ podium in our “inner” Olympics?

For without that ‘victory’, which brings everlasting Joy and Peace, all other victories are perhaps moot…

Kumud

P.S. Please join our chat on twitter on Sunday February 9th at 9am ET in hashtag #spiritchat as we discuss – Spirituality and the Inner Olympics. In addition, I would love to hear any stories about “fourth-place” finishers that are embedded in your heart and mind… Thank you. Namaste!

Here are the questions asked during the live chat. The answers are compiled in the storify summary. A full, complete transcript is also available at the hashtracking site (1394 tweets, 115 contributors, 5.4M timeline deliveries, 0.56M reach). Enjoy!

Let's light it up. Q1. Consider the phrase, "Inner Olympics" - what feelings does it evoke within you? #spiritchat

Q2. In your 'inner' Olympics, what's your favorite 'event(s)'? How do you train/practice? Yoga, prayer, or... #spiritchat

Q3. "Swifter, higher, stronger" - which of these three inspires your inner practice the most? Why?  #spiritchat

Focusing on Citius. Q4. The desire to be "faster" - how can this help or hurt our 'inner' practice? #spiritchat

Q5. In the context of 'inner' Olympics, who or what is our true competition? #spiritchat

Q6. If "The most important thing is not to win but to take part." then, Is 'winning' relevant? #spiritchat

Q7. Consider the symbology of the five rings - how does this impact our 'inner' journey? #spiritchat

Final Q8. Three things you would say to your fellow 'inner' Olympians... #spiritchat

Nonviolence and the Spirit

Tags

nonviolence, pacificism, peace, spiritchat, spiritual

Every year on October 2nd marks the birthday of Mohanadas Gandhi – fondly referred to by many as Mahatama (great soul). One of Gandhi’s legacy is widely accepted as his well-known adherence to the principles of non-violence. He stuck to this core value of non-violence, even in the face of the overwhelming force exerted by the formidable British empire. Gandhi was influenced by Thoreau, and in turn, influenced Martin Luther King, Jr with his mantra on non-violence as a primary and ethical means of living our lives.

Non-violence is not a garment to be put on and off at will. Its seat is in the heart, and it must be an inseparable part of our being.- Mahatma Gandhi

From a spiritual growth perspective, adherence to non-violence seems like a natural path to follow. Consider the ethical concept of non-injury to others – it can perhaps only be complete if we practice it in the three-fold domain of body, mind and spirit. If we engage in causing injury to others with our thoughts and feelings of anger, hatred and judgement, it will only be a matter of time before we cause injury with our words, and possibly, even with our actions. It is perhaps no accident that conflicts, on small and large scales, begin due to an intent to injure the other in thought. An intensification of thought creates feelings, which form words, and then actions.

I have nothing new to teach the world. Truth and Non-violence are as old as the hills. All I have done is to try experiments in both on as vast a scale as I could. – Mahatma Gandhi

For those who participated in last week’s chat on the spirit of experimentation, the experiment continues. This week, we experiment with the idea that nonviolence remains a viable means of living our life – a life of high quality, high value, high degree of love and service, high level of faith and hope, high level of trust and willingness to communicate and compromise.

At the center of non-violence stands the principle of love. – Martin Luther King, Jr

Some may argue that nonviolence is a form of fear, in that it is an escape from a willingness to fight. Or that nonviolence is a form of pacifism or passivity, adopted by those who lack the courage to do “battle” in the battleground of life. What do you think? Is it really a sense of fear, a lack of courage, a propensity for passivity, that attracts people to nonviolence? Are there circumstances under which “violence” may be necessary, or even justified? When in conflict with another, who insists on being combative, what is an appropriate response? How can inner and outer peace be preserved with a commitment to nonviolence?

I invite you to join me as I host the #spiritchat community in a live conversation on twitter about non-violence. Sunday, October 6th at 9am ET, our experiment continues.

Be well, Be in peace. Namaste,

Kumud

Update: Here are the questions asked during the chat on Nonviolence. Enjoy, and feel free to answer in the comments… The full transcript and statistics are available at http://bit.ly/sc-tr-1006 . Thank you for sharing!

Ready. Q1. Imagine a state of complete nonviolence. What does it look, feel, sound like? #spiritchat
http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/386839877419298816

Q2. How is practice of nonviolence relevant to you in your current life state? Or is it? #SpiritChat
http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/386841522240774144

Q3. How can we continue to practice nonviolence when faced with violence, injustice? Or can we? #SpiritChat
http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/386843436311003137

Q4. What is the connection between nonviolence and faith? Or is there one? #SpiritChat
http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/386845571056947200

Q5. “In some cases non-violence may require more militancy than violence.” Agree or disagree? #SpiritChat
http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/386847284668809216

Q6. Does a practice of nonviolence preclude us from practicing “resistance”? What is our spirit resisting? #SpiritChat
http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/386848973979680768

Q7. How does our inner practice of nonviolence impact our families and communities? #SpiritChat
http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/386850422704463872

Final Q8. Going forward, we can integrate nonviolence in mind, body and spirit by… #SpiritChat
http://twitter.com/AjmaniK/status/386851573420531713