Holistic Living - Making life positive

by Life Positive

One day, while watching a video of Osho, his eyes seemed to rivet on mine for a fleeting moment, leaving me feeling utterly lost and non-existent. His eyes looked innocent, cool, penetrating, totally non-judgmental and accepting. I sometimes get the same feeling when my beloved looks at me. At such moments, it seems that the God-consciousness is watching us through her eyes.

This will-less gaze, without any hint of the ego, is so alive and vital. I am referring to the essence, the core of a person, which is totally independent of my subjective reactions. This essence is totally neutral, non-contrived and not projected consciously by the person. It simply bubbles up and envelops us in a smooth, effortless merging. For a while we become a virgin essence, a pulsating void.

Whenever I feel down and need something to inspire me, I mentally visualize this essence and it never fails to elevate and refresh me.

Tarun Kumar Karir, Rajashan, India

MAKING LIFE POSITIVE

The launch of Life Positive should do a lot of good. Even if it makes a dent on the quality of life of just a few readers, I think it would be a tremendous service to mankind. Nothing in life is ultimate and I hope the magazine will always strive to better itself. In fact, anything that inspires a person to look at the brighter side of life is welcome. Surprisingly, focusing on the positive aspect hasn't caught up in a big way in India. And that's where Life Positive is needed and should continue to bring about a constructive change in society.

Change need not necessarily be through God. We can have our own ways and means.

As for me, reading a few pages related to positive thinking everyday before going to bed is a habit. It sinks into my mind consciously or subconsciously. I have audiocassettes on healthy living and dieting. I listen to these when I go for a walk. It's a form of vipassana or meditation. I think spirituality and positive thinking are interlinked. And I have my own personal relationship with God and Life Positive. I feel the magazine should cover success stories of people, who by sheer determination and will power have made a name for themselves in various fields. After all, when one sees the success, glory and splendor that have come their way, it's pertinent to also see the blood, sweat and labor that have gone into it. The magazine should instill in its readers' minds that hard work is an essential ingredient of success. It should constantly keep giving doses of self-faith to its readers.

Joginder Singh, former director, C B I, India

THROUGH A LOOKING GLASS

The year 1994 started with a big bang—I had a major accident. For months I was rendered incapable of looking after myself. My legs and arms had broken and recovery seemed almost impossible. Everything looked bleak and life seemed an endless torture. Each time I had to go to the hospital, an ambulance was called. It was probably the most agonizing experience I ever went through.

Six months passed. One day, during a routine visit to the hospital I saw a poor woman carrying her small child into the doctor's chamber. The baby couldn't have been more than a year old. He looked like a ghost, all wrapped in white. My doctor later told me that the baby had fallen from his cot and there had been severe damage to his head. I looked at the baby. Something tingled within. Suddenly, I felt less sorry for my self.

A year crawled by and my doctor gave me the go ahead for walking with crutches. We take our legs for granted. But now, they were no longer legs. They were two pieces of stick, which I could barely move. Then, one day, while I was indulging in self-pity as usual, I saw a beggar without a leg holding on to a shabby crutch. I looked at my own expensive crutches, my car and the doctor's assurance that I would be able to walk sometime soon. Was there a message somewhere?

Anonymous

KNOWING THE REAL

A 42-year old bachelor, my eccentricity and restlessness has kept me from settling down so far. Being on my own gave me sufficient time to plunge deep within myself, to explore and discover the real 'me'. But I found only inner darkness, the nothingness within me. As a result, my life became a big mess. Disgusted friends and relatives looked down on me. Pushed further inwards, I turned my attention to books.

I read and re-read everything I could find. This awakened my interest in spirituality and I immersed myself in the writings of Osho, Krishnamurthi, Ramana Maharshi, H.W.L.Poonja and Swami Vivekananda. I also studied the Holy Scriptures and the works of great philosophers, but to no avail. I lost all hope and my search seemed useless. I wasted two and a half years doing nothing more than lying on my bed and walking around the room for some exercise. Finally one day I felt the presence of a great sage in my room. Eyes closed, as I sat in a padmasana (a yogic posture), I became aware of every sound and movement in and around me. I remained spellbound, as the presence grew stronger.

At that instant, something snapped within me. I felt as though a knot had suddenly unraveled itself or a door had opened. Suffused with rapture, even through my closed eyes I could see a brilliant light. I pinched myself to check if it was just a dream, but the reality was palpable. It suddenly dawned on me that attempting to know the unknowable is futile. The eternal is here and now. This experience made me aware that if one seeks the light of realization, one must be prepared to enter the inner darkness of doubts and ignorance. The underlying message of every scripture can be condensed into one single word: "awake." But again, I cannot claim to know the infinite through my finite mind.

V.K.Koppal, Karnataka, India

BETWEEN FICTION AND REALITY

One day while reading, I felt as if the characters of the book were real and I started to live them. People labeled me a fool who was simply pretending to be different. But I understood my transformation. Each time I thought about a character, I became that character. This opening made me feel totally released. I felt an unreasonable, bubbling joy, a tremendous energy flow within.

There are a series of closed doors in our mind, behind the first door of the conscious mind, there are other doors which house dormant, suppressed memories that generate a lot of energy and create phantom images. The key to releasing blocked energy is living what you feel and feeling what you think.

Shivli Sharma, India