Edit speak-Awareful living
May 2017
By Suma Varughese
Dear Reader,
It's the new buzz word on the block. Mindfulness. Even though it is just another word to explain the increased awareness with which we live when we pursue a spiritual path, the world has seized upon it with great alacrity. The corporate world is particularly receptive to it as is the world of intellectuals and psychologists.
Perhaps this has something to do with the fact that the term is associated with Buddhism, and Buddhism not only extends the lustre of the Dalai Lama, it is also shorn free of any religious or mystical baggage. Be that as it may, mindfulness is the acceptable face of spirituality, and what is more important for us, a wonderful path to walk on. In pursuit of the ideal of being in the present moment, the school of mindfulness offers many practices – mindful eating, mindful walking, mindful talking, and so on. In the ultimate analysis, mindfulness returns us to awareness of our present thoughts, feelings and physical sensations, and helps us craft a conscious response to all of them.
Our cover story explores this. We also have an article on rules for living. Unless you have some rules for living, our default condition will overtake us, which is usually a combination of entropy and negativity. Life will then seize us by the collar and whirl us around as it pleases. The best rules are the ones you have created for yourself, based on your own experiential understanding of life and the kind of life you wish to lead. But while you are still formulating your own, take inspiration from the ones we have drawn up for you. Our interviews with enlightened gurus and yogis draw a lot of attention. Many thanks to the indefatigable Pradeep Krishnan for tirelessly seeking out these great masters and introducing them to the Life Positive world. This month, we have Guruji Sundar from Chennai. Enjoy. Enjoy the rest of the issue and the month as well!