Like every year, the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra is being organized by the Government of India, Ministry of External Affairs starting end May/early June to September 2008. The pilgrimage or 'Yatra' is open to all Indian citizens above18 years of age who wish to proceed to Kailash and Manasarovar for religious purposes.
About Mount Kailash
The holy Mount Kailash is situated in the western Tibetan plateau in the northernmost region of the Himalayas. Also referred to as Mount Meru and Kang Rinpoche, or snow jewel, Mount Kailash is a 22,028 ft high peak known for being the abode of Shiva. Hindus perform a 'parikrama' or walk around the 32-mile circumference of Mount Kailash, an act that is believed to wipe away all sins. Four holy rivers originate from Mount Kailash: the Indus, the Brahamputra, the Karnali and the Sutlej.
The holy Mount Kailash is situated in the western Tibetan plateau in the northernmost region of the Himalayas. Also referred to as Mount Meru and Kang Rinpoche, or snow jewel, Mount Kailash is a 22,028 ft high peak known for being the abode of Shiva. Hindus perform a 'parikrama' or walk around the 32-mile circumference of Mount Kailash, an act that is believed to wipe away all sins. Four holy rivers originate from Mount Kailash: the Indus, the Brahamputra, the Karnali and the Sutlej.
About Mansarovar Lake
Travel 18 miles southeast of Kailash, and you arrive at the placid blue circular Lake Mansarovar, also known as Tso Rinpoche or 'precious lake' in Tibetan. Bathing in the freezing cold water of the lake which is said to contain miraculous powers is considered to be of massive spiritual benefit. About the Yatra
The duration of the Yatra is 26 days. In addition, Yatris will need to spend 4 days in New Delhi to obtain visas, undergo a comprehensive medical examination and complete other formalities. This year, 16 batches each consisting of a maximum of 60 pilgrims will take part in the Yatra. The first batch is expected to depart from New Delhi in the last week of May/first week of June and continue till the end of September 2008. Cost of Travel
Applicants should ensure that they possess an Indian Passport. The cost of the Yatra will include Rs. 19,250 to be paid to Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam (KMVN), Rs. 1,950 to be paid to ITBP for medical examination / tests at Delhi, and US$ 700 to be paid to the Chinese side, besides additional expenditure on equipment, clothing, food, baggage, ponies, etc. An Arduous Yatra
The Indian Mountaineering Foundation has recognized the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra as a trekking expedition with an element of life risk involved. The Yatra is extremely arduous - much more than Vaishnodevi or Amarnath Yatra, and involves trekking at altitudes as high as 19,500 feet, under hostile conditions, in extreme cold and on rugged terrain, and may prove hazardous for those who are not physically fit.
The Indian Mountaineering Foundation has recognized the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra as a trekking expedition with an element of life risk involved. The Yatra is extremely arduous - much more than Vaishnodevi or Amarnath Yatra, and involves trekking at altitudes as high as 19,500 feet, under hostile conditions, in extreme cold and on rugged terrain, and may prove hazardous for those who are not physically fit.
Fitness Test a Must
Applicants should be physically healthy, medically fit and are required to undergo a comprehensive medical examination in New Delhi. A second medical test to ascertain reactions to altitude trekking is done at Gunji, after 6 days of the Yatra, at a height of 3500 meters. How to Apply
Complete applications in the prescribed format should be sent to Under Secretary (EA) Room No. 255-A, South Block, Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi-110011 in mid-March every year as stipulated by the Government of India. The selection of Yatris will be done by Ministry of External Affairs through a computer-generated random gender-balanced selection process.
YOU ARE NOT THE BODY BUT A SOUL COVERED IN A MATERIAL BODY.
This is the main teaching of the Bhagavad-Gita. “As the embodied soul continously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change.” Lord Krishna, Bg. 2.13 You are a soul covered by a material body. Your are bewildered by maya, the illusion of identifying the self with the body. In this material body you will suffer the pangs of birth, old age, disease, and death.
You will reincarnate from body to body, life after life. At death you will take on another body in the animal kingdom, or again in the human species. What your next body will be is dependent on your karmic actions (good and bad actions) taken in life.
Just as we change worn out clothes, furniture, cars, shoes, houses, jobs, and even partners. We will change our body at death. Just as a manufacturing company designs products today to make tomorrow. You are designing your next body today with your current actions. There are 8.4 Million different material bodies that the individual soul keeps circulating in. So don’t get too attached to this body.
Once again you are “too busy” in eating, sleeping, mating, and making a career. Once again you have “no time” to enquire into the absolute truth. Once again you cling to temporary material enjoyment in your short life span. You keep running like mad after the mirages in the desert, castles made of sand, and the gifts of Santa Claus. (Mirages are seeing things which are not there, castles made of sand take hours to make but come down with a single blow, and there is no Santa Claus).
Most people are very busy in the Modern Lifestyle of partying, discoing, meat eating, intoxication, and relationships. While engaging in these demonic activities, you forget the naked truth of death, which you will have to meet.
Like animals, you do not realize that you are going to be slaughtered, by the laws of nature. You are busy in material enjoyment, the so-called jolly life, but actually you are like the chickens, cows, and goats waiting in the slaughterhouse. Death is certain and it can take you at anytime. At death, the laws of nature will act, and will you get another body according to your work.
Human birth is rare and now that you have attained a human form of life, you should utilize your developed consciousness to inquire into the Absolute Truth. Yet most humans engage in the life style of eating, sleeping, mating and defending, which is available even in the animal kingdom without the hassle of nine-to-five jobs, marital problems, medical operations, and the bother of tax returns.
A person in the mode of goodness knows that death is born along with his birth. He knows that he is dying at every second. He therefore prepares himself for the next life or for liberation from the cycle of birth and death all together. He enquries: Who am I ? Where have I come from? Where am I going after this life? An ignorant person is ‘too busy’ with materialist life, satisfying only his genetals and belly. He forgets that death is certain and just around the corner. Human or animal consciousness?
If you simply eat, sleep, mate, and enjoy material life. Then you are no different from the animals. The animals also eat, sleep, mate, and enjoy material life. In fact, if you simply want to engage in these activities, then you are better off in the animal kingdom. The animals engage in all these activities without the bother of jobs, bills, marital problems and other humanly conditions of life.
Those humans who spent their life simply eating, sleeping, mating, and enjoying material life will be upgraded to a higher level at death. So they can continue with these activities but without the hassle of jobs, bills, marital problems and other humanly conditions of life in their next life. They will be born in the animal kingdom. God is very fair and merciful, he satisfies all our desires. If you behave like an animal then you will be one in your next life, at your own request.
The difference between human and animal consciousness is that humans are inquisitive. Real human beings enquire: Who am I? Where have I come from? Where am I going after this life? Who exactly is God? How can I escape from the cycle of birth, old age, disease, and death? How can I become immortal?
Animals do not enquire. They simply eat, sleep, mate, and enjoy material life. Humans are compassionate, they always think of others. The animals mind their own business and don’t think of others.
Humans are charitable. It is the duty of every human being to perform welfare activities for the benefit of those who are less fortunate with their wealth, intelligence, and words. The animals are not charitable; they simply enjoy everything for them selves. Are you human or animal?
Human birth is rare - don't waste it. The Scientific Theory of Evolution – Charles Darwin Theory Charles Darwin is famous worldwide for his evolutionary theory. According to his theory, one species evolved into another. Thus one body changes into another. We evolved from the animals, our closet relatives in the animal kingdom are the monkeys. The Vedic Theory of Evolution
The Vedic scriptures also state an evolutionary process, but the definition is different from that of Charles Darwin. There are 8.4 million different species of living beings in the whole of creation as follows: 900,000 species of aquatic. 2,000,000 species of plants. 1,100,000 species of insects. 1,000,000 species of birds. 3,000,000 species of beasts. 400,000 species of human beings
All these species were created by God and like Charles Darwin’s theory; we also evolved from the animals but not by changing the same body, but by transmigration of the soul from one body to another. Changing bodies from birth to death, and the evolution of 8,400,000 species.
Every living being is a soul (including plants and animals) covered in a material bodEvery living being is a soul (including plants and animals) covered in a material body. The soul takes one body then quits it to take another and so on. Going through all the various species in the plant and animal kingdom (8 million) and then finally taking a human body. The human body is the highest and most elevated of all bodies.
Once we attain the human body, if we misuse or fail to utilize the higher consciousness then we again fall down in the plant and animal kingdom. Then again we have to go through the evolutionary process, moving from one body to the next in the plant and animal kingdom for 8 million births before we get another human birth.
“As the embodied soul continuously passes, in the body from childhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change.” Lord Krishna (Bg. 2.13)
“As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, the soul similarly accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones.” Lord Krishna (Bg. 2.22)
What Do the Non-Vedic Religions Say About Evolution
The one-man made religions, Christianity and Islam, do not believe in an evolutionary process. The Muslims and Christians believe we only live once, thus this is the only life. They believe in resurrection. At death we are buried and we have to wait in our grave for the Day of Judgment on which day God either sends us to heaven forever, or hell forever. The humans have a soul but the plants and animals do not. They are simply created as food for the humans.
The Vedic scriptures state that even the plants and animals can go to the kingdom of God, but they have to wait for their human incarnation. If one lives a sincere life regardless of his religion, he will slowly be elevated in spiritual life which will one day lead to liberation from the cycle of birth and death and thus attain the kingdom of God. There is overwhelming evidence to support the Vedic theory of evolution, thus transmigration of the soul from one body to the next, reincarnation.
The Vedic theory of evolution is very scientific and only differs from Charles Darwin’s theory in terms of the method.
According to the Vedic religion the plants and animals do have a soul and the animals were not created as food for the humans. The animals are made of flesh and blood just like the humans and they do feel pain and have intelligence, just like the humans.
Higher and Lower Life Forms
There are 400,00 different species of human beings. Most of these species are uncivilized.
Within a species of human beings there are many different conditions in which one takes birth into.
Variety of colors:
Born black.
Born white.
Born gray etc..
Within each color of human beings there are different nationalities that one can be born into. Note that until 5000 years ago, there was only one nationality for all the humans in the world, Bharat Varsian. Which means the sons of Bharat or India. Yes, the whole world was called Bharat Versa or India until 5000 years ago.
Born Indian
Born American
Born Chinese
Born Saudi Arabian
Born African etc..
Within each nationality of human beings there are different religions in which one takes birth into. Note that until 5000 years ago, there was only one religion in the whole world, the Vedic religion.
Born Hindu (Vedic)
Born Muslim
Born Christian
Born Jewish etc..
Within each religion that a person is born into there are different health conditions that one takes birth into:
Born healthy
Born diseased
Within each diseased or healthy body that one takes birth into, there are different financial situations:
Born rich
Born poor
Within each financial situation that one takes birth into, there are different family situations that one can take birth into:
Born with loving and caring parents
Born with mean and un-caring parents
Born without a parent (one parent died before your birth)
Born with no parents (both parents died soon after your birth)
Etc….
There are so many other permutations of conditions that one can be born into. Thus a good human birth is extremely rare.
So What Determines Our Next Body and It’s conditions at Birth?
People are mad after sense gratification. When a person considers sense gratification the aim of life, he certainly becomes mad after a materialistic life style and engages in all kinds of sinful activity.
Every person takes birth in a particular country, in a particular city, on a particular street, to a particular mother with a particular religion and financial situation. Exactly according to what the person (the soul) deserves.
“When one dies in the mode of goodness, he attains to the pure higher planets of the great sages. When one dies in the mode of passion, he takes birth among those engaged in fruitive activities; and when one dies in the mode of ignorance, he takes birth in the animal kingdom.” Lord Krishna (Bg. 14.14-15)
“Those situated in the mode of goodness gradually go upward to the higher planets; those in the mode of passion live on the earthly planets; and those in the abominable mode of ignorance go down to the hellish worlds.” Lord Krishna (Bg. 14.18)
Your consciousness at death will determine your next body
“The living entity in the material world carries his different conceptions of life from one body to another as the air carries aromas. Thus he takes one kind of body and again quits it to take another.” Lord Krishna (Bg. 15.8)
“Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, that state he will attain without fail.” Lord Krishna (Bg. 8.6)
Life on all Planets is Miserable
“From the highest planet in the material world down to the lowest, all are places of misery wherein repeated birth and death take place. But one who attains to my abode, O son of Kunté, never takes birth again.” Lord Krishna (Bg. 8.16)
So how do we become totally Happy and free from all miserable conditions?
First you need to know what is real happiness. Becoming free from the cycle of birth and death, and free from all diseases is real and everlasting happiness. This means taking birth in the spiritual universe called Vaikuntha. You cannot go to the spiritual universe with your present body, only when you quit it and also if you have the qualifications to enter it.
“That supreme abode of mine is not illumined by the sun or moon, nor by fire or electricity. Those who reach it never return to this material world.” Lord Krishna (Bg. 15.6)
“That which the Vedäntists describe as unmanifest and infallible, that which is known as the supreme destination, that place from which, having attained it, one never returns-that is My supreme abode.” Lord Krishna (Bg. 8.21)
How Can We Enter The Kingdom Of God?
“One can understand me as I am, as the supreme personality of Godhead, only by devotional service. And when, by such devotion, one is fully conscious of me, one can enter into the kingdom of God.” Lord Krishna (Bg. 18.55)
“Whoever, at the end of life, quits his body remembering me alone at once attains my nature without a doubt.” Lord Krishna (Bg. 8.5)
The Regulative Principles For Human Beings
It’s not easy to give up a materialist and lusty life style, which most people are engaged in. Controlling the senses is like controlling the wind, which is very difficult. But when you realize that if you waste this rare human birth then you will have to go through the evolutionary process of transmigrating from one body to the next for millions of births before you get another chance of human birth, then it becomes a little easy.
Here are some basic starting points to end a demonic life style.
Stop being a serial killer, become a vegetarian.
Stop behaving like the dogs on the street. No sex before marriage or outside marriage.
Stop losing your consciousness, no intoxications (no drugs, no alcohol etc..).
Don’t speculate on your wealth, stop gambling.
All humans dream of going to the kingdom of God (the spiritual universe).
The non-Vedic religions say it’s ok to kill animals (eat meat). But in the kingdom of God there is no killing. So why don’t you start this practice now?
In the kingdom of God there is no sex, so why don’t you moderate your sex life now?
In the kingdom of God there are no intoxications, then why don’t you stop it now?
In the kingdom of God there is absolutely no speculation, so why don’t you stop speculating now
Don’t satisfy your desires
“A person who is not disturbed by the incessant flow of desires-that enter like rivers into the ocean, which is ever being filled but is always still-can alone achieve peace, and not the man who strives to satisfy such desires. A person who has given up all desires for sense gratification, who lives free from desires, who has given up all sense of proprietorship and is devoid of false ego-he alone can attain real peace.” Lord Krishna (Bg. 2.70-71)
The plants/animals are on a fixed cycle of transmigration from one body to the next in the plant/animal kingdom. They will have to go through 8 million births before they get another human birth. Yes the plants and animals are ex-humans. And most of the humans will be plants and animals in the future.
The humans have been through the 8 million births in the plant and animal kingdoms. But if a human misuses or fails to utilize the higher consciousness, then he (the soul) will once again have to go through the 8 millions births in the plant and animal kingdoms. Only a fool would waste this rare human birth.
Where Will You Be in 50 years Time?
Where you will be in 50 years time is a serious thought to consider now, because you won’t be here.
A View on Buddhism Fear, Anxiety and Phobia My fear and doubts have vanished like mist into the distance, never to disturb me again. I will die content and free from regrets. This is the fruit of Dharma practic Milarepa, from 'Fruit of Dharma Practice' WHAT IS FEAR? Fear plays a very important part in our daily life, and in human society as a whole. Fear comes in many shapes and forms, but it could be described as: an unpleasant feeling of perceived risk or danger, real or not. It functions to make us alert and ready for action while expecting specific problems. As is often said, fear lies at the basis of all religions. At the time humans were gatherers and hunters, little was understood of the world around them, so without understanding the causes for many everyday experiences there is logically existential fear. In search for understanding the world around them, shamans and mystics tried to explain the world with invisible and incomprehensible aspects aspects like spirits, gods, nature itself, the sun and moon etc. which also gave the possibility to do something about 'the unexpected' by pleasing the gods and spirits with prayers and rituals. Later on, more advanced ideas and philosophies developed, and of course, organized religions. Also Buddhism is to an extent based on fear; the fear of suffering. The historical Buddha went out on his spiritual quest when he realized that everybody is subject to discomfort, problems and pain, and with the goal to find a way to end it alltogether he discovered a 'way out'. In fact, this is not too different from the main motivation to develop human civilization: we fear discomfort so we store food for more difficult times, we prepare ourselves for dangers like wild animals, or to defend ourselves from other humans. This fear of discomfort and attachement to comfort has driven humans in their development from a type of smart monkey to a creature that has gained control over nearly all other living beings on this planet. Our most basic fear is the fear of death, which functions to make us alert in dangerous situations, and can thus be a very healthy emotion. But much less dramatic reasons of fear are found everywhere in our daily lives: 'Did I lock the house?' 'Isn't this food unhealthy?', 'Is my health insurance high enough?', 'Shouldn't my daughter be home yet?'. These worries can be based or quite baseless. Problematic types of fear can be when we are afraid of things that do not pose any real threat, like fear of spiders or large spaces. Fear and paranoia, together with attachment, craving and hatred are usually responsible for wars. In all cases, we could say that fear is a reaction to something that may happen in the future, be it realistic or not, it is always uncomfortable. And here we find one of the contradictions of fear itself: it should work to keep us from discomfort, yet it is uncomfortable itself.
PROJECTION As fear is based on something that we think may happen in the future, it is clearly a mental process which tries to predict the future - in that sense, the reason of fear is a projection of our mind. We can be afraid to fall, but once we are falling, we are afraid to hit the ground, once we hit the ground, we may fear we have a bad injury, once we know we have a bad injury, we may fear the pain and the consequences of not being able to work for some time or become disabled etc. So one could say that fear is always based on something that has not happened yet, and is therefore a fantasy of our mind rather than fact.
ADDICTION TO FEAR Some people like fear, because in activities like riding a roller-coaster or during bunjee-jumping, we get an adrenaline-rush: a physical reaction to make us alert and ready for action - some people actually get addicted to this natural drug and get into extreme activities. This can easily lead to needing more dangerous situations more often, so they may tend to take ever increasing risks - until the parachute does not open, or the weather changes while climbing a steep, dangerous mountain slope...... SUFFERING Fear is generally a very uncomfortable feeling - Buddhists would call it therefore a form of suffering. We do not like to be afraid, but still, our fear can keep us from harm for example as it makes us hold back when we see a snake or a fast car straight in our direction. So, yes, we need to realize danger and be alert, but once we are alert, we cannot do much more than whatever we think is best in the situation. If we let our fear take over completely, we can even 'freeze' and become completely helpless. Similarly, many of us are afraid for quite irrational things, meaning things that do not really pose any threat to us. For example, fear of spiders, small enclosed spaces or large spaces. Life can become really difficult, simply because illogical projections and delusions are taking over our normal, rational mind and small things can begin to determine our whole life. In that case, we can start to talk about having a phobia. PHOBIA The process of normal fear turning into phobia is very similar in Buddhist psychology to when anger turns into blind hatred or a liking of chocolate turns into addiction. The difference is in the levels of the fear. Initially, anger or fear may have a useful function in life (to protect ourselves from suffering), but they are both based on mental projections. When these projections grow into something like phobia, it only means that the mind is strongly exaggerating the situation. For whatever reason, our mind gets out of control, and it turns a spider into a monster or the height of a chair into a ravine. So the remedy to phobia cannot really lie in taking medicines, but must be to habituate our mind back to 'normal' reactions.
WESTERN THERAPIES - GENERAL APPROACH Therapies for irrational fears work on the same basic principle: discover by experience that the feeling of fear (paranoia) is an exaggeration of what we perceive in the world, and force our rational mind to keep in control of the emotion. So, if you are afraid of spiders, perhaps the cure starts with simply drawing them, then looking at a small one - far away locked in a safe place - then forcing yourself to go closer (the rational mind says that nothing can happen), in the end, usually the patients will regain so much control that can even hold a poisonous, hairy, huge tarantula in their hands - obviously the end of therapy! This is not because they are exceptionally brave people, but they have gradually learned to take control over their exaggerated emotions, by realizing these emotions were not based on a real danger. In extreme cases, people can be much harder to treat. Specifically when the reason for the fear is vague and hardly known, like imagining that you are being followed (paranoia), it is not always straight-forward or simple to make people realize that these fears are unfounded and the rational mind should take control. Many types of fear/phobia are identified, I found some in a web blog recently: Common fears: Acrophobia: Fear of heights Arachnophobia: fear of spiders Agoraphobia: fear of open spaces Belonephobia: fear of needles Brontophobia: fear of thunder and lightning Claustrophobia: fear of confined spaces Hamartophobia: fear of sinning Suriphobia: fear of mice and/or rats Necrophobia: fear of death Pentheraphobia: fear of the mother-in-law Thalassophobia: fear of the sea Xenophobia: fear of strangers or foreigners Also some fears may be more common than generally thought:
Athazagoraphobia - fear of being forgotten, ignored or forgetting Atychiphobia, Kakorrhaphiophobia - fear of failure Metathesiophobia - fear of changes
"The Buddha discovered how to conquer absolutely what man fears: he discovered a practical method, now called Buddhism, for eliminating suffering." Ven. Buddhadasa Bhikkhu The Buddhist therapy of treating exaggerated fears is probably not essentially different from the Western ways of treatment. Treatment is based on trying to see that fear is a form of suffering that we wish to get rid of, and using habituation and the control of our mind to dissolve irrational fears. It is only that Buddhism tries to take the solution of mental problems to their very end, to stop our very potential for suffering and problems by achieving liberation and enlightenment. From: Dealing with Fear - Tonglen Practice by Ringu Tulku What frightens us most is the thought of being afraid. That is the greatest fear. Nothing puts us in more danger than our own mind and when what we are frightened of actually happens, it is never as bad as we imagined. There is no protection against fear. Even when we think that we have found some safety, we still wonder if our defenses are reliable and this uncertainty destroys our security. We create fear and we can uncreate it. It is a habit that can be broken. A good remedy against fear is to actively provoke it. Instead of feeling helpless we confront our worst fear. If you are frightened of losing something, give it away. If heights scare you, climb to a high place. If you are terrified of speaking in public, stand before an audience. This is the simplest way of mastering fear. The ultimate fear is the fear of death, the loss of our ego and everything we have. In that sense, fear is nothing but a form of attachment, in this case to our life, our concept of 'self', and all our possessions etc. If we think about ourselves in terms of rebirth, suddenly death becomes a much less 'final end', it is only the end of this stage of existence, and after that a new stage will begin. Of course, as we are unsure about what will happen in that next life, we can easily become anxious and scared, but just fear will not be of any help at all. It becomes much more important to ensure that our next life will become a pleasant one, without too much suffering. Most other types of fear are related to possible physical or mental pain, or loss of possessions. With the possibility of physical or mental pain in the future, we probably need to start working at it to prevent it from happening, rather than be frozen in our own miserable predictions and depression. So we should act, rather than crawl away. In the bigger perspective however, as long as we remain in the cycle of rebirth, we cannot escape suffering at all. We need to work to liberate ourselves from suffering. The highest type of this motivation is that we also want all other living beings to become free from suffering (the Mahayana motivation of Bodhicitta). The fear of losing possessions (including 'our' family and loved ones) is simply a form of attachment, another delusion we all have, and which is a major reason to our 'holding on' to life, and a reason why we are reborn instead of liberated.
From the Dhammapada 212-216 (a collection of sayings of the Buddha): "From what is dear, grief is born, from what is dear, fear is born. For someone freed from what is dear there is no grief -- so why fear? From what is loved, grief is born, from what is loved, fear is born. For someone freed from what is loved, there is no grief -- so why fear? From delight, grief is born, from delight, fear is born. For someone freed from delight there is no grief -- so why fear? From sensuality, grief is born, from sensuality, fear is born. For someone freed from sensuality there is no grief -- so why fear? From craving, grief is born, from craving, fear is born. For someone freed from craving there is no grief -- so why fear?" Question: How can one work with deep fears most effectively? His Holiness the Dalai Lama: There are quite a number of methods. The first is to think about actions and their effects. Usually when something bad happens, we say, "Oh, very unlucky," and when something good happens, we say, "Oh, very lucky." Actually, these two words, lucky and unlucky, are insufficient. There must be some reason. Because of a reason, a certain time became lucky or unlucky, but usually we do not go beyond lucky or unlucky. The reason, according to the Buddhist explanation, is our past karma, our actions. One way to work with deep fears is to think that the fear comes as a result of your own actions in the past. Further, if you have fear of some pain or suffering, you should examine whether there is anything you can do about it. If you can, there is no need to worry about it; if you cannot do anything, then there is also no need to worry. Another technique is to investigate who is becoming afraid. Examine the nature of your self. Where is this I? Who is I? What is the nature of I? Is there an I besides my physical body and my consciousness? This may help. Also, someone who is engaging in the Bodhisattva practices seeks to take others' suffering onto himself or herself. When you have fear, you can think, "Others have fear similar to this; may I take to myself all of their fears." Even though you are opening yourself to greater suffering, taking greater suffering to yourself, your fear lessens. From A Policy of Kindness: An Anthology of Writings By and About the Dalai Lama Two letters by Lama Zopa Rinpoche to students - from Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive. Fear of Flying
"Just before departure and during the flight, it is very good to recite the names of the ten directions’ Buddhas. If you keep on reciting the names, in whichever direction you are flying, if you recite that Buddha’s names and pay one-pointed attention to this, not only will you be free from danger, but your wishes will be fulfilled. So not only is this for safe travel, but for the successful fulfillment of whatever goals you had for going in that direction. It is very good to pray not just for your own safety, but on behalf of all the people in the airplane—all 300 passengers and crew, or however many people there are—for them all to have a safe journey. Not only that, but you can pray that whoever this airplane carries may always be safe. It’s very good to pray like that." Fear of Snakes A German woman had had a fear of snakes since she was a child. At the age of nine, she saw a smashed snake in her parents’ garden, and a woman in Germany, who was clairvoyant but not Buddhist, told her that in a former life she had destroyed people. "You do not need clairvoyance. This is explained by karma. In a past life, after dying because of a snake killing you or dying out of fear of snakes, this often goes into the next life. Some beings are born in a shape that gives fear to others. It is just like that. Often it is a result of anger. One did some unpleasant things to others, and now one fears the result. Even I would run away when I see a snake. That is normal. Think of the suffering of the snake: It has no chance. If it had a choice, it would take another form. The snake itself has a fear of eagles. Use the snake to generate compassion and to develop bodhicitta. If you had the opportunity, you would also choose another body, not a body that nobody likes. Snakes are very afraid, they hide themselves and disappear as soon as someone comes close. Meditate on compassion, and you will reach enlightenment, by understanding the suffering of the snake. Now the snake becomes so compassionate. Now the snake is actually giving you enlightenment, and you are able to liberate all sentient beings. When you have compassion and bodhicitta, no snake can give you harm. For example, when St. Francis of Assisi met a dangerous wolf, the wolf actually lay down on its back. St. Francis tamed the wolf’s mind by the power of his compassion. He told the wolf to stop harming others, and the wolf did. No being could harm St. Francis of Assisi; even the elements such as fire and water can be controlled by the power of compassion." HANDLING UNREALISTIC FEAR Below is a summary of various approaches to fear. They obviously will be most efficient when used with a calm and concentrated mind, either during meditation or at the moment you realize that something needs to be done about your fear. Obviously, the problem during an actual fearful situation is to have a calm and concentrated mind - a regular meditation practice can be of great help then! One of the best ways to really make progress with understanding and changing the functioning of our own mind is to try out analytical meditation, combined with the following kind of ideas. "Do the thing you fear most and the death of fear is certain." Mark Twain ANTIDOTE 1 - Acceptance Meditate with these kind of thoughts, without expecting this thought to change anything about the effect fear has on myself:, I know fear exist, I know it's making my life tougher then it needs to be, but it is not only me that has to deal with it, fear is a problem for all beings, big and small. “The presence of fear means only that fear is present, and nothing more,” Zen Buddhist teacher Suzanne Segal ANTIDOTE 2 - Imagine the Worst From StillingWave in a discussiongroup: "Sometimes rats get into my house, because I live near a river and leave my back door open. I would lay awake wondering where they were, with irrational fears of them deciding to nibble on my toes. What I eventually did, was just let my imagination run full force. I'd purposely invoked thoughts of hundreds of rats coming and biting me, and me getting up and going to the hospital. Then I'd imagine the hospital telling me that they rats gave me some horrible disease they couldn't cure, and I was going to die. Or they were going to have to amputate all my limbs. I'd explore this fear in detail, and wear out every aspect of it. The idea being, allow the worse of you fears to be realized. Don't allow them to wait in the shadows of your mind. What I found, was once I did this with one thing and saw the result. I started searching my mind for the really horrible repressed memories, the kind that make you twitch, when even a glimmer of them would begin to show. If you start seeing a little memory coming to the surface, even when you aren't prepared, grab it and yank it out and bring the roots with it. Be in control of it, be the one allowing it to the surface. Look right at it, and explore all the aspects of it you were always afraid to. All that said. I still have things I haven't faced, and stuff I'm still fearful of... however, I got a lot less of them now, then I had before. Plus the ones I have now, don't have quite the same sting to them." ANTIDOTE 3 - Realization of the Noble Truth of Suffering. Once one understands that problems and frustration is a basic fact of life, it can reduce our expectation that life without problems is possible. In other words: nothing is perfect, so don't expect it. Because of my belief that things can be perfect, it is easy to feel hurt. Deeply realizing that things can and will go wrong, I should try to avoid negative actions, they are the real (karmic) reasons for the problems. ANTIDOTE 4 - Understanding Karma. As explained in the page on Karma, the real reasons for our problems are our own actions, which are in turn caused by our own negative states of mind. If something threatens to go wrong, it has a sobering effect if we dare to think that the real reasons for this situation are our own past actions, and the this is just a circumstance for our own negative karma to ripen. Rather than fearing the future, we need to avoid negative actions that create our own problems. ANTIDOTE 5 - Changing or Accepting. Basically, we can find ourselves in two types of unpleasant situations: ones we can change and ones we cannot change. - If I can change the situation, I should do something about it instead of getting all upset. Not acting in such a situation will cause frustration in the end. - If I cannot change the situation, I will have to accept it. If I don't, it will only lead to frustration and a negative and unpleasant state of mind, which will make the situation only worse. For some reasons unclear to me, Westerners (including myself) appear to have big problems with accepting unpleasant situations which we cannot change. Could this be a result of impatience (a form of anger) with imperfection (an unrealistic expectation)? ANTIDOTE 6 - Realistic Analysis. What am I really afraid of? If it is about losing someone or something: have a look at the attachment page. Am I afraid of being hurt - is this idea logical and realistic? If yes, take action to avoid it, if no, try to gradually get control over this unrealistic habit of the mind: this is a very unpleasant feeling, and the only way I can get rid of it is to stand up to it! You could have a look at the page on self-confidence. Analytic meditation can be a very effective process to overcome unrealistic emotions like fear. Also, I find this quote by Ambrose Redmoon quite interesting to reflect upon: "Courage is the judgment that something is more important than fear."
ANTIDOTE 7 - Realization of Emptiness. See the page on Wisdom. To summarize it briefly, if one deeply realizes the emptiness of inherent existence or interdependence of the other person, the situation and oneself, there is nothing to be afraid of. The realization of emptiness is therefore the ultimate means of ridding oneself of unrealistic negative emotions like fear. ANTIDOTE 8 - Take Responsibility for Your Problems Fear is something that our own mind creates, so only our own mind can do something about it! Exaggerated fears can have their basis in wrong decisions or experiences as a child, try to find out what caused the problem to begin with, and it may gradually dissolve. Also, admit your own suffering because of your fears and get help! Do not let the fear of being afraid turn your life into misery. If you are afraid of the therapy that can cure you from your paranoia of spiders, simply because they will talk about spiders, you have chosen to feel miserable for the rest of your life. Think about your self-confidence perhaps... ANTIDOTE 9 -Taking and giving meditation (Tong-len) See the description of this type of meditation; in this case, you can imagine taking all the fear of others unto yourself and give courage and protection to others. This meditation is really a mind-blower; if do try it seriously you will probably notice its incredile power to change our own attitude. A COURTESY OF viewonbuddhism.com
An acclaimed Kathak dancer, acting was not her goal, for she wanted to be a Micro-biologist, and did study in that course in Bombay's Parle College, in Vile Parle (East), Bombay.
She first appeared on Bollywood's tinsel screen in 1986 with two releases 'Abodh' and 'Swati', and from then continued to act in approximately 66 movies, as well has lent her voice as a playback singer in 'Devdas' and 'Wajood'. She has won approximately 12 awards from Filmare, Star Screen and Zee for her performances in 'Dil', 'Beta', 'Hum Aapke Hain Kaun', 'Dil To Pagal Hai', 'Devdas', 'Raja', 'Mrityudand', and 'Lajja'.
In 1999 she got married to Dr. Sriram Madhav Nene, a Cardiovascular Surgeon, belonging to the same Caste as the Dixit family, and relocated to Denver, Colorado, U.S.A., where she subsequently gave birth to two sons, Arin and Ryan in March, 2003 and March 8, 2005 respectively.
Since December of 2006, the Nene family temporarily living in India as Madhuri is starring in 'Aaja Nachle' which is being directed by Anil Mehta, and produced by Yash Chopra.
PRABHU DEVA "In dancing I know what comes next, unlike in acting."
Dancing is his passion. Known more for his moves than his histrionics, Prabhudevas success as a star can be attributed more to his dancing than anything else. Called Indias Michael Jackson, his rubber band body made the audiences whistle and gape at his near- impossible dance steps. Today, hes one of the biggest actors down south, but for this talented actor, the biggest high was when he met his idol Michael Jackson. Catch Prabhu talking about how the once-lanky boy made it as one of the biggest dancing sensations in the country. Have you always had a fascination for dancing? Yes, right from my childhood days, I always wanted to dance. Also, I loved dance because I knew I was good at it. I was pathetic in studies, so dance took precedence over everything else. During my schooling years, my love for dance continued growing.
Kamal Hasan
Kamal is one actor the whole India is proud of. The debut, the personality, the versatility of skills, his films, the roles he played, performed and excelled, his achievements in every field he gets in are worth of appreciation, praise and are worth given an illustration. One has to consider Kamal as an actor, not an image because he just outclasses this so-called stardom and he feels and treats his profession as one of the fine arts. Kamal Hasan ia an actor of class, versatility and perfection who truly justified all the roles he did - from hero to villain, man to woman and a dwarf. Today, he is at a point where no one could reach him at all.
Hrithik Roshan
Those who create camps around them need to be surrounded by people who put them on a pedestal. And the people who buzz around the �important people� are there only because that person is their only claim to fame! In such an unhealthy scenario, I think I am best left alone. I am my best critic; I have my feet firmly planted on the ground and my head firmly screwed onto my shoulders. I don�t need people to tell me how good I am .I only need them to tell me how bad, I am! ---- The Quote Of Genius !
MJ FOREVER !!!!!
Dubbed the King of Pop, singer-song writer Michael Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana on August 29, 1958. As a child, he was lead singer of the Jackson family's popular Motown group, The Jackson 5. Michael Jackson went on to become one of the most internationally famous award-winning solo pop sensations to date. His 2009 death stirred controversy and was ultimately ruled an Contents Synopsis Early Life Solo Career Pepsi, Bad and Neverland Molestation Allegations and Career Decline Final Months Death and Aftermath accidental overdose.
