Dear Friends,For too long we have been brainwashed into thinking that the world is beyond repair and puny creatures, such as us, count for very little in making a better world.Sireesh's shining work( we have our own Neeraj Jain) will prove this thinking archaic and backward. This only comes from those who have never had the zest for living. And this has nothing to do with so called "age". A 20 year old may not have it whereas a 70 year old may.This has do how brightly the Light Within shines within the person.For too long we have been obsessed with material security for us and our children. For too long we have let a great store on consumption, as if five star comforts is all there in life. Well, people like Sireesh seem to tell us one thing .All your money, gold and establishment count for very little in the scheme of things.We may think we have a lot. This is a huge blunder. It is what we are inside that is everything.In the scheme of Life we are all ONE and we have to give our ALL to make this a LIVING REALITY for each and everyone of us.Only that is a life worth living.Hats off, my friend Sireesh.Avinash Sahay
Subject: Story of Shreesh Jhadav in Times
Rahul Awasthi comes away impressed after meeting his classmate and IIT topper, who earns no salary, but has the highest job satisfaction.
I read in a corporate bestseller sometime back that the highest job satisfaction is enjoyed by those in least-paying jobs, like in NGOs and social organisations. This sounded ironical, but still exciting enough to mull over, for those of us in the corporate world, chasing a mirage called job satisfaction and often confusing it with high salaries.
Five years ago, I was posted in Kolkata to look after the eastern region. This is where I had the soul-stirring experience of meeting Shreesh at Belur Math, the Ramkrishna Mission's headquarters. Away from the city's boisterous roads, Belur is tranquility personified as its sylvan surroundings are placed close to the mighty Hooghly. It had been 18 years since Shreesh and I had passed out from IIT, Kanpur, where we spent our days in neighbouring hostel rooms, and 14 years since we had last met. In the course of lunch that day at Belur, he unfolded his post-IIT story, which marked a turning point for my own view towards life.
Shreesh Jadhav was ranked second across India in the JEE and completed his B.Tech in computer science with a perfect 10 CPI. A recipient of the President's gold medal at IIT, he spurned all offers of plum scholarships from top foreign universities. Instead, he went on to do his Ph.D from IIT, Kanpur. As his neighbour, I was familiar with Shreesh's leanings towards Swami Vivekananda and Ramkrishna Paramhans. Often, when I barged into his room for a chat session, I would find him deep into reading their teachings. These had an impact on his day-to-day actions as well.
An example of his austerity was the fact that he managed to pass those four years with just a pair of white kurta-pyjamas . Top brain that he was, the toughest assignments were cracked by him in a jiffy and his answers matched up to the second decimal of the model answers put up later outside the exam hall. He also found time to take up the cause of mess workers, which temporarily invited the ire of IIT authorities, but eventually bore results. Through his Vivekananda Samiti, he taught several of the mess workers' children, besides other poor employees of IIT.
With three sisters, he was the only son of his parents, and the entire family along with many of us, egged him on to study abroad. I occasionally mocked his convictions and told his parents that he would eventually succumb to the lure of dollars, just like several of his batchmates. But, he couldn't be deterred from his single-minded pursuit of serving humanity. He would explain, "Just like Silicon Valley, social sectors too desperately need intelligent people."
He continues to positively impact the lowest rung of the social ladder. Recently, he helped save the life of 12-year-old Sarita, who developed a hole in her heart. Her operation in Bangalore cost Rs 3 lakh and on reading Shreesh's email, I had contributed my bit, but was doubtful if he would meet the target. But, as I recently found out, Sarita was back home in Kanpur after a successful surgery, making me put my faith in Shreesh's words that "there are a lot of good people in the world, we just need to reach out to them".
Unmarried, he has dedicated his entire life towards a social cause. He joined the Ramkrishna Mission after his doctorate and, by now, has taught computer science to several thousand students at their university, besides managing various projects spread across the country. He also humbly believes that Belur Math has given him the opportunity to achieve his mission. Yet, his journey continues.
Shreesh's story is beyond inspiration. When I look around at my batch-mates, many of whom head companies, I consider Shreesh the biggest success story of IIT. His story should be a catalyst for all those who want to bridge the social abyss created by market forces and government inaction. As I write a cheque for Rs 15,000 for my three-year-old son's quarterly fees, I'm reminded of an education system gone horrendously wrong. Unlike many of us who keep trodding known paths, Shreesh Maharaj - as he is popularly known in Belur - has clearly found his own path and left a trail
Life is short. Vanities of the world are transient. They alone live who live for others. The rest are more dead than alive- Swami Vivekananda
http://www.mindtree.com/email/disclaimer.html-- Regards E. Pandarinath T Sr.Dy.G.M./Planning/ST off: +91 40 2318 5045 Mob: +91 9441484218__._,_.___MARKETPLACE.
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Monday, January 16, 2012
One Swallow Could Make a Summer.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Learning as a Journey as well as a Goal
Learning is a way of life and in this journey there are actually no leaders and no followers.Life, in its unbounded Majesty, is what we have to learn from.And that Pulsating Presence Within, our common God,our greatest friend and lover,is the only Teacher we actually need.But we ardently need to forge a relationship with this Mighty Presence Within and then witness for ourselves the ensuing joy,abundance,freedom and the amazing lightness of our beings.
Unfortunately, we pass a lifetime chasing everything but this Magnificent Teacher that remains hidden behind every breath and every pore of our being.And this is the existential tragedy of the human drama.It seeks to be free and unbounded, its essential nature,but just doesn't seem to understand the way out. And that it can be so simple, the so called "experts" and leaders and Gurus will not countenance at the risk of being driven out of their businesses and their exploitative empires.
Unfortunately, we pass a lifetime chasing everything but this Magnificent Teacher that remains hidden behind every breath and every pore of our being.And this is the existential tragedy of the human drama.It seeks to be free and unbounded, its essential nature,but just doesn't seem to understand the way out. And that it can be so simple, the so called "experts" and leaders and Gurus will not countenance at the risk of being driven out of their businesses and their exploitative empires.
The Four Natural Enemies on the Path to Knowledge
Friends,
This fascinating article should give us food for some thought.How Clarity can Almost be a mistake.And how Power proves the undoing of many a man.And, of course, that creeping thing called Old Age,which can undo all clarity, power and knowledge.
Instead of living for the glory of That Pulsating Presence within all of us, which has been conveniently called God,we live to satiate our senses, ego and our intellects.Instead of being guided by the God Within, we place ourselves at the mercy of the so called "experts" with their bookish information about life.
If all our action is surrendered to That Mighty Presence Within, we may,perhaps,be surprised,again and again, by the Bounty and Abundance of this Majesty of a thing we have for a life.
“ A MAN OF KNOWLEDGE ”
A man of knowledge is one who has followed “ every step of learning is a new task ”
When a man starts to learn, he is never clear about his objectives. Hispurpose is faulty ; his
intent is vague. He hopes for rewards seem so nebulous.And,yet,he has no choice but to hang on with fortitude,and with unbounded hope.
Carlos Castaneda
edit-team
Carlos Castaneda ( 25th December 1925 - 27th April 1998 ) was a Peruvian born American anthropologist and author.
Carlos Castaneda was the enigmatic author of several best-selling books about the mystical teachings of don Juan Matus, a Yaqui Indian shaman from Sonora, Mexico, first introduced to audiences in the year 1968’s The Teachings of don Juan : A Yaqui Way of Knowledge.
Castaneda’s other books continued the story, with don Juan ( or his companion, don Genaro ) playing the wise descendant of ancient Mexican shamans and Castaneda playing the dim but earnest student. The short version : Castaneda met don Juan at a bus station in Arizona in the year 1960 and learned that getting stoned in the desert opened doors to new perspectives on reality. Castaneda, though, had a tough time overcoming his Western rationalism and grasping ancient Mexican mystical stuff.
Starting with “ The Teachings of Don Juan ” in the year 1968, Castaneda wrote a series of books that describe his training in sorcery. The books, narrated in the first person, \relate his experiences under the tutelage of don Juan Matus. A few excerpts from the book “ The Teachings of Don Juan ”. materialize for he knows nothing of the hardships of learning. He slowly begins to learn .. bit by bit at first,
then in big chunks. And his thoughts soon clash. What he learns is never what he pictured, or
imagined, and so he begins to be afraid. Learning is never what one expects. Every step of learning is a new task, and the fear the man is experiencing begins to mount m e r c i l e s s l y ,
unyieldingly. His purpose becomes a battlefield. “ first enemy .. fear ” And thus, he has stumbled upon the first of his natural enemies : FEAR !
A terrible enemy .. treacherous and difficult to overcome. It remains concealed at every turn
of the way, prowling and waiting. And if the man, terrified in its presence, runs away, his enemy will have put an end to his quest and he will never learn. He will never become a man of knowledge. He will perhaps be a bully, or a harmless, scared man ; at any rate, he will be a defeated man. His first enemy will have put an end to his cravings. “ one must not run away ”
Therefore, he must not run away. He must defy his fear, and in spite of it he must take the
next step in learning, and the next, and the next. He must be fully afraid, and yet he must not stop. That is the rule ! And a moment will come when his first enemy retreats. The man begins to feel sure of himself. His intent becomes stronger. Learning is no longer a terrifying task.
“ defeat of the first enemy ” When this joyful moment comes, the man can say without hesitation that he has defeated his first natural enemy. It happens little by little, and yet the fear is vanquished suddenly and fast. Once a man has vanquished fear, he is free from it for the rest of his life because, instead of fear, he has acquired clarity .. a clarity of mind which erases fear. By then a man knows his desires ; he knows how to satisfy those desires. He can anticipate the new steps of learning and a sharp clarity surrounds everything. The man
feels that nothing is concealed. “ second enemy .. clarity ” And thus, he has encountered his second enemy : CLARITY ! That clarity of mind, which is so hard to obtain, dispels fear, but also blinds. It forces the man never to doubt himself. It gives him the assurance he can do anything he pleases, for he sees clearly into everything. And he is courageous because he is clear,
and he stops at nothing because he is clear. But all that is a mistake ; it is like something
incomplete. “ make-believe power .. clarity ” If the man yields to this make-believe power,
he has succumbed to his second enemy and will be patient when he should rush. And he will
fumble with learning until he winds up incapable of learning anything more. His second enemy has just stopped him cold from trying to become a man of knowledge. “ clarity is almost a mistake ” He must do what he did with fear : he mustdefy his clarity and use it only to see, and wait patiently and measure carefully before taking new steps; he must think, above all, that his clarity is almost a mistake.And a moment will come when he willunderstand that his clarity was only a point before his eyes. And thus he will have overcome his secondenemy, and will arrive at a position where nothingcan harm him anymore. This will not be a mistake. It will be true power. He will know at this point that the power hehas been pursuing for so long is finally his. He can do with it whatever he pleases. His ally is at his command. His wish is the rule. He sees all that is around him. SPIRITUAL INDIA 2 4 May - June 2011 “ third enemy .. power ” But he has also come across his third enemy : POWER ! Power is the strongest of all enemies. And naturally the easiest thing to do is to give in ; after all, the man is truly invincible. He commands ; he begins by taking calculated risks, and ends in making rules, because he is a master. A man at this stage hardly notices his third enemy closing in on him. And suddenly, without knowing, he will certainly have lost the battle. His enemy will have turned him into a cruel, capricious man, but he will never lose his clarity or his power. “ one who is defeated by power ” A man who is defeated by power dies without really knowing how to handle it. Power is only a burden upon his fate. Such a man has no command over himself, and cannot tell when or how to use his power. Once one of these enemies overpowers a man there is nothing he can do. It is not possible, for instance, that a man who is defeated by power may see his error and mend his ways. “ defeating the third enemy ” If he is temporarily blinded by power, and then refuses it, his battle is still on. That means he is still trying to become a man of knowledge. A man is defeated only when he no longer tries, and abandons himself. He has to come to realize that the power he has seemingly conquered is in reality never his. He must keep himself in line at all times, handling carefully and faithfully all that he has learned. If he can see that clarity and power, without his control over himself, are worse than mistakes, he will reach a point where everything is held in check. He will know then when and how to use his power. And thus he will have defeated his third enemy. “ final enemy .. old age ” The man will be, by then, at the end of his journey of learning, and almost without warning he will come upon the last of his enemies : OLD AGE ! This enemy is the cruelest of all, the one he won’t be able to defeat completely, but only fight away. “ unyielding desire to rest .. old age ” This is the time when a man has no more fears, no more impatient clarity of mind .. a time when all his power is in check, but also the time when he has an unyielding desire to rest. If he gives in totally to his desire to lie down and forget, if he soothes himself in tiredness, he will have lost his last round, and his enemy will cut him down into a feeble old creature. His desire to retreat will overrule all his clarity, his power, and his knowledge. “ slough off tiredness ” But if the man sloughs off his tiredness, and lives his fate though, he can then be called a man of knowledge, if only for the brief moment when he succeeds in fighting off his last, invincible enemy. That moment of clarity, power, and knowledge is enough.
material excerpted from the book “ The Teachings of Don Juan ” by Carlos Castaneda .. published by Washington Square Press Publication of Pocket Books
This fascinating article should give us food for some thought.How Clarity can Almost be a mistake.And how Power proves the undoing of many a man.And, of course, that creeping thing called Old Age,which can undo all clarity, power and knowledge.
Instead of living for the glory of That Pulsating Presence within all of us, which has been conveniently called God,we live to satiate our senses, ego and our intellects.Instead of being guided by the God Within, we place ourselves at the mercy of the so called "experts" with their bookish information about life.
If all our action is surrendered to That Mighty Presence Within, we may,perhaps,be surprised,again and again, by the Bounty and Abundance of this Majesty of a thing we have for a life.
“ A MAN OF KNOWLEDGE ”
A man of knowledge is one who has followed “ every step of learning is a new task ”
When a man starts to learn, he is never clear about his objectives. Hispurpose is faulty ; his
intent is vague. He hopes for rewards seem so nebulous.And,yet,he has no choice but to hang on with fortitude,and with unbounded hope.
Carlos Castaneda
edit-team
Carlos Castaneda ( 25th December 1925 - 27th April 1998 ) was a Peruvian born American anthropologist and author.
Carlos Castaneda was the enigmatic author of several best-selling books about the mystical teachings of don Juan Matus, a Yaqui Indian shaman from Sonora, Mexico, first introduced to audiences in the year 1968’s The Teachings of don Juan : A Yaqui Way of Knowledge.
Castaneda’s other books continued the story, with don Juan ( or his companion, don Genaro ) playing the wise descendant of ancient Mexican shamans and Castaneda playing the dim but earnest student. The short version : Castaneda met don Juan at a bus station in Arizona in the year 1960 and learned that getting stoned in the desert opened doors to new perspectives on reality. Castaneda, though, had a tough time overcoming his Western rationalism and grasping ancient Mexican mystical stuff.
Starting with “ The Teachings of Don Juan ” in the year 1968, Castaneda wrote a series of books that describe his training in sorcery. The books, narrated in the first person, \relate his experiences under the tutelage of don Juan Matus. A few excerpts from the book “ The Teachings of Don Juan ”. materialize for he knows nothing of the hardships of learning. He slowly begins to learn .. bit by bit at first,
then in big chunks. And his thoughts soon clash. What he learns is never what he pictured, or
imagined, and so he begins to be afraid. Learning is never what one expects. Every step of learning is a new task, and the fear the man is experiencing begins to mount m e r c i l e s s l y ,
unyieldingly. His purpose becomes a battlefield. “ first enemy .. fear ” And thus, he has stumbled upon the first of his natural enemies : FEAR !
A terrible enemy .. treacherous and difficult to overcome. It remains concealed at every turn
of the way, prowling and waiting. And if the man, terrified in its presence, runs away, his enemy will have put an end to his quest and he will never learn. He will never become a man of knowledge. He will perhaps be a bully, or a harmless, scared man ; at any rate, he will be a defeated man. His first enemy will have put an end to his cravings. “ one must not run away ”
Therefore, he must not run away. He must defy his fear, and in spite of it he must take the
next step in learning, and the next, and the next. He must be fully afraid, and yet he must not stop. That is the rule ! And a moment will come when his first enemy retreats. The man begins to feel sure of himself. His intent becomes stronger. Learning is no longer a terrifying task.
“ defeat of the first enemy ” When this joyful moment comes, the man can say without hesitation that he has defeated his first natural enemy. It happens little by little, and yet the fear is vanquished suddenly and fast. Once a man has vanquished fear, he is free from it for the rest of his life because, instead of fear, he has acquired clarity .. a clarity of mind which erases fear. By then a man knows his desires ; he knows how to satisfy those desires. He can anticipate the new steps of learning and a sharp clarity surrounds everything. The man
feels that nothing is concealed. “ second enemy .. clarity ” And thus, he has encountered his second enemy : CLARITY ! That clarity of mind, which is so hard to obtain, dispels fear, but also blinds. It forces the man never to doubt himself. It gives him the assurance he can do anything he pleases, for he sees clearly into everything. And he is courageous because he is clear,
and he stops at nothing because he is clear. But all that is a mistake ; it is like something
incomplete. “ make-believe power .. clarity ” If the man yields to this make-believe power,
he has succumbed to his second enemy and will be patient when he should rush. And he will
fumble with learning until he winds up incapable of learning anything more. His second enemy has just stopped him cold from trying to become a man of knowledge. “ clarity is almost a mistake ” He must do what he did with fear : he mustdefy his clarity and use it only to see, and wait patiently and measure carefully before taking new steps; he must think, above all, that his clarity is almost a mistake.And a moment will come when he willunderstand that his clarity was only a point before his eyes. And thus he will have overcome his secondenemy, and will arrive at a position where nothingcan harm him anymore. This will not be a mistake. It will be true power. He will know at this point that the power hehas been pursuing for so long is finally his. He can do with it whatever he pleases. His ally is at his command. His wish is the rule. He sees all that is around him. SPIRITUAL INDIA 2 4 May - June 2011 “ third enemy .. power ” But he has also come across his third enemy : POWER ! Power is the strongest of all enemies. And naturally the easiest thing to do is to give in ; after all, the man is truly invincible. He commands ; he begins by taking calculated risks, and ends in making rules, because he is a master. A man at this stage hardly notices his third enemy closing in on him. And suddenly, without knowing, he will certainly have lost the battle. His enemy will have turned him into a cruel, capricious man, but he will never lose his clarity or his power. “ one who is defeated by power ” A man who is defeated by power dies without really knowing how to handle it. Power is only a burden upon his fate. Such a man has no command over himself, and cannot tell when or how to use his power. Once one of these enemies overpowers a man there is nothing he can do. It is not possible, for instance, that a man who is defeated by power may see his error and mend his ways. “ defeating the third enemy ” If he is temporarily blinded by power, and then refuses it, his battle is still on. That means he is still trying to become a man of knowledge. A man is defeated only when he no longer tries, and abandons himself. He has to come to realize that the power he has seemingly conquered is in reality never his. He must keep himself in line at all times, handling carefully and faithfully all that he has learned. If he can see that clarity and power, without his control over himself, are worse than mistakes, he will reach a point where everything is held in check. He will know then when and how to use his power. And thus he will have defeated his third enemy. “ final enemy .. old age ” The man will be, by then, at the end of his journey of learning, and almost without warning he will come upon the last of his enemies : OLD AGE ! This enemy is the cruelest of all, the one he won’t be able to defeat completely, but only fight away. “ unyielding desire to rest .. old age ” This is the time when a man has no more fears, no more impatient clarity of mind .. a time when all his power is in check, but also the time when he has an unyielding desire to rest. If he gives in totally to his desire to lie down and forget, if he soothes himself in tiredness, he will have lost his last round, and his enemy will cut him down into a feeble old creature. His desire to retreat will overrule all his clarity, his power, and his knowledge. “ slough off tiredness ” But if the man sloughs off his tiredness, and lives his fate though, he can then be called a man of knowledge, if only for the brief moment when he succeeds in fighting off his last, invincible enemy. That moment of clarity, power, and knowledge is enough.
material excerpted from the book “ The Teachings of Don Juan ” by Carlos Castaneda .. published by Washington Square Press Publication of Pocket Books
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