Happy Love Day!

Krishna was a man born several thousand years ago. Many Hindus consider him to be God incarnate. He is prominently featured in books like the Mahabharat, Bagwad Geeta and Shrimad Bhagwatam. It is said that if a person reads any one of these he is assured a place in heaven.

I had a Krishna experience once.

I was doing a speech for a group of high school students. They started talking about morality in religion and someone mentioned Krishna. My instant reaction was quite negative...I said if you are looking for a moral role model you should look at Raam, not Krishna. The literature on Krishna depicts Krishna as quite a ladies man. Other instances describe him as being quite manipulative. In fact, the Mahabharat was a world war that some say was engineered by Krishna. Some would say that the Geeta is an elaborate sales pitch for justifying the killings during war.

This does not sound like the God that religious people would like to believe in. I took these kinds of ideas and said negative things about him to my group of students.

As my speech ended I was heading out the door, thinking about what had come out of my mouth and suddenly it felt like something opened up in front of my eyes. It was just a flash of realization, but I saw Krishna and I felt a tremendous love swell up inside me. I realized that Krishna is pure love...just infinite love.

I was really surprised. Since Krishna is considered to be God, I expected some sort of reprimand for saying bad things about Him, but instead, I got love.

I took this new perspective of Krishna and went through everything I knew about him as described in the literature. I realized that at the time Krishna was born people had lost their path and were doing all sorts of immoral things. A system had developed where even good people supported the bad out of obligation and political correctness. Good people were being squeezed out of society.

Krishna's role was to bring balance back into nature. The 'good' needed a hand. The only way to eliminate the influence of 'bad' was through a war. This is why he engineered a war where millions were killed. Krishna re-established the right path to heaven in the Geeta. The Bhagwatam is Krishna incarnate...Simply by reading it or listening to it, a persons sins are washed away...problems are replaced by success, unhappiness is replaced by bliss...I have met people who read the Bhagwatam every day and I have found them to be some of the gentlest, most loving people.

I also learned that according to the Veda, Krishna is considered to be the first unit of creation. My own experience has been that as I go deeper into the mind I experience more bliss and love. If Krishna is the first unit of creation, that would mean that love takes shape as Krishna as the universe is created.

My conclusion is that despite what people may say the reality of Krishna is love.

Today is Krishna's birthday. Today is the day to be thankful for the love in your life. Today is the day you can have infinite love simply by having your attention on Krishna.

I wish you a happy Janmashthmi. I wish you happy love day. May the ifluence of this day fill you with so much love that all your trouble are forgotten. May you live in bliss.

Jai Shree Krishna.

How To Be In Love

Falling in love is so much fun! You feel good all over, life takes on a new meaning, you look forward to being with the person you love, you feel happy just thinking about your new friend...

Unfortunately, our culture, led by the media, sets us up to fall out of love as quickly as possible. The chatter in your mind, your friends, movies etc., they all fill your head up with ideas that make it impossible for love to thrive or even survive. We all know the scripts...

You know...

If he loved me he would buy me chocolates... he would phone me more often... he would bring me flowers when we go on a date...

Or maybe...

If he really loved me he would ask me to marry him... he would understand that I don't like it when he (does this)... he would have (this) kind of look in his eyes...

How about this...

If I was really in love I would feel like... I wonder if this is really love... I hope this lasts...

Can you identify with many of these thoughts and feelings? These are all culturally bred into us by our society.

In an attempt to capitalize on the power of love story tellers and advertisers have put all kinds of words and pictures into our mind. Yes, many of these are based on people's experiences, but what any one person experiences is always different from the next one.

If you find yourself starting to think along these lines, realize that you are probably about to talk yourself out of love.

Love is a feeling. Love is an experience. Love is life itself.

When you are really in love, you know. There is a sense of fulfillment, a sense of satisfaction. The tension that often accompanies love is created by the scripts we begin to play in our minds, based on cultural influences.

If you are in love, try this: just relax. Let life unfold the way it does. Don't try to second-guess what you will do next or what your partner will say or do.

Just relax. Let it happen. Bask in the good feelings. Let them nurture you. Let them heal you. Let them give you that which you have been longing for, for such a long time.

By doing this you will give love a chance.

If it is really love, you will know. Love is nurturing, caring. Love is attractive. Love is good health. Love is full of life. If you are experiencing any or all of this, love is probably real.

Let it be. Let it give you fulfillment. Respond to your feelings in terms of giving love. Don't stifle it with fear and considerations. If it is real it will continue. If it is not real, you won't be able to delude yourself for long. The whole experience will become negative. That is not love. That is neurosis.

Love is the essence of creation. Love is the glue of the universe. Love is the most fundamental expression of God.

By relaxing and letting love happen you are coming in tune with the deepest aspect of yourself. You are coming in tune with God.

Let it happen. Be real. Don't go into pretending love. Enjoy it while it lasts. After it is gone (if it goes away) you will be a transformed person. Your life will have changed forever. You will be more capable. You will have more wisdom. You will have lived!

Let love happen. It is life itself. Once you have experienced it, you will have tasted the nectar of immortality. You will have experienced heaven, on earth.

Be at peace with love. Be in silence. Let love guide your life. Don't fight it. Don't try to control it. Don't try to predict it. Let it be.

That's the way to enjoy love.

If you try anything, you are getting away from the true experience. The true experience is good. As soon as you get away from it you are dealing with your own ideas rather than the reality of love.

Love is the gentlest of experiences. It is so subtle that it can hardly be pinpointed by the conscious mind. This is why you have to just let it be.

Love exists at the deepest levels of consciousness...just after the pure essence of being. The experience of pure being is nothingness (but a full nothingness). Just as your experience of pure Self comes out of the nothingness, love is the first thing that is experienced...then happiness is experienced. This is why love is associated with happiness.

For the record, Krishna is the first unit of creation. He is pure love. People who have experienced Krishna report waves and waves of love.

Similarly, when you meet someone who is tuned in to the deepest aspect of themselves you will have experiences of love. I have found children are almost entranced when they see someone like that. Women also respond with love. They can't explain it, but they just fall in love with such a person, even if there is no basis for it. Even men, especially highly sexed men respond this way (I'll explain why later some time).

Love can be triggered by the right person, or it can be a normal experience of someone who it tuned in to the deeper aspect of themselves.

If you want it to continue, just leave it alone. Let it be. Let your soul swim in the experience. It is the most wonderful thing that could happen to a person.

My Pain

Generally, I am a very positive, active person. I have big dreams and the goals to match. You will often find me involved in exciting situations and deals reserved for the most successful in any society.

But for some reason, which I can't understand, my heart really hurts. Many times physically, but quite often it is just searching.

I took a course about ten years ago which changed my life. I had been fighting with my father for many years, since I was a teenager. In this course I realized that when I was two and a half years old my younger brother was born. Because he was the baby, he got all the attention and I, at the age of two, came to the conclusion that nobody loved me.

I hung on to that conclusion throughout my life. All my dealings with people were based on that decision. I had no friends, I didn't get along with my brothers or parents. I belonged nowhere and had nobody (in my mind).

When I realized that my life was based on the conclusions of a two year old child, I decided to do a review of my life. I realized that all my life I had been surrounded by an ocean of love. I had good, caring friends and the most loving parents anyone could have. I was stunned. As soon as I could, I called up my father and apologized for being a jerk all my life. I told him "you didn't have a chance" because I had already made up my mind that no one loved me, especially him(how stupid of me!).

Since then I have made friends with my father and life has improved 1000%.

But I am still so sad at this time. I don't know what to do.

I do many spiritual things that give me happiness and satisfaction beyond description. I am constantly in touch with an ocean of love deep inside me. The experience is transcendental. When I am in touch with that "zone" life is good. However, sometimes I guess I lose the connection and it really hurts. I wonder how other people survive? How do they go through life without the incredible happiness of the "zone"? I can't stand it when I lose touch for short periods of time.

For anyone reading this, don't worry. The zone is likely to kick in anytime now. I am just in an unusually deep state of personal pain. I'm sure it will pass. It always does. As I continue my practices I have noticed that the good feelings last longer and longer. The bad feelings pass much more quickly. I feel privileged to have this knowledge. Eventually it is supposed to become permanent. I am looking forward to being in the happiness zone all the time, but I wish it would hurry up! I don't like being in the pain I am in.

Expressing feelings like this is highly unusual for me. I hope no one I know reads this.

How To Get Out Of A Slump

Life is unfair.

Sometimes bad things happen and keep happening without letting up. Things keep getting from bad to worse. There seems to be no end in sight. What's a person to do? Just roll over and die?

I don't think so.

Being a vetran of life not working out the way I planned, I have learned some survival techniques. Sometimes they get me out of trouble. Often they give me the mental toughness to get through a series of daunting situations. If nothing else, they always keep me from going into a depression.

Here are some of the strategies I have found useful:

1. Take time to relax.

This can be one of the hardest things to do when life is not being nice to you but it must be done. Let go of the things you feel you must do. Maybe not all of them, but enough so you can take three to five, five minute breaks in a day. Just do nothing. Sit there. If possible, close your eyes and sit there. After the five minutes, get back to work.

Transcendental Meditation is the best way to get a deep level of rest in 20 minutes twice a day. Being a closet workaholic, this has been my secret weapon for maintaining my sanity (and energy levels) through the toughest situations. This is my single most important tip. Check it out here: http://www.alltm.org/Transcendental_Meditation.html

2. Keep your mind focused on a goal.

Sometimes a difficult situation means you should be switching directions. Sometimes it just means you should learn more. Often it doesn't mean anything at all. In any case, if you focus on something that is worth chasing and keep working toward it something will happen. You may get to a point where it becomes clear that you are on the wrong path. You may get a bright idea that gets you through the bad situation. Many times focusing on some worthwhile goal will just keep you positive enough that you can recognize the way out of your problems.

3. Get enough sleep.

Especially if you are tending toward depression, take time to get enough hours of sleep. You have to do this. There is no way out. Being tired all the time is a quick way to go into depression.

4. Exercise.

If you are going toward a depression, do aerobic exercise. Get your blood pumping. Do some deep breathing. Get some fresh air.

If your nerves are being stressed, do a little bit of vigorous exercise but lean toward streching exercises like yoga. Learn to do rhythmic breating exercises like Qi Gong or Pranayam. I have found Tai Chi to be very therapeutic.

5. Eat properly.

Eat freshly prepared foods. Don't eat leftovers. Have at least two hot, balanced meals a day. Have something light for breakfast. Don't stay hugry for long periods of time. Good nutrition habits are essential if you are going to survive stressful situations in life.

6. Take herbal supplements.

I went through many situations and ended up getting chest pains. I later discovered that I didn't need to do that. There are many good quality herbal supplements you can take. I rely on products by a company called Sunrider. They have something called ESE. This is a great herbal mixture for getting relaxed. There are no side effects. I have found the anxiousness goes away with just one or two capsules. I only use it when all else fails.

If money is an issue Sunrider may be too expensive. In that case, go to an Indian grocery store and buy some Brahmi and Amlaki (or Amla) tablets. Take four to six a day of each one. You'll feel 100% better within a couple of days.

7. Stay around positive people.

Don't become a loner. Don't hang out with others who are going through a bad time. I know it's tempting, but don't do it. Be around people who are succeeding. Their energy will pull you through. It will keep you from falling into a depression. Don't talk to them about your problems, unless you think they can actually help. If you need to talk out your problems find a friend you can dump on, once. If you keep putting your attention on your problems there is no way out. You'll keep feeling worse about it. Get out of yourself and into the lives of positive people who are going places. This is really a powerful strategy, just try it.

8. Read a book on positive thinking or goal setting or anything like that.

Once I was going through such a depression that I wanted to commit suicide. I somehow made a decision to read positive thinking books. Within a few months I was out of the depression. I highly recommend this strategy. Who knows, you might even learn something useful!

9. Get someone to pray for you.

As Hindu I have access to many different approaches to praying. Followers of every system make promises of the benefits of their approach. I have tried many of them. What I have found is that the effect of my prayers for me keep my life in a general good trend but I haven't found results in eliminating specific problems. On the other hand I have seen some remarkable results from someone else praying for me.

Some traditional Indian astrologers (Jyotishees) offer prayers to various planets in a person's chart to eliminate their bad effect. I have found good results with every one (of many) that I have tried but one person's prayers have had significantly better results for me. His name is Dr. M.P. Uniyal. You can reach him at: 626-256-3325.

10. Take a philosophical approach to life.

I have found that good times and bad times are like the weather. They seem to come and go without warning. When things are good, life is fun. When things go bad, try to get out of the way of the bad and wait out the storm. Eventually, the bad situation will go away. Do what you need to, to survive, but don't fight the situation. It will just drain you. Accept things the way they are and quietly, purposefully do what needs to be done.