A Lock Down is a once in a lifetime event. Due to the threat of Covid19, the lockdown has descended on us without much prior warning and obviously most of us were not ready for the experience. But some of us were better prepared to face the lock down than others; Dr Anjali is one of them. Her preparation for this unexpected crisis, and the hidden opportunity therein, must have been taking place for a long time. She was certified fit to face a crisis of this sort, when she walked out of cancer with a smile on her face. 

‘Anjali’ literally means a divine offering, a gift carried in both hands. This book is Dr Anjali’s gift to all of us. She has brought for us, thoughts of great souls like Osho, O Henry, Martin Luther King Jr, Arthur Ashe, Buddha, Rumi, Thich Nhat Hanh and Nelson Mandela along with her unique Manadalas and equally beautiful reflections. 

I was amongst the lucky recipients of these thoughts and Mandalas each morning. Many a times her sentences would force one to take a pause and reflect further on what has been written. As an example onsider this one sentence, ‘We cannot run the world on efficiency alone’ which she wrote while she was writing on the theme Love. Nothing more is required to be said to underline the need and importance of love in human life.

Through out the book, Dr Anjali comes across as an intelligent and sensitive person; who is infused with an unshakable confidence and a remarkably positive attitude. Her spiritual quest and gratitude towards life is reflected on almost every page. And she retains a sense of complete dignity and detachment when she describes her experiences which almost appear like miracles. To an agnostic reader like me, if the author were not Dr Anjali, such experiences would come across as unsound and untrustworthy. But herein lies her great strength. Like most of us, she has come across challenges and faced contradictions in life- but in her unique way she has overcome her challenges, retained her humility and in the course has attained complete credibility. Having achieved these feats, her reflections carry an immeasurable capacity to enrich and inspire the reader. I am sure the readers would find this reading insightful and thought provoking. 

I wish Dr Anjali well for her continued Conquest of Happiness; and am eagerly looking forward to reading her thoughts and seeing her ever colourful mandalas in the years to come!

Short Biodata of Mr Sadanand Date

Mr. Sadanand Date is an IPS officer of 1990 batch Maharashtra Cadre.

He has done M.Com and he is a qualified Cost and Management Accountant. He was awarded Ph. D. by Pune University in 2003 for his research on theme ‘Monitoring of Economic Offences: A Management Control Systems Perspective’. As a Fulbright scholar,in 2005-06, he visited the USA to study investigation and prosecution of White-collar and Organised Crime cases.

Mr. Date has worked in different capacities in Maharashtra and Mumbai Police, CBI, CRPF and Department of Justice, GoI. He is currently the Commissioner of Police
Mira-Bhayandar, Vasai-Virar

He has received several commendations for his work from DGP Maharashtra, Director CBI, DG CRPF and got a number of medals including Presidents Police Medal for Gallantry.

Effective delivery of police services, Organizational Development, Community Policing and Police Welfare are the themes on which Mr. Date has continuously worked.

सुप्रभात ! आपणा सर्वांना गुढीपाडव्याच्या हार्दिक शुभेच्छा. नववर्षाच्या सुरूवातीलाच आपल्याला कठीण परिस्थितीतून जावं लागत असलंतरीही लवकरात लवकर आपण यातून सुखरूपपणे बाहेर पडू असा माझा विश्वास आहे. या कठीण काळाचा सामना करण्यासाठी आणि यापरिस्थितीचा *बिनशर्तपणे स्वीकार* करण्यासाठी आपणा सर्वांना धैर्य आणि शक्ती लाभो अशी परमेश्वर चरणी प्रार्थना 🙏🙏.

Today’s Mandala has Blessings in its centre. In these difficult times, I am extremely grateful for the countless Blessings that we are receiving from God / Existence every single day, right from the house that we are staying in, our family, friends, our household helps, our good health….and many more….. Times like these can be good reminders of how lucky we normally are! I pray that all of us can continue to appreciate these blessings even after this crisis is over. Immense Gratitude and Prayers for all the workers working ceaselessly to make our lives comfortable during this Lock down.

❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

The centre of today’s Mandala is CHEERFULNESS! In the present situation, when we are bombarded with unnecessary ( and often wrong ) information as also videos depicting the irresponsible behaviour of people, it is natural to feel sad or angry or frustrated. But sending out these negative vibrations into the world can worsen our state of mind by attracting more negativity towards us. To break this chain of negativity, we can make a CONSCIOUS CHOICE TO REMAIN CHEERFUL even in these tough times by focusing on Positive vibrations like Gratitude and Prayers. Let us all pledge to remain Positive and Cheerful throughout this period of Lockdown. I know that I may not be able to achieve this 100% of times, but I have decided to give it my best shot. What about you?

This Mandala is a salute to the DEDICATION AND DETERMINATION of each and every citizen of India, who is helping to ensure that the Lock down is successful. I salute the thousands and thousands of workers , working across India in various fields, putting their lives at risk so that we can emerge Victorious ….Police, Government servants, All Healthcare workers including doctors and nurses, Ambulance drivers, Sanitation workers,  Banking officials, People providing daily needs of life…….the list is endless….. And along with these workers, I salute all the Responsible Citizens , who are following the rules and regulations, despite many hardships that they have to face, including those who are in quarantine. I pray that All of us can work in Love, Unity and Harmony and at the end of this crisis, all of us will have learnt something Useful and Life-changing!!

Today’s Mandala focusses on Exercise. As we are nearing the end of the first week of Lock out, it is very important to take good care of your Health. We all can prevent infections if our Body and Mind is Healthy as this boosts up our Immunity. And to keep the body healthy, apart from nutritious food, we need regular exercise. As most of us are confined to our homes and the Gyms are closed, we need to find some alternatives to our normal exercise routine. I am suggesting a few exercise regimes that can be easily followed at home ….and you can add on to these alternatives as per your liking…….सूर्यनमस्कार ( or chair सूर्यनमस्कार for those with knee problems ), योगासने, प्राणायाम, Dancing to the Music you like, Some Osho Dance Meditations, दोरीच्या उड्या ( especially for youngsters ) , Stretches are some forms of exercise that can be done at home. Tai chi, Qi gong, swinging arms exercises are other alternatives. On YouTube, there are some excellent videos of Walking at home.

You can also Run on the spot or Jump. Climbing stairs is another excellent calorie burner. And for those who are not fond of the word ‘exercise’, they can just help in the cleaning of the house especially the fans or the ceiling. Regular exercise is not only a fat burner, but also lifts up our mood, keeping depression away ! And while we are talking of exercising the body, let us not forget about the Mind. The Mind will benefit by solving puzzles or learning something new (either a language or some art) and by avoiding an overdose of the Media! Let us all pledge to keep our Mind and Body Healthy by any regular exercise which we enjoy.

The centre of today’s Mandala is Fearlessness! Actually, Fear is essential to the survival of all beings (including Humans) in the presence of any threat to life. But excessive fear can cause more harm than good…. too much fear does not allow you to take rational decisions, it can lead to a Panic attack and worse still, excessive fear can reduce the Immunity so we are more prone to infections. On the other hand, not understanding the gravity of the situation or taking things too lightly will expose you to danger! Fearlessness is a balance between these two extremes.

*FEARLESSNESS DOES NOT MEAN TAKING THINGS TOO LIGHTLY, IT DOES NOT MEAN DISREGARDING THE RULES AND REGULATIONS*;  it just means that you understand the gravity of the situation and you are taking appropriate action, you are following all the rules and regulations, you are doing everything in your capacity as a responsible citizen to help keep the situation under control. This could mean continuing to work if you are part of the essential services; and for others, it means staying safe at home. And once you have taken the appropriate action, it is best to just relax and do your job well and try and enjoy whatever circumstances you find yourself in! For those confined to their homes, *adding an element of FUN to your daily routine* can work wonders in keeping the fear at bay. You can dance, sing, paint, play an instrument, exercise regularly, put your house in order, spend quality time with your family, play boardgames or cook innovative dishes with the limited resources that you have at the moment. I am sure you can add many more activities to this list. Helping people who are at a disadvantage financially or senior citizens of your neighbourhood is another excellent way to utilise your time and energy. Normally, we talk of not having enough time. Now as we have lots of time on our hands, let us all engage in the things we love to do. Being busy has a lot of advantages….it improves the quality of your sleep and as the mind remains busy, the fear cannot manipulate you. *Avoiding too much of social media/ TV / news channels is very important in these tough times*. Also, try your best *NOT TO READ OR SEE negative posts or videos (especially posts which portray an impending doom!) *. And most definitely, *DO NOT FORWARD NEGATIVE POSTS*. If you want to forward anything, ensure that it is authentic information, and also that it has a positive impact, helping to boost the morale of people. If we all follow these simple rules, I am sure we will not fall prey to Panic or excessive fear. In this context, I am sharing an excerpt from one of Osho’s discourses in which he talks about the same issue.

*डर से बचिए*
70 के दशक में हैजा महामारी के रूप में पूरे विश्व में फैला तब अमेरिका में किसी ने ओशो रजनीशजी से  प्रश्न किया

*इस महामारी से कैसे बचे?*
और ओशो ने विस्तार से समझाया जो आज कोरोना के सम्बंध में भी बिल्कुल प्रासंगिक है
ओशो…
यह प्रश्न ही
आप गलत  पूछ रहे हैं|

प्रश्न ऐसा होना चाहिए था, *महामारी के कारण मेरे मन में मरने का जो डर बैठ गया है उसके सम्बन्ध में कुछ कहिए ?*
इस डर से कैसे बचा जाए..?’

क्योंकि  वायरस से बचना तो बहुत ही आसान हैं,

लेकिन जो डर आपके और दुनियाके अधिक लोगों के भीतर बैठ गया है, उससे बचना बहुत ही मुश्किल है ।
अब, इस महामारी  से कम
लोग, इस डर के कारण ज्यादा मरेंगे…।

‘डर’ से ज्यादा खतरनाक इस दुनिया में कोई भी वायरस नहीं है।

इस डर को समझिये,
अन्यथा मौत से पहले ही आप एक जिंदा लाश बन जाएँगे ।

यह जो भयावह माहौल आप अभी देख रहे हैं इसका वायरस आदि से कोई लेना देना नहीं है ।

*यह एक सामूहिक पागलपन है,* जो एक अन्तराल के बाद हमेशा घटता रहता है  ।  कारण बदलते रहते हैं, कभी सरकारों की प्रतिस्पर्धा , कभी कच्चे तेल की कीमतें कभी दो देशों की लड़ाई तो कभी जैविक हथियारों की टेस्टिंग !!

इस तरह का सामूहिक पागलपन समय-समय पर प्रगट होता रहता है । व्यक्तिगत पागलपन की तरह, कौमगत, राज्यगत, देशगत और वैश्वीकपागलपन भी होता है ।

इस में बहुत से लोग या तो हमेशा के लिए विक्षिप्त हो जाते हैं या फिर मर जाते हैं ।

ऐसा पहले भी हजारों बार हुआ है, और आगे भी होता रहेगा । और आप देखेंगे कि *आने वाले बरसों में युद्ध तोपों से नहीं बल्कि जैविकहथियारों से लड़े जाएंगे*

लेकिन मैं फिर कहता हूं हर समस्या मूर्ख के लिए डर होती है जबकि ज्ञानी के लिए, विद्वानों के लिए अवसर!!
इस महामारी में आप घर बैठिए, पुस्तकें पढिये, एक्सरसाइज कीजिये शरीर को कष्ट दीजिए, व्यायाम कीजिये, फिल्में देखिये, योग कीजियेएक माह में 15 किलो वजन घटाइए, चेहरे पर बच्चों जैसी ताजगी लाइये
अपने शोंक पूरे कीजिए.  मुझे अगर 15 दिन घर बैठने को कहा जाए तो में इन 15 दिनों में 30 पुस्तकें पढूंगा

और नहीं तो एक बुक लिख डालिये, इस महामन्दी में पैसा इन्वेस्ट कीजिये.  ये अवसर है जो बीस तीस साल में एक बार आता है पैसा बनानेका सोचिए.

कहां बीमारी की बात करतें हैं
*ये’भय और भीड़’ का मनोविज्ञान सब के समझ नहीं आता हैं ।*

‘डर’ में रस लेना बंद कीजिए…

आमतौर पर हर आदमी डर में थोड़ा बहुत रस लेता है , अगर डरने में मजा नहीं आता तो लोग भूतहा फिल्म देखने क्यों जाते ?
ये एक सामूहिक पागलपन है जो अखबारों और TV के माध्यम से भीड़ को बेचा जा रहा है
लेकिन सामूहिक पागलपन के क्षण में आपकी मालकियत छिन सकती हैं… आप महामारी से डर सकते है तो आप भी भीड़ का ही हिस्सा है

ऐसा कोई भी विडियो या न्यूज़ मत देखिये जिससे आपके भीतर डर पैदा हो..
महामारी के बारे में बात करना बंद कर दीजिए,

डर भी एक तरह का आत्म-सम्मोहन ही है।
एक ही तरह के विचार को बार-बार घोकने से शरीर के भीतर रासायनिक बदलाव होने लगता है और यह रासायनिक बदलाव कभी कभी इतनाजहरीला हो सकता है कि आपकी जान भी ले ले

महामारीओ के अलावा भी बहुत कुछ दुनिया में हो रहा है, उन पर ध्यान दीजिए|

‘ध्यान-साधना’ से साधक के चारों तरफ एक प्रोटेक्टिव Aura बन जाता है,
जो बाहर की नकारात्मक उर्जा को उसके भीतर प्रवेश नहीं करने देता है

अभी पूरी दुनिया की उर्जा नाकारात्मक हो चुकी है…
ऐसे में आप कभी भी इस ब्लैक-होल में गिर सकते हैं….

ध्यान की नाव में बैठ कर हीआप इस झंझावात से बच सकते हैं ।
शास्त्रों का अध्ययन कीजिए,
साधना कीजिए… विद्वानों से सीखें

आहार का भी विशेष ध्यान रखिए- स्वच्छ जल पीएं

अंतिम बात-
धीरज रखिए…जल्द ही सब कुछ बदल जाएगा..

जब तक मौत आ ही न जाए
तब तक उससे डरने की कोई ज़रूरत नहीं है और जो अपरिहार्य है उससे डरने का कोई अर्थ भी नहीं है,

डर एक प्रकार की मूढ़ता है
अगर किसी  महामारी से अभी नहीं भी मरे तो भी एक न एक दिन मरना ही होगा, और वो एक दिन कोई भी दिन हो सकता है| इसीलिए विद्वानोंकी तरह जियें, भीड़ की तरह नहीं!!

साभार: ओशो
*मैं जीना सिखाता हूं*

GRATITUDE is the centre of today’s Mandala. Gratitude is the Master key that unlocks us out of all difficult situations. When we start offering Gratitude for the Countless Blessings that we receive day in and day out, when we focus on all the things in our life that we can be grateful for, we can feel a fountain of Joy inside ourselves, and Peace descends on our being. One may ask, “What is there to be grateful about in the present situation, when we can’t go out, can’t have a normal life, our household helps cannot come and we are burdened with unending work, in addition to the threat of a Pandemic that is  looming over us……?”……one can go on and on with a much longer list of complaints and anger; and eventually this leads to frustration and sadness. Focusing on the negatives in our life is going to attract more negativity towards us (and this is true even in normal circumstances!).
But if we make an about turn in our attitude and decide to focus on all the good things in our lives at the moment ( e.g. we have a house to live in, we are endowed with good health, we have enough food to fill our bellies, we have friends and family that love us…….this list also can go on and on ) and start offering Gratitude for everything good in our life, we attract more positivity, we can remain happy and it becomes easier to deal with any tough situation. And this has been scientifically proved by functional MRI studies of the brain where it was found that offering Gratitude enhances the same areas of brain that are enhanced during Happiness
Psychologists studying the effects of Gratitude, have recommended 3 simple Gratitude practices in our daily lives
1. Expressing gratitude to family members every day for simple jobs done by them e.g. making a cup of tea
2. Expressing gratitude towards yourself for the good things that you did today (You can do this practice as you are brushing your teeth at night.)
3. Writing a letter or a mail to someone expressing your gratitude towards that person, at least once a month
You can also keep a daily journal of 3 things you are thankful for…either early morning or before going to bed.
It was found that just following these simple practices for 9 weeks improved the quality of life.
I myself have experienced this power of Gratitude during my chemotherapy 5 years ago. I was advised by a staff member of our spiritual organisation Sukyo Mahikari to write a Gratitude diary every day, and to thank people for even something simple like your driver driving you to the hospital or your cook cooking for you. (Normally, we do not feel the need to thank these people as they are paid for it ). As I started writing the diary every night before going to sleep, it made me realise how lucky I am to have so many people helping me during my tough time. It helped me remain focussed on the positives in life rather than crying over the difficulties. I now realise that it also helped me stay positive and cheerful throughout the challenging period of chemotherapy and being confined to the house for most of the time. (Even at that time, I was confined to my house for almost 6 months) I am continuing with the practice of thanking God for the innumerable blessings I receive daily and thanking people for their help or love or good wishes or good times together. It has come to my notice that whenever I move away from the practice of Gratitude into the zone of Complaining, I am unhappy. Just switching back to Gratitude makes life blissful once again.
I am a sending you an excerpt from an Osho discourse in  which he endorses the practice of Gratitude every day.

After reading this, would you be willing to start this simple practice of Gratitude from today ?

*कृतज्ञता से भरें..!!*

मुझे *भोजन* उपलब्ध हुआ है, यह बहुत बड़ी धन्यता है।

मुझे *एक दिन और जीने को मिला* है, यह बहुत बड़ा ग्रेटिटयूड है। आज सुबह मैं फिर जीवित उठ आया हूं। *आज फिर सूरज ने रोशनी की है।आज फिर चांद मुझे देखने को मिलेगा।*

*आज मैं फिर जीवित हूं।* जरूरी नहीं था कि मैं आज जीवित होता। आज मैं कब्र  में भी हो सकता था, लेकिन आज मुझे फिर जीवन मिलाहै। और मेरे द्वारा कुछ भी कमाई नहीं की गई है, जीवन पाने को। जीवन मुझे मुफ्त में मिला है। *इसके लिए कम से कम धन्यवाद का, मन मेंअनुग्रह का, ग्रेटिटयूड का कोई भाव होना चाहिए।*

*भोजन* हम कर रहे हैं, *पानी* हम पी रहे हैं, *श्वास* हम ले रहे हैं, इस सबके प्रति अनुग्रह का बोध होना चाहिए।

*समस्त जीवन के प्रति, समस्त जगत के प्रति, समस्त सृष्टि के प्रति, समस्त प्रकृति के प्रति, परमात्मा के प्रति एक अनुग्रह का बोध होनाचाहिए कि मुझे एक दिन और जीवन का मिला है। मुझे एक दिन और भोजन मिला है। मैंने एक दिन और सूरज देखा। मैंने आज और फूल खिले देखे। आज मैं और जीवित था।*

*रवींद्रनाथ* की मृत्यु आई, उसके दो दिन पहले उन्होंने कहा—उन्होंने कहा कि हे परमात्मा, मैं कितना अनुगृहीत हूं कैसे कहूं! *तूने मुझे जीवनदिया, जिसे जीवन पाने की कोई भी पात्रता न थी।* तूने मुझे श्वासें दीं, जिसके श्वास पाने का कोई अधिकार न था। *तूने मुझे सौंदर्य के, आनंद के अनुभव दिए, जिनके लिए मैंने कोई भी कमाई न की थी।* तो मैं धन्य रहा हूं और तेरे बोझ से, अनुग्रह के बोझ से दब गया हूं। औरअगर तेरे इस जीवन में मैंने कोई दुख पाया हो, कोई पीड़ा पाई हो, कोई चिंता पाई हो, *तो वह मेरा कसूर रहा होगा।* तेरा जीवन तो बहुत—बहुत आनंदपूर्ण था। वह मेरी कोई भूल रही होगी। तो मैं नहीं कहता हूं तुझसे कि मुझे मुक्ति दे दे जीवन से। *अगर तू मुझे फिर से योग्य समझेतो बार—बार मुझे जीवन में भेज देना। तेरा जीवन अत्यंत आनंदपूर्ण था और मैं अनुगृहीत हूं।*

यह जो भाव है, यह जो *कृतज्ञता का भाव* है, वह *समस्त जीवन* के साथ संयुक्त होना चाहिए।

*ओशो*

HOPE is the centre of today’s Mandala! I remember studying a संस्कृत सुभाषित in school.

आशा नाम मनुष्याणां काचिदाश्चर्यशृङ्खला ।
बद्धा यया प्रधावन्ति मुक्तास्तिष्ठन्ति पङ्‍गुवत् ॥

This can be roughly translated as
“Hope is the name of a mysterious chain binding men. Those tied to it keep running, but those free from it are stranded as if lame”
As a medical doctor, I have experienced the truth of this, especially in severe illnesses. A patient with a life-threatening disease can survive if he has a strong willpower and his hopes of a recovery remain high. On the other hand, patients with even minor problems can succumb to the illness if they give up Hope. Here I remember a story by O Henry, ‘The last leaf’; in which a young seriously ill patient miraculously starts recovering when his hopes are aroused by seeing that the last leaf on a tree refuses to fall. In the present situation, Hope is very important to maintain our sanity, to ensure that we are not carried away by the flood of unnecessary information. Hope is an elixir that nurtures the Tree of Life. But at the moment, we can see many people who are so bogged down by the onslaught of negative news and doomsday predictions, that they are losing all hope in life. On the other hand, there are sane people who are choosing to stay away from the media and its negativity and they are enjoying Quality time with their families. In the present circumstances, we will have to nurture the seeds of Hope in us, by protecting the seeds from negativity and surrounding them with Joy and Peace. Though this may sound very difficult, I can assure you that it can be achieved if you are aware and taking care! Let us all hope that once this calamity is over, once the whole world has been cleaned of its impurities, we can see a bright future ahead of us and a better world, which is more loving, more grateful and in which all living beings have an equal chance to thrive.

The centre of today’s Mandala is INSIGHTS! All of us are facing various difficulties at the moment. Some of us have to go out to work braving the risks of catching the infection; while most others have to stay confined to the house giving rise to frustration in some, but also giving us opportunities like spending quality time together or getting the house in order. Most of us have more time on hand than we normally have, and this can lead to boredom at times. We all have been trying various means to keep ourselves occupied meaningfully like cleaning, cooking, reading, exercising, listening to music, dancing etc. But all this is on the outside…. what are we doing inside ourselves? Are we stopping for a few minutes and peeping inside ourselves, reflecting on what has happened and why it has happened? I am sure if we take some time to  do that, we will be able to get many NEW INSIGHTS every day !………continued

Did you read the story of the 93 year old Italian ?…..the one who recovered after being on a ventilator and was asked to pay for the ventilator….it was at that time that he realised that all these years, he has been breathing without any support only by God’s grace ….and also realised how much he really owes God ! All of us are in the same boat, taking all God-given gifts for granted, not offering Gratitude for the fact that we are alive, that our hearts are pumping ceaselessly, that our lungs are breathing in fresh air, that we are intelligent…..this list is endless!

If calamities like this can give us such wonderful insights, isn’t it worth going through these difficult times, so that we are better Human beings ? I think it is time to sit back a little, and look inside to see what each one of us has learned during this Pandemic.

Speaking for myself, I have realised anew that all of us connected to each other! We may at times think that we are superior to others, but actually, all of us are children of God and each one of us has been given a job which we have to do sincerely. We are not isolated beings who can survive alone (unless we are staying in the Himalayas!). In any society, we are all dependent on each other. When things are going smoothly, we don’t realise it; but when some services are not available and we have to make extra efforts, only then do we realise the importance of every person who is making our lives comfortable….right from our maids, our zaduwalas, paperwalas, watchmen, grocery suppliers, fruit and vegetable vendors to Police, bankers and healthcare workers. All of us are a part of a giant web and the society can run smoothly only if each one performs his / her duties responsibly. No one is superior and no one is inferior! I only hope that this Insight stays with me even when the world assumes Normalcy.

What are the New Insights for you? Do look inside yourself and share them. …

The centre of today’s glittering Mandala is JOY! One may ask, ‘ What is Joyful in the present circumstances, when everything is uncertain, when clouds of fear surround us and suffocate us, when even a normal touch can be dangerous……?’ In answer to that, I remember the story of the LAUGHING SAINT. This saint would always be laughing, no matter what the circumstances! Once, in a particularly trying situation, someone asked him,” How can you laugh when things around us are so bad?” His answer was, ” Every morning, when I wake up, I ask myself, ‘What do you want to be today…happy or unhappy…?’ And I invariably get the answer, ‘HAPPY ‘! And so, I CHOOSE HAPPINESS and LAUGHTER !!”

Actually, JOY is Innate to all human beings. We are born with the seeds of Joy within us, which, if nurtured well, can convert us into JOYFUL BEINGS. Unfortunately, instead of watering these seeds of Joy, most of us cover them with anxieties and worries and grudges and complaints and anger and all the stresses of this world. But, like the Laughing Saint , if we ask ourselves every morning the same question, what do you think the answer will be ?

And if the answer is ‘Happiness’, do you really think it is very difficult to find something to be happy about ? Even now, during the Lockout, I can hear the koyal singing, can see the squirrels chasing each other merrily on the trees, can hear the birds chirping in my window and can feel a gentle breeze blowing through my hair….is all this not enough to feel Joyous  As we spend wonderful time with our families, looking through old photographs and remembering the merry times together, as we play board games and carrom and cards, are we not experiencing a feeling of Happiness ?
If we forget our grudges, if we decide to overlook the minor faults of others and if we let go of painful memories and forgive others, don’t you think we will feel Joy surging through our veins?
All our saints and Gurus have been telling us from ages that the best way to feel Happy, is to be grateful and to Give unconditionally (without expecting anything in return); and now scientific studies are proving this!
Every day when I wake up, I find myself alive, my heart is beating rhythmically ,and the breath which went out, is coming in without any effort on my part….. isn’t all this enough to feel grateful? If our hearts are filled with Gratitude for the innumerable blessings that we have been receiving right from the time of our birth, Joy becomes second nature to us. And then, we can give to others the Joy we have, so that we are surrounded by Joy and Peace.

Of course, all this cannot happen overnight. But a simple practice can help us achieve this slowly. Before going to bed, stand in front of the mirror, Smile at yourself, appreciate yourself for everything good that you could do during the day and go off to sleep with Gratitude in your heart. And next day morning, when you wake up, again stand in front of the mirror and Smile at yourself. And ask yourself the question of the Laughing Saint …………….and let me know the answer !!

All the love
in the world can be
given to you, but if you
decide to be miserable,
you will remain miserable.

And one can be happy,
tremendously happy, for
no reason at all – because
happiness and misery are
your decisions.

– OSHO

KEY is the centre of today’s Mandala. I am sure all of us, who are Locked In our homes are eagerly waiting for a key to get out of this situation. At the moment, we are Locked out for a period of minimum 21 days. Our normal life is on hold! There’s a lot of Uncertainty in the environment, and with this uncertainty, comes frustration, anger, sadness, depression and even Panic attacks! Many students were halfway through important exams when the Lockout was declared. Some were in the process of applying to foreign universities, their future is unpredictable. Overall, people are worried about what the future holds for them. And frustration and sadness seems to be seeping in as days are passing with no early solution in sight……….continued

Many of us are asking the question,” WHY ME ?” or ” Why did it have to happen just now when we were planning this….or that….or looking forward to this…?”

Here I remember the story of Arthur Ashe, the legendary tennis player who won 3 grand slams. He contracted HIV through infected blood that he received during his heart surgery. When his fans asked him, ” Why did God have to select you for such a bad disease ?; he answered, ” When I was holding the Cup in my hand , I never asked ‘ WHY ME?’; so now, when I am in pain, how can I ask , WHY ME ?” !!! I think this applies to all of us! When we are being showered with innumerable blessings day in and day out, we never ask , “WHY ME ?”…..We take all these blessings for granted and very often, don’t even thank God for these blessings ; but when we are in a rough situation, we start complaining thereby wasting all our energy much needed  for dealing with the situation .
I really LOVE THE SERENITY PRAYER in this context. …. GOD, GRANT ME THE SERENITY TO ACCEPT THE THINGS I CANNOT CHANGE, THE COURAGE TO CHANGE THE THINGS I CAN AND THE WISDOM TO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE! If we can unconditionally accept whatever situation we find ourselves in, then it becomes easier to deal with it. And when we stop fighting, we conserve our energy and consequently have more energy to take the necessary action. I have also experienced in my life that every so-called bad situation can teach you valuable lessons if only you allow it to do so.

Let us all try to apply the key of the SERENITY PRAYER to the current status and see what emerges…….

Sharing an Osho quote in this context…..

Total acceptance is the
key. It is the master key;
it opens all the doors.

There is no lock that
cannot be opened by
acceptance. It is simply
the key that fits all the
locks – because the
moment you accept
something, a transformation
has started in your being
because now there is no
conflict. You are not two.

In acceptance you have
become one, you have
become a unity.

*- OSHO*

LOVE is not only the centre of today’s Mandala, but also the centre of the whole universe! We cannot run the world on efficiency alone. If there’s no Love amongst human beings (or amongst all living beings!), the world would be a terrible place to live in. But whenever we infuse Love in whatever task we are doing, the task (even if we don’t like that particular work) becomes easier and more enjoyable. Speaking for myself, I have experienced this first hand with many household chores. I am not really fond of the daily cooking (especially roti sabzi dal rice), so I used to do it more as a duty. But when I first heard someone talk about ‘Loving what you do ‘, I decided to give it a try. And almost immediately, I experienced that if I incorporate Love in my cooking, the food is tastier! But more importantly, I found that I could enjoy the cooking (maybe not 100% of the times, but most of the times!) ……..continued

The same thing is happening with cleaning the vessels and the house now. Most of us Indians are used to the comforts of having a bai do these boring jobs. But in the Lock down period, we are forced to do ALL the jobs in the house. Initially, I was getting a little irritated when I saw the sink full of dirty vessels, but when I used the above principle, (and also started playing music or thinking about what to write for the next day’s message while doing these chores ! ),  I truly started enjoying even these boring jobs. So, an attitude change from boredom / hatred to Love/ making the job interesting has worked wonders for me. It has also maintained Harmony in the family. Let me put on record here that my family helps me in all these chores wholeheartedly.

When we talk of Love, we always think that it means ‘ Loving others ‘; but the very first step on the path of Love is ‘Loving Yourself’! Unless we have learned to Accept and Love ourselves unconditionally, we will not be able to love others. And as Osho says, “Whenever one loves oneself, one becomes capable of loving the whole existence.” So as a first step, let us all start Loving Ourselves (in spite of all our faults and the mistakes we have made in the past)! Once that happens, sharing this love with others will automatically happen.

While we are talking on the subject of ‘Love’, I would like to comment on some posts which are being circulated. These posts show a particular community behaving irresponsibly, and the comments accompanying these posts are full of hatred. I remember a quote by Martin Luther King …..

‘Darkness cannot drive out darkness,
Only Light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate,
Only Love can do that.’

Any irresponsible and potentially harmful behaviour HAS TO BE STOPPED, but let us target the behaviour, and not the whole community (or a country, for that matter). Let the lawmakers take the necessary actions, and let us remember that there are bad worms in each community. So, let us refrain from spreading hateful messages, as they will do more harm than good in the present scenario.
Let us all concentrate on Radiating Love instead. As Rumi says, ” With life as short as a half taken breath, don’t plant anything but LOVE “!!!

Love is a must.
It is the only nourishment for the soul.
The body can exist with food; the soul can exist only with love.
Let it not remain just a word; allow it to become a penetrating experience.
– OSHO

Meditation is the centre of today’s Mandala. A few days ago, we talked about Gratitude being the key that can unlock the locks of many difficult situations. The same is true with meditation. As Osho says,

“Meditation is the
only answer to all the
questions of man.
It may be frustration,
it may be depression,
it may be sadness, It
may be meaninglessness,
it may be anguish; the
problems may be many,
but the answer is one.

*Meditation is the answer*.”

We were introduced to Osho Meditations at a time when my husband (Dr Manoj Bhatawdekar, Psychiatrist) was suffering from severe Rheumatoid Arthritis. He had inflammation of most of his joints …knees, ankles, jaw, shoulder, elbow, wrists and small joints of the hands. He was in severe pain most of the times, was on a high dose of painkillers; and if he delayed the dose of the painkiller, he used to be in agony. That was the time (18 months after his illness began) when we attended an Osho Meditation camp conducted by Swami Satya Niranjan. Osho meditations are of different types, most of them involving Dance or some physical activity. This was very difficult for Manoj with his physical condition, but with a strong determination, he wholeheartedly participated in the meditations ……..and on the second day of the camp, we realised that Manoj had missed the afternoon dose of his painkiller, but there was no pain!! That’s when we first experienced the Power of Meditation. As Manoj continued to meditate regularly at home even after the camp was over, we could see the positive changes in his health and he made a fast recovery into complete remission ( which continues to date, even after 23 years !)

This is just one small example of the healing effects of Meditation. But meditation can heal not only the body, but also the mind. It can help reduce your anxieties and stresses and can bring Peace to your troubled souls. And even more important, it can connect you to your INNER JOY. Just a word of caution though….. it is best to meditate without any expectations, just to experience the Joy of meditation. If you focus your mind on the expectations, you may be in for a disappointment.

Whenever we think of Meditation, most of us visualise someone sitting with eyes closed and trying to achieve a state of Thoughtlessness. While this is true for the original Vipassana meditation given by Buddha 2500 years ago; for the modern man, sitting quietly like this is next to impossible. That’s why Osho has designed many different kinds of meditations to suit different persons. Most of these meditations involve dancing or physical activity followed by sitting silently. These are better suited for the modern man who is used to running and hurrying all the time. Osho recommends at least one hour of meditation every day, but for busy people, he talks about *work as meditation* ….. i.e. doing your day to day activities or work meditatively. So you can meditate while cooking or cleaning or taking a walk or running or eating! As you delve deeper and deeper into a meditative state, any activity can be converted into meditation. (I am sharing an excerpt from one of Osho’s discourses which talks in detail about this concept…. it’s a little long, but do read it at leisure. )

For me, at the moment, drawing theme-based Mandalas and expressing my thoughts about this theme are like a Meditation! But more about that some other time.

At the moment, hoping that you can get in touch with some form of Meditation which can reduce the stress of coping with the current situation.

Love,
ANJALI BHATAWDEKAR

Osho on Work

You people go on thinking in wrong terms. Work is not work. And without work you will become more rotten, because what will you do? Your whole energy will become just a whirlpool inside and will create a thousand and one problems.

Work is needed… it is a relaxation. You create energy by food, by sleep. Where to put that energy?

You have to be creative about it. And work is a very ugly word, and particularly in the West, it is very ugly. That has created a certain subconscious attitude. In primitive societies, work is taken to be almost a play, a game. Everything is thought to be a game.
…..
Once a man came to see me. He was a bus driver. Of course, to drive a bus in a city like Bombay or Delhi where the whole traffic is neurotic, brings one to be continuously on the edge of a nervous breakdown. He was very nervous, shaking.

He told me, ’I want to get rid of this work. It is too much! I cannot sleep – it gives me nightmares. And the whole day on the wheel in such neurotic traffic I cannot relax for a single moment.’
I told him, ’Try a meditation that I will give you, for seven days. Take this as a challenge – that these people are running into the middle of the road and doing everything in disorder.

Take it that they are just creating a situation for you in which to test your skill. Take it as a play. Take it as a situation in which your energy is put to test, and your whole skill is to be judged.’

This idea appealed to him and after seven days he came and said, ’It has worked… tremendous! Now I am not worrying about the road; I am enjoying it! The more disorderly it is, the more I enjoy it. It is really beautiful how I can avoid all the problems of the traffic. When I come back home, I come almost as a victorious player; like somebody who has won a gold medal in the Olympics!’

Take work as a game and enjoy it. Everything is a challenge. Just don’t go on doing it, dragging yourself because it has to be done. Then you will become ill.

If you have to work for four, five hours a day and those hours are a continuous sub-current of avoiding it, then you are dividing your being. It is not a question of work. It is a question of your whole inner well-being.

You will become divided doing something for four or five hours which you cannot like or don’t like.

So there are only two possibilities: either find work you like or become capable of liking the work, whatsoever it is.

The second is the best alternative because it is very difficult to find work that you like. Sooner or later you will dislike it. In the beginning, maybe you like it.
The first alternative is to find work you like. But that is not going to help for long because every kind of work, by and by becomes boring. You have to repeat everything. The other alternative is best. Bring a capability to like anything that you do; whatsoever the work you can like it.

Try it. Find out ways how to like it.

People want to find out ways how to dislike it, so of course they find ways.

For three weeks, try doing the work and liking it. Enjoy it, and singingly. Let it be just a dance. If you are cleaning, it can be a dance, a singing, an enjoyment, a delight and you will be tremendously benefited by it.
….
Osho
Excerpts from –
Beloved of my Heart

“Nurture” is the focus of today’s Mandala. If you look at the dictionary for the meaning of the word Nurture, it says,” care for and protect (someone or something) while they are growing, help or encourage the development of, to cherish ”

In the present moment, nurturing the young ones in our families is of course very important. It would be wonderful if all the young ones learn how to face difficulties with a Smile on their lips and Hope in their hearts. But for that to happen, the parents and the elders in the family have to be in the right frame of mind, so the children can learn from their example. And that’s why I would like to talk about “Nurturing Oneself ” today.

And how can we go about nurturing our inner selves, our soul? All the precious things in life (like our souls) are delicate and fragile and can be easily contaminated by our thoughts, our actions and by the things or vibes that surround us. So it is extremely important to take extra care to Nurture our souls. Keeping our thoughts pure, praying for others, helping others whenever possible, showing kindness in your actions …..all these can help Nurture our inner beings.

But there’s one more important factor which affects our being, and that is the vibes surrounding us. Unfortunately, in the modern times, we seem to be flooded with negativity from all directions, especially from the media. These days we are not getting newspapers, but in recent years, I have had a peculiar experience after reading the newspaper. I would get up in a happy state after a good night’s sleep, but my mood would be spoilt after breakfast. I would either be anxious or stressed out or angry. When this situation kept repeating itself, I tried to analyse what was happening, and realised that reading the newspaper was making me unhappy or totally stressed out! Further analysis revealed to me most of news these days predicts an impending doom (even in normal times) or focusses on all the negatives that are happening around. Anything positive is either not reported or it is overshadowed by the overwhelming negative news. That is when I decided to stop reading the newspaper. I still receive it daily, but use it for solving Sudoku or other puzzles. Occasionally, I am tempted to read the newspaper on the breakfast table, but invariably, the result is the same. I do think that someone in media should think of publishing a “GOOD NEWS” newspaper, focusing on the encouraging things happening all over the world.

The other source of profound negativity can be Television, especially the News & the serials! Luckily for us, we don’t have a television in our home for more than 13 -14 years (and I don’t miss it !!). But whenever I happen to watch news or political discussions during my visit to someone’s house, I am convinced that these are THE MOST VIOLENT programmes on TV. The way the reporters are yelling at the top of their voices, the way the same horrible video clips are being thrust at you again and again, I feel as if I am drowning in a tsunami of negativity! But in many homes, even very young children are exposed to this negativity day in and day out. No wonder then if they grow up to be insensitive adults! Do we really need to take in all this unnecessary news which makes us angry, depressed, insecure and provokes the feelings of hatred? I sincerely feel that if we want to Nurture our souls, we need to make a conscious decision to stay away from this.

The same is true with many whatsapp and other social media posts and videos. Some of the posts are full of hatred, but are still forwarded many times. All such posts can play a big role in creating communal disharmony and in propagating negativity. I believe that as responsible citizens, it’s our duty to stop forwarding such posts. Not only that, we should stop viewing such posts to maintain the purity of our souls.

Avoiding all such negativity is the first step towards Nurturing ourselves and I am sure all of us can do it ! Once we start surrounding ourselves with positive vibes, it becomes easier to go on to the next steps.

I would like to share a part of an Osho discourse in which he has talked about the next steps.

*मंगल कामना*  एक ध्यान विधि…

बुद्ध अपने भिक्षुओं से कहते थे कि तुम चौबीस घण्टे, राह पर कोई दिखे उसकी मंगल की कामना करना।

वृक्ष भी मिल जाए तो उसकी मंगल की कामना करके उसके पास से गुजरना।

पहाड़ भी दिख जाए तो मंगल की कामना करके उसके निकट से गुजरना।

राहगीर दिख जाए अनजान, तो उसके पास से मंगल की कामना करके राह से गुजरना।

एक भिक्षु ने पूछा, इससे क्या फायदा?

बुद्ध ने कहा, इसके दो फायदे हैं।

पहला तो यह कि तुम्हें गाली देने का अवसर न मिलेगा।

तुम्हें बुरा खयाल करने का अवसर न मिलेगा।

तुम्हारी शक्ति नियोजित हो जाएगी मंगल की दिशा में।

और दूसरा फायदा यह कि जब तुम किसी के लिये मंगल की कामना करते हो तो तुम उसके भीतर भी रिजोनेंस, प्रतिध्वनि पैदा करते हो।

वह भी तुम्हारे लिए मंगल की कामना से भर जाता है।

–  ओशो

Today’s Mandala’s focus is on Opportunity! I was talking to someone today and that person said that this Lock down is a punishment! That is when I started wondering whether it is really a punishment or an opportunity! If you look at the dictionary for the meaning of opportunity, it says, “An opportunity is a situation in which it is possible for you to do something that you want to do.” And what better time to have a look at the Opportunities that Life is presenting us than the present time, when we have a lot of free time on our hands?   As I started reflecting on the past few days, I realised that for me, this period has been full of wonderful opportunities and I have a long list of opportunities that this Lock down has presented us. I am giving you just a few examples of these opportunities and I am sure each one of us can come up with a different and interesting list.

🔯 This is a heaven sent opportunity for me to have a lot of quality time with my family.

🔯  I don’t have to worry about waking up early in the morning, so if I am doing something interesting, I can continue with it…..like yesterday, when at 1.30  in the night , I was drawing a Mandala while chatting with my son, having a discussion on the changes in the dietary habits of man from the Paleolithic period and the modern man !!

 We had a most interesting talk, when my son surprised me with his knowledge about varied subjects!! In normal circumstances, I wouldn’t have been relaxed enough at this time for such discussions.

🔯 I have realised that it is possible to do everything without the help of our bai. This has also made me realise that I have a lot of untapped energy and great stamina !!

🔯  We have realised that we can use our creativity to cook wonderful meals within the limited resources.

🔯 This has been an opportunity for me to realise afresh that my family is extremely adjustable in such times….in fact , these difficult times are bringing out the best in us !

🔯  We had been planning to translate Manoj’s book एका पुनर्जन्माची कथा into English for a long time, we could actually start the work during this Lock down

🔯 This has also been an opportunity to start getting the house in order, cleaning and getting rid of unwanted stuff that all of us hoard in our houses

🔯 This time has also made me realise how little we really need to live happily…a house, food on the table and a few clothes…and of course, books !…..we are down to essentials. We realise how little is the  use of all the jewellery and purses and accessories.

🔯 I have been given the opportunity to draw these theme based Mandalas, which is bringing out the best of my creativity , I am enjoying this immensely.

I think the list can go on , but let me stop now…..and maybe you can share with me some of the opportunities that you have found in the past 2 weeks.

PRAYER is the centre of today’s Mandala. The definition of Prayer according to the dictionary is ,
” A solemn request for help or expression of thanks addressed to God or another deity /An earnest hope or wish.” In the present situation, we can see that almost everyone is praying for safety, for good health and for the situation to come under control quickly. On this background , I thought it would be nice to revise the concept of Prayers and look at what prayers really mean.

When I was young, I didn’t really understand what prayers meant. Even when I went to a temple or stood in front of the God, I never thought of asking for anything. But as I have grown older, I have started realising the importance of prayers. Normally, almost everyone thinks of prayers as asking for something. But as I have been blessed to have my Spiritual Masters guide me , I have realised that a Prayer is much more than asking. And now, whenever I pray ( at least twice daily, after waking up and before going to sleep ), I try to pray in the following manner

1. As Osho says, the true essence of any Prayer is Gratitude ! So my prayers always start with thanking God. When I bow down in front of God, I am filled with gratitude for the innumerable blessings that we have been receiving from the time of our birth….our bodies, health, our parents who loved us, all the material blessings through which we can enjoy this life….the list is really unending.
I also thank God that I have been guided on the Spiritual path, which has been a great source of Joy and Peace for me.

2. If we try to analyse the causes leading to the current situation, we can easily see that the root of this problem lies in Man’s greed. In trying to fulfil our wants, we have disregarded the laws of the nature, have polluted the air, water and soil…and we have not stopped there, we are poluting our minds and bodies too. We have developed the habit of popping pills for minor illnesses ( instead of taking rest or reducing stress ) and this in turn has lead to more ailments. Once we realise our follies, we need to apologise to God ( or the supreme Power ). I believe that our prayers will reach God only if we sincerely seek for forgiveness for our mistakes.

3. Praying for others : Whenever we sincerely pray for others altruistically, without any thought of benefits to ourselves, the prayers are answered !

4. And the last part is Praying for yourself ! Actually, God knows what you need, so rather than asking for anything, I just state my problems and ask for help. I ask for strength and courage to face the problem, I pray that after going through this problem, I learn something new and that I am a better person as a result of this.

And I have experienced many times that our prayers are answered, especially the altruistic prayers when we pray for others !
I have also experienced that when we pray Unitedly for something, if possible, at the same time, we send out strong vibrations which reach God, and these United Prayers definitely work !!

We generally see that people have a tendency to pray only in the times of difficulties. In good times, they forget to thank God for the blessings they are receiving. Let us try to change this scenario.
It’s my personal feeling that if we pray regularly, thanking God for everything, we are connected to God, we have created a path which takes us closer to God ; so in emergencies, it becomes easier to reach God. So rather than praying only during crisis, let us make it a regular habit to pray and thank God for his Benedictions.

Let me end this post with Prayers for the wellbeing of all humankind and a sincere prayer that this crisis ends soon. I also pray that whatever we are learning in these difficult times, these Insights remain with us even during normal times; so that when everything returns to normal, we change our ways, stop polluting the earh and ourselves , so as to create a Heaven on earth !

I am sharing an Osho discourse which throws more Light on Prayer.

Love,
Anjali Bhatawdekar

तुम्हारी सारी प्रार्थनाए तुम्हारी शिकायतें हैं |
और प्रार्थना कहीं शिकायत हो सकती है ?
तुम उसी दिन मंदिर पहुंच पाओगे जिस दिन तुम धन्यवाद देने जाओगे, जिस दिन तुम कहने जाओगे कि मैं किसी योग्य न था, मेरी कोई क्षमता और पात्रता न थी, और तुमने इतना दिया !
जिस दिन तुम्हारे पास जो है, तुम्हारी पात्रता से तुम्हें ज्यादा दिखाई पड़ेगा, उसी दिन प्रार्थना का जन्म होगा |फिर उस प्रार्थना का कोई अंत नहीं है | वह बढ़ती जाती है, बढ़ती जाती है | और एक घड़ी ऐसी आती है कि तुम्हारी पात्रता शून्य हो जाती है | उस शून्य पात्र में ही सारा अस्तित्व उतर आता है | जिस दिन तुम कह पाते हो, मेरी कोई भी योग्यता नहीं, मैं जीवन के योग्य भी न था, एक सांस भी ले सकूं अस्तित्व की, इसकी भी मेरी कोई क्षमता न थी, और तूने मुझे अनंत जीवन दिया, जिस दिन तुम्हें इसमें परमात्मा के अनुग्रह के अतिरिक्त कुछ भी दिखाई न पड़ेगा, तुम बिल्कुल शून्य मात्र हो जाओगे, उसी क्षण फिर तुम्हारी कोई मृत्यु नहीं है |
मृत्यु वासना की है | तुम्हारा जीवन वासना है, इसलिए तुम्हारे भीतर मृत्यु बड़ी होती है | तुम्हारे भीतर की वासना ही तुम्हारे भीतर की मृत्यु है | जो निर्वासना को उपलब्ध हुआ वह अमृत को उपलब्ध हो गया |
ओशो✍
ताओ उपनिषद
भाग 5
प्रवचन 50

The theme of today’s Mandala is QUEST! Quest is derived from Latin, meaning, ” to seek, to look for, to ask”. A quest could be a long and arduous journey to look for something that is difficult to find. An example of quest is to embark on a mission to find hidden treasure. We have heard from all our saints and Spiritual Masters that ” That which you seek, lies within you “. And what is it that all of us are seeking? If you ask any person what he wants in life, the answers could be money, fame, knowledge, Love, etc; but underlying all these answers is HAPPINESS. Each one of us is seeking happiness in his / her own way in life. We seem to be running hard to get a glimpse of it. But how many of us are successful in this mission?

Now that we all have some time to reflect on our lives, let us ask ourselves, ” What do I want from Life? And am I getting it? ” All of us set out in life with some goals. Let us introspect and try to gauge whether we have achieved our goals and if yes, has it given us happiness? After accumulating wealth or fame, are we satisfied? If we were given another chance in Life, to begin anew, would we be going after the same goals…..or would we look for something different this time ? I think this is the right time to peep inside yourself and be honest with yourself. Let us all give a thought to whether we want to continue in the same manner chasing imaginary happiness and getting stressed out in the bargain) , or do we want to change some things ? Do we want to slow down a little and smell the flowers and hear the birds sing and look at the sunrise and the sunset and enjoy the music and dance to our inner music? I believe the present time is a very rare opportunity in our lives….to look at our priorities, to look at what makes us happy……to touch that Inner Peace and Joy , which is our very nature !

It’s worth reading Osho’s discourse in this context.

I do hope that you can go on this Inner Quest for the hidden treasure in this Lock down period.

Osho Naman@

|| जीवन की कसौटी ||

आनंद एकमात्र कसौटी है जीवन की। जिस जीवन में आप बहे जा रहे हैं अगर वहां आनंद उपलब्ध नहीं होता है, तो जानना चाहिए आप गलत बहे जा रहेहैं। दुख गलत होने का प्रमाण है और आनंद ठीक होने का प्रमाण है, इसके अतिरिक्त कोई कसौटियां नहीं हैं। न किसी शास्त्र में खोजने की जरूरत है, नकिसी गुरु से पूछने की जरूरत है। कसने की जरूरत है कि मैं जहां बहा जा रहा हूं वहां मुझे आनंद बढ़ता जा रहा है, गहरा होता जा रहा है, तो मैं ठीक जारहा हूं। और अगर दुख बढ़ता जा रहा है, पीड़ा बढ़ती जा रही है, चिंता बढ़ती जा रही है, तो मैं गलत जा रहा हूं।

इसमें किसी को मान लेने का भी सवाल नहीं है। अपनी जिंदगी में खोज कर लेने का सवाल है कि हम रोज दुख की तरफ जाते हैं या रोज आनंद कीतरफ जाते हैं। अगर आप अपने से पूछेंगे तो कठिनाई नहीं होगी। बूढ़े भी कहते हैं कि हमारा बचपन बहुत आनंदित था। इसका मतलब क्या हुआ कि वेगलत बह गए? क्योंकि बचपन तो शुरुआत थी जिंदगी की, और वे आनंदित थे और अब वे दुखी हैं। शुरुआत आनंद थी और अंत दुख ला रहा है तोजीवन गलत बहा। होना उलटा चाहिए था। होना यह चाहिए था कि बचपन में जितना आनंद था वह रोज—रोज बढ़ता चला जाता। बुढ़ापे में आदमीकहता कि बचपन सबसे दुख की स्थिति थी, क्योंकि वह तो जीवन का प्रारंभ था, वह तो जीवन की पहली कक्षा थी।

अगर एक विद्यार्थी विश्वविद्यालय में पढ़ने जाए और कहे कि पहली कक्षा में ज्यादा ज्ञान था और अब धीरे— धीरे ज्ञान कम होता जा रहा है तो हम कहेंगेकि तुम पढ़ रहे हो,  तुम ज्ञान की तरफ बढ़ रहे हो?  हद हैरानी की बात है!  पहली कक्षा में अज्ञान ज्यादा था यह समझ में आने वाली बात थी, ज्ञान कमथा यह समझ में आने वाली बात है,  और अब ज्ञान बढ़ना था, अज्ञान कम होना था।
जीवन की पहली कक्षा में लोग कहते हैं कि बहुत सुख था। कवि गीत गाते हैं कि बचपन बड़ा आनंदपूर्ण था। पागल होंगे ये कवि।  क्योंकि अगर बचपनआनंदपूर्ण था तो जिंदगी तुमने गवां दी ।

ओशो,
अंतरयात्रा ( ध्यान शिविर , प्रवचन ~7 )

REJUVENATION is the centre of today’s Mandala. The dictionary meaning of Rejuvenation is, ” The process of rendering young again or of producing beneficial changes”. We generally use this word after we come back from a wonderful vacation, as in, ” I am feeling rejuvenated after this vacation “. So why am I focusing on this word when most of us are house-bound, unable to pursue normal activities and in addition, the sword of the pandemic is hanging over our heads by a thin thread?… Because, I have experienced that every difficulty in our lives is a learning, a lesson for us. With the right attitude, all problems can teach us precious lessons and we can emerge a better person after we have come out of the storm, like a sword which is sharpened by repeated heating and cooling. Let me elaborate on this further…….

I was diagnosed with cancer in June 2014 and had to undergo 2 surgeries, 6 cycles of chemotherapy and 4 weeks of Radiation therapy. For most of this time, I was confined to my house (Being a child specialist, I was at risk of contracting infections easily from my patients, so I was advised to stop my clinic and hospital work during this period). Naturally, I had a lot of time on my hands; especially a week after the chemotherapy, when things would be fairly normal. I was lucky that I had some spiritual background, so I could use this time judiciously and had many wonderful insights throughout this period. I could realise to a certain extent, the roots of my cancer and this brought about a change in me slowly. After my recovery, within a couple of months, I found that my energy levels were higher than before the diagnosis and I was also much happier. *This entire period was one of Rejuvenation for me* And even now after 5 & half years, I can connect to the Insights I received during this period, and I am a much happier person now. I do have my moments of anger and sadness and anxieties, but they are moments or minutes now, rather than hours or days. I think this is the greatest blessing that I have received from my Cancer.

Similarly, if we can look upon this Lock down period as a time when we can learn something new about ourselves, our lives, what is important to us and what is not so important…..all these Insights, I am sure, will definitely lead to Rejuvenation.

Another time when I feel rejuvenated is after attending a meditation camp ….or when I meditate regularly. I find that Meditation is a wonderful way of recharging your batteries, of getting fresh energy…..and if you meditate sincerely ( not as a ritual !), you will definitely feel rejuvenated.

In our clinic, we try to conduct an Osho Meditation session once a week in the afternoons. Maybe, after the Lock down is lifted, we can meditate together some time.

But before that, during this Lock down, if you can direct some of your energy to being open to what Life is teaching us all through this Pandemic, I am sure you will feel rejuvenated.

XPERIENCE! Today’s Mandala is centred on (E)xperience ! For all of us, this Lock down is a new experience. None of us have ever been exposed to a similar situation in the past. Everything that is happening is Novel, just like the Novel coronavirus. So, how are we responding to this situation? Are we brooding and worrying about what will happen in the future? Are we consumed by the Fear pandemic? Or are we Coping well with the new challenges? Are we learning new skills in response to this hitherto unforeseen calamity? How are all of us responding to this extra ordinary experience? Let us all reflect on our individual, subjective experience of this worldwide Lock down……

One of the definitions of the word experience is as follows:” It is an event or occurrence which leaves an impression on someone.” I am absolutely certain that the present crisis is going to leave a permanent mark on all our lives. In fact, I have heard people say that in future we will be talking about the Before-Corona and After- Corona Times.

Another meaning of the word experience is, “The process of getting knowledge or skill from Doing, Seeing, Or feeling things.” I am certain that all of us have learnt some new skills and also gained knowledge about various aspects of life during this period, and I am fairly certain that this learning is going to continue in the coming weeks and months.

Speaking of skills, I know I have learnt quite a few new ones, but the latest one is using this ( to me) new facility on whatsapp ……speech getting converted into text ! Today, for the first time, I used this new format to type half of my write up. I still need to develop this skill, but I have taken the first step. I am sure many of us will HAVE to learn new skills to cope with the changes that the future will bring. Many doctors are learning and practising Video consultations during this Lock down period; and this trend is bound to continue in the future.
If we are not open to learning something new now, we may find it difficult to adjust to the inevitable changes in the near future.

But now, comes an important question. Do we all respond in a similar manner to any event? We all know about the half-full or half-empty cup, indicating that the response to a particular event depends on one’s outlook. As each person looks at the same event from his/her own perspective, the effects on that person are going to be different, his experience is going to be different. I remember a story about two twin brothers. One of them is always optimistic, whatever the situation; and other one is always pessimistic. Once their father decides to try an experiment. He gives them both different gifts on their birthday. For the pessimistic one, he has a room full of wonderful gifts. And for the optimistic one, he gives a box full of horse shit. When the father goes to see how the two brothers are responding to their gifts, he is surprised to see that the one gifted horse shit is dancing with joy. When asked the reason, he replies, “If there is so much horse shit, there’s bound to be a horse somewhere! “On the other hand, the pessimistic one is not happy even with a room full of gifts! These brothers remind me of ourselves….the Pessimists amongst us are not happy in any situation, they are not grateful for the wonderful blessings that they have ( like good health, a loving family, a home…..the list goes on ! ) But in the same situation, the Optimists can focus on the minutest blessing and stay happy in any circumstances. How you perceive or experience) any event depends so much on your Outlook.

So, at the moment, how am I looking at this lock down? Is it a punishment for me or is it a new opportunity for me to take an overview of my life, to learn new skills and to face the coming changes in the world with confidence? Am I looking at it as just a bad phase in my life that has to be tolerated and forgotten as soon as possible or am I looking at it as an enriching experience?
The choice is in our hands, don’t you think?
Love,
Anjali Bhatwdekar

Day 26.
YES is the centre of today’s Mandala and also the centre of our lives! We don’t need the dictionary to know the meaning of the word yes, it’s quite obvious. But I just wanted to know its origin and I found out that it comes from the old English word gese, loosely meaning “be it.” Or “may it be so “ ( This comes very close to Acceptance ! )
When you say Yes, you are opening yourself to countless possibilities that life is offering you. When we say Yes, we believe that we are inviting all positivity in our lives. So, saying Yes means inviting good health, a strong immunity, Harmony, Prosperity and so on. I think all of us have been reading a lot of posts affirming these positive qualities in the present times. But as I understand it, saying Yes does not stop just at these affirmations. It goes way beyond this to touch all aspects of our lives. Yes is a flowering of our being!
My own understanding of the word Yes is that “Apart from inviting Positivity, the two great virtues Acceptance and Humility are interwoven when We say Yes to something.”

Let me share a few of my experiences with saying Yes and No. Until a few years ago, I had difficulty saying an immediate Yes to any request. I would not be able to say Yes easily even if it didn’t require a lot of efforts for that work. On the other hand, Manoj would immediately say Yes to any request even if it meant going out of his way to fulfil that request. But as I started meditating, I came to realise that I was wasting a lot of energy by saying No unnecessarily . On the other hand, saying Yes was easy and saved my energy. It was especially true while working in the house e.g. cooking. Earlier, I used to be very rigid about how a particular work should be done. I was not open to any suggestions. But as I started saying Yes, I experienced that listening to others’ suggestions can actually be time saving and energy efficient at times, and of course, it helped to create a strong bond amongst us. So saying Yes has reduced a lot of Conflict in my life. Earlier, I used to feel guilty for having said No unnecessarily and also spend a lot of time justifying that No. Now all that time and energy is available to me for more constructive purposes.

My real test with saying Yes came when I was diagnosed with cancer in June 2014. But luckily for me, I could accept the diagnosis very easily. I had no questions like ‘why is this happening to me or why do we have to go through this’. I could unconditionally accept the diagnosis and was ready to face the difficult treatment. I had full trust in the Almighty and strongly believed that he wants me to go through this treatment for a particular reason. I could place myself in his hands and of course, the hands of my doctors and I never questioned anything that they advised. Even when things did not go in the ideal manner, I did not blame anyone. I could totally accept this as the will of God. Looking back now, I understand that this was the source of my strength. If I had wasted my time and energy fighting with the diagnosis or the treatment , I am sure I would have had difficulty coping with this strenuous and emotionally challenging period. Saying Yes i.e. Accepting the condition unconditionally led me to a positive outcome, at the same time permitting me to stay Positive and Cheerful throughout the period.

I remember reading a wonderful sentence some years ago, “If you accept some discomfort, your comfort Zone will increase.” This particular sentence has left a lasting impression on my mind and as I started following it , I have experienced that accepting a minor discomfort is easier for me now and my comfort zone has definitely expanded. Again, saying Yes to discomfort is profitable to me!

When I talk about saying Yes, it obviously does not mean that you allow people to exploit you or to take advantage of you. Also, if you strongly feel that you should not be doing a certain thing, listen to your heart and protect yourself. In those situations, it’s perfectly ok to say No!

Let us also remember that saying Yes also includes saying Yes to yourself; that is accepting yourself completely, as you are, without feeling guilty or ashamed of your shortcomings. This acceptance is essential for your Peace of Mind. And not just accepting yourself, but accepting your needs, accepting the fact that you need some ” Me-time”, accepting your needs of Relaxation….all these are a part of saying Yes!

For me, saying Yes has opened up a beautiful path of Joy and Peace ! And I hope and pray that you can find it too!

Love,
Anjali Bhatawdekar

P.S.: For the Puzzle lovers, can you find out how many times ‘Yes’ has been written in this Mandala?