A quick dip into Tranquillity ..

It is with great joy that I am reading the book titled "Meditations" by the great Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius. To understand the Greek stoic philosophy and discover that it echoes the exact thoughts of ancient Indian philosophy is such a joyous revelation!!

Marcus Aurelius - Stoic philosopher

Here he shows us how to quickly return to a state of tranquillity no matter what perturbs the mind. Tranquillity can only be sought within and not in vacations or other escapes.

Men seek retreats for themselves, houses in the country, sea-shores, and mountains; and thou too art wont to desire such things very much. But this is altogether a mark of the most common sort of men, for it is in thy power whenever thou shalt choose to retire into thyself. For nowhere either with more quiet or more freedom from trouble does a man retire than into his own soul, particularly when he has within him such thoughts that by looking into them he is immediately in perfect tranquillity; and I affirm that tranquility is nothing else than the good ordering of the mind. Constantly then give to thyself this retreat, and renew thyself; and let thy principles be brief and fundamental, which, as soon as thou shalt recur to them, will be sufficient to cleanse the soul completely, and to send thee back free from all discontent with the things to which thou returnest.

Tranquility is nothing else than the good ordering of the mind - Marcus Aurelius 

A red rose has blossomed, my beloved: Oru Chempaneer ..

This is a melodious and touching song from the malayalam movie Sthithi. A song for every ordinary married couple who have faced together the extreme hardships, financial worries and the bitter uncertainties of life. Love for each other seldom gets expressed in the harsh routine of daily living. Despite that one remain secure in the knowledge that the love for the other is still very much alive .. deep within the heart. It is only when we take a moment to sit back and look, do we realize the beauty of this soundless symphony that is our daily lives.

Oru chempaneer pooviruthu njan omalle
Oru vela ninnerkku neettiyilla
Enkillum engane neeyarinju
Ente chemapneer pookunathay ninakkai
Sugandham parathunathayi ninakkai
Parayu...nee parayu....parayu...nee parayu
(A red rose has blossomed my beloved
Not even once have I extended one to you
But still, how did you know?
The very reason my red roses bloom is for you  
The very reason it spreads its fragrance is for you
Tell me..you tell me..)

Akamme niranja snehamam
Mathuryam oru vaakinal thottu njan nalkiyilla
Nira neelaraaville ekandathayil
Nin mizhiyille nannavoppi mayachathilla
Enkillum nee arinju
En ninavennum nin ninvariyunathayi
Ninne thazhukunathayi
( The love that fills me inside..
I haven't, with a single word, expressed its sweetness to you
In the solitude of the blueish early morning..
I haven't wiped away the wetness from your eyes
But still, you knew ..
That my thoughts everyday knows of your thoughts.
That my thoughts everyday are caressing you.)

Thanniye thelinga bhavamam
Shree ragam oru mathra nee othu njan mooliyilla
Pularmanju peyyunna yamathillum
Nin mridhu meni onnu thalodiyilla
Enkillum nee arinju
En manamennum nin manam ariyunathayi
Ninne thunarunnathayi
( Alone, when I sing the Sree ragam, the depth of feelings that arise ..
Not a verse have I hummed for you
Even when hardships, like the morning due, rained on us
I never embraced your soft body
But still, you knew ..
That my mind everyday knows what is in your mind
That my mind everyday is accompanying you )

Oru chempaneer pooviruthu njan omalle
Oru vela ninnerkku neettiyilla
(A red rose has blossomed my beloved
Not even once have I offered one to you )

Listen to this song on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhZiR20hYP8

To find our calling : Rumi shows us how ..

Another wonderful year has passed and as I wished at the beginning of last year, I yielded ever so slightly to all the strange pulls and tugs at my heart. I have no resolutions for this year either .. only to do more of the things that I love and to do it more often. 

With these beautiful quotes, Rumi the great Sufi mystic shows us how to find our true calling ..

Each one of us has a calling. Rumi says : "Everyone has been made for some particular work, and the desire for that work has been put in every heart". Did you know "Inside you there’s an artist you don’t know about.."?. Know that "What you seek is seeking you"
Rumi urges us to ask ourselves .."What in your life is calling you. When all the noise is silenced. the meetings adjourned... the lists laid aside, and the Wild Iris blooms by itself. In the dark forest...What still pulls on your soul?
Listen in silence .."There is a voice that doesn't use words. Listen!"; "Sometimes you hear a voice through the door calling you... This turning toward what you deeply love saves you"; "Let silence take you to the core of life."; "Sit quietly and listen for a voice that will say, "Be more silent." As that happens, your soul starts to revive.”
When you have listened..."Respond to every call that excites your spirit"  and“What matters is how quickly you do what your soul directs.” and slowly "Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love, it will not lead you astray."
Do what you love and rejoice!! "When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy" you will say "I want to sing like the birds sing, not worrying about who hears or what they think.” and everyday "Let the beauty of what you love be what you do".

"Quiet" Matters

I went in to my son's kindergarten class today for an observational visit. My son's teacher Mr Janzen mentioned that just like his sister, my son too is usually quiet in the class. He also mentioned that the quietness didn't mean that he didn't know the answer, he just was not keen on being very verbal in school.

A few years back I was apprehensive about my daughter’s quiet nature, especially in school. Now I am more comfortable and accepting of this side of their personalities, primarily because I see a lot of the other side of them at home and other familiar environments. They are expressive, talkative and at times quite rowdy.

In today's noisy world, talking more is associated with confidence. There appears to be a need to verbalize everything. Silence is thereby associated with a lack of confidence and social awkwardness. This view I think is mostly a modern phenomenon.

Silence in the old days was associated with inner strength and composure. Silence and quietness was an integral part in learning and a prerequisite for great creativity. When we are silent, we listen more keenly. Behind the silence is a deep process of listening, comprehending and registering. It will do us all some good to embrace silence.

"That state which is beyond speech and thoughts is silence. Learning happens in silence." 

 "Silence is the element in which great things fashion themselves together; that at length they may emerge, full-formed and majestic, into the daylight of Life"

"Silence is the sleep that nourishes wisdom"

Dadirri : Deep Listening

I recently read about "Dadirri". It has always been a big part in the lives of the Aboriginal people of Australia. According to  Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr-Baumann, Aboriginal writer

“Dadirri is inner, deep listening and quiet, still awareness. Dadirri recognises the deep spring that is inside us. We call on it and it calls to us.

When I experience dadirri, I am made whole again. I can sit on the riverbank or walk through the trees; even if someone close to me has passed away, I can find my peace in this silent awareness. There is no need of words. A big part of dadirri is listening.”

“In our Aboriginal way, we learnt to listen from our earliest days. We could not live good and useful lives unless we listened. This was the normal way for us to learn - not by asking questions. We learnt by watching and listening, waiting and then acting.”

“My people are not threatened by silence. They are completely at home in it. They have lived for thousands of years with Nature’s quietness. My people today, recognize and experience this quietness, the great Life-Giving Spirit, the Father of us all.”