This is not
a book for someone sitting on a rock contemplating on a lotus pond. Not for someone who is retiring into a forest
and walking the path of zen. This is not a self realization book and not meant for
spiritual upliftment of mankind.
This is a
day-to-day manual that can be used to create a dossier of one’s own progress
thru life. The objective is to stop, think, reflect, introspect. It's is meant to
question, challenge the standards that we have become accustomed to. We have
allowed ourselves to fall into somewhat of a trap by allowing our habits to
dictate our destiny from thought to word, word to deed, deed to habit, habit to
character, character to destiny.
The objective
of the book is to break the process at the very onset, when at the thinking
stage. If thought is the architect of your destiny, then it’s the thought that
needs to be the force of change. Its thought that needs to be addressed and
challenged.
As we grow
in material gains, acquiring various trappings of wealth, we are trapped,
ensnared, and locked by it. We don’t seem to be able to get out of this comfort
zone. Hence, the process of this book is designed to challenge it.
In essence,
the book is designed to look simplistic and designed uniquely in a fashion that
is meant to attract the reader's attention and draw him to every page. It's with
this in mind that the words and the phrases used are all designed for a specific purpose, to stop one in their tracks. The attempt here is not so
much to overload the individual with information, but to make him find his own
solutions within himself. It is my position per se that all of us have answers
that are unique and specifically designed for our position in life. These
answers though are sometimes very clearly in front of us, usually completely
overlooked if not ignored. It’s the purpose of the book to search and find
these answers ourselves. Atleast to begin the process that would lead the
process.
Answers
change, day to day as it were. If it does not, by then, by definition we have
not changed. Our ability to analyse, assess and apply these answers in day to
day life grows as we grow. Hence, the answers to these problems, appear different
to different people. These answers have many levels of understanding and many levels of
application. And this process is something that engages you at every level.
Life is not
just in colors…its in hues. Therein lies
each of us, the answer within each of us. The quest to these answers actually
leads to us asking better questions. And that would be the ultimate purpose of
this book.
In essence
all of us have an internal source of energy. Something that we acknowledge in
many ways. Eastern culture refers to as 'Qi'. In Sanskrit it is referred to as
'Prana'. It’s a mental/physical/spiritual
energy source. Its an internal balance that this energy source creates. This
internal balance is between the kinetic and potential, the yin and yang, the
negative and positive, the shiva and shakti in Hinduism. This balance of energy
is found within us. The sphere of silence forces one to basically tap into this energey and
build up its reserves in a way. Its an application of self discipline
everyday. Keeping silent for one hour , we
are forced to communicate with oneself.
This helps us get in touch with ourselves instead of living in
a façade.
We create
this artificial barrier between who we are and who we want the world to perceive
us to be. We walk around with this mask, assuming the face behind the mask in
reality is the mask itself. Here I refer to the masquerade that one is forced
to put up to live in the social strata. The three essential questions we have to ask every
day:
- Who we are?
- Where we
are?
- Where are
we going?
We need to
ask these questions everyday because the answer to these change everyday. The process of analysis
helps keep us very much in touch with ourselves. In this process we build up
the inner "Chi", the strength in action, the versatility in language.
The
application of this doesn’t have an immediate or direct objective. If one doesn’t even achieve the
objective just the process of trying everyday is enough because you have embarked on
the journey. There is no such thing as the proper time or proper place. There
is no waiting for the right time. It must be done everyday, like breathing. It is the trying that makes all the
difference. Eventually, there are people without trying very hard, simply by
virtue of their being manage to achieve an hour a day. They actually gain from
the process can be lead. The trying is fundamental to the change.
Someone who
managed one hour is maybe ahead mentally, physically, spiritually to someone who
managed 20 mins a day. But to someone to
who this comes easily, is not growing. For someone who struggles to do this 20
mins, is pushing oneself and hence the percentage of growth is higher.
You cannot
define the process by the 1 hour or the
21 days. But define it by how much of a struggle it is for you. Hence, naturally
the process of struggling against oneself , however mediocre it may seem to the
rest of the planet, is what is important.
I don’t lay
any claim to the originality of the process. Something that I acquired
gratefully…….. its a labour of love to take it across the planet. The effect it had
on my life. By making it a process that I could share with others.