Living My Life by Choice Instead of Chance BY JINENDRA Let us come to some basic questions that we all ask. What is Life, its purpose, goals, how to achieve long lasting happiness, can I be secure in future, and what and how do I achieve what I desire? All too often, people are engaged in a constant struggle to attend to the various demands of life and to find ways and means to do the things they want/need to do. CLD is to achieve your goals. Trying to keep up with the daily demands of life can make it difficult to step back and look at just what’s going on, how it’s working for me, and how I can direct my life in the way I want it to go. The Conscious Life-Design is a tool to help me live my life by choice instead of chance. Can I do a personal assessment in an efficient, effective way? Can I organize the myriad information about my life so I can systematically make future-plan? Conscious Life-Design will help us focus on our “Real Goals” so that we can: – Take stock of current life circumstances – Clarify what’s really important – Decide what to do – Plan how to do it Life-Design is about choice, clarity of purpose, and balance. It’s based on the premise that each person creates his/her life experiences through the choices s/he makes every day and is therefore responsible for the satisfaction or lack of it, s/he is getting out of life. Most people cannot do what must be done, so isn’t it wrong to ask, ‘what shall we do?’ Life-Design makes us look at what the ‘crises’ mean? It tells us about the way we have been acting. Life is a game with its own rules. To play a game one must not keep questioning the ‘Rules of game’ The principles of Conscious Life-Design have evolved as I moved through life along with its many experiences. My son Alok and Kalpak, and wife Shakuntala and many close friends, relatives, business associates have had the opportunity to share with me many principles of Conscious Life-design. I thought let me share with you, who I have not met personally, some food for your mind. You can munch on it as per your convenience. It is possible you may not like everything that is fed to your mind, and some parts might be indigestible, but does it matter? … …you never know until you taste the food :-). Please, if you want to leave the meal halfway, feel free to do so, you can select and chew on anything you like from the treat to follow in the next many … … many lines … For me when it comes to finding a way of ‘Doing the Right Thing’, both ‘activism’ and ‘quietism’ that is ‘doing’ or ‘non-doing’ is a trap. Conscious Life-design is a dynamic process, and we don’t need a fixed conviction but adaptability. We don’t need a firm ground but skill to swim. Our attitudes to ourselves can change the way things are. I’d like to expose here some principles of “CONSCIOUS LIFE-DESIGN (1)” I believe in a Divine Destiny (DD) to be attained through Designed Destiny (DD). Most people misunderstand “Destiny”. I choose to express, “Destiny” as only a word, created by the ‘Gyani’s’ as an alibi for those who do not choose to live life Consciously. Astrology, Palmistry, Numerology, Tarot cards etc. are empirical sciences to be used for ‘Creating your future’, not simply predicting it. They are like weather forecasting. We must use the knowledge gained using these tools, to create the condition for future security, and prosperity. We must be ready to avoid the problems and seize opportunities when they arise in our life. What is ‘Grace’ if not an opportunity to affect transformation in myself? Natural evolution is Unconscious and happiness en-mass, whereas Conscious evolution is personal. With man, the Natural evolution comes to an end and Conscious evolution starts. Natural evolution happened automatically but Conscious evolution is not automatic. As man evolved and his understanding of Nature and himself increased, his Models of Self, Nature, Ethics, and culture also changed. As Man evolved, he changed his Model of Existence: from Model of Determinism (Niyatiwad) to the Model of Indeterminism (Karmawad) to finally the Model of Self-Determinism (Atmawad) This model gave rise to Concept of Destiny. Everything happens as pre-determined. Man’s Desires and `Sankalpa’ also arise automatically. This Model of Existence arose from our observation of Nature. We observed: It was such observation that made man feel, that he has limited Will-Power and also limited Freedom of Choice. So, he concluded: “Things will happen according to my Fate. I cannot do anything to change my Destiny.” As Man evolved and his understanding increased the next model of existence was conceived. Man is not bound by Destiny. Nature cannot think, it acts blindly according to Natural Laws, but Man can Think and Act according to his best judgment. This Model of Existence arose from our observation of Nature and Man in relationship of existence. Unconscious, Conscious, and Self-Conscious are different states (level) of Existence. happen in nature. The Laws don’t bind us but teach us how to modify, change, and control Nature. Natural Laws are Knowable. “Change is possible through changing Oneself“ This model gave rise to Concept of Free Will and Choice. Man understood that he is not bound by Nature to act in a specific way. He can apply ‘Laws of Nature’ for his own well-being and evolution. We can clearly see that the root of all concepts of ‘Ethics’ and ‘Ethical Behavior’ for man arose from the acceptance of Free-Will and Freedom-of-Choice. We must understand that religiosity, ethics, man’s nature, his attitudes and behavior, culture are changeable in time and space, because they are based on man’s Freedom of Choice and Free will. Today we have a newer Model of Existence 3.Third Model-Concept of Self-determinism : This Model arose when Man observed himself. We realized that “Man is a center of Free Activity”. Man is not bound by “Destiny”. Man can Think and Act according to his best judgment. It is this unique faculty that makes him Responsible-for-Himself. As I look at the Whole Existence, I observe that Man with his body, mind, and intellect, forms a relationship with his own nature and the world. Doesn’t this relationship depend on my own Perception of the Totality? Man Acts according to his own perception of Existence. His own existence is Self-Determined. By accepting the Model of Self-Determinism, I become ‘totally responsible’. (Read my poetry ‘RESPONSIBILITY’ and ‘INNER REVOLUTION’). One must Realize that the good and bad, right, and wrong, happiness and unhappiness, health and sickness, birth and death are all Self-Determined. It eliminates all problems of existence that arise from perception of duality. Duality too is Self-Determined. The New Model of Self-Determinism reveals that I AM totally ‘Responsible’ for my existence. It focuses my Awareness on Self. Am I not naturally inclined towards the Enquiry “Who AM I?” This Self-search can begin in earnest only when I accept the concept of Self-Determinism. But the Self itself is not a Concept but a Fact. So how can my quest for `Who Am I?’ end without Self-Realization? Numbers are symbols. They are symbolic of the magic of Nature. In “Divine Design” the Average Life-span of 70 years is divided into 10 phases of 7 years each. Seven is the Spiritual number. Now, why 10? Well 10 is the magical number which reminds us of all the numbers 1 to 9 plus 0. Also in today’s digital world all knowledge can be represented with the combination of digits Zeroes and One’s. It encompasses everything. It symbolizes Totality. Now why 7 years? Look at Nature and see all things natural. There is an abundance of phenomena governed by symbol 7. The 7 basic notes of Music. The 7 colors that make visible light. The 7 steps of spiritual progress. The 7 Chakras, and so on …and on … So, you get the gist! For those reaching age 21, the 3-rd phase of evolution, it’s a very important phase of your life. The number 3 is a very powerful pointer towards ‘Divine Design’. It focuses your attention to the Truth beyond the Trinity of natural phenomena. I am sure you already know all about the Trinity. The Concept of GOD -Governor, Organizer and Destroyer. The Concept of Trinity in Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh, or the trinity of Father, Son and Holy Ghost in Christianity. The three states of our own Consciousness – waking, dream, and sleep. The 3 Gunas in our psyche -Sattva, Raja, Tama. The Day, Night, and in between. The 3 names that make your ‘Full name’. The third finger for the wedding ring, the 3 Qualities Sat-Chit-Anand of our True nature, the 3 levels of our Existence- birth, in between and death, the 3 Nadis Ida, Pingla, and Sushumana, our 3 bodies gross, mental and causal, the triad Knower, Known, and Knowledge, The mantra AUM made up of Aa, Uu and Ma, and so on…. and …on….!! Ya, ya, ya, So what? Nothing! if you don’t get it. And … … … Plenty if you get it! Nature has beautifully and abundantly passed on the knowledge of Reality that lies beyond the Trinity. It constantly reminds you of the knowledge that lets you live life in peace and harmony. It matters not what phase of life you are in, you can start living Consciously, but for those who have come to a critical fourth phase in their journey of life, starting from conception, to incubation, to birth (three phases) you are now out of the ‘Egg’. The natural process of evolution is over. Now starts the conscious process of evolution and growth. In a true sense nature has nurtured you and now wants you to become Responsible for yourself. Your Free will and Free Choice are the tools given by nature to ‘Design Life’. You are now totally Responsible to use your own Creative Power according to Life-Design. Use the remaining phases of your life, to achieve what Existence or Life wants to achieve through its ‘Divine Design’. Don’t let your consciousness act like a spotlight for it keeps you away from appreciating ‘total relatedness’. It’s a special kind of enlightenment to have this feeling that the usual, the way things normally are, is odd, uncanny, and improbable. Surprisingly this ‘Inner Revolution‘ of mind, though easy and natural, has been confined to rather few isolated individuals. DON’T GET TRAPPED IN THIS JUNGLE OF WORDS: The words too have their own consciousness So let the ‘Words’ speak to you Let them spark Light in your Heart So, you too can discover The Reality that hides behind these words The word is and has been one of the most powerful forces to shape humankind, for both good and bad. There is no question that words are powerful, that they always have been and always will be. You see, TODAY ALL OUR TRANSACTION OF KNOWLEDGE GOES ON WITH THE HELP OF LANGUAGE. Isn’t both ignorance and knowledge dependent on language? WE ARE PRONE TO DECIDE THE MEANING BASED ON OUR UNDERSTANDING OF ‘LANGUAGE-CONTEXT’. If we are talking of cyberspace then Nerds, Byte, Net has totally different meaning. Similarly in love when we say Honey it implies something else. If we are not Alert enough, the language easily misleads us, and leads us to false knowledge. So, shouldn’t we Be always Alert About Language? It is even more important in the field of Spirituality, as I have observed and experienced quite often the defect of language as a ‘TRAP’. In spirituality we must accept language only as an indicator and not the absolute. Or maybe take it only as an approximation of what is to be actually conveyed. I have found that Words act as good reminders of actuality, that’s all, it has no other merit. Do we ever realize Words by themselves are not Reality? So let it always be at the top of your mind, “We must be always Alert About Language in communication”. Now let us come to some basic questions that we all ask. What is Life, its purpose, goals, how to achieve long lasting happiness, can I be secure in future, and what and how do I achieve what I desire? I am proposing an approach to life based on ‘Divine Design’ or ‘DD’. So, the question is “Can one Design one’s life?” Definitely! If one is in tune with the Divine. So, once again it becomes a lot of baloney, for we don’t know Divine. It’s a ‘Catch 22’ situation. Oh! you have not seen that Movie. Anyway, not knowing Divine cannot stop us from Designing our life. Most people may not accept the concept of “Conscious Life Design”; they may not “SEE” its practicality and feasibility and…. yes! They may have objection to the basic idea itself, and so they may choose to reject it at the instant it is proposed. But don’t you think one must experiment or at least toy with any new idea? Jinendra says What is there to teach and learn? All Knowledge is right there In the Realm of your Inner World We act the way we do For we think ‘I am right’ But we never choose to know ‘Who am I?’ Isn’t this ‘I’ the root cause For failure of wisdom to act in our life? We are misled By the simplicity of the Truth But Only few have the ‘Sense’ to trust That which is simple, obvious, innocent Are we aware of our own stupidity? For we discard so easily What we do not understand Shouldn’t we ‘Learn to Learn’? To get More from what we see, hear, and read! Understanding is not understanding, if it is only talked about and not lived. Understanding is seen only in action. Let me at this moment also clear a misconception about Love. Understanding does not create Love but Love creates Understanding. And just as Understanding can only be seen in action, Love is not experienced by words but can only be seen and expressed in action. I have experienced that “Genuine Affection is the biggest force in our life.” Some like to talk, Some like to listen But none observes one-self One who says “I Realize and so I will change” Is only fooling one-self One who says “Now, I Understand and I will try to change” Is also far, far away from change One who says, ” I Know” But his Actions fail to reflect “this Knowing” Is he not an intellectual fool who thinks “ I have changed “ ? Shouldn’t `Action’ of body, speech, and mind Reflect your ‘New Knowledge’ ? Just see the fact Can `thought’ liberate you from `thought’? Don’t be comfortable with conventional Wisdom. It requires an intuitive insight to discern the real from appearance. Look, for thousands of years men have been seeing apples falling from the trees, but it was Newton’s Intuitive insight that discovered Law-of-Gravitation in the simple act of a falling apple. The discovery of the law of ‘Divine Design’ arose from my own experience. Here I must make it clear to you that the word ‘Divine’ does not imply ‘Destiny’, ‘pre-plan’, ‘Grand’ ‘Already-programmed’, ‘Special or Extra-ordinary’, ‘Pure’, ‘Religious’, ‘Spiritual’ or any-other feeling or connotation that may arise in your mind. The Nature of Mind is to grab a concept or reject it. So, I give no definition. You too must arrive at your own understanding of ‘Divine Design’. When it comes to designing our life, Some may prefer to call what I call ‘Design’ with some other word like ‘Planning’, ‘Strategy’, ‘Dreams’, ‘Charting’, ‘Outlining’, ‘game-plan’, ‘Programming’, ‘Goal’, and so on and on. It doesn’t matter what you prefer to call it, because underneath each one of these process lies the basic concept of ‘Approaching Future with Certain Objectives‘. A question arises in my mind, is there a fundamental solution to today’s conflict and unhappiness in our human psyche? Can ‘right education’ provide to an individual, the tools and solution to achieve ‘fundamental happiness’, and not simply ‘conditional happiness’? I do not claim to provide any fundamental solution. But based on my own experiences, not only with my own children and those of relatives and friends, a thought arises, can we bring about some fundamental understanding through special education, such that the individual experiences ‘THAT’ which changes his/her perception of the world? First of all, let us come together and think together, to arrive at a clear perception and understanding on what is education? What is the role of language and words in building our beliefs or concepts that affect our view of the world? Are we being programmed as unique intelligent computer? What is sanskaras and how does it affect and create an individual? What does the word “Education” imply? “Education” can be defined as ‘All Inputs’ into an individual’s brain. So, the word education comprises not only the dissemination of knowledge, Information, practices and skills, but convictions, beliefs and values. This transfer is through instructions and examples from parents, teachers, community leaders, senior and influential people. We can call them “Authorities”. Now, these ‘Authorities’ get their own education from the ‘Authorities’ of the earlier generation. Thus, the division because of education has been perpetuated and enlarged with each successive generation, sometimes modified or re-structured by a visionary or influence of another division. Language and Concepts – The primary means of education: Mind and thought have their origin in an abstract plane of conscious intelligence, which comes into manifest -form through the symbols of language. The brain is not the source of the mind, but merely the physical instrument of the mind. We store (memory) and share our experiences by language. Language evolved because of our desire to share our physical experiences. We wrongly expect a precision in correlation between words and concepts. As far as physical phenomena are concerned there is a concreteness and discreteness in physical phenomena like sun, moon, rain, river, tree. Also, such phenomena are not created by any human thought. But as language extended beyond the physical into subtle non-physical experiences (Conceptual, imaginative, emotional) we inadvertently transferred our habitual assumption of precision in language to our non-sensory experiential content as well. Our unwitting acceptance of precision of many vague and subtle concepts expressed by our ancient sages, misled us to trust their validity far more than their fuzzy content would really merit. This misplaced trust makes them appear absolute. And in turn makes their authority over us absolute. It turned many of us into willing instruments to the perpetuation of its assumptions and values. Therefor we must understand that the ‘Education’ one receives programs the individual with a particular World-View. He has his own notion of : So, what is True Education? True education is that which liberates us from our Sanskaras. It prepares us to be free from all kinds of conditioning we have inherited – the preferences and prejudices, ideas and concepts, likes and dislikes which are all limiting factors in this human life. Education must bring about full awareness and right understanding in us of all these limitations – social, political religious, and psychological, so that we can rise and go beyond them. To most when we talk about sanskaras the question of good and bad sanskaras come in their mind, but few really try to find out what is Sanskaras? Sanskaras-the basis for our Thinking-Working Mind: The phenomenal-world that we experience, respond, and interact with, through our Actions, depends on thoughts that arise in our brain. The brain is the repository of All Sanskaras. Let us observe our actions. Take any action, it arises from a thought, be it conscious or unconscious. A thought is a response; a reaction of our memory. Memory is stored in Brain as knowledge. Knowledge is the result of our experience. So by self-observation we will understand how we are ‘programmed’ by our own experiences. It is this cycle of experience knowledge memory thought action; then from that action, arises more experience, which turns into a new or old experience, and thus the cycle repeats itself. The human brain is programmed such that We actually have no control over our response. Our responses are ‘programmed’ through our experiences. Our problem is that we continue to be ‘Programmed’ in this life; genetically, biologically, physically, mentally and intellectually, by our ’limited experiences’. So, the cycle of forming the Sanskaras keep on repeating itself and these Sanskaras get accumulated with the Sanskaras that are already part of our consciousness. This is how the human consciousness has been formed through millennia upon millennia of evolution. Each person’s life is simply unfolding of Sanskaras from moment to moment. I suffer, I am anxious, I am lonely, I am insecure, I am confused, just like others. I laugh, I am happy, I am joyful, like others. I have greed, I have envy, I have jealousy, I have hatred, just like others. Outwardly the cause for these feelings and emotions may appear different. So, life is unfolding of our Sanskaras, and we create our own future life, as we go through this life. Events are occurring and happening outside, but the experiencing and the experiencer is within. Our pleasures, our sadness, our tragedies, our ecstasies, they are created because of the ‘program’ we carry in our own brain. Thoughts are our Sanskaras. Sanskaras is the basis of our Thinking-Working Mind. So are we all not caught in the cycle of Sanskaras? There is no further need to ponder on the cause of conflict in our human mind. It is our inability to perceive that Unity is the True nature of existence. The default mode of All Existence is already and always will be Unity. So, from this stand point: Duality must be seen as an aberration in our cognitive medium. So, can education bring about an Awareness of this aberration, which an individual can identify within himself/herself and then correct it? Can we reduce or eliminate the conflict in an individual mind? Somehow, all we need to achieve is to help him/her re-align the few conceptual dynamics that are distorting the intrinsic unity of Wholeness that makes it appear fragmented. Man is defined not only as a social animal but also a planning animal. Planning (Designing) for Man is natural. This capability of planning emerges from his ability to distinguish between what is good or bad for his-self, according to his conscience. One must at this moment also understand that the process to decide what is good or what is bad is not simply ‘an automatic emotional response’ but it is a thought process which depends upon our own upbringing and learning process. But do we realize that most of our learning is based on Faith? It follows then that our likes & dislikes, opinion, prejudices, convictions, values, are all based on Faith. Do you see how faith is related to our education? If I show you a piece of white Chalk, and tell you its color is White, you immediately accept it, because you have been told during your up-bringing that this piece of white stick, has to be called chalk and its color is called white. Now such cognitive knowledge is based on our faith in our teachers and parents and is not based on any scientific logic. Therefore, Knowledge and faith cannot be, and should not be bifurcated. This understanding is very important, and you must remain aware of it during any communication. The biggest obstacle to Conscious Life-Design is our mind. Have I observed that I do not encounter this problem of ‘Knowledge and Faith relationship’ in objective relationship, but when it comes to subjective relationships, this ‘Knowledge and Faith relationship’ creates problems because of my perception? It is due to the natural process of our evolution, that the mind learned to interact as ‘I’ – the subject and the world or ‘All other’- as Object. Next, if I observe my mind, I will find that the mind learns by focusing on a particular, thereby ignoring the rest. So, our natural process of perception is also based on division, ‘I’ – the subject and the world or ‘All other’- as Object. Now, in the earlier phases of the evolution of mind, we did not communicate much with another sentient being. So, as long as we were interacting with non-sentient, the subject-object relationship created no problem, as the object responded according to our perception. But as we evolved and learned to communicate with other sentient beings, we found that the object (the other sentient being) does not respond strictly as per our perception of it. The other sentient being, perceives itself as Subject and me as Object, and so responds according to its own perception of me. This creates chaos in both minds as each one is used to a familiar response from our objective world, as per his own superimposition and perception. Suppose I point at a ‘man’ and say he’s ugly and not a nice person, but this ‘man’ perceives himself as handsome and a nice person. Will he accept my superimposition about him? So, when we perceive through a subjective relationship, then ‘Rival Thoughts’ may hold sway on our individual mind. Everyone perceives ‘the other’ from his interest giving significance to certain aspects, in his own way, depending upon his upbringing and learning process. This is the fundamental cause of all chaos in ‘Our world’. Now, it is scientifically established that when dealing with ‘Our World’, the ‘thought process’ in any individual is the same, ‘I’ the ‘subject’ and the ‘World’ the object. We further observe that objective relationship with non-sentient creates no problems, whereas objective relationship with sentient leads to conflicts and chaos in our life. Our sages and rishis pondered deeply over this ‘functional problem’ of the human mind. They came up with a solution that is not theoretical but practical and requires no special skills to be acquired, but simply to change our perception to Samyag-Darshan (Right Perception). We wrongly start from a presumption that prevailing division in our Perception is a normal condition in our living. But they confirmed that the ‘default-mode’ of All Existence is already and always will be Unity. Unity is the True nature of existence. So, from this standpoint duality must be seen as an aberration in the cognitive medium, and so it merely needs to be identified and corrected. All we need to do is to re-align the few conceptual dynamics that are distorting the intrinsic unity of Wholeness and makes it appear fragmented. But this re-alignment cannot be achieved by ‘doing’ something, it ‘happens’ simply through change in our Awareness. This fragmentation is the cause of all conflict at human level. So, what is the solution for this conflict? It is rather simple. Our Sages expressed the solution in words like “Tat Tvam Asi“, “Aham Brahamasmi” “Mai Atman Hoon”, “Samyag-Darshan” etc. Simply put, Samyag-Darshan (Right Perception) is to see beyond duality to unity. It is a very practical and factual solution. It requires simply to realign our relationship with the world not as ‘I’ the ‘subject’ and the ‘World’ the object (Perception of Duality) but to form a subject-subject or object-object relationship (Perception of Unity). Since in this article I am proposing the concept of ‘Divine Design’ as a practical tool for ‘Life-Design’, if you are further interested in more clarity on ‘Samyag-Darshan’ or ‘Non-Duality’ then you may read my poem “Tri-Ratna“, or my notes on ” Moksha through Education”. Also, if one observes oneself objectively, does he realize, “Why do I need so many Masks? Isn’t it to defend myself against My-Self? Isn’t the present self-awareness that most people and I have, the real cause of perpetuation of self under many disguises of love, duty, public-spiritedness, and devotion to ideal? Do you now have a clear understanding of the word “DESTINY” and ‘DD'(page 2)? Do you see how ‘Destiny’ is comprehended differently by individuals at different level of ‘evolution’ or can we say different level of ‘consciousness’? Do you now see clearly why different individuals differ in their approach to ‘Life-Design’ and how to live Life? Do you comprehend the ‘Causes’ like ‘Sanskaras‘, ‘Education’, and ‘Learning’ that affect Life-Design? So, which model of existence (see page 2) would you choose for your Life-Design? The Model of Determinism (Niyatiwad) The Model of Indeterminism (Karmawad) The Model of Self-Determinism (Atmawad) Life-Design is simply to focus an individual’s mind in a disciplined manner not only to achieve one’s short/medium/ and long term goals in life, but to align oneself with “Divine Destiny”. And talking about ‘destiny’, it doesn’t matter which model of existence we choose, never forget that irrespective of what we as an individual think our destiny is, in the long term, we’re all destined to be dead. Consciously cultivate & Look for new point of departures in your thinking to make life more meaningful and happy. It is in our state of Unawareness that we plant the Seed of trouble and unhappiness. ‘DD’ is not simply a philosophy, or an ideology, nor is it simply a theory. It is a powerful tool and provides us with a very practical system to achieve our goals in life, be it material or spiritual. Life-Design helps us to successfully balance conflicting push and pulls from family, friends, relatives, society, nation, and world, and allows us to quietly pursue our own goal in life. By the way, do you really know what is the goal of your life? Life-Design allows us to remain peaceful and Equanimous even in crucial times and critical situations. Life-Design protects us from queer logic, which may appear very appealing in the short-term but stops us from seeing the fundamental flaw that leads to failure in reaching our final goal as per the ‘Divine Design’. ‘Life-Design’ works on the Divine Principle that each individual has a birthright to develop to his best potential. An individual who knows how to use ‘Life-Design‘ can create opportunities to fulfill his/her aspirations, ambitions, and financial security. S/He can also discover liberation and realize his own-self. The more one appreciates ‘DD’ and understands Life-Design and applies it, a realization will dawn in him, that money, name & fame, and success is not the Sin-Qua-Non of life. Why wrongly focus on the aspect of efficacy or possibility of Life-Design, when I am simply making you aware of the importance of Life Design? There is no advantage in dissecting theories unless you want to newly construct them. Don’t yank out a new plant to check if the roots are healthy? You can see the effect of Life-Design in your life, when you observe that you have become a driver in life instead of being a passenger. I think everyone knows the principles of design and they regularly use it, but in a haphazard manner. For most of them it is simply a commonsense approach, and so they do not get desired results. Now, I cannot accept if anyone says he doesn’t approach future without any objectives in mind. Because whatever action or area of work he is in the present, definitely, fulfills some objective in future (You can call it Next Moment). Yes from a certain reference point he can claim that he had no objective in mind while he was or is doing some action, that he is just floating and takes life as it comes. But can’t you see that ‘Not doing anything and floating is part of his own design and having ‘No specific objective’ itself becomes his objective in his design. ENOUGH! I think you get the gist or the essence of what I am trying to communicate. Don’t take Conscious Life-Design as a philosophy or concept or simply another way of looking at life, or don’t be stupid and throw it away saying each one has his own approach to life, or don’t reject it without experimenting saying “that’s his way, I’ll find my own way”. Just ‘SEE THROUGH’ this whole process of living and you’ll understand how foolish it is for someone to say, “I breath the way I want, who the hell are you to tell me how to breath.” Hey! The focus has wrongly been shifted to ‘methodology’ of ‘how to breathe’ instead of realizing the undeniable fact of our daily existence. Everybody breathes. Full STOP. Nobody can deny this essential fact of our living. Similarly, Design is an undeniable fact of our daily existence. DESIGN IS THE FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLE UNDERLYING ALL CREATION, and Life-Design teaches you how to apply this basic principle in your life. Let’s understand the basics of design. Just like an architect has the skills to design buildings, a mechanical engineer designs machines, an industrial designer designs products, systems designer designs software, some design ships, some cars, some rockets, some satellites, some integrated chips. Then there are those who design clothes, furniture, appliances, computers, and design the courses and curriculum for schools of learning, which in turn design the people who design these things. Yes, different institutions and schools of learning design people. It doesn’t matter what you design; the basic concepts of good design are the same. Be clear of your objective short term and long term and remember all short-term objectives should lead you towards achieving your long-term objectives. Choose the parameters properly, put major and minor constrain factors, add fudge factor for unknown, keep rational safety factor, set time-space limitations, set quality standards and ways to check it, plan in your design for upgradeability and improvements based on future projections to take advantage when they are available. Naturally design requires abundant data. This data forms the fundamental building blocks of all information and knowledge that one uses for his design. So, keeping our mind and heart open to all information and knowledge that we are exposed to, helps us to be a good designer. Can anyone be a designer? Well, yes and no! Yes, if you are a student from the ‘School of Life’. But don’t worry if you can’t Design your own life; seek help from a ‘Divine Designer’. Ideas may come like thunderbolts, but it can take a long time to see them clearly – too long. And ideas are often born unexpectedly – from complexity, contradiction, and more than anything else, perspective. But Divine Design envisages that one can learn ‘Life Design’. To start Life-Design one starts by creating his VAM or Vision Achievement Model. This method is very powerful and also, very effective. One has to consider the following 4 aspects: Vision – Strategy – Projects – Tasks. Your vision of yourself defines a great deal of everything else that you do. Having vision is fine, but vision by itself is inadequate because it doesn’t become real by itself; Vision is only a dream. It is Strategy that gives you the direction in which you are presently going and will be moving, but it does not tell you what you are doing. Based on your Strategy, you create and work on projects that give you a definable achievement. And finally, the tasks; what you do every day to complete your projects, directly reflects your vision. WHAT IS VISION? IS IT RELATED TO SELF-IMAGE? Don’t just conclude. Ponder and think deeply to find your own answer. But if you ask me, ” Is Vision related to self-image? I will answer in a definite Yes! And do we realize the impact of Vision in our Life-Design? Are we absolutely clear, what Vision is? Always remember Vision has nothing to do with Desires. Vision is the new canvas on which you are going to paint your picture of life or you can say ‘Design Life’. Vision can exist only when one is free from his ego limitation, because then the intellect is not limited but free to explore. Vision brings you out of this vicious-loop of Ego-protection. Vision gives coherence to your life. Without Vision nothing tangible is possible. Most people don’t realize that without Vision ‘all Learning’ is growth in ignorance because the knowledge is only used for ‘Comfort & security’. But then who ever deeply ponders as to whom or what are we really protecting? Our-self? But then “do I Really Know my-self? And if I don’t Know my-self, then am I not Pretending to be somebody? Doesn’t that make my whole life a pretension? This is the root cause of all problems and chaos in our life. People have a self-image that is limited and so all their Visions too are limited. Appreciating this fundamental problem of lack of ‘self-knowledge’ will automatically shift your focus towards solving this problem. It is not a spiritual, or a psychological, or a metaphysical problem, but fundamental problem of our existence. Do we ever realize that our intellect always protects our self-image? If we perceive ourselves a failure, then unwittingly we are perpetuating failures. This is why, we are taught to have positive mental attitudes. If we are without Vision then our failure leads to lowering of self-esteem and the result is we react and stop all actions, whereas for a person with Vision, failure is ‘One more step towards success’, he readjusts and continues his action slowly moving towards his Vision. Thomas Edison’s creation of an electric bulb after over 1000 unsuccessful experiments is a classic example of a man with Vision. For Edison, each failure was one step closer to his Vision of providing Light from electricity. Let’s understand how the 4 arms of VAM are inter-related. Vision Strategy Projects Tasks Projects are division of our Vision. Various projects are undertaken to complete our vision. Also for each Project that we begin, we must develop a sense of its scope and content. Think through the various methods or ways by which you can complete each project. Develop an organized outline and a plan that is rational in terms of what skills, time, budget, tools and resources are at hand. Your plans should be in place before you start actual work on each project, so that you can monitor the project as you proceed through its execution. Each project can be further divided into smaller, more manageable tasks and activities spread over a given time. These tasks are the building blocks of project management. Some tasks are prerequisites and must be completed before others begin, so planning ahead is important. Allocate an estimated amount of time to each task. This is your project plan. Strategies help you plan how to arrive at your Vision. So by beginning with your first project, continue completing next series of projects, till you arrive at your final goal. So, Strategy is our Road-Map, the projects will become our route for reaching our goal (Visions), the different destinations are the measure of our achievements. Similarly continuing with the analogy of ‘Road, vehicle and Road-map’ the vehicle we use, speed of the vehicle, the luggage we carry, the pit stops we take, are all part of the tasks. So, ultimately the series of tasks, projects, strategies, all together go to complete our “Road-Map of life”, following which we can achieve our Vision. The multitude of visions should all be part of the Ultimate Vision. It matters not what your vision is, for as you evolve consciously the vision changes. But never forget that each vision is to be in a direction that takes you one step closer to your Ultimate Vision. Do you remember what we had observed about Vision and Self-image? Your vision of yourself defines a great deal of everything else that you do. Whatever may be your Vision, let’s start from where you are. Don’t worry about small or great Vision. Just remember it is by utilizing your existing ‘resources’, that you can start building from the minimum capabilities and grow towards your Vision, simply by the process of small progressive addition. Don’t aim at the moon and then start discarding (the process of subtraction) items just because they appear not possible. Life Design revolves around a vision. The VAM brings out the importance of vision. Realize that it is the vision that gives rise to strategy, projects and then tasks. ‘Knowing-self’ (‘ENLIGHTENMENT’) brings the ‘CLARITY’, which gives birth to the Ultimate Vision that becomes your Ultimate Goal of life. The Ultimate Vision will be fixed (a-single Vision) and un-changing only after you achieve ‘Ultimate (complete) Understanding’, that is after you have taken ‘ The PILGRIMAGE TO SELF’ and discovered the ‘TRUTH’. Talking about Truth we must not forget that all thought is an abstraction, and therefore an approximation of reality. Each of us apprehends this Truth in a different way. So, each one has his own version of the Truth, which is not inaccurate, but merely inadequate. In fact, we must encourage each one to form his own approximation of Truth and refine it on the basis of his personal experience. This is the only way one can find Truth: through personal perception. There can be no piggyback ride in this matter. Is anything that we could possibly do or think of, that is not a subset of the Truth? No! … … … If Truth is all encompassing, then anything must be its subset. We must, however, strive to make our ‘inadequate Truth’ more accurate by a process of continual approximation, purely because knowledge is incomplete without the knowledge of the Truth. Be aware that it is the lack of self-knowledge, because of which our visions are constantly changing. But VAM lets you control your Life-Design by taking into considerations your changing visions. It lets your Strategies, Projects, and Tasks be Dynamic. Let me suggest that until you have tasted the ‘SOUND OF SILENCE’ and discovered what is this ‘SILENCE’, treat your Visions just like a business venture. As you visualize in your mind’s eye what you want to accomplish, balance the project’s beneficial potential against the ‘investment’ of effort and ‘resources’ required to make it happen. Read my poems Tri-Ratna, Responsibility, Inner Revolution, Clarity, Enlightenment, Truth, Pilgrimage to self, Sound of Silence, and Silence @ http://www.CenterforSustainableHappiness.com Even before you begin life-design, let me ask you “What is Life? Jinendra says Life is the Universal Energy It is in all creations. ‘I’-Life flows from being into Existence from Formless to Form from Infinity to Finite from Absoluteness to particular from Unconditional to Condition from Unqualified to One with qualities from Unmanifest to manifest Life awaits Self-discovery In each and every person ‘What is Life?’ is revealed Only through Self-Realization It’s Realization of ‘Itself’ That man awakens into self-consciousness He now realizes The ‘Person’ is only an instrument through which Life creates LIFE now flows through him as ‘LIFE’ So “Love Is For Everyone” Life-Design requires fundamental understanding of Life. Love makes all understanding possible, but understanding does not create Love. It requires knowledge of Reality. To acquire such knowledge one needs faculties of Pure Intellect and non-attachment. Our skill and ability to discriminate between transient and non-transient, and our talent in control of mind and senses, will enable us to conceptualize and design ‘logical pathways’ through the maize of theories about life and its purpose, death, existence, god, creator, world, real and unreal, etc., so that we can clearly focus on Life-Design. Life-Design is – thinking, choosing, making, and doing. It is to achieve our Vision by shaping, smoothing, re-working, polishing, testing, editing, and re-editing strategy, projects, and tasks. Life-Design brings you one step closer to Reality. It is actually the Competence in Life Design that separates Sadhakas from the ordinary in being able to achieve their Vision. Life-Design is actually, no more than re-arrangements of all the elements that we consider important in our daily living – Me, my home, my wife, children, family, friends, relatives, job, my name, fame, wealth, comfort, food and health, mother nature and the weather where I live, my city, country, and the world. Successful Life-Design requires selective choosing and composing these elements according to our Vision. Life-Design for each individual is unique. It is different and shaped by the strategy, projects, and tasks he chooses to express his message of life. But the Ultimate Vision (Self-Realization) for each individual will be same, because it is based on the Ultimate Purpose of Life. Life-Design is to build a Navigation- Map for your journey in life. It outlines the connection or links among the various elements of your Vision and helps you organize the contents and purpose of your projects and tasks. It also provides you with the logical and interactive way to interface with your world. Life-Design can use any one of the four fundamental organizing structures, or one may use combination of them to achieve his/her Vision. Linear: An individual navigates in life sequentially, from one project to another. Hierarchical: An individual navigates in life as if moving along the branches of a tree, the direction being shaped by the natural logic and goal in life. Non-Linear: An individual navigates in life freely, unbounded by predetermined routes. Composite: An individual may navigate freely, but occasionally accepts constrains to linear navigation in certain projects & tasks as they logically fall into the hierarchical components or elements of Life Design. Life-Design gives you the ability to navigate along the chosen route of your Life-Map. The tasks & projects allow you to navigate along a given strategy to move from one point to another in life. Together the strategy, projects, & tasks form the ‘interface’ between You and Your Vision. Life-Design drives home the significance of ‘Interface’ for success of our Vision. It reveals that the success of Life design depends not only on the ‘Interface’ but the ‘User’ himself. Lot of agony, suffering and failures can be avoided by ‘Knowing Oneself’ & positioning ourselves properly in the layout & scheme of Divine Design. Life-Design is a guide for examining current use of time—with family and friends, at work, in community activities, and at leisure. For those who think they have no leisure time, Life-Design is definitely needed. And for those feeling out of balance in general, it’s also right on target. It will help identify the points of imbalance between values and ways of actually spending time. Life-Design will first and foremost work only for those who work at it. Reading and comprehending Conscious Life_Design is only the beginning. To really get its benefit one has to live by it. It provides more perspective on life than most people have ever had plus a systematic way of balancing life on an ongoing basis. It helps you to get specific about goals and it teaches a process for tracking progress and making course corrections along the way. Everyone loses focus from time to time, but it’s much better to notice it quickly and make the necessary small adjustment instead of waiting until the need for major change reaches crisis proportions. Life-Design teaches a practical process for each person to manage their life according to their own priorities and plans. Life-Design is a lifeline for people who are frustrated or disillusioned about the way things are going. It’s a process that can help in answering the questions at the very core of life: Am I finding meaning in my current work and lifestyle? Am I satisfied with my important relationships? Do I often wonder who’s in charge of my life? Life-Design respects the ability of each individual to make important decisions and to do what it takes to act on them. Life-Design provides an opportunity to reflect on many aspects of life—physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and intellectual—but it doesn’t dictate the course that reflection should take. Life-Design is not for a career or job-hunting, but it can provide valuable assistance in determining a career direction by seeking to clarify interests, skills, values, and other assets. LIFE DESIGN will consist of many projects and many tasks. Prepare your own checklist of action tasks for which you must plan ahead as you think through your strategy to fulfill your Vision. Design the ‘framework’ Determine the ‘platform’ from which you will deliver your Life’s message. Draw your navigation-map Create strategy to fill details on your navigation-map Design the various ‘Interface’- the projects and tasks Gather ‘Content’ for clarity of Vision Upgrade, assimilate & decide on the ‘Information Content’ of your Life-Design Assemble the elements in your Design Study various Life Design Models and build your Own Model Test your life Design model and revise it Create flexibility, will-power, and discriminating skills in one-self Don’t just read the questions in step 5 and step 7. Contemplate deeply and find your own answers. Enquire with an open mind and discuss the issues to arrive at some clear answers. I have to Investigate myself. The questions are to ‘jog’ my mind. I shouldn’t skip to another question until I have honestly answered it. It brings up lot of issues that I really need to address. The question should not be perceived as being asked by someone else but as if arising in my own mind. I should not approach these questions as mere theoretical questions, and so there is no benefit in giving intellectual answer. I must attend to it with the urgency and intensity that takes me on an inward journey. As I sincerely answer these questions, the process will take me through Self-enquiry, letting me examine my own belief patterns that keep me from ‘fulfillment’. So let me ponder over these questions without being too serious about them. What is LIFE? Is there any purpose of life? Is there any Real goal? How can I organize life to fulfill its purpose? What are the various elements that best bring me a Quality of life, and also fulfills the purpose of life? Are any elements (contents) already available (car, home, name, fame, money, child, etc.)? Is my idea of quality of life and its goal derived from “existing theme”? Can it be enhanced through self-gained knowledge (through contemplation, meditation, etc.)? Or is my concept ‘totally New’? What personal tools (physical, mental and intellectual) are available for fulfilling my Vision? Are they enough? What ‘knowledge and Software’ help is available from others? Am I aware of their Vision? What kind of ‘Internal Environment'(Mind & Intellect) do I possess? 10.What Kind of ‘External Environment’ (family, school, friends, home, location, etc.) exists? 11.Who will help me? 12.Am I immortal? How much time do I have to accomplish my goal? 13.What kind of financial resources are needed? Do I have that kind of Financial power? 14.How to communicate my Vision? 15.How to maintain balance between goal (Vision) and its feasibility? Am I aware that the various elements like strategy, projects, tasks that go to stretch and shape my Vision are dynamic? and I must do addition or subtract action in these elements, as I move in life, to accomplish my Vision. Life-Design provides a way for everyone to meet his or her needs. It helps and encourages learning by shifting from ‘teaching’ to ‘learning environment’. There is no Guru or teacher in this process. It nourishes a learning mindset and challenges you to be all that you can be- to take full responsibility of my life. It uses skills and strategies that have direct and immediate application in daily life. Life-Design is a systematic process that includes: [1] Collecting and organizing data [2] Clarifying values and priorities [3] Deciding [4] Goal-setting [5] Making specific plans in specific time frame [6] Doing a reality check and anticipating problems [7] Building a support system So now the stage is set. Let me feel my own heart beating as I sincerely explore, investigate and honestly write down the answers to all the questions that follow. The Answers will help me prepare my VAM and my personal Map-of-Life. STEP I. WHERE HAVE I BEEN? STEP II. WHERE AM I NOW? What Motivates Me Possible Motivators Job Satisfaction Interaction of Work and Home Life Why Worry About Values? Am I Living My Values? Relating Feelings and Values What’s the Best Way To Clarify My Values? Clarifying My Values Worst First Ranking What Means Most To Me? What Do I Like To Do? What Am I Good At? STEP III. WHERE DO I WANT TO GO? Do I Know All I Need To Know? Focus On All I Need To Know STEP IV. HOW DO I PLAN TO GET THERE? The step 5 and step 7 is a process of going within. Genuine enquiry leads you towards the core of your being. If you have sincerely looked for answers then for you Life-Design doesn’t remain a mere concept but turns into a powerful tool to let you discover the ‘Real Goal” of life. The essence of all that we do in life in action or thought is always to arrive at that state of our being which we individually refer by different words like, contented, satisfied, happy, joyful, blissful, peaceful, serenity, successful, etc. This state of our being may be referred by many as ‘THAT’, ‘Sat-Chit-Anand’, ‘Atman’, etc. This state or feeling is not based on how much or how little you have. You will have arrived at your own conclusion that ‘contentment’ is directly related to how complete and fulfilled I feel with myself. When you discover that you yourself are the source of your fulfilment, you will have discovered your own power to manifest peace and happiness within yourself. It is this newfound Awareness, that brings with it a totally new conviction about ‘Self’ and ‘Life’. You will now begin to appreciate & enjoy more and more of ‘whatever Life offers’. It has been my personal experience that QUALITY OF LIFE comes from living Spiritually. But spirituality has nothing to do with religion. Spirituality is a function of aligning our beliefs and behaviors with Universal Principles. By bringing about a ‘Meaningful Change’ in our Perception, we automatically bring change in our thought process and behavior pattern. This phenomenon once understood and used positively, results in experiencing a totally new quality of life. Thinking and practice of “Conscious Life-Design” is not only a natural aspect of human behavior but crucial to our notion of sustainability. It requires a holistic view, taking the larger view –recognizing that whatever we’re looking at is part of a whole – that everything is connected. Such change in perception is a paradigm shift. It is a radical change to a new set of rules, a new way of looking at and dealing with the world and ourselves. Most of us are not aware of Universal Principles and so we go about living-life any way we want it to be, as a result it is too late in life when we realize the futility of ‘Our Way’. So, for the benefit of all, the DEVINE DESIGN principles which are self-evident and factual, have been incorporated into simple steps of CONSCIOUS LIFE-DESIGN. You may have found that Conscious Life-Design doesn’t provide answers to the questions asked in step 5 & step 7. Each individual is a unique ‘Program’. S/He is first conditioned genetically, and then through “education”. This conditioning is the cause of all our prejudices, ideas, beliefs and concepts. I offer no exhaustive step by step theory or solutions. I simply urge you to LET-GO and be OPEN and LEARN-TO-LEARN. I am not preaching nor describing any special techniques for happiness, I am simply urging everyone to discover for himself/herself ‘The Joy of Living’ through Conscious Life-Design. So, let’s start with an open mind and make a pledge: “I will not be attached to the outcome, but be open to any outcome”. I recognise that we all have a complex life to manage. One must be thoughtful and proactive in pursuing the life and work of his choice. We need to add value to the way we serve other people right now, and we need a straightforward and direct approach to living-life. In short I am stressing the need for each one to be a ‘Learner’ and to help and work together to build a ‘Learning Society’. It’s the most promising path for all of us. Each must do his part and each must take the opportunity to ‘Learn and Grow’. If you notice that your body-mind-spirit responds to something as you read, it may be telling you something important. So seek answers to your questions -learn more, and become involved in the Life-design-process. To some These expressions in words may be a Mystical-Nonsense And you too may ask What is the use and purpose of all this Mumbo-Jumbo ? `I’ have no Purpose Other than what Life Brings I simply wish, you too may find How to Live Life Happily – Life free from all Complications – Life free from all Entanglements Know that it’s through Doubt only You too can Reach the state of Certainty In these few words are hidden Compressed secrets of my own experiences The “FORCE”,”ENERGY”,”THAT” is always there. You don’t have to GET IT Isn’t IT always there? GO DISCOVER IT MAN For Life’s battles are always there But sooner or later The MAN who wins Is the Man Who Thinks He Can !! Be aware and perceive rightly Then the words come alive and become meaningful If not, they are like writings on water Soon to disappear into meaninglessness !! Love Jinendra ▪We all change —choosing and changing are inevitable. Not to choose is a choice. Not to change is impossible. The choices we make every day —big ones and little ones —determine the quality of our life today & our possibilities for the future. ▪By the way did I tell you about the rule #6. What is Rule #6? It is, “Don’t take me or yourself too seriously.” … Jinendra 1. Conscious Life-Design
1. Conscious Life-Design
2. Can We Evolve Consciously?
2. Can We Evolve Consciously?
3. Let's understand 'DD'
3. Let's understand 'DD'
4. The Magic of Numbers
4. The Magic of Numbers
5. Why Beware Of The Language In Communication?
5. Why Beware Of The Language In Communication?6. Can I Design My Life?
6. Can I Design My Life?
7. How Does 'Education Affect Life-Design?
7. How Does ‘Education’ Affect Life-Design?
8. Do we really ‘KNOW’ what we mean by ‘Sanskaras?
8. Do we really ‘KNOW’ what we mean by ‘Sanskaras?
9. How Does 'Learning' Affect Our Life-Design?
9. How Does 'Learning' Affect Our Life-Design?
10. Why is our 'Natural Mind' a Problem?
10. Why is our 'Natural Mind' a Problem?
11. Is There a Solution to this 'Functional Problem Of Our Natural Mind?
11. Is there a Solution to this 'Functional Problem of Our 'Natural Mind'?
12. Why Use The Principle Of 'Divine Design' In Our Life-Design
12. Why Use the Principal of Divine Design in Our Life Design?
13. Is Life Design Possible?
13. Is Life Design Possible?
14. Design The Underlying Principle in Everything
14. Design The Underlying Principle in Everything
15. What Is VAM - VISION Achievement Model?
15. What Is VAM - VISION Achievement Model?
16. How Can 'VAM' Build My 'Road-Map Of Life'?
16. How Can 'VAM' Build My 'Road-Map Of Life'?
17. 'Understand The Mechanics Of Constructing Our 'Road-Map of Life'.
17. Understand The Mechanics Of Constructing Our 'Road-Map of Life'.
18.Seven Steps Towards Ultimate Vision
18. Seven Steps Towards Ultimate Vision
Step 1. DYNAMIC VISION TO ULTIMATE VISION:
Step 1.DYNAMIC VISION TO ULTIMATE VISION:
Step 2. TREAT DYNAMIC VISION AS A TOOL FOR SELF-KNOWLEDGE:
Step 2. TREAT DYNAMIC VISION AS A TOOL FOR SELF-KNOWLEDGE:
Step 3. DO I REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT IS LIFE-DESIGN?:
Step 3. DO I REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT IS LIFE-DESIGN?
Step 4. WHY DON'T YOU USE The following Check List for your Life-Design
Step 4. WHY DON'T YOU USE THE FOLLOWING CHECK LIST FOR YOUR LIFE-DESIGN?
Step 5. HAVE I CONTEMPLATED, CONSIDERED, ENQUIRED AND WEIGHED certain FACTORS IN MY LIFE-DESIGN?
Step 5. HAVE I CONTEMPLATED, CONSIDERED, ENQUIRED AND WEIGHED certain FACTORS IN MY LIFE-DESIGN?
Step 6. LIFE-DESIGN: Do I KNOW THESE 7 STEPS?
Step 6. LIFE-DESIGN: DO I KNOW THESE 7 STEPS?
Step 7. LIFE-DESIGN: 4 STEPS FOR SUCCESSFUL DESIGN
Step 7. LIFE-DESIGN: 4 STEPS FOR SUCCESSFUL DESIGN
19. IN THE END: What is my Objective in Proposing The Concept of 'Devine-Design' and 'Life-Design'?
19. IN THE END:
What is my Objective in Proposing The Concept of 'Devine-Design' and 'Life-Design'?
20. 'Some General Principles of Living