the speaking tree - Overcome Inner Contradiction And Conflict

Discourse: Swami Sukhabodhananda





No man is fully accomplished until he has acquired the a bility to attend to his life in the deepest sense. But mostly , our attention is on external accomplishments, such as name, fame and position. Are we attentive to our hurts, anxieties, inner contradictions and jealousies, which erode the quality of life? They are the virus which is destroying us.We need to attend to this disorder. This is a part of our ignorance; our inner foolishness.Observe carefully
We need to observe inner contra dictions. Since we don't observe this, there is lack of peace in us. We go on asserting and denying what we want and what we are. This creates inner conflict and conflict leads to pain.
What do you mean by conflict? Why do you think there is a contradiction?
When there is contraction and conflict, there must be a struggle, and in that state we create nothing but antagonism, friction and bitterness.This is a kind of inner hostility. If we free ourselves from this, there is inner peace.

Being and becoming
There is a contradiction to `what is' and `what one wants to become'. This is the basic conflict in which friction exists. Are we seeing `what is' in the truest sense?
One is busy in getting what one wants and has thus stopped truly seeing `what is'. There is a hurry to get what one wants rather than rejoice what one has or see what one has. Hence, one does not maximise what one has in one's life. It is not what one has which makes a difference, but how one uses what one has which makes a difference.
Learn to observe your breath.When you observe your inhalation and exhalation, you will see breathing is joy. Without which, you are dead. So is your feeling really experiencing breathing as joy? Mind has become so gross in `becoming' that you miss seeing the `being'. When you observe just breathing, you will experience joy and then your heart will fully breathe.Just this breathing becomes a point of celebration.
Become fully aware
But since we have taken this breathing for granted, we are lost in getting some object of illusion and hoping it will give joy. See how we have slipped living a joyful life. When you attentively eat, then eating becomes meditation. When you put your whole awareness in eating, then just eating an apple you will he apple is an ambassador of see that the apple is an ambassador of the cosmos, the whole. The apple is a result of the tree, and in it exist sunlight, water, air and earth. The whole is in the apple. It is a gift of the whole. With this awareness, when you eat, you are in communion with the apple and hence with the whole. A different life opens up in such a living.
Then, life is a movement of joy from one point to another point. It is not `becoming' but a movement of `being or presence'. Then there is no conflict.
Journey of joy
Getting your goals is not a conflict or contradiction but a journey of joy .Only here conflict ends, and in that space there are no inner contradictions. But for this, there is a conflict of the `now' ­ when you do not get what you want and the conflict manifests in the form of hurt, upset, sorrow.This is because you imagine getting what you want is joy . This conflict adds to the chaos.

International Journal of Rural Management

Table of Contents

April 2015; 11 (1)

Editorial

• Select this article
  • Tushaar Shah, 
  • Mukul Kumar, 
  • Vanita Yadav, 
  • and Anand Venkatesh

  Celebrating a Decade of Research in Rural Management

  International Journal of Rural Management April 2015 11: 1-2,doi:10.1177/0973005215575634
  • Full Text (PDF)

Articles

• Select this article
  • Darin Khongsatjaviwat and
   
  • Jayant K. Routray

  Local Government for Rural Development in Thailand

  International Journal of Rural Management April 2015 11: 3-24,doi:10.1177/0973005215569383
  • Abstract
   
  • Full Text (PDF)
   
  • References
• Select this article
  • Rustinsyah

  Social Capital and Implementation of Subsidized Fertilizer Programme for Small Farmers: A Case Study in Rural Java, Indonesia

  International Journal of Rural Management April 2015 11: 25-39,doi:10.1177/0973005215572730
  • Abstract
   
  • Full Text (PDF)
   
  • References
• Select this article
  • Saswata Narayan Biswas

  Organizational Behaviour Research in Rural Producers’ Cooperatives: A Neglected Domain

  International Journal of Rural Management April 2015 11: 40-59,doi:10.1177/0973005215572460
  • Abstract
   
  • Full Text (PDF)
   
  • References
• Select this article
  • Bijayashree Satpathy

  Where are Tribals in Their Development? A Century of Indian Forest Legislations

  International Journal of Rural Management April 2015 11: 60-74,doi:10.1177/0973005215569382
  • Abstract
   
  • Full Text (PDF)
   
  • References
• Select this article
  • Sushanta Kumar Sarma

  Data Collection in Organizational Research: Experiences from Field

  International Journal of Rural Management April 2015 11: 75-81,doi:10.1177/0973005215569384
  • Abstract
   
  • Full Text (PDF)
   
  • References

Vedanta - The Path to Happiness

P V VAIDYANATHAN





What do we want from life?
And why do we want what we want? The answer to the first question will not only vary from person to person, but also from time to time. The answer to what we want would be different at different stages of our lives -it would depend on our financial, educational, social, emotional, psychological, material, relationships, health or professional status.Some might want a degree, others wish to clear their exams, while some others might want a job. In middle age, the emphasis would be on stability , job satisfaction, hobbies, purpose, self-worth and on one's children and their futu re. In old age, it would be about health, money , lone liness, death and disease.
If you go to the second qu estion of why we want what we want, most answers given by people anywhere in the world would sound similar. The usual answer to the why is: because it will make me happy , it will bring peace, because it will end suffering, bring harmony , freedom, purpose, or because it will bring joy and satisfaction.
Interestingly , if we could only reverse the questions, and make the second question the first, and start finding answers for that, life would become far simpler. We all want happiness, but we don't know how to get it. Happiness is different things to different people. So, answer the second question first, and do those things that make you happy . Then whether you succeed or fail outwardly, it would not matter.

How innovative are you?

The first step to becoming a leader lies in the willingness to welcome change, stand out and nurture one’s curiosity.

Whether it’s Marie Curie for her ground-breaking research on radioactivity or Bill Gates for building a giant of a software that is unparalleled to this day, being an innovator can also be more than creating something new.

The word innovation conjures up images of a cool gadget or a quirky creation. So, on what terms can you break new ground and when is that supposed to happen? If your answer to that is today and every day, then you are absolutely right. Innovation isn’t just implemented for the generation of a new product, but also for birthing a new process, a thought, a bit of knowledge and even the packaging of all these entities. Innovators are essentially explorers of countless opportunities and possibilities. If the mere spark of an idea can lead to the creation of a timeless software, so can a humdrum procedure be redesigned and modified into a new approach.

Speaking of devising new approaches, this is one of those innovative activities that is meant to change the procedure of seeking jobs as we know it.

The key factor here is to stand out, which is easier said than done. This is the moment when you truly begin your research, an age-old activity that has always helped in the process of standing out. In your journey towards acquiring a coveted position in an organisation of your choice, you may have come up with quite a few innovative ideas to appear different and become visible. If your research isn’t thorough enough, it will all be for nothing if you have no viable intelligence on the organisation and the people that you are trying to impress. This is how you can be innovative in your research and your approach as well.

Right questions

Perhaps this can be considered as Phase 1 of your reconnaissance process. Research on the company you want to apply to will unearth a variety of information unique to that particular company as well as knowledge on your predecessors’ qualifications to help you match or even boost yourself in those areas.

Not only will this help you seem in tune with the organisation's wants and needs but it will also put you on their radar, which is the ultimate goal.

Break away from the single-page-resume trend and tap into the technology surrounding you. Make a short video about yourself explaining why anyone should hire you. If that’s too much or not enough, digitise your resume on a single personal webpage with a compact and catchy graphical presentation, for images.

For images speak more than words, and you can make that work for you.

The proces of innovation doesn't just stop once you have been hired. Now you’ve got the task of standing out amidst a team of equals and superiors while helping your organisation grow. Here, being innovative isn’t about a single person being compelled to come up with new ideas constantly.

Innovation must gather at a single spot but from multiple sources, be it external or internal.

As an individual employee what you must do now is be proactive and take the initiative to voice your ideas and opinions if you come across something interesting. It is vital to remember that this process of sharing doesn’t mean that you give up your individual thought.

Communication from your end will help people recognise your talent and help you add value to numerous brain-storming sessions. This way, you revamp yourself and your team.

As an innovator, you are to constantly welcome change, where your curiosity will lead to persistence and that would inadvertently lead to rising above the constant doubts and disruption with a single solid idea, a sure-fire sign of a future leader. But first, it all starts with standing out and nurturing your curiosity.

Why does a jaundiced person's eyes and skin look yellow?

PROF DR V NAGARAAJAN, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, answers...

There are two types of bile pigments, both are yellow in colour, one being Bilirubin, and the other, Biliverdin. These two pigments impart colour to the bile salts, which are called glycocholate, and taurocholate.

These are by-products of haemoglobin, which are present in the red blood cells of the body, and owing to wear and tear of the red blood cells, they break, and liberate haemogloin and its derivatives, which are ultimately converted to these bile pigments by the liver cells. They conjugate later with the bile salts.

The bile is necessary for digestion, as it reduces the surface tension of the fat molecules, and disintegrates them to finer particles, as emulsion of the fat. The digestive enzymes for fat then act on them converting them to basic fatty acids, and lipoproteins.

These bile pigments have affinity to the some areas of the body, viz subcutaneous tissue, sclera of the eye. But to get them to combine with these tissues they should be lyophillic (otherwise called affinity to attach themselves to water molecules). There are two types of bile pigments, direct and indirect. The former is lyophillic, soluble in water and other is insoluble called lyophobic. The soluble bilirubin gets deposited under the skin in the subcutaneous region, and sclera, the white portion of the eye ball.

In jaundice, in new born ( physiological and pathological ), these salts which are in the skin are converted to soluble, dissembled products by a treatment called phototherapy ( photooxidation). A person looks yellow due to coloration of the eye, and skin owing to the deposit of the soluble bilirubin under the skin and sclera due to deposits of these soluble bile pigments. Hence in jaundice a person appears yellow.

Give the IIMs their freedom

There is an irony here that is hard to miss. The three oldest Indian Institutes of Management — IIM Calcutta, IIM Ahmedabad and IIM Bangalore — were established many years before India embraced the market economy model. With recommendations that came from the Planning Commission and working in a socialist framework, they have functioned autonomously to evolve best management practices and, with some help from America, today figure among India’s best-known global brands. Over the years they have benefited from the autonomy granted to them, which has enabled them to work independently in deciding what is best for them. In the true sense of the term, the IIMs have essentially been market-oriented institutions. The government that is now at the helm has an avowedly pro-market disposition too, and has in the recent past cut budgetary support for many welfare measures. The real objective of seeking to impose controls on the management institutes — of which there are 13 today — has therefore perplexed observers. To be fair, the NDA government is not to be blamed entirely. The Congress-led UPA, under Minister Kapil Sibal, set the process going. A committee that he appointed was accused of pursuing the objective of out-and-out privatisation of the IIMs. The Ministry of Human Resource Development under Smriti Irani is now seeking to regulate them by means of the Indian Institutes of Management Bill, 2015, in the text of which the word ‘regulate’ recurs with regularity. The Bill is now in the public realm for comments and will of course pass through Parliament. There is reason to believe that the special status enjoyed by the institutes is being sought to be diluted by bringing in other business schools also within the ambit of the Bill. That is not to say the Bill is without any positive aspects. It promises to meet a long-pending demand to convert diplomas awarded by the IIMs into degrees.

But the real question is whether government control would help make these institutes centres of excellence. Public-funded institutes in India figure nowhere in the top 100 global ranking index. The Indian Institutes of Technology have functioned autonomously in deciding their own curriculum, yet evidently the government is seeking to interfere in their functioning. In the case of the IIMs Bill, it is not clear to what extent the government intends to meddle with the academic structure. What is evident is that major decisions can be taken only with prior government approval. Also, determining the fee structure, a contentious issue in the past, will be subject to governmental nod. The government ought to tread carefully here. It would be appropriate to take the IIMs along while giving final shape to the Bill, which has the potential to alter their structure.

Keywords: Indian Institutes of Management Bill, IIM, IIM bill

the speaking tree - Your Best Friend And Your Worst Enemy

Swami Vishnudevananda





The mind is its own worst enemy as well as its own best friend.According to yogic thought, the mind has five different types of behaviour. In the kshipta state, it is fragmented, distracted and scattered on various objects. It is restless and jumps from one thing to another. In the mudha state it is dull and forgetful. Vikshipta is the gathering mind. It is occasionally steady and at other times distracted.This is its condition during practice as it struggles to become focussed. In the ekagrata or one-pointed state there is only one idea present. In the niruddha state full control is achieved.
The greatest impediment to concentration is restlessness and tossing of the mind. When a beginner sits for practice, the thoughts, unaccustomed to this new game and freed from their usual grooves, leap about in an uncontrolled way . To remove tossing and other obstacles to one-pointedness, adamantly fix the mind on one object alone. When it runs away , as it naturally will, pull it back again and again. It will want to create hundreds of alternate thought forms. But if not disciplined no progress can be made.
It is necessary to introspect and watch the mind carefully . Bubbling thoughts must be silenced and emotions calmed; the purpose of concentration is the stilling of mental waves. One should not allow the mind to dissipate energy uselessly ­ on vain thoughts, worries, imagination and fears ... The mind is attracted to pleasing or favourite ideas.Therefore, concentrate on something that is appealing.Because of its natural, externalising bent, in the beginning concentrate on gross objects. A flame, the moon or a concrete spiritual symbol can be concentrated upon with open eyes.Later use subtle objects and abstract ideas. With the eyes closed, the aspirant concentrates on the space between the eyebrows, the heart, or any of the chakras, or centres of spiritual energy.
By manipulating the mind, one is able to bring it under control and compel it to concentrate. However, don't wrestle with it. Struggle only sets more mental waves into motion ... Sometimes spiritual aspirants leave off the practice of concentration, as they find it difficult. They make a great mistake. In the initial struggle to overcome body consciousness, practice may well be troublesome.There is physical restlessness attended by an overabundance of emotions and thoughts. In due time, often only after many years, the mind becomes cool, pure and strong, and immense joy is derived from it.
The sum total of all the pleasures in the world is nothing compared to the bliss derived from meditation. Do not give up the practice at any cost. Have an attitude of patience, cheerfulness and tenacity . Success will eventually come. By serious introspection, it is possible to discover the various impediments to concentration. They may be removed with patience and effort. They can be nipped in the bud through discrimination, right inquiry and meditation.
The more concentrated the mind is, the more power is brought to bear on one point. The purpose of life is to fix the mind on the Absolute. When it is so fixed, one becomes calm, serene, steady and strong. In concentration the senses cease to function, and there is no longer awareness of the body and surroundings. As it deepens, one experiences great joy and spiritual intoxication.Concentration opens the inner chambers of love and, as it leads to meditation, is the sole key to the realm of Eternity . (`Meditation & Mantras' from the Sivananda Ashram.)
Post your comments on speakingtree.in