Ratanjit's Advice for Stress-Free Living - Spirituality

Ratanjit's Advice for Stress-Free Living
You have questions. Ratanjit has the answers. His worldly experiences have taught him a lot. And now, he wants to share that knowledge with you.

Question:
Why is this Guru system so embedded? The message is important - not the messenger. We all make the mistake of following one messenger (guru) and shutting off all our critical
faculties.

Answer:
Your point is right on the target. It is the message that is of prime importance and most empowering. Please allow me to share an actual incident that took place while I was in India last February where I released two of my books through my publisher Roopa & Co.

I was invited to address a gathering of financial executives from one of the most prestigious equity firms in Mumbai. It must be a gathering of some 250 executives. At the end of my talk and question & answer session, some executives gathered around me for some personal questions. One executive in his mid 40 or so asked me,

“Sir, I have a very personal question for you. Your lecture was very enlightening and it was very clear to me that you have a very thorough understanding of the ‘Bible’. In fact I have never heard Bible explained so fundamentally. Obviously your study of Bible is very thorough and thus your knowledge comes from the Bible. But then Sir, why did you not acknowledge that fact and offered the credit to the bible?”

Another gentleman standing right next to him immediately responded before I had a chance to say anything,

“No-No..Sir’s lecture was based on ‘Upanishads’ and not the Bible. But I am really disappointed that Sir did not even mentioned any thing about Upanishads.”

Before I could say a word a Sikh gentleman who was listening, jumped in and said,

“You both are wrong. Just look at him, he is wearing a turban. Obviously he is a Sikh and I know what he is talking about. It is all in our ‘Sri Guru Granth Sahib’ and he should be proud to acknowledge that all his knowledge comes from our Guru Granth Sahib. Sir, please tell me if I am wrong.”

I smiled and responded,

“Gentlemen: please allow me to share what happened with me a few days back and hopefully it may address some of valid issues that you wise people have raised.”

All three of them stepped forward looking a bit tense and curious. I continued,

“I met one of my old college classmate on this trip who is a very successful businessman in Mumbai. He invited me and my family for dinner at his beautiful penthouse in the posh area of Khar. It so happened that his daughter with her 13 month old baby was visiting him that night. The little girl was fascinated with me and did not hesitate to play in my arms. It was a full moon night. I was trying to draw her attention to the moon by pointing a finger at the moon, but every time I pointed my finger at the moon she would catch hold of my finger in stead of looking at the moon.”

All three gave me a look as if they were asking how was my story addressing their concerns, until I asked,

“Now, my friends aren’t you doing the same thing as that little girl was doing? All these scriptures (equal to the finger) are pointing you towards a path (Moon so to speak), but you guys simply want to hold onto the ‘finger’ (the religious Scriptures). Furthermore, you want to own it, worship it, fight over it as to who has a superior ‘finger’ (religion), but not at all persuaded to go where these religious scriptures (fingers) are asking you to go. And, you are upset that I am not holding on to the ‘finger’ (acknowledging the scriptures).”

“My friends the real mission is to go to the ‘Moon’ or in other words practice spirituality and not hold onto the ‘finger’ (the scripture). Spirituality is basically ABSENCE OF DUALITY. These scriptures are merely instruments that guide us in our journey to reach the ‘MOON’ (reach NIRVANA through loosing your EGO and practicing ONENESS).”

I continued,

“By the way, the same thing holds for your ‘AVATARS’ or Gurus or your revered Gods in the human form. They were here to show us the path. It is their teaching and their message that we need to follow, but, unfortunately, what we do is worship them or fight over them but never try to fully comprehend and follow the path they have shown us. Now, before you guys kill me please THINK! Would you ever be cured of a disease if you simply worshiped your doctor, but never took the medicine that doctor prescribed for you?”

The most amazing part of this incident was the ending. One of the listeners jumped forward and fell at my feet. So you see, the worshiping of the messenger continues regardless of all the sincere efforts of the messenger to do the otherwise.

Do you have a thought or question for Ratanjit? He'd love to hear it. You can email him at email@ratanjit.com .

Ratanjit's Advice - Sustaining Peace and Tranquility

Ratanjit's Advice for Stress-Free Living
You have questions. Ratanjit has the answers. His worldly experiences have taught him a lot. And now, he wants to share that knowledge with you.

Today's question comes from the United Kingdom.

My husband died in a car crash 9 years ago. I am trying to raise a teenage daughter as well as work full time as a counsellor. I am really struggling to overcome or deal with being invisible and an outcast as a widow within the same community that had put me on a pedestal as a professional and a wife.  What have I done wrong to deserve this?

I practice reiki and can get in touch with the spiritual side of me but it does not last because I soon get caught in the whirlwind of life and trauma that is painful.  I am looking for sustainable peace and tranquility as well as being fun for my child.  How do I get there? Please help.

Life is all about making a difference through adding value to our Bigger One and being utterly grateful for it. It is mostly done by focusing on one project or one person at a time. It is through this thought process we bring Spirituality in us and position ourselves to truly serve and worship our GOD. Temples or Gurudwaras are merely institutions of learning where we are made to realize God’s presence in every living being. With that understanding at hand we should utilize our experiences, gifts of skills, education and our knowledge to serve our God in every one that we come across with out any condition or hesitation.

Typically our thought process is based on cause and effect and that thinking gives us this question, “What have I done to deserve this?” Fundamentally, we have no right on anything. All the good things in life, which we take for granted, are in fact gifted to us, and not deserved. All our pain and suffering comes from this thought process that we deserve things.

Please realize that all our relationships are merely crutches that we become dependent upon. Furthermore, we mortgage our happiness to other’s opinions and their erroneous value system. People around you will always give their unsolicited opinions and advise as that is their source of self-gratification and ego enhancement. Please ignore all these comments and gestures that ignorant people indulge into and focus on serving God that is present in every living being with all of your capability, wisdom and resources. By doing so you will be in touch with the peace and harmony that exists right within you.

The best way to stay in the spiritual mode is to remain utterly grateful at all time.

Do you have a thought or question for Ratanjit? He'd love to hear it. You can email him at email@ratanjit.com.

Ratanjit's Advice - Habits

Question: How do habits play a role in our life and how does one go about changing our bad habits and taking on good habits?

Answer: Habits are fundamentally our operating software. Our habits allow us to put our human operating system on autopilot and we begin to do things because of our habits rather then what is right or required. In other words we are what our habits are. Once we come into a habit it becomes a struggle to get rid of or change it. For us to change our habits we have to first understand and comprehend the universal Truth, which reveals our true purpose of our existence on this earth and gives us clarity of thought and wisdom to cultivate right habits. Otherwise, in spite all our efforts our old habits always raise their ugly heads.

Old habits are very hard to break even if we pick at one segment of our habit at a time. It is like this: if you take the letter ‘H’ out of the word HABIT , ‘ambit’ is still left behind. If you take letters ‘H’ and ‘A’ from the word ‘HABIT’ ‘bit’ is still left behind. If you go further and take out letters ‘H’, ‘A’ and ‘B’ out of the word ‘HABIT’, you are still left with ‘it’. It is only when you get rid of the letter ‘I’ (which stands for 'I' or 'Me' which is our ‘EGO’) that you discover the TRUTH hidden in the last letter ‘T’ of the word ‘HABIT’.

Basically the only way to take control of our life is to control our habits....our habits of thinking ,our habits of working, our habits of responding, our habits of expectations, our habits of accepting and in a nut shell our habits of living itself. All our good habits get planted in us automatically once we begin to live the Truth. The Truth that is referred here is the truth of ONENESS paradigm, which basically means that there is only ONE and we and every thing that we see and touch or think is an integral part of this ONE. Once you fully understand this truth and begin to live it in every living moment of your life, you will take on habits that are in total compliance with this truth. Your purpose of breathing, living, and working gets aligned with this Truth.

In essence once we realize that we are an inseparable part of everything that exists around us, it becomes clear that our only real purpose of this life is to serve that ONE by adding highest value to its parts that surround us. When we live in ONENESS, we begin to focus on adding the highest value in every thought, in every action and in every endeavor.

Now, let us take some examples:

There are people who have a habit of exploding or getting very angry at the slightest of criticism or bad remark. We should ask how we can add the highest value in this circumstance rather than getting upset. This thought process will give you control on your anger, and focuses on adding the highest value.

Similarly your habit of worrying comes from your false assumption that you own things such as your home, your car, your cloths, your spouse, your children and even your very own human body. Therefore, you are always worried about losing them. Whereas, the wisdom of the ONENESS paradigm says that we literally own nothing. Everything including our own human body is simply gifted to us to carry out our mission to add the highest value to everyone around us , one person and one project at a time. This thought process would take your mind off the worry path and refocuses it on its true mission of making a difference through adding value to every situation that you encounter.

The habit of lying and cheating comes from the assumption that no one else will find out the truth. Whereas, the wisdom of ONENESS will clearly make it visible that truth is always known to the bigger ONE. It is like.. if your right hand may be able to hide something from your left hand, but the body they are attached to always knows what the right hand is doing at every living moment. Therefore, when we live in this ONNESS paradigm we simply cannot carry the habit of lying or cheating even when no one is watching.

In summary, it will take a lifetime to remove our bad habits, but it will merely take a moment of enlightenment that will reveal the TRUTH of ONENESS and all the right habits will begin to come out of you.

For information on Stress-Free Living visit http://www.ratanjit.com