The enlightenment at which Zen aims comes by itself. Like consciousness, one moment it does not exist – the next it does. Man goes through life as if walking in mud; dragging his feet and his true nature. Zen talks about a gradual and an instant path to enlightenment. Enlightenment was symbolized by the bull in Tao and later adapted to Zen philosophy.
In the twelfth century, the Chinese master Kakuan drew the ten bulls based on earlier Taoist versions. His comments in prose and verse are translated here. Kakuan’s version is pure Zen; it goes deeper than earlier ones which ended with the eighth picture. A constant source of inspiration to students, many illustrations of Kakuan’s bulls have been made down the years.
The illustrations reproduced here are a modern version by the noted woodblock artist, Tomikichiro Tokuriki, a descendant of a long line of artists and proprietor of the Daruma-do teashop (Daruma is Bodhidharma, the first Zen patriarch). His ox-herding pictures are as direct and meaningful as Kakuan’s original pictures must have been.
The bull is the eternal principle of life – truth in action. The ten bulls represent the steps toward the realization of ones true nature. This sequence is as potent today as when Kakuan developed it from earlier works. Basically, there were eight pictures of unknown origin which were not Buddhist but Taoist. Nobody knows who painted the first bulls, but in the twelfth century, a Chinese Zen master, Kakuan, repainted them. He also added two, taking the total to ten. The Taoist pictures ended with the eighth which is emptiness or nothingness. Kakuan added two new pictures – his contribution to Zen and religious consciousness.

Zen does not divide life into the worldly and the spiritual.
The mind and the world are not two entities, but one

Zen does not distinguish between the worldly and the spiritual, but when one starts an inner journey, one renounces all that is nonessential and a hinderance, in order to seek the essential. This journey is to reach the greatest height – the pinnacle of human possibilities, so one tries to unburden oneself to make the journey easier. The climax is right where you are, but to reach it takes many lifetimes. One renounces not only the world but also the mind, as the mind is the cause of the world.
The mind and the world are one – they are not two different entities. The world of desires and possessions is the external part; the internal is the mind with its desires, lust, jealousy, competition and thoughts. It is the seat of delusion, desire, hope and malice. One renounces the outer and begins to desire rewards in the inner realm. One may wish to progress, but renunciation is not complete till you have cast off the inner greed. One becomes totally empty only when one renounces even the so called spiritual state. That is what meditation is all about! Total emptiness!
But is this the end? The Taoist pictures end with nothingness. Kakuan, says that this is not the end – one comes back to the world, to the marketplace and only then is the circle complete. Of course, one comes back totally new.
One never comes back with the old which is gone forever. One is totally renewed, resurrected and refreshed. One comes back to the world and again one lives in the world, yet beyond it. Again one chops wood, carries water, walks, sits, sleeps – one becomes absolutely ordinary. Deep inside, the emptiness remains uncorrupted. It simply lingers on; one lives in the world but is not of the world. One is untouched, like a lotus in the swamp.
The last two pictures bring the seeker back to the world. One comes back for those who are seeking; there are many who are stumbling on the path and are in deep darkness. One comes back to the world due to compassion, to help other travelers arrive. One has arrived and now one helps others arrive. One has become enlightened and now one helps others achieve the same goal. Each and everyone is searching for the same goal. One becomes a light house, helping ships to anchor safely.
The eight Taoist bulls are incomplete; beautiful, but something is missing. Emptiness is perfect, but further perfection is to be attained. Emptiness is perfect, let me repeat it, but there is a perfection yet to be attained. Emptiness is perfect in a negative way. You have renounced – that is negative; you have not loved yet; the positive is missing. Unhappiness and misery are gone, but you are not yet ecstatic. You have attained a silence which is beautiful, but your silence is not yet a fulfillment; it is not an overflowing blissful dance of your inner being.
Kakuan goes beyond Taoism and Buddhism — both end with emptiness, as if the journey were complete. You have reached Everest: cool, collected, calm. Why go back to the marketplace? If your meditation does not become compassionate, then it is concealing your ego even now; it is still selfish. If your meditation does not make you simple and innocent like a child, then it is not true meditation. If you are scared of the world, then the world is still reality for you; till it is not an illusion, you have not arrived at the truth.
The Ten Bulls are more than poetry or pictures. They are a revelation of spiritual experience. May the reader, like the Chinese patriarch, discover the footprints of his potential self, and carrying the staff of his purpose and the wine of true desire, frequent the market place, and there enlighten others. The last picture, the most important one, shows the unification of maya and brahman – there is no distinction, so there is nothing to renounce and nothing to hold on to. Life becomes a celebration, a festival.

1. The Search for the Bull

In the pasture of this world, I endlessly push aside
the tall grasses in search of the bull.
Following unnamed rivers, lost upon the interpenetrating paths of distant mountains,
My strength failing and my vitality exhausted, I
cannot find the bull.
I only hear the locusts chirping through the forest at
night.

Comment: The bull was never lost. What need is there to search? Due to separation from my true nature, I fail to find him. In the confusion of the senses, I lose even his track. Far from home, I see many crossroads, but which is the right one I know not. Greed and fear, good and bad, entangle me.

2. Discovering the Footprints

Along the riverbank under the trees,
I discover footprints!
Even under the fragrant grass I see his prints.
Deep in remote mountains they are found.
These traces no more can be hidden than one’s nose, looking heavenward.

Comment: Understanding the teaching, I see the footprints of the bull. Then I learn that, just as many utensils are made from one metal, so too are myriad entities made of the fabric of the self. Unless I discriminate, how will I perceive the true from the untrue? Not yet having entered the gate, nevertheless I have discerned the path.

3. Perceiving the Bull

I hear the song of the nightingale.
The sun is warm, the wind is mild,
willows are green along the shore,
Here no bull can hide!
What artist can draw that massive head, those majestic horns?

Comment: When one hears the voice, one can sense its source. As soon as the six senses merge, the gate is entered. Wherever one enters one sees the head of the bull! This unity is like salt in water, like color in dyestuff. The slightest thing is
not apart from the self.

4. Catching the Bull

I seize him with a terrific struggle.
His great will and power are inexhaustible.
He charges to the high plateau far above the cloud-mists,
Or in an impenetrable ravine he stands.

Comment: He dwelt in the forest a long time, but I caught him today! Infatuation for scenery interferes with his direction. Longing for sweeter grass, he wanders away. His mind is still stubborn and unbridled. If I wish him to submit, I must raise my whip.

5. Taming the Bull

The whip and rope are necessary,
Else he might stray off down some dusty road.
Being well trained, he becomes naturally gentle.
Then, unfettered, he obeys his master.

Comment: When one thought arises, another follows. When the first thought springs from enlightenment, all subsequent ones are true. Through delusion, one makes everything untrue. Delusion is not caused by objectivity; it is the result of subjectivity. Hold the nose-ring tight and do not allow even a doubt.

6. Riding the Bull Home

Mounting the bull, slowly I return homeward.
The voice of my flute intones through the evening.
Measuring with hand-beats the pulsating harmony, I
direct the endless rhythm.
Whoever hears this melody will join me.

Comment: The struggle is over; gain and loss assimilated, I sing the song of the village woodsman and play the tunes of the children. Astride the bull, I observe the clouds above. Onward I go, no matter who may wish to call me back.

7. The Bull Transcended

Astride the bull, I reach home.
I am serene. The bull too can rest.
The dawn has come. In blissful repose,
Within my thatched dwelling I have abandoned the
whip and rope.

Comment: All is one law, not two. We make the bull only a temporary subject. It is as the relation of rabbit and trap, fish and net. It is as gold and dross, or the moon emerging from a cloud. One path of clear light travels on throughout endless time.

8. Both Bull and Self Transcended

Whip, rope, person and bull – all merge in No-Thing.
This heaven is so vast no message can stain it.
How may a snowflake exist in a raging fire?
Here are the footprints of the patriarchs.

Comment: Mediocrity is gone. The mind is clear of limitation. I seek no state of enlightenment. Neither do I remain where no enlightenment exists. As I linger in neither condition, eyes cannot see me. If hundreds of birds strew my path with flowers, such praise would be meaningless.

9. Reaching the Source

Too many steps have been taken returning to the root and the source.
Better to have been blind and deaf from the beginning!
Dwelling in one’s true abode, unconcerned with that
without -
The river flows tranquilly on and the flowers are red.

Comment: From the beginning, truth is clear. Poised in silence, I observe the forms of integration and disintegration. One who is not attached to ‘form’ need not be ‘reformed.’ The water is emerald, the mountain is indigo and I see that which is creating and that which is destroying.

10. In the World

Barefoot and naked of breast, I mingle with the people of the world.
My clothes are ragged and dust-laden and I am ever
blissful.
I use no magic to extend my life,
Now, before me, the dead trees come alive.

Comment: Inside my gate, a thousand sages do not know me. The beauty of my garden is invisible. Why should one search for the footprints of the patriarchs? I go to the market place with my wine bottle and return home with my staff. I visit the wine shop and the market and everyone I look upon becomes enlightened.

The last picture is the most important one -
it shows the unification of maya and brahman – god and world.
There is no distinction, so there is nothing to renounce and
nothing to hold.
Life becomes a huge celebration, a festival.

One has to catch the bull by the tail. Do not struggle with it, as in this passive activeness, one day the bull will be yours. Now you can let go off all struggle and be in nothingness, be in emptiness.

Once emptiness is experienced, there is no need to stay away, one lives in the world and yet one is aloof and distant. Kakuan’s contribution to the spiritual world is immense, we remain indebted to this great Zen master for all eternity.

Anandmurti Gurumaa is a contemporary
master who is guiding millions towards
the higher realms of consciousness.
Dialogue presents the illuminating words
of Gurumaa, spoken in response to
questions posed by seekers.

Question: My job is so strenous that I don’t get time to meditate. Moreover, I cannot concentrate or sit steady. I suffer from hypertension; my family is worried as this affects my health. Now the circumstances have become very alarming. I seek your advice. Is meditation, which I am unable to do, the only solution? I surrender to you and seek your blessings. Jaidev

Gurumaa: Jaidev, you need to set your priorities. To survive in this world you need to make money, to accomplish anything, it is the perfect tool. But, when earning takes away all your time and energy and begins to afflict your body, then money is no longer a tool to survive, but becomes a killer.
You need to apply this wisdom: First, how much money is required for sustenance? Second, can it be made through other means? Third, is your schedule affecting your body, mind or family life? Then the important question is: What are you gaining? And why should you even need to seek my help? Why is there a need for me to repeat what you already know? You already know what harm is being inflicted by you on your own life.
Nowadays multinational companies pay very well. But then they suck your blood! They extract their pound of flesh! Some companies even offer oversees trips as rewards. They say, ‘You have worked so hard, as a reward we are sending you on a vacation. You are ecstatic. Wow! When you learn that your vacation is in France, you scream with joy! You are very happy that the company is rewarding you. As you get ready to leave, another file arrives from the boss; you will be in France, so you should meet the associates there and sort out some pending business with them! The person flies to Europe, USA, England or any other exotic place, but everywhere a new message arrives asking him to attend to company work there too.

Why is there a lack of time only for meditation? The reason: “You do not want to do it”

To establish yourself socially and financially, you miss out on important things in life. You do not even realize the rat race is damaging your life. You have no time to meditate. Do you have time to eat? You do eat! You have time to sleep? Yes, you do! Do you shower? Yes, you do! Do you watch a movie sometime? Yes! Television? Yes! Read the newspaper? Yes! Read a magazine when traveling? Yes!
Eating and bathing, you cannot stop – what you drop is meditation! There are so many other things you do, but never say you have no time for – shopping, movies, television, newspapers, magazines, clubs, friends! So many menial jobs you do. Why is time lacking for meditation alone? Hear the truth, “You do not want to do it.” As long as you do not accept this, you will never bring about a change. Set your priorities! You say many thoughts run through your mind. Well, the job of the brain is to think so that is what it is doing. That is why you can think about this as well. That is why you can write and express your concerns. The job of the eyes is to see, the job of the ears is to hear and the job of the mind is to think.
How can you complain about the natural function of an organ for which it was made? It was made to think, analyse and observe. It is doing it’s job very well. Why complain? You want your mind to stop thinking on demand, but it does not listen to you. You want it to stop, you want to relax, but these thoughts are overpowering.
Your thoughts cannot cease because you have goals to achieve, an image to protect, a boss to please; you have been eyeing a fatter salary package! I do not say you should not earn or hold a job. I do not say you should leave everything and become a recluse. What I do say is: understand what needs to be done when, and learn to prioritize. You have to understand this very well. What is most important to you? You have yourself written that an alarm bell is ringing and signalling for you to stop this nonsense. When you live in constant anxiety and stress, there is a good chance of your brain or heart stopping to work. Cardio-vascular and circulatory diseases are diseases of stressed out people. Your body cannot take so much stress. You are concerned about financial statements, growth charts of your company and your personal bank balance, but have forgotten about the charts of your heart and blood pressure.
The rising levels of your cholesterol, alarming levels of blood pressure; you are not bothered about that. You should be bothered about it. High blood pressure is the biggest killer after cancer and cardiovascular disease. High blood pressure kills thousands of people everyday. But are you really seriously concerned that your blood pressure is rising? Should you not be?

‘Yog Nidra‘ will help you de-stress and achieve a multi-level relaxation – muscular, neurological, emotional, mental and intellectual

But the surprising thing is that you are not concerned at all. Even when you are sometimes, your doctor says, ‘No problem, pop a pill and your blood pressure will come down.’ Then you become a slave of the pills. Then you become a slave to your doctor and you end up making some pharmaceutical company very rich. You have to understand that it is your body – respect it. How can you allow this body to go berserk, to get diseased, how can you kill this body?
Life is a very precious thing and no one has ever managed to buy back life from death. No Alexander, no Napoleon Bonaparte, no Hitler – none of these people could buy some bonus time for their life. Could they? They could not. And you are not even an Alexander! Wake up man! Smell the coffee. My advice will not work for you. You ask that I bless you. How will my blessings reach you, when you have created this thick wall of desires? How will my advice reach your heart? It will not.
You have created a thick wall between me and you – a great wall of China is in between. This wall has to be broken. How can this wall be broken? This wall can be broken only by your understanding. So you have to understand and only then can I help you! You have written that you are thinking of changing your job. That may be a good thing. If lack of time is the problem, then I suggest that when you are traveling and if you have a driver, then while you are sitting in the back seat, do ‘Yog Nidra’, even though it is not good to do it while sitting. But still, in your case I will say that at least use this time to do the mantra chant, or to be aware of your breath. Urja dhyan works very well for overtly stressed people and that can be done in the morning or evening when the stomach is not full.
‘Yog Nidra’ will help you de-stress. It will help you to achieve a multi-level relaxation; muscular, neurological, emotional, mental and intellectual. And once this multi-level relaxation takes place, your sleep will be much deeper and you will have fewer dreams. When you sleep soundly, your body will begin to function in a much better way. All the important systems of the body – circulatory, respiratory, muscular, digestive, metabolic, glandular – all function well in sleep.

You complain that your mind does not stop thinking when you wish it to, your mind does not listen to you

But ‘Yog Nidra,’ ‘Mantra Jap’ and ‘Urja’ will work only when you first correct your thinking. What do you want? Well, you can want things and you can enjoy things only if you have life. If life is not there……….! What? Nothing! Save this life first. And how can you do that? By bringing understanding and discipline into your life. Live with awareness, sleep at the right time, wake up at the right time and eat at the right time. Check your diet, eat fresh and eat vegetarian, do not eat fried and stale or processed food. Check your water intake, drink at least 8 to 10 glasses every day. People even forget to drink water. They drink tea, coffee and aerated drinks the whole day through. You will soon find things improving.

“Material things are dead and dead things cannot give you life or a meaning to your life”

Do not be blind, live your life with consciousness, live responsibly. Someone sitting in a room with shades on his eyes and thick curtains on the windows complains, ‘O Sun! Where are you? Bless me, give me your rays and give me your light.’ Can the sun do anything? The sun cannot come and draw your curtains. The sun cannot come and take off the shades from your eyes.
The person has to come out of the dark room. So do not seek blessings from me. My blessings are always there. The only thing is that you have blinded yourself and are thus unable to see. Once you take off these blinds; you will be in a better position to understand what I am saying. I say live your life, make your body healthy, do not let it become sick, do not bring diseases to your body and mind. This can be done by you, I cannot give you a schedule to follow. You have to live your life and I can only guide you and tell you what can bring balance to your life: it is awareness – live in awareness. Do not hope that things can bring you happiness, inert things are dead and dead things cannot give you life or a meaning to your life.

Have you ever seen a child who is poking a finger in its eye and crying. It will not stop poking the finger and yet it complains too. Have you ever seen a dog biting and scratching his body? Blood oozes out, but he does not stop. He has an itch, so he has to scratch, he cannot stop it and this gives him pain. What is the solution to the dog’s problem? The solution is that the dog’s skin should be treated. Medicine should be administered and ointment should be applied on the diseased area. Jaidev, your brain is itching and you are scratching. Your frustrations and questions are because of this itch and it can be corrected when you apply the ointment of wisdom. Wisdom will help you see the world with a different perspective, with a new vision.

You have to live your life and I can only guide you and tell you what can bring balance to your life

The Magic Ring

A king was fed up with the ups and downs of life. He suffered great highs and extreme lows. He asked his viziers and advisors to make a magic ring which would pacify his extreme emotions. All the wise men of the nation were consulted, but none could make the ring. As it
happened, Mullah was passing through the country at the time and he heard of the kings requirement. He got an audience with the great potentate and presented him with
a simple ring that he wore on his own hand. This ring had the magic property desired. On it was written,
‘This too shall pass’

Noisy Blanket

One winter night, while Nasruddin was sleeping he heard a sudden noise in the street. Covering himself with a blanket, he came out to check the cause of the noise. Suddenly a smart thief robbed him of his blanket and ran away. So he came back home without the blanket. Replying to his wife who asked about the reason for the noise, Nasruddin said, “All the noise was about my blanket.”

Knowledgable Turban

The wit and wisdom of Mullah Nasruddin never leaves him at a loss for words. One day an illiterate man came to Mullah with a letter he had received, and said, “Mullah Nasruddin, please read out this letter. Mullah Nasruddin looked at the letter, but could not make out a single word. So he told the man, “I am sorry, but I cannot read this.” The man cried, “For shame, Mullah Nasruddin ! You should be ashamed before the turban you wear (a sign of education). Mullah Nasruddin removed the turban from his own head and placed it on the head of the illiterate man and said, “There, now you wear the turban. If it gives knowledge, read the letter yourself.”

Horse Voice Nightangle

Once Nasruddin went to a garden and climbed an apricot tree. The gardener saw this and asked him, “Why did you climb someone else’s tree?” Nasruddin answered, “Don’t you know I am a nightingale and for nightingales to climb a tree is not a sin.” The gardener laughed and said, “Please sing so that I can listen to and enjoy your song.” Nasruddin started to sing in his hoarse voice. The gardener asked him whether nightingales sang so badly. Nasruddin replied, “A nightingale which eats raw apricot will not sing better than this.”

A man’s wife was very sick. On her deathbed, she said to him, “I love you very much! I do not want to leave you and I do not want you to betray me. Promise me that you will not see any other women after I die, or I will come back to haunt you.”
For several months after her death, the husband avoided other women, but then he met someone and fell in love. On the night that he was engaged to be married, the ghost of his former wife appeared. She blamed him for not keeping his promise and every night thereafter she returned to haunt him. The wife’s ghost would remind him of everything that had transpired between him and his fiancee during the day, repeating word for word, their conversations. This upset him so badly that he could not sleep.
Desperate, he sought the advice of a Zen master who lived near the village. “This is a very clever ghost,” the master said on hearing the man’s story. “It is!” replied the man. “It remembers every detail of what I say and do. It knows everything!” The master smiled, “You should admire such a ghost, but I will tell you what to do the next time you see it.”
That night the ghost returned. The man responded just as the master had advised. “You are such a wise ghost,” the man said, “You know that I can hide nothing from you. If you can answer one question, I will break off the engagement and remain single for the rest of my life.” “Ask your question,” the ghost replied. The man scooped up a handful of beans from a large bag on the floor and said, “Tell me exactly how many beans there are in my hand.”
At that moment the ghost disappeared and never returned.
Story telling is as much of an art as understanding it is. Zen stories come with a huge baggage of emptiness. Sometimes people understand the words – the body of the story and not it’s essence – the emptiness of it.

READ ON TO KNOW PEOPLE’S RESPONSE TO THIS STORY:

“No one knows everything. Not even a spirit.
You can be wise in some ways, but not in every way.”

“The ghost kept coming back because the man
was always impressed by how it seemed to know
everything. It had power over him.
But when he finally stood up and challenged it,
the ghost disappeared forever.”

“The ghost is actually a part of the man.
So it could not know anything that the man
himself did not know.”

“The ghost comes from the man’s own mind.
He created it. It was his own guilt that came
back to haunt him.”

“The reason something haunts us is because
we focus our attention on it.
When we move on, it disappears.”

“To me, this story just shows that souls have
memories but no enlightenment.”

“I do not like the ending. I read the story
with high expectations,
but felt let down in the end.”

“Why did the ghost not know that
the man had seen a Zen master?”

Zen masters can be mightier and fiercer then your imaginative ghosts. The master is right there in front of you in flesh and blood. The master bangs right on your head to wake you up from your sleep. Ghosts are nothing but your fears and manias, which arise in your mind and torment you. The mind knows a million ways of creating suffering – it will grieve and complain too, as if someone else is responsible for your misery. If only you could understand that the cause of your fear, pain and frustration is none other then your mind, things would be quite different.
You blame others for your suffering and never think that it could be something else; it could be you and your expectations, you and your desires. It could be your dependence on others for appreciation, for praise, for attention, for approval. Who can hurt you if you are not ready to be hurt?
The ghosts which you have created have to be killed by you. Ghosts are nothing but your fears, your obsessions and possessiveness. Let go of these and you are left with positive emptiness. Emptiness is not to be attained; you cannot make it a goal. If you try to, then emptiness too will not remain emptiness. Emptiness is right there, you have to just to brush off and remove all that you held as precious. The strange thing is that these things are not physical but just illusory.

“Time and Space exist as long as mind exists. Once you transgress the mind, there is no time and there is no space”

I read the story of a man who was looking for a guru. He saw an ascetic sitting under a tree and went close to him. “Can you tell me who is the best guru as I am looking for one.” The mahatma replied, “Well, what can I say! You can search and maybe you will find the best guru.” The man started his journey from there and went to many distant places; months changed to years. Where ever he went, whomsoever he met, he was never satisfied. Every guru he met said that it was not easy to find a perfect Master. Who can define a perfect guru, a complete Master? Maybe one who does not want to make anyone his disciple. And even if you find such a person – one who is not even ready to accept you as a disciple, will he show you the path? And if the guru will not, then who will?
There are many questions related to this. It is quite a tricky thing. It is very easy to go into deep silence after enlightenment. I believe many Masters have chosen to remain silent and never speak about their attainment.

Enlightenment is not a toy and you are not a child to boast and show it off to others. Truly speaking, no one likes to make a show of their real treasure. So even if I came to your house, would you take me to your safety vault where you keep your money and jewellery? You might show me your drawing room, bedroom or kitchen, but definitely not the vault. Well, I am not even interested! It is just for the sake of explaining how protectively you guard your so called treasures. It has been seen that often the husband does not share even the number of bank accounts he has with his wife. He fears that the moment the wife gets to know how much money he has, she will go on a shopping spree and will use all possible means to extract money from him. So husbands hide their money from their wives.
If you are so protective of your jewellery and money that you are not willing to share it with your husband or your wife, then what to say of the treasure of the master! His true knowledge is his treasure and so is his enlightenment. Would a person make a mockery of it or show it off? Definitely not! So for years this man kept on searching in vain for a true master. Finally, he came back to his village and saw the tree beneath which the ascetic was still sitting, as he had been a long time ago. Somehow, when he saw his face today, something moved his heart and he said, “You are the true master. But I wish to hear this from you. ‘Are you the true Master?’” He was still in doubt, his mind was still asking for reassurance from the master. The fakir said, “Well, if I would say yes, then it would be a wrong answer and if I say no even then it will be a wrong answer. If I say yes, then this will be a statement of ego and if I say no, it will be an untrue statement. Because only I know what I know. So I would neither say yes nor no.” Receiving this riddle as a response, the man was now fully assured that was indeed the true master he was searching for. The seeker said, “Why did you not say earlier that you are the master? Now that it is confirmed beyond any doubt that you are a perfect master, I ask you this question: “Will you be my Master?”
The Master said, “Well, all these years you were looking for a perfect master. Now that you found one, you still dare to ask whether or not I am a true master! Let me give you my answer, “If you were looking for a true master, then I am looking for a true disciple. Are you a true disciple?” The seeker was shell-shocked, he could not believe his ears. In all these years, he had never given a thought to whether he himself was a true disciple!
The moral of the story is: Do not look for a master; be a good seeker and the master will knock at your door. Please understand, I am using a metaphor, do not begin to wait for the day when the master will come on his own and knock on your door!
The guru said, “I will only accept a person who is a true disciple and who surrenders himself to me. I will not accept an imperfect disciple. If it took you twenty years to recognize me, then maybe for the next twenty years I will test, analyze and check you. Only then will I let you know whether I accept you or not.

“If you are looking for a true master, then I am looking for a true disciple”

Is it not strange that our mind always wonders about other things, but never that before you seek a true master, you have to be true to yourself? A person who has gained enlightenment can never say that he is enlightened, because the one who is enlightened can not make that claim. There is a saying of Kabir: ‘The one who knows will never say I know. And the one who says I know definitely does not know.’
Truth is beyond words, truth is beyond expression and truth is beyond the comprehension of the mind.
The glory of God is towering. Language has its limitations. Through words we cannot explain the divinity or the majesty of the divine. Who can sing, who can rightfully and appropriately praise God? Indeed no one can!

God means existence – existence which is present in every atom. And when you believe that God is in a temple, synagogue, church or in a mosque, then you are just saying that you do not know who or what god is. The one who is all pervasive cannot be cornered or imprisoned by man-made walls. God is beyond definition of time and space; as time and space exist as long as mind exists. Once you transgress the mind, there is no time and there is no space.
For a so called religious person, god exists only in the places his belief has taught him he exists. For a sikh god is in the Golden temple; for a vaishnavite god is in Vrindavan; for a devotee of Rama, god lives in Ayodhya; a devotee of Shiva sees Shiva in Kedarnath, Kashi and Omkareshwar. They have all imprisoned their gods in these places. But the god who can be imprisoned by man, can that god be called a god?
When a child is admitted to a school, his education begins with the alphabet – A for apple, B for bat, C for cat, D for dog. Then slowly and gradually he moves from the alphabet to small words, to sentences, from sentences to passages and so on and so forth. Finally a day comes when the child is grown up and reads all kind of books, the difficult poetry of Bach, Wordsworth, William Blake and Shakespeare. But it will not happen on the day he first goes to school. On day one in school, the child is not ready for Shakespeare. He begins with the basic letters and even for that he has to be coaxed, cajoled and pampered.
Matthew came back from school and said to his mother, “Mom, from tomorrow I am not going to school.” Mother said, “What happened dear, why are you not interested in going to school, you always loved your school?” Matthew said. “Mom, my teacher is such an idiot, she does not know that A stands for apple and B stands for bat. She is so big and yet everyday she keeps on repeating A for apple, B for bat. I know it all by heart and she does not know this much to this day. I am not going to waste my time with such a teacher.” But is this true? No, the teacher is trying to teach all the children so that slowly they understand and learn the alphabet. Similarly, when it comes to religion, you start from somewhere. So for someone the journey begins from a temple, for others from a mosque and for yet others from a church.
In school the teacher leads the child from letters to words to sentences. Thereafter the child advances to poetry and prose, but this does not happen with religion. Those who take their children to religious places forgot that this is the beginning and not the end. For a hindu child, where is god? God remains limited to the periphery of the temple. For a muslim, where is god? God remains limited within the four walls of Mecca. And even when a hindu says that god is in the temple, then it will not be any or every temple but the temple of his preference, where his chosen istha devta is. And in hindu religion there are 33 thousand demi-gods and goddesses and there are three major male gods – Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh; one female goddess, Durga, who has eight forms.
People do not know who god is. To recognize god, you will have to go where god is. You will have to move in the direction of god. You will have to undertake a journey, not outside, but an inward journey. If you wish to see the Taj Mahal, you will have to take the highway which takes you to Agra. If you wish to see the Gateway of India, you have to go to Mumbai. If you wish to see the Qutab Minar, you have to go to Delhi. Wherever the building you wish to see is, you will have to move in that direction. The Qutab Minar will not come walking towards you and call you to come see it. No, this will never happen. You have to go; things cannot move; man can move. So man has to move and go to the particular spot where the object of his desire is. If you wish to see the Eiffel Tower, you have to go to Paris. If you wish to see the statue of Liberty, you have to go to New York. If you wish to see the Buckingham palace, you will have to go to London. If you wish to see the Great Wall, you will have to go to China. Wherever the building or object is, you have to reach that place. The question arises: Where is god?

First we have to understand what we mean by the word god. When I use the word god I am not satisfied with the word as it not appropriate word for god. The word for god in sanskrit is brahman. If I have to explain the meaning of the word brahman, I would say it means that which is beyond neither one nor two; that which is truth, ever conscious, ever blissful and all pervasive. Rather than use these four different words, the seers use one single word i.e. brahman. It means the existence which is everywhere. So wherever you are, brahman is, truth is. This means that you do not have to walk even one step to seek god. God is present in all times, this means you do not have to wait for one single minute to know god. But the one who wants to know god, does he know who he is? Who is the seeker, what is his identity?
Once a man asked Santa, “I wish to meet Banta, where does he live.” Santa said, “Banta lives in front of Santa’s house.” The man said, “Ok, then give me the address of Santa.” He said, “Well Santa lives opposite Banta’s house!”
When you say I wish to meet god, then look deep in this I. Where does this I stand. Because I and god, I and brahman cannot be in two different places, cannot exist in two different spaces. Truth is omniscient and omnipresent – this means that where ever you are, truth is there. Right there – within you and outside of you. To know the truth you do not have to travel outwards, away from yourself or far from yourself. Do you need to go anywhere to meet that existence which is right there with you? The answer is no. You just have to turn inwards, you just have to take the journey to where the final destination, truth is.

Often one hears a teenager saying, ‘I am fat. I am too skinny. I would be happy if I were taller, shorter, had curly hair, straight hair, a smaller nose, stronger muscles, longer legs……’ The wish list goes on and on. This is the age when one is confused, either due to peer pressure or because of one’s own curiosity ‘to know all and do all.’ And as the body changes, so does the body image. Many people have trouble adjusting to the change and this can affect their self-esteem. Self-esteem is all about how much people value themselves, the pride they feel in themselves and their sense of self-worth. Self-esteem is important because feeling good about yourself can affect how you act. A person who has high self-esteem will make friends easily, is more in control of his or her behavior and will enjoy life more. Body image is about how a person feels about his or her own physical appearance. For people in their early teens, body image can be closely linked to self-esteem because as children develop into teens, they care a great deal about how others see them. Needless to mention, a person takes to short-cuts and quick repair methods in order to fit into society’s definition of ‘a smart looking teen.’ Most of this involves a drastic change in eating patterns and leads to adopting diets which lack in the essential nutrients thus taking a toll on their overall health and well-being. Once the purpose of their action is defeated, the teenager loses hope and does not have any faith in even good and sound advise! Here comes the role of the parents in building the concept of good health and well being in children.

Teen age is the time when one is confused, either due to peer pressure or because of one’s own curiosity ‘to know all and do all’

Adolescence seems to be synonymous with erratic eating habits, as the typical teenager’s life fills up with friends, sports and homework. Yet, adolescence is also a time of rapid growth and development that makes healthy eating habits even more important. Therefore, it is important that teenagers are encouraged to make food choices that are healthy. When all their peers eat fast food for lunch, you cannot expect your child to munch on green leaves and raw vegetables! This would be the most unrealistic approach and would only invite resistance. What works best with teenagers is to teach them how to make better choices whether they are eating at home, school or in restaurants. Improving eating habits among teens is crucially important for two reasons: building strong bones and preventing obesity.

What’s “Junky” about the Junk Foods?

1. The foundation of a lifetime of strong bones is built during the teen and young adult years, until about age thirty. This represents their peak bone mass – the strongest their bones will ever be. Yet, research indicates that teenagers are not getting nearly enough calcium to build strong bones and this can lead to osteoporosis later in life. 2. Maintaining normal weight is critically important since obesity often leads to diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure – conditions that were once common mostly in adults. For adults as well as children, the best way to treat and prevent these problems is to adopt a combination of healthy diet and exercise. In addition, positive eating patterns adapted during the teen years are likely to last a lifetime. Many snacks, such as potato chips, fast-food cheeseburgers and fries, have high levels of fat, sugar or salt – ingredients that are best limited to a small portion of your diet. Healthy eating does not mean that you cannot have your favorite food, but the ‘Dietary Guidelines’ advises you to be selective and limit the total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium you eat. Our main source of saturated fat comes from animal products and hydrogenated vegetable oils, with tropical oils – coconut and palm – providing smaller amounts. Only animal fat provides cholesterol. Sodium comes mostly from salt added to food during processing, home preparation or at the table. Fats are our most concentrated source of energy. It is common knowledge now that eating too much fat, especially saturated fat and cholesterol, increases blood cholesterol levels and therefore increases your risk of heart disease. Too much fat may also lead to overweight and increase risk of some cancers.

IS THIS FATTY? I DON’T THINK SO… LET ME EAT

What is the excitement about fiber?

“Raw vegetables and fruits are an excellent source of fiber as are whole grains”

Whole-grain breads and cereals, dried beans and peas, vegetables and fruits contain various types of dietary fiber essential for proper bowel function. Eating plenty of these fiber-rich foods reduces your risk of cancer and heart disease. The benefit from a high-fiber diet may be related to the foods themselves and not to the fiber alone. For this reason, it is best to get fiber from foods rather than from the fiber supplements you purchase in a store.

Tips for Parents

1). Teach teenagers that eating ‘healthier’ does not mean giving up their favorite food altogether. For many teenagers, it means cutting down on portion size and adding foods with nutritional value to their diet – having a smaller bag of chips along with an apple or switching from higher fat chips to bland mixed sprouts, etc.

2). Acknowledge that teenagers will eat fast food, yet encourage buying the smallest portion sizes available or sharing a super-sized meal with a friend. Also, encourage teenagers to make beverage choices that are nutritious, such as milk or unsweetened fresh fruit juices rather than always selecting sodas.

3). Model good behavior – eat well, exhibit a healthy attitude toward food, display a good body image and lead an active life yourself!

4). Encourage nutrition label reading. Emphasize on key teen nutrients that may be in short supply – such as calcium and iron. Starting the day with a bowl of cereal with milk is a great way for teens to get more calcium.

5). Remind teenagers to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. Skipping meals does not help with weight loss and it might keep them from getting all the nutrients they need.

6). Encourage teenagers to choose an activity they enjoy and to exercise for at least 30 to 60 minutes most days of the week.

Parents are a role-model for chidlren. Live the life you want your children to adapt. So health of your children is in your hands. Sometimes it may be hard to believe that teenagers will grow up into individuals who will make good decisions about their nutrition and activity choices; however, your nutrition education efforts will go a long way toward helping them achieve that.

A good start is to encourage the child to eat a variety of foods, as suggested in the Dietary Guidelines for that age group. The idea is to get the nutrients the body needs, by choosing a variety of foods from each of these groups: 1). Vegetables 2). Fruits 3). Breads, cereals, rice, pasta 4). Milk, yogurt, cheese