Remove Sorrow from Relationships

For a majority of us, it is our relationships that bring us the most joy and most sorrow. However, when we are in a relationship, whether it may be parents, siblings, spouse or friends, it is confined to the level of the mind and the body. Even though we express the word love, it is through a body-conscious level. And this is the true cause of many of the relationship problems.

Parents often say that they love their children un-conditionally, but how often have we noticed that when a child acts against the parents wishes (maybe for their own happiness), the parents disown them. This causes a tremendous amount of sorrow to the child who always believed that his/her parents would support them all the way, and the parent who thought that their children would always follow their guidance feels a similar sorrow. The parents always have the child’s best interest in mind, and do not want the child to get hurt. But true unconditional love would allow the child to choose his own path, no matter how ridiculous it seems, knowing the fact that the child will learn through its positive and negative experiences.

Parents must understand that they have brought their children to this earth, but they do not OWN them. Each soul has come with its purpose of learning through experience, and if a point comes when the parents block the experience of the child, naturally the child will break-free. It is because the parent and child are so connected on the body-mind level, they are unable to accept this situation. If parents simply realize, that their main purpose of bringing the child to the earth is to care for him/her for a certain amount of years, it will be easier to accept that the child is an entity by itself with its own journey of self-discovery. The challenge is to let go of this sense of “ownership”, and realize that the parents are simply the delivery company. Imagine if FedEx starts taking ownership for every package it delivers, don’t you think there would be a serious problem? Or, if every tree behaves as though it owns the fruit, would we have anything to eat?

A similar issue occurs in marriages – the sense of ownership. By all means, it is important to be committed and faithful in relationships, but it is also imperative to realize that each person in the relationship is also on their own journey of self-discovery. By accepting and allowing that person to grow in his/her own manner, instead of molding him/her in our own ways will reduce much of the sorrow.

Furthermore, the over-exaggeration of the concepts of soul mates also causes a lot of trouble, once again because we see soul mates from the body/mind consciousness. During the early stages of marriages, we often hear the phrases “I found my soul mate”, “you complete me”, “you are my better-half”, etc.  A few months later, we hear that the couple that at one point had “completed” each other, have divorced.

The fact is that the soul is “complete” by itself. This is why it is born alone, and dies alone.  The soul is basically a seed, and every one that has a relationship with that soul is simply nourishing it by offering so called “sunshine” and “rain” for it to grow. However, from a body/mind-consciousness perspective, we try to mold that seed into the type of flower we would like to live with. And this goes against the nature of the flower. Every flower in the garden is different because each seed is unique. The only place we see flowers that are exactly the same, is in a controlled environment.

To prevent the dis-belief of the fact that the person who we once thought was our soul mate, no longer “completes” us, we must realize that we are already complete. We do not need anyone to complete us. The body and mind may need a mate, but the soul does not. It is simply because the mind and body feel incomplete, that the individual thinks that the soul is incomplete and needs a mate.  

Each soul is a complete seed within itself. All it needs is water and sunshine to blossom to it’s full potential. Let us try not to mold each soul in a manner that best suits us. Education and society have been molding human beings in a manner to suit their self-interests, and this is why, today many individuals cannot fully express themselves, and have forgotten who they truly are.

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Overcome Depression Instantly

This morning, when I heard that Robin Williams had committed suicide, I wasn’t particularly surprised or shocked. I was aware that he was combating depression for many years. Unfortunately, this time it seemed to have become too severe for him to recover. We send prayers to him and his family during this difficult time. 

Depression has become extremely common recently due to the levels of stress and lack of spirituality within individuals. This has driven people to attempt suicide because either they do not have the outside support of friends, family, doctors, or the inner strength and wisdom to gain clarity about their situation. Since the past 45 years people have become more depressed and the suicide rate has increased 60%. In the world, on average one person dies by suicide every 40 seconds.

I can understand what it feels like to be extremely depressed to the point of suicide because I have experienced it when I had lost partial vision.

There are several techniques to overcome depression, however I would only like to share one for now.

The reason many people become depressed is because they are too identified with their situation. This means that they are unable to separate themselves from their circumstances. They fail to realize that they are NOT their thoughts, emotions, imagination, mind or their bodies. They are completely immersed in how they feel. A simple change in perspective can resolve this. If they continuously remind themselves that “I am not depressed, I am only FEELING depressed. I am NOT my thoughts, emotions, imagination, mind, or body”. This will raise the person’s awareness and detach them from the feeling of depression. The person will start to experience his/her mind/body as the observer. And this is the first step to transformation.

In addition to the change in perspective, expressing the attitude of gratitude is extremely powerful, and is an instant cure for depression. No matter how depressed a person is, he/she can always make a list of how much worse life can really be, and how much better it can be. By changing the focus from the negative to the positive we will realize how lucky and blessed we actually are.

Consider the fact that out of all the people that go to bed tonight, over 100 thousand people will not wake up tomorrow. And out of everyone that goes to bed tonight over a million people will have lost a loved one. Isn’t it absolutely amazing and aren’t you truly blessed that you woke up this morning, and all your loved ones did too?

Change in perspective and gratitude are the initial steps to overcome early depression, and this is simply a change in mindset. It is crucial to develop your inner strength early in life; so that if for any reason, if you or a loved one falls into depression, you may help them overcome it as quickly as possible.

• Click here to experience a powerful Bliss with Sai Life Coaching session. Most popular themes are: mental clarity, thought management, mindfulness, meditation, time management, and spirituality. 

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What did Lord Krishna Teach me in my Dream Today?

July 13, 2014 @ 5.50AM – I woke up from an insightful dream a few minutes ago. 

I seemed to have a very close relationship with Lord Krishna, so I invited my friend to visit his palace. As we entered the palace we were stunned to see how beautifully it was designed. 

Lord Krishna then invited my friend to show him around while I followed. Lord Krishna first showed my friend the “evil” room. He told him that he could go into that room and enjoy playing around with as many evil acts as he wanted without fear of the consequences. He would simply enjoy the present moment pleasures of the evil acts. This room was extremely beautiful, but all the evil gaming features were turned off.

Lord Krishna then invited my friend to the “good” room. Similarly, my friend could play around with as many good actions as he wanted, without worrying about the results of those good actions. He would simply enjoy the present moment pleasures of the good actions. This room was designed exactly the same as the evil room, and all the gaming features were also turned off.

Lord Krishna then asked my friend which room he would like to try out?
My friend instantly responded by saying that he wanted to try out the “good” room.

Lord Krishna then told him that the only problem with the good room was that there was a waiting list and he would have to wait a while before using it.

Remembering that both the rooms were designed exactly the same, my friend decided to change his mind and use the evil room instead.

That’s when I woke up.

As I analyzed this dream, I realized that we naturally have the feeling to choose actions towards good. Although, sometimes the pleasures we get from good acts do not come to us instantly. On the other hand, acts of evil often give us instant pleasures.

My friend in this situation initially chose the “good” room, but when he realized that patience was required before using the room, he changed his mind and chose the evil room. He was so desperate for enjoying immediate pleasures in his life that he chose the evil room.

Patience was the powerful lesson to learn here.
How often do we intentionally choose the wrong path simply because the results would be instant?

Patience is a virtue that is cultivated over time through practice. Faith and wisdom allow a person to make the right decision at the right time. Alternately, in some situations, decisions do need to be made instantly. When this is the case, it is imperative to use intuition along with faith and wisdom.

Although, similar to patience, intuition is also a virtue which takes time to develop. However, imagine how effective you would be if patience, faith, wisdom, and intuition were a natural part of your decision making process.

Think about it. 

Break Away from Peer-pressure

It is crucial that we begin to look within ourselves early in life. Each one of us is different and has a unique purpose. Unfortunately, this isn’t taught to students in schools and may not be taught at home either. Our teachers and parents are constantly encouraging us to be competitive. Just because Joe Shmoe is a math whiz and plans to become an engineer, it doesn’t mean that we must too. We may enjoy sports, art, dance, writing, etc. Over time, this belief is embedded within us, and we start looking at others for direction in our life and slowly but surely we succumb to peer-pressure. We cannot blame our parents or teachers for planting such seeds within us, as they are suffering the consequences of the same belief system and don’t know any better.

It takes immense courage to break out of peer pressure and be ourselves. The result of this can be difficult to handle at first, but totally worth it in the long run. Superficial relationships will fade away, the pressure to compete with others will disappear, and we will find more fulfilling goals, hobbies, and relationships. Our intuition will be heightened and the uncomfortable desire to seek advice from others will vanish.

At first, we may be ridiculed by the individuals that are feeding off our weakness, but over time we will earn respect and trust by a majority of the crowd. Those who ridicule us are doing so purely out of jealousy and their insecurities. Albert Einstein was accurate when he stated that great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds. If we observe life carefully, we will notice that a majority of the people don’t care about us or our problems. A few may be worried, but that’s only if we are doing better than them, and only a handful of people are genuinely happy about our success or concerned when we are in trouble.

A large percentage of the population on this planet are followers and evaluate their self-worth based on what others think of them. This is the reason why they adopt a certain behavior or habit, so that they’re accepted by the group. It’s not always what we do, but what we don’t do that defines who we are.

Why Did I Stop Crying?

Feb 24, 2014 @ 3.45AM – During my dream, there was an old lady wearing a white sari and rubbed some healing oil on my face.

Then as I started to walk away, I felt dizzy and asked her what she had applied on me. She did not reply, and started walking away with me.

We then saw another lady also dressed in white who was falling down the stairs, so we ran to her rescue. As she fell, I caught her on my lap. It seemed to me at the time that this lady had taken on someone else's suffering upon herself and fell due to that. The lady beside me started crying for her, and so did I. I kept looking up at the sky and screaming, "Shirdi Sai Baba, what are you doing? Why are you doing this?” We were weeping uncontrollably.

Then I had a stroke of insight during the dream, and heard myself saying "why am I crying, God knows what he is doing. Am I crying just because the other lady is crying and it's expected of me? I started to calm down, and woke up. My heart was pounding, and I was drenched in sweat.

We always witness difficult situations in our lives that make us feel sad, angry, or betrayed. However, instead of being mindful in that situation, we simply follow the reactions of the crowd. This tends to multiply the emotions.

On a cognitive level, we all understand that whatever happens is because of the will of God. In fact, it is not the will of God, but the authorization of God. It is a cause of our free-will that has resulted in the situation, and we define it as the will of God. If it truly was only God's will, then we would have complete right to blame Him for every unfortunate situation in our lives. God does not interfere with free-will; however, we can only practice free-will because of the authorization of God. It is said that not even a blade of grass can bend without God’s will.

If we believe this, then there is absolutely no reason to feel anger, sorrow, depression, or complain because it is ultimately a result of our free-will on a deeper level. We would also not question God anymore as to why certain things happen in our lives.

If we practice mindfulness, and simply not follow the crowd as it’s expected of us, we will experience a mind of calmness and clarity.

A State of Flow

Some of us consider making a difference in the world a top priority, and we go out of our way, and even stress ourselves out just to serve. I am aware that life coaching, articles, and insights that I share, as well as some of the personal experiences with Shirdi Sai Baba and Satya Sai Baba have inspired others and transformed lives.

I have noticed that when I try to write from my ego or for the need to simply write, I am unable to do so; no matter how hard I try. However, there are other times when the insights come in with tremendous power, that I am forced to stop doing whatever it may be, and immediately start writing. And during this time, I’m in a state where the words simply flow. I feel as if I’m the instrument, and the Universe is playing the music. This is the main reason for the inconsistency in the timings of the articles.

There have been many times when I’ve tried to write at will, but the words do not come through. Now, my perspective has changed a little through another insight. Basically, It’s great to serve, but even by not serving, and just working on ourselves we can make a difference.

I’m always reminded of something I read about the Buddha. It is said that when the Buddha walked in the garden, flowers that were out of season bloomed. This was simply through his presence. This inspires me to continuously work on myself, and many others will automatically be transformed.

If the main purpose is to serve, then it doesn’t matter if it is action-based, or non-action based. However, once we surrender to the universe, action-based service becomes an effortless flow, not a self-requirement or an expectation.

A Scroll from Shirdi Sai Baba

May 30^th @5.55AM – Today, Shirdi Sai Baba appeared to me in a dream and handed something like a scroll or tablet. I could not figure out whether it was solid or paper. It had some text written on it that seemed like a combination of Egyptian hieroglyphics and Arabic text, but it was not in any pictorials, so I could not guess the characters. I looked at it for some time, as if trying to memorize it or decrypt it, but I could not.

I asked Shirdi Sai Baba to please translate this for me as I could not understand it. Then I noticed that instead of it being translated, it appeared clearer, as if in bold font. I then realized that it may not be translated, so I asked Shridi Sai Baba to please imprint this into my mind, and may it be revealed to me at the right time.

At that moment the text started to slowly fade away as if it was being transferred into my mind. Once the text cleared from the tablet/scroll I woke up and noticed that my t-shirt was wet from sweat, which always seems to happen when I experience such dreams.

I don’t have any insights to share from this dream, but it was just a very interesting experience.

There have been times when some dreams with Shirdi Sai Baba have been so beautiful and blissful, that I wish I had a camera in my mind to capture it.

Click here to read some of the other dreams I’ve had of Shirdi Sai Baba and Satya Sai Baba.

What's Your Life's Purpose?

Once the elevator reached our floor, my mom assisted me to get on so that I would not trip on the step. There was an elderly man already in the elevator when we entered. He felt extremely emotional when he looked at me, and asked my mom “What is wrong with this boy?”

I responded to him with a smile and said, “I have low-vision.”

I could feel the pain in his heart as he said to my mom “but he is so young.”

We just smiled and got out of the elevator, and went our own ways.

It was on that day that I realized one of my purposes in life – it’s to generate compassion within others. I always used to get offended when others would ask about my condition, or hold my hand while we walk. But today, I have realized that these individuals are not just doing me a favor, I’m also helping them by offering them an opportunity to serve.

The soul has a desire to express itself, and it can only do this through a body and the mind. This is why it chooses to incarnate on earth. It also selects the parents that will offer it the opportunity to express its desires, as well as fulfill the desires of the parents. It is a mutual understanding on a soul level.

Consider the world as a stage and all of us actors. Would you want to play the same role in every lifetime? Of course, every actor wants to attempt a variety of roles so that he can measure his potential. This is why sometimes the soul chooses a role of a hero, a villain, a comedian, or a physically/mentally disabled person. Does this mean that because you chose the role of a hero, you have more positive karma, and because you chose a role of a physically disabled person, then you have negative karma? Haven’t we noticed in so many movies that the best actor award goes to the individual who plays the role of a physically or mentally challenged person?

I invite you to consider this idea when you encounter challenges in your life. You are simply playing a certain role, and your job is to play that role in the best way that you can.

I have chosen the role of an individual with low-vision, and I am going to play this role so well that I win an award for performing in the best way that I can, with all the abilities and limitations that I chose.

What about you? Care to share?

Raise your Vibration

In a book titled Power vs. Force by David Hawkins, he developed a scale of consciousness, which ranges from a level of 20 to 1000 where 1000 is considered as Enlightenment and would be the level of a Buddha or Christ. At the 1000 level, life is perceived as life being simply as “it is”, without any judgment or expectation.

The lowest on the consciousness scale is the level of 20, which is described as Shame. This is a feeling closes to death where a person would prefer to be invisible than to take any action steps to move forward. At the level of shame, life is completely miserable.

Between the lowest levels of shame towards the middle (courage), we can pass through different stages, which raise our consciousness. These include guilt, apathy, grief, fear, desire, anger, and pride. Once a person gains courage, he can consciously raise his vibration up the ladder towards enlightenment through willingness, acceptance, reason, love, joy, and peace. 

Depending on your current level of consciousness, you may need the energy of an outside force to raise your vibration or wisdom from within. As you raise your vibration, you will also realize the forces, behaviors, and entities that are lowering your vibration or energy level. 

Since all of us operate at a different level of consciousness, the techniques used to raise the vibration also vary. The greatest technique; however, is meditation.

If you are not a frequent meditator, and would like to gain mental clarity, wisdom, a quiet mind, etc., you may experience the transformational power of Life Coaching with Dino by simply clicking here. 

Buddha Purnima 2014 Dream

May 14, 2014, 3.50am – I have been falling in and out of a dream state several times since the past few minutes. Whenever I’m back in the dream Satya Sai Baba appears to me. He does not say anything. As I come out of the dream state, I see a reflection of his head in front of me. This occurred about three times, and while it was happening, I remember thinking to myself, “I better stop meditating, because strange things are starting to happen again”. In any case, as I fell back into the dream state, I saw Satya Sai Baba sitting on my bed. He wasn’t looking at me, he seemed to be busy doing something, as if looking for an object in a box.

I tapped him on the shoulder and said “Swami”.
He turned towards me and stood up. He was looking young, and extremely handsome. He was wearing an orange robe, and the wall behind him was blue.
He was so pleased to see me. He shook my hand with both his hands and said “Thank you Dinesh, Thank you for being there”. As I shook his hand I remember thinking to myself, “Swami, please speak slowly, I will have to remember this to write it down”.

I believe that there was one more thing that he had said, but because that thought was running through my head I could not remember what it was. He then embraced me and said, “Spread my message”. While I was embracing him, I could see the blue wall behind him, which had a poster on it that read, “Be at your Home”. It was a white poster with black text. I then fully woke up, with my heart racing and body sweating as usual when I experience such dreams.

During the next few days, I may get more insights about the significance of this dream, which I will share on my blog Bliss with Sai. Meanwhile, I guess I need to remember Satya Sai Baba’s words “spread my message”.

UPDATE @ 7.00am - To add a little more to this – after I went back to bed, Shirdi Sai Baba appeared in my dream at around 7am, which woke me up. He was tall and wearing a peach colored robe. Honestly, I did notice him, but I was too tired to interact with him.

I later found out when I woke up that today is an auspicious day, Buddha Poornima and Full Moon.

I will share some deeper information on lucid dreaming, mindfulness, etc. in the upcoming blog post.

Sensory Perception

It is said that through our five senses we receive approximately 2 million bits of information per second. This is through our senses of vision, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. The conscious mind is unable to process so much information that is received so it filters it down to only approximately 134 bits per second.  The conscious mind filters the information by deleting, distorting, or generalizing the information that is received. The purpose of the conscious mind is to retain only the sensory information that we feel is important. For example, if we are walking on the street we do not notice the smell of the flowers; remember the benches that we have passed or whether there is a step or a ramp on the pavement. We also rarely listen to the birds singing, or feeling the minor temperature changes in the air.  Moreover, we also have misunderstandings with other people, because the filter of the mind distorted the information that they had presented. Due to this we also generalize the information since we cannot remember the specifics.

Now, imagine how magnificent every moment would be if we could sense the environment around us with a higher level of sensitivity. Fortunately, this is possible. We need to raise our level of awareness and sensitivity of the sensory preceptors.

We can achieve this by practicing on stilling the mind. When the mind is quiet, the sensory preceptors become more receptive. For example, at the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University, music is played for about two minutes every hour. This is referred to as a “traffic stop”. During the two minutes, everyone must stop what he or she is doing and become present in the moment. This reduces the traffic of thoughts in the mind, raises the level of awareness, as well as relaxes and restores the body.

By incorporating this simple and profound technique into our daily routine the amount of stress is reduced. Every hour or two, if we pause for a few minutes we will realize that the mind and body have been recharged, and then we can continue working with more clarity.