Thought Shots

So finally I've begun writing about the greatest story ever told: the Human History. And I don't intend to begin by talking dryly about Harappans or Mesopotamians here. I want to start by using the three words found at the start of the world's most read text: "In the beginning". And I want to start by talking about History's greatest hero and most revered being: God (and He's still going strong, by the way). So, in the beginning, we had God who created everything around us. Or so the Holy books say. Throughout history, if there's anyone who has most impacted our lives without actually having ever been seen, it is God. From our very birth onwards, what we eat, what we wear, how we see the world around us is dictated by our religions. And all this is done to ensure that our guy in the sky doesn't get mad on us. He is in everyone, in everything and he is all-knowing. He is perfect, the purest and without his wish, not even a leaf can move. But you...

My favourite book is Mr. Nehru's 'Glimpses of World History'. Even now when I stumble upon this book, I am transported back into the time when I first read it. When I was very young, only thirteen. And though the letters written by Mr. Nehru were meant for his daughter, they were pieces of writing that any child could have related completely with, even if that child in question was I. Friday morning, when you wake up and realise that your office is later today than usual, and you chance to see a book that you haven't gone back to for ages. You begin reading it and it were as if you were sitting right next to the author. Seeing him tell his story. And you suddenly move back a hundred years in time. Well, about 86 years to be exact. 26 of the last 86 years in which I myself have walked this earth. Still finding my way. Not 'there' yet. But when you compare that quarter of a century to the time that has passed in human history, you are reminded of the smallness o...

Question: What is the saddest truth in life? Answer: I have been meaning to write you my answer for a few days now, but I was caught up with some silly exam papers. Nevertheless, and here we go... On the surface, your question seems like a sad question but it is not. In fact, it is a question that can open the doors of happiness for us. Only when we become aware of the sources of our grief can we begin to avoid them. So, what is the saddest truth in life? The saddest truth in life is that we hope where there is no hope. We want what is not achievable. We are after what cannot be chased. We want and go on wanting.  Buddha spent years meditating and when it all ended, he postulated his teachings and concluded the sum of it all, which was that desire is the source of all suffering. And the conclusion was relevant then and it is relevant now. That is the beauty of the Buddha. The things he taught are still as applicable as they were when he walked this earth. A lot of other tea...

Question: What are some of the best ideas told by OSHO Rajneesh? Ans: Osho is an ocean. And within this ocean, you have so many invaluable gems that it will be difficult to make a count. But you have asked what are some of the best ideas told by OSHO Rajneesh? I can understand the intention behind your question. You want a quick-fix. You want an instant band-aid that you can wrap around whatever it is that your life needs at the moment. And you are not to be blamed for it. This is the kind of age we live in. We tweet instead of talk. We google instead of read. And so on and so on. And not that there is anything wrong with it. It is just that the quest has to be taken to the next level. It is one that will require you to experience it.  Buddha always asked his disciples to believe in experience instead of faith. He said, "Do not believe anything I say unless you yourself have experienced it." He was against blind faith. Which is why he never even mentioned the word ...

What if it were true that life is meaningless? What if life really had no purpose to it? What if everything that we do was nothing, meant nothing, resulted ultimately in nothing? How would such a realization impact our way of life? Will it mean that we begin to see the pointlessness of having to live this tardy life? Will it mean that we finally decipher why sometimes people can seem so despaired, why sometimes we despair and why we can, at times, look half-dead, half-alive? Albert Camus said, “The meaning of life is the most urgent of questions,” he said in  The Myth of Sisyphus , but “I continue to believe that this world has no ultimate meaning.” As for death, Camus said, “We know it ends everything,” and results in  eternal nothingness . Eternal nothingness , yes. And it comes to everyone, eventually. Whatsoever one may possess, one may attain, one may achieve. So, how are we to deal with this?  I think that the answer is hidden in the question itself. If ...

The last week saw almost everyone talking about what Aamir Khan had to say about leaving India and how it was wrong and so forth. I think that the people who are criticizing Aamir for having made that comment don't seem to recognize that there were a lot of other things that he said besides expressing concern over his wife's doubt as to whether India is anymore a safe place for them or their children to live in. And there is very little that we could disagree with him on regarding what he had to say in entirety. He said that when we find our leaders not prosecuting people who are found to be making intolerant comments, when we find that the government in power is not reassuring its people over the fear that some people are trying to spread, then the people would naturally be forced to express their protest. Whether it is just by voicing their concern or by returning their awards. As for whether returning the awards is the right way to protest- Aamir said that as long as the ...

Love. It is such a nice word. And some people say, it is also the most powerful thing around us. But then the problem arises when it happens for someone. And that happening doesn't meet its desired outcome. You know what I mean, don't you? That feeling you get when you see your special someone going out of your circle of influence and into your circle of concern. The circle marked for things that we can do nothing about. And love turns then into a hopeless thing. It starts to hurt instead of healing us. It begins to become a burden. And the worst part is that the more we try to get over it, the more we are pulled back inside the pit. Some suggest us to let go in such situations but letting go is not easy. I wonder if the likes of Oshos and Buddhas went through times like these. We all know them as the untouchable entities of enlightenment. But is it possible that they had their share of attachments to deal with? It is said that Prince Siddhartha was preparing to leave the ...