self-referential-thoughts

64. SMS on Personality Traits

2010-08-29T07:54:00.000-07:00

A month ago I received an SMS from my cousin with following instruction: Psychological test - Complete this word: K I _ _. I'll then tell u wot is ur dominant personality. I don't mind participating in such tests, if I know for sure that there is some scientific reasoning behind it. With SMS forwards, one can't be sure. Thus, in such situations, I tend to flummox the sender by reverting with an

63. Perfectionism -- the dreaded attitude to have

2010-08-01T10:18:00.000-07:00

I was mentioning to a chat friend on how difficult it was to have a perfectionist attitude, especially when it comes to restarting the blog after more than a year of hiatus. Now, more than any time in the past, I have a starting problem. Osho's enlightening quote: The perfectionist is bound to be a neurotic, he cannot enjoy life, until he is perfect. And perfection as such never happens, it is

62. Why Commonwealth Games?

2010-08-01T09:51:00.000-07:00

Shera - the Mascot Wikipedia points out: Commonwealth Games is a multi-sport event for member countries from the Commonwealth of Nations. And The Commonwealth of Nations constitute the countries carved out of the dismantled British Empire. Now, after 60 years of dismantlement, do we need to have The Commonwealth, and with that, Her Highness' Games? Is it worthwhile to continue this legacy?

61: Any issues?

2009-05-09T00:31:00.000-07:00

This one will be a short post... but worth mentioning... I happen to manage a team which is spread across multiple locations-- Mumbai, where I am, and then in Bangalore and Kolkata.Yesterday, one of my Bangalore team members pings to inform me that he had to leave early the day before without notifying me because his spouse complained about a stomach ache, and today he has to take her to the doc

60. The Aura Around Aurum

2008-08-11T10:34:00.000-07:00

On the occasion of independent India bagging it's first individual Olympic Gold, here's a countdown...An Olympic gold medal in hand is worth (much more than):10. Two boxes of champagne bottles9. Two truck loads of gifts8. Two duplex flats at Colaba7. Two phone calls from the country's premier (or Sonia Gandhi, whosoever is greater)6. Two chapters in Class IV Hindi Text Book5. Two hundred Indian

59. What's In A Name?

2008-08-05T09:19:00.000-07:00

'lA-jane-dlA'... That's how I used to pronounce my name, long, long time ago, when I had barely started communicating in my mother tongue. It was my dad's assignment, late in the evening, after dinner, to bring out the 'R' in me with a proper roll of the tongue, which, thankfully, he managed successfully.I mention this so that you understand how sensitive I am regarding making fun of people who

58. Achmed, the Terrorist with a Ventriloquist

2007-11-08T20:40:00.001-08:00

Click here

57. Upcoming Event: Life Bliss Program, San Jose - 17-18 Nov, 2007, Sat-Sun

2007-11-02T18:56:00.000-07:00

Date: 17 to 18 Nov 2007, Sat-SunEvent: Life Bliss Program, Conducted by Swami MedhanandaVenue: Mulberry School, 220 Belgatos Rd., Los Gatos, CAContact: Ma Snehamayi (Chitra) Ph: (510) 813-6474Registration Information: Click HereMore Details About Life Bliss Program: Click HereIf you haven't done this workshop earlier, then don't miss this one! Swami Medhananda is a very senior acharya, and one

56. Ganapati Bappa Morya!

2007-09-16T08:35:00.001-07:00

55. 2007 Kumbh Mela at Los Angeles

2007-09-12T10:12:00.000-07:00

On Sep 9th 2007, Kumbh Mela was held in Los Angeles, CA. Paramahamsa Nithyananda, a Kumbha Mahamandaleshwar, officiated the event along with Swamis and Monks of other orders. (A Mahamandaleshwar is a spiritual master who has been elevated by his peers to the highest level of traditional, Hindu spiritual guardianship. Today India has 80 Mahamandaleshwars who carry on the work begun by Adi

54. The Dream Puzzle!

2007-08-04T00:28:00.000-07:00

The other day someone in office called for a meeting with an agenda which didn't have anything to do with me, nor my work. I, however, make it a point to attend all such meetings where I neither have to give status updates, nor have the fear of being stuck with an action item.In the middle of the meeting, I found myself asleep! Slowly the voices in the meeting room started to fade away and an

53. Vijay Singh on a Mini-Golf Turf!

2007-08-03T16:15:00.000-07:00

This is a video of Vijay Singh playing on a mini-golf turf for the first time in his life! (That's me, having a bad hair day!) Enjoy the ups and downs!Please bear with the delayed audio. Actually, you will enjoy more because of the delay!Can you tell what Mr. Singh's last words were?

52. Stuck on an Escalator

2007-07-16T13:48:00.000-07:00

What can you possibly do if you are stuck on an escalator?If you have better ideas than the folks in the following video clip, please send in your comments.

51. Ardha Kumbha Mela, Prayaag, 2007.

2007-07-13T13:53:00.000-07:00

50. To the Blogger in Me

2007-07-08T08:10:00.001-07:00

Thank you,My dear young & bold readers.Without your encouragement, I wouldn't have realizeda BLOGGER resides in me!Hope, my blog postings in turn havehelped you fire your psychiatristand throw away your mask.It's been a fun rideto be a one year old again,to be as I am,not bothered about the whole wide worldwhich at times laughs with meand at times, laughs at me!May there be more1st B'days like t

49. A Movie Trivia Question...

2007-07-07T11:37:00.000-07:00

Just in case you choose my blog as the subject for BBC's Mastermind India, I have to put up some trivia once in a while so that Quizmaster Siddhartha Basu has some good questions to test your memorizing skills! So here goes one:Q. Which is the only movie (to date) I have watched in a movie theater unaccompanied by my relatives/friends?

48. In the Name of Thy God in Dog-Heaven...

2007-07-07T09:36:00.000-07:00

Mumbai, it seems, has woken up to the stray dog menace. Bruhan-Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Chief Jayraj Pathak has gone to the extent of saying, "Kill all stray dogs!"BMC is now planning to appeal to the Supreme Court the right to "kill" this menace, which of course is opposed by dog lovers seated in lavish homes with 10 acres of backyard enclosed by 10 feet high compound walls and who

47. Behind Your Mask!

2007-07-05T18:45:00.000-07:00

Lets listen to what Franco, the Clown, has to say in this less than 3 minutes long movie clip.For some more interesting videos and other stuff from Nic Ascew, an English filmmaker, go to http://www.monday9am.tv/monday9amblog

46. The Morning Raga

2007-07-03T16:07:00.000-07:00

Being the only child of my parents, sometimes I didn't find any other suitable candidate for my childhood pranks than, one of my parents! Luckily for them, I wasn't ordinarily mischievous. Extraordinarily mischievous? May be. You decide based on this prank.It's early morning, around 6am. I am wide awake and go to the washbasin to brush my teeth. I am in my 4th or 5th Grade. My dad is yet to rise

45. Ananda Gandha

2007-06-28T15:18:00.000-07:00

Time to have a look at a new blog, and add to that blog's counter:http://anandagandha.blogspot.comNithyanandam!

44. First a Veggie's Retort, Then the Aftermath!

2007-06-19T13:43:00.000-07:00

This incident happened when I was in Philadelphia. I was out for lunch with my Indian manager. During our conversations while standing in the queue to order food, he figured out that I was a vegetarian. You might by now would have realized how much I hate answering those FAQs on my vegetarianism. No wonder!My manager got perplexed about my conditioning."But you are a Prabhu, a GSB Konkani...."I

43. To Prove and To Conclude!

2007-06-12T16:50:00.000-07:00

If you have solved any mathematical question of the Prove-That type, you would know that to get full marks, you are supposed to follow a set pattern while answering that question:Start with what you know and build on it by using known theorems/axioms while keeping track of whether you are getting closer to what you want to prove, and then finally, when you have achieved your destined equation

42. To the Job Hopper

2007-06-06T17:00:00.000-07:00

Does job-hopping, with an eye towards making more money, really help? Of course, it might be remunerative initially, but does it really put you at a better position? Or do you constantly keep track of what you might have achieved had you stayed back, by verifying with your ex-colleagues? And then, do you either feel happy or depressed based on what your ex-colleague tells you?Here's a

41. The Holy Debates - Part Two: The Double-Entendre

2007-06-04T14:02:00.000-07:00

This has been put up just for you to enjoy the fun with English Language, and also for me to feel my ego.One asureshma from the web (can't say a 'he', or a 'she', or an 'it', but in any case, let me assume a 'she' so as to be on the safer side of gender bias) comments on one of Swami Paramahamsa Nithyananda's videos posted on youtube; the numbers at the front indicate the time in the video

40. When a Veggie gets a Wedgie

2007-06-02T10:36:00.000-07:00

'm now watching Showbiz India on Channel#8 (KTSF).There is Reshma, the TV host, interviewing Neha Dhupia, some Bollywood actress. Neha is here along with a troupe to woo the desis of US with her dance, "and stuff". We learn that Neha is now vegetarian; which of course means, she used to have non-vegeterian food earlier.Reshma asks Neha, what made her decide to go veggie? Neha replies in the

39. How will an Enlightened Master react now?

2007-06-01T20:08:00.000-07:00

A talk by Paramahamsa Nithyananda on His first samadhi experience which happened 17 years ago on Buddha Purnima day, when he was just 12 years of age.Enjoy! Nithyanandam!

38. Have questions, and need answers?

2007-05-30T11:32:00.001-07:00

Do you identify yourself with the guy shown in the poster? Ya, he has a nice physique, but that's not I am talking about. It's about the questions that he is trying to find answers to.Do you have any of these thoughts running through your mind:Why is that person always healthy, but not me?I miss those happy days! Why don't they recur?How I love these happy moments! Will I lose them anytime soon?

37. The Elusive Second Rank

2007-05-28T08:44:00.000-07:00

Have you ever tried to deliberately score a rank in a competition which is other than your usually attained rank? I tell you, I have, and this is my story.[This piece has been written for a narrator of the caliber of Morgan Freeman or Amitabh Bachchan. Hear that voice?]Disclaimer: Any resemblance to any real person -- living, hospitalised, or dead -- is purely by God's own will, and I couldn't

36. The Holy Debates

2007-05-23T13:35:00.000-07:00

There are times in life when you face an adamant mind to whom you want to put forth your viewpoint, and who, for all holy reasons is not concurring with you! Lets say that you too are adamant to not give way to the other person! After all, its a Holy Debate!Now how you face this situation, is based on your personality. Let me share my experiences.Yesterday, while watching the news on TV, my

35. A Page from my Pressure Cooker's diary

2007-05-18T14:00:00.000-07:00

Today, May 18 2007, is the last day when I would have served my beloved Master as a pressure cooker, after some 5 years of pleasure-cooking. I say this, with a sense of contentment for, even in my end, my unselfishness shone, and my altruism has now been immortalised with His Holiness' blog posting!Master's roomie, who I have seen helping out my Master and His more accomplished cooking roommates

34. Making a Cocktail out of H2O

2007-05-12T11:00:00.000-07:00

An excerpt from a chat I had with my friend on GoogleTalk.Note: 1. This chat has been edited to fit your browser window. 2. Viewer discretion advised.--------------------------------------------------------------He: how r u..?me: great. how about u?He: i am fineme: where are you now?He: i am at connecticut.. working with Nestleme: wow! lots of chocolates, i guessHe: but i am working for nestle

33. Postcards from India

2007-05-09T17:22:00.000-07:00

My 2007 India Trip

32. The Thrill of Now

2007-04-18T11:43:00.000-07:00

Thrill n. a sudden wave of keen emotion or excitement, sometimes manifested as a tremor or tingling sensation passing through the body. Why do we get a thrill whenever we indulge in life-threatening activities? This includes extreme sports such as car racing, paragliding, mountaineering, freefall, bungee jumping and so on.A roller coaster ride can be put in the same bucket (at least for me!),

31. The case of Right Action, but Wrong Reason

2007-03-31T23:52:00.000-07:00

It doesn't help if you do the right thing but with wrong reason in mind!You might argue that how does it matter, if the end result of the action is same? Does the reason behind the action really matter?Well, it does matter! Paramahamsa Nithyananda proved his point through this joke:Once, three madmen in a mental asylum go to the resident doctor and say that they are no more mad, and now have come

30. "Hello," says me.

2007-03-29T11:59:00.000-07:00

My cellphone rings alerting me of an incoming call. The number on the display says "Call 1". The caller has hidden the number. I just pick up the phone and say, "Hello!" in my characteristic voice.I hear at the other end an imitator repeat my hello back at me! In the background I hear a child giggling. Hmm! Seems like someone is trying to pull my leg, that too on the phone! I keep quiet, and

29. Yet Another Day to Rejoice!

2007-03-15T12:30:00.000-07:00

The Sun has dawned...It's Ides of March!!!March 15th!Rejoice!No one to be afraid of!!We are already the Ocean,And not just the fleeting waves on the Ocean bed!This very day 29 years ago, a wave had started its journey...This wave now hopes to merge with the Ocean in Total Awareness...May Sat-Chit-Ananda Prevail...Om!

25. A 'Beautiful' Word

2007-03-07T10:41:00.000-08:00

Beautiful is a beautiful word. Why? Because we have been using it whenever we felt good, or sensed some good experience.How about the reverse logic? If we use this word to define all our other experiences, what will be the outcome? Will the word lose its meaning, or will the experience lose its unpleasantness?Just try it out! The next time you undergo an unpleasant experience, such as when you

24. A Blood-Sucking Saga

2007-03-05T11:36:00.000-08:00

My colleague pings me on the intranet messenger about an hour into my office time on the first day of the week to inform me that there is a free cholestrol screening going on in one of the office rooms near the Cafeteria. I am not so keen to undergo such a test as I feel myself to be in the apple of my health (or some such good feeling which you usually read inside health magazines). This

23. To be or not to be free... Thats the question!

2007-02-03T12:39:00.000-08:00

Ram Dass said, "If you think you're free, there's no escape possible."Damn it! I thought otherwise! :)What is freedom? Who says I am not already free?The mind comes up with reasons for saying I am not free... after all, it's the one which defines the word 'freedom', and my current situation, as perceived by it, doesn't conform to its definition.Why does my mind want me to seek freedom?Everyone

22. Autobiography in Five Chapters

2006-12-27T10:59:00.000-08:00

1.I walk down the street.There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.I fall in.I am lost . . . I am hopeless.It isn’t my fault.It takes forever to find a way out.2.I walk down the same street.There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.I pretend I don’t see it.I fall in again.I can’t believe I’m in the same place.But it isn’t my fault.It still takes a long time to get out.3.I walk down the same street.There is

21. Sorites paradox

2006-12-08T16:05:00.000-08:00

One grain of sand isn't a heap. So, if you start with a heap and start taking out one grain of sand at a time, when does it stop being a heap?This happens to be the famous Sorites paradox!Metaphysically speaking, if you take out all that you think constitutes/completes you, one attribute at a time, then who do you end up with?

20. Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya

2006-11-12T12:57:00.000-08:00

Bhajan - Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya by Pandit JasrajA Parable from Sri Ramakrishna ParamahamsaOnce a man went to a certain place to see a theatrical performance, carrying a mat under his arm. Hearing that it would be some time before the performance began, he spread the mat on the floor and fell asleep. When he woke up all was over. Then he returned home with the mat under his arm!Does this

19. Having the RIGHT ATTITUDE

2006-11-03T11:24:00.000-08:00

18. A Trip to AVG, Saylorsburg Ashram

2006-10-21T18:55:00.000-07:00

Arsha Vidya Gurukulam, Saylorsburg, PA, Sep 2006A Pilgrimage to AVGIt all started in 2004 when I was informed by a friend about a talk on the Karma Yoga Chapter in Bhagavad Gita by Swami Vidhitatmanand in Livermore Temple, CA. After the session, as everyone else, I filled up a form providing my email address for the AVC Mailing list.On October 10, 2005, I receive an email from Respected Sri Vijay

17. The First Zen Koan

2006-09-30T13:35:00.000-07:00

When Shakyamuni Buddha was at Mount Grdhrakuta, he held out a flower to his listeners. Everyone was silent.Only Mahakashyapa broke into a broad smile. The Buddha said, "I have the True Dharma Eye,the Marvelous Mind of Nirvana, the True Form of the Formless, and the Subtle Dharma Gate, independent of words and transmitted beyond doctrine. This I have entrusted to Mahakashyapa."Swami Dayananda

16. Dropping the Doubting Mind

2006-09-11T20:21:00.000-07:00

Excerpts from a chat I had with a friend on orkut...I: Wot came first -- You, Your Mind or God?She: I would say God. But its a loaded question. For you see God is within us.. and we part of that great ocean. Thus God and Me would be interchangable. On the other hand "Me" or "I" represents ones ego.. with it attached the mind.. thus.. a simple answer would be.. consciousness .. though that was not

15. Where's my Saffron Robe?

2006-09-06T16:49:00.000-07:00

The 'Bodhi' in me tells me that this will be the cover page photo of my book:"Enlightenment - How I Did It"!!(I can visualize a Buddha laughing at this thought of mine!)

14. Progress In Work

2006-08-25T16:55:00.000-07:00

For more inspirations, visit:http://dharmathecat.com

13. I am in neither General nor Reserved Category!

2006-08-24T14:05:00.000-07:00

Name: Rajendra Prabhu... only in a name, as neither am I the King of Kings (Rajendra) nor have I realization of the Lord (Prabhu)!Caste by Birth: BrahminCaste by Work: Shudra, as I am in IT services industry, working neither as an intellectual (Brahmin), nor as a soldier/ruler/administrator (Kshatriya), nor as a businessman (Vaishya)Category: Self, the indivisible one!Why should I worry if the

12. Hold onto that Thought!

2006-08-23T16:18:00.000-07:00

Ever heard the TV host say, "Hold onto that thought while we take a commercial break"?Ever tried to hold onto a thought, like this Ogden Nash centipede did?The centipede was happy quite Until a toad, in fun,Said, "Pray, which leg goes after which When you begin to run?That worked her mind to such a pitch,She lay distracted in a ditch, Considering how to run.Can you give it a try with this Ogden

11. Having Trust in the Guru

2006-08-21T14:18:00.000-07:00

Once you have selected your (spiritual) Guru (it's actually you being selected as the disciple), you need to have utmost trust in the Guru and his/her words! Following Osho joke is a good example of that:Mulla Nasrudin and his wife went to Israel for their holidays and visited a nightclub in Tel Aviv. A comedian was on the bill who did his whole act in Hebrew. Nasrudin's wife sat through the

10. Blessed is he who has attended his own funeral!

2006-08-17T13:50:00.000-07:00

Man turns up for his own funeral PTI, August 17, 2006 15:51 ISTA 36-year-old man, believed to be dead and whose 'body' was being flown home from Lucknow, returned on Thursday morning, just as his family busy arranging for his last rites.According to police, Mohammad Ashraf, a father of five children, had recently gone to Jeddah in search of a job and was deported by Saudi authorities to Lucknow

9. Adi Sankaracharya's Nirvanashatkam

2006-08-15T11:32:00.000-07:00

I am not mind nor the intellect.Nor am I the thought nor the cognising ego.Neither am I the ear, the tongue, the nose;The sky is not I, nor the earth; neither fire nor wind am I;For I am Bliss-Consciousness -- Siva am I, and I am Siva.I am not the breath, nor the five-fold vital-airs, nor the five organs;speech is not me, nor hands, nor feet am I.For I am Bliss-Consciousness -- Siva am I, and I

8. Deliberation towards Liberation

2006-08-14T13:08:00.000-07:00

On the eve of India's 60th independence day, I deliberate upon these Zen koans in an attempt towards Liberation:During the civil wars in feudal Japan, an invading army would quickly sweep into a town and take control. In one particular village, everyone fled just before the army arrived - everyone except the Zen master. Curious about this old fellow, the general went to the temple to see for

7. From dohA cometh a Singer

2006-08-13T13:39:00.000-07:00

Muhabbat ka iqraar chahiye,Ishq ka mauj nahin!Saakshaat Krishna chahiye,Krishna ki fauj nahin!These couplets, more commonly known as dohA in the Hindi/Urdu speaking belt, were the inspiration for this blog posting. I heard them during a spiritual discourse by Sri Morari Baapu on a TV channel today. I hadn't originally planned to view the channel at this hour, but then fate decided upon my

6. "Who Am I," asked the T-shirt

2006-08-10T20:11:00.000-07:00

?????????????????????????????????At first it was dark on the face of the deep.A Question arose: Who Am I?The answer was in the Questioner.When there was this realization, there was light!A filament of primordial origins glowed from within,Whose light soon pervaded the heaven and the earth.The Questioner ceased to existAnd a Guru was born!AUM TAT SAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!______________

5. Mind works in humorous ways

2006-08-09T14:55:00.000-07:00

Read following two stories. In what way are they similar?---A Zen fable I read in a book:The pupils of the Tendai school used to study meditation before Zen entered Japan. Four of them, who were immediate friends, promised one another to observe seven days of silence.On the first day all were silent, but when the night came and the oil lamps were growing dim, one of the pupils could not help

4. Massaging the Mind

2006-07-27T16:45:00.000-07:00

The day I publish a blog posting, I don't know whether I will have stuff to write another. Pretty soon a day comes along when I am eager to type something new. Today happens to be such a day.This morning I was having a back massage, thanks to my project managers who have budgeted for two free 15-minute massages every month for each team member, when this thought occurred to me. When is the

3. Am I ever lost?

2006-07-21T23:36:00.000-07:00

The other day, I was on orkut (an online community that connects people through a network of trusted friends) going through a friend's friend list when I came across a long lost mate from my school days! In my excitement, I sent him a message, "Now you shud thank me... I found you first on orkut!!" What he replied back was totally unexpected but very much pleasing: "Hey I was never lost..........

2. Even without my cognition, I am!

2006-07-19T15:44:00.000-07:00

What I understand by enlightenment... (typing as thoughts come and go)- To know myself...What I mean by myself?- myself... separate from name/body, which was given to me by my parents...... separate from my mind which is ever changing...... separate from everything which I call mine, even the idea that it's 'my self'...... the stable backround where all these events occurNow the question arises..

1. Menu for the Mind

2006-07-08T15:41:00.000-07:00

Can there be a mind-shattering thought? Can there be a mirror-shattering image?Can one be enlightened in a dream?You in my dreams is not you, but my projection. Then, am I a projection in some Higher Being's dream? If so, can that Higher Being be a projection in some Higher-Higher Being's dream? Ad Infinitum!?Can God exist in my absence? How would I know for sure?The Infinite (God) can't be