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Monthly Archives: September 2018
Stillness in Kyoto
The ultimate zen aspiration is stillness. This appeals to me. When I am still, I see things as they are. When I am churned, everything is confused. In such a state, how is it possible to take the right action? … Continue reading
Posted in buddhism
Tagged buddhism, calm, japan, Kyoto, mindfulness, pond, quiet, reality, rightful action, serenity, stillness, temple, tranquility, zen, Zen buddhism
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Love
This morning, I saw two crows sit in companionable silence on the mango tree across the yard. If you know anything about crows, you’ll immediately wonder what I’m talking about. Crows, as a rule, don’t seem to know about silence. … Continue reading
Posted in City life
Tagged city life, companionship, compassion, crows, generosity, love, mornings, tenderness
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Marathwada Diaries: When Goddesses Come Home
Hindu mythic folklore is rich and colourful, creating whole worlds in which the divine interacts with the human. This time of year is particularly full of this interplay, merging the two and creating an elevated sense of companionship and closeness … Continue reading
Posted in Growing up global, small town life
Tagged belonging, celebrations, connections, daughters, family, festivities, folklore, Gauri puja, legends, Mahalaxmi festival, Mahalaxmi puja, myths, reconnections
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Yoga as Healing
After my yoga class, I went to talk to my teacher. “Tell me about breathing,” I said. He calmly turned to me, his eyes gazing steadily into mine. “Breathing is as important as movement. It is part of the flow,” … Continue reading
Posted in Fitness
Tagged breath, breathing, compassion, flow, healing, health, kindness, loving-kindness, yoga
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Ganpati Visits Us
It’s my favourite time in Mumbai: Ganpati, or Ganesha, is visiting! I wrote about this festival before, describing what the experience when Ganpati arrives in Mumbai. Clearly, I love this time of year. For the next 10 days, Maharashtrians everywhere have … Continue reading
Posted in City life, Growing up global
Tagged festivals, Ganesh, Ganesh Chaturthi, Ganpati, god, Maharashtra, modak, Mumbai
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Quiet As A Still Pond
A few days ago, I wrote about How To Calm Down when we feel agitated. It’s a tough task, to say the least. At the moment of aggravation, giving in to the hot flush of self-righteous indignation is so tempting. And … Continue reading
Posted in buddhism
Tagged 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, action, anger, buddhism, calm, chaos, Charlotte Joko-Beck, confusion, pause, quietness, reaction, serenity, Stephen Covey, stillness, tranquility, upset, Zen buddhism
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How To Calm Down
We all have those moments when we blow our top. When a rogue auto rickshaw barrels into us at a suicidal speed for the umpteenth time. When people brusquely cut in front of us even as we wait obediently for … Continue reading
Teacher’s Day
According to my calendar, today is Teacher’s Day. I don’t think it’s the same as Hindus’ Guru Poornima, which is a day set aside to revere our teachers. Nevertheless, it’s still a day I like. There is something nice about … Continue reading
Posted in Growing up global, Uncategorized
Tagged confidence, guru, lessons, life, patience, perseverance, persistence, snails, teacher's day, teachers, universal truths
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The Need for New Milestones
1 January is called New Year’s Day, heralding the start of a fresh calendar year. Traditionally, it’s also the time when we commit, or re-commit, to new beginnings. If there are life changes we want to make, we tend to … Continue reading
Posted in Habit change
Tagged 1 January, celebrate, change, goals, habits, milestones, New year, new year's resolutions, quality of life, rejuvenation, renewal, self improvement
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Archana and more 