Fast ways to make yourself

 

What are some fast ways to make yourself more interesting to other people?

We live in a noisy world, and the more interesting you are, the more likely it is that you’ll be heard above the noise.

1. Be An Active Person

Lazy people do the minimum to get by at work, they come home and watch TV, and then they go to sleep. The next day they simply repeat these actions. Every day looks pretty much the same.

Could that person possibly have anything interesting to say? No, of course not. Look at the following:

• When a lazy person is asked “What are you up to?”, the answer is “Not much”.
• When a lazy person is asked “What are you reading?”, the answer is “I’m not really into books”.
• When a lazy person is asked “What’s new?”, the answer is “Same old same old.”

An active person, on the other hand, is always doing something. Maybe they’re taking a 30-Day Happiness Challenge, or they’ve joined their Neighborhood Watch. When you ask an active person, “What’s new?”, they always have something to say.

So, if you want to be more interesting, get up off the couch and go do something. By doing lots of things I make sure that when someone asks me what I’m up to, I have lots to say. To be more interesting, be more active.

2. Happy People Are Magnetic, Debbie Downers Are Not

“I talk about health, happiness, and prosperity to every person I meet.”

After all, people want to be around others who make them feel good about themselves and about the world in general.

Don’t be one of those people who’s always complaining. The last thing you want is for people to take one look as you walk into a room and think, “Oh, no, here comes doom and gloom”. Happy people are much more magnetic–and interesting–than downers.

3. Be Passionate About Something

If you want to be more interesting, be passionate about something. It can be anything:

• Be passionate about saving the planet, or whales, or dolphins, or the bees. Find something worth saving that you can be passionate about.
• Be passionate about your job, career, or business.
• Be passionate about a social issue; domestic violence, bullying, the rights of the mentally disabled, and so on.

I have a British uncle-by-law who is incredibly passionate about Winston Churchill, and about World War II (his library is amazing). Listening to him talk about these subjects is fascinating.

Interesting people have something that they care deeply about. Passionate people are incredibly interesting.

4. Fill Your Brain With Interesting Things

If you want to be interesting, you have to fill your brain with interesting things. Think of it this way: whatever goes into your brain is what will, eventually, come out of your mouth.

When asked how to be a good writer, Ray Bradbury once said you should “stuff yourself full of poems, essays, plays, stories, novels, films, comic strips, magazines, music . . .” That advice can also be applied to being a good conversationalist. That is, to be interesting;

Become well-read, watch classic films, go to museums, subscribe to interesting blogs and podcasts, and listen to great music. The more cultured you become, the more high-quality input you stuff yourself with, and the more knowledge you acquire, the more interesting things you’ll have to say.

5. Let Your Weirdness Shine Through

Most people go to great lengths to edit themselves so that they’ll fit in. They’re petrified that they’re going to say or do something that may come across as being “weird” or out of the ordinary. However, to Be Interesting you should embrace your weirdness.

Do the following:

• Don’t judge others for being weird.
• Stop being afraid to let other people get to know the real you, however strange that may be.
• Instead of being generic, allow yourself to be quirky.
• Break out of the box.
• Share your unique insights.

Plus, think about the following: you’re probably already doing things that other people find weird, and they’re just not telling you. So, you might as well stop pretending that you’re as normal as can be, and let your weirdness hang out. After all, being weird is a wonderful thing. Own it!

6. Be Daring, Bold, and Audacious

One of the characteristics that interesting people share is that they’re risk-takers. That is, they’re daring, bold, and audacious. They do the following:

• They explore–they go places,
• They push on the boundaries of their comfort zone,
• They try new things,
• They play and they have fun,
• They learn to do new things, and are not afraid to be really bad at first,
• They create bucket lists and get to work crossing off the items on their list.

Make yourself interesting by getting yourself to get out there and do interesting things.

7. Ask People About Themselves and Really Listen to Them

Dale Carnegie, author of the perennial best-seller “How To Win Friends and Influence People”, once said: “To be interesting, be interested.”

It doesn’t matter how much you know, there’s no bigger bore than someone who just talks about himself/herself and doesn’t show any interest in the person they’re talking to. But if you show interest in the other person, they’ll love you for it.

After all, people love talking about themselves. In fact, research shows the following:

“Talking about ourselves; whether in a personal conversation or through social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, triggers the same sensation of pleasure in the brain as food or money.”

Being an interesting conversationalist is a two-way street. It isn’t just about being a good talker, but also about being a good listener. When you’re talking to someone, be genuinely interested in them. Do the following:

• Be curious about them.
• Operate on the assumption that everyone has something interesting to say.
• Regard everyone as an opportunity to learn.

You can start by asking people about their hobbies, their family, their future travel plans, and so on. Then, make sure that you listen carefully to what they have to say.

8. Learn to Tell A Few Good Jokes

We all love to laugh, and we love being around people who can make us laugh. So, always have a couple of good jokes, funny quotes, or funny sayings up your sleeve. Don’t undersell or oversell your joke, be confident, and make sure you get your timing and rhythm right.

9. Learn to Improvise

Taking an improv class will teach you to think faster and better on your feet, which will allow you to push a lagging conversation forward. Also, it will allow you to build on the ideas of others, embrace the moment, and better connect with others.

10. Cultivate a Beautiful Mind

In his book, “How to Have a Beautiful Mind”, creativity expert Edward de Bono–known mostly for his coining of the term “lateral thinking”–explains that having a beautiful mind means the following:

• You can easily discuss and explore ideas with others.
• To you, a discussion is a genuine attempt to explore an issue, and not a battle of egos.
• You take genuine delight in finding points of agreement with others.
• You can appreciate other points of view and you try to see things from other people’s perspectives.
• When there’s a difference of opinion you can openly explore the basis of the difference.
• You’re good at setting forth different alternatives, possibilities, and ways of looking at the issues being discussed.
• If the person you’re talking to has more information on a topic than you do, you listen attentively and ask questions.

Be more interesting by cultivating a beautiful mind.

In summary, people will think you’re interesting if, during a conversation, you achieve the following:

• You made them feel seen and understood.
• You made them feel interesting.
• You made them think.
  
  
  

Confident person and a shy person?

 

What is the difference between a confident person and a shy person?

There is a huge difference between shy people and confident people. Basically, a shy person is driven by fear and what others think, while the confident person is driven by positivity and self-belief.

To begin with, shyness is an overwhelming feeling of unworthiness, which is a major obstacle to greater enjoyment of life. It is a sense of unease with the self, not being happy in one's skin, and a fear of interacting with others in various social situations. Shy people do not trust themselves to know the 'right' things to say, or the 'right' way to act, though there is no one right way of living life! They are loathe to meet others, especially in a group, to talk with them face to face, or to share anything with them directly, because they are likely to feel inadequate. They do not trust others to interact as they expect and so FEAR tends to dictate their reactions.

Shyness is caused by low self image, low confidence and low self belief, and negative feelings about self-worth. It is based on a desire to be perfect (or to avoid being hurt), a lack of trust, and the mistaken belief that everyone else is perhaps more perfect, which makes the shy person feel unworthy to share their company. The main idea that everyone out there is better than they are, perhaps better looking, more clever or such social experts constantly dogs the shy person. Hence to be really shy robs the individual of essential interaction with others and new experiences, while allowing them to have a distorted view of their world and their true value. In a mild form, shyness can be dealt with by acquiring greater confidence, but the extremes of shyness become social anxiety, a definite phobia against certain things/people or even panic attacks at the thought of interacting.

A shy person does not usually invite sharing or confidences, does not like to initiate contacts and tends to focus on perceived weaknesses rather than strengths. That attitude, being rather fearful and detached, would not endear them to others, which then isolates them even further. Shy people are also self-focused and are constantly comparing themselves with others and coming out wanting. This means they lack the booster they need to feel good about themselves because they seldom get any social reinforcement from others.

The Confident Person

A lot of people might believe they are confident, depending on how they feel on any given day. But confidence is not a fleeting thing that is here today and takes a holiday tomorrow. Confidence is all pervasive. It shows itself in every aspect of our lives: the way we view ourselves, perceive our world, approach crises, the way we treat others, our readiness to exercise compassion and forgiveness, and, most important, the way we treat ourselves. True confidence is an incredible feeling because it has a few key attributes embedded in it, seven of them, in fact, which are the hallmarks of the truly confident person. You cannot say you are confident unless you score highly on each of those seven aspects.

The top three attributes are:

1. Self Love
This is the first crucial attribute. If you have no self-love, you have no confidence because this is at the heart of confidence: self-love and self-acceptance, which then decide our self-esteem. It is not possible to be happy and confident yet dislike our bodies or ourselves. Any lack of self-love is a prelude to misery and dissatisfaction with our lot. Happiness begins from within and when we love ourselves and do not seek the approval of anyone, we are half-way to real contentment and the next key attribute, self-belief.

2. Self-Belief
With self-love comes amazing self-belief in what is truly possible. The Universe is our limit, as we become unstoppable and fearless. People who think highly of themselves do not see barriers to achievements or obstacles in their paths. Anything which blocks their journey can be removed because confident people already believe they have the tools to remove those blocks. They can cope with crises too because they believe they can. That is the main difference between a confident and a fearful or shy person: one believes they have the power to affect their life, whereas the other person looks to others to do it for them.

3. Comfort in Themselves
Confident people are happy in their own skin. They love who they are, they do not wish to be anyone else and they seek no one's approval to be whom they wish to be. That is a sure sign of a strong sense of belonging and personal security. Even when there is a setback, they know it is only temporary and they will be back in action again, because they value themselves and their talents, regardless of what other people think. They tend to do what they please without following the fashion or being lemmings. Being natural leaders, they tend to set the pace for others and to inspire them.

As you can see, there is a world of difference between a shy person and a confident one. The first is ruled by fear and a feeling of inadequacy, while the second is driven by positivity and a feeling of strength and capability.

Conscious and subconscious mind

 

What is the difference between conscious and subconscious mind in simple terms?

Here are the main differences between the two brain systems:

1. The subconscious mind remains active 24/7 while the conscious mind is inactive while we sleep.
2. The subconscious mind is exploratory while the conscious mind is inhibitory.
3. The subconscious mind is irrational while the conscious mind is rational.
4. The subconscious mind is emotional while the conscious mind is logical.
5. The subconscious mind lives in the here and now while the conscious mind can think in the past and in the future.
6. Human language doesn’t exist in the subconscious mind but the underlying representations for human language are stored there. For example, the word “APPLE” is formed in the conscious mind, but the underlying “form” of an apple - aka its symbol or its representation exists in the subconscious mind!
7. The subconscious mind never ages, it never “matures” it turns on at around age 2-3 (when our memory faculties turn on) and remain at that age forever. The conscious mind ages over time and becomes “mature”.
8. “Thinking” is a function of the conscious mind, thinking does not happen at the subconscious level, instead, the subconscious mind “processes” representations of your real-life experiences, memories, etc.
9. When people talk about “the ego” they are talking about the conscious mind. Since the subconscious mind never ages, it remains “pure, child-like, innocent” all our lives!
10. We experience all of our dreams on a subconscious level every night during REM-sleep but we typically are not “aware” of it because our conscious mind is inactive and our bodies are paralyzed.
    
    
    

Stop procrastinating

 

How do you motivate yourself to work hard and stop procrastinating?

1. Self-motivation: Take responsibility for your motivation. Nothing external will keep you motivated.
2. Identify your reasons: Find a higher lever reason to act on your goals every day that must trump your excuses. Example: “I make a video to help people”, “I exercise because I want to live long for my grand-kids”
3. Question your procrastinating behavior: Knows your triggers — how, why, and when you feel procrastinating. Be aware of the ego trying to convince you to do the wrong thing.
4. Challenge yourself: Challenge yourself to do better every day. Be willing to face present discomfort for long-term rewards.
5. Do mental and physical activities: Look after your physical and mental health. Exercise and meditation are a good start.
6. Eliminate distractions: Be aware of your bad habits and distractions. Then eliminate or alter them individually.
7. Break down your goals: Have a goal and break down into a daily action step you can take to get a little bit closer to it.
   
   
   

Facts about Buddhism

 

What are some mind-blowing facts about Buddhism?

What are some fascinating facts about Buddha?

1. He said, “I am not God. I am not a Deva. Nor am I a Human… I am the Awakened one, who has seen the Truth of the world.”
2. He did a meticulous analysis of the mind in such a way that he was able to count all the atoms in his body.
3. He said, “Nothing in this world is solid.” The modern meaning of which is that everything is made up of atoms and these atoms are repeatedly broken down and reformed.
4. He was famous for another reason that he taught people of all languages ​​in their own language whoever met him. Although he chose the Pali language of the common people during discoursing in the assembly.
5. No animal would ever harm him while meditating in the deep forest. It is believed that the animals were attracted to him, they looked at him calmly because of the power of his Metta/compassion.
6. He gave the theory of rebirth. He observed himself spontaneously and said that he had become Buddha in this birth because of the good deeds of all previous births.
7. He said that the ultimate goal of life is Nibbana, which means liberation from the cycle of life and death.
8. A serial killer like Angulimala who killed 999 people, city prostitute like Amrapali, logical philosopher like Upali who challenged Buddha, all of them were initiated into his religion and became Arhants!
9. From a very young age he would never make jokes, never gossiped, never made fun, but always had a glimpse of smile on his face that fascinated everyone.
10. One day, while the he was going for alms, a little boy picked up a bowl of dust in front of the Buddha. The Buddha smiled softly and took the alms bowl forward. When Ananda asked the reason for Buddha's laughter, Buddha said, “This boy will reborn in the city of Pataliputta 239 years after my parinibbana (death) and will be the Chakkavatti emperor and will make history by building 84,000 metal temples for the benefit of Buddhist rule.” He was no one else, the Emperor Great Ashoka!
11. He had a very good look, blue eyes, broad shoulders, long ears, mild curly hair and was full of compassion and mercy. It is said that a golden halo would come out of his fair body.
12. He was born, enlightened and attained parinibbana on the same day. This day is the full moon of Baishakhi (May).
13. Among the Buddha's many disciples, Ananda stood out for having the best memory. Most of the texts of the early Buddhist Sutta-Piṭaka are attributed to his pure recollection of the Buddha's teachings during the First Buddhist Council.
14. Today his religion is considered the most scientific religion and there are some variations of it, it happened over time. The Buddha gave such knowledge of mind and body as it really is, not in the way of any religious belief!
15. The monk has always fasted in his life and taught by traveling long distances on foot till his Nibbana.
16. After attaining enlightenment, he reunited with his family and guided his father, mother, wife and son to Nibbana. Happy family!
17. This great scientist was born more than 2500 years ago and his non-violence, Metta/friendship teaching and meditation techniques are still practiced which is appreciated all over the world.

18. The most fascinating thing about Buddha is that we can see him as a Human like us!

A man with a beautiful mind. He is not God, nor a god, nor a prophet. He is perfect just as a human being. Lived and died like human beings. There is no promise of heaven in his religion. No threat of hell. No need to pray. No compulsory to follow him. No mandatory rituals.

Following his teachings makes one a better person. The Dhamma is not harmed if one does not follow it. He/she will just miss the opportunity to be a better human.

Kundalini

 

What is the esasiest way to awaken Kundalini?

A Kundalini awakening is one of the rarest achievements one can achieve in the journey of life. Kundalini is the energy of love! A Kundalini awakening is of immense importance; it contains immeasurable achievements, but it can turn your life inside out, in a good way, as it opens up your perceptions, which will make it possible to look at life from unimaginable angles.

The name "Kundalini" derives from a Sanskrit word that literally means "coiled like a snake" or "one that has the shape of a snake" and is an energy that all human beings have at the base of the column vertebral. Orientals call this energy Chi, which can be awakened by Tai Chi Chuan and other practices. The indigenous people themselves invoke Kundalini with the strong stomping of the feet in those characteristic rituals that have become notorious in films.

Spiritual awakening can happen to anyone at any age.

“There are many methods to awaken the kundalini fire, such as yoga, meditation, near-death experience, mental substances, sex, out-of-body experience, prolonged stress, initiation by a guru, shamanic ritual…

This has happened to many gurus, spiritual practitioners, shamans and several others throughout history. Gopi Krishna, one of the founders of Kundalini research, experienced the awakening of kundalini due to a sacred meditation known as the Golden Flower method. However, he had a dramatic awakening and with several turbulences, which draws attention to the need for psychological preparation to be able to deal with this energy *, as narrated in the book "The awakening of Kundalini". It is said that the Golden Flower method takes more than 100 days of practice to start forming the accumulated energy of the kundalini, which leads to the understanding of self-realization.

There are numerous methods of initiation in which kundalini is achieved with the help of a master teacher or guru, when they take special preparations to direct the flow of kundalini through awakening consciousness. Although there are others who have experienced awakening at a faster rate in time, such as Terence McKenna, philosopher and psychonaut. He discovered the miraculous secrets of the universe by eating magic psilocybin mushrooms in the Amazon, which led to his extensive research on psychedelics, which McKenna believed was the key to the "transdimensional journey" of the human psyche.

Other notorious that awoke the sleeping snake:

Ramana Maharshi, a famous Hindu guru born in 1870, experienced when he was just sixteen years old a Kundalini awakening by a sudden annihilating fear of death that took over his body. It was through the perception of looking inward and contemplating death that he was able to experience spontaneous awakening through the death of the ego.

Philip St. Romain, a Christian minister experienced his own shocking awakening through the simple method of praying to God.

Aleister Crowley, a famous occultist and founder of the Thelema religion in the late 19th century, had several methods of his own, including alchemy, sex, hashish and mescaline.

Aldous Huxley, the English writer for Brave New World, went through an awakening experience through Peyote [mescaline], where he relived his experiences in his book that changed the life of the 50s, "The Doors of Perception". The Doors of Perception created absolute outrage at the open, vulnerable experience of psychedelics, which was hardly recognized in the 1950s. The discovery of the beauty of the universe led him to research psychedelic and psychiatric studies.

Kundalini's presence even intrigued the intellectual mind of Carl Jung, Alan Watts, Timothy Leary, Daniel Pinchbeck, Maynard Keenan, Joe Rogan, Russell Brand and several iconic intellectuals ”.

The American writer and scholar, Jana Dixon, was really thorough and wrote one of the most impactful books on Kundalini. In "The Biology of Kundalini", Dixon, attributes the awakening of the sleeping snake to some conditions. One of them may be unrequited or unfulfilled love, as the author describes:

"It is often necessary to have self-initiating psychological conditions, such as devotion, excessive generosity, crisis, Shaktipat of a Guru or the encounter of great love, in order to provoke chemistry in a high degree of intensity. Shaktipat literally means descent of grace. It is the yogic initiation in which the Siddha Guru transmits spiritual energy to the aspirant, thus awakening the aspirant’s sleeping kundalini shakti ".

Hardest truth of life

 

What's the hardest truth of life?

1. If you don't have good job you will not be treated as a man.
2. If you are not fair and beautiful you will not be treated as a woman.
3. If you are black you will not be treated as a human.
4. If you are poor you will not get respect.
5. If you are unemployed you will always get stupid questions asked about your personal life.
6. Everyone focused so much on making others feel inferior.
7. Everyone is becoming slave of those who is powerful than them.
8. When you are in good condition you will know many people but when you are in bad condition. Don't know where they people dissappear.
9. True and genuine heart is always misused by clever and trivial minded people.
10. Not everyone is your friend who gives you a overly good compliments.
11. Don't expect anyone to come in your life and make it good. You are the only one who can do it.
12. True love is only the name these days. If people have any selfishness they will show you love until the selfishness gets fulfilled.
13. Caste religious color and status discrimination system still going on this era.
14. The things which comes easy has no value for the reciever. People value those things which hard to get.
15. Never worship celebrities. They are also human beings like us. We are making them Gods.
16. No need to worry about what people will say. When you are sad then these people take joy to see you in that bad situation and get jealous when you achieve great things.
17. Unconditional love is fiction and never possible. Because if you love someone unconditionally regardless of how they treat you or reciprocate or not. You will be taken 100% for granted.
18. Don't think by making thousands of friends on Facebook that you are cool dude. When you get admit in hospital then only your family will take care of you.
19. When people are hungry greedy and selfish. They forget humanity and become a mean monsters.
20. Don't tell your serect to anyone. Todays people are known to misuse your weakness against you rather understanding and being supportive

Take care and be safe !

Brahman

How is Brahman conceptualized in Hinduism?

Brahman is indescribable. Wish me luck because I am going to do the exact opposite by trying to describe Brahman in great detail.

Is Brahman some kind of energy?

According to the Vedanta, “Brahman can neither be created nor destroyed”. Wait a minute. We have heard this before as part of the first sentence of the first law of Thermodynamics which says "Energy can neither be created nor destroyed". Putting the two together we can deduce that Brahman is some kind of energy. According to scriptures, Brahman is the life principle and Brahman provides Sentience as it shines as Consciousness in the mind. Hence I would like to call Brahman, Atman as Sentient Life Energy.

Did we conclude in haste that Brahman is Energy? Let us examine further the descriptions of Brahman found in the scriptures.

In Katha Upanishad, in Verses 1.2.18 and 1.3.15, the Life Principle, Brahman is described as "not born and does not die. Unborn, eternal, everlasting, ancient, without sound, without touch, without form, without decay, without taste, without smell, without beginning, without end, eternal, unchanging and cannot be destroyed".

Bhagawad Gita (2.21. - 2.25) describes the Brahman as “indestructible, eternal, unborn, unthinkable, unchangeable. It cannot be cut by a sword, burnt by fire, wetted by water, dried by air”.

Please try to apply the above descriptions to any energy we are aware of such as heat energy, light energy, gravitational, electrical, magnetic, wind, solar, nuclear, mechanical, potential, kinetic, etc. We observe that all the descriptions perfectly apply to all of these energies.

So I feel that we could conclude that Brahman is some kind of energy yet to be discovered by science and it is different from all the energies discovered so far. The two main differences are 1) Brahman provides life and 2) Brahman provides Sentience, Consciousness.

I also found that in the Upanishads the exact word Shakti (Energy) is used. Svetashvatara Upanishad 1.3 calls the Life Principle as “Atma Shakti” and Kaivalya Upanishad 1.21 calls it as “Achintya Shakti” meaning “Incomprehensible Energy”.

Just like there are no two but only one electrical energy, only one heat energy, etc. the Upanishads also say that the Brahman, the Life Energy is also not two but only one "Ekam Eva Advitiyam Brahma" which is mentioned in Chandogya Upanishad (6.2.1).

When a light bulb goes bad it does not mean that the Electrical Energy “goes away” from the bulb. It only means that the bulb has lost the capability to manifest the Electrical Energy though the Electrical Energy is very much present.

In the same way Brahman / Atman does not “go away” from the body. The body at some point of time loses the capability to manifest the Atman though Atman is ever present. Bhagavad Gita (2.18) says that the body has an end and it is called death but Brahman / Atman is eternal.

Verify that Brahman is Energy

Let us take an example of a Video Camera and we all know that it cannot function on its own and requires Electrical Energy to function. Same is the case with other devices such as a microphone and a loud speaker. They just cannot function on their own without the help of Electrical Energy.

Now consider our eyes, ears and tongue which are similar to video camera, microphone and loud speaker. Can our eyes, ears and tongue function on their own without the help of some energy? No!! says Kena Upanishad (1.1 - 1.8). Each of our body parts and for that matter every single cell in our body requires some force or energy to function. We can call this energy as Life Energy or Brahman or Atman.

That's the reason when a person dies, at that moment though the eyes may be good but still cannot function. Whereas once the same eyes within the stipulated time are transplanted into another living body the eyes become functional again. That means something that is present in the living body is missing in the dead body. We all know that what is missing is Life and Sentience which implies that Sentient Life Energy is missing in the dead body. Brahman, the subtle energy not only provides life and sentience but also energises all organs and every single cell in the body.

The second sentence of the first law of Thermodynamics states that "Energy can be converted from one form to another". That means say if heat energy is noticed then it can't be due to some magic but because some energy got converted into heat energy.

We notice the presence of heat energy in our body, electrical energy in our nervous system, chemical energy in our digestive system, mechanical and kinetic energy when we move our hands and limbs, produce sound energy, etc. According to Upanishads all these are due to Brahman and hence Brahman is the energy that is getting converted into all these different forms of energy.

Where is Brahman?

Chandogya Upanishad (3.14.1) says "Sarvaṃ Khalvidaṃ Brahma" meaning "All this is Brahman". The very first verse of Isavasya Upanishad begins with "Isa Vasyam Idam Sarvam" meaning Brahman pervades everywhere.

According to the Upanishads, just like the inexhaustible gravitational energy pervades the entire earth, the inexhaustible solar energy (for all practical purposes) pervades the solar system in all directions, the inexhaustible Brahman pervades the entire space in all directions. There is no place in this vast infinite space where Brahman is not present.

Broadcasted radio signal pervades all around us and a radio in a car tuned into that particular frequency can make use of those signals even while moving. It makes me think that we are pervaded by the inexhaustible Brahman, our body and mind get energised by the all pervading Brahman just like a radio makes use of the all pervading signals. That's why Brahman or Atman should never be translated as "Soul" and it helps a great deal in our understanding if we think of Brahman as all pervading energy.

Thus everywhere it is a glorious dance of energy called Brahman and this is symbolically depicted by the beautiful dancing posture of Lord Nataraja in the temple of Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu and there the Lord Shiva is called Akasha Linga. Akasha means space and Linga is the Lord Shiva.

The scientist Nassim Haramein, the founder of Resonance Science Foundation, in the following video echoes the same views that space is pervaded with energy.

All living beings including animals and plants tap into the same inexhaustible source of Brahman for their life and sustenance (Katha Upanishad 1.2.20, 1.3.12). The food chain is not linear with some animal at the top, rather it is circular. The seed which is Brahman, gives birth to the plant which is Brahman, the plant depends on Brahman for its life and growth. An animal which is Brahman, for its life, growth and sustenance depends on the plant which is Brahman. Again herbivorous animals get eaten by carnivorous which are also Brahman. When they die their body gets eaten by scavengers which are Brahman or the body decomposes and nourishes microbes and bacteria in the ground which in turn nourish the plants. Thus it is a circular food chain where at every stage it is Brahman itself eating Brahman and depending on Brahman for life, growth and sustenance. This fact is beautifully captured by Bhagavad Gita, Verse 4.24 which starts with "Brahma Arpanam Brahma Havih ..." and this verse is normally recited as a prayer by many every time before consuming food.

Is Brahman God?

We completely depend on Pancha Boothas meaning Five Elements for our life, growth and sustenance. They are Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Space. Even scientists and atheists know this fact. Still the human beings have been involved in pollution and plunder of this Nature.

That's why several worship Earth, Water, Rain, Sun, Fire, Air, etc. as God. Some even personify them with a form and worship them with love and reference. The idea is to imbibe the fact that how much the humanity and the entire eco system are dependent on the Nature and hence treat the Nature with love, respect and gratefulness. Thus worshipping the Nature is not superstition. Rather taking the Nature for granted and thinking that the entire Nature, plants and animals are there just for the use and consumption of humans is ludicrous and preposterous.

Space is the subtlest of all the five elements and Brahman being the most important Life Principle there is nothing unusual in loving and worshipping Brahman as God.

Another reason why Brahman is considered as God is its purity. Only human being has various forms of impurities due to selfishness and hence indulges in committing various kinds of sins such as greed, anger, jealousy, etc. When a human being successfully dissolves the ego and exists as Brahman then that person exudes purity and brings out the divinity from within.

From the Vedanta, we get to know that Brahman pervades the entire space, every nonliving thing is Brahman and every living thing is also Brahman. Given this, can there anything be greater than Brahman? and hence Brahman is worshipped as God, the Absolute and the unchanging Ultimate Reality.

Why should we know Brahman?

We all differ in our names, forms, functions and capabilities. But in the core, the substratum is the same Sentient Life Energy, Brahman which is present in every cell of our body (Bhagavad Gita 7.7).

Thus it is just not "Love thy neighbour as you love yourself". Knowing that everybody is nothing but Brahman takes it one more step further "Love thy neighbour as you love yourself because it is yourself".

Thus attempting to know Brahman completely transforms the individual. Greed and Selfishness would vanish. Morals and ethics would spring from within. It promotes kindness, open heartedness, love and compassion. The prevailing capitalistic "Profit Mentality" would give way for the sacred "Service Mentality".

According to scriptures Self-Realization and attaining Moksha is the real goal[1] of human life.

Who can know Brahman?

Many people think that Self-Realization[2] is attainable by only few great folks and even quote Bhagavad Gita (7.3) which says only rarest of the rare attain the Truth. The very fact that you are reading this means you are entitled to belong to that exclusive rare club. It is actually a disrespect to Guru Ramana Maharshi who said Self-Realization can be had “Here and Now”. Hence not listening to such advise, having our own personal opinion that Self-Realization is not possible and therefore giving up even before starting is a great disregard and disrespect to all the Gurus and Scriptures.

How to know Brahman?

"Car Driving" can't be "Known" by reading about it, but can be "Known" by the experience of driving. Thus it is an "Experiential Knowledge". Similarly reading about Brahman gives only theoretical knowledge. The real Brahman can be "Known" by "Experiential Knowledge".

Brahman can be "Known" by the experience of "Being" or "Existing" as Brahman.

What? Everyone of us are already Brahman whether we know it or not and we can truly "Know" Brahman by "Being" or "Existing" as Brahman.

Confusing, isn't it? I promise that I am not smoking any weed nor am I under the influence of any kind of intoxication (except for tasting the nectar of trying to explain Brahman).

We have now come to the most important juncture that all the scriptures try to address and all the masters of Vedanta try to explain. Let me try to provide the gist of all those explanations in as simple manner as possible.

Visualising Brahman as some kind of energy which we can call as Life Energy helps a great deal in trying to understand it because of our knowledge of other energies taught by science. By the way, I am not alone in calling Brahman as Energy. The great scholar and Guru Shriram Sharma, the founder of "All World Gayatri Pariwar" strongly emphasised visualisation of Brahman as Energy. When we consider Brahman as some energy then we do not go looking for it physically as to where it is just like we understand that we can't see or touch gravitational energy.

Gravitational energy can be "experienced" and the instrument needed is our body. Just jump in the air. We come back to the floor due to the gravitational energy. In the same way, Brahman, the Life Energy can be "experienced" and the instrument needed is our mind, a very calm mind.

When Brahman, the Life Energy energises the eyes they get the seeing ability and when the Life Energy energises the ears they get the hearing ability. When the same Life Energy energises the mind, the mind gains its Sentience or Consciousness or Awareness or Thinking Ability.

Using our mind all we need to do is to be in one single thought that "I am Consciousness", or "I am Awareness" or "I am Thinking Ability" or "I am nameless, formless, Life Energy". Being in this one single thought is called as "Fourth" by the Mandukya Upanishad and is called as "Turiya" in the Gaudapada Karika. The verse 3.3 of Aitareya Upanishad says “Prajnanam Brahma” meaning “Consciousness is Brahman”. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (1.4.10) says “Aham Brahmasmi” meaning “I am Brahman”.

The main trick used here is firmly holding on to just one thought which helps in keeping all other thoughts away. According to Ramana Maharshi, when one attempts sincerely holding on to one thought that "I am Awareness" after some time even that one thought also falls away (Who Am I? - Verse 10) and one would successfully exist as Silent Awareness. In other words one would exist as Brahman and due to that experience becomes the “Knower of Brahman”. Mundaka Upanishad (3.2.9) says "Brahmavid Brahmaiva Bhavati" meaning “the Knower of Brahman becomes Brahman”.

Knowledge of Brahman is the greatest treasure one can attain. Hence please set aside 10 minutes everyday, think of the Brahman, the Life Giving Energy, be in the silent thankful and grateful thought of Brahman, firmly hold on to just one thought that “I am Thinking Ability”, “I am a Concentrating Entity”, “I am Awareness”, “I am Consciousness”, become recipient of the blessings of all Gurus and delight yourself basking in the glory and thought of Brahman.