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One must keep many options open at any given time.
But act on one at a time as if it is the only option.

Act like an arrow with each option.
Arrow can not hit two targets at a time.
Your mind and action are not in sync, you will miss the target.
Pitcher only sees the catcher’s glove.
Eagle eyes only one mouse on the ground.
So you too set aside the thoughts about all other options at that time.

Why to have more options then you may ask?

Dangers of failure also come to people of great skills.
Disappointment and despair needs option to refocus.
Dispersal when overwhelmed is principle strategy of guerrilla warfare.
Knowing when you move to next option is key to surival and success.

Keep many arrows with you but aim each one as if it is the last one you need to use.

Our life on earth is not eternal.

Many seasons will come after we leave.
Many flowers will bloom after we leave.
Many Sweet fruits will come after we leave.
Beautiful smiles of children will be there after we leave.

Though our sojourn is not eternal, damages we cause can be eternal.
It is never too late to start taking less and leave behind a lot.

Japanese strive to do ‘Kaizen’.
A word for continuous improvement to eliminate deficiencies and errors.
With continuous improvement you are never done – even the improvement can be improved.

Even small changes can contribute for world to be better place for long.

So think What is that little change that we can do from today?

As human beings we have a companion – Observing Self.

Zen professor – Suziki writes:
“With awakening of conscience, the will is split into two: actor and observer. Conflict is inevitable, for the actor (self) wants to be free from limitations of the observing self (observer).”

Most of us recognized it. Some of us communicates and discourses with it. Observing self advises us on what we should do at any given instance and some times during our actions it may interfere to alter the course.

Goal of life is to minimize the role of observing self. “I am doing it” sense should be eliminated and replace it with “Right thing is being done” will bring you the ecstasy with no shame or no pride. Once we reach that state of doing things the observing self will be minimized or eliminated.

In a horse race the jockey has no time for the observing self during the race. The soldier in the middle of a war similarly has no observing self. They are doing their jobs with no observing self so they will do their best.

‘Fear of shame’ is at the heart of observing self. Once you learn a technique to analyze the actions and train yourself to do the right thing at any given time, there is no fear of shame and observing self will be minimized.

Notes from Suzuki’s great compendium of zen..

Monk: I understand that when a lion seizes upon his opponent, whether it is a hare or an elephant, he makes an exhaustive use of his power; pray tell me what is this power?

Master: The spirit of sincerity.
Sincerity, that is, not-deceiving, means ‘putting forth one’s whole being,’ technically known as ‘the whole being in action’… in which nothing is kept in reserve, nothing is expressed under disguise, nothing goes into waste. When a person lives like this, he is said to be a golden-haired lion; he is the symbol of virility, sincerity, whole-heartedness; he is divinely human.

(From the book written by Ruth Benedict)

Indian spiritual discourses are named Upanishads (800 BC – 400 BC) that discuss the inner meaning of Vedas written centuries earlier. Vedic teachers went to phenomenal lengths to explain the inner meaning of scripture to clarify the abstract form of sprit and spiritual world.

‘Prasna Upanishad’ is one in which the students requests the master to free him from ignorance by providing an answers to the questions posed. There are many interesting questions in this Upanishad. I found one of them so interesting and the translation provided below is done by Prof. Juan Masaco (born in Majorca) of Oxford University.

Souryayani Gargya asked the fourth question to his master.

Master, how many powers sleep in a man and how many remain awake? Who is that spirit that beholds the wonder of dreams? Who enjoys the mystery of sleep without dreams? Who is the spirit on whom all the others find rest?

Sage replied: As when, before darkness falls, the rays of setting sun seem all to become one in its circle of light, thought at the hour of sunrise they all spread out again, even so all the powers of the senses become one in the higher power of mind. Then a person does not see, hear, smell, taste and touch; does not speak, receive or give, move, or enjoys joys of love. Then people say ‘he sleeps’.

But in the city of the body the fires of life are burning: they sleep not. Apana is like the sacred home-fire for ever kept burning from father to sun. Vyana is like the fire of the south for offering to the ancestors. Prana is like the fire of the east lit up by the home-fire. Samana is like the hotri priest evenly distributing two offerings of expiration and inspiration. The mind is the performer of sacrifice and Udama is its fruit, since every day it takes the mind in sleep to Brahman, the Almighty.

My Notes:
It is believed that there are five types of energies that moves in our body. Prana (forward moving) Apana (that moves away), Vyana (Moving away from center), Samana (balancing) and Udama (moving upwards). Prana governs the intake of substances. Samana governs their digestion. Vyana governs the circulation of nutrients. Udana governs the release of positive energy. Apana governs the elimination of waste-materials.

Professor’s translation (continued)

And in dreams the mind beholds its own immensity. What has been seen is seen again, what has been heard is heard again. What has been felt in different places or far away regions returns to mind again. Seen and unseen, heard and unheard, felt and unfelt, the mind sees all, since mind is all.
But when the mind is overcome by its own radiance, then dreams are no longer seen; joy and peace come to the body.
Evan as birds, O beloved, return to their tree for rest, thus all things find their rest in Atman, the Supreme Spirit.
All things find their final peace in their innermost Self, the spirit: earth, water, fire, air, space and their invisible elements; sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch and their various fields of sense; voice, hands and all powers of actions; mind, reason, the sense of I, thought, inner light, and their objects; and even life and all that life sustains.
It is the Spirit of man who sees, hears, feels perfumes, touches and tastes, thinks and acts and has all consciousness, And the Spirit of man finds peace in the Spirit Supreme and Eternal.
He who knows, O my son, that Eternal Spirit, in corporeal and shadow less, luminous and ever lasting, attains that Eternal Spirit. He knows the All and becomes the All. A verse these is that says:
‘He who knows, O my beloved, the Eternal Spirit where in consciousness and the senses, the power of life and the elements find final peace, knows the All and has gone into the All’

End of sages answer as translated into English by the professor (ISBN 0-14-044163-8)

Have you noticed reaching a destination starts another journey?
Have you noticed achieving a goal sets up new goals?
Have you noticed getting up in the morning starts a clock for the next sleep?
Have you noticed finishing a project starts a new project?

This is life. Life is not about reaching the destination.
Life is about the journey and the in transit stops along the way.
Life is about the people you meet and other lives you touch.
Life’s ultimate destination is death and every one will reach it without fail.

Elephant is strong on firm footing on ground.
Crocodile is strong in the slippery water.
Elephant can kill a crocodile on land.
Crocodile can kill an elephant in the water.

Recognize your position of strength.
Monitor and protect your position of strength.
Supplement strength with knowledge.
Knowledge with the practice is paramount for success.

We weave our moral fabric with threads of values learnt from parents, teachers and society at large.
As we pass through life, we will keep some of these values and compromise the other.
The fabric will be patched and repatched with values adjusted for the times we live in.
Our conscience will advise without fail when the boundaries are crossed with reckless abandon.
Burden of intelligent life is the conflict of conscience with pleasure seeking senses.

At all times, each one must ask one question – Do I like my type?
If the answer is Yes, one is living a happy life where ones actions are within ones acceptable tolerances.
If the answer is No, one must certainly make immediate amends to bring the actions inline with ones morals.

Once born, we all start the journey of life with a lot of companions. Most of the fellow passengers on this journey are more competitors than companions. We should stay focused to achieve success and gather the gifts on the road ahead of others. Those of us who get distracted will gather leftovers of the people ahead of us. Following are the distractions (arranged in their order of ill effects) that we will encounter on our journey through life.

1) Shortcuts through the bushes.
Even though these take us to our destination, the experience is not the same compared to those who traveled the route defined by the wise men. Those who traveled the shortcut can not stand the face to face competition with those who traveled the course.

2) Rest areas with food and drinks.
These are available along the way. There is a right way to use them and there are many ways to abuse them as well. Right way is to replenish and rejuvenate to stay ahead of the crowed. Be mindful that other are passing you by while your taking a unreasonable rest.

3) People and Attractions come your way.
Be vigilant to evaluate people you meet and each of the attraction that comes your way. Do not make friends with people of ill repute, they will not only slow you on your journey but may also convince you that your journey is not worth the cause. For want of time, you do not have to make your own judgment on each person you meet. So follow the accepted notions. If someone is a prostitute that does not mean she is a bad person. But we do not need to associate with her. If some is a drug user, we do not want to associate with that person as well. It is not a judgment on those people; it is a statement that we do not need to test our strength of character. We do not want step on snake’s tail or poke in its mound to test our courage.

Stay true to the course, do your best and leave the result to God almighty.
Every journey is unique and special in its own way. So cheer the winners and help the less fortunate.

Fathers, husbands, mothers, brothers, sisters, teachers and managers.
They are all around us.
The more they love the more burdens to bear.
They give advice about form and function.
They give direction for every move and motion.
They expect achievements they could not achieve themselves.
Innocent aggressors will find faults with the pitcher over a perfect game.
They never indulge in an accolade or admiration.

I, you and all we know are vulnerable to become one.

To teach some one is to teach them the process of learning.
To help some one is to acknowledge the achievements.

Recognize the function is the destiny, form is the journey.

To love some one is to set them free on their journey of life.