A BLOG ABOUT

FULFILLMENT AND AWAKENING

Discovering the Truth of our Existence

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Welcome to this blog about dis-covering
fulfillment through self-awakening and
selfless service.

Here you will find some musings about the wisdom traditions of the world: teachings of Advaita Vedānta, Buddhist Psychology, Sufism, Zen, and much more. During these pages, we will meet sages such as Veda Vyāsa, Vaśiṣtha, Lao Tzu, the Buddha, Ādi Śhaṅkarācārya, Dogen, Rumi, Hafiz, Ramana Mahaṛshi, Nisargadatta Maharaj, Swami Sharananadji Maharaj, Swami Akhandanandji, Swami Dayananda Saraswati, Swami Paramarthananda, Gurdjieff-Ouspensky, J. Krishnamurti, and many more ancient and modern saints and seers. The Bhagavad Gītā and Upaniṣads will be used as foundational texts of Vedānta for garnering self-knowledge. All faiths, beliefs and philosophies are welcome.

Art of Fulfillment

Art of Fulfillment

Aug 20, 2015 | ,

Be Good and Do Good! If you can dream it, you can do it, quipped Walt Disney. Like most one-liners, this too seems to be only partially true. The world is full of dreamers who seldom do much. Likewise, we have people who do all sorts of stuff, including that which...

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Where have All the Leaders gone?

Where have All the Leaders gone?

Aug 14, 2015 |

Leadership is not a popularity contest, much less being nice and goodly-goodly. Leaders do what needs to be done (and not what they like to do), with certain unremitting inner composure and detachment. It is all about loving what you do and learning to love what you...

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Aug 4, 2015 |

The work an unknown good person has done is like a vein of water flowing hidden underground, secretly making the ground green.  ~Thomas Carlyle

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The Secret of Dispassion

The Secret of Dispassion

Aug 3, 2015 |

Vairāgya, dispassion, is not so much a turning away as it is growing out of. To the extent a person is able to grow out of the desire for objects, to that extent he is happy. ~Swami Dayananda

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Happiness Talisman!

Happiness Talisman!

Aug 2, 2015 | ,

If there is one talisman, lucky charm, about happiness, it is this: Give what you want to get! If you want peace, be the harbinger of peace. If you want to be happy, make someone else happy. If you want fearlessness, cause fear to no one. If you want to be loved, be...

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Conversations with a Tree

~ Satinder Dhiman, Ph.D. Ed.D.
January 11, 2013

Today during morning walk, I paused near a wise old tree; It greeted me, as always, gently; Unassumingly with an inviting look!

I have heard it whisper, as I pass by it, everyday: “I produce oxygen; What do you?”

Today, there was urgency in its voice, As if it had lots of questions for me That needed to be addressed; As a matter of life and death!

Still kind in its manner, Gentle in its demeanor; Solemn in its voice, The tree continued….

Rain or sunshine, Extreme cold or hot; I bear my lot, patiently; Without complaining or comparing! Do you?

By way of my own care and concern, I need very little on a daily basis. Always making sure to contribute, More than I consume. Do you?

I offer my gifts of shade and shelter, Anonymously and generously; And my fruits and flowers, To all and sundry, selflessly! Do you?

I am content in being the way I am, Without needing to compare or compete; To outshine or be better than the next tree; In the mindless race called success! How about you?

I abide placidly in the Present; Without brooding over the past, Or pining for the future; Living fully in the Now, authentically! Do you?

On yearly basis at least, I renew myself: Letting go of the old leaves; To make room for the new ones! Do you?

I do not hate my fellow trees, Nor do I destroy my own kind. Merely because they are different, Or hold a different viewpoint! How about you?

My virtues are: Patience, Generosity, Acceptance, Forbearance, Caring, Compassion, Contribution, Usefulness, Selflessness, Sustainability, Self-renewal! What are yours?

With my drab, rough exterior, I stay nimble and pliant inside. Always ready to adapt and to cater: Whatever circumstances transpire! Do you?

I genuinely hold my head high, Upright in my humility and gratitude; Always glorifying my Creator, By serving selflessly Its Creation! Do you?

In life and in death, I stay valuable, making sure that Every part of me is somehow useful, For the sake of others! How about you?

My leaves, my stem, My roots, my bark; All parts of the Divine Exchange, You humans call Eco-System. How about yours?

Even when I die, I am of service to you; As firewood to keep your house warm, And to cook your supreme meal! Do you?

Above all, I have the Virtue of Eternal Silence, And never get bored with my own existence! How about you?

As I listened to this wise old tree, I kept wondering: What have I done to the Garden Entrusted to my care?!

~ Satinder Dhiman, Ph.D.; Ed.D. January 11, 2013.