NOVEMBER 2017
EAST AND WEST SERIES
5
The Gospel Of Guru Nanak* SADHU VASWANI Today is sacred as the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak. Five centuries have sped since he came. Today we live in a period of disillusionment. Contemporary civilisation has thrown up dictators and limited patriots: where are the Pioneers of that Freedom which looks to truth as its Country, the spokesmen of the Eternal Spirit? In his last work
the Russian hero, Dostoevsky, wrote: ‘‘If you will only love each other, the secret of God will be revealed unto you: and in the end you will embrace the whole world in the magnitude of your love.” Centuries before these wise words were written, was born in India one who taught Love and worshipped Love. Guru
*November 4 is sacred as Guru Nanak’s Birth Anniversary.
NOVEMBER 2017
EAST AND WEST SERIES
Nanak was a spokesman of the Eternal Spirit. The word “Guru” means “Teacher”. The Great Teacher of Wisdom was born in Punjab in the 16th century. Not all the centuries since that century of chaos in India’s history have assimilated the wisdom of the Teacher. The Great Guru came to reconcile races and religions. He came to proclaim the sovereignty of Love. In one of his sayings we read: God’s love is infinitely inexpressible: How may I declare it? Not many today bear witness to God’s love: for not many grow beyond their nation. Europe and Asia alas, are suffocated with hate. The youths of the nations clamour for the smoking chaos. Where are they who would rebuild the world? “We must use force,” is the cry which swings from West to East. Where are the servants of the Eternal Love? His century did not deserve the Great Guru. If he came back to us today, the twentieth century would not deserve him. Guru Nanak is the glory of India: and after him the great Khalsa built a number of states: but India has not yet accepted the Great Guru as her conquering soul. A story in the Janamsakhi, the book that tells of the doings of the Master, says that Guru Nanak was Raja Janak come back to this world! Raja Janak was the king with the great heart, full of compassion. Guru Nanak’s heart, too, was filled
6
with the wisdom of love: and like Raja Janak’s, moved out in sympathy and service of the poor. Janak and Nanak, both were practical mystics: both were servants and guardians of the poor. And in both I hear the voice of Jesus who said: “God is Love! Go and sell what thou hast and give it to the poor!” Nanak was a psychic. At an early age there came to him a revelation of the spiritual world. He went into a river for a bath: and in the waters he saw a Shining Form holding before Nanak a cup of water and saying to him: “Drink! I have given thee my Name.” The Name! Nama! Not a word, not letters of books or scriptures! Nama is not in letters but in vibration, The Nama vibrates. Guru Nanak speaks of Sat Nama. The vibration of Truth! The Eternal Verity! Truth have the creeds and temples and churches forsaken: and so not a few of the educated have turned their faces away from religion. How many of the preachers and propagandists of religion would place truth above their Samaj, their Mandir, their Church, their Guru, their Scripture, their Creed. Nanak’s great message of Sat Nama calls us to the worship of Truth. Temples and Mandirs and Churches have become tombs of dead tradition. Would you meet and greet your God? Go into the laboratory of life, and with Truth make experiments every day. Truth, though she send you out into the wilderness — an out caste, a wanderer, Rama-like, in far-off forests! Truth, though she
NOVEMBER 2017
EAST AND WEST SERIES
take you through paths covered with flaming fires! Nanak has to leave his home, his father, his family, his birth place, his all, to be a worshipper and proclaimer to the nations of the Truth that is God. And the Great Guru realised and taught that the Truth of truths is Love. The story of Guru Nanak’s travels is one of pilgrimage of Love. Wherever he went, he poured out his love upon all he met. One thing Nanak did not know, arithmetic. One thing Nanak never forgot, love. Wide were his travels, he moved among men of diverse tongues and temperaments, of many races and religions. Many were drawn to him, for to all he gave the gift of sympathy. Guru Nanak radiated love. Guru Nanak taught the wisdom of Love. Guru Nanak gave the healing message of Love. He saw much suffering around him, he saw cruel contradictions of his chaotic century: he saw the unrealities of ceremonial religions and broken creeds: and he opened his gentle lips, to unfold the Secret to the suffering ones: ‘‘Brethren, learn to Love”. He saw quarrels between Muslims and Hindus: he saw the futility of pilgrimages and wornout creeds. He had the courage
7
to say in the face of priests and pundits: ‘‘If you will only love, the secret of God will speak unto you!” Was ever a simpler message given to the world? Truth is simple. This message calls us to a life of noble action in the living present. These controversies may be theology, but are not religion. These war-creeds may be “patriotic”, but are not religion. These creeds may be academic, but are not religion. These ceremonies may be ancient, but are not religion. These traditions may be hoary as the Himalayas, but are not religion! For the call of Religion is: Act! Act in the Living Present; and make your action an offering to the Eternal Love! For Yesterday is but a Dream, And tomorrow Vision:
is
only
a
But today well-lived makes Every Yesterday a Dream of Happiness, And every Tomorrow a Vision of Hope. Look well, therefore, to this Day! Such is the Salutation of the Dawn!
There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up. — John Holmes
NOVEMBER 2017
EAST AND WEST SERIES
8
Pearls of Devotion:
A Disciple’s Tribute to the Master* J. P. VASWANI Gurudev Sadhu Vaswani was not a teacher of the ascetic way. To fulfil the purpose of life, Sadhu Vaswani taught, man need not run away from the world to the solitude of a mountain-cave or a forest-grove. He must live in the world and fulfil his duties and obligations. To a young man, who wanted to resign his job and renounce the world and go out and live on a mountain peak, Sadhu Vaswani said: ‘‘He whom you seek is not afar. He is in your office. He is in your home. He is with you, within you. Serve your old mother, live a life of purity and
prayer, harm no one, cry out to Him in love and longing, and it will not be long before He reveals Himself to you!” Sadhu Vaswani’s ideal was to be in the world but not of the world. He repeatedly asked us never to forget that we were here as pilgrims, that our stay on this Isle of Enchantment, the Earth, was for a brief while, and that we must retrace our steps back to our Homeland which, alas, we had forgotten in the shouts and shows of an ‘empirical existence.’ “Where is thy native-land?” was the question asked of a dervish. And he answered in the
*November 25 is the 138th Birth Anniversary of Sadhu Vaswani. It is observed as International Meatless Day and Animal Rights’ Day.
NOVEMBER 2017
EAST AND WEST SERIES
words which God had said to Moses: ‘‘Thou art on this earth a stranger. I am thy native-land!” God is the Homeland of the Soul. This must we never forget for a single moment. Our thoughts and aspirations, our words and deeds must express our longing to return to the Homeland. There can be no way back Home if we weave round ourselves webs of worldly desires. All desires must drop before we can tread the Homeward Way. We are here to play our respective roles on the stage of time. We are here to fulfil the plan which God has meant for us. And so the most important thing for us is to constantly remember Him and aspire to do His Will. God above everything, God first and foremost, this should be the watch-word of our life. Significant are the words of the ancient rishi: “When the longing for God wakes up within your heart, give up the vain pursuit of worldly things and be absorbed in Him!” Until the longing for God wakes up within our hearts, we are not truly awake. We are asleep. We walk, we talk, we work, we eat, we wake, we sleep, sleep which is a deeper sleep. In words of lyrical beauty Sadhu Vaswani sang: The waking ones, alas! Are not awake: And the sleepers sleep,
9
Until Thy Light on them doth shine! Awake are many called: But they are not the waking ones Nor do the sleepers truly wake Until they learn in silence and in love. To sing the Name Divine! How may we wake up from the deep slumber of the senses? Awakening hath come to different men in different ways. We, most of us, need someone to awaken us, an evolved soul, an awakened one, an enlightened one. Such a one is the “Guru”. The Guru is the Great Awakener. “The Guru,” Sadhu Vaswani said, “is the lift to raise us to the heights, the lift which may take little ones to the Kingdom of God.” Sadhu Vaswani’s entire teaching may be summed up in the two words, “Recollection” and “Compassion”. Recollection cometh in moments of silence as an answer to the three-fold question: “Who am I?” “Whence have I come?” “What shall I do to return to my true homeland?” For, this world of darkness and death, this “heart-break house”, where men suffer and women weep, is not my homeland. I am a citizen of another Kingdom, leaving which, for reasons unknown to me; I have come to this world of suffering and pain. I am here on a short trip: brief is my stay on this earth-plane, where no one lives
NOVEMBER 2017
EAST AND WEST SERIES
long enough, where nothing seems to last, where everything is fleeting, transient, passing. This world is not my home: this is a show-world, where most of the men and women live conventional lives, for they have not learnt to break the hard crust of their personality, their egoism. This world is a huge prison, a jail without walls. Men and women go about with chains on their feet and chains on their hands: they are the chains of desire. The fetters fall when recollection comes, and recollection cometh not except in and through interior and silence. And to all who come to him for advice and guidance, Sadhu Vaswani said, “Practise silence, everyday, for at least half an hour.” Set apart sometime, everyday, to sit in a silent corner, away from the din and roar of daily life, and meditate on the adventure of existence. Recollection expresses itself, among other things, in little acts of compassion: for, in this world, the poor starve and no garment enfolds them in the biting cold
10
of wintry nights. Service of the poor is worship of God. Sadhu Vaswani often said, “There is holier music in silent service of the poor and lowly than in all the gorgeous chanting of temple priests.” And again, “So many Gods of gold in the temples! If you will truly worship them, melt them and pour out the gold in service of the starving, shivering gods of the earth.” Beautiful and sublime was his love for the starving, suffering ones. “Storm-beaten and hungry for bread, alas, Are so many” he said. “They seek shelter, they need light in darkness, let me see my Master in them. He cometh with soiled hands and tattered garments, in serving them, I serve Him.” And again, “He who cooks for himself alone is a thief. If your house has not a bread for a guest or a poor, starving man, are you better than a robber on the high road?” “You cease to be human when you do not share and do not bear a brother’s burden.” An excerpt from the book “He Walked With God” by J.P. Vaswani
Life is an exciting business, and most exciting when it is lived for others. — Helen Keller
NOVEMBER 2017
EAST AND WEST SERIES
21
The Mystic Saint — Baha‘u’llah* J. P. VASWANI Baha‘u’llah the great saint, seer and prophet was born in Tehran in 1817. His father was a prominent dignitary in the royal court. Thus the child was brought up in a luxurious environment. But the young boy was not attracted by the material splendour with which he was surrounded. From his childhood, he loved to sit in silence, and think about life and its meaning. When he was very young, the family celebrated, the wedding of his elder brother in a grand manner. On this occasion, a puppet show had been arranged for the entertainment of the guests, and the boy watched the show enthralled. The story was set in a royal palace. The courtier puppets await the arrival of the king anxiously, having made grand preparations for his welcome. Some puppets sweep and mop the floor, other puppets decorate the palace with flowers, yet others lay out a red carpet for the king. Soon, the puppet king arrives and sits on the throne. His soldiers drag a robber into the
court, and request the king to punish him. Imperiously, His Majesty orders the thief’s head to be severed from his body; the executioner arrives immediately with a huge butcher’s knife and the robber is beheaded! All of a sudden, a puppet messenger arrives to warn the king that enemies have entered his kingdom, and are likely to attack the palace any minute. The king orders his general to mobilise the army and prepare for war. And so the show went on. Young Hussain Ali watched it all in amazement, until it ended, with thunderous applause from those present.
*November 12 is sacred as Baha‘u’llah’s Birth Anniversary.
NOVEMBER 2017
EAST AND WEST SERIES
The audience dispersed. But the young lad stood rooted to the ground, unable to take his eyes off the puppet stage. What did he see? In a matter of minutes, the master puppeteer left the hall, carrying a small bag with him. Can you tell me what you are carrying in this bag?” the little boy asked him. “All the puppets you saw on that stage a few minutes ago, are now packed into this bag,” the man replied. “And in this bag they will remain until I pull them out for the next show.” Hearing this the child was astonished. So this was what it was all about! In a flash it dawned on him that this world was also like an elaborate puppet
22
show — and all of us are puppets talking, laughing, planning, plotting, absorbed in our petty lives. We do not even pause for a moment to realise that the show must soon come to an end — and back to the bag we must return Then and there, the child made a mental resolve, life is too short; time is too precious. Our sojourn upon this earth is ephemeral, therefore, I must not waste my time! A mere puppet show was enough to make Baha’u’llah realise how illusory and transient were the trappings of earthly glory. [An excerpt from the book “Short Sketches of Saints Known & Unknown” by J.P. Vaswani]
Medicare For The Underpriviledged Sadhu Vaswani Mission’s Free Mobile Clinic is a beacon of hope for many tribals and villagers in and around Lonavala and Khandala. Two Free Mobile Vans along with a dedicated doctor visit small settlements in and around Lonavala and Khandala regularly. They provide free consultations/check-ups and free medicines to the residents at their doorsteps. One Mobile van is dedicated for free pick and drop from the doorstep to the main centre. The patients who need further specialist consultations, treatments and investigations avail this facility. 22 more villages with scanty medical resources and facilities have been identified to further this honourable cause. During the period April, 2017 to September, 2017. Total No. of patients — 6,299 Total amount spent — Rs. 6,14,781 Contributions to this noble cause can be made to Sadhu Vaswani Mission, Pune
NOVEMBER 2017
EAST AND WEST SERIES
24
Vegetarianism: Karma, Compassion & Simplicity Vegetarianism, known in Sanskrit as Shakahara, was for thousands of years a principle of health and environmental ethics throughout India. For India’s ancient thinkers, life was seen as the very stuff of the Divine, an emanation of the Source and part of a cosmic continuum. They further held that each life form, even water and trees, possessed consciousness and energy. Nonviolence, the primary basis of vegetarianism, had long been central to the spiritual traditions of the culture. Vegetarianism is a way to live with a minimum of hurt to other beings, for to consume meat, fish, fowl or eggs is to participate indirectly in acts of cruelty and violence against the animal kingdom. The abhorrence of injury and killing of any kind leads quite naturally to a vegetarian diet. The meat-eater’s desire for meat drives another to kill and provide that meat. The
act of the butcher begins with the desire of the consumer. Food is the source of the body’s chemistry and what we ingest affects our consciousness, emotions and experiential patterns. If one wants to live in higher consciousness, in peace and happiness and love for all creatures, then we cannot eat meat, fish, shellfish, fowl or eggs. By ingesting the grosser chemistries of animal foods, one introduces into the body and mind anger, jealousy, fear, anxiety, suspicion and a terrible fear of death, all of which are locked into the flesh of butchered creatures. Due to the horrendous slaughtering techniques of animals in our modern world, one may wish to consider what is really being absorbed when eating meat. The mental cruelty, complex chemicals, the fear, pain and terror experienced by the animal are part of what we consume. Studies have shown
NOVEMBER 2017
EAST AND WEST SERIES
that the consumption of meat products increases aggressive behaviour. For these reasons, vegetarians have the opportunity to live in higher consciousness. On a balanced vegetarian diet, not only does the body become cleaner, healthier and stronger, there are also shifts in consciousness, which manifest as a repulsion to the eating of meat. India’s greatest saints have confirmed that one cannot eat meat and live a peaceful, harmonious life. Man’s appetite for meat inflicts devastating harm on the earth itself, stripping its precious forests to make way for pastures. If children are raised as vegetarians, every day they are exposed to non-violence as a principle of peace and compassion. Every day they are being reminded not to kill. If they won’t kill another creature to feed themselves, they will be much less likely to do acts of violence against people. The Sanskrit word karma means “action”, or more specifically, any material action that brings a reaction that binds us to the material world. Although the idea of karma is generally associated with Eastern philosophy, many people in the West are also coming to understand that karma is a natural principle, like time or gravity, and no less inescapable. For every action there is a reaction. According to the law of karma, if we cause pain and suffering to other living beings, we must endure pain and suffering in return, both individually and collectively.
25
To understand how karma can cause war, for example, let’s take an illustration from the Vedas. Sometimes a fire starts in a bamboo forest when the trees rub together. The real cause of the fire however, is not the trees but the wind that moves them. The trees are only the instruments. We recoil with horror at the prospects of war while we permit equally horrifying massacres every day of the world’s automated slaughterhouses. The person who eats an animal may say that they haven’t killed anything, but when they buy their neatly packaged meat at the supermarket they are paying someone else to kill for them, and both of them bring upon themselves the reactions of karma. Can it be anything but hypocritical to march for peace and then go out for a hamburger or go home to grill a steak? From a spiritual standpoint, eating live-plant food awakens dormant powers of intuition, instinct and consciousness. By choosing to eat this way one becomes more aware of cause and effect. Cause and effect is the Law of Karma. One also becomes more aware of what is going on in and out of the body. Intuition is heightened, communication between body and mind is enhanced, and we feel lighter in body, mind and spirit. This heightened awareness eventually makes it impossible to pollute one’s body or the planet or one’s spiritual energy. Planet earth is suffering. In large measure, the escalating loss of species, destruction of ancient rainforests to create pasture lands
NOVEMBER 2017
EAST AND WEST SERIES
for livestock, loss of topsoil and the consequent increase of water impurities and air pollution have all been traced to the single fact of meat in the human diet. One example of the drain of natural resources: it has been estimated that there are approximately 1.3 billion heads of cattle populating the earth at any one time. And it takes an average of 2,500 gallons of water to produce a single pound of meat. According to Newsweek, the water that goes into a 1000-pound steer could float a destroyer. In contrast, it takes only 25 gallons of water to produce one pound of wheat. From an environmental standpoint, eating fresh live-plant food implies the least impact on other life forms and creates the opportunity to create more life through gardens and planting fruit trees. Eating foods as fresh as possible creates the least amount of pollution, and the least amount of packaging and provides a way of life that is 100% beneficial to the environment. Those who understand the laws of karma know that peace will prevail only when we educate people about the consequences of murdering innocent animals. That will go a long way toward preventing any
26
increase in the world’s enormous burden of karma. To solve the world’s problems we need people with purified consciousness to perceive that the real problem is a spiritual one. Eating a live-food vegetarian diet is physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually healing and enlightening to the individual. It opens up dormant regions of human potential and consciousness. From a pleasure standpoint, fresh live food is a celebration for the taste buds. Vegetables, fruits, seeds, nuts and grains are gifts to the senses providing a wonderful array of colours, scents, tastes, textures and sounds. While our body is enjoying, your heart and mind can be at peace. Beyond concerns of health, economics, ethics, religion and even karma, vegetarianism can support us in our oneness with the spirit that lives in all things. We can concur with the ancient Vedas when they say that the purpose of human life is to reawaken the spirit to this relationship and live it through compassion and simplicity. (Source: http://www.thelivingcentre. com/WALTER KACERA Ph.D., D.N.)
If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other. — Mother Teresa
NOVEMBER 2017
EAST AND WEST SERIES
27
Birthday Aspiration The world is broken, bleeding still, And million homes in darkness are, Let Thy Great Love be as a Star To lead me to the Sacred Hill. Where sages sit and quietly pray That Peace may shine on orphan-man, That every country, race and clan May grow in knowledge every day. As flowers arise new morn to greet, So rise, my heart to greet the Dawn That soon will break o’er hill and lawn: O cure me, Thou of all conceit! The lilies are so clean and white: So clean and white keep Thou my soul! Lead Thou me on to reach the Goal, And worship Thee as Life and Light! Let not the darkness of these days, My Master fill my heart with fear! For Thou in Mercy still art near: And Thy Love works in wondrous ways! On battle-fields which were blood-stained New flowers and grass have grown again: And on this planet dark will rain Thy Grace, and man to God attain.
— Sadhu Vaswani
NOVEMBER 2017
EAST AND WEST SERIES
28
Children — Our Most Precious Possession SADHU VASWANI Expenditure on child-education is really an investment. What you spend today will return to you a thousand fold in the future. Pay well, secure able teachers—men and women of education and character. The child’s unfoldment proceeds, partly, on the line of imitation. Therefore be careful in the choice of teachers. Children are the most precious of a nation’s possessions. And every little school for children is to me a star of hope. In Western countries, childeducation is receiving more and more attention. At once governments and rich individuals are spending large sums of money to improve primary schools. You cannot spend too much for child-education. It begins in home-life and even earlier. In a sense, childeducation is ante-natal! The child’s education begins in the mother’s womb. Let the mother, in her period of pregnancy be in a good atmosphere, physical and metaphysical. Let her eyes rest on beautiful pictures. Let her mind dwell on noble ideals. Let her heart be rich in aspiration. And the child in the womb will be influenced accordingly. After birth, the child’s educational life may be divided into 3 broad periods: a) 1-7 years b) 7-14 years and c) 14-21 years. In the first period, the child is shaped by home-life more than anything else, except the child’s own impulses and endowment brought from previous births.
In the second period (714 years), the boy’s reasoning faculty and will power are yet undeveloped. He develops them. In the third period (14-21 years); and as these develop, he asks for more and more ‘‘freedom”. How to educate his reasoning powers and his impulse towards freedom is the teacher’s task in the 3rd stage of the student’s life. The boy’s education from 7 to 14 must proceed along other lines. You must, in this period, help him in self-realisation through education of the senses and feelings. For these are awakened first; and then, judgment and will-power. Education in this second period must take special note of the boy’s senses and emotions. The senses are gateways of the Atman. Don’t neglect them. The body must be trained and disciplined to be a help to the spirit. “What is man?” they asked me. And I said, “Man is an angel riding an animal.” Don’t neglect the animal; don’t pamper it; discipline it, and you will ride it well. Take good care of the child’s health. And see that he
NOVEMBER 2017
EAST AND WEST SERIES
grows not only in health but, also, in strength. Both health and strength grow through exercise. A playground is as important as the school-building. Let our children develop love for games. To be a sportsman is to add to one’s own and other’s happiness. Not a few of our irritations and nerveexcitements would disappear if we would be sportsmen in life. We need more “humour” in daily life. To be a sportsman is to take defeat in a genial spirit. Fight if you must, but shake hands in good humour before the fight begins and after the fight is over. Education of feelings asks for 3 things: (1) Music (2) Garden classes and (3) Pictures. Music awakens and disciplines emotions. Music is a spiritual necessity for boys and girls. They, also, have an instinctive sympathy with Nature — with birds and trees and flowers. And I would have teachers hold openair classes, preferably in gardens. Children would thus, also, have the benefit of sunbaths. The sun’s ultra-violet rays have a curative value. I believe, too, in the moral influence of pictures. Every picture is a teacher. I would have pictures in class-rooms. Pictures of the truly great: they form one Brotherhood. Their pictures and life stories will do much to broaden the minds and hearts of students. The future is not with sectarianism. The future is with the Vision Catholic, the Vision Human, the Vision that regards Truth not as the monopoly of one nation or religion but as the Spirit of Life revealed to the peoples and prophets of many lands and many ages.
29
Above all, teachers of the right type are needed. In ancient India, as in ancient Greece and Arabia, a beautiful feature of social life was reverence for the teacher. Not without reason. For the teacher in training the child is engaged in sacred work. At the Gate of Life stands the child, asking for help to grow, to unfold latent power and to achieve. Pay well, and get the best teachers for boys and girls. Today the primary teacher is not paid living wage. The worst economy is economy in primary education. Expenditure on child-education is really an investment. What you spend today will return to you a thousand fold in the future. Pay well, secure able teachers — men and women of education and character. The child’s unfoldment proceeds, partly, on the line of imitation. Therefore, be careful in the choice of teachers. Today, primary teachers belong to no better than a ‘depressed’ class. They are ill-paid, ill clad and overworked. Restore them to their rightful position in society. Every primary school is a centre of spiritual work, that of unfolding the hidden life of the little ones of God. Multiply such schools. Carry the message of knowledge to every cottage. Vidya is the light of life. Vidya is the light of nations. Spread it far and wide. Of Goethe, the great German poet, it is said the last words he uttered before he died were, ‘‘Light! More Light”. And my message to you, and through to others, is in Goethe’s words, ‘‘Light! More Light!”
NOVEMBER 2017
EAST AND WEST SERIES
32
Simple Rules Of Health
We are far, far more than just tissue, fluid and bone. We are energy, prana, chi or qi. We are energetic beings, and some of us just happen to operate at a higher energetic, vibrational, state than the rest. What enables one to operate at a higher vibrational state depends on many factors. One of those being the food and water we consume. Every time we eat any kind of food, you’re absorbing its energy into your body. The quality of that energy has a direct impact on the quality of our health and vibration level. So if you eat junk food that has been processed with added chemicals, your body won’t get much nutrition and your energy vibration will get lower. But if we eat healthy food in its natural state, the way God
created it, your cells will receive nutrients they need and your personal energy and vibration will rise. Eating a highvibration diet and drinking high-vibration water will purify your body, so it can work in harmony with your mind and spirit as God has designed it to do. The electrical circuits in your brain (and all the other parts of your body that rely on electrical currents, such as your heart and nervous system) will function well, promoting good health that empowers you to think clearly. Good concentration, combined with a higher energy vibration, will help you connect with your higher-self. Food in Its Natural Form Any kind of food that you consume in its pure, raw form—
NOVEMBER 2017
EAST AND WEST SERIES
the way it exists naturally – contains energy from the sun, and that energy causes it to vibrate at a high frequency that benefits your health both physically and spiritually. But foods that are processed lose much of that beneficial energy and vibrate at lower frequencies as a result. So if you eat a fresh apple, you’ll receive healthier energy than you would from eating apple processed inside a breakfast bar. Here’s a list of some foods that contain lots of healthy energy and vibrate to high frequencies: • Green vegetables contain chlorophyll, plant blood, which absorbs sunlight. Leafy greens, like spinach, collards, kale and dandelion greens, Brussels sprouts, zucchini, broccoli and bok choy vibrate at high frequencies. These greens are high in alkaline minerals, which balance acidity and assist in proper waste elimination. • Fresh herbs make our food taste fantastic which boosts your enjoyment and energetic vibration while you eat, but many of them have powerful healing properties. For example, cilantro is an excellent detoxifier while rosemary contains lots of great antioxidants. Try different varieties and include them in your meals whenever possible. • Spices have been used by people for thousands of years as a delicious way to raise the energetic vibration of food. Turmeric, cinnamon, ginger
33
and cayenne all contain powerful healing properties and help with everything from digestion to blood sugar balance and even arthritis. • Raw, unsalted nuts and seeds also make the list of high vibration foods because not only are they a great source of protein and fiber, but they also contain healthy fats like omega 3’s that our bodies (and especially our brain) need to function properly. • Tropical/Seasonal fruits, brown rice, raw honey are also some of the other foods that vibrate at higher frequency and in turn assist in raising our energy. Processed Foods The energy in food is reduced significantly through processes such as microwaving, frying, canning, and dehydrating, thereby lowering its vibration. So fresh peas, for example, have a higher vibration than canned peas. Both chemicals and toxins dramatically lower the vibration of food. Unnatural chemicals may be added during processing, while toxins may affect food when it’s treated with pesticides while it’s growing. So it’s wise to buy organic foods as often as possible, since those are more free of unnatural chemicals than other types of food.
When we raise our own vibes — we attract more positivity in our life, so let us all take one step towards enjoying the high vibe life that we are born to enjoy.
NOVEMBER 2017
EAST AND WEST SERIES
Children’s Corner Long ago, there lived a young boy by the name of Mohan. One winter’s night, Mohan’s mother developed high fever. She could not sleep and was feeling very restless. In the middle of the night, she felt thirsty and asked her son to fetch a glass of water. Mohan got up immediately and went to the kitchen to fetch the glass of water for his beloved mother. To his dismay, he found the water pot empty. In those days there was no running water in the homes. One could not just turn on the tap in the house to obtain drinking water; they had to carry water from the well or spring for drinking and other daily use. Mohan was in a dilemma. Should he tell his mother that there was no water left in the pot and ask her to wait till morning, when their cook would fetch water from the spring? It would mean that his mother would not be able to quench her thirst till the morning. Could Mohan bear seeing his mother suffer for so long? No, never! So he left the house that cold night and went to the village spring to fetch water. He filled the pot with water
and carried the heavy pot all the way back home. When he reached the house, he quickly poured the water into a glass and brought it to his mother. However, when he entered her room, he found his mother fast asleep. Mohan was again in a dilemma. Should he wake his mother up to drink or should he just let her sleep through? Well, Mohan decided not to wake her up. He sat in a chair by her bedside holding the glass of water with both hands to make sure he did not spill it. When his mother woke up a while later, she found, to her great surprise, Mohan sitting by her bedside holding a glass of water in his hands. When Mohan saw that his mother was awake, he quickly handed the glass of water to her with much care. He said: “Sorry I was not able to give you the water earlier. I went to the well to get the water and was waiting for you to wake up so I could give it to you.” Mohan’s mother drank the glass of water with gratitude and pride. She truly knew then how much her son loved her and was deeply moved by his compassionate act.
34
NOVEMBER 2017
EAST AND WEST SERIES
35
COMPASSION PUZZLE L
P
T
E
M
P
A
T
H
Y
K
H
G
D
R
C
G
E
W
Z
V
N
Y
G
N
K
N
E
E
A
C
S
O
U
J
T
I
I
X
A
F
P
R
I
H
F
N
R
N
N
R
V
T
E
S
A
T
E
C
V
E
D
R
C
H
S
R
E
R
O
L
D
T
R
W
T
A
Z
R
E
R
P
N
P
S
B
O
P
W
R
F
E
N
K
E
G
I
P
M
T
S
F
E
N
D
C
J
J
L
O
G
N
I
L
E
E
F
N
E
N
C
J
X
D
X
W
J
S
Z
A
U
S
N
R
E
C
N
O
C
O
W
P
O
L
Answers : Care Compassion Concern Different Empathy
Feeling Help Kind Listening Notice
Others Preferences Respect Understand
NOVEMBER 2017
EAST AND WEST SERIES
39
Laugh Your Way To Health A Western Buddhist woman was in India, studying with her teacher. She was riding with another woman friend in a rickshaw-like carriage, when they were attacked by a man on the street. In the end, the attacker only succeeded in frightening the women, but the Buddhist woman was quite upset by the event and told her teacher so. She asked him what she should have done — what would have been the appropriate, Buddhist response. The teacher said very simply, “You should have very mindfully and with great compassion whacked the attacker over the head with your umbrella.” *** A New Yorker was driving down the street in a sweat because he had an important meeting and couldn’t find a parking place anywhere. Desperate, looking up to the heavens he said, “Lord, take pity on me. If you find me a parking place I will go to Church every Sunday for the rest of my life.” Miraculously, a parking place appeared. New Yorker looked up again and said, “Never mind, oh Lord. I found one.” *** One evening a Scotsman was riding in his limousine when he saw two men along the road eating grass. Disturbed, he yelled at his driver to stop and got out to investigate. He asked one man “Why are you eating the grass?”
“Well, we don’t have any money for food” the poor man replied. “So we have to eat grass.” “Well then, come with me to my house and I’ll feed you” the Scotsman said. “But sir, I also have a wife and two children with me. They are over there, under that tree.” “Ok, bring them along too” the Scotsman replied. Turning to the other poor man he stated, “You come with us, also.” The second man, in a pitiful voice, then said, “But sir, I also have a wife and seven children with me!” “Very well then, bring them all” the Scotsman answered. They all piled into the limousine, which was no easy task. Once under way, one of the poor fellows turned to the Scotsman and said, “Sir, you are truly too kind... Thank you for taking all of us with you. The Scotsman replied, “No problem, glad to do it.” You’ll really love my place the grass is almost a foot high.” *** Jerry has been seeing a psychoanalyst for 4 years for the fear that he had green monsters under his bed. Been years since he had a good night’s sleep. Furthermore, his progress was not very good, and he knew it. So, he stopped seeing the Psychoanalyst and decides to try something different. A few weeks later, Jerry’s former Psychoanalyst runs into Jerry, his old client in the Supermarket, and is surprised to find him looking well-rested, energetic,
NOVEMBER 2017
EAST AND WEST SERIES
and cheerful. Jerry says, “It’s amazing! I’m cured!” “That’s great news!” the Psychoanalyst says. “You seem to be doing much better. How?” “Went and saw another doctor,” Jerry says enthusiastically, “and he cured me in just ONE session!” “One?” the psychoanalyst asks incredible. “Yeah,’ continues Jerry, “my new doctor is a behaviourist.” “A behaviourist?” the Psychoanalyst asks. “How did he cure you in one session?” “Oh, easy,” says Joe. “He told me to cut the legs off of my bed.” *** Sam walks into his boss’s office and says, “Sir, I’ll be straight with you, I know the economy isn’t great, but I have over three companies after me, and I would like to respectfully ask for a raise.” After a few minutes of haggling the boss finally agrees to a 5% raise, and Sam happily gets up to leave. “By the way,” asks the boss, “Which three companies are after you?” “The electric company, water company, and phone company!” *** A man joined a big Multinational company as a trainee. On his first day he phoned the cafeteria and shouted, “Get me a coffee quickly!” The voice from the other side responded’ “You fool, you’ve dialed the wrong extension! Do you know who you’re talking to?” “No”, replied the trainee. “It’s the Managing Director of the company!”
40
The man shouted back, “And do you know who YOU are talking to?” “No”, replied the Managing Director. “Good!” replied the trainee and hung up. *** My boss asked me to start my presentation with a joke. So I attached my paycheck to the first slide! *** George Bernard Shaw sent Sir Winston Churchill two tickets to his new play. “Bring a friend if you have one,” Shaw wrote. Churchill replied, “I can’t attend that night, but perhaps some other night, if there are any others after the opening performance.” *** Lady Astor once remarked to Winston Churchill at a Dinner Party, “Winston, if you were my husband, I would poison your coffee!” Winston replied, “Madam if I were your husband I would drink it!” *** Employer: We want a responsible person for this job. Applicant: That’s me. Wherever I’ve worked, if anything went wrong, they said I was responsible. *** A Japanese wrote to a friend, I do not know if this letter will ever arrive because the censor may open it. “A week later he received a note from the post office saying, the statement in your letter is not correct. We do not open letters.”
NOVEMBER 2017
EAST AND WEST SERIES
41
Recipes For The Month BUDDHA DELIGHT – LO HAN JAI
Ingredients: Toasted dark sesame oil.............................1 tbsp Soy sauce....................................................2 tbsp Rice vinegar................................................1 tbsp Package soft tofu, drained and cut into 1-inch cubes................................................1 (14-ounce) Crushed red chili flakes (optional)........... 1/8 tsp Canola oil...................................................2 tbsp Small broccoli florets................................. 1 cups Carrots, diagonally sliced about ¼-inch thick... 2 Cut green beans...........................................1 cup Chopped baby corn......................................1 cup Green onions, sliced.......................................... 3 Grated fresh ginger......................................2 tsp Cloves garlic, finely chopped............................. 2 Vegetable broth......................................... ½ cup Arrowroot powder......................................1 tbsp Freshly ground black pepper...................... ¼ tsp Chopped fresh cilantro............................... ¼ cup Direction: • Combine sesame oil, rice vinegar, red chili flakes (if using) and tofu, tossing gently to coat. Cover and marinate for 1 to 2 hours. Drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving the marinade. • Heat the canola oil in a wok or large skillet
over medium-high heat. Add tofu and stirfry until lightly browned on all sides, for 5 minutes. Remove tofu and set aside. Add broccoli, carrots and baby corn and stir-fry until just crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Add green beans and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add green onions, ginger, and garlic and stir-fry until aromatic, 1 to 2 minutes more. Add the soy sauce. Return tofu to wok. • Combine vegetable broth with arrowroot powder and reserved marinade, stirring well to completely dissolve the arrowroot. Add this to the wok and stir until sauce thickens. Season with black pepper and garnish with cilantro. GREEN SMOOTHIE
Ingredients: Freshly chopped spinach.......................... 1/3 cup Lemon...............................................................½ Diced pineapple......................................... ¼ cup Grated ginger............................................. ½ tsp A pinch of turmeric Diced carrot............................................. 1/3 cup Diced beetroot......................................... 1/3 cup Room temperature water............................1 cup Seedless date..................................................... 1 Directions: • Blend the spinach, carrot and water.
NOVEMBER 2017
EAST AND WEST SERIES
• Now add the beetroot, pineapple, grated ginger and date • Squeeze the lemon juice and add a pinch of turmeric. OATS SPROUTS TOASTS Ingredients: Bread slices brown......................................12-14 Sprouts........................................................1 cup Quick oats....................................................1 cup Besan / chickpeas flour................................1 cup
42
especially if you are trying to prevent or are currently dealing with heart disease or diabetes or simply wants to stay fit. Oats, oat bran, and oatmeal contain a specific type of fibre known as beta-glucan. THALIPEETH Ingredients: Whole wheat flour (atta)........................... ½ cup Soya bean flour..........................................3 tbsp Jowar flour.................................................1 tbsp Gram flour (besan).....................................1 tbsp Fresh fenugreek leaves (methi) chopped.. . 1 tbsp Bottle gourd (lauki/doodhi) grated............1 tbsp Cucumber grated........................................1 tbsp Green chilli paste..........................................1 tsp Salt...........................................................to taste
Salt to taste Cumin seeds powder.....................................1 tsp Coriander powder.........................................1 tsp Fresh chopped coriander/cilantro................1 cup Chopped green chillies...................................... 1 Ginger paste.................................................2 tsp Water as required Directions: • Take 1 cup oats grind them to make oats flour • Take 1 cup Sprouts grind them with little water to make thick paste. • In a large bowl add all the above ingredients except bread and make a mixture. • Cut all the bread slices into 4. Heat a pan/tava grease it with some oil. Now dip the bread slices in to the mixture and place it on the hot tava. Cook the bread slice on medium to low heat from both sides till they turn golden brown. • Serve these healthy Oats Sprouts Toasts hot/ warm with Chutney or any sauce. Nutritional Fact: Oatmeal is the perfect way to start off your day,
Red chilli powder..........................................1 tsp Cabbage cut into medium pieces....... ¼ medium Oil...................................................... as required Directions: • Put whole wheat flour, soya bean flour, jowar flour, gram flour, fenugreek leaves, bottle gourd, cucumber, green chilli paste, salt and red chilli powder in a bowl and mix. Add sufficient water and knead into soft dough. Add cabbage and knead again. Divide the dough into equal portions. • Heat a non-stick tawa. • Drizzle some oil on a plate. Flatten each portion of dough on a plastic plate, make a little hole in the center. This is thalipeeth. • Gently place each thalipeeth on hot tawa, drizzle some more oil all around and cook, turning sides, till evenly golden from both sides. • Serve hot with yogurt.
East And West Series
Since 1954 A Monthly Journal for Self-improvement, Self-knowledge, Self-realisation
Annual Subscription In India: Rs.100/Outside India: Snail Mail: $ 10 or ÂŁ 7.50 Air Mail: $ 20.00 or ÂŁ 15 Contact: East And West Series 10, Sadhu Vaswani Path, Pune - 411 001, (India). Tel: 020-40064450 Email: eastandwestseries@sadhuvaswani.org
You may subscribe by sending a demand draft (DD), money order, cheque at par or through our online website www.dadavaswanisbooks.org