35. 70. Oh! Young lion!

Andrew Carnegie was a very great achiever. His name used to find a place in the list of very rich people of the world. He had made such Himalayan achievements that there was no necessity for him to achieve any thing further.

Once, in an interview, he was asked a thought-provoking question – 'You could have taken rest from earning restlessly; you could have relaxed. Even though you have everything, why are you still running around to achieve more?'

Carnegie replied, 'You have asked rightly. As you said, I could have taken rest. But it was not possible for me. I have forgotten how to take rest, and how to stop running. The result is that I am running constantly.

• The wheel of life of each person is different from the others. If it is rolled down from the top of a rising ground, that wheel will lose its control. The wheel which is running fast cannot stop even if it wishes to stop by itself. It cannot take rest. Some one has to block it and stop it.

Meditation and wisdom truths will direct the wheel of life of persons who are going to begin their lives into a well disciplined and secure path.

---

• Developing nations are extremely eager to achieve. Developed nations are eager even after achieving.
• In America, which is in the zenith of achievement, one third of the people are suffering due to psychological afflictions.

If we say that mere achievements will give happiness and satisfaction, then, there should not be any psychiatric patients in America.

• Having begun to achieve some thing, and after achieving it, if there is no relationship at all between that achievement and the desires present deep in your sub-conscious mind, then that achievement itself will become a distress.
• Eagerly striving to achieve, eagerly striving even after achieving which one is pitiable?

Think... With the interest created by the thought, continue to read…

In the worldly life, for those who decide to lead a family life, Ramakrishna has said beautifully:

'As you enter family life, take a little of spirituality with you. You would certainly not get caught and struggle.'

While cutting open the jack fruit, if we do it with bare hands, the sticky substance of the fruit will stick to our hands. The fingers will struggle with that stickiness.

If you dip your hands in the oil and do it, the fingers will not be affected. Cutting the jack fruit will also be easy. There will be no difficulty at all.

Spirituality is also similar to this. If we face life with some spirituality, we can enjoy life still deeper. At the same time we can also escape without getting caught in the whirls of life.

Youngsters should read this article at least twice and assimilate it in their mind and then continue to read the article...

Love at 18. Dream about the future at 20. Marriage at 25. Family burden at 35. Stomach problem and depression at 40. B.P./Diabetes at 45. Knee pain at 50...

A stage has come now, where all these apply to the lives of almost all persons.

Such youngsters have become rare, who think deeply about the fact that, after marriage they will also have to face all the problems.

Youngsters also do not fully realize that there is 100% possibility that they themselves would have to struggle. Possibilities are high only for such youngsters to become struggling family men in future.

The survey report of a medical research team says, 'Youngsters do not use more than 10% of their energy. It will be enough if they use their energies a little more; then the fate of the world itself can be changed.'

Let the changing of the fate of the world be on one side. If the energy is used more, we can change our fate at least.

If the Samurai warriors lose their awareness even a little, they will have to receive cuts on their bodies. One beautiful samurai statement about this:

'Oh young lion play keenly watching the field; otherwise the ground will become bloody.'

Certainly, for every youth who has an unsteady mind, today's life is only an arena of competition. If they are a little perplexed, or even lie down lazily for some time, one has to face very big consequences.

Without sitting down lazily, those who jump into life with a little awakening get caught in another newly created environment.

The name of that environment is – achievement!

A rat was fast asleep and when it suddenly woke up, it jumped into a group of rats that were running. Next minute, seeing that many rats are running past it, this rat also started running fast.

When the rat was stopped and asked, 'Where are you running so fast?' it seems, it replied, 'Leave me, I have to win; otherwise it will be an insult.'

The same thing happens in our life too. Having spent life playfully until the age of 25, the youth sees the future which stands suddenly before his eyes and jumps.

Only after jumping he comes to know that all are running to achieve something or the other.

Without analyzing and examining as to why and what for, he also begins life with the thought, 'I also have to achieve'.

Even within a few days, the running changes as madness.

Here only the problem starts. Life changes direction. It is not to say that achievement is wrong. Achievement is necessary. Every youth must achieve in his life certainly. He should not waste away his life remaining lazy.

But regarding the matter of achievement,

What to achieve?

Why to achieve?

• Even before the clarity is born about these, the problem begins only when a person acts on the lines of 'How to achieve?'

It is only when one is crazy to achieve without the clarity of 'why and what for' the mental madness – 'must achieve some thing, somehow' arises.

The mind catches hold of some thing or the other, which are apparent, like money, name and fame, status and knowledge. This changes the direction of the entire life.

By achieving some thing, the satisfaction of having achieved may not be obtained. This has also been agreed to by Einstein, who had many achievements to his credit.

Einstein, who had achieved a great deal in many spheres such as wealth, name and fame, status, knowledge while in his death bed, was asked by one of his colleagues, 'Suppose you are given one more opportunity to live in this world, what would you like to do?'

Everyone expected him to say about his next scientific achievement.

But, Einstein had said, 'I would become a good plumber, connecting water taps in the homes.'

The entire gathering was shocked. The colleague hurriedly asked, 'What Einstein? What are you saying?'

Einstein very calmly said, 'Yes, I had decided to live as a plumber only. Somehow my life changed direction and I became a scientist. Even after achieving in terms of money, name, status and knowledge, I don't have the satisfaction of having lived my life. If I am given an opportunity, I would live as a plumber and get satisfied.'

Even if you jump into the achievement race without clarity of mind, you may achieve. Achievement may be possible. But the satisfaction of having achieved will not be there.

Is achievement important? Or is satisfaction important? If there is clarity about, 'Why to achieve?' and 'What to achieve?' the decision 'Have to achieve this' will be born.

After achieving it, the achievement also will give satisfaction. Reason: That is your achievement; it has been fulfilled as per your desire.

If the clarity has to be born on 'Why to achieve?' and 'What to achieve?' you have to have the maturity to understand the world, and life and yourself. It is only the path called 'spirituality' which gives this understanding in a sweet, short and compact form.

Meditation will easily help in enhancing the power of achieving and also the power of thinking.

Before you jump into life, take some spirituality with you. The doors of achievement will open.

-----------

A meaningful incident.

A note about a strange incident, which appeared in a newspaper:

The psychiatrist is asking a person to tell him about his family.

The doctor asked, 'Is there nobody positive in your family?'

'Oh! Why do you ask so? I am a HIV positive person, doctor!' he said.

• For that mentally handicapped person, what he spoke was just and fair talk to him. The reason: Lack of mental clarity. In our just and fair talks and actions, our lack of mental clarity will be continuously expressing and exposing itself. Who will find it?

---

Meditation chisels. Chisel No. 25.

Life ceases to be a battle-field the moment you have understood yourself!

They say, for growth, sky is the limit because there is no sky at all. There is no end to growth. It is a fact.

If you know yourself you can fight in the world....is not a final truth.

This is not a correct view. In fact, if one has understood himself, thereafter, there will be no need to fight at all. Unlimited independence would have been obtained by then.

'Sky is within reach, come!' 'Prepare yourself and rise up' 'You are a warrior' 'Life is a battle-field'

• I see the youngsters live by holding on to such motivating statements in their minds. But man can live even beyond these statements.

All these are encouraging and motivating medicines for those who are very zealous to live. One cannot refute, saying 'No'.

If drugs are in great demand by the people, they will be manufactured in huge quantities. There is nothing wrong in it.

But a true athlete, a sprinter will not take such drugs. He will be only be aiming at utilizing his own intellect and his own energy to the maximum extent.

True achievers do not take such performance-enhancing drugs for their minds.

They give more respect to their own intellect and power than for other's words. They come to know of others through the act of knowing themselves. On account of this, the world does not appear as a battle-field for them.

In the west, some profession based advice is there in vogue and goes by the name Zen Business Management Techniques.

Those groups of people travel globally and teach 'achieving techniques' based on the wisdom truths, which are basic to Zen philosophy.

A revolutionary statement, which they say:

'A sufferer will not achieve. An achiever would not have suffered.'

Working very hard is one thing. Suffering is another. Only if you work hard a little... even a lazy man can say 'I am a person who has suffered much'.

Further, they teach through Zen meditation techniques, in what all possible ways the intellect can be utilized to reach the zenith on the path of achievement without unnecessarily wasting even a little bit of energy.

'One who has won his mind is the one who has won the world.'

One who rules the mind rules the world itself. The subtlety of this Chinese proverb is only about 'Achieving without suffering'.

Mind, by its nature, will torture you. It will make you waver...mind itself will waver! It is only when you jump into the achieving path along with the mind, you will have to fight. The world will appear as a fighting battle-field.

We can drive our mind in the same way as a robot toy can be made to move by a remote control. For that, what you have to do is to know your mind fully.

If you utilize your energy and intellect to fight in the world, when your mind is still wavering and uncorrected, you may have to suffer.

After the mind is rectified, if we begin to utilise our energy for fighting, it means that the true and real achievement has arisen.

A man knows about himself because he has learnt the subtlety to handle his mind and the world. Such a person has got the energy and the intellect to perform very easily what all he wants to do.

After that, the world is no more a battlefield for him. He can achieve to any extent. Because there is no mind to inflict suffering, achievement will be possible without any suffering. The world can be conquered because the self has been conquered. Life will become a garden of celebration.

If you make the energy and intellect multiply the above mentioned royal status is possible for you also.

Before tasting your life-time, taste the meditation time. Let the achieving time become meditation time.

---