Spirituality, religion and material comforts.

"I am spiritual, not religious" said a friend once. I wondered whether there is a relationship between the two which stands irrespective of the presence in belief in either? A brief view of what spirituality, religion interweaves and what the two of extend to concept of material things.

Spirituality is the most misunderstood and the most misused word in a religious context. Anyone anywhere can claim to its existence in himself irrespective of what he does and what he doesn't. To add to the misery if the judge, spirituality has no yardstick of measurement what so ever. Religion, morality they have yardsticks, may be different for different cultures and areas but atleast we have a context, a background over which can map and find abnormal behavior which can be marked as positive or negative. Now whatever result it may give and its connotation is purely subject to readers views but none the less we have a rudimentary measuring scale. Spirituality on the other hand is weird. Who is spiritual? Who is "unspiritual"? And worse how to plot the varying shades of grey in between?
Religious people follow their own religions. They follow the rules written in their holy books, rules made by their religious leaders and act as how they are supposed to act as a conglomeration and as a representative of the same. Muslims don't eat pork, Hindu's beef etc. This is a superficial manifestation of a real in depth idea of religion. Religion and the most important concept incorporated in it the "god" has many layers to it and thinking closely the last few layers are the ones closest to spirituality. The sense of closeness to supreme entity and a connection, a communication with him(or her or it). Religion in its purest forms is a representation of path to spirituality.
So how we go beyond the barriers of religions and judge a person as spiritual? For that a hypothesis must be made. "There exists a spirit in each living thing which is the cause of life". This assumed we can go further deeper into the depths slicing asunder the superficial layers of material "religion" ism. A person who works with his spirit is a spiritual person. A person who walks alongside his spirit is a spiritual person, a person who lets his spirit lead him to his destination is a spiritual person. It seems so simple in abstraction but what does that mean in actual world?
Simply saying, the power to separate the surroundings from your self is spirituality. To separate the material comforts from the sense of wellness is spirituality. It doesn't mean you have to donate everything and walk naked in the forest. It means to be able to be cut off from a material comfort and yet not let that void get to your psychological well being. Dish washer not working? All of us do the dishes by hand. Some get angry scream, shout, manhandle the utensils(as though it were their fault that you decided to cook in them). Some just do the job, somewhere in the mind they curse the dish washer, or the company that made it, or the person who came to deliver it or the model who advertises it. And then there are few who get upset(of course anyone would) but "LEAVE" behind the happenings and move ahead, do the dishes. This is spirituality.
The material comforts are good, they make our life easy but they shouldn't become our life. Wedding take place centered around the bride's dress? The dress is more important than the thought that another person is committing is life to you?
Extremely speaking we shouldn't be dependent on any of the material comforts at all but practically thinking that is highly impossible. We cant go out hunt animals and poo on the ground now can we? So the next best alternative is to reduce the dependency on the amenities which can be replaceable. The least we can do is not center our life around things. Fancy clothes and gadgets don't replace or enhance a spirit they just are a cause for spiritual decay.
In astrology the 4th place, the place of happiness has the most strong connection with spirituality. Strikingly it also rules the home and conveyances. How can a place rule material comforts and their dissociation at a same time? Yes it can. The place is an indicator of how a person enjoys his material comforts. There are people happily sleeping on floor while there are people who cant sleep on Egyptian cotton sheets. This ability is the function of 4th house. A benfic planet like Jupiter, moon, venus here creates a person who can sleep on floor while a malific(however be it placed) is the opposite.
So the path to spirituality may not be easy, and everyone sure cant wash dishes without making noise. The golden middle is slowly training yourself to be more and more spiritual. Make use of all the amenities that you have, just don't become a dependent wreck on them, don't get addicted to them. This maybe difficult but trials can give the ability(maybe varingly). The path to a spiritual life takes us through thorns but without thorns we never appreciate our shoes and the cobbler who made those for us.
Similarly we never appreciate life and its creator without seeing the other side of the coin.

Indian night out in Cleveland

I just came from a night out in Cleveland. We had an indian party, all indian students together gathered to celebrate the arrival of new indian students for fall 2009. I was quite apprehensive about attending such parties but now I have realised that those can be fun.
Later we walked home which is about 20mins away from the party hall, walking at night in Cleveland was very nice feeling, it is not too cold to shun outsides here yet and we all are enjoying the last days of summer now.
Entire day felt like shit today. I still haven't got a job, and the job which I was interested in is going to someone else (I suppose), then I emailed my professor on wrong email id, and an unmentionable yet sad event. In and all a total day of Ravi shani yuti. Lets see what good happens when the conjunction wears off tomorrow.
Till then I wait for sun to re-emerge from Saturn's shadow
Few pictures from party and the walk home..

To do or not to do

Again the immortal dilemma strikes. "To do or not to do" that is the question. Right now I am stuck in a transition phase with many changes. Most of changes I have accepted with an open heart and clear open mind. Some however are dilematic.
Like here I cant get good vegetarian food, having two carnivores as room mates doesn't help either. They cook up animals every other day and I am left to fend for myself. Well I am a good cook and can feed myself perfectly well, but with the unavailability of many things I cant prepare food with variety to it. After some time boredom sets in and eating is a chore. Many people have urged me(including my parents) to give up this vegetarian diet and start eating dead bodies(ie meat). This is a tricky situation, do I give in to my situation and start eating meat or stick to my current diet devoid of meat. This isn't just about chicken, this is about the beliefs I believe in. This is about the concept I consider correct. Will I or rather Should I give up all my beliefs and stands just because I moved to a different Continent??
Then comes the American way of life. Parties, parties and some more parties. I hate those parties, I totally detest them but those are the only ways to meet new people. Should I put myself through something which I hate just that I am not alone? frankly I don't mind being alone, I would have loved to live by myself but given the financial restraints I am sharing an apartment. The problem is when I see people have a nice time I too think that I should have some good time with people. What I don't think, would I be really having a nice time if I were in place of those people?? I really don't know and trying is too much an effort.
And the dilemma continues with alcohol, abuses etc etc.
My way to deal with this problem? Just wait and watch for directions. After 2 long years Saturn is finally moving, removing the bad aspect to my vital houses in horoscope. So I am expecting something to change and when it does Saturn will reveal the direction I am supposed to go.
Sometimes when you cant decide "to do or not to do"..don't decide at all.
Let fate do it for you.
A beautiful scottish song.....calming music..

Welcome to America

So finally got time to write a blog. This is my first post from USA.....

I arrived in US about a week ago but was busy with the university process so didn't get time to write anything. After a long process of examination,application,visa,packing,a gruellingly long flight, lot of jet lag I finally arrived in US. I had a flight from Mumbai to Atlanta and another connecting flight from Atlanta to Cleveland,where I currently am.  Weird emotions, when you don't have it you are constantly thinking of how you can have it, and when you DO have it, booh its no more important.
United states is a little different country, It doesn't have an ethnicity or a culture it can call it its own, it surely is a melting pot of all the world has to offer. It is a country where you can find a cafeteria owned by a black person, which has Latino waiters serving German pastries to finicky Indian customers :). One thing I totally hate is the amount of eat eaten here. There is practically nothing I can get in restaurants here. They have very little vegetarian food on counter. I do cook for myself but that always is not possible with the time constraints and the odd class hours. I have a class at 6pm to 9pm.WTH is this?? :O. Anyway the thing is this country is not like any another. In many countries it is possible to identify the "country people" and the foreigners, but here uh ha. USA is just not that easy, people who might look like totally adapted to American way of life actually might have alighted from an aeroplane in last 48hours and vice a versa.
Hmm..like it or not, I have to live here for another 2 years now. Like loudspeakers at Atlanta airport I say "Welcome to America"

Unremarkably remarkable

I had the most odd day today. I had decided to go for a morning show at 9 with a couple of friends. As usual we all didn't get up on time for 9 show. Hurriedly we raced to theatre to catch the 11 show and viola..there is no Transformers 2 show at 11. We got tickets for the 2pm show. now what to do from 10:30 till 2??
Then the fun began. We went into a really crowded restaurant. We knew that this restaurant would be horribly crowded at this time on Sunday, still we on purpose went in. We wanted to past time. There we we waited for an hour to get the table and I loved 45minutes of the wait. We had a boy constantly looking at us(or rather me :P). We spent a lot of time discussing whether he is gay or bi curious hehehehe...
Later we finally got a shared table ie its a big table we share it with other customers. Our table sharers were quite weird. First there were 3-4 ugly boys with us on table. They were talking of going to US and all, we were like "puhlease..we have our visas"..heheh just some boasting. Later a very weird fellow came and sat next to us. He wore s formal pant a very formal leather belt and to match off a funky t-shirt and a winter cap(??????? in July????) and was listening to what seemed a mp3 player(which actually on close observation was a cheap radio). He started screaming for tea, loudly. Whole restaurant was like "ehh?? wth"..he got his tea drank it like he were sipping vintage wine and then straight went to restroom. Returned in few minutes and just sat for dew minutes plain blank done, almost comatose. Later paid the bill and went away..
It was so unusual time in restaurant.

Now you would say whats remarkable about this?? This was the last time I was waiting with this very close friend of mine. He too is leaving for USA.
A single fact changed an entire stupid story into what is really was "Unremarkably remarkable".

See you once again...

Generally I say that to any person while we say byes. Yesterday I realise that sometime in near future I will have to stop it for once. I still have time to go to USA, but one of my friends is leaving a little earlier as he will spend time with his family in New Jersey. As I saw him calling up all friends to tell them that he is going and wants to meet them one last time, it slowly dawned upon me that I would have to do the same some day.
Then I realised that there will be last meetings and last byes. I doubt when I return the things will have changed and I can no longer see and meet the friends that I did. However optimistic a person is, 2 years is just too much of time and this is tentative. Further I may meet close friends, what about the people who are friends but not that close? Will I even try to contact them?? Will I be the same person? Will the ever changing dynamicity show its irreversible effect and metamorphose my very existence into something that is absolutely different than what I am?
The womb of time holds the answer and it doesn't deliver prematurely..EVER..

A song that I have loved for ages. Westlife sings "My love".

So I say it in a breath
Hope my dreams will take me there
Where the skies are blue
To see you once again my love
All the seas go coast to coast
Find the place I love the most
Where the fields are green
To see you once again

I hope I see you once again, really......

"Bhoolna aur Yaad nahi rehna"

"Bhool jana aur yaad nahi rehna"...What is the difference in the two?
I saw a TV show which was a very nice portrayal of a woman afflicted by Alzheimer's disease and is treated as a mad person and thrown out of her house. The show showed how she hires a taxi to go meet her family but fails to remember her address leading to various situations....
At the very end it is shown that the her son had forgotten her birthday. Then the difference between the seemingly same emerges.

We forget what we want to, and dont remember what we want to.

Bhoolna aur jaad na rehne mein kafi farak hain.....