journal

I use self help books to guide my meditation practice. Most recently, I finished Sam Harris’s Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion. Another interesting book I am still reading is Mark W. Muesse’s Four Wise Men: The Lives and Teachings of Confucius, Buddha, Jesus, and Mohammad. In my fledgling practice, I am noticing the following patterns: on rare days on which I skip meditation, I am more anxious and tend to be less even tempered if I am anxious, meditation is harder to do meditation makes me aware of my inner narrative, and reminds me that I am not critically analyzing it meditation increases my self determination better meditation helps me to hear what others tell me better meditation helps me vocalize my opinion more However, it is almost a catch 22 situation....

Rearranging old furniture in new space is a thorny issue. We’ve had arguments, suggestions, and advice meted out at us by well meaning friends and designers. None of it is as controversial as the argument over TV placement though. We have a 65" Samsung TV (58"Lx~32"H). Today, we have it placed around 30" high from the floor, mounted on a custom wooden cabinet, which makes it at perfect eye level viewing from the couch....

Buying a preowned house is getting a fun project. The bones are what you like and buy, and the meat is what you need to hunt and procure. Our new home is ~20 miles from our current abode. It is around two and a half decades old, and the style is dated. The flooring is a mix of carpet and tiles. The cabinets in the bathrooms and staircase are in yellow oak finish....

The past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind of events that finally led me to close on a house that we liked. Some statistics on the buying process: We started looking for a new house last August, so it took us six months to locate and buy an available house. We toured an average of 1-2 open houses every week We switched our search area 3 times Not liking the neighborhood Not liking the houses in our budget in a desirable neighborhood Optimizing for being near existing friends We made 3 offers, and the last one got accepted We increased the budget twice We got the house at asking price What next?...

Maybe it is a placebo effect, but meditation makes me feel clear headed. I used to have dreamless sleep, but now I often have vivid dreams. In my interactions with people, I feel that I am able to get to the main concerns faster. I am patient in performing routine work. I have less fear, and know when my anxiety levels are rising. The twenty minutes meditation practice still isn’t easy....

A conversation with Vanya sparked this post. The Earth goes around the Sun in 365 days; and around 100 rounds is what we get to experience and exist. In comparison, the Earth has completed 4,543,000,000 rounds so far, and it is estimated that it will continue to support us for around 1,500,000,000 more rounds. My initial 20-25 rounds were spent in ignorant bliss, with only worries of homework and tests. All people and love around me was normal and forever....

Actor and observer. Waking Up from Sam Harris is asking us to realize that there is no observer “I” separate from our bodies, and what we call as “I” is an invention that we created while growing up. An interesting parable from Sam can help explain what we learn about “I” when we meditate. A north European tour bus is at a rest stop, and an Asian woman tourist, unaware of the customs and language, comes back to the empty bus and changes her clothes....

Ladybird picture books were my childhood pals even before I learned to read a single word. I warmly recall cozy winter afternoon siestas spent right next to my mom, wondrously poring over lives of Snow White, Thumbelina, Rapunzel, Hansel & Gretel, Red Riding Hood, Sleeping Beauty… My friendship circle widened over time, and I had many historical adventures with gods and kings in Amar Chitra Katha’s, accompanied with laughs in the company of Chacha Chaudhary, Sabu and Suppandi....

I have further questions than reasons given in my previous post on meditation. Questions like: Why is having a meditative state of mind better than a non-meditative one? Why does meditation or spirituality interest people my age? Information and good reasons from the book I found good arguments (that resonated well) while reading Sam Harris’s 2014 book: Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion. Sam is a Stanford graduate, and has a PhD in Nueroscience from UCLA....

I feel blessed and deeply grateful for family and friends celebrating and showering us with love. It was an entertaining energetic evening, and a fabulous kick start for a rocking 2023! 6:30p was the time, and driving along the rain soaked highways made us concerned of being late ourselves. Settling into Amber’s lower party hall was a breeze, and the place resembled more of a cozy, elegant and comfortable living room....