Success for Everyone

                                              Success for Everyone.

Success for anyone has multiple explanations. Different people look at their success differently. If you have worked for over fifty years in the human services areas of various businesses, educational and political fields like I have done, you have the capacity to measure and provide some valid explanations for the success of people in their respective organisations.

Many wise people have asked some very valid questions on this topic. Is there a power that can reveal hidden veins of riches and uncover treasures of which we never dreamed? Is there a force that we can call upon to give health, happiness and spiritual enlightenment? When we talk of a power or a force we look at our success spiritually but it can be considered generally as well. We know fully well that all our success in life does not altogether depend and impinge on our ability and training because it also depends on our determination to grasp the existing or arising opportunities that are presented to us.

Those of us who have had meaningful interactions in business, social and political life can categorically say that opportunities come by creation and not by chance. If we are ready to create opportunities for us then our paths of success become smooth, controllable and manageable. Since we have created them, we can earn the benefits out of them and use them to our best advantage.

If we are determined to use all the available outward means as well as all our natural abilities to overcome and manage every obstacle that come in our path we will then gradually utilise and develop the unlimited potential that lies within us to succeed in any aspect of life. We just have to think positively and generate our will-power. These internal human gifts will make us see all our successes revealed for us.

We alone are totally responsible for all our actions, words, thoughts and deeds. It is believed that we demonstrate our success or failure according to our daily activities. If our mind is always looking in the negative direction then an occasional positive thought is definitely not enough to give us the success that we envisage. However, if we set our minds to think well and ponder rightly then we will definitely be able to plan our future properly and find our goals and objectives even if we face multiple dark spots in our life.

This power of positive thinking can be achieved by everyone through constant effort and proper practice but it requires volition or will power. We need to establish mechanical as well as conscious will and be determined to be constructive in all our efforts and endeavours. If we search hard within us we will find the needed talents and strengths to combat any weaknesses and shortcomings. If we take advantage of all the opportunities that knock at our door then we will be able to devote our entire energy to mastering one thing at a time and move towards success step by step.

Almost all successful people have tried to attempt simple tasks first and then as their confidence strengthens they have become more dynamic and aimed for more difficult accomplishments. Those successful people neither scattered their energies nor left something half done to begin any new venture. They have often made wise selections and refused to submit to failure. This led them to success for them. We can learn a lot from many of such examples.

Dr Ram Lakhan Prasad.

       The Basics of My Way of Life

I was born in a supposedly Hindu family and have tried to live a Hindu way of life for the last 72 years of my life. However, after my extensive reading, personal experiences and a variety of interactions with people of various ideals I now have culled my own main principles of the Hindu way of life.

I know that God exists and He is the One Absolute Om. Over the years people have split the one trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh into several divine forms to suit their needs, understanding and interpretations.

I take all human beings as equal and if they behave well they all are divine.

I believe that we are able co-exist in this world through love, peace and empathy.

I believe that our good and effective conduct and activities enable us to live in harmony.

I believe that water is the greatest purifying agent; all good believable scriptures are excellent means to cleanse our body, mind and soul and the sacred prayers need to be chanted for posterity, peace and efficient living.

I have learnt that there are certain disciplines that a good human being should follow in order to co-exist in this difficult and increasingly precarious universe. These, among many other acceptable human qualities, include the following:

·       Truth, Beauty and Goodness

·       Non-violence

·       No desire to possess more than what one needs

·       Refrain from stealing

·       Non corruptive existence

·       Cleanliness

·       Contentment

·       Intelligent reading and discourse

·       Austerity

·       Perseverance

·       Penance

·       Prayers

Unfortunately I have not been very successful in following these disciplines and thus I have not properly followed the Hindu way of life myself. However, I tried to be a good human being and that is what matters for my modern living. So my conclusions about my way of life differ from many of my contemporaries but I stand by my contentions because they give me satisfaction to press on regardless.

Hinduism is not a religion but a way of life for people who want to follow certain principles and disciplines. In my view it is a culture more than a religion.

Hinduism does not have any one founder and it does not have a Bible or a Koran to which controversies can be referred for resolution. Consequently, it does not require its adherents to accept any one idea. It is thus cultural, not creedal, with a history contemporaneous with the peoples with which it is associated.

Hinduism is a unique faith! The most obvious misconception about Hinduism is that we tend to see it as just another religion. To be precise, Hinduism is a way of life, a dharma. Dharma does not mean religion. It is the law that governs all actions. Thus, contrary to popular perception, Hinduism is not just a religion in the tradition sense of the term. Out of this misinterpretation, has come most of the other misconceptions about Hinduism.

Over the years the people who followed these traditions have been misinterpreting a lot of ideas and beliefs. So by now many of the original ideas and ideals have lost their originality and have become either obsolete or unbelievable.

Writings we now categorize as Hindu scriptures include not just books relating to spirituality but also secular pursuits like science, medicine and engineering. Some can be believed but many are myths and legends to substantiate certain contentions. This is another reason why it defies classification as a religion per se. Further, it cannot be claimed to be essentially a school of metaphysics. Nor can it be described as 'other worldly'. In fact, one can almost identify Hinduism with a civilization that is flourishing even now.

Words like Hindu or Hinduism are anachronisms. They do not exist in the Indian cultural lexicon. People have coined them to suit their needs in different points of history. Nowhere in the scriptures is there any reference to Hinduism. So people who still cling to these archaic ideas need to change and adapt and adopt the modern way of life to suit their current and future needs, situations and circumstances. 

Incidentally, these are my personal beliefs. This the reason why I do my own prayers in the form, style and methods that I strongly feel are free from all superstitions and unnecessary conducts. There is no need for any person with intellect to engage a person to do the prayers for them.

My interpretation of Chapter 18 of the Bahagvat Geeta is simply this:

Division of labour is based on one’s ability.

The division of labour into the four categories: Intellectuals, Protectors, Entrepreneurs, and Laborers. This is also based on the qualities inherent in people’s nature or the natural propensities, and not necessarily as one’s birth right.

Intellectuals have serenity, self-control, austerity, purity, patience, honesty, transcendental knowledge, transcendental experience, and belief in God. 

Those having the qualities of heroism, vigour, firmness, dexterity, steadfastness in battle, charity, and administrative skills are called Protectors.

Those who are good at cultivation, cattle rearing, business, trade, and industry are Entrepreneurs.   

Labourers are all those who are very good in service and labour type of work.

I do not fully understand the complexity that was wrongly developed by people with vested interests to falsely establish and maintain such castes and creeds that have divided the community for ages into what was called Brahmans, Kshatriyas, Vaishys and Sudras. Let us all pray the way we want and become a happy human being.

Dr Ram Lakhan Prasad.

             Common Ground of Religious Unity.

Many educated and wiser people have said a mouthful on the topic of the common ground of religious unity. There are many points of views on this subject but the one that outshines every one was made in 1893 by Swami Vivekananda. He never ever hoped that this unity will come by the triumph of any one of the religions and the destruction of the others.

If anyone had this feeling he made his point clear to them. “Brother, yours is an impossible hope.” Did the Swami wish that the Christian would become Hindu? God forbid. Did he wish that the Hindu or Buddhist would become Christian? God forbid.

The Swami explained his point thus: “The seed is put in the ground, and earth and air and water are placed around it. Does the seed become the earth; or the air, or the water? No. It becomes a plant, it develops after the law of its own growth assimilates the air, the earth, and the water that converts them into plant substance, and makes them grow into a plant.
Similar is the case with religion. The Christian is not to become a Hindu or a Buddhist, nor a Hindu or a Buddhist to become a Christian. But each must assimilate the spirit of the others and yet preserve his individuality and grow according to his own law of growth.

All healthy discussions on the issue of assimilation of all human religions have shown the modern religious people of the world one good aspect.  It has proved to the world that holiness, purity and charity are not the exclusive possessions of any church in the world, and that every religious system has produced men and women of the most exalted character.

In the face of this evidence, if anybody dreamt of the exclusive survival of their own religion and the destruction of the others, the Swami pitied them from the bottom of his heart, and pointed out to them that they needed help and not resistance; they needed more assimilation and not destruction; and they required a lot more harmony and peace rather than dissension.

All the religious leaders of the world need to rethink about world peace and stability by finding a common ground of religious unity first and then other forms of peaceful events will naturally follow for our peaceful co-existence.

    My Reflections on Healthy Living.

We human beings are subject to a lot of things and one of those aspects is the realization of being right and wrong. This aspect makes us somewhat different from all the other species of animals. We are supposed to be the most intelligent and enlightened of all living creatures on earth. When anyone deviates from this norm one is not worth living a full and honest life. This earth is a great meeting place for all healthy, honest, hardworking, happy and hearty people. It is at this great meeting place called the society that we are able to differentiate the right from wrong.

Even if we get it wrong at times we should keep trying to make our wrongs to teach us the rights and our rights to show us our wrongs. We should always try to be the ‘I’ in LIFE so that we could clearly see the difference between the right and the wrong. Thus we would always be able to appreciate each moment of our life that we were given to enjoy. We need to be loyal with our people, fair in our words, deeds and thoughts and efficient in our daily activities. That would complete our life.

We as enlightened human beings should always try our best to sincerely understand everything and everyone around us. We possess the necessary intellect and understand most matters in life, yet deep down we fully know that there is much more to living a healthy, peaceful and enjoyable family life than just intellectually understanding everything and everyone. Everyone is ignorant in some field and we are no exception. Whenever and wherever we notice our ignorance we immediately accept it as our downfall but we should not stop there but endeavor to improve our faults. If all of us begin to think like this, then this world would be a much better place to co-exist peacefully.

The very moment we come to realize that we do not fully understand a lot of things that affect us in life then our search for more knowledge commences and we begin to live a happier life. In fact we then come to accept uncertainty. Part of our problem remains that we want to be certain of our uncertainty. This has been the hardest episode of our modern living. The more we come to clarify our uncertainties the greater our general knowledge develops for our healthy living.

We are just passing ‘this way’ this one time and therefore any good that we may do or any kindness that we may show to anyone has to be done now and here. We cannot defer nor neglect this important aim or mission of our living because we may not pass ‘this way’ again. There may not be a second chance, so we should be determined to make the best of this coming. It would be very pleasant if the rest of the society begins to understand this simple philosophy. Consequently, let us all decide to preach a gospel that we should try to be compassionate and kind to others and to ourselves.

If we are compassionate and kind with ourselves then we would easily look after our health, wealth and general wellbeing. Then similar actions and reactions would be easily dished out and given for others as well. Peace, prosperity and progress would easily prevail within us, our families and our respective societies.

It is believed that the greatest good would certainly come to all of us if we began to fully understand the Who, What, Where, Why and How of our living. This task is necessary for every one of us but it will take time to realize and comprehend. However, once we have achieved this objective then our success in all our endeavors would be forth coming. We need to grab all the existing opportunities to gather our mental as well as physical strengths in order to activate our potential talents and deactivate our existing weaknesses. This proactive action will make us come alive with all acceptable human qualities.

We must love our own self properly first before we can give our love to anyone else. Love is a feeling that is self generative and if one can generate it for oneself then it will become very easy to give it to others. It is human nature and our internal wish to love all but we must first start by loving ourselves. Sounds selfish but it has value for healthy human living. If we learnt to love ourselves we will be able to pass that compassion to everyone around us. We will love our body, our soul and our environment, so love for everyone else will generate automatically.

Whenever we are doing something that is coming from within, it does not feel like work or task but feels like a ‘vacation’. Instead of draining us and making us tired, it simply energizes us.  This would really help us to be on an acceptable path and cull out a peaceful journey for our future. Thus we would develop a support mechanism within our family, with our faithful friends and with our teachers and our learners who would all contribute to constantly enrich our family life. No man is an island and we should never profess to be one either.

As soon as an appropriate realization develops within us we would be enlightened to begin to give our services freely and openly to all who need it.  Let us learn to give to others what they really want and what they need. We must find ways to make others feel good around us, help people to find their self confidence and self worth and above all to help people discover their own genius. As soon as we begin to give to the needy we would be on a good path in this challenging world to proceed to healthy and peaceful living. This is a definite need for all of us.

My greatest struggle has been to live in this shifted consciousness and not to go back to my old deeds, needs and way of life. I realize that being ‘other centered’  might never happen but if I can remember to touch people, move them to discover who they are and inspire them to go after their dreams and believe that they are bigger than who they think they are, even once a week consistently, then I would consider myself sincere and purposeful. I am happy that I am doing the things right for a change. I know we all can take these simple steps in our life time. These steps are necessary but they are not easy and instant. Practice makes us perfect and proper practice will make us a healthy, wealthy and wise human being.

Earlier in life I was doing things for gaining self appreciation, success, prestige and fame etc but the day when I had a shift of focus I have begun doing things differently. It is about giving in many cases. Giving love, compassion, happiness, ideas, advice and ease of doing things to others is now making me happier. I have seen that this shift of paradigm has enabled me to work differently, think of alternatives, remain happy without worrying about what I get in return, gain more pleasure and listen to the needs of others. I feel good and this reflects into my good health. I listen carefully, I read comprehensively, I think well and above all I act wisely when the need arises.

I now realize the true meaning of what Mahatma Gandhi once said, an ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching. Rather than standing on a pulpit to preach I practice my beliefs. Many of these beliefs have been gathered through interaction with common people. Many of my ideas have sprung from my days as an active teacher, a human resource personnel and an education administrator. Some of my reflections have come from managing my family and me.

Nothing is ever difficult and laborious if we keep trying and believe in the power of persistence and hope. You all can do whatever you set your mind on and have your firm determination to perform yourself in life. Many things are difficult to do but with constant effort, hard work and proper planning most things will fall in place for a healthy living.

Dr Ram Lakhan Prasad

Retired Education Administrator and HR Consultant.

Brisbane Qld March 2013