Belief

A king went to a zen master to learn gardening. The master taught him for three years and the king had a beautiful big garden, thousands of gardeners were employed there and whatsoever the master would say, the king would go and experiment in his garden.
After three years, the garden was ready and the king invited the master to come and see the garden. every care was taken and the garden was so beautifully complete, nothing was missing.
The master came to see the garden and was sad from the very beginning. The king became very frightened. He thought, why does he looks so sad? Is there something so wrong?

The king asked, what is the matter sir? What is wrong?
The master said, "It is so finished that it is dead. Where are the dry leaves? the fallen flowers?
The king had asked his gardeners to remove everything to make it as absolute perfect as as possible.

The master said, "That's why it looks so dull, so man made.

The king rushed out and bought some dry leaves and flowers and threw them in the wind....they spread along the pathway and started rolling around when the wind blew. The master was happy. He said "hear the music...the music of the dry leaves...now the garden is alive....

In creation, there is no belief...there is only experience...and the beauty of experience is that it is always open .....because further exploration is possible. Belief is always closed. While we are living, how can our experiences be finished....they can only grow!

Is empty mind a devil's workshop?

Sometimes it is liberating to read certain books. A few lines a day and you are filled with new thoughts....you are not thinking the way you usually think and you realize that certain things are so simple and we hardly observe them within us....then you feel....you are so lost with your everyday routine that you have stopped thinking differently...........your life is scheduled....and you are scared to stop doing something.....or to start doing something new....

I have these books in my shelf for a long time and I don't read them page to page.....nor I go back to the same page the next day to continue what I was reading the previous day. I just randomly open a book and start reading.....just before going to bed....and I feel refreshed and a new thought comes to my mind ....an unusual one.....something different from how each one of us live our lives everyday....

One such thing I read was about our obsession to be 'active'......I just thought for a while.....was I like this all the time?.......I then thought of my childhood.....my high school days......when I was in college.....was I like this always?......there were days when I just did nothing....I should say such days were very common.....and when I try remembering such moments.....a few things come to my mind....these are not situations....these are just pictures in my mind....as a kid I remember how many nights I have spent simply laying down on the ground looking at the stars at night....just wondering how vast and unending the sky is....and as a teenager....I remember walking in  the front portico at home on a full moon day night simply enjoying the moment......even today when i have to think of a full moon day night, the picture of full moon between the branches of the bael tree in front of our house comes to my mind.......and during college days....I have spent numerous nights on the hostel terrace gazing at the moon and walking up and down the terrace......just being myself.....doing nothing.

Then when I think....there should be something which I loved in all those moments that they remained with me for so long....I feel those were the moments where I felt the 'ME' in me....those were moments when I was  all alone and the nature around me was with me.....those were the moments when I felt I have a special connection with all the things around me....the trees swinging in the air....the full moon...the cold sand under my feet...

By being active all the time....from the moment you getup in the morning till you go to bed.....are we not missing ourselves?....cant we just be silent....inactive....be ourselves? without feeling guilty of not being able to do anything?......cant we have an empty mind......

The Song....

There is one strong memory which makes me smile every time I remember it from my high school days....I remember that I used to getup from the bed humming a song....and my mom used to wonder how anyone can do that.....getting up from the bed humming a song?? :)............usually it used to be some old Hindi song.........I think mom was a little worried that I am a little too carefree ....but things have not changed even today....sometimes at office in the middle of all the work.....I feel like singing....singing loud....and I wonder if there is any one who feels the same around me.....:)...and I confess....I cant control this urge and people around me do get to hear some humming.....

Today its going to be my first post on this blog....my first blog ever!!....I follow a lot of blogs with a variety of subjects which interest me. It may be home decor, gardening, crafting, photography, bla bla bla....
In all these blogs apart from the subject itself, I have always admired the authors style of writing....their ability to express themselves. Every time I read something beautiful, I have felt that I need to know this person...a little more about them. That's the beauty of being able to express yourself in any form of art...be it writing...singing...painting....whatever..it makes you feel closer to the person...it makes you feel you know the person...as art cant be superficial and it comes from the heart............I feel through art...it is the true YOU!! who the world is getting to know...

So, with this feeling, I saw a need for me to document and share my thoughts....random thoughts....not because I want people to know me...but because there will be people in the virtual world who might feel the same way as I do and would want to be reminded of something..when they read this...so that's how it all started......:)