ctrl+alt+del

CHYK Camp at Hong Kong

I returned from my venture away from ‘civilization’ only to return as a more: cultured, educated, informed, aware and civilized human being. My level of tranquility was also heightened and I felt surprisingly energized; despite the fact that ‘us happy campers’ had a human alarm clock who ensured that during this wonderful weekend, all twenty of us lazy Sindhi slobs would arise at the wee hours of six a.m!

(In hindsight, I am sure that every single one of us would like to thank you, Nishita Jee, for waking us up at that dreaded hour)

So, I arrive back to civilized HK Island and I am pumping with energy. I enter my home, chat to the family and ultimately end up pursing a common hobby by snoozing in front of the television. However, for some estranged reason, I AM ENJOYING THE TV SNOOZE ANYMORE as I am convinced that I am wasting the ‘precious’ time that has been gifted to me. So, I reject the TV and I decide to conjure up all my enthusiasm into a constructive and fun pursuit by writing this article.

Now, you can all tell that I am keen! I have had minimal sleep and as opposed to the usual ‘chilling out and relaxing all cool,’ I am writing about CHYK Camp! Yes, I too am extremely shocked at my high level of motivation, especially as I am not the zealous type of individual who comes home from school, throws her bags and begins homework!

So, ‘what exactly happened at camp’ is what all of you are now wondering!??! Well, since I am feeling extremely ‘civilized’ and kind, I shall guide you in the process of deciphering the vedantic code of: CTRL, ALT, DELETE. However, prior to cracking a code, it is necessary to think of it in its ordinary context. So, I am going to begin by stating the obvious and pointing out the fact that the words Ctrl, Alt, Del are synonymous with the computer; this is to make you all appreciate Nishita Jee’s innovative manner of ‘digitalizing’ spirituality for us and ensuring that we are all aware of our ‘goal of life’ whilst habitually typing away at the keyboard.

CONTROL!

We began by questioning what control was and re-assimilating our notion of control; this allowed us to become aware of the fact that we mistakenly relate self control to a repressive process, in which we constantly deprive ourselves and repress our desires.

Now, it was amazing to see how a simple story about a little boy, a criminal and the president allowed us to view control in a positive and desired light. We were able to see the benefits a president has over being able to control the police force for his protection, and upon extending the metaphor of the president’s control over security forces, we were able to understand the benefits we would gain by being able to control our sensory urges.

In class, I began to realize that true freedom would only arise from my ability to be able to intellectually choose whether I wanted something rather than being forcefully driven by my desire to indulge my senses.

Once we were all ‘re-formatted’ to associate control as a positive force, we pondered upon what factors we have control over in our life??? Off course, all of us enthusiastic CHYKs immediately thought of the Matrix and enthusiastically yelled ‘EVERYTHING’. Well, we were very wrong!

What do we have control over? Can we control the whether? Can we control natural disasters? Can we control other people? Can we control the financial markets? The answer to all of the above, especially the last of the above is NO, we cannot! So, once again the question is…what can we control? And… this is the section where I take a break and let you ponder for a while

Ok, well done if you have concluded that we can only control ourselves….. if you still held the view that we can control everything, tap yourself on the back for having an extremely optimistic and tenacious personality.

So, now that we know that self control is a desired state and that the only entity we can control is ourselves, how can this help us? Well, the fact that we have extremely limited control over the outside world can lead us to become immensely unhappy! How, you ask? Let me explain.

We, as human beings experience the world through our five senses, and once our senses are stimulated, we tend to get attached to the stimulant. On some occasions, our attachment is at a healthy and balanced level; however, there are those extremely alluring stimulants which begin to control our level of happiness and tranquility (in the case of Sindhi women, these are better known as diamonds!).

When we encounter these tempting stimulants we passionately desire to attain these stimulants! (It is simple ego-centric human nature) However, the fact that we have very limited control over factors other than ourselves means that we may fail in our endeavors to attain our desires. The outcome of our failure is quite clear, we become sad, we cry and on other unlucky occasions, we encounter depression.

Now, through the simple control of our senses, we can learn to limit our attachments, leading to fewer desires and reducing the likelihood of feeling unhappy.

ALTer!

Continuing from the fact that we cannot control many outcomes in life, we arrive to the ALT key.

Thus far, we have learnt to control our senses and reduce our instances of unhappiness. However, sensory control will not completely banish our desires, for example, it will fail to rid of us of our past attachments and bonds with loved ones! So, to further guarantee our happiness, we need to ALTer our attitude towards situations.

I would like you to stop and think for a minute, it was explained earlier that we have limited control over situations. Now, even if we do manage to control our senses and avoid overeating, over sleeping etc. we cannot avoid being unhappy in all situation. For example, if a hurricane were to hit us, we would all be reduced to becoming refugees and the majority of us ‘happy campers’ would be miserable!

Once again, our limited spectrum of control (over the forces of nature etc) leads us to be unhappy.

You must not be disheartened by this; the great Vedantic teachers have found a simple means of overcoming the unhappiness caused by our lack of control! This method of attaining happiness merely involves altering ones attitude. We are all well aware that each individuals perceptions shape their lives, therefore, by reformatting our attitude and perceptions, we can reform our lives to one of bliss and constant happiness.

To highlight this point, we were told an inspiring story about the motivation and drive that three men had for laying bricks. All three men in the story were asked a simple question whilst they were laying the bricks, this was, ‘what are you doing’?

The first man, who was rather lifeless and drained, answered by stating that he was merely laying bricks to help form a runway. The second man, a slightly plump and cheery man replied that he was working in order to provide for his family and their happiness. The third man, who stood out from the other two for his glowing face and twinkly eyes, blissfully stating that he was working to assist his people in achieving their potential, traveling the world and reaching their dreams!

It is clear from the above tale that the third bricklayer had an inspiring attitude towards conducting a monotonous and dull job, he was therefore the most happiest of the three!

The third glowing bricklayer did not have much control over his career, he was not educated and the only profession he was able to conduct was brick laying. However, unlike HK’s whiney populous, this lack of control did not lead the bricklayer to become unhappy and complain. Instead, he viewed himself as a success, AND he was a happy and successful man, who managed to build our futures by forming the foundation that permitted us to fly away from Hong Kong and experience life in other cities.

The message from this inspiring story is clear; all we have to do to be happy is simply alter our attitude!

You think it is too simple? Well, to prove you wrong, Nishita jee provided us third generation proof obsessed individuals with the opportunity to see how our attitude and perceptions can alter our situations.

This phenomenal illustration was simple in methodology; however the outcome was a compelte ‘eye opener’. We were provided with a pendulum and instructed to hold it in the air and use our mind to instruct it to move up and down! The results, well, all the cynics in the room who believed that they would NOT be able to move a piece of string through the power of their mind were truly UNABLE to move that piece of string. However, some of the more trusting individuals who knew that this was possible were able to ferociously sway the string!

Now, before you all go running into Bookazine to buy the latest edition of ‘The power of positive thinking’ take some time out and think about why ‘one mans heaven is another mans hell?’ I hope the above passage sheds some light to the question and makes you smile, because that was my reaction.

A recommended place to begin is your attitude is by forming clear distinctions between your goals in life i.e. attaining happiness, wealth, women, cars, diamonds and your goal of life: EVOLUTION. Forming a distinction between the two, and prioritizing the latter will bring about an automatic calmness in life; by doing this attaining wealth/cars etc. will no longer be the focal obsession in our lives and we will begin to alter our perceptions on failing to reach our life aims, as there will be a higher aim of evolution to aspire to.

DELETE

I hope all of you are now very motivated to ALTer your attitude and attain a permanent glow and twinkly eyes (as opposed to being motivated by the ability to mimic Alfred Hitchcock’s Carrie, who had the eerie power to move things with her mind) !

The next question is, ‘How do we control our senses and Alter our attitude?’ Well, the first baby step involves deleting the negative within you!

So, what exactly do we mean by negative? In its simplest form, deleting the negative involves deleting thoughts and ideas which cause you discomfort by opposing dharma. i.e. if I believe that waking up early every morning is something aspiring, and with this belief in mind, I wake up at 11:30 am each day. I am failing to integrate my actions to my thoughts, and thereby I fail to live in truth or satya, causing discomfort to myself.

Why would we want to do this? I hope the answer is now clear. By deleting negative thoughts which cause discomfort, we are able to feel happier and perform better. During the camp, we were all provided with another opportunity to experience how negative thoughts affect us; this allowed us to understand why we should Delete them.

We were instructed to stand in the yogic ‘tree pose’ and think of nothing. We were then told to adopt the same ‘tree pose’ and think angry thoughts; the outcome was clear…. The whole room contained wobbly and constipated looking human trees! Our next thought pattern involved thinking of someone we admire and respect, whilst simultaneously positioning ourselves as a tree; the tranquility within our pose was evident and we were all resembled sturdy and diligent trees.

So, how do we go about deleting the negatives from our life?

Surprise surprise, the answer is simple! Ok, it is not all simple, but I shall start with the easy solution.

• Delay gratification : When you desire something negative, delay the process in which you fulfill your desire. This may lead to you forgetting about your desire, if it does not, it allows you to become a professional at delaying your wants and one day, it will lead you to forget about the desire.
• Increase your awareness : By increasing your level of awareness, you are able to stop routine actions and spot when your mind is drifting towards negative tendencies. By doing this, you can sublimate by shifting your focus to a higher goal. I.e. you would like to reach a higher state of happiness, however, you miserable about your physical state and the lethargy your experience. In order to stop your negative tendency to over indulge, you must initially be aware of this tendency, then, when you develop urges, you can focus on your goal of life, which is to evolve. By becoming aware that the simple denial of chocolate cake/pizza will lead you to have a better physique AND it will help you attain the discipline required to evolve, you will be much more motivated to resist the allure of the cake.  

Now, the best manner for one to increase awareness and delete negativity is by actively increasing their knowledge base and attending CHYK classes. At the minimum, the classes will provide you with a wider outlook and perspective in life. With this knowledge, your awareness of the world will heighten, as will the manner in which you view the world. With the heightened knowledge and awareness, little trivialities will not matter as much, as your perceptions and views would have widened. Therefore, you will not be so wound up so much when a chocolate cake is placed in front of you!

On a larger scale, you will learn to control your desires, alter your attitude and reduce the self orientation found within all of us (ego). Similar to the third bricklayer, you will be able to find your happiness in the happiness of others, and by doing this, your probability of being happy will increase; allowing you to reach closer to your aim of life and feeling the constant tranquility of home.

- Aruna (CHYK HK)

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Power of one

 

The power of unity, when the many unite in their goals to become ONE...

The power of what ONE individual can do and achieve,

if the mind & intellect are focused and inspired with a noble goal...

The power of the ultimate ONE, the Supreme Truth -

that entity to which we are all connected, and is the source of all our power

Having had my first experience of a CHYK camp and the refreshing aura of the journey through the camp days, the activities, new faces and importantly the knowledge gained from the experience, I was more than ready to jump at the opportunity to help out in organising a follow up workshop. I believe just as in my case, having learnt so much at camp, the majority of us CHYKS gain a lot of knowledge and as Summatiji once said in a study class, we are pretty much “book perfect,” having the ability to explain concepts but having no clue as to how to practice them. Thus a practical theme overlooked this workshop, and many interesting ideas were generated in our planning meetings, all of which focused on the application of knowledge. Focusing our ideas, we came up with three different workshop plans, group names and a general theme that would convey the power within us, and the limitless capacity that we easily forget. We saw that the title for the workshop gave itself as “The Power Of One,” a concept which encompasses aspects of life common to us all, an easy outlet available for us to practice the Vedanta we know!!

After the introduction, the Chyks were left shortly to discover their group and the reasons behind their group name; Dwarf Wheat, Earthrise, Softheart, Babybird, Tiananmen and movie maker – each an unsung hero, silently reflecting character, inspiration and strength in a very unique way.

The emphasis given to the first session was that of team work, coming together as a group to focus on a single goal. In the first of three activities, groups had to trace out a letter given on a sheet, but they were to manoeuvre the pen using four strings to drag and turn the pen into the shape of the letter. This task was readily done by each group, and their individual efforts came together to spell “The Power Of Now.,” The second task required a lot of concentration and collaboration in each group as they battled their way through a short obstacle course with hazards including trip wire, chairs, cushions and sofas!? The catch was that some of the group were blind, some were deafened to outside noises as they were in deep contemplation with the sweet bells and chimes of ‘He Murali Shreedhara’ in their ears, and if that were not enough, the group were all tied by both their legs in a circle! This proved to be a very amusing task for me and the others watching, although I do hope that the emphasis of the task was not forgotten in the carnage and chaos that I created!! Finally, Pranai tried to bring about the musical talent in us when he conducted the Chyks to sing in harmony. It proved a little nerving to start but there was some satisfaction in those with musical ears when the harmony of the whole group came about.

The team working examples given in the first work shop were discussed in a very realistic case when the groups were asked to think of a project given the phrase ‘make a difference.’ The aim of the project, its development and marketing, and all the logistics and administration involved were all presented in a short expose. The open ended nature of the task and the short time to prepare a project really took the Chyks out of their comfort zone, but in this position they came up with some brilliant projects, none of which in our capacity are impossible. Perhaps the simplest was the six point conservation plan which included simple daily actions such as water saving during daily washes, eliminating ‘red lights,’ actions so simple they are first hand by nature. I have this project at heart as I have some similar rules that I have adapted and follow with conviction, it really is just a little thought, but thought that most definitely makes a difference! Groups also came up with ideas that targeted two different youth groups, providing inspiration, motivation and career guidance the fundamental base of the projects. CRB (Criminal Reference Bureau) accreditation would be required for such tasks, another project which im sure will be running quickly within our mission. Another exciting and ambitious suggestion was the prospect of a charity variety show, im sure with the dedication of Chyks this would be something that could be organised in future. A detailed description of the Antony Nolan trust and the bone marrow drive was also put forward, the capacity for charity and good will in us for others really shone through.

The essence of the workshop was to remind us of the creativity within us, and as I have learnt role plays of some kind are customary in Chyk activities so their presence cannot be understated! However we had to add a twist and to emphasise lateral thinking, groups were asked to convey concepts such as equilibrium, supply and demand, the best of both worlds and chain reaction in the most creative way they could think of. It was amazing to listen to the poem on the path of least resistance, the short but clear depiction on equilibrium, and to think of the short half hour preparation time! Further we as organisers were thrown to explain the concept of celestial navigation, and I distinctly remember myself saying “im getting a taste of my own medicine,” I was expecting a difficult concept but I found it difficult to convey the message, something im usually better at doing! So the laughs and spills were not missed as our musical turned out a good comedy!

Organising and watching the event flow smoothly was definitely satisfying, and the consolidating end came through convocation and the video of “What Chyk means to me.” Only when I began to write this did I realise how vast the concept of the power of one really is. Swami Chitamananda at camp this year explained that our capacity is limitless and our thirst for ambition, creativity and inspiration is only limited by the importance we give to the lesser in our thoughts. Even though not in these simple words, I hope the theme of the day came out through all the activities and tasks, to refresh and also encourage us to pursue existing challenges, follow through with our ambitions and to be bold and daring!!

Hari Om

Anshul Patel

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Power of goal setting

 

“To solve your problems is your goal" - Brah. Govind Chaitanya, Director - North Zone, Chinmaya Yuva Kendra (CHYK).

It was indeed a unique opportunity for the young adults in Noida to learn, realize and internalize, the power of goal setting during the interactive yet introspective camp organized by Chinmaya Yuva Kendra (CHYK), NOIDA, the youth wing of Chinmaya Mission, on Sunday, the 2nd of October at the Chinmaya Mission Centre in Sector 37, NOIDA.

Everyone in the world faces innumerable problems. The process of setting goals and targets allows one to choose where one wants to go in life. By setting sharp, clearly defined goals, one can measure and take pride in the achievement of those goals and see forward progress in what might previously have seemed a long pointless grind. Man should never succumb to these challenges but should overcome these hurdles tactfully.

"To solve these problems are your goals" said the Mission Acharya Brah. Govind Chaitanya. Apart from the lively and motivating session with the Mission Acharya, all participants also had an opportunity to interact with Prof. S.K. Palhan, a renowned Management Trainer and a well known personality in the world of Management. The professor meticulously chalked out various intriguing tips and techniques for the youngsters to set goals and prioritize them. "Goals cannot be reached unless they are SMART" said the professor, "The goals should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic & Time-bound", he added.

The camp was attended by about fifty participants ranging from 16 to 30 years of age. "Power of Goal Setting" is the fourth camp in the "Power Series" camps organized by CHYK, NOIDA. CHYK committee has assured that it will strive to conduct many such motivating camps in the coming months.

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