Big Picture Zen

Category: Reflections

  • Understanding Dependent Origination with a Real Life Example

    Recently I attended a session on the theme of Dependent Origination. It was facilitated by Geshe Tenzin Lhabsun. I must say I got a deeper insight into the framework of this master teaching of the Buddha. For many years I struggled to understand the links and chain of causation and how they can be experienced in real life.

    So I am going to try to explain the same using an everyday example.

    Dependent origination is an experiential framework of what is happening in this moment. It attempts to show how we are creating our world in the moment and how we experience suffering.

    The following is a version of dependent origination as explained by Ven. Punnaji. The traditional labels are mentioned in the bracket

    • Unconsciousness (1) (Ignorance)
    • Conditioned Mind (2) (Mental formations)
    • Perception (3) & Cognition (4) (Consciousness and Name & Form)
    • Senses (5) & Contact (6)
    • Feeling (7)
    • Emotional Reactions (8) (Craving)
    • Personalization (9) (I will call it Identification) (Clinging)
    • Existence (10) (Becoming)
    • Birth (11) & Illness, Old Age, Suffering and Death (12)

    Let us start first by understanding the 10th link – Existence.

    I find myself already in Existence. I am sitting here in this Pune city in India working on my laptop. I am writing this blog right now. I am experiencing warmth in the air since it has not rained for a few days now. I am experiencing slight back pain. This is a pretty mundane situation. Its daily life as usual.

    I remember my birthday is in November. I was born in 1974 so I will turn 52 this year. I am getting old, not having the energy of the younger years, suffering occasionally from acidity and hypertension. I am trying to reduce my daily screen time but it’s not so easy.

    So in brief this is existence. There are many more things in my existence – spouse, kids, friends, business partners, projects, things to do. But for now, I am keeping it simple.

    Existence means I believe I am here alive and breathing in the year 2026 on the planet Earth and all around me is the city, people, buildings, and the environment. I am in it.

    Occasionally I read a book on Emptiness which says that life is a dream. I like the idea but then I need to pick up the groceries too, isn’t it and pay the electricity bill also. So emptiness is just another thought that comes and goes like all others.

    Real Life Example

    In existence, I live a mechanical life, although I am not aware that I live on auto-pilot most of the time. I believe I am aware and do things consciously. [Link1 – Unconsciousness]

    I just dropped my daughter to her college and am returning home on my bike. I know the way home and take the usual turn [Link 2 – Conditioned Mind]

    The best way to understand the conditioned mind is as a storehouse of all memories, learnings, patterns of behaviour that are etched in my being. It is my programming. I know where the college is, I know where my home is. I know how to drive the bike. I also know how to speak on the phone while riding and also avoid any accidents. The programming also includes traffic rules, when to break them and drive on the wrong side too. Everything that I have done before and have an experience of, it is my mental and bodily conditioning. I am able to live and do things mechanically because of all this programming. This conditioning is getting updated every moment based on new experiences and memories.

    Now I am riding my bike but I am not carrying the thought that ‘I am riding’ or ‘It is my bike’. Right now the thought that is going on in my mind is ‘I need to make a phone call as soon as I reach home’

    As soon as I take the usual turn, there is a big traffic jam ahead and I stop. [Link 3 and 4 – Perception and Cognition]

    Even though my riding the bike is unconscious, there is consciousness to the changes in the environment. If traffic ahead has stopped it is an event where I need to pay more attention. I don’t want to hit anyone so I need to brake. There was a perception of the vehicle ahead coming to a stop and also the perception of all the vehicles ahead coming to a stop and there was the cognition of a ‘traffic jam’. Even a thought flashes through the mind – a jam so early in the morning!

    Perception and cognition happen in the blink of an eye, probably millions of times faster than that. It is a familiar situation. I have been in traffic jams earlier so I know what this is. It’s an instantaneous recognition. There is perception of the form of things I am seeing and hearing – the vehicles stopped and honking and also the name of what it is – a traffic jam.

    Now I see another bike rider block my path from the opposite direction. [Link 5 and 6 – Sense and Sense Contact]

    One of the confusions I had earlier was that how come perception and cognition happens even before sense contact. I was particularly confused by the use of the term consciousness. The point is that sense and contact has been there right from the beginning of our story. It is a part of existence. I did see the vehicles in front of me and that is the contact of the sense object vehicles with my sense consciousness which is eyes in this case. Remember that while the dependent origination is explained as a logical sequence, it is a simultaneous happening.

    For the purpose of my explanation, I am going to focus on the sense contact of the biker who blocked my path. I observed myself angrily saying to him – Hey, how are you driving. Do you have any sense? And I blew my bike’s horn multiple times. I also noticed thoughts in my mind – this city is going crazy… When will people learn…

    This is where we need to slow down a bit to see what happened.

    The moment this biker blocked my way, a feeling of dislike arose in me instantly (too fast for me to notice it). There was already an unpleasant feeling from the sense contact of the traffic jam. Now this event caused another unpleasant feeling [Link 7 – Feeling] which instantly gave rise to irritation [Link 8 – Emotional Reaction].

    Note that every sense contact necessarily creates a feeling – sometimes pleasant, sometimes unpleasant and sometimes neutral. We are immersed in sense contact at all the times in all the senses and hence feelings are getting created constantly. These feelings are triggering emotional reactions in us in matter of micro-seconds. Which emotions are getting triggered depends on the accumulated mental conditioning which is present in the moment. An irritable person is prone to getting irritated by anything.

    People around me were also shouting at this bike rider who was blocking several people’s vehicles. It is difficult not to react in such a situation.

    Notice that because this person was right in front, it leads me to identification [Link 9 – Personalization, which I feel like calling it Identification]

    The other creates the I. Because I see everything else outside and also experience emotional reaction which I assume to be occurring inside me, I unconsciously deduce that I – the Self – Me – exists. Who else then is having these experiences?

    Because this person is in front, he is blocking MY way. The MY comes into being. The SELF gets created in this moment. Till now, there was no self (we are limiting ourselves to this story of driving a bike). It was all an unconscious happening of aggregates changing their form (me as aggregates of body mind with vehicle as aggregate of metal, plastic, fuel). But as soon as this movement is blocked, the SELF emerged.

    Thoughts started to flood [All various forms of reactions ultimately] – I will get delayed now. I needed to make that phone call. What a stupid decision to take this road. I should have taken the other road…

    Now suddenly I find myself in Existence [Link 10] – caught in this stupid traffic jam with this idiot blocking my way. I am getting so irritated and angry and don’t know how to get out of this situation. I am blowing the horn as if the sound will make the biker vanish. This is the birth of suffering [Link 11]

    This reaction and experience becomes a part of my conditioning and will stay till I become old, ill and die [Link 12]. If I am caught in similar traffic jam I will experience the same irritation or even more.

    So that’s how dependent origination unfolds.

    Just imagine the precision with which the Buddha untangles our present experience. We are constantly taking in sense impressions through our 5 senses. We have been conditioned since our birth by our various experiences and our emotional reactions explode in so many ways in any given situation. To be able to show how each link depends on the one before it and how it creates our suffering is probably the single most significant discovery in understanding the human mind. It is amazing to experience this level of clarity of seeing. 

    Not only does the Buddha explain this dependent origination but he also shows us the path to soften its unrelenting shackles. It is by developing mindfulness. If you can develop mindfulness of body, feelings, thoughts and mind states, you will be in a position to notice your emotional reactions as they are happening and allow them to flow their course.

    Emotions are known as energy in motion. Once it is in motion, it will take your body and speech along with it. It will make you do things and say things which you might regret later. However becoming aware of emotional reactions is the place one can break the cycle.

    With more awareness, one can notice the reactions as soon as they are triggered and watching them helps to reduce their unconscious power over us. This brings about a calm of mind because there is no identification, just witnessing the flow of aggregates and energy.

    Sense and sense impressions will continue. Feelings will continue. But as reactions reduce, it will melt our past conditioning gradually. As conditioning dissolves, we are more free to act, rather than react. This is the way out of suffering.

    If I was able to do it, I might have just smiled at the person who was blocking my way and quietly allowed him to go past me and clear the traffic just a bit. No suffering to carry home.

  • Living The Question

    Living The Question

    Most people stopped asking questions long ago.

    Instead, they collect answers.

    Better answers.

    Beautiful answers.

    Surprising answers.

    Deep answers.

    Witty answers.

    They hope that by collecting enough answers, the question will disappear.

    But a real question never dies.

    Because a question is alive.

    An answer is not.

    A living question grows with you. It makes you observe, wonder, search, and change. It accompanies you through life.

    An answer does the opposite.

    It comforts you.

    It tells you the search is over.

    It puts inquiry to sleep.

    That is why answers never satisfy for long. Every answer eventually gives birth to another question.

    A genuine question asks for something different.

    Not another explanation.

    Not another theory.

    Not another expert.

    It asks you to look.

    To listen.

    To pay attention.

    The purpose of a question is not to reach an answer.

    It is to awaken seeing.

    This is why we should be careful when educating children.

    We give them answers before they have fully discovered the question.

    We teach them what to think before they have learned how to inquire.

    Perhaps education should begin differently.

    Help a child articulate a genuine question.

    Then let life become the teacher.

    The important question is not necessarily practical.

    It may not help you complete projects or grow a business.

    Those questions already have countless answers.

    The important question is the one that concerns your own life.

    Who am I?

    What am I really seeking?

    What is love?

    What is freedom?

    What is God?

    At first, your question may seem ordinary.

    Stay with it.

    If you remain sincere, superficial questions gradually dissolve and deeper ones emerge.

    Eventually, one question becomes the thread running through your life.

    Don’t rush to answer it.

    Live it.

    Look at life through it.

    Life has a way of revealing itself to those who keep looking.

    Ultimately, your way of living itself becomes the answer.

  • Healing, Presence & the Inner Journey

    In conversation with Rupali Raut, HealingHearts

    Rupali: Beyond your roles, how do you see yourself?

    Yogesh: Beyond my roles, I see myself as a very ordinary person. There is nothing special about me. Just someone living life as it unfolds.

    Rupali: How does your day look now, especially after leaving corporate life?

    Yogesh: My days are simple and peaceful.

    Earlier, waking up felt forced. Now, I wake up with clarity and interest. It’s no longer about achievements or targets. It’s about being myself and doing work that feels aligned.

    Practically, my day includes counseling sessions, creating content, recording videos, and some marketing work. Evenings are spent with family. Overall, life feels calm and meaningful.

    Rupali: What has been your toughest emotional or mental struggle in life?

    Yogesh: Everyone faces struggles. What matters is what we do with them.

    My biggest struggle began early in my career, when I became deeply drawn to the inner journey. I realized that the person I was projecting to the world wasn’t real. I was trying to prove that I was intelligent, capable, or “good.”

    That realization shook me. It felt like my entire identity was false.

    But instead of suppressing it, I stayed with the question: Who am I, really?

    That struggle became the doorway to my inner journey and changed the direction of my life.

    Rupali: What does “healing” mean to you personally?

    Yogesh: Healing is simple.

    When you’re hurt, you need to recover — physically, emotionally, and psychologically. Healing means resting, allowing recovery, and returning to a state where you can engage with life fully again.

    Rupali: How did healing play a role during your struggles?

    Yogesh: Initially, healing helps you return to “normal.” But normal still leaves you vulnerable to getting hurt again.

    I was searching for something deeper — a way of understanding where emotional and psychological hurt reduces fundamentally.

    Healing is important. But beyond healing lies understanding. When understanding deepens, you suffer less — and therefore need less healing.

    Rupali: What drew you toward spirituality during that phase?

    Yogesh: Pain pushes you to look for answers quickly.

    I explored many paths — books, teachers, retreats, meditation camps, and travel.

    Eventually, with enough rest and inner attention, my search shifted. I was no longer looking for relief, but for truth — something that would free me at the root.

    Rupali: What did you actually discover about yourself?

    Yogesh: It’s difficult to explain.

    The closest analogy is tasting a mango. No description can replace the experience.

    I can only point and encourage someone to look. The understanding has to be direct and personal.

    Rupali: Did your understanding of spirituality and healing change over time?

    Yogesh: Yes, significantly.

    In daily life, “big picture” often means adding more knowledge. But in my work, the Big Picture is revealed by dropping ideas, beliefs, and labels.

    When concepts fall away, something remains.

    That seeing is immediate. It’s not gradual. You don’t reach it by seeking. It appears when seeking stops.

    Rupali: Can people with serious mental health conditions follow this path?

    Yogesh: The probability is lower, though not impossible.

    Deep inquiry requires energy, presence, and stability. Someone dealing with severe distress first needs support to regain balance.

    That said, even otherwise healthy people often miss the opportunity by staying distracted.

    The invitation to self-discovery exists for anyone who is available and willing.

    Rupali: What do you do when you feel low or overwhelmed?

    Yogesh: I notice the emotion and allow it to move through.

    Emotions are energy in motion. If you don’t interfere with them through excessive thinking, they naturally subside.

    I allow the wave to come and go.

    Rupali: What would you say to someone tired of “trying to heal”?

    Yogesh: Being stuck is okay — as long as you know you are stuck.

    Don’t repeat methods that clearly don’t work. Try different approaches, but always check your direct experience.

    No one truly knows what will work for whom.

    Rupali: Is there a daily practice that supports you?

    Yogesh: Every day, I spend a few minutes returning to the source — the place where thoughts and identities dissolve.

    From there, clarity and energy arise. Then I can step into roles and responsibilities without being lost in them.

    Rupali: What does “being present” mean in daily life?

    Yogesh: Being present simply means attending.

    Like answering “present” during school attendance — you are available to respond to what is happening now.

    Rupali: How do you deal with difficult emotions when they arise?

    Yogesh: I don’t fight or fix them. I let them pass.

    Problems arise when we act or think excessively during emotional peaks. If left alone, emotions dissolve naturally.

    Rupali: What is Zen Counseling?

    Yogesh: Zen Counseling helps people find their own clarity without being given advice.

    Problems arise in the mind, and so do solutions. External advice often adds confusion.

    Through deep listening and inquiry, clarity emerges naturally.

    Rupali: What is the Seeker’s Compass and how do you support seekers today?

    Yogesh: The Seeker’s Compass is an assessment based on my own journey. It helps people understand where they are in their inner search.

    Through one-on-one dialogue, I help seekers question assumptions that may be blocking clarity.

    The real work is theirs. I simply help them find the right direction — to discover their own “mango.”

  • The Buddha Speaks on No-Self

    One of the central teachings of the Buddha is that of No-Self. This teaching appears in the Anatta-lakkhana Sutta, which means the signs of no-self. Atta is pali word for Atma so Anatta is Anatman in Sanskrit, signifying no-soul or no-self. This teaching went against the grain of existing understanding that every person has an enduring ever-lasting soul which dies and is born again into a new body.

    In the Anatta-lakkhana Sutta, the Buddha says: Form is not the self. If the form (of your body) were really the self or the soul, then it would not be a cause of suffering, of pain. Further, if it were really one’s soul or self, one could say – let my form is such. But since form is not self, it is a cause of suffering and you have no control on it.

    The Buddha then goes on to say the same for feelings, mental formations, volition and consciousness, the other four aggregates which make up an individual. One by one he refutes each aggregate as the self.

    The individual is composed of the aggregates but there is nothing permanent in any aggregate and hence, no self to be found in the individual.

    The story goes on to claim that the 5 bhikkhus who listened to this teaching achieved the discernment into the non-selflessness of phenomena. It is possible, those bhikkhus were already wise enough to perceive this truth but for someone who likes to question and doubt, the Q&A session at the end of any talk is the most important part where he can clarify his own understanding by asking questions to the speaker.

    Let’s assume, someone in the audience, has some doubts on what the Buddha said. Here is how the conversation might proceed.

    Questioner: You say that there is no self. Then does it imply that it is ok to kill someone? You are not killing anyone if there is no one to kill, isn’t it?

    Buddha: I say phenomena is made up of aggregates. If you consider non-living things like stones or mud, then there is only a form aggregate. There is no feeling, mental formations, volition or consciousness which can be combined into mind. There is no mind for a stone, only form. You can break a stone into pieces. There is no self in it. No problem. Now consider a living being or we can say sentient being because it has both body (form) and mind (mental formation, feelings, volition and consciousness). If you inflict a wound on such a living being whether human or animal, it is bound to create painful feelings, thoughts of fear, various mental formations like anger or revenge. If you hurt the living being to such an extent that the aggregates which were a part of the being are no longer functioning in harmony, we can say you have killed that being. However, there is no reason to assume a permanent soul or self in this case also. I always say that no living being wants to suffer and you must not make any living being suffer.

    Questioner: It may be so. But ultimately, there is no one to kill or there is no one who suffers. Just a re-configuration of aggregates. So I am not clear about the implications of no-self.

    Buddha: At a deeper level, no-self is a view, a mindset, a realization, an awakening. If you do not see it, you will see a self. You will see other persons and you will assume their agency. Being affected by someone’s words or actions, you may generate anger or fear which in turn might rouse you to harm them or kill them. However, if you see no-self, if you have the view of no-self, you will not see anyone. You will not ascribe agency to people. Words and actions of others might develop feelings and mental formations in you but you will clearly see them as impermanent aggregates only. This view prevents feelings from cascading into anger, rage to generate enough energy to harm and kill another being. I often give this example that if you are walking in a forest at dusk when visibility is low and you come across a snake on the ground, you may want to stamp on it to kill it. However when the sun rises and you see clearly, it was only a piece of rope not a snake, you will realize your folly.

    Questioner: I understood. Thank you. But what if you mistook a snake for a rope? Wouldn’t the snake not bite you?

    Buddha: I never said to walk without being alert. If you notice something, check it out or avoid it. In the case you are bitten, realize you are bitten and do whatever you can to save yourself. There is no magic that’s going to happen if you know about no-self.

    Questioner: Ok, I got it. I understood what is no-self. I will live accordingly.

    Buddha: Beware. It is not enough to just take the teaching of no-self and apply it blindly. You cannot take it as an excuse to either harm others or become less mindful. All actions have consequences. Aggregates behave as per the laws of nature. Water will flow, fire will burn and so on. Once you see aggregates for what they are – impermanent and fleeting with no controller, you will see they are doing their thing. You will attain wisdom. Till the time you see a self, a controller, a someone who is doing things, you will experience suffering. Please investigate deeply.

    Questioner: Thank you so much.

  • Going Off On a Tangent

    Have you ever felt like life is just going around in circles? The routines, the struggles, the repeating thought patterns, the same troublesome emotions, the same “new beginnings” that end up eventually in the same rut that one feels the need to start again.

    At first, being in a pattern can feel safe, it is familiar, predictable, and gives a sense of rhythm. But after a while, the safety of the pattern turns into the suffocation of repetition.

    Going in circles is deceptive. You feel you are moving but are always in the same place. You feel the momentum of motion, but in reality, you are orbiting the same thoughts, patterns, and habits. The scenery changes slightly – new job titles, different faces, altered circumstances – but the essence of your life remains the same.

    Faster or Slower, it’s still the Circle

    When we notice this pattern, our instinct is often to change the speed. We think: “If I push harder, go faster, and achieve more, I’ll break free.” Or sometimes the opposite: “If I slow down, practice patience, and let things unfold, maybe I’ll escape the monotony.”

    But here’s the hard truth: whether you speed up or slow down, you are still moving in the same circle. Velocity does not change trajectory. The only way out of a circle is not acceleration or deceleration, it is deviation. You have to go off on a tangent.

    The Tangent

    A tangent is radical. It does not continue the curve; it breaks away from it. It looks like rebellion, disruption, or even recklessness from inside the circle. And that is exactly what makes it powerful.

    But here’s what we often underestimate: going off on a tangent is not easy. There is a strong gravitational pull that keeps us tied to the center, the comfort of familiarity, the approval of others, the inertia of habit. Breaking away feels like tearing yourself from an invisible tether. You may step out briefly, but very soon, the force of conformity pulls you back.

    That’s why tangents are often short-lived. People quit their jobs, leave a relationship, or embark on a bold new path, but before long, they find themselves in another circle that looks strikingly like the one they left. The old cycle has been replaced by a new one, and the illusion of freedom doesn’t last.

    Tangent as both Freedom and Responsibility

    From the perspective of the circle, a tangent looks like absolute freedom. You’ve escaped! You’re no longer bound to the endless loop. But once you are truly on the tangent, a deeper demand arises – the demand to see for yourself.

    The circle gave you the comfort to close your eyes. It told you how to behave, what to expect, and what was acceptable. You did not have to think for yourself. The tangent offers no such guidance. It gives you freedom, but also the responsibility of discovery, of finding your own path. You cannot lean on the crowd anymore; you must rely on the integrity of your own mind.

    This is what Ralph Waldo Emerson meant when he said:

    Society everywhere is in Conspiracy
    against every one of its members.
    The virtue in most request is conformity.
    Self-reliance is its aversion.
    One who would gather immortal palms
    must not be hindered by the name of goodness,
    but must explore if it be goodness.
    Nothing is at last sacred
    but the integrity of your own mind.

    The circle is society’s conspiracy of conformity. The tangent is self-reliance – the courage to explore goodness not as it is defined for you, but as you must discover for yourself.

    The Hidden Trap: Circles Disguised as Tangents

    There is another subtle danger here. Sometimes what looks like a tangent is just another circle waiting in disguise. You may think you’ve escaped by changing careers, moving cities, choosing a new partner or adopting new beliefs. But unless the movement is inwardly awake and conscious, it is easy to get trapped again – another orbit, another loop, another pattern.

    The lesson here is that true tangents are not one-time events. They are not just about leaving a particular job, person, or place. They are about cultivating the courage to question, to step aside, to not be lulled into conformity every single day.

    Being Always on a Tangent

    To be truly free is to keep breaking the circles as they form. It means watching when you are being pulled back by habit or by society’s voice and daring, once again, to step out. Every day brings opportunities for tangents, small ones and large ones.

    • When you say no to a familiar but draining pattern, you’ve taken a tangent.
    • When you question a belief that everyone around you holds, you’ve taken a tangent.
    • When you dare to listen to your own integrity over collective approval, you’ve taken a tangent.

    The point is not to escape once and be done with it once and for all, but to live in such a way that tangents become your mode of life. And to realize and accept that others might think you are crazy not to follow the path of the circle.

    Breaking away from circles, going off on a tangent

    So if your life feels like it’s going around in circles, recognize that speeding up or slowing down will not change the geometry. The only real move is to break away. And yes, it’s uncomfortable. Yes, it comes with the risk of being misunderstood. Yes, you may even end up in another circle. But in the act of choosing the tangent, you awaken to yourself.

    Life’s vitality comes not from perfect routines or flawless circles, but from the courage to keep breaking them. The tangent is not just the way out, it is the way to be alive. The real point is not about going off on a tangent but to not get trapped in a circle.

    P.S. The Illusion of the Circle and the Tangent

    If you really investigate the circle, you will find it is not some solid structure that traps you. It is made only of people moving in circles, repeating patterns, conforming to expectations. The circle has no independent existence. It is only maintained because we keep walking on it, following others blindly. And so, while it seems difficult to break free, the truth is that nothing actually binds you. The circle dissolves the moment you become aware.

  • A Lesson from a Small Emotional Trigger

    Yesterday afternoon, I dropped my daughter off at her guitar class and parked my car in front of a closed laundry shop. Since the class was an hour long, I settled in with a book as I waited.

    About half an hour later, someone knocked on my window. I looked up to see a balding man in a loose shirt and trousers, with a stubble. In a loud, slightly annoyed tone he said: “गाडी पुढे घे” (move the car ahead).

    For a moment, I was stunned. I wasn’t blocking anyone; I was parked at the kerb. Then I realized—he was the laundry shop owner, wanting to park his two-wheeler in front of his shop, and my car was in the way.

    I moved the car a few feet forward, but I found myself unsettled. It wasn’t what he said, but how he said it. I kept thinking about it and soon realized: he said “गाडी पुढे घे”. What I had expected was “गाडी पुढे घ्या.”

    For those who know Marathi, the distinction is clear. घे is casual, often used with peers or those considered of lower status. घ्या, on the other hand, is polite and respectful, used for elders or those higher in status.

    Why was I upset? Because I felt he hadn’t addressed me “politely.” Somewhere, unconsciously, I was thinking: I am a car owner, an educated person; surely, he should have the courtesy to use the proper words with me.

    As I reflected further, I realized something uncomfortable. In my own interactions, I am polite to everyone—the maid at home, the building sweeper, the auto-rickshaw driver. I always use घ्या for strangers. And so, I expected the same courtesy in return.

    But on thinking deeper, I recognized another truth. In Marathi, the casual घे is far more common in everyday speech, especially on the streets. For the shop owner, his language was normal and unfiltered. He wasn’t being rude—he was simply speaking the way he always does.

    The real lesson here was not about language, but about triggers. If we aren’t aware of them, small things—like a single word—can upset us without our realizing why. But if we pause, observe our feelings, and trace them back to their source, we begin to see the trigger for what it is. And often, we see that the other person never intended to offend us at all. The sense of being offended is created because of our own tacit expectations.

    So the next time you feel disturbed, pause and ask yourself: what exactly triggered me? Awareness is the first step to freedom.

    Be aware. Be attentive. Be awake.

  • The Big Picture: A Transformative Experience

    The term “The Big Picture” refers to the holistic view of a situation or idea, allowing individuals to step back from the minutiae and grasp the entirety of a concept. This shift in perspective often leads to a profound change in how we perceive and interact with the world. When we see the Big Picture, we don’t just see different things—we see the same things differently.

    Let us see some examples

     1. The Jigsaw Puzzle Analogy

    Imagine assembling a jigsaw puzzle. The individual pieces are scattered before you, and while each piece is important, what truly guides you is the image of the completed puzzle on the box. Without this reference, the task becomes daunting and time-consuming. The Big Picture, in this case, acts as a roadmap, enabling you to see how each piece fits into the whole.

    A Jigsaw Puzzle

    2. Strategic Planning in Business

    When crafting a company’s strategy, focusing solely on internal products or processes is insufficient. A successful strategy requires an understanding of the broader landscape: industry trends, competitor actions, technological advancements, and evolving customer preferences. Ignoring the Big Picture limits your ability to adapt and innovate, rendering your strategy ineffective.
     
    3. Life’s Challenges and the Big Picture

    Proverbs like *”Every failure is a stepping stone to success”* remind us to view setbacks through a wider lens. Failing an exam, facing rejection, or enduring a health crisis may feel like final outcomes, but life offers countless opportunities for growth and success. Similarly, losing a job or a loved one can be reframed: perhaps it opens doors to self-employment, pursuing passions, or building emotional resilience.
     
    4. The Akbar and Birbal Story

    A classic tale from Akbar’s court illustrates the power of the Big Picture. A man challenged the court to make a stick smaller without touching it. While others were stumped, Birbal placed a larger stick beside the original, making it appear smaller in comparison. This simple yet ingenious solution demonstrates how stepping back from the details can reveal creative solutions.
     
    5. The Nine-Dot Riddle

    The riddle of connecting nine dots using straight lines without lifting your pen is another example. The solution requires thinking beyond the confines of the dots’ arrangement, symbolizing the need to transcend perceived limitations. This is a hallmark of Big Picture thinking.

    Big Picture Thinking vs. Lateral Thinking

    While some may equate Big Picture thinking with lateral thinking, the two are distinct. Lateral thinking is a subset of Big Picture thinking, focusing on creative problem-solving by approaching challenges from unconventional angles. However, Big Picture thinking goes further—it brings about a fundamental transformation in how we perceive the world. It’s not just about solving problems differently; it’s about seeing the world differently.
     
    The Blind Men and the Elephant
     
    The ancient parable of the six blind men and the elephant beautifully encapsulates the limitations of a narrow perspective. Each man touches a different part of the elephant—the trunk, tail, or side—and describes it as a snake, rope, or wall, respectively. Their individual perceptions, while accurate in isolation, fail to capture the entirety of the elephant. Only by seeing the whole can one truly understand its nature. This story underscores the transformative power of the Big Picture.
     
    The Astronaut’s Perspective
     
    One of the most profound examples of Big Picture thinking comes from astronaut Edgar Mitchell. Upon viewing Earth from space, he experienced a profound shift in understanding: 

    “There was a startling recognition that the nature of the universe was not as I had been taught… I not only saw the connectedness, I felt it… I was overwhelmed with the sensation of physically and mentally extending out into the cosmos.”

    From space, national borders and cultural divisions vanish, replaced by a unified view of our planet. This perspective challenges and often replaces previous beliefs, leaving astronauts fundamentally changed. They return to Earth with a new understanding of interconnectedness, not through words or lectures, but through a single, transformative glimpse of the Big Picture.
     
    Carl Sagan’s Insight
     
    Pale Blue Dot is a photograph of Earth taken on February 14, 1990, by the Voyager 1 space probe from an unprecedented distance of over 6 billion kilometers. Earth appears as a tiny dot within deep space: the blueish-white speck almost halfway up the rightmost band of light. Carl Sagan eloquently captured this idea: 

    Look again at that dot. That’s here. That’s home. That’s us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every “superstar,” every “supreme leader,” every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there-on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.
    The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot.
    Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.
    The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand.
    It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we’ve ever known.

    His words remind us of the fragility and unity of our existence when viewed from a cosmic perspective.

    The Big Picture: Beyond Thinking

     Solving a jigsaw puzzle or crafting a business strategy by considering the larger context is not the same as seeing the Big Picture. The Big Picture is not merely an accumulation of knowledge or a stitching together of smaller views. It is an epiphany—a moment of awakening that creates new understanding. This understanding transcends words and concepts; it is a change in being, an irreversible transformation. Once seen, the world can never be viewed the same way again.
     
    The Inner Big Picture
     
    Must one travel to outer space to see the Big Picture? Not at all. The Big Picture resides within our minds. It is an inner awakening, a shift in consciousness. Some may call it the “Third Eye,” but I prefer to think of it as Enlightenment. 
     
    During deep meditation, when our conceptual frameworks dissolve, we see reality as it truly is. Our conscious mind is conditioned to perceive the world through labels and categories, but these distinctions are illusions born of sensory limitations. When these barriers fall away, the Big Picture emerges. This is Enlightenment—the lighting up of the mind that dispels the darkness of ignorance. 
     
    In this state, we realize that the “others” we once perceived as separate are, in fact, extensions of ourselves. This interconnectedness is difficult to articulate, yet its truth is undeniable once experienced. Even a fleeting glimpse can bring about profound transformation.
     
    The Consequences of Ignoring the Big Picture
     
    Without the Big Picture, life becomes a struggle. The narrow view of “me against the world” fosters conflict and suffering. From the Big Picture perspective, this struggle is revealed as a fight against oneself, both internally and externally. The result is perpetual dissatisfaction and pain.
     
    Knowledge vs. the Big Picture
     
    Acquiring knowledge across various subjects expands your understanding, but it is not the same as seeing the Big Picture. Gathering puzzle pieces does not guarantee the ability to see the whole image. The Big Picture is not a patchwork of smaller views; it is a unified vision of the entirety.
     
    The Need for Big Picture Thinkers
     
    The world needs more individuals who see the Big Picture. Such people act with compassion and wisdom, recognizing the interconnectedness of all life. They do not perpetuate conflict but nurture others and the environment as extensions of themselves. They carry within them a sense of peace and joy, knowing that they are part of a greater whole.

    Conclusion

     The Big Picture is not just a way of thinking—it is a way of being. It transforms how we see the world, how we relate to others, and how we navigate life’s challenges. By cultivating this perspective, we move beyond fragmentation and conflict, embracing a unified vision of existence. In doing so, we not only enrich our own lives but also contribute to a more harmonious and compassionate world.
     

  • The Trap of Spiritual Pride

    Human beings all over the world live a troubled life. Externally they may put up a show of happiness and joy but internally, there are issues to which they don’t have any answer, any response. If you really see clearly, all the striving for excitement is only an excuse to get away from the things or people which cause hurt.

    All people want happiness for themselves. They seek for it in experiences, in work, in play, in books, in spirituality, in travel, in food, in relationships. Yet they don’t get lasting happiness. It is fleeting. So people have to constantly strive for getting it – running after one thing and then another.

    Mostly people don’t have time to find the root cause of their issues. They are satisfied with fake instant solutions, even though the real problems are simmering deep down. The idea seems to be to get through life with as little problems and as much enjoyment as possible. All they are worried about in any scenario is what they can get out of it.

    There may be at times inner promptings to them to seek something deeper, something of significance but such promptings are quickly brushed aside since they tend to slow them down. So most people in fact the majority of people are living in utter ignorance of the truth and reality. Maybe it is supposed to be that way.

    But for the few who are inclined to go deeper at the cost of what other people may think of them, the realization of who they are awaits them. And it is every bit worth the effort.

    So what makes a person inclined to go deeper? What makes him stop and question what is going on? What makes him reject the instant responses which earlier were his pet solutions? Probably there is some realization of the hollowness of such things. Something triggered such a realization – a deep emotional hurt or a physical loss of someone. The traditional answers no longer make sense.

    Only in this situation, a person attempts to see directly without any explanation, without any support of books and teachings. He feels he is lost unless he is able to find that higher meaning to all that is happening. He will discern all answers carefully without trusting anyone. And it is possible that one day he may become enlightened and realize the full meaning of everything.

    But has his heart changed? Not sure still. If he has been seeking enlightenment only for himself, he will still be bound with the last chain. His heart is still self-centered. He may want to share his teachings with others but he will not be able to do so. He will get a feeling of superiority – of having discovered the ultimate and others don’t know about it.

    Such a realization does not generate compassion because the person is concerned with his own success. He may ignore others and go into a shell, become a recluse, staying away from society which is not up to his standards. He has discovered the ultimate with his own efforts and unless others put in the same effort, they will not realize that. He is willing to help but he wants others to approach him as a realized master. He has the feeling of entitlement that the world must respect such an individual who has realized the Buddha. This is spiritual pride.

    One cannot let go of it with effort. Spiritual pride can go unnoticed for years altogether. The only way to discover it and accept it is by realizing that one is still suffering, one still is seeking followers and recognition, not for material success but for spiritual success. It is all the same game.

    How silly. How shameful. How vain this all is.

    If one really accepts oneself with all one’s faults, one becomes humble. One realizes the danger of what one is doing and becomes mindful of what one says and does. One realizes that he has never changed. He has been the same always all these years despite the glimpses of enlightenment, which were nevertheless genuine.

    To live is to live consciously every moment, fully aware. One cannot be mechanical in this. Once awake, try not to go to sleep. Be aware of the inner promptings and follow them, instead of measuring one’s success on the spiritual ladder.

    There is no enlightenment that one can talk about or teach others. One can only live an awakened life – a life of love and care.

  • What to do in life?

    This is a critical question – What to do in life?

    Most people do what everyone else is doing.  For example – study, go to school, college, do a job, start a business, marry, make kids, send them to school, get them married and so on. Society encourages you to make money, become successful and famous, buy property and make life more secure for yourself and your family. That is the general direction of humanity. If you observe all this closely from a very objective standpoint, it all seems mindless and boring. It is sheer stupidity.

    You also see some people who live the so called religious life or spiritual life i.e. they do meditation, follow some practices like chanting mantras, go to some religious places or on a pilgrimage, join some satsang and listen to some guru. They may also engage in occasional charity, yoga, participate in workshops and also admonish others who are living the regular life to mend their ways and follow the higher path. At the end of the day, this is equally boring and senseless.

    Gurdjieff talks of Type A, Type B and Type C influences. Most people live under Type A and Type B influences. But there is still disillusionment. Nothing seems worth doing. One can do the things as pointed out by society and others and also earn the fruits from them but then what? For someone who thinks too much and sees too far like The Outsider of Colin Wilson, the prospect of living like this for the entire life is meaningless.

    Religions have pointed to something higher e.g. Nirvana, Atman, Brahman, merging your consciousness with the higher consciousness, becoming one with the Universe. You are That! Until you experience that, there seems to be no escape from the mundane. But once you see that, once you experience that even for a moment, then life is not the same. Then ‘I’ does not matter, it’s a lie, an illusion, once the ‘Nameless’ is seen.

    Having seen that and experienced that, the daily life is even more drudgery – the recurring chores, eating food, washing clothes, going to office, making presentations – a drab and dreary life. One reflects – what can I do to wake up every day and live like God? There is a great sense of urgency. Earlier, one thinks it’s a long life but now one sees how fleeting life is and desires to merge with God consciousness at the soonest. 

    Quitting one’s job is not the solution. It will create more stress since you will need to focus on the dull and boring task of making ends meet. So what to do? You cannot go into ecstasies like Ramakrishna all the time and forget about everything.

    A sure sign of progress on this path is the voluntary reduction in the intellectual tasks like planning, working out alternatives, etc. You just want to do simple things like organizing the house items, working on some craft ideas, reading a book, not doing anything in general but just breathing and living in the present moment. 

    Once you realize that all things are fleeting i.e. they are impermanent, that in fact they don’t exist at all but only appear to be there, then there is no desire to possess them. Even if there is an interest, it wanes soon. This is true of money, property and things.

    Once you realize that all time is now, then there is no worry of the past and the future. You look around and see yourself everywhere. The universe breathing in and out. You don’t wish for something to happen or regret for something that happened because those are just your interpretations.

    Once you realize that others don’t exist as people but only appear to be so, you develop compassion for them and their silly life. You prefer to stay alone in seclusion. You don’t need anything from them and neither do you have anything to advise them or give them. If something pops in your mind to do, you simply do that. There is no guilt, shame, fear, anger or desire.

    To conclude, you live fully by NOT living in the worldly way. Stopping the worldly activities is the only way to live more abundantly. You are relaxed and not stressed about anything. Relaxation is enlightenment as Kenichi san says.

    The Buddha talks of extinguishing the flame. It means you are so much one with the existence that the separate entity does not exist. The thoughts cease and that is called the end of the cycle of birth and death.

    Do you have any alternative way of living? Do you want to continue living and going through all the sufferings, tensions, troubles and frustrations or having to put up with the world. How should one engage with the people of the world who tell you what to do – to you who sees more than they do?

    You need to tell them how short-sighted they are, how foolish, ignorant and deluded they are. They will not like it, they will not relate to you, they will ignore you or even persecute you. But you cannot join them in their tomfoolery and play their games and pretend to like it.

    You must live by your truth!

  • Dusshera – Good Over Evil

    Dusshera is symbolic of the victory of good over evil. The myth and legends point to the victory of Rama over Ravana and Durga over Mahishasura.

    We are all happy that Rama defeated Ravana and Goddess Durga killed Mahishasura. So now that both Ravana and Mahishasura are out of the way long ago, does it mean that we are now living in good times? Hardly.

    Look around you and you will find so much evil in the world today also. So has Ravana taken birth again? Has Mahishasura become alive again? If so, where is Rama and Durga? Are they just imprisoned in temples and Chief Guests during Navaratri?

    The point that we miss in all this is that these stories are not external. There is a Rama and Ravana within us. There is a Durga and Mahishasura within us. It is the way we think that determines whether we are Rama or Ravana, Durga or Mahishasura. The battle is in our minds – the battle of good and evil. Who will win?

    It is said that good ultimately wins over evil. But is it that given enough time, good will win? What about till then? Is evil dominating till then? Will good win before we die?

    It is very important to realize the evil within us. We mistakenly believe it is outside. But look closely. Is anger out there? Is envy or jealousy or hatred out there? Or in here? Who gets frustrated and irritated when things are not going your way?

    We think other people are the cause of our negative reactions. It may be so. But that does not let you off the hook. The inner war is the cause of the outer war, not the other way round. If you are at peace internally, where is the need to hate someone, get angry at someone, or become irritated?

    Check within who is in charge – good or evil. Have you taken offence on someone saying something bad about you? Are you complaining about something or someone? Are you wishing other people in your life were different and treated you more lovingly? Do you feel misunderstood and that no one is listening to you? Are you carrying grudges against someone who has hurt you in the past? Are you planning to take revenge for some wrong done to you? Are you constantly worried about how you will succeed in life? Are you afraid about what others will think about you?

    If any of this is true even momentarily, it means evil exists in you. One of the characteristics of evil is that it keeps you in deception. You feel everything is ok. That it is natural to be this way. That the problem is not with you but with others. This gives evil time to incubate and grow till it becomes very difficult to manage and overcome. In the end, we die without experiencing the victory of good over evil.

    Our notions of good are quite superficial, just limited to good external behavior. It is like putting on a fake smile while going to a party you don’t want to or congratulating someone on their success while internally smirking that he did not deserve it.

    Appearing to be good has become more important than truly being good. In fact, we do not even know what it means to be truly and genuinely good. We keep repeating that good ultimately wins in the end. After all that is what is conveyed in all the movies and all the mythological stories, isn’t it?

    The point is not that I am painting a picture of the world in which nothing can be done. The point is that the hero of the movie is not some other person. It is YOU.

    There is a Rama and Durga within you. Instead of identifying yourself with your name and circumstances, you must identify yourself with these forces of good within you. That is when the battle of good against the evil actually begins. Until this battle begins, evil is winning hands down.

    Once evil is seen within, the seeing itself is the good, the fight begins. You will see how your anger has fractured your relationships. You will see how your misperceptions have ruined your friendships. You will see how your envy and jealousy have distorted your understanding of others. You will see how your vengefulness and hard feelings have crippled the quality of your life. You will see you have no love within you for anyone. You will repent for carrying hard feelings for someone. You will forgive and ask for forgiveness. You will start loving everything for the first time.

    Only and only then good is said to win. Once good awakens, it will know what to do, it will tell you what to do. There is no chance then for Ravana and Mahishasura to gain any foothold. There is a path of goodness, there is a good life that one can live. It is our birthright to live a good life with love and affection for nature and other human beings. Are you ready for such a life?

    Mahishasura was a shape-shifting demon. Just like him, the evil within us comes in different manifestations. You have to be as agile and persistent as Durga to overcome these stratagems. Your aim must be to live a life of goodness, to be a genuinely good human being. No amount of wealth, success and fame can compare with such a life.

    I invite you to live the good life. Wish you a Happy Dusshera!