Gerald D'Cunha

  “Stillness is the language God speaks, and all else is a bad translation.” — Eckhart Tolle   I met this doctor friend of mine after many years when I rejoined the Tai Chi classes. He is a gentle soul; and his presence and speech, always, have a   calming effect on me. Every Sunday morning, after our Tai Chi session, we both sit in a nearby Mani’s restaurant for a simple cup of tea… During those few minutes there, we discuss anything that is simple and light… But, I don’t know if what we discussed this morning was simple and light… One of the relatives of my doctor friend (Age 56) is at a terminal stage of cancer. She and her husband have come (from Dubai) to stay at the residence of my doctor friend for undergoing Chemotherapy in one of the hospitals in Mumbai. “Presence of loved ones around can help the recovery process,” I said. “That’s true,” said my friend, “However, one can be lonely even when surrounded by several loved ones around. Inner issues ne...

“It was my letting go that gave me a better hold.”  ―  Chris Matakas , O ur attachments breed fear… the fear of losing what we are attached to. We are attached to our people… We fear we may lose them. We are attached to our wealth… We fear we may lose it.   We are attached to our fame, reputation and position… We fear we may lose them. We are attached to our physical beauty… We fear we may lose it, one day. We are attached to our ideas, beliefs and opinions…  We fear we may be proved wrong. Yes, right from our looks, public opinion, people, wealth and ideologies, we are attached to everything in our lives. There is an inherent fear of losing in attachments. Fear exists, as Jiddu Krishnamurti says, only in relationships… In every relationship.  The relationships are our attachments. When we ‘see’ this truth… that our attachments bring fear - and, thereby anxiety, worry, sorrow, guilt, anger, ...

I had taught Pooja some twenty-two years ago when she was in twelfth. She got married while she was still in Degree College and, the pulls and pressures of family life did not allow her to complete her graduation. Now, her son is a well-brought-up teenager and things are quite stabilized at the home-front; so, after all these long years, Pooja has decided to write her TY.B’Com examination, this year. She has been attending my classes regularly and I find her extremely focused and determined to complete her graduation. I am not writing about Pooja because she has decided to complete her graduation after a long gap of twenty-plus years. Certainly, that’s something admirable and very inspiring for all of us, who, often, give our busyness in life as a nice excuse to cover-up our laziness. Instead, the reason I am writing, today, about Pooja is: She lost her latest iPhone, two days ago! And, again, on the face of it, that doesn’t look like any cover-st...

One story that always makes my heart smile is told by my favorite story-teller, Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. I need not tell you what a great soul he was… and, yet, how simple and rustic he and his teachings were… His philosophy was soaked in the day-to-day reality of life… He, unfailingly, weaved his stories around what was happening around him, in his immediate world… not what was happening ‘out there’ in the ‘faraway heavens'… He was least concerned about the world his simple followers would not understand. So, here is that story…   You and I will, definitely, understand it. There was, once, a rich householder in a town. He was fed-up of running after wealth and managing all that it brought to his life… He was tired, tensed and frustrated. Finally, he went to a Guru to seek help. The Holy man advised him to abandon his household - his wealth and family - and lead the life of an ascetic, a Sadhu . As per his Guru's advise, the man ...

M any a times, I wonder: why didn’t I let go that strain, that weight , that argument, that grudge, that greed, that obsession, that blind pursuit… long before? Why did I have to go through such a grind? Such churning of soul? Endure such turmoil and pain? Letting go of any pursuit… any thing, in fact, is tough. The churning of our soul has to happen, the heart has to bleed a little… the mind has to see the futility. We should become tired... Yes, tired of our blind pursuits! I first read this lovely parable in Ramakrishna Paramahasa’s book. I have told this story to so many and each time, I tell it or read it, it invariably makes my heart smile. “Hey, this is me.” One late afternoon, the fishermen had just returned after their daily catch and they were busy sorting out the fish in their boat. Suddenly, from nowhere, a Kite swooped down on the boat and picked a tiny fish by its beak, and it shot back into the sky. As soon as that happened, there appeared in the sky a hundred crow...

A ll that I need to do is To watch the beauty of these wayside flowers… And move on. One day, I stopped and watched a wild marsh marigold… And, I envied the bees feasting on its nectar… “So sweet you are, so giving… so loving,” I said to the yellow beauty. The bees did not understand why I said what I said… They kept sucking the sweetness out of the golden girl’s heart… And, I kept telling her, “You are so sweet, so giving… and so loving.” I was a traveler… I should have moved on... Leaving the marigold and the bees behind to the wild wayside. But then, I had stopped to watch someone, Who, by now, was no more belonged to the wayside! The bees saw me, now, And understood what I was saying and why… “Get lost,” they buzzed with anger, “Do not rob us of our happiness.” I realized, I had to move on… “I know, you can be so sweet, so giving and loving, my dear, Only where you truly belong,” I said in my heart with a silent pain. “Come to ...