Gerald D'Cunha

I s watching our thoughts what meditation all about? I think, it is… I like to write and post my Blogs almost every day… I have done that when my mind had the happiest, saddest, scariest and funniest thoughts, all. But, for some mysterious reasons, I was not inspired to write anything during the last nine days… And, these nine days have been usual days… with their shares of happiness, sadness, fear, fun and confusion. So, on days like these, I do blog. But, this time, as I confessed, for some strange reasons, I let the days go by without a word being typed… Often, such a practice is termed as ‘spiritual practice’. It helps one to feel centered… see things in proper perspective… and allows the silence to usher in. Equanimity is not for those who choose to react for every little buzz and ripple around them. All comments are not worth reacting to… All criticisms are not worth sulking about… All arguments are not worth getting entangled in… All people are not worth...

W hen my wife and I went on a 10-day vacation (we just returned yesterday), we had decided to stay away from TV, internet and mobile phone. We had TV in all hotel rooms we had checked in… But, we chose not to switch it on. Fortunately, at many places, there was no mobile and internet network connection. So, we were spared from the onslaught of Whatsapp and FB. I found myself freed from the ‘compulsion’ to post something on my blog everyday… All was going well, till we learnt from someone the shuddering news of demonetization of 500 and 1,000 rupee notes…  Suddenly, I could feel in my body the urge to watch news, read newspapers, read the updates on social media and all that… Yes, I did catch up with it and I did worry about the cash crunch one would experience when on tour…  But, then, we survived and landed here safely! L ife, no matter what comes on our way, will go on…  The young people, who are frantically busy typing, forwarding, commenting, t...

Pic.: Chetna Shetty T here are only two kinds of troubles in my life: the troubles, which come without my invitation… and the troubles which I self-invite. The more I look closer at my troubles, the clearer it becomes to me, that, there are no troubles in my life of a third kind! Troubles, which come in my life without my invitation, are the ones I have no control on… Like the bus or taxi I travel by get knocked off by some drunk-motorist; my house is destroyed in a fire, earthquake or flood;  a major illness of my own or my dearest ones; someone burgles into my house and cleans-up my  treasury; my bank goes bust… or, my children get into some major problems… Now, though the above troubles might come into my life without my invitation and are beyond my control, I still have a choice over how I react when they come… What I am unable to change or control, I must learn to accept… and, that quiet dignity, that silent grace is the key for ...

 “Man proposes, God disposes.” W ell, always? I don’t think so.  Most of the times, I propose… and, what I propose, gets disposed, too. God is okay with my proposal; He doesn’t meddle with my business… And, sometimes, for the reasons best known to Him, He does…  And, when that happens, when my plans go for a toss, when I miss on my 'connecting flight'… initially, I react angrily… I show my frustration… “What the hell is this?” Yes, who the hell am I asking this to? And, how the hell the missed flight be caught up again? Who the hell can tell me this? God has already disposed, buddy… Peace be with you… Amen! Y esterday, my friend Deepak and I boarded the fast-and-dependable Shivneri bus in Pune. We had a program to host here in Mumbai in the afternoon and we had timed ourselves accordingly based on the past track record of our dependable Shivneri.  All went well till we r...

Some years ago, I had gone to meet a Builder. I had booked a flat in one of his projects, when the property prices were at their peak. When the market crashed, the Builder began to delay the work, and the buyers began to delay the payment of instalments. In my case, due to other problems involved, I stopped making the payments completely, even though the Builder kept charging interest. I had decided to get out of the project, either by selling the unfinished unit, or by surrendering it back to the Builder. But, because of the slump, none of these was happening. In the mean time, the bill amount kept mounting. So, against this back drop, one morning, I took my younger brother and went to see this Builder. My objective was to negotiate with him, and find a win-win solution. However, in the course of our discussion, the Builder went on the offensive. With his loud voice, he began to 'insult' and 'accuse' me in front of my brother and some other customers. I lost my cool, a...