The Big Questions of Life

The Big Questions of Life – A book summary – 7 Journeys we should Take!!! .Fundamental Questions we need to answer ourselves.!

by with No Comment Book Summary

– Om Swami.

The Big Questions of Life.

I can’t help you,’ the Buddha said. ‘No one can. For countless lives you have wept for loved ones. Your tears could fill the four oceans. But no one can be in a secure, hiding place from suffering. Knowing this, a wise person walks the path of awakening

The Big Question of Life by OM SWAMI is thought provoking and insightful exploration of some of the most fundamental questions of human existence.

This book will help us in transforming the way we think about life.

From the nature of reality to the concept of mortality, this book offers a fresh perspective on these big questions and provides practical insights on how we can find answers to them. Whether we are looking for spiritual guidance or simply seeking a deeper understanding of life, this book is sure to inspire and challenge you.

What is it all about???

Let’s enjoy this journey of self discovery with “The Big Questions of Life”.

This book explores the fundamental questions that have puzzled humanity since the beginning of time. The author presents the comprehensive analysis of these questions and offers a perspective on how we can find answers to them.

Journey through 7 truths…

This entire journey is divided into 7 chapters, each of which focuses on a particular question.

First Journey (Existence & Reality)

“If someone doesn’t want to be in your life, let that person go. There’s no wisdom in holding on to a partner, person, employer or a thing. Everything and everyone must ultimately perish. Separation from all that we love is not a question of ‘if’ but ‘when’.

It’s inevitable, only a matter of time. Our childhood, adolescence, youth, old age, all phases pass. Those who loved you deeply yesterday may loathe you tomorrow. The memories of the one who you loved deeply once, may only give you grief now. This is samsara – cyclical and transient.”

Existence & Reality.

The first chapter deals with the question of existence and examines the concept of reality. The author argues that existence is not just a physical manifestation, but rather a state of being that is not bound by time and space. We must emphasize the importance of understanding the nature of existence in order to lead a fulfilling life.

Second Journey (Identity & Self exploration)

“Just like our desires and emotions are cyclical, so are the good and bad times in our lives. It is absolutely impossible that each day will turn out the way you expect it to, or that every time only pleasing news will knock on your door.

At times, situations are undesirable and unpleasant, but we can’t avoid them. We have to deal with them. As they say, someone’s got to make the trains run on time. Granted, it’s not always feasible to deal with unpleasant situations with a pleasant mood, but it is possible to handle them with patience.”

Identity & self exploration

The second chapter delves into the question of identity and explores the concept of self. It discusses how our perceptions of ourselves is shaped by our environment and experiences, and how we can transcend our limited understanding of self to discover our true identity.

Third Journey (Purpose & Meaning).

“And so it is with life. For no direct fault of our own, it seems, sometimes our present turns out to be different than what we envisaged it to be all along, and we think life will give us some indication of how to go about fixing it. But there’s none.

One way to get past your past and your regrets is to give your life meaning. Once you discover the meaning, the purpose of your life, you no longer remain the old you. The new you is born in the same body. It becomes a whole lot easier to shed your old tendencies as your newfound meaning becomes your guiding and driving force.”

Purpose & Meaning of life.

The third chapter focuses on the question of purpose and explores the meaning of life. The book argues that our purpose in life is not predetermined, but rather something we must discover through our own efforts. We must emphasize the importance of finding the meaning of our lives in the order to live a fulfilled and meaningful existence.

Fourth Journey (Morality- objective or Subjective)

“O King, just as a human being bereft of spiritual knowledge never desires to give up his false sense of proprietorship over many material things, similarly, a person who has not developed detachment never desires to give up the bondage of the material body.

Pingala, however, rose above her false sense of existence that day. She experienced great vairagya, detachment, and ananda, bliss. She realized that she was already complete and didn’t need another man to fulfil her. That the one she should have loved, the one for whom she wouldn’t have to wait day and night, the one who would never abandon her, was already inside her – God.”

Morality

The fourth chapter deals with the question of morality and examines the nature of good and evil. It argues that morality is not an objective concept but rather a subjective one that is shaped by cultural and societal norms. We should develop our own personal moral code in order to live a virtuous life.

Fifth Journey ( Freedom & Choices)

“There’s only so much the other person can give you. Ultimately, your happiness depends on your selfless karma as well as on how you treat yourself. Doing something for the one you love is not always selfless. If rather than buying a watch for yourself, you buy a bracelet for your wife, it’s certainly thoughtful and caring, but not necessarily selfless, if you see what I mean. You have great emotional investment in such a relationship.

Quintessential selflessness is when you do a karma with little or no expectation in return, maybe when you do it with no emotional or any other vested interest of your own. At any rate, my fulfilment in life is my personal responsibility.

Who has ever discovered an ocean of happiness by looking up to another person? We must have the courage and wisdom to walk the path of dharma with contentment and gratitude instead of constantly counting on others to fill our cup.”

Freedom

The fifth chapter explores the question of freedom and examines the nature of choice. It is our ability to make choices is what sets us apart from other creatures and that our choices shape our lives. This book emphasizes the importance of taking responsibility of our choices in order to live a free and fulfilling life.

Sixth Journey (Love & Relationship)

“To err is human; we all make mistakes. That, however, can’t be the justification to repeat them. There are only two ways to show that we have realized our mistake: first, by not repeating it, and second, by offering a sincere apology. Let’s focus on the second point, that is, how to apologize. Apologizing correctly is neither an art nor a craft. It’s simply being natural and truthful. When we genuinely regret our action, the right words come out automatically and seeking forgiveness becomes easier.”

Love

The sixth chapter focuses on the question of love and explores the nature of relationships. It argues that love is not just an emotion, but rather a state of being that transcends the physical realm. This chapter discusses the importance of cultivating love in all aspects of our lives in order to experience true happiness.

Seventh and Final Journey (Death & Mortality).

“The wheel of time churns relentlessly. Moments gone will never come back. So, act wisely and mindfully in the living present. The past is dead, it has nothing new for you. And the future is just the present of tomorrow. Now is the only living moment, the only true moment in which life actually exists in its entirety.”

Death

The final chapter deals with the question of death and explores the concept of mortality. The author argues that death is not the end but rather a transition to a different state of being. We should accept death as a natural part of life and living in the present moment.

Some take-away key points from “The Big Questions of Life” by Om Swami:

  1. The concept of existence is not limited to physical reality but includes a state of being that transcends time and space.
  2. Our perception of self is shaped by our environment and experiences, and we can discover our true identity by transcending our limited understanding of self.
  3. Our purpose in life is not predetermined but something we must discover through our own efforts, and finding meaning in our lives is crucial to living a fulfilled existence.
  4. Morality is subjective and shaped by cultural and societal norms, and developing a personal moral code is important for living a virtuous life.
  5. Our ability to make choices is what sets us apart from othe creatures, and taking responsibility for our choices is essential to living a free and fulfilling life.
  6. Love is not just an emotion but a state of being that transcends the physical realm, and cultivating love in all aspects of our lives leads to true happiness.
  7. Death is not an end but a transition to a different state of being, and accepting death as natural part of life allows us to live in the present moment.

What can you take from this.

Overall this book, The Big Question of Life by OM SWAMI is thought provoking and insightful exploration of some of the most fundamental questions of human existence.

Whether you are a spiritual seeker, a philosopher, or simply curious about the nature of reality, this book is sure to inspire and challenge you.

Want to experience it on your own. Checkout the link Below!!!

The Big Questions of the Life. – Om Swami

Want to learn more about how you could achieve Emotional Health. Do checkout these links.
Beyond IQ, Emotional Intelligence is the new Intelligence. 4 ways to make your Life better.
Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy life.(10 points we can learn from IKIGAI).
Why has nobody told me this before.(A therapist toolkit)(3-key points to make yourself happy).

The Alchemist

The Alchemist- A Book Summary-1,000,000 $ (maybe more) Treasure, you always carry!!!

by with No Comment Book Summary

-Paulo Coelho

The Alchemist.

No matter what he does, every person on earth plays a central role in the history of the world.
And normally he doesn’t know it.

– by Paulo Coelho (The Alchemist)

Book Summary No one should Miss!!!

It’s  story about young shepherd Santiago, who is able to find a treasure beyond it’s wildest dreams and feelings of self doubt. In this fable the author uses magical realism to portray  Santiago’s physical and spiritual journey, as he learns to listen to his heart and realizes that his aspirations belong not only to him but to the universe as well.

Living in Andalusia Spain, Santiago was a humble shepherd who wants only to roam with his sheep, enjoy wine and read a good book. Fate intervene however in the form of a recurring dream about a great treasure hidden at the base of the Egyptian pyramids. Santiago meets Melchizedek, a strange wise man and king from a far off land.

Melchizedek appears to those who are seeking their personal legend or deepest life long goal. This ambition comes from the soul of the world which conspires everyone to reach their deepest desire. Unfortunately fear and routine often get in the way.  Soon Santiago decides to sell his flock and seek his treasure. Melchizedek gives Santiago two stones , a black stone called Urim meaning Yes and a white stone called Thummim meaning No. Santiago is to consult these if he cannot understand the omens. He set sail to Africa to seek his treasure and personal legend.

Egyptian Pyramids
The Alchemist

Santiago’s first day in Tangier Morocco, he is robbed and left completely alone. Unable to speak a single word of Arabic, Santiago contemplates giving up and turning around but he remembers the words of wise man and carries on. Eventually he finds work at a crystal shop for one year where he earns enough money to buy a new flock of sheep and return home. Instead he joins a caravan crossing the desert to Egypt thus moving closer to his dream.

On the caravan Santiago meets an Englishman who has come all the way to Africa to seek a renowned alchemist. His new travel companion carries two stone just like Santiago’s and believe that it is not accidental that two of them have met. Santiago finds the Englishman’s ideas to be similar to Melchizedek’s. They both speak of a soul of the world to which we are all connected. The Englishman also reveals that goal of alchemy is “the master work which includes a liquid called  elixir of life and a solid called the Philosopher’s stone.“

Treasure
Philosopher’s stone.

When they finally arrive at the Al-faiyum oasis, the home of the titular alchemist. Santiago meets a beautiful girl called Fatima with whom he immediately falls in love. He soon discover that love like the personal legend comes directly from the soul of the world. While walking in the desert, Santiago has the vision of an upcoming battle. He rushes back to warn the elders at the oasis. The next day 500 armed tribesmen entered the oasis as Santiago predicted.

The man duly warned kill all of the intruders. The chieftain of the oasis awards Santiago 50 pieces of gold and offers him a position of counsellor. Santiago considers staying at the oasis with his new found love Fatima instead of seeking the pyramids. Fatima however tells Santiago that she understands his need to realize his goal. The women of the desert explains are proud of their men’s freedom. This confuses Santiago who is unable to separate love and possession.

The Alchemist

The alchemist finds Santiago and tells him that he will lead him to his treasure. While on the move the alchemist teaches Santiago that hearts can be treacherous but the best way to keep them from fooling you is to listen to them intently. One must listen to the soul of the world to find one’s treasure. Everything on earth even minerals has a personal legend. This is why alchemist can change any metal into gold. They are simply metal achieve it’s personal legend.

When the two traveler taken prisoner by a warring tribe, the alchemist in an effort to save their lives claims that Santiago is a magician who can turn himself into wind. Santiago has no idea what he is doing, but eventually starts to pray with acknowledgement that his heart and the soul of the world are one. Immediately the winds whips up and Santiago disappears and reappears at the other side of the camp. The tribe chief was so impressed that they let the traveler go.

The Alchemist.

The next day the men arrives at a monastery. The alchemist uses his piece of philosopher stone to turn lead into a quantity of gold and give some to Santiago and some to a monk. Santiago continues to the pyramids alone. There he is overwhelmed with joy realizing he can turn back now that the real treasure is not the gold or jewels but the wisdom he has gained from his journey and his love for Fatima. His heart tells him to dig a spot where he sees a scarab beetle.

As he starts digging robbers beats him savagely, taking all of his money, when Santiago tries to explain what he is doing, one of the men tell him he is a fool. The robber explains to Santiago that he had a recurring dream too depicting the same treasure. But the treasure was in Spain instead.

He however was not stupid enough to go chasing after it. After the robbers leave Santiago gets up elated realizing that the treasure was back in Spain the entire time. Backs in Andalusia Santiago digs a hole at the base of sycamore tree where he first has the dream about the treasure. He finds trunk full of gold just as the alchemist insists that all the secrets he holds are simple. So too was the treasure always at home. Santiago returns to Fatima, confirming the alchemist’s prophecy. In the end he is able to achieve his personal legend and find his true love.

Want to learn more about how you could achieve Emotional Health. Do checkout these links.
Beyond IQ, Emotional Intelligence is the new Intelligence. 4 ways to make your Life better.
Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy life.(10 points we can learn from IKIGAI).
Why has nobody told me this before.(A therapist toolkit)(3-key points to make yourself happy).

Emotional Intelligence

Beyond IQ, Emotional Intelligence is the new Intelligence. 4 ways to make your Life better.

by with 2 Comments Book Summary
Emotional Intelligence.

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE IS NEW INTELLIGENCE

Daniel Goleman argues that IQ is not everything, our current view of intelligence is too narrow. Ignoring important abilities that determine how well we do in life. The superior metric that Goleman prefers to use to measure life success is EQ otherwise known as Emotional Intelligence.

It is made of 5 things.

1. Self Awareness- this is knowing one’s emotions as they happen. If you can do this you’ll make better decisions.

2. Managing Emotions- This is the ability to handle feelings. People that can manage their emotions are good at bouncing back from setbacks in life

3. Self Motivation- 4. Empathy- this is recognizing emotions and others. This is the people skill that makes people better at teaching sales and Management.

5. Handling Relationships- these abilities lead to popularity leadership and interpersonal effectiveness.

So, how do we improve our emotional intelligence. Goleman offers various insights throughout the book. Let’s go over the ones that I found the most useful and I think you will too.

Lesson 1:

The Ventilation Fallacy:

Venting when you are angry prolongs your mood rather than ending it. Goleman along with multiple studies argues that venting your anger doesn’t make you feel better, but instead prolongs and amplifies your anger. It pumps up the emotional Brain’s arousal and leaves people feeling more angry. Don’t get confused though venting when you are sad can be great way to get your feelings validated , but isn’t as effective when you are angry.

So when you feel yourself becoming angry what can you do to control your anger.

  • Take few deep breaths to help you relax and slow your heart rate, this helps your body go from high arousal to low arousal.
  • Go for a walk, but don’t indulge into anger inducing thoughts.
  • As bad thoughts come to you write them down and then reframe them.
EQ

Lesson 2:

Don’t ruminate when you are sad, distract yourself instead.:

A saleswoman gets depressed and spent so many hours worrying about it that she doesn’t get important sales call. Her sales making her feel like a failure which feeds her depression. But if she reacted to depression by trying to distract herself. She might plunge into the sales calls as a way to get her mind off the sadness. Sales would less likely to decline and the very experience of making a sale might boost their self confidence, lessening their depression somewhat.

What Goleman trying to say here? Is that continuing to think negative thoughts will lead you deeper into the sadness. Distractions are what break the chain of sadness maintaining thinking, the best distractions are ones that will shift your moods such as funny movie, reading an uplifting book or going to an exciting sport event. Goleman says distractions are more effective than crying because crying often reinforces rumination and prolongs misery.

Goleman offers 4 more solutions to managing sadness.

  • Exercise: Aerobic exercise is good because it changes your physiological state. Depression is a low arousal state, an aerobic exercise counters up by putting you into a high arousal state.
  • Go for that easy success. Do that small tasks that you have been putting off for a while and reap the rewards.
  • Reframe the situation- Just like with anger take note of bad thoughts when they come to you and see them in a more positive light. What can I learn form it. There are few things which would never happen if you didn’t change your thinking.
  • Lastly help other in need. It helps us to empathize with others and lifts us out of negativity.

Lesson 3:

The  Artful Critique.

How to criticize the right way. Criticism is important in how it is given. It determines how satisfied people are with their work with those when they work with and those who are responsible.

One of the worst criticisms are if you’re managing people is to say “you’re screwing up” delivered in Harsh sarcastic angry tone. It provided neither a chance nor any suggestions of ho to do things better, It ignores the person’s feelings and leave them feeling helpless and angry.

Much more effective way to criticize would be to say the main difficulty at this stage is that your plan will take too long and so escalates the cost, I would like you to think more about your proposal to see if you could do your job more quickly. This gives them hope of doing better and suggest the beginning of a plan to do so.

Goleman says you need four things to successfully deliver constructive criticism. They are

  • Be specific.
  • Offer a solution.
  • Do it face to face.
  • Be sensitive by showing empathy.
EQ

Lesson 4:

Emotional Contagion set the emotional tone.

So in a simple experiment two volunteers filled out a checklist about their merits at the moment and then started facing each other quietly waiting for the experiments to return to the room , two minute later, they returned and asked him to fill out the mood checklist again.

The pair’s were purposely chosen so that one partner was highly expressive of emotion and one who appeared flat and expressionless. It turns out that the mood of the expressive person had been transferred to the expressionless person.

This is an example of emotional contagion, our emotions are contagious like a virus they spread through others, this is why speakers like Tony Robbins are able to hype up their audience and get them involved. They show their passion and energy which spreads through the audience like wildfire.

Goleman says this ability to drive the emotional state and another person through emotional contagion is at the hearth of influencing people whether that’s through speaking teaching singing or in any other interpersonal communication.

EQ
pic3

Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy life.(10 points we can learn from IKIGAI).

by with No Comment Book Summary

By finding your IKIGAI and working on it, you will be irreplaceable.

There is an Island in Japan known as OKINAWA, where people manage to live more than 100 years. Even the people with 80-90 year old age is still very healthy and happily manage to do all their work. They are able to work their entire life without getting demotivated and never thinks of retiring.

IKIGAI

Secret Formula: IKIGAI- The reason for Living.

Japanese people believe everyone is born into this life with a purpose, with a reason, with an IKIGAI. If you work apart from your purpose you will become very stressed and won’t be happy. Your brain will always be anxious to find that purpose. But by using the below point you will be able to find your IKIGAI.

When we were young, we often get confused about what to do in our life. Few tells Do what you love to do. Few might suggest do what you are good at. Others might tell you to do something which helps you in earning money while few can say that you should do what world really needs it. The problem is that we are expected to choose out of these options which are wrong. We need all the above points for leading a happy life or all these points are necessary for finding your IKIGAI.

Let’s consider 4 points:

  1. What you love.
  2. What are you good at
  3. What you can be paid for
  4. What the world needs
  • If we combine 1 & 2, we get PASSION.
  • If we combine 2 & 3, we get PROFESSION.
  • If we combine 3 & 4, we get VOCATION.
  • If we combine 4 & 1, we get MISSION.
IKIGAI SCHEMATIC

Let’s try to understand each one of those with an example.

You love to draw things and you are pretty good at it, then that is your PASSION

You good at programming and you are being paid for it, then that is your PROFESSION

You have written a book which is helpful for the world and you are being paid for the book in royalties then that’s VOCATION.

You love to reach out to people, help them and care for them for those are depressed, Our world needs such service hence it becomes MISSION.

When you find your PASSION, PROFESSION, VOCATION & MISSION together then you can pat yourself at back , you have found your IKIGAI.

IKIGAI

A very good example for this is Blogging. Writing is your passion, you also write blogs as your work. People read those blogs which helps them and you get paid for it, Hence you have found your IKIGAI.

Your aim is to find a job that fulfills all the 4 points. Passion, Profession, Vocation and Mission.

Living example of IKIGAI is Master Blaster, The GOD of Cricket SACHIN TENDULKAR. He Loves playing cricket and he is very good at it. He is also paid for it & World loves to watch him play. His this job contributes all the four points hence Cricket is Sachin Tendulkar IKIGAI.

Most popular and successful people are so because they have found their IKIGAI and they follow it.

Now you might ask How will you know if you have found your IKIGAI. Short answer is if you are doing something and you lose your sense of time and space, congratulations you have found your IKIGAI.

Here are 10 Points which we can learn from our IKIGAI :

  1. STAY ACTIVE AND DO NOT RETIRE.

Whenever you feel that you have achieved the excellence in any job, still keep working, because more you keep working on it, your interest in that job will be there along with all the lessons and experience you gained will not go to waste. Life will be great and mood will remain good.

2.  FOLLOW YOUR PASSION.

If there is something which you enjoy doing, even if you are not being paid for it, if you can work for hours without distraction and you enjoy it. You should keep doing it. Life is all about enjoying the stuff you do.

3. LIVE IN THE MOMENT.

Always live in the moment. Often times we think too much and stop living in the present. Try to live and experience the present.

4. SAY THANKS!

Always have gratitude for the things and people who elevates your life. Say thank you to the people who makes your life easier. This will make your life happier and easier.

5. SMILE MORE and ACKNOWLEDGE PEOPLE AROUND YOU.

Be happy and make people around you happy. Acknowledge the people around you, Never ignore the people.

6. EXERCISE LEAST 15 Mins A DAY.

15 mins exercise will be enough for recharging yourself and keeping yourself happy. It will keep you motivated to win any situation in life.

7. SURROUND YOURSELF WITH GOOD FRIENDS

 Friends are very vital part of any person. You must keep yourself close to the friends who motivates you towards your goal, who pushes you to work harder. Who makes you happy.

8. RECONNECT WITH YOUR NATURE.

Pandemic has taught us how beautiful can nature be. Go out in nature, feel fresh air. Nature is the best healer. Connect yourself with Nature.

9. CONSUME ONLY UPTO 80%.

Always fill your stomach 80% only. The last 20%, rather than quenching your hunger will get you extra weight.

10. BE SLOW WHEN YOU FEEL THE NEED.

Life is a big race. We are chasing the never ending goal. Sometimes it is better to stop for a while appreciate what you have, take rest, give time to your loved ones, recharge yourself.