Crescendo of Inspiration

01 October, 2006

HEAVEN CAME DOWN TO EARTH FOR THREE DAYS DURING THE LIFE POSITIVE EXPO. A REPORT

How does one describe an event that was dedicated to celebrating and realising the highest ideals and deepest potential of mankind? From the moment the Expo began with a soulful invocation by noted singer and music therapist, Shruti, who reminded us of Shankaracharya's immortal words, "Chidananda roopam, Shivohum, Shivohum," till it closed with Dada Vaswani's stirring words, "It is in the measure that we handle our problems that we will be able to develop our moral and spiritual muscles," every workshop, every panel discussion and every discourse highlighted the possibility of physical, mental, emotional and spiritual transformation.

"The workshops were excellent. I got what I was looking for. Three cheers," said Sharada Bhagat, New Delhi. "I found the Expo to be brilliant," said Sampriti Mukherjee of Calcutta. "It was a dream come true to be with gurus like Swami Nithyananda and Anandmurti Gurumaa," raved Shalini Johari.

Remarkably, participants from all over India, be it Bangalore, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Calcutta, Mumbai, had gathered at New Delhi for the Expo. We thank you fervently for your support and sincerely apologise to those who could not be accommodated. We hope to make it up to you next year, when the event will be bigger.

Joy is who we are
The inauguration event was held at the NCUI auditorium and a packed audience eagerly drank in the words of Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev. Sadhguru, looking resplendent in his trademark turban and robes, delivered a profound, even iconoclastic, discourse.

"Nobody can teach you to be joyful," he began, demolishing right away the place of techniques in the aspirant's life. His message was simply this. The task was of elimination, not accretion. Elimination of our conditioning, fears and insecurities will access our true nature, which is joy.

In his characteristic interactive style, laced with humor and everyday examples, he threw light on the human condition that looks around blindly outside for what is innately within. He emphasised the importance of going within and engaging purposefully in the act of deconditioning. "You cannot grow mangoes by buying a couple of mangoes and hanging them on a tree. Only by planting a mango seed will you get mangoes year after year."

"Joy, which is our natural state, need not be sought for and one just needs to be joyful," he said. He also emphasised the importance of keeping one's inner space pleasant and free of all contaminants from the outside situation. Said he, "If one finds one's external circumstances unpleasant, there is even more reason to keep one's inner environment pleasant."

Not the easiest of suggestions to follow but if we can gather the mental fortitude to do it, as Sadhguru pointed out, we would face the "end of suffering".

You are unclutched
On the inaugural day of the Expo, participants were privileged to avail of two profound discourses from renowned gurus. In the evening, the youthful Swami Nithyananda (29), delivered a discourse that was as radical as it was refreshing. Swamiji, whose flashing teeth and large eyes make for an attractive picture, minced no words when he painted a stark Vedantic picture of the spiritual quest. He put his finger with uncanny accuracy on the human condition when he pointed out that when we relate to the outside world we do it with ahamkara, which is a picture of ourselves that is bigger than who we think we are. And when we relate with ourselves, it is through mamakara, which is a picture of ourselves that is less than who we think we are. Who we actually are is bigger than both, he said.

He also pointed out that most of us tend to connect individual experiences and create a 'shaft' out of them that coalesces into a conclusion about life or ourselves. "Life is suffering" is the conclusion most reach, he said, while a few may conclude that life is joy.

Going further into the demolition drive, he told us that if we were to do a stream-of-consciousness inventory of our thoughts, we would find that they were illogical, unclutched and independent. His point is profound. Our very nature is unclutched, (a synonym for detached), because we renounce one thought before we can get another. Unfortunately, we have gotten into the bad habit of retrieving these renounced thoughts from the dustbin and connecting them. If we would be contented with keeping them unclutched, the whole suffering of the human condition would dissolve. The discourse was preceded by an interesting multimedia show, Uttishtha Bharata, by Neelam Verma and her troupe.

Relate with yourself
The tall statuesque Anandmurti Gurumaa was the speaker for Day 11 of the Expo. Dressed in a flaming red sari embellished with the signs of Om, she made a striking picture. Equally forceful was her discourse, for Gurumaa does not mince words and puts forward her viewpoint strongly.

In her discourse on relationships and our place in the world, she established the importance of developing a relationship with oneself. Only when you have a relationship with yourself can you have a relationship with others," she said. She added that as long as we have a troubled relationship with ourselves, we will not be able to support others for we will be looking for support ourselves.

She continued that our uneasy relationship with ourselves prevents us from enjoying our own company. Only when we resolve this primary relationship, will we enjoy our own company, and that is when we will not find the need for other relationships. Pausing, she added, "That is when you are ready for a relationship."

She pointed out even our relationship with God is rooted in expectations, which stops us from experiencing fulfilment. In the same manner, enlightenment will be denied to us as long as we long for it. It is only when we surrender the desire, that we will attain to it. She ended her discourse with a warm acknowledgement of Life Positives role in disseminating positive literature into the mainstream. The discourse was preceded by a delightful musical rendition by the students of Mother's International School. The sound of pure young voices lifted in worship, had a powerful impact on all present.

Build spiritual muscles
The speaker for the last and final day of the Expo was the venerable Dada Vaswani, head of the Pune-based Sadhu Vaswani Mission. The diminutive Dada, with his joyful smile and compassionate approach, was an instant hit with the audience, who surged towards him in large numbers at the end of the discourse. In dealing with his subject, The Challenges of Life, Dada Vaswani said, "Life is full of challenges because problems are thrown deliberately in our way by a beneficent universe." He said that only when we successfully deal with the problems do we realise the full glory and potential of who we are. He also remarked that problems are a sign of life and joked that the day we find that we have no problems, we would be well advised to check in the obituary column to see if we have passed away!

His main thrust was that in order to handle our problems we need to face life with courage and that can only be effected when we turn to God.

He concluded by offering eight practical suggestions on how to cope with problems:

 • Remind yourself, 'I am not alone, God is with me."
 • Make a daily appointment with God and keep it
 • Take care of your attitude. Attitude determines character
 • Surrender your problems to God
 • Develop a healthy sense of humour
 • Never lose your temper
 • Never criticise others
 • Help others. Put aside your own problems and see what you can do for others.

The talented singer Ranjana Jha, sang some wonderful bhajans in her rich mellifluous voice, before Dada Vaswani took the stage.
 
Delegates were offered a package of six half-day workshops for three days. Each day began with the practice of sun yoga, yoga or SKY physical exercises.

Sun worship
The sun, as a source of energy, is known to all of us but few have tapped into its immense life-giving and healing potential. Sunyogi Swami Umashankar, who has used it as a source of attaining enlightenment, taught this technique in his workshop, ably helping the participants focus on the early morning sun with a meditative mind.

The yogic way
Another early morning workshop was yoga. "Everyone, no matter what their physical condition and age, can certainly practise yoga," was the clear principle that the workshop of the Sivananda Yoga Centre demonstrated. Even people who had ailments of the knees and joints and people who considered themselves 'inflexible' found themselves practising asanas along with younger, fitter participants at their own level of comfort, with the able guidance of Mr Kapoor.

Energy unlimited
Unleashing the immense energy present in each one of us through practical asanas that connected to one's bio-magnetic field, the World Community Service Center introduced the participants to an entire new way of being.