Ten Steps For A Better You-Part III

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Karma

Karma, the kind of actions we engage in, will ultimately shape our lives. Even animals and birds work to appease their hunger. Working for oneself is nothing remarkable. The special quality of human beings is their capacity to work for other people. They can give their lives for the sake of plants and the environment, for the sake of endangered animals.

Without man the plant kingdom can flourish, but man cannot survive without them. And yet we continue to destroy them systematically. If we have to cut a tree, we should plant ten others. We cannot live without water, but we waste water indiscriminately. A little thought can change our lives. We can try to do what little is within our capacity to help other human beings. If we rise above our ego and selfish motives, and work for the welfare of the world, for a higher ideal, our lives will be transformed.

Janma

Janma- our birth is not in our hands, we exclaim. Our birth is the result of all our actions in our earlier births. Now, that we have got a human birth, we should improve ourselves. Moment to moment we are born anew. When we get angry, an angry person is born. When we are peaceful, a peaceful person is born. When we feel full of love, a loving person is born. Jealousy, greed, hatred -with every thought a new person is born. If we remember this, we will become aware of the quality of our thoughts. Every emotion can be made divine. It is said that if you must get angry, do it like Lakshmana, whose anger rose whenever Sri Rama was insulted. It is not worth getting angry for petty egoistic reasons.

Dhyana

We generally think of meditation, when the word Dhyana is used. The word also refers to the direction of thoughts that determines one's personality. Continuous and consistent thoughts in a given direction will shape your life.

One becomes a doctor, an engineer, a political leader or an artist, because that was the goal kept in mind consistently. If we want to improve the quality of our lives, we should have a higher ideal in life and work towards it. We should learn to choose values instead of valuables. We should be strong and courageous in upholding our principles. If we stoop to compromise, we will continue to fall lower. It is said that if you don't stand for something, you will fall for everything.

We should always remember our ideal, while engaging in our daily activities.

Mantra

Mantra is not just the 'Om Namah Sivaya' that we chant. Mantra is our slogan in life. When we face difficult situations or a crisis, that single slogan can help us. With firm conviction, Lokmanya Tilak said, 'Independence is my birthright'. 'Quit India' was a slogan packed with the power to motivate thousands of people. Swami Vivekananda said, "Awake, arise stop not till your goal is reached," “We can, we must", said our Gurudev (Swami Chinmayananda). The slogan keeps us inspired.

Samskara

I read somewhere that is easy to find people with a 'car' but it is not so easy to find people with 'samskar'! The samskaras we have accumulated from our past lives and the samskaras we have cultivated in our present lives make us what we are. The impressions and tendencies we have inherited combine with the culture, education and training that we undergo in this life, to mould our personality.

These ten points have the capacity to change our lives. If we keep them in mind and regulate our lives alertly, we can change ourselves in line with our aspirations.

About the author

Swami Tejomayananda

Swami Tejomayananda, the Chairman and spiritual head of Chinmaya Mission worldwide, is one of the foremost disciples of Swami Chinmayananda. He is an outstanding teacher of Vedanta and an accomplished poet, author, and composer.