"personal" Archive
Homeless Man's Dream
I have been scratching my left brain for answers, ever since this whole marriage thing happened.
Today, a homeless man came for meditation. Bowman, as he identified himself, was cleanly dressed but had a non-functional walkman on his head at all times. Long ago, he had been a monk; more recently, he had cured himself of three kinds of cancer; and he lives on the streets to "cultivate" truth.
Right as he was about to leave, he sees a wedding invitation in my hands and says, "Funny, are you getting married?" The announcement was only going to be public the next day, so I dodged the question: "Oh, this is a friend's (Trishna) wedding invitation. Why do you ask?"
"Well, I had a dream of this house. And I could've sworn that you or your brother were getting married." What?!? How did he know? Staying cool, I press him for some details about his dream and he happily obliges. Throughout his elaborate dream, he was very kind to us so I asked his source of inspiration, considering that he doesn't even know us.
Bowman puts his hands up, shrugs his shoulders and says: "I don't know. No memory. It wasn't my choice."
by Nipun Mehta on Jun 28 '04 | add comment | permalink | more 'personal'
Interfaith Wedding Vows
In June of 2004, when Guri and I decided to get married, we came up with seven reasons to get married. On the first day of the seventh month, day before Guru Purnima, we participated in an interfaith blessing ceremony -- 9 faiths, including athiest! -- at the Berkeley Buddhist monastery, where we publicly shared those vows:
[ read more ... ]
by Nipun Mehta on Jul 1 '04 | add comment | permalink | more 'personal'
Just Keep Swimmin'
They come in their thousands. The sick, the lame, the 'incurable' and the medically discarded, to a small town in central Brazil. They endure long international flights and for some long bus trips to Abadiania, high on the plateaux of Central Brazil. They come to be cured by the miracle healer, Joao Teixeira de Faria ... the man they call John of God.
When I asked Kay Sandberg, founder of Health Medicine Institute, about her inspiration in life, she shared a story of meeting the miracle healer of Brazil. She asked him about her direction in life and he responded: "Keep doing what you're good at."
Simple and profound. To quote Finding Nemo, "Just keep swimming, Just keep swimming." :)
by Nipun Mehta on Jul 11 '04 | add comment | permalink | more 'personal'
Accidental Darshan
Guri and I visited Baba Hari Dass today, as he blessed our marriage. Although he's been silent for decades, he has built an incredible spiritual community around him, including a stunning Hanuman temple on top of hill. Makes you wonder about the usefulness of words. :)
Accidental darshan, if there is such a thing, was how I first met Babaji. I was part of a group escorting an Indian luminary; we were told that it's very hard to get a hold of Baba Hari Dass, yet just as we walked in, he was right there, coming out. People asked questions, he wrote answers on his slate. I stayed silent in the back.
Right before we were about to leave, he looks to me and writes on his slate, "And what work do you do?" Totally irrelevant to the whole discussion. Before I could say anything, a few others jumped in. Baba Hari Dass smiled and wrote on his slate: "Very good."
I vividly remember feeling physically different after that encounter. Even just two minutes with a saint can awaken a fire inside you.
by Nipun Mehta on Jul 15 '04 | add comment | permalink | more 'personal'
Gratefulness of Brother David
It seems that most of my meetings with sages are accidental. And it also seems that off late, those meetings have increased exponentially. :)
At a reception yesterday, Brother David just happen to walk in. People have their areas of specialty; for Brother David it was gratefulness. A Benedictine monk, he has been living a life of a hermit for 50 years in Ithica, with one pair of clothes and a small bag with all his belongings. Every so often, he'll go in silence for 7 or 14 years (yes, it's true!) and then break his silence for few years. I asked him why and he simply said, "To serve."
When I mentioned that Guri and I just got married last month, he had the most incredible joy in his eyes. Viscerally, both of us felt his blessing. We spoke for a bit and he ended with, "Share all your love with others." Later, we found out what an incredibly revered saint he was but we already figured.
by Nipun Mehta on Jul 30 '04 | add comment | permalink | more 'personal'
Leave of Presence
Viral has decided to take another six months off to go within. His employers call it a leave of absence, he calls it a leave of presence.
He sent out the following note to some friends before he started.
[ read more ... ]
by Nipun Mehta on Aug 12 '04 | add comment | permalink | more 'personal'
The Ultimate Driving Machine
"It's yours," Fred said as he handed me the keys to his beamer. Yes, a dark blue 325i.
Every since I learned that Fred owned the "ultimate driving machine", I'd always be telling him that I gotta take it for a spin -- BMW's are one of my favorites. But over the years, I never got around to it.
And then Fred's lease was about to expire in two weeks, he had another car to drive around, and he insisted with such sincerity ... I had no choice but to take it. :) Vroom!
BMW -- Bayrische Motorenwerke, Big Money Waste, Bring My Wallet. For me, it's become a reminder: Beneath Maya, Wisdom.
by Nipun Mehta on Aug 19 '04 | add comment | permalink | more 'personal'
Michchhami Dukkaddam
Once a year, some of my Jain friends send me an email that touches me deeply: "On the occasion of Paryushan Parva, I ask for forgiveness if I may have hurt your feelings by thoughts, words or actions, knowingly or unknowingly. Michchhami Dukkaddam."
Khämemi Savve Jivä, Savve Jivä Khamantu Mi
Mitti Me Savva bhuesu, Veram majjham na Kenai.
Translation: I forgive all the living beings of the universe, and may all the living-beings forgive me for my faults. I do not have any animosity towards anybody, and I have friendship for all living beings.
by Nipun Mehta on Sep 20 '04 | add comment | permalink | more 'personal'
To Have Succeeded
I often get tagged with smile cards. Today, we got an anonymous card in the mail, whose top cover read:
Top cover: To laugh often and much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children, to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends, to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch... to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded! --Emerson
I always smile when I get a smile card. Thank you to whoever it was.
by Nipun Mehta on Oct 6 '04 | add comment | permalink | more 'personal'
Chanting on Gandhi Jayanti
It was Gandhi's birthday and one of my very close friend's birthday. Through a long series of events, I ended up at a chanting session for Swami Muktanand's "samadhi" with another 500 people. For a left brain guy, I've always loved chanting.
At the ashram, the "MC" said he experienced 'God' in 1972 and that experience never left him. It turns out that as my friend was giving me a tour of the ashram, we ran into that MC -- Chris Forsyth. He shared a very interesting story about meeting Swami Muktananda: an Australian radical writer, wanting to please a good looking girl, going in prove that Muktananda was charlatan. A week later, in an assembly, Chris wondered what was in Muktananda's head and had a vision of his teacher.
Perhaps what was even more interesting was that I was somehow in a spontaneous assembly of three Malaysian borns -- Brian, a Chinese MIT grad working at Cisco; Chris, an Australian journalist who experienced "God"; and Lalitha, an Indian woman who's teacher had started Analakshmi (fully volunteer-run, no-charge restaurant). Brian and Chris were even born at the same hospital!
If you look closely, everything is a miracle.
by Nipun Mehta on Oct 8 '04 | add comment | permalink | more 'personal'
It Is In Living That We Receive
It's totally out of control. This game of tagging people with smiles. You see, now anyone can do something smiley and just get away with it.
Let me explain. Over the last couple weeks, it seems that the "Mehta ashram" is being routinely profiled by the compassion cops around town. Someone leaves two gallons of diesel for my mom's car, someone else mows the lawn, someone leaves a heartfelt poem around the house, where you least expect to find it. When we open the door, you just never know if it's our favorite Zachary's pizza waiting to be cooked, a favorite book or CD magically incarnating again, or even a UPS delivery of hand painted frame of Guru Nanak.
It's totally unfair. Where is the patriot act when you need it most? Everytime, our jaws drop and we don't even know if we should laugh, cry, or "smile". More importantly, we don't know who to blame. I'm sorry to say but we've even started profiling everyone -- "who knows, maybe it's them? Let's nuke 'em with kindness."
And you see, last night topped it again. I found -- quite literally -- a lovingly made, legal-size envelope sitting amongst a pile of paper napkins in our kitchen. I opened it up to find cash enough for a non-employed person's paycheck! What to do?
It is in giving that we receive, everyone says. For us, it is in simply living that we receive. Thank you, whoever you are. And don't worry, karma will get you back real good. :)
by Nipun Mehta on Oct 27 '04 | add comment | permalink | more 'personal'
Diwali Has Spoken!
I opened the door to John carrying his sleeping bag and a few tools. He was smiling, as always. When I asked him a quick question, he zipped his fingers over his mouth to signal silence. I pump my fist. The time has come. The show is on.
Today is Indian New Year, the day after Diwali. True to India's ways of abundance, there's actually four days of celebration -- Dhanteras, Kali Chaudas, Diwali and Bestuvarsh (New Year). And I've had an interesting four days this year.
My mom served up the usual feast to random dharma friends on Wednesday as my homies -- Viral and Guri -- spontaneously took for a 10-day meditation camp. John and I plotted a stealth mode service project and we got so excited, he's moving in for the week! Incidentally, it was the eleventh day of the eleventh month when we decided to crank it up with full verbal silence, fasting, and 3 hours of daily meditation. Mark Peters rolled in from Iowa the next day ... on Diwali, coincidentally! As usual, we both stayed up till 4AM and ended up ringing in the New Year with inspired conversations.
As is customary, I also connected with family and friends that were around; practically everyone shared their gratitude for CharityFocus (courtesy of this month's big story in India Currents).
Unconditional service. Meditative silence. Affinities with good friends. Gratitude from the world. It is going to be an interesting year. :)
by Nipun Mehta on Nov 13 '04 | add comment | permalink | more 'personal'
Message In The Pencil
At a recent meeting, all of us were randomly given one pencil. Each pencil had a unique message on it. One of them said, "Write to your mother". Another had an affirmation: "Life is good." On one of them, I even read something goofy like, "Take out the trash." But mine was just one word: "Love".
Without love, I had nothing. When I went to Berkeley, I quickly realized that my left brain wasn't the best in the industry (and I didn't even know my right brain existed!). When I played tennis at highly competetive levels, I knew I wasn't the strongest guy around. When I wrote my first essay outside of English class, I understood why I should've been paying attention in class when gerunds and appositives were covered in excruciating detail. When I gave my first talk, I nervously tried to memorize the entire talk, an hour before delivering it. When I started CharityFocus, the words organization, movement or revolution were simply placeholders in the dictionary.
But still, I was lucky. Lucky because early on in my life, I knew I could love. Fortunately, it wasn't patent-able or ego-gratifying; I would never be the Michael Jordan of love. But surely, if I loved enough, I could be "Rocky" on the tennis courts, in life, and in service.
Funny what a simple pencil helps you write, if it has the right word on it.
by Nipun Mehta on Nov 24 '04 | add comment | permalink | more 'personal'
Turning 29
So, I'm 29 today. Astronomers tell us that Saturn has a 29 year cycle; astrologers tell us that having Saturn in the same position as you birthyear is a very signficant.
Thank you for all your heartwarming blessings. Thank you.
Mark Peters, anted-up my gift of presence, from couple weeks back:
Years ago a boy was incarnated in the backwoods of the Gujarat. Written in the stars was his return home a couple decades and some odd years later. His bright eyes undiminished and his indefatigability intact the man-child prepares to fly West to go East. A mother waits patiently for her chess-chewing, tennis-tenacious, karma-krunching, marriage-marketing beta with the Eye of the Tiger. I begin my retreat dedicating the merit of the first day to my bhai, the aforementioned boy.
Let's see what 29 holds for me. :)
by Nipun Mehta on Dec 31 '04 | add comment | permalink | more 'personal'
This Is It
Sima sent me a "spiritual card" today. I clicked over the site and found this card especially relevant for the upcoming year:
by Nipun Mehta on Jan 1 '05 | add comment | permalink | more 'personal'
Sleepless around New Year's
At a South India restaurant, I ran into an Ayurvedic doctor friend -- Michael Kruezer. Michael tells me that I'm some combination of "pitta" and "vatta" ... which means many things but most importantly, it means that I need my sleep. :)
Despite that, I never seem to get enough sleep. Especially over the last New Year's, when we launched the Tsunami Blog, I was barely sleeping couple hours a night. And somehow, I wasn't sleepy. I later found out that Viral was meditating in Texas during that same time span, and he wasn't able to sleep much either. Hmmmm. Viral was probably in some deep samadhi and not sleeping due to heightened awareness; what was my excuse? That I am Viral's brother. :)
Ayurveda for dinner, enlightenment for brotherhood, maybe it's all connected beyond our wildest beliefs ...
by Nipun Mehta on Jan 9 '05 | add comment | permalink | more 'personal'
Clockless in Kauai
Few things we learned:
- Ancient Hawaiians didn't need retirement plans. Because they never worked. One person working four hours a day could feed 400 people and everything else they needed was right there in front of them.
- Kauai is "protected"; twice Britishers tried to attack -- once, the army mysteriously fell sick; second time, the waves went crazy and the attackers returned.
- Steve Case, founder of AOL, owns most of the island. Hawaiians have mixed feeling about it.
- Menihunis are the super-natural race on Kauaii; no one has seen them but all these projects on the land have "appeared" and are attributed to these "little people", menihunis.
- Not Tylenols for Hawaiians. They believe we're connected to all plant life; any problem we have can healed by plants ... we just need to know which combinations to use.
- If you want to explore the back country, jump on some 650cc ATV's. Hooya!
For a good time, go clockless in Kauai. Or clockless anywhere.
by Nipun Mehta on Jan 20 '05 | add comment | permalink | more 'personal'
How Old Are You?
I don't know. That's my mantra for life. And I hear people reciting it in the most unusual places.
Today, I visited Babaji -- Guri's grandfather whose winds of grace have touched my journey in deep ways. There are people who authenticaly command respect because of their life experiences and their innate ability to manuever the double-edged sword of power. And then there are people who naturally emanate an aura of love because of their connection to life's deep spirit, their intensely geniune religious practice, and their realizations that love is all that is. Babaji is both of those, and then some.
While many get nervous about meeting Babaji, it's deeply satisfying for Guri and I. His stories of Guru Nanak, of mystical experiences, of family are all even more powerful because he's saying it. Like when we talked about the recent Tsunami, Babaji rolled over on his bed -- he is too weak to stay seated upright -- closed his eyes, brought his shaking hands up on his forehead and folded them in prayer: "Wahe Guru, Wahe Guru, Wahe Guru". Immediately, you knew he cared.
At one point in our conversation, Guri asked him: "Exactly how old are you, Babaji?" And his response was one of those jaw-droppers: "I don't know." For him, it isn't out birth or death ... it's all God's will. Almost all religious people I know say that, but I felt that Babaji really meant it.
Wahe Guriji ka khalsa, Wahe Guri ki Fateh. (That's a Sikh salutation that denotes a devotee's faith in the ultimate truimph of truth over falsehood).
by Nipun Mehta on Jan 23 '05 | add comment | permalink | more 'personal'
A Sannyasi Gift
In general, I never look at the clock when I give talks. It's a simple practice to stay in the present, and give it my all. So last night, after I spoke to a group of IIT alumni, I ended up being 20 minutes late to my next "meeting".
I had to meet a friend, who had repeatedly invited me for a visit for the last many months. He calls me and gives me directions; I said, "Sounds great. I'll see you soon, Uncle." Instead of hanging up, he says: "Ok, I will wait for you outside, so you find it." "In this cold weather? No need, Uncle. I'll find it. I've been there before." And we hung up.
It was raining, and it was chilly, so I turned on the heater in the car. Fifteen minutes later, I arrive. Through the misty fog, the light drizzle, the dimly lit street lights, I see a potrait of an old man standing with a broken umbrella on his head.
I was speechless, almost thoughtless.
With his wife and 28-year-old son, we shared a few heartfelt stories over hotly-cooked dinner. At the end of the hour, all four of us walked to a closet-converted-to-temple and stood still in silence. Then, he offered me a "sannyasi gift" -- a shawl to cover me when I'm meditating during my India trip.
by Nipun Mehta on Jan 27 '05 | add comment | permalink | more 'personal'