Notes on Spirituality 300821

A crow vision (kak drishti) is distorted. If it flies over a beautiful garden, it will not look at flowers, it will look for carcasses. At times, we also look at what is wrong in our life and not what is right.

That which did not change in me is who I am.

That which is not so but appears to be so is Maya, illusion.

Ancient scriptures first stressed on immortality or no death. Later they stressed on no birth. Because there will be no death if there is no birth.

Action is the signature of life. No action, no life.

Gyan yagna is when you burn your ignorance in the fire of knowledge

Adi Shankaracharya in Vivekchudamani says bumblebee has attraction for taste sense so dies in lotus flower, elephant has attraction for sense of touch by rolling in mud so suffers, patanga has attraction for sense of sight so it does. Humans have attractions of five senses.

Wherever I attach, that becomes myself. Body, mind, intellect, accomplishments or profession, that becomes myself.

Mind is just flow of thoughts. When you control these thoughts and turn towards yourself, that is meditation.

I minus I want is happiness.

Notes on retirement planning

Monthly expense multiplied by 200 is retirement fund minimum

10 per cent investment should be in gold or gold paper

100 less age should be percentage  invested in equity.

Real rate of return is interest less income tax less inflation

Check for SLR before investing. Safety, liquidity and return

If financial investment is less than 3 crore, real estate investment should be avoided. 

5 basic needs are house, car, children education, children marriage and retirement

Ideal saving is 30 per cent  Of gross monthly income. This includes pf etc.

4 schemes senior citizen saving scheme, pm vay vandan yojana, floating rate saving bond , systematic withdrawl plan debt fund ( offered by mutual funds)

Insurance should be ideally 10 times annual income

Notes on Spirituality 150821

Selfish action is binding, selfless action is liberating.

Janak, father of Sita and Ashwapati, father of Kaikeyi were kings free from attachment.

Through actions we aim to get comforts/happiness (sukha prapti) and avoid discomfort (dukh nivrati). Just like cold is absence of heat and darkness is absence of light, comfort is absence of discomfort. 

I minus I want is happiness. I plus I want is unhappiness. 

Both likes and dislikes (rag and dwesh) are your enemies. 

You can take your vasanas (attachments) and give the a direction to be more liberated. You overpower them. For example if you like singing film songs, sing them as bhajans.

Doctors smoke knowing very well the dangers. Because they are attached. You need to exhaust or transcend your attachments like a child grows up and gets detached from toys.

Dharma is law of being, which makes me what I am.

Desire is like a kleenex.  You take one out, next one pops up.