Sri Sri discourse in Miami apr 2022

Relationships

The woman - never step on the ego of the man 

The man - never step on the emotion of the woman 

For both - never demand love from the other 

Here’s What the Longest-Living People in the World Always Eat (and Drink) Before Bed For Restful Sleep - by Allie Flynn

Here’s What the Longest-Living People in the World Always Eat (and Drink) Before Bed For Restful Sleep

Look, I fully grasp why this 107-year-old woman credited her long, healthy life to being single, as well as the rationale of this 102-year-old woman who says she’s thrived so long because she minds her own business. But many of us cannot put all of our eggs in one particular longevity basket—which is why I’ve turned to the ways of the Blue Zones to help me live a longer, happier, healthier life.

What are the Blue Zones, you ask? This term refers to the five regions in the world—Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Ikaria, Greece; and Loma Linda, California—where people not only regularly live into the triple digits, but their minds and bodies are both still working well. National Geographic journalist Dan Buettner has been reporting on these regions extensively for years, and dubbed them Blue Zones. Each region has (of course) its own distinct habits, cuisine, and culture, but all five places share a few values: Maintaining a strong sense of purpose, eating mostly plant-based, and moving every day are three such examples. Another is valuing low levels of stress, which naturally means restful sleep is a top priority.

Most of us likely struggle to identify a single person who would respond along the lines of “I just get SO much high-quality rest, never wake up in the middle of the night, and NEVER feel drowsy when the alarm goes off” when asked how they sleep on a consistent basis. That’s why I’m willing to wager that many could benefit from some Blue Zones sleep tips. See, it’s common for people in these parts of the world to get a solid, restful eight hours of sleep per night. Say whaaaaaat? 

So, how do they do it? Believe it or not, what they eat and drink before bed plays a big role. Here, five food-themed Blue Zones sleep tips for better rest 

What the longest-living people in the world eat, drink, and do before bed for restful sleep

1. The people in the Blue Zones typically avoid foods with added sugar—before bed and always.

It’s too simplistic to say sugar = bad, because there are many different kinds of sugar (17, to be exact). But the one that is problematic for your health is added sugar. The food that people in the Blue Zones eat generally does not contain added sugar, unless it’s for a celebration. Rather, in these regions, eating sugar isn’t a habit, and the people living in them tend to be intentional about consuming it.

When it comes to sleep, studies have shown that consuming added sugars before bed contributes to more restless, disrupted sleep, as well as taking longer to fall asleep in the first place. This is largely due to the blood sugar spike and drop that typically occur after consuming added sugar.

2. They drink green tea (lots and lots of it) in the Blue Zones.

Tea is one of the only beverages people in Blue Zones drink (the others are water, coffee, and red wine). “Okinawans nurse green tea all day long—and green tea has been shown to lower the risk of heart disease and several cancers,” according to the Blue Zones’ website. One of the many benefits of green tea is that it doesn’t lead to crashes the way coffee can, yet it’s also full of antioxidants.

If you are sensitive to even small amounts of caffeine, no sweat. Sip on herbal tea like chamomile or mint before bed (or later in the day) instead.

3. They drink red wine after 5 p.m. and in moderation.

You may be surprised to find this one on the list, and Buettner readily admits that there’s controversy around couching alcohol as being beneficial to health—let alone sleep—in any way. “I’m well aware of the recent studies around alcohol showing that it increases the chance of breast cancer in women, or that it can cause falls, car crashes, and other fatal events,” he says. “But I can tell you that in all five Blue Zones, they drink a little bit every day and it adds to their quality of life,” he says. “If you drink a little bit of red wine with a plant-based meal, it will about quadruple the flavonoid or antioxidant absorption and lower cortisol levels at the end of the day,” he also previously told Well+Good. We’ll also caveat this by noting that neuroscientist Kristen Willeumier, PhD told Well+Good that “alcohol is initially sedating, [but] once it is metabolized, it can lead to disrupted, poor quality of sleep later in the night.”

4. People in the Blue Zones don’t often eat right before bed.

In Okinawa, Japan, they are careful to leave plenty of time between their last meal of the day and when they get into bed for the night—most make dinner the smallest meal of the day, and they eat it in the early evening. “Food triggers our body’s release of insulin, which works in opposition to the body’s sleep hormone, melatonin. Eating too much or too close to bed could diminish your body’s melatonin production and make it harder to fall asleep,” Whitney English Tabaie, RDN, previously told Well+Good.

5. They eat breads made from whole grains.

Bleached white flour doesn’t have a place on menus in the Blue Zones, but that doesn’t mean all bread is off-limits. People in these regions often eat breads made with whole grains like rye and barley, which contain nutrients and minerals like tryptophan and magnesium; the former helps increase serotonin levels, which is a precursor to melatonin production, and the latter helps with relaxation and good sleep.

A father’s letter to his kid: The 9 money and life lessons most people learn too late in life

1. Don’t underestimate the role of chance in life.

It’s easy to assume that wealth and poverty are caused by the choices we make, but it’s even easier to underestimate the role of chance in life.

The families, values, countries and generations we’re born into, as well as the people we happen to meet along the way, all play a bigger role in our outcomes than most people want to admit.

While you should believe in the values and rewards of hard work, it’s also important to understand that not all success is a result of hard work, and that not all poverty is due to laziness. Keep this in mind when forming opinions about others, including yourself.

2. The highest dividend money pays is the ability to control time.

Being able to do what you want, when you want, where you want, with who you want and for as long as you want provides a lasting level of happiness that no amount of “fancy stuff” can ever offer. 

The thrill of having fancy stuff wears off quickly. But a job with flexible hours and a short commute will never get old. Having enough savings to give you time and options during an emergency will never get old. Being able to retire when you want to will never get old.

Achieving independence is our ultimate goal in life. But independence isn’t an “all-or-nothing” — every dollar you save is like owning a slice of your future that might otherwise be managed by someone else, based on their priorities.

3. Don’t count on getting spoiled.

No one can grasp the value of a dollar without experiencing its scarcity, so while your mother and I will always do our best to support you, we’re not going to spoil you.

Learning that you can’t have everything you want is the only way to understand needs versus desires. This in turn will teach you about budgeting, saving, and valuing what you already have.

Knowing how to be frugal — without it hurting you — is an essential life skill that will come in handy during life’s inevitable ups and downs.

4. Success doesn’t always come from big actions.

Napoleon’s definition of a genius is the person “who can do the average thing when everyone else around him is losing his mind.”

Managing money is the same. You don’t have to do amazing things to end up in a good place over time, you just have to consistently not screw up for long periods of time.

Avoiding catastrophic mistakes (the biggest of which is burying yourself in debt) is more powerful than any fancy financial tip.

5. Live below your means.

The ability to live with less is one of the most powerful financial levers, because you’ll have more control over it than things like your income or investment returns. 

The person who makes $50,000 per year, but only needs $40,000 to be happy, is richer than the person who makes $150,000, but needs $151,000 to be happy. The investor who earns a 5% return, but has low expenses, may be better off than the investor who earns 7% a year, but needs every penny of it.

How much you make doesn’t determine how much you have, and how much you have doesn’t determine how much you need.

6. It’s okay to change your mind.

Almost no one has their life figured out by age 18, so it’s not the end of the world if you pick a major that you end up not enjoying. Or get a degree in a field that you’re not 100% passionate about. Or work in a career and later decide you want to do something else.

It’s okay to admit that your values and goals have evolved. Forgiving yourself for changing your mind is a superpower, especially when you’re young.

7. Everything has a price.

The price of a busy career is time away from friends and family. The price of long-term market returns is uncertainty and volatility. The price of spoiling kids is them living a sheltered life.

Everything worthwhile comes with a price, and most of those prices are hidden. They’re sometimes worth paying for, but you should never ignore their true costs.

Once you accept this, you’ll start to view things like time, relationships, autonomy and creativity as currencies that are just as valuable as cash.

8. Money is not the greatest measure of success.

Warren Buffett once said: True success in life is “when the number of people you want to have love you actually do love you.”

And that love comes overwhelmingly from how you treat people, rather than your level of net worth. Money won’t provide the thing that you (and almost everyone else) want most. No amount of money can compensate for a lack of character, honesty and genuine empathy towards others.

This is the most important financial advice I can give you.

9. Don’t blindly accept any advice you’re given.

All the lessons here, including this last one, are things that most people learn too late in life. But feel free to reject them.

Your world will be different from mine, just as mine is different from my parents. No one is exactly is the same, and no one has all the right answers. Never take anyone’s advice without contextualizing it with your own values, goals and circumstances.

Your parents love you. We are so happy you’re here. Please let us sleep.

The pavement

THE PAVEMENT

There is almost nothing anywhere in the early records of Speculative Lodges to suggest either a history or an interpretation of the Pavement, which is represented by a series of black and white squares inside a rectangular frame; nor does there anywhere appear an explanation of why a Blazing Star was set in the middle of it, or why a rope with a tie and tassels in the corners was combined with it. By general consent Masonic symbologists have treated these as separate symbolisms, yet there must belong together or they would not have been shown together on old Tracing Boards.
Despite this paucity of data the Pavement is one of the most interesting of Masonic symbols, and that interest is heightened with each discover) of news facts. As a design the Pavement itself, whether set from the sides in a system of squares or from a corner in a system of diamonds, is one of the oldest and most universally liked of decorative designs—old as Egypt, or as China, and found at the ends of the earth; and especially beloved by Indians in both North and South America w ho have found numberless adaptations of it; checker-work w as one of the favorite motifs of Byzantine artists; and from early Roman times has been so much used in Italy that walls as w ell as floors are decorated with it, outside as w ell as inside. It is one of the few symbols in which non-Masonic meanings and uses correspond with or are identical with Masonic meanings; and it also is one of the few symbols which is Operative and Speculative at one stroke, because Operative builders used a board of floor or tracing paper (or cloth) divided into squares in laying out plans—as architects and engineers still do. In it many types of symbolism converge.

"The Pavement," writes Pike in his Morals and Dogma, " alternately black and white, symbolizes, whether so intended or not, the Good and Evil Principles of the Egyptian and Persian creed. It is the warfare of Michael and Satan . . . " (Perhaps Pike should have written " a creed " because both Egyptians and Persians had many creeds; nevertheless, and apropos of the latter, the dualism was a cardinal doctrine in Zoroastrianism, Mithraism, Manicheeism, etc.

The Pavement also suggests the correct position of the feet; and the fact that in Circumambulation the turns are at right angles, which in itself impresses upon a Candidate the fact that in a Lodge no member can run to and from at will, and that goings and comings are ordered.

The checkered design may be thought of as inlay work or as mosaic work, but in Masonry it is described by the latter word. "Mosaic" is believed by some etymologists to derive from the Latin, by others from the Greek mousa, muse; in either event it passed from Latin into Italian, thence into French, and finally into English (it had no reference to Moses). The Greek artisans of the Byzantine Period used mosaic extensively and so skillfully that it also came to be called in memory of them opus alexandrium, and opus graecanicum; and occasionally it was called opus sedile. But as a Greek art it died out in the Seventh Century, a short time before Charlemagne, and when the Western Empire was about to sever its last ties with the Eastern. In the Eleventh Century it was revived in Italy, and in the great Twelfth Century (which has a better right than the Thirteenth to the title of "greatest of centuries"—granted that there ever was a "greater"!) the extraordinarily talented Cosmati family made their mosaic work so famous that it came to be called Cosmati work.

If, as the majority of Masonic symbologists believe, the black and white squares symbolize day and night, the Pavement is a member of a recurrent theme—the Twenty-four Inch Gage represents the twenty-four hours, the Sun and Moon are day and night, the East is the place of light and the North is the place of darkness, the Master's station is at the beginning of the day and the Junior Warden's is at the end, the postulant is brought from darkness to light, there are High Twelve and Low Twelve. Masons are to know each other in the dark as well as in the light; in the dark a man needs a guide, in the daylight he can guide himself; a man hexes, or buries, his secrets in the dark where no other can find them. These meanings cluster around the symbolism of the Pavement; perhaps the sun is meant by the Blazing Star (as it was once called) and is in the center because it makes the day by its shining and the night by the shadow it casts; and perhaps the rope around the perimeter reminds men that while for the world day and night go on endlessly they do not for him, and only a few days are going to be tied together in his span of them, so that it is good for him, as is the Masons' creed, to work while it is called of day for soon the night cometh when no man can work.

Mackey's Encyclopedia of Freemasonry

Freemasonry and Spirituality

Here is a very good article written by my father - an active and practicing Freemason. 

The writer of the paper is Bro. T.S.Sridhar and is based in Mumbai. This paper was read at the Rustom Cama Masonic Study Circle meeting held in April 2011 under the title of “Why am I a freemason”. He can be contacted at email: titai.sridhar[at]gmail[dot]com

He also maintains his own blog which has more such articles: titaisridhar.blogspot.com

Freemasonry and Spirituality.

Very early in life I was told by my family elders that my grand father was a Freemason and
that he died very young leaving behind the widow and 5 children who were studying in school. The Lodge came to the timely help of the distressed family till the eldest son started earning. I was very impressed by what the Lodge had done. I took a liking for such an organisation and
decided to join it when I grew up in order to help the needy. Beyond this I knew nothing about
Freemasonry. When the opporturnity came I joined Freemasonry.

Contrary to what I thought before joining Masonry, I saw that collecting and disbursing charity at the meetings were relegated to the bottom of the agenda and occupied no more than 2 minutes time. Discussions rarely took place on the issue. I had the preconceived notion that collections would be made and distributed to needy persons at meetings after meetings. Naturally I was led to believe that there must be something more to Freemasonry and I decided to find that out. Brethren made vague and unsatisfactory statements like Freemasonry makes good men better, which in my opinion was too simple and told nothing. There were placed on the Altar the Holy Books of various religions, the Three Lights, the Square, the Compass, etc., and we were told that we should live our lives with the Holy Books as our guide and conduct ourselves within the boundary of the square and the compass. Our meeting places were referred to as a Temple, the Brethren were said to be involved in a peculiar labor, and the name of the presiding deity varied from degree to degree. Yet we were told that Freemasonry was not a religion or a religious body. There was something beyond my reasoning and my curiosity was aroused. 

Pranayams and Meditation had formed a part of my daily routine from a very young age and I had started feeling a faint energy on my finger tips whenever I visited a Lord Vishnu temple. Time and again I visited the temple just to experience this. Later on I learnt from elders that this energy is described in the Vedas and Upanishads as the energy generated by the spark of the Divine Life (Divine Agni or Divine Fire) present in every living being. Five or six years after I had joined Freemasonry, I read a book by Leadbeater titled “The Hidden Life in Freemasonry”. I was surprised to read Leadbeater write about the generation and circulation of spiritual energy
within a tyled lodge and called the Lodge a temple. He says that the peculiar labor engaged by Brethren in a Masonic Lodge refers to the collective duties performed by every brother in a disciplined and solemn manner to enable the generation and flow of the spiritual energy. After reading the book I decided to attend Lodge meetings and verify if I could feel such energy. To my disbelief I felt the energy in a Masonic temple as I would feel in a Lord Vishnu temple. I
was convinced that our Lodge is indeed similar to a holy temple for self and group realization which enables us to know about ourselves and our connection with God. I got the answers to elementary but important questions like - how freemasonry makes good people better, why our meeting places are called temples and what is the peculiar labor that brethren are engaged in.

Speculative Freemasonry as we can understand is indeed speculative in nature and therefore it has taken me 25 years to tell or write - what made me remain a Mason for all these years. As I was already convinced that our meeting places generated a spiritual aura which is there in a Lord Vishnu Temple, my quest should have concluded . On the contrary it only intensified. In addition to the Craft Lodge, I had also joined other Masonic bodies like - Chapter, RAM, Conclave, etc., and as I was exposed to their workings my interest was further kindled as advancing in spiritual knowledge was very important to me.

I started taking a close look at the workings in the various bodies in Freemasonry and tried to understand their relation to the advances made by the spiritual energy in our body as described in several non-masonic books. 

To illustrate – By the symbolic penalties of the 3 degrees in the craft lodge I understood them to represent paving the path for the mystic spiritual energy in our body to advance from the bottom of the spine to the top of our head or the crown. This energy is described in the Vedas and Upanishads as the Mystic Kundalini Shakti or Energy or The Serpent Power which is dormant in most of the human beings. 

Coming to the Chapter, I understood the guarded veils (whose duties are clearly described in the Irish Chapter working) before one is allowed to advance to the Council Chamber as representative of the Kundalini Chakras or Energy Centers in our body. For the spiritual energy to smoothly move from one center to another, strict observance of moral and ethical codes are expected and we should have strong belief in God. Any deviation therefrom will lead to disastrous consequences to our well being. Hence in the Chapter there are Companions symbolically guarding the Veils to prevent undeserving people from advancing towards the Council Chamber. The Council chamber is representative of the Kundalini Sahasrara at the top of the head. I have read several books which say that an attentive person should be able to feel the sensations as the energy advances from one center to another. As pains and pleasures form an essential and integral part in the path of spirituality, only a person who has firm faith in God can keep the Divine Fire or Agni burning to ultimately secure Self Realisation, God Realisation and the Realisation that very living being is a ‘Soul and not a Body’. No wonder that belief in God or the Supreme Being as a prerequisite before one is admitted into freemasonry. 

Sri Aurobindo has described in his book on Savitri (1) that after the spiritual energy in our body rises from the base of the Spine to the top of our head and meets the Universal energy, the same Spiritual Energy reverses and comes down into our body through the top of the head. Sri Aurobindo calls it the Descending Divine Grace as distinguished from the rising Kundalini. He names this Integral Yoga and says that the Integral Yoga begins only after the end of other Yogas i.e. after the ascending energy has completed its course from the bottom of the spine to the head as symbolised in the craft and chapter working. 

Attending other Masonic bodies also made me realise that their workings/rituals alluded to movements of the spiritual energy in our body. This time about how it feels when the Divine Energy travels from top to bottom - The wonderful feel of the Divine Energy or Blessing is very nicely depicted in the Anthem of Secret Monitors in the Brotherhood of David and Jonathan in the following words :

“ Behold how good and joyful a thing it is : brethren, to dwell together in unity!

It is like the precious ointment upon the head , that ran down unto the beard: even unto
Aaron’s beard, and went down to the skirts of his clothing.

Like the dew of Hermon : which fell upon the hill of Sion.

For there the Lord promised his blessing : and life for evermore.” 

Sri Aurobindo has also in his inimitable manner described how it feels when the Divine Grace or Blessing descends in the Integral Yoga. When the Divine Grace descends it feels as though snow flakes flow from the top of the head to the face, then the neck, then the throat till it has traversed the whole body.

In Chaitanya Charitamritha , the author describes the ecstatic and joyful moments that Sri Krishna Chaitanya experienced when there was an outpouring of the Divine Grace or Blessing during the time of his dancing in praise of Lord Krishna. Sri Krishna Chaitanya is claimed to be an Avatar of Lord Krishna who appeared in Bengal about 500 years back and re-discovered the lost secrets of the Vedas contained in Bhakti Yoga. 

Though there is scope for citing similar examples from other Masonic bodies, suffice it to say that apart from the quest for knowledge, brotherhood at Lodge meetings is the key to spiritual progress. If Brotherhood was wanting at a particular Masonic meeting the spiritual energy was either not felt or absent as the thought processes and negative attitudes tended to disturb the free flowing movements of the spiritual aura. Hence the spiritual progress of brethren are negated. That explains why two brethren not on amicable terms are asked to resolve their differences before they enter the temple. Such is the importance attached to brotherhood for
our collective progress.

It is my opinion that if we make the Spiritual side of Freemasonry known loudly and widely, we
can expect Brethren to take a more serious interest at the meetings and perhaps more people will join Freemasonry. The Spiritual side is indeed the Hidden Side of Freemasonry which is also the most important goal of all religions.

My interest in Spirituality brings me to the Lodge as I see in the Lodge Temple a place where
we meet in a group to collectively elevate our souls to higher levels and in the process evolve
a new quality of life on earth. Sri Aurobindo and The Mother toiled all their life for the descent of the Divine Grace in themselves and the Pondicherry Ashram inmates as they felt that the descent of the Divine Grace will ultimately culminate in the descent of Super Consciousness in the human body . My years in Freemasonry has given me rich knowledge. I hope you enjoyed
listening/reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.

May the blessings of Heaven pour and rest upon us.

All Glories to the Most High.

Amen.

1.Savitri - Savitri’s love for Satyawan described in the Mahabharata.

Vaisakhi by Sri Ravi Shankar

Knowledge Sheet: Vaisakhi and Sikhism!

Vaisakhi is a festival celebrated across India especially in the Punjab region by the Sikh community; It is celebrated as the day of the Khalsa in Punjab. It is the day when the Khalsa clan was started by Guru Gobind Singh to protect dharma, destroy evil, and uplift human values.

Guru Gobind Singh’s message is so relevant today.

He said, ‘You should be dynamic, and still be soft in the heart. You should be inwardly spiritual. Be a Sant Sepahi, a saint and a soldier, together.’
He meant, you have to stand up against injustice. You cannot just be a saint and say, ‘Okay, whatever has happened, let it happen!’ You should stand against injustice, and simultaneously, be compassionate within you, like a saint.
It was Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru, who established this rare combination of firmness and softness.

When Guru Gobind Singh left this world, he said, ‘After me, the next Guru is the book, Granth. All the knowledge is kept in this Granth. This is the Guru; your guiding light.’
Thus, in all the Gurudwaras (places of worship of the Sikh) you will find the Guru Granth Sahib, the Holy Scripture.
The wisdom that these scriptures bring out to humanity is invaluable. The story of sixteen different saints and their teachings are compiled in the Guru Granth Sahib.

Sikhism had ten Gurus. The story of all the ten Gurus of the Sikh tradition is so heartwarming and uplifting. It is one of sacrifice. The gurus sacrificed everything they had for the sake of protection of the good, the innocent, and the righteous. People were given the cream of knowledge in simple, understandable words.

There is a beautiful story about Guru Nanak Dev, the first guru.
When his parents would ask him to go and sell things, he would do so. However, as he would start counting from one, he would get stuck at 13, as tera (in Hindi) means yours. So, even while doing work, his mind was never in work, it was always immersed in the Divine. Guru Nanak said, ‘I am yours, I am yours, I am yours.’
Guru Nanak’s life was filled with pure love, wisdom, and valor.

There is a beautiful greeting in the Sikh tradition, ‘Sat Sri Akal’. It is one of the best greetings in the world. Sat means Truth, Sri means Wealth, and Akal means Eternal, i.e., Truth is the real wealth, which is really eternal.
The eternal transcendental Divinity is the truth, and that is the real wealth.
So, all of you have gained the real wealth here, by meditating, getting into that inner space. That is truth. That is Sat Sri Akal.

Many people simply say, ‘Sat Sri Akal’, without knowing the meaning of it. It is one of the best greetings, as it reminds you when you meet anybody, that truth is the real eternal wealth.
The greeting that you exchange is all about spirituality, eternal knowledge; reminding yourself of the true wealth. Isn’t that so beautiful?
Jo Bole So Nihal! Sat Sri Akal: One who says it, (Sat Sri Akal) they will exalt.
Nihal means Exaltation; you will get uplifted. Saying, ‘Sat Sri Akal’; not only does it fill you with valor, but it also fills you with the spirit of eternal being.

In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna said, ‘Oḿ ity ekākṣaraḿ brahma vyāharan mām anusmaran yaḥ prayāti tyajan dehaḿ sa yāti paramāḿ gatim’(Chapter 8, Verse 13). The Brahman, the all prevailing Divinity, is called Om.
In the Guru Granth Sahib, it is said, ‘Ek Onkar Sat Naam’, there is only one Om, which is the true name for infinity.
Om is the eternal sound that exists in the depth of one’s consciousness. If you go to the ocean and listen carefully to the waves, you will find the same sound, Om. If you go on top of a mountain and listen to the wind blowing, you will hear the sound Om. Before this birth, we were all in Om. After this birth, after we all die, we will merge into that cosmic sound, Om. Even now, in the depth of creation, that sound still resonates.
So, in Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Shintoism, in all these religions, Omkar (Om chanting) is given so much prominence.
I feel Amen (in Christianity) and Amin (in Islam) is also another form of Om only. So, Om is this one word for the eternal, diverse consciousness.

The same day is also celebrated as a New Year in Bengal, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.

The 4 kinds of attitude you can develop to handle your own mind

1) Friendliness: Be friendly with people who are happy. If you are not friendly with happy people, you will be jealous. This is because you think that your enemy is happy, and you cannot tolerate your enemy being happy. So, shake hands with happy people. Such an attitude does a lot of good to your mind.

2) Compassion: Do not be friendly with people who are miserable, instead, have compassion for them. If you are friendly with unhappy people you will become unhappy. And if you become unhappy, you can never help them to come out of their misery. 

Many people have gotten into trouble by being friendly with unhappy people; both become miserable. It is like a doctor going to a patient who is sick, and the doctor also becomes sick. If the doctor also thinks, ‘How can I alone be healthy? Let me also share the patient’s misery’, then who will help the patient then?

So, what should be the attitude with people who are miserable? Compassion, not pity.

3) Happiness: For people who are doing good work or who are successful in the world, you should feel happy as though you are doing it.

For example, someone is a good singer, singing and bringing joy to everybody, seeing him you should think, ‘I feel so happy that this person is singing so well, and making everyone happy.’

If someone is a good entertainer and he entertains everybody you should feel happy about it. If someone is a great architect and builds beautiful buildings you should feel happy about it.Whenever someone does a good job, share that happiness with them; we need to have this attitude.

4) Indifference: For people who are doing horrible things in the society, destroying themselves, we usually get angry at them. When you are angry, your mind suffers a huge loss. You lose so much energy, you lose your mood, and your enthusiasm. When energy and enthusiasm goes away from you, you become angry and are no better than the other person. You do not know what you are doing. So, what should you do in such a situation? Have a sort of indifference in your mind.

For example, there are thieves in the world, they are there, what can you do about them? First accept, be indifferent. However, this does not mean you do not take any action. Your mind is indifferent (unaffected), but you act on it.

These are the four attitudes that will help us to save our mind. This is what we need to do, save our mind at all costs.