How much money is required for enduring happiness?

[renuka]

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Clever women like renukahji would look for motives for altruism and find some reason .

She might be correct too.

I am not clever.

Remember...the ideal woman is supposed to play dumb?LOL

 

[krish44]

Thats my frustration

Most try to act intelligent not dumb.

A kind of dream where women are angels and fairies in white and float on air.

THey look for macho men out to sweep them off their feet .

One sees them in tamil films off and on.lol

 

[sravna]

Dear Renuka , Krish Ji,

It is an ideal to be totally service oriented. Extremely few of all humanity would have been ideal. But you know what your goal is and in what direction it is.

 

[renuka]

But you know what your goal is and in what direction it is.

Dear Sravna,

I usually do not set goals for myself.

But I have succeeded so far in reaching one goal I had set for myself that most people my age struggle to maintain....that is I have been able to maintain the same body weight in fact slightly lighter than when I got married!LOL

If I see even 0.5 kg creeping up..I would step up my exercise and bring it down.

 

[sravna]

Dear Sravna,

I usually do not set goals for myself.

But I have succeeded so far in reaching one goal I had set for myself that most people my age struggle to maintain....that is I have been able to maintain the same body weight in fact slightly lighter than when I got married!LOL

If I see 1 kg creeping up..I would step up my exercise and bring it down.

Good Renuka. Maintaining body weight is a difficult task. If you have been successful in it so far, you should have a strong determination in implementing goals . Keep it up. Sorry! don't keep it up!

 

[krish44]

Dear Sravna,

I usually do not set goals for myself.

But I have succeeded so far in reaching one goal I had set for myself that most people my age struggle to maintain....that is I have been able to maintain the same body weight in fact slightly lighter than when I got married!LOL

If I see even 0.5 kg creeping up..I would step up my exercise and bring it down.

lol

keep it up


my blessings.

do not over do it

 

[renuka]

Good Renuka. Maintaining body weight is a difficult task. If you have been successful in it so far, you should have a strong determination in implementing goals . Keep it up. Sorry! don't keep it up!

I will share how I keep myself determined.

Mentally I have 'chosen' a few people whose images I store in my brain..that is these people are overweight and do not bother to maintain their weight and appearance.

So on the days when I feel lazy to get up in the morning and exercise..I tell myself "hey..do you want to end up looking like Ms so and so?"

Then I reply to myself "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO" and I hop out of bed right away and hit my thread mill.

This is how I keep myself motivated.

 

[renuka]

lol

keep it up


my blessings.

do not over do it

No over doing..cos over doing damages joints and cartilages....I am very careful about going too high in frequency and intensity.

 

[krish44]

I will share how I keep myself determined.

Mentally I have 'chosen' a few people whose images I store in my brain..that is these people are overweight and do not bother to maintain their weight and appearance.

So on the days when I feel lazy to get up in the morning and exercise..I tell myself "hey..do you want to end up looking like Ms so and so?"

Then I reply to myself "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO" and I hop out of bed right away and hit my thread mill.

This is how I keep myself motivated.

lol

 

[krish44]

No over doing..cos over doing damages joints and cartilages....I am very careful about going too high in frequency and intensity.

pl be careful . do not get hurt.

No sense in going over board about exercises.

You have a family to think off.

 

[sravna]

I will share how I keep myself determined.

Mentally I have 'chosen' a few people whose images I store in my brain..that is these people are overweight and do not bother to maintain their weight and appearance.

So on the days when I feel lazy to get up in the morning and exercise..I tell myself "hey..do you want to end up looking like Ms so and so?"

Then I reply to myself "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO" and I hop out of bed right away and hit my thread mill.

This is how I keep myself motivated.

Dear Renuka,

Neat idea. Setting a goal is the easy part in a plan. Executing it needs ingenuity. That is where most fail.

 

[rishikesan]

Dear Sravna/Dr. Renuka/ Krish & other members,
At the start, you wrote that about Rs 5 chores could be enough & To spare. I would like to briefly analyse the trend of Brahmin families in the situation , currently prevailing. Most families have one or two grown-ups well educated , employed & drawing handsome salaries. Parents , most of them belong to 50s well settled , not looking for support of children. Thus the children can plan their life , including marriage/ buying Flats of their choices c
.one thing we should remember :- if both are employed, sky is the limit for spending, Both try to become totally become Independent & bear ONE child, & enjoy their life to the Brim.Parents Must ensure that that O K everything with out a murmur & enjoy the rest of their life happily, spending luxuriously with the not so old lady ? Future for Tamil brahma ns in India & also in U.S are bound to be luxurious satisfactory for the older parents as well. It is time that the older people try to form groups of Friend ship & form E-Mail friends for themselves & find ways to meet occasionally & enjoy real Life.
Rishikesan (A.Srinivasan)

 

[Vaagmi]

I look at life and my needs this way:

1. I need a roof to live under. And I have it.

2. My children are all settled. I do not have to make any provisions for them. They are happy and I am happy.

3. I have a soul-mate (wife) whose lifestyle, value system and thinking are just the same as mine. We spend together time and money.

4. As I have some money and money has time value I keep adding to my kitty taking advantage of this without getting too passionate about it. I take care not to commit mistakes to lose money. I just keep adding whatever I can.

5. I apportion some amount for philanthropy and spend it without fail. Not for fear of Karma or to add to my punyam account but only because I feel intensely about street children. I channel all my spending on philanthropy through a carefully chosen single organization. I do this silently and even my relatives (except my wife) and friends do not know this.

6. My insurance company takes care of my medical expenses if and when incurred.

My daily personal needs are these:

1. Two handsfull of rice cooked appropriately.

2. 250 grams of vegetables and a 100 grams of fruits.

3. one table spoon of oil and a handfull of dal.

4. A little bit of salt, half a litre of milk and two tea spoons of coffee powder and sugar.

5. Three sets of pants and shirts and under garments and two sets of dhoti/angavastram and house-pants/pajamas.

6. And I need a computer with internet connection.

Are these not minimum?

And this is most important-- I can give up any of these any time without fuss.

LOL.

 

[sravna]

Dear Sravna/Dr. Renuka/ Krish & other members,
It is time that the older people try to form groups of Friend ship & form E-Mail friends for themselves & find ways to meet occasionally & enjoy real Life.
Rishikesan (A.Srinivasan)

Dear Shri Rishikesan Sir,

I agree. That's what can make enjoyment complete.

 

[prasad1]

There are two kinds of people who wants OTHERS to be poor, and think that the poor be convinced that they are happy.
The Ruling elite:
The rulers always want the public to be poor but happy. Poor so they are dependent on the rulers. Secondly the public should be brainwashed to accept their condition, and be happy. If the public is not happy they will revolt against the rulers. So the rulers get all these idealist story and philosophy written by their henchmen.
If happiness was the goal, why were all these princes fighting to get more land and wealth. Why were they doing aswamedh yagna to proclaim their superiority. Should they not be content with what they had? Why is greed good for them, but not for common public?

The smart and industrious does not want unnecessary competition so they too do not want the poor folks to prosper. This group may not make any effort to suppress others.

And of course you have the God-people:
They all have lavish lifestyle, controlling huge wealth, and then advice others to be poor and happy. They preach what they think will sell. The poor and fools support the lavish lifestyle of these God-people.
No body really cares what happens to others. Sometimes we do charity as it gives us some satisfaction (again it is selfish motive only).

 

[Vaagmi]

And there are self-appointed revolutioneries who are in a permanent state of victimhood induced pain. This victimhood buries their own responsibility for their actions a hundred fathoms deep. Thus a man who makes no effort to rise up to challenges and come up in life, a man who, at the end of a day, will rob his wife's wages for the day in order to have a bottle or arrack for himself, the lazy bone who can never stick to a job and so is a miserable failure in life are all victims of the society or the victims by elite of the society. So, the story goes, it is the elites who want poor people to be poor. Having brought about a satan who can be conveniently blamed, these revolutioneries every day resurrect him whenever an opportunity comes and hang him again and again. They are in a denial mode.

And wealth and comforts are all sins for this group as long as these are about the upper class of the society.

And they take pride in tomtoming about their care for others--as if those others needed their "care on paper".

Again no second person singulars. LOL.

 

[sravna]

No body really cares what happens to others. Sometimes we do charity as it gives us some satisfaction (again it is selfish motive only).

Dear Shri Prasad,

It is a very cynical point of view. One can authentically speak for, on what one thinks only. Views of what others really think is based on ones beliefs about others and generally do not have enough support just like the above statements you have made.

Yes I am trying to convince people about something not because I want to sell something but because of my conviction that it will benefit people just as it did for me.

 

[prasad1]

Dear Shri Prasad,

It is a very cynical point of view. One can authentically speak for, on what one thinks only. Views of what others really think is based on ones beliefs about others and generally do not have enough support just like the above statements you have made.

Yes I am trying to convince people about something not because I want to sell something but because of my conviction that it will benefit people just as it did for me.

I am being honest and practical.

Fed chairman Ben Bernanke gave a commencement address in which he related the following anecdote: Quote:

I am reminded of a story about Abraham Lincoln. According to the story, Lincoln was riding with a friend in a carriage on a rainy evening. As they rode, Lincoln told the friend that he believed in what economists would call the utility-maximizing theory of behavior, that people always act so as to maximize their own happiness, and for no other reason. Just then, the carriage crossed a bridge, and Lincoln saw a pig stuck in the muddy riverbank. Telling the carriage driver to stop, Lincoln struggled through the rain and mud, picked up the pig, and carried it to safety. When the muddy Lincoln returned to the carriage, his friend naturally pointed out that he had just disproved his own hypothesis by putting himself to great trouble and discomfort to save a pig. "Not at all," said Lincoln. "What I did is perfectly consistent with my theory. If I hadn't saved that pig, I would have felt terrible."

A less truthful person will allow others to have misconception, instead of being truthful.

You may not think you have something to sell(?) in the tradition sense, and you may not get monetary satisfaction. But you are selling an Idea, and if one other thinks you are smart and follows your idea, you will be over joyed. So again it is for your ego satisfaction.
I have nothing against you in person, so do not take it personally. I am just coming from a different angle.
Chinmayanada's guru told him:

Those people who have found the true happiness are sitting in the caves of Himalayas, not trying to preach.

 

[a-TB]

There are two kinds of people who wants OTHERS to be poor, and think that the poor be convinced that they are happy.
The Ruling elite:
The rulers always want the public to be poor but happy. Poor so they are dependent on the rulers. Secondly the public should be brainwashed to accept their condition, and be happy. If the public is not happy they will revolt against the rulers. So the rulers get all these idealist story and philosophy written by their henchmen.
If happiness was the goal, why were all these princes fighting to get more land and wealth. Why were they doing aswamedh yagna to proclaim their superiority. Should they not be content with what they had? Why is greed good for them, but not for common public?

The smart and industrious does not want unnecessary competition so they too do not want the poor folks to prosper. This group may not make any effort to suppress others.

And of course you have the God-people:
They all have lavish lifestyle, controlling huge wealth, and then advice others to be poor and happy. They preach what they think will sell. The poor and fools support the lavish lifestyle of these God-people.
No body really cares what happens to others. Sometimes we do charity as it gives us some satisfaction (again it is selfish motive only).

The bolded part in your message is very insightful. How can one do anything for anyone without feeling some satisfaction?

 

[sravna]

I am being honest and practical.



A less truthful person will allow others to have misconception, instead of being truthful.

You may not think you have something to sell(?) in the tradition sense, and you may not get monetary satisfaction. But you are selling an Idea, and if one other thinks you are smart and follows your idea, you will be over joyed. So again it is for your ego satisfaction.
I have nothing against you in person, so do not take it personally. I am just coming from a different angle.
Chinmayanada's guru told him:

Dear Shri Prasad,

Your opinions do not make up what is practical.

You are wrong about ego satisfaction. I do not do anything for people to think I am smart. If you hold that view as I said you are speaking for your own experiences and beliefs.

 

[renuka]

Originally Posted by prasad1
No body really cares what happens to others. Sometimes we do charity as it gives us some satisfaction (again it is selfish motive only).

I agree.

Selflessness hardly exists..everyone included.

Each one of us indirectly or directly seeks some amount of personal gratification in whatever we do.


The human ego as long as its exists will seek some importance to be noted by hook or crook.

Even some extremely humble people are just putting up a show to be over-humble.They want to be the top most humble person in the world.

The ideal human is neither egoistic nor humble..and that human I feel does not exists!LOL

 

[sravna]

Dear Renuka, Shri Prasad and All Others

My take on selflessness is totally different. Unconditional love, selflessness, self control, being egoless can exist and from my own first hand experience , I can vouch for them. I am not saying I am characterized by all the above qualities but I have had a glimpses of them now and then and those experiences have given me the utmost satisfaction. I feel totally in control of myself and that has to be experienced to be believed. Since I have also experienced selfishness and ego satisfactions, I can compare the two experiences and can authentically say that the selfless experiences are notches higher in giving peace and happiness. So I actually do not prefer to have ego satisfactions.

 

[renuka]

Dear Renuka, Shri Prasad and All Others

My take on selflessness is totally different. Unconditional love, selflessness, self control, being egoless can exist and from my own first hand experience , I can vouch for them. I am not saying I am characterized by all the above qualities but I have had a glimpses of them now and then and those experiences have given me the utmost satisfaction. I feel totally in control of myself and that has to be experienced to be believed. Since I have also experienced selfishness and ego satisfactions, I can compare the two experiences and can authentically say that the selfless experiences are notches higher in giving peace and happiness. So I actually do not prefer to have ego satisfactions.

Dear Sravna,

Let me share with you my personal take on this.

1)Unconditional Love...I really do not know cos I do not really bother for those who do not deserve it whoever it may be.I would only help them in an acute medical emergency and nothing else.

2)Self control...what is there to control? I do not restrict myself from doing what I want cos my over all behavior is good enough to not land me in jail..so I guess this should suffice.

3)Ego-less...this situation does not exist.

Ego is Ahamkara..I am the Doer-Ship feeling.

Ego is human...it can never be a total zero.

 

[sravna]

Dear Sravna,

Let me share with you my personal take on this.

1)Unconditional Love...I really do not know cos I do not really bother for those who do not deserve it whoever it may be.I would only help them in an acute medical emergency and nothing else.

2)Self control...what is there to control? I do not restrict myself from doing what I want cos my over all behavior is good enough to not land me in jail..so I guess this should suffice.

3)Ego-less...this situation does not exist.

Ego is Ahamkara..I am the Doer-Ship feeling.

Ego is human...it can never be a total zero.

Dear Renuka,

Logic and analysis have their limitations in finding out the truth. That is the reason there is so much emphasis on personal experiences in spirituality.. You will discover a lot more through such experiences. So I think one should just try to keep one's mind open

 

[prasad1]

I agree.

Selflessness hardly exists..everyone included.

Each one of us indirectly or directly seeks some amount of personal gratification in whatever we do.


The human ego as long as its exists will seek some importance to be noted by hook or crook.

Even some extremely humble people are just putting up a show to be over-humble.They want to be the top most humble person in the world.

The ideal human is neither egoistic nor humble..and that human I feel does not exists!LOL

I agree with your post #47