Why Mindfulness is Critical for Success ? In't Yog Day Special

Why Mindfulness is Critical for Success and Joy (International Yog Day Special):
"I know..." - frequently used two words that close the doors of curiosity in many conversations. And many times it is true also that we know... but for most of us, the number of favorable outcomes in our life are not proportional to the expectation and knowledge we all have. The main reason is the famous "knowledge-action" gap. I hope the message in this video will connect with you and trigger a transformation on this auspicious International Yog Day! I will look forward to hearing your thoughts on Mindfulness and/or your life experiences.
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Living in Heaven on Earth...

Heaven and Hell - We all have used these terms in different contexts, but have you ever given thought to what heaven and hell actually mean? In today's JoyMantra, I will share my point of view and I will be keen to know your point of view. 

Jesus said, "The kingdom of heaven is within you, and that is where the kingdom of hell is, too."

Instead of thinking of heaven as something good up there and hell as something fearful down below; I see them as two mindsets that create heavenly or hellish experiences right here on earth. For me, heaven is created when we choose virtuous end goals, pursue them with virtuous means, and expect the best outcome from our efforts. On the other hand, hell is created when we expect the worst outcomes of our efforts, which may be because somewhere deep within we know our end goals or means are not virtuous. 

In addition to good and bad, in India, we also have the concept of 'paap' and 'punya' - results produced by good or bad actions, now or hereafter.  As per the concept of 'dharm',  all human actions have a tangible immediate result as well as an unseen result. The unseen results of human actions keep accumulating in our 'karma' account and fructify in time for us as a good or a bad experience; an experience of pleasure or pain. The subtle result of virtuous actions ('punya') fructifies as an experience of pleasure or something desirable, and the subtle result of bad action ('paap') fructifies as an experience of pain or something undesirable. 

We as human beings have the ultimate freedom of choosing our actions thoughtfully. We can be in any circumstance in life, good or bad, but we will always have the freedom to choose our actions. We can either choose the path of 'punya' or the path of 'paap'. One will create heavenly experiences on Earth, and the other will create hell. And the easiest way to choose the path of 'punya' is to choose our actions neither to please others nor to please gods; but for our inner peace. Let us be nice to people not because they are good, but because we are nice! 

I hope you will reflect on this thought and may your life blossom with many heavenly experiences.