Thinking About It

Listening is very different from hearing. A lot of management Gurus talk about active listening in the workplace, which will help build better workforce relationships. However, active listening is a skill that can help us in many dimensions of life, and when applied to the Scriptures, can help in our personal transformation. Swamini Supriyananda explains the art of listening and displays its significance through her short fables.

Silence is often asked for before someone else is allowed to make more noise. Silence however is more than just that, as silence is the base of all sound. Our mind is so cluttered with thoughts and emotions, that when we silence the mind, we not only help ourselves, but also those around us. Swamini Supriyananda takes us through the discovery of the power of silence.

We do a clean-up of many things on a routinely basis, whether it is our houses and offices, or a gadget. However, we often forget to clean one of the most integral things in our lives - our minds! Swamini Supriyananda, gives us an insight on how a simple task can keep us true to our purpose.

Each morning when we wake up, we plan our day, and we make our day's objective to cross off all the items on our to-do list. The day goes by and we are either running from or running to something. Amidst all this activity, Swamini Supriyananda makes us realise we often forget the importance of cherishing the moment we are currently in. The moment that actually matters, we choose to disregard; she reminds us to seize the day.

Today there are so many motivational speakers, so many Facebook pages that can give us our quick fix of daily inspiration. However while striving through a difficult time, being told we have infinite potential is just not enough. Swamini Supriyananda, in this podcast, reveals the one quality we need to accomplish the impossible.

We often are driven by results, whether it is making a sales target for the month or losing the 10 kilos before summer. Swamini Supriyananda explains that Change being the changeless law, our goals are also inevitably going to change. With too much focus on the result, even the slightest change could create restlessness and mental agitation. So why should we pay so much importance to the goal, when we can divert all our energy towards the action that is happening right now. Does that mean we shouldn't have a goal?

Having the right attitude is something we all often have difficulty maintaining. Sometimes, we get swerved in the wrong direction and it becomes a downward cycle in making us feel more miserable. This 10 minute dose of Swamini Supriyananda will remind you of the degree of importance the right attitude holds in our daily life. www.chinmayamission.com www.chinmayayuvakendra.org www.chinmayakids.org

Our mind is a powerful tool and all it takes is just one thought. One thought to make us or break us. How can one thought be the centre of it all? Swamini Supriyananda brilliantly explains the domino effect of a single thought, and its impact on our future.

Anger can be unanimously declared as one of the least admirable emotions of humans, as we can all easily say that anger brings out the worst in us. Swamini Supriyananda discusses how anger can destroy us, and hence why being able to not let anger take over you is a superpower we must acquire. Adults - www.chinmayamission.com Youth - www.chinmayayuvakendra.org Children - www.chinmayakids.org

The common belief to being compassionate would be to love empathetically. After understanding the problem at hand, the common man would want to display his/her love in whichever best way possible. However, the underlying problem is that we don't know how to display our love. Swamini Supriyananda discusses how compassion is a super-power that can so easily begin to display our ego and vanity instead of our selfless kind-heartedness. Adults - www.chinmayamission.com Youth - www.chinmayayuvakendra.org Children - www.chinmayakids.org

Being truthful is a twofold quality: honest with yourself, and honest with others. Many of us can manage the latter, however struggle when it comes to the former. Swamini Supriyananda explores the idea that there are many aspects of life we are fearful of accepting, but the moment we take that plunge we realise that it is what we were always in search for. Adults - www.chinmayamission.com Youth - www.chinmayayuvakendra.org Children - www.chinmayakids.org

As a child we are told, do not lie. But being truthful definitely has to be beyond "not lying". What is the truth? Swamini Supriyananda uses the findings of research and her understanding of the scriptures to simplify one of the great declarations of the Hindu philosophy, “Tat Tvam Asi” - You are that (Truth). Adults - www.chinmayamission.com Youth - www.chinmayayuvakendra.org Children - www.chinmayakids.org

Ahimsa, being synonymous to Mahatma Gandhi, makes this super power seem so unattainable. Swamini Supriyananda breaks down the essence of this quality, makes us aware on how often we are being 'violent' and shares tips on how to conquer it. Adults - www.chinmayamission.com Youth - www.chinmayayuvakendra.org Children - www.chinmayakids.org

What does it mean to be kind, and why should we be kind in this world where everyone is just looking out for themselves? All scriptures ask us to share, or to keep giving - but why is this so important? Swamini Supriyananda explains the effect of 'giving' on the mind, and how it benefits the giver and the receiver.

The first quality Swamini Supriyananda dwells upon is fearlessness. She begins by explaining the relationship between love and fear, and with her logical analysis we can only question how this thought had never arose in our minds before.

Swamini Supriyananda begins her new series, called the super power series. We all want to be extraordinary, and in that search we often don't realise its not just the work we do or the mark we leave in this world, but it's the values we live by that makes us great extraordinary individuals. Explaining the importance of virtues, she begins this series of the podcast with captivating stories we will never forget.

We often think that listening to the scriptures itself is a good deed. However there is no transformation until what is heard is put into practice. Reflection is a word many seekers get confused with, because it is a process that happens within the mind. Swamini Supriyananda methodologically explains the steps we should take and the questions we should be asking ourselves. Adults - www.chinmayamission.com Youth - www.chinmayayuvakendra.org Children - www.chinmayakids.org

Listening is one of those processes we take for granted. Assuming that there is nothing more to it than just hearing what the other person has said. However, there are many different forms of listening, Swamini Supriyananda dwells on this topic and directs us towards the ideal type of listening for the scriptures. Adults - www.chinmayamission.com Youth - www.chinmayayuvakendra.org Children - www.chinmayakids.org

We often feel stuck in a rut, or stuck in some sort of cycle in our daily life. Swamini Supriyananda discusses the importance of knowing who we really are to get out of this bondage/vicious cycle.

We often feel that we need things to change around us, yet we don't know how. Swamini Supriyananda gives us insight into how we have to change before we see the change.