Balancing My East with My West - As I Settle into my New Life in Canada

I am blessed to be a part of the Authentic Leadership in Action community (ALIA) formerly Shambala Institute.  My first Shambala Summer Leadership Institute -  2008 in Halifax, Nova Scotia was with Wendy Palmer (and Paul Ciske)  and her amazing Conscious Embodiment program I have referred to in this article.  Check her out here; https://www.leadershipembodiment.com/tag/wendy-palmer/

I was there a second time in 2013 and attended the Designing Strategic Change from the Inside Out with Chris Corrigan, Marguerite Drescher, Caitlin Frost, Tim Merry & Tuesday Ryan-Hart.  ALIA programs are magical and transformational.  

This article below was written for the ALIA Blogsite in 2011 (no longer there), so I post it again to share with you my own personal practice to deal with difficult and challenging times, as we moved to Canada in August 2011.  

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Making a move from Sri Lanka in the summer of 2011 where I was for the last 27 years - enjoying the warm weather, the ocean, the social life and meaningful work, dealing with the challenges of a brutal war around us, living our life on the edge, yet to its fullest - is not an easy one.

We chose Ottawa, a smaller city, accessible, friendly people and close to nature - however, making a move knowing only 4 people here at my age of 52 + was challenging.   

Then again, my father was 57 when he and my mother immigrated with my two sisters and me to Toronto in 1973 from the hillside Sri Lankan town of Kandy.   

Kandy was materially simpler, surrounded by nature and a small community, so the big city of Toronto was a culture shock for all of us and an awe inspiring transformation.  

With time my parents and siblings adapted and made a good life in Canada.  

As I had come with my own family - Samantha and the four kids - on holiday many a time to Canada, our move in 2011 was relatively easy.

Perils of Winter

First day of snow outside our new home in Ottawa

Four months hence and as the days get colder, shorter and darker, I am being mindful and aware of what is going on within me - my mind and body - to cope with this change not only for me, but for Samantha and the children.  

I have not mourned for what I left behind as I am focused on the present and the future, creating my new life and I feel the strain.  Through it all, I have to be present to keep my balance, as I could easily fall into despair on these dark cold days.

The Road Less Traveled

As an entrepreneur and a self starter – I took the Road Not Taken (Robert Frost) - it is even more daunting as I have to set about my business to sell myself and make a name in a new city.  

Packaging 27 years of diverse experiences into a business of leadership, spirituality, renewable energy and sustainability needs me to be creative and ingenious in an environment where people tend to want to cast one into an easily identifiable slot.   

To endure uncertainty is second nature for me being an entrepreneur.  Having to live through the trauma of a war added to this challenge.   

When doubts and fears arise, I ask myself, what is the worst that could happen?.  That puts things in perspective, as in Canada the chance of getting caught up in a bomb as it was during the war in Sri Lanka is remote.   

Living with the Dhamma

Having grown up with Buddha's teachings, I accept that life has suffering which arises from the impermanence of everything. Buddha gave us a noble path to end this suffering and I am guided by it. Buddha also said not to take what he said at face value. He urged us to quiet the mind, meditate, reflect, question and inquire to experience nature's truth ourselves. 

My inquiring mind takes me to many other sages and teachers from the East and the West, from Socrates to Krishnamurti, Rumi to Aquinas to the modern day Osho, Dalai Lama, Ajahn Sumedho, Joanna Macy, Fritzjof Capra, Vandana Shiva, Bruce Lipton among others and I realize it is a lifetime of learning, while living a life in the middle path. 

Conscious Embodiment

I am grateful to and inspired by my many teachers - one being Wendy Palmer <https://leadershipembodiment.com/> who opened a new world for me in 2008 - aligning the body, mind and the breath - through the Aikido based Conscious Embodiment program at what was then the Shambhala Summer Institute in Halifax.  

I endeavor to live by the four poles - to the South, grounded in my integrity, as honesty is the best policy; to the West, generosity - to give my time and to be of service without expectations; to the East, to be gracious, to appreciate all I have; and to the North, live with dignity, as when I ensure the other’s dignity is intact in how I live, so is mine.   

 

I feel the tension of the contradictions in me in trying to walk the talk on the "four pole" affirmations and coming to terms with the imperfect me.

The Power of Balance - The Rituals

My daily practice is steeped in ritual to help keep me centered as my new life unfolds, as I realize, if I magnify any one of the doubts and fears that arise, I will succumb. 

The ritual begins in the morning as I awake with deep breaths and ankle rolls, getting the body oxygenated and energized for the dawn of a new day.  

Then I do a Reiki affirmation, calling out to the Abundant Universe to seek guidance for the new day, the new challenges to navigate through the trials and tribulations, so I can be balanced and centered, to put things in perspective for the decisions I have to make.  

I then wish everyone I know - all beings to be well and happy and an offer of gratitude to my health and well being, the love I have and appreciation for the people around me - my benefactors and angels - and for the opportunities abound.

Meditating in the neighborhood forest  at the edge of a snow patch 

Then I sit cross-legged in meditation - 'Ana Pana Sati bhavana' - following my breath to quiet my mind and reflect and contemplate on the nature of life and end with a chanting to balance the Chakras and feel the joy of being aligned and at peace - on most days. 

Now I am ready for some physical exercise - to fill my lungs with air and my blood with endorphins - yoga stretches, sit ups, push ups, pull ups and a few days of the week, a run or a bike ride, even as it gets colder, often thinking about the warm ocean swims I used to have.  

All this requires an hour - sometimes I indulge with two or when I am in a real rush, even 30 minutes - brings me to a nourishing breakfast with fruits and oats to be ready and grounded for an unpredictable day.

Facing the New Day

Throughout the day, I strive to stay mindful with bare attention, being aware of my mind and body - feelings and needs - as I meet the external challenges of finding meaningful work.  

I end the day with a meditative focus and a reflection, again appreciating and being thankful for all that has brought me closer to my goal and in expectation of even a better day tomorrow.

Being centered and grounded is my anchor - allows me to put things in perspective, deal better with rejection or postponement of decisions, people not responding or offering me a chance - not to magnify the negative and let it overcome me with fear, as I am grateful for what I already have.  

Fear arises when I think about the future, especially as the investment I made in a solar company is not meeting its promise, due to external factors out of our control.  

 

I realize money is important as a means to live, especially in Canada where my contacts are few and there is little give, as opposed to the support system we had in Sri Lanka.  

When fear arises I follow Wendy’s advice -  I inhale up through the top of my head toward the sky reaching to the stars and then a long exhale imagining my breath going through me to the core of this earth - to feel secure in being anchored between heaven and earth in a stable and dignified posture.  Concentrating on my breath for a few moments, I feel supported by the energy around me and feel centered.

Finding My Place Here

To be centered is to be creative, for I leave no stone unturned in my quest to find this good work. 

 

I set the intention to meet one new person each day for a meaningful conversation - widening my circle, making new friends, listening to their stories, seek their wisdom - understanding the subtleties of Canadian culture, relearning what I may have known when I lived here three decades ago - to slowly realize and gain confidence that I do have something to contribute and even make a difference.  

I encounter interesting the cultural contrasts - we stand close to talk to each other in the East and an endearing touch maybe an invasion of space here; being curious, open and provocative as we are in the East, maybe politically incorrect here; my different words, accent and the 'South Asian' nod - ‘yes-maybe’ from my head may confuse and give rise to some unconscious micro-aggression.  

 

Every day I learn by taking a deep breath, pausing to be patient, to listen and watch - trying to understand the subtle nuances as I align back with the culture here, not to lose my soul, but to connect in a comfortable middle.  

I am heartened to see in Canada - contrary to Mark Twain of yore - the East and the West are meeting halfway between the extremes of materialism vs spiritualism; determinism vs free will; individualism vs community - and I feel I could not have moved here at a better time than now.

The multicultural me is a bridge builder and in my relationships and work, I want to share my learning to inspire others, especially those who seem paralyzed by the material world’s need for control.  I affirm my purpose daily along wth the gratitude practice - 'to help others to find their inner power, so they find their peace within'. 

All this while, I am mindful of Samantha and our four children as they adapt to this new land, the weather and its culture. Therefore, I cannot burden them with my doubts and fears, but to be strong and resilient as I find my feet here. 

I engage and co-inquire with them as they settle in - so they also get grounded with wisdom of their intuition to complement their senses.  I encourage them to begin with their breath... to quiet the mind, reflect, be thankful for the blessings and find the power of balance to anchor in the uncertain and chaotic process of settling into the adventure of a new life in the West.    

The man from the East, with his faith in the eternal who in his soul had met the touch of the Supreme Person – did he never come to you in the West and speak to you in the Kingdom of Heaven?.  Did he not unite the East and the West in truth, in the unity of one spiritual bond between all children of the Immortal, in the realization of one great Personality in all human persons?.  
                                                       Rabindranath Tagore – Creative Unity

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Lalith Gunaratne

Ottawa, Canada

Posted on Connecting ALIA Blogsite on 25^th December 2011

Connect with me at;

<Lalith@mindfulsage.net>

Critical Thinking: Mindfulness and Thinking About Thinking

In a recent Critical Thinking Skills training program I drew a Mind Map with ‘Thinking’ in the centre and asked participants to identify words that were linked.   Mind, brain, ideas, decisions were some of the words that came out as direct links. 

Then I drew another link to the word ‘mind’ - feelings, emotions, attitude were called out.  I did not have to do much more to convince most of the folks that attitude, feelings and emotions are very much a part of critical thinking too.   Yet there were pockets of resistance.

The average critical thinking course will promise benefits such as;  

 

·         Identify an issue from a problem statement

·         Establish context and credibility of the problem   

          statement to analyze and build an argument

·         Improve critical thinking skills through active           

          listening and questioning

·         Use analytical thought systems and creative thinking 

          techniques

·         Prepare and present powerful arguments

Nothing here indicates a link to attitudes, feelings and emotions. 

The standard program consists of a logical step by step approach with activities to practice with mini case studies and examples.

So, what about attitude, feelings and emotions?. 

Why do we stay away from these words that mean so much to our everyday life?  

The Pandora’s Box

Going into these murky waters could be a veritable Pandora’s box.  There was push back as some do not want to deal with emotions and feelings when it comes to work situations. 

I have to be courageous to press on - as I know, if my intention is to make a difference to the participants to have a holistic and an embodied learning experience - I reach into my deep and diverse experiences from around the world, in many different roles and situations, some even life threatening.  

I also acknowledge the experience and knowledge of the participants, as professionals, to marshal a co-learning process.  I do not have all the answers, except I will create a safe space to explore and inquire to push boundaries – this is the simulator, so we can make mistakes and learn from them. 

Having participants identify those soft links (emotions, feelings and attitude) to 'thinking' and the 'mind', gives me a reason to dwell into these, so I wade in.

My rationale is - when we face an issue, a problem - a challenge at work that requires the use of cognitive skills to analyse by looking at multiple criteria and candidates, if I am not mindful about my own unconscious biases, prejudices and maybe even fears – my emotions (what will this mean to my power, my job?) - can I be objective?.

It is time to roll out my favourite word – mindfulness - and I have the attention of the room – perhaps surprise, wonder, straightened backs - what does mindfulness have to do with critical thinking?.  Isn’t it something to do with meditation?.  

I confirm that meditation is one of the practices to become mindful and promise to take this deeper later.

In the meantime, I make the connections – mind and thinking, mindfulness, awareness and critical thinking.   

 

For instance, if my emotions are going to prejudice the way I assess an issue from a place of fear (my loss of power, the job) perhaps, and this percolates in my sub-conscious mind, I am not even aware of, I may make a decision that may be skewed in my favour and not in the common interest.  

When others notice that the decision is not fair by all stakeholder’s and the organization’s interests, there could be dissonance and I may wonder why so many are not happy and the solution not appropriate. 

Much of our emotions and feelings lay trapped, conditioned in our sub-conscious as we do not have the time to be quiet, reflect and let them emerge.  Perhaps, we do not want to deal with them anyway, so it is better under the carpet.  Not dealing with the feelings and emotion can be a cause of stress and our thinking capabilities may get compromised.

 

The Critical Thinking Process

 

The Critical Thinking Process - Ref: Velsoft

Applying critical thinking tools and processes to identify the issue may be skewed when there is bias and prejudice.  If
the issue is stated incorrectly, the next step of identifying the arguments, clarifying the issues and arguments, establishing credibility and context, checking for consistency and evaluating the arguments can be biased as the final decision is made.  It is GIGO – garbage in garbage out. 

Mindfulness helps us to pause and bring these emotions and feelings to the surface through a self-reflection and get them out of the way to look at the problem more objectively and rationally.

How do we incorporate the mindfulness steps into the critical thinking process?

Mindfulness

Having a mindfulness practice through meditation is crucial for anyone in high stress environments. It helps to quiet the mind, allow some down-time to create some space for self to put things in a better perspective. 

With practice, it enables to surface hopes and fears that percolate in the sub-conscious mind, so we can assess especially the negative feelings, if they are real or not.  In effect, surfacing feelings from the sub-conscious, gives us more self-insights, self-knowledge and awareness. 

A daily meditation (easiest is to focus on the breath at a focal point as you breathe in and out)  practice does not have to be too long, as one learns the ability to stop the thought process, our ruminations and set the mind free for a few minutes. 

Even though this is not rocket science, somehow, it is most difficult to commit to and be consistent with.  In a world of instance gratification, we look for quick fixes, but this requires time, patience and discipline, perhaps with guidance first, to establish a practice.  

The subtle contradiction here is - I encourage people to meditate without a goal in mind.  It is just a process like we drink water not with a goal in mind, but for our sustenance.  Meditation is as crucial for our sustenance in a fast paced world.

This skill is handy when we face a serious issue at work which requires quick decisions and resolution.  Without the skills to quiet the mind, to take a step back, create some space to become objective, we may be pushed to act on a current emotion or feeling (the person you are dealing with was rude throwing you off balance, for example), or it could be a deep rooted fear, or perhaps some assumptions and generalizations that are prevalent to skew perceptions in a certain way. 

A Holistic Tool for Critical Thinking

The critical thinking process requires you to get to the root of the problem and to, identify the issue and do an objective accounting of the options you have - this path or the other.  It is at this time, I suggest, you stop, take a deep breath and quiet your mind, ask yourself a set of questions;

·         What am I observing?

·         What am I feeling?

·         What am I needing?

·         What am I requesting myself?

With practice, this sequence can be done in a few minutes. When you take a breath and ask yourself ‘What am I observing?’ – your surroundings get brighter, you will start noticing things around you, become present and helps you to go deep to your sub-conscious to bring to the surface and to your notice any feelings with the second question. 

The questions on feelings and needs requires the quietened mind to reflect and inquire - "what need has not been met for this feeling to arise?" - for instance.

 

Once there is clarity on your feelings and needs, you can request yourself to focus and listen to other views carefully to hear and comprehend the other voices – focus on the nuances and body language coming through the communications from stakeholders.  

 

All this may take less than 5 minutes and you have slowed the entire process down from the urgency, to get more clarity and with clarity your intuition may also guide you along the steps on the critical thinking path.

Becoming Rational

You may be able to identify the issue more objectively and be rational, now that you got the emotions out of the way. Then you can clarify the issue and arguments, establish context and credibility, check for consistency and evaluate the arguments to provide a better decision that you can stand by.

Mindfulness

 

Mindfulness is the common thread that runs through everything we do. We have to commit to incorporate it as a daily practice.  This may provide us with more clarity as information bombards us at speed and we are expected to make decisions even faster.  Mindfulness slows things down so we can be more deliberate and rational in our critical thinking process.

At the end of the two days – I had rewarding feedback from the participants, who said things like;

“I never realized the connection to my breath and my daily work – I realized I breathe really poorly so I am going to change that”.

“We face challenges, deal with the issues, make decisions and implement on a daily basis, but breaking the process into minute steps really helped to see the importance of each step – and the mindfulness part was most enlightening”.

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Reference: Velsoft Training Materials 

Please send me an e mail if you want to explore more <lalith@mindfulsage.net>

 

 

Does Competition fuel Conflict and Collaboration build Harmony?

This blog brings us back to earth for some practical applications of mindful balance, I have gone deeper into in my previous blogs.  This is based on the handout provided at a session called Power of Balance: Compete or Collaborate facilitated for the American Society of Quality in Ottawa on 22nd January 2014 - to an audience of engineers and technicians.  

There was a time when organizations expected people to leave their emotions at the door.  In the last ten years, it has been accepted that emotions – our feelings and needs - are part of being human and we cannot separate them from who we are, wherever we are.

Emotional intelligence is a core requirement for organizational performance complementing our rational logical analytical intelligence contributing to commitment, innovation and productivity.  

Emotional intelligence is our ability to:

·         Accurately identify emotions in ourselves and others
·         Understand and manage emotions
·         Use and effectively communicate emotional feelings and needs

As long as we have to collaborate and work as a part of a team in our organizations, we have to first understand our emotions - what pushes our buttons - and learn to manage them in order to resonate with others.   This leads to relationship intelligence. 

This self knowledge is about doing the inner work required to understand what our feelings and needs, strengths and weaknesses, and to realize the three Ps that drive us humans at the most basic level  – Power, Pleasure and Procreation.  This is where the competition begins.  While learning to compete and win is important for survival as an individual, we also realize that winning at any cost creates conflict. 

Then we have to find that balance, hence realizing the Power in that balance through collaboration is the secret.  

Collaboration requires empathy, compassion and understanding.  It requires us to compromise and balance the ‘survival to the fittest’ mentality of the scientific and industrial age where competition is encouraged at any cost.     

Our mind and body balances on basic fundamental laws of biology.  We are wired for survival through the reptilian brain designed to first recognize a threat in any situation.  

When we realize that our biology is designed to protect us first, we learn to emotionally differentiate between a real and a perceived threat and make a decision for appropriate action.  The limbic brain opens for compassion and empathy when we feel safe and our needs are met.

Reptilian brain helps us to survive and it also drives us to compete.  The Limbic brain opens us to collaborate.

Personal Responsibility and the Foundation of our Breath

When we learn our neurobiology, we can differentiate between real and imagined threats and take control of our thought process driving our emotions based on the reptilian or limbic brain. 

Our breath then becomes our foundational ally to find the power of balance.  Taking a deep breath to stop our thought process is to find that space to realize when reptilian negative emotions rise to fuel potential conflict.   Stepping back enables insight and self-knowledge. Having a clear mind helps to seek objective evidence whether to validate or willfully change those emotions from negative to positive.     

This journey is very personal and unique to each individual by taking responsibility for our own emotions, judgments, prejudices and biases.   When we realize how this internal voice, driven by our ego, can dominate us to compete and destruct, we act to change our mind to create a balance for the common good.

Acknowledging and taking the emotions out of logical rational conversations is our goal.  In approaching difficult relationships and conversations with good intentions, with a strategy and a plan, we will find that we have less difficult people to deal with.  When we dig deeper, we will find that others have the same fears and hopes as we do.      

Finding this space will open us to empathize and collaborate – being generous and developing a giving nature, will find others recognizing and reciprocating.   With experience, skill and wisdom we become strategic to develop a collaborative culture whether at home or the workplace, to find the Power of Balance in Harmony.    

Lalith Gunaratne

Ottawa, Canada

Science or the Mind - Do we have control over the fate of our world ?

Unconscious incompetence - realizing we do not know there is so much we do not know - humbles us as we may just not have the mental bandwidth to understand this universe.  Self awareness through quiet time and reflection may give us the mindfulness to accept this with humility.   Yet, we are explorers and seekers, so the journey continues, but let us beware of the maya - the illusions and the mirages.....

Glenn Kibble my wonderful Thermodynamics lecturer at the Seneca College Mechanical Engineering program in North York, Ontario back in 1980 said there are three “T”s in life.   Thermodynamics, Tennis and the other “T”, he got away with as it was an all male class.  

With Kibble's passion for teaching it, I took the fundamental nature of the thermodynamic laws to the existence of our physical universe for granted as true.   

However, as I live a life of inquiry, study human nature and spirituality, I am beginning to question the laws of thermodynamics as final scientific truths - or is it all in the mind?.

The Second Law

The second law of thermodynamics is said to be basic to every physical process in our universe.   The second law introduces the concept of entropy, which is a measure of disorder that equals the loss of information and usefulness.   

Entropy increases with time in the universe as a whole.    There is no physical way possible for us to decrease entropy, so this seems like a one-way no return process like our life.  

Science tells us that the sun, which gives us all our energy and sustenance, also has a life followed by death.  We may not see this in our life time, but it is slowly flaming itself out.  

Entropy will see the sun get hotter and hotter before it finally burns up into darkness.  This is the disorder, the chaos at a grand scale, which mirrors what happens in the minutest detail of our physical being.   

This means, even if we lived like our ancestors, with minimum damage to nature, this process of entropy - disorder and destruction will continue.   It appears that we have added a tremendous amount of fuel to this destruction in the last 500 years trying to create some ‘order’ in our lives.   

By ‘order’ I mean, the comforts we seek through the use of technology that actually harm the delicate balance of this earth.  The way in which we seek this ‘order’ - by burning fossil fuels, cutting forests and encroaching on nature’s balance - seem to create more disorder on the whole.  

Disturbing the delicate balance of nature may exacerbate the entropy spiral dictated by the second law.   Our selfishness and greed speeds up this process.   At least, this is what appears to the naked senses in our current state of mind. 

On the other hand, can we blame ourselves that we need food, clothes, shelter, heat from the cold and cold from the heat, to go places, to explore new worlds ?.   As cosmologist, George F. Smoot - University of California, Berkeley says, “One cannot live by the dictum - do no harm.  The best one can do is - do minimal damage”.   

If that is the case, we may as well make merry while the sun shines.  In such a doomsday scenario, values, ethics, justice can go out the window.   If it is all going to end anyway, why bother trying to save this earth?

That is why I want to question the laws of thermodynamics as truth at a different metaphysical level.   I want to depart from the western scientific rational linear approach and bring in “me” as a feeling, thinking person and my mind in a possible different metaphysical plane into the inquiry.   Then things begin to get grey and mysterious.

Disorder to Oder

Just as I was inquiring on this I came across a chapter called ‘Emergence of New Order’ in Fritjof Capra’s book “The Hidden Connections”.  He introduces the Theory of Autopoieses which identifies patterns of self generating networks as a defining characteristic of life.   

Self generation is about emergence of ‘order’ through new forms of creativity and generation, which is recognized as a property of all living systems.   Self generation is about survival.   So, maybe there is a natural process to bring about ‘order’ to our universe after all.   This may make our deliberate actions to find ‘order’ through linear processes redundant.  If that is the case, how can I subscribe to the second law of thermodynamics and its conclusion of ‘disorder’ and final disintegration ?

All this is complex and requires some mental gymnastics to comprehend. 

This is where the mind comes in. 

Consider what the Nobel prize winning Physicist, Max Planck said in his speech as he accepted his award;

“As a man who has devoted his whole life to the most clear-headed science, to the study of matter, I can tell you as the result of my research about atoms this much; There is no matter as such.  All matter originates and exists only by virtue of a force which brings the particles of an atom together…..We must assume behind this force the existence of a conscious and intelligent mind.  This mind is the matrix of all matter”.  

If mind is the matrix of all matter, we better learn more about our minds and consciousness. 

Self generation naturally involves humans as we have the ability to use our senses to feel, understand and to think.   Thinking and knowing is the mind in action.  Our ability to reason and communicate through language differentiates us from other animals.  So, when we observe anything our culture and consciousness comes into play and we are able to know, think, communicate and act.  This enables us to respond to any situation by changing our thoughts and behavior based on the basic need for survival.

Our evolving mind also realizes that thought and the thinker are separate entities, contradicting Descarte's wisdom of "Cogito ergo sum"- I think, therefore I am.  

The link between thought and action then departs from the old linear paradigm of mind and matter separation, taking us to the realm of knowing.  We then realize there are different ways of knowing and how our mind may limit the way we think based on our bandwidth of knowledge, experience and conditioning. 

There is a mystery to the exact relationship between mind and matter or even mind and the brain itself and I doubt we will ever solve that.  We have to forget chasing the mind as a thing and accept it as a process which is connected to our body and the universe.   How it is all physically linked is the mystery we have to accept, as somethings are best left alone.   

Bringing mind and body together gets ‘me’ or ‘self’ into the equation, so I become the observer and the observed.    

This is where spirituality comes in.

Mystery of Spirituality

Spirituality is our deep cosmic beliefs in self, the universe and the energy that arises from that.  Yet spirituality is a mysterious phenomenon to most of us rational beings. 

There are so many unknowns and we are scared of this uncertainty.  As curious beings we are looking for answers and seek a meaning of life.  In the process we may be looking in the wrong places as these questions may not have answers using the current level of the mind.   

Maybe there is room for increasing the power of the mind like we have seen with the yogis and other spiritual sages.   There are people who have devoted their lives to cultivating their minds who can perform miracles like levitate, read other people’s minds and more.  They are defying nature as we see from a linear view.   

Buddha, through his path of learning realized that there no self and that attachment to self is what brings pain and suffering.  

How do all three laws of thermodynamics fit into this "truth" ?.  

Our life force manifests itself as different forms of energy, even though the 1st law says that, this energy is finite and conserved, no matter what form it takes - ice to water to vapor, for instance - in this universe.   

When we go Quantum, it may not be possible to measure this energy in terms of speed and the size of a wave or a particle, as human being is an integral part influencing this process. 

We do feel this energy around us at a deeper level, but the mystery arises from not being able to physically catch it, see it and measure it.     

Being spiritual is to acknowledge the mysterious forces around us and to accept gracefully that science does not have all the answers and that there is a deeper cosmic force at work in this universe.  

At that higher level, we seek comfort and "order" in a universal intelligence which permeates space and sustains life.  

Wendy Palmer, an Aikido and Conscious Embodiment teacher says; “The spiritual path offers a reference point, a vision of mystery as a source of support and comfort”.   So, the spiritual path may offer us the "order" we are looking for in a different way. 

Countless sages like the Buddha, Krishnamurti, Osho all give us similar messages on the mystery of spirituality and to focus on the mind.  They have all told us to become mindful of the present, to meditate and train the mind to see a different reality - other ways of knowing - based on love and compassion on the path to happiness.  Maybe there is another reality if we develop our minds, a reality that could even alter the laws of thermodynamics.    

These sages also tell us not to follow other people’s paths blindly.  Learn from them but find our own truth by developing the mind through , reflection, yoga, meditation and inquiry.  

The Buddha illustrated this through an analogy of a raft.  He said, “Use my teaching like you use a raft to get across a river.  You don’t have to lug the raft with you on your onward journey on land”.   Therefore, the responsibility to inquire, think, find our own path to discover, to learn and live accordingly is ours.  

As such, I continue to inquire one of Kibble’s three “T”s. 

So, I ask; Do I have control over the entropy that science tells us is a universal truth ?.  

Is there another parallel reality based on the mind and self organizing mechanisms or should I just be content with the mystery of it all and let my lives unfold and enjoy the ride through the realms?.

Lalith Ananda Gunaratne

Originally published in Ode Magazine Blog 2009

The First Blog - The Journey and Inquiry Continues

The First Blog - The Journey and Inquiry Continues

It has taken awhile to create my own blogsite.  It is more of a ‘generation’ thing.  I have been happy to send articles to a host of blogsites over the years to - Ode Magazine (The Intelligent Optimist), Groundviews, ALIA (Authentic Leadership in Action formerly known as Shambala Institute), Greenleaf Publishing and The Broker on Line, but to take the initiative to set my own blogsite seemed daunting.

So I went to my tech support – Son Rahel - 15 years old - and it just amazes me as to how he navigates his way through the system and ‘voila’ - Mindful Balance with Lalith Ananda Gunaratne blogsite emerges.

I have added Ananda to my name - the name my mother gave me after her beloved cousin Ananda Nimalasuriya.  The name Ananda is also fitting as the story unfolds, as he was also Siddartha Gautama  Buddha’s closest friend and first disciple.

Apart from my parents, family, teachers, friends and mentors, Buddha Dhamma has been an anchor for my life.  It is a way of life to me rather than a religion. This enables me to live my life in inquiry, heart and mind open to learning, as everyday brings a new experience, a new lesson when one is mindful. 

Both our parents practiced the Dhamma through the way they lived and were not too caught up in the rituals, even though that does have its place in reverence.

Dhamma is defined as the law that "upholds, supports or maintains the regulatory order of the universe" - life that is lived in accordance with laws of nature.

Dhamma guides my inquiry on the cause of suffering and action needed to undo these causes that defines my Karma.

As I continue to practice and inquire into the Buddha Dhamma, it seems appropriate to call it an applied system for natural mental well-being, beginning with the individual moving out to the community and the world.   It seems a sensible way to keep my balance in an uncertain and an impermanent world.  Dhamma guides me to be responsible for my own personal practice.

My Buddhist home was complemented by my Catholic school.  While I was encouraged to practice Buddhism through reflection, meditation and take personal responsibility for my actions to model behaviours of generosity and virtue, Catholicsim opened me to another way with faith in an external all mighty God.  I am comfortable with the dichotomy as God’s will is a part of my thinking and loving too, alongside the need to take responsibility for myself.

Superficially, it seemed to me the difference is in what would happen when I did something wrong – committed a sin.  The concept of inter-connectedness and Karma was not dissimilar to the being punished by God for my sins.  

Yet, there were differences in whether it was God’s will or my own free will and the universal law of nature.  I may have committed the sin in the first place due to God’s will, so I could ask for forgiveness, perhaps and get back on track.  

Getting caught up in this question is akin to a dog chasing its tail.  

Growing up, I did not delve too deeply into these, and I developed a practice of meditation and mindfulness.  I also enjoyed the sense of community of the church, recited the Lord's prayer, heeded the message of compassion and to love thy neighbor, the beautiful hymns and I had a God around if I needed some help and forgiveness.  

The difference was that I did not live in fear of God’s wrath.  The basic practice of Dhamma - learning the 4 Nobel Truths and Noble Eightfold pathway gave me confidence that with good intentions and a practice of living in harmony with nature would bring me good Karma.

The 4 Noble truths identified suffering, its cause, its cessation and the path leading to its cessation.

Suffering – The inevitability of the humiliation in our life.

The Cause of Suffering – The primal thirst that makes this humiliation inevitable.

Cessation of Suffering – The promise that there can be release from the suffering.

The Path to Ending Suffering – The way to accomplish this release from suffering.

The way to end suffering and find happiness is to live the middle path (avoid self indulgence and self mortification).   There are eight factors of mind and behavior that need to come in line for the middle path. 

Mindfulness enables us to be aware.  Concentration through a practice of meditation enables reflection and insight to arise.  This opens our minds to right view - wisdom giving us clarity of Thought.  Good thoughts lead to thoughtful Speech and Action.  Good action leads to a Livelihood that does minimal harm and then we live with diligence and right Understanding. 

 This is the Eightfold Pathway.

Behavioural Categories (Ethical Foundation)	Right Speech – samma vaca* Right Action – samma kammanto Right Livelihood – samma ajivo
Meditative Categories (Mental Discipline)	Right Effort – samma vicci Right Concentration – samma samadhi Right Mindfulness – samma sati
Wisdom Categories (Conceptual Foundation or Right View)	Right Understanding – samma ditthi Right Thought – samma sankappo

* the Pali word in italics

In order to develop the ‘Right View’, Buddha encouraged the examination of the manifestations of ‘False View’.  Then our confusion about the nature of our emotions maybe better understood in relation to ego and the self. According to the Buddha, emotions confuse us and this dictates the way we understand anything.  We realize that we are not our thoughts.

Following the Eightfold Path, instead of thoughts and emotions - feelings and needs - ruling the way of understanding, allows understanding and awareness to change the way we experience emotions.  

Without understanding and mindfulness, our emotions, driven by the ego can take us on a roller coaster ride, rolling out unskillful words and actions getting us into deeper trouble in our relationships.

When we strive to live by the Nobel Eightfold Pathway and with good intentions, graciousness and generosity, we create positive relationships with love and trust.

In the analysis, Buddha is compared to an experienced doctor, and the Dhamma to medicine. However efficient the doctor or wonderful the medicine may be, the patient cannot be cured unless the medicine is taken properly.  So the personal practice of the Dhamma is the only way to attain my liberation - enlightenment (Nibbāna).  

The Dhamma is uncovered gradually through sustained practice.  Buddha made clear that "awakening" does not occur immediately to the untrained and unprepared mind.  It culminates a long journey of many stages.  This requires patience, which makes it so difficult in the modern world of instant gratification.

My quest has been to link this experience to my everyday life as a parent, spouse, friend, entrepreneur, organizational consultant and trainer.  This is my action research and inquiry.  

I follow what Daniel Pink portrays in his book, A Whole New World as High Touch and High Concept when I link the Dhamma foundation to leadership and organizational development.

High Touch is about finding purpose and meaning to life, connecting with and eliciting joy in others and being content. 

High Concept is about detecting new patterns and opportunities and creating artistic and emotional beauty.   Unrelated ideas are brought together to form something new.

Indeed it is time – to bring what seems unrelated - our spirituality and our physical world together.  Descarte separated the mind and body – "Cogito ergo sum – I think therefore I am"- on the premise that the mind is a physical entity.  However, the mind is a 'process' that is intertwined with our physical body.   

The modern technological world has grown up with this separation and this causes our suffering. I have realized through my mindfulness practice that our breath - prana or chi - connects our mind and body making us whole.  This enables us to find equanimity through this roller coaster of our life of uncertainty.  

The Buddha Dhamma’s foundation informs me that indeed, everything is connected and interdependent.

As such, this lifelong inquiry, reflection and meditation continues on my inward journey, which influences my interpersonal relationships.  

In life there is always chance and fate, yet I know I can control my emotions and make choices in the way I react and act in any situation.  I know that I can create the conditions to influence an interaction but I can never control someone else’s emotions. 

As long as my intentions are honourable to seek the right conceptual foundation, my actions are based on an ethical foundation and I strive for mental discipline through mindfulness. This way I can find the balance to be pragmatic to live my life in a competitive - at times reptilian – world, learn to navigate and cope with the day to day challenges.  

Making a living without compromising my Values and freedom is most challenging in the modern world.

Taking the Path Less Travelled

After I finished my tertiary education as a Mechanical Engineering Technologist in Ontario, Canada, I let my life unfold without having a goal.  My cousin Viren Perera and I took a path less traveled, inspired by James Michener's book, The Drifters in 1984 in an orange Volkswagen Pop Top bought in London, England. This path landed me in the country of my birth, Sri Lanka, with many tales to tell.  This blogsite will relate those stories and what I have learned along the way through my life and inquiry.  
My journey on the path less traveled continues having moved back to Ottawa, Canada with Samantha and our four children in August 2011 having been away in Sri Lanka since 1984.  

I trust that others with all kinds of diverse views, ideas and thoughts will join me in on this journey of inquiry and dialogue in the spirit of learning positively and with good intentions.

I share Robert Frost’s Path Less Travelled in that spirit.

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth;          Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same,          And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back.          I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.

In Sagres, Portugal 1984 - on the path less traveled.....