en-US Tue, 09 Apr 2024 01:19:52 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg ReadStatus7799313467 Tue, 09 Apr 2024 01:19:52 -0700 /review/show/6414266250 Vijay wants to read Residential Architecture in Bhoja's Samaranganasutradhara: Introduction, Text, Translation and Notes by Felix Otter
]]> Review6295288610 Sun, 25 Feb 2024 23:50:23 -0800 /review/show/6295288610 Vijay gave 5 stars to Apprenticed to a Himalayan Master: A Yogi's Autobiography (Hardcover) by Sri M.
Are our lives predefined? Should we believe in destiny? I assume, those who believe they are successful on their own merit, may not agree. Those not so happy with their lives, may agree.

How much control do we really have on our lives? How much effort does it take to become successful? Is our success proportional to our efforts? Those who are not so successful, have they not put enough efforts? Is it possible that those who are successful and satisfied with their lives, may have just taken the hints and beacons life throws at us and went ahead with them? Those not so satisfied may have worked too hard in figuring out which way to go and ignored the beacons?

This wonderful book made me ponder over these and many more questions. I have earned two very important insights from this daring and honest book. First, life throws beacons at us and probably most of us ignore these and carry on with our lives, maybe because we are too scientific about our lives! Second, there definitely exist one or more parallel universes, if I may use this phrase for lack of words. There are beings who no longer need a human body to exist. If we humans can evolve from monkeys and no longer need that very important tail, what stops some beings to evolve further? In which case a super human being may not need the whole body.

I have a neighbour, who is proud that he was bestowed with an opportunity to accompany a very famous vocal singer, to play a percussion instrument called Tabla, at a very tender age. He is now 60+ years. He is proud of this one serendipity and keeps cherishing it, but he did not become a famous percussion instrument player. Was this a beacon life threw at him and maybe few more after this? Maybe he did not recognise them!

What if Sri M, when he was a kid, just ignored those first few beacons, including that mysterious man who showed up in his backyard one day and other such similar experiences? What if, he had just ignored all those dreams? What if his strange experiences were considered as some neurological disorders and were suppressed by modern drugs by a neurologist? He may have lived a different and definitely curtailed life. May be I and my neighbour ignored our beacons!

The first 1/3rd of the books needs to be read with patience since this is in preparation of the remaining 2/3rd extraordinary part. This book takes the reader on a wonderful trip to all those places we may never be able to visit nor will be exposed to such wonderful experiences. There are few experiences which a normal science educated mind may reject. I bow down to Sir M for narrating these experiences, despite such possible rejection by people.

This is a wonderful book. One who is interested in exploring what is Life, must read this. ]]> ReadStatus7084228324 Sat, 07 Oct 2023 23:16:34 -0700 /review/show/5894331966 Vijay has read You Can Heal Your Life by Louise L. Hay
]]> Review5731766168 Sat, 07 Oct 2023 23:10:09 -0700 /review/show/5731766168 Vijay gave 5 stars to Acres of Diamonds: our every-day opportunities (Kindle Edition) by Russell H. Conwell
Originally written as an essay during 1869, this book is more relevant today than ever before. Just one sentence from the book “He was contented because he was wealthy, and wealthy because he was contented� sums up everything. But some elaboration is in order considering the impact this can have on our lives.

Never before in the history of the world, we were going around in search of diamonds - happiness & wealth - as vehemently as today. Today we change jobs, professions, spouses, homes, cars even hairstyles in search of happiness & wealth, only to return empty handed at the end of the day.

The book elaborates to the core the simple truth that we can find our wealth right where we are, if we care enough to look around and dig deeper. And may be also that, even dimonds don't look as shiny in thier raw form. It is when we work on them, they become shining adornments. Here are few thoughts and takeaways from this book.

We are wealthy only because we are contented with what we have. That definitely does not suggest that one can become lazy, thus claim to be contented. Being lazy and contented are two opposites. We must be active and wealthy enough to provide for our needs and wants.

Feeling of less than another man is not poverty. It is a sickness. Poverty is cruel because it limits our ability to explore our lives to the fullest. It is thus duty of every man to be wealthy enough to provide for his needs.

Honesty and riches need not be either-or, in all probability this statement appears to be true. Becuase people smell dishonesty and would never work for a dishonest man for long. Without men working for him a man can never earn riches. Money is not evil. It is neutral. Like any other power. It is how we use it, power or money, makes it evil or devine.

Profit is a reward for serving another man. Stealing is earning a profit without delivering the goods or services promised. This will not make anyone rich. Knowing the needs of other men and filling those needs foe a profit is a kind gesture and is the right way to become rich. Money received in inheritance without the ability to handle it is like fire in the hands of a monkey. It can hurt the monkey and destroy others.

Few Rules that I have tried to distill from the book are;

Rule 1 :
Making profit is the reward for the kindness shown to another man by serving him.
Rule 2 :
First know what people you are servicing need and invest yourself where you are most needed.
Rule 3 :
Whatever you had to do, put your whole mind into it and hold it all there until it is done.
Rule 4 :
Greatness does not come with holding a designation or an office, it comes by doing great deeds with little means for another man.
Rule 5 :
If you wish to be great, start where you are with what you have. ]]> Review961157111 Wed, 26 Jul 2023 17:05:27 -0700 /review/show/961157111 Vijay gave 5 stars to Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity (Paperback) by David Allen
A clearly understandable concept and step by step instructions to how we should be DOING what we do better and enjoy every bit of it. Amazingly detailed. As you read, you keep nodding in agreement with what David Allen presents in a lucid manner. There is no new knowledge but everything the book states makes us understand why our world has become so complex. Why do we keep doing but the stuff does not get done?

Very simple, our 'work' does not have clearly defined boundaries, it's amorphous. So how does one finish a race who's finish line is always hazy and always shifting? Also when we want to do something how clearly do we define the next physical action we need to take and what outcome do we expect? Why do we treat the small tasks which take less than a couple of minutes to finish and those which take more time and space, same way? Does the context, from our mood to the resources we need to do a job, has any significance in our planning? These questions and many more get answered.

This is a cookbook of DOING WHAT WE WANT TO DO. It's A BOOK THAT TELLS YOU STRAIGHT HOW TO DO than go around preaching about how to enhance our productivity. Simple and Step-by-Step.

The concept is simple. It says our brains are note made to store unfinished tasks or commitments. Rather it is a seat of creativity and idea generation. We need to build an external and dependable system to store all our TODOs and Projects so that the brain gets free to think and generate more ideas to Get Things Done. This is amazing. Most of our tasks and projects are held or take more time than should have because of lack of new ideas. Ideas come from a calm and relaxed mind than a mind busy remembering the TODOs. All those task that we want to do but have not decided what is the next action are OPEN LOOPS that creat a kind of 'noise'. And a noisy brain is definitely not a place where great ideas can take shape. GTD is all about getting the list of tasks, THE STUFF (all of IT right from calling a friend to a large complicated project) out our mind and storing it in a dependable system. And yes, the most important of all - reviewing what we are doing as often as required, at the least weekly. ]]>