Creativity and Spirituality

An idle mind can never be creative. For creativity to flourish, the mind must always be active. Hunger for knowledge fuels creativity because knowledge generates ideas within the mind. Such ideas in turn give rise to creative impulse.

The manner in which the mind knows things differs from person to person. Driven by the creative impulse, imaginative power and the manner in which the mind has registered the objects, the creator starts to fiddle with those ideas which get refined further and further as a result of its passage through very complex mental processes. The very complexity of these mental processes depends upon ones' intellect. Ultimately a form comes in mind, which has some aesthetic value. Now the person proceeds to give that ultimate idea a concrete form. A creation may take any form, shape or size.

A creation consists of two primary aspects:

1. The Outward appearance

2. The Inner significance

It is the inner significance that is more important in a creative work.

Creativity depends on how the mind relates itself to the outer world and interacts with it to draw refined inferences. This process of refinement has no limit. It can never be limited by any outer impact.

Creativity takes its highest form when it is regarded as the same as worshipping the God. Creation is nothing but making offerings to the God. It is to recognize the wish of God as to why he was sent to this world. This takes the creator closer to the God and makes him spiritual. Spirituality is an ultimate or immaterial reality, an inner path allowing a person to discover the true essence of his being. It helps a person to find the deepest values and meanings by which he lives. Thus creative people are surely more spiritual and psychic. Through his urge for creation he realizes and understands why he has come to this world, what is the task he should accomplish before he leaves this world. Thus creativity gives birth to and nourishes spirituality.

A psychic is a person who has the ability to perceive information hidden from the normal senses through extrasensory perception because of their imaginative power.

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The Meadow

This has been painted with an impressionist idea in mind. The impressionist style is one of my favourites. The colour composition is to be noted here. Click on the picture to have a detailed view.

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Philosophy, the easy way

The two main senses are that, we see things with our eyes and listen to words with our ears. In this way we analyze reality by our senses. What we see and listen guide and control our thoughts. In many ways our thoughts are guided by our past experiences also. Through experience our thoughts and beliefs constantly take up new shapes, thereby enriching our mind. Our knowledge grows. Ever increasing knowledge makes us hungry to acquire more. This way we keep on moving towards the ultimate truth, the eternal truth. We develop the ability to move beyond what is perceived by our senses and move towards eternal bliss, the heavenly peace and happiness. Thus we tend to become free. Seeing everything in the light of this constantly enriched mind is the philosophy of life.

Within us there is something very vital and significant which keeps us going. Eternity is the key-word of this vital aspect. That is embedded within us. We normally tend to see things as they appear to our eyes and ears, failing to visualize them in the light of eternity.

Eternity is existence altogether outside time where categories of past, present, and future just do not apply. One has to look at things from a much higher perspective, in the light of eternity, and then only one can find the truth lying underneath. One needs to shift one's vision and visualize things and happenings with one's inner eye.

Aesthetics is the branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of beauty, art, and taste, and with the creation and appreciation of beauty.

Ethics is the branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality — that is, concepts such as holy and evil, good and bad, justice, virtue, etc.

Morality is a sense of conduct that helps one to differentiate intentions and actions between those that are right or wrong.

Wisdom is the deep understanding and realization of people, entity, events or situations, using one's principles, reason and knowledge, so as to choose and act to produce the optimum results. It is also the ability to ascertain what is true or right.

Wisdom can be achieved if one seeks ethics, virtue and aesthetics and lead a simple life full of trust and independence. Independence and autonomy will give one faith, which in turn will sow the seeds of truth. It is truth that will set one free.

Science deals with material aspects; philosophy deals mainly with the abstract things of life. It provides food to the mind. It starts by 'doubting' and criticizing something, some faith, and some belief. This way it goes on eliminating the false beliefs and builds up a concrete base of true knowledge. It deals with those areas where it is very difficult to attain perfect knowledge, areas where everything cannot be exactly known. That is why these areas are abstract.

Philosophy sets its own goals and tries to achieve them with reason and vision. The knowledge it acquires in these new areas are the foundations upon which things get perfected, upon which principles and rules get drawn up, upon which the well-being of the future of this universe is built up. It prepares the anvil.

Philosophy never deals with anything in isolation. It tries to define and describe something with respect to the whole to get down to the very bottom of it. In this way it seeks to find out the exact worth, the real worth of its findings, which leads one to the ultimate truth. Evaluating something with respect to past experience and knowledge and present circumstance is the essence. In the process philosophy gives birth to wisdom which teaches one what to desire and what not to desire. All facts and findings then get moulded into its true form with respect to desire and need, keeping also in mind all 'other' facts and figures.

It may not be able to give with certainty all the answers to the 'doubts' it creates, but surely it provides one with many possible answers which broadens the thought process and sets one free from customs, dogmas, fears and unrealistic hopes. It takes things from personal to universal level. In the process it makes one's mind more imaginative, creative and intellectual. It makes one's mind greater and wider.

The joy and happiness that one can gets through acquisition of knowledge, and understanding the true worth of it, is the noblest form of joy and happiness.

A philosopher can hear the holy music that comes from the heaven and keeps on moving towards that direction from which that music is coming. Along his path he leaves behind the fruits of his conquest for mankind to pick up, understand, use and enjoy.

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You can make hay even at midnight if you so wish

You can make hay even at midnight if you so wish. What you wish is very important to you. You wish something because it is good ? No. You consider it good because you wish to have it or attain it. What you wish is good or not will depend upon your sense of morality, ethics and wisdom.

Morality is a sense of conduct that helps one to differentiate intentions and actions between those that are right or wrong.

Ethics is the branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality — that is, concepts such as holy and evil, good and bad, justice, virtue, etc.

Wisdom is the deep understanding and realization of people, entity, events or situations, using one's principles, reason and knowledge, so as to choose and act to produce the optimum results. It is also the ability to ascertain what is true or right.

Keep these three senses very, very sharp and positive, and your wishes and longings will always be good, either for yourself or for others.

You will surely pursue something only when you know that it will help you to persevere, to strive. Here your reasoning, your intellect and your wisdom will play a big role. Because these three things can only make you independent, or so to say, autonomous. A person is said to be autonomous or independent when he becomes matured, matured enough to think for himself also. He now possesses enough reasoning power, intellect and wisdom to break all barriers, imposed or otherwise, and come out of his self-imposed exile. He comes out of the fallacy that these is no harm in thinking about his own good. That does not make him selfish. This takes him to an enlightened path. Just a plain and simple thing to understand - how will one do good to others if he himself is not fit and strong enough ? So first take care of yourself - then turn towards others and do good for them also.

How earnestly you long for something decides whether you will be able to attain it or not. In all your endeavours you will come across obstacles, not one or two but many, and also not very easy ones. You have to overcome each, one after another. The more noble is the cause, the more obstacles you will face. A time will come when you may feel that everything is going dead wrong, and then you may feel like giving up. Never!!!!! Because this is your hardest obstacle - the feeling or urge to give up. You have to overcome this also as your success is very near to you. After this point you will meet with total success. So never give up. A ball does not bounce up until it hits the floor. That's it.

Enlightenment is not possible without knowledge. Knowledge is an all-pervasive affair. We first acquire knowledge to become educated, so that we can earn enough to make a decent living. Further knowledge makes us more educated. Till this stage knowledge is need-based. When acquisition of knowledge ceases to be need-based, an educated person starts getting transformed into a learned person. Now he learns out of sheer joy!

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Deep Thought

A woman, drowned in some deep thought. This is a pencil drawing, done in 2008.

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A Confession

There are millions and millions of people in this world who do more work than me everyday. That also they do to earn their living, and possibly not always out of sheer joy and happiness. One has to be fortunate enough to get some work everyday which he can do out of sheer joy and happiness.

My job is to bring new hope for people whom I come across daily, however small it may be. Number of people I come across daily are getting lesser and lesser, as I am getting older. If I fill up all my time with duties, I suffer from some kind of suffocation. All my thoughts seem to get buried underneath. So I need to keep myself somewhat free. But that is not always possible. So at times I am forced to suffocate. Doing something out of a sense of duty could never motivate me. If I at all have to do something, it has to come straight from the heart, giving me delight and joy.

I have tried a lot to keep myself tied up with duties. Then I feel like a caged bird. My mind wishes to flutter its wings in the open sky. But my sense of responsibility prevents me from doing so. Two entirely different forces keep me pulling at opposite directions. I find it so very difficult to manage both ends. Never have I been able to make anyone understand this tussle.

Possibly my mind is like the clouds in the sky, always drifting from one place to another. But like cloud, I must bring rain in other people's lives. There is one thing I need to tell everyone around me. If you can do a job yourself, do it yourself. Don't call me. If you can't do it, or can't do it alone, call me. I may come handy. But please always let me know what you are doing. My advice may be helpful. I can do brain work with ease than manual work. That is my way of doing things, my way of fulfilling my responsibilities. Also, at times I need to conserve my energy for the more important occasion.

Most people do not seem to appreciate my way. I feel so helpless at times.

Translation into English based on the Bengali works (essays) of Rabindranath Tagore

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Either a Manager or a Worker

A person cannot be both a manager and a worker at the same time. He has to be either a worker or a manager. As a manager he will be having a lot of mental work, lot of decision making to do.

Whereas as a worker he will have more physical work to do. People lying in between have to do less of both in varying proportions.

Both types of work are equally tiring. It is not that that the manager sits quietly in a room and enjoys leisure hours. Only his work is not visible outside. Whereas in case of a worker his physical work is visible and easily recognizable. The same concept applies among different members of a family also.

Work itself is tiring, be it mental or physical. However, it brings joy also if something is accomplished.

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Temple of Lord Shiva

A painting of a very old temple of Lord Shiva, in the village of Dilakash, West-Bengal, India, done in watercolour. It dates back to the 17th century. Roots of a banyan tree has gone deep into the temple. Do not miss the cow standing in the background.

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Decision Making

Decision making is the primary job of a manager. A manager has to manage the three "M"s, namely men, material and money. In theory there may be various laid down principles regarding how to make the best possible decision, how to select the best path in order to accomplish a task. However, in practice one mostly has to take decisions base on the principle of "rejecting the worst", not "selecting the best". By going on rejecting the worst one can move closer and closer to the best or ideal situation. One's objective should therefore be to get as much closer as possible to that theoretical best, by rejecting the worst as much as practicable.

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