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Sunday 29 November 2015

DALE CARNEGIE - HOW TO STOP WORRYING

2015-48:  Dale Carnegie - How to Stop Worrying

Self-Help Messiah Dale Carnegie [1888-1955]



Dale Carnegie was born in 1888, Maryville, Missouri, USA and was educated at Warrensburg State Teachers College. As a salesman and aspiring actor, he traveled to New York and began taking 'public-speaking' classes for adults at the YMCA. 

In 1912, the world famous Carnegie Course in Effective Speaking and Human Relations was born. He authored several bestsellers, including, “How to Win Friends and Influence People”, and “How to Stop Worrying and Start Living.” Over 50 million copies of Mr. Carnegie's books have been printed and published in scores of languages. 




Dale Carnegie's Summary of 

How to Stop Worrying and Start Living




Part 1:  Fundamental facts you should know about worry
  1. Live in "day-tight compartments." 

    1. Ask yourself, "What is the worst that can possibly happen if I can't solve my problem?
    2. Prepare yourself mentally to accept the worst--if necessary.
    3. Then calmly try to improve upon the worst--which you have already mentally agreed to accept.
  2. Remind yourself of the exorbitant price you can pay for worry in terms of your health. 
Part 2:  Basic techniques in analyzing worry
  1. Get the facts. 
  2. After carefully weighing all the facts, come to a decision.
  3. Once a decision is carefully reached, get busy carrying out your decision.
  4. When you worry about a problem, write out answers for the following questions:
    1. What is the problem?
    2. What is the cause of the problem?
    3. What are all possible solutions?
    4. What is the best solution?
Part 3:  How to break the worry habit before it breaks you
  1. Crowd worry out of your mind by keeping busy. 
  2. Don't fuss about trifles. 
  3. Ask yourself: "What are the odds against this thing's happening at all?"
  4. Co-operate with the inevitable. Say to yourself: "It is so; it cannot be otherwise."
  5. Decide just how much anxiety a thing may be worth--and refuse to give it anymore.
  6. Let the past bury its dead. Don't saw sawdust.
Part 4:  7 ways to cultivate a mental attitude that will bring you peace & happiness
  1. Fill the mind with thoughts of peace, courage, health, and hope.
  2. Never waste a minute thinking about people you don't like.
  3.  
    1. Instead of worrying about ingratitude, expect it. 
    2. Remember that the only way to find happiness is not to expect gratitude--but to give for the joy of giving.
    3. Remember that gratitude is a "cultivated" trait and train.
  4. Count your blessings--not your troubles!
  5. Do not imitate others. Find yourself and be yourself.
  6. When fate hands out a lemon, make a lemonade.
  7. Do good to others. "When you are good to others, you are best to yourself."
Part 5:  The perfect way to conquer worry
  1. Prayer
Part 6:  How to keep from worrying about criticism
  1. Unjust criticism is often a disguised compliment. No one ever kicks a dead dog.
  2. Do the very best you can; and keep out of the rain of criticism.
  3. Keep a record of the fool things you have done and criticize yourself. 
Part 7:  6 ways to prevent fatigue & worry and keep your energy and spirits high
  1. Rest before you get tired.
  2. Learn to relax at your work.
  3. Learn to relax at home.
  4. Apply these four good workings habits:
    1. Clear your desk of all papers except those relating to the immediate problem at hand.
    2. Do things in the order of their importance.
    3. When you face a problem, solve it then and there if you have the facts to make a decision.
    4. Learn to organize, deputize, and supervise.
  5. To prevent worry and fatigue, put enthusiasm into your work.
  6. Remember, no one was ever killed by lack of sleep. It is worrying about insomnia that does the damage--not the insomnia.
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Sunday 22 November 2015

DALE CARNEGIE: HOW TO WIN FRIENDS

2015-47:  Dale Carnegie: How to Win Friends


Dale Carnegie [1888-1955]
Dale Carnegie was born in 1888, Maryville, Missouri, USA and was educated at Warrensburg State Teachers College. As a salesman and aspiring actor, he traveled to New York and began taking 'public-speaking' classes for adults at the YMCA. 

In 1912, the world famous Carnegie Course in Effective Speaking and Human Relations was born. He authored several bestsellers, including, “How to Win Friends and Influence People”, and “How to Stop Worrying and Start Living.” Over 50 million copies of Mr. Carnegie's books have been printed and published in scores of languages. 


Published in 1936, How to Win Friends and Influence People is still a popular book in business and business communication skills. Dale Carnegie's four part book contains advice on how to create success in business and personal lives. How to Win Friends and Influence People is a tool used in Dale Carnegie Training and includes the following parts:

Part 1: Fundamental Techniques in Handling People
Part 2: Six Ways to Make People Like You
Part 3: How to Win People to Your Way of Thinking
Part 4: Be a Leader – How to Change People without Arousing Resentment.


Dale Carnegie's Summary of "How to Wind Friends and Influence People":


Part 1   Fundamental Techniques in Handling People

01 Don't criticize, condemn or complain.
02 Give honest and sincere appreciation.
03 Arouse in the other person an eager want.

Part 2   Six ways to make people like you

04 Become genuinely interested in other people.
05 Smile.
06 Address a person by his personal name.
07 Be a good listener.
08 Talk in terms of the other person's interests.
09 Make the other person feel important, sincerely

Part 3   Win people to your way of thinking

10 Avoid arguments.
11 Show respect for the other person's opinions. Never say, "You're wrong."
12 If you are wrong, admit it quickly and emphatically.
13 Begin in a friendly way.
14 Get the other person saying "yes, yes" immediately.
15 Let the other person do a great deal of the talking.
16 Let the other person feel that the idea is his.
17 Try honestly to see things from the other person's point of view.
18 Be sympathetic with the other person's ideas and desires.
19 Appeal to the nobler motives.
20 Dramatize your ideas.
21 Throw down a challenge.

Part 4   Be a Leader: How to Change People Without Arousing Resentment
22 Begin with praise and honest appreciation.
23 Call attention to people's mistakes indirectly.
24 Talk about your own mistakes before criticizing the other person.
25 Ask questions instead of giving direct orders.
26 Let the other person save face.
27 Be "hearty in your approbation and lavish in your praise."
28 Give the other person a fine reputation to live up to.
29 Use encouragement. Make the fault seem easy to correct.
30 Make the other person happy about doing the thing you suggest.

The above 30 principles have some overlaps as they are given under four headings. Among these, 10 principles of my choice are shown in red.

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Sunday 15 November 2015

"THOMAS KINKADE, PAINTER OF LIGHT"

2015-45  "Thomas Kinkade, Painter of Light"


"Thomas Kinkade, Painter of Light" [1958-2012]
Thomas Kinkade [1958-2012] was an American painter of popular, realistic, pastoral, and idyllic subjects. He was notable for the mass marketing of his work as printed reproductions and other licensed products via the Thomas Kinkade Company. 
He characterized himself as "Thomas Kinkade, Painter of Light" a phrase, originally attributed to the English Master, J.M.W. Turner [1775–1851]. 

Thom knew at an early age that painting was his true calling. He dedicated his life to creating art that emphasized simple pleasures and inspirational messages. He was inspired not by fame and fortune, but by the simple act of painting straight from the heart, putting on canvas the natural wonders and images that moved him most. 

Hometown Bridge
"The Bridge in Hometown Memories collection fondly revisits my idyllic childhood and I have often found that the heart and emotions of the boy seem to blend with the mind and sensitivities of the adult artist. As a maturing artist, I recognize deeper meaning within bridges, those ravine spanning passages we make in life; first love, birth of a child." - Thomas  Kinkade

Hometown Morning
“I think that in my Hometown Memories collection, I have established – at least to my own satisfaction – that you can go home again. Perhaps not with a boy’s innocence and enthusiasm, but certainly with an adult’s fond memories and deep appreciation for the gifts of community, of belonging, of shared values and dreams that are the essence of the hometown experience. Hometown Morning is the sixth and final look at the hometown of my boyhood – and, I hope, at some of the things you remember most warmly about you hometown as well.” – Thomas Kinkade

Savannah Romance
"In my painting, Savannah Romance, I've included an abundance of color - dogwood and mimosa trees vie for attention with resplendent southern magnolias and lush azaleas. Reigning over it all is the majestic Forsyth Fountain, bubbling forth with blessings anew.  It is my hope that your imagination will take you on a stroll down this shaded pathway to discover your own fountain of many blessings."   - Thomas Kinkade



Pathway to Paradise
"When humankind was young, we lived in a garden paradise…I believe that to be literally true. When we were children, we lived in a protected sanctuary, under the loving care of our parents.  

The world was new to our experience, and filled with wonder and mystery. The light had a special radiance…the flowers were treasures of color and scent ... butterfly was a small miracle.Then they grew up." - Thomas  Kinkade

It was this dedication and singular-minded focus on the ultimate goal of Sharing the Light that made Thomas Kinkade, a simple boy with a brush from the small country town of Placerville, California the most-collected living artist of his time.

Throughout his life Thomas Kinkade shared his joy and used his paints in support of hospitals, schools, and humanitarian relief. Though the recipient of countless awards and honors, it was Thom’s profound sense of purpose that his art was not just an accessory, but also a ministry, that continues on as his legacy. From custom images that were sold for The Salvation Army, Hurricane Katrina relief, Rotary International, to donations that now grace the halls of St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, the White House, The Vatican, and Britain’s Tate Museum, Thom raised hundreds of thousands of dollars over his lifetime for charity.


YouTube Video: The Life Story of Thomas Kinkade: [Click Here] 56:23m








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Sunday 8 November 2015

HENRY LANDSEER: "THE OLD SHEPHERD'S CHIEF MOURNER"

2015-46  Henry Landseer: "The Old Shepherd's Chief Mourner" 
                          A Masterpiece of the "Man of Mind"


Sir Edwin Henry Landseer [1802-1873]
Sir Edwin Henry Landseer [1802-1873] was an English painter, well known for his paintings of animals—particularly horses, dogs and stags. However, his best known works are the lion sculptures in Trafalgar Square.
His work had added appeal in the Victorian age because of his tendency to give his animal scenes a moral dimension. These pictures were widely circulated in his time in the form of engravings, often made by his brother Thomas. 

Edwin Landseer was the youngest son of an engraver and studied under Benjamin Robert Haydon, the historical painter, who encouraged him to study animal anatomy. 

In 1824 Landseer made the first of his many visits to Scotland. He fell in love with the Highlands, which inspired many of his later paintings such as 'The Monarch of the Glen' [1851]. He also visited Sir Walter Scott, who admired his paintings and chose him as one of the illustrators to the Waverley edition of his novels. In the 1830s his work gained wide popularity and was bought both by the aristocracy and the middle class. 
Lions at the base of Nelson's  Column
After a breakdown in 1840, Landseer had a permanent fight against depression and ill health, although he continued to paint brilliantly almost until the end of his life. In the 1860s he modelled the lions at the base of Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square. In 1866 he declined the presidency of the Royal Academy, and after 1870 sank slowly into insanity. 

John Ruskin's comments on Landseer's "The Old Shepherd's Chief Mourner" [Modern Painters Vol.1]


Landseer: "The Old Shepherd's Chief Mourner" [1837]

This painting "The Old Shepherd's Chief Mourner" by Landseer, when first exhibited in Royal Academy Exhibition in 1837, received complimentary comments from many established critics, and was enthusiastically greeted in the press. It was engraved by Gibbon in 1838, and became one of the best-selling prints of the century.

In his 'Modern Painters Vol I' [1843]Ruskin described it as 'one of the most perfect poems or pictures which modern times have seen.'  He went on to say, 'The exquisite execution of the glossy and crisp hair of the dog, the bright sharp touching of the green bough, the clear painting of the wood of the coffin and the folds of the blanket, are language - language clear and expressive in the highest degree.

But the close pressure of the dog's breast against the wood, the convulsive clinging of the paws, which has dragged the blanket off the trestle, the total powerlessness of the head, laid close and motionless, upon its folds, the fixed and tearful fall of the eye in its utter hopelessness, the rigidity of repose which marks that there has been no motion nor change in the trance of agony since the last blow was struck on the coffin-lid, the quietness and gloom of the chamber, the spectacles marking the place where the Bible was last closed, indicating how lonely has been the life, how unwatched the departure, of him who is now laid solitary in his sleep - these are all thoughts - thoughts by which the picture is separated at once from hundreds of equal merit, as far as mere painting goes, by which it ranks as a work of high art, and stamps its author, not as the neat imitator of the texture of a skin, or the fold of a drapery, but as the Man of Mind.' 

                 Some More Masterpieces by Sir Edwin Henry Landseer:


Landseer: "Bloudhound and Pups" [1839]







Landseer: Deer of Chillingham Park, Northumberland [1867]


Landseer: "Favourites" [1835]



YouTube Video: 90 seconds at Trafalgar Square: [Click Here] 




Postscript: More than a year after the first post on Landseer on 1 Jun 2014 in 2014-22 Devotion of a Dog: Henry Landseer's "Attachment" [Click Here], I came across Landseer's "The Old Shepherd's Chief Mourner" with John Ruskin's comments on it. Also I could not leave out Landseer's "Bloudhound and Pups" and the "Deer of Chillingham Park, Northumberland" Hence this revisit to Landseer.


Sunday 1 November 2015

VEDIC WISDOM: CHANDOGYA UPANISHAD: THE STORY OF SATYAKAMA [LOVER OF TRUTH]

2015-44  Vedic Wisdom: Chandogya Upanishad: 
The Story of Satyakama [Lover of Truth]
THE STORY OF SATYAKAMA  [CHANDOGYA UPANISHAD Part IV CH. 4-9]


Part IV Chapter 1: The Story of Satyakama

Satyakama and mother Japala
4.4.1 Once upon a time, Satyakama the son of Jabala addressed his mother and said: "Revered Mother, I wish to become a brahmacharin. Of what lineage am I?"

4.4.2 She said to him: "I do not know, my child, of what lineage you are. In my youth, I served in many households, and at that time you were born to me. I do not know of what lineage you are. I am Jabala by name and you are Satyakama. Say, then, that you are Satyakama Jabala.

4.4.3 He came to Gautama the son of Haridrumata and said: "Revered Sir, I wish to live with you as a brahmacharin. May I approach you, as a pupil?"

4.4.4 Gautama said to him: "Of what lineage are you, beloved?" Satyakama said: "I do not know, Sir, of what lineage I am. I asked my mother about it and she replied: “In my youth, I served in many households, and at that time you were born to me. I do not know of what lineage you are. I am Jabala by name and you are Satyakama. Say, then, that you are Satyakama Jabala.” I am, therefore, Sir, Satyakama Jabala."

"Beloved, go with these"
4.4.5 Gautama said: "None but a true brahmin would thus speak out. Fetch the fuel, beloved; I shall initiate you. You have not departed from truth." He initiated Satyakama. Having separated out four hundred lean and weak cows from his herd, he said: "Beloved, go with these." Driving them away toward the forest, Satyakama said: "I shall not return until they become a thousand."

He lived a number of years in the forest. When the cows had become a thousand --

Part IV Chapter 5: Instruction by the Bull

1. Initiation by the Bull
4.5.1 The bull of the herd, addressing him, said: "Satyakama!" "Revered Sir!" Satyakama replied. The bull said: "Dear friend, we have become a thousand, take us to teacher’s house.

4.5.2 "I will declare to you one foot of Brahman." "Declare it, Revered Sir." The bull said to him: "The east is one quarter, the west is one quarter, the south is one quarter, the north is one quarter. This, dear friend, is one foot of Brahman, consisting of four quarters and this foot is called Prakasavat [shining].

4.5.3 "He who knows this and meditates on the foot of Brahman consisting of four quarters as shining, becomes shining on this earth. He conquers shining worlds−he who knows this and meditates on the foot of Brahman consisting of four quarters as shining."

Part IV Chapter 6: Instruction by Fire

4.6.1 The bull further said: "Agni [fire] will declare to you another foot of Brahman." Satyakama then, when it was the morrow, drove the cows in the direction of the teacher’s house. And when they came together toward evening, he lighted a fire, penned the cows, laid fuel on the fire and sat down behind the fire, facing the east.

2.Initiation by Fire
4,6.2 Agni [fire], addressing him, said: "Satyakama!" "Revered Sir!" Satyakama replied.

4.6.3 "Dear friend, I will declare to you one foot of Brahman." "Declare it, revered Sir." Agni said to him: "The earth is one quarter, the sky is one quarter, heaven is one quarter, the ocean is one quarter. This, dear friend, is one foot of Brahman, consisting of four quarters and this foot is called Anantavat (endless).

4.6.4 "He who knows this and meditates on the foot of Brahman consisting of four quarters as endless, becomes endless on this earth. He conquers endless worlds−he who knows this and meditates on the foot of Brahman consisting of four quarters as endless."

Part IV Chapter 7: Instruction by the Swan

4.7.1 Agni further said: "A hamsa [swan] will declare to you another foot." Satyakama then, when it was the morrow, drove the cows in the direction of the teacher’s house. And when they came together toward evening, he lighted a fire, penned the cows, laid fuel on the fire and sat down behind the fire, facing the east.

3. Initiation by the Swan
4.7.2 Then a swan flew to him and said: "Satyakama!" "Revered Sir!" Satyakama replied.

4.7.3 Dear friend, I will declare to you one foot of Brahman." "Declare it, revered Sir." The swan said to him: "Fire is one quarter, the sun is one quarter, the moon is one quarter, lightning is one quarter. This, dear friend, is one foot of Brahman, consisting of four quarters and this foot is called Jyotishmat [luminous].

4.7.4 He who knows this and meditates on the foot of Brahman consisting of four quarters as luminous, becomes luminous on this earth. He conquers luminous worlds−he who knows this and meditates on the foot of Brahman consisting of four quarters as luminous.

Part IV Chapter 8: Instruction by the Diver−Bird

4.Initiation by the Diver-bird
4.8.1 The swan further said: "A madgu [diver−bird] will declare to you another foot." Satyakama then, when it was the morrow, drove the cows in the direction of the teacher’s house. And when they came together toward evening, he lighted a fire, penned the cows, laid fuel on the fire and sat down behind the fire, facing the east.

4.8.2 Then a diver−bird flew to him and said: "Satyakama!" "Revered Sir!" Satyakama replied.

4.8.3 "Dear friend, I will declare to you one foot of Brahman." "Declare it, revered Sir." The diver−bird said to him: "The prana is one quarter, the eye is one quarter, the ear is one quarter, the mind is one quarter. This, dear friend, is one foot of Brahman, consisting of four quarters and this foot is called Ayatanavat (having support).

4.8.4 "He who knows this and meditates on the foot of Brahman consisting of four quarters as Ayatanavat, possesses a support [i.e. home] on this earth. He conquers the worlds which offer a home−he who knows this and meditates on the foot of Brahman consisting of four quarters as Ayatanavat."

Part IV Chapter 9: Instruction by the Teacher

4.9.1 Satyakama reached the teacher’s hermitage. The teacher said to him: "Satyakama!" "Revered Sir!" Satyakama replied.

4.9.2 The teacher said: "Beloved, you shine like one who knows Brahman. Who has taught you?" "Others than men," he replied. "But I wish, revered Sir, that you alone should teach me."

5. Initiation by the Guru Gautama

4.9.3 "For I have heard from persons like your good self that only knowledge which is learnt from a teacher [acharya] leads to the highest good." Then he [Gautama] taught him [Satyakama] the same knowledge. Nothing whatsoever was left out, yea, nothing whatsoever was left out.

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In the website, http://www.universaltheosophy.com/, we find a beautiful explanation for the above.

Satyakama is sent forth to tend a herd of cattle, with the understanding that he must not return until they number a thousand. He departs to the depths of the forest to feed his herds. The evident meaning would seem to be that the disciple is set the task of developing his spiritual perceptions, in addition to his physical powers and mind; and that only after he has done this, can his master initiate him.

The Sanskrit commentaries confirm the interpretation of this story as a parable of spiritual things. We are told that a Divinity entered the bull, in order to teach him. In general. the teaching given to Satyakama is a foreshadowing of the doctrine of the Four Steps of the Eternal, set forth in Mandukya Upanishad.

These four steps are: natural body, subtle body, causal body, divine body, with the states or planes o£ consciousness corresponding to them. It is easy to see how the story of Satyakama and his four lessons, each divided into four, would prepare the way for this later, more mystical teaching, and make it more intelligible.

We may , if we wish, identify his four teachers: the bull, as physical life; the fire, as the life of the subtle body, called the Radiant in the later Upanishad, the swan as the vesture of the adept; the cormorant, which disappears beneath the waters, as the body of the sage who has attained Brahma jnana, and has withdrawn from the visible world.

"Beloved, thy face shines as the face of one who knows the Eternal. . . . " "This Eternal they call the Uniter of Beauty. . .", "Those who go forward on that path return not. . ." 






YouTube Video: Satyakama [the Lover of Truth] [Click Here] 3:42m