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AVIS Viswanathan Quotes

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Famous AVIS Viswanathan Quotes

“The Enforcement Directorate (ED) in India is currently seen as an establishment that is unleashing draconian measures to penalize people and companies. Resultantly, the very mention of the ED’s name appears to evoke fear in many. But when we look at Life in a spiritual context, we will realize that there is a more tyrannical ED that resides within each of us. Be wary of this inner ED. It is made up of twin oppressors – Ego and Desire! Importantly, ego and desire, as long as they are in control, hold us hostage. The ego cripples us by ceaselessly whipping up the deafening ‘I-me-mine’ frenzy. And desire suffocates us through stoking an endless wanting in us: for Life to be different from what it is. Both these forces constantly make us feel on edge. That’s why we often feel miserable, unfulfilled and very, very unhappy. There is a way to get out of the stranglehold of this inner ED. That way is to learn to dissolve our ego and our desires through diligently training the mind, through embracing a meditative practice. Only then can we be truly free. And happy!”

“If it is meant for you, it will come to you. It will find you and reach you. So, don’t despair when, despite your best intention and effort, something does not happen the way you envisioned it and planned it. Take it easy. Of course, you have every right to have an intention, put forth a plan and execute it, but you have no right to insist that just because you did all that you must get what you want. The outcomes are never in your hand. The idea that you deserve something is what you have grown within you. So, drop that idea. Just do your bit, and do it well, in any situation. And leave the results, the outcomes, to Life. If you must get it, you will. When you do, be grateful for Life’s compassion. When you don’t, be accepting of Life’s verdict.”

“Life’s intrinsic nature is magical and beautiful. But you will discover that magic and beauty only when you learn to embrace pain. Now, you can’t negotiate with pain – it comes unannounced and uninvited; you can’t postpone it either. So, you simply have to accept it. When you embrace pain, Life reveals its true Self to you – of how compassionate it is, giving you what you need most – including your pain – so that you can grow and evolve. So that you learn to be happy despite your circumstances. So that you live fully, happily, with what is…”

“Every experience that you go through is part of the process of the unfolding of your myth. If you sit back and reflect on your own 2019, on how Life dealt with you this year, you will see how every upheaval, every scar in your Life, is precious in its own way. You will realize how you have emerged stronger and wiser from each experience you have been through. You will be amazed at how you have learnt to cope, how you have moved on this year too, just as you have done, all your Life. This is why it is pointless to label a year as good or bad (or ugly). A set of events simply happened to you this past year. And another set will happen in the year coming up. So, instead of over-analyzing and labeling the year gone by, embrace what is, and train your mind to be non-worrying, non-frustrated and non-suffering. This holds the key to your Happiness.”

“Sit calmly. Take a few moments out for yourself. Look at your own Life dispassionately. And reflect on these perspectives: Is there any point in worrying; do you think you can solve any of your problems by worrying about them? Is there any point in being frustrated and angry about the way your Life has turned out to be; is there any point holding yourself or others for what has happened? Is there any point in asking Life “why” or “why me”; are you even likely to get any answers from asking Life questions? When you realize the futility of worrying, frustration and suffering, you will learn to let go and trust the process of Life. That is when you will be truly happy despite your circumstances.”

“The truth is that we humans cannot fight Life’s design. For instance, when someone’s time is up, they just have to go. When this understanding is complete, there will be a realization that carrying on grieving is futile. That’s when you exercise the choice to be non-suffering. However, being non-suffering does not mean that there will be no pain. You cannot negotiate with pain. You have to simply accept it. But when you are non-suffering your ability to accept pain and deal with it improves significantly.”

“Drop the 'why' and ‘why me’ questions. Stop asking ‘why’ and ‘why me’ in the context of your Life situation. Then you will not suffer. The pain will be intense. But you will not suffer. You cannot avoid pain, but you can choose not to suffer. Suffering comes from asking 'why’, ‘why me'. Suffering always magnifies the pain. Choosing to be non-suffering does not take away the pain. But it helps immensely in coping with the pain.”

“Companionship is truly about being loving – in the present continuous. It means being available, being present or just being a good listener. You may not really be able to solve your companion’s problems or be able to reduce their pain. But being there for them, being loving, is all that you need to do. Or, in some cases, if being left alone is what they want, respecting that need and staying away from them is also a way of being loving.”

“Slowly, very slowly, that is how you learn to cope with trauma, grief and pain. It always seems to be a never-ending process. The coping doesn’t quite cease; it always appears to be in the present continuous. Then, over time, when you begin to accept the pain and see the pointlessness of grieving endlessly, you slowly learn to move on. Your Life will never be the way it once was. But you will slowly learn to co-live with the pain while setting down the grief. You will slowly, eventually, learn to be happy despite what happened and despite the circumstances.”

“The process of Life is to make us, break us, and to remake us. From birth to death, this process endures ceaselessly. Our lived experiences then are integral to how we are shaped – to how we are remade each time that we are broken. We emerge stronger, calmer, content and happy from each upheaval that we go through. That’s how we awaken to the sublime realization that the journey is indeed the only reward.”

“No matter what you are going through, the process of Life is beautiful. It may be challenging, painful and, at times, agonizingly slow. Or it may flow freely, generously, bringing you all that you want. But, unfailingly, Life never ceases to amaze or surprise. It is this inscrutable quality of Life that makes the process beautiful. When you accept the process of Life for what it is, for the way it is, unquestioningly, you see its beauty. That’s how you learn to be happy despite the circumstances.”

“We are all waiting. Someone’s waiting for love, another is waiting for understanding…someone is waiting for recognition…yet another is waiting for money…some are waiting for healing and some others are waiting for death…Life is eventually a game spent in waiting. And the only way to make the wait meaningful, and be happy through all the waiting, is to be patient and trust the process of Life!”

“Don't imagine you are in a worse place than you actually are. Things could have been far worse. So, seize the day, count your blessings and move on. You can survive a crisis only by dealing it with one day at a time. Don't add up all your problems in your mind and think you are finished. Compartmentalize your problems; put them in different buckets and project-manage them separately. This is how you live through uncertain times – making decisions when there are few or no options to choose from. You never see it this way when you are going through a crisis. But, unfailingly, every crisis leaves you stronger, wiser – and happy!”

“Life happens at its own pace and in its own time. It has a mind of its own. Your rushing through it only increases your stress levels and makes you anxious. You can do nothing to Life. At all times, in all contexts, you are never in control – Life is! And all you can and must do is to learn to live fully with what is. This does not mean inaction – trusting the process of Life is a lot of action; of keeping the faith and being patient. So, sit quietly doing whatever you can in a given context. And whatever must happen alone will happen; whatever is due to you alone will flow to you…on its own. When you are calm, you are non-worrying, non-frustrated and non-suffering and only when you are in this state will you see how perfect your Life really is!”

“There is no need to respond to every provocation around you. Sometimes you may be the victim of someone’s wily designs, or their stupidity, or someone may blatantly harass you, or someone may just be plain insensitive. Every such act will provoke you. Your mind will justify the need to ‘fix the person’ then and there. But don’t rush into doing that. The best way to disarm someone is to not fight them at all. In fact, focus on the situation, on the issue that separates you both and not on the person in question. Give the situation and the issue time – give them calm, reflective, thought. And then respond unemotionally, to the issue – but respond only if you really must. Sometimes, even choosing to remain silent is a powerful response! Protecting your inner peace must be your priority, not settling petty scores!”

“Sometimes Life will hang you at the edge of the precipice. And fear will grip you. You will not know what to think, say or do. But don’t despair. You see, Life has always been and is intrinsically risky. Your education and your money trick you into a fake sense of security. But look at what Manohar Parrikar, who passed away yesterday, had to say: “You are alone in the final act of the drama when the end of the show is visible. Nothing, and no one, can help you.” Such is Life. It has always been fraught with uncertainty and has never been in your control. So, don’t fear dead-ends or no-go Life situations. Face your fears, gracefully accept the darkness. Learn to hang from that precipitous edge, live dangerously – and when you do that, you will, interestingly, not feel scared, instead you will feel calm, content and happy!”

“Invest in experiences not things. Surely, build an asset and savings base for a rainy day. But don’t kid yourself thinking you are really ‘secure’ and ‘settled’ just because you have money. Anything can happen in Life – that too, in a nano-second! Besides, as you age, you will realize that what you can do when you are 20, you really can’t do when you are 40! Which is why, invest in experiences, in doing what you love doing. Your experiences shape you. They intricately weave your learnings from each experience with your idea of Happiness to create a beautiful fabric that stays in your subconscious even when people and things around you perish over time. In the end, what will count most in your Life, are who you loved, how you were loved back and how you enjoyed doing all that you loved doing!”

“Over time I have realized that having an honest conversation over a complex issue with someone is never difficult provided you are given an equal opportunity to present your views. Which is, as long as there is dignity and decorum between the parties concerned, the conversation is relevant and possible. You state what you have to. They state what they have to. You may both agree or disagree but both parties respect each other’s points of view and stay focused on resolving the issue on hand. But the moment someone tries to demonstrate power or is being deceitful, the conversation has lost its purpose. Then you must simply leave the conversation. There is no point in trying to counter the other party’s machinations while ruining your inner peace. Sometimes, the best way to make an important point is not to say anything at all.”

“Undoubtedly, you will be subject to the pulls and pressures of everyday living. You will feel angry, left out, let down, jealous, disturbed, fearful and insecure. Events, people, things – any of these can trigger off these debilitating emotions. Don’t resist any of these feelings. Hold them up. And examine them closely. What do they make you feel? Don’t they make you intensely unhappy? If they do, let them go. Anything, or anyone, that makes you unhappy does not have a place in your Life. Know that you have a choice to walk away from them or throw them out. Exercise that choice. This is personal leadership. This is why happiness is an intensely personal choice.”

“2 + 2 doesn’t always add up to 4 in Life. Integrity and hard work, for instance, don’t always deliver (worldly) success no matter how talented you are. Which is why faith and patience are critical on the journey. So, trust the process of Life. And be patient. Over time, you will learn to love the Life that you have. And, eventually, what you want will flow to you, on its own.”

“To be sure, there is no method, no single way, to anchor in Faith and employ Patience. Letting go, trusting the process of Life and living with Faith and Patience, is the way. Living through our crippling bankruptcy for over 12 years now, Vaani and I have realized that Faith does not always solve our problems immediately. But having Faith in the process of Life – that what goes around, comes around; that what goes up will come down some day, only to go back up another day – certainly helps us to cope with our problems better. Keeping the Faith also teaches us Patience. Unless you embrace these twin philosophies, and live practising them together, you will not see the miracles in your everyday Life.”

“The free will versus destiny debate will rage on. But actually there need not be a debate. You see, there is certainly an inscrutable quality to Life. You may call it destiny. But despite Life’s inscrutable nature, you still have to make choices. And that is free will. So, the choices that you make, because of or despite the circumstances that are beyond your imagination and control, are undoubtedly important. Bottom line: There is a beautiful interplay between free will and destiny all the time. Together, they write the screenplay of your Life.”

“There is no debate necessary about free will and destiny, about which one is more powerful and relevant. Actually, both are an integral part of your Life. Destiny is Life throwing situations at you. Free will is the choice you exercise in response. Consider this example. You are walking on the road on a rainy day and a motorist splashes muddy water on you while speeding past. Now, that’s a Life event, that’s destiny, happening to you, at a very trivial level. If you get angry, unhappy, frustrated and point your middle finger at the motorist, that’s free will. Or, after overcoming the shock, you shrug your shoulders before walking away quietly, that is free will too. So, in every situation in Life, destiny and free will interplay constantly. You can’t control Life, you can’t control destiny. And only one of your free will choices in a given situation can lead you to Happiness. Intelligent living is knowing what that choice is, and exercising it, every single time!”

“No amount of kicking around or being angry with Life, with your environment or with your world, can change your current reality. It is always what it is. If you don’t like how things are, first accept them for what they are. Then, efficiently, resolutely, take charge, channelize your anger, and work on changing what you dislike. That’s the only way to make your Life better. That’s the only way to Happiness.”

“No matter how much you believe you can or want to help someone, you cannot live their Life for them. Everyone’s journey, their design, is unique. They have to go through what they have to go through. If you cannot add value in a specific context, step out of it gracefully. That way you are giving the other person space and protecting your inner peace.”

“Even if the world says so, and you know it too, that you have genius, don’t allow it to carry you away. You are, just like anybody else is, ordinary. You are a mere instrument that Life uses to express itself. ‘Your’ art is actually not even yours – it comes from a divine Source, flows through you, so it can touch the world. So, no matter how talented, famous and wealthy you are, know that you are just a microphone, a messenger, that is amplifying a message that is passing through you. How can a messenger ever take credit for the message? This doesn’t mean you must not celebrate yourself or market yourself well or profit economically. Surely, you may! But do it being fully aware that without the Source choosing you, without ‘your’ art flowing through you, there would be no acclaim, no recognition. So, stay humble, stay grateful!”

“When you hit a dead end in Life, you will feel clueless and helpless. Hold that feeling for a while. But don’t allow that feeling to hold you hostage. Soon, work on overcoming the shock of the setback, turn around and keep walking. The essence of intelligent living lies in continuing to walk. No matter what happens, don’t allow yourself to be pinned down for too long. Just keep walking. When you keep flowing with Life, the path always unfolds. And Life takes you to where you belong, where you must eventually arrive.”

“You can’t face Life when you are running away from it. And only through facing Life do you find solutions and discover Happiness despite the circumstances. What you run away from, always comes chasing you, hunting you down…and so, turn around and face your fears, your demons. Don’t fight Life, face it! Any fight causes friction and acrimony. But turning around and facing a situation means telling Life, “This is me, I am going nowhere, let’s deal with this…!” Then, invariably, Life’s ferocity diminishes. Your problems still persist, but they don’t haunt you anymore, they teach you and mold you into who you are meant to be!!”

“Most of what we think will make us happy never really gives us lasting Happiness. Material things, rewards, fame, recognition, money and having a circle of ‘yes’ folks (those who are hanging around you only because they believe they can benefit from you)…these can all make you happy, but only momentarily. They only give you fleeting moments of Happiness. Too much of these, in fact, can leave you feeling drained or suffocated or incomplete. That’s when you start searching for true Happiness. And true Happiness lies only in celebrating what is, in the now. You find it by dropping all your craving, the wants, the desires. It lies in living each moment fully, in gratitude for what you have, with people who complete you, who make you come alive!”

“Both science and spirituality are integral to the process of Life. Science helps you to question, seek answers, explore the unknown, examine data and find reason; it enhances knowledge. Spirituality helps you to question, seek answers, explore the unknown, embrace experiences and awaken; it removes ignorance. Both are complementary aha-inducing ways of bringing meaning to an otherwise, apparently, meaningless Life – because you came with nothing and you will go away with nothing!”