Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Inner Explorations of a Seeker
    Inner Explorations of a Seeker
    Inner Explorations of a Seeker
    Ebook264 pages3 hours

    Inner Explorations of a Seeker

    By Amar Ochani

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    A succinct guide on mindfulness, slowing down, and how to connect with the inner you amid the world that's in constant flux.
    A collection of essays and thoughts on
    deeply spiritual and complex questions
    of life, the Inner Explorations of a Seeker
    hopes to illuminate your path with a
    nurturing light as you embark on an
    inner quest. Among these pages are
    musings on finding one's passion,
    understanding the true meaning of
    compassion, why must one meditate,
    learning to be mindful, embracing
    death, and other subjects that we'd like
    to comprehend but often struggle with.

    "I find Amar’s insights very helpful in trying to live a more thoughtful and purposeful life. I also recommend this book for anyone who is interested in meditation—it has helped me understand the benefits of living in the moment."

    Shekhar Paleja, Vancouver, Canada
    Author of “An Extraordinary Destiny”

    ''This is a remarkable book about life and the art of Living. Inner Explorations of a Seeker, contains personal reflections on spiritual growth and self-knowledge through the practice of meditation and mindfulness. Amar Ochani has delved deeply into what really causes unhappiness. In these collected essays, Ochani offers us insights into the human condition as fundamental jumping-off points to anyone hoping to improve their life. The path is clear, though never easy. To quote Ochani: “The truth hurts, but only once; untruth keeps hurting all the time.” Ultimately, this is profoundly a book of hope and redemption. But we alone must do the difficult work of facing ourselves as we walk the path towards self-knowledge. How fortunate then to have such wisdom to help guide us on our journey."

    Terence Morris RN, Ph.D
    Douglas College, Coquitlam, Canada

    "Reading Amar Ochani’s Thoughts for the week have been an enriching experience. They make me pause, reflect and help me to move on with my life with a little more insight about my own beingness."
    Priyanka Singh

    Founder/Psychological Counsellor/Therapist
    Jiva- Center for Emotional Well being
    Navi Mumbai, India

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAmar Ochani
    Release dateJan 8, 2018
    ISBN9781775077527
    Inner Explorations of a Seeker

    Related to Inner Explorations of a Seeker

    Related ebooks

    Self-Improvement For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      The Power Of THANK YOU

      Jun 6, 2019

      The Power Of THANK YOU
      3 min read

    • Article

      Breathing 101

      Apr 21, 2022

      Breathing 101
      2 min read

    • Article

      Managing Stress Using Ayurveda

      Feb 17, 2021

      Managing Stress Using Ayurveda
      3 min read

    • Article

      The Art Of Persuasion

      Nov 17, 2021

      The Art Of Persuasion
      2 min read

    • Article

      Reframing Confidence

      Sep 29, 2023

      Reframing Confidence
      3 min read

    • Article

      Coaching Exercises

      Apr 21, 2020

      Human beings all have similar emotional needs that must be fulfilled for our self-esteem and self-worth. If we are not getting one of our core needs met, we will feel unhappy although we may not realise why. If some of your needs are not being met, t

      1 min read

    • Article

      Making Friends

      Jul 15, 2021

      Making Friends
      4 min read

    • Article

      Do You Need A LIFE COACH?

      Apr 23, 2020

      Do You Need A LIFE COACH?
      7 min read

    • Article

      Back In The Saddle

      Oct 10, 2018

      Back In The Saddle
      6 min read

    • Article

      Income Generation

      Jul 3, 2019

      When I meet new clients for the first time I run through a short slidepresentation that poses the question, “What is your dream?” I want them to think about what they hope to achieve, not just with their finances but in their future life. A client on

      4 min read

    • Article

      Coaching Exercises

      Jun 8, 2021

      Do an audit of the people in your life. Is there more of one type of person than any other? What might that say about you, and about your self-respect and self-worth? List the names of people in your life under each of the headings. You may find that

      1 min read

    • Article

      Is Your Social Biome Healthy?

      Jun 17, 2021

      Is Your Social Biome Healthy?
      7 min read

    • Article

      Yes You DO Deserve It!

      Dec 17, 2020

      Yes You DO Deserve It!
      4 min read

    • Article

      A Mindful Education

      Jan 12, 2022

      A Mindful Education
      4 min read

    • Article

      Bathe In The Glory Of Nature

      Dec 9, 2019

      Bathe In The Glory Of Nature
      4 min read

    • Article

      6 Skills to Look For in a Mindfulness Teacher

      Oct 23, 2018

      This domain considers how well teachers are prepared and how well they cover the curriculum content of the session, balancing the needs of the individual, the group, and the requirements of teaching the course. This domain addresses the interpersonal

      1 min read

    • Article

      Stepping Up To Your Full Potential

      Jul 20, 2022

      Stepping Up To Your Full Potential
      3 min read

    • Article

      Prime Your Body

      Jan 28, 2022

      Whether you run, ride or hit the gym, warming up is an essential component of your workout. And yet, prepping the body to exercise is often overlooked and seen as a less important or time-consuming stage of a workout. If this sounds familiar, then it

      2 min read

    • Article

      FIND YOUR True Self

      Oct 8, 2020

      FIND YOUR True Self
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Path to Self-Awareness

      Sep 1, 2018

      When we go out into the world and try to solve a problem, we create a model in our mind of what the problem ‘looks like’ — the issues involved, the context, the stakeholders, etc. Most people don’t think about it much, but each of us is a sort of ‘mo

      7 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Inner Explorations of a Seeker

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Inner Explorations of a Seeker - Amar Ochani

      AUTHOR’S NOTE

      Like most people, I spent a substantial part of life with the feeling that something is missing. This feeling stayed with me until I realized that meditation and spirituality interested me more than money and recognition did. Money and fame still pull me, but their lure is far lesser now.

      I started writing and sharing these essays in 2014 under the title Thought for the Week with a small but diverse group of readers from different backgrounds, age groups, and professions. Their feedback over three years has been very encouraging and deeply humbling. It convinced me that what I wrote and shared was helping people in a small way in their daily lives, as such, it would be good to share this work with a wider audience.

      Also, interspersed throughout the book are the daily thoughts I have been writing and sharing over the past year and a half. Every thought dwells on a distinct theme or looks at the same theme from a different perspective, and is complete by itself. They have been arranged, as much as possible, in chronological order. The index of thoughts will be handy to access a specific theme.

      When we see life as an open book and the Universe as our teacher, then there are no set rules for learning. We can learn from whoever we come in contact with at any point in time. However, we still need a good teacher to learn the proper technique of meditation. I am fortunate to have learned Vipassana meditation from renowned Vipassana teacher, the late S. N. Goenka. The teachings of the Buddha, which include the practice of Vipassana meditation, have inspired me and continue to illuminate my path. Their imprints will be visible through the pages of the book.

      These essays and thoughts are not written for readers of any particular faith, religion, denomination or creed. The themes such as gratitude, love, compassion, self-awareness, mindfulness, meditation, peace, the purpose of life are universal. They can appeal to readers of all faiths and beliefs.

      SELF-KNOWLEDGE

      It is self-knowledge, not one’s age, which determines the onset of adulthood. The question who am I? can wait. It’s more important to discover how I put myself together to be who I am.

      We did not choose our name, parents, family, our gender, or the colour of our skin for that matter. Our beliefs, views, convictions are influenced by the society in which we live. Expectations of our parents, family, peers, role models, community leaders shape our outlook. Our conditioning starts right from the day we are born, and what we call I is nothing but conditioned identity.

      The first step towards self-knowledge is to be aware of our conditioned identity, realization that there is nothing original about what we call I, that it’s a borrowed identity and we have lived our whole life under the illusion that this I is the result of our choices. Realization of how I came to be who I am is our first ‘awakening.’

      Then, who am I?

      7+ billion people are inhabiting this planet Earth. It sounds quite big but isn’t really if we consider that it would take 1 million Earths to equal one Sun, and the Sun is just one of approximately 200 billion stars in our galaxy alone! We can go on, but this should give us some perspective on who am I as a person? A speck? Or maybe even less.

      Now let’s look at the other side of the coin. Mahatma Gandhi, an individual, just by his grit and determination freed India from the yoke of slavery. Gautama, the Buddha, an individual, by his own efforts, became fully enlightened and set in motion the Wheel of Dharma, which has not stopped for the last 2,600 years. With five simple words in the Declaration of Independence - All men are created equal - American founding father Thomas Jefferson ushered a new era of freedom and democracy in the United States. History is replete with similar instances, but these few examples give us some idea of an individual’s potential. The process through which that potential gets actualized is self-knowledge.

      Self-knowledge is a dynamic process. It unfolds continuously. One could discover or learn something about himself or herself every day. Every insight into one’s real nature adds to self-knowledge. It’s like climbing the mountain - the higher we go, the better the view we will witness.

      Self-knowledge can make living life a continuous adventure.

      PEACE

      When we make peace with ourselves, our quarrels with the world come to an end.

      ***

      JOURNEY

      If we constantly remember that life is a journey, we will be very happy travellers.

      ***

      RECIPE

      Selfless actions, healing words, and uplifting thoughts, these are the ingredients of the recipe called a beautiful life!

      IT’S A NEW DAY

      Every new day is a bonus; wages were earned last night when we went to sleep.

      ***

      EXTRAORDINARY

      If we fill ourselves with ordinary, we will become ordinary; extraordinary emerges from the womb of pain and perseverance.

      ***

      FANTASIES

      It’s not a problem to build castles in the air; it becomes a problem when we start living in them.

      LETTING GO OF CONTROL

      It may sound paradoxical, but when we allow people to be the way they are, it creates an experience of ease and freedom in our own life.

      Detachment is more an internal state than an external action. The process of detachment will naturally follow if we untie the inner knot, or at least loosen it a bit. What keeps the knot in place is our compulsive need to control others, particularly our loved ones, and all that under the mistaken belief that we are doing it for their good.

      We don’t need to go into right or wrong of the control as that will entangle us in arguments, opinions, and conflicting points of view. It would be far more rewarding to see that control doesn’t work in the long run, but we come to that conclusion through different routes:

      First scenario: We have tried and tried, but it has not worked. However, we do not doubt that control is good for others and sooner or later, they will realize it. We are waiting for them to make mistakes to remind them that had they listened to us, they would have been better off. Obviously, we have not given up control here. We are just biding our time.

      Second scenario: We have tried and tried, but it has not worked. However, we are beginning to see the futility of this control business, although we wouldn’t mind trying it if it worked. But why lose peace of mind over something that is not yielding any result, hence we stop offering our unsolicited bits of advice. This is a pragmatic approach. The pragmatic approach is like a cease-fire. It may last indefinitely, but one has to guard it all the time. There is a lack of freedom.

      Third scenario: While we are on self-imposed censorship with regards to control, we begin to see glimmers of change. As we look closely, we see it is making life easier. The people we thought couldn’t survive without our control, have not only survived but are happier and more productive. Moreover, we can see a dramatic shift in our experience over a period. We have more time to follow our interests and do things we are passionate about. We are less anxious, more relaxed. As it gets clearer to us that our desire to control is not helping anyone, we don’t want to get into that situation again. From here, it doesn’t take much to realize that letting go of control is a better choice, not only for those whom we try to control but also for our own self. In letting go of control, there is freedom for us and others.

      Letting go of control should not be misconstrued as being indifferent to the well-being of others, particularly those who are in our life. You don’t love them less. It’s just that now we are less attached but more available should they need us. We have only removed the spoke from the wheel of life, ours as well as others’, to flow and run more smoothly.

      ACCEPTANCE

      Acceptance is a big energy saver. It consumes a fraction of energy but lights up our whole world.

      ***

      WORK

      Work is never hard or soft; it becomes hard when we have no heart in it.

      ***

      GRATITUDE

      We can only strive; it is always someone else who makes our day.

      ART OF LIVING

      Too little attention and we lose focus; too much attention and we get attached; finding the balance is what the art of living is all about.

      ***

      WOMEN

      If you want to imagine the world without women, imagine a world without love and light.

      ***

      WARMTH

      Warmth is making people feel at home; whether it is our house or heart.

      SLOW DOWN, PLEASE

      It would be unrealistic to deny the pressure of modern life and its associated stress. When we need to run to catch the bus or train in the morning to reach office on time, we must run. But if running to catch the bus or train becomes a daily routine, then we should know something is not right and out of balance. When taking our meals in a hurry becomes a norm, then we should know that we have, perhaps, messed up our priorities. When haste and hustle show up in our every action, we should know we are running in circles.

      What do we need to do in our day to day life to experience living in the moment a reality?

      Broadly, we live our lives in two modes: One, when we are interacting with the world - work, travel, shopping, socializing, etc., and the other, when we are with ourselves, and there is no compulsion to be time-bound.

      To begin with, when we are in the first mode, let the demands of a situation dictate our responses.

      Practice, or let’s say our self-training to live in the present, begins when we are in

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1