Gaur Gopal Das is one of the most popular and sought-after monks and life coaches in the world, having shared his wisdom with millions. His debut book, Life’s Amazing Secrets, distills his experiences and lessons about life into a light-hearted, thought-provoking book that will help you align yourself with the life you want to live.
Read along to know some important lessons from the book.
More to reality than meets the eye
‘We tend to take everyone at face value, equating what they have on the outside to how they feel on the inside. The paradox of our times is that those who have the most, can often be the least satisfied.We have mastered how to look successful, but not how to organize our lives so that we feel successful.’
Patience develops gradually
‘We all boil at different degrees. Some of us have temperaments like the Indian summer- hot,sticky and easily irritable. Yet, some can remain level-headed in the worst of calamities, and as a monk, I was taught to control my emotions. So, naturally, I assumed that I was the latter level-headed category. That was until the day I realized I wasn’t there yet.’
Check your thoughts
‘The mind is like the tongue. It drifts towards the negative areas of our life, making us restless and uneasy. It schemes to uproot the problems that are causing us so much pain, not realizing that the persistent scheming is causing us more emotional damage.’
Embrace gratitude as a way of life
‘Gratitude is not a feeling; it is a state of mind that can be developed, and it allows us to tap into a reservoir of unlimited positive energy.Being grateful happens in two steps. The first is to realize that there is good in the world and that good has fallen upon us. The second is to know that goodness is coming from something other than us, an external reality is giving the gifts of grace to our very own reality.’
Detachment dissolves anxiety
‘When we have a problem beyond our control, we have to turn to our spiritual strength and ask, ‘Why Worry?’ Whether or not we can do something about it, our response should not be anxiety. Learning to detach ourselves from situations that are outside our control is an imperative skill to learn for personal growth.’
Meditate to ease away stress
‘Out of the many types of meditation, I practise mantra meditation. This means I spend some time daily focusing my mind on sacred sounds, chanting the name of God, by which we can free ourselves of anxiety.’
Practice forgiveness over animosity
‘Forgiveness warms the heart and cools the sting. It is a choice that each of us has to make for ourselves to save our relationships and achieve peace of mind.’
Competition is a dangerous game
‘People with a closed mindset want to grow by beating others in their field. Open-minded people, on the other hand, grow by developing themselves. They know that nobody is their competition.They are their own competition.’
Spirituality and ambition are not mutually exclusive
‘I strongly encourage people to be successful in the world. If you have the desire to have a luxurious life, have exotic holidays; there is nothing wrong with that. If by blessings of God we have the ambition and the capacity to achieve more, we must fulfill our potential, not suppress it by force.’
Be selfless yet draw boundaries
‘I do believe it is possible to be completely selfless, but it is a journey, a process , not a single event. It takes wisdom to know when we are being selfless and when we are simply causing harm to ourselves by being over caring.’
Service to humanity brings ultimate joy
‘When we practise spirituality, we become like divers: we submerge ourselves underneath the turbulent waves to find a pleasure much deeper, beyond hedonistic ideals. That profound joy is only possible when one feels love to serve others.’
In today’s fast paced and hectic life, sometimes we do need a life coach, a mentor to help us be centered and balanced in life. Read Life’s Amazing Secrets by Gaur Gopal Das and find out how some basic principles like compassion, honesty and forgiveness can bring so much joy in our and our loved ones’ lives.
