Completion

Completion is a state where you experience yourself whole and perfect. In other words, when you experience being complete, you experience you lack anything.

When you are whole, perfect and complete and people around you are whole, perfect and complete, what's possible in your life? What's possible in that relationship? What can you start creating in your life?

Completion is distinct from ending something. You can end something but you can be left incomplete about it. For example, when a couple takes divorce (means the marriage has come to an end), the couple may be left incomplete for their life time. You can complete something and that necessarily need not come to and end too. For example, when you complete with you husband / wife, it does not mean the relationship end there.

Completion is an act of restoring that wholeness in you. To complete, you need to start looking at "There is nothing wrong to be incomplete". Distinguish what's holding you to be incomplete. It surely would be your interpretations and stories.

Now, you have a choice to be complete or incomplete. It is upto you. Completion gives a clearing for creating something new. Without completion no new possibilities are possible.

Keep completing.

Action series #5

I am posting this specifically for Dad, Mom and Akka on their completion of the following assignment #5

• Prepare two short shares that demonstrate breakthroughs you have had out of participating in the landmark forum or landmark forum action series
• you can look from the distinctions of rackets, looking good, already always listening, strong suits etc
• Notice all the meanings, interpretations, and stories that you add to what is happening in your life 

Intention of the series: To leave you able to deal with each and every aspect of your life

Intentions of the session: 

1. To generate bringing forth the possibility of possibility itself
2. To distinguish Making a Difference

List all the breakthroughs that you got since Landmark Forum. Distinguish what distinction you have used to get those breakthroughs.

Identify story / interpretation / meaning from the following paragraph:
హైదరాబాద్, న్యూస్‌లైన్: నిధులున్నప్పటికీ అధికారులు బీసీలకు మొండిచేయి చూపిస్తుండటంపై సంబంధిత శాఖ మంత్రి బసవరాజు సారయ్య తీవ్ర అసంతృప్తితో ఉన్నారు. ఈ విషయం స్వయంగా ముఖ్యమంత్రి కిరణ్‌కుమార్‌రెడ్డికి, ప్రభుత్వ ప్రధాన కార్యదర్శి మిన్నీ మాథ్యూకు చెప్పినా ఫలితం లేకుండా పోయిందని ఆవేదన వ్యక్తం చేస్తున్నారు. బీసీల్లోని వివిధ వృత్తులకు చెందిన ఏడు ఫెడరేషన్లకు బడ్జెట్‌లో పేర్కొన్న మేరకు తొలి త్రైమాసికంలో ఆర్థిక శాఖ రూ.32 కోట్లు విడుదల చేసినప్పటికీ బీసీ సంక్షేమ శాఖ ముఖ్య కార్యదర్శి పరీదా ఆ నిధులు ఇవ్వకుండా అడ్డుపడుతుండటమే మంత్రి ఆవేదనకు కారణమని ఆయన సన్నిహితవర్గాల సమాచారం. 

ఫెడరేషన్ల కార్యకలాపాలకు బ్యాంకు లింకేజీ ఉంటే గానీ ప్రభుత్వ నిధులను విడుదల చేయబోమంటూ పరీదా మొండికేయడంపై సారయ్య ఆగ్రహంతో ఉన్నట్లు వారు తెలిపారు. ప్రభుత్వ నిధులను విడుదల చేస్తేనే బ్యాంకు లింకేజీ పొందడానికి ఫెడరేషన్లకు అవకాశం కలుగుతుందనేది మంత్రి అభిప్రాయంగా చెబుతున్నారు. కానీ బ్యాంకు లింకేజీ లేకుండా ఫెడరేషన్లకు నిధులు ఇవ్వరాదని సీఎం ఆదేశాలున్నాయని, అందువల్ల సీఎం ఆమోదం తీసుకోవాలని మంత్రికి చెప్పిన పరీదా... నాయీ బ్రాహ్మణ, రజకులు, వడ్డెర, కృష్ణ బాలాజీ, ఉప్పర, బోయ, భట్రాజు ఫెడరేషన్లకు ప్రస్తుత ఆర్థిక సంవత్సరంలో ఇప్పటివరకు పైసా కూడా ఇవ్వకపోవడం పట్ల మంత్రి తీవ్ర ఆవేదన వ్యక్తం చేస్తున్నట్లు ఆయన సన్నిహితవర్గాలు వెల్లడించాయి. 

మంత్రిగా ఉన్నప్పటికీ ఫెడరేషన్లకు ఆర్థిక సాయం అందించలేని నిస్సహాయ స్థితిలో ఉన్నానని సారయ్య ఆవేదన వ్యక్తం చేస్తున్నట్లు తెలిసింది. విషయం సీఎంకు కలిసి చెప్పినా ఫలితం లేదంటే ఇదంతా ఆయనకు తెలిసే జరుగుతున్నట్లుందని మంత్రి అనుమానపడుతున్నారని సమాచారం. మరోవైపు సీఎస్‌కు ఫిర్యాదు చేసినా.. సీఎస్.. సీఎం దృష్టికి తీసుకువెళ్లినా ఫలితం లేదని వాపోతున్నట్లు తెలిపారు. ఇదిలావుండగా ఏది చేయాలన్నా తెలుగుదేశం నాయకులు చంద్రబాబు, ఎర్ర న్నాయుడు, దేవేందర్‌గౌడ్‌లతో చెప్పిస్తేనే చేస్తాననే ధోరణిలో పరీదా వ్యవహరిస్తున్నారని బీసీ సంక్షేమ శాఖలో ఉద్యోగులు చెబుతున్నారు. ఒక విధంగా పరీదా మాజీ ముఖ్యమంత్రి చంద్రబాబు కోవర్టుగా వ్యవహరిస్తున్నారనే వ్యాఖ్యలూ వినిపిస్తున్నాయి. 

350 మంది కాంట్రాక్టు టీచర్లకు పరీదా ఎసరు

మహాత్మా జ్యోతిరావు పూలె రాష్ట్ర వెనుకబడిన తరగతుల సంక్షేమ రెసిడెన్షియల్ ఎడ్యుకేషనల్ ఇనిస్టిట్యూషన్ సొసైటీకి బదిలీ అయిన 45 బీసీ రెసిడెన్షియల్ పాఠశాలల్లో కాంట్రాక్టు విధానంలో పనిచేస్తున్న 350 టీచింగ్ సిబ్బందికి ఎసరు పెట్టేందుకు పరీదా నిర్ణయించారు. పాఠశాలల్లోనే ఉంటూ విద్యార్ధులకు అన్ని విధాల సహాయ సహకారాలు అందిస్తున్న కాంట్రాక్టు టీచింగ్ సిబ్బందిని తొలగించి ఔట్ సోర్సింగ్ విధానంలో టీచింగ్ సిబ్బందిని తీసుకోవాలని పరీదా మెమో జారీ చేశారని కాంట్రాక్టు టీచర్ల అసోసియేషన్ నాయకుడు మోహన్‌రావు శుక్రవారం సచివాలయంలో విలేకరులకు తెలిపారు. కాంట్రాక్టు విధానంలో రిజర్వేషన్ పద్దతిలో ఎంపికై ఎనిమిదేళ్ల నుంచి పనిచేస్తున్న టీచింగ్ సిబ్బందిని తొలగిస్తూ పరీదా జారీ చేసిన మెమో చెల్లదని న్యాయస్థానం స్పష్టం చేసినట్లు మోహన్‌రావు తెలిపారు. అయితే న్యాయస్థానం ఆదేశాలను పరీదా అప్పీల్ చేసినా కోర్టు తిరస్కరించిందని ఆయన చెప్పారు. 

అయినప్పటికీ పరీదా తమను తీసుకోకుండా మళ్లీ అప్పీల్‌కు వెళ్లాలనే ఆలోచన చేస్తున్నారని మోహన్‌రావు తెలిపారు. ఔట్‌సోర్సింగ్ విధానంలో నియామకం చేస్తే రెసిడెన్షియల్ పాఠశాలల్లో టీచింగ్ సిబ్బంది ఉండరని ఆయన తెలిపారు. పరీదా ఇప్పటికైనా న్యాయస్థానం అదేశాలను అమలు చేయాలని కోరుతున్నామన్నారు. ఇలా ఉండగా బీసీ సంక్షేమ శాఖలో కొంతమంది అధికారులు కాంగ్రెస్ హయాంలో కూడా తెలుగుదేశం పార్టీ తొత్తులుగా వ్యవహరిస్తున్నారని కాంగ్రెస్ నాయకుడు వి.కృష్ణమోహన్ ఆరోపించారు. సచివాలయంలో విలేకరులతో మాట్లాడుతూ మంత్రుల మాటకు విలువ లేకుండా పోయిందని, అధికారుల ఇష్టారాజ్యం నడుస్తోందని ఆవేదన వ్యక్తం చేశారు.

Knowledge vs Experience

Knowing about something is going to leave you with knowledge. But, knowledge itself is not going to make much difference (refer to post) in the areas like relationships, freedom, peace mind etc. In those areas of life where you do not experience power, consider we are just talking about a new possibility of being - open, calm, loving etc. When you declare a new possibility and a path way for new actions do not open up, consider you are still just talking about that possibility. You probably are not experiencing that possibility in the present moment. Experiencing that possibility gives you pathway to transformation.

What is this experience that I am talking about? Is it something like an emotional state that you feel when you watch a good movie? No.

Then, what is this experience that I am talking about? Can you experience being calm / peaceful / bold / self-expressive.


Do you have an experience of how it would be to be calm? Yes. Each one of us know, how it would be if we are calm. We give descriptions of our own experience of how it would be to be calm based on the past experience. Describing experience is like expressing your knowledge of "being calm" vs experiencing "being calm" in that moment. Can you see these two are very distinct phenomena? This is the difference between knowledge and experience.

How do I experience a certain way of being? 
Let's ask how do I experience love especially when I do not like a particular person?
Being a human being, it is very simple, you already have that ability to be any certain way that you want and that's how you were born. It is just that you got out of touch with it overtime.

How we live is that, there is something more to know to practice being loving. Your very fundamental nature of self is whole, perfect and complete - includes everything calm / peace / love / affinity etc. It is just that some barriers are in your way of experiencing that. What are these barriers? These barrier are those blind spots hidden from your view that are controlling you who you are being in that moment, in that situation and with that particular person. All the Landmark forum distinctions help you uncover those blind spots (inauthenticities) and leave you with an experience of new realm of possibilities (transformation) the moment you are authentic about your inauthenticity.

Only actions leave you with experience, not thoughts / moods / feelings / knowledge etc.

Keep experiencing! Welcome your real self you are.

Authenticity

Look into your life where you have loss of power, freedom, self-expression and peace of mind. This state / condition may manifest in one of the following ways in reality:


Lack of Self-expression:

• You want to express something with someone and you hold back
• Hesitate a lot to ask someone for a favor
• Can't look into other person's eyes and talk (especially with the other gender) and with strangers
• Feel tired (not physical but something like headache) after attending some group activities - meetings, social gatherings, parties etc
• many more such symptoms where you feel constrained in expressing yourself fully

Lack of Power: Notice the kind of conversation that you have with yourself 

• I am a victim
• Resisting life - "This should never / ever happen to me" or "This should ever happen / remain with me"
• Resignation & Cynicism: I don't know what to do. I have done every possible thing I could. Nothing can change this. This is my destiny, what can I do?
• I don't have any say in the matter of my life - he / she is unfair, my boss is unfair, my husband / wife is unfair, life is unfair, life is boring etc
• Why did this happen to me? Why me?
• Self- criticism: I should not have done that, I am not good enough (not capable enough, not smart enough, not intelligent enough etc)
• many other such symptoms wherever you give away control of your life to others / situations

Lack of Freedom: Our country has got freedom, but, we have not got it yet from the constraints formed by our own opinions and beliefs. Lack of freedom has got NOTHING to do with others. If you are thinking / feeling that others are not giving you the freedom, that's where you are trapped. Look at where you can't speak / express and act.

Lack of peace of mind: How does it shows up? you know about this a lot.

In any area of your life, if you experience any of the above / similar, consider you have an in-authenticity in that area.

How do you transform that area?

1. By being authentic about your in-authenticity and be present to the impact it had on you and others. Take responsibility for the same.
2. Invent a new possibility in that area of your life
3. Enroll others in you having gotten that possibility such that they are touched, moved and inspired

How do I distinguish my in-authenticity?

You have all the distinctions of landmark forum to distinguish your in-authenticity - Rackets, Strong Suits, Vicious circle (What happened & Story ), Myth of I and Because etc

Assignment: Apply any of the Landmark Forum distinctions to distinguish your in-authenticity in an area of life where you have lack of power, freedom, self-expression and peace of mind and share your experience here as comments in this blog.

Landmark fundamental principles

The Landmark Education courses are grounded on the following fundamental principles

1. Human beings are whole, perfect and complete. They have barriers to experience their wholeness and completeness.
2. Change causes persistence
3. Non change causes disappearance

Rackets

Racket is a word that is very commonly heard among the Landmark graduates.

What is a Racket?

Racket is a persistent complaint or a fixed way of being. Complaints can be about you or others, others to you and other to others. One of the fundamental reasons why we racket is to avoid taking responsibility. Also because we do not have any keen interest in addressing the complaint. Racket is like a scam. You get something out of being that way / having that complaint. That is like a pay-off. As you get those pay-offs, you also pay some cost. Following table shows some of the pay-offs and costs.

Pay-offs	Cost
Being right / making others wrong	Health
Dominate / avoid others dominating	Satisfaction
Justify / Invalidate others	Fulfillment
Win / Make others loose	Love/affinity
Look good / make others look bad	Vitality
more...	Joy
	Peace of mind
	more...

Note: You cannot get both sides of the above table at the same time. Either you get the pay-off or get things on the cost side. If you are interested on things on the cost side: health, peace of mind etc, you have to give away your pay-offs: being right, justifying, dominating etc.

Look at this monkey.

 

In south India, to catch monkeys people build monkey traps that are constructed from a hollow gourd with a single opening just large enough for the monkey’s hand to grasp the tempting bait of fruit or coconut. Inevitably the monkey sees the banana through transparent trap and comes to get it. It is easy enough to get its hand in and grab hold of the banana, but once the monkey makes a fist with the banana in it, there is no way for it to pull it’s hand back out. Knowing that it's life is at risk (cost), even though it can leave the banana (pay-off) and run away, it gets stuck.

Does it look funny? Yes, it does. This is how we look when we have a racket and we are stuck with those persistent complaints / fixed way of being.

How do I distinguish my Rackets?

1. Look at your life and see what you are resisting, something that you are putting up with, avoiding to resolve and fixing & changing
2. Who do you have the complaint with in that situation? What do you say about that person? <this-person> is....
3. Identify what is your fixed way of being when that person says / does what you complain about?
4. Look at what are the pay-offs you are getting by being that way
5. Look at the costs you are paying by being that way

Once you distinguish the pay-offs and costs, it is upto you what you want to have.

Already always listening

Human Beings don't listen. We listen to people through a sea of opinions (filters) and not what they say. These filters already exist and always exist. As we were around 2 - 2.5 years old, we started inheriting language and along with it the opinions of that particular culture from the surroundings that we were brought up. This already always listening manifests as an internal little voice that keeps talking something like the following

• This is good / That is bad
• This should happen / That should not happen
• This is right / That is wrong
• How can this happen?
• What is this?

Distinguishing the little voice: If you still could not distinguish your little voice, take a moment, be aware of your little voice and notice what it is telling you. If you are asking yourself, what inner voice are you talking about? or I don't have any inner voice. Then perfect! whatever told you "I don't have any inner voice" is the little voice that I am talking about.

What we already know to be true constitutes the already always listening. Overtime, our listening gets so automatic that it does not look like we are listening through those filters. It gets hard to distinguish your (lightning quick) interpretation from what is actually said. In a way, we are gripped by these opinions that we formed overtime. This limits us to have complete power, freedom, self-expression, and peace of mind.

Next obvious question is, how do we start listening without these filters? One of the powerful ways to listen is to be aware of the filters moment by moment as we listen. Once we get present to the filter, do not try to change/fix as change causes persistence and no change causes disappearance. Just being aware is enough to distinguish the filter from the what is said. Being aware is possible only through being present.

Being present starts with getting present to the degree to which we are not present

We are not present and we are not present that we are not present. Because we are not present we are not listening. In fact, we are so not present that we are not even present to how not present we are.