War, Peace and the Three Gate Test

A student wants to talk to his master. Just before he reaches his master’s place, there is a misunderstanding between him and his wife. He is very disturbed.

In such a state he goes to his master’s place, kicks open the door, takes out his hat and throws it, takes out his shoes and throws them, full of anger. He then goes to the master and says – ‘‘Oh master! I want peace. I want joy.’’

The master had been observing this student. He tells him, ‘‘First go to the door and apologize to the door for banging it. Go to the hat and apologize to the hat for throwing it. Go to your coat and apologize to the coat for treating it so roughly. And then come. I will talk of peace to you.’’

When the student lovingly apologizes to all those objects and comes back to the master, that very love brings about a transformation in the student. He discovers peace in that state of love. A beautiful story! It shows that, even inanimate objects if handled with live and acceptance, contribute to our inner peace and joy.  

Have you observed people eating? Most often eating is a war. Taking bath is a war. Instead of bathing their precious body with love, it is a ritual accomplished in as few minutes as practically possible. There is no love, no poetry. There is no dance and music. There is only war and noise. All because they have not accepted themselves with love. The moment you start accepting yourself with love, you even handle inert things with love and care, with a sense of total acceptance. You will then find there is so much of poetry, music, aliveness, celebration and dance in your life. 

It is said, a mystic who went to each plant and flower and asked them how they could contribute to humanity, founded the Unani system of medicine. He literally begged every plant out of intuition. Thus, the whole system of Unani came into existence.

With all the stress and pressure in our lives, it is easy to lose our cool at the slightest irritation. While we are rushing home from work at the end of another exhausting day, we scream at the slow driver in front of us who apparently has all the time in the world. While we shop at the grocery store, we get annoyed with the stock clerk who sends us to the wrong aisle when we are in search of the ingredients for tonight’s special dish. And while we are eating our dinner, we yell at the telemarketer who has nerve to interrupt us in an attempt to sell us their latest wares.

The problem with losing our temper on a daily basis is that it becomes a habit. And like most habits, a time arrives when it becomes a second nature. Personal relationships start unraveling, business partnerships begin to fall apart and your credibility decreases. Effective people are consistent and, in many ways, predictable. Keeping your cool in a moment of crisis can save you years of pain and anguish.

Hurtful words unleashed in a single minute of anger have led to many a broken friendship or relationship. Words are like arrows: once released, they are impossible to retrieve. So choose yours with care.  

An excellent way to control temper is ‘‘Three Gate Test’’ as practiced by ancient sages. The ancient sages would only speak if the words they were about to utter passed three gates. At the first gate, they asked themselves, Are these words truthful? If so, the words could pass on to the second gate. At the second gate, the sages asked, Are these words necessary? If so, they would then pass on to the third gate, where they would ask, Are these words kind? If so, then only they leave their lips and be sent out into the world.



Self-Hypnosis shows tremendous promise as a meditation tool

Meditation is considered as one of the best ways to reduce stress, lower your blood pressure and increase longevity. While there are several ways to use meditation as a relaxation method, self-hypnosis gives you the additional benefit of temporary behavior modification. Contrary to what you might imagine, self-hypnosis is a very simple procedure that you can learn very quickly and only requires a few days of practice to master. This is what you do in a few easy steps:

Select a comfortable position like sitting, lying down, etc, away from all distractions for at least 10 minutes.

Close your eyes and concentrate on relaxing your entire body from one end to the other.

Start at your feet, feel your toes and feet relaxing, keep repeating rhythmically to yourself the words "relax, relax" as a mantra as you feel a warm tingling sensation in each muscle in your body. Whatever happens just relax, anything you do is a plus, we are not looking for perfection, each time you do this it gets easier. Feel your feet totally relaxed, keep your thoughts focused on relaxing the part of the body youre working on. Experience the calming down effect of letting go of all tension.

Travel up to your legs concentrating in your principal muscles, ankles, calves, knees, thighs, hamstrings, torso, abdominals, your chest, back, hands, arms, head and face. Feel pleasure as each part of your body is rid of tension. Undergo the transformation from tightness to looseness.

When you reach your chest pay particular attention toward your breathe, making sure to take deep breathes, inhaling and exhaling to a totally relaxing pace. Let go of all tensions feel the tightness disappearing from your back and shoulders, come into contact with the feeling of relaxation in each part of your body as your travel through it. Include your face muscles and your neck, following a sequence to include the entire body.

After covering all your main body parts independently go around your body a second time now at a faster pace while concentrating in larger portions of your body feeling your entire feet and legs completely relaxed. Feel the gentle warmth traveling your entire body, keep your thoughts in this sensation, still repeating to yourself to relax. As you approach your chest area go through the breathing cycle.

Once you accomplish a state of deep relaxation where your thoughts are away from your usual routine and into your body you may select to give yourself a suggestion at this point. You are in a very susceptible state, you may repeat to yourself: I will come out of my self-hypnotic state full of energy ready to do my project X with enthusiasm. Or you may say to yourself: whenever I experience anger I will feel love and trust for myself or others and I will react with compassion. I will have a strong desire to forgive myself and others. Repeat these or other suggestions several times during your hypnotic condition. Do not attempt to make multiple suggestions in the same session.


Try it now, do it today, you will see instant results; just dont expect miracles, only improvements. Develop a routine to meditate once or twice a day. Remember, the more you do it the easier it becomes. In a few weeks you will be able to relax under the worst types of conditions and very quickly. Meditation as part of a strategy to take care of your emotional health and well-being can add decades to your life and will greatly improve your ability to relax and concentrate. Additionally, self-hypnosis in particular will take advantage of the power of suggestion in practically any area of your life where you can use a little help.

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