Kungfu Panda 2

Yesterday went out with kids and friends to watch Kungfu Panda 2. An awesome movie for both kids and adults. With all the sites/ critics giving their reviews on the movie talking about the animation, story, voices of Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan etc. I am not adept enough to write my review. What I liked about the movie most were the underlying messages in the movie, which is true and a learning for both kids and adults.

The first message, which I believe very closely links to the message in the first Kungfu Panda, is the ones past does not matter. What matter most is the self and where and who you want to be at  present and in future.

Panda, fat and clumsy, brought up by a goose, Mr. Ping, became "dragon warrior" by his sheer desire to learn Kungfu and work hard for the same.

The second more powerful message was, with "inner peace" and "knowledge of self" you can defeat any external  force/ power. The movie shows, Master Shifu, takes a falling drop and moves it around his body and puts it into water without the drop breaking and wetting him. When asked by Panda, how he did it, Master says its "Inner peace". Later in the movie, Panda is shown trying to achieve "Inner Peace" by saying "inner peace" but gets irritated by the falling water on his head. During the end, when Panda reaches his village, where he was born, find out he was in past, gets the "Inner Peace" and is able to deflect the falling drop like his master did and in the climax of the movie too he was able to deflect the cannon fire balls using the same move.

What I make out of the above and so called "philosophically" speaking , is that when one is able to know self, finds the "Inner Peace". And one who has the "Inner Peace" never gets bothered by external forces like curses, ridicules, derides, Jeers,  betrayals etc..He becomes confident of himself and becomes free of fear, that all the jeering, ridicule from outside world and people does not effect him.

 A similar message on finding oneself or "Self-Knowledge" is also given in "The Monk who sold his Ferrari". The author "Robin Sharma", so  efficiently and effectively writes.  " Find your cause and then do your work with pride and love- love is such an incredible force for good. Do it with a devotion to excellence. The world will reward you in unimaginable ways."

"No matter how insignificant the thing you have to do, do it as well as you can, give as much of your care and attention as you would give to the thing you regard as most important. For it will be by those small things that you shall be judged."

"People who feel good about themselves do great work and create great things.".

In the end, what I feel /learn, is if one always help others, be kind to others, lives in the present and trust in God that what ever "He" does is for ones good, becomes confident and fearless. He is able to find "Self" and thus the "Inner peace". Inner peace, in my mind, is nothing but knowing that you have done your best in the work you have been doing, you have been the kindest person you can be, you have been true to yourself and that God/ Universe will take care of you. When one knows all these things, there is no fear in the heart.

Till Panda had the uncertainity about himself, he was fearful and not able to defeat the Peacock/ Lord Shen. But once, he got to know himself, he became confident and found his inner self and peace. After that, all the slur and ridicule of peacock, ( Graphically represented as the Might weapon) had no effect on him and he was able to to easily deflect those without hurting him.

Tapasya aur vardaan

My first blog writing...I drafted it in Oct 2010. Posting it now after my wife pushed me to do so.....

This thought came to me while thinking about the 33 miners rescued in Chile after 69 days stuck underground. Hats off to all of the 33 miners and to the team of rescuers who worked relentlessly day and night to ensure safe return of their fellow workers.

It would be really interesting to know and interview these miners to understand what went inside their minds during these 69 days and I know we would see movies/ documentary on this on Discovery/ CNN/ History channels very soon. But I am more interested in knowing and understanding how this experience is going to effect their future lives.

I am sure most of these 33 men and their families/ friends would notice a remarkable change in their attitude. Attitude towards life, family, relationships and work.

If you think, what would one do if caught alone, away from all the outside world, away from the materialistic possessions, away from the noise and sounds of known and unknown. He would start listening to his inner voice. The voice that gets drowned under the humdrum of our daily lives. He would start thinking of all his actions of the past, good or bad. He would now have the time to understand the consequences of his actions and the impact it had on his life.

I think, the "Tapasya" mentioned in the Hindu Scriptures is nothing but the above.Where a man gets away from all the outside noises to listen to his inner "atma". During this solitary period, one realizes his inner strengths, he is able to understand what he wants in the life and plans out for it. He learns from his past and becomes a better human being. And this new "Avatar" is seen as the "Vardan" from God.