Bishal Gyawali

The Philosopher

We all die one day. But have we all lived?

  • Inspiration

    Originally written in 2011, major edits in 2023 “People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing -that’s why we recommend it daily.” -Zig Ziglar In the previous chapter we discussed the importance of passion. But how does one develop passion? Inspiration is the key to developing passion. Edison said “Genius is 1%…

  • PASSION/ ENTHUSIASM

    Originally written in 2011. Very minor edits in 2023. “If a man hasn’t discovered something that he will die for, he is not fit to live” -Martin Luther King, Jr. Of all the tips for success described in this book, this is my personal favorite. I can summarize the secret of success in this single…

  • Learning From Mistakes and Failures

    I have missed more than 9000 shots. I have lost almost 300 games. I have failed over and over again in my life. That’s why I succeed. -Michael Jordan I read this somewhere: “the fear of death prevents us from living a full life.” Very true. Similarly, the fear of failure or the fear of…

  • Giving 100%- ALL OR NONE

    Written in 2011, heavily edited in 2023 “Put all your eggs in one basket and watch that basket.” — Andrew Carnegie I love this phrase “All or None”. I came across this phrase while studying the mechanism of nerve conduction. Our neuron will fire only after the application of a certain stimulus above the threshold…

  • Have confidence, Believe in Yourself

    Originally written in 2011, edited with extra comments in 2023 If you think you are beaten, you are; If you think you dare not, you don’t; If you like to win, but you think you can’t It is almost certain you won’t. If you think you’ll lose you’ve lost, For out of the world we…

  • What is your final wish?

    A prisoner on a death row is asked his final wishes. No, this is not a story about a prisoner. Think carefully, this is your story. That prisoner is you!You’re already on a death row.What are your wishes?Why not achieve them?

  • Duality

    When everyone recognizes beauty as beautiful, there is already ugliness; When everyone recognizes goodness as good, there is already evil. To be and not to be arise mutually; Difficulty and easy are mutually realized; Long and short are mutually contrasted; High and low are mutually posited;… Before and after are in mutual sequence. Conversation Beyond…

  • Pearls from The Moby Dick

    Moby-Dick by Herman Melville is one of the most influential books I have read. On the surface, it may read as a tragic story of a mad captain who sacrifices his and his crew’s lives chasing a silly ego against an animal that doesn’t even care for human beings and lives in the ocean away…

  • DREAM, VISUALIZE, IMAGINE

     Written in 2011, edited with extra comments in 2023 “What is now proved was once only imagined” — William Blake If you cannot dream it, you will not get it. Once you have aimed high, the next step to make that aim come true is to dream, to visualize about it in details. To see…

  • AIM BIG

    Written in 2011, edited in 2023. — Friedrich Nietzsche This is one of the fundamental keys to success, and therefore appears as the first chapter in this book. Aiming Big. Our own poet Laxmi Prasad Devkota put it superbly when he said “Uddyasha ke linu udi chunu chandra ek” (If you must aim, aim to…

  • Affirming Faith in Mind

    This version of English translation taken from the book “Zazen practice: A gudieline for beginners” by Chon Tri. The Great Way is not difficult for those who do not pick and choose. When love and hate do not interfere everything is clear as it is. When a slight distinction is made, then earth and heaven…

  • The Inception of This Book

    When I first decided to write this book in 2010, this was the first chapter I wrote. I had a burning desire to be successful from my early childhood. My aim was to be successful at every step. In that process, I developed various strategies for myself and experimented with them. I tried numerous ways,…

  • The Heart Sutra

    I’d say that this is the Ashtavakra Geeta version of Buddhist sutras. This is straight to the point, short, simple sutra with the only goal of waking you up. A thorough understanding of this sutra should be enough for anyone who is already primed on this journey, and is a sincered dedicated student of the…

  • About Success

    Written in 2011, edited in 2023. Commentaries added while editing the post in 2023 are in Italics in Parenthesis. The definition of success varies according to the context and situation. To some, getting through the exam may define success while for some others having both ends meet twice a day may define success. Some may…

  • Pearls from the Vimalakriti Sutra

    I am not going to spend too much time describing the background for these sutras. These books that I discuss on this page are the books that were important in my own journey, and I have spent hours thinking about these texts. So, you can consider that these are my recommended books on this journey.…

  • Pearls from the Ashtavakra Geeta

    You have already read some background on Ashtavakra Geeta from my previous post, I assume. If not, you can read it first. I believe Ashtavakra Geeta has one of the most direct non-nonsense expression of the Truth there can be. If you can, read the whole book. Below I share some of the most powerful…

  • Bhagavad Geeta vs Ashtavakra Geeta

    My family comes from a Hindu background. We have a book on Bhagavad Geeta at home, it has been there for several years. Many people in my immediate and distant family read this book regularly. Some of them have even memorized the sloaks and can recite them very well. One day, I opened the book…

  • Disclaimers and Definitions

    I will continually update this page as new definitions are needed to understand the “Spiritual Journey” section of my blogs.’ First a disclaimer, I don’t care much for facts in this section. What matters most is the message, not the accuracy of facts. I might say a Japanese Zen Master said XXX when in fact…