“One of the happiest moments in life is when you find the courage to let go of what you cannot change.”
“Thanks to Sawaki, Antaiji is truly devoted to the ways of the ancients. And thanks to his main disciple Uchiyama, it is one of the few Zen temples in Japan that is quite open to foreigners practicing together with the Japanese monks.”
How did these Sanskrit hymns survive and why do we continue to call on them when we pray?
The Gujarati community has a long tradition of seafaring and a history of immigration to foreign lands. The mercantile culture resulted naturally from the Indian state’s proximity to the Arabian Sea. Although air travel had replaced sea travel by the time I was born, this innate restlessness I feel to explore new lands is something that is irrevocably embedded in me.
“Eastern beliefs, in particular, view ancestors as a ‘bridge’ between human existence and God. They have the power to aid us and help us in times of trouble as well as bless us as we go forth on our journey. In The Merchant of Stories, I touched on how the bonds we have with those who have passed on does not end with their death.”
For the Aztec, Toltec and Nahua people, it was disrespectful to mourn for those who had passed on. To them, departed souls remained members of the community and were kept alive in memory and spirit.
“Jyotisa is not mere psychological assessment, but an invaluable reference of human evolution which spans six thousand years.”
“I can’t say that I planned to write this book. I don’t believe the story told itself—as it is neither fiction nor a memoir in a conventional sense. I did not have the privilege of hindsight as I wrote in my diary. I’ve narrated the creative process and entrepreneurial journey in real-time as it unfolded in my life.”
“The authors from Japan that have managed to reach a wider international audience have all had teams of talented publishing people supporting them.”
“It’s really important to love a book when you acquire it. If you don’t have that kind of emotional commitment to something, you wind up second-guessing yourself…”