Biography - Roman Polanski

Roman Polanski is one of the greatest contemporary directors.

Polanski has directed is 'The Pianist(2002)'. The film has won three Academy Awards- for Best Director, Best Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay. It was also awarded seven French Césars and many more awards.

Roman Polanski was born in August 18, 1933, in Paris, France. Within few years of his birth, his parents moved to Poland. His father had a plastic business in Krakow, Poland. Though his parents were not rich they provided him with everything that he wanted.

Before the World War II Germans gained control over Poland and the trouble for the Jewish families began. Polanski's family was forced to move into a Jewish Ghetto.  Later both his parents were taken to the Nazi concentration Camps. Roman lost his mother and reunited with his father after the war.

As he was growing up he had made up his mind to become part of the cinema world.  In 1962 he made his first movie "Knife in the water" that received significant attention.

His personal life was not peaceful. His pregnant wife, Sharon Tate was brutally murdered in New York. Later he was also convicted in US court for unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor. He then fled to Europe and continued making movies.

In 2002 he made holocaust movie The Pianist; It is an adaptation of the autobiography, by Jewish-Polish musician Władysław Szpilman.

The Pianist is one of the greatest movies done on the subject of holocaust. Another such movie is Schindler's List Directed by Steven Spielberg. When Spielberg wanted to make Schindler's List he had asked Roman Polanski to direct it but Polanski had refused. 

Polanski has made numerous films and acted in a few. Some of his movies are Death and the Maiden, Bitter Moon, Tess, Chinatown, Frantic, Pirates, The Pianist, The Ninth Gate, Oliver Twist, Rosemary's Baby

Last week he was arrested by the Swiss Police. US govt. has requested Swiss Govt. for extradition of Polanski.

The Law of Attraction

According to followers of this law, thoughts have an energy which attracts whatever it is the person is thinking of. In order to control this energy to one's advantage, proponents state that people must practice four things

Know exactly what you want.

Ask the universe for it.

Feel, behave and know as if the object of your desire is already yours (visualize).

Be open to receive it and let go of (the attachment to) the outcome

The Secret book written by Rhonda Byrne is also based on this premise. There is also a notion that universe understands simple sentences and avoid using  "not" in your communication. For example instead of saying "I should not be late", you can say "I should be on time". Similarly instead of saying "I should not fail", say "I should Pass"

There may be many more such notions- I'm not an expert on this subject, but from using common sense, we can infer  a few things.

Clarity brings action and only actions produce results.

If you look at the four points mentioned above, they talk about bringing in clarity in the matters you are dealing with.  Suppose you want to buy a car, once you bring in the clarity about what car you want to buy, other actions will follow - like looking for finance, looking for nearby dealership, booking the car and finally having it.

The next thing is about avoiding "not" in a communication- in the action domain "not" is very difficult to process or understand - for example  if someone asks "what  do you want eat?", if you say "Not Idli" , then there will be infinite possibilities about  what you can eat. Instead if you simply say "Dosa" then it can be served faster and quicker. 

When you say "I should not fail" you are visualizing failure, when you say "I should Pass" you are visualizing success. It is easier for brain to process what you visualize.  

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Please don’t ‘mind’

Please don't 'mind'

Once a Zen master and his monk were travelling together down a muddy road. A heavy rain was falling. As they come round a bend, they met a lovely girl in silk kimono and sash, unable to cross the intersection because of the mud.

'Come on girl' said the Zen master at once. Lifting her in his arms, he carried over the mud. The monk was upset and did not speak until late night when they reached the monastery.

Then he could no longer restrain himself. "We monks" he said, "Don't go near females, especially young and lovely ones, It is dangerous, Why did you do that? "

Zen Master replied "I left her there long back, why are you still carrying her?"

This how we are, most of the time we are not even carrying the lovely girl, we are carrying the mud in our head.  

we get overwhelmed by the amount "Things to Do" in our life.

In order to prepare for a better tomorrow we are losing our today, the present the 'right now!'

There are so many things stuffed in our mind. Mind is very powerful it controls our actions, emotions and our experience.  It keeps us always busy and ensure that we don't enjoy the present moment 'the right now' , we are trapped in our mind. 

One way to come out of mind is knowing you have thoughts and you are not your thoughts, you have emotions but you are not your emotions, you have feelings but you are not your feelings.

You have the power to choose your thoughts, actions and feelings.

Now you can drop the young lady!

My "Self"

vaishnav jan to tene kahiye, je peed paraaee jaNe re ...

[He is the true Vaishnava who knows and feels another's woes as his own]

par dukkhe upkar kare toye, man abhiman na aaNe re

[Ever ready to serve others who are unhappy, he never lets vanity get to his head]

Mahatma Gandhi used to sing this is a beautiful bhajan. On the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti let's take his concept of Non-violence little further. It is non violence against "self". It might appear strange but it is also important. Look at your relationship with your 'self'.

Just look at how many times you make yourself wrong, you feel like a failure, blame  yourself, feel guilty, consider yourself as 'not good enough' so on.

The amount or intensity at which you make yourself wrong might differ from one person to another. But have you noticed that you keep punishing yourself?

This is also some kind of violence.  It might be due to various reasons but we all do it.

I'm inviting you to consider the possibility of unconditional love for yourself.

How about practicing non violence with your 'self'? 

Try this game, at least play this game for a week. The rules of the games are to notice when you are making yourself wrong.  Whenever you make yourself wrong put coin in a box. At the end of the week count the coins, multiply the total sum with 100. That is the total amount you have to treat yourself. Do whatever you want to do with that money. That will also show you how much pain you cause to yourself in physical form.

Also share this game with your friends and invite them also to take on this. When you can give love to yourself you can give it others also.

Now, Can you love your 'self' ?

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