QUESTION:- what are the measures to adopt to improve our memory power and how can we overcome from our exam fear?
ANSWER:- this is the whole thing. You are asking this question it's good, but you must first understand, somewhere it's spread around in this world; in the society that fear is some kind of a virtue. Fear is not a virtue; fear makes you into the ugliest possible creature. Most unpleasant experience in your life is probably fear. That one thing not being there has made my life totally, absolutely pleasant because fear is about something that is yet to be. Fear is about something that does not exist right now.
What will happen is the thing. What will happen, you do not know. When you do not know, what you will write on the damn paper, something that you have learnt a whole year, you still do not know what you will write.
When this is the thing, what will happen in your life, you for sure do not know, isn't it?
Yes.
But you are imagening all the horrible things that will happen post examination. No, past examination there's a wonderful vacation. Yes.
Then there's one day, they will announce result. My 10th standard exam results, I didn't not go to see. My 12th standard examination results I didn't go to see. Somebody later on one of my family is boiling," Today is results what are you doing, what are you doing ? What am I supposed to do? Then they will tell somebody that they know, they will send word, they must have gone seen what has happened to his result. Well, somehow passed. Now the thing is just this- are you going to school to learn something or are you going to prove something.
This is the thing that you have to decide, everybody must decide. Have you come to spiritual process to know something or to prove something, you must decided this.
Once you go to any place to prove something about yourself, sickness will set in- sickness of failure and success will set in. For one who wants to learn, there is no such thing as failure, there is no such thing as success, just a question of striving. Somebody may get in one day, I may get it in 10 days, somebody may get it in hundred days, it's just a question of striving.
If your interest is to learn, striving itself is learning. To be able to strive relentlessly itself is a huge learning, isn't it?
So don't try to prove anything. Don't try to improve your memory, please.
You went to school not to remember some rubbish- to learn something, to enhance the horizons of your life, you had to know and understand something about this existence around you. This is what is science, this is what is mathematics, this is what is everything is, what are you studying is not some subject, it's different pieces of life may be presented in a most interesting way but still it's life, yes?
Weather you study physics or chemistry or biology or social sciences or geography you are learning something that could enhance the scope and play of your life. So you have to learn it. If you remember it, it will not transform your life in anyway.
So you went there to learn. If you have learnt, What's the problem - what you know you write, what you don't know, you want to copy from that guy next?
I will not talk about all those things because many times teachers it seems are encouraging these things, getting a few marks more or less in 10th standard is not going to make so much of a difference.
How much you learn will make a world of a difference, how many things you grasped right now fundamentals will make a big difference.
Right now focus on that. How sensibly, how wonderfully, with how much competence you live your life is important, how much you remember is not important. I don't remember a damn thing. That's why I can sit here and gossip with you simply about anything because there's no burden of remembering anything.
So, no anti-diarrheal tablets and don't worry about your memory -what you know, you will do, what you do not know, anyway you cannot do but if you know how to copy it's up to you. I would not do it and I am sure our teachers will not allow it because at this stage in your life, you don't start your life with deception. Don't... at least be...I am not talking about honesty; I am talking about learning to be straight with life so that tomorrow you don't get all twisted out for small things. But you are okay, this is how I am. Okay I am get... I get only 35% it's okay, this is how I am. This will not determine the quality of my life. I want you to understand this.
What marks you get will not determine the quality of your life but with how much integrity you exist will definitely determine the quality of your life.
So, no copying, all right?
Suppose you don't know anything, it's all right, happily sit there and come out tell everybody I did not get it.
I didn't get it, you do some yoga, life will become long, so you can take one more year.
one more year to learn - no copying because don't lose your integrity for small things, petty things these are. Don't lose your integrity for such small things, tomorrow when big things come, you will not able to stand up to that.
How to keep clear out of the game.! How does fear get into the game?
Let's look at this -essentially please look at this care fully everyone of you. Fear is always about the next moment, never about what is there right now.
"What will happen?" Is the fear, isn't it? What is there, there is no fear, whatever is there. Life is there, death is there, disease is there -for what is there, there is no fear.
What will happen is always the fear.So fear is about something that is yet to be or something that does not exist.
How to handle a consequence of something that does not exist?
Please don't handle it, just let it be.because first think is, you cannot even handle that which is not, but now you are trying to handle the shadow of that which is not. So, don't try to handle your fears. Essentially, what are you saying is -my thoughts and my emotions are going out of control. My memory and my imagination is going out of control. This is the biggest human problem right now the greatest facilities that we have, which makes us human, which sets us apart among all other creatures is we have a vivid senses of memory and a fantastic sense of imagination. So, memories of past failures hurt us, imaginations of failures that yet to be terrorize us. So essentially, you are involved in the goal, not in the process.
Process, it is the process which takes you to a certain goal. Goal is just an imagination. You are wrestling with that which does not exist. So you are not having any problem with life or with the game, your problem is your imagination is going out of control, that's because people have taught you always to win the game.
Please don't win the game, just hit the damn wall.
By Manjit sahu