Saturday 31 March 2012
Art of living
The Only Way Out Is Within By: Rohini Singh on Mar 30, 2012 | 2779 Views | 48 Responses CategoryNew Age ADD TO SPIRITUAL DIARY
Do you feel well? If you're feeling joyful, content, grateful, alert and expansive, your system is faring well. If you're not quite so comfortable, you're up against energy thieves that are enjoying a feast at your expense. You know that solution: Plug the leaks, drop resistance, face fear, banish worry or practise forgiveness, as the case may be.
Once you plug the leaks, your energy system immediately begins to recover. As you continue to detoxify yourself, your self awareness increases. You begin to choose your responses and hence shift the whole paradigm you're living in.
You assume total responsibility for whatever state you find yourself in and know that only you, and not external circumstances, can resolve any problems that may crop up.
In actuality, this journey is about letting your mind, the small one that you're familiar with, dissolve and expand into the Big Mind, the place of infinite potential. Tapping into it allows you flow, surrender, co-creation and higher guidance.
The heart, remember, guides you to increasing connectivity,
joy and love. It replaces pain as a habit. The journey has to be lived, not merely understood.
You can start on your journey right now by doing some of the following:
Every night write 10 things that youre grateful for in a journal kept especially for this purpose. It gets you to focus on what's good in your life, not on what isn't. And it's a proven energy rule. What you focus on expands. This is the easiest way of attracting more of what makes you happy and being open to receive.
Meditation provides the break that your mind needs and deserves and helps you cope with stressful lifestyles. When you meditate, brain-wave activity slows down and depending on the depth of your meditation, you can access more profound levels of creativity, healing, relaxation and de-stressing. This is the time when the small mind plugs into the Big Mind, gets recharged, and accesses an area of infinite potentiality.
Breathe : Make a small placard that displays this one word. Put it on your office desk or at home where you can see it frequently. Every time you do, just take two deep breaths with awareness and continue with your regular activities. This is an incredible awareness exercise.It helps you create the space you need to make conscious choices.
Cut cords: This is a magical practice. When we interact with people, we're automatically connected with them by a cord at the solar plexus, the area just below the rib cage. We exchange energies through this cord which is strong in the case of people we're close to. To keep your energy system clear, you must disconnect and terminate this exchange each day with every person you interact with.
It's an excellent practice if you've had an unpleasant conversation with someone. This is what you do: Close your eyes. Visualise the cord. Imagine yourself cutting it. Mentally say: I cut and release all connections with you at the solar plexus level. Reconnect the cord at the heart level. Say the words: Only love remains between us.
Steal joy: This is an amazing practice that you can use to trick yourself into changing your mood or state when youre feeling miserable. First, accept that this is so and allow it to be. Don't fight it. Converse with yourself; take a break from your misery, for just a day.
Injecting these little exercises in awareness into your daily life will make you feel in charge, starting immediately.
Do you feel well? If you're feeling joyful, content, grateful, alert and expansive, your system is faring well. If you're not quite so comfortable, you're up against energy thieves that are enjoying a feast at your expense. You know that solution: Plug the leaks, drop resistance, face fear, banish worry or practise forgiveness, as the case may be.
Once you plug the leaks, your energy system immediately begins to recover. As you continue to detoxify yourself, your self awareness increases. You begin to choose your responses and hence shift the whole paradigm you're living in.
You assume total responsibility for whatever state you find yourself in and know that only you, and not external circumstances, can resolve any problems that may crop up.
In actuality, this journey is about letting your mind, the small one that you're familiar with, dissolve and expand into the Big Mind, the place of infinite potential. Tapping into it allows you flow, surrender, co-creation and higher guidance.
The heart, remember, guides you to increasing connectivity,
joy and love. It replaces pain as a habit. The journey has to be lived, not merely understood.
You can start on your journey right now by doing some of the following:
Every night write 10 things that youre grateful for in a journal kept especially for this purpose. It gets you to focus on what's good in your life, not on what isn't. And it's a proven energy rule. What you focus on expands. This is the easiest way of attracting more of what makes you happy and being open to receive.
Meditation provides the break that your mind needs and deserves and helps you cope with stressful lifestyles. When you meditate, brain-wave activity slows down and depending on the depth of your meditation, you can access more profound levels of creativity, healing, relaxation and de-stressing. This is the time when the small mind plugs into the Big Mind, gets recharged, and accesses an area of infinite potentiality.
Breathe : Make a small placard that displays this one word. Put it on your office desk or at home where you can see it frequently. Every time you do, just take two deep breaths with awareness and continue with your regular activities. This is an incredible awareness exercise.It helps you create the space you need to make conscious choices.
Cut cords: This is a magical practice. When we interact with people, we're automatically connected with them by a cord at the solar plexus, the area just below the rib cage. We exchange energies through this cord which is strong in the case of people we're close to. To keep your energy system clear, you must disconnect and terminate this exchange each day with every person you interact with.
It's an excellent practice if you've had an unpleasant conversation with someone. This is what you do: Close your eyes. Visualise the cord. Imagine yourself cutting it. Mentally say: I cut and release all connections with you at the solar plexus level. Reconnect the cord at the heart level. Say the words: Only love remains between us.
Steal joy: This is an amazing practice that you can use to trick yourself into changing your mood or state when youre feeling miserable. First, accept that this is so and allow it to be. Don't fight it. Converse with yourself; take a break from your misery, for just a day.
Injecting these little exercises in awareness into your daily life will make you feel in charge, starting immediately.
Sunday 25 March 2012
Time Management------a different angle
Best Time Management Tips (How to manage mountains of tasks in fistful of time?) * Don't do it! Unless heavens will fall. There is maximum chance that nobody will be tracking it far enough! * Delegate it Don�t do it yourself unless it is disposing of the bomb you assembled! Don't keep the dog and bark yourself! * Put the ball back in the other's court Only the serious task will survive the volley. Encourage self service. It's so easy to just order a task. Answer question with a question! * Don't give it on a platter! Never give a solution better than the problem. * Take hell of a lot time�and demand for more! �and nobody can blame you; you are still doing it!! * Don't touch it before the 11th hour! �chances are it won't be required by that time without any side-effects! �and by delaying, you can check whether the bugger really needed it! �90% of the tasks started are nothing more than noise, dust and tranquiliser pills to cover up �� for real thinking. * Start it with a lot of advertisement big-bang and park it silently behind the first bend! Majority of the times, all the task-giver wants is to see action-initiation. That's all! * Manage the expectations of the task-giver Put water on it! * Drag in the task-giver He will forget about it! (That's what he wanted when he gave it to you!!) * Postpone it Useless tasks are balls which come back to remind you automatically! All this is to separate the necessary from the unnecessary. Task generation has become the favourite passtime of the planet. As Philip says in his masterpiece book 'Life Strategies' - "Do what works, do what matters!!!" Only the task which matters should be done. Every other task is an overhead! Reduce your stress, live longer, get promoted!
Saturday 24 March 2012
Friday 23 March 2012
SAINT FLOW
THE 30Min FLOW:
METHOD : 30 Min Flow.. always in the market.
TIME FRAME : 30 Min charts
PERSPECTIVE : None….Flow Trades are traded off that particular timeframe with very little dependance on higher and lower time frames.They will be discussed later.
FILTERS :
1) Reversal filter ( F ) : The value wich we take to revese the trade in absence of gap
2) Gap Filter (GF): The value ( a bit bigger than normal filter) we take when we get gap opening against our position
3) Add Filter (AF): The value which we take for our adds ( a bit lesser than normal filter)
ENTRY : Our entry on one side is always accompanied with exits from previous positions.
a.PIVOTS---->Reversals over Visual Pivots alone in NF and other stocks except BANK NIFTY.What constitutes a Visual Pivot will be discussed later.
---SAR is moved from one PL to the next PL in an uptrend,and the SAR is moved only when the previous PH is taken out.Vice versa with a Downtrend.This is the general broader rule.Exceptions to this Rule exists and we will add that to this thread.
EXCEPTION to the above:
1. A Virtual High(When new highs after 2-3 bars sideways is not made,but a new close...we call that a Virtual High.Enough to move up our SAR.So too Virtual Lows.
2. In case of vertical moves without pivots, then SAR moved to visual pivot in 15min TF
B.GAPS:---->
i)AGAINST OUR SAR : Wait for 1st 15 min to form and reverse with high / low ( + / - ) GF… Gap Filter
ii) AGAINST OUR POSITION BUT WITHIN OUR SAR : Original SAR +/- F
iii) IN OUR FAVOUR : We are Long + continuous up move with a few WRBs ...If (First 15 min bar is a bearish bar) then
a.) Reverse on First 15min bar low – Gap filter , SAR at High of 1st 15 min bar H +gap filter
b.) In all other cases stops to be moved to previous day's last bar low...
ADDS :
A) LONGS : In long position/uptrend, we add only on Visual PH....max 3positions(Initial Posn+2 adds)
B) SHORTS : In short position/downtrend, we can add at Visual / Aggressive
PL as well as in following way…
1) We are short today, next day gap down, we add at first bearish bar low –F.
2) WRB low which is just a start of downtrend / move….
3) A WRB on 30 min which is turning an uptrend on daily into downtrend.
---Altogether 4 positions in a downtrend(Initial Posn+add1+add 2+add 3)
The only time we do not do the above.......when present trend is against the daily charts trend....then only Initial Position+1 add
PROFIT BOOKING: Not done.. We are always in flow.. Entry on one side is exit from other side.
EOD-REVERSALS - based on last bar closing value to be in the direction of the trend.More will be discussed after taking abt concepts.
POSITION SIZING:No more than 1.5% risk for Initial Positions and no more than 2% risk at any given time inclusive of adds.
===================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================
Aggressive Pivot
In a Bar level rally, a lower close without a lower low and then high breaks defines an aggressive pvt
In a Bar level decline, a higher close without a higher high and then low breaks defines an aggressive pvt
Basically, a pvt in line chart without being a pvt in candle
-----------------=====================================================---------------------
minor Pivot
In a bar level rally, a lower low defines the high as an mpH
In a bar level decline, a higher high defines the low as an mpL
===================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================
(only for UT) a minor pvt below d line makes it a VPL, no new high required here....ex: diagram 2
===============================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================
__________________
METHOD : 30 Min Flow.. always in the market.
TIME FRAME : 30 Min charts
PERSPECTIVE : None….Flow Trades are traded off that particular timeframe with very little dependance on higher and lower time frames.They will be discussed later.
FILTERS :
1) Reversal filter ( F ) : The value wich we take to revese the trade in absence of gap
2) Gap Filter (GF): The value ( a bit bigger than normal filter) we take when we get gap opening against our position
3) Add Filter (AF): The value which we take for our adds ( a bit lesser than normal filter)
ENTRY : Our entry on one side is always accompanied with exits from previous positions.
a.PIVOTS---->Reversals over Visual Pivots alone in NF and other stocks except BANK NIFTY.What constitutes a Visual Pivot will be discussed later.
---SAR is moved from one PL to the next PL in an uptrend,and the SAR is moved only when the previous PH is taken out.Vice versa with a Downtrend.This is the general broader rule.Exceptions to this Rule exists and we will add that to this thread.
EXCEPTION to the above:
1. A Virtual High(When new highs after 2-3 bars sideways is not made,but a new close...we call that a Virtual High.Enough to move up our SAR.So too Virtual Lows.
2. In case of vertical moves without pivots, then SAR moved to visual pivot in 15min TF
B.GAPS:---->
i)AGAINST OUR SAR : Wait for 1st 15 min to form and reverse with high / low ( + / - ) GF… Gap Filter
ii) AGAINST OUR POSITION BUT WITHIN OUR SAR : Original SAR +/- F
iii) IN OUR FAVOUR : We are Long + continuous up move with a few WRBs ...If (First 15 min bar is a bearish bar) then
a.) Reverse on First 15min bar low – Gap filter , SAR at High of 1st 15 min bar H +gap filter
b.) In all other cases stops to be moved to previous day's last bar low...
ADDS :
A) LONGS : In long position/uptrend, we add only on Visual PH....max 3positions(Initial Posn+2 adds)
B) SHORTS : In short position/downtrend, we can add at Visual / Aggressive
PL as well as in following way…
1) We are short today, next day gap down, we add at first bearish bar low –F.
2) WRB low which is just a start of downtrend / move….
3) A WRB on 30 min which is turning an uptrend on daily into downtrend.
---Altogether 4 positions in a downtrend(Initial Posn+add1+add 2+add 3)
The only time we do not do the above.......when present trend is against the daily charts trend....then only Initial Position+1 add
PROFIT BOOKING: Not done.. We are always in flow.. Entry on one side is exit from other side.
EOD-REVERSALS - based on last bar closing value to be in the direction of the trend.More will be discussed after taking abt concepts.
POSITION SIZING:No more than 1.5% risk for Initial Positions and no more than 2% risk at any given time inclusive of adds.
===================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================
Aggressive Pivot
In a Bar level rally, a lower close without a lower low and then high breaks defines an aggressive pvt
In a Bar level decline, a higher close without a higher high and then low breaks defines an aggressive pvt
Basically, a pvt in line chart without being a pvt in candle
-----------------=====================================================---------------------
minor Pivot
In a bar level rally, a lower low defines the high as an mpH
In a bar level decline, a higher high defines the low as an mpL
===================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================
(only for UT) a minor pvt below d line makes it a VPL, no new high required here....ex: diagram 2
===============================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================
__________________
Thursday 22 March 2012
Gartley ---Final word
Axis Bank has formed a very nice Gartley Pattern since past 7 days.
X to A = 99
A to B = 61
B to C = 38
C to D = 61
A to D = 85
Here, AB = CD
AB/XA = 61.61%
BC/AB = 62.29%
CD/BC = 62.29%
First Target will be 61.8% of AD, which is about Rs.750
Second Target will be 127.2% of AD, which is about Rs.694
Time taken to form AB is equal to CD both took 30 mins to form, angles are same
X to A = 99
A to B = 61
B to C = 38
C to D = 61
A to D = 85
Here, AB = CD
AB/XA = 61.61%
BC/AB = 62.29%
CD/BC = 62.29%
First Target will be 61.8% of AD, which is about Rs.750
Second Target will be 127.2% of AD, which is about Rs.694
Time taken to form AB is equal to CD both took 30 mins to form, angles are same
Tuesday 20 March 2012
Hum ko man ki shakti dena
Humko man ki shakti dena (audio)
(O God, give us strength of mind)
Humko man ki shakti dena, man vijay kare
Dusaron ke jaise pehele, khudhko jai kare
Repeat Chorus
Humko man ki shakti dena
Bhed bhaav apne dilse, saaf karsake x2
Dosoton se bhool ho to, maaf karsake x2
Jhooth se bache rahe, sach ka dam bhare x2
Dusaron ke jaise pehele, khudhko jai kare
Repeat Chorus
Humko man ki shakti dena
Mushkile pade to humpe, itna karma kar x2
Saath de to dharma ka, chalengey dharma par x2
Khud pe housla rahe, badee se na darey x2
Dusaron ke jaise pehele, khudhko jai kare
Repeat Chorus
Humko man ki shakti dena
Meaning:
O God, give us strength to overcome our mind (ourselves)
before attempting to conquer others, conquer oneself
Let us cleanse our mind of discrimination (of persons)
Let us try to forgive the mistakes of friends
Let us discard falsehood and follow the path of truth
Whatever the difficulties in the path, we will continue to work
We will tread the path of righteousness with the blessings of Dharma
We will possess self confidence to fight evil
(O God, give us strength of mind)
Humko man ki shakti dena, man vijay kare
Dusaron ke jaise pehele, khudhko jai kare
Repeat Chorus
Humko man ki shakti dena
Bhed bhaav apne dilse, saaf karsake x2
Dosoton se bhool ho to, maaf karsake x2
Jhooth se bache rahe, sach ka dam bhare x2
Dusaron ke jaise pehele, khudhko jai kare
Repeat Chorus
Humko man ki shakti dena
Mushkile pade to humpe, itna karma kar x2
Saath de to dharma ka, chalengey dharma par x2
Khud pe housla rahe, badee se na darey x2
Dusaron ke jaise pehele, khudhko jai kare
Repeat Chorus
Humko man ki shakti dena
Meaning:
O God, give us strength to overcome our mind (ourselves)
before attempting to conquer others, conquer oneself
Let us cleanse our mind of discrimination (of persons)
Let us try to forgive the mistakes of friends
Let us discard falsehood and follow the path of truth
Whatever the difficulties in the path, we will continue to work
We will tread the path of righteousness with the blessings of Dharma
We will possess self confidence to fight evil
Thursday 15 March 2012
Meditation
Humanist Meditation
I recently spoke, as part of a panel on meditation and Humanism, at the American Humanist Association's annual conference. I will be providing more details on that presentation soon. However, for now I thought I'd share a little of something I'm writing on meditation basics. This explanation will take place over a few parts. Here is the first part for today:
Breathing meditation is the most general kind of attention practice, and necessary in order to perform other kinds of attention practice. It will therefore tend to be the most commonly practiced and introductory of forms. However, foundational though it may be, mastering meditation requires just as much discipline and skill as mastering any other practice, so it would be a mistake to consider it necessarily easier or less advanced than other practices.
While meditators may appear to the outside observer to simply be relaxing, very specific mental exercise is taking place within. A person may seem exactly the same in two sessions but may have had a wonderful success in one session, and performed poorly in another. It is normal for beginning meditators to find meditation trying and difficult. At first, they may even wonder what the big deal is. But over time, noticeable improvement is made, and you will know it in your session as you attain deeper levels. The improvement will also manifest outside your session in the form of greater attention span, depth of attention, focus, and peace of mind. The ability to focus attention and increase awareness is what allows for greater inner and outer mindfulness – and these abilities are foundational to many other practices, as well as the overall endeavor to internalize many philosophic teachings from mere knowledge to a more intuitive level.
Purpose
The basic premise is simple: our untrained minds generally tend to bounce from topic to topic, state to state. This sort of associative jumping about is called ‘monkey mind’ by the Buddhists. It is very noticeable in children, but adults usually suffer from it as well. Even very intelligent people (sometimes especially intelligent people) will tend to ruminate over all kinds of things endlessly. This is seldom a matter of efficient ‘multitasking’. Rather, it is a sort of daydreaming that, at best, results in a lack of focus and being ‘someplace else’ than present. At worst, ruminations can be a source of great frustration and stress. In either case, mindfulness is not possible in such a state because mindfulness involves constant awareness of one’s self, one’s thoughts and feelings, one’s environment, and one’s situation in the present, both internal and external.
Meditation allows us to improve our ability to consciously direct our attention where we decide it will go, and for how long. This is done much like working out a muscle. In meditation, we select something constant upon which to focus. One of the best and oldest things to select is the breath – because no matter your circumstances, your breath is always with you as long as you are alive.
Position
First, it is important to consider your body position. Most people have seen meditators seated with legs crossed, hands either folded in the lap or upturned and resting upon the knees, and a straight posture. These traditional positions may work for many people but we are not so concerned with any one specific position. The key concern, rather, is this: you should sit in a manner that (a) allows you to breathe easily, (b) allows your body enough comfort that you can remain in that position throughout your meditation without your body becoming a distraction, and (c) is not so comfortable that it encourages you to fall asleep.
It is therefore not recommended that you meditate while lying down. Some may choose to sit in a chair, but the chair should allow your posture to be straight enough to breathe well – not slouched. Sitting up straight is one area where initial muscle discomfort will be worth the practice of learning to maintain the posture. As for legs, conditioning over time may enable you to become capable of sitting on the floor with them crossed if that is currently uncomfortable. However, that is a separate physical practice and endeavor - distinct in many ways from the practice of meditation per se. Thus, a seated meditator can become as proficient at meditation as a cross-legged meditator. Again, regardless of the position, the essential matters are that it allows good breathing, is not distracting, and will not make you fall asleep. Essentially, you should use a posture that will allow you to ‘forget about your body’ during the duration of your meditation.
People meditate with eyes open or shut, but shut is generally the preferred. Further, when shutting your eyes, it will be important to learn not to visualize various imagery (something that can be challenging at first for visual thinkers). Instead, the vision should simply be ‘switched off’, even including internal ‘mental visions’.
The mouth can be slightly open with the jaw hanging loose. A good position for the tongue can be let loose, but touching the back of the two front teeth and roof of the mouth, but this may vary for individuals. Again, the key should be relaxation and no distraction.
In the next articles I will continue with notes on body scanning, focusing, going deeper, immediate after effects, and long-term effects.
Meditation Aides
You will also need to think about how long you’re going to meditate. 15 minutes may be a good amount of time for beginners; for some 20 minutes may be ideal. You can eventually work up to 30 minutes. Some meditate longer, but if you want to establish a daily routine it is important to select something reasonable and sustainable within your schedule. You’ll need to establish a way to alert yourself when the time is up. This can be done simply with a stop watch, a kitchen timer, etc. If you are in a guided meditation the guide will alert you. There are also smartphone meditation applications that allow you to set a time and have nice relaxing chime sounds to choose from. There are also online videos available with guided meditations featuring voices, music, etc. However it is achieved, a simple chime after a designated time is probably best for beginners.
Some people light incense when meditating or performing other rituals. The olfactory sense (smell) is one of the most intimately connected senses with our memory centers. Therefore, having a special scent is a good way to shift our state of mind into one that is conducive to the focus of the ritual or practice.
With your surroundings established and your physical position selected, you are now ready to begin.
Body Scan
The first part of the process should be a mental review of your body to ensure you are actually relaxing it. Often we hold muscles tightly clenched without even realizing it. Therefore, you should take a deep long breath and let it out through your nose. Now imagine the top of your head being scanned. As the line around your head moves down over your face, your muscles in that area should relax: first the temples, forehead, brow; next your cheeks, jaw muscles, ears, neck, etc. Move the encircling line down over your neck, shoulders, down your arms to your fingers, down your back, stomach, legs, feet, and toes – relaxing each group as you go. Do not go too quickly so you may consider all areas. If you feel you need to, you can slowly return to the top of your head.
Now take one more deep breath and release your attention from your body. From here after, your breathing should not be controlled – just let yourself breath in and out automatically without trying to direct it, regardless of how fast, slow, deep, shallow, regular, or irregular that is.
Focusing
Now, keeping your eyes closed, focus your attention on your breath. There will be a temptation to control your breath or try to make it regular or deeper, but you should avoid that temptation. Simply watch your breath without directing it. The portion you should zero in on is the air moving just past the edge of your nostrils, as it moves in and out. You will hear it and feel it moving past the nostrils like a tide coming in and out. Try to focus exclusively on that experience without thinking about it in ‘words’. Also ignore any visualizations, sensations from your body, or other thoughts.
At this point, you may find it helpful to count your breaths. If you do so, as you inhale do not think anything – just focus on the inhalation. Then, as you exhale, think, “one...” You can think this word as lasting as long as the exhale, still focusing attention on the air moving out of your nostrils. As you breathe in, try to think nothing in between other than simply observing the inward breath. Breathing out, think, “two…” Go up to five and then return to one. Remember, while you are watching your breaths and counting along, you are not controlling them in any way – simply letting them happen as your body naturally reflexes to breathe.
After you exhale and count a number, if you are rested, there will probably be a few seconds before your body naturally induces the next inhalation. Because you are focused on the inhalation during it’s time, and you are counting during the exhalations, this short period may be the most tempting for your attention to wander. As you complete a counting, such as, “twooooo…”, try to let your mind simply drift off of the end of the word and remain still, thinking of nothing at all until the next inhalation arises to focus upon.
By the way, returning to 1 in the counting in a cycle is important. If you do not return in this cycle from 5 back to 1 and instead continue on to higher numbers, it will be easy for the counting to end up on ‘autopilot’ as your mind wanders off to other things. The return is the indication that you really are paying close attention to the counting. Furthermore, if you fail to remain focused on your breath, you can attempt to simply get through one whole cycle 1-5, thus making the challenge one of bite-sized chunks. Then, you can attempt another cycle – always remaining in the present.
Wandering & Correction
As you attempt meditation, your mind will inevitably wander. Things will pop into your head such as the day’s to-do items, what others around you might be doing or thinking, what the random little sounds you’re hearing might be, physical discomfort, interesting or random memories, or perhaps more concerning ruminations about various life problems. As this happens, it is important to catch yourself and return your focus exclusively to your breath. If you did not, then meditation would not be unlike daydreaming or lucid dreaming. Perhaps a nice endeavor in its own ways, but not meditation. As these things arise in your mind, simply see them as objects and set them aside, moving your focus gently back to the breath.
Despite your best efforts, your mind will do this many times, and will need to be brought back to the breath many times. Just as important as catching and directing yourself back, it is also essential that you not let this frustrate you. Remember, thinking about the fact that you’re not thinking about your breath is also ‘thinking about something other than your breath’. Instead, simply bring your attention back to your breath as though it were a solitary task – without frustration because of past needs to do so, and without aggravation because of a fear of needing to do it again in the future. As you meditate there is only the present, and in that present only the breath. Do not think of this wandering as a ‘failure to meditate’ or as an exception to meditation. The wandering, and the following corrections in focus, are all part of meditation – all is just as it should be.
Next time I will conclude this series on meditation with discussion of going deeper, immediate after effects, and long-term effects.
Going Deeper
Even though a wandering mind and the need to correct its focus back to breathing is to be expected, it is a fact that over time you will become better able to keep your attention on your breath without any other thoughts arising and for longer periods of time between mental wanderings. This increase in ability is noticeable within sessions, but also continues from session to session if you practice meditation regularly.
With that increased ability to maintain attention, comes other effects during the time you are in a meditation session. These include: greater environmental awareness, loss of body, and consciousness detachment.
The first, and easiest to see, is greater environmental awareness. During a meditation you come to notice all of the little and subtle sounds and sensations around you – the clock ticking, birds, cars driving by, the wind, people talking in the distance, and so on. The fact of this awareness as you progress may seem contradictory since these things can be distractions which cause you to have to reset your focus back on your breath. While that is true, it is also true that before you were meditating many of these things would have gone completely unnoticed by you. The reason you notice them during your session is a sign that your mind is becoming still. Throw a pebble into a stormy ocean and its effects are lost, but in a still pond its ripple effects are significant. While the perception of these previously unnoticed things is indeed another set of thoughts to be set aside so focus can be returned to the breath, they are also a sign of progress because a still mind is one of the aims of meditation.
The second effect you may experience during a session may take some practice, perhaps over several sessions, before you start to get glimpses of it. Loss of body is, of course, a figurative description. But the general sensation will be a lack of perception of the body; it’s little aches, itches, tiny movements, etc. This will bring about a feeling of detachment from the body, but is simply the result of an extreme focus. Nevertheless, this feeling – when it happens – is a sign of improvement in your technique.
The tricky thing about loss of body, is that it is not only rare at first, but tends to be very brief. If one is consciously focused on trying to have a loss of body experience, then it is impossible, as the experience results from a lack of conceptual thinking. Once the experience happens, it often ends quickly. Usually, as soon as a person begins to notice that they are experiencing a loss of body sensation, the noticing of it causes the mind to put a label on it, and turn the experience into a mental object. The moment you think, “I’m having a loss of body experience!” you have now lost your focus. Before, you had begun to enter a state of experience without language and labels and without distinctions between things. But calling your mind to think of the loss of body experience creates a distinction between it and other experiences, and between you and your environment. Inevitably, all of the usual concepts flood back into your consciousness. The mind looks to see if the body is there and, of course, it is. Your mind begins ‘checking the mailbox’ to see if any messages (sensations) from the body have arrived – which, of course, they have.
But like everything else, the mind improves over time. With continuous practice, these experiences become more frequent, easier to enter, and last longer.
Another experience you may have during mediation might be called consciousness detachment. We, as persons, are made up of many functions and properties (aggregates) which, working together in complex relationships, yield an overall impression of ‘self’ which we think of as ‘us’. These include memory, emotions, logical ability, selection capabilities, perceptions, and more. But if we were to slowly imagine these properties peeling away, and if we were to look at them individually, there is no one property we could convincingly identify as ‘us’. We are, rather, a function of all of these activities. Another one of these aggregates is consciousness. This is not so much awareness of certain information (such as awareness of our surroundings or of the contents of our thoughts). Rather, this is the actual first-person experience of ‘likeness’ – i.e., what it is ‘like’ to be an experiencing being. One might imagine simpler animals or insects having this feeling of what it is like to be them, without the sophistication of integrated memories of any complexity. Some consciousness philosophers and neurologists call this sensation qualia.
After a person leaves behind all other sensations of body, their surroundings, and other tangible thoughts, their minds enter another state. Here they experience that consciousness in a completely detached form, without the usual accompanying thoughts, feelings, opinions, judgments, memories, labels, sensations, concerns, and other impressions. They simply ‘exist’. Here it is said one can experience the universe ‘as it really is’ bereft of our usual framing of it.
Immediate After Effects
What short-term after effects can one expect from a quality meditation session? The most basic effect is a relaxed and low-stress state, usually accompanied by a sense of patience, contentment, and pleasantness. In addition to these, the mind will be much more focused, controllable, and deliberative. If one were to watch a speaker just after, for example, it would be easier to focus on the speaker for an extended period, while all other distractions would be easily set aside. If one were to engage in some kind of mental task, they would likely be more effective at it, in a heightened state of concentration.
This ‘laser focus’ usually disperses over time. As the day’s activities carry on, the mind has to handle more things simultaneously and attention can become diffused. Certain things have a great tendency to diffuse attention quickly. One of the best examples of this is listening to, or watching, media such as music or television.
Importantly, you have a degree of choice in how quickly or slowly your attention becomes diffused, based on your intent. If you purposely begin filling your mind with a number of ruminations and concerns, you can diffuse your attention more quickly than if you try to remain mindful and in a semi-meditative-like calm after your session.
Longer Term Effects
Longer term effects are usually enhanced when meditation is combined with a solid philosophic foundation. Most of the skills developed in meditation relate to specific philosophic principles and can be used to live these principles more skillfully in life. If meditation were only about the experience during a session, and only about greater focus and stress relief, then it would not have the profound place in spiritual practice that it has had for thousands of years. The general concept of meditation is that, while it may begin as specific sessions, we eventually learn to expand meditative mindfulness into the rest of our lives, thoughts, and actions.
For instance, the first of the deeper effects mentioned earlier, still mind, is something that can be taken into our lives as we live out our day. Beyond that, the ability to notice subtle things that comes from a still mind, can alert us to disruptions and the like arising in our minds before they have the ability to consume us. It may also make us more aware of subtleties in the behavior of others, enhancing our ability to act toward them with empathy.
Having experiences of separation from our bodies and consciousness detachment can create a sensation of oneness with the universe. The ability to enter into such states can create a greater tendency to see things from more of a universal viewpoint than from the viewpoint of our shallow self centered perspective. Some neuroscientists study the physiological effects of meditation on the brain, and these studies have so far lent credence to the notion these changes are more than mere placebo effect. In meditation, we have an integrated practice-philosophy which involves active alteration of our neural architecture, along with mental habits and abilities which facilitate greater application of wisdom teachings, and greater integration of them into our natural responses.
It is in this manner that mindfulness is increased, which can then interject into our normal judgment centers, and better monitor our own thoughts and feelings about things, rather than allow them to consume us mindlessly.
I recently spoke, as part of a panel on meditation and Humanism, at the American Humanist Association's annual conference. I will be providing more details on that presentation soon. However, for now I thought I'd share a little of something I'm writing on meditation basics. This explanation will take place over a few parts. Here is the first part for today:
Breathing meditation is the most general kind of attention practice, and necessary in order to perform other kinds of attention practice. It will therefore tend to be the most commonly practiced and introductory of forms. However, foundational though it may be, mastering meditation requires just as much discipline and skill as mastering any other practice, so it would be a mistake to consider it necessarily easier or less advanced than other practices.
While meditators may appear to the outside observer to simply be relaxing, very specific mental exercise is taking place within. A person may seem exactly the same in two sessions but may have had a wonderful success in one session, and performed poorly in another. It is normal for beginning meditators to find meditation trying and difficult. At first, they may even wonder what the big deal is. But over time, noticeable improvement is made, and you will know it in your session as you attain deeper levels. The improvement will also manifest outside your session in the form of greater attention span, depth of attention, focus, and peace of mind. The ability to focus attention and increase awareness is what allows for greater inner and outer mindfulness – and these abilities are foundational to many other practices, as well as the overall endeavor to internalize many philosophic teachings from mere knowledge to a more intuitive level.
Purpose
The basic premise is simple: our untrained minds generally tend to bounce from topic to topic, state to state. This sort of associative jumping about is called ‘monkey mind’ by the Buddhists. It is very noticeable in children, but adults usually suffer from it as well. Even very intelligent people (sometimes especially intelligent people) will tend to ruminate over all kinds of things endlessly. This is seldom a matter of efficient ‘multitasking’. Rather, it is a sort of daydreaming that, at best, results in a lack of focus and being ‘someplace else’ than present. At worst, ruminations can be a source of great frustration and stress. In either case, mindfulness is not possible in such a state because mindfulness involves constant awareness of one’s self, one’s thoughts and feelings, one’s environment, and one’s situation in the present, both internal and external.
Meditation allows us to improve our ability to consciously direct our attention where we decide it will go, and for how long. This is done much like working out a muscle. In meditation, we select something constant upon which to focus. One of the best and oldest things to select is the breath – because no matter your circumstances, your breath is always with you as long as you are alive.
Position
First, it is important to consider your body position. Most people have seen meditators seated with legs crossed, hands either folded in the lap or upturned and resting upon the knees, and a straight posture. These traditional positions may work for many people but we are not so concerned with any one specific position. The key concern, rather, is this: you should sit in a manner that (a) allows you to breathe easily, (b) allows your body enough comfort that you can remain in that position throughout your meditation without your body becoming a distraction, and (c) is not so comfortable that it encourages you to fall asleep.
It is therefore not recommended that you meditate while lying down. Some may choose to sit in a chair, but the chair should allow your posture to be straight enough to breathe well – not slouched. Sitting up straight is one area where initial muscle discomfort will be worth the practice of learning to maintain the posture. As for legs, conditioning over time may enable you to become capable of sitting on the floor with them crossed if that is currently uncomfortable. However, that is a separate physical practice and endeavor - distinct in many ways from the practice of meditation per se. Thus, a seated meditator can become as proficient at meditation as a cross-legged meditator. Again, regardless of the position, the essential matters are that it allows good breathing, is not distracting, and will not make you fall asleep. Essentially, you should use a posture that will allow you to ‘forget about your body’ during the duration of your meditation.
People meditate with eyes open or shut, but shut is generally the preferred. Further, when shutting your eyes, it will be important to learn not to visualize various imagery (something that can be challenging at first for visual thinkers). Instead, the vision should simply be ‘switched off’, even including internal ‘mental visions’.
The mouth can be slightly open with the jaw hanging loose. A good position for the tongue can be let loose, but touching the back of the two front teeth and roof of the mouth, but this may vary for individuals. Again, the key should be relaxation and no distraction.
In the next articles I will continue with notes on body scanning, focusing, going deeper, immediate after effects, and long-term effects.
Meditation Aides
You will also need to think about how long you’re going to meditate. 15 minutes may be a good amount of time for beginners; for some 20 minutes may be ideal. You can eventually work up to 30 minutes. Some meditate longer, but if you want to establish a daily routine it is important to select something reasonable and sustainable within your schedule. You’ll need to establish a way to alert yourself when the time is up. This can be done simply with a stop watch, a kitchen timer, etc. If you are in a guided meditation the guide will alert you. There are also smartphone meditation applications that allow you to set a time and have nice relaxing chime sounds to choose from. There are also online videos available with guided meditations featuring voices, music, etc. However it is achieved, a simple chime after a designated time is probably best for beginners.
Some people light incense when meditating or performing other rituals. The olfactory sense (smell) is one of the most intimately connected senses with our memory centers. Therefore, having a special scent is a good way to shift our state of mind into one that is conducive to the focus of the ritual or practice.
With your surroundings established and your physical position selected, you are now ready to begin.
Body Scan
The first part of the process should be a mental review of your body to ensure you are actually relaxing it. Often we hold muscles tightly clenched without even realizing it. Therefore, you should take a deep long breath and let it out through your nose. Now imagine the top of your head being scanned. As the line around your head moves down over your face, your muscles in that area should relax: first the temples, forehead, brow; next your cheeks, jaw muscles, ears, neck, etc. Move the encircling line down over your neck, shoulders, down your arms to your fingers, down your back, stomach, legs, feet, and toes – relaxing each group as you go. Do not go too quickly so you may consider all areas. If you feel you need to, you can slowly return to the top of your head.
Now take one more deep breath and release your attention from your body. From here after, your breathing should not be controlled – just let yourself breath in and out automatically without trying to direct it, regardless of how fast, slow, deep, shallow, regular, or irregular that is.
Focusing
Now, keeping your eyes closed, focus your attention on your breath. There will be a temptation to control your breath or try to make it regular or deeper, but you should avoid that temptation. Simply watch your breath without directing it. The portion you should zero in on is the air moving just past the edge of your nostrils, as it moves in and out. You will hear it and feel it moving past the nostrils like a tide coming in and out. Try to focus exclusively on that experience without thinking about it in ‘words’. Also ignore any visualizations, sensations from your body, or other thoughts.
At this point, you may find it helpful to count your breaths. If you do so, as you inhale do not think anything – just focus on the inhalation. Then, as you exhale, think, “one...” You can think this word as lasting as long as the exhale, still focusing attention on the air moving out of your nostrils. As you breathe in, try to think nothing in between other than simply observing the inward breath. Breathing out, think, “two…” Go up to five and then return to one. Remember, while you are watching your breaths and counting along, you are not controlling them in any way – simply letting them happen as your body naturally reflexes to breathe.
After you exhale and count a number, if you are rested, there will probably be a few seconds before your body naturally induces the next inhalation. Because you are focused on the inhalation during it’s time, and you are counting during the exhalations, this short period may be the most tempting for your attention to wander. As you complete a counting, such as, “twooooo…”, try to let your mind simply drift off of the end of the word and remain still, thinking of nothing at all until the next inhalation arises to focus upon.
By the way, returning to 1 in the counting in a cycle is important. If you do not return in this cycle from 5 back to 1 and instead continue on to higher numbers, it will be easy for the counting to end up on ‘autopilot’ as your mind wanders off to other things. The return is the indication that you really are paying close attention to the counting. Furthermore, if you fail to remain focused on your breath, you can attempt to simply get through one whole cycle 1-5, thus making the challenge one of bite-sized chunks. Then, you can attempt another cycle – always remaining in the present.
Wandering & Correction
As you attempt meditation, your mind will inevitably wander. Things will pop into your head such as the day’s to-do items, what others around you might be doing or thinking, what the random little sounds you’re hearing might be, physical discomfort, interesting or random memories, or perhaps more concerning ruminations about various life problems. As this happens, it is important to catch yourself and return your focus exclusively to your breath. If you did not, then meditation would not be unlike daydreaming or lucid dreaming. Perhaps a nice endeavor in its own ways, but not meditation. As these things arise in your mind, simply see them as objects and set them aside, moving your focus gently back to the breath.
Despite your best efforts, your mind will do this many times, and will need to be brought back to the breath many times. Just as important as catching and directing yourself back, it is also essential that you not let this frustrate you. Remember, thinking about the fact that you’re not thinking about your breath is also ‘thinking about something other than your breath’. Instead, simply bring your attention back to your breath as though it were a solitary task – without frustration because of past needs to do so, and without aggravation because of a fear of needing to do it again in the future. As you meditate there is only the present, and in that present only the breath. Do not think of this wandering as a ‘failure to meditate’ or as an exception to meditation. The wandering, and the following corrections in focus, are all part of meditation – all is just as it should be.
Next time I will conclude this series on meditation with discussion of going deeper, immediate after effects, and long-term effects.
Going Deeper
Even though a wandering mind and the need to correct its focus back to breathing is to be expected, it is a fact that over time you will become better able to keep your attention on your breath without any other thoughts arising and for longer periods of time between mental wanderings. This increase in ability is noticeable within sessions, but also continues from session to session if you practice meditation regularly.
With that increased ability to maintain attention, comes other effects during the time you are in a meditation session. These include: greater environmental awareness, loss of body, and consciousness detachment.
The first, and easiest to see, is greater environmental awareness. During a meditation you come to notice all of the little and subtle sounds and sensations around you – the clock ticking, birds, cars driving by, the wind, people talking in the distance, and so on. The fact of this awareness as you progress may seem contradictory since these things can be distractions which cause you to have to reset your focus back on your breath. While that is true, it is also true that before you were meditating many of these things would have gone completely unnoticed by you. The reason you notice them during your session is a sign that your mind is becoming still. Throw a pebble into a stormy ocean and its effects are lost, but in a still pond its ripple effects are significant. While the perception of these previously unnoticed things is indeed another set of thoughts to be set aside so focus can be returned to the breath, they are also a sign of progress because a still mind is one of the aims of meditation.
The second effect you may experience during a session may take some practice, perhaps over several sessions, before you start to get glimpses of it. Loss of body is, of course, a figurative description. But the general sensation will be a lack of perception of the body; it’s little aches, itches, tiny movements, etc. This will bring about a feeling of detachment from the body, but is simply the result of an extreme focus. Nevertheless, this feeling – when it happens – is a sign of improvement in your technique.
The tricky thing about loss of body, is that it is not only rare at first, but tends to be very brief. If one is consciously focused on trying to have a loss of body experience, then it is impossible, as the experience results from a lack of conceptual thinking. Once the experience happens, it often ends quickly. Usually, as soon as a person begins to notice that they are experiencing a loss of body sensation, the noticing of it causes the mind to put a label on it, and turn the experience into a mental object. The moment you think, “I’m having a loss of body experience!” you have now lost your focus. Before, you had begun to enter a state of experience without language and labels and without distinctions between things. But calling your mind to think of the loss of body experience creates a distinction between it and other experiences, and between you and your environment. Inevitably, all of the usual concepts flood back into your consciousness. The mind looks to see if the body is there and, of course, it is. Your mind begins ‘checking the mailbox’ to see if any messages (sensations) from the body have arrived – which, of course, they have.
But like everything else, the mind improves over time. With continuous practice, these experiences become more frequent, easier to enter, and last longer.
Another experience you may have during mediation might be called consciousness detachment. We, as persons, are made up of many functions and properties (aggregates) which, working together in complex relationships, yield an overall impression of ‘self’ which we think of as ‘us’. These include memory, emotions, logical ability, selection capabilities, perceptions, and more. But if we were to slowly imagine these properties peeling away, and if we were to look at them individually, there is no one property we could convincingly identify as ‘us’. We are, rather, a function of all of these activities. Another one of these aggregates is consciousness. This is not so much awareness of certain information (such as awareness of our surroundings or of the contents of our thoughts). Rather, this is the actual first-person experience of ‘likeness’ – i.e., what it is ‘like’ to be an experiencing being. One might imagine simpler animals or insects having this feeling of what it is like to be them, without the sophistication of integrated memories of any complexity. Some consciousness philosophers and neurologists call this sensation qualia.
After a person leaves behind all other sensations of body, their surroundings, and other tangible thoughts, their minds enter another state. Here they experience that consciousness in a completely detached form, without the usual accompanying thoughts, feelings, opinions, judgments, memories, labels, sensations, concerns, and other impressions. They simply ‘exist’. Here it is said one can experience the universe ‘as it really is’ bereft of our usual framing of it.
Immediate After Effects
What short-term after effects can one expect from a quality meditation session? The most basic effect is a relaxed and low-stress state, usually accompanied by a sense of patience, contentment, and pleasantness. In addition to these, the mind will be much more focused, controllable, and deliberative. If one were to watch a speaker just after, for example, it would be easier to focus on the speaker for an extended period, while all other distractions would be easily set aside. If one were to engage in some kind of mental task, they would likely be more effective at it, in a heightened state of concentration.
This ‘laser focus’ usually disperses over time. As the day’s activities carry on, the mind has to handle more things simultaneously and attention can become diffused. Certain things have a great tendency to diffuse attention quickly. One of the best examples of this is listening to, or watching, media such as music or television.
Importantly, you have a degree of choice in how quickly or slowly your attention becomes diffused, based on your intent. If you purposely begin filling your mind with a number of ruminations and concerns, you can diffuse your attention more quickly than if you try to remain mindful and in a semi-meditative-like calm after your session.
Longer Term Effects
Longer term effects are usually enhanced when meditation is combined with a solid philosophic foundation. Most of the skills developed in meditation relate to specific philosophic principles and can be used to live these principles more skillfully in life. If meditation were only about the experience during a session, and only about greater focus and stress relief, then it would not have the profound place in spiritual practice that it has had for thousands of years. The general concept of meditation is that, while it may begin as specific sessions, we eventually learn to expand meditative mindfulness into the rest of our lives, thoughts, and actions.
For instance, the first of the deeper effects mentioned earlier, still mind, is something that can be taken into our lives as we live out our day. Beyond that, the ability to notice subtle things that comes from a still mind, can alert us to disruptions and the like arising in our minds before they have the ability to consume us. It may also make us more aware of subtleties in the behavior of others, enhancing our ability to act toward them with empathy.
Having experiences of separation from our bodies and consciousness detachment can create a sensation of oneness with the universe. The ability to enter into such states can create a greater tendency to see things from more of a universal viewpoint than from the viewpoint of our shallow self centered perspective. Some neuroscientists study the physiological effects of meditation on the brain, and these studies have so far lent credence to the notion these changes are more than mere placebo effect. In meditation, we have an integrated practice-philosophy which involves active alteration of our neural architecture, along with mental habits and abilities which facilitate greater application of wisdom teachings, and greater integration of them into our natural responses.
It is in this manner that mindfulness is increased, which can then interject into our normal judgment centers, and better monitor our own thoughts and feelings about things, rather than allow them to consume us mindlessly.
Wednesday 14 March 2012
Vtrend
FII have net sold 1300 contracts today. They have more or less day traded today. It is interesting to note that their OI has decreased by 10K contracts.
The PCR has increased to 1.12 today - indicating more activity in the Puts. The gap up open has been used to write Puts at a number of strikes.
The Desi MO is moving quite rapidly on either side indicating the rallies or falls are spread across the spectrum.
When I try to calculate the area of a pond, I will guesstimate the radius of the pond and multiply the square of it with 3. In an examination, when I am asked to calculate the area of a circle, I would measure the radius using scale and I would be using 3.14 as the value of Pi. However, when the area of my wrist watch is calculated, probably the Pi has to be taken with far greater precision. My point is, we actually do a trade-off for the accuracy against the purpose of the operation, difficulty in calculation and risk involved in error.
With the above statement as a backdrop let me explain - where and all I use averages in my data - and to what ends I use them.
Firstly, I try to deal with No. of Contracts as has been shown in the bold above. It is the number of contracts sold or bought - and it has nothing to do with lot size - whether it is 25 or 50 or 10.
Secondly, I calculate the average Buy price and average Sell Price. Now, before the trigger is pulled against me, let me explain, the purpose for which these two averages are used. Let me take the case of today's average Buy price and average Sell Price - located in columns D21 and G21 of the data sheet. The average Buy price is 5418 and average sell price is 5457. Today NF has traded between 5420 and 5470 for the most part. So, it basically tells me that FII have sold at highs and bought at lows of the day. For me, it actually does no harm, to think that these average prices are having some small error - ( I will come to the calculation of error percentage later) - My point of interest in using the average is to plot the day against FII activity. For example, today NF opened low, and traded at highs towards later part of the day. It basically means that FII bought in the morning, and booked large part of day buyings in the afternoon. They did not carry much of today's bought contracts. I hope all of you agree with me that, to make such directional judgements, even if the averages are skewed by a percent or two - it does not matter - simply because each day, the averages are skewed approximately by the same amount - and we are looking at their relative activity.
Further, I calculate the net contracts bought/sold, their value and their average. This also is calculated for a different purpose. Let me explain - Today, the average price comes to an absurd 7315. What do we do with it? Here is a small example. I buy 5 apples at 10Rs each - and sold 3 of them at 14 Rs. each. My average price for the remaining 2 apples is - (5*10-3*14)/2=4Rs. The low average of the remaining tells me that I bought low and sold high, and am carrying my buyings for the next day. Take the exact converse of this example - when the average is very high. It indicates that I am carrying my sellings to the next day. So, basically the net average price tells me what is it that the FII carried to the next day. Even here, the average even if it is wrong by a percent or two - it should not matter. We are using these averages as directional indicators.
Now, let me come to the average OI contract value which I refer to as FII SAR. This is calculated as the average price of OI each day -which changes according to settlement price. Though there are quite a few reasons why I started using it as an important price - it is here that the accuracy of the calculation is important - atleast it is more relevant here than any of the earlier use cases. So let us analyse this aspect in more detail.
As on 13th March, the Net OI in March Series in Nifty Futures is at 2,50,84,500. The OI of Bank Nifty at the same time is 12,04,475. So Bank Nifty OI occupies 4.8% of NF OI. Assuming FII are holding some positions in other indexes like Mini Nifty, CNX IT etc. - it is safe to assume that - all the rest of the futures will occupy 8% of NF OI. The basis for 8% in the below table is due to this fact. Please refer to the table below:
Instrument No. of Contracts Lot Size Average
Day Price Total Value
(B*C*D) Average Price
(E/C/B)
NF 300000 50 5430 81450000000 5430
BN(8%) 24000 25 10700 6420000000 10700
Net 324000 50 87870000000 5424.07
In the above table - the explanation for the numbers are like this. On an average NF trades 3L contracts daily. If you are not comfortable with this number, feel free to take any other number. So, BN will be trading approximately 8% of that using the above approximation. So, 24K contracts of BN have been traded. Now, the FII data will show us FII have traded 3.24L contracts. The lot size of each instrument - and the average traded price of the day are taken - to simplify the calculations. Assuming NF has traded at an average price of 5430 through the day and BN has traded at 10700 - the total value of each is calculated - by multiplying the lot size, traded contracts and average price. Their total is calculated at 8787 crore which is the number given to us in the FII data sheet. Now, I am taking the average contract size as 50 - and calculating the average price for the contract by dividing the total value with total contracts * lot size(50) - that is giving me an average price of 5424 against the actual average of 5430. Ladies and Gentlemen, I admit that I am inaccurate from the actual result by a whopping 0.1%.
As a trader, I will be watching a price zone rather than a price point. I mean - when I say FII SAR is 5424 - it does not mean that hell will break if the price moves by a point below or above. I am more interested in watching the price behaviour around that area - give or take x points either side.
To conclude, As I said above, our accuracy is a tradeoff between risk, purpose and ease of usage. I felt that I am not doing a sin by the compromise that I made in calculations - I mean - it is the best trade off I could have arrived at - given my parameters of evaluation and my trading purpose. If there is a better method to make use of the data, I request the esteemed readers to point out - so that I can correct myself.
You can find the entire data sheet here.
Instrument No. of Contracts Lot Size Average
Day Price Total Value
(B*C*D) Average Price
(E/C/B)
NF 300000 50 5430 81450000000 5430
BN(8%) 24000 25 10700 6420000000 10700
Net 324000 50 87870000000 5424.07
Dear Friends, now that I have presented whatever information that I have - I would like to admit that It will be difficult to continue writing this notes any further. However, I assure you that the data sheet will be updated on a regular basis. As I have repeatedly said, in my earlier posts, you do not need my colored glasses to analyse the datasheet. It is a piece of data - and every one can process it in their own way and arrive at their own conclusions. If the notes along with the datasheet, did help even one person, in their trades - it has served its purpose.
The PCR has increased to 1.12 today - indicating more activity in the Puts. The gap up open has been used to write Puts at a number of strikes.
The Desi MO is moving quite rapidly on either side indicating the rallies or falls are spread across the spectrum.
When I try to calculate the area of a pond, I will guesstimate the radius of the pond and multiply the square of it with 3. In an examination, when I am asked to calculate the area of a circle, I would measure the radius using scale and I would be using 3.14 as the value of Pi. However, when the area of my wrist watch is calculated, probably the Pi has to be taken with far greater precision. My point is, we actually do a trade-off for the accuracy against the purpose of the operation, difficulty in calculation and risk involved in error.
With the above statement as a backdrop let me explain - where and all I use averages in my data - and to what ends I use them.
Firstly, I try to deal with No. of Contracts as has been shown in the bold above. It is the number of contracts sold or bought - and it has nothing to do with lot size - whether it is 25 or 50 or 10.
Secondly, I calculate the average Buy price and average Sell Price. Now, before the trigger is pulled against me, let me explain, the purpose for which these two averages are used. Let me take the case of today's average Buy price and average Sell Price - located in columns D21 and G21 of the data sheet. The average Buy price is 5418 and average sell price is 5457. Today NF has traded between 5420 and 5470 for the most part. So, it basically tells me that FII have sold at highs and bought at lows of the day. For me, it actually does no harm, to think that these average prices are having some small error - ( I will come to the calculation of error percentage later) - My point of interest in using the average is to plot the day against FII activity. For example, today NF opened low, and traded at highs towards later part of the day. It basically means that FII bought in the morning, and booked large part of day buyings in the afternoon. They did not carry much of today's bought contracts. I hope all of you agree with me that, to make such directional judgements, even if the averages are skewed by a percent or two - it does not matter - simply because each day, the averages are skewed approximately by the same amount - and we are looking at their relative activity.
Further, I calculate the net contracts bought/sold, their value and their average. This also is calculated for a different purpose. Let me explain - Today, the average price comes to an absurd 7315. What do we do with it? Here is a small example. I buy 5 apples at 10Rs each - and sold 3 of them at 14 Rs. each. My average price for the remaining 2 apples is - (5*10-3*14)/2=4Rs. The low average of the remaining tells me that I bought low and sold high, and am carrying my buyings for the next day. Take the exact converse of this example - when the average is very high. It indicates that I am carrying my sellings to the next day. So, basically the net average price tells me what is it that the FII carried to the next day. Even here, the average even if it is wrong by a percent or two - it should not matter. We are using these averages as directional indicators.
Now, let me come to the average OI contract value which I refer to as FII SAR. This is calculated as the average price of OI each day -which changes according to settlement price. Though there are quite a few reasons why I started using it as an important price - it is here that the accuracy of the calculation is important - atleast it is more relevant here than any of the earlier use cases. So let us analyse this aspect in more detail.
As on 13th March, the Net OI in March Series in Nifty Futures is at 2,50,84,500. The OI of Bank Nifty at the same time is 12,04,475. So Bank Nifty OI occupies 4.8% of NF OI. Assuming FII are holding some positions in other indexes like Mini Nifty, CNX IT etc. - it is safe to assume that - all the rest of the futures will occupy 8% of NF OI. The basis for 8% in the below table is due to this fact. Please refer to the table below:
Instrument No. of Contracts Lot Size Average
Day Price Total Value
(B*C*D) Average Price
(E/C/B)
NF 300000 50 5430 81450000000 5430
BN(8%) 24000 25 10700 6420000000 10700
Net 324000 50 87870000000 5424.07
In the above table - the explanation for the numbers are like this. On an average NF trades 3L contracts daily. If you are not comfortable with this number, feel free to take any other number. So, BN will be trading approximately 8% of that using the above approximation. So, 24K contracts of BN have been traded. Now, the FII data will show us FII have traded 3.24L contracts. The lot size of each instrument - and the average traded price of the day are taken - to simplify the calculations. Assuming NF has traded at an average price of 5430 through the day and BN has traded at 10700 - the total value of each is calculated - by multiplying the lot size, traded contracts and average price. Their total is calculated at 8787 crore which is the number given to us in the FII data sheet. Now, I am taking the average contract size as 50 - and calculating the average price for the contract by dividing the total value with total contracts * lot size(50) - that is giving me an average price of 5424 against the actual average of 5430. Ladies and Gentlemen, I admit that I am inaccurate from the actual result by a whopping 0.1%.
As a trader, I will be watching a price zone rather than a price point. I mean - when I say FII SAR is 5424 - it does not mean that hell will break if the price moves by a point below or above. I am more interested in watching the price behaviour around that area - give or take x points either side.
To conclude, As I said above, our accuracy is a tradeoff between risk, purpose and ease of usage. I felt that I am not doing a sin by the compromise that I made in calculations - I mean - it is the best trade off I could have arrived at - given my parameters of evaluation and my trading purpose. If there is a better method to make use of the data, I request the esteemed readers to point out - so that I can correct myself.
You can find the entire data sheet here.
Instrument No. of Contracts Lot Size Average
Day Price Total Value
(B*C*D) Average Price
(E/C/B)
NF 300000 50 5430 81450000000 5430
BN(8%) 24000 25 10700 6420000000 10700
Net 324000 50 87870000000 5424.07
Dear Friends, now that I have presented whatever information that I have - I would like to admit that It will be difficult to continue writing this notes any further. However, I assure you that the data sheet will be updated on a regular basis. As I have repeatedly said, in my earlier posts, you do not need my colored glasses to analyse the datasheet. It is a piece of data - and every one can process it in their own way and arrive at their own conclusions. If the notes along with the datasheet, did help even one person, in their trades - it has served its purpose.
Criminal trial
This article is a part of series "law for the layman" that I am writing, wherein we have tried to make law as understandable as possible to anyone who finds himself in the throes of a trial as an accused/complainant or a witness.
Criminal Trial - the Procedure is governed by the CrPC, 1973, there are three basic stages to it, which normally occur in the same order viz. Investigation (where evidences are to be collected), Inquiry (A judicial proceeding where judge ensures for himself before going on trial, that there are reasonable grounds to believe the person to be guilty) & TRIAL. The term 'Trial' has not been defined in the CrPC, however is commonly understood to mean - a judicial proceeding where evidences are allowed to be proved or disproved, and guilt of a person is adjudged leading to a acquittal (an exoneration from charge) or a conviction.
Trials are normally divided into Warrants Trial & a Summons Trial. We have taken warrants trial to be the model here, as the same is employed in most offences (see Theft/Rape/Murder/Kidnapping/Cheating etc.). A Summons trial is an abridged form of warrants trial, where some proceedings are omitted to ensure swift process but at the same time basic postulates of fair trial are retained. Warrants trial is done for offences punishable with imprisonment exceeding 2 years, summons for other minor offences.
A Criminal Trial starts with framing of charges, if a person is not discharged - trial begins, by framing a charge (nothing but a specific accusation against the accused) and reading and explaining it to him (So that he knows what he is to face). After framing of charges the judge proceeds to take the 'plea of guilt' which is an opportunity to the accused to acknowledge that he pleads guilty and does not wish to contest the case. Here the judge's responsibility is onerous, he has to, first ensure - plea of guilt is free and voluntary (why is a man speaking against his interest?) secondly - he has also to ensure that if there had been no plea of guilt - was the prosecution version if unrebutted - would have led to conviction. If both the requirements are met - then judge can record and accept plea of guilt and convict the accused after listening to him on sentence.
After plea of guilt is taken, if accused pleads 'not guilty' or court does not accept his plea of guilt, trial moves on - prosecutor then explains to the court the basic outline of the case and what evidence he proposes to lead in order to prove the same. He asks the court to summon witnesses so that court can record their evidence. As the prosecution has to start leading evidence to bring home the offence to the accused - it is said 'The Burden of Proof lies on the prosecution'. The basic rule is whoever asserts the affirmative of an issue has the burden to prove facts on which the accused's liability depends, and this burden of proof - is not a light burden - the prosecution has to prove that the accused is guilty beyond reasonable doubts. This is primarily for two reasons:
i) A person's (accused's) life and liberty is involved.
ii) and the state with the investigative machinery at its disposal is sufficiently armed to get good evidence which a individual would not have.
So now since the BOP is on the prosecution it has to prove facts which incriminate the accused. When witnesses for the prosecution are called they are first examined by the prosecutor - then cross examined by the defence advocate, and with the leave of the court prosecutor can again examine to clarify the loopholes exposes during cross.
After the prosecution has led its evidence - court asks the accused to himself enter the witness box (not to give evidence) but in order to explain circumstances that appeared against him - he has given an opportunity to give personal explanations. This is a remarkable manifestation of Audi Alteram Partem where the court makes a direct dialogue with the accused to know what his take is. This is not a chance to the court to beguile or cross examine the accused. Any answer given by accused is not to be used as evidence against him but the court may take into consideration to adjudge overall trustworthiness of the case. This is done u/s 311 CrPC, after the examination. If the court feels that prosecution has not successfully brought home the guilt - it may acquit - else if it feels that they have sufficiently discharged their burden - then it asks defence if it seeks to lead evidence, and the same cycle again. Now after evidence from both sides is recorded. Parties then make arguments on the same, and in the end court pronounces the judgment.
In case of Acquittal - the accused is set at liberty (if in custody). In case of conviction - the punitive dilemma begins as Justice Krishna Iyer called it - the Court has to fix another hearing to decide on the quantum of sentence. Here the prosecution as well as the defence can lead evidences that would have been fatal earlier, in order to aggravate or mitigate the punishment. Previous criminal background/Bad Character/Reprehensible Motive/Cruel/Diabolical Conduct - may aggravate the sentence on the other hand - /First Time offender/No premeditation/Capable of Reform are some factors which move the court to give a lenient sentence.
Here the court gives equal leverage to the 'Crime' as well as the 'Criminal'. Earlier the gravity of crime used to be the sole criteria - however in recent times, there has been a definitive shift of focus from crime to criminal which manifests growing importance of reformation as the end of punishment. The Court at this stage would also consider whether the accused is entitled to the benefit of probation or admonition.
Criminal Trial - the Procedure is governed by the CrPC, 1973, there are three basic stages to it, which normally occur in the same order viz. Investigation (where evidences are to be collected), Inquiry (A judicial proceeding where judge ensures for himself before going on trial, that there are reasonable grounds to believe the person to be guilty) & TRIAL. The term 'Trial' has not been defined in the CrPC, however is commonly understood to mean - a judicial proceeding where evidences are allowed to be proved or disproved, and guilt of a person is adjudged leading to a acquittal (an exoneration from charge) or a conviction.
Trials are normally divided into Warrants Trial & a Summons Trial. We have taken warrants trial to be the model here, as the same is employed in most offences (see Theft/Rape/Murder/Kidnapping/Cheating etc.). A Summons trial is an abridged form of warrants trial, where some proceedings are omitted to ensure swift process but at the same time basic postulates of fair trial are retained. Warrants trial is done for offences punishable with imprisonment exceeding 2 years, summons for other minor offences.
A Criminal Trial starts with framing of charges, if a person is not discharged - trial begins, by framing a charge (nothing but a specific accusation against the accused) and reading and explaining it to him (So that he knows what he is to face). After framing of charges the judge proceeds to take the 'plea of guilt' which is an opportunity to the accused to acknowledge that he pleads guilty and does not wish to contest the case. Here the judge's responsibility is onerous, he has to, first ensure - plea of guilt is free and voluntary (why is a man speaking against his interest?) secondly - he has also to ensure that if there had been no plea of guilt - was the prosecution version if unrebutted - would have led to conviction. If both the requirements are met - then judge can record and accept plea of guilt and convict the accused after listening to him on sentence.
After plea of guilt is taken, if accused pleads 'not guilty' or court does not accept his plea of guilt, trial moves on - prosecutor then explains to the court the basic outline of the case and what evidence he proposes to lead in order to prove the same. He asks the court to summon witnesses so that court can record their evidence. As the prosecution has to start leading evidence to bring home the offence to the accused - it is said 'The Burden of Proof lies on the prosecution'. The basic rule is whoever asserts the affirmative of an issue has the burden to prove facts on which the accused's liability depends, and this burden of proof - is not a light burden - the prosecution has to prove that the accused is guilty beyond reasonable doubts. This is primarily for two reasons:
i) A person's (accused's) life and liberty is involved.
ii) and the state with the investigative machinery at its disposal is sufficiently armed to get good evidence which a individual would not have.
So now since the BOP is on the prosecution it has to prove facts which incriminate the accused. When witnesses for the prosecution are called they are first examined by the prosecutor - then cross examined by the defence advocate, and with the leave of the court prosecutor can again examine to clarify the loopholes exposes during cross.
After the prosecution has led its evidence - court asks the accused to himself enter the witness box (not to give evidence) but in order to explain circumstances that appeared against him - he has given an opportunity to give personal explanations. This is a remarkable manifestation of Audi Alteram Partem where the court makes a direct dialogue with the accused to know what his take is. This is not a chance to the court to beguile or cross examine the accused. Any answer given by accused is not to be used as evidence against him but the court may take into consideration to adjudge overall trustworthiness of the case. This is done u/s 311 CrPC, after the examination. If the court feels that prosecution has not successfully brought home the guilt - it may acquit - else if it feels that they have sufficiently discharged their burden - then it asks defence if it seeks to lead evidence, and the same cycle again. Now after evidence from both sides is recorded. Parties then make arguments on the same, and in the end court pronounces the judgment.
In case of Acquittal - the accused is set at liberty (if in custody). In case of conviction - the punitive dilemma begins as Justice Krishna Iyer called it - the Court has to fix another hearing to decide on the quantum of sentence. Here the prosecution as well as the defence can lead evidences that would have been fatal earlier, in order to aggravate or mitigate the punishment. Previous criminal background/Bad Character/Reprehensible Motive/Cruel/Diabolical Conduct - may aggravate the sentence on the other hand - /First Time offender/No premeditation/Capable of Reform are some factors which move the court to give a lenient sentence.
Here the court gives equal leverage to the 'Crime' as well as the 'Criminal'. Earlier the gravity of crime used to be the sole criteria - however in recent times, there has been a definitive shift of focus from crime to criminal which manifests growing importance of reformation as the end of punishment. The Court at this stage would also consider whether the accused is entitled to the benefit of probation or admonition.
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