Sannyaasa - An Inner Attainment

Sannyaasa - An Inner Attainment  by   Swami Bhoomananda Tirtha

Sannyaasa is an inner attainment, consisting of enlightenment on the one hand and sublimation and enrichment on the other, both of which relate to the intelligence and the mind. Krishna explains beautifully what this inner attainment of enrichment and sublimation is.

`To be a sannyaasin is in reality to be free of desire and hatred', is the preface Krishna makes. The mind of anyone is normally given to love and hatred. You will find this trait even in the new born child. If you put a little sugar on his tongue, the child will start licking quite happily. On the other hand, if you give him something bitter, his reaction will be quite visibly different. He dislikes the taste outright. This `dual' note which finds expression in every sensory interaction, continues to grow and dominate the human, even when he grows up.

Unless a wholesome effort is made, this stranglehold on the mind cannot be removed. The mind given to love and hate is clearly under the spell of dvandvas (opposites). A nirdvandva is one who is not caught up by this dvandva-fostering- attitude. The nirdvandva orientation, Krishna points out, will enable the seeker to be freed of all inner bondages.

`Sukham bandhaat pramucyate' are the words he uses (Bhagavadgeeta 5.3). The word `sukham' (easily) is to be noted.

Sannyaasa may carry a measure of hard ascetic discipline and exclusiveness. But in yoga-pursuit this fate is avoided skillfully by taking to the pursuit of nirdvandvatva.

We should not fail to understand that the whole dialogue is between rulers. Kings are given to the comforts as well as the burdens of the throne. For them any spiritual discipline and austerity must be in keeping with their royal life and responsibilities. The usual ascetic renunciation naturally will not be harmonious with them. At the same time, they should not be denied the great benefits the ascetic life and sublimation bestow. How then to fill the gap, and club the two distinct ways? Krishna's whole effort has been to accomplish this great task of integration – integrating spiritual wisdom and karma-yoga.

Krishna defined sannyaasa and sannyaasin in his own novel and sovereign manner, rendering clarity and purpose to the subject matter. The dialogue, thus, lives as an immortal exposition and interpretation of the ageless Upanishads, which have but one theme and mission – imparting Brahmavidya, the knowledge and realization of the Soul!

To discuss spirituality is to deal with the eternal problems of human mind and intelligence. Analyzed closely, tormenting thoughts trouble the mind and various kinds of doubts eclipse the intelligence. Both subtly conspire to create all the troubles and travails for humans. The plight, in its full depth and intensity, is called bondage (bandhana). Arjuna's plight is, in fact, a bondage of this kind. Krishna is bent upon redressing it in all thoroughness!

PRAYER

PRAYER

The day is almost gone.

When night and morning meet

It will be only an unalterable memory

So let no unkind word

And Careless doubting thought

No guilty secret, no neglected duty

No wisp of jealous fog, Becloud its passing.

Now, in token of

Our deep and abiding love,

We would lay aside

All disturbing thoughts,

All misunderstandings, All unworthiness.

If things have gone wrong

Let none of us lift an accusing finger,

Who is to blame is not important

Only how shall we set the situation right.

And, so Serving and being served

Loving and being loved

We shall make this a Peaceful Heaven

Where we the children of God

Shall live harmoniously

Joyfully singing His Name and Glories

Till we merge our little Selves

In HIS Eternal Being and Existence !!!

Swami Chidananda

Yoga-saadhana by Swami Bhoomananda Tirtha

Yoga-saadhana  by  Swami Bhoomananda Tirtha

Krishna emphasized how all beings in the world remain constantly active,being firmly under the grip of Nature. Thus, to pursue saankhya vidyaand to be a Knower does not mean to be idle or to shun activity on thatscore. On the other hand, the Knower pursues his activity, likeeverybody else, often to a greater degree, but with enlightenment,dis-identification and the additional benevolent note of loka-sangraha.

***

Karma, instead of posing any contradiction or hindrance, verily becomesa harmonious complement to spiritual wisdom, and vice versa. Therefinements and sublimation that Knowledge brings about are so closelylinked to efficient action that the entire active life can be used as ajnaana-based pursuit for the purification of the personality.

***

Krishna describes the true effect of yoga as renunciation. The wholeobject of yoga-sadhana is to take away all results in the way of goodand bad, virtue and vice, heaven and hell. In fact, all dvandvas standabandoned or transcended by dint of yoga outlook.

***

Yoga-attitude or spiritual wisdom will completely eliminate all the`dual' consequences of whatever one does. Abandonment is not ofthe actions themselves, but only of the dual effects they produce on ourmind.

***

Saadhana means consistent effort, practice and pursuit. Consistencymeans being given to the task assiduously again and again. Thusrepetition cannot be avoided.

Silence - Bhagawan Sri Ramana Maharshi

Silence - Bhagawan Sri Ramana Maharshi

One of the most influential and treasured of all was a man named Ramana Maharshi, from India. It is my humble opinion that he presents the most clear, gentle and loving approach to human freedom in history. At the core of his teachings are profound references to silence. Ramana speaks about pure silence this way:

"What exists in truth is the Self alone. The self is that where there is absolutely no "I" thought. That is called Silence. The Self itself is the world; the Self itself is "I"; the Self itself is God."

"The inner silence is self-surrender. And that is living without the sense of ego. Solitude is in the mind of humanity. Silence is ever speaking; it is the perennial flow of "language." It is interrupted by speaking; for words obstruct this mute language. Silence is permanent and benefits the whole of humanity. . . . By silence, eloquence is meant. It is the best language. There is a state when words cease and silence prevails."

"There is Consciousness along with quietness in the mind; this is exactly the state to be aimed at."

"In samadhi* there is only the feeling " I am" and no thoughts. The experience "I am" is being still." The Self is God. "I am" is God. All that is required to realize the Self is to be still."

*samadhi is a state of silent absorption in the Self, in God, in Nothingness of Mind itself, in Pure Silence

From the work called The Spiritual Teaching of Ramana Maharshi, Shambala Dragon Books 1988.

Be Still!

(Contributed by Mr. Amit Agarwal - Thanks)

Guidance from the Mother to Sadhakas

Guidance from the Mother to Sadhakas

The most important surrender is the surrender of your character, your way of being, so that it may change. If you do not surrender your very own nature, never will this nature change. It is this that is most important. You have certain ways of understanding, certain ways of reacting, certain ways of feeling, almost certain ways of progressing, and above all, a special way of looking at life and expecting from it certain things – well, it is this you must surrender. That is, if you truly want to receive the divine Light and transform yourself, it is your whole way of being you must offer – offer by opening it, making it as receptive as possible so that the divine Consciousness which sees how you ought to be, may act directly and change all these movements into movements more true, more in keeping with your own truth. This is infinitely more important than surrendering what one does. It is not what one does (what one does is very important, that’s evident) that is the most important thing but what one IS. Whatever the activity, it is not quite the way of doing it but the state of consciousness in which it is done that is important.

The true lasting quietness in the vital and the physical as well as in the mind comes from a complete consecration to the Divine; for when you can no more call anything, not even yourself, yours, when everything, including your body, sensations, feelings and thoughts, belongs to the Divine, the Divine takes the entire responsibility of all and you have nothing more to worry about.

There is no joy more perfect than to give oneself totally to that which is greater than oneself. God, Supreme Origin, Divine Presence, Absolute Truth – it does not matter what name we give HIM or what aspect we most easily approach HIM through – to forget oneself totally in an integral consecration is the surest path towards Realisation.

To achieve that, one must have an obstinate will and a great patience. But once one has taken the resolution to do it, the divine help will be there to support and to help. This help is felt inwardly in the heart.

Every day, every moment should be an occasion for a new and completer consecration, and not one of those enthusiastic and flurried consecrations, over-active, full of illusions about the work, but a deep and silent consecration which is not necessarily visible but penetrates and transfigures all action. Our mind, solitary and peaceful, should always repose in Thee and from that pure summit have the exact perception of realities, of the sole and eternal Reality behind all unstable and fleeting appearances.

It is always good to look within oneself from time to time and see that one is nothing and can do nothing, but afterwards one must turn one’s eyes to Thee, knowing that Thou art all and Thou canst do all.

... I know only one way out of all troubles and difficulties; it is entire self-giving and consecration to the Divine.

... the least details of life and action, each movement of thought, even of sensation, of feeling, which is normally of little importance, becomes different the moment you look at it asking yourself, “Did I think this as an offering to the Divine, did I feel this as an offering to the Divine?...” If you recall this every moment of your life, the attitude becomes quite different from what it was before. It becomes very wide; it is a chain of innumerable little things each having its own place, whilst formerly you used to let them go by without being aware of them. That widens the field of consciousness. If you take a half-hour of your life and think of it, putting to yourself this question: “Is it a consecration to the Divine?” you will see that the small things become a big thing and you will have the impression that life becomes rich and luminous.

(The Mother, Pondicherry  --  Importance of Self-consecration in Sadhanka – “Taken from All India Magazine”, November  2010)

Paradox of Liberation

Liberation is believed to be the epitome of achievement of the human form. ‘Desire’ for liberation is contradictory in itself, because liberation is absence of all desires. Sage Ashtavakra said that liberation is merely a blink away. It need not involve any form of penance, effort or endeavour. The identity of self is totally a creation of the self and a figment of imagination. The name and the form, are merely projections of the mind. Liberation is instantaneously becoming aware of the absence of the subject-object dichotomy. Ashtavakra was a realised soul and his discourse to King Janaka forms the contents of AshavakraGita predates the Bhagavat Gita. The philosophy as enunciated by Ashtavakra and restated by Sri Ramana Maharshi challenges the basic premise that one has to make any effort to seek liberation – even ashtanga yoga as propounded by Patanjali. The true nature of the Self is beyond all identity and ego. It is plain consciousness. The ego is adulteration of this consciousness by total conviction in this fleeting illusory identity. And then the game of seeking begins, like the dog chasing its own tail. Holding on to the illusion of identity, one goes about seeking. The form can never ever seeking the formless consciousness of which it is a manifestation. It can only merge and this merger can happen only when the form realises the futility of all efforts to be become formless.

(Deepak M. Ranade – Taken from Sri Ramana Jyothi, November 2010)

For Happy, Peace and Luminous and Immutable Serenity

For Happy, Peace and Luminous and Immutable Serenity

O Lord, I sense the infinite happiness which is the portion of those whose life is entirely consecrated to Thee. And this does not depend upon outer circumstances but on one’s own state of being and its greater or lesser degree of illumination. A perfect consecration to Thy law cannot but bring about modifications in the totality of circumstances, yet it is not these which make possible and express this perfect consecration. I mean that it is not under certain circumstances, always the same for all, that Thy law is manifested; for everyone this manifestation is different according to his temperament, that is, according to the mission which for the moment is assigned to him in physical life.

But what is unchangeable and universal is the happy peace, the luminous and immutable serenity of all those who are closely consecrated to Thee, who no longer have any darkness, ignorance, egoistic attachment or bad will in them.

Oh, may all awake to this divine peace.

(The Mother, Pondicherry -- Taken from The India Magazine, November 2010)

God’s Ways God Alone Knows

God’s Ways God Alone Knows

By

Satish K Kapoor

Death is not just a physical fact and the human body, a part of the Universal body, is not the complete man. The Invisible Bing operates through the physical vestment in an eternal process of cosmic evolution.

The Rishis prayed for a full life-span (purnayu) of hundred years. ‘May we see a hundred autumns. May we live a hundred autumns (Rigveda, VII.66.16). ‘Living on are ye; may I live, may I live my whole life –time’ (Atharvanaveda, XIX.69.1); the purpose being ‘multi-benevolent activities’ (Yajurveda XXXV.15).

They why do some leave physical frame early and why some live long? Are they governed by the inexorable laws of nature, having little control?

The questions are baffling and may never be solved to the satisfaction of all. The individual mind can never fully grasp the working of the Universal Mind without merging into it. But after merging, there may be no coming back to narrate the experience. Human souls are like waves on the ocean of cosmic consciousness. Just as solid becomes liquid and liquid turns gaseous under certain conditions, the Supreme Spirit becomes embodied in gross matter and then reverts to its original state, in a process of creative motion. Different types of souls come with different assignments.

There are three types of souls – the evolved, the evolving and those in between. The evolved souls come as incarnations to help, support or guide humankind, kindle he light of love and knowledge, and to dilute negative forces. The evolving souls struggle to attain divinity through ethical means and spiritual activities. The middling category fluctuates between the pure and the impure spheres of consciousness.

Death is not the end of journey of life but the beginning of it as there are lives after lives in the cosmic process of evolution till one attains perfection. The cosmic force working through humans stays in the world till its mission is complete. All human activities are made manifest through the working of natural laws.

The impulse of consciousness is lesser in stone than in plants, lesser in plants than in animals. But it is at optimum level i in humans who can move from self consciousness to universal consciousness. Despite man’s will and his freedom to act, he seems to be no more than a puppet governed by the Universal Mind, which decides his role and duration, before providing him suitable vehicle of matter, and infusing in him the spark of life. Vital breaths allotted to a person are determined by his prarabdha karma or past actions of successive lives which shape the events of his present life.

The question, why do some die young, is the same as asking, why do some die old? Death is inevitability in human time. In cosmic time, there is no death. As the Bhagavad Gita says:

 Worn-out garments, Are shed by the body;

Worn-out bodies, Are shed by the dweller

Within the body,  New bodies are donned

By the dweller, like garments.

(Part of the article from The Vedanta Kesari of Sri Ramakrishna Mission, November 2010)

Conscious and Unconscious Mind

Conscious and Unconscious Mind

The human mind is divided in two parts; conscious and unconscious. Numerous functions take place in the body like seeing, hearing, digestion and respiration which are governed by the unconscious mind, without any effort by the conscious mind. The conscious mind has unlimited capacity for thinking and analysing facts. The Creator has made the conscious mind free to involve itself in great quest for truth. What is truth? It is up to us to discover it... Everyone is a seeker by birth, but everyone lives his/her life without knowing what the real purpose of life is. We want to enjoy life, but we do not know what real enjoyment is. It is a paradoxical situation and everyone is living in this state of self-contradiction. When the Creator has given you a mind and made you free to use it, you should make use of this opportunity. You have to discover the reality. If you want to save yourself from going astray, activate your thinking faculty. Think who you are and what your true nature is, and you will surely reach the gates of truth.

(www.cpsglobal.org – Taken from Sri Ramana Jyoti, October 2010)

Consecration in One Block Is Not Enough

Consecration in One Block Is Not Enough

Although my whole being is in theory consecrated to Thee, O Sublime Master, who art the life, the light and the love in all things, I still find it hard to carry out this consecration in detail.....

How many times a day, still, I act without my action being consecrated to Thee: I at once become aware of it by an indefinable uneasiness which is translated in the sensibility of my body by a pang in my heart. I then make my action objective to myself and it seems to me ridiculous, childish or blameworthy; I deplore it, for a moment I am sad, until I dive into Thee and, there losing myself with a child’s confidence, await from Thee the inspiration and strength needed to set right the error in me and around me, -- two things that are one; for I have now a constant and precise perception of the universal unity determining an absolute interdependence of all actions.

(The Mother, Pondicherry  -- Taken from The India Magazine, November 2010)

Seeing Truly ... The Bhagavad Gita

Seeing Truly   ...   The Bhagavad Gita

If you see the soul in every living being, you see truly. If you see immortality in the heart of every mortal being, you see truly. If you see God within every man and woman, then you can never do harm to any man or woman. If you see God in yourself, then you attain perfection.

When you see the soul in every living being, you see that all actions are performed by the soul’s energy – though the soul itself does not act. You see that the soul inspires every movement – though the soul itself does not move. When you see that amidst the variety of living beings the soul is the unity, then you attain fulfilment.

The soul has no birth; it cannot be divided into parts; and it has no death; it dwells in the body, but it is not touched by the body. It pervades the universe, but is not affected by anything in the universe. The soul can never be corrupted or stained.

As the sun lights up the world, the soul lights up the body. Those who possess the eye of wisdom, can distinguish the soul from the body – and therefore they can break free from the body.

(Taken from the monthly magazine “Splendour”, November 2010) 

Rigours of Advaita Approach

Rigours of Advaita Approach

The advaita tradition maintains that only certain people are qualified to take up the study of Advaita Vedanta. This is because the path of advaita is like walking a tightrope across a ravine. One who is not competent to do so would most certainly get injured. It is out of compassion and regard for such souls that some conditions exist. Adi Sankara presented four basic qualifications:

1. Those who have cleansed their minds by spiritual practices.
2. Those who have achieved a degree of mental calmness.
3. Those who have realised that the cravings of body are ephemeral.
4. Those who sincerely desire liberation or moksha.

(www.nonduality.com – Taken from Sri Ramana Jyoti, October 2010)

The Direct Experience

The Direct Experience

The Buddha held that Reality is beyond sense experience. Like colour, say red, it can only be experienced, not described. Likewise you know the nature of Reality by venturing into your inner self. Those who are anxious to learn must experiment and accept their own findings. They should not be guided by dogmas or creeds, or by doctrines and theories, no matter how profound they may be. They do not have to believe the experiences of others. To the Buddha, self-verification through self-experience is the way to peace of mind, to higher wisdom, to nirvana – which is not an after-life experience. It is here and now.

(Ashoka Vohra – Taken from Sri Ramana Jyoti, October 2010)

Self-Awareness

Self-Awareness

Progressing on the spiritual path is no easy task – a seeker faces unique challenges that only he can try to overcome. How you connect to the spiritual realm is something you as an individual seeker need to work out for yourself, through trial and error and with some guidance and soul-searching ... The best way for awareness of Self to happen is slowly from within, like day break, when the brightness of the sun is experienced very gently, until it shines forth steadily ... While we cannot come to grips with the core of spirituality through our mind and brain, we can subliminally sense it from the core of our being if our restless mind doesn’t continue its incessant chatter ... The soul already has a subliminal sensing of an abiding awareness. So, once it picks up the spiritual cue again, there will be an intense and soulful reconnect. When such a spiritual moment happens, you feel intensely alive and aware.... If we consciously try to enhance our awareness of the Self here and now, and become as sensitive as a wearthervane (a revolving pointer to show the direction of the wind) to the totality of existence at the present moment, the subconscious dependence of the soul on material objects would disappear.

(S.H. Venkatramani   --   Taken from Sri Ramana Jyoti, October 2010)

The World - A Deception

The World - A Deception

Sri Ramana tells us that the entire world of experience is a mere shadowy illusion like a film projected on a white screen. Where are the characters of the movie before or after or even during the projection? On the screen? They simple are not. We know full well that the entire moving picture is a mere illusion. Sure, we are happily engaged with it and its characters and scenes. We cry with them and laugh with them. But most of us are content to leave them behind in the theatre and get back to our ‘real’ lives. Only few of us get so carried away by these fictional characters that we dream of them at night and, may even long to meet them and interact with them again and again in ‘real’ life as well.

(Dr. Sarada – Taken from Sri Ramana Jyoti, October 2010)

Three Modes of Total Self-giving

Three Modes of Total Self-giving

Three typical modes of total self-giving to the Divine:

1. To transport oneself at His feet, giving up all pride in perfect humility.
2. To unfold one’s being before Him, open one’s whole body from head to foot, as one opens a book, exposing one’s centres so as to make all their movements visible in a complete sincerity that allows nothing to remain hidden.
To nestle in His arms, to mere in Him in a loving and absolute trust.

These movements may be accompanied by three formulas or any one of them according to the case:

1. Let Thy Will be done and not mine.
2. As Thou willest, as Thou willest.
3. I am Thine for eternity.

Generally, with these movements are done in the true way, they are followed by a perfect identification, a dissolution of the ego, giving rise to a sublime felicity.

(The Mother, Pondicherry  ...  Taken from All India Magazine, November 2010)

Subdue Ego Through Ichcha Sakti

Subdue Ego Through Ichcha Sakti

We cannot be successful in either the external world or in the internal world while we are tossed about by a powerful ego. What is required is a strong will or ichcha sakti which can take care of the ego. The power of will is like spring whose source is the Pure Being. It infuses mind and body with enthusiasm, courage and energy to act ... Ego is characterised by stubbornness, selfishness, and unwillingness to compromise. The ego is like a little pool in which an egoistic person is crouching like a frog. From his perspective, only his own feelings and his own voice are meaningful. When we are egoistical we lose our composure the moment our feelings are slightly bruised. All problems are caused by colliding egos. A strong ego is as much of an obstacle in spiritual practice as it is in worldly maters. The solution is not to kill the ego but to do our best to purify, transform and guide it properly. This can be done by applying both our intelligence and power of discrimination. When we meditate, practice contemplation, pray, study the scriptures, serve others, and seek the company of the wise, we make our ego pure and less confined. The purified ego, accompanied by a sharpened intellect, gets a glimpse of the next level of awareness. As the ego of a dedicated seeker merges with teh Infinite, the veil of duality lifts, and the purified ego sees the whole universe in itself and itself in the whole universe.

(www.Himalayaninstitute.in – Taken from Sri Ramana Jyothi, November 2010)

Udar -- The Mother (Pondicherry)

Udar -- The Mother (Pondicherry)

(An inmate of the Ashram) narrates his conversation with the Mother:

One day I asked the Mother, “I have been doing the yoga for many years but I am not absolutely certain how to do the yoga of Sri Aurobindo. I read all the books and try to do the yoga but I am not certain how far I have progressed.” I asked the Mother to help me.

“You are doing it all wrong,” She said. I became utterly nonplussed.

“But what shall I do?” I asked.

She replied, “I will do the yoga for you.” I was thrilled!

“What do I have to do?” I then asked.

“Give yourself over to me and I will do it for you,” She said.

I asked, “How do I surrender?” She asked me, “Do you sincerely want to?” I answered, “yes, certainly Mother.”

Then the Mother asked, “When you get up in the morning what is the first thing you do?”

I said, “I brush my teeth.” She asked, “How do you brush your teeth?”

I wondered, “How?! Like everybody else does.”

She said, “Then you are doing it unconsciously. Instead, think of me while you are doing it. Think that  I am doing it.

“Or when you are wishing your face, think that I am doing it with you, or when you are eating that I am eating with you, that I am enjoying your food with you.”

She added, “When you go to sleep that is the time when you should be very conscious of me. Let me put you to sleep and then the whole night you will have a conscious sleep. When you awake and begin your day you will then begin it in a more conscious way.”

(Source: Udar, One of Mother’s Children, p.141 – Taken from The India Magazine, November 2010)

Art of Forgiving

Art of Forgiving   By   Ragini Gulati

All of us have been wronged by someone or the other. As we carry on with those grudges, we not only allow the other person to hurt us, but also let him control our life each moment. Revenge and turmoil eat our soul and engulf our life.

The most creative power given to human beings is the power to heal the wounds of the past, the power to forgive.

Forgiveness is a gift that God has given us for healing ourselves. It aligns us with the cosmic scheme through which we learn to accept the occurrence of events in our lives. Forgiving is the essence of spirituality because it liberates us from our suffering.

Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of Sikhism, is full of verses that emphasise the need to forgive. “Bure da bhala mana gussa man na vasa” (Be grateful to the one who is bad to you since he is only an instrument. Don’t allow anger to fester in your mind), goes one verse.

We think that forgiveness is an excuse for escapism, inaction or cowardice and only those who cannot fight forgive. But there is a difference between fearing and forgiving. It is incorrect to believe that our decision to forgive will turn us into a coward. The Bible says forgiving is a sign of power.

Forgiving does not require us to reunite with the person who broke our rust, nor does it mean we accept the person’s behaviour. It merely means that we erase the “hate” within ourselves and stop living a life of torment and pain. Forgiveness heals the past releasing ill-will against the person while not forgetting the pain that guides our future actions.

The first step to forgiveness is recognising that by holding on to our grudges to make the other person unhappy we are actually making ourselves unhappy.

The truth is that attachment to the hurtful past does not harm the other person, but negatively impacts our emotional well-being . Martin Luthar had said “forgiveness is pure happiness”.

(Hindustan Times – Ideas Exchange)

Be in the Present and Realise the Self

Be in the Present and Realise the Self   By   Michael James

Past and future are both only thoughts that occur in the present. So any thought about any moment or period of time other than the precise present moment will distract our attention away from our own ever-present self-conscious being. ‘I am’. Therefore, ignoring all thoughts of the past or future, we should contrite only on being – uninterruptedly and unforgettingly – self-attentive now, at this present moment.

The experience of absolutely clear self-knowledge will dawn in just a single moment – that is, a single moment of completely uninterrupted self-attentiveness – and that single moment is available to us at each and every moment. Therefore, our aim at any moment should not be to be uninterruptedly self-attentive for a certain period of time, or even for all time to come, but should only to be uninterruptedly self-attentive – wholly and exclusively self-conscious – now, at this very moment.

This present moment is the only moment that is now available to us to experience ourself as we really are. Therefore, forgetting every other moment, let us just be wholly and uninterruptedly self-attnetive now. Just be vigilant at this very moment to concentrate our entire attention on our present self-consciousness, thereby preventing it from being interrupted now by even the least momentary pramada or self-negligence.

(Taken from the monthly magazine “Splendour”, November 2010)

Love

Love

(Some important quotes from the book “Discovering Love” by Swami Dayananda Saraswati)

Love is not an ordinary topic that we understand. Love is something that is hard to find.

Love is not a calculated emotion; it does not measure, demand or set agenda.

Love is reckless, it gives all the way helplessly because it is the nature of live.

Lack of self-love and acceptance makes me turn away from myself and others. Otherwise, I cannot absorb love even if it is lavished on me.

Love is that fundamental emotion that accommodates another person and provides you the space to understand them.

Love is not something to be swallowed, love has to be discovered.

Diverse manifestations of one single emotion which we call love.

It is the love for the self that drives all human beings to do actions.

Emotions and their nuances are many, but all of them have their basis in one emotion, which is love.

Kama does not mean lust or passion as is commonly understood. It is love for the desired object.

Heading the list of desires, interestingly, are the husband and wife.

We love others not for the sake of the other but for our own sake, we love that which is connected to us and brings us pleasure and joy.

In marriage, moksha is the goal, with two pilgrims meaningfully coming together. This is symbolised by the seven steps, saptapadi: the first step for prosperity, second step for progeny, the third for health, fourth and fifth for the health of both their parents, six for friendship and finally the seventh step for Dharma.

Marriage is amongst equals. Marriage becomes a pilgrimage only when two equals join together because the sacrament of marriage is a means for an end; marriage is not an end in itself. With trust, when two persons with two different interests understand each other, and start doing something together, this is what we call love.

In understanding, there is love. That is why marriage becomes an important institution for human emotional well-being.

‘I love you’, implies a complete acceptance of the other, inclusive of the person’s limitations and weaknesses.

If you want to be happy at all times and at all places, happiness must be your true nature.

When desires and emotions become wants and demand fulfilment, the inability to do so makes your life replete with unfulfilled desires.

The word, ‘happiness’ is better defined as freedom from the sense of limitation, freedom from the sense of want, freedom from the attempt to become, and it is this freedom, moksha, which is your rue nature. It is this wholeness, fullness, or purnatva that you seek and it is your true nature.

Love can have many facets such as compassion, empathy, service and so many others. It creates a condition to help you understand yourself. There can be love only when there is understanding, otherwise love cannot sustain. Love is only when you free yourself from your agenda for the other. Love and understanding are not possible if they are pre-existing conditions.

In absolute terms love is Ananda. It is a manifest form of Atman, the wholeness of Atmanwhich is why love accommodates, because it is whole. Since it is whole (purna) in itself, any omission or commission on the part of the other does not cause concern.

Lack of understanding turns love into obsession and causes the need for control. When you cannot control the object of your love, dislike can even turn into hatred and cause you to destroy that which you love. Hatred is only unfulfilled love. Jealousy is also love. When someone else gets the thing you love and want, you become jealous. Jealousy is another ramification of love and is the most illegitimate of emotions.

Anger is also love. When your love for something is thwarted or denied, you are in pain, which manifests itself as anger. You need to be aware of yourself; you need an insight into your inner world.

There is only one emotion which is real, which is your nature, and that is love—love as compassion, sympathy, understanding, giving, yielding, and as friendliness also. It is not a question of should or should not; it is what you are. It is a question of understanding; it is not to be commanded or demanded. When you see any suffering, you pick up the pain. This is empathy, this is natural. The world u through empathy and invokes compassion. Compassion, in turn, moves you to act, to reach out and help.

It is the loving person who is truly eligible for discovering that he or she is the content of love, which is fullness. It is this fullness that manifests in the form of love. The dynamic form of Ananda is love.

Only if you can discover love for yourself as a person, and the individual, you have an infrastructure to absorb and receive love. Then, you can give love without loss, without reservation. The self is love, the self is everything. It is the content of love itself.

If you look at yourself as an individual, you find that it is difficult, if not impossible, to have self-love. Whatever be the reason, the fact is, you have been placed in a particular situation over which you have no choice. Your parentage, physical body, mind, fences, emotions, intellect, memory, all these are given to you, and so is the world around you. Everything has in order a scheme of things with laws. There is a physiological order, psychological order, social order, etc. Besides these orders, you have the cognitive order which deals with how you gather knowledge and whether the knowledge is right or wrong.  You have to use your cognition to manage your life.

The only way you can understand Iswara is by knowing he is in the form of this intelligent order, this complete and all-encompassing order. The entire order is Iswara, Sat-Chit-Anandawith the power of Maya, the Sakthi.

The moment you accept yourself as being in order, as being a part of the vast order that is Isvara, your life becomes successful. By following Dharma you will be in harmony with Isvara.

It is your own anxieties, fears, and your agenda for others that separates you from the world, from understanding.

The more loving you are, the easier it is for you to understand what the Sastra says. The wholeness naturally comes to manifest; it does not remain as an ideal. It is this wholeness that you love. When all that is here is one whole, where is the question of your not loving? When you understand this, you have discovered love. 

Essence of Advaita Vedanta

Essence of Advaita Vedanta

By

Sri Sankara Bhagavadpada

I remember in the morning the Self which shines in the heart, which is existence-consciousness-bliss, which is the goal to be attained by Paramahamsa sanyasins, which is called the ‘fourth’ because it is beyond he three  states of waking, dream and deep sleep, and which always witnesses the states of waking, dream and deep sleep. I am that Brahman which is indivisible and not the aggregate of the five elements, ether, air, fire, water and earth.

I worship in the morning that supreme effulgent Being Who is spoken of (in the Vedas) as unborn, changeless, and the highest, Who is inaccessible to the mind and whom words cannot directly describe, but by whose blessing the faculty of speech functions, and who is described in the Upanishads by the words ‘not this, not this’.

I bow down in the morning to the infinite, eternal Being Who is known as the supreme Purusha, Who is beyond the darkness of ignorance, Who is resplendent like the sun, Who is everything and on Whom this entire universe appears, just as rope appears as a snake.

Consciousness as Guide

Consciousness as Guide

Life is a journey to the infinite. You can never say that this is the end. It is always a beginning....  If we want to get free from time, we must get free from past and future. We hold on and then we say we are not free. Learn to leave fast, never possess, and get free from past and future: time will be with you and you will be fully free.... We are always absent from life. We are in the past or future, with memories of the past or fears and hopes of the future.... Why do you invoke memories? Because you miss something and when you miss something you open the album. The power of now, of the present, is so great and full you won’t miss anything... Spirituality means to live with that consciousness. Bring your Self to the front seat so that you direct your own movements. Life is movement and the movement needs a guide. Consciousness is the guide.

(Swami Brahmadev – Taken from Sri Ramana Jyothi, November 2010)

Five Kinds of Disturbance ... Patanjali

1. Information from the senses has three aspects: direct perception of objects through the senses; thinking about those objects; and drawing conclusions about them; and learning about objects from other people.

2. Curiosity arises from the false belief that knowledge of external objects is true knowledge.

3. Concepts, theories and ideals engender goals which are false – which do not lead to freedom from disturbance.

4. Depression arises from the acceptance of evil as genuine and permanent, and hence the conviction that freedom from evil is impossible.

5. Memory turns perceptions of transient events and objects into permanent figments of the imagination. In this way, it causes people to confuse transience with permanence.

(Taken from the monthly magazine “Splendour”, November 2010)

THE GOAL OF LIFE

THE GOAL OF LIFE

O man! The Goal of life is God-realisation. God-realisation grants Supreme Joy. Peace and Fearlessness. Most precious is human birth utilise this birth to attain God. Life is short. Time is fleeting. Waste not time. Engage in noble deeds. Be up and doing upon the path of Divine Life.

Serve, Love, Give, Purify, Meditate, Realise. Be good; do good. Be kind; be compassionate. Practise non-injury, truth and purity. This is the foundation of Yoga and Vedanta. Adapt, adjust, accommodate. Bear insult; bear injury. Serve all. Love all. Embrace all in the Oneness of the Spirit. This is Divine Life.

Enquire ‘Who am I?’ Know thy Self and be free. Thou art no this body, not this mind. Thou art Immortal Self. Thou art unborn, eternal, changeless, indestructible, ever-pure, all-perfect Spirit or Atman. Realise this and be free. This is your foremost duty. Do this through selflessness and service, devotion and worship, purification, concentration and meditation. Attain God-realisation. Do it now. Abide in Bliss, Pease and Perfection for ever.

... Swami Sivananda

DIVINE LIFE

 DIVINE LIFE

The practise non-violence, truth and purity is DIVINE LIFE.

To be kind, generous, humble, tolerant is DIVINE LIFE.

To practise virtues and be righteous is DIVINE LIFE.

To serve the poor in selfless, dedicated ways is DIVINE LIFE.

To serve the sick with all-is-God attitude is DIVINE LIFE.

To be merciful, courageous and devotional is DIVINE LIFE.

To sing the Name of God and pray is DIVINE LIFE.

To do Japa and mediation is DIVINE LIFE.

To be an instrument in the hands of God is DIVINE LIFE.

To act rightly and live in God is DIVINE LIFE.

To do unconditional self-surrender to God is DIVINE LIFE.

To restrain the senses and to have God-communion is DIVINE LIFE.

To be one with the Divine Will is DIVINE LIFE.

To be a silent witness of the three states (waking, dreaming and deep sleep) is DIVINE LIFE.

... Swami Vivekananda.

Karma Yoga – the Path of Blissful Action

 Karma Yoga – the Path of Blissful Action      by      Hasmukh Adha

What does Karma Yoga mean?

Is Karma Yoga only the abandonment of desire for fruits?

Is it possible to do Karma Yoga by a normal person to fulfil his desire?

What is the Karma Yogi’s attitude to work?

Why should we do work with attitude?

Careful examination of Srimad Bhagavad Gita reveals that Karma Yoga has six components:

The first aspect is that whatever activity we do should not be against the normally accepted socio-ethical code of conduct of a society. Not deceiving people, not appropriating anyone else’s rights, not harming others and so on are all part of this. Even if such a code is not spelt out anywhere, it means ‘not doing that to others what you do not want others to do unto you’. The basic and bare minimum step towards Karma Yoga is to exhibit good citizenship behaviour which includes a civilised socio-ethical code.

The second facet of Karma Yoga is that whatever role we have chosen to play in life, or which God has given to us to do, should be performed most diligently and carefully, without any laxity and negligence. Karma Yoga is not about ‘what you do’ but about ‘how you do’. Every human being has a psychological requirement of keeping oneself busy always. It is, therefore, better to choose a role which is appropriate to one’s mental make-up and which is satisfying to him or her. Each of these roles has to be played with perfection if one has to qualify to be a Karma Yogi. Playing our roles with sincerity and perfection brings true happiness and peace of mind.

The third facet of Karma Yoga is that our focus should be mainly on the present activity at hand and not on the fruit which that action is likely to bring for us. We should rather focus on our work than on the results. The anxiety for results spoils the quality of work and such a work does not qualify to be Karma Yoga. Results are likely to be proportionate to the quality of work and dedication with which an activity is done.

The fourth facet of karma Yoga is acceptance of whatever results come as God’s Prasad (blessings). Having put in one’s best efforts, a Karma Yogi must learn to accept all the results which come in his work life or personal life. While we have better control on quality of work inputs, we have little control on results which depends on past Karmas as well as cooperation of many people. The result may not always be agreeable but it is always appropriate. The best attitude for a Karma Yogi is to accept any result as something in which God has larger design or a better future for us.

The fifth facet of Karma Yoga is the absence of a sense of doer-ship or ego. Many have played a role in making us perform so well in life.

The sixth facet of Karma Yoga is to learn to share whatever fruits one gets in life with all others – whether it is money, knowledge ore credit. Appropriating selfishly all that God has given to us is against the concept of Karma Yoga.

In short, any activity, done without ‘selfishness’, without ‘carelessness’ and without ‘ego’, can become Karma Yoga – a state of blissful action. Karma Yoga makes our life happy and contended. It bestows on us purity of kind which paves way for True Knowledge and Ultimate Liberation.

(Abridged version -- Taken from The Vendanta Kesari (The Lion of Vedanta), November, 2010)

Sri Ramakrishna Tells Stories

Sri Ramakrishna Tells Stories

1. 'Not I But Thou'

All our sufferings is due to this 'I'. The cow cries, 'Hamba', which means 'I'. That is why it suffers so much. It is yoked to the plough and made to work in rain and sun. Then it may be killed by the butcher. From its hide shoes are made, and also drums, which are mercilessly, beaten. Still it does not escape suffering. At last strings are made out of its entrails for the bows used in carding cotton. Then it no longer says, 'Hamba! Hamba!', 'I! I!' but 'Tuhu! Tuhu!', 'Thou! Thou!'. Only then are its troubles over.

2. All is Possible for God.

Nothing is imossible for God. Nobody can describe His nature in words. Everything is possible for Him. There lived at certain place two yogis who were practising spiritual discipline. The sage Narada was passing that way one day. Realising who he was, one of the yogis said: 'You hae just come from God HImself. What is He doing now?' Narada replied, 'Why, I saw Him making camles and elephants pass and repass through the eye of a needle.' At this the yogi said: 'Is that anything to wonder at? Everything is possible for God.' But the other yogi said: 'What? Mking elephants pass through the eye of a needle -- is that ever possible? You have never been to the Lord's dwelling-place.'

3. Setting up the Inner Shrine

There lived in a village a young man named Padmalochan. People used to call him 'Podo', for short. In this village there was a temple in a very dilapidated condition. It contained no image of God. Aswattha and other plants sprang up on the ruins of its walls. Bats lived inside, and the floor was covered with dust and the droppings of the bats. The people of the village had stopped visiting the temple. One day after dusk the villagers head the sound of a conch-shell from the direction of the temple. They thought perhaps someone had installed an image in the shrine and was performing the evening worship. One of them softly opened the door and saw Padmalochan standing in a corner, blowing the conch. No image had been set up. The temple had not been swept or washed. And filth and dirt lay everywhere. Then he shouted to Podo:

You have set up no image here,

Within the shrine, O fool!

Blowing the conch, you simply make

Confusion worse confounded.

Day and night elevel bats

Scream there incessantly.   ....

(Taken from the monthly magazine or Sri Ramakrishna Mission, The Vedanta Kesari, March 2011)

Ramana Maharshi on Sattvic Diet, Vegetarianism and Alcohol

Ramana Maharshi on Sattvic Diet, Vegetarianism and Alcohol

Question : What about diet?

Ramana Maharshi : Food affects the mind. For the practice of any kind of yoga, vegetarianism is absolutely necessary since it makes the mind more sattvic [pure and harmonious].

Question : Could one receive spiritual illumination while eating flesh foods?

Ramana Maharshi : Yes, but abandon them gradually and accustom yourself to sattvic foods. However, once you have attained illumination it will make less difference what you eat, as, on a great fire, it is immaterial what fuel is added.

Question : We Europeans are accustomed to a particular diet and a change of diet affects the health and weakens the mind. Is it not necessary to keep up one's physical health?

Ramana Maharshi : Quite necessary. The weaker the body the stronger the mind grows.

Question : In the absence of our usual diet our health suffers and the mind loses strength.

Ramana Maharshi : What do you mean by strength of mind?

Question : The power to eliminate worldly attachment.

Ramana Maharshi : The quality of food influences the mind. The mind feeds on the food consumed.

Question : Really! Then how can Europeans adjust themselves to sattvic food only?

Ramana Maharshi : Habit is only adjustment to the environment. It is the mind that matters. The fact is that the mind has been trained to think certain foods tasty and good. The food material is to be had both in vegetarian and non-vegetarian diet equally well. But the mind desires such food as it is accustomed to and considers tasty.

Question : Are there restrictions for the realized man with regard to food?

Ramana Maharshi : No. He is steady and not influenced by the food he takes.

Question: Is it not killing life to prepare meat diet?

Ramana Maharshi : Ahimsa [non-violence] stands foremost in the code of discipline for the yogis.

Question : Even plants have life.

Ramana Maharshi : So too the slabs you sit on!

Question : May we gradually get ourselves accustomed to vegetarian food?

Ramana Maharshi : Yes. That is the way.

Question : Is it harmless to continue smoking?

Ramana Maharshi : No, for tobacco is a poison. It is better to do without it. It is good that you have given up smoking. Men are enslaved by tobacco and cannot give it up. But tobacco only gives a temporary stimulation to which there must be a reaction with craving for more. It is also not good for meditation practice.

Question : Do you recommend that meat and alcoholic drinks be given up?

Ramana Maharshi : It is advisable to give them up because this abstention is a useful aid for beginners. The difficulty in surrendering them does not arise because they are really necessary, but merely because we have become inured by custom and habit to them.

Question : Generally speaking, what are the rules of conduct which an aspirant should follow?

Ramana Maharshi : Moderation in food, moderation in sleep and moderation in speech.

Ramana Maharshi Centre for Learning