The path to eternity
The next sutra is Tasyapi nirodhe sarvanirodhannirbëjaha samadhi, meaning the Samadhi of no seeds in which even the feeling of impressions is removed along with the removal of the impressions themselves.
This is another kind of Samadhi, where even the feeling of impressions is not felt.
There is no end to this. These are many different types and states of awareness in Samadhi being described. The path is long. Every step is complete in itself. It is not that you are aiming at a goal to be attained. The goal is in every moment. Yet the path is long. Do you get it? The path is very long, but the goal is in every moment. The goal is at where you are in patience. It is not that you are in a hurry — you cannnot say you want Samadhi today, this moment. Yes, there should be enthusiasm, but, at the same time, with that enthusiasm there should be patience. Do you see this?
This is an interesting point. Those who are very enthusiastic have no patience. People who have patience are very lethargic — they believe they have a lifetime ahead of them anyway. Others are restless — they want things at that very moment. You can see this everywhere. They are either of this extreme or that extreme. It is like sleeping a hurried sleep. It is not possible. You cannot tell yourself to sleep quickly.
In the same way, you cannot remember in a hurry... “Okay, let me remember, quick, quick, quick.” The hurry in remembering delays the remembering. When you want to remember something, the more you hurry, the more restless you are to remember, the longer it takes for you to remember. It is the same with meditation or Samadhi.
You cannot say, “I am going to meditate quickly. I have no time!” Not possible. So this path, the middle path or the golden path, is wherein you are enthusiastic, at the same time, you are patient. You are patient, at the same time you are not lethargic. You do not postpone things. You know, often when people have to do something good, for their personal development, they say, “If God is willing, I will do it. If God is willing, it will come to me.” They leave it to God when it comes to one’s practices and development. But when you have to do something in the world, you do not say, “God willing, I will build a house or if God is willing I will make a relationship”. You do not do that! You look for a relationship; you look for a house, look for a job, look for money. For all this you put your hundred percent, but, if you have to do something for others or some practices of self-development, you say, if God is willing it will happen.
Infinite patience and dynamic enthusiasm is the golden middle path!
Friday, October 23, 2009
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Patangali Yog Sutra
Tapas theory
What is it that gives you the strength or the force to do something?
In the previous Sutra, Patanjali Maharishi mentioned Kriya Yoga. Endurance (Tapas), self-study (Swadhyaya) and devotion to the divine (Eashwara Pranidhana) constitute the Yoga in action (Kriya Yoga). What do they all do to you?
They reduce the misery in a person’s life and give rise to samadhi or equanimity. There are certain people who walk in very hot weather without wearing shoes. It may seem like some type of torture and you may wonder why the person is torturing himself or herself but if you actually talk to them you will realise that they are accustomed to that. Their bodies are strong — they can bear heat and strong weather. But for some one else it is unbearable.
So, tapas makes you strong. If someone travels from California to Switzerland, they need to wear several sweaters and even a coat. But for someone from the North West province or higher, the cold weather in Switzerland is bearable. They may even walk around without a sweater. This is because their body is used to such harsh weather.
Willingly going through that which is not very easy is tapas. This strengthens you. People can stretch this to another extent. They can become masochists. They torture themselves.
Three types of Tapas
Fire sustains life. There are five types of fire.
One is Bhutagni. Bhutagni is the physical fire by which you heat your home and yourself. It sustains life. This maybe obvious but may not be so in tropical countries. They might not give much value to fire there. But in cold countries people know how important fire is. Without physical fire life gets extinguished. This physical fire is present in the body to some extent.
We do not allow fire to rise within us. The moment we’re down with fever, we take a pill and force the symptoms to subside. Not that you should not take medicine. Take it, but attempt to tackle the root cause of the problem rather than just attending to the symptoms of fire in your system. When a foreign body enters the body, your whole body turns up the heat –— that’s fever. Fever is a defense mechanism which burns all the foreign particles that have entered the body. As soon as these foreign bodies abandon the body your fever comes down. The purpose of fever is to purify your body. Naturopathy and Ayurveda deal with all these things.
Your body develops your own air conditioning. If you put on the air conditioner all the time, then you are not letting the self-modulating system of the body function. Our body brings out sweat, which is cooling. Unfortunately, many are used to air conditioners from childhood. I have nothing against the use of air conditioners, but make sure your body temperature agrees with the fresh prana environment. It will make a difference. Then you will have the ability to work in a cold place without having to wear too much. Or to be in a hot place without feeling suffocated.
There is a second type of fire known as Kamagni, the fire of desire, lust or passion. It is because of this fire of passion that life continues on this planet. This fire is present in all living beings. We do not let the fire of desire remain in us for long and burn us. The moment desire strikes, we fulfill it. The promiscuous have absolutely no kamagni. They do not allow this fire to burn them, let alone even bake them. The moment lust strikes, they fulfill their desires. In such cases kamagni does not awaken in you. Sex is one of the oldest samskaras, apart from eating. Throughout all the ages living beings have done two things for sure — eating and having sex.
When this passion arises observe it. It is present in every cell of your body. It engulfs you, burns you. If one immediately succumbs to desire, their power or shakti decreases. That is when you become more inert and less sensitive. Then there is no vigor, joy or enthusiasm in any activity one does. That is why people who are promiscuous do not have that enthusiasm. They do not have the force or will or strength to do any action.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Patangali Yog Sutra
Looking within
When someone is anxious, they are unaware of time. They are not aware of the moment that is passing. This is because their focus is on the event, on the happening, rather than on the moment. When someone is waiting for a train to arrive, they wait and wait and wait. Next time, try and be aware of the moment.
When the mind is lost in the moment, then that is yoga. When you wait for nothing, yet you wait. It adds a different quality to the conscious mind. This aspect sharpens the mind, the intellect and the heart. This is the yoga of action.
This is the next sutra in Patanjali’s second chapter known as Sadhana Pada. Sadhana pada is a ‘practice on the path’. Tapaha swadhyayeshwarapran idhanani kriyayogaha is the sutra and it means “Endurance, self-study, devotion to the divine constitutes the yoga of action.”
Kriya yoga is the yoga of action. Action is a part of creation. There is activity in everything in creation. Right from a little atom, to the sun, to the moon, and stars, there is activity. There is nothing that is stable or static in this world. Everything is busy, active. The Brahman, the infinity, is filled with infinite activity. There is absolutely no silence at all!
Even in sleep there is activity. You think you are sleeping, but in sleep, there appears to be more activity. The body grows more in sleep than when you are awake. Do you know that? In the child, every cell is multiplying as he sleeps. That is why a growing child sleeps longer. The young sleep longer than the elderly because there is a lot of activity, mostly metabolic, going on in the body. The body is built when you are young. If you deprive somebody of sleep, their growth is stunted.
Even in silence, there is activity. At the same time, in every activity there is a corner which is silent. Krishna tells Arjuna, “Arjuna, do you know who is really intelligent and clever? One, who sees silence in activity and activity in silence. That is a truly intelligent person.”
Now, how does one see silence in activity and activity in silence? It needs sharpness of awareness, alertness of the mind and keenness of the senses. That keenness can come when there is skill in your activity. That skill in activity is Kriya yoga or the yoga of action.
What is Kriya Yoga? It comprises of three parts. First, there is Tapas, which means endurance or acceptance. Say for example, you are traveling in a plane on a long distance flight. You have been sitting for long and you find your legs are getting numb. You are tired, yet you keep sitting. You feel heavy, yet you keep sitting. You cannot say. “Oh! I cannot sit any longer; I am going to get out of the plane.” No way! If the plane is delayed or held up in the air, you still have to sit there. There is no choice. Now, if you had a choice, you would not sit for eight hours like that in one place. But in a plane you sit, accepting it, willingly, without grumbling. That is tapas!
In the same way, if you are hungry, you say, “No, I am fasting. I want to have a cleansing diet. I want to cleanse my body. So I am just going to fast on juice or water.” You decide on your own to do some action, which is not usual. and you do it, without grumbling. Tapas is really experiencing the opposite values without grumbling.
You know that it is beneficial and the result of this action is very good, and therefore you go ahead with it however difficult it is. People go to the gymnasium. It is difficult and gives no pleasure yet one does it. Why? They know that it is good for their system. This endurance is called tapas.
Second is Swadhyaya or self-study or introspection. This means observing your own thoughts and emotions. Where do these emotions come from? Where do the thoughts come from? What is happening inside you? Studying yourself is swadhyaya.
Third is Eashwara pranidhana, which means devotion to the divine or love for the divine.
These three things make up Kriya Yoga.
When someone is anxious, they are unaware of time. They are not aware of the moment that is passing. This is because their focus is on the event, on the happening, rather than on the moment. When someone is waiting for a train to arrive, they wait and wait and wait. Next time, try and be aware of the moment.
When the mind is lost in the moment, then that is yoga. When you wait for nothing, yet you wait. It adds a different quality to the conscious mind. This aspect sharpens the mind, the intellect and the heart. This is the yoga of action.
This is the next sutra in Patanjali’s second chapter known as Sadhana Pada. Sadhana pada is a ‘practice on the path’. Tapaha swadhyayeshwarapran idhanani kriyayogaha is the sutra and it means “Endurance, self-study, devotion to the divine constitutes the yoga of action.”
Kriya yoga is the yoga of action. Action is a part of creation. There is activity in everything in creation. Right from a little atom, to the sun, to the moon, and stars, there is activity. There is nothing that is stable or static in this world. Everything is busy, active. The Brahman, the infinity, is filled with infinite activity. There is absolutely no silence at all!
Even in sleep there is activity. You think you are sleeping, but in sleep, there appears to be more activity. The body grows more in sleep than when you are awake. Do you know that? In the child, every cell is multiplying as he sleeps. That is why a growing child sleeps longer. The young sleep longer than the elderly because there is a lot of activity, mostly metabolic, going on in the body. The body is built when you are young. If you deprive somebody of sleep, their growth is stunted.
Even in silence, there is activity. At the same time, in every activity there is a corner which is silent. Krishna tells Arjuna, “Arjuna, do you know who is really intelligent and clever? One, who sees silence in activity and activity in silence. That is a truly intelligent person.”
Now, how does one see silence in activity and activity in silence? It needs sharpness of awareness, alertness of the mind and keenness of the senses. That keenness can come when there is skill in your activity. That skill in activity is Kriya yoga or the yoga of action.
What is Kriya Yoga? It comprises of three parts. First, there is Tapas, which means endurance or acceptance. Say for example, you are traveling in a plane on a long distance flight. You have been sitting for long and you find your legs are getting numb. You are tired, yet you keep sitting. You feel heavy, yet you keep sitting. You cannot say. “Oh! I cannot sit any longer; I am going to get out of the plane.” No way! If the plane is delayed or held up in the air, you still have to sit there. There is no choice. Now, if you had a choice, you would not sit for eight hours like that in one place. But in a plane you sit, accepting it, willingly, without grumbling. That is tapas!
In the same way, if you are hungry, you say, “No, I am fasting. I want to have a cleansing diet. I want to cleanse my body. So I am just going to fast on juice or water.” You decide on your own to do some action, which is not usual. and you do it, without grumbling. Tapas is really experiencing the opposite values without grumbling.
You know that it is beneficial and the result of this action is very good, and therefore you go ahead with it however difficult it is. People go to the gymnasium. It is difficult and gives no pleasure yet one does it. Why? They know that it is good for their system. This endurance is called tapas.
Second is Swadhyaya or self-study or introspection. This means observing your own thoughts and emotions. Where do these emotions come from? Where do the thoughts come from? What is happening inside you? Studying yourself is swadhyaya.
Third is Eashwara pranidhana, which means devotion to the divine or love for the divine.
These three things make up Kriya Yoga.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
The fire within
A fortnight ago I had talked about bhutagni and kamagni, two types of fire. The third type of fire is jataragni, the fire of hunger and digestion. This is an important principle of Ayurveda. Jataragni or the fire of digestion more or less affects your health. It affects your balance.
Even before you feel hungry, if one gorges, there are more toxic substances in the body. Many people fall ill or die not because of hunger, but due to overeating. We do not allow the fire of hunger to rise within us. This is the principle of fasting. When you fast, every cell of your body comes to life. Fasting is very good because it cleanses your system.
When your head is clogged with worry, tension and unpleasant thoughts, fasting helps. The jataragni can purify your blood; it can remove the toxins from the body and make you feel much better. In Hinduism, Christianity, Jainism, Islam and in almost all the religions of the world, fasting and prayer are practised. Fasting touches the deepest samskaras in you. But there are people who simply fast without knowing much about it. Jataragni can burn one down if it is done without understanding. There are people who go to extremes, who either overeat or fast too much. Neither is good. Fasting can cleanse your system and bring balance but it should be done with modulation and guidance.
The fourth type of fire is badavagni or fire of social criticism. When people criticise you what happens? A fire awakens in your system. When you stand in front of a big crowd, your heart beats faster and you tremble. This is because of the fear of criticism and of the opinions of people.
Man is a social animal. We live in a society and we have certain rules to follow. Man cannot think he is free and that he can do whatever he wants to. When you drive on the road, you have to drive on the left side. You have to walk by the side of the road, you have to stop at red lights etc. In short, you have to follow certain codes of conduct. When you have to follow rules, the fear of being punished arises. Adhering to certain laws brings up concern over abiding to those laws. Here again if you are too concerned about criticism and what people say about you, your freedom vanishes. Your openness, your sense of centeredness and freedom will all be destroyed. Push aside this fear of criticism. It does not matter what people say; opinions change anyway.
The fifth type is fire of knowledge or love. This is called premagni or jnanagni. Love creates such a fire in you. The fire of love is so strong and all-consuming that it can lift you up from the fear of criticism. Fire of love and fire of knowledge are synonymous. Fire of love begins with an intense longing. Only in human birth can this fire be experienced. Fire of love or fire of knowledge creates an unpleasant sense of longing in the beginning, but it moves on to the blossoming of bliss.
These are the five fires present in each person from childhood.
A fortnight ago I had talked about bhutagni and kamagni, two types of fire. The third type of fire is jataragni, the fire of hunger and digestion. This is an important principle of Ayurveda. Jataragni or the fire of digestion more or less affects your health. It affects your balance.
Even before you feel hungry, if one gorges, there are more toxic substances in the body. Many people fall ill or die not because of hunger, but due to overeating. We do not allow the fire of hunger to rise within us. This is the principle of fasting. When you fast, every cell of your body comes to life. Fasting is very good because it cleanses your system.
When your head is clogged with worry, tension and unpleasant thoughts, fasting helps. The jataragni can purify your blood; it can remove the toxins from the body and make you feel much better. In Hinduism, Christianity, Jainism, Islam and in almost all the religions of the world, fasting and prayer are practised. Fasting touches the deepest samskaras in you. But there are people who simply fast without knowing much about it. Jataragni can burn one down if it is done without understanding. There are people who go to extremes, who either overeat or fast too much. Neither is good. Fasting can cleanse your system and bring balance but it should be done with modulation and guidance.
The fourth type of fire is badavagni or fire of social criticism. When people criticise you what happens? A fire awakens in your system. When you stand in front of a big crowd, your heart beats faster and you tremble. This is because of the fear of criticism and of the opinions of people.
Man is a social animal. We live in a society and we have certain rules to follow. Man cannot think he is free and that he can do whatever he wants to. When you drive on the road, you have to drive on the left side. You have to walk by the side of the road, you have to stop at red lights etc. In short, you have to follow certain codes of conduct. When you have to follow rules, the fear of being punished arises. Adhering to certain laws brings up concern over abiding to those laws. Here again if you are too concerned about criticism and what people say about you, your freedom vanishes. Your openness, your sense of centeredness and freedom will all be destroyed. Push aside this fear of criticism. It does not matter what people say; opinions change anyway.
The fifth type is fire of knowledge or love. This is called premagni or jnanagni. Love creates such a fire in you. The fire of love is so strong and all-consuming that it can lift you up from the fear of criticism. Fire of love and fire of knowledge are synonymous. Fire of love begins with an intense longing. Only in human birth can this fire be experienced. Fire of love or fire of knowledge creates an unpleasant sense of longing in the beginning, but it moves on to the blossoming of bliss.
These are the five fires present in each person from childhood.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
patangali yog sutra
The roots of misery
What is the purpose of Kriya yoga? The next Sutra says Samadhibhavanarthaha Kleshathanookaranarthascha, the purpose of which is to reduce suffering or misery in life and to bring about harmony or equanimity. The root causes of misery are ignorance, craving, hatred, and the fear of unknown
The next sutra is Avidyasmitaragadweshabhiniveshaha kleshaha, which says that ignorance is the root cause of suffering. What is ignorance? It is when you view something that is not permanent as permanent, something that is not joy as joy and that which is not self as self. Thinking you have certain thoughts and emotions when you do not is ignorance.
You feel the body is not changing, but the body is changing all the time. In 24 hours, your blood changes. In five days, the lining of your stomach changes. Doctors say the skin changes in a month. Every year, the cells in your body undergo some sort of transformation. Your body is like a river, always flowing, always changing. With every passing year, your body is new. Your mind is new. As you are awakened to this truth, you can identify your old fears or yourself.
Ignorance is holding on to the past and an image of who you are. People think that it is a good thing to know who you are and have an image of your self. I tell you, if you have an idea of who you are, you are finished, you are stuck! You should not know who you are. You are changing every moment and you must keep the possibility of change open. A fixed idea about who you are destroys you totally. It stops your growth and limits your possibilities.
Who are you really?
We are discussing tapas. But what do tapas do? They purify and strengthen our system. But tapas can also make a person egoistic because they think it is something great that they are doing. That is why immediately after tapas, Patanjali Maharishi asks us to indulge in swadhya or self-study.
There is a story about two neighbours who did a lot of meditation. God came to one of them and asked, “What is that you want?” The first neighbour asked God if he was going to give something to his neighbour too. God said, “Of course! You both started tapas on the same day. You started one hour earlier. I came to you first. What is that you want?” So, the first neighbour said, “Can’t you somehow avoid going to the other man?” God said “No. It will become unjust. So, I have to go and see him.” The first neighbour said, “Okay, whatever you give to the other person, give me twice as much.” God went to the other man and asked him, “What is it that you want?” The second neighbour said, “Wait a minute. Are you coming from my neighbour’s house?” God said “Yes.” So the second neighbour asked him, “What did you give him?” God was silent. The second neighbour said, “Now come on, tell me what did he ask?” God hesitated for a minute and said, “Well, he asked to be given twice as much as whatever you ask.” The second neighbour said, “Okay, so, that is what he wanted? Then blind me in one eye and cut off my ear. I will teach him a lesson. He is always competing with me. Now let him suffer twice as much as I do!” This sort of tapas without self-study leads to ego.
Look into the motive behind your actions. Often you get things you do not really want only because other people have it or because what others might say or think about it. Many a time, you are not clear about what you want because you have not looked into yourself. You are swayed away by fleeting desires. Your desire is not even your desire.
Self-study means observing yourself. You have purified the body, but are you the body? You have lightened your mind, but are you the mind? Are you the thoughts? Are you your emotions? Who are you? This is self-study.
The first step is to see the Lord as separate from you. Instead of offering candles, incense, and flowers to God, offer every part of your body, offer every moment of your life, every breath, every thought, good or bad.
It is your drawbacks which pull you down and make you feel bad about yourself. If you start feeling bad about yourself you become unconnected to the divine. There is nothing to make you connected to the divine. It is up to you to feel close to the divine.
You start feeling that you are the only one and you are the closest to the divine. Then you will see that it will start happening, you will start blossoming. The seed you sow is what will grow. If you sow the seed of “I am hopeless, I am no good. I am hopeless, I am no good”, then that ‘’no good’’ seed will begin to grow!
Often, useless weeds grow without any cultivation. You do not have to make any effort. They just grow, but a useful plant needs some attention. All the unnecessary doubts or thoughts which are there need not be sown. They just come up by themselves. By swadhya or self-study, you can weed them out and keep only those which are essential.
Tapaha swadhya shwara pranidhana kriya yogaha is kriya yoga or yoga of action. Even while doing an activity, see that you are not doing it. Be a silent witness. There is a depth in you, a silent corner in you, a silence in you and that is the truth. The whole space is silent. In that silence, there is activity.
What is the purpose of Kriya yoga? The next Sutra says Samadhibhavanarthaha Kleshathanookaranarthascha, the purpose of which is to reduce suffering or misery in life and to bring about harmony or equanimity. The root causes of misery are ignorance, craving, hatred, and the fear of unknown
The next sutra is Avidyasmitaragadweshabhiniveshaha kleshaha, which says that ignorance is the root cause of suffering. What is ignorance? It is when you view something that is not permanent as permanent, something that is not joy as joy and that which is not self as self. Thinking you have certain thoughts and emotions when you do not is ignorance.
You feel the body is not changing, but the body is changing all the time. In 24 hours, your blood changes. In five days, the lining of your stomach changes. Doctors say the skin changes in a month. Every year, the cells in your body undergo some sort of transformation. Your body is like a river, always flowing, always changing. With every passing year, your body is new. Your mind is new. As you are awakened to this truth, you can identify your old fears or yourself.
Ignorance is holding on to the past and an image of who you are. People think that it is a good thing to know who you are and have an image of your self. I tell you, if you have an idea of who you are, you are finished, you are stuck! You should not know who you are. You are changing every moment and you must keep the possibility of change open. A fixed idea about who you are destroys you totally. It stops your growth and limits your possibilities.
Who are you really?
We are discussing tapas. But what do tapas do? They purify and strengthen our system. But tapas can also make a person egoistic because they think it is something great that they are doing. That is why immediately after tapas, Patanjali Maharishi asks us to indulge in swadhya or self-study.
There is a story about two neighbours who did a lot of meditation. God came to one of them and asked, “What is that you want?” The first neighbour asked God if he was going to give something to his neighbour too. God said, “Of course! You both started tapas on the same day. You started one hour earlier. I came to you first. What is that you want?” So, the first neighbour said, “Can’t you somehow avoid going to the other man?” God said “No. It will become unjust. So, I have to go and see him.” The first neighbour said, “Okay, whatever you give to the other person, give me twice as much.” God went to the other man and asked him, “What is it that you want?” The second neighbour said, “Wait a minute. Are you coming from my neighbour’s house?” God said “Yes.” So the second neighbour asked him, “What did you give him?” God was silent. The second neighbour said, “Now come on, tell me what did he ask?” God hesitated for a minute and said, “Well, he asked to be given twice as much as whatever you ask.” The second neighbour said, “Okay, so, that is what he wanted? Then blind me in one eye and cut off my ear. I will teach him a lesson. He is always competing with me. Now let him suffer twice as much as I do!” This sort of tapas without self-study leads to ego.
Look into the motive behind your actions. Often you get things you do not really want only because other people have it or because what others might say or think about it. Many a time, you are not clear about what you want because you have not looked into yourself. You are swayed away by fleeting desires. Your desire is not even your desire.
Self-study means observing yourself. You have purified the body, but are you the body? You have lightened your mind, but are you the mind? Are you the thoughts? Are you your emotions? Who are you? This is self-study.
The first step is to see the Lord as separate from you. Instead of offering candles, incense, and flowers to God, offer every part of your body, offer every moment of your life, every breath, every thought, good or bad.
It is your drawbacks which pull you down and make you feel bad about yourself. If you start feeling bad about yourself you become unconnected to the divine. There is nothing to make you connected to the divine. It is up to you to feel close to the divine.
You start feeling that you are the only one and you are the closest to the divine. Then you will see that it will start happening, you will start blossoming. The seed you sow is what will grow. If you sow the seed of “I am hopeless, I am no good. I am hopeless, I am no good”, then that ‘’no good’’ seed will begin to grow!
Often, useless weeds grow without any cultivation. You do not have to make any effort. They just grow, but a useful plant needs some attention. All the unnecessary doubts or thoughts which are there need not be sown. They just come up by themselves. By swadhya or self-study, you can weed them out and keep only those which are essential.
Tapaha swadhya shwara pranidhana kriya yogaha is kriya yoga or yoga of action. Even while doing an activity, see that you are not doing it. Be a silent witness. There is a depth in you, a silent corner in you, a silence in you and that is the truth. The whole space is silent. In that silence, there is activity.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Patangali Yog Sutra
The laws of karma
The next sutra is Kleshamoolaha karmashayo drushtadrushta janmavedniyaha meaning “Suffering has to be undergone because of the karma bank; some bear fruit in this birth itself whereas some bear fruit in their next.”
Patanjali Maharishi says that there is no other way and you will have to suffer this in this life. You have to undergo this suffering, this misery, not only in this life, but also in the coming life, because they form as karmâshaya, as a bank of karma which is reserved!
But through meditation this karma can be washed off right now, here. Before the body drops, you get rid of the karma and lessen the sheaths of ignorance over you. Otherwise there is no escape for you from there. Drishta adrishta janma vedanîyaha means some will give you fruits in this life itself and some will stay back with you to give fruits in the next life. Now, some people have an argument. They ask, “If you put your fingers in a fire, will it burn today or tomorrow or in your next life? There is nothing like karma. Every action has got its repercussion, but it has to happen immediately. It does not come with you to your next life.”
Not all the seeds you sow take the same amount of time to reap. Some seeds sprout in two days. Peanuts take five days. A coconut takes several months. A mango tree takes ten years to give fruit. Similarly, different karmas will give fruit at different times. As you sow, so shall you reap.
The next sutra is Sati moole tadvipako jatyayurbhogaha meaning “If the roots of karma are existing, they ripen and result in the body into which you are born and the fruits of the karma are experiences throughout life.”
Patanjali goes on to explain about our births. Jati is the body you come from. Your birth is determined. The length of your life is determined. What you will get in your life, your joy, your miseries are also determined. Why is someone born in Ethiopia and someone else in Switzerland? Is there any explanation?
Patanjali has an explanation for this. This is the usual question asked, “Why is it that one person was born a pauper and another a prince?” “Why is one person’s life full of pain and suffering while another’s is full of joy and comfort?” These are big questions. There is no logic that can give you any understanding or explanation. Patanjali Maharishi says that it is because of your past karmas.
It is the strongest impression in the mind that persists. Try this tonight. Just before going to bed, think of something. Think very strongly about it. As soon as you get up in the morning, it will be your first thought. The same thought will also come up in the dream. If you practice this for four months or six months, they will assume those qualities in you. Those thoughts will begin to take control of you. It gains such a pattern inside you because that karma, that impression has become so strong. So, the wise people say that the last days of your life is much more important than your whole life.
To emphasise this in India there are many, many stories. There is a story about a king called Ajamila. He was an atheist until his death. When he was dying, he called out: “Narayana, Narayana’’. His son’s name was ‘’Narayan’’ and he was calling his son. God thought that he was being called and he came and liberated him. This is a story. It is an extreme way to say that the last impression carries much weight in spite of whatever one does the whole life.
There is another story about a saint, a very enlightened rishi named Jadabharatha who was on the bank of a river in meditation. He saw a young deer caught in a flood. So he jumped into the water and like any one would and have done, he saved the deer from drowning. The deer had hurt its leg. He cared for it. He got so attached to the deer. When he died he became a deer. This is the only instance where an enlightened person became an animal. It is said that it is almost impossible for a liberated man to be driven back into an animal’s body. This is one of the impossibility. This example of Jadabharatha is quoted through out just to tell you that the last impression is most important.
Same thing, when children go to bed in the night after watching horror movies, they get nightmares. They cry and shout and do all sorts of things. How do you get rid of this?
The next sutra is Kleshamoolaha karmashayo drushtadrushta janmavedniyaha meaning “Suffering has to be undergone because of the karma bank; some bear fruit in this birth itself whereas some bear fruit in their next.”
Patanjali Maharishi says that there is no other way and you will have to suffer this in this life. You have to undergo this suffering, this misery, not only in this life, but also in the coming life, because they form as karmâshaya, as a bank of karma which is reserved!
But through meditation this karma can be washed off right now, here. Before the body drops, you get rid of the karma and lessen the sheaths of ignorance over you. Otherwise there is no escape for you from there. Drishta adrishta janma vedanîyaha means some will give you fruits in this life itself and some will stay back with you to give fruits in the next life. Now, some people have an argument. They ask, “If you put your fingers in a fire, will it burn today or tomorrow or in your next life? There is nothing like karma. Every action has got its repercussion, but it has to happen immediately. It does not come with you to your next life.”
Not all the seeds you sow take the same amount of time to reap. Some seeds sprout in two days. Peanuts take five days. A coconut takes several months. A mango tree takes ten years to give fruit. Similarly, different karmas will give fruit at different times. As you sow, so shall you reap.
The next sutra is Sati moole tadvipako jatyayurbhogaha meaning “If the roots of karma are existing, they ripen and result in the body into which you are born and the fruits of the karma are experiences throughout life.”
Patanjali goes on to explain about our births. Jati is the body you come from. Your birth is determined. The length of your life is determined. What you will get in your life, your joy, your miseries are also determined. Why is someone born in Ethiopia and someone else in Switzerland? Is there any explanation?
Patanjali has an explanation for this. This is the usual question asked, “Why is it that one person was born a pauper and another a prince?” “Why is one person’s life full of pain and suffering while another’s is full of joy and comfort?” These are big questions. There is no logic that can give you any understanding or explanation. Patanjali Maharishi says that it is because of your past karmas.
It is the strongest impression in the mind that persists. Try this tonight. Just before going to bed, think of something. Think very strongly about it. As soon as you get up in the morning, it will be your first thought. The same thought will also come up in the dream. If you practice this for four months or six months, they will assume those qualities in you. Those thoughts will begin to take control of you. It gains such a pattern inside you because that karma, that impression has become so strong. So, the wise people say that the last days of your life is much more important than your whole life.
To emphasise this in India there are many, many stories. There is a story about a king called Ajamila. He was an atheist until his death. When he was dying, he called out: “Narayana, Narayana’’. His son’s name was ‘’Narayan’’ and he was calling his son. God thought that he was being called and he came and liberated him. This is a story. It is an extreme way to say that the last impression carries much weight in spite of whatever one does the whole life.
There is another story about a saint, a very enlightened rishi named Jadabharatha who was on the bank of a river in meditation. He saw a young deer caught in a flood. So he jumped into the water and like any one would and have done, he saved the deer from drowning. The deer had hurt its leg. He cared for it. He got so attached to the deer. When he died he became a deer. This is the only instance where an enlightened person became an animal. It is said that it is almost impossible for a liberated man to be driven back into an animal’s body. This is one of the impossibility. This example of Jadabharatha is quoted through out just to tell you that the last impression is most important.
Same thing, when children go to bed in the night after watching horror movies, they get nightmares. They cry and shout and do all sorts of things. How do you get rid of this?
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Patangali Yog Sutra
No pain, no gain
The next sutra is Tehladaparitapaphalaha punyapunyahetutvat meaning “impressions give you pleasure and pain as the fruits of virtues and vices”.
When the impressions are good, they bring you joy, but when they are not, they bring you suffering. It all depends on whether you have done something good or something bad. Good karma accumulates and brings you joy.
If a person is happy it is because they have done some good in the past. If they are miserable, then it is obvious they have done something bad. Patanjali connects happiness and misery to an act of the past.
Patanjali says meditation is the way out of all that. Meditation helps you wash everything out.
If you look into the pleasures or joy that you get in life from birth they all come with a tax. You have to pay a tax for that and that is sorrow.
In the next sutra Patanjali says: Parinamatapasamskaradukhairgunavruttivirodhachcha dukhameva sarvam vivekinaha, which means “The result of an event, anxious wait for an event, feverishness to achieve and the impressions of these events cause sorrow and more so when things happen to the contrary. Therefore, for an intelligent one, everything is indeed considered as painful”.
Every event causes some pain. Even if the event is pleasant, when it ends, there is a little pain. The greater the joy, the greater the pain too. Right? Parinama, the effect or the result of an event, brings you pain.
The longing or waiting for a pleasurable event is again pain. Memory of a pleasure too brings pain. Longing for something too causes pain. Then when you get it, the fear of losing it too is painful.
For a viveki or an intelligent one, the one who is awakened, he sees the whole incident as painful. There is nothing that is not painful. You say love is beautiful, but love is also painful. Bodies can get close, but still there is no satisfaction. Often the male takes the female body and the female takes a male body in the next life. That is what craving or longing does to a person. The mind is more prominent. That is why in every male you find a female and in every female you find a male. This is because there is some impression from the past.
The soul is not just satisfied by the physical body coming closer. It wants something more. It wants to merge, vanish and disappear. This is what you call love.
Love also creates tremendous amount of pain. Separation is pain. Trying to please creates pain. You want to know the mind of the other person in and out. How can you, when you do not even know your own mind? You want to know somebody else’s mind! It is impossible to know anybody else’s mind just by their words and movements of their lips and tongue.
There is a saying that the tongue has no bone. It is not steady. It says something today and tomorrow it may say something else. You cannot trust your tongue. You can trust anything in the world. You experience some good feeling, love, you feel wonderful and joyful and suddenly it is not there the next moment and it is painful.
Pain seems to exist in everything. What do you do? When you realise that everything is pain, then how do you go about it? What do you do? You have to do something to stop this pain. How will you do it? The next sutra will study that.
The next sutra is Tehladaparitapaphalaha punyapunyahetutvat meaning “impressions give you pleasure and pain as the fruits of virtues and vices”.
When the impressions are good, they bring you joy, but when they are not, they bring you suffering. It all depends on whether you have done something good or something bad. Good karma accumulates and brings you joy.
If a person is happy it is because they have done some good in the past. If they are miserable, then it is obvious they have done something bad. Patanjali connects happiness and misery to an act of the past.
Patanjali says meditation is the way out of all that. Meditation helps you wash everything out.
If you look into the pleasures or joy that you get in life from birth they all come with a tax. You have to pay a tax for that and that is sorrow.
In the next sutra Patanjali says: Parinamatapasamskaradukhairgunavruttivirodhachcha dukhameva sarvam vivekinaha, which means “The result of an event, anxious wait for an event, feverishness to achieve and the impressions of these events cause sorrow and more so when things happen to the contrary. Therefore, for an intelligent one, everything is indeed considered as painful”.
Every event causes some pain. Even if the event is pleasant, when it ends, there is a little pain. The greater the joy, the greater the pain too. Right? Parinama, the effect or the result of an event, brings you pain.
The longing or waiting for a pleasurable event is again pain. Memory of a pleasure too brings pain. Longing for something too causes pain. Then when you get it, the fear of losing it too is painful.
For a viveki or an intelligent one, the one who is awakened, he sees the whole incident as painful. There is nothing that is not painful. You say love is beautiful, but love is also painful. Bodies can get close, but still there is no satisfaction. Often the male takes the female body and the female takes a male body in the next life. That is what craving or longing does to a person. The mind is more prominent. That is why in every male you find a female and in every female you find a male. This is because there is some impression from the past.
The soul is not just satisfied by the physical body coming closer. It wants something more. It wants to merge, vanish and disappear. This is what you call love.
Love also creates tremendous amount of pain. Separation is pain. Trying to please creates pain. You want to know the mind of the other person in and out. How can you, when you do not even know your own mind? You want to know somebody else’s mind! It is impossible to know anybody else’s mind just by their words and movements of their lips and tongue.
There is a saying that the tongue has no bone. It is not steady. It says something today and tomorrow it may say something else. You cannot trust your tongue. You can trust anything in the world. You experience some good feeling, love, you feel wonderful and joyful and suddenly it is not there the next moment and it is painful.
Pain seems to exist in everything. What do you do? When you realise that everything is pain, then how do you go about it? What do you do? You have to do something to stop this pain. How will you do it? The next sutra will study that.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Patangali Yog Sutra
Keeping life within
This week, we look at Heyam dukhamanagatham, which means that the pain that has not yet come can be avoided. This sutra tells us that we need to learn to eliminate the root cause of pain. The pain that has not yet entered our lives, the sorrow that has not yet sprouted must be nipped in the bud. But how does one do that?
That is where Drashtridrushyayoho samyogo heyahetuhu or the next sutra comes in. This means that the cause of suffering is when the seer becomes one with the seen and forgets one’s true nature.
Forgetfulness of one’s self is the root cause of pain. The self becomes one with the objects that are all around the self. This is because of lack of perception. You think “this is me”. Then the problems begin.
There is a story which children in India read during their childhood, about a wicked king who has to be killed. Only the life of the king is in a a parrot in another place, which means that the only way to kill the king is to kill the parrot.
According to the story, the king’s life is not within him and he will not die even if someone tries to kill him. To kill the king you have to go to the island where the parrot is and into a fort where the parrot is caged. The fort is guarded by cobras and anyone seeking to kill the king has to get past all of that.
When the person attempting to kill the king manages to get inside the fort, he finds that there is a cage there and the parrot inside it. Only problem is that he cannot touch the cage becuase if he does it will burn him. So he has to kill the parrot without touching it, the same way he has to kill the king without touching him.
In the same way, you keep your life somewhere else, and not within you. Your life is somewhere else, in the bank account. You have not just deposited the money in the bank. Along with the money you have also deposited your life. If something happens to the bank account, you will have a heart attack. Do you see what I am saying?
Whatever you think of as more important becomes the cause of suffering. So, when you see the difference, then the seer separates from the surrounding you will ask yourself, “What is all this?”
That’s when the true meditation happens. Patanjali says — Prakashakriyasthitisheelam bhutendriyatmakam bhogaapavargartham drushyam, which means manifestation, dynamism, inertia is the nature of one consciousness. The entire creation being made up of five elements gives you pleasure and relief from the objects of enjoyment. That does not mean you have to run away from this world. This world is here to enjoy. Patanjali is very clear about that.
The world is here for you to see. Great food is here for you to eat. The whole world is here for you to enjoy, but while enjoying do not forget yourself. You are separate from them. This is viveka.
This seen world is eliminated. It conveys a message. It gives you an idea of how great the consciousness is. Every aspect in the world is an expression of God. Everything is active. Everything is manifested from the consciousness. Everything in this universe is dynamic. It is not static. There is nothing that is static. Even though the mountains appear to be static, they are not. They are all dynamic. Every atom is dynamic.
Everything is governed by certain principles and certain qualities. The entire creation is made up of five elements and five organs of action. These are the ten organs. The entire creation is endowed by these ten. The mind is also a part of the creation. This entire creation is there to give you pleasure and relief. Whatever gives you pleasure will also give you relief. Otherwise pleasure becomes a pain. The entire creation gives you enjoyment and liberation and relieves you. You have to get yourself liberated from all this at some time or the other so it does not become pain.
This week, we look at Heyam dukhamanagatham, which means that the pain that has not yet come can be avoided. This sutra tells us that we need to learn to eliminate the root cause of pain. The pain that has not yet entered our lives, the sorrow that has not yet sprouted must be nipped in the bud. But how does one do that?
That is where Drashtridrushyayoho samyogo heyahetuhu or the next sutra comes in. This means that the cause of suffering is when the seer becomes one with the seen and forgets one’s true nature.
Forgetfulness of one’s self is the root cause of pain. The self becomes one with the objects that are all around the self. This is because of lack of perception. You think “this is me”. Then the problems begin.
There is a story which children in India read during their childhood, about a wicked king who has to be killed. Only the life of the king is in a a parrot in another place, which means that the only way to kill the king is to kill the parrot.
According to the story, the king’s life is not within him and he will not die even if someone tries to kill him. To kill the king you have to go to the island where the parrot is and into a fort where the parrot is caged. The fort is guarded by cobras and anyone seeking to kill the king has to get past all of that.
When the person attempting to kill the king manages to get inside the fort, he finds that there is a cage there and the parrot inside it. Only problem is that he cannot touch the cage becuase if he does it will burn him. So he has to kill the parrot without touching it, the same way he has to kill the king without touching him.
In the same way, you keep your life somewhere else, and not within you. Your life is somewhere else, in the bank account. You have not just deposited the money in the bank. Along with the money you have also deposited your life. If something happens to the bank account, you will have a heart attack. Do you see what I am saying?
Whatever you think of as more important becomes the cause of suffering. So, when you see the difference, then the seer separates from the surrounding you will ask yourself, “What is all this?”
That’s when the true meditation happens. Patanjali says — Prakashakriyasthitisheelam bhutendriyatmakam bhogaapavargartham drushyam, which means manifestation, dynamism, inertia is the nature of one consciousness. The entire creation being made up of five elements gives you pleasure and relief from the objects of enjoyment. That does not mean you have to run away from this world. This world is here to enjoy. Patanjali is very clear about that.
The world is here for you to see. Great food is here for you to eat. The whole world is here for you to enjoy, but while enjoying do not forget yourself. You are separate from them. This is viveka.
This seen world is eliminated. It conveys a message. It gives you an idea of how great the consciousness is. Every aspect in the world is an expression of God. Everything is active. Everything is manifested from the consciousness. Everything in this universe is dynamic. It is not static. There is nothing that is static. Even though the mountains appear to be static, they are not. They are all dynamic. Every atom is dynamic.
Everything is governed by certain principles and certain qualities. The entire creation is made up of five elements and five organs of action. These are the ten organs. The entire creation is endowed by these ten. The mind is also a part of the creation. This entire creation is there to give you pleasure and relief. Whatever gives you pleasure will also give you relief. Otherwise pleasure becomes a pain. The entire creation gives you enjoyment and liberation and relieves you. You have to get yourself liberated from all this at some time or the other so it does not become pain.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Patangali Yog Sutra
Discover your gunas
The sutra for this week is Drashta drushimatraha shuddopi pratyayanupashyaha meaning the self is pure consciousness, although it get covered when mixed with intellect.
The self, though pure, is a mere witness. But when it becomes one with the buddhi or intellect, it gets coloured. People who are stuck in their intellect, stick to their thoughts and ideas as though they are their own. They suffer as the self becomes the centre of their creation.
Moving on to the next sutra — Tadartha eva drushyasyatma, which means for the unenlightened only the world exists.
Though this world does not exist for the enlightened one, it exists for the one who is not enlightened. To them, the world continues to exist with its opposites. For the one who is awakened to knowledge, there is no more suffering. The world appears different. For the enlightened one, every inch of creation is filled with bliss. But for others it exists as the seed. So, though the enlightened one has realised this world and sees it as separate, but a part of the self, it does not exist for them.
The next sutra says Kruthartham prati nashtamapyanashtamtadanyasadharanatvat, which means that for the enlightened one the world is destroyed even though for others the world is not destroyed. Consider travelling in a bus. The journey may be over for you but the plane keeps moving or the bus keeps going. The bus still goes because it has to take the other passengers elsewhere.
Swaswamishaktyoho swarooppopalabdhihetuhu samyogaha is the next sutra and it means the power of nature is the cause and when united with the seer brings about its effects.
Your body is made up of three gunas — sattva, rajas and tamas and the three act according to the circumstances. When the tamasic guna dominates it creates lethargy. When rajasic guna dominates, you feel restless. When the mind is dominated by sattva, then you are alert. Observe the tendencies that come up in you without thinking that you are those tendencies.
The sutra for this week is Drashta drushimatraha shuddopi pratyayanupashyaha meaning the self is pure consciousness, although it get covered when mixed with intellect.
The self, though pure, is a mere witness. But when it becomes one with the buddhi or intellect, it gets coloured. People who are stuck in their intellect, stick to their thoughts and ideas as though they are their own. They suffer as the self becomes the centre of their creation.
Moving on to the next sutra — Tadartha eva drushyasyatma, which means for the unenlightened only the world exists.
Though this world does not exist for the enlightened one, it exists for the one who is not enlightened. To them, the world continues to exist with its opposites. For the one who is awakened to knowledge, there is no more suffering. The world appears different. For the enlightened one, every inch of creation is filled with bliss. But for others it exists as the seed. So, though the enlightened one has realised this world and sees it as separate, but a part of the self, it does not exist for them.
The next sutra says Kruthartham prati nashtamapyanashtamtadanyasadharanatvat, which means that for the enlightened one the world is destroyed even though for others the world is not destroyed. Consider travelling in a bus. The journey may be over for you but the plane keeps moving or the bus keeps going. The bus still goes because it has to take the other passengers elsewhere.
Swaswamishaktyoho swarooppopalabdhihetuhu samyogaha is the next sutra and it means the power of nature is the cause and when united with the seer brings about its effects.
Your body is made up of three gunas — sattva, rajas and tamas and the three act according to the circumstances. When the tamasic guna dominates it creates lethargy. When rajasic guna dominates, you feel restless. When the mind is dominated by sattva, then you are alert. Observe the tendencies that come up in you without thinking that you are those tendencies.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Patangali Yog Sutra
The wisdom of human life
The next sutra is Tasya Hethuravidya, which means “thinking that these causes are yours is ignorance”. What is the way out of ignorance? The only way is definite knowledge in the mind that your body is constantly changing. You must know that you are not the body, you are the self. You are imperishable, untouched and untainted by the probabilities of the world. Every particle in this body is changing. The mind is changing. The world is changing all the time.
The entire universe is in the state of fluidity. It is full of change and it is going on according to its nature. This definite knowledge is the way to get out of the circle.
Human consciousness is like a seed. A seed has the possibility of a tree, of the leaves, of a branch, of fruits, of flowers and of multiplication. A seed needs proper ground, proper conditions, sunlight, and water, soil for it to sprout and blossom. Human consciousness is like that. Either the seed can be dormant for years together keeping its possibility within itself or it starts sprouting. The sprouting of the seed of human consciousness is viveka or discrimination. Freedom comes with discrimination.
All other species in this creation are governed by nature. They do not need discrimination, nor do they have the freedom. So they never break the laws of nature. The human mind has this possibility of freedom and it also has been given discrimination. It is through wisdom and discrimination that the human consciousness can progress or else it can remain where it is. You will never see an animal overeating. They have no choice. But human beings have this freedom to do whatever they want. This freedom is given along with discrimination, along with wisdom, along with the consequences of action. Knowledge of consequences of action helps humans to choose and lead life with wisdom. Are you getting what I am saying? The human life is governed by wisdom and discrimination.
How should this come up? How can this be enhanced? How do you make the seed sprout? A seed has the possibility. But if it is not watered then the possibility remains a possibility and does not manifest.
Time for the next sutra — Yoganganushtanadashuddhikshaye jnanadipthiraviveka khyatehe. It means that by the sustained practice of the eight limbs of yoga, the impurities are destroyed and the light of wisdom and discrimination shine forth.
The husk is strong. The sprout moves through this and the grain comes out. Similarly, by the practice of eight limbs of yoga, the impurities are destroyed and wisdom as well as discrimination shines forth.
What are the limbs of yoga?
Yamaniyamaasanapran? ayamapratyaharadharanadhyna samadhayoashtavangan, the next sutra, is the answer. It means ‘restraint, observance, postures, regulation of breath, substitute food for the mind, ability of the mind to focus, meditation and higher states of consciousness are eight limbs of yoga’.
Yoga has eight limbs and each one is connected to the whole. So, if you pull one, everything else will come. When the body is developing, the whole body develops simultaneously. Organs develop together and all the aspects or limbs of the body develop. That is why Patanjali says that these are all the limbs of yoga.
Unfortunately people think that these are all stages, one after the other which has to be achieved. This is wrong understanding or misconception that has crept in yoga.
The series on Patanjali’s yogasutras continues…
The next sutra is Tasya Hethuravidya, which means “thinking that these causes are yours is ignorance”. What is the way out of ignorance? The only way is definite knowledge in the mind that your body is constantly changing. You must know that you are not the body, you are the self. You are imperishable, untouched and untainted by the probabilities of the world. Every particle in this body is changing. The mind is changing. The world is changing all the time.
The entire universe is in the state of fluidity. It is full of change and it is going on according to its nature. This definite knowledge is the way to get out of the circle.
Human consciousness is like a seed. A seed has the possibility of a tree, of the leaves, of a branch, of fruits, of flowers and of multiplication. A seed needs proper ground, proper conditions, sunlight, and water, soil for it to sprout and blossom. Human consciousness is like that. Either the seed can be dormant for years together keeping its possibility within itself or it starts sprouting. The sprouting of the seed of human consciousness is viveka or discrimination. Freedom comes with discrimination.
All other species in this creation are governed by nature. They do not need discrimination, nor do they have the freedom. So they never break the laws of nature. The human mind has this possibility of freedom and it also has been given discrimination. It is through wisdom and discrimination that the human consciousness can progress or else it can remain where it is. You will never see an animal overeating. They have no choice. But human beings have this freedom to do whatever they want. This freedom is given along with discrimination, along with wisdom, along with the consequences of action. Knowledge of consequences of action helps humans to choose and lead life with wisdom. Are you getting what I am saying? The human life is governed by wisdom and discrimination.
How should this come up? How can this be enhanced? How do you make the seed sprout? A seed has the possibility. But if it is not watered then the possibility remains a possibility and does not manifest.
Time for the next sutra — Yoganganushtanadashuddhikshaye jnanadipthiraviveka khyatehe. It means that by the sustained practice of the eight limbs of yoga, the impurities are destroyed and the light of wisdom and discrimination shine forth.
The husk is strong. The sprout moves through this and the grain comes out. Similarly, by the practice of eight limbs of yoga, the impurities are destroyed and wisdom as well as discrimination shines forth.
What are the limbs of yoga?
Yamaniyamaasanapran? ayamapratyaharadharanadhyna samadhayoashtavangan, the next sutra, is the answer. It means ‘restraint, observance, postures, regulation of breath, substitute food for the mind, ability of the mind to focus, meditation and higher states of consciousness are eight limbs of yoga’.
Yoga has eight limbs and each one is connected to the whole. So, if you pull one, everything else will come. When the body is developing, the whole body develops simultaneously. Organs develop together and all the aspects or limbs of the body develop. That is why Patanjali says that these are all the limbs of yoga.
Unfortunately people think that these are all stages, one after the other which has to be achieved. This is wrong understanding or misconception that has crept in yoga.
The series on Patanjali’s yogasutras continues…
Friday, September 11, 2009
Patangali Yog Sutra
The wisdom of human life
The next sutra is Tasya Hethuravidya, which means “thinking that these causes are yours is ignorance”. What is the way out of ignorance? The only way is definite knowledge in the mind that your body is constantly changing. You must know that you are not the body, you are the self. You are imperishable, untouched and untainted by the probabilities of the world. Every particle in this body is changing. The mind is changing. The world is changing all the time.
The entire universe is in the state of fluidity. It is full of change and it is going on according to its nature. This definite knowledge is the way to get out of the circle.
Human consciousness is like a seed. A seed has the possibility of a tree, of the leaves, of a branch, of fruits, of flowers and of multiplication. A seed needs proper ground, proper conditions, sunlight, and water, soil for it to sprout and blossom. Human consciousness is like that. Either the seed can be dormant for years together keeping its possibility within itself or it starts sprouting. The sprouting of the seed of human consciousness is viveka or discrimination. Freedom comes with discrimination.
All other species in this creation are governed by nature. They do not need discrimination, nor do they have the freedom. So they never break the laws of nature. The human mind has this possibility of freedom and it also has been given discrimination. It is through wisdom and discrimination that the human consciousness can progress or else it can remain where it is. You will never see an animal overeating. They have no choice. But human beings have this freedom to do whatever they want. This freedom is given along with discrimination, along with wisdom, along with the consequences of action. Knowledge of consequences of action helps humans to choose and lead life with wisdom. Are you getting what I am saying? The human life is governed by wisdom and discrimination.
How should this come up? How can this be enhanced? How do you make the seed sprout? A seed has the possibility. But if it is not watered then the possibility remains a possibility and does not manifest.
Time for the next sutra — Yoganganushtanadashuddhikshaye jnanadipthiraviveka khyatehe. It means that by the sustained practice of the eight limbs of yoga, the impurities are destroyed and the light of wisdom and discrimination shine forth.
The husk is strong. The sprout moves through this and the grain comes out. Similarly, by the practice of eight limbs of yoga, the impurities are destroyed and wisdom as well as discrimination shines forth.
What are the limbs of yoga?
Yamaniyamaasanapran? ayamapratyaharadharanadhyna samadhayoashtavangan, the next sutra, is the answer. It means ‘restraint, observance, postures, regulation of breath, substitute food for the mind, ability of the mind to focus, meditation and higher states of consciousness are eight limbs of yoga’.
Yoga has eight limbs and each one is connected to the whole. So, if you pull one, everything else will come. When the body is developing, the whole body develops simultaneously. Organs develop together and all the aspects or limbs of the body develop. That is why Patanjali says that these are all the limbs of yoga.
Unfortunately people think that these are all stages, one after the other which has to be achieved. This is wrong understanding or misconception that has crept in yoga.
The next sutra is Tasya Hethuravidya, which means “thinking that these causes are yours is ignorance”. What is the way out of ignorance? The only way is definite knowledge in the mind that your body is constantly changing. You must know that you are not the body, you are the self. You are imperishable, untouched and untainted by the probabilities of the world. Every particle in this body is changing. The mind is changing. The world is changing all the time.
The entire universe is in the state of fluidity. It is full of change and it is going on according to its nature. This definite knowledge is the way to get out of the circle.
Human consciousness is like a seed. A seed has the possibility of a tree, of the leaves, of a branch, of fruits, of flowers and of multiplication. A seed needs proper ground, proper conditions, sunlight, and water, soil for it to sprout and blossom. Human consciousness is like that. Either the seed can be dormant for years together keeping its possibility within itself or it starts sprouting. The sprouting of the seed of human consciousness is viveka or discrimination. Freedom comes with discrimination.
All other species in this creation are governed by nature. They do not need discrimination, nor do they have the freedom. So they never break the laws of nature. The human mind has this possibility of freedom and it also has been given discrimination. It is through wisdom and discrimination that the human consciousness can progress or else it can remain where it is. You will never see an animal overeating. They have no choice. But human beings have this freedom to do whatever they want. This freedom is given along with discrimination, along with wisdom, along with the consequences of action. Knowledge of consequences of action helps humans to choose and lead life with wisdom. Are you getting what I am saying? The human life is governed by wisdom and discrimination.
How should this come up? How can this be enhanced? How do you make the seed sprout? A seed has the possibility. But if it is not watered then the possibility remains a possibility and does not manifest.
Time for the next sutra — Yoganganushtanadashuddhikshaye jnanadipthiraviveka khyatehe. It means that by the sustained practice of the eight limbs of yoga, the impurities are destroyed and the light of wisdom and discrimination shine forth.
The husk is strong. The sprout moves through this and the grain comes out. Similarly, by the practice of eight limbs of yoga, the impurities are destroyed and wisdom as well as discrimination shines forth.
What are the limbs of yoga?
Yamaniyamaasanapran? ayamapratyaharadharanadhyna samadhayoashtavangan, the next sutra, is the answer. It means ‘restraint, observance, postures, regulation of breath, substitute food for the mind, ability of the mind to focus, meditation and higher states of consciousness are eight limbs of yoga’.
Yoga has eight limbs and each one is connected to the whole. So, if you pull one, everything else will come. When the body is developing, the whole body develops simultaneously. Organs develop together and all the aspects or limbs of the body develop. That is why Patanjali says that these are all the limbs of yoga.
Unfortunately people think that these are all stages, one after the other which has to be achieved. This is wrong understanding or misconception that has crept in yoga.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Patangali Yog Sutra
Breathing ahimsa
The next sutra is Jatidesha kalasamayanavachchinnaha sarvabhouma mahavratam meaning ‘the great vows are universal and are not limited by life — state, country, time or circumstances’.
These words are applicable everywhere, all the time and to everyone. These five principles mentioned above are universal. An animal does not go into violence for no reason. Wild animals hunt only when they are hungry and when they want to eat. Human hunt out of pleasure. Human beings have no qualms about killing in the name of God. Mindless violence is prevalent in the world in the name of country, in the name of religion, in the name of race. This is absolute nonsense. This is total lack of viveka or wisdom. A violent person cannot listen to anybody.
Why does violence arise? Frustration is the answer. The mind gets frustrated and frustration builds up. The question ‘why, why, why?’ transforms into violence and this contagious, so to speak. A crowd commits violence. Individually, a person may not be able to do that violent act, but when that person is in the crowd he joins hands. Viveka is when a person takes to non-violence saying, “I will not kill any animal or any life on this planet consciously or unconsciously.” Already without your knowledge you are destroying many creatures. You walk and many ants are dying under your feet. You are not killing anyone. It is just happening. But an intention to destroy something, an intention to do violence can destroy your very basis, your very own root. Dropping this intention for violence is ahimsa.
What is the effect of ahimsa? Patanjali Maharishi gives a beautiful explanation in Sutra 35: Ahimsapratishtayam tatsannidhau vairatyagaha, which means “When a person is established in non-violence, then violence is dropped in his or her presence.”
If you are established in non-violence, in your very presence, violence will be dropped by other creatures. For example, someone comes to attack you. As soon as they come near you, because your vibrations are totally nonviolent, they drop down. They stop being violent. Lord Mahavira emphasises on ahimsa. It is said that whenever he walked, twenty kilometers around him, people would stop being violent. The story goes even to that extent and says even the thorns would not prick anybody but would instead become soft.
Ahimsa gives rise to tolerance.
Have you ever felt like hitting somebody? Why is that violence arising in your mind? What is the source of the violence? As you watch the source of violence, you will see that violence disappears, dissolves and peace dawns. Yoga brings that inner peace which in turn establishes non-violence. Practice of non-violence is two-way traffic. Ahimsa or non -violence brings about the union of the mind or peace of mind and when you are peaceful or calm within, you naturally become non-violent.
The next sutra is Jatidesha kalasamayanavachchinnaha sarvabhouma mahavratam meaning ‘the great vows are universal and are not limited by life — state, country, time or circumstances’.
These words are applicable everywhere, all the time and to everyone. These five principles mentioned above are universal. An animal does not go into violence for no reason. Wild animals hunt only when they are hungry and when they want to eat. Human hunt out of pleasure. Human beings have no qualms about killing in the name of God. Mindless violence is prevalent in the world in the name of country, in the name of religion, in the name of race. This is absolute nonsense. This is total lack of viveka or wisdom. A violent person cannot listen to anybody.
Why does violence arise? Frustration is the answer. The mind gets frustrated and frustration builds up. The question ‘why, why, why?’ transforms into violence and this contagious, so to speak. A crowd commits violence. Individually, a person may not be able to do that violent act, but when that person is in the crowd he joins hands. Viveka is when a person takes to non-violence saying, “I will not kill any animal or any life on this planet consciously or unconsciously.” Already without your knowledge you are destroying many creatures. You walk and many ants are dying under your feet. You are not killing anyone. It is just happening. But an intention to destroy something, an intention to do violence can destroy your very basis, your very own root. Dropping this intention for violence is ahimsa.
What is the effect of ahimsa? Patanjali Maharishi gives a beautiful explanation in Sutra 35: Ahimsapratishtayam tatsannidhau vairatyagaha, which means “When a person is established in non-violence, then violence is dropped in his or her presence.”
If you are established in non-violence, in your very presence, violence will be dropped by other creatures. For example, someone comes to attack you. As soon as they come near you, because your vibrations are totally nonviolent, they drop down. They stop being violent. Lord Mahavira emphasises on ahimsa. It is said that whenever he walked, twenty kilometers around him, people would stop being violent. The story goes even to that extent and says even the thorns would not prick anybody but would instead become soft.
Ahimsa gives rise to tolerance.
Have you ever felt like hitting somebody? Why is that violence arising in your mind? What is the source of the violence? As you watch the source of violence, you will see that violence disappears, dissolves and peace dawns. Yoga brings that inner peace which in turn establishes non-violence. Practice of non-violence is two-way traffic. Ahimsa or non -violence brings about the union of the mind or peace of mind and when you are peaceful or calm within, you naturally become non-violent.
What Gurudev Said?
'When we are joyous with ourselves, then nothing from outside can seem boring to us'
Posted: 09 Sep 2009 06:35 AM PDT
What Sri Sri said today:
'When we are joyous with ourselves, then nothing from outside can seem boring to us'
India (Art of Living International Center, Bangalore), September 8:
Q. Why is it difficult to get focused on things that I don’t like to do?
Sri Sri: If you don’t like something, then your focus is all the more on it. If you like something, then you focus on it. When you’re neutral about something, when there is no aversion, then there is no focus.
Studying the nature of mind is itself is an amazing phenomena. You will be thrilled knowing and learning more and more about your own mind. When I say mind, I don’t mean just mind. I would rather say the consciousness because the mind is one function of the consciousness. The perception is what we call the mind. The perceptible aspect of the consciousness is called mind. The judgmental aspect, the intellect.
The study of consciousness is the most difficult. And with time and maturity, everybody gets it.
Q. Can we aspire for something higher like enlightenment at the age of twenty one?
Sri Sri: Definitely. You should aspire for enlightenment and enlightenment is unconditional happiness, unconditional love and a life in which you are in the driver’s seat. You must aspire for enlightenment. Right from when you recognize to aspire anything in life. Go to the highest first and all the good things will come along, you don’t have to make an effort for it.
When I say you don’t have to make an effort, I mean you don’t have to sit and worry about it. When you aspire for the highest, your action will be spontaneous and in the spontaneity you will see things have started falling into place.
Q. What is a self referral attitude?
Sri Sri: Being in touch with your very center. When you worry there is a tendency to lose that focus or centredness. It is the same when you are tired or too busy. Self referral means coming back to yourself, to your center again and again. The core value within you.
Q. Are there any plus points of doing a job other than earning money
Sri Sri: Money and experience. That’s all and some discipline. If you have to do a job you have to discipline your life in a certain fashion.
Q. Is there a gene for knowledge, any nadi (channel for energy flow) that has to be opened for creativity?
Sri Sri: Definitely and you all have it. And it opens whenever you listen to knowledge.
Q. How does it feel to be God?
Sri Sri: Absolutely natural.
Q. We are not supposed to marry in our own gotra (family tree). Scientifically, what does a gotra mean?
Sri Sri: Gotra is a family tree, like you know if you marry your own siblings, or cousins, they say the genes will not develop properly, children will not develop. The family trees go back to some rishis in the past. And they say that gotra means we belong to this (a particular) family. Today what the scientists say about blood groups was known to people thousands of years ago. Yet people from the same gotra have spread. If you marry in the same gotra the children will not be too healthy. That is the main thing. It’s better to avoid.
But those were the thoughts from some thousands of years ago but now since we have gone so far away and the population has spread so much, it has become so vast. I don’t know how relevant it is. But (marriage within) gotra is better to avoid.
Q. Many times parents out of over attachment, prejudiced opinions and being football of the relatives opinions stop us from doing seva. Can we make seva our career?
Sri Sri: Yes.
Q. What is beauty and how to enhance it within and around us?
Sri Sri: First of all you should know you have a beautiful mind. The mind is free, it is loving, beautiful, satisfied and not feverish. So when the spirit is centred or your mind is centred, that beauty shines through.
Q. Could you speak a little bit about Sanskrit and its greatness? I would like to take it as one of my Ph.d topics.
Sri Sri: Yes, do it. Sanskrit is the mother of all languages. Whether it is English, Russian, German or Italian, there is a lot of Sanskrit in it. Of course, Sanskrit is the base of all Indian languages.
Q. Every day, in different corners of the world, people ask you the same questions. Don’t you get bored? I am very inspired by your patience.
Sri Sri: My consciousness is nitnutan (new every moment). First we get bored with ourselves and then bore others or get bored from others. When we are joyous with ourself, then nothing from outside can seem boring to us.
Q. How do we gear up for enlightenment?
Sri Sri: Wanting it, itself is half done. The rest is a little discipline and you should know that you will get it. It will be given to you. That’s why you have the path, the guru. You will just get it. Shama jali hai tere liye, tujhko kuch nahi karna hai (The candle is lit for you, you don’t have to do anything). You don’t have to do anything just be hollow and empty from inside.
Q. I have a habit of recalling the pleasant memories of life again and again, as it gives a glimpse of the same pleasure as I felt in the past. Is it something to be cautious of, can it hinder my growth?
Sri Sri: It’s alright, don’t make an effort to sit and go on remembering the past. I think you have too much free time. Get busy and start working. There are so many things to do in the world. Where is the time to live in the past, recollect all the past. Right? The world is new every moment. Go with it. Don’t turn back and keep looking back. Move forward.
Q. Why does everyone not aspire to serve the society, in their youth?
Sri Sri: It must be there. There is no heart that does not get affected at the sight of misery. This we assume. At one time, everyone should desire to do seva. This we cannot say.
Q. What is the essence and secret of life?
Sri Sri: Essence and secret! It will be whispered into your ears when you go into meditation. Do (Sudarshan) Kriya and meditation.
Q. Why is that we are unable to understand the mind- which is the most powerful thing in the world?
Sri Sri Have you begun to understand it? (reply: No) then start from somewhere and then we will see whether it is fully understandable or not.
Posted: 09 Sep 2009 06:35 AM PDT
What Sri Sri said today:
'When we are joyous with ourselves, then nothing from outside can seem boring to us'
India (Art of Living International Center, Bangalore), September 8:
Q. Why is it difficult to get focused on things that I don’t like to do?
Sri Sri: If you don’t like something, then your focus is all the more on it. If you like something, then you focus on it. When you’re neutral about something, when there is no aversion, then there is no focus.
Studying the nature of mind is itself is an amazing phenomena. You will be thrilled knowing and learning more and more about your own mind. When I say mind, I don’t mean just mind. I would rather say the consciousness because the mind is one function of the consciousness. The perception is what we call the mind. The perceptible aspect of the consciousness is called mind. The judgmental aspect, the intellect.
The study of consciousness is the most difficult. And with time and maturity, everybody gets it.
Q. Can we aspire for something higher like enlightenment at the age of twenty one?
Sri Sri: Definitely. You should aspire for enlightenment and enlightenment is unconditional happiness, unconditional love and a life in which you are in the driver’s seat. You must aspire for enlightenment. Right from when you recognize to aspire anything in life. Go to the highest first and all the good things will come along, you don’t have to make an effort for it.
When I say you don’t have to make an effort, I mean you don’t have to sit and worry about it. When you aspire for the highest, your action will be spontaneous and in the spontaneity you will see things have started falling into place.
Q. What is a self referral attitude?
Sri Sri: Being in touch with your very center. When you worry there is a tendency to lose that focus or centredness. It is the same when you are tired or too busy. Self referral means coming back to yourself, to your center again and again. The core value within you.
Q. Are there any plus points of doing a job other than earning money
Sri Sri: Money and experience. That’s all and some discipline. If you have to do a job you have to discipline your life in a certain fashion.
Q. Is there a gene for knowledge, any nadi (channel for energy flow) that has to be opened for creativity?
Sri Sri: Definitely and you all have it. And it opens whenever you listen to knowledge.
Q. How does it feel to be God?
Sri Sri: Absolutely natural.
Q. We are not supposed to marry in our own gotra (family tree). Scientifically, what does a gotra mean?
Sri Sri: Gotra is a family tree, like you know if you marry your own siblings, or cousins, they say the genes will not develop properly, children will not develop. The family trees go back to some rishis in the past. And they say that gotra means we belong to this (a particular) family. Today what the scientists say about blood groups was known to people thousands of years ago. Yet people from the same gotra have spread. If you marry in the same gotra the children will not be too healthy. That is the main thing. It’s better to avoid.
But those were the thoughts from some thousands of years ago but now since we have gone so far away and the population has spread so much, it has become so vast. I don’t know how relevant it is. But (marriage within) gotra is better to avoid.
Q. Many times parents out of over attachment, prejudiced opinions and being football of the relatives opinions stop us from doing seva. Can we make seva our career?
Sri Sri: Yes.
Q. What is beauty and how to enhance it within and around us?
Sri Sri: First of all you should know you have a beautiful mind. The mind is free, it is loving, beautiful, satisfied and not feverish. So when the spirit is centred or your mind is centred, that beauty shines through.
Q. Could you speak a little bit about Sanskrit and its greatness? I would like to take it as one of my Ph.d topics.
Sri Sri: Yes, do it. Sanskrit is the mother of all languages. Whether it is English, Russian, German or Italian, there is a lot of Sanskrit in it. Of course, Sanskrit is the base of all Indian languages.
Q. Every day, in different corners of the world, people ask you the same questions. Don’t you get bored? I am very inspired by your patience.
Sri Sri: My consciousness is nitnutan (new every moment). First we get bored with ourselves and then bore others or get bored from others. When we are joyous with ourself, then nothing from outside can seem boring to us.
Q. How do we gear up for enlightenment?
Sri Sri: Wanting it, itself is half done. The rest is a little discipline and you should know that you will get it. It will be given to you. That’s why you have the path, the guru. You will just get it. Shama jali hai tere liye, tujhko kuch nahi karna hai (The candle is lit for you, you don’t have to do anything). You don’t have to do anything just be hollow and empty from inside.
Q. I have a habit of recalling the pleasant memories of life again and again, as it gives a glimpse of the same pleasure as I felt in the past. Is it something to be cautious of, can it hinder my growth?
Sri Sri: It’s alright, don’t make an effort to sit and go on remembering the past. I think you have too much free time. Get busy and start working. There are so many things to do in the world. Where is the time to live in the past, recollect all the past. Right? The world is new every moment. Go with it. Don’t turn back and keep looking back. Move forward.
Q. Why does everyone not aspire to serve the society, in their youth?
Sri Sri: It must be there. There is no heart that does not get affected at the sight of misery. This we assume. At one time, everyone should desire to do seva. This we cannot say.
Q. What is the essence and secret of life?
Sri Sri: Essence and secret! It will be whispered into your ears when you go into meditation. Do (Sudarshan) Kriya and meditation.
Q. Why is that we are unable to understand the mind- which is the most powerful thing in the world?
Sri Sri Have you begun to understand it? (reply: No) then start from somewhere and then we will see whether it is fully understandable or not.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Patangali Yog Sutra
The real truth
Restraint, observance, postures, regulation of breath, substitute food for the mind, ability of the mind to focus, meditation and higher states of consciousness are the eight limbs of yoga. The first limb is Yama or the rules. Non-violence, truth, non-stealing, moving in the Brahman, non-accumulation are the five yamas. We already discussed about ahimsa or non-violence.
The second rule is Satya. It means to be with what is right now, to be with something that is not changing. Satya does not mean just speaking the truth. It is total commitment for truth. It is not just words. Unfortunately people mistake satya to be just speaking words. Many people consider being blunt as being truthful.
The sutra is Satyapratishtayam kriyaphalashrayatvam, meaning When you are established in truth then the fruits of action will follow.
When you become established in truth, any action you do will become fruitful. Many people do their actions, but their action does not bring about results because there is no truth consciousness inside. When there is truth consciousness inside, when you are established in the truth, the fruit of the action will follow the action immediately. It is the quality of the consciousness. Even if you lie, if you are bold enough to say that, ‘I am telling a lie right now’, you are speaking the truth!
When you lie, your consciousness is not straight-forward or strong. A person who is committed to truth is committed to the presence of the being. For them, success comes easily. The ancient saying in India is Satyameva jayate meaning ‘truth alone triumphs’. Truth will eventually win though it may appear not to be winning.
There is a story about Emperor Akbar and his minister Birbal. Once Akbar heard a lecture on truth and he became so enthusiastic and said “Okay, I will make everybody speak the truth.” Immediately he ordered that ‘‘anybody who says a lie will be hanged!” He wanted this law to be implemented. As this law was announced, there was a big commotion in the market place. What was the commotion about? All the lawyers gathered together and said “What is this law? Our profession will be finished.” In another corner all the merchants gathered together and said, “See, what is happening. This is disastrous. How can we sell anything?”
Next, all the priests gathered and it was the same story there too. The doctors gathered and said “Oh! We have to migrate to some other country. This law is too dangerous.”
All of them approached this wise minister in the king’s court, Birbal and said, “Come on Birbal, you have to do something. What will happen to our trade? This is outrageous.” Birbal said “Okay I will do something.” So, the next day Birbal, the minister entered the king’s bedroom. As he was trying to enter, the guards stopped him and asked him where he was going. Birbal said “I am going to get hanged.” Now, this was a lie! He was one of the top ministers of the cabinet. He was getting into the king’s room and saying “I am going to get hanged.” That was not a place to be hanged. So the guards said, “Minister Birbal has spoken a lie!” He was brought in front of the king. If Birbal was to be hanged then he had not spoken a lie. Whatever he had said was the truth. Then it means that an innocent man will be punished for no crime of his. It will be a big crime. If he will not be hanged then the law becomes obsolete. Then what to do?
All the wise people and all the ministers were called and there was a big debate, “Now, what should we do? Should we hang him or not? If we hang him we violate a law. If we do not hang him, even then we violate a law.” The king was in a fix. Everybody else was in a greater fix. So they told Birbal, “You yourself suggest to us as to what we should do?” Birbal then said, “Truth is not what is spoken. Anything you speak becomes a lie. The moment you open your mouth, you are distorting the truth.” Akbar realised this and withdrew the law!
Satya or truth means ‘to be with what is’. It is not just the words but it is to be truthful in one’s life, heart and presence. Truth is not what we speak, but what we are.
Restraint, observance, postures, regulation of breath, substitute food for the mind, ability of the mind to focus, meditation and higher states of consciousness are the eight limbs of yoga. The first limb is Yama or the rules. Non-violence, truth, non-stealing, moving in the Brahman, non-accumulation are the five yamas. We already discussed about ahimsa or non-violence.
The second rule is Satya. It means to be with what is right now, to be with something that is not changing. Satya does not mean just speaking the truth. It is total commitment for truth. It is not just words. Unfortunately people mistake satya to be just speaking words. Many people consider being blunt as being truthful.
The sutra is Satyapratishtayam kriyaphalashrayatvam, meaning When you are established in truth then the fruits of action will follow.
When you become established in truth, any action you do will become fruitful. Many people do their actions, but their action does not bring about results because there is no truth consciousness inside. When there is truth consciousness inside, when you are established in the truth, the fruit of the action will follow the action immediately. It is the quality of the consciousness. Even if you lie, if you are bold enough to say that, ‘I am telling a lie right now’, you are speaking the truth!
When you lie, your consciousness is not straight-forward or strong. A person who is committed to truth is committed to the presence of the being. For them, success comes easily. The ancient saying in India is Satyameva jayate meaning ‘truth alone triumphs’. Truth will eventually win though it may appear not to be winning.
There is a story about Emperor Akbar and his minister Birbal. Once Akbar heard a lecture on truth and he became so enthusiastic and said “Okay, I will make everybody speak the truth.” Immediately he ordered that ‘‘anybody who says a lie will be hanged!” He wanted this law to be implemented. As this law was announced, there was a big commotion in the market place. What was the commotion about? All the lawyers gathered together and said “What is this law? Our profession will be finished.” In another corner all the merchants gathered together and said, “See, what is happening. This is disastrous. How can we sell anything?”
Next, all the priests gathered and it was the same story there too. The doctors gathered and said “Oh! We have to migrate to some other country. This law is too dangerous.”
All of them approached this wise minister in the king’s court, Birbal and said, “Come on Birbal, you have to do something. What will happen to our trade? This is outrageous.” Birbal said “Okay I will do something.” So, the next day Birbal, the minister entered the king’s bedroom. As he was trying to enter, the guards stopped him and asked him where he was going. Birbal said “I am going to get hanged.” Now, this was a lie! He was one of the top ministers of the cabinet. He was getting into the king’s room and saying “I am going to get hanged.” That was not a place to be hanged. So the guards said, “Minister Birbal has spoken a lie!” He was brought in front of the king. If Birbal was to be hanged then he had not spoken a lie. Whatever he had said was the truth. Then it means that an innocent man will be punished for no crime of his. It will be a big crime. If he will not be hanged then the law becomes obsolete. Then what to do?
All the wise people and all the ministers were called and there was a big debate, “Now, what should we do? Should we hang him or not? If we hang him we violate a law. If we do not hang him, even then we violate a law.” The king was in a fix. Everybody else was in a greater fix. So they told Birbal, “You yourself suggest to us as to what we should do?” Birbal then said, “Truth is not what is spoken. Anything you speak becomes a lie. The moment you open your mouth, you are distorting the truth.” Akbar realised this and withdrew the law!
Satya or truth means ‘to be with what is’. It is not just the words but it is to be truthful in one’s life, heart and presence. Truth is not what we speak, but what we are.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Patangali Yog Sutra
Looking beyond the trials and tribulations of life
We were discussing about the Niyamas first one being Shoucha (inner and outer cleanliness) and second one being Santosha (Contentment or happiness).
Shoucha and santosha come together.
If there is no shoucha there can be no santosha. If you are in constant touch with other people, then you are not letting your energy to be your energy even for sometime. You are always trying to be in association with somebody .
So, you are lost. You do not know who you are. You do not know yourself. So keep some distance and some time for yourself once in a while. Learn to know what your real strength is, what your real weakness is and what your true spirit is. This is shoucha and with shoucha comes santosha or happiness.
You can come home happily and say with a smile, "today the entire job that I did flopped! There was no success in any of the work I did today." Anyway everything has flopped, so at least do not let the mind also flop. You should have the guts to say "come what may I am not going to give up the smile on my face because I am much more than the event or the circumstances. Everything comes and goes, but I continue in spite of all the situations."
Just turn back and look at your life when you were a kid. How many times have you cried? You cried as though hell has fallen on your head. You thought that was the end of the world and then sobbed and sobbed and then went off to sleep. So what happened afterwards?
Once a lady from Italy told me, "I lost my daughter not even six months ago. But I have started going to public functions. I am just being normal. I am not sad. Is something wrong with me? I feel so guilty even to smile. When she was gone I was very sad, no doubt, but I still go to parties. Of course, every mother has that little pinch inside." I said, "never mind, go. You do not have to be a masochist, thinking about the sad event all the time." She said, "But, people expect me to be sobbing all day I cried for a whole month.
I felt all that pain. But I am moving on with my life now. But people expect me to be sad all the time."
This is true. If someone has the courage to move ahead, we think that something is wrong with that person.
I tell you there is nothing wrong. In the places where Tsunami stuck on December 26, 2004 and people who were hit so badly, after our teachers taught them some breathing techniques and meditations, people were singing, smiling and dancing!! Many would not understand this. These people who were so paranoid to even look at the sea, in just two-three sessions of meditations began singing and dancing and they wanted to carry on with their lives.
The traumas have been left behind because our very nature is joy and happiness. The sadness or sorrow is only in the circumference. It is like a cloud covering the light that you are. The nature of your being is joy. That needs to be uncovered. Again, you need not make a mood out of it. When somebody has passed away, you cannot say "Okay, now I am going to be happy" and smile and dance! No, you should not do that. The ancient people had designed a methodology for this. They said that, if anyone dies in a house, the people of that house are in ‘ashoucha' for 10 days. For 10 days you can mourn and cry Even if you do not cry, they will bring some professional criers in some parts of India! There is a whole drama of crying which happens. Later these people collect the two or five hundred rupees and go happily , laughing the moment they are out of the gate and leave the house. But they really cry when they are in the dead person's house. This is to bring out the emotions of the near and dear of the dead one, so that they can be genuinely happy after the 10 days. After 10 days of mourning, on the eleventh day , they usually distribute sweets to the people, have a celebration, wear new clothes, have a family get together and have a feast.
On the day of the final rituals, they take some ghee and water and put it on their eyes which give a cooling effect and then they decide. "Okay, now we get on with our life." If a spiritual person passes away, then even this not there. Then every moment is a celebration because the sprit is all pervading. In the same way, there is shoucha when a child is born in a house for 10 days. You are so excited because a new soul has come into your family. So be with all the excitement and happiness for 10 days. You are free from all the social rules and obligations for you to enjoy 100 per cent.
Then come back to your commitments and responsibilities.
We were discussing about the Niyamas first one being Shoucha (inner and outer cleanliness) and second one being Santosha (Contentment or happiness).
Shoucha and santosha come together.
If there is no shoucha there can be no santosha. If you are in constant touch with other people, then you are not letting your energy to be your energy even for sometime. You are always trying to be in association with somebody .
So, you are lost. You do not know who you are. You do not know yourself. So keep some distance and some time for yourself once in a while. Learn to know what your real strength is, what your real weakness is and what your true spirit is. This is shoucha and with shoucha comes santosha or happiness.
You can come home happily and say with a smile, "today the entire job that I did flopped! There was no success in any of the work I did today." Anyway everything has flopped, so at least do not let the mind also flop. You should have the guts to say "come what may I am not going to give up the smile on my face because I am much more than the event or the circumstances. Everything comes and goes, but I continue in spite of all the situations."
Just turn back and look at your life when you were a kid. How many times have you cried? You cried as though hell has fallen on your head. You thought that was the end of the world and then sobbed and sobbed and then went off to sleep. So what happened afterwards?
Once a lady from Italy told me, "I lost my daughter not even six months ago. But I have started going to public functions. I am just being normal. I am not sad. Is something wrong with me? I feel so guilty even to smile. When she was gone I was very sad, no doubt, but I still go to parties. Of course, every mother has that little pinch inside." I said, "never mind, go. You do not have to be a masochist, thinking about the sad event all the time." She said, "But, people expect me to be sobbing all day I cried for a whole month.
I felt all that pain. But I am moving on with my life now. But people expect me to be sad all the time."
This is true. If someone has the courage to move ahead, we think that something is wrong with that person.
I tell you there is nothing wrong. In the places where Tsunami stuck on December 26, 2004 and people who were hit so badly, after our teachers taught them some breathing techniques and meditations, people were singing, smiling and dancing!! Many would not understand this. These people who were so paranoid to even look at the sea, in just two-three sessions of meditations began singing and dancing and they wanted to carry on with their lives.
The traumas have been left behind because our very nature is joy and happiness. The sadness or sorrow is only in the circumference. It is like a cloud covering the light that you are. The nature of your being is joy. That needs to be uncovered. Again, you need not make a mood out of it. When somebody has passed away, you cannot say "Okay, now I am going to be happy" and smile and dance! No, you should not do that. The ancient people had designed a methodology for this. They said that, if anyone dies in a house, the people of that house are in ‘ashoucha' for 10 days. For 10 days you can mourn and cry Even if you do not cry, they will bring some professional criers in some parts of India! There is a whole drama of crying which happens. Later these people collect the two or five hundred rupees and go happily , laughing the moment they are out of the gate and leave the house. But they really cry when they are in the dead person's house. This is to bring out the emotions of the near and dear of the dead one, so that they can be genuinely happy after the 10 days. After 10 days of mourning, on the eleventh day , they usually distribute sweets to the people, have a celebration, wear new clothes, have a family get together and have a feast.
On the day of the final rituals, they take some ghee and water and put it on their eyes which give a cooling effect and then they decide. "Okay, now we get on with our life." If a spiritual person passes away, then even this not there. Then every moment is a celebration because the sprit is all pervading. In the same way, there is shoucha when a child is born in a house for 10 days. You are so excited because a new soul has come into your family. So be with all the excitement and happiness for 10 days. You are free from all the social rules and obligations for you to enjoy 100 per cent.
Then come back to your commitments and responsibilities.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Patanjali and the gift of knowledge
We will begin with a story, the greatest and most effective way of conveying knowledge. Once upon a time, long ago, all the munis and rishis approached Lord Vishnu to tell him that even though He (incarnated as Lord Dhanvanthari) had given them the means to cure illnesses through Ayurveda, people still fell ill. They also wanted to know what to do when people got sick.
Sometimes it is not just physical illness, but mental and emotional illness too that needs to be dealt with. Anger, lust, greed, jealousy etc. How does one get rid of all these impurities? What is the formula?
Vishnu was lying on the bed of snakes — the serpent Adishésha with a 1,000 heads. When the Rishis approached Him, he gave them Adishésha, the symbol of awareness, who took birth in the world as Maharishi Patanjali.
So Patanjali came to this earth to give this knowledge of yoga which came to be known as the yogasutras. Patanjali said he was not going to discuss the yogasutras unless 1,000 people got together. So 1,000 people gathered south of Vindhya Mountains to listen to him.
Patanjali had another condition — he would put a screen between him and his students and told them that nobody was to lift the screen or leave. Everybody had to stay in the hall till he finished. So Patanjali stayed behind the curtain and he transmitted his knowledge to the 1,000 gathered. Each of them absorbed this knowledge. It was an amazing phenomenon and even amongst the students, they could not believe how they were getting this knowledge, how the master was making each of them understand without uttering words from behind the curtain.
Everybody was amazed. Each one of them experienced such a blast of energy, such a blast of enthusiasm, that they could not even contain it. But they still had to maintain the discipline.
But one little boy had to go out to attend nature’s call. So he left the room. He thought to himself that he would go quietly and return quietly. Another person became curious. “What is the Master doing behind the curtain? I want to see.” He got so curious that he lifted the curtain to see the Master. But just as he did so, all 999 disciples were burnt to ashes. Now, Patanjali became very sad. There he was, ready to impart knowledge to the whole world and all of his disciples were burnt.
At this moment, that one little boy returned. Patanjali asked him where he had gone. The boy explained and asked his forgiveness. Patanjali was compassionate and felt that at least one of his disciples was saved.
So he gave him the rest of the sutras, the rest of the knowledge. But the student had violated the law and Patanjali was not willing to forget that. So he said, “Since you have violated the law, you will become a Brahmarakshasa , a ghost and hang on the tree.” And the only way he could liberate himself from the curse is to teach one student. Saying this Patanjali disappeared.
Now Brahmarakshasa, hanging on a tree, would ask everyone who passed by one question and when they could not answer he would eat them. He had no choice and for a few thousand years this was the story. He could not find a single person to whom he could teach the yogasutras. So he remained in the tree as a Brahmarakshasa (the lesson here being that for the one who has great knowledge, and who does something wrong, the state of Brahmarakshasa will come. An intelligent person becoming a criminal becomes more dangerous than an innocent person becoming a criminal. If a person, who knows all knowledge and then turns a criminal, it is much more dangerous). So the Brahmarakshasa was hanging there and waiting for relief.
Then out of compassion, Patanjali himself becomes a disciple and comes as a student to Brahmarakshasa who told him all the sutras, which Patanjali wrote on the palm leaf. The story goes that to redeem one disciple, the Master became the disciple of a disciple.
Patanjali wrote the sutras sitting on the top of the tree as that was where the Brahmarakshasa sat. Also, Brahmarakshasa worked only in the night. So he dictated the sutras at night and Patanjali wrote them on the leaves. He plucked all the leaves and made a small scratch, drew blood and wrote. This went on for seven days. At the end of it, Patanjali was tired and put everything he had written on a piece pf cloth and set it down and went to bathe. But when Patanjali returned, he found that a goat had eaten most of the leaves. Patanjali then took the cloth bag and the rest of the leaves and walked away.
In this story, there is a lot of depth. The puranas do not give any explanation. They just give a story and it is for us to unlock the meaning. So what is that you all have to find out? (1) How did the master convey the knowledge to everybody without uttering a word? (2) What was the significance of the veil and when it was lifted why did everybody burn down? (3) Why was the one boy forgiven? (4) What is the significance of the goat? (4) What is the significance of this story? You should think about all this and come up with your own answers.
This is the first in a series on yoga sutras
We will begin with a story, the greatest and most effective way of conveying knowledge. Once upon a time, long ago, all the munis and rishis approached Lord Vishnu to tell him that even though He (incarnated as Lord Dhanvanthari) had given them the means to cure illnesses through Ayurveda, people still fell ill. They also wanted to know what to do when people got sick.
Sometimes it is not just physical illness, but mental and emotional illness too that needs to be dealt with. Anger, lust, greed, jealousy etc. How does one get rid of all these impurities? What is the formula?
Vishnu was lying on the bed of snakes — the serpent Adishésha with a 1,000 heads. When the Rishis approached Him, he gave them Adishésha, the symbol of awareness, who took birth in the world as Maharishi Patanjali.
So Patanjali came to this earth to give this knowledge of yoga which came to be known as the yogasutras. Patanjali said he was not going to discuss the yogasutras unless 1,000 people got together. So 1,000 people gathered south of Vindhya Mountains to listen to him.
Patanjali had another condition — he would put a screen between him and his students and told them that nobody was to lift the screen or leave. Everybody had to stay in the hall till he finished. So Patanjali stayed behind the curtain and he transmitted his knowledge to the 1,000 gathered. Each of them absorbed this knowledge. It was an amazing phenomenon and even amongst the students, they could not believe how they were getting this knowledge, how the master was making each of them understand without uttering words from behind the curtain.
Everybody was amazed. Each one of them experienced such a blast of energy, such a blast of enthusiasm, that they could not even contain it. But they still had to maintain the discipline.
But one little boy had to go out to attend nature’s call. So he left the room. He thought to himself that he would go quietly and return quietly. Another person became curious. “What is the Master doing behind the curtain? I want to see.” He got so curious that he lifted the curtain to see the Master. But just as he did so, all 999 disciples were burnt to ashes. Now, Patanjali became very sad. There he was, ready to impart knowledge to the whole world and all of his disciples were burnt.
At this moment, that one little boy returned. Patanjali asked him where he had gone. The boy explained and asked his forgiveness. Patanjali was compassionate and felt that at least one of his disciples was saved.
So he gave him the rest of the sutras, the rest of the knowledge. But the student had violated the law and Patanjali was not willing to forget that. So he said, “Since you have violated the law, you will become a Brahmarakshasa , a ghost and hang on the tree.” And the only way he could liberate himself from the curse is to teach one student. Saying this Patanjali disappeared.
Now Brahmarakshasa, hanging on a tree, would ask everyone who passed by one question and when they could not answer he would eat them. He had no choice and for a few thousand years this was the story. He could not find a single person to whom he could teach the yogasutras. So he remained in the tree as a Brahmarakshasa (the lesson here being that for the one who has great knowledge, and who does something wrong, the state of Brahmarakshasa will come. An intelligent person becoming a criminal becomes more dangerous than an innocent person becoming a criminal. If a person, who knows all knowledge and then turns a criminal, it is much more dangerous). So the Brahmarakshasa was hanging there and waiting for relief.
Then out of compassion, Patanjali himself becomes a disciple and comes as a student to Brahmarakshasa who told him all the sutras, which Patanjali wrote on the palm leaf. The story goes that to redeem one disciple, the Master became the disciple of a disciple.
Patanjali wrote the sutras sitting on the top of the tree as that was where the Brahmarakshasa sat. Also, Brahmarakshasa worked only in the night. So he dictated the sutras at night and Patanjali wrote them on the leaves. He plucked all the leaves and made a small scratch, drew blood and wrote. This went on for seven days. At the end of it, Patanjali was tired and put everything he had written on a piece pf cloth and set it down and went to bathe. But when Patanjali returned, he found that a goat had eaten most of the leaves. Patanjali then took the cloth bag and the rest of the leaves and walked away.
In this story, there is a lot of depth. The puranas do not give any explanation. They just give a story and it is for us to unlock the meaning. So what is that you all have to find out? (1) How did the master convey the knowledge to everybody without uttering a word? (2) What was the significance of the veil and when it was lifted why did everybody burn down? (3) Why was the one boy forgiven? (4) What is the significance of the goat? (4) What is the significance of this story? You should think about all this and come up with your own answers.
This is the first in a series on yoga sutras
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Sri Sri on the effect of eclipse...........
Sri Sri on the effect of eclipse...........
"When that eclipse happens, sun/moon and earth aligns, a huge energy field is created. We should meditate, chant or do satsang because the effect is at least 100 times more. Also we should not eat 3-4 hours before and after to intensify the effect even more. When we eat our body uses up lot of energy to digest the food so instead of energy going to the mind it goes in digesting the food. So if we don’t eat all the energy goes to the mind and then we should do chanting of slokas or satsang.
Our body is made up of 60% water and so during full/new moon we are affected also. That is why in olden days people use to fast on Ekadasi, few days before to balance out the effect! The fasting should be done eating fruits and vegetables. Also when we overeat or eat heavy meal during lunch, we are sleepy after food because our body is using up all the energy on digesting food and can’t do anything else."
Guruji on the 3 eclipses in July / August......
There are 3 eclipses happening in 1 month i.e the 1st (Chandra grahan) on 7th July, 2nd (surya grahan) on 22nd July and 3rd (chandra grahan) on 6th August.This is a rare phenomenon and in history has portended critical events. It happened just before the Mahabharata war and then 36 yrs after Mahabharata war i.e when Dwarka. parts of south, Mesopotamia, Sumerian civilization were submerged under water. The reference to the Noah's ark is to the same floods i.e roughly 5000yrs before. This phenomenon next occurred just before the 1st world war and then just before the 2nd world war.Guruji says it is critical and could lead to major upheavals or/and something very transforming.
He said that 1/3rd of humanity on this planet will be affected after these eclipses. He is constantly emphasining on meditations.I think. To a question 'Can nothing be done about it?', He said 'we are already doing it'.He is constantly emphasising on meditations.
Guruji also said to chant 'Om Namah shivaya' on the days of eclipses to escape the effect.
"When that eclipse happens, sun/moon and earth aligns, a huge energy field is created. We should meditate, chant or do satsang because the effect is at least 100 times more. Also we should not eat 3-4 hours before and after to intensify the effect even more. When we eat our body uses up lot of energy to digest the food so instead of energy going to the mind it goes in digesting the food. So if we don’t eat all the energy goes to the mind and then we should do chanting of slokas or satsang.
Our body is made up of 60% water and so during full/new moon we are affected also. That is why in olden days people use to fast on Ekadasi, few days before to balance out the effect! The fasting should be done eating fruits and vegetables. Also when we overeat or eat heavy meal during lunch, we are sleepy after food because our body is using up all the energy on digesting food and can’t do anything else."
Guruji on the 3 eclipses in July / August......
There are 3 eclipses happening in 1 month i.e the 1st (Chandra grahan) on 7th July, 2nd (surya grahan) on 22nd July and 3rd (chandra grahan) on 6th August.This is a rare phenomenon and in history has portended critical events. It happened just before the Mahabharata war and then 36 yrs after Mahabharata war i.e when Dwarka. parts of south, Mesopotamia, Sumerian civilization were submerged under water. The reference to the Noah's ark is to the same floods i.e roughly 5000yrs before. This phenomenon next occurred just before the 1st world war and then just before the 2nd world war.Guruji says it is critical and could lead to major upheavals or/and something very transforming.
He said that 1/3rd of humanity on this planet will be affected after these eclipses. He is constantly emphasining on meditations.I think. To a question 'Can nothing be done about it?', He said 'we are already doing it'.He is constantly emphasising on meditations.
Guruji also said to chant 'Om Namah shivaya' on the days of eclipses to escape the effect.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Building Your House
An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the house-building business to live a more leisurely life with his wife and enjoy his extended family. He would miss the paycheck each week, but he wanted to retire. They could get by.
The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go & asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but over time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end a dedicated career.
When the carpenter finished his work, his employer came to inspect the house. Then he handed the front-door key to the carpenter and said, "This is your house... my gift to you."
The carpenter was shocked!
What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently.
So it is with us. We build our lives, a day at a time, often putting less than our best into the building. Then, with a shock, we realize we have to live in the house we have built. If we could do it over, we would do it much differently.
But, you cannot go back. You are the carpenter, and every day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. Someone once said, "Life is a do-it-yourself project." Your attitude, and the choices you make today, help build the "house" you will live in tomorrow. Therefore, Build wisely!
An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the house-building business to live a more leisurely life with his wife and enjoy his extended family. He would miss the paycheck each week, but he wanted to retire. They could get by.
The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go & asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but over time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end a dedicated career.
When the carpenter finished his work, his employer came to inspect the house. Then he handed the front-door key to the carpenter and said, "This is your house... my gift to you."
The carpenter was shocked!
What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently.
So it is with us. We build our lives, a day at a time, often putting less than our best into the building. Then, with a shock, we realize we have to live in the house we have built. If we could do it over, we would do it much differently.
But, you cannot go back. You are the carpenter, and every day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. Someone once said, "Life is a do-it-yourself project." Your attitude, and the choices you make today, help build the "house" you will live in tomorrow. Therefore, Build wisely!
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Sri Sri Speaks at Ashram
‘There is no rest deeper than meditation’
Bangalore (India), May 22:
Today, India has a new government. There are two pieces of advice for the new government:
First, advice for those who won. They should think that ‘We won, people have trusted us. So, we should be humble.’ Increase humility. See those who lost with love. Sympathize with them. When a war is fought, it's a different situation: you fight. But when the war is over, the situation becomes different. Embrace the enemy. Start the process of healing wounds.
Bangalore (India), May 22:
Today, India has a new government. There are two pieces of advice for the new government:
First, advice for those who won. They should think that ‘We won, people have trusted us. So, we should be humble.’ Increase humility. See those who lost with love. Sympathize with them. When a war is fought, it's a different situation: you fight. But when the war is over, the situation becomes different. Embrace the enemy. Start the process of healing wounds.
Friday, May 22, 2009
20 dollar bill
$20.00.
Sometimes we just need to be reminded!
A well-known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20.00 bill.
In the room of 200, he asked,
"Who would like this $20 bill?"
Hands started going up.
He said,
"I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this.
He proceeded to crumple up the $20 dollar bill.
He then asked,
"Who still wants it?"
Still the hands were up in the air.
Well, he replied,
"What if I do this?"
He dropped it on the ground
And
Started to grind it into the floor with his shoe.
He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty.
"Now, who still wants it?"
Still the hands went into the air.
My friends, we have all learned a very valuable lesson.
No matter what I did to the money,
You still wanted it because it did not decrease in value.
It was still worth $20.
Many times in our lives,
We are;
Dropped,
Crumpled,
And
Ground into the dirt
By
The decisions we make,
And
The circumstances that come our way.
We feel as though we are worthless.
But, no matter what has happened or
What will happen,
You will never lose your value.
Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased,
You are still priceless to those who DO LOVE you.
The worth of our lives comes not in what we do or who we know,
But by WHO WE ARE and WHOSE WE ARE.
You are special -
Don't EVER forget it"
If you do not pass this on,
You may never know the lives it touches,
The hurting hearts it speaks to,
Or
The hope that it can bring.
Count your blessings,
Not your problems.
"And remember:
Amateurs built the ark ..
Professionals built the Titanic.
If God brings you to it -
He will bring you through it.
Sometimes we just need to be reminded!
A well-known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20.00 bill.
In the room of 200, he asked,
"Who would like this $20 bill?"
Hands started going up.
He said,
"I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this.
He proceeded to crumple up the $20 dollar bill.
He then asked,
"Who still wants it?"
Still the hands were up in the air.
Well, he replied,
"What if I do this?"
He dropped it on the ground
And
Started to grind it into the floor with his shoe.
He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty.
"Now, who still wants it?"
Still the hands went into the air.
My friends, we have all learned a very valuable lesson.
No matter what I did to the money,
You still wanted it because it did not decrease in value.
It was still worth $20.
Many times in our lives,
We are;
Dropped,
Crumpled,
And
Ground into the dirt
By
The decisions we make,
And
The circumstances that come our way.
We feel as though we are worthless.
But, no matter what has happened or
What will happen,
You will never lose your value.
Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased,
You are still priceless to those who DO LOVE you.
The worth of our lives comes not in what we do or who we know,
But by WHO WE ARE and WHOSE WE ARE.
You are special -
Don't EVER forget it"
If you do not pass this on,
You may never know the lives it touches,
The hurting hearts it speaks to,
Or
The hope that it can bring.
Count your blessings,
Not your problems.
"And remember:
Amateurs built the ark ..
Professionals built the Titanic.
If God brings you to it -
He will bring you through it.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Sculptor
A sculptor in a temple uses all types of stones. Certain stones he uses for the foundations. These never appear outside. From certain stones which are good to carve, the sculptor makes the walls and pillars of the Temple. From other stones he makes the steps. Certain stones become the tower of the Temple. Only those stones which are extremely suitable for carving will become the Deity and be installed in the Temple. When the stone become a part of the Temple, it no longer remains a stone, it becomes a sculpture, a piece of art, it becomes the Living Deity.
In the same way many people come to the Master. According to the degree of their surrender they are installed by the Master. All are essential.If there were no steps, how could a person reach the Temple? If there were no foundation, how could the Temple be there at all? What can a tower do without pillars? For a sculptor, each stone is precious and valuable
In the same way many people come to the Master. According to the degree of their surrender they are installed by the Master. All are essential.If there were no steps, how could a person reach the Temple? If there were no foundation, how could the Temple be there at all? What can a tower do without pillars? For a sculptor, each stone is precious and valuable
Friday, March 20, 2009
When a sadhak is doing some sadhana, the tradition of the masters guides him (or her). When the sadhak then passes on to the next birth, he eventually finds a guru from the tradition - or rather, the guru finds the disciple. And the sadhana starts from where it was left off from the previous lifetime. The sadhak thus does not waste his time repeating the learnings from the previous life.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Sculptor Story
Excellence
A German once visited a temple under construction where he saw a sculptor making an idol of God. Suddenly he noticed a similar idol lying nearby. Surprised, he asked the sculptor, "Do you need 2 statues of the same idol?" "No," said the sculptor without looking up, "We need only 1, but the 1st one got damaged at the last stage." The German examined the idol & found no apparent damage. "Where is the damage?" he asked. "There is a scratch on the nose of the idol" said the sculptor, still busy with his work. "Where are you going to install the idol?" The sculptor replied that it would be installed on a pillar 20 ft high. "If the idol is that far, who's going to know about the scratch. the German asked. The sculptor stopped his work, looked up at the German, smiled & said, "I will know it"
The desire to excel is exclusive of the fact whether someone else appreciates it or not. "Excellence" is a drive from inside, not outside. Excellence is not for someone else to notice but for your own satisfaction and efficiency.
God has gifted all of us with some special power or the other, we just need to find out the key and use it for the betterment. One need to have a big heart and love for everyone to do that. Life is full of fun - one has to learn the secret how to enjoy life.
A German once visited a temple under construction where he saw a sculptor making an idol of God. Suddenly he noticed a similar idol lying nearby. Surprised, he asked the sculptor, "Do you need 2 statues of the same idol?" "No," said the sculptor without looking up, "We need only 1, but the 1st one got damaged at the last stage." The German examined the idol & found no apparent damage. "Where is the damage?" he asked. "There is a scratch on the nose of the idol" said the sculptor, still busy with his work. "Where are you going to install the idol?" The sculptor replied that it would be installed on a pillar 20 ft high. "If the idol is that far, who's going to know about the scratch. the German asked. The sculptor stopped his work, looked up at the German, smiled & said, "I will know it"
The desire to excel is exclusive of the fact whether someone else appreciates it or not. "Excellence" is a drive from inside, not outside. Excellence is not for someone else to notice but for your own satisfaction and efficiency.
God has gifted all of us with some special power or the other, we just need to find out the key and use it for the betterment. One need to have a big heart and love for everyone to do that. Life is full of fun - one has to learn the secret how to enjoy life.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Guruji and SIMI
This happened in Kerela…
Sri Sri gave an audience to the SIMI (Student Islamic Movement of India) leaders. Four leaders from SIMI came to meet Sri Sri at the residence of one of the organizers. Following their entry, an air of tension enveloped the hall where hundreds were waiting to meet with Sri Sri. Naseeb, one of the devotees, guided them to the room where Sri Sri was sitting with a few of us. They (the SIMI leaders), were dashing youths in their mid 20’s. One of them was carrying the holy Koran. They were little stern and stiff. Their eyes were fixed and seemed to reflect an inner fire. They looked prepared to repulse anything that Sri Sri would tell them and most unlikely to listen to reason.
Sri Sri was His usual smiling self.
The stage was set. It had all the signs of a classic confrontation. On one side were the brash youth – intemperate, impatient, driven by ideology and out to prove their superiority. On the other was a youthful, realized sage, unperturbed, offering sane explanations that echoed an uncommon depth and breadth of understanding. Those of us in the room, were eager to see how Sri Sri would deal with these firebrands. Sri Sri embraced them and offered them chairs to sit. There was not an iota of difference in His attitude. Any casual onlooker could be forgiven for thinking that Sri Sri considered these gentlemen as amongst His most ardent devotees. Perhaps the only difference that we could see was that they were seated on chairs while the rest of us were on the floor! For us, it was yet another opportunity to witness the unconditional love that Sri Sri exemplifies.
The leader of the group spoke first. He asked
SIMI: You had wanted to meet with us.
SRI SRI: Yes. I wanted to understand why your organization was opposed to the Anandotsavam.
SIMI: We thought that holding an Anandotsavam (celebration) on December 6th was a deliberate move to insult our religious sentiments. Do you know about our religion?. Do you believe in the Koran at all?
SRI SRI: Yes of course.
SIMI: (Not expecting this answer, pointing to the Koran, they shot the next question) We believe that Koran is the only knowledge. What about you?
SRI SRI: This is one amongst the various knowledge revealed to man from time to time.
SIMI: But God has said this is the only knowledge. The way of the Koran is the only way. There is no other way.
SRI SRI: This message can be found in scriptures of all religions. In the Vedas it is said “Naanyah Panthaah Ayanaaya Vidyate” meaning “There is no other way but the way of Truth!” The same is said in the Bible, Jesus says, “To go to my father, you have to go through me. I am the only way”.
SIMI: But our scripture says worshipping any form or idol is evil, it is blasphemy.
SRI SRI: What is Good and Evil after all? It is relative. Relative existence is not the complete picture For example: Milk is good, but too much milk can kill you. Poison is harmful, but a drop of poison can save your life. Most lifesaving medicines have poison written on them! These are neither absolutely good nor bad they are just there. Truth transcends duality, and God is the Absolute and only Truth. So, where is the place for evil?
SIMI: Yet you Hindus worship many Gods, whereas our ideal is there is only one God and His message is what is required to go to heaven.
SRI SRI: There is only one god in many forms…
SIMI: (Restless and unwilling to listen to any explanation, they interrupted Sri Sri.) But the Koran says you should only worship Allah who is formless whereas the Hindus worship idols which are only stones.
SRI SRI: At this, Sri Sri suddenly asked them: Do you honour the Koran?
SIMI: (They seemed a little taken aback at this question from Sri Sri and with a righteous air answered). Yes, it is God’s word!
SRI SRI: Do you honor the Mecca?
SIMI: Yes, of course! That is our sacred place.
SRI SRI: So also, Hindu’s honour God’s creation as God. Just like sound (Koran), the crescent moon, Kaaba and the month of Ramadan are sacred for you, Hindus consider the River Ganges, the Himalayas, Saints as sacred. See, a picture of your daughter is not your daughter, but you still adore the daughter’s picture. When you see the picture aren’t you reminded of your daughter?
(They nodded a yes)
SRI SRI: So also, a symbol is not God but is honoured as God. This sense of honouring and sacredness makes you awake and alive. That is why the ancient Rishis said to feel the entire creation and your whole life as sacred. They considered God as omnipresent, as inseparable from His creation; like the dance and the dancer.
Sri Sri elaborated further – Spirit loves diversity. Is there only one type of vegetable or fruit? God created many type of fruits and vegetables. There is not just one type of tree, not just one type of snake, cloud, mosquito….Even you change your dress for different occasions. So how could this consciousness that manifested this whole creation be monotonous? There is only one God in many forms. Only one God is advocated. When you accept the variety of Divinity, you cease to be a fanatic and fundamentalist. A pregnant silence filled the room as they looked at each other expecting the other to speak. Then as a face saving measure, the SIMI leader replied, “I will need to go and consult my higher scholars.” With a compassionate expression on His face, Sri Sri said: Never mind, (with a wave of His hand) forget about religion. We are all human beings. Let us have a peaceful society. Let us focus on development.
SIMI: No No No! What are you saying? You are talking about this world. What we do here is immaterial. The Koran tells us that what matters is what you get in eternal life and not to worry about material life. By doing service to the society you will simply remain here. You have to obey Allah. Allah is the only God and Mohammed is the last prophet.
SRI SRI: At this Sri Sri stopped them and after a pause asked them: Do you think the Sikh Gurus are not prophets. Isn’t Mirabai a prophet? What about Chaitanya Mahaprabhu?
Once again, there was silence. Their expressions had changed. The rigidity had weakened and in its place was some confusion/uncertainty. Sri Sri seemed totally at ease unmindful of the challenges posed at Him.
SIMI: No! You can go to heaven only if you believe in Allah and the Koran.
SRI SRI: No my dear – there was Buddha, Mahavira, Nanak, Jesus, Shankara… Do you think they are not in heaven? If not, then I would rather be with them!
SIMI: You are such a nice person, but we pity you because you cannot get the truth. You can’t go to Allah. You can’t be rewarded by Allah. God will never show mercy on you.
SRI SRI: Never mind. (with a mischievous smile ) I will be with these people (Shankara, Jesus, etc.)
(Even as we were admiring Sri Sri’s patience and objectivity, we were concerned at the wrong indoctrination that these youths had been subjected to. We also observed a few others who were in the room were getting a little restive, possibly wondering why Sri Sri was spending so much time with these people who were obviously not at all receptive and that too when hundreds were waiting outside just for a glimpse of Sri Sri.)
SIMI: Do you know, that over 1400 years ago, in the middle of the desert, God revealed the secrets of creation. Even when there was no science, God said that the Atom is the smallest particle!
SRI SRI smiled and said: Yes, the same is there in the shaastras too which were known more than 10,000 years ago. In the shaastras it is said that the Earth is over 19 billion years old! Truth is beyond time and space. It is not confined to one time or one place One needs to have a scientific spirituality.
As if to conclude the conversation Sri Sri gave them Ladoo as prasad. By now there were traces of a smile on their faces. When they were about to leave He gave them a hug. They definitely seemed to be less stern than earlier. Could their attitude have changed? We wondered whether this (‘changed attitude’) would persist or would they go back to their old fanatic ways. But one thing was for sure, Sri Sri had made an impression that they would not forget!
Later, while Sri Sri was having His lunch, someone asked Him, “Why is that Islam is producing so many terrorists all over the world? No other religion has given rise to so many terrorists in the world. What is the reason?”
SRI SRI: Look at the commitment and the fire in them. Take the good from them and learn what you should not be doing. Don’t label them as bad people. They have not been imparted the knowledge of Vedanta. (Then as He was adding ghee to the chilli powder) He smiled and said “In this creation, there is a place for everything.”
Excerpted from an article written by Swami Sadhyojata and Harish RamachandranJai Gurudeva! Bawa
This happened in Kerela…
Sri Sri gave an audience to the SIMI (Student Islamic Movement of India) leaders. Four leaders from SIMI came to meet Sri Sri at the residence of one of the organizers. Following their entry, an air of tension enveloped the hall where hundreds were waiting to meet with Sri Sri. Naseeb, one of the devotees, guided them to the room where Sri Sri was sitting with a few of us. They (the SIMI leaders), were dashing youths in their mid 20’s. One of them was carrying the holy Koran. They were little stern and stiff. Their eyes were fixed and seemed to reflect an inner fire. They looked prepared to repulse anything that Sri Sri would tell them and most unlikely to listen to reason.
Sri Sri was His usual smiling self.
The stage was set. It had all the signs of a classic confrontation. On one side were the brash youth – intemperate, impatient, driven by ideology and out to prove their superiority. On the other was a youthful, realized sage, unperturbed, offering sane explanations that echoed an uncommon depth and breadth of understanding. Those of us in the room, were eager to see how Sri Sri would deal with these firebrands. Sri Sri embraced them and offered them chairs to sit. There was not an iota of difference in His attitude. Any casual onlooker could be forgiven for thinking that Sri Sri considered these gentlemen as amongst His most ardent devotees. Perhaps the only difference that we could see was that they were seated on chairs while the rest of us were on the floor! For us, it was yet another opportunity to witness the unconditional love that Sri Sri exemplifies.
The leader of the group spoke first. He asked
SIMI: You had wanted to meet with us.
SRI SRI: Yes. I wanted to understand why your organization was opposed to the Anandotsavam.
SIMI: We thought that holding an Anandotsavam (celebration) on December 6th was a deliberate move to insult our religious sentiments. Do you know about our religion?. Do you believe in the Koran at all?
SRI SRI: Yes of course.
SIMI: (Not expecting this answer, pointing to the Koran, they shot the next question) We believe that Koran is the only knowledge. What about you?
SRI SRI: This is one amongst the various knowledge revealed to man from time to time.
SIMI: But God has said this is the only knowledge. The way of the Koran is the only way. There is no other way.
SRI SRI: This message can be found in scriptures of all religions. In the Vedas it is said “Naanyah Panthaah Ayanaaya Vidyate” meaning “There is no other way but the way of Truth!” The same is said in the Bible, Jesus says, “To go to my father, you have to go through me. I am the only way”.
SIMI: But our scripture says worshipping any form or idol is evil, it is blasphemy.
SRI SRI: What is Good and Evil after all? It is relative. Relative existence is not the complete picture For example: Milk is good, but too much milk can kill you. Poison is harmful, but a drop of poison can save your life. Most lifesaving medicines have poison written on them! These are neither absolutely good nor bad they are just there. Truth transcends duality, and God is the Absolute and only Truth. So, where is the place for evil?
SIMI: Yet you Hindus worship many Gods, whereas our ideal is there is only one God and His message is what is required to go to heaven.
SRI SRI: There is only one god in many forms…
SIMI: (Restless and unwilling to listen to any explanation, they interrupted Sri Sri.) But the Koran says you should only worship Allah who is formless whereas the Hindus worship idols which are only stones.
SRI SRI: At this, Sri Sri suddenly asked them: Do you honour the Koran?
SIMI: (They seemed a little taken aback at this question from Sri Sri and with a righteous air answered). Yes, it is God’s word!
SRI SRI: Do you honor the Mecca?
SIMI: Yes, of course! That is our sacred place.
SRI SRI: So also, Hindu’s honour God’s creation as God. Just like sound (Koran), the crescent moon, Kaaba and the month of Ramadan are sacred for you, Hindus consider the River Ganges, the Himalayas, Saints as sacred. See, a picture of your daughter is not your daughter, but you still adore the daughter’s picture. When you see the picture aren’t you reminded of your daughter?
(They nodded a yes)
SRI SRI: So also, a symbol is not God but is honoured as God. This sense of honouring and sacredness makes you awake and alive. That is why the ancient Rishis said to feel the entire creation and your whole life as sacred. They considered God as omnipresent, as inseparable from His creation; like the dance and the dancer.
Sri Sri elaborated further – Spirit loves diversity. Is there only one type of vegetable or fruit? God created many type of fruits and vegetables. There is not just one type of tree, not just one type of snake, cloud, mosquito….Even you change your dress for different occasions. So how could this consciousness that manifested this whole creation be monotonous? There is only one God in many forms. Only one God is advocated. When you accept the variety of Divinity, you cease to be a fanatic and fundamentalist. A pregnant silence filled the room as they looked at each other expecting the other to speak. Then as a face saving measure, the SIMI leader replied, “I will need to go and consult my higher scholars.” With a compassionate expression on His face, Sri Sri said: Never mind, (with a wave of His hand) forget about religion. We are all human beings. Let us have a peaceful society. Let us focus on development.
SIMI: No No No! What are you saying? You are talking about this world. What we do here is immaterial. The Koran tells us that what matters is what you get in eternal life and not to worry about material life. By doing service to the society you will simply remain here. You have to obey Allah. Allah is the only God and Mohammed is the last prophet.
SRI SRI: At this Sri Sri stopped them and after a pause asked them: Do you think the Sikh Gurus are not prophets. Isn’t Mirabai a prophet? What about Chaitanya Mahaprabhu?
Once again, there was silence. Their expressions had changed. The rigidity had weakened and in its place was some confusion/uncertainty. Sri Sri seemed totally at ease unmindful of the challenges posed at Him.
SIMI: No! You can go to heaven only if you believe in Allah and the Koran.
SRI SRI: No my dear – there was Buddha, Mahavira, Nanak, Jesus, Shankara… Do you think they are not in heaven? If not, then I would rather be with them!
SIMI: You are such a nice person, but we pity you because you cannot get the truth. You can’t go to Allah. You can’t be rewarded by Allah. God will never show mercy on you.
SRI SRI: Never mind. (with a mischievous smile ) I will be with these people (Shankara, Jesus, etc.)
(Even as we were admiring Sri Sri’s patience and objectivity, we were concerned at the wrong indoctrination that these youths had been subjected to. We also observed a few others who were in the room were getting a little restive, possibly wondering why Sri Sri was spending so much time with these people who were obviously not at all receptive and that too when hundreds were waiting outside just for a glimpse of Sri Sri.)
SIMI: Do you know, that over 1400 years ago, in the middle of the desert, God revealed the secrets of creation. Even when there was no science, God said that the Atom is the smallest particle!
SRI SRI smiled and said: Yes, the same is there in the shaastras too which were known more than 10,000 years ago. In the shaastras it is said that the Earth is over 19 billion years old! Truth is beyond time and space. It is not confined to one time or one place One needs to have a scientific spirituality.
As if to conclude the conversation Sri Sri gave them Ladoo as prasad. By now there were traces of a smile on their faces. When they were about to leave He gave them a hug. They definitely seemed to be less stern than earlier. Could their attitude have changed? We wondered whether this (‘changed attitude’) would persist or would they go back to their old fanatic ways. But one thing was for sure, Sri Sri had made an impression that they would not forget!
Later, while Sri Sri was having His lunch, someone asked Him, “Why is that Islam is producing so many terrorists all over the world? No other religion has given rise to so many terrorists in the world. What is the reason?”
SRI SRI: Look at the commitment and the fire in them. Take the good from them and learn what you should not be doing. Don’t label them as bad people. They have not been imparted the knowledge of Vedanta. (Then as He was adding ghee to the chilli powder) He smiled and said “In this creation, there is a place for everything.”
Excerpted from an article written by Swami Sadhyojata and Harish RamachandranJai Gurudeva! Bawa
Sunday, March 8, 2009
A boy and a girl were playing together. The boy had a collection of marbles. The girl had some sweets with her. The boy told the girl that he will give her all his marbles in exchange for her sweets. The girl agreed.
The boy kept the biggest and the most beautiful marble aside and gave the rest to the girl. The girl gave him all her sweets as she had promised.
That night, the girl slept peacefully. But the boy couldn't sleep as he kept wondering if the girl had hidden some sweets from him the way he had hidden his best marble.
Moral of the story: If you don't give your hundred percent in a relationship, you'll always keep doubting if the other person has given his/her hundred percent.. This is applicable for any relationship like love, employer-employee relationship etc.
Give your hundred percent to everything you do and sleep peacefully.
The boy kept the biggest and the most beautiful marble aside and gave the rest to the girl. The girl gave him all her sweets as she had promised.
That night, the girl slept peacefully. But the boy couldn't sleep as he kept wondering if the girl had hidden some sweets from him the way he had hidden his best marble.
Moral of the story: If you don't give your hundred percent in a relationship, you'll always keep doubting if the other person has given his/her hundred percent.. This is applicable for any relationship like love, employer-employee relationship etc.
Give your hundred percent to everything you do and sleep peacefully.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Interesting facts
“Breathing is the first act of life. Within breathing is the secret of life,”
Interesting facts about the Art of Living course:
• AOL has been part of the training for NASA scientists and employees.
• It is part of the training for Miss India contestants.. Teachers in a school in Basel, Switzerland get paid vacation to do AOL course.
• Sudarshan Kriya has been acknowledged by All India Institute of Medical Sciences based on its medical research
Thursday, March 5, 2009
8 ways to peace in mind
1. Smile - Only 4 muscles are used to smile. To have a serious face 72muscles are used. Intelligent people work less by keeping a smile.Doesn't matter if it is not natural. Fake it till you make it.
2. Sadhana – Why we should do sadhana every day? Our body has billionsof cells and these cells function in rotation. The cells that are onduty today will get their slot to work only after some days. That iswhy we cannot afford to miss even a day's sadhana. Do at least 20minutes of meditation daily.
3. Sing for a few minutes every day. Just for yourself. During thistime you need not have to bother about your voice (just like duringsatsang) and what others will think of it(we have done enough thinkingfor others lets now take a break from it).
4. Take a walk for yourself. Sort of Nature work. Feeling thesurroundings and feeling our own Self.
5. Have a bigger goal in life – 'I want to know the TRUTH'. 'I want torealize myself' etc., would be worthy goals.
6. Seva –Gurudev says – If you do not do seva, you are a burden on theplanet. No where He speaks harsh like this. To that extent seva isimportant.In one of the AMCs Some one asked Guruji how to attain Equanimity ofmind.Gurudev answered if you feel sad then Meditate; If you are happydo seva
7. Once in a while reflect your life in the context of time and space– Who am I? What i am doing to this world?It makes our worries
insignificant and makes us realize how tiny our problems are.
8. Have faith, shraddha in ourselves, in the Divine or/& in the Master.All these eight ways are equally important and should be followed daily.
Jai Gurudev
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
A saint asked his disciples, 'Why do we shout in anger? Why do people shout at each other when they are upset?'
Disciples thought for a while, one of them said, 'Because we lose our calm, we shout for that.' 'But, why to shout when the other person is just next to you?' asked the saint. 'Isn't it possible to speak to him or her with a soft voice? Why do you shout at a person when you're angry?' Disciples gave some other answers but none satisfied the saint. Finally he explained, 'When two people are angry at each other, their hearts distance a lot. To cover that distance they must shout to be able to hear each other. The angrier they are, the stronger they will have to shout to hear each other through that great distance.' Then the saint asked, 'What happens when two people fall in love? They don't shout at each other but talk softly, why? Because their
hearts are very close. The distance between them is very small...' The saint continued, 'When they love each other even more, what happens? They do not speak, only whisper and they get even closer to each other in their love. Finally they even need not whisper, they only look at each other and that's all. That is how close two people are when they love each other.'MORAL: When you argue do not let your hearts get distant, do not say words that distance each other more, else there will come a day when the distance is so great that you will not find the path to return.
Yama (5 rules important for peaceful living in society.)
1. Ahimsa – Non Violence . It unites you with the whole creation. Everything is part of yourself, and since you do not harm yourself, how can you harm anything?
2. Satya – Truth. You don’t lie to yourself, do you? If you are wearing beads, you don’t say, “I am not wearing the beads.”
3. Achaurya - No regrets. Not missing what you don’t have at this moment. “I wish I had a voice like that person so I could sing like him, I wish I could run like him, I wish I could be intelligent” comparing yourself with others.
4. Brahmacharaya Not interested in small things, such as bodily shapes and forms. Brahma means “BIG” and acharaya means “Moving in the bigger things”. I am this, I am that, I am a man, I am a woman, I am good, I am bad, these are small identifications. Keep our mind on bigger things and see beyond the physical. Seeing the infinite is Brahmacharaya.
5. Aparigraha – Not taking what people give you. You often take insults willingly than compliments. You know people sometimes not giving insults but simply taking the insults out of their pockets. You just go and grab them and keep them safe with yourself. That is what most people do.
Niyama (5 rules for inner development.)
1. Shaucha – Cleanliness. Showering everyday. Keep yourself clean, wear clean clothes and see don’t have bad breath.
2. Santosha – Contentment. Be happy. If you don’t take a step to be happy, nothing in this world can make you happy. You will complaining about this and that. How do you want to live the rest of your life – the next 30,40,50 years? With a smile or with a grumbling face, the choice is yours.
3. Tapas – Forbearance or penance. Something is uncomfortable, but you still put up with it and happily. Tapas we have to take it, to forebear.
4. Svadhyaya – Self study. Observe your mind and see what your mind says. Observe how you behave and how you react. Whether you are feeling good or bad, just observe will change. Knowing this will bring peace.
5. Ishvarapranidhana – Love of the Divine and surrender to the Divine. Whe you feel that you are totally helpless, you say “Oh God and surrender your situation to the Divine. This connection with the Divine is Ishvarapranidhana
These ten rules make you very strong, whole and complete. To feel clean inside, we have two things “SO HUM” and “SO WHAT”.
“SO WHAT” will definitely work and if it dosen’t then “SO HUM” will certainly work.
1. Ahimsa – Non Violence . It unites you with the whole creation. Everything is part of yourself, and since you do not harm yourself, how can you harm anything?
2. Satya – Truth. You don’t lie to yourself, do you? If you are wearing beads, you don’t say, “I am not wearing the beads.”
3. Achaurya - No regrets. Not missing what you don’t have at this moment. “I wish I had a voice like that person so I could sing like him, I wish I could run like him, I wish I could be intelligent” comparing yourself with others.
4. Brahmacharaya Not interested in small things, such as bodily shapes and forms. Brahma means “BIG” and acharaya means “Moving in the bigger things”. I am this, I am that, I am a man, I am a woman, I am good, I am bad, these are small identifications. Keep our mind on bigger things and see beyond the physical. Seeing the infinite is Brahmacharaya.
5. Aparigraha – Not taking what people give you. You often take insults willingly than compliments. You know people sometimes not giving insults but simply taking the insults out of their pockets. You just go and grab them and keep them safe with yourself. That is what most people do.
Niyama (5 rules for inner development.)
1. Shaucha – Cleanliness. Showering everyday. Keep yourself clean, wear clean clothes and see don’t have bad breath.
2. Santosha – Contentment. Be happy. If you don’t take a step to be happy, nothing in this world can make you happy. You will complaining about this and that. How do you want to live the rest of your life – the next 30,40,50 years? With a smile or with a grumbling face, the choice is yours.
3. Tapas – Forbearance or penance. Something is uncomfortable, but you still put up with it and happily. Tapas we have to take it, to forebear.
4. Svadhyaya – Self study. Observe your mind and see what your mind says. Observe how you behave and how you react. Whether you are feeling good or bad, just observe will change. Knowing this will bring peace.
5. Ishvarapranidhana – Love of the Divine and surrender to the Divine. Whe you feel that you are totally helpless, you say “Oh God and surrender your situation to the Divine. This connection with the Divine is Ishvarapranidhana
These ten rules make you very strong, whole and complete. To feel clean inside, we have two things “SO HUM” and “SO WHAT”.
“SO WHAT” will definitely work and if it dosen’t then “SO HUM” will certainly work.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Do not be afraid to shine.
The world needs what you have to give.
Open up the areas of your being;
Expose them to yourself - to others.
You are valuable. You are unique.
You have much to give.
Do not be afraid to give it.
As we risk ourselves, we grow.
Each new experience is a risk.
We can try, and maybe fail,
And, as a result, grow or hold back and stagnate.
You have the potential to be anything you want.
You are free to choose.
You are limited only by your fears.
Let your dreams take over.
Fly with the eagles. Soar into life.The world is waiting for you.
The world needs what you have to give.
Open up the areas of your being;
Expose them to yourself - to others.
You are valuable. You are unique.
You have much to give.
Do not be afraid to give it.
As we risk ourselves, we grow.
Each new experience is a risk.
We can try, and maybe fail,
And, as a result, grow or hold back and stagnate.
You have the potential to be anything you want.
You are free to choose.
You are limited only by your fears.
Let your dreams take over.
Fly with the eagles. Soar into life.The world is waiting for you.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar tells us about Shivratri :)
Shiva is not any person sitting in some hill, kailas hill, he is not that. What does Kailas mean? Kailas – 'Las' means what, where there is celebration, happiness. Where there is a festive atmosphere. Where there is frolicsomeness / intoxication. Where there is celebration and only celebration. That is Kailas. Vaikunth is where there is nothing short. Kunth – is shortage. Vaikunth is where there is shortage of nothing. Where there is only celebration that is kailas. So, Shiv ji is seated in such kailas. Aatma only is Shiva.
If you meditate on shivaratri then the power of meditation is 100 times more, it is said like that. At least do it on that day, it's okay if you don't do it on other days, at least do it one day. It's said for the sake of saying. So that which is always(nitya) and which is (shashwat), that is shiva tattva. It's said beautiful in that shloka:
Shivaratri is the day of Lord Shiva. Shiva is the lord of meditation and therefore the lord of awakening. Shiva Tatva means to be awakened. Shivratri is thus an occasion to awaken one's self from all sorts of slumber. Shivaratri is not a night to be slept over. One should try and be up through the night. It signifies being aware of everything you have and being grateful about it. Be grateful for the happiness which leads to growth, and also for sadness which gives a depth to life. This is the right way of observing Shivaratri.
For the pious, the following method of Shiva worship is advisable - sit down in lotus posture, do some Pranayam to stabilize your breath, then indulge in Dhyana, followed by chanting of "Om Namah Shivaya". It is the greatest mantra and the devout should drown himself in its Kirtan. Shivaratri worship leads to fulfillment of a devotee's wishes.
There are certain days and time frames in a year that enhance one's mental and spiritual faculties. In such times, whatever one wishes, materializes. Shivaratri is one such day. All this is very scientific. Going to temples on this day is OK but you should remember that Shiva is everywhere.
The meaning of Kailasa (legendary abode of Shiva in Himalayas) is celebration. So where there is happiness and celebration, Shiva is present. Whether in Sanyasa or Sansara, you can't escape Shiva. Feeling his presence all the time is the essence of Shivaratri. That is the real Sanyasa. No worship is complete without offering something to the deity. Shiva is a very simple lord, he is innocent - Bholanath. One just needs to offer bel-patra to him. But in this simplicity is a deep message. Bel-patra offerings signify the surrender of all three aspects of one's nature -Tamas, Rajas and Sattva. You have to surrender the positives and negatives of your life to Shiva and become carefree! The greatest offering is your self. To offer one's self is the key to happiness in life. After all, why do you get sad? It is mainly because you are not able to achieve something in life. At such times you should surrender everything to the all knowing God. The greatest power is in surrender to the divine. It's like a drop owning the ocean. If a drop remains separate, it will perish. But when it becomes the ocean, it is eternal!
Your true nature is Shiva. And Shiva is peace, infinity, beauty and the non-dual One. Ratri means "to take refuge." Shivaratri is taking refuge in Shiva.
Shivam, Shantam, Advaitam: Shiva means your very Self your innermost core, the purest Self. Shanta is quiet, peaceful, very innocent. Advaita is non-dual, only One. So, Shiva means good, benevolent, Ratri means that which gives rest, takes you into its lap and comfort. Night is always comforting, all activities have stopped, everything is quiet, peaceful, environment becomes quiet, body gets tired, goes to sleep. Shivaratri -- a rest which is so deep. When the mind rests with the Divine, that is the real rest, only in the Divine lap.
Any meditation we do on this day has a manifold effect, for this is the day when spirit touches the earth.
The first sound when creation manifested was Om. The second sound was So Hum. The third sound was Om Namah Shivaya.
By chanting Om Namah Shivaya, it is said that one gets rid of all the sins. Even if one has never chanted the Om Namah Shivaya mantra, it is worth just listening to it and soaking in it. It is called Mantra Snanam (bathing in Mantra). It elevates the consciousness.
Shiva is not any person sitting in some hill, kailas hill, he is not that. What does Kailas mean? Kailas – 'Las' means what, where there is celebration, happiness. Where there is a festive atmosphere. Where there is frolicsomeness / intoxication. Where there is celebration and only celebration. That is Kailas. Vaikunth is where there is nothing short. Kunth – is shortage. Vaikunth is where there is shortage of nothing. Where there is only celebration that is kailas. So, Shiv ji is seated in such kailas. Aatma only is Shiva.
If you meditate on shivaratri then the power of meditation is 100 times more, it is said like that. At least do it on that day, it's okay if you don't do it on other days, at least do it one day. It's said for the sake of saying. So that which is always(nitya) and which is (shashwat), that is shiva tattva. It's said beautiful in that shloka:
Shivaratri is the day of Lord Shiva. Shiva is the lord of meditation and therefore the lord of awakening. Shiva Tatva means to be awakened. Shivratri is thus an occasion to awaken one's self from all sorts of slumber. Shivaratri is not a night to be slept over. One should try and be up through the night. It signifies being aware of everything you have and being grateful about it. Be grateful for the happiness which leads to growth, and also for sadness which gives a depth to life. This is the right way of observing Shivaratri.
For the pious, the following method of Shiva worship is advisable - sit down in lotus posture, do some Pranayam to stabilize your breath, then indulge in Dhyana, followed by chanting of "Om Namah Shivaya". It is the greatest mantra and the devout should drown himself in its Kirtan. Shivaratri worship leads to fulfillment of a devotee's wishes.
There are certain days and time frames in a year that enhance one's mental and spiritual faculties. In such times, whatever one wishes, materializes. Shivaratri is one such day. All this is very scientific. Going to temples on this day is OK but you should remember that Shiva is everywhere.
The meaning of Kailasa (legendary abode of Shiva in Himalayas) is celebration. So where there is happiness and celebration, Shiva is present. Whether in Sanyasa or Sansara, you can't escape Shiva. Feeling his presence all the time is the essence of Shivaratri. That is the real Sanyasa. No worship is complete without offering something to the deity. Shiva is a very simple lord, he is innocent - Bholanath. One just needs to offer bel-patra to him. But in this simplicity is a deep message. Bel-patra offerings signify the surrender of all three aspects of one's nature -Tamas, Rajas and Sattva. You have to surrender the positives and negatives of your life to Shiva and become carefree! The greatest offering is your self. To offer one's self is the key to happiness in life. After all, why do you get sad? It is mainly because you are not able to achieve something in life. At such times you should surrender everything to the all knowing God. The greatest power is in surrender to the divine. It's like a drop owning the ocean. If a drop remains separate, it will perish. But when it becomes the ocean, it is eternal!
Your true nature is Shiva. And Shiva is peace, infinity, beauty and the non-dual One. Ratri means "to take refuge." Shivaratri is taking refuge in Shiva.
Shivam, Shantam, Advaitam: Shiva means your very Self your innermost core, the purest Self. Shanta is quiet, peaceful, very innocent. Advaita is non-dual, only One. So, Shiva means good, benevolent, Ratri means that which gives rest, takes you into its lap and comfort. Night is always comforting, all activities have stopped, everything is quiet, peaceful, environment becomes quiet, body gets tired, goes to sleep. Shivaratri -- a rest which is so deep. When the mind rests with the Divine, that is the real rest, only in the Divine lap.
Any meditation we do on this day has a manifold effect, for this is the day when spirit touches the earth.
The first sound when creation manifested was Om. The second sound was So Hum. The third sound was Om Namah Shivaya.
By chanting Om Namah Shivaya, it is said that one gets rid of all the sins. Even if one has never chanted the Om Namah Shivaya mantra, it is worth just listening to it and soaking in it. It is called Mantra Snanam (bathing in Mantra). It elevates the consciousness.
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