Let Go....

"Clear your mind of dogmatic theological debris; let in the fresh, healing waters of direct perception. Attune yourself to the active inner Guidance; the Divine Voice has the answer to every dilemma of life. Though man's ingenuity for getting himself into trouble appears to be endless, the Infinite Succor is no less resourceful."

-Lahiri Mahasaya  

Merry Christmas!

Jesus of Nazareth  (Part One). Franco Zeffirelli's 1977 masterpiece

See Part II here.

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Cause and Effect

 "The Absolute is the original (bimba) and the world is the reflection (pratibimba) just as the moon causes many refection’s in different pools of water and the reflections differ in their clarity according to the degree of cleanliness of the water reflecting it and just as they appear to be stable or moving if the water is stable or moving, similarly, due to the nature of avidya (ignorance), the jivas (living beings) who are the reflections of the infinite, appear to have different forms and types."

-Adi Shankaracharya, commentary on the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad

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"Due to ignorance, that which belongs to the mind; the agency of actions, etc, is attributed to the Self;  just as attributed to the moon reflected in water  are the trembling, etc, which belong to water."

-Adi Shankaracharya, Atma Bodha, verse 22

Shraddha (faith) and Titiksha (forbearance)

"There are pearls in the deep sea, but one must hazard all to find them. If diving once does not bring you pearls, you need not therefore conclude that the sea is without them. Dive again and again. You are sure to be rewarded in the end. So is it with the finding of the Lord in this world. If your first attempt proves fruitless, do not lose heart. Persevere in your efforts. You are sure to realize Him at last."

-Sri Ramakrishna

See the Self in All

 "This is the gist of all worship — to be pure and to do good to others. He who sees Siva in the poor, in the weak, and in the diseased, really worships Siva, and if he sees Siva only in the image, his worship is but preliminary. He who has served and helped one poor man seeing Siva in him, without thinking of his caste, creed, or race, or anything, with him Siva is more pleased than with the man who sees Him only in temples."

-Swami Vivekananda

Morning and Evening Prayer (Gandhi)

Ahimsa, satya, asteya,

Brachmacharya, asangraha,

Sharirashram, aswada,

Sarvatra, bhaya varjana,

Sarva dharma samanatva,

Swadeshi, sparsha bhavana,

Vinamra vrata nishtha se,

Ye ekadash sevya hain. 

 

Nonviolence, truth, nonstealing

Sacred sex, nonconsumerism,

Physical work, avoidance of bad taste,

Fearlessness, respect for all religions

Local economy and respect for all beings. 

These 11 principles 

Should be followed with humility, care, and commitment.

 

-Mahatma Gandhi, morning and evening prayer

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"Prayer does for the purification of the mind, what the bucket and the broom do for the cleaning up of our physical surroundings. And that is why we always commence our proceedings with prayer. No matter whether the prayer we recite is the Hindu prayer or the Muslim or the Parsi, its function is essentially the same, namely, purification of the heart." 

- Mahatma Gandhi

Soham: I Am

Sadhu Om: "To dwell upon ‘I am’ in whatever way is possible is good contemplation (manana). It is the practice that will root out all interest in other things (second and third persons) and make self-abidance easy.

"Good and bad are based on the limiting concept ‘I am the body’. The experience of the jnani is simply ‘I am’. Though it may seem that the jnani sees differences, he never actually experiences any distinctions such as good or bad. He is ever contented with the knowledge ‘I am’. ‘lam’ is both the way and the goal (as Bhagavan teaches us in verse 579 of Guru Vachaka Kovai).

"Bhagavan [Ramana Maharshi] is the greatest siddha. He knows well what work need be done on us and how to do it. Though we do not know it, he is doing his work all the time.

"Erratic behaviour only occurs if a disciple has a profound change of outlook while still retaining some individuality. Bhagavan will always bring about the required change of outlook (the experience of true self-knowledge) together with the loss of individuality, so no outward changes will be seen in those whom he liberates, and no ‘I’ will rise in them to say ‘I have had this change of outlook’, nor will he say anything (that is, he will not say that they have been liberated).

"He used to give the example of a hard-shelled fruit which an elephant swallows whole and excretes unbroken, but when the shell is broken open the contents are found to have been digested. Likewise, when Bhagavan consumes anyone’s ego, they will outwardly appear unchanged. No one can say how many egos Bhagavan has thus consumed‘.

"In one of his verses Muruganar sang to Bhagavan, ‘You have given me sahaja [my natural state] without letting me experience nirvikalpa sama'dhi, close my eyes, or do any sa'dhana’. Such is Bhagavan’s guruship, but if he were asked how he does it, he would say, ‘I don’t know; I just know that I am’.

"There is only a thin line between jnana [knowledge] and ajnana [ignorance or lack of knowledge]. At the right time, a shock may enable one to cross the line and have that small change of outlook.

"'I am’ is neither inside nor outside. Dwell on the fact that ‘lam’ is devoid of limitations. Dwell on the feeling of being. That is self, and it alone exists.

"The karma theory is riddled with loopholes, ambiguities and dubious assumptions. Firstly it presupposes that the ever non-existent ego exists as a doer, and on top of this false assumption it piles up one false assumption over another: the existence of God, a"ga'mya, San‘ciza, pra’rabdha [types of karma], their functions and so on. Do not merely doubt the theory; doubt whether you exist as a doer."

(Recorded by Michael James on 5th December 1977, and appearing in an unpublished work called The Paramount Importance of Self Attention)

How to Meditate

 

"Sitting in a solitary place, freeing the mind from desires and controlling the sense, meditate upon the Atman which is One without a second, with unswerving attention."

-Atma Bodha, verse 38

Happy Diwali!

Diwali or Deepavali - the Festival of Light -- symbolizes the spiritual victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance.

The word Diwali comes from the Sanskrit word deepavali, meaning "rows of lighted lamps". Houses, shops and public places are decorated with small oil lamps called diyas. The Diwali Festival lasts for five days. It starts at the end of the “cropping season” at the new moon and is celebrated as the festival of prosperity, wisdom, and light.  

Diwali is celebrated 20 days after Lord Ram killed the demon Ravana and rescued Sita from captivity in Lanka. The celebration marks the return of Lord Ram to Ayodha after 14 years of exile. Others celebrate the victory of the goddess Durga over the demon Mahishasura. The festival is also celebrated by Sikhs, Jains and some Buddhists.

To prepare, people clean and decorate their homes, and during Diwali they light candles and lamps, offer prayers for prosperity, and exchange gifts and sweets.

For yogis, it symbolizes the victory of Knowledge over ignorance:

Pavamana Mantra (from the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad)

Asato Ma Sat Gamaya
Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya
Mrityor Maamritam Gamaya
Om Shanti Shanti Shantih

(Lead us from the unreal to the Real. From darkness to Light. From mortality to Eternity).

Learn more about Diwali here.

Dakshinamurthy Stotram

Click here to see and contemplate translation

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Morning Meditation by Adi Shankaracharya

All of Vedanta is contained in this beautiful morning prayer by Adi Shankaracharya. Apparently it was Swami Vivekananda’s favorite prayer which he used to sing often. Swami Vivekananda was a key person in the introduction of the eastern philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga to the western world - starting at the 1893 World Parliament of Religion in Chicago.

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(Click here if ^link^ isn't working)

प्रातः स्मरामि हृदि संस्फुरदात्मतत्त्वं

सच्चित्सुखं परमहंसगतिं तुरीयम् ।

यत्स्वप्नजागरसुषुप्तिमवैति नित्यं

तद्ब्रह्म निष्कलमहं न च भूतसङ्घः ॥१॥

Praatah Smaraami Hrdi Samsphurad-Aatma-Tattvam
Sac-Cit-Sukham Parama-Hamsa-Gatim Turiiyam |
Yat-Svapna-Jaagara-Sussuptim-Avaiti Nityam
Tad-Brahma Nisskalam-Aham Na Ca Bhuuta-Sangghah ||1||

Meaning:

In the Early Morning I remember (i.e. meditate on) the Pure Essence of the Atman shining within my Heart, …
Which gives the Bliss of Sacchidananda (Existence-Consciousness-Bliss essence), which is the Supreme Hamsa(symbolically a Pure White Swan floating in Chidakasha) and takes the mind to the state of Turiya (the fourth state, Superconsciousness),
Which knows (as a witness beyond) the three states of Dream, Waking and Deep Sleep, always,

That Brahman which is without any division shines as the I; and not this body which is a collection of Pancha Bhuta(Five Elements).

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Final Message of Thayumanavar

"Withdraw the mind from the senses and fix it in meditation. Control the thought-current. Find out the thought-centre and fix yourself there. Then you will be conscious of the divine Self; you will see it dancing in ecstasy. Live in that delight. That delight-consciousness is the God in you. He is in every heart. You need not go anywhere to find Him. Find your own core and feel Him there. Peace, bliss, felicity, health — everything is in you. Trust in the divine in you. Entrust yourself to His Grace. Be as you are. Off with past impressions! He who lives from within an ingathered soul is a real sage, even though he may be a householder. He who allows his mind to wander with the senses is an ignoramus, though he is learned. See as a witness, without the burden of seeing. See the world just as you see a drama. See without attachment. Look within. Look at the inner light unshaken by mental impressions. Then, floods of conscious bliss shall come pouring in and around you from all directions. This is the supreme Knowledge; realise! Aum! Aum!"  🕉

-Thayumanavar,  January 1742

Learn about Ramana Maharshi and Thayumanavar here.

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Revel in the Self

"The discovery that peace, happiness and love are ever-present within our own Being, and completely available at every moment of experience, under all conditions, is the most important discovery that anyone can make." 

 -Rupert Spira

Action vs. Doership

"Trust in Allah but tether your camel first."

-Sufi Proverb


Learn more here.



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Take a Stand

"There are three possibilities open to us at every moment: one, to stand as a separate self, which resists what is present and seeks what is not; two, to stand as the open, empty space of Awareness, in which all experience appears and with which it is known; and three, to stand as the light of pure Knowing, out of which all experience is made. Experience will appear in accordance with whichever stand is taken."

-Rupert Spira

Self-Knowledge vs. Self-Realization

"If, from what has been unfolded so far, you know what awareness is but are not free, you are like the man who heard that there was a large reward for anyone who knew the four Vedas, so he said, 'I k now that there are four vedas. Please give me the money.' But this is not what is meant by the knowledge of awareness. It should be directly and fully known.'"

-Vidyaranya Swami, Panchadasi



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Impediments

“The impediments to Self Realization are: 1/ binding attachment to the objects of the senses, 2/ dullness of the intellect, 3/ indulgence in improper and illogical arguments about the nature of enlightenment, 4/ the deep conviction that the Self is an agent and enjoyer.”

-Vidyaranya Swami, Panchadasi


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'You' are Not the Body

“You never identify yourself with the shadow cast by your body, or with its reflection, or with the body you see in a dream or in your imagination. Therefore you should not identify yourself with this living body, either.”

-Adi Shankaracharya



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Poorna - Fullness

“Can infinity have parts? What is meant by parts of infinity? If you reason it out, you will find that it is impossible. Infinity cannot be divided, it always remains infinite. If it could be divided, each part would be infinite. And there cannot be two infinites. Suppose there were, one would limit the other, and both would be finite. Infinity can only be one, undivided. Thus the conclusion will be reached that the infinite is one and not many, and that one Infinite Soul is reflecting itself through thousands and thousands of mirrors, appearing as so many different souls. It is the same Infinite Soul, which is the background of the universe, that we call God. The same Infinite Soul also is the background of the human mind which we call the human soul.”


― Swami Vivekananda, Practical Vedanta



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Impediments in Vedanta

"The impediments are (1) binding attachment to the objects of the senses, (2) an agitated and dull intellect, (3) indulgence in improper and illogical arguments about the nature of moksha and (4) the deep conviction that the self is an agent and an enjoyer."


-Vidyaranya Swami, Panchadasi, IX.43



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