ADHYATM

Surya Yoga the scientific way

2009-06-16T04:13:00.000-07:00

Life energy or prana start dysfunctioning when our body, mind and spirit loose their balance by moving away from nature, which is the core of our existence. Nature, has the solution for all our maladies. So, next time you feel disillusioned or distressed inhale the fragrance of a flower, admire the delicate designs on the wings of butterflies, enjoy the raindrops falling on your head, listen to the chirping of the birds, let the breeze caress you, moonlight soothe your nerves. And of course do Suryayog for good health, peace and Ananda.

Suryaji

A silver coin is placed on the forehead, on the third eye region between the eye brows, while doing suryayog.

The reason for doing so is very scientific. According to photoelectric theory of famous scientist Einstein, when light strikes a metal, it explodes into a chain reaction, producing waves of light and energy. Light is composed of tiny sub-atomic particles similar to a stream of bullets. Each bullet is a photon. Einstein said photoelectric effect starts as soon as photon hits a metal. Every time a photon hits an electron in a metal it knocks out its atom, emitting lots of energy. Fantastic amount of small energies are sent into our body by this process. The created photons, being organic, decide for themselves where to go into our bodies like the areas of disease and pump and balance energy there.

When we do Suryayog, we take in cosmic light of the sun through the silver coin, the high frequency light energy, spread from ajna chakra or pineal gland. This energy radiates through the body protecting all the organs and cells. Regular practice can make even diseased cells healthy again.

Doing Suryayog, within an hour of sunrise or before sunset has a scientific explanation. We in Suryayog take in high frequency light energy into our body through the coin. Each photon has a certain amount of energy, depending on its colour. In VIBGYOR of white light, violet is of high frequency and releases high energy when striking an electron. This is also one of the reasons why we wear white clothes since it absorbs maximum light. Whereas red is of low energy when striking an electron. By midday, the Sun gives out only red colour light, which is of low frequency, giving heat energy and not very helpful for the body.

The Light that flows through your system is Universal Energy. It is the light of the Universe. You give the Light of the Universe. You give the Light a form, by the way you feel, think, and behave. There are thought forms of light. Intentions shape light. Through guided meditation, we direct the light to various parts of our body to cure, and balance chakras for good health.

Soma Chakravertty

Crystal Power

2009-06-16T04:09:00.000-07:00

Ask any Crystal Healer about his or her crystals and watch their eyes shimmer with joy as they describe the properties and the powers of each faceted coloured stone in their collection. Some say it’s a calling. Some say it indicates a past life spent in the lost island of Atlantis and some say it’s got to do with the position of planets in your natal chart. Whatever it is that makes a Crystal Healer, at their core is a deep love and respect for the untapped power of these stones.

A lot of learning goes into each stone. Basic properties aside, a lot of information is transmitted by the crystal during meditation or sleep. And the intelligence embedded in these crystals is transmitted through our pores bit by bit over time.

Crystals can change. Inclusions may increase. Bubbles may appear. Colour may fade as in rose quartz or citrine. Or heighten as in the case of Turquoise or the Fire Opal. Or the luster may lessen. But the power within remains unchanged. Regular care and cleansing helps crystals recharge and rechannel purer energy beams.

Crystal Healing is never a compulsion. Nobody forced any healer to learn how to heal with crystals. And no healer can never force anybody to heal with a crystal. Free Will operates along with faith. People who wore the gemstone because their wives insisted never heal as fast as those who believed and chose a crystal healer for themselves.

The inherent intelligence of the crystals exists in all forms of crystals in all shapes and sizes. Accessible to our third eye and our daily application, crystals work in mysterious ways and like us evolve and change over the years, gradually but so very surely.

Crystals don’t just heal. They educate, inspire, offer support and protection. And they teach us humility with all that they have seen before the advent of man. Their power is still yet untapped completely. And someday may be tapped further to heal millions more people in newer forms and applications.

Basic Energy Healing

2009-06-16T04:01:00.000-07:00

In this article I provide a simple method you can use to heal yourself, your loved ones, or a group of which you are a part (a problem at the office or disharmony in your family for example). The method involves conscious life force control, or pranayama, a term that is derived from two Sanskrit words – prana (life force) and ayama (control). Anyone can learn pranayama and use it effectively to have an immediate, measurable effect on their health and the wellbeing of others.

Pranayama has its roots in eastern medicine, and in the west, it is now an established scientific fact. The Rishis of India taught that all of creation is a manifestation of prana – force or energy derived from the infinite spirit of god, which permeates and sustains everything in existence. In China this energy is called Qi and the art of controlling it is Qigong . In Japan, the energy is called ki and the art of controlling it is Reiki . In the west, the existence of life force and our ability to control it has been proven using advanced instrumentation and controlled scientific studies. There, the force is called biofield energy or subtle energy, and the methods used to control it are called biofield therapies or subtle energy medicine respectively.

The method I teach here is one I use in my own work: effective and easy. First, draw in a breath. As you do, become aware of the back of your head and imagine the energy flowing inward through the brain stem at the base of your brain (where prana enters the body). When the in-drawn breath pauses, focus your attention on your target: your own health, another person in need of healing, or a relationship you are in – any situation that is proximal to you. Now, push your breath out, and as you do, imagine the captured energy flowing from your head into your target. That’s the method, start to finish.

You can tailor this method to suit your learning style and goals. For example, feel free to imagine energy flowing into your head with the indrawn breath in any way that works for you. The indrawn breath creates a vacuum or “pull” inward. When you feel that pull, all you have to do is “think” energy is flowing into the back of your head, and it will. Visual people might prefer to imagine a cloud of white light flowing into the base of the head. Any combination of these techniques will allow you to take in huge amounts of energy.

The same holds true for the exhaled breath and how you focus it. If the target is your own health, focus the energy on a diseased body part (your heart for example) or on your whole body if you have a systemic problem like diabetes. As you exhale, just “think” that energy is flowing into your illness, and it will. Or you can “imagine” energy as a flow of white light that’s washing into the body or diseased body parts. Some people send the energy “through” the body and others stream the energy “laser-like” from their head directly to afflicted areas. Any of these techniques or a combination will work. The method also works on emotional issues. If this is you, as you saturate your whole body with energy, focus some of it on your sternum and stomach (where we tend to hold negative emotion).

The same applies if you want to heal another person. You must be physically close to them to use the method. Then, focus energy on them just as you would for yourself, per the above instructions. This is also a great technique to use if you have a problem with another person – a boss, acquaintance or family member. In this case, imagine channeling the energy from your head through your heart into your antagonist, along with feelings of compassion. This will have the effect of calming them (and you too). The same technique works for a group – perhaps your family members or your colleagues at work aren’t getting along, or just need help to achieve a shared goal. While you’re with them, use the method to channel energy into the entire group. Prana is a force of God’s own nature that will act to calm, heal, and unify them.

Frequency matters: regular small doses of energy will have the desired effect. The great thing about this method is that you can use it anytime, anywhere, without anyone else knowing, so practice it often. If you do, you will be able to move extraordinary amounts of energy and you will actually perceive energy flowing into the back of your head and into your target.
www.drricklevy.com

Mooney over Moonstone

2009-05-10T12:42:00.000-07:00

There is something truly hypnotic and soothing about the Moonstone. A long gaze at it and a sense of peace envelope one’s soul, when held against the light it twinkles likes a rainbow and when placed against skin the comfort felt is like the hug of a long lost loved one.

The stone not only evokes lyrical devotion but has some strong healing properties as well. Hailed for hundreds of years as the woman’s stone, it’s feminine beauty is supposed to bring out the moon like qualities of the Moon goddess in the person who wears it. An excellent aid for fertility or for enhancing inner feminity, this milky white stone can also be used as a psychic aide and protector.
Moonstone is a milky translucent stone and comes in white, cream, yellow, blue and green colour and is easily available in India, Sri Lanka and Australia. It is also known as water opal, fish eye, wolf’s eye and chandrakanta.

Ideal as a pendant or ring, it works as a balancer of moods, soother of stress, and offers deep emotional release of pent up emotions like anger and pain. Being strongly affiliated with the moon, this beautiful stone can also substitute pearl in astrology, as it is closely related in properties and power.

Moonstone works very well with amethyst and can be placed under the pillow to aid insomnia and absorb stress. Since it is linked with the pineal gland, and balances the hormonal system, it is helpful in calming hyperactive children, and relieving PMS symptoms.

Ideal for women of all ages, moonstone works well when cleansed gently under running water and rubbed softly with cotton wool.

Be drunk all the time!

2009-03-02T05:44:00.000-08:00

Questioner: I do attend a lot of courses in yoga but when I get back, I go back to my old self. I’m not at peace. How do I sustain the benefits I derive from this class onto my daily life? Is there anything wrong with enjoying a good drink? Because even doctors say a drink a day is probably good for you.

Sadhguru: The wise said, ‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away.’ When did it change from the apple? An apple a day keeps the doctor away, a drink a day keeps the doctor with you. I’m not surprised if the doctor is saying that!

With a good drink in the night definitely you will not have enthusiasm to do yoga in the morning. Right now the drink whatever variety of drink you have: wine or whiskey, is just soothing you a little bit. It’s playing on your chemistry to make you feel peaceful and relaxed. If a small quantity of it is so relaxing, then if you drink a bucket of it you must be really relaxed. But it doesn’t work like that.

A little more drink, suddenly makes people violent and uncontrollable. Things that they wouldn’t have done in their life, they have done just because they had one more drink than they should have had. Lots of crime happened because they had one extra. So the question is not about, ‘Is this wrong or is this right?’ I’m not talking about this in moralistic standpoint. Are you for life or against life? That’s the fundamental question. If you are, for life, what is it that you call as life?

Right now, you know you are alive because you are alert enough. Suppose you fell asleep, would do you know whether you are alive or dead? All your experience has disappeared. So, essentially in your experience of life, awareness is equivalent life. The experience of life is such that, only what you are aware of exists for you, rest does not exist for you. Right now, you are sitting here, there is a huge tusker behind you; such a big animal. Any kind of intoxication, it doesn’t matter what kind, lowers your awareness. Why is it said that you shouldn’t drive after drinking? It is because it lowers your awareness.

If you become fully aware instead of existing here as a piece of creation, as a piece of flesh and blood, you will exist as the creator himself. That is the choice you have. Either you live here as just a piece of creation or you live here as the creator himself.

So, if you want to exist as a creator, your awareness has to spread. However, your depressions, unhappiness, confusions, alcohol, all are acting as hurdles to this attainment. So, if you are seeking only a bit of pleasure, I’m not against it. Wouldn’t you however, be interested if I give you an opportunity to have a much bigger pleasure? If I taught you how to be drunk all the time yet remain fully alert? If yes, you are for life.

It’s just that whatever yoga you did, it works only for those who practice. That’s the problem with yoga. I think it’s so with anybody. If you go to a doctor, it works only if you take the medicine that he gives you. Even the drink - it works only if you drink it - right? So, I’m not against drink, I’m not against pleasure. I just think it’s a pity that human beings are settling for such small pleasures when something far bigger is possible. I can have you drunk all the time. Free, no hangover and no doctor!
by Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev

bookswim

2009-02-26T23:41:00.000-08:00

DONNA MERKLE tells us: "I am disabled and at times I am either on bedrest or am housebound because of the weather. I have lots of friends and family that will stop by or call, but when they all go home, the phone stops ringing for the night, and it's just me and the cats, I love knowing that I can always curl up with a good book. Book Swim gives me the option of what I want to read, when I want to read it. I love seeing the package outside of my door or someone will come walking in and say, "Hey, guess what I found outside your door?" This is one service for the disabled that is well worth every penny."

Feng Shui to empower world peace

2009-02-25T06:22:00.000-08:00

World peace is something much spoken about but we are far from achieving it and it still appears to be a ‘mirage’.

A very meaningful Chinese proverb interconnecting Peace and Feng Shui, affirms that if there’s light in the soul, there will be beauty in the person. If there’s beauty in the person, there will be harmony in the home. If there’s harmony in the home, there will be order in the nation. If there’s order in the nation, it will transform to peace in the world.

When things get difficult, we feel hopeless, depressed and a sense of sadness engulfs us. We lose confidence and falter in our steps, feel we are at cross-roads with no signs of a ray of hope. It could be disappointment, losing someone very dear, or having experienced a very traumatic situation and yet we have to recover from the aftermath and shock.

Under traumatic and stressful situations, one need to stabilize one’s own core and the best Feng Shui support is to use the energy of the earth element. It could be shapes, motifs, color which represent earth element or something as simple as placing a square piece of paper in shades of brown, yellow, tan or red which signify the earth color and the square representing the earth element. Place this beneath the mattress when the person goes to sleep and against the solar plexus area during the day. You could even think of putting up a wall décor or painting representing the earth color and motif in the bedroom of the person.

The trauma and shock can be dissolved by adhering to shades of orange color either as a T-shirt, décor or even consuming and displaying real orange fruits and drinks.

A more powerful Feng Shui remedy would be adapting the techniques of visualization and affirmations

For activating a positive affirmation using a motif of the Earth element in the shape of Yellow Square with an affirmation “The element of earth is stabilizing and supporting me so that I can rebuild my life in a positive way” and pronounced repeatedly would aid faster healing. In the visualization method, you need to imagine the color orange coming up from the center of the earth, through your feet, up through the center of your body reconnecting all your energy centers, and up through the crown of your head. Imagine it then coming down around your body sealing and healing it inside and out

If we can look a little beyond our home and aim at Global Peace, we could activate what is known as the “abundance/prosperity” area in a home which is the area you would find in your home or office at the left rear section while standing at your front door facing in. We could use the Abundance/Prosperity area of our homes to take far-reaching steps to affect our world. With an intention for peace, place world globes there, and photos of the earth. Gather souvenirs and mementos you've brought from travels to overseas or within the country and place in this area with an intention for greater understanding, globally. Light a red candle to illumine our way to abundant peace and love, food and water for all.

These are time tested techniques when you feel afraid, out of hope, discouraged, disconnected, bereft of energy or disempowered. Practicing this technique at least once daily will make your core feel secure and heal faster.

Feng Shui techniques can help those in distress and trauma to gain strength and it would be a small effort to slowly move towards global peace in the future times to come.

Manta Mania 3

Web site: - http://www.fengshuiserver.com

Pranic Healing for Body, Mind and Soul

2009-02-15T08:04:00.000-08:00

In Pranic healing, we believe that we are all made of ‘prana’ or life-force that runs through our body, like water and sponge, and also envelopes it. The stronger and healthier our prana, the bigger, more spread out and more potent this energy field around us, also called the “energy body”.

One of the basic tools of pranic healing is the ability to feel and analyse this energy body. In a process called ‘ scanning ’, a healer’s hands, made sensitive by experience and concentration, can make out which areas of the body and mind are lacking in energy and so, fairing poorly.

Pranic healing is accomplished through very simple procedures which are easy to learn. The first process is ‘cleansing’ - to remove the devitalized, diseased energy in the whole body or in the affected part, and to remove blockages in the energy channels. The second process is ‘energizing’ - to replenish and reinvigorate the body with fresh prana or vital energy.

Pranic healing uses “no drugs or gadgets”. It is non-invasive and requires “no physical contact” with the patient. Physical touch in not required while healing, because the practitioner applies pranic healing on the energy body, rather than on the physical body. It has no side effects. However, it must be emphasized that Pranic Healing is not meant to replace the allopathic system of medicine, but in fact to complement and supplement it. It can be effectively combined with any other form of treatment. It can be used for self healing and healing other people even thousand miles away.

There is a lot more to Pranic Healing than just healing part. It not only makes you aware of the aura around the human body - the 'chakras' (energy centers) and their effects on our health, but also teaches us how to feel or scan the aura and determine which parts of the chakras may be affected. By learning about energy, we become more conscious about its ubiquitous presence, be it in people, buildings or even objects. Just by recognizing the existence of energy, we learn the possibilities of the healing process and bring in harmony and productivity to every aspect of our lives. Pranic Healers
around the world have started using Pranic Healing for their businesses, homes, relationships, projects and studies with fantastic results.
by MCKS Yoga Vidya Pranic Healing Karuna Wellness Centre

Rid yourself of cellulite

2009-02-15T07:58:00.000-08:00

The tendency to develop cellulite is largely hereditary. It afflicts young and old, men and women alike. It is combination of excess fat, water and extra-cellular waste which gets lodged in the connective tissues of our body. It appears as unsightly, unevenly distributed lumps and pads of fat.

Cellulite is different from the ordinary layer of fat which lies beneath our skin. Unlike cellulite, the evenly distributed fat layer provides insulation and cushioning to the internal organs and is a source of energy.

Where Does Cellulite Appear From? Most women suffer from it at sometime or another. It usually appears on the thighs, buttocks, hips and upper arms. In men, excessive fat deposits are found more often on the abdomen and the upper back, around the shoulders and neck.

What Causes Cellulite? Poor diet, physical maintenance, internal stress and inadequate elimination are the primary causes of cellulite formation. Cellulite is also hormonally related and mild forms of it can affect women before their periods, during pregnancy and during menopause.
a) If your diet lacks adequate calories and nutrients or the food taken is hot and spicy, it results in irritation and aggravation of the digestive and intestinal tract. This produces stress within the body which can be further aggravated by poor elimination.
b) A sedentary work life and lack of physical exercise leads to bad circulation, improper elimination and excessive retention of toxic cellular waste (lactic acid) in our muscles. This promotes the build-up of new cellulite.
c) Excess sodium consumed as common salt leads to water retention. This encourages the formation of cellulite.
d) Stress, nervousness, tension, frustration, shock, anger etc., can bring on a cellulite condition.
Control of Cellulite

Diet - Eating sensibly so as to avoid stress and help the body cleanse itself of all irritating and polluting agents through the process of elimination. The diet should consist of vegetables, fruits, and cereals. A well-balanced and nutritious diet is efficacious in treating cellulite. Consulting a good dietician will help in deciding the correct menu for oneself, foods to be avoided are: spiced meats, highly fatty foods, fried snacks like potato chips, white bread, pastries, excessively salted food, nuts, alcohol and coffee. Milk and its products should also be avoided.

Physical Exercise - A regular and planned exercise programme helps the body to dissolve existing cellulite deposits and prevent the formation of new ones. Regular exercise promotes a sense of well-being as well as reduces the stress and strains of everyday life. It helps in eliminating waste materials within the body which otherwise contribute to lumpy fat. Brisk walking, jogging and swimming promote the healthy development and even distribution of fat. If you do not have time for exercise, walking to and from the place to work may help. The busy executive and sedentary worker should find time to relax and undertake at least half to one hour of walking and spot reducing exercises. A word of caution: One should not work oneself into exhaustion which may be counter-productive.

Autolysis - Autolysis is the process of self-cleaning and self-washing of wastes. Periodically, the body becomes steeped with an accumulation of refuse, sludge, impurities, toxic wastes, debris and mucus. Autolysis is a natural way to get wastes. Controlled fasting is an ancient system for washing and resting the internal organs is an ancient system for washing and resting the organs. Most people prefer a day of raw fruit juice fasting. Some like raw vegetable juice fasting. The power of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, amino acids and other valuable detoxificating elements in the juices are able to work without the interference of solid food. Fast only one day per week.

An excellent liver and kidney cleansing routine: Start the day with just plain water or mint tea without sugar or sweetener. Then have a bowlful of detoxificating soup which is made up of zucchini (courgettes), green beans, celery and parsley in equal quantities, boiled together for half an hour. You can have as much soup as you want right through the day and drink as much mint tea, plus a minimum of eight glasses of water. You will feel and look better by the end of the day.

How Aromatherapy Can Help? - A regular (night is preferable) tub bath in comfortably warm water helps steam out the accumulated toxins through the pores in the skin. Add two drops of essential oil of geranium to the bath water. In addition, regular body massages is recommended with two tablespoons of olive oil to which three drops of geranium oil have been added.
by Dr. Blossom Kochhar

Jade. Versatile and Stable

2009-01-31T11:14:00.000-08:00

A long long time ago, China was brutally invaded by the Tartars, who were so cruel to the people that the Dragons shed tears. Those tears became jade, revered as the most auspicious healing stone in China and till today sought after for its powers.

At its most fundamental, jade soothes. It calms, balances and detoxifies. At other levels it provides heavenly protection from harmful spirits, ushers prosperity, fertility and good luck.

Two basic of varieties of jade are available in a rainbow of colours, jade-ite and nephroite which is becoming increasingly rare. Properties of each colour resonate with the seasons, directions and elements eg Red Jade for the South, exemplifying yang or Fire signs. Chosen on the basis of translucency and texture, jade is much more than ornamental in value. Jade is considered to be a symbol of purity and serenity and works well as a stabilizer and cleanser.

In terms of crystal healing, jade treats the kidneys, removes toxins and heals stitches. As an aid to fertility and childbirth it is connected with the spleen and the hips. Green jade, the most common of all jades helps calm the nervous system and is known to bring harmony between people.

Different colours have been given different attributes by spiritual healers around the world. Blue jade aids meditation and helps people who may be feeling overwhelmed. Brown jade helps to ground a person. Green jade is used to soothe the nerves. Lavender jade helps heal from heartbreak. Orange jade brings joy. Red jade helps release buried anger and resentment. White jade aids better decision making. And hellow jade boosts the energy.

Whichever way you look at jade or in whatever colour you choose, jade works quietly and subtly. The way it has for millions of people down thousands of years.

by Mita Bhan
Source: www.mitabhan.com
Photo: Daniel Tan

The art of prediction

2009-01-30T06:27:00.000-08:00

We are all aware that there are nine planets which are recognized by Vedic astrology. These are Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Rahu and Ketu. Like everything else in the universe, the planets also evolve from the 5 tatwas or the five elements. These are Earth, Air, Water, Fire and Ether.

As per the Hindu Scriptures the element predominant in a planet is as follows:

Earth : Mercury

Air : Saturn and Rahu

Water : Moon and Venus

Fire : Sun and Mars

Ether : Jupiter

Human beings acquire the temperament of the most powerful planet birth and also of planets influencing the ascendant. It is the influence of various tatwas or elements that determines the personality of a human being. These tatwas have great importance in Vedic philosophy. Below I am describing the basic effect of these elements.

When the ether element is powerful then the person is clever and creative. He is a good orator and will always acquire encyclopedic knowledge of the subject that interests him. These people make good diplomats. They are of a long stature and have a tendency of putting on weight after the age of 32 years.

When the fiery temperament is predominant then the person is confident, restless, proud and arrogant. He is of a very sharp intellect and fair complexion. When Sun and Mars are predominant, the native likes to be in a position of authority and are seldom happy working below someone. Fiery temperament makes a person daring and adventurous. Their face and physique exhibits rays of gold and a glowing fragrance.

When the earthy temperament is predominant then the individual is child like. His enthusiasm is like a small child and he is full of energy. He is fond of luxuries, comforts, and is always happy. He is very learned. His communication skills are amazing. Such a person is always clean and well dressed. Earthy temperament makes one hard working, preserving and devoted.

When watery element (Moon and Venus) gains predominance then the person likes socializing, is gregarious, can take the burden of difficult jobs, is soft spoken, loves art and music and has many friends. His body is slender, has robust health, is very good looking and has a very intuitive brain.

Airy element in predominance makes the person careless, absentminded and shabby. His power of comprehension is weak, thinks too much and has a tendency of getting depressed. He is sorrowful and indulges in self pity. He further has a charitable disposition, but is short tempered, fond of traveling, has a lean physique and lives more in the mental world than the physical.

The planets, also have the following three qualities or gunas:

(i) Satwic: Sun, Moon and Jupiter

(ii) Rajas: Mercury and Venus

(iii) Tamas: Mars, Saturn, Rahu and Ketu

Satwic quality is a good quality. He is a human being of higher intelligence, well respected, truthful and in search of truth.

Rajas quality makes a native intelligent, hardworking and patient. He is clever, protects the weaker section and seeks comfort and luxury through hard work and truthfulness.

Tamsic quality signifies greed, falsehood and laziness. He is often a sadist who seeks pleasure in the sufferings of human beings and signifies the decay of human beings.

The four types of human beings:

Depending upon the predominance of gunas or qualities, Sage Parasara has described four types of human beings:

(i) Uttam (Excellent): When Satwic qualities are predominant.

(ii) Madhyam (Average): When Rajasic qualities are predominant.

(iii) Adhama (Despicable): When Tamasic qualities are predominant.

(iv) Udaseen (Neutral): A mixture of all the qualiies.

Vedic astrologers first determine the type of a person is from his birth horoscope or from the horary horoscope and then on that basis determine his stature in life. This is a prerequisite for making predictions.

by Dr. Ranjeet Mehta
Photo: Mike wade

Inner Nature

2009-01-28T11:17:00.000-08:00

by Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev

The word nature means that aspect of life which is limited to the perception of the sense organs. Only what you can see, hear, feel, sense taste, smell - that is nature. All the things that we call as nature are physical
. Now, I am using another word called Inner Nature. That doesn’t come in the orbit of nature; it is not a part of the physical nature. Spirituality is about going beyond nature, it is about going beyond the limitation of the five sense organs. If we are limited to only those things which we perceive through five sense organs, our whole involvement with life will only be physical. Nature is physical quantity. It may be in the three different forms of solids, liquids and gases. Air is around you. Water is flowing. Earth is there. Body is there. Blood is there. All this is physical. Now, the material sciences are busy with the physical nature. They go on searching for more and more endlessly. But it is not endless. Anything you pursue on the physical level, somewhere there is an end. Maybe the end is far away. Maybe we can’t see the end right now. But there is an end to it. Whether it is medical science, or physics or chemistry, whatever you take, you go to a certain point and you stop. For example, physics has reached a certain point where it has stopped. Physics is not a growing science anymore. Because we have reached that end point where the physical quantity ends and something else begins. That something else cannot fit into the logical faculty of our perception. That something else cannot be perceived through the five sense organs. It cannot be deduced into this or that. So physicists, they have come up with what is called as fuzzy logic. These are all excuses to be illogical. You don’t want to admit that you are illogical. Because you are a scientist, you can’t be illogical. So, they have come up with what is called fuzzy logic - which is no logic. A poet is not logical. Mystics are not logical. Their scope of life is not limited to the logical mind. It is beyond that. They seek through their experience because they know the logical mind is useless. They seek through their intuition. But a scientist cannot seek through his intuition or through his experience. A physical quantity can never be unlimited. Spirituality is about transcending the limited and going into the unlimited nature. Not settling for the limited. If you want to become spiritual, you have to transcend nature. Only then you become unlimited. In the process of yoga, in any spiritual process, so many practices and other processes have been created to slowly transcend our nature. Gradually, one by one, one by one, you defeat nature. That’s one way. There is another way of simply slipping out of nature; there is no question of defeating. You are just above it. You are above your own physical nature. You have heard of yogis and others. They sit in one place - all needs of the body are forgotten totally. You have heard of many such people sitting for months or years in a place. Now, he has transcended his physical nature. Whatever the limitations of the body - it is no more a limitation for him. He has gone beyond that. All the animals are doing what is natural - eating, drinking etc. If all you want to do is live like any other animal - why do you need a philosophy, why do you need spirituality? You can simply live. You don’t have to evolve a philosophy or read Vedas to co-operate with nature. Nature will make sure that you co-operate. Now, if you have to transcend it, then you need something else. If you want to become a part of it, there is no problem. When you are with nature, slowly you’ll become a part of it. It will absorb you. Somehow, that kind of peace - when night settles, you also become peaceful. If you live in a place where there is no electricity or anything, you know - simply when sun sets, everything becomes quiet including your mind. Simply be in forest for 2 days and see. When the sun sets and everything becomes quiet - you also become quiet. So nature just overtakes you and absorbs you into its fold. That much will happen. But that’s not what we are looking for. We want to go beyond that. We don’t want to settle for nature. Nature means - it wants to perpetuate life. The moment you are born with this body, it has certain needs. It has to eat, it has to sleep, it has needs for certain pleasures. It has a need to reproduce itself. These are all nature’s tricks to keep life going on. Now, even that - man has forgotten because he has become so artificial. He doesn’t even enjoy that. Now, the elephant
you see in the wild here - he simply roams about, eats what he wants, drinks what he wants, he just goes about doing things, he is natural. Nobody taught him any philosophies. Simply he is natural. Man has forgotten that also. He has made himself so unnatural. He has not become super-natural. He has made himself so unnatural that his suffering has become very deep. If he becomes natural, definitely some amount of peace and happiness will enter his mind and heart. Definitely he will be more peaceful and more happy. But he is not totally free from suffering. Going beyond nature is the ultimate deliverance. All yogic processes are only methods to go beyond the limited dimension of nature.

Photo: Michael Lorenzo

Meditate with Surya mudra

2009-01-28T04:09:00.000-08:00

Suryayog is a life changing odyssey that elevates your mind and transforms your approach to life. A self reflective way to evolve - the body, mind and spirit.

The most important or core of Suryayog is the Surya Mudra. This mudra, which consists of interlocking of fingers of the right and left hand, is a symbolic merger of male and female principles and balancing Panchabhuta or five elements to control senses and free ourselves from the claims and demands of the physical, emotional and mental domains. One can reach a meditative stage when pure energy of the sun’s rays cleanses our spirit and fills us with the spiritual energy of love.
Here little interpretation of Surya Mudra is needed. Equilibrium or balance of mind, body and soul is the foremost requirement for the path of enlightenment and bliss. Right hand represents male positive energy, the left brain - the reasoning power, while the left hand stands for female energy, negative, right brain- the creative power. Further right is supposed to be the embodiment of electro energy flowing from south to north (right) and left denote magnetic flex traveling from north to south (left). When one gazes at the early morning Sun, the rays activate positive pineal glands which can be called light meter of the body and negative pituitary glands which control hormone release- which is body’s reaction.

The finger tips reflect five elements or Panchabhutas - thumb is fire, index is air, middle finger is space, while ring finger and little finger represents earth and water, respectively. Thus interlinking of the finger tips not only balances the positive and negatives of the five elements of the body, but also mirrors the macrocosm of the universe in the microcosm of the human being.

A silver coin is placed on the third eye position on the forehead, while doing the Suryayog. If we take this as one of the tip and see the placement of the hands in Surya Mudra, a triangle or pyramidal formation can be seen. This is a representation of Shakti as well as a formation that helps in imbibing light and cosmic energy.

Passage of the Guru

2009-01-28T03:54:00.000-08:00

Recently I wrote a brief article entitled “Passage to the Guru”. It described a recent retreat I was blessed to take in the company of my master, Avatar Adi Da Samraj, at his hermitage island in Fiji. This one is entitled “Passage of the Guru” since my beloved master unexpectedly passed from the body on November 27, less than two weeks after I returned. He had been in perfect health, and was working in his art studio when he suddenly took his Mahasamadhi. His devotees were in shock. Like hundreds of others from around the world, I immediately headed back to Fiji to participate in an extended vigil. It was a time of both heartbreak and grace. Heartbreak because there was a deep longing for this most precious of beings. And grace because his presence was felt as strongly as ever before. It is said that the passing of a true Realizer is a great wind that blows countless blessings to those open to receiving them. Many of my friends from various countries had remarkable stories of such blessings. What became completely clear was that Adi Da was continuing to teach and instruct his devotees. How is this possible? In Adi Da’s case he left a large number of books, essays, and art. There are DVD’s of his Darshan and CD’s of his discourses. There are temples for devotional worship, and a body of instruction for different phases of spiritual practice. There is a community of devotees around the world who are seriously committed to following the way he has given. But most importantly, his spiritual presence and his state of realization are untouched by the passing of his body. Just as there are millions of people who have a devotional relationship to Krishna, Buddha, Jesus
, or Sai Baba, the presence of Adi Da is a light that continues to burn bright. All that appears before our eyes arises from that which is formless, eternal, infinite, and Divine. Things come and things go. Bodies are born and bodies die. The passing of the guru is a stark reminder that one day each of us will pass, too. Until then will we live as suffering beings that follow our own desires only to be reincarnated for more of the same? Or are we willing to be mastered by a true Realizer (in the body or not) and thus participate in prefect freedom, beyond the reaches of birth and death? This is the question for both Adi Da’s devotees and for aspirants of truth everywhere.

Yogic ways for good eyesight

2008-07-08T04:38:00.000-07:00

Yoga offers some yogic techniques which if practiced regularly can improve weak eyesight. If followed along with proper diet, results will be faster and better.

1. Netra Shakti Vikasak Kriyas

A. Blink the eyes quickly 10 times. Close and release. Do this at least 100 times in a day.

B. Sit in a comfortable position. Form your right hand into a fist with the thumb upright and in level with your eyes. Fix your gaze on the nail of the right thumb.
Slowly bring the hand towards your eyes then slowly move the hand away from you, maintaining the level and gaze as before. Repeat this three times.

C. Sit in a comfortable position. Light a candle at least 4 feet away from yourself and gaze at the candle. If your eyes water then close them and relax. After a few seconds begin gazing again. Do this at
least 3 times.

D. Rub the palms together till they become warm. Place the palms gently over your eyes, such that no light enters the eyes. Practice this for 1 to 3 minutes.

E. Take a wide mouthed bowl of clean, cold water. Tilt your head downward and put your open right eye in the water and rotate the eyeball. Repeat this with the left eye. Do this 5 times with each eye.

F. Without moving your head or the neck, move the eyeballs up and down. Repeat at least 50 times.

G. Keep your head and back straight. Rotate your eyeballs in a clockwise manner, 5 times; then similarly rotate them anti clock wise.

2. Asana:
Sarvangasana: Lie on your back and relax. Slowly raise legs, hips and trunk upwards in a continuous movement until vertical. Keep the knees straight. Keep the arms on the ground, bending the elbows, support the trunk with your hands. In this posture the chin is buried in the upper chest. Retain this position as long as comfortable. Then come down slowly. Relax. Do this only once.

Benefits: Blood supply increases to organs in the upper part of the body such as eyes, heart, face, thyroid, root of spinal nerves and brain.

Caution: Those suffering from high BP, heart ailments, cervical pain and slipped disc should refrain from doing this asana.

Logic of letting go

2008-07-08T04:26:00.000-07:00

When we are children, and someone tells us to 'let go,' it is usually in reference to something material, and when we let go, we can either feel empty, as if we are being deprived of something, or we can feel full, knowing that we have allowed someone to have that something, and s/he must really need it.

As adults, letting go can still leave us feeling empty or full. Both feelings may occur simultaneously. Ultimately, letting go will allow us to feel free, unburdened, healed, happy, even joyous. I intend to address how we can reach these ultimate feelings. The concept of letting go is very complex. For the sake of this discussion, i will divide the various aspects of letting go into three categories: 1) physical, 2) psychological, and 3) spiritual.

When i discuss the physical realm, i am talking about anything tangible, whether it is our bodies or our environment. Our environment can often be cluttered, so purging of much of this stuff can be truly liberating. Our bodies may not please us, so we can choose to let go of extra weight. We can choose to let go of bad habits and addictions. We can choose to free ourselves of the indiscriminate materialism and consumerism that requires constantly acquiring more and more of anything.

Moving from the physical to the psychological, we move to the why of those items that we could let go of physically. For example, why do we have all of the stuff that needs to be purged? What has caused the rampant materialism that has allowed us to fill up our lives with objects and beings? I almost wrote 'inanimate,' but there are those who fill up their lives with pets and children and casual acquaintances rather than real relationships. All such acquisitional behaviour is symptomatic of a psychological need that longs to be filled, but which should be purged. The same is true of other unpleasant emotions, like anger, fear, jealousy/envy, even hate; when a psychological need exists, it causes these emotions to manifest in an attempt to satisfy that need. Guess what? The very same is true for any bad habits and addictions we want to let go of; while there may be a biochemical component to these, they also are indicative of some sort of need or self-perceived deficiency or pain that, in turn, is symptomatic of needing to spiritually let go.

Truthfully, one could argue that if one lets go and purges at the physical and psychological levels, spiritual level purges and progress will automatically follow. Instead of dealing with those two arguments, i am going to run to one common expression: Let Go; Let God. When we consider the spiritual level, by definition we are dealing with the Divine by whatever name we wish to call Him. Also, by definition, we are exiting the scientific arena that forms the foundation of most of my work, and moving into the realm of faith, which happens to form the foundation for the remainder of my work. Most spiritual advisors argue that happiness and joy are the natural state of our souls. Therefore, if these are not what we feel, what must be purged from the spiritual realm? Because every single major faith has reincarnation as one of its major tenets, and the purpose of reincarnation is for the spirit to achieve a higher state. Ridding ourselves of karma is the ultimate purge!

Now that we have seen the different levels of letting go and purging, how do we begin the process? Try beginning with just one small step in one aspect of your everyday life. Identify something that you don't need, and let go of it. Perhaps it will be your décor? Even though i embrace much of Mies van der Rohe's 'Less is More' philosophy, one does not have let go of an overall personal style that you might enjoy more in order to simplify and streamline your life. However, it may help to examine "Why" you have a particular décor, and whether it might merit letting go in order to have a more lifeenhancing physical environment. Mostly, this is about just getting rid of accumulated material items that aren't needed any more.

Think about the motivations you have for selecting a career, a hobby, a car, a house, even a spouse. Are those motivations from your own internal dreams and drive, or are there some external pressures? This is moving beyond the realm of everyday activity, and into the realm of special activity; these special events are most often psychological in nature.

Remember, though, that there are many ways to get an education, so temper all external pressures with your internal dream. Loosen the influence of external pressures, learn what your choices are, listen to your own internal dream, and then let go of what isn't part of that internal dream. Now that you have identified your internal dream, what is holding you back from achieving your greatness? Money? Fear? Inhibitions? Overwhelming anger? Frustration? Laziness? Whatever it is, you must start to let go of what is holding you back. For instance, i have a beautiful relative who is very intelligent and artistically talented; she once told me that her dream was to write children's books. When i asked her why she didn't 'just do it,' she said she was afraid of failing. I urged her to let go of her fear of failure, but that fear had its hooks in too deep.

Once you start letting go of what you don't need, and loving all, you will have fewer blocks in your spiritual Path! As you begin to 'Let go,' you automatically begin 'Letting In.' Both are processes, so please don't expect overnight success. Start small, and change will occur incrementally. Let go of the need for perfection and the physical, psychological and spiritual baggage that embodies. Let in the goal of self-improvement throughout your life. Let in Love. We are all works in progress. Make a pact with yourself to show just a little more love every day. Let in the Divine.
by Bret S Beall

Thank you for Not Smoking

2008-07-08T04:20:00.000-07:00

A cigarette is many things to many people. For some, it's their cool quotient. For others, a relaxant. But for most, simply an addiction. What's constant is that smoking is injurious to health! On World No Tobacco Day (May 31), say sayonara to smoking ...

Journalist Shashank Mitra promises himself that come tomorrow, he'll quit smoking. But, as they say, tomorrow never comes. That wasn't the case with one-time chain-smoker Manish Bhatia. "I used to smoke at least 40 cigarettes a day. One day, my son came up to me and said I looked cool with a cigarette. That's all it took. I gave up," he says. It's been two years since, and Manish hasn't stolen any puffs. Smoking is an addiction—easy to get into, bloody tough to get out of. But help is at hand.

PATCH UP

A nicotine patch is the very first measure every quitter tries. It's like a small plaster strip that you paste on yourself. It releases nicotine into the body through the skin. Ananya Jha who took to the 'cancer stick' to fit in with her peer group tried one and it sure helped her patch up her habit. But experts say patches are of little help as they don't really cure the addiction or nicotine dependence.

MIND OVER MATTER

Most people will tell you to go cold turkey. Once you decide to quit, it's all about will power. But experts suggest that tapering off is better, as the chances of you reverting to it are then much lower You can opt for many behavioural therapies and medicines. While the former includes practises like not buying a full packet, not smoking a full cigarette and not giving in to peer pressure, the latter involves intake of medicines, which act on the neural pathway where the nicotine affects, thus curbing cravings. Happy quitting, and before we forget, thank you for not smoking!

WHY QUIT?

Because smoking is the maker of many maladies. Here's the list:
Lung cancer Damage to the mucous membrane, loss of taste, ulcers, poor oral hygiene and pyorrhea Coronary artery disease Atherosceloris (narrowing and thickening of the blood vessels) Buerger disease (a vascular condition where the arteries in your lower limbs get blocked, causing gangrene) Impotence (absence of blood supply to genital organs, rendering them dysfunctional!)

PUFF OR STUFF!

Myths and facts about smoking.. .

When you stop smoking, you tend to gain weight.

Fact: Absolutely! Because your craving for cigs increases and to curb it, you end up bingeing.

A morning smoke regulates your bowel movement.

Fact: True! Because the smoke that you inhale goes into your stomach and causes gastric colic reflux, which stimulates the colon. However, a healthier way is to take natural laxatives, drink lots of water and eat vegetables for roughage.

Smoking improves your mood.

Myth: Yup, it may give you a kick but it's quite short-lived and puts you at a higher risk of depression, hyperactivity as well as attention deficit disorder.

Smoking only a few cigarettes in a day is ok!

Myth: Every cigarette contains about 1 to 2 mg of nicotine, which reaches your brain within approx. 10 seconds of your inhaling. Immediately after that first puff, you get a rush of adrenaline that may increase your blood pressure, your heart rate and your breathing. So, even one ciggie is risky!

ABHIRUCHI CHAND

Drop the ego for enlightenment

2008-03-04T12:56:00.001-08:00

Life is filled with truth, auspiciousness and beauty (satyam, shivam and sundaram) but our self is filled with a false ego. As long as the ego lives, we may not experience true beauty but our mind will be filled with dreams of expectations that define beauty in a subjective way. Ego is nothing but a self image of who we truly are.

This self image projects a reality defined by the expectations of the ego. When these expectations are not fulfilled, it creates its own resentments and regrets. These create a life of deficiency called 'samsara' and life becomes a movement from incompleteness to incompleteness.

If one increases one's awareness, which is a part of meditation, one realizes that resentment is nothing but a mental resentment to what has happened. It is a negative emotional fight of some unalterable past. Like a broken record one replays, relives the past injuries. Then they become mental constructs which project a subjective reality and hence we never see the objective reality. This mental construct act as a thermostat. To change the temperature of the room one has to reset the thermostat, to change the temperature of the internal room one has to drop the ego.

While listening to the chirping of the bird or music hear the foundation or the backbone of the sound. Look at the bird or the musician and see the formless presence in the form. Every form exists in a formless presence. A form is defined by the formless. It is only in the contrast the forms gets defined. This formless is the backbone of the form. Thoughts are moving. Any movement is change. Change happens in the changeless presence. Thoughts are internal sounds. See the soundless space while noisy thoughts are moving. When one deeply "sees" which is called 'Darshan' in Sanskrit, then one sees a formless, soundless, changeless presence as the backbone or foundation of life. This principle cannot be contained in any self image and hence self image is a prison in which most of us live. To drop this prison is enlightenment.

Repent and atone for all omissions & commissions

2008-03-04T12:53:00.000-08:00

Exactly six weeks ago Christmas was celebrated with great fun and joy. And in Sao Paulo as well as in parts of Goa, the old tradition of carnival - again with much jest and festivity marking the beginning of the Lenten season - is just about over. With Ash Wednesday, Christians the world over begin a season of abstinence, prayer and voluntary fasting. Some would certainly add some form of physical mortifications to it, too.

On Ash Wednesday, the priest while applying ashes on the forehead of individuals during worship says either, "Remember, thou art dust and unto dust thou shall return", or "Repent and believe in the Gospel".

The words 'repent' and 'repentance' appear several times in the Old as well as New Testaments of the Bible, emphasising the need for people to change their sinful ways and turn to God. Right at the time when Jesus began sharing the good news of God's love with people, he asked them to repent of their sins. Though it is true that God's love is unconditional, Jesus knew that it would be much easier for people to receive God's love in abundance if they would first repent for their wrongdoings.
Interestingly, even John the Baptist who heralded the coming of Jesus, preached saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" and "therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance". In the Old Testament, for instance, Job who had to suffer a great deal in his life, becomes aware of his sinfulness and says to the Lord, "Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes".

Another prophet of the Old Testament, Daniel, finds himself in the same state saying, "Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes. And I prayed to the Lord my God, and made confession... "!

The original words in the Hebrew and Greek from which "repent" and "repentance" are translated, mean to turn, to change direction. It is a complete about-face from disobedience to obedience and love. True repentance is coming to a full realisation that we have rebelled against our Maker; against His way and His righteous law. It means that we come to abhor ourselves for our self-willed, rebellious, sinful past. We must be truly ready now, with God's help, to bury our old natures, quit sinning, and submit to God with all our hearts.

Lenten season is an invitation for all to turn within, to look inward. It is a time to see why our relationships with one another and with God are strained or broken. However, before real repentance can happen, you have to feel the need to be reconciled with your enemies and the need to turn to God.

Repentance leads us to forgiveness of our own sins and it helps us to forgive others even without them asking for our forgiveness. It also brings us great psychological relief, which ultimately frees us not only of our stress and burden but also saves us from psychosomatic illnesses.

Many spiritual healers insist on repentance and forgiveness as a prerequisite for any healing process to begin. The Lenten season invites people to live a life that is in accordance with God's will and plan.

What do you do when you do?

2008-03-04T12:51:00.001-08:00

Psychologists say that a person living in western countries never sleeps for more than 14 minutes at a stretch - more often it is less. After 14 minutes he comes back to the dream state or wakeful consciousness or just floats in the dream level. Again he goes back to sleep for a maximum of 14 minutes. Then he comes back to the dream level. Again he goes back to sleep. They call this the rapid eye movement or REM sleep pattern.

You never sleep totally even when you sleep. There are levels of mind in which you will never have dreams. You never need to have any dreams. You can directly enter into deep sleep, if you know how to live in the now, the present moment.
If you know how to live in now, you will know the art of eating, the art of sleeping, and the art of doing everything. That is the art of living.

Can you try to remember one incident from your day in complete detail? You are more dead than alive even when you are awake. You almost live like a man in half sleep. You do things without fully knowing what you do. You do recall brushing your teeth; but do you remember the sensation of cold water in your mouth? Do you remember the feel of the taste of the toothpaste in your mouth or the pressure of your toothbrush upon your gums? And how did you feel after brushing? Or how was the water being poured on your body in the shower? How did the whole thing happen? What is happening after you have eaten your food? Look at your life; look at your face; you are all almost bored. Somehow you are pulling along. Life is just a drag. Why? Because, all you do, all that you know to do for everything is how to postpone. Your mind never sits with your being. Your mind never lives in the same moment that you are in. You are always in the space of tomorrow or in the space of yesterday. It is never in the space of today, now, the present.

Live in the present. This is the secret art of living.

PARAMAHAMSA SRI NITHYANANDA

Get enveloped by happiness

2008-03-04T12:48:00.000-08:00

This is a wonderful centering meditation which Osho calls The Book of Secrets. The whole approach is on integrating your energies; when you are happy or unhappy, the focus is always on the outside. It is somebody who makes you happy or unhappy. The fact is that the feeling rises in your heart, the other is just an excuse.

The sutra is:

On joyously seeing a long absent friend, permeate this joy. When you see a friend and suddenly feel joy rising in your heart, concentrate on this joy. Usually people start talking, remembering things of the past and miss this joy. After the moment is gone this joy will wither away.

The sutra says, feel the joy and let it spread all over your being, get enveloped by the happiness. As if you have become it, and meet the friend while being aware and filled with your joy. Let the friend be on the periphery, and remain centered in your feeling of happiness. Let the emotion take precedence over thought.

Osho has given variations of this meditation. "This can be done in many other situations. The sun is rising, and suddenly you feel something rising within you. Then forget the sun; let it remain on the periphery. Be centered in your own feeling of rising energy. The moment you look at it, it will spread. It will become your whole body, your whole being. And don't just be an observer of it; merge into it.

There are a few moments when you feel joy, happiness, bliss, but you go on missing them because you become object-centered. And this is not only with joy, but with everything: with anger, with sadness, with misery, with happiness, with everything it is so. The difference between negative and positive emotions is: if you become aware of a certain emotion, and by your becoming aware the emotion dissolves, it is negative. If by your becoming aware of a certain emotion you become the emotion, if the emotion then spreads and becomes your being, it is positive. Awareness works differently in both cases."

The Best Way To Worship God

2008-02-08T04:22:00.000-08:00

The Quan Yin Method is for you to realize that God is you, the way you make Him. God can be as low as a worm, if you are that. If you don't raise yourselves higher than the worm's level then God will forever stay as a worm. If you raise yourselves higher, the higher your God is, the higher God is glorified. So glorify God by your own power of meditation and realization. That's the best prayer. That's the best glorification for God, the most significant prayer and the most significant job that you could ever do for God. (Applause) If we say we worship God, Buddha, Allah or whoever you say, and we remain in ignorance, then we truly despite God; we truly disgrace God and Buddha.
Therefore, Buddha said, "If you believe in Buddha, but do not understand Buddha, you disgraced Buddha." That is the truth. How do you disgrace Buddha? By remaining in ignorance and letting others see that you are an ignorant God, that you have no belief in God anymore, because God is ignorant due to your own ignorant thinking and view point. You think God is like that. "I pray to Him, but He doesn't hear. I am crawling here, but He doesn't see." It is not God who does not see. It is you who does not know that God sees, and who does not directly receive God's blessing, because you build a lot of obstacles around yourself. You, yourself, deny the benefit and the blessing from God, because you think, from a conditioned mind, from many generations, that you're not worthy; that you're wrong; that you are ignorant; that you do all the wrong things against your God's nature.
Therefore, even now, when you pray, this kind of thinking subconsciously prevents you from knowing you are God, knowing the benefit of God. Then you think God is only that. God is only for you to pray to, to complain to and to demand from, but it is not so. Every God is truly different. Depending on how you think and on your level, God is different. Not that there are so many Gods, but our view points differ, so God differs. Do you understand now why we must understand and realize God in order to say that we truly worship God? (Applause) Therefore, what the Buddha said is not wrong. If you don't understand Buddha, don't just blindly believe in Buddha or you'll disgrace Buddha.
Anyhow, you are on the right path. I think you may have realized it by now, otherwise you wouldn't have come to see me. Even those who failed also came to see me, or wanted to come to see me, at least. They might not have the face to come, but never mind! If they want to practice slowly outside, without control, without somebody to keep reminding them, nagging them, then they can stay home and slowly crawl. Those who want to follow me faster, must work hard and be fast. I like you to be fast. You can never be too fast for me (applause), because the world is in need of such fast working people. The world is so desperately short of these fast thinking, intelligent, conscientious, moral and honest people. Therefore, the more the better.

TextMorph helps you THINK about your WRITING

2008-01-18T13:04:00.000-08:00

While surfing the net I came across a magical site that is TextMorph Jan. 08, wondering what’s so magical about it. It helps you correct sentences while writing. It helps you improving your vocabulary. If you are into writing like me, that is I write paid reviews for various companies like I am writing one for TextMorph; you will definitely find this site helpful. It is as good as having a thesaurus helping you out with your writing. TextMorph helps you write what you actually mean. You just need to have words and leave the rest with TextMorph. It even assists you find synonyms of the words that can help you write afresh with better words meaning the same. It will even rearrange sentence order and improve general flow of your paragraph while writing stories, letters and blog posts. Just write your text into the TextIn box and click Morph it.For Example: While studying for my exams I had lot of tea to keep awake through the night.TextMorph Words: While perusing for my exams I had a-great-deal of tea to hold-me back through the night.It is like writing what you are thinking in a fantabulous manner!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Initially, I kept using same words all the time while writing. After using http://www.textmorph.com writing has become more exciting, playful and adventurous.It has helped me a lot and hope that it works wonders for you as well.

Turn Your Website Browsers Into Paying CustomersTechnorati Profile

2008-01-02T23:48:00.000-08:00

Improving landing page performance.

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Once you've begun to attract the right prospects, you need to focus on converting them. The fastest way to improve conversion is through testing various landing pages. If you have the technology to rotate landing pages, testing multiple pages within a fixed amount of time, then you can learn quickly what page has the highest conversion rate. If you are limited to testing one page at a time, run each landing page for a week and measure the results. Your data won't be as accurate but can certainly send you down the right path.
Another method for improving on-site conversions is with the help of an automated touch program. With this technique, you can use an auto-responder that gives individuals an opportunity to reconnect with your business. One example would be an abandoned shopping cart campaign. If users begin the purchase process (and have given you their email) but fail to complete the process, an auto-responder can be used to send and email message within minutes or hours, inviting them back to complete the purchase. You can use email best practices to enhance conversion, and touch individuals numerous times to move them through the purchase decision process.

In addition to targeting those who have started a purchase, you can also use an auto-responder for those who sign up for valuable information from your Just a Thought. Perhaps they sign up for your newsletter, free lessons, or whitepaper. Once an individual has registered, the auto responder goes to work, sending appropriate emails at set intervals. The result is communication with a prospect that was previously unavailable to you. Work on improving conversion of your automated touch program by testing creative and timing of messages.

Using the techniques of better targeting, improving landing page conversion rates, and auto-responders can significantly enhance the performance of your online marketing campaigns. Plan your programs carefully and measure performance along the way, making appropriate enhancements. Over time, your results become automatic! http://www.davidwoon.com/blog/

Adhyatmik Shakti (Spiritual Power)

2007-12-15T00:31:00.000-08:00

hi folks!

My name is Ravi Singh and i want to narrate an anecdote that happened practically with me.
I use to believe in god and had a notion that there is a supreme power who rules us all, and that is true to an extent.

But, as we all know that "God helps those who help themselves" that is one has to do their respective karams (work assigned) and then only can one gain success in life. I belong to a joint family wherein there are certain rules and regulations for one and all.

My father is an Adhyatmik Guru that is he preaches as to how one can become one with god. That is if i had complete faith in Shivji (or any god for that matter) believed that he would come to save me in case i am in trouble then he will definitely help me. I was use to listening all such things from the childhood, but really never believed in the same.

Once while i was doing my M.B.A from Gaziabad, i wanted to go to vaishnodevi along with my friend from college. I asked my father for permission to do so, but he denied saying that the weather out there is really not very good and u can go some other time. I was very very upset at the prospect of not being able to go with my friends, becoz i came to know that the weather was absolutely perfect over there.

All my friends went to vaishnodevi, but after they came back from the trip did i come to know that they were trapped in the thunderstorm and there was snowfall as well. Suddenly the weather had changed and become very extreme and that they faced lot of difficulties while they were there.

Now, i suddenly recollected as to my father denying me to go there due to bad weather. I, now never question my father's decisions over the minutest of things.

I now see him more as an Guru rather than father and have full faith in him. Now, i realize as to why people from all over the world come to seek his advice for their various problems.

Thanks for your patience to read this article, but here i want to emphasize on the importance of faith on god or any person or any thing for that matter.

I used to be a diver of the ocean

2007-12-13T12:08:00.000-08:00

“Main marjiva sumund ka dubki mari ek,

Muuthi layaa prem kii jaa mein vastu anek”.

To simplify:

I used to be a diver of the ocean, who searched for pearls.

When I dived deep into the ocean of Parmarth, I came up with a fist full of love in the form of Sat Guru’s grace which provided me with immense spiritual wealth.

One has to die a living death. Hope and care for living has to be

given up then something can be achieved. In the ocean of worldly

bondage a boat can move, the self can cross it and become free

only when there is no desire left. If the weight of desire increases

the boat will sink.

۞۞۞۞

The sound of the bell is considered as special. Whoever can listen

to it must concentrate on it. If the mind focuses on it, one is able

to reach the center. If the soul can latch on to ‘shabd’ then one

remembers it even when asleep. If it happens that one attains to the state of Videha, then, even on lying down to sleep, one hears

‘the sound’ and the mind focuses on it. One is if body-less:-

OM JAI GURUDEV

2007-12-13T07:10:00.000-08:00

"Jagat bhog jo hain nishpaapaa, so sab dein turvavein aapa.
Jog bhog sang sang karwavein, dou bairin ko jod milavein
udyam, pesha, kuchh na chhudvein, rakhi jagat mein bhakti
dridaavein.
Raag beech bairaag karaavein, Parmaarath anuraag badaavein".

To simplify:

This is the ultimate word about Grihasth Satsangis that Satguru conveys: Live in this world whilst remaining detached from it break away from the vain self. Satguru helps one to do so. He enables one to free oneself of what may seem as contradiction in this. He does not make one give up either business or profession. He enables one to achieve firmness towards devotion whilst being a part of this world. Within the melee of the world, he teaches asceticism subsequently the sadhak's devotion to parmarth increases day by day

Submission to God

2007-12-12T23:32:00.000-08:00

" Manushyanam Sahsreshru kishchadyatati siddhayae,
Yatataamapi siddhanam kashchinam vaetti tattvatah."

This couplet from the Gita conveys that out of a thousand aspirants very few attain the stature of Siddhas. Out of these few only one or two know 'me' as the 'Kaewalya Swaroop' - as the One and only eternal principal.

Shiv conveys to Brahma in these words that though there exist various ways for one to elevate oneself to the Supreme state, they are difficult; unless one follows the Siddha Mahayog and seeks the help, blessing, of a Satguru.

"The awakening of the inner self is the first step of yog. As the sadhak of spirituality becomes averse to the world outside, he begins to resist wordly temptations and receive divine wealth whilst coming close to the soul. Then, the day dawns when, through a totally settled Samadhi he becomes the manifest soul, established in the pure happiness of the soul." But this inner awakening is possible only through the grace of Sidhha-purus or accomplished Satguru. Only through his grace can a sadhak attain the 'Kaewalya Swaroop'.

Divya Charitamrit

2007-12-12T12:09:00.000-08:00

" Tulsidas ji has stated-Guru bin hoi ki gyan, gyan ki hoi birag binuu,
gawahin ved puran,sukh ki lahiya hari bhagati binuu

To simplify:

No knowledge can be gained without a Guru and also no knowledge can exist without detachment from worldly pleasures, there cannot be real happiness without devotion to God. So declare, the Vedas and puranas.

Resolving The Paradox Between Psychology And Spirituality

2007-12-08T12:09:00.000-08:00

It seems that there is a contradiction between the psychology of transcendence and the spiritual idea of transcendence.

Psychologists believe that through the proper application of intelligence and self-cognition one can have a full and enjoyable life, with wealth, health, and a great relationship, as well as a sense of communal belonging and contribution.

Those in spiritual groups, in particular of an eastern orientation, believe that one has to get rid of the lustful ego that craves only fleeting things and to unify with divine consciousness.

The most popular compromise to resolve this seeming paradox is that you have to build up the self and let it go. In Vedic philosophy this is expressed as becoming a householder in the first stages of life then retiring to pursue transcendence.

Yet most believe, because of cognitive dissonance, that they should choose one view or the other.

Thus, there are those who believe that they should be worldly and experience the world as it appears to be.

Then there are those who believe that they should reject the world and dedicate themselves to getting out of the misery of the cycle of birth and death.

Here is another way of understanding this paradox.

The self is a transcendent consciousness. It is not limited to a particular body or a particular lifetime. Because it is not anything in particular, the "I" is not an "it." This is why Buddhists say there is "no-self."

Similarly, the world itself is entirely illusory. I don't mean this metaphorically or even psychologically. At the subatomic level, again there is no substance. There are just probability patterns that literally flit in and out of existence! For example, an electron can appear under an observing instrument then disappear, then reappear again. There literally is no stuff! This is why the Vedantists say that the world is Maya, or illusory.

Yet to all purposes, on the macroscopic level, both an intelligent being and an intelligible world appear to exist.

On this level, personal growth and advancement is necessary, not because it means anything on a cosmic scale, but because there is literally nothing else to do with this adventure of life. You can either resist evolution and suffer all kinds of lack or you can embrace evolution and the refining of mind and enjoy fulfillment of resources and experiences.

Thus, when you look at things from the view of levels of perception, all contradictions disappear, just as the contradiction of day and night disappears when you understand that the sun and earth are in a cosmic dance.

It is possible to be engaged in the world and to actually enjoy it and at the same time to enjoy meditation and contemplation to experience the inner sky of blissful freedom. It is by no means an easy path, but after a while, they will support each other. Material success and harmonious relationships will give you the opportunity to retreat to your inner work. Similarly your inner work will contribute to your increase of abundance and maintaining a loving relationship with others.

The Gift

2007-12-08T12:07:00.000-08:00

Give yourself the gift of laughter, song, and love. Touch your life with your own magnificence. You are the ocean. Life itself. You are everything that you were meant to be. Touch your own soul; become whole once more.

Everything is the way it is. Let yourself see it as it is. Free yourself from the delusions of despair.

You cannot save the world from it's nightmares, but you can save yourself; and in doing this, you will salvage the world; for it will see your clear light and hear your clear call.

What if you don't have everything you need right now? Who you are is pure gold. You are the incarnation of abundance. It is right here where you are. Each part of your body is sacred, a miracle of life. And your mind is the greatest thing ever known among all living forms in the history of creation.

When you walk, you grace the earth itself with your presence. Who are you is the gift of life itself. How many more sunrises will it take before you allow yourself to celebrate the miracle of you?

You have lots to give and lots to share.

All lack, limitation, negativity, scarcity are the delusions you entertain to hide your own glory from yourself. And as you suffer through these things, you bring them into physical actuality. Free your energy, your mind, your life from these parasites of thought.

Instead, use your power and get everything you want when you want it. How? By learning how to love, by learning how to sing, by learning how to be yourself fully and completely, without inhibition.

Release yourself from the burden of what might have been. Allow the future to be as it will. Everything you want is here right now. What can be a greater blessing than life itself. To be, just to be, is glory itself. Take this moment to contemplate your own unique expression. Take the next one to celebrate it forever.

Yes, just be. Just be whoever you are. Just be yourself. And celebrate! For the rest of your days.

Not a moment can be grasped and held; not a step can be retraced. As you dance through your dramas of life, remember only this singular truth: you are the magnificence of all life.

Everything that exists filters itself through your senses. Can you celebrate the delicious moment? Or will it pass away as you evoke the hell of your sorrows and damn the cheerful lightness of the air all around you?

Give yourself the gift, before another moment has slipped away.

What is the gift?

The gift is you, my friend; just YOU. For never ever again in all of time and space will there ever be another even remotely like you.

May you be well and happy.

Love Is The Answer To Happiness

2007-12-08T12:06:00.000-08:00

The thesis of this discourse is this: love is the answer to happiness.

Love, the most powerful force in creation, is also the most misunderstood.

It is misunderstood because of the context with which it arises: that of relationship. All relationships imply love, either an offering of it or a withdrawal of it. Thus, our understanding of love is conditioned by varying degrees of attachment and aversion. And because of this, there is an element of self-protection that is projected outwardly and becomes control.

Thus, our understanding of love is completely contaminated by all the associations that arise from it.

So what we have then is conditional love; love that is allowed if certain conditions are met.

In truth, none of this is really love, just as a delicious meal, sprinkled with some mud cannot be said to be appetizing any longer.

Love, real love, is acceptance. That is all it is. Simply accepting what is. From that acceptance flows giving and caring, nurturing and compassion.

When you see a beautiful flower wet with dew, you feel an out-flowing force from your heart. This emotion is love. It is a complete acceptance of the flower. You may call it beauty or appreciation, but it is really love.

A mother, seeing her child sleeping peacefully, feels love. This is a pure acceptance of the being of the other. Of course, when the child is awake, shouting, crying, and arguing, expressing it's being in a radical way, breaking some social convention of one sort or another, the mother's love is still there, but now it is mixed up with other emotions, anger, confusion, embarrassment. Thus, control is now exerted. A tension visits the relationship and the love that is implied in it is clouded over, at the heart of which are various degrees of non-acceptance.

When the love is uninterrupted, as in the still flower or the sleeping child, it is pure. It is spontaneous. When conditions are imposed, the love becomes something else, not quite definable, but definitely not as spontaneous, pure, and free.

What made Mother Teresa a lover of life? She accepted what was before her. Poverty, disease, and distressing situations. Her love then moved her to give, and the giving was to provide relief to the other.

Love that has conditions, that exerts control to bring the other into alignment with one's belief systems is not real love. There may be elements of love in it, but it is tarnished with some desire for egoic gain. The other must love back. The other must be appreciative. The other must return something to us.

Philosophers, poets, and spiritual people have long believed that love is the central force that holds the universe together. The physical union of love creates children. The emotional union of love creates families and nations. The intellectual union of love creates ideas, discoveries, and inventions. Philosophically, one can even say that the union of subatomic elements in relationship to each other or of planetary bodies in relationship to each other is part of that harmonious, blending, accepting energy that we call love.

Love does not necessarily mean approval. One cannot truly love something despicable. But love does mean acceptance. And once there is acceptance, there is understanding and insight, and if change is necessary for well-being, it is done with wisdom, not reactive emotion.

If human beings were committed to studying love and applying it, the entire planet would change rapidly, and instead of our continued creation of chaos, harmony and cooperation would occur. All sorts of wonderful prospering circumstances for the well-being of all life would emerge.

But as a species, we associate contention with intelligence and survival, and as long as we prefer exclusion to inclusion, we will continue to wreck our own lives and the world in general with our confused thoughts, feelings, and behavior.

When we begin an inquiry into love, then the journey to right living can be said to begin. What is right living? That which provides well-being for self and other. When well-being is high, there is a feeling of safety and acceptance, which creates happiness, a sense that all is well, good, and true and that we need not guard against sorrow.

The summum bonum of all life is happiness. It is the ultimate motive, the end of all striving. Yet this happiness does not come uninvited. It feels invited when love is present.

For Your Eyes Only

2007-12-08T12:04:00.000-08:00

Imagine what would happen if you made a decision not to be unhappy anymore.

Yes, that's right. Give it up. Quit being unhappy. Sure there are plenty of reasons to be unhappy--the unpaid bills, the ache in your shoulders, and your difficult parents, spouse, children, friends, and so on.

In fact, if you really focus on it, the earth has always been a miserable place and if you read the newspapers it appears to be falling apart at the seams even faster than ever before.

There are plenty of reasons to be unhappy. The sensory evidence just keeps piling up.

On the other hand, there is only one reason to be happy. You're alive!

Do you understand what a miracle and wonder that happens to be? No one on this entire planet, ever, has been you. Only you are you. You have a total exclusive on this total immersion movie called life.

Expand this idea a little. The entire universe exists for you only. It only exists through your eyes. If you were to completely blink out of existence, it really would not matter much whether the universe still existed or not because there would be no you to appreciate it.

This means that the only reason the sun shines is so that it can settle on your skin, that rain falls only to make the earth green and beautiful for you, and that mountains and rivers and oceans exist in case you might see them.

True, for everyone else, it exists only for them, too. But what of it? It does not detract from your own exclusive experience.

Only you breathe for you, see for you, hear for you, talk for you. Just think for a moment of the sensory pleasure of being alive. All of this grandeur--just for YOU! Focus on your breath for a moment, and notice how delicious is that experience. You did nothing to deserve that breath or the air around you, yet here it is, offering itself freely to you.

Unhappiness is such a waste of life. It seems to me now that unhappiness is just a bad habit, an expression of ingratitude.

Every day life is blessing you with awareness and all everyone appears to do is grumble, grumble, grumble. Things will never be perfect. Life is short. If you don't enjoy it now, chances are it won't get any better tomorrow. Besides, it's not going to last long anyway.

Life is about love, laughter, and happiness. That's all. Not a complicated concept.

If people lack things, it is because their bad attitude brings them scarcity.

Imagine, for a moment, if instead of crumbling under every adversity, and drowning in uncertainty, you were to remain mindful. Imagine if you had a taste for the adventure that is your life. Imagine if you stopped taking everything so very seriously.

In the cosmic scheme of things, decades pass in the blink of an eye. Before you know it, the show will be over. All your suffering will cease. But before that happens, you still have a chance to grab some happiness.

Who knows, your happiness might even be contagious, and instead of spreading your irritation at the imperfection of all created things, you can just as easily start blessing others with the sunshine of your presence.

If you focus on unhappy events, either in your past or in the world at large, you will only dig yourself deeper into misery. Yet, with just a little effort, you can notice the bird that hops on a branch and think that this little scene was enacted just for you.

Nobody is going to start taking pleasure in life for you. It really is up to you to start connecting with the joy of your own existence and to the magical promise of your own gifts of love, laughter, and song.

It means much to be happy. Even for a day. And it is only today, every day.

Why You Are The Light Of The World

2007-12-08T12:02:00.000-08:00

You are awesome. You are the light of the world. And in this brief essay, I will prove it to you.

Your body is a superb machine whose functional details keep scientists in a state of awe and wonder. They estimate that your body has enough power to run a whole city for a week.

Your mind is a computer that has billions of interconnected neurons. You may have enough raw brain power to run a galaxy.

Yet there is something even more amazing about you. You are self-aware, the creator of yourself, and your own creation. You are more than a person, much more. You are a consciousness whose only limit is your own self-belief and imagination.

And, whether you admit it or not, you are here on this planet to do something great with all this raw power and potentiality. You are a creator and you are in a place where creation is necessary. In fact, your internal guidance system, your emotions, will tell you whether you are on track or off track. If you are happy, you are doing something creative and feel fulfilled. If you are unhappy, you are conforming to a reality that does not bring out the best in you.

On the surface of things, it may seem that you have little free-will and are limited in both creativity and imagination. It may also seem that you are pressed in and coerced to do things by stronger forces. And it may also seem that you are different from others, living in a separate objective world of your own.

Yet the study of quantum mechanics shows that at a fundamental level everything is only energy and that this idea of separation is really some kind of hallucination we all share in common because our senses are not subtle enough to observe the fluid interconnection between all things.

Furthermore, a radical subjectivity informs your entire experience of life. That is, you can never not be yourself, and even when you name something as objective, it is a statement that arises from your own subjectivity.

Finally, you are nothing but your own expression of choices, which you bring into existence through creativity and imagination.

This life that you live is the clay that you shape. You are the geometer, organizer, and designer of your life.

As Dr. Joe Vitale said in the movie, The Secret, "You are the Michelangelo of your own life. The David you are sculpting is YOU."

What you think and feel on a moment by moment basis influences all of life because everything about you has some kind of influence.

This is a big concept.

Here is how to understand it.

Think of a row of dominoes leaning up against other dominoes, when there is a change in movement in one, it affects all the other dominoes.

Here is another way to understand it.

Scientists estimate that the flapping of the wings of a butterfly can affect the air currents in a way that gradually magnifies over a distance until it causes weather changes

Of course, all this is very, very subtle. You will never know whether your bad mood affects an international crisis in a war-prone area or whether your good mood creates an act of kindness in a city far away from you.

It has been said that the vibrations of someone with deep wisdom can affect all of humanity. This is easier to understand. After all the history of ideas shows that all that is necessary to influence billions of people throughout time is the ideas of a few people.

What all this means is that beneath the apparent separation between human beings, we are all one; and beneath the apparent lack of power we display, we hide a mighty power.

What you say, think, and do matters. Not only to you, but to everyone. Sometimes it is obvious how your influence spreads. But most often it is subtle, very subtle, hardly noticeable to you, like the flapping of the wings of a butterfly.

elp Always, Hurt Never

2007-12-08T12:01:00.000-08:00

Revenge, the desire to hurt others who have hurt us, only bears bitter fruit. It hurts those whom we have inflicted our wrath upon. And it hurts us, because no single act in the universe goes unrewarded. From that singular act, our own consciousness is wounded by the expression of our animalism.

Nations pride themselves on the swiftness of their retribution but inevitably collapse in on themselves because the seeds of discontent that they sow, hurts all of life. Rome, the greatest civilization that the world had ever known, built on the finest arts and sciences known to the ancient world, the epitome of legal and architectural order, collapsed from within, destroyed by its own impulse to use its mighty force to strike out and subdue.

Today our world is dying because of this impulse to strike out.

We are destroying each other at an alarming rate, both individually and collectively.

And even the earth itself, is collapsing at a faster rate than we can repair. Scientists now estimate that by the year 2050, we will have exhausted the earth of all its natural resources.

The science that we celebrate, the genius of our efforts, are wasted on destructive uses. Instead of using the power of the nucleus to build great civilizations we are busy using it to stockade bombs.

Billions of dollars that could be used to heal the broken places on our planet are used to send people to horrific deaths.

When we seek to hurt life, we hurt ourselves, for we are life.

Revenge it is said is a dish best served cold; but whether it is served with cold deliberation or hot reaction, it is a dish in whose very preparation we imbue a poison that will return to destroy us.

The greatest illusion is this: that we can hurt and not be hurt, that we can wound another and remain unscathed. When we inflict harm upon another, we inflict harm upon ourselves. What goes around comes around. A rudimentary study of history will prove this.

When we love, we reach out to align with life, to nurture and make others better, and in that act, we redeem ourselves from our own past follies.

This love is a precious act. It is our extension of spiritual power in the world. It is a moment of sympathy and support that we have for life. When you bend down and help a child tie its shoelaces, you are tying up all the knots of the world. When you listen in silence and understand another's intention, you are spreading the meme of empathy through all of time and space, for thoughts are cosmic waves that do not know any barriers.

As we extend love to others, it comes back to us.

Yet we cannot love others unless we love ourselves as well.

We cannot live without making mistakes of judgment and do things that we will later regret, because we are na?ve and do foolish things out of that naivety. But we do grow, and looking back at the harm we have invoked, we feel grief. Our act of love, then, is to forgive ourselves. Yet instead of taking this simple act, we damn ourselves repeatedly, and in this way, we still hurt life, because we are life.

When we feel the urge to strike out, we must remember how it feels to have the wound inflicted upon our own flesh, because everything returns to the author of a deed.

Help always, hurt never. Do this and your life will be a blessing to the world and you must reap the harvest from what you have sown.

What is the Connection Between God and Man?

2007-12-08T11:55:00.000-08:00

"What is the connection between God and man? If God is unseen, how can a connection be established between man and something unseen? How can man see the connection? Is the one who sees the connection a man, and is one who does not see the connection also a man? How does the connection come?" A man asked these questions of a Sufi gnani.

The gnani replied, "True indeed. Not everything we see or believe in is God, and not everyone we see is a man. But it is easy for a true man to see the connection between God and man.

"God is beyond mind, desire, and thought. From a place beyond mind, desire, and thought, one who acts with the qualities of God, who does the duty of God, who hands over to Him the responsibility for the diseases of hunger, illness, old age, and death, one who does duty without selfishness and has compassion--he is in the state in which God exists. He is a man, an insan. He is God. In that state he can see the connection between man and God, which is made up of the qualities and actions of God.

"When form is created, the ray of the power of God comes into each form. Thus a connection exists between the power known as God and the ray known as the soul. That ray existed within Him in anathi, the dark time before the beginning. The bodies that were formed with the ray of Gods power inside them will live with that connection.

"There are six kinds of lives. One of them, man, has a connection to God. Man had that connection in anathi, and he maintains it even after he leaves anathi. Just as a fish dies when it is taken out of water, the ray of the soul will die if its connection to Gods power is broken.

"Gods power exists for all time. But if man forgets his connection to it and establishes a connection to the five elements, to earth, fire, water, air, and ether, he will live and die with a connection to hell.

"One who maintains the connection to God is a man, while those who prefer the connection to the elements are pulled by those shakthis, their forces and energies, and disappear into the karma of animals। They become subject to millions of births and to hell. One who is connected to God is pulled by that power and grace and will disappear in God.

by WisdomArticles

Praying For Protection

2007-12-08T11:47:00.000-08:00

Oh Lord I pray to you, I cry out to you with a great urgency. Hear me Lord as I pray. I lift up my hands in worship. May my prayers come before you as a sacrifice, may my prayers be acceptable before you.

Help me Lord to only speak well of everyone and to keep my mouth on guard and not to gossip. Let evil ways not tempt me Lord nor may I be drawn to do wicked things. Let me not keep company with ungodly people and grant me grace and love not to offend anyone.

Bring to me godly people who will keep me accountable and may I accept this as a blessing. Advice from a godly person I will not reject.

My prayers today I ask to be kept safe from the evil of this dark world and of the spiritual world. May those who seek to do me harm be blessed by you and may they in their blessing forget about me.

Let my eye look to you for everything Lord. Keep me safe and may I shelter in your protection. Allow me to pass safely through the troubles of this world and keep me from harm. To you Lord God be the glory and majesty my father and my God.

Many people slander you my God forgive them in their folly. Many claim to do good but are corrupt. As you look from heaven Lord to seek those who look for you, strengthen us against the corruptions of this world. Living in the world yet keeping us untainted from the evils of the world.

Lord Jesus society is turning away from you - there is corruption everywhere - few look for you my Lord.

People are ambitious grasping for money and worldly success, willing to destroy one another for mere possessions. No one looks to you.

Your people are attacked; protect us Lord through these times of trails and tribulations. Let us, your people, not worry for we have you Lord God.

In you Lord we have great fortunes. In you Lord we will live eternal in your glorious presence. Lord empower us in this life to do your will and to proclaim to the world your son Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

There is so much sin in the world yet no one cares to seek forgiveness. And Lord how many sins do I need to repent of! It is my sin of passion that I must seek forgiveness.

The shame and horror of this is an evil in my life.

Now I decide not to let my passions take hold of me and I come to you to give me strength to accomplish this. Many I see give into their passions and are overcome by them giving many excuses for their ways and justifying their sin as not sin at all.

Lord God help me to sing your praises and to share in the inexpressible joy of a heart trusting in you alone.

Help my stubbornness because I don't always praise you as I should. Yet my soul rests in your goodness and loving-kindness.

Lord help me in my backsliding, my resistance my forgetfulness of you my Lord and God. Evil corruptions urge me to stand in opposition to you.

Help me to proclaim your goodness with a submissive heart. May I look inwardly and ask, am I truly born again, is my spirit as a child in my approach to you, are my wants and needs a stumbling block to others, are my joys fruit of faith,
does my confidence in Christ spring from love, and does it purify my soul.

Let you love shine in my prayer and in my public life, wrap my heart in your love, hold me Lord and never let me go.

There is so much darkness still in me, scourge this out and live in me and cause me to long for perfect holiness.

Help me to proclaim your goodness with a submissive heart.

Sri Ramkrishna Paramhansa

2007-12-06T12:14:00.000-08:00

Sri Ramkrishna was born on 18.02.1836 in Kamarpukur, Hoogli of Khudiram Chattopadhay and Chandramoni Devi. He was the 4th child of his parents, after Ramkumar, Katyayani, and Rameswar and a sister, Sarbamangala. Nicknamed as Gadadhar he was a very reckless but god fearing boy since childhood, and was deeply devoted to serve the mother goddess Kali from a young age. He was inspired by the leelas of Lord Krishna and tried to imitate his feats. As a child he was matured for his age and earned the love of all. He had an unusual memory interested in Hindu mythology.

Once while playing the part of Shiva in the plays performed during Shivaratri, he attained Vhava Samadhi. His elder brother Ramkumar took him to Dakhineswar to assist him in his works as a priest in the temple. In 1855 Rani Rashmoni of Janbajar offered him the job of the priest of the Goddess Kali at Dakkhineshwar Temple. Onlookers would crowd to see Ramkrishna performing puja as they wanted to see the love and devotion with which it was performed. At the age of 23, May 1859, he married Saradamoni of Jairambati, whom he thought would be his ideal life companion. Soon after, the urge of finding the truth of life made him take sannyas under the sage Totapuri who gave him the sobriquet, Paramhansa.

His quest for truth continued with Bhairavi Ma and sages in other religion. Though he attained Bhava Samadhi very often, he was inclined to know the truth about human existence. He started Adyitya Sadhana and realised god exist in every form of life. In Jan 17, 1868, he stared for a Tirthayatra along with Mathur Babu and his nephew Hridoy. He visited places like Deoghar, Varanasi and Vrindavan. He even worshipped Saradamoni in the same way he worshipped the mother goddess which was known as Shorshi puja.. He preached universal brotherhood, and soon stalwarts like Kesab Sen, Shibnath Sastri, Girish Ghosh and Narendranath Datta (later Swami Vivekananda) became his disciples.

He developed a strange theological relation with Narendranath and soon moulded him in his own way. He taught Naren the truth of life by letting him see a glimpse of the holy spirit. He taught Naren the truth of life by letting him see a glimpse of the holy spirit. It was Vivekananda in later days, who held high the teachings of Sri Ramakishna to the world by forming the Belur Math. In Jan 1st, 1886 in Kashipur Garden an ailing Ramkrishna touched some of his disciples. Those who were touched felt an unearthly feeling never felt before. While some went speechless for a short while, others moved into a state of Samadhi. This incident is remembered by his disciples as Thakur taking the form of a Kalpataru. The great preacher passed away in 16th August, 1886.

Swami Vivekananda

2007-12-06T12:11:00.001-08:00

(1863-1902)

Narendranath Dutt or Swami Vivekananda was a great social reformer and Indian nationalist of the 19th century. Vivekananda was the disciple of the great social reformer, Ramakrishna Paramahansa. After his master's death, Vivekananda organized the Ramakrishna Mission for the upliftment of the poor folk whom he called the 'Daridra Narayan.'

The following speech was delivered by Vivekananda at the Parliament of world religions on 11 September, 1893. In those times not many people knew about India and its great religious heritage. The presence of Swamiji was greeted with much enthusiasm and helped spread awareness about the religious tradition in our country.

AT THE PARLIAMENT OF WORLD RELIGIONS

September 11, 1893

Sisters and Brothers of America,

It fills my heart with joy unspeakable to rise in response to the warm and cordial welcome, which you have given us. I thank you in the name of the most ancient order of monks in the world; I thank you in the name of the mother of religions; and I thank you in the name of millions and millions of Hindu people of all classes and sects.

My thanks, also, to some of the speakers on this platform who, referring to the delegates from the Orient, have told you that these men from far-off nations may well claim the honour of bearing to different lands the idea of toleration.

I am proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance. We believe not only in universal toleration, but we accept all religions as true. I am proud to belong to a nation, which has sheltered the persecuted, and the refugees of all religions and all nations of the earth.

I am proud to tell you that we have gathered in our bosom the purest remnant of the Israelites, who came to Southern India and took refuge with us in the very year in which their holy temple was shattered to pieces by Roman tyranny. I am proud to belong to the religion, which has sheltered and is still fostering the remnant of the grand Zoroastrian nation.

I will quote to you, brethren, a few lines from a hymn which I remember to have repeated from my earliest boyhood, which is every day repeated by millions of human beings: "As the different streams having their sources in different places all mingle their water in the sea, so, O Lord, the different paths which men take through different tendencies, various though they appear, crooked or straight, all lead to Thee."

The present convention, which is one of the most august assemblies ever held, is in itself a, vindication, a declaration to the world of the wonderful doctrine preached in the Gita: "Whosoever comes to Me, through whatsoever form, I reach him; all men are struggling through paths which in the end lead to me."

Sectarianism, bigotry, and its horrible descendant, fanaticism, have long possessed this beautiful earth. They have filled the earth with violence, drenched it often and often with human blood, destroyed civilization and sent whole nations to despair. Had it not been for these horrible demons, human society would be far more advanced than it is now. But their time is come; and I fervently hope that the bell that tolled this morning in honour of this convention may be the death-knell of all fanaticism, of all persecutions with the sword or with the pen, and of all uncharitable feelings between persons wending their way to the same goal.

My Dream Comes True

2007-12-06T08:02:00.000-08:00

Om Sai Ram, I went to shirdi for the first time way back in 1980 when I was a kid। The memories are still fresh in my mind. Shirdi was different from what it is today. It was very easy to get Baba's darshan those days. Hence we used to visit the mandir 4-5 times a day.In September 2007 I had a strange dream. I dreamt of myself riding a bicycle on a highway. I was dragging the bike on the road pondering if God was present and if so would I be able to see Him . A fakir appeared from behind me and asked me to for bhiksha. I handed some coins to him. He then turned towards a house on the left side of the road and I immediately followed him.

The fakir and I entered the house that was filled with Shirdi Sai Baba's photos. I moved from one room to another to see some more photos when a voice came from behind " Are you Rakesh?". I was shocked and went back to the first room and replied in the affirmation. There was a saintly man over there who pulled a photo which was under a garland on Sai Baba's photo.The photo was a childhood picture of myself. The saintly person said “ He had kept you in his heart since you were a child". There were also two small girls. The main door of the house had the name 'Kodama Raju' written on it with which the dream came to an end.
I found the strangeness of my strange dream come true. Baba's ways are inscrutable!
My wife and I went on a trip to Mysore after about ten days of the strange dream that I had. We decided to use my bike as the mode of transportation. In the course of our trip we visited Sri Rangapatna which was about fifteen kilometers ahead of Mysore. In Sri Ranga Patna, we visited an orphanage run by Sathya Sai Baba trust. The orphanage is known to be famous for the miracles of Sai. We visited the mandir in the orphanage where I found loads of vibhuti formation on Sai Baba's photos and also the continuous flow of nectar from Baba's amulet. The mandir was actually the conversion of two rooms for the purpose of worship with a lot of Baba's photos.A small girl then approached us and handed some nectar as prasad which wasamazingly tasty. We then proceeded with our journey to Mysore. We also made a second visit to the orphanage on our way back from Mysore when another small girl gave us the prasad.On reaching home in Bangalore I found the strangeness of my strange dream come true. Baba's ways are inscrutable!. I would just like to conclude that "Baba loves all and keeps everyone in his heart."

The Unseen Hand

2007-12-06T07:59:00.000-08:00

'Ramana' the mere utterance of the word is nectar to His devotees! Having got exposed to His teachings, the continuous drill of disassociating oneself from the body and the mind that we rightfully think we are, I could hardly approach Him for any favours। Immediately the question ' Who is the one who is seeking the favour? ' will sprout up and that was suffice enough to silence me. For was it not He who had said that the true 'I' is far beyond the body and the mind? So for whom is favours to be sought? It appeared meaningless!As a normal human being still entangled in the body-mind complex and a very long way to go on the path of spirituality, I did ascend the steps of His shrine in Bangalore to seek His grace when a major crisis hit upon us (my family). I could only turn to Him for support for what care and love can surpass His? Had'nt He not told a Buddhist monk who came for His darshan that a Master's grace is not exclusively for spiritual upliftment of a devotee alone though it was the prime cause but also for material issues as well.

The doctor's report clearly stated the presence of a tumour in my aunt's brain. She shares almost an equal part with my mother in bringing me up. I immediately set out to my hometown after having pleaded with Ramana for her recovery and surrendering the issue to His complete care.My aunt was not aware of the seriousness of the issue. A couple of tests were done and the doctor said that it was not required to open her head to remove the tumour. The tumour consisted of liquid and so a tube was to be inserted trough her nose and the liquid was to be drained out. That was a great relief as opening the head sounded scary as some of the vital nerves were attached to the tumour. However another problem dangling like Damascus' sword above our heads was that, only after the surgeory the tumour would be exposed to biopsy to know whether it was benign or malignant. We took a second opinion from an expert surgeon who assured that the tumour is definitely benign. Another burden was lifted!I was then to meet the ENT(Ear, Nose, Throat Specialist) as his presence was required during the surgeory as the liquid of the tumour was to be drained through the nose. As I was listening to the assuring words of the doctor, I suddenly looked into the eyes of the much accustomed face! Who else' but Bhagavan Ramana's whose picture adorned the wall of the ENT's room as if to assure me that everything is going to be fine. A pleasant surprise indeed!A new relief began to flood within my being and I told the doctor that everything is going to be fine as Bhagavan has assured me with His presence. The surprised doctor and I had a conversation about Ramana. I was very happy to have founded a fellow devotee.On the day of the surgeory, as my tensed family waited outside the operation theatre, I was relaxed reading a book about Bhagavan. The surgeory proved to be successful and my aunt is hale and healthy now with the new lease of life granted by the magnanimous boon giver, Ramana. He made His presence most unassumingly and performed the miracle in the most natural way. Well that is Ramana's way! No spectacular outward display, yet the devotee can feel the guidance within him. An exclusive divine interaction between the devotee and Ramana alone!I expressed my gratitude to Bhagavan with tears brimming my eyes in the shrine in Bangalore. His flooding mercy not only cured my aunt, but also exposed me practically to what it meant to surrender to Him without reserve which formed the core of his teaching. His grace surpassed my amateurishness in spirituality of often faltering in my sadhana like a child toddling with indefinite steps. A two in one miracle that taught me as well as touched me! The experience taught what the state of mind will be with regards to complete surrender. All praise to my Master Ramana.

A Longing Heart

2007-12-06T07:55:00.000-08:00

A longing heart that attempts with an unswerving resolve to aspire for the highest is the one that is capable of attaining it. The truth is sugar coated for a better comprehension and easy digestion by a story illustrated by Swami Vivekananda.Once a disciple requested his master to bless him with religion ( Vision of God). He could only get a smile in return from His master. However the young man was persistent and started visiting his master everyday only to be warded off gently. Practical demonstration always proves to be better than verbal instructions especially in the case of spirituality.
Until this search is awakened, the aspirant is no better than any atheist
The master hence took His disciple to a river and held him under the water by force and let him go after sometime। He then asked the disciple what was all His struggle for under the water? The surprised young man replied that he was struggling for his breath and all his thoughts were directed towards achieving it. The Master then smiled and said that his struggles should be such if not more in wanting the vision of God as well! A ceaseless craving for the divine is the prime requisite to attain it. Idols, intellectual feeding through books and other means are all frail forms of attempts which would not work for long if not coupled with a tireless search. Until this search is awakened, the aspirant is no better than any atheist. The search for the vision of God should be as desperate as a thief who is aware of a heap of gold in the next room.

Hence the vision of God is only possible with one's vision focused on Him that leads one to be a visualizer and ultimately to blend in the ultimate without visions and the act of visualizing!

swami vivekananda

Is Enlightenment Possible Without A Guru?

2007-12-06T07:51:00.000-08:00

What do you see in the future regarding the Guru/Disciple relationship? Do we need a Guru to attain a state of enlightenment?To me this is a very important question at the present time। I would like to emphasize the present time। It was in the mid 80's that the spiritual relationship of guru/disciple reached its highest popularity. Since then, there have been spiritual teachers with a more Western approach such as Deepak Chopra, Wayne Dyer and Christiane Northrop, who have taken their educational credentials to approach the teacher/student relationship in a more down-to-earth environment. There are many more teachers without the educational credentials who are just as valuable but don't advertise the fact and will become popular in their own communities over the next few years.We need to consider when the guru/disciple relationship started in order to see where it is presently and where it is going in the future. The best place to start is with the cycles of time called Yugas or Ages in the ancient Vedic texts. There are four ages or Yugas: Satya-yuga or the Golden Age, Treta-yuga, Dvapar-yuga and Kali-yuga. We are presently in Kali-yoga which is the dark age.

In Stephen Knapp's book "The Vedic Prophecies: A New Look Into The Future" , he writes on page 21-The Padma Purana (7।26.15-17) elaborates that "in Kali-yuga, which is the abode of sins, everyone is involved in sinful activities. They censure the Vedas, or spiritual truths, and engage in gambling andstealing. Brahmanas will act fraudulently for a livelihood. Everyone will be addicted to women, sex, and intoxicating liquors. They will be stealing others' wealth. Heretics and atheists will become prominent. Men will possess little luster and will be wrathful, greedy, untruthful, and be filled with jealousy, pride, anger, deceit, and malice."
This could be the reason why the relationship between Krishna and Arjuna in the Bhagavad-Gita is the most read spiritual book in the East।
According to most historians Kali-yuga started after Krishna died some 5,000 years ago. This could be the reason why the relationship between Krishna and Arjuna in the Bhagavad-Gita is the most read spiritual book in the East. It sets the tone for how the guru/disciple relationship works in the dark age such as Kali-yuga. In such a dark age it is no wonder that there is such a need to have a teacher of light (guru) to guide humanity. With so many mosquitoes available and very few light bulbs, the guru becomes the central energy source of pure white light that could elevate others to a higher state of awareness that is almost absent in humanity as a whole. The average age in Kali-yuga is 100 years if you're lucky. In Dvapara-yuga it is 1,000 years old. In Treta-yuga it is 10,000 years old. In Satya-yuga you could live to be 100,000 years old in perfect health.To write about each yuga in detail would be lengthy. I recommend Stephen Knapp's book mentioned earlier for detailed information regarding the subject of yugas. It is obvious from my description of Kali-yuga that a teacher of enlightenment is needed and very rare in this dark age. However, I am always happy to mention the light at the end of the tunnel. According to most authors who are experts on the subject of yugas, we are entering a sub-period of Satya-yuga which will last 10,000 years. According to Maharishi Mahesh Yogi who is the founder of the TM organization, we have entered this sub-period in July of 2005. Guru purnama is a yearly celebration of the guru every July on the full moon. The full moon in July of 2005 according to Maharishi is the start of the 10,000 year cycle of a sub-period of Satya-yuga in the Kali-yuga age we are presently in.

The Healer Par Excellence

2007-12-06T07:45:00.000-08:00

Dr.K Sudhakar of Hyderabad was a confirmed diabetic patient since 18 years and was under treatment for the same. In 1990, he had an abscess on his right foot, which did not heal in spite of antibiotic injections and application of ointments.
There is no disease greater than a sinful body, and no doctor greater than Sri Sai Baba of Shirdi.
He was admitted in hospital and finally it was decided that his foot had to be amputated lest gangrene might develop and spread to the upper portion of his leg। The writer who had recorded all the facts of this article, in his usual daily meditation got a message from Sri Sai Baba in which the profile of the patient was shown, with the advice that he would not be cured in the hospital and therefore he should immediately go home. Baba also prescribed a mixer of Bilwapatris, Tulasipatra and Sharadaparta juice being applied on the wound. Upon hearing this, the patient got discharged and followed Baba"s medicine. Miraculously his wound got completely healed in two weeks!

The writer himself had once suffered a heart attack and was admitted in the hospital, in May 1998. The doctors after all the tests diagnosed that all the three valves i.e. Aortic, Mistral and Pulmonary, were not functioning and due to this there was no sufficient blood circulation to the heart. At this juncture a by-pass surgery was not possible. A list of medicines to be taken daily had been prescribed. Later in one of the messages, Baba said that the diagnosis of the doctors had been wrong and that it was Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy and prescribed some medicine for this disease !Sri V Narayana Rao of Hyderabad said that his son was admitted in the Gandhi Hospital at Secundrabad, fearing that he was developing brain fever. A doctor examined his son and wrote on the case sheet that the disease was not brain fever. He wondered that it was unusual for a doctor to write that way. Further more how could he read his mind?! He thought that Sri Sai Baba had appeared as the doctor to relieved him of his tension. His son meanwhile in a semiconscious state had been chanting ‘Sai Ram".The next day the fever subsided. The cure for this disease was the mantra 'Sai Ram', recited by the patient. There are innumerable miracles performed by Baba even after His Mahasamadhi. These experiences of devotees confirm that Sri Sai Baba is still living with us and guiding us in every affair. There is no disease greater than a sinful body, and no doctor greater than Sri Sai Baba of Shirdi.

Thiru Alangudi-To Dispel The Darkness

2007-12-06T07:26:00.000-08:00

The etymology of the Sanskrit word 'Guru' in Hinduism is very interesting। Of the word 'Guru', 'gu' stands for 'darkness' and 'ru' for 'dispeller' thus arriving at the meaning as the dispeller of darkness.Guru is the one who leads one from illusion to illumination by imparting the knowledge of the absolute reality. He is the helmsman who aids in ferrying across the ocean of worldly maladies safely securing one in His blissful benediction of self realization. The worship of 'Guru' facilitates in attaining the material goals to deliver one from the delusion of desires and to lead one to the path of spirituality. The word 'Guru' is a general term and Dakshinamurthy, a form of Shiva in the Hindu tradition of 'Saivam' is worshipped as Guru.

The Legend
Thiru Alangudi, the popular shrine for the worship of Guru or Dashinamurthy in Tamil Nadu lies 17km from the temple city of Kumbakonam. The presiding deity of the shrine is Lord Shiva bearing the name of Aaabathsagaayeswara or Aranyeswara. Goddess Parvati here is worshipped as Umai Ammai or Elavarkuzali. Once when the Devas and the Asuras in a combined effort tried to churn the celestial ocean, 'Parkadal'. They used the the celestial snake 'Vasuki' as the rope and the mount 'Mandara' as the rod to procure the celestial elixir. The snake emanated deadly poison which the Lord swallowed to safeguard the universe। Hence Lord Shiva is fondly hailed as 'Aaabathsagayeswara', meaning 'saviour' for having consumed the poison (Aalaala Visham) and the place came to be known as 'Alangudi'।

An interesting episode in the life of Sundaramurthy Nayanar also marks the significance for addressing the Lord as 'Aaabathsagaayeswara'। It is said that the Lord extended His grace in saving the life of Sundramurthy Nayanar who tried to ferry across the river Vettaru which was in spate while opting to reach Alangudi to worship the lord at the cost of his life. Sundaramurthy Nayanar then received spiritual initiation by Lord Shiva in the form of Dakshinamurthy or Guru in this shrine.
"It is believed that one who has acquired the blessings for fourteen generations could step into this temple for worship"

Alangudi is also known as 'Thirumana Mangalam' as Goddess Parvati after an arduous penance sought the hand of the Lord in marriage in Alangudi। Kasi Aranyam and Thiru Erumpoolai are the other names of Alangudi. Another significance of the temple is attributed to Lord Ganesha, who is worshipped as 'Kalangaamal kaatha Vinayagar' ( the Lord who was steadfast in saving the devotees) for having slain the vicious 'Gajamuhasura' who was a great threat to the Devas.Apar, Sundarar and Thirugnanasambandhar, the three important Nayanmars have sung the praise of the Lord of Alangudi. There fifteen 'theerthams'(wate bodies) around the temple of which 'Amritha Pushkarini' is the noted one. Poolai is the sthala viruksham( the tree associated with the temple )

Significance Of 'Guru' Worship In AlangudiIt is believed that one who has acquired the blessings for fourteen generations could step into this temple for worship. Alangudi is the most popular 'Parihara Sthalam' ( Temple for rectification ) for appeasing Guru Bhagavan for malefic effects of the planet Guru or Jupiter and other Jupiter related issues in one's horoscope. The worship of Dakshinamurthy in this shrine would confer longevity, progeny, fame and wealth on the worshipper. The story of the redemption of a king, Musukuntha Chakravarthi from his sins for beheading his minister Amuthokar, a devotee of Lord Shiva is the standing example of the mercy of the Lord towards the sinners. Musukuntha Charavarthy is believed to have worshipped 'Dakshinamurthy' in Alangudi for his redemption. It is also believed that Amuthokar was the one who had constructed the temple in Alangudi.Method Of WorshipThe worshipper is instructed to light 24 lamps with ghee and circumambulate the temple 24 times.Worship of the Lord during Gurupeyarchi ( Transit of the planet 'Guru' every year ) and festivals associated with Gurupeyarchi, worship on Thursdays, 1008 Conch Abisheka festival, Chitra Poornima and the Car festival are the important events celebrated with the view to gain the blessings of Dakshinamurthy.Hence let us incur the blessings of the Lord Of Alangudi for the fulfillment of our lives.

'Practice', The Path To Peace

2007-12-06T07:25:00.000-08:00

Sathya Sai spoke of the importance of Sadhana ( spiritual practice ) to Prof।Kasturi. “Sadhna is essential pre-requisite. You were a professor for a long time. So you can easily understand this. You must have evaluated the answer scripts of many students. You assign marks only after careful scrutiny, to discover how diligent they have been in their studies. I also measure and weight the sincerity and steadiness's of the sadhna in accordance with your progress".Many are not aware that the misery in which they find themselves can be negated by sadhna and the sankapla that can be won through it.
Sankaracharya describes the divine task master as "Ahethuka" daya sindu."...The embodiment of inexhaustible compassion which does not examine credentials. Measuring and weighting Sadhana in order to measure out our Sankalpa is operative only after His Grace has led the straying steps into the fold.
Many are not aware that the misery in which they find themselves can be negated by sadhna and the sankapla.
Baba had announced to the world, through a letter to His elder brother, that He had decided to "hold by hand" and save the unfortunate who miss the road to 'Freedom from fear'. 'Abhaya in defied in the Upanishads with the very 'Moksha' as when one attains Moksha he is untouched by any fear.

Variety in Upadesh

2007-12-06T07:09:00.000-08:00

Sai Baba required no special place, nor any special time forgiving instructions. Whenever any occasion demanded, He gave them freely. Once it so happened that a Bhakta of Baba, reviled another behind his back, before other people. Leaving aside the merits, he dwelt on the faults of his brother, and spoke so sarcastically, that the hearers were disgusted. Generally, we see that people have a tendency to scandalize others, unnecessarily; and this brings on hatred and ill-will. Saints see scandal, in another light. They say that there are various ways of cleansing or removing dirt, viz by means of earth, water and soap etc., but a scandal-monger has got a way of his own. He removes the dirt (faults) of others by his tongue; so in a way, obliges the person, whom he reviles and for this he is to be thanked.
Sai Baba had his own method of correcting the scandal-monger. He knew by his omniscience what the slanderer had done and when He met him at noon near the Lendi, Baba pointed out to him a pig that was eating filth near the fence and said to him - "Behold how, with what relish it is gorging dung. Your conduct is similar. You go on reviling your own brethren to your heart's content. After performing many deeds of merit, you are born a man, and if you act like this, will Shirdi help you in any way?" Needless to say, that the Bhakta took the lesson to his heart, and went away.
Baba said that He was omnipresent, occupying land, air, country, world, light and heaven, and that He was not limited
In this way Baba went on giving instructions whenever necessary. If these are borne in our minds and acted upon, the spiritual goal (realization) is not far off. There is a proverb which says - "If there be my Hari (Lord), He will feed me on my cot." This proverb is only true in respect of food and clothing, but if anyone trusting in this, sits quiet and does nothing in spiritual matters, he will be ruined. One has to exert himself to his utmost for attaining self-realization. The more he endeavours, the better for him.Sai Ram. In a way, what Shri Hemadpant wrote above is very true, but it is very difficult to actually sit and do nothing! And it is easy for an idle mind to become a devil's workshop and thus drive the person to mischief including criticizing others, forgetting that they too are children of the same God.Shri Hari will definitely take care of a devotee who indeed does nothing, but to reach that stage, one has to first do good things. It is good to remember Shri Adi Shankara's Bhaja Govinda Stotram: Satsangatve nissangatvam, nissangatve nirmohatvam, nirmohatve nischala tattvam, nischala tatve, jeevan muktih, Bhaja Govindam....Out of good company (good deeds), comes detachment, out of detachment comes freedom from illusion, out of that comes a steady mind and a steady mind leads to liberation while still in the physical body. So worship and chant Govinda....Sai Ram. All Saints and Sadgurus teach the same thing in different forms to suit the occasions. Sai Ram.Baba said that He was omnipresent, occupying land, air, country, world, light and heaven, and that He was not limited. To remove the misunderstanding of those, who thought that Baba was only His body three cubits and a half in length, He incarnated Himself in this form and if any devotee meditated on Him day and night with complete self-surrender, he experienced complete union (without any difference) with Him like sweetness and sugar, waves and sea, eye and its luster. He, who wants to get rid of the cycle of births and deaths, should lead a righteous life, with his mind calm and composed. He should always engage himself in good actions, should do his duties and surrender himself, heart and soul to Him. He need not then be afraid of anything. He who trusts Him entirely, hears and expounds His leelas and does not think of anything else, is sure to attain Self-realization.
Baba asked many to remember His name and to surrender to Him, but to those, who wanted to know who they were ('Who am I' enquiry), He advised Shravanam (study) and Mananam (meditation)। To some, He advised remembering God's name, to others hearing His leelas, to some worship of His Feet, to others reading and studying Adhyatma Ramayan, Jnaneshwari and other sacred scriptures. Some He made sit near His Feet, some He sent to Khandoba's temple, and some He advised the repetition of the thousands names of Vishnu and some the study of Chhandogya Upanishad and Geeta.
There were no limit, nor restriction to Baba's instructions. To some, He gave them in person. To others by vision in dreams. To one addicted to drink, He appeared in his dream, sat on his chest, pressed it and left him, after he gave a promise not to touch liquor anymore. To some, He explained some Mantras like 'Gurur Brahma' in dreams. To some devotees, who were practising Hath-Yoga, He sent word that he should give up Hath-Yoga practices, sit quiet and wait (Saburi). It is impossible to describe all His ways and methods. In ordinary worldly dealings, He set examples by His actions, one of which is given below.
There were no limit to Baba's instructions. To some, He gave them in person. To others by vision in dreams.
Sai Ram। The roads are many but the goal is the same. The paths are many but the destination is same. That is the union of the Jeevatma with the Paramatma, the individual soul with the Universal Soul, the water drop with the ocean. Sai Ram. Remuneration for LabourOne day at noon, Baba came near Radha-Krishna-Mai's house and said - "Bring me a ladder." Some men brought it and set it against a house as directed by Baba. He climbed up on the roof of Vaman Gondkar's house, passed the roof of Radha-Krishna-Mai's house and then got down from the other corner. What object Baba had, none could know.Sai Ram. And when Baba did not will it, none of His disciples or devotees including Shama, Tatya Kote Patil etc., could think of asking Him.Radha-Krishna-Mai was, at that time, shivering with Malaria. It may be to drive off that fever, that He may have gone there. Immediately after getting down, Baba paid rupees two to the persons who brought the ladder. Somebody asked Baba, why he paid so much for this. He replied that nobody should take the labour of others, in vain. The worker should be paid, his dues promptly and liberally.Sai Ram. It is always better to pay liberally. The recipient feels obliged and will come gladly the next time for the giver's requests. Also, Baba was indicating that karmic debts should be settled as fast as possible.Sai Ram. We have come to the end of a wonderfully rich chapter. In the next issue, we will take up another great chapter, where Baba explains to Sri Dasa Ganu Maharaj, the essence of Isa Upanishad. Sai Ram.

Bow to Shri Sai - Peace be to all

By: Venkateswara Swamy Swarna

Baba's Advice Regarding our Behaviour

2007-12-06T06:59:00.000-08:00

The following words of Baba are general and invaluable. If they are kept in mind and acted upon, they will always do you good. "Unless there is some relationship or connection, nobody goes anywhere. If any men or creatures come to you, do not discourteously drive them away, but receive them well and treat them, with due respect.
Shri Hari (God) will be certainly pleased, if you give water to the thirsty, bread to the hungry, clothes to the naked, and your verandah to strangers for sitting and resting. If anybody wants
any money from you, and you are not inclined to give, do not give, but do not bark at him, like a dog.Let anybody speak hundreds of things against you, do not resent by giving any bitter reply. If you always tolerate such things, you will certainly be happy. Let the world go topsy-turvy, you remain where you are. Standing or staying in your own place, look on calmly at the show of all things passing before you.
he heard a beautiful song that was being sung nicely by one Aurangabadkar, in the Masjid before Baba.
Sai Ram. Sai is asking us to leave the idea of doership and adopt the stage of an aware witness and remain steadfast and unshaken by events taking place. These are the traits or attributes of a Sthitha Prajna, Para Brahman and the enlightened Sage. Sai Ram.Demolish the wall of difference that separates you from Me; and then the road for our meeting will be clear and open. The sense of differentiation, as I and thou, is the barrier that keeps away the disciple from his Master, and unless that is destroyed the state of union or atonement is not possible.Sai Ram. A beautiful description of duality. The One becomes two to become One yet again. Yoga is union, of the individual ego with the Universal Consciousness, just as the water drop unites with the water in the ocean. Sai Ram."Allah Malik" i.e. God is the sole Proprietor, nobody else is our Protector. His method of work is extra-ordinary, invaluable, and inscrutable. His will will be done and He will show us the way, and satisfy our heart's desires. It is on account of Rinanubandh (former relationship) that we have come together, let us love and serve each other and be happy. He, who attain the supreme goal of life, is immortal and happy; all others merely exist, i.e., live so long as they breathe".Encouraging Good Thoughts of FruitionIt is interesting to note how Sai Baba encouraged good thoughts. You have to surrender yourself completely to Him with love, and devotion, and then you will see how, He helps you, off and on, in so many things. Some Saint has said, that when you get a good thought, immediately after awakening from sleep, and if you develop the same afterwards during the day, your intellect will be unfolded and your mind will attain calmness. Hemadpant wanted to try this. On one Wednesday night before going to bed, he thought - "To-morrow is Thursday - an auspicious day and the place, viz. Shirdi, is so holy; so let me pass the whole day in remembering and chanting the Rama-nama, and then he slept. Next morning when he got up he remembered without any effort the name of Rama and was much pleased.Hemadpant then, after finishing his morning duties, went to see Baba with flowers. When he left Dixit's Wada, and was just passing Booty's Wada (present Samadhi-mandir) he heard a beautiful song that was being sung nicely by one Aurangabadkar, in the Masjid before Baba. The song was Guru - kripanjan payo mere bhai" etc. by Ekanath, in which he says that he got collyrium in the form of Guru's grace which opened his vision and made him see Rama, in and out, in sleep, dream, and waking state and everywhere. There were so many songs; and why was this song particularly chosen by Aurangabadkar, a devotee of Baba? Is this not a curious coincidence arranged by Baba to feed the determination of Hemadpant to sing unceasingly Rama-nama, during the day?Sai Ram. He has helped me too with this particular mantra out of the many. All His names are effective in liberating us from our bondage of attachment to our worldly desires. Sai Ram. All Saints agree and lay stress upon the efficacy of uttering Rama's (God's) name, in fulfilling the ambitions of the Bhaktas and in protecting and saving them from all calamities.
By: Venkateswara Swami Swarna

Union Of The Jeevatma With The Paramatma

2007-12-06T06:50:00.000-08:00

When I wanted to submit this article, I found that it would be published under Yoga-Spirituality। So, I first thought of requesting the editor to change the last part of the link from yoga to spirituality to differentiate it from yoga, which is more concerned with asanas, yama, niyama, pranayam etc., but then realised that the goal of spirituality and yoga is one and the same, that is. union of the jeevatma with the paramatma, the part realising its oneness with the whole, the ego willing to play its role in the drama of life. So, I felt that no change is needed. Many times we talk of Spirituality. What exactly do we mean by that? Let us try to approach this question from the point of view of science.We can very well understand when we talk of a physical world. We can hear, see, smell, taste and touch something. We talk of it being a solid, liquid or a gas. We can touch a solid, smell it if it has a smell, taste it if it has a taste, we see it as having a definite size and shape. We can impact it with another solid and hear the sound of impact. Thus a solid can be sensed by all five sense organs. Sai Ram.When it comes to the liquid, we can certainly see it but with an important difference - it has no size or shape except as defined by a container. It may have a smell and it may have a taste too. It certainly makes a splashing or sloshing sound when moved in the container. Even a dynamic body of liquid like a river makes sound as the water ripples along and meets other solid bodies or when it is separated from itself and then meets itself like a water fall. We can certainly touch the liquid, though it may be difficult in case of mercury and dangerous like in case of corrosive acids. But with suitable precautions, it is possible.

Now let us see vapor state and gaseous state. The difference between a vapor and a gas is that in the case of a vapor it is in contact with the liquid. If the vapor is sufficiently heated, it becomes gas. We cannot see all vapors and gases directly, but we can see them indirectly. We can smell them, taste them (most of the gases don't have a taste but some like carbon dioxide react with water and produce carbonic acid, which gives a characteristic taste to the soda and when oxygen is driven off by boiling water and cooling it without much aeration, it tastes flat) and touch them indirectly (when a breeze blows, we feel it).One important difference between a liquid and a gas/vapor needs to be understood at this point. Though both are classified as fluid (flowing, not having a definite shape and so ever changing), liquids do have a definite density at a given temperature. So a given quantity of a liquid will occupy a definite volume at a particular temperature. Even if we provide a larger volume than that needed, the liquid doesn't flow to fill the total volume. But a few molecules will escape from the liquid surface and form the vapor above that surface. Of course, some of those molecules get kicked back or pulled back into the liquid and some other molecules escape in their place. This is called a dynamic equilibrium. The temperature and the vapor pressure of a liquid, will determine how much part of the liquid will evaporate Alcohol, which is called the rectified spirit has a high rate of evaporation at the room temperature. When the doctor or nurse rubs your shoulder with a cotton swab soaked in alcohol preparatory to injection, you will normally feel cool. That is because the alcohol absorbs heat from your skin for evaporation and that results in a local lowering of your body temperature.So, now it is easy to see what is meant by a spirit. A spirit is a liquid that evaporates easily. Since the rate of evaporation of a liquid at a given temperature is proportional to the average velocity of its molecules and is inversely proportional to the binding force between two molecules of the liquid, it is clear that a liquid with low boiling point, low surface tension will evaporate faster and the vapor pressure will be higher.Another meaning of the word spirit is that it refers to astral entities who may be visible but who can't be touched, for example, ghosts etc. They are lighter, more transparent and can penetrate between the spaces that are impervious to thicker bodies like our normal bodies. So, spiritual means light, less dense.Vapors of a substance are also less dense compared to a solid or liquid and the vapors can penetrate through small crevices which a solid or liquid cannot enter. So, the vapor has better penetrating ability, and thus indirectly better means of knowing things not seen or touched by heavier, denser bodies.If left open, the vapor from a vessel containing a liquid will go on rising and mix with air or if left in space vacuum, will continue to expand outwards forever. Thus a spiritual person tries to expand his consciousness further and further.A person who is all the time attached to his body and its surroundings - a person who is attached to physical comforts, sensual pleasures - see how we are connecting philosophical concepts of a person with scientific concepts discussed above - is not considered spiritual. A person, who feels tied down by these bonds - a person who wants to liberate himself from these bonds - is said to be spiritual.Spirituality expresses itself in several ways - a strong desire in the other worlds, a strong interest in ghosts and other phantoms, a strong interest in study of palmistry astrology and other occult sciences - a strong desire for astral travel - a deep interest in religion, psychology and other behavioral sciences and of course also through a strong interest in philosophy (literally meaning love of knowledge) - physics and other sciences all being branches of philosophy and study of Vedanta etc.

By: Swarna.Venkateswara Swamy

Letting go of the past

2007-11-27T04:01:00.000-08:00

Our lives are weighed down with past memories and expectations from the future. How can we let go of all that clutter and live life spontaneously? We feel burdened not because of our present but because of the past hanging around our neck like a heavy stone.

Osho gives some useful tips for separating psychological memories from the factual ones. It is good to remember that mere facts never burden us. The memory of our name or phone number is not a burden but a psychological memory of an insult or even a felicitation can become a hang up.

Interestingly, many of us tend to forget facts but we tend to remember and dwell upon psychological memories.

Osho points out, "Memory has technical uses. You have to know how to drive, you have to know where your home is, and you have to recognise your wife and your children. But those are not psychological hang-ups. Factual memory is useful. It enhances life, facilitates it. But if you come home and you look at your wife and think of all your past experiences with her then that is a psychological hang-up. If she was angry with you in the recent past, then that memory can cloud your eyes. If she was nasty or sad, then it too can colour your perception. Psychological impressions change your way of looking and perceiving her as she is standing in front of you at this moment. You are no longer looking at her but at someone who doesn't exist. You are looking at a ghost, not at your wife. And she may also be looking at you in the same way. Drop the past each moment. Just as you clean your house, clean your inner house of the past. All psychological memories have to be dropped. Just keep factual things and your mind will be very clean and clear."

Soon you will find that there is a new light in your life - the light of here-now, the Present.

The three Devis and creative energy

2007-11-20T07:05:00.000-08:00

Durga is one version of the all-pervading Shakti, the powerful manifestation of the Supreme Energy. The eternity of this supreme manifestation of divine female power is considered to be pervading infinite space and time. The everlasting and all-pervading Shakti also presides over the processes of creation, conservation and annihilation. Concepts of creation, preservation and annihilation are crucial as "many-body" operators in physics. Almost all physical systems are many-body systems. The smallest many-body entity is a physical system with only two constituents. Atoms, atomic nuclei, molecules, solids, liquids, gases and the universe constitute important physical many-body systems. We, too, live in many-body systems that include family, our society and the world. However, these are not studied as physical systems, although some enthusiastic students of the subject do show some interest in them. Maha Shakti or Supreme Energy is manifested chiefly in three forms: Maha Saraswati, Maha Lakshmi and Maha Kali. The three devis represent three important facets of life: Creation, conservation and annihilation. Learning and wisdom play a far more important role than details of one's birth. Maha Saraswati stands for creation. The creative person who pursues knowledge and wisdom continues to live with the grace of Maha Lakshmi, who is responsible for the sustenance of life. Maha Lakshmi bestows her grace and bounty. Finally, Maha Kali, responsible for annihilation, completes the cycle. Physical energy has several forms. There are transformations among the different forms of energy. In the process, however, the indestructibility of the energy, and consequently matter, is not affected. The stability and functionality of different forms of energy and matter depend on the distribution of these in the atom, which is the source of all forms of energy and matter, the complete knowledge of which still remains elusive. This is also true with regard to the Universe. In spite of several propositions and expositions about the universe and its finiteness or infiniteness, the subject is still mysterious. This fact emphasises the boundless or infinite limits of knowledge. We are not bound by finite dimensions. We live free, and we are surrounded by infinite space, time and knowledge. It's all there, we only need to reflect on the metaphysics of it. Science is normally handled within only space time dimensions. With knowledge included, it becomes philosophy or metaphysics. Research in science is increasingly also revealing to us the infinite nature of knowledge: the more we know, the more there is to know and so on. What we might refer to as super-space is spanned by space, time and knowledge, all having both real and imaginary components; the imaginary components are the reciprocal or momentum space, frequency and ignorance respectively. That we are in this situation is not our doing. In this context, the concept of a Supreme Power is important. Philosophy and science have a common characteristic. Both are born of doubt and also evolve with creation of more doubts. Understanding the correlation between the seemingly contrasting aspects of science and philosophy is important in enabling further exploration of the mysteries and nature of space, time and knowledge.

G S TRIPATHI

Religion, rationality & development

2007-11-20T06:56:00.001-08:00

The 'Ram sethu' controversy was highly avoidable. An issue, which should have been a simple one of a conflict between environment and economic development somehow got converted into one of religion versus development. Even more alarming, the central issue became one of the existence of a Hindu god! The government must be faulted for allowing such a strange turn of events especially as the last issue is still with the courts and (rightly so) unlikely to be resolved in my lifetime at least. Though the government did the right damage control, it is useful to consider some of the questions which were thrown up. Are religious beliefs rational? Is the "scientific" Sethusamudram project crucial for development? What happens if the two are in conflict? Let us look at these in turn. There is now a wealth of material on how to "objectivise" religion (The Probability of God - Stephen Unwin, Crown Forum, NY, 2003). The main theme seems to be the old one of science versus religion. Thus, can science explain all events? In particular, can science explain many of the "knife edge" observations on real life experiences? For example, why is water the only liquid whose density does not fall continuously as temperature increases? (If it did all sea life would cease to exist). There are many other "knife edge" problems. The answer seems to be not that science cannot explain such phenomena but that at this point we "do not know". Herein lies the clue to why faith in religion transcends all social, economic and geographical barriers. Economics defines "individual rationality" as the attempt to reach the highest level of satisfaction given existing knowledge. So, for an individual for whom life is coming crashing down around him (for example, due to poverty or a terminal illness) belief in something he cannot explain (and which will somehow get him through the crisis) may be an extremely "rational" calculus. In fact, given the imperfect world we live in, this "blind faith" may be crucial to social order. This is really the sense in which John Lennon sings the line paraphrased at the beginning of this article. As he implied, an individual may not have all the trappings of a religion and yet have faith in the unknown. Mr Karunanidhi's attempt to trivialise the "existence of Ram" debate was obviously an attempt to cater to the "Periyar lobby". But it raises the issue of what happens when faith and development conflict. But can we seriously "rationalise" something which is a matter of individual faith? Consider the two crucial events in the Christian calendar: Christmas and Easter. The first celebrates the birth of Christ: a perfectly rational scientific event. Yet the Christian faith itself is based on the second of the two events which symbolises the "resurrection" of Christ. We all know that India is a country with an excessive number of holidays. Can one then rationally argue that while Christmas is an understandable holiday, "good Friday" should be dropped since it derives its importance from the resurrection of Easter Sunday? This is a valid question when posed as a scientific query (how can the dead come to life?) but a foolish one when applied to the touchstone of faith in a religion. The reader can come up with any number of such arguments which can be advanced (a la Mr Karunanidhi) in the context of other religions and faiths. Yet, the celebration which a holiday symbolises is based on acceptance of the faith rather than the scientific validity of an associated event. And faith, as one has argued, is perfectly rational. How crucial is the Sethusamudram project? The main argument seems to be the time saving for ships which will no longer have to go around Sri Lanka in moving from the east coast to the west. While the ecological problems are still not clearly defined, the economic gains of the canal are not likely to be high. A look at maritime statistics indicates that shipping costs are now such a small part of the final price of most products that tariff barriers between countries (and within countries) are a greater deterrence to trade. The one month time saving is thus not likely to translate into substantial price advantages. The bottom line? If economic development is the objective then it is wisest to pose trade offs that we are familiar with: is the canal cost-effective and what are the environmental concerns? Yet, politicians seem to pitch the issue as one of 'scientific' rationality versus faith. This is a dangerous trend as faith is non-negotiable and the only casualty would be much needed development. Let us stay off what we only imperfectly comprehend. ( The author is professor, Centre for International Trade and Development, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University )

Why should nature be more natural?

2007-11-20T06:56:00.000-08:00

Henry David Thoreau, the 19th century American transcendentalist famously embarked on a two-year course in simple living when he moved to a small self-built cabin in a forest. Thoreau regarded this sojourn as a noble experiment with a threefold purpose. First, he was escaping the de-humanising effects of the Industrial Revolution by returning to an earlier, agrarian lifestyle. Second, he had more leisure and recreational time. Third, and most important, he was putting into practice the transcendentalist belief that one can best transcend normality and experience the Ideal, or the Divine, through nature. It's hardly surprising therefore that Thoreau quickly became an icon for everybody who wanted "to get in touch" or "commune with nature." But what is it about nature that makes it more "natural" than, say, a city? If by nature we mean the material world along with the forces and processes that produce and control all its phenomenon - the laws of nature as it were - then surely a city also qualifies since it doesn't fall outside any of these laws. If by nature we mean just the world of living things, then too cities qualify. No, it's actually a third definition of nature - namely, a primitive state of existence, untouched and uninfluenced by civilisation - that people like to apply when they mean nature to be somehow qualitatively "better" than a city. Unfortunately, this definition comes into being only because civilisation has come into being. Otherwise, there's absolutely nothing primitive about it. Or, if there is, then every cave dwelling ancestor of ours would have to be transcending normality and experiencing the Ideal, or the Divine, all the time. So would those diminishing pockets of humanity which have largely remained cut off from civilisation and even today live in Stone Age conditions. Humans make cities like corals make reefs. For their purpose, neither is more - or less - elegant or functional than the other. The amazingly intricate arbour the bower bird makes to attract a mate is not greater or smaller in creative architecture than the extraordinary complex circuitry built inside a microprocessor. Therefore, why should any Ideal or Divine choose to be rapped with, only in the ambience of one set of artefacts and not the other? Especially if it created both in the first place? Or is it simply we who wield the knife of discrimination and do the choosing on absolutely arbitrary grounds? How humanising is that?

For a healthy mind & body

2007-11-20T06:53:00.000-08:00

According to ayurveda and yoga, both mind and the body are made up of five elements, the Panchabhutas of earth (prithvi), water (jal), fire (agni or tej), air (vayu) and ether or space (akash). While the body is made up of the heavier elements of earth and water (the kapha type), it functions through the lighter elements of fire (pitta or fire type) and air (vata or vital energy type). The pitta, fire or heat of the body controls all digestive processes and the vata, air or vital energy lends its spark to the nervous system. The mind, one of subtlest parts of our being is composed of air and ether, the lightest elements. In substance our minds resemble ether formless and all pervading and in motion, it resembles air-penetrating, constantly in flux. Just as the right type of food and right amount of food is necessary for a healthy digestive system, the right type of thoughts and the right amount of thoughts are essential for a healthy mind. Therefore, the simple formula for a healthy mind is allowing only positive thoughts to come, having just enough thoughts in the mind, and finally, being without any thoughts for at least some time, that is, meditating. Meditation is not only extremely conducive to mental well being and peace; it is also the first step towards self transformation and spirituality. Posture: Sit erect in a comfortable position preferably on the floor. The important factor is keeping the spine absolutely straight. Environment: Sit in a well ventilated place that is quiet and receives natural light. Set up a meditating room with soothing music and aroma in order to infuse the atmosphere with spiritual energy. Time: Meditate at the same time daily, twice a day for best results. Beginners are recommended to meditate for about half an hour daily. Attitude & Technique: Be a receptive observer while meditating. Try to observe the mind, the breath or the immediate physical environment without thinking anything in particular, watching the mind slowly empty itself out.

Mercy, forgiveness, freedom from fire

2007-11-20T06:50:00.000-08:00

Ramadan is a month whose beginning is Mercy, whose middle is Forgiveness and whose end is freedom from fire, according to Hadith of the Prophet. Ponder on the inherent logical sequence... We cannot be exempt from fire without first being forgiven. And to be forgiven, we must be graced by Allah's mercy. The theme of the first 10 days is mercy of Allah. Can we expect to receive mercy if we only deprive our bodies of food and drink? Of course not. Because Ramadan is meant for spiritual development through fasting. Physiologically, by fasting, the body eliminates toxins efficiently and the mind becomes clear for "power thinking" so that one may ponder on the meaning of the Qur'an, Hadith and the necessity of Zhikr. One must also do some selfanalysis to monitor and correct one's behaviour if necessary. With meditation the mind becomes quiet and so should our tongues. Allah is looking for a sincere commitment from us... Ramadan does not end at every iftar. It ends only on sighting the hilal of Shawwal. So hard spiritual work must carry on for the whole of the month. One must plead for mercy and sincerely try to receive it because without it, we are stuck at stage one and our prospects of "freedom from fire" will be bleak. Therefore, stage one is for sincere confession to Allah that we are weak and sinful and that we desperately need His mercy. We have only about 10 days to qualify to stage two. The next 10 days of Ramadan are about forgiveness. We must now beg for Allah's forgiveness because we have broken so many of His rules and covenants and disobeyed His commands during the year, knowingly and unknowingly. We must say istighfaar day and night and ask in every sajda for forgiveness. We must be afraid that if Allah does not forgive, we will surely be losers. Here again, Allah will be assessing the degree of sincerity in our repentance. He looks not for lip service but for soul service. We must also be forgiving to other people's mistakes and tempers. The last 10 days of Ramadan are about freedom from fire. Instead of just focusing on Laylat Al-Qadar - the night of power - one should intensify supplications for the remaining period of Ramadan. If possible and affordable then do go for Umrah... it will be probably the most spiritually fulfilling experience you will have, aside from Hajj. And Umrah in Ramadan is equivalent to having done a Hajj with our Rasool. At the completion of the last fast, be optimistically hopeful that you will be alive to give similar pious worship during the forthcoming Ramadans. And if you remain guided in your life then you'll be admitted to Paradise, insha'Allah, by the Ryan gate of Paradise! The month after Ramadan is Shawwal. Those who fast just six days of this month get the reward of fasting the whole year. So if one has missed fasting for 12 years of his life, just six days of Shawwal fasting gives one an opportunity to make up for our past deficiency of fasting days. "Your good deeds are accepted during Ramadan. So are your invocations. You must invoke your Lord in right earnest with hearts that are free from sin and evil. That Allah may bless you, observe fast and recite the Holy Qur'an". "Anyone who may cultivate good manners in this month will walk over the bridge in qiyamat though his feet may be shaking".

Krishna: Expert dancer, uninhibited lover

2007-10-04T01:06:00.000-07:00

"I would believe in a God who could dance", said German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche। During his time, God was generally portrayed as a frozen perfection, remote, static, and wholly unsociable। No wonder he was disillusioned by this stereotypical idea of God। Nietzsche would have been pleasantly surprised had he heard of Krishna, who danced expertly on the hood of the venomous serpent Kaliya. He also danced to the tune of his mother just to get butter, and he danced with gopis in celebration of divine love, in rasalila. He is Vrindavananatabara, dancer par excellence in the pastoral paradise of Vrindavana. All theistic traditions assert that God is great. In Krishna, that greatness is graphically demonstrated. In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna gives a glimpse of his awe-inspiring greatness through his vishva-rupa darshana, which is one of the greatest mystical visions in world literature. Arjuna saw within the Universal Form - within Krishna - everything and everyone in existence. He saw all the planets, stars and universes as well as all living beings: celestial, terrestrial and subterranean. Krishna also exhibited his omnipotence by effortlessly overpowering numerous demons, who were the scourges of the universe. Most endearingly, Krishna delights, not in the magnificence of godhood, but in the sweetness of uninhibited love. Krishna expresses his sweetness in His lila as a prankster who steals butter from the homes of elderly gopis. Krishna as God is self-satisfied and doesn't need anything for his enjoyment. Moreover, when everything belongs to him, where is the question of his stealing anything? Yet just to reciprocate love with those devotees who love Him in a parental mood (vatsalya-bhava ), Krishna plays the role of their darling child and speaks and behaves mischievously. The disarming hospitality that Krishna extended to Sudama and the subsequent generous benedictions that he bestowed upon his poor gurukula-friend are also eloquent testimony to Krishna's personal warmth and sweetness. For the demoniac, Krishna's sweetness gives way to his greatness. Krishna went as a shantiduta (peace messenger) to dissuade Duryodhana from war with sweet words. But when the arrogant prince tried to arrest him instead, Krishna foiled the attempt by manifesting the gigantic universal form. But for devotees, Krishna is sweetness. During the rasa-lila, Krishna disappeared and reappeared as the majestic four-armed Vishnu. When his most beloved consort Radha offered him obeisance and asked him where Krishna had gone, He tried to point in a false direction. But seeing her selfless love and her intense anxiety caused by separation, Krishna could no longer maintain his guise. His two extra hands disappeared and Radha beheld before her the sweet Lord of her heart. The laws of karma impartially and unerringly deliver everyone of their karmic dues sooner or later. But if we turn to Krishna with devotional love, He manifests his sweetness as a forgiving father: "Abandon all varieties of religion and surrender unto me. I will free you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear". We can easily surrender to Krishna by chanting his holy names, which manifest both his greatness and sweetness. The holy name has the great power that even nuclear weapons don't have: the power to destroy all our negative habits and tendencies. Janmashtami is a reminder that our right to enjoy divine sweetness is beckoning us. Krishna is ready for us. Are we ready for him?

The writer is a spiritual mentor at ISKCON, Pune.

CHAITANYA CHARAN DAS

A Guru to provide safe harbour

2007-10-04T01:03:00.000-07:00

Prince or commoner, rich or poor, every individual who wishes to get empowered and enlightened benefits greatly from the guidance of an able guru। Even the gods sought out gurus for themselves. Lord Krishna's guru was Sandipanirishi. Rama and Laxmana along with many other princes learnt all skills from their spiritual master, Guru Vasishtha. When Swami Vivekananda first visited Ramakrishna Paramahansa he asked: "I have read the Bhagavad Gita and other scriptures several times, i lecture and give discourses on the Gita and Ramayana. Do i still need harbour of a saint; do i still need a guru?" Ramakrishna didn't reply to Vivekananda's question. After a few days Ramakrishna called upon Vivekananda and handed him a parcel to be delivered at a nearby village a few hours away by the sea route. Early morning the boat and sailor would be ready and all he needed to do was to go to the village and deliver the parcel to the designated person. Vivekananda agreed and decided to start early. He found the boat and the sailor ready to put out to sea. Suddenly, upon sitting in the boat, Vivekananda realised that he didn't know the road to the village. He inquired of the sailor who had no clue, either. Vivekananda decided to go back to his guru to ask him the shortest way to the village. Upon this Ramakrishna said, "Narendra, this is my reply to the question you asked me when we met the first time: Today, you have the medium (the boat), you have the resource (the sailor), you have the road (the sea), you know what to do (deliver the parcel) and you also know where to go but you don't know the way. Likewise you have read all the scriptures, and you can conduct wonderful discourses on them. However, to realise the wisdom of scriptures one needs a guru, someone who has already traversed that path so that he can guide you through the journey and encourage you to not give up." In Sanskrit, 'gu' is one who dispels and 'ru' means darkness. Every individual who wishes to rise above his existing levels needs a lighthouse, a guiding star to guide him on the journey of life, who can help by dispelling darkness at every step. Lord Swaminarayan ordained Sikshapatri, containing 212 conventions of code of conduct for every human being. One of the points reads: "Even the most learned of men will become morally declined if he is not involved in devotion to God and in good acquaintance." Many seers have made various suggestions on how to embark on the spiritual path according to their perceived wisdom. Is there a universally accepted spiritual definition? How should one lead one's life which balances both the spiritual and the material? To understand all this and choose the right path for a balanced life of duty, responsibility, love, detachment and striving for higher consciousness, you need the grace and guidance of a spiritual master. As the saying goes "When the disciple is ready the Master arrives." Like a lone ship sailing in turbulent waters hunts for a safe harbour to anchorage, similarly one needs to constantly endeavour in the journey of life for a true guru, a harbour against all storms.

KAMLESH DIXIT

Lord Ganesha

2007-10-04T00:50:00.000-07:00

Universal appeal of the legend of Ram

2007-10-04T00:47:00.000-07:00

Hey Ram! With these last words, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi breathed his last। What would he have thought of the current controversy over the historicity or otherwise of Ram, the epic hero? It would be interesting to ask: What is the historicity of the wind or cosmos? Behind visual reality, there exists something one can call supernature. Beyond history, there is the realm of metahistory. How can man with his arrested sensibility, give expression to eternal life or eternity, in a language which is itself man-made? When we do not have a recorded or authentic history of language how shall we be able to understand the word 'history' used in language? The word Ram means causing rest, charming, loving and delightful. Gandhi knew from the core of his heart that Ram is the hidden centre of all apparent reality. It is the unchanging reality, underlying a shifting reality. Ram is part of metahistory. Ram possesses highest power but never reveals himself as a possessor of power. People with inferior power exhibit their power in mindless activity and vanish like a bubble. Much of Bapu's philosophy was based on the substance of Indian thought. He did tend to believe in avatars or incarnations and believed in the saving power of the name 'Ram' in salvation through Lord Krishna. For Gandhi, the legend of Ram is so deeply embedded in the Indian way of life that it is difficult to think of India and Indian culture without any mention of his name. The metahistory of Ram has inspired many poets and artists to depict his character with all its glory and transcendental splendour. After having understood the superficiality of so-called history Oswald Spengler had said in his book, The Decline of the West, that history should be the business of a poet. The first such epic is the Ramayana, composed by Sanskrit poet Valmiki who is believed to be a contemporary of Ram. The whole of the Ramayana consists of 24,000 stanzas or 96,000 lines. It is a great work of art with many dramatic passages. Apart from the Ramayana other important epics of Sanskrit literature which characterise the life of Ram are Raghvansh by Kalidas and Uttar Ramcharit by Bhavbhuti. Ram gained immense popularity through the writings of Tulsidas, too, who depicted Ram's character with such devotion and sincerity that Ram became the inseparable part of the collective unconscious of the people. Abhinand, Kshemendra Jaidev, Pravassen, Kritivas Kambhan and at least 40 other poets have eulogised the greatness of the legendary Ram through their writings. So it is not difficult for any one of us to utter the name of Ram consciously or unconsciously as Gandhi did. Although Gandhi was acquainted with the basic tenets of all religions, he was deeply moved by Christ's Sermon on the Mount. Gandhi's passion for sustainable living and development was inspired by eternal and universal principles of faith in the oneness of religion and humanity. Gandhi's philosophy of nonviolence, truth and simple living was derived from a belief in the power of the very same principles epitomised by Maryada Purushottam Ram - the ideal personality - immortalised in the legend's story, the Ramayana, narrated in as many languages, forms and cultures as its plural versions.

Kailash Vajpeyi

Not your true self

2007-10-04T00:36:00.000-07:00

If all is God, why is there imperfection in the world? Negative emotions like lust, pride, attachment, anger, ego, greed and jealousy are distortions of love। These distortions manifest in animals also, but they have no way to go beyond them as they are bound by Nature. Endowed with the power of discrimination, human beings can move from these distortions to a state of pure love. Every sincere seeker wants to get rid of anger and reach a state of perfection. What can you do when anger rises in you? You may remind yourself a hundred times that you shouldn't get angry, but when you feel the anger, you are unable to control it. It comes like a thunderstorm. Emotions are much more powerful than your thoughts and the promises you make. Anger is a distortion of our true nature. It is part of this creation, but we still call it a distortion because it doesn't allow the Self to shine forth fully. And this is what sin is. Anger is a sin because when you are angry, you lose your centredness; you lose sight of the Self. Anger is a sign of weakness. A strong man doesn't get angry easily. When you focus on other's mistakes, you are bound to get angry. The cause of anger is the lack of total knowledge of what is happening inside that person. Showing anger itself is not wrong, but being unaware of your anger only hurts you. There is a place for showing anger, but when you get angry yourself, you are shaken completely. Are you ever happy with the decisions you have made or the words you have spoken when you are angry? No, because you lose your total awareness. If you are completely aware and you are acting angry, that is fine. In fact, anger is an instrument. It is useful when you are able to control it. It can work wonders when you know how to use it and where to use it. Spiritual practices help you maintain your centredness. This is where a little knowledge about ourselves, about our mind, our consciousness, and the root of distortion in our nature will help. It is when you are exhausted and stressed that you lose your nature and get angry. Breathing techniques and meditation are effective in calming the mind. Meditation is letting go of anger from the past and the events of the past. It's accepting this moment and living every moment totally with depth. Often anger comes because you don't accept the present moment. You look for perfection; that is why you are angry at imperfections. Even when someone commits a mistake, know that she is not the culprit; the stress inside is causing her to make that mistake. Just this understanding and a few days of continuous practice of meditation can change the quality of our life. Usually, you give your anger freely and your smile rarely as though a smile is expensive. To the ignorant, anger is cheap and a smile is costly. To those of knowledge, a smile is free - like sunshine, air and water - and anger is expensive. Make your smile cheaper and anger expensive.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Recreating ourselves

2007-10-04T00:29:00.000-07:00

To create is to bring into being or existence। And to create something new, we have to die to what is. Something has to die for something new to emerge, and our soul is constantly taking quantum leaps of creativity. What is a quantum leap? It's when a subatomic particle moves from here to there without going through the space in-between. So it's here, then it's there. In between where was it? Nowhere. How did it get from here to there? Don't know. And it got from here to there instantly. There was not time for it to get from here to there. That's a quantum leap. Every death is an opportunity for a quantum leap of creativity. Through death, we recreate ourselves at every level: the material level of the body-mind, the intellect, the personality. All of these have to die in order to recreate ourselves. With every death we store the wisdom of our experiences since the beginning of time and take quantum leaps of creativity so that we can look at ourselves again as if for the first time. Cycles of birth, transformation and death keep us ever fresh so that we can imagine new realms for our existence. In biology there's a term called apoptosis, which means programmed cellular death. In the absence of apoptosis, cells forget to die and this condition is called cancer. Cancer cells don't know how to die and in their quest for immortality, they kill the host body upon which they are dependent for their life. Death, therefore, is the ticket to life and it is happening right now in our body-mind. Where is our two year-old body? It's dead. The body, thoughts, emotions and the personality of the two-year-old are dead. We traded all these in for the three-year-old by dying to the two-year-old. Birth and death are happening all the time at all these levels.

Deepak Chopra

Surrender to God

2007-10-04T00:22:00.000-07:00

Total surrender to the Almighty is the highest form of bhakti। It stands for accepting every situation as a gift or prasad from God. It means living every moment to perfection by using all your mental, physical and spiritual potential to the maximum. Spirituality means doing things in the right spirit and with complete faith. No situation is frivolous or insignificant because it always contains a hidden message. There are no flaws in the Divine's design, this is what we all must be aware of just like one dev-doot, or angel, did when he was banished from the heaven to lead a life as a cobbler to make him realize the consequence of questioning the wisdom of the Almighty. This angel had become so evolved spiritually that he was just one step away from becoming one with the Supreme. Pointing to a young woman on Earth, God asked him to take away her soul as it was time for her to die. When the angel reached the woman's house, he witnessed a heart-rending scene. Dressed in rags, the woman was cradling a three-month-old baby in her arms and was trying to pacify her two other children, aged two and four, who were crying with hunger. All looked malnourished and pale. There was not a morsel in the house. The woman had lost her husband, their sole breadwinner, a few months ago. With three little children to take care, she was unable to make ends meet. Now she was running high fever and was wondering what was to become of her and her children. The sight of the poor family living in such trying circumstances brought tears to the angel's eyes. He could not be so unkind and deprive the helpless kids of their only living parent! His compassion and benevolence got the better of him so he decided to return to the Heaven empty handed. His disobedience earned him the Almighty's displeasure. Since every act of the divine is guided by divine love and benevolence, God decided to make him realize his folly of interfering with the Supreme Law or design by banishing him to Earth for a lifetime as a cobbler. The only way he could return and be with the Almighty once again was by laughing at his plight three times. Thus the angel was born on Earth into a family of cobblers. He grew up beating smelly hides into smooth leather to make footwear. One day as he sat making footwear, the irony of it all dawned on him and he laughed at his situation -- once a Dev-dhoot, God's chosen one, was now on Earth working with animal skins, making footwear for mortals. Any way, instead of whining, the Dev-dhoot accepted his situation and continued leading his life in total surrender to the Almighty, giving his whole being to what ever work that came in front of him, whether it was beating leather into shape or making footwear. Soon he became so good at his work that his masters and customers started praising his work. And one day he was asked to make shoes for none other than the king himself! The angel put his mind, heart and soul into his work and before he could realize, he had created the most beautiful pair of chappals ever. But his masters were livid with him for being so careless, wasting raw material and time on a pair of chappals instead of the shoes that the king's men had ordered. Soon they arrived but much to everybody's surprise, the king's men asked for a pair of chappals instead of shoes. The king had just died and they wanted chappals to the fit the corpse before it could be cremated. It was a ritual in those days that the body of the king was adorned with chappals rather than shoes on his final journey. The dev-doot was speechless. Nothing seemed frivolous or meaningless in the Almighty's scheme of things, he thought and laughed to himself the second time. As days passed by, the angel became increasingly well known for his fabulous footwear. One day, a rich elderly lady escorting three pretty girls came to his shop to place a huge order for fancy footwear for the girls as they were all of marriageable age. When the angel asked her whether the girls were her daughters, the lady shook her head and replied that she was a rich businessman's wife but could never have any children. But one day her neighbours told her about three helpless orphans who had lost their parents. She felt the Almighty had answered her prayers and she adopted the three kids. The lady was in fact talking about the same children whose mother the Almighty had once ordered him to take away! Marveling at the Divine's design, the angel laughed to himself the third time. It was all about surrender and accepting every situation as a gift from God, to be lived through with all our potential. He had been banished to Earth in the first place because he had failed to do so, but later he got the opportunities to laugh his way out of this human life because of his surrender. His life's mission was now complete. He was ready to leave for his heavenly abode where the Almighty was waiting for him with open arms. He knew it well that now he would be with the Supreme forever. He had learnt the ultimate message meant for all humans on Earth that the only way to cut our Karma Cycle, the cause of birth and death, for total liberation and merging with the Supreme is to perform every given act, whether in thought, word or deed, as an offering to the Lord in total surrender, without doubting or questioning the purpose behind it. This is true realisation. This is the essence of life.

Meena Om

How to find inner solace

2007-09-10T06:43:00.000-07:00

We are all pilgrims in this world. A pilgrim comes alone, treads his chosen path for some time and then leaves, once more solitarily. His is a sacred destination, always dimly suspected, but usually not consciously illuminated. Whether consciously or by blind instinct, directly or indirectly, all of us ultimately seek joy - infinite, eternal and divine. Most of us though, wander about this world like pilgrims without a map. We equate joy with money, power, fame or good times. It is only after ceaseless roving, after being disappointed with the futility of our search that we stand in silent self appraisal. And it is then that we discover, that our goal was never distant from us at all - indeed, never any further away than our own selves. The path we tread has no fixed dimensions; it could be long or short, depending on the purity of our intentions. Ultimately, it leads inward and the goal is ours already. We have only to claim it as our own. If you walk the path towards joy then it's important to expand your awareness to embrace ever widening realities. There are a few universal principles which will help you in your search: Love all, for it is only by loving that we live in joy. By hating or resenting others we experience only deep inner restlessness and pain Understand that true satisfaction is not found in endless variety but in inner stillness Show mercy, especially when you have a chance to retribute a wrong that was done to you. Revenge merely increases the sense of injury. By banishing from the consciousness the very thought that you were wronged brings a lasting peace. By offering solace and comfort to others we find comfort within ourselves. Greet every trial with a smile and remain undaunted. Trials are not the misfortunes which they seem when we are in them. They are opportunities! Comfort comes only after challenges have been met head on and overcome. It never comes to those who seek to avoid or evade them.

Lord Ganesha

2007-09-06T06:32:00.000-07:00

Seven candles of unity to spread eternal light

2007-08-25T02:46:00.000-07:00

All prophets were sent down to earth for a single purpose। They were made manifest so that the world of man could become the world of God... so that the nether realm becomes the Kingdom, darkness becomes light, satanic wickedness becomes all the virtues of heaven, and unity, fellowship and love be won for the entire human race. Prophets were sent so that organic unity reappears and the bases of discord be destroyed and life everlasting and grace everlasting become the humanity's harvest. Look around you. You will find that unity, mutual attraction, and gathering together engender life. But disunity and disharmony spell death. When you observe and consider all phenomena, you will see that every created thing has come into being through the mingling of many elements. Once this collectivity of elements is dissolved, and harmony of components is disturbed, life is wiped out. In cycles gone by, though harmony was established, owing to the absence of means, the unity of all mankind could not have been achieved. Continents remained widely divided. Even among the peoples of one continent association and interchange of thought were not possible. Since then means of communication have multiplied. We can travel to any land, associate and exchange views with its peoples, and become familiar, through publications, with the conditions, religious beliefs and thoughts of all men. Similarly, all members of the human family, whether peoples or governments, cities or villages, have become increasingly interdependent. Self-sufficiency is no longer possible or even expected, as political, commercial and industrial ties unite all peoples and nations. The bonds of trade and industry, of agriculture and education, are being strengthened every day. Hence the unity of all mankind can be achieved. Verily this is one of the wonders of this wondrous age. The age of discovery and light unfolds a fresh marvel every day. Eventually it will be seen how bright its candles will burn, spreading light everywhere, dispelling darkness and ignorance. Behold how its light is now dawning upon the world's darkened horizon. The first candle is unity in the political realm, the early glimmerings of which can now be discerned. The second candle is unity of thought in world undertakings, the consummation of which will ere long be witnessed. The third candle is unity in freedom which will surely come to pass. The fourth candle is unity in religion which is the cornerstone of the foundation itself, and which, by the power of God, will be revealed in all its splendour. The fifth candle is the unity of the nations — a unity which in this century will be securely established, causing all the peoples of the world to regard themselves as citizens of one common fatherland. The sixth candle is unity of races, making of all that dwell on earth peoples and kindreds of one race. The seventh candle is the unity of language, the choice of a universal tongue in which all peoples will be instructed and converse. Each and every one of these will inevitably come to pass, inasmuch as the power of the Kingdom of God will aid and assist in their realisation. Courtesy: Office of Public Information, National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of India.

Abdu'l-Baha

Tackling the enemy within

2007-08-24T01:57:00.000-07:00

Osho narrates a Sufi parable: A man was very worried because every night someone would enter his garden and destroy all the plants। He did everything that could be done to protect it। He posted guards all along the boundary, but never was anybody seen entering the garden at night. Yet, every morning, the garden would be trashed. The man did everything he could but nothing helped. He then went to a Sufi master, in the hope that the master would be able to see things he and the guards could not. The master closed his eyes and said, "Do one thing. Fix the alarm on your clock for two o'clock in the night." The man said, "How is this going to help? My guards are continuously watching and patrolling around the house." The master said, "There is no need to argue. Just do what I say. Fix the alarm for two o'clock. Then come the next day and tell me what happened." The man was unconvinced but he tried it. Two o'clock, when the alarm went off, he was awake. He was standing in his own garden, wreaking havoc on his plants. He was a somnambulist—a sleepwalker! In some way or the other, we all are somnambulists. We sow our seeds of misdeeds in the deep night of unconsciousness, and then we wonder why our lives are so miserable. We love others and soon we see that we are doing something else in the name of love. It isn't difficult to see if we use a little intelligence and a little awareness. Osho says: You love somebody, and then you start possessing him. Tares are entering your relationship. You love, and then you become jealous. Now weeds are growing. You love, and for trivial things you get angry. You love meaningless, petty things. Thus hate arises. Now the wheat is getting mixed with tares. When you love you feel happy. Every love starts with deep happiness, a celebration, and every love ends in deep sadness. The other day I was reading The Hollow Men, a poem by T S Eliot. The poem ends with these lines: "This is the way the world ends, not with a bang but with a whimper." Well, this is how everything ends. Your love, your meditation, your virtue. Not with a bang, but a whimper. But it need not be this way. If we wake up, we become alert. We need to shake ourselves up. Osho gives us a method of mindfulness: Remain a watcher, remain a witness. Remember that. Remind yourself continuously. Sadness has come. It has happened to you; it is not you. The moment you remember this, suddenly you will see a distance arising between you and the sadness. It does not affect you any longer. When you lose awareness, it affects you; when you gain awareness, there is a distance. The more your awareness rises, the more the distance increases. A moment comes when you are so far away from your sadness that it is as if it's not there at all. The same has to be done with happiness also. It will be difficult, because one wants to cling to happiness. But if you want to cling to happiness, you are sowing the seeds of unhappiness. That's how this parable is of tremendous significance. The master himself-in his sleep, in his unawareness-came to the field, the wheat field and sowed the seeds of weeds. In deep sleep! He was a somnambulist. In the morning he started asking, "Who has done this?" You have been doing things to yourself. In the morning, when you wake up, you ask, "Who has done this?" And you start searching for the enemy. The enemy is within, the enemy is just your unconsciousness.

SWAMI CHAITANYA KEERTI

Inclusive nature of Buddhist philosophy

2007-08-24T01:54:00.000-07:00

When you understand the spirit of Buddhism correctly, you can follow and practise it while living in this workaday world। In Buddhism, true renunciation doesn’t mean running away from worldly affairs, leaving your family or taking to ochre clothes. The chief disciple of Buddha, Sariputa, said that you might live in a forest fully devoted to ascetic practices but if your mind is full of impure thoughts and defilements, then you are not practising Buddhism. On the other hand, an ordinary person who is not observing ascetic disciplines but has his mind pure, is practising Buddhism in its true spirit. A few people may like to lead a lonely life in a quiet place to practise Buddhism, for their own reasons. But it is certainly more praiseworthy and courageous to practise Buddhism living amongst your own people, helping them and to have empathy, mutual love and concern for all. There is nothing wrong if a man spends some time away from the hurly and burly of life as a part of spiritual and intellectual training to come out stronger; such a person would be of greater help to fellow human beings. But if a man lives all his life in solitude without caring for family and community this is not in keeping with Buddha’s teaching which is based on compassion and service. What then was the objective of Buddha establishing Sangha and monasteries for monks? This was done for those who were willing to devote their entire lives not for their own spiritual and intellectual development but also to serve others. In the course of time, Buddhist monasteries became not only spiritual centres but also centres of learning and service. An incident in Buddha’s life shows how much importance he gave to family life. A young man, Sigala, used to worship six cardinal points of heaven: east, west, north, south, nadir and zenith — as instructed by his religious head. When he met the Buddha to embrace his religious doctrine, Buddha told the young man that in his religious discipline the six directions were: east — parents, west — wife and children, south — teachers, north — friends, relatives and neighbours. At the bottom were others and at the top, seers. These six family and social groups are treated as sacred in Buddhism and one could worship them only by performing one’s duties towards them. Buddhism accords highest place to parents, like other religions. In Hinduism, parents are referred to as Brahma. Second in the order comes Guru, or teacher. Every pupil is expected to respect and obey his teacher. Third is the sacred relationship between wife and husband. Both husband and wife need to respect each other and express their love and regard by caring and sharing. The Buddha didn’t forget to mention that a husband could gift clothes and jewellery to his wife — as a way of demonstrating the fact that he cared for her physical well-being, too. It is clear that in order to practise Buddhism you are not expected to become a monk or retire to a forest or cave. You can practise it even while living with and caring for family and discharging your duties towards family members. Similarly, the caring and sharing is extended to entire society in which you live. It is through compassion that you evolve, and thereby raise your consciousness.

Bhartendu Sood

Confidence key to success

2007-08-24T01:44:00.000-07:00

Situations such as job interviews, making presentations and reports, public speaking and the like require confidence as well as the pre requisite skill or knowledge. You may be well equipped to deliver a speech after hours of practice with the script but if your confidence deserts you, then no amount of preparation will suffice. Confidence springs from conviction and is not to be confused with impertinence or condescension. Confidence will allow you to maneuver even negative situations to your favour. Practising the following exercise will help you conquer your fears and boost your confidence. Step I: Sit in a relaxed manner with a straight spine, eyes closed and observe your breath. Inhale and exhale normally. Step II: Visualise a situation in the past when you felt flustered or lacked confidence. As an illustration, let's consider a job interview; visualise the interviewer asking you questions and then see yourself giving self assured knowledgeable responses. Visualise the interviewer appreciating and being impressed by your answers and demeanour. Be confident in your visualisation and see the positive outcome. Do not try and think about negative consequences arising out of your fears. Step III: Make a body movement. This could be a clenched fist or clasped hands or any other movement which you would feel comfortable replicating in the real life situation. Stay in the new pose for five minutes as you continue to visualise yourself dealing and interacting with the person on the other side. Step IV: Slowly open your eyes and look at the new pose which you made while visualising. Keep looking at the new pose for 20 seconds and close your eyes again. Open your eyes after five minutes and see the same pose again. Next time, whenever you find yourself in the situation which you had visualised, make the same gesture which you had adopted during the visualisation. You will feel more assured and deal with the situation confidently, without any fear of failure.

Developing self-control

2007-08-12T01:06:00.000-07:00

Excesses, of any kind, are detrimental to our well being। Food, drink, pleasure and self indulgence can become obsessive and a person unwittingly falls into a habit of reaching out for them even though he/she knows that giving into the temptation will adversely affect his/her health and life। In such cases, a person subconsciously diverts his mind from thinking about the temptation and its possible consequences.

Constant reinforcement trains the mind to ignore such thoughts which may require the person to confront his temptation and weakness in giving into it. Soliloquy, especially in front of a mirror can help us resist temptation and develop self control. In fact even words are not required; merely confronting your reflection in the mirror and making eye contact is enough to communicate to yourself.

Make eye contact with your reflection while standing in front of mirror and ask yourself probing questions. "Why should I be craving for this?" Look in your eyes and search for an answer. The answer you are seeking will stare back at you even before you finish formulating the question. You will be astonished to see that if you do not really feel that your desire is justified then it will be difficult to make eye contact with your reflection.

If you still feel an overriding temptation and are not ready to accept the answer which your eyes have given you, then request yourself not to give in. Plead with yourself while maintaining eye contact with your reflection. Make sure it's an earnest appeal, your expressions and body language should reflect the genuineness of your plea.

Lastly, if that does not help, then stare back at your reflection with anger. Your face should reflect your anger and displeasure, almost as if you were expressing it to another person. Slowly you will find yourself being compelled to resist the temptation.

Devotional Approach To Knowledge & Surrender

2007-07-22T16:46:00.000-07:00

How is the premise that all men are mortal arrived at? Followers of the inductive method wish to arrive at this premise through experiment and observation। We may thus study that this man died and that man died, and after seeing that so many men have died we may conclude or generalise that all men are mortal. The major defect in this method is that our experience is limited. We may never have seen a man who is not mortal, but we are judging this on our personal experience, which is finite. Our senses have limited power, and there are so many defects in our conditioned state. The inductive process consequently is not always perfect, whereas the deductive process from a source of perfect knowledge is perfect. The Vedic process is such a process. There are successive disciples of Ramanujacharya, Madhvacharya' Nimbarka, Vishnuswami and other great sages. Vedic literature is understood through masters. Arjuna understood the Bhagavad Gita from Krishna, and if we wish to understand it, we have to do so — so to speak — from Arjuna. We ought to tally our understanding with that of Arjuna to know that our understanding is correct. The Gita is neither an ordinary book of knowledge nor a dictionary. It is not difficult to understand the necessity of going through rigorous tutelage to understand the Gita. If we wish to be a lawyer, engineer or doctor, we have to receive the knowledge from qualified lawyers, engineers or doctors. A new lawyer has to become an apprentice of an experienced lawyer, or a young man studying to be a doctor has to become an intern and work with those who are already licensed practitioners. Our knowledge of a subject cannot be perfected unless we receive it through authoritative sources. This has been acknowledged in the Gita. In the Bhagavatam, Vamana said to Shukracharya, the spiritual master of demons: "Your disciple Bali Maharaj is in difficulty, it will be befitting for you to perform yajna for his benefit". Shukracharya smiled and replied, "My disciple has seen you and you have graced him... and he has performed 'Anusankirtana'' that is, he has recapitulated your Name, Form, Attributes, Pastimes, after hearing about these from a bona fide pure devotee. Where is the necessity of performing Karmakanda Yajna? By utterance of your Holy name and glories, all defects in the utterance of mantra and tantra (inversion of sequence) and sinister influence of place, time and articles are removed". Anusankirtana means recapitulation of the glories of the Supreme Lord, heard through a bona fide preceptorial channel. Preferably, the hearing should be from a bona fide devotee, not from a professional singer. The Brihad Naradiya Purana emphasises that the way in kaliyuga is Harinama. Sage Veda Vyasa confirms the same in the Bhagavatam. There are infinite forms of devotion, of which chanting of the Holy Name is the foremost. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has given the following five principal forms of devotion: association of sadhus, chanting of the Name, hearing of the Bhagavatam, dwelling in transcendental realm of Mathura Dham, and worship of deities with firm faith. Out of these, namasankirtana is the best. The writer is president, All India Sree Chaitanya Gaudiya Math and World Vaishnava Association.

Ballabh Tirtha Maharaj

Art of management for executives and yogis

2007-07-09T11:54:00.000-07:00

Self-management is at the base of any external management effort। It is an internal process of managing one's body, thoughts, intellect, emotions and spirit. It is a process of trying to overcome emotions like anger, jealousy, greed, ego, and undue attachment. It is a process of developing concentration, equipoise, tolerance, the ability to take calculated risks and plan long term. Yoga aids self-management as it is a philosophy of life, not restricted to just asana and pranayama. It is a path of allround development of an individual: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. Patanjali defined yoga as a technique of mind control. Vashishta said yoga is a skilful strategy to calm down the mind. Both managers and yogis are expected to remain steadfast in situations both favourable and unfavourable. In the most-quoted verse 48 of chapter two of the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna advises: "Being steadfast in yoga, O Arjuna, perform actions, abandoning attachment, remaining unconcerned as regards success and failure. This evenness of mind is known as yoga. A manager is required to use authority. But unless authority is combined with dispassion, the result can be contrary to expectation. Today's manager is required to have qualities of a good leader - ability to construct a creative vision and capacity to have trusting relationship with large number of people with whose help this vision is to be fulfilled. External milieu, with all its network and artifacts, is in truth a projection of man's internal milieu. A manager with clarity of personal goals and calmness of mind can only be an able manager. This is where yoga helps. Man is in the first part of the word manager, thereby indicating the need for man-management as the most crucial part of management. As Swami Anubhavanandji puts it, management is an intuitive art of relating yourself with various stakeholders in a company such as staff, customers and suppliers. Yoga teaches us the art of treating every human being as a form of the divine. Use of higher consciousness in dealing with people is sure to result in better motivation and loyalty among stakeholders. There are certain key differences between western management concepts and yoga based management. The former starts with the premise that a person remains inactive unless propelled by action through motivation - money, position or recognition. Yoga-based management starts with the belief that every individual is divine by nature and the purpose of yoga is to bring out this divinity. Any individual, by nature, wants to do good work but unsuitable conditioning may prevent him from doing so. Commitment in the true sense can only be inspired for a cause bigger and better than self. Western management philosophy puts primary emphasis on competition, while in yoga way, the emphasis is on collaboration and individual creativity. In the West there is greater emphasis on goal achievement for the firm, while in yogic management, success of the firm is an inevitable by-product of the holistic goal of making this world a better place to live in with the spirit of yajna. In the former, karma is an input which can be hired, while Indian philosophy focuses on duty as one's dharma.

Throwing moods out

2007-07-09T11:42:00.000-07:00

This is a wonderful method to throw out your moods or emotions। It is one of Patanjali's techniques from the Yoga Sutra in which he says: The mind becomes tranquil by alternately expelling and retaining the breath. Osho explains further how breathing and thinking are deeply connected, as if they are two aspects of one phenomenon. If you are little mindful you will find that whenever the mind changes, the breathing changes. For example, you are angry: immediately the breathing changes, the rhythm is gone. When you are silent and relaxed, the breathing has a different rhythm. Try this: The next time anger erupts, don't allow the breathing to change; retain the rhythm of the breath as if you are happy. Anger is not possible then because the breathing forces the inner glands in the body to release chemicals in the blood. The body is ready to fight or take flight; the body is in an emergency. This change comes through hammering of the breathing. Whenever you feel that the mind is not tranquil, first exhale deeply. Always start by exhaling. Exhale deeply: As much as you can, throw the air out. While throwing out air, the mood will be thrown out too because breath carries the mood. Expel the breath as far as possible. Pull the belly in and retain for a few seconds. Let the air out and don't inhale for a few seconds. Allow the body to inhale: Inhale deeply as much as you can. Again stop for a few seconds. The gap should be the same as when you exhale - if you kept the breath out for three seconds retain the breath inside you for three seconds. Exhale totally and inhale totally, and make a rhythm. Breathe in, hold then breathe out, hold: Immediately you will feel a change coming into your whole being. The mood will go and a new climate will enter you.

Amrit Sadhana

Release tension

2007-06-28T20:38:00.000-07:00

Meditation Therapy: Sit in any comfortable asana or lie in Shavasan . Now relax the body, very slowly from head to toe. This relaxation will give the feeling of pleasure to the mind and body. Try to keep both hands in Mritsanjavini Mudra . As the body relaxes, the respiration will become slower. Now bring your whole consciousness on your breath. Try to concentrate on the breathing procedure. Do not try to control the breathing, just focus on it. Try to visualize the breath — how air is going in and coming out of the body. Now concentrate on the Cardiac chakra and meditate on green colour in the centre of chest region. Take a deep breath and start chanting the beej mantra "Yang" (pronounced as young) and feel the vibration of this mantra in the chest region. Continue to focus your awareness on your Anahat Chakra (cardiac chakra) for five minutes or as long as you wish. As the body relaxes further and the breathing becomes slower, the mind will also achieve a level of calm. Try to remain in this state for a few minutes. When you want to come back to yourself, become aware of your body step by step. First bring awareness towards the breath, and then the body parts, right from head to toe. Now slowly open your eyes and with slow movements of body parts return to the normal position. Laughter Therapy: Laughter is as good a relaxation therapy to overcome the problem of cholesterol. All of us should laugh out loud at least thrice a day. Each person should consider laughing as a key to health and releasing tension, restraint and worries. Studies show that laughter decreases adrenaline and cortisol production. If you are frustrated, unhappy or angry, just laugh and find yourself relaxing. It is one effective medicine you always have with you, without any expenses involved.

Acharya Vikrmaditya

Love is nothing but God, you and me

2007-06-28T20:22:00.000-07:00

Love is euphoric, ecstatic, overwhelming joy। Why doesn't a newborn baby cry while in the mother's womb? Why does it start crying the moment it comes into this materialistic world? A mother's womb for a baby is nothing less than a temple, for there is only love... of the mother. Love is euphoric, ecstatic, overwhelming joy. Enjoying life in such a sweet atmosphere, the baby feels safe in her mother's womb. Why then should not a place like this be called a temple? No one, but God resides in a temple. Thus a newborn is regarded as God incarnate. When born it is separated from the spiritual and holy world of freedom and so cries to express sorrow on arrival in a world of falsehood. God has gifted every baby with the virtue of being loved and being lovable. It's we who tend to lose and make others too lose this precious gift. The innocence of a baby fills everybody's heart with happiness. Love does not expect. God loves us the most, and does not expect anything from us. It is up to us whether or not to offer prayers to God. God's love is boundless and immeasurable. We pray to God because we are grateful. We have the power to understand His Creation. Why do we think then that God also gives us sorrows? We tend to forget God in times of happiness. That does not mean that God wants us to pray to Him; it is to learn again how to love because praying is loving, a part of loving mankind. We do not show kindness to others once we get happiness. Service is the best way to love God. Kindness and courage are different dimensions of love. Kindness is the virtue of being compassionate and merciful towards others. Every living being is an image of God. It's also important to love ourselves and the life given to us by God. The spirit of God within us is called the soul. Problems come and go. Joys and sorrows are like day and night. But if a person keeps awake all night just to see the sun rise, he can never see it because when the sun rises he will fall asleep. Joy or sorrows... we must welcome every emotion that God wants us to experience, with courage. Anything that brings us closer to God is love. The great classical dancers of our country worship God through their dance. A farmer worships God by toiling in his field, which is his first love. Similarly, people in other professions worship God by performing their duty sincerely and honestly. There are many who are atheists but if they perform the duties assigned to them by God their noble deeds bring them closer to Him and a person close to God is a loving person and a loving person is a happy person. So it fills their life with happiness and prosperity. This is one way of bringing ourselves closer to God. All her life Meerabai loved Krishna, she worshipped him. She did not bother what the world would say. She just wished to be close to God, she just wished to be close to love. True love brings us closer to God and subsequently we become an image of love and finally an image of God in the true sense. Thus, God is love. You, too, can become love.

Siddhi Srivastav

Joy Is Sorrow, Life Is Death

2007-06-16T12:34:00.000-07:00

When knowledge or wisdom is absent, facts can be misused। If there is balance, such a situation does not arise. A balanced view takes into account as many aspects as possible. This is the anekanta principle. The one who has perspective of anekanta does not take a single-dimensional view of things that could twist logic. In the explanation of universal laws anekanta has lent balance. Even in the world of conduct and thoughts, anekanta plays an important role. Restraint and equanimity are also results of anekanta . Without the anekanta view there would be no reason for restraint. Through anekanta we accept the coexistence of opposites as a fact. Everything has its limits. There is need for equanimity. Both loss and gain are to be accepted. It is the norm that if there is gain there will also be loss and if there is loss, there will be gain, too. The two are mutually connected. The two are, in fact, one. The difference is only in time or space. There is no distance between happiness and sorrow or life and death, they both go together. Sometimes one feels happy and life seems bright and sometimes one feels sad and life seems miserable. Where is the distance between water pulleys? It is one single chain. The wheels bring in water, empty it and return. Wheels full of water and empty of water keep coming and going. They work together. Similarly, joy and sorrow work together. Life and death work together. There is no second that belongs entirely to life or entirely to death. The first second of life is also the first second of death. Death is not an event that is to take place only after 70-80 years. It can take place even in the first second. With the first second of birth the event of death also takes place. Creation and destruction go hand in hand. One cannot find even one man who has been only praised, never condemned, or always condemned and never praised. Both go together. The balance is maintained. Loss and gain, praise and insults, life and death, all of them go together. We have a problem when we do not go along with them. If we learn to go along with them then we will be truly spiritual, followers of anekanta. This way our problems come under our control. But we are very strange, we don't usually adopt a balanced view. We do not like to move along with the principle of anekanta; we want to move independently. An individual wants gain but not loss, joy but not sorrow, life but not death, and he wants praise, never condemnation. He then forgets the universal rule. In this dualistic world, nothing comes alone. Everything is in pairs. Man is ignorant. He wants to break the order of anekanta and wants only a single dimension. When the world and nature have a rule, how can it be broken? Yet man makes his own single-dimensional perspective. Under pressure of not wanting loss but wanting gain, not wanting insults but wanting praise, man falls victim to uni-dimensional perception.

Acharya Mahaprajna

Let your thoughts be

2007-06-16T12:28:00.000-07:00

How easy it is for people to become trapped in their conceptual prisons। The human mind, in its desire to know, understand, and control, mistakes its opinions and viewpoints for the truth. It says: this is how it is. You have to be larger than thought to realise that however you interpret your life or someone else's life or behaviour, however you judge any situation, it is no more than a viewpoint, one of many possible perspectives. It is no more than a bundle of thoughts. But reality is one unified whole, in which all things are interwoven, where nothing exists in and by itself. The realm of consciousness is much vaster than thought can grasp. When you no longer believe everything you think, you step out of thought and see clearly that the thinker is not who you are. The mind exists in a state of not enough and so is always greedy for more. When you are identified with mind, you get bored and restless very easily. When you feel bored, you can satisfy the mind's hunger by picking up a magazine, making a phone call, switching on the TV, surfing the web or going shopping. Or you can stay bored and restless and observe what it feels like to be bored and restless. As you bring awareness to the feeling, there is suddenly some space and stillness around it, as it were. A little at first, but as the sense of inner space grows, the feeling of boredom will begin to diminish in intensity and significance. So even boredom can teach you who you are and who you are not. You discover that a bored person is not who you are. Boredom, anger, sadness, or fear are not yours, not personal. They are conditions of the human mind. Prejudice of any kind implies that you are identified with the thinking mind. It means you don't see the other human being anymore, but only your own concept of that human being. To reduce the aliveness of another human being to a concept is already a form of violence. Thinking that is not rooted in awareness becomes self-serving and dysfunctional. Cleverness devoid of wisdom is extremely dangerous and destructive. That is the current state of most of humanity. The next step in human evolution is to transcend thought. It doesn't mean not to think anymore, but simply not to be completely identified with thought, possessed by thought. Feel the energy of your inner body. Feel the life that you are, the life that animates the body. The body then becomes a doorway, so to speak, into a deeper sense of aliveness underneath the fluctuating emotions and underneath your thinking. There is an aliveness in you that you can feel with your entire being, not just in the head. Every cell is alive in that presence in which you don't need to think. Yet, in that state, if thought is required for some practical purpose, it is there. The mind can still operate, and it operates beautifully when the greater intelligence that you are uses it and expresses itself through it. You may have overlooked that brief periods in which you are "conscious without thought" are already occurring naturally and spontaneously in your life. You may be engaged in some manual activity, or walking across the room, or waiting at the airline counter, and be so completely present that the usual mental static of thought subsides and is replaced by an aware presence. Your perceptions become crystal clear, unclouded by thought.

To the mind, all this is not significant, because it has more important things to think about। It is also not memorable, and that's why you may have overlooked that it is already happening. The truth is that it is the most significant thing that can happen to you. It is the beginning of a shift from thinking to aware presence. Become at ease with the state of not knowing. This takes you beyond mind because the mind is always trying to conclude and interpret. It is afraid of not knowing. So, when you can be at ease with not knowing, you have already gone beyond the mind. A deeper knowing that is non-conceptual then arises out of that state. Artistic creation, sports, dance, teaching, counseling — mastery in any field of endeavour implies that the thinking mind is either no longer involved at all or at least is taking second place. A power and intelligence greater than you and yet one with you in essence takes over. There is no decision-making process anymore; spontaneous right action happens, and you are not doing it. Mastery of life is the opposite of control. You become aligned with the greater consciousness. It acts, speaks, does the works.

Eckhart Tolle

The Power of One

2007-06-12T01:08:00.000-07:00

Yes, we are living in a world where we are constantly shown, by the media, man's inhumanity toward each other through violence, terrorism, and war. Never has there been a time that our light is more needed than now. During this powerful time in history we, as a group of conscious beings, actually can shift the awareness of the planet. The soul work we are doing has prepared us perfectly for this precise moment. Our voices, actions and intentions will inspire and heal so many. No longer can we just pray and visualize our government making conscious choices; it is essential that we combine our spiritual practices with uplifting words and positive action.

If we can do this I believe, with my whole being, that we are on the brink of something truly amazing. The vision I hold is that we are a moment away from creating a world safe for our children, their children, and all generations to follow.

Some of you might be saying, How can I as one person change what is happening in our government and our world? By becoming a spiritual activist. By being that spark to help others raise their awareness and find peace. This can occur by committing to creating peace within yourself and your family, by voting and encouraging others to vote for political leaders who value humanity, and by helping others discover their light, you set in motion the intention of positive transformation.

If one by one each of us takes personal responsibility for raising the awareness of humanity we begin to shift the global consciousness.

There is a powerful phenomenon in group behavior called reaching a critical mass. What this means is that one person begins initiating a behavior, others observe it and begin imitating the action. Then one by one others join in until enough people are behaving in the same way and the entire crowd follows, this is the critical mass.

I personally witnessed this phenomenon when my husband and I took our children to a Marlin's game. The stadium was filled with the energy of 25,000 people, each an individual brought together for the collective purpose of enjoying an afternoon of baseball. My six year old daughter Riley, who is very wise and observant, was fascinated by the crowd. As she looked around with determined eyes she leaned over and said, “Mommy, do you think I can get the whole stadium to start doing the Marlins cheer?” I told her, Go for it and see what happens.

She began very quietly chanting, Lets go Marlins, then she looked around and noticed that her father, brother and I were chanting with her. She became more confident and began cheering louder. The section behind and in front of us joined in. Within moments all 25,000 people erupted in a frenzy chanting Lets Go Marlins. My daughter beamed knowing that she ignited a spark of inspiration and passion that spread so quickly.

The light that each of us shares is just like Riley starting the stadium cheering. The healing spark our government and world so desperately needs can be ignited by each of us at any moment. Change always occurs with one little spark, just look at Martin Luther King, Ben Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, Mother Theresa, Moses, Christ, and Buddha.

As in the immortal words of Mahatma Gandhi, be that change you wish to see in the world. You never know, you might just be the spark that changes our collective consciousness to peace and integrity.

May you have the courage to speak your truth, may you find peace within and may we all know peace on earth.

The CAB Approach to Spiritual Growth

2007-06-12T01:06:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking a lot about the spiritual growth process and I thought I would share. I think that what enlightenment really involves is accepting the light that already exists within each of us and in every one and every thing. Of course we have created many layers and blockages to prevent us from seeing the light and we have gotten attached to these layers which is why clearing can be so painful. Anyway the approach I am taking to spiritual growth boils down to three things: Commitment, attitude and balance.

Commitment: We all have been given the gift of time and energy by Spirit. When we give this gift back to Spirit by dedicating our time and energy to finding out who we are then the universe responds by supporting us in this search. Eventually as long as we maintain a strong focus on being who we really are, we develop a force field around us that magnetizes and energizes the process. The time and energy we dedicate to this search for inner meaning/realization is magnified many times by Spirit so that growth for each of us becomes effortless in many ways.

Attitude: Most people on this planet operate from the victim/rescuer/observer role. This places us on an emotional roller coaster that only the ego enjoys. We always have the choice to stop playing this game but it takes a certain amount of courage to do so. Each day I try to focus on three things. I try to see everything I experience as something that I created in order to grow spiritually from. I also try to see the Christ/Love/Light/Spirit within everyone. And I often ask myself, how can I serve the people I encounter each day. Living in the now is also important to me.

Balance: Many people I have observed on the path focus so intently on spiritual growth that they ignore the needs of their bodies; experience out of control emotions; and operate from the ego mind. We are here to ground the energy of Spirit into our body, emotions and mind as well as to evolve the soul. Each body is like the leg of a chair; it is great to grow one leg but if you don't grow all of them roughly at the same time, your seat gets awfully wobbly and eventually collapses. If you want to focus on one thing, focus on love for love heals the body, soothes the emotions, slows down the mind and advances the soul. The path I prefer is to heal the body, then work with emotions, then the mind and then the soul and then back to the body to repeat the cycle all over again. This way I feel I grow in an ever-expanding spiral. This is really how the universe functions: Stars are like spirals of energy. Sort of like Van Gogh's picture, Starry Night.

Preparing For Enlightenment

2007-06-12T01:03:00.000-07:00

Enlightenment can come in an instant or it may take many life cycles.

The shortest distance between two points is in a straight line and so the fastest way to achieve enlightenment is to know that you are already enlightened.

Few of us will be able to do that on demand because we all have lifetimes of experiences and circumstances that say we cannot do it. So we have to wrestle with all our memories and the wisdom of others that we have adopted to get to a place where we can accept our new awareness.

Changing a lifestyle can be met with great difficulty and struggle or wild abandonment and joy. It is simply another trip or a course along a different path that has an alternative purpose. It is not going to be any easier or more difficult than the one that you already chose and it will mean sacrifice or clearing depending on how you think of it.

Because there will be a profound change in you and your lifestyle you will lose people along the way, including friends and family. For one thing as you move along your new path you will learn a different language and as you start to master this language your friends and family will no longer understand you; it will not be so easy to communicate with them, nor they with you.

Along with having difficulties communicating with each other you will not be able to relate to each other just as a grade one student will not be able to relate to another in grade 12 except on the most basic levels. As you empty your mind of old business and memory, new concepts and awareness will replace them and become your new truth. You will travel lighter and pay little notice of others that are around you, they will call you crazy or weird and as your awareness increases you will eventually move to a state of transformation.

One transforms when one has raised his/her vibration level so high that they virtually disappear and enter another realm of awareness. You will become invisible to all in the old realm.

If your feet are firmly planted in the physical world and this is where you are strongly focused, transformation may take several lifetimes. Death is a human or physical concept and in truth you do not have to leave your physical body behind.

The first step in the thousand mile journey is to make a choice or decision for enlightenment. With this choice comes the eventual transformation that will take you out of this physical realm and into another.

With this level of awareness comes rejection of all physical things and people. The truth is we are all headed there anyways. Those that have a higher level of enlightenment or awareness simply move faster and with anticipation lacking any fear of what is to come. It is the tendency for all things to move back to its source, it is a natural law of cause and effect or Karma.

There is a Buddhist teaching that says if you want to put new tea in your cup you must make sure you have an empty cup.

In preparing for this new enlightenment you must let go of old belief systems and thoughts. You must clear your mind to make way for new concepts and ideas. Enlightenment will not come when your mind is busy with old thoughts. Neither will it come while you try to analyse it, acceptance is the key to enlightenment.

There are many who say that they want enlightenment but few will receive it. The pull of the physical world is strong, and addictive. For those that have found great meaning in the earth experience they will find it hard to let go. “A rich man cannot get into heaven,” for when you are attached you are not going anywhere.

In preparing for enlightenment you must be prepared to leave all things behind. It is the natural tendency for all to move to the next level of awareness and to better themselves. Leaving this world and moving into the next realm comes in two ways with the highest level of enlightenment and transformation or the lowest through physical death.

There are few that have gone the first way and most people tend to get there slowly and through many lifetimes experiencing physical life again and again. Once you have grasped the idea that life is an occurrence that you are in control of, and you grow to understand that you are not in school to learn anything, you will begin to look farther ahead to greater awareness with the knowledge that the spirit is eternal and cannot be destroyed.

Enlightenment should never be taken lightly but seen as a natural course of experiences that you have absolute control of.

Enlightenment can come in an instant or it may take many life cycles but always it is about freedom of choice and unconditional love.

Getting to Spiritual Enlightenment

2007-06-12T01:01:00.000-07:00

The expression "Spiritual Enlightenment" has been used often in reference to personal spiritual development. What exactly is meant by this term however has been vaguely defined. My research on the topic has found it linked to some of the following experiences:

1. A connection to a higher self

2. A connection to an inner knowing

3. A connection to spiritual energies or beings beyond one's self

4. Altered states of consciousness

5. Out of body experiences i.e. astral travel, remote viewing etc.

6. An greater intuitive awareness

7. An enhanced energy state in the body

8. Precognitive or other clairvoyant experiences

9. Extrasensory perceptive experiences

10. Hypnotic experiences

In this article I aim to propose a new experiential definition of Spiritual Enlightenment that is not only accessible to everyone but which also provides a road map to achieving this sought after state of being.

In order to achieve this goal I wish to examine the word "Enlightenment" itself from a strictly literal standpoint. To be "Enlightened" can be taken to mean the following:

1. To feel "lighter" as in more buoyant or less weighted down.

2. To feel or perceive oneself as being "lighter" as in brighter, more luminescent, or more radiant.

3. To be brought "into the light" thereby making things clearer or more visible.

In other words we can distill, from these literal definitions the experiences of a) Buoyancy, b) Luminescence and c) Clarity. For the analysis that follows I now propose an experiential definition of "Enlightenment" which embodies these three qualities of being.

According to this definition one can be said to be "Enlightened" if they are experiencing these three qualities simultaneously. Whether this is possible and whether this corresponds to what one might subjectively describe as being "Spiritual Enlightened" however remain to be determined.

I also wish to put forth the hypothesis that the simultaneous experience of these three qualities of "Enlightenment" can be used as a starting point in our search for what one might subjectively describe as "Spiritual Enlightenment". In order to assess this latter hypothesis I wish to digress for a moment and discuss a matter that is often missed in the discussion of Spiritual Enlightenment. That is, that in order to be searching for it we must already know, at some level within our being that a) it exists and b) what the state actually looks like.

This can be readily seen by the fact that we may feel, say in our current state, that we are not yet enlightened. This means that within us we have a "set point" (i.e a set point is like the desired temperature setting in thermostat which lets the furnace know whether the desired temperature has been attained or not) with which we compare our current state of being and which tells us whether or not we are there. Hence, in order to know that "we are not yet there" we must at some level harbor the knowledge of where "there" is.

Although we are not completely conscious of what "there" looks like we strangely know what "not being there" looks like. Having said that, it follows that an individual will "know" when they are there, or at least are getting there. With this in mind we created a tool that helps individuals move in the direction of our definition of Enlightenment (i.e. buoyancy, luminescence and clarity). We then asked individuals to assess whether this felt like what they would subjectively describe as a state of Spiritual Enlightenment.

This tool is called the Mind Resonance Process™ (MRP) and we will describe it shortly. When we looked at the effects MRP had on individuals' descriptions of their new state, we, as expected found them to correspond repeatedly to our definition of Enlightenment i.e. Buoyancy, Luminescence and Clarity. This basically affirmed that MRP did what it was designed to do. What we also found was that this state of "Enlightenment" repeatedly corresponded to individuals' subjective report of what they described a state of Spiritual Enlightenment.

What does all this mean? Well to start with it means:

1. That our definition of Enlightenment appears to correspond with what individuals repeatedly subjectively described as an experience of Spiritual Enlightenment.

2. That repeated exposure to MRP facilitates shifts towards successive and heightened states of Enlightenment and subjective Spiritual Enlightenment.

3. That the effects of MRP are not reversible. That is the effects are cumulative and cannot be undone.

The MRP process is essentially a simple but powerful algorithm (i.e. a multi-step process) that targets and facilitates the complete and permanent release of "negative" beliefs, emotions, perceptions and memories from the mind/body system (or in Energy Psychology terms, from the individual's bio-field). Please note the emphasis on the word "negative". Negative here implies that the targeted item is "not desirable" i.e. our definition of "negative".

The release of such negativity is accompanied by most or all of the following: a sense of physical buoyancy, a visual sense that one is more luminescent or radiant both to self and to others, a greater sense of clarity about who one really is and who others around them are, a deep feeling of love and compassion, a sense of joy, a feeling of fulfillment, a deep sense of inner peace, a feeling of wholeness or completeness, a feeling of increased energy in the physical body, a heightened feeling of self-esteem and self-confidence, a great feeling of resilience, a feeling of expansiveness which was described as extending beyond the limits of the physical body yet being in at the same time, and much more.

Many have described this as an experience of their Real Self or even their Divine Self. Some interesting and common reactions to this new state are:

1. That it is familiar yet feels ancient at the same time. In other words, it has existed far longer than the individual has had a connection to it. Additionally, the state has been experienced at some distant time in the past.

2. That this new state feels like it has always been there i.e. there was never a time when it did not exist.

3. That who the individual thought they were before exposure to MRP is not who they ever were i.e. the negativity is not experienced as part of the Real Self.

As a result of our observations with MRP we would like to propose that:

1. Our definition of Enlightenment is taken as a close approximation to what most would consider an experience of Spiritual Enlightenment.

2. MRP is an effective tool in facilitating the shift towards a more Enlightened and Spiritually Enlightened State.

3. MRP is a powerful yet simple way of achieving what human beings have long been seeking, their Divine Self.

Acknowledging the Existence of Your Soul

2007-06-12T00:58:00.000-07:00

Talking about your "soul" and the deeper things in life is so frequently considered as spun out or weird in modern, take-away-eating, order-it-on-the-internet life, but if you are one of these people, you'll find that letting go of socialistic trends like these will free you in a way that you simply cannot be freed in a materialists world.

The end result is inner peace that no material possession could ever come close to. No, really.

How do I acknowledge its existence?

It starts by simply observing your own nature, or the actions and reactions you exhibit to different situations. Your thoughts from day to day, loves and hates, etc.

Ask questions. Not about the happenings of creation, but internal questions. Question your nature, and in doing so you will gain a greater knowledge of self.

Your soul is the part of you that makes you unique. Remember, your body is quite common. There are over 6 billion examples on the planet at this particular point in time, and at least on a biological level, they all function in the same way.

It is your mind that separates you from those around you, and mind is manifest. Your mind is your souls mind, and your strongest link to your soul.

Meditate.

It's simple.

Just quiet yourself and allow thoughts to bubble to the surface. Don?€™t dwell on them. Let them go and move on. Clearing your mind will open your eyes to the existence of your own soul and those of the people around you. To be conscious of your soul is to be on a higher level of consciousness.

Why would I want to acknowledge its existence?

To put it simply, the world we live in is at least as spiritual as it is physical. If you are confined within the boundaries of just one then you are missing out on at least half of what life has to offer. By simply acknowledging your soul, you're enabling yourself to become aware of the greater things in creation and life.

So many people move around from day to day only believing what they see and hear around them. Life to these people is temporary. Their meaning is to acquire as many physical possessions as possible, as this life -- consisting of but one lifetime -- has no definite meaning and hence they are forever filled with a sense of why. Why am I here? Why do I feel empty? Why do I have everything yet have nothing at the same time?

Those who make happiness and the betterment of the spirit the central goal of their life can recognise the fact that there is more to life than the physical sense of the word.

This brings a 3rd dimension to life, which is more than emotions can express. It is a bliss that surrounds you from day to day, when you realise that there is something else out there. Meaning starts to appear in what you do day-to-day.

People who are unaware of their spiritual side and focus on the attainment of possessions as their central goal hardly experience a moment of contentment, and when they are confronted with the fact that their lives seem to be meaningless they are cast into a pit of despair.

If they had been aware of their spiritual side then their minds would be more evolved to see that life is just a series of lessons, educating you in the subtle laws of creation and bringing about an understanding of your own nature. Nothing more, nothing less.

So, acknowledging the existence of your soul enables you to bring meaning to your life -- even where there are no material possessions. You soon see that you don't need material possessions to advance on a spiritual level as it is what's inside of you that does the growing, not what's on the outside.

Letting go of the material confines of society and allowing yourself to believe that there is a deeper side of life -- and that it's ok to believe that this will grant you inner peace -- will truly help you find a solid grounding of happiness and calmness that you may never before have experienced.

Acknowledging the Existence of Your Soul

2007-06-12T00:51:00.000-07:00

Acknowledging Emotions and Feelings

2007-06-12T00:49:00.000-07:00

We'll begin with a question:

What is a moral?

I'd say it's something you have an intense feeling or emotion about, generally so intense you would never cross its boundary.

Agree?

Have you ever crossed a moral boundary? It doesn't feel good does it. But why? Morals are not a physical thing - i.e. They can't be touched, purchased or photographed. They are an emotion manifested in a feeling; they manifest in the essence of your soul, which, in turn, is the very shape of your identity.

When you cross a moral boundary you go against a very strong emotion your soul has, and in doing this you are defying your own nature and it leaves you feeling terrible.

So, why did you cross that boundary? It's simple -- because you didn't acknowledge the feelings which were of your own nature. Due to a lack of understanding of your own nature perhaps from a pressure imposed on you from your immediate surrounds.

How do I start to feel? It is simple. Start with a thought, not just any thought but an important thought. Try quietly, just for a few seconds observing your immediate feelings from a happening in your life; it can be simple or a life changing thing.

Acknowledge it by resolving that this is how you feel about this, but don't stop there and close yourself off to it. Try to understand it, as it is a part of you and there for a reason -- your soul may be trying to tell you something

Acknowledging your true feelings is more than just saying "Yes, I feel this way right now". It's about feeling the feeling and applying thought to it, and coming to a decision as to whether to act on it or not. Acknowledge your feelings in this way and it will lead to a relaxed composure not only of your body, but of your thoughts and mind too.

Why bother with any of this? Well, for one, acknowledging your feelings brings you into contact with the immortal part of your own nature -- your soul. This is important as it is your soul that guides you and shapes the world directly around you.

Because of this, victims will always be victims; unsatisfied individuals will never be content and those who poison their own good days with imaginings and nit picking will never be happy.

Feelings are an interpretation of events that happen to you in life; the interpreter is the soul and hence is the root of the feeling. Acknowledging these feelings leads you into contact with your soul and therefore a greater understanding of self.

Feelings and emotions can manifest tension in different areas of your body. For instance, there are sympathetic points in the sternocloidemastoid (the frontal muscle of your neck). When your emotions get backed up and are not dealt with, this muscle can become tight and lead to irritability, headaches and lot more.

Simply by dealing with a feeling, such as standing up for yourself can ease these muscles and save you from pain and suffering. This is just a physical manifestation of feelings, deeper feelings and emotions that are left in the "too hard basket" can lead to lack of focus, motivation, hypertension & depression.

When you become one with your feelings, you merge with yourself and are free to observe and enjoy life in all its glory. It is your feelings that guide you towards the meanings of the questions you are here to answer; they guide you to your niche in life where you are happiest and able to learn the most in the easiest of life's ways.

For example, it is your feelings and emotions which enable you to identify your greatest love in life -- your own identity! Acknowledging them would lead you to take that on as a physical profession, and in doing so you dissolve one of the largest constraints of modern life - work. In doing something you love you'll never have to work again because every day is play!

Some people get a buzz from accounting, some from skateboarding, others from retail and still others from law. No one knows why or understands someone elses passion but that's OK because they don't need to!

It is the feelings and emotions your soul transmits to you that will lead you towards your true identity and the happiest life possible, and living a happy life is what we all dream about, isn't it?

Peace is the way

2007-06-09T12:31:00.000-07:00

Don’t lose yourself in conflict, obsessiveness, anxiety over the future, and feelings of guilt and inadequacy, says Deepak Chopra.

Want to get to peace consciousness. Here are 10 steps for you.

1. Change doesn’t start on the surface. It is generated from consciousness. This has been true throughout history. If both Buddhism and Christianity could begin with one person, let us not think in terms of numbers and odds. It may sound grandiose to compare ourselves to great spiritual guides, but we act collectively, as an alliance. Our strength comes from critical mass.

2. We aren’t here to make the world evolve. We are here to evolve as individuals and then to spread that influence. In the wisdom tradition of Vedanta, the stream of evolution is known in Sanskrit as Dharma, from a root verb that means ‘to uphold.’ This gives us a clue how to live: the easiest way for us to grow is to align ourselves with Dharma. We don’t have to struggle to grow - that would be unproductive, in fact. The Dharma has always favoured non-violence. If we can bring ourselves to a state of non-violence, and connect with others who are doing the same thing, we have done a huge thing to reinforce Dharma.

3. Societies get into the grip of their own self-created story. It is helpful to realise that we can choose not to participate in that story. Realise that national and tribal stories are limited, self-serving, based on the past, reinforced by orthodoxy, and therefore opposed to real change. Stories are incredibly persuasive. Wars are fueled by victimisation that runs deep, for example. So let us not try to change anyone’s story. Let us only notice and observe ourselves when we buy into it and then let us back away from participating in it.

4. Let us not demand of ourselves that we alone must be the agent of change. In a fire brigade everyone passes along a bucket, but only the last person puts out the fire. None of us know where we stand in line. We may be here simply to pass a bucket; we may be called on to play a major role. In either case, all we can do is think, act, and say. Let us direct our thoughts, words, and actions to peace. That is all we can do. Let the results be what they will be.

5. Let us realise that engagement and detachment aren’t opposite - the more engaged we become, the more detached we will have to be. Otherwise, we will lose ourselves in conflict, obsessiveness, anxiety over the future, and feelings of guilt and inadequacy. Keep in mind that we are pioneers into the unknown, and
uncertainty is our ally. When our minds want closure, certainty, and finality, let us remind ourselves that these are fictions. Our joyous moments will come from riding the wave, not asking to get off at the next station.
6. Since most misery is born of failed expectations let us learn to minimise expectations so that we will feel far less guilt and disappointment.

7. We aren’t here to be good or perfect. We are here as the antennas for signals from the future. We are here to be midwives to something that wants to be born. Good people have preceded us. They solved some problems and created others. As one wise teacher said, “You aren’t here to be as good as possible. You are here to be as real as possible.”

8. I know this sounds difficult, but let us try to be tolerant of intolerance. This is a hard one at times, but if you try the opposite - showing a hard heart against those with hard hearts of their own - all we have done is expand the problem. It is helpful (but often difficult) to remember that everyone is doing the best they can to form their own level of consciousness. Trying to talk a terrorist out of his beliefs is like trying to persuade a lion to be a vegetarian. All we can realistically do is seek openings for higher awareness.

9. Let us resist the lure of dualities. These include us versus them, civilised versus barbarians, good versus evil. The good, civilised people of Europe managed to kill millions of themselves, along with millions of “them”. In reality we are all in the same boat of human conflict and confusion. Sometimes it helps to admit that the doctor is not far from being a patient.

10. Let’s create an atmosphere of peace around ourselves. Imagine that we are like a mother whose children come home crying about fights at school. Would it be her job to soothe their wounds or to arm them for fighting back tomorrow? Simplistic as it may sound, the male principle of aggression can only be healed by the feminine principle of nurturing and love.

What is True Success?

2007-06-09T12:29:00.000-07:00

The Art of Supportive Leadership :
Part 1

The definitions of success are legion, as are also the techniques for reaching it. Perhaps the most important "rule" of all is this simply principle: The outcome of any project always reveals, however subtly, the kind of energy that went into its development.

A work of art reveals not only the skill, but also the consciousness, the basic attitudes, the philosophy of life, of the artist.

A place of business reveals the general attitudes of its workers: their happiness or unhappiness, their confidence or frustration.

A leader who leads truly, and never drives others, will create in his subordinates the most constructive possible attitudes, and will ensure the best possible long-range results for his and their labors.

The true success of an undertaking depends, more than anything else, on the spirit of the people involved in it. And the spirit of those people is a reflection, always, of the spirit of its leader.

In your role as leader or coworker, consider practicing the following principles:

1. Think of your position as an opportunity to serve, not as a trumpet call to self-importance.

2. Hold always to the principle, “People are more important than things.” If you hold to this principle, those who work with you will always give you their best.

3. Give loyalty to those under you, instead of demanding it first of them. Be loyal to those who work for you, whatever their position on the “totem pole.” Loyalty inspires loyalty. By demanding loyalty of others first, you’ll develop “yes men,” and the burden of every decision will rest on you alone.

4. Share with others the credit for any work well done. You will then have their support in all you do. Support is given grudgingly to the leader who claims, “I did it all.” Take from others the burden of blame. For even if the fault was theirs, in renouncing responsibility you renounce your leadership.

Spiritual healing for cuts and bruises

2007-06-09T12:26:00.000-07:00

This week we reveal certain emergency procedures for healing minor cuts and bruises. We need to once more emphasize on the fact that when we use the spiritual dimension for healing, it is not to be forgotten that this is not the dimension of common beings, it is the dimension of saints. Sadhnas (these are yogic kriyas like sanatan kriya etc) for increasing your position on the evolutionary ladder are the most advanced sadhnas and will result in a heightened ability to access the dimension of colours to effectuate healing. Certain energies (colours) which are non-accessible to common people would now be within easy reach for you. If you practice self- healing without any commercial thoughts/bias, the results would be miraculous. When observed clairvoyantly the cells which regenerate tissue and skins are of various shades of yellow. The first step is to bring your awareness to your Anahat chakra and connect with you Guru, whoever, wherever he maybe. Do keep a dust bin in the form of a bowl filled with water and sea salt, as described last week. The bowl is the place to throw off the diseased prana, as if you are dusting dust off a cloth. Some light yellow flowers and neem leaves are the tools you will need for this procedure. Hold the neem leaves in both your hands and sweep the whole body 50 times. The sweeping motion should be from top to toe. Then holding the neem leaves in your right hand clean the cut specifically in an anticlockwise circular motion. Your awareness should be on your vishuddhi chakra (in the throat) all the time. Then using the yellow flowers energize the cut for around 15 minutes with whitish yellow light, moving your hand in a clockwise direction. (At no time during the process should your hands or neem leaves or the flower touch the body.) Though your awareness is at the vishuddhi chakra you should also remain detached from the subject by being aware that you are just a channel for healing and the healing is being effectuated by a higher force. Then with your palms transfer a cooling sensation to the wound in the form of a blue colour. You should now be able to see the effects of your healing.

Religion And Spirituality

2007-06-09T12:23:00.000-07:00

Religion is general associated with certain fundamental rituals and practices while spirituality is more concerned with the mental and intellect aspects. Both however seek to help the aspirant in attaining Godhead. God consciousness is experienced in a state of thought extinction. It is a state where the mind is totally extinguished and only awareness reigns supreme! Mind is related to thoughts like a river to water. It is the flow of water that constitutes the river. So too, is the flow of thoughts that makes the mind. A mind thus created veils the Divine Self within us. Religious practices generate spiritual undercurrents, which help in transcending the mind by arresting the Divinity inherent in us. The flow in each case generates power and dynamism. The nature of river is dependent upon the quality of water flowing in it. If the water is muddy, the river is muddy; if the water is fast, the river is fast and so on. Likewise, the quality of thoughts in the mind relates to the quality of the human... As the mind, so the man! All our religious rituals and practices have a subtle cleaning and energizing effect on the mind to pave the way for attaining the ultimate state of Divinity. And the state of Divinity is not merely a personal achievement; it must culminate in a Universal resurrection!