Consciousness and creative expression

Jan 27, 2010, 11.00am IST
ANAGHA HUNNURKAR.


Pranayam means taking control of ‘life’ and it includes all facets of the body, not just physiological but also the internal aspects, the intellect and beyond.
Pranayam, as the name suggests, is food for all our five physiological systems. Prana is responsible for the beating of the heart and breathing. Prana enters the body through breath and is sent to every cell through the circulatory system. Attributed to the function of breathing, it is also responsible for the system that controls all sense perceptions of seeing, hearing, touching, tasting and smelling of the stimuli received from the outer world.

Apana literally means ‘eject’. It is responsible for the elimination of waste products from the body through the lungs and excretory systems. It is the prana that is responsible for all things thrown out of the body.


Vyana is the power by which nourishment received through digestive forces is circulated to all parts of the body through the blood stream.

Samana is for the expansion and contraction processes of the body, the voluntary muscular system. It regulates digestion. It is responsible for digestion and the repair and manufacture of new cells and growth. Samana also includes the heat regulating processes of the body. Auras are projections of this current. With meditation one can see auras of light around every being. Yogis who do special practice on samana can produce a blazing aura at will.

Udana stimulates the internal functions of the body including the escape of prana (death). It is also responsible for producing sounds through the vocal apparatus, as in speaking, singing, laughing and crying. Also, it represents the conscious energy required to produce vocal sounds corresponding to the intent of the being. Hence control on udana gives the higher centres total control over the body. This is the prana that helps one progress to higher realms.


The panch prana are responsible for the manifest form of ‘life’ in a being. The panch prana nourishes the body with food and air. The mind-intellect-bliss sheaths of the body are known as the panch kosha. Through pranayam one is able to calm the mind. When the mind is being elevated through meditation pranas play a leading role, like that of an engine. When the mind is at rest, one’s concentration improves manifold resulting in a focused mind and through intellect one can connect to the soul. This connection is with the cosmic Divine and this helps creativity bloom. We have come across examples where the person who created a piece of literature was himself amazed to read it as his own. Creative people admit that they were in a trance, sort of possessed when they created the piece. Be it artists like Leonardo da Vinci, musicians like Beethoven, scientists like Thomas Edison or social thinkers like Mahatma Gandhi, they have all related such an experience.
After the Mahabharata war, when Krishna was about to return to Dwarka, Arjuna requested him to repeat the Bhagavad Gita. Krishna had narrated the Gita, in the midst of a battlefield and Arjuna conceded that in his state of remorse, he could not fathom the full import of the Gita. So he wanted to hear the Gita once again in peacetime. Krishna expressed his inability to do that. He said that at that time, he was ‘yogyukta’ and it was in that state that the Gita flowed. Krishna was an avatar of Vishnu and so was no ordinary mortal. Yet he expressed the need of being a ‘yogyukta’ to be connected to the consciousness to be able to express himself creatively.

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The power of satsang with a true guru

Jan 24, 2010, 12.00am IST


Today our attention is mainly on external things; so we hardly ever look inward.
Even when we have a spiritual goal, the mind slips away from it due to the pressure of our vasanas or latent tendencies. To control such a mind, a satguru is essential. But after a certain stage, no help is needed for the guru within is awakened.
Ordinary gurus can only explain spiritual principles. But a Sadhguru who has realised the Self imparts part of her spiritual power to the disciple. This enables the disciple to reach the goal quickly. The Sadhguru's thoughts awaken spiritual powers in the disciple.


Satsang and spiritual books have the power to turn our minds towards good thoughts. That alone, however, will not enable us to go forward with steady steps. Physicians will examine the patient and prescribe medicines. But if an operation is required, one has to see a surgeon. Likewise, to rid our minds of all dirt, and to progress towards the ultimate goal, we have to take refuge in a realised master.


Although everything is within us, it is useless if we don't actually experience it. For that, sadhna or spiritual practice is absolutely necessary. Rishis who gave us the mahavakyas or great sayings such as `I am Brahmn' and `Thou art That' were individuals who had reached that plane of experience. Their way of life was very different from ours. They viewed all living creatures as being equal; they loved and served all beings without distinction. In their eyes, nothing in the universe was separate from themselves.
While they had god-like qualities, we have the qualities of a fly. A fly lives in dirt and excreta. So, our minds can see only mistakes and defects in others. This has to change. We have to be able to see the good in everybody and everything. Until we directly experience the Truth through sadhana and contemplation, there is no sense in repeatedly claiming that everything is there within us. Learning from books and giving speeches is not enough. To experience the Truth, one has to do sadhana, and discover the real `I' with a guru's help.

The guru knows that the disciple's ego-driven impulses will cause danger to him and to others. To know the Truth, we have to get rid of the ego-based, false `i'. It is hard to achieve this just by doing sadhana on one's own.

When we bow down before the guru, we are not bowing to that individual, but to the ideal in her; just as by saluting the flag, we are not paying homage to a piece of cloth, but to the nation that the flag represents. We can rise only through humility. The seed contains the tree within it, but if it is content to lie in a storeroom somewhere, rats may eat it. Only by going under the soil will its true form emerge. It is to become the King of kings later on that the disciple takes on the role of a servant now.


The guru is the embodiment of selflessness. We are able to learn what truth, dharma or righteousness, renunciation, and love mean because the guru lives those qualities. Obedience to the guru is not slavery. The guru's aim is only the salvation of the disciple. A true guru will never see her disciples as her servants. She is filled with love for the disciple. She wants to see the disciple succeed, even if it means hardship for herself. The true guru is indeed like a mother.

Discourse: Amritananda Ma

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Thoughts on Aman ki Asha

Jan 23, 2010, 12.00am IST
C V S K Rao.


Swami Vivekananda said: “Bring all forces of good together. Do not care under what banner you march. Do not care what be your colour – green, blue or red – but mix all the colours and produce that intense glow of white, the colour of love. Ours is to work. The results will take care of themselves”.


To focus on two things is important -- to energise the process of restoring peace and advance the ‘ Aman Ki Asha’ mission. The first is to nullify the attempts of those limited few, who due to their selfish ends, fan the fire of conflicts, like for example, those who misinterpret holy books and scriptures. The second is to create a harmonious, conflict-free atmosphere, where a meaningful dialogue leading to peace is made possible.


The scriptures do not support violence and hatred; they clearly advocate nonviolence, peace and love. For example, the Mahabharata is often cited as one that advocates war and killing, even killing of cousins! In fact, more than one third of the Mahabharata deals with conflicts, preparation for war and violent war in gory detail. Yet it is the Mahabharata which says: “Ahimsa paramo dharmah” – Nonviolence is the supreme virtue and is the foremost duty.


The word Jainism is from the root `Jin’ meaning the conqueror or the one who has overcome. Jains are followers of Bhagavan Mahavir – whose main teaching is nonviolence. Interestingly the foremost invocation of Jains is ‘Namo Arihantanam’ – salutation to those who destroyed their enemies.


Destruction of negative forces is possible only after overpowering and defeating them. Who are the enemies, who should be killed mercilessly? They are certainly not people with who we have a difference – that too when the difference can be resolved by peaceful means.


Sri Paramahamsa Yogananda explains the essential message of the Mahabharata, in his commentary of the Bhagavad Gita . The hundred sons of Dhritarashtra – symbolizing the blind irrational mind -- have characteristics of meanness, ill will, hardness, destruction, racial pride, temper, quarrelsome attitude, revengefulness, lack of vision and stupidity. These are the enemies and they must be defeated with all effort on a war footing. This is the real Mahabharata war, both at an individual and societal level.


The one who overcomes negative forces is the real ‘Arihant’ , whom the Jains salute. Satya Sai Baba says that truth, righteousness, peace, love and nonviolence are the five Pandavas, who can destroy evil tendencies. The essential teaching of all harbingers of peace, like Nanak, Kabir and others is also the same, in whose footsteps we must follow.
What is worth noting is that factors like lack of vision, destructive instinct and harshness which can ruin individuals, can also thwart peace processes and so these must be guarded against during negotiations. The next question is how to create a free and congenial atmosphere for proper dialogue.
Patanjali says that enmity is absent where ahimsa is the basis. What is ahimsa? Swami Vivekananda says that the test of ahimsa is the absence of (unhealthy) competition or jealousy. This can be made possible by following the dictum of Mathews 7:12 “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Thus Aman ki Asha and peaceful co-existence are possible through nonviolence only since ahimsa is nonviolence in thought, word and deed.

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Envy and jealousy: They’re different

Jan 22, 2010, 12.00am IST
Homayun Taba.


If there ever were a tug of war between jealousy and envy, the latter would surely win.


Though the terms are used interchangeably, there is a difference between the two. Jealousy is milder, and is often more visible. Envy sticks to one’s soul like a leech, draining a lot of psychic energy. Inherently deep-seated and unspoken, envy is not easily detectable either by the one who feels it or to others.


Buddhists talk of five mental poisons: passion or grasping, aggression, delusion or ignorance, arrogance and envy. Envy also finds its place among Christianity’s seven deadly sins: pride, envy, anger, sloth, greed, gluttony and lust.


A popular commercial was promoting a consumer product by insinuating that acquiring it would create pride in the owner and evoke the envy of others. It showed a devil in the background. It exalted two of the seven deadly sins in one sentence. While jealousy may ease or somehow play itself out in case you acquired the product yourself, envy never does.


Another mark of envy is that peculiar feeling of enjoying the misfortune of others. La Rochefoucauld said that we all have strength enough to endure the misfortunes of others. The Germans have a word for it, Schadenfreude – delight in another’s failure or defeat, captured humourously, yet appropriately by Gore Vidal’s statement: “Whenever a friend succeeds, a little something in me dies.”


Envy is like a perpetual conveyor belt of packages of jealousies. It feeds on a perceived sense of deprivation, filling the person with bitter resentment and remorse, usually about the unfairness of it all; a why-not-me fixation. In this state it becomes easy to overlook one’s own blessings. If we are not aware of this, envy can suck us into a whirlpool of discontent.

Envy leads to a persistent sense of smallness close to what Nietzsche called the “spirit of heaviness.” Its undercurrent implies that at all times one needs to be smarter, richer, more popular or prosperous than another. Can this ever be possible? The ridiculousness of it stares us in the face.


The cure lies very much within each one of us. We need to come to terms with realities that each life is unique and unfolds according to its own course, that none has been spared trouble, that each has his own cross to bear. Hence comparisons are not helpful. One needs to look less to others’ fortune, misfortune or place in life and more at one’s own life path. Why am i here? What do i need to do? Where and how can my talents unfold and be recognised?


Three remedies could perhaps help to reduce the pangs of envy – a sense of gratefulness for all that one has; secondly, the sense of santosh, or contentment; thirdly, living with a ‘This too shall pass’ philosophical attitude. An Italian proverb captures the needed attitude by using a metaphor of chess: “After the game, the king and the pawn go back into the same box.”


We may not subscribe to these lines of the Persian poet Sa’di’s: “Die, O envious man, for this is a malady/ Deliverance from which can be obtained only by death.” But we can learn that the more we fight envy the tighter the knots get, but acceptance paradoxically diffuses its power, and it no longer has the charge of an unknown negative force. Living out of a sense of transience and keeping our dying at all times in front of our mind, suddenly, envy is cornered.
If unchecked, envy tends to diminish all in whom it takes possession and ends up shriveling the heart, clouding judgment, narrowing generosity, and most of all, harming the soul.

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Saving grace, becoming more alive and alert

Jan 21, 2010, 12.00am IST
SWAMI SUKHABODHANANDA.


If identification is our pattern, then we identify ourselves with everything. This identification is mechanical. One develops rigidity and fails to see other variables in life.

Why do some people carry the pain of criticism or defeat all their lives?

Rigidity is a part of identification. An important aspect of spiritual teaching is non-identification.You get upset that your point of view is not respected. This causes pain. The hurt body creates an imaginary self as a survival tactic. Carrying the pain of differences for long is part of a mechanical mind. Unless we transform our mechanical centre into a magnetic centre, negative patterns will continue. In my workshops, I wish the participants ‘Good morning.’ Then I question them as to how many of them meant the morning to be good? Most of them would have said it mechanically. A mind given to ‘mechanicalness’ has relatively less consciousness. The more we bring in ‘presence’ in whatever we do, the greater the chance that consciousness would give rise to a magnetic centre.


Once a magnetic centre is opened in us, we see the foolishness of carrying pain. It is like mixing bread with cement. People are living miserable lives because they function mechanically. They are victims of their programming. One of my relatives who is a multimillionaire leads a poor life as he is unwilling to sell part of his property. It is against his concept of family dignity, but he lives in poverty.

Is the knowledge acquired from you enough to change my life?

There are two domains, the domain of ‘knowledge’ and the domain of ‘being.’ Knowledge should be applied in life to enhance one’s state of being, thereby your life matures. From a matured being if you look at the same knowledge it has a deeper meaning. By applying the deeper meaning in life and in your being, your life becomes more mature and in the process, something profound happens. Hence, knowledge should be applied, else you would be like a donkey carrying sandalwood.


Be conscious of your body. Are you relaxed or tense? Be conscious of your emotions. Do you mechanically hate or like someone? Watch our thoughts. Become more conscious of your mind. Mere conceptual knowledge does not help.

When is knowledge just a concept, not applied to life?

In the name of religion, there has been much bloodshed. Religion talks of love and oneness. Then why hate? In Christianity, between Protestants and Catholics, so much of bloodshed has taken place. That God is all-pervading is an important teaching amongst the Hindus, but why a caste system? Practically among followers of all religions, there has been hatred and bloodshed among themselves and others.

How do we change our mechanical attitude to life?

It can be changed through the teachings of enlightened masters. On each occasion when we are forced to behave mechanically, bring the teachings of masters to the fore. Through constant practice, a different dimension will flow, of grace. The first factor is our ‘mechanicalness.’ The second, the teachings of enlightened masters and the third is grace. Grace can come only when we apply teachings in real life situations. Then the law of grace transforms our lives.

How does grace operate?

In the constant struggle to apply great teachings in all walks of life, there will be an opening in which grace will flow. It is beyond the known structure of logic. Something mysterious happens, an illogical factor emerges and you find life to be fine and prolific. Be open to grace. Grace operates not in a way you want it to, but in its own way. Learn to appreciate the language of grace. God gives us what we need more than what we want.

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Vairagya: Dispassion helps you to come alive

Jan 20, 2010, 12.00am IST
PRANAV KHULLAR.

It is a challenge: Veering the mind away from external distractions and focusing on the very origin of thought.

How could one accomplish this? This is the central theme of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. He talks of pratyahara – the withdrawal of the mind from its scattered externality to focus upward. Patanjali details several practical steps to initiate this withdrawal, like yama-niyama , svadhyaya and satsang . To accomplish this, however, you need vairagya or dispassion.

Vairagya i s at the heart of all yoga systems and Vedantic thought. It is said that even Brahmn-vichara , the enquiry into the Self and all yogic practices become redundant if the mind has not yet fully turned away from the externals, and vairagya is absent. The seers explain that most go through momentary phases of dispassion, arising out of personal disillusionment with a situation, but they are unable to sustain this attitude for long, in the face of external obstruction like wealth, beauty, position and fame. There are also those who hypnotise themselves into believing that this ‘accidental’ vairagya is the real state of renunciation, and renunciation itself becomes a means to seek the same external vanities. Real dispassion, the sages say, can only arise when there is genuine inner discrimination developed through vichara , that helps you to distinguish between the outer ‘drama’ that is transient at best, and the witness-Self which is beckoning to a dimension beyond the transitory.

Bhartihari eludes to the real vairagya , in ‘ Vairagya-Shatakam ’, Hundred Verses on Renunciation. He points out how, despite the transitory nature of the world staring us in the face, we continue to want endlessly, trapping ourselves in a vicious cycle of pleasure and pain. A shriveled body, a failing eyesight, a hostile offspring, a nagging companion, all these, Bhartihari says, also do not seem to stop us from desiring more. This arises from our misunderstanding of what is real and permanent. In perceiving the outer empirical reality as the only reality, and in perpetuating this notion, we desire the external enjoyments and become addicted to them. Desire gives birth to more desire, and triggers a self-consuming ‘mind-reality’ that is desperate to possess just that bit more, be it riches, fame or position. Mind games keep defining an identity for ourselves, inevitably leading us to be dissatisfied and restless. The true yoga practitioner tries to reverse this notion through pratyahara and vairagya .

Vairagya , however, does not entail the other extreme, of the abnegation of social responsibilities on a whim – if the mind is not disciplined enough, the same desires will follow the mind even in the most secluded spots. The path of a Buddha or a Sankara might be taken only when the seeker has developed intense vairagya , a state of total dispassion for all material things and not merely momentary disenchantment. Vedanta states that the mind itself must be used as an enquiring tool, to delve deeper into the purpose of life, beyond the visual-auditory-sensory matrix of impressions.

You need a discriminating mind; able to distinguish between the essential and the perishable, even as you go about your duties in life, maintaining equanimity between what is needed to be done, atma-vichara and what is required to be done, duties in whatever station of life destiny has put you in. True vairagya is the cultivation of a dispassionate mind in the middle of this turbulent world, just as Krishna was able to resolve confusion and conflict by keeping his focus on the inner Self, that witnessing consciousness, which directed his actions. Krishna roused Arjuna as well to this new awareness through his revelations in Bhagavad Gita .

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The magnetic third eye that attracts attention

Jan 19, 2010, 12.00am IST
OSHO.


When Greek philosopher Pythagoras reached Egypt to enter a school -- a secret esoteric school of mysticism -- he was refused entry. And Pythagoras was one of the best minds ever produced. He could not understand it. He applied again and again, but was told that unless he goes through a particular training of fasting and breathing he cannot be allowed entry.
Pythagoras is reported to have said: "I have come for knowledge, not for any sort of discipline." But the school authorities said: "We cannot give you knowledge unless you are different. And really, we are not interested in knowledge at all; we are interested in actual experience. No knowledge is knowledge unless it is lived and experienced. So you will have to go on a 40-day fast, continuously breathing in a certain manner, with a certain awareness on certain points."
There was no other way, so Pythagoras had to pass through this training. After 40 days of fasting and breathing, aware and attentive, he was allowed to enter the school. Pythagoras reportedly said: "You are not allowing Pythagoras in. I am a different man; I am reborn. You were right and I was wrong, because then, my whole standpoint was intellectual. Through this purification, my centre of being has changed.


From the intellect it has come down to the heart. Now I can feel things. Before this training I could only understand through the intellect, through the head. Now I can feel. Now truth is not a concept to me, but life. It is not going to be a philosophy, but rather, an experience -- existential."


What was that training he went through? The technique was as follows: Attention between eyebrows, let mind is before thought. Let form fill with breath essence to the top of the head and there, shower as light.


Pythagoras went with this technique to Greece, and really, he became the fountainhead, the source of all mysticism in the West. This technique is among the deep methods. Try to understand it.
Modern physiology says that between the two eyebrows is the gland that is the most mysterious part of the body. This gland, called the pineal gland, is the third eye to Tibetans. It is the Shivnetra, the eye of the Shiva, of tantra. Between the two eyes there exists a third eye, but it is non-functioning. You have to do something to open it. Otherwise, it remains closed.

Close your eyes and focus both eyes on space in the middle of your eyebrows. Give total attention to it. This is one of the simplest methods of being attentive. You cannot be attentive to any other part of the body so easily. This gland absorbs attention like anything. If you give attention to it, both your eyes become hypnotised with the third eye. They become fixed; they cannot move. The third eye forces attention. It is magnetic. Your attention is brought to it forcibly. It is absorbed.

It is said in ancient tantra scriptures that for the third eye, attention is food. And once you feel that the gland itself is magnetically pulling your attention, it is not so difficult. For the first time you will see thoughts running before you. You will become the witness. It is just like a film screen: thoughts are running and you are a witness.

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The Journey Of Life, A Flowing River

Jan 21, 2010, 12.00am IST
MAULANA WAHIDUDDIN KHAN.


Human life can be likened to a flowing river. What is a river? A river is a unique phenomenon of nature. In the river fresh water is being added to the existing water at every moment.

This everyday phenomenon is responsible for the freshness of the river water. In the absence of this continuous flow of newly added water, the river will lose its freshness: it will not be able to maintain its health-giving, even life-giving, properties.

The same method is adopted by nature with regard to human beings. As we know, human beings continue to be born, generation after generation. Within a period of a hundred years, the previous generation is replaced by a fresh set of people. If the old water is replaced with fresh water, in human beings this same occurrence takes place in the form of previous generations yielding place to new generations.


A great wisdom lies behind this system set up in human life by nature. Its aim is that the coming generation should learn its lesson from the experiences of the previous generation. By benefiting in this way, we may continue our life journey in a far better way. This is the precious gift of the previous generation to the new generation. This is why the phrase ‘old is gold’ is often used with reference to the older generation.


For instance, a father sees that his son is intelligent but finds that there is one thing wrong with his temperament, and that is his overconfidence. Due to this he suffers losses in life. On seeing this, the father, in the light of his own experiences advises him thus:


“My son, confidence is good, but overconfidence is bad.”
This advice is very useful to him. Similarly, another parent, a mother, sees that her son is impatient.


He cannot wait for anything to take place in the ordinary course of events, so she gives him advice, with reference to her own experiences:
“My son, life is 1 per cent action, and 99 per cent restraint.”
This advice proves very useful to the son.

Similarly, another parent finds that his daughter does not have the quality of perseverance. She is not able to work unflaggingly with others, therefore, in the light of his experiences he advises his daughter:


“My child, maturity is the ability to live with things you cannot change.”
This advice of the father gives the daughter right guidance. She reviews her actions, and replans her life and then achieves great success in life.


These examples show how important the previous generation is for the new generation. The previous generation bequeaths its wisdom to the new generation. It passes on such formulae as have proved right in the light of practical experiences. In this way the older generation enables the coming generation to refrain from committing the mistakes which people made earlier that led to great losses. The truth is the previous generation is a valuable gift of nature to the present generation.


If our life is like flowing water, in which fresh water continues to be added at every moment, then it will always remain fresh and will never become stale. On the contrary, water that is confined to a closed space, stagnating in the absence of replenishment, will eventually lose its freshness. It will become stale, even harmful. The flowing river is a healthy message given by nature and the experience of many generations of people across continents and cultures would support this analogy.

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Mantra as a tool to overcome identities

Jan 14, 2010, 12.00am IST
MANISH PANDIT.

Mantra is a Sanskrit word derived from two roots: Manasa or mind and tarana or save. Mantra is something that saves, which uplifts.


Who we are today is based on what we identify with. If I identify with the body or the mind then I am a finite person limited by my own finite identification. What is needed is a tool which chips away at this finite identification and helps us become infinite in our awareness and capabilities. Mantra is one such tool.


A mantra contains a string of syllables, set to a meter. The mantra is chanted in a certain set way to get results. Mantras and their sound conceal an image of the deity they represent. When chanted, they produce a specific form of that deity, so a Rama mantra will produce a specific image of Rama, within the consciousness of the one who chants. But initially, this image will form only for the duration of time that the person repeats the mantra. Later on, as the mantra becomes more potent within our consciousness in terms of its ability to produce an actual form of the deity, this image remains with us for longer periods.


We are eventually led to the point where the deity actually becomes present within the sadhaka. This may sound somewhat fantastic, but Ramakrishna Paramhansa, it is said, could see the divine Mother Kali whenever he wanted and eventually his identification with his body had been destroyed that only God was present there. His ability to go into super conscious states is well known.


Mantra sadhana is ideally done in private, where the practitioner feels safe, in a clean and dry place after the sadhaka has bathed and completed ablutions. No food should be eaten at least two hours before the practise is undertaken. The body must remain as still as possible. If you are trying to achieve a goal, then don’t publicise your sadhana.
Most Vedic mantras require specific intonation of specific syllables, which may be impossible for you to master correctly. A Vedic mantra incorrectly recited is unlikely to yield result.


Mantras can be repeated in three major ways, the most common with your oral speech or vaikhari. This may destroy tamas in the practitioner, but still relies on oral speech and if your Sanskrit is not good then there is a danger that you may not get any result. Furthermore the problem is that you are unlikely to remain still during recitation.

Upamsu or using your lips is another method, but produces no sound. Finally comes the manasika method that is recitation of the mantra in the mind. This method is best for achieving concentration and mental peace and it should eventually lead to the start of severing the identification of the practitioner with the self. Identification with the deity follows eventually.


Counting of mantra numbers may be useful in the beginning for the first few years and can be done on a rosary of 108 beads. Later on as mantra recitation becomes a daily practise and the need for a rosary diminishes quite significantly. Eventually the identification of the self with the body may so diminish that the practitioner may enter a state of divine bliss in which one may forget to chant the mantra itself, so overpowering is the silence of divine bliss.

The writer is a consultant nuclear medicine physician in the UK, an astrologer, author and a filmmaker. www.saraswatifilms.org

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The reason we're here is to experience love

Jan 13, 2010, 12.00am IST

We have come for some days to play. The body is temporary. We are actors and we are paid according to our performances. Play your part well in the Vraja Leela, God’s Play of Love, shaking off desires and obsessions. Our duty is to watch His Leela as passive witnesses. Be always in a state of svabhava, the natural state of Oneness with Him, free of all sense of want.


You are here to relish His rasa , to experience God’s Love, to taste His Vraja Leela. This Leela is symbolised by union, moving to and fro between the opposite poles like a pendulum, the characteristic of duality and mental function. It is a stage where we are to enact our respective roles for a stipulated period of time.


Duty is the first thing. Duty is karma or work. Perform your actions with sincerity and honesty. You must act. There is no knowledge without karma . You are seeing, hearing, eating something... all this is karma , and this karma is knowledge.

Whatever you do is karma . Actions and reactions in the mind lead to one’s activity. Let the fruit of action be decided and bestowed by Him because the result comes from Him. You cannot undertake any work without a pragmatic end in view. So, you have to do your work, but without any desire for the results. No sooner has the work been finished then the attachment evaporates. That should be the attitude.


Work is worship when the sole frame of reference is the Soul, the vibrant Mahanam, God’s Name within your heart. Every bit of work is worship. But the moment any kind of work grips your consciousness as the one thing indispensable and it stems the tide of your life, it is invested with multiple nuances and drives your ego. It lacks spirituality. In the body of a person resides Govinda or Supreme Truth, so the body is to be treated as His temple and taken care of. Eat, drink, do everything, but remember Him, residing in you. To move according to nature is the only safe course.


You have come here to do all sorts of acting. You are a guest. Your body is a temporary place to enjoy God in Maya , the creative force of God, which manifests in ever-changing nature...
My body is an ashram, the temple of God, a temporary place to enjoy Him in Prakriti or Nature and it is God’s Grace. We have come with mind, senses, desires and attachments. We shall have to give something to them. If you stop everything, they will revolt.
The object of our being born on earth is to relish the joy of God’s love. It is human tendency to act under compulsion of innumerable temptations and attachments. But even being involved in all this, human birth is a blessing. How ineffably is this world filled with beauty and flavour! We have come to experience it. However, we have become otherwise engaged. Be always with God’s Name then the objective with which you have come here will be realised.


An individual can at best put in effort, regardless of the result. Work is one’s own dharma . Work itself is sacrifice. Work is penance. God is there, ready to hold your hand and walk with you. So do not worry or be afraid. We are here to enjoy His Play, remember Him with love and remain in the natural state.

Today is the birth centenary of Dadaji, aka Amiya Roy Chowdhury.

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Creating a landscape of love and beauty

Jan 11, 2010, 12.04pm IST
Janina Gomes.

None of us can escape an encounter with hostility at some stage in our lives. Hostility mars relationships. It makes bitter our experiences with acquaintances. In the more intimate relationships, hostility can negatively impact our day-to-day interactions. And yet, like conflict, it is something that seems to be written into our DNA and the history of the world.


Veiled hostility can be worse than outright conflict. Our inability to accept divergence and diversity and be open to change can lead to conflict. The pressure we feel when we are challenged by circumstances and limited by outside happenings and events can however, be salutary for our spiritual growth and act as catalyst to bring out the best in us as well as help us face challenges and overcome them.

Conflict becomes unproductive when it gives rise to more animosity and hatred. But when two or more parties to the conflict are able to sit together to discuss and negotiate a settlement and smoothen the rough edges to the relationship, it can become a way of ensuring greater transparency and mutual trust. This will help to overcome hurdles and build positive relationships.


Hostility is not only in the realm of concepts. It can percolate to feelings and colour our reactions to outside events. It is a territory of mutual suspicion and mistrust. Yet, it is possible to take a more enlightened view of hostility and conflict. Provided we are not sucked into it, starting us on a memory chain of bitterness and bad feelings, we can use it to promote peace and tranquility.


We grow in the communities we are born in, inheriting many preconceived ideas, beliefs and social systems. These give us a social identity and we become part of these living communities. They are ways of finding fulfillment that go beyond the purely personal.


However, in communities, there are also barriers to social interaction with others because of walls of exclusion. The belongingness that we feel in a community is sometimes the very reason why we cannot interact with freedom in dealing with others outside of it.
We experience a sense of alienation from the rest, enveloped in a cocoon of protection in a community. We may have to go beyond to create a more universal environment.
When we exclude others, question their integrity and practice exclusion, we are going against the laws of nature that promote mutual exchange, intimacy and love. Trust, harmony and love make living a blessing for all.
Hostility has a lot to do with fear. It would be unwise to be unwary and let down all defenses, but there are plenty of opportunities to build harmony and trust without compromising our safety.
The biggest challenge of our times is the upsurge of vindictive and violent groups that create social and personal tensions that can destroy lives. Another challenge is the inclination among some to settle scores in personal vendettas.

Peace is not the absence of conflict. It is the growth of the spirit within. In the realm of the spirit we use each experience, whatever its nature, to grow. We learn to overcome fear, hatred and discord that create negative feelings and outcomes. We learn to build a world of love.


As members of one family, we need to overcome hostility together. We will find that in the end, it is the life force within us that overcomes what destroys and divides. If we plant just one seed of love and kindness every day, at the end of our lives we will have created a landscape of unspeakable beauty.

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True meaning of non-violence

Jan 9, 2010, 12.00am IST
PREM KHAMESRA.

The Jain belief is that all living things have an atma, a soul that provides them the characteristic of a living being. Without the soul the body is ajiva, lifeless.


The soul is considered to be a breakaway fragment of a Super Consciousness, Paramatma, which, due to karmic bonds, is locked into a cycle of birth and death. The terms birth and death indicate the transmigration of the soul from one body to another. The soul in its purest form is a replica of the Super Consciousness and is thus all knowing, free from all feelings, and in a constant state of bliss. The true nature of Soul is to revert to it purest form. The degree of karmic bondage to the soul varies; it could be from a mild level to an extreme level.


For human minds to comprehend it, the same could be expressed in terms of colour. The soul could be any colour ranging from the mild to a jet-black. The deeper the bond of karmic influences, the more difficult it is to free the soul of it.
The Jain concept of non-violence could be misunderstood. Generally non-violence is associated with not being violent towards living beings. But that’s not all. The Jain concept of non-violence has far broader connotations. To understand the scope of it, one has to go back to the true nature of the soul. Since the soul is locked into a cycle of birth and death due to karmic bonds, its liberation from this cycle and the return to its blissful, all-knowing state, lies in shedding all karmic bonds.
As per Jain thought karmic bondage happens due to the soul’s attachment to the world that we see and perceive and in which we exist. This world is in existence and visible to us in its current form due to two phenomena:

First, the interlocking of matter in a space-time paradigm makes up the physical world that we see and perceive as our world. Matter, as per Jain principles, is not liquids, solids and gases that we see, but the particles that make up the liquids, solids, gases and all that we see or feel or perceive around us. Second, the attachment of karmic bonds to soul gives rise to souls locked in birth and death cycles- that is, the fusion of soul to matter.

The cycle of death and birth is almost eternal for a soul unless broken by detachment and is released from karmic bonds. For this the soul has to constantly remember its true character and destination, going back to its pure form. It has to also constantly remember that its presence in the visible world is transient. It has to shed all its karmic bonds to return to its blissful state.


Any attachment to this visible world increases karmic bonds and thus contributes to pollution of the soul. Therefore, to move towards its true destination, the soul has to shed all attachment to the visible world. To shed attachments one has to constantly remember the true nature of the soul, the transient nature of its present state and the fact that it does not belong here. With this realisation, there ought not to be any tendency or urge to violate whatever one sees and perceives in the world around us. That, according to Jainism, is true non-violence.

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An esoteric perspective: I, me, myself, who?

Jan 8, 2010, 12.00am IST
DEEPAK RANADE.

The fundamental constituent of the consciousness construct is ‘am-ness’. It is the inconspicuous motor that powers consciousness. It is too intangible to comprehend but is the substratum of our ‘being-ness’. Intellect, mind and thoughts are derivatives of this primordial being-ness.


Being-ness is a priori and precludes any acquired knowledge or conditioning. The am-ness drives awareness and animates the Self. The Self, veiled by identity and ego, is oblivious to this am-ness, which is its very source. It merges into the form, giving the form an illusion of control and doer-ship. Am-ness is in all life forms.
Fighting to sustain am-ness is one of the most primeval instincts. But then this fight for survival is by, of and for the form. Not for the am-ness that vitalises the form. To remain in the state of being-ness is meditation. To dwell in the am-ness unadulterated by any form, identity, ego or desire is not easy. Lapsing into illusions created by the mind is inevitable. Illusion is a sensory ‘warp’. Creation is an illusion that is spun as a web by the mind and intellect on the substrate of ‘being’.


It is a film running on the screen of am-ness. Reverting to the state of being-ness requires effort. To know that pure being-ness is the nature of the true Self is knowledge and realisation. The falsely identified self constantly needs to reaffirm itself through gratification by sensory stimulation. Am-ness does not seek any gratification or reaffirmation since it is unidentified being-ness.


Am-ness is the precursor of the mind and intellect. It is pure consciousness. It is unaffected by time and form. Pure consciousness will remain eternally even after the temporary form is extinguished. It is just that it will become impersonalised. Am-ness is also called the soul or atman. Am-ness will remain undifferentiated consciousness until it inhabits a mind-body form, somewhat like the undifferentiated primal cell wherein life begins.


The single celled zygote, the first cell, has the ability to differentiate into any cell of the body. A variety of cells and tissues each functioning autonomically eventually has not even a remote semblance to the original, each still carrying the torch of am-ness that was lit by the initial flame of life.
To identify with am-ness, one has to remove all the veils one has acquired in the course of time – name, identity, beliefs, concepts and “knowledge”. Meditation serves to gradually dissolve all illusion and at the end just leaves a residual am-ness that is the state of Brahmn. All identities, objects and concepts are time-bound and are mere mirages. They are fleeting and temporary.


Am-ness is self-effacing; it is unidentifiable in the form. It is beyond concept. The mind cannot conceive its predecessor. Am-ness is sookshma or intangible. The mind works in the realm of the sthoola , or the tangible. Intelligence and thought tend to abjectly deny the intangible. These derivatives then detach from the stalk of their origin and become autonomous.


This autonomy manifests as ego and identity. These are all pseudo-entities, null and void in the absence of am-ness that is the source as well as object of Creation.
The writer is a consultant neurosurgeon. E-mail: deepakranade@hotmail.com. Blog: www.neuroconsciousness@blogspot.com

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A holistic view of life essential for survival

Jan 22, 2010, 05.40pm IST
ACHARYA MAHAPRAJNA.

There are two limits to knowledge. One set by the intellect and the other set by experience.


The comprehensive way to meditation and penance is experience, not intellectualisation. Intellectuals might argue against this, for the nature of the intellect is to argue. Those who practice meditation and restraint do not use only logic and intellect as the touchstone. Their path is paved with experience. The one who has tasted the sweetness of experience will know there can be no other viable route.


This is an optimistic perspective. It is possible that one who prefers going the intellect way might find this perspective pessimistic. Logic has its own path, which can become complicated but the path of experience is less complicated.
A head clerk told the other clerks, “During office hours you go for a shave and that takes a long time. Do not shave during office hours.” One clerk replied, “When hair can grow during office hours, why can’t they be cut also at that time. If you find a way of stopping hair growth during office hours, we will also not cut it during office hours.” This is the language of logic.


Those who live within the limits of the intellect and logic speak this language. There are three limits. One is that set by the consciousness of the senses. The other is set by the consciousness of the mind. The third is set by the consciousness of the intellect.

We have experienced the limits of all these three. Till experience does not enter the limits of the conscious, everything seems as above. One who has not experienced meditation cannot enter the field of experience.

Those who have sat down for meditation for the first time say this after 10 days – which they could never have imagined such an experience was possible. When there was no question of imagination, how could they have imagined?
How can a man sitting on the shores of an ocean estimate its depth? Only the one who has dived into the ocean can describe its depths. Many spend their lives knowing just their outer self. They never get an opportunity to go within. Are they able to see all that is within? They do not know what lies within. Many of those who see the body get scared on seeing its vibrations. Where have they come from? Are they something new? They are not new.
They were all within. They are constantly working. The energy of the body is also working. But as we concentrate we get to know of them and get scared. We are faced with a new world. The vibrations were on even earlier but we were not aware of them. As soon as the mind gets more stabilised, the inner self emerges clearer.
We need to engage more with the inner world. We should be less obsessed with what others do and pay more attention to our selves. Only then will there be opportunities for major changes in our consciousness that will enhance our personality. If the transformation were to continue, then there is the further possibility that we could reach the final point.
Our perspective should become more and gentler and the perspective of anekanta should always be with us. We need to work towards promoting a balanced and mutually connected individual, local and global perspective with equanimity, taking into account every possible view. That is, giving equal consideration to all things, howsoever small or big.

Put together by Lalit Garg.

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An unusual conversation on doctrine of not-self

Jan 5, 2010, 12.00am IST
KAILASH VAJPEYI.

For those who identify themselves with their material possessions, physical beauty or faith, the following story from the book titled ‘The Distinguishing Characteristics of Ethical Qualities’ could be instructive.
An enlightened Buddhist monk, Nagasena, was head of a monastery near the border of King Milinda’s kingdom. One morning the king went to see Nagasena. He began the conversation with a question: “How your Reverence known and what is is your name?” The monk replied: “I am Nagasena and it is by that name that all other monks address me. Names such as Nagasena or Virasena are only terms of reference, for there is no permanent individuality involved in the matter.”
King Milinda invited other monks to witness and said: “Nagasena says there is no permanent individuality implied in the name.” And turning to Nagasena, he said: “If there is no permanent individuality involved in the matter, who gives you robes and food, who is it who lives a life of righteousness? Who devotes himself to meditation? Now what is that Nagasena? Do you mean to say that hair is Nagasena?”
The monk replied: “I don’t say that, great king.” “Or hair in the body perhaps?” “Certainly not.”
“Or is it the nails, the teeth, skin, flesh, nerves, bones, marrow, the kidneys, the heart, the liver, the abdomen, the spleen, the lungs, the larger intestines, the lower intestines, the stomach, the bile ... or the brain or any or all of these that is Nagasena?”
In reference to each of these Nagasena answered ‘No’.
King Milinda again asked: “Then all these skandhas -- vital elements -- combined are Nagasena?” “No Sir,” said Nagasena.


“But is there any thing outside the five skandhas that is Nagasena?” And still Nagasena answered: “No, great king.” “Then,” exclaimed the king, “There is no Nagasena. Who then is the Nagasena I see before me?”


Nagasena said to King Milinda: “O King, you came here by chariot. Sir explain to me what that is. Is it the pole that is the chariot? Or is it the axle, the wheels, the framework, the yoke or the spokes of the wheels that are the chariot?” Nagasena continued in this vein and the kind ansered in the negative to all his questions. Nagasena continued: “Then is it all these parts of it that are the chariot?” The king shook his head.


Nagasena asked him if anything outside of the chariot could be called the chariot. Again, the answer was in the negative. “Then,” declared Nagasena to the king: “If I may say so, I can discover no chariot. What you say is a chariot is a mere empty sound ... What then, O King, is the chariot you say you came in? It is a falsehood. Your Majesty has spoken an untruth.


There is no such thing as a chariot. You are a king; a mighty monarch.. of whom then are you afraid that you spoke an untruth!”
Nagasena then called upon the brethren to witness, saying: “Milinda, the king, has said that he came by chariot.” When he had thus spoken, all the monks shouted their applause and said to the king: “Now your majesty, try to get out of that if you can! King Milinda said to Nagasena: “I have spoken no untruth. It is an account of its having all these things – the pole and the axle and so on -- that it comes under the generally understood term, the designation in common use of chariot.”


“Very good!” said Nagasena. “Your majesty has grasped the meaning of chariot. So is the case with Nagasena. There is no Nagasena.”

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Living with a master and learning to understand

Jan 25, 2010, 04.12pm IST
SWAMI KRIYANANDA.

Whenever fellow disciples spoke to me – as they sometimes did – of trying to “understand” our Guru, Paramhansa Yogananda, I could only marvel at the scale and depth of such an endeavour.


It struck me as being rather like trying to understand the universe! The task that infinity places squarely on the shoulders of every human being is just this: “Understand thyself – know thyself.”


Yogananda was, to each of us, like a flawless mirror. What came back to us from him was not his opinions of us, but our own higher Self’s reaction to any lower attitude we projected. His was a perfect self-transcendence. In another person’s company he actually, in a sense, became that person. I don’t mean that he assumed our weaknesses, our pettiness, or moods of anger or despondency. What he showed us, rather, was the silent watcher at the centre of our own selves.

He tried to pay individual attention when he was training people. It was not that he altered his basic teachings to suit our personal needs. Rather, it was his emphasis that varied. To some he stressed attitudes of service; to others, deep inwardness. To one he emphasised the need for greater joy; to another, for less levity. What he said to one person he might never say to anyone else. In a very real sense he was, to each of us, our very own personal, divine friend.

His concern, always, was for our spiritual needs. Sometimes he would actually take us away from an important assignment – one, perhaps, for which no one else could be found – simply to meet a spiritual need of our own. Sometimes, too, he placed people in positions for which they weren’t qualified. This he did with a view to prompting them, in their struggle to meet his expectations, to develop the needed spiritual qualities. At other times he gave us work we disliked – not particularly because we would be good for that work, but because the work would be good for us. Perhaps we needed to learn some spiritual quality – for example, to overcome a natural unwillingness.


Yogananda’s help was available to anyone who called to him mentally in meditation. Here he was the guide, ever subtly inspiring us, according to the measure of our receptivity, to make the right kind of spiritual effort. Sometimes, too, when we met him during the day, he would admonish us on some point concerning our meditations. Indeed, he watched over us in all ways. Despite so many disciples to look after, he could be so perfectly aware of the needs of each one. “I go through your souls every day,” he told us. “If i see something in you that needs correcting, I tell you about it. Otherwise, i say nothing.”


The key to our relationship with our guru was friendship in God. We had to give our utmost to strengthen this friendship so that we could rise to higher levels, closer to divinity.
If a disciple flattered him, Master would gaze at him quietly as if to say, “I will not desecrate the love i bear you by accepting this level of communication.” Always he held out to us the highest ideal to which each of us might aspire. Such perfect love imposes the most demanding of all disciplines, for ultimately it asks nothing less of the disciple than the total gift to God of himself.

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Try, try again for a fine balance

Jan 23, 2010, 12.00am IST
RAVI M GUPTA.

One of the greatest struggles of our lives is in achieving balance. We find ourselves being constantly torn between family, friends, workplace and our desires.


According to the American Psychological Association, two-thirds of Americans are likely to seek help for stress. The National Institute of Mental Health says that one out of every four adult Americans suffers from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year. Indian stress levels are probably not far behind.


How does one find a fine balance? “Life is like a bicycle,” Albert Einstein said. “To keep balance you must keep moving.” Although supercharged stress levels may be a modern phenomenon, the search for balance is not. From earliest times philosophers and spiritual leaders have debated the question of how best to orient oneself to ensure a satisfied and well-rounded life. The dilemma could be described as the search for balance between the head, heart, and hands or reason, emotion, and action.


Some Greek philosophers felt that reason was the distinctive characteristic of human beings, requiring us to rise above emotions, transcending our lower nature. In Christianity, the debate was often of faith and work. Which is more important? Indian tradition expresses this in terms of three paths: karma , j nana , and bhakti . The Mimamsakas argued that the only important parts of the Vedas are the injunctions – when they ask you to do something (such as sacrifices). What they say about God or us is not very significant. The Vedantins disagreed that self-knowledge and God are the most important ingredients for happiness and liberation. The Upanishads ask: Who are we? Why are we suffering? What is the purpose of human life?


All three human dimensions play a role in our lives. We just have to find the right balance between them. The head asks: “What to do?” The heart asks: “Why does it?” And the hands ask: “How to do it?” The head is concerned with methods, the heart with motivation, and the hands with mechanics.


Stress is often created at the level of the hands or the head. We may be stressed with too much work. We say: “Things are getting out of hand.” Or we are stressed because we are overwhelmed by ambition, or a sense of inadequacy. We could overcome stress if we move the problem up one level.


One might ask can I trust my heart? What if my heart leads me in the wrong direction? What if my priorities are out of order and my motivations are selfish? This, indeed, is a genuine danger. The hands can err due to greed, the head because of pride, and the heart out of selfishness and envy. This is why in the Bhagavad Gita , Krishna asks us to purify our heart and intelligence through the process of yoga, or linking with God. He asks us to remain detached to the results of our work. Strive to act without selfish motivation, without desire for gain. It is not that we don’t create goals or try our best to achieve them. But when the results finally roll in, we are neither arrogant about success, nor envious of another’s success. We accept success or failure, victory or defeat, with equanimity.


Then why should we act? What will motivate us to do anything, if not for personal gain? Krishna tells us, “Whatever you do, eat, offer or give away, and whatever austerities you perform – do that, as an offering to Me.” When we act in devotional service, keeping the Lord in mind, we achieve peace. In yoga, we find the perfect balance.
The writer is with the Bhakti Vedanta College, Belgium.

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Islam encourages us to conserve and protect

Jan 20, 2010, 12.00am IST
SADIA DEHLVI.

The consequences of unprecedented climate change are expected to adversely impact the lives of millions; conflicts are expected, particularly over sharing of natural resources like water and fuel. Could spirituality help resolve these issues so that peace is given a chance?


Islamic, Christian and Jewish traditions say that God made Adam in His own image. Islam tells us that God, the Divine Potter, ordered the angels to collect handfuls of earth from the four different corners of the earth. He mixed it with water and moulded the image of Adam, then blew His own Spirit in him. Adam, the first human being becomes the prototype for all humanity. God created man as His vice-regent; he entrusted the care of earth to him. At Islam’s most universal level, plants, animals, angels and planets all glorify God and follow His instructions; but only human beings are privileged with the capability to make choices.


Allah refers to humanity as the best of creation; He endowed it with the gifts of nature. He taught Adam all the names, giving humanity the power of knowledge and free will, so He may see how we behave. In the verse on Trust, the Divine Message says that the Heavens, the earth and the mountains refused to carry Trust for they were afraid and so God handed over the responsibility to humans.


Over 500 verses in the Quran deal with nature. We are repeatedly called upon to reflect on the trees, mountains, seas, animals, birds, stars, the sun and the moon and our own hearts. “Allah has subjected to you whatever is in the skies and the earth; Behold! Therein are sure signs for those who reflect.’’ In another verse the behaviour of those who destroy crops and cattle is condemned. The Quran calls on us to recognise our own contribution to the environmental crisis: “Corruption doth appear on land and sea because of (the evil) which men’s hands have done, that He may make them taste a part of that which they have done, in order that they may return.”

The Quran reminds us that the natural disposition of all creation is in balance and forbids us to upset the balance. It explicitly commands us not to waste resources. Prophet Muhammad advised that even if the Day of Judgement should arrive and if someone has a sapling in his hands, he should plant it first. The tradition suggests that even though it is the end of the world, we don’t have to lose faith and hope.


Planting a tree is considered a sadqa-e-jariyah, act of continuous charity, a desirable deed for which the planter is rewarded for as long as the tree benefits any form of creation.


It is not by coincidence, but by Divine Design that all the prophets of Islam have been shepherds at some point in their lives. As shepherds, they tended to the plant, animal and human world, both nurturing and multiplying physical and spiritual resources.

Muslims are losing the old theological traditions where shariah scholars had designated zones of conservation, often performing the role of eco-inspectors. They ensured that settlements did not come up on flood plains, trees were not felled, mangroves not destroyed and ceilings were placed on hunting.


Religions are concerned with activity and not just faith. The climate dialogue presents a wonderful opportunity for people of different religions to work together. Faith leaders could play positive roles in facilitating change by looking at their traditions, help people re-evaluate their actions and engage in correcting the environment malaise. Irrespective of creed, we are all created and sustained by the same source.

The writer is the author of Sufism: The Heart of Islam.

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Rising above dogmas, rituals and gurus

Jan 12, 2010, 12.00am IST
SWAMI PARTHASARTHY.

Vedanta is known as Sanatana dharma, meaning eternal principles. It helps you identify your divine Self to attain an absolute state of peace and bliss.
Vedanta is known as Sanatana dharma, meaning eternal principles. It is systematic knowledge that gives the seeker true insight into life. It draws you towards your innermost core, provides you knowledge that reveals your real Self. Saint or sinner, your self is essentially divine. Divinity is the core of every person. Vedanta helps you identify your divine Self to attain an absolute state of peace and bliss. That is the goal of all religions, to discover your true nature. Unfold your real Self. Draw the Divinity out of the layers that veil It.
Etymologically, the word religion means that which binds one to the origin. In Sanskrit also, the term yoga means to unite with the Self. Vedanta excels in its scientific exposition. It expounds the truth methodically, logically. It does not rely on the authority of a preceptor. Its truth is its authority. No master or messiah can claim it. No religion has a hold on it. It belongs to one and all without distinction of communities or geography. Its universal application appeals to all lovers of truth.


Vedanta trains you to think independently. It helps you probe into the essence of the human personality, directs you to study, reflect and realise the fundamental truth of life. In the past, generations put in effort to discover the real Self. Later on, some spiritual enthusiasts brought out their own abridged versions of truth. They were well meant but their reading of the original truth was feeble. People began to follow their teaching blindly. They lost their independent reflection and judgment. Spiritual education was no longer liberal, but led by the opinion of others. This has plunged people in ignorance, and the world is steeped in sorrow and suffering.


The root cause of suffering is that people do not look within. They hardly investigate the truth of life nor exercise their own judgment. They rely on outside forces to do their thinking. And they function predominantly on blind faith and mechanical ritual. This is spiritual suicide. Castes, creeds and sects are ghosts haunting us. The role of Vedanta is to free you from infatuation with celebrities and educate you on the eternities.


Religion ought not to be reduced to mere allegiance to personalities. The present religious systems are governed by maxims and mandates. There is a saying: “Grammar is the grave of language.” Try to save the grammar, keep it invariable, and the language will be dead. Just so, the rigidity of preceptors and precepts saps the vitality of religion. The intelligentsia, particularly the youth the world over, detest rigidity. They do not wish to be dictated to by doctrines and dogmas. They revolt against such unnatural education.

The young ought not to be pestered with ‘Thou shalts’ and ‘Thou shalt nots’. Whatever is forced is never forceful. Dos and don’ts are not designed for human beings. Desire for anything increases with restriction and prohibition. Static precepts, superstitious beliefs and mechanical rituals ought not to be thrust on people. It frustrates them. Rather, they need to be educated with the knowledge of life and living. The higher values of religion have to be presented systematically and logically to modern intellects. The philosophy of Vedanta provides answers to seekers of truth. The process may take time but is sure to elevate.

Extract from The Eternities: Vedanta Treatise by the writer. Website: www.vedanta-edu.org

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Stress is a good servant but a bad master

Jan 21, 2010, 12.00am IST
MAULANA WAHIDUDDIN KHAN.

Everyone complains of stress or tension, a common phenomenon of our times.
There are several centers established in order to enable de-stressing but these provide, at the most, only temporary relief. None of them offer any permanent solution. Tension is only the negative name of a positive phenomenon. What is generally called tension is, in fact, the sign of a healthy life. It is actually a blessing in disguise.

Your mind has unlimited capacity, but this capacity, which is a gift of nature, is in the form of potential. You need to turn this potential into actuality. How should you go about doing this? Your potential can be realised only through being exposed to different kinds of stress or tension. Stress awakens the mind; stress activates natural processes which can lead to intellectual development. Stress plays a role in developing our personality.


In volleyball, there are two players: the waller and the booster. The waller has the key role in this game but he needs a booster, for without a booster, no waller can play his role properly. It is this process of boosting which is going on in the life of every human being. When you face stress of any kind, don’t despair. Take it as a challenge. Take it as an intellectual booster. Stress is a positive sign, a healthy activity. It unfolds your mental potential.
All great men have been faced with daunting problems. But these problems only increased their creativity, and became the source of revealing a fresh dimension to their personality. English poet John Milton has several major works to his credit. His masterpiece was ‘Paradise Lost’ and this he wrote after he turned blind. Almost all creative people have had to face such difficulties.


When you come face-to-face with stress, don’t take it as a negative phenomenon. Look upon it as a challenge and try to meet it. You have to activate your mind in a positive direction. Don’t lose your positivity; don’t resort the language of complaint.

When there is stress in your life, face it as a normal phenomenon and try to continue with your normal routine. Then, very soon, you will find that your stress has propelled you towards your betterment. If you compare your pre-stress situation and your post-stress situation, you will certainly find that your post-stress situation is an improvement on your pre-stress situation.


M K Gandhi was once subject to humiliating treatment in South Africa. Prior to this, he was an ordinary lawyer, but as a result of this incident, he became the father of the Indian nation.


When you perceive an opportunity, and you try to avail of it, and for some reason you fail to achieve your goal; then you might suffer a feeling of tension. But you should know that there is no end to opportunities in this world.. If you fail to avail of one opportunity, then don’t take it as the end of everything. There are many other opportunities in life: in fact, the world is full of them. So, if you fail in the first instance, then try to avail of the second or third opportunity, and so on. There is no full stop to opportunities – only commas! So instead of allowing yourself to be overwhelmed by tension, adopt the formula: ‘Try, try, try again.’


This is the formula for de-stressing yourself. Living in worry or stopping your thinking processes is not the solution. Instead of stopping your thinking processes, enhance them and you will soon discover that the stress you felt was acting as an intellectual booster in your life.

Website: www.cpsglobal.org

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