Heading to Seattle
11/26/2010 09:25 AM
I am heading back to Seattle tomorrow until my immigration issues are worked out. Happily, I think I will be able to teach right at my house, but I will keep you posted about further changes.
Comments
Commonwealth Games & Yoga
10/05/2010 11:06 PM
As part of the opening ceremony for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India, many young people do yoga:
Leila wrote the head of the organization, wanting to be a part of the Canadian contingent that was sent there, but received no word back from them. She was disappointed because she is one of a VERY few, and maybe the only woman of Indian descent to win a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games (1986), and she’s proud of it. I’ve seen it here at our house and all three of her world-class medals (Pan-Am silver, Commonwealth gold and Olympic bronze) are interesting and different.
Om,
DurgaDas
Leila wrote the head of the organization, wanting to be a part of the Canadian contingent that was sent there, but received no word back from them. She was disappointed because she is one of a VERY few, and maybe the only woman of Indian descent to win a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games (1986), and she’s proud of it. I’ve seen it here at our house and all three of her world-class medals (Pan-Am silver, Commonwealth gold and Olympic bronze) are interesting and different.
Om,
DurgaDas
My Initiation and Naming
07/09/2010 01:23 PM
Introduction
I am writing this because I often think of this experience and relate it to people about my own gradual process of spiritual awakening.Moving In
When I moved into the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Farm in August 2005, I lived in a small ‘Tuff Shed’ (basically a garden shed) next to the Durga Temple. In this shed I lived for the majority of the time was at the ashram, excepting the time I was recovering from knee surgery. It had no electricity and no heat. I was told that I was to be ‘The Guardian’ of the eight-sided Durga Temple and I would go and sweep it out, spray off the leaves, pray, meditate and generally maintain the Durga statue (murti) which was installed there by Swami Vishnu-devananda 30 years earlier.Apprehension
My initiation was to take place very soon after I arrived, on what was considered an auspicious day. What I remember most about this whole process of moving in and the initiation, learning about what the deities were (it’s all so confusing!) and so on was just how simultaneously open I was to everything going on then, and at the same time how overwhelming it was. As you can imagine, connecting to a vision of God was a challenge when my chosen form of God wasn’t very familiar to me then. 10-armed goddesses aren’t all that common in the Western World, and so it felt very foreign for me to consider my initiation properly.In the West, we are raised on a steady diet of science and disdain for the myths we frankly don’t understand or grasp the depths of, and I, like many Westerners, therefore dismissed myth by turning it into some sort of simplistic “idol worship”. Still, I could feel my heart drawn toward this more complete and embracing vision of God, and I spent a lot of time at that Durga temple in quiet contemplation of my newfound deity.
Names and Forms
Swami Sita spent a lot of time informing me about the nature of each of the chosen forms, and I had a strong affiliation also (and this continues to this day) to Rama. I understand now that she considered Rama always in the context of a perfect marriage with Sita, and so I think she discouraged me from this path for that reason.So, in the end, my spiritual name was to be Durgadas. Durga being my chosen form of God- or in this case ‘Goddess’- and ‘das’ indicating my relationship to her as a servant. During my many talks with Swami Sita about my name, she indicated that you could indeed have many relationships with God- mother, father, sister, brother, wife, husband, lover, servant and so on. I tried to consider which relationship I had with my newly expanded understandings and nothing seemed to fit quite right until I thought about the nature of service and soon it became clear to me.
My birth name is Regis, and at that time in my life, I have always felt somehow in a ‘kingly’ sort of position. As an antidote to this, I wanted to be given a more humbling status in the service of God. Therefore I asked to be given this name as a constant reminder of my status and position as a spiritual being.
The Lineage
What I didn’t understand during the period before and even after my initiation was the importance of having a lineage. Subsequently, I have found this same lack of understanding in most Western spiritual aspirants also. It’s a distinctly Western mentality to apply the ‘tyranny of choice’ that is placed upon us throughout our lives to a spiritual teacher, guru or spirituality in general, and I was VERY happy to leave that idea behind. Even though I later left the spiritual teacher who had initiated me, I still carry that experience with me inside. It was a truly special and unique experience as well as amazingly auspicious, but I get ahead of myself.The Saraswati lineage was one of the ten monastic orders founded by Adi Sankara, the great Vedantic philosopher. Swami Sivananda is the main figure in this lineage in modern times, and I can find little on the internet regarding this lineage further back from him.
The Stress of ‘The Night Before’
So, all this confusion led to a really anxious feeling within myself. People kept talking to me about how great the initiation would be, and Swami Sita had spent so much time talking to me about it, and overall it seemed Very Important to everyone I met in my newly minted spiritual life. It was causing all this stress inside me, and I began to question why. Additionally, each night I was walking home in the dark in a strange place out in the country where I was surrounded by more wildlife, deer and while walking each night I imagined other more dangerous things. Spiritual life is a lonely life and I had been quite unsure of myself following my first spiritual teacher’s verbal abuse. That fear stayed with me while moving into this new place also. I was unsure if this rather unusual lifestyle choice was right for me or not. I had no cultural references other than hippies in the 60’s and 70’s who were often exploited or used to some selfish ends by their so-called ‘gurus’. All this left me with quite a bit of stress and uncertainty.Plus, I was really connecting to the energy of Durga- who rides on a tiger, and there was some overheard talk of mountain lions seen in the area recently. The more I thought of Durga each night the more scared I became of attracting her energy and thus, I imagined, I would surely be eaten by a mountain lion on my walk back up to the shed, right?!
The Question Is Answered
Finally, I’d had enough. Halfway up my dark, lonely and scary walk to my new residence, I stopped right in the road, turned my head up to the sky and shouted, out loud:“OK! I’ve had enough!”
“I want to know if this is the right choice for me to make or not!”, I demanded of the starry blackness.
“If it is, then you will show me something right this very second!”
And, just as sure as you get a response from someone you’re speaking with and know well, I GOT my answer.
A small meteorite flew right into the precise area I was looking- very clearly intended for me and exactly on time. Far from being amazed, I was still quite angry and stressed, so I just yelled “OK then!” and began stubbornly walking back up to my little hut. From that moment, I have never questioned my spiritual path, my choice of Durga as my ishta-devata (chosen form of God) or my preference for the yogic lifestyle.
Having set up all my gifts to the deity, emptied my bank account and repo’ed my car, I was fully committed. There was no going back.
The Auspicious Omens Begin
I woke the next morning very early and walked down to the ashram proper to shower, dress and retrieve my gift plate of flowers, money, etc. Another woman was to be initiated also- a daughter of another full-time devotee like myself, and her spiritual name was to be Krishnaprem, The Cosmic Lover of Krishna. Her initiation came first, and I was lucky enough to have the priest there with us, Krishnan Namboodiri. He explained why.His appearance, he said, was quite auspicious and unexpected from the first moment he awoke- everything from his early wakening to the ability to get a car to bring up all the puja items he’d need to conduct the ceremony and so on. All this happened without him planning to attend in the first place. I sat amazed at all of it and trying to tune into the energy of the whole scene, but still feeling the same pensive feeling.
My awareness gradually expanded as I watched the fire ceremony unfold in front of me. I sat back far enough to see a gathering of blue damselflies appear more and more on the roof of the Durga Temple. I knew also that blue was the color of Krishna himself, so I was thinking that these were beautiful omens.
As I watched, I noticed a gap in the red-painted boards where a mouse came out, watched the ceremony for a few minutes, looked at me, and then we went away again. This happened several times throughout the initiation of Krishnaprem. Lord Ganesha’s ‘vehicle’ is a mouse, which is a very auspicious omen also and when I noted this to the priest, he became very serious.
What I was amazed about, truly, was that at the very moment of Krishnaprem’s receiving the kumkum powder on her ajna chakra (between the eyebrows), all the damselflies I had been watching gather descended upon her right arm and clung to her. She was so focused, she didn’t notice them, but I sure did!
Later, the priest and Swami Sita would discuss at some length the remarkable set of omens that presented themselves during this initiation.
The Initiation Itself
So, I had been listening to 3 hours of chants done by the priest, and I went through my ceremony, presenting the gifts and money, prostrating and so on before the Durga statue, and my mind had been fixed on her form throughout the process of Krishnaprem’s initiation. I felt very in tune with her and with my surroundings, but I was still feeling my apprehension! I was still worried that I hadn’t really felt like I thought I ‘should’ feel up to this point and even during the ceremony, something inside me was still holding back.When it finally came time to get my spiritual name, it was what I had been told to expect (you don’t really CHOOSE your own spiritual name, although Swami Sita had been very good about letting me believe I was able to do so), and I inclined my head forward to receive the kumkum powder. Right at this moment of contact, which lingered for a moment, I experienced a feeling like cold water being poured suddenly over my head. From the top of my head to my feet this feeling went through me, and indeed I felt transformed- something special had happened, yet I had little idea of how to put it into context.
We were encouraged to spend a couple of hours without speaking to anyone and to think about what had happened. I did so, but afterward I still had little concept of what I had begun.
My Real Lineage Experience
Only later, after visiting the Sivananda Headquarters in Val Morin Canada, did I REALLY understand the nature of what ‘having a lineage’ meant. What happened was that I had a vision, while doing pranayama, of Swami Vishnu-devananda and Swami Sivananda as conduits for the spiritual energy contained in the thread that connects us. That thread, it seemed to me, was the lineage itself, and in a greater context, a connection to all. I could see and feel Swami Vishnu-devananda and Swami Sivananda flowing within me, and I could feel their nature as being vehicles that serve the spiritual fulfillment of everyone who they met and initiated.So, my REAL initiation, in my mind, took place much later in a yoga hall in Val Morin, where Swami Vishnu-devananda’s energy remains to this day a a palpable experience to the devotee.
Throughout my experiences with initiation and the lineage, I have always run counter to the popular myth that in order to have a guru you have to ‘give up’ some part of yourself. Anyone who says that this is the case doesn’t really understand the energy of a lineage, spiritual apprenticeship or of initiation. It is not a limitation but rather you gain by taking on a teacher- in fact you gain a great deal.
There is nothing the REAL you has to give up at all. However, your ego has much to lose, and doesn’t like it when it’s told something that runs counter to it’s own self-arrogation.
How I Came To Yoga
07/09/2010 01:20 PM
In 2001, I was another victim of the bursting tech bubble. I had spent all the money I made during my Silicon Valley years coaching and investing in the young athletes I worked with, and had put my heart and soul into my tech work and coaching, like I had done in my athletic "career" 10 years before. I worked to give myself money to do what I loved- to see people improve themselves. The result was the same- I was burnt out and disillusioned.
I had always coached in a 'mentor' sort of way; spending long periods living with the (very select) athletes I worked with- showing them how to live by my example, rather than handing them a program to follow. Athletes and their families became my family. Only later would I understand that I was doing so in a gurukulam-style manner common to Indian teachers.
By early 2002, I had spent 8 months sullenly playing online RPGs in an apartment with what little money I had left. I was coaching Masters athletes for money now instead of juniors, while refusing to take lower paying jobs than I had previously worked. At the end of 2002, I gave it up and went right back to an entry-level job doing tech support, again on the burnout track.
That same year, I ran into a group who showed me another way to experience life. Second-guessing myself, I got married- and quickly divorced- and then literally RAN to The Sivananda Ashram Yoga Farm to live out (or so I thought) my years trying to be a Swami. I took my teacher training in October 2005 and never looked back. I hadn't realized how unhappy I had been trying to live out the fantasy of "American life" and that the cultural conditioning I had inherited wasn't serving how I thought of myself or my philosophical mindset.
In the steady, disciplined life of the yogi, I found a solace and bent to the tasks given by a very tough spiritual teacher with a real long-awaited devotion I hadn't known I possessed. I became a student, really for the first time. I learned how to detach myself from my stubborn, arrogant and capricious mind to identify with the immortal Self shared among us all. None of this came naturally to me, and it took a full year to grok the cultural shift that was taking place inside me.
I found, in yoga, a place both for my technical/logical mind, and simultaneously discovered my full-hearted loving Self in the process. I experienced the subtle nature of life in ways I was taught didn't exist. The wall I had built around my heart slowly dissolved in a 'Groundhog Day' of stillness, silence, exercises, breathing and the discipline of sitting for yogic lectures for hours.
I found a shelf on which I might rest all the ideas of who I was and who I want to be. I am now, and will forever be, a yogi and yoga teacher.
I had always coached in a 'mentor' sort of way; spending long periods living with the (very select) athletes I worked with- showing them how to live by my example, rather than handing them a program to follow. Athletes and their families became my family. Only later would I understand that I was doing so in a gurukulam-style manner common to Indian teachers.
By early 2002, I had spent 8 months sullenly playing online RPGs in an apartment with what little money I had left. I was coaching Masters athletes for money now instead of juniors, while refusing to take lower paying jobs than I had previously worked. At the end of 2002, I gave it up and went right back to an entry-level job doing tech support, again on the burnout track.
That same year, I ran into a group who showed me another way to experience life. Second-guessing myself, I got married- and quickly divorced- and then literally RAN to The Sivananda Ashram Yoga Farm to live out (or so I thought) my years trying to be a Swami. I took my teacher training in October 2005 and never looked back. I hadn't realized how unhappy I had been trying to live out the fantasy of "American life" and that the cultural conditioning I had inherited wasn't serving how I thought of myself or my philosophical mindset.
In the steady, disciplined life of the yogi, I found a solace and bent to the tasks given by a very tough spiritual teacher with a real long-awaited devotion I hadn't known I possessed. I became a student, really for the first time. I learned how to detach myself from my stubborn, arrogant and capricious mind to identify with the immortal Self shared among us all. None of this came naturally to me, and it took a full year to grok the cultural shift that was taking place inside me.
I found, in yoga, a place both for my technical/logical mind, and simultaneously discovered my full-hearted loving Self in the process. I experienced the subtle nature of life in ways I was taught didn't exist. The wall I had built around my heart slowly dissolved in a 'Groundhog Day' of stillness, silence, exercises, breathing and the discipline of sitting for yogic lectures for hours.
I found a shelf on which I might rest all the ideas of who I was and who I want to be. I am now, and will forever be, a yogi and yoga teacher.
Now Yoga Is Explained by Swami Sivananda
03/07/2010 05:49 PM
NOW YOGA IS EXPLAINED
Yoga is the state wherein there is no sankalpa vikalpa (thought or doubt). Yoga is the control of mind and its modifications. Yoga is the equal state between jivatma (soul) and paramatma (God). The word `Yogi' signifies an aspirant or a student in the path of yoga, as well as a full blown developed adept in yoga. He who is fully established in the highest nirvikalpa samadhi (super-consciousnes s) is a yogi. He who practises yoga is also a yogi. A `raja yogi' is otherwise known as `dhyana yogi'. Dhyana means meditation. It is the continuous flow of one idea of God. Raja yoga aims at controlling all thought-waves or mental modifications. It concerns with the mind, its purification and control. Hence it is called, `raja yoga, king of yogas'. It is otherwise known as astanga yoga (yoga with eight limbs).
A sutra means a thread or aphorism or terse saying. Each sutra is pregnant with high, sublime ideas. Without the help of commentary, it is difficult to understand the meanings of the aphorisms. Just as flowers or pearls are studded in a string or a thread, even so, philosophical or spiritual ideas are studded in a sutra or thread.
Food (ahara), sleep (nidra), fear (bhaya), and coition (maithuna) are common to both animals and human beings. But man has got intelligence, power of discrimination (viveka) and power of enquiry (vicara sakti); with the help of these special powers, he can realise his Self and can know his true nature. Even devas (gods) are envious of human beings. because deva-yoni (divine species) is mere bhoga- yoni (enjoyment). They can enjoy only with a daivic (divine) body. Man has got both karma-yoni (activity) and bhoga-yoni. He can do nishkamya karma yoga and attain jnana through cittasuddhi (purity of mind). He can take recourse to various yogic practices for spiritual unfoldment and can become a full-blown yogi in this birth. Horses and dogs possess minds. But they have neither discrimination nor intelligence nor vicara sakti. Hence it is not possible for them to attain freedom.
You will find in Yajnavalkya Smrti that Hiranyagarbha was the original teacher of yoga. Patanjali Maharishi is only a compiler or explainer of the yogic principles and tenets taught and practised by Hiranyagarbha and others.
YOGA IS THE RESTRAINT OF THOUGHT-WAVES
Now I proceed to explain the system of yoga philosophy in brief and bring home to the readers the salient and vital points in the yogic system. Yoga teaches how to control the vrttis (thought-waves) of the mind and get freedom. Yoga teaches how to curb the outgoing mind and attain one's pure state of bliss by going beyond the mind. Yoga teaches how to transmute the unregenerate nature and attain the state of divinity. Yoga is a complete suppression of the tendency of the mind to transform itself into objects, thoughts, etc.
Raja yoga is an exact science. One can ascend the yogic ladder patiently through its different rungs. The highest summit of the ladder is asamprajnata samadhi (super-consciousness), wherein all the samskaras (mental impressions) , which bring about successive births, are absolutely fried up. The eight limbs of astanga yoga are: yama (self-restraint) , niyama (religious observances or canons), asana (posture), pranayama (restraint of breath), pratyahara (abstraction of senses), dharana (concentration) , dhyana (meditation) and samadhi (super-conscious state).
This is one kind of classification of yoga: karma, upasana, raja yoga and jnana. This is yogatraya (three-fold yoga). Upasana is bhakti. Another classification is mantra yoga, laya yoga, hatha yoga and raja yoga. Mantra yoga is recitation of mantras as "Om Namah Sivaya" of Lord Siva, "Om Namo Narayanaya" of Lord Vishnu, Gayatri, etc. Laya yoga is kundalini yoga. Nada anusadhana (concentration on anahata sounds of heart) is also laya yoga. Laya means dissolution. The mind is dissolved in God.
Hatha yoga relates to the restraint of breath (pranayama), Asanas, bandhas, mudras, etc. `Ha' and `tha' mean the union of sun and moon, union of prana and apana. Hatha means any obstinate practice till the object or end is achieved. Hatha is sticking to some spiritual practices. Mauna (vow of silence), trataka (steady gazing), crystal-gazing, standing on one leg (a kind of austerity) etc., are all hatha practices. Hatha yoga is not separate from raja yoga. It prepares the student to take up raja yoga. Hatha yoga is concerned with the breath (prana) and the physical body. Pranayama purifies the pranamaya kosa (vital sheath).
Yoga is the state wherein there is no sankalpa vikalpa (thought or doubt). Yoga is the control of mind and its modifications. Yoga is the equal state between jivatma (soul) and paramatma (God). The word `Yogi' signifies an aspirant or a student in the path of yoga, as well as a full blown developed adept in yoga. He who is fully established in the highest nirvikalpa samadhi (super-consciousnes s) is a yogi. He who practises yoga is also a yogi. A `raja yogi' is otherwise known as `dhyana yogi'. Dhyana means meditation. It is the continuous flow of one idea of God. Raja yoga aims at controlling all thought-waves or mental modifications. It concerns with the mind, its purification and control. Hence it is called, `raja yoga, king of yogas'. It is otherwise known as astanga yoga (yoga with eight limbs).
A sutra means a thread or aphorism or terse saying. Each sutra is pregnant with high, sublime ideas. Without the help of commentary, it is difficult to understand the meanings of the aphorisms. Just as flowers or pearls are studded in a string or a thread, even so, philosophical or spiritual ideas are studded in a sutra or thread.
Food (ahara), sleep (nidra), fear (bhaya), and coition (maithuna) are common to both animals and human beings. But man has got intelligence, power of discrimination (viveka) and power of enquiry (vicara sakti); with the help of these special powers, he can realise his Self and can know his true nature. Even devas (gods) are envious of human beings. because deva-yoni (divine species) is mere bhoga- yoni (enjoyment). They can enjoy only with a daivic (divine) body. Man has got both karma-yoni (activity) and bhoga-yoni. He can do nishkamya karma yoga and attain jnana through cittasuddhi (purity of mind). He can take recourse to various yogic practices for spiritual unfoldment and can become a full-blown yogi in this birth. Horses and dogs possess minds. But they have neither discrimination nor intelligence nor vicara sakti. Hence it is not possible for them to attain freedom.
You will find in Yajnavalkya Smrti that Hiranyagarbha was the original teacher of yoga. Patanjali Maharishi is only a compiler or explainer of the yogic principles and tenets taught and practised by Hiranyagarbha and others.
YOGA IS THE RESTRAINT OF THOUGHT-WAVES
Now I proceed to explain the system of yoga philosophy in brief and bring home to the readers the salient and vital points in the yogic system. Yoga teaches how to control the vrttis (thought-waves) of the mind and get freedom. Yoga teaches how to curb the outgoing mind and attain one's pure state of bliss by going beyond the mind. Yoga teaches how to transmute the unregenerate nature and attain the state of divinity. Yoga is a complete suppression of the tendency of the mind to transform itself into objects, thoughts, etc.
Raja yoga is an exact science. One can ascend the yogic ladder patiently through its different rungs. The highest summit of the ladder is asamprajnata samadhi (super-consciousness), wherein all the samskaras (mental impressions) , which bring about successive births, are absolutely fried up. The eight limbs of astanga yoga are: yama (self-restraint) , niyama (religious observances or canons), asana (posture), pranayama (restraint of breath), pratyahara (abstraction of senses), dharana (concentration) , dhyana (meditation) and samadhi (super-conscious state).
This is one kind of classification of yoga: karma, upasana, raja yoga and jnana. This is yogatraya (three-fold yoga). Upasana is bhakti. Another classification is mantra yoga, laya yoga, hatha yoga and raja yoga. Mantra yoga is recitation of mantras as "Om Namah Sivaya" of Lord Siva, "Om Namo Narayanaya" of Lord Vishnu, Gayatri, etc. Laya yoga is kundalini yoga. Nada anusadhana (concentration on anahata sounds of heart) is also laya yoga. Laya means dissolution. The mind is dissolved in God.
Hatha yoga relates to the restraint of breath (pranayama), Asanas, bandhas, mudras, etc. `Ha' and `tha' mean the union of sun and moon, union of prana and apana. Hatha means any obstinate practice till the object or end is achieved. Hatha is sticking to some spiritual practices. Mauna (vow of silence), trataka (steady gazing), crystal-gazing, standing on one leg (a kind of austerity) etc., are all hatha practices. Hatha yoga is not separate from raja yoga. It prepares the student to take up raja yoga. Hatha yoga is concerned with the breath (prana) and the physical body. Pranayama purifies the pranamaya kosa (vital sheath).
The Four Means of Salvation- Sadhana Chatushtya
03/07/2010 10:18 AM
Sadhana Chatushtaya - the "four means of salvation".
Jnana Yoga of Brahma Vidya or the science of the Self is not a subject that can be understood and realized through mere intellectual study, reasoning, ratiocination, discussion or arguments. It is the most difficult of all sciences.
A student who treads the path of Truth must, therefore, first equip himself with Sadhana Chatushtaya - the "four means of salvation". They are discrimination, dispassion, the sixfold qualities of perfection, and intense longing for liberation - Viveka, Vairagya, Shad-Sampat and Mumukshutva. Then alone will he be able to march forward fearlessly on the path. Not an iota of spiritual progress is possible unless one is endowed with these four qualifications.
These four means are as old as the Vedas and this world itself. Only ignorant people have the undesirable habit of practicing lingual warfare and raising unnecessary questions. Pay no attention to them. It is your duty to try to eat the fruit instead of wasting time in counting the leaves of the tree. Try now to understand these four essential requisites for salvation.
Viveka
Viveka is discrimination between the real and the unreal, between the permanent and the impermanent, between the Self and the non-Self. Viveka dawns in a man through the Grace of God. The Grace can come only after one has done unceasing selfless service in countless births with the feeling that he is an instrument of the Lord and that the work is an offering to the Lord. The door to the higher mind is flung open when there is an awakening of discrimination.
There is an eternal, changeless principle amidst the ever-changing phenomena of this vast universe and the fleeting movements and oscillations of the mind.
The aspirant should separate himself also from the six waves of the ocean of Samsara - birth and death, hunger and thirst, and exhilaration and grief. Birth and death belong to the physical body; hunger and thirst belong to Prana; exhilaration and grief are the attributes of the mind. The atman is unattached. The six waves cannot touch Brahman which is as subtle as the all-pervading ether.
Association with saints and study of Vedantic literature will infuse discrimination in man. Viveka should be developed to the maximum degree. One should be well established in it.
Vairagya
Vairagya is dispassion for the pleasures of this world and of heaven. The Vairagya that is born of Viveka is enduring and lasting. It will not fail the aspirant. But the Vairagya that comes temporarily to a woman when she gives birth to a child or when one attends a funeral at a crematorium, is of no use. The view that everything in the world is unreal causes indifference to the enjoyments of this world and the heaven-world also. One has to return from heaven to this plane of existence when the fruits of good works are all exhausted. Hence they are not worth striving for.
Vairagya does not mean abandoning one's social duties and responsibilities of life. It does not mean abandoning the world, for life in a solitary cave of the Himalayas. Vairagya is mental detachment from all worldly objects. One may remain in the world and discharge all duties with detachment. He may be a householder with a large family, yet at the same time he may have perfect mental detachment from everything. He can do spiritual Sadhana amidst his worldly activities. He who has perfect mental detachment in the world is a hero indeed. He is better than a Sadhu living in a Himalayan cave, for the former has to face innumerable temptations every moment of his life.
Shad-Sampat
The third requisite is Shad-Sampat, the sixfold virtue. It consists of Sama, Dama, Uparati, Titiksha, Sraddha and Samadhana. All these six qualities are taken as one because they are calculated to bring about mental control and discipline, without which concentration and meditation are impossible.
Mumukshutva is intense desire for liberation or deliverance from the wheel of births and deaths with its concomitant evils of old age, disease, delusion and sorrow. If one is equipped with the previous three qualifications (Viveka, Vairagya and Shad-Sampat), then the intense desire for liberation will come without any difficulty. The mind moves towards the Source of its own accord when it has lost its charm for external objects. When purification of mind and mental discipline are achieved, the longing for liberation dawns by itself.
The aspirant who is endowed with all these four qualification should then approach the Guru who will instruct him on the knowledge of his real nature. The Guru is one who has a thorough knowledge of the scriptures and is also established in that knowledge in direct experience. He should then reflect and meditate on the inner Self and strive earnestly to attain the goal of Self-realization.
A Sadhaka should reflect and meditate. Sravana is hearing of Srutis, Manana is thinking and reflecting, Nididhyasana is constant and profound meditation. Then comes Atma-Sakshatkara or direct realization.
Jnana Yoga of Brahma Vidya or the science of the Self is not a subject that can be understood and realized through mere intellectual study, reasoning, ratiocination, discussion or arguments. It is the most difficult of all sciences.
A student who treads the path of Truth must, therefore, first equip himself with Sadhana Chatushtaya - the "four means of salvation". They are discrimination, dispassion, the sixfold qualities of perfection, and intense longing for liberation - Viveka, Vairagya, Shad-Sampat and Mumukshutva. Then alone will he be able to march forward fearlessly on the path. Not an iota of spiritual progress is possible unless one is endowed with these four qualifications.
These four means are as old as the Vedas and this world itself. Only ignorant people have the undesirable habit of practicing lingual warfare and raising unnecessary questions. Pay no attention to them. It is your duty to try to eat the fruit instead of wasting time in counting the leaves of the tree. Try now to understand these four essential requisites for salvation.
Viveka
Viveka is discrimination between the real and the unreal, between the permanent and the impermanent, between the Self and the non-Self. Viveka dawns in a man through the Grace of God. The Grace can come only after one has done unceasing selfless service in countless births with the feeling that he is an instrument of the Lord and that the work is an offering to the Lord. The door to the higher mind is flung open when there is an awakening of discrimination.
There is an eternal, changeless principle amidst the ever-changing phenomena of this vast universe and the fleeting movements and oscillations of the mind.
The aspirant should separate himself also from the six waves of the ocean of Samsara - birth and death, hunger and thirst, and exhilaration and grief. Birth and death belong to the physical body; hunger and thirst belong to Prana; exhilaration and grief are the attributes of the mind. The atman is unattached. The six waves cannot touch Brahman which is as subtle as the all-pervading ether.
Association with saints and study of Vedantic literature will infuse discrimination in man. Viveka should be developed to the maximum degree. One should be well established in it.
Vairagya
Vairagya is dispassion for the pleasures of this world and of heaven. The Vairagya that is born of Viveka is enduring and lasting. It will not fail the aspirant. But the Vairagya that comes temporarily to a woman when she gives birth to a child or when one attends a funeral at a crematorium, is of no use. The view that everything in the world is unreal causes indifference to the enjoyments of this world and the heaven-world also. One has to return from heaven to this plane of existence when the fruits of good works are all exhausted. Hence they are not worth striving for.
Vairagya does not mean abandoning one's social duties and responsibilities of life. It does not mean abandoning the world, for life in a solitary cave of the Himalayas. Vairagya is mental detachment from all worldly objects. One may remain in the world and discharge all duties with detachment. He may be a householder with a large family, yet at the same time he may have perfect mental detachment from everything. He can do spiritual Sadhana amidst his worldly activities. He who has perfect mental detachment in the world is a hero indeed. He is better than a Sadhu living in a Himalayan cave, for the former has to face innumerable temptations every moment of his life.
Shad-Sampat
The third requisite is Shad-Sampat, the sixfold virtue. It consists of Sama, Dama, Uparati, Titiksha, Sraddha and Samadhana. All these six qualities are taken as one because they are calculated to bring about mental control and discipline, without which concentration and meditation are impossible.
- Sama is serenity or tranquillity of mind which is brought about through the eradication of desires.
- Dama is rational control of the senses.
- Uparati is satiety; it is resolutely turning the mind away from desire for sensual enjoyment. This state of mind comes naturally when one has practiced Viveka, Vairagya, Sama and Dama.
- Titiksha is the power of endurance. An aspirant should patiently bear the pairs of opposites such as heat and cold, pleasure and pain, etc.
- Sraddha is intense faith in the word of the Guru, in Vedantic scriptures and, above all, in one's own self. It is not blind faith but is based on accurate reasoning, evidence and experience. As such, it is lasting, perfect and unshakable. Such a faith is capable of achieving anything.
- Samadhana is fixing the mind on Brahman or the Self, without allowing it to run towards objects. The mind is free from anxiety amid pains and troubles. There is stability, mental poise and indifference amid pleasures. The aspirant has neither like nor dislikes. He has great inner strength and enjoys unruffled peace of mind, due to the practices of Sama, Dama, Uparati, Titiksha and Sraddha.
Mumukshutva is intense desire for liberation or deliverance from the wheel of births and deaths with its concomitant evils of old age, disease, delusion and sorrow. If one is equipped with the previous three qualifications (Viveka, Vairagya and Shad-Sampat), then the intense desire for liberation will come without any difficulty. The mind moves towards the Source of its own accord when it has lost its charm for external objects. When purification of mind and mental discipline are achieved, the longing for liberation dawns by itself.
The aspirant who is endowed with all these four qualification should then approach the Guru who will instruct him on the knowledge of his real nature. The Guru is one who has a thorough knowledge of the scriptures and is also established in that knowledge in direct experience. He should then reflect and meditate on the inner Self and strive earnestly to attain the goal of Self-realization.
A Sadhaka should reflect and meditate. Sravana is hearing of Srutis, Manana is thinking and reflecting, Nididhyasana is constant and profound meditation. Then comes Atma-Sakshatkara or direct realization.
Note to Yoga Practitioners
03/06/2010 10:49 AM
SADHANA CHATUSHTAYA BY SRI SWAMI SIVANANDA
First Edition: 1958
PUBLISHER'S NOTE
During recent years there has been a great spiritual revival and people in India and abroad have taken seriously to the study of Yoga and Vedanta. But, in practice, it has been found that there is—in keeping with the rapid tempo of life itself in the modern world—an unpardonable hurry and neglect of essentials in the field of the practice of Yoga, too. Seekers after Truth are impatient to enter into the Transcendental Realm of Self-realisation; practitioners of Yoga expect to enter into Samadhi a week after taking up the practice "concentration and meditation".
The all-important preparation is woefully neglected. Our ancient scriptures have given the place of greatest prominence to these preparatory steps—Yama-Niyama or the Sadhana Chatushtaya. His Holiness Sri Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj, too, has been forewarning students of Yoga not to neglect this; and as a matter of fact he has declared that the greater the attention paid to these preparatory steps—the cultivation of virtues and the eradication of vices—the more rapid would the march of the seeker towards the Goal be.
To the sincere and earnest seeker after Truth, therefore, this book is a boon. It gives him the key to success in Yoga.
Publishers
31st December 1958
The above is quoted from H.H. Swami Sivananda’s book.
First Edition: 1958
PUBLISHER'S NOTE
During recent years there has been a great spiritual revival and people in India and abroad have taken seriously to the study of Yoga and Vedanta. But, in practice, it has been found that there is—in keeping with the rapid tempo of life itself in the modern world—an unpardonable hurry and neglect of essentials in the field of the practice of Yoga, too. Seekers after Truth are impatient to enter into the Transcendental Realm of Self-realisation; practitioners of Yoga expect to enter into Samadhi a week after taking up the practice "concentration and meditation".
The all-important preparation is woefully neglected. Our ancient scriptures have given the place of greatest prominence to these preparatory steps—Yama-Niyama or the Sadhana Chatushtaya. His Holiness Sri Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj, too, has been forewarning students of Yoga not to neglect this; and as a matter of fact he has declared that the greater the attention paid to these preparatory steps—the cultivation of virtues and the eradication of vices—the more rapid would the march of the seeker towards the Goal be.
To the sincere and earnest seeker after Truth, therefore, this book is a boon. It gives him the key to success in Yoga.
Publishers
31st December 1958
The above is quoted from H.H. Swami Sivananda’s book.
Famous Writers On India and Hinduism
03/04/2010 09:39 AM
"Hinduism.....gave itself no name, because it set itself no sectarian limits; it claimed no universal adhesion, asserted no sole infallible dogma, set up no single narrow path or gate of salvation; it was less a creed or cult than a continuously enlarging tradition of the God ward endeavor of the human spirit. An immense many-sided and many staged provision for a spiritual self-building and self-finding, it had some right to speak of itself by the only name it knew, the eternal religion, Santana Dharma...."
- Sri Aurobindo
"It may be with truth be asserted that no description of Hinduism can be exhaustive which does not touch on almost every religious and philosophical idea that the world has ever known. It is all-tolerant, all-comprehensive, all-compliant, all-absorbing. It has its spiritual and its material aspect; it’s esoteric and exoteric; it’s subjective and objective; it’s rational and irrational. It has one side for the practical; another for the severely moral; another for the devotional and the imaginative; another for the philosophical and speculative."
- Sir Monier Monier-Williams
Regarding India:
"Land of religions, cradle of human race, birthplace of human speech, grandmother of legend, great grandmother of tradition. The land that all men desire to see and having seen once even by a glimpse, would not give that glimpse for the shows of the rest of the globe combined."
- Mark Twain
"Perhaps in return for conquest, arrogance and spoliation, India will teach us the tolerance and gentleness of the mature mind, the quiet content of the unacquisitive soul, the calm of the understanding spirit, and a unifying, a pacifying love for all living things."
- Will Durant
“After a study of some forty years and more of the great religions of the world, I find none so perfect, none so scientific, none so philosophic, and none so spiritual as the great religion known by the name of Hinduism. The more you know it, the more you will love it; the more you try to understand it, the more deeply you will value it”
- Dr. Annie Besant
Each year, it is necessary to respire, to take breath again, to revive ourselves at the great living sources that forever keep their eternal freshness. Where can we find them if not at the cradle of our race, on the sacred summits from where descend the Indus and the Ganges....?
- Jules Michelet
"That year will always remain a dear and cherished memory; it was the first time I had the opportunity to read the great sacred poem of India, the divine Ramayana. If anyone has lost the freshness of emotion, let him drink a long draught of life, and youth from that deep chalice."
- Jules Michelet
Self-realisation and Yoga by Swami Sivananda
03/02/2010 09:20 AM
Self-realisation is not a process. It is not a becoming. It is pure being. It is not a new thing to be attained.
The aspirant knows that he is the all-pervading, immortal soul. To know that is to become that.
Self-realisation is direct, intuitive perception of the Atman. All distinctions vanish. The sage is freed from fear, sorrow and pain.
Do not get false contentment. Do not imagine that you have reached the highest nirvikalpa state, and stop your sadhana (practice).
Slay spiritual pride. Shun the company of worldly persons who always talk on sexual matters, money and worldly topics.
Observe the laws of health and hygiene. Be moderate in eating and drinking. Do not overwork. This will produce fatigue.
Fight bravely in this battle of life. Be bold. Be cheerful. Be patient. Be wise.
Arm yourself with the shield of discrimination and the sword of dispassion. March forward courageously, O brave spiritual soldier. Yield not to temptations.
Yoga is an exact science. It aims at the harmonious development of the body, the mind and the soul.
Thou art divine. Live up to it. Feel and realise thy divine nature.
Yoga of synthesis is a unique yoga. It is suitable for the vast majority of persons.
Man thinks, feels and wills. He must develop his heart, intellect and hand. Then alone can he attain perfection or integral development.
Everyone should have one yoga as a basic yoga. He must combine karma yoga, hatha yoga, raja yoga, bhakti yoga and jnana yoga. This is the yoga of synthesis.
The aspirant knows that he is the all-pervading, immortal soul. To know that is to become that.
Self-realisation is direct, intuitive perception of the Atman. All distinctions vanish. The sage is freed from fear, sorrow and pain.
Do not get false contentment. Do not imagine that you have reached the highest nirvikalpa state, and stop your sadhana (practice).
Slay spiritual pride. Shun the company of worldly persons who always talk on sexual matters, money and worldly topics.
Observe the laws of health and hygiene. Be moderate in eating and drinking. Do not overwork. This will produce fatigue.
Fight bravely in this battle of life. Be bold. Be cheerful. Be patient. Be wise.
Arm yourself with the shield of discrimination and the sword of dispassion. March forward courageously, O brave spiritual soldier. Yield not to temptations.
Yoga is an exact science. It aims at the harmonious development of the body, the mind and the soul.
Thou art divine. Live up to it. Feel and realise thy divine nature.
Yoga of synthesis is a unique yoga. It is suitable for the vast majority of persons.
Man thinks, feels and wills. He must develop his heart, intellect and hand. Then alone can he attain perfection or integral development.
Everyone should have one yoga as a basic yoga. He must combine karma yoga, hatha yoga, raja yoga, bhakti yoga and jnana yoga. This is the yoga of synthesis.
The Meaning of Namaste
11/07/2009 08:58 PM
Thanks to Leila for the great inspiration to this post.
Namaste means, in one Southern preacher's unique way of explaining:
This reminded me that: In Sanskrit and modern Indo-Aryan languages, mitra means "friend." And I recalled that during our yoga classes, we do Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation). Namaskara (as it's alternately spelled) is the Hindi translation of Namaste, which is Sanskrit.
In the more advanced classes, we will use the Sanskrit mantras associated with the 12 parts of the Sun Salutation. Wikipedia has a good description of these movements and their history, although the technique shown in the photos is not nearly as precise as I would teach it.
The first step is to place the hands together and say:
1) Om Mitraya Namah, (Salutations to the Sun, our friend)
2) Om Ravaya Namah, (Salutations to the Sun, the source of activity)
3) Om Suryaya Namah, (Salutations to the Sun, who shines)
4) Om Bhavane Namah, (Salutations to the Sun, who illuminates)- PLEASE ignore the hand-drawn pose on the link, the knee is too far in front of the foot.
5) Om Khagaya Namah, (Salutations to the Sun, who flies high like a bird)
6) Om Pooshne Namah, (Salutations to the Sun, who raises us all)
7) Om Hiranyagarbaya Namah, (Salutations to the Sun, the creator)- PLEASE ignore lack of toe pointing & hips too high in hand-drawn pose on link
8) Om Marichaye Namah (Salutations to the Sun, the beautiful or symbol of beauty)
9) Om Adityaya Namah (Salutations to the Sun, the son of Aditi- mythologically, the mother of all the 9 planets) PLEASE ignore the hand-drawn pose on the link, the knee is too far in front of the foot.
10) Om Savitre Namah (Salutations to the Sun, who is both mother and father)
11) Om Arkaya Namah (Salutations to the Sun, who is praiseworthy)
12) Om Bhaskaraya Namah (Salutations to the Sun, him who gives Enlightenment)
When we say "Namaste", we also place the palms together at the heart. As our friend the pastor above said- "the divinity in me salutes the divinity in you." Keeping this in mind- our inherent One-ness when we meet is important for our planet as a whole, and how we treat each other. There are too many other ways to get off track.
Symbolically, this means two becoming one- me and my friend, were two, and now we have met, and become one. I am certain that the word 'meet' itself has it's etymology in 'mitra'.
Namaste means, in one Southern preacher's unique way of explaining:
This reminded me that: In Sanskrit and modern Indo-Aryan languages, mitra means "friend." And I recalled that during our yoga classes, we do Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation). Namaskara (as it's alternately spelled) is the Hindi translation of Namaste, which is Sanskrit.
In the more advanced classes, we will use the Sanskrit mantras associated with the 12 parts of the Sun Salutation. Wikipedia has a good description of these movements and their history, although the technique shown in the photos is not nearly as precise as I would teach it.
The first step is to place the hands together and say:
1) Om Mitraya Namah, (Salutations to the Sun, our friend)
2) Om Ravaya Namah, (Salutations to the Sun, the source of activity)
3) Om Suryaya Namah, (Salutations to the Sun, who shines)
4) Om Bhavane Namah, (Salutations to the Sun, who illuminates)- PLEASE ignore the hand-drawn pose on the link, the knee is too far in front of the foot.
5) Om Khagaya Namah, (Salutations to the Sun, who flies high like a bird)
6) Om Pooshne Namah, (Salutations to the Sun, who raises us all)
7) Om Hiranyagarbaya Namah, (Salutations to the Sun, the creator)- PLEASE ignore lack of toe pointing & hips too high in hand-drawn pose on link
8) Om Marichaye Namah (Salutations to the Sun, the beautiful or symbol of beauty)
9) Om Adityaya Namah (Salutations to the Sun, the son of Aditi- mythologically, the mother of all the 9 planets) PLEASE ignore the hand-drawn pose on the link, the knee is too far in front of the foot.
10) Om Savitre Namah (Salutations to the Sun, who is both mother and father)
11) Om Arkaya Namah (Salutations to the Sun, who is praiseworthy)
12) Om Bhaskaraya Namah (Salutations to the Sun, him who gives Enlightenment)
When we say "Namaste", we also place the palms together at the heart. As our friend the pastor above said- "the divinity in me salutes the divinity in you." Keeping this in mind- our inherent One-ness when we meet is important for our planet as a whole, and how we treat each other. There are too many other ways to get off track.
Symbolically, this means two becoming one- me and my friend, were two, and now we have met, and become one. I am certain that the word 'meet' itself has it's etymology in 'mitra'.
Living and To Be Alive
03/07/2009 10:14 PM
Time Enough
Having seemingly pondered ponderously this topic for what has seemed an age, I now have a pretension to write about what is means to be alive. In the spirit of pretense, I think of an excellent and deep quote in an excellent article about Sting (of The Police) who said:
"What is wrong with being pretentious?" ponders Sting. "I think you only achieve anything by pretending to achieve it in the first place. I pretended to be a musician and by that process became a musician. I pretended to be a grown-up and by that process grew up. I pretended to be a dad and then I became a dad."
I think that I have pretended to be many things over time also, and that this is also what being alive is- becoming mature in outlook. The old maxim “fake it til you make it” applies here, and I think even Swami Sivananda would agree: “Dear friends, what reason, then, is there for despair? Nil desperandum. Be up and doing. Struggle. Exert. Practise. Plod on. March courageously. Do sincere Sadhana. The all-merciful Lord will surely crown your efforts with success. Even the vilest of us can attain salvation.”
I see ‘alive-ness’ everywhere now. I have started to grasp more fully the depth of wisdom of some of Swami Sivananda’s maxims:
“Serve, Love, Give, Purify, Meditate, Realize, Be Good, Do Good, Be Kind, Be Compassionate”.
He even wrote a bhajan that follows that, the second verse of which is:
“Adapt, Adjust, Accommodate, Bear Insult Bear Injury, Highest Yoga, Bear Insult Bear Injury, Highest Sadhana, Enquire 'Who am I ?', Know the Self and be Free”
The beginning of the second verse is where we come to what I think of regularly. As I have observed life, how it’s lived, and who is in fact living it and what principles are followed in so doing. My participation in a Non-Violent Communication, or Compassionate Communication Practice Group at my house on Thursday nights has furthered my understanding of it in a way I am only now beginning to grasp.
From what I can tell, Life and Living ARE DEFINED by Adapting, Adjusting and Accommodating. One can see this played out in all areas of thought from physics, to physiology, to psychology, to interpersonal relationships, health and I am finding it more and more as I look about me. This growing sense of “alive-ness” is what has prompted me to write about it here. I this post, I would like to examine some of them.
With these three simple axioms as my template, I think all other positive skills and philosophy can be tied to these- everything ranging from the ethical principle of ahimsa (non-injury) and merging cars to the yogic cleansing practices can be seen in this light.
As I conceive it now, I can see that the three key axioms I am speaking about now fall into a five tiered heirarchy:
Non-violence or ahimsa providing the ground floor, and the internal development that results from this, or the maturation we spoke about earlier, becomes a willingness to Triple A. Triple A is a more passive role or voicing of non-violence, whereas Be Good, Do Good is a more active role. Even more active and in fact the highest and most difficult of tasks is to bear insult and bear injury- where one can be insulted and attacked even physically (as Swami Sivananda was once) and still have perfect equanimity and mental/emotional poise.
I will refer to these as the Five Laws of Non-Violence or The Five Laws.
Non-Violence In Modern Life
In Marshall Rosenberg’s books and practice principles, he refers us, among other things, to think about whether or not our actions are specifically “serving life” or “making life wonderful” for someone. He also encourages us to speak about “what is alive in us” and hear what is alive in others. This has really turned my attention to seeing how alive we in fact are.
Thinking further about this, I saw that non-violence is a principle that many other actions turn upon. Still, I wondered what principles, therefore, non-violence turned upon, or rather what attitudes allow one to practically express non-violence.
The decision to become non-violent has many practical implications. It REQUIRES one to Adapt, Adjust and Accommodate others constantly and as wisdom grows in the practice of this massive and far-reaching ethic, one can see it further both into one’s Self and into one’s relations with others.
The Five Laws
So, if we take these axioms of Swami Sivananda to heart, and begin to examine other areas of life in their light, it becomes very interesting, deep and far-reaching.
Physiology
Leaving behind the Western ideal of a simple mechanical body, we move into a vaster realm of much more subtle and therefore more powerful ways of treating apparent illnesses. I would like to illustrate that our physical health has much more to do with our ability to adapt, adjust and accommodate.
Swami Sivananda himself was a medical doctor, although before the advent of this new view of medicine I am presenting here. Still, I believe he would have agreed with the viewpoint presented here. Most of this information is taken from:
In the body, there are structures called matrisomes. They make up what is called the ground substance of the body. The ground substance has a function and this is to regulate and distribute 4 main systems of communication:
All variety and enormous quantity of internal and external information is coded and exchanged in only these four ways. For survival, the organism must be able to rapidly construct, destroy and reconstruct the constituents of the ground substance.
This simplification is needed for the creation and maintenance of living systems. Given such a small number, this also can provide challenges when the structure of the matrisome itself is altered through environmental or genetic factors, altering the information transmitted.
The implication of this is that since both environmental and genetic factors influence how the matrisome functions, then they must be considered networked not simply additive nor separate, they are inextricably linked via the ground substance of the body.
This combined factor is the foundation of what is known as biological medicine. Biological medicine considers the systemic functional relationships between the DNA and the complete environment surrounding it, including the mechanisms of the cell, the ground substance, the circulatory system, and the totality of the mental, emotional, and physical environment resided in.
In other words, the primary mechanism between one’s internal genetic environment and the external world is the matrisome. It’s PRIMARY function is essentially to ‘Triple A’ information in and out of the body. The body must then ‘Triple A’ the ground substance itself to regulate it’s ability to survive, react to stimulus, harm, injury, stress, and a huge variety of other input. So, when someone says “it’s my genes”, this is only partially correct. It’s the reaction and creation of the ground substance of the body that really determines most of what gets through and out of us in these four primary ways.
Traffic
What does driving and dealing with traffic have to do with ‘Triple A’? Here, I would like to point out some cultural differences between Western methods of driving and Eastern. In most Eastern cultures, there is not nearly the sort of strictness followed by drivers here, nor is safety the ego-centric thing it is here. From what I can tell Eastern drivers really rely on each other’s really paying attention. They leave the tiniest of gaps between cars, scooters and even in the heaviest traffic, any old man will wade right into it to cross the road at a slow walk- and everyone deals with it.
Of course, we aren’t likely to have large cows sitting in the middle of the road, nor elephants crossing.
Driving is about space management, attentiveness and mostly the dangers of the road are other cars. Having said this, I have traveled to Indonesia where the traffic is quite different in nature than our traffic. Here is a good example:
The next time you are driving here in the US, Canada or Europe, notice when you go to merge, and the attitude of the people around you whom are either allowing you in, or instead cut it so close that you must both slow down to a very stop-start method in order to merge.
I have noticed that in being so controlled about who can merge where, and by only giving a tiny little space to insert your car, even when allowed to merge, one wouldn’t appear to be “serving life” or “making life wonderful” for anyone, and I wondered why this might be so. How is it we have become so petty that we conduct ourselves in this way. I then realized that non-violence was a real commitment to reversing the effects of this kind of restricted and narrow thinking both in ourselves and in others. It applied to all areas of life, even driving.
Alternately, often when you put on your signal to change lanes, the person in that lane speeds up to prevent it, or to be sure they are in front of you. Similarly, drivers will often slow down as they pass a large truck (which is far more dangerous than passing it quickly) then speed up a great deal after passing a vehicle, so as to prevent being passed in the space between vehicles. These kinds of really short sighted methods of gaining some ‘upper hand’ in the daily business of driving just seemed violent to me, and has bothered me for some time.
We also then have ‘road rage’, where people are somehow angry at any perceived violation of their personal ‘car space’ boundary and seem hyper-vigilant at taking all conceivable threats to their safety or even slight perceived impediments to their progress personally. In general, driving in the West is a passive-aggressive affair; constantly in cars and yelling, and generally spew hate upon others while driving. It’s happened quite a bit to me, and I am no longer the fast driver I used to be. I am quite saddened by these things and have made a pact to myself to drive in a non-violent way.
So, ‘Triple A’- adapting, adjusting, and accommodating others while driving is key to remain peaceful during transits and to bring non-violence into an arena where many of us in the West spend a lot of time. I believe that this contributes a great deal to modern life by driving peacefully, and I think we would do well to look at what it takes to drive in other lands where one must really adapt, adjust and accommodate in an extremely skillful and mindful fashion just to drive anywhere.
Speech
Be Kind, Be Compassionate. This is a heck of a mandate. Speaking kindly is a wonderful and rewarding thing and improves greatly over time.
Our culture is very based in fear, a constant sense of lack in some form or fashion and in competition. Non-violence in speech is often merely a social nicety or a way “just to get along”. People then seem to complain, gossip, rankle and talk behind the backs of others and generally hemorrhage at the mouth. Just look at the number of words we have in our language for people who speak ill of others. Our very language is an indictment of our lack of “Triple A’.
Television is a constant reminder of this. People without any real perspective or wisdom talk constantly on TV shows, political channels and radio stations. They all seem to say the same thing: the person there is an idiot or is too much of this/too little of that. It’s a constant war to push one’s mind through some sensual/sexual urge, to some extreme viewpoint, to talk about others in ways that our own culture just imposes upon another culture, whether true or not; makes assumptions about other cultures and the motivations of people through the cynical lens almost like a jaded traffic cop. And this is beamed at us constantly- bad news.
There is no time to adapt, adjust or accommodate on television, as it itself, by it’s very mechanism, is essentially dictatorial and at the same time contemptuous of authority. It’s a means to constantly swing between desires/wants and apathy/‘entertainment’. We learn quickly to accept the simple, moralistic tales endlessly repeated and therefore give up much of what can help us in dealing with real relationships, most of which means adapting, adjusting and accommodating.
Thus, we lose our way to our intelligence by watching such things. This applies to both our emotional intelligence and our discriminative capacity. Since our intellect is what we will use to
When I was young I was told that “people only want to hear about themselves, and so to be socially acceptable, you should only listen to others and draw them out. Only then will they think you are intelligent.” This is a cynical and manipulative viewpoint that I reject.
Having seemingly pondered ponderously this topic for what has seemed an age, I now have a pretension to write about what is means to be alive. In the spirit of pretense, I think of an excellent and deep quote in an excellent article about Sting (of The Police) who said:
"What is wrong with being pretentious?" ponders Sting. "I think you only achieve anything by pretending to achieve it in the first place. I pretended to be a musician and by that process became a musician. I pretended to be a grown-up and by that process grew up. I pretended to be a dad and then I became a dad."
I think that I have pretended to be many things over time also, and that this is also what being alive is- becoming mature in outlook. The old maxim “fake it til you make it” applies here, and I think even Swami Sivananda would agree: “Dear friends, what reason, then, is there for despair? Nil desperandum. Be up and doing. Struggle. Exert. Practise. Plod on. March courageously. Do sincere Sadhana. The all-merciful Lord will surely crown your efforts with success. Even the vilest of us can attain salvation.”
I see ‘alive-ness’ everywhere now. I have started to grasp more fully the depth of wisdom of some of Swami Sivananda’s maxims:
“Serve, Love, Give, Purify, Meditate, Realize, Be Good, Do Good, Be Kind, Be Compassionate”.
He even wrote a bhajan that follows that, the second verse of which is:
“Adapt, Adjust, Accommodate, Bear Insult Bear Injury, Highest Yoga, Bear Insult Bear Injury, Highest Sadhana, Enquire 'Who am I ?', Know the Self and be Free”
The beginning of the second verse is where we come to what I think of regularly. As I have observed life, how it’s lived, and who is in fact living it and what principles are followed in so doing. My participation in a Non-Violent Communication, or Compassionate Communication Practice Group at my house on Thursday nights has furthered my understanding of it in a way I am only now beginning to grasp.
From what I can tell, Life and Living ARE DEFINED by Adapting, Adjusting and Accommodating. One can see this played out in all areas of thought from physics, to physiology, to psychology, to interpersonal relationships, health and I am finding it more and more as I look about me. This growing sense of “alive-ness” is what has prompted me to write about it here. I this post, I would like to examine some of them.
With these three simple axioms as my template, I think all other positive skills and philosophy can be tied to these- everything ranging from the ethical principle of ahimsa (non-injury) and merging cars to the yogic cleansing practices can be seen in this light.
As I conceive it now, I can see that the three key axioms I am speaking about now fall into a five tiered heirarchy:
Non-violence or ahimsa providing the ground floor, and the internal development that results from this, or the maturation we spoke about earlier, becomes a willingness to Triple A. Triple A is a more passive role or voicing of non-violence, whereas Be Good, Do Good is a more active role. Even more active and in fact the highest and most difficult of tasks is to bear insult and bear injury- where one can be insulted and attacked even physically (as Swami Sivananda was once) and still have perfect equanimity and mental/emotional poise.
I will refer to these as the Five Laws of Non-Violence or The Five Laws.
Non-Violence In Modern Life
In Marshall Rosenberg’s books and practice principles, he refers us, among other things, to think about whether or not our actions are specifically “serving life” or “making life wonderful” for someone. He also encourages us to speak about “what is alive in us” and hear what is alive in others. This has really turned my attention to seeing how alive we in fact are.
Thinking further about this, I saw that non-violence is a principle that many other actions turn upon. Still, I wondered what principles, therefore, non-violence turned upon, or rather what attitudes allow one to practically express non-violence.
The decision to become non-violent has many practical implications. It REQUIRES one to Adapt, Adjust and Accommodate others constantly and as wisdom grows in the practice of this massive and far-reaching ethic, one can see it further both into one’s Self and into one’s relations with others.
The Five Laws
So, if we take these axioms of Swami Sivananda to heart, and begin to examine other areas of life in their light, it becomes very interesting, deep and far-reaching.
Physiology
Leaving behind the Western ideal of a simple mechanical body, we move into a vaster realm of much more subtle and therefore more powerful ways of treating apparent illnesses. I would like to illustrate that our physical health has much more to do with our ability to adapt, adjust and accommodate.
Swami Sivananda himself was a medical doctor, although before the advent of this new view of medicine I am presenting here. Still, I believe he would have agreed with the viewpoint presented here. Most of this information is taken from:
In the body, there are structures called matrisomes. They make up what is called the ground substance of the body. The ground substance has a function and this is to regulate and distribute 4 main systems of communication:
- Chemical
- Electrical
- Electrochemical
- Electromagnetic vibrations
All variety and enormous quantity of internal and external information is coded and exchanged in only these four ways. For survival, the organism must be able to rapidly construct, destroy and reconstruct the constituents of the ground substance.
This simplification is needed for the creation and maintenance of living systems. Given such a small number, this also can provide challenges when the structure of the matrisome itself is altered through environmental or genetic factors, altering the information transmitted.
The implication of this is that since both environmental and genetic factors influence how the matrisome functions, then they must be considered networked not simply additive nor separate, they are inextricably linked via the ground substance of the body.
This combined factor is the foundation of what is known as biological medicine. Biological medicine considers the systemic functional relationships between the DNA and the complete environment surrounding it, including the mechanisms of the cell, the ground substance, the circulatory system, and the totality of the mental, emotional, and physical environment resided in.
In other words, the primary mechanism between one’s internal genetic environment and the external world is the matrisome. It’s PRIMARY function is essentially to ‘Triple A’ information in and out of the body. The body must then ‘Triple A’ the ground substance itself to regulate it’s ability to survive, react to stimulus, harm, injury, stress, and a huge variety of other input. So, when someone says “it’s my genes”, this is only partially correct. It’s the reaction and creation of the ground substance of the body that really determines most of what gets through and out of us in these four primary ways.
Traffic
What does driving and dealing with traffic have to do with ‘Triple A’? Here, I would like to point out some cultural differences between Western methods of driving and Eastern. In most Eastern cultures, there is not nearly the sort of strictness followed by drivers here, nor is safety the ego-centric thing it is here. From what I can tell Eastern drivers really rely on each other’s really paying attention. They leave the tiniest of gaps between cars, scooters and even in the heaviest traffic, any old man will wade right into it to cross the road at a slow walk- and everyone deals with it.
Of course, we aren’t likely to have large cows sitting in the middle of the road, nor elephants crossing.
Driving is about space management, attentiveness and mostly the dangers of the road are other cars. Having said this, I have traveled to Indonesia where the traffic is quite different in nature than our traffic. Here is a good example:
The next time you are driving here in the US, Canada or Europe, notice when you go to merge, and the attitude of the people around you whom are either allowing you in, or instead cut it so close that you must both slow down to a very stop-start method in order to merge.
I have noticed that in being so controlled about who can merge where, and by only giving a tiny little space to insert your car, even when allowed to merge, one wouldn’t appear to be “serving life” or “making life wonderful” for anyone, and I wondered why this might be so. How is it we have become so petty that we conduct ourselves in this way. I then realized that non-violence was a real commitment to reversing the effects of this kind of restricted and narrow thinking both in ourselves and in others. It applied to all areas of life, even driving.
Alternately, often when you put on your signal to change lanes, the person in that lane speeds up to prevent it, or to be sure they are in front of you. Similarly, drivers will often slow down as they pass a large truck (which is far more dangerous than passing it quickly) then speed up a great deal after passing a vehicle, so as to prevent being passed in the space between vehicles. These kinds of really short sighted methods of gaining some ‘upper hand’ in the daily business of driving just seemed violent to me, and has bothered me for some time.
We also then have ‘road rage’, where people are somehow angry at any perceived violation of their personal ‘car space’ boundary and seem hyper-vigilant at taking all conceivable threats to their safety or even slight perceived impediments to their progress personally. In general, driving in the West is a passive-aggressive affair; constantly in cars and yelling, and generally spew hate upon others while driving. It’s happened quite a bit to me, and I am no longer the fast driver I used to be. I am quite saddened by these things and have made a pact to myself to drive in a non-violent way.
So, ‘Triple A’- adapting, adjusting, and accommodating others while driving is key to remain peaceful during transits and to bring non-violence into an arena where many of us in the West spend a lot of time. I believe that this contributes a great deal to modern life by driving peacefully, and I think we would do well to look at what it takes to drive in other lands where one must really adapt, adjust and accommodate in an extremely skillful and mindful fashion just to drive anywhere.
Speech
Be Kind, Be Compassionate. This is a heck of a mandate. Speaking kindly is a wonderful and rewarding thing and improves greatly over time.
Our culture is very based in fear, a constant sense of lack in some form or fashion and in competition. Non-violence in speech is often merely a social nicety or a way “just to get along”. People then seem to complain, gossip, rankle and talk behind the backs of others and generally hemorrhage at the mouth. Just look at the number of words we have in our language for people who speak ill of others. Our very language is an indictment of our lack of “Triple A’.
Television is a constant reminder of this. People without any real perspective or wisdom talk constantly on TV shows, political channels and radio stations. They all seem to say the same thing: the person there is an idiot or is too much of this/too little of that. It’s a constant war to push one’s mind through some sensual/sexual urge, to some extreme viewpoint, to talk about others in ways that our own culture just imposes upon another culture, whether true or not; makes assumptions about other cultures and the motivations of people through the cynical lens almost like a jaded traffic cop. And this is beamed at us constantly- bad news.
There is no time to adapt, adjust or accommodate on television, as it itself, by it’s very mechanism, is essentially dictatorial and at the same time contemptuous of authority. It’s a means to constantly swing between desires/wants and apathy/‘entertainment’. We learn quickly to accept the simple, moralistic tales endlessly repeated and therefore give up much of what can help us in dealing with real relationships, most of which means adapting, adjusting and accommodating.
Thus, we lose our way to our intelligence by watching such things. This applies to both our emotional intelligence and our discriminative capacity. Since our intellect is what we will use to
When I was young I was told that “people only want to hear about themselves, and so to be socially acceptable, you should only listen to others and draw them out. Only then will they think you are intelligent.” This is a cynical and manipulative viewpoint that I reject.
Swami Sivananda Quotes
03/01/2009 04:21 PM
ESSENTIALS ARE SAME
The essentials or fundamentals of all religions are the same. Only
non-essentials differ. `The Noble Eightfold Path' corresponds to `The
Sermon on the Mount' of Lord Jesus, and to the practice of sadacara
(right conduct) of the Hindus. Every religion shows the correct path
to God-realisation.
Every religion emphatically declares: "One can attain eternal bliss,
immortality (God-realisation) . To do this one must speak the truth,
observe purity or self-restraint, love others, and practise
concentration and meditation."
An intolerant man cannot attain God-realisation. As his intellect
becomes clouded on account of intolerance, he cannot grasp the truth.
All prophets are the messengers of God. They are great yogis who have
divine intuitive perception of God. Their words are infallible and
sacred.
Had it not been for these prophets and their writings, there would be
no hope for the salvation and betterment of man. Each prophet helped
mankind by the dissemination of knowledge and the founding of the
religion which would be most suited to the people amongst whom they
flourished. Glory to these prophets and their writings. May their
blessings be upon you all!
Beloved Friends! Behold the unity or oneness of all religions. He who
knows the truth, who has grasped the essence of all religions, will
never again enter into heated debates.
Realise your identity and intimate relationship with all beings -
with ants and dogs, with elephants and tigers, with Muslims and Jews,
with Hindus and Christians. There is only a degree of difference in
manifestation or expression. All forms belong to God or Saguna
Brahman.
May you all live happily, with one heart! May you all understand the
essential unity of all religions! May the blessings of all the
founders of all the religions be upon you! May you all attain God-
realisation in this very life!
Om Peace! Om Peace! Om Peace!
The essentials or fundamentals of all religions are the same. Only
non-essentials differ. `The Noble Eightfold Path' corresponds to `The
Sermon on the Mount' of Lord Jesus, and to the practice of sadacara
(right conduct) of the Hindus. Every religion shows the correct path
to God-realisation.
Every religion emphatically declares: "One can attain eternal bliss,
immortality (God-realisation) . To do this one must speak the truth,
observe purity or self-restraint, love others, and practise
concentration and meditation."
An intolerant man cannot attain God-realisation. As his intellect
becomes clouded on account of intolerance, he cannot grasp the truth.
All prophets are the messengers of God. They are great yogis who have
divine intuitive perception of God. Their words are infallible and
sacred.
Had it not been for these prophets and their writings, there would be
no hope for the salvation and betterment of man. Each prophet helped
mankind by the dissemination of knowledge and the founding of the
religion which would be most suited to the people amongst whom they
flourished. Glory to these prophets and their writings. May their
blessings be upon you all!
Beloved Friends! Behold the unity or oneness of all religions. He who
knows the truth, who has grasped the essence of all religions, will
never again enter into heated debates.
Realise your identity and intimate relationship with all beings -
with ants and dogs, with elephants and tigers, with Muslims and Jews,
with Hindus and Christians. There is only a degree of difference in
manifestation or expression. All forms belong to God or Saguna
Brahman.
May you all live happily, with one heart! May you all understand the
essential unity of all religions! May the blessings of all the
founders of all the religions be upon you! May you all attain God-
realisation in this very life!
Om Peace! Om Peace! Om Peace!
Swami Sivananda Quotes
02/28/2009 08:58 AM
LIFE AND DEATH
Death is only a process by which life is continued. Death is not
annihilation of the self. Hence do not be afraid of death. Death is
for the better; it is a blessing. Therefore grieve not. Life is
impossible without death. Death is just another aspect of life. Until
the proper time comes, one's death does not take place, however
serious the disease or accident may seem. When the right time comes,
then one can die by the edge of a straw!
Life is a lightning flash of breath. Time is but a thunder-clap of
death. The doctrine of reincarnation is indeed a great solace to
humanity in so far as it shows a way out from eternal damnation in
hell.
When the lust for life ceases, no further rebirth will take place.
One power works through all hands, sees through all eyes and hears
through all ears. All humanity is one in substance. The same flesh
and the same blood form the body of an American, an Englishman, an
African and an Indian. The instincts and longings are common to all
creatures. This indicates the oneness of all forms of life.
Experiments have revealed life in stone, in wood and in minerals.
They have established the unity of consciousness or the unity of all
life. Prana (energy) is the driving power of the world. Force is
energy. Spiritual force is the saving power. It is the greatest of
all forces. It can control all physical and mental forces.
Physical science is objective and hence cannot lead to absolute
truth. There is a soul behind mind and nature and will. Soul is the
divine essence. The conception of the unity of God is the pivot
around which all other doctrines revolve. No religion, no nation, no
scheme or reform, nor plan for the future of the world, will endure
if it is not based on genuine faith in God. We all belong to one and
the same family, to one and the same house, that of the Supreme Lord -
the creator, the nourisher and the sustainer.
When you look at a tree or a shrub, a Sikh or a Muslim, endeavour to
behold, behind the veil of form, the real hidden consciousness. If
you do this for some time, you will feel inexpressible joy. All
hatred will cease. You will develop cosmic love, or unity of
consciousness. This will be a magnanimous experience.
-Sivananda
Death is only a process by which life is continued. Death is not
annihilation of the self. Hence do not be afraid of death. Death is
for the better; it is a blessing. Therefore grieve not. Life is
impossible without death. Death is just another aspect of life. Until
the proper time comes, one's death does not take place, however
serious the disease or accident may seem. When the right time comes,
then one can die by the edge of a straw!
Life is a lightning flash of breath. Time is but a thunder-clap of
death. The doctrine of reincarnation is indeed a great solace to
humanity in so far as it shows a way out from eternal damnation in
hell.
When the lust for life ceases, no further rebirth will take place.
One power works through all hands, sees through all eyes and hears
through all ears. All humanity is one in substance. The same flesh
and the same blood form the body of an American, an Englishman, an
African and an Indian. The instincts and longings are common to all
creatures. This indicates the oneness of all forms of life.
Experiments have revealed life in stone, in wood and in minerals.
They have established the unity of consciousness or the unity of all
life. Prana (energy) is the driving power of the world. Force is
energy. Spiritual force is the saving power. It is the greatest of
all forces. It can control all physical and mental forces.
Physical science is objective and hence cannot lead to absolute
truth. There is a soul behind mind and nature and will. Soul is the
divine essence. The conception of the unity of God is the pivot
around which all other doctrines revolve. No religion, no nation, no
scheme or reform, nor plan for the future of the world, will endure
if it is not based on genuine faith in God. We all belong to one and
the same family, to one and the same house, that of the Supreme Lord -
the creator, the nourisher and the sustainer.
When you look at a tree or a shrub, a Sikh or a Muslim, endeavour to
behold, behind the veil of form, the real hidden consciousness. If
you do this for some time, you will feel inexpressible joy. All
hatred will cease. You will develop cosmic love, or unity of
consciousness. This will be a magnanimous experience.
-Sivananda
Swami Sivananda Quotes
02/28/2009 08:57 AM
RENOUNCE
Go wherever you like. Go to Kashmir, to Darjeeling, to Vienna or the
Alps, you will not find any real rest.
The charming scenery may soothe the retina for a few seconds but raga
(attraction) , dvesha (aversion), jealousy, passion and greed are
everywhere. You will find the same earth, the same sky, the same air,
the same water everywhere. You carry the same mind with you
everywhere. Imagination and change of place have deceived many
people. Be contented. Live wherever you like - but discipline the
mind and the senses ceaselessly. Meditate on the inner self (antar-
atman) ceaselessly. Here you will find everlasting peace. The mind
will stop deceiving you now.
If you do not have sustained vairagya (dispassion) , you will find no
improvement or progress in spirituality. Vows, austerities, energy
and meditation will leak out like water from a cracked pot.
You have spent eight hours in sleep and the rest in idle gossiping,
telling lies, deceiving others, in selfish activities and in gaining
money. How do you expect any spiritual good?
How do you expect immortality if you do not spend even half an hour
in the service of God, in singing His name and in divine
contemplation? Is there pain or is there pleasure in this world? If
there is pleasure, why do young educated men retire to the forests?
If there is pain, why do young men run after wealth, position and
women?
Ah! Mysterious is maya (illusion). Mysterious is moha (delusion)! Try
to understand the riddle of life and the riddle of the universe.
Acquire viveka (wisdom). Have satsang (holy company). Enquire into
the nature of the atman.
Study the Yoga Vasishta and the Upanishads. Then you will have a
comprehensive understanding of the problems of life. There is not one
iota of happiness in this world.
Renounce this world. Renounce the desire for moksa (liberation) .
Renounce renunciation itself. Then you will become that.
Go wherever you like. Go to Kashmir, to Darjeeling, to Vienna or the
Alps, you will not find any real rest.
The charming scenery may soothe the retina for a few seconds but raga
(attraction) , dvesha (aversion), jealousy, passion and greed are
everywhere. You will find the same earth, the same sky, the same air,
the same water everywhere. You carry the same mind with you
everywhere. Imagination and change of place have deceived many
people. Be contented. Live wherever you like - but discipline the
mind and the senses ceaselessly. Meditate on the inner self (antar-
atman) ceaselessly. Here you will find everlasting peace. The mind
will stop deceiving you now.
If you do not have sustained vairagya (dispassion) , you will find no
improvement or progress in spirituality. Vows, austerities, energy
and meditation will leak out like water from a cracked pot.
You have spent eight hours in sleep and the rest in idle gossiping,
telling lies, deceiving others, in selfish activities and in gaining
money. How do you expect any spiritual good?
How do you expect immortality if you do not spend even half an hour
in the service of God, in singing His name and in divine
contemplation? Is there pain or is there pleasure in this world? If
there is pleasure, why do young educated men retire to the forests?
If there is pain, why do young men run after wealth, position and
women?
Ah! Mysterious is maya (illusion). Mysterious is moha (delusion)! Try
to understand the riddle of life and the riddle of the universe.
Acquire viveka (wisdom). Have satsang (holy company). Enquire into
the nature of the atman.
Study the Yoga Vasishta and the Upanishads. Then you will have a
comprehensive understanding of the problems of life. There is not one
iota of happiness in this world.
Renounce this world. Renounce the desire for moksa (liberation) .
Renounce renunciation itself. Then you will become that.
Swami Sivananda Quotes
02/28/2009 08:36 AM
THIS IS THE WAY TO SPIRITUALISE ALL YOUR ACTIONS
What is divine life? To shed the animal in man and to sublimate the
human in him to the divine; to express the sublimation in his daily
life, in his hourly life, in thought, word and deed. That is divine
life.
To pray, to do japa (repetition of God's name), to sing His glory, to
do kirtan (chanting), to meditate on the Lord, is divine life.
Treat all kinds of work, domestic, official, etc., as service of God.
Surrender all your actions and their fruits to the Lord. Give up
agency. Feel you are an instrument in the hands of the Lord. Actions
will not bind you. Your heart will be purified. The grace and light
of God will descend on you.
THIS IS THE WAY TO SPIRITUALISE ALL YOUR ACTIONS
See God in all beings and things. See the world as a manifestation of
God. It is not necessary to abandon the world in order to have a
vision of God, because the world itself is a manifestation of God.
Listen! Wake up now. Develop dispassion. Do sadhana (spiritual
practice). Beware of the senses. Become desireless.
Understand life. Live divinely. Seek good company. Fear not. Waste
not time. Depend on God.
Spiritual discipline is the key to God-realisation. Discipline the
body and the senses and the mind.
May you attain God-realisation now and here.
Be regular in keeping your spiritual diary. Spiritual progress will
be greatly quickened. Kindly be regular in sending me a copy of your
diary at the end of each month for review and further instructions. I
am immensely pleased to note your regularity in sadhana.
Go to bed early (10 p.m.) and get up early (4 a.m.). The early
morning hours are most favourable for meditation.
Understand life's supreme purpose. Seek the eternal. Realise the
underlying essence.
Have intense thirst for liberation. Die to live. Discipline the mind.
Have self-control.
Learn to be wise. Make the best use of this human birth. Realise the
oneness of existence.
-Sivananda
What is True Religion? by Swami Sivananda
01/03/2009 03:13 PM
Thanks to Ganesha on Facebook for this one;
by H.H. Swami Sivananda, pictured below:
Not by mere argument or discussion can religion be taught. Not by precepts or moral canons alone can you convert a person to be religious. Not by point to your loads of sacred literature or miracles of your Chief can an aspirant be won over. Practise religion and live up to its teachings if you want to evolve and attain the Goal of Life. Whatever be your religion, whosoever your prophet, whichever be your language and country, whatever be your age or sex, you can easily grow if you know the way to crush the ego, to destroy the lower nature of the mind and to have mastery over your body, senses and mind. This is what I have found out to be the way for real Peace and bliss eternal. Therefore I do not try to convince people by heated debates and arguments.
Real Religion is Religion of the heart. The heart must be purified first. Truth, love and purity are the basis of real religion. Conquest of the lower nature of man, control of the mind, cultivation of virtues, service of humanity, goodwill, fellowship and mutual amity, constitute the fundamentals of true religion. These ideals are included in the mottoes of the Divine Life Society. I am very particular in propagating these ideals on a wide scale. I do not waste time in finding out suitable authoritative statements from scriptures to satisfy the curiosity of aspirants. I lead a practical life and try to be an example to the students for moulding their lives. Know that true religion begins when you go above body-conciousness. The essence of the teachings of all sages and saints, the fundamentals of all religions and cults, are the same. People needlessly fight over non-essentials and miss the Goal.
May the Divine Life Movement, the harbinger of peace, harmony and exalted life shed its lustre and glory throughout the world.
Om Shanti,
DurgaDas
by H.H. Swami Sivananda, pictured below:
Not by mere argument or discussion can religion be taught. Not by precepts or moral canons alone can you convert a person to be religious. Not by point to your loads of sacred literature or miracles of your Chief can an aspirant be won over. Practise religion and live up to its teachings if you want to evolve and attain the Goal of Life. Whatever be your religion, whosoever your prophet, whichever be your language and country, whatever be your age or sex, you can easily grow if you know the way to crush the ego, to destroy the lower nature of the mind and to have mastery over your body, senses and mind. This is what I have found out to be the way for real Peace and bliss eternal. Therefore I do not try to convince people by heated debates and arguments.
Real Religion is Religion of the heart. The heart must be purified first. Truth, love and purity are the basis of real religion. Conquest of the lower nature of man, control of the mind, cultivation of virtues, service of humanity, goodwill, fellowship and mutual amity, constitute the fundamentals of true religion. These ideals are included in the mottoes of the Divine Life Society. I am very particular in propagating these ideals on a wide scale. I do not waste time in finding out suitable authoritative statements from scriptures to satisfy the curiosity of aspirants. I lead a practical life and try to be an example to the students for moulding their lives. Know that true religion begins when you go above body-conciousness. The essence of the teachings of all sages and saints, the fundamentals of all religions and cults, are the same. People needlessly fight over non-essentials and miss the Goal.
May the Divine Life Movement, the harbinger of peace, harmony and exalted life shed its lustre and glory throughout the world.
Om Shanti,
DurgaDas