Aware and knowing

Monday, 25 March 2019

Aware and knowing

The Speaking Tree | India, Spirituality | ET

By Mata Amritanandamayi

We acquire knowledge, but we lack awareness. Awareness arises when knowledge accompanies action. Mere acquisition of knowledge does not mean that such knowledge will translate into action. If you smoke cigarettes, you are susceptible to cancer.

Smokers see the statutory warning on packs but continue to smoke. But if one day the smoker begins to suffer on account of his smoking, then the knowledge turns into awareness that smoking can indeed be injurious to health.

It is either because we lack this awareness, or are unable to translate awareness to action, that we commit mistakes. We should enjoy freedom and be enthusiastic every moment of our lives. But normally, one hears only tales of sorrow.

 Attachment leads to sorrow. One of the best ways to attain material prosperity, spiritual progress, peace and liberation is through meditation. Not by just sitting motionless with closed eyes, but by being aware of our actions, words and thoughts.

Our thoughts are like countless water droplets that form a river of words and actions. We have little control over this river. However, it is easy to block or change the direction of a river’s flow at its source with just a stone. So unless we first purify our minds, our words and actions will not be pure.

Today, stress is common. This is mainly because we are obsessed with our own selves. No amount of experience can help us realise our mistakes unless we cultivate the humility required to surrender our selves.

DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.

Quote from the true charm and power of Vedanta

Spirituality & Innocence

The Speaking Tree | India | ET

BY MATA AMRITANANDAMAYI

Happiness in life does not depend only on the body, external comfort or external objects. True happiness in life depends on the mind. If we gain total control over the mind, we will gain control over everything else. The science that teaches us how to control the mind is true science, and that is spiritual knowledge. Only if we first gain this knowledge can we properly use all the other knowledge we have gained.

In the past, there used to be families with 30, 40 or even 50 members. They lived together with so much unity, mutual affection and deference! The atmosphere in such families was one of love and peace because they understood spirituality. They knew what life was and what it was for. Their lives were founded on spiritual principles. Today, if there are three members in a family, they are like three islands in an ocean. Each one has his or her own ways, and they do not get along with each other.

If people are well-versed in spiritual principles, we can avoid such situation, at least within families. Spirituality is what brings hearts closer together. One who has learnt how to swim in the ocean revels in the waves. Every wave will be a joyful experience for him. However, one who does not know how to swim will be at the mercy of the waves.

Likewise, one who understandsthe principles of spirituality will be able to face every obstaclein life with a smile. Some mistakenly consider spirituality to mean blind faith. The truth is, spirituality dispels the darkness of ignorance.

DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.

But, if He exists?

I drive joy There was a doctor in Benaras who spent 7 minutes in the morning and evening for mediation on God. Knowing this, his colleagues and friends laughed at him. One day they argued that he was wasting ten precious minutes on something, which he had been misled into believing. The doctor replied, “Well, if God does not exist, I agree that I am wasting ten minutes a day. But, if He exists? I am afraid you are wasting your entire lifetime. I prefer to waste ten minutes rather than a lifetime. Why should you grudge me the 10 minutes joy that I derive 4m.

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Caught in Symbolism

Monday, 18 March 2019

Caught in Symbolism

The Speaking Tree  India | ET

By J KRISHNAMURTI

Some say they derive strength from concentrating on a symbol. We all have symbols. Now when one belongs to a large group that adores the same symbol, one derives enormous strength from it; it creates a feeling that at last one is understanding something beyond the symbol.

First, we invent the symbol — see how our minds work — the image in the church or in the temple, or the letters in the mosque, and in worshipping that which we have created out of our thought, we derive strength.

See what is happening. The symbol is not the actuality. The actuality may never exist, but the symbol satisfies and gives us vitality by looking at it, thinking about it, being with it.

Surely that which has been created by thought must be illusion. If you create me as being your guru — I refuse to be a guru, it is too absurd, because I see how the followers destroy the guru and the guru destroys the followers — but if you create an image about me, about the speaker, then the whole business begins; to me it is an abomination. Thought is the mischief maker in this.

All the images it has created in the churches, in the temples, in the mosques, are not truth, are not actual. They have been invented by us and by the priests, out of our fear, out of our anxiety and uncertainty of the future.

So, first realise that thought will always create the things that give satisfaction, psychologically, which give comfort. The reassuring image is a great comfort; it may be a total illusion — and it is — but it gives comfort and, therefore, we will never look beyond the illusion.

DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.

Quote from the True Charm and Power of Vedanta

Finding from Sri Rama Krishna’s Experiment with God

We may now turn to the consideration of some most fascinating and revealing findings of religion resulting from experiments with God according to scientific methodology.

Sri, Ramakrishna’s life was a long saga of inquiry into the nature of God. In this he never deviated from the scientific methodology of observation and experiment . his life, therefore, should be of great interest to the awakened scientist for a special study of the spiritual facts fo existence.

Sri, Ramakrishna was no satisfied simply to bear about God. In the personal religion, believing in God meant seeing God; if God is , He must be seen.

Therefore Sri, Ramakrishna wanted to see God and he turned his whole life and his world into a vast laboratory for experimenting on and with God.

As an astronaut disciplines his body and mind in a special way for travelling in a space vehicle, Sri Ramakrishna disciplined himself entirely for working in his great laboratory, which was life and this world itself with the one end in view; of finding the truth about God.

Because he would see God, he did not close his eyes for months on end. He did not take God for granted. Like any scientist, he tentatively accepted the available data coming from the previous seers of God, but himself experimented in his laboratory with all the painful grinding it involved- Only on the basis of his own finding and seeing he could so forcefully say in answer to Swami Vivekananda ‘s frontal question, “Sir have you seen God?” “Yes, I have seen God”

During his years of spiritual discipline, Sri Ramakrishna bad adopted methods which were thoroughly experimental. What was this image he was worshipping ? Was it merely a block of black stone gracefully sculptured? Or was the Divine Mother living and breathing here? With that divine audacity which in the case of Sri ,Ramakrishna was another name for infinite love for God he held his hand before Kali’s nose to find out whether or not She breathed. And , lo She breathed! I actually felt Here breath on my hand” said Sri Ramakrishna courtesy can one be Scientific and yet be Spiritual

 But, if He exists?

I drive joy There was a doctor in Benaras who spent 7 minutes in the morning and evening for mediation on God. Knowing this, his colleagues and friends laughed at him. One day they argued that he was wasting ten precious minutes on something, which he had been misled into believing. The doctor replied, “Well, if God does not exist, I agree that I am wasting ten minutes a day. But, if He exists? I am afraid you are wasting your entire lifetime. I prefer to waste ten minutes rather than a lifetime. Why should you grudge me the 10 minutes joy that I derive 4m.

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Retaining Self-Control

Monday, 11 March 2019

Retaining Self-Control

The Speaking Tree | India | ET

By P VAIDYANATHAN

Do you like to lose control of yourself ? Most people would answer with a big no. No one wants to voluntarily lose control of himself. We all lose control of ourselves at some time or the other, but it is something that none of us really enjoys; it just happens.

If we don’t really like to lose control, why is it that our anger is triggered by certain people, remarks and events? When we get angry, and when we start screaming and shouting, or even physically assaulting someone, it is obvious that we have lost control.

When we don’t like to lose control, why do we? As human beings, we are always wanting to feel good, happy, safe. And the only way we know to do this is mostly by manipulating the external environment.

When the external environment is conducive, when people are cooperative or follow our preferences and desires, when people behave the way we want them to, we feel peaceful, happy, settled. But this peace is an artificial peace, totally dependent on outside forces that are beyond our control.

The next time when someone cuts you on the road or your someone doesn’t listen to you, stop for a moment, pause, and challenge that part of you that wants to scream, shout, abuse and lose control. Stop and think if you can do something different.

Stop and see if you can act from love, rather than from fear.

See if you can change your perception about the remark, person or event. And when you are able to respond in a manner that is different, you will have broken some of the power that your ego holds over you.

DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.

Quote from the True Charm and Power

First of all, we should from an ideal, because few people have their ideals. We think that we possess the highest ideal, but that may be only for a short time next moment, perhaps, the idea is vanished and we do not know the purpose of life or why we are here. Therefore, our mode of expression is very poor and it proceeds entirely from selfishness. We do not know the laws, nor do we understand how we ought to live. We look after ourselves and take care fo ourselves, because that is the nearest thing to us. But we must not forget that any person in any country possessing a fear amount of earnestness and sincerity will get from this practice of Karam Yoga the wonderful and most beneficial results in this life and hereafter, if he knows the ideal and if he follows it at every moment of his life. On the country , if we consider that the work which we are performing, is the highest aim of life and that there is no further ideal, then our life and that there is no furtherer ideal then our life will not be worth living . but whosoever holds the highest ideal and walks in the path of unselfishness is virtuous , unselfish righteous and spiritual. Courtesy Vedanta in Daily Life

 But, if He exists?

I drive joy There was a doctor in Benaras who spent 7 minutes in the morning and evening for mediation on God. Knowing this, his colleagues and friends laughed at him. One day they argued that he was wasting ten precious minutes on something, which he had been misled into believing. The doctor replied, “Well, if God does not exist, I agree that I am wasting ten minutes a day. But, if He exists? I am afraid you are wasting your entire lifetime. I prefer to waste ten minutes rather than a lifetime. Why should you grudge me the 10 minutes joy that I derive 4m.

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Cosmic Night of Shiva

Monday, 04 March 2019

Cosmic Night of Shiva

The Speaking Tree | India | ET

By PRANAV KHULLAR

The Dakshinamurthy Stotram describes Shiva as the youthful guru, facing southward, teaching his elderly disciples through jnana mudra. The Lingashtakamsings glories of Advaita Linga, symbol of the cosmos, Brahmananda. The Shiva Mahima Stotra of Pushpadanta sees him as the inexpressible Truth that yogis realise by concentrating their minds on the Self.

Shiva is the three-eyed One whose blue-stained neck is a symbolic reminder of his capacity to remove toxins from the world.

The Yajur Veda describes Him as the Master Yogin, Mahadeva, the great God. The panchakshara mantra, Aum Namah Shivaye, is a timeless chant propitiating the inscrutable invoking the easy-to-please Ashutosh.

Bhishma in his discourse on Dharma to Yudhishthir in the Mahabharata, describes the observance of the Mahashivratri fast by King Chitrabhanu.

In a previous birth, the king was Suswara the hunter, who one night had to seek refuge atop a bilva tree. He either cried or dropped the leaves down one by one to assuage his fear.

By doing so, he unwittingly worshipped a linga that was embedded in the earth, with the bilva leaves sacred to Shiva and, so, earned merit.

This allegorical story represents everyman’s inner journey, passing through the complex mind, with its conscious thinking and subconscious desires, where lust, hatred, greed and jealousy have to be overcome by rising above them, as Suswara climbed up the tree.

His nightlong vigil is a call to alertness and viveka, and the dawning of day symbolises the awakening into cosmic consciousness.

DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.

Quote from the True Charm and Power of Vedanta

In the Bhagavad-Gita Lord Krishna tells His disciple that it is very necessary to subdue the senses and learn to control the body and mind, but He says again that although one may starve the senses and thereby deaden their  feeling , one has not gained much spirituality because distress still linger in the heart; when , however , one has seen the Supreme, then all desires and limitations drop all forever . so whatever we do , whether we give discipline to the body and mind or whether we turn our whole thoughts n the opposite direction we must not forget that the main object of all our practice is to educate our inner being, to unfold our spiritual nature and to bring us face to face with the Supreme ; for He is the one real aim and object of all our search.

When we meditate on Him with conviction, then our heart becomes illumined with His light and we attain super-consciousness, the consciousness which includes all lesser forms of consciousness . as we go about our ordinary life, there fore, we should sometimes stop, draw our selves within and try to get the other point of view , to see that t other aspect of our life . it is this balancing of the two sides and gaining a state of equilibrium which prepares our mind for the knowledge of the Supreme. So long, however , as it is over powered by one aspect of life-the physical and material-we can never know our inner being and our soul will be strayed even though our body is fed.

 But, if He exists?

I drive joy There was a doctor in Benaras who spent 7 minutes in the morning and evening for mediation on God. Knowing this, his colleagues and friends laughed at him. One day they argued that he was wasting ten precious minutes on something, which he had been misled into believing. The doctor replied, “Well, if God does not exist, I agree that I am wasting ten minutes a day. But, if He exists? I am afraid you are wasting your entire lifetime. I prefer to waste ten minutes rather than a lifetime. Why should you grudge me the 10 minutes joy that I derive 4m.

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