Spiritual Initiation

 

Quote from the True Charm and power of Vedanta

Spiritual Initiation.

If there is intense yarning for the object we are meditating upon and a deep and strong desire to get Him, then shall we be careless? As Sri Ramakrishna said, pearls and jewelry  are hidden in the next rom. Knowing this can the thief sleep quietly in the adjoining room? No , he cannot. Until he enters the next room by breaking the wall and gets possession of the wealth he will not be at peace . Similarly , if we know that He is in our hearts and we must get Him, then can we be careless ? Can we sleep? We got lukewarm only due to want of yearning . Therefore one should always try to be alert and wide awake . by repeated endeavor it becomes a habit and impressions(samskara) are formed.

We to used to sit for mediation again after a short stroll when we used to feel sleepy . many ask. If we feel sleepy can we do japa while strolling?” That may be done. By that sleep may be driven away, but mediation is not achieved. Mediation means all the senses are withdrawn from their respective subjects and activities. The mind alone will then stick to the object of mediation . mediation is not achieved by walking.

The real thing is , whatever time we meditate , we should try to do it with proper feeling and mental attitude  . whatsoever time we devote to it will be really beneficial if we do it with right mental attitude . it is not possible to examine one’s own self until the mind is calm and quite . mind cannot be analyzed otherwise.

 

Living in sync with immortality in the world

Speaking Tree

By Valson Thampu

 

We, in India, are not unfamiliar with the craving for immortality. We have been praying, from time immemorial, to be led from death to immortality. Due to Covid-19, we have been overwhelmed by the everywhere-ness of death. What does it mean, in such a context, to pray to be led to immortality?

 

Death and immortality are two distinct orientations of human life. Whatever exists in time will perish in time. Immortality is not a natural reward of time. Even so, immortality can be sought in temporal life. The need to do so arises from the fact that temporal resources cannot meet all our needs as human beings. The longing for immortality pertains to that aspect of our being which cannot be met by such resources.

Immortality is often confused with eternity. Eternity is beyond time. We have to die out of the temporal to attain the eternal, if at all. But immortality as interminable continuity can be sought in time. The alternative to the immortality-oriented life, is the animal way of life, which is limited to, and satisfied with, material and natural resources. Human beings thirst and hunger for something more, and beyond. We are inwardly driven by a need to survive, or assert ourselves over death; to say, as Donne does, ‘Death, thou shalt die!’ That given, human beings, to the extent that they are tinged with the thirst for immortality, cannot, should not, live and die like animals.

This explains the existence of religions. But religions, as they get organised and established, turn their faces away from the discipline of immortality. Worldliness takes over. Religion becomes an adjunct to mere existence. ‘Otherworldliness’, presumably akin to immortality, becomes, at best, a pious assumption. In theory, liberation from the worldly predicament is sought. But this is done in a worldly fashion, such as all rites and rituals are. Religion and worldly gains imply each other. Immortality is alien to this orientation.

 

Even so, the craving for immortality clings to humanity. It is hard for human beings to accept that their life, unlike life in nature, or the life of the gods, will end with their deaths. Human beings have a need to leave a memory, a legacy of words, deeds and achievements that will survive them. This motivation is at work even in parenthood. But, given the uniqueness of individuals and the decisive importance of personal consciousness, this falls short of attaining immortality for oneself.

 

In light of the above, what is tragic is not that one dies. It is that one dies no better than animals. Death is inevitable. As Shakespeare’s Hamlet says, if it is not today, it will be tomorrow. If it is not due to Covid-19, it will be due to something else. All deaths are premature in the sense that no one is ever ready for his death. Not many die having lived to the full. The life we live is partial and perishable. The spiritual mandate is to reorient ourselves to immortality. Mere avoidance of death has no spiritual merit. Temporal life flows inexorably towards death. The challenge is to live in sync with immortality even amidst this flow. The great thing, the empowering truth, is that this is possible.

IF HE EXIST

 

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.-

 

ILLUSTRATED REVIEW : 7th heaven moment in f1 no 77 Botas won a podium