This is part two of the adventures in Advaita Vedanta... will you travel with me a while?


Thursday Thoughts

Hari Om

Last day of September - already. Autumn is most definitely upon us (in the northern half anyway) and the temps around Aatmaavrajanam central are most definitely heading south! 

I reminded myself of titiksha this week. It is far too early to be firing up the central heating. I am built of sterner stuff, was the self-advice. Just put on some extra layers. Which I did, and all was well. 

Then the news of price hikes in energy production and distribution have been hitting the headlines here in the UK and one is reminded, too, that to have a roof as solid as The Hutch's over my head is a privilege indeed. Even if I cannot afford to heat it, I have the advantage of that shelter, as well as an ample supply of clothing and blankets with which to ensure I do not succumb to the ravages of winter. I also only have myself to look after. There will be many who, despite having housing, will not have quite the same advantage - because they are likely to be tenants and not owners, so rent to be found; they are likely to be limited in their work and earning capacity - if at all they have employment, and very probably have to care for more than just themselves.  More and more are finding themselves without solid housing, even if not of high quality. 

The cycle of history seems to be that at least once in each century there comes a 'great depression' where the differences between those who have and those who have not become so pronounced that a point is reached where a major change has to take place for improvements.

Despite all such tribulations, the human race survives. For the individuals which make up this race, whether we sink or swim through such times is determined by so many factors, but of one thing I am certain - to have a steady intellect, a quiet mind,  and a strong heart (viveka, vairagya, titiksha) sets one up for coping in the most difficult of times. Let each build on these pillars of virtue. By looking after these within ourselves, we become beacons for those around us less able. 



Whispering Wednesday

Hari OM

Studying something else entirely, the word CURRENT was pertinent, as in, to electricity transmission. Then, whilst pondering the post for today, it kept foremost in mind. Partly due to the usage, of course, but as the idea was to listen for a word to explore here, I decided to go with it.

How could current, as in the movement of energy, apply to spiritual practice? 

At first, it may seem obvious. Energy is what spirit is all about, is it not? Tapping into the essence of being that has nothing to do with whether blood or air are circulating. It is that numinous part of our existence that gets named in many and various ways. The thing is, for spiritual seekers such as ourselves (for I include you, my readers - else why are you here?), tapping in is not always straightforward. 

In reviewing what I knew about current in terms of electricity, I was reminded that AC is the alternating, more easily distributable form of electricity. This is enabled by the use of coils that cause the energy to fluctuate. Thus, it might be said in more prosaic terms that it takes two steps forwards and one step backwards to preserve its inherent energy and thus cover longer distances for more extended periods. It is quite likely that the majority of spiritual seekers can identify with this. Efforts are made to live up to the values we - or our spiritual mentors - have given us, we find we fall short, but this only makes us strive harder. So, we keep on keeping on, trusting that the path is a good one and even failures (backward steps) are beneficial to our end purpose. We, perhaps, accept that Realisation in this birth itself, the liberation from our woes providing true freedom in this life before it ends, is quite likely beyond us. Still, the practices of our faith carry us a long way forward and sustain us in that process.

Then we have DC - direct current. It is forward moving only. Immediate power. Due to not being able to travel distance, it is best for use in storage - batteries and such. Sometimes among us, a rare few, there can be a breakthrough. We have a direct connection with the divine, and we come to know the possibilities beyond the fret and frolic we generally linger in. How is this the case? Could it be that those few are born with in-built spiritual batteries, pre-loaded with the energy of connection?

Both currents are valid and hold great value. One is not lesser than the other. One, though, allows for life to go along and for us to be fully involved in it. The other requires constant recharging of the 'battery' and thus we must draw away from the general hubbub of life. 

Such are the ponderings from words that whisper to the inner ear...



Textual Tuesday

Hari OM

The final of the four discourses on the Mahavaakyas, given by Swami Advayananda. I do hope that you have found the series at least thought-provoking, if not very useful in providing insight and inspiration to keep your own investigations and practice to the fore!

Meditative Monday

Hari OM


JUST DO IT!!!


Saturday Satsang

Hari OM


Never despair and say, “Oh! That Swamijī does not know anything of the practical difficulties.” The Swami was also in the same position at one time. He didn’t drop down from the skies. A saint is one who, in solitude and patience, has developed himself.

Train your mind. Watch the mind. Try slowly and steadily to arrest, to apprehend, to laugh at, to cajole, to threaten, to plead with, to soothe and comfort the mind. This is not possible as long as you are identifying yourself with your mind.

When such worries come, don’t yield. Stand apart and watch how the mind gets worried, and not you, by the worries. Just as you pacify a child ‘weeping for nothing’ often by fearful threats, on occasions by loving words, sometimes by promises of some presents, and sometimes by a tender slap, so too manage the mind!

The very moment you start detaching yourself from it and watching it, you will find that the mind has lost half of its stamina. As though ashamed of itself, it comes to you in surrender and awe!

The very same mind that is now madly agitated, which gives so much worry and pain, is the ferry that must take us to peace and perfection, which is God.

Worry, anxiety, desire, selfishness, jealousy, hatred and so on are the dirt that lies heaped within us, accumulated during the millions of births which each one of us had lived in our various embodiments. This accumulated dirt has now turned the Lord out of the inner temple.

Empty His home. Clear it. Purify it. Sanctify it with devotion. Invoke Him. He shall enter in and then glory, glory to the God-mad devotee. This is what Draupadi gained, Rādhā accomplished, and Mīrā experienced. Even today, many are living the joys of the Lord
having entered their home.



Thursday Thoughts

Hari OM

Having asked us to act from Love (yesterday's post), let us now read Gurudev's view on the effects of action and how to monitor our expectations of outcomes...



Whispering Wednesday

 Hari OM

Borrowed whisper today - let all our actions be governed and generated from the essence of Love with the capital 'ell.'



Textual Tuesday

Hari OM

We come to the third discourse on the subject of the Mahavaakyas, as provided to us via Swami Advayananda, and courtesy of Chinmaya Productions. There are many excellent discourses provided on the Chinmaya tubular channel - do consider subscribing there!

Saturday Satsang

Hari OM


There is no easier path than japa of the Lord’s name and the steady growth through meditation.

No Guru can give a quick shot of some ‘Ātm-omycelene’ in the arm by touch or word. No Master can give anything more than encouragement and some guidance from time to time.

When the time comes for intense austerity, you need not go into solitude; but you
will find yourself in solitude. This is the divine law. When a child is fully grown-up, it need not struggle to come out of the womb, but the very walls of the womb that were so long protecting it will push it out.

Just as the child has only to wait for its day of full maturity, so too every seeker has
only to wait patiently for his day, and the rules of waiting are the rules of divine Life.

Like culture or education, it is the product of patient activity in the right direction
and is to be gained step by step, a progressive rise in altitude and attitude of the growing inner man. Therefore, patience is unavoidable. We must wait for our opportunity; we must wait for our own experience.

At the doors of the Lord, we have no right to demand admission. We can only, with a
confidence born out of love, knock in reverence and wait outside until the Lord feels pity and opens the doors and gives us a warm, welcoming darśana of His beatitude.

Thus, though there are various rungs in the ladder of progress, all of them are held intact between the two parallel beams constituted of waiting and faith. The spiritual programme must necessarily be well oiled with patience, consisting of waiting, watching and praying.




Thursday Thoughts

Hari OM

...you are what you think...



Whispering Wednesday

Hari OM

FOG.

Pulling back the curtains early yesterday morning, the windows looked out upon thick, blanketing fog. The trees on the other side of the road were clear but beyond them was a mystery.

F is for faith. The very fact that the visible trees gave a measure of security and trust that things were as they always were. Although it was impossible to see beyond them, one retained the faith that the land extended far beyond that mysterious barrier. Faith that there was something more...

O is for outlook. The depth and strength of one's faith are determined to some degree by the outlook one has upon life. If one is prone to pessimism, seeing beyond the immediately visible can prove difficult. If one is optimistic, there might sometimes be a little recklessness in not considering the possibility that there might not be anything further to see beyond the visible. If there is a mental balance between these two things, it is possible to maintain faith through trust in the evidence presented plus a level of expectation.

G is for grounded. In taking that middle road in outlook, one doesn't risk the pitfall of the pessimist that even the visible is problematic and fearsome, and none of the idealism of the optimist that has one flying into fantasy. To be grounded is to appreciate exactly the environment of the moment but still have the facility to appreciate other possible environs.

... it's amazing what a little fog can do for one's thinking...



Textual Tuesday

Hari OM

Continuing the series linked to online discourses with Swami Advayananda on the subject of the Mahavaakayas - the four great statements of the philosophy of Vedanta.



Meditative Monday

Hari Om


Here we have an echo of the longer message provided last month. Step back from your mind and watch it like you would watch a river. Keep watching. Get to know yourself thoroughly - warts and all! Then, with appropriate thoughts and deeds, demonstrate the desire to eradicate your negatives and accentuate your positives. 



Saturday Satsang

Hari OM


All true artists, poets, literary persons and scientists come to apprehend the presence of a great rhythm in existence. This vague comprehension surprises some staggers a few and excites the curiosity of others.

Unfortunately, to the majority of us, this harmony is an accidental vision, an unpredicted divine visitation. Even when this harmony is felt, we know not how to persuade it to remain with us; it comes at its own sweet will, woos us for a moment, then like the buzzing courtiers of flowers, it leaves us to pine for its next visit.

The sages of the Upaniṣads have been the messengers of this inner harmony. They investigated it, observed its play, and systematised their knowledge into a subjective science, complete with its theoretic explanation and practical methods.

ʻThis deity of harmony itself seen manifested in all of the activities of the universe always dwells in the hearts of human beings as the supreme Self. Those who realise It through the immediate perception of the heart attain immortalityʼ roars the Upaniṣads.

This life of rhythm and joy is the goal of perfect living, the state of God-realisation which knows no fatigue, recognises no failure, perceives no discord. To discover this harmony, to live in attunement with it is to master life.

To live this divine life, one must end all spirit of antagonism with the outer world of things and beings. Hate none. Love all. With this love, you will conquer even the most brutal forces around you.



Thursday Thoughts

Hari OM

It was interesting to watch the effect upon my thinking when I realised that there was no whisper coming through for Wednesday this week. 

First, there was a very slight shock. The inner ear is well-tuned, and it is hard to think when last there was such a blank. Even if there is no direct whisper, there is usually something in the week that can be picked up and scrutinised. Just not this week.

Then, it was a teeny, tiny morsel of panic that entered. I have an established blogging/writing routine, and it is rare indeed to drop any part of that. To have a blank post where one usually stands felt like a betrayal. Of whom or what? ...silly, but there it was.

Thus, thirdly, it was necessary to quickly get over myself. So there was nothing on offer for yesterday; the sky is still above, the ground below and the air to breathe remains between these two. Today has arrived as surely tomorrow will also, so a missing post has not caused the cogs of the universe to slip or jig. 

A few more minutes of pondering brought the thought and the reminder that all of this is my own creation. Therefore it is mine to alter and adapt as is my wont. 

Everything is fluid. When we get attached to routine, just as when we attach to our ego, we become lost in our own creation and breakdowns in those things cause us to feel broken also. None of this matters.

Indeed, Advaita teaches us that matter itself doesn't matter; all this is That... and in That, there is nothing missing.



Textual Tuesday

Hari OM

These posts are for delving into the words and theory of Advaita Vedanta. One of the main focus points for any serious seeker is to ponder upon (and make real for themselves) the "Great Statements" - the Mahaavaakyas. There are four of these:
  • प्रज्ञानं ब्रह्म / prajnaanam brahma; Consciousness Alone IS.
  • तत्त्वं असि / tat-tvam asi; That thou art.
  • अयं आत्मा ब्रह्म / ayam aatmaa brahma; Aatmaa and Brahma are one and the same.
  • अहं  ब्रह्मास्मि / aham brahmaasmi;I AM Brahman (Consciousness)
All who come to Vedantic philosophy will have to wrangle with the complexities - and the simplicity - of these statements. These were given in different Upanishads, as they are designed for meditative practice and to develop the student in actual experience. These are not words to be read and digested but also to be experienced. They are given by the Guru to the shishya considered worthy of them. Nothing beats learning from a true Master. Swami Advayananda (Yamini-amma's personal aachaarya) is one such. Today and for the next three "Text-days," please take the opportunity to listen attentively (shravanam).

Do not be tempted to race ahead and listen to all four. Instead, stick to the link given each week and then spend some time considering what it is you heard - and hopefully took notes for! - and work on some conclusions and deeper contemplation of the subject for yourself (mananam).

With the understanding and knowledge gained from proper shravanam and mananam alone, we can move forward into nididdhyaasanam - proper and thorough contemplation. Each of these discourses is approximately ninety minutes in duration. Here is your link.


Meditative Monday

Hari OM


The Ultimate Goal!

It can seem impossible from where we stand now.
Many have achieved it... now set sail!

Sunday Statements

Hari OM

You may click on the image to enlarge it.


Saturday Satsang

Hari Om

Gurudev was asked on more than one occasion...


His response:

Vedānta is the science of human personality, and as such, we do not enquire into the motive of the Infinite in finite. In short, if God created the world, it is useless for you to ask me why He did so. I would say, “Please go and ask God.” If I give you any explanation, it will at best be my theory. The Infinite has never become the finite. ⠀

The dreamer alone sees the dream. When the dreamer wakes up, he understands that the dream was only a misinterpretation of the waking world in another plane of consciousness. The Infinite, when looked at through the body, mind and intellect, appears to be the world of objects, emotions and thoughts. It is for us to wake up from this dream of ego! ⠀

When we look out from the perspective of the Self, the Self alone exists. Seek this centre of Reality in yourself. But really there is not just one creation story. Ādi Śaṅkara claimed that he counted eighty-two different ones in the scriptures. No theory is correct. They were a kind of lullaby to set a mood, to soothe the student’s mind. No mind, no creation. ⠀

For the sage there is no creation. Ask an unbound sage how bondage came and you will never get an answer. He will reply, “What bondage? Who is in bondage?” Ask one who is still bound by the world and how can he answer – he isn’t out of it himself. So there you are – no answers. ⠀

If your child is given a piece of cake and the child asks, “Mummy, where did you get it? Who gave it to you? Why did he give it? Why should I eat it?” It will be clear to you that the child is not hungry. If the child was hungry, he would just grab the cake and eat it. ⠀
At this moment, we are not spiritually hungry, and therefore, the intellect raises these questions. Cultivate in yourself a healthy spiritual hunger. Then you will leave playing with the world of plurality and turn your attention to the pure Self.⠀



Thursday Thoughts

Hari OM

Rather than my own thoughts, I give you some directly from Gurudev - mainly because these ARE my thoughts, but he was so much more eloquent!