ArzoonSpace

What is meditation? It is to be aware of the self directly!

2012-01-24T03:43:00.000-08:00

Let us discuss awareness. By awareness, i want to clearly distinguish awareness of the usual kind (of external objects etc) from awareness of the internal kind or awareness of the self. To be aware of the presence of another person, we need to see that person, feel them, hear them or smell them etc, but do we need to see ourselves, hear ourselves or feel ourselves or smell ourselves to detect our presence? How do we know that we exist? Can we know that we exist even without relying on our senses? Our knowledge of our existence is independent of our senses. That 'I' that is our self exists irrespective of whether the senses exist or whether they are functioning correctly. When spiritualists talk of 'knowing the self' or 'awareness of the self' they mean knowing the self directly, without needing to resort to sensory experience or rational thought.

A person who knows from the senses and reason based on sensory input says 'I see myself, therefore i am' or 'i feel myself therefore i am'. He identifies with the sense object that is perceived by his senses. A person who knows from actions and reason says 'i act therefore i am' and identifies with the actor. A person who knows from thought and rational deduction says 'i think therefore i am' and identifies with the mind or the thinker. All of these are indirect approaches of knowing the self. To know the self directly is the state of 'I am.'

What is meditation? Meditation is to be aware of the self directly. Meditation is a state of bypassing the senses and thought to obtain direct knowledge of the self. It is to find your center (not just your extensions such as your arms or legs). Since meditation involves being aware of something that exists independent of the senses, people are advised to close their eyes while meditating. However, the eyes are only a small part of the sensory input. Distractions continue to exist even when the eyes are closed.

In fact, closing one's eyes can create an outward illusion of being in meditation. However, even with the eyes closed, one can be focused on the extensions and not the center. A person who is 'realized' maintains awareness of the self even with his eyes open, even when he is thinking and even when he is acting. He is not only aware of that 'self' directly, he also chooses to express that self through his thoughts, words, actions etc. He may also choose to express the self passively (e.g., in a state of passive meditation). In such a person, the self determines the thoughts, words, and actions and not vice versa. While seeing, thinking and acting, he knows that he is neither merely the seer, thinker or actor. He is aware of the self which is independent. Such a person is always in meditation even when he is not 'meditating.'

Awareness is agnostic to the senses - Meditate with your eyes open

2011-12-25T23:14:00.001-08:00

If it is possible to shoot arrows in the dark and hit the target, and if it is possible to play a complex musical instrument like the guitar with your eyes closed, it is also possible to meditate with your eyes open. Eyes open or closed doesn't make any difference because meditation is an exercise of a higher awareness which is agnostic to the senses. Meditation is about awareness. One can close one's eyes while meditating, but can you close your ears also? How about closing your nose also so that you won't get distracted by any smells lingering around? Can you stop your skin from sensing changes in temperature or from itching while you are meditating? Can you stop yourself from passing gas or from yawning while meditating? If not then why close the eyes only? If you can't focus with your eyes open, you can't focus with your eyes closed also. A person who merely shuts his sense organs and pretends to meditate while he is entertaining thoughts pertaining to sense objects is a hypocrite. A yogi can meditate at any time. He can meditate while sipping tea (zen meditation), and even when he is in the pot.

Practise AND Detachment

2011-12-24T05:08:00.000-08:00

The mind is restless and turbulent like the wind. It can be controlled by a combination of disciplined effort and detachment. Both detachment and practice of controlling the mind are required. Detachment makes the mind stronger but disciplined practice directs its attention to the present.

Practice controls the mind in the short term and detachment in the long term. Both are required for balance. One cannot be too detached if one is living in the world. So you attach. Then the mind wanders. Then you control it with practice and discipline. If you are unable to control even then, detach. But if you detach too much, you cannot do your work and live in the world effectively. Hence attach again. It is an iterative process. Detachment alone will make you a sanyasi. Detachment with practice and discipline will make you a Karma Yogi.

Standalone intellect that is not actionable is a facet of the ego

2011-12-24T05:04:00.000-08:00

Intelligence when restricted to spiritual contemplation also becomes a facet of the ego, as in the case of intelligent as well spiritually oriented persons who use their intelligence mainly on the theoretical level for discussions, debates, theories, arguments and counter arguments. It becomes a form of spiritual elitism. It should instead be actionable intelligence that takes one to realization. The mind should be channelled as a tool to generate actionable intelligence for the fulfillment on one's dharma. When the intelligence is disconnected from dharma and Karma Yoga, it becomes a facet of the ego.

Action - body - Senses - mind - intellect - ego (regular person without awareness)

awareness (that itself has a direct link and control with ego, intellect, mind, senses, body etc) - action (realized)

are the layers (you can represent it better in a circle with action also connecting to the body).

Awareness has a direct link with action, but the ego has to go via the mind, senses and body to the left. In a realized person, there is action with awareness simultaneously, and this creates knowledge, which is stored in a temorary memory (e.g., cache) in such a manner that it can be easily expressed as action.

The realized person does not use the intellect as a standalone module. It is used and controlled only through awareness. The intellect becomes a part of awareness and is operated only through and by awareness.That is how the intellect, mind, and senses remain in control. When a person is aware, he can override the mind, intellect, and senses, and also detach himself from the mind,body and senses. This awareness is existence, truth, consciousness and bliss.

Judging people V/s Judging situations

2011-12-24T04:55:00.000-08:00

Judge situations and deal with them effectively. Don't judge people. People are a lot deeper than situations. There is a lot more to people than how you relate to them. Labeling people is the hallmark of the ego. Don't fall prey to the ego. Act in the present according the situation. Don't let your past impressions colour your actions in the present.

There are no 'difficult people' for those who are nonjudgemental. One is better off with an open mind than a judgemental one. Only an open mind sees the other person for what he/she really is and not just one of the 'types' of difficult people.

If one falls victim to the ego game of categorizing others into different categories of 'difficult people', it will have a direct impact on one's personal spiritual growth. This categorizing game is created by the ego to preserve itself and to protect it from attack by others. As the ego becomes better at this categorizing game, it strengthens itself at the cost of the true self. It becomes less compassionate towards others who it treats as outsiders and 'difficult people'. It sees them as 'difficult people' and not fellow human beings who have their strengths and weaknesses. The objective of spirituality is to transcend the ego, not to protect, preserve and strengthen it.

'Difficult people' who challenge our narrow world views help us learn about ourselves and grow spiritually. 'Easy people' or 'Easy going people' who agree with whatever we say and do irrespective of its merit, praise and flatter us, and strengthen our egos create barriers to our spiritual growth.

E.g., to Duryodhana or Dhritarashtra, Vidura would be a 'difficult person', perhaps even a controlling or competitive type of person, and Karna would be an 'easy going person' who always agrees and never argues with him. But Vidura advised Duryodhana to avoid doing things that would lead to his destruction and destruction of the entire Kuru clan and Karna encouraged him on the path to his destruction by supporting all his activities (including insulting draupadi, surrounding and killing Abhimanyu etc) and and gave him the confidence that whatever he was doing was right and he should thus continue along the same path.

Intent V/s Desire

2011-12-24T04:30:00.000-08:00

Freedom from desire makes you truly free. It is desire that keeps us looking to the future instead of living in the present. A person who is free from desire can actually experience the present moment and delight in it. He can actually smell the coffee and not just gulp it while reading the newspaper or watching TV.

To start a business is an intent. It is more than a desire. It is more of a conscious choice to fulfil a certain purpose. Desire is more of a temporary feeling. Intent is based on a planned and systematic decision backed by action. Intent is more conscious, and involves awareness. Desire can be at a subconscious or sensory level (e.g., desire to buy a product when you watch an ad for it or desire to watch a movie while viewing its trailer) even without involving a higher awareness. It is more automatic and governed by external stimuli. Intent is towards fulfilling a purpose (e.g., based on your individual dharma). Desire can be mere neediness or identifying a want or need that is presently unfulfilled. Intent is accompanied by belief and faith. A person with intent does not feel unhappy in the present because what is intended is not yet within his grasp. He works his way towards making the it happen while maintaining his faith. He does not feel unhappy because what is intended has not manifested yet.

A Karma Yogi will make a conscious decision with awareness on his goals and objectives with intent and orient his actions to fulfil that intent. However he will also detach himself from the result and hence not feel unhappy over the result. He will quickly move on to focus on the present and continue fulfilling his intent. He does not identify with the end result and focuses only on the intent, goal and his actions towards fulfilling them. Also intent may be more long term so it is never the end whereas desires are more short term so unhappiness is more likely to result.

e.g., for a person whose intent is to have a fulfilling and rewarding job or business, even if he fails in one interview or in one project, he does not give up, saying that his desire was not fulfilled. He will continue to focus on what he can do in the present by improving his skills and continue the process. In the case of a short term desire (e.g., to marry a specific girl, or to pass a specific exam), if that desire is unfulfilled, it seems like the end, and many young people commit suicide because of such unfulfilled desires. A person with intent will appear for the exam better prepared again or try to woo the girl again (if she is not yet married) or move on in life to find someone else who will also love him (the intent being internally focused on him having a good marriage and not focused on the girl who is external). Intent is formulated from the inside based on internal aspects like one's nature, talents, purpose etc whereas desire is focused on external objects that are outside of one's control.

How does one realize the intangible soul?

2011-11-06T02:01:00.000-08:00

Realization of the soul means to make it real. How can one make something real when one cannot detect it? First, assume that it exists. Then, act based on that assumption. This process makes the soul real. The absolute, like the soul, is an abstract concept. Any abstract concept can only be 'made real' because it is not real on its own. It is abstract, formless, and intangible.But when a human being acts as if the soul is real, the soul is expressed through the human being and is thus 'realized.' Each human being is a universe in himself/herself. So if the human being believes in something or does not believe in something, it affects its expression or even existence (in due course) in that human being.

This process is not blind faith. It is more like an experiment to test a hypothesis. It takes an open and scientific mind to try an experiment like this. It is not an experiment using any apparatus other than the self itself. If the question on the soul's existence means something to you, please try this experiment, and share the results. The mind is agnostic to the soul, but when it is 'gnosticized' through an assumption, it is optimized and prepared to detect the soul and execute/express it.

To detect something, you need to first characterize it. The soul cannot be characterized easily because it is abstract, intangible and formless. Hence, you need to assume it exists and based on that assumption, deduce what its existence would mean to you and how its existence would manifest itself in you. Then you need to act according this deduction. This will bring about a transformation in you and you will no longer view yourself self as mere mind and body. Thus, your identity will expand to beyond the mind. Only then will you be able to detect something that is beyond the mind. To detect something that is beyond mind, you first need to transform yourself to beyond mind so that you can detect it. As long as you operate from the mind and the senses alone, you will remain agnostic to the soul.

If a human being does not choose to express the soul, it does not express itself and remains hidden. If a human being chooses to express it, it become manifest, as in the case of many 'great souls.' If a human being chooses to deliberately hide it, it becomes vestigial with time. Take an example of an inborn gift or talent. If it is expressed willingly and nurtured, it develops. If it is deliberately ignored and discouraged, it is lost. A person cannot detect whether he has a talent for singing or not until he sings. He cannot merely 'cognize' this talent without first expressing it. He can cognize talent in others when they sing, but either way, the singing is required. Without the expression, the talent is just abstract and intangible and it goes undetected. In contrast, if this talent is curbed by a false belief that it does not exist. If one is discouraged and disparaged when one tries to express this talent each time, then this talent dies a slow death. The person himself buries it due to the fear of being disparaged. Much later, when he realizes his mistake and tries to express it after burying it, it loses its sheen and is not the same as it would have been had he expressed it earlier.

The Soul is intangible, the mind is agnostic to the Soul

2011-10-29T00:45:00.000-07:00

The Soul is intangible. Let us take an example to illustrate how the tangible and the intangible come together to shape 'reality'. There is a software architect. He comes up with an algorithm. A computer programmer writes a first piece of software code based on the algorithm in Java Script and uploads it on a server. Another computer programmer writes a second piece of software code based on the same algorithm in C++, and stores it on a pen drive. The first piece is executed on visiting the programmer's website on the client with a 3Ghz processor. The 2nd piece is executed by reading the pen drive and executing it in a Netbook with a 1.66 GHz processor.

Now does the processor cognize the algorithm or the architect? Is the processor aware of the computer programmer who wrote the program or the architect who devised the algorithm? The answer is NO, because the processor does not have the capability to cognize the algorithm or the architect. It only executes any instructions that are loaded on it independent of the algorithm or the architect. Essentially the hardware is a generic hardware that is AGNOSTIC to the algorithm. It is not entirely agnostic to the programming language, because it needs an interpreter and/or compiler to run that language, however it is entirely agnostic to the algorithm and the architect. Hence, the outcome or cognition happens at a tangible level, but it needs the intangible to derive the result. Despite this, the body and brain (hardware) cannot cognize the algorithm or the architect. The mini can at least detect the pen drive, but the Java Script runs automatically when the laptop connects to the server through the internet.

The mind lacks the capability to cognize the intangible soul when it loses its connection with the network and the server. However when it connects to the server and to other computers on the cloud. it acquires more capabilities and expands to acquire more and more characteristics that allow it to express more of the intangible. Such a mind that recognizes its limitations acts more as a connecting device and a thin client rather than a supercomputer that is limited not by the hardware but by the software (that has a lot of powerful capabilities in terms of power and speed, but runs useless software or software full of bugs that does not utilize the hardware capabilities and gives incorrect and undesirable results).

The algorithm can be likened to a function, or at a higher level, purpose. Our limited self is agnostic to the purpose or intent, and it simply executes actions without reference to the higher purpose. The body executes the actions but it does not get affected, but the mind has access to incomplete information and it jumps to incorrect conclusions based on the incomplete information. The mind is the aspect that creates and causes pain and anguish even when the body does not.

Agnosticism is to be expected (no surprise) due the limitations of the mind to perceive something that is beyond the mind. That is why there is a need for an awakening that involves transcending the mind. Even if we are born with an innate awareness that we are not just the body or mind, we tend to forget this due to conditioning from parents, friends, teachers and society in general that treats us as mere bodies or minds. We are constantly judged based on physical and mental characteristics by society, so how can we believe that we are something more?

There is a difference between understanding a concept or formulating a concept and cognition. Cognition is to detect and be aware of something. That something should correspond to something that is not just a mental formulation or something that is internal to the mind and body. Of course, the mind comes up with ideas and concepts that are intangible. However these ideas and concepts exist purely in the mind. Cognition is not mere ideation or evaluation of concepts. It is to detect and be aware of something that exists outside of and independent of the mind. When the idea is converted into something more than a mental formulation (e.g., into a software, a design on a piece of paper, or a prototype that is more tangible), the mind can cognize it, not directly from another mind, but from the tangible expression (e.g., on the paper, physical model or computer). Emotions are formed due to external stimuli from the senses, information obtained by external sources, or reflection of past memories or conception of future events that are all accessed within the mind by the mind itself or in combination with the senses. Of course,detecting emotions is within the scope of the mind because emotions are a creation of the mind either on its own or in combination with the body. However the mind lacks the capability to detect something intangible that does not exist only in minds or that is independent of minds. Hence the mind is agnostic to a soul.

Mohandas to Mahatma - Experiments with Truth

2011-09-27T18:22:00.000-07:00

Who was M.K. Gandhi? Indians know him as 'Bapu', or the 'Father of the nation.' What makes him so? Was it his experiments in the political field? Or was it his experiments in the spiritual field? He is known as 'Mahatma' Gandhi. However this title actually pained him deeply, and he did not attach much value to it. Gandhiji's goal that he had been striving to achieve for decades, was none other than Moksha, or self-realization. His life's journey was a quest for truth itself, as the sovereign and eternal principle. Gandhiji placed Truth above any perception of God. He worshiped God as truth only, not in the form of deity. His goal was the absolute truth, however until he was able to realize the absolute, he held on steadfast to the relative truth as conceived by him. This assumption of relative truth as it occured to him at any given point in time, and acting on it constituted his 'Experiments with truth.' Depending on whether his experiments failed or succeeded, he modified his perceptions in accordance with reality.

Some people think that he was born a Mahatma and was some kind of superhuman person. He was anything but superhuman. His human flaws made his achievements all the more exemplary. Gandhijis experiements in his early days saw him eat meat, steal coppers from servants, smoke cigarettes, steal gold from his brother etc. He was able to forgive himself and develop the courage to move on despite numerous failings. He undertook penance for his failed experiments. He took full responsibility for stray incidents of violence in the freedom struggle during movements of noncooperation initiated by him and fasted as penance. Other leaders would have just blamed others but that was not Gandhiji's style.

Gandhiji's qualities are relevant in today's times as much as during the freedom struggle. He was the first leader to walk the talk when it came to Christ's teachings of turning the other cheek. He appealed to people's sense of morals, ethics and justice instead of using violence. In that sense, he had great faith in dharma even when everyone else believed that only might is right. He is one of the greatest leaders the world has ever seen to live the messages of equality, tolerance of all religions, compassion, and justice. He changed the country and the world, one person at a time. He was able to do this by changing himself. He developed the ability to control his own mind and senses through his experiments. Also, he was a Karma Yogi who performed actions never for his selfish motives but for the well being of all including those who persecuted him. This gave him tremendous mental strength and equanimity. He pointed out similarities in the teachings of the Gita, Bible, Koran etc and contributed immensely to harmony among people from different castes, religions, and communities.

Bayon temple - God in Symbolism

2011-09-11T06:35:00.000-07:00

I visited Cambodia recently, where i visited a lot of temples with a combination of Hindu and Buddhist influences. Due to the various wars that ravaged the country, each time the victor desecrated the idols and replaced them with his own. Hence the temples are beautiful, the carvings are exquisite, but the shrines and empty or desecrated. In some cases there is a recent idol of Buddha just to mask the emptiness.It gave me a glimpse of 'a world without God' by visiting temples without idols or shrines. People walked into the shrines with shoes. Some tourists even sat inside and drank beer. A local was distributing agarbatis to light in front of a Buddha idol, saying 'pray buddha' and then asking for money and he was also selling beer. Some tourists stepped on the holy symbols (representing shiva, shakti etc) thinking them to be just unusually shaped stones. A world without God.

But amidst all this, i found God amidst symbolism in the Bayon temple.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayon

At the Bayon temple, God was not in the idol, but in the temple itself. As i walked through the passageways and glanced at the 37 'face towers' and 200 smiling faces built into the temple itself, i realized that this was an ingenious way of preserving 'God' and what God represents in an indirect manner, so that miscreants could not easily destroy it. There are many paths and many ways to reach the same point from different directions indicating that there is no single path to the destination. There are faces in each direction and they can be seen from different angles.

From outside, it looks just like some stones, but if you look carefully, each of the towers is made up of human faces in each direction. The doors are like a reflection of a mirror from a mirror. Each tower ends with a lotus on top. In Buddhism,a lotus is synonymous with peace and equanimity. In my view, it represents various Bodhisattvas who attained peace. However the central tower does not have a lotus on top. It is the highest and there is a hole that allows light to shine right into the tower. In my view, this represents enlightenment, which is even above peace. An enlightened being is ready to even disturb his/her own peace to spread light to others.

A new era

2011-07-31T07:27:00.000-07:00

The world is moving towards a new era of peace, growth and prosperity. As science and spirituality progress side by side, the human becomes more and more divine and the divine becomes more and more human. Humans stop blaming fate and God for circumstances and events and take charge of their lives. People keep climbing the pyramid of needs from physical, biological and emotional needs towards self actualization. Individuals work together for the benefit of the whole and in the process, in their own best interests. Nobody needs to engage in acts of violence for any reason. Human love will become divine and divine love more human. Each day brings with it great joy and excitement, and each action is inspired.

Importance of being cheerful

2011-02-10T21:13:00.000-08:00

How often do you

a) make others feel good about themselves?
b) ask others to make you feel good?
c) expect others to make you feel good?
d) accept positive gestures from others?
e) make yourself feel good?

The answers to these questions will give you insight onto your level of cheerfulness. If you make yourself feel good and share those good feelings with others, accept positive gestures from others, but at the same time do not feel disappointed when they are not given. If you also don't hesitate to ask for positive gestures once in a while from your loved ones, you can stay cheerful and spread that cheer around!

What is awareness?

2011-02-05T03:29:00.001-08:00

Awareness is an expression of the self in its pure form in the present or in the now. It is a natural state. A person who is aware in the present sees himself, others and events for what they are, naturally. An experience with awareness is known as realization. Action with awareness is called Karma Yoga. Awareness is cultivated by detachment from the limited self (including the body, mind, and thoughts) and observing them in a continuous manner, knowing that the observer and the observed are one.

Yoga - union with the divine

2010-12-05T08:10:00.000-08:00

The word 'Yoga' is typically associated with complex postures or asanas (that form a part of Hatha Yoga). However, it actually means union with the divine or the universal self. The approaches for attaining union with the divine are the various paths such as Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Jnana Yoga etc. These paths are explained in the Bhagavad Gita. The Gita also explains that the result of all these forms of yoga are one and the same. The wise know that these paths are all 'Yoga'. The state or realization obtained by one who follows the path of Karma Yoga and one who follows the path of Jnana Yoga are the same. If the word 'Yoga' is not associated with Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, and Jnana Yoga, the words that are left (i.e. Karma, Bhakti, and Jnana)are very different in meaning. Karma means action, Bhakti means devotion, and Jnana means knowledge. These words on their own have a limited meaning. However when the word yoga is added to these words, each of Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, and Jnana Yoga becomes similar to the other. The word Yoga has this unifying effect. A person cannot attain Yoga merely through action, devotion or knowledge. However, the combination of the three when applied in an integrated manner leads to Yoga. The message of the Gita is not merely desireless action, devotion to God, or knowledge. The message is to perform actions with devotion and universal love in a manner that leads to knowledge by realization. These paths have synergies that in turn lead to the ultimate goal, which is Yoga or union with the divine. A person who strives for union with the divine through one or more of these paths is known as a Yogi. Once the state of realization is attained, the path that led to it becomes immaterial. No matter which path the person followed to attain union with the divine, the person is known simply as a Yogi.

Karma Yoga v/s Nishkama Karma

2010-12-03T01:04:00.001-08:00

Karma Yoga, one of the paths towards union with the divine outlined in the Bhagavad Gita, involves a lot more than just Nishkama Karma or 'desireless action'. Karma Yoga is action that is inspired from within by devotion, universal love, surrender to the divine, and the highest knowledge and wisdom. A lot of people seem to think that the essence of Krishna's message to Arjuna in the Gita is 'Nishkama Karma' or 'desireless action'. Then they go on to argue that no action is possible without desire and hence Krishna's message is impossible to implement. In an interview with Sify, Gurcharan Das equates Karma Yoga and Nishkama Karma by saying "Lord Krishna advocates Karma Yoga or Nishkama Karma. The idea of an action for the sake of an action and not for the reward is very attractive."He then dismisses Nishkama Karma saying that it is 'as idealistic as Marxists notion of equality' and it is not practical.

For someone who has spent so many years doing practically nothing except read the Mahabharata, Gurcharan Das seems to be quite ignorant of the Bhagavad Gita and its message. However, he seems to justify his ignorance of the Gita by saying that it is not important because "Gita was originally not a part of the Mahabharat. It was placed in the epic later only because of the Vaishnavite influence on the epic." Presumably according to Das, the Mahabharat is practical enough for him to devote a substantial portion of his life in reading it and writing a book on it, but the Gita is not practical or important because "Gita was originally not a part of the Mahabharat." In his book "The Difficulty of being Good: On the Subtle Art of Dharma”, the core message, as mentioned in the title, is that it is difficult to be good. Moreover, it is difficult to even determine what is good, righteous or what is one duty, because "Dharma is sukshma or subtle." Essentially, the book concludes that after reading the Mahabharata, one is as confused about the notion of Dharma as he was before reading the Mahabharata, and the only conclusion that can be drawn is that 'Dharma is subtle.'

This conclusion comes as no surprise, because the Mahabharata, and the world itself appears to be chaotic, unjust, and unfair to a person who is ignorant. The characteristics of Rajas and Tamas outlined in the Gita can only lead one to believe that selfishness is virtue, and that the world is meaningless. The way to knowledge and wisdom is by reading and applying the message of the Bhagavad Gita. By considering the Gita to be unimportant and impractical, the only thing Das has managed to succeed in doing through his book (apart from increasing his fame and bank balance) is to publicize his ignorance and inability to live a righteous life based on 'Dharma'. The easiest way to wash ones hands of the blame for leading a selfish life motivated only by greed, envy, and desire for power, success and fame is to say that to be unselfish is not only unimportant or impractical, but impossible.

Whereas Das tries to justify his own corporate excesses as relatively selfless by outlining the excesses of Wall Street, Ramalinga Raju, and the Ambanis, other people's excesses do not absolve him for his inability to lead a selfless or righteous life. It is easy to quote paragraphs from English translations of the Mahabharata and separate the quotes with random thoughts and opinions (which are plentiful), but it is a lot more difficult to read the Bhagavad Gita, internalize it, and apply its message in daily life. To understand Karma Yoga and the message of the Gita, one has to become a Karma Yogi. Merely reading pages of text,quoting from them, acquiring fancy degrees and designations, mental contemplation, and writing verbose books cannot make a person learned. The paths of Knowledge and action are one.

Innate goodness

2010-11-22T02:09:00.000-08:00

Is there such as thing as evil? Are some people pure evil? I believe in the innate goodness of people. A newborn child is inherently good. The reason why people turn to evil and perform evil deeds is because they have a reached a point where they think that any good deed performed by them cannot overcome the effects of past evil deeds. From then on, they lose faith in life altogether. However, if given a chance to erase the effects of their past deeds and start a new life on a clean slate, anyone will take it. If an evil person is forgiven and given a chance to lead a new life that is free from the repercussions of past evil deeds, he will give it his best shot and try to make it work to the best. Everyone wants the same basic things like having a family and being loved. Nobody wants to die alone.

Karma Yoga - easy or difficult?

2010-10-13T22:59:00.000-07:00

Among the various paths outlined in the Gita, Karma yoga is spoken by some as the easiest way (or that of the beginner)and by others as the most difficult and cumbersome way (e.g., one that takes the maximum time). Is Karma yoga easy or difficult for you? Do you want to be a Karma Yogi? Judge for yourself.

The essence of Karma Yoga is

1) Do your duty and detach yourself from the results and outcomes
2) Maintain a balanced mind and control your senses
3) Do not be overly affected by opposites of pleasure and pain, success & failure etc

These concepts are simple enough to be understood by one and all. One need not practice rigorous austerities in remote locations, spend hours chanting names or verses, singing devotional songs etc. One need not contemplate on finer aspects of the scriptures or analyze complex philosophical concepts of the nature of the Absolute Reality.

Anyone can practice Karma Yoga if they follow the above 3 guidelines. They are not as simple to practice as they are to understand. However, according to the Gita, one can control and balance the mind by the right effort and discipline, and by practicing detachment. With some practice, Karma Yoga can be attained by anyone, and it is essential to fulfil the dharma of every individual. Without doing one's dharma and transcending Artha and Kama, one can never attain Moksha.

The 'big picture' of the Gita - more than just text

2010-10-05T22:58:00.000-07:00

When a pupil is instructed by a teacher, the pupil learns from all his senses. Hence importance is attached not only to the words used by the teacher, but also to any visual aids, illustrations, body language, tone of voice, musical intonation, emotions etc. In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna instructs Arjuna on the path of Karma Yoga to help him perform his duty and attain the highest human goal while doing so. The gita is not a telephonic conversation or a mere internet chat where only the text is sufficient to convey a message. It is the 'Song of God' delivered and performed by God himself to his devotee to help the devotee realize perfect devotion to the Lord. In the Gita, the message of Bhakti is not just a verbal message but one that is felt and realized by Arjuna in the presence of the Lord himself conveying the message of devotion to the Lord in his spectacular divine form. Hence the words alone do not give the full picture of devotion to the Lord.

The message of Bhakti in the Gita has to be realized as Arjuna did, in the presence of Krishna. Furthermore, Krishna gives divine vision to Arjuna and Arjuna perceives Krishna in all his divine splendour in subsequent chapters related to the divine forms of the Lord. Hence the words in these chapters cannot be grasped truly without the divine vision that Arjuna experienced, or the divine love experienced by the lord's relatives, friends and disciples in their personal interactions with him. The path of Bhakti which was taught by Krishna to Arjuna was ideal for the situation because:

1) Arjuna was already close to Krishna who knew him as a relative, a close friend and a guide and trusted Krishna completely.
2) Arjuna's personality was suited to devotion because he was emotional and highly devoted to people who were close to him and whom he trusted such as his brothers, his cousin Krishna, his grandsire Bhishma and his guru Drona.
3) There was very little time to resort to other methods such as meditation and contemplation because Arjuna was in the midst of a battlefield where his role was crucial.
4) Krishna bestowed divine vision on Arjuna which enabled him to not just perceive an abstract infinite being, but a supreme all attractive and all powerful personality with infinite attributes, but yet beyond all attributes.

Thus, the words spoken by Krishna were substantiated by Arjuna's vision as the words were being uttered in real time. It is human nature to learn by experience and based on what you see and not based on what you hear or what you read, hence a mere reading of these verses or a hearing from a 'guru' without a glimpse of the divine will not result in the realization of bhakti the way it worked for Arjuna in the physical presence of the Lord. During the war, Arjuna was constantly aware of the presence of the lord as his charioteer and guide. However this path of Bhakti taught by Krishna to Arjuna is the least ideal path for those who have not had a glimpse of Krishna even in his human form, let alone in his divine form in all his splendour. This Bhakti cannot be realized by humans who are not bestowed with divine vision or those who have not heard the divine flute playing or the melodious voice of the all attractive lord. Hence the only paths that suitable for the world of today in absence of contact with the avatar or human form of the lord are those of Karma Yoga, Jnana Yoga and Raja Yoga, which are taught by the lord himself.

Chanting the names of the lord and visualizing the forms of the lord and his pastimes, and worshiping idols helps to control the mind, however taming the mind alone does not lead to self-realization. Only the performance of action as Karma Yoga with balance and equanimity even in turbulent situations can lead to self-realization as it did for King Janaka and others. Even chanting the name of the lord or singing bhajans with a motive to praise him and reach him in his divine abode is not Karma Yoga, due to the underlying motive.

Those who refrain from performing their worldly duties towards themselves, their families, their countries, and the world at large and those who live vicariously in their thoughts under the guise of 'Bhaktas' are nothing but hypocrites. Idol worship or chanting names is mere attachment to a limited form such as a word or an 'idol' and not devotion to the infinite and all-encompassing lord who cannot be understood or realized through a limited idol or name. The lord is present in all living beings and the entire universe is present in the lord. This cannot be realized through a name, song, image or idol.

Dealing with difficult situations

2010-08-24T01:17:00.000-07:00

We may find ourselves in a difficult situation where we may have to negotiate with a person who is uncooperative, angry, and unwilling to negotiate. A situation like this is a test of one's character. It is important to detach oneself from the situation and not react. The easiest thing to do while dealing with a difficult situation or person is to react either by striking back, giving in, or breaking off the relationship. But this leads to a vicious cycle that leads to more action and reactions and the actual problem is not even addressed in this cycle and the parties remain as far from a settlement as they were in the beginning. If one does not remain detached, it is easy to get swayed by emotions and trigger off the vicious cycle of action and reaction.

Once set in motion, it is very difficult to stop the cycle. When one party feels ill-treated by other, a new set of actions may be initiated with revenge as a motive. Revenge is a cycle which only culminates when both parties emerge as losers. Hence, it is important to detach oneself from the situation before it gets out of hand, and before revenge becomes a motive.

Ekalavya - Nirguna v/s Saguna

2010-07-28T02:37:00.000-07:00

Ekalavya meditated on a concept of his 'Guru' Drona, learnt his lessons in archery in the Master's absence, and mastered the art. When his 'Guru' desired the thumb of Ekalavya's right hand as a fee,Ekalavya willingly sacrificed it. He demonstrated to the world what an aspirant could achieve in life if he has faith and respect in his master (even in his absence) and pursues his efforts.

While Arjuna had personally mastered archery from Drona, Ekalavya achieved equally impressive skills while meditating on the concept of his 'Guru' without his personal involvement. If he could not accomplish a particular technique, he would think about his 'Guru', present his problem and would wait in meditation till a solution appeared in his mind. He would then proceed further. Ekalavya's guru was without personal attributes, and Arjuna's guru was a person with attributes. However Ekalavya acquired skills matching or exceeding Arjuna's by faith and devotion. This story teaches us that faith opens doors to knowledge and gives answers even to the most difficult problems. It also teaches us the same results can be obtained by meditating on the formless as by devotion to the personal form with attributes.

Those with minds entered into Me, who unitively meditate
on Me, with a fervour pertaining to the Supreme, those
according to Me are the most unitively (attuned)in yoga.

But those who meditate upon the Imperishable, the
Undefineable, the Unmanifested, the All-Pervasive
and the Thought-transcending, the Firmly-established,
the Immobile, the Constant,having restrained all sense-aggregates,
regarding all with equalizing understanding, interested in the
well-being of all creatures, they reach Me too.

The 'Guru' Drona acknowledges that Ekalavya could seriously challenge Arjuna's status as the supreme archer, hence he asks for his right thumb. In this case, the 'Guru' is partial to the student who is devoted to him as a person and not to the student who meditates on a concept of him. The Lord however is not partial like Drona.

The only reason why he advocates the path of personal devotion to Arjuna is because Arjuna is more suited to this path, as proven by his devotion to his Guru Drona. In fact, Arjuna is so attached to the personal form of Drona that he is unable to come to terms with the fact that Drona is his worst enemy, and that Drona needs to be killed in order for justice to prevail. For a person with a different disposition, who attaches less significance to personal attributes, a different path would be more suitable.

Further, Krishna was personally present along with Arjuna throughout the war. Hence it made more sense for Arjuna to practice devotion to the personal form of Krishna rather than an abstract and formless concept, because guidance from the personal form would be instantaneous. Meditation on the formless would not be possible during battle, hence he would have to surrender to the personal form of Krishna with unwavering faith in order to perform his duty during the war.

Faith and Creation

2010-07-18T21:34:00.000-07:00

Creating something new begins with a leap of faith. A leap of faith is not required to extract information, but it is required to create something new. One needs a certain amount of faith to even experiment with something new. A total absence of faith will keep one cautious and fearful of the unknown. Hence a person who lacks faith will only try things that have been verified in the past and lead a limited life. Creation or creativity will be even more difficult because the logical and rational left brain brain does not have any logical explanation for creativity, which is a right brain activity. Having blind faith that is not substantiated by either an external verification, third party verification, experience or insight can prove to be detrimental. However a total lack of faith in anything that is not directly verified is also detrimental. A balance of reasoning and faith is required to try some thing new and be successful at it.

In the Mahabharata, the first leap of faith that Arjuna takes towards becoming a good archer is his faith in his Guru. He trust his teacher and follows his instructions to his best, without any doubt. When the Guru asks him to do something, he does that and only that. When he asks him to aim at a bird, he focuses only on the bird and nothing else. This is because he has 100% faith in his teacher and he is able to follow his instructions to the fullest. The others who lack this level of faith are unable to follow the instructions perfectly. His teacher was an accomplished archer and his teacher was Arjuna's well wisher, so his faith was based on reason and not blind.

Further, when he heard that his brother Bhima was eating in the dark, he deduced that the relative positions of objects are constant irrespective of the amount of light. Bhima said that he knew where the food was and where his mouth was, and he could eat irrespective of whether it was bright or dark. Arjuna was inspired by this and started practicing archery in the dark. This was based on a third party experience on an unrelated activity, but Arjuna's right brain was able to have faith that if Bhima could eat in the dark, he could shoot targets in the dark. With due practice, he was able to develop the new skill of archery in the dark. This would have not been possible without the leap of faith that led him to try some thing new.

Chicken-egg problems and Dharamsankats

2010-07-12T01:56:00.000-07:00

We are familiar with situations, such as "You can’t have chickens without eggs. And you can’t have eggs without chickens who grow up to be hens".

To better understand its metaphorical meaning, the question could be reformulated as: "Which came first, X that can't come without Y, or Y that can't come without X?" One real-world example in which the chicken-or-egg question helps identify the analytical problem is :A graduate cannot get a job because he has no experience, and cannot get experience because no one will give him a job.

Dharmasankat is a term in Indian religious and spiritual contexts implying a moral or ethical quandary, where choosing any of several options would result in a breach of one's dharma. In the Mahabharata, Arjuna was faced with a Dharamsankat when he had to choose between killing his relatives and allowing them to usurp all his rights and spend his life roaming around forests. How do we get around such Dharamsankats and Chicken-egg problems?

When we ask a question, such as 'what comes first, the chicken or the egg', our perception that one has to come first limits the possible answers to either the chicken or the egg. However there is no black and white answer to the question. Even more fundamental than the chicken or the egg is an entity that has the capability to create another entity similar to itself. This entity is present in both the chicken as well as the egg. When we view life's situations in black and white, we are perceiving them on a very superficial level. We really need to dig deeper beyond narrow views to transcend opposites and avoid being flummoxed by paradoxes.

Coming to the question of how to solve the Chicken egg problem. According the 2nd habit in Stephen Covey's book, all things are created twice - a first creation in the mind, and a second physical creation. Creating a world in which the Chicken egg problem does not exist is possible using the imagination, because there are no limitations to imagination. Or imagining a situation where the problem is solved already is possible. Although the solution may not be yet possible in the physical world, it is possible in the imaginary world. Once the first creation is complete, the second creation also eventually becomes possible.

Draupadi's question

2010-06-25T05:19:00.000-07:00

"Go and ask that gambler, whom did he lose first, himself or me? Bring me the answer."

"My husband was summoned to this assembly and though he possessed little skill at dice, he was made to play with skillful, wicked and deceitful gamblers. How can it be said that he made the stakes voluntarily? Having lost himself first, how could he stake me?"

"O Kurus, I, the wedded wife of king Yudhishtra the just, ask you one last time! Tell me now if I am a serving-maid or otherwise. I will accept your verdict whatever it be."

"I have already said, O blessed one, that the course of morality is subtle.", said Bhishma.

These were the questions of Draupadi to the elders. Even the eldest and most respected Bhishma could not come to a conclusion. This question is key to understanding the principles of dharma in regards to the respect and dignity of a woman. The answer was decided not by any of the elders who the question was posed to, but by Duryodhana and Dushasana based on 'might is right'. However the principles of Dharma and not based on might. They favour the innocents and the weak. The lord Krishna himself is the guardian of dharma and he says in the Bhagavad Gita:

"Whenever virtue declines and unrighteousness rises, I manifest Myself as
an embodied being. To protect the good, to destroy the
evil and to establish righteousness, I am born from age to age."

Krishna manifested himself when adharma was at it's peak. By coming to the rescue of Draupadi, the lord indirectly answered Draupadi's question. The actions of the Kauravas were the peak of adharma, and they had no right over Draupadi. She was not a slave, and Yudhishtira had no right to stake her, whether he was a slave or not. A husband's duty is to protect and care for his wife. By staking her in a game of dice, he was not performing his duty as a husband, and in fact he was doing the exact opposite by treating her as an object. A husband and wife are bound to each other by love and mutual respect, and the holy rites of marriage. They are not each other's property. Neither is possessed by the other. The moment a husband ceases to perform his duty as a husband, he violates the sacred institution of marriage and no longer deserves the respect of his wife. Despite Yudhishthira's violation of his duty as a husband, Draupadi did not withdraw her respect or love for her husband. When asked for a boon from Dhritarashtra, she asks for her husbands to be set free and does not ask for her own freedom. This speaks volumes for her loyalty to her husbands and her noble character.

Deceived or led into wrongdoing?

2010-06-23T00:07:00.000-07:00

We should be careful in choosing who we believe or who we are led by, and what their values and intentions are. Drona is deceived into making attempts to capture Yudhishtira alive believing that Duryodhana is going to set him free and give him half the kingdom. Whereas actually Duryodhana wanted to make Yudhishtira his slave and end the war in his favour. The Samsaptakas were also deceived into accepting Duryodhana's plea to take Arjuna away from the battle area so that Drona could launch the Chakravyuha and capture Yudhishtira alive. They were promised by Duryodhana that he would set Yudhishtira free. However Duryodhana had no intention of doing so. We may be performing actions with noble intentions but if our assumptions are false or if we are deceived by trusting others with evil intentions, our actions will amount to evil, even if we perform them with seemingly noble intentions. We must choose who we are led by and who we trust judiciously and not based on a pretense of friendliness or hospitality.

To be harsh or not?

2010-06-17T22:55:00.000-07:00

We may find ourselves in a position such that we are required to mete punishment to someone for his wrongdoing. This may be a child, a relative, friend etc. Due to the person being young, or related, or close, we may go down soft on them. However, in certain cases, the manner in which we deal with them may have disastrous consequences for the wrongdoer as well as the wronged. In the Mahabharata, Jayadratha the king of Sindhu and brother-in-law of Duryodhana wrongs Draupadi and the Pandavas by abducting Draupadi in the Pandavas absence. Yudhisthira and Draupadi go lenient on him by insulting him (shaving off his dead) but not injuring or killing him. Yudhisthira was under the impression that the insult would make him realize his mistake and he would refrain from repeating such acts. He also did not want to harm him since he was a relative.

On one hand, the pandavas swore to kill Duryodhana, Dusshasana and Karna for their insults to Draupadi and on the other, they let go of Jayadratha who abducted her with the intention to dishonour her and steal her from the Pandavas by force. However the result of the Pandavas decision to let Jayadratha go after insulting him was that Jayadratha felt greviously humiliated and vowed revenge on the Pandavas. He sought a boon from Lord Shiva to hold the Pandavas at bay in battle for one day. He used this boon on the thirteenth day of battle when Arjuna was away and Abhimanyu entered the Chakravyuha. He prevented the Pandavas from following Abhimanyu and left him alone and defenceless inside to be killed by the Kaurava warriors. Thus, Yudhishthira's lenient manner of dispensing justice led to the death of his nephew. Eventually Jayadratha is anyway killed by Arjuna in battle with great difficulty. If Krishna would have not intervened to help his dear friend, Arjuna would have had to self-immolate due to his inability to kill Jayadratha.

Bhishma attains Moksha?

2010-06-09T04:13:00.000-07:00

One question that is one is left with in the Mahabharata is whether Bhishma attained Moksha on choosing his death. His attaining Moksha would depend on

1) Krishna's will and Bhishma's devotion to Krishna
2) His suffering and working out of seeds of his karmas
3) His last thoughts

Bhishma was a devotee of Krishna. He recognized Krishna's supreme status in the Rajasuya yagna. He was very pleased when Krishna charged at him as death at the hands of the lord would liberate him. However that did not happen because Arjuna prevented Krishna from doing so. Bhishma knew that Krishna is the beginning, the middle and the end. However, despite knowing this, he was forced to fight against Krishna and his beloved disciple Arjuna in favour of the Kauravas. This was due to the seeds of his previous karmas.

The main karmas of Bhishma's life were

1) His vow of celibacy taken due to attachment to his father - This had disastrous consequences for the Bharata race. If his loyalty for Hastinapur and its subjects had been more that his attachment to his father, he would not have taken this vow that led to the ascendance of incompetent rulers to the throne. He also went overboard by saying that he would see the image of his father in any person who ruled Hastinapur. This he almost made himself a slave to the kings and bound himself to do their bidding for life.

2) The insulting of Amba - This led to her vow to kill Bhishma no matter how many lives it would take. She had done no wrong, but due to Bhishma's self-imposed vow, she was rejected, humiliated, and abandoned. This drove her to suicide.

3) The silent witnessing of draupadi's humiliation - Despite knowing that Draupadi looked up to him for protection, he sat quietly due to his own self-imposed loyalty for the King. If he had only recognized that dharma was more important than his interpretation of his vow, he could have prevented this. However this itself was a payback for his earlier karma of taking the vow.

4) His wounding in all parts of his body by Arjuna's arrows - This event is similar to the crucifixion of Christ. He had to suffer innumerable arrows and lie on a bed of arrows. This suffering led to the working out of his karmas, loss of identification with the body (and identification with the eternal soul).

This was done with the assistance of Shikhandi (Amba reincarnated) and he thus got the payback for this karma in the very life itself. The payback for the silent witnessing of draupadi's humiliation was that he had to fight for Duryodhana against his beloved Pandavas and bear the humiliations of Duryodhana and Shakuni while fighting for them when they taunted ceaselessly him for his inability to kill the Pandavas or win the war for them.

Thus Bhishma was able to face the consequences of his actions in the same life itself. Also he recognized Krishna as the Supreme being and surrendered to his will. He also surrendered to the will of Krishna by telling the Pandavas the secret to vanquishing him in battle. Finally, since he was able to choose the moment of his death, he chose to die while seeing and thinking of Krishna alone. Due to this devotion, surrender, willingness to suffer the consequences of his actions in this very life (even if they were terrible) and thoughts of Krishna, he attained Moksha.

Moksha is the ulimate goal of human existance, and one must be willing to pay the price of taking responsibility and owning up to the consequences of one's actions in order to attain Moksha.

What are the characteristics of a balanced individual?

2010-05-17T20:59:00.000-07:00

When a man totally abandons desires of the heart such as sense objects and is content in the self, he is called a Sthitpragya. He is unhurt by adverse situations and treats honor and insult the same. His mind does not hanker for happiness, and does not have fear, attachment or anger. He is not attracted to that which is pleasant or repelled by that which is unpleasant. He detaches his senses from sense object the way the tortoise withdraws its limbs. He is tranquil in heat and cold, pleasure and pain, honor and dishonor and is ever steadfast with the supreme self. He sees action in inaction and inaction in action.

Yajna

2010-04-14T03:29:00.000-07:00

Yajna means sacrifice, selfless service, unselfish work, Seva, meritorious deeds, giving away something to others, and a religious rite in which oblation is offered to gods through the mouth of fire.Human beings are bound by Karma other than those done as Yajna.The one who does not help to keep the wheel of creation in motion by sacrificial duty, and who rejoices in sense pleasures, that sinful person lives in vain. As the ignorant work with attachment (to the fruits of work), so the wise should work without attachment, for the welfare of the society.The wise should not unsettle the mind of the ignorant who is attached to the fruits of work, but the enlightened one should inspire others by performing all works efficiently without attachment.

When an offering is made to others, the motivation of the person making the offering determines whether the offering is yajna or just another selfish act. Some people avoid offering anything to others. They would rather have their financial and other resources lie rotting and be totally underutilized than share them with others. Others have no hesitation in offering financial or other assistance, but only to family, relatives, friends, or flatterers. If the motive is to gratify your own ego, put yourself on a higher moral ground, or expect a favor in return in the future, it is just a selfish act. The criteria on offering assistance to others should be based on who actually deserves the assistance the most. Who will it benefit the most? Can the assistance lead to a transformation in the lives of others, or will it just be a temporary cushion. The wise know that by genuinely offering service and assistance to those who deserve it, and those who will benefit from it, they are doing what is in their best interest automatically without expecting a specific favor or benefit as such. Performing actions in the path of dharma with the spirit of yajna is the right thing to do. How it will benefit the individual is impossible to predict, but that is left to god. Yajna is the essence of Karma Yoga. It is about doing the right thing with the right spirit and trusting god to handle the rest.

What determines one's duty in modern times

2010-04-05T23:08:00.000-07:00

Since the caste that one is born into has little relevance today, and one's nature or behavior is not only governed by the caste that one is born into, duty is governed by one's individual nature and talents, as well as the type of action that is required at that time to benefit the world most. For example, peacefulness, self-control, austerity, purity, tolerance, honesty, knowledge, wisdom and religiousness are qualities of the brahmanas. A person who has these qualities is a brahmana, irrespective of the caste of his birth. These qualities are defined, however the nature of work is not. Hence, the brahmana can be doing work that is traditionally associated with a kshatriya (military and politics), vaisya (trade and business) or shudra (service and labor), but he can retain the qualities of peacefulness, self-control, honesty etc. The qualities make him a brahmana, not his birth or the nature of work. If the brahmana has talents in leadership and courage, he can take on an occupation that is traditionally associated with a kshatriya. Even if he is a peaceful person, but if the rights of innocents are at stake, and the need of the hour is to defend righteousness, a brahmana can take up arms to protect the innocent and bring about peace in the region. If he has talents in business and if enterprise is required for progress of society, he can do business. He has to choose the occupation in which he has the talents to be of service to others in the best possible manner, while retaining an attitude of self-control and purity.

Lord Krishna had the qualities of peacefulness, self-control, austerity, purity, tolerance, honesty, knowledge, wisdom and religiousness. He was born into a Kshatriya family, and raised by a Vaisya family that owned and protected cows. However he had all the best qualities of people from each of the castes. When Lord Krishna does any work (e.g., that of a learned priest, a warrior, a cowherd, or a charioteer), he does it to the best of his ability, and with love. He does not hesitate to even do the work that is typically associated with a person of a lower caste (that of a charioteer) out of love for his devotee Arjuna and for the sake of dharma (righteousness). He knew that he had to do a charioteer's work if he had to help Arjuna and the Pandavas win for the sake of dharma . A model person should be like Krishna. He should have the best qualities of people from each of the castes and should not identify with any caste, attach much significance to a person's caste of birth, or be partial to people from any of the castes. He must use his talents and best qualities to the best of his abilities and perform actions that will be of most benefit to the world.

Behavior of individuals in modern times (Kali Yuga)

2010-04-05T22:40:00.000-07:00

The following extracts are from an article on 'Kali Yuga'

Nobility is determined only by the wealth of a person. Law and justice are determined by one's prestige and power. The poor become enslaved by the rich and powerful. Words such as charity and freedom are constantly used by the people, yet are never done.

In Kali Yuga, people are no longer respected for intelligence, knowledge or spiritual wisdom. Instead, material wealth and, to a lesser extent, physical strength, are what make a person highly regarded. Even though respect is shown superficially among the people, no one sincerely respects anyone. Everyone believes that the ultimate goal in life is to be respected, hence becoming wealthy and physically strong.

In Kali Yuga, men question the power of Brahmins, religious ceremonies, the existence of Gods, and the authority of the Vedas. There is no longer any respect towards elders or children.

Most of the Brahmins stop performing religious activities. Like everyone else, they lose all their morality, eat meat (even beef), and start to take in intoxicants

Kshatriyas, the royal and warrior caste, become corrupt and lose their political power. Their leadership falls into the hands of unprincipled rogues, criminals, and terrorists, who use their power to exploit the people. The kings themselves become thieves. They would rather steal from their citizens than protect and defend them.

The Vaishyas, who represent the middle class, merchants, tradesmen and businessmen of society, are now the petty-minded people who conduct business transactions and merchants dishonestly. New types of business-related crimes are formed, such as fraud and counterfeiting. The traders become selfish and try to satisfy their wants before the consumer. The very few who are honest with their business are not successful and eventually become unemployed. Eventually even they resort to cheating to be successful.

Shudras no longer respect any of the higher castes. They are the most worshipped caste in Kali Yuga.

Duties according to individual nature - not birth

2010-03-23T23:59:00.000-07:00

The following is from the Bhagavad Gita:

“Brahmanas, ksatriyas, vaisyas and sudras are distinguished by the qualities born of their own natures in accordance with the material modes, O chastiser of the enemy.

“Peacefulness, self-control, austerity, purity, tolerance, honesty, knowledge, wisdom and religiousness–these are the natural qualities by which the brahmanas work.

“Heroism, power, determination, resourcefulness, courage in battle, generosity and leadership are the natural qualities of work for the ksatriyas.

“Farming, cow protection and business are the natural work for the vaisyas, and for thesudras there is labor and service to others.

“By following his qualities of work, every man can become perfect. Now please hear from Me how this can be done.

“By worship of the Lord, who is the source of all beings and who is all-pervading, a man can attain perfection through performing his own work.

“It is better to engage in one’s own occupation, even though one may perform it imperfectly, than to accept another’s occupation and perform it perfectly. Duties prescribed according to one’s nature are never affected by sinful reactions.

Control the subconscious

2010-03-03T02:10:00.000-08:00

The key aspect to controlling the mind and senses is to control the subconscious mind. The conscious mind can be controlled by the exercise of willpower temporarily. However the subconscious mind is more subtle and carries impressions from the past, which can manifest at any time under certain circumstances. The subconscious mind responds most to thoughts that have a strong emotion attached to them. The emotion can be a positive one, such as faith or love, or a negative one such as anger or fear. In the absence of dominant positive thoughts, our subconscious mind will pick up any random impulse and act on it. For example, a song or jingle playing on the television can get fixed in the subconscious unknowingly, such that we may be humming it without even being aware that we are doing so. The way to consciously embed positive thoughts into our subconscious mind is by the process of autosuggestion. Mantra repetition is one example of autosuggestion.

The mantra is internalized in five stages:

Likhita - through writing
Vaikhari - through speaking
Upamshu - through whispering
Manasa - through thinking
Ajapa - through uninterrupted inner repetition

You are your best friend...and also your worst enemy

2010-03-01T02:46:00.000-08:00

The Bhagavad Gita says 'He should raise the self by the Self; let him not suffer the Self to be lowered; for Self is the friend of self, and, in like manner, self is its own enemy. Self is the friend of the man who is self-conquered; so self like a foe hath enmity to him who is not self-conquered.

The subconscious mind may be likened to the storage room of everything that is currently not in your conscious mind; it stores all your life experiences, your belief system, your memories, you skills, all situations you've been through, and all images you've ever seen. The best way to understand the subconscious mind is through the example of someone who's just started to learn how to drive. At the beginning, he wouldn't be able to hold a conversation with anyone while driving as he would be focusing on the different moves involved; that's because he's still using his conscious mind to drive.A few weeks later, the driving process comes to him automatically, without having to do any thinking; he'd even start using his cell phone or talk to his friends as he drives. This on account of the fact that the driving information or process has been transferred to his subconscious mind and so the conscious mind is free to function on something else, like talking or using his cell phone.

Realization occurs when awareness during experience leads to learning or acquisition of knowledge that is directly written into the subconscious mind. This is internalized further when this knowledge is automatically applied and leads to a desired outcome. The subconscious mind can be programmed using the process of autosuggestion. Autosuggestion is a process by which an individual trains the subconscious mind to believe something, or systematically schematizes the person's own mental associations, usually for a given purpose. Autosuggestion is most commonly accomplished by presenting (either through caressing or bombarding) one's mind with repetitive thoughts (negative or positive), until those thoughts become internalized. If one uses autosuggestion to program the subconscious mind with positive thoughts, the mind acts as a best friend, however if the repetitive thoughts are negative, the mind acts as one's worst enemy.

The fire of Self-knowledge reduces all bonds of Karma to ashes, like the blazing fire reduces wood to ashes. Our impressions or samskaras (bonds of karma) are stored in the subconscious mind and play themselves out automatically under certain situations that trigger these impressions. This leads to us performing actions that we would otherwise consciously avoid, thus affecting our free will. However man can erase all these bonds of karma from his subconscious mind by simply acquiring true knowledge or the self by realization or experience with awareness. Once self-knowledge is programmed into the subconscious mind, it is formatted and there is no room for bonds of previous karmas.

Real Power

2010-02-27T06:11:00.000-08:00

All of us are familiar with the saying 'Knowledge is power' but are not aware of a systematic process to convert knowledge into power. Real power comes from a person's awareness of subtle details and specialized knowledge and applying the specialized knowledge and specialized skills to manipulate events, circumstances and things to the person's advantage. The person with the most real power is often not the person with the highest office or position. A person who has real power does not show it, unless the situation really demands it and there is no other alternative. Only an insecure person who lacks real power has a need to constantly remind others that he is powerful.

In the Mahabharata, there are several gods who appear as characters - including the devas such as Indra, Surya etc as well as the gods of the holy trinity like Shiva. Indra has the title of the king of the gods, and Shiva has the title of 'Mahadeva' or the greatest of the gods. The central character of the Mahabharata however is Vishnu, or Krishna, who does not have any great title as such. He is merely a preserver, not a creator or destroyer. Krishna seems like an ordinary person to others in most situations except for certain specific events where he has no choice but to display his power to protect innocent people. There is an instance where Indra gets angry and spiteful with the people of Gokul and sends a fierce storm to the village. However Krishna protects the people by holding the mighty mountain Govardhana on his little finger. After the event, he diverts people's attention from this stupendous feat by asking them to worship the mountain Govardhana which protected them.

In another instance in the Mahabharata, Jayadratha's undergoes penance to please Shiva and seek a boon to defeat the Pandavas. Lord Shiva grants him a boon to hold the Pandavas (other than Arjuna) for one day in battle. This boon directly leads to Abhimanyu's death in a very unfair and cruel manner. This shows that Shiva is powerless to refuse to grant a boon even to an evil person who seeks to please Shiva only with a selfish and evil motive of revenge, even if it leads to a consequence such as the killing of an innocent and brave lad by a group of warriors even while he is unarmed. The real power is with Krishna, who is able to manipulate great warriors like Bhishma, Drona and Karna to their death by strategies based on specialized knowledge about their personalities including their strengths and weaknesses. He does not have to wield any weapons to achieve his objective.

Dharma & Truth

2010-02-25T11:45:00.000-08:00

The concept of dharma is unique to eastern philosophies and religions. It encompasses the wide concepts of duty, righteousness, action, truth, and law. Dharma signifies the obligation, binding upon every man who desires that his action should bear fruit, to submit himself to the laws that govern the universe and to direct his life in consequence. That obligation constitutes his duty.”Thus, dharma covers the eternal order of universe as well as any particular situation in the life of a human being. The holistic conceptualization of dharma suggests that any human activity, including inaction, potentially has wide reaching consequences.

There are religious texts,scriptures, and treatises on law that relate to Dharma, but these are some times contradictory to each other. The best way that one can understand the concept of dharma is through the words and actions of Krishna, particularly in the Mahabharata and the Bhagavad Gita. The Bhagavad Gita links the concepts of dharma and karma yoga. Krishna tells Arjun that it his dharma to fight against adharma without any expectation of reward or without regard for the result of the war. Whether he will win or lose is immaterial. The only thing in his control is his karma or action, which is to fight. The rationale of the actions and behavior of Krishna are puzzling to everyone. Arjuna, his close friend and disciple is able to follow Krishna's instructions and perform actions in the war only due to his faith in Krishna, although his mind and reason are not fully convinced. He questions Krishna again and again (although very respectfully) through different stages of the war even though Krishna has already explained all reasons for why Arjuna should fight and what his duty is. Arjuna is able to stay on the path of dharma during the Mahabharata war only because he has Krishna as his mentor and guide throughout.

However every time Krishna's instructions are simple from the point of view of karma yoga. Any other way of understanding dharma will be too complex for the mind to comprehend. The simplest way to stay on the path of dharma is by doing your duty without expectation for reward or without attachment to the result. By following this path of karma yoga, one will also acquire knowledge and wisdom and the ability to discriminate between what is right and wrong.

Truth is of relevance not on its own but only in the context of dharma. Dharma over rides truth in the Mahabharata. Krishna asks Yudhistira to be technically truthful (not technically lie) and tell Drona that Ashwatthama (the elephant) is dead. Krishna's rationale of this is that Drona is the biggest enemy of dharma in the war of dharma versus adharma and to remove such a barrier to dharma is dharma. The Mahabharata tells us that the adharmic are often as strong as or stronger than the dharmic. This may be because they are not constrained by any moral code, and may in fact, be victors in most battles and wars in the short term. It is therefore necessary to evolve strategies to fight them, taking advantage of their weaknesses. The world is not a level playing field. Those who are not on the path of dharma take short cuts to acquire knowledge, pleasure, revenge, wealth, and power by usurping what is not rightfully theirs. The dharmic route is a certain and permanent one but typically takes longer. The wise ones play to their own strengths and the opponent's weaknesses in a war of dharma versus adharma.

Episode of the lake - Dharmaraja's questions

2010-02-24T21:23:00.000-08:00

During the period of exile in the forest, Yudhistira finds that his brothers have been killed while attempting to drink water from a lake. The killer is a mysterious celestial entity, who tells him that he cannot drink the water without answering all his questions or he will face the same consequences as his brothers. This is a defining point of transformation in the great epic Mahabharata. By gambling away his kingdom, his brothers and staking his wife on a game of dice, he showed that he was unworthy of being a king, an elder brother, and a husband. He had no right to stake his brothers, his wife, or his kingdom because they were not his property. A king is merely a custodian and protector of the kingdom. He is a servant of the people and they are not his servants. It is the duty of the husband to protect his wife and by gambling away her dignity and self-respect he had proved to be unworthy of being a husband.

The lake episode is the event in which Yudhistira atones for his sins of gambling away his brothers and himself and thereby proves himself worthy of being a king in the future. His brothers died after drinking the water. They were warned by the celestial entity and told that they cannot drink the water unless they answered his questions, but they were so consumed by pride that they thought they could take whatever they needed by force. The brothers paid for their pride, but Yudhistira revived them by his wisdom and knowledge of dharma. Yudhistira had theoretical knowledge of virtue and righteousness but he had not applied it in practice. This episode was one where he had begun the process of applying his theoretical knowledge. During the gambling episode, Yudhistira broke the rules of dharma by not just staking his brothers, but by staking his brothers who were sons of Madri before staking his brothers who were sons of Kunti. However, when he was asked which brother he would revive if he could revive first, he chose Nakul, because he should be fair to Madri. This gesture atoned for the previous sin of staking Nakul before staking sons of Kunti. Because he upheld virtue, the mysterious entity, who was the king of Dharma blessed him with victory, because victory is always with the one who is the guardian of dharma.

Important decisions

2010-02-22T02:31:00.000-08:00

We all come across situations where we need to take certain important decisions that have a major impact on our lives. Some times we are given limited options to choose from. In other cases, the options may not be clearly specified to us. We may need to investigate further to gather more information etc so that we become aware of all the options that are truly available and the implications of each option. Even not taking a decision, or postponing the decision to gather more time and information is a part of the decision making process. Once a decision is taken, we are usually obliged to stick to it. Our lives are governed by the decisions that we make (or don't make). Some times, we are made aware of certain 'problems' or 'issues' that are 'concerns' of others (well meaning or not) and we are requested to deal with them. In such an event, the first step is to determine whether a 'problem' really exists or not. Often, the 'problem' is only a matter of perception. Trying to provide a 'solution' to a temporary 'problem' often only leads to another 'problem' which requires another 'solution' and so on and so forth. To avoid this perpetual sequence of troubleshooting, we need to examine the situation for what it really is based on facts, and diagnose it correctly. If the problem is a serious one or one that can have a long term impact, it is better to look for a permanent or a long term solution. If a permanent solution is not immediately available but exists nevertheless, it is worthwhile to wait and look for the long term solution, even if it means living with the 'problem' in the interim. Any decision, once taken, must be accepted and executed wholeheartedly. It is better to wait and watch than to jump in and be swept away by the momentum of your own decision. Once you know for sure, take the decision and stick to it.

Inner Direction - Knowledge by Realization

2010-01-28T22:18:00.000-08:00

A very important pre-requisite to attaining perfection is to be directed from within. To derive inspiration from a source that is the inner self. To order our priorities based on values that are determined from internalized knowledge. To prioritize knowledge from experience with awareness, rather than theoretical knowledge. This is the key to free will, and to being the master of your own destiny. A person who cannot listen to the inner voice is but a shadow or a mirror of external influences. Each one of has an inner source of direction and is capable of connecting to it through meditation. However if this connection is rarely exercised, and if the mind makes more and more connections with only external sources, the connection weakens.

Meditation is to be performed by detached observation of the body and mind. It is not to be performed by focusing on any external object, but by connecting with the inner self. Allow the mind and thoughts to occur naturally without exercising any control or will, and observe the thoughts without identifying with them. The mind is not the source of thoughts. The source is the inner self. Replace 'i think, therefore i am' with 'i am.' You are not just the thinker, or just the doer. You just are. If you can reach a state of acceptance that you just are and you are not the generator of your thoughts, your thoughts will no longer be mere reflections of external sources, but will gradually be directly received from your connection with the source, the inner self. You are not the generator of your thoughts. You are just the receiver from the inner self. If you fill your mind with clutter from external sources, there will be no room to receive and store the inner direction. Listen to your inner voice. Connect to the inner self.

The first step is recognize that there is a source of direction from within. Then one must habitually tune to this inner direction. The more you practice listening to your inner voice, the more easy it is to hear it. Most humans are directed from the external world. Their decisions are governed by the external elements that bombard their senses. These could be from the tv, radio, news, friends, colleagues, relatives, teachers, superiors, books, the internet, etc. It is fine to open yourself to these external elements, but not to the extent that you only hear from the outside and cannot hear your own inner voice. There must be a balance between external influences and inner direction. Only those whose inner voice is keenly developed can subject themselves to external elements and still not be influenced away from their inner direction. This ability is called 'Living in the world, but not being of it'. True leaders are guided from within and not by peer pressure. Leaders act as living examples for others and inspire others. Idolizing, blindly copying or following a leader does not lead to progress. A leader should inspire you to listen to your own inner voice.

The nature of true knowledge

2010-01-07T22:27:00.000-08:00

The pursuit of knowledge is considered by some to be superior to the pursuit of wealth, because it cannot be stolen. We are also familiar with the saying 'Knowledge is power". The english dictionary defines knowledge as conversance, acquaintance of familiary with facts, truths, principles, information or even awareness. The concept of knowledge as information is quite different from the concept of knowledge as awareness. So, what knowledge is to be pursued? Is it awareness, information, or truth? Is the source of knowledge the mind, the senses, reason, or is the source external? Is truth objective or subjective? Is there an absolute truth? These definitions of knowledge are so diverse that they may even be considered contrary. Before one embarks on the pursuit of knowledge, it is important to have a clear understanding of what knowledge to pursue, and how to acquire this knowledge. Even before that, one should understand the true nature of knowledge, or the nature of 'true knowledge'.

The sum total of internalized knowledge governs action, and awareness during action internalizes knowledge. Knowledge as internalized cannot be lost or stolen or even forgotten. Internalized knowledge is automatically realized as it automatically governs action. It is not just stored in memory, accessed, retrieved, processed, and executed. It is realized automatically and spontaneously. There is a direct link between internalized knowledge and action. It does not go through the steps of storage, retrieval, processing etc unlike the non-internalized knowledge, which is related to information and data.

In the gita, Krishna says 'Childish and unwise is he who speaks of knowledge and action as two distinct paths. Know that he who is truly set in either one, obtains the fruits of both. The state obtained by the wise is also that achieved by those of selfless action. He who sees that both paths are the same, he truly sees" So the path of knowledge that Krishna refers to as the same as the path of action is the path of internalized knowledge, which is directly linked to action. Here, the path of knowledge is not the path of attainment of mere information storage, but of internalized knowledge directly linked to action. This knowledge is closer to wisdom than information. It is more of a state of being, than a state of having.

Knowledge is not a possession. It cannot be possessed. Attempts to possess knowledge come along with loss of peace of mind and loss of memory. Knowledge cannot be stolen. It can be shared willingly. If one person is willing to impart knowledge, but has expectations from the other person to whom he is imparting the knowledge, the knowledge is not fully acquired by the other person, until the first person's expectations are met. A great sacrifice that one can perform on the path of action, is to share knowledge freely without any expectations from others. Expectations bind not just the person who with whom the knowledge is shared, but also bind the person who shares the knowledge.

Goals of life

2009-12-30T22:01:00.000-08:00

Dharma (duty on the path of righteousness) is one of the goals of life as per the scriptures, along with artha (prosperity) , kama (pleasure) and moksha (liberation from the cycle of birth and death). One must lead a balanced life to attain the above goals. To achieve artha and kama without the practice of dharma is not the right way. Of the 4, moksha is the ultimate goal, but the transcendence of the other 3 basic goals is required to attain the ultimate goal, moksha. If one has obtained the 3 basic goals, one is satisfied and no longer subject to intense desires or cravings, hence, it is easier to transcend these desires, which is a prerequisite to attain the ultimate goal, which is moksha.

One who has not attained the basic goals will still have some attachments and unfulfilled desires which will prevent him from attaining moksha. One who does not perform his duties according to dharma can never attain moksha. One who refrains from action and tolerates injustice is not on the path of dharma. If one performs his duties for the welfare of the world, artha and kama will follow. The nature of artha and kama is such that if one chases them for their own sake, they will slip and not stay for long within one's grasp, but when one performs actions as a sacrifice according to his unique capabilities for the best interests of the world, they will be attained automatically. Even the enjoyment of wealth and pleasures should be carried out with detachment. If one is incapable of enjoying wealth and pleasure without attachment, it will be an impediment to obtaining the ultimate goal. The path to moksha is by staying on the path of dharma, and to enjoy life as a whole without attachment.

Sense objects and sensations

2009-12-27T20:48:00.001-08:00

Joy is contained in the self, and not in external objects. An external object per se does not cause happiness or even pleasure. The same object may arouse different sensations on different people, so the object itself is not a cause. The cause is in the mind of the perceiver. Realization of this truth will enable one to be detached towards external objects and seek peace and bliss within the self alone. This truth may be illustrated through the following examples

1) A dog believes that the enjoyment in tasting blood while chewing a bone is derived from the bone, whereas the blood is from its own gums

2) A person drinks alchohol or does drugs looking for the 'kick' which actually comes from his own brain and at the expense of his own body and mind

3) A person smokes a cigarette looking for the rush which comes at the expense of clogging his own lungs and arteries and preventing him from experiencing breathing fresh air

4) A person views images of scantily clad women, indulges himself and experiences pleasure

In these cases, the 'enjoyment' is not free, but comes at own's own expense. The expense is a loss of vital energy or health. The capacity for enjoyment is only in the self, and if channelized wisely, can lead to permanent bliss. But the perceiver attributes it to the sense object, which may be the bone, the alchohol, the drug, the cigarette, or the images, that trigger a temporary response of pleasure in the brain, but cannot create a state of bliss.

The fact that the enjoyment comes not from the object, which is only capable of triggering a temporary response in the brain is proven by the fact that the same object, when indulged in subsequently, fails to provide the same satisfaction. So, the person indulges more and more and still does not get the same satisfaction that he initially used to get easily. The satisfaction derived initially from one single puff is not later experienced even on smoking a full pack. Still, the smoker does not realize that the enjoyment that he is seeking lies within and not in the cigarette. Thus deluded, he continues to smoke cigarette after cigarette. This eventually diminishes his own capacity for enjoyment and leads to self-destruction.

What to prioritize?

2009-08-18T22:10:00.000-07:00

Various books today tell us that 'thoughts are things', we are the creators of our destiny, our future is shaped by our thoughts, actions, habits etc. The Bhagavad Gita tells us that one's own self is one's best friend or one's worst enemy. Man has the power to make or break himself. The challenge before us is 'what to think', 'what to do', 'what to desire' etc. This is particularly significant because we now know that our desire may come true if it is focused and strong enough. Who we are and what we achieve is determined by our thoughts, actions, motivations, priorities and habits. It is upto us to develop a system of values, goals, principles and guidelines and follow them.

Free yourself from need to work

2009-08-11T22:21:00.000-07:00

As long as you have no choice but to work in order to sustain a living, you will be unable to attain the stage of 'inspired action' or karma yoga. If your schedule is determined in advance by someone else and you have to adhere to it no matter whether you are inspired to do so or not, you are bound to it. If you have to 'work for money', or 'work to survive' or 'work to pay off debt' you cannot attain the state of karma yoga, which is a state of freedom and not slavery. If you can get 'money to work for you', you will be in a better position to perform only inspired actions and not motivated actions that bind.

An example of a character who was bound in such a manner is Dronacharya. In his desire for wealth, which was not even for its own sake, but just to avenge himself from Drupada, he took refuge in the kingdom of Hastinapura, and committed himself to act as the royal guru. By doing this, he took on debts from the king and the kingdom, which bound him to be loyal to the king, even when the king did not act according to the path of righteousness. Thus, he ended up fighting a war on the side of injustice. To kill such a person, who is fighting on the side of injustice while being aware of this (being a brahman well endowed in wisdom and knowledge) is the right thing to do, said Krishna, even if one uses unfair means to kill such a person.

A Guru deserves respect because he imparts knowledge, and a Brahmin is typically respected because he is assumed to be knowledgeable. However, a guru who imparts knowledge for purely selfish reasons does not deserve respect, although his expectations must be met. In Drona's case, he was imparting knowledge in return for the Guru Dakshina of half of Drupada's kingdom and revenge on Drupada. Arjuna met his expectations and in return, he attained knowledge of warfare. Beyond this, there was no obligation for Arjuna to be attached to his Guru Dronacharya. Hence Arjuna should have not hesitated to face him in battle or even kill him, if it was his duty to do so.

Friendship and trust

2009-07-26T22:06:00.000-07:00

One of the parameters that characterizes us in our personal as well as professional lives is who we trust, and on what basis. Even those who are gifted and who are of strong character are destroyed by misplacing their trust in the wrong person and/or for the wrong reasons. Those who do not trust others at all find it hard to cooperate with others and work in a team.

Trustfulness is the trait of believing in the honesty and reliability of others. To be trustful is to believe, in one extreme, that unless one proves otherwise, he/she is trustworthy. Success in business depends on one's trustworthiness, but also on trustfulness.

Friendship is an easily used but seldom understood word. A 'friend' is someone whom you can trust. Today, people have hundreds of 'friends', and there are many more avenues to meet people and become 'friends' with them. Can all these 'friends' be trusted? One approach that people take in business is to have a beverage/meal with someone. In some cases, that is all it takes to initiate a 'friendship' and create a certain amount of trust, and they take decisions that they would not otherwise take based on purely professional reasons. Relationships must be based on trustworthiness and not on camaraderie.

Friendship and enmity are 2 sides of the same coin. Where one exists, the other also exists. One who has friends has foes also. Sometimes, people who have common enemies become 'friends'. Both friendship and enmity are barriers to equanimity.

You are much more than just the body

2009-03-05T22:23:00.000-08:00

Most of suffering is caused by identification with the limited body and surroundings. You are much more than your body and what you are surrounded by. You are much more than your hands, legs, stomach, forehead, hair. You are much more than your home, your walls, your family, your friends, your workplace, your vehicle. The universe includes all things you can perceive and it even includes all things you cannot perceive. This universe that includes both perceivable and non-perceivable entities is but a part of you.

To develop awareness of your true identity - Sit straight, close your eyes and ask yourself - who am i? Try and answer the question. Are you your arms, are you your legs, are you your stomach? You know that you are much more than these parts of your body. Then try and locate the center of your self. Where are you? Contemplate on who and where you are, until you can concentrate and locate a part of your body where you feel a tingling sensation (e.g., somewhere along your spine). You are there. Now raise your level of awareness to feel that center of your self rise along the length of your spine. You are now there. Finally locate that center on the top of your head. Then raise your center above your head. Now you are not within your physical body. So where are you now? You are outside the body and now perceiving the body as an outsider.

Once you are able to perceive the body as just a part of you and not the whole, shift your center even further. Are you the chair? Are you the walls? Are you the building? Are you the person next door? Are you your mother? Are you your friend? Who are you?

Then you will realize that all these so called external objects are but a part of you. They are not you the whole but they are not outside of you either. They are but a part of you. The universe but a part of you. As you shift your center and feel it outside of your physical body, tell yourself "I am much more than just the body. The entire universe is but a part of me"

Inner Work precedes external work

2009-03-03T22:54:00.000-08:00

Contemplation precedes external action.

From the Bhagavad Gita,Lord Krishna tells Arjuna to condition his mind by

1) Controlling his senses by withdrawing his senses from sense objects and objects of pleasure and not be attached to sense pleasures
2)Avoiding greedy desire for things that are not rightfully his
3)Freeing himself from fear, passion and anger by surrendering the results of his actions to Krishna
4) Treating pleasure and pain, heat and cold, gold and stone, honour and disgrace the same
5) Constant practice, striving, discipline, and dispassion (non-attachment)
6) Remembering and thinking of Krishna at all times
7) Meditation

When you are faced with the question of what to do when you are required to act even though you feel you are not ready (with the right attitude and frame of mind), it would be best to detach yourself from the situation and view it as a neutral observer would. Take a break and do not consciously think of the situation, till you develop the right frame of mind.Prepare yourself mentally before important situations where you will not have sufficient time to think and you have to act immediately. The preparation can be by detaching yourself from the situation and by meditation. I usually take walks and avoid consciously thinking of any problem or worrying. The solutions, answers and guidance comes to me automatically.

Further, I find that despite knowing all the steps that one can take to condition your mind, it can be difficult to regain the right attitude and frame of mind for karma yoga once you find yourself low on inspiration.i think it is better to take a break and do other things rather than take on work that you are not inspired to do. uninspired or half-hearted action does not serve our purpose as well as the purpose of others. Given the current prevailing conditions globally, it is even more imperative for us to listen to our hearts and perform inspired actions and act as an example for others.

It is better to be frank about your lack of inspiration rather than make commitments that you know you are not inspired enough to follow through on.we need to connect with our inner selves to know what we need to do and why. there is no substitute for connecting with our inner selves. Inner work always must precede external work. Unless you feel deeply connected with your inner self, you cannot make a deep connection or feel passion for your external actions.

Suffering - Path to knowledge

2009-02-02T20:10:00.000-08:00

One cannot know truth without first knowing what nontruth is. Spiritual progress is possible by first experiencing all varieties of nontruth. Once you have completety realized what truth is not, you are then ready to experience truth. Truth does not make itself available to anyone who is not ready for it. One who is filled with assumptions of nontruth cannot see truth even if it is right in front of him. Hence, these assumptions must be destroyed, by experience of non-truth. The experience of non-truth is manifested as suffering. Awareness during the experience of non-truth will ensure learning and internalization of what non-truth is.

Suffering is an indicator that our assumption is not true. When we experience suffering, the sensible thing to do is to modify our approach and test the assumptions on the basis of which the approach was chosen. To those who are clean and pure, suffering is experienced clearly and immediately. To those who are deep in denial, suffering is experienced in a more marked manner and with a time delay, thus making it more difficult for them to adapt and move in the right direction. The root of suffering is ignorance. When we continously adapt based on the signals we receive through suffering, we gradually remove the thorns of ignorance, till, we become free from suffering by acquiring perfect knowledge. The path to knowledge is by realization, and the manifestation of realization is suffering. Great masters like Christ and Buddha had to experience great suffering before they could transcend it.

There is no shortcut to knowledge. Suffering has to be experienced before it can be transcended.

Harmony with nature

2009-01-28T21:18:00.000-08:00

The universe is but a part of us. To realize this truth, one has harmonize the self with the universe and nature. The waves of the ocean is a natural phenomenon that is easily observable. There is something about the ocean waves - the sights and sounds that makes us feel at peace and harmony with nature. When we breathe and observe our breath, the sounds are similar to the sounds of the ocean waves. One way to realize harmony with nature is to synchronize our breathing patterns to the waves. Another is to enter the water at about knee deep, place our hands on the ground for support, and allow your body to be taken along with the waves. The only action we perform would be to balance the body. Then the actions would be governed by nature rather than by personal motive. This exercise tunes our actions to nature and conditions us for Karma yoga (performing actions without motive).

"the secret" and the bhagavad gita

2009-01-06T01:35:00.000-08:00

"the secret" book mentions that "thoughts are things". What we think about, we attract to ourselves. what we think, we become. Specifically, it is suggested that we think thoughts of what we want to become or attract to ourselves before going to sleep, because the last thought before falling asleep stays in the subconscious and repeats during sleep. In the bhagavad gita, Krishna says that whatever man thinks of at the time of death, he will attain in his next life. If he thinks of Krishna, he will come straight to Krishna. The 'last thought' before sleep as well as before death is thus significant. Both books stress the power of thoughts, and the power of the subconscious to manifest reality.

Responsibility

2008-12-04T02:07:00.000-08:00

The truth is that the universe is a part of each and every human being, just as every human being is a part of the universe. The realization of this truth manifests as love and responsibility. Love, because everyone is but a part of us and we love others just the way we love ourselves. Responsibility, because we are all interconnected, and our thoughts and actions have an impact on others. To not take responsibility for events that affect us is to ignore the truth. Even a mere observer impacts that which is being observed, due to consciousness. We are not passive observers, but active participants in the game of life. Our thoughts and actions affect not only ourselves but others also. Recognition of this truth manifests as responsibility and commitment - towards our work - towards our duties and towards our role and purpose on earth.

People who take responsibility make a difference, not people who act as mere passive observers.

Krishna - an example of how to attain salvation

2008-08-27T21:21:00.000-07:00

Why did Krishna choose to suffer a painful death by a hunter's arrow, after witnessing the destruction of the entire Yadava clan?

Krishna had to clear all his worldly karmic debts in order to leave the earth and attain salvation. Gandhari blamed Krishna for the death of her sons and cursed Krishna. By accepting the curse, true to his all accepting personality, Krishna cleared his debt to Gandhari. Although Duryodhana and the others died as part of their own Karma, Gandhari's curse was significant. Gandhari was a virtuous woman who lived her entire life for others. Why did she have to witness such utter destruction? She blamed Krishna, and Krishna accepted responsibility.

This throws some light on the nature of Karma, and the kind of personality one needs to have in order to attain moksha or salvation.

You need to accept all that life gives to you without complaint. Just accept, but do your best. This is the essence of Karma Yoga.

When Arjuna questioned the necessity of fighting the war against his family and killing his own kin, he was not accepting his destiny. Krishna explained to him that he had to accept the situation, and do his best to address it. It was not his job to question or understand why, but he had to accept and act with full acceptance and commitment.

Even the Supreme personality of Godhead lived his life in full acceptance of his duty. He may have not wanted to leave Gokul and his beloved Radha to fight Kamsa, or witness the destruction of the Yadava clan, but he accepted it as part of his destiny and higher purpose.

Krishna set an example for others, as the Supreme Karma Yogi.

Need versus fulfillment

2008-06-08T22:13:00.000-07:00

When we need something very badly, we are actually decreasing our chances of obtaining it.
When we transcend the need, and transform it into a want, we are more likely to obtain it.

Talents

2008-06-08T21:57:00.000-07:00

We all have certain unique talents, that we are born with, or that we have acquired. These talents must be utilized to be of service to others. If we do not utilize our talents for the service of others, we will eventually lose them. Our talents have to be used primarility for others. Also, if we reserve the best of our abilities for our own progress, and not for others, we will lose them.

In the highest Samadhi, all actions = Karma Yoga

2008-04-15T03:21:00.000-07:00

"In the highest samadhi one is in the highest consciousness but, at the same time, one is able to work in the gross physical world. One does the usual things that an ordinary human being does. But in the inmost recesses of the heart one is surcharged with divine illumination. One becomes the Lord and Master of Reality, can go at his sweet will to the highest and then come down to the earth-consciousness to manifest."

When one reaches the highest samadhi, every action (Karma) that is performed is Karma Yoga. Here, Karma Yoga is not a path towards the highest goal, but a manifestation of attainment of the highest goal.

"The actions of a great man are an inspiration to others."

Selfless action by a person who has attained the highest samadhi is not characterized just by the action, but by a higher dimension which is a function of the action, as well as the awareness of the person performing the action. Such a person is an inpiration for others. Others need not emulate the actions of such a person, but the actions of such a person awaken the light within others, and inspire them to also become like the person. This form of Karma Yoga that is inspired by a karma yogi who has attained the highest samadhi is called Inspired Karma Yoga. Inspired Karma Yoga is a lot more effective than the non-inspired mere selfless service/action, that is traditionally referred to as Karma Yoga.

The effectiveness of inspired karma yoga is due to the simple principle that we are characterized by our thoughts, awareness and actions. When we are inspired by a person who has reached the highest samadhi, the inspiration enables us to act with the same level of awareness and thoughts as the inspirational person, for as long as we are inspired. Hence we move closer to the state attained by the person. The state is a higher dimension which manifests as awareness, thoughts and actions in the world. By constantly matching the manifestation, we move towards attaining the state. The state is the highest samadhi, which is permanent and does not require inspiration from any other source.

Karma Yoga Conditioning

2008-02-06T04:16:00.000-08:00

A fourth state is called active meditation, or 'Karma Yoga Conditioning'. The difference between active meditation and action is that in active meditation, actions occur with a simultaneous state of awareness, due to which action is not peformed mechanically based on past patterns or motives of attaining desired results. The actions are guided by awareness, real time. The guiding force for action is not our will, motivation, or past conditioning, but awareness that we are receiving 'REAL TIME' that relates to the action that we are currently performing. We retain the high level of awareness even while performing actions physically, which is typically attainable only during meditation while not performing any actions physically.

Karma Yoga conditioning is a form of exercise that we undertake in order to provide us with sufficient force to carry us throughout the day while performing only inspired actions, without falling prey to the 'inertia' of actions that are mechanical and devoid of insipration and creativity.

When we condition ourselves through active meditation, we open ourselves up to the fifth state of 'Karma Yoga' itself.

Action, Inaction, and Passive Awareness

2008-02-06T03:47:00.001-08:00

Most of us are familiar with the states of action and inaction. During the state of action, we are usually absorbed with the task in hand, not for the sake of the action itself, but for the sake of obtaining a desired result. Typically, our actions are programmed either by past patterns or impressions, or by motivations of future rewards and fulfillment of our desires. Most of our actions may be mechanical (e.g., eating, performing other daily tasks and chores).

During the state of inaction, we are usually in a state of rest physically, but we are thinking thoughts dwelling on past patterns, or creating new desires. 'Thinking" implies that the thoughts do not occur on their own, but are created by us consciously. For example, we may be worrying about our health, or we may be thinking of eating ice cream. This may be compared to the process of sending emails ourselves with requests.

A third state is one of a Passive awareness. Those of us who have engaged in meditation may be familiar with this state, in which we may be physically inactive, but we are in control of our thoughts. Control does not imply that we do not have any thoughts. On the contrary, in the state of awareness our thoughts wander without being acted upon by our will. The thoughts occur naturally, but not consciously. In this state, we are not dwelling on past impressions, or creating new desires. This may be compared to the process of automatically receiving emails from other sources. In this state, the thoughts that occur lead to an improved level of awareness. They may be ideas we get based on the earlier requests (sent emails) and solutions to problems that we may have contemplated previously. This is a state of inspiration. When we are in state of awareness, we are receiving guidance towards inspired and creative action.

Passive awareness gives us a sense of purpose and guidance. It helps our proritize our goals and tasks in a broad, high level fashion, without telling us exactly what and when to do.

When (subsequent) action is guided by inspiration and creativity obtained due to passive awareness, and not due to past conditioning or motivation of future fulfillment of desires, it is not mechanical, but driven by a higher purpose or calling.

A new beginning

2008-01-01T22:55:00.000-08:00

We cannot make a new beginning by listing out all our past shortcomings and resolving to overcome them. We have to leave the past shortcomings and negativity behind. We can make a new beginning only by focusing on positive aspects of our new life. First, we must be grateful for all the good things that have happened to us so far. Once we express gratitude, we must visualize the new life that we are going to lead.

Sri Ramana Maharshi

2007-12-20T04:49:00.000-08:00

Karma Yoga is that Yoga in which the person does not arrogate to himself the function of being the actor. All actions go on automatically.Let us first understand what Karma is, whose Karma it is and who is the doer. Analyzing them and enquiring into their truth, one is obliged to remain as the Self in peace. Nevertheless even in that state the actions will go on.

Sri Ramana Maharshi stressed that to be successful, the Karma Yogi must be free of the notion that he himself is helping others, and that he must also be unattached and indifferent to the consequences of his actions.

The jnanis do things for the sake of others with detachment, without themselves being affected by them. The jnani weeps with the weeping, laughs with the laughing, plays with the playful, sings with those who sing, keeping time to the song. What does he lose? His presence is like a pure, transparent mirror. It reflects the image exactly as it is. But the jnani, who is only a mirror, is unaffected by actions. How can a mirror, or the stand on which it is mounted, be affected by the reflections? Nothing affects them as they are mere supports. On the other hand, the actors in the world - the doers of all acts, the ajnanis - must decide for themselves what song and what action is for the welfare of the world, what is in accordance with the sastras, and what is practicable.

Sri Ramana maintained that Self-realization could be brought about merely by giving up the idea that there is an individual self which functions through the body and the mind. A few of his advanced devotees were able to do this quickly and easily, but the others found it virtually impossible to discard the ingrained habits of a lifetime without undertaking some form of spiritual practice. Sri Ramana sympathized with their predicament and whenever he was asked to prescribe a spiritual practice which would facilitate Self-awareness he would recommend a technique he called self-enquiry. You have to ask yourself the question `Who am I ?' This investigation will lead in the end to the discovery of something within you which is behind the mind. Solve that great problem and you will solve all other problems.

The life of action need not be renounced. If you meditate for an hour or two every day you can then carry on with your duties. If you meditate in the right manner then the current of mind induced will continue to flow even in the midst of your work. It is as though there were two ways of expressing the same idea; the same line which you take in meditation will be expressed in your activities. As you go on you will find that your attitude towards people, events and objects gradually changes. Your actions will tend to follow your meditations of their own accord.

Spirituality and practicality

2007-12-19T02:13:00.000-08:00

A major challenge for us is to balance spirituality and practicality. Most of us lead a bracketed life. We preach certain values relating to spirituality on certain occasions in the company of certain people, but when we are faced with real life situations related to practical issues like finances and business, we discard those values.

The only solution is to integrate our values in practice. At first, it may seem crazy and impractical to adopt values consistent with spirituality in our daily life. However in the long run, to be spiritual in daily life is to be practical. There is no dichotomy at all. If our spiritual beliefs are too abstract to be made practical or to be realized, we have to abandon them. Similary, if our practical approach is contradictory to core values, we must modify our approach. That is the only way we can lead a balanced life.

Karma Yoga - Always choose freedom

2007-12-05T23:38:00.000-08:00

All of us have desires. When we desire something deeply, the universe fulfils it, sometimes in totally unexpected ways. When we see our past desires fulfilled, we are tempted to accept restrictions on our future in order for our past desires to come true in the present. When we do so, we are choosing bondage, and we are rejecting freedom. To practice Karma yoga is to always choose the highest level of freedom.

As humans, we are never free from desire. We can never escape from desire. However, we can choose to not attach significance to whether the desires are fulfilled or not. When we do our tasks without attachment to the outcomes, we are free. Our decisions are based only on the present, and not on the past or the future. We live a life of spontaneity, awareness, and joy.

Explanation for "The secret"

2007-11-22T23:06:00.000-08:00

The Secret, a film produced by Prime Time Productions, consists of a series of interviews and dramatizations related to "The Law of Attraction". As put forth in the film, the "Law of Attraction" principle suggests that people's feelings and thoughts attract real events in the world into their lives; from the workings of the cosmos to interactions among individuals in their physical, emotional, and professional affairs. The film also suggests that there has been a strong tendency by those in positions of power to keep this central principle hidden from the public.

The film encourages the viewer to see "the Universe [as] 'a catalog' that we can flip through and shop. The Secret lists three required steps — "ask, believe, receive" — as the essence of the Law of Attraction.

Thus, according to the "The Secret", if we are to be the masters of our destinies, we must

1) Control our thoughts and feelings
2) Ask - Clearly imagine and articulate what we want to attract into our lives
3) Believe - That we have gotten it and act as if it were so

The mind cannot control its thoughts. It can control thoughts as much as a computer can control the instructions that it processes. The mind can only be controlled by a higher awareness that observes the mind and its thoughts through meditation.

The first step towards making something real is to imagine it. We cannot create something that we cannot even imagine. Hence, we must imagine, articulate and ask.

Believing and having faith that we will receive is tough. As our belief becomes stronger, the process works better. If we do not believe, we will not receive. This is an iterative process.

The belief can come from Knowledge of the Universal self. If we know the truth of the universal self, believing that the universe will give you whatever you ask of it is easy. After all, the universe is but a part of you.

Explanation for Karma - Universal self

2007-10-25T22:38:00.000-07:00

As you sow so shall you reap" This is the Law of Karma. Interestingly, both science and religion recognize this law. In science it is often stated, “For every action there is an equal and opposing reaction.” Its religious counterparts are, “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth”;; and “As you do unto others, it will be done unto you.” Even today’s common knowledge expresses this principle in the saying, “What goes around, comes around.” This is the law of karma, of cause and effect.

Though most people intutively understand the concept of Karma, there isn't an explanation as such for it. The explanation is that we all have something in common, which is the universal self. When we recognize the universal self in others (as well as in ourselves) and act in their best interests of the whole, we therefore act in our own best interests.

Reincarnation and Karma as truth

2007-10-24T00:01:00.000-07:00

The Gita states Reincarnation and Karma as absolute truth.

If we could for one moment, hold this thought of reincarnation as truth, how would we change the life we are in now?

Would we treat people with more kindness and empathy? Perhaps we would cherish our loved ones more? Would we be responsible for our actions or even our words, knowing that we would be held accountable in our next incarnation?

When unsure, reflect

2007-10-09T23:18:00.000-07:00

There are times when we don't know what to do. Or, we may know exactly what is to be done, but we may not be able to get ourselves to do it. During these times, rather than just forcing ourselves to do it while giving less than our best, we should take some time to reflect and reexamine. During this re-examination, things become clearer, and we are able to develop creative solutions to our problems rather than the straight forward ones that we might have forced ourselves to adopt. The ego just wants problems to go away, and wants to be occupied in doing things that it believes will alleviate the problems. However, our actions that are motivated by the ego often make things more difficult for ourselves, and kill creativity.

Sometimes, that which appears to be inaction (medidation, contemplation, reflection) is superior to action. When we are 100% sure, we give our best. When we put in a half-hearted attempt, it shows. Also when others notice that we are not giving our best, we lose credibility. Hence, if you are not sure, do not jump into doing things. Instead pause, meditate and reflect. The answers will come to you automatically.

Delayed Gratification

2007-10-06T23:41:00.000-07:00

"Deferred gratification or delayed gratification is the ability to wait in order to obtain something that one wants. This ability is usually considered to be a personality trait which is important for life success. Daniel Goleman has suggested that it is an important component of emotional intelligence. People who lack this trait are said to need instant gratification and may suffer from poor impulse control."

This may be a valuable trait for those trying achieve useless things by making themselves miserable till they achieve them. This is the carrot effect.

However, nothing is worth making yourself miserable. Happiness is in the now, and not in the future. You are successful based on who you are, and not on what you have. If you are miserable now because you are deferring gratification for later, you are not successful.

What is Love?

2007-09-19T18:09:00.000-07:00

Love is an act of will – namely an intention and action

The opposite of love is not hate but indifference

Prayers for love will not generate any love
Pleading for love will not evoke love
Preaching about love cannot net love
No valentine greetings can perpetuate love

Only action, Action alone can sow the seeds to reap the harvest of love.

Here is an extract from Stephen Covey's book - The 7 habits of highly effective people

'Stephen, I like what you are preaching about relationships. But every situation is different. Look at my marriage. I am really worried. My wife and I just don't have the same feeling for each other that we used to have. I guess I just don't love her anymore, and she doesn't love me". "The feeling is not there anymore?" Stephen enquired. "That is right", the man affirmed. "And we have three children and we are really concerned about it. What do you suggest"?"Love her", Stephen Covey advised him."I told you the feeling just isn't there""Then love her. If the feeling is not there, that is all the more reason to love her."But how do you love when you don't love?"My friend, Covey told him – " Love is a verb. Love – the feeling – is the fruit of love the verb or our loving actions. So love her. Sacrifice. Listen to her. Empathize. Appreciate. Affirm her."

We all have the desire to be loved. But how many of us love others?

Love is the realization and expression of the Universal self. The outcome of seeing others the same way as we see our selves. Doing what is in the best interest of others, as it is in the best interests of our selves to do so.

"Universal Self" in the Gita

2007-09-18T03:49:00.001-07:00

The principle behind the Golden rule "treat others as you would like to be treated," is stated in the Gita as " He sees the Self in all beings, and all beings in the Self, everywhere he sees the same."

And

"He who looks on all as his own self, perceiving the delight and suffering of others as his own is deemed the highest of all."

This is the law of the universal self, which serves as the principle from which the "Golden rule" is derived.

Do unto others

2007-09-18T03:43:00.000-07:00

The ethic of reciprocity or "The Golden Rule" is a fundamental moral principle which simply means "treat others as you would like to be treated." It is arguably the most essential basis for the modern concept of human rights. Principal philosophers and religious figures have stated it in different ways.

Islam

"None of you [truly] believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself."[1]
“Woe to those . . . who, when they have to receive by measure from men, exact full measure, but when they have to give by measure or weight to men, give less than due”[2]
The Qur'an commends "those who show their affection to such as came to them for refuge and entertain no desire in their hearts for things given to the (latter), but give them preference over themselves"[3]
“None of you [truly] believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself.”[4]
"Seek for mankind that of which you are desirous for yourself, that you may be a believer; treat well as a neighbor the one who lives near you, that you may be a Muslim [one who submits to God]."[5]
“That which you want for yourself, seek for mankind.”[6]
"The most righteous of men is the one who is glad that men should have what is pleasing to himself, and who dislikes for them what is for him disagreeable

Christianity

Luke 6: 27-36Love Your Enemies27 "But I say to you who listen: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If anyone hits you on the cheek, offer the other also. And if anyone takes away your coat, don't hold back your shirt either. 30 Give to everyone who asks from you, and from one who takes away your things, don't ask for them back. 31 Just as you want others to do for you, do the same for them. 32 If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. 33 If you do [what is] good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do [what is] good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is gracious to the ungrateful and evil. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.

A key element of the ethic of reciprocity is that a person attempting to live by this rule treats all people, not just members of his or her in-group, with consideration.

If you can live it and die by it, it is true

2007-09-13T06:45:00.001-07:00

We as human beings, are the masters of our destinies, and our lives are proof of what we believe. Jesus not only lived by the truth that he realized and spoke it, he died by it, as a deliberate and conscious decision.

How many of us are capable of dying for something that we believe is true, with full awareness and consciousness of its implications? Only when we come face to face with death (not in a state of madness or inebriation, or a state of fear and despair, but in a detached state of calm and deliberate awareness), we come face to face with truth. Those who embrace death without fear have realized truth. Those who conquer death while being alive have realized the very truth of life itself.

True for one, true for all

2007-09-13T06:16:00.000-07:00

Let us consider the 3 possibilities that encompass all possibilities

Case 1: There is an absolute truth

This case allows for room for it to be true, since "There is an absolute truth" is allowed the possibility of being an absolute truth.

There is no absolute truth that cannot be realized.if there is an absolute truth that cannot be realized, then it is either not universal(and hence not absolute) or not true. Hence the absolute truth would be capabable of realization by all (irrespective of religious beliefs, caste, color, race etc). Also, it would not be specific to any method or approach that limits its universality (all approaches would converge).

Case 2: There is no absolute truth

If so, even the case that "There is no absolute truth" would not be an absolute truth. However, the way the case is structured (in definite and absolute terms), the case would leave no room for uncertainty. Hence, Case 2 is proved to be false by contradiction.

Case 3: There is uncertainty regarding the existance of an absolute truth, and even if it were to exist, it may not be determined

In this case, if even one person were able to realize absolute truth (even if that person would be incapable of proving it to others), the case would be dismissed, because not only would absolute truth exist for that person, but that person would have also determined its existance.

Assumption: At least one person has realized absolute truth (e.g., Jesus)

Conclusion: If there is an absolute truth that can be realized even by one person, it is realizable by all. We all have something in common (the capability to realized absolute truth). This capablity may be termed as ' the universal self' or that aspect of us that we share in common with all.

In order to translate this capability or 'universal self' to reality during a process termed as 'realization', all we have to do is recognize the universal self in all. In other words, we have to live the absolute truth by viewing all beings as a part of our selves, by recognizing the universal self present in us, in all. Coincidentally, this principle of universal self is taught by several sources (e.g., Jesus, Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita,etc) without reference to the logic behind it.

Times have changed

2007-09-13T05:59:00.000-07:00

The Bhagavad Gita dates to a time when a person's duty or dharma was determined by caste and birth. In today's world, caste or birth is losing its significance. In fact, the caste system is seen as an evil that is dragging the country down and dividing the people.

Today, dharma or duty is not based on caste. Even so, the universal and timeless principle of Karma Yoga (do your duty, not based on the results) as expounded by Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita rings true even today, even though the factors that determine 'dharma' have changed. Today our duty is to contribute to society and humanity according to the best of our capabilities. To determine our duty, we must first know our strengths and talents. Once known, our duty is to apply our talents in the manner by which we can best contribute to humanity.

In the time of Arjuna and Krishna, people of different caste and tendencies are prescibed different paths (bhakti, jnana etc), because people's duty and manner of performing it was determined by birth. Today, the constitutions of democratic nations declare all human beings as equal. Hence there is a need for one path (which accomodates aspects of each of the paths) that can be followed universally by anyone to reach the ultimate goal of perfection, which would be attainable by all.

A new look at perfection

2007-08-30T05:30:00.000-07:00

Earlier approaches to perfection are based on differentiation. There is no single approach to perfection. There are many...and some contradict with each other. In each the priorities are different from the others. Hence, we need a new approach that is based on the unity of paths.

Some of the attributes that are essential to attaining perfection are:

1) Non-attachment to results of actions
2) Dispassion (viewing opposites of success & failure, happiness & sadness etc) equally
3) Control over the body, mind and senses
4) Being directed from within (not by external circumstances or factors) - by creativity and inspiration
5) Living in moderation (abstaining from excesses of any kind)
6) Prioritizing realized knowledge over mental, sensory, speculative or bookish knowledge
7) Knowing that the universe is in the self, and accepting all living beings as part of oneself.

If able to live out these all at once (in unity and not one at the expense of the other), one can attain perfection quickly.

Hindu gods - powerless to flattery

2007-08-18T00:06:00.000-07:00

If you read a bit about Hindu mythology, you will see that most of the troubles to humanity have been due to misuse of power granted by the gods or gurus to undeservers who pleased and worshipped the gods. God is supreme, but can be troubled only by relinquishing his supreme status by sharing his power with worshippers (flatterers). Today, we do not need Gods who are powerless to flattery. We need a god who can establish the principles of life without bowing down to pressure by worshippers who are nothing but flatterers.

Irrelevance of Bhakti Yoga

2007-08-17T23:39:00.000-07:00

The Bhagavad Gita is the form of a song. It is to be understood as art, and not verbatim. The actual physical existance of the beings Krishna and Arjuna is not relevant to this art. Even if Krishna is just a mythological figure, the bhagavad gita is relevant, for it expounds the universal wisdom of action that is applicable even today - Karma Yoga, it is based on the fact that we all perform actions all the time, and if we are attached to the outcomes, we will remain bound.

The path of Bhakti Yoga was relevant to Arjuna because Krishna was living, and he was Arjuna's friend, well known to Arjuna. The same path of Bhakti is not relevant to people who do not know Krishna personally in the same form as known by Arjuna. It is foolish to go around chanting words such as 'Hare Krishna' by people who do not know Krishna. They might as well chant any other word and it would make absolutely no difference.

Relevance of past greats

2007-06-29T02:02:00.000-07:00

The world has seen several great beings such as Jesus Christ, Mohammed, Krishna, Buddha, Mahavira and Meher Baba. Their contribution to humanity is immense, and they have given hope to and transformed the lives of many. However they are no longer present in the earth in the same physical form. We must not confuse their physical form with their eternal nature. Each of these great beings came to the earth at a time when the principles as laid down by great beings previously had been lost in time and were being misinterpreted or erroneously projected by certain people trying to capture power in the name of god. Due to actions of these pseudo religious people, the principles as laid down by the greats to be realized are diluted over time. Thus, the principles of living need to be reestablished from time to time.

Meher Baba said "Throughout eternity I have laid down principles and precepts, but mankind has ignored them. Man's inability to live God's words makes the Avatar's teaching a mockery.Because man has been deaf to the principles and precepts laid down by God in the past, in this present avataric form I observe Silence. You have asked for and been given enough words — it is now time to live them. When I break my Silence, the impact of my Love will be universal and all life in creation will know, feel and receive of it. It will help every individual to break himself free from his bondage in his own way. I am the Divine Beloved who loves you more than you can ever love yourself. The breaking of my Silence will help you to help yourself in knowing your real self. "

However, he never broke his silence and passed away. The silence will be broken only when all of us help ourselves in knowing our real selves. The next avatar is in each and everyone of us, when we know our real selves.

Is there anybody out there?

2007-06-27T03:41:00.000-07:00

The timeless question is whether there is such a person, a supreme personality, one that cannot be comprehended by us? There is no definite answer to this question, and this question may not even be a practical one. It is proposed by followers of the Krishna Consciousness movement that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and that we can never be one with him, but only worship him, due to their translation/interpretation of the verse as

" Unintelligent men, who know Me not, think that I have assumed this form and personality. Due to their small knowledge, they do not know My higher nature, which is changeless and supreme"

But there is also the translation that says"In order to deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I advent Myself millennium after millennium. "

That means that there is an aspect of Krishna that is changeless and supreme, and also that Krishna incarnates again and again.

So what if Krishna is incarnated in the world today? Will the worshippers of Krishna be able to recognize him? Will they continue to chant their mantra and worship their idols while Krishna appears before them? When he reestablishes the lost principles of religion, will they accept them, or reject them in their blind devotion to the past form of Krishna?

Unity of Paths

2007-06-24T21:02:00.000-07:00

As outlined in the Bhagavad Gita, there are two approaches to the absolute, that of knowledge and that of action, and that to help practise these approaches, we must do so with devotion, and control over the mind and senses. The wise know that one who is pure in action, is so due to knowledge, and one who is of knowledge, is also pure in his actions. Thus the point here is that these seemingly different paths converge, and that one cannot attain one without attaining the others.

When you hear people speak of one path as superior to other, it just shows their ignorance and immaturity. It conveys that they have not comprehended even the very path that they claim to be the one and only true path. None of the paths when viewed independent of the others can lead to progress. Progress happens automatically due to synergies between the various paths. Those who cut the other paths off, are killing synergy, and hence killing progress itself.

Actions and consequences

2007-06-19T01:53:00.000-07:00

If we approach life with the attitude that we alone are responsible for our lives, and that we alone are the masters of our destinies, it becomes so. Our attitude towards life, and actions gives rise to various consequences. If we have the understanding of how our actions and attitude leads to consequences, we shall remain in control.

Sometimes, when are doing everything right, things go wrong, and vice versa. This is because our life is governed by our past actions in addition to our current actions. Further, an event that may appear to be unfavorable in the present, may turn out to be favorable for the future.

We must be non-judgemental and we must avoid making erroneous inferences regarding the causes of certain outcomes. In understanding causes and effects, we must take the past, present, as well as future into account.

Labels

2007-06-04T22:31:00.000-07:00

The premise that people can be 'summed up' by labels is false, and detrimental. People who identify with labels that do not fit their personalities are sure to suffer from depression and low self-esteem. Those who label themselves and identify themselves with such labels are limiting themselves. When we reach a certain age, we are forced to label ourselves while interacting with other people socially, professionally, or even personally. The labels may be based on race, color, caste, religion or beliefs, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, body characteristics, I.Q, social circle, handicaps, manner of speaking etc.

Before a child is thrown into the world and forced to accept certain labels, it is very important for the child to know that these labels do not have any meaning or significance, and that they are not to be taken seriously. The transition from immaturity to maturity occurs when one is able to set aside prejudices and take on an unbiased point of view of the world.

The truth is that we all are one. There is unity in diversity. If we view the world as a part of our self, and not as external to it, we would never apply labels to people.

Controlling the mind and senses

2007-05-30T03:49:00.000-07:00

The mind is the friend Of those who have control over it, And the mind acts like an enemy For those who do not control it. In order to proceed further on the path of knowledge, devotion, and action with awareness, we must learn to control the senses, and then control the mind. The mind is in general restless, turbulent, strong and unyielding. Most people are controlled by their minds, and do not have control over their minds. The first step is to control the senses - What we see, hear, smell, taste, and feel. Also we have to control the impressions formed by sense perception and memories of these. We have to be moderate in eating, sleeping, and perform such daily activities in moderation as required for us to be healthy in mind, body and spirit.

The mind can be controlled by practise, and detachment. Practise in restraining the senses and their impressions, and detachment from outcomes, gains, and results of our actions. One who is truly detached is not upset, worried or nervous. Detachment leads us to peace and control of the mind. One who has control over the mind is tranquil in heat and cold, in pleasure and pain, and in honor and dishonor. A person is said to have attained yogic perfection when there is no desire for sensual pleasures, or attachment to the fruits of work,and has renounced all personal selfish motives.

Personal gain - a SECONDARY OBJECTIVE

2007-05-14T03:55:00.000-07:00

Performing actions purely for our personal gain, or for the personal gain of those who are closest to us, keeps us bound and attached to the outcomes. To be free from the bondage and attachment, we can perform actions for the welfare of others. To make money, to live a life of security and comfort is important, but how we go about it makes all the difference. When personal gain is the PRIMARY OBJECTIVE of our actions, we are highly bound. When personal gain is incidental and optional, secondary, tertiary or quarternary, we remain unattached to and unaffected by the outcomes.

If we live only for ourselves, or for our near and dear ones, we might as well be dead, as far as most people in the world are concerned. We must live 'larger than life'. Our actions must make a difference to society and improve the lives of people around us. If we live and perform actions in such a manner, we are sure to achieve personal gains as well, apart from the collective gain.

From None to All

2007-04-23T03:58:00.000-07:00

Life seemed so meaningless and empty
I did not know who i am
I saw the world through divisions and labels
I tried to live the world as i saw it, it made no sense

I did not think it was possible, but went with the flow
All the fears were dispelled, all myths shattered
I saw the world as one, an integrated whole
Fragmentations and limitations no longer mattered

I shared what i was going through
Needless to say, it appeared to be untrue
An illusion, a hallucination, to all but those who see
Everyone, even the closest, all but me

I was back to square one
Life seemed meaningless again
What use is this gift, if it could not be shared
It appeared to be a curse, all in vain

At the peak of all my despair
It seemed like any other day
I went for a walk to get away
Glanced at the view, from the top to the bottom

A thought took over, without any plan
How about, if i took the easy way down
What would that be like, i wondered
And it happened, just like i thought

It was as real as it could be
Very quickly, it happened to me
It was all over in a flash,
But where was I, here or there?

I could see, there was no more 'me'
But if i could still see, what was my identity?
With whatever that was left,
I knew this would never happen again

I was stupid, to lose sight of the goal
Of something that was mine alone
I swore that i would never let it come to this
Over something that only I control

Collective Transformation

2007-04-10T22:21:00.000-07:00

You have to be inside the system (but free from the system) to change the system. We do not need to directly attack the system. If we do so, we lose our credibility and power to influence those who are still attached to the system. Those who are stuck in the system will do anything to defend attacks to the system (which include eliminating threats or direct attacks by those outside the system).

The first step to collective transformation is individual transformation. The paths of detachment, devotion, wisdom and control may be effective in a personal level to achieve personal freedom from the system and individual transformation. Until individual transformation is complete, we must not rush to transform the world.

The next step is by being an active part of the system, but still acting in everyone's best interests in a respectful, trusting and non-imposing manner while remaining liberated from the system (remaining individually transformed).

Collective transformation cannot be brought about by teaching, preaching, training, fear, threats or punishment. These methods appeal only to the senses, body and the mind, and not to the core of the person's centre for self-awareness. Further, they convey the message that the entity to be transformed is a non-entity lacking in self-awareness, which is the ability to see and learn things by himself (since we have to do it for him). Only love, patience, respect, and trust for others by a transformed individual who performs actions while remaining totally liberated thereby setting an example for others to emulate, can bring about collective transformation.

What, Why, How?

2007-04-03T21:11:00.000-07:00

Many of us are searching for the elusive goal of alignment with the absolute. We look for guidance, to find the guru, as well as the path that can lead us to our goal. There are several options available in terms of gurus, and paths, and in todays world, we can go shopping for gurus, and choose a guru as well as a path that suits our time constraints and budget. However, for questions this fundamental, the answers can only come only from within.

The time of our lives when we are between 25 and 50 years of age is for us to act and contribute to society, when we can do so to the best of our abilities. Hence the only path for us to follow to align with the absolute is to live in the world fully, but yet not be of the world. To act to the best of our ability, but yet not be attached to the outcomes. To enjoy what the world has to offer, but not be attached to it. To be the master of our destiny, and not let the world control our lives.

This is the path of Karma Yoga, where we learn from our experiences by action with awareness. This is the path of self-study and self-awareness for which we ourselves are our only teachers.

Internal reward systems

2007-03-21T15:51:00.000-07:00

External reward systems are based on parameters that we cannot control or control to a limited extent such as short term financial gains, power over others or things, recognition, and approval of others. When our actions are based on external reward systems, we are able to exercise little control over our lives. To be in control of our lives, we need to base our actions on reward systems that are determined by us. The scenario of having no reward systems at all where our actions are entirely spontaneous and inspired is more difficult to achieve without passing through the intermediate stage of being motivated by internal reward systems, especially since the lack of reward systems may take us backwards by making it difficult for us to overcome inertia or inaction.

Internal reward systems are put in place by us. They establish that what is good for others is also good for us. They enable win-win situations. Internal reward systems clarify the link between what is beneficial to us in the long run, and what is beneficial to others in the long run. Personal internal reward systems include self-knowledge, self-awareness, wisdom (from experience), peace, and bliss. In addition to giving us the priceless states of confidence, peace and bliss, the internal rewards of self-knowledge, self-awareness, and wisdom provide us with unlimited potential to generate external rewards, such as money and recognition. External rewards that are achieved without achieving internal rewards first, come with the price of loss of peace of mind, and are short lived.

Karma Yoga in the Gita

2007-03-20T03:26:00.000-07:00

The following extracts from the Bhagavad Gita help us understand Karma Yoga

1) Not even for a moment can man be without action. Helplessly all are driven into action by the forces of nature

2) Not by refraining from action can a man be free of action; nor can he attain perfection by mere renunciation

3) The world is held in bondage to action,unless action is a sacrifice

4) The ignorant act while attached to their actions. The wise act, free of attachment. for the welfare of the world

5) The actions of a great man are an inspiration to the world. Whatever he does, becomes a standard for others to follow.

6) The state achieved by the wise is also that achieved by those of selfless action. He who sess that both paths are the same, he truly sees

7) Thy rights is to thy actions alone, but never to the fruits of the actions; let not the rewards of action be thy motive; nor yet be attached to inaction.

Is Work Worship?

2007-03-20T00:26:00.000-07:00

Each of the definitions of work, such as

Work: exertion or effort directed to produce or accomplish something; labor; toil, the result of exertion, labor, or activity; a deed or performance

point to something that is hard and relates to motives to accomplish results.

Worship: adoring reverence or regard: excessive worship of business success.

It seems that given these definitions of work, the cliche "Work is Worship" can be used to justify not having a life and being a workaholic.

Work is not Worship

Can i do everything that i love doing?

2007-03-11T06:18:00.000-07:00

YES! The answer is yes. The first step to doing everything that you love doing is to accept that you can! The other steps of knowing, planning, prioritizing, executing, and moving on happen once we say YES! Nobody can stop us from doing everything that we love doing, but we, ourselves. so say YES!

How to make things happen

2007-02-27T06:10:00.000-08:00

When we plan to finish a task by a certain time, with a clear intention, it is possible for the outcome to materialize just as planned. But there's a catch to this - If we determine the what, and the when, we have to be flexible about the how, and let go of our ego (that also tells us how it should happen, and how each person involved must react). And we can let go our ego only if we have faith in the nature of things, faith in ourselves, as well as faith in others. By letting go of our ego, we also have to let go of our expectations and motives regarding the outcome, due to which we decrease stress, become detached and capable of performing better with a higher level of awareness. People who cannot have faith or trust always have a hard time getting things done, and are constantly stressed out.

Harnessing Potential for Action

2007-01-14T14:07:00.000-08:00

You might be aware that the oscillating pendulum goes through a cycle of varying Potential Energy and Kinetic Energy. When the pendulum is at its greatest height, its Potential Energy is maximum, and Kinetic Energy is zero. When the pendulum is at the center, it is vice versa. Our lives and careers go through similar cycles. The wise balance various stages of their lives knowing whether it is a stage for building up potential, or for leveraging potential in action.

One common mistake that people (especially students in India) make, is viewing school/college as a time for achievement, whereas, it is a time for learning. American schools recognize that industry experience and education need to be balanced at various stages of life. They provide the flexibility that is required for students to get the maximum learning out of school in terms of potential that they can leverage in their careers. Indian students tend to view school as an end in itself. American students tend to view school as a means to build up their potential that can be leveraged later.

Actions without motive or attachment

2006-12-31T22:55:00.000-08:00

Apart from meditation, where we observe our thoughts while being detached from them, long walks or exercise, without motives/goals are excellent. When we walk, or exercise, not with a goal in mind(losing a particular number of calories etc), but just for the sake of walking/exercising, we are building up a habit of performing actions without motives or attachment to our actions. This habit slowly becomes a part of our attitude towards actions, and makes karma yoga come to us naturally without effort.

Even setting up a session for reflection or self-analysis in a goal oriented manner is premeditated by motive. These sessions should occur spontaneously. With spontaneity, comes awareness, and bliss.

Realize your true potential

2006-12-29T07:38:00.000-08:00

Everyone has the potential to realize the absolute. To be the best the one can. How do we realize and maximize this true potential?

1. Let go - Of attachment to past - accomplishments, losses, joys, sorrows
2. Live - in the present moment, with awareness and bliss
3. Recognize - The potential that you have in everyone else
4. Pass on - Knowledge, wisdom,opportunities to others

Try This

2006-05-23T02:32:00.000-07:00

1) Chant Aum and meditate (knowing that the universe is in the self)
when you can hear the sound inside of you without uttering it, and are conscious of your knowledge that the universe is in the self,
2) Think of Krishna - images of him and his characteristics
3) Chant the mahamantra in your mind - hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare hare krishna hare krishna krishna krishna hare hare
4) Go to the gym and get onto a treadmill, or go for a walk. Match your steps to the meter of the mantra.

Be conscious of all 4 simultaneously - hear the aum inside of you, the mahamantra in your mind synchronized with your steps, and think of krishna

Motivation versus Inspiration

2006-05-12T01:52:00.000-07:00

Motivation is linked to motives and incentives. There is an inherent assumption that behind every action, there is an underlying motive. Without any motives or incentives (personal gain), can there be any action? Motivation can be physical (hunger,thirst,sex drive), psychological, social, monetary etc. The underlying assumption is that all action arises only from the need for personal gain of some form. When a crime is committed, the police look for motives such as for money, sex, or fame and recognition, or in extremes, mental illness.

In the workplace, people are made to work hard by motivations of increased financial,social or psychological status. This is a common phenomenon of control in workplace, also referred to as 'the carrot effect'. As long as you are motivated by personal gain of some kind, you can be controlled by the 'carrot effect'. The carrot may be money,position, fame, recognition,travel abroad etc. You are constantly evaluated and judged at the workplace to ensure that you are kept in your place, and that you are still motivated by the carrot. If you haven't got the carrot, then it must be your fault in some way or the other. As long we take the blame on to ourselves, we stay motivated, and continue efforts to reach the carrot, which remains out of reach perpetually, so that we can be controlled and manipulated. An amusing spin-off of the carrot is the term "self-motivated" used by managers. Managers love workers who are "self-motivated", that is those who hang the carrot by themselves, so that they themselves cannot reach it. The self-motivated individual is one who dangles the carrot out of his own reach voluntarily to motivate himself to reach goals and targets set by someone else (the manager). The term "self-motivated", like "self-realized" is contradictory, for the self-motivation of an individual is characterized by his alignment with goals set by an external source (the manager) and not by himself/herself.

When someone is unmoved by motives simply because he knows that the carrot is non-existent, he is labeled as lazy,slow or unmotivated. For how can there be action without an underlying motive? However there is an exception to the rule of action and motivation, and that exception is pure unconditional love. Love defies motivation, for actions performed out of love are not for personal gain of any form. Actions performed out of love are not motivated, but inspired. Inspiration, comes not from external factors, but purely from within. Inspiration is linked to creativity and invention. Inspiration comes out of freedom, and a peaceful mind devoid of stress. Engineers who invent, do so just for the love of it. The new mantra of creativity, innovation and the future is Inspiration, and not Motivation.

Absolutes

2006-05-10T02:39:00.000-07:00

Many of us (consciously or by default) believe that there are no absolutes, and that reality is only relative to perception and the observer. But accepting that reality is non-absolute makes life more difficult for us, for that makes it difficult to relate to others (a critical requirement in our personal as well as professional lives). Even if we relate to others, it is in a superficial and temporary way(common perceptions). Each individual's perception of himself/herself shapes his/her perception of everyone else. We can relate to others only through ourselves. Our own perceptions of identity are restricted by words and attitudes such as color,size,shape,personality type, interests etc. The only way we relate to ourselves is through (external) labels. One example of relating to others superficially is a club of people with common interests (within which people are 'us' and outside of which people are 'them', which can be termed as unity by exclusion). Within the club, members know each other only by a label, but do not care enough to treat them as multidimensional individuals. Only the knowledge and awareness that there is an absolute reality which (since it is absolute) is in all of us, and that if we realize that, we will see ourselves in all of existance and vice versa (unity by inclusion) can liberate us from our self-imposed limitations. The evidence for the existance of absolutes is plain for all to see. Those of us that see ourselves in others and vice versa, see other people's point of view, and are hence better listeners and communicators. Also they are capable of forming deep and meaningful connections with others that are not based on shallow perceptions. Whereas those of us who are so absorbed in our own perceptions(or collective perceptions) find it difficult to relate to others (each one is different from us, and from others), and hence are less successful as communicators in their personal as well as professional lives.

What is self-realization?

2006-05-08T22:23:00.000-07:00

Self-Realization or God-Realization is a term that is commonly used today. It implies a duality between one entity the"Self" or God and another entity "the Realizer" or the human. The term is contradictory, confusing and non-indicative of how one goes about achieving 'Self-realization', which can be envisioned to be the merging of the two entities to one. The terms Self-Realization or God-Realization are popularized by 'bonafide spiritual masters' and 'self-realized gurus', who promote these words as a science, to be practiced by 'genuine' disciples simple by serving the 'self-realized' master, who brainwashes them into dangling the carrot on to themselves.

"Absolute Reality" on the other hand, as a term is non-dual, it does not indicate seperation between two entities at all. The spiritual seeker on the path to knowing the self is automatically deceived, for the knower, the seeker, and that which he seeks are one. The absolutes of knowledge, truth,awareness and action are intertwined and undividable. True knowledge can only be obtained through action with awareness.

The Bhagavad Gita - dialogue between the self and the realizer

2006-01-22T23:51:00.000-08:00

The mahabharata when read as a mere observer, appears to be a mythical tale, a fascinating story, an entertaining drama with all emotions thrown in..but when one not just reads the mahabharata as a story but as a metaphor, identifies with and participates in it, there lies its impact. The power of the Bhagavad Gita, within the context of the Mahabharata is that it is in the form of art, the interpretation and impact of which is up to the reader. It is in this form, and not in the form of rules or laws for a reason- because perfection or realization is dynamic, and is upto the individual.

Within the framework of Absolute reality, the self and the realizer exist within the same (self-realized) individual, but they are portrayed as manifested in distinct individuals in the Bhagavad Gita.

Perfection is dynamic

2006-01-05T21:34:00.000-08:00

Perfection is dynamic and not static, as traditional models may assume.It may manifest itself in action, as well as inaction. Some of us may see perfection only in action (as in maybe exceptional achievements) or inaction (meditation, peace, enlightenment) but perfection exists in both dynamically.Perfection lies in maintaining an equlibrium with this dynamic state. Accepting the dynamic nature of perfection is a huge step towards attaining that state of equilibrium and 'peace' even in the midst of chaos.Krishna said to Arjuna (the bhagavad gita)"He who sees action in inaction, and inaction in action, truly sees"

Perfection and Free will

2005-12-04T07:23:00.000-08:00

There is a constant struggle for balance between Perfection and Free will. Perfection implies that something is done in the best possible way, which limits the number of ways it can be done, and hence limits Free will. The moment a being reaches perfection, he is burdened with maintaining that perfection. What could be the motivation for a 'perfect being'? After all, he is perfect, and anything that he does (including nothing) would be perfect. So why should the being maintain that perfection in terms of his actions, when he already attained the state wherein, even with inaction, he can maintain that perfection?

The perfect being would have to maintain a balance. Sometimes, the perfect being may need to resort to inaction in order to be in touch with the perfection that associated with him irrespective of actions (independent of action) and resort to action to realize the physical manifestation of that perfection. The being has to maintain identity with the aspect of his being that manifests itself in action, in order to be motivated to carry out actions, and from time to time, detach from the aspect of his being that is timeless and independent of action.Further, the being would have to, from time to time, detach from the physically manifested aspect of his being to be aware of that timeless aspect of his perfection, in order to maintain that level of perfection in his actions.

Thus for a perfect being to physically manifest his perfection, he has to be prepared to carry the enormous burden of maintaining that perfection

What is realization?

2005-11-21T02:41:00.000-08:00

Realization is to realize or 'make real.' It is related to awareness and knowledge, as well as to action. Knowledge (or wisdom) and action are intertwined by realization. Knowledge is made real or realized by action with awareness.