We have everything necessary in the world today to bring about the millennium. Only man’s selfishness makes it impossible. Tremendous unnecessary suffering is created by man’s shortsighted self-interest. Money that could feed and clothe needy people is used instead for destruction. The root cause of the world’s troubles is this selfishness born of ignorance. Each person thinks he is doing right; but when he seeks to satisfy only his own interest, he is setting in motion the karmic law* of cause and effect that will inevitably destroy his own and others’ happiness.
The more I see of world tragedies caused by man’s ignorance, the more I realize that even if every street were paved with gold, happiness would not be lasting. Happiness lies in making others happy, in forsaking self-interest to bring joy to others. If each one would do that, then everyone would be happy; and all would be taken care of.
~ Paramhansa Yogananda
This is so true. Selfishness is from ego.
Ask that it be removed!
Prayer and sadly in the modern days prarthna is a concept that is either cultural or mimicked by observing others
People either close their eyes and speak their thoughts or feelings to god ( either in the temple or church or home ), or they chant certain names, read religious books, or recite hymns or they follow rites using fragrances, light / diya, and wash adorn adore an idol
Some of those things if done properly helps. Doing it diligently with disciple becomes a tapa and can act like “cash” to get wishes fulfilled
Prarthna is very different from any of it. I should stop here
What happens? We go and hear a great motivational speech. Or listen to a brilliant orator talking on Gita or Upanishad. And a week later all is forgotten. Even the initial zeal of practicing good values, being tolerant, forgiving, decreasing sensory appetite goes away
Within a few weeks, if that, all is forgotten and we are back to square one
People try and fail. Yogananda called them antique furniture, since this has been the case for many births
What happens?
We forget what we were told to do very quickly
The enthusiasm is there but we remain surrounded in the wrong company.
Repetition of good values are needed and good company is needed. Without that not much can be achieved
However the biggest reason is past habits from many many births. This is why some people gravitate towards music, others towards religion, some towards yoga, others towards sense pleasures, alcohol etc. However, the attitude towards anxiety, anger, fear, resentment, sensitivity, feeling offended etc are also part of the same issue THIS HAS TO BE CLEANED. Without cleaning this, nothing can be achieved permanently. These roots are very deeply imbedded in us.
It is for the cleaning of deep roots, yoga is needed. It use only with yoga, can we go deep within, like the ego part described by Freud , where we have to discover the flaws and “cauterize” it. This can be only done with “kriya”. That is how Yogananda described it. In maha yoga awakening of the shakti takes care of it has been described.
But there is more ! One has to practice it for 12 years. – cauterizing the flaw and practice not getting angry for 12 years makes it permanent
These flaws exist in a shell called prakriti. One has to find it , cleanse it.
However even that is not sufficient. One has to establish oneself in a higher level and plane. And stay there. Those stations are called shodhash adhar. There are 16. Hence it is called shodhash adhar. In maha yoga Vigyan Shankar Bhagwan or God says, if you do not know those stations, you are not a yogi.
So purity is needed
Purity requires getting rid of bad personality
That has been present for years
Find the shell where it is stored. Prakriti. It it an actual shell
Cauterize it
Practice for 12 years
Establish in the higher station
Repeat from one station to another to you are at the highest
All the sermons or lectures can’t help because this practice of purity is needed
One of the curiosity of the human mind is playing mental games
What do I mean by it?
Simple – let’s say that a yogi is supposed to eat less. Now if someone has a self portrayed image of being a yogi, naturally he will show in public he rarely eats. And when he eats he will say oh it is because my disciples get offended and sad. An act and ruse from ego
On the other hand a true yogi would just be honest and say, yes the sense of bodily consciousness is strong and I try to overcome it
Now which scenario is more inspiring?
So many people play these games. In life. Wanting to portray a great personality but scum within
But why is it a problem? This week aspire to be on the path play these mental games! They try to test!
I recently came across who was reading my blog. I knew it but I did not reveal it. Not my business. Now this person pretended not to know about my blog. Why play games? It only hinders
I try to tell some people, divinely guided, of course but the power if Maya is very strong. I may Say contradictory things but both of them are true. Instead of asking why or how, people get upset. A golden opportunity is lost
There are many levels to Shakti awakening. Someone who knows them has to be awakened and if you know none then there is no awakening
A Guru can hint but he will not proclaim in public.
Faith – it is something spontaneous and is present and reveals itself when logic says impossible. This is not mathematics where logic makes it correct. It is beyond all calculative conclusion of logic. It automatically knows. But substantial purity is needed. Faith is the first step to freedom.
Reading books and logic can’t help it merely gives a proper order of events and helps guide a novice in selecting a proper Guru.
Generally an impure mind will only find an impure and worthless Guru
Only pure hearted can hear true words. And appreciate it
I have had a few questions – but some things can only be answered in person.
Lastly today is Guru Purnima.
Paying tribute to your Guru. I helped a few people do puja in Philadelphia. They were told the truth. But strangely like I told them the entire burden is on them
If they like what I say that is a burden of looking which came from their own mind
If they hate me, that is a burden that was created by their own mind
My actions do not exist – since I want nothing. Talking is a burden. Peace within is what is enduring
Being completely absorbed in ātma-niṣṭhā [self-abidance], giving not even the slightest room to the rising of any thought other than ātma-cintanā [self-thought or self-attentiveness], alone is giving oneself to God. Even though we place whatever amount of burden upon God, that entire amount he will bear. Since one paramēśvara śakti [supreme ruling power or power of God] is driving all activities*, instead of yielding to it why should we always think, ‘it is necessary to act in this way; it is necessary to act in that way’? Though we know that the train is going bearing all the burdens, why should we who go travelling in it suffer bearing our small luggage on our head instead of remaining happily leaving it placed on that [train]?
(‘Nāṉār?’ [‘Who Am I?’], 13th Paragraph)
[everything that happens in this world]
Translation by Michael James
However it is difficult for many reasons
1. The mind is not trained to be vacant
2. When the mind turns inward it is goes to a make belief imaginative God. That God cannot give real lasting peace or joy
3. The mind even when it touches the source wants to manipulate God for personal desires.
4. Even when that is overcome, the mind makes that a drab routine. In frustration
But it is amazing few if any teacher Guru or blog talks about the 5 ways God manifests!
We are all here to learn. Learn to love. Learn to forgive. Learn to be perfect. Similar to many countless saints in the past.
This school we enrolled in – rather involuntary – the school of life and death, the world – in order to graduate we have to learn from our mistakes. Note a single “answer” can be wrong. What is the “answer” – our karma and reaction. It is not theory about God or the scriptures
It is about love for God.
So why do I about the theory? Or explain the scriptures? It seems foolish does it not? It is because we have been trained from many many past incidences to reach in a certain way. Selfish ways. Evil ways. Hateful ways. Careless ways. Lazy ways. Craving for food and sex ways. All the flaws of the body.
So in order to overcome these flaws, you can learn to correct it with yoga and deep meditation. Or learn it with experience. If you don’t learn it with simple experience then the lessons become harsher
So in order to learn from yoga , one has to retrace the path of the illusion that we are the body , instead it should be the soul is covered by a body. In order to retrace it a little Map is neaded. That map comes from reading scriptures
So here is a very encouraging guide from Yogananda
Strength in times of adversity
Suffering is a good teacher to those who are quick and willing to learn from it. But it becomes a tyrant to those who resist and resent. Suffering can teach us almost everything. Its lessons urge us to develop discrimination, self-control, nonattachment, morality, and transcendent spiritual consciousness. For example, a stomachache tells us not to eat too much and to watch what we eat. The pain from loss of possessions or loved ones reminds us of the temporal nature of all things in this world of delusion. The consequences of wrong actions impel us to exercise discrimination. Why not learn through wisdom? Then you won’t subject yourself to unnecessary painful discipline from the hard taskmaster of suffering.
When your dreaming the body is real. The pain is real
But once you know the body and world is a dream- mind you , you may imagine you have reached the state of awakening – but knowing and understanding that this is a dream is not the same as being awake.
The experience of bring awake is very different. It is not something that happens slowly. It is sudden. And like a million blazing suns suddenly there is no darkness. This light is you. And you know it. And now you have started. The body is lifeless but you come back
Very few ever reach that. Not one in 100 million. Since it is rare you will say it does not exist
Even with this experience, Janak raja had to learn more from Ashtakvakra
But in your haste – which is nothing more than ego – you will want to teach and “ help “ others. Harsh reality is all the books that you have read, understand, knowledge of Sanskrit will not help you – nor does that constitute even one step towards God
Wake up. Give up this reading. Just enjoy the bliss. Test your bliss. Have a huge fight with your spouse or friend. Let someone hate you and immediately go to meditate and see if you have tremendous bliss. Your anger should melt.
Bhakti definition : This is love: to fly toward a secret sky, to cause a hundred veils to fall each moment. First to let go of life. Finally, to take a step without feet. Rumi. Same thing was said by Narada
However, what is written is a secret message. Only the wise can decipher
Rest will say good poem or I know it or I don’t care!
Gossip : A man visited Socrates to talk about a disciple. Socrates asked, “Are you sure the information is truthful?” Ans. “No”. Socrates, “Is it good?”. Ans. “No” Socrates, “Is it helpful to anyone?” Ans. “No”. Socrates said, “why do you want to talk about something that may not be true, is not good and does not help anyone?” Yukteshwar Maharaj said the same thing. (Yogananda’s Guru)
According to Koreans it is a super power a super weapon
Nothing extra ordinary but ww just don’t use it.
Here is a brief article on it
Nunchi is the subtle art of gauging other people’s thoughts, feelings and needs in order to improve your relationships through deeper trust, harmony and cooperation. Known as the Korean superpower, some people even go so far as to say nunchi is how Korean people can read minds – though there’s nothing supernatural about it. Nunchi is a part of daily life in Korea, with Korean parents teaching their children about its importance on a par with lessons such as ‘Look both ways before crossing the street’ and ‘Don’t hit your sister.’ ‘Why do you have no nunchi?!’ is a common parental chastisement.
Having great nunchi means continuously recalibrating your assumptions based on any new word, circumstance, gesture or facial expression, so that you are always present and aware. You have surely noticed that the more important a situation is, the greater the likelihood that the most crucial information is not expressed out loud, or not expressed truthfully. Nunchi might be your only ally in such moments.
This is hugely important within Korean culture which is a ‘high context’ society, which is to say that a great deal of communication is based not on words, but on the overall context, which has countless factors: body language, facial expressions, tradition, who else is present, and even silence. In Korea, what is not being said is every bit as important as the words that are spoken, and a person who pays attention merely to the words is getting just half the story. But this in no way means that you need nunchi only in Korea. Even in the West, life is full of high-context scenarios requiring your nunchi – even if you didn’t know such a word existed.
A yogi however reads things much better keeping eyes closed !
We are foolish. Words like ego is used. We think we know what ego is. But we only know things with in the limits of our body and intelligence
Ego as Ramana maharshi used is different than what we understand
It is NOT the beating heart
It is NOT the emotional aspect
It is NOT anahat chakra ( 12 petal in chest )
It could be the heart described in saundarya Lahiri by Vishnuturthji
It could be the heart described by Abhinav Gupta. He was a fully enlightened person. There is a book sacred Heart of Shiva by Paul Ortega
Sadly even after reading the 300 odd page book you will not have a clue where it is or anything about it
You see, this world is a world of maya, delusion, and man is kept hypnotized with that delusion. Our mind has convinced us of so many limitations. Someone says, “I must have my cof- fee.” Another says, “I must have my juicy piece of steak,” and so on.
It is a crazy world. I see it so clearly. But I follow the rules—as much as I want to, and then I say, “Down with rules! It is the mind that rules.” And it works.
Death was such a reality, life was such a reality, but they are no more real for me. Never was I born, though in my dreams of earth life I was bom many times. And never have I died, though many times I dreamed the death of my body in this dream world. In this one incarnation I can sleep and dream that I am bom in England as a powerful king.
Then I die and dream I am bom a devout man. And then I die again and am born as a successful lawyer. Again I die and am rebom as Yogananda. But they are all dreams. That is what I am saying. I used to find such pleasure in discovering my past incarnations. But that has lost its enchant- ment. They are just so many dreams. When I realized everything is mind stuff, and that it is God’s thought which is creating all these things, all these dreams all the time, then it had a differ- ent meaning for me.
God can dissolve these dreams any time and bring them back again in better forms. But nothing is erased from the Infinite Mind; every dream is eternally imprinted there.
Delusion is so strong that it is pretty hard to believe it is delusion when you have needs and no money to meet them. It is difficult to believe that this world is maya when you are sick and suffering. But when you constantly keep your mind in God, you will realize that this world is His dream.
So there are many preachers. And you will find yourself in tune with someone. Someone so find jumping Around and chanting God name to be perfect. Others will find using a rosary the best way. Someone will say mediation and others will say Shakti is the way. Then there are those who say Gyana or knowledge is the way. Some say it is having a priest sprinkle water ( baptism)
So what is it?
Well think of the following realization given by Ramana Maharishi
He states the world that we see is nothing more than a mental projection created by you !!!!!!
Yet it seems so real. And we seek things in it. What is that you from which this world projects? Of course it is not the “i” you think of yourself right now.
Look at the greatness of this high achievement compared to everything else we know.
This is the yoga technique which shows power of meditation.
It means focusing one eye at any given point. To meet god we focus it within – forehead
For external results we focus outwards.
A perfected person can get results in a split second.
But Alas, ignorant people take years
However, here is a fun exercise you can try!
Be warned – you need a psychologist and don’t ever do it to your spouse! You just don’t want to know the dark side there!
An angel, her pen and a crumpled paper
She played her flute
The world danced to her tune.
Living in a 7 floor mansion
The world on floor first
Her laugh echoed at 6.
Her name was destiny
My name on the crumpled paper.
The 3 colored pen – a work of the past
For time eon
Tirelessly she wrote.
Trapped on floor one
Lost in the mansion
A guide led me
His wisdom uncanny
Straight was the elevator
Floor ami on 6
Destiny in the center
Triangle the lay.
I burnt the paper
Lost the pen
We both laughed
No longer lost
Bhavin died
We laughed together
No pen, no paper
Now Destiny a friend architect
The deeds to the mansion
returned to the owner
In recent times one of the greatest representation of strength has been Vivekananda. He has always inspired me the most
Judge for yourself!
🌞Voice OfVivekananda🌞✨Self Confidence✨
You must not say that you are weak. How do you know what possibilities lie behind that degradation on the surface? You know but little of that which is within you. For behind you is the ocean of infinite power and blessedness.
*Faith, faith, faith in ourselves, faith, faith in God – this is the secret of greatness. If you have faith in all the three hundred and thirty million of your mythological gods, and still have no faith in yourselves, there is no salvation for you.
*He is an atheist who does not believe in himself. The old religions said that he was an atheist who did not believe in God. The new religion says that he is an atheist who does not believe in himself.
*What makes the difference between man and man is the difference in this Shraddha (faith) and nothing else. What makes one man great and another weak and low is this Shraddha.
*The remedy for weakness is not brooding over weakness, but thinking of strength. Teach men of strength that is already within them.
*We can overcome the difficulty by constant practice. We must learn that nothing happen to us, unless we make ourselves susceptible to it.
*You have in you a thousand times more than is in all the books. Never lose faith in yourself, you can do anything in this universe. Never weaken, all power is yours.
*Never think there is anything impossible for the soul. It is the greatest heresy to think so. If there is sin, this is the only sin? To say that you are weak, or others are weak.~Swami Vivekananda
Well here is the Answer. From Yogananda.
In God talks with Arjuna
I still protest. Not fair. Not right.
The Spirit or Sat – Chit- Ananda(ever existing , ever conscious, ever new Bliss )
is uncontaminated by the darkness of delusion ( Nature) , even as a serpent , the possessor of poison , itself remains unaffected by its own venom.
Though the poison is produced within the snake , the creature is not affected by it ;
Similarly ,even though the delusive dualities of Nature derive from God, He is uninfluenced by them .
When a serpent bites anyone , the victim is affected by the poison ;
Similarly, man as a mortal is afflicted by cosmic delusion .
Nevertheless , though ‘Maya ‘ is imposed on man , he can overcome it by refusing to yield to its temptations .
The devotee should understand that the purpose of God in creating the world and
Delusion is to develop perfect beings. This pastime is God’s hobby !
A. Ok I lied. It is not that simple
But the fastest way is mediation.
Q. Got it ! Mediation. But where?
A. Within
Q. What is there within. And where within. This body is quite big ( I tend to over indulge )
A. The awareness / consciousness. Something that has erroneously caused itself to identify as the thinking body
The location can be in the forehead. But talk with your living Guru. Not a text
Q. I have tried but I don’t feel anything. Or at times I feel something and I am not sure if it is real or imagination. I think I hear sound or see light
A. Your reading scripture and books often lead to a conditioned mind that can hear things or see things or feel things. It may be true. It may not be true.
Like I have said before. Find a living true Guru then he can tell you where to focus and give you real tangible sounds Or lights to focus on
Q. What are the lights and sounds? Why should care? All I want is peace
A. The sounds and lights are accompaniments of peace. They are a place so close to the origin of mind that finally you have a place to meditate
God and guru are in truth not different. Just as what has been caught in the jaws of a tiger will not return, so those who have been caught in the look [or glance] of guru’s grace will surely be saved by him and will never instead be forsaken; nevertheless, it is necessary to walk unfailingly along the path that guru has shown.
(Bhagavan in ‘Nāṉ Yār?’: par. 12)
Translated by Michael James.
I believe a Guru is much greater than God. If he chooses liberation for an individual, it will happen
In the Bible there is a sentence Jesus drove the money changers out of the temple. According to Yogananda money changers are those who bargain with god. I will do this God if you give me this. Etc
This is why it fails
Our prayer should be pure. Surrender perfect. Mother said it best ! ( aurobindo ).
To walk on the path you must have a dauntless intrepidity, you must never turn back upon yourself with this mean, petty, weak, ugly movement that fear is. An indomitable courage, a perfect sincerity, a total self-giving to the extent that you do not calculate or bargain, you do not give with the idea of receiving, you do not offer yourself with the intention of being protected, you do not have a faith that needs proofs, — this is indispensable for advancing on the path, — this alone can shelter you against all dangers.
The Mother, Words of the Mother III, CWM volume 15, page190.
Very difficult to do. Surrender takes years and years of practice and self analysis and self criticism. And mediation
True mediation involves forgetting the body. Just like we do in deep sleep. If only you can go to deep sleep, forget body and instead of dreaming, experience yourself as pure consciousness, then all the debate is religions would go away.
That is the one common experience for all. Atheists, Hindu Christian Jews etc.
But since most cannot go there they will make excuses. Oh the other person lies – this type of mediation is a lie. Or they say they have reached there. Or say prayer is better or oh I got baptized so my path is better or chanting is better etc
The world is not ready. For those who can go there, they have control over their desires. Sexual and food. Much later control over sleep.
Those who can reach those states of mediation are divine!
There are instances when Baba has come out as an incarnation of Lord Hanuman. I have heard that once in Kainchi he decided to feed a bucket of milk to Hanuman ji. He admonished that all should look away otherwise whosoever turns, shall turn blind. I have heard that there were sounds of someone very powerfully taking huge gulps of milk. He put the pail back on the ground after some time. There was no milk left in it.
2)I have it on reliable authority that the writer of the Guru Chalisa first read out his poem before Baba and the saint made him shut up. It was only after the Baba’s departure that Sri Prabhu Dayal Sharma dared to bring out his Chalisa before Sri Ma. Since then, we all know that the Guru Chalisa is recited all over the world by Bhaktas and is now considered totally authentic. Therein, the writer has declared Baba to be Lord Hanuman himself. This is also the current belief and has always been as such, since Baba’s arrival to Neeb Karori.
I have also heard that sometimes when he took off his underclothes they had sindoor spots on them. (Sindoor is now a lead preparation. Earlier it was prepared from sindoor pods which grew on Sindoor trees). All of us know that Hanuman ji loved to apply Sindoor on his body. Once the Baba was annoyed with a very prominent bhakta, who had transgressed some unwritten rule of the Baba, he hollered at him in full fury. Those who stood outside the room heard the sounds of a huge monkey grunting and snarling in anger. My elder brother Rabboo Joshi was present there and he is a personal witness to this incident on that evening. Sometimes, the tell-tale signs of Baba’s connection with Hanuman ji became apparent to everyone.
I cannot think of anyone else, other than Sri Ma and a few others, who may have ever seen his Hanumat form. I think he did this for the safety of the Bhaktas. An uninitiated bhakta, still not ready for Baba’s radiance, would die if the Baba revealed his divine form before him. The shock of witnessing divinity is not a soft one. The guru prepares his disciples for several years before he gives him something special. The disciple has to be trained to handle the surge of power which is transferred by the guru. He gave returns to the bhaktas according to their preparation. He freely gifted prosperity to many but he revealed the radiant spectrum only to the very select ones. I have also heard that a toe-nail of the master was red. I do not wish to indicate any specific meaning here to this. To my mother, my elder brother and me, Baba was an incarnation of Hanuman ji on earth. We do not require any litmus test to authenticate this.
Excerpts from Manjul Joshi’s book- “Journey Maharaj to Ma”.
So the only ego that people understand is present after the body comes into existence
From Ramana Maharishi
If the ego comes into existence, everything comes into existence; if the ego does not exist, everything does not exist. [Hence] the ego itself is everything. Therefore, know that investigating what this [ego] is alone is giving up everything.
(Bhagavan in ‘Uḷḷadu Nāṟpadu’: v. 26)
Translated by Michael James.
But there is an ego that causes existence. That is the true ego. That is known as Bhisma ( terrible ). That is what Yogananda explains in God talks to Arjuna
So the ego that ordinary people deal with is nothing compared to the ego causing creation ( not just body but also the visible universe)
So this blog is not meant for anyone to read. If you firmly believe in the method you follow, in what you do and you think your qualified to teach or help or you have a Guru please stop here
What I am about to say might offend you I don’t meant it in any disrespect. However, a delusional person gets upset when he is told he can’t travel to the Himalayas in his ( non existent ) plane
You will say but my method has helped me. And it is true. It has helped you. And I bow to thee for that.
Let’s say you go to a weekend yoga class. You come back feeling refreshed. Feel great. Why did you feel wonderful? Surely the technique was effective. In many instances it helped because
No cell phone. People not bothering you
Meals prepared. Not much work to do
Your mind has told you – mediation is effective. Thousands of people vouch for it And your thinking your doing yoga. So you feel happy. Elated. Successful. Proud. Of course your going to feel better. Your mind ego was stroked.
The list can longer. However, your still very much in the clutches of maya and ego. A set of conditions in the world was satisfied. You feel good
But that is all fake
The great saints had a different kind of happiness. Even disease. In physical pain. In people hurting them. Insulting them. They were supremely happy. Because they had connected to the real source of joy. God. Within. Not based on anything external
Let this be a lesson. If you can feel Joy. Even though you know all external circumstances are inimical to you. Then you have started yoga. Did I say started? Yes I meant started. Until then, we are still learning the technique.
And that by itself is very good. Learning since you are slowly learning that the mind is a devious traitor.
Here is a video of some famous Indian actors. Their faces when young and then later in life
The music says look what happens in the flow of time
So what do you Want to achieve in life. First achieve mental peace. And If you can do it extra ordinarily well even the body can remain like a teenager like Babaji.
But first that is the only thing in your hands. Mental peace
Everyone knows that. Everyone talks about it. But no one tells you how to do it
People “pray”. But they are beggars. Constantly asking. Instead true prayer is being mentally at peace. Which shows faith. God will take care of Things. Then there is nothing to ask!
I end with a joke. A mind that is not rested is the devil
There is some truth in what he says About how terrible the world functions
How can one say there is god with all the wrong things.
The input question is – is it Gods fault. He gave us free choice. Some choices that we Make now or in the past has created this chaotic world.
However the murky picture is the past. Rebirth remains shrouded in a mystery. Logic can’t prove if. Hypnosis and regression is nonsense. And our own imaginative mind is unreliable. This shroud is difficult to raise
So the road to waking up is difficult. It is meant for the brave. The bold. The fearless. Those with trust and faith.
An avalanche of trouble can be on your path. You probably don’t know the challenges all great saints faced They held on. Fearless.
Many destined for perfection in next life endured immensely the lift before. Such as Prithvi Raj Chauhan.
Be careful before you walk this path. The lures of Fame riches power are there but you don’t see the need to burn all dark karma.
There is no shortcut.
Yogananda suffered. So did Vivekananda.
But the power of Shakti is there. It can take you to the other side. However your karma is yours to deal with in this mortal world.
We hear and read about all the great things of the Great Gurus and saints
Such as
Neem Karoli Baba
Shirdi Baba
Gyaneshwar
Babaji
Lahiri Mahashaya and others in the lineage
Trailoki Baba
People go to their shrines. Close their eyes and silently call for them. Many times the cry in pain is sincere. And the pain of those calling for help is real.
So all the great stories – we believe them. We trust them. We have faith and we called till tears rolled down – yet many times the prayers go unheard.
So we change the Saint. We go from Neem karoli to another saint. A few months later we lose our faith. And start all over. And finally lose faith in all
Then along comes someone with no true yoga and baam our problems go away
So what happened?
Did the true teachers fail us ? Did our prayers fail to reach their ears ? Are the stories of the great ones false?
Several things – my perception
The stories of the great ones are true
They are partial to those who are pure in heart. The phone calls from those pure in heart reaches them instantly
These great saints want us to wake up. From our misery. They don’t want the misery to go away in one garb and come back in another form So prayers for wanting to wake up are better
They help even rose who are unlikely to want to wake up. Rarely it is instant huge miracles, sometimes it is a subtle help on the way and at times nothing happens – it was the best way to burn our karma. That hurts immensely but what other choice is there.
So why did we benefit from the others with no spirituality? Who knows! Maybe they were sent By the great ones. Or our karma was paid for. Or it was the final test – can you see the invisible hand of the great hands or do we forget them and give credit to someone else
These things are very complex. Only a person with vision knows the truth
The mind is elusive. It is not easy to transform it into an instrument of peace and love
Constantly the mind revolts against things that are unpleasant and constantly looks forward to things that are good. This preferential attitude is one of the Cardinal inimical covering of the mind. How do you tell the mind it is ok to not have money? Or to have bad health? Or ok for someone to hate you? Sue you?
How do you get rid of the instant fear in those situations?
What do you do when these things happen? You ask people for guidance. You pray. You do mantra. You will even turn to those who you did not like. You cry. Your mind has no solace until it hears a soothesayer – someone who says it will be ok. You want to believe that person. Why because that is the only thing that will comfort your mind
Do you see how difficult the mind is?
How do you change the intrinsic nature of mind? Hearing theory of karma might give justification but still the mind won’t like it
You can turn to a guru or saint or God. Nothing changes the mind
People who are not yogi when they translate things – even if scholars in Sanskrit they royally mess up
I do not mean to offend any followers or other learned scholars but my interpretation is different
I refer to verse 73 of Vigyana Bhairav – a scholarly treatise by Abhinav Gupta.
Two scholars have translated this verse with similar interpretation – if you can enjoy the senses properly – you can enjoy the Divine self. They go on to describe their interpretation in detail
My translation – and I am not a Sanskrit scholar – is different I cannot give the entire proper yogi interpretation here but will attempt to point in the right direction
Word by word
Gita – song
Adi – other
vishay – senses
aasvada – not knowing self ( their translation was enjoying senses )
Sam – similar
Saukhya – happiness
Aik – one
Atma – Divine self (not the soul but something higher)
Yogin – yogi
Tanmaya – become one with
Tven – with it
Mano – of the mind
Arudha – climbed / mounted
Tad – that
Atma – Divine self Atma
The senses are not the self The mind that has climbed in the self, becomes one with it and enjoys happiness / Joy.
They were all disciples of Ramana. His grace have them the experience
From ~~~ Day by Day with Bhagavan, 4-1-46.
Among the letters etc. received was a small pamphlet
called Divine Grace Through Total Self-Surrender
by Mr. D.C. Desai.
Bhagavan read out to us a few extracts from it, viz.,
the following quotation from Paul Brunton:
“I remain perfectly calm and fully aware of who I am
and what is occurring.
Self still exists, but it is a changed, radiant Self.
Something that is far superior to my unimportant personality
rises into consciousness and becomes me.
I am in the midst of an ocean of blazing light.
I sit in the lap of holy bliss”;
and also the following:
“Divine grace is a manifestation
of the cosmic freewill in operation.
It can alter the course of events
in a mysterious manner
through its own unknown laws,
which are superior to all natural laws,
and can modify the latter by interaction.
It is the most powerful force in the universe.
It descends and acts,
only when it is invoked by total self-surrender.
It acts from within,
because God resides in the heart of all beings.
Its whisper can be heard only in a mind
purified by self-surrender and prayer.”
Paul Brunton describes its nature as follows:
“Rationalists laugh at it and atheists scorn it, but it exists.
It is a descent of God into the soul’s zone of awareness.
It is a visitation of force unexpected and unpredictable.
It is a voice spoken out of cosmic silence . . . . . . . . . .
It is cosmic will which can perform authentic miracles
under its own laws.”
There are countless legends or stories of this kind, like that of Prahlad, for instance, which we saw recently in a film, stories which illustrate that state of consciousness. And I am not only convinced, but I myself have the quite tangible experience that if in the presence of some danger or an enemy or some ill-will, you are able to remain in this condition and see the Divine in all things, well, the danger will have no effect, the ill-will can do nothing to you, and the enemy will either be transformed or run away. That is quite certain.
But I must add a word which is quite important. You must not seek this state of consciousness with any motive or seek it because it is a protection or a help. You must have it sincerely, spontaneously, constantly; it must be a normal, natural, effortless way of being. Then it is effective. But if you try in the least to imitate the movement with the idea of obtaining a particular result, it won’t succeed. The result is not obtained at all. And then in your ignorance you will perhaps say, “Oh! but they told me that, but it is not true!” That is because there was some insincerity somewhere.
Mother talks about being in this condition – she refers to a constant state of ecstacy
One must be fearless to stay there Otherwise in adverse situations fear will drag you down. And you will want God from escapism rather than love
This is a great argument from Warren Buffet. It is old. So world population is off
Buffett is best suited for the society he’s in now
The Oracle of Omaha took great care in laying out a scenario to illustrate how “extraordinarily lucky” he already feels today.
He told the audience to imagine a barrel with roughly 5.8 billions of balls — one for everybody in the world. Each ball will determine important factors (e.g., your birthplace, IQ level, gender, ethnicity, skills, parents) in your “new life.”
“If you could put your ball back into the barrel, and they took out 100 balls at random — and you had to from pick one of those, would you put your ball back in?” he asked.
In addition to not knowing which ball you’ll get, there’s another catch: “Of those 100 balls, five of them will be American. So if you want to be in this country, you’ll only have five balls to choose from,” Buffett explained. “Half of them will be women and half men. Half of them will be below average in intelligence and half above average in intelligence.”
He asked the students again: Do you still want to risk taking a second shot at life?
“Most of you won’t want to put your ball back,” he said. “So what you’re really saying is, ‘I’m the luckiest 1% of the world right now, sitting in this room — the top 1% of the world.”
But sadly everyone , everyone will be back. Unless your a very high level yogi
It is very difficult to be a high level yogi
You need a Guru. You need dedication. Commitment
You don’t know how you will come back. Migration of souls from one country to another is like the routine
Lincoln was in india in his last birth
Another person was from the islands
A millionaire this birth was a beggar last birth
The gender remains constant. Why? Because you are so comfortable with the body you have. The joys. The food. The body itself
So now think of your life. You will come back. The ball is back in the machine. You have no idea where you will go
So do yourself a favor. Pray. Learn to meditate. Find someone to show you how.
Be nice to others. Do good things. Don’t get angry. Don’t hate. Don’t horde money. Most importantly earnestly pray not to have another body. Stay in pure consciousness
Oops. I did a google search. It’s an imaginary place!
Ok. Blog over.
Shangri word may have come from the word shrungar in Sanskrit. In both cases it means adorned beautifully or beautiful.
There is a deeper meaning but this is not the place to discuss.
La means mountain pass.
Millions have looked for it. Including the Chinese. But have not found it.
What can I say? Fools.
Mountain pass is Brahma nadi Go through the Brahma nadi and at the apex is a beautiful place.
Now mind you, I do not talk about knowing yourself – in the abstract theoretical way – but knowing thyself with experience AND start having some sort of divine gift with it ! It maybe short lived. But nevertheless a sort of personal proof – you truly identified with your divine self
Ramkrishna said – depends on the quality of the disciple
Best disciple – 3 seconds
Medicare – 3 hours
Weak – 3 days
Most people in this world are not ready yet. Hence they take centuries or longer
As such it is quite easy. ( my interpretation ). 3 seconds? That’s it?
My friend you must have that kind of passion that I must have God And I care not for anything in this world.
Such people are rare. They walk around acting normal but – we recognize them not.
In reality – learn to see the world for what it is. The world is nothing more than as artful deception. Promising a little happiness abs makes you toil and grieve on the way. Wake up !
The lowest of low people in this world are the fake gurus who have read the scriptures. Use their logic and deceive everyone. They cannot give liberation! One sure sign is they have a price they attach to being in their presence
Then there are those who imagine greatness. Imagine they have reached something high. Or have become perfected. Such fools are thrown back again And again to the fire stone – because they were too arrogant to heed the subtle signs of a perfection. The slightest bit of calamity and they breakdown. Does the lord ever collapse from his burden?
Then there are those who meet perfected and very high saints but they fail to recognize them. Those people are truly unfortunate since they could not use the divine help given to them for free !!
But I leave you with an explanation given by Mother ( Aurobindo )
Can one help the world with a vibration of goodwill?
With good wishes one can change many things, only it must be an extremely pure and unmixed goodwill. It is quite obvious that a thought, a perfectly pure and true prayer, if it is sent forth into the world, does its work. But where is this perfectly pure and true thought when it passes into the human brain? There are degradations. If through an effort of inner consciousness and knowledge, you can truly overcome in yourself a desire, that is to say, dissolve and abolish it, and if through inner goodwill, through consciousness, light, knowledge, you are able to dissolve the desire, you will be, first of all in yourself personally, a hundred times happier than if you had satisfied this desire, and then it will have a marvellous effect. It will have a repercussion in the world of which you have no idea. It will spread forth. For the vibrations you have created will continue to spread. These things grow larger like the snowball. The victory you win in your character, however small it be, is one which can be gained in the whole world. And it is this I meant just now: all things which are done outwardly without changing the inner nature — hospitals, schools, etc. — are done through vanity, for the feeling of being great, whilst these small unnoticed things overcome in oneself gain an infinitely greater victory, though the effects are hidden. Every movement in you which is false and opposed to the truth is a negation of the divine life. Your small efforts have considerable results which you don’t even have the satisfaction of knowing, but which are true and have precisely an impersonal and general effect.
If you really want to do something good, the best thing you can do is to win your small victories in all sincerity, one after another, and thus you will do for the world the maximum you are able to.
The Mother, Questions and Answers 1953, CWM volume 5, pages 19 – 20.
It is not a public holiday. Few celebrate it. It is the most important day of the year
This is the day where the disciple worships his Guru – I should add spiritual Guru – as God. This statement is sort of an insult because the Guru is greater than God.
These ridiculous statements are very hard to comprehend. Harder to accept. And hardest to realize the truth
Why is it so difficult? For several reasons. You have not met a true Guru. Secondly even if you have met a true Guru, to be accepted by such a Guru and realize that the Guru has given you the ultimate ( in experience ) is very rare.
This is not theory. Such an experience must be accompanied with tremendous changes in personality and certain spiritual powers. The powers may be trivial but nevertheless they are significant
Without the powers what is the point in saying I am the divine but yet there is no ability or even a fragment of the powers of God That’s stupidity.
Anyway the person who can give you this in a second, open your doorway is to be immensely loved respected, obeyed and worshipped
That is Guru purnima. Few will ever get this
Those who have a Guru should go to his place and do the Puja. However such a guru is very rare.
It is not a public holiday. Few celebrate it. It is the most important day of the year
This is the day where the disciple worships his Guru – I should add spiritual Guru – as God. This statement is sort of an insult because the Guru is greater than God.
These ridiculous statements are very hard to comprehend. Harder to accept. And hardest to realize the truth
Why is it so difficult? For several reasons. You have not met a true Guru. Secondly even if you have met a true Guru, to be accepted by such a Guru and realize that the Guru has given you the ultimate ( in experience ) is very rare.
This is not theory. Such an experience must be accompanied with tremendous changes in personality and certain spiritual powers. The powers may be trivial but nevertheless they are significant
Without the powers what is the point in saying I am the divine but yet there is no ability or even a fragment of the powers of God That’s stupidity.
Anyway the person who can give you this in a second, open your doorway is to be immensely loved respected, obeyed and worshipped
The purpose of life is to find God. Or discover that you are the divine. However this article gives a Midway step. Stop your ego and become nobody. Then your goal becomes more clear!
Question: Is it enough if I spend some time in the mornings and some time in the evenings for this atma-vichara (Self-enquiry)? Or should I do it always, even when I am writing or walking?
Bhagwan Sri Ramana Maharshi: What is your real nature? Is it writing, walking or being? The one unalterable reality is being. Until you realize that state of pure being you should pursue the enquiry. If once you are established in it there will be no further worry. No one will enquire into the source of thoughts unless thoughts arise. So long as you think I am walking' orI am writing’, enquire who does it.
Question: If I go on rejecting thoughts can I call it vichara (Enquiry)?
Bhagwan Sri Ramana: It may be a stepping stone. But really vichara (Enquiry) begins when you cling to your Self and are already off the mental movement, the thought waves.
Question: Then vichara (Enquiry) is not intellectual?
Bhagwan Sri Ramana: No, it is antara vichara, inner quest. Holding the mind and investigating it is advised for a beginner. But what is mind after all? It is a projection of the Self. See for whom it appears and from where it rises. The I'-thought will be found to be the root-cause. Go deeper. TheI’-thought disappears and there is an infinitely expanded ‘I’-consciousness.
Question: I asked Mother in Sri Aurobindo Ashram the following question: I keep my mind blank without thoughts arising so that God might show himself in his true being. But I do not perceive anything.' The reply was to this effect:The attitude is right. The power will come down from above. It is a direct experience.’ Should I do anything further?
Bhagwan Sri Ramana: Be what you are. There is nothing to come down or become manifest. All that is necessary is to lose the ego. That which is is always there. Even now you are that. You are not apart from it. The blank is seen by you. You are there to see the blank. What do you wait for ? The thought, `I have not seen’, the expectation to see and the desire of getting something, are all the workings of the ego. You have fallen into snares of the ego. The ego says all these and not you. Be yourself and nothing more! Once born you reach something. If you reach it you return also. Therefore leave off all this verbiage. Be as you are. See who you are and remain as the Self, free from birth, going, coming and returning.
Source: Be As You Are
From Ramana Maharishi
A few points
Holding the mind and investigating it is advised for a beginner. – Thus meditation How ever there is a point where you focus. This state is a beginner state – even mother says that – asked Mother in Sri Aurobindo Ashram the following question: `I keep my mind blank without thoughts arising so that God might show himself in his true being. But I do not perceive anything.’ The reply was to this effect: eventually something will change
Second : Ramana Maharishi did not say anything negative about mother. So do not interiors it as a competition or one better than other.
We are so far below we can not truly understand what they mean – many times
You have fallen into snares of the ego
This is the crux. In the love of God – get immersed in it and there is no ego. When you reach there, truly reach there , the body falls down lifeless. Such great souls are rare
Bhavin
You must be logged in to post a comment.