Know your true Self and be free

 Sri Sadgurubhyoh Namah

"Who sows must reap", they say, "and cause must bring the sure effect; Good good, bad bad; and none escapes the law. But whoso wears a form must wear the chain". Too true; but far beyond both name and form is Atman, ever free. Know thou art that, Sannyasin bold! Say, "Om Tat Sat, Om!"

-- from Song of Sannyasin

By

Swami Vivekananda 

Know your true Self. Your true nature. The Atman. You are ever free.

You are NOT your body

You are NOT your mind

You are NOT your emotions 

You are NOT your feelings 

You are NOT your intellect 

You are NOT your ideas, opinions and concepts 

Then, what are you?

Then, what problem can trouble you?

Know your true Self and be free

You are responsible for your upliftment

 Sri Sadgurubhyoh Namah

To be an engineer it takes 18 years of study. To be a doctor it takes 20 years of study.

Imagine how many years of sadhana required to be peaceful?

People are willing to put effort, time and money to achieve something in materialistic life.

But they want instant results in spiritual path. How is that?

People attend few spiritual classes, listen to few pravachanas and think they understand spiritual science. They want peace on a platter. They don't want to put time, effort and money to gain peace of mind.

No effort, no sadhana and yet they feel 'why am I not peaceful yet?'

Please put effort, time and if need be money and learn, practice spirituality under a proper living Guru.

There is another pitfall. People glorify and hero worship a Guru who is not there physically, attribute magical, mystical powers to Guru maharaj and expect Grace of Guru to flow from his hand and somehow Guru responsible for your Self realisation. All this will not work.

What works is

You have to be a diligent student, study properly from a learned living Guru in a scientific way face to face, be rational and do your spiritual sadhana properly.

Importance of Exercise

 Sri Sadgurubhyoh Namah

1. Why am I exercising/yoga? 

a) it's for my health. Yoga or walking is a means. My top priority in life is my health. It is in my own interest, it is me who will suffer if healthy lifestyle is not followed. It is not to impress anyone or look for appreciation. 

2. Who are my competitors?

 a) I compete against myself. I better myself. I should be better than what I was previous day. 

3. Health as a reward is too conceptual, which will be realised after 6 months of practice. It cannot produce dopomine effect and act as reward daily. Hence daily yoga cannot happen effectively?

 a) yoga and exercise release endorphins, which are happy hormones, and are daily rewards. Also, remind that I have taken a small step towards 6 months goal, hence dopomine effect.

Futile Exercise

 Sri Sadgurubhyoh Namah

Step-1: we think we are this body in this world 

Step-2: we need to survive.

Whole life spent in survival anxiety 

Step-3: we want to enjoy sense pleasures.

Whole life is spent in this pursuit.

At the end of life we have only experiences and memories to show in balance sheet.

These steps are cyclical.

Is there an escape from this futile exercise?

Guruji : To see unreality

Hari Om Tat Sat

I AM

 Sri Sadgurubhyoh Namah

I realised that 'no matter what I do, what experiences I chase n undergo, how many things I acquire or give away, how many relationships I form or break' it doesn't change me fundamentally. I am 'being-that-is-knowing' and nothing gets added or subtracted from it by whatever I do or I think or experience.

I was 'I am', I am 'I am' and I will always be 'I am' 

I am incorruptibly 'I am' . I am unborn, deathless, ageless, pure, sinless, unattached, space-like, formless, light-that-shines, unseen, center, support

Hari Om Tat Sat

In Pursuit of Happiness

 Sri Sadgurubhyoh Namah

The typical thinking process is 

"I will do something and get its result in future. And once I get that desired result, I will be happy"

This thinking process is accepted as the normal and entire world follow this.

The Vedanta says this kind of thought process is self defeating, and the very pursuit of happiness means you are not happy now, in this moment. 

And not being able to be happy what this moment has to offer, the person will perpetually running after a future happy moment, which will never arrive and the person will not be able to be happy with any given moment.

Remedy: 

Stop, savour this moment, every moment.

Sri Mahavira Jaina

Sri Sadgurubhyoh Namah

 2600 years ago, A prince in India renounced kingdom and pleasures and took up monkhood and did lot of tapasya, and became enlightened. He is Sri Mahavira Jaina, a tirthankara.

Let us look at three of his teachings, 

1. Ahimsa

2. Anekantavada

3. Aparigraha

Ahimsa

'Himsa' in Sanskrit means Violence. Ahimsa means 'Non-Violence'.

One should never harm anyone through thoughts, words or actions. And it is also not just non-harming, we should wish them well, and make every effort to help others.

The benefit of the practice of Ahimsa is, world will be a better place.

Anekantavada

Mahavira, was playing hide and seek in his 3 storied palace as a kid with his friends. He was hiding in the middle floor. One kid asked another kid in ground floor, "where is Mahavira?" , that kid answered 'He is up'. The seeking kid went to third floor and asked another, "where is Mahavira?", that kid answered 'He is down'.

Hearing this, Mahavira understood the 'Anekantavada', the theory that everybody are partially right from their position, and nobody knows and owns the complete truth.

What do we learn from this ?

People are always quarreling, disputing with each other, confrontation, taking hard positions. 'My religion, philosophy is right. Yours is wrong.'  People are willing to kill each other for protecting what they think is right.

Benefit of following Anekantavada is again a peaceful world where every opinion is honored and co-exists and be in harmony.

Aparigraha

Aparigraha means 'Non-accumulation' or 'Non-possesiveness'.

Do not accumulate beyond what is needed.

It also means 'I do not own anything'. I am not the owner. I am only a trustee.

There are so many Kings who ruled this world, rich men who owned riches, poor men who possessed few things . They thought they owned the land, buildings, money etc. What happened to them. 

We do not own anything or anyone.

What is the benefit of Aparigraha ?

We do not own lot of things due to greed. We do not keep on accumulating things, denying others. Share with others, thus making world a better place.

Hari Om Tat Sat