-
so we have questions from across the
-
world thousands of people in the our
-
virtual audience and also questions from
-
our live audience here so we will take a
-
question from the virtual audience first
-
and then I will get your questions ready
-
I'll ask you to raise your hands and you
-
can come forward and ask your questions
-
here
-
yes Diane okay sorry we have questions
-
start off with about which path which
-
guru and what duty and South questions
-
come from Jo T with the fish vision and
-
Cleveland Ohio and he says how does one
-
to left a path to follow
-
for example Kriya yoga Siddhanta bhakti
-
etcetera singing the Ramayan for example
-
brings me to tears routinely since it
-
talks at the heart this link uh Vedantic
-
talks is so utterly logical that it
-
appeals to the scientists however I do
-
not want to give the proverbial well in
-
too many races looking for water it
-
appears this is a question that one has
-
to answer for oneself again hoping for
-
your guidance for a way out of this
-
dilemma so those of us who are still
-
living active samsara life then which
-
guru related to the above question it is
-
said that even the most knowledgeable
-
guru cannot actually make one experience
-
the divine Brahma yet the need for a
-
guru is emphasized for spiritual
-
guidance it's also said that for the
-
true seeker the Guru finds the disciple
-
and not the other way around
-
the definition of the truth seeker may
-
not fully applied to many like me
-
however you have to do exactly such
-
people that perhaps need help from us
-
how would one know it is time how would
-
one recognized as Lulu how should one
-
seeker glue
-
if one moves forward to choose a group
-
then doesn't want automatically
-
pre-select a particular path that brings
-
us back to question number one and if
-
then then we have a question from Niraj
-
who says I'm writing for guidance for
-
one of the common problems we often hear
-
and read about that you should follow
-
your beauty but I don't know what is my
-
duty how I decide so these are questions
-
regarding the spiritual path and guru
-
you see all the paths can be
-
fundamentally classified into the for
-
yoga Swami where they can just spoke
-
about gana yoga the path of
-
philosophical discrimination will be
-
realized that I am Brahman by in an
-
intuition by philosophy then there is
-
the path of meditation Raja Yoga
-
Patanjali yoga where the idea is to
-
meditate to calm the mind down so that
-
the truth becomes evident that I am the
-
witness self then there is the path of
-
love which is the most common in in all
-
the religions of the world where there
-
is faith in God and love and surrender
-
to God and trying to live live a godly
-
life then there is a path of converting
-
our our actions into spiritual practice
-
the path of service karma yoga all these
-
are different paths to spiritual
-
realization and in the different
-
religions of the world you will find
-
basically these are the main types of
-
practices they may go under various
-
names there may be various mixtures of
-
these folks but fundamentally these are
-
the four kinds of practices we find in
-
spiritual life it's interesting to note
-
that we have even psychology says we
-
have three kinds of powers there is a
-
cognitive domain thinking
-
there is the cognitive domain we'll
-
doing something and there is the
-
affective domain emotion feeling these
-
are the three aspects of our psyche and
-
you can easily see that the three of
-
them are related to three of the yoga's
-
one of them is related the cognitive
-
domain is related to gana yoga the
-
affective domain - bhakti yoga and the
-
cognitive domain - Karma Yoga and Raja
-
Yoga of course is the power of
-
concentration of focus so all of these
-
powers are present in each of us Swami
-
Vivekananda he pointed out that people
-
are different
-
the same size shirt will not fit with
-
any two persons so people are different
-
we have different natures some are more
-
active some are more contemplative some
-
are by nature more rational and
-
inquisitive some are devotional they
-
find it much easier to love and
-
surrender so depending on our own nature
-
the kind of path we take it depends a
-
great deal on on our own nature the the
-
safest and the most comprehensive path
-
Swami Vivekananda recommended for
-
everybody he said the harmony of the
-
four yoga's karma yoga bhakti yoga raja
-
yoga and ghana yoga it is the harmony of
-
the four yoga's that is the path that is
-
most suitable for our modern age in our
-
lives we should have a component of a
-
philosophy of reasoning of understanding
-
we should have a component of meditation
-
daily meditation and a component where
-
you love and worship and adore God in
-
whatever form that is your tradition or
-
what appeals to you and also make sure
-
that our lives are of use to others in
-
karma yoga so all of these four yoga's
-
are part of our spiritual practice if
-
you see the emblem of the Ramakrishna
-
order you find nothing here in the
-
lectern emblem of the Ramakrishna order
-
which Swami Vivekananda's EIN here in
-
the
-
Society of New York he said that the
-
emblem represents all the four aspects
-
you have the baby waters which represent
-
karma you have the Sun of knowledge
-
rising in the back gana yoga you have
-
the Lotus of bhakti and then you have
-
the encircling serpent which represents
-
the power of Kundalini which in turn
-
represents yoga Patanjali over the power
-
of concentration so by by understanding
-
by devotion by action and by meditation
-
one can realize God this is what he
-
recommended now depending on our nature
-
the particular mix that we will follow
-
will vary you start off with all four
-
and you will see over time you may be
-
more attracted to Ghani yoga you may be
-
a bhakta you may be more attracted to
-
bhakti yoga you see you notice within
-
yourself that reciting the Ramayana
-
brings tears to your eyes but that says
-
something about your nature so one may
-
have on may develop a tendency towards
-
the walk towards one of these paths and
-
the other should also be kept even
-
though you may not be particularly
-
attracted to a particular path which
-
should be kept as a part of one
-
spiritual repertoire the reason is even
-
if you are not not very comfortable or
-
it's not very easy for us to do one
-
thing somebody says I love working I
-
love serving people but don't ask me to
-
meditate but invariably this one we will
-
ask you to meditate somebody wants to
-
meditate a lot and he is told to go and
-
go and work swami ashok ananda said when
-
I tell you to work I can see the
-
rebellious look on your face you think
-
perhaps that the Swami does not think
-
highly of my my capabilities as a
-
spiritual seeker perhaps he thinks I am
-
NOT ready for meditation well I will
-
show him and then Ashok aunty says and
-
you will show me but not in the way you
-
think so often the path which we are
-
uncomfortable with or which we
-
not capable of doing so far those are
-
the parts which which are of maximum
-
benefit to us because those are the
-
sides of our personality we have not yet
-
developed it's good to operate in a zone
-
of minimal discomfort in the zone of
-
absolute comfort growth is not possible
-
in the result of great discomfort again
-
growth is disturbed but some discomfort
-
where you are pushing yourself a little
-
beyond your present capabilities that's
-
when we grow so the harmony of the four
-
yoga's is to be kept in one spiritual
-
life guru is very important in spiritual
-
life especially in the Indian traditions
-
one reason is these are knowledge
-
traditions and knowledge always requires
-
a a teacher in fact one of the ways in
-
which we conceive of God or Brahman in
-
Hinduism is as the adi guru the first
-
guru the guru of gurus in fact a famous
-
guru stotra mr. guru brahma guru vishnu
-
guru devo maheswara guru deva param
-
brahma tasmai shri gurave namaha now
-
whom should you select as a guru really
-
speaking guru is selected for you
-
already that's what we hear from our
-
tradition but a certain criteria are
-
mentioned in our innovate antic texts
-
and open ishod's shroud tree of brahman
-
East a karma hata one is the person must
-
be well-versed in the tradition which
-
tradition in Vedanta we will say
-
vedantic tradition must we will well
-
learn it in the Upanishads Gita in the
-
brahma sutras in vedantic text and abel
-
and must have the ability to transfer
-
this knowledge but it need not be
-
limited to the vedantic tradition
-
whatever tradition the guru should
-
represent some tradition there is a lot
-
of discussion about this why can't a
-
person who has realized the truth in a
-
person who is illumined does not belong
-
to any particular tradition why can't
-
such a person be my guru well can be but
-
really it's very difficult to know who
-
is illumined and who is not
-
and therefore when you go out say for
-
example you go out to a store to buy
-
something you would rather buy say
-
computer or or anything a stove or or a
-
piece of equipment which has the brand
-
in an accepted brand an apple or
-
something like that
-
which which you which people trust and
-
which people believe and which has
-
delivered the goods again and again so
-
there is some quality control you know
-
that when it comes from this particular
-
brand there is some assurance of quality
-
if you're going to buy a computer for
-
example you go to the shop and you buy a
-
computer but if you see a guy standing
-
outside the store and saying hey come
-
here
-
I made this computer in my garage and
-
it's better than any computer we'll get
-
in that store now mind you he may be
-
right he just may be right who knows but
-
he may not be right also and you have
-
only that much money to spend now almost
-
always you will go and buy something
-
from the store because there's a
-
guarantee of safety there now in the
-
same way we have these traditions there
-
are Vaishnava traditions there are non
-
dualist traditions there dualist
-
traditions their shakta tradition Shiva
-
traditions their traditions in
-
Christianity various traditions in the
-
different religions of the world in
-
Buddhism in other religions of the world
-
where something has continued for
-
centuries for millennia we talked about
-
the Buddha to the 2500 years this
-
tradition is continued and there are
-
reports of enlightened persons in this
-
tradition year after year century after
-
century so you know it works so the
-
person who is teaching us belong to some
-
tradition and must be learn it in at
-
least in that tradition must have the
-
ability to transfer the knowledge of
-
restoration
-
that's one but that's not enough second
-
there are scholars who are learning in
-
the tradition but does that person
-
practice it in his or her own life
-
second thing is Brahman Easter is the
-
entire life built around that teaching
-
is the entire life built around
-
spirituality brahma-nistham means
-
dedicated to
-
established in Bremen if the person is a
-
human nothing like it the person is an
-
enlightened person nothing like it
-
that's best of course but that's very
-
rare and that's very difficult for us to
-
verify what we can do is look at the
-
person's life is that person leading a
-
spiritual a this is primarily a
-
spiritual person or a spiritual teaching
-
a part-time job for that person so
-
Brahman Ishta means person must be a
-
full-time dedicated at least a spiritual
-
seeker is not a person who is already
-
enlightened and the third criterion for
-
a guru is a car Mahuta literally
-
translates into not injured or not
-
destroyed by desire does the Guru want
-
anything from you if it says pure ways
-
to God realization $100 course crash
-
course in meditation $50 come and I'll
-
teach you meditation in three days you
-
may crash but I don't know if you should
-
really learn how to and there is some
-
utility there may be again I'm not
-
denying it because the person may know
-
certain techniques and is teaching the
-
technique but a general a good rule of
-
thumb is the guru should not be making
-
millions out of the Guru business there
-
is somebody who joked he said there's
-
only one business which is not affected
-
by Wall Street it goes ups and downs in
-
the economy and that's the religion
-
business so it should not be a business
-
it should not be way where the Guru
-
wants something from you that's why the
-
idea was all knowledge and specially
-
spiritual knowledge is sacred and
-
therefore free in the traditional
-
ashrams in India the Guru would actually
-
support the disciple staying in Daschle
-
it take the help of the king or the
-
other rich benefactors in society but
-
those who are studying and learning in
-
the ashram they were not expected to pay
-
anything to the Guru only after
-
completion of studies they would might
-
might give a gift of guru Dakshina
-
so these are the three criterion Shaurya
-
well learn it in a particular trade
-
where does this person come from you
-
should ask that question
-
second completely dedicated to spiritual
-
life and third is does not want anything
-
material from me okay and the last
-
question was about what is my duty in
-
life well there is a in traditional
-
scriptures you find the concept of
-
swadharma your own karma that was easily
-
defined in ancient India not so easy
-
today why was it defined in ancient
-
India because they had a rigid social
-
structure they were castes and there was
-
this what is called ash Rama that means
-
stages of life so there are four castes
-
in general the priestly the the warrior
-
caste and the business class and a caste
-
and the laborer cast before caste and
-
before stages of life where your student
-
and then you were a householder then you
-
were a retired person and then you are a
-
sannyasi a renunciate now the idea of
-
Duty was built around this structure how
-
did it work it worked like this there's
-
an equation what is your duty in life
-
swadharma they will say ashram and herma
-
first if the five components ashram
-
adharma ashram adharma means the duty of
-
your station in life whether you are a
-
student or a householder your duty will
-
change the second one is a word no
-
Dharma that means the duty determined by
-
the cast by your family profession for
-
example what you choose to do in those
-
days it was very very little choice
-
people sort of went into the profession
-
of the parents and all that so are you a
-
priest are you an administrator or your
-
businessman are you a worker what are
-
you so that is another component of your
-
duty the third one was varnasrama-dharma
-
the conjunction of the two are you a
-
householder who is an administrator or a
-
warrior then you have a duty are you
-
householder who is a priest when you
-
have some some other duty so for example
-
when Krishna and Arjuna speak Arjuna is
-
asking questions about what he should do
-
and what he should not do now in this
-
matrix which I am drawing for you look
-
at where Arjuna is placed he is a
-
householder and he's a shot Rhea a
-
warrior so he's a warrior householder so
-
he has some particular duties if he was
-
a priest and household they would have
-
some other duties if he was a business
-
family and and a householder would have
-
some other duty so what neshama Dharma
-
the third one is called vitiation her
-
militia Dharma means specific specific
-
duties which come with your particular
-
situation in life so for example Arjuna
-
for that time being is a general in the
-
in the Pandava army he was not earlier
-
and he would not be later on but at that
-
particular time he is a general in the
-
Pandava army and so being a general
-
gives him some special duties he's not
-
just a warrior is not just any other
-
householder he is also the general of
-
the army I remember a lesson in this way
-
I was taught this a long time ago when I
-
was appointed the head the principal of
-
a college but that that was a long time
-
back 2002 and I was as I said quite
-
night so I was made the principal and
-
then they said so he worked from now on
-
you are in charge of the college and I
-
always had this monastic identity strong
-
in me I said look I don't care about all
-
this I'm a monk and that's it from then
-
the principal who was retiring before me
-
he sat me down he was not a monk he was
-
a professor a householder but he handed
-
over charge to me he sat me down and in
-
private nobody knows about this and for
-
the first time speaking out he said look
-
I was not yet a Swami I was a brahmacari
-
if he said look Maharaj
-
I understand and appreciate your
-
monastic ideals but also remember as
-
long as you are sitting in this chair
-
you are the principal of the college and
-
people look up to you and as long as you
-
are you have taken up this role you must
-
play this role - you cannot say that I'm
-
just a monk I am NOT the principal so
-
that's called vitiation Irma I was not
-
the principal earlier and I am NOT the
-
principal of the college anymore
-
but if as long as you are there you are
-
expected to fulfill a role now look at
-
the roles that we fulfill in life there
-
are specific roles in situations you may
-
be the manager of a company there are
-
duties for that you may be a father or a
-
mother there are duties for that you may
-
be a son or a daughter there are duties
-
for that you may be a friend a member of
-
the community if you accept that you are
-
a citizen of the country if you accept
-
that I am a member of this community if
-
these are the roles you accept yes then
-
you cannot refuse to fulfill the
-
obligations which come with that role
-
you have to what is the connection with
-
spiritual life remember all of this is
-
meant for spiritual development do it
-
positively do it seriously it helps in
-
spiritual development
-
howsoever leti but it does help so this
-
is called vishesha Dharma and the last
-
one is Sardar and herma general dharma
-
which are truth unselfishness
-
self-control something that human
-
qualities everybody must have these fall
-
within the universal norm of everybody
-
so what have I said the question was
-
what is your Dharma and the answer again
-
in traditional old India will not work
-
so easily today was swadharma your own
-
Dharma is equal to ashram adharma warna
-
Dharma varnasrama dharma vish a Dharma
-
and sad hardened thermo the five
-
components your stage your station in
-
life your role in life the combination
-
of your station enroll and then your
-
specific situation in life and the
-
general qualities of a human being
-
so these are all part of your duty now
-
this may not be specifically applicable
-
to anybody let alone in the world even
-
in India today because the old system is
-
broken not twisted now but it can get
-
throw some light on what I'm supposed to
-
do now a simple answer would be a
-
principle which I take anything that
-
takes you Godward towards spiritual
-
realization is your duty anything that
-
takes you away from God is not your duty
-
yes all right yes there's a question
-
please come forward if to speak in the
-
microphone please tell us your name I
-
know your name but for the internet
-
audience please it what do we sit when
-
we read the gospel of ramakrishna sir
-
over and over again he says God has
-
become all this again come all beings
-
serve Jeeva Shiva
-
and we've heard from Holy Mother that
-
Ramakrishna is definitely in there void
-
but if these statements that God has
-
become all doesn't sound like the world
-
is a rope which we mistake for a snake
-
so my question is is Ramakrishna a
-
Shankara advisor okay difficult question
-
but thank you because these are the
-
questions that I enjoyed first of all a
-
traditional Advaita
-
would say would summarize his position
-
as brahma satyam jagat mithya Jeeva
-
Brahman even opera which means this rope
-
snake example which you mentioned
-
Brahman alone is real the world is in
-
appearance and Who am I
-
a real order in appearance you are real
-
you are none other than brahmana Brahman
-
is real
-
the world is an appearance and you the
-
individual being you are actually
-
Brahman
-
now when Ramakrishna says everything in
-
the world is Brahman is God and worship
-
everything as Shiva
-
Giani ji receiver worship all ji
-
in the knowledge that it is cheaper it
-
can very well be interpreted in terms of
-
traditional Advaita why you said that it
-
doesn't seem to quite match the rope
-
snake example it does actually we the
-
way we are seeing the world how do we
-
see the world right now unless you are
-
enlightened right now the way we
-
understand the world is these are human
-
beings some of them are for my friends
-
some of them I don't like some of them I
-
like a lot some of them I mean
-
indifferent to and these are Birds these
-
are animals these are insects these are
-
in sentient things like tables and
-
chairs and buildings and atoms and
-
galaxies this is how we see the universe
-
we actually do not see the universe as
-
God Brahman we read about it we hear
-
lectures about it but we do not see it
-
we are seeing the snake we are not
-
seeing the rope even on Ramakrishna's
-
position actually one Yemeni says
-
everything is God here we don't see it
-
that way it sounds nice it's nice to
-
think about it but actually we don't
-
feel it he sees it for him it's a
-
reality he sees the rope we see the
-
snake and the snake has to be corrected
-
by knowledge that it is all brahman so
-
from an from that perspective it matches
-
the traditional advaitha position a
-
traditional adverting would find no
-
fault in ceramic richness things would
-
be happy with it but then there are lots
-
of things which Ramakrishna said which
-
cannot be so conveniently packaged away
-
as traditional of Greater somebody it's
-
in the letters of Swami Tori Ananda I
-
think it's a Swami Sivananda who wrote
-
to Swami Torian and the what was the
-
philosophy of sri ramakrishna somewhat
-
like your question was the anon dualist
-
was he a qualified monist
-
was he a duelist ad waiting we she
-
stopped waiting Drayton or something
-
else and so long reply which Swami
-
Torian on the G is given wonderful reply
-
it's worth reading when he discusses
-
various facets of what Sri Ramakrishna's
-
taught and then he says but if you push
-
me so give me a straight answer what is
-
the philosophy of ceramics
-
then he says I will have to say the
-
philosophy of Sri Ramakrishna is realize
-
God by whatever means possible in
-
Bengali it's even more direct Joshua Rey
-
Pavan LabCorp by whatever means possible
-
realized God that at the cohort seems to
-
be what ceramic Krishna said but he gave
-
a lot of emphasis on on advaitha because
-
he said base yourself on Advaitic
-
knowledge and then practice whatever you
-
want to practice one of the things he
-
said but then he also put tremendous
-
emphasis on bhakti love of God good
-
question one more question from the
-
internet audience now yes so it will
-
come to you there was a question here
-
also yeah there - now a question from
-
the Internet audience the question is
-
fish in his discourses Swamiji mentions
-
that everything we experience in our
-
lives are objects such as the body soul
-
memory and that even a sense of I is
-
also an object if the sense of I is an
-
object unaware of when away it must be
-
in the racing mind
-
how then do we claim that it was I who
-
is in deep sleep how do we have the
-
memory of the blackness of deep sleep
-
and awake in mind this question has been
-
troubling me and I would really
-
appreciate it if you could answer this
-
in the next minute
-
that's a second question I'll repeat it
-
for you in case you missed it he says
-
Envy danta all of this these are objects
-
for consciousness quite clearly look
-
around you everything that you
-
experience is an object and you are the
-
subject in your experience isn't that
-
true if you look at your body that's the
-
same thing the body that you experience
-
is an object in your awareness the mind
-
that we experience if you experience the
-
mind then mind is also an object and in
-
the
-
the ego the i-ight if you feel it right
-
now I if you feel it if you experience
-
it within yourself no matter how subtle
-
it's still an object
-
now this eye disappears in deep sleep
-
and yet when I wake up in deep sleep we
-
don't feel I am sleeping of course not
-
if you feel that you are not sleeping
-
this is just a blankness but when we
-
wake up you say that I slipped and yet
-
that I was not there it's an object
-
which was not during deep sleep but the
-
question is how do you reconcile this I
-
Who am NOT there I claim that I slipped
-
it's a very subtle question and if you
-
can answer this question and grasp the
-
answer to this question at the very
-
least you have grasped or greater and at
-
best you will get enlightened that's how
-
powerful this question is here is the
-
question points to a fault line in Maya
-
there is a crack in this illusion we are
-
living and this question actually points
-
to that that that fault line if you
-
investigate their Maya does not want you
-
to investigate it'll direct you here and
-
there but if you investigate there the
-
crack widens till the whole illusion
-
disappears and the truth is should be to
-
you the answer to the question is this
-
if you only have understood the question
-
then only the answer will make sense the
-
answer to the question is this that I
-
which was an original is an object in
-
your waking state that I which was not
-
there in deep sleep it is true that I
-
did not experience deep sleep and yet
-
upon waking up when the mind starts
-
functioning that eye comes up it claims
-
that falsely I was asleep it claims that
-
I was asleep
-
what does it claim it takes the
-
experiences which are still there
-
and there is a witness which recognizes
-
the deep sleep experience that witness
-
is not the eye the witness is the
-
witness of the eye also right now when
-
you feel I am i what is feeling the eye
-
right now that witness it continues when
-
the eye also shuts down I mean the this
-
this I shot down and the vertical eye
-
also shuts down in deep sleep that
-
witness continues and the experience of
-
deep sleep is a technical point the
-
experience of deep sleep is recorded in
-
our Guiana in the anandamaya kosha the
-
exact the answer you find in Vedanta
-
sorry says RT Sushma via Ghana with T V
-
by an extremely subtle movement of a
-
yawn anandamaya kosha this experience of
-
deep sleep is also recorded now the
-
interesting thing happens is when you
-
wake up the mind starts working and I
-
comes up and those experiences are there
-
and the i falsely mischievously coolly
-
takes up the experiences of that and
-
said I he was asleep the ego was not
-
there the witness experienced the real
-
Atman the sack she experienced the deep
-
sleep experience illumined that that's
-
why deep sleep you see the paradox of
-
deep sleep in each of us say that we
-
experience deep sleep yet that
-
experience was not of the subject object
-
kind of experience which were having
-
right now because we cannot actually say
-
that I was there and I experienced deep
-
sleep I was sleeping deeply no we can't
-
say that and yet we cannot in all
-
honesty did deny that we have all
-
experienced deep sleep do you see this
-
put these two facts together then
-
something startling it emerges what
-
experienced deep sleep what is it in you
-
that experienced deep sleep in sir the
-
witness and instead of answering that
-
quickly can you actually trace it back
-
can you try to feel it with that real
-
witnesses right now it's present right
-
here can you get some clarity about it
-
what will happen is you will be free of
-
the ego you will realize I am NOT I
-
Shankaracharya of any sings manova
-
ahankara cheat Thani Nam look at the
-
contradictory nature of that line he
-
says I am NOT the mind I am NOT the
-
intellect and not the memory they're all
-
objects but funnily enough he says I am
-
NOT the ego ego means I literally if you
-
translate that put it on paper it will
-
read I am NOT I we sing it happily I
-
think it's very profound but what a
-
stunning thing he has said I am NOT I
-
think about this I the one which is
-
right now you say I am sitting in this
-
room and I am listening to the talk
-
clearly the ego is saying it and ego is
-
right ego is right here but that ego
-
when it says re-experience deep sleep
-
it's a false statement and yet something
-
did experience deep sleep put these two
-
facts together and something startling
-
will reveal itself very good question
-
yes the reflected consciousness does not
-
exist in deep sleep now we cannot speak
-
like this because there is a it's being
-
recorded for the purposes of the
-
internet now should I leave it there
-
I'll come to you here is a question you
-
had a question please tell us your name
-
so me - my name is Rama and I'm going
-
back to the question the previous
-
question your answers about the five
-
stages of duty that you just spoke about
-
five components of swadharma five
-
confidence of Swadesh whatever so and so
-
in the modern life even if you're
-
performing those duties it just sucks
-
all your energy and they how do you
-
while performing duties make it
-
something that actually provides
-
spiritual growth because you can perform
-
these very duties sincerely and yet you
-
may not feel that it translates to you
-
growing spiritually and you don't have
-
time in any other way to do anything
-
else other than perform your swaddling
-
yes so how do you go about that it's a
-
good question we might say Swami you are
-
a Swami so your whole swadharma all your
-
roles or spiritual roles so you can
-
happily speak about spiritual life doing
-
this and that but we are students and
-
teachers and mothers and fathers and and
-
so many things in society and all of
-
that energy and time how can I
-
convert those things into spiritual
-
practices if possible
-
indeed it is possible Swami Vivekananda
-
once walking in almoravid Korean energy
-
he said hurry by this time I have
-
started a new path this time that means
-
in this age I have carved out a new path
-
for the youngsters who are going to come
-
after us they will work for the welfare
-
of others and thereby they will develop
-
themselves spiritually I am paraphrasing
-
this is not the language he used this
-
conversion of our day-to-day activities
-
into spiritual practice this is a
-
central teaching of the OP Swami
-
Vivekananda sister nivedita said
-
henceforth no division between the sake
-
sacred and secular to labor is to pray
-
to have and hold is as sacred a trust as
-
to renounce and quit the shop floor the
-
factory floor and and the office and the
-
place of
-
they are as fit a place for the meeting
-
of man and God as the cell of a monk how
-
can we do that every work that we do at
-
the beginning of that work remember god
-
whichever form you worship that my lord
-
this is my Dharma my swadharma in front
-
of me might the role you have assigned
-
me to play I'm going to play this role
-
and mentally I offer it to you like a
-
flower I offer at the feet of God I
-
offered this action at your feet at the
-
end of the work when you're finished
-
again remember the Lord and you offer
-
off of that slowly the attitude will be
-
everything that I am doing it may be I'm
-
doing my job in the office it may be
-
that I'm taking care of children in the
-
home or in the school it may be I'm just
-
doing the same worldly activities but
-
internally they'll be a tremendous
-
transformation that I am doing
-
everything for my beloved Krishna or
-
Rama or or Christ whatever whichever
-
form of God you are worshiping
-
concentrate on that that I am doing
-
these activities as worship to God and
-
make sure more and more I don't want
-
anything from that for myself I am doing
-
it as a service to God so two things one
-
is connect the activity to God and
-
second is a component of unselfishness
-
as much as you can bring in remember
-
common sense if you are holding a job
-
that does not mean the tomorrow onwards
-
you I'll do the job but I won't take
-
salary from you anymore it's not
-
sustainable you can't do that here we
-
are running an ashram so even as a monk
-
I have to take donations so how much
-
more so when you are out in the world
-
and you are working you will definitely
-
take your salary and earn what you have
-
to earn but that apart there should be
-
no other particular selfish desire
-
behind Act that action the selfish
-
desires like by this job by this role by
-
this salary or by this promotion I will
-
be fulfilled that's a worldly attitude I
-
will be fulfilled by God alone by
-
realization alone by spirituality alone
-
and these are all these things will help
-
me the duty which we have in life is not
-
against spirituality when we think of it
-
as duty that something that I have to do
-
and finish it somehow then that will do
-
I will do my spiritual practices then it
-
becomes a terrible burden so I'm wearing
-
on the coats the ashtavakra humanity
-
scorched by the midday Sun of duty not
-
that way not that way
-
work as a free agent this is in front of
-
me it's an opportunity to do something
-
it's an opportunity for spiritual
-
practice there was a goat yesterday a
-
devotee showed me a coat on our computer
-
different wonderful coats one of them
-
was from a Japanese Zen master Dogen and
-
it says if if this if you think that the
-
self confirms ten thousand things you
-
are in delusion but if you think 10,000
-
things confirm the self you are
-
enlightened now that person who showed
-
me she said hmm I think well I don't
-
know what that means really you know
-
what that means it's a very profound
-
truth ten thousand things means your
-
life everything in your life what you
-
see what you hear what you do what you
-
smell but you touch what you enjoy what
-
you suffer if you think that's what you
-
are doing in life all of this you say
-
yes you are deal in delusion according
-
to Dogon if all of them point back to
-
the spirit within you then you are
-
enlightened if n thousand things point
-
back to God within you so one way in up
-
in a bhakti wave in a karma yoga way if
-
ten thousand things of your life is you
-
can connect to God if God is the golden
-
thread running through all of that
-
then even if you are not enlightened you
-
are well on your way to enlightenment if
-
that does not appeal to you if you are
-
in personalistic by nature non-dualistic
-
by nature then you say instable put the
-
word God out of the equation I the pure
-
consciousness what you eat it it just is
-
something that is revealed to you in
-
your consciousness what you do is reveal
-
to you in your consciousness everything
-
that happens in life shines in your
-
awareness use that to become aware of
-
the awareness like you would use a
-
mirror do you use a mirror to look at
-
the mirror or do you use the mirror to
-
look at your face when you are looking
-
at the mirror are you looking at the
-
glass usually not you're looking at the
-
reflection similarly everything in the
-
life life is a mirror which reveals God
-
to you when you are looking at life and
-
sayd revealed life to me mostly unhappy
-
then you're looking at the glass in the
-
middle you're not looking at the
-
reflection okay one more question from
-
the internet audience
-
good questions very Park I try to follow
-
the six steps you have taught in your
-
dream to share difficult lectures there
-
I did some meditation in the morning but
-
when I try internal headspace meditation
-
external things come to me as input I
-
can close my eyes but can't for five
-
years so it's chair playing clock
-
ticking come to my ears even though no
-
thought is present or just as a doubt
-
expensive text is present about that
-
moment I feel that external and internal
-
is getting mixed up for me as I
-
understand this body mind they're
-
nothing but a unit of some atoms has a
-
special capability through the witness
-
consciousness that is enabling this
-
piece of matter to hear see touch smell
-
taste and think is it really possible to
-
have the internal text-based meditation
-
my own breathing movement also comes as
-
a distraction can you please let me know
-
if I'm doing something wrong
-
which I can correct very good question
-
very good question do you know what it
-
refers to in the text trig ratio Vivica
-
towards the end there are six meditation
-
techniques and he's talking about the
-
first two of those meditation techniques
-
what are the meditation techniques it's
-
a nice segue into this question from the
-
other earlier discussion you know the
-
ten thousand things in life what the
-
technique tells you is take any thought
-
whatever comes to your mind if it's two
-
plus two is equal to four or AB Rose is
-
a red flower that is thought comes to
-
your mind instead of concentrating on
-
the thought become aware of the thought
-
signing in your awareness when the
-
thought comes up instead of we get
-
engrossed in the thought and then we
-
jump from one thought to another but
-
what the meditation technique tells you
-
is take the thought and immediately
-
become aware of yourself as the witness
-
to that thought that's our sheet to
-
annotate Onam become aware of yourself
-
as the witness of that start can you do
-
that it's subtle but not difficult now
-
what he's saying is that the next step
-
after that when you become you're aware
-
of your
-
the witness to that sort is now you go
-
to a text-based meditation which says a
-
Sango hum I am unattached I am an
-
attached means that witness which I am
-
is unattached things come and go in its
-
light it is not they don't stick to it
-
I am unattached dueto vegeto um I am
-
non-dual sub Prakash or hum I am
-
self-effulgent these are obvious facts
-
once you have got the witness clarity
-
about the witness all these things will
-
be obvious facts just you're repeating a
-
fact to yourself now the problem which
-
this person has referred to is that
-
Swami when I think about a start if you
-
think about a thought right I am the
-
witness of the thought but then the
-
clock is ticking and then the and then
-
the birds are chirping and then it's hot
-
and then lot of other things come into
-
my mind a thought might be very
-
difficult illusive to get hold of lots
-
of other things are crowding into my
-
mind so what is the way out what do you
-
think correct absolutely the answer from
-
the gentleman was witness of everything
-
you are not just a witness of the
-
thought the thought is not important if
-
the clock is ticking wonderful wonderful
-
use it immediately the clock ticks when
-
it when it goes tick-tock if I am the
-
witness of the tick-tock when the bird
-
chops outside I am the witness of the
-
chirping bird or the chirping of the
-
bird any movement anything that
-
registers in your awareness is a mirror
-
to your awareness
-
it reflects you back to your awareness I
-
have known of persons who get into a
-
kind of internal intoxication just by
-
listening to the sound of a clock tick
-
ticking yes it's possible absolutely
-
possible hours can pass because the
-
ticking of a clock is a very powerful
-
device its rhythmic its monotonous every
-
tick point you back to the witness
-
conscious
-
and you tend to get absorbed there's no
-
escape from the witness consciousness if
-
you're listening to a ticking of a cough
-
of a clock if you see that well first of
-
all you have to understand what the
-
witness consciousness is you have to
-
have clarity about that that's one thing
-
that's why the dribbler Civic text is
-
there you see the Holy Mother she used
-
it in a different way she told one of
-
the disciples that my child listen to
-
the ticking of a clock repeat your
-
mantra with that regularity with that
-
comes steadiness and regularity keep on
-
repeating the mantra I'll tell you an
-
experience it was in the Himalayas we
-
were studying ashtavakra very high text
-
of non-dual Vedanta and the Swami was
-
teaching us there was a word naira
-
Marianna without break in the text he
-
was teaching us a mere group of mostly
-
group of monks some lived in huts some
-
in caves and some had long beards
-
somewhere shaven-headed mostly we were
-
very scruffy lot so we were all sitting
-
around his feet and he was teaching us
-
when he came to the word night hunt
-
arena without break he closed the book
-
and he looked at us and he said before
-
the class I was thinking how do I
-
explain this word and then in front in
-
front of him you have to see the Ganges
-
is roaring past just in front about 40
-
50 feet below its mountainous you
-
understand the Ganges is roaring past
-
he says immediately my eyes fell on that
-
and I felt just like without break the
-
stream of water is roaring continuously
-
flowing fast in front without any break
-
at all like that should be the thought
-
should be the thought of the self should
-
be your establishment in the self in a
-
in a Advaita Vedanta chakra and that
-
night a monk you know he went for
-
meditation and he sat in meditation and
-
he could not stop meditating throughout
-
the night because the roaring of the
-
Ganges mixed up
-
that monks Hut that thought kept kept
-
coming to him and because the rolling is
-
without break I couldn't stop it was so
-
powerful
-
hour after hour passed you know six
-
hours seven hours
-
so that's without break anything in the
-
world especially like the ticking of a
-
clock or the flowing of water can be an
-
excellent reminder of your witness
-
status a question from the audience here
-
you have to come forward and speak in
-
the microphone now pass it and take up
-
the microphone please sit down because
-
it's being recorded
-
that's why okay please sit down sit okay
-
the question two questions before in the
-
microphone I have two questions before
-
when we are talking about hi my I think
-
in course of meditation and prayer
-
subject and object pose disappear why
-
cannot come when you meditate when you
-
pray we didn't ask God to anything I or
-
Who I am with just to subject and object
-
disappear automatically in course of
-
prayer and meditation
-
I think another question people are
-
asking that is a excellent person I eat
-
little bit bothers in my life giving any
-
existing shellworld the sucio model
-
vocabularies are so strong today even
-
you try to pray to God to in search of
-
mystic mysticism touching the real
-
spirituality to go to real from unreal
-
in that case exist tensional world they
-
are more aha
-
Pokhara very social immoral VUCA bernie
-
is so powerful and guided the way it is
-
hard people could understand us what we
-
are doing and what we are looking for on
-
plain view like you are a person he was
-
Swami ji we all know you are a spiritual
-
seeker but I am an ordinary person okay
-
and the moral vocable is using a soup
-
our food people mistreat me they think
-
they read mean wrongly that's why how
-
could we cross that boundary when you
-
are talking about God and we are in
-
search of mysticism that going from
-
unreal to real then that moral
-
vocabulary sociation I am I think I
-
understand the question yes the first
-
part about meditation and the subject
-
and the object disappearing I think that
-
was more of a comment there was not
-
there wasn't a question there that's
-
very good and the second thing is about
-
other people misunderstanding spiritual
-
seekers one thing is that unless a
-
person is a secret to some extent it's
-
no use talking about these things to to
-
such a person
-
so person it will not be real to that
-
person but then the truth is that people
-
are seekers there are so many people who
-
are seekers and if you want to
-
communicate with them if there is even a
-
little bit of genuine questioning you
-
have to understand the vocabulary you
-
will be rightly pointed out the
-
vocabulary is important you have to
-
understand what are the terms that
-
person is using and on what terms you
-
can relate to that person so yes a
-
little bit of adjustment you have to do
-
but it only works with a person who is
-
interested the person is not interested
-
and then then we are also not interested
-
Vedanta is very patient if you are not
-
interested we say fine go and do the
-
thing there must be something you are
-
interested in the world so go and do it
-
pursue it and we will wait this life
-
next life life after that many
-
licensed there is no hurry so I mean we
-
reckon this language he says take your
-
time there is no hurry even here is half
-
serious when you said that I'll write a
-
question from the internet audience this
-
is from Arvind who is in Brisbane
-
Australia in one of your talks recently
-
you mentioned your discussion with the
-
book in one of your talks recently you
-
mentioned your discussion with the
-
Buddhist monks at a conference where the
-
monks went into went into a huddle
-
after you invoked neti neti I have a
-
question about the nature of
-
consciousness in the two schools of
-
thought from what I have gleaned from
-
listening to your talks it seems in the
-
Vedanta school consciousness is primary
-
with the attributes of sat-chit-ananda
-
in some of your talks you have mentioned
-
that the mind borrows this consciousness
-
much like the moon borrows its light
-
from the Sun on the other hand my
-
understanding of the Buddhist school is
-
that they have developed the idea of an
-
Atman no self
-
thus the Buddhist school says Juniata is
-
primary if my understanding is correct
-
then in such a case consciousness is not
-
primary and must be generated or
-
developed somehow from Shunyata that is
-
my question how does consciousness arise
-
or form from shoonya in the Buddhist
-
view maybe you can give a short answer
-
to this question or if you could point
-
me to some books that I can read I read
-
always my favorite question the contrast
-
between the Hindu schools of thinking
-
and Buddhist schools let me set out the
-
contrast first before attempting to
-
resolve it the dualistic schools of
-
Hindu thought by which I mean for
-
example the Naya
-
the vaisheshika the Sankhya the yoga
-
these schools of Hindu thought they
-
claim that in addition to the physical
-
bodies Tula sharira we have a subtle
-
body suksham sharir and that is not
-
subject it's not a matter of belief the
-
experience at all the time we experience
-
life and thought
-
and memories all the time we are
-
experiencing it that which you are
-
experiencing as a first person private
-
experience within yourself that's the
-
subtle body so we have a subtle body
-
suksham sharir
-
and in addition to that we have the
-
Atman the self self with the capitalist
-
the physical body dies at death the
-
subtle body goes on for life after life
-
but when you are enlightened the subtle
-
body also falls off and you realize you
-
are the unchanging Atman so physical
-
body subtle body Atman the self now
-
along comes the Buddhist and says
-
physical body in subtle body are matters
-
of experience where is this precious
-
Atman of yours physical body series of
-
changes subtle body mind and
-
intellectual memory another series of
-
changes beyond this what else exists
-
everything is Emperor Li transient
-
everything is momentary everything is
-
empty the word which he used Shunyata
-
emptiness and they are they have their
-
self nature empty of self nature that
-
means there is no inherent unchanging
-
nature to anything that was the Buddhist
-
insight and it's a very powerful
-
challenge a very powerful challenge in
-
the book that said aletheia manikyam
-
saruba manikyam temporary a transient
-
transient everything is transient
-
everything goes away Shani come Shani
-
come serve oh honey come not only that
-
everything goes away you see everything
-
goes everything Nobi everybody dies and
-
they also will have to die that does not
-
really bother us as long as it
-
everything stays for just enough for my
-
team my purpose if the house lid is kind
-
stays steady for 50 years or 100 years
-
it's good for me I'm going to use it for
-
50 years or hundred years after that
-
doesn't matter if the body lives for 30
-
40 50 60 or 80 years good enough for me
-
because I'll do whatever I can in that
-
period of time if the cookie melts in my
-
mouth and is gone in 10 seconds that's
-
also good enough for me because I can
-
taste it in the
-
ten seconds so temporary is okay with us
-
we really don't mind temporary
-
impermanent we don't mind but Buddha
-
goes on further spoilsport that he is he
-
says Shani come Shani come not only
-
temporary momentary momentary everything
-
changes from moment to moment it does
-
not stay steady for let alone for
-
decades and centuries it does not stay
-
steady from one second to the next
-
let me sound like a startling claim from
-
our common sense point of view but as we
-
go on modern science is more and more as
-
shown that everything is a whirling mass
-
of particles the whirling mass of change
-
continuously all around us this from our
-
perspective something seemed more steady
-
than others Shani kamsani comes sarvam
-
Shani come and hence unum chungnam
-
sarvam shown 'i'm wide void all is void
-
and then finally do come to come serve
-
them to come hence because because it is
-
transient because it is momentary
-
because it is wide everything is of the
-
nature of dukkha suffering if you feel
-
the suffering you're feeling the reality
-
if you feel pleasure and happiness you
-
are deluded because they were suffering
-
before it there is suffering at the end
-
of it and they're suffering underneath
-
it
-
any joy that we have so real spoilsport
-
the Buddha well hard truth now in this
-
mass of change where is this permanent
-
Atman you are speaking about
-
so the Buddhist launches a two-pronged
-
attacks one is on your permanent solemn
-
the your immortal soul is no such things
-
about the faith and the second one is we
-
the partner to your immortal soul the
-
poor God an immortal God unchanging
-
reality calls God dude this lunch is an
-
attack on that - where is this card you
-
speak about both are equally are
-
impossibilities an immortal God sitting
-
somewhere way up in heaven where and
-
your own immortal soul you speak about
-
Atman where you can't prove it
-
and thus began a thousand-year battle
-
between literally a thousand years from
-
around 2005 little after the Buddha ban
-
the philosophical schools of Buddhism
-
began to grow strong till the
-
disappearance of Buddhism from India
-
around 800 900 AD so for more than a
-
thousand years there was a philosophical
-
debate a battle between the Hindu
-
schools and the Buddhist schools and was
-
good because it led to a flowering of
-
philosophy very sophisticated philosophy
-
developed over a thousand years and you
-
have gotten text after text the Hindus
-
trying to defend the immortal soul Atman
-
defend the existence of God and the
-
Buddhists attacking both the great Hindu
-
logician Judean Acharya around 10th
-
century AD there is the famous story of
-
how he goes to he fought against the
-
Buddhists yet he has two classic books
-
we just still studied one is called
-
osmoter 12-acre where he tries to prove
-
with extremely subtle reasoning that
-
there must be a permanent unchanging
-
consciousness at the back of everything
-
changing otherwise this life is not
-
possible it tries to explain that and
-
then the second book is nee Aiko
-
Samantha Lee where he gives 9 proofs for
-
the existence of Ishwara of God against
-
the Buddhist opponent so this kind of a
-
great logician you know he goes to the
-
story that he goes to jagannatha temple
-
in puri and for duction for the for the
-
darshan of lord jagannatha and at that
-
time the doors are closed because
-
offering is going on the Bogue offering
-
to the lord is going on the doors are
-
closed so there is a very funny Sanskrit
-
shloka attributed to Odin Acharya
-
it seems he composed it when he saw the
-
doors closed he said my lord now you are
-
so proud and you shut your doors to me
-
but when the Buddhists come and attack
-
you and try to disprove your existence
-
you run to me for proving your existence
-
now you won't let me go in and I know I
-
have your audience in houses when
-
wealthier but you are helplessly
-
dependent upon me to prove your
-
existence in the book this comes from
-
ataxia anyhow humor apart this was the
-
situation now
-
now what does a joy to bring to the mix
-
swami vivekananda you wanted a text
-
swami vivekananda practical vedanta
-
lecture number 4 where he takes up the
-
Buddhist position the Hindu duelist
-
position and reconciles it with the
-
Advaita Nandu listen there's a lot more
-
to be said about this but I'll mention
-
just this
-
what does swami very kind of say look at
-
the classic example of the snake and the
-
rope it is not that there is a rope and
-
on top of that there is a snake that you
-
drive the snake up and then you get the
-
rope no these are not two different
-
things a rope and a snake the rope is
-
mistaken as the snake what you think is
-
the snake is the rope itself mistakenly
-
snake taken for what it is rope in
-
ignorance snake in knowledge rope
-
similarly he says both the Buddhist and
-
Hindu dwellest are right the Hindu
-
dwellest is right when he says there is
-
an immortal reality called the soul or
-
God or whatever it is and the Buddhist
-
is right when he says that there is
-
nothing apart from this which you call
-
God or so it is the same thing which you
-
regard in ignorance as a mass mass of
-
whirling change which we see as this
-
world and in knowledge you will find all
-
of this is nothing other than Perlman
-
it's not that there is a soul and there
-
is a body mind and universe separately
-
Advaita says there is only one thing in
-
ignorance it is regarded as world as
-
body as mind as Jeeva in individual g1j
-
gap in knowledge when you get brahma
-
jana this very Jeeva jagat becomes none
-
other than brahman for you you that's
-
why enlightened persons will keep on
-
saying I see God everywhere what does
-
that mean the person does not say I see
-
the world and I see God in heaven which
-
way something says that nobody they all
-
say I see God everywhere which means
-
where everywhere means were here he
-
might as well say I see the Rope in
-
the snake he never says I see a rope and
-
a snake no it is what you considered to
-
be the snake the person who knows he
-
says it's a rope it's what we considered
-
to be a mass a changing mass a physical
-
massive change called the body mental
-
massive change called the mind known in
-
reality it is nothing other than such
-
hidden under so this is how Vivekananda
-
reconciles it now is it accepted no
-
there are scholars who accept it there
-
are scholars who do not on both on the
-
Vedantic side and on the Buddhist side
-
there are scholars and monks and
-
teachers who will not agree that the two
-
are ultimately the same I remember
-
speaking to a Buddhist Lama in Delhi
-
Universe in Delhi University there was a
-
seminar the Lama spoke I also spoke and
-
afterwards a person in the audience a
-
lady said to the Lama holy Lama what the
-
Swami was saying and what you say they
-
seem to be very similar this is the
-
problem with the Hindu mind they
-
immediately find the oneness behind
-
everything they don't stress the
-
differences they stress the unity so
-
they are did he seem to is very similar
-
what you are saying and the what the
-
Swami is saying I was I spoke from the
-
Advaita perspective and he spoke from
-
the Tibetan Buddhist perspective and so
-
the Lama he smiled and he said no
-
actually they are different you know
-
there are a lot of differences and I
-
stepped in doing the Hindu thing saying
-
yes there are differences but there are
-
different paths they lead to the same
-
conclusion you know and then the
-
Buddhist not to be outdone the Lama said
-
yes he has a meeting point but after
-
that again different
-
[Laughter]
-
so there are people on both sides who
-
would not agree but there are scholars
-
who do agree if you read a book called
-
the central philosophy of Buddhism
-
central philosophy Abood ISM TR we move
-
T you will see Tibetan Buddhism Mahayana
-
Magna Hakka Buddhism of Nagarjuna it's
-
explained in in terms which are very
-
Advaitic non-dualistic I've also had
-
occasion to mention Sam Harris was a
-
very popular 80's speaker here in the
-
United States
-
and he says religion is mostly hypocrisy
-
and nonsense superstition but he says
-
there are these two traditions one is a
-
great of a dontoh and the other one is
-
Tibetans of chain Buddhism which have a
-
core of truth in them and it's the same
-
truth both are both are speaking about
-
there is a professor of religion a
-
philosopher actually in Australia a lady
-
Miri albahari and I find in her work she
-
is primarily a scholar of Buddhism and
-
and the way she interprets Mahayana
-
Buddhism especially Magda McCarthyism of
-
Nagarjuna is very close to Advaita
-
Vedanta Shankara and she she mentions it
-
explicitly they too are very close why I
-
mention her is that she is coming to
-
give this talk about advaitha Vedanta
-
and the problem of consciousness in NYU
-
next year and I have invited her to come
-
and speak here to us so I really hope
-
she does come and speak to us but she
-
speaks about exactly this problem yes we
-
have run out of time you must tell me
-
when the food is reused let me know yes
-
so there is a question from the yes
-
please come and somebody else raised the
-
hand there yes I'll come back to you yes
-
there's a mic please tell us your name
-
and please sit
-
my name is Sri and just I guess talking
-
about Buddhism I'm thinking of this
-
concept of compassion that the modern
-
Buddhists are talking a lot about now
-
and and with this I'm asking a very
-
personal question but I think it
-
probably affects a lot of people from
-
time to time so you know we try to have
-
compassion and we try to have empathy
-
and sometimes we think we're doing great
-
you know we're around a grieving parent
-
and we can feel everything that they're
-
feeling and you know I guess we must
-
well I must have been tapping myself on
-
the shoulder because the next I meet
-
someone else and they're grieving and I
-
seem to have zero compassion to have
-
judgment and then I continue to sort of
-
beat myself up over not being able to
-
muster any compassion so then do I just
-
give up and wait for grace or do I keep
-
working at it that's my question you see
-
this is a problem that's inevitable as
-
long as we regard ourselves as
-
individual points of consciousness that
-
I am an individual among many
-
individuals and what kind of an
-
individual am i I'm a body and mind with
-
consciousness I am a body and mind with
-
consciousness then what becomes primary
-
is body and mind and the way I relate to
-
others as body minds now what will
-
happen is I like some of them some of
-
those body Minds I like them some of
-
those body Minds I don't like them those
-
who might like is easy for me to have
-
compassion and love for them those who I
-
do not like it's not easy for me to have
-
any kind of compassion for them and yet
-
I am told to have compassion for
-
everybody look at the language have
-
compassion for everybody the moment you
-
say everybody then there must be
-
something same that you see in everybody
-
so that you can have the same compassion
-
for everybody
-
do you follow then what is the same
-
thing in everybody at all times and at
-
all places there is only one reality
-
which runs through all of us base
-
yourself on the vedantic reality that
-
you are such chit Ananda you are none
-
other than God and then
-
therefore everybody that you meet even
-
whether you like the body-mind or you do
-
not like the body might everybody you
-
meet the background is the same such
-
chit Ananda
-
when that's no longer theory when that
-
begins to become reality to you then you
-
will find having compassion for
-
everybody becomes automatic love will
-
become automatic compassion will become
-
automatic judgment may still come up the
-
mindedness it has a way of judging but
-
your judgement you can dismiss easily
-
because you know beyond whatever you
-
judge judge a person to be good judge a
-
person to be bad you make up your mind
-
this person is bad a bad body mind but
-
at the same time you will know that sub
-
that's absolutely on the surface it's
-
superficial
-
the reality is existence consciousness
-
place is the one unchanging reality in
-
me in you in him and in her that's the
-
real basis for compassion change your
-
concept about yourself I am NOT this
-
person body mind culture II Sri is
-
really the existence consciousness bliss
-
appearing at the body mind here then you
-
will see that everybody else else
-
changes automatically for you and then
-
the problem of compassion problem of
-
love the problem of hatred it will
-
disappear it will become spontaneous
-
love will become spontaneous compassion
-
will become spontaneous if by automatic
-
reaction hatred or irritation comes you
-
will be more and more able to dismiss it
-
easily okay I'll take one last question
-
from the lady there could you come up
-
and ask the question
-
come to the mic here last question I
-
hear the food is ready so we will make
-
this the last question there's the
-
microphone my name is Pat this is a
-
somewhat confused question so I
-
apologize to all hungry people in the
-
microphone and a Zen master was asked
-
and said to me I asked what is Buddha
-
mind and he said non holdin now we come
-
to Vedanta and God the Buddhist ideas of
-
continuous motion voidness motion
-
nothing held but the Vedantic idea I
-
picked is you must not confuse prana
-
with God who does not move but my
-
problem in meditation is how do you get
-
from this for my infatuation electric
-
Arana with prana to the non-moving state
-
right it's not at all a confused
-
question it's a very good question and
-
very precisely put in most of
-
identically put so yes non holding is
-
the essence of the Buddha mind and it
-
applies very equally to the Vedantic
-
mind also anything objective that you
-
hold on to as yourself I am this holding
-
on to a changing body it's continuous
-
change what am I when I say I am this
-
body I am prana if I hold on to that
-
continuously flowing in and out like the
-
bellows pumping in and out air flowing
-
in and through me life forces coursing
-
through me continuously changing like
-
the ebb and flow of a tide prana courses
-
through me
-
what watches the
-
when you say I am breathing in I am
-
aware of breathing in I am breathing out
-
I am aware of breathing out what it is
-
it that is aware of the breathing in and
-
breathing out the breathing in and
-
breathing out are the movements of Karla
-
what is it that is aware of the
-
breathing in and breathing out that is
-
not moving in and out that is aware of
-
the movement of the product is it moving
-
itself no if you come to the site II do
-
finish it you ask the question what am i
-
you start with the body you clearly see
-
that you cannot be the body for certain
-
reasons it's external to you I feel I'm
-
inside this and is an object this is
-
something external to me it is changing
-
and I am unchanging it is an object of
-
my experience I am the subject of
-
experience for certain reasons I cannot
-
be the body for exactly the same reasons
-
I cannot be the product you're not
-
denying that the prana is there let the
-
prana move in and out if got to keep on
-
breathing yes until you're enlightened
-
you have to go to creep keep on
-
breathing so yes and then the mind the
-
mind moves continuously look deeper
-
within the prana thoughts ideas come but
-
you are aware of the movement of the
-
mind is it not and then the intellect
-
even that which you are using to
-
understand all of this you're aware of
-
the movement of the intellect anything
-
that you are aware of is not the Atman
-
and in the microphone yes it's not
-
thought so much but when I meditate I
-
feel this incredible seething energy
-
which is very nice to feel but I can't
-
get beyond them it's it's like the
-
energies all right is there and very
-
pleasurable but but you said look at the
-
words you used I feel this incredible
-
energy
-
it feels pleasurable yes
-
I feel this energy what fees that's
-
right but how do I get beyond to join
-
the feeling you don't have to start
-
this way this way the moment followed is
-
carefully the moment you recognize that
-
there is something that is aware of the
-
surging of this energy within me what
-
you're asking is how do I stop the
-
energies from surging or how do I get
-
beyond the feeling of pleasure of in
-
reveling in that energy the Vedanta
-
cancels you don't have to all that you
-
need to notice is that someone something
-
here is aware of that energy just notice
-
that let the energy be there let it see
-
it within you let it course within you
-
let your mind
-
enjoy that energy - if you cannot sit
-
for long for meditation you feel so
-
energy to get to get up and walk get up
-
and walk the Atman is not disturbed all
-
you need to notice it that it relieves
-
that surging energy that feeling reveals
-
the ever-present awareness within you if
-
one day do not feel that energy
-
if you tired or quiet it is the same
-
awareness which notice that energy the
-
same awareness which notices the lack or
-
diminishing of that energy that is what
-
you are let the play of prana go on why
-
if i disturb it let it go on the body
-
the prana the mind these are creations
-
of Ishwara of god you need not destroy
-
them to do you need not transcend them
-
to become enlightened you are already
-
beyond that you need not and you cannot
-
how can you get rid of front of it so
-
you get rid of prana god forbid listen
-
every will be diabetic so we need we
-
need not do that either and we should
-
not do that either why not here is the
-
crucial I'll end with this here is the
-
crucial secret it is that very surging
-
of prana which you are noticing like a
-
mirror it reveals your own existence
-
also the mirror it's not me but it
-
reflects my face the experience of the
-
surging prana it's not you it's not the
-
Atman it's not the real you but it
-
really needs the real you because it
-
shines in your light
-
it is revealed in your awareness it's a
-
door to to self-realization does it make
-
sense no you you you know you know what
-
is hard you know what is hard
-
controlling that prana is hard
-
controlling the planet that's what you
-
feel as being hard can I control that
-
Rana can I somehow transcend it go
-
beyond it but it ceases to disturb my
-
meditation that's what you're asking
-
in the microphone my meditation I could
-
do that all day all you need to do is
-
then watch The Watcher what you watching
-
means as the surges come and go it
-
reveals you as the not surging water all
-
the time all the time
-
well it just impacted just a reversal
-
it's like right now you are immersed in
-
the mirror and delighted by the
-
reflection of your face in the mirror
-
all you need to do is let the mirror be
-
there
-
let the reflection of your face be there
-
just to remind yourself that's the real
-
face here not there what is being
-
reflected here is really me here so the
-
fascination with the mirror and the face
-
will go away right now we have we are
-
like person was forgotten his or her
-
real face and very fascinated with the
-
mirror oh nice and somebody wants to
-
take the mirror Robin no no no I lose my
-
face if the mirror goes away but my face
-
is not in the mirror we know what the
-
problem with with the real faces and
-
what the advantage of the mirror is
-
mirror reflected face advantages you can
-
see it and the problem with the real
-
face is you cannot see it but once you
-
realize this is the real face which is
-
reflected there
-
then you're not dependent on the mirror
-
if you remove the mirror you cannot see
-
the face anymore but you know it's there
-
you're not craving for the mirror yes it
-
will work don't worry just relax it will
-
work all right
-
before I close there are a couple of
-
announcements so this is the last ask
-
Swamy session until the end of September
-
because we are closing for summer after
-
today's session there will be no normal
-
classes in July and August in the middle
-
of September the next a swami session
-
will be at the end of September
-
at this point I would like to wish
-
everybody a very happy and pleasant
-
summer I would like to pray to sri
-
ramakrishna masha Radha and Swami
-
Vivekananda to bless us all with peace
-
and joy let none here be touched by
-
sorrow let gladness and joy fill our
-
summer survey after soaking us unto
-
salvation to Nehemiah Marcus she took
-
cover over wait I pray to the to tackle
-
my ecology to bless all of us here Oh
-
Shante Shante Shante hurry you that's
-
that Sri Ramakrishna Furnham us too
