My dear ones, three stressors are currently dominating my life. I am praying, am justifying it and telling myself that it will pass.
The first one is that a loved one is having a major, health problem. I am chanting and hoping that it will end well.
The organization which I consider like my second home is having problems. The issues are complex and one is hoping for a favorable outcome. Continue reading
Hinduism is the world’s oldest religion. It is also known as Sanatana Dharma. It is a natural religion and its practices and philosophies are considered accessible to all.
All beings from the smallest organism to man, are considered manifestations of the divine. Hinduism views the universe as a family, or in Sanskrit, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. Continue reading
Names are very important for us. They affect our life. Their meaning carries a positive or negative connotation. Therefore, names influence our behavior and how one is treated by others. In the Hindu way of life, a name carries a spiritual and aspirational significance. They are based on the names of gods, virtues or homage is paid to a holy place. The name impacts one and that is why when a baby is born in a Hindu home, the conjugation of the planets is taken and the alphabet for the name selected. Continue reading
Hope is the thing with feathers
By Emily Dickenson (1861)
Hope is the thing with feathers–
That perches in the soul–
And sings the tune without the words–
And never stops-at-all–
And sweetest –in the Gale—is heard–
And sore must be the storm–
That could abash the little Bird.
That kept so many warm–
I’ve heard it in the chilliest land–
And on the strangest Sea–
Yet—never—in Extremity,
It asked a crumb—of me.
Ramanna Maharishi was a gentle soul. He never reprimanded anyone and he did not preach about the Gods and religion. People felt his powerful spiritual presence when they had his darshan. The experience was like being born again. Continue reading
Kabir said,
Look for bliss within, not elsewhere.
Kabir invented the word ‘Avadhoo’, which means infinite, vast, expansive, boundary-less, unfathomable as ether. Avadhoo is also his name for the guru, when we pray to him. Avdhoota means one who does not wear any garments but in reality, is an individual who has stripped her/him/self-off all the layers of her/his mind—layers of delusions, ignorance, attachment, aversion and therefore one emerges as her/his true self. Continue reading
Visualization in this meditation step by step.
Become aware of your mooladhara chakra. Concentrate upon it. It is at the tip of the cervix for females and between the anus and the scrotum for males. Gaze at the nose tip and practice nose tip gazing (Nasikgrah Drishti), which stimulates the mooladhara chakra. The mooladhara chakra restores your stability and balance. It grounds you. Stay with the sadhana for five minutes. Continue reading
Plant seeds of happiness, kindness and friendship; it will all come back to you in abundance. This is the law of Nature. – Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati
He further says that within all of us there is a very special quality—Sam Rakshan, the caring nature. Sam means complete and Rakshan means to protect and preserve. It is this innate nature that takes one out of one’s self-centered ego and puts the comfort and happiness of others first. Continue reading
I am searching for a heart inside me
That’s ebullient by swallowing the entire pain of creation
That’s jubilant by accepting the entire tears of the world
That’s effervescent and clean
May I be able to share with all a heart
Like the earth and sky
Never exhausted by giving. – Nepalese poet Suman PokherelHeart endures when eye does not see. – Turkish Proverb
Meditate on the lotus of your heart. In the center is the untainted; the exquisitely pure, clear and sorrowless; the inconceivable; the unmanifest, of infinite form; blissful, tranquil, immortal; the womb of Brahma. – Kaivalyopanishad
In Sanskrit, the heart is defined as bhava, feeling or sentiment. It is not guided by the intellect or mind. It is natural and spontaneous. When the heart is guided by the mind, then there is constant change in behavior. The outcome is that as long as intellect guides the heart there is emotional and psychological struggles. Continue reading
“Om Namo Bhagwate Vasudevaya”. I bow down to the Lord who resides in the hearts of all beings. Lord Vishnu dries our tears with his love and compassion.
The best time to chant Lord Vishnu Mantra is between 4am—6am (Braham Muhurta). Have a bath and sit on a mat. Meditate on a picture of Lord Vishnu. The picture is one of Lord Vishnu in Yoga Nidra. Focus on his divine form. Use a Tulsi mala. Thursday is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and praying to him on this day will enable one to have all of one’s dreams fulfilled.
Meditation on the form of Lord Vishnu from the Bhagavatam. Continue reading
It happened in an army camp, based near a forest, in India, where soldiers were undergoing training. They had to be up early.
Every day a full-grown tiger would come and stand near the gate. The soldiers were terrified as the tiger kept standing there for an hour. The commandant of the camp was also concerned and he called in a tiger biologist to visit the camp. The consultant looked at the tiger and the tiger gazed back at him. The consultant felt that the tiger’s gaze was distressed, and he recommended that he and a couple of soldiers would follow the tiger. Continue reading
Before the word emancipation existed Lalleshwari, or Lal Ded was truly liberated. She broke away from tradition, defied marriage, mother-in-law’s hostile treatment and became a seeker of truth. All this happened in the 14th century. Continue reading
All followers of God, seek salvation.
Salvation has many meanings. We want preservation from harm, ruin and loss. We want freedom from our sins and karma. We desire liberation of our spirit. We want redemption, and restoration for ourselves and earth. We want to salvage our environment and restore it to its pristine form. Continue reading
There are five sacrifices which we must offer daily and these are spoken about by all Gurus. There are five Gods also associated with the sacrifices.
Each one of these has an outer and external meaning. Continue reading
We all use the word, karma freely and frankly. It is used world over and can be considered part of 21st century vocabulary.
What is karma? Want is what we call desire, and when we wish for something, it becomes the first step of thinking how to progress on this path. Then we act on it and this act has a thought behind it. Every thought has a desire and an act behind it. Action, thought and desire are the three threads which form the Karma cord. Our actions make people around us happy or unhappy. Now let us examine what we have done. We have sown a seed of happiness or unhappiness. Both will reflect upon us and our acts come around full circle. This is our Karma. Continue reading