Ramanna Maharishi said to Robert Adams. “The only spiritual life you need is not to react.”
Robert Adams was an American Vedanta Teacher. His explanation of what Ramanna Maharishi said was to be calm is the greatest asset in the world. When you are perfectly calm, time stops. There is no time; karma and samskaras stop. Continue reading
Bhakti Sadhana in the Srimad Bhagavatam has been explained very simply. There are three things which one must heed. They are Darshan or inner vision, Shravana or hearing, and inner Chintan or contemplation. Through Darshan, Shravan, and Chintan the mind becomes one with the lord. The example given is it does not matter what the shape of a vessel is. It can be misshapen. When one pours liquid into it, it takes the shape of the vessel. The liquid will retain the shape of the vessel as long as it remains in it. Similarly, when one hears the name of the lord, when one contemplates on the qualities of the lord and when one brings to mind the form of the lord, the mind takes on the aspect of the lord. – Swami Niranjanananda.
Fasting is a Yogic practice. It reduces the tamasic element in the body. Tamas is the greatest obstacle to meditation. While fasting, one sheds extra weight from the body and gains strength and clarity of mind. One cannot advance in the practice of Meditation, with an unhealthy body and weak mind. Continue reading
A triangle shape represents interconnection and the cyclical nature of creation, preservation and destruction. It is also a symbol of Shakti. The triangle also represents Shakti, the divine feminine power. Shakti is the dynamic force that energizes and activates the universe. Continue reading
Be your own light.
Heraclitus’s famous analogy of life to a river: “Upon those who step into the same rivers, different and ever different waters flow down.” Heraclitus was an ancient Greek philosopher. The central idea of his philosophy was the unity of opposites and the concept of change. He observed the world as being in a state of constant flux. Nothing remains the same and the world is impermanent. It is changing continuously. Our ignorance is responsible for this false perception. Adi Shankara calls this ignorance avidya and to remove this we need that light, which is from within. Continue reading
Ajapa Japa Sadhana as explained by Swami Satyananda Saraswati.
When we chant, we are uttering from the mouth, when we chant from the heart, it is called Ajapa. Ajapa Japa is a complete sadhana and through it one can have direct experience of samadhi. Continue reading
Our possessions, what are they? Are we possessive by nature? Do we covet everything, others have? Are we possessive about our loved ones? Do we pride ourselves on our possessions? I am not going to write the list of all the things that we are possessive about.
What Do you own? – Osho
What do we understand about gratitude? Is it acknowledgement, appreciativeness, responsiveness, gratefulness, obligation, thankfulness or all of the above?
Our Gurus, wise men and seers say that we must be indebted to the universe and its inhabitants. However, we are enamored of the word that we use it in daily affirmations without understanding the meaning and absorbing it in our life.
How do we perform a gratitude sadhana? Continue reading
Let it fill with divine energy and boundless love. How do we do this? By helping others is the quickest method. Love is the healer and true love is if we can love someone even if they are critical of us. Continue reading
A quote by Sant Kabirdas
Kabirdas was a mystic poet and saint. His writings influenced the Hindu Bhakti movement in the fifteenth century. He believed in living life very simply. He makes us face up to the lies that we tell ourselves, that we are devout and are not afraid of death. He described the process of ajapa japa and the mantra So ham, as a continuous process. Continue reading
We are in a state of misery. We are deluged by misfortunes. Famine, floods and war. There are shortages everywhere. Innocents are being shot in schools, fires raging. Our miserable nature is overtaking us. We are crushing and destroying what is dear to us. Hurting others who have not harmed us. Wars are erupting everywhere. War does not only mean a battle but there is also an ongoing war against disease and pestilence. It has afflicted our thinking. There are politicians who are talking about maintaining peace but actually they are preparing for war to preserve peace. Continue reading
The basis of Ajapa Japa is the repetition of the mantra So Ham with Ujjayi pranayama in the sushumna passage. This process incorporates ujjayi (psychic breath), mantra (psychic sound), sushumna nadi and psychic awareness. It is the best and easiest practice to awaken Prana. The practice of Ajapa Japa is essential for developing the psychic passage, psychic breath and psychic sound, which are the important keys to Prana awakening and wellbeing. Continue reading
Ajapa Japa is chanting from the heart. It is the spontaneous repetition of the Mantra Soham for developing awareness of the psychic breath in the psychic passages of the body. The meaning of psychic is spiritual in the Yogic sense and Ajapa Japa sadhana enables the flow of prana. Continue reading