Following is an article written in early 2000.
Enlightenment and Earth Changes
by Dharma Dharini
Enlightenment or mukti can be simply described as liberation. This leads to an important question: liberation from what? According to ancient tradition, enlightenment is considered to be liberation from suffering. To understand this, there must be the realization that ignorance is the parent of all suffering. Suffering can be likened to the symptom of a disease, a disease called ignorance. Little can be done to obliterate suffering if approached directly, as suffering is a constant, however the ignorance which is at the root of the suffering can be obliterated.
I am often asked what impact enlightenment would have on the environment of this planet. With the ecological and environmental disasters and threat of Earth Changes due to global warming and other factors, why we would focus on such an apparently frivolous subject as enlightenment? How can enlightenment help the ecology of Earth?
One simple factor is to look at what is at the core of mankind. The core of man is not peace, love, kindness, or bliss. Suffering has become the core of man. Do you know that you are suffering?
Perhaps it is with some physical suffering such as disease, disfigurement, obesity, pain, or perhaps not having enough to meet your physical needs such as proper food or shelter. Maybe it is some psychological suffering that is generally experienced when things do not go our way. Feelings such as anger, frustration, jealousy, grief, guilt, greed, craving to be loved or recognized, along with a whole host of other psychological miseries. Or perhaps you are suffering from the most terrible and hardest to bear suffering of all: the existential suffering of man or simply put, “spiritual suffering.”
This spiritual suffering is characterized by boredom which we see so evident in even very young children. It is also characterized by loneliness, the sense of separate existence so brutally suffered by our seniors. And it is a sense of meaninglessness. An example would be the one who wins an Olympic Medal after years of training and the following day wakes up and thinks, “So what?” It is the sadness or let-down often experienced after a realized dream.
An important realization in the journey to liberation from suffering is that suffering is constant. To help you understand, I will use a mathematical example and tell a story of a man who is very ill. Imagine for a moment that the constant of suffering in this patient equals a total of 10 points. When a being is very ill or in pain, he becomes almost totally self- consumed as the physical body is fighting for survival. So we can put 9 of his 10 total points of suffering in the realm of physical suffering. Perhaps he is a bit afraid or is experiencing some anger at his condition so we will give 1 point to psychological suffering. Boredom, loneliness, or a sense of meaninglessness are virtually non-existent at this phase of his illness, so! we will give 0 points to spiritual suffering.
As he begins to recover, suddenly he becomes very demanding. He is very angry that people did not come to visit him or care for him as he thought that they should. He is furious at the feeding tubes and IV’s and tries to rip them from his body. He is angered at having to be cared for like a baby and becomes a miserable patient. His physical suffering is now at 3, his psychological suffering is at 6, and he is beginning to experience some boredom. We can put his spiritual suffering at 1. A week goes by and he is feeling quite well, though still confined to his bed per the doctor. His physical suffering is at 1. He is still angry and feeling quite unloved as no one now comes to visit him as they did when they thought he was dying, so we will give him a 4 in the psychological suffering category. He is also very bored and lonely. Crossword puzzle books litter the room. He is always on his cell phone or watching TV to manage the! boredom and loneliness. 5 points can be allocated to the category of spiritual suffering. By the end of the week his boredom and loneliness becomes very intense, and an intense sense of meaninglessness comes. It becomes very very difficult to bear, and begins to trickle down into the realm of psychological and physical suffering. He has a relapse or perhaps his allergies flare up, or he begins to get indigestion. Physical suffering-7, psychological-3, spiritual-1.
Physical suffering, considered to be the lowest form of suffering, is the least difficult to bear. When psychological or spiritual suffering become too intense, it will pour down to the physical realm - much like the saucer which accommodates the cup of over-poured coffee.
How do we handle or anger, our loneliness, our boredom, our craving to be loved, our stress? What is a Sunday drive? What is a movie theater, a video arcade, a bar, a sporting event, a shopping mall, a beauty salon, a health spa? Fun! damentally they places we go or things that we do to manage our sorrow. Reflect on your life for a few moments. How is it with you when someone hurts you, when you have had a bad day at work, when you are lonely? Perhaps you pick up the phone and call someone, take a drink or a pill, turn on the computer or the television. Or maybe you run to the refrigerator or go to the mall. Generally what we call suffering is merely running from suffering.
Shelter in many areas or the world is a physical necessity. A house in the best neighborhood is a psychological need. Food is a need of the physical body. Dinner at a favorite restaurant is a psychological need. Clothing can be a physical necessity. Designer label is a psychological need. What is all this? It is nothing more than man's psychological suffering, his craving to be loved. Not able to find the seldom discovered state of unconditional love, man has settled for conditional love. Securities and images must be built to pe! rpetuate and retain conditional love. The beauty industry is an illustration of this tragic compromise. This conflict between what one is and what one wants to be is perhaps the oldest and most terrible battle that man has ever waged. It is responsible for untold insecurity, guilt, and self-hatred, and is responsible for much of the misery in the history of mankind.
If we would stop for a moment and see how we manage our suffering, tremendous realization would occur. Perhaps in your life there is non-stop shopping, non-stop working, non-stop worrying, non-stop eating, non-stop pill taking - supplements included, non-stop talking, non-stop gambling, non-stop whoring, non-stop praying, non-stop reading, non-stop social or volunteer work. Perhaps we collect things. Maybe little things, or maybe fast cars, fine horses or house pets. If we could only stop and see how we are reacting to stress, to hurt, to loneliness or boredom, we would come to the realization that a great portion of our daily existence can be summed up in just two words, "Sorrow Management".
Consider for a moment if all of mankind was to suddenly be liberated from suffering - enlightened in the ancient sense of the word. What if there was no more boredom, loneliness, or craving to be loved? What if man were to suddenly be able to determine what was necessary for his survival on this planet during this time and what was irrelevant? Can you realize the impact that this would have on the environment?
Consider for a moment the amount of fossil fuel that goes into the heating and lighting of these places of sorrow management such as malls, restaurants, video arcades, sporting arenas, etc. What about the driving here and there to manage the boredom - the quintessential Sunday drive? How much is drained from the Earth and how much toxicity or pollution is poured back into the Earth in the manufacture of items used to manage our sorrow? So much is taken so that we can f! eel better for a time, so that we can build some security. Consider any industry. It that manufactured item a necessity? Or was it created to help someone somewhere manage a suffering? The solutions have become the problems. If a man was enlightened, if he no longer suffered he would be able to determine what is necessary for survival in this time on this planet and what is irrelevant. View the items around you and consider for a moment if they are necessary for your survival. Consider again how much energy and natural resources went into the manufacture of each item. What was the sacrifice?
The outer world, particularly in the USA, has become a virtual paradise. Pick up a telephone and someone brings food to the door. The drinking straw even bends in the middle so we do not have to learn over so far to take a drink. Yet for all the outer world changes and technology there has been little or no advancement in the spiritual realm of man. He is still suffering.
The human body was originally designed to experience bliss. True experience, to truly touch, to hear, to see, to smell, to taste is bliss. What we now call “experience” is quite often merely the constant commentary of the mind. See for a moment what this ancient storyteller is telling you today. Are you One with what you see, in a state where there is no difference between the experience and the experiencer? Is there bliss in smelling garbage as well as the sweet perfume of a flower? Or is there judgment and constant commentary such as “Oh what a beautiful sunset. I wonder what is for dinner?” Perhaps you is not even there at all. Like a monster, the commentary of the mind has swooped down and dragged you away to some future projection such as what should be done tomorrow or to a memory of the past.
Think for a moment if man as a whole could experience various states of enlightenment. If you were in a state were you could see God in everything (not merely a concept b! ut if you were actually experiencing this) would you need to go to the movies or to a boxing match? Or would you be kiss the grass in the garden because there was grass in the garden? What if you attained a state devoid of judgment where you were liberated from the constant commentary of mind and could truly experience reality as it is? Would you then go the mall or eat a pizza, drink several beers and a consume a box of chocolates? What if you were in that state of non-judgement and suddenly realized the dependently arising nature of the Universe and suddenly were able to see the entire Universe in everything you saw? Would need to leave your backyard? And what is you were in a state where you were one with everything you saw? Would you still take Prozac or Zoloft?
The suffering of man has become so intense that the Earth does not seem to have much to offer anymore. He no longer experiences bliss at the sight of a dandelion, the flight of a bird, the bark of a dog, the feel of rain. He no longer takes solace in a sunset, a rising moon, the touch of a leaf. A great sage once said that a man (in his current condition of suffering) trying to reach God through nature is much like trying to relate to a carpenter by talking to a chair.
The Earth can no longer heal mankind if it chooses to remain in a degenerate and fallen state of suffering. We have become like a disease to the Earth. The Earth is now fighting for survival. What can she do but shake man off like so many fleas? There are some 6 billion inhabitants oblivious to her needs. Hear her weeping. Hear her screaming. You will not have to listen very hard or very long.
Many factors, some planetary, make it possible for many to experience states of enlightenment. The very first step is knowing that a permanent, irreversible state of enlightenment is possible for all who seek. This means you. You do not have to be a righteous person or a saint or a guru or a mystic. Enlightenment is in fact a very natural state of consciousness. Suffering is the abberation. The second step is realizing your condition. The journey must begin from where you are and not from where you want to be. Authenticity is the key in this phase. This will involve the often nightmarish task of confronting oneself, but it is necessary if you are to be liberated from suffering.
The future of the planet depends on your personal liberation. The macrocosm is affected greatly by the microcosm. As more and more reach a state of mukti, mankind on the whole moves one step closer to enlightenment. So much depends on you.
It is Ignorance and its terrible spawn, Suffering which is destroying the planet. I have but two questions that may help you to decide whether or not to seek liberation. They are: Are you suffering? And: Do you want to be free of that suffering?
http://www.byregion.net/articles-healers/Enlightenment.html
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Friday, December 4, 2009
The Pratyangira Temple Photos
There are photos of a Pratyangira Temple at http://ekatvam.org/yatra-blogs/mother-pratyangira.html
Locations of Pratyangira Temples
Ayyavadi(Aivar Padi) near Kumbakonam in South India). She is lion faced with 18 hands.
Vedian Enthal a village near Manamadurai in South India
In the the Karumariamman Temple in Chennai
Locations of Pratyangira Temples
Ayyavadi(Aivar Padi) near Kumbakonam in South India). She is lion faced with 18 hands.
Vedian Enthal a village near Manamadurai in South India
In the the Karumariamman Temple in Chennai
The End of the World As We Know It Again
Before Haley's Comet came around after the turn of the last century they sold anti Comet pills for $1,00 each. It was somehow determined that there was poisonous cyanide gas in the tail and without the anti Comet pill you could be overcome when the tail passed over the Earth.
An editorial in the Boston American for May 18th, 1910 read:
One of our readers, Mr J.J. Sanders of Prescott, Arizona, refuses to accept this newspaper's assurance that the comet won't hurt anybody. He writes: "I may be wrong, but I do not think so. I have warned our people to look for earthquakes on the night of May 18."
Others believe that if the comet doesn't cause earthquakes it will cause diseases or fill our atmosphere with deadly gas and kill us all off. None of these things will happen. The comet will end its visit to our solar system as it has done hundreds of thousands of times before in the history of our young earth. Then it will go off, carrying with it its tail, twenty to forty millions miles long, and we shall get over our excitement.
A Mayan Shaman speaks about the Mayan Calendar and 2012 at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyDy_wT87dg
An editorial in the Boston American for May 18th, 1910 read:
One of our readers, Mr J.J. Sanders of Prescott, Arizona, refuses to accept this newspaper's assurance that the comet won't hurt anybody. He writes: "I may be wrong, but I do not think so. I have warned our people to look for earthquakes on the night of May 18."
Others believe that if the comet doesn't cause earthquakes it will cause diseases or fill our atmosphere with deadly gas and kill us all off. None of these things will happen. The comet will end its visit to our solar system as it has done hundreds of thousands of times before in the history of our young earth. Then it will go off, carrying with it its tail, twenty to forty millions miles long, and we shall get over our excitement.
A Mayan Shaman speaks about the Mayan Calendar and 2012 at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyDy_wT87dg
Thursday, November 26, 2009
One
With your alchemies
you achieve metals,
but no essence.
With all your manifold yogas,
you achieve
a body, but no spirit.
With your speeches and arguments
you build a chain of words
but cannot define the spirit.
If you say you and I are One,
you were me
but I was not you.....
Allama
you achieve metals,
but no essence.
With all your manifold yogas,
you achieve
a body, but no spirit.
With your speeches and arguments
you build a chain of words
but cannot define the spirit.
If you say you and I are One,
you were me
but I was not you.....
Allama
Saturday, November 21, 2009
November 27 Deeksha Meditation and Message- Sutra of Desire
November 27 Deeksha Suggested Meditation:
Sit quietly and watch your breath. Focus on the entry and exit at the nose. Do not follow it into your body or the mind will wander. If the mind wanders watch the thoughts for a moment at the right retina. Secondly the right ear. It will slow.
Move the awareness to the brow chakra. Chant Aum 18 times-make the Ahhh sound three times longer than the Mmmm-otherwise you could become sleepy or lose energy. As you chant notice if there is a brightening in that region as if there is a light in the room.
I will send deeksha starting at 7:00 PM NY time and will be complete by 7:30. We can meditate together as a group until 8:00.
Suggested Sadhana (Spiritual Practice): For the next 21 days focus on physical awareness. Taste your food, feel the sensation of the sun and the wind on your body. Feel the thousands of hands in the wind. Things you would automatically do such as brushing your teeth or turning in the radio, focus on the physical sensation. When you look at your image in the mirror, really see. Focus closely on the space between your eyebrows. Notice the sensation. See what is there. As the plane flies over, hear it. Even if just for a moment.
Teaching on Desire
On one level you could say that psychological suffering is simply what happens when things are not going our way. If you look at this suffering closely you can often see the desire behind it. For example someone might say:
"I am suffering because my mother loved my brother more. (I want to be the favorite.)
"I am angry because the waitress did not bring my ketchup." (I wanted it right away,).
I am angry because that guy cut me off in traffic. (I wanted to be first.)
I am hurt because I was not invited to a party (I wanted to go,)
I am furious because she insulted me. (I want to be respected.)
I am suffering because You pointed out a mistake that I made. (I wanted to be seen as perfect).
I am hurt because he judged me. (I want to be loved unconditionally.)
(It can also be helpful to see that the essence of conflict on one level is simply two or more ideas, beliefs or thought forms battling for supremacy.)
It is not likely that a person will be free of desire. It's in the wind, the rocks, the sky. It's in your cells-the primal desires for food and sex. Gautama Buddha saw that his desire was to be free of desire. Legend tells that was the insight that lead to his enlightenment.
Consider this:
"Anytime that you fulfill a desire you lose energy. Anytime that you experience desire without acting on it you gain energy. It is processed as Bliss"
Again:
"Anytime that you fulfill a desire you lose energy. Anytime that you experience desire without acting on it you gain energy. It is processed as Bliss."
Imagine that you are in an arena with a well loved, intimate friend called Desire. You are about to play a game. It is a great sport among friends. One of two things will happen in the arena. Desire will make use of you and you will lose energy or you will experience desire fully without acting on it and gain tremendous energy that can be used for spiritual pursuit or physical energy. Somedays you will want to win, other days you will allow your friend to win. Other times, try as you might, you will not win the match.
Imagine this: A man has wanted ice cream all day. The desire burns and takes over almost every thought. It almost hurts. We works very hard and fast that day. After work he drives all the way across town to the ice cream shop. As he approaches the door he is at a crossroads. He can stay outside, experience the desire fully or he step inside, buy some ice cream, fulfill the desire and lose energy.
As he enters the store and there is so much energy. He sees the people eating ice cream and his senses are alive. His step quickens with anticipation. So happy and high spirited he is. He smiles at the pretty girl at the counter. winks and laughs.
He sits down and eats the ice cream. "Such a beautiful place this is!" he thinks. When he is finished eating the ice cream he feels a loss of energy. There is a let down. He perceives the energy to be in the ice cream. So hoping for that pre-bliss state once more, he orders some more. The girl at the counter does not look as happy and beautiful as she did when he arrived. The ice cream looks lumpy. There is frost on it. There is dust in the corner of the booth. The tables are sticky.
After he the second serving, he feels totally drained. He lost a lot of energy in the fulfillment of desire. He will remain in that lethargic state until another desire comes to take the dead desire's place.
"I know!' I will get a Pepsi to keep awake and go see a movie!" he thinks. There is energy once more.
Another man dreamed all his life of owning a Mercedes. When he was 40, he was finally in a position to purchase one. For months he searched for the perfect car. He hardly needed food or sleep. So much energy he had to shop. He could not wait to get up in the morning to shop some more. He skipped lunch to go to car dealers.
He finally bought his dream car. For some time he washed and waxed it twice a day. No one was allowed to eat in his Mercedes. At night he would go to the garage and admire it. After some time he began to care less and less about washing it. He became fatigued. The car just did not have the same charge for him. He began to drag through his days and was sometimes seen at the Jack In The Box drive-through smoking a cigarette in his Mercedes. He took it to the car wash only after a rain. So tired he was. Life was just blah to him.
Then one morning he saw a beautiful motorcycle. "Yes! I should have a Harley Davidson and a leather jacket!' He thought. The energy came back and he could hardly wait to get up in the morning once more. He never did make the connection between energy and desire.
Try not to take the idea that fulfilling desires is bad. Not at all. If you do not eat you may lose physical energy and eventually die. Overcoming a desire for air is not a battle you would likely win. If you fulfill a desire, surely as the sun comes up in the morning, another one will be right there to take its place. Desire is infinite and kind of like a casino, it generally wins. It is very beneficial however to be aware of this dynamic of desire as it can be used to great advantage.
Simply see how much energy there is in desire and to be aware of the drain in fulfilling a desire. This seeing will help you to set right your relationship with desire.
Namaste,
Dharma Dharini
To register for the free Nov. 27, 7PM (NY Time) Deeksha with Dharma Dharini email your name with Diksha in the subject line to dharma @vedicshamanism.com. Visit www.dikshas.com for info on deeksha).
Sit quietly and watch your breath. Focus on the entry and exit at the nose. Do not follow it into your body or the mind will wander. If the mind wanders watch the thoughts for a moment at the right retina. Secondly the right ear. It will slow.
Move the awareness to the brow chakra. Chant Aum 18 times-make the Ahhh sound three times longer than the Mmmm-otherwise you could become sleepy or lose energy. As you chant notice if there is a brightening in that region as if there is a light in the room.
I will send deeksha starting at 7:00 PM NY time and will be complete by 7:30. We can meditate together as a group until 8:00.
Suggested Sadhana (Spiritual Practice): For the next 21 days focus on physical awareness. Taste your food, feel the sensation of the sun and the wind on your body. Feel the thousands of hands in the wind. Things you would automatically do such as brushing your teeth or turning in the radio, focus on the physical sensation. When you look at your image in the mirror, really see. Focus closely on the space between your eyebrows. Notice the sensation. See what is there. As the plane flies over, hear it. Even if just for a moment.
Teaching on Desire
On one level you could say that psychological suffering is simply what happens when things are not going our way. If you look at this suffering closely you can often see the desire behind it. For example someone might say:
"I am suffering because my mother loved my brother more. (I want to be the favorite.)
"I am angry because the waitress did not bring my ketchup." (I wanted it right away,).
I am angry because that guy cut me off in traffic. (I wanted to be first.)
I am hurt because I was not invited to a party (I wanted to go,)
I am furious because she insulted me. (I want to be respected.)
I am suffering because You pointed out a mistake that I made. (I wanted to be seen as perfect).
I am hurt because he judged me. (I want to be loved unconditionally.)
(It can also be helpful to see that the essence of conflict on one level is simply two or more ideas, beliefs or thought forms battling for supremacy.)
It is not likely that a person will be free of desire. It's in the wind, the rocks, the sky. It's in your cells-the primal desires for food and sex. Gautama Buddha saw that his desire was to be free of desire. Legend tells that was the insight that lead to his enlightenment.
Consider this:
"Anytime that you fulfill a desire you lose energy. Anytime that you experience desire without acting on it you gain energy. It is processed as Bliss"
Again:
"Anytime that you fulfill a desire you lose energy. Anytime that you experience desire without acting on it you gain energy. It is processed as Bliss."
Imagine that you are in an arena with a well loved, intimate friend called Desire. You are about to play a game. It is a great sport among friends. One of two things will happen in the arena. Desire will make use of you and you will lose energy or you will experience desire fully without acting on it and gain tremendous energy that can be used for spiritual pursuit or physical energy. Somedays you will want to win, other days you will allow your friend to win. Other times, try as you might, you will not win the match.
Imagine this: A man has wanted ice cream all day. The desire burns and takes over almost every thought. It almost hurts. We works very hard and fast that day. After work he drives all the way across town to the ice cream shop. As he approaches the door he is at a crossroads. He can stay outside, experience the desire fully or he step inside, buy some ice cream, fulfill the desire and lose energy.
As he enters the store and there is so much energy. He sees the people eating ice cream and his senses are alive. His step quickens with anticipation. So happy and high spirited he is. He smiles at the pretty girl at the counter. winks and laughs.
He sits down and eats the ice cream. "Such a beautiful place this is!" he thinks. When he is finished eating the ice cream he feels a loss of energy. There is a let down. He perceives the energy to be in the ice cream. So hoping for that pre-bliss state once more, he orders some more. The girl at the counter does not look as happy and beautiful as she did when he arrived. The ice cream looks lumpy. There is frost on it. There is dust in the corner of the booth. The tables are sticky.
After he the second serving, he feels totally drained. He lost a lot of energy in the fulfillment of desire. He will remain in that lethargic state until another desire comes to take the dead desire's place.
"I know!' I will get a Pepsi to keep awake and go see a movie!" he thinks. There is energy once more.
Another man dreamed all his life of owning a Mercedes. When he was 40, he was finally in a position to purchase one. For months he searched for the perfect car. He hardly needed food or sleep. So much energy he had to shop. He could not wait to get up in the morning to shop some more. He skipped lunch to go to car dealers.
He finally bought his dream car. For some time he washed and waxed it twice a day. No one was allowed to eat in his Mercedes. At night he would go to the garage and admire it. After some time he began to care less and less about washing it. He became fatigued. The car just did not have the same charge for him. He began to drag through his days and was sometimes seen at the Jack In The Box drive-through smoking a cigarette in his Mercedes. He took it to the car wash only after a rain. So tired he was. Life was just blah to him.
Then one morning he saw a beautiful motorcycle. "Yes! I should have a Harley Davidson and a leather jacket!' He thought. The energy came back and he could hardly wait to get up in the morning once more. He never did make the connection between energy and desire.
Try not to take the idea that fulfilling desires is bad. Not at all. If you do not eat you may lose physical energy and eventually die. Overcoming a desire for air is not a battle you would likely win. If you fulfill a desire, surely as the sun comes up in the morning, another one will be right there to take its place. Desire is infinite and kind of like a casino, it generally wins. It is very beneficial however to be aware of this dynamic of desire as it can be used to great advantage.
Simply see how much energy there is in desire and to be aware of the drain in fulfilling a desire. This seeing will help you to set right your relationship with desire.
Namaste,
Dharma Dharini
To register for the free Nov. 27, 7PM (NY Time) Deeksha with Dharma Dharini email your name with Diksha in the subject line to dharma @vedicshamanism.com. Visit www.dikshas.com for info on deeksha).
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Monongahela
The following was written in 1997 about a mystical experience that was received while I was in the Pittsburgh area. The Monongahela is a river that merges with the Allegheny in Pittsburgh to become the Ohio. The Ohio then joins the Mississippi near Cairo, Il. The Monongahela is born of the confluence of the West Fork and the Tygert Valley Rivers. The Monongahela flows south to North. According to vaastu a South to North flowing river such as the Monongahela or the Nile, brings great spiritual potential to a land.
To meditate on the course of a river, either to the ocean or to the origins can bring great insight into the dependently arising nature and the mysteries of creation and a shift in perception. Ask yourself, "What is a river?"
"Monongahela"
by Dharma Dharini
"Infinity around Him
Eternity within Him
He walked down to the Rivers' edge, for water seeks its own level.
He spoke to us in tones that touched our souls.
And He danced.
Lacking harmony, some only heard a disturbing noise.
Others only heard static, for there was static in their souls.
They covered their ears, angered by the sound.
A few concerned only with what others heard, did not hear anything.
And they were puzzled.
While some heard beautiful music and they began to sing so that
Others might hear.
Wondrous sounds of sunlight.
The Rivers' glorious hymn.
The chant of the leaves and the carol of the birds.
The chiming of clouds as they blew in the wind.
And the Om of a mountain, far, far away.
Cicadas held a single note
While a cricket sang a sound of Heaven in a different key.
Everywhere, a symphony of light, and color, and motion and sound.
And we danced.
Know He had the power to stir the soul
He ceased to speak to those who would not hear
Who could not accept.
And we wept
While a cricket sang a song of Heaven."..............
During the early 1997 -1998 USA retreats, conducted by the monks of Satyaloka, there was quite a bit of division between those who were "wired" for mystical experience and those who were not. Some would cry and feel very upset or even threaten litigation if the Divine did not manifest to them at once-especially so if the Divine had appeared to someone deemed not so righteous but not to another who had decided that he or she was a much better or spiritually evolved person. The mystics who had awakened to this blessed way of seeing would think, "God's here dancing in front of you as plain as the nose on your face. How can you not see? Stop crying and dance!"
Profound Divine Mystical Experience is not something that can be forced. It appears to occur more often than not because it's necessary rather than deserved. Self righteousness, the feeling of being more worthy or better than another can be a huge obstacle. Other times even that does not matter so much. It's a matter of Grace. The Mystic/Saint, Allama Prabhu wrote:
"Feed the poor
Tell the Truth
Make water places
For the thirty
And build tanks for a town.
You may then get to Heaven after Death,
But you'll get nowhere
Near the Truth of Our Lord.
And the man who gets to know our Lord,
He gets no results........"
To meditate on the course of a river, either to the ocean or to the origins can bring great insight into the dependently arising nature and the mysteries of creation and a shift in perception. Ask yourself, "What is a river?"
"Monongahela"
by Dharma Dharini
"Infinity around Him
Eternity within Him
He walked down to the Rivers' edge, for water seeks its own level.
He spoke to us in tones that touched our souls.
And He danced.
Lacking harmony, some only heard a disturbing noise.
Others only heard static, for there was static in their souls.
They covered their ears, angered by the sound.
A few concerned only with what others heard, did not hear anything.
And they were puzzled.
While some heard beautiful music and they began to sing so that
Others might hear.
Wondrous sounds of sunlight.
The Rivers' glorious hymn.
The chant of the leaves and the carol of the birds.
The chiming of clouds as they blew in the wind.
And the Om of a mountain, far, far away.
Cicadas held a single note
While a cricket sang a sound of Heaven in a different key.
Everywhere, a symphony of light, and color, and motion and sound.
And we danced.
Know He had the power to stir the soul
He ceased to speak to those who would not hear
Who could not accept.
And we wept
While a cricket sang a song of Heaven."..............
During the early 1997 -1998 USA retreats, conducted by the monks of Satyaloka, there was quite a bit of division between those who were "wired" for mystical experience and those who were not. Some would cry and feel very upset or even threaten litigation if the Divine did not manifest to them at once-especially so if the Divine had appeared to someone deemed not so righteous but not to another who had decided that he or she was a much better or spiritually evolved person. The mystics who had awakened to this blessed way of seeing would think, "God's here dancing in front of you as plain as the nose on your face. How can you not see? Stop crying and dance!"
Profound Divine Mystical Experience is not something that can be forced. It appears to occur more often than not because it's necessary rather than deserved. Self righteousness, the feeling of being more worthy or better than another can be a huge obstacle. Other times even that does not matter so much. It's a matter of Grace. The Mystic/Saint, Allama Prabhu wrote:
"Feed the poor
Tell the Truth
Make water places
For the thirty
And build tanks for a town.
You may then get to Heaven after Death,
But you'll get nowhere
Near the Truth of Our Lord.
And the man who gets to know our Lord,
He gets no results........"
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Sept 15 Conference Call
Swami Shanmuga and Amma Adi Sakthi of Ekatvam Foundation* join Sri Raniji for a conference call and night of blessings on Tuesday, September 15.
Swamiji and Amma have recently been honored to speak at the United Nations' Society for Enlightenment And Transformation (S.E.A.T) following in the steps of a long list of world renowned speakers, including the late Sri Chimnoy, Bishop Desmond Tutu, Lee Carroll, as well as world engineers, scientists and doctors, among many others. They have been graced with the power to awaken the Divine Mother energy in each person who is ready. Guiding and teaching with powerful sadhanas (practices) from the Eastern tradition, they help a person uncover their Divinity and clear obstacles in their path.
Swamiji and Amma carry the energy of Sri Maha Pratyangira Devi, who is known as the Mother of Moksha (liberation). Babaji is their paramguru.
Sri Maha Pratyangira Devi, a powerful aspect of the Divine Mother, presents as a Goddess with a male lion head and a female body. Her energy is a balance between the masculine and the feminine Shiva/Shakti. This energy has been recognized in a few other traditions from ancient Egypt to Tibet.
Pratyangira Devi is the embodiment of Dharma (righteousness), Satya (truth) and impeccable justice. This aspect devours the negative karmas and answers prayers swiftly for a sadhaka or devotee that holds pure intentions and is walking the path of Dharma. She fills her cup with a person's unwanted or negative energy and transforms that energy, purifying it. Pratyangira comes from a deep, deep place within the Divine Mother; an area simply known as the Void. In the Void there are no thoughts of fear, or pain, or loss, or want, or time, or even space… just the warmth of the Mother's love. This Mother teaches us by removing fear and pain from our lives. She shows us that these circumstances are caused by our attachments to certain aspects of our lives. A refusal to let go is refusing to release the the attachment which causes our pain. If there is pain or fear there is something to be released something to be learned, and this is only possible through Her grace and meditative contemplation. Once there is release there is Void. Experience of this Void for the first time is like a journey home.........( cont. at http://ekatvam.org/about/sri-maha-pratyangira-devi.html )
To register for this remarkable event visit https://www.livinginawareness.org/index.php?option=com_events&task=view_detail&agid=55&year=2009&month=09&day=15&Itemid=59 or view the events page at http://livinginawareness.org .
*Ekatvam is a sanskrit word that means Unity or Oneness with Divine Consciousness. To visit the Ekatvam Foundation website visit http://ekatvam.org/index.php
Swamiji and Amma have recently been honored to speak at the United Nations' Society for Enlightenment And Transformation (S.E.A.T) following in the steps of a long list of world renowned speakers, including the late Sri Chimnoy, Bishop Desmond Tutu, Lee Carroll, as well as world engineers, scientists and doctors, among many others. They have been graced with the power to awaken the Divine Mother energy in each person who is ready. Guiding and teaching with powerful sadhanas (practices) from the Eastern tradition, they help a person uncover their Divinity and clear obstacles in their path.
Swamiji and Amma carry the energy of Sri Maha Pratyangira Devi, who is known as the Mother of Moksha (liberation). Babaji is their paramguru.
Sri Maha Pratyangira Devi, a powerful aspect of the Divine Mother, presents as a Goddess with a male lion head and a female body. Her energy is a balance between the masculine and the feminine Shiva/Shakti. This energy has been recognized in a few other traditions from ancient Egypt to Tibet.
Pratyangira Devi is the embodiment of Dharma (righteousness), Satya (truth) and impeccable justice. This aspect devours the negative karmas and answers prayers swiftly for a sadhaka or devotee that holds pure intentions and is walking the path of Dharma. She fills her cup with a person's unwanted or negative energy and transforms that energy, purifying it. Pratyangira comes from a deep, deep place within the Divine Mother; an area simply known as the Void. In the Void there are no thoughts of fear, or pain, or loss, or want, or time, or even space… just the warmth of the Mother's love. This Mother teaches us by removing fear and pain from our lives. She shows us that these circumstances are caused by our attachments to certain aspects of our lives. A refusal to let go is refusing to release the the attachment which causes our pain. If there is pain or fear there is something to be released something to be learned, and this is only possible through Her grace and meditative contemplation. Once there is release there is Void. Experience of this Void for the first time is like a journey home.........( cont. at http://ekatvam.org/about/sri-maha-pratyangira-devi.html )
To register for this remarkable event visit https://www.livinginawareness.org/index.php?option=com_events&task=view_detail&agid=55&year=2009&month=09&day=15&Itemid=59 or view the events page at http://livinginawareness.org .
*Ekatvam is a sanskrit word that means Unity or Oneness with Divine Consciousness. To visit the Ekatvam Foundation website visit http://ekatvam.org/index.php
The Turtle
Kali comes with a giggle. "Go out an enjoy the world!"
Happily you step out. In the garden there is a cactus wren. She is dead on her nest, protecting eggs that will never hatch. A rabbit screams in the desert as a hawk ascends. The doves scatter. Enjoy the world? Anything you have ever loved will fade and die. Unless you die first.
Dukha, the existential suffering of man. The tiger at your back. The ax waiting to fall. The shoe waiting to drop. Is this what it is? The sense of impermanence? Man's greatest fear is of losing what he has.
It's back there gnawing away and try as we might, even when the body is a torture chamber of physical aches and pains, we cannot seem to overcome the attachment to the physical body. The survival instinct is in every cell.
The child comes sobbing, She says, "How can God do this? Why did he take my turtle?"
I can only see than in the eyes of the Divine, Life is Death and Death is Life.
I can find no other explanation.
Dharma Dharini
Happily you step out. In the garden there is a cactus wren. She is dead on her nest, protecting eggs that will never hatch. A rabbit screams in the desert as a hawk ascends. The doves scatter. Enjoy the world? Anything you have ever loved will fade and die. Unless you die first.
Dukha, the existential suffering of man. The tiger at your back. The ax waiting to fall. The shoe waiting to drop. Is this what it is? The sense of impermanence? Man's greatest fear is of losing what he has.
It's back there gnawing away and try as we might, even when the body is a torture chamber of physical aches and pains, we cannot seem to overcome the attachment to the physical body. The survival instinct is in every cell.
The child comes sobbing, She says, "How can God do this? Why did he take my turtle?"
I can only see than in the eyes of the Divine, Life is Death and Death is Life.
I can find no other explanation.
Dharma Dharini
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Living as if You Are Enlightened
I was looking through a notebook from one of the early yagnas at the other day and it said practiced virtue is a horror show. To live as if you are enlightened when you are not enlightened is hippieism.
Communism only works in an enlightened society. A look into history reveals all.
Dharma Dharini
Communism only works in an enlightened society. A look into history reveals all.
Dharma Dharini
Sunday, May 24, 2009
May 24 Deeksha Perfecting Anandamaykosha
This is the Age of Bliss. The perfection of the Anandamayakosha or Bliss Energy Body will help in this seeing.
Following is the meditation for the May 24 Monday Night Long Distance Deeksha Group. Registration info is at http://www.vedicshamanism.com/index5.html
This sadhana for perfecton of the Bliss Body can be done on your own without deeksha. It was originally introduced to us at Satyaloka during the 42 day yajna. It was called Kalki Dhyana. It was the only sadhana given for activation of the Bliss Body. I have always used the image in the icon on www.vedicshamanism.com/index15.html in visualization with tremendous result.
Namaste Everyone,
We will continue once more with the Bliss Body Meditation. During the early Mukti Yagnas at Satyaloka the Septanga Marga or 7 Fold Path was taught. to perfect any one of the energy bodies can lead to liberation.
Some have indicated that they are to stiff or do not have the time for the fasting or yoga for perfection of the physical energy body. Others are not so interested iperfecting the wisdom energy body. And some very authentically said they have their own troubles and are too self absorbed to focus much on the perfection of the karma mayakosha or karmic energy body.
This is a good thing to even see as this journey requires great courage and authenticity. It is not evident that all mystics and sages or enlightened masters are great humanitarians.
Very authentically speaking the perfection of the karma maya kosha through karma yoga is often best left to the more saintly. Do what karma yoga you can as surely it will help you, however if it is not in you then that is the condition. Embrace it and see that there is little you can do to change it. It would take an act of God.
For example in ancient times, there was a man who walked for years to see an enlightened sage. When he first saw him, the sage was sitting on a chair in a beautiful room. A woman entered and ran to the master.
"Brother, my children are hungry. I need some food." she cried.
"Get out of my sight! You make me sick" he told her, and she ran off weeping.
In a moment a rat came out from under the table. The master took some bread from his robe and began to feed the rat.
The crowd was stunned. The man was very upset and called out. "I walked for years to see you and you would feed a rat and deny your sister? You are a horrible fellow. a fraud."
The master, undisturbed, looked at him at said, "That is the difference between you and I. Sir. I am what I am."
It is crucial that you see the condition. See the internal feelings. How it is with you when someone asks you for help. The external response is irrelevant. It is what is inside. You cannot pump love and compassion into the heart. Nor can you be free of it if it is there.
It was a great milestone for some in the group to come out and say they are sick to death of working on perfecting the karma maya kosha-of practicing kindness when there is none. They realized their condition and saw the only thing they can really do is see there is nothing they can do. Pretending to be a saint, or kind or loving or grateful will get you nowhere. The journey begins in the seeing of what is or is not there. From where you are not from where you are pretending that you are.
So on to a sadhana for perfecting the Ananda Maya Kosha or Bliss Body:
*************************
The suggested meditation for Monday is a meditation to perfect the Ananda Maya Kosha or Bliss body. It is a good meditation to do at least once a week. If you do not want to do this practice then just sit quietly and relax.
1 Sit quietly and watch your breath going in and out of the nostrils for some time-3-5 minutes.
2. Move the awareness to the Ajnea or brow chakra.
3. Visualize a form of the Divine that you relate to standing behind you and placing his/her hands on your head. If it is a light or a formless aspect just sense that it is behind you touching your head lightly.
I will send deeksha at 7:1oPM MST and will be completed by 7:30.
Some may have a beautiful encounter in the form of a vision or a beautiful majestic voice, smell a fragrance, or feel a breeze caressing you. Do not feel frightened.
This loving presence has been with you your entire life. Your perception may shift during this time so there is a greater awareness for you to build a stronger relationship is all.
This is a fast meditation yet effective sadhana you can do on your own to keep the Bliss body in good shape. You need not have diksha to practice this meditation as often as you like. This meditation can lead to a deeper bond with the Divine that often leads to total transformation
For more on the Oneness Deeksha visit http://www.dikshas.com
Namaste,
DD
Following is the meditation for the May 24 Monday Night Long Distance Deeksha Group. Registration info is at http://www.vedicshamanism.com/index5.html
This sadhana for perfecton of the Bliss Body can be done on your own without deeksha. It was originally introduced to us at Satyaloka during the 42 day yajna. It was called Kalki Dhyana. It was the only sadhana given for activation of the Bliss Body. I have always used the image in the icon on www.vedicshamanism.com/index15.html in visualization with tremendous result.
Namaste Everyone,
We will continue once more with the Bliss Body Meditation. During the early Mukti Yagnas at Satyaloka the Septanga Marga or 7 Fold Path was taught. to perfect any one of the energy bodies can lead to liberation.
Some have indicated that they are to stiff or do not have the time for the fasting or yoga for perfection of the physical energy body. Others are not so interested iperfecting the wisdom energy body. And some very authentically said they have their own troubles and are too self absorbed to focus much on the perfection of the karma mayakosha or karmic energy body.
This is a good thing to even see as this journey requires great courage and authenticity. It is not evident that all mystics and sages or enlightened masters are great humanitarians.
Very authentically speaking the perfection of the karma maya kosha through karma yoga is often best left to the more saintly. Do what karma yoga you can as surely it will help you, however if it is not in you then that is the condition. Embrace it and see that there is little you can do to change it. It would take an act of God.
For example in ancient times, there was a man who walked for years to see an enlightened sage. When he first saw him, the sage was sitting on a chair in a beautiful room. A woman entered and ran to the master.
"Brother, my children are hungry. I need some food." she cried.
"Get out of my sight! You make me sick" he told her, and she ran off weeping.
In a moment a rat came out from under the table. The master took some bread from his robe and began to feed the rat.
The crowd was stunned. The man was very upset and called out. "I walked for years to see you and you would feed a rat and deny your sister? You are a horrible fellow. a fraud."
The master, undisturbed, looked at him at said, "That is the difference between you and I. Sir. I am what I am."
It is crucial that you see the condition. See the internal feelings. How it is with you when someone asks you for help. The external response is irrelevant. It is what is inside. You cannot pump love and compassion into the heart. Nor can you be free of it if it is there.
It was a great milestone for some in the group to come out and say they are sick to death of working on perfecting the karma maya kosha-of practicing kindness when there is none. They realized their condition and saw the only thing they can really do is see there is nothing they can do. Pretending to be a saint, or kind or loving or grateful will get you nowhere. The journey begins in the seeing of what is or is not there. From where you are not from where you are pretending that you are.
So on to a sadhana for perfecting the Ananda Maya Kosha or Bliss Body:
*************************
The suggested meditation for Monday is a meditation to perfect the Ananda Maya Kosha or Bliss body. It is a good meditation to do at least once a week. If you do not want to do this practice then just sit quietly and relax.
1 Sit quietly and watch your breath going in and out of the nostrils for some time-3-5 minutes.
2. Move the awareness to the Ajnea or brow chakra.
3. Visualize a form of the Divine that you relate to standing behind you and placing his/her hands on your head. If it is a light or a formless aspect just sense that it is behind you touching your head lightly.
I will send deeksha at 7:1oPM MST and will be completed by 7:30.
Some may have a beautiful encounter in the form of a vision or a beautiful majestic voice, smell a fragrance, or feel a breeze caressing you. Do not feel frightened.
This loving presence has been with you your entire life. Your perception may shift during this time so there is a greater awareness for you to build a stronger relationship is all.
This is a fast meditation yet effective sadhana you can do on your own to keep the Bliss body in good shape. You need not have diksha to practice this meditation as often as you like. This meditation can lead to a deeper bond with the Divine that often leads to total transformation
For more on the Oneness Deeksha visit http://www.dikshas.com
Namaste,
DD
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Untying the Knot of Karuna
In the chakra system there are several knots. You can think of them as safety valves. They keep the kundalini (google kundalini for info-there are volumes written about it) from rising too rapidly once awakened as if this occurs there can be complications.
Above the heart chakra there is a knot known as the Knot of Karuna. Like the chakras it does not exist materially. "Karuna" is a sanskrit word related to the word "Compassion" just as Diksha is a sanskrit word related to the English word, "Benediction." This Knot of Karuna keeps the being attached to gurus, to religions, to scriptures or ancient teachings, sentimentality, the physical body, to suffering (the root of compassion is passion and in the ancient sense of the word, passion is related to pain-to have compassion on one level is to be able to feel the pain or relate to the pain of another). to music and to spiritual orders.
The Knot of karuna must unravel if the being is to grow and move the point of awareness to higher chakras. Sometimes it can be a very painful process. You can think of this as a little bird sitting in a nest. His mother feeds him, nurtures him, keeps him warm at night. She shades him during the day. He loves his mother very much. She is the word to him.
Then one morning she shoves him from the nest. He cries out as he falls, opens his wings in fright and horror and suddenly flies to freedom. No longer is he bound to that nest.
Many Spiritual Masters that know this and may very well one day give you a shove when the time is right. Just as the shock of the push from the nest helps the little bird to fly and grow, there can be a time of great disillusionment and pain surrounding your spiritual teacher. Ancient stories tell of people who served at the feet of a guru for many years. Then suddenly the guru slapped them or said, "Get out of my sight you make me sick!" enlightenment followed.
This shock is often enough to unravel this Knot of Karuna so that you can attain new heights.
This is the time to spend your time focusing on sadhanas for the throat chakra and go with the experience, to move to the next level, rather than seeking a new guru, religion, spiritual order etc. or worse yet seeking revenge at the perceived hurt.
just see that it is a great gift you have been given. Give thanks that you are free. Gratitude is the great annihilator of suffering. Ask yourself if suffering and gratitude can coexist.
It is said that if a tiger is kept in an enclosure for years, if released into the wild, will pace back and forth in a space that exactly matches the dimensions of the cage it was kept in. Leaving ones teacher, ones religion, a spiritual order, etc does not necessarily mean the Knot of Karuna has untied. Many times we just trade a new set of beliefs and ideas for some old ones, and for some time the mind becomes very happy. Until the ideas lose their charge or the next time something does not go our way.
A dynamic of suffering, (see the Suffering is a Constant Sutra in the workshop transcript "Earth Changes and Enlightenment" at www.vedicshamanism.com more more of this perspective) is that psychological suffering is what happens when things do not go our way. If you can see this, it will help you greatly in your journey and help you to untie the knot. For example someone might say "I am angry because that man cut me off in traffic" (I WANTED to go first). "I am upset because the waitress did not bring the ketchup and now my french fries are cold" (I WANT the ketchup with my french fries so I am going to manage my suffering by complaining to the manager and seeking revenge-no tip for her). It is of tremendous benefit and often hilarious to see this dynamic and the desire behind it in yourself. Look for it the next time anger or hurt comes. What just did not go "your way?" You may be amazed and entertained at the internal tantrum, like a small child kicking his feet and banging his fists on the floor.
Here is a favorite story of the unraveling of the Knot of Karuna:
"In ancient times there was a nun who lived by the river. She had only a pot that her spiritual master had given her and some articles of worship besides her clothing. She loved the pot, was grateful to it and felt she owed her very existence to it. She used it to water her garden, to drink from. To wash and cook with. So grateful and happy she was to have this pot.
One day as she was carrying water from the river she stumbled and the pot cracked and broke. Grief and sorrow filled her, She looked up and saw the river. Enlightenment came.,,,,,,,"
Dharma Dharini
Above the heart chakra there is a knot known as the Knot of Karuna. Like the chakras it does not exist materially. "Karuna" is a sanskrit word related to the word "Compassion" just as Diksha is a sanskrit word related to the English word, "Benediction." This Knot of Karuna keeps the being attached to gurus, to religions, to scriptures or ancient teachings, sentimentality, the physical body, to suffering (the root of compassion is passion and in the ancient sense of the word, passion is related to pain-to have compassion on one level is to be able to feel the pain or relate to the pain of another). to music and to spiritual orders.
The Knot of karuna must unravel if the being is to grow and move the point of awareness to higher chakras. Sometimes it can be a very painful process. You can think of this as a little bird sitting in a nest. His mother feeds him, nurtures him, keeps him warm at night. She shades him during the day. He loves his mother very much. She is the word to him.
Then one morning she shoves him from the nest. He cries out as he falls, opens his wings in fright and horror and suddenly flies to freedom. No longer is he bound to that nest.
Many Spiritual Masters that know this and may very well one day give you a shove when the time is right. Just as the shock of the push from the nest helps the little bird to fly and grow, there can be a time of great disillusionment and pain surrounding your spiritual teacher. Ancient stories tell of people who served at the feet of a guru for many years. Then suddenly the guru slapped them or said, "Get out of my sight you make me sick!" enlightenment followed.
This shock is often enough to unravel this Knot of Karuna so that you can attain new heights.
This is the time to spend your time focusing on sadhanas for the throat chakra and go with the experience, to move to the next level, rather than seeking a new guru, religion, spiritual order etc. or worse yet seeking revenge at the perceived hurt.
just see that it is a great gift you have been given. Give thanks that you are free. Gratitude is the great annihilator of suffering. Ask yourself if suffering and gratitude can coexist.
It is said that if a tiger is kept in an enclosure for years, if released into the wild, will pace back and forth in a space that exactly matches the dimensions of the cage it was kept in. Leaving ones teacher, ones religion, a spiritual order, etc does not necessarily mean the Knot of Karuna has untied. Many times we just trade a new set of beliefs and ideas for some old ones, and for some time the mind becomes very happy. Until the ideas lose their charge or the next time something does not go our way.
A dynamic of suffering, (see the Suffering is a Constant Sutra in the workshop transcript "Earth Changes and Enlightenment" at www.vedicshamanism.com more more of this perspective) is that psychological suffering is what happens when things do not go our way. If you can see this, it will help you greatly in your journey and help you to untie the knot. For example someone might say "I am angry because that man cut me off in traffic" (I WANTED to go first). "I am upset because the waitress did not bring the ketchup and now my french fries are cold" (I WANT the ketchup with my french fries so I am going to manage my suffering by complaining to the manager and seeking revenge-no tip for her). It is of tremendous benefit and often hilarious to see this dynamic and the desire behind it in yourself. Look for it the next time anger or hurt comes. What just did not go "your way?" You may be amazed and entertained at the internal tantrum, like a small child kicking his feet and banging his fists on the floor.
Here is a favorite story of the unraveling of the Knot of Karuna:
"In ancient times there was a nun who lived by the river. She had only a pot that her spiritual master had given her and some articles of worship besides her clothing. She loved the pot, was grateful to it and felt she owed her very existence to it. She used it to water her garden, to drink from. To wash and cook with. So grateful and happy she was to have this pot.
One day as she was carrying water from the river she stumbled and the pot cracked and broke. Grief and sorrow filled her, She looked up and saw the river. Enlightenment came.,,,,,,,"
Dharma Dharini
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