Saturday, December 27, 2008
Happy Holidays!
The Bliss Festival is currently being celebrated at the Vedic Temple, Los Angeles. Schedule and details can be obtained at the Bliss Festival Website. All day celebrations will happen on Jan 1, 2009 on Swamiji's birthday. As part of the celebrations, there will also introductory Nithya Yoga classes.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
1st Anniversary Celebration at the Vedic Temple
Schedule of Events - Click to Download
Schedule of Events - Click to Download
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Karma Yoga ...and the Bliss of Being a Nobody
At Guru Mantra Initiates class, we started with discussion of karma yoga.The following is based on my notes of Bhaktapriya's words and his discourse. We began with reading a passage randomly chosen from the book "The Only Way Out is In":
"I always tell people: if you are continuously around, if you receive attention from me, you will be with me. But if you are in some corner of the ashram, cleaning some bathroom, I will be you. So now I tell you, 'I am with you.' What more do you want? And I tell you: your path is service. And you will see in your service, I will be with you. You may not be with you, but I will be with you. You will be able to feel my presence very clearly in each and everything you do, every moment. In fact, you will be able to feel my presence in my absence and my absence in my presence. "
Bhaktapriya discussed "karma yoga" - practice of spiritual sadhana. It is the space of being/doing without expectations. Create virtuous work done with joy and intensity. Duty that is done without expectation, that actions becomes karma yoga. Coming to the Temple and involving self will give more and more energy. Volunteering is an opportunity to create virtuous work, done with intensity and joy. Coming to the Temple and volunteering, give a "full battery charge."
Nature does all actions without a reason and through intention of karma yoga, we can work in the same way. Yoga sutra: intentions with which you move. Move body with intention for bliss, don't have a reason! Live with intention. Eat with intention. Watch thoughts and see how it is creating reality.
Bliss is that which is beyond all words. Enjoy every moment and just relax. Depression is not depression it is just bliss! Shastras, "the clicks", help us to work from whatever level we are at. Move body with intention and without expectation. Inhale bliss, exhale bliss. Pujas and chantings map to the other world. Fear and greed drop when experience bliss. Expectations create hurdles.
Right intention doesn't have expectation - find bliss in action through right intention. Body's intelligence will move toward what is bliss. Spirit, our true nature, is inner peace. Only with meditation, will have clarity. Every moment is transformation - Swamiji has given us this space to use for transformation. Living with more and more uncertainty, this is seed of transformation.
Seva is concept of moving without expectation, not here to help anyone but self. Ego is one of the shades of maya. Ego and identity is an illusion. Death teaches us that we are a nobody. Death is a process, the world runs without us. Practice at night before going to sleep being a nobody and doing nothing. Relax...let us become a nobody. By being a nobody, we actually move beyond our own limitations of who we are.
Use identity like a credit card, and swipe only when it is needed. Drop the word, at least with the self. and free yourself from the burden of "I am" we carry around.
The week following this discourse, I practiced this meditation. And found immense freedom within this practice of being nobody. A nobody, I have no past or future, I simply am. It was a beautiful state and a beautiful practice for the week. What surprised me the most was how much I had wrapped up in my identity about myself. By dropping this, was left with only a deep sense of peace and bliss.
This practice gave me a new understanding of Swami's discourses on the identity we show to ourselves (always less than who we are) and the identity we show to others (always more than who we are) and both of these identities are pure lies. By being a nobody, we can simply be.
These two identities are discussed in
an excerpt from the "Unclutched" discourse given by Swamiji at Agape Church in May, 2006.
There are many beautiful opportunities to spend time at the Temple, doing seva and working with intention and intensity - especially with the Anniversary celebrations coming this weekend, so please consider if you have time to offer.
"I always tell people: if you are continuously around, if you receive attention from me, you will be with me. But if you are in some corner of the ashram, cleaning some bathroom, I will be you. So now I tell you, 'I am with you.' What more do you want? And I tell you: your path is service. And you will see in your service, I will be with you. You may not be with you, but I will be with you. You will be able to feel my presence very clearly in each and everything you do, every moment. In fact, you will be able to feel my presence in my absence and my absence in my presence. "
Bhaktapriya discussed "karma yoga" - practice of spiritual sadhana. It is the space of being/doing without expectations. Create virtuous work done with joy and intensity. Duty that is done without expectation, that actions becomes karma yoga. Coming to the Temple and involving self will give more and more energy. Volunteering is an opportunity to create virtuous work, done with intensity and joy. Coming to the Temple and volunteering, give a "full battery charge."
Nature does all actions without a reason and through intention of karma yoga, we can work in the same way. Yoga sutra: intentions with which you move. Move body with intention for bliss, don't have a reason! Live with intention. Eat with intention. Watch thoughts and see how it is creating reality.
Bliss is that which is beyond all words. Enjoy every moment and just relax. Depression is not depression it is just bliss! Shastras, "the clicks", help us to work from whatever level we are at. Move body with intention and without expectation. Inhale bliss, exhale bliss. Pujas and chantings map to the other world. Fear and greed drop when experience bliss. Expectations create hurdles.
Right intention doesn't have expectation - find bliss in action through right intention. Body's intelligence will move toward what is bliss. Spirit, our true nature, is inner peace. Only with meditation, will have clarity. Every moment is transformation - Swamiji has given us this space to use for transformation. Living with more and more uncertainty, this is seed of transformation.
Seva is concept of moving without expectation, not here to help anyone but self. Ego is one of the shades of maya. Ego and identity is an illusion. Death teaches us that we are a nobody. Death is a process, the world runs without us. Practice at night before going to sleep being a nobody and doing nothing. Relax...let us become a nobody. By being a nobody, we actually move beyond our own limitations of who we are.
Use identity like a credit card, and swipe only when it is needed. Drop the word, at least with the self. and free yourself from the burden of "I am" we carry around.
The week following this discourse, I practiced this meditation. And found immense freedom within this practice of being nobody. A nobody, I have no past or future, I simply am. It was a beautiful state and a beautiful practice for the week. What surprised me the most was how much I had wrapped up in my identity about myself. By dropping this, was left with only a deep sense of peace and bliss.
This practice gave me a new understanding of Swami's discourses on the identity we show to ourselves (always less than who we are) and the identity we show to others (always more than who we are) and both of these identities are pure lies. By being a nobody, we can simply be.
These two identities are discussed in
an excerpt from the "Unclutched" discourse given by Swamiji at Agape Church in May, 2006.
There are many beautiful opportunities to spend time at the Temple, doing seva and working with intention and intensity - especially with the Anniversary celebrations coming this weekend, so please consider if you have time to offer.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Acceptance
The following is a summary from my notes of the discussion and "my take" on the discourse Bhaktapriya Maharaj gave on Sunday, August 17. It was a lively class on topics of awareness and acceptance.
The discussion began with the "art of awareness" and practice of zen. Every action done with awareness is a meditation and used example of "zen walking" where awareness is given to each movement of every step taken. Zen can be practiced right now - understand you are already in zen, already expressing love and compassion. Maharaj said it is important to be completely relaxed in who we are at every moment. This will allow growth to happen. Relax into who you are and completely accept yourself and allow the seed to grow.
Maharaj emphasized that acceptance is very important for our growth. Through complete acceptance of inner world and outer world, this will allow the love and compassion and right actions to happen. Be aware of restlessness and unclutch - when we are restless we have fallen into the mind. Find the source of restlessness - watch the mind and how it wants to have cooperation. Maharaj discussed the restlessness that comes with fasting and is usually active for 1 1/2 hours at a time. The following YouTube video describes how fasting on Pradosham is an opportunity to have a sudden enlightenment experience. Recommended discourse to watch on Pradosham is available at this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XGUxEciWws
Maharaj also discussed how we are each a unique expression - uniqueness of each individual - and use this awareness for acceptance of who we are. Mind and ego come from tension - when we practice the sutra of acceptance and relax into our Being - we take away the fuel for the ego and the mind. Keep events and actions as possibility not as planning.
Cherish the inner space - whatever is going on in the body - allow the system to update. This is the art of being relaxed. Accept sorrow, sadness, depression - this will allow to these emotions and moods to leave. It is our non-acceptance of these emotions that keeps them with us. Practicing acceptance will leave a void - it is bliss. Maharaj said to just sit and relax in silence for 21-minutes and the peace and bliss created from this experience will run for 24-hours. He recommended we do this for 21-days -noting that "21" is a mystical number to work with.
All Guru Mantra Initiates are highly encouraged to participate in the "Inner Awakening: 21 Days Enlightenment Intensive", a meditation program which is to be held in Bidadi this year in the month of December, from December 1-21. It would be completely unique and kindle the enlightenment inside every being"
Swamiji recollects a very beautiful story from life of Buddha: "When Buddha was pleaded by one of his disciples with a request to grant enlightenment to all the people who are suffering and bestow them peace at once? Buddha replied with a smile to go and get all those who need
enlightenment and he said he would be more than happy to do so. With Buddha's blessings, the disciple goes out to get people who could come and get Buddha's grace. He returned to Buddha with nobody and says there are however two people who want the grace but to have blessed in the place wherever they are!"
This is a beautiful story which shows how much we choose to be in bondage and misery! Let us take a decision at least for once to plunge into bliss! To awaken the celebration inside us! Let us all relax and rejuvenate with 21 days of Inner Awakening in the Presence of the Master who is abode of bliss and grace!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgDpxhL-3Ks.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Transcending Fear
On Sunday, August 31, 2008, Bhaktapriyananda Maharaj discussed the topic of fear. The following is taken from my notes of this class. Fear can be transcended through love. Mind is the barrier and love simply allows the fear to be washed away. Enlightenment can be reached through the path of the heart. Bhaktapriya also discussed how each chakra is a way to reach Enlightenment, reach Brahman. Subramanya, the deity of the Swadishtana Chakra, is dedicated to helping us overcome fear and achieve greater awareness.
Subramanya carries a spear and flags of victory. The spears are wide, deep, and sharp - they represent the state of awareness. Fear is the absence of awareness. Transcend fear and worry by moving into the heart center and being more trusting. With use of awareness, even enemies can become friends and victory can be obtained, as well as victory over our fears. Awareness descends like thunder. We will see lightning, thunder happen together. The consciousness has passed, we are the thunder created by the lightning of pure consciousness.
This Sunday, August 14, we will be discussing Surya, the deity of the maninpuraka chakra.
Subramanya carries a spear and flags of victory. The spears are wide, deep, and sharp - they represent the state of awareness. Fear is the absence of awareness. Transcend fear and worry by moving into the heart center and being more trusting. With use of awareness, even enemies can become friends and victory can be obtained, as well as victory over our fears. Awareness descends like thunder. We will see lightning, thunder happen together. The consciousness has passed, we are the thunder created by the lightning of pure consciousness.
After reading through my notes and reflecting on this discussion, I realized that if increasing awareness is the way to increase love and trust, pure consciousness is pure love. Divine = Love = Consciousness - all one and the same, the totality of love. Each chakra radiates pure love and serves as a path to Enlightenment.
This Sunday, August 14, we will be discussing Surya, the deity of the maninpuraka chakra.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)