June 29,2013 (Weekly) - Practice of Pratyahara by Swami Chidananda

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Svadyaya for June 29, 2013

PRACTICE OF PRATYAHARA

  

Majority of yogis may be in a city surrounding with their own families to look after, business to attend to, or service to be done. In their case, pratyahara cannot be an unhampered and undisturbed process of abhyasa, as they have to practice pratyahara in the midst of their daily activities. For them pratyahara has to become a way of life. You must learn how to practise withdrawal even when you are right in the midst of lots of things, people and activities.

 

You must learn the art of inner detachment even in the midst of activity, the art of how to not allow the external objects to go right deep into your consciousness even if they pass before the eyes like a kaleidoscope or a cinema. Detach the mind. Let it have some other background, some other focal point, even in the midst of vyavahara. The yogi should carry on unbroken God-thought, unbroken God-remembrance within himself, always, always.

 

Mahatma Gandhi made a Gujrati translation of Srimad Bhagavad Gita and gave it the name “Anasakti Yoga – The Yoga of Detachment”. He said that this was the message of Gita: “In the midst of the world, be detached from the world like the lotus in the lake, unaffected and uncontaminated by water.” You are involved and occupied in various activities. Why? Because it is your kartavya karma. Yet, in the midst of it all, know that you have nothing to do with it at all. You are in a crowd, and yet, you are alone. You should learn to give only a part of the mind to external vyavahara. Only that much of mind as is absolutely essential and necessary, keeping the rest in God-thought.

 

There is another aspect to it. Supposing, the impression has already entered the mind. All right. Detach the ego and doership from the mind. Say: “No. I refuse to get dragged into this, I refuse to associate myself with it, I stand apart from it. I am only a witness of it. I am the witness-consciousness. So, disconnect your link with the mind. Be a dispassionate, unaffected witness-consciousness. Arjuna was told in the midst of the war that he was to be completely detached, he was to be established in God-remembrance. “Maamanusmara Yudhya Cha – remember Me constantly and fulfil your duty.” [Gita 8.7] Even in the midst of the most intense and dynamically active life, one should be in a state of Yoga inside – “Yogasthah Kuru Karmaani – by being established in Yoga, perform action abandoning attachment.” [Gita 2.48]

 

God Bless You!

Swami Chidananda

Continue Reading:

Pratyahara

By Swami Sivananda

 

The Abstraction of the Senses

By Swami Krishnananda

 

The Application of Pratyahara

By Swami Krishnananda

 

Seeing Through The Delusion of Desire

By Swami Krishnananda

 

Surrender to God

By Swami Krishnananda

 

Free Books on Yoga, Religion and Philosophy from Divine Life Society

 

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(March 27,2013) You are the waves in the Sea of Consciousness by Swami Krishnananda

You are the waves in the Sea of Consciousness

From Yoga, Meditation and Japa Sadhana by Swami Krishnananda

People ask, “Does God exist?” This is a meaningless question. If the world exists, God must exist, because God is only a name that we give to the Consciousness that indwells the whole universe, just as consciousness indwells your own individual personality.

You may ask, “How do you know there is Consciousness everywhere?” I ask you, “How do you know your friend has consciousness?” You know you have consciousness, but you cannot see consciousness in your friend. But you infer from his intelligent activity that he has consciousness. Likewise, from the activity of the cosmos we can infer the presence of a Cosmic Intelligence.

This Cosmic Intelligence, immanent in all objects, is what is called God, the Supreme Being.

The analysis of the process of perception of objects will give you an indication that the world is made up of Consciousness, and not matter. It is only by inference that you can come to this conclusion, not by direct, visible, sensory perception.

You look at an object, a mountain which is a mile off, in front of you. How do you come to know that there is a mountain in front of you? Your eyes do not touch the mountain and the mountain does not touch your eyes. Both are far from each other. There is a connecting link between the mountain and your eyes. That is the reason why you are able to know that there is a mountain. But what is the connecting link? You may say it is light rays. No. Light rays are inert. Inasmuch as inertness cannot produce an intelligent perception, we cannot accede that the light rays which are inert can be the connecting link, really.

The connecting link between the mountain (or an object) and the perceiving consciousness would be one of the two things in this world: either it is consciousness or it is matter. If you say that matter or anything material is the connecting link between the mountain and your consciousness, there would be a gap between consciousness and the object. This is because consciousness cannot become matter and matter cannot become consciousness, they being characterised differently, just as milk cannot become stone and stone cannot become milk. Thus, if the connecting link is matter, there would be a gap between matter and consciousness and there would be no connection between the two, and you would not know that there is a mountain in front of you. So, that cannot be. And, naturally, the other alternative is that the connecting link is consciousness. Consciousness can mix with consciousness. By this inference we come to the conclusion that consciousness must be hidden behind even material objects—otherwise, perception itself would be impossible. Just as we infer the presence of intelligence by the activity of people outside, we infer the presence of intelligence in the world by the analysis of the activity of the individual, which is known as perception.

World is ultimately Consciousness in its nature; it is not matter. You are also not matter, because your whole personality remains unaffected even though the limbs are cut off. You are Consciousness. You are not a body. You are something far more than a body. Likewise, there is an immanent principle of Consciousness in the whole cosmos. This immanent Consciousness is what is called the Absolute, or Brahman, or the Atman. It is called the Self (i.e. the Atman), because it always remains hidden in the individual as the seeing principle, and not the seen object, because Consciousness cannot become an object which you can see with your senses. So, the Universal Consciousness, being incapable of being converted into an object, remains ever as a subject, as the Self. The Supreme Consciousness, which is the Absolute, is the Self of everyone.

If you can retain this state of mind for a few minutes—that the universe is a sea of Consciousness and you are like waves in this sea of Consciousness, and that there is nothing like matter or inorganic stuff in the world—this is universality of perception, as different from individual perception of objects. This is meditation.

Continue to read (Divine Life Society Publications)

“Yoga Meditation and Japa Sadhana” by Swami Krishnananda

Japa Sadhana by Swami Krishnananda

“What is Japa?” by Swami Sivananda

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“Mind and Moksha (Liberation)” by Swami Krishnananda

The Attainment of the Infinite

by Swami Krishnananda

People say, "We want moksha, salvation, for which purpose we are practising sadhana." What is the kind of moksha that we are aspiring for? It is liberation from the thrall­dom of this assumed individuality of a physical existence condi­tioned by sensory organs. It is actually the longing – mumukshutva means the desire – to melt down this falsely manufactured individu­ality in the oceanic expanse of universal nature. When you become all nature yourself, your moksha is granted.

The Three States of Temporary Existence and Turiya 

Moksha, liberation, is an enlarge­ment of the consciousness into the dimension of the widest possible extent, until it reaches a point where it overcomes even the idea of space and time.

To attain moksha, so much time is necessary as it is necessary for a drop in the ocean to sink into the ocean. How much time does it require? It has only to realise that it is inseparable from the ocean.

"I am what I am." This is the affirmation of our isolated individuality. Then, there is no question of liberation. Unless you want lib­eration, it cannot come.

Mumukshutva is the longing for it. There is only one qualifica­tion: you should want it. Your heart should want it. You will realise that the psychology of the mind is such that anything that you really want has to come to you, but it should be really a hundred per cent want. You should say, "It will come"; then, it has to come, because the mind is nothing but the object that we think of. The mind is touching the object.

The mind is very powerful. It is the electromagnetic energy that can draw everything into itself. Nothing can be stronger than the mind. Nothing is more powerful than the mind, and nothing can be more enduring than the mind.

"Whoever thinks of me deeply, undividedly, for such a person I provide everything, and take care of what is so provided," is a great promise that we read in one of the verses of the Bhagavadgita. You think of the eternal, and the whole temporal world will fall at your feet. That is the meaning of this great verse: ananyascintayanto mam ye janah paryupasate tesam nityabhiyuktanam yogakshemam vahamyahmam. (B.G.9.22). It is not the son of Vasudeva or Devaki, Krishna, who is speaking. The whole universe is speaking to you. That is what is called the Vishvarupa, which Bhagavan Sri Krishna showed. The entire cosmos is talking to you: "Come unto me. I shall give you what you want." But you are telling it, "You go away from here. I mind my business." Then, how will you get anything?

So, mumukshutva is the longing for the liberation from this limited thralldom of individual physical existence, and a deep wanting. You have to underline the word 'wanting'. Do you want it? You will get it. Be sure about it!

Continue to read:

“The Attainment of the Infinite” by Swami Krishnananda

Be Blessed: Youtube Video of Gurudev Swami Sivananda Maharaj (Our thanks to Gregg Hill)

Visit Divine Life Society Webpage to read more messages from Gurudev Swami Sivananda Maharaj

(Mar 23,2013) Weekly Svadhyaya - Life is the Portal of Perfection by Swami Chidananda

 

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OM NAMO BHAGAVATHE SIVANANDAYA

Svadyaya for March 23, 2013 Life is the Portal of Perfection

Blessed children of the Divine!

You are here for the attainment of the Divine Perfection. This is your birthright. For, your life verily derives from the eternal, all-perfect, infinite, Divine Life. Thou art an heir to infinite Beauty, eternal Bliss and indescribable Peace. This splendour is your real nature. This is the true Self within. Thou art Divine.

What is life? To evolve and to manifest the spiritual Principle within you, and to seek and obtain the vision and the Experience of the Divinity concealed behind visible names and forms is life. To live is to worship the ever-present God, to behold the external world as God. All this here is sacred. For the Divine Presence sanctifies all places and all objects. Whatever thou doest, thou doest unto the lord.

Therefore spiritualise your life. This life is the portal to Perfection. Let all your life be pervaded by a spiritual bhava. Fill everything – every little thought and sentiment, every single word and deed – with an attitude of intense reverence, devotion and worshipfulness. Live in the awareness of the immanence of the Divine. To live here is to have your being in God. For, God is here and now. Feel this truth. Affirm it, this is the key to blessedness.

Bow down in adoration unto Him before you start the day. Fill your day with the spirit of worshipfulness. See God in all names and forms. Be courteous and polite, kind and generous, merciful and compassionate. Forgive and forget. Do Good unto all. Live to serve others. Root out ego and selfishness. Become a servant of humanity, a messenger of peace and unity. Live and act for the welfare and happiness of all. Control anger. Control hatred by love. Never deceive, harm or hurt others. Strive to be sadachari and paropakari. Knowing that the living presence of God indwells all beings.

Attain Perfection and Liberation in this very life and become blessed forever. Life is transitory. Time is fleeting. Every moment is precious. Therefore, do not tarry or delay. Waste not time. Be up and doing. Claim thy birthright. Shine with virtue. Be radiant with divinity. Move towards Perfection. May God confer upon you Peace, Bliss and illumination! All success to thee upon the onward journey to Perfection!

God Bless You! Swami Chidananda

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