Guest guest Posted December 13, 2004 Report Share Posted December 13, 2004 Puja as RespiteFrom the moment of first contact with someone in the morning hours after waking, we establish ourself in a contextual role, "becoming" a host of things as the day goes on--to a host of different people. Father, Husband, Wife, Son, Daughter, boss, employee, friend, foe, lover, saint, sinner, etc...we spend our days in relational awareness; that is to say, we spend our days interacting and re-acting to people, situations, places,circumstances, and events.The home puja is our great respite; our sanctuary of Satchidananda (Consciousness/Being/ Bliss). Puja worship is the practice of celebrating Self through one-pointed attainment. This focus stills all vikalpas (thought constructs); with a still mind, all pretense and veils of personality become transparent... Imaginary walls, defenses, and boundaries that are theproduct of mind are forgotten--Turning inward, Awareness folds in upon itself, becoming Aware only of the light of Consciousness pervading all within and without.In the beginning, when performing puja, there is a chanter, a chant, and a goal of chanting. When these three become One, the fruits of puja are attained.Chanter and chant are One! Chant and goal are One! Goal and chanter are One! Sit in the meditative posture; hold the book in the right hand, left hand on the knee in the lion pose; focus on the words being chanted with one pointed concentration; these four practices: Asana or posture, Mudra or pose, fixing the gaze; and one-pointedness -- these four things prepare the mind for true meditation.Puja, chanting, bhajans (songs) and meditation bear fruit when performed in the morning at sunrise or upon rising, and in the evening at dusk or at the end of the day's activities. ---M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 13, 2004 Report Share Posted December 13, 2004 It takes lots and lots of practice. I want to share with you my ( Puja lunch brake). It is a little unorthodox but it accomplishes the same goal. I believe in guidlines not strict dogma. When your living in the U.S. its not always easy to find beatle leaves , coconuts and camphor at 3am. I work in a hospital and thats when my lunch is ,3am. Fortunately hospitals have chaples so there is a nice quiet place to go. I begin by goin to the prayer basket, taking apiece of paper and drawing the Aum symbol sorounded by 4 schwastikas representing Ganesha. I then pluck some red flower pettles off of one of the flower arrangements and sprinkle them over the paper as an offering of my attachment to this world ( Just like the flower pettles our lives flourish in beautiful splender and then shrivle up and die) I do a few asanas just to limber up and relax. Then i sit in a straight backed chair with ankles crossed, back straight and palms up and fingers in a circle mudra. I chant the ganesh mantra in my head as I slowly breath in and out of my stomach. Towards the end my breathing becomes more shallow and I drop the mantra and just "Be". It must be working because i could be eating on my lunch brake but i dont because i get much more gratification from this. It did take almost a year for me to be able to meditate without either back discomfort or falling asleep but I am there. I may have not followed someone elses rules but none the less i am there. To sum up my fealings I would like to quote a song by Robert Hunter. "There is a road , no simple highway betwean the dawn and the dark of night. If you should go, no one may follow. That path is made for you alone" Even Rada had to break the rules to get with Krisna. Personalize your Puja. It dosnt have to be just like everyone elses. One Love, James Simone <syzenith .au> wrote: Puja as RespiteFrom the moment of first contact with someone in the morning hours after waking, we establish ourself in a contextual role, "becoming" a host of things as the day goes on--to a host of different people. Father, Husband, Wife, Son, Daughter, boss, employee, friend, foe, lover, saint, sinner, etc...we spend our days in relational awareness; that is to say, we spend our days interacting and re-acting to people, situations, places,circumstances, and events.The home puja is our great respite; our sanctuary of Satchidananda (Consciousness/Being/ Bliss). Puja worship is the practice of celebrating Self through one-pointed attainment. This focus stills all vikalpas (thought constructs); with a still mind, all pretense and veils of personality become transparent... Imaginary walls, defenses, and boundaries that are theproduct of mind are forgotten--Turning inward, Awareness folds in upon itself, becoming Aware only of the light of Consciousness pervading all within and without.In the beginning, when performing puja, there is a chanter, a chant, and a goal of chanting. When these three become One, the fruits of puja are attained.Chanter and chant are One! Chant and goal are One! Goal and chanter are One! Sit in the meditative posture; hold the book in the right hand, left hand on the knee in the lion pose; focus on the words being chanted with one pointed concentration; these four practices: Asana or posture, Mudra or pose, fixing the gaze; and one-pointedness -- these four things prepare the mind for true meditation.Puja, chanting, bhajans (songs) and meditation bear fruit when performed in the morning at sunrise or upon rising, and in the evening at dusk or at the end of the day's activities. ---M http://www.geocities.com/aumganesh/ The all-new My – What will yours do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 17, 2004 Report Share Posted December 17, 2004 Dearest Brother James, Thank you for kind words but the article was not written by me. The credit goes to the Anonymous writer by the name of 'M.' as is stated at the bottom of the article. This piece is a cross-posting from another group that i belong to. Thought it may interest some friends here so i copied and pasted it here. They allow cross- postings when the name of the author is mentioned, even if it is just an initial without full name details. Its so sweet of you to share your Puja method with me/us in the group. I am sure many members will appreciate learning from your experience. Very much in resonance with you regarding practices that may be unorthodox but will nevertheless achieve positive results, especially if the heart is sincere. We have something in common!! Like yourself, I believe in guidelines but not strict dogma as dogma can run over karmas (to put it along the lines said by one famous Natha Parampara-Holder in America named Shambhalanath. Those who read Llewellyn's books will find him under the name of Donald Michael Kraig or Don Kraig; depends on which edition of the books you've got or seen). My goodness, lunch at 3am...! This is another thing we have in common sometimes. I love the description of your personal puja and bhakti to Shree Ganapati. It is very meaningful and certainly a personalized ritual. See, you are becoming more and more experienced...!! Very soon, I am sure you will be guiding many of us here; please know you are treasured, James. I haven't forgotten the first day you joined this group; a breath of fresh air! May I share some sentiments with you as follows: Yes, flowers are beautiful creations of God, they give pleasure, joy and relieve stressful environments amongst innumerable qualities such as energy-giving and used as offerings during worship, etc. But their lifespans are short. It is just another work of Mother Nature to remind us that life is short; beautiful things don't always last long, hence when we have something wonderful in our lives, it is important to cherish, appreciate and make the best of it or give it your best. As all things are fleeting and transient, flowers are also good reminders to seize the moment when things bloom in our lives. Just as when flowers shrivel up and die, there is a need for us to learn the art of letting go, then move on to the next journey intended for us by God. Be it for better or worse, they are all lessons in along the way. It is essential and healthy to be able to "smell the roses along the way"; better to have "lived", than not to have "lived" at all. Better to have smelt the roses than not have had the experience (so to speak). Your sentence of : "Towards the end my breathing becomes more shallow and I drop the mantra and just "Be"." touches many resonating chords over here. It is exactly how it should "be", after meditation, puja or worship. "Just Be" is when one reaches a "special connection" which can also be grounding and a nurturing source that builds inner strengths within a person for combating times of stress or trauma. Life (inner, outer, mental, emotional, vibrational, spiritual, etc.) is fraught with challenges for all humans and all living things under the cosmos. One of the lessons I'd learnt long ago, is to view all negative situations as challenges and never obstacles. Another lesson learnt, is to sometimes reflect upon my personal flaws, confront one's own 'devils' within and see if i am reflecting a confrontational person for example. Or was the other person my mirror instead ) Quite a bit of fun this thing...... Up or down, ebb or flow, in a strange way i take it all on board but certainly still quite happily sailing along the merry way despite all. James, it is wonderful to know you are now able to meditate without discomfort or drifting into a snooze!!!!!!! You've done very well, dear brother!! Thanx also for sharing the quote by Robert Hunter - I love it and relate to it absolutely. It makes perfect sense to me (at least this is how i see it), in the regard that there is "No Duality", no difference between bright sunny daylight, twilight and dark night. All are components of "time", thus one and the same. Time ticks forward each minute and is an excellent reminder for us to move forward as best we can. Living things grow older by the second, even in milliseconds; all adds up to time. You are right: If one takes a path, no one may follow as any one path is meant for each individual alone. All persons are masters and navigators of their own ships. Therefore, sink or swim, we are responsible for them Now you have me going all sooky by mentioning Radha and Krishna. It is a beautiful story..... They are not husband and wife but yet they are placed together in many temples as a pair. Don't you worry James, about my puja methods ) A couple of old friends here will tell you I follow no rules nor restrictions. But the worst part is, sometimes I make them and therefore turn them into obstacles at the worst of times : (( This is something my stoooopid head needs to correct and discipline. ----------- Love All ---------- Om Shree Ganeshaya Namah Simone , james richard <nhraddude71> wrote: > Dear Simone, Your discription of the purpose of Puja was very elequint. Did you write it yourself or is it from a book? You make it sound easy to see through the viels of illusion. > It takes lots and lots of practice. > I want to share with you my ( Puja lunch brake). It is a little unorthodox but it accomplishes the same goal. I believe in guidlines not strict dogma. When your living in the U.S. its not always easy to find beatle leaves , coconuts and camphor at 3am. I work in a hospital and thats when my lunch is ,3am. Fortunately hospitals have chaples so there is a nice quiet place to go. I begin by goin to the prayer basket, taking apiece of paper and drawing the Aum symbol sorounded by 4 schwastikas representing Ganesha. I then pluck some red flower pettles off of one of the flower arrangements and sprinkle them over the paper as an offering of my attachment to this world ( Just like the flower pettles our lives flourish in beautiful splender and then shrivle up and die) I do a few asanas just to limber up and relax. Then i sit in a straight backed chair with ankles crossed, back straight and palms up and fingers in a circle mudra. I chant the ganesh mantra in my head as I > slowly breath in and out of my stomach. > Towards the end my breathing becomes more shallow and I drop the mantra and just "Be". > It must be working because i could be eating on my lunch brake but i dont because i get much more gratification from this. It did take almost a year for me to be able to meditate without either back discomfort or falling asleep but I am there. I may have not followed someone elses rules but none the less i am there. To sum up my fealings I would like to quote a song by Robert Hunter. "There is a road , no simple highway betwean the dawn and the dark of night. > If you should go, no one may follow. That path is made for you alone" Even Rada had to break the rules to get with Krisna. Personalize your Puja. It dosnt have to be just like everyone elses. > > One Love, James Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 17, 2004 Report Share Posted December 17, 2004 Namaste Simone, Im glad you liked my little story. I was afraid of coming off to arrogant. It is just in thr human nature to boast about things we are good at. I could be mutch better but i try not to discuorage myself because it can be as harmful if not worse than pride Im glad to hear my participation has been a positive thing for the group. I have learned alot about Ganesh and Bahkti yoga from the group. Ive also made friends that I treasure. All this without having to give a dime to some fony guru. As usual you are way to flattering . I cant put into words what a positive influence Ganesh has been on my life since I joined the group. Im glad you can see eye to eye on the dogma issue. To many words and rules about something that rarely speaks or follows rules. Im still kind of embarassed because you give me way to much credit. Most of what I know I could not put into wordsif I tried but dont hesitate to ask questions if you feal like you may gain some insite from it. Untill then may Ganesha rain boons upon you all and protect you from the pains and attachments of this world. Aum Gum Ganapatae Namaha, jim Simone <syzenith .au> wrote: Dearest Brother James,Thank you for kind words but the article was not written by me. The credit goes to the Anonymous writer by the name of 'M.' as is stated at the bottom of the article. This piece is a cross-posting from another group that i belong to. Thought it may interest some friends here so i copied and pasted it here. They allow cross-postings when the name of the author is mentioned, even if it is just an initial without full name details.Its so sweet of you to share your Puja method with me/us in the group. I am sure many members will appreciate learning from your experience. Very much in resonance with you regarding practices that may be unorthodox but will nevertheless achieve positive results, especially if the heart is sincere. We have something in common!! Like yourself, I believe in guidelines but not strict dogma as dogma can run over karmas (to put it along the lines said by one famous Natha Parampara-Holder in America named Shambhalanath. Those who read Llewellyn's books will find him under the name of Donald Michael Kraig or Don Kraig; depends on which edition of the books you've got or seen).My goodness, lunch at 3am...! This is another thing we have in common sometimes. I love the description of your personal puja and bhakti to Shree Ganapati. It is very meaningful and certainly a personalized ritual. See, you are becoming more and more experienced...!! Very soon, I am sure you will be guiding many of us here; please know you are treasured, James. I haven't forgotten the first day you joined this group; a breath of fresh air! May I share some sentiments with you as follows:Yes, flowers are beautiful creations of God, they give pleasure, joy and relieve stressful environments amongst innumerable qualities such as energy-giving and used as offerings during worship, etc. But their lifespans are short. It is just another work of Mother Nature to remind us that life is short; beautiful things don't always last long, hence when we have something wonderful in our lives, it is important to cherish, appreciate and make the best of it or give it your best. As all things are fleeting and transient, flowers are also good reminders to seize the moment when things bloom in our lives. Just as when flowers shrivel up and die, there is a need for us to learn the art of letting go, then move on to the next journey intended for us by God. Be it for better or worse, they are all lessons in along the way. It is essential and healthy to be able to "smell the roses along the way"; better to have "lived", than not to have "lived" at all. Better to have smelt the roses than not have had the experience (so to speak).Your sentence of : "Towards the end my breathing becomes more shallow and I drop the mantra and just "Be"." touches many resonating chords over here. It is exactly how it should "be", after meditation, puja or worship. "Just Be" is when one reaches a "special connection" which can also be grounding and a nurturing source that builds inner strengths within a person for combating times of stress or trauma. Life (inner, outer, mental, emotional, vibrational, spiritual, etc.) is fraught with challenges for all humans and all living things under the cosmos. One of the lessons I'd learnt long ago, is to view all negative situations as challenges and never obstacles. Another lesson learnt, is to sometimes reflect upon my personal flaws, confront one's own 'devils' within and see if i am reflecting a confrontational person for example. Or was the other person my mirror instead ) Quite a bit of fun this thing...... Up or down, ebb or flow, in a strange way i take it all on board but certainly still quite happily sailing along the merry way despite all.James, it is wonderful to know you are now able to meditate without discomfort or drifting into a snooze!!!!!!! You've done very well, dear brother!! Thanx also for sharing the quote by Robert Hunter - I love it and relate to it absolutely. It makes perfect sense to me (at least this is how i see it), in the regard that there is "No Duality", no difference between bright sunny daylight, twilight and dark night. All are components of "time", thus one and the same. Time ticks forward each minute and is an excellent reminder for us to move forward as best we can. Living things grow older by the second, even in milliseconds; all adds up to time. You are right: If one takes a path, no one may follow as any one path is meant for each individual alone. All persons are masters and navigators of their own ships. Therefore, sink or swim, we are responsible for them Now you have me going all sooky by mentioning Radha and Krishna. It is a beautiful story..... They are not husband and wife but yet they are placed together in many temples as a pair. Don't you worry James, about my puja methods ) A couple of old friends here will tell you I follow no rules nor restrictions. But the worst part is, sometimes I make them and therefore turn them into obstacles at the worst of times ( This is something my stoooopid head needs to correct and discipline. ----------- Love All ----------Om Shree Ganeshaya NamahSimone, james richard <nhraddude71> wrote:> Dear Simone, Your discription of the purpose of Puja was very elequint. Did you write it yourself or is it from a book? You make it sound easy to see through the viels of illusion.> It takes lots and lots of practice.> I want to share with you my ( Puja lunch brake). It is a little unorthodox but it accomplishes the same goal. I believe in guidlines not strict dogma. When your living in the U.S. its not always easy to find beatle leaves , coconuts and camphor at 3am. I work in a hospital and thats when my lunch is ,3am. Fortunately hospitals have chaples so there is a nice quiet place to go. I begin by goin to the prayer basket, taking apiece of paper and drawing the Aum symbol sorounded by 4 schwastikas representing Ganesha. I then pluck some red flower pettles off of one of the flower arrangements and sprinkle them over the paper as an offering of my attachment to this world ( Just like the flower pettles our lives flourish in beautiful splender and then shrivle up and die) I do a few asanas just to limber up and relax. Then i sit in a straight backed chair with ankles crossed, back straight and palms up and fingers in a circle mudra. I chant the ganesh mantra in my head as I> slowly breath in and out of my stomach.> Towards the end my breathing becomes more shallow and I drop the mantra and just "Be".> It must be working because i could be eating on my lunch brake but i dont because i get much more gratification from this. It did take almost a year for me to be able to meditate without either back discomfort or falling asleep but I am there. I may have not followed someone elses rules but none the less i am there. To sum up my fealings I would like to quote a song by Robert Hunter. "There is a road , no simple highway betwean the dawn and the dark of night.> If you should go, no one may follow. That path is made for you alone" Even Rada had to break the rules to get with Krisna. Personalize your Puja. It dosnt have to be just like everyone elses.> > One Love, Jameshttp://www.geocities.com/aumganesh/ The all-new My – What will yours do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 17, 2004 Report Share Posted December 17, 2004 Namaste all, I responded to your mail James about 1-2 days ago, but it never appeared within the group, don't ask me why! This piece is by a person called Markandeya. This and other pieces by him are available at http://www.nonduality.com/m.htm Rather than repeat all that I said previously I will restrict myself to saying that I share much of what dear Simoneji has said, and yourself too. The deeper sadhana takes place within the better, the external ritual then, when it comes to mainly personal and devotional pujas, is of little importance in comparison. It is, IMHO, certainly of worth, but it would seem too many people get caught in the external form and seldom try to dive within. Om Shanti Neil , "Simone" <syzenith> wrote: > > Dearest Brother James, > > Thank you for kind words but the article was not written by me. The > credit goes to the Anonymous writer by the name of 'M.' as is stated > at the bottom of the article. This piece is a cross-posting from > another group that i belong to. Thought it may interest some > friends here so i copied and pasted it here. They allow cross- > postings when the name of the author is mentioned, even if it is > just an initial without full name details. > > Its so sweet of you to share your Puja method with me/us in the > group. I am sure many members will appreciate learning from your > experience. Very much in resonance with you regarding practices > that may be unorthodox but will nevertheless achieve positive > results, especially if the heart is sincere. We have something in > common!! Like yourself, I believe in guidelines but not strict > dogma as dogma can run over karmas (to put it along the lines said > by one famous Natha Parampara-Holder in America named > Shambhalanath. Those who read Llewellyn's books will find him under > the name of Donald Michael Kraig or Don Kraig; depends on which > edition of the books you've got or seen). > > My goodness, lunch at 3am...! This is another thing we have in > common sometimes. I love the description of your personal puja and > bhakti to Shree Ganapati. It is very meaningful and certainly a > personalized ritual. See, you are becoming more and more > experienced...!! Very soon, I am sure you will be guiding many of > us here; please know you are treasured, James. I haven't forgotten > the first day you joined this group; a breath of fresh air! > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.