More from the recent Michigan retreat

[Guest guest]

Namah Shivaya,

Here are more notes I took at Michigan, taken from Swamiji's satsang

and the Question and Answer session:

 

On negative thoughts:

"The very effort to avoid a thought gives it attention. If you want

to *not* think a thought, you are already thinking about it! Watch

the thoughts without looking at them. (This is what I wrote down, I

don't know if it's completely accurate. To me it sounds like a riddle

or a koan to be contemplated on!) There is no need to stop them (the

thoughts). Feel positive about them; neither afraid, nor angry. Offer

them all at the feet of the guru."

 

On answering a question from a devotee about how to handle desire:

"Amma does not want us to supress our desires and feelings. Rather,

she wants us to cultivate detachment. Discriminate between what is

real and unreal; between what is permanent and impermanent. Gradually

our desires will fall away from the flower when the fruit ripens. Try

to see the essence of things, rather than mistaking the covering for

the essence."

 

"Every time we feel we have fallen or failed, don't brood over your

mistakes. Just get up again and keep walking. Keep trying, try, try

again, with full determination, enthusiasm and effort.

 

Our true nature is love. Rather than saying "I love you", think "I am

love". Give love rather than expecting it to be given to you. Love

simply flows, because that is its nature.

 

Do not force spiritual growth. Let it unfold like the gradual

blossoming of a lotus flower as it turns its face towards the sun.

Practice patience, concentrate on sadhana, love, and don't

worry.Worrying is a state of tension that wastes energy. Stay in the

present moment, and have faith. Cultivate faith. Let it deepen with

practice; it is a practice, like love. Let your life deepen, pactice

faith, trust and love of truth, and stay intent on the goal.

 

It's important to develop and stick to a daily timetable (for

sadhana).

 

Whether or not you attain the objects you desire, suffering is still

inevitable, because of your attachment to that object."

 

Namah Shivaya,

Angela.

 

 

 

 

Ammachi, "frangi888" <frangi888> wrote:

>

> Namah Shivaya,

> Thankyou Jyotsna for your notes-I remember this speech but didn't

> take notes for it.

> I did wind up writing down a lot from Swami Amritaswarupananda's

> satsang. I had come to Michigan with a list of questions in my

mind

> to ask Mother and found, as it so often seems to happen, each one

> being answered either by other people there or by the satsangs. And

> of course, any time I got near Mother my mind would go completely

> silent!

>

> Here the notes:

>

> "To experience love, one must express love.

>

> When disciplehood awakens, the guru appears.

>

> You are nobody. You come from nothingness. You are going nowhere.

You

> are here to ask questions!

>

> Offer what you can to society. Here and now is what matters. Focus

on

> your sadhana.

>

> A question must arise out of the depths of longing, from the

deepest

> inner recesses, not just as another passing thought.

>

> Cultivate longing for truth. Meditate. Focus on one thing. e.g.

> mantra, breath.

>

> The very nature of the mind is opposed to silence.

>

> Anger is literally a loss of consciousness.

>

> Don't give too much importance to interpreting dreams. Saty in the

> present.

>

> What is surrender? It is when we stop fighting our thoughts and

> emotions.

>

> Practicing neti neti (self inquiry e.g. I am not this, neither

that)

> is the same process as offering the thoughts and emotions to the

> guru. The internal offering is subtler than an external offering."

>

> *End notes Part 1*

>

> Namah Shivaya,

> Angela.

>

>

>

> Ammachi, "jyotsna2" <jyotsna2> wrote:

> >

> > Namah Shivayah,

> >

> > Here are the notes I took during the talk

> > Swami Amritatmananda gave on Nov. 27 in

> > Michigan:

> >

> > Great masters are a purifying force in

> > the world. Everyone wants a joyful life.

> > How to attain this happiness? The final

> > end will be sweet, but the means will be

> > hard. A disciplined life means happiness:

> > an undisciplined life leads to unhappiness.

> >

> > Discipline can only come from culture. Amma

> > describes the word culture as control. Outer

> > things like clothes and manners don't matter.

> > Controlling ourselves is not an easy thing.

> > If we want peace and contentment, we have to

> > control the tongue in two ways--speech and

> > eating. If controlling one's senses is so

> > hard, how difficult it is to control the mind.

> > The man of control is the man of happiness, it

> > says in the scriptures.

> >

> > One day we all have to start looking inside.

> > TIME will force us to. We have to turn toward

> > God. In front of Amma is a good place to

> > start this huge yagna.

> >

> > He told the story of approaching Amma while

> > she was seated near a large waterfall. His

> > question was, "Amma, what is the real

> > meaning of spirituality?"

> >

> > "Son, can you return this water to its source?"

> > was Amma's reply. "This is spirituality--

> > reversing the flow of the five senses."

> >

> > It is a Herculean task, but we have Amma. We

> > need to try to transform ourselves into

> > introvert meditators.

> >

> > Here in the presence of Amma, we are doing

> > inner cleansing. We are in the yogi hospital

> > now. The doctor has diagnosed our disease,

> > and if we have enough courage to surrender

> > to the doctor, we will be cured.

> >

> > I would like to share one of my "surgeries."

> > It was my first public speech. Everyone

> > praised it except Amma, who, whenever I was

> > near Her, praised other's satsangs! I decided

> > never to give another speech if I couldn't

> > please Amma. Amma then asked me to give another

> > speech, and I told her I couldn't because she

> > didn't like my other one. She told me that

> > now that I was not attached to giving talks,

> > he could give them!

> >

> > Amma's mother bhava is very sweet, but the

> > guru bhava is tough! (Here Amma interrupted

> > and said that if she were really in Guru Bhava,

> > NO ONE would be in the ashram!)

> > Swami told the story of lying in bed one morning

> > after a few hours sleep. He was feeling sluggish.

> > Amma upbraided him and told him that he could

> > have stayed at home and gotten married if he

> > wanted to be sluggish. (Amma pantomined beating

> > him.) To this day, all he has to do is think

> > about Amma telling him that to get himself up

> > and out of bed.

> >

> > It is an honor to serve Amma. We should be an

> > instrument in the hands of the guru.

> >

> > In Amma's service,

> > Jyotsna

> >

>