Guest guest Posted May 29, 2006 Report Share Posted May 29, 2006 The Importance of Sva-Adhyaaya (SELF-STUDY) "Sahanaavavathu! Sahaneybhunakthu Sahaveeryamkaravaavahai!! Theayjasvi naavadheethamasthu! Maavidvi shaavahai!!" (An ancient, famous upanishadic-vedic chanting in the gurukuls) O! Parameshwara! Please protect us both the Master and the Seekers in all ways and all the time. Please take care of our needs and maintenance in an appropriate way. May you grant to us both all the types of powers and energies. May our adhyayana (Spiritual Study) Shine and Radiate in all directions. May we never be defeated in our Study any where. May all of us Through the end of our life bonded by the principle of friendship and fraternity. Let there not be any hatred between both of us any time. O ParamAthma! May you liberate us from all types of cravings and remove all the obstacles in our study. …….Sva-Adhyaaya (Self-Study of divine-scriptures and shastras for the path, proper cultivation and practice to attain realization) is an important aspect in the context of a serious seeker and his practice and it is imperatively his (seeker's) self responsibility and to make him sva-tantra. Learning from Dhyana-Sadgurus is also important, but it is not so easy in these modern days to get all the time to spare one to one attention for few remaining Dhyana-Sadgurus at all the places in the world. So in these days, different types of mediums have developed to transmit the wisdom of those great Masters old and new. Hence a serious seeker should always look for such a material, which will illuminate and help his own soul first positively. Then he can share that knowledge in Satsang, where he will be more benefited by the association of other fellow travelers and more clarity and understanding will emerge in him to carry on his spiritual practice. Hence Sadhana, Dhyana-Sadguru, Samyak Shravana, Satsang and SvaAdhyaya are the main pillars of any spiritual aspirant. He (seeker) should be a Sadachari (practitioner of right manners, right conduct and right rituals). In Guru-Gita Shiva Says: "Pooja Koti Samam Sthothram Sthothra Koti Samo Japah! Japa Koti Samam Dhyanam Dhyana Koti Samo Layah!!" The Ultimate Essence of `Athma Puja' is being stressed here as the practice of Meditation and total dissolution of Self (Samadhi-Nishto, Layah, the ultimate irreversible union) in the Para Brahma. Hence the above Shloka says, a crore (10 Million) Pujas i.e. Prayers or worship rituals are equivalent to one Sthothra (Praise or Sthuthi composed in a short sutra form). A crore Sthothras are equivalent to one Japa (A fixed number of times chanting the mantras), a crore Japas are equivalent to one Meditation, a crore Meditations are equivalent to one `Layah' (Samadhi Nishta). Thus a seeker who Meditates regularly is on the highest level of the path compared to any other methods. "Naasthi Dhyana Samam Theertham Naasthi Dhyana Samam Thapah! Naasthi Dhyana Samo Yajnasthasmaa Dhyanam Samaachareyth!!" There is nothing equivalent to Meditation (Dhyana) in this world to a seeker, no pilgrimage in this world is equivalent to Meditation (Dhyana), no austerity (Thapah) is equivalent to Meditation (Dhyana). No Yajna – No homa, and any other outwardly rituals practiced also are not equivalent to Meditation (Dhyana). Hence in the Gurugita `Shiva' clearly explains the importance of a Dhyana-Sadguru and Meditation and explains how closely they are interlinked. Hence a Master who does not teach Meditation (Dhyana) is a lower type of guru, is intended, for still evolving lower level souls, who are still not yet ready to still(observe) their thoughts and mind, also are still highly focused(entangled) in their karmic samskaras. "Anena Yadhbhaveythkaryam thadvadaami thava priyay! Lokopakaarakam Devi loukikam thu vivarjayeath!!" Here Lord Shiva tells Parvati, O devi ! out of love for you, I am telling you that there is nothing highest karma compared to the Meditation (Dhyana) and one should leave all worldly affairs, even the good karmas which are supposed to be in the welfare of the world as they all drop off by the intensity of practice and are `secondary' compared to the self responsibility of Meditation (Dhyana). It is the `highest essential' karma and all other things, especially mundane acts should be avoided more and more as one goes deeper and deeper in to Meditation (Dhyana). The first ones to denounce a Meditating seeker are his own family and relatives and they are the last ones to recognize his success. Here, at this stage, the help and understanding support of his `Satsang friends' is very valuable for him (Meditating seeker) to progress. By Meditation (Dhyana) one is doing the highest and the only possible good to this world and the existence. There is nothing else in this world to replace it, so says SadaShiva. "Karma Bhrashtaah kshamaanashtaa nindya tharkayishcha vaadinah! Kaaminah Krodhinashcheiva himsraashchandaasshthaa sthadaa!!" The avoidable people by the seeker are, KarmaBhrasthas, kshamaanas….that is who have left their spiritual practices like austerities (thapahs) and Meditation (Dhyana) etc. who are highly impatient and unable to control their emotions, desires or lusts and gone back to the indulgences, ignorance, and laziness again, those without any devotion, knowledge (Sva-Adhyaya), who argue foolishly without any desire to learn, who waste their precious time in unnecessary, cheap, meaningless talks without any spiritual purpose of what-so-ever…. but for the sake of just passing the time and for pleasure and entertainment. People who are of cruel nature, violent, who do harm to others, who are still interested in material things and extravagance (Caught up in vasanas)… etc. types also some times become gurus also,… for this is, `KaliYuga'. These people are not gurus but direct devils and should be avoided and never entertained by a seeker. Only those Dhyana-Gurus who are having the highest knowledge, wisdom, with all the great virtues, experiencer of samadhi bliss, expert in various Yogas such as karma yoga, Bhakthi yoga, jnana yoga, dhyana(in Japanese it is called Zen) yoga,…… such a Paripoorna, Sachidananda swaroopa who is a complete enlightened Sam-Buddha who has found his own inner peace and who is a great equalizer, who gives no fixed set of formulas but only keys, who tells you to rebel against the established formulas, to be unique and to experience but not to believe anything without a proper enquiry and practice,…….tells you to drop all the hypocritic belief systems. And tells that the real peace is inside you, that it is your true nature, and inspires you to look inside of yourself! Look! Meditate and find it out yourself, your inner peace, tranquility, serenity, calmness, emptiness, no-mind, equanimity….!.....Gives you no hope, no goal, kicks you mercilessly for your dependence even on him(Dhyana-Guru), cuts your MIND with a single blow, destroys all your so-called conditioned plans, pushes you to take the jump, risk, challenge totally, whole heartedly, he(Dhyana-Guru) destroys all your concepts, theories, beliefs, hypothesis, concepts, assumptions and helps you to get rid of your intellectual dryness, and also humiliates, teases, deconditions your holier than thou attitude and helps you to put the whole mind aside once for all, such rare guru is a real friend indeed and is only worthy of respect and devotion by a seeker. He (seeker) should avoid KuSang (Bad Company, distractions and non-spiritual matters such as gossiping etc.) like a plague, who (KuSangs), always have nothing else to do but to put pressure on the mind and drain-out the energy of the seeker. A true seeker should not misuse his/her knowledge or freedom, if he/she did not like a particular groups' methods or teachings (sometimes different from his school), and if he(seeker) happens to be in a different `satsang' and he doesn't like or agree with them, he should exit silently being respectful atleast to the Master and without causing any inconvenience to others at the satsang and that schools' Masters' continuation of work should not be disturbed by unnecessary arguments, etc,… as it will accumulate bad-karma on the part of the seeker and will eventually delay his(seeker's) own-self spiritual progress and attainments, and more over he will be wasting lot of his precious time in the pursuit of useless things carried away by emotions and his under-knowledge. ***Zen-Master Nan Huai-Chin (To Realize Enlightenment) says: ….The Buddhas and ancients have given us all we need to know, so it's left up to you to make the effort. Don't wait until it's too late. Start now and the blessings of the Path are sure to reach you. Cultivate with your entire mind and body. Settle for no less. This is the way to succeed. (***More about this is going to come soon – anand.) A seeker should be alert, always determined, focused, never distracted and protect him-self and his Masters, come what may be. Let the sky break and fall on him thundering, let the earth blast itself and sink in to the pathala-loka (the lower nether land), let the mountains fly like eagles in the open skies, let all the Oceans of the world sink all the lokas like in a pralaya, let all these universes (brahmandas) become upside down, still what harm will there be for a liberated (veetha raga) one? For that eternal one, who is in the path of highest `guruthathva' where is the fear? Om Purnam adah Purnam idam Purnat Purnam udachyathe! Purnasya Purnam adaya Purnam evavasisyathe!! Om Shanthih! Shanthih!! Shanthih!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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