Q about I = /Compendium of Quotes seva -Tom

[Guest guest]

Tom, how does Amma advise to use bhajans?  and when you say bhajans

is that different from chanting the Divine Name, ie. JAI JAI MA or

KALI over and over in more of a kirtan style?  thanks for your time.

 

Ammachi, "Tom" <tomgull> wrote:

>

> Not inappropriate, but misplaced in the discussion.   The main

> benefit of silence between bhajans is the unbroken principle.  

> Unfortunately, some people with a strong bend towards meditating

alot

> would prefer singing a bhajan, then meditating, then bhajan again,

> then meditating.   Not bad altogether, but the benefit is nothing

> compared to using bhajans the way Amma directs us to.  Although,

> there was the instance of one of her swami's sent to Europe(?)

that

> taught Vedanta/comparative religion satsangs, in which he used

that

> particular alternating format.  My main point was your point in

> response to the use of silence between bhajans.

>

> Since you're so Quote-Happy Amarnath, why not make a Compendium of

> Amma's quotes by subject???   Years ago a devotee of Sathya Sai

Baba

> did one (without permission I think) and it was actually quite

> helpful, though Incomplete.

>

> I'm not into Amma's teachings being written in stone, as there's

> different teachings for different stages of ego and paths, and I'd

> hate to see such a Compendium become somewhat of an Amma Bible.  

> Your overuse of Amma's quotes, IMHO, can seem a bit thumping at

> times.    But, a good reference of quotes by subject, much more in

> depth than the small For My Children book would be helpful to

> devotees.

>

> If you do decide such a seva task, it may be helpful to get a copy

of

> the Sathya Sai Compendium to know what I'm talking about.   It'd

be

> nice to have all the quotes from the past issues of Matruvani and

> Immortal Bliss included.  Expect it to be a pretty thick book,

maybe

> broken down into volumes.

>

> Benefit of silence (again):  Silent dispersal after satsang is

> another Sathya Sai Baba formality, not always followed even at

their

> groups.   At SSB satsangs, there's supposed to be only Sacred Ash

as

> prasad, instead of the potluck or meal typically served at Amma

> satsangs I've been to.   Hard to implement that silence after

satsang

> when it's such a social environment.  Potlucks are good for once-a-

> month, but I feel interfere with effective satsang in general.

>

> regards,

> tom

>

> Ammachi, "amarnath" <anatol_zinc@> wrote:

> >

> > Dear Thomas,

> >

> > Sorry that you felt my quote of Amma was inappropriate somehow.

The

> > point you were making was unclear to me and I do not wish to

judge

> > it one way or another. The only thing I can do is clarify a

little

> > what my opinion is; your opinion may be different; each of us(

> > everyone ) is entitled to our opinions; some of our opinions may

be

> > useful to others is why we are sharing I assume.

> >

> > To clarify my opinion: I know that innocently noticing Silence

> > between bhajans and deliberately resting and/or keeping silent

> after

> > spiritual practices are different situations; yet the common

thread

> > is Silence and worth pointing out especially with Amma's

Aphorism.

> >

> > The reason I feel Amma's Aphorism was significant to mention is

> that

> > some may not be aware of the significance of resting and/or

keeping

> > silence after some spiritual practices and this may be difficult

in

> > our busy daily lives but not impossible.

> >

> > Further, IMHO, Silence cannot be confined by rules of any kind.

Of

> > course, let everyone follow the guidelines of their spiritual

> > practices with all Love and Awareness as best they can. But, it

> > seems to be the experience of many that Silence will come of

it's

> > own accord even unexpectantly ~ even in the MIDDLE of a dynamic

> > bhajan; and it would be foolish not to surrender to it.

> >

> > God is One but has many names some are Silence, Awareness, Love.

In

> > Sanskrit and Vedic culture, the common trio is Sat-Chit-Ananda(

> > existence, consciousness, bliss ) but perhaps in our present

> > American culture Silence-Awareness-Love is a little easier to

grasp

> > and talk about. When Amma was asked what Her religion is, Her

> answer

> > was Love( not Ananda ) and when we read "Awaken Children" there

are

> > many examples of interconnectedness  between Silence-Awareness-

> Love.

> > In most recent issue of Matruvani, Amma makes the point that

> > spiritual language( including scriptures ) needs to be flexible

and

> > updated according to the times and culture.

> >

> > My simple view( just my opinion) is that Silence is God resting(

> > Unmanifest); Love is God flowing( manifesting); and Awareness is

> God

> > Awake to both. Love-Silence-Awareness perhaps works best for me;

by

> > loving silence and awareness, we act lovingly to everyone,

> > everything.

> >

> > If you wish to share you view of God in words, please do so. 

> > Thanks for listening.

> >

> > Amma Bless,

> > amarnath

>