How To Determine Our Progress - The Timeless Path

[Guest guest]

An excerpt from " The Timeless Path " by Swami Ramakrishnananda:

 

Amma says there are only two ways we can determine our spiritual progress:

our ability to maintain mental equanimity in challenging situations and the

amount of compassion that wells up in our hearts at the sorrows of others.

The reason Amma says this is because these are the direct results of

assimilating the two core Vedantic teachings - the first being understanding

our true nature to be consciousness, the second being understanding that the

same consciousness within us is the consciousness in all others.

If I have properly assimilated the first teaching, then no matter what

happens in life I won't become tense. Our bank balance can crash, our loved

ones can abandon us, our house can burn down, we can contract a fatal

disease, we can lose our job... whatever it may be we will not lose our

mental equanimity because we have fully assimilated the teaching that our

true nature is not the body or mind but eternal blissful consciousness. What

does consciousness care if it has no money? What does consciousness care if

the house burns down? What does consciousness care if the body becomes sick

and dies? Consciousness is eternal, all-pervasive and ever-blissful. Nothing

affects it. And if we have come to be totally identified with consciousness,

we will never become upset when adverse circumstances happen in the external

world. Our ability to remain calm when all hell is breaking loose directly

corresponds to the extent this truth has been assimilated.

And if we have properly assimilated the second teaching - that our

consciousness is the same consciousness in others - we will have compassion

for other people. To explain this, Amma usually uses the example of cutting

one's hand. When we cut our left hand, the right hand immediately comes to

its aid - washing the wound, applying medicine and bandaging it. The right

hand doesn't ignore the left, thinking, " Oh, that is the *left* hand! What

do I care what happens to it? " No, it knows it is inextricably linked to the

left hand - that the left hand and the right hand are of one and the same

living being and, thus, it responds accordingly. Or if we happen to poke our

eye with our fingre, we don't chop off the finger. The finger rubs the eye

and soothes it. So, once we have assimilated our oneness with all others, it

should only naturally follow that we take their sorrows to be our sorrows,

that we take their joys to be our joys. The more compassion we feel when we

see others suffering, the more we've assimilated this truth.

Krishna explains this to Arjuna in the Bhagavad-Gita when he says:

*atmaupamyena sarvatra samam pasyati yor'juna

sukham va yadi va duhkham sa yogi paramo matah*

 

" That yogi, O Arjuna, is regarded as the supreme, who judges pleasures or

pain everywhere, by the same standard as he applies to himself. "

[bhagavad-Gita 6.32]

 

And in fact Amma says that as part of our assimilation practice, we should

at least respond externally in a Vedantic fashion. That means that even if

we do not feel compassionate, we should act compassionate. Maybe we don't

truly feel the pain of someone who has undergone suffering, but we should

act as if we did - helping them in any and every possible way. Amma says

that acting expansively will gradually help make our minds expansive. No

doubt this is one of the motivations behind Amma's selfless-service

projects. Amma cares about helping the poor, the sick and the suffering, but

she also wants to create opportunities for her disciples and devotees to

engage in activities that will help transform their minds.

 

 

 

- from " The Timeless Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Spiritual Evolution " , by

Swami Ramakrishnananda

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Namaste

 

Thank you so much Pranada. . .

 

this is so perfect. . am so glad to read this one. . .as if the two

could be separated. . .humanitarian and spiritual truly those two live

in the non-dual world. . .

 

just this week was talking with friends about the Sweat Lodge tragedy

and how truth teachings can become corrupted without the discipline that

reduces the egoic . . . truly can there be a greater spiritual practice

for selflessness than service to others. . .

 

and thank you for taking the time to put this quote up from Swami

Ramakrishnananda. . . we so need the humanitarian focus and discipline.

.. .and the world needs it too. . . and both. . .

 

thank you. . .

Aum Amriteswaryai Namaha

marci

 

 

Ammachi , Pranada <daughterpranada wrote:

>

> An excerpt from " The Timeless Path " by Swami Ramakrishnananda:

>

> Amma says there are only two ways we can determine our spiritual

progress:

> our ability to maintain mental equanimity in challenging situations

and the

> amount of compassion that wells up in our hearts at the sorrows of

others.

> The reason Amma says this is because these are the direct results of

> assimilating the two core Vedantic teachings - the first being

understanding

> our true nature to be consciousness, the second being understanding

that the

> same consciousness within us is the consciousness in all others.

> If I have properly assimilated the first teaching, then no matter what

> happens in life I won't become tense. Our bank balance can crash, our

loved

> ones can abandon us, our house can burn down, we can contract a fatal

> disease, we can lose our job... whatever it may be we will not lose

our

> mental equanimity because we have fully assimilated the teaching that

our

> true nature is not the body or mind but eternal blissful

consciousness. What

> does consciousness care if it has no money? What does consciousness

care if

> the house burns down? What does consciousness care if the body becomes

sick

> and dies? Consciousness is eternal, all-pervasive and ever-blissful.

Nothing

> affects it. And if we have come to be totally identified with

consciousness,

> we will never become upset when adverse circumstances happen in the

external

> world. Our ability to remain calm when all hell is breaking loose

directly

> corresponds to the extent this truth has been assimilated.

> And if we have properly assimilated the second teaching - that our

> consciousness is the same consciousness in others - we will have

compassion

> for other people. To explain this, Amma usually uses the example of

cutting

> one's hand. When we cut our left hand, the right hand immediately

comes to

> its aid - washing the wound, applying medicine and bandaging it. The

right

> hand doesn't ignore the left, thinking, " Oh, that is the *left* hand!

What

> do I care what happens to it? " No, it knows it is inextricably linked

to the

> left hand - that the left hand and the right hand are of one and the

same

> living being and, thus, it responds accordingly. Or if we happen to

poke our

> eye with our fingre, we don't chop off the finger. The finger rubs the

eye

> and soothes it. So, once we have assimilated our oneness with all

others, it

> should only naturally follow that we take their sorrows to be our

sorrows,

> that we take their joys to be our joys. The more compassion we feel

when we

> see others suffering, the more we've assimilated this truth.

> Krishna explains this to Arjuna in the Bhagavad-Gita when he says:

> *atmaupamyena sarvatra samam pasyati yor'juna

> sukham va yadi va duhkham sa yogi paramo matah*

>

> " That yogi, O Arjuna, is regarded as the supreme, who judges pleasures

or

> pain everywhere, by the same standard as he applies to himself. "

> [bhagavad-Gita 6.32]

>

> And in fact Amma says that as part of our assimilation practice, we

should

> at least respond externally in a Vedantic fashion. That means that

even if

> we do not feel compassionate, we should act compassionate. Maybe we

don't

> truly feel the pain of someone who has undergone suffering, but we

should

> act as if we did - helping them in any and every possible way. Amma

says

> that acting expansively will gradually help make our minds expansive.

No

> doubt this is one of the motivations behind Amma's selfless-service

> projects. Amma cares about helping the poor, the sick and the

suffering, but

> she also wants to create opportunities for her disciples and devotees

to

> engage in activities that will help transform their minds.

>

>

>

> - from " The Timeless Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Spiritual

Evolution " , by

> Swami Ramakrishnananda

>

>

>