Guest guest Posted May 22, 2007 Report Share Posted May 22, 2007 SAI RAM Dear Brothers and Sisters, (continued from posting no.64) A seeker`s determination to purify his mind should not be like a New Year`s resolution to which he adheres for a few days before giving up and going back to square one. The general tendency is to compromise with a lesser achievement since we feel we can not accomplish the highest goal. Vedanta says you deserve the best: Paramananda, the Supreme Bliss. Why then settle for less, the little temporal experiences which are not even real joys but only poor imitations of joy? When we sit for meditation and the mind becomes calm and quiet, we do not wantTV, music, food etc. For most of us mind is so weak and lacking resolve that we can not get peace, and so lesser joy becomes acceptable. A true seeker with firm determination strives hard for purity of mind and does not consider it a difficult task. We make such excuses as, " It is difficult to overcome or suppress anger " , it is difficult to get rid of sorrow " , or it is easier said than done. " What are the various means of purification of the mind? Our Scriptures and our great acharya-s specify various methods to purify our minds. The Bhagavad Gita declares that these include austerity (tapas), rituals and worship (yagjna), charity (danam), chanting ( japa), pilgrimage(tirtham) and vows (vrata). We always misunderstand the meaning of these terms. We think that penance and austerity means standing on one leg or lying on a bed of thorns, that chanting is mumbling the name of God, and that pilgrimage is merely touring or vacationing. While visiting a temple some of us are more occupied with focussing our camera than with our focussing our mind on the form of the Lord. When our friends or relatives ask us as to what we saw on our pilgrimage we simply show them our photo album! Sisters may please bear with this statement. Even while near the sanctum sanctorum, of a temple there is a tendency on the part of a few ladies to focuss their attention on the jwellery and dress of other ladies around, than on the form of God whom they are going to have ' Darshan'. Tapas: The real meaning of this word is the " single-pointedness of the mind and senses " (manasascha indriyaanaam ca aikaagryam paramam tapah). It is a means of conserving our energy rather than dissipating it unnecessarily. Tapas includes simple disciplines, such as getting up early in the morning, doing japa and meditation daily, limiting the amount of time spent in entertainment ,gossip and other unproductive or counterproductive activities, occasional fasting and silence etc. Yagjna: When we conserve our energy , we can then utilize it in the worship(yagjna) of God. Yagjna is not mere kindling of a flame of fire and offering oblations into it.. This is a very limited understanding of that term. In Upadesa Sara, Bhagavan Ramana Maharishi reveals what is the best worship of God. He says, " To serve this world , considering it as the expression of God, is real worship " (jagata isadhi yukta sevanam ashtamurtibhrud devapoojanam). Since the Lord is the ultimate cause of this universe and is all-pervading, all forms are but His own manifestations. Therefore, to love and serve all beings, seeing them as God alone, is true worship. In such an attitude , the mind`s energy is not dissipated through negative thoughts or feelings. (to be continued) With Loving SAI RAMs, G.Balasubramanian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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