Swami teaches....Part 94
Links to Swami Teaches - Part 93
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Light and Love What people for survival today
mostly need, is the spiritual awareness integrated with education, knowledge
and wisdom. Therefore let us remember Ganesha who will lead the readers
towards the values, indicated by Swami. Ganapathi is described as "Parvathee thanaya," this signifies Prithvi, Mother Earth. Everyone is a child of Mother Earth. The meaning of "son of Parvathee is that Ganapathi, who is the son of Parvathee, who symbolizes the Divine energy (sakthi). Ganapathi is also called Vinayaka because there is no master above him. He is all powerful and independent. Vinayaka dwells in each one as
intelligence (buddhi) and wisdom (vijnana,highest wisdom; spiritual wisdom
beyond the material plane). He is the master of intellect and fulfillment (siddhi,
Self-realization). When there is purity of mind, you achieve peace (which is
siddhi). Vinayaka is thus the Lord of the intellect and Self-realization. He
is described as the Lord of Buddhi and Siddhi. Buddhi and Siddhi are
referred to as the consorts of Vinayaka. (When people make proper use of
their inherent intelligence and wisdom, they will be successful in life).
The Vinayaka-principle has only one
meaning, which is relevant to everyone regardless of whether he is a
believer or a non-believer. Vinayaka means that one is totally master of
him/herself. Vinayaka has a wide mouth and a large belly, indicative of a healthy appetite and enthusiasm for life. Vinayaka has a pure heart. Fulfilment and intellect (siddhi and buddhi) are his two eyes. He considered them as his consorts. For intelligence, we need to have buddhi. For buddhi, we need to have gratitude. An ungrateful human can never become an intellectual. Without intellect, one can never be successful. Vinayaka confers success. To a spiritual seeker and a student of Vedanta, the "path of knowledge" is the prescribed path, which is essentially intellectual. The truth of Vedanta can be comprehended only through listening to a teacher. Therefore, listening is depicted by Vinayaka's large ears which meant to convey to us the importance of listening. After listening, the individual must independently reflect (manana) upon what aspirant has heard. His/her intellect must have the depth and width to understand the entire world of plurality. He/she must have the subtle discriminative power, viveka, to distinguish the changing perishable matter from the eternal. A cool, clear head is a necessary
attribute of a powerful leader. The trunk coming down the forehead of the
elephant is an instrument which can bulldoze a massive oak tree; equally, it
can perform the subtle task of picking up a needle from a haystack. A
capable leader must be aware of the grossest aspects of a job as well as its
minute, meticulous details. Good and evil are represented by the two tusks
of the elephant. The worldly knowledge is actually
like the protruding tip of an iceberg, with the submerged, predominant
portion representing the spiritual knowledge. The Vinayaka from ancient
scriptures will remember this truth to the present generation. What are problems of present time generation? Are governments organizations and individuals can solve these problems without knowledge of elementary spiritual culture and buddhi? No, of course. That is partly the reason, why I try to spread Swami's Teaching by this more simple and general way, that it will reach in minds of many who read these mails, be they Swami's followers or not. (However, by may opinion, absolutely all people are Swami's followers, as Swami's Cosmic Form i.e. Cosmic Consciousness is within every one, only in less or more hidden form). One has to start thinking for oneself. This is one activity where only one's conscience can be the guide, anybody else can guide individual, no matter who he/she is. The world is a great teacher, a
constant guide and source of inspiration. Every bird, every animal, every
tree, mountain and star and each tiny worm has a lesson for human being, if
he/she has but the thirst to learn. These make a world a veritable
University for human; it is but a Gurukul (a school for spiritual learning)
where one is a pupil from birth to death. The melting ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica has taken scientists by surprise. Many of them fear it will mean the world's coastlines are swamped much earlier than most predict. Others believe the ice melt is temporary and won't play such a dramatic role. The early versions of the report predict that by 2100 the sea level will rise anywhere between 5 and 23 inches. That's far lower than the 20 to 55 inches forecast by 2100 in a study published in the peer-review journal Science in Jan. 2007. Other climate experts, including NASA's James Hansen, predict sea level rise that can be measured by feet more than inches. Recent NASA data shows that
Greenland is losing 53 cubic miles of ice each year - twice the rate it was
losing in 1996. Source: Light and Love United Nations Climate Change Conference was in Nairobi, 6 - 17 November 2006. The Conference was attended by six thousand participants from one hundred eighty countries. Governments and scientists began a
final review on the global climate change in Paris on 29th January before
its release on 2nd February 2007. Thirty-five industrial nations have signed up to the United Nations' Kyoto Protocol, capping emissions of carbon dioxide. The United States pulled out in 2001, arguing that Kyoto would cost jobs and wrongly excluded developing nations from goals for 2012. Still, President Bush said last week that climate change was a "serious challenge." (Scientific American; Science News; January 29, 2007; for full information http://unfccc.int/kyoto_protocol/items/2830.php; http://unfccc.int/2860.php). Many people are engaged into solving the 'hot' environment problem. Where are the results? Maybe they are local but there are no significant results in global aspect. Whatsoever declarations and laws
cannot solve climate change and others environmental or social problems. It
is humans' spiritual and ecological awareness integrated with science,
technological knowledge and skills can change the dangerous tendencies of
climate change what is the humanity's root problem today. This integration
would begin from education, from changing human's mind, not climate
changing. From the other point during the history of humanity, human being has always wished to understand the origin of the Universe, the essence of physical reality and structure, secrets of life. But, when human's actions are separate from the Principle of Unity and the his/her own Self, the wishes have no realization. What is the purpose of such blindness? Certainly, there are many purposes.
Let us look briefly two of them. Reductionist reduces matter, life, and consciousness to atomic-molecular interactions. Mechanistic philosophy conceives the Universe as a huge and complex watch mechanism ruled by physical mechanic laws. Today both streams exist in science and in social and educational systems. Galileo Galilee has said, "What cannot be measured and quantified is not scientific." In post-Galilean science indicated, "What cannot be quantified is not real". This was, the most corrupting and profound modification of the Greek conception of nature. It is total ignorance of spiritual culture of humanity! "The corruption of Galilee?s program was incorporated by the Cartesian Newtonian Cosmo vision and still permeates today's scientific conception. Adding to this vision the famous body/mind split institutionalized by Descartes' followers, and the technological success of the Newtonian physics, in XX century, this disease that divorced natural sciences from humanities and religion, generated a very grave cultural schizophrenia in our civilization. We have been confounding the scientific picture of the Universe with the reality." (From the lecture of Grand Ph. D. Dr neurosurgeon Francisco Di Biase, Brasil; http://widu.us/conference_2003) . Such Cartesian Newtonian paradigm is out of date and cannot work up with spirituality, human values, ethics, aesthetics, and all the spiritual-holistic experience of humanity from ancient times until today. It leads to the global ecological disasters. This mistake from history has
divorced artificially human's consciousness and educational systems from
their core, the True Reality, Self and from Nature. It is the source the
lack of spiritual and ecological consciousness among adult and youth, it is
the source of the ecosystems tragedy, social misery, and psychological
violence of today. (The pictorial and the simplest example of absent
elementary ecological culture is when adult and young persons litter the
streets, roads, parks, etc. with whatsoever garbage. Such activity is
popular over the world). What disturbs humans to change their consumer-society's life-style to ecologically conscious value-based life-style? Why it is difficult to practice? It is mainly fear to transform, to change the daily routine. The fear arises out of a lack of understanding and faith in one's own Divinity. The degree of fear reflects the degree of separation from one's Divinity. Humans fear death, sickness, security, poverty, aging, etc. Fear leads attention to the past or to the future. However, the life is worth to accept it with grace and then fear veils. Without fear, is easy to live in the present. No harm can ever come to our Self. Our reality is existing beyond form, and everything else is illusion that can be easily changed at any time. We are immortal, eternal, indestructible Beings of Atmic Reality. Our troubles and joys by some insights of modern science are infinite number of possible projections, or "quantum probabilities", and that projection can be changed by the power of discrimination and detachment as being a witness to what happens. Thus is possible to transform a fear-based society to a value-based society. (The natural state of the Universe
is harmony, and unconditional Love. At moments of difficult situations is
wise to come into alignment with the Universe, and individual harmony will
be probably restored). It needs to understand at last that people are born in this Prakriti (Nature). Them have been given eyes not for roaming around and seeing anything and everything whatsoever but only to see God. The gift of vision should be used for seeing the good and the godly. People are a part of Nature and
should strive to merge into Paramatma. Nurture noble feelings of this kind
and anyone will become the Divine. By adopting this positive attitude,
person will realize that there is no Yogi greater than he/se; there is no
Thyagi superior to him/her; there is no one greater than he/she is. Devotion to the Lord and the Self is the first stage in the spiritual journey. Instead of developing devotion,
people are immersed in the "deep ocean" of worldly life. When the Ocean of
Milk was churned, the first thing that emerged was the Halahala, fuming
poison. Amrita (nectar) came later. When the ocean of worldly existence is
churned, Vairagya (renunciation) will emerge first. The nectar of bliss will
come later. Vairagya is renunciation of attachment to the physical and the
material. True education should to teach two main things: What is life and how one should live. Life is not mere existence. It must be lived for a purpose, an ideal. Character and humility can lend meaning to life. Education should help one to acquire good qualities. We can learn a lot of things, but
the most important thing to be learnt is our own Atma-tatwa. Learning all
about external things without knowing your real Self is like studying the
branches of tree, ignoring his roots. There are many fruits on the tree. We
can see the fruits. What happens if you water those fruits? They will fall
down. But if you water the roots down below, the tree flourishes and will
give fruits which can be enjoyed. Education is rendered noble when the spirit of service is inculcated. Whatever we listen and assimilate in the mind should be distributed to others. In that way we show gratitude for what we have receded. Whatever we hear and practice should also be distributed to society at large. Any action that gives value to others is important. Our success depends on the people engaged in it. The activities of people depend on how well these people are organized, how well they knew each other, how clear they see the aims of their activity and means to reach the most optimal results. Human has three instruments: The mind which involves in thought, the power of speech which enables to communicate thought and the power of action by which he/she can execute own thoughts, alone or with others, for him/herself and for others. The mind designs thoughts, which are either helpful or harmful. The mind can lead human into bondage, deeper involvement in desires and disappointments. It can lead human into freedom, detachment, and desirelessness. Therefore, one should learn Atma Vidya, the process by which one becomes aware of one's Atmic Reality. (By learning it and living it, one can quench his/her own thirst and help to quench the thirst of all humanity). Mahavakya, i.e. the Divine maxim on Absolute Reality or "the Great Sentences", state the unity of Brahman and Atman. Their variations are found in Upanishads. Prajnanam Brahma - Brahman is knowledge - Aitareya Rig Veda Aham Brahmasmi - I am Brahman - Brihadaranyaka Yajur Veda Tattvamasi - That Thou Art - Chhandogya Sama Veda Ayamatma Brahma - This Atman is Brahman - Mandukya Atharva Veda The conclusion from the Vedic
Truths: Each is full and complete in itself.
The individual consciousness is the manifestation of the Cosmic
Consciousness. When the material sheath falls off, it merges in its source.
The Vedas declare, "That is full; this is full. From the full, emerges the
full. When the full is taken from the full, the full remains full." So, the
Cosmos, the world, the individual - all are embodiments of the Full. Nothing
can be fractional or incomplete. (Reet's compilation from, Sathya Sai
Baba. The Divine Discourse, "Promotion of Unity: Student's Duty." 14
January, 1998, Prasanthi Nilayam; Sathya Sai Baba. The Divine Discourse,
"Divine Origin of Five Elements." 15 May, 2000 PM, Brindavan; Light and Love The Brahman i.e. Atma (Atman) is
visible as the material world and its objects. It is the Maya aspect of
Brahman. The Brahman Itself is attributeless and formless (Nirguna Brahman).
It is the Self-existent, the Absolute, and the Imperishable. It is Infinite
Truth, Infinite Consciousness, and Infinite Bliss, free from any kind of
differences. Atman is free and beyond sin and merit. It does not experience
happiness or pain. It does not do any Karma. It is incorporeal. Maya is illusionary power of Brahman
which causes the Brahman to be seen as the distinct material world. It has
two main functions - one is to "cover up" Brahman from the human minds, and
the other is to present the material world in its stead. Maya is neither
completely real nor completely unreal - indescribable. When Maya is removed,
there exists ultimately no difference between the Jivi-Atman and the
Brahman. Consequently one can worship God in any way and in any form. Activities arising from Thrikaranasuddhi find expression in two ways: one through artistic creativity and the other, through scientific exploration. Of the two, artistic creativity is supremely important. The aesthetic feeling is based on creative imagination. A sculptor who desires to carve an image out of a piece of rock has to have the figure he seeks to carve in his imagination. This imagination finds creative expression in the sculpture. If the creative imagination is absent, no sculpture can come out of the rock. As against this aesthetic
creativity, we have the urge for scientific enquiry. This is primarily
concerned with objects in the external world. Experimental research has its
vision turned outward. But even that has its basis in the Antardrishti
(Inward Vision). This relates to the subject. Life consists of nets of objects that can reproduce and evolve. Does life reproduce itself? So does fire. Does life evolve to produce new forms? So do certain crystals that grow in watery solutions. However, human's life represents the highest stage of Creation. The Cosmic Consciousness, God pictorially is connected to the minds of every individual not as a part, but as a Whole. When an individual can to defy a physical law of reality, it shows individuals mind is in harmony with the will and purpose of the Divine. That is the reason why miracles happen in this world. As a living example, there are
adepts high in the Himalayas of Tibet wearing very few clothes, yet always
feel warm despite the very cold temperatures. These adepts can even melt the
snow around them and for some distance using their powers of mind alone. Consumer society's researches are going on endlessly, but the climate of peace is mostly being destroyed. If peace is to be ensured, science has to be promoted on the right lines. This calls for unity among the people. Service to society must become the fundamental purpose. Everybody talks about the need for world unity. However, real unity must begin with the individual and the family. From the home, it must spread to the village, nation, and the world. Unity must become a way of life and cherished as an important value. It is vital to perceive the unity that underlies the apparent diversity. Prajnana (integral, higher wisdom) subsumes Vijnana (secular knowledge) and embraces also Sujnana (right knowledge). Prajnana, Vijnana and Sujnana together contribute to the fullness of human. (For most humans, the regaining of
critical thinking, self-awareness, and critical consciousness must be the
first priority, because there is the very real danger of the masses of
humankind becoming totally possessed by the structures of those few who now
rule the world politically and economically. Their actions cause the global
or local changes in our environment, as we all have experienced yet). A human being as all other forms consists of atoms and molecules. In the whole Universe atoms are rotating, such is the condition of their existence. The atomic center revolves around its axis, and the electrons rotate around the atomic center and around itself too. This rotation creates a fields of energy what physicists call 'torsion fields'. The lasts can create an infinite kind of vibrations. Not all of them seem to have electromagnetic nature. All visible and invisible Maya Reality consists in vast amounts of atoms and subatomic particles what ceaselessly 'creates' torsion fields. This is their nature. One of the most important properties of a torsion fields is their ability to penetrate through any object or space without loss of their energy and to store whatsoever information on physical vacuum. (Physical vacuum exists in every atom between electrons and atom's center, the ?conglomeration? of neutrons and protons). As all is interconnected within Maya reality as expressions of Brahman, Atma, the duty of human being is to show gratitude and wisdom towards other human beings and in using food, water, trees, land, and any other natural resource. Gratitude is an outgoing flow of the Divine energy of Self that brings the inward flow back to us. In the condition of consumer- society humans experience less and less the gratitude on the governmental, social and also on spiritual level. There a question may arise, to whom say, "thank you," or express the other kinds of gratitude, when all is the same Atma in everyone? There is indeed no need for any gratitude (or other emotional expressions) from the aspect of Atmic level... however, humans life on the Earth exists on the Maya level and we all do our duties on that level being less or more aware of our Atmic Oneness. The gratitude seems to be some kind
connective link, as a blitz of light between Atmic and Maya aspects of
reality. All world antique cultures (both, secular and spiritual) teach the
gratitude what people have mostly forgotten today. (As a rule, human's
memory will forget by time what has read or has heard until he/she digests
these information through own experience.) The "whole in every part" nature of
a hologram provides humans with new way of understanding organization and
order. A hologram shows that if we try to take apart something constructed
holographically, we will not get the pieces of which it is made, and we will
only get smaller wholes. Gleick, James. "Chaos: The Amazing Science of the Unpredictable." London: Minerva, 1997. Hancock, G. "Fingerprints of the Gods." New York: Crown Publishers, 1995. Prigogine, I., and Stingers I.
"Order out of chaos- Man?s New Dialogue with Nature. "Toronto, New York:
Bantam Books, 1984. |