Sept 15 2025

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Detailed Notes

RAW from Last Week: Open your bag and remove one thing you are carrying “just in case” and reflect on what belief you were carrying about that item.

So many of these items are the ego’s need for control that is just an illusion to protect us from uncertainty. Real certainty is in our inner readiness. In our lives we collect so many “just in case” items. The more we hold on to each of these, the more we feel drained. Freedom is holding on to what is important and letting all else go.

The essence of Vedanta is attach to the highest and detach from everything else.

• Context of Hanuman Chalisa and vision – our trajectory lies in people, possessions and purpose.
  • The rails that guide our transformation to peace is our shastras (map)
  • In Seeking Culture, this is Hanuman Chalisa
  • Ramayana – Rama, Ayana
    • The journey of Shree Rama
    • More philosophically, Rama – Ram: to revel and rejoice in one’s own nature. Ayana: journey
    • Ramayana is the path in which we travel to know our true nature is independent joy
  • Sundrakanda
    • Sundra: beautiful (the most beautiful section of Ramayana)
    • About Shree Hanumanji’s stories that symbolize our path to realize our own potential and the beauty of each of our personalities that we are yet to invoke
    • The more beautiful because it reveals to us what is possible when we live with similar kind of devotion
    • Shree Hanumana is the navigator to Shree Rama

Review of Doha’s 1 and 2 and Chaupais 1-9

• First 2 Dohas
  • Preparation by associating with the why’s the develop wisdom – clarity of purpose
• 1st chaupai – develop virtues to master the mind and situations
• 2nd chaupai – devotion brings courage and confidence through clarity of purpose
• 3rd chaupai – integrate all aspects of personality to feel secure and serene
• 4th chaupai – self-care means nurturing inner wealth of body and mind
• 5th chaupai – remembering what real success is
• 6th chaupai – humility, understanding we are looked at so we are looked after
• 7th chaupai – encourages us to strive hard and to serve
• 8th chaupai – listening and following what we listen to, internalizing what is heard 
• 9th chaupai – acceptance and adaptation, applied understanding, internalize those teachings and we learn to adapt and accept – keep moving forward

• 1st Doha
  • Purify instrument
  • Framework – AID
    • A mind that is:
      • Available – how much is actually received and how much is remembered, how much are you able to relate 
      • Integrated – the 4 personalities are working together (body, mind, intellect, spirit)
      • Directed – there is a clear purpose and the purpose can be good or not so good. The idea is to follow the path of less resistance – selflessness, when it is directed to something higher. All 4 personalities sacrifice for that common goal.
• 2nd Doha
  • Prioritize
    • We know so many things but we still do it – we have so much knowledge but we dont live up to that knowledge
    • Knowing is not doing – live up to what you know and pririotize your knowledge by acting
    • Associate with the wise and develop wisdom
    • Quiet, integrated mind will lead to independent joy

• 1st Chaupai – Develop
  • Develop virtues so you can act on what you know 
  • When we develop mastery over the mind, we become a master of all our situation
• 2nd Chaupai – Devotion
  • Courage and confidence
  • You are the ambassador of Shree Rama so you are the abode of strength
  • Where there is clarity and sincerity of purpose – naturally courage and confidence flow with fearlessness
• 3rd Chaupai – Integrate
  • When we integrate we naturally feel quieter
  • One who is a great hero 
  • The one who is great in all facets of heroism
  • When we strive to do this, we feel confidence, secure and serene (quiet)
  • Confidence comes from integrated personality and confidence on purpose
• 4th Chaupai – Self-care
  • Wealth of the body and mind
  • Body and mind are your inner wealth
  • Tune into them, care for them and listen to them
  • A lot of times, listening to our body and mind is external (look good, feel good)
  • Inner glow – not superficial but deep
  • When you know what to do but don’t – that’s when we feel most insecure and disintegrated
• 5th Chaupai – Remember Shree Hanumana’s greatness so we may succeed
  • Carrying the flag of joy – Joy is our ultimate goal and purpose
  • When our standard for joy is external, it will never be enough
  • You feel like you have arrived but you cannot feel rested – it is always relative so it will never be enough
• 6th Chaupai – Remember Humility
  • Shree Hanumanji’s parents are the most epic
    • Shivji – Transformative
    • Vayu – Virtuous
    • Kesari – Fearless
  • Shree Hanumanji’s parents are our divine parents
  • Invoke the grace of divinity in our own lives
  • You are constantly supported by divinity, so we can act with confidence while maintaining humility
• 7th Chaupai – Strive and Serve
  • Shree Hanumana is full of knowledge – practice that knowledge 
  • The more you do, the more you will come to do and realize you can do
  • Say yes to more responsibilities and understand they are your sadhna – it helps you evolve
  • Service is the highest form of worship and self-development
  • Train to like what you do because it helps remove your likes and dislikes
  • When one transcends their like and dislikes, we find quietude in any context 
• 8th Chaupai – Listening
  • Shree Hanumana is always joyously listening to the stories or Lord Rama
  • His priority is knowing joy, serving joy, spreading joy – constantly being around Joy
  • Revolve around those that are clear about their priorities
  • Hold onto Hanumana/Satsanga
  • The desire to prioritize this more will deepen
  • Symbolized by Shree Rama, Shree Lakshmana and Mata Sita living in Shree Hanumana’s heart
• 9th Chaupai – Acceptance and adaptation
  • Culmination of all of this preparation 
  • Shree Hanumana shows us – no matter the responsibility, big or small, adapt to the responsibility, with complete joy and dedication
  • Constant ability to accept the present moment/circumstances and context is indicative to the depth at which knowledge is internalized
  • Measure of knowledge is selflessness and humility – knowledge is useless if it is not supporting our peace and building on our Joy

RAW: Find a quiet moment this week and think about who you were when you first started this class/Satsanga and who you are today. Write down a word that describes who you were that day and one word that describes who you are today.