In 2020 the Black Lives Matter racial demonstrations had a immense impact on the psyche of the
American mind. Policing across the entire nation became a focus of these demonstrations and though
some police forces denied racial bias, others were more self reflective and took action. In Ontario,
Canada, the Niagara Regional Police Service (NRPS) have taken some important steps to establish a
culture of Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity (EDI), and have reached out to Vivekji and Chinmaya Mission
Niagara (CMN) for guidance and training.

Vivekji sits on the NRPS EDI Advisory Committee to offer advise and guidance inline with the values and
teachings of Sanatana Dharma. CMN has also engages police officials in diversity training at its
Chinmaya Dhara ashram. These training sessions happen every four to six months and have increased in
frequency as police officials see the benefit of such training. Led by Vivekji the training sessions provide
police with a tour of the ashram, introduces them to Bhagavan Krishna and Bhagavati Radha, and
familiarizes them with with the teachings of vedantic philosophy. A Question and Answer session also
provides the police trainees a chance to clear their doubts and preconceived notions about Santana
Dharma.

Vedantic philosophy is universal, and Gurudev’s vision of bringing vedanta to the west is still unfolding.
Being able to impact social change is an immense honour for a Chinmaya Mission Centre. Such
opportunities are precious and it is only by Gurudev’s grace that it is possible.

Hari Om,

Hope you and your loved ones are happy and healthy.

The vision of Chinmaya Mission Niagara is to follow and further Vedanta. By the grace of Bhagawan, Guru-Sishya-Parampara, and Vivekji – this vision has manifested in so many beautiful offerings through various courses, communities, digital and physical initiatives, and across various media platforms – medium, youtube, facebook, youtube, and more.

We are building a new Simple, Modern, Functional, and Beautiful Accessible website for Chinmaya Mission Niagara to make these offerings and interactions for seekers more accessible.

We would like to invite you to be a beta-user of this website and give us feedback on what works well and what can be improved.

HOW TO REVIEW

• Consider using the website in your normal routine (e.g. need to check class notes, see upcoming event details, etc), in addition to what ever you may currently use (e.g. medium or facebook)
• Consider using the website for an actual planned review, spending 10+ minutes to explore the website for the purpose of providing feedback.

HOW TO SEND FEEDBACK

Step 1: On the right hand side of the website for all pages, there is a small flag – Feedback. Click it any time to share feedback (no limits on how many feedbacks you provide).

Step 2: Submit the feedback on the feedback form. You are most welcome to submit as many feedback entries as you wish.

TYPE OF FEEDBACK WE ARE SEEKING

• What about the website experience do you like? Why?
• Any concerns with content (missing, incorrect)?
• Any concerns with design (colors, bad placement/formatting, fonts)?
• Any concerns with the navigation and experience (links, menus, use on mobile phones or tablets)?
• Anything you’d expect to see that was not there on the website?

The website can be accessed using this special URL (please do not share):
http://box5809.temp.domains/~vicharag/?cmp_bypass=951e6540309dc0d54c00234575124737

We sincerely appreciate you taking the time and effort to share your feedback. While there is no deadline for the feedback submission, we look forward to your early feedback that can help us get the website ready for public launch on March 1, 2021.

We are confident that the website will be improve with your feedback and suggestions.

Sincere gratitude,

Sevaks

When we invite Bhagavan Vamana, the One who is Brahman, into these states, that is the fulfillment of our lives. This great Mahabali became even greater, by giving these three states to Bhagavan Vamana.

In a simpler way, if we give a little bit to Bhagavan, Bhagavan will give us lots. Mahabali agreed to three small steps of Bhagavan Vamana, and Bhagavan gave him lots more. So if we give Him lots, then Bhagavan will give us Infinity. Let us give our body, give our mind, give our intellect to Bhagavan, and by doing so, we will finally give our ego as well, as we know that the only happiness we will experience is when we give ourselves to Bhagavan. Our course is using Jnana to develop Bhakti, Vedanta in Bhagavata.

Last week we came to know why Bhagavan Krshna is called Damodara, how His mother Yashoda surrendered dvaita or separation and this is shown by her laughing at herself, and how Bhagavan Krshna allowed Himself to be tied around His waist.

Everyone felt Gokula was cursed and decided to move to Vrindavana. And as this shift happened, we were introduced to another Asura called Vatsa asura, who is a symbol for attachment and this is a vice that all of us struggle with. Here are three I’s to be free from attachment.

1. InJoy — the more we are injoying our own evolution, the less we project completion outside of ourselves. Those who are extroverts are the most attached and the ones who are inward looking are the least attached.

2. Vibha Class Notes — Nov 15, 2020

Earlier in Srimad Bhagavata, we studied about Mahabali, a character who is strong mentally and physically. Yet, Bhagavan Vamana is bigger, He is the biggest. When Bhagavan Vamana takes three steps, covering Mahabali’s earth, heaven and finally his ego, how this relates to us is that these three steps are to be steps into our three states. We all live in one of these states — the waking, dream and sleep states.

When we invite Bhagavan Vamana, the One who is Brahman, into these states, that is the fulfillment of our lives. This great Mahabali became even greater, by giving these three states to Bhagavan Vamana.

In a simpler way, if we give a little bit to Bhagavan, Bhagavan will give us lots. Mahabali agreed to three small steps of Bhagavan Vamana, and Bhagavan gave him lots more. So if we give Him lots, then Bhagavan will give us Infinity. Let us give our body, give our mind, give our intellect to Bhagavan, and by doing so, we will finally give our ego as well, as we know that the only happiness we will experience is when we give ourselves to Bhagavan. Our course is using Jnana to develop Bhakti, Vedanta in Bhagavata.

Last week we came to know why Bhagavan Krshna is called Damodara, how His mother Yashoda surrendered dvaita or separation and this is shown by her laughing at herself, and how Bhagavan Krshna allowed Himself to be tied around His waist.

Everyone felt Gokula was cursed and decided to move to Vrindavana. And as this shift happened, we were introduced to another Asura called Vatsa asura, who is a symbol for attachment and this is a vice that all of us struggle with. Here are three I’s to be free from attachment.

1. InJoy — the more we are injoying our own evolution, the less we project completion outside of ourselves. Those who are extroverts are the most attached and the ones who are inward looking are the least attached.

2. Integrate — when we live our life integrated to the higher, we naturally disintegrate to the lower, but always remember that the lower is included in the higher. When we love some, that is called attachment and when we love all that is called detachment.

3. Insight — when we are attached, we don’t think, speak or act objectively, in other words, we make the wrong decisions, we express the wrong emotions.

When we know this, we will help more and care more as we are practicing being detached. The symbolism of these Asuras is indeed very useful.

10:11:58 — Rishi Shuka continues to share with Raja Parikshita the leela of Bhagavan Krshna. As Shri Nanda and his family and friends remembered and shared the katha or the happenings of Shri Krshna and Balarama and all of the struggles they were going through as their kids were in danger, they didn’t feel stressed, but just “injoyed”. They were discussing how so many asuras came to kill baby Krshna, but how the asuras themselves died. What a wonder! They were discussing how when Rishi Garga had named Bhagavan Krshna, he had said ‘No one will touch Him, He will touch all’. And how those words were coming true.

They were all in Vrindavana and the boys were getting older. One day all these Gopas, Bhagavan Krshna and Balarama took their lunch with them to eat it in the forest while tending to the cows. They got thirsty after lunch and went to this water close by. And as the cows were drinking and as they were drinking, there was this immense crane or stork called Baka asura who swept down fast and swallowed Bhagavan Krshna. When Balarama and all the boys saw that Bhagavan Krshna was no longer there, they felt like they died. They felt dizzy and they fainted. Then they noticed that this crane looked as if it was burping, but as the crane opened its mouth, smoke started coming out. More and more smoke came out as Bhagavan Krshna had turned Himself into fire inside the bird. Baka then coughed Him out and started pecking at Bhagavan Krshna who then caught the two beaks of the bird and split the beaks apart like a blade of grass and all the boys were in wonder of Bhagavan Krshna!

Vedanta: What do we feel Baka symbolizes? It symbolizes hypocrisy. How many of us feel that we are more than one-third hypocritical? These are the gauges of hypocrisy.

• When we are hypocritical at the action level, then we feel tired. If we generally feel tired, that is because our actions are not integrated.
• At a speech level or mental level, we associate hypocrisy with words. We feel when we tell the untruth, then we feel sick.
• And at an intellectual level, we feel confused as we don’t know what reality is anymore.

So how do we overcome hypocrisy? Here are two strategies given by Vivekji, one high strategy and one relative strategy –

• The higher strategy is transparency. When we live in a transparent way, that is the antidote to hypocrisy. We tend to lead quite secretive lives in our regular affairs. When we are hypocritical, we are then denying that Bhagavan is omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent. We think that God lives in Heaven and He never heard us. We only believe that Bhagavan is omnipresent, yet that faith is lacking. Living transparently makes life simpler. This is an advantage of living a public life as we cannot do wrong things.
• A relative way to destroy this asura is internal validation. As long as we seek validation externally, we will be untrue to ourselves. We will be unnatural. If we are not looking for external validation, it helps us to be true to ourselves, and be natural. However, let us not forget that no one will ever be able to externally validate us…ever! So why even use that as a measure?

All of these boys were most happy when Bhagavan Krshna defeated Baka asura. The chapter ends with one of the favorite pastimes of these kids which was to behave like monkeys. They used to climb trees and swing from branch to branch.

10:12:43 — This time Raja Parikshita is sharing with Rishi Shuka, saying that he is the luckiest person in the whole world even though he is an ordinary kshatriya. We should try and relate to this as we are also ordinary seekers. Still referring to Rishi Shuka, he says ‘You are my friend, you are my Guru and again and again, I get tattva, I get to drink this truth’. And what is this drinking of truth like? It is made up of the katha of Bhagavan Krshna. This is us. For years we have been drinking the katha of Bhagavan Krshna. Now let us see some more of His leela.

One morning, Bhagavan Krshna decided to eat lunch in the woods. They have ordinary pastures, but this time, He wanted to eat in the woods. So He woke up early and started to move in that direction. And like a magnet, all of the other Gopas woke up as well and there was a huge commotion as they started banging drums and throwing things. Their parents were happy and also woke up early and helped their children dress up, and put tilak on them. And as they went into the woods, they stole each other’s ornaments and played monkey in the middle with each other.

Often Bhagavan Krshna would walk faster than the rest of them. And all these other boys would make it a competition to see who could catch up with Him first to touch. Everyone loved to be close and touching Bhagavan Krshna. They liked to act like monkeys and actually liked to act like all animals. They would jump in the water and act like frogs to scare the frogs. So lovely to hear such details to know that they were just kids. All the things that we describe philosophically, forgiving and living in the present, they lived like that naturally.

Our next Asura is Agha asura, which is a python. It is bigger and slower than other snakes. So as these boys were being kids and goofing around, this Agha asura was very jealous of them. He came near them and opened his mouth like a huge cave-like area. He was so big that no one realised that this was a creature and all of those boys and around a thousand cows meandered into this cave. This is what kids do, go everywhere they are not supposed to. And as soon as they came into this python’s mouth, there was so much poison and heat, that just the air destroyed all of these cows and those kids, except Bhagavan Krshna. Bhagavan Krshna knew that this was Agha Asura and that Kamsa had sent him. Looking around the cave, Bhagavan wanted to play the same game so He started growing Himself, bigger than Agha itself, similar to Hanumanji and Surasa. And He became so big, that He burst through that python. And finally, when that fresh air flowed over the other boys and the cows, they came back to life.

Now what does Agha Asura symbolize? It symbolizes Sin. Agha also means sin. In Chapter fifteen of the Bhagavad Gita, Bhagavan Krshna calls Prince Arjuna, Anagha, the one who is sinless. Just like a python destroys its food by choking it, so too does sin choke our happiness. In particular, sin is an expression of selfishness and makes us more selfish. The greatest weight on our lives is selfishness. We can all understand this, so how do we come out of it?

1. Start to act for those who are not you, as selfishness is when you act for yourself. So start to act for family, community, etc. Initially this will be forced, but once we feel the lightness of nishkama karma, selfless responsibilities, then this will become natural. Just start. It is similar to forcing ourselves to volunteer, and then it becomes our lifestyle. This is one way to destroy Agha.
2. Be honest with yourself, through a cost benefit analysis. What are the costs and what are the benefits when we are living in a selfish way and when we are not living in a selfish way? Living in a selfish way there are only costs, but living in a selfless way there are only benefits. So don’t be swallowed. This is another approach to destroy Agha.

Putana, Shakata, Trinaavarta, Vatsa, Baka and Agha are the Asuras that we have studied. If it is too hard to remember what all this means or all of these strategies that have been suggested, what Guruji Swami Tejomayananda shared was to — Nurture and establish Bhagavan Krshna in our heart. He will kill all of these Asuras for us. We can attack them one at a time, or we can bring in Bhagavan Vamana who is Bigger than anything that is big.

Notes by Prashanti Gogineni

Review:

• The first name that we learnt about Gurudev is Aniketha. Aniketha means the one who has no home. We admire the people who feel comfortable anywhere.
• The second name that we learnt about Gurudev Anushasana Priya. This means I admire the one who is disciplined. This is one who does their responsibilities cheerfully.
• The third name we learnt is Santhusta. This means one who is ever content.

Lesson:
The fourth name of Gurudev is Kri-taat-mane. This means I admire the one who is self made. What is self made? Self made means that someone has accomplished everything on their own. But for us this means one who lives intentionally. Intentional means whenever we do something for a reason that we know.

Activity:
A bowl with one cup of flour. Add a tablespoon of salt and a glass of water. Make dough out of the flour and sculpt Ganeshji but you only get one try to add the water with the flour and salt. Hint: less water is better.

Discussion:
This activity was an example of how we create our own future self. There is who we are now but then in the future there is the person that we can become. Who we are now is like the dough. Every dough is different just like how each one of us is different. Every single action that we take in sculpting our dough creates our future self. Everything that we are doing is helping mold or sculpt who we are going to become. That is the power of our actions. What it means to live intentionally is that with every single action that we do we have to remember our future self that we want to create. Whenever we do something we know why we are doing it. What is the best way of living intentionally? The best way of living intentionally is to take on more responsibility.

Raw:
Take whatever device you use and put it in the closet after you have used it.

================================

Notes by Aarya Mishra

Review –

We started with a short review of all the names we have learnt so far.

1- Aniketa — one who has no home, who is comfortable everywhere.

2- Anushasanapriya — one who loves discipline.

3- Santushta — one who is always content.

Lesson –

The name of Gurudev that we learnt this week is Kritaatma. Om Kritaatmane Namaha — This means I admire the one who is self-made. Self made means, one who lives intentionally. Shankarji gave us an example of what intentional means: I am studying for a test, and the intention to learn and get good grades.

Practice –

Take –

– bowl of water

– 1 cup of flour

– 1 tablespoon of salt (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Mix the flour with salt and water. You could only take water once carefully to have the right amount.

2. You should have dough.

3. Sculpt the Ganesha same as Shankarji shared.

Lesson from the practice —

We are like the slurpy dough or the dry dough right now. As we live with good habits and intention, we can shape and form our future selves. Every action we do shapes who we become. We should take on more responsibilities to practice this.

RAW

Unless you actually need them, lock all of your devices in the closet, and only take them out when you need them.

RECAP:

Science of Right Action:

• Engaging the mind with purpose
• Letting go of the outcomes

How? Shifting our attitude from focusing from outcome to action:

1. Using a planner
2. Unitask routine
3. Undertake more

We can do more with these methods.

DISCOURSE:

All actions are prompted by desire. There is no such thing as doing nothing, it’s really just idleness. When there’s no direction, we fall for everything. I am my own worst enemy.

Responsibilities are opportunities:

1. Responsibilities come unasked with age
2. Ignorance is not an excuse
3. Our responsibilities are thankless (no expectation of reward)

What are evolution actions? What are devolution actions?

Evolution:

1. Regular responsibilities (ex: brushing your teeth)

Constantly evolving and accumulating (daily)

2. Special responsibilities (ex: welcome family friends when they come once in a while)

It’ s occasional (it’s hard, 90% of work is starting) as you do more, you’ll undertake more

Devolution: make us feel smaller, making us dependent on outcomes; take us further away from our nature (ex: cheating on an exam)

1. Selfish actions
2. Prohibited action: illegal actions

What about alcohol and drugs?

1. Evaluate your intentions, is it helping you or is it hurting you?

ACTIVITY:

Skits: Come up with a skit in your breakout rooms to demonstrate evolution and devolution.

Whatever you do whether it be before or after the fact, always ask yourself is this action facilitating my evolution or devolution? When we become clear about what type of action we have done or will do, we can leverage ourselves

Story

There was a farmer who complained about his land a lot because he had so much land that he had to put up a fence to know which was his land. When he looked outside he couldn’t see his cows,and when he tried walking from the barn to his house it was hard because it was dark and he had a lot of land. He also complained about the lake because it had too many fish.

So he decided he was going to move to some place better and called his real estate agent to sell his land.

As the farmer was reading a newspaper the next day, he saw an advertisement for a nice house in a beautiful place — it had a lake, fish, a classic barn, beautiful flowers, had good hills, great grass and it came with a wonderful herd of cows! It was next to a town where one could buy groceries. The farmer was so happy because this was exactly the house he wanted to move to.

After reading the ad for a second and a third time, he realized that the real estate agent had actually listed his own house and property in this ad!

So the farmer called his real estate agent and told him that he was already living in the best place possible and did not need to move!

Lesson from the story

It is easy to complain and be frustrated with our current situation. Think about how our current situation would look to an outsider. This gives us a new perspective on our situation that tells us that things are not as bad as we think. We forget about all the things we already have that we take for granted.

Virtue for this week

This week we studied the virtue of CONTENTMENT.

Om santushtaya namaha — which means “I admire the one who is always CONTENT.”

Reflect — How many things have you wanted in your life? How many of these things have you got?

Lesson — We will never get everything we want e.g. not everyone can come first in a race.

Think about all the things that you have that you take for granted — a pillow to sleep on, good food to eat, water to drink, space to play. Many people do not have these basic things.

Remember all that you already have. This is called GRATITUDE.

Practice and its significance

Take 5 minutes to write down everything that you appreciate and are grateful for about your parents.

Then find your parents and tell them what you wrote down.

How did you think your parents felt when you read your list to them? Happy, loving.

How did you feel sharing this with your parents? Happy, good!

This teaches us that all we need is to remember what we already have, just like the farmer in the story. Everyone’s happiness is not outside of us, our happiness is us. When we practice being grateful, we invoke the happiness that is us. This is what CONTENTMENT is.

Questions & Answers

If someone is bothering you and they don’t stop even after you ask them to, what should you do?

1. Ask them to please stop bothering you
2. If they don’t stop, talk to an adult about it.
3. Understand that others are also struggling — this could be because they are being bothered or troubled by others. Try to put yourself in their shoes. This makes it easier for you to face challenges and forgive even those who are bothering you.

RAW for the week

Each day before you sleep, write down 3 things that you are grateful for. Keep this list by your bed.

First thing in the morning before you get out of bed, read what you were grateful for and start your day feeling CONTENT!

============================

Notes by Pranavi Ananthanarayanan

Story

Once there was a farmer who always kept complaining about all things in life. He complained about a lake how dirty it was. One night he was working and starting to get overwhelmed with all the farm work. So he decided to leave and not stay in the house anymore and to get a new house. Next day, he called the farm seller to sell his farm. But then he suddenly noticed an advertisement about a house which had a very good description. He read more than once and in the third time he realized that it was his own house that was beautifully described by a women. He was sad how he treated his house and the animals in the farm. He then decided to stay in his own house and be happy and grateful for what he has.

Lesson: Sometimes we need a new perspective on how we see things.

We all take everything for granted which is not good.

Virtue:

Santushta : I admire the one who is content (grateful for)

Practice: Write 3 things about your parents and why you are grateful to them.

RAW : Every night before you go to sleep write 3 things what you are grateful for and in the morning read the 3 things that you wrote and start the day.

Who would you choose as a greater superhero — Batman or Superman? Majority voted for Batman because you cannot become Superman but you can become Batman. Batman doesn’t have an inherent special power but he thinks and acts in a heroic way. The character Bruce Wayne has everything in life i.e. pleasure, possession, and position but knows there is more to life than that. He goes exploring and finds who he really is and as Batman he serves community, society and humanity.

Similarly Prince Arjuna has all but he doesn’t feel he has all. He has the doubts (Moha/Confusion) and seeks Lord Krishna’s help and guidance. PAQ is Prince Arjuna’s questions and Bhagavan Krishna’s answers. It is NOT an external text but is our mind/our question and our doubts. Living the Gita is to be practiced every day and most importantly reflected on.

Recap:

Question 1: What is Peace

Reflection: How can you shift your attitude toward your responsibility; from what you can gain to what you can give. Each of us is a piece and life is a puzzle. Your responsibilities are all pieces in this grand puzzle. Fulfillment comes when the puzzle is complete. Peace is fulfillment of our responsibilities. Be steady in whatever you do. No complaining, criticizing, crying as they make us unsteady.

Question 2: What is Sin

Reflection: What are the ways one tries to escape responsibilities? We procrastinate. We tend to do the least important tasks first. When we engage in less important tasks first; there is a weight on our mind of the important tasks which are yet to be done. This weight keeps increasing causing anxiety, stress. So Prioritize!

Prince Arjuna’s Question 3: What is Righteousness

Chapter 1, Verse 37: ‘Therefore, we shall not kill the sons of Dhritarashtra, our relatives; for how can we be happy by killing our own people, O Madhava?’

Prince Arjuna laments on how he can kill his relatives which is a sense of doership. His perspective is on killing when he should be focused on stopping the Kauravas who are killing. Prince Arjuna is using his eyes and seeing them as relatives rather than using his intellect and seeing them as terrorists. If you do not stop harm (external or internal) you are an accomplice and encourage the act. We feel there is more pleasure in escapism than embracing it. Prince Arjuna thinks about escaping his responsibility and asks Bhagavan Krishan about it.

Bhagavan Krishna’s Answer: Chapter 2, Verse 32:

‘Happy indeed are the KSHATRIYAS, O Partha, who are called to fight in such a battle, that comes of itself as an open door to heaven’

Why does anything happen to us? We do not know why things happen to us but we experienced them and carried on. So, keep going with the flow!

Bhagavan Krishna is sharing that for everyone who embraces what is happening to them right now, the door to heaven is open for us. Bhagvan Krishna is emphasizing that by embracing our responsibilities that are righteous, our mind will be quiet and we will feel heaven. Everything happens to us for our evolution. Every experience we go through, every responsibility is actually our gate to heaven — to quietude of mind! The fight is to establish dharma. In the world there is a rise in adharma. So the responsible people need to be more responsible. Being who we are is reestablishing that balance. Think about who you are and your responsibilities.

Question:

Question 1: How do you manage conflicting responsibilities?

If responsibilities lead to heaven, being irresponsible leads to hell. So what if you follow one responsibility and pulled to another, there is a mix of both?

Answer:

1. Choose the responsibility that encourages maximum happiness for maximum people for maximum time. Put it into the decision making process. If one is focused on responsibility towards Divinity, humanity, society, community and family is included in it already.
2. One will be kicked hardest by those who you want to help most. This is the nature of dvaita (duality) where people kick. This happens in Twoness. In Oneness it doesn’t matter and someone’s comment, ignoring you, talking about you. You don’t let it affect you. Best example is Bhagavan Rama who has perpetual conflicting responsibilities.

Question 2: Is it right to wait to be asked for help rather than offering/jumping in to help? If someone didn’t ask for help should you help them?

Answer: Those who served humanity and society the most did so without being asked. They felt the need of humanity and society like Swami Chinmayananda, Swami Sivananda did so. They were kicked down but they got up because they felt the need of the people. Proactive vs reactive towards service.

Question 3: My definition of righteousness is different from someone else’s. How do you know your responsibility, especially in conflicting responsibilities?

Answer:

1. Associate with those who are wise. The wsie is tuned in to the maximum to Divinity, Humanity, Society, Community. Whatever they did we need to follow suit.
2. The more one engages in getting to know themselves through scriptures, the more you know who you are and what to do.

Question 4: When I get in a conflict, stressful situation with kids. How do you handle it?

Answer:

1. Purpose of life is to be quiet and happy and not to be externally perfect. Take it easy more, especially with others but have higher expectations of ourself. We should tell kids but in a kind, comfortable way.
2. As we get in seeing everyone all the time. Pick and choose your battles and let go on the lighter ones and focus on the moral ones.

To Do: Address the questions and reflections in advance before class.

Reflection on RAW from 9/24: Whenever your mind is agitated, drink water. If that doesn’t work, then wash your hands . We put so much effort into tending to our external self because we are extroverts. We need to put the same amount of effort to our internal self — purifying our mind through reading, writing and reflection. If you can, you will be in heaven

Raw for 10/1: Identify 3 engagements/activities that you are doing that you know to be wrong. You are knowingly doing this and know that it is wrong.

In the 7th section of Shrimad Bhagavatam, when Hiranyaksha was killed by Bhagavan Varaha, his brother Hiranyakashyapu gets enraged and creates a retaliation rampage. He tells his family members that since Bhagavan Narayana is strengthened by yagna, they should go and destroy all the yagnas and stop anyone who is going to try to do yagnas. After the rampage begins, he calls his mother, his sister-in-law and all the kids and begins to share insights on life and death. One of the insights he shares is that all beings, including himself, his brother and all family members are particles of dust and these particles come and separate as life goes on. This is called “Asura Vedanta” where you talk the talk but don’t walk the walk. Asura Vedanta is when you treat others sorrow to be an illusion but you treat your own sorrow to be real. If he had meant what he was preaching, he wouldn’t have started that rampage. “Sura Vedanta” is where one gives reality to others sorrows but treat one’s own sorrow as an illusion. Hiranyakashyapu is engaged in wrong thinking which is shallow and there is no growth involved. We as students of Vedanta are trying to focus on deep, right thinking with a focus on growth.

Recap of verse 1: First verse of Drig Drishya Viveka highlights the shift from many to one. This verse reminds us of the first verse of Bhajagovindam. All the remaining verses revolve around this verse. It shows us the distinction between the Seer and the Seen, many objects and single pair of eyes. The eyes and its conditions in turn are noticed by the mind. The mind contains many thoughts and the observer that observes them in one. Another way to analyze this is shift our thinking from “manyness” (object) to “oneness” (subject). The purer we make our equipment, body, breath, mind, intellect, ego, the closer this becomes to the spirit. When the ego becomes extremely pure, devoid of deservership and doership. This pure ego is the observer. To present this more visually, we can imagine Bhagavan Rama’s body, which was made of light. His apparent matter was therefore much closer to the spirit.

Verse 2: The first line of this verse is bringing to our attention, how diversity is unimaginable. There are entities of varying colors, weights, heights, etc. On a tangible level, this line is encouraging us to be more appreciative of creation. We would show our appreciation by being in nature more and appreciate sights and sounds of nature and take better care of the environment. Analyzing this logically and objectively, if there is a creation, there has to be a creator. Appreciation towards the creation, helps us understand the fundamental (the creator). Creation is many but the creator is one. In Shrimad Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 10 focusses on the multiplicity, whereas in Chapter 11, the verses show that all of that is actually One.

There are lots of forms (objects) or seen (in the context of this text). The last quarter of the first verse had indicated that there is only the Seer and it is never seen. We have to burn this in our minds: “The seer is not the seen” Regardless, of the context, this law will never change. This can also be interpreted as: “the seen is not the seer” and “seer and seen cannot be the same at the same time”.

The nature of the Seer is awareness and nature of the seen is inertness. Even though we feel intellectually that there can be no relationship between the two, in actuality we don’t feel it. The main theme of this text is to show us that indeed they are both separate. Just like light and dark can have no relationship, one cannot exist in the presence of the other.

Even though there are many forms, the eyes that are seeing them are one set. The implication of this is that when one engages in Vichara, you don’t take any experience and relationship for granted. In every experience we have ever had, whether we remember it or not, there has been a trace of “Drik”, the seer. We have to question in every experience, where the seer is, in the object (articles, beings, circumstances) OR in me, the subject? In every experience, there is awareness, there is light. What is the source of this light?

We should not take for grated that this body is the spirit. Acharya Shankara is using spatial descriptions of objects but we can take this in a subtle field of likes and dislikes, love and hatred. We have to analyze if the emotion is of the nature or WE are of the nature of awareness.

Recap:

• People always tell us to “be happy,” but how do we do this?
• We must remember that happiness is our nature, and we must just be.
• Just being is difficult for us because of the many folds of our personalities. We’re constantly becoming, not being.
• To go from becoming to being, we must engage in selfless action.

RAW Reflection from Week 2:

• Last week, Sumanji asked us to sit and close our eyes for 15 minutes every day.
• He asked us to notice how many thoughts come to our mind while we do this
• I realized that a countless number of thoughts came to mind — moving my body, agenda for the day, thinking about what I had just in

Even when I was engaged in a task as simple as sitting, I couldn’t live in the present, I was constantly stuck in the past or future

With the guidance of the Guru and with further reflection, I hope to be able to live in the present

Discourse:

• Our body needs food for sustenance, similarly our mind needs the 5 senses for sustenance
  
• How do we consume the world?
  • our mind takes in sense objects
  • sense objects perceived through the senses and mind gives them attention

• The only way our mind doesn’t consume is
  • our instruments don’t function (ex: being blind)
  • mind is inattentive (ex: engaged in a movie and not realizing what else is going on

• How do we control our mind and engage in right action?
  • reining in senses with the mind itself (example: when we sleep) → very difficult task
  • engaging our mind with purpose (guide for our mind and reigns it in)
    • Ex: doing homework with the purpose of learning — less distracted
    • let go of the outcome, shift attention from outcome to the act — begins with responsibilities

• Work is compromised when we focus on the outcome

*3 U’s — Utilize a Planner (make your purpose clear), Uni-task Routine (mind is more focused on the task at hand), Undertake More (ability to take on more is natural)*

Activity

Write about each of these topics for 5 minutes each

1. Write about the time you acted without attachment to a reward/outcome? How did you feel?

I talked about engaging in helping my parents with planting outside my home. I wasn’t especially attached to this act or outcome, I was just helping to help my parents. I felt carefree and was just living in the moment. I didn’t have to worry about the future or if I was doing everything “right.”

2. Write about a time when you acted with selfish attachment. What happened? Why? How did you feel?

Apologized to someone just to clear my conscience → I felt guilty, and in turn I was the one that was hurt. I wasn’t being genuine, and this inner turmoil affected me.

3. What one place in your life can you act without expectation of a reward/outcome? How can I approach this situation differently?

Doing school assignments for the purpose of learning and expanding my knowledge, not for a good grade or a sense of self worth. I can start taking my time on HW, not rushing through it just to complete it

Sumanji: When we have selfish attachment, our energy is dissipated in this mental space. One place where we can act without expectation of a reward/outcome is in our home by engaging in our responsibilities, such as chores.

Our attitude should never be that ‘we don’t care if we don’t gain’ or that ‘we are not interested if there is no utility for me’. The danger of this mind set is that it makes us worldly. This makes us dependent on the world (articles, beings, circumstances) and one who is dependent cannot think rightly. Right thinking is when our focus is not on gain or utility. Right thinking is expressed as deep thinking, where we come to appreciate that the gain is coming through our own self-development and comes from within. When the framework of introspection, detection, negation, substitution is complete, then one feels emancipation.

‘Drg Drshya Viveka’ is also known as ‘Vakya Sudha’. Sudha means ‘Amrutha’ or peace or infinity. This scripture will help us feel free. This scripture flows through Viveka (which comes from the base ‘vich’ which means to filter). The experiencer and experienced are different. We are limited by whatever we identify with! We know we are not our car or our shadow — we need to apply this thinking when it comes to our body and mind also!

Forms are seen, eye is the seer

‘Rupa’ is all that the eyes see (form and color). Rupa is the ‘seen’ while the ‘seer’ is the eyes. Forms that are referred to here are the articles, beings and circumstances (ABCs) , which means the world. (This would refer to ‘O’ (Objects) in Swami Chinmayananda’s BMI chart). The ‘ABCs’ or ‘O’ are many, which is brought to the body (or eyes) which is one. With reference to the BMI chart, we go from Objects to Body, that is we go higher.

Eyes are seen, mind is the seer

The eyes (body) are the ‘seen’ and the ‘seer’ is the mind. The eyes are the gross body and the mind is the subtle body. Although the eyes are referenced here, ‘body’ refers to all the body parts (many) while the mindis one.

Mind is seen, Sakshi (witness or observer) is the seer

Dhi means mind/intellect (deeper than the mind). Mind is only thoughts. Thoughts are many while the witness is one. So here we go from the subtle body (mind) to causal body (witness).

The ‘Sakshi’ is not Sat Chit Ananda (existence, awareness, joy). Existence/awareness is infinite, and there is no other entity (so cannot be observing!). Advaita means there is no other. When there is a witness/observer, then there has to be two entities. Hence Sakshi cannot be the Absolute.

The Sakshi is the seer and that never becomes the seen. Sakshi is a purified ego. Whatever we eat — some of it goes back to earth (Tamasic part), some becomes the body (Rajasic part) and some becomes the mind (Saathvik part). Considering the breathing system — those who are unhealthy breathe heavily even while not doing anything, whereas Yogis can hold their breath for a long time. So there is a gross breath, a subtle breath and a causal breath. We can extrapolate this to the mind/intellect/ego. ‘Sattva’ means quiet, ‘Shudda Sattva’ is very quiet (in a pure way) and ‘Vishuddha Sattva’ is a new degree of being extremely very quiet! Sakshi is quite close to ‘Sat Chit Ananda’ or Brahman or awareness, but is not awareness. Sakshi is the one who is experiencing.

Sun is illumination/light. Sakshi is like the sun’s rays. Sun’s rays and Sun are different. If we follow the rays, it will lead us to the Sun. In the same way, if we practice Sakshi Bhava, that is, feeling that I am different from what I am experiencing — then my identification changes, which means my limitations change.

In the 9th Skanda of Srimad Bhagavatam, the focus is ‘Vasana kshaya’. Vasana means limits. There are 3 ways to free ourselves from these limits. The surface way is exhaustion for light Vasanas — just go through it. For medium Vasanas , it is parivartana or substitution. For deep Vasanas, it has to be Vasana Nasha, or disidentification of those Vasanas. As long as we feel we have those Vasanas, we are limited by them. When we know that we are different from the Vasana, then we are not limited by them!

Go from the ABCs, to the body, to the mind and to that very pure ego. Have the feeling that you are the experiencer rather than the experienced and that will be the catalyst for us to transcend experience. When we transcend experience then we are just ‘be-ing’ !