Debrief of Test

Question 11: Why do you care for whom you care?

–        Identification. The implication is to identify with all.

Question 12: What is our practice related to the pancha rnas (5 debts we all have)?

–        Return dedication

Question 13: What are the 4 factors that facilitate learning?

–        Guide, Your own effort, Community, Time

Question 14: What is the theme of verse 4?

–        How one should orient their lifestyle

Question 15: If you appreciate sthane, you will be engaged in the 28^th practice

–        Dissect negativity

Question 16: To inhibit addiction to articles and attachment to being, the minimum percentage of resources to charity and time to community is what?

–        10% of your age to charity and 5% of your age to community on a monthly and weekly basis

Question 17: If you date mind, you will grow out of ___ and into ___.

–        Grow out of Loneliness and into Aloneness (Oneness)

Question 18: What makes some believe in God and others not?

–        Punya (your own effort) and Kripa (the multiverse’s effort)

Question 19: Acharya Shankara is an ideal synthesis of what?

–        Karma, Bhakti, and Jnana

Question 20: Death is like a ___.

–        Graduation

This test is exponentially more indicative of who you are than other tests you take. The point here is not whether you did well or not, but the act of taking the test is important.

Dialogue

How to build compassion?

Higher perspective: everyone’s evolution is facilitated by Bhagavan. Judging others is like judging Bhagavan.

Lower perspective: Make it your goal (sankalpa) to grow out of whatever you are judging them for. Helping others becomes a Sattvic challenge – both become better for it.

Last week’s RAW was tell jokes. Share your jokes:

What is an old snowman called? – Puddle

What did the fish say when it hit a wall? – Dam

RAM: Our next class will be on September 14. Our RAM until then will be to register for our Living the Gita course – an independent self-study course starting June 1.

Introduction

In our culture, a leader must avoid seven addictions/vices/wrongs:

1. Sthriya – lust

2. Aksha – gambling, including betting/lottery

3. Mrigaya – hunting – where animals are part of your diet/comfort

4. Panna – that which makes you intoxicated (alcohol/drugs)

5. Vakparushya – being wicked with your words because you can’t take that back

6. Dandaparushya – wicked actions (retaliation)

7. Arthadooshana – mismanagement of resources (being selfish), including natural resources

What we have been doing for 32 weeks is engaging in practices that are preventative – preventing us from succumbing to these 7 wrong actions or addictions. For example, if you sleep altar, the propensity to give into lust is less. These practices are preventative and proactive – e.g. dissect negativity, give percentages. All of these are ways for us to be more independent. These ancient practices or frameworks are still relevant today.

Once a mandir had closed and the doors were locked – at that time the floor and the icon started to talk to each other. The floor said to the icon “we are both made of marble yet all day people walk and spit on me, but to you they offer tears, flowers and prayers – this is unfair – what makes you different from me?” The icon shared “when our Creator pulled us from the Earth, we were the same, but I allowed the Creator to break, chisel and shape and that’s why people worship me and walk on you.” Sadhana Panchakam is the chisel that can shape us and take us to a place of worship. The choice is ours.

Discourse

Verse 5 Practice 39: prarabdham tviha bhujyatam

This practice really relates to being a jeevan mukta – one who is enlightened while their body is living because of these prints that have begun comprehensively. When you become internally content, your context does not matter. For the person who has a quiet mind, every day is a good day. For the person with a loud day, every day is a bad day. If you are content, no matter the circumstances, still you will smile. For this reason, “tell joke” – laughter is an instant vacation.

Verse 5 Practice 40: parabrahmatmana sthiyatam

Translation: You are the greatest (GOAT), be established in this.

Absolute

The focus of this practice is Videha mukta – the one who is enlightened when the body is not alive. For one who is free, the body is like their clothing.

Relative

For the one who applies themselves to the Veda, they will feel brahma. The Veda covers dharma and brahma (how to be peaceful).  Follow the Veda, and you will be peaceful

Tactile

Reference daily. Every day, you must reference Sadhana Panchakam. Go from n/a to n/o – not applicable to not optional. If you make these practices optional, you may be prosperous but not peaceful.

Introduction

If you can analyze what causes people to experience stress and dejection, the general reason is maya.  Maya allows the impossible to be possible. How? Through kripa (grace). Kripa also makes the impossible possible. Grace always begins with your self-effort. The more you give, the more you get… the more is revealed. If you’re feeling maya, then also feel kripa. Kripa is within you. Our course is proof of that. 

The course is entitled Practices to Perfection. The practice here is less about the verb like sleep or write or take. It is more so about remembering Divinity – remembering who you are. By remembering Divinity, you transform from postponing happiness to being Happiness. When I forget Divinity, I try to create happiness. But when I remember Divinity, I’m being Happiness, it doesn’t matter what verb I’m ‘in’. This is particularly relevant for those with less time. And the way that society is moving, this is the best course for those who think time is moving too fast. 

Discourse

The fifth verse has the theme of svatantra. Tantra means authority. Svatantra means when you are your own authority. The point is that you are independent. Being independent means joy. Independence is the opposite of insecurity; 99% of society probably deals with insecurity so being independent is the trajectory for one to get out of insecurity.

The 35th practice shares that one should try to see that this multiverse has the nature of completion. This multiverse is Divine and there are people who experience this. I read about a seeker who wherever he put his feet, a shivalinga would come up from the ground. I read about how people can hear Shri Krishna’s flute still playing at Vrindavan around Govardhan. I read that Shri Surdas was grateful that he was blind because all he saw behind his closed eyes was Bhagavan Baby Krishna. Wouldn’t that be a beautiful sight? 

The 36th practice was to understand and appreciate that this multiverse is also limited. That people feel stuck. And there’s a beautiful connection between 35 and 36 that if you feel complete, you can actually help people who feel the same way. First you learn to be happy, then you reach the higher seva, which is to help others. 

Verse 5 Practice 37 prakkarma pravilapyatam 

What’s a challenge without a purpose? A challenge without purpose is a problem. A challenge with purpose becomes training. Every opportunity is an opportunity to train. And our practice is “Learn Past.”

Verse 5 Practice 38: citibalannapyuttaraih slisyatam

The present is facilitating the future. In terms of debt, if you’re a corporation and you have long-term debt, that’s sanchita karma. In this year, you assign some of the long-term debt into short-term debit and you start to pay it off. That short-term debt is prarabdha karma (Practice 39).  But as you’re paying it off you’re incurring more – legal, administrative fees, etc. That’s called agami karma (future debt). 

Our practice is “Renounce Meaninglessness.” As you’re living in the present and experiencing meaninglessness, you’re going to incur more debt. So, renounce it! 

Verse 5 Practice 39: prarabdham tviha bhujyatam

Absolute

This practice is encouraging us to be present. Understand and appreciate what you’re experiencing here and now. 

Relative

Exhaust this final opportunity, the final birth. By doing so, it’s like graduating. Acharya Shankara means let this be the last opportunity, the last birth. If you live Sadhana Panchakam in terms of your past present and your present future, then you’ll only have the present. And when you reflect on this, when one learns all that they can, then they die. That’s a form of graduating. 

Tactile

Tell Joke. Laughter is an instant vacation; when you laugh, you lose whatever context you have. Tell joke and feel free. Feel the present. 

Discussion 

What is your best practice to live in the present? What do you do to help you live in the present?

RAW

Tell Joke

Recap 

1. Read Inspiring
2. Delete ‘But’ 
3. Chant Yours (formerly Samarpayam)
4. Guide Gratitude
5. Speak Positively
6. Review Disturbances
7. Review Quietude
8. Smile Mirror
9. Prepare Experience
10. Set Altar
11. Allow Speak
12. Sleep Early
13. Study Happiness
14. Visualize Guide
15. Invoke Pages
16. Write Notes
17. Walk Freely
18. Sit Still
19. Eat Alone 
20. Ask Wise
21. Label Less
22. Return Dedication
23. Help Bodies
24. Prostate Openly 
25. Ignore Snacks
26. Plan Meals/ Surf Agenda
27. Naturalize Food
28. Dissect Negativity
29. Remember change 
30. Say No
31. Flip coin
32. Give percentages
33. Date Mind
34. Talk God
35. Leave light
36. Record Dream

Introduction

A quote from a Georgia senator on gun violence  “As a pastor I am praying for those who are affected by the tragedy. Thoughts and prayers are not enough if you do nothing. It is a mockery of prayer… We pray by taking action” What a lovely and accurate reflection. For us, we know that these are the final 2 weeks of our class. To say you are living by invoking and evoking joy yet, not practicing joy/sadhanas is similar to the mockery of prayer. It is the same trivialization of faith. In other words, you say you are living for joy but not practicing joy. It is a sign of hypocrisy. This is why our course is designed towards practice. If you practice, it becomes practical and if you don’t then it’s not practical. For 9 years we have been exploring reflective practices. Even after 9 years of exploration, we are not used to reflective practices.

In the Bhagavad Gita it is said manasyan sahsru– among thousands, one is trying to be better and amongst 1000 who are better, one becomes the best. One who is trying to be joyous is one in a million. Being joyous is subjective so it has to be lived. This is why we need a role model like Acharya Shankara. Acharya Shankara’s writings are so broad and deep that it is connected to all. It was written for everyone’s evolution from most evolved to the least. His final writing is Sadhana Panchakam. It is like collecting all the writings in one. It is like an analysis of best practices.

Review
The message of the final 3 verses in Sadhana Panchakam are as follows:

Verse 3 focuses on one’s potential to be independently joyous. 

Verse 4 focuses on one’s path to being independently joyous

Verse 5 leads to Independence or Perfection. 

Verse 5, Practice 35: purnatma susamiksyatam
See the multiverse as divine. The purer you live, the quieter your mind. If the lifestyle is towards purification, then the mind will be quieter. Once the mind is quiet, you will see and feel the thread/cord tying the whole multiverse together in oneness. We are all pearls of a necklace and Divinity is the cord. If one finds the teaching challenging, then live for purification. The practice we established is to ‘leave light’, meaning every article, being, circumstance must feel lighter when we leave them.

Verse 5, Practice 36: jagadidam tadbadhitam drsyatam
Know that the multiverse can only bind you and make you feel small if you live in a shallow way; if you identify with body, mind, intellect and ego. If one lives in a deep way (the way of Spirit/Infinity) then the world is Bliss. Hence, it is about one’s own narrative. The practice is ‘record dreams’. Have a journal and write down details about your dreams. And when we have a hard day, we must read that dream journal and we’ll see how wild the mind is. Recording dreams will help one establish what is relative. And if there is a relative, there is going to be an Absolute. 

Discourse

Verse 5 Practice 37 prakkarma pravilapyatam
Prak means before or prior; karma means actions; vilapyatam means to dismantle or dissolve; pravilapyatam means to do it completely. This translates to: conquer the effects of deeds in earlier lives by right action in the present.
 

Absolute perspective: What Acharya Shankara is bringing out is the orientation of sancita karma. Sam means well and cit means collected. That’s why the word Nachiketa, one who collected nothing, is awesome. If you are collecting, then you become very result-oriented. The implication is that for every action there is a fruit or a result. Some of the results or fruit come in this lifetime and others come in another lifetime.

Relative perspective: You have to learn to be independently joyous otherwise you will be born again and again. Everything that happens for you is for your learning. Soyou have to be careful with what you say and what you do. You must become stronger in the present so when a negative result comes upon you from past years then you are affected less. When one visits the and goes to the shallow end of the beach, they are not affected much by the waves. If one goes deeper, then one must plant their feet deeper to deal with the bigger waves. Similarly, to plant the feet deeper, one must make themselves stronger so they are not affected that much from prior actions.

Tactile perspective: Our practice is ‘Learn Past”
Learn from the past to make your present deeper and better. If you don’t learn from the past, then you will always regret the past. There is no evolution if you don’t learn. Your present will look exactly like the past. One is born again and again. 

Verse 5 Practice 38: citibalannapyuttaraih slisyatam
Citibalann is right thinking; apyuttaraih slisyatam is with this right thinking, whatever comes in the future one is not to be affected by it. In other words. through wisdom become detached from future actions. Acharya Shanakra is taking us to present action known as agami karma.

Absolute Perspective: Sancita karma is actions that have been collected and whose results are manifesting in the present. Agami karma is present actions for which the future result will come; with every action there are fruits. 

Relative perspective : How do we go from future to present? Immerse yourself in the present action. One must find meaning in their actions;  if you love what you do then it doesn’t matter what comes from it. If you don’t love what you do then you don’t know who you are. Bhagavan Krishna is so clear that when you act in the present, the actions are in your control. The results. on the other hand, are out of your control. So be bigger than results and not depend on them.  

Tactile perspective: Renounce Meaninglessness

In other words, renounce anything you do that is meaningless. If you don’t, then the meaningless action will grow. One more insight on agami karma is similar to what is shared in Tattva Bodha – enlightened ones are free from the results of their actions. The reason for that is results only come where there is the presence of ego. So, where do the results of their action go? The punya (fruitful results) of one who is Enlightened go to those beings who respect, love and revere the one who is Enlightened. Any previous paapa of the Enlightened one goes to those who disrespect, hate or are cruel to the one who is enlightened. An awesome application would be to feel everyone who you interact with as they are enlightened or be around someone who is enlightened

Discussion subject: How does your life change knowing about sancita and agami karma and why?

Vivekji’s perspective: To be more responsible and feel we are not victims. What is happening right now is fruits from the past and being more responsible now for the future.

RAW
Learn Past

Renounce Meaninglessness 

Introduction

When one sleeps, one does not act. Yet, one is happy. This tells us that actions cannot create happiness. This also tells us that actions must reveal who we are rather than create and that will make us happy forever. If we feel oneness with another entity, then we calculate less. For example, we don’t calculate much when it comes to ourselves (i.e. the one we feel oneness with most). So, if we start to love more people, we will be less calculative and our mind will be quieter. The less love we feel, the more we calculate and the mind is louder. 

The practices in this course are ways for us to see the truths of life. Our notion of truth has become very legal these days. But truths such as above – actions cannot create happiness, love leads to quietude of mind, etc – are infinitely more potent and transformative. Our course is an opportunity to slow down so that we can see these truths. These practices are reflective practices, which, if we touch and taste, will last forever.

In our culture, a jayanti is for a great person who is no longer alive; for example, Chinmaya Jayanti, to celebrate the birthday of Pujya Swami Chinmayananda. It is a reminder for us of that great person and for us to be grateful. The more we think about that great person, the more we develop that greatness. 

We are fortunate that this week is Acharya Shankara’s jayanti. Acharya Shankara is also known as Bhashyakara. Similar to Rishi Vyasa who is known as Sutrakara – the one who organized the teachings of Sanatana Dharma, which people learned and practiced. However, as with everything over time, these teachings and matters became more diluted. So, Acharya Shankara started to interpret these teachings in a non-dilutive way. Bhashya means elaboration / commentary and Rishi Vyasa was so fulfilled with this legacy work that he doubled Acharya Shankara’s lifespan (from 16 to 32). And it is through Acharya Shankara’s teachings that the inaccessible has been made accessible to us. Sadhana Panchakam is 1,500 years old. And our relationship with it will impact us forever. 

Acharya Shankara is the synthesis of karma yoga, bhakti yoga and jnana yoga. He is, therefore, the right person to share Sadhana Panchakam, which is a collection of insights on karma yoga, bhakti yoga and jnana yoga. This teaching is a distilled form of the Bhagavad Gita. Karma yoga brings more clarity to one’s life. Bhakti yoga brings more conviction. Jnana yoga brings more confidence. Sadhana Panchakam is a mirror that is showing us our present and the path to reach our potential. The path is these practices.  

Review

Verse 5, Practice 34: paratare cetah samadhiyatam

Immerse your inner world in that which is higher than you, i.e. the highest vocation. The 2nd sutra in the Yoga Sutras shares – yoga citta vritti nirodha. Nirodha means to transcend. What we must transcend is vritti or thoughts. The locus of these thoughts is citta, which means the mind or inner world. We must practice that we are more than our thoughts. We must practice that we know our thoughts, which means we cannot be our thoughts. The same is being shared by Acharya Shankara in this practice.

When one is practicing contemplation, one is changing who one is. Samadhiyatam means to literally or factually change who one is. It is only possible when one knows their present, their potential, and the path to get there. It is the content that facilitates contemplation. The less content one has, the less one contemplates. Hence, why in Sanatana Dharma there is endless content to facilitate contemplation. Talk God was the practice. 

Discourse 

Verse 5, Practice 35: purnatma susamiksyatam

Purna means full. Atma means that which is close. That which is closest is fullest. Samiksya means to see and susamiksya means to see well. In other words, it means that we must stop depending on sight and instead, use vision. One cannot see the fullness that is inside, but one can only have a vision of it. 

Absolute: Often, our nature is described as purusa. In our gross mind, we think this is human or male. However, it comes from purnatva meaning completion or fulfillment. Another insight into purusa is puri kshete – puri (city) and kshete (to sleep). Meaning that Divinity is lying or resting or sleeping in oneself. 

Relative: We all live in our minds. A verse from Hanuman Chalisa is apt – nija mana mukura sudhari – meaning that I will clean my mind and then can focus on Hanumanji better. If one’s mind is filled with clarity, conviction, confidence, then one will feel contentment. So, we must clean the mind in order to feel this completion or contentment. 

Practice: Leave light. Meaning every article, being, circumstance must feel lighter when we leave them. They should feel lighter. 

Pray for people. At least one person a day. 

Verse 5, Practice 36: jagadidam tadbadhitam drsyatam

Jagat idam means this universe or all that is this, which is the multiverse. Tat badhitam means it binds one, it makes one feel that they are small. Drsyatam means to understand or recognize this. Live in a way that you know this multiverse cannot make you feel full / complete. 

There are 64 creation theories. Why so many? The reason is that we are all at different evolution levels. The highest creation theory is that there is no creation. We are all part of the Infinite where there is no notion of bigness or smallness. The word maya means ma means ‘no’ and yah means ‘is’ = what not is. Maya makes the absolute feel relative. The truth is that it doesn’t. 

Acharya Shankara is encouraging us to infuse insight into our sight. For example, when we see our family members, we see them like we see our neighbors, but our feeling towards them is completely different because there is an insight backing that sight.

Before we had a relationship with Vedanta, i.e. when we were searchers (searching for happiness thinking it was outside), the whole world feels real – i.e. gold feels real, a promotion feels real, etc. But when we came into contact with Vedanta and became seekers, then we know that everything is unreal. What is unreal is the notion of names and forms and the feeling that they can make you happy. And when that understanding is solid, then we go back to the multiverse and start to feel that it is real again as we are not tuned into the names and forms anymore, but instead into the Existence and Awareness. We are happy, so we don’t project and expect happiness from the multiverse. 

Tactile / Practice: Record dreams. Have a journal and write down details about your dreams. And when we have a hard day, we must read that dream journal and we’ll see how wild the mind is. Recording dreaming will help one establish what is relative. And if there is a relative, there is going to be an absolute. 

Discussion – How do you live in a relative world? How does one practically live in the relative world?

Vivekji’s Observation – Feel that all is a reflection of you

RAW – Leave light; Record dream.

Introduction

If you could simplify what your immune system does: our immune system attacks the “not-self.” Some of us have lovely immune systems and take pride in it, or feel fortunate to have a strong immune system – especially when you observe others who are well. At a more authentic and deep level, what is more relevant is a mental immune system rather than a physical immune system. Similarly, the medical system is coming to appreciate the relevance of psychiatry.

Our course on Practices to Perfection is tackling 5 facets of who we are. There is an element of physicality, but it focuses on mental aspects. The 40 practices are a boost or vitamin to help us attack the “not self” – or that which does not help us. Just like Centrum multivitamin says “you can do it”, these are 40 “reflective practice” boosts to help us do it. If you are given a practice that is not reflective, you will eventually stop doing it because you will start doubting yourself. Manana nurtures our ability to resolve doubt. The importance of reflective practices is that they can become part of your personality.

Sanatana Dharma means Infinite Nature. Nature is infinite, and Infinity is the nature of all – including you! Imagine the utility of being Infinite – you would never feel jealous, you would never feel lust. Any and all vices that limit us to the finite are absolved by Infinity because Infinity is nature. Yet, we still struggle with the vices. We have to know that our Nature is Infinite to benefit by it. We have to prepare to reconcile this. An unprepared mind is like a driveway that allows seeds of Infinity to just blow away. To allow those seeds of Infinity to grow into a tree, we must prepare our minds just like we prepare our lawn.

A story to help understand this. Picasso was in a marketplace in Spain – a lady recognized him and asked him to draw something recognizable. He did so, looked at her, and said “that’ll be a million dollars.” She responded that it only took 30 seconds, but he noted that it took him a lifetime of preparation to do that.

Review

Verse 1 focused on shastra = scripture. This is the beginning point of the journey to Joy – it’s a map.

Verse 2 focused on svadhyaya = self-study. This is the middle part of our journey – journeying to yourself.

Verse 3 focused on svanubhuti = Self-experience. This is the end of our journey to Joy – now there is only Joy.

Verse 4 focused on sadachara = preparation. This verse helps us to develop our minds for balance, focus, and reflection. Doing the same thing and expecting different results is insanity. Living without preparing the mind for balance, focus and reflection does not allow us to escape the finite. Grace causes one to practice. Those who are not immersed or engaged in reflection have not fully enmeshed with grace.

Verse 5, Practice 33 ekante sukhamasyatam; To live for one’s ends.

At an absolute perspective, veda means to know and anta means inside, if you know inside then you know eka (oneness). We should dedicate ourselves to this Oneness. When Hanuman is introduced in the Ramayana, Hanumanji’s master is Sugreeva, but when he meets Lord Rama, he goes from being a servant of Sugreeva to becoming a savior of Lord Rama. We should live, not for a person, but rather for the Presence. The Presence in all of us is the same. This verse exhorts us to live for the Presence, not for the person.

At a relative perspective, we are encouraged to be in a protected context where there is less distraction or provocation. When we are by ourselves in mauna, this is a catalyst for manana.

At a tactile perspective, date your own mind. You will go from being lonely to being “alone-ness.”

Discourse

Verse 5, Practice 34: paratare cetah samadhiyatam

Absolute – Paratare = highest, Cetah = mind, Samadhiyatam = sam (together) + a (toward) + dhi (place) = go toward the place which is the highest. Even when, externally, all is right, we can still feel bandha (not right). Moksha is when we feel internally right or free as caused by the mind. If the mind is not invested, then it will control us (bandha). If we direct the mind, then we can focus on moksha.

Relative – As you think, so you develop. If you never think about Sadhana Panchakam, you will never develop the practices to perfection. The mind assumes the nature of what it is thinking about. Think about the Divine and your mind will feel the same way. Just as the gopis had a desire for the desireless (Bhagavan Krishna), the gopis also became desireless.

Tactile – Talk God. An earlier practice was to speak positively, and in this practice talk to God such that you are thinking of God. It’s so each to teach “Talk God,” but to practice “Talk God” requires grace.

Discussion – What makes some believe in God and others not?

Vivekji’s Observation – Kripa (Grace) and Punya (Purity) helps one to believe in God.

RAW – Talk God

Introduction
Suppose you are given the responsibility of facilitating diversity training for a department of your city in reference to Hinduism. It could be the marketing department, it could be the police department or it could be the teaching staff. How many of you would be comfortable doing so by show of hands? If someone on the street came to you today and said, I heard Twitter told me it’s Hanuman Jayanti. So what is Hanuman Jayanti? What would you say to that person on the street? How many of you are comfortable answering what is Hanumanjayanti? I recently had a one with one with a young seeker and he was sharing with me that one of his closest friends had asked him a question about Hinduism. And he was taken back by the question, more so he didn’t know how to answer. What came out of his mouth was you should ask my mom. Now this is approximately a 30 year old seeker. And his response to one of his closest friends is you should go ask my mom. This really leveled him and made him a more sincere seeker. I think he came to appreciate it and I hope you too to know about your religion, your culture. 

Knowing and practicing your religion is a responsibility to yourself. It is your responsibility to everyone who also identifies with your religion, your culture. This course is a comprehensive approach to understanding and appreciating Sanatana Dharma. This course is not just about five verses and 40 practices. There’s so much more that is shared in terms of absolute perspectives, and cultural perspectives. Sanatana Dharma has survived and succeeded, not because of any institution. It is not because of a certain mandir or a certain organization. The reason for this proliferation is a parampara or a tradition of teachers that kept this Dharma sanatana and one example of that is Acharya Shankara! What’s lovely about our tradition of teachers, is that nobody’s forcing you to respect and love and revere this tradition. That’s your choice. These relationships are faith based. I have the faith that Acharya Shankara is one who is perfect. And now when I say perfect, don’t think externally. His body got old too. When he spoke he made mistakes too. The perfection I’m referring to is an inner one, a perfect happiness. And because I have this faith that I know many of you do, too, since Acharya Shankara is perfect, he can teach us how to be perfect too. If someone has found the treasure, then they can write a map for us to find that treasure also. Sadhana Panchakam is divided into five verses, each with a different focus. 

Overview
Verse One, the focus is shastra. In English shastra means scripture. The word shastra comes from another word which is shashana. Shashana means discipline; being ready to learn. It is like the word Sikh or Sikhism. This comes from the one who’s ready for shiksha, the one who’s ready to be taught or a disciple. What Acharya Shankara shares right from the start is that we are already Joy. We have to unlearn that we are not joy. We have to unlearn that the most impractical way to live is to live unhappily. And one way that we normalize this is we think we can create happiness- this has to be unlearned, you cannot create happiness. And this is very difficult for us. Unlearning is more difficult than learning and that’s why in our culture there’s an emphasis on tapa. Tapa means to burn down your comfort zone. There  are so many people who have registered for this course. And month by month, less have come. Sadhana Panchakam hasn’t changed and Zoom hasn’t changed. What’s changed is people are too uncomfortable with this notion that they can’t create happiness. It means everything about them has to change really and they don’t like that burning feeling. 

Verse Two, the focus is svadhyaya. Svadhyaya, in a simple English expression, means self-love. When one loves that which is external or lower, that’s called sneha and when one loves that which is internal or higher, that’s called prema.  So loving that which is within that is how one practices svadhyaya. When you love yourself, then you start to live by viraga.

Viraga means without likes. It means you live in a way where you don’t need to be liked. You’re not seeking external validation. You don’t need external security because you love who you are. And if you love who you are, you start to love all that you do. When one lives by svadhyaya and viraga, living becomes easier. Can you visualize that? Where you’re living without being concerned about people liking or disliking you? One would feel so light than

Verse Three focuses on svanubhuti. When this is broken up, it’s sva & anubhuti or experiencing the self, self-experience. Whenever it comes to matters that you don’t have, let’s say a college degree that requires jnana and karma. It requires you knowing and doing but when it comes to that which you already have, this is called prapta (You already have this). All one needs is Jnana, karma is not needed. You just have to know. How come we don’t feel Joy when we know our nature is Joy? It’s because we’re not prepared to know. It’s like me having these glasses, but my glasses are dirty. Even though I have the equipment to see. It’s not prepared to function well or function the way it’s supposed to. So in this verse, Achrya Shankara shares a lot about preparing oneself, to feel oneself. 

How much time did you spend today preparing your body versus preparing your mind?  See if you don’t bathe for a week what will happen? We know this answer very well as we have studied from home and worked from home for two years. What happens to your body? Bad stuff happens. Now what if you don’t bathe your mind for a week? For a year or a decade? Us preparing to know is really performing one’s own abhiseka. We do a lot of external abhiseka, More important than that is one’s own abhiseka. 

Verse Four focuses on sadachara which means living in a way that’s oriented towards sat, living in a noble way; living in an ideal way. One common sentiment that comes out in verse four is that our sadachara should be nurturing focus. In Sanskrit that’s called ekagrata. When one focuses, everything they do is interesting and when one doesn’t focus, nothing they do is interesting. If everything you do is interesting, then naturally what you’re doing, you’re going to be more efficient at it. You will be more effective with it. You will enjoy that. I’ve observed the more bored one is, the more one touches themselves. There’s a finer chance that you’ll get a pedicure or a manicure or take a longer shower or eat more. But if you have lots to do, then you don’t identify with your body as much. You don’t need to eat as much, you don’t need to sleep as much. So if you find that you’re living so much in terms of pampering, maybe you’re bored; that’s not sadachara.

Review

Verse 4, Practice 31: audasinyamabhipsyatam 

In Sanskrit, udasina means to be indifferent. When we act, that triggers results. The problem with our results though is that we label them, we label them as this is what I wanted and this is not what I wanted or this is what I like and this is what I dislike or that person got that and I got this. It’s the labeling that affects us in the negative. So how can one be indifferent? Simply by not labeling the results. Labeling doesn’t help. For example, when picking teams for playing soccer, if you have team captains, what happens to the people? What happens to those teams? The people are chosen at the beginning, they become more arrogant than the people chosen at the end. People chosen at the end feel more sad. So don’t use systems where there’s personalization. A better method is flipping a coin to pick teams. So if it’s heads, you’re on this team. If it’s tails, you’re on that team. This is a way to nurture being indifferent.

Practice 31: Flip Coin 

Verse 4, Practice 32: janakrpanaisthuryamutsrjyatam which means save yourself from other people’s kindness. How? The answer is be a donor. Donor means to be generous and to offer charity. And whenever we think of that, we always think about the recipient rather than the donor. When one practices donation, this is actually an experiment or a test in adaptation. Can you be just as cheerful with less? If I have seven pairs of shoes, and I give a pair away to any thoughtful person like you, you will be forced to adapt to be equally cheerful with six pairs of shoes as compared to seven. So donation is not so much for the recipient, but more so for the donor. And that’s why Acharya Shankara is saying, don’t be that recipient. Rather be that donor, the one who’s challenging themselves to adapt.
Hence, our practice is to give percentages of our income & percentages of our time.
Practice 32: Give percentages (of your time, resources and effort)

Discourse
Verse 5, Practice 33 ekante sukhamasyatam: 

Ek is one & antam is the ends or purpose. So akante is one’s end or one’s purpose. Sukhastayam is joyously. So, ekante sukhamasyatam is to live for one’s ends or purpose joyously! We are studying Vedanta. Veda means to know and anta means insight. So Vedanta is the science of insight or the science of the spirit or the science of happiness. Another word for what’s inside is aika or oneness or advaita. So in Vedanta, we will come to understand and appreciate this eika. Acharya Shankara is sharing that one can only feel this Joy when living exclusively for Joy.

One can not experience Joy through listening to discourses only. The point is that you have to love Joy and live exclusively for Joy. You have to choose Joy for Joy to love you back. In Meaningful Mornings, we are in Chapter 12 that describes Shri Krishna’s dear ones. It is those who live virtues. He shares that if you live virtuously you are very dear to Me, which really means you are Me. For one to be successful in any field, one has to love what they do. That’s  for a limited field like accounting or medicine or being on a sports team not for one to rediscover Infinity. If you want Infinity and the finite you’re only going to get the finite but if you love Infinity only, you will rediscover that you are infinite.  Acharya Shankara has already found the treasure. He’s sharing this map with us.


Discussion Subject:
What causes loneliness? 

Acharya Vivekji’s Perspective: What causes loneliness is when you don’t love yourself. When you don’t love yourself and if it requires you to be extrovert then you are already starting at a loss and any other relationship you make will not change loneliness.  But, if you like yourself in a deep way then everyone will be winning in all relationships because it’s all about giving. 

This week’s RAW

Date your own mind.

Introduction 

Our culture believes in 5 debts (rna): 

1. Nature’s forces (deva)
2. Nature’s beings (bhuta)
3. Society (samaj)
4. Family (pitr)
5. Tradition of Guides (rsi)

Recap 

1. Read Inspiring
2. Delete ‘But’ 
3. Chant Yours (formerly Samarpayam)
4. Guide Gratitude
5. Speak Positively
6. Review Disturbances
7. Locate Quietude
8. Smile Mirror
9. Prepare Experience
10. Set Altar
11. Allow Speak
12. Sleep Early
13. Study Happiness
14. Visualize Guide
15. Invoke Pages
16. Write Notes
17. Walk Freely
18. Sit Still
19. Eat Alone 
20. Ask Wise
21. Label Less
22. Return Dedication
23. Help Bodies
24. Prostate Openly 
25. Ignore Snacks
26. Plan Meals
27. Naturalize Food
28. Dissect Negativity
29. Endure Cold / Heat  (Remember change) – Nature of living is dwita (pairs) 
30. Say No

Discourse

Verse 4, Practice 31: audasinyamabhipsyatam

Be indifferent to desire

Absolute – Sanatana Dharma is such a lovely religion because it focuses on evolution in a practical way. For all of you who have been studying Sanatana Dharma in a systematic way, there are dozens of frameworks. For example, if you are tamasic, you can get out of that through rajas. If you are rajasic, you can get out of that through sattva. We explored another framework in chapter 10. Prince Arjuna is great. Shri Krishna directs him to the greatest, but what’s beyond the greatest? God. The point that our scriptures are trying to make is to keep rising until you can not rise anymore. That is the fulfillment of one’s journey.

Relative – This week, all of you would have received an email about a special workshop coming up on installing balance. For this, it has been shared how so often we are unable to balance people’s opinions of us.People’s opinions and words can either be destructive or constructive. And it requires you to reflect on that.

If their opinion or their words help you to be a better person, then that is constructive. Internalize that. But if their opinions or their words are destructive in the sense that it does not help you become a better person then it is destructive. Externalize that. This is a way of centering oneself so center yourself. If it is disruptive, deflect. If it is constructive, then reflect on this. 

Why does criticism affect us so much? Because we take compliments so seriously. 

Practice: Flip Coin. 

When a decision has to be made that is less significant, flip a coin. If it comes this way, good. And if it does not come this way, also good. It helps one to be more objective and less opinionated. When we are opinionated, we do not realize the harm we are causing upon other people. Being objective helps us to be less harmful. 

Verse 4, Practice 32: janakrpanaisthuryamutsrjyatam

Save yourself from the kindness or cruelty that comes from people. 

What Acharya Shankara is implying is when people are kind to us, most often it comes with strings attached – with conditions. 

Absolute – Those who give us resources, time, and/or effort, we tend to like them more. 

Connecting this to a very prominent message in the Bhagavad Gita, Bhagavan Krishna shares vita raga which means be free of liking people. Why? What do likes go on to create? Fear. Fear then creates anger. 

If our relationship is only toward those who give to us, then it will lead to those who are afraid and then angry. You’ll never be able to pay them back. 

Relative – The nature of living is duality – pairs or opposites. The nature of living is change; everything is always changing. And so since everything is always changing, why depend on it?

If I depend on something, what is it called? An addiction. There do not appear to be any addictions that are good for you. When I depend on a being, what do you nurture? An attachment. And when you depend on a circumstance, although it is changing, what is that called? Apathy. You know the circumstance is going to change, and you still depend on it. 

Acharya Shankara is saying do nt depend on any article, being or circumstance. If we want to stop getting, we must start giving. 

Practice: Give percentages (of your time, resources and effort)

Here’s a framework: 

• However old you are, give 10% of your gross income to charity. 
• However old you are, give 5% of your age in time to serving.

If one cannot give their resources, they will not be able to give their time. And if you cannot give your time, then you will not be able to give what is most important or that which is the hardest to give – your effort. 

Discussion: What does Bhagavan Rama mean to you? Why? 

RAW:  Flip Coin & Give Percentages

Introduction

To slow down means to know what you are doing with who you are. We have a trikarana, which means 3 instruments of doing – thinking, speaking and acting – sadhana is a way of slowing down so that we know what we are doing with ourselves. Our course with practice after practice is encouraging and teaching us to be more quiet and more intentional. If one lives in a fast and busy way, it is not sadhana, it is shrama. One is just labouring.

Recap

Verse 4, Practice 28: vidhivasatpraptena santusyatam

In Practice 28, Acharya Shankara shares – be happy with whatever has come into your life. At a higher level, one of the most beautiful names for Bhagavan in our culture, which relates to Bhagavan Shiva, is Ashutosha, which means the one who is easily pleased. Another way to reflect on this is to ponder over the question – who is Daridra – who is the one that is impoverished? Answer that is given is – one who is discontent. One that is focusing on what is absent in their lives as opposed to what is present in their lives.

Our tactile practice was – dissect negativity. We will come to find that the source of negativity is not outside, but inside. Suppose one has to express negativity – there is a right time, place and energy to express negativity. Taking seeds as an analogy, even a casual gardener would not plant a seed at the wrong place at the wrong time in the wrong soil/fertilizer. But we often do this with our negativity.

Verse 4, Practice 29: sitosnadi visahyatam

• In Practice 29, sheeta means coolness or coldness. And ushna means heat. They are essentially different combinations of pain and pleasure, etc. Visahyatam means one should endure or embrace these. From an absolute perspective, the most important virtue is titiksha – endurance. But why must one employ this endurance? For vichara – to be deeper. For example, if one is going to Mt Kailash, they must first get used to the oxygen level at the higher altitudes. But if one doesn’t get used to it, then how can one go higher? Titiksha leads us to sthane which means effortless acceptance. One only effortlessly accepts oneself. So, this endurance leads us to oneness. From a relative perspective, we must understand that the nature of living swings both ways – highs and lows – and if one understands this, then they do not depend on the swings so much. If one does not take the compliments / “likes” so seriously, then they do not take the criticisms / “dislikes” so seriously either. Viraga is where one is not living to be liked. If one is living to be liked, then it is like being in a circus act. There is no strength. From a tactile perspective, remember that all is always changing. Then we endure more and accept more.

What 4 word phrase – all have 4 letters – when said to a happy person makes them sad and when said to a sad person makes them happy? ‘Even this will pass’.  

Discourse

Verse 4, Practice 30: na tu vrtha vakyam samuccaryatam

Tu means ‘indeed’ emphatically. Na means ‘no / don’t’. Vakyam means ‘to speak’. Vrtha means ‘in a purposeless / meaningless / wasteful way’. Samuccaryatam means ‘do not entertain this’.  In other words, avoid wasteful talks.

At an absolute level – the beginning of creation was a period called satya yuga. In satya yuga, to earn punya (positivity), one had to think it and act on it to earn this positivity. Whereas negativity, papa, is earned even if one just thinks about it. In the period of creation we are in now, kali yuga (where there is most disintegration both outside and inside), to earn punya, one only has to think it. As for papa, one has to both think it and act it. The implication of this is that the standard has been lowered so much that it is easier to earn punya than papa. Another way to view this is that if we are thinking it, then we will naturally speak it also. And if we are speaking in a negative way, then we may also act it. One’s thoughts are the intermediary between thinking and acting. So what we speak about touches both. If we are speaking negatively, then it is likely we are thinking it and will also act it. So, we must be careful what we are speaking and listening to.

From a relative perspective, Shri Ramakrishna has said that the majority, if not all, that we speak falls into 3 ‘K’s. Kamini (pleasure), Kanchana (possession) and Keerthi (position). This is typically what we talk about. But none of these lead to peace. These 3 K’s should lead to a 4th K, which is Kutastha – the fundamentals.

 Practice:  Say ‘No’. So that you don’t allow your thoughts to become words and then actions. You will know you are saying ‘No’ when you speak less. 

Discussion

Question: How do you practically change your purpose?

Vivekji’s observation: If one is feeling a purposelessness, then one should use that purposelessness to make oneself available. Use purposelessness as an opportunity to analyze how it is harmful to oneself and how it is harmful to others. And utilize it to become more available for a purpose.

Dialogue

Q: How does one remind themselves that even when context changes, titiksha and sthane and other practices are important to follow.

A: 2 observations – 1) those who travel, use travel as an excuse not to follow their sadhana; 2) parents who have a young child or children, share that they do not have time. They say that childcare is their sadhana, but they still feel stressed about it. These are two examples of context change causing one to let go of their sadhana. 2 practices to follow – 1) when context changes, one must simplify their sadhana, but one must still do it; 2) Sleep early. Whenever context changes, it does not mean one deserves to stay up late and not follow one’s sadhana. Instead, waking early and doing some reading, writing and reflecting is much more beneficial.

Last week’s RAW: Dissect negativity.

Vivekji’s observation: When one dissects negativity, they appreciate that being negative doesn’t work and so they throw it away (just as one would a device or thing that doesn’t work anymore), i.e. they stop being negative.

This week’s RAW: 1) Remember change; 2) Say ‘No’.

Introduction & Recap

There was a wise man who lived on the border and he raised horses for a living. One day he lost one of his prized horses. After hearing of the misfortune, his neighbors felt sorry for him and they came to comfort him. They said it is very unfortunate that your horse ran away. The wise man smiled and said “it may be so.” After a while, the last horse returned with another beautiful horse. The wise man now had two horses. The neighbors came over again and this time congratulated the wise man. They shared that this is most fortunate. The wise man simply smiled and said “this may be so.” One day, his son went for a ride on the new horse and his son was violently thrown from the horse and broke his leg. Once again, the neighbors came over and they expressed their condolences. They said this is most unfortunate. The wise man smiled again and said “it may be so.” One week later, the Emperor’s army arrived at the village to recruit able bodied men to fight in the war. Because of the injury to his son, the wise man’s son could not go off to war and he was spared from certain death. Again, the neighbors came and said how fortunate you are. The wise man simply smiled and said “it may be so.” Last week we studied vidhivasatpraptena santusyatam. Vivekji pointed out that when we see our image of Lord Rama or Lord Krishna, although the images themselves are different in many ways, the one thing that was consistent was the smile. Since the Lord is the facilitator, all our experiences (good and bad), are infused with the smile of the Lord. Just like when you take a piece of gold and you can create something out of that gold. You may create a weapon, you may create a tool, you may create an ornament. Regardless of what one decides to create out of that gold, ultimately it’s all the same in its essence. It’s just precious gold! Therefore, just like when I make something from precious gold, anything that I make from precious gold is infused only with gold. Similarly, our entire existence is infused with the smile of the Lord. In both good and bad events, we can learn to see the smile of the Lord.

Secondly, Vivekji also pointed out an important word from chapter 11 of Gita and that word was sthane which means proper, right and everything is in its proper place. It is a message that states the Lord does not make mistakes. Everything that happens we must see that it happened at the proper time and its proper place and in the proper way. Vivekji gave us three lessons to understand/practice sthane. When we work hard, and we get what we want, just as we wanted it, that should teach us to be grateful. When we work hard and get what we want, but we don’t get it at the exact time or in the exact way, that teaches us to be faithful. When we work hard, and what we want does not come to us, that teaches us to be peaceful.

When we go to the temple, we usually get prasadam. Sometimes we get exactly what we were hoping for, for example delicious halwa! Sometimes the pundit or Acharya gives us what we don’t want, for example a fruit we may not like. Sometimes there is no prasadam; for example, at Chinmaya Mission at the end of jnana yagna we do not get prasadam but we get books. In all three situations we must have this attitude that whatever is given to us, we see it as a blessing from the Lord. No matter what we get, we accept with absolute contentment. This attitude of accepting whatever is given to us from the Lord is called prasada buddhi..

The practice that Vivekji gave is to dissect negativity. There’s another story that relates to the practice of dissecting negativity. In a village, there was a very wise woman and people would come to seek guidance from her. More and more people were coming to her complaining about their lives. Some examples of complaints were an individual sharing that the neighbor lady is not cutting grass which resulted in decreasing the value of an individual’s property or a husband stating the wife doesn’t appreciate the food that he cooks. So once, this wise woman sage decided to tell them a joke. Hearing the joke, villagers laughed and then there was a brief silence. Again, the wise woman said the exact same joke and then she herself roared with laughter along with a few more of the villagers.. A few minutes passed, then the sage said the same joke again. This time only she laughed and no one else. Finally, someone spoke up, they shared that it doesn’t make sense to keep laughing at the same joke. The wise woman replied to them if it’s not okay for me to keep laughing at the same joke, then why is it okay for all of us to keep crying about the same problems? Therefore, we must dissect negativity. When I am negative, we shouldn’t add to it. We should understand that negativity is like a fire. It will spread. It will spread to the people around us. It will spread within me and eventually it’ll burn us. So we must learn not to get stuck in this cycle of negativity, as she brilliantly pointed out. We do this by dissecting negativity. We turn around on it and we ask why am I negative? Is there a point to my negativity? Who is this negativity benefiting? So we must at that moment stop and think about the negativity. If you’re experiencing negativity, look within to stop before it goes deeper. Once negativity gets too deep in us, it becomes our blueprint and we don’t want it to get to that point. So once we notice it, right away we want to start dissecting the negativity before it grabs hold of us.

Discourse

Verse 4, Practice 29: sitosnadi Visahyatam

Visahyatam is to endure. “Sit” is cold & “Osna” is heat. “Adi” is other pairs of opposite
This verse is like a critical fine tuning step. Practices 25 to 28 fall under the category of tapah meaning to burn down our comfort zones. These practices we choose to do voluntarily but 29-32 fall under the category of titiksha. Titiksha literally means endurance or forbearance but in our world we call it cheerful acceptance. Cheerful acceptance of all the different circumstances that life serves us. So the question is, why do we have to accept? Well, we have to accept it because we don’t have a choice. Opposites are part of life, part of living. If there was only one situation or one experience for example, heat, then I wouldn’t know what heat is without cold. I wouldn’t know happiness without sadness. So, we need these two to even the experiences. These opposites are necessary to even experience these experiences. So opposites in life are unchangeable facts.

What am I expected to do or what are we expected to do? Endure them.

We need to endure them at three levels. The three levels are body, mind and intellect. The body level examples are heat and cold or hunger and thirst. The mind level example is joy and sorrow. The intellect level example is praise or humiliation. Is there a difference in these levels? In other words, is one level easier than the other? Well, it is said it’s easier at the body level and then it gets tougher. The reason is there’s a relationship between endurance and ego. Where ego is not fully invested, it’s easier to endure. Where ego is fully invested, it’s harder to endure. For example, if it’s snowing, or if it’s too hot, well, the ego understands I can’t control it much. Hence, easier to endure. As we get closer to the mind level, where I perceive joy or sorrow, it gets harder. When it comes to the intellectual level which is thinking of myself (being criticized or praised) then it gets exponentially harder to endure.

Hence endurance is a discipline we must develop to keep the mind calm. Otherwise, what do we do? As soon as we hit an uncomfortable situation, we either resist or react. Both of these take away so much of our time, effort, and resources. It is not worth our time as a seeker. We have higher goals. So our goal is to endure them cheerfully.

Does endure mean I resigned to inaction? No!
What is titiksha? Titiksha is a purposeful action. It is not retaliating or it’s not resisting. And where is this action targeted? I can’t manage the context. What am I targeting this action at? The mind, the content. These should not affect my mind. I have to have the balance of mind. So when I’m faced with choiceless situations, they bring out so many negative emotions from within us: fear, anger, frustration, depression. Bitterness, right? So what is titiksha? Titiksha is actively working on the content, so my mind stays balanced. The sages describe titiksha as willful acceptance. After all, we are not enduring the heat or the cold or the joy or the sorrow. What we are enduring is the condition of our mind: the likes and dislikes of our mind, intrinsically, heat or cold do not have a specific pleasure or sorrow value to it. In summer, cool weather is welcomed, in winter, heat is welcomed. So intrinsically, they are not good or bad. But what happens is the context and what we think we like or we dislike causes these polarities in our mind. So what are we working on? We are working on balancing these likes and dislikes. Titksha is not grinding teeth and bearing it, but accepting it gracefully with knowledge knowing that everything is just the way it should be. Sthane, as it is, is titiksha

The tactile practice is “All is well.” Keep Reminding yourself “all is well” in all situations.  

Discussion Question: What strategies do you use to endure discomfort or dislike?

• What would wise do
• Even this shall pass
• Visualization
• Walk in nature
• Japas 
• Hari ichha
• Don’t’ label good or bad

Introduction

One has to be exposed to their potential to be able to know and grow into their potential. Exposure->knowing->growing. Our potential is to be independently joyous. Growing manifests through sadhana – “practice.” One has to practice their potential to grow into their potential. The practices in Sanatana Dharma are about unlearning – unlearning who you are, what to do, how to eat, etc. Another word for unlearning is renunciation. We have to renounce our present potential, even when our context is pleasant, smooth and working, in order to grow into our true potential. Most are not comfortable with unlearning/renouncing.

A wonderful word of wisdom shares “jala vidya dharma dana” – all of these are accumulated or filled drop by drop. A pot is filled by drops of water, knowledge is felt with drops of lessons – the same for dharma and dana. Our Practices to Perfection course is a beautiful design for us to grow into our potential. Compared to Vedanta (jogging) and Upanishads (push-ups), this class is like a walk. We find lots of reasons to avoid jogging, but walking you can do all the time. And this is why I’ve strongly encouraged everyone who is serving to be exposed to their potential. If you are not exposed to your potential, how can you serve? Self-development has to be followed along the lines of a scripture – a scripture is a mapped experience of one who is independently joyous. In this case, Acharya Shankara has experienced independent joy and has mapped his experience for us. If we follow this script, we will feel the same. If you follow self-development based on your personal or individualistic flavor, it will be bound by error. To follow a shastra and to make it resonate with us, we are exploring a scripture from an absolute level – our scripture wants us to be independently joyous – but knowing for some of us that’s too high, we have a relative and tactile level. Absolute Relative Tactile (ART) – from the level of shastra to swasti (general goodness/well-being) to sadhana. The purpose of reviewing is because we are in our final 10 classes. Sadhana Panchakam has five verses by theme:

Verse 1 – Shastra – scripture

Verse 2 – Svadhyaya – self-love

Verse 3 – Sva-anubhuti – the more you know who you are, the more you feel who you are

Verse 4 – Sadhachara – how one should orient their lifestyle

Recap

Verse 4, Practice 27: svadvannam na tu yacyatam; Beg no delicious food. You are what you eat. So if you only eat tasty food, then you will be fertilizing “likes” -> dislikes. We tend to underestimate our eating habits and the effect they have on our mind. You are what you eat and how you eat. Eating is such a focused process (we sit, there are dishes, there is etiquette) – when one treats food functionally (this is energy so I can go about serving), it saves one bandwidth so one can  tune into the fundamental. If you make food fundamental, you never have bandwidth for the real fundamental. Practices 25-27 all relate to our relationship with food.

A slight change to our practices: Ignore snacks. Surf agenda -> Plan meals (to be consistent with the focus on how we eat). Naturalize meal -> Naturalize food.

Discourse

Verse 4, Practice 28: vidhivasatpraptena santusyatam

Absolute – Vidhivasat – what has been ordered by the divine (providence). Praptena santusyatam – one should smile for what they receive from the divine. Compare portraits of Shri Rama (straight) to Shri Krishna (curved) – but in both, they are smiling! Both smile through all their experiences. Shri Krishna used to wear feathers because the people who he lived with couldn’t relate to gold, but they could relate to his peacock feathers. If both are smiling and they are facilitating our experiences, then our experiences have the potential to allow us to smile too.

Relative – Shri Krishna shared sthane – all that comes in and out of our life is proper. It is properly placed for us. If we work hard for what we want and we get it now, we are to be grateful. If we work hard and we get it but later, we are to be faithful. If we work hard and we don’t get it, we are to be peaceful. Grateful, faithful, peaceful – this is what our multiverse is teaching us.

Tactile – Dissect negativity. When we have an instinct to complain, ask why are you complaining or engaging in negativity? If others are complaining, we should dissect it such that we are not affected by that complaining or negativity, otherwise we ourselves submit to negativity.

Discussion – How do you deal with people you have to live with who don’t listen to you?

Vivekji’s Observation – Acceptance and patience. Lack of patience leads to continued non-listening. If you can nurture patience, non-listening will turn into listening.

RAW – Dissect negativity