[Mar 14, 2024] Class Notes by [Isha Darbari]

Discussion

How do you deal with conflicting responsibilities?

How can you learn to love your Guide the way they love you?

Introduction

• “Mastering circumstances” a recent high school JCHYK camp : as part of the camp, a psychiatrist shared signs of depression: excessive eating – one starts to eat too much or too little, excessive sleeping – one is sleeping too much or too little, excessive disinterest
  • Gita Ch 6: Sri Krishna shares- in order to contemplate, one must be yukta with eating and sleeping
  • All of us are disinterested in some things
    • The vision of our course: to reflect, so that we never feel disinterested; every experience is precious, every experience can teach us to be more responsible and to be more cheerful 
    • We’re constantly reviewing – if advice is simple, it’s rememberable, and thus practice-able

Review

• 71. Darkness does not permit a thing to shine
  • Reminder: theory
    • When one lives a subjective science at a theoretical level, they never shine
• 72. Greed makes one forsake friends
  • Reminder: user
    • Nobody wants a friend who is a user
• 73. Due to attachment, one does not go to heaven
  • Reminder: holding
    • If you are holding on tightly to this desk, how will you be able to leave this room? One will never be able to leave to a better space/time
• 74. A miser is considered dead
  • Reminder: miser
• 75. A nation is dead in the absence of a leader
  • Reminder: example
    • A leader is one who is supposed to be an example for others
    • If one doesn’t have a role model, it’s hard to be better
• 76. The shraadha ceremony done in the absence of a knowledgeable person is dead
  • Reminder: experienced
    • Those who are experienced are better at radiating and invoking faith 
    • Experience / relatability helps others to have faith 
• 77. A sacrifice is considered dead when an honorarium is not given
  • Reminder: Appreciation
    • Gratitude you keep inside
    • Appreciation you express outside
• 78. Saints/ sadhus are the way
  • Reminder: Content
    • A sadhu (saint) is one who is content – that’s what we all want to be
• 79. Space is said to be water
  • Reminder: Space
    • Everybody needs space to grow
    • We need space in our relationships also 
• 80. The cow is said to be the source of all food
  • Reminder: Food
    • Gauhu also means senses; my eyes bring in food in the form of seeing 
    • With fasting, you regulate or moderate the sense to bring in less food 🡪 that helps one to be more reflective

Discourse

Q81. What is like poison? Prarthana — Petitioning/ begging 

• Absolute: Every desire you have has to be fulfilled before you are enlightened
  • If I have a desire to go to the moon, I have to be born again for that to be fulfilled
    • That is a death trap; hence compared to poison 
  • For someone who is desire-less , they are birth-less
    • That’s freedom
• Relative
  • When you ask for something from someone who is relative, they are going to give you something which is small – which means it’ll be only a matter of time before you have to ask again
    • Ex: eating, digesting, showering – our body is relative and needs constant maintenance 
  • We should ask from those who are large-hearted, we should ask from the Divine: so that we stop asking
    • They fill us up so much, make us so fulfilled and cheerful, that we never have to ask again 

Q82.  What is the best time for shradasya (ritual for those who have passed away)?
When a brahmana is available/ present

• Absolute
  • Brahmana –  defined in Subodha Vedanta
    • To be a student or disciple: 9 qualities are required
    • To be a guide: need those 9, PLUS seven
      • Educated
      • Experienced
      • Elevated 
      • Empathetic 
      • Engaging 
      • Effective
      • Encouraging 
  • They are so inwardly great that they can manipulate space and time to become right
• Relative
  • One who has all of these qualities, especially nishta – experienced with their own nature- they are already complete, which is why they can love you unconditionally
    • Anyone who can love you in an unconditional way wants the best for you
    • If I already feel the best – I can love you, want the best for you, etc

Our understanding of Hinduism is good, but not great

• Similarly: our relationship with satsang, seva, sadhana, seva is serious but not very serious
• We must enhance our relationship with our responsibilities, religion, and life
  • Bhishma – intensity

 RAW: Count the number of wishes you make this week.