Spiritual sadhana is not a waste of time otherwise spent in material
pursuits, but it focuses the mind better so that one can engage in one's
material pursuits better. People spend 90% of their energy on things
that are not in their control - either regretting past that is out of
their hands or worrying about future that is still hazy. As a result,
they do not always do the best job they can, in the present (which is
the only thing in their hands right now!).
The goal of spiritual sadhana is to teach the mind to let go what it
need not be attached to and focus on its present dharma and karma. That
is the essence of upanishads and BhagavadGita.
Spiritual sadhana burns mental conditioning and brings clarity and focus
of the mind, which do not compromise one's material life but improve it.
Sadly, corruptions in spiritual concepts in Kali yuga made people see
spiritual sadhana as an equivalent of renunciation of the material
world. That is not true. The goal of spiritual sadhana is neither to run
away from nor to run after, specific material pursuits. The goal of
spiritual sadhana is to engage in the material pursuits that are
required based on one's previous karmas and conditioning, and to do so
*efficiently*. Crying over past that is out of control and worrying over
future that is yet to come, do not make one more efficient. On the
contrary, they make one inefficient. On the other hand, focusing on the
best action possible right now and doing it detachedly, will make one
very efficient. It will help one fulfill one's dharma and pay off one's
kaarmik debts, without incurring too many new debts.
However, that efficiency does not come easily and some spiritual sadhana
is required. There is no minimum age limit for gaining this efficiency.
So anyone can do spiritual sadhana.
* * *
Now I will make some generic comments on destiny vs free will.
Success never depends on your decision. Your own country
or abroad, it comes to you as destined. Rather, you can't
exercise your discretion here.
Sometimes, destiny is too powerful and forces one's free will in a
specific path. Sometimes, free will has more scope. In fact, destiny and
free will are not different. Yesterday's free will is today's destiny
and today's free will is tomorrow's destiny!
"Success never depends on your decision" is wrong. Decisions taken at
important kaarmik crossroads CAN and DO impact one's life in future.
Anybody who believes otherwise is thinking that actions of our free will
have no consequences. Yes, consequences of an action can sometimes come
after a life or two, but they can come in the same life too.
If Saturn is in 8th and his dasa comes (or any other such planetary
combination), exactly what he gives cannot be fixed by anyone. There are
several possibilities and what exactly comes to happen, within the field
of possibilities, IS dependent on the decisions native has taken until
now in this very life.
Anybody who believes otherwise is dismissing the whole field of remedial
measures. If a remedial measure can have a consequence, then a decision
on whether to stay in India or go to Dubai does have a consequence.
Bottomline: One who has an important decision to make and has a choice
between two drastically different options has to realize that the
decision made WILL impact the journey of one's life, weigh the
possibilities, pros and cons and take the decision after due
deliberation.
Exercise of free will is not only a privilege, but also a
responsibility. If one wants to keep the privilege in future (instead of
being forced by destiny's hand and not have a choice), one needs to take
the responsibility seriously.
pursuits, but it focuses the mind better so that one can engage in one's
material pursuits better. People spend 90% of their energy on things
that are not in their control - either regretting past that is out of
their hands or worrying about future that is still hazy. As a result,
they do not always do the best job they can, in the present (which is
the only thing in their hands right now!).
The goal of spiritual sadhana is to teach the mind to let go what it
need not be attached to and focus on its present dharma and karma. That
is the essence of upanishads and BhagavadGita.
Spiritual sadhana burns mental conditioning and brings clarity and focus
of the mind, which do not compromise one's material life but improve it.
Sadly, corruptions in spiritual concepts in Kali yuga made people see
spiritual sadhana as an equivalent of renunciation of the material
world. That is not true. The goal of spiritual sadhana is neither to run
away from nor to run after, specific material pursuits. The goal of
spiritual sadhana is to engage in the material pursuits that are
required based on one's previous karmas and conditioning, and to do so
*efficiently*. Crying over past that is out of control and worrying over
future that is yet to come, do not make one more efficient. On the
contrary, they make one inefficient. On the other hand, focusing on the
best action possible right now and doing it detachedly, will make one
very efficient. It will help one fulfill one's dharma and pay off one's
kaarmik debts, without incurring too many new debts.
However, that efficiency does not come easily and some spiritual sadhana
is required. There is no minimum age limit for gaining this efficiency.
So anyone can do spiritual sadhana.
* * *
Now I will make some generic comments on destiny vs free will.
Success never depends on your decision. Your own country
or abroad, it comes to you as destined. Rather, you can't
exercise your discretion here.
Sometimes, destiny is too powerful and forces one's free will in a
specific path. Sometimes, free will has more scope. In fact, destiny and
free will are not different. Yesterday's free will is today's destiny
and today's free will is tomorrow's destiny!
"Success never depends on your decision" is wrong. Decisions taken at
important kaarmik crossroads CAN and DO impact one's life in future.
Anybody who believes otherwise is thinking that actions of our free will
have no consequences. Yes, consequences of an action can sometimes come
after a life or two, but they can come in the same life too.
If Saturn is in 8th and his dasa comes (or any other such planetary
combination), exactly what he gives cannot be fixed by anyone. There are
several possibilities and what exactly comes to happen, within the field
of possibilities, IS dependent on the decisions native has taken until
now in this very life.
Anybody who believes otherwise is dismissing the whole field of remedial
measures. If a remedial measure can have a consequence, then a decision
on whether to stay in India or go to Dubai does have a consequence.
Bottomline: One who has an important decision to make and has a choice
between two drastically different options has to realize that the
decision made WILL impact the journey of one's life, weigh the
possibilities, pros and cons and take the decision after due
deliberation.
Exercise of free will is not only a privilege, but also a
responsibility. If one wants to keep the privilege in future (instead of
being forced by destiny's hand and not have a choice), one needs to take
the responsibility seriously.
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