Namaste,
Logical mind seeks intelligent explanations and intellectual understanding of higher truths. But no amount of intellectual understanding frees one from the cycle of births and deaths and pleasures and pains. As I wrote in the other email, one who takes scenes in a movie seriously will not stop that with a mere intellectual understanding that it is just a movie and not real. Despite that intellectual understanding, one may be startled when a scary scene comes again. What changes his attitude and makes him not get startled when a scary scene comes and not cry when a sad scene comes is practice. If one watches movies again and again, keeping at the back of the mind that it is just a movie and not real, slowly that truth gets ingrained in the mind. The instincts to be scared, to be sad, to be excited, etc, are reprogrammed. This requires long and conscious effort.
Don't think that only the half hour or hour or few hours you spend in homam or meditation everyday is spiritual sadhana. Each second is the time of spiritual sadhana. Each activity is a spiritual sadhana.
Do whatever you do as an offering to god. For example, when you eat, think that god is inside you in various body parts and fire is going to carry the nutrition from the food to various forms of god in various body parts. Think of food as an offering to god. When you enjoy some object, offer that object and enjoyment to god inside you.
Accept whatever happens to you as a blessing of god - as the will of god. When mind gets attracted to something or feels aversion for something, gets excited or depressed, becomes proud or ashamed, tell yourself that whatever is happening to you is god's will and accept it.
Do what seems like the right thing to do (though your sense of right and wrong may be imperfect, it can be perfected over time). Do the very best job you can, and yet be prepared for any end result.
Rituals like homam and meditation create situations that are conducive to such a frame of mind. However, that frame of mind is created and maintained through conscious effort and contemplation.
To progress spiritually, remember two thumbrules: (1) Spend as much time as you can, in spiritual sadhana. (2) Turn every moment into sadhana by treating all your actions as offerings to god and maximize your acceptance of what happens to you.
In the end, remember this - liberation is not a magical thing. It is perfect acceptance of god's will, with zero resistance.
Logical mind seeks intelligent explanations and intellectual understanding of higher truths. But no amount of intellectual understanding frees one from the cycle of births and deaths and pleasures and pains. As I wrote in the other email, one who takes scenes in a movie seriously will not stop that with a mere intellectual understanding that it is just a movie and not real. Despite that intellectual understanding, one may be startled when a scary scene comes again. What changes his attitude and makes him not get startled when a scary scene comes and not cry when a sad scene comes is practice. If one watches movies again and again, keeping at the back of the mind that it is just a movie and not real, slowly that truth gets ingrained in the mind. The instincts to be scared, to be sad, to be excited, etc, are reprogrammed. This requires long and conscious effort.
Don't think that only the half hour or hour or few hours you spend in homam or meditation everyday is spiritual sadhana. Each second is the time of spiritual sadhana. Each activity is a spiritual sadhana.
Do whatever you do as an offering to god. For example, when you eat, think that god is inside you in various body parts and fire is going to carry the nutrition from the food to various forms of god in various body parts. Think of food as an offering to god. When you enjoy some object, offer that object and enjoyment to god inside you.
Accept whatever happens to you as a blessing of god - as the will of god. When mind gets attracted to something or feels aversion for something, gets excited or depressed, becomes proud or ashamed, tell yourself that whatever is happening to you is god's will and accept it.
Do what seems like the right thing to do (though your sense of right and wrong may be imperfect, it can be perfected over time). Do the very best job you can, and yet be prepared for any end result.
Rituals like homam and meditation create situations that are conducive to such a frame of mind. However, that frame of mind is created and maintained through conscious effort and contemplation.
To progress spiritually, remember two thumbrules: (1) Spend as much time as you can, in spiritual sadhana. (2) Turn every moment into sadhana by treating all your actions as offerings to god and maximize your acceptance of what happens to you.
In the end, remember this - liberation is not a magical thing. It is perfect acceptance of god's will, with zero resistance.
Comments
Post a Comment