Total Thoughts (December 6, 2009) - Cessation of External Conflicts, Care of the physical body and Intense love

Total Thoughts:

Cessation of External Conflicts, Care of the physical body and Intense love (On Wings and Wheels pg 63-65)

 

• Love is complex and hard to find - We should consider how the word 'love' is misused and overused in society and reflect on what it means for ourselves. We should reflect on how love towards God is a path; a journey
  
• Lust can be blinding- Once we understand this, it can help us move forward
  
• There is no definition of love - Love is a spectrum and it holds different levels of intensity for different individuals. We should reflect on what it means to us and how it relates to our personal relationships
  
• It is difficult to communicate love - We should think about how we can love people that we can't communicate with
  
• Reflection deserves importance - We should realize that reflection is a key contribution to our personal growth process
  
• All discussion topics help us see the bigger picture - reflecting and understanding the topics (euthanasia, love, vegetarianism, morals, ethics etc.) helps us on the journey of self-realization
  
• Highest moral advice is to love thyself - if you can't love yourself, then you can't love others. In order to love thyself, you need to know thyself. This is the journey we are all on

 "We may often give without love, but we can never love without giving" - Swami Chinmayananda

 Inspire-Love-Be

Total Thoughts (November 29, 2009) - Vegetarianism

Total Thoughts:

Vegetarianism (On Wings and Wheels pages 56-62)

 

• We tend to view compassion differently - Something to reflect on is how we can feel compassion for a cow, but not for a carrot
• We have a limited conception of pain - Often, we don't consider whether plants can feel pain and how every substance has energetic value
  
• Consider the least amount of harm to the environment - Where do we draw the line? i.e. fish oil and other byproducts may be good for our health, however natural drugs are also a byproduct. We should understand the amount of benefit and injury that these substances cause
• Cause and effect is significant - We can shift perception if we remove cause and effect. If everyone had to kill what they wanted to eat, then perhaps everyone would gain a new perspective
• There is a lot of pressure to eat meat - For some, the vegetarian diet is cost prohibitive as it is more expensive to be a vegetarian. Meat also has a strong association with culture (i.e. Thanksgiving etc.) which makes it difficult for some to sustain a vegetarian diet. We should consider that if there were more vegetarians, then it would be easier for others to stay vegetarians
• Corporations perpetuate the issue - We should understand the role the corporation plays in communicating the accessibility/appeal of a meat diet
• Tendencies of the mind seek out the taste of meat - When you are full, chicken is not appealing, however when you are hungry even a piece of bread is delicious
• Being vegetarian is not as hard as it may seem - Once we try and commit to education and a routine we can realize that it is not as hard as we may believe it to be
  
• It is beneficial to be vegetarian - it is a moral, environmental and health conscious lifestyle decision
  
• Same criteria for vegetarianism can be applied to wearing leather goods - We should understand why we have different criteria to evaluate whether we should wear leather goods. We need to consider the impact, and what is justifiable (i.e. we eat for sustenance, and we wear leather shoes for comfort and foot support)
  

 

"The straight path is as difficult as it is simple. Were it not so, all would follow the straight path" - Gandhi

 

Inspire-Love-Be

Total Thoughts (November 22, 2009) - Sri Rama's Dilemma/Bhisma's Justification

Total Thoughts:

Sri Rama's Dilemma/Bhisma's Justification (On Wings and Wheels pages 51-55)

 

• Different sets of rules apply in war - we can understand this better when we reflect on whether the ends justify the means and whether we have acted rightly or wrongly
  
• It's difficult to achieve our goals -  we should remember that the goal is that we are happy/at peace with our decisions
• Temperament can affect our destiny - we should be aware of the line between our 'real' selves and our 'fake' selves
• Free will and destiny have different implications -we should think about how destiny can push us towards acceptance and free will can push us towards choice
• Understanding choice can help us grow - if one is enlightened, is there a choice? we can reflect on whether it is real or the ego and understanding this can help us gain clarity and predict consequences of our actions
  
• Awareness can bring about change - making people aware of how much they have, can help them understand how they can contribute to society (ie. help others)
• Decisions have purpose - we should understand when we are making decisions for ourselves and when we are acting for the greater good
  

 

"The quality of the mind would determine how the Ego would react to a given challenge." - Swami Chinmayananda

 

Inspire-Love-Be

Total Thoughts (November 15, 2009) - Error or Sin?

Total Thoughts:

Error or Sin? (On Wings and Wheels pages 46-51)

 

• We should realize that society and the individual are not governed by the same morals and rules - society might punish you even if you thought your action was right. We should reflect on the idea that just because you are not punished immediately, does not mean it will not happen in the future, or in another life so we should strive to always do what is right
• We should be more morally conscious of 'little' mistakes - we should try to understand the line between a small innocent mistake and one with longer term consequences. We should think about how hard we should be on ourselves and become more aware so those mistakes don't continue and eventually evolve into bad habits
• Perception can have an impact on how mistakes affect us - having mistakes in our lives, whether they have been directed at us or not, we need to understand whether something is a 'true mistake' and how we can learn from our experiences. It is then, when we can be more conscious of the positive or negative balance that it creates
• There are different degrees of 'right' and 'wrong' - we should be prepared and decide how we would react when faced with either situation
  
• Punishment doesn't always bring about change - we should try to understand the role of rehabilitation and education for those that have done wrong things before we try to punish or force a solution, with respect to society and ourselves
  
• Conformity poses challenges - rather than conforming, we should take time to reflect on whether it would be harmful or not, aligned with our morals and make a decision based on what we believe to be right

 

"Ignorance will not disappear merely with education. It can go only with a change in our ways of thinking." - Gandhi

 

Inspire-Love-Be,

Total Thoughts (November 8, 2009) - Abortion, Indecision

Total Thoughts:

Abortion, Indecision (On Wings and Wheels pages 44-46)

 

• Abortion is a serious decision, not to be taken lightly - this is something that we should acknowledge and understand the long term consequences of and how it impacts our decisions and actions
  
• We should take a long term view of decision making - we should practice thinking something through, even if we would still perform the action as it will allows us to become more aware of the decision at hand and will allow us to reflect on the experience with the possibility (in some cases) of revisiting the decision later and learning from it
• It is beneficial to strive for inner peace - when you are at peace with yourself, it can help in the decision making process because you have faith in what the outcome will be rather than being attached to the expectation of the outcome
  
• Indifference contributes to indecisiveness - a useful technique could be to question how certain decisions affect us and how they are connected to the 'bigger picture'. for small decisions an effective tool can be to flip a coin and follow through with the result
  
• We can reflect on Sati - when we reflect on Sati, we should think about how it was related to the time and understand what learning can be adapted to modern day society
  
• Education can benefit society - we should think about the most effective way to deliver education to society as inspiring people often is more effective and impactful than governing people
  
• Social patterns change over time -  we associate with different role models over time and sometimes it helps to take a step back and raise our awareness to re-evaluate whether we are learning from the right role models
  

"Desire is at the root of all actions, good or evil" - Swami Chinmayananda

 

Inspire-Love-Be,

Total Thoughts (November 1, 2009) - Social Conscience and Euthanasia

Total Thoughts:
 

Social Conscience and Euthanasia (On Wings and Wheels pages 41 - 44)

 

• Things that are taught to us become our belief - our actions and decisions may be influenced by learned behaviour and we should gain a better understanding of how this learned behaviour affects us to better direct our actions and decisions
  
• Selfishness can be controlled - it is in our nature to be selfish, however with increased knowledge and awareness we can exercise more control
  
• We should not treat people differently based on their title/association - it is beneficial to make our relationships more straight-forward and simple, therefore relationships will be less complex and we can achieve more peace
  
• Performing actions and having expectations is not sustainable - if we have expectations then there will be room for disappointment, therefore making the journey to contentment more difficult
  
• You can be closer to God through self-development - this is something that we should continue to practice and strive for
  
• Should avoid the term '"God" - there are many interpretations and the translation can sometimes be confused in certain situations
  
• The book "Island" by Aldous Huxley is a good read - examines many of our discussion/life topics
  

 

"An investment in knowledge pays the best interest" - Benjamin Franklin

 

Inspire-Love-Be,

Total Thoughts (October 18, 2009) - Meditation

Total Thoughts:

 

Meditation (On Wings and Wheels pages 38 - 40)

• We have to make reasons to follow through with meditation and not make excuses to not follow through - skipping meditation is easy, just as being mediocre is easy
• Sincerity is a key factor to being successful with meditation - if we truly appreciated the benefit of meditation we would be sincere
• Unfortunately our gauge of what is beneficial and what is not has become utterly gross and immediate - the benefits of meditation are subtle and lasting in addition to being gross and immediate so why do we invest so little into meditation
• To be able to meditate we have to be comfortable with being alone - solitude is a catalyst to contemplation
• Meditation is a means to Enlightenment - this means is the practice of believing we are Infinite rather than finite

' The rich have a superfluous store of things which they do not need and which are, therefore, neglected and wasted; while millions starve and are frozen to death for want of them.  If each retained possession only of what he needed, none would be in want and all would live in contentment. ' --- Mahatma Gandhi

Inspire-Love-Be

Total Thoughts (October 4, 2009) - Values of Life (Cont'd)

Total Thoughts:
 
Values of Life (On Wings and Wheels pages 36 - 38)

• Self-integration is that discipline whereby the wants of the mind become obedient to the needs of the intellect - sans self-integration our inner and outer achievements will always be dismal
• Discipline is necessary to be content - if we are not disciplined we will not be aware of our wants nor needs and naturally this will only result in confusion
• When our focus is on increasing the number of desires fulfilled we are consenting to run a race that never ends, leading to exhaustion - by focusing on decreasing the number of desires entertained we have chosen to run a race with a finish line, leading to Joy
• Striving for equipoise one discovers one becomes peaceful in all situations - when our mind is quiet we become amazing in all we undertake
• Our discussions are an ideal forum to reevaluate what we want to achieve - only when we know what we want to achieve can we be successful

' He who writes poetry is not a poet. He whose poetry has become his life, and who has made his life his poetry - it is he who is a poet. ' --- Subramanya Bharathi
 
Inspire-Love-Be,
 

Total Thoughts (September 27, 2009) - Values of Life

Total Thoughts:
 
Values of Life (On Wings and Wheels pages 31 - 35)

• By being disciplined in outer lifestyle we contribute to our inner stability - tapas (voluntary discipline) enables titiksha (forbearance)
• Charity has to be a way of life not just an occurrence here and there - we have to give our whole being (i.e. effort, time, funds, skills, etc.) for us to know what charity really is
• We discover the true value of an object, being or situation when we give it away - the best way to prove or disprove the latter is to try being charitable
• Keeping our outer surroundings pure is exponentially more easy than keeping our inner being pure - funnily and sadly we are so bold in claiming that our physical environment is not a reflection of our mind
• By forcing ourselves to smile and speak gently, inevitably the force will disappear and these positive behaviours will be natural - living a value based life is only complicated and difficult if we want it to be

Foundation for our upcoming discussion:  Values of Life (On Wings and Wheels pages 36 - 40)

 
' Melancholy is the language of delusion; joy is the music of Truth. ' --- Swami Chinmayananda
 

Inspire-Love-Be,

Total Thoughts (September 20, 2009) - In Pursuit of Higher Values

Total Thoughts:

In Pursuit of Higher Values (On Wings and Wheels pages 28 - 31)

• Just as the majority of an iceberg is unseen so too the majority of our personality is unexpressed - by developing more awareness we are able to purify the subtler layers of our personality
• Most of us claim to live a life based on values but when push comes to shove do we still uphold these values - through introspection do we come to understand what we really base our lives on
• If we all cultivated 'big picture ethics' then 'little picture ethics' would be absorbed into this - in the same way, when our vision is of Oneness, our egos would dissolve
• Values are a means and not an ends in themselves - we abide by values to make us eligible to abide in our Infinite Nature
• Most of the education society propagates is towards valuables (limited) and not values (limitless) - is it a wonder then that unnecessary conflict is ever present

Foundation for our upcoming discussion:  Values of Life (On Wings and Wheels pages 31 - 35)

 

' I emphasize that I am full of ambition and hope and of full charm of life.  But I can renounce all at the time of need and that is the real sacrifice. ' --- Bhagat Singh

 

Inspire-Love-Be

Total Thoughts (May 3, 20090) - Free Will

Total Thoughts:

Free Will

·         Accepting moral responsibility is important – there is an obvious difference between the level of responsibility one wants to accept, but we should strive to accept more responsibility to encourage self-development and growth

·         Both the short-term and long-term are affected by fate - we should not think of fate as something that only affects the future as the concept itself implies that all events are interconnected as one (i.e. the big picture and the individual's role in the whole). Therefore short-term events/decisions should be regarded as significant as their outcome

·         The concept of fate is logical but not always practical – free will is more likable, therefore we should implore this knowledge when faced with negative situations as it will help us gain perspective and promote a healthy positive attitude

·         Accepting fate can help alleviate worry/stress – if we practice accepting this notion, we will worry less about 'getting to point B' and can therefore feel more motivated and productive in the interim

·         Meditation helps grow awareness – meditation should not be considered thought control, rather it should be viewed as aiding in helping develop our awareness and reflecting on something higher

·         Everything has purpose and reason – If we reflect upon this, it is easy to see the importance in treating every relationship seriously. This will help us to become stronger, smarter and therefore more empowered

Foundation for our Upcoming Discussion May 10, 2009:  The Relationship between Religion and Behaviour.

 "Success or achievement is not the final goal.  It is the 'spirit' in which you act that puts the seal of beauty upon your life" – Swami Chinmayananda

Inspire-Love-Peace

Total Thoughts (April 5, 2009) - Judging Oneself

Total Thoughts:

 

Judging Oneself

• Judging others is acting like we are completely blind - we have no idea what kind of upbringing, conditions, needs, etc. one may have so who are we to judge them (i.e. a poor man could be much happier than a rich man)
• Guilt and forgiveness (within oneself) are fundamental emotions which can prevent us from growing if either is too great - we should reflect over these and seek a balance which aids our growth
• The only difference between a thought and action is the physical expression - knowing this we should nurture thoughts which help move us forward on the journey of Self realization and soon enough our goal will become Real
• We can learn through another's experience or one's own - the more aware we become the more we can learn from others and this significantly benefits our spiritual growth 
• We are quite aware of physical dangers (i.e. ice, animals, etc.) - yet we are almost completely unaware of mental dangers (i.e. negative company, harmful thoughts, etc.)
• The greatest wealth we have is peace of mind - so we should practice dissecting which thoughts pose a danger to us and give such thoughts no attention making them impotent
• The way to exhaust our vasanas (innate tendencies) is to do what we need to do (i.e. study if a student) and not what we want to do (i.e. sleep all day if a student) - by understanding the role we are supposed to play (exhausting vasanas) we will not make the mistake of trying to fit into someone else's role (create more vasanas)
• All that happens, is for a reason - we are to learn from every situation life presents to us and if we do not learn from such a situation the same message will be offered to us in another situation and on and on and on  
• Faith is needed to understand that there is a lesson to be learned in every situation - with this faith living becomes an adventure and we engage ourselves more fully in each and every situation

Remember we will not meet this Sunday for our Discussion as this is a Holiday Weekend.  We will meet the following Sunday (April 19th) not at Pritesh's place, rather at Charmaine's place (27 Birch Avenue, Toronto) and we will meet here until we break for the Summer.  This is a basement apartment and parking is available across the street.  A followup email has come from CHYK Toronto and / or check out http://www.chyktoronto.org/ .

 

' Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life - think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success, that is way great spiritual giants are produced. ' --- Swami Vivekananda

 

Inspire-Love-Peace

Total Thoughts (March 29, 2009) - The Role of Conscience

Total Thoughts:

 

The Role of our Conscience

• There is no real difference between the intellect and conscience - the intellect we tend to associate as a 'storehouse' (theory) and the conscience as the 'frontline' (application)
• Every night we should reflect over our actions and reactions of the expired day - by investing this time in ourselves we become more aware of our conscience and thus are better able at developing this
• Wisdom is knowledge in action - it is important to recognize what we are doing with the knowledge we acquire and whether we are actually applying this to our daily affairs
• We should practice having a calm mind - when our mind is calm we are more likely to listen to our conscience and so live ethically 
• Everyone should aspire to the ideal of being truthful in thought, word and deed - by recognizing that lying is easy and habit forming we should cease to do so for the negative impact is far reaching (i.e. the prevalence of cheating on exams, taxes, relations, etc.)
• To live by the philosophy of maximum happiness for maximum people for maximum time is to practice Oneness - Lord Rama acted as such for He only knew Oneness and so is a role model for all for all times
• Nothing is as hard as it seems - the purpose of living is to serve others and we have to have the courage to practice all the knowledge we are gaining so that we can become wise in our vision

Foundation for our upcoming Discussion:  Judging Oneself

 

Moreover, Swami Shantananda was teaching in Toronto last week and there were opportunities to offer Bhiksha.  Many people do not know what Bhiksha is and more importantly the significance behind offering Bhiksha.  So in the interest of conquering our ignorance, an explanation for you:

 

What Is Bhiksha?
 
Saint and Sages are the pillars of any society. They offer their words of wisdom according
to the times of society, expecting absolutely nothing in return. It is considered an honour and privilege
to get a chance to offer them a meal, which is called BHIKSHA.
 
It is said that the mere presence of highly evolved personalities in one's home or an institution makes the place blessed.
Bhiksha provides an ideal opportunity to meet these people in person and to have satsang at home.

 

Please also note, we will not meet for our Discussion on Sunday, April 12th as this is a Holiday Weekend. 

 

See you all this Sunday.
 
' Better a death of righteousness than the ordinary ignoble death!  It is more laudable to die for the general welfare than to expire on the comfortable bed of selfishness! ' --- Sri Sri Paramahansa Yogananda
 
Inspire-Love-Peace

Total Thoughts (March 22, 2009) - Peaceful Warrior

Hari Om Everyone,

 

i hope this email finds everyone well...

 

The Spirit is All Pervading.  So too then must be spirituality or Vedanta.  Yet we tend to think otherwise.  Movies, music, sports this is all just entertainment, right?  The latter is only true if we look out at life with a limited vision.  However, if we expand our vision we shall slowly understand and appreciate how Vedanta is everywhere.  And once we raise our vision to this beautiful height, we begin to learn from every object, every being and every situation.  With such inner growth comes greater and greater and greater joy...

 

Peaceful Warrior is a solid movie depicting the relationship between a Guru and disciple.  From frustration to transformation the journey of how a student invokes and applies the message of his teacher is unambiguously shared.  Please take the time to read these Total Thoughts and then watch Peaceful Warrior.  And remember this is not just a movie, you and i are the disciple!  The Guru will come to us when we are ready.  Enjoy!

 

Total Thoughts

 

Peaceful Warrior

• We tend to have a gross vision towards living (i.e. only that which i perceive through my sense organs is real) - to gain our interest, a Guru sometimes engages in remarkable feats (i.e. wearing two different boots, jumping onto the roof, etc.)
• A Guru cleans up the attachment we have to our body (i.e. sweeping up the broken pieces of of the body) - when this attachment is slowly reduced then He can begin to detach us from our mind and finally ego too
• When in the presence of a Guru, He is a comprehensive means to our spiritual evolution (i.e. sign at the beginning says 'Full Serve') - having received upadesa from our Guru our spiritual evolution is then based on our self effort (i.e. sign at the end says 'Self Serve') 
• We tend to think and act like we are the knowers of the Law of Karma (i.e. the coach and Dan state that if he works hard he shall qualify for the Olympics) - in reality there are countless variables far beyond our comprehension involved in the Law of Karma and we should appreciate this by thinking and acting less egotistically
• The difference between a secular coach and a spiritual coach is the former promotes the ego while the latter breaks the ego (i.e. is honest with us about how we really are and unfortunately we get mad when we are told our weaknesses when we should be appreciative) - the secular coach is focused on capability and so often discourages the student whereas the spiritual coach is focused on availability and so often encourages this
• The difference between knowledge and wisdom is that wisdom is actually practiced - we must strive to bring the knowledge a Guru offers us into our daily affairs (i.e. the greatest Guru Dakshina is to become the Guru)
• We all have an immense amount of secular possessions, knowledge and achievements - but are we happy (i.e. has to do with everything)
• When we are lusting after the objects, beings and situations of the world we forget the greater joys of the Spirit - the Guru comes as our conscience to remind us to turn within (i.e. when Socrates is standing behind the girl)
• We all claim to be living but this would imply that we know what Life is (i.e. some live their who lives without ever being awake) - do we know what Life is
• By learning to ask better questions our spiritual growth will follow suit (i.e. when Dan is asking about the girl) - A Guru is an expert in spiritual knowledge and so only spiritual inquiries should be made with Him
• Serving is the highest purpose and so the most fulfilling experience (i.e. at the gas station) - this seva is dependent on our attitude not contribution
• A Guru practices living (i.e. being disciplined and aware in eating, sleeping, speaking, etc.) - we tend to practice only select facets of living (i.e. being disciplined in sports)
• All the answers we truly need in life can only be found within - yet we fear looking within and do everything to distract ourselves from this (i.e. sleeping with the television on, always having music on while driving, etc.)
• We should free ourselves from attachments and addictions (i.e. no meat, no alcohol, etc.) - these habits create dependencies which hinder progress on the journey of Self Awareness
• By living in the present we will be able to fully appreciate and understand Life (i.e. taking out the trash in the mind) - only then does living become a true joy (i.e. there is never nothing going on)
• The mind has 1000's of thoughts a day (i.e. just a reflex organ) - and none of these thoughts tell me about me
• The purpose of serving a Guru is to become humble enough to be able to tune into His message (i.e. cleaning the toilets, sweeping, pumping gas, etc.) - the ones who choose not to serve are still enmeshed in their egos and will never be able to understand the Guru's teachings
• Materialism has made us extremely results oriented and unfortunately this notion carries over to spirituality too (i.e. Dan being impatient with Socrates) - patience is a fundamental quality for spiritual growth
• Society has conditioned us to think we are invincible (i.e. wearing the helmet) and when reality strikes us we immediately drown ourselves in a negative attitude (i.e. Dan should be lucky he survived the accident) - hardships are blessings for only then do we tend to reflect over living and Life (i.e. when Joy is touching Dan's heart)
• Our ego simply wants to establish further and further that we are different - once we begin to make the ego impotent we begin to grow in all ways (i.e. breaking of trophies, letting go of the ego, etc.)
• A warrior excels when becoming absolutely vulnerable (i.e. the first realization is 'not knowing') - what this implies is we cannot truly learn unless we are alert / aware
• If we live according to results only we become blinded and defined by the goal (i.e. chasing after gold) - rather we should find happiness in the journey itself and not postpone happiness (i.e. the hike up the mountain)
• When we do not get what we want we suffer and when we get what we want we still suffer - why do we make this choice
• The people hardest to love are the ones who need it the most (i.e. giving up clothing) - a sadhu is one who treats the unpleasant person as pleasant
• No one is ever better or worse (i.e. drinking and smoking in the bar) - we have to be extremely wary not to be caught up in self righteousness
• We need to be conscious of our choices (i.e. developing habits) - and more importantly be responsible for our actions (i.e. being hungover)
• Whenever we are in fear we have to use the sword of knowledge (i.e. cutting up the mind into ribbons and throwing it away) - true knowledge is knowing we are not the mind
• The only place and time is here and now (i.e. competing at the end)

Inspire-Love-Peace,

 

Acharya Vivek

www.chinmayaniagara.org

Total Thoughts (March 15, 2009) - The Goal of Social Systems

Total Thoughts (March 15, 2009):

 

The Goal of Social Systems

• All of the ashramas (stages of living) and varnas (positions in society) are designed to encourage us to become more and more sattvic (selfless) - our ultimate aim is to transcend even sattva and rediscover the Divine Self
• We should pay attention to how we react in situations - this will help us determine whether we were truly pure in our motive and whether we adhered to our morals / ethics
• Our Scriptures are the perfect means to bringing more peace into our lives - this essence of our Scriptures was applicable, is applicable and always will be applicable
• The source of our Scriptures is Infinity and so no message is casual - all man made creations are subject to limitations and have the potential to be casual
• A growing trend in our society is for writers/teachers to take messages from our Scriptures and package them attractively (i.e. The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle, The Secret, etc.) - we should be alert that such messages have just been repackaged in a less potent fashion and to appreciate the greater meaning we have to turn to our Scriptures and reflect over the messages being shared 
• We have to apply what we discuss and learn to our personal affairs - this will allow us to understand and share our knowledge more thoroughly
• Everyone is trying to understand God whether we believe this or not - and everyone is walking in the right direction only that some are walking forwards (believers) and some backwards (atheists)
• The truest judge of our successes and failures is ourselves - as such we have to discover the balance between regret and forgiveness otherwise we will prevent ourselves from growing  

Be sure to join us this Sunday for our Movie Night and Discussion on The Peaceful Warrior.  The place and time will be the same.  For more information refer to the email sent from CHYK Toronto last week.

 

Moreover, Swami Shantananda will be speaking in Toronto from March 23rd to March 28th (www.chinmayatoronto.org).  And on the 27th the members of our Mississauga and Downtown discussions will be offering Swamiji Bhiksha at Chinmaya Sivalaya.  Please await the email from CHYK Toronto for more information. 

 

Now for those who want to pursue the Spiritual Path even more sincerely, the Chinmaya Mission conducts a variety of Vedanta Programs (i.e. Residential Courses, Three Month Courses, Six Week Courses, Dharma Sevak Courses, Online Courses, etc.).  Attached is a letter from Pujya Guruji Swami Tejomayananda outlining some of these Vedanta Courses.  Enroll in one today.  i assure you that your investment of time and energy will be returned multiplied by infinity.  In fact i have written about such an experience i had at Sandeepany.  This is attached for you to reflect over.

 

See you all on Sunday.
 
" Discharge of swadharma (duties allotted to you) is only a sadhana, means to an end, namely gaining Atmajnana.  It is not and end in itself. " --- Lord Rama
 
Inspire-Love-Peace

Total Thoughts (March 8, 2009) - What is my Duty

 

What is my Duty

• The purpose of the ashramas or stages of living (brahmacharya or student life, grhastha or married life, vana prastha or retirement life, and sannyasa or renunciate life) is to develop our center of attention away from ourselves - if we adhere to this timeless social system with each stage we would become more selfless
• The purpose of the varnas or castes (brahmana or thinking class, kshatriya or leading class, vaishya or merchant class, and shudra or labour class) is to understand what mental temperament we have and to serve accordingly - all the castes are equally important (i.e. our society needs medical doctors as much as mail deliverers)
• Focusing on knowing ourselves is crucial - through this understanding of ourselves we become more sensitive to the 'bigger picture' allowing us to better fulfill the mission of life, selfless service
• Identifying what makes one 'successful' helps us to understand ourselves and others - we then become more open minded and accepting
• We should not get lost in societal pressures - rather we should take the time to reflect on what we should be doing and then act on it
• The psychological texture of an individual is fluid, is changing - if we are aware of these transitions we can better harness and direct our capacities
• The process of reflection is indescribably important - through proper reflection we begin to gain clarity in our thoughts and answers come by easily then
• We have to make the most of what we do - by developing a passion for what we do we do not succumb to postponing happiness
• There is only Life - there is no body who lives a Life
• By understanding there is only One our egos are immediately nullified - when this original limitation is transcended the ashramas, varnas and all other means of guidance become non applicable

Foundation for our upcoming discussion:  The Goal of Social Systems
 
" To give the maximum happiness to the maximum number for the maximum time is our religion. " --- Swami Chinmayananda
 
Inspire-Love-Peace

Total Thoughts (February 22) - Acting for Happiness and Happiness Alone

Total Thoughts (February 22, 2009):

Acting for Happiness and Happiness Alone

• By continuing our practice of being aware of our thoughts and happiness we will be able to grow and progress in our discovery of the Self - on this journey we will one day learn that the only source of happiness is our own Self
• Rather than focusing on expectations of others (which are not relevant), we should turn our attention to our own state of mind (which is most relevant)
• We should not waste our time and energy being unhappy - instead we should focus on what makes us happy and remind ourselves of this every time we recognize we are on the path to unhappiness
  
• We should always question why we do things that make us unhappy
• In every difficult situation we should understand that we can either change our mind (internal) or change our environment (external) - the inner is within our grasp and the outer is not so our only real solution is to change our minds
• We should reflect on action vs. inaction - gaining a greater understanding of why we choose to act or not act will give us a greater understanding of ourselves
• We should consider what it means to be 'complete' - is this achievable 
  
• We should evaluate whether our desires are needs or wants - we need very very little to live peacefully (i.e. Maslow's Theory) yet we are striving for so much (i.e. "Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not one man's greed." --- Mahatma Gandhi)
• Based on the philosophy of materialism we should strive to fulfill our desires and based on the philosophy of peace we should strive to reduce our desires - the former focuses on the effects and the latter on the cause so which will be more effective to curing the disease of desire
• Our discussions help us reduce the diseases of the mind - our discussions also help to make the mind and ego tangible so we can eventually transcend both
  

Foundation for our upcoming discussion:  How our Moods (Gunas) Affect Us

Attached is a poster for a Spiritual Retreat for young adults (how cool is that!) taking place in Chicago this summer.  These Camps are a potent medium to learn about life, cultivate inspiration, make friends and have a blast.  Please seriously consider joining me for this and please send this poster to all of your family and friends who would benefit and appreciate such an experience.

  

See you all on Sunday.

  

' He who is supremely devoted to God, and to his Guru as to his God, to such a mahatma, all that is imparted becomes effulgent. ' --- from Svetasvatara Upanishad

  

Inspire-Love-Peace

Total Thoughts (February 8, 2009) - Is the motive more important than the means?

Is the Motive More Important than the Means?

• There tends to be a positive approach to all critical situations - taking the time to go through the mental exercise of reflection allows allows us to realize this option
• We should study our choices more carefully -  by challenging ourselves we may come to understand that the end result may not be as important as the means
• Education is an agent of change - we should strive to learn more and more about ourselves for only then will we learn how we have to and can change
• Gauging what is good and bad is difficult even in respects to the law -  we should question what was the intended purpose of what is deemed right and wrong in our society and think about why
• We need to understand what motivates us - society can be guided through education (spirituality) or governance (politics) and we should reflect on which is more effective for the individual and total 
• We should forever seek inspiration - this is the only way to survive the journey of discovering the Self
• If we are self inspired we are unstoppable for what or who could take this away - sadly we have always been taught to depend on outside sources for inspiration

This Sunday we will not meet as this is the Family Day Weekend.  We will meet again on Sunday, February 22nd.  And the following day Monday, February 23rd make it a point to participate in our Mahashivaratri Puja at Chinmaya Sivalaya (Toronto) or Chinmaya Dhara (Niagara Falls).  Mahashivaratri is the most sattvik of all Hindu festivals and so the most important within the Chinmaya Mission and should be to all seekers.  Please go to www.chinmayatoronto.org and www.chinmayaniagara.org for more details. 
 

And for those who missed the DVD Presentation we watched on Sunday please click on the below link and watch the same.  Remember, you can now Register, so do so and spread the word while you are at it!

 

16th Chinmaya Mahasamadhi Family Camp 2009

 

'To live rightly is itself an art: to give love to others and thus, to enrich life around you, by your own right living, is the subtlest of all known arts in the world.' --- Swami Chinmayananda

 

Inspire-Love-Peace

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Total Thoughts (January 25, 2009) - Practicing Moderation

Practicing Moderation
How Motives Affect our Actions

• Trying to figure out another's motive is fruitless - we should just practice acting the way we should be acting
• When we focus on our own motives rather than another's, negative thoughts are reduced - with less negative thoughts we have more peace of mind
  
• We should be conscious of every choice we make, even if the choice seems small - every thought and every action has an lasting affect
• Appreciating the importance of our choices allows us to make better choices
  
• Reflecting on what our motives are is important - only with such reflection will we realize the source of our actions
• Moderation is only practiced with a weakness - we should moderate harmful thoughts and actions to overcome weakness for the long term 
• A spiritual foundation is stronger than a foundation based on principles - the spiritual person acknowledges a Higher Power which a principle person tends not to
• Desire, actions and thoughts are only different in expression (i.e. causal, subtle and gross) - each generates each other (i.e. hrdaya granthi or the knots of the heart)

Foundation for our upcoming discussion:  The Role of Alcohol in our Culture and Is the Motive More Important than the Means

Please note that we will not meet on Sunday February 15th as this is the Family Day Weekend.

See you all on Sunday.

'Sufism means that God makes you die to yourself and makes you live in Him.' --- Qushayri

Inspire-Love-Peace

Total Thoughts (January 18, 2009) - How do we know if an action is right or wrong?

How do we know if an action is right or wrong?

How does an action affect our mind?

• We should practice being selfish for the right reasons and understand the journey we take towards being selfless - learning to be aware of this will allow us to realize the path from selfishness to Selfishness (or selflessness)
• If we can change our perception we can change our reactions - the only way to change our perception is through understanding who we are (jiva), what the world is (jagat) and the nature of God (Ishwara)
• Perception need not be involuntary - we can practice taking a 'step back' to evaluate a situation from a different perspective to have more control over our reactions to objects, beings and situations
• In order to improve ourselves we have to embrace change - a change in perception brings about a complete change to one's life
• We should practice living with a long term vision - when we move away from instant gratification our choices become active rather than reactive causing negative consequences to fade away
• A good action is one that causes that least amount of mental disturbance to oneself - this can be achieved by aligning one's ethics and morals
• We have to be happy to share happiness - thus an Enlightened Personality is the only real giver of happiness

Foundation for our upcoming discussion:  How motives affect our actions

 

'Revolutionary Road' was an intense movie.  All of us left the theatre with much to talk about.  One of the main messages we reflected over was, 'Whether we do what we do because we want to or because society slowly and stealthily conditions us to?'  Think about it...please.

 

See you on Sunday.

 

'Though he lives in the conditionings, he, the contemplative one, remains ever unconcerned with anything or he may move about like the wind, perfectly unattached.' --- Adi Shankaracharya from Atma Bodha

 

Inspire-Love-Peace

Total Thoughts (January 11, 2009) - What is Morality?

What is Morality? 

Is Morality Inborn or Cultivated?

• By being more aware or paying attention we are better able to align our thoughts (within) and actions (without) - when there is no conflict between our thoughts and actions there is peace of mind
• Finding the root of alignment or misalignment is important to being happy - we should ask ourselves what influences these possibilities
• We need not conform to society's views with the assumption that society is right - we need to ask ourselves what is right for us
• Morals and ethics gauge/affect all that we do - appreciating this fact helps us to cultivate appropriate morals and ethics
• We should accept that alignment between our morals and ethics is not easy - the next step would be to understand why we compromise on either
• We tend to be unsure whether morals are instilled (nature) or developed (nurture) - we should continue to reflect on this to better understand ourselves
• Confusion is not necessarily negative - confusion can be that step away from ignorance and towards knowledge
• The more sincere we question, the more sincere an answer will be revealed

Last week a CHYK from Toronto had shared with me an interesting conversation she had with one of her friends.  Here is the relevant excerpt from that conversation:

 

Me: Why do you want to get your MBA? What will it get you?
Friend: A better position in a company
Me: What will that better position get you? What will it do for you?
Friend: Allow me to have more autonomy
Me: What does having more autonomy mean to you?
Friend: More responsibility
Me: What does more responsibility do for you?
Friend: Allows me to be more successful
Me: Then how will you feel then?
Friend: Happy

 

Isn't this the story of our lives?  Delayed happiness.  We spend our whole lives seeking happiness in the most roundabout ways.  Yet if we took the time to think we could realize we are already happy.  i am sure the movie we are going to see on Sunday (Revolutionary Road @ 700pm) will depict a similar message.

 

See you on Sunday.

 

" To get what you've never had, you have to do what you've never done. " --- Unknown

 

Inspire-Love-Peace

Total Thoughts (December 14, 2008) - You change, and the world around you will change!

You change, and the world around you will change!

• Change is always always happening - how many of us appreciate this truth
• Most often we become comfortable with our lives and fail to understand how change affects our lives - we should practice being aware of this perpetual change and determine whether we should actually be so comfortable
• We imagine change to be difficult - if we tried to change we would understand this to not be so difficult
• By considering both the benefits of changing as well as the consequences of not changing our efforts to change would be more significant
• People change when faced with crisis - we need to avoid waiting until we get a 'slap in the face' in case this point is too late
• We should remember to exercise our minds - as this is the most important tool for change we should give the mind as much attention as the body
• Ask the right questions - by asking the right questions we will actually receive answers we would like to know
• We have a habit of delaying happiness - we must ask ourselves why we do this and reflect on how we can live this happiness right here right now
• Psychology teaches us that the population is composed of 95% followers and 5% initiators - we should be aware of the change we make and understand that it carries forward and has a 'ripple effect' on others and more broadly, the world
• If we do not try to be happier, how will we ever know how happy we can be

Please be safe and serene over the holidays.  Please convey my Love to all of your family.  Please invite your friends to join us for our next semester.
 
In your service...

 

(the quote i talked about in our discussion)

 

" Should you wish to end your suffering, begin by realizing that you spend most of your life dreaming of when you will be happy.  How can you hear My voice when your thoughts are shouting about your next goal, you most recent defeat? " --- Nikhil Pradip Joshi

 

Inspire-Love-Peace

Total Thoughts (December 7, 2008) - Drowned - Coated, Suited, Booted!

Drowned - Coated, Suited, Booted!

• Paying more attention to what is 'off' in our day to day affairs can raise our level of awareness - a growth in our awareness can lead to a growth in our personality/attitude
• Recognizing that nature of the world (i.e. always changing) helps raise questions about what is Real - a similar idea was conveyed in 'The Matrix' how when in the matrix everything had a green tint to it
• Trying to understand the bridge between the dream state and waking state helps to reform our everyday decisions - hence it is important to reflect on all the states we experience (i.e. deep sleep as well)
• Exploring our definition of reality can fundamentally change our entire vision of life
• Everyone's perception is their own and this inhibits our ability to understand the similarity between the dream and waking state - our individual perceptions also inhibits our ability to understand one another
• Our dream world is a projection of the mind - in our present state of spiritual evolution we cannot prove the mind is not projecting our 'waking world' as well
• As you think' so you become - if we continue to reflect over such life transforming messages naturally we will be transformed

Foundation for our upcoming discussion: You change, and the world around you will change!

 

Moreover, after our discussion some of us were planning to go see 'The Day the Earth Stood Still' so please join us.

 

" Be the change you want to see in the world. " --- Mahatma Gandhi

 

Inspire-Love-Peace

Total Thoughts (November 23, 2008) - Religion - its Utility

Religion - its Utility

• Are definitions of religion, spirituality, God, etc. required - do these definitions serve a purpose
• In what direction are these definitions going - evolving or devolving
• What is the value of rituals - rituals serve the purpose of slowly raising our minds to subtler and subtler aspects of living and concurrently greater and greater levels of joy
• The karma kanda (ritual portion) of the Vedas can be likened to religion - naturally then, the jnana kanda (Self Knowledge portion) of the Vedas can be likened to spirituality
• We have to understand that our scriptures are a finite means to understanding the Infinite - examples to understand the latter are too look beyond the branches to the moon and dropping the pole to cross the bar
• Religion is a fundamental aspect of who we are
• By questioning the root/s of our religion, Gurus, Scriptures, etc. we facilitate our learning
• Such discussions / satsangas are a refresher
• Each religion teaches the same message - it is our understanding of that message that makes it as if we have our own individual religions
• Are such discussions / satsangas escapism - by questioning we are provided with matter to think about and possibly a new perspective
• Religion is simply the analysis of man's reaction to living - and guidance accordingly
• Our discussions should focus more on everyday life
• Claiming our discussions are not for everyday life is a justification to not practice what we have explored
• "It is never too late to be what we might have been." --- George Elliot

Foundation for our upcoming discussion:  The Purpose of Life

 

Please spread the word about our discussions.  Looking forward to seeing you all on Sunday.

 

Please also take a minute out of your day today to send your sincerest prayers to the innocent victims and their family/friends who have/are suffering from actions based on a terribly wrong interpretation of religion...in our blessed Bharat.

 

" The meaning of matsarya, then, is that the wealth of possible possessions and attainments in the world of matter creates in the ego dissatisfaction, and a passion (envy) for obtaining those material enjoyments." --- Paramahansa Yogananda

 

Inspire-Love-Peace