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