Total Thoughts (May 9, 2010) - (Tattva Bodha) The Six-Fold Wealth (Liberation)

Total Thoughts:

Total Thoughts, Liberation (pages 30-33): 

• Achieving a peaceful state is key - once you a in a peaceful state, you won't be affected by the inevitable change that comes in the form of situations, things and people
• We can cultivate the desire for peace - this is obtained through intelligent living which means that we should always be aware and continue to build our knowledge
• We are 'clinically depressed' based on our potential - this notion of being 'clinically depressed' should help us see that we can always push ourselves further along the spiritual journey towards enlightenment and give us perspective so that we remember to avoid becoming complacent, even if we feel comfortable in our situations
• Awareness can aid in avoiding complacency - if we continue to pay attention to our lives, experiment and engage, this will help us avoid falling into a state of complacency
• Faith can be shaken and strengthened - faith is shaken when we find ourselves in uncomfortable situations, in some cases because we have no knowledge of self. However through studying the scriptures, gaining knowledge and experience, faith can be strengthened
• Introspection is a powerful tool - it helps us absorb all the knowledge we gain from experience and the discussions and helps make the learning more potent

"You must be the change you want to see in the world" - Gandhi

Inspire-Love-Be

Total Thoughts (May 3, 2010) - (Tattva Bodha) The Six-Fold Wealth (Faith and Focus)

Total Thoughts:

Total Thoughts, Faith and Focus (pages 27-30): 

• Find the ability to prolong your happiness - If we are able to be happy for an hour at a time, why can't we become aware of this state and extend it for two, three hours or more?
• Enjoy each moment and have single-pointed focus - it is not the destination but the journey that matters and maintaining single-pointed focus will guide us towards our goals
• Distinguishing between faith and belief is relevant - faith requires enquiry and knowledge, but belief is just belief and can change. Faith is a higher order and should be considered as such in order to apply it correctly to our lives
• Be flexible in your goal - if we are able to surrender to faith, we can still have a goal but will be at peace understanding that change is inevitable and our goals should be flexible
• Reflect upon the scriptures and what the Guru says - having faith will allow us to be open to receiving the knowledge and diligence will help us absorb and understand it

"Reading without reflecting is like eating without digesting" - Edmund Burke

Inspire-Love-Be

Total Thoughts (April 18, 2010) - The Six-Fold Wealth

Total Thoughts:

• If I am, then I can think - if we have existence, then we have awareness. Most of our perceptions are incorrect but we believe them to be true because most things are subjective and relative. Therefore, we should spend more time reflecting and being aware so we can be better judges of our own perceptions
  
• So much is unknown - we should question why we are sometimes so attached to outcomes and focus on what we do know and practice titiksha when we face inevitable change
  
• Existence/awareness/infinity is a subjective science - all we can do is to "be it"
  
• Question the scientist and question yourself - we are accustomed to questioning one or the other, but if we are perceptive to the oneness then we can be begin to understand that everything is connected, therefore we should either question both or don't question either
  
• We should experiment with life - we should practice stepping outside of our comfort zone. This can benefit us by helping us avoid complacency and continue to expose ourselves to the changing universe. Therefore, finding experiences that help us grow
  

"There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that's your own self" -Aldous Huxley

Inspire-Love-Be

Total Thoughts (April 11, 2010) - The Six-Fold Wealth (Titiksha)

Total Thoughts:

Total Thoughts, Titiksha (pages 25-27):

• We have the luxury of thinking about our duty - if we can appreciate this, then we can also respect those that don't. Our minds can also change once we realize that what one's duty is, is what we make of it
  
• Perspective is important - we should seek to understand that there are different perspectives to every situation and this leads some to complain and others to celebrate. We should also begin to understand what drives us towards each reaction and make conscious effort to see the positive opportunity in each challenge
  
• Choice is a blessing and a curse - sometimes we are lost because we are faced with too much choice (i.e. blue jean dilemma) but we should continue to reflect to inform our decisions
  
• Practice endurance - we should push ourselves towards cheerful acceptance as acceptance itself is positive but we can achieve more peace if we can experience it cheerfully
  
• Everything is changing - we should not chase what is good and complain about what is bad but recognize that everything is ever changing
  
• Joy is tangible in Satsanga -  this is such a beneficial practice as everyone is a teacher and a student
  

"The strongest principle of growth lies in human choice" - George Eliot

Inspire-Love-Be

Total Thoughts (March 28, 2010) - "Why are we here?"

Total Thoughts:

• Try to be the best and leave the rest - This phrase can help inform how we approach our everyday lives. It will help remind us that we should be, rather than become
  
• Discussions are important - Often we underestimate the amount of growth we experience when we talk to one another and expose ourselves to different ways of thinking and experiences. Our discussions can help motivate us to the practice of meditation and inspire us
  
• We should continue to study - There is a ritual of studying and if we immerse ourselves in the material, we will be on the right track to moving forward on our path of discovery
  
• Try not to be shaken inside - The ability to master this is empowering. If we are able to achieve this with regularity, it will allow us the right focus to continue on our spiritual journey
  
• We learn from others - Our parents are insightful because they have life experience. We have learned that we never need to talk about ourselves. We have also learned the important lesson of organization. In the example of time management, we should all take the time to think about what it means to arrive early to a meeting vs. late and whether our time is more valuable than someone else's
  

"Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?" - Winnie the Pooh



Inspire-Love-Be

Total Thoughts (March 21, 2010) - Tattva Bodha The Six-Fold Wealth

Total Thoughts:

Total Thoughts, The Six-Fold Wealth (pages 20-23)

• Keep focused on the goal - we can achieve the end results through different paths, but we should think about what the ultimate goal is in order to forge our own pathway towards it
• There is merit in 'out of sight, out of mind' - we can decide whether avoidance should be part of the path to ultimately facing the 'temptation'
• You mind can be your best friend or worst enemy - we should continue to distinguish between the pure intellect and sense/pleasure to help develop a stronger mind and not allow it to become agitated
  
• You can't be the thing that controls the mind - we should reflect upon the situation when we have control over the mind, as we cannot be the thing who controls the mind
• Clarity of intellect is powerful - if we are able to achieve this, we will realize the power of one consistent thought. This will allow us to develop a good intellect, which in turn helps us control the senses and the mind
  

"The world we have created is a product of our thinking; it cannot be changed without changing our thinking." - Albert Einstein

Inspire-Love-Be

Total Thoughts (March 14, 2010) - Tattva Bodha Dispassion (cont'd)

Total Thoughts:

Total Thoughts, Dispassion (pages 17-18)

• There are different paths to God - For the same reason that different masters say different things, we should realize that there is a different target audience for different messages. What we should work towards is reflecting and we will be able to see that the essence of the message is always the same
• Objects do not have anything - Once we begin to understand and practice detachment, we will understand that it is the emotion that objects stir up that affect's one's happiness. We should reflect on this more and realize that objects are not the source of happiness
• Take little steps - We will achieve a greater sense of peace if we can see that the path doesn't matter as much as the goal Eg. Bakti vs. Gyana.
  
• Dispassion is not something that is forced upon us - It is something we should gain knowledge on and practice so that we can begin to live it effortlessly

"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go." - Dr. Seuss

Inspire-Love-Be

Total Thoughts (February 28, 2010) - Tattva Bodha Dispassion (cont'd)

Total Thoughts:

 

Total Thoughts, Dispassion (pages 17-18)

• Detachment is an attitude and not an action - it is when we realize this that we can put more effort towards practicing reflection to further our journey towards detachment
  
• Detachment does not mean that you do not care - detachment can help foster better relationships as it helps remove dependencies on beings, objects and situations that can sometimes cause agitation within
  
• Changing your thoughts will change your life - we should continue to exercise our consciousness and become more aware. It is through this practice that we will understand how to ultimately change our thoughts, which changes our life
  
• Studying Viveka and discrimination leads naturally to dispassion -  Once we understand that objects, beings and situations don't provide happiness, then it will be effortless to be detached
  
• If you live an ordinary life you will have ordinary happiness - it is important for us to reflect on this so that we are motivated to strive to achieve the goal of self-realization

Please see below the Drg Drsya Viveka Principles:

• Seer and seen are always different
• Seer cannot see itself and seen cannot see itself either
• Seer is conscious, seen is inert

"He who lives in harmony with himself lives in harmony with the universe." - Marcus Aurelius

Inspire-Love-Be

Total Thoughts (February 21, 2010) - Tattva Bodha Dispassion

Total Thoughts: 

Tattva Bodha, Dispassion (pages 17 - 18)

• A sure way to inculcate sorrow is to use the intellect where the heart is needed and to use the heart where the intellect is needed - wisdom empowers us to use the intellect and heart most effectively
• To be able to appreciate our Life Principle an intellectual capacity is initially needed - this intellectual understanding must evolve to consciously experiencing the Life Principle, not unconsciously as we all are right now
• Love is a term most common but do we really know what Love is - what is the cause/s and effect/s of Love
• We all like to believe we Love one another but if we Love one more than another this is specific love not Universal Love - specific love is a means to Universal Love and this discipline is practical and Liberating
• When we become simple we feel a deeper connection with all and Love is spontaneous - our Love for ourselves is unconditional and so the simplest

' Poverty is like God, it sees the whole world, but no one sees it. ' --- Swami Tejomayananda

Inspire-Love-Be

Total Thoughts (February 7, 2010) - Tattva Bodha The Four-Fold Qualifications (cont'd)

Total Thoughts:

 

Tattva Bodha, The Four-Fold Qualifications (pages 14-19)

• We can discriminate between change and the changeless - we should pay attention and become aware of the change that surrounds us. It is then that we can begin to tap into that which is changeless. Once we can discriminate between the two, we can begin to understand the significance of detachment
  
• We should reflect upon detachment vs. dispassion - detachment can be a way to cope with the ever changing world and this can lead to the path of freedom. Dispassion is connected to the process and can be perceived as a step towards detachment
• We can evaluate moments of clarity in our lives - we should strive towards being realized, as a realized person is always in a constant moment of clarity (understanding this is something that we often long for)
• It is fruitful to pursue the path of knowledge - It is once we pursue the path of knowledge that we can become infinite. If we pursue the path of love, we become zero
  
• We should assimilate our knowledge -It is only reality when we experience the knowledge we have gained. The more we reflect, the more evident the result will be manifested in our actions
  
• Breaking down barriers is powerful - Once this occurs, we can become infinite and one with all. This can be enabled through the qualification
  

"The good life is inspired by love and guided by knowledge." -  Bertrand Russell

Inspire-Love-Be

Total Thoughts (January 31, 2010) - Tattva Bodha Four Fold Qualifications

Total Thoughts:

Tattva Bodha, Four Fold Qualifications (pages 11 - 15)

• Realization can neither be proved nor disproved - only a Realized Being can know another Realized Being so until we are Realized we should simply have faith
• Through relative freedom from sorrow we achieve Absolute freedom from sorrow - if we are more peaceful every day, the day will come when we are Complete and know no sorrow
• We should strive to make our introspection more tangible (i.e. in writing) for only then will we act accordingly - to think without following with action is the same as aspiring to appease one's hunger by simply looking at food
• Each and everyday we should set time aside to answer the universal and fundamental questions of living (i.e. What is Life?  Who am I?  etc.) - such reflection is a blessing available to humans alone on account of the faculty of the intellect
• If we were to die in the next day or next week what would we do during this time - death can happen at any moment

' In the dream one can experience one's own death.  Physical death in the waking state is on par with it.  The Spirit, is not one with the body but only its witness, is not affected by death.  The Spirit is unoriginated and deathless. ' --- Shrimad Bhagavatam Part 12, Chapter 5, Verse 4

Inspire-Love-Be

Total Thoughts (January 24, 2010) - Tattva-Bodhah Invocation

Total Thoughts:

Tattva-Bodhah Invocation (pages 8-13)

• We should recognize our stream of consciousness and critical thinking - we should practice being aware of our thoughts and understand how we are often attached or derive emotion from them. This will help us begin to discriminate the Real and Unreal.
• The underlying philosophy is profound in pop culture - We only need to look as far as "A Peaceful Warrior", "The Matrix" or "Star Wars" to see that the underlying philosophy of self-knowledge has extended into media as it reinforces the knowledge that makes the message more potent to society as a whole
  
• Each moment is significant - if we can be more aware and 'magnify' each moment, it will allow us to make better judgments. Also, if we continue to practice/train to do the right thing, when the 'moment' arrives, we will already know how to act the right way
  
• We grow as we exchange knowledge - The discussions help us gain self-knowledge and also encourage us to look forward to new learning each week to achieve a better understanding of ourselves and our journey
  

"It is neither good nor bad, but thinking makes it so" -  William Shakespeare

Inspire-Love-Be

Total Thoughts (January 17, 2010) - Tattva-Bodhah Introduction (Cont'd)

Total Thoughts:

 

Tattva-Bodhah Introduction (pages 5-7)

 

• Meditations are only fruitful when you have the knowledge - We should continue to attend the discussions as it aids in pushing us forward and bringing us knowledge
  
• It is important to practice self-reflection- This serves as a good starting point to understand the point of human life
  
• The journey and knowledge takes time - We should not worry if we do not immediately understand the knowledge, instead we should continue to learn the basics and later on our mind will be ready to help us understand the truth
  
• The Guru and scriptures are part of the journey - These two can help liberate us and teach us something new
  
• There are 4 stages of happiness- 1) pleasure (physical) 2) happiness (mind) 3) joy (intellect) 4) bliss (self - highest) Opportunities should be taken, if it means we can be one level higher
  
• Things can be abstract and not physical - When reflecting on the object to be known, the knower of the object and the means of knowing it, we can think about them in the spiritual manner and understand that they can extend beyond the physical
  

"There is no happiness like truth, no misery like untruth" -  Gandhi

Inspire-Love-Be

Total Thoughts (January 10, 2010) - Tattva-Bodhah Introduction

Total Thoughts:

 

Tattva-Bodhah Introduction (pages 1-5)

 

• We should reflect on a regular basis - only then will our way of thinking change. We can try to be silent and think and this will help lead us to a more peaceful life
  
• We can view happiness from an evolutionary standpoint - instinctively we chase material objects however we should be aware that we can be concerned beyond something that is material and strive towards self-actualization
• Objects only provide temporary pleasure - we should think about how we can be just as happy without them and reflect on how each individual object only brings us happiness in the short term. We should also avoid chasing negative objects and appreciate/re-discover what we already have 
• When we have desires, we are not happy - we should understand the cause of our desires and why we seek them. Then, we can understand that trying to fill the desires only breeds more desires and hinders our journey towards self realization
• We should release expectations of others, situations and objects - Once we are able to do this, it will be easier to achieve happiness as we won't be looking without, but within
  
• Our true nature is happiness - the knowledge is already within us. Often we turn to objects so that we can measure happiness, however we should  realize that we only need to turn to our state of mind to find happiness. It is then, we can see that happiness creates happiness
• It takes practice - if we derive value from the discussions, we would do it more. Similarly, if we can assess joy from silence, we would do it more
  

"Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be" -  Abraham Lincoln

 Inspire-Love-Be