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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

 

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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

 

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