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

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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

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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

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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

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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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