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

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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



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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

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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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