Hinduism
Raja Yoga attained through spiritual powers
K. S. Sivakumaran
An reader upset by what we wrote last week on Yoga Swami of
Yaalpaanam has complained that the piece was all factually wrong. When
asked what were the errors the reply was that we have mentioned that the
swami was a catholic. This information we gathered from an article
written by the late S. Ambihaipahan. As mentioned in our column the
article we wrote was based on what Ambihipahan has written. Granting
that the complainant was right, let us move on to some useful
suggestions on attaining Spiritual Powers.
In meditation |
Last Sunday (Nov.15) we were invited to a function organized by the
Brahma Kumaris Raja Yoga Centre of Sri Lanka. It was held at the BMICH.
The 150 minutes program was a practical exercise - Experiencing Inner
Power and Protection Through Good Wishes and Pure Feelings. With
multimedia presentation in three languages and singing of melodic hymns
in Hindi and English the devotees at the Centre invited the audience of
different strata to meditate at different levels to know our inner
power. It was a harmonious atmosphere and a few members explained how
they felt doing this exercise in silence.
We must know something about the organizers. A Lanka branch of the
Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University in India is incorporated by
Act of Parliament of No 37/1998. We learn that the University has been
working for more than 75 years to promote understanding between people
of different beliefs and backgrounds through dialogue, education and the
development of spiritual values and also simple form of meditation.
The organization offer seminar programs on the following:
Positive thinking, stress management, self awareness, self
empowerment, inner leadership. Lectures on values and appreciative
inquiry.
The bottomline is that there are eight powers amongst us that become
effective in our lives. "The basis for this experience is to become an
embodiment of LOVE - it is this unconditional Love from the Supreme
Truth that gives us the feeling of safety, security and protection."
The Centre has outlined the eight powers. For the benefit of our
readers let me list them so that they too can change themselves and
become powerful.
The power to tolerate, the power to face obstacles, the power to
accommodate, the power to cooperate with others, the power to discern,
the power to judge, the power to pack up waste and the power to withdraw
thoughts.
Despite negative situations one can remain peaceful and happy. One
can be detached from the consciousness of the physical body and see
beyond problems and difficulties nod discover positive approach. One can
be above any clash of personality or nature to mould and adjust oneself
as the situation requires. Good wishes and pure feelings can change
bitter relationships.
The attitude of brotherly or sisterly vision creates unity and
strength. Correct values to the thoughts, words and actions could be
achieved through meditation. We must have clear understanding of what is
right and wrong.
Meditation provides this strength and clarity of the intellect
through greater self understanding and detached perspective. Not having
negative thoughts and positive outlook keeps one from both mental and
physical tiredness. True controlling power of our negative thoughts
brings greater strength to the self and protection ensures.
Thus Raja Yoga helps us attain Spiritual Powers.
Sai Baba's 84th Birthday:
Making men of excellence
Dr. C. Srideva
Usually the devotees address Sai Baba as 'Swami', who is a spiritual
leader with multi dimensional personality catering to the requirements
of people based on their levels of thought, levels of awareness, levels
of understanding, and levels of consciousness. Thus His approach is
different for each one. Best way to follow the spiritual path is the
Prashanthi Nilayam schedule, where Swami lives. Here there is no place
for any religion but it is a place of religiousness, a connection heart
to heart, love to love.
What is spirituality?
We, humans are reflections of god, the very image of god. Sparks of
the divine. Tree behaves like a tree, an animal behaves like an animal.
But most human beings behave like animals with qualities like ego,
pride, envy, passion, animosity. So we have to pass this illusory "I",
and evolve to be true human, and realize the spark of divinity within
and view life in the correct perspective to feel the divinity. This is
Spirituality.
Sai Baba |
Spiritual path is not imprisonment. It is freedom, sharing something
that we already know, creative, a vision, constructive, without any
instructions or theory, and is an eternal, continuous journey and is a
path to the unknown without any space or time factor. So one have to
continue to go along more and more eternally, tirelessly, ceaselessly,
continuously enjoying.
Love and Meditation are the twins that, one has to cultivate on the
spiritual path. Meditation establishes inner contact, at the
psychological level, intellectual level, all alone by yourself.
Meditation
Love is an interaction among people in the neighbourhood. This love
turned inwards becomes meditation. And meditation turned outwards
becomes love. With love and meditation one can be closer to God.
What is the happiest thing in life? Not to desire anything. Die mind
is the end of life. When the mind is annihilated, you are beyond
attachment and in a state of renunciation and you become a real seeker
after truth.
Spiritual goals are unknown, and there is always a thrill in moving
towards the unknown. Leading a life is mechanical like a railway time
table. Living a life, that is life is to be lived, when you are
blissful, joyful, happy and creative. To be creative, we have to be
child like. Jesus said, 'Unless you are like a child, you cannot enter
the gates of Heaven'. Not childishness. Child is innocent. We should
have the same innocence.
Biggest obstacle
But adults like us do not want to be innocent. We want to be post
graduates, or men of excellence, or knowledge. The biggest obstacle on
the spiritual path is this state of knowledge. With knowledge one can
get a good job, good salary, but in the spiritual field, you get zero.
Knowledge is the information passed on to you by somebody. That is
borrowed information. But spirituality wants first hand information. One
has to be child like to establish contact, heart to heart, love to love,
connection with God. One has to be creative. Because of the ego mind,
which the child do not possess, we are not able to establish communion
with God. Ego has already taken charge of this mind. The heart and mind
should be open and not closed. Mind should not be a barrier and thus one
has to be child like, in a state of innocence.
Bhagavad Gita
Spiritual path is the observance of religion, which is religiousness.
This will help to advance and progress. It is by a process of
development, slow and steady all by your individual self. Bhagavad Gita
says, "You have to work for your own liberation." It cannot be bought,
purchased or imported. That is self awareness is to be attained by the
self. Moksha or liberation is not the goal of life. It is a state of
mind, an attitude, a state of detachment, state of bliss. It is not a
life after death. A cheerful, joyful, ecstatic life, a non-dual life and
a life of vision are the very symbols of liberation, of moksha, or of
nirvana. One should not get confused religion with religiousness in
one's spiritual path. Religion, is a banner, builds up ego, divides you
with rules and regulations, makes you dogmatic, and fanatic leading you
to conflicts and wars. But religiousness is only a manner, a
methodology, with principles and practice of religion, brings you
together, makes you feel blissful.
God's gift
Here again, to be successful in spirituality, one has to bend the
body in service, mend the senses in devotion, and end the mind in
awareness. In spirituality transformation is slow and steady. A true
spiritual man finds life to be positive, beautiful and interesting, and
he never condemn his life. He will find every moment of life as God's
gift and value it.
Life is like a river that flows continuously taking us to unknown
shores. That is river finds its fulfilment in merging with the ocean.
Ocean is divinity, cosmic soul, universal soul. River is individual
soul. So when the river of the individual soul merges into the ocean
which is the cosmic soul, there lies joy, bliss, and end of the journey,
end of the spiritual journey.
Two factions
How do you call yourself spiritual? When you realize both states of
existence, for example, good or bad, victory or defeat, success or
failure, partial or prejudice, profit or loss, then you are balanced and
spiritual.
Man is born with natural intelligence i.e. awareness (Prajgnanam
brahma). Life's journey should be towards subject and not towards
objects. Once you know the subject, the inner being, then you will feel
the light of love, light of truth, flame of peace, and radiance of
bliss. Existence, Awareness, and Bliss, all are latent in your inner
being. So diversion of mind to subjectivity instead of objectivity will
make the life interesting.
Far reaching goal
Unlike worldly endeavours, worldly pursuits, worldly paths, which
have goals, spiritual path is not goal orientated but is not a far
reaching goal. One has to find out the meaning of life and create the
meaning of your life. There is only one spiritual question Who am I? We
have to live to find an answer and the answer comes from the deepest
core within you. Until you find an answer to this question, there is
emptiness within, there is discontent lying deep within, but the answer
is already there. Answer is I am, I am God, I am You. So the purpose of
life is to find that answer within us, if not life is unlived. Life is
worth living if one can understand that life lies in Being and not in
Having. Having is materialism (cars, flats, etc.), comparative,
competitive, and leads to dissatisfaction. Being is spirituality,
non-dual, divine, and is the very nature of satisfaction and be happy
eternally.
One should know about the essence of life and existence of life. For
a tree, seed is the essence of life. It is born with essence and lives
in existence. But man starts his life in existence but he misses the
essence. Without the essence, existence is useless, is negative, and is
futile. The essence of life is the divinity latent within us and knowing
the divinity is this essence of life.
Life is a matter of questions and problems. It is absolutely
individualistic. When this individuality is gone (eg. retired from
service, or losing job, or losing everything in life as in an
earthquake)then you are lost. Then the question arises in your mind. Who
am I? To realize the answer one has to work for his own liberation, own
emancipation, own progress and advancement and as an individual
introspect, seek and search and answer would be "I am I".
In spirituality life is never a question but life is a Quest.
Questions can be answered intellectually, and two persons are involved.
Quest needs to be answered existentially, the answer comes then and
there within you, deep within you.
To be continued
Meditate with God Ganesha
Chelvathamby MANICCAVASAGAR
The Hindus of Sri Lanka will observe the twenty one (21) day fast in
the Vinayakar Temple accompanied by meditation, poojas by repeating the
story of Lord Ganesha.
The worship of God Ganesha is widespread in Sri Lanka and is revered
by Hindus and Buddhists. His other names are Ganapathy, Vigneswara,
Pillaiyar, Yanaimukan etc.
God Ganesha |
God Ganesha is the God of wisdom and is the removers of all obstacles
and He is worshipped in all Hindu ceremonies both in the temple and in
the home. Even the celestial beings are said to have worshipped God
Ganesha before embarking on any important undertaking.
God Ganesha holds a hatchet (Parasu) in one hand which symbolises the
cutting away of vanity and false teaching.
He also holds a God (Ankusha) to cut through illusion, in another a
noose (Pasa) which represent the restraining of passions and desires.
The fourth hand of God Ganesha holds a sweet (Modaka) with an external
tasteless part of rice flour and an internal tasty parts of jaggery and
coconut. They symbolise the Universe where the outward worldliness has
no worth, but within is the bliss.
As the son of Lord Shiva, Ganesha inherits his father's attributes,
ornaments (such as the snakes) and the dancing posture. The adoration of
god Ganesha in the arts has been remarkably universal and has very often
cut across religions. His dominant manifestation has been in warding off
all evils.
He even creates obstacles that are prays to him for the removal. God
Ganesha has been a major deity, since the seventh and eighth centuries
in Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.
God Ganesha was extremely popular in Indonesia, Sumatra and Java.
There are paintings and stone sculptures of god Ganesha found in China.
As a remover of obstacles, god Ganesha is propitiated in Sri Lanka
and India at the beginning of any activity - undertaking a journey,
building a house, performing marriages, social ceremonies, writing a
book or even composing a letter. He even helped Sage Vyasa for writing
Mahabharatha.
God Ganesha had appeared in the form of "Nritya Ganapathy" blowing
the conch, dancing in great abandonment, swirling and whirling his
movements beyond man's comprehension. Even god Ganesha gave the task of
creation, preservation and destruction of the world to Brahma, Vishnu
and Shiva.
Therefore, let us all pray to god Ganesha and observe this
twenty-one-day fast very meticulously and receive His Divine Blessings
to remove all the obstacles to maintain to tranquillity, equanimity and
serenity of the mind and for peace and prosperity.
|
Cultural program
A Hindu Cultural Program performed by Indian Cultural Centre at
the Colombo Ananda College Kularatne Hall recently. The event
was organized to appreciate the services of great poet of India
Mahakavi Kalidas. A dance performance is seen in the picture
Aruna Ponnambalam, Kotagala group corr. |
|
The foundation laying ceremony for a new
temple building (Rajakopuram) at Shri Bala Selva Vinayaga
Moorthy Kovil at Maradana Colombo took place under the patronage
of chief priest, Shanmugaratna Sarma Radhakrishna Kurukkal
recently. Here the trustees, board members and the invitees are
seen attending religious observances. Pic A. Maduraveeran |
|