The Power of Choice | Bhagavad Gita
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this morning we continue our journey into the teachings of the bhagavad-gita
and this morning what we are going to talk about is more of an application of
what we learned yesterday the deep philosophy that we discovered discovered
and discussed yesterday that we are going to see how it plays out in life so
there are two talks the first one is called the power of choice and will become very clear why I named it that
and the next one is the result of all of this if you ever wondered what it is
like to be enlightened what will I be like when I am enlightened then the last talk is going to talk about that living
in freedom so in this talk we'll start off by discussing what Houston Smith
mentioned when he started his chapter on Hinduism in his book religions of the
world I mentioned this yesterday that when Houston Smith started his chapter on Hinduism which is the first chapter
in his book the religions of the world she said one way of understanding
Hinduism is that you can have whatever you want whatever you want you're going to have
you get it but then that raises the great question of what do we want really in life and Hindu thinkers over the ages
have systematized human wants into into four four categories four goals for
pursuits of human life these terms are very well-known in India and people can
rattle them off without actually knowing what they mean even thinking about what they mean Dharma artha kama Moksa
literally they translate into kama translates into the search for pleasure
kama is search for pleasure Arthur literally means wealth but the search
for success power achievement wealth status all of that and then you go into
the harbor which which is or term very difficult to define itself if you see the dictionary it'll have page full of
meanings but it means morality righteousness the right thing
to do the you know it means religion so all of that is covered under thermal
literally the word Dharma comes from the root 3/3 means to hold together so that
which holds the thing together is it's Dharma so that which gives us integrity that which makes us us is our thermal
beyond that lies moksha more of that later let me put that scheme on the
board here so we have which means
pleasure remember there is no normative
content in this what it means is that the teachers are not saying that you should pursue this they're just saying
that we do it's a fact people pursue this let them just who we are Kurama is the pursuit of pleasure in all
its forms then there is utter one
meaning is possessions wealth so literally well but everything else
wealth etc if you want to pay your own business that's the pursuit of artha it
may not just be for the money it may be for the very challenge of doing something big and powerful and then
there is thermal
which can be translated as as morality I will translate it for our purposes today
as conventional religion I will talk about what I mean later conventional
religion and emotion
spirituality spiritual freedom that's a
moksha literally means freedom and I draw a line between them and we should
really read Houston Smith's book you know he takes up each one and spent some time on that and he says search for
pleasure comes naturally to us when we want to be happy the first thing that we do is food comfort food are a
comfortable environment all the company our friends or go out for a walk on the herb on the beach not today it's going
to be very hot day I have so whatever is Pleasant and nice and sensuous
that's pleasure but pleasure has some some problems associated with it
psychologists have dr. Bhatti there's a whole branch now called positive positive psychology Seligman talks about
it pleasure is first of all it's transient even the knife is a chocolate-chip
cookie it lasts for a few seconds on your on your tongue but the pleasurable
sensations are only for a few seconds even he says Houston Smith says the
finest products of our civilization from time immemorial even back and bit oven
when you listen to that classical music the most elevated subtle evolved forms
of pleasure even after all of that after you enjoy that you still feel that was nice but is that all that there is to
life that's all is it over you asked isn't can t be anything more than this
service at mom who had occasion to mention yesterday she says that if you
change pleasure single-mindedly very soon you will find nothing pleasing anymore if you party single-mindedly
after one or two days you'd be disgusted with everything all of that so pleasure
has its limitations beyond pleasure is the seeking for achievement in life it
could be money it could be learning it could be editing and some kind of achievement status power in life
so that is our top and beyond that is what I call conventional religion now
there are those who are addicted only to pleasure but such lives are usually very
frustrating and wit and very soon iron eclis self-defeating because they become
unhappy in search for happiness through pleasure they become unhappy very fast we look at a classic example extreme
example would be addicts those who are addicted to alcohol or drugs or something some form of addiction and
they what are they seeking there they're basically seeking for pleasure and not then it has become a strong habit which
they cannot break out of Sri Ramakrishna's to tell this story about a
man standing on the bank of a river in the villages in India and the river is in full spate it's a flood and this man
sees something like an expensive rug being swept away on the flood flood tide
of the river and he thinks what a shame why should it go to waste so he jumps into the river and struggles mightily to
swim up to that rug and then he swims up to it he discovers it's a bear being swept away by floodwaters and of course
the bear gives him what bears to a bear hug and holds on and people standing on
the shore they don't know that they see this man being swept away and he's sort of struggling with a rug what seems to be a rug and they shout to him let the
rug go let the rock go you'll be swept away he'll be drowned and the man shouts
back I'll let it go it doesn't let go of me that's what addiction is it's a bear
which you hold to and doesn't let you go afterwards when even when you want to let it go now that is very short-sighted
and and the pleasure from that is very short-lived the happiness from that is very short-lived but more happiness
comes from this one Seligman again he calls it engagement where you are
engaged in it could be your career it could be a hobby it's not pleasurable if it gives you
some pleasure button it may not always be pleasurable if if for example a surgeon who does hours and hours of
surgery and after that it's not pleasurable it's really hard work but after that if you ask that person he
says it's very satisfying now that satisfaction comes from this
from from this level your activity or engagement it is not it does not come from here the difference between the two
is like if you sit on the couch and watch a game on TV passive enjoyment that's pleasure but if
you go out there and play the game yourself with some friends maybe you are not playing at the level you see on TV
you're not playing at that level but definitely the satisfaction is more when
you are actually engaged physically mentally your challenge and your engage in this game so that's the difference
it's active it engages all our capacities so often work does that and if you are lucky enough to find work
with challenges you which gives you satisfaction so that gives more happiness than pleasure and then add to
this mix morality decency doing
something for others beyond our little the circle of our little self you see both of these are in some sense selfish
because these sort of are around centered around the self but when we try
to break out of the cell and do something for others a greater cause social action for something or doing
something for others or religion also that gives another level of satisfaction
under the level of happiness let me give you an example many of my friends whom
we studied will be studied together so they didn't become monks and the only one who did but they went on to have
dogs and a family and so on and years later one or two of them when I come
across there and not only them people of their age you know in the 30s or early 40s one
question did sometimes ask is now I have got this job of a family and have kids I
sort of have the sense that this is what my life is going to be for the next twenty thirty years 20 years maybe until
the kids go up until I retire out of my present job so is this all is that all
because the desert I've seen I feel locked in that there is nothing more to
this then it's nice I'm not unhappy but then this seems to be the end of life
because in one sense this is what it's going to be until the kids grow up until I retire out of my job then I'll be old
and I'll get sicker than that so I can sort of see it is that all and I'm not
really happy with this not happy with the situation now you can see what that
person lacks is this the next component so I just say to them it's very good
that you have the family and the kids and your job and your career and your
hobbies now take one more step look out to the community do something for others
others who cannot do anything in return for you if they do something in return for you it comes back to the level of
artha expand beyond the little self all in the pursuit of happiness all in the
pursuit of happiness and it works it works you see one of the tragedies of
our modern society is when we are seeking happiness all society seems to
tell us is this these two look at the advertisements on TV you are happy you
drink this drink this this fizzy drink you'll be happy because they're all
happy they're all grinning get all shiny and happy and most of them are young unfortunately that's every if it's a
young person's word and then you this
gadget makes you happy iPhone 6 makes you happy doesn't make you happy then iPhone 7 is there
so this vacation in Florida if you want
more than that when you have a vacation in Hawaii so what our modern society
seems to say is if you have got some of our Tran cover and you want more than
this that the only alternative seems to be more of a tantrum or different kinds of pleasure amps and wealth and
achievement the variations of these different permutations and combinations of this this doesn't seem to be anybody
telling people that there is something beyond this so there is something beyond
this when you expand beyond the confines of the little self in fact unselfishness
makes you more happy than selfishness so either they can't assess this but it takes maturity to understand this
sharing makes you happier than consuming everything yourself it's like a mother
who has got this pie she's baked and the kids are coming home from school and
there's only this one or two pieces left now does she think before the kids come home let me eat it because they're gonna
eat it okay so let me let me finish it up first is that what she thinks oh she
thinks I'll wait for them and and then I'll give them this the last two pieces of pie what will make her happier the
second thing makes are happier because she loves them and she really wants them to be happy their happiness is magnified in her
happiness and she doesn't think that I'll be happy if I eat it all so in the
same way expanding beyond the confines of the little self gives you some more happiness and this is more or less the
range of happiness the range of life as we know it
what I have I call it conventional religion there is a reason for that here religion God whatever you call it
the purpose of that is to make our lives a little happier let my family be
healthy let me retain my job if I get fired like we find out on the job very fast let me find it
I mean everything from satisfaction and peace and and security in this line down to a nice parking spot of whatever
all of that God is supposed to help us to make our lives better mass religion
is like that whether you go to church or a temple most people are going there
because God will help me to make my life a little better I'm not really going
people not really going there for enlightenment or to become the Buddha or to get get moksha liberation no they
would very much like to continue with the life they have got but it just must be that much better God will help me to
solve the problems my financial problems by relationship problems parking problems what-have-you
so all those problems God builds up but I keep talking about parking because and
Manhattan now and and that's the prime
complaint I get from the people who come to the Vedanta Society there we don't get parking so God will help me to do
all the all of this makes my life better and if God does not if God does not
fulfill the role we have assigned for God then we say when he's fired people
you come across people I don't believe in God anymore I prayed and prayed and prayed and there's no response it's just superstition so God was supposed to help
me to make my life more comfortable God did not so God is fight is later on
that's conventional religion you see God is for my present life to make it better
to help me spirituality is something different which we go grow later on into
spirituality something different where my life is for God God is not for this
life God is not one more thing I add I I need pleasure I need wealth and I need God all of this
goes to make this life better no the whole thing becomes a search a
spiritual search the big questions in life what is the purpose of life is there God or any kind of ultimate
reality at all do I at all exist in after death what's the point of this
entire game when you asked these big questions you're asking spiritual questions and if your life is devoted to
that if your pursuit if your sensual pursuit in life is that spiritual quest
then you are a spiritual seeker when you are what is called in sanskrit sod haka
a spiritual practitioner so there is a big difference in Vedanta they say that
the conventional life is this a search for this when Houston Smith said what do
you want hinduism says you can get what you want do you want this there is one
word for all of this it's called samsara like in this world
you exist you're happy you are miserable and you do muddle along the best you can
and then we die and then we go on to other lives I need to repeat the whole thing in numerous variations and this
goes on on and on as long as you are in that basically you want these things
but a point comes when the soul matures when this person the individual we are
in sanskrit it's called Jeeva we seek for something ultimate something
permanent something eternal we want to know the reality behind the game we don't enjoy the magic show anymore
anymore we want to meet the magician very vocative story I read where it
describes a party you're everybody's invited to a party people are coming into them it's a mansion and lots of
entertainment and food and people are coming in there they meet each other and they gossip and they have a good time
there is music and there's dancing and then what the person the narrator he's also invited to the party and he says
it's evening the night falls fast it is time for us to go many people came to
the party many have departed others are coming but night is coming and I must go back I wish I could have met the owner
of the mansion who invited us to the spa who is the person what who is behind all
of this and that's all stands for garlic should the ultimate reality the party is this world so when you seek that you are
seeking moksha you're seeking enlightenment you're seeking salvation whatever you call it you near Birnam a
mature soul seeks that an immaterial soul seeks these a very very immature
soul seems only displeasure a little more but your soul sees success and
pleasure and that's the majority of people in the world today success I want to have a good time and I want to be
successful the two go together so that's the move the most people and a little
more enlightened for the people we think are decent god-fearing good people in this in this society the backbone of
civilization they want all of them they want they want pleasure also they want
to have a good time they want they want engagements in life a satisfying work something to contribute to society make
something of your life but they also want to be good people and contribute to society and and move beyond limits often
you will find very very rich people especially in this country they become
philanthropists it's a natural progression unless you do that you've
driven this amount of wealth and there's nothing more to do in life it becomes meaningless there's just a short story I
read somewhere about a millionaire in those these millionaires with big things now billionaires away things I remember
driving through Manhattan the person who is driving me gentlemen he said you know that particular apartment building a
huge high-rise a skyscraper you know it's a prime location and people do not know this in that building there are 34
billionaires apartments and penthouses which they have 34 billionaires now
beyond that one once one reaches that one must expand beyond oneself otherwise
the only result is is suicide the story which I read was there's a millionaire
who finally commits suicide and in his suicide note he shoots himself
right and suicide note he writes I the excitement has gone out of life the only
the last thing I found which could be exciting is killing myself I want you to get a kick out of life there's nothing
it's a circle the only way you got kicked out of life is by killing himself don't want to end up like that one must
expand beyond that so one becomes a philanthropist does something for others
but when one sees through all of this and seeks spirituality that one is
looking for moksha now the point of today's topic the power of choice is for
people like us definitely the spiritual question is awakened in whatever form this choice
must now be deliberately made Who am I oh I am Brahman I know that that's
that's the ultimate thing but right now as this individual person how do i define Merce myself where am i seeking
satisfaction am i seeking satisfaction in partying am i seeking satisfaction in wealth am i seeking satisfaction in
social service what is central you may go on the top of this and do go on with
all of this but is it central to your life is it central to your life
I like illustrate what I mean Mahatma Gandhi he says in one place in his
autobiography when people ask me who I am
people think that I am a politician some people think I'm a politician fighting
for India's freedom some people think that I'm a I do social service I'm
trying to reform Indian society social reformer but if you ask me Who am I I
will say I am a simple man in search of God you see what is this the central
theme of his life to him he says I am searching for God and the
way he's searching for God is religion is social like activism is political
activism the great issues of the day during history that becomes a spiritual practice but
his central quest is a spiritual quest it's not politics it's not suddenly not
pleasure it's not as Gandhiji was famously austere when he went to meet
the Viceroy in London he went with his dhoti and little shawl around him and I
think he meant yes I'm not the vice right thing he met met King George yes
in George and the reporter asked him afterwards do you think so
the reporter asked him mr. Gandhi do you think you're appropriately dressed to
meet the king and he replied well the King wore enough for both of us in all
his regalia and his medals and everything so Gandhi was was not seeking
for happiness from having a pleasure or a good time or partying in the world and
then the social causes the political causes he pursued even that was not central to him he said I have not all
about India's freedom I'm not all about reforming caste and other problems in
Indian society no I'm all about finding God that's a spiritual seeker continuing
with the business of life but an essentially a spiritual secret that's the choice that we have to make where do
we fall we are all because we are here we are definitely we belong to this category but we must consciously admit
to ourselves otherwise how what happens is the habits of a lifetime keep sweeping us along
these tracks and we get confused that confusion should be removed Who am I I'm
a simple person in search of count I am a simple person in search of God
simplicity is important Swami Vivekananda says combine at most
seriousness with childlike simplicity combine utmost seriousness what is that
most seriousness the greatest seriousness you can have in life is the first of spirituality there is no more serious
question this all the questions of politics and science and art and nature
they all fall far below this the ultimate question in life the pursuit is
the greatest adventures of the spiritual adventure so utmost seriousness live will bring you to this in some form a
spiritual quest combine utmost seriousness with a childlike simplicity you see we do just the opposite
our lives are greatly superficial or eternally superficial and inside we are
very complex we combine superficiality with complexity inside a lot of complexity and the way we lead our lives
is superficial Swami Vivekananda says reverse it be very simple childlike
simplicity inside but your whole life is at most seriousness there is a verse
describing Ramakrishna she shoes Sonia magum Nia varam grandmama gadadhara
brahma param I salute that part of brahman that transcendent Brahman who
has appeared as Ramakrishna who combined within him these two qualities shi xuxia somnium the
wholesomeness the sweetness of a little little child the purity the sweetness
the wholesomeness of a little child and the next next phrase are gum many of our
own who is so awesome that it is virtually unapproachable
who is read his spirituality is so radiant that is virtually unapproachable so the combination of these two so
this is the choice that I'm speaking about we have to consciously select this
when you consciously select this you know this thing for which we are wearing
the gala which he is wearing I am wearing it just symbolizes one thing it
symbolizes this choice if I ask you here
what is the goal of your life some of you may see something many of you will
be will sort of hem and haw and you know in a big gathering if you ask most people will say go well I really
haven't start and just sort of muddling through life muddling through life is basically this if you have a particular
goal a high goal in life when you go to Bella but the monestry anybody any of
the monks you asked there from the young man who has joined the order just yesterday to a monk who's been there for
50 years there's one thing common to all of them if you ask them what's your goal in life they will tell you immediately
it is God realization at monomakh sharp them jagat attire chat is the gold Swami
they can to put forward it we really feel that our goal is enlightenment and welfare of the world and Latin meet for
yourself and welfare a welfare of the world that is our goal so we have already made the choice this color it
signifies an extraordinary choice people revere monks people revere monks of
respect monks the reason is it's not that we are extraordinary we are very
ordinary people but we have made an extraordinary choice we have made this choice that our purpose is motion God
realization this is what we must make all of us this exercise this power of
choice that we are seekers after liberation we are seekers after
enlightenment we seekers after spiritual freedom that's what my life is all about and of course you can continue with the
rest of it you have to if you're in ashram you be like us or if you're not
householder you have to you have to have a job if you take care of your house you take it you to fulfill your roles in in
society that's all right now once we decide this once we exercise the power
of choice and decide we are spiritual seekers then comes a problem it's not
easy as you are saying yesterday spiritual seeking this pursuit seems to
have a lot of competition it's there seems to be a lot of pull the world exists a pull on us the pull comes from
these what we have left you might say consciously I have left it
behind but it doesn't work so fast doesn't work it's not all that easy strong tendencies of our past years past
lights are there which exert a downward pull now that's what we are going to talk about what I'm going to talk about
now is how what we learned yesterday the the insight into the real nature of the
self at Magana self-knowledge how that can help us in our spiritual quest in in
our sad and inode lives of spiritual practice for that let me take you to the
gita chapter three verses from 36 till
the end of the chapter which is 43 as we go through it at the end of the talk you
will find the link between yesterday's talking and what we are doing today but at first it will seem to be something
else so the verse 36 arjuna asks a
question to krishna a very important question let me start with that Arjun
asks this question a you know watcher attacking prio to'em Popham charity
pollution on each anna p bosnia baladeva
new Jetta Arjun asked this question o Krishna impelled by what instigated by
what there's a person do wrong things not wishing to do anything wrong as if
forced along by some force baladeva swept away by force you see when we do
something wrong and we regret it afterwards this is regret and guilt is a very interesting fear interesting emotion why
is it interesting because I did it and now I wish I had not done it there was
something interesting what made me do it at that point what made me do it I feel it's against my values if it's a
my values if it's a it's below my standard then why did I do it at all so that's what he's asking what makes is
what sweeps us away from our path when we are seeking spiritual a spiritual goal enlightenment
what delays us what holds us back what continuously sweeps us away from
the path the question that is asked that's wrong it's all right in the class in the spiritual retreat but the moment
we step aside and go back home we go back to our the freeway and back home and back to our office it's all
gone but why is it all gone I made up my mind I shall lead my life in this way
and the next moment within if you within the next hour it's all gone again why that is the question and this question
is crucial it's a question that every spiritual seeker asks and a spirit who
is not a spiritual seeker will not ask there's a difference in the
mahabharata-- which this book is from there's a civil war between the princes
of the same family so the villain of the piece is a prince called Duryodhana a
very villainous man now somebody said Krishna should have gone and taught him
the Gita teach the bad guy give wisdom
to the bad guy and that will help
prevent all this chaos and mess and warfare and everything why teach the good guy and Krishna actually tried you
know the Maharajah stories the prisoner tried to persuade Duryodhana that he
spoke the language of morality what you're doing is wrong it's not hard - at Harlem and duty earnest reply was very
interesting it's exactly this point which Arjuna is saying here the question which Arjuna raises here is exactly what
Duryodhana raised but with a twist Duryodhana said to Krishna Krishna don't
teach me what is right and what is wrong I know what is right what is wrong that's not my problem
not knowing right and wrong is not my problem my problem is I know what is
right I don't feel doing it I know what is wrong but I
can't stop myself from doing it you see he points to avail the core of a human
predicament he's very honest he says John our meet her mom not America I know
what is Dharma I don't feel like doing it is no tendency in me to to follow the crap it really doesn't come from within
me jarnia Dharma that doesn't mean everything I know what's wrong what I'm
doing is wrong but I can't stop myself I can't help it why can't you help it then he says there
is some force within me which makes me do these things and just a bit that's
the way I am okay now happy day in a hadith to Dana yet on you woody towards me at Harker
only by some force within me in my heart as I'm directed that's what I do
I'm impelled along this path I know it's wrong man I know I'll probably come to a sticky end but but this is just the way
I am the difference between the Duryodhana watch makes him a villain and
what makes Arjuna the hero is Duryodhana puts it the same thing as a statement
this is how it is Arjuna puts this fact as a question this is what it is what
can I do about it I want to get out of it I don't like this I want to get out of this I want to follow the spiritual
path but I'll keep I keep getting swept away so what is it that's our that's the
problem that's the obstacle the enemy in spiritual life and how do we overcome that that's the question Arjun asks and
we look at Krishna's answer Krishna says sri bhagavan watcher come aisha croutha
Asia rajagaha mood power Mahajan omaha palma wheatena me hawaii
riddim desire and anger born of Rajas
are that force that force you're talking about which do you the not mention which Arjuna you are talking about there is a
four and that is desire and that is anger born of rajo-guna which is muharram
whose hunger is insatiable the hunger desires insatiable muhabba might leads
you to great error and great sin no these to be the enemy with the anal very
No so these are the two and of these two
anger and desire desire is essential because anger is nothing but desire yes
frustrated desire frustrated anger is just reside frustrated when we want something and there's a block something
somebody some situation prevents it and then we will lose our temper we can irritate it any time you are irritated
any time you're angry immediately look for what is it which is not the way you want it to be that's why we getting
there's something in the situation where it's not according to our desires and
therefore we get upset so fundamental is this desire this desire is this karma
the same word which is used here combination now shri krishna says it's
not the same for all people in some cases this this layer of desire is light
it can be easily removed in some it is more it takes effort and in some it is
really thick it takes a long time so it tells it says this domain of realty when
he guitar - amélie natural yet will be no brittle curva the thought in Edom
brittle in some cases krishna says it's like the fire in enveloped in smoke -
this fire ants enveloped in smoke a gust of wind is enough to blow away the smoke and reveal the fire in its fiery glory
in the same way all our spiritual practices they is a cloud a miasma of desire around it
a little effort will clear it up a little clarity will clear it up a little
discipline will clear it up this like smoke around a fire sometimes it's thicker he says it's like
dust on a mirror dust on a mirror will not go away by itself or by little gust
of wind you need to scrub you need to scrub the mirror you need to polish the
mirror so in some of our cases it's our mind is like that it's like a mirror
with covered with dust so the reflection does not come it does not hold the teaching of Vedanta witness given this
is a dust of desire over the mirror in fact Vivekananda Swami vacancies the
the only thing that we can do is polish the mirror in the inspired talks there's
this cryptic statement the only thing that we can do is polish the mirror in
the Himalayas monks often greet each other by this statement well swami is
the mirror clear is the mirror clear today mark Majid Asha and that one's
okay Oh monk is the middle clear today what it means is is the mind limpid and
lucid and and clarity clarity about what about the ways on picture and that's possible only when the dust of desire is
cleansed and then he says there's a deeper conversed condition it's like the
embryo in the mother's womb encased by the placenta and in that case one just
has to wait for the baby to be born it takes time what it means is in such cases experience is necessary
lifetime's experience so such people it will not help if you give them padartha
lectures they won't come to the lecture anyway you think it's a waste of time why go and listen to a dusty old
philosophy what God it is there's so much fun in the world outside go and have a good time so for then it will take time sri
ramakrishna he would pick his disciples they choose he very picky he would pick his disciples very carefully
but Vivekananda had a large heart so when he saw anybody suffering who and even a slightest inclination for
spirituality religion he would drag the person to Ramakrishna he knew ramakrishna had the power to uplift that person's mind so he would
tell sri ramakrishna do something for him you plead and he was phenomenal fishness favorite disciple and
ramakrishna did not have the heart to refuse him but ramakrishna would say you know it's not his time you can't be
impatient about these things let let him experience life they didn't go through life in one or two cases because of a
kundus pleading ramakrishna actually gave a genuine spiritual experience to that person but then added that that's
all for this lifetime it will haunt him in life's to come and he will turn to
the spiritual life so something will haunt him in fifth you may even forget
it but what has happened to him but it will haunt him but that's the only thing the Ramakrishna would do for that person
let him take his time so he says there's a condition where the layer of desires
so thick like a skin it takes time to grow out of it one of the monks was
joking we are probably like Vivekananda's friends you know whom he would
Ramakrishna would Ramakrishna knew a few words of English so one of them was friend he would say parent so when we
makan they would drag one of these cases from off the street and bring him to Ramakrishna and say - something for him
and another Krishna would sort of roll his eyes and say one of arranged parents
so we are like that mostly we have some mantras joke we are like Norwich parents
whom he has dragged before Rama Krishna do something for these people so and
then Krishna goes on algorithm Jahna me Tina
Johnny no need to be Reena come rupena county you douche /
eternally natural the vedantic teaching
which is given which you study which you listen what happens if this desire this layer
of tendencies from our past lives or dislike it covers this knowledge it does
not allow this knowledge to be effective so God algorithm yeah algorithm is
covered desire covers this knowledge and the krishna says this these tendencies
in our mind is stored up tendencies these are the eternal duties are the
constant enemy of spiritual seekers he uses his language carefully he says
it's a constant enemy for us for spiritual seekers not a constant enemy for others for those who are at this
level desire is in fact what gives them happiness what gives happiness for the majority of
humanity I want something I struggle to get it I get it and I'm happy right in when krishna
talks about giving up desires one of the commentators writes this is madness if
you give up desires if you'd give up desires for this and that and you do not struggle to fulfill your desires how you
be happy now look at the concept of happiness in volunteer I want something
I struggle to get it and then I do get it I enjoy it and that's happiness and
then I want something more and I was talking for that and try to get it and that's happiness you give up desires how
will you be happy so that's the question their faces for ordinary people desire
is not a constant enemy it's usually the source of happiness I pursue that and get some happiness and that's it it
becomes an enemy because in in consequence in in accumulation in in culmination its design which has led led
me to this unhappiness in general so people do understand that desire is the
cause of unhappiness but not usually usually desire is taken as a part of
life and which we must pursue and fulfill but for a spiritual seeker all
desires except desire for enlightenment all other desires are the enemy which
which are the stumbling block which divert us away spiritual seeking here is an aside
somebody may ask so isn't desire for God also a desire so I've got desires for the world and
you've got desire for God so we've both got desires that's it Sri Ramakrishna says no desire for God
cannot be counted among desires because it destroys all other desires he gives a homely example this is sugar
candy mystery yes he says that cannot be
considered a sweet because sweets produce acidity acid reflux and this
thing destroys acid Oh to both tastes sweet but this one destroys acidity if you got acidity take that and destroy
the sedative in the same way designs for the world ultimately lead to unhappiness
desire for God helps you to overcome that unhappiness so it cannot be considered among worldly desires now how
do we get out of this situation Arjuna's question what is it that
prevents me and answer was desired an angered born of desire now how do I get
out of it what is the technique here is where we will relate what we learnt yesterday Krishna now says where does desire lie
what is the hiding place what is the secret location where desire resides that's what you must watch an attack
indriyani mano booty a star - Donna what
Chetty it'll be more healthy aja Yanam
our bread today unum three places you must look at desire acts at three levels
at the level of the sensory system in dreaming senses at the level of the
sensory system at the level of the mind and at the level of the intellect at the
level of the intellect the mind and the sensory system if you ask isn't the mind intellect the same thing they are
basically the same thing but two different functions the mind here includes the emotions thoughts memories
all of that intellect is understand and knowledge and clarity so at each of
these levels desire operates working through that it plaques the spiritual
seeker does not allow us to progress then what must we do we must first of
all control it at the outset at the level of the senses look at Krishna's
teaching the next verse 41 the smart Tom in reonardo niyama bharatarsabha pop Mon
Impreza he innum Jana Big John Enosh Adam first of all o Arjuna look to the
senses the sensory system what we are seeing what we are tasting what we are
hearing what we smell what we touch the inputs from the world to the five gates
of this of this idea the five senses I was saying yesterday how if you eat just
about anything in this country now they are so conscious about what we eat which somebody goes out into the garbage bin
there and roots around there and picks up something some half rotten thing and stuffs it into his mouth to be immediately sick we get sick immediately
but that's what we are doing through the five five doors of the senses whatever
the world puts before us any kind of trash that we drag in through the eyes whether it's from the TV or internet or
just gossip which people we have especially keen here for what people are saying about us mostly to be unkind so
why do you want to listen to that when you drag it into the mind when you pull
in all these things what people are saying what you are seeing on in the mostly in the media or in the internet
and you pull it into the eyes and all of it is dumped into the mind no wonder the mind is sick no more that
the mind is exhausted no wonder the mind is clogged with this so the first thing
would be at the level of discipline at the level of the senses there's a saying
that what a tragedy of my life a spiritual seeker says this the tragedy
of my life is I have become the servant of my servant the mind is my servant and the
sense organs are the servants of the mind but I have become the servant servant of the sense organs the eye
wants to see this I run and work hard to get you know first ticket for that movie
so that I can go and see it because I just want to see that year's want to hear that so I work hard to do to here
to supply things for the years the tongue wants to taste this and you have entire streets the restaurants eat that
is the street the hotel's feel its food is necessary for maintaining this body
that's all it is but an enormous industry to pander to the sense of taste
I remember once I was very sick many years ago but about 20 years ago and I
was in the hospital and so sick that I couldn't eat anything for two weeks so they had me on an IV and if you gave me
something I would have thrown it up but the interesting thing was when I slept at night I dreamt about all the foods
that I I liked as a kid if you are actually walking me up and presented me
with all those foods I wouldn't have been able to eat it because the physical system is not capable of it and taking that food but you know what happens it's
not just the body which wants that the mine and the sense organs want taste
that's not in the best interest of the body it's just the sense organ is designed that way to wants particular
tastes and there are certain evolutionary reasons behind it why our sense organs evolved that way but it's
like that so it's not helpful it's damaging for the physical system but the
sense organ wants to enjoy that even when the body cannot eat it projects
those desires in the form of dreams so taste hearing smell touch especially
seeing sense organs dragging all kinds of trash from the world and dump it in
the mind no one that we cannot make spiritual progress so that's the first thing God the gate
of the subtle body the five gates of the subtle body indriyani our dough first
control that then we go to the so controlling that means drawing a limit
around yourself these are my standards this is what I consider to be decent
this is what I consider to be non indecent immoral I will not step outside
just because it is there do I have to enjoy it just because it is
available do I have to see it just because it's there do I have to taste it no it's a it's a little kid a toddler
will behave like that what is in front we'll just take it put it in the mouth why should we behave like that so
exercise that control I remember once in the ministry when I joined as a young monk we had a great teacher I mean I can
tell the name Swami suita and eg who is now the vice-president of the order he was our the sonne in charge and we were
young novices many of us there were 10 or 12 one of the olden monks quipped that the road has to be broadened now
because when the Swami walks all these 1012 young monks they walk with him and so you need a wider Road so every day we
would walk with him at night and he would teach us wonderful I mean those are the I would consider them the foundation of my monastic life wonderful
years I remember one day when we had finished a walk and we are going back to
the monks quarters and it was night and all these young people we are all in
white the novices wear white and the Swami was with us and is walking past a
flowering tree with a creeper it's fragrant flowers and as they walk past I
smelt it and the Swami is so alert he immediately whipped around and looked
at me just because it is there do you have to enjoy it you have to smell it that is not the sign of a yogi that
alertness you might think what's wrong in smelling a flower even if you do do
it in an alert way don't let that this is a sense of smell which pulled you you are not alert at that time
I want to enjoy it so go there I want to taste this so eat that I want to see
that so see that no have you consciously decided to do it have you made a choice to do it then
it's not so bad but you have not made a choice your your senses did not consult
you they just made you do it this is drag you there and made you do it so that's
what he's objecting to that's not the sign of a yogi are you mindful you're
not mindful your senses are pulling you here and there how could you be a yogi how can the Vedantic teaching about the
isness be the silent witness beyond the body and mind how can you stabilize
yourself in that if the mind keeps getting dragged out here and there by the five senses so I meet Orion and in
direct contrast to this Swami Tori Allen there was once in Baylor mud in the main
monestery now in summer in balloon but it gets very hot I I remember this time
when I flew out of Manhattan somebody asked so Swami what are you going to do to beat the heat I said to beat the heat
I'm going to California to San Diego and then to Calcutta and he said yeah that's the way to do it it's very hot there in
in summer and so there's a beautiful drink a lovely cooling drink made of
curd what you might call a kind of lassi with lot of ingredients put into it which is offered to the deity Sri
Ramakrishna in the main temple envelopment in summer every day it's offered and after being offered it
becomes Prasad they offered food like sacramental food and every day one monk
gets it so next to somebody else will get it next to somebody else will get it
I've got it too and I would look look forward to it was really wonderful in a sense something in that heat specially
and it's an old tradition when Trudy under she was dead it was his turn so the Ramachari came with the glass
with that fake white drink and very nice and gave it to him
one sip and he returned it he said take it away and the young monk was flustered
he said why Swami is it not good and Swami said it is good that's why it is
good that's why look at the iron control the exercises over over the the gates of
the subtle body the senses the tongue and yes there was once a feast in
Bellaire mud in Swami Siwon understand these funny stories are there and a good
food and a monk from advatage from which is in Calcutta he heard about it it is a
grapevine among the monks is called the Lotus wine sir he's a knight who's going
to be nice food in petaluma today so he landed up in better beltzman and lo and behold Mahesh Bhatt's Swami
she wanted was the president of the order looked at him why are you here today he fumbled he couldn't lie so he
fumbled and fumbled and from and hemmed and hawed and imma push much looked at
him and he said I see go back to your ashram immediately and the poor person
had to go back without taking the food I remembered another incident from the
Himalayas where these monks there was a great teacher I went to his he has
passed away I went to the cottage where he lived and this vedantic teacher his name is topo1 swami he was the teacher
read over the Ching my mission Swami chin man under he was chinmaya and his teacher but he lived all his the rest of
his life in his the Himalayas till then so there's a little cottage very lived now there's a reminiscence about him the
groups of people would come the monks would come to learn Vedanta from him sit around him he is very austere you have
to be first of all you have to be a monk otherwise he will not teach then you have to get your own accommodations he will not accommodate you in his hut and
difficult to get accommodations there you have to find your own Hut or cane and I really mean that even today you
have to find your own cave amongst to live there even now and you have to beg
for your food and then you get to classes a day and that's it no Q&A nobody will have our
Q&A but no kill any one of the monks after the class waited for the class to
be over and he went to top one saw me and asked a question and the Swami said looked at him coldly and said go back to
your Hut and contemplate this is only answered man on KJ pump Ramachari maharaj monkey he could go and go and
think about it no answers only the teaching now one day the monks were
gathered around for the teaching and a delivery man came up with a basket of fruits and sweets some devotee had sent
it for the Swami and a male and you can imagine all those starving monks have
been used to the rough food of the of the mountains you see all this nice food from the cities and they are so today we
go into happy surely he can't eat it all himself so he's going to share it with us and the Swami said ok take it inside
the hut put it there and he went on with the class as if nothing has happened maybe tomorrow the next day the class
started he didn't even mention the food inside the hut by the second day the students were grumbling and gossiping
about it this Swami is he eating it all himself won't you give anything to anything of it to us in the evening
class as the class convened and there was some disgruntlement about her about the food going on in their minds the
teacher said to one of the young monks go inside get that basket and everybody thought ah so the rolling of the sleeves
and the bottom of the basket it had not been opened he hadn't touched any of it and then the Swami said go to the Ganges
and throw it into the Ganges and took it and threw it into the Ganges and Swami went on with the class having
taught a great lesson in how the mind behaves the sense organs how did I you
are here to learn about the self that you are Brahman infinite existence consciousness and you're worried about a
couple of mangoes that's the that's the sense organs so control that first then
the mind comes under control the mind comes under control in meditation and
prayer only went first the outer circle the senses are control then controlling
the mind focusing the mind and God is much easier then what do you do then we come to the real point of this teaching
42nd verse indriyani / on yahoo in
rebirth param Maha Manasa stupor or booty yo D paratus - sir he says o
Arjuna now watch yourself pinned Ria's the sense organs sensory
system is powerful excellent para means excellent powerful but look inside
subtler than the senses inner to the senses and more powerful than the senses
Sanskrit words are Sushma protec Bunim
para means more powerful so more powerful in the senses inner to the
senses subtler than the senses is the mind the mind transcends the senses
because clearly the mind is settled in the senses you can just look into
yourself and see the five sense organs and the mind is subtler than that and the mind is inner to the senses the
senses are the outer gates inside of the mind just look it's true and the mind is
the one which controls the senses here is a secret of spiritual practice if the
mind is that which controls the senses shouldn't you start off by controlling the mind if the mind control then the
senses are automatically controlled true in principle in practice it doesn't work in practice you have to start with the
cross it the gross the outer just to start with the senses then only the mind comes
under control all right then Manasa stupor our would be inert to the
mind subtler than the mind more powerful than the mind is the intellect inner to
the mind subtler than the mind more powerful than the mind is the intellect intellect is a function which dwells in
the mind itself it's subtle it's the funk needs a function of clarity and knowledge and conviction when you say I
am say I am so nice or appear and if the intellect which is convinced of this is
that intellect which must be convinced I am such it Ananda ah hum Brahma asked me I am Brahman it is that intellect which
must be convinced all right so the intellect is subtler than the mind inert to the mind more powerful than the mind
controller of the mind again shouldn't we be controlling the intellect in that
case control the intellect educating to the intellect can control the mind but we know it's not true we may read all
the books in the world but we still complain our minds are not in control do you remember the mouth and elephant
example I gave you yesterday yes the intellect understands books it
understands vedanta talks it understands Gita and Upanishads the mind has a mess
of desires and tendencies rooted in it so first of all the mind has to be
carved again the outer has to be calm before the inner can take charge Plato
said famously to know what is good is to be good to know what is good is to be
good so if you educate a person in morals and virtues the person should be virtuous and moral but we know that it's
not true we know what is good that's what do do then I was saying I know it's good but what's the problem I don't feel
like doing it I know what's wrong I can't stop myself from doing it so the intent what happens is the
intellect is educated in what is good but the mine does not is out of control
so the intellect cannot execute the mahute cannot control the elephant the
elephant doesn't want to listen the Mahad the mind and the sensory system do not respond to the knowledge
of the intellect it's only when you control the external the sensory system
then control the mind then the knowledge in the intellect will will be the intellect will be able to execute that
knowledge you would they arrest us to
serve beyond the intellect that which is beyond the intellect is the Atman is the
real self think about it if there are no thoughts no ideas no knowledge no memory
what are you your still that's that presents that existence that awareness
that witness within which shines upon the intellect which shines upon the mind
which shines upon the sensory system that unchanging existence consciousness bliss right now you are that what has
happened is we have forgotten that and we identify ourselves with the intellect mind sensory system and think I am this
individual what we have to do is to see that I am NOT the sensory system I am
not the mind and not the intellect and the existence consciousness beyond the
intellect the intellect the mind and the sensory system are objects and I am the
pure subject this is what we have to understand established in that we can
now use the intellect mind and sensory system for spiritual practice I have to
repeat that that's the conclusion that Atman which we understood yesterday has pure existence within ourselves
established in that the intellect convinced that I am NOT the intellect
itself I am the Atman beyond the intellect the eye in the mind should refer to that
which is beyond the mind the I should not refer to the mind body system the
identity now is with the mind body system the identity has to be shifted to
the witness of the mind body system the pure existence which is beyond the mind body system established in that here is
this illusion which Arjuna's being is being given by Krishna established in that you can actually bring the mind and the
senses under control he says in next a mumbled a poem but dois sung stopped at
mana mana janeshia through maha-baho Carrboro boom
das Adam she's all Arjuna o mighty warrior having understood getting
clarity that you are not the mind body system you're not the intellect Eve and you're not even the mind you're not even
the senses beyond all of this that pure existence bliss is what you are
established in that bring the sensory system and the mind and intellect under
control using the sensory system mind and intellect using them use the
intellect to bring the mind under control use the mind and intellect to bring the senses under control and thus
you will be able to pursue spiritual path that which is literally the test
and the translation is that which is beyond the intellect know yourself to be that knowing yourself to be that now use
the intellect the knowledge and intellect to bring the mind in line use the mind to bring the same sort and same
line and then you will be able to proceed in spiritual practice it's a
subtle teaching but a very powerful teaching I'll end the tonic something
that I myself heard one of the Swami's who might know and we know him to be a
very advanced spiritual soul buddy AB and spiritual practitioner once he was telling me how he overcame lust and he
described it and I will this this is what was in my mind I listened to him
and I said Swami unless you have had the realization that you are not the mind
body system you are the Atman the witness beyond the mind body system you could not have done this because what is
the nature of lust or desire any kind of desire the nature of desire is I want and what is the nature trying to control
I do not want if the desire is there I want and and you're trying to say I do
not want what'll happen if you're trying to pull it back and it is I was trying to go forward you have a conflict that's
the nature of conflict where I Who am I and the mind and body and the senses and
the mind and the intellect and what what what what do you want I want these things what else do you want I don't
want to want these things I want to control them desire is right there so
the mind and the intellect and senses say I want and you're trying to do spiritual practice with that the enemies
in the house you're trying to do spiritual practice with that and in Bengali disassociate if you touch so any
neighborhood I won't translate that folklore they use some kind of grains to
drive away ghosts person possessed possessed by a ghost so some kind of technique is you some grains and all
they are sprinkled I know but if the the ghost is in the grains themselves then you can't drive it at it so it's only
when you see that the mind the senses and the intellect are the vehicle it's
not you you are separate from them then you can bring them under control that clarity must come I am NOT these things
they are the instrumentation the equipment which belong to me and they
will do what is good for me I am NOT there to do what's good for them and what they think is pleasant
when that position you take then things fall into line and then spiritual
practice meditation prayer unselfish action devotion to God and Vedanta which
are all of them become easy so I asked that Swami you must have had that
enlightening experience that I am NOT the body of the mind otherwise you cannot do this you will feel torn apart
what you just said Anna Sonia smiled and admitted it to me he said yes long ago
many many years ago but clarity came clearly I saw that - body and mind alright we'll stop here
and take some questions the power of choice the presentation was divided into
two parts one was this thing what do we want in life make a choice clearly that
we want enlightenment the second thing was that once once you go under in path of enlightenment
seeking enlightenment there'll be obstacles that was Arjuna's question and Krishna's answer we saw but
realizing yourself basing yourself on the clarity that you are the Atman bring the sensory system mind and intellect
under control question
is there any other way you can give
yourself power right notice what you
said it's very hard now the question is why is it hard that's what Arjuna is asking that's
where do you turn a gave up it's too hard why is it hard and you notice what is
Krishna's answer it's hard because you identify yourself with the body mind the
body mind where those things reside I am that body see I am the body the tongue I
am the tongue and the and the eyes and the ears the tongue wants to taste nice things so what do I say I want to taste
nice things sweet things the eyes want to see such an such thing which might be unhelpful for my spiritual practice but
since I am this system I say I want to see it and when I try to spell up
practice spiritual practices I say I want it at the same time I say I don't want it I'm trying to control it and
that's why it becomes hard what was krishna's solution he says first
get a clarity about this fact that you are not this sense body mind sense
system how do you do that notice it notice is it difficult to
notice the senses that I have eyes and I see through the eyes is it difficult to
notice no it's a fact pay attention here are the senses they have their
individual tastes you know something is pleasant for the eyes something is unpleasant something is present for the
tongue something is unpleasant deeper than the eyes is what what was mentioned here the mind inner to the eyes subtler
than the eyes and more powerful than the my eyes or sense system is the mind the
mind also has its own the desire that was embedded there but I am NOT the mind
also and then subtler than the mind inner to the mind more powerful than the mind is
intellect I am NOT the intellect oh so he says beyond the intellect if I am NOT
these then what happens is follow this carefully the senses the mind and the
intellect and their tendencies the desires and then whatever you say what what resides in them they all become
objects for me like this thing like this object before me it becomes an object in in my
consciousness then it becomes easier to control because I am no longer those
things if I am that then every desire in that system is my desire then how can I
control it it becomes an endless strife do you get what I'm saying Krishna
Krishna is asking asking you to step back from that system you are really not
that sense mind intellect system but you have become identified with it you dissociate yourself in your
understanding in the intellect itself the understanding comes in the intellect itself then it becomes easier
the one inside suppose you want something no listen listen what listen
to what I'm saying listen to what I'm saying when you say I want something
whether the tongue wants it or the eyes want to see something or whatever it is are you aware that you want it you have
to say yes or no you're aware that one which is aware of the mind and its
desire where is the desire is the desire in the consciousness or a desire is in
the mind desire is in the mind you don't
seem to be sure you don't seem to be sure this has to be done very subtly
watch this carefully a desire say let's take a simple desire I want to eat a cookie simple desire where is the desire
it certainly functions to the sense that the sense of taste and the desires also
in the mind right and it's in the intellect what did krishna say follow this carefully krishna said the the the
location of desire where desire functions is on the sensory level at the mental level at the intellectual level
what's at the sensory level a particular taste I want this what's at the mental level
past impressions cookies are nice I want to eat cookies what's at the
intellectual level that a conviction that this is a good thing to have and it will give me pleasure some kind of
feeling is that it gives pleasure it has given pleasure in the past if I eat it will give pleasure that kind of understanding is there that kind of
desire is there understanding in the intellect desire in the in the mind and certain tendencies of the tenth of the
senses you see there each thing is place it carefully it requires careful thought
and observation now are you aware of
these tendencies of them says the desire in the mind and this understanding in their intellect are you
aware of this you have to say yes and I
will not go forward if I get a cookie
I'll eat it if I don't it's fine with me you can go ahead like that stumble and I'll get hurt and we will never get
anywhere in licensed way the answer requires thinking if you say in a veil
on to class if I get a cookie I'll eat if I don't get it's fine with me where is the real aunt in this where is the
solution to your problem in this you just said you have a problem the six
enemies you say mother mozzarella pride and delusion and greed and anger these are the six enemies your father told you
you have to control them you just said and then you said it's a problem difficult to control them we have a
problem now then aunt is giving you a way of solving that problem the rail requires
thinking they requires understanding what are the steps of understanding you
must walk with me if you just stick to if I have a cookie I'll eat it if I
don't have a cookie I won't eat it there's no there's no progress there take littles for the step the step is
this identify where is the problem the
senses have what tendencies the mind has what certain desires the intellect has
what are wrong understanding that this cookie will make me happy it has made me happier little make me happy now
do you have understood these things is it clear at this stage is it clear some clarity darling now follow this the
next step very carefully the awareness in which this understanding is coming
that awareness does it have those tendencies desires or wrong understand
wrong understanding know that awareness is free of this proof when you have a
desire for cookies you are aware of the desire for cookies you don't have a desire for cookies all day long when you
don't have a desire for cookies the awareness is still there no desire so awareness is there awareness by me not
that I mean consciousness you the consciousness knew the awareness out there when the desire is dead you their
awareness or consciousness you are there when the denial is not there proving there by you the awareness are free of
that comes the desire it arises in your light it disappears in your light now what Krishna says answer the
question who are you are you the senses are you the mind are you the intellect
or are you this awareness you will say I am that awareness the senses and the
mind and intellect are instruments which I use having stepped back into that
awareness it becomes much easier to deal with the intellect mind and senses being
in the middle of that I want and I don't want your in the mind it becomes
difficult he says this is much easier this is the methodical way to go about
it I am the awareness does awareness or consciousness need a cookie if you see a
tongue does the tongue need a cookie you might say yeah the tongue needs a cookie the car tongue tongue once the cookie
but does consciousness pure consciousness need a cookie no it does
not if I am pure consciousness as pure consciousness I couldn't released bothered whether I
have a cookie or not right okay so this is the clue but I will go on to one or
two more questions before we end over here yes
all right I think I get the ten trend of your question control the senses first
start with the gross and the outermost that gives you some freedom to control the mind and then the that gives you
some freedom to correct the error in the intellect all of this becomes easier
when a Vedantic conviction Vedantic understanding that I am neither the intellect nor the mind not the senses
that is there based upon that now you can first control the senses then control the mind then bring the correct
the error in the intellect yeah if you are seeing about about the sequence of
practice remember I pointed out knowledge is very difficult if the mind is not concentrated concentration of
mind is very difficult if the if the desires have not been purified so first of all karma yoga helps in purifying
desires meditation helps in concentrating the purified mind and then
the vedanta which are gives result as the clarity that I am NOT the body mind
practically what you have to do so Dracula to do 20 years of karma yoga first and then 10 years of meditation and then few few around 2 retreats no
you have to do all of them but see where the shoe pinches and that's where you must focus question
okay yes all right all right
you used the terms Akash and maja it's an example gutta mayne spot pot space guitar kasha
means pot space and maja kasha means the universe - the space all around now what
the example what they're doing there is a saying that space is actually
indivisible space is one and indivisible you see around you but what we do is we
construct barriers we construct structures and we say inside the house
and outside the house the space of the house here is a space of this lecture
room here's a space of the overflow room it's actually one space it's because of the walls that it looks different
exactly like that apart if you keep apart there's space inside the part in
the space outside the pot this very language the space inside the pot and space outside the pot it's an illusion
created by the existence of the part actually space is not broken up by the existence of the pot the understanding
would be like this suppose you take a pot empty pot then space inside it if you carry it from one
place to another the pot has moved now do you think the space in the pot has
moved also if you take or say the answer
I don't know all right let me make it easier let me make it easier listen
listen carefully there is a pot with water in it if you move the pot is the
water moving along with the pot now people even now someone not very clear
you move them move the pot with with water in it is the water moving with the
pot on Nadia you'll make a good awful mess if you don't if the water doesn't move with it you have got the water in
the pot and move the pot in the water stays there you'll make a mess okay now
so the water moves and you move the pot clearly but if it's an empty pot by the
same logic does the space in the part move when you move the pot the air moves
but but does the space move the air moves certainly if you have the if you
have blocked them at the mouth of the pot and then you move with the air inside moves it is also kind of fluid
but does the space move along with the pot no it's rather the depts through
space so really speaking follow this the pot does not delimit or cut off space it
just seems like that it's like there's space in this pot has occupied has cut
off this much space it just looks like that actually part does not delimit space does not demarcate space not only
the pot our house is also we think this is inside my house and that's the space outside my house this space is for this
that space it's an entire delusion created by the presence of these structures nothing really happens to
space none of these objects can affect space this is an example what it meant to show
consciousness pure consciousness pure existence is one and unbroken you feel
that this object listing existence this object has its own existence this object has its own existence no what they're
trying to show is existence in this place is has taken the name and form of a pen existence in this place has taken
the name name and form of a book it's not that there is something called a book which has existence no licked an
example of wave and ocean in the ocean in the waves would you say that the wave
has water in it or water it appears as a wave which is a more logical way of
speaking what does it look like it looks like this wave has a lot of water that wave is lits less water but that's not
true even before the wave came the water was there when the wave is there the
water is there when the wave disappears the water will still be there the wave is nothing but a name and form of the
same water it's a kind of activity in the same water if the water which itself
which appears as the waves similarly we are saying it is existence itself pure
existence which appears is this book with name and form book it is pure existence which appears as the pen with
name and form pen that is the difference between Sopot space and the total cosmic
space it's one and the same the pot seems to demarcate cut off that space
it's it's an illusion that's what example is talking about there's a question we asked last question
yes thank you for reminding me
look at this Sri Asian prayers in the Upanishads it comes that all the time for a spiritual seeker to all human
beings but for a spiritual seeker person who has a spiritual goal that which is pleasant and that which is helpful they
come and often they are not the same thing what helps you along in spiritual life towards enlightenment is present
before you and what is pleasant and nice is also present before you you have to
make a choice continuously do you see what I mean right now what will I do what will I say
what will I think there's a pleasant activity to do it's nice to let lay down in the bed and go to sleep
that's the pleasant but what's good what's beneficial if I'm a spiritual seeker it might be to sit and meditate
both options are open to me right now what do I have to say in this particular
situation somebody's being annoying and I want to give a sharp retort to that person that's the pleasant easy option
what's the spiritual option to retain control over my organ of speech and to
say what is true what is beneficial or to say nothing at all if the situation demands it that control is good for my
spiritual life lashing out is pleasant for for the ego it's present before me
the two options are present before me what more so at the level of thought
right now what thought do I entertain the mind has this capacity of
entertaining only one thought at a time most of us function on default mode whatever comes to the mind it comes to
the mind the pleasant mode cruising along thinking about this and that are
thinking about pleasurable things or thinking about gossip attending or anything that is non spiritual and yet
pleasant I have a tendency to entertain those thoughts but what's the spiritual
thing to do to dwell on Vedantic thoughts or if a person has a mantra or some kind of
spiritual practice then is there any thought that we think throughout the day which is more valuable than the mantra
no which is more valuable than a spiritual thought no if you've got some
work to do do it and finish it most of the other time is is just the mind is churning away so you have the power of
choice very good that you pointed out at these three levels what should I think what should I say what should I do you
have the power of choice choice between what is pleasant and easy and habitual
and what is helpful in spiritual life every action Upanishad says it nature
presents you with a choice normally we do not exercise the power of choice we
cruise along in default mode you just go out doing it and that's why you never
get anywhere in spiritual life but if we exercise the power of choice when all the time
when do we are the power of choice all the time is an interesting thing you know people think we have the power of
choice only on the first of January our New Year's resolutions no no that's a trick of the mind
oh I decided to get up early in the morning and do yoga but I failed I know I don't have willpower when did you
decide 1st of January and then that's it why not decide once again why not decide
every day and you exactly you can use the power the power of choices unlimited
24 hours every minute every second is present to you it's fresh and present to you use that power of choice forget what
I tried it one year ago did not work forget it try it now doesn't work again
take a decision doesn't work again take a decision because the power is evil it's free and available to you all the
time the power of choice is available to us 24 hours a day every time about what to
do what to say and what to think deal with it at the power of thought
most powerful it will transform your life within a matter of hours or days
the power of choice is available the way the mind works about the way the mind tricks us is like this mine says that ok
make up we make a choice I want to get up early and do yoga or something out of meditation and then I fail and the mind
says look it's meant only for the Swami's I told you you can't do it it's not for you you no good what it
conveniently hides from you the mind hides from you that you have the power of making the choice the same choice all
over again at that point continuously exercise the power of choice this is
called as you said Shreyas and prayers trails means that which is good for us
preyas means that which is pleasant for us if the two are one and the same it would be nice but often it is not so
shreya is moksha in no condition the only thing that is ultimately good for
us is spirituality the rest is all very preyas
and we get trapped in that because we do not exercise the power of choice being
attract in this the default mode is to seek the pleasant our body mind systems
are designed to seek the pleasant the easier the nicer way and so we flow down
into this into into Dharma artha kama
nothing wrong with Dharma little bit may be wrong with Arthur and lot wrong with karma what we tend to flow downwards the
power of choice makes us stick to this yes thank you for telling me alright let's conclude now thank you
very much so so we'll meet back up at 12 we'll try it
at 12:05 actually 12:10 let's make it 12:10 it's a half an hour and we have
again if you your first time you have two restrooms let me just finish this give me one moment here this is finish
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