Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Consciousness, Kashmir Saivism, Vedanta, Direct Experience.








Dear Friends of Yoga;
Anyone who's been following this blog will notice how the flow of information moves one from the beginning stages of meditation to eventually become one with the All. Patanjali calls it Samprajnata Samadhi while other traditions have their own name for the same experience. Whatever the path, it will take a lot of work to learn how to be free of the dominating influence of the mind. The keen student of Self-realization will ever be on the lookout for yet another clue that sheds light on the path and hopefully will advance their practice and reward them with a glance of the elusive goal. Here then, is another timely comment from a long-time guide and teacher for those on the path: Swami Nityananda of Shanti Mandir gives us, from his talk in Australia, another piece of valuable information for use in chipping away at the dross dulling the light of Truth. He mentions Consciousness and the wide acceptance of the word in Western culture to denote the highest realization in a human. He talks about the importance of Vedanta coupled, in his case with Kashmir Saivism, while someone with a different religious affinity could benefit from Vedanta coupled with their religion. Vedanta's highest realization is without images and for virtually every human being it's impossible to visualize or imagine something without qualities identified with the senses. Religion provides those images and helps bring us to place where, when we appreciate our new experiences, we can let the images go and embrace the Truth of our Reality.
Seekers of the Truth will find finely honed instruction from the third great teacher in this Parampara, lineage,  Swami Nityananda.
More information:

shanti@twcmetrobiz.com
+1 (845) 778 1008
 The writer of this blog appreciates the permission given to reprint this article here.
























Thursday, June 13, 2013

A Timely Message for New Retirees

Ram Dass has historically had the right message for the time and he's done it again with this message for those of  us who suddenly find ourselves adrift in retirement. Suddenly our structured life comes to an end and we can seem to be at loss. Ram Dass offers some wisdom from the ancient teachings of Yoga filtered through a Western Psychologist's mind.
The short article in this link by Ram Dass being Ram Dass as he was in the 80's He always  seemed to have a message suited to the times(think retiring Baby Boomers) and he's done it again!
http://www.ramdass.org/RD/giving-up-old-roles/   or here:



30Jan 2013

Giving Up Old Roles



One of the reasons that old age is so disconcerting to many people is that they feel as if they’re stripped of their roles. As we enter old age and face physical frailty, the departure of children, retirement, and the deaths of loved ones, we see the lights fading, the audience dwindles, and we are overwhelmed by a loss of purpose, and by the fear of not knowing how to behave or where we now fit in this play. The Ego, whose very sustenance has been the roles it played in the public eye, becomes irate, despairing, or numb, in the face of its own obsolescence. It may harken back to roles in its past to assert itself, but these strategies bring only more suffering as the Ego fights a losing battle.
As we learn to distinguish between our Egos — marked by our mind and thoughts — and the witness Soul — who’s not subject to them — we begin to see the opportunity that aging offers. We begin to separate who we are from the roles that we play, and to recognize why the Ego clings as it does to behaviors and images that no longer suit us. Stripped of its roles, the Ego is revealed as fiction. But for the person without a spiritual context, this is pure tragedy, for seekers of truth who are aware of the Soul, it is only the beginning.
Rather than wonder what new “role” we can invent for ourselves in the world then, the question that concerns us might be better put this way: How can we, as aging people, make our wisdom felt in the world? By embodying wisdom. We can find a happy balance between participation and retreat, remembering that while it is our duty to be of service if possible, it is also important that we prepare for our own journeys into death, through contemplation, quiet time, and deepening knowledge of ourselves.

— Ram Dass