Author: ahymsin

That which travels far while one is awake,

That which also similarly goes far while one is asleep,
May that far-reaching one light of many lights,
May that, my mind, be filled with beautiful and benevolent resolves.

That with which all the wise men perform their actions
And the sacrificers perform their priestly duties and worship,
That which is the unique, mysterious personality hidden within all beings,
May that, my mind, be filled with beautiful and benevolent resolves.

That which is the absolute knowledge, that which is the reservoir of the mind-stuff,
That which is memory, and steadfastness and sustenance, that which is the light hidden within beings, that without which no action is performed,
May that, my mind, be filled with beautiful and benevolent resolves.

That Immortal One by which all the past, present, future,
All of this world is held, that by which — through which the sacrifice of the seven priests is extended and performed,
May that, my mind, be filled with beautiful and benevolent resolves.

That in which the three Vedas: Rig (Knowledge), Yajas (Action), Sama (Realization)
The three branches of Wisdom are held as spokes in the hub (of the wheel),
That in which the mind-stuff of all living beings is woven and interwoven,
May that, my mind, be filled with beautiful and benevolent resolves.

Like a good charioteer controls the horses and leads them on the right path
Frequently, holding the reins fast, controlling them though they be speedy,
So the mind controls the senses, this which has its seat in the heart,
Ever moving, the speediest of the forces.
May that, my mind, be filled with beautiful and benevolent resolves.

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Swami Veda’s translation is from the 1970’s and 1980’s when the Shiva Sankalpa Prayer was recited as part of the evening prayers.

Let me but once still myself. When I am still, will my senses become inoperative? Will my activity all cease? Is that a state, something, to aspire for? Only that stillness, which at present lies occluded, will be experienced and it will become known that stillness is not absence of activity, it is the only source of activity. That, silence is not an absence of speech; silence is the source of speech. It will be known that non-violence is not an absence of violent action; it is overflowing love in which there is no other.Love ceases when love exists. There shall be no more love, for another. There shall be no more love towards an alien. When I have ceased the otherness, I cannot love another. When there is no alien, there is no hate. When love is, love ceases. When love ceases, then love is. If love is between two, the ‘two’ ceases, so love ceases. God, give me that love, that by its very existence ceases and I fail to say ‘I love another’. For, I look around and I find no other. Whom shall I love? Then love becomes my own Self, filled with the Self to the brim.

When I put a sword through an ‘enemy’, if I have love, it is through myself that that sword has pierced. Whom shall I see with my eyes, when there is no ‘other’ to see. For my own Self to see, I need no eyes.

In the stillness of consciousness within you, within me, who am one, one hears the still and the silent voice, and slowly that voice too trails off. And, in that dimension, which is no dimension, in the deep heart of a living sun, I and the light are one. “I and my Father are one” – said Jesus. I am the light. I am all the ways. I am the life force. Whether the Father speaks or the son speaks, it is I who speak. In the son the Father speaks. In the Father the son speaks.

When you meditate, let your senses still themselves and it is in that stillness that the apex of all energy will be reached. It is in that stillness that all will be energized. It is in that stillness of the mind that the mind will be filled. It will be so filled that the whole universe may come and each entity and each one who has assumed a separateness of being may come and dip their vessel in your mind and go away, filling their vessel. You will know that nothing empty came. Nothing full returned. There is only a force known as consciousness, as life —-I am that.

Thus, we contemplate on the great sentences of Vedanta.

Sarvam khalv-idam brahma:
All this (world of phenomena) is Brahman.

Ekam-evadvitiyam:
There is only one Brahman, without a second.

Mrtyoh sa mrtyum apnoti, Ya iha naneva pashyati:
From death to death he proceeds who sees as though there were many (phenomena) here.

Prajnanam brahma:
Brahman is pure consciousness.

Tat tvam asi:
You are that.

Aham brahma-asmi:
I am Brahman.

Ayam atma brahma:
This self is Brahman.

Brahman alone is truth, is real. The universe is a myth. Jiva, that which you call the individual soul, is itself Brahman. It is no other.

It is unbound.

How can a river’s soaking lips be parched?
How the flowing stream tongue feel dry?
How the Lord of Free Will be
by slender fibres bound?
How can our solar soul ever wilt or die?

Death liberates me from bondage of life
Liberation frees me from fetters of death.
When thus I am returned to life’s Freedom City
without any of enfleshment’s confining idiom,
Freedom sings to me a fairy song that says:

All in the all sans ‘was,’ ‘will be,’ ‘shall cease,’
is ever pure ever wise unbound ever free.

Soar, soar, soar from every luminous pore
of mine, O lightning, to sky’s farthest shore.
Roar, roar, roar, from woods that minds explore,
O Silences, to suns and suns yonder more,
Yea, to every distant sun’s
deep fathomless fire core.

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Editor’s Note

One of a series of contemplations guided at The Meditation Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.

सत्यचिद्घनमखण्डमद्वयं

सर्वदृश्यरहितं निरामयम् ।

यत्पदं विमलमद्वयं

शिवं तत्सदाहमिति मौनमाश्रय ॥६॥

 

satya-cid-ghanam akhaṇḍam advayaṁ

sarva-dṛśya-rahitaṁ nirāmayam |

yat padaṁ vimalam advayaṁ śivaṁ

tat sadāham iti maunam āśraya ||6||

 

जन्ममृत्युसुखदुःखवर्जितं

जातिनीतिकुलगोत्रदूरगम् ।

चिद्विवर्तजगतोऽस्य कारणं

तत्सदाहमिति मौनमाश्रय ॥७॥

 

janma-mṛtyu-sukha-duḥkha-varjitaṁ

jāti-nīti-kula-gotra-dūragam |

cid-vivarta-jagato’sya kāraṇaṁ

tat sadāham iti maunam āśraya ||7||

 

पूर्णमद्वयमखण्डचेतनं

विश्वभेदकलनादिवर्जितम् ।

अद्वितीयपरसंविदंशकं

तत्सदाहमिति मौनमाश्रय ॥८॥

 

pūrṇam advayam akhaṇḍa-cetanaṁ

viśva-bheda-kalanādi-varjitam |

advitīya-para-saṁvid-aṁśakaṁ

tat sadāham iti maunam āśraya ||8|

 

Varaha Upanishad 3.6-8

 

Resort to Silence

by Swami Veda Bharati

My friend Prof. Jan Brzezinski (Pandit Jagadananda Das), a Sanskrit scholar and a deep devotee, knowing my impending vow of five year silence (mauna-vrata), gave me this reference from Varaha Upanishad (3.6-8). Here I share it by way of a translation below.

True, solid mass of consciousness, indivisible, non-dual,

Devoid of all perceptible, free of ailment,

Immaculate, [again] non-dual – such a state –

I am ever that. Identifying yourself thus,

resort to silence.

 

Devoid of birth, death, delight or suffering,

Remaining far from caste, polity, family, ancestry,

The very cause of this world that is a whirl in consciousness—

I am ever that.

Identifying yourself thus,

resort to silence.

 

Full and perfect, non-dual, indivisibly conscious,

Free of calculations of divisions in the universe,

A little particle of awareness that has no other—

I am ever that.

Identifying yourself thus,

resort to silence.

This is the essence of the practice of silence.

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Editor’s Note

For more about Pandit Jagadananda Das, please see: http://jagadanandadas.blogspot.in/p/about-me.html

Swami Veda Bharati will be taking a 5 year vow of silence on 10th March 2013. To read his silence announcement: https://www.ahymsin.org/main/index.php/Swami-Veda-Bharati/one-must-run-ones-life-by-a-spiritual-plan.html

Some time back I wrote a blog/article in which I briefly described the NYEPI day, the annual silence day of Bali island in Indonesia.

I did not mention, did not remember, that there is also an annual silence day in the traditions of India. It is called Mauni Amavasya. Mauni means ‘of or for silence’, and amavasya means ‘no-moon day.’

It occurs on the no-moon day of the Maagha month in the Hindu calendar when sun and moon are both supposed to enter the sign of Capricorn (makara rashi).

It is held in the tradition as the day when Manu, the Archetypal Man first appeared on earth; he wedded Shata-roopa (She of a Hundred Beautiful Forms) and generated humankind.

This year it falls on 10th February by the western calendar.

It is also part of the grand kumbh mela and thirty million people are expected to take the holy immersion on that day at the sangam (meeting place of three holy rivers) in Allahabad.

Whether you accept the story or Manu or not, we do need to institute a day of silence every year.

On the other hand, if you prefer to be true to some western tradition you may research if there was a day sacred to Harpokrates, the Greek god of silence whose statues have been found as far away as the Gandhara country (present day Afghanistan). Harpokrates was derived from the Egyptian god Harpa-khruti, the child Horus, representing the daily new born sun, the source of light.

Of course, there is an amplitude of Christian saints who have taught silence and there are numerous monasteries of various orders dedicated to silence.

As I enter the five-year vow silence, I would like many of my friends to set aside at least one day to share the silence with me just as you have shared the full moon day for an hour each month for more than a decade now.

So, please note:

2013 the day of mauni amavasya is now on 10th February.

2014 the day will be on 30th January.

If you plan from now, you can arrange your worldly affairs in such a way that they do not interfere with your one-day vow of silence.

On that day, no driving (except for emergencies), no TV, no conversation, just self-observation, contemplation, japa and learning (1) to give love in silence while (2) learning to love silence.

May I ask all our swamis, initiators, spiritual advisers, teachers, centre leaders to kindly popularize this concept and take this year to prepare the people to undertake this one-day vow of silence.

Swami Veda Bharati

Each second a new year begins. May all the 31536000 years from 31 December 2012 to 31 December 2013 be cause for celebrations and serve for you as gateways to the Non-temporal.

One of the Ten Paaramitaas, Perfections of a Bodhisattva¹

I am constantly experimenting with upaaya-kaushala paaramitaa, one of the ten perfections required of an aspiring-to-be Bodhisattva. The perfection in the means and methods for liberating oneself and others.

All my teaching, organizational efforts, communications are part of that constant self-experimentation.

As part of that series of life-long experimentation I have reached these conclusions on the basis of which all my ‘policies’ (what a horrible word, better to say ‘approaches’) are developed. Some, only some of many, of the conclusions are:

• There is no difference between teaching on one hand and running a family or organization or any relationships or communications even ‘business’ communications on the other. The latter becomes a part of the teaching. This must always reflect the level of realizations one has arrived at with regard to the principles of ahimsa, maitri ², and so forth.

On the basis of that

• I began the difficult task of de-conditioning myself. This required sifting through all formative impressions, samskaras, gathered from the day I can remember myself. De-value and discard those that were not conducive only (a) to the perennial goals and (b) to the principles like ahimsa and maitri and so forth.

Thus, in inter-relationships within the organizational family, fully aware of each participant’s shortcomings – as they (just like me) have not yet reached perfection – I must

• use the best of each person’s qualities, as far as they have reached the desired steps on the path to perfection;
• not keep looking at their shortcomings;
• continue to ‘make use’ of their strengths and valuing and appreciating the services they CAN perform; not judging them negatively;
• waiting for them to perfect themselves in the areas that still need improvement, and patiently wait, wait , wait, even into many future incarnations as my Master has so patiently waited on my perfection (not yet achieved, alas) for so many incarnations;
• keeping on trying to design and redesign the organizational family to help achieve these goals, and
• I must (we also must) continue the self-experiments in upaaya-kaushala paaramitaa.

This is the approach on which my decision making process is based.

As to a successor, the one I am looking for needs to have these qualifications:

• Love and loyalty for the Master(s) and his/their teachings – feeling direct connection with and reverence for the Rishis
• Deep meditation and a record of guided intensive sadhana
• Universal love
  • (a) beyond castes, status, country, culture, gender and language
  • (b) each person is [all women are] mother-sister-daughter, [all men are] father-brother-son, entitled to that purity of love that one gives to one’s own
• Communication
  • (a) loving, everyone should feel loved at the first greeting
  • (b) open, sharing information
  • (c) consulting widely to arrive at a decision
  • (d) yet effective in liberating oneself, librating others, and getting the Mission to be successful
  • No unilateral decisions and declarations of any sort
• Following the principles I have written about in this document and in Sadhana of Applied Spirituality document.
• Access to shastras, the ancient texts.

I admit that I may have to settle for less — if Gurudeva so desires.

I ask all my family to examine if these principles and ways seem (a) aligned to our spiritual goals, (b) conducive to our aspirations for perennial values and thereby (c) help and serve the Tradition and the Mission.

I ask all my family to examine if the (i) principles (ii) ways (iii) approaches they choose seem (a) aligned to our spiritual goals, (b) conducive to our aspirations for perennial values and thereby (c) help and serve the Tradition and the Mission.

Do spend some time contemplating on this.

Many have succeeded but only to a certain extent, each according to his/her capacity, that is, the ability to free themselves of the force of samskaras and the consequent habits of emotion and temperament.

Do continue (making no separation between living personal life, teaching or running administration or organization) conquering and proceeding well on the path of becoming a jina ³.

a-kinchanah ⁴

Swami Veda Bharati

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¹ Future Buddha, one who has taken the vow : I shall not desist. I shall not step back. I shall not fear. Not till all living beings from a blade of grass to a Brahma ( soul of a universe) are liberate, shall I enter nirvana. That is my vow. One bodhisattva, by the name Kshiti-garbha (Earth Womb) has taken the vow of dwelling in hell till all beings cease entering hell.

² Buddhist metta in Pali language; universal amity.

³Jina, term common as an epithet of the Buddha and even more common for the founders of the Jaina religion. Conqueror, in a spiritual sense.

⁴I like two ways of signing; these are very common among Sanskrit-speakers. A-kinchana, one who is a nothing. Daasaanudaasa, servant of the servants (of the Guru or the Lord). The ‘h’ at the end as in a-kinchanah or daasaanudaasah is a mark of nominative singular.

On a silent night did Krishna incarnate in a prison to liberate the world.

On a silent night did Jesus take birth to give salvation to his world-wandering herd.

On a silent night did Buddha sally forth in secret to find enlightenment.

Of the silent dark night does St. John of the Cross sing; when his love yearned and his house was at rest.

On that happy night, all his senses stilled, did he exit by the secret ladder—says he.

Such a night is the sister of Dawn. Such a night is the night of light wherein all that were restless come to settle down– says the Veda.

On such a night does the priest remain awake — says Ahur Mazda to Zarathushtra.

Such a night is the luminous dawn of enlightenment for the yogi.

May you, senses stilled, experience the Divine Birth within on such silent night of interior stillness and find the secret ladder whereby to ascend to the throne of Light.

Celebrate with serene joy the Silent Night, the seven-chakra-candle Hanukkah, a change of season, sun’s turning, you prospering with a spiritual fortune.

Enjoy your awakening into stillness and let that be the celebration of joy.

Jaina day of forgiveness

Of the many religions indigenous to India, three stand out as the most ancient:

• Vedic-Hindu,
• Buddhism and
• Jaina

Of these the Jaina religion is the epitome of ahimsa, non-violence at all levels. It is the most pious and most ascetic. Its monks are still today masters of ascetic life.

The religion was established by a succession of twenty-four founding Masters, tirthankaras (fjord-makers) dating back to lost periods of antiquity.

The monks of all three of the above religions wander and then take a period of sojourn at one place during the four months of the monsoons; it is called chaaturmaasya (simply, ‘four months’). This is a time for contemplation, meditation, deep study and other onservances. This is also the time when they take new initiates.

For Jaina religion, the start of this period is celebrated with great devotion by the laity. It is called paryusana (lit., fasting). It is eight days of fasting, sacred readings, select recitations, listening to the monks and so forth.

Ninth day is the day of seeking forgiveness. Kshamaapana or kshamaavani (other variations in various state languages of India). It occurs on 4th day of waxing moon in bhadrapada month, approximately August-September.

On this day, everyone (a) grants forgiveness and (b) asks for forgiveness. This includes renunciation of condemnation, judgment of others, irritation, anger.

The word kshamaa is derived from Sanskrit verb root ksham. The verb root means to have capacity, to be capacious. This requires the ability to absorb and dissolve all assaults. The word kshamaa is also one of twenty-one names of earth in the Vedas. It means for one to be as forgiving, as all-absorbing, as the earth that withstands and forgives all our trampling and digging into.

Here I may present an oft-quoted Sanskrit proverb:

kShamaa veerasya bhooShanam
forgiveness is the adornment of the brave.

This concept is re-enforced in other human experiences such as

• holi festival in India celebrated as the day of forgiving the year’s aggressions and transgressions;
• in Thailand’s culture every child is taught that anger is bad manners and the adults follow that in daily practical life and interpersonal relations;
• in Africa, in the training and initiation of spiritual guides in traditional African religions it is essential for the guide to conquer anger – as per my personal investigations.
• there are many such examples in world cultures that we all need to emulate.

In the Jaina day of forgiveness, the kshamaapana-sutra is recited in the ancient Prakrit (sister of Sanskrit) language:

khAmemi savve jIvA savve jIvA khamantu me.
mittI me savvabhUesu veraM majjhaM Na keNa vi

I forgive all living beings, may all of them forgive me.
I have friendship with all, enmity with none.

evamahaM AloiyaM nindiyaM grahiyaM duguNchhiyaM sammam
tiviheNaM padikkanto vandAmi jiNaM chauvvIsam ..

Thus, I truly reflect, reproach, censure and abhor (my wrong doings)
I atone threefold (for my acts of mind, speech and body) and pay obeisance to the 24 Jinas (Founding Masters of Jaina Tradition).

This festival should become part of the worldwide human community without restriction of nations and religions.

Nyepi Day of Bali

The second festival to which I would like to draw attention is the Nyepi Day of Bali.

It is celebrated as the last day of the year in a 210-day year according to the sacred and complex Balinese calendar known as Isaawarsa (Indian Saka era starting 78 A.D.). In 2012 it occurred on 23rd March.

It is a day of silence from 6a.m. to 6a.m. There is no traffic on the streets. The Ngurah Rai international airport of Den Pasar, the capital, is closed for the twenty-four hours. No fires may be lit and the lights must be kept dim. There is no self-entertainment, only contemplation and silence. Most people fast for the day.

The dharma-shanti, peace of dharma, rituals are performed in the form of listening to scriptures in kakawin (classical Sanskrit-related ancient language of the religion) and other contemplative or ritual observances.

Next day is celebrated as the first day of the year when people visit each other and grant and beg for forgiveness.

I would also like to see the world human community to include this as one of the sacred days of the year in a modified form.

Thanksgiving Day of USA and Canada

Then there is the thanksgiving day of USA and Canada. Once a year in November, everyone thanks everyone, friends to friends, relatives, parents to children, children to parents, spouses, and any others that one can think of. Thanks for all that one has received in life and through the year. Some friends are invariably invited to evening dinner at one’s home.

This, too, needs to be adopted worldwide, except for the killing of the poor turkey bird to eat for the occasion.

Do think of ways of popularizing these sacred days worldwide, starting here – wherever the reader is.

Forgiveness. Silence. Thankfulness.