Author: ahymsin

Svanta Sukaya, Because it Gives Me Satisfaction

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Meditation: Flow of Divine Energy

Center of the universe is in a space called the space of your heart. The space of your consciousness – Chidakasha. Come to the center of the universe that is enclosed by the clay vessel called the body, the temple of god, called the body.

Through the space, through the walls of the stable flows the breeze of the divine energy which becomes your breath. This divine energy passes through you, as it enters you, as it leaves you. Inhaling and exhaling feeling the flow and the touch of your breaths in your nostrils and the divine name, your mantra flowing as a soft sound along with the feel of your breath in the nostrils. Without a break between your breaths, without a break in the flow of the thought of the divine name.

Continue to feel the breath in the nostrils, in the space of your consciousness and the presence of your mantra, your favorite divine name and without breaking this flow of the mind stream, gently open your eyes. May God and Gurudeva bless us all.

Our Mission is to Alleviate Pain

I congratulate you (long pause) . . .

God made ears for two purposes, one to hang the microphone on and the other one to listen to others. I congratulate you on what you have accomplished. A comment to us made by a very dear friend that the gathering this year was smaller than three years ago; smaller but more cohesive and with some definite goals. With a clearer view and a clearer vision and I’ve sensed it and felt it; that Sangha is forming. And. . .Who was it who said…? I think it was Isaiah who said, “This body is a Sangha.” It comes from the Sanskrit root form, Sanghathia; that in which many forces hit a goal together. So that Sangha is there, is formed, is forming. I could go all night on the history of this word but that’s not what we are here for.

I was counting in my mind that there are 198 countries that are members of the United Nations – 20 or 21 are present here. We can congratulate ourselves on that or we can also say that we have 176 or 177 more to go.

I have told you of my master’s conversation. “Swamiji, the Meditation Center in Minneapolis is going well.  What do I do next?” Over the phone and he says, “Well, how many people in Minneapolis and St. Paul?” And I said, “Two million.” And he says, “Have all those two million started meditating?”  “No Swamiji, they have not.”  “Call me back when all two million have started meditating.”

So congratulate yourselves when all 198 countries have learned the art and science of meditation as it is taught by the Himalayan masters. Congratulate yourself when you know that when time comes for you to leave the body, you are an enlightened being. Congratulate yourself on that accomplishment if it comes to you in this life. But, on the other hand, what you have accomplished so far under the guidance of the Gurudeva is no mean achievement.  I’m happy. The sense of fraternity, awareness of being together and you go from here with a revived sankalpa to make your own spiritual progress. Repeatedly we need to keep on impressing upon ourselves that your individual spiritual progress alone is the cornerstone of the mission that the Guru has given us. And what is that mission?  Reducing the pain on earth through the power of meditation.

Free Yourself from Personal Suffering

What you earn with your job, with your hard work, with your employment, with your investment is the means to keep your body together. The body is the means for you to be able to undertake the tapasya, the self purification, which is required for making you such that you have the compassion and the power to alleviate the pain in the world.

But if you keep on dwelling on your suffering then you are not in a position to reduce the suffering of others. Your own suffering, your own suffering; what is it? Paying off your past karma so you may be free of it, and being free you may then dedicate yourself to elevating yourself spiritually and serving others. The day you would have understood this principle, your own suffering will go down because you’ll see it in that prospective.  But if you keep on complaining to God or whatever forces, “I’m suffering…I’m suffering…I’m suffering…How can I do anything for others?” Without understanding what suffering is, you will make no progress. So understand the meaning of your personal suffering. It is a necessary step towards your purification. Accept it as such and go on, move on.

One thing about the material support of this Sangha. All this time many, many people helped Swami Veda to create what has been created. Financially, Swami Veda is lacking.  We must not now just sit back and say, “Well, now the president has come and he said he will take care of it all.” That is the way of the lazy.

Teach!

If you contribute anything for this Sangha’s work, it can be your teaching.  Five minutes of teaching breathing to your neighbor who was shouting at his wife last night. You have made a contribution. You have paid five minutes worth of that to your Guru. And you have to learn to pay back that debt. Don’t sit back and say, “Well, I’m no teacher.  I have no teacher training, and I don’t have time to teach, so how can I start teaching?” In which ‘mother training school’ do mothers go before giving birth to learn how to take care of the child?! Your compassion is your training, your commitment to paying off your debt to the Guru is your training. So, number one, find ways to pay your debt to the Guru lineage by teaching five minutes of breathing to the two persons you have seen fighting.

Sometimes, when I was mobile and living in Minneapolis, my household life, I would go to the shopping mall. I would see two old women sitting on the bench arguing like they were embodiments of hostility to each other. I’m a disciple, they are both suffering. Please remember that they are both suffering and they are letting out that suffering. So I very nonchalantly turned the direction of my walk and I passed by their bench and I caught the eyes of one of them and smiled and I innocently passed. . . and she smiled back. The other lady smiled back. . .the spell of hostility is broken. That is teacher training for you. Either you register for teacher training or you do not register for teacher training. This is teacher training.

What is the Price of One Minute of Peace?

So, think in your mind, “How am I going to pay the debt to the Guru Lineage, which this morning granted me even one minute of silence? Out of the 30 minutes that I sat, I really had one minute of real peace. The other 29 minutes I was fighting with myself, I was cursing Swami, I was…” A lot of people do that, I tell you, I know, I know it…they sit down in meditation and they start arguing with me. I used to argue with my master so I know it. I know it from my personal experience. Out of 30 minutes you spend 29 minutes arguing with your wife, with your husband, with your children, with your daughter-in-law, with your mother-in-law, with your neighbor, with your Guru, with your teacher.  But you go one minute.  What is the price of that one minute? What is the value of that one minute? Where can you walk, into which shopping mall, and go into which shop and say, “May I buy from you one minute of peace please? What is your price?” The only way you can pay the price for that one minute is you give somebody else the capacity to enjoy that one minute in their life. That is what you have to do in the next three years.

How Can I Pass the Message?

I’m hospitalized, I was hospitalized in Germany, and I’m sitting waiting for the doctor along with 20 others in the waiting room, and people come over and ask, “What is it in you? I’m finding peace.” I sit there and I teach. I went to Taiwan for the first time. I knew nobody. I just wanted to visit the country. I knew that some day I’ll have to do some mission here, I want to know. They don’t speak English. I walk into the Buddhist Temple. People are sitting with these long big, big, big malas. Somebody sitting this way, somebody sitting this way, somebody sitting this way, and they are going on reciting, moving the mala. I was wearing my whites in those days and I went and I sat down and I did my mala. I didn’t go to teach them how to sit, I did my mala. Half an hour later I open my eyes and half of the people were sitting correctly. I’ve never paid a teacher training fee. I’m not saying it to say I’m a great teacher; but I teach from my experience, from my own experiments.

This is what you have to do in the next three years, and don’t keep it to yourself.  Think about, “How can I pass this message? Can I get a CD of this, what you have said, and then give it to ten people? Can I pass this on to other Yoga teachers? What can I do? Because I cannot pay the price for this, so how do I pay the debt?”

Sometimes people come to me and say, “I have great problems with my half grown children. They are rebelling and they are fighting. Swamiji, do you have any advice?” What I can do with them? What do you think my advice is? First they are shocked, I say: “Improve your relationship with your parents and your problem will go.” That is the price. That is how you pay the debt. And if your parents are not in the body you still can improve your relationship with them.

The Pleasure of Giving

Alright, so these are the changes, steps in your progress. You have to go with the sankalpa, “Ihave to make further progress.” The progress is in your intangibles. Then that progress will spread in the Ahymsin family, in the form of intangible. Then the tangibles will come.

“I will stop going to Ahymsin meetings, they are always asking for money.” Alright, let me clear one thing. Why do you give? Not because you are paying a fee to a Swami, not because you are paying a membership fee. One beautiful study I saw in the popular newspapers, the headline was, “Money can give you happiness.” It sounded like a joke. They did brain wave scans and found that, when you are giving, the pleasure centers of your brain light up. When you are giving somebody something, the pleasure centers of your brain light up. That’s why you give, not because you have to pay a membership fee. And that should be your reason for giving.

I’m going to write down some suggestions for principles to apply in your daily life.  Don’t cook just for yourself. In the Rig Veda we read, Kevalagho bhavati kevaladi, he who eats alone eats only sin. In the Bhagavad Gita the same thing, Bhunjate te tvagham papam ye pachantyatma-karanat. Those who cook only for themselves are eating the cooked food, they are only eating sin. If you don’t want to share your food, every day take just a little flour, a little dal, a spoonful of sugar, a spoonful of oil. Put it in a separate pot, put it away. When you have enough, go find somebody who is hungry and give it to them. When you are getting your salary, take out 1%. Put it aside. That is not for yourself and that is not for getting tax reduction either. It is for the pleasure of giving. These are the conditions of progress. It is not just sitting there reciting, “Swamiji, next year what mantra you are going to give us?” This ís the mantra. These are the mantras for the next three years.

2011 Gathering of Children and Youth, Silence, 2013

December 2011 we are expecting a gathering here of children and youth. Please work towards it. Think of introducing them to a sacred place. Your grandchildren, even your grown children who have not being initiated into the tradition.  Bring them and let them feel a change of atmosphere. I’ve never seen a child come to this Ashram who wants to leave. They keep asking, “Mother when are we going back there?” Because they sense what the adults don’t always sense.

So first these two three items I have suggested and then work for the children because that is easy work; and silence. Those who have already done some silence practice,  now take the next step in that silence. Advise it to others, come for that. Back home, even 36 hours of silence every week or every month. You find the time. One step more in your practice of silence.

Three years from now, 2013 when we meet we’ll put aside three days for the administration and the organization of the Sangha and the discussion; rest of the time all 200 people will keep silence. How would that be – 200 people in silence for nine days? But prepare yourself now, start doing the practice now. Ok? Alright.

And the people who are helping, guiding, whether holding an elected position or not holding an elected position; as I said, in this organization, in this Sangha, there are no presidents, no vice presidents, no secretaries, no executive members.  You serve as initiates, you serve as disciples. If I find that in this Sangha there are people who have greater knowledge, greater experience, talent, ability to serve, and their services are not being used, then I call them and I say, “Would you help me with this project? Would you help me do this? Would you help me do that? Ok?”

No Contradictions in the Universe

In the gathering, in any organization there are always differences of opinion. Quite often we take those differences of opinion personally, we create an emotion out of it. We stop evaluating it. A lot of times I have found that when there are two options there is a way that both options can be applied. People don’t learn that art. It is not choosing black against white and white against black, but choosing both black and white. On this Earth is there light or is there darkness? What kind of a question is that?! Is darkness in India? Is light in America? Twelve hours later it will be dark in America and it will be light in India. Somebody asks the question, “How should I answer these multiple choice questions?” The answer is both. There is no contradiction between the two, because the contradictions complete each other.

There are no contradictions in the Universe, there are no opposites in the Universe. There are only forces that complete each other. So think of differences of opinion on that basis. That how can this opinion and this opinion that on the surface looks like opposites of each other, how can the two both be incorporated as in the answer to the question whether there is light on this earth or is there darkness on this earth. This applies to the people who are running the Sadhaka Grama, this applies to those who will guide, those who wish to be guided, those who wish to express an opinion, those who have a contribution to make. All of you, ok? And do it.

Svanta Sukaya, Because it Gives Me Satisfaction

There is a phrase in Sanskrit, svanta sukaya, because it gives me satisfaction.  Not because it helps the organization, but because it gives me satisfaction. Do it for your internal satisfaction.

I’ve nothing more to say, enough has been said, I’ll write some of these things down and just give them to you. Help out please, there is so much to do. There are 176 countries more to go. And probably still two million people left in Minneapolis, that’s right.

Question from the audience

”Swamiji are you putting United Nations out of business?”

No, no, I’m only complementing their work. They preamble to the UNESCO (United Nation’s Education Social and Cultural Organization) says, “Wars begin in the mind of the people. It is in the minds of the people that the problem of the war is to be solved.”

So I’m only helping them out.

God bless you all. Thank you.

Lecture by Swami Veda Bharati

6 February 2010, at SRSG

No Silence Nor Non-Silence

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Now, Kahola the son of Kaushitaki asked him:

Oh Yajnavalkya, whatever be Brahman right in front of my eyes, not in some intangible sphere, the self (atman) that is within all, tell me that.

Here, this is your self (atman) that is within all.

Which one is the one within all, Oh Yajnavalkya?

That which transcends all hunger and thirst, grief, delusion, decay of age, and death. [Yajnavalkya continues—]

It is that self (atman) knowing which the Brahmanas (children of Brahman) rise above the desire for progeny, desire for wealth and comfort, the desire for repute and honour, and wander depending on alms.

What the desire for progeny is that very one is the desire for wealth and comfort. What the desire for wealth and comfort is that very one is the desire for repute and fame. They are all the same desires.

Therefore a Brahmana (child of Transcendental God) should become disinterested in scholarliness and should desire to stay in a state of childhood.

Becoming disinterested in childhood or scholarliness, he should become a contemplative silent sage (muni).

Becoming disinterested in silence and non-silence, contemplation and non-contemplation, he should become a child of Brahman.

By what means shall he become a child of Brahman?

By whatever means he shall become a child of Brahman, let him be thus alone.

All else is torment and grief.

Then Kahola Kaushitakeya fell silent and withdrew.

~~~Brhad-aranyaka Upanishad 3.5.1

From the booklet “Song of Yoga” by Swami Veda Bharati

Lord, Give Me the Strength

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There is something that happened to me in 1998 that I’d like to tell you.

It was a very tumultuous time for me. One day I was at my wit’s end. I did not know if I could make it through the day. Before I left for work, a little bird told me to open up Swami Rama’s book, Sadhana. I opened the book, at random, to page 69, and read this passage:

“While working on the removal of weaknesses, you have to be very vigilant. Ego does not want its weaknesses exposed.  The more you hide your weaknesses, the more they grow.  Remind yourself that you are on the path of inner purification and self-discovery.  It requires great courage.”
And the next sentence was like a trumpet blast:
“Stand firm during this internal battle, and support your Atman, even at the cost of dismantling the ego and all its retinue.”
I kept that thought in my head all that day, and it gave me strength to make it through that day and many days to follow.

Chanting

During the same period of time, during an even more tumultuous day, I was driving to work for a critical meeting.  Some days before, I had put an audio tape I had been given by a friend from The Meditation Center into my tape player, but I had totally forgotten about it.  My whole being was filled with worry and fear.  As I approached work, my mind grew more and more agitated until, in a kind of trance, I turned on the radio for some distraction. . . and from the car speakers came beautiful music – chanting.
I could not figure out where the chanting was coming from. What radio station would possibly play THAT? It seemed to be coming from the sky and from deep within me.
I parked the car in the parking lot and just sat there with the chanting going on, and with all my worries melting way in a wave of forgiveness, love and exhilaration.
What was the Chanting?  (See the Hymn to Shiva, below)
. . . and we think that we’re not looked after.
************************

Inner Strength

Then, during this very same period of time, I again looked in Sadhana and found these passages on INNER STRENGTH:
” If something does not turn favorable in life, one should learn to forget and start a fresh chapter.  Strength, strength, strength is a necessity for leading a happy life, and that strength should be inner strength. Learn to be strong from within. When you learn to live on the inner strength, you emanate that inner strength, and that will help others too.
Where is the Lord?  The Lord is within you, seated deep beyond your mind and emotions.  You should say the God-centered prayer:
I am Thine and Thou art mine.  I need strength,
please give me strength.  In any situation I’m in,
Lord, give me strength.
One day you will have so much inner strength that you will witness the Reality, the absolute Truth within, and then you will be happy.”
Please know how much I admire the strength that the Board Members have shown in facing and overcoming so many of the “hard realities” (Swami Veda’s term) that TMC has faced.
I feel very strongly that a new chaper is beginning and am grateful to be sharing it with you.
Namaste!
Michael

Hymn to Shiva by Shankara

1. I am not manas, buddhi, or chitta nor ears, mouth, nose, eyes nor sky (space), earth, light (fire), air — cit and ananda — I am Shiva, I am Shiva. cit and ananda — I am Shiva, I am Shiva.
2. I am not called the prana, nor are the 5 winds mine. nor 7 dhatus (bone, blood etc.), nor the 5 sheaths nor speech, hands, feet, organs of generation or elimination — cit and ananda, I am Shiva, I am Shiva. cit and ananda, I am Shiva, I am Shiva.
3. Attraction & aversions are not mine, nor greed & confusion nor pride, nor petty malice no dharma, no artha, no kama, no moksa — cit and ananda, I am Shiva, I am Shiva. cit and ananda, I am Shiva, I am Shiva.
4. Neither virtue nor sin, no pleasure, no pain; no mantra, no pilgrimage, no Vedas, nor sacrifices I am not “food,” an object to be enjoyed, nor the enjoyer cit and ananda, I am Shiva, I am Shiva. cit and ananda, I am Shiva, I am Shiva.
5. To me there is no fear of death, nor caste distinctions, no father, no mother, nor even a birth, no kinsman, no friend, no guru, no disciple — cit and ananda, I am Shiva, I am Shiva. cit and ananda, I am Shiva, I am Shiva.
6. I am free of all vikalpas, without name, shape or form I, pervading all, remain master over the senses, To me: ever equinimity, no freedom and no bondage, cit and ananda, I am Shiva, I am Shiva. cit and ananda, I am Shiva, I am Shiva.
*******
1. mano-buddi-ahamkara-chittani naham na ca shrota-vaktre na ca ghrana-netre; na can vyoma-bhumir na tejo na vayush cid-ananda-rupah shivo’ham shivo’ham. cid-ananda-rupah shivo’ham shivo’ham.
2. na ca prana-sanjo na pancanila me na va sapta-dhatur na va panca-koshah; na vak-pani-padau na copastha-payu cid-ananda-rupah shivo’ham shivo’ham. cid-ananda-rupah shivo’ham shivo’ham.
3. na me dvesha-ragau, na me lobha-mohau mado naiva me naive matsarya-bhavah; na dharmo na cartho na kamo na mokshah cid-ananda-rupah shivo’ham shivo’ham. cid-ananda-rupah shivo’ham shivo’ham.
4. na punyam na papam na saukhyam na duhkam na mantro na tirtham na veda na yajnah aham bhojanam naiva bhojyam na bhokta cid-ananda-rupah shivo’ham shivo’ham. cid-ananda-rupah shivo’ham shivo’ham.
5. na me mrtyu-shanka na me jati-bhedah pita naiva me naiva mata na janma; na bandhur na mitram gurur naiva shishyah cid-ananda-rupah shivo’ham shivo’ham. cid-ananda-rupah shivo’ham shivo’ham.
6. aham nirvikalpo nirakara-rupo vibhur vyapya sarvatra sarvendriyani; sada me samatvam na muktir na bandhah cid-ananda-rupah shivo’ham shivo’ham. cid-ananda-rupah shivo’ham shivo’ham.

Four Poems

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Guided

Guided by my Guru
A Pilgrimage to take
Rugged hills and bustling towns
No impression make
In silence I sit wrapped in shawl
To hand out bananas
Our driver taking one
Here a boarder guard
With expression bland as he looks within
Driver not perturbed – both babble in a foreign tongue
Serene I sit with heart pounding
I hope he doesn’t ask for passport
As driver hands him a banana in exchange for a pass
The guard once more looks within. Our eyes meet.
In silence lowering eye lids I nod my head
Mala playing in my hand
Let through. At last, he gives a nod.
Such a tale to tell,
Our driver happily laughs.
Revealing all
I told the boarder guard the banana was Prasad
Prasad from Mata Gee
Silence broken
A bubble of laughter left my lips
Spirit lifted mala flowing
Light added to our journey’s flow.

Experience

Is he ready must I wait?
Oh mind do be still
Patience dear all will be revealed
At last at last upon our way
This well trod path meanders right and left
Lifting us higher above the trees
Oh how bold to venture thus
Yet! I fear to stay Gods guiding hand
Heart in fear does beat in erratic flow
Cries out, ‘leave me hear I can’t go on’
While tears flow down my cheeks
Murmured sounds from my dry lips
“I fear going up “
While Jim in American drawl
‘It’s harder to come down’
‘I do not fear the down ward trek’
We laugh all is forgotten
How typical of God’s great gifts
To fear what we might receive
Let go in releasing breath
No need to fear
“I am – I am” no words are spoken, all is calm
Relief, sweet relief
Tis only one more bend in yonder path
Here I stand in Swami Rama cave
Pure joy assails my nostrils
Cloaked now in his red robe
He gives a smile
‘Well you made it then’
We sit in meditation
Gurudev and I
Such grace received
Released all fear of heights
I sit in Guru’s grace

Mountains

How strange this land
Amid tall trees and winding paths
Where in the silence bells do chime
Welcome is the temple song, come give praises
In Gods passing song
This day does children’s laughter join with sonorous bells
Voices carried in whispered tone
By unseen winds
To become silent, as if by decree
Nature alone graces this land
Amid mountains bold
Sunlight closes, now giving light to even song
Must I wake from dreamless sleep?
A wondrous flow is breaths rhythmic song
To sit in flow within my heart
Looking out as body stirs from toes to finger tips
Breath grows stronger now
Mind awake in mantric flow
To light a candle while I do pray
Full light beckons now
Excitement flow
Today I take one more step
A pilgrimage, of old.

Dawn upon my heart

What happened to my day?
Was it only yesterday I sat in a cave
Awakening to another day
Silent meditation flows
Just being one
“I Am – I Am”
Sitting here upon these hills no need to move
To walk to eat
I have arrived
All is still
Silence is my throne
Eyes open or closed
Just being
I sit upon Samadhi throne
Wouldst that I could stay
Just one more day
Nay we have to go
Once more in Sada Grama
Two days I eat alone
No company do I keep
For silence is my practice true –
No snubbing of my friends!
My heart so full
Grace flow free
Who wouldst see?
Swami Veda with beaming smile
My pilgrimage – he sees it all

Daily Schedule of a Sadhaka

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There’s no point in philosophy; there’s no point in information. The point that is important is practice. There are very simple things about practice, very, very simple things.  All you have to do is think of regularity, frequency, length, depth, and surrender. Nothing else.

Regularity in Meditation

Regularity like your annual doctor’s visit. Without regularity you will not benefit. If you meditate one day and then don’t meditate for two days, on the fourth day you’re starting right from the beginning. The mind is like water, meditation is like ice. To turn the random mind into a meditative mind is like freezing water into ice, giving it a fixed shape, giving it a definite direction, or opening certain channels for the flowing water, or turning a flood into a channel. If you make a few holes in the ground today and then nothing for three, four, or five days, you will have to start all over again.  Regularity.

Frequency of Meditation

Frequency, twice a day. Regularity, frequency. Do it regularly, do it frequently. Twice a day. Try to repeat it many times.

Length and Depth of Meditation

Length, you determine according to your time, your inclination, and your physical and mental strength. If you sit for two hours and you don’t really meditate and let your mind run around, then you have not spent any time in meditation. But if out of two hours you have spent even two minutes of real intense concentration without a break in your breath, you get somewhere.  If for five minutes in the morning and five minutes in the evening out of your entire sitting period, you can sit without a break, you accomplish something. Otherwise nothing!

Surrender in Meditation

Then surrender. That is the most important point, surrender and depth. Depth and surrender.  Regularity, depth, and surrender; if you can combine these three you’re fine. Surrender means that in meditation you do not compete, not race, not want to accomplish, not want to reach a goal, none of these. Just do it, let it flow. Surrender your body, relax it; surrender your mind, empty it of all thoughts.

The Wealth and Morality of a Sadhaka

You have a wealth. A human being is born with a certain amount of wealth. His wealth is counted not in thousand dollar bills, not in hundred dollar bills, not in dimes or pennies. Your wealth is counted in the number of years, number of months, number of days, number of breaths that you have. And let me tell you this. The number of breaths you spend meditating are well spent; the number of breaths you spend without meditation are being thrown in the garbage. It’s like taking your diamonds, taking your pennies, taking your bundles upon bundles of hundred dollar bills and throwing them in the garbage can. So the breaths you use meditatively are the only breaths used properly; the rest is a waste of life.
I have only one definition of morality, and that is to ask of any thought, speech or activity: Will this lead me to self-realization? Will this lead to the vast perfection man is capable of? If you believe in a God, will this lead me to God realization? If it doesn’t then it is immoral, it’s no use, it’s worthless. If eating certain kinds of food in a certain way and in a certain amount will prevent my going towards that goal, then it’s immoral. If uttering a word will lead me to the center of my inner silence, it is a moral word, if it will not it’s a useless thing, it’s a waste. If accomplishing wealth, if gathering money will later on give me time to meditate, then go ahead and gather wealth. Otherwise God knows how many millionaires have been born on this earth but are unremembered. People remember Christ, they don’t remember the millionaires of ancient Rome.

Daily Schedule

Here are a few hints as a matter of advice for those of you who want to change your lifestyle: a schedule for the day, an attitude to carry throughout the day. I believe most of you will not want to practice these things, but it is my duty to give them.

1.  Waking Up

Wake up in the morning – unless you are really jarred by the cry of a child, which of course you cannot help – wake up by using your mental alarm, meaning that you go to sleep at night with a relaxation; and at the end of the relaxation as you are falling asleep, concentrate inside your head and your heart center and say, “5:30 A.M.”, “Arya, wake me up at 5:30”, “John, will you wake me up at 5:30?”  Tell that to your name. Your subtle body will wake you up. Set your ordinary outside alarm clock for 5:35 so that if you don’t wake up at 5:30 then the external aid is present. But set that alarm before you begin your relaxation exercise for the night.
So at 5:30 wake up. Immediately sit up in your bed – immediately, not lying down turning this way and that way, “I’ll wake up in five minutes.” Five minutes sometimes lasts for two hours! The moment you allow yourself two minutes, they are easy to stretch into two hours. So don’t allow yourselves those extra two minutes or extra five minutes. Your eyes are opened, get up! Tell whoever it is who is sleeping inside you, “Come on, up, sit up.”
There are three things you can do:
a.  Keep a small mirror under your pillow. When you wake up take out that mirror before you see anything else, before you see anybody else’s face, sitting right there on your bed, look at your face, then put the mirror aside. That’s one way. When I was a child my first concentration was my face. From the age of four and a half to about the age of eight, for four years my concentration was on my face. First thing in the morning upon waking up, see your face.
b.  Open your eyes the way you open your eyes from meditation. The consciousness should be changed very gently. Come out into the world and open your eyes to your hands putting the full concentration of the mind onto your hands. Try this. Close your eyes.  Now open your hands like a book and read your hands from left to right, from top to bottom like a book. Concentrate on each part so that you are not seeing anything else but those parts where your eyes are falling like a book. Then breathe gently.  Don’t think any thoughts. Then put your hands aside.
c. There is a practice called baka-mudra. It is the mudra of simultaneously seeing no evil, hearing no evil, speaking no evil. Try it for three weeks every morning. You take a pillow and get into the baka-mudra position right on your bed.  One sits in a sort of squatting position. Cover the ears with the thumbs, slightly pressing the ear flap.  The edge of the eyelids are covered with the index fingers (do not press the retina of the eyes).  The nostrils are gently pressed together with the middle fingers.  Leave the pressure a little loose to keep breathing gently.  The other two fingers go over the mouth.  Maintain the root lock and the tongue lock.  Listen to the interior hum.  Every morning sit there for five minutes or so with ears, eyes, and mouth closed and just observe what reaction you get. Don’t think of anything else, not even your mantra, unless it really comes into your mind. Be aware of whatever reaction you get, what kinds of sounds, sights, and senses. Maybe nothing will happen. Perhaps you will see diamonds, perhaps you will see lights, perhaps you will see colors, perhaps you will hear some particular pitches of sound, whatever.  Be aware.

2. Prayers

Now here in the morning people recite some verses. You need not memorize the verses but, closing your eyes, you can have these thoughts.
Pratah smarami hrdi samsphurad atma-tattvam
Sac-cit-sukham parama-hansa -gatim turiyam
Yat-svapna-jagara-sushuptam avaiti nityam
Tad-brahma nishkalam aham na cha bhuta-sanghah.
At dawn do I mediate upon that which shines in the heart as the Self, that Truth, that which is existence-intelligence-happiness, that which is the goal of the great sages, that which is the transcendent reality.
I am that eternal Brahman which is blemishless and which knows the three states of waking, dream, and sleep, and not this aggregate of elements.
There are three or four verses like that. Sitting right on the bed, confirm to yourself your pure nature. Then open your eyes to your hands, that is, your cognitive senses to your active senses. The most active sense of cognition you have is your eyes through which most of your cognitive energy is spent; and the most active tactile sense you have is your hands. You bring your cognitive senses to your active senses and establish that circuit of awareness between the cognitive senses and the active senses.
Your bed should always be a hard bed, not a soft bed. A soft bed is a lazy man’s bed and it is a sick man’s bed. A soft bed is a rogi’s bed not a yogi’s bed. A rogi is a soft man, a lazy man, a luxurious man who wants his meditation to come to him when he wants something; and a rogi is a sick man. A soft bed is a sick man’s bed; it makes you sick. A hard bed, not a very high pillow, a very soft pillow if you need one. In India for the yogis we have beds which are nothing but wooden boards and sometimes a stone for a pillow.  I have slept with a brick under my head for years, just a brick.

3. Personal Hygiene

You get up. Excuse my saying it — I always manage to give offense to people when I say it — so I apologize in advance. One thing the western children don’t have is proper toilet training. I don’t know what kind of toilet training you give to your children. We start giving them that training right from the age of one, we teach them that the first thing they should do in the morning, the first thing upon  getting up, is to have a bowel movement. You can’t fully wake up without a bowel movement. You still have the previous night’s things which will rise like fumes into your head. That’s why so many heads are unclear. First thing in the morning is the bowel movement.
Now at your present age it will take you months to form that habit; but it is worth forming. If you have difficulty, drink some water, two or three large glasses of water, and walk briskly in the morning until you form that habit. You will see a very strange, ugly sight in India if you travel in a railway train. People go out into the field, they walk out of their villages, and go out into the fields.  Western toilets are the unhealthiest kind of thing you can think of. The right bowel movement comes if you have pressure on the left side of your big intestine. Only the people of the western civilization sit as if they were sitting on a chair. The rest of the whole world sits on two feet and squats, which puts pressure on the correct area; then you have a proper cleansing.  People from the East find it very uncomfortable to travel in the West. One of the things I’m homesick for is to have a proper toilet. Even in the cities of India they make a flush toilet but not like western bowls; it is  flush with the ground and you have to sit with your feet on it. And there will always be water taps so that after using the toilet people use water to wash. Especially for women it has been proved medically that it is much better that they use less toilet paper and more water.
First thing the bowel movement, then brush the teeth. Now most of Asia does not use toothbrushes; they have only now become popular. In my days they were known only in big cities.  The fancy people who were trying to imitate the British were the ones who would use toothbrushes. It is the most inefficient way of cleaning teeth. What we have is certain kinds of green wood about the thickness of your index finger and about the length of your hand from the middle finger down to the root of the wrist or a little longer, but fresh from certain trees, like mango or neem, which have a particular combination of juices in them.  Neem is considered the best.  Sometimes now in the cities, of course, you can’t go and pick them fresh, so these pieces of wood are sold in bundles. What people do is they chew the ends of them. You’ll see it throughout the villages every morning, people chewing pieces of wood. It produces saliva, it gives you the action of the gums, gives you an exercise of the teeth, chewing, chewing, chewing. And then they form a brush from the ends of these pieces of wood and use that brush. It’s usually used only once and then thrown away. Every morning you find a fresh supply. Those of you who are going to India might bring a little supply here.  It has been tested. I can give you the reference of a scientific journal. In 1963 or 1964 there was a world dental conference in Sudan where they tested and found that this was the most effective way. And you don’t have all this plaque when you use those things.
Then washing.  The upper wash and nasal wash.  Those who have not done it should try it. You will find it very, very helpful, very useful.
Take a shower.  It is better to bathe in flowing water.  This is one thing I find in America, which is missing in Europe. In Europe even in some hotels you don’t have a private bath. In England, in London there are 10,000 houses without a bath. The bath in Europe in the Middle Ages was considered the work of Satan. Literally, it was. In the Middle Ages in Europe a bath was considered the work of Satan. When the Crusaders defeated the Moorish Arabs ruling Spain they found many hundreds of baths in the city of Cordoba. And when the Crusaders defeated the Moors the first thing they did was to destroy all those hundreds of baths of the established religion. But here in America there is one good thing:  there are showers and flowing water.
When you bathe don’t think you are just washing your body. Feel all the sanctity of Mother Water flowing through you. Let that be your daily baptism. Right at bath time you should start chanting. Every human being has a natural instinct to chant in the shower. Use it for creating a meditative mood. We start our meditation in the shower. Rub your body briskly. Massage it. When I was a child and even today everywhere in India if you are traveling through the villages and towns the people are very, very poor but they have a quality of life. Every baby almost from the day he’s born gets a daily massage with mustard oil or coconut oil. And there is a trick to massaging the body. Every pore, every joint, every muscle is massaged and mothers always massage the baby before giving it the daily bath. And in what order to massage the body and how to handle which muscle and which joint is not something for which you have to go to massage parlors. Every child gets it from the very beginning. Sometimes I massaged my whole family when I had time.  It’s an expression of affection and love. You can massage yourself.
There are two things, massaging and blessing the body. These are two different things. Massaging is with the palm of the hand, the side of the hand, tip of the fingers. Blessing is something else. At night sometimes sons and daughters want to express their affection and love for their parents, or they just want to bribe them and get something out of them, or I want my guru to give me something, like the beautiful shawl he has, so I go and I press his feet at night. When he lies down, I press his feet. In the East we don’t learn these things by sitting in lectures, we learn by example, we learn by service. What I learn from my guru is if I get to serve him, personally, do something for him, give to him, please him as it were, I get little things, he shares thoughts. That’s the only way we get things from our parents, too. Service, loving service.
Anyway, once a week ideally, everybody should get a massage. It’s very hard, I know. It’s a busy life. But you will feel so much better, the whole family will feel so much better. But if you don’t have time to massage before your shower every day, then massage your body in the shower. There are certain cardinal points, certain parts that should be massaged daily.
Touching the body non-sexually is a great thing. But most people touch and gather other people’s vibrations into their personality. As a child I had a very, very special training, one which is rare even for India, very, very rare. My father would not let me hang my clothes where they would touch somebody else’s clothes, because you don’t know where you will pick up what vibrations. Even now I travel around the whole world and I find it very difficult to sleep on other people’s beds. Don’t you find it so? You enter a room and there is a feel to that room. You sit on a chair and there is an invisible, inexplicable something about the chair. So sanctity of personality should be learned by a person who wants to grow in meditation, who does not want to be affected by other people. The secret of looking at your own face first thing in the morning is the same. We have a saying in India if the day isn’t going well, “Whose face did you first see in the morning?” because the first thing you see in the morning leaves a psychic impression on you. So, massage your body in the bath, give it a brisk massage with your fingers, with your towel,  awaken every muscle, every pore. Do that.

4. Meditation

Then you are ready for your meditation. Somewhere in between you can fit in your hatha, your physical yoga, before the massage or after. When I was a child we would massage and then do our physical hatha yoga and then take a shower and then do our meditation, but there are other orders that sometimes are recommended. You can work according to your own personality. Slowly, then, as you are forming these habits, they will become your aids to meditation. Your mind will be clear, you will sit down feeling nicer, the body will rebel less, the mind will go less here and there.
For your actual meditation your clothing should be loose and all artificial materials, synthetic materials, should be avoided. They stimulate the skin, draw unnecessary attention to your skin and at the same time they close your pores. Your pores can’t breathe under these synthetic materials. Cotton, silk, and so on, these are good. Then sit on your meditation seat. Whatever length of time you sit try to use that for the optimum benefit. If you have five minutes try to make those five minutes deep. Don’t let this and that come in between.

5. Going about the day

a. Morning

When you have finished your morning meditation and are taking your breakfast concentrate on your meal. Feel every morsel, maintain the silence that has come to you through meditation, maintain it a little half hour more, one hour more. Stretch it, stretch that mood, remain aware of your breathing, remain aware of  your mantra.
Then you go out of your house. What I do as a habit is whichever one of my nostrils is active, I put that foot out first. When I sit in my car, again, I look at my hands and draw myself to myself, I draw a mental circle around me. I enclose myself in my own energy, cocooned, so that when I see people, talk to people (especially in my life where I see hundreds of people every day) the only way I can maintain my privacy is mentally. Every day I have to see hundreds of people. I have no privacy in my life. The only way I maintain privacy is by using mental privacy. In the middle of a crowd I can feel it if I want to.
Learn that wherever you are standing, wherever you are sitting, there is no need for you to feel that you are sitting in a crowd. There are people who don’t come to meetings, to meditation because they feel uncomfortable in a crowd. Just draw a circle around yourself. Take a little water and sprinkle it around you, make a chalk line as it were. That’s your house. Keep your mind within that and you are alone.
Carry your meditative mood from the morning meditation with you, sitting in your car, getting to your office, when you enter your office.  In the morning, everybody who came with an irritated mood should change his mood. A lot of people will come to me and say, “I go to my office after my meditation and then there is this thought that suddenly hits me. I want to quit my job.” That’s no use. Take your peace and give it to the others and then you have meditation. Take a little of that, go out into the world. When the phone rings take up the phone and speak in a manner that conveys the peace and quiet of your mind towards others. You can make the same phone an instrument that is jangling your nerves or you can make that phone an instrument of imparting relaxation to other people who call.

b. Midday

Midday, again, before lunch take a breather, do your channel purification, it takes two minutes, three minutes, four minutes. If somebody laughs at you, you laugh back at them. “Look at these people, they don’t even know how to breathe properly.”

c. Evening

Evening, come home, do the same thing. Leave the day’s accumulations out of your house. When you enter, enter again back into a temple. As it were, change your whole scene, your whole attitude, your whole feeling about things. Whatever you have gathered from the past and the roads of the day, leave them right there at the doorstep and enter barefoot and clean. The feet inside the shoes are always clean. So bring in your clean feet, your clean step.
After dinner in the evening take a contemplative walk. The contemplative walk is something that you do in your room, in your neighorhood, in your backyard, and you sort of imagine an area with two lines drawn. And you take a particular thought and just keep that particular thought in your mind and think about it. It may be an intellectual argument, it may be your mantra, it may be something you’ve been dreaming, it may be something you’re trying to solve. Take that particular thought and walk with it and slowly, slowly become more and more aware of your body, a relaxed body. The thought sticks in your mind, and you come slowly to the thought, and the movement of your body even begins to go slow, your walk becomes slower, slower, and you get engrossed in it, and then you sit down. It creates a mood for the evening. Husband and wife may do it together, brothers and sisters may do it together, the entire family may do it together.
In the evening before meditation take what we call the fivefold bath: wash your feet, wash your face, wash your hands. Feet first. Always to prepare for meditation, to prepare for anything sacred, wash these five limbs: two feet, two hands, and the face. And touch a cool hand of water on the nape of the neck and behind the ears. These are cooling areas that get very hot, very warm; all the tension builds up there. Then sit for your evening meditation. If you do not have time to take a shower, take the fivefold bath.
There should be some time in your day some time after your favorite TV program and before your favorite TV program, preferably after to do your evening meditation.  It’s very hard to keep this kind of schedule, of course, if you have three children, four children, five children; but even if you can read three lines or three pages of something that’s inspiring, something meditative, take the time for that.  Somewhere along the line you will find some sentence that will strike a chord with you, that will touch the chords of your heart. You may not find that sentence for years. Yet somewhere along the line you will find a page. Suddenly you will open a page and you will see a line, and there will be  an answer to something.
At night lie down flat on your back, do your relaxation, then fall asleep; and your breath will tell you whether you want to sleep on the left side or you want to sleep on the right side. Automatically turn that way.

Remember That These Things Are Available

Now all of this may seem like too many rules and too many regulations. And this has actually happened.  People have taken a course from me and then suddenly disappeared. Then after three years I receive a letter, “Dear Panditji, I attended one of your lectures and there were just too many things to follow and I wasn’t ready to follow them, so I thought I wouldn’t come back. But now I feel ready for it.”  You can do it that way if you wish. The other way is that having listened to all of this, see how much you can follow easily, then follow that part. Remember that these things are available, that this can be done. If you find these to be too many rules and too many regulations, just do breath awareness. Sit down and do breath awareness. Forget everything else.

Be Aware

And above all, walk with awareness, breathe with awareness, act with awareness. Be emotional, even, with awareness, mindfulness. Smriti it is called. Be aware. Learn to be aware. Learn  to be aware of  yourself, learn to be aware of your bodily state.  “What position am I sitting in? Am I reclining? How is my breath going? What is the position of my forehead?” Are you relaxed so that the wrinkles from the forehead are gone? Learn to observe all parts of your body, your breath, your act, your emotion, your thought.

AHYMSIN 2007 – 2009

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“The purpose of the organization shall be  to teach and make available, by all legally permissible means, the knowledge of yoga meditation within the Tradition of Himalayan Masters, as interpreted by Swami Rama of the Himalayas.”
– AHYMSIN Constitution

Association of Himalayan Yoga Meditation Societies International

AHYMSIN
2007 – 2009
Swami Veda Bharati, Spiritual Guide
In February 2007, we, the global family, gathered together at Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama in Rishikesh, India, at the invitation of Swami Veda Bharati  We met people we hadn’t known existed, strengthened relations with those we knew, and began to explore the relationship of kinship.  In the process, the Association of Himalayan Yoga Meditation Societies International was formed, a constitution was passed, and the first Executive Committee and other organizational groups were put in  place.  SRSG is the world headquarters of AHYMSIN.

A Mindfield of Community

In February 2007, Swamiji initiated our Guru Family into a three-year practice of the Ityukta mantra for the purpose of creating a Mindfield of Community – a Sangha. “With a stable mind, you can stabilize all external circumstances. A mindfield thus stabilized is called an organization or a sangha.”
This three year mantra practice is now ending with initiation into a new practice, while the spiritual practice of the stabilizing of the mindfield will continue.
With only three years together, we are a young organization, still learning and growing in abilities and strengths.  Yet much has been accomplished, and it is amazing to experience the many abilities of Guru family members as well as their deep spirituality.

Why Would Anyone Want to Join AHYMSIN?

Why would any group or individual want to join AHYMSIN? Swamiji’s answer to this: 
“They don’t join AHYMSIN, they receive an initiation. AHYMSIN is a group of initiates for support. How can groups or individuals help the greater family in a spiritual sense? This evolves from time to time if we can succeed in developing a sentiment of  Sangha.”

Introducing AHYMSIN

To read more about  AHYMSIN and our programs and services, please visit: https://www.ahymsin.org/main/index.php/AHYMSIN/ahymsin-introduction.html

Gathering of the Sangha, February 2010

AHYMSIN was formally started in 2007. The Gathering of the Sangha took place at SRSG in February 2010 at Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama.  During this event, spiritual practices were completed and initiated and a new Executive Committee was elected.  To read the report on this event, please follow this link:  https://www.ahymsin.org/main/index.php/Ityukta-2010/gathering-of-the-sangha-report.html

AHYMSIN 3 Year Report

There is a collection of reports from various people who have worked in different parts of AHYMSIN.  While the name of the person submitting the report has been given, it should  be realized that many of these reports are team efforts and represent more individuals than are being seen.  Even though these reports have been written this year, there have been new developments; it’s hard to keep up with everything on paper.  For this 3 year AHYMSIN Report, please go to: https://www.ahymsin.org/main/index.php/Miscellaneous/ahymsin-three-year-report-2007-2009.html

Rajah Indran, Executive Director

Rajah Indran has been appointed Executive Director of AHYMSIN, and he and his wife, Judy, are in the process of moving to SRSG to live.  Rajah was an office bearer, Vice President of Regional AHYMSINs, and a member of the first Executive Committee as well as being a member of the Board of Directors.  He is also a member of the Adhyatma Samiti, or Spiritual Committee.

Blessed

This reporting does not completely report on the individual spiritual growth we have experienced or how this growth has affected community.  We have been immeasurably blessed, and this blessing flows through our lives in subtle and not-so-subtle ways leading to a self-transformation and a transformation of community that is still evolving.

Learn from Swami Rama!

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The Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust (http://www.hihtindia.org/) has carried on the admirable work of making available the teachings of the Himalayan Masters as interpreted by Swami Rama of the Himalayas in the publication of books, calendars, CDs and DVDs.  These bring perennial wisdom to our lives.  The HIHT link for information about these publications in English, Hindi, and Spanish is http://www.hihtindia.org/SRC%20publication.html
Wesley Van Linda, who represents HIHT through Swami Rama Society in the USA, has written, “You can find a list of all our publications at the Swami Rama Society website http://www.swamiramasociety.org/index.html” You can also find descriptions of the publications there and ordering information there. He adds, “This distributor for … all of the books we have published in the last few years is Lotus Press (http://www.lotuspress.com/).”
The Meditation Center’s Online bookstore now ships nationally and internationally and also offers many of these publications. The link is: https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/asp/home.asp?studioid=5881 Once there click on the “SHOP HERE” tab.

These include books in English:

At the Feet of a Himalayan Master: Remembering Swami Rama, volume one

OM the Eternal Witness: Secrets of the Mandukya Upanishad

Swami Rama

Bhole: Adventures of a Young Yogi

by Hema de Munnik
Inspired by the childhood stories of Swami Rama. A book for both the young and young at heart.

Samadhi the Highest State of Wisdom: Yoga the Sacred Science, volume one

by Swami Rama
Samadhi the Highest State of Wisdom brings Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras to life in a very personal and helpful way.

Sacred Journey: Living Purposefully and Dying Gracefully

by Swami Rama

Conscious Living: A Guidebook for Spiritual Transformation

by Swami Rama

Let the Bud of Life Bloom: A Guide to Raising Happy and Healthy Children

by Swami Rama

The Essence of Spiritual Life: A Companion Guide for the Seeker

by Swami Rama

Sri Guru Granth Sahib, volume one

transcreated in English verse by Swami Rama is available by special request at src@hiht.org

A Perpetual Calendar in English:

The Master Speaks: Inspired Sayings of Sri Swami Rama, a perpetual calendar

Books in Spanish:

 

BHOLE: Aventuras de un joven yogui

Inspirado en lo que Swami Rama contó de su niñez
Hema de Munnik

SAMADHI el Estado Más Elevado de Sabiduría

Yoga la Ciencia Sagrada, volumen uno

Swami Rama

La Esencia de la Vida Espiritual

una guía que acompaña al que busca

Swami Rama

VIAJE SAGRADO

Vivir con Propósito y Morir en Gracia

Swami Rama

Dejad que el Brote de Vida Florezca

una guia para criar niños sanos y felices

Swami Rama

Vivir Consciente

Una Guía para la Transformación Espiritual

Swami Rama

Audio/Visual:

AUM a meditation in sound

Swami Rama (CD)

Conscious Living: An Audiobook for Spiritual Transformation

by Swami Rama
(A 5 CD set)

Bhole Prabhu Sings

Swami Rama (CD)

Swami Rama The Himalayan Master, interactive CD

Swami Rama the Himalayan Master

(DVD)

Poem Offerings

Posted on by ahymsin

I. Vashishtha Cave

The blue green Ganges
gushes through the mountain gorge
to water the fields of India.
So, too, my world heart
Pours peace upon

open souls.

Swift glacial run off
Remains of ancient snows:
Capturing light years
of star light
Within your atomic ecstasies
Deep in the cave of the body
Eternal star burst flowers in Bliss.
As we follow the river
Back down the
mountain
to Rishikesh,
Glimpses of ancient meditations
The energy still almost audible,
Now in the cave of the skull:
Mantras cutting valleys
through the mindfield.

II.

Getting to know Lord Shiva,
The ever meditative consciousness,
Is a process of releasing
Our skepticism, doubt and self doubt,
Our illusion that such
knowing is distant or
beyond our capabilities.
Having practiced stilling
the body, mind, emotions
And entering the inner ascension,
Know that consciousness
Meditating on the thousand
petalled lotus crown.
Unify that consciousness
With the universal Being,
Knowing this, also, as your body,
The ever meditative
universal guru spirit:
Over time you will
become familiar
with the path.
Given all these suns and planets,
You have chosen this space and time
to exist in this sector of the Eternal infinities.
Recall your purpose
Knowing that the work is
never done alone,
That purpose is communal from preconception.
Know that upon which
Lord Shiva meditates,
The mystery, the source,
the shakti giving Shiva form.
Make your offerings to the dark goddess,
the Mother of both gods
and humans and all else.
Resolve to know every
breath and movement
As the dance of that divine energy.
Let every thought arise
from and return to
Her divine efflugence.
(Poems from a trip to the Mountains out of Rishikesh.)

III   Yajna

My many Karma seeds,
Bowls filled again and again,
Burn in pinches of offerings
To your Eternal Fire.
Offering habits wound around time,
Eventually I find the rhythum,
The inner flow of growth,
The release of illusion
into the Real.
Repetition like the habits of life,
Allows us to counteract the unconscious,
To open doors through time
And arrive again where we begin.
Kundalini crawling,
Awaiting the inexplicable
With Eternal patience
Awaits the Master’s alignment,
Enticing the mystery
into Existence.
All that is,
In the eyes of the divine,
Shines with the dark glow
Of an inner universe
so silent and serene
We find it only when
We worship at your
hidden inner altar.
(Note: John David Wilson shared these poems during his visit to Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama during the Gathering of the Sangha. A student of Swami Veda Bharati, John teaches, sculpts, and writes poetry.  He has taught a series of classes on “Meditation and Mystic Poetry” at The Meditation Center.)

Religion for Preventing Terrorism

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Religion for Preventing Terrorism

A Resolution to be Adopted by The World Council of Religious Leaders

As a Recommendation To The Secretary General of The United Nations (May 21, 2003)

 

Being Aware that fear and aggression are primarily mental events, and consequently, only a terrorized mind terrorizes others;

Taking into account that individual and collective events occur as part of historical forces, developed over centuries and millennia, in which all parties have been participants in a continuous chain of actions and reactions;

Based on the fact that in the sacred books of all religions there are equally commandments and admonitions to take to the path of non-aggression, meekness, love, tolerance and forgiveness, that these truths are held equally self-evident by the adherents of all religions, and many practices are common to the followers of all religions;

Re-establishing that, contrary to above principles of harmony, the practice of making derogatory statements concerning other religious and ethnic groups is a violation both of divine will which is good and benevolent towards all living beings and of the basic human rights to live in peace and prosperity;

Observing the profuse evidence that in long periods and large geographical areas of the earth frequently no inter-religious strife has taken place and the said teachings of love have been successfully applied in inter-personal and inter-societal relationships;

Recognizing the power of confession and forgiveness as a common spiritual and ethical principle, and its practice enjoined in all religions;

Be it resolved that the participants of this meeting of the World Council of Religious Leaders unanimously agree among themselves, and herewith recommend to the Secretary General of the United Nations,

(1) That a study and research programme, and the dissemination of its outcomes, be instituted with the aim

* to look into the forces that historically brought about the success of the teachings of non-aggression, love and tolerance where such has been evident in the various periods and geographical areas of human history;

and

* to find ways for consciously implementing the patterns of such forces in our times;

(2) That the scholars and theologians of all religions categorically state that the admonitions to aggression against non-adherents are to be interpreted only as indicating an internal struggle towards the Good within a human being and not to be directed against another individual or group;

(3) That the supreme leaders and the councils of all religions advise their adherents to totally refrain from condemnation of others’ belief systems;

(4) That the leaders and authoritative councils of various religions find ways for seeking and extending forgiveness in order to support and deepen the mutual understanding and harmonious relationships in the present to lay a foundation for universal inter-religious harmony in the future;

(5) That as a natural accompaniment to the resolve to undertake and encourage such studies as well as acts of mutual forgiveness and harmony, the participants of this meeting of the World Council of Religious Leaders

* Exert pressure on the political entities, whether they are in power de facto or de jure, to prevent all such vocal or physical acts as violate the teachings of non-violence and cause hurt or harm to individuals and groups of the adherents of other religions and societies,

* Encourage all in the field of various systems of education that

—– the teaching imparted about other religions should be done so only by the adherents of the particular religion and not by those who are unsympathetic to the same,

and

—– the teaching of the principles and the history of non-violence and the methods thereof be made an essential part of the school and college curricula; and

* in that context Declare all acts of terrorism as violations of religious edicts and of human rights;

(6) So that through such positive scholarly, educational and spiritual endeavors the entire humanity be spared the scourge of intolerance, mutual condemnation, persecution, oppression and terrorism.

The Council of World Religious Leaders further recommends to the Secretary General that the United Nations General Assembly adopt such a declaration of mutual respect among religions as an article of faith common to the entire humanity.

NOTES TO THE RESOLUTION

(1) No events in human life and history occur but within the context of interactions among perennial forces. It is therefore incumbent that for the prevention of the recurrence of any undesirable events, any action of choice needs to be planned in the framework of a holistic view of history. This means that in doing so we must address the long-term causes of the events – and deflect their effectiveness – towards a true course beneficial to all.

(2) All human experience arises from spiritual and mental sources and it is in the realm of spirit and mind that any progress towards the ethical choice of individual and collective conduct can be made. It is therefore incumbent upon the leaders in the religious and educational fields to set an example of love and tolerance towards those with whom they may happen to disagree. Thus all inter-religious communication needs to be free of derogatory expression in which alone the rise of religion-based violence is rooted.

(3) Because of a strong aversion to aggression and violence in a human being, we tend to neglect the fact that the geographical areas, and periods of history where no violence has occurred are far larger than the ones where such unfortunate events have taken place. In order to arrest the recurrence of aggressive behaviors among societies, we need to study deeply and research the causes of successful peace so that the peace-generating forces of those time periods and societal areas may be understood and encouraged and thus the experiences of such courses in human history may be replicated for the present and the future.

(4) Acts of forgiveness begin with considering seeking forgiveness from others for the aggressions ‘we’ may have committed. Each religious group in the world needs to research into its history and seek forgiveness of others whom ‘we’ may have wronged. Only then would ‘we’ gain the forgiveness of others and will cease to be subjected to terror arising from anger.

(5) Social groups of peaceful individuals cannot become violent. The contemplative paths in religion are scientifically proved to generate peaceful inclinations. The pursuit of such contemplative ways will bring back to religion the power to grant peace, instead of encouraging condemnation of and violence towards others. The true antidote to terrorism is to free the human mind from the tendency to be terrorized. As stated in the Resolution, only a terrorized mind terrorizes others.

(6) A statement declaring terrorism to be undesirable will be efficacious only with a spiritual, socio-psychological and educational change within the context of a holistic view. Only spiritual education in contemplative content of religion remains the way to bring about peaceful conduct in the minds, words and acts, first among individuals and thereby among the societies. The UNESCO Report “Learning: the Treasure Within” may serve as a good starting point in this direction.

It is hoped that the Council of World Religious Leaders will take steps to institute the necessary programs to realize the above ideals in the form of practical plans of study and action.

Gathering of the Sangha Report

Posted on by ahymsin
Gathering of the Sangha
Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama, Rishikesh
1-12 February 2010
“From February 2007 to February 2010, for three years the entire AHYMSIN family undertook the observance of reciting a special mantra:
ityuktā sā tadā devi
gambhīrāntah-smitā jagau
durgā bhagavatī bhadrā
yayedam dhāryate jagat

The meaning and the purpose of this mantra was explained at that time – to bring stability, to bring stability to our individual hearts and minds, stability in our spiritual practices; thereby stability in our emotions; thereby stability in our body language, verbal language (voice, tone), all manner of our communication, and through that, stability in our relationships, in our families, in our communities, and through that stability, expanding its circles, stability in our spiritual family. I have been delighted and gratified that so many participated in this observance, and I have seen, witnessed the stability it has brought to our spiritual family, the results of which are visible in the satsanga, the gathering of the aspiring souls of the sangha, of the fraternity that came together here at Swami Rama’s Sadhaka Grama from February 1 to 12,” Swami Veda explained before introducing the new practice.

“Brothers and Sisters” was the way that AHYMSIN President Dr. Mohan Swami referred to Guru family members at the Gathering of the Sangha and perhaps those words capture the feeling of sangha that many experienced.  He reminded us that Gurudeva Swami Rama taught us love.
People from around the globe  filled SRSG to explore the idea of and to experience sangha, to discuss AHYMSIN, to elect a new Executive Committee, to have the purnahuti of the Ityukta mantra, and to be initiated into the new spiritual practices for the years 2010-2013…and in this process of sharing, there was much laughter and many loving actions as well as a deepening of community.
Zia Rawji eloquently likened sangha to a human body, where the various parts all work together as an expression of one body.
And in the small and also the large group discussions, old and young shared, male and female shared, all colors shared, all religions shared, many countries shared.  And this sharing reached into deep personal areas with a trust that allowed the sharing of the pleasant and the unpleasant, the perceived successes and failures, current perceptions and concerns…
Pre-event letters had been sent to leaders of affiliated centers asking for nominations for the AHYMSIN Executive Committee.  Those nominated were asked to either accept or not accept the nomination.  When this process was completed, there emerged a list of candidates, and the AHYMSIN family confirmed these individuals as the new Executive Committee.

AHYMSIN Executive Committee 2010

Spiritual Guide: Swami Veda Bharati
President: Dr. Mohan Swami
Executive Director, AHYMSIN (ex officio): Rajah Indran
Senior Vice President: David Hume
Vice Presidents: Atem Ramsundersingh, Shi Hong
General Secretary: Sadhana Mishra
Assistant Secretaries: Jean Tan, Linda Billau, Sonia Van Nispen
Treasurer: Narindar Pushkarna
Elected members: Chander Khanna, Daniel I. Jalba, Feroze Nasrullah, Idriss Raoua Ouedraogo, Jim Nelson, John Barry Stutt, Iida Fuku, Willem Meijer,
Winthrop Harewood, Wolfgang Bischoff
1 Representative TTP, Chuck Linke
1 Representative DMT, currently Bhola Shankar Dabral
1 Representative Himalayan Institute Kanpur, H. P. Manchanda
1 Representative SRSG, currently Adhikari Bhoi
1 Representative Adhyatma Samiti, currently Carolyn Hume
Swami Veda reminded us that there is no Executive Committee, there are no officers, there are only initiates…a family of initiates.
The Executive Committee reconfirmed the mission as it came forth from the meeting in Port Dickson, Malaysia, in 2008.

Our Mission

• To liberate ourselves and others and demonstrate pure spirituality and love in all our action (not in-action);
• To make available the knowledge and teachings of Swami Rama and the Himalayan Tradition
• To reach out to a large number of people
• To ensure continuity, evolution and sustainability of the Himalayan Tradition by developing the capacity of the next generation of teachers and masters in the AHYMSIM family
• To provide charity and solidarity services to those in need
In addition to the meetings, there were daily meditations, hatha yoga, and fire ceremony with punctuations of music and dance.  SRSG residents worked and worked as well as being active delegates.
Into the fire was offered the Ityukta practice.

The New Practice

Swamiji introduced the new practice,
“Now it is time for us to go further, to seek wisdom and the wisdom of enlightenment by the grace of the Guru.  Our next gathering of this kind will be from February 25 to March 11 [2013].  Part of that time, nine days, will be satsanga in total silence, the rest of the time for other contemplations and deliberations.  Imagine 300 people in silence on the sacred grounds for nine days, silently devoting their bodies, prana, hearts and minds to a merger with infinity, with the serenity of the Divine Being!  What energy it will generate, not only for the participants on location to feast upon, but what rays will go emanating from it to the entire sangha on all continents wherever our Gurudev’s disciples meet in meditation!
“The mantra for this time, for this period is two mantras:  The first part is the akhanda-mandalākāram mantra, to seek the grace of the Guru, to seek the awakening of the Guru Chakra so that we all may become linked with that endless chain of the lineage which may confer upon us an open door through which we may enter the portals of wisdom.  The second part will be an expanded version of the Gayatri mantra.”
For the 2010-2013 practices, please visit: https://www.ahymsin.org/2010-2013-practice/