General Articles 
Japa, Silence and Atma-tattva-avalokanam, part 2
21 May, 2019 @ 12:29 pm
So, we take our meditation back to that level and then things really begin to change; we begin to make contact with the deep silence. The natural state of the mind can also be described as a state of silence. Swami Veda often said, ‘The deepest meditation has no experiences. As long as you are having experiences, you are not there yet.’ And when you get to that great silence of asamprajñāta samadhi that is when you are really reaching the goal. And so we do these practices of silence which are one of the really characteristic things that distinguish our tradition from many other traditions. It certainly is our speciality here. It is such a wonderful experience. I think of it as my home. I think of it also as heaven even though sometimes in the process of getting to heaven you have to go through a little hell. Anybody who has been on a longer silence retreat will understand that period of cleansing that goes on in your mind, in your emotions. But eventually you reach a place that is just extraordinary.
How many people do Agnisara, Ashwini mudra and 2:1 breathing?
5 May, 2019 @ 6:15 pm
How many people practice these will be difficult to tell. And what people practice should not be our concern. Rather we should try to find a good Master/Teacher of Meditation & Yoga to guide us and concentrate on our own discipline in practice of Yoga asanas. I compliment students for being curious and wish all the best in their pursuits.
Three Year Mantra Practice, 2019 to 2022
30 April, 2019 @ 4:40 pm
The mantra is the Saumyā mantra combined with a Tārā mantra. The first 2 lines of the mantra are the Saumyā mantra, and the third line is the Tārā mantra.
Sharing Experiences with Swami Rama
22 April, 2019 @ 11:14 am
When the performance is going on, if the spectators are elevated to the equal level of the mood of the emotions that are invoked and evoked in the dance drama, and if they are able to, the spectators are able to elevate themselves to this level, then the ascetic enjoyment takes place. This is called rasanu bhava in Sanskrit and I am proud to say that this is the unique contribution of Indian culture and Indology to the world over.
Be a Flexible Rock
22 April, 2019 @ 10:48 am
In a talk on the yamas and niyamas, Geeta, a resident teacher at Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama (SRSG), quoted Swami Rama who said it was important in observing the yamas and niyamas to become grounded like a rock. Yet this rock must be flexible so it can bend and move to meet the infinite variety of situations and accord with these without losing contact with the cultivation of stillness and silence. The simple practice of breath awareness, smriti upasthāna¸ helps: following the flow of the breath provides rocklike firmness. Then with the testimony of the senses and the mind’s elastic awareness there is a bit more brightness than the average rock.
Japa, Silence and Atma-tattva-avalokanam, part 1
21 April, 2019 @ 12:25 pm
Om. It is interesting how long two minutes can be. When you really go into meditation, time is irrelevant. One second in samadhi is the same as a thousand years in samadhi. No difference. And so, give yourself those two-minute breaks during the day. Our topic this evening is “Japa, Silence and Ātma-Tattva-Avalokanam.” All in fifty minutes.
Is there any mantra in the Vedas that refers to yoga as physical excercise?
15 April, 2019 @ 6:54 pm
Swami Veda often said that the practices of yoga, including references to Kundalini and the chakras are there in the Vedic literature but under different terms. Yoga practices are usually referred to under the term tapas. Meditation practices in the heart chakra are described in the Dahara-vidya section of the Chandogya Upanishad. You are correct that there is no reference to yoga as a physical exercise.
What is Shivaratri?
22 March, 2019 @ 12:04 pm
Is there anyone who does not know anything about Shiva? So I will calibrate my introduction in that manner. Anyone here who does not know about Shiva at all, anyone? No. My goal in this brief conversation that we will have, my goal is to arrive at a shared understanding of Shiva, so we understand something together and some commonality in that understanding. That would be my goal. Otherwise different people might have different understanding, might have read on the net, must have attended seminars. I am so overwhelmed to be sitting here and talking on this subject because on this seat have adorned many scholars on Shiva who really have academic and scholastic knowledge on the subject. I don’t have that.
What Is a Sangha?
22 March, 2019 @ 11:53 am
Your mind is now united in this attention on the spiritual forces with the collection of minds now gathered in one place making up a sangha. Now you may gently open your eyes and look around, look around you at all the bodies around you. Do they look any different? Are we merely physical bodies gathered here? Are we merely minds that have a habit of chattering? Would chattering minds make up a sangha? Or is it possible that when our minds are gathered together at one place, and what might that place be? The place where Guru is. If our minds are gathered together in that place that we call the Guru, or the Guru lineage, is that a sangha? You might say that all three are a sangha, but we do have a purpose here in the sangha.
Mind Mirror
22 March, 2019 @ 11:43 am
Thank you, Swamiji and all the guests here, for inviting us. When he was praising us, actually we do nothing there. Enjoying. We simply follow among the blessings which were taught by Gurudev. Whenever we had some difficulties, when he was in his physical body, we used to go and ask him and he would say, ‘Beta, do what is right.’ Beta means son. Do what is right. He was praising me that I am very good at administrating whatever. Good administrator should have, as much as what I have learned from, again, I learned so many things [lost audio] guidance from him.