Category: Swami Rama

Fears, if not examined, will develop strong roots, though they are often rootless. Fear invites danger.

Self-preservation is the instinct that remains always vigilant to protect the body. This instinct is useful up to a certain extent, but it should not become an obsession in life. When fear becomes an obsession, all spiritual potentials become dormant. Fears are never examined—that is why they are able to control human life. They should be examined boldly.

Fear has two faces: I might lose what I have, and I might not gain what I want. These two thoughts should not be entertained, and cannot be when you remember your mantra or the presence of the Lord within.

Fearlessness is very important. One should constantly remain in spiritual delight, so that no fear is entertained. Fearlessness comes from knowing that God is with us, and that we are with God.

Editor’s Note

This is an excerpt from The Essence of Spiritual Life by Swami Rama. Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust. 2002. Page 26.
To watch the short video Swami Rama Discusses Self Preservation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fy9zl_m_R4E 

If you want to live positively and joyfully, learn to give the fruits of your actions to others, and determine that you will not allow yourself to be bothered by anything in the exterior world. If you do not learn to give, then you are being selfish and negative. A negative person is selfish; a positive person is generous. You cannot rely on a negative person. There are some people who never come in contact with their positive emotions – they only remain negative all the time. And because of this they are unable to give to others.

So learn to give to your own people, those with whom you live, those who are closest to you. Learn to give spontaneously in your mind, action, and speech. That is your first step to freedom. It is attained when you learn to do your actions with love and learn to give. Love means non-harming, so you should resolve that you will not harm, hurt, or injure your spouse, children, or friends – that means that you love them. The expression of your love is not hurting or harming others. Love does not consist of telling someone that you love them and cannot live without them – that is mere selfishness. If you love someone, then don’t harm or hurt them – that is the real expression of your love.

Editor’s Note

This is an excerpt from The Art of Joyful Living by Swami Rama, published by Himalayan Institute Press.

From the 2010 – 2013 Practice given by Swami Veda Bharati to the AHYMSIN sangha: “Read Swami Rama’s ART OF JOYFUL LIVING. Keep track of what progress you are making in the paths shown there.”

Almost everyone has felt the influences of stress at some point during life, perhaps relating to a situation at school, work or in one’s family. Although the stresses in our environment cannot be controlled, our reaction to them can be. Breath can be used as a very powerful tool in the regulation of both the mind and body, and thus also in the reduction of stress. Most people, however, have never observed their own process of breathing; its qualities and patterns have remained unknown, hidden in the unconscious mind. Although the breath is maintained by unconscious mechanisms in the body, it can be brought under our conscious control, and unhealthy breathing habits can be corrected. In doing this, one can decrease the level of stress in one’s life and feel more balanced and relaxed.

Despite the obvious importance of the breath, a majority of us have poor breathing patterns, which disturb us physically, mentally and emotionally. These improper breathing habits thus create stress and can eventually lead to other imbalances and complications. The importance of good breathing is paramount, for it continually provides us with nourishment and cleanses our body; the oxygen inhaled is utilized by every cell of our body. When this gas exchange does not take place efficiently, the entire pulmonary-cardiovascular system must work harder in order to properly oxygenate the blood.

By paying attention to one’s breath, one can become aware of its irregularities and dysfunctions. Observe your own breathing for a moment and you may notice pauses and jerks that interrupt its flow. The breath should be allowed to flow smoothly. Pauses and jerks arise from poor breathing habits and disturb the nervous system. These irregularities in the breath can be corrected with consistent, daily practice of smooth, even breathing, which in turn will give rise to greater control over the respiratory motion and lead to a state of mental and physical calmness and alertness.

The most fundamental requirement for proper breathing is to breathe diaphragmatically. It is easiest to observe this process and to practice breathing diaphragmatically, when in a comfortably seated position or lying with the back against the floor. Place one hand on the upper region of the chest and the other hand on the soft part of the abdomen just below the rib cage. With each inhalation one should feel the abdomen gently rise and with each exhalation the abdomen should gently fall. One should be careful not to force the breathing or to push the abdomen in and out with the abdominal muscles. As the air enters and exists the lungs, the abdomen will slowly rise and fall on its own accord. It is important that the chest region be still so that one is not breathing with the chest. Accurate diaphragmatic breathing is established by allowing the breath to reach the depths of the lower lungs rather than to circulate only in the upper regions of the lungs.

After ensuring that one is breathing with the diaphragm rather than the chest, one should allow the breath to be smooth and even, so that inhalation and exhalation are of equal length. The mouth is kept gently closed so that one breathes through the nose. Eliminate any noise and jerks in the breath as well as any pauses occurring after inhalation or exhalation. Each breath should be full and relaxed, rather than shallow. The coordination and integration of these important qualities into one’s breathing pattern will occur with a little consistent effort. Although long term changes will occur more gradually, the benefits of practicing these techniques for 5-10 minutes daily will be noticed immediately.

Diaphragmatic breathing leads to autonomic balance and a more relaxed state of being. After some weeks of practice, more subtle changes will be noticed. The rhythm of the breath will become more relaxed and regular. This steadiness leads to a greater efficiency of the breathing process and reduces the amount of work required for proper ventilation and oxygenation of the blood.

By establishing an even, steady breath, a state of physiological balance is maintained, and the mind remains balanced and tranquil. A significant degree of control over the emotions can be achieved when one learns to regulate the breath. This is no small benefit, for it is often our emotions that lead us to feel increasingly stressed in life, and the regulation of these emotions through healthy breathing will greatly aid us in creating balance and equanimity in the face of life’s difficulties.

Editor’ Note

Reprinted from The Hindustan Times, Dec 27, 1992

It is only after you have learned to take care of the body that you can tread the path of inner life. Proper cleansing, nourishing, and exercise are the prerequisites for the next step in the cultivation of health. This step is called being still. It is very important and, if you study it systematically not very difficult. Once you have prepared the body, it is essential that you learn to sit quietly. Even if you eat the best diet, if you do not know how to be still your mind will not yet be under your control. The most magnificent sports car, if it is driven recklessly, will soon be destroyed: so it is also with the human being. A strong body willed by a reckless mind leads to restlessness and ill health. You should become aware of the integration of the mind and body, for the mind and body have such a close relationship that the body can disturb the mind: if the body is in a state of pain or disease, then the mind will also be ill at ease. Likewise, a restless mind creates a tense and nervous body.

It should be remembered, however, that in general the mind rules the body. The mind moves first, and then the body follows. So your body language is totally dependent on your mental functions. Try this and see. Try to raise your arm without first thinking about it. It cannot be done. In order to raise the arm you must first think “Arm, raise,” and then send this message through the nervous system from the brain to the arm. The arm will not move until the mind tells it to do so.

Furthermore, just as the mind sends messages to the body, the body is continually sending messages to the mind – “This chair is hard; this postures causes a pain in the back,” and so on. When then mind is constantly being badgered by all these body messages it becomes very active, agitates, and dissipated trying to integrate all the data. It cannot remain calm.

Therefore in order to learn to be still you must first quiet the chatter coming from the body. This begins by learning the art of sitting. By developing a steady, comfortable position you free yourself from the distractions of the body and are able to attend to the mind. For if your body is not steady your mind cannot be still; if you put your body into an uncomfortable position it will become a constant source of distraction. In addition, if you sit in a certain position for a week and then change to another position for a week and then change to another position the next week, your mental attitude will change as well. So choosing a position in which you can be still is very important.

The Bible talks about the importance of stillness: “Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10) If you learn this, then that godly part in you will reveal itself. But for that godly part to be revealed without being still is not possible. So you should direct your voluntary and conscious effort to learning how to be still. If you just learn this, there will be no problem. In the beginning this means not moving at all. Later, once you learn what stillness is, you will be able to move the body, to act and live in the world, yet remain still. Calmness, stillness, and a one-pointed mind are identical; when this is realized, it becomes possible to create them at all times. In other words, true stillness does not merely mean the absence of movement: it means having equanimity, and then performing your actions responsibly; it means attending effortlessly to your duties without being unduly affected by external circumstances.

Editor’s note

This passage has been taken from the book, A Practical Guide to Holistic Health, by Swami Rama, published in 1980 by the Himalayan International Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy of the USA.

Those who are not aware of the law of expansion do not experience the joy of sacrificing and giving. But those who have practiced to strengthen the quality of giving cannot stop giving, for giving fills one with the highest of joys, whereas expecting and taking only lead to momentary pleasure that later results in disgust, disappointment, and a sorrowful state of mind. Those who do not learn to give or sacrifice the fruits of their actions do not know the art of living and being.

The essence of sacrifice is giving selflessly. It is a complete expression of love in the true sense. Those who learn to be content with only their essential needs fulfilled are truly happy, and they use all their resources in the love and service of others. The little bit that is left over is used for the sustenance of their existence in the world so they can continue giving. Such individuals live for others. But the selfish are not aware of the law of giving and are doomed.

Editor’s Note

This is an excerpt from Perennial Psychology of the Bhagavad Gita by Swami Rama as part of the commentary on III:14.

For all Swami Rama’s and Swami Veda Bharati’s published works, please email info@yogapublications.org

Published works of Swami Rama and Swami Veda Bharati are also available at other venues.

Western culture, which has increasingly welcomed and embraced traditions from the East in the last thirty years, has too often understood guru to mean simply a teacher. In the West guru is frequently considered to be merely someone who is trained in philosophy, meditation, and hatha yoga. From this point of view, the guru is expected to share this knowledge with the students, training them in scriptures and various spiritual disciplines. While the western student may become dependent on the teacher and have high expectations about what the teacher should do on behalf of the student, the guru is nonetheless viewed as a teacher only.

In ancient times students received formal education in gurukulas. The students lived with their guru from an early age and were given not only instruction on an intellectual level, but also were guided in spiritual development and in the maintenance of physical health. The guru had a very close relationship with the students and knew their habits and level of inner strength.

In today’s life there is no spiritual environment in which a seeker can fully concentrate on learning the language of silence in order to find inner fulfillment. It is very difficult for the student not to be distracted by the temptations of the external world. Modern education focuses on memorizing facts of the external world, and ignores the growth and development of the inner being. The gurukula system of ancient times is not practical in today’s world, but a more holistic approach to education can be adopted. Such an approach emphasizes spiritual growth along with the development of the intellectual aspects of the mind, and also includes guidance in how to maintain the fitness and health of the physical body. In the Eastern tradition guru is much more than a teacher. He or she represents the special energy that is guiding individuals toward their fulfillment as human beings, toward perfection. Grace is the impulse of that energy.

The word guru is a compound of two words, gu and ru. Gu means darkness and ru means light. That which dispels the darkness of ignorance is called guru. The energy and action of removing darkness are guru. Guru is not a person, it is a force driven by grace.

To put this another way, there is an intelligent momentum that pervades the universe that is moving all human beings toward the perfection we call God. Guru is that intelligence. Everyone’s receptivity to that intelligence varies. It depends on preparation, which includes the development of vairagya or non-attachment, and abhyasa or practice. In other words, guru is always there, but the student may not be ready to receive what the guru has to offer. When the student is prepared, the guru always arrives to help the student do what is necessary to progress in removing the veil of ignorance. It is said that when the wick and oil are properly prepared, the master lights the lamp.

Guru is not a person, but guru can be represented in a person. One who has developed his or her own spiritual awareness to a very high level can guide others, and is considered to be guru. Only one who is finely attuned to the inner guide can inspire the awakening of the inner guide in another. Guru is not a physical being. If a guru begins thinking this power is her or his own, then they are no longer a guide. The guru is a tradition, a stream of knowledge.

In India guru is a sacred word that is used with reverence and is always associated with the highest wisdom. The guru is unique in a person’s life. The relationship between disciple and guru is like no other relationship. It is said that guru is not mother, father, son, or daughter. The guru is not a friend in any conventional sense. It also is sometimes said that the guru is father, mother, son, daughter, and friend all in one, the guru is sun and moon, sky and earth to the disciple.

The truth is that the relationship of guru to disciple is indescribable. The relationship extends to the realm beyond the world, transcends death, and stretches far beyond the limited karmic bonds associated with family and friends. A mother and father help sustain the body of their child, and nurture and guide the child through the formative years of life to adulthood. Guru sustains, nurtures, and guides a soul through lifetimes to ultimate liberation.

Editor’s Note

Reprinted from Sacred Journey, an HIHT publication.

I have not come to teach you religion, for that you already have. I have come to teach you something that you do not have, that which is missing. And that’s called a personal philosophy of life, which will support you no matter where you go. So I will tell you something about the mind and what is beyond the mind. I would like to give you both views, eastern and western, and try to explain to you the various aspects of mind and its modifications, so that there is no confusion and you can start working with yourself. We human beings are fully equipped and we can all attain the goal of life here and now. But sloth or laziness is the greatest of all sins. You have to work hard to learn anything. To learn English I had to work hard. Without working hard how can you accomplish anything? You have to know the language first, then you have to know the practice and finally, you have to follow it.

If you want to work with yourself you should start practicing and watch your activities and not be trapped by self-created misery that rises out of sloth. The question is have you decided? Are you determined to work with yourself? How long will it take? Ten minutes a day to work with yourself. In the external world you can get lost easily, but within, there is no chance of getting lost. Why are you afraid? Afraid of whom? Actually, all the fears are within you, are created by you, all the fears are yours. You have never examined them, that is why you are suffering. Therefore, O human being, learn to work with yourself. East and West meet here, and a day will finally come when all of humanity will say with one voice that the mind is the source of all problems and the mind is the source of all pleasures. They have been trying their best to explore something they do not understand. And this is true.

Whenever you sit down and examine your mind there is some image in your mind. Image within is called imagination. And you are brooding on that image and when that image passes, another image comes. Often, this is how we think, “Who does my neighbour think she is? She thinks that she has plenty of money. She thinks that she is better dressed than I am, that she has bigger diamonds than me. Who does she think she is?” All the time you go on thinking this way and waste your time and energy. Thus, the purpose of human life is defeated, because no one teaches you how to use this brief span of life such that life becomes productive, creative and fulfilling. But there is a way. This brief span of life can be utilized, and in this lifetime itself one can attain the purpose of life, one can become self-realized.

Many of us think that the mind cannot be tamed, cannot be polished, cannot be used, cannot be made useful. This is not true. Some of the great men have done it. Many of us want to, but we don´t practice. We have to understand something about the mind. You can easily understand the mind by understanding your thought patterns. A thought comes, then another thought comes, then another, another, another and this keeps on going. If you study your brain wave patterns you will find that there is a space between two thoughts. If you can eliminate this space between thoughts, there will be only one thought.

Cleansing the mind, purifying the mind, means learning to train it, just like training or breaking in a shoe. If you learn to train your attention, you can do wonders in the world.

Editor’s note

This passage has been taken from of the book Conscious Living: A Guidebook for Spiritual Transformation by Swami Rama, pages 55 – 57, published in 2005 by The Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust, Swami Rama Nagar, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India

When you make meditation a part of your life, your children will follow your example. Exemplary education is very important for children. Children imitate their parents; you don’t have to teach them to meditate. Never do that. You should teach your children through example how to sit quietly and make their minds one-pointed. When you sit in meditation, your child will also come and sit next to you and pretend to do what you are doing. In this way the child will come to know what you are doing and will also form the habit of sitting with you.

I used to do that in my childhood. When my master would sit in meditation, I would sit next to him. When I wanted his attention, I would climb onto his lap. He wouldn’t say anything to me, so I would do something to get his attention. Then he would rub my forehead, and I did not know what had happened. I am sure I was not sleeping. If you sit in meditation, and your child comes and sits next to you and closes his eyes, it is very helpful for the child. Do you think the child is meditating? I say the child is meditating better than you are. Even when a child simply imitates you when you are meditating, it is very helpful for the child.

Meditation is a very powerful thing that gives helpful vibrations to all. When you meditate, it definitely affects your children. If you record the brain waves of a child who is sleeping while you are meditating, you will find a difference. Even your plants and your pets are affected when you meditate. Instead of imposing your ego or your emotional problems on your children in the name of discipline, please discipline yourself, and then your children will also learn.

Editor’s Note

The Swami Rama writing above is an excerpt from his book, Let the Bud of Life Bloom. “In Let the Bud of Life Bloom, Swami Rama gives us relevant, practical insights into forming the basis of a happy life through a happy childhood. Through blending the best of our ancient values with new inventions, children can grow into healthy, creative adults.”

Sit down and quietly think about what you have done in your life, because in the end, during the period of transition, you will have to face yourself. What have you done that is satisfying? Have you done anything selfless–totally selfless?

You go on doing your work and reaping the fruit, and then you hoard. In this way there can be no liberation. All the misery and chaos in the world is because of this. Somebody has an abundance; someone else doesn’t have even a square meal. This disparity and the suffering that we find are created by ourselves.

How can you be peaceful if your neighbour’s house is burning? How can you say you are at peace, and you don’t feel any warmth? Those who understand life, understand the ripples of life. We are like ripples in the vast ocean of bliss.

If you are suffering, I am suffering, though I am not aware of it. How can I live without suffering? If my foot is suffering, definitely my whole being is suffering. We are all limbs of one huge, one great prajapati (being)–the whole universe. How can we live happily? Let us learn not to hoard, but just to give. To whom? Not to strangers. I’m not telling you something impractical. Give to those with whom you live.

Do not work for yourself; that is not the way of life. You will become selfish. Learn to work for others. If the wife learns to work for her husband, and the husband learns to work for his wife, they will both be happy. Problems come when they both become selfish, demanding, and expecting. Learn the path of selflessness. That is the only way to liberation.

Learn to give to each other, and then slowly that learning will expand to the whole universe. One day you will feel that the whole universe is your family, and you are one of the members of that family.

On the path of selflessness there is great joy.

Selflessness is the singular expression of love.

Editor’s note

This is an excerpt from The Essence of Spiritual Life, A Companion Guide for the Seeker by Swami Rama, published by Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust, 2002.