Thinking of One's Own Death to Gain Perspective

by Donna Maurer

If I were to say out loud that I try to think of death every day, many people might react by worrying about my state of mental health and wellbeing. More and more, people are saying that they "want to live each day as if it were their last." But that is not exactly the same thing as thinking of death, even though living life in such a way may result from such thoughts. 

I remember an incident that happened a few years ago: A friend and I were walking in the Vedanta Society of Providence parking lot when a car pulled in abruptly with us in its path, leading us both to instinctively jump out of the way. We also had the same verbal reaction: "Not Yet!"

Many times it is the "wake-up calls" that propel us into action: Someone close to us passes away, we have a brush with death or a serious disease, or we watch scenes of an unexpected tragedy on the news. Oftentimes, people have very strong emotional reactions to such incidents, at least in part I think, because they fear for their own mortality.

Become Like Children

by Gloria Maité

In today’s reading of the Gospel at the Catholic Church, Jesus urges each of us to be like children:

"The disciples approached Jesus and said,
'Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?'
He called a child over, placed him in their midst, and said,
'Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children,
you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.
Whoever becomes humble like this child
is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.
And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.

See that you do not despise one of these little ones,
for I say to you that their angels in heaven
always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.
What is your opinion?
If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray,
will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills
and go in search of the stray?

Multiverse - Parallel Universes

By  Kaivalyam

Scientists try to discover life beyond earth by restricting themselves to search for only those conditions that support life as perceived by our human mind. In religion also, we hear about the possibilities of numerous worlds, but this is not restricted to only one idea of a perceived notion of life.

Realm of Transcendence

Have you ever wondered how an ant would visualize your pouring water on it or your destroying its anthill? Of course, as a human being it is difficult to comprehend its perception of such intrusions. Very likely, all that an ant perceives is only a disturbance that potentially endangers its life and it just tries to avoid it. It would not be able to comprehend your entire towering figure and your particular action. So pouring of water or destroying its anthill for an ant could simply be an equivalent of a rainfall or an earthquake for a human being.

The greater the disparities in the states of mind between two creatures, the greater will be the tendency to perceive an action by another living entity as a disturbance. A hierarchy in the states of mind can be proposed: the unicellular organisms at one end and the humans at the other extreme with other creatures in between. We can extrapolate this hierarchy beyond the human mind: What we see as an earthquake or hurricane could actually be an intrusion from another creature at a higher state of mind whom we cannot perceive, just as an ant cannot perceive us in our actions. This could likely be the reason in Hinduism, the natural forces like wind etc. have been given some anthropomorphic qualities. Ultimately, by this extension we reach a single God-head who is superior to everything and controls all.

Most Beautiful Names

By BeJoy

"There is no deity except Allah. To Him belong the most beautiful names" (Qur'an 20:8). Among the various verses of the holy Qur'an, there are mentioned no less than 99 names (or attributes) of God. Talking about the virtues of these names, Prophet Mohammed affirmed that "whoever believes in their meanings and acts accordingly, will enter Paradise" (Hadith - Sahih Bukhari 8:419).

In this holy month of Ramadan, when hundreds of millions are practicing purity and austerities, let us appreciate these beautiful names of God and meditate on them:

1.  The All-Compassionate     (Ar-Rahman)
2.  The All-Merciful          (Ar-Rahim)
3.  The Absolute Ruler        (Al-Malik)
4.  The Pure One              (Al-Quddus)
5.  The Source of Peace       (As-Salam)
6.  The Inspirer of Faith     (Al-Mu'min)
7.  The Guardian              (Al-Muhaymin)
8.  The Victorious            (Al-Aziz)
9.  The Compeller             (Al-Jabbar)
10. The Greatest              (Al-Mutakabbir)
11. The Creator               (Al-Khaliq)
12. The Maker of Order        (Al-Bari')
13. The Shaper of Beauty      (Al-Musawwir)
14. The Forgiving             (Al-Ghaffar)
15. The Subduer               (Al-Qahhar)
16. The Giver of All          (Al-Wahhab)
17. The Sustainer             (Ar-Razzaq)
18. The Opener                (Al-Fattah)
19. The Knower of All         (Al-`Alim)
20. The Constrictor           (Al-Qabid)
21. The Reliever              (Al-Basit)
22. The Abaser                (Al-Khafid)
23. The Exalter               (Ar-Rafi)
24. The Bestower of Honors    (Al-Mu'izz)
25. The Humiliator            (Al-Mudhill)
26. The Hearer of All         (As-Sami)

Intrafaith Meeting

by Seeker

That title may sound a bit strange, and, you bet, it was a typographical error for an interfaith meeting. Usually the word "faith" in "interfaith" is associated with a major religion, and not with a particular sect of a religion. Hence in an interfaith meeting you will see representatives of Islam, Christianity, Buddhism etc., rather than a representative of Shia, Presbytarian, Theravada etc. So in the context of usage of the word "faith" in "interfaith," an intrafaith meeting would comprise representatives of sects within a religion: say, a meeting of Buddhists from Mahayana, Tibetan, Theravada etc. traditions.

You rarely hear about any such intrafaith meetings being held. In some religions, the differences between sects had led in the past and continues to lead even now to bloodshed. In some other religions, although there may not be a violent interaction between the sects, there is enough disharmony that the sects rarely see each other eye-to-eye. So why is it easier to profess brotherly feelings for followers of other religions but not with those from one's own?

I can think of two reasons. Let us look at them, considering Hinduism as an example, noting that the same holds for any other religion too.

1. The underlying fundamentals of all the sects in Hinduism are the same (Vedas) with differences only in practices or interpretation of scriptures, while catering to the same mass of people (largely of Indian origin). Since the same foundation (Vedas) is being interpreted by each sect differently, there is, in some counterintuitive way as a conflict of interest, more of a sense of disunity amongst the sects than they would have if they were having an entirely different fundamental basis. Also, each sect clamors for greater acceptance amongst the masses to have more followers, and this "cut-throat" competition completely contravenes the idea of brotherhood amongst the sects. However, these very sects in Hinduism will easily accept a sect of any other religion, say Christianity, that originated in an alien land, as there are clear demarcating fundamental differences (Vedas and Bible), and also they are prevalent amongst a different geographical/cultural populace.

आत्मबोधः Atmabodhah - 1

by Srikanth_S

Śri Śaṅkarācārya, the great Vedantic teacher, has written commentaries on some Upaniṣads, Brahmasūtras and Bhagavad Gīta. He also composed numerous devotional songs besides writing short texts such as Vivekacūḍāmaṇi, Ātmabodhah etc. Unlike in commentaries, where he had to confine himself within the precincts of the context of certain texts, in the short works that he authored, he could give unrestrained freedom to his own thought and words on the subject of Vedanta. Therefore, these short texts act as mirrors reflecting that great teacher's mind that help us to realize the Self by using his thoughts and words to guide our lives.

A series of posts in this blog will be put up in next few months pertaining to the text आत्मबोधः Ātmabodhah. It literally means, "Self-Knowledge" (आत्मनः बोधः). It can also mean: "Knowledge alone is Self" (आत्मैव बोधः).

Verse 1

तपोभि: क्षीणपापानां शान्तानां वीतरागिणाम्।

मुमुक्षूणामपेक्ष्योऽयमात्मबोधो विधीयते॥१॥

tapobhih kṣīṇa-pāpānāṃ śāntānāṃ vīta-rāgiṇām।

mumukṣūṇām-apekṣyo'yam-ātma-bodho vidhīyate॥1॥

तपोभि: tapobhih - with self-control, क्षीणपापानां kṣīṇa-pāpānāṃ- without sins, शान्तानां śāntānāṃ - peaceful, वीतरागिणाम् vīta-rāgiṇām - no desires, मुमुक्षूणाम् mumukṣūṇām - liberation, अपेक्ष्य: apekṣyah - desirous of,  अयम् ayam - this, आत्मबोध: ātma-bodhah - Self-Knowledge, विधीयते vidhīyate - intended for.

Meaning
I am composing this Atma-Bodha for those who are desirous of liberation and are purified with self-control, moral, serene, free from cravings of sense pleasures.

Notes
In Vedanta, any scripture should at the outset clarify the four requisites (Anubandha):
1. अधिकारि adhikāri - the qualified student
2. विषय viṣaya - the subject matter
3. प्रयोजन prayojana - the utility of the subject
4. संबन्ध sambandha - the relation between the subject and that particular scripture

The verse states that the a qualified student (adhikāri) should have self-control, be moral, calm-minded, renounce the sense pleasures with intense desire for liberation. The subject matter (viṣaya) is Self and the utility of the subject matter (prayojana) is liberation. The theme of the scripture is the knowledge of the Self (sambandha) [1]. Elsewhere, Śaṅkarācārya talks about the four requisites for a qualified student in Vedanta, usually called साधन चतुष्टयम् sādhana catuṣṭayam:

1. विवेक viveka - discernment between what is real and unreal
2. वैराग्य vairagya - renunciation of desires
3. षट् सम्पत्ति ṣaṭ sampatti - six noble traits i.e. शम śama: control of mind/thoughts,  दम dama: control of sense-organs/actions, उपरति uparati: cessation of desires for objects,  तितिक्षा titikṣā: endurance of afflictions, श्रद्धा śraddhā: firm conviction of one's ideal, समाधान samādhāna: stead-fastness
4. मुमुक्षुत्व mumukṣutva - desire for liberation.

Although tapah is usually loosely translated as austerity, it actually means control of senses and mind with intense focus on the goal of Self-realization. Perhaps tapah is strongly linked to the idea of austerity because self-control is not an easy endeavor for ordinary folk. In this world, everyone does austerity for some worldly goal - parents for children, student for getting education, artists/scientists/sportsmen in their own field etc. However, tapah is not just any ordinary austerity for a worldly goal, it is specifically meant to be those that are performed for Self-realization.

Bhagavad Gita states three austerities [XVII, 14-16]: austerity of mind (thoughts), speech and body (actions). The austerity of body includes rituals, respecting the wise, cleanliness, uprightness, continence and non-violence.The austerity of speech includes uttering words that are truthful, beneficial and pleasant. The austerity of mind involves serenity, self-control, pure thoughts, silence [2].

Morality is a requisite trait as it has the foundation of unselfishness implying less assertion of one's ego with greater expansiveness in one's perception of oneself and therefore, a ripe state of mind for Self-Knowledge. Calmness of mind is required for paying good attention to the subject besides having clarity of thought. Renunciation of desires is needed to effectively put into practice what has been heard. The rudder that directs all the actions through these traits towards Self-realization i.e. the quest for liberation, is paramount.

References:
1. Swami Sundarachaitanya's discourse on Atmabodha in Telugu
2. Atmabodhah - Self-Knowledge, An English translation of Sankaracharya's Atmabodhah with introduction, comments and notes, Swami Nikhilananda, Ramakrishna Math, Madras, 1947.

Two Birds on the Tree

by Srikanth_S

Mundaka Upanishad, Third Chapter, Canto-1, verses 1-3 (translation):

Two birds that are ever associated and have similar names, cling to the same tree. Of these, one eats the fruit of divergent tastes, and the other looks on without eating. On the same tree, the individual soul remains drowned (i.e. stuck), as it were, and so it moans, being worried by its helplessness. When it sees thus the other, the adored Lord, and His glory, then it becomes liberated from sorrow. When the seer sees the Purusha - the golden hued, creator, Lord, and the source of the inferior Brahman - then the illumined one completely shakes off both merit and demerit, becomes taintless, and attains absolute equality [1].

Symbolism:

The bound bird is the individual soul who is ignorant of his/her true nature, the free one is God, the tree is the dwelling place (i.e., body-mind complex), fruits - sweet (pleasures) and bitter (pain) - are results of one's actions (karma), helplessness signifies the travails of being in ignorance, the "seeing" towards Purusha (or the free bird) implies turning attention towards God and doing spiritual practice (sadhana) to attain the Lord. Having attained the goal, the sense of individuality is lost completely and one is beyond the effects of karma (both merit and demerit).

I've attempted to depict this symbolism in poetry as follows:

 

Two birds of beautiful plumage perched on the tree,
One bound to the world and the other eternally free.

The free bird, serene, stood still on the tree-top,

Watching the lower one, bound, on the twigs do a hop.

Eating the fruits both sweet and bitter,

Spend its time and resources in a fritter.

The serene transcended both pleasure and pain,

Eating the fruits, the bound remained in chain.

The pain of bitter fruits taught it lessons of regret,

The pleasure of sweet fruits made it forget.

The pain of bitterness made the bound to ponder,

Resolving to reach the serene on the yonder.

Relinquishing its resolve with the arrival of pleasure,

Indulges in eating fruits again to go beyond at its leisure.

But the frequent bitterness in fruits kept it in remind,

To reach the serene as the goal of the mind.

Rises up to reach the serene, it will, only if little by little

At its own pace and measure to prove its mettle.

Approaching the serene it no longer remains bound

It and the serene were always One and so It found.

 

Reference:

[1]. Eight Upanishads with the commentary of Sankaracharya (Vol. 2) - Translated by Swami Gambhirananda