Meditation in Life: Chapter 11
Class Notes | March 26, 2019
Notes by Primary Writer, Suriya Sharma
Mahabharat is the history of Bharat — we must learn from history
How long do we have to see history before we prioritize our own enlightenment — we need clarity and sense of urgency to get there
This body is ever thirsty, every hungry, making us feel that this is all we are
Those who do not depend, do not retaliate
Stop depending on this body for anything other than basic functionality, and grow above it
The more stiff our bodies are, the more we know we are the body and need to do something for the body
The first step of contemplation is to relax the body so much that you don’t even know you have a body
My mind should be so quiet that I also don’t care how I look — there is nobody else
Anta-karana à Internal doer
Fear is all a projection, nothing is inherently scary
Every doubt/decision we make is stamped in our chitta — building habits
Brahmacharya — Celibacy is so that we can concentrate and train ourselves — once we do that everything is systematic/natural
We have to treat our gross and subtle body as just products of this earth, not be limited by them
RAW: Live Brahmarpanam — when you drink water/eat, offer an oblation to the devata living inside of you (mind)
Notes by Jyothi Harwalkar
Class date: March 26, 2019
Vivekji shares about Shri Ved Vyasa’s compositions: Mahabharata (depicts history of Bharat) and Shrimad Bhagvatam (begins and ends in Mahabharat). These have caused intense sorrow in people’s lives.
We can learn from history that if we need to remove sorrow from our lives, we need to develop spiritual practices and discipline that will lead to enlightenment. In order to reach that stage we need clarity of thought and also, there needs to be great urgency on our part.
King Parikshit’s story from Shrimad Bhagvatam shows the power of thirst and hunger on his body and mind. When one is extremely thirsty and hungry, it reduces our enthusiasm because we are dependent on gross body. (Although, we need to take care of the basic needs of our body to keep it healthy). On the other hand, Sage Shamika was in deep meditation and was not aware of external circumstances when King Parikshit put a dead snake around his neck. He had transcended his body consciousness.
In our lives, we pay more attention to our body when it is stiff, sick or uncomfortable. To overcome this, we need to relax the body and learn to lead a relaxed lifestyle so that our body will not be the center of attention.
Vivekji continues to share further, that, body is the hardware and mind (antahkaran) is the software.
The antahkaran consists of: Mind, intellect (buddhi), Chitta and Ego (ahankar).
The nature of mind is to doubt which creates more thoughts and that results in more desires. The nature of intellect is to take decisions. Chitta helps to illumine our thoughts (whether they are from the mind or from the intellect). Or, as Vivekji explained that chitta looks for the reference from the past. The ego is the most powerful among the 4 parts of the subtle body software. It is the “I-ness” and “my-ness”in each of us. It helps us connect our mind, intellect and chitta and we then experience them as our own.
In the practice of meditation, we need to overcome our body consciousness, our external circumstances and quieten the subtle body i.e. our mind, intellect to experience Enlightenment.
Notes by Himabindu Nallari
Rsi Veda Vyasa’s well known works are Mahabharata and Bhagavatam.The Bhagavatam begins with the end of Mahabharata ,where there was an intense sorrow after war.It was said that if it is not in Mahabharata, it did not happen.RajaYudhistira realizes that he needs to go on pilgrimage leaving the worldliness and focusing on the creator to become free.He makes Parikshita king and leaves.This is history and we need to learn from it.So why wait until sorrow hits us, leading to destruction,act now develop sense of urgency and priority for enlightenment.
This course we are all engaged in is like a hammer to our confusion,Moha mudgara.Moha is the greatest disease,all other like stress,anxiety,fear follows .At the end of Srimad Bhagvad Gita ,Sri Krishna asks Prince Arjuna ,How are you ? He replies saying nasta Moha ,I am clear.This course is our means to develop an urgency in finding our creator,our True Self.
Stop depending on this gross body except for the basic functionality, only those who depend retaliate .Hunger and thirst any discomfort in the body pulls you down and makes you indiscriminate,if you are dependent on it ,it even made a thoughtful King Parikshit act without basic respect and ignorant towards the great sadhu in the ashram.So Keep the body healthier and the lifestyle relaxed to let go of the gross body.
Then we can focus on anthahkarana,the inner doer.It has four aspects to it:
1.Mind : Least powerful thought was most powerful, always interprets,doubts leading to thoughts and desires.
2.Intellect:Instructs and decides.
3.Memory:Chitta is the reference, every experience we react or act depends on memory,thus the blueprint,vasanas are formed.
4. Ego: The most powerful,it always identifies,holding all of the rest together with the myness. It is subtler making it super powerful to get rid off.
In reference to Kata Rudra Upanishad,the celibacy in Brahmacharya ashrama means to concentrate,once you learn how to, rest all other ashramas becomes natural.Once they reach Sannyasa they let go of all the dependencies.They tune into that independence once they concentrate on who they are.They become limitless.
