Meditation in Life: Chapter 9

Class Notes | February 12, 2019

Notes by Primary Writer: Suriya Sharma

Dama — discipline starting with Vak (speaking)
Disciplined speaking = disciplined listening, Kaya = body, Mana = mind

One starts to naturally be calm/quiet/still and becomes more independently joyous. People who are ruled by their thoughts deserve our compassion and those who aren’t can give it. Someone nearing enlightenment has no insecurity and is engrossed in the present. You cannot have security outside. They do not accept gifts or hold onto this body.

Aparigraha — not to hold tightly → Don’t own anything you don’t use. They are naked → They remember their connection to the creator.

Hamsa = swan that can distinguish between mixed milk and water

Parahamsa = one with the highest filtering ability

Durvasa = someone who is not identified with the body; Enlightened = Balavath = like a child. Whatever you identify with, you life for. Enlightened personalities identify with Advaita. When someone lives by their senses there is no rest. Now is the only time for this. how are you determining what is real? How can we grow in our energy and enthusiasm?

Notes from Anjana Patel-O’Conner

Mind goes to illusions and we trick ourselves with peoples projections.We can discard sensed illusions but not the mental illusion.

Being quiet is like being organized. An example is

Being alert of things in fridge and we don’t want to buy unnecessary food.

We have a third Upanishad which people have not heard of.

We have to follow means to reach the goals.

We are all different and sometimes impatient.

Anger expresses as impatience.

Some may feel they are right and others are wrong.

Example: Someone always wants to dominate even the study group.

We all are educated and is it lifting us to joy.

Enlightened people have 3 part stick tridanda.

Danda -disciple

Dama sense control

Start with Vak, or speech.

Kaya dama

Mana dama discipline of mind

When one tunes into silence ,they are happier

These people who are not run by thought ,deserves less empathy

The compassion is needed for ones with no self control over their senses.

We have more information of security — just like one who thinks of their next meal.

Bhikuta ?,avadida ?and Jabala ?Upanishad.

One is enlightenment do not accept gifts.

One of the Yama is aparigraha not to hold tightly.

Don’t hold onto what you don’t use.

They treat body like a gift with breath, and other body and mind functions. They rule with neti-neti thinking ( negating what is not real) and letting go .

Vivekji asked : How many years Rishi Shuka mother’s womb?

-12 years.

Mother : You are my son ,and we want you out of womb.

Shuka: I don’t want to be trapped by maya.”

We remember our creator — god when we are naked in the womb.

A swan can distinguish between milk from water.

One who distinguish illusions from real

Hamsa is the swan who can tell what is real.

Ahamsaha. I am that.

Paramhamsa is relatively free is rishi Swetaketu, Rishi Duruvasha .

( one whose clothes are dirty.one who is not identified with body.

They have no outer sign of enlightenment.

Nearly enlightened people of their madness of following their senses.

Unmavat? is like an insane person..

Whatever you identify with ,you live for .

If you identify with dog -you eat dog food.

Another Example :

Dundukari invited 5 prostitutes

and they are never satisfied.

When one lives by senses ,they can never be satisfied.

Gokhana ,his brother was one who is ever listening to Vedas.

He freezes Dundukari.

All this describes us.

Now is the time for us to understand this teaching.

Self reflection : How are you determining what is real?

If you don’t think of it ,then you are living an illusion.

Group discussion: How can we grow in our energy( physical )and enthusiasm ( mental)?

Our group said these are ways to grow our energy and enthusiasm:

*Keep right Company (satsang)

*Good diet and Exercise

*Structure in day with proper focus

*Discipline with focus on dharma

*Work rest and play by following dharma and moderation .

*Bhakti creates a calm mind

*Dedication the doing to Bhagwan

*Enjoying responsibility and joy in Marie K method of sparking joy ie with folding clothes as a sadhana

*Control of thoughts with japa.

*Listening to Vivekji morning podcast.

Notes by Deepa Nair

Living has no point if there is no growth or release.The purpose of Meditation and life course is to find the absolute rest or independent joy.There are Optical illusion and Mental Illusion. Mental Illusion can be dreaming or taking negative comments from others. We have to practice to be quiet, alert and vigilant. Being quiet help to become organised, being alert helps not to do unnecessary acts or buy extra things and being vigilant we will be mindful.By right thinking I/we can start contemplation. In Meditation and life text we are focused on Means,

Mostly we are angry because we are impatient.

To get closer to enlightened we have to practice three Damas(sense control/calmness of body) or “Danda”. Kaaya Danda: Control Body; Vaak Danda: Disciplined Words Mana Danda: Discipline thought/mind,

People who are run by thoughts need Daya where as people who are independent of thoughts can spread Daya to others

Someone who is nearing to enlightenment when they eat bhiksha it directly goes to stomach.In other words they doesn’t feel any insecurity. Another quality of enlightened person they won’t accept gifts. One of the don’ts by Rishi Pathanjali is Aparigraha. Do not hold tightly if it doesn’t belong to you,so don’t hold on to your body. If someone doesn’t think they are the body they are powerful and can do anything they want, This leads to be permanently Enlightened.

The word Parama Hamsa means one who can separate or distinct between illusion and reality.Which means Absolutely free.

Durvasa word means one who is not identified by the body.

We all have to practice to be enlightened. Those who are enlightened should help others, You live with what you are identified with. Thus Enlightened person are identified by Adwaitha (Oneness). “ParamaHamsa” should become our Means and Ends!

Notes by Kamini Vasudev

• There is no point of living if there is no growth. We must train our mind through correct thinking, vigilant observation and re-education that there is no duality, there is only one supreme Brahman.
• We must follow Tridanda (3 types of control) -1. vakdama, discipline in speaking and listening, 2. Kayadama, discipline in experiencing the sense objects through this body and 3. Manadama, discipline of the mind.
• Qualities of someone who is nearing enlightenment include 1. No insecurities for the future, total freedom, 2. Aparigrah (non-hoarding), an enlightened person lets go of his body, mind and breath to be one with the infinite Brahman 3. They are naked, so that they remember the creator always. A baby in mother’s womb always remembers the creator but once it comes out, forgets the creator and gets entangled in maya.
• Those who are ruled by their thoughts are Daya patr- deserve compassion and so we should be compassionate towards such people. If we identify ourselves as that person, we must practise self-criticism followed by self-forgiveness in order to grow.
• Hari Aum

Notes by Harita Kajjam

Lesson 19, Feb, 12 2019

Would you ever go into a building where there is no way to get out? Would you join a course where there is no end to how much you have to study or you won’t get a degree? Would you accept a job where there is no opportunity to growth? Ans =No. Living is the same way. What is the point of living if there is no growth, no release? We are fortunate to know that living is about growing and that is the focus of this course. Contemplation how I can find the absolute rest — focus of this course. Just as there are optical illusions so are mental illusions. Eyes seeing sunset is optical to eyes and not to mind. Body is living in relative and mind absolute. Mind goes into mental illusions. This person likes me etc. these are projection of thoughts — mental illusion. We discard optical illusion then why not discard mental illusion. This demands us to be quite, alert, vigilant — Gurudev

Being quite = being organized

Alert = giving space and balance in my live then I start to be alert in outer world

Vigilant = I know what is going on in my inner world. Thoughts are playing tricks on me etc.

This the re-education that is shared in chapter 8.

Is this education lifting me to independent joy? No. So we need to re-educate ourselves. Start begin my inquiry. Completed chapter 8

We are also studying various Upanishad. Why? Most of mediation and life text is focusing on the means. If you follow these means you will reach end. But our personality, we are not patience. Anger ->expresses impatience. Anger comes because I believe I’m right. Upanishad only describes the end.

Those who are in life are nearing enlightenment, tri-danda is used.

Tridanda= dama (sense control). Vaak dama — It is through having disciple with vaak (speaking). Kaya dama — Disciple with listening. mana dama — disciple of mind. Through these 3 dandas — one starts to be naturally calm, quite, still. They are more cheerful, concentrated. People who own/act on their thoughts they are daya patra. People who are not run by thoughts they are the one who are offered daya. For someone who is enlightenment, they eat bhiksha and it goes straight into their stomach. They do not have insecurity. They don’t accept gifts. Why? One of the yamas, rishi patanjali shares — aparigraha = not to hold tightly. Not owning anything if you are not using it.

Some live nakedly — Subjectively: in our tradition as long as you are in mother’s womb, we remember that it is only God is our creator. Some living in naked means they remember the creator.

Hamasa = 2 ways = a swan that can distinguish water and milk.

Hamsa = that person knows “I am that, that I am”

paramahamsa = the one with the highs filtration

Rishik Durvasa, sethakethu are some of the Paramahamsa

Durvasa = One’s who clothes are dirty. Deep meaning– someone who is not identified with body.

Some who is enlightens is described as balavat — like a child

Enlighted ones — They identified with advaita that oneness. Which is why they lived among us. Mediation and life

In bhagavatam a character — dundukari — he invites 5 prostitutes to live with him and serves them following his sense. He is not able to satisfy them and starts stealing. Finally the prostitutes kill him.

When someone living by senses, there is no rest. Eventually they die and the opportunity to identify the deeper opportunity as being human is lost. Dundukari’s brother is gokarna — one who is ever listening to vedas. Gokarna frees dundukari.

Paramahasa becomes our means and end.

Discussion: How can we grow to be more energetic and more enthusiastic (physical & mental?)

Energy — exercise, mediation, disciple, using less material, tidy

Enthusiasm — mediation, re-energizing, satsanga

Vivekji: be sensitive of how harmful it is lacking energy and enthusiasm is?