Re: Awareness of the Mind and Thoughts

Dear Nava prabhu,

    Nityananda Gauranga Hare Krishna! My humble pranams!

    What you said was absolutely true. Wrestling with the mind actually makes it worse. You have in fact spoken exactly what is done in Authentic Silent Meditation where we don't fight the thoughts, but simply let the mind go and just follow the mantraraja, letting it take us downstream.

     Only surrender to the Supreme Personality aligns our pendulums with His and then we are carried away by His names, surmounting all obstacles as easily as drinking water. But the yogis and speculators simply fight on their own and for them there is no real hope of success. They have to struggle like crazy to avoid something as small as the karmic reactions generated from breathing and drinking water!

      After coming to the process of bhakti yoga, I am so amazed by the mantrarajas potency to show mercy in spite of it all that I see why devotees simply laugh at the absurd difficulties that others have to face. Others think they are doing a very heroic feat above the reach of the common man by taking on maya by themselves. They think that bhakti is for the not so capable and emotional sort. But they are the fools as in the process they are simply becoming more proud and more implicated in their own little false egos, actually going further and further away from the Lord rather than toward Him!

      It is not without reason that Prabhodananda Sarasvati in Chaitanya Chandamrta said :

kriyasaktan dhig dhig vikata-tapaso dhik ca yaminah
dhig astu brahmaham vadana-pariphullan jada-matin
kim etan shocamo vishaya-rasa-mattan nara-pashun
na keshancil lesho�py ahaha milito gaura-madhunah (32)

Explanatory Translation by BRS Swami Gaurangapada:

Verse 32: "Deplored and doomed are the so-called followers of Vedic rituals! Pathetic are the yogis who practice severe austerity! Condemned are the dull-witted materialistic and impersonalistic fools whose mouths only blossom with the words �I am brahman!' We do not even care to lament for these abominable animals in the guise of men who are intoxicated by the taste of things other than Lord Gauranga and His Holy Name. Alas! Alas! They are in this most pitiable and unfortunate condition because they have not tasted even a drop of nectar emanating from Lord Gauranga Lotus Feet and Holy Name."

Daaso'smi,
Srinath

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Re: Awareness of the Mind and Thoughts

Nityananda! Gauranga! Hare Krsna!

Dear devotees, please accept my humble obiesances.

I have some Mormon friends and in their literature it speaks of enduring to the end. This saying is a good one I feel, a lifetime of spiritual culture for the duration of this birth.

Spiritual life is of the utmost importance for humanity as we know, but unfortunately some cultures do not place it as the pinnacle of life within their societies ( and support structures). And for some on the more 'subtle platforms' the mind is very vast, covering all dimensions of heavenly treats and sometimes hells - therefore a great need for spiritual culture to understand what we are, and to find lasting peace and well being. And yes, spiritual life is very important and a serious concern, but with the cultivation of 'devotion and simplicity' there is also much humor and joy - and understanding.

As the nature of bliss manifests in the heart, our true nature, we can see 'humor and humanity' pervade this earth. And compassion and understanding of others (minds) can develop from there, and the spiritual way understanding of our-selves also grows. Gurudeva has written on his google chat heading in the last few days that we can find ourselves by immersing ourselves in Nitaai-Gaura Bhakti.

I lived with a serious mental health condition for over a decade, with very little spiritual insight, wrestling with the mind. As the yoga process began after that period, I then began to wrestle the mind with yoga, and it had some good effect. But then I found real healing began when I let the mind go - then it began to quieten naturally (it seems to be built that way). Infact the mind became more vast with greater scope and vastness of heavens and hells - but by realizing the silent joy and peace - the mind is no longer the identification, it is the field of application. And in a profound way a grace of God to cultivate in devotion.

At one point in the illness, and still somedays due to bad habit, I tried to shut the mind thoughts down by replacing it with mantra (by no means potent mantra). But in due course I found wrestling wasn't the way! Infact such a course had potential for a more unhealthy mind - even compulsive possibilities. It is impossible to shutdown the mind, but is possible to find silence...

The best way I found is surrender and trust in God in devotional mood, to walk freely in light and love, in the kingdom of God. Then humor and joy cannot but be - even if we live sometimes in hell ;) God will carry what we lack and show us all things we need (buddhi yoga/bhakti yoga, they are non-different)!

Here is a verse that I love:

Bhagavad Gita 2.44
"Too attached to material opulence and sense enjoyment, their minds are stolen away, and resolute insight in samadhi is not forthcoming."

Commentary by Swami BV Tripurari: Sridhara Swami comments that samadhi is single minded concentration leading to consciousness of God. Baladeva Vidhyabhusana defines samadhi as that condition in which correct understanding of the self is perfectly achieved. Arjuna asks Krsna about the state of samadhi later in this chapter (2.54). Krsna answers him in the concluding section of this chapter (2.55-72). Absorption (samadhi) in sacrifices leading to Brahman are discussed in chapter four (4.24-29), and yoga samadhi and its basic varieties are discussed at length in chapter six. end quote.

Really the key, I feel, is what has been suggested in this thread - full absorption in God and spiritual culture! Then we will see Gaura-Krsna everywhere in all things, even the shadow.

aspiring service...Nava.

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Re: Awareness of the Mind and Thoughts

Nityananda! Gauranga! Hare Krsna!

"BG 2.63: raga-dvesa-viyuktais tu visayan indriyais caran/atma-vasyair vidheyatma ""prasadam""" adhigacchati//"
"However, even while moving among the sense objects, the self-controlled one who is free from attachment and 'aversion', bringing his self under the jurisdiction of God, attains God's ""grace"".

This is a wonderful verse, imagine tasting the nectar of that prasadam in gratitude and devotion.

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Re: gardening

Nityananda! Gauranga! Hare Krsna!

Dear Swami Gaurangapada and assembled devotees, please accept my humble obiesances.

The other week a Tulsi seedling sprouted in a container, needing much care. There was 3 other Tulsi seeds in the container that did not sprout and take form - I thought they were dead seeds. Last night one more sprouted

Spiritual life can be like that, all things have their season and time. For example a small community may have various people, each having their time of growth and realization. And some seeds of the heart which seem to be dormant grow into the most beautiful of all, even like this tiny Tulsi sprout that appeared overnight, its smallness and fragile form is divine.

Even more wonderful is that when the plants grow together in a cluster they support each other and become one in purpose - Sri Krsna Reality the Beautiful.

Gardening is lots of fun, teaching me many things from day to day - and with a devotional mood fragile earth can become divine. And the carer forgets himself in the thoughts of the other...

y.s. Nava.

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