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Links to blogs on Chandi Sadhana in 2008
Weekly BlogsChandi Sadhana 2008: Chapter 1~~OM~~
***** We continued our discussion of the Chandi Path with Chapter 1. In Chapter 1, the first episode, King Suratha (good thoughts) flees from his Kingdom and Samadhi (pure intuitive perception), the businessman, is driven from his home by his family. They both arrive at the ashram of Medhas Muni (the Intellect of Love). Even while at this peaceful ashram, the contemplations of both men continue to be afflicted by attachment to their family and kingdom. Overcome by these thoughts, they approach Medhas Muni. After observing all the proper conventions and congenialities of learning, the King asks the Muni, "Why are we afflicted by egotism and attachment? How can we make our minds sit still so that it does not contemplate these attachments?" Medhas Muni’s response is the subject of the rest of the Chapter. Medhas Muni describes how the two demons Madhu and Kaitabha attack Lord Brahma. Lord Brahma prays to Goddess Yoga Nidra to wake up Lord Vishnu (who is in deep meditation) so that he can battle the demons. After a long battle of over 5000 years, aided by the Divine Mother, Lord Vishnu conquers the two demons. Madhu means as sweet as honey. Madhu (too sweet) is "too much". Kaitabha means insignificant as an insect. Kaitabha is "too little." Madhu and Kaitabaha are "too much" and "too little." See how they manifest in our lives. Swamiji says, "We sit down we want to be still, too little says, "you can’t sit still, you don’t have enough." We go out in the market place of life we get all the goodies and bring them home and too much says, "you can’t sit still, you’ve got too much." The first step to sitting still is having the right amount. If you have too much you can’t sit still, if you have too little you can’t sit still. That’s the story of Chapter 1, this is the beginning of our spiritual discipline. ***** Follow these links to useful resources on Chapter 1:
***** Submitted by webdev on Sun, 2008-05-04 15:21.
Spiritual Calendar: May 4 - May 10~~OM~~
Submitted by webdev on Sat, 2008-05-03 19:03.
Mind and "I"~~OM~~ Swamiji I am Consciousness; Mind is Nature. I am Purusha; Mind is Prakriti. I am Shiva; Mind is Shakti. I am a mirror; Mind is the Reflection. I am the Same; Mind is Changing. I am Eternal; Mind is Transient. Arnab: Mind would be "my" tool, a tool for discrimination. Rick Mind was made of the fabric of desire. Nanda: Mind is a collection of subjective and objective thoughts. Srini: Mind is the world. When the world disappears what remains is I. Shyam: Mind is where Shyam takes care of business. Usha: Mind is – “I” is not. Mind is not - “ I AM”. Gauri: The "i" is the duality in each individual form, the ego, and the mind is what expresses this duality. Pratibha: "The Mind is I. I wish I can see the Mind, so it is no longer I and I just am." Prasana: "'I' is the witness of the 'mind'. 'I' is the space in which the mind exists or dissolves." Saul: There is no difference. They are one and the same. I am the Mind, and the Mind is I. I am the compilation of my thoughts and my thoughts make up me. If one is lucky enough rise above them, one realizes there is only love. And so the veil dissolves. Kaliananda: Mind is the good and bad energy existing it is sattvic and tamasic, one of the divisions of nature. I am inherently divine but the mind with all of its prodding and prompting causes me to forget and perceive myself to be this mortal container which has no power over the mind. The ego or small “i” is the seed from which the mind grows. Only Mother has the capacity to tame the monkey mind and bring the small ego i into its true nature. I am not the body, I am not the mind, I am She. Pure consciousness in existence. Listening to Beloved Shree Maa’s CD – I Am That – (the one which has a Peacock on the front) my thought immediately returned to our current online class discussion “mind and I” as it seems that Maa is singing to the Mind, feeding it love and steering it away from the worldly ‘bliss attachments.’ which make it feel separate from the “I am”and keeps us from experiencing the Pure Love of Guruji. Kamalananda: When we consider our current study of the Chandi Path as a contextual background for this question, so many discriminations between "I" and "my mind" can be seen. The "I" within us all can be seen as the "Soul", Universal Consciousness, "the Conscious Spirit" in us, the Experiencer, the Watcher, the Highest aspects of the Gods and Goddesses, and even you might say, Chandi herself. In contrast, "my mind" can be seen as the sum total of all my thoughts, acquired knowledge, memories, experiences, emotions, identity, etc. as they are attached to and perceived through my senses. Swamiji, in guiding our focus and understanding of the Chandi, is in effect, giving all of us a very practical (step-by-step) and powerful tool for self-transformation AND Self-Realization. Slaying one's Ego becomes the central and very practical work towards one's spiritual growth and maturity. So far, I haven't found any shortcuts, but have discovered many detours along the way. A very fun, and deep question. Vishweshwar: "I" am infinite and eternal, I am Shiva. The mind is the computer which lives inside the body. It process data: good, bad, and indifferent. It is like a computer. It becomes infected by a virus, the ego. The Chandi is the virus protection. Chant it and the ego is erased. Once the ego- virus-is gone, the mind-computer can function as designed. Pure impulses of love, devotion, compassion, knowledge and wisdom, can move through the system and "I" can be Myself again. Kumari: The scriptures say that "I" is a thought, the root thought or the first thought; the thought to which all other thoughts are connected as the trunk and branches of a tree are connected to the root. Mind is often compared to an ocean or a lake of pure water, and the thoughts to waves, or vrittis (whirlpools), disturbing the surface of the water. Sri Ramakrishna often said that "pure mind and pure Brahman are the same". One might think of mind as a lake of crystal clear water, across which the breeze of desire gently blows forming thought-waves, first the "I am", and from that, endless others, endlessly replicating themselves. In the Ashtavakra Sanghita, Janaka speaks to his Guru Ashtavakra of the realization of Brahman with which he has just been graced: "Oh, how wonderful! In me the boundless ocean, the waves of this universe arise, play for a while, and then subside, impelled by the wind of their own inherent nature. I am unaffected and tranquil; I neither increase nor decrease thereby. Oh how wonderful". Morningsong: "I" is the disguise that the Great Ego is wearing. Whereas "mind" is the ways in which the Ego and other asuras attempt to manipulate and manifest in the world. Another way I'm thinking of this is that "I" am the container, and the "mind" is all of the stuff that is filling it. Once I can allow the container to empty and let it be filled by Maa then the Ego and asuras have no place to go. Devi: At this point I think it would be safe to say that I is the description of who I am. I am Devi. Mind is the physical THING that was created to give me an semblance of control of this body and being. So the difference may be that one is physical and one is spiritual. But I is me and Me is ego. Mind is just physical it is just a series of synapses, a way to store information so that it can be retrieved quickly when needed. BUT once again I am the sum total of my experiences. An would not be without the mind or would I. Won't know till it is gone. Submitted by webdev on Thu, 2008-05-01 15:00.
Spiritual Calendar: April 27 - May 3~~OM~~
Submitted by webdev on Sat, 2008-04-26 19:42.
Spiritual Calendar: April 20 - 26~~OM~~
Submitted by webdev on Sat, 2008-04-19 17:07.
Shiva's Surprise Appearance at the Mandir!
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Lord Siva, along with his friend, a brazilian Boa, made an apprearance at the Mandir during Brahmin puja on Monday night. |