Girish's Blog

  Photo Credit: Quotefancy | Adyashanti Problem of a Seeker The basic problem before a spiritual seeker is not how to know, but how to be, how to exist. Knowing is easy, that it is not the problem. The real problem is how to be, how the being should be strengthened. Knowing can grow easily; knowing has its own ways of growing. Knowing grows in the memory and memory is mechanical, hence we have mechanical devices such as computers and mobiles with computing ability which have more or less taken over the brain’s functions. These gadgets are more efficient than the human brain and they can do things much faster than the human being. Because of such gadgets the brain is used less and less, some of the functions like remembering phone numbers and addresses, simple mental calculations – people have stopped remembering or doing these things. As a result, that part of the brain has become weak. The mind is a mechanical device – one can go on feeding it with knowledge and information,...

Photo Credit: The Muse in the Mirror   The Higher Self It is not easy to understand what ‘higher Self means’; nor can we know what the lower self is. Though we may repeat these words again and again, and to some extent know their literal meanings, their practical suggestiveness is hard for the mind to grasp. The higher Self is not a spatially located, ascending series, but a more intensely inclusive and pervasive nature of our own self – something like the superiority of the waking consciousness over the dream consciousness. The waking mind is not kept over the dreaming mind, as one thing kept over another thing. The superiority, the transcendence of one thing over the other, or one thing being higher than the other, should not and does not suggest a spatial distance, but a logical superiority which is to be distinguished from spatial transcendence as someone sitting over another person's head. The cosmological scheme enlightens us into the fact that we as individuals or human ...

  Photo Credit: Facebook | Nano Yagna What is Yagna (Sacrifice)? The word ' yajna ' is a very significant one throughout the Bhagavad Gita, perhaps through most of the scriptures in India, indicating that the principle of life consists in sacrifice of some sort or the other. The philosophy of India may, in a way, be summed up by the word  'yajna'  – sacrifice. Every moment of our life is a sacrifice that we perform in the direction of a higher fulfillment, and a sacrifice is therefore a gain and not a loss. In ordinary language we praise a person who has performed a sacrifice, thinking that sacrifice involves a sharing of one's joy with others, in a sense a sort of loss which one has voluntarily incurred for the welfare of other people. "Oh, what a sacrifice he has done," thus we ejaculate. This is our point of view – whenever we give something, we feel we lose something. Sacrifice, no doubt, means giving something, but it does not mean losing something....

  Photo Credit: Yogic Way of Life Diet – Yogic Viewpoint The Yogis of the past had done great research to figure out what is the best kind of food one should consume which will help in reaching the ultimate goal of liberation – all this has been documented in the Yoga Shastras. According to the Yogis the human body is the most important instrument that one has on this earth. Yogic science looks upon the human body as a microcosmos, comparing it to the vastness of the universe which is the macrocosm. Hence, by understanding our own bodies and minds and using them in a proper manner we can bring about great changes in the psyche. The Yoga Shastras describe the path of Yoga as the ‘middle path’. This path can be adopted by all human beings by observing all the rules and regulations prescribed therein. Therefore, Yoga is a path of moderation wherein anything done in excess is detrimental to both the mind and the body. Our aim should be to consume nutrient rich and nourishing food...

  Photo Credit: Brainy Quote | Maya Lin Resistance Strengthens All of us are looking for peace and happiness in life, whether consciously or sub-consciously really doesn’t matter. We all have experienced this peace and happiness and seem to have lost it, and we certainly want to have it back. Unfortunately, it doesn’t come that easily. We have to go through many kinds of resistance. Why? Because only by passing through resistance do we become stronger. Resistance is necessary, resistance is good. Look at a seed which is buried in the ground. It first creates a foundation by letting its roots go deep and then slowly it sprouts through the mud, if there is a rock blocking its path it goes sideways and circumvents the stone and then sees the light of day. As it grows and grows over time, the stone becomes insignificant as the seed becomes a massive tree. The initial resistance only made the seed stronger. The same is with the child at childbirth, or a butterfly as it struggles to come...

  Photo Credit: Pinterest Just Be Yourself We have been told so many times to “Just be Yourself” that we have lost count of it, without even realising why we were being told that! How many of us really are our true original selves in real life. We play so many roles in this delusional world – son-daughter, mother-father, boss-employee, friend-enemy, lover-hater, and so on that we completely lose sight of who we truly are! In the quest for answers, I’ve found that it is very much possible to just be yourself. The person who is a jerk to others and the person who is afraid of social situations are, in actuality, not being themselves. Their real self is just being covered up with conditioned, fear-based thinking. Our true self is who we really are when we let go of all of the stories, labels, and judgments that we have placed upon ourselves. It is who we naturally are without the masks and pretentiousness. It is who we really are when we let fall to the floor the cloak of other ...

  Photo Credit: Urban Outdoors Why Go Surfing? If we just want to feel nature and to do that we decide to go surfing only to be tossed by the waves, then what is the point of the surfing? The nature of the ocean is to try and dump you into the water, make you lose your balance as waves keep changing speed and direction. Our objective is always to maintain balance and stay on the surfboard without getting dumped into the water! Our mind is somewhat similar – its nature is to constantly change. Our mind keeps oscillating like a pendulum left-right, left-right, past-future, past-future. Our mind is also like the waves of the ocean, rising and falling from the past into the future continuously. We should know how to ride the waves of the constantly busy mind, rather than being tossed and beaten by its waves! We need to affirm to the mind that we are the boss, we cannot afford to become slaves of the mind, specially on the spiritual path. We are the master and not the slave, keep af...

  Photo Credit: Spiritual.com.au Thought Power We are all aware that when we initially start meditation our thoughts bombard us to such an extent that one gets the feeling that meditation is not for us. Swamiji has told us to ignore the thoughts and sit down for a minimum of 30 minutes without moving – regardless of thoughts, cramps, itching or any other physical or mental disturbance which the universe may throw our way. We need to remember that all these disturbances are nothing but tests which the divine is putting us through. With time, these thoughts and external disturbances come to a stand still and we start getting depths in our meditation, new dimensions begin to open up. Our chitta or power of attention becomes strong and when this happens, that is when our thoughts become dangerous – simply because they start manifesting. Hence, Swamiji advises us to best remain in a thoughtless state and always in the present moment. Even if one gets thoughts, it would be best to ...

  Photo Credit: The Bridal Box Spiritual Relationships We may or may not be following the spiritual path, but we definitely get into spiritual relationships without knowing that these relationships are spiritual. The first spiritual relation is established with the self – we may not know it, but from the moment we start feeling comfortable with our own self; we feel happy and at peace when alone – that is when our relationship with our inner self is established. We don’t know it yet, because we are still caught up in the mundane world – but the first step has already been taken unknowingly! We feel a connect with unknown people, places, forests, the rivers – all this is because of our past life connect with these aspects. We have completely forgotten what our relationship was – suddenly we see someone crossing our path and we feel a strange affinity towards that person, like we have known each other for a very long time. This again is a spiritual relationship which is coming to...

Photo Credit: Medium   Limitations of Physical Help We have heard Swamiji repeatedly telling us that the Guru is not permanent, it is the Guru-element that is permanent and it keeps changing form over time, appearing amidst people according to the needs of the people in that give time frame. What we assume to be physical – the form of the Guru – is our misconception, the Guru, Master or Teacher, howsoever one names him, is eternal. The Guru is eternal – the Guru’s inspiration, grace, divine energy, vibrations are always there guiding us, directing us in ways we have no way of knowing. To find that out one has to reach that sense of awareness to tune in with the Guru’s frequency – that is easier said than done; only a rare few extraordinary individuals reach that stage. The help that can be given through the physical body is very limited, on the spiritual plane the Guru can help in a far greater manner. We have all read experiences of sadhaks in Madhuchaitanya magazine, how th...

Photo Credit: The Power Path   Faith and Trust Faith  and  trust  have similar meanings, and often people will use the words interchangeably.  Faith involves trusting in something you cannot explicitly prove. Faith is inseparable from trust; it’s the confidence that God can and will do what He says in His Word. Faith includes both intellectual assent to something and trust in it. So, we believe something to be true, and we also place our trust in it—we rely on it. Faith recognises that a chair is designed to support the person who sits on it, and trust demonstrates the faith by actually sitting in the chair. Ordinarily people think that trust means faith, which is wrong. Trust does not mean faith. Faith is emotional, sentimental. Faith creates fanatics – Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Jews. Faith is actually borrowed – borrowed from parents, from the society in which we are born. We live in faith out of fear or greed, but not out of love. Trust is always out o...

  Photo Credit: BahaiTeachings.org Facts Overcome Fear Faith cannot overcome fear; it merely substitutes another fear. Only facts overcome fear. It has been said by a well-known philosopher – “It’s a fact that people are afraid of what they don’t understand. And most are too lazy or ignorant to find out more.” When we face something fearful, we engage our monkey brain, which is an integral part of our nervous system, it helps us to react quickly to danger. The monkey brain pumps adrenaline into our systems. Adrenaline is harmful to our higher brain functions, so it shuts of circulation to the frontal cortex to protect it. The problem is, we need to engage our higher thinking functions to make better decisions, if not we react out of fear instead of with a calculated response.  The key is learning how to spot the sources to avoid being manipulated by fear. Faith cannot overcome fear; it substitutes another fear which it can monetise.  Instead of facing th...

  Photo Credit: Inc.Magazine Balance is Important Life is a little like walking a tight-rope.  Our success will depend a lot upon whether or not we maintain a proper balance. The two things we must keep in balance are the natural and the spiritual.  Nature can teach us a lot about how to maintain balance during trying times. We have all observed a tree during a storm, we have likely noticed how the roots remained anchored while the branches swayed. Likewise, during the storms of our life, it is important to remain anchored through grounding personal practices and positive connection to others while simultaneously being flexible enough to bend and sway with the unexpected. In addition to being a silent teacher, nature can revitalise on the physical level too. Connecting to the earth discharges accumulated positive ions and allows the electrical system of the body to recharge. The earth literally absorbs our negativity and leaves us with a clean energet...

  Photo Credit: Pinterest Beyond the Heart and Mind Throughout history, many cultures and spiritual practices have emphasised the importance of following our heart, listening to our heart, and gaining wisdom and intelligence from our heart. This is not a coincidence. When we speak of the “heart” we are not referring to the physical organ but our spiritual heart. While this may be a new concept for some, it is analogous to the mind. While the brain is clearly physical in nature, the existence of the mind as a form of consciousness is universally accepted even though it cannot be detected on an MRI. Similarly, our spiritual heart embodies a level of consciousness unto itself. More importantly, it is the key to our deepest fulfillment and the doorway to experiencing a deeper relationship with our Creator: one characterised by profound peace, gratitude, joy, safety, and Unconditional Love. The logical mind is masculine in nature and heart feminine in nature – the yin and the ya...

Photo Credit: Brenda McIntyre What Am I Doing? At the time of taking birth the soul is aware of the reason for assuming this physical body. After a period of time – three to four years – the child is filled with so much of unnecessary ‘education’ that the soul completely forgets the reason for taking birth. But a soul that is spiritual in nature, ultimately finds a way to the spiritual path. After achieving what one wants in life, one still does not find that inner peace – and then the question arises – what am I doing? Why am I here? And so on. Once this question arises internally it is important to have faith that whatever I am doing is ultimately going to lead me to liberation. Whatever one does – if one is eating, eat with complete faith that the food one is consuming is blessed and it is providing the required energy for the body to function at its best. Have the feeling that the divine is feeding you and you are being fed by the divine ...

  Photo Credit: PranicKolkata.com Discovering One’s Spiritual Essence Discovering one’s spiritual essence is in a way, simple and intuitive. When we sit for meditation, we have to guide our awareness from our ordinary active mind to our body and then breathe slowly. Slowly, the mind quietens down and then we can guide our awareness inwards. While sitting our spine should be upright and our breathing slow and steady. Allow the head to kind of float above the shoulders and then direct our awareness to our posture and breathing. Sometimes it becomes difficult to observe the breath, in that case just be aware of the posture; with a little practice we will be able to observe our breath without difficulty. Thoughts will interrupt this breath cycle, when they do, gently and consciously bring the focus back onto the breath and on your posture – this will quieten the mind. Continue this practice till the mind becomes quiet, silent. In this manner,...

  Photo Credit: Dreamstime.com Discovering Spiritual Assets When we take birth, we are accompanied by whatever merits we have gained through spiritual practices in the past births. This knowledge is stored within us and the moment we start our spiritual practise in this birth – those past birth impressions come back to us. Some of these merits will include the stored bank of spiritual DNA which we have already accumulated. Language is a wonderful tool, it enables communication, but has varying degrees of accuracy depending on how it is used.  The arena of spirituality is well known for the misuse of language because religions assimilate words and terms into their systems to bolster their legitimacy. So, when we talk about spiritual assets, we need to understand what these are. People use the term spiritual gifts, but what they are really referring to are skills which can be learned, or philosophical arguments.  One needs to...