Message, 30052020 : Life, a sacrifice

Prayer :

Ashtaakshara Manthram*

https://youtu.be/ZjF1i6C1GiA

As we have seen earlier, a "manthra" can be short like "aum" or long as in this case ( 8 letters). Needless to say, it's always advantageous to accept one's "manthra" from a knowledgeable person (teacher, Guru, father, mother...) whom one trusts. "Manthra" should bring positive, soothing and meaningful thoughts/images when one repeats it. Open the link

https://www.speakingtree.in/blog/magic-of-music-and-mantras

to know my views on the impact of mantras. You may enjoy my experiment in a real life situation (1990's).

*Link received as a forward from Shetty, Ex-RBI staying at Dreams where we are staying.

Good Morning

I'm getting encouraging feedback to my daily consolidated messages. 

Some of you are giving me a gentle reminder "Good Morning" when my message gets delayed.

My friends and many who are yet to become my friends are reading my message in group emails, via WhatsApp, FB, @

www.warriersblog.com and

Twitter.

On the basis of feedbacks, changes are being made in the format and content on an ongoing basis. If you find something good in my messages, please share with others. If you come across objectionable content, please respond to enable me to correct my thoughts and remove from my blog.

Thanks and Regards

M G Warrier

Warrier's Mail, 30052020 : Life, a sacrifice

 A. Life, a sacrifice 

https://www.thehindu.com/society/faith/life-a-sacrifice/article31689532.ece 

Pray for extension for completing unfinished talks. You don't get anything without asking (playing for). There's no point in lamenting later that "Extension was not on the table" (sounds familiar?😊)

B. Attachment and Detachment

https://phuket-meditation.com/attachment-detachment-differences/ 

C. Controlling the Mind

https://www.speakingtree.in/blog/mind-is-a-tiger-adi-shankara 

D. Me and Mine**

All forms in existence arise from pure formless potentiality. Many sages call that as Emptiness, The Tao, Brahman, Allah, God, while science may refer to it the zero-point field or field of potential. 

Let us focus our attention to the life journey of Me and Mine (“M & M”). Normally, we remain body conscious most of the time with the ability to be soul conscious for short periods of time. A spiritually awakened person no more identifies with the body, while living in the body and performing all its functions and activities. This person has lost sense of “I”, “Me” and “Mine”. This person’s ego has dissolved completely. Such a person eliminates duality and achieves total equanimity unaffected by the events happening around this person. What are the symptoms of a person who has spiritually awakened? Let us review them briefly.

 He may continue to possess wealth, name, fame, friends and relations, etc. but losing any of them will have no effect in his feelings. He will begin using the power of inner-self and never struggle to obtain ratification from anyone for his action. Fear, jealousy, hatred, animosity, greed or any other negative force has no place in his life and remains very humble with no superiority with the fellow-beings. 

How can we get into this domain of supreme existence? The regular practice of meditation connects us to the super-conscious realm that imparts us its divine attributes. 

Renunciation is a big word that scares most and makes one think of retiring into the forest in total pursuit of divinity in isolation. In fact, most of the actions we need to perform are series of small actions to refine our character to enhance our quality of living and achieve peace. Everything should be done in moderation. Every step we make each day is like cutting a gem stone and eventually, it is bound to become precious.

 Psychology texts reveal that man is like a tower or Gopuram. The foundation and the broad base represents hundreds of human instincts like hunger, thirst etc. As these instincts are satisfied ,there are emotions at the nest higher level, of less width. Crossing the emotions we elevate ourselves through the ladder of higher emotions called sentiments. As we get educated ,maturity sets in Character is formed and once we establish a good character we pass on to the next stage of 'Personality Development' which never relates to complexion or physique. To bring him or elevate him to a still higher plane is too nigh a possibility-impossible to 90% of the people,though many crave for the same..It is at this stage ( he/she would almost be nearing 70) when one thinks of getting redeemed from M and M. Longing for detachment itself creates a pattern of ego and attachment to the 'Me and Mine' concept.

Apart from thoughts there is no such thing called mind. Thought is the nature of mind, and me and mine form a part of it.

If you think deeply, there is no entity called 'world' if you remove every thought.

Just as the spider emits the thread ( of the web) out of itself and again withdraws it into itself, likewise the mind projects the world out of itself and again resolves it into itself.

When the mind comes out of the Self, the world appears. When the world appears (to be real) the SELF does not appear at all. When the SELF shines, there is no world.

When one persistently enquires into the nature of the mind, the mind will automatically leave the SELF as residue.

That is called Athma Saakshatkaram.

Perhaps, that is what is meant by dissolving 'M and M'.

 Sri Sathya Sai Baba mentioned in one of the  discourses that Mind is like an uninvited guest to a wedding where the bride's family thinks Mind is invited by the Groom's family and vice versa. Eventually, they get together and inquire the presence of Mind, the Mind disappears from the scene without a trace. He also said in the very same discourse that the world is nothing but what is perceived by our mind and the mind is nothing but cauldron of thoughts. He explained this process is like removing the knots of desires made out of thoughts, in order to make the life/death cycle (cloth) to disappear.

Maslow's theory of economics  also indicates that the human nature is to go in the order of priority such as a) physical needs, b) safety needs, c) social needs, d) esteem needs and e) self-actualization (personal growth and development) needs. 

British way of giving meager salary for someone at the very early stage of employment, securing the safety of their family needs when they get married and begets children, LTC and club membership to meet their social needs, awards and promotions to meet the esteem needs and retirement benefit when someone is seeking spiritual growth and development is modelled based on this economic theory of Maslow. If a person remains hungry, there is no way he or she can think of spiritual growth and development.

M and M renunciation seems to be almost 

a NIL possibility.

                                &&&&.     &&&&.     &&&&

**Received from Smt Vathsala Jayaraman, Ex-RBI, Chennai via Group email.