November 11, 2021 – Class Notes by Prema Palaniappan

kṣamā →  svādhyāya → abhyasa → yajña

Introduction

Shri Rama is described as Mudah Mangala.  ‘Mangala’ means fundamental and ‘mudah’ means fun.  Shri Rama in Ramayana is focused on fundamentals in a fun way.  Shri Rama is always smiling and Ramayana has endless adventures like our course.  We too are focusing our fundamentals in a fun way using the Moksha Patha.  Contentment is when you want what you need.  Mudah mangala is when you find the fundamentals most fun.

Review

Step 25 – sādhana (seeking).  Sadhana is the middle part of a 3-part framework:

i) sadhya is the ends or the goal ie to be independently joyous

ii) sadhana is the means i.e. the path or the practices.  

iii) sadhaka is a seeker who follows practices to the ends. Anyone who uses sadhana is described as a sadhaka

Step 26 – brahmacharya (disciplined).   Discipline is not optional for those who want to be happy.  If we want to move to moksha, we have to embrace discipline.  Shri Krishna lived his life starting with the brahma muhurta.  He woke up at 3am and followed a discipline everyday.  If we want to be like Shri Krishna, discipline is not optional.

Step 27 – ahiṁsā (sensitivity).  It is the means and the ends. The means is when one is sensitive that there is more to oneself than the body. There is the mind, intellect, and there is Presence. The more we practice it and tune in to it, that is the end.  The highest ahimsa is Oneness.

Discourse 

Step 28 – kṣamā (forgiveness)

We forgive ourselves the most because there is a strong sense of oneness.  The more separation there is or ego, the less we forgive, even with the people closest to us.  Even the smallest disagreement becomes epic because of our ego.  The oneness is not felt anymore.  Built into kṣamā (forgiveness) is sama (quietude of mind).  Only when we have quietude of mind, will we understand and appreciate that beings are more important than circumstances. When our mind is agitated, we focus on what people have done negatively to us rather than positively.  To practice kṣamā demands sama. When we have offended someone or someone has offended us, we need to communicate. Communication is critical for forgiveness to be nurtured. The higher practice is introspection where we are able to absorb the offense without being offended. Therefore, the highest forgiveness is not being offended in the first place.  

Step 29 – svādhyāya (introspection)

Svā means oneself. Adhyaya means a chapter or an analysis of oneself. Children will say ‘I don’t know’ but adults rarely say it. Whenever we don’t know, we project and make things up. We don’t know who we are. This expresses as not knowing what to do. This is an inefficient way to live. Introspection is a methodology of evolving from enjoying to ‘in’joying. This is a method that aligns with satsanga.  The first way to practice satsanga is with people. We should ‘in’joy the company of noble people.  The second form of satsanga is peoples’ thoughts. People may not be around but peoples’ thoughts are shared in books, podcasts, etc. The third form of satsanga is our own thoughts where we ‘in’joy our own mind and company. Quality experience with noble people will express as our thoughts.  When we start to ‘in’joy more, we come to know who we are more. Initially we will find only virtues but the more we know ourselves, we will find vices below the virtues. Introspection is a way to accept who we are and adapt to evolve. Those who do not introspect are only escaping.

Step 30 – abhyasa (practice)

What is the purpose of living?  It is to be joyous.  When we are joyous, we do not need or want articles, beings, or circumstances. Being virtuous precedes being joyous. When one is patient, compassionate and generous, one feels more joyous. Every experience that we have is an opportunity to practice values.  When you practice values and you succeed in that, values become virtues. Even the coronavirus is an opportunity to practice values, otherwise we make excuses. Those who practice values and don’t make excuses are most interested in every experience and are most interesting. Those who make excuses are bored with every experience.  

Step 31 – yajña (dedication)

Yajña comes from the base yaj (like bhaja in Bhaja Govindam).  Bhaja Govindam is dedicated to Govinda.  Yajña is the same which is dedication to the Divine. To see God, we need to just observe dedication. If we  observe a personality who is dedicated, their power source is divine. In Shrimad Bhagavatam, the teaching is that our puja needs to be a karma puja which means that our puja should not be a ritual in a controlled environment. Our puja needs to be dedication in all our activities.  This is the same as karma yajña. There are 2 factors that make up a yajña: arpana (to dedicate) and prasada (to sacrifice). If we are dedicated, we will sacrifice. Dedication pulls sacrifice. Arpana creates prasada. We are most dedicated to “us”. We need to evolve and dedicate ourselves to “we” and continue to dedicate to He/Her. We know we are doing this when we don’t even know what we are sacrificing.  If we keep thinking of what we are giving up, that is not yajña.

Summary:

Step 29: svādhyāya. Practice: ‘in’joy satsanga 

Step 30: abhyasa. Practice: practice values 

Step 31: yajña. Practice: dedicate and sacrifice

Discussion Subject

What stops us from practising and why?

Vivekji’s Observation 

Practicing is not a priority for us.  Why is it not a priority? Because what’s more important to us is our ego and extroversion rather than value and introversion.  If our value system is that it doesn’t matter if the ego is offended but the relationship is more important, we will practice the value of listening.  We don’t prioritize this because our priority is something external and it shows our value system is quite corrupted. The more clear we are with our value system, living becomes simpler and more efficient.

Question 1

What do we do if we are slow to forgive ourselves and if the first thing that comes up when we introspect is our vices?  

Start with remembering how much we have accomplished in our life and how much we have changed.  Use the past as precedent to bring more cheer and enthusiasm in the present that we have faltered in some ways and our personality has vices. We are progressing. Then, when the vices are found in our personality and we try to resist that, we need to try to do a cost/benefit analysis. Having that vice has more cost than the effort to let go of that vice. We can’t escape this.  

Question 2

When it comes to our children, do we forgive out of oneness or attachment?

95% of us may say we have oneness with our children but it is attachment. This is not OK. It is that attachment where the ego is ascertaining itself and makes forgiveness much harder.  Functionally, this happens because of the expectation we have of our children.  We have something to gain and therefore, something to lose. No one can meet our expectations. So we feel like we have lost and therefore, we don’t forgive. Those trained in svadhyaya ‘in’joy their own company and thoughts. The family is an experience to practice values. If we have nothing to gain, we become more focused and caring with people around us. Where there is a feeling of oneness, we are not offended and we know it’s our weakness and introspect and absorb it.  

Question 3

Is it possible for a physical parent to act out of fulfillment?

A physical parent can become a metaphysical parent (guru). In the Upanishads, the parents become the guru of that child. It requires so much independence.That is the ideal family. In some families it happens later.  

Question 4

In self-growth, as we start forgiving those who have wronged us, how important is it to mend those relationships?

Virtues and vices are unilateral. If we have forgiven someone and they have not asked for forgiveness, the matter is done. We have practiced that oneness. If we can externally mend a relationship by saying we are sorry or offer forgiveness, then we should do it. However, if putting in so much effort is taking away from our own self development, then it is not required. It is a case-by- case basis.  

RAW (from previous week):

As soon as you wake up in the morning, record the details of your dreams

Dreams are relative. Our Creator loves us the most which is why our Creator has made us dream that all is relative in sleep. The same principle applies in the waking state. Also, in sleep there is advaita. We just don’t know about it and can’t benefit from it. Our Creator loves us and everyday reminds us of relativity and Oneness. We need to reflect on our own experiences.

RAW (shifting from kṣamā to dama)

Sit down and practice keeping your body still for 5 mins everyday.