Jan 17, 2024

Notes By Aarya Mishra

Review

We debriefed on our RAM (Reflection Adventure of the Month) from last year, and we reviewed the 1st class of last year to remember what our time together is about. First, we started with the RAM. The RAM was to think of a goal you want to accomplish and implement it. If you didn’t do it, try it now.

Sumanji also said that having too many goals is not good either. If you have too many goals, you will quit some, you will forget others, and all in all, will not get what you want to get done. Try to stick to one strong goal, either the most important to you, or one that can cover many aspects of your life at once. He also said when you create a goal, try to break it up into smaller pieces. If I tell myself, I want to run a marathon. If you do nothing, but in 3 months, you ask yourself if you can do a marathon, the answer will be no. But if you split the 26 miles throughout your 3 months, practicing more and more miles everyday, you will be able to! Similarly, split up your goals into achievable objectives, you will eventually achieve your goal! Lastly, if you want to achieve a goal, you need to have 2 things. 1. Clarity. 2. A plan. You need clarity because you need to be clear for what you want to achieve! If you have a grand goal, you need to have clarity on how to do it! Secondly, you need a plan! You can never blindy run into a goal and try to wing it. You need to have some plan on how you will achieve your goal! Otherwise, you’re running into something with no heads or tail of how to do it!

Next, Sumanji talked about our first class. In our first class, we learned about ARK. ARK means Action, Relation, Knowledge. In the first class, we learnt what Action means. Action means, how do we conduct ourselves? What should we do and avoid to be and feel happy in our day to day life? What we should do and avoid can be reviewed on the CM website- https://www.chinmayaniagara.com/courses/happy-hour/

Story
Once, a man passed away suddenly, leaving a wife and a son. The man had been facing many challenges. He had left the family in much debt, and had been working to pay them back. After his untimely passing, all debts fell to the wife, who had no way of repaying the money needed. The people who the debts were owed to came to take everything from the mother and son. The mother was scared that they would lose everything. She took their most precious possession, a priceless jewel that had been passed down in her family for years, and sewed it into an old, raggedy coat no one would want. The people came, took everything, and left. Sadly, the debts broke her spirit, and the mother passed away, never getting to tell her son about the jewel. The son was now alone, his coat his only possession. He found work where he could, slept in barns or under trees, weathered the elements and nature in constant hardship. His outlook, how he felt about people and the world, was sad. To him, life was designed to be unfair and hard. He was always wanting to be happy, and didn’t know how. He wished he had more resources and things other than his old coat. One day, he was chopping wood for his night in the woods. His axe struck his sleeve and tore it open.. He was very mad. The one thing parents left him, destroyed. In tears, he removed the coat, and threw it on the ground. Suddenly, a beautiful gem tumbled out. The jewel his mother hid all those years ago. He was so surprised and happy.

Lesson

Happiness, our nature, is always within us, like the jewel the boy thought would be his happiness. He had that wealth his whole life but didn’t notice it. Like us! We keep forgetting happiness is not outside of us, but in us. Foods, toys, clothes, all these things around us we think will make us happy. The boy had a coat that he thought was worthless, wasted his whole life being unhappy, thinking life unfair, when he had wealth and resources the whole time, not the jewel, him! We walk around thinking life is not fair, life would be better if we had this, when really we do have happiness, because we are happiness!

Practice

Sumanji took us through a guided imagery for our practice. The practice made us realize that the calmness and happiness is all inside of us. We just need to slow down and feel it.

RAW

Our RAW for this week is to do something nice for someone else everyday, for no reason at all.

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Notes by Sita Somnath Buono

RECAP: The old RAM was to set a goal and make a plan on how to make it happen. Adventure of the month was a goal. You think of a goal you want, and you make a plan on how to make it happen.

When you make a goals, you should break it up into small bits. To reach your goal, you need clarity on what your goal is and on a plan to achieve your goal. 

In the very first class in 2023, Sumanji shared a word that meant more words. It was ARK spelled with a K. A is action, R is relation, and K is knowledge. You should think about what actions to take (or not take) to feel happy is what action you should take to feel and be happy and what not to do to be happy. Relation is your view of the world and your attitude towards it. 

STORY: This week’s story was about a woman whose husband had died, and his wife was left with lots of debts. The people they owned the debts to came and tried to take money. The woman who was worried that the people would take her most precious jewel, sewed the jewel into an old jacket that was so old nobody would want it.

 The wife soon died out of stress, but never told the son where the jewel was. The son, who thought he had nothing but an old jacket had a hard life. And his view of the world was that life was unfair and hard and he wished for wealth and happiness. One day he was cutting wood for money when his axe slipped and cut the sleeve of the old jacket. The son was mad as the jacket was his only possession from his family.  Suddenly, the jewel fell out and the son was ridiculously happy.

MESSAGE: We always forget that happiness is inside us, not outside us. The son thought he had nothing but a jacket and he wanted money, but it was with him the whole time.

ACTIVITY: Sumanji did a meditation and asked us how it felt at the end. It made us feel happy and calm. This is the real happiness inside us. The next time we really want something, think if it will really make us happy or if you can just meditate and be calm and happy instead. 

RAW – To do something kind for people each day for no reason at all.