March 2, 2023 Class Notes by Theos Stamoulis
Introduction
Every one of us is on a yatra. The word yatra means pilgrimage. Even more technical, it comes from the root yah, which means to go outside in order to move inside.
If we analyze the yatra that we are on carefully, we are actually on two yatras. One, is for the deha (the body) and the other is for the dehi (more than the body; the inner world).
If you analyze your actions today, it seems like we are only on one yatra which is for the body- all of our actions are only for what this body needs.
Our course, Practices to Perfection, for some of us feels like a very distinct course.
“I’m not ready… I don’t know how to start.”
Still, the exposure to perfection is impactful. It’s important.
We expose ourselves to so much that is not impactful. That is not important. All of you know lots of regulations are being imposed upon TikTok right now. I read that in 2020 the average American child used TikTok 82 minutes a day. In 2022, the average American child used TikTok 107 minutes a day. May again I remind all of you that being in this course, being in such courses, is important. Even if you feel this is far away or if you don’t know how to start. The power of this subject will eventually have an effect on us.
Recap
Verse 3, practice 24. budhajanairvadah parityajyatam
One shouldn’t argue with those who are wise. How do you know who is wise? Here’s a framework:
The word guru has many meanings. One of the meanings is the one who swallows. And the idea is that they are able to absorb smallness. When people are opinionated, when people judge, the guru is able to absorb all of that. That’s how you know someone is wise. Then, this becomes a path for us. If we are less opinionated, less judgmental, then we will be wise.
Our practice “Prostrate Openly.”
When you come across a wise icon, prostrate. And if you functionally can not do this, at least do this in your heart. Wise people are those who can absorb our negativity. If you want to take this to a metaphysical level, the wrong actions that we commit, which is called papa, can be absorbed. That’s why you have to let go of it. And that’s why prostrating openly is important.
Practices to Perfection is flowing through the text, Sadhana Panchakam. The important part is sadhana. Another similar sounding word is svadhyaya. What this means in English is self-love. Our course is exploring five verses, 40 practices to love who you are more. That is an incredible investment to be here right now and for all who are steady with attendance in this course. You are benefitting and you are fortunate.
Discourse
Verse 4, Practice 25: ksudvyadhisca cikitsyatam
Absolute – Most of us have only come across the word vyadhi. But the word vyadhi comes from adi, which means mental illness. Vyadhi means physical illness. Our rishis knew that a distinctio needs to be made between a physical illness and a mental illness. That’s only now being understood in society now. If we zoom into the idea that if my mind is not doing well, naturally that’s going to affect my body. And so the treatment we should seek should be less external and more internal. When the body is not well, when the mind is not well, if we are untrained, all we feel is the body and mind. We identify with it more.
For those who have been part of a silence retreat, the first hour of contemplation you feel like you got this. Your body is set. But as I can continue with contemplation, all you feel is your lower back, the pressure on your ankles, correct? That’s all you feel. See how if that’s not well, you just identify with it more?
Relative – What Acharya Shankara is sharing with us is to be functional with all matters relating to the body. Here the reference is to hunger, but this also applies to grooming. It also applies to sleep. We should have a functional relationship with everything relating to the body which means you don’t give it more and you don’t give it less. Give the body the right amount of food, sleep, grooming, and so on.
Tactile – Ignore Snacks
There are many who take up a vrata, which means a discipline, that they’ll only open their mouth to eat two times a day if they’re engaged in intermittent fasting. Most of us are cannot, so we should only open our mouths three times a day to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner.
As you go about trying this practice and if you feel like you are just habituated to chips, chocolate and so on, keep some dry nuts with you. Because if you are so hungry, you start to identify with your stomach which defeats the purpose of us engaging in this sadhana.
If we are untrained, wherever the body needs a certain matter, like food, we tend to identify with that more. We get limited by that, so don’t let your stomach be hungry. Keep some dry nuts with you. And if it’s not hungry, you’ll feel like you don’t have a stomach then you can go more into your inner world.
Verse 4, Practice 26: pratidinam bhiksausadham bhujyatam
One should take the medicine of bhiksa and this disease of hunger will get dissolved.
Absolute – There is a varna to all our personalities. Varna means color.
Each of us has a distinct personality with a distinct color that is made up of black, red and white also known as tamas, rajas and sattva.
One of the varnas is to be a brahmana. A brahmana is one who studies a self-development map and shares what she/he has studied. And that’s all they do. They have a singular purpose- to study and share. Now some brahmanas in a more traditional sense carry a kamandalu, a dried pumpkin or squash and go to different homes and ask for food. Because they study and share, they don’t think about food. They get different types of food from different homes. Now what some of those brahmanas who live beside a body of water like the Ganga do is they take that kamandalu and they dip it into the water. Then, they take it out and eat. The texture and the taste of that food is gone. All they need is energy. They don’t need texture or taste. That’s what bhiksa is like.
Relative – When you eat and you are in a bad mood, how does that food taste? When you eat and you’re in a good mood, do you eat more or do you eat less?
If you’re grateful for what you’re going to eat, then you become cheerful while eating. The Sanskrit words for that are naivedya, which becomes prasada. If I’m grateful for this food, then I will feel prasada. I will feel cheerful.
Please remember that taste is not facilitated by your tongue, it is facilitated by your thoughts more so. That’s why Acharya Shankara uses the word medicine. When we think of medicine, we understand its purpose. Whether it tastes good or not.
Tactile – Surf Agenda
What this means is that you will only use the internet for a specific purpose. You won’t browse randomly. You won’t watch boringly. You will only access the internet when you need it.
How will you know if you’re practicing this? You will feel less busy
Verse 4, Practice 27: svadvannam na tu yacyatam
One should not put an unnecessary effort for tasty food.
Absolute – The image we know when we think of the Bhagavad Gita is Shri Krishna as the charioteer holding the reins to steer the 4 horses. The significance of this image is that the path is the sense object, the horses are the sense organs, and Shri Krishna is the intellect. We think there is taste or pleasure in sense objects but that is something so trivial compared to the horses, compared to the reins, compared to the charioteer.
Relative – A way to not beg for tasty food is to understand and appreciate how much food is going to come into your life. It is surreal to try to quantify how many tons of food we have put into this body. So if one meal happens to be too cold or there’s not enough food or whatever it is, does it matter?
I had heard a lovely story about when people would come to a wise person’s home for a meal. They would sit at the table and above each seat there was a sword facing downwards that was hanging above them. The point was that at any time, this body can die; so just eat and keep moving.
Tactile – Naturalize Meal
All the meals you eat, try to make them more natural. At least for dinner, preferably all the meals, 1/3 of the meal should be unprocessed, which means fruits and vegetables.
Sadhana is synonymous with svadhyaya, which in English means self-love. What are practices to love ourselves more? Ignore Snacks. Surf Agenda and Naturalize Meals.
Discussion – What is the best advice that you have gotten or given? And do you follow this?
Vivekji’s Observation –
If you are not following the advice you have identified as the best advice. all that stops you from following is you. It’s an important note to internalize. When we don’t follow advice, it’s a form of anti self-love.
On February 9th, your discussion subject was, “Are you evolving? And how do you know?”
Vivek thinks Vivek is evolving because Vivek’s mind only functions in three realms now, which is engage, chant, observe. When Vivek is teaching, it’s in Engage mode. When Vivek is not teaching, Vivek’s mind is chanting. And when Vivek’s mind is even more refined, Vivek’s mind is observing. So I feel that this is a form of evolution for me, because now my mind is not pulling me towards this or that. It’s staying in these healthy portals.
On February 16th, your discussion subject was, “Which of the 12 sadhanas is easiest and why?”
My observation is practice number 14, which essentially is satsanga. Satsang is the easiest practice, especially for all of us, we have constant access to this satsanga. Satsanga is infallible. Even if you don’t consciously know what’s happening, you are changing in satsanga. And what happens when we’re in satsang is we get used to changing our purpose.
RAW – Ignore Snacks. Surf Agenda and Naturalize Meals.