April 15, 2020
Notes by Ambika Mishra
Review
Vivekji started the class by reminding us of last weeks story. And how Nachiketa asks Yama how to be happy, and peaceful in life. Yama tests Nachiketa to see if he really knows what he is asking for. Nachiketa passes the test and lives happy life. This was last weeks values, to be free and to be rational.
Story
This weeks virtues are Vinaya, (humility) and Vijnana (couragous )
Vivekji reminded us of the story on Padma Pada Acharya, where the student of Acharya Shankara walks across the river to give Acharya Shankara his dry clothes. As he walked, lotuses sprang under his feet and created a path for him to get across the river. Today’s story is also about a student of Acharya Shankara.
There was once a boy named Giri (Giri means mountain. ) Giri was a disciple of Acharya Shankara. He was not very bright but he worked very hard in the ashram so that everything for Acharya Shankara was ready for him. This would often make him late for classes. One day he was doing some work for Acharya Shankara and he was running late without realizing it. Meanwhile Acharya Shankara was waiting for Giri and and his students were becoming impatient and were wondering when the class would start. They asked Acharya Shankara when they would start and Acharya Shankara said that the would not start teaching until Giri would come. A student said that teaching Giri was like teaching a stone wall and there was no point teaching him. Meanwhile Giri finally realized that he was running late and started to run to where Acharya Shankara was teaching and he stopped when he was just in the area where Acharya Shankara was teaching. Acharya Shankara told him to speak and when Giri spoke he spoke what Acharya Shankara was supposed to be teaching — how to be happy- and he sang it in totaka meter, which is a extremely hard way of singing. All the students were amazed at how he had suddenly become so bright and from then on he was called Totaka Acharya. Acharya Shankara loved how Giri was always working hard so Acharya Shankara secretly, from mind to mind, taught Giri how to be happy.
Lessons from the Story
Vivekji told us 3 words in Sanskrit — “vidya dadati vinayam” — vidya means knowledge, dadati means creates, and vinaya means humility. And if you spin this around it becomes vinaya dadati vidya. Which means humility creates knowledge/wisdom, which are our values, vinaya (humility) and vinjana (courageous).
What does it mean to be courageous? According to one of the best teachers of Taoism, Lao Tzu, there are 3 treasures in life. The first one in called Tzu which means caring. To care about someone else is to be courageous. In latin, the “cour” in courageous means heart. So the one who is caring is courageous, and the one who is courageous has heart/ is caring. Being courageous is being selfless, you do not always talk about yourself or draw attention to yourself. You think about others instead of yourself, that is truly being courageous.
Practice
We had a pop quiz, the questions were –
1. In our class on neeyama (to be devoted) — a girl who was not allowed to study at an ashram. Why was she not allowed?
A: She was so beautiful she distracted other students.
2. During our class on Prema (being kind)- what R.A.W. did Sumanji give us?
A: Leave thank you notes for someone each day.
3. Our class on sharddha (being faithful) — when Acharya Shankara’s student was walking on the water, what appeared in the water wherever he stepped?
A: Lotuses.
4. Our class on kshama (being forgiving) — what was our practice?
A: We had to recall things from a year ago, then a month ago, then a week ago etc.
5. Our class on maitri (being friendly) — what is the name of the person who taught that class?
A: Shankarji
6. Our class on daya (being understanding) we learnt — To be understanding you have to listen carefully and you have to ____
A: Watch carefully
7. Our class on mudita (being fun) and Amaya (being straight) we learnt — When you laugh at yourself the whole world laughs ______
A: With you
8. Our class on virati (to be free) and Vivek (to be rational). What was the R.A.W. that I gave you.
A: Find out the meaning of your name.
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Notes by Keshav Ganesh
There was a kid named Giri. His friends and family thought he wasn’t a very bright or smart boy. One day, Shankaracharya invited Giri to be his student. Giri was always late to his classes because he was always doing chores like making food or washing Shankaracharya’s clothes or something. One day, Giri was doing what he was doing, preparing food and washing clothes, but he was late. He didn’t realize this. Meanwhile, at the class everyone got impatient because Shankaracharya would not start class until Giri was there. Then one student said “teaching Giri is like teaching that wall, because Giri wouldn’t understand anything”. Giri realized he was late, he grabbed everything and started running. When he finally got there Shankar acharya said “ Speak”, and Giri immediately started teaching the ways to be happy so well. Then he started speaking in the best ways. He started dancing in the best ways. Then he even started singing in the best ways. He started singing Thotaka, which was very hard to sing. Everyone was amazed. They started calling him Thotaka Acharya. How? Actually Shankar acharya talked mind to Giri.
Value
VINAYA- humility
VIJNANA- Wisdom
Practice
POP QUIZ !!!!!!!