Notes by Saadhvi Mamidi

Week 1: Principles of Karma & Reincarnation

1. The hallmark of life is action
   • The only choice we have is the vision with which we act
2. All actions stem from desire (we think that fulfilling these desires will fulfill/complete us)
3. Every cause must have an effect
4. Every action must have a sentient doer
   • If this is true, what about the wind?
     • The sentient doer of the wind is ishvara – the reason why our universe is in order! When we see chaos in the world around us, it’s due to our own lack of understanding

• Divine justice does not have to happen in our lifetime
• Law of Karma explains the events of the world
• What are the implications of this?
  • We readily accept any situation that we’re in, since we contributed to it as the sentient doer
  • We feel empowered – everything we do will architect our future

Week 2: You are HAPPINESS

• How can we be happy? Good grades, a job, lots of money, a partner won’t give us happiness.
• Many people think happiness is (desires fulfilled) divided by (total desires), but fail to realize that as the numerator increases, the denominator also increases
  • For example, someone with a shopping addiction buys more and more but also desires more and more
• We are what we desire → we must know our true nature

Week 3: Your Essential Nature

• As the body is nourished by food, the mind is nourished by our senses
• Our mind perceives objects through our senses, the only reason this wouldn’t happen is if
  • Our sense organ doesn’t function
  • Our mind is inattentive to the sense organ
    • You’re deeply engaged in video games, so you don’t hear your mom calling you
• In order to realize our true nature, we must…
  • Rein in our senses with the mind – engage the  mind with purpose
    • For example, when we want have the purpose of being healthy we rein in our mouth and don’t eat unhealthy good
  • Let go of the outcome → take up our responsibilities
    • Utilize planner
    • Unitask routine
    • Undertake more (you’ll be more efficient if you do the first two and can undertake more)
    • If we do the 3 things above, our infinite potential can be realized

Week 4: Our Mechanism – Responsibilities

• Some actions work better than others 
  • Selfish actions lead to devolution, selfless actions lead to evolution
• We should think about our responsibilities as a catalyst for development
  • Responsibilities are GIFTS
• Nature of responsibilities
  • We don’t ask for them
  • We aren’t appreciated for doing them
  • Not knowing what our responsibilities is not an excuse
• Because of the nature of responsibilities, they are the perfect mechanism to understand our nature
• Don’t just get used to your responsibilities! Appreciate them and understand that they’re for our own growth!

Week 5, 7, 8: Mindset for Engagement

• Actions aren’t inherently good or bad
  • The attitude and intention while acting makes the action “good or bad”
• What is a volunteer?
  • A volunteer isn’t volunteering for another bullet point on a resume
  • Choose to act in recognition of a need with an attitude of social responsibility without thought of your own personal need
  • Inherently selfless
• What should be our attitude while acting?
  • Absorbed in the act itself
  • Social cause
  • Noble ideal
  • For the divine (highest purpose)
• The greater your purpose, the greater the quality of the action
• Invoke gratitude! Look around, you have so much!
  • As soon as we are born, we are immediately in debt
  • We’ve been taken care of by the entire universe
• Detachment
  • Attachment clouds our mind – doctor doesn’t operate on their own family
  • What follows when we detach? Peace
    • A bird gets a delicious treat, it then flies away to eat it in peace but two other birds steal it and start pecking at the bird’s face, the bird is miserable, let go of food and other two birds leave → peace
  • We also attach to mistakes, grudges, anger
    • Self-condemnation is not justice!
    • Mistakes are for growth → think, change, and let go!

Weeks 10, 11, 12: Map to Get Where We Want to Be

• Variations in BMI are due to our vasanas
• Habits drive us towards some things and away from others (form our likes and dislikes)
• When we do something over and over again, it becomes imprinted 
• If vasanas exist, where is our free will?
  • It lies in the moment when the thought of desire arises – will we act on it? Which wolf will we feed?
• When we commit to the science of right action (commit to something higher than ourselves), we break the cycle of vasanas, habits, and sins

Dynamics: What have you been struggling with the most for the past month, 6 months, your whole life? Why? What are you holding on to? Can you let it go? Be real and detailed.

• Email your response to Nina Didi, Lavanya Didi, and Sumanji (namastepujar@gmail.com)

RAW from last week: Think about 2 decisions you could’ve done differently at the end of the day.

•  If we don’t reflect, we will never grow! But, don’t overthink your decisions!

RAW for this week: Reflect on one person who believes in you the most and tell them!

Notes by Arnav Chugh

Reflections/Summary/Key points from ALL previous classes:

1st class:

1. The choice to act or not to act is not the choice here. The only choice we have is the vision we have to act with.
2. The cause of action is desire. We then feel full and complete. 
3. Law of Karma – Every cause must have an effect. The result of that action goes back to the doer of the action. 

2nd class:

• You are happiness
  • But how?
  • Too many desires and “things” that make you happy don’t make you happier
  • You are happy when you’re at peace

3rd class:

• Science of Right action
• Realize your essential nature
• Your senses are important
• 3 parts:
  • 1. Reign in with the senses with the mind
  • 2. Higher purpose
  • 3. Letting go of the outcome by…
    • Utilizing planner
    • Unitasking routine
    • Undertake more

4th class:

• Responsibilities
• Not all actions are created equal
  • Some help you develop
  • Some don’t
• Selfish action – devolution
• Selfless actions – evolution (DO THIS ONE)
  • Catalyst of development
  • Only works when you envision these and recognize these actions
• Responsibilities are like gifts (they help us)
• Because we don’t have a choice with responsibilities, they are the perfect mechanism in realizing our essential nature (the science of right action)

5th, 7th, and 8th class:

• Mindset for engagement
• How you act
• Actions are neither good nor bad
• Its the attitude and intention that determines whether the action is good or bad;

• Attitude while working
  • The work you do
  • When you offer yourself to the work, thoughts words and actions come together
  • Quality becomes exponential of the action

• Attitude while receiving
  • Be cheerful all the time
  • No being sad
  • Gratitude
  • Detachment
    • We gotta learn to let go
    • You become peaceful after you let go

10th, 11th, and 12th class

• Map from who you think you are to who you really are
• Body Mind Intellect (BMI)
  • Each of us has one but there are variations
  • Vasanas habits drive us towards specific things which makes us differ
• Perceiver, feeler, thinker (PFT)
• Objects, emotions, thoughts (OET)
• Triangle at the end of the tunnel (process)
  • Ignorance
    • We are full and complete
    • We act in the world to complete ourselves
    • Everything is good
  • Desire
  • Action

RAW: Reflect on one personality who believe in you the most. Meet them or call them in the same day to share how grateful you are for them. If they are no longer living, write a detailed letter of your gratitude for that person