Summary:
Session 3 stars with invocation from Kena Upanishad “āpyāyantu mamāngāni” invocation – with first line explained in detail – including:
How to use our speech (vāk), Life force (prāṇaḥ), eyes (cakṣuḥ), ears (śrotram) to help us with Self-Realization and Actualization of Brahman.
Four essential attitudes for communicating properly – per Vedic agreements: (summarizes every communication course of modern age)
- satyam vadam: I speak what I know, or whatever is going on in me in this moment. You speak what you are, in your style, as you feel. Presenting yourself outwards honestly. Opposite: holding back, not saying what you truly want to say out of denial, fear of hurting or desire to manipulate. This is passive-aggressive.
- rutam vadam: I speak only what I have thoroughly investigated or researched I refuse to engage or add opinions about things I don't have comprehensive knowledge of. Opposite: Speaking about someone, as if you know them all your life, when in fact not knowing anything about their struggles and pains in life.
- priyam vadam: Mindful satyam & rutam vadam. Attitude of how it is said and proper timing. Opposite: Telling a widow at the morgue that her dead husband is a mere appearance of Consciousness. This may hold some truth, but it's inappropriate.
- hītam vadam: Engaging in conversation that leads to some learning, or is beneficial to well-being of both parties. Attitude is from Judgmental TO Curious. Opposite: Chit-chat, entertainment. Or waiting for them to finish, so I can jump in (instead of asking a question that would lead to your learning and their: “What would you have to believe about __, to cause you think that way?“)
Then we proceed to official start of Bhagavad Gita chapter 2 – when Lord Shri Krishna begins advising Arjuna (spiritual seeker) how to get out of the confusion about reality, oneself, world, God… and see Reality as it IS… instead of seeing it as it is NOT.
At end (1:24h), we have a spontaneous informative FAQ discussion on application of Karma Yoga and a reality-check about Enlightenment (not all rosy as some believe).
Download visual mind map of this session.
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15 May 2018
Particularly enjoyed you are asking those attending your class in person to share some thoughts or piece of knowledge from previous week that really stood out or stuck with them, a mark of a teacher engaged in the learning of others, wanting to continually learn from others perspectives. The shared story of the tantra practitioner I really appreciated, opening up to mistakes made in the past on the Path, sharing them with others, to show a depth of learning in your experience, utilizing this experience to teach others. Also “fortitude is a primary qualification for Vedanta. That is persisting amidst hard times when it doesn’t seem like any change or effort is occurring.” Brilliant, likely what most who consider ourselves spiritual fail to realize in their journey, doing what feels good and what feels good alone in the “spiritual marketplace” (never heard this before you used it, but I really gravitated towards it from my experience and observing experiences of others) can seem like progress is being made, but it is bound to start plateauing, and when it does we so often run to the next spiritual venture, chasing a new and fresh experience rather than developing resiliency to see our action of sometimes much effort made through to the end. I really have seen this in myself and in others in many avenues of the marketplace, many people chasing the momentary “high” that various spiritual paths can bring, jumping to the next when the “high” starts to fade and the real work starts coming up, the things we have been carrying for so long surfacing and without knowledge and insight into the true nature of this seen and unseen “baggage” many so often run to the next “Love and Light” discipline, just barely scratching the surface of what it means to truly be a spiritual being.
The piece I wanted to share that really stood out in my learning from the previous week was ahimsa, non-injury, non violence as a universal law, nothing wants to suffer. This is something I know to be true based in observations of the world, recently chaos magic has come in my radar, some “nothing is true everything is permitted” types sharing their beliefs with me based on their relative perception of older paths like Vedanta, Buddhism, etc. The spiritual materialism of chaos magic has been quite alarming here in North America at the moment, emphasizing the practitioner alone developing their own code, or lack thereof. Seems quite tragic really considering the baggage I previously spoke of, and the “skipping” you keep mentioning in your classes, seems very much like this could lead to ruin of not only the practitioner, but also justification for more extreme broader implications of what is right and wrong. “Hitler was intelligent, but his vasanas guided his intelligence to destruction”. Any other shared thoughts on this?
Much gratitude for your willingness to engage not only your class in attendance in Melbourne, also those tuning in from around the globe. Hello from British Columbia, Canada!
I’m not sure why we have to do “right” action (e.g. speech) if this is all illusion.
Hi Kris,
Unfortunately these ideas of illusion all comes from these half-baked, neo-vedantic systems, which have created more confusion then clarity.
Now we have to undo all these dis-empowering notions the spiritual marketplace has left in minds of sincere seekers.
Your question is extremely common. We’ve heard it before countless times. Usually comes from age between 20-29.
Really think about your statement.
If it’s true, then killing another is justified. This doesn’t exclude your parents. Nor your own body. Since it’s all an illusion.
In which case, what’s the point of calling anything “illusion”, when those very thoughts themselves are an illusion.
Even the letters “i-l-l-u-s-i-o-n” are an illusion.
See what kind of inner conflict it creates.
Such thinking allows no growth. It ceases all opportunity for purpose and happiness in life.
It justifies one’s behavior to continue indulging in their likes/dislikes.
Spiritual world dropouts love this statement of illusion. It justifies their laziness. Their lack of responsibility.
We hope you have the patience to continue watching. Course is long. But it gives vast clarity.
When these people say illusion they do not mean it in the sense of what is justified. They say it to a different part of the mind which is uneasy and searching. For those people who hear what is meant, their uneasiness is lessened because they try and see it from a less empowered state of veiw. For example in this article the second attitude states you should not just talk for the point of talking. The “illusion” word is just pointing to this. That your talking should be because you mean it and not just because you can say it.
Namaste André, I didn’t find the prayer. I have found it online, but do you have any material that I can download.
Thanks.
Hi Jay,
The prayer starting with “saha nāvavatu, saha nau bhunkatu”?