Humility is the foundation

Humility is the foundation God detests pride and loves humility. A saint has said, "When I was filled with pride, God did not enter my heart. Now that God has entered my heart, pride has disappeared. The narrow path of love can accommodate either pride or God, but not both." A tiny blade of grass teaches us the great lesson of humility. As we walk we place all our weight on grass. What does the blade of grass do? It bends down even further. It does not protest; it does not retaliate. As we step away from it, it becomes normal once again. Someone may step on you also by insulting you. He may call you foolish, ignorant, selfish, greedy, or something worse. Do not retaliate. Do not get angry. Instead, accept your shortcomings. Realize that the critic is benevolent and that he is only helping you by pointing out your faults. If you excel in some area, do not take full credit for it. Do not forget that self-effort is not the only factor in your success. The grace of God is absolutely necessary for you to succeed. Accept your weaknesses, and give heartfelt thanks to God for your virtues. Humility will increase little by little. As you walk on the path of devotion, never forget that humility is the foundation on which the palace of devotion is built.

Significance of Guru

Significance of the Guru The true meaning and the serious implication of the word 'Guru' elude those who generally use it to mean 'expert.' The eternal Vedas define 'Guru' as 'the one who dispels ignorance and gives knowledge.' They also specify that the Guru teaches the highest knowledge; the knowledge of God. We readily accept that even the knowledge of A B C or 1 2 3 cannot be acquired without a teacher; that no material knowledge can be learned without being taught by someone. It is odd, therefore, that we do not accept the need for a divine teacher to impart divine knowledge. It is our experience that when we try to understand anything about the soul, the mind, God or other spiritual matters, we are hopelessly lost despite being highly qualified in worldly matters. Enlightened ones have compared the material world to an ocean. The individual soul must cross the ocean of materialism and reach to the other side, to God's kingdom. The soul has been given a competent ship in the form of a human body. The captain of the ship is the Guru who steers the mighty barge across the ocean. Without the guidance of a Guru our life is like a ship being tossed around in the ocean. Life has no meaning until a divine teacher reveals it. The Guru reveals the meaning of life and the practical method of fulfilling the purpose for which God has sent us to earth.

Guru Purnima

Guru Purnima s the birthday of Srila Vyasadeva, the son of Parasara Rsi.

Srila Vyasadeva divided the Vedas into four sections and then he took the essence of all the Vedas and Upanisads, and wrote Brahma-sutra, so that everyone would be able to easily understand.

He then wrote fifty four Puranas, but they were also very difficult to understand. Then he wrote the Mahabharata, and within the Mahabharata he wrote the Gita Upanisad or Bhagavad-gita. Still, he was not happy, and he could not understand why.

In the meantime, Srila Devarsi Narada came and asked him, “Why are you not happy? You have fully delineated the subject of impersonal Brahman and other knowledge as well. Why should you be despondent in spite of all this? Srila Vyasadeva replied, “All you have said about me is perfectly correct. Despite all this, I am not pacified, and I don’t know why. You can tell me, because you are my Gurudeva.

I therefore question you about the root cause of my dissatisfaction, for you have unlimited knowledge.” Narada then said, “You have written and divided the Vedas, you have written Brahma-sutra, you have written the Puranas and even Mahabharata and Gita. But, you have basically only described dharma (religion), artha (economic development), kama (sense gratification), and moksa (liberation). You have not written about the fact that the devotional pastimes of although Krsna is the Supreme Lord, He performed sweet human-like pastimes of Vraja. That is why you are not happy.

“Please try to write how Mother Yasoda bound Him and chastised Him and, although He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead (Para-brahma),
He was weeping bitterly because of this. Please write about Krsna playing with His friends, and write about how they used to defeat Him in various games. And write about how Krsna placed His head at the feet of the gopis and told them, ‘I have no capacity to repay you, even if I would have the lifespan of Brahma.

’ na paraye 'ham niravadya-samyujam sva-sadhu-krtyam vibudhayusapi vam ya mabhajan durjara-geha-srnkhalah samvrscya tad vah pratiyatu sadhuna [“I am not able to repay My debt for your spotless service, even within a lifetime of Brahma. Your connection with Me is beyond reproach. You have worshiped Me, cutting off all domestic ties, which are difficult to break. Therefore please let your own glorious deeds be your compensation.” (Srimad-Bhagavatm, 10.32.22)]

“Have you written Gopi-gita, Venu-gita, Brahmara-gita, and the other gitas?”

Vyasadeva replied, “No, nothing of the sort.”

Narad says “Oh, you should concentrate your mind, by bhakti-yoga, and then you will realize all these pastimes.” Then, when Narada Rsi left Vyasadeva’s asrama, Vyasadeva concentrated his mind in bhakti-yoga.

He entered into trance, and thus he saw that Supreme Parabrahma, Krsna, present before him. Srimati Radhika, Lalita, Visaka, His mother Yasoda, His father Nanda Baba, Subala, Sridhama, and all His associates were also present.

Srila Vyasadeva thus saw Krsna’s pastimes, from His birth up to Dvaraka-lila. He saw how the souls who had forgotten Him were covered by maya. He also saw how certain souls in this world, by the help of a bona fide guru, were performing bhajana and going towards Krsna.

In his trance, He then wrote Srimad-Bhagavatam for those who do not know about these transcendental topics.

yasyam vai sruyamanayam krsne parama-puruse bhaktir utpadyate pumsam soka-moha-bhayapaha

[“Simply by giving aural reception to this Vedic literature, the feeling for loving devotional service to Lord Krsna, the Supreme God, sprouts up at once to extinguish the fire of lamentation, illusion and fearfulness.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 1.7.7)]

The meaning of the verse is that bhakti enters the heart of those who hear Srimad-Bhagavatam, and such persons will become happy forever.

All calamities and sufferings will leave them. Srila Vyasadeva then wrote Srimad Bhagavatam in his trance of bhakti-yoga.

After that, he taught this to his son, Srila Sukadeva Gosvami, and from Srila Sukadeva Gosvami it went to the entire world.

Today is the birthday of that very Vyasadeva, and therefore this day is called Guru-puja or Vyasa-puja.

More dakshnayana

"... it is very significant that the sun is now moving south...", Sun moving around the earth!, which century Sadhguru lives in? 5 Reply −  Sumam subhash 2 years ago Subhash, do you know how seasons are formed (if not read a science text of class 4, to know it) There is a phenomenon called summer solstice (Utharayana) and winter solstice (Dskinayana). As regards to your centuries question, if you are born in Bharat (India) even in previous centuries, you would know that, earth was round (as in kurmavatharam of dasavatharam) and that earth revolves n rotates - Dharthi (something which moves), unless you are born in western culture where they believed earth was flat, even as Copernicus was poisoned to death for his discovery. 19 Reply −  Guest subhash 2 years ago Subhash, during sunrise turn towards east and note the point of sunrise with respect to the Earth. Now after few more days or once in a month note the point of sunrise again. Do it for a year. You would notice that the point of sunrise moves towards south(I dont mean Sun raises in the south) but the point of sunrise moves slowly towards south direction.Similarly it moves towards north in another part of the year. These are changes that are referred to Uttarayana and Dakshinayana. Now after one year you can turn towards east and draw an imaginary line in the horizon from south to north which the sun had traced. Well, I observed long back when i was a kid say less than 12 years of age or so. 10 Reply −  Cibi Singaravel S subhash a year ago am a student of Space science and technology from Swedish Institute of Space Physics, Sweden. Its world known phenomenon, that the Earth is moving around the sun, But when you look from the Earth's sky, ( that is what he apparently mentioned ), the Sun is revolving around the Earth. Even we engineers will take it that way for simplifications of the calculations. Do this : Look at the sky daily. Take a snap shot of the Sun at any particular time, say 17.30 in the evening, at the exact place daily and plot it on a graph for an year. You will get it get a graph called Analemma. Look at the Image 1. If you take the snap shots daily and join it, you will get the image 2. This is like Shape 8. The topmost point is where the Summer solstice takes place at June 21. The bottom most point will take place at Dec 22. This is the wintter solstice. The crossing point at 8, which would take place for 2 times is called the Spring and Autumnal Equinoxes some times around April 15 and August 31. So Dakshinayana mean, the sun virtually moves form the top point on the graph to the bottom point. If you do the same procedure on Mars, you will get some thing like Image 3. Hope you have understood. Moral: We need to do some little reading and internet search before commenting on what elders have said. Sumam answered the century question rightly! Have you need more scriptural proof, with chapter number and verse number, I can provide you ! View View View see more 8 Reply −  Veera subhash 2 years ago the Sun begins to trace a southward movement in the "EARTH'S SKY" .. read it carefully , it is understood that it is written with reference to earth not the solar system.. 7 Reply −  Arun subhash a year ago It was said in a relative context( Dakshinayana is the time when the Sun begins to trace a southward movement in the "Earth’s sky" in the northern hemisphere of the planet.), watch The Tide of Time by Sadhguru to know the immensity of him. Trying to find a fault will not make idiots like you intelligent. Get a life for yourself 2 Reply −  klogram subhash 2 years ago But to one on the surface of the Earth, it is moving south. 2 Reply −  Ajith Shankar subhash a year ago Earth’s axis is not perpendicular to the Sun. This means the Sun does not lay always directly above the equator.In fact, it is sometimes to the north and sometimes to the south of the equator. The alternation of these configurations creates the seasons on Earth. tilt in the axis has on the length of days and nights at various latitudes in the two hemispheres. So with respect to earth the sun apparently will seam to move south during this period, due to the tilt in axis in which earth rotates 1 Reply −  Mrinal subhash 2 years ago Notwithstanding the correctness of your point, but that is a line taken out of context, so it reveals a completely incorrect information, as Sadhguru is used to in his communication of suggesting how we would perceive as Dakshinayana is happening (sun is moving southward), which is not technically correct, but we need to get the essence, else he knows it well that earth moves and sun is stationary. 1 Reply −  Radhika subhash 2 years ago " Sun begins to trace a southward movement in the Earth’s sky " , if you see the point of sunrise and try to draw a graph, you will find that the trace will be towards south. Does it mean that sun is rotating around earth? I don't think so 1 Reply −  Earthian subhash a year ago I don't want to go in this discussion as yet, but to give you a tip on the new science that is emerging, Space time is curve because of gravity so is the earth!!! 0 Reply −  Earthian a year ago Such clear thoughts and directions can come only from realised beings! Thank you, you made my day.. 1 Reply −  Shweta 2 years ago Thank you for sharing the wisdom Guruji.. However, would you please share what should be done? The article speaks of doing the right things.. may be a naive question... however, an answer to my ignorant and less wise question will be highly appreciated... 0 Reply −  Michael Shweta 2 years ago Your kriya

Uttarayana

Home About Archives Contact Us   Uttarayan – the time of harvest 05 Jan 201156 CommentsPREVIOUS ARTICLENEXT ARTICLE SADHGURU SPOT  Previous Next 4.2k Shares Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Mail Pinterest Google Linkedin The last few months have seen exhilarating levels of activity, the last two weeks in particular. The Ananda Alai movement has been a phenomenal awakening across Tamil Nadu, igniting spiritual awareness across the state and bringing hundreds of thousands of enthusiastic people like never before — to the extent that people and press have been drawing parallels with the Freedom Movement of yore. Indeed, it is a Freedom Movement of another kind. These past six months have also been a time of intense sadhana for all Ishas, and now we are at the threshold of Uttarayan, which is a period of harvest. The sun’s run in relation to planet earth will shift from the southern run to the northern run – from Dakshinayana to Uttarayan. People who have been spiritually aware have always identified this transition as a possibility for human consciousness to blossom. One of the most famous stories is of Bhishma waiting on his deathbed of arrows for many weeks. Though he was severely injured, he held onto his life until Uttarayan came because he wanted to make use of this transition in nature, to make his own transition possible. Gautama also attained on the third full moon day after Uttarayan. And in South India, there are examples of innumerable saints, sages, siddhas and yogis who have made the transition during this period. During the southern run, what is below the anahata can be purified very easily. During the northern run, what is above the anahata can be worked much more easily. That is why in terms of sadhana, Dakshinayana is for purification. Uttarayan is for enlightenment. So this is the time to harvest, and it is also the reason agricultural harvests begin during this period. Pongal is the harvest festival. So it is not only the time of harvesting food grains, but it is also the time to harvest human potential. The human body, if brought to a certain level of intensity and sensitivity, is a cosmos by itself. Everything that happens in the external sphere, in a subtle way, manifests in the body. It is happening to everybody, it is just that most people do not notice this. But a more organized and purposeful rearrangement of the human mechanism could be done if one becomes conscious of the external movement and aligns that with the movement that is happening within the human system. If you want this body of flesh and bone to imbibe the nature of the cosmic body, understanding and being in tune with this movement of Uttarayan and Dakshinayana is very essential. Love & Grace, You may also like  Shifting to Dakshinayana  The Significance of Dakshinayana  Getting a Double Promotion  Shiva Panchakshara Stotram – Audio, Lyrics and Meaning  Evaluating Growth on the Spiritual Path  Benefits of Surya Namaskar: How It Transforms Your System POSTED IN: SADHGURU, SADHGURU SPOT TAGS: Dakshinayana, Uttarayana   ISHA SADHGURU      Subscribe to Sadhguru Spot    ABOUT Isha Blog The Isha Blog is the premier guide to health, wellbeing and spirituality, in Sadhguru’s own words. Any use of content without permission is prohibited. © 2015, Isha Foundation Useful Links About Us Terms of Use Hindi Blog Tamil Blog Telugu Blog Malayalam Blog Isha Sites Isha Foundation Sadhguru International Yoga Day Isha Yoga Guided Meditation Dhyanalinga Conversations with the Mystic Isha Live  © Copyright 2015 Isha Blog  

Dakshinaya

Home About Archives Contact Us   The Significance of Dakshinayana 21 Jun 201414 CommentsPREVIOUS ARTICLENEXT ARTICLE DEMYSTIFYING YOGA  3.2k Shares Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Mail Pinterest Google Linkedin As we move into Dakshinayana, Sadhguru tells us the significance of this period of the year. Sadhguru: Dakshinayana is the time when the Sun begins to trace a southward movement in the Earth’s sky in the northern hemisphere of the planet. Dakshinayana is significant in the life of anyone who is doing any kind of yoga. In this phase, your relationship with the planet is very different than what it is in the northern run. Particularly for those of us who are living in the northern hemisphere, it is very significant that the sun is now moving south and the planet is moving in an anticlockwise direction. These together produce a certain impact on the human physiology. All the practices we do have been structured keeping this aspect in mind.  It was during this time of the year that Adiyogi turned south and became a Dakshinamurti – he began to transmit the fundamentals of the yogic science to his first seven disciples, who are now celebrated as the Saptarishis. It was not on a whim that he decided to turn south. He turned south because the sun turned south. The southern run of the sun became significant because this was the first phase of the teaching. This became the sadhana pada where he taught the Saptarishis what they should do. The northern run or Uttarayan is referred to as the samadhi pada or kaivalya pada. It is a time for realization. These six months are the sadhana pada and this time is important because now you can do the right things. The sadhana pada is always more important because in the process of making anything happen, the most important thing is to do what is in our hands right. What is not in our hands, we only have to wait. Sadhana is something which is in our hands – we can do something about it. It may be a lesser dimension than the other but it doesn’t matter, it is in our hands. It becomes important because we can make it happen. Watering and putting manure to a plant is important. Flowers will come as a consequence of that. It is not our doing. This is just like that. These six months are the sadhana pada and this time is important because now you can do the right things. If you do the right things, when the time to harvest comes, the right kind of harvest will come.    Editor’s Note: Check out the lyrics of the song, Dakshinayanam, in English and Tamil. You may also like  Shifting to Dakshinayana  Getting a Double Promotion  Uttarayan - the time of harvest  Kundalini Yoga: Beneficial or Dangerous?  Married, but not Identified  One Body, One Nation POSTED IN: YOGA & MEDITATION, DEMYSTIFYING YOGA TAGS: Dakshinayana, Uttarayana   ISHA SADHGURU      Weekly Newsletter    ABOUT Isha Blog The Isha Blog is the premier guide to health, wellbeing and spirituality, in Sadhguru’s own words. Any use of content without permission is prohibited. © 2015, Isha Foundation Useful Links About Us Terms of Use Hindi Blog Tamil Blog Telugu Blog Malayalam Blog Isha Sites Isha Foundation Sadhguru International Yoga Day Isha Yoga Guided Meditation Dhyanalinga Conversations with the Mystic Isha Live  © Copyright 2015 Isha Blog  Share this selection Tweet Facebook 

The mule

Select a page Persistence and the Mule In The Well This is a story about the persistence of an old mule. Sometimes when things look hopeless, it is shear persistence that can save the day. In fact, of all the qualities that can see you through tough times, persistence might be unmatched. Here’s the story… There was a farmer who owned an old mule and one day that mule fell into a dried out, abandoned water well. After assessing the situation carefully, the farmer reluctantly concluded that neither the mule nor the well was worth saving. He wasn’t happy about it, but what else could he do? For the mule, the future’s not looking very hopeful So, the farmer called his neighbors together and enlisted them to help him bury the old mule right there in the well and put him out of his misery. Initially the old mule was frantic, but as the dirt kept hitting his back, something happened. It dawned on the mule that every time a shovel load landed on his back, he should shake it off and step up! And that’s exactly what he did. Blow after blow that old mule would shake off the dirt and step up…shake it off and step up. Persistence might just save the day! No matter how painful the blows or how distressing the situation, the old mule fought the urge to panic and just kept right on shaking off the dirt and stepping up! It took awhile, but eventually his persistence began to pay of because with each step he was moving up ever so slightly. Before long, the old mule, battered and exhausted, stepped triumphantly through the mouth of that well. What seemed like it would bury him actually helped him…all because of how he demonstrated persistence in the face of adversity. When things start to look hopeless, choose persistence! Such is life. If we face our problems and respond to them positively, refusing to surrender to panic, bitterness, or self-pity, the adversities that come along to bury us usually possess the potential to benefit us, but it’s only through persistence that we can realize that potential. “Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.” ~ Calvin Coolidge Can you remember a time when persistence got you through? How valuable do think persistence and determination are? Share your thoughts on facebook or google+ If you enjoyed this article consider email updates! 279 7 Google +2 0 7 Related Articles Do You Have “Good Old Days” Syndrome? 17 Ways to Create the Perfect Workday How Changing your Attitude Changes Your Reality Are You Challenged or Disabled? Balancing Stress Instead of Being Consumed by ItPersonal Development – Seeing and Believing Join 20,000 Smart email Subscribers Solutions that Work Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Google+ YouTube Pinterest | Privacy Policy | Contact | Disclaimer | Disclosure | Advertising | ©2008-2015 Advanced Life Skills all right reserved

Some things to do b4 39

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You don't have to tear down or insult people you disagree with. If you stick to the facts, and they resort to name calling, you'll be the one who's able to look at yourself in the mirror the next morning. Realize how short life is. When my father passed away, he was only in his early 50's. He had a passion for music and was a singer in a band before his health overtook him. He opened for George Jones and Tammy Wynette and he really could have been something. I think of him every time I put my writing to the side and fill my time with days spent just browsing the Internet. Life is short. I want to do the things that I want to do in life before it comes to an end. Realize how long life is. I've said it before. "There's no expiration date on happiness." If you live to be 100, then you can start that programming career in your 30's and still work on computers for another 30-40 years. You can still fall in love and get married. You can still pursue your dreams. Don't let society tell you that life has to be a. Married b. Career c. Kids. There's no time-line or time-limit, so figure out what you want to do instead, and then go for it. Realize that another person's education, background, color, etc. doesn't define them. It shouldn't even have to be said. By your 30's, you'd better come to realize that the world is diverse and that people are much more than any single trait that you would like to categorize them in. Unless you plan on spending your life in a bubble with a completely homogeneous group of people who all look alike, think alike, and share the same experiences, you need to know how to function in a world that is inundated with people who are culturally different than you. Live somewhere completely different from where you grew up. At least for a little while, get away from the comfort of the familiar and your family and friends. When I moved from the plains of North Dakota to the Blue Ridge Mountains, I unlocked a part of myself I had never known and goals that I wasn't aware I had. I had never dreamed of walking behind a waterfall or hiking the Appalachain Trail, but then I got here and I realized there was a whole world of things I wanted to do, but that I had never realized or planned. Take the time to act like a child. Remember stretching out your arms wide and spinning in circles until you were dizzy, just for the hell of it? Or rolling down soft hills of green grass? Or eating a dripping ice cream cone from Dairy Queen on a hot summer day? Or catching crickets with your bare hands? Don't lose that. Those experiences make life magical. In your 20's everything seems so serious: there's the rush to settle down, the rush to get married before all the "good ones" are taken, the rush to have kids, the hustle for the perfect salary and the perfect tan. Let it all go. Take the time to just be a kid. 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Followed by Quora User and 1 more Follow59.4k  Facebook Engineering Followed by Shreeaansh Gupta Follow78.4k Top content on Quora Why aren't there a lot of old programmers at software companies? Bob Jones, Programmer for 45+ years and still at it... I will be 69 in a week. I have been programming since 1967. That's 48 years that cover COBOL to jQuery. I have forgotten more programming languages than most programmers will ever encounter. I work... Upvote1.2k Downvote Read More Emotions Question followed • Tue While very dangerous, what happens to the brain and body when mixing heavy amounts of alcohol and hydrocodone? Why does it feel so good? Write Answer Pass Follow5 Top content on Quora What's it like being at an elite school like Yale and working a fast food job? Yehong Zhu, Recovering Optimist  I worked as a server at Waffle House the summer after high school graduation, about six months after I had gotten accepted early action to Harvard. My parents wanted me to get a job during the s... Upvote540 Downvote Read More Photography Question followed • Fri What is it like to be a Magnum photographer? Will be great to hear straight from a photographer, who has been or is with Magnum. Write Answer Pass Follow29 Psychology Question asked • 56m What is the significance of the recently released Hoffman report for the American Psychological Association? Write Answer Pass Follow3 Top content on Quora What is an explanation of P versus NP problems and other related terms in layman's terms? Steven de Rooij, PhD in theoretical computer science  Hi mom! Okay, this is it! First, sit down, take a deep breath. Have some tea. This is gonna hit you hard. Okay, here goes. People have found out that some problems are much easier to solve with a ... Upvote1.6k Downvote Read More Photography Question asked • 6 Jul How can I travel the world as a freelance photographer? 2 Answers Write Answer Pass Follow8 Psychology Question asked • Fri What is the opposite of Dunning–Kruger effect? 4 Answers Write Answer Pass Follow6 El' Muru wrote this • 2014 What's the essence of non-duality? El' Muru, Mad man... There is neither the two nor three. There is one and only one and that is the only presence there is...

How to handle those with bad opinion's

How do I handle people who have a bad opinion of me? Re-AskFollow69 Comment Write Answer 90 ANSWERS 69 FOLLOWERS 164,880 VIEWS EDITS  Auren Hoffman LiveRamp CEO. Started & sold 5 companies (and many more that failed) Upvote • 2.9k upvotes by Marc Bodnick, Mike Xie, Ben Smith, (more) The more good things you do, the more enemies you will have. The more you promote change, the more people who want the status quo will try to bring you down. Even Martin Luther King Jr and Gandhi (actually -- especially MLK and Gandhi) had millions of people that had bad opinions of them. In fact, if no one has a bad opinion about you, you are doing something utterly wrong. The more you promote change, the more you promote progress, the more you try to change things for what you believe is better ... the more people will have a bad opinion of you. It is OK if people have a bad opinion about you. Even if you are not MLK and not changing the world, someone will think you are a bad person. Someone might think you are a bad parent or a bad friend or a bad sibling. You cannot please people all the time. And optimizing for pleasing people leads to an extremely difficult life and a life that will likely have little consequence. As the only way to please everyone is to tell them nothing. Once you have views and you are trying to affect things, there will be someone who is not pleased. The key is accepting that certain people will dislike you. That is ok. Certain people that you actually have a high opinion of might actually think you are a bad person. While regrettable, that is ok. I once had someone I respect a lot tell me that he had no respect for me and gave me his reasons. It was very hard to hear. But I listened patiently and, at the end, told him that while he lost respect for me, I still had respect for him. Of course, I wish I could tell you there was a happy ending and that we made up and am now best friends. We didn't. I wish we were friends but we are not. My advice is to let it go. There will always be people who dislike you for some reason. Maybe it was miscommunication. Maybe it is a values difference. Maybe it is a misunderstanding. But most likely you will never know the true reason. Let it go. Move on. Forgive the person for not liking you. Focus on other friends.

Hang on

Originally Answered: Who is the luckiest person on earth? in 1983 a 19-year old boy named George suffered from extreme obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). His case was very severe that he had to quit school and job. Also he had to wash his hands hundreds of times everyday and take excessively frequent showers. George tried to shoot himself in the head to end this miserable life but he missed! His shot actually hit the part that controls the obsessive behavior in his brain (left frontal lobe) without causing any damage to other regions. So after this "failed" suicide attempt he was cured from OCD.  ​ He was interviewed five years later after this event, he found a new job and he returned to college where he was a straight A's student. His IQ did not change but he just got rid of the OCD. Sources: Brain Wound Eliminates Man's Mental Illness How Attempted Suicide Cured a Man’s OCD Written 26 May • 265,813 views Upvote7.8k Downvote Comments45+ Psychology From your digest email How close are human beings to madness, i.e. to being delusional? Noam Kaiser, I live, almost every single day!  I have to share a series of pictures with you in order to answer that: ​ ... Upvote3.1k Downvote Read More From your digest email Is getting rich worth it?  Robert D Hosken Upvote • 3k upvotes by Rob Bednark, Marguerite Gallagher, McLean Greaves, (more) Originally Answered: Is getting rich worth it? Hi Anon, Thanks for your post: it's an interesting discussion. I'm almost 70 now, my wife and I were consultants, sent our 2 children to private colleges, and earned $1M or so before age 50, so we retired early and devoted our lives to charity. We could have easily earned another $1M, but we also could have been dead: each of us have been in near-fatal car crashes that totaled our cars, and each of us has had cancer. Life is short. We've lived in Europe for over 20 years including 17 years in Russia. These were the best years of our lives, although not easy or fun. We helped disabled people and taught others how to do the same. Now we have our home paid for, drive a Cadillac and have a moderate but comfortable retirement income. I teach online gratis, my wife helps elderly people. Life is short. Find meaning: "I can't do everything, but I can do something. It's not an excuse to do nothing." Written 16 Oct, 2012 • 335,724 views Upvote3k Downvote Comments50+ From your digest email Best of X: What are the top 10 things that we should be informed about in life? As ambiguous and ridiculous this question sounds, I hope you get the gist of what I mean. What main things should a person know about in ... More  James Altucher Blogger, author, social media, investor, wall street and easiest to ask on Twitter Upvote • 7.4k upvotes by Kinshiro Shimura, I. C. Robledo, Rajeeb Banstola, (more) I wish someone had told me all of this when I was 15. I would NOT have joined that cult. I wish someone had told me all of these things when I was 30. I would not have X (I have to say "X" because I don't want to hurt anyone). I wish someone had told me these things when I was 32, 40, and 45. I hope someone will tell me these things when I'm 50, 60, and 80. I honestly hope I die in my sleep before I'm 80. - LIFE CHANGES FAST. Don't hang on to it. Just go where it takes you. Don't try to control it.

Creeper Of Devotion

Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja THE CREEPER OF DEVOTION GROWS (A lecture on Caitanya-caritamrta Madya-lila Chapter 19 - Sri Rupa Siksa) Toulouse, France: July 7, 2002 (Part 1) (listen) The senior disciples of my siksa-guru, Om Visnupada Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja, who have become somewhat weak after his divine departure, are now receiving new life. This was my main objective. I wanted to obey the words of my siksa-guru, to go wherever necessary to re-inspire his disciples and followers, and I think that we have been successful. Many thanks to the devotees who have left everything for the past seven days to come and hear hari-katha. My blessings to all the devotees – that  I advise you all to follow the path directed by Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja. For those of you who have not been following, I request that you once again follow his instructions – in the real sense. You should once again meditate on the diksa mantras he gave you, remembering everything that he told you regarding brahma-gayatri, guru-mantra, guru-gayatri, gaura-mantra, gaura-gayatri, krsna-mantra, and kama-gayatri. You will not develop very much by chanting harinama by yourself, but if you chant in the association of superior Vaisnavas and follow your Guru's instructions, some fruit will come from your chanting. Caitanya-caritamrta states: upajiya bade lata 'brahmanda' bhedi' yaya 'viraja', 'brahma-loka' bhedi' 'para-vyoma' paya (Cc Madhya 19.153) ["As one waters the bhakti-lata-bija, the seed sprouts, and the creeper gradually grows to the point where it penetrates the walls of this universe and goes beyond the Viraja River, which is lying between the spiritual world and the material world. It attains Brahma-loka, the brahman effulgence, and penetrating through that stratum it reaches the spiritual sky and the spiritual planet Goloka Vrndavana."] The word upajiya means "gradually developing." In the beginning of the practice of bhakti there are many anarthas, and therefore there is no strong belief in the words of the Vaisnavas, Krsna, and sastra. However, if one continues to hear hari-katha in the association of Vaisnavas, faith will develop. This faith is the sprout of bhakti, which is the desire to serve Krsna. When one has this faith, he knows that by serving Krsna his life will be successful, and he has the conviction that everything required for his life's maintenance will be automatically taken care of. In this way he can use most of his energy in service to Krsna, by chanting His names and remembering Him. Gradually, two leaves appear from the sprout of the bhakti creeper: klesha-agni (the disappearance of suffering) and subhada (the appearance of auspicious qualities) and after that two more appear, and then again two more. In the very beginning, before taking diksa, when one begins to chant in the association of devotees, he may have some faith in the devotees but he doesn’t yet realize the importance of taking shelter of a bona fide guru. The Vaisnava guru in whom he has strong faith tells him that he should take initiation; not only harinama, which can be given easily, but also diksa initiation. He replies to that Vaisnava, "I'm chanting as you have told me, but I have no taste. I have so many anarthas, and so much lust and desire for sense gratification." The guru tells him, "Take initiation; don't delay." He tells the guru, "I want to take it, but I don’t want to shave off my dreadlocks." He wants to be like a female. He likes the mood of ladies, and ladies who cut their hair short want to be like males. Gurudeva finally concedes, "Then remain as you are. I will not initiate you." Another person, however, becomes ready to take shelter of the guru; he will very easily give up his unwanted habits and paraphernalia. Those who hesitate do so because they fear that their desires for sense gratification will not be fulfilled, whereas one who has strong faith will surrender at once, and thus his relationship with the spiritual master becomes very strong; he will obey his gurudeva's every instruction. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu told Srila Sanatana Gosvami, "Go to the Ganges, take bath, and shave. Be like a gentleman." Srila Sanatana Gosvami immediately left for the Ganges, where he shaved, and he also gave up his valuable blanket. He made his life very simple. Spiritual life is difficult to practice in Western countries. One cannot live like those who live in India – very simply and easily. This is because the atmosphere in the West is unfavorable for that. It is not possible to go anywhere without the use of a car or similar transport, and in some places it is sometimes so cold that you will have to wear many thick and heavy garments. There are so many things you cannot avoid in the West, whereas India is favorable for spiritual life. In the West one requires money to walk from here to there, for the airport, and for this and that. But this is not the case in India, where there is not even the need for shoes and socks. It has therefore been said, 'bharata-bhumi sadhana-bhumi'. In Bharata, India, there is no need for more than the barest of necessities. Jagannatha Puri, for instance, is neither too hot nor too cold; and in Vrndavana you can beg madhukari (alms of prasadam) from almost any householder, because practically no one there eats meat, eggs, or fish, and most of them do not even smoke. It is very easy to maintain oneself in a spiritual way because so many residents of the dhama are brahminical. Any sadhu can beg bhiksa (alms), and most of the householders will gladly give him whatever he requests. Here in the West, however, you will have to buy everything yourself, and you will also have to cook for yourself; hardly anyone will give you anything. Therefore, India is very conducive for spiritual life. bharata-bhumite haila manusya janma yara janma sarthaka kari' kara para-upakara ["One who has taken his birth as a human being in the land of India (Bharata-varsa) should make his life successful and work for the benefit of all other people." (Cc Adi 9.41)] This utkantha (eagerness) is essential: "I must live in India so that I can do bhajana." It is stated in Srila Rupa Gosvami's Bhakti-rasamrta-sindu: klesa-ghni subhada moksa- laghutakrt sudurlabha sandrananda-visesatma sri-krsnakarsani ca sa ["Pure devotional service brings immediate relief from all kinds of material distress. It is the beginning of all auspiciousness. It minimizes the value of liberation. It is rarely achieved, it automatically puts one in transcendental pleasure, and it is the only means to attract Krsna."] When the disciple begins to follow the process of bhakti in the real sense, by chanting, hearing etc., the first two leaves of the bhakti-creeper will appear: klesaghni and subhada. The symptom of the appearance of the first leaf, klesaghni, is that the disciple will see that the problems of his life are decreasing. Dukha-nivrtti - duhkha means unhappiness, and nivrtti means decreasing. All kinds of sufferings quickly disappear. Then, with the appearance of the second leaf, all kinds of favorable qualities begin to appear, and this is called subhada in Sanskrit. At this time many people begin to honor and pay respects to that sadhaka. They give him everything he requires for maintaining his life: someone gives fruits, another gives cloth, another gives shoes, etc. Krsna is making arrangements for his maintenance. Gradually the second pair of leaves sprout, and they are called moksa laghutakrta and su-durlabha. At the stage of moksa laghutakrta, the devotee no longer desires worldly sense gratification or even mukti; and in fact he sees liberation as insignificant. The word sudurlabha means extremely rare, and it refers to raganuga-bhakti. That rare bhakti, sudurlabha bhakti, now makes its appearance, and thus the devotee becomes krsna-karsane; he can attract Krsna. Krsna-karsane is one of the leaves of the third pair, and the other leaf, sandrananda-visesatma: (condensed and unlimited happiness) now manifests. * [See Endnote 1] At that time the devotee becomes overjoyed because Krsna may sometimes give him His darsana. By the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu, when Sri Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami went to Vrndavana, he saw its beauty. He saw it as it was at the time when Krsna was there. By the influence of bhakti, Krsna and His abode will also manifest to you, and then your life will be successful. Before this stage, when the devotee is at the stage of nistha (steadiness), unwanted desires and anarthas are somewhat gone. Then, after nistha comes ruci (taste), and then asakti (natural attachment for bhajana and the object of bhajana) manifests. These are some of the stages of sadhana-bhakti, and in this way the devotee gradually advances. If you see that after many years of trying to practice sadhana-bhakti your lust, desire for sense gratification, and anarthas are not disappearing, you can understand that there is something wrong with you, or with your guru. If the guru cannot help you to give these up, you should give up that guru. The real guru is he who can help the devotee in his Krsna consciousness. If your guru is not doing sadhana-bhajana, or chanting harinama, but is always managing, making money, and keeping a big bank account, he is bogus and he should be rejected. If your guru is bona fide but there is still something wrong, you should try to repair the problem. Give up at once whatever is unfavorable for bhakti, and in this way your bhakti creeper will develop. upajiya bade lata 'brahmanda' bhedi' yaya 'viraja', 'brahma-loka' bhedi' 'para-vyoma' paya ["As one waters the bhakti-lata-bija, the seed sprouts, and the creeper gradually grows to the point where it penetrates the walls of this universe and goes beyond the Viraja River which is lying between the spiritual world and the material world. It attains Brahma-loka, the brahman effulgence, and penetrating through that stratum it reaches the spiritual sky and the spiritual planet Goloka Vrndavana."] Upajiya bade lata 'brahmanda' bhedi' yaya: All material desires reside in brahmanda (this universe) like, "I will be king," "I will be Prime Minister," I will be President," "I want to have all varieties of happiness and sense gratification." Hiranyakasipu received a great boon from Brahma, but that boon could not liberate him from the brahmanda. It was within the brahmanda. Your creeper of bhakti will dry up if you are thinking about how you will maintain yourself in this world, or if you desire sense gratification, or if you want to go to heaven. This is also within the brahmanda. Your bhakti-creeper is still within the universe. If you would like to be like Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatana, and Sanat Kumara (in their previous life as brahmavadis), or even if you have become like Brahma, with the ability to create and so forth, your creeper is still inside the brahmanda. Try to realize the nature of this brahmanda. All material desires keep you bound here. If your bhakti is pure, you will not have any worldly desires; so try to act in accordance with the principles ordained in the following sloka: tan-nama-rupa-caritadi-sukirtananu- smrtyoh kramana rasana-manasi niyojya tisthan vraje tad-anuragi jananugami kalam nayed akhilam ity upadesa-saram ["The essence of all advice is that one should utilize one’s full time – twenty-four hours a day – in nicely chanting and remembering the Lord’s divine name, transcendental form, qualities and eternal pastimes, thereby gradually engaging one’s tongue and mind. In this way one should reside in Vraja (Goloka Vrndavana dhama) and serve Krsna under the guidance of devotees. One should follow in the footsteps of the Lord’s beloved devotees, who are deeply attached to His devotional service." (Sri Upadesmrta #8)] If you cannot be in Vrndavana physically, then meditate on Vrndavana. If you always chant and remember Krsna under the guidance of a rasika-tattvajna Vaisnava, then your bhakti will increase. The Viraja River is not covered by jnana (mental speculation), karma (fruitive activities), yoga (mystic powers), tapasya (severe austerities), etc. In a sense, neither rajas nor tamas (the material modes of passion and ignorance) is present in the Viraja River; only suddha sattva, (pure goodness), is there. In another sense, sattva, rajas and tamas are there, but they are murchit (sleeping, or lying dormant). They can wake up at anytime time, however. [This means that the jiva may again fall victim to the material energy even if he is situated in the Viraja River, because there is no positive spiritual activity there.] The bhakti-creeper crosses beyond the Viraja River and by-passes Brahma-loka. * [See Endnote 2] What is Brahma-loka? In this sloka (upajiya bada lata…) Brahma-loka does not refer to the residence of Lord Brahma. It refers to the impersonal brahmajyoti. By brahma-jnana (knowledge of the impersonal aspect of the Absolute Truth), one may enter and merge in brahma, and at that time he thinks, "I am brahma." But bhakti-devi can easily cross over this brahma-loka, and in fact she does not even see it. The bhakti-creeper then goes to paravyoma, which is beyond even Siva-loka. Paravyoma, where there is no mixing in brahma, is divided into two sections. The lower of the two is like Vaikuntha, but is not actually Vaikuntha, and the jiva can also go there. [It is the Vaikuntha planet within the material world, and it is called Rama-priya Vaikuntha. In that realm there is seva-sukha-uttara. There, the devotee wants to serve Lord Narayana, but he also wants the happiness accrued from the attainment of the four spiritual opulences. That desire for happiness is not like ours, for the devotees there do not have material bodies; still, that desire is not pure. In the higher section there is prema-seva-uttara; the devotee only wants to serve Narayana with love.] There is great aisvarya (opulence) in the Vaikuntha planets: one can have the same bodily features as Narayana (sarupya), he can live on the same planet with Him (salokya), he can have equal opulence (sarsti), aand he can have association with the Lord. But a Vaisnava never wants these four types of liberation; he solely wants to serve. Narayana-loka, Nrsimha-loka, Rama-loka (Ayodhya), and many other such lokas are within the Paravyoma, and the bhakti-creeper passes beyond all of them. It crosses beyond Narayana-bhakti, Nrsimha-bhakti, and Ramacandra-bhakti. The devotee will say, "I don't want that," and that creeper then goes to Goloka. Goloka is also divided into three sections: Dvaraka, Mathura, and Gokula. The bhakti creeper very quickly passes through Dvaraka and Mathura and comes to Gokula. From Gokula, it goes to Vrndavana, and then, within Vrndavana, it goes to Nandagaon and Varsana. From there it very soon goes to Govardhana and from there to Radha-kunda. Radha and Krsna are playing there in Radha-kunda, and the creeper is serving Their lotus feet there. That is where it stops. It produces fruits and flowers that give pleasure to the Divine Couple Sri Sri Radha Krsna. Many manjaris also come to that Radha-kunda, which is full with beautiful flowers and sweet fruits. Where is the gardener (caretaker of the seed) at this time? He is still in this world, but what stage is he in? If his creeper is within the brahmanda, he is a kanistha-adhikari, whereas at the stage of bhava-bhakti it has passed through the brahmanda, the Viraja River, Sivaloka, etc., and went up to Narayana-loka, or Vaikunthaloka. Then, when the seed of love of God (bhava-bhakti) matures and transforms into the ripened fruit of Vraja-prema, and it is then that one's bhakti is able to pass all other places – including Goloka. The creeper takes shelter of Mother Yasoda in Gokula, and after that it takes shelter of the gopis, then Vrndavana, and then the shelter of Govardhana. Within Govardhana, the creeper takes shelter of Rupa-manjari and then under the guidance of Rupa-manjari and Ananga-manjari, it goes to Radha-kunda. There, at Radha-kunda, the devotee serves Radha-Krsna Conjugal, with a tendency towards Srimati Radhika. The creeper can go only up to there – there is no place after this. If there is a tree, a creeper will climb all over it, covering it entirely. In the same way, the bhakti creeper is now covering all rasas, especially madhurya-rasa, and the devotee can serve Radha-Krsna Conjugal in every way. This is the inner meaning of the words: tabe yaya tad-upari 'goloka-vrndavana' 'krsna-carana'-kalpa-vrkse kare arohana (Cc Madhya 19.154 ["Being situated in one's heart and being watered by sravana-kirtana, the bhakti creeper grows more and more. In this way it attains the shelter of the desire tree of the lotus feet of Krsna, who is eternally situated in the planet known as Goloka Vrndavana, in the topmost region of the spiritual sky." (Cc Madhya 19.154)] [This ends part 1 – part 2 will be coming soon. The questions below actually come at the end of the lecture, but because they relate to what is above, we have put them here] Question: Gurudeva, you seemed to say that at bhava-bhakti one can go to Narayana-loka, and at prema one can go to Vrndavana. I thought bhava is just the less condensed state of prema. One has the same mood of devotion, devotion to the same istadeva, but it is simply not as developed. You seemed to say that the bhava-bhakta changes his istadeva when he reaches prema. Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: After bhavavasta (the stage of bhava-bhakti), prema will come. If the devotee is on the path of vaidhi-bhakti, then he goes to Narayana-loka. If he is on the path of raganuga-bhakti, Vraja-raganuga, then he will go directly to Vraja. There are two destinations – one coming from the execution of vaidhi-bhakti and another coming from raganuga-bhakti. Question: So it's not that the bhakti creepers of all bhavavasta devotees go to Narayana-loka. Only those in vaidhi-bhakti. Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja: Yes. How can I tell all these things in a moment – at one time? [*ENDNOTE 1: (Taken from Srila Narayana Gosvami Maharaja's lecture of June 8, 2001 in Holland.) What is it that is sudurlabha? It has been told in Sri Upadesamrta that even devotees like Narada cannot attain that kind of bhava-bhakti. What is sudurlabha? To serve Radha-Krsna Conjugal like the Vrajavasis is very rare. Even for premi-bhaktas it is very difficult to attain this. 'Yat presthair apy alam asulabham'. ["Undoubtedly Radha-kunda is very rarely attained even by the great devotees; therefore it is even more difficult for ordinary devotees to attain." (Upadesamrta text 11)] Even for those who have love and affection, this kind of bhava-bhakti, this raganuga-bhakti and ragatmika bhakti, are very, very, very rare. This is called sudurlabha. In comparison, it is very easy to go to Vaikuntha. You know that Ajamila quickly went there. How did he attain this? He was only calling out the name of Narayana with reference to his son. By this chanting, namabhasa came, and then four associates of Narayana, holding sankha, cakra, gada, and padma in their four hands, came to him. They explained to him the glorification of these Names. We see here that even namabhasa is so high, and what to say of suddha-nama! After their discussion, Ajamila returned to external consciousness and left his wife, children and everything else. He went to Haridvara where he took bath in the Ganges, and there he adopted the mantra and process given him by the four Visnudutas. By chanting and chanting, prema for Narayana came, and by this prema Ajamila went to Vaikuntha. It was not by namabhasa that he went there. No one can go to Vaikuntha by namabhasa. One can only attain that realm by pure suddha-nama. Still, in Vaikuntha there is some opulence. Anyone can easily go there, but to go to Vraja is very high. Rupa Gosvami has explained all these things. The fifth leaf on the creeper of bhakti is sandrananda-visesatma. . What is visesatma? You should know this. You know sandhini, samvit, and hladini. ["The transcendental potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead by which He maintains His existence is called sandhini. The transcendental potency by which He knows Himself and causes others to know Him is called samvit. The transcendental potency by which He possesses transcendental bliss and causes His devotees to have bliss is called hladini. The total exhibition of these potencies is called visuddha-sattva…" Cc.Adi.4 purp.)] On the platform of sandhini, anything transformed by sandhini is called suddha-sattva. When the essence of hladini and samvit mix together and appear on the platform of sandhini, or suddha-sattva, this is called visesatma. What is the meaning? Hladini is directly Srimati Radhika Herself, who is svarupa-sakti. The highest mood of that svarupa-sakti is the mood of hladini. This hladini mood in its highest stage, madana, is not even in Krsna, and it is this madana that Krsna wants to taste and realize. This mood is found only in the essence of hladini, who is Radhika Herself. The moods in Radhika, the moods of how to serve and please Krsna, is called maha-bhava. What is bhava? Bhava is coming from samvit. Samvit is the potency of knowledge, but when that knowledge is condensed, it is transformed into bhava, and bhava is transformed into sneha, mana, pranaya, raga, anuraga, bhava, and maha-bhava. This maha-bhava is the moods in Radhika. These moods are thus the essence of samvit and hladini, the moods of serving Krsna in the highest way, and they come on the platform of suddha-sattva. What is sattva? It is any transformation of sandhini. Within sandhini, any jiva who is liberated is called suddha-sattva, and Krsna and His svamsa or manifestations are called visuddha-sattva. Jivas are not visuddha-sattva, but they may be suddha-sattva. Asuddha-sattva are those who are not liberated, suddha-sattva are liberated, and visuddha-sattva refers to Krsna and His all incarnations including Visnu. When visuddha-sattva will combine with the essence of hladini and samvit and comes in a jiva, that essential mood to serve Krsna will be sandrananda-visesatma; otherwise not. This is a very elevated topic.] [*ENDNOTE 2: "Outside of the Vaikuntha planets is the impersonal manifestation of Sri Krsna, which is known as Brahmaloka. On the other side of Brahmaloka is the spiritual karana-samudra, or Causal Ocean. The material energy exists on the other side of the Causal Ocean, without touching it." (Caitanya-caritamrta Adi-lila ch.5 Intro.)] -- If you do not want to receive any more newsletters, Unsubscribe To update your preferences and to unsubscribe visit this link Forward a Message to Someone this link

Guru Mahima

GURU By Swami Sivananda       INTRODUCTION The Guru is God Himself manifesting in a personal form to guide the aspirant. Grace of God takes the form of the Guru. To see the Guru is to see God. The Guru is united with God. He inspires devotion in others. His presence purifies all. The Guru is verily a link between the individual and the immortal. He is a being who has raised himself from this into That, and thus has free and unhampered access into both the realms. He stands, as it were, upon the threshold of immortality; and, bending down he raises the struggling individuals with his one hand, and with the other lifts them up into the empyrean of everlasting joy and infinite Truth-Consciousness. THE SADGURU To be a Guru, one must have a command from God. Mere study of books cannot make one a Guru. One who has studied the Vedas, and who has direct knowledge of the Atman (Self) through Anubhava (experience), can alone be enrolled as a Guru. A Jivanmukta or liberated sage is the real Guru or spiritual preceptor. He is the Sadguru. He is identical with Brahman or the Supreme Self. He is a Knower of Brahman. A Sadguru is endowed with countless Siddhis (psychic powers). He possesses all divine Aisvarya (powers), all the wealth of the Lord. Possession of Siddhis, however, is not the test to declare the greatness of a sage or to prove that he has attained Self-realisation. Sadgurus generally do not exhibit any miracle or Siddhi. Sometimes, however, they may do so in order to convince the aspirants of the existence of superphysical things, give them encouragement, and instill faith in their hearts. The Sadguru is Brahman Himself. He is an ocean of bliss, knowledge, and mercy. He is the captain of your soul. He is the fountain of joy. He removes all your troubles, sorrows, and obstacles. He shows you the right divine path. He tears your veil of ignorance. He makes you immortal and divine. He transmutes your lower, diabolical nature. He gives you the rope of knowledge, and takes you up when you are drowning in this ocean of Samsara (cycle of birth and death). Do not consider him to be only a man. If you take him as a man, you are a beast. Worship your Guru and bow to him with reverence. Guru is God. A word from him is a word from God. He need not-teach anything. Even his presence or company is elevating, inspiring, and stirring, His very company is self-illumination. Living in his company is spiritual education. Read the Granth-saheb (the holy scripture of the Sikh religion). You will come to know the greatness of the Guru. Man can learn only from man, and hence God teaches through a human body. In your Guru, you have your human ideal of perfection. He is the pattern into which you wish to mould yourself. Your mind will readily be convinced that such a great soul, is fit to be worshipped and revered. Guru is the Moksha-dvara (door to liberation). He is the gateway to the transcendental Truth-Consciousness. But, it is the aspirant who has to enter through it. The, Guru is a help, but the actual task of practical Sadhana (spiritual practice) falls on the aspirant himself. THE NEED FOR A GURU For a beginner in the spiritual path, a Guru is necessary. To light a candle, you need a burning candle. Even an illumined soul alone can enlighten another soul. Some do meditation for some years independently. Later on, they actually feel the necessity of a Guru. They come across some obstacles in the way. They are unable to know how to obviate these impediments or stumbling blocks. Then they begin to search for a Master. Only the man who has already been to Badrinath will be able to tell you the road. In the case of the spiritual path, it is still more difficult to find your way. The mind will mislead you very often. The Guru will be able to remove pitfalls and obstacles, and lead you along the right path. He will tell you: "This road leads you to Moksha (liberation); this one leads to bondage". Without this guidance, you might want to go to Badrinath, but find yourself in Delhi! The scriptures are like a forest. There are ambiguous passages. There are passages which are apparently contradictory. There are passages which have esoteric meanings, diverse significance, and hidden explanations. There are cross-references. You are in need of a Guru or Preceptor who will explain to you the right meaning, who will remove doubts and ambiguities, who will place before you the essence of the teachings. A Guru is absolutely necessary for every aspirant in the spiritual path. It is only the Guru who will find out your defects. The nature of egoism is such that you will not be able to find out your own defects. Just as a man cannot see his back, so also he cannot see his own errors. He must live under a Guru for the eradication of his evil qualities and defects. The aspirant who is under the guidance of a Master or Guru is safe from being led astray. Satsanga or association with the Guru is an armour and fortress to guard you against all temptations and unfavourable forces of the material world. Cases of those who had attained perfection without study under any Guru should not be cited as authority against the necessity of a Guru; for, such great men are the anomalies of spiritual life, and not the common normality. They come into existence as spiritual masters as a result of the intense service, study, and meditation practised in previous births. They had already studied under the Guru. The present birth is only its continuative spiritual effect. Hence, the importance of the Guru is not lessened thereby. Some teachers mislead their aspirants. They say unto all: "Think for yourself. Do not surrender yourself to any Guru". When one says, "Do not follow any Guru!", he intends to be the listeners' Guru himself. Do not approach such pseudo-Gurus. Do not hear their lectures. All great ones had their teachers. All the sages, saints, prophets, world- teachers, incarnations, great men, have had their own Gurus, however great they might have been. Svetaketu learnt the nature of Truth from Uddalaka, Maitreyi from Yajnavalkya, Bhrigu from Varuna, Narada from Sanatkumara, Nachiketas from Yama, Indra from Prajapati; and several others humbly went to wise ones, observed strict Brahmacharya, practised rigorous discipline, and learnt Brahma-vidya (the science of God) from them. Lord Krishna sat at the feet of His Guru Sandeepani. Lord Rama had Guru Vasishtha who gave Him Upadesha (spiritual advice). Lord Jesus sought John to be baptised by him on the banks of the river Jordan. Even Devas (celestial beings) have Brihaspati as their Guru. Even the greatest among the divine beings sat at the feet of Guru Dakshinamurti. A neophyte must have a personal Guru first. He cannot have God as Guru to begin with. He must have a pure mind. He must have ethical perfection. He, must be intensely virtuous. He must be above body-consciousness. Then alone can he have God as Guru. HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR GURU If you find peace in the presence of a Mahatma (great soul), if you are inspired by his speeches, if he is able to clear your doubts, if he is free, from greed, anger, and lust, if he is selfless, loving, and I-less, you can take him as your Guru. He who is able to clear your doubts, he who is sympathetic in your Sadhana, he who does not disturb your beliefs but helps you on from where you are, he in whose very presence you feel spiritually elevated-he is your Guru. Once you choose Your Guru, implicitly follow him. God will guide you through the Guru. Do not use your reason too much in the selection of your Guru. You will fail if you do so. If you fail to get a first-class Guru, try to follow the instructions of the Sadhu (a spiritual person) who is treading the path for some years, who has purity and other virtuous qualities, and who has some knowledge of the scriptures. Just as a student of the Intermediate class will be able to teach a student of Third Form when a professor with M.A. qualification is not available, just as a sub-assistant surgeon will be able to attend on a patient when the civil surgeon is not available, this second- class type of Guru will be able to help you. If you are not able to find out even this second-class type of Guru, you can follow the teachings contained in the books written by realised saints like Sri Sankara, Dattatreya, and others. You can keep a photo of such a realised Guru, if available, and worship the same with faith and devotion. Gradually you will get inspiration, and the Guru may appear in dream and initiate and inspire you at the proper time. For a sincere Sadhak (aspirant), help comes in a mysterious manner. When the time is ripe, the Guru and the disciple are brought together by the Lord in a mysterious way. MYSTERIOUS HELP FROM THE LORD Just see how the Lord has helped the devotees in the following instances. Eknath heard an Akasavani (a voice from the sky). It said, "See Janardan Pant at Deva Giri. He will put you in the proper path and guide you." Eknath acted accordingly and found his Guru. Tukaram received his Mantra, Rama Krishna Hari, in his dream. He repeated this Mantra and had Darshan (vision) of Lord Krishna. Lord Krishna directed Namdev to get his higher initiation from a Sannyasin (renunciate) at Mallikarjuna. Queen Chudalai assumed the form, of Kumbha Muni, appeared before her husband Sikhidhwaja in the forest, and initiated him in the mysteries of Kaivalya (state of absolute independence). Madhura Kavi saw a light in the firmament for three days consecutively. It guided him and took him to his Guru Nammalvar who was sitting in Samadhi underneath a tamarind tree near Tinnevelly. Vilvamangal was very much attracted to Chintamani, the dancing woman. The latter became his Guru. Tulasidas received instructions from an invisible being to see Hanuman and, through Hanuman, to get Darshan of Sri Rama. Competent disciples are never in want of a competent Guru. Realised souls are not rare. Ordinary ignorant-minded persons cannot easily recognise them. Only a few persons, who are pure and embodiments of all virtuous qualities, can understand realised souls, and they only will be benefited in their company. So long as there is a world, there are Gurus and Vedas to guide the struggling souls in the path of Self-realisation. The number of realised souls may be less in the Iron Age when compared with the Satya Yuga (age of Truth), but they are always present to help the aspirants. Let each man take the path according to his capacity, temperament, and understanding. His Sadguru will meet him along that path. SIKSHA GURUS AND DIKSHA GURU Man has a twofold duty here on earth-to preserve his life, and to realise his Self. To preserve his life, he has to learn to work for his daily bread. To realise his Self, he has to serve, love, and meditate. The Guru who teaches him the knowledge of worldly arts is the Siksha Guru. The Guru who shows him the path of Realisation is the Diksha Guru. Siksha Gurus can be many-as many as the things he wishes to learn. The Diksha Guru can be only one-the one who leads him to Moksha. STICK TO ONE GURU Do not dig here and there shallow pits for getting water. The pits will dry up soon. Dig a very deep pit in one place. Centralise all your efforts here. You will get good water that can supply you throughout the year. Even so, try to imbibe thoroughly the spiritual teachings from one preceptor alone. Drink deep from one man. Sit at his feet for some years. There is no use of wandering from one man to another man, out of curiosity, losing faith in a short time. Do not have the ever-changing mind of a prostitute. Follow the spiritual instructions of one man only. If you go to several people and follow the instructions of many persons, you will be bewildered. You will be in a dilemma. From a doctor, you get a prescription. From two doctors, you get consultation. From three doctors, you get your own cremation. Even so, if you have many Gurus, you will be bewildered. You will be at a loss to know what to do. One Guru will tell you: "Do Soham Japa". Another will tell you: "Do Japa of Sri Ram”. A third Guru will tell you: "Hear Anahat (mystic) sounds". You will be puzzled. Stick to one Guru and follow his instructions. Listen to all, but follow one. Respect all, but adore one. Gather knowledge from all, but adopt the teachings of one Master. Then you will have rapid spiritual progress. GURU-PARAMPARA Spiritual knowledge is a matter of Guru-parampara. It is handed down from Guru to disciple. Gaudapadacharya imparted Self-knowledge to his disciple Govindacharya; Govindacharya to his disciple Sankaracharya; Sankaracharya to his disciple Suresvaracharya. Matsyendranath imparted knowledge to his disciple Gorakhnath; Gorakhnath to Nivrittinath; Nivrittinath to Jnanadeva. Totapuri imparted knowledge to Sri Ramakrishna, and Ramakrishna to Swami Vivekananda. It was Ashtavakra who moulded the life of Raja Janaka. It was Gorakhnath who shaped the spiritual destiny of Raja Bhartrihari. It was Lord Krishna who made Arjuna and Uddhava get themselves established in the spiritual path when their minds were in an unsettled state. INITIATION-ITS MEANING A Bhakta will be initiated by a Bhakta saint in the path of devotion. A Jnani will initiate a student of Vedanta in the Mahavakyas. A Hatha Yogi or a Raja Yogi can initiate another in his particular path. But, a sage of perfect realisation, a Purna-jnani (full-blown sage) or Purna-yogi, can give initiation in any particular path. A sage or saint like Sri Sankara or Madhusudana Sarasvati can initiate a Sadhak in any particular path for which the aspirant is fit. The Guru will find out by close study of the aspirant his tastes, temperaments, and capacity, and decide for him the most suitable path. If his heart is impure, the teacher will prescribe selfless service for a number of years. Then the Guru will find out for what particular path the student is fit and initiate him in that. Initiation does not mean reciting a Mantra into another's ears. If Rama is influenced by the thoughts of Krishna, the former has got initiation already from the latter. If an aspirant treads the path of truth after studying the books written by a saint, and imbibes his teachings, that saint has already become his Guru. SAKTI-SANCHAR Just as you can give an orange to a man, so also, spiritual power can be transmitted by one to another. This method of transmitting spiritual powers is termed Sakti-sanchar. In Sakti-sanchar, a certain spiritual vibration of the Sadguru is actually transferred to the mind of the disciple. Spiritual power is transmitted by the Guru to the proper disciple whom he considers fit for Sakti-sanchar. The Guru can transform the disciple by a look, a touch, a thought or a word, or mere willing. Sakti-sanchar comes through Parampara. It is a hidden mystic science. It is handed down from Guru to disciple. Lord Jesus, through touch, transmitted his spiritual power to some of his disciples. A disciple of Samartha Ramdas transmitted his power to that dancing girl's daughter who was very passionate towards him. The disciple gazed at her and gave her Samadhi. Her passion vanished. She became very religious and spiritual. Lord Krishna touched the blind eyes of Surdas. The inner eye of Surdas was opened. He had Bhava Samadhi. Lord Gouranga, through his touch, produced divine intoxication in many people and converted them to his side. Atheists even danced in ecstasy in the streets by his touch and sang songs of Hari. The disciple should not rest satisfied with the transmission of power from the Guru. He will have to struggle hard in Sadhana for further perfection and attainments. Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa touched Swami Vivekananda. Swami Vivekananda had superconscious experience. He struggled hard for seven years more, even after the touch, for attaining perfection. GRACE AND SELF-EFFORT Realisation cannot come to you as a miracle done by your Guru. Lord Buddha, Lord Jesus, Rama Tirtha have all done Sadhana. Lord Krishna asks Arjuna to develop Vairagya (dispassion) and Abhyasa (practice). He did not say to him, "I will give you Mukti(liberation) now". Therefore, abandon the wrong notion that your Guru will give you Samadhi and Mukti. Strive, purify, meditate, and realise. Guru-kripa-grace of a Guru-is very necessary. That does not mean that the disciple should sit idle. He must do rigid Purushartha, spiritual practices. The whole work must be done by the student. Nowadays, people want a drop of water from the Kamandalu (water-pot) of a Sannyasin and desire to enter into Samadhi immediately. They are not prepared to undergo any Sadhana for purification and Self-realisation. They want a magic pill to push them into Samadhi. If you have got such delusion, give it up immediately. The Guru and the Shastras can show you the path and remove your doubts. Anubhava (direct experience) of the Aparoksha kind or direct intuitive knowledge is left for your own experience. A hungry man will have to eat for himself. He who has a severe itching will have to scratch for himself. No doubt, the Guru's blessing can do everything. But how can one have his blessings? By pleasing the Guru. A Guru can be pleased with his disciple only if the latter carries out his spiritual instructions implicitly. Carefully follow, therefore the instructions of the Guru. Act up to his instructions. Then only will you deserve his blessings, and then alone his blessings can do everything. Latest Additions......... Sivananda Yoga (Yoga DVD) Divya Jivan (Gujarati)/ "Amrut Putra" (Gujarati) / Atam Mahek (Gujarati) / Fragrance ( English) - Swami Adhyatmananda Yoga, A Way of Life - Sri Swami Adhyatmananda "Yoga and Health" - a complete book with Question & Answer section by Sri Swami Adhyatmananda Books on Yoga by Swami Adhyatmananda  Please subscribe to Divyajivan Mailing List. We will update you with new uploads of spiritual literature on the web of Holy Master Sri Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj, saints of his lineage and other saints. We will also update you about the Sivananda Ashram, Ahmedabad website and facilitate communication with Sri Swami Adhyatmanandaji Maharaj.   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Obtaining Happiness

Obtaining Happiness A Report from Silicon Valley
By MAX BARNES

Every year, people from all over the world flock to Silicon Valley – the world’s cradle of innovation – seeking to create something impactful out of the endless opportunity present in such tiny corner of our world. While some seek fortune and others seek fame, most Silicon Valley pioneers desire to make a lasting impact on the world around them.

In order to help strengthen their corporate mindset and culture, many successful Silicon Valley firms offer valuable opportunities for their employees. On one particular sultry summer Friday deep in the heart of Silicon Valley, over one hundred entrepreneurs crowded into a small conference room at GSVlabs to acquire something far more valuable than riches: personal enlightenment.

GSVlabs – an innovation centre and startup incubator – hosted Shantanu Nagarkatti  --or Dr N as his friends know him by -- to hear his insights on attaining an elusive treasure craved by all humankind: lifelong happiness.

From a historical perspective, happiness was merely just an absence of pain or stress. However, that definition is quite limited. It doesn’t include an actual enjoyment of life. Dr N explained that obtaining persistent happiness in our lives takes constant hard work; not in the sense of career duties or manual labour, but a strenuous effort to contradict a natural negativity bias hardwired in each of our brains.

The intersection between entrepreneurship and happiness may seem inconsequential, but when studies show that entrepreneurs are prone to higher levels of depression, it gives one pause. One may wonder how can it be that so many brilliant entrepreneurs have an increased risk to suffer from a life-crippling condition? Sure, every entrepreneur is infected with the extreme stress that comes with starting a business, but who in this day and age isn’t stressed?

Dr N’s teachings highlighted some important truths about stress that we all experience in addition to sharing with us some useful tricks to manage a natural negativity bias that lingers in each of us. By prevailing over the natural stress prevalent in human nature we can further increase our happiness, productivity, and our effectiveness.

Everyone that lives on this big blue planet of ours experiences his own daily stresses; that obvious fact alone should demonstrate that stress is just a natural part of life. Stress, and therefore the unhappiness that is often associated with being “stressed”, will always be present in our lives. It’s almost as if humans are cursed with a constant stress that always seems dilute and diminish the happiness we feel.

In fact, that thought is exactly what Dr N confirmed for the audience at GSVlabs. Over the course of history, the human mind slowly evolved in order to overcome daily stressful challenges. Our cave-dwelling ancestors experienced things we can’t even imagine and while we no longer have to worry about many of the regular difficulties they dealt with, we still all face different kinds of problems each day. Now in the modern age, our brain needs a software update. We are still built to stress over things most of us don’t need to stress over. Instead of stressing over survival that our brain is built for, survival stress drips down into our daily lives causing us to feel more anxious than need-be.

This might sound strange at first, but the logic behind it makes sense. Survival means overcoming constant difficulties and in order to do that effectively, our ancestors needed to be able to distinguish between threats and non-threats. Being hyper-aware of potential problems is what kept you alive while ignorant bliss led to death. Our ancestors needed to be constantly hyper-aware of potential dangers, which lead our brains developing a negativity bias to force our brains to seek out potential problems in order to avoid them.

Enter the modern age. We are no longer running away from lions and eating bark. Now we receive emails 24/7 and have complex projects to complete.  Stress has evolved along with humankind. The first step in solving any problem is first admitting there is one. Acknowledging that our own human hardwiring perceives many things in a negative light can grant us the strength to intervene in our own lives on our own terms. We can help ourselves overcome the frustrating daily stresses that can hinder our focus and progress and the only way to do that is by identifying and recognising that fact.

There is a certain comfort in knowing why some of us may always seem a little more on edge than usual. It’s just how humans are wired. Entrepreneurs have one of the most difficult jobs in the world and knowing that humans are wired to subconsciously seek out daily problems and issues allows one to take a deep breath, relax, and focus. Stress and worrying is natural. It’s just our brain in default mode; this is where our mind wanders in and out of the past, subconsciously looking for potential problems and identifying areas where we might be under threat. By focusing on the present and not letting the stress creep in, we can keep ourselves in an attentive mode rather than slip back into the natural default mode.

By explaining some simple truths about happiness and our own nature, Dr N has taken us on journey toward obtaining personal enlightenment and true happiness. An important fact to remember is that happiness is a complex concept that has many layers, like onions. Dr N told us that Martin Seligman classified the three levels of happiness as: the pleasant life, the good life, and the meaningful life.

The pleasant life is the first “level” of happiness and the most common form of happiness people focus on. Fine wine, good food, driving nice cars, enjoying luxury…everything that provides a sensual pleasure can be considered apart of the pleasant life. A lot of people focus on this type of happiness and this type alone, and the problem is that the pleasant life isn’t sustainable. The pleasant life doesn’t last, it’s fleeting, and after about six months you will begin to feel a drain in your overall happiness. You can try and replenish your happiness by buying more things, but one should heed the law of diminishing returns. The more you try to fill up your personal happiness with the pleasant life, the less satisfied and happy you will feel in the long run. Research shows that obtaining material goods (e.g. buying a private jet) only gives you about six months of contentment before that feeling will begin to diminish.

Rather than focusing on the hedonistic pleasant life, Dr N explains that to move upward and onward into the good life, one should focus on strengthening the areas where you have talent and align them with yours passions and the work you do everyday. The good life provides a sense of fulfillment that in turn makes it easier to focus on your work. When the challenges of work match your ability and talents, you move into a state that Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi terms ‘Flow”. In this state of Flow, you are temporarily lost in your work. You remain oblivious of time, your physical needs, and your sense of self.

Dr N affirmed that when one engages in the good life, temporary forgetfulness of self, emotional baggage from the past and worries about the future and their mind is fully attentive to the task at hand.  This turns work into a meditation. It’s a healthy cycle that is built on having a focused mind, tough inner-will, and the desire to improve and change.

Lastly, and most importantly, Dr N explained how to obtain true life-long happiness. To enter the meaningful life, you must work for a purpose higher than yourself so you can transcend your sense of self. The essence of the meaningful life is forgetting oneself so the focus becomes the work that needs to get done rather than the individual. Dr N explained that if you go down this path, then it becomes significantly easier to touch lives and hearts with the work you are doing, which in turn will make you and others happier.

To silence the mind is very hard work, but not all-hard work will silence the mind. Instead of trying to brutally force yourself to improve, Dr N suggests trying a few simple tricks to do every day for a couple of minutes as soon as you wake up in the morning. Dr N calls them “brain rewiring interventions”; there are seven of them and you do one each day of the week in the morning and evening.  These interventions are the research work of Amit Sood, MD, at The Mayo Clinic. They help counter the negative energy that is associated with the daily stress we are hardwired to endure; the only cure for stressful despair is action. So each morning start off strong by contemplating each intervention.

Day of the Week

Intervention

For Entrepreneurs

Monday

Gratitude

Think of 5 people you are grateful for in your life and take a minute to think about how you are grateful for them in your life.

Tuesday

Compassion

Think of the people you love in your life and remember why you love them. Think of the people in your life who you don’t like and show them compassion.

Wednesday

Acceptance

Accept yourself for your faults. None of us are perfect. Acceptance leads to improvement.

Thursday

Find Meaning

Find meaning throughout your day. Perhaps the Cosmos is trying to show you a sign?

Friday

Forgiveness

Forgive your enemies, for they are in pain too. Forgive those you love, nobody is perfect. Forgive yourself, everyone makes mistakes.

Saturday

Celebration

Celebrate a great week! What are the highlights?

Sunday

Reflection

Remember the pros and cons of the previous week. What can you do to prepare for a successful week?

Silicon Valley is the epicentre of world-changing breakthroughs and the entrepreneurial pioneers of today should heed Dr N’s valuable guidance. One can only make a meaningful difference and fix what is wrong with this world when one is happy. By overcoming our natural negativity bias and rewiring our own brains to focus on the present we can begin to make meaningful changes in not just our own lives, but the in the world around us. Happiness and moral integrity doesn’t just impact the person’s daily life; it permeates organisations that play on the world stage.