Have I Understood Love?

Posted on November 27, 2016 by Web Master

The word ‘love’ is grossly misunderstood and misused.

In fact most people do not know what love means.

Any form of ‘liking’

fascination
infatuation
attraction

is conveniently termed ‘love’!

LOVE means total purity…

…where one asks for nothing and only gives and gives!

…That is the beauty of TRUE LOVE
Comprehensively Described

Love is devoid of any desires and expectations;

There can be no demands in love.

Love grows by the MOMENT.

All other so-called forms of ‘love’ become stale…

…they putrefy with the passage of time.

Real love is ever fresh, ever new! It is continual…unbroken.

Like the love for our mother…

Even when she grows old…this love does not diminish.
In true love, there is no necessity

to continually declare one’s love

…through physical demonstrations

…by hugging or giving gifts.

One simply loves and the other understands.

In a mutual tuning of minds…words are not required.

On the flip side…

…despite outward expressions and professions of ‘love’

…there may be no love in the heart.

Prompted by love one may give a gift

…but just because someone gives a gift

…does not necessarily mean that the person loves you.

Love is a subtle emotion…a subtle experience

…In attachment, there is bondage

…In love, there is freedom.

One Problem, Many Solutions

Posted on November 27, 2016 by Web Master

Problems are many and varied,

……….but the experiencer is one…‘I’.

This ‘I’ thought is the ego.

Vedanta says you have no problems; you are the problem!

Generally used to denote arrogance or a superiority complex, the ego has many expressions.

‘I am depressed…elated…brilliant’

ALL expressions of the ego.

Ego is a sense of individuality rising from identification with something or other.

This sense of limitation, makes us want

to acquire and enjoy more.

…If I think I have less than others, jealously arises.

…If I think I have more than others, arrogance rises.

Jealousy, arrogance and depression indicate limitedness, and give sorrow.

Our problems boil down to one problem…

…the ego.

The Solutions…

JNANA

Enquire, ‘Who am I?’ The body or the mind?

If I am not these limited instruments, then there is nothing to limit me;

…there is no sorrow.

A person who has realised the Self is without ego,

without sorrow – totally peaceful.

An actor can remain without his role,

BUT the role cannot be without him.

KARMA

Actions without a sense of ‘I’ help remove the ego.

Ego is of two kinds:

the technical ego (‘I am Ram’, ‘I am an Indian’)
the problematic ego (the sense of ‘I-ness’ or individuality).

The technical ego is necessary to transact in the world.

The problematic ego is the one that gives us sorrow.

It is important to cultivate the attitude:

‘You, God, are the doer. I am Your instrument.

You are the Lord. I am Your servant.

I accept everything you give as prasada.’

Bondage comes from the feeling: ‘I am the doer’, not from the thought: ‘I am an instrument’.

If the musician’s performance is not good, people blame the musician, not the instrument.

BHAKTI

Devotion to God is called bhakti.

Total love of God purges negativities

and purifies the mind.

In bhakti, we lose our identity

…and become a zero before Him.

When the seeker becomes the total, there is:

no sense of duality
no ego
no sense of limitation

The devotee feels: ‘I do not exist. Only God is everywhere.’

The sense of individuality is dissolved.

The ego disappears.

The problem of the ego is overcome through any one or a combination of :

KARMA YOGA

BHAKTI YOGA

JNANA YOGA

Shravana Sadhana on Srimad Bhagawad Geeta, Kharghar, Navi Mumbai

Posted on November 27, 2016 by Web Master

By the grace of God and Pujya Gurudev, Shravana Sadhana on Srimad Bhagawad Geeta has started at Shree Mahalakshmi Temple, Kharghar, Navi Mumbai by Br. Ved Chaitanyaji from March 2016. The seventh chapter was taken from 14^th to 17^th November 2016. The sessions were interesting witnessing audience of more than 100 people everyday! It also saw growing young audience.

The seventh chapter named ‘Akshara-Brahma-Yoga’ starts with Arjuna asking the questions about few terms like Brahma, Karma, Adhyatma & so on. He also asks about reaching God by remembering Him at the end of life. The Lord while answering gives the method of having Him as the last thought. He also says that to induce that thought we need to remember Him all through life, while doing our duties!

The ninth chapter will be conducted from 12^th to 15^thDecember 2016.

Shravana Sadhana BG Ch 08 - 01 Shravana Sadhana BG Ch 08 - 02

Stress Management in SIES College, by Br. Ved Chaitanya

Posted on November 27, 2016 by Web Master

There were 2 sessions on Stress Management by Br. Ved Chaitanya ji organized in SIES College of Management Studies Campus in Nerul on 15^th & 16^th November 2016. Both the sessions were for the first year post graduation students (PGDM – Post Graduate Diploma in Management). First session had around 90 students & second session had 120 students!

In today’s world, the most common thing is stress. It has become so much part of our life that we have started thinking that it is natural or sometimes necessary. But actually it is not so! We can live a complete stress-free life even now. Our scriptures give many methods to do so. Through the youth-friendly method of acronyms, Vedji explained the ways of managing stress to all the youngsters.

Both the sessions very lively & saw the great enthusiastic involvement of all the students. They were so inspired that around 60 of them have shown their desire to join our CHYK classes. The teachers were also impressed & are willing to have more such sessions for other students.

Stress Management in SIESCOMS - 03

Potter for Shaping Mind, youth camp by Br. Ved Chaitanya

Posted on November 27, 2016 by Web Master

Chinmaya Yuva Kendra & Chinmaya Mission Navi Mumbai organized a magical youth camp, ‘Potter For Shaping Mind’ at Chinmaya Prerana, Kharghar from 2^nd to 5^th November 2016 based on Harry Potter, a young wizard idolized by the past two generations. There were total 86 campers (74 residential & 12 non-residential).

The mesmerizing journey of the campers in the magical world began as they arrived at the venue on 2^nd morning along with their parents! The beautiful set-up made by Chyk-volunteers, which resembled the places in Harry Potter series, surprised them all!! After inauguration, the campers were sorted into four houses by the sorting hat.

Since some campers didn’t know anything about Harry Potter, campers watched all the 8 movies of Harry Potter over the first three days. The movie sessions were followed by group discussions where the campers discussed on various aspects of movie, understanding it through various perspectives. They also had a debate session on the topics such as – Are there good people & bad people in the world? Is power good or bad? These discussion & debate sessions helped them in understanding the concepts well. Campers also had a JAM (Just A Minute) session, where they spoke on different topics extempore & reduced their fear of public speaking!

Br. Ved Chaitanyaji took the main sessions in the camp. He showed the connection of Harry Potter with different aspects of our life. He also gave a different meaning to the characters and important facets of the movies. For example:- Harry represents each one of us & the villain Voldemort represents the ignorance, root cause of all our problems! The seven horcruxes that must be destroyed before killing Voldemort are indeed the seven negativities/enemies of our life i.e. desire, anger, greed, delusion, pride, jealousy & ego (काम, क्रोध, लोभ, मोह, मद, मात्सर्य & अहङ्कार). The campers were surprised to see how much Harry Potter resembles our life. They surely got a new way of looing at such movies!

The enlightening sessions were just the treat for our intellects and the game sessions were the required refreshments for our body and mind. Campers played different Indian games & enjoyed them thoroughly!!

On 6^th November 2016, around 30 campers went for trekking to Karnala fort along with Vedji. All of them completed the trek, which was indeed a new experience for many!

By the God’s grace & Pujya Gurudev’s blessings, it was indeed a life-changing experience for all who were part of this wonderful camp! Everyone left with great inspiration, pondering on the memories & taking a resolve of shaping their mind & their life!!

From Ordinary to Extraordinary: Building Self-Esteem through Vedanta, Vivekji

Posted on November 27, 2016 by Web Master

CHYK West DC recently conducted their 7^th annual CHYK retreat from August 26-28, 2016 at the Chinmaya Mission Washington Regional Center (CMWRC) in Silver Spring, Maryland. The retreat was conducted under the guidance of Vivekji (Chinmaya Mission Niagara Falls) and was attended by 60 young adults from various regions within the USA and Canada. The theme of the retreat was “From Ordinary to Extraordinary: Building Self-Esteem through Vedanta.”

The main element of the retreat was Vivekji’s discourses on Nirvana Shatkam, one of Adi Shankaracharya’s most popular texts. Through Vivekji’s illuminating discourses, attendees were repeatedly given potent insights into how seekers wrongly identify with that which is not their nature, and how to achieve real Self-Esteem: by re-identifying with their true nature (Existence-Awareness-Bliss).

Other activities for this retreat included guided contemplation, group discussions and skits, athletic activities, a movie workshop, and Club Sattva (an activity created by Vivekji where all participants must dance to Sattvic pop music while blindfolded). The attendees were also able to celebrate Janmashtami with the larger Chinmaya Mission congregation, leaving all attendees filled with devotion. The retreat activities were designed to encourage attendees to step out of their comfort zone without fear, and all attendees left the retreat filled with inspiration and confident that they could practice what they had learned.

The retreat was a resounding success, and CHYK West DC would like to express its gratitude to Vivekji, the retreat Sevaks, CMWRC, and all others who contributed to the retreat.

Confidence in One’s Self and One’s Faith, JCHYK retreat with Vivekji

Posted on November 27, 2016 by Web Master

62 JCHYKs from all over North America attended the annual JCHYK summer retreat at Chinmaya Somnath from August 22 to 26. This retreat has been on going for the past 2 years and has been facilitated by Vivekji.
The theme of this year’s camp was Confidence in One’s Self and One’s Faith. Under Vivekji’s guidance, the students studied Vibhishana Gita.
During the course of the week JCHYK’s listened to many discourses lead by Vivekji and Swami Dheerananadji, the residential Swami in the Washington region.
Each day, students participated in both philosophical sessions and practice sessions. They also had many opportunities to talk to Vivekji and ask him any questions they had about the spiritual path or everyday life.
Halfway through the week, the students went on a field trip to a sports complex; they spent the day rock climbing, playing soccer and tree top climbing. The JCHYKs took part in many team-building games and by the end of the day they felt much closer to one another. They were very grateful to the CHYKs for coordinating the event and preparing fun activities for the camp.
During the retreat, the campers participated in daily sewa chores, sang bhajans and played team games outside with the CHYKs and Vivekji.
One afternoon, the girls played a fun game of Kabadi with Vivekji and the boys learnt Bharatnatyam from Vivekji’s wife, Sheela didi.
The JCHYKs felt like they really benefited from the retreat and it was a great opportunity for self-development. Many look forward to returning next year!

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Into the Wild, with Sadhana Panchakam, by Vivekji

Posted on November 27, 2016 by Web Master

The poster simply said “Goloka Welcomes you ‘INTO THE WILD’ with Sadhana Panchakam”.

This was the first time that the Chinmaya Mission Phoenix–Goloka was attempting an offsite camp and no one was very sure what to expect. Intrigued, a few families signed up. With a lot of coaxing and cajoling the final count was 25 families.

The trip started from Phoenix up to the beautiful red rocks of Sedona to the tall pines of Payson. Ten vans met at Deer Valley Park on Saturday Morning, and set out for Sedona. Sedona is well known for its vortexes- swirling centers of subtle energy emanating from the Earth. This was an opportunity we could not miss. We hiked to the heights of the airport and cathedral vortexes, and down to the calm serenity of the Boynton canyon vortex. At the end, we felt physically exhausted, but spiritually satisfied. Yet our journey had just started. As we headed out, red rocks gave way to the beautiful pines of our Payson camp site.

The evening started with a short welcome and the first of the discourses on Sadhana Panchakam. Vivekji dissected each verse in the book to simple layman terms. The four discourses were interspersed with wit and humor without ever missing the core message. At the end of each part of the verse there was a personal tip for us to follow.

After a sumptuous dinner prepared by volunteers, the group was split into 2 – one for stargazing and the other for fireside antakshari.

The next morning started with a 1 hour meditation followed by breakfast and then the second of the 4 discourses. During the discourses for the adults, the elementary and middle schoolers had classes and fun activities including “Make my Ganesha”. After lunch, the athletically inclined played soccer with Vivekji, volley ball or went on a short walk. The little kids played cricket and the rest were active cheer leaders. After a hike to a nearby waterfall, the group was ready for the third discourse.

The last day of the camp was the holy day of Ganesh Chathurthi which was celebrated after the morning session. After lunch we all headed back home with some great memories; rejuvenated and revitalized.

It was a joy and blessing to learn from someone as erudite as Vivekji. At the outset he set the tone for the camp by asking us to follow 4 C’s – no Complaining, no Criticizing, no Crying and be Content. He guided us through the meditations and the discourses and actively participated in all activities. He also made the trip memorable for the younger kids by dedicating some time for them on each day.

All of us left the camp looking forward eagerly to the next opportunity to participate in a camp like this.

Enhance Will Power Through Meditation, Swami Prakarshananda

Posted on November 27, 2016 by Web Master

After successfully completing The Basic Meditation Programme Swami Prakarshananda began a four day session on “Enhance Will Power Through Meditation”at Chinmaya Mission Lodhi Road. The opening day saw the auditorium filling up fast since nobody wanted to miss out even a minute.

On the dot of 7.00 Swami Prakarshananda was received at the entrance in the traditional manner with Vedic chanting and the Purna Kumbh, after which he proceeded to inaugurate the function by lighting the lamp. The Secretary Prema Viswanath introduced Swami Prakarshananda who has been posted at Chinmaya Delhi, just six months ago. The large audience present on the first day was an indicator of how quickly Swamiji has been able to reach out to the spiritual seekers in the capital.

After a short prayer Swamiji began the talks by first recapping some of the basics, since the audience had first timers who had not attended any meditation session.

Swami Prakarshananada began by pointing out that meditation is an art; for any art a special effort has to be made to learn it. One who can talk does not automatically become a good orator; just knowing how to walk does not make one an athlete. This requires conscious and concentrated effort. For the purpose of meditation the instrument to be used is our mind . So it is essential to understand the nature of the mind, how it works and befriend it. Quoting the Bhagawad Geeta, Swamiji urged the audience to understand that we have to lift our mind to an elevated level by our own efforts; having lifted the mind to a certain level, we should ensure that it does not slip down for then it becomes our worst enemy; the mind that has been lifted up, becomes our best friend.We have to take charge of our own lives and accept responsibility for our own upliftment.

Swamiji emphasized repeatedly that the mind being subtle in nature, no object can help us to reach it and make the required corrections. The only method of correcting the mind is through knowledge in the form of thought. Unless we are absolutely convinced about this, we will not make any effort to improve the quality of our mind. Adjustments have to be made within, not externally as is our normal tendency.

The watchword for a meditator is AWARENESS. We must be very aware of and alert about the quality of our thoughts, how we interact with others at every moment.It must be clearly understood that if the mind is disturbed it is because of negativities in the mind – anger, greed, jealousy and so on. No other person, object or situation is causing this disturbance and agitation it is the negativity of my own mind. Another important principle of which we must be aware is that if there is an effect, we must discover the cause and eliminate it. For example, when we are angry we tend to focus on that fact but we do not try to find out the cause for the anger. The cause for anger is our non-acceptance of the situation/our ego has been hurt. A subtle mind understands that it is not always possible to get what we want, situations do not unfold as we desire; therefore, it is best to rise above the situation and let go that which is beyond our control. This is the mantra for a peaceful mind.

Illustrating the principles under discussion with varied contemporary examples Swamiji kept the audience fully engaged. The first day of the course also saw delegates from the US and Turkey among the audience. Every session included a segment where the audience practiced the art of making the mind single pointed for about 15 minutes.

While concluding Swami Prakarshananada stressed the fact that changing the quality of one’s mind is not achieved overnight; it requires enthusiasm, perseverance and patience. There is no short cut if one wishes to reach the higher level of bliss of the mind. For this it is necessary to achieve perfection in all aspects of our life by following the universal principles discussed. Only when we have put in the necessary effort in the right direction can we expect to reap the benefit in the form effortlessly gliding into meditation.

Free Eye Check Up Camp, Mumbai

Posted on November 27, 2016 by Web Master

Chinmaya Mission with Dr. Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital held a one day Free Eye Check-up Camp, with the special feature being Diabetic Retinopathy Screening at the Lodhi road centre, on the Saturday 19 November 2016.

The Tapovan hall had been converted into a mini eye care centre with dark room facility and all the necessary equipment required for the check up. At 9 am Swami Prakarshananda inaugurated the camp by lighting the lamp and invoking the blessings of Pujya Gurudev for the success of the camp.

In the short time about 160 people from all walks of life and all age groups made the best of this opportunity to avail of the services of doctors from one of the best eye care centre in Delhi.

The efficient team led by leading retinopathy specialist Dr. Manisha Agarwal and ably assisted by Dr. Shalini worked without a break to ensure that all those who came were checked. Chinmaya Mission Delhi thanks them for this great service that they provided.