Dear Friends
I’d promised myself that every Monday I will put in a new post, but certain personal events over the weekend prevented me from acting upon that promise. I pray that I should be able to keep it up in the next 12-13 weeks.
One of the names of Shiva is Dakshinamurthy. He is called “Aadi Guru” i.e. the first teacher. Of course that form of the Lord is only seen by us in photos or in temples. There was however, one teacher who descended upon our great nation centuries ago, his name was Aadi Sankara”. He was the Lord’s own incarnation who brought His teachings to us through many spiritual literary works.
When we buy any appliance or machine, we get what is called an “instruction manual” sometimes in different languages, to advise us how to use that appliance or machine. The human body, mind, intellect equipment, when it is born; doesn’t come with any “instruction manual”. We learn to use it by default rather than by design. Adi Sankara wrote a few such instruction manuals for different kinds of people with different inclinations; like the Bhaja Govindam for the melodious devotion inclined; Shiva Aparadha Kshamapana Stotram for the prayer inclined; Vivekachoodamani for the learning inclined etc. These instruction manuals teach us about what this triple personality layer, i.e. Body, Mind, Intellect equipment (called BMI) is. I had said in my last post that I will write on this BMI in my next post; here I am.
At the core of our being is the Life Spark in us, our Godhood. This principle is the one which makes our BMI apparatus function in us. With our Body we perform various actions in our daily transactions with various experiences. These actions are determined by how we react to situations and people around us. These reactions are governed by our Mind, which is the seat of our emotions and feelings. While doing so, many a times our actions are determined by our likes or dislikes; i.e. different pairs of opposites. On occasions these actions are wonderful and excellent and at other times very disappointing or disturbing. The difference in the quality of actions is determined by our discriminative Intellect. The Mind is like the water in a flowing river; ever changing course, constantly moving; whereas the discriminative Intellect is like the river’s banks, firm, guiding and channelizing it in the right path. In spiritual literature, “heart” means the Mind & Intellect equipment (M&I) in us and not the anatomical heart that is behind our lungs. When the Life Spark with us is no more, it is the sum total of the residual qualities that we have developed in our heart that determines our journey into our next embodiment, the after-life.
The Kailash Yatra is not a journey out there in the yonder; it is a journey inwards; into our hearts. Let us use the various exercises prescribed for our different personality layers to make this pilgrimage a really Holy one. In doing so, to the extent possible, let us learn a few of the literary gems of the Great Teacher, Adi Sankara, depending upon our own convictions in our hearts, in each one of us.
With Prem & Om
Suresh
I’d promised myself that every Monday I will put in a new post, but certain personal events over the weekend prevented me from acting upon that promise. I pray that I should be able to keep it up in the next 12-13 weeks.
One of the names of Shiva is Dakshinamurthy. He is called “Aadi Guru” i.e. the first teacher. Of course that form of the Lord is only seen by us in photos or in temples. There was however, one teacher who descended upon our great nation centuries ago, his name was Aadi Sankara”. He was the Lord’s own incarnation who brought His teachings to us through many spiritual literary works.
When we buy any appliance or machine, we get what is called an “instruction manual” sometimes in different languages, to advise us how to use that appliance or machine. The human body, mind, intellect equipment, when it is born; doesn’t come with any “instruction manual”. We learn to use it by default rather than by design. Adi Sankara wrote a few such instruction manuals for different kinds of people with different inclinations; like the Bhaja Govindam for the melodious devotion inclined; Shiva Aparadha Kshamapana Stotram for the prayer inclined; Vivekachoodamani for the learning inclined etc. These instruction manuals teach us about what this triple personality layer, i.e. Body, Mind, Intellect equipment (called BMI) is. I had said in my last post that I will write on this BMI in my next post; here I am.
At the core of our being is the Life Spark in us, our Godhood. This principle is the one which makes our BMI apparatus function in us. With our Body we perform various actions in our daily transactions with various experiences. These actions are determined by how we react to situations and people around us. These reactions are governed by our Mind, which is the seat of our emotions and feelings. While doing so, many a times our actions are determined by our likes or dislikes; i.e. different pairs of opposites. On occasions these actions are wonderful and excellent and at other times very disappointing or disturbing. The difference in the quality of actions is determined by our discriminative Intellect. The Mind is like the water in a flowing river; ever changing course, constantly moving; whereas the discriminative Intellect is like the river’s banks, firm, guiding and channelizing it in the right path. In spiritual literature, “heart” means the Mind & Intellect equipment (M&I) in us and not the anatomical heart that is behind our lungs. When the Life Spark with us is no more, it is the sum total of the residual qualities that we have developed in our heart that determines our journey into our next embodiment, the after-life.
The Kailash Yatra is not a journey out there in the yonder; it is a journey inwards; into our hearts. Let us use the various exercises prescribed for our different personality layers to make this pilgrimage a really Holy one. In doing so, to the extent possible, let us learn a few of the literary gems of the Great Teacher, Adi Sankara, depending upon our own convictions in our hearts, in each one of us.
With Prem & Om
Suresh
No comments:
Post a Comment