| |
| Reflections… | Volume: 1 Issue: 4 January-February 2008 |
|
|
Spread over 25 acres of landscaped gardens, the architecture and interiors are a seamless confluence of traditional and the modern styles.
Extract from Guests’ comments:
|
Living the Wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita Pawan Malik Contd from Nov-Dec 2007
issue… |
As we progress through the Gita, the dialogue will move through a series of questions and answers that elucidates metaphysical concepts such as the body/soul (matter/spirit) distinction, the principle of non-attached action, the virtues of discipline (yoga) and meditation, the importance of knowledge (jnana) and devotion (bhakti). Krishna will teach that perfection lies not in renunciation of the world, but, rather in disciplined action (karma-yoga), which is to be performed without attachment to results (Karmaphala -sangha). He will tell us about the essential drivers of human personality, the Guna’s and also tell us how to differentiate between the good and bad qualities within us, and how to work with them. Each one of us carries an Arjuna within us, and the mind of humans at the beginning of the 21st century may not be too different from the one who fought 5000 years ago. Unlike Arjuna, our Mahabharata is often fought over a long period and our discontent and disappointments accumulate over time. Nevertheless, we must all strive to understand how to get the most out of life, our role in life, and its ultimate purpose, else we run the risk of living an aimless existence. When should you start on this journey, a wise man was once asked? He replied, “Start the day before you know you are going to die.” Since, we do not know when we will die; the answer is “start here and now”. That’s all the time we have – the past is gone and the future is not here.” Pawan
|
Spiritual
Practice and Family Life Swami Satyasangananda |
An
introduction to Ashtanga Yoga |
|
|
The family unit was created in order to stabilize and secure the position of individuals who choose to live together and help one another throughout life. The family members thus serve as a strength and security for each other. They know that in times of trouble their family will always support them. In addition to that, there is the obligation which parents feel towards their children. They try to help them monetarily when times are difficult and also provide for their future through the system of inheritance. The child inherits the wealth of the parents and this acts as a surety throughout life on which he or she can always rely. This was the original purpose of creating the family system. After all, a woman who bears a child requires some assurance that she and her child will be provided for. Apart from the required financial support, emotional and psychological supports are also important. The security of being loved wanted and cared for his an inherent need in all of us. We require a base or foundation on which to stand throughout life, something we can take for granted. The love and warmth we received in our childhood is very influential in forming our personalities and behavioral responses to the people and events which we will face later on. However, in spite of its importance we find that today the family unit is disintegrating. The son no longer cares for the father, the father and mother spend most of their time inflict and the children are left to fend for themselves and grow up as strangers to each other. The parents do not win the respect of their children and therefore they do not share their confidence. The whole family situation is turning into a mere superficiality as people become less and less compatible with their fellows and environment. Eventually, this disintegration affects society and results in all kinds of social problems. |
In order to control the baser instincts, you have to feel a certain sense of responsibility or duty towards someone or something. That obligation prevents you from going over the edge because you care for and love those whom this would undoubtedly affect. If you are very close to your family, there is less chance of your straying into situations where you will commit in act which is dangerous or harmful to yourself, your family or society. On the other hand, if you have no love for your family and feel that your actions affect on one but yourself, you are more prone to vagrancy. As the spiritual aspirant still operates from within a family situation, he or she has to be careful to understand their role in relation to the family. Firstly, it must be very clear that the family is not an obstacle to spiritual life. The wife, husband, children, parents and in-laws are all a part of the integral journey. You can not separate yourself from them on account of a growing interest in spiritual pursuits. You have the under go your experiences with the family, not just as disinterested onlookers, or victims of the situation, but as active participants. You have to be wholly involved in family pursuits and derive the maximum possible benefits through interacting with all the family members. Of course, if your partner shares the same views about life as you do and your children are cooperative and accept your role as a spiritual aspirant that is all right. But what if your family situation is not so congenial? What if your partner reproaches you constantly for your involvement with yoga? What if your children ridicule you and think you have gone crazy? What then? …to be continued Extracted from Karma Sannyasa by Swami Satyasangananda |
The eight limbs are Yama and Niyama Yama means self-restraint in the sense of self-mastery, or abstention, and consists of five elements. Niyama means observances, which are also five in number. Here is the complete list of these ten Pillars as given in Yoga Sutras 2:30,32: 1. Ahimsa (non-injury) Reference: Works of Adi Sankaracharya, Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh & Swami Nirmalanda Giri ...to be continued |
