"If I have a thousand ideas and only one turns out to be good, I am satisfied."
-- Alfred Nobel
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GONWARD
Onward, Forward, Godward |
THE DAWN OF A NEW LIFE
All my sorrow is over, My heart is now brimming up with joy; Peace has now entered my soul. All doubts, fears and delusion have vanished. I was suddenly lifted out of myself. There was dawn of a new life. I experienced the inner world of Reality. The Unseen filled my soul and heart. I entered the vast, luminous Silence. I was bathed in a flood of effulgence ineffable. I came on the hidden spring of all life. #################################### MANTRA DIKSHA Mantra diksha Mantra is so powerful that it can change your daestiny, economic situation, physical structure, etc. If you want the mantra to change the whole structure of your life, you must practise it regularly, every morning and evening. - Swami Satyananda Saraswati According to Sri Swami Satyananda the etymological meaning of the word mantra is "by repetition of which the mind becomes free from external experiences." Mantras are not simply syllables or words but mystic sounds that were revealed to rishis or seers while in deep states of meditation. These mantras have been handed down from guru to disciple for thousands of years. "Such mantras," says Sri Swamiji, "can completely explode the whole personality and open the gates to higher awareness." In the yogic tradition, diksha has been limited to three areas of evolution in spiritual life. The first is mantra diksha, initiation into mantra by a guru, which is taken when the aspirant decides to investigate the mental dimension. Mantra diksha is for every aspirant who has even the slightest aspiration towards spiritual growth. Even a little sincerity, a strong curiosity, is enough for one to decide to have a mantra and a guru. So, mantra diksha is for everyone. There is no commitment to anyone but oneself and one's inner unfoldment through sincere and constant practice of the mantra, as instructed by the guru who gives it. The basis of spiritual life is the mantra, which vibrates with the energy of cosmic sound and which is a vehicle for spiritual transcendence. Mantra japa is considered to be the foremost sadhana in the Kali Yuga. When the mantra is imparted, it is registered on the atman, or soul. Through mantra repetition the gross mind becomes more and more subtle and refined. Mantra is used to create a state of harmony between external and internal life and unfold the psychic personality. Repetition of the mantra also gives relaxation, tranquillity and equipoise. A mantra can be obtained in three ways. It can be revealed to psychic people, it can manifest itself in dream, or it can be received from a guru. One's personal mantra should only be received from one who has attained mantra Siddhi, perfection in the mantra through constant and unbroken practice over a long period of time. Mantra is the seed or energy spark planted by the guru in the depths of the disciple's consciousness. The heart, mind and consciousness of the seeker are already like fertile soil just ready to receive the spark or seed. As with any seed, it needs regular attention and care. Regular and constant watering through repeating the mantra awakens its potential. From a seed it becomes- a tiny sprout, then a small shoot. After some years of constant practice, it grows into a strong plant. At last the buds begin to appear, and then finally it bursts forth into a beautiful flower. It is up to the initiate to explode the hidden power of his mantra through his own effort; the guru can only plant the seed. Mantra is our link with the deeper mysteries of our inner and outer universe, because in actual fact the whole universe is contained within our own selves. Through constant mantra japa the psychic body grows into a living experience, because mantra belongs to the realm of the unconscious and subconscious mind, the causal and subtle bodies which constitute our psyche. That is the realm of awareness which an aspirant has to unfold before he can advance in sadhana. The mantra unlocks the door to this psychic realm. Mantra initiation is therefore given according to our psychic personality. Only an enlightened guru can penetrate this psychic world into which we have no entry. The more the mantra is practised, the greater the impact on the psyche, until it reverberates in every cell, and the whole consciousness is thereby transformed. It is there that it becomes a potential force. Mantras represent the pulsation of psychic energy, whose visible form is contained in the nucleus of the atom. Therefore, a mantra should be understood to be a most potent tool for, and a concentrated symbol of, realization. Place of sadhana After initiation, a special place should be prepared for the spiritual practice. Ideally, it should be a separate room where no one but the initiate enters. It can even be kept under lock and key to increase and protect its sanctity. However, if this is not possible, a corner of the room can be kept aside for this purpose. That room or area should be kept spotlessly clean by the sadhaka or spiritual practitioner. No one else should clean it or touch anything there because this will interfere with the psychic field being created by the practitioner. Through daily repetition of the mantra the energy will be built up, and it will become pervaded by the mantra and the psychic vibration of the sadhaka. Lighting incense will help create the right atmosphere for meditation and mantra japa (repetition of the mantra) and will relax the mind. The chanting of prayers, stotrams (hymns) or bhajans (devotional songs) will also have a very powerful effect. A chanting tape can also be played. The mala and dhoti, or any other spiritually charged objects like a yantra, a picture of the guru or ishta devata, a statue, cross or shiva lingam can also be kept there if desired. This will help focus the mind and awaken the right bhava or attitude for sadhana. The mala and area will become so charged that when you sit down you will easily slip into the practice. ######################## ######################################### KAMMA, CAUSE OF KAMMA, DIVERSITY OF KAMMA, RESULTS OF KAMMA AND THE CESSATION OF KAMMA SHOULD BE KNOWN "'Kamma should be known. The cause by which kamma comes into play should be known. The diversity in kamma should be known. The result of kamma should be known. The cessation of kamma should be known. The path of practice for the cessation of kamma should be known.' Thus it has been said. In reference to what was it said? "Intention, I tell you, is kamma. Intending, one does kamma by way of body, speech, & intellect. "And what is the cause by which kamma comes into play? Contact is the cause by which kamma comes into play. "And what is the diversity in kamma? There is kamma to be experienced in hell, kamma to be experienced in the realm of common animals, kamma to be experienced in the realm of the hungry shades, kamma to be experienced in the human world, kamma to be experienced in the world of the devas. This is called the diversity in kamma. "And what is the result of kamma? The result of kamma is of three sorts, I tell you: that which arises right here & now, that which arises later [in this lifetime], and that which arises following that. This is called the result of kamma. "And what is the cessation of kamma? From the cessation of contact is the cessation of kamma; and just this noble eightfold path — right view, right resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration — is the path of practice leading to the cessation of kamma. ############################### |
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