Scriptures, Prayers, Saints & Great Teachers related posts -worth sharing

Re: Buddha

I enjoyed reading this article Kalpana. Thanks fo sharing the link too.

 

Re: Buddha

Thanks Lalithasai.
Have a nice day!!
regards
Kalpana.

 

Control of Subconscious Mind

Control Of Subconscious Mind​

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SWAMI BRAHMESHANANDA
A former editor Of THE VEDANTA KESARI, the authour is presently the Secretary, Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama, Chandigarh.
Question: It is said that the subconscious mind is very powerful and constitutes 90% of the mind. Is this true?
Answer: Yes. According to modern psychology, only 10% of our mind is conscious, while 90% is subconscious.
Question: What is the significance of this?
Answer: It means that many of the activities which we do in our day-to-day life, are governed and prompted by our subconscious mind.
Question: For example?
Answer: Suppose you are listening to a lecture attentively. You might also be moving your hands and fingers, even without your being conscious. These movements are due to the promptings of the subconscious mind.
Question: Does subconscious mind act only on the physical body?
Answer: No. Subconscious mind also influences our thoughts and even our decision-making. Western psychologists say that the subconscious urges and desires manipulate the conscious mind to get fulfilled.
Question: What does Indian psychology say?
Answer: According to Indian psychology, we are prompted by our past impressions called Samskaras to act in a specific manner. These are very strong.
Question: Some say that subconscious mind is fully active during sleep.
Answer: It is active during the dream-state. During that state the conscious mind sleeps; it is shut off. So the subconscious mind gets an opportunity to have a full, unhindered play.
Question: But in dreams we see also the pictures seen in the waking state. So how can you say that there is activity of sub-conscious mind?
Answer: Many of the dreams are symbolic. For example snake is a symbol of lust, and although some one may not feel lustful in the waking state, if he/she sees a snake in the dream, it means that he/she has lust suppressed in the subconscious mind.
Question: Can we control the subconscious mind or make use of it?
Answer: Certainly yes. And this is a real task for us. According to one technique, the mentally retarded children are made to listen to music or some text, selected by experts, while they are asleep. The subconscious mind listens and so learns them. Later, the candidate is able to reproduce much of what is learnt of without the effort of conscious mind. As a matter of fact, most of the activities of the small children are governed by the subconscious mind, and their learning too is through the subconscious mind.
Question: How to make use of this technique in the adult life also?
Answer: The atmosphere we live in, the people we meet, the pictures we just glance through, the sound which enters an ear unknowingly--all these inputs influence the subconscious mind. As a mater of fact, we go on learning many things unconsciously.
Question: Please illustrate this.
Answer: While you are working, for example or are travelling in car, or are sitting in your room, continuously play a cassette of bhajans or chanting of God's name. Although your conscious mind may be busy with the task at hand, the holy music will effortlessly enter into your ears, and influence your mind. Also, put holy pictures in various places in your house. As you move around, although you may not look at it, still, their presence will be felt by the subconscious mind, and it will be affected.
Question: How does one control the conscious mind?
Answer: By the practice of meditation.
Question: And how to control the subconscious mind?
Answer: Meditation or dhyana is one of the eight steps in Patanjali's system of yoga. Of these, the first two, yama and niyama are meant to control the subconscious mind. Unless the principles of yama and niyama are regularly practised, no one can succeed in the control of the conscious mind which gradually leads to the control of the subconscious mind. Yama includes the universal ethical values: Non-violence, truth, chastity, non-stealing and non- possessiveness. Niyama includes purity of body and mind, contentment, reading of healthy, holy literature, austerity, and surrender to God.
Question: But as these are practised consciously, how do they help in controlling the subconscious?
Answer: When one systematically practises the conscious control of mind, with intensity and for long time, it produces Nirodha-samskaras, or impressions of control. Nirodha means control, restraint, and samskaras essentially are subconscious impressions. Thus the subconscious mind is controlled.
Question: Examples?
Answer: When Sri Ramakrishna practised the renunciation of money, he forcefully impressed upon his mind that money was as useless as dust since it cannot impart God-realisation. Thinking thus he threw away a coin and a lump of clay in Ganga. His auto-suggestion was so intense and the subconscious impression produced on the mind was so deep that later he could not touch metal, even unconsciously. Even if unknowingly he touched metal or coin, he felt a burning sensation.
Question: It is said that we, on an average use only 10% of our brain. Is that true?
Answer: We do not know the exact percentage; but, certainly, we only use a part of our brain. The rest remains unused.
Question: How can we use greater parts of our brain and thus become more efficient?
Answer: Most of our mental energies are wasted due to restlessness. Most of us, at most times, remain dull or restless. If this mental inertia, or tamoguna can be removed and the restless mind controlled by leading a systematic life, much of the energy which is frittered away, can be harnessed.
When the flow of a river is stopped by a dam, and the water is channelled in a specific direction, and is made to fall on a turbine, it produces electricity. Similarly, the restless mind must be controlled by the practice of detachment, Vairagya, and then this mind must be, through effort, re-directed in only one direction. That is how the mind is controlled and concentrated. Such a mind even acquires extraordinary powers. This is mentioned in the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali.
One should overcome the restlessness of body and mind, stop wasting time and mental energies in useless activities, and learn to systematically practise meditation and prayer.

 

Re: Buddha

Kalpana garu ,
Namaste,
Meeru pampina "BUddha" post purtiga chadivanu .
chala bagundi. Ee kadha Ramanamaharshi garu Tana
devotees ki chepparanukuntanu. Buddhudu Avatara purusudu
gada. kani itani Avataram DASAVATARAM lalo ledu .kaaranam teliyadu. Edi emayina Ramana Maharsi Gari uddesam emito
naku teliyaledu.
Meeku Dhanyavadaalu.
Sd/Nischel

 

Re: Control of Subconscious Mind

kalpana madam,
I have gone through your post of the above Title. Hope it is an extract from the magazine VEDANTA KESARI. what ever it may be i could not understand about the subconsciousmind.
where it is located?I studied in my Highschool classes that in a human skull there are 3 parts.They are
1) cerebrum 2) cerebellum 3) Medulla oblongeta
the function of cerebrum is to make independent decision.memory,etc.The function of cerebellum is to carry
out the orders once issued by Big brain through limbs.
the function of medulla is to attend all invoulentary actions
when the above two take Rest.Mind is the name given
to the function of big brain. Then where is this subconscous
mind.If u understand i request u to clarify my doubt please.
Sd/Nischel

 

Re: From complete works of swami vivekananda -volume 2 -worth sharing

Thanks for sharing this Kalpana. Hope to read more of Swami Vivekananda highlights.

Good day.

 

Re: Control of Subconscious Mind

Dear Nischel,

I do not have wide knowledge about science like you. What I understand from this is…it is not something you can show physically…it is present here.

Pls pardon me….I do not have scientific explanation for this.

Regards
Kalpana.​

 

Re: Buddha

Dear Nischel garu,
Namaste,
Meeru pedda varu,

Meeku chala experience and knowledge undi. I do not know go much in researching. I read spiritual stuff and trying to learn all good things and how to put them into practice. It’s a good inspiration for me to come across people like you with wide knowledge.

regards
Kalpana​

 

Japa (Repetition of God's name

The Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi​

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Japa​

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(Repetition of God's name)
By Sri Ramana Maharshi
Edited by David Godman ​

Preamble​

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By David Godman ​

A Mantra is a word or phrase, which has been given to a disciple by a Guru, usually as part of an initiation rite. If the Guru has accumulated spiritual power as a result of his realisation or meditation, some of this power is transmitted in the Mantra. If the disciple repeats the word continuously, the power of the Guru is invoked in such a way that it helps the disciple to progress towards the goal of self-realisation. Sri Ramana Maharshi accepted the validity of this approach but he very rarely gave out Mantras himself and he never used them as part of an initiation ceremony. He did, on the other hand, speak highly of the practice of Nama-Japa (the continuous repetition of God’s name) and he often advocated it as a useful aid for those who were following the path of surrender.​

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Surrender to God or the Self could be effectively practised by being aware at all times that there is no individual ‘I’ acting and thinking; only a ‘higher power’ which is responsible for all the activities of the world. Sri Ramana Maharshi recommended Japa as an effective way of cultivating this attitude since it replaces an awareness of the individual and the world with a constant awareness of this higher power.​

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In its early stages the repetition of the name of God is only an exercise in concentration and meditation, but with continued practice a stage is reached in which the repetition proceeds effortlessly, automatically and continuously. This stage is not reached by concentration alone but only by completely surrendering to the deity whose name is being repeated: ‘To use the name of God one must call upon Him with yearning and unreservedly surrender oneself to Him. Only after such surrender is the name of God constantly with the man’.​

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When Sri Ramana Maharshi talked about this advanced stage of Japa there was an almost mystical dimension to his ideas. He would speak of the identity of the name of God with the Self and sometimes he would even say that when the Self is realised the name of God reappears itself effortlessly and continuously in the Heart.​

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This ultimate stage is only reached after the practice of Japa merges into the practice of self-attention. Sri Ramana Maharshi usually illustrated the necessity of this transition by quoting from the words of Namdev, a fourteenth century Maharashtra saint: ‘The all-pervading nature of the Name can only be understood when one recognises one’s own ‘I’. When one’s own name is not recognised, it is impossible to get the all-pervading Name’. This quotation comes from a short work by Namdev entitled ‘The Philosophy of the Divine Name’ and the full text is given in one of Sri Raman’s answers below. Sri Ramana first discovered it in 1937 and for the last thirteen years of his life he kept a copy of it on a small bookshelf by his bed. He frequently read it out when visitors asked him about the nature and usefulness of Japa and from the number of times he spoke of it with approval it is reasonable to assume that he fully endorsed its contents.
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Question: My practice has been a continuous Japa (continuous repetition) of the name of God with the incoming breath and the name of Sai Baba with the outgoing breath. Simultaneously with this I see the form of Baba always. Even in Bhagavan, I see Baba. Now, should I continue this or change the method, as something from within says that if I stick to the name and form, I shall never go above name and form? But I can’t understand what further to do after giving up name and form. Will Bhagavan enlighten me on this point?​

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Sri Ramana Maharshi​

: You may continue in your present method. When the Japa becomes continuous, all other thoughts cease and one is in one’s real nature, which is Japa or Dhyana (meditation or contemplation). We turn our mind outwards on things of the world and are therefore not aware of our real nature being always Japa. When the conscious effort of Japa or Dhyana, as we call it, we prevent our mind from thinking of other things, then what remains is our real nature, which is Japa.
So long as you think you are name and form, you can’t escape name and form in Japa also. When you realise you are not name and form, then name and form will drop of themselves. No other effort is necessary. Japa or Dhyana will naturally and as a matter of course lead to it. What is now regarded as the means, Japa, will then be found to be the goal. Name and God are not different. This is clearly shown in the teachings of Namdev:​

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[FONT=sans-serif,Times New Roman]1. ​

The Name permeates densely the sky and the lowest regions and the entire universe. Who can tell to what depths in the nether regions and to what height in the heavens it extends. The ignorant undergo the 84 lakhs (8.4 million) of species of births, not knowing the essence of things. Namdev says the Name is immortal. Forms are innumerable, but the Name is all that.
[FONT=sans-serif,Times New Roman]2. [/FONT]The Name itself is Form. There is no distinction between Name and Form. God became manifest and assumed Name and Form. Hence the Name the Vedas established. Beware there is no Mantra beyond the Name. Those who say otherwise are ignorant. Namdev says the Name is Keshava (God) Himself. This is known only to the loving devotees of the Lord.
[FONT=sans-serif,Times New Roman]3. [/FONT]The all pervading nature of the Name can only be understood when one recognises one’s own ‘I’. When one’s own name is not recognised, it is impossible to get the all-pervading Name. When one knows oneself, then one finds the Name everywhere. To see the Name as different from the Named creates illusion. Namdev says, ‘Ask the Saints’.
[FONT=sans-serif,Times New Roman]4. [/FONT]No one can realise the Name by practice of knowledge, meditation or austerity. Surrender yourself first at the feet of the Guru and learn to know that ‘I’ myself is that Name. After finding the source of that ‘I’ merge your individuality in that oneness which is self-existent and devoid of all duality. That which pervades beyond dvaita (duality) and dvaitatita (that which is beyond duality), that Name has come into the three worlds. The Name is Parabrahman itself where there is no action arising out of duality. ​

The same idea is also found in the Bible: ‘In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God’.​

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Question​

: So the true name of God will ultimately be revealed by Self-enquiry?​

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Sri Ramana Maharshi​

: Since you yourself are the form of the Japa, if you know your own nature by enquiring who you are, what a wonder it will be! The Japa which was previously going on with effort will then continue untiringly and effortlessly in the Heart.​

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Swami Vivekananda..July 4 1902 - attained Mahasamadhi

Vivekananda is best remembered as the man who "stole the show" at the 1893 World Parliament of Religions in Chicago, where he earned wild applause for beginning his address with the famous words, "Sisters and brothers of America." This event marks the beginning of western interest in Hinduism not as merely an exotic eastern oddity, but as a vital religious and philosophical tradition that might actually have something important to teach the west. Within a few years of the Parliament, he had started Vedantic centres in New York and London, lectured at major universities and generally kindled western interest in Hinduism. After this, he returned to India. He started Sri Ramakrishna Math and Mission founded on the principle of Atmano Mokshartham Jagad-hitaya cha (for one's own salvation and for the welfare of the World). This institution is now one of the greatest monastic orders of Hindu society in India. He was only 39 years old when he passed away.
Teachings

1. 1. My ideal, indeed, can be put into a few words, and that is to preach unto mankind their divinity, and how to make it manifest in every movement of life.
   2. Religion is the manifestation of the divinity already in man.
   3. Religion is the idea which is raising the brute unto man, and man unto God.
   4. The secret of religion lies not in theories but in practice. To be good and do good - that is the whole of religion.
   5. Man is higher than all animals, than all angels; none is greater than man.
   6. One may gain political and social independence, but if one is a slave to his passions and desires, one cannot feel the pure joy of real freedom.
   7. Look at the wall. Did the wall ever tell a lie? It is always the wall. Man tells a lie and becomes a god, too.
   8. After so much austerity, I have understood this as the real truth - God is present in every jiva; there is no other God besides that. 'Who serves jiva, serves God indeed.'
   9. Cut out the word help from your mind. You cannot help; it is blasphemy! You worship. When you give a morsel of food to a dog, you worship the dog as God. He is all, and is in all.
   10. Unselfishness is God. One may live on a throne, in a palace, and be perfectly unselfish; and then he is in God. Another may live in a hut and wear rags, and have nothing in the world; yet if he is selfish, he is intensely merged in the world.
   11. All nations have attained greatness by paying proper respect to women. That country and that nation which do not respect women have never become great, nor will ever be in future.
   12. With five hundred men, ... the conquest of India might take fifty years: with as many women, not more than a few weeks.
   13. Religion and religion alone is the life of India, and when that goes, India will die, in spite of politics, in spite of social reforms, in spite of Kubera's wealth poured upon the head of every one of her children.
   14. Before flooding India with socialistic or political ideas, first deluge the land with spiritual ideas.
   15. We want to lead mankind to the place where there is neither the Vedas, nor the Bible, nor the Koran; yet this has to be done by harmonizing the Vedas, the Bible, and the Koran.
   16. Mankind ought to be taught that religions are but the varied expressions of THE RELIGION, which is Oneness, so that each may choose the path that suits him best.
   17. Who will give the world light? Sacrifice in the past has been the Law, it will be, alas, for ages to come. The earth's bravest and best will have to sacrifice themselves for the good of many, for the welfare of all.
   18. Truth, purity, and unselfishness - whenever these are present, there is no power below or above the sun to crush the possessor thereof. Equipped with these, one individual is able to face the whole universe in opposition.
   19. Everything can be sacrificed for truth, but truth cannot be sacrificed for anything.
   20. The highest ideal is eternal and entire self-abnegation, where there is no 'I', but is Thou'.
   21. All expansion is life, all contraction is death.
   22. All love is expansion, all selfishness is contraction. Love is therefore the only law of life. He who loves lives, he who is selfish is dying. Therefore love for love's sake, because it is law of life, just as you breathe to live.
   23. The national ideals of India are Renunciation and Service. Intensify her in those channels, and the rest will take care of itself.
   24. Good motives, sincerity, and infinite love can conquer the world. One single soul possessed of these virtues can destroy the dark designs of millions of hypocrites and brutes.
   25. Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life - think of it, dream of it, live on idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success.
   26. The world is the great gymnasium where we come to make ourselves strong.
   27. Feel like Christ and you will be a Christ; feel like Buddha and you will be a Buddha. It is feeling that is the life, the strength, the vitality, without which no amount of intellectual activity can reach God.
   28. The will is not free - it is a phenomenon bound by cause and effect - but there is something behind the will which is free.
   29. The more we come out and do good to others, the more our hearts will be purified, and God will be in them.
   30. There is nothing beyond God, and the sense enjoyments are simply something through which we are passing now in the hope of getting better things.
   31. The moment I have realized God sitting in the temple of every human body, the moment I stand in reverence before every human being and see God in him -- that moment I am free from bondage, everything that binds vanishes, and I am free.
   32. Our duty is to encourage every one in his struggle to live up to his own highest idea, and strive at the same time to make the ideal as near as possible to the Truth.
   33. That man has reached immortality who is disturbed by nothing material.
   34. You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you, none can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher but your own soul.
   35. The goal of mankind is knowledge. . . . Now this knowledge is inherent in man. No knowledge comes from outside: it is all inside. What we say a man "knows," should, in strict psychological language, be what he "discovers" or "unveils"; what man "learns" is really what he discovers by taking the cover off his own soul, which is a mine of infinite knowledge.
   36. If money help a man to do good to others, it is of some value; but if not, it is simply a mass of evil, and the sooner it is got rid of, the better.
   37. All differences in this world are of degree, and not of kind, because oneness is the secret of everything.
   38. To devote your life to the good of all and to the happiness of all is religion. Whatever you do for your own sake is not religion.
   39. The greatest religion is to be true to your own nature. Have faith in yourselves!
   40. The spirit is the cause of all our thoughts and body-action, and everything, but it is untouched by good or evil, pleasure or pain, heat of cold, and all the dualism of nature, although it lends its light to everything.
   41. It is our own mental attitude which makes the world what it is for us. Our thought make things beautiful, our thoughts make things ugly. The whole world is in our own minds. Learn to see things in the proper light. First, believe in this world -- that there is meaning behind everything. Everything in the world is good, is holy and beautiful. If you see something evil, think that you are not understanding it in the right light. throw the burden on yourselves!
   42. In one word, this ideal is that you are divine.
   43. All the powers in the universe are already ours. It is we who have put our hands before our eyes and cry that it is dark.
   44. If faith in ourselves had been more extensively taught and practiced, I am sure a very large portion of the evils and miseries that we have would have vanished.
   45. Where can we go to find God if we cannot see Him in our own hearts and in every living being.
   46. The Vedanta teaches that Nirvana can be attained here and now, that we do not have to wait for death to reach it. Nirvana is the realization of the Self; and after having once known that, if only for an instant, never again can one be deluded by the mirage of personality.
   47. The Vedanta recognizes no sin it only recognizes error. And the greatest error, says the Vedanta is to say that you are weak, that you are a sinner, a miserable creature, and that you have no power and you cannot do this and that.
   48. Never think there is anything impossible for the soul. It is the greatest heresy to think so. If there is sin, this is the only sin - to say that you are weak, or others are weak.
   49. Truth can be stated in a thousand different ways, yet each one can be true.