* ‘Know Thyself’ was carved into stone at the entrance to Apollo’s temple
at Delphi in Greece, according to legend. Scholars, philosophers, and
civilizations have debated this question for a long time. Why have we not
been able to find the answer?*
In Bhagavatam, the Hindu Scripture, there is an interesting dialogue
take place between Sage Narada and Sanatkumara. Narada asked Sage
Sanatkumara to teach him. Sanatkumara said : ‘Say what you know: I will say
what you do not’ Narada said: ‘Lord, I know Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama
Veda, Atharvana Veda, history and tradition called the fifth Veda,
grammer, ritual, mathematics, astrology, mineralogy, logic, economics,
physics, meta-physics, zoology, politics, astronomy, ,economics, fine
arts. ‘Lord, yet these things are but elementary knowledge; I do not
know the Self. I have heard from masters, that he who knows Self, goes
beyond sorrow, I am lost in sorrow. Help me to go beyond’. So in order to
go beyond sorrow one has to know oneself.
The sage of Arunachala, Ramana maharishi of Thiruvannamalai,
Tamilnadu, India also emphasized to enquire oneself, Who am I? This
inquiry of Who am I means finding the source of ‘I’. When this is found,
that which you seek is accomplished.
atman, (Sanskrit: “self,” “breath”) one of the most basic concepts in
Hinduism, *the universal self, identical with the eternal core of the
personality that after death either transmigrates to a new life or attains
release (moksha) from the bonds of existence*.The conception of the self or
ātmā in Advaita Vedānta is *self-realization*. Everything always exists in
the Brahman; Brahman is pure consciousness, and pure existence there can be
no distinction between the external worlds or internal spirit all is one,
uniform, unchanged and unchangeable.
1. Deepen your spiritual practice. A spiritual practice means
taking time to look inward and experience your true nature. Examples of
spiritual practices are meditation, yoga, chanting, being in nature, doing
something you love, studying ancient sacred texts, sitting in silence, or
even immersing yourself in sound. It can be anything that inspires you to
be, observe love, and feel. Ideally, your whole life will become a
spiritual practice as you experience and realize your true nature.*“Peace
comes from within. Do not seek it without*." –Buddha2. Be willing to feel.You
cannot think your way out of a situation that your thinking or judgments
got you into. Your emotions are the bridge between who you think you are
and who you really are. Many people go to great lengths to avoid their
feelings, using drugs, food, and other distractions to ease their pain or
fear. This only leads you further away from yourself. Substitute these
destructive coping methods with journaling, prayer, meditation,
inspirational reading, or activities in nature. Spend time with trusted
friends, dance, sing, and play. Let all emotions move through you and
inform you. The only bad emotion is a stuck or ignored one."*Your pain is
the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding.”* –Khalil Gibran3.
Replace negative self-talk with positive affirmative thought.If you’re like
most people, you speak to yourself in a way you would never talk to
another. This keeps the reality of who you think you are in place and
precludes your accessing the reality of who you really are. Gather some
affirmations and write them down. Whenever you realize you’re being unkind
to yourself, reward yourself for noticing with one of the affirmations. An
effective remedy is to use an opposite statement. For example, if you catch
yourself saying, “I am so stupid.” Replace it with, “I am actually
brilliant.” Feel the difference in your body, mind, and spirit when you do
this. Accept your true identity and personal excellence. Be your own best
friend.*“Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is
kindness*.” –*Dalai Lama*4. Know and live your values and principles.Take
the time to determine clearly what you believe to be your most important
values. What MUST be present in your life for you to feel good? Write 3 to
5 of them down and why they are important to you. Then, start to observe
your thoughts. Take note of how you make decisions and take actions that
are congruent with your values. Make your values your guide to action.*“Your
values become your destiny.” *–Mahatma Gandhi5. Use your unique gifts and
talents to help others.We are all one and at the same time each individual
is unique and has a specific place in the universe. You have been given
talents and skills that are unique to your journey, but you must relate to
others to survive and thrive. When you heal your own misunderstanding about
the truth of your existence, everyone benefits. And when you help others,
you help all. Choose peace, compassion, gratitude, and love, beginning with
yourself and then sharing with others.*“Every time you are tempted to react
in the same old way, ask if you want to be a prisoner of the past or a
pioneer of the future.” *–Deepak Chopra
BOOK OF SWAMI SIVANANDA "KNOW-THYSELF" ( I wrote a few years back
sivananda extracts in these columns; now few droplets out of 200 ethics he
said on this topic.
1. In this formidable ocean of Samsara, you have only one boat to voyage
to the other shore of Immortality–the company of Sages.
2. When you are assailed by temptations and surging waves of turbulent
mind,you have only one refuge here–the lotus feet of Saints.
3. In this peaceless world, men and nations can rediscover peace and bliss
only at the fountain source of Eternal Wisdom–the Men of God.
4. In the dark wilderness of the daily battle of life, only the light of
aSelf-realised Mahapurusha can show you the path to love, light and peace.
5. If you want to enjoy peace and happiness, practise this simple
Sadhana.Adapt, adjust and accommodate. Lack of this divine quality of
adaptability is the cause for disharmony, quarrels, riots and wars.
6. It is not so easy as it looks outwardly. You should crush and powder
your ego if you wish to develop adaptability. It is this Rajasic
self-assertivenature that disturbs the equilibrium and creates disharmony.
7. Only if you bend, can you drink water from the tap. Only if you
arehumble, will you be able to drink the water of peace, bliss and harmony.
8. A humble man alone can conquer the whole world.
9. Only a man who is humble will be able to adapt, adjust and accommodate.
10. There is infinite Sakti in Ram Nam. Ram Nam is the solution for all the
troubles that have beset the mankind of this Atomic Bomb Age.
11. A disciplined man achieves success in all undertakings.
12. But, for success in the spiritual life, self-discipline is most
essential. Without discipline you cannot make any progress in the path.
13. Even if you are poor and have no food to eat, even at the point of a
bayonet, sing *Chidananda Hum *and feel that you are the Immortal,
InfiniteAtman. You will derive fresh energy, great divine power.
14. Divine Life will descend only when there is serenity.
15. Just as you remove a pebble from the shoe and thus relieve yourself,
you will have to drive off the Vritti which is disturbing you. Then only
will you really reach the Realm of Peace and Bliss. KR IRS 20123
On Fri, 20 Jan 2023 at 17:21, Markendeya Yeddanapudi <
[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
> --
> *Mar*Knowing and Understanding Yourself
>
>
>
> All the 24 hours a day, every second of the 24 hours, you breathe, and
> smell, the smell messages from nature. The invisible and abstract arena of
> nature, converts you as part of nature, impacting on your internal hormonal
> communication, to and among the 10,000 trillion cells of you. Only very
> little of it makes you aware consciously. The lush and free the nature, the
> stronger and vigorous your participation in nature as nature. Most of what
> is happening to you and in you, your mind cannot know. If you know, then
> you realize that you have no separate existence apart from nature. You
> realize that you are nature. When you realize that you are nature and feel
> your basic partnership in nature, then you feel very confident as you are
> nature and not an insignificant organism pitted against nature. And nature
> becomes part of your body, very vital and precious.
>
> Today, in the name of Rationalism, many scoff at the very idea of your
> very major existence, in the invisible spectrum, as that spectrum is
> completely in the arena of emotions, feelings, perceptions, the whole gamut
> of the abstract reality, into which, in fact every word,phrase,clause and
> sentence ultimately takes you into. Over- analysis lands you into the
> invisible arena, of understanding as emotion, where mathematics and
> mechanics have no place. The net result is, you are a mystery to yourself.
> You want concrete mathematics, but no feeling and emotion can be quantified
> and subjected to mathematical reduction. The Universe ultimately is the
> great process of consciousness, or latent awareness and you are part of
> that great abstract process. As DT Suzuki has said, you have to jettison
> every science and technology, if you want real understanding.
>
> Technology is making your organs and limbs redundant, while your basic
> consciousness process is sought to be put in the straitjacket of mechanics.
> When you close your eyes, first it will be dark. But it is also the horizon
> of infinity with no beginning and ending. If you make your mind blank, then
> you gradually begin feeling as nature. Ultimately you lose the sense of
> personal identity, and identify yourself as nature. You realize that you
> are a sprout of nature, with nature continuously flowing into you,
> receiving the ultimate strength of nature into you.
>
> Then you vanish into nature. We call it death. Before dying you audit your
> entire life. You feel happy when you remember your deeds of love. You
> bitterly regret all your doings with meanness and wickedness. God has
> arranged for you millions of life forms, all forms of emotions. The green
> cover of the lithosphere is a ocean of emotions. You tend to the plants
> etc, and you surround your horizon with the aura of positivism. Good things
> begin happening to you unexpectedly as pleasant surprises. Pleasant
> surprises become routine in your life. Whatever you attempt you succeed
> provided it does not harm nature. Unnoticed by you nature has joined you in
> your efforts, you, the sprout of nature.
>
> You are nature. Don’t harm yourself by harming nature. Total belief and
> participation with nature and becoming nature, can make you re-grow your
> lost eyes, the lost hands or legs. Your body has that potential, which is
> actually accepted by many Life Scientists.
>
> YM
>
--
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