Hari
Om
'Freedays' are the 'gather our thoughts' days;
Q&As; a general review of the week so far…
Some timely reminders;
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Have
you remembered to keep up your notebooks? There has been an increase in
readership since the last reminder, so those of you who have joined for
TattvabodaH and who have not gone back to the beginning, please note that this
is not merely a 'read and leave' blog - it is a place for you to stop longer,
think stronger and transform. Just as simply reading scriptures 'because it
ought to be done' and perhaps with the thought that "God will
hear/know", is rather to miss the point, equally, what is given here has
the potential to truly make a difference and it matters not who else is
listening… with scriptures and with Vedanta, the "I" who is reading
must be doing the listening first! True listening (shravanam) is to not just hear/read and allow the words to wash over the mind then drift away again. It
is to sit in presence of the words, being active in receiving them, allowing
the intellect to assess and analyse, weighing up how much is being put into
action in our daily lives and how much we may still have to do in order to work
further on the ideals presented... This is the process of contemplation
(mananam). If we truly wish to address our spiritual nature and be our own
'archaeologist of the soul', then we must also sit in meditation
(niddidhyaasanam) with only this as focus.
Advaita
Vedanta is first and foremost a tool for daily living by applying scientific
assessment and experiment and keeping appropriate record. The notebooks are to
be used for noting down all the technical terms, yes, but must also serve as
your journal of how you are applying what you learn here, what progress you may
or may not be making and also for noting down doubts and questions.
Don't
ignore a question which arises in study! Write it down - better still, ask it
aloud in the comments box (preferred, because if you have the query, almost
certainly others do too and all can learn from the response), or email
Yamini-amma via the contacts box. It is undoubtedly the way
with such study that, if you wait long enough, all general questions will be
answered, but for many, the question of how a certain point applies to
themselves, or their immediate life experience, may burn and there is no shame
in asking for clarification or guidance for same. Take note, also, of how the
questions arise for you; is it an ego response to something which asks that you
think very differently about a certain point, and thus defensive? Is it a needy
question, seeking justification for holding onto old ways? Is it coming from a
place where change is recognised and there is need for deeper understanding?
All these and more are valid and it is important to know - because how we ask questions will influence, to a
large extent, our reactions to the answers given also and the benefit we might
gain.
To
know that there is a thing called The Self, a Universal Consciousness, of
itself holds no intrinsic value. Working, ie making effort, to get to a place
of 'meeting' The Self is where the value lies. When gold and diamonds are
brought from the ground, they are nothing more than minerals. It is the work of
finding them, the artistry of moulding them into ornaments of great beauty,
which gives them value - then also the level of our desire to obtain them.
The
Self, that eternal nature which is our Truth, is the greatest of all possible
jewels and ornaments. It's value is nothing until we first desire it, then do
all that we can to acquire it.
