In this episode, we discuss the classic text by Shankaracharya, Tattva Bodha.

Tattva means the TRUTH.

Bodha means KNOWLEDGE.

The first few pages summarize the key qualification to even understand Tattva Bodha. It is known as the four folded qualification [Sadhana Chatushtaya]. The Sadhana Chatushtaya qualification is discussed as - Vivekam (ability to separate real from unreal), Vairagyam (being dispassionate about 'worldly' objects as they are perishable), Shama Damadi (this is the six folded subset known as shama - mind control; dama - sense control; uparamah - prolonged involvement in doing our duties; titiksha - forbearance; sraddha - trust in words of Guru and shastras; and Samadhana - single pointed focus of mind.

We also digress a bit to discuss why Sanskrit words express meanings better than English translation.

The last fifteen minutes we practice group chanting of Nirvanashatakam.

Following up on the group discussions 'from seekers to seekers', in this GD, we focus on the broad following topics:

1. Two lifestyles - Karma yoga lifestyle, Sannyasa yoga lifestyle & Krishna's recommendation for us.

2. What is the true meaning of renunciation?

3. Does age have any bearing on one's ability to renounce?

4. Clues for why the theory of reincarnation is a valid theory

5. Anchoring ourselves in our perception that we live from birth to death - by forgetting that our mind survives death.

6. What is absolute reality, transactional reality & dream reality?

7. Practical applications of understanding of realities, renunciation, death

8. Is everyone on the path of self-realization?

9. What is detachment, attachment? Is detachment mean apathy, indifference?

10. How to understand the concept of 'sarvatmaka bhava'? How can I be happy when my colleague is promoted but not me?

11. Should we embrace tough situations in our life? 

12. Concept of 'one-ness' and how we identify ourselves...

13. We also discuss & decide to take a diversion from the book and start learning Tattva Bodha for the next few weeks.

Enjoyed listening to Kishore sharing his thoughts after his daily meditation practice....

He approaches the 'enlightenment' topic from yoga sutras angle 

Talks on the interplay of gunas - Sattva, Rajas, Tamas (S-R-T gunas) and how they can be manipulated (& why).

Explains how samadhi as defined in Patanjali yoga sutras is, and how the ashtanga yoga steps helps.

His emphasis on why & how the mind is the main culprit is very nice - like it is said in the scriptures, mana-eva manushya moksha bandana sadhanam....Only the mind is a human's impediment to either moksha or bandhana (samsara).

All about clarifying what is Renunciation, Nyasa, Sannyasa.

What it means to wear saffron robes and take sannyasa vs. what it means to mentally let go of likes & dislikes [tyaga].

We start with a summary of the journey so far in reading the book, The Teachings of the Gita, by Swami Dayananda, up to Chapter 8. 

The key emphasis of this summary is understanding and appreciating Karma yoga.

Some of the topics covered are:

Note: The recording is not very clear...but comprehensible.

We talk of action & actionlessness and clarify our concepts.

Four types of devotion & devotees, work & worship, work is worship, etc.

We also briefly talk about Bhakti-yoga and how that is relevant in the context of the spiritual path.

This episode is discussions from seekers to seekers sharing their learnings, questions in the journey so far.

In today's discussions 'from seekers to seekers' we discuss the topic of 'action' and 'actionlessness'.

Finding action in actionlessness and being actionlessness in action is difficult.

This is a concept where it expresses the Pure Awareness as the non-doer, non-enjoyer entity.

People misinterpret this and think that they want to drop all actions and take up sanyasa - renunciate. But Krishna says this is not the solution.

When we act without selfish desires, then we are not 'doing' the work and so are not the 'enjoyer'. This is what it means by seeing action in actionlessness and actionless in action - we continue to do actions but the desires for selfish benefit is not there.

And Karma Yoga is the first step to do to 'reduce the impact' of 'selfish desires'.

Karma Yoga is the first qualification, the preparatory step, that one needs to learn to develop the attitude of equanimity and reduce our mental attachment to external world successes.

This is the recording of the guided meditation practice I led on 5/17/2020.

In this practice, we focus on managing our intellect.

Human mind has four parts - emotional mind, rational mind (intellect) , memory & ego. Concentration (focus) meditation is for the emotional (indecisive) mind which is usually the topic of meditation - but in this we go beyond that to manage our intellect. We end with the serenity prayer by Reinhold Neibur, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serenity_Prayer

Here are the instructions of the text I used [not exactly the same text in the guided meditation]:

Today, we will seed our mind / the intellect, with one idea – about acceptance & choices.

Visualize your entire body.

Take a minute to go through the journey from birth till now.

You did not have a choice when you were born.

- Your place /country of birth;

- Your parents

- Your siblings

- Your other family members

- Your sex – male or female

- Color of your eyes or your hair…..

- The first few years of your life,

So many things were pre-determined.

Accept them. It is a choiceless situation.

Acceptance means – not ignoring or hiding or being overly proud or feeling inferior.

It means just saying to yourself – It is a choiceless situation. It is what it is; good or bad; positive or negative.

Fast forward to today. Your present. Your Now!

- You cannot change what has happened from birth till your present.

- It has become a choiceless situation now.

- Apply the same principle of acceptance – accept your past.

- True, you could have made a few choices differently in the past – but that cannot be changed now. So, better to accept.

Any bodily pain, disease that you may be experiencing in your present – it could be a combination of choiceless situations or wrong choices made. It is the effect of a past cause.

If we can change some aspects of our body, we MUST do it.

If we can’t change few other aspects about it, then it becomes a choiceless situation in the present. Just accept it.

Expand your awareness to your mind NOW.

- Your past thoughts created this present future for you.

- Accept your present. It is a gift from the past.

Fast forward and think of your future for a second. Say 10 years or 20 years from now.

- What can you do for your future? Is it a choiceless situation or can we do something about it?

- Recognize that you have choice now, to determine your future.

Appreciate that you have choices only in the present.

- Present does not mean this very second. It means the ‘immediate future’.

- Recognize that the choices you make now will determine your future.

- Recognize that you have the free-will & exercise three broad choices in any situation:

o Do

o Don’t do

o Do it in a specific way

Remember:

1. Accept the past; Accept choiceless circumstances

2. Acting in the present creates the future.

3. Delving on the past does not change the future.

It is only in the present that we have choices.

Ask the higher intelligence for:

The serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

Courage to change the things I can,

And wisdom to know the difference – what can be changed & what cannot be.

In today's GD 'from seekers to seekers',  we discuss the need for a Guru - a spiritual guide.

We share our experiences how a Guru 'mirrors' and helps us to see who we truly are., guiding us in the entire process of knowing who we truly are, and importantly distinguishing it from who we are not.

We also discuss how the knowledge about oneself (Self knowledge) is the highest knowledge and how it satisfies the curiosity of everyone who reaches it - unlike traditional knowledge where there is always something more to learn.....

We finally also discuss and logically understand that the first Guru should have been the Brahman.....