“Contemplation is an alternative consciousness that refuses to identify with or feed what are only passing shows. It is the absolute opposite of addiction, consumerism or any egoic consciousness.” - Richard Rohr / contemplation is freedom / pause for thought / the mind should be our employee / “sattvic scrolling” / if we could only monitor the mind / Jagrat (waking state), Svapna (dreaming state), Sushupti (deep sleep state) / in the waking state the mind experiences outward impressions - in the dreaming state, it creates its own impressions developed from the materials of the waking hours / Japa locks you into the sacred sound / “From wherever the mind wanders due to its flickering and unsteady nature, one must certainly withdraw it and bring it back under the control of the Self.” Bhagavad-gita 6.26

Egoic consciousness is the one we all normally operate with, until we are told there is something else! – Richard Rohr / identifying our common central reference point is the key to “checking the imbalance of values” and “achieving real unity and peace in the world” / my body is deteriorating while I’m in it / there’s no even playing field in the material world / egoic consciousness = seeing everything in the context of the enjoyment of our senses - rather than in the context of the Source that it stems from / when 2 people strike a deal - thinking that the other will satisfy them - they are setting up for conflict / ego consciousness does not necessarily mean David Lee Roth

SB 4.25.40-43

“Faith is not for overcoming obstacles; it is for experiencing them—all the way through!” - Richard Rohr / read 5 Bhagavad-gita versus today / this isn’t bypassing, it’s facing the obstacles with wisdom - so we can grow / giving up on figuring out the meaning of life is bypassing / before the truth sets you free, it makes you miserable / the dream within the dream / positive role models lift us up / what is prana?

SB 4.25.34-39

Idolatry & Bhakti - what’s the deal? / What is pure devotion pure of?

“Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping. For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts. And stand together, yet not too near together: For the pillars of the temple stand apart, And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow.” ― Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet / postulate 31 - upper and lower case love / We should have a mad pursuit for growth (not happiness) / understanding the “demoniac” mentality / Kaustubha’s Satanic friend / the idea that there is no moral foundation to the world doesn’t hold up / selfishness leads to pain and anxiety / time is running out - Now is the time to inquire into the absolute truth

SB 4.25.29-33

How to have better inter-sangha relations? / How to become more sincere? / How to get over feelings of insecurity? / Is there a motive in Bhakti?

“The timeless in you is aware of life's timelessness.” - Khalil Gibran, The Prophet / that which sings and contemplates in you is still dwelling within timelessness / spiritual energy means beyond time / why Raghunath hangs out in graveyards / how much of my time is spent in timelessness? / great cultures were built on contemplation of life’s most important questions / three apps operating on the computer of the mind - manas, ahankara, and buddhi / freedom is most effectively taken away by giving the illusion of freedom

SB 4.25.27-32

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“Accept the seasons of your heart, even as you have always accepted the seasons that pass over your fields. And you would watch with serenity through the winters of your grief.”  –  Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet / Bhagavad-gita 2.14-15 / becoming the inner witness by disengaging from identification with our thoughts and emotions and just observing them / by embracing the delusion of dualities it becomes impossible to acquire self realization / without self realization there’s no God realization / human life is meant for asking the important questions

“Verily the lust for comfort murders the passion of the soul, and then walks grinning in the funeral.” ― Khalil Gibran, The Prophet / austerity feels difficult at first, and liberating in the end / the mind is a computer, the senses are the plug in devices, the soul is the user (and the battery) / our senses are servants of the mind, each with hundreds of desires / attachment and aversion are two sides of the same coin

How does one know when they are ready to make a commitment to seek a guru and initiation? / How does one chant mantras on beads? / How to let go of resentment?