Date Sent: October 26, 2013
QUOTE: The ego is the Lord for whose entertainment the dance is performed and the objects of the senses are his companions. The intellect is the dancing girl and the senses are the persons who play on the instruments which accompany the dance. The Saksi (witnessing soul) is the lamp which illumines the scene. Just as the lamp, without moving from its place, furnishes light to all parts - so too, the saksi from its unchangeable position illumines everything situated inside or outside. - Swami Sivananda
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Every choice we make is followed by a consequence. There are no free choices, just like there's no free lunch. Thought become choice, becomes action, becomes Karma (seed of your bondage) that can be wiped out ONLY by consuming the fruit of Karma one at a time in one of the future births (only Bhakta has privilege of the Divine intervention to burn part of the Karma.)
Mudh (Stupid) are those who believe some actions go without consequence. Law of Karma is fair and gives you exactly what you deserve. Divine has set something so perfectly to follow the cosmic law that there is absolutely no escape. If you feel someone escapes the Law of Karma then it’s your Mudhawastha (Veil of Ignorance or stupefied state of mind). Every Jiva lives in a Stupefied State of Mind and believes everything that he sees or experiences is true. Unfortunately (or fortunately) Jiva has no clue about the truth.
Swami Sivananda says: "The desire to attain knowledge of the Self will dawn only in the person who is free from desires, who has a pure mind, and who is quite disgusted with this worldly life. Such a man only is competent to hear, meditate and attain Brahman, jnana or knowledge of Brahman. When the knowledge of the Self dawns, ignorance, which is the seed for bondage and the cause of karma is totally eradicated and the aspirant attains immortality and eternal bliss."
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The Two Realizations - Post by OM Swami
To survive, thrive and live gracefully in this world, we need a bit of both worldly and spiritual wisdom. Just having worldly wisdom may help you acquire material wealth and fame, but it doesn't mean you'll have peace and bliss. And having spiritual wisdom alone may mean you know right from wrong, moral from immoral, but it doesn't guarantee a materially comfortable life. With the objective to help you understand my perspective, allow me to classify wisdom into two categories: spiritual and worldly. In this post, I'll sum up, in one sentence each, the essence of such wisdom. These are the two ultimate realizations, the finest guiding principles. So, what are they?
I once read an anecdote in a book called Jewish Wisdom by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin. As follows:
Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman served as an advisor to the late Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin. He once addressed the Knesset, the unicameral parliament of Israel. Soon after his speech was over, a Knesset member approached him and said, "In the Talmud, Hillel summarized Judasim in one sentence: 'What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor: this is the whole Torah. The rest is commentary.' Could you summarize economics in one sentence?"
"Yes," replied Friedman. "There is no such thing as a free lunch."
Read more….. http://www.omswami.com/2013/10/the-two-realizations.html |