ContentsEditorial + Searching for God + Journey to Wholeness + Swami Replies + Understanding each other + Duipad Uthaan Kati Nauka Prana Manipura Mudra Asana + Botswana Agate + Reiki + The Art of Leadership + Swami Murugesu + Science of Omens Part 2 + Guru-disciple relationship + Developing Will + Inspiration + Letters from Heaven + GitaScendence + Science and Power of Gayathri
Selected Articles
Editorial
Namasté all.
It is pleasing to say that readers are starting to show more interest in Transcendence and that my past rude editorials have paid off. We have had some email, fax and telephonic responses. Thank you very much.
Presently Swami Shankarananda is in Sri Lanka, having made a short trip to India with a small group of devotees, but He will be back by Pournami, much to the joy and relief of many.
You will see notice that this month’s issue has a double-sided cover. This is because, being Guru Pournami, we wanted to include a clear photo of Swami Murugesu for devotees to keep. We also had more advertising than usual to do, namely Swami Shankarananda’s devotional pocket-book, To My Master. Prints of this books are limited and they will only be printed on order. They are one-of-a-kind and you will not find anything like them anywhere else in the world. Pictures of Swami Murugesu are extremely rare and, all those appearing in this booklet, except for one, were taken during the past two years. Steven will be taking orders at the Verulam Peedam, but each order can only be printed once payment for the book has been made. Orders can also be made to Guru or myself via email, and they will be processed once proof of payment has been received. Do yourself a Divine favour and purchase yourself a copy. Looking through the pages is a visual meditation in itself.
Also, there are still a number of tickets left for the Gayathri Maha Yagna on 9th August. This is one of the most important prayers of the year and one which should not be missed by any sincerely practicing devotee.
The Cowies Hill branch of the Jadatharaya Institute will open with an introductory talk by Guru on Sunday the 16th of July. If you would like to attend then please email myself so that you can be accommodated. From August, a weekly yoga and meditation class will be held there with regular workshops and talks by Swami Shankarananda.
Finally, we have added another page to Truth 4 Youth, right at the back of the mag: an easy word-search. If you manage to finish it and find out the Secret Word from the clue, fax it through or drop off a copy at the Peedam (remember your name and phone number), and Guru will organize a little something for your efforts. Anyone can complete it but only kids under 18 will qualify for a free gift. We hope to keep this a regular item in the mag.
Our Feature article discusses Swami Murugesu and who He is, while Faith takes a look at the Guru-Disciple relationship, both appropriate for this month’s Guru Pournima Celebration.
Until next month, take care and keep meditating.
In Love and Service always,
Editor
jo.petzer@mweb.co.za
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Message from the Master
Searching for God
For some people, life is difficult and painful. For many it is a boring routine, and for others it is an adventure. But for those who are established in God, it is as natural as breathing. This is simple to understand; there is no mystery in this. The important essentials are the degrees of God-awareness. Our stay on Earth is relatively short compared to the duration of Kaliyuga. Although it is short, the proper use of this life is only ten years. The rest of man’s time is just wasted, searching for physical and material enjoyment. All the time the emphasis in your life is to have secure material circumstances and in fulfilling the challenges of desire. This instinct is common, but easy to overcome by being God-conscious.
How often do you hear people making the statement, “I am searching for God”? These individuals do not know what or who God is, either by description or identity. If the description or identity is not known, then what are they searching for? This is just a means of escape to get out of the situation. If the individual had read the Bhagavad Gita, they would never make such a statement for Krishna says that God is everywhere. If this is so, then why the search? Swami Shankarananda
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Reflections on Love
by Paramahansa Yogananda
Love is a golden mansion in which King of Eternity homes the entire family of creation. And at God’s command, love is a mystic fire that can melt the grossness of the cosmos into the invisible substance of Eternal Love. Like a river, love flows continuously through humble, sincere souls; but it bypasses the rocks of egotistic, selfish, sense-bound souls, because it cannot pass through them. Love is an omnipresent sprint with countless founts. When one of its heart-openings is clogged with the debris of wrong behaviour, we find it surging from some other heart. But to think love dead in any heart is ignorance of the omnipresence of love. One should never block with wrong actions the channel of love in his own soul. Then he will drink with countless mouths of soul-feeling from the divine fountain of love coursing endlessly through all open hearts. Love may exist in the presence of passion, but when passion is mistaken for love, love flies away. Passion and love together are a bittersweet mixed drink that produces some joy, but mostly an after-sorrow.When pure love is quaffed, the taste for passion loses itself in the sweetness of true feeling.
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Journey to Wholeness
by Swami Shankarananda
Understand that by persistent and sustained repeated practice, you too can make the journey to wholeness, and reach that state of illumination and freedom - Bliss.
As you read this I can assure that you can also meet the challenges that would be encountered on your journey to wholeness. I also encountered many of the same challenges, but I was able to overcome them. I was greatly disadvantaged in many aspects - including the fact that I am a householder - mine was definitely an emergence from darkness to light.
To experience and enjoy this journey is basically by control of the mind. What is mentioned in the Kartha Upanishad? “When the senses are stilled, when the mind is at rest, when the intellect wavers not, then is known the highest state of divinity. The calming of the senses and the mind has been defined a state of Bliss.” This statement is true to all aspirant sadhaks in the quest for journeying to wholeness.
I know that this control of the mind has always been a great problem to many. It is even mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita by Arjuna: “O Krishna, my mind is naturally very restless. It agitates my nerves.” To attain the blissful state, Yogi Patanjali says we must follow the eight petals of yoga as indicated in the illustration:
Firstly Yama will be discussed. Yama is the restraining of harmful thoughts and impulses. Non-killing is the first aspect of Yama. This includes all forms of life - life is sacred. Any kind of violence slows down the journey to bliss. The second aspect of Yama is truthfulness - in thought, speech, deed or action, as well as unselfishness, which is a major factor in the practice of truthfulness. Thirdly, non-stealing (or non-coveoutness), which is initiated by selflessness, is encouraged. The fourth aspect of Yama is celibacy. This is the conservation of the energy which is depleted during sexual activity, so sexual activity in a marriage should rather be restrained than avoided all together. Lastly, non-acceptance of unnecessary gifts can lead to loss of freedom. The other limbs of Yoga will be discussed in following issues.* * * * * * *
Developing Will: The Art of Making Choices
by Suren Pillay
The mind of a spiritual aspirant is ever troubled by the outer temptations that seek to rob him of the glory of himself. Deep spiritual discrimination and unwavering attention to the divine are the aspirant’s greatest weapons against the temptation of the illusory world. To get to the heavens above seems to be about making choices, and particularly about making the same choices every day. But what does this mean? For example, if you have decided to meditate everyday until you see God, then you must continue to make the same choice every day if you are to have any hope of finding God in this life. Failures, it seems, arise from inconsistency in choice. By making the same choices everyday our resolve to achieve whatever we wish seems to be greater.
In addition, if a choice has to be made that will require a lot of willpower, our willpower will grow every day as we continue making the same choices. Saints seem to have one thing in common and that is that they always made the same choice continually. They chose God in preference to all worldly attractions; they chose the source of all gifts instead of the gifts themselves.
Making the choice to be more spiritual everyday is always a bonus as you will gain a tremendous peace and inner joy that worldly objects will never provide. So, why do we run after worldly objects? Are they so alluring that man’s willpower is deemed impotent against such temptation? The pleasures of the outer world are immediate and apparent to the observer at every moment making it difficult for him to withdraw his attention if he has no spiritual training. The bright colours and lights of the material world provide ample distraction for man, moving him further and further away from the world of spirit.
The spiritually undeveloped person is thus a walking automaton who simply responds to external situations in accordance with his whims. Such a state is not blessed for the gift to think, create and innovate is one of the greatest gifts given by God to man. The potential of every person is infinite and, therefore, to deny ourselves our divine birthright of developing that potential is among the most grievous of sins. Every man is an embodiment of the Divine, and it is also a great sin to judge a man, for when you choose to judge him you have chosen to deny that innate Divinity from which you have also risen. It is also a great sin to kill a man because you then deny him the opportunity of his divine birthright, which is to know himself as Spirit.
So what can we do, practically, to develop will and be consistent with our choices? Firstly we must remember that to produce results in the universe one must be committed in body, mind and soul. If you like to meditate at the level of mind, but your body wants to sleep every time you meditate and your subconscious instinct is towards material attractions, your good intentions will never manifest because only your mind has intended to meditate, your body and soul have other intentions. Therefore, to try and make the same choice consistently you need to be committed in body, mind and soul. This is how you produce results in the universe. By committing yourself at every level of your being you are saying to the universe wholeheartedly, “I want to meditate”. This choice cannot be broken because you have made it from the deepest part of yourself.
The second practical hint to developing will is to never consider yourself a failure. The best time to sow the seeds of success is on the grounds of failure. Life is a stream, and success is only a stone’s-throw away. Your highest ambitions cannot be prolonged forever, for evolution never stops and the process of creating and recreating yourself in better and higher ways is a soul impulse that will never leave you. I invite you to rediscover yourself in this process of life and to make your highest choice with every moment in time. May the Infinite Spirit guide you in creating your own heaven on earth!
A Moment in Time
by Suren
With the rays of light beside me,
I suddenly awaken in realization!
Who is it, that has cometh upon me
And showered rays of light upon my body?
You dwell in my heart yet I cannot see nor hear Thee.
Reveal Thyself; reveal Thyself!
Make unto me what you have made unto the sages;
for this life is too painful to bear.
I ask only that I walk, talk and think
Who is it, that has cometh upon me
And showered rays of light upon my body?
You dwell in my heart yet I cannot see nor hear Thee.
Reveal Thyself; reveal Thyself!
Make unto me what you have made unto the sages;
for this life is too painful to bear.
I ask only that I walk, talk and think
as You have intended me to;
For this dream shall be gone in a moment
And once more I shall be in Your eternal arms!
To order a set of 2006 Transcendence issues, email Deepak.Folly@uec.co.za
For this dream shall be gone in a moment
And once more I shall be in Your eternal arms!
To order a set of 2006 Transcendence issues, email Deepak.Folly@uec.co.za