Contents Editorial + You are a Spiritual being + Time to change your life + Swami replies + Understanding each other + Dwikona Prana Vishuddha Mudra Asana + Aquamarine + Zen Shiatsu + The Art of Leadership + Sant Kabir + Science of Initiation part 2 + Feng Shui + ABC of Life + Changes in Mass consciousness + Inspiration + Letters from Heaven + GitaScendence + Science and Power of Gayathri + Truth 4 Youth
Selected Articles
Editorial
Namasté all.
As the winter slowly turns into Spring, everyone is preparing to spend more time outdoors, appreciating Mother Nature at her finest. Take some time to wonder at the miraculous changes happening in the trees and flowers and realize that these changes are created by an invisible force. They are the Mother’s proof to us of Her existence.
Continuing with the theme of changing seasons, Swami Shankarananda gives some steps on how to institute changes in our lives; and Suren’s article in Meditation is titled ‘Affecting Changes in Mass Consciousness’.
This month we have a new regular article added to the newsletter. Rod Briggs, a long-time friend of Swami Shankarananda has been wonderful enough to send us a selection of his writing, under the collective title ABC of Life (see page 21). Thanks Rod.
Our feature article gives a brief exposition of the life of the mystical poet and sage, Kabir, famous for building a bridge between the Hindu and Muslim faiths, and for rejecting the caste system.
Swami Murugesu continues His explanation of Initiation in part two of this article, The Jewel-Box, uncovers Aquamarine, and Tracy tells us about Zen Shiatsu in Healing from Within.
This month’s article on Understanding Gayathri is extremely interesting as Swami explains some of the symbolism of both the word and the Deity, Gayathri. You are all blessed enough to receive this month, the Swami Murugesu MasterCard. Enjoy.
As mentioned in the August edition of Transcendence, we are having to print more copies every month. Because of this, to help cover the extra cost, we have decided to offer Spiritual advertising space inside the front cover of the newsletter. (You will see that some advertisers have already placed their adverts.) If you are interested in advertising please contact myself via email. At present, we can accommodate 2 advert sizes: a quarter page (for R100) and a half page (for R200). So if you have a wholistic business or product that you would like to advertise, you may find it worth your while to place an ad. All information is to be provided and payment made by the date given at the bottom of the right inside cover.
Thanks once again to all our valuable contributors.
In Love and Service always,
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Message from the Master
You are a Spiritual Being
The mind, emotions, physical body and situations are inferior to the Self. You are a spiritual being, immortal and above all states of material situations. You need to be established and anchored in Self- and God-Realization by clarifying your consciousness. This can only be done by stilling the mind - called meditation.
Change to constructive, positive mental attitudes, thoughts and purposes. This will help enhance that connection between you and the Highest Good, God. Become emotionally stable and mature in thought and deed, viewing all actions and results of your thoughts, feelings and emotions. You are beyond this body; you are a large art of this Divine Love.
OM.
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My Beloved,
There is no limit to the exquisite nectar of the divine.
Bring all of your concerns to the attention of the Divine,
this is possible in a very simple and yet real way.
Pray and talk with the Divine as if the Divine Mother
is with you always, as she truly is, she is the dearest of the dear
the nearest of the near, she is the breath you breathe the
love you feel in your heart the very food you eat,
the laughter you experience the wind in the trees,
the sun on your face . . .
Deanadayalan
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Time to Change your Life
by Swami Shankarananda
Last month we started to cultivate (I pray all of you did). After cultivation changes begin, it’s time to change your life. The greatest word on Earth is definitely ‘change’. It is even greater than war. Positive change can stop even the greatest wars. One needs to understand that the great power of change aids enormously in acting on God’s timing. Some changes experienced by some of you are: weight loss, finding a wife, studying again, or even getting closer to the Supreme Intelligence, God. But these changes are also changeable, and one needs to understand that absolute change is one of the most difficult things one will ever do. Change to God, leg God work on your permanent changes. But before God enters, there are a few important pointers that can help in absolutely real change.
(i) Do not hold onto past issues, situations and events. Past negative situations do not matter and will not effect you because God is forgiving. Shut off all negative past situations and begin your focus on the present and near future.
(ii) Know where you are heading. If you don’t know your destination, then you’ll never know when you get there. You may miss the experience. Know what it is that you want in this change, be specific, set yourself spiritual goals, beginning with mini-goals and then advance from there. Look forward to the journey.
(iii) Know what is important in your journey and life - don’t be distracted. Make your goals your priorities. Don’t spend time on things that really don’t matter. Wasting energy always stops progress. Don’t spin out of control but spend less time on what ‘looks’ important at the moment, and more time on what IS important.
(iv) Know your fears. Fear is one of the factors that can halt or slow your journey. Overcome all these fears by meditating on them daily and eventually realizing them. Fear will keep you from attaining what you set out to achieve.
(v) Find a Guru. Find someone you can look up to. Let him or her lead you on your journey. Believe in them and spend many hours in their company. Look at them as your light bearer.
(vi) Understand your insecurities - not them down and work with them. Let not insecurities slow your journey. You are ‘designed’ in His image. God is your engineer, Why have fear of insecurity.
(vii) Appreciate life and all that comes with it - learn in this journey to question righteously, then you will obtain the right Divine truth.
Trust this journey. Trust God. Trust yourself. Enjoy this journey, this process.
Endless Blessings and God Bless,
Adapted from Phil Cooke (PhD) Newsletter.
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Feature: Sant KabirMystic Poet and Sage
We have spent our entire life in religious rituals, yet our mind is not stable. Better if we leave aside the outward manifestations and concentrate on mental developments. Kabir
Sant Kabir was born on the auspicious night of the Puran Mashi (full moon) in the month called Jeth in the Indian calendar, in the year 1398, near Lahar Tlao Lake on the outskirts of Varanasi. His father’s name was Noor Ali and his mother was Nima. His muslim parents were weavers and Kabir was named by a Muslim priest and means ‘the most high’. Kabir was extremely charming with bright eyes and sharp features. Even at an early age, he recited many hymns and quoted them with amazing appropriateness. Whatever decisions he took bore the stamp of maturity. The elders were deeply impressed with his youthful charm and holiness. He often spent a lot of time alone, lost in deep thought and meditation.
As was the custom in his days, Kabir was engaged for marriage at a very early age. As he was growing up his parents found that their son seemed sad and pensive so, with a view to make him cheerful, they arranged his marriage before schedule. They started making arrangements for the marriage feast and Kabir’s uncle purchased a cow to slaughter for the feast. Kabir was horrified at the thought and requested his uncle give the cow to a Hindu priest. He even refused to marry if his request was not acceded to. He got his in-laws also to accept this condition. Thus, Kabir demonstrated loving compassion and sympathy for all creations and taught a proper lesson to everyone about the value of life.
Kabir was married to Loi. Later he had a son, Kamal, and a daughter, Kamali. By his own example, Kabir showed that a family life of contentment and restraint need not interfere with one’s spiritual progress. He supported his family by weaving cloth, and then selling it at the market. He lived a simple life with modest needs.
During his youth, Kabir started his divine mission, going from place to place and giving holy discourses. When people asked him who his guru was, he didn’t have an answer, but he needed a name to tell the people. Since he had a large Hindu audience, he thought of adopting a Hindu guru instead of a Muslim faqir. But then, who should his guru be? During those days Ramanand was a popular figure amongst the Hindus, but Ramanand was strongly in favour of idol worship with all its various rites and rituals. Morever, Ramand was quite rigid in his habit of avoiding the company of low-caste people. Ramanand lived near the river Ganges.
Once when he was going for an early morning bath in the pre-dawn darkness, Kabir quietly lay across one of the steps leading to the bank of the river. It was difficult to see in the early morning mist and, as predicted, Ramanand tripped over the waiting Kabir. When Ramanand’s foot touched something on the step, he was startled and exclaimed, ‘Ram! Ram!’. Kabir now had what he wanted. He quietly slipped away in the darkness. He felt that his mission was accomplished. Subsequently, when someone asked him who his guru was, Kabir claimed that the mantra had been given and that he, Kabir, was now a disciple of Ramanand.
Kabir’s greatness was resented by both the Hindu and Muslim fanatic priests who kept the masses under control through the use of complicated rites and meaningless rituals. They threatened Kabir’s excommunication from temples and mosques and criticized and slandered Kabir, openly denouncing his teachings.
Sant Kabir traveled widely to spread the message of the Almighty to all mankind. He visited many provinces of India and there are indications that he even traveled to Baghdad, Mecca and other places in the Middle East. But wherever he went, he left a rich legacy of sacred hymns. Whatever he said and preached has been compiled in the form of hymns. They are in several collections of anthologies. The Bijak, which means ‘The Chart of Secret Treasures’. Above all, Sant Kabir was a great mystic and lyric poet. His mysticism was of the same degree as that of the Vedantin or the Sufi. He called Brahma the Primal Principle or the Essence, beyond time, space, qualities and attributes, unaffected by any change. Kabir, like the Buddha, denounced the folly of social inequity and the injustice perpetrated in the name of caste. He ridiculed the orthodoxy of both Hindus and Muslims and challenged them, like any later scientific rationalist, to justify their sham and hypocrisy. He denounced hoarding and the show of wealth, and was against any kind of luxury and indulgence in intoxicants. He preached simplicity and contentment and believed that everyone should do physical labour and stick to his own profession. He said that external rituals are meaningless.
When Kabir was approaching old age, he left Varanasi for Mughar, which in the past was said to be cursed by Lord Ganesh, the son of Shiva, that whosoever died, they would not only have to take on another birth, but would assume the form of a donkey. Therefore, with a view to expose this story for the false superstition that it really was, Kabir left Varanasi and settled in Mughar during his last days. When the time was ripe for Sant Kabir’s final departure, he instructed his disciples to remain outside his hut on the banks of the Ami river, and not to disturb him. When after a while, the door was opened, there was nothing to be seen but a simple white sheet lying on the ground. When the sheet was gently lifted, to the utter amazement of all, only fresh, fragrant flowers were founder underneath. He had attained the age of a hundred-and-nineteen years.
Extract from Eminent Indians: Saints and Sages by M.L. Ahuja
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Affecting Changes in Mass-consciousness
by Suren Pillay
In life we find so many discoveries that make us wonder about the journey we call life. The innovation behind cellular phone technology, and the integration behind so many previously isolated technologies have made the world so much more connected, that today we can say we are a truly global community. Yet wars, diseases, rape, theft, murder and prostitution are still increasing on a global scale. How is it possible for a world civilization to advance so much in the field of intellectual and technological applications, yet still sustain so much disease and war?
World development seem to be moving in such a direction, in my view, because man’s attention has become one-sided. What do I mean by this? Man, as a cosmic individual has a responsibility both to himself and the universe, and as an individual it is his divine birthright to move forward, progress, and master the physical realms of the universe. To prosper in life is a gift, which should be used wisely. The man of the modern age has taken to his advantage a great deal of resources provided to him by Mother Nature and, in using such resources he has in many cases created wealth and technological advancement. He has, however, in this modern age, not discharged his cosmic obligation which demands that he seek to find the source of Himself.
The attempt of science to unravel the mysteries of the universe have been only partially successful. The attempts by science to uncover the basic structure of life are indeed admirable and I have no doubt that within every great scientist who yearns to know the truth, his heart is deeply faithful. Yet, without the power of Divine Intuition, the scientist is left only with the gross senses and the mind, which are indeed limited. The scientist finds himself endlessly searching for answers that seemingly never appear.
The attempt of religion at unraveling the mysteries of life has also, I’m sad to say, been only partially successful. Many wars are fought today on religious grounds alone, which is testimony in itself that religion has not been completely successful in helping man discharge his cosmic obligation. People are beginning more and more to question the foundations of religion and, in particular, how much of it is man-made, and how much of it comes directly from the Divine? As long as they question with an open mind, I’m sure the Lord Himself will guide them to the answers they are looking for.
So, how do we eradicate war, rape, poverty and murder in this modern age? The solution starts with changing our outlook on life as a whole. As an individual, you have great ability to influence others in a positive way. By merely telling someone something inspirational, you have altered their destiny forever. The reason being that your words will remain in their consciousness for a long time and are bound to have a positive reaction in their future life. In addition to speaking only positively, you should send positive thought vibrations to all who need it. A single good thought a day for someone in need of it can bring remarkable change for the better, both for the receiver and for yourself. Lastly, you should try to do something good for someone else whenever you can for, by doing this, you manifest into the physical realm, all your high ideals which were previously only held in thought. By performing work selflessly, you add to the beauty and harmony of the world. By applying these three principles, we can bring a shift in world consciousness extremely quickly. It is my hope that you at least give them a try, for I’m convinced that they work and can bring not only higher levels of peace, joy and health to ourselves, but to everyone else on the planet!
The Promise of Spirit
By Suren
Thy promise shall live in my heart always
If my heart, mind and body be single in purpose,
I shall see the Light. I shall merge with the Light
And in time, I shall become the Light.
Let me remain evermore in thine arms,
And let me add joy, wonder and wisdom to Thy Universe.
Aum Shanti, Shalom, Amen.