Guest guest Posted February 2, 2004 Report Share Posted February 2, 2004 Post on bottom:-) Prostrating email? You bet!!! Harsha NondualitySalon ; Monday, February 02, 2004 1:25 PM On the nature of bowing The meaning of the often used Sanskrit/Hindi word"Namaste" is roughly meant to convey that "I bow tothe light in you."This metaphor is acted out in many spiritualtraditions by actually prostrating before the guru(putting head at his or her feet). I often prostratedbefore my own guru in reverence.True prostration to someone is spontaneous and notpremeditated. And a genuine bowing certainly need notbe physical. When the mind comes down to the Heart,that is the supreme bowing and leads to completesilence.Sri Ramana never asked for or ever encouraged peopleto bow or prostrate to him. Sometimes he was irritatedby it.Required kneeling to someone, a guru or the groupleader, when it is part of an institutionalizedpractice may be a subtle form of violence. I have seenmany groups like that. Prostrating and kneeling to a guru can go beyond justspiritual bowing and may involve elements of power,debasement, and the notion that some are implicitlymore equal (closer to God, etc.) than others. Group psychology can be very powerful and when usednegatively can have harmful consequences. That is myobservation after being in the "spiritual arena" formore than four decades. Probably people do what they consider to be best forthemselves.Love to allHarsha ============================================= In another thread, Tony made the observation... 'Bow down to the Inner Being', only, which is who we are anyway.It is helpful to some to read people given to activity, whose egos are like the rest of us on here and have a great development and wisdom, and need to bring to everybody else but ourselves/themselves.All these profusivness from authors indicates to me someone still lost in illusion. If they were fully realised they would go away and keep quiet, instead of self propagation.WE DON'T NEED TO BOW DOWN TO ANY BODY. The inner guru is all we need, and 'Who am I?'. Instead of searching for someone to write something we agree with----------AGREE WITH SELF ENQUIRY, that's all..............ONS..Namaste to All: I have been reading with some interest this thread about the nature of bowing. It seems to be turning into something more on whether to bow or not to bow :-) Namaste was one of the first words I found myself drawn to as my little adventure unfolded. When I learned what it meant, I was intrigued by its beauty and I still am. I do still go to services at the Temple around the corner and worship icons, Lord Shiva in particular :-). I have not wailed yet :-) Cried maybe, but no wailing... I still find myself greeting folks there with Namaste and find that it always elicits a certain surprise mingled with a smile both delighted and shy. If it is meant to say and the person who does it is doing it to say... "I bow to the light in you." then I think it is a beautiful gesture in humility. For when you can honestly look into the eyes of another person and know that, and greet them with Namaste in your heart, you are giving them a gift. A gift of your acknowledgement to them that you recognize the light in them. That you realize that the body is but an ornament covering the soul which you share. You are also gifting yourself with the symbolic reminder of That which you Are. Is that not a form of Self enquiry? Still in Kindergarten... Love, Joyce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 2, 2004 Report Share Posted February 2, 2004 Reply at bottom- Lady Joyce To: Tuesday, February 03, 2004 10:00 AMRe: On the nature of bowing... to bow or not to bowNamaste to All:I have been reading with some interest this thread about the nature of bowing.It seems to be turning into something more on whether to bow or not to bow :-)Namaste was one of the first words I found myself drawn to as my little adventureunfolded. When I learned what it meant, I was intrigued by its beauty and I still am.I do still go to services at the Temple around the corner and worship icons, Lord Shivain particular :-). I have not wailed yet :-) Cried maybe, but no wailing...I still find myself greeting folks there with Namaste and find that it alwayselicits a certain surprise mingled with a smile both delighted and shy. If it is meant to say and the person who does it is doing it to say..."I bow to the light in you." then I think it is a beautiful gesture in humility. For when you can honestly look into the eyes of another person and know that, and greet them with Namaste in your heart, you are giving them a gift. A gift of your acknowledgement to them that you recognize the light in them. That you realize that the body is but an ornament covering the soul which you share.You are also gifting yourself with the symbolic reminder of That which you Are.Is that not a form of Self enquiry? Still in Kindergarten...Love,JoyceJoyce, this is just so poetically beautiful. Poetry need not necessarily be couched in metre and verse; and poetic truth is deeper than literal truth. Thanks, and love Warwick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 2, 2004 Report Share Posted February 2, 2004 Dear Joyce, Namaste. It is necessary to clarify what is meant by being "poetically true" and that "poetic truth is deeper than literal truth." It could be thought that something could be poetically true in a self-indulgent way, as when a young man refers to his sweetheart as "the most beautiful girl in the world" but untrue in any broader sense. It could be thought that only a statement that refers to so-called "objective" things can really be true, a statement such as "Mt Everest is the highest peak in the world", or, "water comprises so many parts oxygen to so many parts hydrogen" And these statements can be verified reasonably easily, and, what is more, verified by measurement. But viewed from the perspective of who, or what, I, or you, or we, or she, or they essentially is, these statements are not only about appearances, chimeras,they are statements that lack any feel for the truth, love and beauty which we, or I, essentially is. Poetic truth, the truth of what one really is, the truth which contains love and beauty as its essence, is much deeper than any mathematically verifiable truth, if, indeed, it is meaningful to use the word "truth" in both different contexts. Love Warwick Reply at bottom- Lady Joyce To: Tuesday, February 03, 2004 10:00 AMRe: On the nature of bowing... to bow or not to bowNamaste to All:I have been reading with some interest this thread about the nature of bowing.It seems to be turning into something more on whether to bow or not to bow :-)Namaste was one of the first words I found myself drawn to as my little adventureunfolded. When I learned what it meant, I was intrigued by its beauty and I still am.I do still go to services at the Temple around the corner and worship icons, Lord Shivain particular :-). I have not wailed yet :-) Cried maybe, but no wailing...I still find myself greeting folks there with Namaste and find that it alwayselicits a certain surprise mingled with a smile both delighted and shy. If it is meant to say and the person who does it is doing it to say..."I bow to the light in you." then I think it is a beautiful gesture in humility. For when you can honestly look into the eyes of another person and know that, and greet them with Namaste in your heart, you are giving them a gift. A gift of your acknowledgement to them that you recognize the light in them. That you realize that the body is but an ornament covering the soul which you share.You are also gifting yourself with the symbolic reminder of That which you Are.Is that not a form of Self enquiry? Still in Kindergarten...Love,JoyceJoyce, this is just so poetically beautiful. Poetry need not necessarily be couched in metre and verse; and poetic truth is deeper than literal truth. Thanks, and love Warwick /join "Love itself is the actual form of God."Sri RamanaIn "Letters from Sri Ramanasramam" by Suri Nagamma To visit your group on the web, go to:/ To from this group, send an email to: Your use of Groups is subject to the Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 3, 2004 Report Share Posted February 3, 2004 Peace to you for me thats right its the beginning and has to be practiced moment by moment and of course its wonderful to be in SILENCE but even this must be REAL and not a faked one example if ones ego is used to be silent out of different reasons this silence is for me not the same if someones ego has inclinition to be talkative out of different and valuable reasons to be quits its heavy stuff inded all the best love michael bindel tuscauy AGREE WITH SELF ENQUIRY, that's all..............ONS..Tony MSN 8 helps ELIMINATE E-MAIL VIRUSES. Get 2 months FREE*. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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