Six Principles from Vedanta - a nice article

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Hare Krishna,

 

Below is the attached article I've received from one of my friends.

Contact info. about the author, you can find at the end of the article.

 

Hari Hari Hari Bol!!!

bhaskar

 

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Before the article, just a refresher definition of Vedanta..

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Vedanta, the 'anta' end of veda, is the last portion of each of the

Vedas.

'Veda' means knowledge. So Vedanta means the ultimate knowledge, the

culmination of knowledge. Vedanta gives you knowledge of the world and the

individual. A technique for achieving the right interaction with the

World. Vedanta is a science of living. The omplete manual on Self

Management

that helps us reach our full potential. Science tells us that we use, at

best, 10% of our capacity. Vedanta helps cultivate the balance 90% and

access the powerhouse of infinite energy lying dormant within us.

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The Art of Accomplishment: Six Principles from Vedanta

Prasad Kaipa, Ph. D., The Mithya Institute for Learning

 

The essence of Vedanta is self-knowledge. In my work with organizations, I

found six principles derived from Vedanta to be quite helpful in coaching

executives to become successful and fulfill their dreams. These six

principles are interdependent and describe a cycle. When you follow this

cycle, you develop new competencies and achieve higher levels of success.

Also, the more you practice the six principles, the more you begin to know

yourself.

 

1) Clarity of Intention: Many of us have some idea of what we are after

when

we take on a project. More often, though, we may not have clarity about our

goal, let alone know how to measure success if we do achieve it.

Intention is critical to achieving success. For example, in India, when we

perform a special religious ceremony like 'Sri Satya Narayana Puja,' we

start with 'Sankalpam,' a Sanskrit word for 'Intention.' We pray for our

wishes (purusharthas) like dharma, money (artha), desires (kama), and

spiritual freedom (Moksha) to be fulfilled. We also pray for the benefit of

society/world (loka kalyana praptyartham).

When the intention is not clear, attention shifts from one thing (one

desire) to another and leads to confusion (vikalpa). In such circumstances,

we often end up compromising our own efforts and receive less than what we

desired or even deserved. Without a crystal clear intention, we rarely

experience a sense of accomplishment.

So, how do you increase the clarity of your intention? Ask yourself:

· What is it that I want?

· What evokes passion and joy in my heart?

· What am I willing to give up (sacrifice) to achieve the desired goal?

· If I have more than one intention, which one should I first attempt?

These questions bring to the surface some of our assumptions and passion

and

help us prioritize our intentions (and hence our actions).

 

2) Awareness: To succeed, intention alone is not enough. The message of

Swami Vivekananda is: 'arise (Utthistatha), be awake and aware (Jagritha)

and stop not till you reach your goal' (prapthavaran nibhodhata). Awareness

is of two kinds: Self awareness and the awareness of the world around us.

When we develop true awareness of self, we begin to understand the true

nature of world also and that we are manifestation of Brahman-ultimate

reality. There are four special sentences in Upanishads that reveal the

nature of Atman (self) and Brahman and those are called 'maha vakyas' or

'great sentences:' Each approach Brahman from a different perspective while

addressing the non-differentiation of Atman and Brahman.

· The first sentence or Maha Vakya, from an Upanishad related to Rig

Veda,

tells us that Consciousness is the Brahman (Pragnanam Brahma). It is called

a 'Lakshana vakya' meaning 'defining sentence' because it defines Brahman

in

terms of Consciousness.

· The second Mahavakya, from an Upanishad related to Yajur Veda, tells

us

that each of us are Brahman (Aham Brahmasmi). It is called 'Anubhava vakya'

as only through experience that we can gain understanding of our true

nature.

· The third Maha Vakya, from an Upanishad (Chandogya) connected with

Sama

Veda, is 'Tat-tvam-asi.' It is not just that I am Brahman, you are Brahman

and the entire substratum of this world is also Brahman. This is called

'Upadesha Vakya' or sentence that is taught by teachers (Gurus) to their

disciples to prevent arrogance and develop respect and compassion for

others.

· Finally, the fourth Maha Vakya, from an Upanishad (Mundaka) related to

Atharva Veda, is 'Ayamatma Brahma' meaning 'This Atman is Brahman.' Since

this sentence reveals the non-dualistic nature of atman and Brahman and

keeps us connected with the larger reality, it is called 'Anusandhana

Vakya.'

What blocks our awareness? Patanjali (exponent of Yoga Sutras in addition

to

Grammar and Ayurveda) said that there are five mental processes that act as

enemies to awareness. They are:

· Our own expectations and standards (pramana),

· Our mis-identified and wrong knowledge (viparyaya),

· Our imagination (vikalpa),

· Sleep (nidra) and

· Memory (smruthi).

While sleep and old memory are easy to understand as blocks to awareness,

Patanjali warns us that we have to watch out that our own standards,

incomplete and false knowledge, and imagination don't take over our mind

and

make us either proud or sloppy or negligent. Indeed, we must be aware and

vigilant against our complacence (Jagriti). Know that we shape the world

through our actions and the world shapes us through its reactions. And we

need to continually and dynamically re-assess where we've been, where we

are, and where we want to go.

How do you develop more awareness? Reflection/contemplative practices,

writing a journal regularly to become aware of our own thought processes

and

continual reassessment of our intentions are helpful. Most awareness is

tacit. Learning to pay attention to body signals, pains and pleasures and

energy shifts in the body is key to developing higher awareness and acute

sensitivity to one's own body and mind. The more aware you are of yourself,

the sharper your senses are to observe your surroundings!

 

3) Empathy for one another: While clarity of intention and awareness gets

us

onto the path to success, empathy and compassion helps us to gain support

of

others. Both in Bhagavad Geeta as well as Yoga Sutras of Patanjali,

friendliness (maitri) and kindness/compassion (karuna) are two attitudes

that are encouraged in working with others. When you begin to see yourself

in others and feel for others genuinely, you will find that others

reciprocate those feelings. Time and again, I have found that affection

(vatsalyata bhava) and warmth towards to new people always brought positive

results. When the situation had conflicts and divisive, these attitudes of

maitri and karuna were able to diffuse that tension and create some

'openness' to an amicable solution.

What is empathy? It is like "walking in another's shoes." It implies the

imaginative act of being the other person. Empathy is the foundation for

emotional intelligence. By being kind and empathetic when you could be

harsh, you can build lasting relationships with your colleagues, employees

and customers.

The practice of empathy really requires demonstrating openness, mutual

respect and trust in relationships. Deep listening, not just to the words

but the meaning behind the words, is the foundation for an empathetic

relationship. Sharing from the heart and feeling the pain of the other

nurtures relationships. Empathy begets more empathy and is the source of a

creative partnership.

 

4) Appreciation for each other and what you receive: While empathy opens

the

door, appreciation welcomes you in. Vedanta tells us to tell the truth that

is pleasing to others and withhold what is disliked even if it is the

truth.

(satyam bhuyat, priyam bhuyat, na bhuyat satyam-apriyam) It does not mean

that we should lie to please others, but it maybe better for people to find

such truth themselves. Appreciation is not flattery but genuine

acknowledgment of another's contribution. By letting you know that I

appreciate what you have done for me, genuinely and specifically, I let you

know that I honor and respect who you are. Appreciating a person and their

work boosts morale and amplifies what brought that appreciation in the

first

place.

However, one can only appreciate others to the extent that one appreciates

oneself. So appreciation is also about self acceptance. How does one

practice self acceptance? Make it a ritual every day to find something

positive that you have done or some contribution that you have made to

others. Even if the work did not yet produce the desired result, appreciate

the steps you have taken so far. Similarly appreciate what others have

done,

even if the results are not produced the first time they try it. Be

authentic when you give such feedback and only then discuss how to improve

future efforts and results.

 

5) Stretching beyond your own limits: We operate mostly on autopilot (under

the influence of Maya). We become comfortable with 'karma theory' and when

we fail, we say that it is our fate. While our fate might have something to

do with our circumstances, if we don't learn from those failures and take

actions that stretch us beyond our comfort zone, we are not using our free

will (sveccha) to break out of our karma. Sveccha came from two words 'Sva'

and 'iccha' meaning my desire. This is where we make choices and the

clarity

of our intention helps us immensely. When we are stretched, we gain access

to our creativity and passion.

People are naturally uncomfortable taking risks and failing because we

focus

only on the end result. We don't accept or appreciate failure very well in

our culture. Each 'failure' could create a mental block in us and create

boundaries around us. Most such boundaries are self-imposed, though we like

to blame others for their contribution. By learning to stretch even though

we don't want to, we begin to break those mental barriers and discover

untapped potential. Aspiration and desperation are two good motivators for

stretching beyond our limits. And curiosity, genuine inquiry (not

inquisition), empathy, and appreciation provide the impetus and support for

people stretching beyond their limits and discovering new possibilities.

To practice this principle, find opportunities to learn and be vulnerable.

Be willing to fail and look stupid and ask questions instead of making

assumptions. Practice telling the truth when you are not sure what the

implications are. Interestingly, you will find out that you are modeling a

behavior that leads to 'stretching the limits.' You are creating an

environment of nurturing and caring in which other people let their guards

down and discover themselves to be bigger than their own imagination!

 

6) Letting go of what does not work and old mindsets: Practice (abhyaasa)

and detachment (vairaagya) are two recommendations that Lord Krishna gives

Arjuna in Geeta to gain control of his mind. While the first five

principles

could get you to the edge of success, success eludes those who are not able

to know when to let go and move on. Letting go does not mean giving up. It

means not to be attached to the result while continuing to perform the

action.

Habits are difficult to change because we continue to do what we have

always

done by default and expect different results. By learning to let go of our

old mindsets, we can begin to discover new possibilities and new

approaches.

Krishna advises Arjuna to do his best and to let go of his attachment to

the

fruits of his action. Such letting go gives us freedom to act and takes

care

of our nervousness. Many top athletes set themselves high goals and then

let

go of the attachment to those goals making them free to play their natural

game bringing out the best in them.

Letting go is also about flexibility and good judgment. When I know what to

let go of and when to do so, I can take responsibility for what I can hold

onto and for how long. I can only take responsibilities for what I have

freedom to let go. I cannot take accountability for any of my actions that

I

do not have such freedom.

 

The Cycle of Six Principles

Intention provides the direction and focus for our actions. Awareness gives

us the capacity and intelligence to go after our goal. Empathy helps us

build partnerships with others and appreciation is the key to motivation

and

productivity. Stretching beyond the perceived limits helps us to grow and

meet the challenges presented and letting go of our attachment assures not

only success but accomplishment. Together, these six principles convey the

essence of Vedanta. Practicing them with self awareness leads not only to

success but to self-discovery!

Prasad Kaipa researches the nature of learning and knowledge in

organizations and consults with business on leadership, intellectual

capital

and strategy. You can send your feedback and dialogue with him by reaching

him at 408/871-0462 or sending an email to Prasad.

 

This article was written for and first published in a souvenir released by

Siva Vishnu Temple in Livermore, CA in July 1998.

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Here is the whereabouts of the author of this article & his web site :

 

 

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Pl check the following web site for more articles...

 

http://www.mithya.com/learning/

 

Prasad Kaipa's home office:

 

(Send Express mail to this address)

 

4832 Pinemont Drive

Campbell, CA 95008-5714, USA

 

Phone: (408) 871-0462

Fax: (408) 871-0461

 

When Prasad is in India, you can get his whereabouts by calling either

(040) 761 9645 (Hyderabad) or (080) 331-7410 (Bangalore). If you are in

USA, you can always call his home office (408) 866-8511 to get current

phone and fax numbers in India.

 

e-mail Mithya at info

 

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