Guest guest Posted March 4, 2003 Report Share Posted March 4, 2003 In the Advaitin message board we see a lot of learned, detailed expositions from our scriptures. What I think is equally important is to learn from everyday events and relate them to spirituality. As many of you know the cricket world cup is on in South Africa. India's premier batsman Sachin Tendulakar played what many considered to be the finest innings in all of world cup cricket last week when India defeated Pakistan. That event is irrelevant to this forum. What is interesting however is these couple of excerpts that are quite relevant to spiritual seekers. 1. Karma Yoga is often defined as proper action with proper attitude. Here is an excerpt from Sachin's interview which provides a insight into proper action (http://www.rediff.com/wc2003/2003/mar/03sachin.htm) Qn: The last World Cup was supposed to be your show but it didn't quite work out like that. This time, you've taken the world by storm - - people are comparing it with the way Ronaldo played in the soccer World Cup last year... Answer: I don't have to worry about what people say; I only have to worry about what I want to do. I want to focus on doing the right thing at the right time. What people say is beyond my control -- what is in my control is doing what I want to do and getting it right. 2. Concentration is so fundamental to any spiritual sadhana. Here is an excerpt from Greg Chappell's article in The Hindu 'Sachin is a rare Gem' (http://www.hinduonnet.com/stories/2003030502262000.htm) that provides a great insight into what constitutes good concentration. == Batting at the highest levels of the game is as much about mental skills as it is about physical talents. The better players may have a greater range of strokes than the rest but you can bet they also have a greater mental capacity. Sir Donald Bradman was the best batsman of all time because he was the most determined and mentally strong batsman there has ever been. I am sure I have seen batsmen who have had as much physical talent as Bradman, but they have not had the same ruthless drive to make big scores. Bradman seldom felt the pressures of batting that mere mortals feel. This allowed him to concentrate for long periods. What exactly is concentration? Concentration is the ability to focus on the important things at the right moment while blocking out the rest. Some things are more relevant than others at different times. At the point of delivery the only thing that a batsman should see in his field of vision is the ball leaving the bowler's hand. Just prior to the point of delivery the batsman should see the full view of the bowler as he folds up into the delivery position. The ability to be able to track between the two at the appropriate times separates the men from the boys. Testing that was done with Bradman concluded that his eyesight and reflexes were within the `normal' range. What he did better than the rest was to pick up the cues from the bowlers' action just prior to, and at the point of delivery, better than others. I have no doubt Bradman, a well organised man, had a process of concentration for each and every delivery. His instincts were well trained from hours and hours of hitting golf balls with a cricket stump as a young man. His brain had a greater capacity for storing information than the most complex computers that man can build. == yadyadvibhuutimatsattvaM shriimaduurjitameva vaa . tattadevaavagach{}chha tvaM mama tejo.nshasaMbhavam.h .. 10\.41. Whatever is endowed with glory, brilliance, and power; know that to be a manifestation of a very small fraction of My splendor. (10.41) regards Sundar Rajan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 4, 2003 Report Share Posted March 4, 2003 Namaste Sri Sundar Rajan: You have articulated well with a beautiful example on the importance of relating everyday events with the spiritual expositions from the scriptures. In the everyday sporting events, successful coaches have always applied the essence of Karma Yoga in motivating their players. Recently one of the greatest Basket Ball player, Michael Jordan during a television interview made remarks quite similar to the answer provided by Sachin. The player who gives the best of his/her abilities everytime during the game becomes the best. It seems that those players conduct their meditation without taking any break and that is the key for their success! regards, Ram Chandran advaitin, "Sundar Rajan" <avsundarrajan> wrote: > In the Advaitin message board we see a lot of learned, detailed > expositions from our scriptures. What I think is equally important is > to learn from everyday events and relate them to spirituality. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 5, 2003 Report Share Posted March 5, 2003 advaitin, "Ram Chandran" <rchandran@c...> wrote: > Namaste Sri Sundar Rajan: > > You have articulated well with a beautiful example on the importance > of relating everyday events with the spiritual expositions from the > scriptures. Namaste, At the risk of being branded a spoilsport, I would like to offer a caution in the examples of everyday life to spirituality. In the Bhagavata Purana, Dattatreya has given a list of 24 'upa-gurus' from everyday life from whom he learnt what to practise and what to avoid on the path of spirituality. The fundamentals of spiritual practice lie in 'viveka- vairagya' (discrimination-dispassion), and 'mumukshutvam' (the wish to be free from bondage). If one is able to extract these from the examples given, more power to them. The examples illustrate the acquisition of a limited perfection ('siddhi') by means of effort ('tapas'). To equate it with 'karma yoga' goes beyond its legitimate dues. It could be called that only if the tapas was directed to the fundamentals mentioned above. One should have the intention ('sankalpa') of offering it as a service to the Supreme Spirit. Worldly success and fame cannot be the criteria of the practice of Karma Yoga. Success ('abhyudaya') - in the words of the Gita 18:78 "shrI, vijaya, bhUtiH, AND 'dhruvA nItiH' " are a result of a combination of Yogeshvara Krishna and Dhanurdhara Arjuna. Another quotation from the Gita may be appropriate: tapasvibhyo.adhiko yogii GYaanibhyo.api mato.adhikaH . karmibhyashchaadhiko yogii tasmaadyogii bhavaarjuna .. 6\-46.. Dattatreya's list can certainly be expanded, but let us not lose sight of the 'summum bonum'of human life, and strive to choose examples that nurture it. Regards, Sunder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 18, 2003 Report Share Posted March 18, 2003 Namaste. This is a very interesting topic especially at this time of cricket celebration. Let me narrate some things I saw in the recent past. 1) In one city, my wife and I went to a book store and were busy engrossed in the store. Every few minutes, we could hear drums in some loud and asyncronous tune and then subsiding. We thought someone was performing some marriage function or something. It never stopped. Later the store man informed us that some youngsters were watching TV and are banging at the drums everytime someone hit a four ! 2) Many young kids nowadays wear T-shirts resembling their cricket heroes' shirts. Reflected glory sometimes is more enjoybale than the actual, I thought. After all, isn't moon more pleasant than Sun, though we cannot live without a Sun ! 3) Few weeks ago, there were some interviews with successful players like Martin Crowe, Sir Richard Hadlee, etc. Many things which they said were very good I thought. Martin Crowe, on his way to what would have been a great feat of scoring a triple century, lost his wicket at the very end due to losing concentration, thinking about all the wonderful things which are going to happen. The great and wonderful cricketer still thinks about it on a daily basis. Some of the things they said during the interviews such as 'unrelenting hardwork' and 'take pride in what you do' are all noted in my diary. Richard Hadlee shortened his run up. Fast bowler shortening his runup was something not understood. He went on to become a great wicket taker, extending his career. In addition to concentration, perhaps a little knack is required too, like what Hadlee did and every successful player does. Sachin for example, stands away from the wickets when the bowler is bowling, offering a free wicket, and adjust himself quickly in a few seconds. This way, he gets to play his shots sometimes. But then, everyone knows this and still he succeeds many times ! Indeed he is a great player. Best Regards, Raghava advaitin, "Ram Chandran" <rchandran@c...> wrote: > Namaste Sri Sundar Rajan: > > You have articulated well with a beautiful example on the importance > of relating everyday events with the spiritual expositions from the > scriptures. In the everyday sporting events, successful coaches have > always applied the essence of Karma Yoga in motivating their players. > Recently one of the greatest Basket Ball player, Michael Jordan > during a television interview made remarks quite similar to the > answer provided by Sachin. The player who gives the best of his/her > abilities everytime during the game becomes the best. It seems that > those players conduct their meditation without taking any break and > that is the key for their success! > > regards, > > Ram Chandran > > advaitin, "Sundar Rajan" <avsundarrajan> > wrote: > > In the Advaitin message board we see a lot of learned, detailed > > expositions from our scriptures. What I think is equally important > is > > to learn from everyday events and relate them to spirituality. > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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