suchandra Posted February 24, 2008 Report Share Posted February 24, 2008 This should make clear that all kind of concentration and meditation exercise for "attaining peace", doesn't work. "The activities of the mind cannot be stopped because they are the reflection of the eternal soul". The mind can only be cleansed. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā… [Cc. Antya 20.12]. As soon as your mind is cleansed of all dirty things, then you become fit for going back to home, back to Godhead." "Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, like his brother Arjuna, began to concentrate and gradually became freed from all material bondage. First of all he concentrated all the actions of the senses amalgamated in the mind. Or in other words, he turned his mind towards transcendental service of the Lord. He prayed that since all material activities were performed by the mind in terms of actions and reactions of the material senses, and since he was going back to Godhead, the mind would wind up its material activities and return towards the transcendental service of the Lord. There was no longer need for material activities. Actually, the activities of the mind cannot be stopped because they are the reflection of the eternal soul. But the quality of the activities can be changed from matter to the transcendental service of the Lord. The material color of the mind is changed by washing it from contaminations of life breathing and therefore getting it freed from the contamination of repeated birth and death and getting it situated in pure spiritual life. “The mountains, although being struck by torrents of rain during the rainy season, are not shaken, just as those whose hearts are dedicated to the transcendental Personality of Godhead are never disturbed, even when harassed by great misfortune.”-Light of the Bhagavata, Verse Twelve http://environmentkrishna.wordpress.com/ All was manifested by the temporary embodiment of the material body, which is a production of mind at the time of death. And if the mind is purified by practice of transcendental loving service of the Lord and the same is constantly engaged in the service of the lotus feet of the Lord, there is no more chance of the mind’s producing another material body after death. It will be freed from the absorption of material contamination. The pure soul will be able to return back home, back to Godhead." Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.15.41 by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda Los Angeles, December 19, 1973 http://causelessmercy.com/t/t/731219SB.LA.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AncientMariner Posted February 24, 2008 Report Share Posted February 24, 2008 How does any of this relate to physical sleep? Gotta admit I enjoy sleeping and dreaming and find it to be very peaceful even though I have read the acaryas say you shouldn't sleep very much and some of them hardly slept at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suchandra Posted February 26, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2008 How does any of this relate to physical sleep? Gotta admit I enjoy sleeping and dreaming and find it to be very peaceful even though I have read the acaryas say you shouldn't sleep very much and some of them hardly slept at all. Strongly associating with the modes of nature what influences the consciousness for the whole day, is sleep during the early morning hours. The only solution seems to be to go to bed real early, something like at 8 or 9 pm. Actually our farmers are doing this, of course not to become spiritually advanced but to wake up at 4 am and take care of the farm. "Prakṛti, nature is doing everything. I am desiring something. That means I am contacting, contacting the certain type of the modes of material nature. This is also explained in the Bhagavad-gītā: kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgaḥ asya sad-asad-janma-yoniṣu. Sad-asad- janma-yoni. Yoni means the source of birth. Mother is called yoni, and father is called bīja. Yathā yoni yathā bījam. According to bījam and according to yoni, we get body. So why you are getting different types of body? Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgaḥ asya. He is contacting a particular type of the modes of material nature. There are three modes of material nature: sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. So if I am associating with sattva-guṇa, then next life, I’ll get a sattva- guṇa body. Ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthā. [bg. 14.18] Sattva-guṇa body means higher standard of life. So similarly, if I am associating with the modes of passion, then I’ll get a body, next life, passionate. If I am associating with ignorance, tamo-guṇa, jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti- sthā adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ. Tāmasāḥ. Tama-vṛtti. The jaghanya, the lowest. There are so many varieties of life. So those who are associating with tamo-guṇa, drinking, flesh eating, smoking, illicit sex, gambling… These are the association of tamo-guṇa. Yatra pāpāś catur-vidhā. Where there are four kinds of sinful activities. So intoxication is sinful activities. That is tamo-guṇa. Associating with tamo-guṇa. So jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti-sthā adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ. Those who are associating with tamo-guṇa, their vṛtti, their habits, are very abominable. Jaghanya. Therefore adho gacchanti. They go downwards." The Nectar of Devotion by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda Vṛndāvana, October 20, 1972 721020ND.VRN Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xexon Posted March 21, 2008 Report Share Posted March 21, 2008 The mind is a servant, not a master. Once this is made plain to the mind, it will gladly surrender the pilot's seat in favor of the soul's superior power. It will sit quietly until it's called. x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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