Guest guest Posted April 14, 2008 Report Share Posted April 14, 2008 Dr. Frank Morales Dharma Journal April 14, 2008 See links at the bottom of this message for more information ___________ " The greatest era in the history of Sanatana Dharma does not lay behind it, but is about to occur in our lifetime. Sanatana Dharma is not an archaic tradition to be relegated to the past, but represents the most cutting-edge and spiritually progressive world-view that the earth has ever known. In the near future - in our lifetime - we will witness all culture, religion, politics, arts, economics, and world thought being reshaped in the light of Dharma, in the light of the Eternal Natural Way. For this new compassionate and healthy Dharmic world to become a reality, however, all Dharmins [followers of Dharma] must exhibit the courage, the strength, the fearlessness, the humility, and the determination to dedicate themselves wholly to practicing authentic Dharma, and to serving humanity with all their being. Together, united in strength, purpose, and compassion, we can recreate our world for the better. May God empower us that we may revive Dharma in this world. " - Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya (Dr. Frank Morales, Ph.D.) ____________ The Teachings of the Bhagavad Gita In the beginning the creator created human beings together with selfless service (Seva, sacrifice) and said: By serving each other you shall prosper and the sacrificial service shall fulfill all your desires. (3.10) Nourish the celestial controllers with selfless service, and they will nourish you. Thus nourishing one another you shall attain the Supreme goal. (3.11) The celestial controllers, served by selfless service, will give you all desired objects. One who enjoys the gift of celestial controllers without sharing with others is, indeed, a thief. (3.12) The righteous who eat after feeding others are freed from all sins, but the impious who cook food only for themselves - without first offering to God, or sharing with others - verily eat sin. (3.13) The living beings are born from food grains, grains are produced by sacrificial work or duty performed by farmers and other field workers. Duty is prescribed in the scriptures. Scriptures (such as the Vedas, the Holy Bible, the Holy Koran) come from the Supreme Being. Thus the all-pervading Supreme Being or God is ever present in selfless service. (3.14-15) The one who does not help to keep the wheel of creation in motion by sacrificial duty (Seva), and rejoices sense pleasures, that sinful person lives in vain. (3.16) The one who rejoices the Supreme Being, who is delighted with the Supreme Being, and who is content with the Supreme Being alone, for such a Self-realized person there is no duty. Such a person has no interest, whatsoever, in what is done or what is not done. A Self-realized person does not depend on anybody, except God, for anything. (3.17-18) ____________ The Art of Wisdom " The acquisition of wisdom is not merely an intellectual or theoretical enterprise. Rather, true wisdom is the consequent result of the uniting of knowledge with immediate spiritual realization via the practice of God-centered meditation. It is in devotional meditative absorption upon the Absolute that both factual knowledge and the faculty of discernment itself finally bare spiritual fruit in the form of direct non-mediated perception of Truth. When we achieve such an experience, transcendent Truth itself then becomes a living presence within us, nurturing us in the light of God's grace. To have wisdom means to surrender to Truth itself, and to presence that Truth in our everyday lives in everything we do, think, and say. " - Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya ( " The Art of Wisdom: Affirmations for Boundless Living " . To be released April 23, 2008.) ____________ Announcements: 1. Radical Universalism Book Now Published! " Radical Universalism: Does Hinduism Teach that All Religions are the Same? " By Dr. Frank Morales, Ph.D. Based on a long philosophical essay written in 2005 Now a new, expanded edition of this work has been published in India by the Voice of India publishing company. With a forward by Dr. David Frawley, this new book edition of Dr. Morales' work is destined to reach an even broader audience. See links below for more information. " Few have the background and fewer still the courage to speak boldly about the unfortunate ascension in modern times of Hindu universalism. Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya has both, and wields them in this book to trenchant purpose. Anyone seeking to comprehend the origins and intellectual dangers of an " all religions are the same " mind-set need look no further. It's all flayed open here, logically and compellingly. " Paramacharya Palaniswami Editor-in-Chief Hinduism Today Magazine " Radical Universalism " by Dr. Frank Morales is an important essay that dispels many misconceptions about the Hindu tradition. Sanatana Dharma emphatically speaks of the difference between the asuric and the daivika currents of reality and the need to choose the latter if one wishes to obtain knowledge and understanding. Dr Morales is right to stress that the slogan that " all religions are the same " is antithetical to the spirit of the Vedas. Progress, at the personal and the societal levels, comes only through a process of churning. I recommend this book very strongly. " Professor Subhash Kak Author of " The Prajna Sutra, The Astronomical Code of the Rgveda " , and many other books. " In this book, Dharma teacher Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya (American-born Dr. Frank Morales) develops a cogent argument against the universalistic fallacy. He traces its origins in the colonial condition, when prominent Hindus interiorized this novel European idea, and documents its lightning career through divergent sections of Hindu society including such seeming antagonists as Gandhism and Hindu nationalism. He draws attention to the odd sense of superiority which some preachers derive from the allegedly Hindu teaching that " unlike other religions, Hinduism doesn't claim to be unlike other religions " . Then he proceeds to deconstruct this fashionable rhetoric about the equal truth of all religions. With compelling logic, he shows its contradictions as well as its undesirable ethical implications. Not least, he proves that it is deeply un-Hindu, for Hinduism values truth over syrupy and futile attempts to please everyone. " Dr. Koenraad Elst Belgian Indologist 2. Dharma Deepam Magazine - " Sharing the Light of Dharma " Editor-in-Chief Dr. Frank Morales, Ph.D. Published by Dr. Frank Morales, Ph.D. (Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya) in conjunction with the Hindu Temple of Omaha and the Vedantic Center. To Subscribe, see links below 3. The First Hindu Leadership Training Conference – Oct. 18-19, 2008 Sri Acharyaji (Dr. Frank Morales, Ph.D.), in conjunction with the Hindu Temple of Nebraska, the Vedantic Center of Nebraska, and the International Sanatana Dharma Society, is organizing the first ever Hindu Leadership Training Conference. This global conference will be held the weekend of October 18 – 19, 2008, at the the Hindu Temple of Nebraska. What You Will Learn: Vision / Goals / Long-term Strategizing Communication Skills Media Relations Creating Hindu Youth Leadership Managing Interpersonal Relationships Powerful Public Speaking Skills Empowering Yourself and Others to Lead Effectively Who Should Attend: Temple managers, board members, and volunteers Hindu priests Hindu activists Hindu organizers Youth leaders Hindu teachers Gurus/Swamis/Acharyas Tentative Seminar Leaders Include: Sri Paramacharya Palaniswami (Editor-in-Chief of Hinduism Today Magazine) Dr. Frank Morales, Ph.D. (Resident Acharya of the Hindu Temple of Nebraska) Sri Kavidra Rishi (Jeffrey Long, internationally known inspirational speaker / author) Sri Niraj Mohanka (New Dharma Foundation) Ms. Stephanie Gilfoyle (Executive, First National Bank) You must pre-register to be a part of this history-making conference. For your pre-registration packet, please write: Hindu Temple Attn: Hindu Leadership Training Conference 13010 Arbor Street Omaha, NE 68144 4. Do You Live in Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, or Kansas? Join Midwest Dharma! midwest_dharma/ The purpose of Midwest Dharma is to provide announcements about the classes, seminars, pravachanas (spiritual talks), and satsang schedules of Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya (Dr. Frank Morales, Ph.D.) in the states of Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, and Kansas. midwest_dharma/ Or any other related media/communications production skills Please contact Dharma Sun Media at: heather108. We appreciate your help in our mission to teach Dharma to a suffering world. __________ " The tree gives shelter to others, but asks little in return. The tree stands strong and patient, regardless of the severity of weather it finds itself in. The tree is silent, yet awes us with its dignity. The tree is beautiful, but it remains unaffected by all that happens around it. The tree is our teacher. Be like a tree. " - Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya ( " The Art of Wisdom: Affirmations for Boundless Living " . To be released April 23, 2008.) __________ The Rishi Phenomenon Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya (Dr. Frank Morales, Ph.D.) (The following is an excerpt from Dr. Frank Morales' forthcoming book " Whisperings of the Divine: How God is Known in the Vedic Tradition. " ) The rishi phenomenon is an instance of a human being who, through the allied processes of yoga, tapas (vows of austerity), sadhanas (systematic spiritual disciplines), intense meditation (dhyana), and other esoteric means of systematic self-purification, has achieved absolute transcendence over the non-atman (non-spiritual) aspects of herself. Having gained complete control over the body, mind, speech, and senses, the rishi becomes transformed into a being who is thoroughly absorbed in the spiritual reality. Being thus absorbed, she has a direct and unmediated experiential connection with the truth. In the terminology of Yoga philosophy, such a state is known as samadhi, or perfect meditative absorption. The samadhi state is one of enstasy, in which the individual undergoes the experience of standing within her true self and tasting the bliss of her own inner reality. From this trans-material perspective within the samadhi state, the yogi and the Absolute - the subjective experiencer and the transcendent object of the experience - become intimately reunited. " Experience is synonymous with reality " , says Mahanamabrata, " which is to be analyzed, synthesized and plunged into, so that its ultimate nature may be immediately apprehended. " (3) There are two different levels of samadhi that the yogi undergoes in her attempt to realize the ultimate truth. The first of these is savikalpa-samadhi, in which the yogi begins to identify with the essence of the Absolute. At the highest stage of savikalpa-samadhi, one is able to attain the realization of one's own primal substratum, which is composed of saccidananda (sat, cit and ananda), or unadulterated consciousness qualified by the attributive qualities of never-ending being, cognizance and bliss. In the second stage of samadhi, known as nirvikalpa-samadhi, the yogi achieves complete identification with her true self, atman, and has direct praesentia dei perception of Parabrahman, the Supreme Absolute. This is an experience that is described as being situated beyond the delimiting modes of time and space, thus utterly transcendental in content. In the immediate aftermath of this radical ontological shift in the yogi's subjective locus, a complete transformation of her consciousness subsequently ensues. The externally observable ramifications of the samadhi phenomenon on the subject (the yogi /rishi) are two-fold. One is psychological in nature, the other epistemological. The psychological and cognitive impact of the samadhi phenomenon is radically transformative in nature. This transformation that occurs within the yogi (soon to be rishi) affects her on a variety of levels, including intellectual, mental, emotional, nervous, and ethical. For the sake of remaining firmly situated within the epistemic bounds of the present work, however, we will focus primarily on the cognitive modification that takes place in the psyche of the rishi (seer). Because the rishi has conquered the demands of the ego, she is no longer subject to the four imperfections of bhrama (the tendency toward illusion), pramada (inattentiveness), vipralasa (the desire to cheat) and karanapatava (insufficiency of the senses) put forth by Hindu philosophers in their critique of pratyaksha and anumana. The Bhagavad-gita explains this state in the following manner. " He whose mind is not affected in sorrow and is free from desire in pleasure and who is without attachment, fear, or anger - he is called a sage of steady insight (sthita-dhi). " Since her knowledge of the truth is derived via direct, non-mediated transmission - from Brahman (God) to atman (soul) - completely bypassing the customary intermediary routes of the senses, mind, intellect and ego, karanapatava (insufficiency of the senses) is averted. Empirical and rational instruments simply are no longer employed in this instance. Therefore, their perfection, or lack thereof, is rendered a thorough non-issue. Additionally, because she is no longer under the illusion that her self-interest is of any superior value to the ultimate spiritual interest of all other beings, the defect of vipralasa (the desire to cheat), also, no longer applies. The ultimate interest of all other living beings is now her supreme interest. Thus the apta (reliable person) is a perfectly moral being, acting from and in goodness, not due to a mere sense of necessitating duty, but out of her own intrinsic atmic (spiritual) nature. Having attained a state of dharana, or perfect concentration, she is not subject to pramada (inattentiveness). Being thoroughly absorbed in the loving contemplation (upasana) of Brahman, her attention is perfectly and effortlessly alert, never diverted and ever-focused. Finally, having transcended the firm grip of maya (illusion) altogether, the tendency of bhrama (the tendency toward illusion) is nothing more than a faint memory for the rishi. Having thus risen above all the defective tendencies of the mundane cognitive processes, the rishi is seen, by the vast majority of philosophers within the Sad-darshana (seven schools of Sanatana Dharma philosophy) tradition, as the most indisputable source of knowledge. The rishi is not merely an intellectual who attempts to grasp the truth, captures it, and then mechanically teaches it to others. Rather, she is a transparent via medium through which transcendent truth is seen and directly experienced first-hand. She is a breathing example of truth in living, caring motion. In a poem created by René Dumal, we find a beautiful description of the profound experience that the rishi has: " You cannot stay on the summit forever; You have to come down again. So why bother in the first place? Just this: What is above knows what is below, But what is below does not know what is above. One climbs, one sees. One descends, one sees no longer, but one has seen. There is an art of conducting oneself in the lower regions. When one can no longer see, one can at least still know. " For Sanatana Dharma, the rishi is no less than a living testament to the existence, nature, and power of God. It is for this reason that the rishis are termed aptah, or " perfectly reliable authorities. " _________ For further information on Dr. Frank Morales, see: http://www.dharmacentral.com drmoraleslist/ yoga-spirituality/ midwest_dharma/ http://www.cafepress.com/supportstore http://www.drfrankmorales.sulekha.com http://www.dharmacentral.com/Store/Shakti_Principle.htm http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=DharmaNation http://www.myspace.com/dharmapravartaka http://dharmanation.blogspot.com/ © 2008, Dharma Journal. Volume 10, issue 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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