Summary of Wednesday's class on Chandi (Chapter 7)

[Guest guest]

Namaste Friends,

 

Here is a summary of Wednesday's class on Chandi.

 

Love,

srini

 

The protaganists on the side of asuras in Chapter 7 are Chanda and

Munda, anger and passion.

 

Chamunda is the slayer of anger and passion. Cha is to move (from

chara), Munda is head or all that is knowable or paradigm of reality.

She who moves in the paradigm of reality.

 

Questions

 

1. Spiritual experiences are signposts in our journey to God. Yet we

do not undertake sadhana to achieve them. How do we reconcile these

two positions?

 

Spiritual experiences are at best mild distractions. We should not get

caught up in them. They prejudice the meditator. Talking about them

diminishes their value. The goal is Her.

 

2. What is the symbolism of the red sari in the Dhyanam of this chapter?

 

Red is passion, love. She loves us strongly. She is taking sway our

misdirected passion. When I am in love, I pay attention.

 

3. What to do with selfish passion, if we do not emote it?

 

First be vigilant. " He self, watch yourself. " Take a time-out. Take a

deep breath and count to 10. Just remember Divine Mother. From that

centre think about " what should I achieve from this interaction? "

 

4. How can we overcome misdirected passion or desires fro the world?

 

Start with yourself. Then expand your attention to the world.

Memorizing scripture, singing, Puja are positive expressions of your

passion. Increase the positive and decrease the negative passions.

 

5. When does She destroy our thoughts in our sadhana?

 

All the time.

 

6. What does it mean that She destroys the thoughts and then eats them?

 

She take the negativities from us and that becomes the nourishment for

Her.

 

7. How is the path of self-enquiry, " Who am I " related to our tradition?

 

We are more interested in Who is Mother than in " Who am I? "

 

Mother it is you who we are watching. You are the experience, I only

want to witness you. That is our path.

 

8. Are the list of asuras in the Chandi an exhaustive list or just a

sample of our negative qualities?

 

The are representative broad categories.

 

9. How to remember Her when acting in the world?

 

When you are acting remember Her mantra. When washing the dishes,

chant the Mantra and She will wash the dishes through you.

If you are doing something intense like brain surgery, chant the

mantra whenever you have a moment to withdraw from

the surgery.

 

10. Is Mother energy or controller of energy?

 

She is the controller and the controlled.

 

11. What is difference on the effects of chanting one mantra versus

chanting a dramatic scripture?

 

Chanting one mantra moves us into meditation without form (nirakara).

 

Chanting a dramatic scripture, we move into the attitude that this is

the drama of our lives.

 

" I am the king, the businessman, the rishi. My negativities are going

into her mouth. "

 

Chandi is a guided meditation where we relinquish our negativities.

 

12. Did Sri Ramakrishna come to propagate the superiority of bhakti

over jnana?

 

Jnana is not inferior to bhakti. The more you know, the more you feel

love, the more you want to learn.

 

They happen together, they are inseparably connected.

 

Sri Ramakrishna was a jnani, a bhakta, ana dhyani. He was a child of God.

 

13. If we want to cultivate good thoughts, why does the Chandi have so

many violent images?

 

The best thought is that all negativities are entering the mouth of

God. What better thought than that!