Guest guest Posted October 5, 2008 Report Share Posted October 5, 2008 Dear Tanmaya ~ When I first learned TM, and was given my mantra, the cuing we received about thoughts, images, etc. that might pass by or come into our awareness, when meditating or when not meditating, was this: to regard them as clouds in the sky, and to simply, without judgement, let them pass, as clouds would, across and out of the "screen" of the mind. This was a great way to "look" at thoughts ... by not looking. By keeping the attention on the Goddess, I think it is pretty much the same ... let the thoughts go by. What you don't pay attention to, will eventually dissipate. What you pay attention to is like dropping a stone in the river ... it will send out ripple after ripple, after ripple, with each ring of the ripple gaining in size. I guess "killing" thoughts would amount to pretty much the same thing. The Goddess kills them; they die; you let them go. Like you say, ultimately they are not evil, else how would the Goddess send them to heaven. Perhaps by killing them, they are actually being divested of their own idea/thought of who they are and discovering their true nature. And since the Goddess is the essence of confusion and of freedom, I believe the safe choice is simply to see Her everywhere. Jai MAA ~ Linda Tanmaya wrote: ....In truth, thoughts are the wierdest things going, the wierdest things in our experience. Just try to determine what a thought IS; what is itMADE of?...New MapQuest Local shows what's happening at your destination. Dining, Movies, Events, News more. Try it out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 6, 2008 Report Share Posted October 6, 2008 Thank you Linda, I love your balance; I love your perceptivity. The Chandi is very ancient, if not primeval. Its story is archaic and profoundly mythical. It takes one far back, prior to the evolution of modern mankind's ethical sensitivities and reason-based world view. I understand Swamiji's choice to psychologize and interpret the Chandi story microcosmically in terms of ethics and principles of spiritual practice in his translation. To do so was probably an absolute necessity in order to bring the Chandi into the modern world, and to do so, no doubt, also shows the Swami's genius. My personal preference, however, is to leave the story unaltered, with no compromise for the " modern mind " ; to view the Chandi as one views Kali--totally and eternally beyond the the pale of human understanding: " Crazy is my Father [shiva], crazy is my Mother [Kali], and I their child am crazy too--- " Ramprasad. Or from Brahma's hymn to the Goddess: " You are the primordial cause of everything..You are the dark night of periodic dissolution; You are the great Night of final dissolution, and the terrible night of delusion. You are the Goddess of good fortune, the ruler, modesty, intelligince, bashfulness, nourishment, contentment, tranquillity and forbearance. Armed with sword, spear, club, discus, conch, bow and arrows, slings and iron mace, you and terrible, and at the same time You are pleasing, yea, more pleasing than all pleasing things--- and exceedingly beautiful. " In preferring the non-interpreted, sanskrit original version, I am not being disloyal to our Swami. One is free to approach the Goddess according to one's own light and predilections. Maharaj himself said three or four months ago-I think it was on a web broadcast-that if he were to translate the Chandi now it would be completely different. Continuing to speak personally, the Chandi is not essentionally a moral and ethical teaching, or a manual of spiritual practice. It is an enormously powerful myth, which, used correctly, opens a mystical doorway to the Mother's Presence. The Chandi is an unfathomable Mystery (in the ancient usage of the word) which human analysis and intellect can never penetrate. What do you do with Shree Maa's exclamation about the book: " I love Chandi; I love Chandi---because She's Mommy! " ? Sometimes I feel uneasy when people seem to be trying to derive too much from the storyline of Chandi. I'm sure there are folks right now convinced they have found a reference and warning in the Book of Revelations describing the current financial crisis. I think one can go too far in trying to make the Chandi a book of moral disicipline, or a manual of spiritual practice. I believe Chandi IS spiritual practice. She will open the Door to the Mother, and Mother Herself will reveal what we need to know in those respects. More importantly, for more reasons than I care to enumerate here, I believe that to take any of the blood-curdling violence of the Chandi stories as models for our own behavior--or even attitudes--is a complete misreading of the intent of the Chandi. It is not for us to kill our thoughts or anything else. A Chandi devotee doesn't solve problems with violence, nor is consumed by a search for power. A true Chandi devotee surrenders to the Mother. Therefore such a devotee has no need to " figure things out " . As I see it, the true Chandi devotee knows that Mother not only is everything, but does everything as well. Such a devotee, therefore, rests content in the utmost peace, because she, or he, has surrendered unconditionally everything to the Mother in unconditional Love. With love to you, and to all, Tanmaya , nierika wrote: > > Dear Tanmaya ~ When I first learned TM, and was given my mantra, the cuing > we received about thoughts, images, etc. that might pass by or come into our > awareness, when meditating or when not meditating, was this: to regard them > as clouds in the sky, and to simply, without judgement, let them pass, as > clouds would, across and out of the " screen " of the mind. This was a great way to > " look " at thoughts ... by not looking. By keeping the attention on the > Goddess, I think it is pretty much the same ... let the thoughts go by. What you > don't pay attention to, will eventually dissipate. What you pay attention to > is like dropping a stone in the river ... it will send out ripple after > ripple, after ripple, with each ring of the ripple gaining in size. > > I guess " killing " thoughts would amount to pretty much the same thing. The > Goddess kills them; they die; you let them go. Like you say, ultimately they > are not evil, else how would the Goddess send them to heaven. Perhaps by > killing them, they are actually being divested of their own idea/thought of who > they are and discovering their true nature. And since the Goddess is the essence > of confusion and of freedom, > I believe the safe choice is simply to see Her everywhere. Jai MAA ~ Linda > > > Tanmaya wrote: > > ...In truth, thoughts are the wierdest things going, the wierdest things > in our experience. Just try to determine what a thought IS; what is it > MADE of?... > > > > > **************New MapQuest Local shows what's happening at your destination. > Dining, Movies, Events, News & more. Try it out! > (http://local.mapquest.com/?ncid=emlcntnew00000001) > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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