Guest guest Posted March 10, 2004 Report Share Posted March 10, 2004 "...pranams, 1000x pranams, how will i ever return all the giving i receive here? steve c...." Dear Steve, We all profit from each other's devotion and knowledge; you are most definitely giving as much as you are receiving. Ardis, did anyone ever remark, "you went backwards!" regarding the move from Buddhism to Hindu practice? I've had so many people say this to me....they can't understand why I would have spent so many years doing Buddhist practice and then become a Hindu....but, of course, there is the the matter of BHAKTI!! that's what changed the direction of my path. Anyway, I wanted to open a new topic for discussion and that is: what are some practical ways people have found to bridge the gap between formal practice (chanting, puja, meditation,prayer, etc.) and daily life? I'll bet there are some good ideas in this group! When Ghandi was asked about his spiritual philosophy, he said, "Look at my life; that is my spiritual philosophy!". Here are some short things I have done that were helpful: The traditional morning Vedic prayers (a short chant upon waking, another short chant/meditation seeing God in your hands, another short chant for bathing or washing). If there is interest, I can send those prayers in (or you may already know them...they are totally in keeping with what Swamiji and Shree Maa are doing..no conflict ). Also, one practice I was doing for while...very short and very lovely was to combine Buddhist Metta practice with the Shanti Prayers from the Yajur Veda (the Metta practice is very beautifully described by various Buddhist teachers such as Pema Chodren). CarJapa: it's AMAZING how much japa can be done while sitting in traffic!!!! Bhajans on the tape player while driving (of course) but, also, listening to a text I am trying to learn without trying to follow it closely while I am going about my daily tasks...that way the chant kind of seeps into your unconscious; then when you begin to study it, you find it's already "familiar". I'd love to hear what others have done along this line. And just one other thing to say: those who have found their way here..to the feet of Shree Maa and Swamiji, are more fortunate than they can ever imagine. Namaste to all. sadhvi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 10, 2004 Report Share Posted March 10, 2004 Namaste Sadhvi, Great topic ! How to stay focussed on the Goal ? How do we keep every aspect of our life so aligned with our goal ? Here are some things that I have found that help me - some ideas that I have gleaned from others and some from my own practical experience 1) The Car Japa - similar to you - instead of just listening to nice songs or even bhajans .... keep playing (in my case) the Chandi so that the words keep ringing in my ear. Note - this works for ME as a way of staying focussed on my practice. 2) Use lunch time to chant atleast one mala of Japa - suggestion given by Swamiji. 3) Keep objects of divinity around - I keep a copy of Chandi in my office too - suggestion by Rukmani 4) Doing our work as efficiently and as absorbedly as possible. THIS PAYS OFF SO WELL. 5) Monitor habits closely to see the impact that they have on my sadhana - habits include - food habits, reading and tv habits , people I associate with etc The more I try to do whatever Maa and Swamiji do, the more I feel aligned with them ? Sounds obvious ? But it works for me ...WWSandSD ? JAI MAA Latha , "nityashakti" <sadhvi@p...> wrote: > "...pranams, 1000x pranams, how will i ever return all the giving i > receive here? > > steve c...." > > Dear Steve, > We all profit from each other's devotion and knowledge; you are > most definitely giving as much as you are receiving. > Ardis, did anyone ever remark, "you went backwards!" regarding > the move from Buddhism to Hindu practice? I've had so many people > say this to me....they can't understand why I would have spent so > many years doing Buddhist practice and then become a Hindu....but, > of course, there is the the matter of BHAKTI!! that's what changed > the direction of my path. > Anyway, I wanted to open a new topic for discussion and that is: > what are some practical ways people have found to bridge the gap > between formal practice (chanting, puja, meditation,prayer, etc.) > and daily life? I'll bet there are some good ideas in this group! > When Ghandi was asked about his spiritual philosophy, he said, "Look > at my life; that is my spiritual philosophy!". > Here are some short things I have done that were helpful: The > traditional morning Vedic prayers (a short chant upon waking, > another short chant/meditation seeing God in your hands, another > short chant for bathing or washing). If there is interest, I can > send those prayers in (or you may already know them...they are > totally in keeping with what Swamiji and Shree Maa are doing..no > conflict ). Also, one practice I was doing for while...very short > and very lovely was to combine Buddhist Metta practice with the > Shanti Prayers from the Yajur Veda (the Metta practice is very > beautifully described by various Buddhist teachers such as Pema > Chodren). CarJapa: it's AMAZING how much japa can be done while > sitting in traffic!!!! Bhajans on the tape player while driving (of > course) but, also, listening to a text I am trying to learn without > trying to follow it closely while I am going about my daily > tasks...that way the chant kind of seeps into your unconscious; then > when you begin to study it, you find it's already "familiar". > I'd love to hear what others have done along this line. And just > one other thing to say: those who have found their way here..to the > feet of Shree Maa and Swamiji, are more fortunate than they can ever > imagine. Namaste to all. > sadhvi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 10, 2004 Report Share Posted March 10, 2004 This is a great topic. Thank you for raising it, sadhvi. Your suggestions, and Latha's, cover a lot of territory and resonate with many of my own experiences. For me, mental (manasika) japa is foremost. As much as possible, all the time. Only intellectual tasks, and sleep, seem to be a barrier to this practice for me. I'm working on the sleep situation... Listening to kirtan and bhajan CDs and tapes is great. It's much more potent when I sing along, or sing alone when no recording is playing. I think Latha brought up an extremely important point when she mentioned monitoring all habits closely to observe their impact on sadhana. This is how I know what to do and what to avoid doing. I find diet and the people with whom I choose to associate to be especially important. Avoiding wordly environments is extremely helpful. Staying in the mandir (home) is key for me. Another really big one for me is reading spiritual books. I find this so inspiring, and keeps reminding me that there is only one worthy endeavor in life, to realize the Divine Truth of existence totally, and to live it absolutely without compromise. Everyone has his or her own favorite books. I have a lot of them. I am always so happy when I discover another which really speaks to me. Maybe we can discuss favorites on this site sometime. I think this topic was meant to address those practices which keep us focused in our sadhana during all the ordinary activities and requirements of life, so that's what I've mentioned above. But I would also add that sticking strictly to my daily routine of formal practices is also a huge aid in keeping me focused on the Divine Reality during the rest of the day. I suppose the importance of this is obvious, but I have recently been especially inspired in this regard by reading about Swamiji and the tenacity with which he always sticks to his sankalpas, which are often quite rigorous. For me, this is a major clue about what makes sadhana successful. We have to be willing to commit ourselves to an all-encompassing practice, and stick to it. Jai Swamiji! Jai Maa!! Dharmananda , "Latha Nanda" <lathananda> wrote: > Namaste Sadhvi, > > Great topic ! > > How to stay focussed on the Goal ? How do we keep every aspect of > our life so aligned with our goal ? > > Here are some things that I have found that help me - some ideas > that I have gleaned from others and some from my own practical > experience > > 1) The Car Japa - similar to you - instead of just listening to nice > songs or even bhajans .... keep playing (in my case) the Chandi so > that the words keep ringing in my ear. Note - this works for ME as a > way of staying focussed on my practice. > > 2) Use lunch time to chant atleast one mala of Japa - suggestion > given by Swamiji. > > 3) Keep objects of divinity around - I keep a copy of Chandi in my > office too - suggestion by Rukmani > > 4) Doing our work as efficiently and as absorbedly as possible. > THIS PAYS OFF SO WELL. > > 5) Monitor habits closely to see the impact that they have on my > sadhana - habits include - food habits, reading and tv habits , > people I associate with etc > > The more I try to do whatever Maa and Swamiji do, the more I feel > aligned with them ? Sounds obvious ? But it works for > me ...WWSandSD ? > > JAI MAA > Latha > > > > , "nityashakti" <sadhvi@p...> > wrote: > > "...pranams, 1000x pranams, how will i ever return all the giving i > > receive here? > > > > steve c...." > > > > Dear Steve, > > We all profit from each other's devotion and knowledge; you are > > most definitely giving as much as you are receiving. > > Ardis, did anyone ever remark, "you went backwards!" regarding > > the move from Buddhism to Hindu practice? I've had so many people > > say this to me....they can't understand why I would have spent so > > many years doing Buddhist practice and then become a Hindu....but, > > of course, there is the the matter of BHAKTI!! that's what changed > > the direction of my path. > > Anyway, I wanted to open a new topic for discussion and that > is: > > what are some practical ways people have found to bridge the gap > > between formal practice (chanting, puja, meditation,prayer, etc.) > > and daily life? I'll bet there are some good ideas in this group! > > When Ghandi was asked about his spiritual philosophy, he > said, "Look > > at my life; that is my spiritual philosophy!". > > Here are some short things I have done that were helpful: The > > traditional morning Vedic prayers (a short chant upon waking, > > another short chant/meditation seeing God in your hands, another > > short chant for bathing or washing). If there is interest, I can > > send those prayers in (or you may already know them...they are > > totally in keeping with what Swamiji and Shree Maa are doing..no > > conflict ). Also, one practice I was doing for while...very short > > and very lovely was to combine Buddhist Metta practice with the > > Shanti Prayers from the Yajur Veda (the Metta practice is very > > beautifully described by various Buddhist teachers such as Pema > > Chodren). CarJapa: it's AMAZING how much japa can be done while > > sitting in traffic!!!! Bhajans on the tape player while driving > (of > > course) but, also, listening to a text I am trying to learn > without > > trying to follow it closely while I am going about my daily > > tasks...that way the chant kind of seeps into your unconscious; > then > > when you begin to study it, you find it's already "familiar". > > I'd love to hear what others have done along this line. And > just > > one other thing to say: those who have found their way here..to > the > > feet of Shree Maa and Swamiji, are more fortunate than they can > ever > > imagine. Namaste to all. > > sadhvi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 10, 2004 Report Share Posted March 10, 2004 Hi Sadvi, The only time anyone questioned my moving from Buddhist to Hindu practice, it was a longtime devotee of Shree Maa's, a native born Indian. He really shocked me when he asked "how could you stop being a Buddhist? Wasn't it hard?" I answered " it was the easiest thing in the world. It was totally natural". Actually I was raised a Presbyterian (a new form of Christianity), then I became Eastern Orthodox (an ancient form of Christianity), then I became a Zen Buddhist (a new form of Buddhism), then I became a Tibetan Buddhist (an older form of Buddhism) and then I became a Hindu. It is really quite logical. I was just moving closer and closer to the Source! You are right about Bhakti. As Swamiji says "I couldn't be a Buddhist and follow the Middle Way. I want to worship passionately!" I never knew that worship could be "fun" until I met Shree Maa and Swamiji. Actually, I was "converted" the first time I sat down in front of Their altar in Martinez. I looked into MahaLakshmi's eyes and knew I was "home"; my search was over. That was 11 years ago. I am so grateful that They drew me into Their Home, into Their Divine Lives. The teachings are so incredibly rich; every one of them. Swamijij refers to the Chandi as a training manual. All of the books, pujas, gitas, CD's, videos are proven ways to get in contact with the Divine and to become One with the Divine. It all works! No money-back guarantee necessary. It is all guaranteed by Shiva/Shakti and all the rishis and munis who carried it forward for us. And Shree Maa and Swamiji have given us such beautiful translations that enliven it for us today. The amazing thing is that the teachings are so Universal. It doesn't matter where you were born or where your ancestors were born or what language you speak or what culture you are comfortable with. But I heartily recommend chanting in Sanskrit and keeping with it. It is so neat that in many of the texts you can chant the Sanskrit and glance at the English at the same time or alternate chanting the text in Sanskrit and English. Soon the Sanskrit will reverberate in your heart and the meanings will sink in. As Swamiji says, as a lover, not a scholar. Blessings to All, Ardis "nityashakti" <sadhvi (AT) prodigy (DOT) net> Wed, 10 Mar 2004 17:47:01 -0000 RE: organizing tips...ideas? "...pranams, 1000x pranams, how will i ever return all the giving i receive here? steve c...." Dear Steve, We all profit from each other's devotion and knowledge; you are most definitely giving as much as you are receiving. Ardis, did anyone ever remark, "you went backwards!" regarding the move from Buddhism to Hindu practice? I've had so many people say this to me....they can't understand why I would have spent so many years doing Buddhist practice and then become a Hindu....but, of course, there is the the matter of BHAKTI!! that's what changed the direction of my path. Anyway, I wanted to open a new topic for discussion and that is: what are some practical ways people have found to bridge the gap between formal practice (chanting, puja, meditation,prayer, etc.) and daily life? I'll bet there are some good ideas in this group! When Ghandi was asked about his spiritual philosophy, he said, "Look at my life; that is my spiritual philosophy!". Here are some short things I have done that were helpful: The traditional morning Vedic prayers (a short chant upon waking, another short chant/meditation seeing God in your hands, another short chant for bathing or washing). If there is interest, I can send those prayers in (or you may already know them...they are totally in keeping with what Swamiji and Shree Maa are doing..no conflict ). Also, one practice I was doing for while...very short and very lovely was to combine Buddhist Metta practice with the Shanti Prayers from the Yajur Veda (the Metta practice is very beautifully described by various Buddhist teachers such as Pema Chodren). CarJapa: it's AMAZING how much japa can be done while sitting in traffic!!!! Bhajans on the tape player while driving (of course) but, also, listening to a text I am trying to learn without trying to follow it closely while I am going about my daily tasks...that way the chant kind of seeps into your unconscious; then when you begin to study it, you find it's already "familiar". I'd love to hear what others have done along this line. And just one other thing to say: those who have found their way here..to the feet of Shree Maa and Swamiji, are more fortunate than they can ever imagine. Namaste to all. sadhvi / <?subject=Un> Terms of Service <> . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 10, 2004 Report Share Posted March 10, 2004 yes, sadvhi, those chants are of interest to me if you can send them ... sconnor. here are some things i do: waking up in the morning, or the middle of the night ... using the "softer" mind in that state to recede into stillness ... when i am in a mundane state of mind, to see how this is manifestation of the divine ... "om" or "om namah shivaya" ... if negative emotions arise, simply saying the word of the virtuous emotions that acts as an antidote: "patience" ... for stronger emotions i say things to myself that break all the rules of modern psychology: "anger is not permitted." i usually don't tell anyone this, but it actually "works" if in some matters one must be strict with oneself. there is no overlay of harshness, only addressing emotions at the level of intention as inner guidance. seeking to see the hand of god in all things, orchestrating all as a vast movement. little "corny" things like burning candles, an image of kali, in my environment, etc. looking to see others as not gender, or individuals, but as manifestations of god, as much as i am capable. talking with people like you all here. thinking about shree maa and swami, reading their work. love, s , "nityashakti" <sadhvi@p...> wrote: > "...pranams, 1000x pranams, how will i ever return all the giving i > receive here? > > steve c...." > > Dear Steve, > We all profit from each other's devotion and knowledge; you are > most definitely giving as much as you are receiving. > Ardis, did anyone ever remark, "you went backwards!" regarding > the move from Buddhism to Hindu practice? I've had so many people > say this to me....they can't understand why I would have spent so > many years doing Buddhist practice and then become a Hindu....but, > of course, there is the the matter of BHAKTI!! that's what changed > the direction of my path. > Anyway, I wanted to open a new topic for discussion and that is: > what are some practical ways people have found to bridge the gap > between formal practice (chanting, puja, meditation,prayer, etc.) > and daily life? I'll bet there are some good ideas in this group! > When Ghandi was asked about his spiritual philosophy, he said, "Look > at my life; that is my spiritual philosophy!". > Here are some short things I have done that were helpful: The > traditional morning Vedic prayers (a short chant upon waking, > another short chant/meditation seeing God in your hands, another > short chant for bathing or washing). If there is interest, I can > send those prayers in (or you may already know them...they are > totally in keeping with what Swamiji and Shree Maa are doing..no > conflict ). Also, one practice I was doing for while...very short > and very lovely was to combine Buddhist Metta practice with the > Shanti Prayers from the Yajur Veda (the Metta practice is very > beautifully described by various Buddhist teachers such as Pema > Chodren). CarJapa: it's AMAZING how much japa can be done while > sitting in traffic!!!! Bhajans on the tape player while driving (of > course) but, also, listening to a text I am trying to learn without > trying to follow it closely while I am going about my daily > tasks...that way the chant kind of seeps into your unconscious; then > when you begin to study it, you find it's already "familiar". > I'd love to hear what others have done along this line. And just > one other thing to say: those who have found their way here..to the > feet of Shree Maa and Swamiji, are more fortunate than they can ever > imagine. Namaste to all. > sadhvi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 11, 2004 Report Share Posted March 11, 2004 Dear Ardis, That was a great post...about your trip through the forms leading to God...thanks! Sadhvi PS: Steve: I will send the mantras to you. Do you want to wait until after Navaratri to avoid overload or would you like them now? best, sadhvi PSS: It's great reading everyone's ideas for living a life immersed in God. Thanks to all. sadhvi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 11, 2004 Report Share Posted March 11, 2004 sadhvi, whenever you wish to send is fine ... i am perpetually overloaded, so this is not a problem! OM TAT SAT! steve , "nityashakti" <sadhvi@p...> wrote: > Dear Ardis, > That was a great post...about your trip through the forms leading > to God...thanks! > Sadhvi > PS: Steve: I will send the mantras to you. Do you want to wait until > after Navaratri to avoid overload or would you like them now? > best, > sadhvi > PSS: It's great reading everyone's ideas for living a life immersed > in God. Thanks to all. > sadhvi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 11, 2004 Report Share Posted March 11, 2004 Dear Sadvi I am new to the group, and i am very much intrested on these chants you mentioned, will u please send me a copy. sdhokiya Jai maa sanju --- bingo_ridley <sconnor wrote: > yes, sadvhi, those chants are of interest to me if > you can send > them ... sconnor. > > here are some things i do: > > waking up in the morning, or the middle of the night > ... using > the "softer" mind in that state to recede into > stillness ... > > when i am in a mundane state of mind, to see how > this is > manifestation of the divine ... > > "om" or "om namah shivaya" ... > > if negative emotions arise, simply saying the word > of the virtuous > emotions that acts as an antidote: "patience" ... > > for stronger emotions i say things to myself that > break all the > rules of modern psychology: "anger is not > permitted." i usually > don't tell anyone this, but it actually "works" if > in some matters > one must be strict with oneself. there is no overlay > of harshness, > only addressing emotions at the level of intention > as inner guidance. > > seeking to see the hand of god in all things, > orchestrating all as a > vast movement. > > little "corny" things like burning candles, an image > of kali, > in my environment, etc. > > looking to see others as not gender, or individuals, > but as > manifestations of god, as much as i am capable. > > talking with people like you all here. > > thinking about shree maa and swami, reading their > work. > > love, > > s > > , "nityashakti" > <sadhvi@p...> > wrote: > > "...pranams, 1000x pranams, how will i ever return > all the giving i > > receive here? > > > > steve c...." > > > > Dear Steve, > > We all profit from each other's devotion and > knowledge; you are > > most definitely giving as much as you are > receiving. > > Ardis, did anyone ever remark, "you went > backwards!" regarding > > the move from Buddhism to Hindu practice? I've had > so many people > > say this to me....they can't understand why I > would have spent so > > many years doing Buddhist practice and then become > a Hindu....but, > > of course, there is the the matter of BHAKTI!! > that's what changed > > the direction of my path. > > Anyway, I wanted to open a new topic for > discussion and that > is: > > what are some practical ways people have found to > bridge the gap > > between formal practice (chanting, puja, > meditation,prayer, etc.) > > and daily life? I'll bet there are some good ideas > in this group! > > When Ghandi was asked about his spiritual > philosophy, he > said, "Look > > at my life; that is my spiritual philosophy!". > > Here are some short things I have done that > were helpful: The > > traditional morning Vedic prayers (a short chant > upon waking, > > another short chant/meditation seeing God in your > hands, another > > short chant for bathing or washing). If there is > interest, I can > > send those prayers in (or you may already know > them...they are > > totally in keeping with what Swamiji and Shree Maa > are doing..no > > conflict ). Also, one practice I was doing for > while...very short > > and very lovely was to combine Buddhist Metta > practice with the > > Shanti Prayers from the Yajur Veda (the Metta > practice is very > > beautifully described by various Buddhist teachers > such as Pema > > Chodren). CarJapa: it's AMAZING how much japa can > be done while > > sitting in traffic!!!! Bhajans on the tape player > while driving > (of > > course) but, also, listening to a text I am trying > to learn > without > > trying to follow it closely while I am going about > my daily > > tasks...that way the chant kind of seeps into your > unconscious; > then > > when you begin to study it, you find it's already > "familiar". > > I'd love to hear what others have done along > this line. And > just > > one other thing to say: those who have found their > way here..to > the > > feet of Shree Maa and Swamiji, are more fortunate > than they can > ever > > imagine. Namaste to all. > > sadhvi > > > _________ Messenger - Communicate instantly..."Ping" your friends today! Download Messenger Now http://uk.messenger./download/index.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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