To Steve on sometimes difficulty keeping up with sadhana

February 14, 2005

Steve wrote:

so much work i have taken on, there was no room for seva and

sadhana,hardly even any for satsang.s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s!anyway, what i

learned is, i wish to hold on to those things dearly,the 3 s's ...

but that also i am no superman. render unto ceaser thatwhich is

ceaser's etc.

Dear Steve ~ I think it is difficult for us householders to always

keep up with what we might like to do in terms of seva and sadhana.

But another way to look at it is your life is your seva and your

sadhana ... how do you respond to that person who gave you a taste of

road rage? ... how do you respond to the cranky person at the office

.... how do you respond to your day. As you said, we are never

separate from the Divine. I believe part of the challenge of a

householder, or any sadhuk for that matter, is to see the Divine

wherever we are ... for me, the other day I took my Dog, Pepper for a

walk, and I was full of Appreciation ~ for my dog, for the grass

starting to grow, for the beautiful clouds in the southwestern sky

.... all of this is Divine ... even my parents <grin>, whom, some of

you know I have had great difficulty with. Here is a little song

snippet that kind of expresses what I am getting at:

I see It everywhere

like a curtain that is hung,

or is it just the shadow in my eyes

of a day that's long since gone?

Or perhaps it's the beginning of

a song I haven't sung,

but I am like a harp

that's newly strung.

Blessings, Jai Ma ~ Linda

February 14, 2005

hi linda, i am so happy to hear you are doing so well.

check this out, this is real interesting ...

The Master Course of Himalayan Academy

by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami

~~~~~~~~~

LESSON 308 from Living with Siva

Freedom and Responsibility

A human being has a dual and nondual component. He has belief. He has

faith. He has love. But all of these fine qualities can be taken away

through discouragement. His faith is faith in the unseen. His belief

is belief in things that are not always intellectually rational. His

love is love of all that is tender and beautiful. All of these fine

qualities and many more work together in lifting up consciousness

toward the ultimate reality of timelessness, causelessness and

spacelessness. There is not one human being on the planet who will not

eventually understand the monistic theist approach. This is because it

is an intrinsic part of the human psyche. Everyone is a monistic

theist in one way or another.

Historically, there have always been monists on one side and theists

on the other. The one path that is made up of these two camps is

monistic theism. It encompasses both. And, yes, it is the solution to

many of the problems people face today. Saiva Siddhanta is the final

conclusion of the adepts, and it includes the true precepts of

Vedanta. There can only be one final conclusion, and that is monistic

theism.

The problem is that Vedanta as taught today gives privilege without

the disciplines, creating jnanis of intellect rather than realization.

This privilege is taken as a boon by those of little spiritual

attainment. Freedom without responsibility is another privilege given.

This is also taken advantage of by the undisciplined; whereas

discipline and responsibility should be taught and mastered before

higher philosophy is delved into and practiced with any seriousness.

The beginner should not be taught to rationalize on the nature of man

and the universe from what he has memorized. He should be brought into

the culture and community of Hinduism and establish a religious, fully

committed, disciplined life before proceeding onward. We must become

aware that the neo-Indian approach to Vedanta is very new, indeed. The

true Vedantists--those who have reached the ultimate

realizations--have reached them by following the path of monistic

theism. Modern Vedanta gives privilege without discipline, and the

modern New Age movement gives freedom without responsibility. Is there

a difference?

Monistic theism does not give privilege. It preaches a more pragmatic

approach to life. Saiva Siddhanta builds character within the

individual--spiritually, socially, culturally, economically,

karmically and dharmically. Aspirants have to meet a series of daily,

monthly, yearly fulfillments. Truly, monistic theism is the path to

mukti and merger.

The monistic Saiva Siddhanta bhaktar can understand and appreciate the

point of view of anyone, because his love of Sivaness in all extends

his communication faculties. He is able to talk with each philosopher

on his own level. When this happens, the feeling of sharing and giving

exists. The bhaktar is wise enough to know that the other person may

not understand his point of view. This ability is a great barometer

for judging the attainment of any bhaktar, whether he can or cannot

actually be one with--in empathy with, in heart and mind, in love and

trust--rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief, doctor, lawyer, temple

priest and in his heart make no differences. This is the true Siva

bhaktar; this is the true monistic theist; this is the true Saiva

Siddhantin; this is the true Advaita Ishvaravada adept, who lives the

statement, "Lord Siva is the Life within the life of everyone," as a

fact, not a metaphor.

-----------------

-------------------------

Sutra 308 of the Nandinatha Sutras

Remolding The Subconscious

My devotees succeed by remolding subconscious magnetic forces. They

purge the dross through vasana daha tantra--writing and burning past

transgressions and current problems--then use positive affirmations.

Aum.

-----------------

-------------------------

LESSON 308 from Merging with Siva

The Devotee's Responsibilities

The aspirant may go to his guru and be one with him by preparing

himself to receive his grace. As a result he may be able to meditate,

to keep his personal karma subdued sufficiently to quiet the inner

forces. Once a guru has been chosen, the aspirant must be loyal to him

and stay with that one guru only. He should not go from one to

another, because of these subtle, powerful inner, connecting

vibrations of darshan and the training received through the power of a

satguru's use of darshan. These inner, mystical laws protect the guru

himself against people who wander from one guru to another, as well as

warn the seeker against the fluctuating forces of his own mind as he

creates and breaks the subtle yet powerful relationship with a holy

person.

Satguru darshan opens psychic seals in the devotee by moving his

awareness out of an area that he does not want to be in. Similarly, a

blowtorch changes the consistency of metal. The satguru is like the

sun. He is just there, radiating this very pure energy like the sun

evaporates water. The satguru hardly does anything at all. It is the

seeker who opens himself to the great accumulated power of darshan

which the guru inherited from his guru and his guru's guru, as well as

the natural darshan he unfolded from within himself through his

evolution and practices of sadhana and tapas. It's all up to the

aspirant at first.

A satguru doesn't do a thing. The guru can amuse himself externally

with anything. It does not make any difference in his darshan when he

is at a certain point in his unfoldment. If you are around him long

enough, and if you are honest with yourself and persistent in the

tasks he asks you to perform and directions he gives you, psychic

seals lift after awhile. But you have to do your part. He does his in

an inner way, and as he does, you will feel the psychic seals melt

away under his fiery darshan, just like a blowtorch penetrates and

transforms the metal it touches.

, nierika@a... wrote:

>

> Steve wrote:

>

> so much work i have taken on, there was no room for seva and

sadhana,

> hardly even any for satsang.

>

> s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s!

>

> anyway, what i learned is, i wish to hold on to those things

dearly,

> the 3 s's ... but that also i am no superman. render unto ceaser

that

> which is ceaser's etc.

>

> Dear Steve ~ I think it is difficult for us householders to always

keep up

> with what we might like to do in terms of seva and sadhana. But

another way to

> look at it is your life is your seva and your sadhana ... how do you

respond

> to that person who gave you a taste of road rage? ... how do you

respond to

> the cranky person at the office ... how do you respond to your day.

As you

> said, we are never separate from the Divine. I believe part of the

challenge of

> a householder, or any sadhuk for that matter, is to see the Divine

wherever

> we are ... for me, the other day I took my Dog, Pepper for a walk,

and I was

> full of Appreciation ~ for my dog, for the grass starting to grow,

for the

> beautiful clouds in the southwestern sky ... all of this is Divine

.... even my

> parents <grin>, whom, some of you know I have had great difficulty

with. Here

> is a little song snippet that kind of expresses what I am getting

at:

> I see It everywhere

> like a curtain that is hung,

> or is it just the shadow in my eyes

> of a day that's long since gone?

> Or perhaps it's the beginning of

> a song I haven't sung,

> but I am like a harp

> that's newly strung.

>

> Blessings, Jai Ma ~ Linda

February 14, 2005

I like what he says about sticking with the guru and not wandering to

and fro. Sounds like the Chandi doesn’t it?

Thanks be to our Gurus who are like the Sun, shining on all equally.

Ardis

on 2/14/05 1:06 PM, Steve Connor at sconnor (AT) austin (DOT) rr.com wrote: