Hari om everyone,
This was the last day of Bala Vihar for the year! Can't believe we are already finishing up. Seems like we just started a few months ago...
We started the class as usual with meditation, opening prayers and chanting aaditya hRudayam and bhagavadgeeta chapter 1. Everyone has gotten way more comfortable with their pronunciations than they were at the beginning of the year and we are super impressed by them. Here are the links to the recordings for anyone who may want to practice more -
aaditya-hRudayamAudio - Google Drive
BG Ch 1 - Google Drive
We had a wonderful bunch of students this year and enjoyed teaching them every Sunday! They adjusted to the new normal with Zoom classes and we truly appreciate that.
Last week's Brain Teaser: What is it that if I have, I cannot share..., if I share, I cannot have? Hmmm..., what can it be?!
Answer: A secret! If I have it, I am not allowed to share it. The moment I share it, it won't remain a secret anymore, does it? :)
This brought us to the topic of an 'open secret'! Have you heard of any such thing? Either something is a secret or it is open knowledge, right?! What is this 'open secret'?!!
Well, it is the knowledge in our scriptures! Vedaanta is an open secret because, 'the books may be readily available to anyone, anywhere. But interpreting them and understanding them in the right sense is not everyone's cup of tea!' There is a saying 'guru-mukhena vidyaa' which means, this knowledge of the Self should be learnt through a guru who has learnt from his guru, who has learnt from his guru, who has learnt from..., well... you get the drift! This system of learning from the learned gurus is called 'guru paramparaa'. Our guiding light, our GPS, should be the 'guru paramparaa sampradaaya' (GPS). The words in the scriptures mean different things at different times. One cannot pick up a book and expect to read it on their own and be able to interpret the meanings correctly! So, one has to beware of where their source of knowledge is. We as teachers too, attend our Swamiji's classes to be sure we have understood the essence of the teachings properly before teaching in class.
We then discussed the essential attributes that Krishna told Arjuna as important, no matter what form of the Lord he worships. The list is very long, but we discussed a few - no hatred towards any beings, friendly demeanor, compassion, no intense emotions towards me and mine, no arrogance, equanimity, happy disposition at all times, etc.
We discussed what these things mean to us, in the light of the current situations prevailing in the world - the virus, the riots, Black Lives Matter movement, etc. It turned out that if we truly understood what Krishna was saying to Arjuna, we would not have any requirement for riots for rights or faltering from our duties!!
The students were given an activity to write a sentence about these 5 words - Equanimity, Speech, Rights, Duties and Happiness. They all had wonderful thoughts to share with the class. We then watched the attached short video by Swami Swaroopananda ji that tied down everything we were talking about in class.
This brought us to the end of our last class for the year on a beautiful note! We bade goodbyes and finished up with ending prayers and pledge.
But before we leave from here, we want to share some excerpts from the write-ups the students submitted after watching the movie Dr. Strange a couple of weeks ago. We were very impressed with their thought process and the way they presented their analysis! So, here they are -
- I'd watched the Dr. Strange movie with my family when it came out in 2016. Back then I thought it was cool and fun, but I remember being mostly attracted by its visual effects. Even now I'm not that into superhero movies, but I'll definitely watch them.
- I was still glad to be able to rewatch the movie because this time around I found its messages more meaningful. Stephen Strange struggles with his ego throughout the film and I found myself wanting him to just stay and listen during his first visit to see the Ancient One. At the same time, I understood that he was feeling a lot of pain because of his injuries and his inability to go on as a surgeon. I didn't think he was in the right for treating Dr. Palmer so poorly after his accident, but I understood why he did; I was more empathetic to his situation my second time watching.
- Overall, I'm glad I watched the movie again. It reminded me of the mistakes adults make, the harm of drinking and driving, the way your ego can contribute to the mistakes you make throughout your life and how you can fix or at least acknowledge those wrongs.
- I enjoyed this movie and its perspective on spirituality. It takes a really interesting angle of an arrogant doctor who rejects ancient ideas but comes around to find value and strength from said teachings.
- The movie taught a valuable lesson that just because teachings are old does not make them obsolete. There obviously was a lot of science fiction involved about the powers of spirituality, but quite a bit of it holds true.
- Meditation and breathing exercises can improve health.
- Recognizing the existence of a spirit and working to grow it can lead to many benefits down the line.
- Another aspect of the movie that tied in with the class was when it threw reference to certain Hindu aspects including location and language. Ultimately, the movie being a Marvel one was thrilling, but watching it with a critical lens allowed me to see morals and lessons that connected to this year's class.
- I think that the movie although it is a Marvel and made up movie, the ideas can be real. I believe that it is true that even if your body is hurt, your soul and mind are still there and you can heal through them. I also think that many of these spiritual magic was possible way back in history when there was more belief. I think this because there are certain events that lead me to believe so.
- This movie shows that there is more than any of us know, even Einstein. It was a great movie. Thank you for showing it to us.
- For today's class, we watched Doctor Strange and personally, I enjoyed it. I am a fan of the marvel universe and Doctor Strange being a part of it just makes it better. With all these different ideas the movie proposes such as the mystical arts and the mirror dimension, it takes a new point of view in the movie and makes it more interesting rather than it just being another normal superhero movie. Furthermore, the movie was enjoyable not only because of the new ideas it proposed but also because of its plot and how it was demonstrated in an enjoyable manner. To conclude, the movie was a great time pass and was worthwhile watching because of its interesting ideas and overall plot.
We had a wonderful bunch of students this year and enjoyed teaching them every Sunday! They adjusted to the new normal with Zoom classes and we truly appreciate that.
We bid adieu to our class seniors who will be stepping out into the world and entering college this Fall! We have seen that their footing is firm and their thought process rooted. With the demeanor we have seen in class, they are going to be successful, no matter where they go! So, we are very proud of them.
Until next year, have a safe summer, stay healthy, have fun and happy contemplating!
Regards,
Rashmi and Kishore.
Rashmi and Kishore.
