Feb 14, 2020 - JCHYK Grade 10-12 (Friday)

Hari Om! Parents,

Below is the Summary of Chapter 9 – The Yoga of Royal Secret, that was discussed over the last few classes.

 

Secret:  That which we do not know at this moment.

Royal Secret: The presence of the Lord within us is a secret to us, knowing which everything will be known.  However even when realized, this sacred knowledge remains secret to the Mind, Intellect and Senses.  It is beyond their grasp.

Lord Krishna says Arjuna is a qualified student for this knowledge because:

• He is not merely listening to find a mistake or a contradiction, he has faith (Shraddha)
• He doesn't raise trivial objections in the name of playing devil's advocate
• He is polite and straight forward.  When in doubt he asks questions to get a better understanding
• He is patient with himself and eager to evolve.  He wants to apply the knowledge, not just listening for academic value

Krishna lays out these qualifications of Arjuna for the benefit of all students.  We will be successful if we develop these qualities, and apply them in any study we undertake.

In Chapter 8, Krishna mentions that worshipping the Lord in name and form will help us to attain purity of mind and take us to higher lokas or realms of experience.  (We discussed the 14 lokas, Earthly realm, Heavenly realm and Brahma loka, impact on our papas and punyas in each realm/form and life span of Brahma.) 

In Chapter 9, Krishna is focusing more on knowing the Lord within us.  Krishna says this Royal Secret is easily known to the prepared mind, the mind that is NOT engaged in the pursuit of power, position, money, people and relationships.  These are constantly changing and bringing us sorrow.  But putting our faith in the Higher nature of the Lord which is the changeless substratum, will never fail us. 

Below are selected features Krishna elaborates on to help us to perceive His Higher nature:

• I pervade this entire world in My unmanifest form (that which cannot be perceived by BMI)
• I am the cause of this Universe – the material, efficient and instrumental cause (All three)

Ex 1: Pot is the Effect, Causes are: Material (Clay), Efficient (Potter) and Instrumental (Potter's Wheel)

Ex 2: Spider Web is the Effect, Causes are Material (Silk from Spider), Efficient (Spider), Instrumental (Spider's claws).  So spider is the material, efficient and instrumental cause for the web

• In Yagna, I am all the offerings, medicinal herbs and plants

Ex: Gold can say, "I am the chain, I am the ring, I am the bangle" since they are all made of Gold

• I am the Father, Mother, Omkar, Vedas, the Goal, Witness, Your friend, Abode of all and behind all the phenomenal happenings in the Universe

• The Lord is nothing but Total Love who answers our prayers  (true story of Dr. Mark and the cancer patient's mother's prayer)

So if to know this Royal Secret is to know His higher nature, knowing which we can be liberated, what stops us from realizing God?

The following three qualities are present in everyone:

• Satviki (full of knowledge)
• Rakshasi (harming others words or physically - rajasik),
• Aasuri (over indulgence in sense pleasures, dull brain - tamsik)

Rakshasi and Asuri qualities delude: they successfully keep us away from God

Makes us:  1.  Live in false hopes  2.  Do Wasteful activity   3.  Gather Useless knowledge   4.  Have Wrong thinking

 

If we channel our mind to Karma Yoga and Bhakti, we will reduce the grip of Rakshasi and Aasuri tendencies and develop a more Satviki mindset that is conducive to getting closer to knowing God.

The Lord's assurance to his devotees: One who worships Me, I grant and protect all their needs

• We have role models in our Mahatmas (like Gurudev, Ramana Maharishi, Tulsidasji) who experienced the Lord and were always engrossed in His thoughts
• The wise – who worship with attitude of oneness with the Lord
• Others worship Him with form
• Some worship Him as entire creation

 

In explaining attitude to worship for spiritual growth (ananya, paryupasate, nitya abhiyuktanam explained below), Krishna again gives us the prescription for success in any endeavor we may undertake, spiritual or material:

1. Consistency of thinking – completely channeling our thoughts to the project at hand
2. Single-pointed focus on the tasks without losing sight of our purpose
3. Maintaining Self-Control – Resist temptations enroute while marching towards the goal

 

An Episode with Narada: Demonstrates how the Lord protects the sincere from temptations

Maya causes delusion. Once Sage Narada the greatest devotee of the Lord himself got caught up in this maya.  When he visits Bhuloka, and falls for the beauty of princess Damayanti.  To win the swayamvara, Narada requests Lord Narayana to give him the face of Hari (another meaning monkey).  Unbeknownst, Narada goes with this monkey face and is ridiculed.  He gets upset with the Lord but later realizes his mistake and thanks the Lord for not putting him in samsara (sorrows inherent in the cycle of birth and death).

 

Remember:  He promises to take care of our need not our greed.

 

How should I worship?

God is Infinite: compassionate, loving, forgiving and easily pleased with anything offered with love

• He accepts anything - leaf, flower, fruit, plain water
• Offer with love
• Offer all your efforts and successes Unto Him
• Examples narrated in class

• Story of Vidura when he hosted Lord Krishna
• Story of Sabari who feeds Rama and Lakshmana the berries she had bitten into

Lord's assurance is that the worst sinner can transform when he decides to do so

• The fire of deep regrets burns all the negativities 
• Strength of right resolve soon initiates good thoughts and conduct
• There might be lots of pitfalls, but if we take one step, the Lord takes 10 steps towards us
• Example:  Story of Ratnakara aka Valmiki

 

Class Discussion

We concluded Chapter 9 with a whole class devoted to the discussion of the different Spiritual Belief systems prevalent today - how they differ, and where Advaita stands.  You can find the charts we used for the discussion here.  Children contributed to the discussion very enthusiastically bringing in their understanding from peer conversations and experiences.  The goal was to dig deeper into each system to understand them better, exploring the gaps in logic and reason.  However, the point is not to judge, it is to seek. 

In the next class, we will showcase through a video what a seeker looks like.  Stay tuned!

Regards,

Aruna and Sirisha

Jan 24, 2020 - JCHYK Grade 10-12 (Friday)

Hari Om! Parents,

The last few classes have been devoted to study of Chapter 8 – The Yoga of Imperishable Brahman. Below is the summary.

·         Arjuna starts with 7 questions based on Lord Krishna's concluding explanation in Chapter 7 where He says the one who knows Me as the components of matter and consciousness (Brahman, Karma, Adhibhuta, Adhyatma, Adhiyagna, Adhidaiva) will think of Me at the time of death and reach Me.  Krishna explains each term here:

o    Brahman – pure Consciousness that is imperishable

o    Adhyatma – Consciousness aspect that enlivens all bodies.

o    Karma – Action.  Our Karma is the reason for future creation - to allow for exhaustion of our individual and collective impressions.  We should engage in creative karma that brings utility to society

o    Adhibhuta – Lord's expression in everything that is inert

o    Adhidaiva – The power within a particular faculty (hearing of the ear, seeing ability in the eye, heat in the fire)

o    Adhiyajna –  The interaction between us and the world  is a subjective yajna.  Lord is Adhiyagna where he alone is the one vital principle of life that dominates this entire field of knowledge (perception, feeling, thought)

·         Arjuna then worries about how he can ensure remembering the Lord at the time of his death when his faculties may not be under his control.  Krishna explains, "As you think, so you become."

o    Practice by invoking the Lord in your daily activities

o    Develop devotion with daily prayers for expressing gratitude

o    Work hard in the service of the world with a steady spirit of devotion by filling our heart with love and gratitude

o    Practice meditation to take the mind to single-pointedness, also Japa, Om chanting, mindfulness are good tools to practice single pointedness

o    Single pointedness + yagna spirit results in subjective gain of our personality

·         Why should we think of the Lord at the time of death? 

o    To achieve liberation (no rebirth) i.e. moksha

o    Charity, rituals, pilgrimages and good deeds are limited by time, place and resources, so their result is also limited.  It cannot take us to moksha. 

o    Only the self-knowledge can lead us to liberation

·         We also discussed the logic behind Karma theory and the Theory of Rebirth in detail making it clear that unlike the belief system in Abrahamic religions, Hinduism does not accept luck as a factor in where, when and how we come to experience this Universe.  It is a result of our own actions.

·         In the last class we divided the students into 5 teams and played jeopardy as a revision of Chapters 1-8 of the Gita

We are happy to say that children were able to answer correctly 22/25 questions. (Full disclosure:  we allowed them to refer to their notes J)  Feel free to test your knowledge by clicking the link below. You too can refer to previous class summaries!

Bhagavad Gita 1-8 Jeopardy Template

Bhagavad Gita 1-8 Jeopardy Template The word 'Gītā' literally means: a. advice b. song c. narration d. lecture, Define Sthithapragnya?a. man...

·         Class Debate:  Hinduism is Montheistic, but Polytheism is a prevalent practice in Hinduism.  Is this contradictory practice good or bad? 

o    There was a spirited discussion between the for and against teams listing  the pros and cons

o    We concluded with the understanding that Polytheism is a crutch to reach the formless, attribute less Brahman – just as we cannot start with Calculus in Kindergarten

o    As students of Gita, they cannot lose sight of the core goal of liberation, but should feel free to utilize the various practices that the Lord has prescribed to help us reach the goal

In the next class we begin Chapter 9 – The Royal Secret.  Hope to see everyone on Friday!

Pranam,

Aruna and Sirisha

Dec 20, 2019 - JCHYK Grade 10-12 (Friday)

Dear Parents,

 Below is the summary of the weeks 9, 10, 11

We began with a discussion about the exercise assigned in the previous class - 30 minutes a day of mindfulness practice.  A few students talked about doing this for a couple of days when they had assignments due.  This month they have committed to trying it everyday for 15-30 minutes and report back.  Looking forward to hearing more about it.

Discussion of Chapter 7 of the Gita - Yoga of knowledge and wisdom. 

1.       Chapters 1-6 were about the Jeeva and details about efforts like Karma yoga, meditation etc. for purification of the mind.  Chapters 7-12 will be about nature of Ishwara

2.       Difference between knowledge and wisdom

3.       Lord is a mixture of matter (lower prakriti)  and consciousness (higher prakriti) – He manifests as this Universe, He is not separate from it

a.       Everything we experience with our 5 senses, mind, intellect and ego all constitute matter

b.       Consciousness is the very seeker, observer in us

c.       Lord mentions that all are strung in him like pearls in a necklace where world of names and forms are compared to individual pearls and the thread which holds them all is the spiritual truth. Hence He alone is there.

4.       Maya: It is experienced as ignorance in all of us. Maya plays in 2 ways - Covering reality and projecting an alternate truth.

a.       Delusions we experience – Blue sky, mirage waters, rising and setting of sun, experience of earth being stationary and flat, colors seen by humans vs animals etc

b.       Ignorance can end with only knowledge. The above delusions are dispelled with knowledge of science.  Delusion about ourselves as limited beings also can only end with knowledge.

5.       Faith helps us to gain this knowledge and devotion helps us to abide in it.  Grace of the Lord and Guru are essential to succeed in this path

a.       Four kinds of devotees worship the Lord: from the dissatisfied and the seekers of material wealth, position, power, to the seekers of Truth and the wise

b.       Any of these motivations for faith is valid to be considered a devotee.  Sincere faith will take us up the ladder automatically

6.       Why do we not recognize the Lord?  

a.       Our Gunas (Saattvik, Rajasik and Tamasik) hinder our ability to recognize the Lord present everywhere

b.       We are preoccupied with His form as matter (lower prakriti) and lean on matter for security, happiness and fulfillment.  But matter is constantly changing and incapable of providing these, resulting in our misery.

7.       How do we recognize the Lord?  We need to shift our focus to His higher prakriti or consciousness as we navigate and transact in this world.  Open our vision to the glory of the Lord in all that is good - wetness of water, brilliance and heat of sun and fire, courage and strength in the brave.   How do we shift our focus?

a.       Developing strong faith

b.       The attitude of gratitude

c.       Getting involved in selfless activities for the greater good whenever time permits

Debate Week:  In the last class we divided the students into two groups to debate for and against on two topics:

1.       Karma yoga is impractical and leads to fatalism

·         A very active and healthy debate among the kids helped clarify the meaning of Karma yoga and its application in their lives.  The discussion ended as Karma yoga is super practical and is in fact antithetical to fatalism.

2.       Cultural misappropriation of yoga and meditation by the West is not a bad thing

·         Children agreed that while the physical and stress relief benefits of yoga and meditation are a good thing, we should spread awareness that there is more to it and the deep knowledge from our scriptures about yoga and meditation should not be lost in the West's assimilation of these as superficial practices

It's been a pleasure to engage with our high schoolers this year and watch them express their opinions and experiences, reflecting on their choices through the Gita lens.  Looking forward to a fun 2020, delving into more interesting topics in Chapters 8-12.  Wish you all a very happy holiday season and a wonderful new year!

Pranams,

Aruna and Sirisha

Nov 22, 2019 - JCHYK Grade 10-12 (Friday)

Hari Om Parents,

Below is the summary from the friday's class

Week 8:

Lesson:

Chapter 5: The Yoga of true renunciation

Goal of all our spiritual pursuits finally will culminate into gaining self-knowledge.

Steps to attain spiritual wisdom:

1.      Karma yoga

2.      Chitta Shuddi

3.      Become a qualified student, seek Guru and take up Sravana (listening), Manana(reflecting), Nididhasana (meditation) – ViVidisha sanyasa

4.      Absence of ignorance – tattva Janana

5.      Samadhi Abyasa and removal of all ashubhavasana , gaining Shuba vasana– Vidvat sanyasa

6.      Jeevanmukti

Arjuna accepts the path of action but when lord Krishna praises self-knowledge, he asks the lord, which one is better- selfless action or renunciation of Action (Vividisha sanyasa) Lord says that for Arjuna, Karma yoga alone is better (understanding of the hierarchical progress in spiritual path.)

Examples: Climbing mount Everest without any trekking experience  

Renunciation: Renunciation does not mean giving up something outside the world. We can renounce what we have and what we own – ego, likes/dislikes, hang-ups.

 Nirdvandvaha: Sanyasi is free from pairs of opposites. He is liberated from bondage because he has taken charge of his likes and dislikes. He does not suffer anymore.

Whole world is pair of opposites. We gain knowledge by understanding the pairs of opposites – Hot/cold, up/down, vertical/ horizontal, happy/ sad examples. Then do we not need to get the knowledge of the world? Yes we do, but rise above these

Example: As long as the magnet exists, the 2 poles exist. But the soft iron piece inside the magnet has no magnetic properties.

Result of being Nirdvandvaha: lasting peace, elimination of wastage in life. Right now our life is spent on running towards what we love and running away from what we hate.

How can we be Nirdvandvaha:

1.      Do not indulge in sense pleasures: All the enjoyments are born out of womb of sorrow. Anything we get in the world is bound by time and space and it will end with time. Examples (class)

2.      Live like a lotus leaf : live in the world like lotus leaf, which inspite of living in water does not get wet by the waters. Perform all actions surrendering to the lord and abandon attachment.

Surrender: if we understand the working of cosmos and see the lord's hand in all activities, we automatically surrender.

Attachment : with " I + I want "– we become miserable without the objects or the person or the situation that we are attached to. Implication of work getting attached to result will be mediocre and the result is mediocre.

3.      Be an integrated person (yukta): One in whom the mind and intellect are together. Mind is the seat of emotions and intellect is our discriminating faculty. With their integration, one can accomplish anything in the world.

Why is it not easy to be yukta? – This is due to the pressure of Vasanas which prompt our desires. Surrender all actions to the lord, attain the integrated personality, we experience our divine nature and are peaceful

Eg: Camphor (vasana) when burnt in presence of lord.

Enemies in my progress: Desire and anger

One who is able to withstand the impulses born out of these before the fall of the body is a yogi and is a happy man

Live like a king in the nine gated city

Mentally renouncing all actions and fully being self controlled, the embodied-one rests happily in the nine gated city(which is our own body), neither acting nor causing to act

Egoless attitude of inspiration

One who has subdued one's entire outgoing personality, a renunciate, realizes that as self, one is pure consciousness, in whose presence the equipment gets thrilled to act

Chapter 6: Dhyana Yoga - Meditation 

In this chapter Lord Krishna talks in detail about how to tune our mind through meditation and bring it to single pointed attention.

1.  Integration of mind and intellect through exhaustion of our vasanas discussed in Chapter 5 is the first step towards preparing our mind for contemplation. 

2.  General disciplines or lifestyle that is conducive to this integration of mind and intellect are practice of karma yoga, developing self confidence, self-control and moderation in all activities 

3.  Preparation for meditation include picking the right place, time, seat, body posture, and breathing while drawing our senses inward, taking the mind away from our various roles, and convincing the intellect that meditation is a productive and transformative practice.  

4. The benefits of nidhidhyasana or vedantic meditation include attaining equanimity of vision and freedom from likes and dislikes.  This is the closest stage to jeevan mukti or liberation.

5.  Overcoming the obstacles to spiritual growth can be achieved Lord Krishna says through consistent practice of meditation and by working hard to develop vairagya or dispassion towards people, things and situations.  Preferences can be there but not strong likes and dislikes.

6.  What if Mukti eludes me in this birth?  When Arjuna is concerned about working hard on this path but dying before attaining mukti, Krishna assures him that in this spiritual journey, after rebirth we get to start where we left off and we go at a faster pace as well.  So all we need to do is start now and enjoy the journey.

Practice for discussion in the next class:  For a window of time everyday (start small say 30 minutes to an hour) practice mindfulness i.e. keeping your mind fully focused on the activity of each moment in that window.  No multi-tasking, bring your thoughts if they stray to the activity you are working on.  Note how many times you have to refocus within that window.  Is this easier during certain activities than others?  Did it get easier after a few days of practice?  We look forward to hearing everyone's personal observations from this experiment.

  Pranams,

Aruna and Sirisha

Nov 1, 2019 - JCHYK Grade 10-12 (Friday)

Hari Om Parents,

Below is the lesson from last class. we will be including the lesson alone in the write up. Daily prayers, designated shlokas and Gita chanting is always a part of the class. For the announcements please check the whatsapp group messages. 

-Pranams,

Aruna and Sirisha

Week 7:

Lesson:

Chapter 3:  Karma Yoga

Arjuna's question to the Lord- if knowledge is superior to action then why should he fight the war? What can he not retire and pursue the quest for self-knowledge?

None can ever remain without performing actions: We are forced to act by our nature.  Mind knows to do 2 things- either sleep or think. Hence, we have no choice between life of action and inaction.  Hence lord teaches us how to act and become qualified for self-knowledge.

1.      Do you duties- each stage in life calls for duties that we must do.

Activities in the world are classified into 4 categories – Nitya karmas (daily duties) Naimittika karma(special duties), nishiddha karma (forbidden actions) and kamya karma (action with desire). Also we cannot change our duties since they fall upon us by birth.

2.      Perform actions for yagna alone – Actions always bind. Hence do them in the spirit of yagna. Yagna is an offering done for the welfare of the world. There are 5 kinds of yagnas which are to be performed by everyone.  1. Rishi yagna (Study of scriptures and making sure the vedic knowledge propagates) 2. Pitru Yagna ( Performing all the rituals that bestows the grace of ancestors)3. Deva yagna(satisfying all the forces of nature- no pollution, recycling, no deforestation) 4. Manushya yagna (serving human kind) 5. Bhuta yagna- serving the other beings like animals, plants around.

3.      Order of creation: There is an hierarchy in creation of this world- 1.supreme self, 2.veda, 3. karma, 4.yagna, 5.rain, 6.food and 7.beings. Hence Yagna plays an important role. Without yagna there will not be rains and without rain there is no food and without food living beings cannot survive.

4.      Guiding Star: What ever great men do others also imitate – movie stars, celebrities, sport stars, politicians. Even you are a sunshine in someone's eye – brothers/sisters imitate you. So do the neighborhood kids

5.      Duties performed without attachment yields highest results: As long as you take from the world you have to give back. Hence when doing your duties do in yagna spirit and without attachment, as an offering to lord. Whatever result come then it will be accepted.

Why Does one commit Sin: Intellectually one understands what is right and wrong but why do people get tempted to do wrong? Who is this enemy who pushes us to do sin? Where does he reside?

Lord answers: Desire is the enemy within. We desire things that are not with us. Eg: money, status, power, friends. If this emotion gets obstructed, this will lead to anger, with a desire-anger combination we compromise our value system and settle for a baser way of life. Nobler desires are desirable

Chapter 4:  Renunciation of Action in Knowledge 

Lord Krishna begins Chapter 4 with the long lineage of followers of Karma Yoga, starting with the Lord Himself teaching the Sun, who taught Manu who taught Ikshvaku (forefather of Lord Rama).  Arjuna is puzzled by Krishna's claim to be the teacher of the Sun! 🤨

1.  Reincarnation vs. Rebirth:  At this point Krishna reveals Himself to be an Avatar who knows all His previous births (incarnations) taken on earth for the purpose of reestablishing righteousness or Dharma.  Whereas the Lord explains we are unaware of our previous lives, we are reborn because of our accumulated vasanas that need to be exhausted in order to transcend this cycle of birth and rebirth.

2.  Vasanas and Gunas:  Our vasanas (impressions from past actions) govern our gunas (the attitude with which our mind functions) in this life.  We all have a combination of the three gunas - Satva, Rajas, and Tamas at any given point, but if we analyze our behavior and reaction to situations, we may find our personality has a dominant guna.  Through our free will we can act to overcome inherent tamas by setting ambitious goals, consistently working towards them (rajasic mentality) while developing an attitude of gratitude (satvic mentality).

3.  Gunas and Varnas:  Our dominant guna determines our varna or color that is often misrepresented as our caste determined by our birth family.  When in fact, the four castes are descriptions of four main personality types that we see around us, made up of varying combinations of the three gunas.  The Lord says, pick the profession that suits your personality and innate interests so that your work will be a tireless and joyous experience for you.

Example:  If you are a people person, being in a quiet cubicle doing research all day may not be fun for you.  On the other hand, if you need solitude often to think through problems, a marketing career filled with travel may seem very tiresome.  This is completely independent of the caste you were born into or the profession chosen by your parents.  

4.  Non-doership:  Purification of mind can be attained when a person engaged in sincere action adopts a non-doership mindset.  A non-doer has no attachment to the fruits of action, is content and does not depend on anyone or anything for his happiness.  How does one achieve this?  The Lord says by using Him as our crutch, performing all our actions in the yagna spirit and dedicating all our results to Him.  Success or failure all belong to Him, not to us, we are but His instruments.  This mentality will reduce our attachment and ego and help us to avoid the six vices of the mind, thereby becoming most productive.  However, this is obviously easier said than done.  We need a role model.

5.  Guru:  In order to keep us on the right path, Krishna emphasizes the need for a Guru.  A role model who practices this non-doership and lives the message of the scriptures.  Blessed with a Guru, we also have to develop Faith, Devotion and Self-control to progress in this path.  For students it is important to have faith in the value system they are being raised with, a devotion to live by that system and self-control to catch themselves when they waver due to the distractions that present themselves.

Class Discussion:  Prevalence of vaping and alcohol in the student community and how it affects thinking.  Will suppressing thoughts of indulgence in these habits actually hurt in the long run?  What happens when you are in college, who is monitoring your choices?  How does one develop the strength to gently substitute an obsessively curious thought about wanting to experience the 'high' with the opposite thought of staying away? 

Gurudev's quote:  Study is the means, self-control is the way, but Self-Realization is the goal.