You consider helping people in difficulties is service. No. It is not as simple as that. Your body should be constantly engaged in serving others. The human body consists of several limbs. All these limbs are meant to be engaged in serving your fellowmen and not for other activities. Unfortunately we are forgetting this basic fact. Every limb in the body has been granted by God for Karmopasana (worshipping God through service). Karmopasana is the only means by which the human life can be sanctified. We are building several temples. We are undertaking various spiritual practices. But all these sadhanas can give us only temporary satisfaction, not eternal joy. Our ancient sages have been able to achieve eternal joy through a conscious effort. Therefore, you must develop firm faith in the truth that nothing can provide eternal joy, except service to humanity. Undertake service to the suffering humanity. Service is not merely confined to health services. Service encompasses every possible help to fellow human beings.
Swami is talking about service and it its not just about ashram life, but about our life in society. And that we think to help people in difficulties is not as simple as that.
In our society everything is institutionalized and it is very difficult to go and help, if the help is not wanted we shouldn't even try to do it.
If he mentions the body and it should be engaged to service t others, body is different from the Atma or our higher self, therefore, he calls it the body that should be engaged in service to others. It can be also of service if we just think it over and contemplate on his words. If we just read it, we think, that's it we know we have heard it before or something like that and it needs an effort getting into it seeing it in our own life and getting a feeling for it and that is what contemplation is, it is not just reading and forgetting it and next moment we don't know anymore what we have read. We must make it experience, we should feel it and when we see it in our own life, it is just about that. When we hear that a conflict should be always brought to the point otherwise it expands, we even think we know, but the next moment it is forgotten and when we have a conflict in our life, we don't know what to do about it. It is a sign that we have not absorbed the wisdom.
If there is conflict, we have to get it to the point, we have to think it over, we have to get aware of the conflict first and we have to know how to get to the point.
In my parent's house it was about conflict and it was just ignored, my mother said usually, time will do it, but time doesn't do everything, sometimes time also just makes it expand instead of getting the conflict to the point it gets bigger and bigger until it ends in a disaster when it is no more possible to address it, because it is that far gone that nobody knows anymore where it began and where it has been omitted, therefore, conflict we have to get to the point that it doesn't expand and afterwards only it can take time, but when it is not properly addressed, it will expand.
It is of no use when we read it and we don't practice.
We read it and think okay, understood, but next moment when there is conflict we don't know what to do about it and we just try to ignore or avoid it and it will expand and the result will come back some time later, probably when we forgot about it, it will come back and hit and it will come up again as long as it is not addressed it will always come up again.
In our society everything is institutionalized and it is very difficult to go and help, if the help is not wanted we shouldn't even try to do it.
If he mentions the body and it should be engaged to service t others, body is different from the Atma or our higher self, therefore, he calls it the body that should be engaged in service to others. It can be also of service if we just think it over and contemplate on his words. If we just read it, we think, that's it we know we have heard it before or something like that and it needs an effort getting into it seeing it in our own life and getting a feeling for it and that is what contemplation is, it is not just reading and forgetting it and next moment we don't know anymore what we have read. We must make it experience, we should feel it and when we see it in our own life, it is just about that. When we hear that a conflict should be always brought to the point otherwise it expands, we even think we know, but the next moment it is forgotten and when we have a conflict in our life, we don't know what to do about it. It is a sign that we have not absorbed the wisdom.
If there is conflict, we have to get it to the point, we have to think it over, we have to get aware of the conflict first and we have to know how to get to the point.
In my parent's house it was about conflict and it was just ignored, my mother said usually, time will do it, but time doesn't do everything, sometimes time also just makes it expand instead of getting the conflict to the point it gets bigger and bigger until it ends in a disaster when it is no more possible to address it, because it is that far gone that nobody knows anymore where it began and where it has been omitted, therefore, conflict we have to get to the point that it doesn't expand and afterwards only it can take time, but when it is not properly addressed, it will expand.
It is of no use when we read it and we don't practice.
We read it and think okay, understood, but next moment when there is conflict we don't know what to do about it and we just try to ignore or avoid it and it will expand and the result will come back some time later, probably when we forgot about it, it will come back and hit and it will come up again as long as it is not addressed it will always come up again.
And he is talking about the human body and the limbs of the body. The body should serve others, the limbs are meant to be engaged in the service of the fellowmen and not for other activities.
In a study circle we had two people who were kind of disturbing, as they came together. In a study circle each one should talk one after the other, but they had met before and somehow agreed on that point and when one got to a wrong conclusion the other as well followed with a wrong conclusion and that is the mind, we think we agree, we feel what the other means and we just go by it, even when the conclusion is not right and wrong and that type of meeting is not spiritual and of no help to anyone.
What they did in meeting is just socializing under the pretext of a spiritual activity. But together they had a kind of feeling to understand each other and they know what they are talking about, but it is not spiritual, it is not transcending or going beyond the mind, it is in the mind and enforcing the mind.
The first one got to a wrong conclusion and the other as well said something totally stupid. One said, 'mind is God as well', the other one went into the same and said, 'his words are pain' and as they did it together what they shouldn't do anyhow, I just said, 'no, that is not right'.
When he is present it is bliss and not pain, if there is pain it is rather a sign of his absence and not his presence. 'Where bliss is there is God', that is a right statement or 'God is love', but not that he is as well the mind, the mind is the obstacle and when we are in the mind, we are unable to feel the love, we have to transcend the mind, it needs to be right action and truth to be in bliss or in peace and to experience pure love.
When he is not present it is pain, when God is present it is bliss the sign of his presence. When thinking it over we get aware of it how stupid such a statement really is and when not thinking it over these people even think they are right and what is kind of tragic, they go on thinking that they are right.
In reality they have created a conflict together, they believe in something that is not true. They share the mind reality with each other without getting aware of it, trusting on a wrong feeling of strength they have build up together in misery seeks company.
The main thing is not what they said, but how it was said, they felt stronger together and that is why it is a kind of agreement between both of them, feeling stronger together, when in reality it is based on a wrong conclusion.
When he is not present it is pain, when God is present it is bliss the sign of his presence. When thinking it over we get aware of it how stupid such a statement really is and when not thinking it over these people even think they are right and what is kind of tragic, they go on thinking that they are right.
In reality they have created a conflict together, they believe in something that is not true. They share the mind reality with each other without getting aware of it, trusting on a wrong feeling of strength they have build up together in misery seeks company.
The main thing is not what they said, but how it was said, they felt stronger together and that is why it is a kind of agreement between both of them, feeling stronger together, when in reality it is based on a wrong conclusion.
Such associations in the mind are in that sense not good and not only not good, but harmful.
It is not a spiritual practice, but only socializing and it doesn't go beyond the mind, no matter what the spiritual practice it has to transcend the mind, if it doesn't transcend the mind, it is not spiritual.
If we take highest wisdom and think it over, we eat it more or less like food with the mind and we spit it out on the mind level, we don't keep it pure and it is no more highest knowledge, but it has turned into a mind interpretation. When using his words we keep it pure, therefore, using his words it a help to keep the right focus and that is as well the reason why we have Sanskrit words. Swami speeches are usually in Telugu and already translated into English and then we translate it again, often we find Sanskrit words in his speeches and that is a help to keep it pure, if there is doubt, we just look at the Sanskrit word to get back to the source.
When it is a mind interpretation, it is like eating food without offering it, we do it all the time, it is just food and mind, only if we offer it to the divine it turns into Prasad and that is no more just mind, but sacred food.
The same happens with words. He is telling us, 'ABC, always be careful', we have to know how to use his words, if we talk about the mind, if it is as well God, it has to be the pure mind, otherwise, mind is manifested and on all three levels, sathva, rajas and tamas. Usually we don't call it mind, but pure consciousness. If pure consciousness is manifested we have to transcend it to get back to pure consciousness. The same with the mind and if it is generalized like that, we find not enough discrimination in it.
It is about the difference between mind and Atma, between a right conclusion or a not right conclusion.
The same happens with words. He is telling us, 'ABC, always be careful', we have to know how to use his words, if we talk about the mind, if it is as well God, it has to be the pure mind, otherwise, mind is manifested and on all three levels, sathva, rajas and tamas. Usually we don't call it mind, but pure consciousness. If pure consciousness is manifested we have to transcend it to get back to pure consciousness. The same with the mind and if it is generalized like that, we find not enough discrimination in it.
It is about the difference between mind and Atma, between a right conclusion or a not right conclusion.
If we see it as service we have to stand up to the right conclusion. Together they don't to a right conclusion, therefore, it is better not to be do those meetings and to call it a spiritual purpose if it doesn't transcend the mind is useless. As they tried to be stronger together, they just disturbed the circle and nothing what they said had any value or was an example of wisdom, it was must misery seeks company.
Knowledge or the teaching or the wisdom is not kept pure when we get to a mind conclusion, but we can keep it pure in using his words.
It is always about getting to a right and not a not right conclusion, the question is what is his teaching and what is not his teaching.
It felt like a shock in the moment when we had to get aware of it, but in thinking it over only we see why it is like that and that it was like that because of the socializing that was going on before in the name of a spiritual activity, what is not true.
When they meet they just share their experiences and thoughts, they don't share his words and therefore, they don't get together to a right conclusion.
You consider helping people in difficulties is service. No. It is not as simple as that. Your body should be constantly engaged in serving others. The human body consists of several limbs. All these limbs are meant to be engaged in serving your fellowmen and not for other activities. Unfortunately we are forgetting this basic fact. Every limb in the body has been granted by God for Karmopasana (worshipping God through service).
We have to set it right and see it in the right light. Whatever we do, it should serve others if we have an attitude of being of service, he is telling us here that it is the only means by which human life can be sanctified. We have a totally different attitude in our mind if we do our job to serve our society or if we do it to just earn a living.
Karmopasana is the only means by which the human life can be sanctified. We are building several temples.
Spiritual practices have to transcend the mind. Experience makes us aware that it is not a spiritual practice, when the mind is not transcended, no matter what the spiritual practice. but often it is not and then we see the result of it. There is a difference between spiritual practice and eternal joy.
How do we achieve eternal joy? Swami calls it a conscious effort and in the Vedic civilization we have lots of ancient sages and one thing is clear, we can get eternal joy only in service to humanity.
We should serve the suffering humanity and it is not just about health services but it encompasses every possible help to human begins.
We should serve the suffering humanity and it is not just about health services but it encompasses every possible help to human begins.
If we know how to transcend the mind, we have to meditate and there are other ways of transcending, we have to get aware of the value of transcending.
It is a service to humanity. Lord Shiva mentioned over a hundred ways of how to transcend the body and the mind, no matter what our spiritual practice, when the mind reality gets stronger, it is not spiritual, it can only be spiritual when the mind is transcended.
It is a service to humanity. Lord Shiva mentioned over a hundred ways of how to transcend the body and the mind, no matter what our spiritual practice, when the mind reality gets stronger, it is not spiritual, it can only be spiritual when the mind is transcended.
We are undertaking various spiritual practices. But all these sadhanas can give us only temporary satisfaction, not eternal joy. Our ancient sages have been able to achieve eternal joy through a conscious effort. Therefore, you must develop firm faith in the truth that nothing can provide eternal joy, except service to humanity. Undertake service to the suffering humanity. Service is not merely confined to health services. Service encompasses every possible help to fellow human beings.
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