Importance and Limitations of Rituals

Importance and Limitations of Rituals

In this present scenario spirituality is identified with Religiousness and because of this there is lot of confusions in the minds of the people where they are subjected to thousands of rituals in the name of Spirituality/Religion. People are now wasting their time, money and moreover faith on God due to such misconceptions about basic difference between Spirituality and Religiousness.

To put it in simple terms Religiousness acts as a foundation for a person who wants to pursue spiritual path in life. It’s like this we cannot directly go to graduation without finishing our schooling, similarly being religious and following rituals are like schooling and as the person proceeds further he will discard all these rituals and become Spiritual. Further a religious person usually ends up with spiritual life but a Spiritual is not religious/ ritualistic.

Religious process basically focuses on rituals, prayers and certain sacrifices (homa) etc, which are basically a tool to bring his restless mind at peace and to develop disciple. Moreover these practices are generally practiced for material benefits than spiritual benefit. On the other hand rituals lay a strong foundation for a spiritual life as it develops devotion in the mind of a person.

If we keenly observe the rituals that are being followed, you can see that each of them have certain benefits, so let us take some example below

Let us start with a basic ritual like fasting that is followed by many of us, this when we correlate with yoga, it follows the principles of Niyama (virtuous habits, behaviors and observances) and Yamas (Moral living). What are we trying to do in this ritual is that we are trying to take charge over the body and mind urges and there by try to control our mind, also at this time your thoughts are filled with thoughts of divine (as during fasting you are supposed think about the divine), the benefit of this is that you are taking charge of you mind and body by enforcing control over. You will realize that you are no longer a slave to your urges which have disastrous consequences. Again limitation is that only by fasting you cannot become spiritual and more over you should not punish your body by overdoing it. Fasting will not give you the required knowledge that you need for progressing further. But in the current world people are propagating false information’s saying that you fast on a Saturday and your problems will go away.

Another example for a ritual that we can take is for pujas/homas (Idol worship, daily prayers, homas etc). This method is a double edged sword as most of the people get stuck here and never go beyond this point in their life time. Though there is benefit by this method. This is not the final stage. It is this system that has become popular now and wrongly being projected as the ultimate solution to all problems of life. People are cheating others by charging exorbitant amount for these rituals by providing false promises to people saying all their problems will go away if one performs a particular homa or puja. They charge lakhs of rupees and have made situations worse than good for most. What we need to understand is that if a person is destined to suffer something in this life (prarabdha karma) he is bound to suffer/enjoy it. No ritual will work in this regard. But the people with vested interest have elevated these rituals as ultimate.

Contrary to the above opinion the benefits obtained from the above should also be considered now as they play a big role in our life and they help us prepare our-self for the path ahead. Pujas are important as it is here we try to establish a link with the divine. Here we see our-self and God as separate and devote our-self to the divine. When Pujas are done properly our ego reduces, disciple is established, devotion develops, love towards the divine increases and more importantly we can stop accruing new Karmas (Note through this only new karmas can be stopped but the existing karma which needs to be experienced cannot be undone). The reason why this not the ultimate path and is just the tool is that here we see God and our-self as two different beings; we are searching for a God outside which is dualistic in nature. We are giving an image to a God who is infinite; hence we are limiting our-self by giving a form to God who is Absolute existence, Absolute Consciousness and Absolute Bliss, this God is beyond Time and Space and we are trying to conceptualize this God within Time and Space, hence making the God limited (limiting our mind is the point here).

Hence once a person is firmly established in rituals and if his practice is genuine and yearns to progress the divine grace showers on that person and he starts moving into spiritual life, it is here that the person acquires spiritual knowledge (not ritualistic knowledge), by reading Upanishads, Gita and other scriptures which gives him knowledge of the Spirit, with divine grace a Guru will appear for a honest student and he will teach the path of spirituality and the ultimate knowledge saying “You are that”.    

Why I cry for God

Why I cry for God

This is a strange situation that people here cry for everything in the world, we cry that we are not rich; we cry that we do not own a house or have a high paying job or that our family life is not good etc.

It has become such a situation that we are now crying for everything for small or big things. We are ready to struggle for money, prestige, health, property etc; we know in the heart that this is not the ultimate solution to life problems, meaning when we have A, we want B, when we have B then we want C. Thins keeps going on until we realize that we want everything which is impossible to achieve. Then we start crying that I did not get this or that.

The fundamental problem with this is that we are behind something which we assume it to be the source of our happiness. But in reality they are not. We can see so many people who say if I have X money with me I’m happy and once they get it, they are not happy or maybe happy for a brief time and again they want something else for their happiness. This is a never ending cycle and we are caught in it. So what does this got to do with our title would be the question? The answer is that it has everything to do with the title. We are now in a situation where we are agonizing our-self due to desire and have not understood what the source is for our happiness. Moreover why are we crying about the never ending cycle of desire is the question which is need of the hour to be addressed. The same issue can be looked by three different ways i.e: from the view point theist, atheist and agnostic.

Let us try to understand how these three people look at the above problem and try to see what we can learn from them

Theist – A theist is a person who believes in the existence of a GOD looks at everything as God or his creation. Based on his mental modification he will either view the entire world around as Gods creation and we are here to live within this creation in a manner that befits his expectation. This is more of a dualistic view of the world where we see God and our-self as two different beings and one tries to please the other. Even in this situation what he will try to do is that, he will try to lead a life which is moral in nature as he believes that there is a God and he will punish me if I do anything wrong, otherwise genuinely he feels blessed to be born and spends his life in service others as he yearns to see the God, as he knows that whatever is created by God is also subject destruction by the same God. He will not see any point in worrying about any worldly desires as he by heart will know that God will take care if he follows his Swadharma (one’s own righteousness).

From an Advantic point of view a Theist will see everything as God and he does not separate himself from the world around himself. Hence there is no point of hatred here and he automatically starts loving everyone and derives pleasure by serving others.

But the problem arises when a theist aware of the God and his creations succumbs to mental impurities like desires, anger etc. He though aware of the fact becomes attached to worldly things and with attachment, rises suffering as he is trying to hold on to something which is not permanent and is not the permanent source of joy. Instead of holding on to God who is the source of everything he is holding on to his projection which is ever changing, anything which changes cannot be permanent source of our happiness, as once the object or temperament changes the same object that which was the source of pleasure will become a source of pain and moreover both mind and the observed are objects to our Self, As we are the witness of mind/body and not mind/body. So when with an impure mind a theist slowly forgets about the God and cries for the worldly things. If he really did cry for God, meaning to see him or understand him, there would not be any suffering, meaning anything that comes in his way would be seen as Gods play or he may be indifferent to the surrounding as he feels that the apparent suffering is just an illusion where there is no point in worrying about it or he experiences compassion towards others and serves them as he sees God in everyone. But the point is that he will be out of this suffering as he will no longer bother about the problems of the mind and body as he will always stay with God (no mind state with the realization of the self)     

Continued

When God Started a Game

When God Started a Game

God who is absolute existence, absolute consciousness and absolute bliss one day felt bored and started playing a game. He started using his inherent energy and created the universe around. Since he was absolute existence the appearing universe was just his appearance/projection. Now the he started the game by creating beings that are perfect with perfect control over the mind and firm knowledge of the self. These beings immediately understood the nature of the true Self and went into Samadhi and got liberated. So God decided that that creating perfect beings was not entertaining enough as the beings realized that they are the same God as the apparent world was just a projection/appearance of the Self within.

Now to makes things little interesting God created a world with ignorance induced in the minds of the beings, this ignorance led to the false Identification by the beings (who are nothing but God as the existence of God is absolute and there is nothing other than God) that they are different from God. It is funny to see that God got so much engrossed in the game that he forgot he is absolute existence, absolute consciousness and absolute bliss.

It is here that the drama of Samsara started where he placed himself as many and interacted with each other. To make it manageable he set rules on himself by the way of Karma. So he decided the actions that he performs and he decided what would be outcome based on his own law. This was so perfect that he got stuck into this whirlpool of samsara (births and deaths) by his own laws by forgetting who he is in true sense which is absolute existence, absolute consciousness and absolute bliss.

The he decided that he is tired of the troubles of this illusionary appearance (which is now real for him as he has forgotten his true nature) due to the rules which are self-created and self-imposed on oneself. He struggled and then started the process of understand what is everything and more importantly who he is in reality. This lead to the understanding that he is not the mind and body, understood its limitations and when he looked to his inner most core he realized that he is absolute existence, absolute consciousness and absolute bliss.

The game he created for fun with ignorance induced in the mind and rules of engagement within the projected world led the God to identify himself with his projection rather than his absolute nature. By this was he God stuck in samsara and when he was fed up he got out by realizing his true nature.

Hence this way we can say that the apparent world which we live in is nothing but his play, he is inducer of thoughts and actions and he is the judge who awards effects for these thoughts and actions. As he is the absolute existence this apparent world is none other than himself and all actions and effects are his play. Only when we realize this we realize our true nature which is the nature of the true self and ignore (not be bothered by the happenings) the world as now we know we are the absolute existence, absolute consciousness and absolute bliss.

What to expect in Mantra Sadhana

What to expect in Mantra Sadhana

Many people chant various mantras with the intention of mantra siddhi and acquiring supernatural power. We should remember that mantra siddhi or the powers mentioned in scriptures are very difficult to achieve and there is no guarantee that it would happen. To make it more clear Mantra siddhi/powers are very rare events that can happen.

We see people chanting 10 lakhs, 20 lakhs count of the mantra and still there is no marked change in them. The repetition in these cases are usually mechanical and without any concentration on the mantra. The point is not the count of mantra but the quality of it. We can see people who have recited Shodashi mantra for few thousand times the mantra has gone Ajapa for them (Ajapaa is the state where the mantra is absorbed into your manas chakra and chanting becomes continuous throughout life). Here for these people the intensity of the practice for these few thousand times was far superior than people who have completed lakhs are chants.

Then what is use of mantra chanting is the question. Mantra happens to provide two major benefits for a person who chants it correctly. Firstly if one chants mantra correctly all his focus would be on the mantra and other thoughts vanishes, by this way a person becomes thought free, because of this the mind is purified and only in the purified mind the realization of the greatest truth happens (realization of the Self), second benefit of chanting a mantra is more for material life where it acts as a powerful affirmation making suitable modifications in the mind to get the desired results.

So how does the mantra work, each and every letters in mantras activates or creates vibrations at certain energy points and parts of the body. So when a Guru (Self realized person) gives a mantra to a person he would give that in such a way that the mantra is conducive for that person. Now when one chants the mantra the various parts of the body gets vibrated and energized giving rise to psychophysical changes. This starts getting absorbed within the body over a period of time and brings about changes in the mind. The mind gets purified in this way and makes it thought free. It is at this time the intuitive ability of person shines, meaning when the mind is purified the intellect shines in the light of the Self and it is at this time that some get some clairvoyant abilities (sort of siddhis). At this time it is very important that these gifts are shunned away as this will become an impediment for the ultimate goal. People who get absorbed into such abilities lose their purity of mind and again fall back into life problems. Purity of the mind is not the ultimate as it a state which helps us to find the ultimate truth. So this state is ever oscillating and not permanent. Only when the person realizes the truth he is firmly fixed in it and does not fall down, up to that stage is always a struggle.

Now how does one know that the mantra is working for him or not would be the question? This simple to answer because when a person chants a particular mantra usually he experiences happiness, the happiness that is being referred here is more to do with internal happiness that one experiences when or after he chants it. Otherwise he can experience small changes around him which is either good or bad. If the effects are bad then there is a need to change the mantra, if he feels unhappy/uneasy etc then it needs to be stopped. Usually when a person completes around 10,000 chants he starts experiencing the effect of the mantra and these changes are more subtle in nature which usually brings about a shift in the mindset.     

To continue further it becomes important that how one should chant the mantra, how many times does one should chant and how to make the chanting process more effective. So it is always preferable that the chanting should be done loudly for few days after initiation to become familiar with the mantra and its pronunciation. Once he/she is comfortable with the mantra he should proceed with mental chanting. Mental chanting is the best way to chant the mantra and benefit of this method is that one can chant it anytime and anywhere without any restrictions. The count for mantra japa is not important but quality of chant is more important even if a person chants 30 times in 20 minutes the focus on those 30 times should be absolute (as much possible). It is usually preferred that a person chants for minimum 20 mins a day to make it more effective. Fixing a schedule is very useful as chanting in same time everyday adjusts the body and mind to respond to the chanting better and changes can be seen much faster. Also aligning the breath with mantra is an advantage as this brings about better absorption of the mantra into the mind.

So ideally a person should sit erect, perform pranayama (nadi shodana) for 10 mins and chant the mantra by focusing on the Ajna chakra (third eye chakra) for 20 - 30 mins. When this done correctly the mind becomes still without thoughts and getting into Turya state becomes easier.

Usually the mantra of Ista devata/ Kula devata is conducive of a person; if the person is genuinely attracted to a particular deity or mantra that mantra will usually be beneficial for him/her. It is always better to search for a Guru and get initiated into a mantra than chanting by ourselves, as pronunciation and intricacies of the mantra can be explained by the Guru proper to reap benefit. The reason why Guru is important is that wrong initiation, chanting bija mantras incorrectly or chanting incompatible mantras will affect the person adversely.

If you do not find any Guru at all you can Self initiate which should be last resort.

To explain in nut shell, Mantra siddhi is very difficult to achieve, mantra is meant to protect and purify the mind which forms the basis for realization.

  

How do we know the self within is in the form of Bliss?

How do we know the self within is in the form of Bliss?

To answer this question let us understand, what we do when we are happy? Suppose take an example that I’m talking with my friend and he is being very cordial and helpful, at this stage we feel happy that we have a friend and so how do we react to this now? We try to hold on to this person as he is source of our happiness and if the other person is unpleasant then we discard relationship with that person as he is not the source of happiness (this is dualistic way of analysis for now to make us understand what we do when we are happy).

Here it is very evident that by nature we love objects that bring us happiness and discard which does not. It is very important to understand this point that we love objects that bring us happiness. This statement gives us the clue as to why the Self within is in the form of Bliss. So let us understand from the perspective of the object of happiness with regards to soul within the body. Mind always desires for living for thousands of years and says I may never die, we know that the soul is the cause of the mind and when it says that I may never die, it means that it experiences happiness from the Soul and that’s why it wants it to be permanent. Meaning the soul is the object of happiness for the mind and that is the reason it tries to hold on to it as is its natural tendency.

In this way we can clearly understand that the Self/soul within is in the form of Bliss as if it was not in the form of Bliss the mind shun the soul leading to disintegration of itself (mind)

Why is the Bliss of the Self the highest form of happiness?

This is because when a person feels happy the mind turns inwards to the soul, we know that Soul is in the form of Bliss from our earlier point and hence when the mind experiences the happiness its thought process reduces and experiences the bliss within for a moment. Hence it is clear that the happiness experienced by the mind is from within and not from the outside world. Hence the bliss of the Self is the highest form of happiness as we experience only the bliss of the Self within when we feel happy in this material world, other way of looking at this is that happiness obtained from objects are always impermanent as it will always (objects are not permanent) go away and the bliss of Self is ever existent so it would make the most superior form of happiness.

Nature of pure consciousness

When we start analyzing what is consciousness? We can go with a simple analogy. When we are awake I‘m aware of this laptop, the keyboard that being typed on, the mental modifications that is happening in the mind, physical actions and reactions that is being experienced by the body and the mind, but there is consciousness which is aware of these events.

Meaning, there is a body and which experiences physical comforts or discomforts and a mind which experiences happiness and otherwise. Both of these are the object of experience and these are being experienced by the awareness, this pure awareness is call consciousness.

In the above example our awareness is scattered to various objects around us and due to this the mind identifies itself with the body/mind as the awareness. But when we observe this further through proper discernment, we can effectively reject this and say that these experiences experienced by the mind and body are being witnessed by the consciousness. How do we prove this lets take the example of the deep sleep state where the person during deep sleep is not aware of the body nor the mind exists at that time. But how do we know that we were in deep sleep after waking up? Where there was no mind and body, but yet something existed. This something is nothing but the pure consciousness which is ever present with or without body/mind/object.

Now when we start dropping body and mind notion and see what exists is the purest consciousness. Let us take a practical example now, close your eyes and start taking away you awareness from the body by fixing your concentrating on a particular point within the body. Now slowly detach with thoughts from the mind by increasing your concentration on the point. What happens now is your thoughts will become zero due to the focus on a particular point and body at that time is nonexistent for you. Slowly when mind and body is dropped from our awareness what stays back is pure awareness without modifications of the mind. Now in this state though there is awareness (individual self exists) there is lack of it as well (in further stage). Meaning once there is no mind and body (nonexistence of external world as well as the sense organs are withdrawn at this stage). We experience a void and the conscious mind without thought will become unconscious at some point and there is no one to experience (individual self is absent) and nothing to experience (Object of experience). This is state of consciousness where the Object of the awareness, the object and process of awareness has become one i.e. no awareness (void etc). This is called pure consciousness.

Spiritual Story - Seven Steps in Self Realization

The below is the example of a famous story where 10 people cross the river and after crossing the river they take a count to see if all have crossed the river safely, but when each of them count they miss themselves in the count and finally land with 9 people, with this ignorance they suffer. Finally a person comes by and convinces the people that all are well and removes their ignorence by advicing them to count the tenth 10 person as themselves. This way they are get back the 10th person, whom they thought was missing. This story is put in context to spiritual paralance and how we have forgotten our true self in Seven stages. Below is the brief points on these stages.

Click to enlarge the below photo