Mira Prabhu's Blog, page 14
September 28, 2017
MONOGAMY: BLESSING OR CURSE?
[image error]The other day I read a statement by a “guru” (who claims to have thousands of devotees) that all men are polygamous by nature. Ah, I thought, brilliant excuse! Let’s blame Nature for all the dishonesty and delusion we see around, clearly this works just fine for your sheeplings, for now they have the perfect justification to play the field.
Now what do I really think of his statement? Simply that such generalizations are asinine. First of all, due to genetics, circumstance and environment etcetera, no two humans are exactly alike; Secondly, no human needs to continue to be a slave to habit or predilections, no matter how strong these habits are, or for how many generations they have been an accepted part of the misogynistic fabric of certain societies.
So you want to play the field and keep your options open? No one should have a problem with that—it’s your precious life after all, and it is you who will have to pay the karmic piper. But please keep in mind that your freedom comes with a corresponding duty—which is to respect the freedom of another precious soul. If you want to mess around, by all means do so, but have the decency and the courtesy to do so transparently, so that others can decide whether they want to have you in your lives or not.
[image error]India is well known for her practice of the arranged marriage. When I was a fiery young thing, the very thought of my parents (whom, I must confess, I had little faith in when it came to such matters) choosing a husband for me was pure anathema. How dare anyone decide for me who I should live with, etcetera? Much later, when I came across the brilliant accuracy of some vedic astrologers, who would study the charts of a couple and decide whether they would do well together, my original antipathy towards arranged marriages dissolved. I could appreciate that in some cases, especially in traditional eastern societies where young people are sternly discouraged from interacting with the opposite sex and so would prefer to rely on mum and dad to hook them up. But I am still fiercely against anyone, man or woman, being forced into marriage. In fact, you would be amazed at the number of young Indians over the years who have written to me complaining that their parents are trying to force them to get married to someone of their choosing. I usually tell them a couple of things: 1) it’s your precious life, not theirs; make your own decisions or you might live to regret it; 2) you don’t have to have kids no matter what your elders say. There are enough unwanted kids in the world already. If you honestly believe you can be a good parent, adopt. Whether they listen to me or not I don’t really care; all I can do is make suggestions based on who I am.
In the eastern view, gender is a temporary fiction. The I AM, which rests at the base of the egoic structure is both male and female; in its purest form, it transcends gender. To tell men they are entitled to act in a way that women are not is therefore a crime and leads to great suffering. The Sufis speak of the Inner Beloved, which is neither male nor female, but a composite and a Whole. If we truly want a mate, then it is best to dig deep into a single relationship so we can strike sweet water, or conversely, if you prefer to walk alone, to study and practice seriously so you can come into contact with your inner blissful nature.
[image error]In my view, and that of many sages, seers and yogis, monogamy is an excellent practice for the seeker. After all we can only taste richness when we commit to one thing or one person (in the intimate realm, at least). Easy to flit from honey pot to honey pot, but by staying the course with the right person (yes, it is important that we select our mate carefully for otherwise the bond can turn into pure hell), we have a shot at growing to our highest potential.
Now for a little true story: While working at a Manhattan law firm, I made friends with a young lawyer whose father was one of the wealthiest men in that fabulously rich city. He and his gang of equally rich friends used to frequent night clubs and make bets that they could snare the prettiest girl around. This went on for years until one day this guy met a girl he felt strongly about; so strongly, in fact, that he wanted to commit to her, and possibly even marry her. He was terribly confused, because his peers all laughed at him and said he was a stupid jerk not to partake of the willing female abundance his money and good looks gave him access to. One afternoon he told me what was going on and asked me what I would do in his position. Hey, I said, if your dad died and left you ten acres of land, but only enough cash to buy fertilizer for one acre, what would you do? He was puzzled for a moment, then he said, oh, I’d use that fertilizer on just one acre so I could harvest a rich crop. You have your answer, I said. Stick with this woman and perhaps in time you will get a rich crop. But if you continue to scatter your energy in a hundred directions, you’ll only end up jaded and unhappy. He laughed at me and called me crazy, but, believe it or not, five years or so after I left Manhattan for India, he wrote to say he had married this girl and was happy. Well!
[image error]As humans, we have a finite mind and finite energy; also, we don’t know how long we will live. So it makes sense to use our precious time wisely. When we are young and at the mercy of our hormones, of course it is natural that we want to go a bit wild. But as we mature, it is good to consider the myriad benefits of investing our relationship energy wisely, so that we too can one day harvest a fine crop.
Greetings from Arunachala, Shiva in the form of a hill of fire and light, who vows to tear all the veils of delusion from our mortal eyes so we can see clearly as we fuse into our blissful Self!
NEW!!! My latest book – COPPER MOON OVER PATALIPUTRA – just went live on Jun 30th. Read all about it and on how to get your own copy here.
If you’ve enjoyed reading my posts, please also check out my BOOKS and LINKS.
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September 24, 2017
Worries Do Not Belong To You!
Wonderful post! Please check this out and thank you, Harsh Luthar!
The basic tenet of Advaita-Vedanta is that our original nature, the nature of the Self, is Sat-Chit-Ananda-Nityam-Purnum. Sat means Existence. Chit refers to Consciousness. Ananda means Bliss. Nityam mean Eternal. Purnum means whole or complete.
These are not qualities of the Self but its very nature as One monolithic whole. The Self is One without a second, A Mass of Conscious Bliss that is Eternal and Whole. When we experience the Self, we see that the ancient sages were very precise in describing our nature. It is unmistakable and leaves no room for any thought or doubt. Sages teach us that what comes and goes is not our true nature. What is transient has no permanent power or hold on us.
Although we view our personality as made up of mental traits and thoughts, Advaita teaches us that even our mind and thoughts are transient as they are constantly undergoing…
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Monday Funnies…
What would we do if we could not laugh? Thanks for sharing these, Chris Graham!
Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog
September 21, 2017
THOSE BLASTED RULES!
[image error]Recently I had a disturbing conversation with a man who considers himself an ardent devotee of Arunachala and Ramana Maharshi. He was convalescing after a serious bout of illness and, amazingly, since he’d been ordered to give up some seriously toxic habits in order to heal, he was actually looking better than I had ever seen him. Yes, he’d lost significant weight, there was a sparkle in his eyes, and a new glow to his skin. Jubilantly, he told me he’d been cured by a naturopath after a team of expensive allopathic doctors had only worsened his condition and given him a shocking prognosis. Of course I was thrilled to hear he was well again, and I told him I had been sending him strong good vibes ever since I had heard of his illness. As we were talking, softly, since this was close to the Main Hall, a bunch of visitors to the Ashram passed by, one man almost screaming on his cell phone. I gestured towards him, asking him to move to the bookstore, where he would not disturb those who needed quiet for their inner practice.
Whereupon my friend looked askance at me; you know, he said admonishingly, Ramana never told people how to behave, so why are you telling them to be silent? I said, silence is an Ashram rule in certain areas, although no one seems to care enough to enforce it. And don’t forget that Ramana’s highest teaching is Atma-Vichara, which involves a profoundly subtle examination of reality. The time will come when, as a result of the right effort and plenty of grace, all of us will be just as equanimous as Ramana was—but do keep in mind that when he came to Arunachala at the age of sixteen, he was already a sage. As for me, and many others who share concerns about the lack of silence here, we are not yet done with our inner work and need at least some areas within the Ashram where we can be quiet
He didn’t argue further. However, although he is chronologically my elder, his expression reminded me of a sullen rebellious adolescent fuming because his mother has dared to correct his view—which reminded me that someone close to him had mentioned he was impossible to live with, since he refused to follow basic house rules, etc. My god, I thought, no wonder he got so sick! You see, this same person had told me that when this man was first warned that his drinking had to be toned down if he wanted to stay healthy, he had not listened, claiming he was safe because he had Arunachala on his side. But Arunachala is a fierce god and has no compunction in whipping us hard when we fall out of line—of course, for our own eventual good.
[image error]It struck me too that those who knew me in my wild days would have found this conversation hysterically funny: here I was, defending the use of rules, when I myself had made it a religious point to flout every rule imposed upon me in my early days! But what rules did I disobey? Those of my family, community and elders/seniors at school/college/work, but only because I found them misogynistic, cruel and unfair. But, when the intense pain of life shoved me into my interior and I began to obsessively study the ancient teachings, I also realized how important it was to sternly discipline my unruly egoic self in order to get my life back in order and to pursue the goal of peace.
Rules are meant to set you free, a great Zen master said. As I understand his statement, it is that human beings on the inner path in particular need to follow certain disciplines if we are to succeed in achieving our goals. Aghoris, wild Tantric practitioners who “sit at the left hand of God” deliberately flout all rules and conventions, and their path is known as uphill, fierce and terrible. Very few qualify to do what they do—which is to travel bravely into the bowels of darkness and to forcibly transmute it into light. But for the rest of us, following rules that make good sense to us and are flexible is vitally important. Still, if you find yourself adopting a rule that does not help you to move forward, it’s best to dump it immediately and take up other disciplines that serve your practice.
[image error]Our true nature, the mystics say, is no less than blissful pure awareness. Unfortunately this treasure trove is covered up with millions of layers of delusion and illusion. Our job is to uncover our own treasure and then to permanently enjoy the peace and joy that result from being permanently free of the primal drives of desire and fear. If we choose to disregard the advice of those who have gone before us, without even bothering to examine or investigate it for ourselves, that would be like a young man who wants to study quantum mechanics, but willfully disregards the priceless research of pioneers in the field. Only the ego prevents us from doing what is best for us, and when we break down all barriers between ourselves and others, and use the valuable findings of the sages and mystics to accelerate our journey into the Spiritual Heart, we are doing the highest service to our own Self.
Greetings from Arunachala, Shiva the Destroyer in the form of a hill of fire and light, who promises to help us reach the blazing and blissful core of reality!
NEW!!! My latest book – COPPER MOON OVER PATALIPUTRA – just went live on Jun 30th. Read all about it and on how to get your own copy here.
If you’ve enjoyed reading my posts, please also check out my BOOKS and LINKS.
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September 20, 2017
The Japanese concept of Ikigai could be the secret to a long, meaningful life…
Ikigai – a beautiful and profound Japanese concept that reminds me of the Sanskrit word “Dharma” – to follow one’s spiritual calling. Thanks for a great post and to Chris Graham for sharing!
Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog
by Laura Oliver
on Business Insider Online:
What’s your reason for getting up in the morning?
Just trying to answer such a big question might make you want to crawl back into bed. If it does, the Japanese concept of ikigai could help.
Originating from a country with one of the world’s oldest populations, the idea is becoming popular outside of Japan as a way to live longer and better.
While there is no direct English translation, ikigai is thought to combine the Japanese words ikiru, meaning “to live,” and kai, meaning “the realization of what one hopes for.” Together these definitions create the concept of “a reason to live” or the idea of having a purpose in life.
Ikigai also has historic links: gai originates from the word kai, which means shell. These were considered very valuable during the Heian period (794 to 1185), according to Akihiro Hasegawa, a clinical psychologist and…
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September 19, 2017
What I Learned from // Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
“It is a thousand pities never to say what one feels.”
― Virginia Woolf, Mrs. Dalloway
Mrs. Dalloway[image error], written by Virginia Woolf and published in 1925, is the story of just one day in the life of Clarissa Dalloway, a high society woman living in London in the 1920s as she prepares to host a party at her home that evening.
We also follow the very troubled Septimus Smith, a World War I veteran who suffers from PTSD, or shell shock as it was referred to back then. He comes back from the war paranoid and hallucinating trying to make sense of the loss of his friend Evans and his current feelings and memories of the war and his place in the world now.
“She had the perpetual sense, as she watched the taxi cabs, of being out, out, far out to sea and alone; she always had the feeling that it was very, very, dangerous to live even one day.”
― Virginia Woolf, Mrs. Dalloway
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September 14, 2017
Buddhist Wheel of Life
An amazing synchronicity here – I was just about to post an article that deals with the Wheel of Life! Thanks for a great post, Beema!
A Rosemont Way ~ A Journey Awakening
The Tibetan Wheel of Life
Dhammachari Bodhanada
Buddhist Himalaya VOL. I NO. II
WINTER 1988/89
Copyright 1988 by Gakken Co. Ltd.
Introduction
The Tibetan Wheel of Life is perhaps the most common of all pictures in Buddhist art and can still be soon on the walls of monasteries temples and painted scrolls all over Tibet and Buddhist countries bordering the Himalayan region. It was at one time also very common in Buddhist India, but the Moslem invasion was so complete in its destruction of Buddhism in India only or two examples of it remain in the rock cut caves of Ajanta and Ellora in the state of Maharastra in India. A good deal of misunderstanding surrounds its rich imagery and symbolism and I myself have often heard it described by Thanka painters in Kathmandu as being either an almanac, astrological chart or a complex Tibetan calender. The wheel of life…
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MESMERIZING LILA
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I am beginning to understand
Lila, the Cosmic Enchantress,
In a new way.
I now see her as the I AM, the base of the egoic edifice,
So brilliant, conniving, creative and spellbinding
That I have fallen for her tricks, lifetime after lifetime,
Unaware that I’ve been snared, like a fluttering brainless fly,
In her intricate and sticky cosmic web.
A miracle occurred and I began to see, for the first time in eons,
That I have been her willing slavish captive:
Trapped in a tinsel web so strong and so vast
That only Grace can release mini-me from her bindings.
I hear the Inner Guru whisper something fascinating—
That the I AM in its negative aspect is a powerful and mischievous female force.
Truly, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned or revealed as a trickster,
So I am careful when flick off her myriad veils of pomp and show
For I know I am confronting a potent and mysterious force
Beyond the comprehension of my finite mind.
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As you penetrate the veils, so much becomes suddenly clear:
First that Her glittering madness has bedazzled us for too long,
Keeping us from the peace and bliss that is our true and lasting nature.
Second, that her game is Samsara, the unique relative world she spins for each of us.
You see how bright and resourceful She is?
Third that she has many names, among them Maya, Kali, Kundalini and Shakthi,
And that when she is calm and happy,
She is Turiya, Bindu and Brahman too,
Neither Male nor Female but a perfect blend of the two.
The end of the game can only arrive when we know without a doubt,
That this is all a vast and mysterious dream played on a gigantic chessboard,
Involving the three states of waking, sleeping and dreaming.
But once we get to know Turiya, the fourth state that transcends the mundane three,
And begin to explore this deathless blissful realm,
Madame Lila knows the game is up and that she must now surrender to the One.
The time comes to pay due homage to Lila’s brilliance and
To ask her nicely to lead us home, to the substratum of our nature,
Which is pure existence, awareness and bliss.
For Lila is also the Divine Mother with a myriad faces and forms.
If we appeal to her maternal instinct,
And convince her that we are weary of having her toy with us,
And whisper daringly that we know she secretly weaves both pleasure and pain
Into every one of the scenarios she spins for us,
She may actually relent and stop the torture.
Convince her that you are sincere,
And Lila the Seductress turns into The Divine Mother.
The heavens rain luminous lotuses down on Earth,
To celebrate the homecoming of one lost soul to the cosmic fold.
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Oh, and its an excellent idea to have Arunachala,
Shiva the Destroyer in the form of a hill of fire and light,
On your side when you take on the mighty challenge of unveiling Lila,
For She is His Divine Consort
And when She recognizes your mighty ally,
She will treat you as her beloved child and end the game.
NEW!!! My latest book – COPPER MOON OVER PATALIPUTRA – just went live on Jun 30th. Read all about it and on how to get your own copy here.
If you’ve enjoyed reading my posts, please also check out my BOOKS and LINKS.
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