Mira Prabhu's Blog, page 18
July 8, 2017
Nature of the Ego
Bhagavan Ramana says, “Question, what is this thing, this ego which manifests as a sense of separateness from the whole”? Where does it come from?” This inquiry requires us to simply bring our attention to the sense of identity, the sense of “I AM”. It is only by bringing quiet, nonjudgmental attention on the ego, that the ego can be see through as unreal. The method is simple and yet the mind has to be made pure and subtle to grasp it. Thanks for this wonderful and necessary post, Harsh!
“When the ego rises, all things rise with it. When the ego is not, there is nothing else. Since the ego thus is everything, to question ‘What is this thing?’ is the extinction of all things”.
The quote above from Bhagavan Ramana is from ‘Reality in Forty Verses’ (‘Ulladu Narpadu’), v. 26. It can be found in Bhagavad’s “Collected Works”.
Here Bhagavan eloquently points out that one cannot force oneself to give up the ego. The very attempt to discard the ego, is itself based on the assumption of separation from the whole. In other words, the effort to conquer the ego is based on egotism!
Such forced efforts to overcome the ego end up only reinforcing the notion that we are “separate” from the Universal Existence. With such attempts, the nonexistent phantom of the ego appears real in our imagination.
Hence Bhagavan Ramana says, “Question, what is this thing, this…
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July 6, 2017
EVERYTHING IS BEAUTIFUL
[image error]All through the night it had snowed heavily; when I awoke, in a beautiful Ashram in America with a view of the Blue Ridge Mountains, I looked out to see my world blanketed in pure white. Usually I love the snow, but this time I was furious with myself—for all the mistakes that had led to this point in my tumultuous life.
As many had made it a point to inform me, I’d been blessed with more than most—and yet I’d continued to mess up my life, due to impulsiveness and bad judgment. My most recent crisis was the result of a decision to break away from a man I’d deluded myself into believing would make me a perfect spiritual mate; gradually I came to see him as superficial and ethically unreliable, and had forced myself to cut the cord.
I’d written to my first major spiritual teacher and he’d invited me to this Ashram in order to recover. And yet, despite precious links with this powerful place, I still found it hard to manage in a small cramped dorm space even as I dealt with yet another big life change; the demons of uncertainty threatened me with dire predictions of impending doom and life was, in a word, hellish.
Heading for the main hall where breakfast was being served, I walked slowly down the wooden stairs—my sneakers had no grip and I had to hang on to the banister to keep myself from skidding all the way down, perhaps to face a broken leg or worse. I stopped, gazed up into the vastness of the sky and silently spoke to whoever was running this whole damned show. Look, I said, you didn’t give me a life map…and now here I am again, vulnerable and at your mercy. Give me something to hold on to apart from this damned banister, give me some great truth that will get me through this mess!!!
[image error]And I swear these lyrics traveled down through the ether and entered my muddled head:
EVERYTHING IS BEAUTIFUL
EVERYTHING IS FINE
EVERYTHING IS FABULOUS
EVERYTHING’S DIVINE.
I began to laugh, the words were so clear and so perfect. In that instant I accepted that what was really wrong with my life was that I was steeped solely in the relative circumstances of my little life and could not see the whole radiant picture—I, who had studied so long and so earnestly with great masters, really should have known better. These simple words were reminding me that I must never lose the Absolute view that teaches us that—while darkness, horror, injustice, and misery reign in many parts of our world—the Divine seed within us is always perfect, immortal, loving, wise, fearless and connected to all beings.
Later, back in my room, I wrote these words down. Then I pulled out my guitar and composed a little tune to go with them. I began to sing my happy little ditty all the time, and since it connected with ancient wisdom, this stratagem worked; every time a negative thought arrived to plague me, I’d sing these lines to myself. Soon, believe it or not, life was wonderful again.
I taught this song to my friends, and soon others were singing it along with me. Much later, on a hike through the surrounding wilderness with wonderful friends, this second verse came to me, much in the same way as the first:
EVERYONE IS FABULOUS
EVERYONE IS FINE
EVERYONE IS MAGNIFICENT
YES, EVERYONE’S DIVINE.
[image error]The sad truth is that millions of humans, seen through the critical relative eye, are definitely not fabulous or fine or magnificent. And so we judge what we perceive and we fall into misery. These days I am almost always happy, but yesterday many arrows struck me all at the same time (I wrote this post in November 2016)—Prime Minister Modi declared 500 and 1000 rupee notes invalid legal and in one stroke had felled tens of thousands of black-marketers hoarding untaxed money. But millions of honest people too were hit, me included. Then, to my horror, I heard that Donald Trump was winning the US Election. Being a hyper-empath, all of this “bad news” instantly affected my body—and I got sick. I got to bed early last night, and fortunately sank into a deep sleep that lasted for eleven hours! And guess what, I woke up with that little song running through my head…and I got the message: that, no matter my tempestuous emotions, seen through the Third Eye, everything is indeed beautiful.
So many are aghast, disappointed and frustrated by what we see happening on our beautiful planet. Others want to continue to fight an evil system where they fear misogyny, racism and dishonesty will now have a chance to openly spread. But I am retraining my inner eye and reminding myself that all of this is only a collective karma whose real purpose is to force us to look even deeper within ourselves; as a guru once said to me, clean up your insides thoroughly and you will never have to see darkness outside either. When we become light, our relative world transforms too.
[image error]Does this mean we sit back and allow the forces of evil to usurp our planet? A resounding NO!!!! But simultaneously we must act with the wisdom that all that is playing itself out on the screen of our world is due to invisible forces of karma we have collectively set into motion. Happiness is an inside job—and if we truly want a beautiful planet where all beings live in harmony with each other, we must first eradicate all that is violent within our own natures.
Greetings from Arunachala, Shiva in the form of a hill of fire and light, who vows to help us on this awesome journey towards the blazing light that we are!!!
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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July 3, 2017
BigPicture Wildlife Images Competition 2017 (Winners)
Wow wow wow! Thanks for sharing, Alk3r!
The fourth annual BigPicture Natural World Photography Competition aims to celebrate the diversity of life on Earth, and encourages people to protect and conserve it.
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June 29, 2017
COPPER MOON OVER PATALIPUTRA makes her debut TODAY!!!
CLICK TO BUY A COPY
“Against the dazzling epochal backdrop of the Mauryan Empire in ancient India, celebrated for its liberal, humanist and free-thinking traditions, a gripping saga of love, betrayal, hatred and magical transformation sinuously weaves itself. Copper Moon relates the fascinating tale of Odati, daughter of Emperor Ashoka by stunning Urvashi, a Kalingan devadasi. When a great horror strikes, and Odati’s tender young life hangs in the balance, it is the Egyptian Kahotep, Grand Eunuch of Maurya, who risks his own life to spirit her to safety. Within his protective embrace, Odati disguises herself as Amunet and gradually grows into a singer whose angelic skill enchants the elite of Pataliputra. And yet, beneath her lovely façade lurks a cunning assassin waiting for the perfect opportunity to inflict hellish suffering on the man who drove her into the abyss of hell. Impervious to the luminous teachings of Gautama Buddha and other great sages, Odati relentlessly pursues her diabolic quest for revenge. Then, in another bizarre twist of fate, her evil is discovered and she is once again forced to flee for her life. It is now that the jewel-like wisdom she has so fiercely resisted begins to open the reluctant petals of her heart.”
Click here to purchase a copy of Copper Moon Over Pataliputra.
The first seeds of Copper Moon were sown in the foothills of the Himalayas at the eve of the millennium, when I found myself intrigued by the spectacular manner in which Emperor Ashoka of the Mauryas had first transformed himself, then gone on to spread the Buddha’s teachings across the world. It was indirectly because of Ashoka, I realized, that I had had the courage to jump out of my mainstream safety net in the frenetic city of Manhattan and to land in the foothills of the Himalayas.
[image error]Ashoka’s personal life fascinated me—here was a man possessed by terrible demons. The questionable tale of how he’d burnt to death five hundred concubines because one had cruelly mocked him shocked me to the core. Yet this same man had transformed himself into a great ruler whose acts of benevolence are still visible thousands of years later. Soon the complex saga of Copper Moon Over Pataliputra took shape in my mind. Sixteen years later, in the shadow cast by the holy mountain Arunachala, I finished this third novel in a series of three novels about enlightenment (the “Moksha Trilogy”).
Crafting spiritual fiction is its own reward, for one grows in patience, love, empathy and compassion and there is great satisfaction in knowing I can share the luminous gifts that were so freely given to me. Advaita is not two, but, since the ego is incredibly cunning and insidious, it can take eons for some of us to comprehend this. Besides, before we can spin out our ideas into a story that captivates and inspires, we must first digest the wisdom that liberates permanently from suffering, and so the writer is hugely benefited.
[image error]A multitude of beings, human and divine, inspired me to carry on, wonderful beta readers, Mishi Bellamy, who designed this third fabulous cover, and my spiritual comrades: Raj Arunachala and KB. I also owe a great debt to the many adepts, scholars and writers whose works in the vast areas of Hatha yoga, Buddhism, Sufism, Taoism, Advaita-Vedanta and related philosophies continue to inspire me. Finally, immense gratitude to all my gurus from beginningless time, especially to Rudra-Shiva in the form of the sacred hill Arunachala, and Ramana Maharshi, who coax me toward the gnosis that reveals each of us to be the blazing light.
I do hope you enjoy Copper Moon as much as I enjoyed writing her.
Greetings from Arunachala, Shiva the Destroyer in the form of a hill of fire and light, whose sacred vow is to help us transform our darkness into light!
Click here to purchase a copy of Copper Moon Over Pataliputra.
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June 25, 2017
Monday Funnies…
Ah, Aunty Acid, you are hysterical and oh so REAL! Thanks, Chris Graham!
Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog
Fairy Illustrations
Fairy illustrations… the magical little people have always fascinated me…thanks, Alk3r!
Jin Chantez Yee (Jin Xingye) draws imaginary worlds, fairy atmospheres, like children stories, with as main theme the relationship between men and nature.
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June 23, 2017
COPPER MOON OVER PATALIPUTRA makes her debut on June 30, 2017…
[image error]There is magic and mystery in the inherent ability of a tiny seed to produce a towering banyan tree that can thrive for centuries, providing shelter to tens of thousands without demanding anything in return. Nature brims with such miracles, and human creativity is one such.
How is it possible, I wonder, that a casual piece of advice from a good friend, or an idea flashing like a meteor across one’s mind on a cold Himalayan night, can plant so deep a seed that, years later, it develops into a full length saga eager to make her world debut?
All my three novels in the Moksha Trilogy came to life in extraordinary ways. Whip of the Wild God: A Novel of Tantra in Ancient India was inspired by my encounter with a real tantric who blew open the shutters of my mind by revealing to me an esoteric philosophy so vibrantly alive that I knew I had to express the thoughts bubbling up within; indeed I felt compelled to do my wee bit to transform the wrong views many held about this brilliant philosophy. Krishna’s Counsel sprouted when my hatha yoga guru in Manhattan explained the underlying meaning of the characters and events of the archetypal battle between good and evil that took place on the ancient Indian battlefield of the Kurukshetra. As for Copper Moon Over Pataliputra, below is the Acknowledgements Page, which relates how this third and final saga in the trilogy took birth:
To PRE-ORDER an Amazon Kindle copy of Copper Moon click here: http://getbook.at/CMOnAmzn. The e-book will be delivered to your Kindle reader on June 30th.
“I flew from Manhattan to the foothills of the Himalayas at the eve of the millennium in search of a spiritual home. In Dharamsala, I plunged into every book on Buddhism I could find and was intrigued by the spectacular manner in which Emperor Ashoka of the Mauryas had transformed himself, and then gone on to spread the Buddha’s teachings across the ancient world. It was indirectly because of Ashoka, I realized, that I had had the courage to jump out of my mainstream safety net and to land in the foothills of the Himalayas.
I was entranced by the fabulous Mauryan Empire and fascinated in particular by Ashoka’s personal life—here was a man possessed by terrible demons. The tale of how he’d burnt to death five hundred concubines because one had cruelly mocked him shocked me to the core. If this was true, rather than a story concocted by Buddhist monks to make his later conversion even more striking, then the young Ashoka had been no less than a monster—and yet this same man had transformed himself into a truly great ruler, his acts of benevolence still visible thousands of years later.
As I made copious notes that ran into hundreds of pages, the complex saga of Copper Moon Over Pataliputra gradually took shape in my mind. Circumstances forced me to abandon the project several times, and it was only sixteen years later in Tiruvannamalai, in the shadow cast by the holy mountain Arunachala, that I came to finish this third novel in a series of three novels about enlightenment (the “Moksha Trilogy”).
A multitude of beings, human and divine, inspired me to carry on: Masha Klein sat beside me as I read her the draft manuscript; my wonderful beta readers were Art Noble, Deborah Peters, Paul Lennon, Mahender Pal, Raj Arunachala, Rajesh Sachdev, Preethi Joseph, Aneesh Mullacheri, Prema Achu, Debbie Joel, Susan Griffith Jones, Marilyn Gibson, Mickey Prabhu, Michael Safran, Jan Sundell, Sebastian Fisher, Lynn Palmer and Janki Shastri.
Mishi Bellamy, brilliant artiste, deserves special mention for designing this third fabulous cover; and so do my spiritual comrades: Rajesh Arunachala, without whose aid I would not be able to do what I do, and KB, who has supported me in my creative and spiritual journey. I also owe a great debt of gratitude to the many adepts, scholars and writers whose works in the vast areas of Hatha yoga, Buddhism, Sufism, Taoism, Advaita-Vedanta and related philosophies continue to inspire me.
Finally, immense gratitude to all my gurus from beginningless time, especially to Rudra-Shiva in the form of the sacred hill Arunachala, and the seer Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi, who coax me away from the ravening darkness and toward the gnosis that reveals each of us to be the blazing light.”
Months ago I wrote the back cover text and had good friends take a look at it. This is what finally emerged:
Against the dazzling epochal backdrop of the Mauryan Empire in ancient India, celebrated for its liberal, humanist and free-thinking traditions, a gripping saga of love, betrayal, hatred and magical transformation sinuously weaves itself. Copper Moon relates the fascinating tale of Odati, daughter of Emperor Ashoka by stunning Urvashi, a Kalingan devadasi. When a great horror strikes, and Odati’s tender young life hangs in the balance, it is the Egyptian Kahotep, Grand Eunuch of Maurya, who risks his own life to spirit her to safety. Within his protective embrace, Odati disguises herself as Amunet and gradually grows into a singer whose angelic skill enchants the elite of Pataliputra. And yet, beneath her lovely façade lurks a cunning assassin waiting for the perfect opportunity to inflict hellish suffering on the man who drove her into the abyss of hell. Impervious to the luminous teachings of Gautama Buddha and other great sages, Odati relentlessly pursues her diabolic quest for revenge. Then, in another bizarre twist of fate, her evil is discovered and she is once again forced to flee for her life. It is now that the jewel-like wisdom she has so fiercely resisted begins to open the reluctant petals of her heart.
Writing is a gift of grace that allows me to channel my surging emotions and to share all that I have learned from many gurus with those who venture bravely into the inner path that leads to moksha or enlightenment. I do not write for money or fame but for the blissful inner satisfaction of knowing that perhaps I can share the luminous gifts that were so freely given to me when I most needed clarity and wisdom. Crafting such a novel is like apprenticing oneself willingly to a wise guru who coaxes you to grow in patience, love, empathy and compassion for all beings. Advaita is not two, but it can take eons for some of us to comprehend this initially confusing teaching; you see, the ego is incredibly cunning and insidious and will hurl every weapon it can at those who want to break free of its icy tentacles. Clearing up primal confusion is one way out of the maze, and writing forces one to do that, for before we can spin out our ideas in a story that captivates and inspires, we must first digest wisdom. I do hope you enjoy Copper Moon as much as I enjoyed writing her.
To PRE-ORDER an Amazon Kindle copy of Copper Moon click here: http://getbook.at/CMOnAmzn. The e-book will be delivered to your Kindle reader on June 30th.
[image error]Greetings from Arunachala, Shiva the Destroyer in the form of a hill of fire and light, who relentlessly whips us toward the blazing goal of permanent liberation from suffering!
Click the buttons below to SHARE if you liked this post.
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June 21, 2017
Splendid Mosaic Illustrations
“Greek visual designer based in Cyprus, Charis Tsevis created this magnificent series of digital illustrations entitled “African Bricks”. Inspired by Mandela’s house in Soweto, he designed mosaic artworks with colorful bricks. A reference to the “matchbox” houses, these standardized South African houses criticized during the Apartheid which in those flamboyant illustrations become symbols or courage and creativity. Through this series designed for an african restaurant in Athens, Charis Tsevis pays a tribute to the zulu king Shaka, and to the traditions of Zulus, Ndebele, Xhosa and the other tribes of the country.” Thanks, Alk3r!
Greek visual designer based in Cyprus, Charis Tsevis created this magnificent series of digital illustrations entitled “African Bricks”. Inspired by Mandela’s house in Soweto, he designed mosaic artworks with colorful bricks.
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June 18, 2017
A Real Writer
A real writer…what is this odd creature? For me, a real writer is a human who feels compelled to express her unique thoughts and ideas to a world of close ones as well as strangers…hoping someone somewhere will exclaim in delight. It really has nothing or little to do with acquiring money or fame. For me at least. Thanks, Janni Styles.
June 16, 2017
BE MINE FOREVER….OR YOU WILL SUFFER THE AGONIES OF THE DAMNED.
[image error]When a sage is born, shining like a star in a noon sky, some are fortunate enough to encounter him or her personally and to directly absorb his teachings. But after he passes away, other elements take over, and these folks are rarely of the high caliber of their master. Gradually, sometimes over centuries, what was once a vibrant and liberating teaching often becomes a rigid and entrenched institution, guarded zealously by those who do not understand the true essence of what the sage originally taught.
Consider the fundamentalists of all stripes and religions today, who warp, distort and twist what their original teacher said to serve political, power or financial purposes. How, for instance, could the true teachings of peaceful and pure Jesus of Nazareth ever have been used to justify the unbelievable horrors of the Inquisitions that followed centuries later? We can come up with a thousand other such examples, of course, for no major religion is exempt from this madness.
One thing that really bothered me when I began my own spiritual quest is that a certain ilk of teachers would insist that, once you signed on for their teachings, that was it, you could not leave their fold. Yes, you owed them not perfect and total loyalty until you took your last breath! Some also insist that you tithe part of your income to them, and god forbid if you move on to another guru more suitable to your spiritual needs—then you are nothing less than a despised and fickle traitor.
As for me, an innate rebel, I brushed aside anyone who dared to tell me I was not free to obey the dictates of my heart. After I began serious practice, my inner voice began to be insistent and today I consider it to be my highest teacher. Of course it needs to be constantly fed with spiritual practice, or it can lead you astray, by seducing you into believing it is the Inner Guru who is guiding you, when indeed, the sad truth is that you are obeying nothing but the whiny, petulant and selfish voice of the ego.
[image error]Consider the case of Gautama Buddha. He left his palatial home close to two and half thousand years ago, whipped by the compulsion to find permanent release from suffering. Until he came to sit beneath the leafy boughs of what was later called the Bodhi Tree (Tree of Wisdom), he studied with many high teachers. From all I have read, I believe that these were genuine teachers. And yet, after he had absorbed all he could from each of them, brilliant and one-pointed Siddhartha knew he had to move on. Having ingested all he could from a series of genuine gurus, he sat down alone and resolved to find for himself the final solution to the existential riddle of life himself. And he did.
Now consider this: had any one of his teachers ordered him to stay put, and Siddhartha had listened like an obedient lad, would he ever have reached his luminous goal? No one can say for sure. But I have such a high opinion of him that I do not think he could have been manipulated. No, Siddhartha would not have allowed anyone or anything to stymie or block his fierce quest for truth in any way shape or form. But if he had, perhaps today Buddhism would not be a world religion that offers millions solace and a sure way out of suffering.
So, if you are in the hands of a teacher whom you feel you have outgrown, or who is just not right for you considering your vision has expanded due to contemplation, study and meditation, bring Siddhartha to mind, feel an immense rive of courage flowing through you, and move on until you find the right teacher and the right teaching to mesh with your highest goal.
Emboldened by the courageous journey of so many who had gone before me, I began my own search as a teenager with classical yoga philosophy (basic eastern philosophy, studied esoteric Tantra, then Japanese Zen Buddhism, then Tibetan Buddhism, the ancient path of the mystics (Sant Math) before wending my way back to Ramana Maharshi’s simple and profound path of Advaita-Vedanta. And here I stay, but only because I know I have finally come home.
Genuine seekers are few. Samsara exercises a potent hold on most humans and it is rare to find someone who puts peace and joy above worldly treasures and is willing to work sincerely towards this end. But if we are one of this group, we must be very careful in choosing our teachers. Some of us are so needy (my opinion is that seekers most often grow up in dysfunctional families, so what they crave is merely a comfort zone, or a better replacement for their birth parents; also, some are highly educated and don’t realize that a radically different form of understanding is required to follow an Eastern guru. This means t they really don’t know what they are looking for, lack the humility to admit this and correct the situation, and therefore can be easily conned). Many find solace with a teacher who assumes a maternal or paternal role and stay put, to the detriment of their innately high potential. To these I would say, come on, be humble and study what a real guru is and decide on your goal before you settle down for life with a particular teacher/teaching. You can make mistakes in all the other areas of your life, simply because they are generally rectifiable, but to choose the wrong teacher, and then to stick to him or her like a leech, does not serve you, either in the short or the long run.
[image error]Greetings from Arunachala, Shiva the Destroyer in the form of a hill of fire and light, who vows to destroy all artificial restrictions and delusions that fetter and bind the mind and spirit, so we are free to pursue the luminous goal of permanent freedom of suffering!
If you’ve enjoyed reading my posts, please also check out my BOOKS and LINKS.
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