2nd October 2005 Re karma, responsibility always rests with me because I have the freedom. What is proper is within my physical, emotional and mental limitations. Eg, a teacher has limited time and energy to devote to his students, but some need more attention than others, and so it is appropriate to make a special effort. Always […]
Vedanta in Rishikesh, day 8
1st October 2005 Dharma represents world order. Karma is generally understood throughout the world but at the same time misunderstood. All action produces results. But is action only a movement? Certainly action that has some intention of producing a result is a karma. But a dog, which doesnât have freedom of choice, doesnât have intentions and […]
Vedanta in Rishikesh, day 7
30 September 2005 Creation presupposes a Creator who has knowledge of what has to be created and a capability to do so. Creator of the universe has jnana of all creation and all powers, ie, omniscience. Creator is not only creator, but also material cause, otherwise there would be no material causes. Potter makes the […]
Vedanta in Rishikesh, day 6
28 September 2005 The world has its own order and within that order everything has its orchestrated role. Krishna (the attractive one) dances in a kind of ecstasy, and the gopi dance around him. Navaratri lasts for nine days and in that time many celebrants dance. You can pack a suitcase and every extra article […]
Vedanta in Rishikesh, day 5
27 September 2005 There are many forms of âIâ â the one who sees, who hears, who smells, who tastes, who touches. But there is another âIâ who encompasses all. Jewelry comes in many forms â rings, bracelets, necklaces, etc â but gold is the common element of which they are all composed. The atma […]
Vedanta in Rishikesh, day 4
26 September 2005 Twenty-five years ago there was no TV in India except for the largest cities. Now there are TVs in most homes, even in remote areas. Once there was only one channel, now there are 37 even in Rishikesh, 100 in Delhi, with news, comedies and soap operas, where there are always problems. […]
Vedanta in Rishikesh, day 3
24 September 2005 Another beautiful day at the Dayananda ashram in Rishikesh, and Swami Brahmavidyananda is explaining some basic principles of Vedanta⦠Thinking covers a broad spectrum, he tells us. Just as there are shades of grey between black and white, so thinking can vary in its quality. Certain objects give us pleasure. Therefore, we […]
Vedanta in Rishikesh, day 2
23 September 2005 Swamiji talked about looking at a colored piece of cloth and being able to clearly determine whether itâs red or yellow or green. But with ourselves, self-recognition isnât so easy. Thereâs a gap between who we are and who we want to be. To apprehend the difference, we have to think about […]
Vedanta in Rishikesh, day 1
In September 2005 I accompanied a group of jyotish students to Rishikesh, India. We stayed at the Dayananda ashram for a week and a half, attending nine days of classes with our teacher, Hart deFouw, on the subject of the nakshatras. While there, we were privileged to also receive a morning discourse on the subject […]
Viparita Raja Yoga: going under to cross over
Viparita Raja Yoga: going under to cross over…Â At some point in our mathematical education, we learned that two negatives can make a positive. For example, if we multiply two negative numbers, the product is positive. Logically, it doesnât make sense, but mathematicians who know better say it does. Who are we to argue? The […]