A fortnightly newsletter Mar6’2011— Issue # 1
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Welcome to my newsletter
Movement stretched in Dance
Sound stretched in silence
Mind stretched in Meditation
Life stretched in celebration
-Sri Sri Ravishankar
Friend,
Subsequent to our face book invitation, I would like to inform you that I am starting a Fortnightly news letter. It will be sent to you on the 5th and 20th of each month.
The purpose of this news letter is to share the thoughts of the Indian culture, spirituality etc., with the Westerners and others parts of the World.
I want to make this newsletter brief and interesting. Share this newsletter with your friends and relatives. Write your feedback to me and help in the improvements to this newsletter
The news letter also appears on my blog www.eastwestindian.blogspot.com
Your views, suggestions, contributions and others can be emailed to eastwestindian@gmail.com
Face book: eastwestindian@gmail.com
Jawahar
Editor
In This Issue:
• Vedanta : Self Judgment by swami dayananda
• Music : My music God Ilayaraja
• Yoga therapy
• Sri Sri Ravishankar visits Trivandrum, Kerala
• Vatsyayana-author of kamasutra
• Teacher training course Feb 13-Mar13’2011 started
VEDANTA :Talks of Swami Dayananda
Pearls of Wisdom : Self-Judgment
Suppose I say, I am a failure, it is a judgment. A lot of people have this problem. Everybody has a judgment somewhere in a corner. I am a failure, I am worthless, I am useless, I am ugly. Even Miss Universe has this problem. You may wonder, how? She is declared by a panel of judges, to be the most beautiful woman. She is crowned also. All the newspapers and T.V. write and talk about Miss Universe. It means the whole world has accepted her as the most beautiful woman. One cannot be more beautiful than that. Humanity has accepted her. Only gods have to declare whether she is beautiful or not. And she has to decide whether she is beautiful or not. We need not bother about gods. In the eyes of gods, everything must be beautiful. Therefore only she has to accept herself that she is beautiful. Hereafter this woman need not prove herself to anybody. So from the next day she can come out in a simple dress. She need not have any make-up. But I tell you, now she has more responsibility. Being a Miss Universe, she spends more time with her cosmetics that she did before. Because after all she is Miss Universe. How can she come out like that? She is not convinced that she is the most beautiful!
Everybody has a self-judgment. That is called ahankara. It is always small. Until you gain Self-knowledge, there is self-judgment. So what is a judgment? A judgment is based on some data and that means it is not knowledge, really. That is why it is called a judgment. All the judges when they judge, purely go by evidence. They have to be as objective as possible, keeping their subjective feeling etc., aside.
That is called a judgment. Knowledge is different. A judgment may be other than what the fact is. If the judgment and fact happen to be identical, it is your luck. But knowledge has to take place. Till then it is a judgment. Therefore if you make a judgment about yourself, instead of realising you are ananda, you are amrta, which is the fact about the Self, you are always going to judge yourself smaller than what you really are. If I am less than infinite, what am I? Finite. And what is the distance between infinite and finite? Infinite. That is the problem. In the absence of knowledge of what you confront or deal with, you have to judge. You cannot avoid judgment. That is the reason why we are always seeking, because there is a judgment which we cannot live happily with. So we seek. That is the original beggarly problem of the human being. We want to prove ourselves better than what we think we are all the time.
The judgment is invariably based firstly upon our body and mind and then upon the body-related and society-related things. Therefore in a society where cows are wealth, you must have, a few cows. Then you are rich. In a society, where power means something, you must have power. Then you are big.
When you say "I am a failure", on what basis you are saying that? "Oh, I started a business and I lost even the capital and a friend too." So, that particular undertaking was a failure.
Then you took up a job. There also you could not do well. That was again a problem. When it happens twice, thrice, your wife and others also start saying that you are a failure and that they knew you would fail even before you started. So people around are not very helpful. They confirm your own opinion.
Now on this basis you say, "I am a failure." This is exactly what is called lumping - putting a lot of things together. We are lumpers really speaking! To say "I am a failure", you should be of a failure all the way, that is, if you wish to lift your leg or hand, you should fail to do it. Then you are a failure. If you eat, you should fail to digest the food. Then you are a failure. But you do carry out hundreds of tasks everyday where you are successful. Only one or two are the tasks you failed in. Even that business which you call failure, is also not a total failure, really speaking. May be you did it for two years during which period, you took money out of it, you lived out of it. Then why not call it an experience, which in fact it is?
There is no failure in life. There are only varieties of experiences. We learn from experiences, not from failure. We become sad by failure, wiser by experience. Memory is meant to serve us, to enable us to remember, not to become a basis to make judgment. If you do not remember what happened, how are you going to judge? "I am a failure" is purely based on memory. Memory is meant not to make judgments about you. Memory is just to help you remember that you already had your lunch; otherwise you will be eating another lunch! It is purely for that purpose. Memory is also a karana, a means. But we make a karta, an agent out of it. There, too, you take a part of it, just blow it out of proportion and then place yourself under that judgment completely and conclude, "I am a failure".
Nobody is a failure. This self-judgment is purely due to non-recognition of the fact that life is a variety of experiences. You learn from them. Nobody every fails.
Music
My music God - Ilayaraja
- Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi Movie songs(Melodious, Classical)
Ilayaraja is a Tamil movie music director. He is a genius. His prime time was between 1978-1996. During this time, he was undisputed as his music was responsible for many Box office hits in Tamilnadu.He has scored music for about 900 Tamil, Malayalam, telugu,Kannda and Hindi movies
I will be discussing his music from the perspective of a lay music lover.
Please find two Audio links ; "Devan Koil Deepam Ondru.......
Ennaiyum , Unnaiyum katti elukkuthadi ……………
Tamil movie songs released during 1987.Melodious still and unlatching in originality.
Simple short meaning of this Romantic song which combines spiritual aspects to express love
“ a lamp of the temple of Lord
Sings a song
Eyes two tells the tune of love…………………….
For more click the link www.eastwestindian.blog.spot.com
YOGA THERAPY
Vajrasana is relatively easier and it takes care of the Digestive and excretionery systems of the Body ,which are vital for maintaining Health.
BENEFITS: Prevents Hernia and Relieves Piles, Efficient Digestion, relieves constipation.Incase of severe constipation do it for about 15 minutes after food.
*Relieves stomach ailments such as , Hyper acidity and Peptic ulcer.
**Useful in the treatment of Hydrocele and Dilated testicles in men.
***It assists women in labour and helps alleviate menstrual disorders.
PROCEDURE:
Kneel On the floor , [USE A BLANKET]
Bring the big toes together , and separate the heels.
Lower the buttocks, on the inside surface of the feet,with the heels touching the sides of the hips.
place the hands on the knees palms down
The back and the head should be straight but not tense.
Avoid excessive backward arching of the spine.
Close the eyes, relax the arms and the whole body.
Breathe normally and fix the attention on the flow of air, passing in and out of the nostrils.
DURATION : 5 MINUTES AFTER FOOD.INCASE OF ACUTE DIGESTIVE DISORDER , 10 MINUTES.
Beginners may find some difficulties, then come back to normal position, and again try .People having arthritis etc., should attempt with the guidance of a yoga therapist only.
HEALTHY BODY;PEACEFUL MIND ;SPIRITUAL INTELLECT.
Just sit in Vajrasana for health ! This is easy!
Vatsyayana- Author of Kamasutra
Don’t suppress sex,sublimate it. Sw Vishnu devananda.
Vatsyayana's purpose is to set Kama, or enjoyment of the senses, in
context. The instruction is more for the mind than that the body.
Vatsyayana's only lists 8 basic sex positions with 8 variations – often
referred to as the - 64 arts.
Today, our culture has evolved to acknowledge that sexual pleasure is
experience through all the decades of our lives and sexuality is central in
longevity and health. In this capacity Vātsyāyana reveals to us this wisdom.
This will be a series in this newsletter
Photo of the Fortnight - Contributions from anyone
Waves Subsiding !- Photo by the editor
Neyyar Dam – Calm and Instills the meditative spirit to anyone
Ashram News- Ashrams in India and abroad
TTC- Feb 13 – Mar 13 ‘ 2011 started in the Ashram quietly with about 75 students across the globe. young, middle-aged, old from many walks of life practice yoga and learn Bhagavad Gita for a month. I t is going to be an unforgettable experience In their lives. Someone was fond of the food resulting in Cookery classes!
TTC- Feb13- Mar 13 ‘2011 neyyar dam – Inauguration with homa (fire ritual)
The next TTC starts on March 20’ 2011. Tell your friends and try to carry the light of yoga to as many as possible.
Ashram news 2
Dr. Duncan Stuart was an inspiration to many with his “ life coaching” Being a doctor himself he was able to advise people to overcome their physical and psychological discomfort. Duncan was very friendly with me and I was able to benefit from his suggestions. I referred him a book of Swami Dayananda”Freedom from helplessness”
The news letter also appears on my blog www.eastwestindian.blogspot.com
Your views, suggestions, contributions and others can be emailed to eastwestindian@gmail.com
Face book: eastwestindian@gmail.com
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