Vedanta Centre UK

1.  Divine Wisdom

2.  Editorial - Gentleness

3.  Spiritual Maxims - Brother Lawrence

4.  A Garland of Questions and Answers - Shankara

5.  The Context of Meditation - Swami Bhavyananda

6.  Leaves of an Ashrama: 21- The Escapist as Pragmatist - Swami Vidyatmananda

7.  Seeds - Swami Yatiswarananda

8.  Book review

Divine Wisdom

Master: "The whole thing in a nutshell is that one must develop ecstatic love for Satchidananda. What kind of love? How should one love God?
"Gauri used to say that one must become like Sita to understand Rama; like Bhagavati, the Divine Mother, to understand Bhagavan, Siva. One must practise austerity, as Bhagavati did, in order to attain Siva. One must cultivate the attitude of Prakriti in order to realize Purusha - the attitude of a friend, a handmaid, or a mother.
"I saw Sita in a vision. I found that her entire mind was concentrated on Rama. She was totally indifferent to everything - her hands, her feet, her clothes, her jewels. It seemed that Rama had filled every bit of her life and she could not remain alive without Rama."
M: "Yes, sir. She was mad with love for Rama."
Master: "Mad! That's the word. One must become mad with love in order to realize God. But that love is not possible if the mind dwells on 'woman' and 'gold'. Sex life with a woman! What happiness is there in that? The realization of God gives ten million times more happiness. Gauri  used to say that when a man attains ecstatic love of God, in all the pores of the skin, even the roots of the hair, the aspirant enjoys the happiness of communion with the Atman.
"One must call on God with a longing heart. One must learn from the Guru how God can be realized. Only if the Guru himself has attained Perfect Knowledge can he show the way.
"A man gets rid of all desires when he has Perfect Knowledge. He becomes like a child of five years old. Sages like Dattatreya and Jadabharata had the nature of a child."
M: "One hears about them. But there were many others like them that the world doesn't hear about."
Master: "Yes. The jnani gets rid of all desire. If any is left, it does not hurt him. At the touch of the philosopher's stone the sword is transformed into gold. Then that sword cannot do any killing. Just so, the jnani keeps only a semblance of anger and passion. They are anger and passion only in name and cannot injure him."

The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna
December 17, 1883
 

Editorial
Gentleness

The Sanskrit word 'mardavam' is a beautiful word. It means gentleness, softness and sweetness. A spiritual aspirant is expected to develop these qualities. Not to speak of humans, even animals appreciate and are attracted by love, gentleness, etc.
Gentleness, meekness and humility are all allied virtues. Often gentleness - especially these days, where aggressiveness is the hall-mark of a competitive person - is mistaken for weakness, and spinelessness.
There is a Sanskrit verse which says that a great man is as soft as a flower and as hard as a thunderbolt - which goes to show that gentleness can belong only to the strongest. Swami Brahmanandaji used to say that one should become a 'gentleman' before one becomes spiritual.
Many devotees think Sri Ramakrishna was always soft and gentle. Holy Mother remarked of him: "I was married to a husband who never addressed me as 'thou.' Ah! how he treated me! Not even once did he tell me a harsh word or wound my feelings. He did not strike me even with a bunch of flowers!" But Sri Ramakrishna could also be very hard when needed! When we study the events in the lives even of incarnations we often find them harsh and anything but gentle. (Holy Mother is an exception!) Yet their hardness is but a cover for their motherly heart and they act that way for the benefit of devotees.
Harshness, insensitivity, and lack of consideration are just the opposite of gentleness and are the signs of a selfish and worldly person.
Gentleness is a great spiritual quality. Only those who are spiritual, moral and rational can afford to be gentle in this world of cut-throat competition. One can acquire the quality of gentleness only through long austerity. Sri Krishna tells us in the Bhagavad Gita that gentleness of speech and mind is an austerity. "Speech that is not offensive, truthful, pleasant, beneficial, and is used for the regular reading of scriptures is called the austerity of word.
"Serenity of mind, gentleness, silence, self-restraint, and the purity of mind are called the austerity of thought." (Gita, 17. 15, 16)
Gentleness begins with our thoughts. Invariably our actions follow our thoughts. Generally we all act impulsively, reacting according to the situations we are in. Especially these days when we are accustomed to instant gratification we tend to become impatient at the slightest inconvenience. It takes time and practice to develop the quality of gentleness. So it is clear that control of the mind is an essential condition for acquiring gentleness.
Gentleness also requires us not to find fault with others. As the saying goes 'To err is human.' Swami Brahmananda has this advice for us: "Keep yourself pure and go forward, following your own ideal. Learn to see the good in others. If a man has some goodness, exaggerate his goodness in your mind. Give honour to all, praise all. Do this and sympathy for others will grow. He himself is honoured who honours all beings. Never run down a fellowman or slight him. Everyone sees the fault in others. Give him your love, make him your own, and help him to overcome his weakness. A man is composed of both good and evil. It is easy to see the evil in others but a holy man is he who can overlook their evil qualities and help them to become pure and holy. Remember, my children, you are holy men. You must always be calm, gentle, modest, and kindly of speech. Goodness and purity must flow through every word you utter, every action you perform, through all your behaviour and movements."
The quality of gentleness also requires humility. Humility is not mere show of outward respect but the ability to see divinity in every being. Holy Mother used to say that one should respect even an insect for God dwells therein also.
Swami Bhavyananda has this to say: "Gentleness is a powerful and mighty divine quality. A person who has strength can conquer another by force; but conquering oneself is a gentle process. One who conquers himself is a mighty person. One who conquers by physical strength may be conquered by another, who is stronger. But a gentle soul can never be overcome; he is triumphant even in defeat!
"A gentle person is soft, tender, loving and humble. He is calm and peaceful, even under provoking conditions. Arrogance, pride and harshness lead only to peacelessness. Hardness, rudeness, cruelty and impatience are unspiritual qualities. They make for peacelessness. There is great strength in humility and gentleness. Such a person treads softly and goes far; a gentle person makes everyone feel great.
"Socrates was a gentle soul. Though he was put to death, he lives with us today. So does the risen Christ. When a person starts his journey to meet his Creator, he walks the path of righteousness and humility. The power of darkness cannot hurt him. Such is the power of gentleness. A spiritual aspirant will be gentle, good and noble. He sees the divine in everyone and everything."
With gentleness one can advance both in this and in  spiritual life.

Swami Dayatmananda

Spiritual Maxims
Brother Lawrence

Of union of the soul with God
There are three degrees of union of the soul with God.
The first degree is general, the second is virtual union; whilst the third is actual union.
That degree of union is the general when the soul is united to God solely by grace.
Virtual union (which is in effect union though not in fact) is our state when, beginning any action by which we are united to God, we remain so united to Him by reason of that action for such time as it lasts.
Actual union is the perfect union. In the other degrees the soul is passive, almost as it were slumbering. In this actual union the soul is intensely active; quicker than fire are its operations, more luminous than the sun, unobscured by any passing cloud. Yet we can be deceived as to this union by our feelings; it is not a mere fleeting emotion, such as would prompt a passing cry, "My God, I love Thee with my heart's full strength"; it is rather a state of soul - if I can but find words - which is deeply spiritual and yet very simple, which fills us with a joy that is calm indeed, and with a love that is very humble and very reverent, which lifts the soul aloft to heights, where the sense of the love of God constrains it to adore Him, and to embrace Him with a tenderness that cannot be expressed, and which experience alone can teach us to understand.
All who aspire to union with the Divine should know that whatever can gladden the will is in fact pleasing to it, or at least so the will reckons it.
There is no one but must avow that God is beyond our understanding. To be united to Him it is needful therefore to deny to the will all tastes and pleasures, bodily and spiritual, that, being thus detached, it can be free to love God above all things. For if the will can in any measure come to know God, it can do so only through love.
The difference is great between the tastes and sentiments of the will and its working, since the will's tastes and sentiments are in the soul as in their bounds, whilst its working, which is properly love, finds its sole end in God.

Of the Presence of God
The Presence of God is an applying of our spirit to God, or a realization of God as present, which is borne home to us either by the imagination or by the understanding
I have a friend who these past forty years has been practising through the understanding a realization of the Presence of God. To it he gives many other names; sometimes he calls it a simple act, or a clear and distinct knowledge of God; at other times, a view as  through a glass, a loving gaze, an inward sense of God; yet again he terms it a waiting on God, a silent converse with Him, a repose in Him, the life and peace of the Soul. Still, my friend tells me that all these ways, in which he has expressed his sense of the Presence of God, come to the same thing; and that the Presence fills his soul quite naturally, that it has come so to pass in this way.
He says that by unwearying efforts, by constantly recalling his mind to the Presence of God, a habit has been formed within him of such a nature that, so soon as he is freed from his ordinary labour, and not seldom even when he is engaged thereon, his soul lifts itself up above all earthly matters, without care or forethought on his part, and dwells as it were firmly stayed on God, as in its centre and place of rest, faith almost always being his companion at such times. Then his soul's joy is full - it is what he calls the actual Presence and includes all other kinds and greatly more besides. Then it is he feels that only God and he are in the world, with Him he holds unbroken converse, asking from Him the supply of all his needs, and finding in His Presence fullness of joy.
Let us mark well, however, that this intercourse with God he holds in the depth of his being; there it is that the soul speaks to God heart to heart, and over the soul thus holding converse there steals a great and profound peace. All that passes without concerns the soul no more than a fire of straw, which the more it flares, the sooner burns itself out; and rarely indeed do the cares of this world ever intrude to trouble the peace that is within.
But to come back to our consideration of the Presence of God, you must know that the tender and loving light of God's countenance kindles insensibly within the soul, which ardently embraces it, so great and so divine a fire of love to God, that one is perforce compelled to moderate the outward expression of the feelings.
Great would be our surprise, if we but knew what converse the soul holds at these times with God, who seems to so delight in this communion, that to the soul, which would fain abide ever with Him, He bestows favours past numbering; and as if He dreaded lest the soul should turn again to things of earth. He provides for it abundantly, so that the soul finds in faith a nourishment divine, a joy that has no measure, beyond its utmost thought and desire; and this without a single effort on its part but simple consent.
The Presence of God is thus the life and nourishment of the soul, and with the aid of His grace, it can attain thereunto by diligent use of the means which I will now set out.

Of means for attaining unto the Presence of God
The first is a great purity of life; in guarding ourselves with care lest we should do or say or think on anything, which might be displeasing to God; and when any such thing happens, in taking heed to repent thereof, humbly begging His forgiveness.
The second is a great faithfulness in the practice of His Presence, and in keeping the soul's gaze fixed on God in faith, calmly, humbly, lovingly, without allowing an entrance to anxious cares and disquietude.
Make it your study, before taking up any task to look to God, be it only for a moment, as also when you are engaged thereon, and lastly when you have performed the same. And forasmuch as without time and great patience this practice cannot be attained, be not disheartened at your many falls; truly this habit can only be formed with difficulty, yet when it is so formed, how great will be your joy therein!
Is it not right that the heart which is the first thing in us to have life, and which has dominion over all the body, should be the first and last to love and worship God, both when we begin and end our actions, be they spiritual or bodily, and generally in all the affairs of life? It is here therefore, in the heart, that we ought to strive to make a habit of this gaze on God; but that which is needful to bring the heart to this obedience we must do, as I have already said, quite simply, without strain or study.
Those who set out upon this practice let me counsel to offer up in secret a few words, such as "My God, I am wholly Thine. O God of Love, I love Thee with all my heart. Lord, make my heart even as Thine"; or such other words as love prompts on the instant. But take heed that your mind wanders not back to the world again; keep it fixed on God alone, so that, thus subdued by the will, it may be constrained to abide with God.
This practice of the Presence of God is somewhat hard at the outset, yet, pursued faithfully, it works imperceptibly within the soul most marvellous effects; it draws down God's grace abundantly, and leads the soul insensibly, to the ever-present vision of God, loving and beloved, which is the most spiritual and most real, the most free and most life-giving manner of prayer.
Remember that to attain to this state, we must mortify the senses, inasmuch as no soul which takes delight in earthly things can find full joy in the Presence of God; to be with Him we must leave behind the creature.

Of the benefits of the Presence of God
The first benefit which the soul receives from the Presence of God is that faith grows more alive and active in all the events of life, particularly when we feel our need, since it obtains for us the succour of His grace when we are tempted, and in every time of trial. Accustomed by this practice to take faith as guide, the soul by a simple remembrance, sees and feels God present, and calls upon Him freely and with assurance of response, receiving the supply of all its needs. By faith, it would seem, the soul draws very near to the state of the Blessed. The higher it advances, the more living does faith grow, until at last so piercing does the eye of faith become, that the soul can almost say that Faith is swallowed up in Sight: I see and I experience.
The practice of the Presence of God strengthens us in hope. Our hope grows in proportion as our knowledge; and in measure as our faith by this holy practice penetrates into the hidden mysteries of God, in like measure it finds in Him a beauty beyond compare, surpassing infinitely that of earth, as also that of the most holy souls and angels. Our hope grows and waxes ever stronger, sustained and enheartened by the fullness of the bliss which it aspires to and even tastes already in part.
Hope breathes into the will a distrust of things seen, and sets it aflame with the consuming fire of Divine love; for God's love is in very truth a consuming fire, burning to ashes all that is contrary to His will. The soul thus kindled cannot live save in the Presence of God, and this Presence works within the heart a consecrated zeal, a holy ardour, a violent passion to see this God known and loved, and served and worshipped by all His creatures.
By the practice of the Presence of God, by steadfast gaze on Him, the soul comes to a knowledge of God, full and deep, to an Unclouded Vision. All its life is passed in unceasing acts of love and worship, of contrition and simple trust, of praise and prayer, and service; at times indeed life seems to be but one long unbroken practice of His Divine Presence.
I know that they are not many who reach this state. It is a grace which God bestows only on very few chosen souls, for this Unclouded Vision is a gift from His all-bounteous hand. Yet for the consolation of such as would fain embrace this holy practice, let me say that God seldom denies this gift to those who earnestly desire it; and if He do withhold this crowning mercy, be well assured that, by the practice of the Presence of God, with the aid of His all-sufficient grace, the soul can attain to a state, which approaches very nearly the Unclouded Vision.
(Reprinted from Vedanta for East and West, Jul-Aug 1979)
 

A Garland of Questions and Answers
Shankara

What is the best thing a spiritual aspirant can do?
Carry out his guru's instructions.

What must be avoided?
Deeds which lead us into greater ignorance of the truth.

Who is a guru?
He who has found the truth of Brahman and is always concerned for the welfare of his disciples.

What is the first and most important duty of a man of right understanding?
To cut through the bonds of worldly desire.

How can one be liberated?
By attaining the knowledge of Brahman.

Who, in this world, can be called pure?
He whose mind is pure.

Who can be called wise?
He who can discriminate between the real and the unreal.

What poisons the spiritual aspirant?
Neglect of his guru's teachings.

For one who has achieved human birth, what is the most desirable objective?
To realize that which is his ultimate good and to be constantly engaged in doing good to others.

What deludes a man like an intoxicating drink?
Attachment to the objects of the senses.

What are thieves?
The objects which steal our hearts away from the truth.

What causes the bondage of worldly desire?
Thirst to enjoy those objects.

What is the obstacle to spiritual growth?
Laziness.

In this world, what is the greatest terror?
The fear of death.

Who is the greatest hero?
He who is not terror-stricken by the arrows shot from the eyes of a beautiful girl.

What is meanness?
To beg from someone who has less than you.

Whom should we honour?
Him who does not beg from anyone.

Who, in this world, is truly alive?
He whose character is free from blemish.

Who is awake?
He who practices discrimination.

Who is asleep?
He who lives in ignorance.

What roll quickly away, like drops of water from a lotus leaf?
Youth, wealth and the years of a man's life.

Who are said to be as pure as the rays of the moon?
Holy men.

What is hell?
To live in slavery to others.

What is happiness?
Detachment.

What brings happiness?
The friendship of the holy.

What is a man's duty?
To do good to all beings.

What are worthless as soon as they are won?
Honour and fame.

What is death?
Ignorance.

What is the most valuable thing?
A gift given at the right time.

What disease lingers on until a man dies?
A bad deed which has been hidden.

What should one strive for?
To go on learning as long as one lives.

What should a man hate?
Greed for the wives and the wealth of other men.

What should a man think of, day and night?
He should think how transitory this world is. He should never think thoughts of lust.

What should we prize most dearly?
Compassion, and friendship with the holy.

Whose heart do you fail to win even if you try your best?
The heart of a fool or of a man who is afraid or stricken with grief or incapable of gratitude.

Who avoids the snares of this world?
He who is truthful and who is able to remain unmoved by either pleasure or pain and all life's other pairs of opposites.

To whom do the gods themselves pay homage?
To him who is compassionate.

Who do all  men respect?
He who is humble and speaks the truth so that it does good to others and makes them happy.

Who is blind?
He who does evil deeds.

Who is deaf?
He who will not listen to good advice.

Who is dumb?
He who does not speak kind words when they are needed.

Who is a friend?
He who prevents another from doing evil.

What is a man's best ornament?
His good character.

What is finished as quickly as lightning?
Friendship with bad men or women.

What qualities are rarest in this world?
To have the gift of speaking sweet words with compassion, to be learned without pride, to be heroic and also forgiving, to be rich without attachment to riches - these four are rare.

What is most to be deplored?
Miserliness in the wealthy.

What is to be praised?
Generosity.

Who is revered by the wise?
He who is humble.

Who wins glory for his entire family?
He who remains humble when endowed with greatness.

Who is the master of this world?
He whose words are sweet and beneficial, and who follows the path of righteousness.

Who is never touched by any danger?
He who follows the words of the wise and has his senses under control.

Where should one live?
One should live with the holy.

What should a wise man refrain from uttering?
Falsehoods and evil words against others.

What ought a man to remember?
The sacred name of the Lord.

What are the enemies of a spiritual aspirant?
Lust and greed.

What should a man protect from harm?
A faithful wife and his power of discrimination.

What is the tree that fulfils all wishes?
The teachings of the guru.

What is the best weapon with which to subdue others?
Sound reasoning.

Wherein lies strength?
In patience.

Where is poison?
Within the wicked.

What is fearlessness?
Dispassion.

What is to be most feared?
To become possessed by your own wealth.

What is rarely found among mankind?
Love for the Lord.

What are the evils most difficult to rid oneself of?
Jealousy and envy.

Who is dear to the Lord?
He who is fearless and takes away fear from others.

How does one attain liberation?
By practising spiritual disciplines.

Who is most lovable?
The knower of Brahman.

How does one develop the power of discrimination?
Through service to an elder.

Who are elders?
Those who have realized the ultimate Truth.

Who is truly wealthy?
He who worships the Lord with devotion.

Who profits from this life?
The humble man.

Who is a loser?
He who is proud.

Who is not to be trusted?
He who lies habitually.

Who is a holy man?
He who is forever blissful.

What is the strength of a holy man?
His trust in God.

Who is free from sin?
He who chants the name of the Lord.

What is the most difficult task for a man?
To keep his mind under constant control.

Who protects an aspirant?
His guru.

Who is the teacher of this world?
The Lord.

How does one attain wisdom?
By the grace of the Lord.

How is one liberated?
Through devotion to the Lord.

Who is the Lord?
He who leads us out of ignorance.

What is ignorance?
The obstacle to the unfoldment of the Divine which is within us.

What is the ultimate Reality?
Brahman.

What is unreal?
That which disappears when knowledge awakes.

How long has ignorance existed?
From a time without beginning.

What is unavoidable?
The death of the body.

Whom should we worship?
An Incarnation of God.

What is liberation?
The destruction of our ignorance.

What is the source of all the scriptures?
The sacred syllable OM.

What carry us across the ocean of worldliness?
The lotus feet of the Lord; they carry us like a great ship.

Who is bound?
He who is attached to worldliness.

Who is free?
He who is dispassionate.

How is heaven attained?
The attainment of heaven is freedom from cravings.

What destroys craving?
Realization of one's true Self.

What is the gate to hell?
Lust.

Who lives in happiness?
He who has attained samadhi.

Who is awake?
He who discriminates between right and wrong.

Who are our enemies?
Our sense-organs, when they are uncontrolled.

Who are our friends?
Our sense-organs, when they are controlled.

Who is poor?
He who is greedy.

Who is totally blind?
He who is lustful.

Who has overcome the world?
He who has conquered his own mind.

What are the duties of a spiritual aspirant?
To keep company with the holy, to renounce all thoughts of "me" and "mine", to devote himself to God.

Whose birth is blessed?
The birth of him who does not have to be reborn.

Who is immortal?
He who does not have to pass through another death.

When is one established in the ideal of renunciation?
When one knows that Atman and Brahman are one.

What is right action?
Action which pleases the Lord. 
(Reprinted from Vedanta and the West, Sep-Oct 1970)

The Context of Meditation
Swami Bhavyananda

Success in meditation is closely related to peaceful living. For meditation to be fruitful, the mind must be calm, and if the mind is to be calm we must conduct our normal life and activities in a peaceful way. A prayerful attitude in relation to work is most helpful; whatever activity we may be involved in, we must practise awareness of the Divine Presence in every situation. You may say that this is difficult to do in the midst of occupations which require our full attention. Granted, but it is also a fact that as soon as a preoccupying activity is completed, we can return our mind to the Presence of God. If we are honest we will discover that many tasks do not require the full attention which we give them, thereby wasting much of our time. Just before and after sleep; while engaged in manual work, such as serving or cleaning; attending to some of our bodily needs; - all these are times which we could transform into a kind of conscious prayer and remembrance of God. Introducing the act of remembering God into our daily occupations helps to prevent many a distracting thought seeking entrance to our mind. Many useless and sometimes damaging desires come up which can be easily stifled thereby.
By these methods the mind becomes tuned to the meditative mood; then when we sit for the practice of meditation at the appointed hours, it easily becomes stilled and concentrated. Disturbance from the outside (in the form of sense-perceptions) or from inside (from the sub-conscious) can easily be turned aside. Thus a regulated, deliberately planned, daily routine may assist us in improving our interior life. One of the Desert Fathers records his reflections on the subject as follows: "The Science of Sciences and the Art of Arts is the capacity to master harmful thoughts. The method and remedy against them is to watch with God's help for appearance of their suggestion and always to keep the thought pure. Just as we protect our physical eye, watching sharply for anything which might injure it and not letting even a speck of dust come near it."
For attaining concentrated meditation on God, unrelenting watch over our daily thought-habits is essential - over our words, actions, thoughts, character and heart. This is what Sri Krishna is telling us in the 15th verse of Chapter VI of the Bhagavad Gita:
"By such constant and steadfast application a person subdues the mind and attains the peace that resides in Me, the peace that passeth understanding."
In the next verses, certain other regulations in regard to one's daily life are taken up:
"Yoga is not for him who eats too much nor for him who eats too little. It is not for him who sleeps too much or too little. For him who is temperate in food and recreation, temperate in his exertion at work, and temperate in sleep, yoga puts an end to all sorrows." (vs. 16-17)
Those who have been practising meditation are surely aware of how much effort has to be put into the process. It is the nature of the mind to flit from one perception to another, and it is truly difficult to place it where one wants it and to keep it restrained. Whether we care to admit it or not, the condition of the mind depends much upon the condition of the body. It will be no exaggeration to say that unless the latter is kept in a healthy and manageable condition, to steady the mind will be virtually impossible.
In these verses we are told how to deal with the physical side of our organism so as to keep it in reasonably good shape. Food is essential for the upkeep of the body, but if the quantity is too much, or the quality too rich, our blood and energies will be kept at the stomach level only. Concentration of the blood supply at the stomach level drains it away from the brain and makes us dull. Over-eating and steady mental effort are poor companions. On the other hand, meditation is not possible for a starving man, and an undernourished brain can never make the fine discriminations required for spiritual life. Swami Vivekananda used to say, "Religion is not for empty stomachs; first food and then religion." "To the hungry, God comes in the form of food." Buddha, after passing through severe austerities, adopted and taught a moderate path as regards food. With respect to sleep, too much makes one dull and indulgent. There is an old saying, "Six hours for men, seven for women, eight for fools." On the other hand, too much of keeping vigil may cause us to be sleepy throughout the day, endangering our work; or making us peevish and a source of irritation to others. Keeping regular hours of sleep reinvigorates and gives rest to the brain.
Not only regulated food and sleep, but regulated recreation and work have their place in our normal everyday life; they are especially helpful in the pursuit of meditation, with which we aim to make spiritual progress. We must take advantage of all these aids and at the same time avoid all hindering obstacles.
One who sits for meditation with such preparation of body and mind naturally gets his mind quickly calmed and steadied. Undistracted meditation becomes easy and natural. "Like the flame of a candle, undisturbed by any breeze," the Gita tells us in another place. The example has a special significance here. Mind, when concentrated on God, is intrinsically luminous. It is in that light that one perceives the all-pervading Reality. It is the Light of Knowledge: steady, bright and one-pointed.
What can we gain with prayer and japa (repetition of a holy name) in implementing our life of meditation? For those who believe in God both of these are very effective means of achieving mental concentration and experiencing Divine Awareness. Prayer need not always take a formal expression; one can talk to God in a most direct way, opening one's heart to him as one would do to a trusted friend. With no reservations and with no receptive barriers, one should converse with the Lord. Prayers to Him should be direct and issuing from the heart.
Jesus commanded his disciples to pray without ceasing. He himself was always in prayer. We often forget this. Prayer, for any spiritually-minded person, is no part-time occupation. For a man who has faith in God, all activities are prayers of a sort - walking, sitting, working, eating, playing. Such a man lives, like Brother Lawrence, in the presence of God, and his actions are offerings of prayer unto Him. In Christianity, various mantras, holy names and words, are used for japa. The name of Jesus itself is a mantra. The now familiar 'Jesus Prayer' of the Eastern Church, 'Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me,' is another. St. Francis used to sit up all night, saying "My God and my All, my God and my All," in ecstasy. Jesus constantly remembered his Heavenly Father. Without taking God's name - Abba, Father - he did not initiate undertakings. Abba was his last prayer at Gethsemane, his last word on the Cross. Repetition of a mantra should also be especially practised at fixed times by all spiritual aspirants.
In the Yoga system of meditation, prayer and japa have a very important part to play. Of course some persons may be able to concentrate their minds on the higher Self, even without japa, as Patanjali tells us. Repetition of the holy name seems, however, to be a more suitable practice for many persons. Such aspirants, after preliminary preparations for meditation, can start with japa which is slightly sounded - a whisper. Later it will refine itself into a repetition done silently in the mind. As a result of continuous practice of the mantra, the mind becomes steady and concentrated, and ultimately we feel the presence of God. In that state there is only an awareness; no more self-effort in the form of concentration or japa is possible. One simply experiences the peace and joy of awareness of God. There will be then no consciousness of time or place. So we see what depth of spiritual experience can be reached by japa. Sri Krishna tells us "yajnanam japayajno smi, of the sacrifices I am that of japa."
Japa occupies an important place in the Vedantic tradition as well. A mantra is a holy name received either in vision or as the result of God-realization. Seers who have had such experiences are known as mantra drashta, literally, seers of mantras. Having obtained these mantras they used them effectively in their lives, and passed them on to their disciples. These in turn transmitted them to succeeding generations. Thus these mantras, having become potent with long usage, have acted as the source of deep experiences to aspirants in the past and present. No wonder we call them sacred. These mantras give direct access to God, rather as if we were to dial a person's telephone number. Those who take to this type of spiritual exercise find ample proof of this in their lives. When the word is presented by a competent teacher to a qualified student, a certain power passes into the latter, a power which is tangible and effective and about which there is nothing secret or mysterious.
Prayer - in which can be included reading, repeating and dwelling upon hymns and scriptures containing noble and elevating thoughts - helps very much to prepare our minds for japa and meditation. We find that in every religion prayers form a fundamental part of the literature. As an aspirant grows spiritually, a prayerful attitude naturally develops in him, even if his outlook is basically monistic. So long as a man is aware of his human limitations, he cannot but pray to and worship a Personal God. Very few can feel strong and independent at all times. He is the only Power on whom we can unfailingly depend at every step; whenever we feel weak, God is the ready source of strength. In our moments of severe testing and turmoil, which no human being can altogether escape, God is the One Being to whom we can and should look for support.
In our happy days, too, we are to offer our love and devotion to Him. He is our fair-weather Friend, as well. An Indian psalmist sings, "O Mother, though I keep on forgetting You, You never forget me even once."
Repeated and systematic practice is therefore necessary to calm the mind, which is very much accustomed to being propelled outwards. We find it difficult to resist this tendency, but we have to persist in spite of failures; success comes to the courageous and persistent. "Purity, patience and perseverance, alone lead to success," said Swami Vivekananda. "Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty," said Abraham Lincoln. Our aim should be to combine positive progress, in the form of depth of experience, with 'holding action' in the form of regularity and non-procrastination. Most of us, as aspirants, believe that religious disciplines deepen and enrich our interior life. We set aside a part of the day for reading, meditating and devotional exercises. But we must occasionally assess our progress in order to take note of the divergence between what we are and what we would like to be; then we are to make more strenuous effort. Our mental activities need to be watched and directed diligently until, getting established in this habit, we become conscious of the process in the midst of our normal work, and take delight in it. In this way we may reach a creative pitch in our interior life where everything around us seems to move to our spiritual advantage. Somehow we meet the proper people, get suitable work, and find time for intense spiritual practice. Then a state of mental concentration becomes natural.
Although the Vedanta philosophy culminates in the doctrine of nonduality, the concept of a Personal God is very much in evidence in the Vedas. The bhakti-ideal is fully worked out by the Puranas and other later literature, and by the eminent historical figures we know as Divine Incarnations. The Hindu, being pre-eminently spiritual in his treatment of everything, raises also the bhakti-approach to the level of the Infinite, and makes it all-embracing. As a result he is able to sing the glories of the Atman and love of God with the same ecstasy. Says the Amritabindu Upanishad, "In Him reside all beings, and He resides in all beings as their supporter. That all-pervading Deity am I (i.e., the Atman)." Hindu prayers are usually sweet and devotional. In this tradition there is ample evidence that by prayer, song and symbol, properly used to advantage, aspirants can be lifted to the highest ecstasy, indeed to samadhi. As verses 20 to 23 (of the Sixth Chapter) tell us:
"That in which the mind, restrained by the practice of concentration, rests quiescent; that in which, seeing the Self through the Self, one rejoices in one's own Self; that in which one knows the boundless joy beyond the reach of the senses, grasped only by the understanding; that in which being established, one never departs from Reality; that on gaining which one thinks there is no greater gain, and wherein established one is not moved even by the heaviest of sorrows: let that be known as yoga, severance from the contact of pain. It is to be practised with perseverance with an undaunted mind."
The passage reminds me of a story which comes down to us from the era of Sri Chaitanya's disciples. There was an indigent brahmin whose wife was constantly nagging him to find more money for the household. She wanted better clothing, more food, the roof repaired etc., but this pious man was just not able to find any way in which he could scrape up more income. One day they noticed that a holy man of some repute had come into the village, and was living nearby, where people sometimes came to him for one reason or another. "Why don't you go and ask that saint to give you something to make us prosper. He must have some yoga powers or something; and other people are going there . . ." urged his wife.
"Oh, how can I do that?" said her husband, his head beginning to hang in shame. "A sadhu should be approached for gifts of wisdom, devotion of heart, and the like." But his wife kept after him, till at last one day the brahmin lost sufficient pride to go and seat himself beside the sadhu. For some time he could not open his mouth.
"Yes, friend," said the holy man at last, "what is it you have come for? You must have some request in mind, no doubt." "Sir," said the brahmin, "my wife believes that you are a worker of miracles. Tell us, do you not have one of those magic touchstones, owning which a man can change all he possesses into gold? I have come to beg that of you," and he bit his lip.
"Oh," replied the other, "is that all? Why, I threw away one of those yesterday, it is just in the ditch over there. Perhaps you can go and pick it up." Sure enough, the poor man, searching in the ditch discovered an oddly shaped and coloured stone, which he rightly judged to be the touchstone. Sitting down again beside the saint, he gazed at it wonderingly. Then he studied the saint and pondered awhile. "You threw this away!" he exclaimed, "But then you must have something which is more valuable. Give me that." "I have indeed," replied the other, "and that is the holy Name. I will give it to you; but as your wife still has some desires, she is not ready, so go to her and give her the touchstone." The brahmin did as he was bid, renounced his home and came back to learn the pursuit of Pure Gold.
"Severance from the contact of pain," says our verse. What does it precisely mean? That the yogi is callous and indifferent? No. He does not experience pain because of the preoccupation of his mind elsewhere. His reactions to impulses from the outside world, as well as the 'inside world' of his own organism, are now very much controlled. His purified calm mind is busy perceiving his real nature, i.e., joy. This joy is independent of the outside world. It is intrinsic joy and delight, and because it is supersensuous and transcendent, it remains steady and unvarying. This state could well be called a luminous awareness of unconditioned joy. Such is the essence of the yogi's real nature. He has turned his vision inward, and is in a state of superconscious cognition and bliss.
This joy is rightly conceived by Vedanta to be the cognition of that very Self which is described as Sat-chit-ananda, Being, Consciousness, Bliss. What can be more joyful than partaking of and perceiving one's own divine nature? What work can be greater or more important than experiencing this joy, free from the pangs of pain and pleasure of this phenomenal world?
On reaching that state, we are told, we shall clearly see that there was nothing in this world worth pursuing. While we have not yet known the dawn of that awareness, many things, many 'causes' in life, appear to be worthy of our pursuit. So long as we feel this way we must go on with our search; but let us not get stuck at the lower levels of satisfaction; let us 'move on' as Sri Ramakrishna used to urge his disciples. Like the monk in the story of the touchstone, we gradually put all our faith into that which is of highest value. If anyone asks us, "What is it that you have obtained, that you can throw away these valuable objects?", let us be able to give an unequivocal response. When we are still on the path, joys and sorrows do continue to affect us; but once we understand the nature of the world and our goal in it, we can come more often and more easily into the state of true stability. Even while struggling we have the advantage of knowing where we are going. Later we reach the stage where nothing can disturb or upset us. This must be our aim.
(Reprinted from Vedanta for East and West, Jul-Aug 1971)

Leaves of an Ashrama: 21
The Escapist as Pragmatist
Swami Vidyatmananda

Another painful interview today with L. who again argued that my effort to forsake everything for God is misguided. As his final thrust he resorted to the bitterest epithet in the vocabulary of the man of action, namely escapist. To no longer think that growing rich and powerful is important L. sees as cowardice. I am a deserter. I have "chickened out". I have grown weak and afraid and altogether contemptible.
I had come to see that we are all of us travelling in a forest full of dangerous beasts. We are going to be pounced upon and devoured. "O come," say the L's of this world, "you are a pessimist. Things are not so bad as that. Enjoy this outing. Let us find a pretty place and have a picnic." Or they may declare: "Yes, there may be a few wild animals about. Yes, other travellers have been killed here. But we are smarter. We shall avoid the dangers. At most, a claw-mark now and then, or a nip or two; but nothing really serious."  
The discriminative man is not so foolish. He simply will not accept the composure of "normal" people. He can see that he is bound to be destroyed if he remains where he is. Spiritual aspirants are genuine realists.
At times like this, Buddha's doctrine is comforting. Buddha did not mention God or divine intoxication or even love. He spoke as an utter rationalist. "An inescapable feature of this world is pain," he said. (This is something that everyone must find out for himself sooner or later. It is painful to get old, painful to be sick, painful to die; and growing infirm, falling ill, and dying no one can avoid.) Buddha continued: "But there is a way to avoid pain. It is to give up the cause of pain, which is desire."
It takes exceptional discrimination to understand that the urge to get, to experience, to enjoy, never, never works. It requires willpower and steady effort and far more courage than pursuing the "comfortable life" recommended by the L's of this world. Desires fulfilled end in pain; desires unfulfilled equally end in pain. Some persons realize this; the average man calls them pessimists, escapists. Buddha regarded them as pragmatists.
So I accept the label "escapist" and wear it without embarrassment. Through God's grace I shall escape the beasts of lust and greed which would destroy me. Through God's grace I shall escape the dirty life of the senses, of materialism, which cannot but end in frustration. Through God's grace I shall escape a mean and self-centred existence and shall scramble somehow forward to that perfect freedom which is also joy.
Cheers for the escapists! May they be successful and may there be more of them!
 

Seeds (continued)
Swami Yatiswarananda

The Eternal Witness
"That which is not inside, does not exist outside." (Indian proverb)
Truth cannot be known either with the help of speech or with the help of mind. Truth cannot be seen with these physical, human eyes. We can only know the highest Truth when our hearts are pure and our minds calm and one-pointed. The impure intellect can never arrive at correct solutions. The spiritual man finds solutions by diving deep into the depths of his own being; by coming face to face with Truth, not by arguing about It.
It is like the case of a miner who one day is told that his cottage lies above a rich gold mine. Having faith in his friend's words, the miner furiously works the land until he uncovers the metal because he knows how precious a commodity it is. Similarly, while performing our spiritual disciplines, we are benefited and make progress only to the extent we are aware of the value of that for which we dig. Faith is essential.
There is within our soul something that is the eternal witness of whatever takes place inside and outside of our minds. Unless we realise this permanent element within ourselves, it is not possible for us to have even a glimpse of the permanent element outside ourselves.

Japam and Meditation
At the beginning of their spiritual life, many aspirants face the difficulty of a changing centre of  consciousness. Occasionally the mind rides high, but more often than not it is either drowsy, or exceedingly restless, or it falls to the subliminal plane.
You must never allow yourselves to get into a drowsy state during your attempts at japam (repetition of the mantra) and meditation. This is most dangerous. Sleep and drowsiness should never, in any way, be connected with meditation. (There are those for whom sitting for meditation is an invitation to sleep!) Better than tamas is rajas so, if you feel drowsy at meditation time, get up and, while continuing your japam, pace the room until the drowsiness leaves you. There can be no place in the spiritual life for tamas!
If the mind is restless and outgoing, doggedly but cheerfully persist with your japam. It may be done mechanically even; but do not give in to your restlessness completely. In this way a part of the mind will always be engaged in higher thoughts. Cheerfulness is a sign of great progress - but many do not understand this. Spiritual life eases all heart-burn, so it makes us cheerful.
Imagine that every time you repeat your mantra, along with every repetition of the Name of your Ishtam (chosen Ideal), your whole being is purified. This faith must be made very firm because, in a sense, this is the idea underlying all japam. Repetition of the Name of the Ishtam changes the body; it calms the mind and soothes the nerves. When the mind is tense or depressed begin at once humming the Name and imagine that this is bringing about a balanced state, a new sort of rhythm in the mind and body. You will feel how it actually soothes the whole nervous system, and this again facilitates your practices. True, you will not feel the effect of your japam all at once, but if you go on for some time you will be astonished to find what a great change has occurred. There is great scope for experiments. The mind and nerves are to be polarized. Through practice we must make the body, the senses, the mind and the breath rhythmic. Then only will we be in the proper mood for pursuing our spiritual ideal in earnest.
While performing your breathing exercises, try to give some strong suggestions to your mind such as: "I am breathing in purity, breathing out all impurity." "I am breathing in strength, breathing out all weakness." "I am breathing in all calmness, breathing out all restlessness." "I am breathing in freedom, breathing out bondage." These suggestions may be given even while doing your japam; they are very helpful in preparing the ground for the real practices. You must feel that the Holy Name, the Holy Mantra, purifies you. If you try for some time, this feeling is sure to come. Make the experiment yourself: verify everything that is told to you. If you do not realize these truths, it would be better to burn all your books on religion, to throw all the scriptures overboard!
A fixed daily routine for your meditation, studies, deep thinking, etc. is essential. Through habit the right mood develops easily and so we feel the strain of our practices less. Everything is difficult on this path. Visualization is difficult; control of the mind is difficult; meditation is difficult; perhaps less so, but still difficult, is japam - if done properly. New strength, therefore, has to be gained and for this the suggestions given above will be found helpful.
Make use of the power of sound and sound-symbols for sound vibration plays a large part in our life. OM is a very fine rhythmic syllable, an example of sound melting away to soundlessness. Thoughts manifest themselves in different sounds so there is an eternal relation between thought and sound. For example, we speak of the animal "cow" with the help of different sound-symbols according to the language we use. The bovine idea finds its expression, so there is an inseparable connection between this idea and its sound symbol.
In the same way we find the Divine idea finds its expression in different Holy Names; there is an inseparable connection between the holy idea and the sound. This is the reason why we should make use of sound in our spiritual life. We call up the divine thought with the help of sound. But we should see that we do pass from the sound-symbol to the thought, otherwise the sound will be of no real help to us.

Mantras
Man is a psychological animal, so we must know how to calm our mind. Just as it is ever ready to deceive us, so we, taking told of something higher, must be ever ready to deceive it!
Immediately after sitting down for meditation, with folded hands, say:
"Whether impure or pure, under all conditions, whoever remembers the Lord becomes purified inwardly and outwardly."
Think that along the Sushumna canal the jiva or individualized soul is taken to the centre in the head and is connected with the Universal Spirit; that the gross and subtle bodies are burnt away and that you are one with the Absolute. Repeat: "I am He; I am He."
The aspirant may then pray to This, his Higher Self:
"Do Thou appear here; do Thou stay here; do Thou be steady; do Thou come near me and accept my worship."
Great intensity, great concentration and one-pointedness - these constitute true prayer. Without them, "prayer" will be of no avail.
"Do Thou save me, O Lord, Thou who hast taken this form of the universe."
Say the above mantra remembering "the all-pervading Being with thousands of heads, thousands of eyes and thousands of feet who envelopes and permeates this whole universe, and even exists beyond."
Finally, before beginning your actual japam and meditation, pray:
"Being subject to limitations of the vital energy, the intellect and the body, whatever error has been committed by me in the states of waking, dream and deep sleep, in thought, word and deed by means of the different organs of sense - may all that be offered to Brahman.
"I surrender myself, with all whom I call my own at the feet of the Lord.
"Let us meditate on the excellent glory of That Divine Being who illumines everything. May He guide our understanding."

Japa
Sri Ramakrishna used to dismiss the devotional practices of the worldly-minded as leaving no lasting impression on the mind. As an example he used to speak of the parrot which is taught to repeat loud and long the Name of God. If, however, it happens to be caught by a cat the divine repetition abruptly ceases and the parrot resorts to the shrill shrieking of the jungle. In our case also, when we are really put to the test we shall see whether we remember the Lord and the Lord alone.
Once Swami Turiyananda, a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna, had trouble with his eyes, and his attendant put in some eye drops. Unfortunately, the attendant picked up the wrong bottle and, instead of eye drops, put in a few drops of acid. The Swami told us afterwards: "I immediately thought, 'What is this? Perhaps Mother wants to take away this eye.'" Then the Swami began to weep out of sheer pain. The point is that the thought of the Divine Mother was uppermost in his mind. Such an awareness, however, happening as it did at such a moment of crisis, can take place only through great practice. Unless it has become natural for us to think of God and God only, we become more or less like the parrot and go on acting like the parrot the moment we are put to the test.
After speaking of the devotional practices of the worldly-minded, Sri Ramakrishna would add: "But those who are devoted solely to God chant His Name with every breath. Some chant Om Ram Om constantly within themselves. The votaries of the path of knowledge chant Soham. Of some, again, the tongue moves incessantly, that is, uttering prayers or a Mantra."
Says the Upanishadic seer: "That which is done with full knowledge becomes more effective." Although this is certainly true, mechanical repetition of the Name of the Ishtam or one's Mantra has its effect too. There are times when the mind is very disturbed and on such occasions it is good to sit in a quiet corner and repeat the Divine Name, maybe mechanically, but nevertheless with great doggedness. Japam is one of the most effective practices for all beginners although we come to realise its effectiveness and value only after some years of endeavour.
Ramananda, a sixteenth century mystic, cries: "Why do you speak of rules and restrictions. He who takes the Name of the Lord, is the Lord's."
The story is told of the poet-saint Kabir who sought initiation from Ramananda. In the early hours of the morning Kabir went and lay down on the steps leading to the Ganges. Ramananda came to take his bath and while repeating "Rama, Rama" - the Divine Name that was constantly on his lips - he stepped on Kabir's prostrate body. Kabir got up, saluted him and was thus received as one of Ramananda's disciples. Kabir himself became perfect by repeating the Holy Name. In Tulsidasa's Ramayana we read: "The Rama who was born as the son of Dasaratha, that same Rama is in all." Every aspirant must be able to approach in some form or other the All-Pervading, the One Reality that underlies all manifestations.
To the man of little understanding God dwells in the image. But to the man who has attained samesightedness, the Lord is in all. "Lord, Thy Name is samesightedness." First comes external worship; the next spiritual practice to be taken up by every aspirant is Japam. This is followed by devotional singing and meditation. Finally, with the eyes closed or open, the Divine alone is experienced everywhere. This is the highest stage and can only be attained after all the preceding steps have been gone over - it is even higher than samadhi (super-consciousness).
To return to our main theme: even if a great tempest is about to well up in your mind and show distinctive powers of being able to sweep you off your feet - go on with your Japam. Even repeat the Holy Name aloud (at least, let it be audible to yourself). Often you will find that when the mind is very disturbed, silent mental repetition is not enough.
Try to establish a definite relationship between the sound-symbol and the thought, so that the thought comes the very moment you touch the key of the sound-symbol. Take as an illustration of this, the typewriter. The moment you touch a key the corresponding letter is printed on the sheet of paper. In the same manner, the instant you touch your sound-symbol (the mantra), the corresponding thought will occur in your mind and will come to your help. A very definite relationship between these two must be established.
Never use any violence on the mind. It is a universal experience - not just your shortcoming - that as soon as you try to control it, it becomes more and more unruly, more and more turbulent. For most people early morning is the best time for their practices; however, if you really desire progress, one session of meditation every twenty-four hours is hardly sufficient. Even in the midst of plenty we shall still feel we are starving unless we give real food to the soul; things outward can never fill the void within. The soul will continue to cry out because we are doing nothing to appease its hunger.
Therefore, we should see to it that our Japam becomes better and better; we must repeat the Holy Name consciously, intelligently and endeavour to have more and more of it as the days slip by. Sri Ramakrishna used to say: "Japam is just like a chain. From one link we pass onto the next until finally we pass into God." Thus we approach That to which the whole chain is tied. Done in this conscious and wide-awake way, the efficacy of Japam is very great. When this little raft of ours is tossed on the mighty waves and stormy seas of life, hold onto this chain! Always think of it and try with all your might to seize the next link. Thus you will come closer and closer to the Divine and in so doing prepare yourself for complete absorption in meditation.

The empty jingling of words
Never be afraid of losing something you have clung to all your life. If your ideas are so brittle that they break at the very first touch, let them break by all means. A little heart-burn does not matter, whatever people may think. Today, our task is to make all that is indefinite very definite through steady practice. There must be clear thinking, clear feeling and clear definite action.
Discussions, as such, are not bad; if our discussions have some real aim. Most people, however, begin arguing just to prove that they are right and others are wrong. This always ends in useless wrangling and should be avoided by all spiritual aspirants. By all means have discussions among yourselves to make ideas more clear and definite. Never have discussions on spiritual matters with those who have not themselves, at least to a certain extent, tasted this life and its difficulties. The empty jingling of words leads nowhere and only succeeds in making the mind more outgoing.
It take time to be able to control one's mind completely: it takes more time to become one with Him. Mind is nothing but matter and as such we should give a good, steady, relentless and severe training to it and cease identifying ourselves with the whole of it or any of its modifications. I am the witness of all that is going on in my mind. I am different from it and therefore I am its master. This must be our attitude.
As with the spoken word, so is it with the written word. You will never find the full teaching in any book. The really important part of this is passed from guru to disciple. Books become only the scaffolding. Through them, therefore, we can never know all that there is to know about a particular path. Side by side with what is contained in the book are the practical instructions that are given by the Teacher. These are not printed anywhere.
In India, primers on philosophy like Vedantasara, concern themselves directly with the problems we all face and they tell us how to overcome them:
"Torpidity is the lapse of the mental state into sleep because of the failure to rest on the Absolute.
"Distraction is the resting of the mental state on things other than the Absolute, because of the failure to rest on It.
"Attachment is the failure of the mental state to rest on the Absolute owing to numbness brought on by impressions due to attachment even when there is no torpidity or distraction.
"Enjoyment is the tasting of the mental state of the bliss of Savikalpa Samadhi owing to the failure to rest on the Absolute. Or it may mean continuing to taste the bliss of Savikalpa Samadhi while taking up the Nirvikalpa Samadhi.
"When the mind, free from these four obstacles, rests unmoved - like the flame of a lamp sheltered from the wind - as one with Absolute Consciousness, it is called the Nirvikalpa Samadhi.
"Thus it has been said, 'When the mind is torpid, raise it; when it is distracted, bring it back to calmness; when it becomes attached, be aware of it; when it is controlled, do not distract it any more. Do not linger on the bliss that comes from the Savikalpa Samadhi, but be unattached through discrimination.'"

There is no short cut
This world is the Absolute as seen by the mind through the coloured glass of time, space and causation. Kant was quite right in saying this. But, unlike the seers of the Upanishads, he does not add that this is maya and can be transcended. If we go beyond maya we see things differently. Maya is time, space and causation plus the thing-in-itself. Kant held that we could never know the thing-in-itself. The Upanishads declare that we can and, furthermore, that this has to be achieved by all seekers after Truth.
The 'Power' of the Lord, or maya, has two aspects: the veiling power and the creative power. Both are clouds. Maya clouds the mind and brings about passions and attachments to unreal (i.e. lower) things. The lower maya entangles us more and more. The higher maya leads us to Freedom and is itself transcended in the end.
That which binds us and that which frees us belong to the same domain of phenomena. Neither is real in the absolute sense. The would-be murderer and the would-be rescuer - do not both of these belong to the world of phenomena? Both aspects of maya are but aspects of consciousness. On one side we see the saint, on the other the worst type of of criminal. The saint is trying to free us, the criminal to bind us.
Wherever you find the pairs of opposites, there, to some extent, is Maya. If you want to have "good" you must take "evil" also; or you must transcend both, and have neither. Just as the holy man exists, so also does the criminal. The two stand and fall together: the correlatives exist under all circumstances. Why then create barriers? The ideal of the truly spiritual should be one of  transcendence, one of indifference to the pairs of opposites.
So long as you are not able to transcend, you should maintain and foster the spirit of indifference and non-attachment to what is good as well as to what is bad or evil. Emancipation is never possible in a collective sense. The way lies in first controlling what is, relatively speaking, called evil and then getting rid too of what is, relatively speaking, called good - and many are caught in the net of the good. By leading a strict moral life, first control all your wayward and binding tendencies. For unless you rise above the ground floor you can never reach the first floor and the terrace thereon. Neither is it possible to jump straight from the ground floor to the terrace! The shortest cut is no cut at all in spiritual life. Never imagine that; or you will come to grief.
Lust and greed must be got rid of at all costs. Purity of the heart, purity of body and mind - this is the price we all have to pay for the spiritual life. They are the sine qua non of all spiritual progress and realisation. Before the highest realization is ours, we may get glimpses, but only to the extent to which we are able to lead a life of purity and non-attachment, of freeing ourselves more and more from body consciousness in its gross, subtle and very subtle forms.
(to be continued)
(Reprinted from Vedanta for East and West May-Jun/Jul-Aug 1979)
 

Book Review
Touched By Truth - a Contemporary Hindu Anthology
Compiled and published by Sandy and Jael Bharat
Price £8

As indicated by the title, this soft-back book contains a collection of thoughts - reflections - from some current practitioners of Hindu spirituality.
It is a "coffee table" book in that one is inclined to pick it up out of curiosity drawn by the attractive cover, and leaf through, enjoying its wealth of pictures and photographs. Then the eye is caught by some specific topic and one reads on in greater depth to find congenial thoughts and aspirations.
Although some articles have been submitted by various contributors, others have been compiled by the book's authors based on personal interviews and relevant literary works, etc. Each contribution is followed by a brief note about its author and his place in the religious jigsaw. All the articles are reminiscences of illustrious ancestors or exemplars, ranging from Mahatma Gandhi to Paramahamsa Yogananda.
It is pleasant to read about the thoughts of today's people who one may well have met in England, though some contributors are from the US or India, for example. One article is a biography of Mathur Krishnamurti who for many years was in charge of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in Kensington; another is from Swami Nirliptananda who, after a long life-time, is still working for the Bharat Sevashram Sangha in Shepherds Bush (both in London), and of course there is our own Swami Dayatmananda who is currently in charge of the Ramakrishna Vedanta Centre in Bourne End, Buckinghamshire. Personally, I felt very gratified to read about Jay Lakhani as I have been involved in observing his progress in spreading the knowledge of Hinduism from starting a small Sunday School for juniors, to his teaching groups of all ages all over England, and his publishing books on Hinduism for general use in schools.
Another contributor is Sumati Chaitanya who reflects on her assocation with the Chinmaya Mission. Thanks to the prolific photographs in the book, she is shown with her guru, Swami Tejomayananda, whom I would otherwise probably not have noticed. So, again to add a rather personal note to what Sumati has said about her guru, I recognised him as one who has taken more than one series of Gita talks in Kensington Town Hall. He is an excellent speaker, an original thinker, and a great expounder of Sri Krishna's teachings. He seems to come to England about every second year. If there is a chance of hearing him, don't lose the opportunity!
All the contributions are listed on the Contents page in strictly alphabetical order, so no precendence is given in the way of superiority or inferiority - equality and acceptance of all are the keynotes.
A note about the compilers is covered in an essay by Jael Bharat, which tells of his birth in Holland and his journey to India, in a search for Self-realisation. It also mentions his change of name to 'Bharat'.
This is a book I would recommmend to practising Hindus for sheer enjoyment, and would recommend especially to those of other faiths or none, in order to give them a general idea of Hinduism as it is lived day to day.

Elsie Mack