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NAG MAHASHAY ON SWAMI VIVEKANANDA
[Nag Mahashaya or Durga Charan Nag was born in 1846 in what is today’s Narayanganj in Bangladesh. His devotion is beyond compare. ]
Swamiji to Nag Mahashaya (saluting him): You are all right, I hope?
Nag Mahashaya: I have come today to visit you. Glory to Shankara! Glory to Shankara! I am blessed today verily with the sight of Shiva!
Saying these words, Nag Mahashaya prostrated before Swamiji.
Swamiji (lifting him up): Why are you doing that to me?
Nag Mahashaya: I see with my inner eye that today I am blessed with the vision of Shiva Himself. Glory to Ramakrishna!
Swamiji: It is you who have really appreciated and understood Shri Ramakrishna. We are only spent in useless wanderings.
Nag Mahashaya: What do you say, sir? You are the image of Shri Ramakrishna — the obverse and reverse of the same coin. Those who have eyes, let them see.
Swamiji: Is the starting of these Maths and Ashramas etc. a step in the right direction?
Nag Mahashaya: I am an insignificant being, what do I understand? Whatever you do, I know for a certainty, will conduce to the well-being of the world — ay, of the world. Who will understand you? Unless the inner vision opens, nobody can understand you. Only Shri Ramakrishna understood you; all else have simply put faith in his words, but none has understood you really.
Swamiji: Now my one desire is to rouse the country — the sleeping leviathan that has lost all faith in his power and makes no response. If I can wake it up to a sense of the Eternal Religion then I shall know that Shri Ramakrishna’s advent and our birth are fruitful. That is the one desire in my heart: Mukti and all else appear of no consequence to me. Please give me your blessings that I may succeed.
Nag Mahashaya: Shri Ramakrishna will bless! who can turn the course of your will? Whatever you will, shall come to pass.
Swamiji: Well, nothing comes to pass without his will behind it.
Nag Mahashaya: Your will and his have become one. Whatever is your will is his. Glory to Shri Ramakrishna!
Expansion is Life
Swami Vivekananda
The old dilemma, whether the tree precedes the seed or the seed the tree, runs through all our forms of knowledge. Whether intelligence is first in the order of being or matter; whether the ideal is first or the external manifestation; whether freedom is our true nature or bondage of law; whether thought creates matter or matter thought; whether the incessant change in nature precedes the idea of rest or the idea of rest precedes the idea of change — all these are questions of the same insoluble nature. Like the rise and fall of a series of waves, they follow one another in an invariable succession and men take this side or that according to their tastes or education or peculiarity of temperaments.
For instance, if it be said on the one hand that, seeing the adjustment in nature of different parts, it is clear that it is the effect of intelligent work; on the other hand it may be argued that intelligence itself being created by matter and force in the course of evolution could not have been before this world. If it be said that the production of every form must be preceded by an ideal in the mind, it can be argued, with equal force, that the ideal was itself created by various external experiences. On the one hand, the appeal is to our ever-present idea of freedom; on the other, to the fact that nothing in the universe being causeless, everything, both mental and physical, is rigidly bound by the law of causation. If it be affirmed that, seeing the changes of the body induced by volition, it is evident that thought is the creator of this body, it is equally clear that as change in the body induces a change in the thought, the body must have produced the mind. If it be argued that the universal change must be the outcome of a preceding rest, equally logical argument can be adduced to show that the idea of unchangeability is only an illusory relative notion, brought about by the comparative differences in motion.
Thus in the ultimate analysis all knowledge resolves itself into this vicious circle: the indeterminate interdependence of cause and effect. Judging by the laws of reasoning, such knowledge is incorrect; and the most curious fact is that this knowledge is proved to be incorrect, not by comparison with knowledge which is true, but by the very laws which depend for their basis upon the selfsame vicious circle. It is clear, therefore, that the peculiarity of all our knowledge is that it proves its own insufficiency. Again, we cannot say that it is unreal, for all the reality we know and can think of is within this knowledge. Nor can we deny that it is sufficient for all practical purposes. This state of human knowledge which embraces within its scope both the external and the internal worlds is called Mâyâ. It is unreal because it proves its own incorrectness. It is real in the sense of being sufficient for all the needs of the animal man.
Acting in the external world Maya manifests itself as the two powers of attraction and repulsion. In the internal its manifestations are desire and nondesire (Pravritti and Nivritti). The whole universe is trying to rush outwards. Each atom is trying to fly off from its centre. In the internal world, each thought is trying to go beyond control. Again each particle in the external world is checked by another force, the centripetal, and drawn towards the centre. Similarly in the thought-world the controlling power is checking all these outgoing desires. Desires of materialisation, that is, being dragged down more and more to the plane of mechanical action, belong to the animal man. It is only when the desire to prevent all such bondage to the senses arises that religion dawns in the heart of man. Thus we see that the whole scope of religion is to prevent man from falling into the bondage of the senses and to help him to assert his freedom. The first effort of this power of Nivritti towards that end is called morality. The scope of all morality is to prevent this degradation and break this bondage. All morality can be divided into the positive and the negative elements; it says either, “Do this” or “Do not do this”. When it says, “Do not”, it is evident that it is a check to a certain desire which would make a man a slave. When it says, “Do”, its scope is to show the way to freedom and to the breaking down of a certain degradation which has already seized the human heart.
Now this morality is only possible if there be a liberty to be attained by man. Apart from the question of the chances of attaining perfect liberty, it is clear that the whole universe is a case of struggle to expand, or in other words, to attain liberty. This infinite space is not sufficient for even one atom. The struggle for expansion must go on eternally until perfect liberty is attained. It cannot be said that this struggle to gain freedom is to avoid pain or to attain pleasure. The lowest grade of beings, who can have no such feeling, are also struggling for expansion; and according to many, man himself is the expansion of these very beings.
The human dimension in times of death and violence
Kees Boukema
[This very interesting information from Mr Kees Boukema is continued from the previous issue. ]
In September 1939, twenty years after the end of the First World War, the Second World War broke out. Albert Camus volunteered, but was rejected. The daily newspaper where he worked, ‘Alger Républicain’, was subjected to all kinds of restrictive measures. The newspaper therefore made a ‘new start’ under the name ‘Le Soir Républicain’. In it, the editors advocated a possible agreement with Hitler’s Germany and asked the reader not to reject the German people, but the ‘mystical ideology of Nazism’. In January 1940, ‘Le Soir Républicain’ assured its readers that it would continue to reject injustice and ‘serve the individual, against the partisans of anonymous hatred’. The next day, ‘Le Soir Républicain’ was banned.
In Algeria, anti-Jewish government measures had been introduced. Jewish children were educated in private schools. There, Camus found work as a teacher of French language and literature. At the end of January 1942 he started spitting blood again; his left lung appeared to be seriously affected by tuberculosis. The then common treatment of air injections into the chest did not work. Because his condition rapidly worsened, Camus decided, on the advice of his doctor, to travel to a sanatorium in the Chambon area, in the high mountains of Auvergne (Fr.). At the end of October 1942 his condition had already improved to such an extent that he was able to return to Oran. However, war developments in the region made a return trip to Algiers impossible. Camus used the extended rest period to work on his novel ‘La Peste’. It is an allegory of WWII in which Camus figures as journalist Raymond Rambert, who is stranded in Oran while traveling and goes to assist doctor Rieux in his fight against the plague (Nazism). In the course of 1943 Camus came into contact with the resistance group ‘Combat’. There the publication of an illegal newspaper was being prepared. Camus was given the final responsibility for the content of the magazine. In 1943 and 1944, this newspaper published some remarkable contributions by him, entitled: ‘Letters to a German friend’. (‘Lettres à un ami allemand.’, Paris, 1948/1972). Camus chose (open) letters to a (fictitious) German friend, because he did not want to continue to see his opponents as a collective, but as people. In the letters he tries to explain why, despite his abhorrence of violence and bloodshed, he now considers armed resistance and struggle necessary. According to Camus, this is about a difference in mental orientation: On the one hand, an aggressive, blind patriotism, a void that must be filled with dominance and destruction, on the other hand, a critical and justice-seeking, but better love (amour supérieur) for the fatherland, which is worth fighting for if necessary (1st letter).
Man is indeed vulnerable, but he is also ‘the force that drives out tyrants and gods’, writes Camus. In contrast to his German ‘friend’, who flees in a frenzy of display of power, lust for power and violence, he places his image of the man who discovers a meaning within himself, which compels him to strive for justice and a deep respect for the intangible, often unseen life.
In the areas of Europe occupied by Germany, posters were distributed announcing the establishment of the ‘Greater Germanic Empire’ with the slogan: “Germany wins for Europe on all fronts”. “We have”, writes Camus, “one idea and one hope, which are still alive in us: that of Europe.” But our Europe is not the same as yours. For you, Europe means: ground troops, granaries, harmonised companies and a mind that listens to the leader. For us, Europe is the terrain where the astonishing adventure of the human spirit has been played out for twenty centuries. Your Europe is not the right Europe. It lacks any solidarity and does not inspire. Our Europe is a shared adventure of the spirit, which we will continue to pursue despite you. (3rd letter).
In July 1944 (allied troops had landed in France in the meantime), Camus wrote: ‘For a long time we both believed that this world has no deeper meaning, but we did not draw the same conclusion from this. You concluded that good and evil are therefore interchangeable, that only the values that define the animal kingdom are permanent: violence and cunning. And that the mission of an individual can only be the adventure of power.
It seemed to me that man must affirm the right to fight against eternal injustice. I wanted people to regain their solidarity in order to take up the fight against their terrible fate. I chose justice in order to remain faithful to the earth. I know that there is something that has meaning in itself and that is man. And we must save him if we want to retain our conviction, at least, about what we must understand by ‘life’. ‘For the past five years there has been no morning without agony, no evening without dungeons, no afternoon without bloodbaths. And in the midst of all that tumult and violence we tried to preserve our memories of a happy sea, an unforgettable mountainside and the laughter of a beloved face, because if we were to lose them we would be as dead as you.
‘Your reason played as much of a part in the misery with which you, Nazis, have overwhelmed us, free Europeans, for four years. For that reason I condemn you utterly. But despite yourselves, I will not deny you the name ‘human beings’. Loyalty to our faith compels us to respect in you that which you no longer respect in others and which made it easier for you to murder than we did.’ His conclusion: “Because you have despised loyalty to humanity, thousands of you will now die alone.” (letter 4).
[conclusion follows].
Mr Kees Boukema is a scholar in Vedanta and Comparative philosophy. His brilliant and thorough-going articles on various philosophical and spiritual subjects are being published since the first issue of the magazine. His latest work is De Beoefening van Meditatie.
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How Jesus became God
Paulo J. Bittencourt
Professor at UFFS, Erechim Campus
For now, at least from the point of view of academic history, we are far from recognizing what Christian believers argue, namely, that the authentic words and acts of Jesus would be inviolably preserved in the so-called canonical Gospels. Thus, the scholar of the historical Jesus will not accept the premise that his research is irrelevant, supposedly doomed to failure from the beginning, under the argument that the creed and dogma have always adequately and eternally captured the essence of Jesus, that is, the Christ of faith. In this sense, let us look at an example, not directly focused on the problem of the historical Jesus, but which deals with the reconstruction of the beliefs of the first generations of the Christian movement. Now, the orthodox interpretations of the Roman Church, which were victorious in the fourth century of the Common Era, postulated that the incarnationist Christology, according to which Jesus was a pre-existent divine being, equal to the Father, who also became human, was already expressed in the beliefs of the first disciples of the Nazarene, not to mention in Jesus’ own messianic self-awareness. [Christology is the part of Christian theology that studies and defines the nature, person and work of Jesus, with a particular focus on his relationship with God and his significance in the doctrine of the history of salvation.] The historian, however, by denying the title of theologian, will profane the veneration of the idol of origins. He will refuse to reconstruct the initial history of the Jesus movement based on the outcome of the traditional Christological evolution. By studying the New Testament more deeply, one will see that Jesus’ self-affirmations in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke would in no way allow us to conclude in favor of a consubstantial nature between Jesus and the Father. Jesus’ followers did not call him God. Not even Jesus referred to himself as a divine being who came down from heaven [hence the term high Christology for incarnationist Christology]. This same historian, therefore, will consider it plausible to identify the origin of a Christology of the incarnation only from the Gospel of John, thus being a later development of the Christian tradition.
It was Bart E. Ehrman who clarified the issue. In How Jesus Became God, an excellent popular work, the American historian of early Christianity masterfully demarcated the historical evolution of Christologies throughout its first four centuries. Early Christians would maintain Christologies of exaltation, typical of a low Christology, in which the human being Jesus was made the Son of God, consequently elevated to a divine status, a view also called adoptionist Christology, since in it Jesus is not seen as a divine being by nature. Exaltationist Christologies would have correlates in common Greek, Roman and Jewish notions about how a human being could become divine: 1) by exaltation to the divine kingdom; 2) by birth from a divine father. Ehrman cites as confirmation of his mapping the chronological development traced by Raymond Brown, also called the retrograde movement of Christology. For the early Christians, God would have exalted Jesus to a divine status at the resurrection.
This older Christology could be found in the pre-literary traditions of Paul and in the book of the Acts of the Apostles; it would not, however, be the view presented in any of the gospels. According to Ehrman, the oldest Gospel, that of Mark, “seems to assume that it was at baptism that Jesus became the Son of God; the following gospels, Matthew and Luke, indicate that Jesus became the Son of God at birth; and the last Gospel, John, presents Jesus as the Son of God from before creation.” However, Ehrman sees a more complex development than this chronological sequence, which is particularly true for the narrative structure of the Gospels. Ideas about Jesus did not develop in a straight line and at the same rate throughout the early Christian world. Thus, it is possible to assume that some Christians professed faith in the divine preexistence of Jesus even before Paul wrote the first letters of the New Testament. We can isolate these excerpts from sayings originating in pre-literary traditions, for example, in the “Hymn on Christ from Philippians” (Philippians 2:6-11), a passage that is widely considered a hymn or an early poem, celebrating Christ and his incarnation. As can be seen, beliefs about the nature and person of Jesus, from the earliest origins of Christianity, constituted a composite and polyphonic symphony, whose dissonant developments orthodox repression would relentlessly seek to silence.
Professor Paulo Bittencourt is a brilliant teacher of Ancient and Medieval History at the Universidade Federal da Fronteira Sul UFFS [Erechim Campus], Brazil. He contributes articles regularly, and is a columnist of a periodical too. He has several books to his credit. He is an ardent student of Vedanta.
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Be a Light Unto Yourself
Corné van Nijhuis
Around the turn of the year, many of us often reflect on the more existential issues that life offers. And in this age of social media, the most beautiful inspirational quotes about life suddenly appear on your screen. These do great as one-liner on nice backgrounds. But often it remains with the quote itself without any depth and there is no time for further deepening. However, when I came across the above quote – Be a light unto yourself – it resonated enormously. That led to me feeling a great need to seek depth in this. Below I would like to share the result and I hope that it may inspire others in their search for ‘the truth’.
The saying ‘Be a light unto yourself’ holds a profound teaching about self-reliance, inner wisdom, and personal responsibility on the spiritual path. Rooted in the wisdom of ancient traditions and timeless philosophy, this phrase invites a journey inward, urging each individual to discover the ultimate source of truth within themselves. In a world filled with external distractions, guidance, and influences, this teaching serves as a reminder that the answers we seek are not outside of us but lie in the depths of our own consciousness. Let me explore the deeper meaning of this phrase and its transformative implications for our spiritual growth.
Rely on Your Inner Wisdom
At its core, ‘Be a light unto yourself’ is a call to trust your inner wisdom. Spiritual teachings, mentors, and sacred texts can offer valuable insights and inspiration, but they are not the ultimate authority over your life. Instead, this saying emphasizes that true guidance comes from within.
To rely on inner wisdom is not to dismiss external sources but to integrate and validate them through personal experience. It is one thing to read or hear about the nature of love, forgiveness, or compassion, and another to feel and embody these qualities in your daily life. The process of turning inward, reflecting on what resonates deeply, and aligning your life with your own truth is the essence of self-reliance.
Cultivate Self-Awareness
Being a light to yourself also signifies illuminating your own life with the clarity of self-awareness. Self-awareness is the foundation of spiritual growth, allowing you to see your thoughts, emotions, and actions without judgment.
When you develop mindfulness, you begin to recognize patterns in your behavior, motivations, and fears. This heightened awareness allows you to navigate life with greater understanding and intentionality. Like a lamp dispelling darkness, self-awareness removes the fog of confusion and helps you align with your authentic self. Imagine walking a path in the dark with a lantern in hand. The light doesn’t reveal the entire journey ahead, but it provides enough clarity for the next step. Similarly, self-awareness illuminates the immediate moment, guiding you forward with confidence and purpose.
Take Responsibility for Your Journey
One of the most empowering aspects of this teaching is its emphasis on personal responsibility. Spiritual growth is not something that can be outsourced or delegated. While others can inspire or point the way, the actual work of seeking, questioning, and evolving rests on your shoulders.
This responsibility can feel daunting at times, but it is also liberating. It means that you are not bound by the limitations or interpretations of others. Your journey is uniquely yours, shaped by your experiences, choices, and realizations. By taking ownership of your spiritual path, you reclaim the power to shape your destiny.
Trust Your Inner Light
The idea of an ‘inner light’ is found in many spiritual traditions, often symbolizing the inherent wisdom and consciousness within every individual. This light is not something external that needs to be acquired; it is already present, waiting to be uncovered and trusted.
However, trusting your inner light requires courage, especially when external circumstances are uncertain or chaotic. There will be moments of doubt when the voices of others seem louder and more convincing than your own intuition. Yet, the practice of turning inward and trusting your inner light strengthens your connection to this source of guidance. Over time, it becomes a reliable compass, helping you navigate life’s complexities with authenticity and grace.
Freedom from Dogma
‘Be a light unto yourself’ also challenges blind adherence to dogmas, doctrines, or traditions. It encourages critical thinking and discernment, urging you to question what you have been taught and to seek what resonates deeply and truthfully with you. This is not an invitation to reject all teachings but to engage with them thoughtfully and intentionally. True wisdom arises not from passive acceptance but from active inquiry. When you approach spiritual teachings with an open yet discerning mind, you discover insights that are not imposed from the outside but arise naturally within you.
Practical Applications
Embracing this teaching is not merely a philosophical exercise; it has practical implications for daily life:
Turn Inward During Times of Doubt. When faced with confusion or uncertainty, resist the urge to seek answers solely from external sources. Take time to reflect, meditate, and listen to your inner voice.
Develop Mindful Practices. Cultivate habits like journaling, meditation, or contemplative walks to deepen self-awareness and connect with your inner light.
Question and Reflect. Approach teachings, traditions, and advice with curiosity and discernment. Ask yourself: Does this resonate with my personal truth?
Take Small Steps: Trusting your inner light does not require grand gestures. Begin by aligning small daily actions with your inner wisdom, and watch as your path unfolds naturally.
The Ultimate Source of Truth
In essence, ‘Be a light unto yourself’ is a reminder that the ultimate source of truth and guidance lies within your own being. It invites you to step into your power, cultivate self-awareness, and take ownership of your spiritual journey. As you practice this teaching, you may find that the light within you not only guides your own path but also inspires others to discover their own inner illumination. This is the quiet yet profound beauty of the spiritual path – it is deeply personal, yet it ripples outward, touching and uplifting the world around you.
The journey may be challenging, but the light within you is more than enough to guide the way.
Corné van Nijhuis is a scholar in Vedanta, Indian philosophy, Western studies and many related subjects. He has written numerous inspiring articles on various subjects related to life and well-being. His latest publication is Vinosophy.
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Meditation
Floor van den Hout en Dagmar van der Neut ‘s article
Meditation provides inner peace, helps against stress and spectacularly strengthens the immune system. Moreover, people who meditate are happier. But how do you integrate such a habit into your daily routine, and how do you find a technique that suits you? Lessons for beginners.
Just a few years ago, meditation was almost synonymous with New Age clubs, mantra-mumbling gurus with quasi-profound but inimitable advice and hippies in woolen socks. Meditation certainly had nothing to do with science, brain scans or the business world. But that image is outdated. ‘Science confirms what has been known for years from personal experience,’ says Willem Oud Ammerveld, personality psychologist and chairman of meditation foundation Acem. He himself has been meditating for 22 years. ‘Meditation helps you relax and gives you energy.’
And that is not all. According to experts, meditation makes you calm, but alert at the same time. It lowers blood pressure, muscle tension and heart rate. It improves your night’s sleep. Pain becomes more bearable, fears decrease, self-confidence and creativity increase. Meditation helps against addiction and benefits relationships. The mood improves and even the immune system gets a boost. In short: meditation makes you healthy and happy. There are hundreds of scientific studies that support this. In the United States, this message has already been picked up: in ten years, the popularity of meditation has doubled there. Ten million Americans meditate regularly.
In the Netherlands, too, meditation is slowly but surely emerging from the vague corner. Training agencies are inundated with special courses for managers. And even the Amsterdam police can learn to meditate to deal with tension. Willem Oud Ammerveld, who coaches managers in his daily life and chairs the Acem Foundation in his spare time: ‘Acem has always profiled itself as a Western, down-to-earth method without gurus and mysticism, and therefore attracts all kinds of people. Both men and women, from housewives to professors. People are increasingly being exposed to stimuli these days and are looking for ways to deal with them. Meditation takes little time, is simple and delivers immediate results.’
Lower heart rate
There are many different meditation methods, but most work as follows: you sit still, concentrate on something (for example a word that you keep repeating, an image, your breathing) and let thoughts that arise pass as much as possible without doing anything with them. Concentration calms the noise in your head. Worries, unpleasant memories and the constant commentary on your experiences are suppressed. Another, more ‘open’ meditation technique aims at complete awareness of everything that happens inside or in your environment. You observe without prejudice and try to let everything be. The meditative state that can be achieved with some practice is described as ‘alert relaxation’. You remain mentally very awake, while at the same time experiencing deep rest.
As early as the 1970s, Harvard researchers Herbert Benson and Robert Wallace discovered that after just twenty minutes of meditation a physical reaction takes place that seems to be the opposite of the ‘fight or flight response’ that the body shows in response to stress. Breathing becomes calmer, the heart rate decreases and the brain produces more so-called alpha waves, the type of brain waves that also increase just before you fall asleep. Benson called this the ‘relaxation response’. He suggested that practicing this relaxation response daily can protect against stress and stress-related complaints such as high blood pressure, pain, insomnia, allergies, and that it can cure or prevent infertility.
Medicine or meditation?
Since then, many studies have been conducted that show that meditation does indeed have all kinds of beneficial physical effects. For example, people with arteriosclerosis had less thickened blood vessel walls after six months of meditation, while the arteries of a control group with the disease had become more clogged. In March of this year, American researchers revealed that the blood vessels of young people who meditated for fifteen minutes twice a day for eight months relaxed much more easily after stress than those of a non-meditating control group. The improvement was so great that the effect was comparable to that of a drug. A year ago, the same researchers discovered that meditation lowered blood pressure and also kept it low in the long term.
A study with psoriasis patients showed that the skin of meditators healed four times as fast as that of non-meditators. And cancer patients suffered less from anxiety, anger and depression after a few weeks of meditation. In addition, they had more energy, fewer heart problems and fewer stomach and intestinal complaints. And pain also becomes more bearable through meditation.
Yet another study found that medical visits among meditators decreased by 44 percent, cardiovascular diseases by 87 percent, and infectious diseases by 30 percent. No wonder that more and more doctors are prescribing meditation in addition to medication. The big advantage: sitting still on a cushion costs nothing and has no side effects.
Mindfulness
Meditation also helps improve performance. For example, in sports. For example, with the help of Zen, Richard Kraijcek learned to put a failed ball out of his mind more quickly and to concentrate on the next moment. And a Swedish study into Acem meditation last year showed that meditating shooters performed better than their colleagues. Marathon runners who had meditated for six months recovered from fatigue more quickly and stress had less impact on their immune system. In this study, meditation was repeatedly compared with another form of relaxation, namely autogenic training. The conclusion: regular relaxation exercises have less effect than meditation.
Psychologists have also discovered the beneficial effects of meditation. There is even a therapeutic movement emerging that is entirely based on it: Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (mbsr), or attention training, and Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (mbct). Johan Tinge, healthcare psychologist and mindfulness trainer: ‘You can really speak of a hype in the Netherlands. There is increasing interest from therapists who want to use it in their treatment.’
The basis of the training is practicing being in the here and now. Mindfulness can be translated as ‘attention, being present, being attentive’. You observe everything that physically and mentally presents itself to you, without judging it and without wanting it to be different than it is at that moment. During eight weeks, students learn to let go of unpleasant thoughts, recognize physical signals that indicate that a boundary is being crossed, and do things with full attention. For example, they are given exercises in tasting food attentively (put a raisin in your mouth – how does it feel when you put it on your tongue, what is the texture like, what is the taste made of?). And also performing everyday, usually automatic actions with full attention, such as brushing your teeth. Normally, during these kinds of activities, thoughts wander to worries from the past or about the future, but in the course, you practice keeping your attention on the here and now. Students also learn the technique of the ‘body scan’, in which attention is focused on the sensory sensations in each individual body part in turn.
And it works. People who did MBCT relapsed into depression significantly less often than a control group. And with the help of MBSR, chronic pain becomes more bearable and fatigue and stress decrease. Why does mindfulness work so well? Tinge: ‘The basic attitude in this training is one of letting go, patience, acceptance and gentleness. Not focusing on results. That creates an interesting paradox: something changes, without the goal being for something to change. Pain, both physical and emotional, is part of life. We always want to get rid of that pain, but that actually feeds it. Part of the pain consists of your own reaction to it; your anger and frustration about it. By no longer judging the suffering and adopting an accepting attitude, that part of the pain can be reduced or disappear.’
Inner training
But if meditation has such beneficial effects, why don’t we do it en masse? Many people who start meditating stop again within a few weeks. Let’s face it: getting up half an hour earlier to meditate is not always easy to maintain in practice. During meditation, the thought of that warm bed will regularly intrude. The time that has to be freed up for meditation quickly seems more useful and enjoyable: you can also take a nap, listen to some music or watch television to relax. Willem Oud Ammerveld: ‘That is also possible, yes, but meditation offers more. It is an inner training in dealing with tension differently. You are no longer dependent on external impulses that are supposed to relax you. You do something about it yourself.’
Sometimes people drop out because the complaints initially seem to get worse. Inner silence and focusing on your own body can reveal physical and mental discomforts that were not felt before. And that is not always pleasant. Oud Ammerveld advises to continue anyway. ‘It really does get better. Tensions do not go away if you do not want to feel them. If you are being massaged and you feel a painful spot, do you want to stop? No, you try to let go gently. With meditation you can encounter ‘mental muscle knots. Those unprocessed tensions do not come from meditation, they were already there. With meditation you learn to deal with them in a gentle way. But meditation is especially pleasant, you know. People usually notice that right away. It is efficient and effective. You just have to do it.’
Why did you start meditating?
‘In the early eighties I suffered from insomnia. I didn’t feel like taking medication and tried yoga, but that didn’t really help. Eventually I took a course in Acem meditation. That was a relief. Besides sleeping better, I also felt less stressed during the day, became more communicative and could let go of my emotions more easily. Things that had been “locked up” for years now came open. I have gained much more insight into myself and the way I react to things.’
You meditate twice a day. Isn’t that boring?
‘Yes, it is boring. But it is the boringness of skating ten kilometres, or walking to Santiago de Compostela. That doesn’t look very exciting either, but a lot is happening inside.’
Why do you set the alarm when you meditate?
‘That way I don’t have to choose whether to stop or continue. Half an hour is just right: long enough to process the daily things, but not too long. Of course, it has to fit into my schedule.’
Contributed by Francis van Schaik
Francis van Schaik is a coach of young people and also a student of human relationships with nature, the world and Truth. She regularly contributes to our online magazine. Francis is the regular contributor of articles in this page.
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Jadu Mallick and Sri Ramakrishna
About two months before Durga Puja (the autumn festival) we accompanied the Master to the house of Jadu Mallik in Pathuriaghat (in Calcutta). Although I had seen Jadu Mallik in his garden house (next to Dakshineswar Temple) before, I had never been to his house. The Master came to see the new image of Goddess Simhavahini, who was the presiding deity in Jadu Mallik’s house. After visiting the shrine, the Master asked for Jadu Babu.
Jadu Babu was lying on a marble bench. He greeted the Master, “Welcome, welcome, young priest. You don’t come this way very often. But since Mother came, you have been thinking of us.” In reply, the Master said, “What kind of man are you? Mother has come in and you didn’t let me know!”
“Young priest, I have never met a man who is so well informed about the Mother as you are,” Jadu Babu replied. “She arrived yesterday and you have already come. When did I have time to send you the news?” “Okay,” said the Master, smiling. “Now please ask for some of the Mother’s prasad to be brought. It would not be auspicious if we went home without taking anything.” (It is considered inauspicious for a householder not to offer anything to a holy man visiting his house).
Still lying on the couch, Jadu Babu ordered someone to bring some prasad and it was done immediately. When the Master was ready to leave, Jadu Babu said, “Won’t you say goodbye to my own mother?,” (So the Master shouted, “Hello, Jadu’s mother! Will you give me a glass of water?”) Jadu’s mother came down with a glass. The Master took it and drank from it once. When the Master returned to the carriage, the devotees said, “Sir, please don’t go to the house of a rich gentleman again. Why should you visit him? He didn’t even ask you to sit down. Why should you subject yourself to such insults? The Master replied, “These are worldly people, and they always desire worldly things. But in their worldly thoughts they worship the Mother. You don’t even do that much yourself. Why should you bother whether he asked me to sit down or not? You came to visit Mother, and as a bonus you got prasad. Isn’t that enough for you? Who else would have given you prasad at such an unusual hour? Did you come just to visit Jadu and be insulted because he did not ask you to sit down?”
The devotees who had spoken to Jadu Babu remained silent. This is how the Master would test obs. “If you want to be a sadhu (holy man) he would say, “Give up the idea of self-importance. Don’t pay attention to whether you are respected or not.”
One day the Master said to Jadu Babu, “You have saved so much for this world. What have you acquired for the next?”
Jadu Babu replied, “Young priest, you are the one who will take care of me in the next world. You will save me at the time of death, and I will wait until then. If you do not grant me deliverance, your name of redeemer of the fallen will be marred, so you cannot forget me at my death.”
You see, though Jadu Babu had a lot of money, he could not give up the desire for more. Another time the Master said to him, “Jadu, you have saved so much, but still you want more.”
Jadu Babu replied, “That desire will not go away. You cannot give up the desire for God. In the same way, we worldly people cannot give up our desire for money. Why should I give up money? You give up all things of the world and desire God, while I am a beggar who asks for more and more of his wealth. Does not worldly wealth also belong to him?”
The Master was very pleased to hear this reasoning. If you maintain this attitude, you need not worry. But tell me, Jadu, are you saying this sincerely?”
Then Jadu Babu replied, “Young priest, you know that I cannot hide anything from you.”
On another occasion the Master said to Jadu Babu, “You used to sing the name of God, but now you do not think of Him. Why is this? ” Jadu Babu said, “Since I have known you, I no longer feel the need to call upon God. And I have noticed that when I chant the name of the Lord, my mind cannot concentrate on worldly matters. So I ignore the Lord, to look after my fortune.”
” Don’t go that far, Jadu,” said the Master. ” Why should you be like an ox yoked to a grinding wheel? ”
” That is the result of my past actions,” said Jadu Babu.
[Selected from Sri Ramakrishna as we Saw Him]
Mary Saaleman is a devotee of Mother Sarada and Sri Ramakrishna since decades. She translates selections from books like The Master as we Saw Him and presents snippets about the disciples of Sri Ramakrishna.
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Meditations
[Meditations on the Self, from Viveka-chudâmani]
सर्वाधारं सर्व-वस्तु-प्रकाशं सर्वाकारं सर्वगं सर्वशून्यम्
नित्यं शुद्धं निश्चलं निर्विकल्पम् ब्रह्माद्वैतं यत्तदेवाहमस्मि ।।
“Who am I? I am the basis, the ground, the foundation of everything. I am the Light that reveals everything. I am all the forms. I am all-pervading. I am beyond everything. I am pure, divine, absolutely stable and beyond modifications. I am that One Supreme Brahman.”
सर्वात्मको’हं सर्वो’हं सर्वातीतो’हमद्वयः केवलाखण्ड-बोधो’हम् आनंदो’हम् निरन्तरः।।
“I am the Soul of everything and everyone. I am everything. I am beyond everything and yet I am One. I am that unique cognition of indivisible One. I am Bliss itself and I am beyond all separations.
न मे प्रवृत्तिर् न च मे निवृत्तिः सदैकरूपस्य निरंशकस्य।
एकात्मको यो निबिडो निरन्तरो व्योमेव पूर्णः स कथं नु चेष्टते। ।
I have no involvement in the world, nor is there renunciation. This is because I am eternally One, non-different and not a part of anything. I am the One pure Self and am always present. I fill the universe and beyond and so what ordinary thing can affect me?
This month’s music