Vedantavani
Februari 2026
Editorial
Teachings and Us…
Since time immemorial, illumined masters have taught us numerous important things. They have left hundreds of important instructions. It is up to us what to choose, what not to. Though everyone follows instructions and struggles to attain illumination, some of us generally select such teachings that are favorable to our ways of thinking. We don’t even consider the rest. Suppose the Master says, “money is clay, clay is money”, we quietly avoid this and, similar, uncomfortable teachings. And suppose he teaches us to avoid hoarding, to renounce desire for wealth, etc, we silently avoid such teachings. However, we choose such “broad” teachings as “sarva dharma samabhava”, because that does not affect us personally in any way. Rather, we can have a piece of cake and enjoy some picnic party. This is our religiosity. Many of us carefully avoid difficult teachings of our scriptures, where we should perform some duties, but remember that we should prepare a special dish on some festival. After all this, we blame God: that He is unjust, that we are not happy, that we are not progressing in life, that we are not affluent, and so on.
Dharma is not just about our rights, dharma is about our duties too. After ages of experiment, experience and thinking, Hindu rishis classified human life into four stages or four ashramas. From birth to around 25 years, the student had to study and practice his spiritual disciplines. It was complete dedication to knowledge: day and night given to mastering some subjects and not just copying from different books, producing a thesis and getting a PhD. It was complete study. The next part was the most difficult part, the householder’s life. At this stage, the responsibilities became numerous and the householder had to support the other three ashramas, contribute to society by teaching what he or she has learnt and attained, and also produce original works.. After retiring from active life, the family used to become sort of recluses. They now handed over responsibilities to their children and concentrated on higher life, preparing for the great passage. Some would also take to the last state, the renunciant state, giving up everything and contemplating on the Atman or God. The entire system was so wonderful, so practical and so perfect that thousands and thousands of souls benefited from this and lived exalted lives. One thing was certain: all these ashramas had their respective duties to perform. They were not to wile away their time but work hard. What was the goal of everyone of these ashramas? “Know Yourself”.
Nothing is earned by sleeping on a bed of rose petals. Further, whatever is inherited is quickly spent by lazy life. We should work hard to earn. And in spiritual life, as our great masters teach us, if we do even a little effort, the results are great. ‘swalpam api asya dharmasya, trâyate mahato bhayât.’ [Gita, 2.40] . For our health, peace and happiness, we should work, be up and doing. This is what our spiritual masters teach us.
Swami Sunirmalananda
On Leading a Spiritual life as householders…
A devotee to Swami Shivananda (Mahapurush Maharaj): ‘I married some time ago. I had to in order to please my parents who were insistent and cried, though I myself did not want at all.’
Swami Shivananda: What of that? Birth, marriage and death – over these three events human beings have no control. Marriage is a matter of divine dispensation. There is no reason why you should be attached, even if married. Very well. You attend to your duties and perform your spiritual practices to the best of your ability, and let your wife do the same. She too has a purpose in life. This is not for enjoyment. Just are you are created by God, so is she. You are a part of God, and she is a part of the Mother of the Universe. Teach her the kind of life you are living. She too will take the name of the Lord, pursue spiritual studies and devotions, attend to the duties of the world and serve the elders. Train her along these lines. That is what you should do. …. Above everything else, do not forget the ideal of life. Life is short and impermanent. It is not for enjoyment. Bear this in mind. Now go to the mandir for a little while. Salute Sri Ramakrishna, meditate on him and pray to Him fervently. He will certainly give you peace.
[from: For Seekers of God]
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The microcosm and the macrocosm are built on exactly the same plan, and in the microcosm we know only one part, the middle part. We know neither the sub-conscious, nor the super-conscious. We know the conscious only. If a man stands up and says, “I am a sinner”, he makes an untrue statement because he does not know himself. He is the most ignorant of men; of himself he knows only one part, because his knowledge covers only a part of the ground he is on. So with this universe, it is possible to know only a part of it with the reason, not the whole of it; for the sub-conscious, the conscious and the super-conscious, the individual Mahat and the universal Mahat, and all the subsequent modifications, constitute the universe.
Swami Vivekananda
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Emotional Triggers and us…
Contributed by : Francis van Schaik
Shenpa is a term from Tibetan Buddhism that refers to the restless energy of our impulses. According to Pema Chödrön, we can learn not to be swept away by our impulsive reactions. The following exercise helps with this.
Why emotional triggers have such a strong impact
We all know it: one comment, look, or situation, and suddenly you react more strongly than you’d like. Afterwards, you might think: why did this affect me so much? Emotional triggers often seem automatic and uncontrollable, but according to Tibetan Buddhism, there’s actually a space between stimulus and reaction. Learning to recognize and utilize that space is what this exercise is about.
What is shenpa?
In Tibetan Buddhism, the term shenpa refers to the restless, sticky energy that arises when we are touched by an emotion and immediately go along with it. Author and Buddhist teacher Pema Chödrön describes shenpa as the moment we latch on: we’re drawn in by irritation, anger, shame, or sadness and react automatically. The good news: shenpa isn’t a mistake, but a signal. And you can learn to deal with it differently. Here’s how:
An exercise to break through emotional triggers
1. Recognize the moment of “hookup”
The first step is awareness. Try to notice when you’re emotionally triggered and react automatically. It could be something small: someone cuts you off in traffic, a colleague makes a comment, your partner says something in the wrong tone. The moment you notice: now I’m hooking up is crucial. Not to judge yourself, but simply to recognize: this is shenpa.
2. Interrupt your automatic reaction
Instead of following the impulse, consciously pause:
Take three slow, deep breaths
Stay focused on the sensation of the emotion
Pema Chödrön invites you to become curious: How does this emotion feel in my body? Is it warm, tight, restless? What thoughts accompany it? You don’t have to resolve or change anything. Just stay present with the energy, without judgment. This can be uncomfortable, especially at first. So stay as long as it’s bearable.
3. Relax and continue with your day
Then let go of the exercise and continue with what you were doing. The goal isn’t to suppress emotions, but neither is it to dwell on them. Start practicing with small, everyday triggers: in traffic, at work, at home. Daily life offers endless practice material. By starting small, you develop resilience that will also help you with larger emotional challenges.
Emotional freedom starts with mindfulness
Dealing with emotional triggers doesn’t mean you’ll never be angry, sad, or irritated again. It means learning not to react automatically, but to choose more consciously. Each time you recognize and stay with shenpa for a moment, you train your ability to create space. Space for gentleness, clarity, and ultimately, more inner peace. Don’t see this exercise as something that has to be “good” or “perfect,” but as a gentle invitation to get to know yourself better—precisely at the moments when it really matters.
Why we prefer to avoid emotions
Many of us have learned to numb discomfort as quickly as possible. We grab our phone, turn on the TV, eat something sweet or keep ourselves busy just to avoid feeling what is going on.
[Source: Happinez]
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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The Teachings of Acharya S.N. Goenka
Kees Boukema
Where there is darkness, there is a need for light. Now that the world is ravaged by violent conflict, war, and bloodshed, peace and harmony are desperately needed. This is a tremendous challenge for world leaders and for spiritual leaders. Let us rise to this challenge.
Religions have an inner essence and diverse manifestations, such as rituals, worship services, expressions of faith and dogmas. This external appearance varies from religion to religion, but the essence lies in the realm of morality and charity, and this is universal: developing a disciplined and pure mind full of love, compassion, goodwill, and tolerance. Spiritual leaders should emphasize what they have in common, and believers should put this into practice. If we were to focus on the essence of religions and be more tolerant of their external appearance, the risk of conflict would be significantly reduced.
These words were spoken on August 31, 2000 at the United Nations headquarters in New York at the opening of the Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders. [See YouTube www.dhamma.org/nl]. The audience responded with applause and cheers. The speaker, Acharya Satya Narayan Goenka, a meditation teacher in India, continued:
“Every individual should have freedom of religion. Believers must be careful not to neglect the essence and ensure that their own religious practices do not disrupt those of others. One should not condemn or denigrate differing beliefs. The Buddha was often approached by people with differing beliefs. He would say: ‘Let us put aside our differences, let us focus on what we agree on, and let us put it into practice.’”
“I come from an ancient country where, over the past thousands of years, many philosophical and spiritual schools have emerged. Aside from occasional violence, my country was a model of peaceful religious coexistence. About 2,300 years ago, that country was ruled by Emperor Ashoka the Great. He had edicts chiseled into stone pillars everywhere, stating that all religions must be respected. This allowed followers of all faiths to feel safe. These inscriptions are still legible:
“We may honor our own religion and must respect other religions. By doing so, we help our own religion grow and we do a good service to that of others. Someone who honors his own religion and condemns that of others may do so out of love for his own religion, but his behavior is more likely to harm it. There must be unity: the willingness to listen to the teachings of others.”
According to Goenka, there are still leaders who keep this tradition alive. He cites Oman, the sultanate on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula, as an example. It is a country with freedom of religion, governed by a monarch who devoutly practices Islam and allows followers of various religions to practice their faith in mosques, churches, and temples. The propagation of religions is not tolerated, and missionary proselytizing is prohibited.
In Oman, Islam is the state religion; the vast majority of Omanis adhere to Ibadism, a branch of Islam that has traditionally been tolerant of other religions and teaches that faith can never be a reason for war or violence. A faith remains vibrant if it is in harmony with changing cultural and scientific circumstances. “Such rulers will regularly come to power in the future,” Goenka said. “It is written, ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the sons of God’ (Matt. 5:9). If there is no peace in the hearts of people, there can be no peace in the world. A religion worthy of the name does not divide, but unites. Let there be no conversion from one religion to another, but conversion from misery to joy, from bondage to freedom, and from cruelty to compassion.” (Again: Loud applause and enthusiastic cheers.)
A peaceful society requires more and more members to be peaceful. It is our responsibility as leaders to be an example and a source of inspiration. A peaceful society will also find a way to live in harmony with its natural environment. We all know how important it is to protect our environment and stop environmental pollution. Mental pollutants like ignorance, cruelty, and greed stand in our way. Eliminating these pollutants will not only promote peace among people but also a healthy relationship between human society and its natural environment.
“There are differences among religions, that is true. By gathering at this Summit for World Peace, the leaders of all major religions demonstrate their commitment to peace. May peace be the foundational principle of a ‘universal religion.’ Let us stand united and declare in our declaration that we will abstain from killing and condemn violence,” said Indian meditation teacher Satya Naryan Goenka in his address on August 31, 2000, at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
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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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A Story
Swami Vivekananda had a stock of funny stories, some of which he told again and again. One was about a missionary to the cannibal islands who, upon his arrival, asked the people there how they liked his predecessor and received the reply, “He was de-li-cious”. Another was about the Negro preacher, who in telling the story of the creation of Adam, said: “God made Adam and put him up against de fence to dry,” when he was interrupted by a voice from the congregation, “Hold on dere, brudder. Who made dat fence?” At this, the Negro preacher leaned over the pulpit and said solemnly: “One more question like dat, and you smashes all teology.”
Then Swamiji would tell about the woman who asked him, “Swami, are you a Buddhist?” {pronounced like bud}, and he would say wickedly but with a grave face, “No, madam, I am a florist.”
Sister Christine
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Knowledge and Humor
Paulo J. S. Bittencourt
Professor of the History Course at UFFS – Erechim Campus
Published in 1980, the novel The Name of the Rose, by the late Italian writer, philosopher, semiotician, and linguist Umberto Eco, is one of the most ingenious creations of 20th-century literature. The book received an excellent film adaptation in 1986, directed by the great director Jean-Jacques Annaud.
In 1327, William of Baskerville, a Franciscan friar born in England, sought to unravel a series of murders of Benedictine monks in a monastery in northern Italy. The deaths, which occurred within a week, were attributed by the monks who lived there to supernatural and demonic causes.
Initially, the reasons that led William to the aforementioned monastery were the debate that would take place there between representatives of the Franciscan Order and the papal delegates regarding the issue of Christ’s poverty. However, the wise friar, from his arrival, devoted himself entirely to investigating the causes of the deaths. Using a rigorously logical method of investigating the evidence, William masterfully constructed a coherent framework of explanations that culminated in the final solution to the mystery that tormented the monastery. To this end, the protagonist of the story employed his unbridled curiosity, his logical faculties, which dated back to the rigor of Aristotelian philosophy, and the empirical consideration of the natural causes of phenomena. William and his inseparable pupil, the novice Adso of Melk, discovered that the deaths were related to the possession, by the victimized monks, of the Second Book of Aristotle’s “Poetics,” a work entirely dedicated to comedy, a rare copy of which was hidden in the almost inaccessible library of the monastery. The fear of spiritually dangerous books, filled with wisdom different from Christian wisdom and which would call into question the infallibility of the Holy Scriptures, was combined with a repulsion towards laughter and what lay behind it, humor, a feeling that, according to the guardian of the work in the library and directly responsible for the deaths, if cultivated by the wise, would abolish the fear of evil, when, in that case, there could be no fear of God.
As the murders and William’s investigations unfolded, the debate began to occupy a relatively secondary role in the narrative. However, this was not an unimportant detail. The backdrop to the disputes between the two parties summarized the theological foundations of the political struggles of the time between the defenders of the autonomy of temporal power in relation to spiritual power – in this case, the Franciscans – and the propagators of the submission of the power of princes to the papal power – represented, on that occasion, by the representatives of the Court of John XXII, the pontiff who was in Avignon (France).
The distinction between science and religion and the separation between spiritual and temporal power in the centralized monarchical states of the late Middle Ages—fundamental characteristics of the modern Western world—were the paths to which the intricate labyrinth of the era depicted in Eco’s work led. And like any labyrinth, built so that those who enter it can no longer see the light of day, many who dared to tread its then-forbidden paths could no longer find their way out. But perhaps driven more by the irresistible thirst for knowledge of those who fell into the traps than intimidated by the fearsome snares that sealed their fate, others did not give up, and for a long time, dark rooms filled with illuminated books would continue to be revisited by curious transgressors. Not without reason, it is said that books help us see further through time and space (and, in this case, through labyrinths). Perhaps for this reason, coupled with that irrepressible obstinacy, we can now read a book without necessarily falling into a trapdoor and, recalling Henry David Thoreau, begin a completely new life upon finishing it. And if Jorge de Burgos, the brother so resistant to humor in Eco’s novel, asserted that laughter is proper to fools, there is, between him and us, Nietzsche declaring, perhaps with a sly smile hidden by his thick mustache, that, on the contrary, “the intellectual power of a man is measured by the amount of humor he is capable of using.”
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Professor Paulo Bittencourt teaches History at the UFFS, Erchim Campus, Rio Grande de Sul. “Federal University of Southern Frontier” [UFFS] is one of the best universities of Brasil with highly qualified professors at the helm. Professor Bittencourt never rejects our request for articles, though he is very busy.
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“Pray to God with tears in your eyes whenever you want illumination or find yourself faced with any doubt or difficulty. The Lord will remove all your impurities, assuage your mental anguish, and give you enlightenment.”
Mother Sri Sarada Devi
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Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Saradananda
Sri Ramakrishna’s love was especially for young students. He would say, “Their minds are not yet divided between many interests such as wife and children, desire for wealth, fame, and so on. If they are well educated, they can give their whole mind to God.” Therefore, he loved to instruct them on the spiritual path. He would say, “The mind is like a packet of mustard seeds. Once you scatter it, it is very difficult to collect the seeds again.” Or he would say, “Once a bird is fully grown, it is difficult to teach it to say Radha Krishna.” Or again, he would say, “If a cow steps on an unburned tile, the footprint can easily be smoothed.
But once the tile is burned, the impression cannot be removed.” He would therefore carefully question the boys to discover the natural inclination of their minds—whether it be toward pravritti, or worldly pleasures, or toward nivritti, or renunciation. He would train them to renunciation (detachment) if they were fit for it. By asking questions, he would also learn whether the boy was uncivilized and truthful, whether he was actually practicing as he claimed, whether or not he was discriminating in all his actions, and to what extent he could understand the Master’s instructions. He would carefully determine all these.
Once, he asked a young student who came to him, “Why don’t you marry?” The boy replied, “Sir, my mind is not yet under my control. If I marry now, I will not distinguish between right and wrong in my attachment to my wife. If I can overcome lust, then I will marry.” Sri Ramakrishna understood that although the boy had a strong attraction to sensory stimuli, his mind was nevertheless inclined towards the path of renunciation. He laughed and said, “If you have overcome lust, you need not marry at all.”
Talking to another boy from Dakshineswar, he said, “You see, I can’t keep my cloth on all the time. Sometimes it comes loose and falls off without me noticing. I’m an old man, and I move around naked, yet I don’t feel ashamed. What’s the reason? Before, I didn’t notice at all whether people saw me naked or not. But now I notice that some people feel embarrassed, so I keep my cloth in my lap. Can you go naked, like me, for others?” The boy said, “Sir, I don’t know. But if you tell me to, I think I can.” Sri Ramakrishna said, “Try it. Take off your cloth, wrap it around your head, and walk across the courtyard.” The boy said, “No, sir. I can’t do that. I can only do that for you.” Sri Ramakrishna said, “Yes, others also say they feel the same.
They don’t feel ashamed around me, but they do around others.”
Once it was the second day of the clear night. We were all at rest. The moonlight was beautiful. The rising tide of the Ganges was always a magnificent sight on such evenings. In the middle of the night, Sri Ramakrishna called us and said, “Come, come and see the rising tide.” He then went to the bank himself. When he saw the calm waters of the Ganges rising in huge waves with the tide and splashing against the shore, he felt as happy as a boy and began to dance.
“When we got up, we had to fasten our clothes before we could follow him, and that made us arrive a little late. By the time we reached the bank, the moments of great beauty were over. Only a few were in time to see a part of it. Sri Ramakrishna was absorbed in his own joy. When it was over, he turned to us and said, “How did you like it?”
When he heard that we had arrived late because we had to get dressed, he said, “You fools.” Do you think the tide will wait for you to get dressed? Why didn’t you leave your clothes behind like I did?
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Mary Saaleman is a devotee of Sri Ramakrishna since decades. She is a student of Vedanta and is regularly studying Ramakrishna-Vedanta literature.
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The heart is the greatest river of your life, the head is the bridge over the river. Always s follow the heart.
Swami Vivekananda.
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India and Dharma
[Prabuddha Bharata 1920]
INDIA is One—from the spiritual viewpoint. This is evidenced in our literature and religious beliefs, and the background is the vision of Brahman, the triumph of the soul over the consciousness of the body. This is the land of spiritual ideas. At bottom we are one from Ceylon to the Himalayas, because our ideas, though innumerable and most marvelously complex, are one, bearing relation to the vision of the Divine. Never have there been greater men than the Rishis; never have there been more comprehensive thought-systems than those of the Vedanta. Our epics, the Ramayana and Mahabharata, are charged with most inspiring narratives of heroes and of sages. They embody the very highest ethical and spiritual outlook and they give us the history of the Indian ideas and of Indian greatness. Where shall one find more inspiring scriptures than those of the Vedas and the Upanishads? And where in the history of human thought are there elsewhere such divine utterances of soul as the Bhagavad Gita and the Nirvana Shatka!
Here, in our motherland, the human mind has thought out the most inclusive ideas, going beyond the very foundations of logic into the depths of the spiritual consciousness. Here, in our motherland, the human soul has struck the highest note of truth concerning the Nature of the individual. Here, in this land, the grand exclamations of the soul, which has attained the divine Consciousness, say, ‘‘Aham Brahmasmi!’’ and ‘’Tat ‘vam asi!’ Behold the long list of the Avataras: Rama! Krishna! Buddha! Shankara ! Chaitanya ! Guru Nanak! Behold the retinue of philosophers, Kapila, Gautama, Kanada, Jaimini, Ramanujacharya, Madvhacharya, Vallabhacharya and the philosophers of Nalanda and Nadia universities!
Aye, India is One. For from North to South and from East to West this is the basis of Hinduism. It is Hinduism. From Kashmir and Nepal to Rameswar and Bombay and from Kailash to Ceylon, India is One in its culture, in its faith, in its spiritual outlook. ‘True India is not an India of provinces, but of culture. It is a Nation.
Swami Raghavananda