Chapter 2, Verses 62, 63
“Being preoccupied about sense-objects
Will attach you to sense-objects.
Grow attached, and you become addicted.
Thwart your addiction, and it turns to anger.
Be angry, and you confuse your mind.
Confuse your mind, and you forget the lessons of experience.
Forget your lessons, and you lose discernment.
Lose discernment, and you miss life’s purpose.”
Mahatma Gandhi:
“Craving cannot but lead to resentment, for it remains unending and unsatisfied.”
[“Craving” has a different quality than the “longing” for steady presence. The former is desire turned outward and the latter is desire turned inward, towards the source of all that is which can be touched when the mind chatter ceases. We need to cultivate that longing to motivate us to turn that outward-going momentum inward. It is a Sattvic desire, the function of a pure Buddhi (discerning faculty). Ultimately, even Sattvic desires will get burnt up in the fire of steady wisdom.]
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
II: 64
Chapter 2, Verse 64,
“But the one who moves in the world of the senses,
Keeping the senses in harmony,
Free from attraction and aversion,
Finds rest in quietness.”
Eckhart Tolle:
“Stillness is your essential nature. What is stillness? The inner space or awareness in which the words on this page are being perceived and become thoughts. Without that awareness, there would be no perception, no thoughts, no world. You are that awareness, disguised as a person.”
Daniel Clark:
“…Being ’free from all attachment and aversion’ seems to be the key that unlocks the door to paradise.
I'll just repeat myself - how do I arrive there?
(1) doing service to Krishna.
(2) learning the science of spiritual reality.
(3) getting kicked around by the reactions to my material activities.
It seems to me that all three have to happen side by side over the years for the desired state to be achieved.”
“But the one who moves in the world of the senses,
Keeping the senses in harmony,
Free from attraction and aversion,
Finds rest in quietness.”
Eckhart Tolle:
“Stillness is your essential nature. What is stillness? The inner space or awareness in which the words on this page are being perceived and become thoughts. Without that awareness, there would be no perception, no thoughts, no world. You are that awareness, disguised as a person.”
Daniel Clark:
“…Being ’free from all attachment and aversion’ seems to be the key that unlocks the door to paradise.
I'll just repeat myself - how do I arrive there?
(1) doing service to Krishna.
(2) learning the science of spiritual reality.
(3) getting kicked around by the reactions to my material activities.
It seems to me that all three have to happen side by side over the years for the desired state to be achieved.”
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
II: 61
Chapter 2, Verse 61
“Bringing the senses
Into the harmony of recollection,
They sit devotedly,
With their souls finding rest in me.
I call them illumined.”
Sri Aurobindo:
“By mastery of the senses the wise and calm intelligence becomes firmly established in its proper seat. This cannot be done perfectly by the act of the intelligence itself, by a merely mental self-discipline. It can only be done by Yoga with something which is higher than itself and in which calm and self-mastery are inherent. The liberator is within us, but it is not our mind, nor our intelligence, nor our personal will…they are only instruments. It is the Lord [the higher power within us and without us] in whom, as we are told in the end, we have utterly to take refuge. For that we must at first make the Lord the focus of our whole being. In this verse we receive this message in seed-form, the whole gist of the highest secret yet to be developed.”
Srila Prabhupada:
“Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana, a great scholar and Acharya remarks:
‘The senses can be completely controlled by the strength of devotional service to Krishna.’
Also, the example of fire is given:
‘As a blazing fire burns everything within a room, Lord Vishnu, situated in the heart of the Yogi, burns up all kinds of impurities.’”
“Bringing the senses
Into the harmony of recollection,
They sit devotedly,
With their souls finding rest in me.
I call them illumined.”
Sri Aurobindo:
“By mastery of the senses the wise and calm intelligence becomes firmly established in its proper seat. This cannot be done perfectly by the act of the intelligence itself, by a merely mental self-discipline. It can only be done by Yoga with something which is higher than itself and in which calm and self-mastery are inherent. The liberator is within us, but it is not our mind, nor our intelligence, nor our personal will…they are only instruments. It is the Lord [the higher power within us and without us] in whom, as we are told in the end, we have utterly to take refuge. For that we must at first make the Lord the focus of our whole being. In this verse we receive this message in seed-form, the whole gist of the highest secret yet to be developed.”
Srila Prabhupada:
“Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana, a great scholar and Acharya remarks:
‘The senses can be completely controlled by the strength of devotional service to Krishna.’
Also, the example of fire is given:
‘As a blazing fire burns everything within a room, Lord Vishnu, situated in the heart of the Yogi, burns up all kinds of impurities.’”
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
II: 60
Chapter 2, Verse 60
“The restless violence of the senses
Impetuously carries away the mind
Even of the advanced
Who are striving for wholeness.”
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi:
“Here Krishna describes to Arjuna the nature of the senses. Being the instruments which enable the mind to enjoy the glory of the diversity of creation, they are bound to draw it towards objects of pleasure. Their main purpose is to bring the greatest possible enjoyment to the mind. And this they will continue to do as long as the mind has not learned how to withdraw them inwards so that it may become established in the peace and joy of silence.”
“The restless violence of the senses
Impetuously carries away the mind
Even of the advanced
Who are striving for wholeness.”
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi:
“Here Krishna describes to Arjuna the nature of the senses. Being the instruments which enable the mind to enjoy the glory of the diversity of creation, they are bound to draw it towards objects of pleasure. Their main purpose is to bring the greatest possible enjoyment to the mind. And this they will continue to do as long as the mind has not learned how to withdraw them inwards so that it may become established in the peace and joy of silence.”
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
II: 59
Chapter 2, Verse 59
“Sense-objects fade for the abstinent,
Yet the craving for them continues,
But even the craving vanishes
For those who have experienced the truth.”
Srila Prabhupada:
“The process of restriction from sense enjoyment by rules and regulations is something like restricting an unwell person from certain kinds of eatables. The patient will neither like such restrictions nor lose the hankering for the eatables. But for one who has tasted the beauty of the Supreme Lord Krishna, in the course of advancing in Krishna consciousness, there will no longer be a hankering for material things.”
Daniel Clark:
The ‘higher taste’ concept became the focus of the psychology of detachment in ISKCON for some time - maybe today too. As we hear more and more about Krishna and serve him more and more, we grow closer and closer to his divinely intoxicating presence, and naturally lose our taste for the mundane pleasures of this world. For this reason we framed Krishna Consciousness as being essentially a positive process. On the other side of the coin, however, the smiling dos were balanced by an impressive list of scowling don'ts. I feel that both the positive and the negative are necessary for our spiritual development. But there is one more aspect, and thatis simple experience itself. We learn by doing. Nourished by association with Krishna, and chastened by knowledge of the limitations of the material world, we go forth and experience life.That field of experience is the soil in which the seed of our love-for-God takes root firmly. It pushes down deeper than the mind can go. Experience firmly establishes our residence at Krishna's lotus feet.”
“Sense-objects fade for the abstinent,
Yet the craving for them continues,
But even the craving vanishes
For those who have experienced the truth.”
Srila Prabhupada:
“The process of restriction from sense enjoyment by rules and regulations is something like restricting an unwell person from certain kinds of eatables. The patient will neither like such restrictions nor lose the hankering for the eatables. But for one who has tasted the beauty of the Supreme Lord Krishna, in the course of advancing in Krishna consciousness, there will no longer be a hankering for material things.”
Daniel Clark:
The ‘higher taste’ concept became the focus of the psychology of detachment in ISKCON for some time - maybe today too. As we hear more and more about Krishna and serve him more and more, we grow closer and closer to his divinely intoxicating presence, and naturally lose our taste for the mundane pleasures of this world. For this reason we framed Krishna Consciousness as being essentially a positive process. On the other side of the coin, however, the smiling dos were balanced by an impressive list of scowling don'ts. I feel that both the positive and the negative are necessary for our spiritual development. But there is one more aspect, and thatis simple experience itself. We learn by doing. Nourished by association with Krishna, and chastened by knowledge of the limitations of the material world, we go forth and experience life.That field of experience is the soil in which the seed of our love-for-God takes root firmly. It pushes down deeper than the mind can go. Experience firmly establishes our residence at Krishna's lotus feet.”
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
II: 58
Chapter 2, Verse 58
“Tortoises draw in their legs.
Those with steady wisdom
Draw in their senses.
I call them illumined.”
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi:
“It may appear that those of steady wisdom referred to in these verses are only those who are in a state of meditative Samadhi (super-conscious trance) for in this state alone are the senses completely withdrawn from objects. But ‘draw in their senses’ does not necessarily mean that the senses are not experiencing outside objects. The senses may be involved with outer experiences and yet not be engrossed in them to the extent that impressions are transferred to the mind deeply enough to become the seeds of future desires requiring gratification. It is vital to understand this point; otherwise, those of steady wisdom would have to for ever remain outside the domain of sensory activity which is not the case at all.”
Srila Prabhupada:
“The test of Yogis is that they are able to control their senses according to plan. Most people are servants of the senses and are thus directed by the dictation of the senses. There are many injunctions in the scriptures. Some of them are do-nots, and some of them are dos. Unless you are able to do the dos and not do the do-nots, it is not possible to be firmly fixed in Krishna consciousness. The senses of Krishna conscious persons are used only in service of the Lord. Krishna is teaching Arjuna here to use his senses for the service of the Lord, instead of for his own satisfaction.”
[The proof of the pudding is in the eating. Thoughts have positive power when they help me make positive changes on the path in the sense of doing the dos that Prabhupad talks about and not doing the do-nots. Many of these injunctions require deep-seated re-conditioning which is where the deep feeling, the deep longing to come into alignment with the higher power and devotion to that ideal helps big-time.]
Daniel Clark:
“Serving Krishna with devotion sets the standard for life fully lived. Studying the Gita provides the knowledge of what is real and what is illusory in life. But neither one nor both together can factually finish off my taste for material life. To whatever extent I've developed distaste for my non-Krishna life, it's because of the pain it's given me. Suffering is the third horse on the troika of spiritual advancement. Bhakti (devotion), Gyan (knowledge), and Dukkha (suffering). Prabhupad used to say, ‘You want to enjoy? Just try to enjoy!’ Of course, I try. It works for a while. But then it turns sour. Or, at least dull. Neither devotion nor knowledge gets permanently fixed in my heart without the annealing fire of suffering – personally suffering the results of my apparent enjoyment. Paraphrasing your Prabhupad quote, only when I've experienced enough pain from the do-nots, and have stopped doing them, embracing only the dos, will I be firmly fixed in Krishna consciousness. This is not an attractive message. But it's true.”
“Tortoises draw in their legs.
Those with steady wisdom
Draw in their senses.
I call them illumined.”
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi:
“It may appear that those of steady wisdom referred to in these verses are only those who are in a state of meditative Samadhi (super-conscious trance) for in this state alone are the senses completely withdrawn from objects. But ‘draw in their senses’ does not necessarily mean that the senses are not experiencing outside objects. The senses may be involved with outer experiences and yet not be engrossed in them to the extent that impressions are transferred to the mind deeply enough to become the seeds of future desires requiring gratification. It is vital to understand this point; otherwise, those of steady wisdom would have to for ever remain outside the domain of sensory activity which is not the case at all.”
Srila Prabhupada:
“The test of Yogis is that they are able to control their senses according to plan. Most people are servants of the senses and are thus directed by the dictation of the senses. There are many injunctions in the scriptures. Some of them are do-nots, and some of them are dos. Unless you are able to do the dos and not do the do-nots, it is not possible to be firmly fixed in Krishna consciousness. The senses of Krishna conscious persons are used only in service of the Lord. Krishna is teaching Arjuna here to use his senses for the service of the Lord, instead of for his own satisfaction.”
[The proof of the pudding is in the eating. Thoughts have positive power when they help me make positive changes on the path in the sense of doing the dos that Prabhupad talks about and not doing the do-nots. Many of these injunctions require deep-seated re-conditioning which is where the deep feeling, the deep longing to come into alignment with the higher power and devotion to that ideal helps big-time.]
Daniel Clark:
“Serving Krishna with devotion sets the standard for life fully lived. Studying the Gita provides the knowledge of what is real and what is illusory in life. But neither one nor both together can factually finish off my taste for material life. To whatever extent I've developed distaste for my non-Krishna life, it's because of the pain it's given me. Suffering is the third horse on the troika of spiritual advancement. Bhakti (devotion), Gyan (knowledge), and Dukkha (suffering). Prabhupad used to say, ‘You want to enjoy? Just try to enjoy!’ Of course, I try. It works for a while. But then it turns sour. Or, at least dull. Neither devotion nor knowledge gets permanently fixed in my heart without the annealing fire of suffering – personally suffering the results of my apparent enjoyment. Paraphrasing your Prabhupad quote, only when I've experienced enough pain from the do-nots, and have stopped doing them, embracing only the dos, will I be firmly fixed in Krishna consciousness. This is not an attractive message. But it's true.”
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
II: 57
Chapter 2, Verse 57
“They are not tied down
By anyone or anything.
They are lucky and do not rejoice.
They are unlucky and do not weep.
This is steady wisdom.
I call them illumined.”
Srila Prabhupada:
“As long as one is in the material world, there is always the possibility of good and evil because the world is full of duality. But those who are fixed in Krishna consciousness are not affected by good and evil, because they are simply concerned with Krishna, who is all-good absolute.”
Sri Ramakrishna:
“For those who see from the peak of a mountain…the tall trees, the grass, the ups and downs of the terrain, and everything on the plains below seem the same. In the same way, those with steady wisdom see divinity in everything.
A saint passed along a crowded street. By chance he stepped on the foot of a disgruntled man who became enraged and recklessly assaulted the holy man, until he fainted and fell down. He was forthwith carried to the monastery and tenderly nursed by his brothers. When he regained consciousness, he was asked if he could recognize the one attending him. ‘The hand that beat up this body is now nursing it,’ he replied.”
Is there a difference between happiness and inner peace?
Eckhart Tolle:
"Yes. Happiness depends on conditions being perceived as positive; inner peace does not."
Is it not possible to attract only positive conditions into our life? If our attitude and our thinking are always positive, we would manifest only positive events and situations, wouldn’t we?
"Do you truly understand what is positive and what is negative? Do you have the total picture? There have been many for whom limitation, failure, loss, illness or pain in whatever form turned out to be their greatest teacher. It taught them to let go of misleading self-images and superficial ego-dictated desires. It gave them depth, humility and compassion. It made them more real.
Whenever anything negative happens to you, there is a deep lesson concealed within it, although you may not see it at the time. For instance, an illness or an accident can show you what is real and unreal in your life, what ultimately matters and what doesn’t.
Seen from a higher perspective, conditions are always positive. To be more precise: they are neither positive nor negative. They are as they are. When you live with complete acceptance of what is…which is the only sane way to live…there is no ‘good’ or ‘bad’ in your life anymore. There is only a higher good…which includes the ‘bad.’ Seen from the perspective of the mind, however, there is good/bad, like/dislike, love/hate, etc. Hence, in the Book of Genesis, it is said that Adam and Eve were no longer allowed to dwell in ‘paradise’ when they ‘ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.’ ”
Daniel Clark:
“Thanks for your gift of three ways to be stoic. Prabhupad is stoic because everything is Krishna. Ramakrishna is stoic because all is one. Tolle is stoic because whatever is, is.”
[dictionary definition of stoic: “indifferent to pleasure and pain based on the school of Stoicism founded by the Greek Zeno around 300 B.C. which maintained that the wise are submissive to natural law and unmoved by joy or grief.”
I am leery of using the word “stoic” because it is so often tied to the idea of indifference which implies a lack of feeling. The illumined whose wisdom is steady are sensitive to all that happens in their midst; but because they consciously rest on a foundation of inner peace and tranquility, they are not tossed about on the waves of ups and downs like the rest of us. They show us what is possible for humans. They are beacons of hope.]
“They are not tied down
By anyone or anything.
They are lucky and do not rejoice.
They are unlucky and do not weep.
This is steady wisdom.
I call them illumined.”
Srila Prabhupada:
“As long as one is in the material world, there is always the possibility of good and evil because the world is full of duality. But those who are fixed in Krishna consciousness are not affected by good and evil, because they are simply concerned with Krishna, who is all-good absolute.”
Sri Ramakrishna:
“For those who see from the peak of a mountain…the tall trees, the grass, the ups and downs of the terrain, and everything on the plains below seem the same. In the same way, those with steady wisdom see divinity in everything.
A saint passed along a crowded street. By chance he stepped on the foot of a disgruntled man who became enraged and recklessly assaulted the holy man, until he fainted and fell down. He was forthwith carried to the monastery and tenderly nursed by his brothers. When he regained consciousness, he was asked if he could recognize the one attending him. ‘The hand that beat up this body is now nursing it,’ he replied.”
Is there a difference between happiness and inner peace?
Eckhart Tolle:
"Yes. Happiness depends on conditions being perceived as positive; inner peace does not."
Is it not possible to attract only positive conditions into our life? If our attitude and our thinking are always positive, we would manifest only positive events and situations, wouldn’t we?
"Do you truly understand what is positive and what is negative? Do you have the total picture? There have been many for whom limitation, failure, loss, illness or pain in whatever form turned out to be their greatest teacher. It taught them to let go of misleading self-images and superficial ego-dictated desires. It gave them depth, humility and compassion. It made them more real.
Whenever anything negative happens to you, there is a deep lesson concealed within it, although you may not see it at the time. For instance, an illness or an accident can show you what is real and unreal in your life, what ultimately matters and what doesn’t.
Seen from a higher perspective, conditions are always positive. To be more precise: they are neither positive nor negative. They are as they are. When you live with complete acceptance of what is…which is the only sane way to live…there is no ‘good’ or ‘bad’ in your life anymore. There is only a higher good…which includes the ‘bad.’ Seen from the perspective of the mind, however, there is good/bad, like/dislike, love/hate, etc. Hence, in the Book of Genesis, it is said that Adam and Eve were no longer allowed to dwell in ‘paradise’ when they ‘ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.’ ”
Daniel Clark:
“Thanks for your gift of three ways to be stoic. Prabhupad is stoic because everything is Krishna. Ramakrishna is stoic because all is one. Tolle is stoic because whatever is, is.”
[dictionary definition of stoic: “indifferent to pleasure and pain based on the school of Stoicism founded by the Greek Zeno around 300 B.C. which maintained that the wise are submissive to natural law and unmoved by joy or grief.”
I am leery of using the word “stoic” because it is so often tied to the idea of indifference which implies a lack of feeling. The illumined whose wisdom is steady are sensitive to all that happens in their midst; but because they consciously rest on a foundation of inner peace and tranquility, they are not tossed about on the waves of ups and downs like the rest of us. They show us what is possible for humans. They are beacons of hope.]
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
II: 56
Chapter 2, Verse 56
Not shaken by adversity,
Not hankering after pleasure,
Free from fear,
Free from anger,
And free from the tentacles of Rajasic desire,
They are the sages whose minds do not waver.”
Mahatma Gandhi:
“To find comfort for oneself from the Atman means to look to the spirit within for spiritual comfort. Spiritual comfort is be distinguished from pleasure. The pleasure I may derive from the possession of wealth, for instance, is delusive; real spiritual comfort can be attained if I rise superior to every temptation even though troubled by the pangs of poverty and hunger.”
Srila Prabhupada:
“One who has surpassed the stage of mental speculations and has come to the conclusion that Lord Sri Krishna is everything is called a Muni of fixed mind. All miseries are accepted as the mercy of the Lord. They are due to past misdeeds. When happy, credit is given to the Lord whose grace is responsible for the comfortable condition. Success or no success, a Krishna conscious person is always steady in determination.”
[My path to salvation in an unraveling world.]
Not shaken by adversity,
Not hankering after pleasure,
Free from fear,
Free from anger,
And free from the tentacles of Rajasic desire,
They are the sages whose minds do not waver.”
Mahatma Gandhi:
“To find comfort for oneself from the Atman means to look to the spirit within for spiritual comfort. Spiritual comfort is be distinguished from pleasure. The pleasure I may derive from the possession of wealth, for instance, is delusive; real spiritual comfort can be attained if I rise superior to every temptation even though troubled by the pangs of poverty and hunger.”
Srila Prabhupada:
“One who has surpassed the stage of mental speculations and has come to the conclusion that Lord Sri Krishna is everything is called a Muni of fixed mind. All miseries are accepted as the mercy of the Lord. They are due to past misdeeds. When happy, credit is given to the Lord whose grace is responsible for the comfortable condition. Success or no success, a Krishna conscious person is always steady in determination.”
[My path to salvation in an unraveling world.]
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