Learning from Deepak Bhai

I will posting my learning from Deepak Bhai Ji's lecture here:

• When you say 'I am soul'- this is correct and you mean it. And when you say 'My weight is 140 lbs'- this is dramatic, since this is relatively true and not real (Realize this is dramatic when you say these words.)
• If I understand I am soul- If someone abuses/praises Shrish, I should not get affected.
  

5 Principles

1. I am pure soul (I am pure observer.)
   
2. Everyone else is pure soul (Everyone else is pure observer.)
   
3. Any conflict happens because of scientific circumstantial evidence
4. Try to solve the conflict
5. If you can not do good to others, do not do bad.
   

7 Tatva - another perspective

Jeeva =

• the one who lives

Ajeeva =

• he one who does not live

Asrava=

• Starting to create new Bandha

Bandha=

• The emotional bondage with family, relatives, friends and society.
• The emotional bondage with house etc
• The emotional bondage with our identity in our wisdom, opinions, memory, ambitions, achievements, imgage in society etc.
• If we do not like some one, that is also an attachment.

Sanvar=

• Not creating new Bandha (association with body and outer objects)

Nirjara=

• Breaking up exisiting attachments by practicing equanimity and getting rid of desires etc
• By idenitifying onself in the observer.

Moksha=

• When there is no attachment with body, family etc. All world looks same to the observer.

Examples of Vibhaav of Soul

Gunsthan
Krodh
Maan
Maya
Pride
Memory
Judgments
Change in Knowledge Screen
Imaginations
I-ness
Planning
Ambitions
Comparison
Past Grievances
Achievements
Trying to impress someone
Fear of life and death
love
my intelligence/ achievements
my opinions
my research
my family
my looks
approval of something
disapproval of something

Meditation techniques

Go from whole body from top to bottom:

• Visualize consciousness at every place
• Visualize love (Maitri, Karuna, Pramod) at every place
• Visualize Bhakti at ever place
• VIsuale - "Jo hota hai use hone do" at every place of the body.
• Visualize equanimity at every place (= Vipassana)
  

Guru Shishya Tradition

India had a wonderful tradition of Guru and Shishya, which I have always considered to be the best mode of teaching. The teacher who had the knowledge in his heart used to transfer it to its disciple. This was like a mutual induction. The heart of the Guru vibrates with knowledge and with his compassion the disciple's heart also get into the same tunes. And resonance of bliss happens, which is experience by only two- the teacher and disciple. And only the two can understand.

There is no give and take relationship here. It is 'give only' relationship. For Guru, it is always to give. And for disciple too. The Guru gives knowledge and disciple gives respect. The knowledge which disciple acquires is just a side product. His respect and devotion to the Guru is only where his heart lies.

In current world, we say we can't find a Guru. The question is how can we really find a Guru. How can a Guru appear to a dead heart, which we carry in the current times.

The education of current times buried our heart deep down somewhere. We never acquired the knowledge, we always bought the knowledge in exchange of dead bills of dollars and rupees. And this never let our hearts blossom with respect and devotion. And now when we seek out for a Guru, the devotion and thirst is all dead from the dead heart which has lost the strings which used to vibrate earlier with compassion and respect. And which always learnt to give. And which did not know the new phenomenon of 'give and take'.

And now when we have no devotion, how can we find a compassionate Guru come to us!

My experience with Art of living course Part 1

I just had 3 day course on Art of living Part 1. It was a wonderful experience meeting volunteers from the organization and going through the process where they talk about how to get rid of bad thoughts/emotions using breathing techniques, and also learnt many wise ideas through their talks. Anybody who has inclination in spirituality, or want to live in spiritual bliss should definitely do the course.

Some learning/quotes from the course:

·

· When we are in past, we have sorrow and regret. And when we are in future, we have expectations, greed. When we are in present, we are happy.

· What is the first sign of stress? You lose your smile. (- Guru Ji)

·

· There are two kind of thoughts: One which clings for long. And one which comes and go. Usually when we are in thinking - sometimes we just keep thinking on one thing for a long. We cling to it, and some times we just keep changing our thoughts. If we are changing our thoughts, then is relatively better.

· If someone uses you, it is good. At least you are useful, rather than always worried about that nobody should use me.

· How to make the world happy? You yourself become happy. Your happiness will spread sphere of happiness around you.

· If you fight your bad thoughts, they will come back strongly. If you be just aware of it, they will go away.

·

Experiences:

· During the course, I experiences, we all have same lives. We all go through same kind of joys and sorrows. All have the same soul, and we all make various faces and shape. Then why do we hate each other. We should love everybody, and have compassion for others.

· During one exercise, I felt no difference in me and others. I am a soul and so others are. Then why do I lose love for others- why do I hurt others. This reminds me of one sentence from Mahatma Gandhi's autobiography- "The best way to revert to some bad thing which other has done to you, is to do good to him". And seems I have always been judging others for them being bad or good, while the truth is 'everyone else is my image, and nothing else'.

· After the Sudarshan Kriya, we were asked to lay down. And I was having some emotions going on in my head, and I think I could feel those emotions the way I never did before. I think I am more skilled now in being aware of my emotions/thoughts.

Support of Breathing techniques in Jain Scriptures:

The course talks about breathing techniques to keep emotional state in control. Hinduism and Jainism both support the breathing techniques.

Here is a reference from Gyanarnav Scripture in Jainism, which was written around 10 centuries back, Chapter- प्राणायम वर्णन

However it has been mentioned, that Pranayam is not the ultimate goal, one needs Pranayam to win over his ‘Mann’ and then he should adopt advanced meditation techniques to attain complete detachment from the world, and attain perfect bliss.