Sean Bradrick is an Ayurvedic counselor, yogi, and poet. Author of ‘A Hindu`s Guide to Advocacy & Activism: Fighting the Narrative War’ and the upcoming ‘Awakening the Hindu Mind’, and ‘Meditation for Mental Health: A Path to Clarity’

(All material is copyrighted & the intellectual property of Sean Bradrick. These write-ups and much more can be found in my upcoming books, 'Awakening the Hindu Mind', and 'Meditation for Mental Health: A Path to Clarity.' 

~List of Articles~

~ Nature Can Cause and Heal Disease

~ Five Vedic Practices For Overall Health

~ A Brief History of Meditation

~ What Does Meditation Do According to Modern Science

~ What Meditation Is and What It Is Not

~ Do You Think You Can Meditate?

~ Meditation and Mental Health

~ Using Meditation to Cope with Grief & Loss

~ Meditation, Substance Abuse & Addiction

~ How Can Yoga Change the Mind?

~ Raja Yoga In Depth

~ Metaphysical Anatomy: What Are Chakras, Nadis, & Koshas? 

~ Purification Using the Five Elements 

~ Atma Vichara (Self Inquiry)

~ How and Why to Chant Aum

~ ‘Om Namah Shivaya’

~ The Gayatri Mantra

~ Ayurvedic Pathology: Why We Get Sick

~ Under Pressure: Ayurveda & Hypertension 

~ Ayurvedic Psychology & Elemental Dharma

~ Psychological Applications of Meditation

~ Overcoming Fear, Depression, & Anxiety

~ What is Your Dosha and Why It Matters

~ Staying Cool & Treatment for Excess Pitta

~ Ayurveda and Modern Medicine 

~ Sankhya in a Nutshell

~ The Importance of the Yamas & Niyamas

~ The Importance of the Gunas 

~ Regarding the Nature of Karma

~ Temple of the Heart: The Power of Kindness

~ The Maya of Thought, Time, and Place

~ Imagination is More Important than Knowledge

~ Mantra In Religious and Therapeutic Practice

~ Japa & Bija Mantra Recitation: The Four Seed Syllables of the Goddess

~ Everyday Maya: The Parody of Truth

~ The Dharma of Quantum Physics

~ Welcome to Your Path: Advice for the Potential Dharmi

~ Advice for Those Interested in Hindu Dharma

~ Transcending Suffering & Understanding Karma

~ What is a Spiritual Person?

~ My Path to Dharma & Vedic Living

~ The Ideal Idol

~ The Allopathy vs. Ayurveda Showdown

~ What Great Minds of the West Think of Vedic Culture

~ The Guru Principle

~ To Guru or Not to Guru

~ Can an Atheist Be Hindu? Can a Hindu Be Non-Theistic?

~ Religion, Dogma, & Spirituality

~ Is Asana a Hindu Practice? 

~ Is it Necessary to Reconcile Duality & Non-Duality?

~ Western Appropriation of Indic Culture and Why It Matters

~ Dharma vs Dogma

~ Hinduphobia In The Western Media: A Parody of Truth

~ The Difference Between the Concepts Sanatana Dharma & Hinduism

~ The Significance of Diwali

~ Why Are There Destructive Aspects of Hindu Deities?

~ Are You’re Under Control? 

~ Hindu Theology & Murti Worship

~ Hinduism & Religious Fundamentalism 

Nature Can Cause and Heal Disease

Nature, her elements and patterns can be a great teacher for those with ears to hear and eyes to see.  Actually, all of our five senses are connected to the corresponding five elements. 

Space or ether are connected to and experienced through the sense of hearing sound.  Go to a place where you can measure an expanse of space... like a mountain top and you'll hear echoes.

Space or ether in motion becomes air or wind and can be experienced through the sense of touch.  Open up a window on a windy day and feel the air brush over you.

Air is a state of motion and/or movement. Motion creates friction, which creates fire. Fire can be felt, but before that it can be seen.  A distant forest fire can be seen before it's felt.

Fire melts and melds finer as well as grosser elements into liquidity or water. Water can be sensed primarily through taste.  If the tongue is dry and you put salt or sugar on the tongue, the flavor can not be detected.  When the tongue is moist, it brings the flavor to the tongue and then to the brain.

Water brings molecules together in conjunction and creates earth.  Earth is experienced through the sense of smell.  The smell of rain isn't actually the smell of the rain water, it is the smell of the earth evaporating.

These five senses and these five elements each have particular qualities that can be measured and willfully adjusted through lifestyle, diet, herbal medications, aromas, various Yogic practices and the like.

This is the basis of Ayurvedic medicine which then finds its basis in the Sankhya darshan. All disease begins in the mental field. The subtleties of the mind creates the gross form of the body. Using nature and the qualities of the five elements to heal the body-mind complex can be simple. We must balance and purify these elements in ourselves and in our environment. The qualities of the impressions we take in through our senses will be the qualities we possess as a human being. For good, bad, or otherwise. 

If you doubt this, think of having to continually smell the worst thing you ever have. For me, this would be a city’s dump. Think of how this made you feel, think, and react. We know that aromatherapy has been scientifically proven. Of more validation, Ayurveda holds a five-thousand year-old database to back that up. Obviously, the degradation of the senses has a great and lasting effect on the body and mind. 

Five Vedic Practices for Overall Health

I've taught and practiced "complementary" medicine and psychology for years, as well as teaching Yoga, T'ai Chi, Qi Gong, and meditation techniques. What can anyone do to be healthier? 

What can one do to have more energy, live longer and what can one do to get the most "bang for their buck", so to speak when it comes to DIY health habits?  I always recommend five essential things: Yogasana, Pranayama, eating Kitchari, reciting mantras or chants, and meditation.

I like these five things partly because they are easy enough to practice, and all one really has to do to see significant benefits is practice each for ten minutes a day. So, in less than an hour a day one can move better, breath better, digest better, think better, reduce stress, and gain a more healthy or enlightened perspective on life.

Just practicing any one of these on a regular basis can improve health dramatically.  Each is powerful on their own. One practiced with another becomes more powerful and in succession, day by day, the more powerful and effective these practices become. When one begins to practice all five, one finds a method or path to optimal mental, physical, and spiritual health.

Yogasana: Asana is the more physical aspect of yoga. These are the poses, stretches, and attitudes performed by the practitioner. They bring strength, flexibility, and balance to the body and mind. They release tension and toxins. Primarily, they provide tonification to the nervous system and when one does the asana practice from a state of awareness, one is practicing meditation in movement or motion. One can come to experience the still calmness within movement. 

Asana also brings clarity to the mind, purity to the body, and strengthens one's will to stay on the spiritual, mind-body path of their choosing. Many books have been written about the depths of the benefits of asana practice. I will not go into them all now, as they are so vast and numerous.  Primarily, asana tones and tunes the nervous system, preparing it for an abundance of prana or vital life force.  

Pranayama: This refers to various breathing exercises where life energy is gathered from multiple sources and stored in the body for further more conscious expression. Prana is the vital life force. Prana is the source of life itself. It relates to and travels in the elements of ether and air, but is a separate principle. We obtain prana into the body through the breath and diet, into the senses through impressions, and into the mind through meditation techniques.

Nothing happens without prana. The practice of collecting and controlling prana is known as Pranayama. As with asana, the values or benefits of Pranayama are immense.

Kitchari: Diet is of prime importance to most any program for optimal health and well being.  What we ingest has a profound effect on the body and mind. Ayurvedic medicine treats & often cures many diseases, disorders, imbalances, excesses, deficiencies, and maladies first with diet alone. Kitchari is an Ayurvedic dish which can provide all nutrients necessary for human growth, in an easy to digest manner. When we eat foods that are natural and easy to digest, we collect and retain an excess of energy that can be used for life's many other purposes and pursuits.

Mantra: Practicing mantra is essential to psychological, spiritual, and physical well being. The Sanskrit word 'Mantra' is derived from 'man' which means "mind" and 'tra' which means "to protect".  So practicing mantras can fortify and preserve one's mind, one's mental capabilities, and memory. Having a regular practice renders one more alert, sharp, aware, and can bring clarity into one’s mind. The ‘tra’ of the word ‘mantra’ also means ‘to traverse’ and/or ‘to transcend.’ So, mantra recitation can assist in one’s metaphysical or spiritual path and the pursuit of enlightenment and nirvana. 

Meditation: Meditation calms, sharpens, and fortifies one's mind and mental capabilities. With practice, it greatly improves concentration. Meditation itself is a form of increased clarity and concentration. It brings one closer to where or whatever one's focus may be. There is not enough I can say on the benefits of meditation. Many books have been written on its methodologies and there have been many scientific studies which show multiple benefits. Ayurvedic texts contain a 5000 year-old database on the positive effects of various meditation and concentration techniques. 

We can see how each of these practices might bring one closer to optimal health. We can see how, with these five fundamentals, one can become more whole, aware, and energetic. It is by practicing these methodologies that physical, mental, and spiritual health may ensue. These form the fundamentals of the Yogic and Ayurvedic lifestyle, also consisting of right discernment and mindsets, right sleep patterns, and right self-abiding conduct. When I say ‘right’, I am not speaking of foreign rules imposed on all. Each individual is different and what may be right for one person, may not be right for another. 

A Brief History of Meditation

Philosophies regarding meditation, along with over 100  meditation techniques, began and developed in India. Originally, meditation was a Hindu practice, though it was practiced by the indigenous people of India for about 7,000 years before the term “Hindu” or “Hinduism” came about. So it might be more appropriate to say that meditation originated in the Vedic culture of ancient India, even though it is still an essential practice in Hindu spirituality. 

Veda simply means “knowledge” or “revealed knowledge”. Such knowledge was found by the Himalayan Rishis through trial and error, observation of nature, experimentation, introspection and various other methods. This knowledge evolved and was passed down orally from teacher to student and from parent to child, in lineages that go back many thousands of years. 

They were first put into written form in the Rig Veda and later in the Upanishads, around 6,000 BCE, if not before. Many other traditional texts describing in detail, specific practicums and theorems involving meditation techniques and schools of thought, came after. The Rishi’s core philosophical concept, still shared by Hindus, Jains, Buddhists, Toaists and Sihks, is that the innermost and true nature of the Self, is pure spirit, energy or consciousness. The goal of Vedantic and Yogic meditation, is to come to an experiential realization of this phenomenon. 

The Vedic scholars and yogis of ancient India realized that the natural world, including our bodies, were made up of the five elements. They also thought that our minds were made up of subtle forms of these elements, and that each of the five elements related to one of our five senses. So yoga and meditation practices were thought to internalize and purify the five elements found in the body and mind, the five senses and what they considered to be the sixth sense, which is the mind itself. They found that such practices altered the structure and function of the mind, in a therapeutic manner.

This knowledge and these techniques made their way to Tibet and China and combined with Toaist practices and philosophy, when Indian Buddhists migrated to these countries from India, around 400 BCE. From the East, such teachings and practices eventually made their way via the Silk Road to the Middle East, around 130 BCE. The Vedic and yogic philosophies, along with meditative practices and yoga, made their way to North America, England and France, but not until the late 1800s and early 1900s. 

Currently, some form of meditation is practiced by people of all the world’s major religions, by various people around the world who observe their native or indigenous spiritual traditions, by followers of the New Age movement, Universalists, transcendentalists, followers of modern spirituality, agnostics and atheists.

What Does Meditation Do According to Modern Science

Neuroscience has shown that meditation practices dampen activity in our amygdala and increases the connections between the amygdala and prefrontal cortex. These parts of the brain help us to be less reactive to things that cause stress, and help us to recover better from being stressed out in the first place. They have also found that meditation produces the feel-good neurotransmitters: serotonin, dopamine and oxytocin. One study found a 65 percent increase in dopamine levels in the brains of people who meditated for thirty minutes a day for two weeks, as compared to a control group that didn’t meditate.

Some of the scientific evidence on the effects of meditation is strong and some of it is not absolutely conclusive. In a sense, modern or Western science is catching up to ancient Eastern or Ayurvedic medicine and psychology.  All in all, the hundreds of  studies that have been done by those in the fields of psychology, neuroscience and biology have found that meditation can be effective for reducing stress, promoting relaxation, decreasing symptoms associated with depression and anxiety, reducing symptoms associated with trauma and grief, improving concentration and memory, helping to treat insomnia, increasing IQ, increasing emotional regulation, improving mental clarity, coping with chronic pain and improving attention span. 

Meditation and other yogic techniques and theories have been used in psychology for much longer than we might think. Their application and practice have been more relevant than we might think. After Carl Jung, perhaps the most important figure in Western psychology visited India, he wrote entire books about the psychology of yoga that long ago mapped the anatomy of the mind. He found and expounded upon Vedic concepts of various levels of the mind or various mental states including: the normative mind, intellect, ego, conditioned consciousness and unconditioned consciousness or super-consciousness.

What Meditation Is and What It Is Not

Meditation is not simply “not thinking”, completely emptying the mind or just going blank. It is not like being under anesthesia. It is cultivating awareness and observing the workings of the mind, without attaching judgments to our various thoughts and emotions. It is softening and expanding the mind, so that the person meditating learns how to break the habits of compulsive, negative and self-defeating thought patterns.

Meditation is not just for mystics who wish to attain enlightenment. It is respectfully used for its spiritual applications and in devotional manners by people of various religions. We can also use meditation solely for its therapeutic value to our minds and bodies. In this presentation, we’ll be focusing on the psychological applications of meditation techniques. 

Meditation is not a way of escaping or ignoring our problems. It’s a way to  bring our attention, mind and senses inward. It’s a way to gain perspective and become untangled from the chaos of everyday life, if just for a few minutes at a time. Our minds and bodies are constantly subjected to changes in the outer world. Meditation brings us inward to a place of constant, but temporary stillness. In a way, we are like computers. Sometimes when we seem to malfunction, we just need to unplug for a short time. Our problems will still be there when we plug back in, though we may see them in a new light. 

Meditation can open our minds and allow new insights to arise. We’ve probably all experienced times of aggravation and confusion that were relieved by a good night’s sleep. Regular practice of meditation works in a similar way. This is because meditation produces theta waves in the brain, similar to the theta waves produced in REM sleep. With regular practice, we can reach deeper states of meditation that can produce delta waves in the brain, similar to the delta waves produced in the state of deep sleep. Meditation has also been shown to  relax our sympathetic nervous systems, lessening our ‘fight or flight’ response and allowing us to experience a calm state of mind. 

Lastly, meditation is not magic, mind control, trance or hypnosis. People being hypnotized are put into a completely passive and highly suggestible state. The person meditating is fully lucid and responsible for directing his or her own experience, along with positive intentions. There are some advanced meditation and yogic techniques that can be troubling to the mind if someone is not used to the energies they produce. So it’s recommended to start with basic forms of meditation practices, to take your time with them, to use them in a gentle manner and to not force progress. The restorative properties of meditation should be understood and respected. It is of the utmost importance to learn about meditation and practice it under the direction of an experienced instructor.

Do You Think You Can Meditate? 

I’ve heard many people say that they don’t think they can meditate. This is often due to a person thinking that meditating is going straight from their normal state of mind, directly to a state of pure mental stillness; or going straight from an aggravated state of mind, to a state of bliss. Actually, even very experienced practitioners of meditation cannot do this. Meditation is a practice and a process that can lead one to pure serenity and to ecstatic states, but this can take much practice.

When we see someone sitting in a cross-legged position, with eyes closed, back straight and hands held in a particular gesture, it is not likely they are actually in one of these states. What they are most likely doing is trying to reach such states, using various mental techniques or exercises. Some of these involve relaxation, introspection, self inquiry, visualization, contemplation, concentration and observation. All these have their own therapeutic value but they are considered to be pre-meditation practices, or prerequisites to reaching the actual state of meditation proper. 

Sometimes, the practitioner can get close to that state they seek and the only things keeping them from reaching it are that they’re trying too hard, wanting it too much or making the process more complicated than it has to be. In this presentation and in my classes, we’ll be keeping it simple. I’ll be directing participants through guided meditations, but there is no right or wrong way to proceed with these initial exercises. After students get the gist of how the meditation process works, they can take what I teach home with them. They can adjust it as they  like and make it their own personal and individual therapy.

Meditation and Mental Health

The brain is an instrument of the mind. The mind is an instrument of awareness. In meditative states we start to observe the true or original nature of the mind itself, beyond constant thought patterns, emotions, ego and self talk. With regular practice, we can cultivate awareness, compassion, patience, relief,  mental space or expansion, energy, creativity and a sense of ease. 

Again, meditation for our purposes, is not really about the complete absence of thought. The state of the spotless mind is actually a step up from meditation, and only comes when one gets to the point where he or she can sustain a steady mindful state for an extended period of time. Meditation practice is more about developing the mind as a sort of witness who watches and knows of the thinking, but does not become caught or entangled in the thinking. It is of the mind, but is not affected by the wandering thoughts in the mind.

As people with mental health issues, we can wake up in the morning and before we even remember who we are, something feels wrong. Before we identify with ourselves, we can identify with symptoms of our illnesses and our complicated lives. This doesn’t just happen in the mental sphere. When we are regularly prone to various people, places and things that can trigger stress, our minds become turbulent while at the same time our bodies, including our brains, are flooded with stress hormones. 

So, developing a meditation practice can help us heal,  both mentally and physically. Having such a practice can be a main ingredient in the recipe for a balanced and healthy lifestyle, along with eating nutritious foods, spending time in nature, exercising, practicing sleep hygiene and having a healthy social life.

Using Meditation to Cope with Grief and Loss

Loss in life is inevitable. Our natural response is to grasp on to that which brings up happiness and contentment. Everything that is created must eventually crumble. Everyone who is born must eventually die. In coming to realize this, we can make a conscious choice to love that and those who will come to pass, while we also learn to let go. 

“This too shall pass” is something we tell ourselves when we are in the midst of turmoil. What we see as the difficult aspects of life, will pass; and so will the aspects of life we see as beneficial. As we become more aware of such a parody, we can start choosing to put our attention and efforts into that which endures, like spirituality or our own consciousness. Then we cease to resist change and cling to the past. We learn that we just can’t control what is uncontrollable. 

Meditation can help us cultivate the attitude of acceptance. We can learn to accept that we will lose or have lost loved ones, and learn to be grateful for presence at the same time. Loss is inescapable. It is a part of natural law that coincides with time, matter and space. So we have to come to a place in our hearts and minds where we can realize that everything is as it must be, and that everything that occurs, happens for a reason. We also have to accept that we don’t always know or have to understand that reason. 

To borrow from the Serenity Prayer, used in twelve-step programs, meditation can help us to learn how to accept the things we cannot change, give us courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference. In AA they say that the only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. In meditation, the only requirement for serenity is a desire to stop thinking. 

On using meditation to deal with grief, start by entering the meditative state. This can also be called a receptive, contemplative, introspective, prayerful, speculative or deliberative state of mind. Set an intention or sankalpa. It may be something like, “I am now ready to remember, to feel and to let go of grief and let love set in.”  One can customize one’s own intentions as they meet one’s own feelings and the situations surrounding those feelings. 

Now notice the breath. Breath in more deeply and exhale completely. Breathing in, allow yourself to feel as deeply as you wish. Before letting out the sadness, we have to feel it in our bodies and not just know its detriments to our minds. Though both are important, we feel grief in the heart chakra or heart center in the middle of our chests. Breath into this area while accepting what you feel. Now exhale and mentally let go of your burdens. Let go of the heaviness. Empty yourself.

Now on the inhale, breathe in while mentally filling yourself with the vision of light. Light the opposite of darkness, and light the opposite of heaviness. Breathe into the heart center and on the exhale, mentally direct the light upwards to the forehead. Hum as you exhale and notice the vibration this makes on the forehead. Practice this for however long feels right to you. This process literally brings the heavy and watery emotions from the anahata or heart chakra up to the ajna chakra between the eyebrows that is the fire of intellect and the seat of intuition. This isn’t done to stop us from feeling, but to give a heavy heart time and space for it to heal and handle grief with steadfast awareness and depth. The Sanskrit word anahata literally means unhurt.

There are chakras above our heads, apart from the body associated with pure awareness and pure consciousness. At the end of your meditation, you may focus your energy, breath and attention on the light in these areas of the aura or spiritual body and reflect with love and gratitude on the person, pet, relationship, career, etc. we’d lost, that created our grief. 

I will not go deeply into the chakras here. I will say that they are not really something we believe in or don’t believe in. They are to be understood, felt and experienced first. Then we can decide what to believe or not to believe. They are recognized as parts of the body's nervous system or extensions of the nervous system according to Ayurvedic medicine and Yogic thought or philosophy.

Meditation, Substance Abuse & Addiction

Addiction and thought are closely related. Thought is the impetus of all addiction and is itself an inner compulsion subject to the transient variables of the outer world. In order for the alcoholic to drink, he or she must first think about drinking. This is one reason 12-step programs really don’t work well or for very long, for most. Working this program can be a form of moral psychology and help the addict to become more aware about their “powerlessness”, but then what? Where does that leave one who is suffering? 

Programs such as AA are just that, a method of programming one to accept powerlessness and then rely on God. They fail to address the root cause of addiction, which is the inability to modify the mind. These programs work for a few people, but for most, they only reinforce alcoholism by constantly reminding the participant that he or she should attach his or her  very identities to their disease of addiction. How can an alcoholic be expected to get past their patterns of drinking alcohol if they are constantly being reminded of alcohol? 

Another factor that programs such as these fail to address is the fact that many turn to addictive and mind-altering substances due to having undiagnosed and untreated mental illness or past trauma. In fact, people in AA with mental health issues are often seen as being pests who aren’t really sober because they may or may not take psychiatric medication. 

Addiction is itself, primarily a mental disorder. Its cause and state of perpetuation lies within the mind. One who is genetically predisposed to addiction also has the biological factor that creates a sort of allergic and abnormal reaction to addictive substances, making them more addictive to some than to others. These addictive chemicals only stay in the body for a relatively short time, but detoxifying from them can cause horrible withdrawal symptoms that can be life threatening. For some time after, it can feel like the body continues to scream for our drug of choice on a cellular level, but the truth of the matter is that these cravings, as well as addiction itself are primarily on a psychological level. 

Meditation can help the addict to get in touch with just what is going on in the mind. Through a calm and contemplative mind, the addict can come to realize and process the emotional and mental root causes of substance abuse that are attached to false ideations involving self identity, negative self talk, thoughts of being inadequate and feelings of inferiority. 

Drugs make the outer world more appealing and alter the mind in such a way as to intensify the senses. Yoga, meditation and pranayama all draw the mind within. They lead us to sense an inner world of wonders that also leads to a more positive perspective of the outer world. 

Meditation and other limbs of yoga such as pranayama or yogic breathing techniques increase levels of feel-good  neurotransmitters that improve mood. One begins to feel a natural lightness, opposite of heaviness. One also begins to exude lightness, opposite of darkness or the shadow self. People who practice these regularly are said to literally shine or to have what in Sanskrit is known as tejas. 

There is also the phenomenon of experiencing a subtle but steady sense of bodily euphoria and mental clarity that comes along with implementing these practices into one’s lifestyle.  It is superior to and more balanced than the like that comes from drugs and alcohol. Unlike addictive mind-altering substances, these methods do not dull or derange the mind. They calm and bring an organic state of clarity to the mind. Practicing them becomes a skill and a good habit.

Pranayama also brings prana or vital life energy to the brain. The blood’s oxygen levels rise and blood flow to the brain increases. The body-mind complex has a sort of prana battery. When that battery is charged, one can practice certain yogic breathing exercises that can give one a sort of prana high or a temporary feeling of euphoria. Unlike the feelings brought on by drugs and alcohol, this is a healthy state of pleasure. The practitioner can also learn how to direct prana to parts of the body in pain. This practice is especially effective in removing pain from the head.

The positive results one gets from these modalities are healthy and natural. Using drugs and alcohol do not provide these benefits. If the addict who develops a practice of meditation relapses, he or she finds that the effects of what their drug of choice produces, are of dirty and distorted quality. They find that the progress they’ve made through meditation has been greatly affected in a negative manner. They remember that progress and the way they felt before the relapse. They are left with the resolve to get back to that feeling and state of mind, and with a diminished desire to drink or smoke.

The simple fact is that if the addict does not find him or herself happier in the state of sobriety than in the state of intoxication, he or she will either relapse or just be sober and miserable. There must be some sort of bliss repair. Meditation can lead one to a state of what AA’s Big Book calls “conscious contact with God”. This is not just an intellectual concept or theory understood through the intellect, but an experiential reality that comes along with actual results. Those being joy, serenity and oneness with God or spirit.

How Can Yoga Change the Mind? 

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder can cause one a profound sense of distress and fear. Seemingly uncontrollable and intrusive thought patterns can arise from what seems to be nowhere or for no understandable reason. This is an illness that many without such a diagnosis have to deal with. I do not want to diminish the seriousness of any actual illness, but anxiety and symptoms of OCD are something almost everyone shares, as it is a natural result of living in a society most of us live in. So, how can we change our minds?

Let us look into this a little deeper. What is the mind? The mind is a chaotic field of impulses in the form of thoughts. What are thoughts? Thoughts are, for the most part, both conscious and unconscious foreign impositions. Such can stem from early childhood, parental disapproval, religious and educational indoctrination, dream, and the various burdensome memories we cling to.

A modification of the mind is necessary, but just how can we do this? The first step is quite simply, will power, which includes Sankalpa or proper intentions. We have to want change and also face any fear of change. The second step is to replace thought patterns and relative habits with nuance and health habits, which includes health, yet honest thinking.

Never ‘fake it until you make it.’ Never be unauthentic. Be as real as you know how to be. Satya or truth and reality are the ultimate aims of authentic Yoga. Nothing moves in a straight line. Even light bends. If one could throw a stone out into space and live long enough, that stone would eventually come right back to one's palm. So too, honesty and fabrication along with the energies they hold, will come back to you.

Can we use reason to modify the mind? Logic and reason are of importance and can of course be an ingredient in the recipe. However, logic alone ultimately just leads to nihilism. There are much higher states beyond reasoning when dealing with the mind.

Most of us are ruled by the testimony of our five senses and the sixth senses which is the mind itself. The mind being a culmination of a myriad of sensory impressions. This life in the world we know, is but our embryonic state. Stepping beyond thought, the normative intellect, and reasoning, is the first step towards union and nonduality.

The brain is an instrument of manas or the mind. The mind is an instrument of Ahamkara or the ego and of Chitta or conditioned consciousness. The Chitta is an instrument of Chit-Purusha or unconditional consciousness.

Chit-Purusha is like an ocean. Chitta or qualitative and conditioned consciousness is like the tide, and the vrittis or the cycle of thoughts which arise in the mind are the waves and ripples of the sea. Chit or pure consciousness is always trying to get back to its natural state. We therefore, often find ourselves in a seemingly constant need of bliss repair. Consciousness is projected outwards into the universe and becomes what we know as reality. This is maya. It is illusory and a parody of truth.

Nothing temporary or unlasting is actually real. All that we see as being real will die. The Yogi seeks to know this phenomenon by returning to Buddhi or a higher state of awakening and awareness. The Yogi knows that reality is just diffused and diluted oneness or the absolute in its divided forms. It is a projected image on a movie screen. The Yogi knows that to look outward is to take part in and perpetuate the illusion of materiality. It is to continue the projection. So by simply common sense, the Yogi must look inward and internalize the senses. In Yogic terms, this is known as Pratyahara.

We must also ask ourselves what is real. Are our thoughts real? Are they original or just imitations? Are we in the habit of a repeat-after-me mentality? Are we brainwashed by a collective hive-mind society? Do we listen to others with compassion or do we listen while thinking of how we will respond? Are we overly-opinionated? Do we tend to label and judge? Can we see ourselves and others in a true light or are we in the habit of just rearranging our prejudices?

Who are we? What are we? Are we just the body-mind-ego complex? Are we a name? A title? A career? A college degree? A this or that? On and on. These are the systems of self-inquiry we must observe if we are to change the mind, because to change it, we must first see where it is at. In Yogic and Vedantic terms, this is known as the practice of Neti Neti and Atma Vichara.

To limit one's recognition of oneself to the body-mind complex, is foolish. It is a testament that there is no possibility of anything else and places the observer of a vast multiverse in an egotistical state. We are not just the mind, body, and ego. If this is our limited view, then we may very well develop the mind and body along with the ego and in doing so, lose the ability to perceive the inner reality of the omniscient.

The mind is a complex of chaos and a field of unneeded thoughts. Without much insight or discernment, the individual often becomes a mental slave to a mind he or she does not comprehend, much less control. The Yogi knows one must start with a healthy body and an open yet sharp mind, in order to have a proper home for Prana. So the health of the body-mind complex is essential but far from an end in itself.

Pranayama builds the energy of life and awareness. It gives us the power to practice Pratyahara or the internalization of the senses. When these are brought in and stilled, the mind can focus on the object of one's perception. Extended Dharana or Yogic concentration naturally results in Dhyana or the meditative state.

With these processes, we can change the normative mind or the field of mental chaos to the still, quiet mind or the field of the serene. 

Raja Yoga In Depth

There are many misconceptions about Yoga and/or meditation, especially in the material-minded West. Many there seem to confuse relaxation and “mindfulness” with Hindu’s meditation-proper, which is primarily of a more exact and technical methodology, and is of a primarily psycho-spiritual nature. This is a typical confusion that happens often between Eastern spirituality and/or Yogic techniques and with vague New Age cliches.

Meditation-proper is Dhyana which naturally leads one to Nirvana or Sattva Samadhi.  Samadhi is built upon Bhakti, structure, effort, service and study, as well as on: Dharana, Pratyahara, Pranayama, Asana, the Niyamas and Yamas. 

So meditation is not something we do, it’s something that occurs naturally because of what we’ve already been doing or practicing…often for many years or even lifetimes.

All the preparation that happens before surgery is preparation, not surgery. All the practice and preparation it takes to be able to sink a hole-in-one, or to play a Led Zeppelin song on the guitar, is practice and preparation for actually doing so. A rule also applies that if one practices wrong, one will probably play wrong. The same can be said about meditation and/or Yoga-proper.

To say that meditation can be practiced without ending the modifications of the mind, or without a spiritual and/or religious connection is incorrect. This is a Western view: take that which is sacred, singular and profound to Hindus and twist it around, turn it into something it’s not, divide it up, rename its sections, make it marketable to the masses and then take credit for its invention.

At its core, meditation is the science of Yoga that appears in Hinduism as the very essence of its spiritual practice. It’s not just a simple mental exercise, just as Yoga is not just Asana. Meditation is not a hobby. It’s not something anyone can do anytime they like with or without preparation, or with or without a competent teacher.  It’s not something that takes no effort or can be learned in minutes, or be mastered by next Thursday.

Of course the reader will hear that there are a thousand different kinds of meditation, and that it belongs to the human race without having any sort of radical.  These same people are ones who will say that anything and everything is meditation.  They are also usually the ones who are getting paid and are trying to create a version and vision of themselves as healers, great Yogis or Gurus. 

There is some truth in all this however. The copy of a copy of a copy ad infinitum, will leave the original reader of the copy with pristine direction, while those on the bottom end of it will just have to guess or fill in the blanks, so that meditation/Yoga might fit into their own individual purpose and/or narrow grooves of their understanding. 

It is like that game we played in grade school where the teacher whispers a phrase in the ear of the first child in line, and by the time it’s gotten to the last child it makes no sense…it goes from being something like, “I do know my name”, to “dog breath turtle slime.”  It is for such reasons that tradition and authenticity are important.

So the question has to be asked, ‘do we follow the original that has been practiced by multiple millions throughout many generations without alteration in India and her cultural realm, or do we take a New Age, Christian-like view of meditation/Yoga which has now become a part of popular Western culture used to sell everything from Yoga itself to life insurance and soft drinks. 

Many practitioners, Yogis, New Agers, Spiritual Universalists and Christian meditators will ask “why does any of this matter?”  All they really have to know as far as I’m concerned is that I’m a Hindu and that it does indeed matter to me.  If these people are actually as progressive, moderate and liberal as they like to think they are, that is all that should matter for them to take this article seriously and offer a modicum of attention and respect.  Beyond that, I have already given an explanation for this and now I will continue by offering a tutorial to what Yoga meditation-proper is. From a theoretical and scholarly stance.

There are a few different types of traditional Yoga, and they all connect in some way. Jnana Yoga is the way of contemplation, self inquiry, study and experiential knowledge. Bhakti Yoga is the way of finding god and the true self which is god, purely through devotion. Karma Yoga is the way of action in the service to others and/or the personal Lord, deity or God. 

Tantra is the way of ritual, mysticism and psychology. Hatha Yoga combines Asana, Pranayama and the quiet focusing of mental energy. Kriya Yoga involves using esoteric and Vedic techniques like visualization, communing with nature and utilizing other Vedic sciences like Ayurveda, Mantra, Jyotish and Laya and/or Yoga Nidra, or Following the currents of sound which present themselves during patterns of sleep. 

Raja (Ashtanga) Yoga is the way or Yoga of meditation. This is also known as Pantanjala Yoga. There are eight limbs of Raja Yoga. The first two limbs construct a foundation for the remaining limbs. The remaining limbs construct a basis for meditation-proper which is the state of meditation itself or Dhyana.  Sustained Dhyana then naturally leads to Nirvana or Samadhi. 

The five Yamas are codes of social conduct, and the five Niyamas or codes of personal conduct. These are the ten primary commitments and practices which make up the Yogic lifestyle. They are to be adapted to the individual practitioner rather than being a one-size-fits all, foreign imposition upon the whole of humanity. They are a part of traditional Dharma, not dogma.  They are simply common-sensible ways to live and behave so as not to bring conflict or chaos into the mind. A mind with conflict and chaos can never reach a meditative state. 

Limb One: The Five Yamas 

(Personal codes of conduct)

1)Ahimsa or non-harming/non-violence

2)Satya or truthfulness/rigorous honesty

3)Brahmacharya or control of sexual energy

4)Asteya or non-stealing, coveting

5)Aparigraha or non-possessiveness/non-attachment

Limb Two: The Five Niyamas

(Social codes of conduct) 

1)Shaucha or cleanliness/purity

2)Santosha or inner contentment, living in one’s truth

3)Tapas or discipline/sacrifice, literally ‘Tapas’ means fire which burns away all but that which is pristine and true

4)Svadhyaya or study/contemplation

5)Ishvara Prandidhana or surrender/sublimation of the ego-self to a god, goddess, truth or “higher power” 

Limb Three: Asana

Asanas are the beautiful physical aspects of Yoga. They are the poses, stretches and attitudes performed by the practitioner. They bring strength, flexibility and balance to the body and mind. They release tension and toxins. Primarily, they provide tonification to the nervous system and alignment to the spine, allowing the practitioner to sit or rest in an upright position while pursuing more mental and spiritual ventures and practices.

Limb Four: Pranayama 

Prana is the vital life force. We obtain Prana into the body through the breath and diet, into the senses through impressions and into the mind through examination and contemplation on the elements, especially air and ether. 

These previous four branches are called the ‘outer’ limbs of Raja Yoga. The next limb, Pratyahara, is considered to be an inner as well as an outer limb. Limbs six, seven and eight are generally referred to as the ‘inner’ limbs of Raja Yoga.

Limb Five: Pratyahara 

Pratyahara refers to various methods of managing and internalizing incoming sensory impressions. We learn to have Yogic awareness or discrimination (Viveka) of impressions when we find that some impressions are therapeutic in nature Vs. those that may be detrimental to our health and to our awakening.  In practicing these methods, we can create our own sort of sensory deprivation tank.  That is to say, we become in control of that which is allowed in and that which is kept in our individual awareness.

Limb Six: Dharana 

This refers to the ability to give all our mental energy to the object or idea of our examination. There are various methods to improve and sharpen this natural ability to focus that most of us have lost to some degree or another and through the process of practicing Yoga, regain and develop.

Limb Seven: Dhyana 

This is proper meditation. So there is relaxation, concentration,energization,observation, visualization,contemplation,memorization, mesmerization and disassociation, but none of these are meditation-proper. They are just prerequisites to meditation-proper.  The important thing here is to see how the previous limbs are things that we do, whereas Dhyana or meditation in its truest and purest form, is something that happens as a result of what we do or have already done.

So the Yamas and Niyamas give us a foundation for a Yogic lifestyle. They bring clarity to the mind, purity to the body and strengthen one’s will to stay on the spiritual path of awakening. Asana tonifies the nervous system, preparing it for an abundance of Prana or vital life force. Pranayama builds-up the life force or the energy of awareness and consciousness. Pratyahara internalizes this energy. Dharyana focuses this energy. Sustained focus of this sort naturally leads to Dhyana or the state of meditation-proper. Sustained Dhyana or meditation-proper, then naturally leads to the state of Samadhi or Nirvana, where one’s awareness meets with cosmic consciousness.

Limb Eight: Samadhi

Samadhi is the state of union or Yoga-proper. Samadhi means ‘absorption’ and refers to the union of the true self (the Atman) and the Paramatman or supreme self.  This may also be described as the union with the comic divine Lord or deity and the individual self, or the union between the microcosm and the macrocosm, or between individual awareness and cosmic consciousness, or the soul and God.

It is the natural ability to be “reborn”, and see all in the self and the self in all.  It is pure truth…pure bliss…pure love.  It is the pure and pristine understanding of all that exists, without effort.  There are various ways of describing this, but it is really beyond words.  Even the most sublime poetry can not properly describe Samadhi.  It simply must be experienced. Once Samadhi is experienced, then there are various types, levels and/or qualities of Samadhi;  from the mundane to the profound, based upon the three Gunas (Sattva, Rajas, Tamas). 

Raja Yoga is the science of meditation and awareness. Every science has two main aspects. One is theorem and the second is practicum.  I have covered a very small portion of the theoretical here and in doing so, have provided a very general map of sorts that can be used by the beginning student of Yoga and meditation as well as by more experienced practitioners. I invite the reader to begin his or her own practice with the help of a qualified teacher and/or a copy of the Yoga Sutras by the Rishi Pantanjali.

METAPHYSICAL ANATOMY: WHAT ARE CHAKRAS, NADIS, & KOSHAS?

A CHAKRA IS A WHEEL. THERE ARE SEVEN PRIMARY CHAKRAS LOCATED IN THE SUBTLE BODY.  THESE ARE ALIGNED ALONG THE SPINE, FROM ANUS TO THE CROWN OF THE HEAD.  THE ASTRAL SHEATH ALSO HAS CHAKRAS LOCATED ABOVE THE HEAD.  THERE ARE SECONDARY CHAKRAS AT THE KNEES, ELBOWS, AND EVERY OTHER JOINT.  ONE COULD SAY THAT EVERY CELL AND EVERY ATOM ARE CHAKRAS.  ONE COULD ALSO SAY THAT THERE IS ONLY ONE BIG-ASS UNIVERSAL CHAKRA OF WHICH WE ARE ALL A PART OF.

THERE ARE SOME HEALERS WHO WILL TAKE YOUR MONEY IN RETURN FOR "BALANCING, AWAKENING, EMPOWERING, ACTIVATING OR CLEANSING" YOUR CHAKRAS.  THIS CAN ONLY BE ACHIEVED WITH LASTING RESULTS THROUGH THE INDIVIDUAL'S OWN SADHANA (PERSONAL SPIRITUAL PRACTICE), OR THROUGH THE PRACTICE OF AUTHENTIC YOGA AND MEDITATION;  NOT THROUGH AN OVERACTIVE IMAGINATION, WISHFUL THINKING, OR A FAITH HEALER.

"A TENDENCY OF NEW AGE THOUGHT IS TO CONFUSE THE OUTER OR PHYSICAL FUNCTION OF THE CHAKRAS WITH THEIR INNER OR SPIRITUAL FUNCTION, WHICH IS QUITE DIFFERENT AND ONLY COMES INTO PLAY DURING ADVANCED MEDITATION PRACTICES".  DR. DAVID FRAWLEY (VAMADEVA SHASTRJI)

THE CHAKRAS GOVERN AND ARE ALSO AFFECTED BY THE 72 THOUSAND NADIS IN THE BODY. NADIS ARE SUBTLE NERVE FORMS AND FUNCTIONS. THE THREE MAIN AND LESS SUBTLE NADIS ARE THE IDA, PINGALA, AND SUSHUMNA. THE IDA CHANNEL IS INFUSED WITH AND ACTIVATED BY PRANA ENTERING THE LEFT NOSTRIL. IT IS CONSIDERED TO BE LUNAR, FEMININE, AND OF A MORE MATERIAL NATURE THAN THE PINGALA, WHICH IS ACTIVATED BY PRANA ENTERING THROUGH THE RIGHT NOSTRIL.

THE IDA NOURISHES THE RIGHT HEMISPHERE OF THE BRAIN AND THE PINGALA NOURISHES THE LEFT. THE PINGALA REPRESENTS SOLAR, DYNAMIC, AND MASCULINE ENERGIES. THE IDA IS LINKED TO EVERY INHALATION WE MAKE, AND THE PINGALA IS LINKED TO EVERY EXHALATION.

THE IDA NADI HAS THE QUALITIES OF EARTH AND WATER. THE PINGALA NADI, THE QUALITIES OF AIR, AND THE SUSHUMNA NADI HAS THE QUALITIES OF FIRE. THE SHUSHUMNA IS THE CENTRAL CHANNEL RUNNING ALONG THE SPINE, WHICH THE IDA AND PINGALA NADIS CRISS-CROSS IN A FIGURE-EIGHT PATTERN, WEAVING AROUND THE SEVEN MAIN CHAKRAS IN THE BODY.

WHEREAS THE IDA AND PINGALA ARE RELATED TO RESPIRATION, THE SUSHUMNA IS RELATED TO BREATH RETENTION AND STILLNESS. WHEREAS THE IDA IS RELATED TO TAMAS GUNA AND THE PINGLA TO RAJAS GUNA, THE SUSHUMNA RELATES TO PURITY AND/OR SATTVA GUNA.

THE HEALTH OF THE CHAKRAS AND NADIS ARE DIRECTLY RELATED TO OUR PHYSICAL, MENTAL, AND SPIRITUAL HEALTH AND PROGRESS. THEY ARE PART OF THE SUBTLE OR METAPHYSICAL NERVOUS SYSTEM AND CONNECT THE FIVE KOSHAS OR SHEATHS.

THE FIVE KOSHAS ARE THE ANNAMAYA KOSHA OR THE PHYSICAL BODY, THE PRANAMAYA KOSHA OR THE ENERGY BODY SOME KNOW AS THE ‘AURA’, THE MANOMAYA KOSHA OR THE MENTAL BODY, THE VIJNANAMAYA KOSHA OR THE WISDOM BODY, AND THE ANANDAMAYA KOSHA OR THE BLISS BODY.

THE MOST DENSE SHEATH IS THE PHYSICAL BODY, MADE UP OF THE EARTH ELEMENT. THE ENERGY SHEATH IS MADE UP OF WATER. THE MENTAL SHEATH IS OF THE FIRE ELEMENT. THE WISDOM SHEATH IS MADE UP OF WIND, AND THE BLISS SHEATH IS ETHER OR SPACE.

SO, WE CAN SEE HOW ALL THESE RELATE TO THE HEALTH AND BALANCE OF THE FIVE ELEMENTS WE ARE ALL MADE OF. THE MIND IS ALSO MADE OF MORE SUBTLE FORMS OF THESE ELEMENTS. THE HEALTH OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM AND THE MORE SUBTLE NERVOUS SYSTEM, MADE UP OF THE 72 THOUSAND NADIS AND CHAKRAS, GOVERN ALL FORMS AND FUNCTIONS OF OUR HEALTH ON EVERY LEVEL.

FOR EXAMPLE, ASANA PRACTICE POSITIVELY AFFECTS THE PHYSICAL KOSHA MADE OF EARTH. EARTH IS STATIC AND NEEDS MOTION TO BRING IT INTO A MORE BALANCED STATE. PRANAYAMA INVIGORATES THE PRANA KOSHA MADE UP OF WATER. WATER BECOMES STALE AND STOLID WITHOUT MOTION. THE WISDOM BODY CONSISTS OF FIRE, SO WE CAN USE THAT FOR DHARANA OR YOGIC CONCENTRATION AND KEEP IT UNDER CONTROL THROUGH DHYANA OR MEDITATION.

DHYANA OR THE MEDITATIVE STATE OCCURS NATURALLY WHEN THE STATE OF YOGIC CONCENTRATION OR DHARANA IS HELD FOR A PERIOD OF TIME. AT THIS JUNCTURE, THE ENERGY OF CONSCIOUSNESS SLIPS AWAY FROM THE OTHER KOSHAS INTO THE  VIJNANAMAYA KOSHA. WHEN THAT STATE IS HELD FOR A PERIOD OF TIME, THAT CONSCIOUSNESS SLIPS INTO THE ANANDAMAYA KOSHA AND WE EXPERIENCE SAMADHI. SO, MEDITATION AND SAMADHI ARE NOT SOMETHING WE DO, BUT RATHER SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS AS A RESULT OF WHAT WE HAVE ALREADY DONE. THAT BEING PRACTICING THE PREVIOUS SIX LIMBS OF RAJA YOGA. 

THE WISDOM SHEATH IS GOVERNED BY AIR OR WIND. AIR IS A PRINCIPLE OF MOVEMENT, CHANGE, AND TRANSCENDENCE. THE ANANDAMAYA OR BLISS KOSHAS HAS THE SATTVIC OR PURE QUALITIES OF SPACE, STILLNESS, AND PASSIVE AWARENESS. ULTIMATELY, FOR OUR TRUE AND/HIGHER PURSUITS IN LIFE, WHICH ARE OF A PURELY SPIRITUAL NATURE, THE RECOGNITION, NURTURING, AND ENERGIZING OF THE VIJNANAMAYA KOSHA (THE WISDOM SHEATH) IS OUR HIGHEST AIM, AS IT PLACES US IN A POSITION TO SEE MUNDANE ASPECTS OF LIFE AS THEY ARE, WHILE ALSO ALLOWING US TO ENTER THE MEDITATIVE STATE MORE EASILY.

Purification Using the Five Elements 

Many of us know about methods to detoxify & tonify the body. We also may practice techniques to cleanse & fortify the mind. The following are five ways we can utilize the elements of which we are all made, to purify & bring balance to the spiritual, physical, and mental bodies.

1. Soaking in mineral baths cleanses the physical body as well as the strata of mental and spiritual sheaths.  
2. Hanging around with the fire: Being in close proximity to flames and smoke is a powerful way to bring about purification. Participating in a Yagna or Vedic fire ceremony is ideal. Spending time with a campfire or fireplace also works well. Regular smudging, taking part in a sweat lodge, or sleeping and meditating in candle or diya light is beneficial. Also, soaking in natural springs and spending time in thermal caves is a way to be around the fire element and the water element simultaneously. One should be cautious with fire however. If one is too far away, one cannot feel the warmth. If one gets too close, one might get burned.  Strive to find the right distance and balance for one's own temperament.
3. Pranayama (Yogic breathing) & wind bathing: Practicing various Yogic breathing exercises as well as placing oneself in areas where the wind is prominent, cleanses the Auric fields, Nadis (inner nerve channels), and Chakras. Much Prana also comes from a healthy diet. Space in motion becomes air or wind, which is a field of movement that flows in and around us. If this element becomes weak, it may cause areas of stagnation in the energy body. As with the other elements, air can also become too strong and cause maladies. One must constantly find balance.
4. Planting one's self:  This can involve some psycho-physiological meditation or visualizations where we mentally connect our sense of being to the Earth with our own power of will. It may also be done by working with the Earth. Gardening or simply going barefoot helps us fortify our connection to the Earth element.
5. Strengthening our connection to ether or the element of space:  This involves placing oneself in wide open spaces. It can be found in one's own inner space as well. That which can constrict and be the most enclosed and claustrophobic, can also be the most open and free. If we draw an imaginary little circle in our minds, we have ascribed our attention to a limited space but we have also done the opposite when we simply bring out attention to the perimeter outside of that. That is the power of one's own mind. Imagine being in a traffic jam. Then imagine being on a mountain top. Viewing the Grand Canyon is nice, but simply having a clean and open home is another way to experience a healthy relationship with ether or space.

So, these are a few ways to utilize the five elements of which we are all made, to purify the spiritual, physical, and mental sheaths or Koshas. They can bring a feeling of safety and a sense of awareness and energy to the practitioner. They work on every level. They may seem like commonsense or even overly simple and trite. They are, however, powerful actions one might take to cleanse the body, mind, and fields of subtle matter and thought. I could spend months writing on this topic. I wrote this as a primer;  a practice for the seasoned Yogi that can also be followed by the beginner and the layman. 

Atma Vichara (Self Inquiry)

Many are not familiar with the practice of Atma Vichara, the depths of self inquiry, which is a popular South Indian, Hindu practice. Its main form is found in asking one's self, "Who am I?" It works by negation. It poses this constant inquiry to the practitioner…"Who am I” and “Who or what am I not?". Neti neti. Not this, not that.

Its basic philosophy states that the modifications of the mind, which creates ego, is a foreign imposition. It finds its basis in the Upanishads. The Indian Hindu texts composed from the middle of the 5th century through the 2nd century bce.

In a meditative state as well as in the normative waking state, one continuously asks him or herself questions such as, “Am I the body? Am I a persona? Am I my character? Am I my qualities? Am I my position in time? Am I my diagnosis? Am I my degree? Am I my title?” So on and so on.

Eventually, one comes to the realization that the "I" is a falsity and a pretense, that the world is maya, and that life is quite performative. One comes to recognize one's self as a spirit, soul, consciousness, and atman. The soul of the soul, interconnected to the Universe. We then come to the realization that we are in a sense, trapped being these things, consuming other things. This realization of being trapped is necessary to ever escape.

You are not the body alone. You are not your persona, intellect, degrees, titles or relationships. You are not your style, appearance, reputation or your sexuality. You are not pain nor pleasure. You are not your actions, words, thoughts or memories. You are not your past or your future. You are not what you've done or left undone. You are not your karma. You are not your apathy, concern, or compassion. You are not your race, ethnicity, or your family tree. You are not your chaos or even your peace. You are not your political bent, your religion, or your dreams. You are not your moods, your ease, or disease. You are not your sins, nor are you your good deeds. You are not your potential, your wins, or losses. You are not what your eyes have seen or what they currently see. You are not your mind or senses, nor are you the continuous impressions they bring in. You are beyond being even a 'god', and you certainly are not of the devil. You are not ego. You are not the subconscious. You are not the books you read. You are not what you've learned or forgotten. You are not what you've created. You are not your career, your caste, your kin, or anything conditional. You are not what you've given or taken.

You are Shakti...You are Atman...You are the universal cosmic person…You are Purusha, absolute love, being, consciousness, and bliss.

As body, mind, or soul, you are a dream; You really are Satchidananda. You are the God of this Universe.

~ Swami Vivekananda

‘I am not what you think I am. You are what you think I am.’

~ The Buddha

How and Why to Chant Aum

We see the appropriation of yoga dharma, bio-cultural appropriation of Ayurveda, misappropriation of Hindu philosophy and metaphysics by new age self-help authors and performative kirtan. Hindu traditions are absorbed into the west, then regurgitated back to the east in a distorted manner. Even the mantra ‘aum-’ has been affected. Om has its own relevance and importance, but the two mantras are not identical and have different uses and effects. 'Om' may be used with many mantras and in japa practice. Chanting the 'Om' alone without any other mantra can be done using the 'Aum' pronunciation. 

Unfortunately, many Hindus, both white and brown, have learned about Hindu dharma from a western or Abrahamic lens. Many do not know enough about Indic philosophy, nor Sanskrit terminology to fully comprehend even all the great teachings of the Bhagavad Gita. Though Hindus in the east who speak Indic languages stemming from Sanskrit, have an advantage of understanding over those of us who can only study shastra in English.

Some have learned to translate words like ‘dharma’ into ‘religion’, ‘upasana’ into ‘worship’, ‘papam’ into ‘sin’, ’lokas’ into ‘heavens & hells’, ‘shraddha’ into ‘faith’, ‘mantra’ into ‘prayer’, ‘Brahman’ into ‘God’, ‘Aum’ into ‘Om’, ‘bhagavan’ into ’lord’, ‘sannyasi’ into ‘saint’, ‘atma’ into ‘soul’, ‘murti’ into ‘idol’, ‘tridev’ into ‘holy trinity’, or even ‘Sanatana Dharma’ into ‘Hinduism.’ Linguistic distortion can cause some confusion. We can’t expect to learn about apples by studying oranges.

Due to misinformation, the 4-syllable ‘aum-’ has become the 1-syllable ‘Om’. The word is contained within the ‘all ‘of the creation. We know from the Rig Veda and Sankhya philosophy that ‘aum-’ is pranava or the initial, primordial sound. It is contained within all of creation. It is the very vibratory fabric of the entire universe. It is the controller of the life force. It is the only utterance we can make without the movement of the tongue. It is therefore the radical of all languages. In Judaism and Christianity, it became ‘Amen’. In Islam, ‘Amin.’

The first 3 syllables of aum are the ‘Aaaa’ which represents the waking state, the ‘Uuuu’ which represents the dream state, and the ‘Mmmm’ which represents the state of deep sleep. The fourth and most most important syllable is a silent one, which represents Turiya, the transcendent state of the absolute, the witness and pure consciousness that pervades the former 3 states of manas (mind). The Vedas recognize these as the 4 qualities of awareness.

Chanting this maha-bija mantra properly, is a primary Vedic practice. As its syllables relate to the four states of perception, recitation of ‘aum-’ can improve the qualities of consciousness within them. The practitioner can place his/her attention on each state as he/she pronounces each of the first 3 syllables. Then he/she can find a glimpse of samadhi, or a great sense of peace and stillness in the final, silent syllable.

Regular practice of ‘aum-’ recitation, which is the very sound of nature and the cosmos, is highly beneficial to the body, mind and spirit. It balances the mind, the senses, the 5 elements, and the psycho-biological doshas. It brings one gyan (spiritual knowledge), buddhi (clear perception), and viveka (discernment).

In chanting ‘aum-’, we can initially just listen to the sound. Then we can simply feel where the mantra vibrates in the body and mouth. The A- sound vibrates in the solar plexus and the middle pit of the tongue. We can feel the U- sound just above the collar bone and in the back of the throat. We can feel the M- sound on the lips and forehead. 

We can also place our focus just below the navel while sounding the initial ‘Aaaa’ syllable. We can feel the vibration of the manta move upwards through the solar plexus to the hollow of the throat, where the ‘Uuuu’ sound can be felt. The ‘Mmmm’ can be experienced or felt from the eyes upward. In Turiya, we can enjoy a bit of ecstasy while the silent syllable of the mantra gently affects the Sahasrara or crown chakra.

In a more devotional manner, we can use this mantra to focus on Tridev. While focusing on the locations of the body associated with the 4 syllables of ‘aum-’, we can at the same time think on Brahma (creator & creation) while sounding ‘Aaaa’, on Vishnu (preserver & preservation) while sounding ‘Uuuu’, on Shiva and transcendence while sounding ‘Mmmm’, and on Brahman (the absolute) while in the serenity of divine silence.

The Vedas also speak much about the 4 substances of the universe: ojas (matter/water), tejas (light/fire), prana (energy/air), and chit (consciousness/space). While vocalizing the ‘Aaaa’ sound, we can focus on the health of our material bodies. While vocalizing the ‘Uuuu’ sound, we can focus on the health of our minds. While vocalizing the ‘Mmm’ sound, we can focus on the health of our spirit or vivacity. This is an Ayurvedic way to chant ‘aum-.’

‘Aum’ is, hence, the most sacred of sound or mantra. It is the shakti of space, wind, fire, water and earth. Its pronunciation is most blissful.

‘Om Namah Shivaya’

Om Namah Shivaya...Shiva Om Namah…Om Shivaya Namaha...

Aum=Pranava

Na=Earth 

Ma=Water 

Shi=Fire

Va=Wind 

Ya=Ether

Chanting ‘Om Namah Shivaya’ is to offer obeisances to Maheśvara Shiva. In a very real sense, it brings Maha Dev into our presence. The mantra is the vibrational form and invocation of the Devata. The Devata is the personal and animated form of the mantra. It is also not unlike a prayer or an acknowledgement and recognition of the Atma. The eternal divine in and of one’s own true Self and nature. 

As a manta, a protector of the mind (Manas=mind, Tra=protection), it offers the devotee a higher level of mental clarity (Buddhi). This allows for the Manas (mental fabric) to literally be absorbed into the state of meditation proper (Dhyana) and from that place, into the state of Samadhi (Nirvana ).

Meditation is often viewed as something we do. What we are actually doing is trying to meditate. Desire and one’s will power is of importance. It is most often the first sort of mental quality necessary to one day achieve the state of Dhyana. 

That said, it must be left behind prior to realizing that state as it will slow one down on his/her path and ultimately act as a blockade to higher levels of awareness. The measure of higher consciousness we can experience in meditation is not anything we do. It is a phenomena which occurs due to what we have already done.

Chanting ‘Om Namah Shivaya’ also purifies and brings balance to the 5 elements in the body-mind complex. The 5 elements (Panchamahabhutas) have 5 corresponding subtle elements (Tanmatas), which might be seen as subatomic and/or metaphysical threads. Their function is to connect the 5 elements to the 5 sense organs and affect the health and function of the 5 bodily motor organs. 

This can help to treat Vikruti or Doshic (humoral) excesses and deficiencies in the body and mind. The quality of the mind is but a reflection of the qualities of the 5 element and the impressions they exude. Our 5 senses are taking these inward from the outer world. 

Hinduism is very scientific. Many non-Hindus and even many Hindus are not aware of this. Even Hindu theology or its concepts regarding the Devatas, largely finds its basis in natural and Natural (elemental) science and Astrobiology. Even just a mantra like ‘Om Namah Shivay’ is scientific. 

EARTH - Goddesses Bhūdevi & Brahmā - Creation.

FIRE - Gods Agni & Śiva - Transformation

WATER–Gods,Varuṇa,&Viṣṇu - Preservation/Sustentation

AIR – Gods Vāyu & Hanumān - Motion

SPACE – Parameśvara - In which all is contained

Chanting ‘Om Namah Shivaya’ can also purify, increase, and balance Ojas (immunity), Tejas (intellect), and Prana (energy/metabolism). These are the subtle Doshas and can also be seen as subtle mental or psychological Doshas. The mind is itself, the 6th motor and sense organ. 

The more physical Doshas of Vata, Pitta, and Kapha are considered to be in a state of health when they are in a state of balance as per one’s individual constitution. This can be different for each individual. Ojas, Tejas, and Prana, however, are to be increased, balanced, and purified; And this is the Ayurvedic norm for each of us. When that is happening, we have healthy minds.

Hindus recognize Tridev as Brahma, Vishnu, & Shiva. These great deities were likely first represented as Indra, Surya, and Agni and correspond to the the elements of water, sky, and fire. Tridev is the deification of the universal principles of creation, preservation, & destruction. The Vedic Yajna/Homam fire ceremonies involve offerings of earth & water elements to the fire, resulting in air & space. This reflects the sub or psychological Doshas and/or principles of Ojas, Tejas, & Prana. Ojas (water & earth) isare offeredoffered to Tejas (fire), and the resulting effect is energy (Prana).

The Gayatri Mantra

There is a famous prayer of sorts in Sanskrit that first appears in the Rig Veda. It is called Gayatri.

It appears as follows:

Om bhur bhuvah svah

tat-savitur varenyam

bhargo devasya dhimahi

dhiyo yo nah prachodayat

My interpretation is not a syllable by syllable translation, so forgive me, as I have taken liberties:

'Let us pray to the absolute reality on all its planes,

and to that finest spiritual light of our Sun.

We meditate on its illumination, the remover of darkness,

that it may also inspire and enlighten us.'

Thousands of books and blogs, are dedicated to identifying the meaning of this Gayatri mantra. Below, I will address the more literal meaning and then allow the reader to apply their esoteric connotations. 

‘Gayatri’ is actually the name for a poetic meter and cadence. It consists of three lines…eight syllables each. So technically, there are actually many mantras that exist and could properly be called ‘gayatri mantras.’ Many, if not all Devas and Devis have a gayatri mantra that corresponds to them and their qualities. What we are addressing here is Adi Gayatri. The first and therefore most ancient type of this mantric approach or design.  

The first line: Om bhur bhuvah svah, is an addition to, and not actually a part of the mantra. In Vedanta it is known as Vyahriti, a Sanskrit term which refers to the realms of Earth, Atmosphere, and the Heavens. It is used as a sort of invocation to increase and sanctify mantras, rituals, and yogic practices. In the Vedanta, we find the concepts of various Lokas (locations) or realms of reality. There are seven below Earth, which may be called ‘hellish’ planes of existence, and seven above Earth, which may be called ‘Heavenly realms.’ We have likely heard the term ‘Seventh Heaven.’ This stems from Hindu thought and is the highest, most blissful and spiritual realm. 

So, the actual Gayantri mantras is just three lines:

tat-savitur varenyam

bhargo devasya dhimahi

dhiyo yo nah prachodayat

Tat–that (The Absolute)

Savitur–Light of Surya (The Sun) 

Varenyam–The epitome, or apex

Bhargo –Illumination

Devasya–Divine

Dhimahi–Meditating 

Dhiyo–Thought(s), or mind stuff

Yo–In which, or to what end

Nah–May we all

Prachodayat–Have this inspiration/light (May it be sent within)

The Rig Veda claims that the Sun is light, light is knowledge, and that light combined with such knowledge is consciousness. The mantra itself is known as a the goddess Gayatri Devi, the wife of Brahma, and she is an embodiment of Purusha (pure consciousness) and, Paramatma or the soul of the Universe.  

The Gayatri mantra is to be recited three times a day. At sunrise, noon, and at sunset. It is known to promote mental clarity, spiritual wellbeing, memory, concentration, purity, a respiratory track,  and healthy nerve function. 

Ayurvedic Pathology: Why We Get Sick

Ayurveda recognizes five elements that construct the physical universe.  This includes the construct of our physical, emotional and mental bodies. We are born with a unique balance of these various elements and this is our own dosha or constitution.  When this remains in its harmonious state, we experience health.  

However, the atmosphere, seasonal changes, diet, emotional unrest, lifestyle, career, relationships and our patterns of exercise & rest;  are factors in our lives that constantly affect this natural balance.  Once one becomes aware of one's dosha along with basic knowledge of Ayurvedic principles, one can make conscious decisions which either keep one in harmony with one's own natural balance or exacerbate the conditions of disorder.

The five elements are ether, air, fire,water and earth. For the purpose of simplicity and understanding, Ayurveda recognizes three main categories of constitutions. 

Vata is a psycho-biological combination of ether & air.  Pitta is a combination of fire & water.  Kapha is a combination of water & earth.  A person of vata dosha has physical, emotional & mental qualities of ether & air. One of pitta dosha has qualities of fire.  One of kapha dosha has qualities of water & earth.

For example, one born with vata predominance has a variant personality, has mood swings, a lofty intellect, cool dry skin, a thin body structure and a variant appetite.  One born with pitta dosha has warm rosy skin, bright piercing eyes, a sharp brilliant intellect, a fiery temper and a competitive nature. One born with kapha predominance is sluggish, has a strong memory, is very grounded, has a large sturdy body frame and is an emotionally sweet individual.  We are prone to diseases related to our individual dosha.

So how do we become ill?  Many factors play a role in this. These factors can either bring us into our balance or throw us off of it.  ayurveda recognizes that like attracts like and opposites detract or antidote one another.  let's take a person of pitta dosha for example.  he/she is born with this fiery dosha.  he/she lives in a hot & humid area, has a very competitive job, eats spicy foods, drinks alcohol, exercises at mid-day, sunbathes and soaks in a hot tub. This person will begin to have symptoms of pitta related disorder.

Due to this person's lifestyle, pitta in the form of bile will begin to accumulate from the liver into the small intestine.  if the pitta is not relieved, it will become aggravated and start to move into the stomach and gallbladder.  Again, if the pitta is not relieved and the individual continues with his/her pitta-promoting lifestyle, the dosha will spread from the stomach & gallbladder into the general circulation.  

In this state the dosha is searching for a weak space in the body in which to infiltrate. This weak space can be caused by bad habits, emotional factors, genetics, past karma and past traumas.  Once the excess pitta dosha has deposited into this weak space it begins to manifest as a noticeable disease.  In this stage the dosha and the tissue of the weak space have combined and caused cellular confusion.  This is the soil where karmic seeds of disease, once latent in the tissue, begin to sprout.  By this time, pathogenesis is in full bloom.  if the person is not treated, he/she will experience symptoms associated with cellular deformity and structural distortion.

As I mentioned before, like increases like and opposites detract from one another. So if this pitta person continues with a lifestyle, career, diet, etc. that has pitta effects, he/she will continue to have a provocation of pitta in the body-mind complex.  as opposites detract from one another, this person should not exercise at the hottest time of day, should eat cooling foods and drink, should control his/her fiery emotions like anger, should stop being so driven and competitive, should take cool showers instead of hot baths, should take cooling anti-pitta herbs and perform anti-pitta cleansing techniques.

In Ayurveda, the patient must take an active role in his/her own recovery and treatment. Basic knowledge of Ayurvedic principles can make a huge and lasting difference in one's life.  This is why I prefer to teach Ayurveda to others instead of just acting as a sort of middleman.  one can not be truly healthy unless one becomes aware of themselves on all levels and does so consciously.  Ayurveda has been practiced with success by many thousands of people for many thousands of years.  with a five thousand year old written database, Ayurveda is the most comprehensive natural medical system in the world. it's really just as simple as knowing ether, air, fire, water, earth;  their qualities and their effects on the body and mind.

Under Pressure: Ayurveda & Hypertension 

High blood pressure or hypertension is known as the "silent killer". It is responsible for arteriosclerosis("hardening of the arteries"), congestive heart failure, thrombotic & hemorrhagic stroke, enlarged heart and kidney damage/failure.  It is also thought to be a responsible factor in obesity, diabetes, hyper-thyroidism and adrenal tumors.  symptoms are vague and often go without recognition.  The few warning signs associated with advanced hypertension could be headaches, abnormal sweating, rapid pulse, shortness of breath, dizziness and blurred vision. Once the disease reaches the level where these symptoms can be detected, it is time to see a doctor.

While genetic factors may play a role in hypertension, lifestyle and diet are thought to be the number one causative factors.  an individual who eats little fruit & vegetables, has a high salt intake, is overweight, drinks excessively and rarely exercises will be at risk.  Other risk factors include stress, taking an MOA inhibitor for depression, taking of some contraceptives, insomnia and apnea.

Hypertension is known as the 'silent killer' because there are more often than not, few if any noticeable symptoms.  Taking blood pressure regularly is the main diagnostic method for detecting a problem although an experienced Ayurvedic practitioner can tell through pulse diagnosis.  When taking the blood pressure there are two numbers which reflect the systolic and diastolic pressures. 

Systolic is a reading of the blood's pressure while the heart is in its stage of contraction and diastolic is a reading of the blood's pressure while the heart muscle is relaxed, in between its contractions.  While medical science has wavered on what is high, normal & low pressure, generally a reading of 130/85 is considered normal.  If one takes their blood pressure regularly and finds it to be higher than the normal reading, one should see a physician.  note that a single reading can not accurately determine whether one has chronic hypertension.

Herbal/nutritional supplements & diet for hypertension

Nutrients: calcium, magnesium, l-carnitine, l-glutamine, selenium, co-Q10, vitamin c, vitamin e, vitamin d & essential fatty acids(flax oil, primrose oil, fish oil).

Herbal(western): garlic, cayenne, hawthorn, chamomile, hops & valerian.

Herbal(Ayurvedic): arjuna, brahmi, gotu kola, skullcap, ashwagandha, jata mansi, guggal, rudraksha & sandalwood.  rudraksha seeds and sandalwood beads may also be worn close to the skin as a necklace or bracelet.

Dietary regime: cut out the salt!  use a sodium substitute like "mrs dash", or any number of spice churnas, lemon juice, (brewer's) yeast flakes or a bit of balsamic.  eat more fruits and vegetables! cut out red(or all) meat.  no fried foods. eat grains like oats, rice, quinoa & barley. 

Yoga therapy for hypertension

Aromatherapy: lavender, myrrh, frankincense, saffron, rose, lotus & lily.

Asanas (yogic postures) for lowering blood pressure include poses for the heart and nervous system such as the cobra pose, tortoise pose, pigeon pose, savasana, lotus w/ forward bend & moon salutations.

Sound therapy: the mantra"sham" relaxes the heart.  the mantra "ram" strengthens it.  one can chant these sanskrit seed syllables in succession for a short or long period of time before the practice of pranayama.

Pranayama (yogic breathing) exercises to lower blood pressure include "left nostril breathing", "shitali" & "so-hum breathing". 

Here is a description of the latter. Sit quietly and begin to watch the inhale and exhale. Begin to count to 4 on the inhale and to four on the exhale. Begin to lengthen the exhale, counting four on the inhale and five on the exhale. Then allow the breath to deepen even more, counting four to six on the inhale and six to eight on the exhale. Once this is achieved, one may begin to silently say "so" on the in-breath and "hum" on the out-breath. This practice oxygenates the blood and strengthens the nervous system.

Meditation techniques for lowering blood pressure 

Theseinclude concentration exercises, visualization, nama japa, purusha dharana, atma vichara & pratyahara(internalization of the senses).  Here is a description of the latter.  lie down in savasana pose.  allow the breath to come to its natural resting pattern. Mentally scan the body for any tension or stress.  let it go.  Once thoroughly relaxed, bring your attention to the tips of your toes.  slowly guide your attention up through the legs, the pelvic region, the abdomen and to the area of the heart chakra(just to the right of the heart itself).  

Now bring your awareness to the fingertips.  Slowly guide your attention up through the arms & shoulders.  Allow this energy of awareness to come to rest in the chest/heart chakra.  Now bring your attention to the tip of the crown of the head.  guide it slowly down through your face and neck.  again, allow this energy to rest at the location of the heart chakra.  Allow your awareness to stay in this area of the heart chakra for as long as you like.  You have now created your own little sensory deprivation tank of sorts.  So now you and your blood pressure should be at ease.

Ayurvedic treatment  

The aforementioned are ayurvedic treatment methods that a good practitioner would recommend.  While there are effective chemical medications available, they most often have side effects.  Even allopathic physicians recommend natural therapies first for lowering blood pressure.  However, for those with stage 2 or 3 hypertension, chemical medication should be seriously considered.  one may begin to make appropriate changes to their diet & lifestyle while being medicated with prescription drugs.  it is however, quite possible to eventually come to an all natural treatment & remedy.

An ayurvedic practitioner will treat each person with hypertension differently.  The allopath treats the disease of high blood pressure, which he/she sees as the same in every patient.  The ayurvedic practitioner treats not the disease but the individual as a whole. he/she recognizes differentiation of treatment according to the patient's individual dosha or humor, as well the doshic imbalance pertaining to the patient's disease.  For example, a pitta-patient with vata-hypertension will not receive the identical treatment given to a kapha-patient with pitta-hypertension. By any means, if one has hypertension or high blood pressure and does nothing at all for it, one may not be long for this world. So take action and take responsibility for your health.

Ayurvedic Psychology & Elemental Dharma

Hindus have Trimurti as Brahma, Vishnu, & Shiva which were represented initially as Indra, Surya, and Agni and the elements of water, sky, and fire. As we know, Tridev is the deification of the universal principles of creation, preservation, & destruction. It is also about nature. It is also elemental. 

Look at the Vedic fire ceremony, Yagna. There are offerings of the earth & water elements to the fire, resulting in air & space. These elements also reflect the sub, subtle, or psychological doshas and/or principles of Ojas, Tejas, & Prana. Ojas relates to water, Tejas to fire, and Prana to air.

The Hindu dharma has many important ‘threes’. We have Trimurti. Creation, preservation, and destruction. The three syllables of Aum, which represent the three states of consciousness. The waking state, dream state, and the state of deep sleep. 

The syllables of AUM are also related to these metaphysical doshas: Ojas, Tejas, and Prana. The A- sound relates to Ojas, the U- sound to Tejas, and the M-sound to Prana. Conversely, the A- sound relates to water & earth, the U- sound to fire, the M- sound to air, and the fourth silent syllable of AUM, the Turiya, relates to space or ether. 

We have the three main Ayurvedic doshas of Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. The three main elements of air, fire, and water, and the three Gunas: Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas. In the Sankhya system we have Purusha or pure unconditional consciousness, Prakruti or primordial nature and Shakti, and the Pranava Aum, which is the underlying vibratory fabric of the entire universe.

Ether or space, the akasha, is the primary or initial element created from Purusha or pure consciousness. Ether in motion becomes wind or air. Air is a principle of movement. Movement creates friction and heat, leading to fire. Fire melds consciousness into water. Water brings molecules together to create the earth element.

The ears experience ether through sound. The skin feels air through the sense of touch. The eyes perceive the light of fire by sight. The mouth experiences the water element with taste, and the nose experiences the earth element by smell. The qualities of what we intake through the senses greatly  affects the quality of the mind. 

The body-mind complex is made up of these five gross elements, and the mind itself consists of subtle forms of these elements. Again, Ojas relates to water and provides mental immunity and resilience. Tejas relates to fire and provides us with intellect and comprehension. Prana relates to air and provides mental vibrancy and the ability to change our minds and transcend harmful or burdensome emotions, thoughts, and memories.  

The mind-body complex can be defined and categorized according to one’s dosha. Vata is a combination of ether and air. Pitta is a combination of fire and water, and Kapha is a combination of water and earth. A Vata-dominant person will share the characteristics of space and air. The Pitta-dominant person will share the characteristics of fire, and the Kapha-dominant person will have the characteristics of water and earth.

One must first ascertain what one’s nature, dosha, or prakruti is. Then one must know if one has a current state of imbalance or Vikruti. When these are known, it is not too complex to ascertain what dietary, herbal, and lifestyle changes to make for the purpose of optimal health. One can also learn about a variety of highly effective and highly therapeutic Yogic and Tantric practices, as well as subtle healing modalities which may be therapeutic, such as aromatherapy and bija mantra therapy. 

The gunas, like the bodily doshas, are all in a constant state of flux or change. The word ‘dosha’ means ‘that which gets affected’ or ‘that which changes.’ The unmodified, normative state of the mind is most chaotic, as it is under the influence of continuous impressions coming in through the senses as well as the foreign imposition and compulsion of conscious and subconscious thought patterns. The mind itself is the sixth sense and is a culmination of all these impressions and untamed thoughts. 

What does not change along with the motions of living in the world of maya, is the Self. Consciousness. The witness or that which only observes change, but does not itself, alter. We can watch a bottle break, but that observation does not shatter pure consciousness, nor the eyes. The eyes are fine, but the mind can break. The Atma is of course, unaffected by the imposition of foreign stimuli, as well as the coercions of thought.

The transcendent one is he/she who neither hates or desires the presence or absence of joyful illumination, material attachment, or delusion. One who remains steady or undisturbed by constant changes and transformations of the gunas, and simply says only the gunas are changing.” ~Bhagavad Gita 4.22-23

Regarding again, the subtle doshas: We must have Ojas for a stable mind and sturdy body. We must have Tejas for proper metabolism, to process knowledge, and to burn away burdensome ideas, beliefs, memories, and emotions. We must have Prana to be flexible, energetic, and we must have Prana for mental mobility and flexibility. We must have Prana for change and transitions. These three subtle doshas must be purified, increased, and balanced; And they can be qualified by the gunas. They relate to the Gunas. Ojas relates to Tamas, Tejas to Rajas, and Prana to Sattva.

Managing our individual dosha along with Ojas, Tejas, and Prana can be done by simply understanding a fundamental rule of Ayurveda. That is that like attracts like, and opposites detract from excess and deficiency. 

If our atmosphere, thoughts, words, and actions are of Sattva guna, then we attract more of that quality into ourselves and our lives. The same can be said if our surroundings, thoughts, words, and actions are of Rajas or Tamas guna. If we are stuck in inertia and depression, we can consciously change what is taken into the senses along with the qualities of our carriers, relationships, thoughts, words, and deeds to Rajas-guna and then perhaps to Sattva-guna. Depression and inertia would be solved by applying Rajas or activity to counter the inertia of Tamas, and then one may proceed to transcend the kinetic energy of Rajas into a more pure and peaceful procession towards qualities and characteristics of Sattva guna. 

All three gunas have their importance. It is not necessarily so, that Sattva is all good, and Tamas is all bad. As with much of Ayurvedic medicine and psychology and as with the Hindu Dharma itself, not all people are the same. Both traditions recognise and encourage individuality and independence or Svadharma first and social Dharma second, because what is the point of having a society made of adharmic atomotons stuck in group-think or hive-mind mentality?

A Sattvtic person will have spiritual and devotional aspirations, along with a desire for higher metaphysical states of consciousness. A Rajasic person will tend towards placing their time and energy into their careers and will desire wealth or possessions. A Tamasic person may tend towards malevolence and lethargy. Of course, we all possess all three of these gunas in some measure or another. All three are necessary for life and have both positive and negative forms and functions. Even a very Sattvic monk who lives on the ideal plane, may need to utilize Tamas guna to keep from becoming too idealistic, overly imaginative, or to keep them down to earth and in what most others would call ‘the real world.’ 

Back to the subtle doshas of Ojas, Tejas, and Prana: To increase Ojas we need rest, stillness, meditation, and a nutritious diet. To increase Tejas we need mental stimulation, study, an inquiring mind, and spiced or flavorful foods. To increase Prana we need only observe a Prana-rich diet and tend to our Yogic breathing or Pranayama practice. 

Note that the qualities, the forms and functions of Ojas pertain to and resemble the qualities of water and earth. Tejas pertains to and resembles the qualities of fire. Prana pertains to and resembles the qualities of air. Notice when we practice just a few minutes of Pranayama, then experience a sense of great stillness and tranquility, which pertains to and resembles the qualities of space. Notice how we feel a sense of strength after a nutritious meal. This is due to fresh Ojas. Notice the sense of illumination after reading Veda or the Gita. This is due to the fire of Tejas. 

Remember, the first Hindu deities were elemental and related specifically to nature. Indra to storms, Surya to the sun, Vayu to wind, Agni to fire, and Varuna to the oceans. Think again of the Homam or Vedic fire ceremony. There is the clay structure around the fire and the offerings of grains, ghee, dahi, incense, fruits, etc. These come from the earth. The fire is considered to be the mouth of god. When the offering of earth and water are placed into the fire they transform into smoke, wind, ether, and prana. Thus purifying the atmosphere. The same sort of ritual is meant for both our physical and mental health. 

In then the Agnihotra, we can see all five elements. We can see the three doshas, the three subtle or mental doshas, and we can see the three gunas. We can even sense all five elements in something as simple as a flower. The taste of the flower is water. The color is fire. The perfume of the flower is earth. The blooming of the flower is space, and the soft touch of the flower is air. 

All these things: Impressions, thoughts, relationships, lifestyle, climate, sensory stimuli, the doshas, the elements, career, our tissues, the nadis and koshas, the motor organs, the sense organs, our moods, actions and reactions, our family life, and all else can be qualified by the gunas of Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas. 

Sattva is serenity, purity, and peace. It is related to the element of space. Tamas is inertia, stability, resistance, and fortitude. It is related to the earth element. Rajas is kinetic energy and is dual. It drifts into both the Sattva side and the Tamas side. It is related to air. Sattva guna brings peace, bliss, and buddhi. Rajas guna brings brilliance, prosperity, and material pleasures. Tamas guna brings rest and recuperation. There is great value in understanding the forms and functions of the gunas. 

Unlike the individual’s bodily Ayurvedic dosha, where one person’s balanced state is another person's state of derangement, Ojas, Tejas, and Prana are to be kept in a state of balance with one another, and this is the ideal for all people. Increasing one and not the others leads to some detriment. The Sattvic state of mind is ideal. However, in excess, it can lead one to some measure of delusion. The Tamasic state of mind in excess, can lead to melancholy and stagnation. The Rajasic state of mind in excess, can lead to being overly opulent and materialistic. 

Too much Prana can lead to becoming a ‘space cadet.’ Too much Tejas and one can become a ‘hot head.’ Too much Ojas and one can become lethargic and overly sentimental or ‘wishy-washy.’ These psychological doshas also affect the body of course, and the bodily doshas of Vata, Pitta, and Kapha also affect the mind. One must first be concerned with the health of the body. Without which we have no brain, which is an instrument of the mind. The mind is an instrument of awareness, and awareness is an instrument of consciousness. 

Even Bhagavan Krishna tells Arjuna not to so freely share his teachings with those who are unaware of the workings of the gunas.

“Those who are sincere but are unaware of the distorting effects of the gunas continue to act by compulsion. Therefore, those who do understand should be careful in educating those who do not yet understand, so that the necessary actions and responsibilities of their lives are not disrupted.” ~Bhagavad Gita 3.29

Psychological Applications of Meditation

Long ago, the yogis of Vedic times recognised the existence of ‘chitta’ or the subconscious mind.  The Sanskrit word ‘chitta’ means “mind-stuff” or “conditioned consciousness”. They found that during meditation, what seemed to be foreign and forgotten thoughts, memories, emotions, fears, impulses and desires, would bubble up or suddenly start to seep from chitta, the subconscious mind, into ‘manas’ or the normal mind. They found this kept them from reaching higher states of consciousness or ‘chitt’, the super-conscious mind or unconditioned consciousness. 

They called these impressions ‘samskaras’, meaning ‘recollections’ or ‘psychological imprints’. They theorized that thought itself was a form of subtle matter. A quiet mind creates space for matter from the unconscious mind to emerge. In between the waking and meditative state, the yogis recognized what they called ‘vrittis’ or resurfacing thoughts. The Sanskrit word ‘vritti’, literally means ‘whirlpool’. These Vedantins realized that meditation could act as a sort of mental medium that could process hidden or subconscious impressions as they became known in the more perceptive state of mind we use in the normal everyday waking state. 

Of course the pressures of everyday life, along with the pressures from our pasts, can appear at any time. A verse in the Upanshads says “This mind is like a chariot yoked to wild stallions”. These stressors can be more easily dealt with in mindful and meditative states, than in anxious states or in chaotic situations. These pressures can erupt in an emotional meltdown, or they can be released after the mind has had time to calm and quite down. 

Regular practice of meditation can relieve the pressures of life each day, little by little. As such, meditation can take the power out of stressful situations and stress itself, but it isn’t meant to replace addressing underlying causes of our various issues. It can help us cope with certain situations by allowing us to respond to them in a more effective and efficient manner. It can make us less impulsive and less likely to turn to anger, rage, substance abuse, violence or other compulsive behaviors. Meditation is after all, a modality for overall health found within a larger school of practical metaphysics and holistic medicine.  

Meditation is not an escape from our problems and is not to be used to suppress them. To use meditation as a permanent way to avoid life’s larger dilemmas is both unwise and actually, a waste of time. What meditation can do, is give us time to really consider more options and solutions to difficult situations and problematic mental states or crises. It can keep us from making assumptions and from drawing quick conclusions. This occurs naturally when we allow the mind to settle and become more spacious. 

It’s no wonder that the end result of meditation is historically known to be what we call ‘enlightenment’. When we trace the word ‘enlightenment’ back to its Sanskrit origins, we find quite a few etymological terms. One is the word ‘bodhi’. Bodhi means ‘awakened intellect’ or more simply ‘clear perception’. It is where we get  the word ‘buddha’. The renunciate known as Buddha was actually named Siddhartha Gotama. He became known as the great Buddha, only after he had attained  the wisdom that came with having a pure or awakened state of mind. So ‘Buddha’ is not a proper name. It is a sort of title given to enlightened men and women.

By practicing meditation, which leads to this clear perception, we can learn to discern between what is constant, as compared to what is fleeting. This is not about being in a so-called ‘eternal now’ or in the present moment, which does not endure even for an instant. It is about being mindful of presence itself or simply paying attention to what is and as a result, we can see what is not.

Overcoming Fear, Depression, & Anxiety 

Find some stillness. Fear resides in the body-mind complex as air, which is a principle of motion. It is rajas-guna, which is an active dynamism. On the plus side, rajas can bring us from place to place. Hopefully to a better place than we were before. 

Action can lead towards sattva-guna or a place of light and purity, or towards tamas-guna, inertia and darkness. Ideally, we would think we must move towards purity, but moving towards inertia can also be therapeutic. If one dwells in the rajas and is experiencing anxiety, then dulling the mind can help for a time. 

Eventually, one would then have to use the energy of rajas to get to an enlightened state found with sattva. Everything and everyone can be measured or qualified by these three gunas or qualities. If one can come to understand their workings, one can have more control over life, including anxiety and depression. Anxiety being rajas, and depression being tamas. 

People will say only the present exists. Vedanta says otherwise. The present moment is the most fleeting of all things. The Vedanta says we have future karma that has its own existence prior to being experienced. If that is true, then do we fear it? We cannot know the future. So, it is not the future we fear, but a future that we think might include something we do not or will not like. 

We don't even know the past, but our imperfect interpretation, along with burdensome memories that we tend to cling to. I think most everyone hopes for a better past, even though that is not very logical. So, realize we are all in the constant presence of atman/brahman…of 'the most high.' 

We have the potential in the day to rise or fall. Usually, we do a combination of both without awareness. Pay attention and appreciate the presence of chitta or consciousness and simple awareness. 

We are stuck in these bodies which can feel pain or pleasure. In these minds filled with compulsions we call thoughts. In yoga/meditation, we can observe them and then come to realize they are a foreign imposition and unreal. 

With control of the body and mind, what is left but ego or our persona. A sense of individuality. A necessary knot in consciousness. Getting to 'god' or higher states of awareness is simply an exchange of our own egos for the cosmic ahamkara (ego). 

Advaita (non-duality) can lead to even a higher place of oneness, connectivity, and bliss. It is not a state we can will into instant existence. It takes determination and knowledge, and then putting that into play and practice. The Vedas teach something very simple but effective. Like attracts like and opposites are remedial or treat excesses and deficiencies. 

Start there and know that you are not alone. Fear of the future or of whatever is human nature is a product of our anxiety-ridden society. Start to recognize what is therapeutic and detrimental, which can be different for each person. Begin to eliminate the detrimental, and embrace what is therapeutic.

What is Your Dosha and Why It Matters

The individual dosha is one’s prakruti or essential nature. Everyone is unique. You are the first, only, and last creation of your kind. The main doshas are Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Vata is the forms and functions of space and air. Pitta is the same, of fire and water. Kapha is the same, of water and the earth elements. 

We all share these same elements to various degrees. The most subtle element is ether or space. Space in motion is wind or air. Motion creates friction, heat, and fire. Fire melds consciousness into liquid or water. Water brings molecules together to form earth. 

We experience the ether element primarily through the ears and the sense of hearing. Where there is space, we hear an echo. We experience the air element primarily by the skin and the sense of touch. The wind blows this and that around and we can see that, but that happens after we feel it. We experience the fire element primarily with our eyes and by the sense of sight. We can feel the warmth of fire when it is near, but we can see a single flame from many miles. We experience the water element primarily with the taste buds. Put powdered sugar on a dry tongue and you will not perceive the taste. The water element is necessary to bring the food particles closer into the taste receptors. We experience the earth element primarily through the nose and the sense of smell. The five elements and their associated five senses are constantly experienced and form the sixth sense, which is the mind, and the mind forms the body.

The qualities of the ether element are: Still, quiet, empty, spacious, calm and pure. These are essential for a stress-free mind. On the bodily level, the quality of space is of importance as well. We have cranial space, thoracic space, space in the lungs, and in every cell. 

The qualities of the air element are: Active, invigorating, adaptable, cool, and mobile. Mentally, the air element governs our ability to study, change our minds, and see different vantage points. On the physical level, air is a principle of motion and governs circulation, nerve function, breathing, ingestion, and ejection. 

The qualities of fire are: Hot, light, sharp, brilliant, and testy. Mentally, fire governs our ability to discern, digest, and decipher incoming impressions and knowledge. Physically, fire governs digestion and body temperature. 

The qualities of water are: Cool, wavey, vicious, fluid, soft, and heavy. Mentally, water regulates our emotional states and nourishes them. Physically, water is responsible for nutrition, immunity, and hydration. 

The qualities of the earth element are: Stagnant, strong, dense, stable, cool, and dry. Mentally, this element is responsible for logical reasoning, common sense, and steadfastness of thought. Physically, earth is our structural or skeletal body and along with water, our muscular tissues. 

If one is primarily Vata dosha, he/she will share the qualities of ether and air. If one is primarily Pitta dosha, he/she will share the qualities of fire and water. If one is primarily Kapha dosha, he/she will share the qualities of water and earth. There are many Dosha Tests that can be filled out for the individual reader. I recommend the ones that can be found at the American Institute of Vedic Studies or the one at the Ayurvedic Institute. 

The benefits of knowing one’s dosha are immense and something that can be used in a practical and common-sense fashion on a daily basis. Ayurveda can seem complex at first, but the more one comes to understand it the more one sees it as just common sense. 

Knowing one’s dosha or prakruti, leads to knowing one’s imbalances, deficiencies, or excesses. This imbalance is called ‘vikruti.’ Let's take for example a pitta person who is of pitta age, lives in a hot climate, has a pitta spouse, and an active and stressful job. Of course, this individual will be prone to pitta-related excess and therefore to pitta-related physical and mental disorder. He/she could learn to recognize the symptoms of these and counter their effects by first attempting to remove pitta-inducing things in his/her life, eating a cooling diet of sweet fruits and raw veggies, and taking anti-pitta herbs. The same pattern and remedies can be taken by the Vata or Kapha-dominant person. 

Ayurveda always begins to treat disease by first, removing what is causing it, then by diet, then herbal formulas, then by lifestyle change, and lastly by subtle healing techniques like meditation, aroma therapy, color and sound (mantra) therapy, and yoga. 

Staying Cool & Treatment for Excess Pitta

Coming from India and its cultural realm where it is hot, Ayurvedic Medicine has developed some simple ways to stay cool. Here are a few: Cooling Asanas, cooling pranayama, cooling herbs for internal and external application, cooling foods, cooling visualization techniques, cooling essential oils for aromatherapy and cooling lifestyle choices.

Foods: cucumber, melon, mung dahl, sprouts, raw salads, summer squash, cooked greens, milk & celery to name a few. Any foods that are sweet, bitter and astringent will cool the body/mind complex. Avoid foods that are pungent(spicy), sour or excessively salty.

Herbs: Coriander, fennel, turmeric, mint, chamomile, dandelion, burdock, brahmi, ajwan, gotu kola, aloe tea, aloe gel, cilantro, shilajit and licorice.

Pranayama: Shitali, exhalation through the mouth & left nostril breathing.

Asanas: Uttana, Paschimottan, Dhanda, Marich, Janu Sira, bodda Kona, Urdhva Dhanura & Siva Asanas.

Visualization techniques: Obviously visualizing a steam hot jungle, standing by a bonfire surrounded by a thousand people dressed in all red would do much to cool you down. So just do the opposite.

Aromatherapy: Sandalwood, lavender, chamomile, mint, vetiver, coriander, neem, juniper & vanilla.

Obviously one should avoid exercising outside and not exercise during the hottest part of the day, even if inside. One should make sure to eat when one is hungry and not skip meals. Especially the mid day meal. One should surround oneself with cooling colors like blue, green and white. One should avoid conflict, aggravation, debate, competition & fiery emotions in general.

If you doubt these things work, I may remind you that Ayurveda has a five thousand year old written database that would disagree with you. At any rate, there's nothing dangerous about these techniques. So give it a try.

Ayurveda and Modern Medicine 

Ayurveda is not a pure science, but neither is allopathic medicine. Ayurveda does utilize the scientific method which is how it came up with many effective treatments and diagnostic methods. Ayurveda's herbal pharmacology alone is immense and medicinally valuable. It's not like the scientific method is a modern creation or some great secret. It's pretty simple actually. It's common sense.

Ayurveda utilizes theory and practicum as does modern medicine. The first surgeries were performed by ayurvedic physicians. It has thousands of records and texts which include treatment for 1700 different diseases and disorders. It has under its belt many generations and thousands of years of trial and error. Its classic branches include internal medicine, pediatrics, ear-nose-throat or diseases of the head, surgery, psychology, geriatrics and toxicology. This should sound familiar, as these are also the main branches of modern allopathic medicine.

The scientific method can be flawed by human interaction and egos. A scientist may postulate a theory and experiment in order to prove the theory right or wrong, but they don't want to be wrong; so instead of accepting that their theory was off, they change the variables until it shows their theory to be right...even if it still isn't. So the scientific method isn't all that scientific at times.

Sankhya in a Nutshell

AUM. There are some who use this Mantra, who don't know its relevance. It's fine to do so. It is a wonderful, dynamic as well as a very soothing sound. It is even beneficial to those who have no clue as to its meaning. That, however, is important.

AUM appears in Hindu Dharma Darshana (Indic philosophy), as the first or primordial sound upon which the universal building blocks are laid. It is called 'Pranava' in Samkhya philosophy. Pranava means 'ever-fresh and ever-renewable, renewing energy'.

According to Samkhya dharshana, everything in the known universe is different forms of consciousness. We can see in Samkhya a relationship with metaphysics, quantum theory, psychology, and biology. Samkhya was originally an atheistic philosophy, but theists have their own adaptation. Its main text, the Samkhya Karika was written by Rishi Kapila in 200 CE. It is seen as a Tantric dharshana (philosophy) and the basis for Ayurveda, and Yoga The word Samkhya or sankhya means empirical or 'to enumerate.’

Pranava or AUM comes about as a result of two uniting realities. These are on one side 'Purusha' and on the other, 'Prakruti'. Purusha is a still or non-dynamic, unclassified, non-qualitative, pure and free consciousness (chit).

Prakruti is the primordial nature or the initial potential-dynamic of matter or the material world. Prakruti is known as the initial principle of the Universe, but is unconscious.

When these two forces merged, the first sound or vibration was created. Coming into existence and propelled into the void. This is the sound of the Mantra, 'AUM'. It is the vibratory fabric of the universe. From this initial cosmic emergence comes conditioned consciousness (chitta), the cosmic mind (manas) and cosmic individuality or ego (ahamkara).

Prakruti has three qualities (gunas): Sattva (illumination), Rajas (dynamism), and Tamas (inertia). From Sattva-guna comes the potential for transcendence, the five senses, the five motor organs, and the sixth sense which is the mind in its states of the mundane (manas) to its states of awakening (buddhi). From Rajas-guna comes the phenomena of movement, change, and adaptability. From Tamas-guna comes the ego (ahamkara) and the five elements of ether, air, fire, water and earth.

Ether or the akasha is static space. When ether moves it ceases to be space and becomes air. Air is a principle of movement. Movement creates friction which creates fire. Fire melds all into liquid or water. Water brings molecules of solids together to form earth.

The gross elements are produced from Tanmatras. These are the preliminary subtle elements. They connect the elements to our senses.The five sense organs and the five elements are related and more or less coincide.

The tanmatra of the akasha (ether) allows us to perceive space through the senses of hearing. The tanmatra of air (vayu) allows us to perceive wind through the sense of touch. The tanmatra of fire (agni) allows us to perceive flame through the sense of sight. The tanmatra of water (apas) is known as rasa or taste, and the tanmatra of earth (prithvi) is the sense of smell.

If we yell out over a wide expanse of space, we hear an echo. We can see the wind blow leaves around, but we sense wind primarily by touch. We can feel the heat of fire, but we can see it from miles away. Water relates to the sense of taste. If you put a pinch of salt or sugar on a dry tongue, there is no flavor. After it rains we can smell the earth element evaporating.

We and everything is made up of the five elements. In one flower there is space in its bloom, air when the plant diffuses oxygen, fire is the bright color of its pedals, water in the plant's sap, and its roots are inter-fused with the earth.

From the five elements come the Ayurvedic classifications of Dosha. Vata Dosha being a psycho-biological combination of ether and air. Pitta Dosha, a combination of fire and water. Kapha Dosha, a combination of water and earth. All of this begins with Purusha or pure consciousness, which is a part of everything and every being.

In Samkhya dharshana chitta is mind stuff or conditional consciousness. It is like a field where buddhi, manas, and ahamkara need to grow. So, it's not which is 'higher' or 'lower.' It's more about that they have different structures and functions, as well as being about which came first. Chit is an unconditional consciousness we can experience in samadhi. So, one could say that it is the highest principle or tattva that connects us with our own atma. Buddhi is considered to be a path to viveka and visa versa. It is considered to be superior to vedanā (feeling) or bhāva (feeling) as well as rāga (love, attraction), dveṣa (hatred, aversion), harṣa (joy), bhaya (fear) and śoka (sorrow). Chit, buddhi, and manas or mahat also intermingle. Buddhi is intellect. When buddhi is increased and purified, it is said that it reflects and awakens chitta. This is known as buddhi chitta. Chitta is conditioned consciousness and chit is unconditional consciousness. Chit is the field of all possibilities. Chit is the ideal awareness and union we can experience in samadhi.

The Importance of the Yamas & Niyamas

‘The Yamas are the five codes of social conduct: Ahimsa (non-violence), Satya (honesty), Brahmacharya (control of desire, actions and the mind), Asteya (non-stealing) and Aparigraha (non-attachment).

They are simply ways to keep our minds free from violence, fabrication, guilt, sexual misconduct and attachment to the material and temporal world. These are the five primary commitments and practices which make up the sattvic lifestyle, along with the five Niyamas.

The Niyamas are the five codes of personal conduct. These five: Shaucha (purity), Santosha (inner contentment), Tapas (discipline & sacrifice), Svadhyaya (study, contemplation & self-inquiry), and Ishvara Pranidhana (sublimation of the ego-self & surrender to Ishvara). 

These general codes of conduct are to be self-regulated. That is to say, there are no commandments coming from on high, along with threats of a generic eternal punishment. One's karma is his or her own. The Niyamas are to be adapted to the individual and are not a foreign imposition upon the whole of humanity. They are simply common sensible ways to live and behave so as not to bring conflict or chaos into the mind. A mind with conflict and chaos can never reach a meditative state.. 

For this reason, the Yamas and Niyamas are the first and second limbs of classical Ashtanga, Raja, or Patanjala Yoga.  The Yamas are the codes of social conduct, and the Niyamas are the codes of personal conduct. They build a foundation for the remaining limbs. They bring clarity to the mind, purity to the body, and strengthen one's will to stay on the spiritual path of awakening.

The Importance of the Gunas

The gunas are elemental. Hinduism is an elemental religion. have Trimurti as Brahma, Vishnu, & Shiva represented initially as Indra, Surya, and Agni and the elements of water, sky, and fire. Tridev is the deification of the universal principles of creation, preservation, & destruction. Yajna fire ceremonies involve offerings of the earth & water elements to the fire, resulting in air & space. 

This reflects the Ayurvedic doshas. Kapha relates to water and earth. Pitta relates to fire and Vata relates to wind and space. It also reflects the sub or `psychological doshas` or the principles of ojas, tejas, & prana. Ojas relates to water and earth. Tejas to fire and prana to wind and space. Similarly, tamas-guna relates to water and earth. Rajas-guna relates  to fire and sattva-guna relates to wind and space. 

Like the bodily doshas, the gunas are all in a constant state of flux or change. Blown by the wind, so to speak. The unmodified normative state of the mind is most chaotic under continuous impressions coming in through the senses. The mind itself is the sixth sense and is a culmination of these impressions. 

In the state of deep sleep and through pratyahara (internalization of the senses), the mental stillness of dhyana can be achieved in the awakened state but not for very long. Most will not experience this in their lifetimes. The closest thing may be when we're reading or driving and space out for a few minutes. When this happens, we snap out of it and can't remember these lost moments. We find ourselves having to go back a few pages in that novel. 

What does not change along with the motions of living in the world of maya, is the Self. Seeing a bottle break does not shatter the eyes, and the atma is unaffected by the imposition of foreign stimuli and the compulsion of thought.

The transcendent one who neither hates or desires the presence or absence of joyful illumination, material attachment, or delusion. One who remains steady or undisturbed by constant changes and transformations of the gunas, and simply says only the gunas are changing.” ~Bhagavad Gita 4.22-23

The mouth experiences the water element with taste. The nose experiences the earth element by smell. The ears experience ether through sound. The skin feels wind/air through the sense of touch, and the eyes perceive fire by sight.

The akasha in motion becomes wind/air, a principle of movement. The vayu creates friction and fire. The agni melds into water. Apah (water) brings molecules together to form prithvi, the earth element.

The body complex is made up of these five gross elements, and the mind consists of subtle forms of the elements. Ojas (water) provides mental immunity or resilience. Tejas (fire) provides intellect and comprehension. Prana (air) provides mental vibrancy.

These are important Vedic, yogic, and ayurvedic concepts. We must have ojas for a stable mind and strong body. We must have tejas for proper metabolism and to process ideas, memories, and emotions. We must have prana to be mobile, flexible, and to fuel the body-mind complex. These three subtle doshas must be purified, strengthened, and balanced; and they can be qualified by the gunas. Ojas relates to tamas, tejas to rajas, and prana to sattva.

To manage our ojas, tejas, and prana can be done by simply understanding a fundamental rule of Ayurveda: Like attracts like and opposites detract from one another. To increase ojas, we need rest, stillness, and a nutritious diet. To increase tejas, we need mental stimulation, an inquiring mind, and physical exercise. To increase prana, we need only observe a prana-rich diet and tend to our yogic breathing or pranayama practice. I encourage the reader to delve into various other ways to purify, increase, and balance these three most important life principles for themselves. 

The syllables of AUM are also related to these metaphysical doshas. The A- sound to ojas, the U- sound to tejas, the M- sound to prana. Conversely, the A- sound relates to water & earth, the U- sound to fire, the M- sound to air, and the fourth silent syllable of AUM- to space or ether.

Remember, the first Hindu deities were elemental and/or related specifically to nature: Indra to storms, Surya to the sun, Vayu to wind, Agni to fire, and Varuna to water. Think of yajna/homam, the Vedic fire ceremony. We have the clay structure around the fire and the offerings of grains, ghee, dahi, etc. These come from the earth. The agnihotra features the fire, which is considered to be the mouth of god. When the offering of earth and water are placed into the fire they transform into smoke, wind, and ether. 

All these things: Impressions, thoughts, sensory stimuli, the doshas, the elements, tissues, the motor organs, moods, actions/reactions, and all else can be qualified by the gunas sattva, rajas, and tamas. Sattva is purity and stillness. It is related to the akasha or element of space. Tamas is inertia, stability, and resistance. It is related to the earth element. Rajas is kinetic energy and is dual. It drifts into both the sattva-guno and the tamas-guno. It is related to air. Sattva guna brings bliss. Rajas guna brings material happiness and pleasure. Tamas brings rest.

This shows the value in understanding the form and function of the gunas, Sankhya darshana, and Vedanta. Even Bhagavan Krishna tells Arjuna not to so freely share his teachings with those who are unaware of the workings of the gunas. They can greatly assist us in understanding everything, from divinity, the cosmos, our yog-sadhana, our persona, and our psychological & physical states. 

To note, Ahamkara is a necessary knot in consciousness and can be a tool as much as a barrier to transcendence. As per Sankhya and Advaita Vedanta, it is actually something that is a portion of cosmic reality, as maya or greater division begins not with ego but with the gunas.

Regarding the Nature of Karma

Karma is a verb. It is happening. We are all experiencing Karma every day, all day. Even in the dream state, karma is occurring. Karma means ‘action.’ As many ways as action can take place, there is Karma in one form or another…in one function or another. Every action has a continuous and particular reaction. Some are predictable. Most are not. Karma is not fatalism. It is not a weapon. It is not about reward or punishment. It is a law of the natural and the supernatural realms.

As many ways as action can take place, is Karma in one form or another. Every action has a certain reaction no matter if we understand it or not. No matter our particular belief system, water is wet and fire burns. Not the opposite. That is their Dharma, shaped by karma. Every cause has an effect. This is true with astronomy, physics, biology, psychology, and neuroscience. It is so in both the microcosmic and macrocosmic worlds.

A doctrine of karma is one of absolute responsibility and radical freedom of choice. One thing with a karmic effect, is a mere belief. Thoughts, intentions, words, and deeds must align and take place in an authentic and righteous manner. No pretension. No performance. Of course, this seldom occurs and so karma ensues.

Believing in Allah, Jesus, or Krishna does not equate to being rewarded in the afterlife. Beliefs can make us do both honorable and horrible things; and it is these actions which lead us towards or away from the good, the bad, or the in between.

If our minds have become contaminated with ‘religious’ indoctrination, our actions comply. If I believe one deity is God, then other deities must be demigods, demons, or nonexistent. If I believe that mere faith in Jesus will get me to an eternal heaven, I will feel right to zealously convert others by unscrupulous tactics. If I believe that Allah will reward me for causing harm to those who offend him by worshiping another deity, then I will feel free to bomb a synagogue, church, or temple.

Those who understand karma and reincarnation would not tend to do such things, but karma must be more than a belief. It must be understood to at least some degree. Otherwise, karma can be a terrible master.

What we call ‘good karma’ may have pleasant results. Samadhi is the most pleasant result of right or dharmic actions. However, if our ultimate goal is moksha, then all karma must cease by one means or another. It must come to an end. This is the ideal and absolute, ultimate goal and may take many lifetimes.

Reincarnation can be explained quite simply. All of nature is a part of an observable cycle that returns to itself upon its death, when and where growth begins again while still under some duress of both beneficial and maleficent natural or universal laws. We are obviously a part of that nature and that cycle and being individual beings, these aforementioned laws of Dharma affect different people in different ways, as per his or her individual karma.

The way out of karma are the systems of yoga-dharma. These involve commitments, not commandments. They involve gaining knowledge, compassion, humility, authenticity, devotion, and an experiential understanding that we are of, but above the body-mind complex. We are of, but above persona and ego. We are above all qualities, limitations, and the maya or the illusion of division and separation.

Life is not linear but appears as such. It is circular or cyclic and therefore, we all have both past and future karma. We keep coming around to things, places, and people we thought we knew, gaining a deeper and deeper understanding of them with each encounter, or perhaps we lose sight instead. Either way, karma ensues.

Until one day the knowledge settles down into wisdom and the wisdom, into enlightenment. This can and usually is a long and arduous journey. When enlightenment is finally reached, however, there is no more reason or need to identify with life's actions or qualities. Pain and pleasure become the same.  Success and failure, the same.  Doing and not doing, the same.  Life and death, the same. 

Temple of the Heart: The Power of Kindness

I had a trans-formative experience today. I was driving up to our Hindu temple here in Omaha, Nebraska. It’s an amazingly beautiful and ornate temple inside and out, with traditional architecture and symbology. I saw a young man walking by, checking it out. As I parked, I saw him approaching me. I thought he was certainly going to ask me something about the temple, as it must be quite a curiosity to many non-Hindus. So I got out of my car and walked towards him.

Stranger: “Can you save my life and let me use your phone? I just got out of jail. I’ve been walking around knocking on church doors. I need to call my brother."

My first thought… ‘Just walk away.’ But I couldn’t do that. I was on one side of the temple’s gate and he was on the other. So I went around, and he gave me a phone number. I dialed and gave him the phone.

Stranger: “Timothy? Is this you? I need to see a friendly face. I’ve been in solitary confinement for the last 30 days…just me and a Bible. Do you know what that does to a person? I need a hug from someone who loves me." He was weeping throughout.

I recall wondering what solitary confinement must be like. I thought to myself: ‘The body and much more of the mind are trapped and confined, inducing anxiety, depression and mania. A prison within a prison.’ I recall myself wondering just what solitary confinement must be like.

‘It’s like the mind’ I told myself. ‘A prison within a prison.’ Some otherwise healthy prisoners in solitary have even been known to hallucinate. Like many, I had experienced some forms of mental illness myself, and I had been going through something similar to what he had just scraped through on the ‘outside.’.

As he went on, I gazed downward to give him at least some semblance of privacy. He was in a state of desperation and continued to pour out his heart in front of a stranger. Tears are now coming down my face. It may have been the most genuine display of emotion I’ve ever heard. I felt embarrassed by his honesty.

After he got off the phone with his brother, he asked if he could get a hug from me. If he hadn’t, I was going to extend an offer for one. We embraced and I lost it. I was just bawling, as was he. He saw I was crying and felt bad.

Stranger: “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Thank you for saving my life."

And it hit me. I said, ‘No. You don’t understand. I think you might be the one saving me.’ I regained my composure and told him it would take time, but that he would heal. I told him he was a beautiful person, and we parted ways, leaving me with the gifts of catharsis and perspective. There’s a fine line between the need for help and becoming a helper.

There is nothing so easy, lucky and free than kindness shown to one who hasn’t been treated with much kindness as of late, or a bit of hope given to someone who has lost all hope and is in a state of desperation. Offer love to those who have become lost and lonely without it. I will be contentious in debate. I do not always come close to the person I’d like to be, but it is my intention to be kind, hopeful and loving always and in every situation. I often fail.

All this happened before I entered the temple. Throughout my sadhana, this experience kept coming back into my mind and I had to fight back tears, quite unsuccessfully. After doing my ritual, I just had to sit in the temple for some time to process this and learn what it meant. This has been crossing my mind all day…continuing to move me…to heal me.

There’s nothing like experiencing or taking on the great suffering of another human being, to heal from your own. There’s nothing like compassion in action, to stop the mind from obsessing about your own problems.

I suppose this is karma yoga. Grace and compassion are not the limited property of any one group of people. Nor are goodness or devotion. Nor is suffering. Here we have a Christian in need, who found what his heart required…what he may have been praying to Jesus for, from someone who had left the Christian religion 37 years ago, in front of a Hindu temple.

In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna says, “He is a perfect yogi who, by comparison to his own self, sees the true equality of all beings, in both their happiness and their distress. Those devotees are very dear to Me who are free from malice toward all living beings, who are friendly, and compassionate. They are free from attachment to possessions and egotism, equipped in happiness and distress, and ever-forgiving."

The Bible says, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as Christ God forgave you. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble."

The Maya of Thought, Time, and Place

Thought can be a tool, but thought is also a compulsion. In a very real sense, thoughts are foreign impositions and burdensome memories.

The observer and the observed are not identical. If I drop a glass and it falls to the floor, breaking into pieces, do my eyes which perceive it breaking break also?

Thought tricks us into perceiving time. In actuality, we are eternal within infinity. Thoughts attach us to all manners of people, places and things.

When we get into the habit of observing our thoughts and seeing them as just an aspect of our own illusions about ourselves and this world of maya, we begin to tap into consciousness, which is the source of thought, ego, intellect...as well as truth, insight, divinity, and enlightenment.

Our thoughts tend to be controlled, consciously or otherwise, by the 5 elements and their tanmatras. These are perceived with our 5 senses. The senses and sense organs are instruments of the brain.

The brain is an instrument of the mind. The mind is an instrument of the ego. The ego is an instrument of buddhi or higher intellect and clarity.

Buddhi is an instrument of chitta or conditional consciousness. Chitta is an instrument of chit or unconditional consciousness. Unconditional consciousness is an instrument of the apex of pure consciousness and pure being we call Purusha.

"The observer is different from the observed.  The subject is not an object.  The characteristics of the seer are different from those of the seen.  The eye is not blemished by the imperfections of the objects it perceives.

The consciousness that observes time is not itself of time.  To perceive the transient, consciousness must be eternal.  We are always eternal.  Thought creates the idea of our being in time, but awareness is beyond all change and fluctuation.  The real present is of the eternal; it is not the constantly changing moments that we experience through the windows of the mind.

It is not difficult to step out of time and find the eternal.  Whenever we cease to identify ourselves with external objects, our awareness naturally returns to its eternal equipoise. We continually experience things as beginning and ending.  This shows that our consciousness itself does not begin or end.

Yet instead of opening up to this wisdom of eternity, we try to find something lasting in external objects, which only breeds sorrow.  To find the eternal we need only give up our seeking in the realm of time." ~ Vamadeva Shatr ji (Dr. David Frawley)

Imagination is More Important than Knowledge

Einstein said that imagination is more important than knowledge. Creativity and the ability to think in abstract terms are underrated. Also, every mental and physical action or function must first be imagined before it manifests into reality. We don't realize this because it happens so fast. But if you want to lift your pinkie finger, if that is your objective, you first must form the subjective idea of moving it within the inner mental field.

Knowledge is good, but it cannot take form in the mind or be applied without imagination. There are also grosser and subtler thought patterns. The five elements and all of nature or matter are formed from vibration. Mental idealizations also evolve from subtle to grosser notions. Thought eventually forms what we believe to be reality.

So, imagination is more important and is the impetus for knowledge. Vedic teachings give harmony to seeming contradictions. One must be willing and able to understand paradox and abstract thought, as well as epistemological and transcendental inquiry and comprehension. Logic and reason of course have their place.

The pure scholar will always condescend to the poet and the artist. Society will always praise those who can memorize and then regurgitate information onto a piece of paper, and mock the spiritually-minded, who actually possess a deeper and a superior form of intelligence we know as buddhi.

This is not so true in the East. Long ago, the Vedas mapped the anatomy of the mind. Vedanta recognized various levels of the mind or various mental states including: the normative mind (manas), intellect (buddhi), ego (ahamkara), conditioned consciousness & the field of all possibilities (chitta) and unconditioned consciousness or super-consciousness (chit).

Imagination isn't fully knowledge, but can be an important ingredient in the recipe for comprehension or viveka. Through study, contemplation, and yogic practices: pranayama, atma vichara, pratyahara, dhyana, etc. the spark of imagination leads to understanding, to experiential as well as intellectual knowledge; as mahat moves from one kosha to the next, from the more subtle koshas (sheaths) to the more gross koshas. Just a thought.

One's svadharma intermingles between the spiritual, mental and material worlds, represented by sattva, rajas and tamas guna. Spirituality is often first, a conceptual, then an experiential understanding that we are not the body-mind complex; but that the body is a vessel and the mind, an instrument. The individual persona or ahamkara is as well. Vedanta speaks often of energy, light and matter, being the basis for all of life, which for humans, is an opportunity to be the Being, Consciousness and Bliss of Atma-Brahman. Our separate and shared dharma can assist if we know and engage in it but can be a detriment to spiritual progress if we don't.

Mantra In Religious and Therapeutic Practice

Mantra primarily is a Hindu form of worship. It is utilized in tantra (ritualistic) and bhakti(devotional) yogas. Literally, mantra means 'that which saves/preserves/protects the mind'. Not the brain but the mind. As such, it is an effective tool for reconditioning the mind and is used along with pranayama (breath control) in Ayurvedic psychology and Yoga therapy.

Mantra comes from the 64-letter Sanskrit alphabet. The alphabet came from Himalayan Rishis or Vedic seers. The Rishis received it from divine sources found within and without, in states of super-consciousness. A mantra is not a slogan, affirmation, motto, or saying. Mantra is to be done as a sacred ritual, not as a mere past-time or for superficial motives like attracting women, or winning the lottery.

A mantra must be pronounced correctly to work. Also, there is a particular rhythmic cadence and pitch to adhere to, especially for longer mantras and Slokas. One who practices mantra, must have the proper focus as well as a proper intention. A practitioner of mantra should have a good understanding of the mantra(s) meaning they like to recite. It is said that a mantra becomes fully empowered only after it is repeated 100,000 times.

So you see, mantra is specifically Hindu and is to be practiced by serious devotional Yogis, not by some guy who wants money to materialize out of thin air. If you want money then work for it. Of course, we westerners love to take things from other cultures, traditions and religions. We like to take things like mantras, redefine them or make them marketable and claim them as our own while making games of eastern spirituality. That said, one does not have to identity as Hindu to use mantra therapy. 

There is nothing radically wrong with non-Hindus practicing mantra, especially in the form of chant or kirtan (call and response). However, the student/practitioner would do well to realize that mantra is definitely a Hindu practice and has been for millenia. As such, a certain respect is due. 

It's no great sin to utilize a mantra for what some may consider superficial reasons. Everyone seeks love & companionship (kama). Everyone must achieve some degree of prosperity and make a proper living (artha). However, one should understand that practicing mantra at a 'lower level' is not a replacement, but rather a stepping-stone to a mantra's higher purpose, which is to have a spiritual experience or to acquire divine intimacy via the current of sound (laya). How do you think Catholics would feel if the rosary and stations of the cross were being taught by a non-catholic at your local Borders or Barnes and Noble; not as a means of worship but only as a means of finding prosperity and romance? A silly concept isn't it?

Making money is a necessary part of life for most of us. It is fine to use the mantra 'shreem' to attract the 'energy/presence' of Devi Lakshmi who brings love, spiritual prosperity, as well as material prosperity. However, there is a difference between a devoted Hindu who loves Lakshmi since early childhood reciting her mantra and an American who just wants to make it into a sort of magical incantation for attracting the material and not the transcendent.

The most important mantra is also the most popular. That is 'aum'. Aum is the underlying-vibratory fabric of the universe. 'Aum' is the origin of sound and/or vibratory creation. It precedes every mantra and is the finish to every mantra. 'Aum' is the 'pranava', which means; ever renewing, ever fresh, subtle substance of life .

Many of us pray every day. Some of us pray all day. Often our prayers are in the form of a request. We ask God for this and for that. In times of trouble, we beg God for a way out. Few of us request from God, the highest thing God has to offer. In the Hindu Dharma, we want what is called upasana, a Sanskrit word for ‘worship.’ Meaning simply ‘sitting or being near’ God. The mantra is the vibrational form and invocation of the Devata. The Devata is the personal and animated form of the mantra.

"When we repeat our desires for success and achievement, it is a rajasic or disturbed mantra. such mantras do not heal the mind but perpetuate its patterns of ignorance and agitation." ~Vamadeva Shastriji

"Though it seems that deity and mantra are two distinct principles operating on two different levels, in reality they are one in the same. a deity is a gross physical form of a mantra, and a mantra is a subtle form of a deity.”~ Pandit Rajmani Tigunait

"In the beginning was the word (aum/pranava), and the word was with God, and the word was God". ~ Genesis 

"Silence of the sewn-up lips is no silence. one may achieve the same result by chopping off one's tongue, but that too would not be silence. He is silent who, having the capacity to speak, utters no idle words." ~ Mahatma Gandhi

Japa & Bija Mantra Recitation: The Four Seed Syllables of the Goddess

Mantra=Man(mind) & Tra(to protect)...therefore Mantra means ''To protect the mind".

The word ‘japa’ means ‘to murmur.’ So, to begin, one may do japa or a continual barely audible and quick repetition of any bija mantra or name of the divine. Japa is a technique of reciting a Mantra or a name of the divine in succession. It develops and increases one's personal devotion to a chosen deity as well as to the certain qualities of that deity.  It purifies and protects the mind and builds concentration. Meditation itself is little more than a high level of concentration and focus.

Vachika Japa is chanting aloud.

Upanshu Japa is chanting in a whisper.

Manasa Japa is chanting silently or mentally.

Chanting aloud is less effective than chanting in a whisper, and chanting silently is more effective than either.

Likhita Japa is writing a Mantra or name of god down on a piece of paper a number of times.

Akhanda Japa is repeating a Mantra or name of god for a fixed period of time daily.

Nama Sankirtana is to rhythmically sing a Mantra or name of god.

Akhananda Nama Sankirtana is the practice of singing or chanting the Mantra or name of god without interruption for days or weeks.

Ajapa Japa is to silently or mentally repeat the Mantra or name of god with each passing breath.

Manasa Japa is the term for the recitation of a Mantra or name of god by one who has done so for years.  It is also the term for the state of concentration or meditation held by one who has done so.

Siddha-Mantra Japa is the recitation of a Mantra given by the Guru.

Bija or seed Mantras come from the Tantric tradition. Each deity has his/her own seed Mantra.  Tantra says that wherever a Bija Mantra is spoken with devotion, the god or goddess manifests him or herself. The main Bija Mantras of the divine feminine are as follows:

AUM is the Bija Mantra for monks or those who wish to renounce the world and is seen as the most important Mantra.  It can also be recited by anyone at any time for anything; as the Mantra AUM can precipitate and/or follow any other Mantra, and in doing so, give power or strength to that Mantra.

HRIM is the prime Mantra of the divine feminine or goddess and holds all her creative and healing powers.  It brings fortification to the soul and causal body.  It resonates in the heart and therefore brings in the power of love and attraction.  HRIM is the Mantra of divine Maya and thus helps one see through materialistic or worldly Maya.

KRIM is the Bija Mantra of Kali, the goddess of energy(Shakti) and transformation.  This Mantra builds and governs Prana.  KRIM grants all spiritual or energetic powers from the awakening of Kundalini to the opening of the third eye.  Its power or Shakti is especially related to the lower Chakras and assists in their stimulation and transformation.  It is a strong Mantra and should be used with care in a protected environment under the tutelage of a competent teacher.

HUM is the Bija Mantra of Chandi, the fierce form of Kali.  As with KRIM, it should be used with great care.  This Mantra creates passion and vitality while destroying negativity or anything unholy.  It can also be used to invoke protection from the divine mother or goddess.  It is like fire, if you are far away from it you will not feel the warmth, but if you get too close, you'll get burned...find your right distance and never use this Mantra haphazardly.

SRIM  is Lakshmi's Bija Mantra and invokes beauty, devotion, love, affluence, health and divine grace.  It is a gentle Mantra and can be used by most anyone at any time.

To bring about the health of body, mind and spirit, one may recite all these Mantras thusly: AUM - HRIM - HUM - SHRIM - AUM.

“ The question often arises: ‘Since the world is a vast ocean of pain, what kind of sadhana can a worldly person practice when they are distressed or drowning at any given time?’ The answer is to chant the name of the Lord(Japa).

Japa is a mental and physical detergent that cleans the mind and body in the same way that laundry detergent cleans clothes. This chanting is the best possible sadhana for the householder devotee as it brings them the three aims of worldly life: dharma, wealth and passion. And yet, this japa also brings renunciate sadhaks their only aim in life: liberation.

Since japa bestows all the yogic powers and is equally useful for the householder and the renunciate, japa isn’t just japa; it is Japa Yoga.” The holy Scriptures have proclaimed that japa is the best and biggest gate to yoga. Japa has also been given the holy name of Haridwar, or ‘Gateway to the Lord.’”

~Bapuji

From ‘Pilgrimage of Love’ by Swami Shri Kripalvanandji

Everyday Maya: The Parody of Truth

Simply put, all is one & one is all. Nirguna Brahman is an ideal one-ness w/o qualities including name and form. Saguna Brahman, which has characteristics, is considered by most Advaitins to be a part of maya. It is actually more like, Nirguna Brahman + Maya = Sarguna Brahman.

Some may use the terms Brahman & Purusha interchangeably but they are similar, not conceptually nor linguistically identical. Some will use the term Shakti, rather than Prakruti. Again, similar but not identical.

Prakruti is more like Swarupa Shakti; Conscious, eternal, and immutable. She is not so much a part of maya, but the catalyst of maya yet to come. Maya itself is often seen to have negative value when it is defined simply as `illusion.`  This too is convoluted. Maya and ignorance (advidya) are also non-identical. Maya can be good, bad, or otherwise indifferent. Maya is an amazingly beautiful, although illusory construct. A sort of parody of truth. It is divine, just as any Devatha is a divine part and parcel of Brahman.

Maya is division & the power which causes separateness and/or individuality. Actually, the illusion thereof. It is ultimately an illusion. It is dual. Duality leads one towards non-duality, not visa-versa. Though an Advaitin can have an dvaitin practice or observance. A Dvaitin can also understand the basic concept of advaita, on an intellectual level. He/she can also understand the atma=brahman concept by experience. One does not certainly have to be adhered to one concept or another to chant Aum- for an hour and experience spiritual unity or yoga-proper. One does not even have to be Hindu. Yet if one does adhere to duality, the ego will tend to get in the way of experiencing spirit or oneness (samadhi) with something outside the body-mind complex, because that experience might in itself offend the ego, which is more or less a culmination of very sticky patterns of thought we have accumulated to keep us stuck in the `I am a body` delusion. For the same reason, we are frightened by death.

Maya refers mostly to the illusion of the physical world. That which is perceptible by the senses. The fathomable and that which moves or changes. Say we see a snake moving through tall grass. We can locate the snake as it moves along, but it will feel our presence and stop. Why? Because the snake knows all too well that we cannot harm it if we cannot see it. If we focus our attention on the snake, we can see it or differentiate it from the grass only for a short time before it seems to completely disappear. It is in reality, still right there, but now our sense of sight has found it is limited by the gunas. The tanmatras between the object and the subject`s senses, along with the snake, have stilled. Here, the observer loses some ability to sense division and can quite easily go into a state of dhyana or meditation.

The gunas are the three fundamental forces of nature; rajas (kinetic energy), Tamas (mass-energy), and sattva (nuclear energy). Sattva reflects purity, light, and harmony. Rajas reflect activity and passion. Tamas reflects ignorance and inertia. All things in the phenomenal world can be categorized by various ratios of triguna. According to the Sankhya philosophy, the 5 senses, 5 mortar organs, and the mind stem from Sattva-guna. From Tamas-guna comes the 5 elements and their corresponding 5 tanmatras of sound (ether), touch (air), smell (earth), taste (water), and sight (fire).

Tanmatras are subtle subatomic particles which act as transmitters between an element and the sense organs. If a trumpet is played, it creates a sound. We perceive sound through the sense of hearing and the ear. The tanmatras bring the sound to the ear. They take hold of the vibrations and bounce the sound back and forth between the thing making the sound and the ear. Without the tanmatra of sound, there can be no hearing even though sound and the ear still exist.   

The yogi can also practice trataka using drishti (attention) and dharana (concentration). Put simply as staring at a candle's flame. I use yogic and Sanskrit terms for those who understand their meaning, which can be much more meaningful than their English counterparts. At first, the yogi will see the flame moving along with the direction of wind. Wind moves to the periphery where there is space or ether. Motion creates friction and fire. We can perceive the fire element primarily by the sense and tanmatra of sight. As the yogi continue with this practice, the flame first ceases to flicker. It is in `reality` still moving, but the yogi has slowed his/her mind and senses to the point where true reality can be perceived. Continuing with this practice, the flame and all surroundings seem to disappear. The practice has become a form of pratyahara and all that not long ago appeared in our outer world has now become internalized.  

Linguistically, `ma` means to measure. `Ya`means movement and also division, as that which moves is in one way or another, dividing. `May` means to disappear. `May` also refers to a state of intoxication. `Maya` is also a Sanskrit word for vayu or wind. The wind is a principle of movement. When the wind ceases to move, it is no longer vayu, but akasha. Akasha or the element ether is primarily perceived by the sense and tanmatra of sound or auditory vibration. If the yogi now begins to chant Aum-, he/she will go into a state of being and bliss.  

All matter is an illusion that comes from energy, and is on its way back to energy. All energy is on its way back to consciousness, being, and bliss. We are just easily fooled by our mind and senses, as well as by time and space and therefore cannot perceive the magnificence of  reality. The concept of maya, the creative force of nature, is a lot like 'the matrix'. It's the paradoxical truth of a cosmic tapestry that leads us to believe that counterfeit-reality is the actual. It's not unlike an old movie reel being projected frame by frame onto a screen, portraying the illusion of continuance. If we were to slow down the projector, we would see that in actuality, these are just still photos which every-so-slightly change in appearance, one after the other. When we peek through the veil of maya, we can glimpse truth. This means slowing down time by slowing down the mind.

We can slow down the mind first by bringing the 5 senses inward. Then by focusing all mental energy on a single point, mantra, object or idea. With practice, one comes to see that what we thought to be real, is transient, temporary, and false. If you drop a bowling ball on your foot, you will not believe this. At least not until the pain and the memory of the pain fade away. However, with yoga practice we can know atma or the Self, beyond the gunas and ego. This practice results in the yogi obtaining buddhi, viveka, and ved. Buddhi is a form of clarity beyond what is ordinarily experienced. Viveka is the ability to recognize the eternal. The recognition of the eternal is a step towards the infinite and the experience of oneness with Self and the Absolute. The ved is knowledge of the actual, experienced on the level of manas or mind when that mind is in some union with Mahat or the cosmic mind. This can only occur when the yogi has learned to transcend the senses, mind, and the gunas.

This may have been one reason why Sri Krishna instructs Ajuna not to teach the yoga(s) to those who didn't already understand the forms and functions of the gunas. “Those who are sincere but are unaware of the distorting effects of the gunas continue to act by compulsion. Therefore, those who do understand should be careful in educating those who do not yet understand, so that the necessary actions and responsibilities of their lives are not disrupted.” ~Bhagavad Gita 3.29

Purusha (pure consciousness) becomes matter via Prakruti (pure energy). When these two merge, Pranava manifests. The Pranava Aum- is the initial form and is the catalyst and cause of all other forms within the universe. Being the first or primary form, it is also the first or primary function of unconditional consciousness (Purusha). It is the most subtle vibratory pattern of all that can be known through the 5 senses and the sixth sense of mind.

Maya is not found in Pranava itself, but Pranava is in maya. Maya is not found in Cosmic/Universal ego or Ahamkara, but ahamkara is a part of maya. Ahamkara is the ideal principle of individuality. It is the necessary knot in consciousness which divides all form and function into the plural for the purpose of comprehension. The adherents of Sankhya do not consider any of these higher tattvas to be maya. Maya begins only when the gunas are present. The higher principles above the gunas, are not subject to the gunas and are therefore not subject to maya.

As we are in a temporary state of body-mind awareness, our yoga is to follow matter back to energy. Then, if we can reach that state of tamasic energy, we can move on to the state raja-guna provides. Then on to the state that sattvic energy allows us to experience. We can exponentially become conscious beings and ultimately Being itself. Through the process of negation or neti neti, the yogi can omit what he/she has come to realize is false, until he/she is left with Atma. The intellectual and experiential knowledge of Self.

“Dear people of the world, awaken now and arise from your slumber. Meditate and perceive the Lord sitting within you. Within yourself you will find perfect knowledge, perfect love, perfect inspiration, and perfect poetry. You are a portion of God, and everything is within you. Discover everything there.

Within you there are infinite wonders, infinite secrets, most mysterious knowledge, love as deep as the ocean, and strength as solid as a mountain. My dear ones, attain all these through meditation. Perceive the knowledge which you already possess.

Become pure by seeing your eternal purity. Liberate the love that dwells within you, already perfect, already free. Then you will find your delight in the inner Self. This is true Godhood. By the yoga of meditation you become efficient in daily life, logical, intelligent, poetic, steadfast, courageous, compassionate, and wise.” ~Swami Muktananda Paramahamsa

The Dharma of Quantum Physics

Hinduism is the only spiritual tradition which accurately estimates the age of the universe as per modern science. Sanatana Dharma is also an intellectual and multi-cultural tradition attached to sophisticated schools of philosophy, its own system of medicine and psychology, architecture, astronomy, cosmology, metaphysics, metrology, mathematics, and various art forms. Sacred geometry, trigonometry, calculus, the concept of zero and negative numerals, the decimal system, pi, sine and cosine, the idea of multiple big bangs and an inter-dimensional multiverse, can all be traced back to the great minds of Vedic sages.

The very notion of this relationship was unknown and laughable to many in the scientific communities of the west. It was even unknown and laughable to many Indian scientists during and after colonial rule. It wasn't until 1989 and 1993, when author Deepak Chopra's books, Quantum Healing and Ageless Body, Timeless Mind became popular that the idea that any religion could have much of anything to do with the field of modern science was at all acceptable on any level of academia.

Even karma and reincarnation, the basics of Hinduism, are scientific. As many ways as karma, literally meaning ''action’ can take place, is fundamental physics. Every action has a certain reaction, no matter if we comprehend it or not. No matter our particular belief system, every cause has an effect. This is true with astronomy, physics, biology, psychology, and neuroscience. Reincarnation: All of nature is a part of an observable cycle that returns to itself upon its death where growth begins again, and we are a part of that nature and growth. Part of that cycle.

The ideas we see in quantum physics are not new, however. Some are indeed many thousands of years old, stemming from elemental dharshana (philosophy). The concepts that thought has mass, and that the universe would be static and contain no life without universal intelligence and consciousness, originated in Bharat or ancient India. The idea of time having mass or being made up of what modern physics call chronons, did as well. As did the idea that gravity and time relate.

Modern-day physics has discovered that inert subatomic particles are latent until they are exposed to human thought and intention. These particles come alive or active when awareness is applied. The idea that thought controls matter, and that matter is a crystallization of thought, can be found in the Samkhya Karika and other Hindu Shastra(s) (scriptures).

The very nature of Hindu worship is scientific. Yoga or union between the atma (divine Self) and the Murti or embodiment of the divine, mirrors the idea of connected consciousness. It mirrors the idea of one animate or inanimate thing, being affected by the mere intention of the worshiper. When the worshiper offers a flower to the murti, he/she says ‘swaha’, meaning ‘what is being offered’ and ‘swadha’ which is the intention behind the offering. Even the Sanskrit word for ‘worship’ is ‘upasana', which does not mean to glorify the deity, but to simply sit or be near the deity. As with the quantum principle of one thing being affected by another's thoughts, proximity counts while the vastness of creation is recognized in the quantum idea of a multiverse. This is a reflection of the Vedic idea of fourteen realms of the universe called ‘lokas’.

“When something vibrates, the electrons of the entire universe resonate with it. Everything is connected. The greatest tragedy of human existence is the illusion of separateness.” ~Einstein

The sixties saw the advent of String Theory. This postulates that particles are not singular points but that what we perceive as such, are actually vibrations in loops of strings. Each with its own characteristics or frequencies. In Vedanta, everything in the universe is seen as interconnected, just as our arms and legs are connected to the rest of the body. In Quantum Mechanics, there is no respite or gap between the observer and the observed. Particles are described as existing in a state of entanglement, where the behavior of one particle is dependent on the behavior of another, even if large distances separate them.

“The Brahman forms everything that is living or non-living … the wise man knows that all beings are identical with his self, and his self is the self of all beings.” ~Isha Upanishad

In Vedanta, the space throughout our universe is multidimensional. There are 64 foremost dimensions. Each is divided into multiple sub-dimensions. We on Earth can only experience three dimensions. Our senses simply do not have the means to experience other aspects of universal reality. Within Quantum Mechanics, we can find similar ideas. Physicists speak of reality in terms of particles and waves. What the Vedas call Paramanu, literally meaning 'universal atom’ and ‘vrittis’, literally meaning ‘mind waves.’

Thousands of years ago the Himalayan Rishis recognized that human awareness could only focus on one point of interest at a time, and that what we perceive as reality, was an illusory maya. The myriad-cosmic tapestry. A literal parody of reality and truth. The wheel of film being displayed onto a movie screen, shows one frame at a time. However, those watching the film see a menagerie of frames being projected that seems to be real when shown in sequence, over time and space. Both Vedanta and theoretical physics postulate that we are all matter under mind, or in a sense, dreaming we are awake. Both recognize that what the religious might call ‘God’ and what the physicist might call ‘unified theory’, are nothing but the observer consciousness and/or a conscious observer experiencing itself.

String theory is a framework which brings together gravity and quantum mechanics to build a theory of quantum gravity relating to time and space. The Vedantins recognized a force that keeps objects from floating off the surface of the Earth (gravity), seven thousand years before Isaac Newton was born.

The great thinkers of ancient Bharat spoke of how energy and matter at atomic levels, could influence one another from long distances. This is now called Quantum Entanglement. They also claimed that thought has mass and that thought or intention, can affect subtle matter and energy. They claimed that the observer affects the observed. Thousands of years later, physicists called this the Observer Effect.

Modern physics uses different terms and language than the Rishis did, but they both were drawn to similar theories and conclusions. One explains it with mathematical equations, and the other explains it philosophically. One speaks of reality in an outward and material sense while the other speaks more of inner space and spiritual metaphysics.

The Vedas say that time is eternal and omnipresent. Quantum physics says time is indestructible and controls all motion. The Hindu Dharma recognizes Brahman, not as ‘God’, but as a principle of an Absolute, interconnected reality. The microcosmic and macrocosmic are but reflections of one another. Hindus believe that each individual being is a microcosm or the universal macrocosm. Modern physicists call this ‘superposition’. In Hinduism, this notion can be found in the mantra ‘Aham Brahmasmi’ or even in the greeting, ‘Namaste.’ Both adhere to the idea that we are all models of the universal reality and the reality of the universe; and that on a more spiritual level, the Atma and Brahman are indeed one being in consciousness. So, it is no wonder so many well-known western physicists were and are, highly impressed and influenced by the Vedas, Upanishads, and the Bhagavad Gita.

“Most of my ideas are heavily influenced by Vedanta. Multiplicity is only apparent. This is the doctrine of the Upanishads. From the early Upanishads, the recognition. ‘Atman=Brahman’ (the self equals the omnipresent) represents the deepest quintessence and insights into the happenings of the world. The total number of minds in the universe is one. In fact, consciousness is a singularity phasing within all beings. There is no kind of framework within which we can find consciousness in the plural. This is simply something we construct because of the temporal plurality of individuals, but it is a false construction. The only solution to this conflict lies within the ancient wisdom of the Upanishads.” ~ Erwin Schrodinger, Nobel Prize winning physicist

“After the conversations about Indian philosophy (w/ Rabindranath Tagore), some of the ideas of quantum physics that had seemed so crazy, suddenly made sense. Quantum theory will not look ridiculous to people who have read Vedanta.” ~Werner Heisenberg, German Nobel Prize-winning physicist

“The general notions about human understanding…illustrated by discoveries in atomic physics…are not unheard of or new. They have a history in Hindu thought. What we shall find in modern physics, is a refinement of old wisdom. Access to the Vedas is the greatest privilege this century may claim over all other centuries.” ~Robert Oppenheimer

“The Hindu religion is the only one of the world’s…dedicated to the idea that the cosmos itself undergoes an immense and innate number of deaths and rebirths. It is the only religion in which the time scales correspond, to those of modern scientific cosmology. Its cycles run from our ordinary day and night to a day and night of Brahma 8.64 billion years long. Longer than the age of the Earth or the Sun, and about half the time since the Big Bang. And they have much longer time scales too.” ~Carl Sagan

“All perceptible matter comes from a primary substance…filling all space, the Akasha which is acted upon by the life-giving Prana or creative force, calling into existence in never-ending cycles, all things and phenomena. ” ~Nikola Tesla

Modern physics has shown that the rhythm of creation and destruction is not only manifest in the turn of the seasons and in the birth and death of living creatures, but is also the very essence of inorganic matter. For modern physicists...Shiva's dance is the dance of subatomic matter. ~Fritjof Capra, physicist and director of the Center for Ecoliteracy

Welcome to Your Path: Advice for the New & Potential Dharmi

I often see people at Hindu groups on social media and in real life too, who feel drawn to Hindu Dharma for a variety of reasons, and they ask if they can be Hindu if they are this or that. They ask, if they have done this or that, or if they have been a part of an Abrahamic religion, or an atheist, can they still become a Hindu. And they usually want to know how to become Hindu.

A Hindu is as a Hindu does. It is actually what one is and not something one becomes. A Dharmika practices authenticity, not necessarily any sort of actual ism. It is not really a matter of mere belief, doing Hindu rituals, or worshiping Hindu deities, though all that is good if one knows what one is doing and understands the deities to some degree.

Being Hindu means you come to think, speak, and act with nobility and truth. It is Arya and Satya. It is being true to what is rather than to any sort of mental conditioning. Nobility is to be real. There can be no pretension or performance.

However, a sort of humility and a realization that we do not have the whole truth and may even be delusional to some extent, must come along with it. It is not pride as such, but honorable behavior where thoughts, words, and deeds align. It is to act for the sake of the action without ulterior motives or expectations for reward. It is to be genuine and original. Follow your heart and mind. Do not imitate.

Sanatani is what we are by nature and/or what we were prior to being exposed to the world of artifice and indoctrination. It is what we were, prior to being taught to conform to anything. A true Dharmi is one who simply does the next right thing when no one is looking. Please note, I am not saying that I am myself, all these things. I am a work in progress like everyone else.

The newcomer might simply read what he/she feels drawn to read and if they like, offer their devotion to whichever Devata they feel attracted to. Learning how to do puja can be simple. Just sit, relax, breathe, and think on the form and persona of the deity and/or on the divine Self within. Hindu worship is not just about glorification, but upasana, or simply sitting near the beloved divine.

Hindu Dharma is based on knowledge and devotion, or ved and bhakti. If one feels drawn to it, it is likely due to past life experiences and impressions. Whether bhakti or jnana starts the fire of sadhana, matters not. The two support and propel the other. Say one is drawn to Adiyogi Shiva and has a seemingly natural love and affinity for him. That in itself may be enough to support one’s continuous spiritual practice, but naturally, the devotee usually has a desire to learn more about him.

In the beginning, the potential Hindu is trishna, or hungry for knowledge and can fall into the trap of biting off more than one can chew. It might be nice to know everything there is to know about Hinduism all at once. Then again, one’s head might explode. Still, knowing is an essential place to start for many Hindu newcomers.

There must be a desire to know the Veda-dharma, and something from within must  draw one to its nuance. Follow that inner calling. Come to know whatever it is inside. Then learn how to bring it into your life, little by little as the physical and metaphysical blend. Slowness is wholeness and ‘slowliness’ is holiness. Enjoy the nuance.

Knowledge and practice are form and function. It's more or less impossible to know it all. It is pretty much the same with practicing it all. If you could somehow do both all at once, then you'd graduate. Once something is perfected it just is and what brought you to that, is no longer needed. Once the knowledge and practice pays off fully, then there's no need for any ism at all.

This is an important difference between Dharma and dogma. Unlike the Abrahamic religions, the Hindu Dharma is not an end in itself. It is a top rung on a ladder towards epiphanies and a time and place of pure being, where it becomes obsolete.

To those who might think this is all nonsensical and idealistic conjecture; If a Hindu newcomer simply gets a statue from Amazon, then begins to do pujas, that is all well and good if his/her devotion and intentions are genuine. However, if he/she does not really comprehend what it is he/she is doing and does not have at least some understanding of the Devata, then he/she is just being performative and to some degree, just going through the motions.

I think we all have caught ourselves doing so at one time or another, as it is easy to lose focus in this busy world. If that is the case, then his/her sadhana may very well be superficial. If it is, then it is likely he/she will just be a temporary Hindu and he/she will revert back to his/her former religion or atheism.

If you think that a Hindu must do this and not that, you are correct to at least some degree. This is where we would get into discussions regarding the difference between Hindu-ism and Sanatana Dharma, and the difference between Vedika darshana or ancient Hindu Dharma and modern Hindu-ism.

It may be said that Hinduism is the religious aspect of Sanatana Dharma, but the two are not identical in my opinion. Not beyond a cultural basis. Sanatana Dharma is the eternal ideal and not any sort of thing. It is not something one can join or leave. The eternal way cannot get mocked up with any means of religiosity whatsoever.

As vast, plural, philosophical, scientific, and multicultural as Hinduism is, it still has boundaries which Sanatana Dharma does not. Not every Hindu is a Dharmi, and not every Dharmi is a Hindu. This alone indicates that there must be a difference between Sanatana Dharma and Hinduism. Sanatana Dharma is not just in Bharat. It is not just in this world or dimension. In this Kali yuga, Hinduism has indeed become in large part, an ism while Sanatana Dharma is the Dhr (Foundation) of Ma (Creation) that exists (Sat) everywhere all at once (Atana).

In regards to Hindu identity, one may choose to identify simply as Hindu. I, however, think it is important to continually redefine Hinduism as Sanatana Dharma, Vishva Dharma, Adi Dharma, Atma Dharma, Ishvara Dharma, Veda Dharma, Moksha Dharma, Ananda Dharma, Yoga Dharma, etc. Hindu identity, especially for indigenous Hindus, can be of importance for social, cultural, and political reasons. However, the truth of the matter is, you are beyond that. You are in truth, the Atma, the Purusha, and the divine Self.

To note: The word ‘Hindu’ comes from the word ‘Sindhu’, meaning 'river' or people of the rivers Saraswati and Indus. Therefore, the word ‘Hindu’, if we are to be correct, in my opinion, should for the most part refer to the descendants of these ancient Civilizations.

Not everyone agrees and many do not care, but I like words and I think we should come to understand that the word 'Hindu' is about heritage, culture, and geography rather than any sort of free-for-all ism. Different words have different meanings, no matter how slight. This is one reason I no longer tend to refer to myself as a ‘Hindu’, but a Dharmi. I am quite simply an adoptee of the Vedika Dharma.

Advice for those Interested in Hindu Dharma

An inquiring westerner interested in Hinduism asked, ‘Where do I start? Are there any requirements to be Hindu?’

Some gave typical answers: ‘Hinduism is not a religion, but a way of life.’ ‘There are none. If you say you’re Hindu, you’re Hindu.’ These answers are not necessarily incorrect, but a bit misleading. Hinduism is not a conversion -based religion and in a very real sense, not even primarily a religion at all. We tend to see conversion efforts as dishonest. We tend to see those who do convert as people who do so for poor reasons and therefore just go from being superficial practitioners of one religion to superficial practitioners of another. All religion aside, one can become or be a Dharmi, or a genuine person with good intentions and actions, which result in positive effects whether one is Hindu or not.

Hinduism is not so strict on such things as requirements, rules, codes of conduct, etc. It is more of an individual ism. There are important codes of personal and social conduct that come along with reasoning. They are commitments, not commandments. One is responsible for his/her own actions, and it is of more importance to know something through study and experience, than to simply believe in something automatically. Truth is organic and based on the laws of nature. That is dharma.

Hindus can enjoy a great many paths. There is beauty in diversity. However,  if we say there are no requirements at all to being Hindu, then we leave the dharma up for grabs, free for the taking and exposed to idealism and delusion. We cannot say that anyone can be Hindu if he/she simply thinks or says so. Unless we wish to see Hinduism come to mean whatever one wants or thinks it to mean. If (or when) that happens, then what’s the point of being anything?

Saying there are no requirements is the same as saying there are no definitions of what Hindu dharma is and is not. It’s like saying ‘Hinduism is ya know, whatever one wants it to be.’  It could be truly said that each Hindu has his/her own dharma or even his/her own religion. This makes it an attractive option to those brought up in strict, dogmatic, and congregational faiths. Still, Hinduism is not radically vague. It finds its basis in certain knowledge. It is an unorganized religion, but it is not vague.

That said, a belief in karma and reincarnation is a valid necessity for being Hindu. An understanding is preferable to a belief. Belief is fluid. An experiential comprehension is steady. If one can come to a similar conclusion about the nature of Self via study, concentration, contemplation, and meditation, then one gains knowledge.

To put Vedantic knowledge into practice, is dharma. To act in option to one’s own knowledge and nature, is adharma. To have only an ego-based Hindu identity on Facebook, sans Hindu integrity in real life, is treachery. One cannot be authentic even to his/her own self, if he/she is not rigorously honest with others. A deceiver causes harm and often enjoys doing so. Such individuals are not adherents of Vedika dharshana. They may be modern Hindus, but they are not Dharmikas nor Sanatanis.

Do not make the Abrahamic mistake of confusing knowledge with belief. As we’ve seen throughout history, that attitude leads to sanctimony. Sanctimony and self-righteousness lead to the oppression of others who are perceived as being unholy and wicked.

Hinduism can be a religion & faith, but Sanatana Dharma is not a system of beliefs. The latter is a system of understanding, and is actually the furthest thing from religiosity. Unfortunately, some Hindus don’t understand this and may even be offended that I’d say so. This is due to attachment to an identity and cultural indoctrination. Hindus (should) place more importance on inner knowledge, than on any outer mentality or material thinking. Vedanta teaches us that unbridled thought is an intrusion of maya. That it’s a foreign imposition, which causes us to confuse subject with object.

This same illusion causes us to confuse the body with atma. The mind and its thought patterns are more subtle than the physical body, but thought also has subtle mass. It is also material. We also have a mental body, layer, or kosha. Only by the modification of manas (mind) can we gain true insight and clarity (buddhi), discretion and discernment (viveka), and self-realized knowledge through atma vichara. So, recognizing the Vedas as the primary source of knowledge (ved) and truth (sattya-dharma) is another requirement for being truly Hindu.

Ideally, the end goal is moksha which actually makes any ism obsolete, when reached. Of course, that is just the ideal goal but wanting anything less is in a sense,  just using one thing to get another thing. This journey and path are wondrous and can make life worth living. This is just one of many lifetimes we have and will likely continue to have. So, in the beginning, have dharmic or right intentions. It is likely the Hindu newcomers have trudged this road before. Without proper intentions we tend to just fall back into the mundane world and therefore, must try once more in a future incarnation.

Transcending Suffering & Understanding Karma

Karma tells us that our lives are not by chance but by choice. So it is our thoughts, actions and reactions that form not only our personal mental states but all that happens in our lives. 

As many ways as action can take place, is Karma in one form or another. Every action has a certain reaction no matter if we understand it or not. No matter our particular belief system. Every cause has an effect. This is true with astronomy, physics, biology, psychology and neuroscience. Reincarnation? All of nature is a part of an observable cycle that returns to itself upon its death where growth begins again. We are a part of that nature and growth.

This is difficult to understand, and even more difficult to accept at times.  Most of us can not fathom the idea that we have created our own brand of suffering and pain that takes on many different forms, or that there is some sort of reason behind them.

On the flip-side, if we are very keenly honest, we can all see how our past thoughts and actions have produced our results in the present.  We should look upon our difficulties and tribulations, not as punishment or things we deserve...we should look upon them as opportunities to better ourselves and our situations in our own lives. 

Even those of us who've suffered the most...lost children, been victims of violent crime, suffered from physical and mental illnesses, etc. can come closer to ourselves, our loved ones and the divine while coming to terms with such horrible things.

And by gaining understanding through compassion, we become able to offer comfort to others who have experienced similar happenings in their own lives.  One may also find retribution and reparation from those who have hurt us, without guilt or martyrdom, though Karma will take care of this for us if we choose to ignore it.

In order to transcend suffering and change our lives for the better, we require some form of therapy. We need to be kind to ourselves and surround ourselves with those who are also kind.  We need inspiration and empowerment.  There are many things in life that are therapeutic.  Ultimately, therapy is simply a form of continuing education-where we learn more about life than we thought we already knew.

It can be talk therapy with a certified counselor or with a religious or spiritual guide.  It can be taking a Yoga class or learning how to meditate.  Whatever brings us to ourselves, our divine nature and a deeper understanding of ourselves and our minds that is ultimately inspiring, empowering and good or therapeutic.

I will not go into what is therapeutic and what is detrimental, as these things are different for different people.  It is also not too hard for an individual to find what is good and what is not so good for him or her self.  There are multiple healing modalities out there to choose from and while I consider some to be better than others, I will not go into that here. 

I should point out that the reason there are so many therapeutic options available, is simply because there is so much suffering.  Everyone has suffered to some degree.  You are not alone.

What I would like to speak about a bit is simple psychology.  First one must become clear on what is going on in one's life and mind.  One must do some self examination and inventory.  Once one finds in one's life the good, the bad and the "otherwise", one then can proceed to an examination of one's past.

One has to recognize one's "orchard" and then look in one's past, to when the "seeds" to the "orchard" were planted.  This is not to assign blame, but to obtain a clearer understanding of the nature in which one's life works...to find what has worked and repeat it, as well as to find what hasn't worked and to practice NOT repeating it or otherwise change it.

Of perhaps even more importance, one must take a look at one's future.  One must allow yourself to dream.  One does not have to become a world ruler, but one should strive to be the ruler of one's own life.  The "capt. of one's own soul" as it were. 

Goals of the future don't have to be incredibly specific or grandiose.   A few of my goals for example are to be happy and to help alleviate the suffering of others.  These are very vague and simple goals.

The point is, I have a vision for my future.  If I have no goals or no visions for a future I'd like to have some say in, then Karma or my past actions will fill in the blanks for me...and that may or may not be a great thing.  Again, our lives are not by chance but by choice.  As it happens, I am a very happy and content individual, despite some bouts with Bi-polar & plenty of self medication throughout the years.

I also do what I can and take advantage of opportunities to practice compassion and help the broken hearted...which is pretty much everyone.  This is why I wanted to write this little article. The very nature of our world these days leads to some sort of suffering.  Again, you are not alone.  I hope posting this helps someone today....it's been therapeutic for me.

What is a Spiritual Person?

To me, a spiritual person is just like one who feels. Also, one who can think or place his/her attention on what is beyond the temporary. So, that would mean, one who can place his/her attention on awareness itself. An undying awareness.

We know from Vedanta that we all have the power of choice which is chitta or a highly aware place of conditioned contentiousness.

As compared to chit, which is unconditional consciousness. From which, chitta must come. We might also call this the Purusha. Now, before this can happen or come about, one must be a yogi or yogini.

The yogi has preliminary tattvas of buddhi, ved, and viveka. So yeah. These qualities come in a similar succession and all this is a universal experience.

Meaning, one who has practiced authentic yoga 5k years ago and one who does the same in 2024, will have similar experiences, outcomes, and rationalizations.

The way I see things, is that nothing begins evil. We are quite simply true and natural right before we are exposed to the world of artifice, conditioning, and indoctrination. And this is more or less what modern religion says otherwise.

Dharma is not religion. Religion is like a stone that only see's downward. True spirituality is the opposite. It is not like a stone but a ship with sails.

There is an ideal of true religion which is Sanatana Dharma. We do not, however, know true religion in this world. The closest thing is the Hindu dharma.

I will get criticism but Hindu-ism and Sanatana Dharma, while being twins, are not identical. If you can know the difference, you might be a dharmika.

They may be culturally and linguistically the same. The words. If you can know their differences, then you comprehend both. Not just one or the other.

Hari Aum...Tat Sat

Ekam sat vipra bahudha vadanti

There is one in many and many in one…

My Path to the Hindu Dharma & Vedic Living

My spiritual experiences began early in life. At age four, I saw and communicated with otherworldly beings, events I now see as mystical. Looking back at these contacts later in life, I comprehended their lesson­—that I am not the body. Reality is more than the mental and physical, or the psychological and biological. A spiritual world exists ­beyond life’s formalities.

A bit later I was indoctrinated into Catholicism. I went through sacraments, studied the Bible, prayed and became a devotee of Christ. That’s when I developed devotion that I would later put towards a Hindu sadhana. My time as a Christian was not negative. I was never the type who preached to or wanted to convert others. I never had the thought that Christianity was the only true path to God. Around age 12, I had a brief interest in the occult and European Paganism. I also began yogic and other esoteric studies and practices. 

My father was a psychology professor who also taught meditation. He read the Vedas and was a student of Baba Ram Dass. By age 16 I had read the Rig Veda, Tao Te Ching, Bhagavad Gita and Buddha’s teachings. I also had a full yoga practice. Long before I realized I was Hindu, I was practicing its disciplines.

In my early twenties, I was introduced to Haidakhan Babaji. I found an ashram of his devotees just 35 minutes from my home. There, I could practice karma and bhakti yoga while learning more about Hindu dharma and how to practice puja, homa, japa and arati. Soon I was studying Ayurveda and took courses from the American Institute of Vedic Studies founded by Acharya Vamadeva Shastriji (Dr. David Frawley), whom I regard as a modern-day rishi. Two decades later I got to study and practice with Dharma Pravartaka Acharya (Frank Morales), the founder of International Sanatana Dharma Society. Acharyaji is a brilliant man with an immense amount of knowledge.

I initially felt drawn to the Sanatana Dharma by its depth of psychological understanding, along with its various philosophies, its all-inclusive pluralism and multiplicity. I had found none of these things in the monocultural Christian dogma. I became enamored with Vedanta and the idea that there exists a phenomenal universe outside the self, as well as a perceptible universe that could be found within the Self. I loved the idea that God could be found in the here and now through esoteric practices, introspection and austerities.

I became enamored with the idea that you are just a version of who I am, and that what I do to others, I actually do to myself. I admired the concepts of atman (the divine Self), Paramatman (the universal, eternal soul) and Brahman (the spiritual core of the Universe). I liked the idea that these three were considered to be in perpetual union, and I liked how Hinduism focuses on inner knowledge over outer belief.

I prefer to say that I’ve adopted Hinduism rather than converted. I eventually came to realize that Hindu ideology, philosophy and theology was what I had always known to be true. I like to say that I was born Hindu, was raised Christian and remembered later in life that I was actually Hindu. I did not wake up one morning and decide to be Hindu. 

It was a conscious, but a time-consuming process. I tend to introduce myself as an American Hindu because I do think there is a distinction between Hindus from India and Hindus from America, though we are all united under the greatness of Sanatana Dharma. In a world formed by colonialism, war, religious intolerance, imperialism and materialism, we Hindus should be proud to be simple yet astute, and peaceful yet potent practitioners of the dharma.

The Ideal Idol

Jesus was an ideal. The Buddha was an ideal. Now, both are idols. No one really understood either of them wholly, which is why we have Christianity & Buddhism. Had more been able to comprehend and practice their teachings, there would be no need for either.

Hindu imagery, iconography, and symbolism are not just formations of the devatas. They are also functional. Hindus have been using forms and images of the divine for thousands of years in order to connect with aspects of the deity that we can find within ourselves while also seeking purity, strength, and balance.

We seek to positively counter our lesser qualities and add to our strengths, of which the images portray. The icons are to be sanctified. They have the potential to hold murtis, or to be awakened with the powers and the soul of the deity.

The statue in the temple is a temporary structure inhabited by a murti. Just as the body is a temporary structure inhabited by the life principle- jiva. When the idol breaks, do Hindus think that god has died? Of course not.

The word `idol` stems from the word `ideal`. Meaning apex, perfection, supreme, absolute. So, next time someone says that Hindus worship idols, ask them if their deity is the highest, perfect, supreme absolute. Idol and ideal are semantically related and can be used interchangeably in many cases. Idol refers to an object or persona that is worshiped, loved, or revered . Ideal refers to a perfect model or standard, as well as a persona that embodies this standard.

The word idol, the Old French `idole` was used to refer to any non-Abrahamic. Prior to that time, idole was used in Greece as `eidolon`,  meaning “reflection in water or a mirror.” When Hindus have darshan of the murti, we can see our own similar qualities and characteristics reflected back to us, perhaps in a more purified or sanctified manner. From the word `eidolon` came the word eidos, which means `form` but also `type.`     

So, we might think about the 33 koti or types of Vedic deities described in  Brhadaranyaka Upanishad – the eight Vasus, the eleven Rudras, the twelve Adityas, Indra and Prajapati. If one cannot recognize ‘God’ in the simple and mundane, how can one recognize God in the complex and profound? If God is omnipresent or everywhere, then God is in all, and can be in a statue too. If one has such devotion towards the supreme to recognize it in the Universe, how much more devotion one must have to also recognize it in a pebble? 

Idols are expressions of Divinity, coming from the minds of sages who have experienced them  in their subtle visions. The idols are subject to time and gravity. They are temporary icons. As previously mentioned, the Buddha was perhaps an avatar or at least a grand sanyasi. Now he is an idol. I tend to agree with many Hindu acharyas, yogis, and gurus that Jesus was a Vedanti and a dharmic master of yoga. Jesus was also  an idol. God in form. Christians who have in the past and present, found pleasure in ridiculing idol worship and even destroying Hindu idols are no different than those who tortured and killed their Christ.

The Allopathy vs. Ayurveda Showdown 

Thirty-five years ago, I began studying Ayurvedic medicine with an emphasis on Ayurvedic psychology. I was a sickly child, born with a mild form of cerebral palsy, crooked feet, back, and bucked teeth. This led to the wearing of multiple braces, not to mention bullying. This, along with growing up below the poverty line in a loveless and dysfunctional Irish Catholic family, devoid of communication, I became pathologically shy. I soon began showing sure signs of depression and anxiety disorders. I saw doctors here in the US, but they could only do so much. Eventually, alcohol became my main form of healing. Such is the way of American culture. Eventually, my solution became my problem. I had come close to drinking myself to death on multiple occasions. I was 22. Beyond all that, I also had weak lungs which made me susceptible to pneumonia, and I had four surgeries before reaching adulthood. I will spare those details.

When I discovered Ayurvedic Medicine and yoga as a form of therapy, I was intrigued and hopeful for better health. My alcohol addiction continued for some time, nonetheless. These modalities saved me from doing much more damage which I could have done to my body and mind. Patanjala yoga-dhyana, as well as dropping out of college and admitting myself to an ashram, kept me from the edge of insanity.

With sadhana and the knowledge of Ayurveda I'd acquired, I was eventually able to achieve recovery. I used Ayurvedic  herbal and mineral preparations, along with PanchaKarma techniques, or the five actions Ayurveda prescribes to reduce excess doshas, toxins, and weak spaces in various organs and tissues. Then I used Ayurvedic tonifying regimes and yoga therapy to build stronger tissues, organs, and mental clarity. Only then did I come to know how it felt to have a whole health of the body-mind complex. The spiritual advantages involved which had eluded me in youth also began to manifest in ways I cannot describe.  

Interestingly, due to colonial influences, Ayurveda became less popular in India where it had been birthed and had grown, evolving for over 5000 years. Many even came to know it as superstition and quackery while the colonial introduction of modern or Allopathic medicine gained praise and popularity. Ayurveda naturally regained popularity with the people of India, but only after Vidya (Doctor) Vasant Lad had taken it to the west, where it became well known and accepted for its healing effects and lack of adverse ramifications.

I have never railed against Allopathic science or modern medicine. That is not the goal of my write-up. I believe in better living through modern medicine, but even my doctors believe that the ‘less is more’ approach is ideal. In other words, they are of the opinion that their patients must take the least amount of a prescription and that the fewer prescriptions taken, the better.

With the recent controversy regarding the Baba Ramdev and Patanjali Company being chastised by India's high court, I have to wonder exactly how much these magistrates know about Ayurvedic and Allopathic medicine. My guess is, not very much. I have to wonder if most of the story is less about the benefit to detriment ratios of naturopathic and biochemical medicines, the claims of benefits that Ramdev has made, and how and if Patanjali ghee may have become contaminated; and more about cultural and political conflicts and political positioning.  

All systems of medicine begin with nature. The effects the five elements have on the body. Hipocrates, fittingly named, followed a humoral structure of healing arts, using natural remedies. 2500 or so years prior, Ayurvedic Vidyas (medical practitioners) did the same. Hypocrites, the so-called ‘father of medicine’, as well as the practitioners of Ayurveda in ancient Bharat, all found this simple notion true; That we are a part of nature which is in a state of constant flux and therefore balance must be sought  to calm the storms of disease. 

Both medical systems are based on the observance of the human body and how it reacts to the causes of disease, as well as how it heals from such illnesses. Both began with the concept that the five elements act, react, and have a certain effect in the natural world, and that they take the same or similar actions, reactions, and effects in the body. Both are based on experimentation, trial and error. We all know this about modern medicine, but it's news to many that Ayurveda is also scientific. There is a 5,000 year old Ayurvedic database to prove this.

The same branches of Allopathy we see today, were first organized and codified by the Ayurvedic Vidyas and earlier by rishis, sants, and sages of ancient Bharat. They are nearly identical. These being: Internal medicine, surgery, ENT & Ophthalmology, Pediatrics & Obstetrics, Toxicology, Psychology, Geriatrics, and Vajikarana which is a branch concerning sexual health. 

My question is, why can't Ayurvedic Vidya and owner of Patanjali Ayurved, Ramdev claim that some Ayurvedic medicinal preparations and methodologies can cure disease? The truth of this statement is undeniable. Now, specific claims regarding specific herbs curing specific diseases, is where it all can get rather sticky. Modern medicine seems to make more such claims on a regular basis. They are placed into the society of the modern and not-so-modern world with slick and costly commercials. We have well-paid representatives from pharmaceutical companies acting in part, as legal drug dealers. These companies answer to their stockholders. The Patanjali, and other Ayurvedic companies may do this as well, to a lesser extent. Are the biochemical companies given more governmental leeway? Is modern medicine more popular in India than Ayurveda is? In urban areas, of course it is. In some rural areas, it is as well. Is it better? Not necessarily. 

Ayurvedic medicine takes much more time to work. The patient has to become a willing and active participant in his or her own health regimen. With Allopathy, we go see the doctor. We show them the boil. They can lance it and give you pills. Ten days later the infection is gone and we are as good as new. But how good were we, as new? If we had an Ayurvedic lifestyle, would that boil have even appeared in the first place? Allopathy has exact technologies and knowledge which provides very accurate diagnoses. It's great, right? Does it treat the underlying causes of disease? How long before the patient has to make another appointment when the boil reappears? 

Ayurveda also has precise diagnostic methods, preventions, and treatments of many thousands of physical and mental diseases and disorders. Ayurvedic physicians were performing successful surgeries when Allopathic doctors were drilling holes in their patients’ skulls to let out the demons. Ayurveda is not a one-size-fits-all method of healing. It focuses on the individual's unique body-mind construct and takes into account one's way of living, career, relationships, and lot in life. Modern medicine is also great. If one finds oneself in need of treatment from a traumatic accident, one should go immediately to the modern emergency room, not take a herbally-medicated enema and eat kitchari. This, however, certainly does not mean that eating kitchari and taking bastis have no health benefits. 

How many Ayurvedic herbs have been appropriated and bio-chemicalized by western pharmaceutical companies? How many laboratory tests are done on biochemical compounds, funded by these companies? We can plainly see that drugs come along with the possibility of many adverse side effects. Including the various illnesses and symptoms they are prescribed to treat. Many have a side effect we call ‘death.’ The commercial drug industry must reveal these possible side effects in their commercials. So, why do we seem to automatically believe in the shiny happy people, dancing or doing Tai Chi in their commercials, but ignore the company's own admission that if you take this particular medicine for say constipation, you just might experience a prolapsed rectum?

Could all this rigamarole with Ramdev and Patanjali just be political, as Ramdev and PM Modi are both supportive of Hindu traditions?  Could it all be cultural? A part of the leftover colonial hangover, which still has some control over the Hindu mindset? Shall Indians and the Indian-Hindu diaspora mindlessly accept the ‘modern must be better’ narrative? Should India's religious majority be expected to feel ashamed and be chastised for appreciating their ancestral ways of living while non-Hindus around the world adopt them with pride? Should Baba Ramdev? Do such ‘Hidden Hindus’ offer much credit to Indic cultures or do they practice appropriation without appreciation? What is becoming of the great knowledge of ancient Hinduism? Do modern Allopathic medicine and traditional Ayurvedic medicine need some sort of reconciliation? At this juncture, such questions may be more important than the answers. 

I do not know. However, allow me to note the fact that modern medicine and naturopathic medicine can proceed without being in absolute conflict with one another. In my own opinion, they work best together. I would not like to give up either. As a Sanatani, or as someone with some understanding of karma, I will say that Allopathic medicine is based on animal experimentation while Ayurveda takes the laws of karma into consideration. The notion that the health of the human animal can come from the suffering of another animal, can be perplexing and problematic. However, until a panacea comes from AI technology and my consciousness and persona can be implanted in an android, I will continue to use both chemical and organic medicines. Certainly, the last thing I suggest is for Indigenous Hindus to avoid modern medicine due to their Hindutva. 

I will end by noting this, modern-western medicine has taken up, perhaps appropriated, ancient modalities and attitudes from naturopathic medical systems from the east, to quite a large degree. It was not long ago that western physicians didn't care about their patients' diets, lifestyles, stress levels, emotional states, bad habits, exercise regimen, or addictions. Many modern scientific studies have been done showing the undeniable health benefits of chanting, meditation, pranayama, massage, yoga, and aromatherapy. Those of us who live this holistic way of life, are not in need of any convincing from any advertisement or study. We do not need the approval of governmental watchdogs or microbiologists who tend to change the variables of their experiments when the results don't fit in with their original hypothesis or expectations. No, we simply have experienced the benefits of Ayurveda. The proof is in the pudding. 

One scientific study says this or that causes a certain ailment. The next day, another study says the same substance relieves the same ailment. At the end of this day, many worldwide are healthy due to naturopathic and holistic modalities, and many are well and free of suffering due to modern medicine. Yet how many patients died today from doctor's error, malfunctioning machinery, and drug overdoses compared to how many died from taking triphala, using ghee drops in their eyes, or yogasana? 

What Great Minds of the West Think of Vedic Culture

“We owe a lot to the Indians, who taught us how to count, without which no worthwhile scientific discovery could have been made.” ~ Albert Einstein

“How many generations are going to face atrocities and murders until Hinduism is well understood? But the world will one day be inspired by Hindutva (Hinduness). Only on that day will the world become a place for humans to settle and live." ~ Herbert Wells (1846-1946)

“I read about Hinduism. I feel that this is the religion of mankind all over the world. Hinduism spread throughout Europe. Many scholars studying Hinduism will appear in Europe. One day the situation will develop where only Hindus will lead the world". ~ Bertrand Russell (1872-1970)

“All perceptible matter comes from a primary substance … filling all space, the akasha which is acted upon by the life-giving prana or creative force, calling into existence in never-ending cycles, all things and phenomena.” ~ Nikola Tesla

“One day this world will accept Hinduism. Refusing to accept the true name of Hinduism will only make one accept its principles. Western nations will surely one day convert to Hinduism. The religion of the learned is equal to that of Hinduism". ~ Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)

"I believe any sensible man is unknowingly a Hindu and that the only hope for man lies in the abolition of the erratic, dogmatic, unphilosophical creeds people today call religions." ~Alain Danielou French historian & musician 

“India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great-grandmother of tradition. Our most valuable and most instructive materials in the history of man are treasured up in India only.” ~Henry David Thoreau

“Whenever I have read any part of the Vedas, I have felt that some unearthly and unknown light illuminated me. In the great teaching of the Vedas, there is no touch of sectarianism. It is of all ages, climbs, and nationalities and is the royal road for the attainment of the Great Knowledge. When I read it, I feel that I am under the spangled heavens of a summer night.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

“In the great books of India, an empire spoke to us, nothing small or unworthy, but large, serene, consistent, the voice of an old intelligence, which in another age and climate had pondered and thus disposed of the questions that exercise us.” ~ William James, Psychologist and Philosopher

“From the Vedas, we learn a practical art of surgery, medicine, music, house building under which mechanized art is included. They are encyclopedias of every aspect of life, culture, religion, science, ethics, law, cosmology and meteorology.” ~ Ella Wheeler Wilcox

“The general notions about human understanding … illustrated by discoveries in atomic physics … are not unheard of or new. They have a history in Hindu thought. What we shall find in modern physics is a refinement of old wisdom. Access to the Vedas is the greatest privilege this century may claim over all other centuries.” ~ Robert Oppenheimer, American theoretical physicist

“India—The land of Vedas, the remarkable works contain not only religious ideas for a perfect life but also facts which science has proved true. Electricity, radium, electronics, airship, all were known to the seers who founded the Vedas.”~Will Durant, The Story of Civilization

"When I read the Bhagavad Gita and reflect about how God created the universe, everything else seems so superfluous. I have made it as my main source of inspiration and my guide for the purpose of scientific investigation and the formation of my theories. ~ Albert Einstein

“After the conversations about Indian philosophy (w/ Rabindranath Tagore), some of the ideas of quantum physics that had seemed so crazy, suddenly made sense. Quantum theory will not look ridiculous to people who have read Vedanta.” ~ Werner Heisenberg, German Nobel Prize-winning physicist

“In the morning I bathe my intellect in the stupendous and cosmogonal philosophy of the Bhagavad-Gita, in comparison with which our modern world and its literature seems puny and trivial.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

“The apparent multiplication of gods is bewildering at the first glance, but you soon discover that they are the same GOD. There is always one uttermost God who defies personification. This makes Hinduism the most tolerant religion in the world, because it's one transcendent God that includes all possible gods.” ~George Bernard Shaw

“Modern physics has shown that the rhythm of creation and destruction is not only manifest in the turn of the seasons and in the birth and death of living creatures, but is also the very essence of inorganic matter. For modern physicists … Shiva’s dance is the dance of subatomic matter.” ~ Fritjof Capra, American physicist and author

“India was the motherland of our race, and Sanskrit the mother of Europe’s languages: she was the mother of our philosophy; mother, through the Arabs, of much of our mathematics; mother, through the Buddha, of the ideals embodied in Christianity; mother, through the village community, of self-government and democracy. Mother India is in many ways the mother of us all. India will teach us the tolerance and gentleness of a mature mind, understanding spirit and a unifying, pacifying love for all human beings.” ~Will Durant, The Story of Civilization

“It is true that even across the Himalayan barrier India has sent to the west, such gifts as grammar and logic, philosophy and fables, transcendent states and chess, and above all numerals and the decimal system.

~Carl Sagan

“Most of my ideas are heavily influenced by Vedanta. Multiplicity is only apparent. This is the doctrine of the Upanishads. From the early Upanishads, the recognition ‘Atman=Brahman’ (the self equals the omnipresent) represents the deepest quintessence and insights into the happenings of the world. The total number of minds in the universe is one. In fact, consciousness is a singularity phasing within all beings. There is no kind of framework within which we can find consciousness in the plural. This is simply something we construct because of the temporal plurality of individuals, but it is a false construction. The only solution to this conflict lies within the ancient wisdom of the Upanishads.” ~ Erwin Schrodinger, Austrian Nobel Prize-winning physicist

“The Hindu religion is the only one of the world’s … dedicated to the idea that the cosmos itself undergoes an immense and innate number of deaths and rebirths. It is the only religion in which the time scales correspond, to those of modern scientific cosmology. Its cycles run from our ordinary day and night to a day and night of Brahma 8.64 billion years long. Longer than the age of the Earth or the Sun, and about half the time since the Big Bang. And they have much longer time scales too.” ~ Carl Sagan

“From the Vedas, we learn a practical art of surgery, medicine, music, house building under which mechanized art is included. They are encyclopedias of every aspect of life, culture, religion, science, ethics, law, cosmology and meteorology.” ~Ella Wheeler Wilcox, American poet

The Guru Principle 

Over the course of 35+ years of Hindu practice, from having a guru and not having one, many have asked me if a teacher is needed in the learning and practice of yoga=meditation, leading to samadhi and eventual moksha.

My answer has always been, ‘Yes’, of course.’ How fortunate one is to have a guru. There are, however, many caveats to consider. 

In this day and age we have more information than we actually need. We can have multiple gurus. We can buy their works on Amazon. We can place them in our hearts and minds, as we will. We can put such teachings into practice. Yet, there may be one Sat-Guru, working in the background. Remember his or her lineage and how you might have been to  find it. 

Mine stems from Haidakhandiji Baba, then flowers in through Ram Dass, Paramahansa Yogananda, Vamadeva Shastriji and Dharma Pravartaka Acharya.

Haidakhan Babaji left what was known to be his last visual body, before I had even come to hear of his name. He came to me in dreams. From many directions. Not just dream-symbology. He revealed himself as someone who’d been with me in some sense, since early childhood. Since I could remember. He had maha-samadhi when I was still a Christian teenager. His love lingers daily.

Guru Distortion

Unfortunately, there are spurious or false gurus. This is to be expected. They only want your money, your adoration, your compilation, or your body.  Usually, combinations of these. Such gurus still might have much to offer the shishya. They may have great teachings. They may have great compassion, along with nefarious motives. 

It’s most important to note that a guru and teacher, might very well be two different things. Actually, the true guru might have little to nothing to say or teach. Simply being in his or her presence, stands fast and can bring the follower to truth, quite quickly. However, the gunas (qualities) of such an individual and his or her lineage, must appear before blind following.

The guru and the teacher can be one and the same, beyond the usual teacher-student relationship; where the teacher often offers Vedic knowledge. The guru who chooses not to speak a word or very little, still has an immensely positive influence on his/her devotees. Though detrimental qualities can be caught like a cold, from others. Even a so-called ‘false guru’ can uplift.

Distinguishing an organic Guru from a false and detrimental one

The genuine sattva-guru has no ulterior motives. Whether dealing with one who is already in some way ‘spiritual’, or in dealing with groups in a general and  mundane fashion. He/she (the Guru) has equal love, compassion and understanding for all. 

No matter where they might be on their journey towards Nirvana…he or she simply knows that everyone is an individual who can comprehend his or her teachings, or mere presence in a unique and optimal manner, or also in diverse ways. The guru knows every individual is the first and only creation of his or her own kind, and should be treated as such.

A guru does not crave praise. They are embarrassed if anyone bows before them, stands before they enter a room or gives them any unnecessary adulation. 

Though this is traditional and has its reason, cause and effect, the true guru is not concerned. Furthermore, the true guru does not deal with the love of money, lust or greed. The guru gives teachings without the need to be recognised Not for, nor by them. 

The guru might have absolutely zero sense of ego and will never self-aggrandize. Though the guru might have left-over ahamkara (ego) that is used in a spiritual way, in order to lift up his/her shishyas. The Guru seldom starts organizations in his/her own name. We know that there have been ones who do, who become multi-millionaires. Who have done great things. Nothing’s wrong with having money. There can be many things wrong with how one gets their money.  

The guru is most always available. Gurus are not 'mystery mongers'. They may perform tapas or types of sacrifice, but they do not advertise them or brag about them. They do not go into hiding for months and come out with a book for sale. Perhaps a few do. Look at Baba Ram Dass who would have been worth close to $100 million. He gave it all to charity. He also never referred to himself as a guru. 

The guru is never dismayed or not happy, not content. A good sense of humility and humor are always a sign of Guruji. Of course, he or she may be anxious, confused at times and quite depressed. The difference is, a true guru doesn’t stay these ways for long.

Guru East & West

In the west, we’ve come to see a guru as someone with some sort of Jedi mind. One who will automatically and quickly relieve us of our ignorance and displeasure. 

No. A guru from India and her cultural realm, can likely be a layperson; but someone who has great knowledge and great presence to share. These gurus should have no problems with seeking devotees to support them, if need be. Simply because he or she is not attached to such silly things, most of us find ourselves in the mists. 

When the so-called ‘Guru’ starts making millions of dollars, instead of or in spite of his/her kooky followers, we can plainly see a problem. We can see why the term 'guru' has become mundane or worse: a term synonymous with the word, ‘charlatan.’ 

This has become a part of misappropriation of Hindu thought and tradition. It spewed to the west, then regurgitated back to indigenous Hindus, in a mixed format. In the west we have auto-gurus, fiance gurus, self-help and weight-loss gurus, Etc. 

As Hindus, we don’t really have to come to a consensus regarding what a true guru is and/or is not. All we have to do is gain clear perception (buddhi), viveka (discernment) and Chaitanya/Vidhya (higher insight/intelligence.) As such qualities are what true gurus offer.

Having a personal or family guru is of great importance and fortune. But we do live in the Kali yuga, so just what should we expect? Especially from gurus who’ve made their way to the west, and turned Sanatana Dharma into Sanatana drama.

To Guru Or Not To Guru

Having a guru in each lifetime is an ideal that does not always occur. In this modern age and yuga, one can have multiple gurus and also, one can quite easily find a guru who will lead one to ignorance and religiosity.

The decimation of guru/shishya lineages, the loss of Shastra to invaders, the gap between Sanskrit and English, and other factors has left us with quite a lot of confusion and insecurity. Many authentic gurus still exist, but can be difficult to find when one does not know where to look.

The potential shishya tends to lack ved (knowledge), buddhi (clarity), and viveka (discernment). He/she may even lack morality and good intentions. They would be wise to study and practice the yogas of the Bhagavad Gita and develop fine qualities in themselves first. Then perhaps the sadguru will make him/herself known. One does not have to be a saint, but it would be ideal for one to make him/herself a ready vessel.

Good, bad, or otherwise, many are left to find gurus online. That is hit or miss. What often happens then, is the shishya will become somewhat fanatical and narrow-minded, thinking his/her guru and/or sampradaya is true while all others are subversive.

Gurus tend to simply be mirrors for their students. If one likes ego enjoyment, then that is what the guru may offer more of to that individual. Not because it is true or good, but because that is the best way for the student to wake up and recognize his/her own faults.

Reading the Bhagavad Gita is a good place for one to start. Bhagavan is Adi Guru. But not all translations are equal, authentic, or even beneficial. Also, if one does not first comprehend Vedanta, Sankhya, or the Yoga Sutras, he/she cannot fully understand the Gita.

For instance, Sri Krishna speaks of the importance of the gunas or the three main qualities spoken of in the Vedas, and even instructs Arjuna not to so freely share his teachings with those who have yet to know their form, function, and relevance.

“Those who are sincere but are unaware of the distorting effects of the gunas continue to act by compulsion. Therefore, those who do understand should be careful in educating those who do not yet understand, so that the necessary actions and responsibilities of their lives are not disrupted.” ~Bhagavad Gita 3.29

'‘Not even for a moment can man remain without performing any action. Everyone is forced to act according to the qualities he has acquired from modes of material nature called gunas.'' ~ Bhagavad Gita 3.5

''The transcendent one who neither hates or desires the presence or absence of joyful illumination, material attachment, or delusion. One who remains steady or undisturbed by constant changes and transformations of the gunas, and simply says only the gunas are changing.” ~Bhagavad Gita 4.22-23

It’s most important to note that a guru and teacher, might very well be two different things. Not every potential shishya is an intellectual type drawn to an acharya or Vedic scholar. Actually, the true guru might have little to nothing to say or teach. Simply being in his or her presence stands fast and can bring the follower to truth, quite quickly. However, the qualities of such an individual and his or her current devotees must appear well prior to any sort of blind following.

In this day and age we have more information than we actually need. We can have multiple gurus. We can buy their works on Amazon. We can place them in our hearts and minds, as we will. We can put such teachings into practice. Yet, there may be one Sat-Guru, working in the background. Remember his or her lineage with love and care.

The guru and the teacher can be one and the same, beyond the usual teacher-student relationship. The wise adherent attentively listens to the guru when he/she offers lessons on Shastra. Yet, the guru who chooses not to speak a word or very little, still can have an immensely positive influence on his/her devotees.

The genuine sattva-guru has no ulterior motives. Whether dealing with one who is already in some way ‘spiritual’, or in dealing with groups in a general and  mundane fashion. He/she (the Guru) has equal love, compassion and understanding for all. 

No matter where they might be on their journey towards Nirvana, the guru knows that everyone is an individual who can comprehend his or her teachings, or mere his/her presence in a unique manner, or in diverse ways. The guru knows every individual is the first and only creation of his or her own kind and should be treated as such.

In the west, we’ve come to see a guru as someone with some sort of Jedi mind. One who will automatically and quickly relieve us of our ignorance and displeasure. A guru from India and her cultural realm which has now expanded to much of the world, can likely be a simple layperson; but someone who has great knowledge and great presence to share. He or she does not tend to be attached to such silly things most of us find  ourselves in the mists of. The guru is Self and God realized. 

As Hindus, we don’t really have to come to a consensus regarding what a true guru is and is not, though obvious qualities and qualifications should apply. One must obviously use common sense, and if one lacks that, he/she should take care in choosing a guru. If we can gain clear perception, proper discernment, and a heightened level of insight then that is what sort of guru we will attract. Like attracts like.

Can an Atheist Be Hindu? Can a Hindu Be Non-Theistic?

(In this article I examine the philosophical diversity & depth of Hindu Dharma, which includes non-theistic views and practices. Of course many will say it is misguided, and that is alright. It is natural for humans to adhere only to what they have been taught. I am not an atheist, but I wanted to show that Hinduism is not just about what we've come to know as 'religion', which has come to mean a mere sort of master and servant mentality between humans and the supernatural. That is mostly the Abrahamic view. The Dharmic view is much more profound, yet these two paradigms have merged at least to some extent in our mindsets. This age we live in does have its negative effects. Sanatana Dharma itself is whole, unaltered, and unaffected. The various ways we perceive and put it into practice appears as a multitude of paths, and paths within paths, which is the beauty of the Hindu Dharma.)

Atheism gained world popularity by opposing the ‘Guy in the Sky’ deity and Abrahamic monotheism. Hindu deism is much more complex. It cannot be opposed so easily, as, if one claims not to believe in Hindu deities, one must also claim not to believe in nature.

Hindus have the Trimurti, represented by Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, who were initially depicted as Indra, Surya, and Agni, corresponding to the elements of water, sky, and fire. The Tridev represents the deification of the universal principles of creation, preservation, and destruction. Yajna fire ceremonies involve offerings of earth and water elements to the fire, resulting in air and space. This reflects the psychological doshas and/or principles of ojas, tejas, and prana.

We are defined by our true nature. A Hindu is as a Hindu does, not necessarily what occurs in his or her mind. Inner knowledge, based on experience, trumps all outer systems of belief. Dogma attracts and supports a hive-mind mentality and fanaticism. They are simpletons who rally behind ineptitude. Hindu dharma is not so mono-cultural. Dharma allows for freedom of individual expression, thought, and experience. It is basically not one religion but a conglomeration of many paths, and then there are paths within those paths.

Dharma is vast, diverse, and plural—encompassing and inclusive. Not every Hindu is a dharmika, and not every dharmika is a Hindu. Sanatana Dharma is far greater than any kind of ‘ism’—infinitely so, in fact.

When the eternal natural way is projected through matter, mind, senses, and identity, it becomes diffused and mistaken for mere religion. Religion, as we have come to know it, has definite boundaries. Sanatana Dharma does not. Hindu Dharma consists of many schools of thought, science, culture, technique, metaphysics, and profound philosophies. Four of the seven (including Buddhism) are indeed non-theistic. So yes, one may be called ‘Hindu’ and be an atheist—just not in the same way an atheist who opposes monotheism does. Many may say otherwise, but they could be under the influence of Abrahamic thinking and have come to know religiosity in its Western sense while they apply such an attitude of dogma to dharma.

Even famous hardcore Western atheists like Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, and Richard Dawkins are much less critical of the Eastern dharmas than the Abrahamic religions. If we say an atheist cannot be Hindu, we then start getting caught in the Abrahamic games of competitive religion. We start believing that our faith is stronger than that of the others.

The highest absolute ‘God’ in Hinduism is Nirguna Brahman. However, Brahman is not a deity or a being in the heavens limited by gender, time, persona, and thought. Brahman is the ultimate principle of unconditioned consciousness.

I assume you believe in consciousness. If so, the question arises: ‘Are you truly an atheist?’ If you can reason that consciousness more vast and pure than your own exists, could you also reason that there may be an intelligence higher than your own? If so, might the existence of beings with such higher intelligence be possible, or even probable?

Again, dharma focuses on inner knowledge over outer belief, and finds its basis in timeless truths and natural law. Dharma is also an intellectual and multi-cultural tradition attached to philosophy, its own system of medicine and psychology, architecture, astronomy, metaphysics, mathematics and various art forms. In dharma, we find an all-inclusive pluralism and multiplicity. In religion, we find exclusivity, supremacists, imperialism, oppression, dualism, superstition, dogma and institutional-ism.

The highest or ultimate goal for a practising Hindu is moksha. Anything less is, in a sense, trading one thing for another. This is neither wrong nor bad. Perhaps one’s goal in this lifetime is to work on that which allows them to dwell in the realms of the devatas, or even to become a deva or devi. There’s nothing wrong with that, but ultimately, we must seek moksha. At that point, all paths become obsolete, and any desire to remain on one’s path becomes a roadblock to moksha. Ask yourself, ‘Do only Hindus attain moksha?’ If we are open-minded and honest, the answer is ‘no.’ Even though, in our worldly realm, only the eastern dharmas speak of moksha, there are non-Hindus and even non-theists who will attain this ultimate goal.

Religion, Dogma, & Spirituality 

Verse 18.66 of the Bhagavad Gita seemingly warns against the limitations of religions, yet is or has been used by some to create and perpetuate one. Sri Krishna teaches Arjuna over and over, act w/o attachment to the effects of actions. He teaches us to take right actions in the world of matter, using our minds and bodies while remaining aware of the fact that we are ultimately atma.

We live in a divisive world of maya and that includes all religions or lower dharmas. Paths to moksha and moksha itself are two different things. Does Bhagavan mean `Me` as the avatar Sri Krishna with form, name, gender, and persona, or as nirguna…the formless-Absolute?Bhagavanis both, simultaneously. He is Ishvar and Brahman.

So, some will take this verse and interpret it to support dvaita and bhakti yog. This is wonderful until religion turns to religiosity and the faithful begin insisting all others adhere to their limited POV. Such an Abrahamic-like mindset is what Krishna is warning Arjuna about, Imo.

Now, surrender unto Me.` Does Sri Krishna say worship me? He says Śaraṇam: Seek refuge, not through adulation or worship but Parityajya: The abandonment of all things (all matter) other than the Imperishable Self in all who Sri Krisha says He is.

Regarding being freed of sins; Here we see more Abrahamic influences. Trading worship for reward or belief for some sort of salvation. Bhagavan told Arjuna that if he realized the true Self, then he would no longer be subject to karma or the negative results of his future actions.

In this verse, Bhagavan also says to Arjuna to be fearless and that He will free Arjuna of all forms of bondage or pasa. The Sanskrit word `pasa` also refers to the entirety of all existence. Papa means `sin` or `transgression`; more properly it refers to adharma or anything contrary to natural law…any action which conflicts with truth. Dharma focuses on inner knowledge over outer belief and finds its basis in timeless truths and natural law. Hinduism is not a single religion, but a complex of various Dharmas.

Sanatana Dharma is the eternal and inherent nature of the actual, attached to universal or cosmic principles and laws. Dharma in this sense, refers to the intrinsic nature of reality and universal truth. The word ‘dharma’ does not equate to the word ‘religion’. When I began reading the Shastra(s) it made more sense to me than other religious texts I had read, but I still found myself somewhat confused by what appeared to me at the time to be inconsistencies. 

After some years of studying various schools of Indic-Hindu thought, everything came into place. Vedic teachings give harmony to such contradictions of sorts, but one must be willing and able to understand paradox and abstract thought, rather than dogmatic, black & white constructs. What do you think?

Is Asana a Hindu Practice?

The Asanas are the beautiful physical aspects of Yoga. They are the poses, stretches, and attitudes performed by the practitioner. They bring strength, flexibility, and balance to the body and mind. They release tension and toxins. They increase, purify, and balance Ojas, Tejas, and Prana. Incidentally, they provide tonification to the nervous system and alignment to the spine, allowing the practitioner to sit and rest in an upright position while pursuing more mental and spiritual ventures and practices if he/she prefers. 

How does asana relate to Vedanta and Hindu Dharma? Let’s just take Vrksasana or ‘Tree Pose.’ Does it  relate more to the elements of Pancha Bhoota or to Devatas? The elements themselves relate to various deities. Standing like this, the left foot relates to earth. The right foot, water. Palms together at the heart level relate to air. At the forehead, to fire. Above the head, to ether. 

Hindus have Trimurti as Brahma, Vishnu, & Shiva represented initially as Indra, Varuna, and Agni and the elements of water, sky, and fire. Yajna fire ceremonies involve offerings of the earth & water elements to the fire, resulting in air & space. This reflects the sub or psychological doshas and/or principles of Ojas, Tejas, & Prana. Fire relates to Shiva. Earth to Brahma. Water to Vishnu. Air to Hanuman, and space/ether to Atma.

As per Sankhya philosophy, ether or space, the akasha, is the proto and/or primary element. Space in motion is air. Motion creates friction, heat, and then fire. Fire meld consciousness into liquid water. Water brings molecules together to create earth.

In one asana, we can see the elements. If we know how to sense the five, we can see them in everything. In one flower, the bloom is of space. The soft touch is of air. The bright colors are of fire. The taste of the petals are of water and the fragrance of water. 

We sense the ether primarily through the ears and the sense of hearing. We perceive the wind primarily on the skin and the sense of touch. Fire is primarily perceived by the optic nerve via the eyes and the sense of sight. Water is primarily perceived on the tongue through taste, and the earth is primarily perceived through the nostrils and the sense of smell. 

Whether Sattvik, Rajasik, or Tamasik, the qualities of sense organs and the qualities of the incoming sensory impressions entering the sixth sense, which is the mind, are the sum total of how we tend to think and feel, which is of paramount importance in all Dharmik religions. The qualities of our intentions, our offerings, and our inner being are of importance, as that is what we give birth to in our daily lives and what we offer to the divine.

Is it Necessary to Reconcile Duality & Non-Duality?

Hindu Dharma is all about nature. Everyone believes in nature, as the natural world is easy to perceive. Hindus have Trimurti or Brahma, Vishnu, & Shiva, initially represented as Indra, Surya, and Agni and/or the elements of water, sky, and fire. As such, Tridev is the deification of the universal principles of creation, preservation, & destruction.

We can see the same in Yajna fire ceremonies involving offerings of the earth & water elements to the fire, resulting in air & space. This reflects the psychological sub-doshas or principles of ojas, tejas, & prana. Ojas relates to tamas, tejas to rajas, and prana to sattva guna.

The purusha is like Shiva. Prakruti is like Shakti. Purusha being passive awareness and the field of all possibilities. Prakruti being dynamic and willful. Her first desire was “Ekohum Bahusyam” (I am one; let me become many).

There is a magnetism between Purusha (energy) and Prakruti (matter). When they merge, the manifestation of AUM occurs. Aum is like Brahman. It is `pranava` or the ever-renewing vibratory fabric of the universe. Not an individual being, but the principle of cyclic formation. Brahman could also be seen as a separate principle prevailing over both Purusha and Prakruti.

`Brahman is the source of the universe.` ~ Brahma Sutra Shankara Bhashya 1.1.2

Mahat is the cosmic mind. Buddhi is universal intelligence. Akamkara (cosmic ego/individuality) allows for the division of Brahman into various forms of life, including that of the Devathas.

The five tanmatras are constantly being taken in by the senses to the mind and ricochet back out into the world. They splinter off into an endless number of more subtle tanmatras. They are in a constant state of motion, which causes the illusions of time and change. These tanmatras along with the gunas and the five elements, make up maya. A parody of truth. They are the cause and maya is the effect.

"The whole world is an outward projection of your own mind." ~ Sri Ramana Maharshi   

So, this is how the principles or tattvas of Sankhya can be deified and/or personified. No reconciliation necessary. Atheism in Hinduism is not quite the same as it is seen by adherents of Abrahamic religions. The popularity of atheism came about as a rebellion against monotheism or mono-cultural theology.

Hindus believe in enlightenment, which is actually something that can be attained by atheists. We believe the entire universe is ultimately divine, so for an atheist to oppose Hindu deism, he/she would basically have to oppose everything. He/she would have to claim that nothing exists.

Western Appropriation of Indic Culture and Why It Matters

Cultural appropriation causes harm. It is an extension of racism and colonial oppression. It treats all aspects of marginalised cultures as free for the taking. It’s quite short of skin colour. It’s a power dynamic. Appropriation allows a dominant culture to profit from a non-dominant culture. Then the dominant culture takes credit for the aspects of the non-dominant culture they’ve taken from, which reinforces the imbalance of power between the two groups. That’s historically how appropriation tends to work the way it does. Through pure deception.

Nonrecognition and misrecognition through appropriation and misappropriation create a hostile environment, wherein cultural groups are silenced, made invisible and subject to stereotypes and bigoted false narratives. It is limiting and harmful to the people whose culture has been appropriated. It affects their well-being, their financial status, their self-esteem, and their cultural integrity.

When a majority or dominant monoculture steals customs, practices, sciences, and ideologies from people of a foreign minority culture, it has negative trans-generational social, economic and psychological effects. It is especially difficult for indigenous and aboriginal peoples worldwide to preserve their traditions and cultures when people such as Europeans and Americans practice appropriation without understanding or appreciation. The latter take the customs of the former and reinvent them, misinterpret them, and re-imagine them to fit into the narrow grooves of their own understanding.

Sanatana Dharma is, as the name implies, universal. It’s for anyone on the planet who can come to realize its truth and beauty. Hindu-ism, as the name implies, belongs to the descendants of Bharat or those with ancestors who lived in the valleys of the Saraswati and Indus rivers. As many know, the term ‘Hindu’ is a misnomer stemming from a Persian mispronunciation of the word ‘Sindu’, meaning ‘river.’ Hindu culture, tradition, and heritage therefore, belong to the indigenous. A Western Hindu transplant should acknowledge this and pay due respect. Personally, I went from identifying as a ‘Hindu’, to an ‘American Hindu’, to an ‘adoptee of Hindu Dharma, to a ‘Sanatana Dharmi.’ I am a Sanatani, but not a Hindustani. Linguistic distortion and appropriation work hand-in-hand.

Some measures of appropriation are difficult for Westerners to avoid. Many of us must learn what appropriation is in the first place. We tend to have the privilege of never having to be victims of it. Some who do know what appropriation is, fail to see how it causes harm. Any serious Western practitioner of the ‘eternal way’ is in at least some sense appropriating from Indic culture. It is therefore only proper and principled to practice such appropriation along with great appreciation and understanding.

The most glaring example of appropriation of Indic or Hindu culture is the abduction of yoga darshana (philosophy). People in the West have always enjoyed the free taking of what is considered sacred to people from the East. We turn it into something it was never meant to be, just so it might fit into the narrow grooves of our understanding. We place it into the material. We make it marketable. We do away with Hindu terminology and create our own brands and labels. We take what is substantially transformative and metaphysical, and turn it into a mere commodity. Then we claim to have improved it and regurgitate a mutation back into the culture we consumed it from.

There are, however, many yoga practitioners in the West who study and teach authentic and comprehensive systems of yoga. Many even adopt Hinduism or become ‘Hindu-ish’. There are also many Hinduphobic yoga instructors who have confiscated yoga, twisted it around, made it into a cult of the body, attached it to New Age pseudo-psychology, and then claimed it as their own invention. They have made themselves into the authorities on yoga, then portray it as purely secular. I’ve heard a few say that it has nothing to do with Hinduism. They unfortunately ignore important and preliminary aspects of yoga such as Satya (honesty), asteya (non-stealing), and aparigraha (non-attachment).

'Is it any wonder there is so much untruth being delivered to a bewildered world with everyone claiming the right of conscience without going through any discipline whatsoever.’ ~ Mahatma Gandhi

The mystical and metaphysical aspects of yoga spirituality have been replaced by Christian yoga, goat yoga, power yoga, rage yoga, Namaste Bitches’ t-shirts, and Yoga Barbie dolls. The US Patent and Trademark Office has issued 150 yoga-related copyrights, 134 trademarks on yoga accessories and 2,315 yoga trademarks. And 1,500 patents involving the yoga industry are awaiting approval.

This subvention is exploitative and results in the loss and distortion of religious and cultural traditions, arts, symbols, and the languages of Hindustanis. Appropriation along with the reminiscence of colonialism and a modern secular mindset, leaves Hindu tradition in the balance.

Such spiritual and philosophical systems as yoga, are taken out of their religious and cultural contexts to fill the egotistical and financial needs of the Western yoga industrialist. There are certainly worse ways to make a living, but these traditions are forced to become a mundane misrepresentation of what was once and in fact still is, a religious practice. Actually, the etymological definition of the word ‘yoga’, and that of the word ‘religion’, are synonymous.

I’ve attempted to explain cultural appropriation to American yogis and yoginis in terms they can understand. I ask them if they’d ever take customs from Native or rather indigenous Americans. Of course, they say they wouldn’t. Though if it were socially accepted and profitable, I’m sure they would. If only they could get away with it, as they do with the appropriation of India’s indigenous peoples and cultures.

Let’s imagine how this would look. A young white American man, whose ancestors annihilated the natives and put them on reservations, becomes interested in Navajo culture. He visits a tribe and is allowed to take part in a sweat lodge, at no cost. He then comes back to his home in the city and builds his own sweat lodge. He decides to invite others to participate and charges them one hundred dollars each to participate.

He doesn’t have an understanding of Navajo customs, and he wants to make the sweat lodge experience unique and more appealing to his customers. So he creates his own rituals and prayers to accompany the ceremony. He has his clients drink a six-pack of beer before entering the lodge (Google beer yoga). Now he’s not only stolen a sacred practice from a marginalized group of people. He’s turned it into something profane. In doing so, he’s promoted the stereotype that Native American people are drunkards. Then of course, the young man goes back to the reservation to teach Navajo children his new and improved ceremony that is ‘better than their traditional way.’

Beyond the appropriation of yoga, Hindu symbology is taken and used to make toilet seat covers. Tantra has been made into a fetish. A guru is anyone who has mastered his or her occupation. Karma is luck and fatalism. Meditation is just relaxation or at best, ‘mindfulness.’ The theory of reincarnation has been watered down, so hypnotherapists can perform ‘past-life regressions’. Even the word ‘dharma’ has been whitewashed and is translated to be synonymous with ‘religion.’ New Age self-help authors like Eckart Tolle (who is worth $75 million) get rich from Hindu ideology he gives no credit to. Kirtan is made performative by Western wallahs who claim that kirtan has nothing to do with any religion.

After 1835 C.E., Ayurvedic medicine was subject to negative cultural and scientific appropriation by the British. They actively discouraged and suppressed Indian literature, languages, and sciences. Ayurveda is an integral part of Vedanta. It is a sister science to yoga which addresses all aspects of physical, mental, and spiritual health. In more modern times, the biomedicalization of Ayurvedic herbs, preparations and formulas has taken place. Such herbo-mineral products had been used by many hundreds of millions of Indians for at least the last 4000 years. Western biologists and pharmacologists have stolen some of these, patented them and became wealthy. Not a single rupee went back to the Indian culture or people who developed, tested and perfected what is an incredibly comprehensive system of medicine.

Appropriation is ultimately an ingredient in the recipe for cultural genocide. The largest population of indigenous people, or Indian Hindus and their non-Indian Hindu allies, have the capacity to be the strongest front against such an eventual possibility. Though many forces have tried, the culture of Sanatana Dharma which may appear to fade, can never be extinguished. Indian Hindus are part of the oldest remaining civilization on Earth. Indian Hindus, Western Hindus, and the Hindu diaspora should treasure both the traditional and evolutionary aspects of Indic culture and champion common causes.

Dharma vs Dogma

Hindu theology, or ‘Vedanta’, unlike the purely religious or faith-based monotheistic traditions, embodies great immensity, pluralism, and diversity. Many, if not most house-holding Hindus these days are simple Bhaktas and that is wonderful, but Vedanta encourages us to gain knowledge as well, along with buddhi, and viveka. 

Such inner knowledge is as, or more important than any outer belief system. On one city block in Delhi, 100 or more deities may be recognized by various individuals as paramount, yet no one is fighting or making any fuss about it. We do not get caught in the messes of ‘My faith is stronger than your faith’, or ‘My beliefs make my god real and yours imaginary.’ Not that such attitudes do not exist, but they are frowned upon. I personally only see such nonsense within the virtual Hinduism of social media.

Being a Christian in my youth, I had no real problems with my faith in Jesus and my belief in God. I felt it without much thought, and it was as real as anything else. When we age, we tend to become less idealistic and perhaps, more cynical. 

It seems to me that many Abrahamics whose religion focuses on little more than the power of faith, at one point in time or even daily, have a struggle with their own faith. So religion for them, becomes a matter of continuous indoctrination and their actions become tainted with the desire for an accumulation of blind faith. Of course, there are also many Abrahamics with pure devotion and there are some Hindus who think their strength of belief is enough to get them through the day.

The aspect of polytheism offers Avatars or Devatas with many personal forms and functions. Even one deity can have over 1000 names, each with metaphysical, scientific, practical, or philosophical meanings. Each with legends and stories that can relate to our own struggles and triumphs. It is not just about choosing to believe in one or more in exchange for boons.

One word for ‘worship’ in Sanskrit is ‘upasana’, which simply means being or sitting near the divine and having darshan. In our Mandirs, we may bow and pray to Murtis who mirror our own qualities or those in the natural world. We also may seek to increase, strengthen, balance, or purify these qualities by witnessing them in Devas and Devis in Shastra. It is about self improvement and self knowledge that awakens the higher mind and blesses us with discernment. It is not just about believing well. It is more about learning to act well without any pretense. 

Each Avatar and/or Devata in Hindu Shastra comes with their own stories that have various lessons attached. Hindu Dharma is not just a simple and performative belief in one creator God. It is a spiritual and a logical understanding of ourselves and our own qualities. It is an experiential comprehension of the multiplicity of nature as much of Shastra is based on natural science. 

We have Trimurti as Brahma, Vishnu, & Shiva represented initially as Indra, Surya, and Agni and/or the elements of water, sky, and fire. Tridev is the deification of the universal principles of creation, preservation, & destruction. Our rituals like the Yajna fire ceremony involve offerings of the earth & water elements to the fire, resulting in air & space. This reflects the subtle Yogic principles doshas principles of ojas, tejas, & prana, which are body, mind, and spirit.

Hinduphobia In The Western Media: A Parody of Truth

Hinduphobic false narratives abound throughout western media. Among the worst are Leftist outlets like the BBC, the Guardian, Time Magazine, and Reuters. They grasp onto these narratives and attempt to create a mirage of the oh so dangerous and scary Hindu nationalist boogeyman.

UK Member of Parliament Bob Blackman was daring enough to recently speak on the phenomena of anti-Hindu sentiment, saying "Last week in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, the Ram Mandir was consecrated. This was of great joy to Hindus across the world as being the birthplace of Lord Ram. Very sadly, the BBC, in their coverage reported, of course, that this was the site of the destruction of a mosque forgetting the fact that it had been a temple for more than 2000 years before that happened and that the Muslims had been allocated a five-acre site on which to erect a mosque adjacent to the town." 

The opening of the Rama temple in Ayodhya, devoted to the Indic hero and much-loved Hindu deity of the Ramayana, has brought back much joy and pride for many in India, and not just the country's Hindu population and diaspora. 

If we were to believe the western media, this new temple, dare I say ‘old mandira’, is “purely political, divisive, controversial, contested, a monument to Hindu supremacy, a spectacle” and “built on the site of a historic mosque.” They will print that ‘Indian Hindu have a war on mosques!’, but certainly will not mention that 5 acres of land and funds have been provided for building a new mosque. They will not mention that Indian Hindus were suppressed by centuries of invasions, Mughal rule, and British colonialism.

This Hindu temple wasn't built on a mosque. It was rebuilt on the rubble of a mosque that was itself  built on a historic Hindu temple, destroyed by invaders. Invaders built such mosques on many thousands of destroyed Hindu temples, schools, and libraries. Do people in the west really think all these mosques were built by peaceful means? It took 500 years to get this temple back in the location thought by many to be the place of Rama's birth. The process was done legally and voted on by India's Supreme Court, which has had at least one Muslim seat since the 1930s. It involved deliberate long legal proceedings with many arguments and documentation from all sides.

We know that on December 6th 1992 this 16th century mosque in question was taken apart by Hindu activists. This led to riots and cultural clashes involving up to 200 thousand Hindus and Muslims. This  resulted in an estimated 900 deaths, including 575 Muslims and 275 Hindus. India has come a long way since then, indeed. Let us in the US remember that we have mega-churches standing on the sacred sites of our indigenous peoples. Let the Anglos know that hundreds of churches in Greece and Eastern Europe were built  on the ruins of mosques and Pagan religious monuments. 

The typical American or European is unaware of Indian society and culture, which involves both Hindus and Muslims, along with many other religious and ethnic groups. The typical westerner is most often very unaware of India's history. The liberal western media seems to think that Indian Hindus and Muslims are fighting a religious civil war. This Woke-Bully mentality is based on sanctimony and the fact that privileged liberals think it is their duty to be offended on the behalf of ethnic and religious minorities, but only those who live in countries other than their own. While they are busy trying to decide who or what they will cancel next, Indian Hindus and Muslims tend to mind their own business and live together in relative peace. 

Regarding the Rama temple, the Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation Trust secretary Athar Hussain said: “The Supreme Court verdict on the temple issue has been accepted by the Muslims. The Muslim community has no negative approach towards the consecration ceremony or the temple. The moment is both triumphant for Hindu(s)...and for the country's 200 million Muslims. We will share our unity and communal harmony with the world, and it will start with Ayodhya. Hindus and Muslims fought shoulder to shoulder against the British. This is our story and Rama is also a part of our common heritage.” 

India and Hinduism itself are very diverse, inclusive, vast, and plural. Its Dharma represents the world’s most ancient continuously practiced, indigenous spiritual and philosophical tradition, which focuses on inner knowledge over outer belief. It is also an intellectual and multi-cultural tradition attached to sophisticated schools of philosophy, its own system of medicine and psychology, architecture, astronomy, metaphysics, mathematics, and various art forms.

Look up the fairly recent Pew Polls done in India and the US in regards freedom of religion. It polled 35 thousand Muslims in each country. Around 85 percent of Indian Muslims said they thought Indian culture was the best worldwide and felt free to practice Islam. Compare that to around 35% in the US who felt the same or expressed similar admiration. So, maybe we in America should allow India to be autonomous and focus on our own problems. One being domestic terrorism that goes hand in hand with Christian nationalism. India's government is one of the most ethnically and religiously diverse in the world. Let Indians have their sovereignty and do away with our hypocrisy.

The Difference Between the Concepts Sanatana Dharma & Hinduism 

Sanatani means eternal. We are all eternal beings. In a very real sense, we are all born Sanatani, then we are exposed to the worlds of artifice and indoctrination. We can become indoctrinated by religion, academia, generational trauma, the media, politics, etc.

Not every Hindu is a Dharmi and not every Dharmi in this great big world, is necessarily Hindu unless we choose to over-generalize.

We are not all born Hindu. If we want to be technical, the term 'Indigenous Hindu' is repetitive due to the fact that the word 'Hindu' stems from a mispronunciation of the word 'sindhu', meaning 'river', that is used to describe the cultures and people of the Indus, Saraswati, and Yamuna civilizations. It is still used properly to refer to the ancestors of these people. Jai Hind.

So again, if we are to be technical, 'Hindu' describes this geographical ancestry and cultural heritage, not just a religion. Ancient Asian cultures have been infected and gaslighted using linguistic distortion, cultural appropriation, historical distortion, etc. The colonialists have saught to replace indigenous cultures by white-washing and vilifying these ancient ways of life.

I see Hinduism as the current religious reflection of Sanatana Dharma in our world, which includes many paths that are not just 'religious', such as its many cultural branches, philosophies, sciences, paths and paths within paths.

Sanatana Dharma is the boundless, eternal, and ultimately unfathomable, universal ideal. It is not limited to religion, ritual, culture, heritage, or texts.

Sanatana Dharma is too big for our world and our minds, so we can only come to it through the experiential understanding of our own true nature.

It can only be known in bite-sized pieces. One rung of the ladder at a time. Just as Brahman and ourselves as individuals, can unite via the personification of the Absolute by the recognition of Ishvara or personal Devata. Just as, we are individual limited beings living in a world of maya when in actuality, we are the one, limitless Purusha beyond all conditions and well beyond all ahamkara and separation.

Most of us have a lot to learn and maybe one of the first is, to learn about our own mental conditioning, because everything we come to learn has to pass through the filters of our prejudices and assumptions.

Authenticity is of much importance. As is individuality, even though it is illusory. We must first know separation to come to know union. Once truth becomes trapped within the constraints of human organizations, it begins to spoil. Self realization is a death of many aspects of our lives and can be an individual mission of discovery and destruction.

Ved or knowledge is an essential aspect of Hindu Dharma, but not an end in itself. Hinduism as a whole is not an end in itself either. We can be Hindu for 100 million lifetimes, but eventually we find moksha. Then, no ism matters. We must not stop with ved, but put it into practice to find experiential truths, discernment, and clarity.

The amount of knowledge and practice is important, but the quality of our knowledge and practice is what pays dividends. We must understand the forms and functions of the gunas in order to transcend them, and these principles must be tempered in order to address ego.

True religion is coming to a place within the quietude of Self. It is a matter of simplicity, love, and bliss repair. It is not a group project. There is no congregation involved. No one can die for you. No one's death can save you. You must Savior self.

"Being, truth, God or whatever name we give to reality, is not a thing of thought. It is not the content of any conceptual knowledge and can not be comprehended by any mental process however subtle. It is entirely outside the domain of the mind, memory, and sensation. Being is not in the known and the thinkable and cannot be arrived at through extending their fields. It can only be approached through the abandonment and surrender of the mind and its assertions.” ~ Vamadeva Shastriji

"Nothing can be done in a day. Religion cannot be swallowed in the form of a pill. It requires hard and constant practice." ~ Swami Vivekananda

The Significance of Diwali

Sanatana Dharma provides various multicultural paths to religion, philosophy, metaphysics, and altruism. Not only through the vast beauty of Hindu Dharma, but through its sister religions. Deepavali is a truly magnificent and magnanimous celebration of the divine and of our own divinity in the form of light. It is not limited to the adherents of one spiritual tradition, but many. It is a Hindu festival also celebrated by Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, western yogis, and other spiritual seekers.

For non-Hindus, it can simply be a celebration of light, brilliance, or whatever illuminates. We take this time to let more light and all good qualities inward while removing that which no longer serves our higher or more spiritual pursuits in a world that is largely material, and in a time of much strife.

Different narratives from different regions of Bharat and her cultural realm abound. Many share the common theme of the dharma overcoming adharma, good overcoming evil, and light overcoming the darkness. This makes Deepavali all-inclusive. It is celebrated by Jains, Sikhs, and Buddhists. Even many thousands of Indian Muslims and their mosques will light diyas.

This does not mean non-Hindus can make Deepavali into anything they like. It means all of humanity shares the similar existential struggle of redemption and virtue v. vice. All of humanity needs light to see. Even a blind man can sense or sense the light of Surya. The universal nature of Sanatana Dharma, indeed reigns supreme.

For Hindus, Diwali reminds us of the assurance that truth, light, dharma, and knowledge always prevail over darkness, ignorance, and adharma. Just as a spark or a small flame peers outward and penetrates many square miles of prior darkness. During Deepavali we are also reminded of the epic battle won over Ravana. Afterwards, Sita, Rama, and Lakshman reached their true home of Ayodhya, after fourteen years of banishment.

During Deepavali, we also give our obeisance to Sri Lakshmi Devi. We are drawn to the image of the goddess rising from the ocean of milk, churned by the Devatas and Asuras. The devotee churns his or her own mind, containing both light and darkness. Ultimately, we find that abundance of the purified mind, enlightenment, and the Atma or true Self. An inner light, not separate from Sri Lakshmi. In this image She represents and awakens this aspect of ourselves, from within and from without. Sri Lakshmi is both transcendent and immanent, esoteric and material

Being the Deepavali season, I’d like to write more about light. Specifically inner light. The word ‘enlightenment’ has lost much definition, and is used by many who unfortunately do not understand its meaning. It is not something we just read about in Eckart Tolle books. It is an attainable reality.

One Vedic path towards enlightenment is simply being with nature. The five elements of matter correspond with our five senses and affect the mental state. Energy and Brahman as pure consciousness, correspond to our sixth sense, which is the mind itself. The Vedas also speak of the essential psychological and psychic forms of matter, light and energy known as ojas, tejas and prana. Physical, mental and holistic or spiritual health, all rely on becoming aware of them and balancing them within one’s being.

The Sanatani also holds dear to the great wisdom of Sri Bhagavan Krishna. In the Bhagavad Gita we find the road maps to life through jnana, karma, and bhakti yoga. Krishna does not seem to focus on raja yoga or the path to enlightenment through ashtanga or the eight limbs that lead to meditation proper and samadhi. However, this is also an important and attainable path in this age. Remember, true and comprehensive yoga is fully Hindu. One doesn’t need to be Hindu to benefit from it, but every Hindu should know it is Bhagavan's gift to us and it is our gift to the world. This is especially true of the indigenous Hindustani. 

Long ago, the Rishis and yogis of Vedic times recognised the existence of ‘chitta’ or subconscious mind.  The Sanskrit word ‘chitta’ means “mind-stuff” or “conditioned consciousness”. They found that during meditation, what seemed to be foreign and forgotten thoughts, memories, emotions, fears, impulses and desires, would bubble up or suddenly start to seep from chitta, the subconscious mind, into ‘manas’ or the normative mental field. They found this kept them from reaching higher states of consciousness or ‘chitt’, the transcendent conscious mind, or unconditioned consciousness.

They called these impressions ‘samskaras’, meaning ‘recollections’ or ‘psychological imprints’. They theorized that thought itself was a form of subtle matter. A quiet mind creates space for matter from the unconscious mind to emerge. In between the waking and meditative states, the yogis recognized what they called ‘vrittis’ or resurfacing thoughts. The Sanskrit word ‘vritti’, literally means ‘whirlpool’. These Vedantins realized that meditation could act as a sort of mental medium that could process hidden or subconscious impressions, as they became known in the more perceptive conditions of mind we use in the normal everyday waking state.

Of course the pressures of everyday life, along with the pressures from our past karma, can appear at any time. A verse in the Upanishads says “This mind is like a chariot yoked to wild stallions”. These stressors can be more easily dealt with in mindful and meditative states than in anxious states or in chaotic situations. These pressures can erupt in an emotional meltdown, or they can be released after the mind has had time to calm and quite down.

Regular practice of meditation can relieve the pressures of life. As such, meditation can take the power out of stressful situations, though it isn’t meant to replace addressing underlying causes of our various issues. It can help us cope with certain situations by allowing us to respond to them in a more effective and efficient manner. It can make us less impulsive and less likely to turn to anger, rage, substance abuse, violence, or other compulsive behaviors. Meditation is after all, a modality for overall health found within a larger school of practical metaphysics and holistic medicine (Ayurveda). 

Meditation is to be respected for the powerful effects it can have, and not taken for granted. It’s no wonder that the end result of meditation is historically known to be what we call ‘enlightenment’. When we trace the word ‘enlightenment’ back to its Sanskrit origins, we find quite a few etymological terms. One, is the word ‘bodhi’. Bodhi means ‘awakened intellect’ or more simply ‘clear perception’. It is where we get  the word ‘buddha’.

By practicing meditation we can gain this clear perception. We can learn to discern between what is true, constant and eternal, as opposed to what is fleeting or limited by time and space. This is not about being in a so-called ‘eternal now’ or in the present moment, which does not persist even for an instant. It is about being mindful of presence itself. It is a matter of paying attention to what is, and as a result, we can see that which is not.

Sanatana Dharma represents the world’s most ancient continuously practiced, indigenous spiritual and philosophical tradition, which focuses on inner knowledge over outer belief and finds its basis in timeless truths and natural law. These truths have been recorded in the great scriptures of Bharat, throughout the ages. The wisdom of the Vedas comes from the ancient rishis, nagas and yogis who observed nature and the mind in various states of consciousness, including the state of samadhi or super consciousness.

This Deepavali, I want to wish the world: spirit, joy, health, wealth and peace. I am an American Sanatana Dharmi. The Hindu Dharma is my religion. Sanatana Dharma is my way of life. I thank the indigenous Hindus of India and her cultural realm. Shubh Deepavali.

Why Are There Destructive Aspects of Hindu Deities?  

Having been a western Shaivite and Shakta for a few decades and a former Catholic, complete with my skin-deep white man trishula and Kali tattoos, I have regularly been asked by non-Hindu family, friends, and random strangers why I worship destroyer deities. I have even been asked why I worship demons. 

I do not blame Abrahamic dualists for their concerns, as these are simply byproducts of their religious upbringing and monocultural conditioning. Since I have been both a Christian and an adherent of Vedika darshana, I view these inquiries as an opportunity to educate and open the minds of whomever may truly be interested in hearing from a Dharmika, rather than from their priest or pastor. Non-Hindus and Hindu alike are not immune to being conditioned to the ‘this is all good & that is all bad’ perception. The following is how I tend to explain these matters to those who may be caught-up in dualistic thinking.

The Hindu deity Shiva is known as the destroyer. Some in the west and the east for that matter, misunderstand this out of ignorance and sometimes, bigotry. What is needed today is comprehension and compassion. We all must at least begin to see beyond the illusions of separation. We must become able to wrap our heads around allegory and find union in notions and attitudes which seem to be at odds, but ultimately compliment one another.

The Abrahamic deity is most often seen simply as the creator. This deity killed over 300 million people as per the Old Testament, sent and continues to send the majority of people to an eternal hell at the time of their deaths, and flooded the Earth. So this deity is himself quite destructive out of vice.

Hindus have a destroyer god who destroys not arbitrarily or out of spite but out of necessity. It's only logical. Creation cannot stand on its own in any aspect of life. There is always creation, preservation and transformation. There is always the past, present, and future. This is true on a cellular, ecological, and cosmological level.

We must consume food in order to survive. Food is created. We must ingest food matter. It must be assimilated for its nutrients to be preserved into our tissues. What is not assimilated must be eliminated. Even every cell of our bodies is in time, a new regenerated cell. Without ingestion we starve. If we cannot assimilate food we become emancipated and die. If we cannot eliminate it, we become toxic and die. What we call ‘waste’ has its purpose. It breaks down back into the elements where the food-cycle begins again. There is no structure without a function.

So, destruction is an important part of creation. Hindus believe all of creation is an extension and reflection of Brahman. So ‘God’ in Hinduism is Creator, Sustainer and Transformer. G = Generator. O = Operator. D = Destroyer. It's just Good Orderly Direction.

The word 'destroyer' is a bit of a misnomer. In the west, it has negative connotations and of course anything with a negative connotation that is associated with the divine, is misunderstood as being backwards, demonic, or dangerous.

Some adherents of the Abrahamic faiths like to say Shiva and Kali must be some sort of devils, because they are referred to as the God and Goddess of destruction and because they carry a trishula or trident. The Bible and Quran offer little to no description of what demons look like. Some people have simply seen too many cartoons. When they see a depiction of Kali Maa or Bhairava they tend to become frightened. Many Hindus too might be, in a sense, terrified.

Certainly, Kali and Bhairava worship is something quite serious. Ultimately however, we know that Kali is as kind as time (kaal/kala) which heals all wounds. Bhairava is the annihilator of fear, greed, lust, and anger. He is not simply ‘destroyer’ but at the same time, restorer. Of course as devotees, we know that Shiva is the most kind, compassionate, and thoughtful deity, as his name implies. ‘Siva’ means kind, benevolent, benign, and gracious. Adiyogi Shiva is considered to be the first Yogi and ultimately Shiva represents our own inner Yogi, Atma, and true spiritual Self.

Referring to Maha Deva simply as ‘Destroyer’, is limiting. A more appropriate word may be 'transcend-er'. Nothing is ever  destroyed completely. Matter breaks down into energy. Energy can only be transformed, not destroyed. To the Shiva/Shaktas, Shiva is creator, preserver, and destroyer. Other sampradayas do not agree. No matter. Hindus should know that religion is not a competition. There exists Harihara, a deity known more in ancient times than today, who is both Shiva and Vishnu. So, no real need to reconcile Shaivism and Vaishnavism.

At the end of the day, destruction breeds creation. We can see in Hindu philosophies some talk of karma and reincarnation. Some are deistic and others are non-theistic. We can see the functions of tridev (Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva) in both the spiritual and material worlds, and we can see the same in what the Hindu sages have said on the topic of karma and reincarnation.

As many ways as action can take place, is Karma in one form or another. Every action has a certain reaction no matter if we understand it or not. No matter our particular belief system. Every cause has an effect. This is true with astronomy, physics, biology,psychology,and neuroscience. Reincarnation? All of nature is a part of an observable cycle that returns to itself upon its death where growth begins again. We are a part of that nature and growth.

Are You’re Under Control? (How I Got Over Narcissists, Gaslighters, and Alcoholism)

(To note: This write-up includes political ideology and its negative effects along with what some righteous people may think is personal information I should keep to myself. I have considered this and have decided to add it here besides, because I happen to know that many people can relate to its content and that publishing it here might help some who suffers for the the same reasons I have. It mentions the detriments of woke narcissism. Wokeness began as part of the BLM movement and being woke can be good, but add narcissism to wokeness and it becomes mostly  useless to society. It becomes just an ego-fix or an objective for ego enjoyment. A woke narcissist and a MAGA narcissist are the same in my view. The US does not need fanaticism and extremism. It, like all things, needs balance.)

People will so easily jump on various bandwagons for little or no purpose other than for the enjoyment of the ego. It is the same reason people become alcoholics. The ego loves alcohol. I know this because I was a functioning alcoholic for many years and could not quit until I finally realized that it was indeed, the ‘I’ which was an alcoholic. My genetic makeup made my brain predisposed to be an alcoholic one, and my psyche was also a factor of said predisposition.

The same people will claim the right to be offended by every little thing. They will insist on their rights of consciousness while they themselves must almost constantly alter their perceptions so that they can fit the narrow grooves of their own limited understanding. Again, more ego enjoyment. Some will become dis-empowered by our own karmas, then go out and blame their neighbor. We tend not to see what life means to us, but we seek out information on what it means to others and the moment we do so, we become under control. What happens when we make a solid and conscious choice to no longer be influenced? Even when the slanderer often does more damage to him/herself than to those he/she seeks to harm.

My father was highly opinionated,  toxically negative, and suffered from a bad case of woke narcissism. He was a control freak and an egomaniac with an inferiority complex. He was so brainwashed by woke ideology that he despised extraordinary people. He despised non-conformists and is a slave to authority unless he is that authority. He despised successful and wealthy people, whether they worked for what they have and deserve it or not. He thought that everyone in American should purposefully seek out someone of a different race to marry. He thought that all poor people are poor because rich people are rich. He did not believe in or want a merit-based America and had no real understanding of social stratification or of reality. 

My father was a master gaslighter and ascribed negative ethical qualities onto good, reasonable, and hard-working people. For instance, he will say that all people with money are therefore automatically greedy. He is basically a communist and also a doormat. He was a people-pleaser in public, then he would come home and treat his family like garbage. 

This included all forms of angry physical and psychological abuses. He was a sick narcissist and domineering fascist and dictator of a father who beat women and children. In the Hindu tradition, we would call this sort of person and Adharmi, or someone who rails against his/her own nature and shirks his/her various duties in life. In my father’s case, it is quite simply a lack of actual manhood. He was the cause and impetus of much suffering and the reason my family was a bizarre and incredibly dysfunctional shit-show. 

At the end of the day, his cowardice, political identity, and woke ideology was more important to him than anything or anyone else, including his family, because they fed his delusions of being morally and intellectually superior to everyone else. He was the most foolish person I have ever had to know, and it is unfortunate that ego enjoyment took precedent to his responsibilities and to having basic logic. 

My father's only loyalties were to his own horrible opinions about everyone. He saw them as absolute and factual, and he didn’t care to realize how much damage they did to the people he was supposed to love. He did not care about anyone or anything until or unless if somehow affected him personally. He mostly only cared about his image and identity as a woke atheist. He spent much effort and time attempting to make me believe I was inferior to him. He spent much effort in trying to make me believe I was not intellectually capable of much of anything and that I was mentally unstable. He was a horrible father and a sad excuse for a man who felt the need to disempower others so that he could feel as if he were in control.

This treatment led me to become weak. It led me to become pathologically shy. It led me to seek out attention and familial connections outside of my childhood home. It led me to panic, fear, insecurity, and self doubt. Such children are easier to control. He would project his own insecurity and generational trauma onto me, causing my own emotional insecurity and then ridicule me for being that way. That is what gaslighting is. It is attempting to victimize someone while also trying to make that victim believe it is beneficial.

I was recognized early on in my childhood as a gifted child. I was intelligent, talented, well-spoken, and extraordinary. My father hated that and his actions turned a kid like that into a lonely basket case, bound for anxiety and depression, which I found a cure for. That would be alcohol.

The true Self, the Atma, does not need such a vice, but the damaged child often does. There is a sort of healthy ego, but the damaged ego is in a tamasic state of inertia, which seeks rajas or empowerment, and alcohol provides one with a false sense of power.  After realizing that it was my ego, mind, and body that wanted alcohol, I was able to give it up and replace it with the yog-sadhana that finally paid off and brought me to a vantage point where I could see that the body-mind-ego complex that was addicted was separate from the truth of who or what I actually was. I could experience the omniscient state.

Samadhi is not a fairy tale. It is a universal state of the universal reality and has been experienced by many over millennia without one individual’s experience contradicting or conflicting with another who has had the same experience. The results are also common. These are Ved, Viveka, Buddhi, and Satya. Self-revealed knowledge, proper discernment, an exceptional state of mental clarity, and an authentic, transparent, and non-performative sense of simply being genuine and honest in thought, word, and deed.

Note that I am far from perfect and still a work in progress. I have to say this due to idiot gaslighters who will go around saying that I think I am or am claiming to be fully enlightened, some great guru, or a wanna-be Acharya or Pandit. I only have claimed to be a Yogi and a poet. I do not live in a constant state of samadhi, but want to. That desire is the first step towards the maintenance of samadhi. Giving it up will be the last step towards the same. Samdhi has various levels and types. Everyone has experienced it to one proportion or another, but they usually do not realize it.

Life is filled with opportunities for new ventures. When we begin, rather than enjoying the nuance involved and what it means to us, we seek out information on what it might mean to 'the world'. We lose control. We have made the choice to be influenced. We have made the choice to compromise the very power of our own choice. So again, what happens when we make a solid and conscious choice not to be influenced? The world is a control freak and the sooner one comes to see that, the sooner he/she can take the reins. Escape from a prison is an impossibility for one who cannot see the bars of their own cell.

We are then left with our minds and mental doshas. The mind is a complex made up of various and constant impressions we are consciously or otherwise allowing into the sphere of the psyche. Beyond that, our minds are little more than a complex of thoughts. We get up, we turn on the news, we check social media, we eat, and go watch Netflix. We go to work. We come home and end the day as it began.

All this and much else forms the mind. So, the mind needs modification from this mess, not to mention from our memories, which often become burdens we chose to cling to. Add in our illusions from parental disapproval,our political bent, and our indoctrination from education, religion, and culture or a lack thereof; We have become AI. We have become drones in an ideological  hive mind. A congregation and a conglomeration of sheep. ‘We are spirits in the material world’ who believe the matrix is reality. We are never real. We have become a sketch…a parody of truth. 

Fortunately, I know the way out and I will share it with you someday if you like. Let me know when you think you are or are not ready. The truth of the matter is there is no becoming anything you already are not. We are all born eternal beings in a body that will perish one day. We are all Sanatani (eternally divine) prior to all forms of control we find in our lives and prior to being exposed to the world of artifice.

Hindu Theology & Murti Worship

Hindus are not idol worshipers nor idle worshipers. If the statue in the temple breaks do Hindus think that god is dead? Of course not. Prana pratishtha brings in the awareness and embodiment of the absolute in the form of a particular Devata. By this sacred process, the Murti awakens and the physical structure becomes an embodiment of the divine. Then, individual Hindus offer their love and devotion to both the deity and his/her Murti or divine presence.

This can be done in many ways and it strengthens their bond to the divine while also strengthening the awakened state of the Murti itself. This is not unlike the Catholic transubstantiation ritual which transforms bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ. This is a metaphysical and mystical occurrence, even if most Christians take it literally. (No, I am not saying Catholicism and Hinduism are the same thing, so don’t go losing your mind)

If no one had ever seen a phone, then one day saw someone speaking on the phone, would they not think that the person was speaking directly to the phone itself rather than a person on the other line? It is not the statue or image itself which is being worshiped, though this aspect of the Murti holds importance in and of itself. The iconography and symbolism is substantial and vast.

However, it is what is in and pervades the statue that is being worshiped. And ‘worship’ in Sanskrit is ‘upasana’ and ‘darshan’, not just paying obeisances. Not just giving glory to an already glorious ‘god’ as we see in Christianity, Islam, and Abrahamic Hindu sub-sects like ISKCON.

Upasana means simply, being or sitting near the divine and darshan means literally seeing Devatas with our own two eyes as well as with our own inner vision, if we are so inclined.

It appears on the surface that Hindus worship a multitude of deities. This is true, and in a sense it is not. The Vedanta speaks of one ‘God’ that is pure consciousness, being, and bliss. An unfathomable being that serves not only as creator but as creation, preservation and transformation, which are the three aspects of god-in-action. This is seen as a being with no real persona, ego, body, gender, and actually no qualities whatsoever, other than Sat-Chit-Anand or Being, Consciousness and pure Bliss. This is the one Brahman within all. It is not actually one being, but being itself and referring to it as 'God' or as a 'god' is actually misleading.

Polytheism and polytheistic worship is a beautiful and actually, a very scientific philosophy and practice that ultimately leads the devotee to both ‘God’ and Self realization.

Devas and Devis, or male and female deities are a part of the Brahman’s creation and part of the Brahman’s Self. You and I are as well. We are all ultimately and essentially Atman and Brahman.

The Devatas are thought to dwell on a different Lokas (planes of existence) than we do, yet they have the power to intervene and exist on our human plane as well, and many great Avatars have lived here on Earth.

These various deities signify various elements or powers in the natural world, as well as psychological aspects of our own selves. They are not beings which order or impose any sort of dogma upon mankind. They do not threaten mankind with hell or promise eternal rewards in trade for believing in them. We are divine, not dogs receiving treats for learning to sit, and we should know that believing well without acting well is useless and even adharmic.

The 'gods' are parts of each of us that we can work with. They are, however, actual beings. The Murti is the embodiment of these beings or the 'soul' of these beings, so having a puja with them is something like having a puja with our own 'soul' or atma. It is yoga or a union, as Atman is Atman, and Atman is Brahman. All Hindu deities, Devatas, and Avataras are aspects of Brahman as well. Do you see?

Hinduism & Religious Fundamentalism

An exclusive, dogmatic, belief and conversion-based religion with one book, one God, one prophet, one chosen people and one lifetime followed by an eternal Heaven or Hell, reward or punishment, based on mere belief;  is most certainly going to be prone to a cult-like "group-think", as well as a fundamental bigotry toward those of any other religion.  

So it's no wonder so many non-Christians these days are trying to avoid a Christian mono-culture imposed upon them by countless numbers of trained missionaries who use threats of eternal Hell and promises of eternal reward to convert us heathens.

They also use all manners of propaganda, scare tactics and bribes, which include denying the poor of food if they don't first convert.  Many Christians want beyond anything else to impose, and are striving for developing this sort of Christian mono-culture upon the world. Of course, this is not about all or even the majority of Christians. However, Biblical dogma promoting such actions must be implied as what they are supposed to adhere to.

Some Christians like to think they are being instrumental in bringing about the second coming of Jesus and the "end of days".  They relish in this thought of destruction not only because they think they will go to Heaven, but they actually love this thought of all those who didn't listen to them going to Hell.  See the popularity of the "Left Behind" series.

Committing cultural genocide seems to be besides the point. Many of these missionaries don't even follow the teachings of Jesus in the first place. They are just big fans of Jesus...not followers of his pristine teachings. They have absolutely no place in telling Hindus what is true or what Hindus must view as truth. Hindus who fall for such propaganda one day, are most often still Hindus the next day, because a Hindu can be fine with adding just and wise teachings to their minds along with love for a Christ in their hearts. 

This sort of fundamentalism does not describe Hinduism...actually it's the antithesis of the Hindu Dharma and philosophy. Religious fundamentalism means believing that there is one true religion and/or believing in a scripture that is taken as the infallible word of God; and an insistence that all humans accept it as being such, or else. 

There is no such thing as this sort of fundamentalism in the Hindu Dharma or its many scriptures though of course, there may exist ‘hardline’ Hindus who are more strict and ‘orthodox.’ Mostly for the purpose of preventing more of the loss of their religion and ways of life. 

Hinduism does not absolutely insist upon one God. Hindus do not believe in one savior, one son of one God, one prophet, one chosen people, one founder, one lifetime to get it all right, or one book as the final or highest divine truth that all must follow, or else. Hindu scriptures are more vast, scientific, and philosophically profound than any other religion by far.  Buddhism itself is nothing more than one of 7 main Indic philosophies.

Therefore, no true Hindu would ever say that only their scriptures were true while others are abominations against truth and/or god. No true Hindu would say that the scriptures of others were totally and absolutely false. No true Hindu would say that only Hindus can find or be reunited/united with god, while all others will burn in Hell for all of eternity. Hindu Dharma, afterall, is the Adi (initial), Vishva (universal), and Sanatana (eternal) Dharma, or is meant to be. Humans are alas, imperfect, however, and we all tend to fall short of ideals.