Attributes Of Spiritual Seekers
Question:
What is the most important attribute of a spiritual seeker?
Swamiji Says:
We’ve been translating Ramakrishna’s Katha Amrita, and he calls it VYAKULATA, the sincere, intense, longing with a Capital L. The story is told of the guru who was asked, “How can I see God?” The guru replied, “I will show you,” and took the disciple to the bank of the river. The two waded into the waters to bathe, and the guru held the disciple’s head under the water. When the disciple started to gasp for air and to fight for his life, the guru pulled him up and asked, “How did you feel?” The disciple replied, “I felt like I would die!” Then the guru replied, “When you feel like that for God, then you can hope to have His darshan!”
Question:
In your opinion, what is the single most important quality that a disciple needs to possess?
Swamiji Says:
Faith.
Goals And Surrender
Question:
Are not the two statements contradictory: To surrender everything to God AND to also establish goals? If I am trying to establish a goal, I am not surrendering to God’s will.
Swamiji Says:
Man proposes and God disposes. Make your goals, strive for your goals, and accept all that God wishes to give.
Question:
Is this true of spiritual goals and sankalpas also?
Swamiji Says:
It is true of all goals. Still we will make our best efforts. But there are times when even our best efforts fall short. Then we seek forgiveness for our short-comings and forgive ourselves as well.
Spiritual Goals
Question:
In your opinion, what is a good spiritual goal to have?
Swamiji Says:
To love God with all your heart and all your soul, and to love your neighbor as yourself.
Sadhana
Question:
Can you please define for us, the activity that constitutes “Sadhana”?
Swamiji says:
Sadhana is any activity which we perform for the express purpose of demonstrating our devotion to God.
Question:
How important is to do your daily Sadhana program at the same place and time every day?
Swamiji says:
The more we perform at the same place and same time, the easier it becomes. It becomes second nature to us. Then it becomes our true nature.
First, when we are out and about, our minds are engaged in various contemplations, so it is all the more difficult to make them sit still. Second, when we have new surroundings and new timings, it is that much more difficult to compose ourselves and get into the bhava of true devotion. When we perform at the same time and place, we go deeper and are less distracted. After some time the mantras remember us, rather than our having to memorize the mantras.
Question:
Please recommend the most important texts/classes from your “college of higher learning.” Is there a best order of study?
Swamiji says:
There are three distinct aspects of our practice:
1. Puja, which includes japa and meditation.
2. Path, which is the recitation of the scriptures.
3. Homa, which is the sacred fire ceremony.
4. Sangita, singing
5. Nrita, dancing
6. Pravachan, understanding what we are doing and why we are doing it
7. Arpana, offering our actions as a demonstration of our Love
To learn the pujas start with the smaller ones first: Shiva and Durga Beginners. Then work your way to the intermediate pujas like Hanuman. Then go to the advanced like Shiva Advanced and the Cosmic Puja. Add some new material from each book on a regular basis, expanding your worship 5 minutes a month, 1 hour a year.
To learn the Path, how to recite the scriptures, take a scripture and chant for a specified period every day. There are many of them: Chandi, Bhagavad Gita, Devi Gita, Guru Gita, Lalita, Sundar Kanda – There are many to choose from. Start with a few chapters and become comfortable with them, and then add another chapter every week. If you take the Chandi, for example, start with the Armor, Bolt, and Pin, and then add the Highest Meaning, the Tantric Devi Shukta, and the Key to Perfection. Then keep adding to it every month. Let your sadhana grow organically.
There is a beginner’s homa in the Hanuman Puja, a more advanced homa in the Shiva Advanced. Also there is a Video on How to Draw the Yantra and Enkindle the Divine Fire. (It is on Vimeo). Then start reciting the Sahasra Namas: Shiva, Kali, Lakshmi, Vishnu, Annapurna,Gayatri etc. In the evenings, study the philosophy behind the sadhana: Kashyap Sutras, Before Becoming This, Life of a Saint, Devi Gita. There are many to choose from, and you can integrate the internet classes into the study. Also look at our stories and articles on our web site. You will find menus for the pujas, stories, parables, quite a collection.
Question:
How do you stay inspired in your resolution/ sadhana?
Swamiji says:
In the Ramayana there are nine steps of Devotion explained:
1. Associate with saintly people
2. Enjoy stories of divinity and divinely inspired beings
3. Feel the privilege to perform selfless service as an expression of love
4. Sing of divine qualities or characteristics without any selfish motivation
5. Recite mantras with full faith
6. Perform all actions with tranquility, and see every circumstance as an opportunity to manifest perfection
7. See the world as equal to God, and regard the company of saintly beings as a greater opportunity than the perception of God
8. Be satisfied with whatever we receive as the fruit of our actions, and do not contemplate the faults of others
9. Remain with simplicity all the time, renounce conniving for selfish ends, and take delight in faith in God with neither exultation nor unhappiness.
These are the nine steps of devotion. Try practicing these to keep your inspiration alive.
Dealing With Our Faults
Question:
In dealing with our faults, which is better, to forget them, or to to acknowledge them?
Swamiji Says:
Acknowledge, correct, appreciate and forget.
How To speak
Question:
As a devotee gets more peaceful and content are there any special responsibilities that accompanies this in how one approaches the world?
Swamiji Says:
Of course. We all have the duty to exemplify our devotion in our every action. Devotion means we love so much that we pay attention. We act with efficiency. We speak with the authority of Love.
Surrender
Question:
What, actually, is the spiritual meaning of “surrender”? How is this different from surrendering out of fear in an abusive situation?
Swamiji Says:
In Sanskrit the term for surrender is samarpana. Sama means equilibrium, arpanam means to offer. To offer one’s own self in equilibrium is surrender.
It is different from someone holding a gun to our heads, and we say, “We surrender!” In that type of surrender we are really not offering ourselves in equilibrium. In that kind of surrender we always maintain some hope that we can escape and attain our freedom once again.
Sincerity
Question:
What is meant by sincerity and how can one become more sincere in life and in our devotion?
Swamiji Says:
I love the etymology of the Sanskrit term for sincerity: Vyakulata. Vya means vyakti, the individual. Kulata means united in excellence. Sincerity is when the individual is united in excellence. Japa is the way to increase our vyakulata. “What a privilege to worship You. Help me to worship You more. Please increase my devotion,” again and again.
Charity
Question:
Shree Maa says in the “Gems of Wisdom – “In the Kali Yuga charity is supreme. Among all types of living, the offering of Dharma is the highest.” How does one offer Dharma?
Swamiji Says:
Offering Dharma means manifesting the highest ideal of perfection in every action.
Efficiency In Karma
Question:
To be most efficient, do we do the work that supplies our material needs the quickest so that more time can be set aside for sadhana and Seva, or, do we accept the invitations of the world and travel the long and difficult path of karma yoga as our sadhana and our Seva?
Swamiji Says:
Considering the greatest efficiency, there is an appropriate time and and circumstance for each.
How Not To Be Exploited
Question:
Spiritual life means to give more than we get. How do we translate this so that we do not allow ourselves to be exploited in the name of giving?
Swamiji Says:
To be sadhus we must be efficient. Efficiency demands that we budget our time, resources, etc. To be a spiritual giver means to give the best that we can as is appropriate according to time, place, circumstance, etc.
How To Respond When People Get Physical
Question:
What does the urban sadhu do when people around him get too physical?
Swamiji Says:
The appropriateness of your response will depend on the circumstances.
Desire To Remain Aloof
Question:
What does one do when, at times, one wants to be alone and not touched by people. How do we let them know “I Love You, but don’t touch me”?
Swamiji Says:
Sometimes your seva to them will allow you to sacrifice and accept the expression of their affection in the way they want to express it.
How To Make God Our Friend
Question:
How can we make God our friend such that He/She is more real and steady than a human being friend?
Swamiji Says:
Like any relationship, the more time we spend, the deeper the bond grows.
When The World Comes Knocking
Question:
How does a spiritual person maintain their focus when the world comes knocking?
Swamiji Says:
Try not to answer.
Surrender And Correct Attitude
Question:
Is the attitude “God is doing everything” only true for people that have completely surrendered? For people that are not completely surrendered, is it better to take on the attitude of setting goals and objectives?
For example: I will set my house in order; I will prepare so that my life can revolve around sadhana; I will organize my life so that I can have the privilege to worship.
Swamiji Says:
That is my belief. It is very easy to speak “God is doing everything”, but to live that way is a totally different story. Look at their actions and you can tell the talkers from the doers.
Making More Time For God
Question:
If a devotee has a large percentage of time in activities related to survival [work], what is the most important thing to focus on: giving more than we receive -or- planning on how to better arrange our lives to spend more time in sadhana?
Swamiji Says:
While being efficient in our present endeavors, so we don’t have to repeat them again, we should be organizing and planning so we can minimize or eliminate those activities that we feel are divergent from our spiritual aspirations. A clear list of goals will be very helpful, including a definition of the economic ramifications of pursuing such goals, and then it will be easy to arrive at a budget, from which you will know how much income you actually require to accomplish your objectives.
Question:
What is the practical process for pulling the mind back to the divine when we have to attend to daily duties and work?
Swamiji Says:
We continually reinforce the sense of privilege that we feel to be serving God through our actions, which help to manifest Godliness in the world.
Unable To Say “No”
Question:
What should one do when the work for survival brings on physical pain? For example, if one has a high demanding computer job which brings about back pain, does one just surrender to it as God’s will?
Swamiji Says:
It is best to reorganize our priorities, so we put less emphasis on the mundane.
When Life Becomes Overwhelming
Question:
When life events become overwhelming, how do we balance the urgent demands with sadhana?
Swamiji Says:
Stop and analyse your goals. Then read the Devi Kavach.
Negative Emotions
Question:
When negative emotions arise, what is the correct and reliable course of action for the devotee to swiftly return to the God orientation?
Swamiji Says:
The Ego won the boon that he will be too strong for us to be victorious. So, only the Divine Mother, the Energy of All in Everything, has the capacity to withdraw Her energy from the Ego and send the Gods back to heaven. Our only possibility is to pray to Mother to take away all energy from our negativity and fill us with pure positive energy.
Challenges Of Family Life
Question:
There are conflicts that arise if someone is turning to silence and the family life is creating “noise”. An approach to dealing with this noisy duality is that it must be seen as the Devi’s sound, not contrary to AUM. A householder needs to be somewhat of a very wise person to transition as he/she gets older.
Swamiji Says:
It is true, I hope, that we get wiser with age. That’s because it becomes more and more necessary.
Fear Of Death
Question:
What to do when the fear of death comes?
Swamiji Says:
Remember the Mahamrityunjay Mantra.
Stress And Confusion
Question:
What to do when stress and confusion overwhelms a devotee, such as when one cannot see clearly and the world appears to be moving so fast we can’t adjust?
Swamiji Says:
Stop! Think of the object of your devotion. Breathe. Smile. Then start from the beginning.
Detachment In The Middle Of Suffering
Question:
When one is the midst of suffering from a physical malady, how does one detach from the body and keep focused on God/Goddess? How does one accept the situation?
Swamiji Says:
Continual japa of the mantra “What a privilege it is to be part of your creation!”,
Choosing An Ishta
Question:
How does one choose one’s Ishta Devata?
Swamiji Says:
How do you fall in love? It is a natural process.
Combining Relationship And Spiritual Life
Question:
How does one approach divorce from a spiritual a perspective? Does God ever want spiritual aspirants to stay married, or in the world, even if there is no sex drive? Does one have to stay in a relationship just to fulfill karma even if they would prefer to just focus on and know God?
Swamiji Says:
First you must ask yourselves what is the object of your partnership, what is your common goal? When you know where you are trying to go, it becomes a lot more easy to understand how you are going to get there, and with whom you want to travel. Sex need not be a distraction from spirituality. But there is much more to your relationship than sex. Quite possibly in these circumstances it might be good to spend some time in solitude and make a plan for the next steps in your life.
Does God Love Me?
Question:
How do I build belief that God loves me? How do I suspend disbelief and cynicism?
Swamiji Says:
When you really love God, you will automatically believe that God loves you too.
When Our Friends Fall
Question:
What should be do when our friends fall into a place where there is no devotion? Will praying and talking help?
Swamiji Says:
Do pray, pray, pray, and talk, talk, talk. But most important — be an example.
Understanding Death
Question:
Do you have any words to help Westerners, or anyone, understand physical death, and help us stop wasting time being afraid of it and other forms of impermanence?
Swamiji Says:
Transformation, moving beyond.
Stillness
Question:
What should one do when the mind is in a state of profound stillness and receptiveness?
Swamiji Says:
The greatest activity in that state is projecting love. Shine your love onto every individual being you can think of, and then shine it on the whole planet. The universe is yours!
Serving The World
Question:
What is the ultimate way in which we can be of service to the world?
Swamiji Says:
To be an example of a person who is in love with Life, is One with God, and who is striving to share the best with as many who desire to share.
Destiny
Question:
Is destiny fixed? Can we change our karma/destiny through sadhana or any other means? What is the role of karma as it is related to destiny?
Swamiji Says:
Most certainly we can change our destiny. Remember, you will become like the people with whom you associate. Therefore, be very discriminating as to your friends and associates.
Silence
Question:
Sometimes I feel like a man without country or religion. What is the name of God for me?
Swamiji Says:
Silence.