Last Updated on January 25, 2025 by Swami Satyananda Saraswati
We live by the guidance of our beloved gurus Shree Maa and Swami Satyananda Saraswati. Both of them adhere to an authentic lifestyle in accordance to Sanatana Dharma, the eternal ideal of perfection.
While each of us will have a slightly different definition of this ideal of perfection, the one common theme is that it encompasses a life in union with God.
Shree Maa and Swamiji show us the path to bring God into everything we do and into every moment of our lives.
One of their basic teachings is that every home is a temple, and all of the occupants within are the priests. The role of the Guru is an example of inspired leadership and wherever there is a teaching, a Guru is present.
They teach that whenever anyone performs any action with respectful attention, sincerity and devotion, that person is performing worship.
By following their teachings and modeling their exemplary actions, we can blossom into divine priests and priestesses as we live in accordance with the ideal of perfection.
Transform Your Life with These Eight Forms of Ideal Behavior
We believe that if you follow these eight sacred behaviors, called “achara,” with all of your sincerity, your life will be transformed into an ocean of bliss:
- Vaishnavachara — find your inspiration
- Vedikachara — learn about that which you love
- Shaivachara — practice that which we learn about
- Vamachara (beloved behavior) — perform every action in life efficiently
- Dakshinachara (preferred path) — reduce your necessity to perform worldly actions
- Siddhantachara — make your behavior correspond to the seven activities spoken of in the scriptures:
- Puja (Worship)
- Path (Recitation)
- Homa (Sacred Fire Ceremony)
- Sangeet (Singing)
- Nrit (Dancing)
- Pravachan (an explanation of the meanings and applications, how to integrate these various activities into our lives)
- Arpana (offering)
- Yogachara means “behavior of union”.
- Kulachara (behavior of excellence) — whether sitting still in meditation or actively pursuing some objective, the attitude toward life remains the same in every circumstance.
“Worship itself means paying attention. Learning takes place when one pays attention.
When we love something or someone, we pay attention. We offer the greatest respect through paying attention.This practice of concentrating our attention is called meditation.
Through the practice of meditation, we learn how to learn, to love, to respect, to worship, to pay attention. Ultimately, we increase the efficiency of every function in our lives.”
~ Swamiji
Key Ingredient to the Attainment of Perfection
Following these eight steps on the spiritual path will unfold peace, truth, light and bliss within us.
While the practice may be challenging at times, we find that it disciplines us and trains us to focus our attention. The essential ingredient to connecting all of these divine qualities is attention.
Shree Maa and Swamiji inspire us to pay attention to whatever task is at hand. This discriminating attention enables us to look before we react to the circumstances around us.
By observing our actions and performing with purpose, we change our focus to the real purpose of our existence, which is to realize that we, ourselves, are Divine Beings.
The absorbed attention, which is beyond the mind, is actually meditation, and, at its pinnacle, we move into Samadhi (the experience of Oneness).
Our Core Sadhana – The Chandi Path – Expands Awareness
The Chandi Path, also known as the Durga Saptasati, is our core sadhana (spiritual disciple) which propels us toward our ideal of perfection. It offers a practical manual on how best to deal with our wavering mind, which is beset by thought.
The study and practice of the Chandi Path is designed to free us from this “thought” habit. Our practice will destroy the egoic “I, me, and mine” thoughts and will remove limiting attachments.
As our awareness expands beyond the relationships of this physical body, we are able to intuit by direct perception the Bliss of the Universe.