SIMPLE Physical Exercises to Promote a Healthy Life .
You can familiarize yourself with the exercise routine through daily practice over a four week period.
PRAYER TO THE REVERED LINEAGE OF GURUS (ENLIGHTENED MASTERS)
गुरुब्रह्मा गुरुरविष्णु: गुरुरदेवो महेश्वरः
गुरु: साक्षातपरब्रह्म तस्मै श्री गुरुवे नम:
Gurur Brahma, Gurur Vishnu Gurur Devo Maheshwara
Guru Saakshat Parabrahma Tasmai Shree Guruve Namaha
Meaning:
Guru is the Creator, Guru Sustains the Creation, Guru is the cause for Dissolution
Guru is the Supreme Being, Salutations to such a GURU.
GU means Darkness, RU means Light.
Guru removes the darkness of ignorance and shows you the light of knowledge.
Darkness also means Sin
Guru destroys your sins and makes you shine with the Divine Light of Consciousness.
Benefits of the Company of Saints and One Pointed Concentration
DATTATREYA’S TEACHING TO PARASHURAMA
STORY OF HEMACHUDA AND HEMALEKHA
(Adapted from “The Himalayan Masters, A Living Tradition” by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait)
Parashurama inquired, “Sir you have said that discrimination is the first rung on the ladder to the highest attainment. The grace of the Divine Force is necessary, it comes through meditation, the person should be committed and interested in meditation. This is inculcated through hearing the glory and importance of meditation and this depends on the company of the wise. Would you please give me an example?”
Dattatreya replied, “The company of the wise is a major way to liberation. Here is an example of the same.
There was once a young prince, Hemachuda. Hemachuda was married to Hemalekha, the daughter of a sage. He did not know that the princess was also a sage, until he realized to his dismay, that this beautiful young woman was not interested in worldly pleasures.
One day Hemachuda asked the princess, “Do you not find me attractive? Don’t you want to enjoy the pleasures of life with me?”
Hemaleka replied, “Nothing like that my love. I was just wondering what is attractive and gives pleasure? When you see me, an image is formed in your mind. You evaluate me and if I meet your standard of loveliness you project that beauty onto me. Thinking about my attractiveness a desire arises in your mind. You then wish to enjoy me as an object, your mind and senses become excited about your desire and you experience pleasure. The sense of pleasure is the beauty in your mind. Children or sages will look upon me and will not experience that pleasure which you experience when you see me.
The objects that are sources of pleasure cannot be enjoyed forever. A person cannot get everything he desires and when he is only capable of fulfilling some of his desires he is not satisfied. Pleasure is contaminated by suffering.”
The wise princess elaborated on the flaws in worldly objects and the painful nature of pleasure to the prince. The prince soon lost interest in worldly object, but driven by his habit of enjoying worldly life he would continue to enjoy the pleasures of life. Then he would reflect on the words of Hemalekha and his enjoyment would be accompanied by self-condemnation and guilt. He felt his entire fortune had been taken and he became gloomy and despondent.
The wise princess understood that Hemachuda had the potential for spiritual growth as dispassion to worldly objects, and the desire for liberation would not have unfolded. She gently led him on the path. The first step was to explain that the untrained mind is the root cause of all miseries.
Hemalekha explained, “The mind is like a monkey jumping here and there. Understanding the highest truth requires that the mind be one-pointed, sharp and inward. The journey is long, but if you walk in the Grace of God and surrender the fruits of every moment, you will realize the sublime glory and supreme truth easily and quickly. To self-centered aspirants, they must exhaust the past karmas. But She immediately grants Self-realization to truly selfless aspirants. She repeals the law of karma and speedily guides the seeker to the Highest Self. After that, if directed, self-realized aspirants return to work in the world and honour the law of action voluntarily.”
Inspired by her wisdom, Hemachuda studied with learned master and gained a clear intellectual understanding of the highest truth. With the passage of time he was initiated by Hemalekha and started the practice of meditation with firm faith and complete devotion.
With sincere practice, the prince gradually received the illuminating grace that helped his outward oriented mind turn inward. He then found worldly pleasures tasteless. However, the prince could not live in the inner and outer world simultaneously. He could not find the connection between the spiritual and external worlds.
Hemchuda asked his wife to elaborate further, but to his disappointment she said, “Whatever you feel is yours, is without doubt different to you. For example, I am your wife; this automatically means I am different from you. Renounce everything that is yours. The part of you that you cannot renounce is your Self. That you are.”
The prince then returned to his meditation, pondering who Am I? Gradually renouncing the body, senses, prana, mind and intellect, the prince thought, “I can know things through my mind, but how can I know myself? Let me control my thought constructs, then I might know my Self.”
With the practice and skill gained through his meditation, Hemachuda was able to remove all objects from his mind-field. He was suddenly plunged into darkness, he wondered if this was the true Self. Curious to know if there was anything beyond the darkness, he controlled his mind, transcended the darkness and experienced a flash of infinite light.
Hemachuda thought, “Let me control my mind once more to see what is beyond the infinite light.” He slipped into a deep sleep that gradually shifted to the dream state. When he returned to normal consciousness he wondered, “Was it all a dream? Now I am confused. Was the darkness and light a part of the dream?" What a tricky mind, let me try once more.”
Now the prince slipped into a state beyond dream and was absorbed in a state of blissfulness. His mind again slipped back to normal consciousness. The prince thought, “I am still not sure that this was the experience of the true Self. I have never experienced such a state of profound peace and joy. I have never known any joy as this, yet I cannot explain it. I know I was not unconscious, I remember it very clearly. Yet it is a mystery?”
Hemachuda went to his wife, explained his experiences and asked if what he had experienced was real or something else.
Hemalekha replied, "My Lord, the effort you have made to control the modifications of the mind is very commendable. Enlightened masters consider this as the main step in Self-realization. However, only the knowledge of the Self can be attained, the Self cannot be attained. You can attain only what you do not have. For example, an object is covered in darkness by turning on a light the object is revealed. The light removed the darkness, it did not create the object. Another example is that of a person who hides his gold and has forgotten about it. If he stops thinking about other things and concentrates only on the gold, he will find it. He can concentrate on the gold because he knows what it looks like.
In the case of the Self however, the search is more frustrating. People have forgotten that the Self is their true nature. That is why people must first get knowledge of the Self from the revealed scriptures and enlightened sages. Enrich your understanding through self-study, discrimination and contemplation. For direct experience, you must continue your practice.”
The prince again undertook another intense spiritual discipline and finally became fully established in bliss. The princess noticed her husband’s blissful state and did not disturb him for some time. One day she entered his room, the prince opened his eyes and as he was about to shut them to return to his blissful state, she held his hand and asked, “What do you gain or lose by opening and closing your eyes?”
The prince said, "For the first time I am at peace. All my life I have chased after pleasures but found no peace. Please be kind and leave me alone. I don’t understand how you can remain in the world after experiencing this state. Why don’t you stay in this state forever?"
The wise princess answered, "My Love, you still have not realized the Supreme state of the Self. What you think you understand is really no understanding at all. The highest awareness cannot be affected by opening or closing your eyes. It is not achieved by action or inaction, going somewhere or staying at home. How can it be supreme if it is affected by opening and closing your eyes? Untie the knots of delusion. Transcend the duality of wanting and not wanting, like and dislike and finally let that supreme awareness permeate every aspect of your waking, dream and deep sleep states. There must be no wall between any aspect of your life."
Deflated by the reply of Hemalekha, the prince continued his spiritual discipline. Gradually he attained maturity in his realization and became firmly established in that state. After he lived as a jivanmukta (a liberated soul in this life), enjoying worldly life, ruling his subjects, amassing wealth and administering the affairs of the kingdom.
Dattatreya demonstrated to Parashurama that the company of sages is the first step in spiritual practice and attaining self-realization.
Moral of the Story :
One needs to have an interest in liberation during this life. This happens through association with good company and listening to the glories and importance of meditation.
Attainment of knowledge about the Highest Truth and the true Self is possible through study and contemplation.
The Supreme Self cannot be attained, it comes only from Direct Experience through Practice.
Holy company provides the correct guidance on the path to experience Self-realization.
LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE STORY
i. Hemachuda was immersed in enjoying all the worldly pleasures as he was a prince. Although Hemalekha was married to the prince she was not interested in worldly pleasures. She was the daughter of a holy person and had attained the highest bliss in her father’s company.
ii. Hemachuda was disappointed that his wife was not interested in enjoying the pleasures of a royal life. He listened to her speak about pleasures and the suffering that comes with pleasures.
iii. The prince understood the words of the princess, but he was accustomed to enjoying pleasures of life and thus indulged in enjoyments. However, when he recollected the conversations with Hemalekha, he felt guilty and could neither enjoy pleasure nor find happiness.
iv. Dispassion for pleasures was growing in the prince. Hemalekha then advised him to study with enlightened master and practice restraining the modifications of the mind.
v. At the initial stage of meditation, Hemachuda had some experiences but was not sure if he had experienced the true Self. Hemalekha further instructed him that whatever he thought of as “mine” should be discarded until only the Self remains.
vi. Hemachuda gained flashes of infinite bliss, still Hemalekha instilled in him courage to further his meditation until he was established in that infinite bliss. Once the prince and full experience of bliss he wanted to close his eyes and remain in that state of peace forever.
vii. Hemalekha entered the room and explained that the state he was experiencing with his eyes closed should be experienced at all times in waking, dream and deep sleep state. There should no difference in any aspect of life.
viii. Hemalekha who was self-realized, led Hemachuda to self-realization. Thus through her company Hemachuda became established in total peace and bliss. There was no difference between his inner and outer world, the prince could then enjoy worldly pleasure and rule his kingdom wisely.
Click on the link below to download each of the attached files in pdf format.
Curriculum : Lessons Learned from the Insect, Holy Company is Important in Achieving One-pointed Concentration II
Insect Yoga Exercise Routine