Joke Of The Day: 30 Nov 2007

A man was taken to court for ignoring the new neighbor’s affectionate gestures. The judge asked him, “Sir, haven’t you heard of the saying - Love thy neighbor?” The man replied, “I sure have, but it has got me into a lot of trouble in the past.”

There is nothing more misconstrued than ‘Love’ is today. It has become a watch word more than anything else. To love is to feel a deep sense of oneness with a person without any trace of lust or expectation.

Ask The Master: 30 Nov 2007

Q. Why is it the intellect which controls such a completely ‘physical’ phenomenon like free sex?

Who says sex is a physical phenomenon? If love or sex were to be expressed only through the body, you would snap out of it almost immediately. It is when it is expressed through the mind that the trouble starts! In fact, almost 90% of our lovemaking is cerebral. It’s true! How many people can climax unless they imagine someone ‘better’ than the real person before them? That means sex is a purely mental exercise.

If you can climax without a mental game, with just yourself and your partner, you will be free from sex.

______________________
This excerpt has been taken from the book: Uncommon Answers to Common Questions

Joke Of The Day: 29 Nov 2007

A man gave in to indulgence and stole a watch from another man. The man suspected him of the theft and took him to court. However, he was unable to provide enough evidence and therefore the judge was forced to free the man. He told him, “You are free to go. You are judged not guilty.” The man was standing there pricked by guilt and not understanding what the judge meant. He clarified meekly, “Does that mean I can keep the watch?”

Guilt is a sure killer of intelligence! Of course, it better be in the context of theft.

Ask The Master: 29 Nov 2007

What happens after death?
(continuation from an earlier post)

As long as you are in this body, you will see the whole world in 4 dimensions. Have you seen a movie in 3 dimensions? You feel that you are a part of the scene. But, in 4D, you will also experience it. For example, if you are sitting and there is an earthquake suddenly, you will not just feel you are there but you will also experience it. When you are in this body, the outer world will be exciting and colorful. Meditation and spirituality take the backseat. They don't seem to be important or necessary. You feel that these can wait. But, the moment you leave the body and start traveling inside, the outwardly trip becomes inconsequential and meditation and other spiritual interests become more important and enjoyable. As long as you are in this physical body, you will be continuously chasing money to make your life comfortable.

People come and tell me that they don't have time for meditation. I tell them, 'Don't say you don't have enough time for meditation. Be honest enough and accept that you don't have the interest. At least be clear to yourself that you priority is not meditation. Your aim is to make more money and make your life comfortable. Be honest to yourself.' Your money, your status, your social life will not work when you leave the body.

That is why Tennessee Williams said, 'Time rushes towards us with its hospital tray of infinitely varied narcotics, even while it is preparing us for its inevitably fatal operation.'

______________________
This excerpt has been taken from the book: Beyond Life And Death

To experience what has been mentioned so far, you are encouraged to attend Nithyananda Spurana Program (NSP). There is one scheduled in Dubai on Dec 2-3, 2007. Click here for more details.

Upcoming Event: Hindu Dharma Summit, Orlando, FL - Dec 14-16, 2007

Date: 14-16 Dec 2007, Fri-Sun
Event: 2nd Biennial Hindu Dharma Summit, Conducted by Hindu Collective Initiative - North America (www.HCINA.org)
Venue: University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida
Convener: Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswati, Arsha Vidya Gurukul, PA
Host: Paramahamsa Nithyananda, International Vedic Hindu University, Orlando, FL

Purpose: To bring together Heads of all the major Hindu Organizations, Ashrams, spiritual institutions, intellectuals, and interested individuals to exchange thoughts and ideas and experiences on how to impart Hindu culture, religion and philosophy to our next generation and remove bias and misperceptions about our faith traditions so that we can maintain our culture and traditions with pride and dignity in North America.

Contact: (732)972-1489. Dr. Ved Chaudhary, email. Sudhir Prabhu, MD, email.

More information:

• hcina.org/convention.html
• ivhu.edu/DharmaSummitflyer.pdf
• www.arshavidya.org/Dharma_Summit_Flier10_12_07.pdf

Joke Of The Day: 28 Nov 2007

A man came late to office one day. His boss caught him walking in and demanded, “Why are you late?” Latur replied, “Sir, I overslept.” The boss exclaimed, “You mean you sleep at home as well!”

In the name of sleep, man wastes many hours a day. In reality, man needs just a couple of hours for deep sleep everyday to keep him more alert than ever.

Ask The Master: 28 Nov 2007

What happens after death? (continuation from an earlier post)

You much know the depth of the problem; otherwise, you will not go for the solution. When death happens, your consciousness will be torn from the body. There will be severe pain. Immediately, you will go into coma. Doctors say that coma is an automatic mechanism to combat the pain. It is automatic anesthesia. That is why, every ordinary man falls into coma before he leaves the body. Only the enlightened masters have a conscious death. There is no need for them to go into a coma. Many enlightened masters have passed away in the sitting posture. Paramahamsa Yogananda was one of them.

Next in the pranic space, your desires want to posses your body, but time refuses to allow them to do so. It is time to leave and move to the next body. In the struggle between your desires and time, it is only time that wins. Like this, step by step, you move into different spaces and enter the next body. You enter into another body in 3 kshanans (kshana is defined as the time between two thoughts).

As long as you are in this body, you will see the whole world in 4 dimensions. (to be contd.)

______________________
This excerpt has been taken from the book: Beyond Life And Death

Joke Of The Day: 27 Nov 2007

Once a Boss was interviewing a young man for the post of a mechanic. He asked him, “Why did you leave such a reputed company as the one you were working in?” The man replied, “Well, Lady Luck played up.” “And what does that mean?” asked the Boss. “Well,” replied the fellow, “I was in-charge of fixing part nineteen on the cars in sequence. Suddenly, my tool slipped and by the time I bent to pick it, I was fifteen cars behind.”

It is only when we work on jobs requiring 110% precision and alertness, will we realize what is meant by perfection. Most of us feel good with just 70%.

Ask The Master: 27 Nov 2007

What happens after death? (continuation from an earlier post)

All suffering is caused by samskaras: memories of desires, the unfulfilled desires accumulated over births in our body, mind and spirit. NSP makes the inner space pure and clean; it dissolves all samskaras. The spirit leaves peacefully, blissfully. Death becomes liberation and a celebration for one without samskaras.

When you leave the body, you cross 7 different layers of your body: physical, pranic, mental, subtle, causal, spiritual and finally nirvanic. As soon as you leave the body, as the spirit leaves the physical layer, you undergo a tremendous pain, unmanageable pain. A small cut in your hand gives you so much pain. Can you imagine what the pain will be when your whole body, your consciousness from head to toe, is torn? The pain will be similar to the pain that you will undergo when you are stung by 10,000 scorpions at once! A little meditation while you are living will help you have a painless transition. It can heal and guide you at the time of passing away.

You must know the depth of the problem; otherwise, you will not go for the solution. (to be contd.)

______________________
This excerpt has been taken from the book: Beyond Life And Death

Joke Of The Day: 26 Nov 2007

A man was a wealthy mill owner with a sprawling area of activity. He had visitors one day and he took them around the place and showed them the various activities. At one point, the visitors had to go through a rather heavy turnstile to get to the adjoining area. Surprised, they asked him, “Sir, why is it that you are still keeping such heavy turnstiles?” The man replied, “Well, every time someone operates it, they pump 50 liters of water into the over-head tank.”

Even under the most affluent of circumstances, a truly wise man saves money where he can.

Ask The Master: 26 Nov 2007

What happens after death? (continuation from an earlier post)

I was in Varanasi which is sort of the headquarters of Hinduism. Hindus are enjoined to visit Varanasi at least once a life-time to wash away their sins by bathing in the river Ganga that flows through this city. I was caring for an elderly monk who was sick; he belonged to a famous religious order and was very ill. He was in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and I was sitting by his bedside. There was another person in that ICU ward who was dying. This happened before my enlightenment experience. I could see the struggle of the soul leaving the body. The body was in tremendous pain, as if a knife was ripping across the entire body length, as if a thousand scorpions were stinging him. The pain was so palpable that I wanted to run away from there; I could hardly watch. Suddenly the being fell into coma; coma is a pain killer; it is an automatic mechanism of the mind for the body to stop feeling the pain, that unbearable pain.

When I saw the being suffering, it seemed only for a few minutes; for that being, it was eternal. The pain of that being remained with me; I too was suffering; I watched, but could not do anything. The monk I was attending to recovered. A year after this incident, I became enlightened. I traveled down to South India. After about two years, I was again in an ICU healing a disciple. This time too another person was dying at a bed nearby. I saw that person die even as I was healing my devotee. I felt the pain starting; I wanted to run; but, now, instead of this being falling into coma and unconsciousness, unable to bear the pain, it went into deep awareness, a super consciousness. It was floating from layer to layer and disappeared into bliss. I asked the family of the dead man whether he was a very spiritual man, whether he was a great meditator, whether he was enlightened. They said: No; he was a non-believer, an atheist not even religious. I wondered: How could he have such a blissful death? How? Why? For this being, death was not an ordeal; it was a blessing. Why then did the other soul suffer? I contemplated, I meditated. Suddenly, the knowledge that descended on me was the knowledge of what I now teach at NSP (Nithyananda Spurana Program). It is a science, a technology that arose from the experience of those two deaths.

All suffering is caused by samskaras. (to be contd.)

______________________
This excerpt has been taken from the book: Beyond Life And Death

Joke Of The Day: 25 Nov 2007

Once a man dropped by at a doctor's clinic. He said to him, "Sir, I came by to thank you and tell you how much I benefited from your treatment." The doctor looked at him rather puzzled and said, "You are not my patient and I have never treated you." The man replied, "You're right sir, I am not your patient but my uncle was!"

Gratitude is the greatest attitude even in the most embarrassing of moments.

Ask The Master: 25 Nov 2007

What happens after death? (continuation from an earlier post)

You need a little bit of mental preparation before you can go in depth into this subject. Whatever I have spoken so far is only to prepare you, to bring you to a mental level, from where you can understand what I am going to say. I promise you that what I am going to narrate about my experience is the truth, and the absolute truth. It matches the findings of the rishis as well as hypnotherapists and psycho-analysts and doctors. I developed that personal experience into a formula that will help people to overcome the pain at the time of their transition.

This is how this formula happened to me; this formula is behind the Nithyananda Spurana Program (NSP). I am trying to transmit and reproduce my experience as a master just like a scientist develops formulas to reproduce the external truths that he observes.

I was in Varanasi which is sort of the headquarters of Hinduism. (to be contd.)
______________________
This excerpt has been taken from the book: Beyond Life And Death

Joke Of The Day: 24 Nov 2007

A man was teaching a girl how to drive, standing on the road instead of sitting inside the car with her. A passerby could not contain himself and asked him why he was outside the car. The man replied, "Well, the car is insured but I am not!"

When we don't plan well, the job on hand gets tougher and gets the better of us. Any job requires planning with forethought before execution.

Ask The Master: 24 Nov 2007

What happens when you die? (continuation from an earlier post)

Now, let us look into the mystery of death, which is truly the greatest mystery. Can anybody speak about death? In Tamil, there is a proverb, 'Those who have seen death have never come back. Those who have come back have not seen it.' No one can speak about death except an enlightened man. He is authorized since he has already undergone the death experience. He is dead. Unless you undergo death, you can never get enlightened, you can never get liberated. The mysteries of death can never be recorded or proved logically. They can never be reduced to facts and figures. They are such personal experiences that only a few enlightened masters have spoken about their experiences. Unfortunately, they have no certificates. God has not created a university or industry for enlightenment. Only few who have had the experience share their views with others and only few who felt the energy of the master could take advantage of the science. That is why the mystery of death is unknown to most people.

This science can transform your life. Since you have not understood this mystery, you have missed so many things in life. The secret of death is not a very popular concept in the West because it can never be proved scientifically. Today, a lot of scientists and psychologists are working on the study of NDEs. Thousands of people have experienced it. There is even a website which gives the experiences of nearly 10,000 people. You will be surprised to know that all their experiences are similar. Hypnotherapists adopt the regression method to know more about the past lives of the patients. The patients are hypnotized and taken back in life and lives, often resulting in information on past lives, how they enter into the body and how and when they leave the body. You will see that the findings are very similar to what the Upanishads say about death. So, now, this science is spreading in the West too.

What happens after death? (to be contd.)
______________________
This excerpt has been taken from the book: Beyond Life And Death

Joke Of The Day: 23 Nov 2007

A lady called up the fire department and said, "Sir, I've spent a fortune just a few months ago redoing my garden and…" The voice asked, "where's the fire?" She continued, "and my husband is already screaming at me for not maintaining it well…" The voice interrupted, "Madam, maybe you want the garden service center's number?" She said, "Well, the fire is in the house next door and I don't want your men messing around my garden when they come over."

Man can get so self-centered that he can fail to see the fire raging in the neighbor's house. Shift your focus from yourself to others and feel the beauty blossoming in you!

Ask The Master: 23 Nov 2007

What actually happens after death? What is death? Why should we analyze death? (continuation from an earlier post)

There is a great fear of death, of the unknown, in most people. A beautiful story from the Katopanishad: There was a young 7-year old lad by the name of Nachiketa. He asked his father, who was a king, 'Why are people afraid to die?' The king was irritated at what seemed to be an obviously understood fact. So, he scolded Nachiketa, 'Why don't you go face death if you are not afraid?' Little Nachiketa was genuinely interested in finding out the answer and he set out to meet Yama (God of Death). On reaching Yama's abode, he found that Yama was not there. So, he decided to wait. After some time, when Yama returned, he was shocked to see a little boy waiting for him. All the time, Yama had to chase people, who in turn tried their best to escape the jaws of death. And here was this small boy who had come boldly to face death himself. Yama compassionately asked him, 'What have you come here for, little boy? You are one of the rare beings who has come to the door of death; normally people run away from me!' Nachiketa replied, 'Master, that is what I have come to find out about. What is death?' At this point, Yama gave him the Truth.

So, you see; actually, Death is the greatest teacher!

What happens when you die? (to be contd.)

______________________
This excerpt has been taken from the book: Beyond Life And Death

Joke Of The Day: 22 Nov 2007

Once a man was in the hospital with bandages all over him. His friend visited him and asked what happened. The man explained, “I was on a roller coaster ride and suddenly saw a sign board on a nearby hill very near the highest point of the ride. I tried reading it but missed it. I took another ride meaning to read it but missed it again. I took yet another ride and this time stood up to read the board, but I blacked out and found myself here after that.” The friend asked, “What did the sign board say anyway?” The man replied, “Don’t stand up during the ride.”

Man sometimes works with perseverance towards disaster no matter how hard Existence tries to deter him.

Ask The Master: 22 Nov 2007

What actually happens after death? What is death? Why should we analyze death? (continuation from an earlier post)

Let me tell you an important incident. When the British were trying to establish their supremacy over India, they were very keen on taking control of a small village in Central India for strategic reasons. There were only about 100 tribal people living there. (This village does not exist anymore.) The villagers were highly esoteric and mystical. They were deeply into meditation and it is said that they never fell sick. They were such highly evolved people that even if they hurt someone in their dream, the next morning, they would go and apologize to the person. They did not even want to have unconscious vengeance or hatred. They were such a mature and spiritual group that had nothing of the outer world but everything of the inner world. When the British tried to force their culture on them, they would not give in. They resisted. Even when they were threatened to give up or face dire consequences, they refused to do so. They gathered in the center of the village and right in front of the British soldiers, they chanted some mantra (mystical saying) and dropped dead. Every single one of them dropped dead. The soldiers could not believe their eyes. They had anticipated the villagers to commit suicide. This incident has been recorded by British soldiers. They also said that for the first time, they felt guilty of being responsible for the death of such innocent, simple yet great people. These people knew the art of dying. They could just drop their body and leave this world.

In Mark Twain's words, 'The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.'

The Bhagavad Gita says, 'Death is just like changing your coat.' Learning to die is the one and only art that you are supposed to learn while you are living.

There is a great fear of death, of the unknown, in most people. A beautiful story from the Katopanishad: (to be contd.)

______________________
This excerpt has been taken from the book: Beyond Life And Death

Upcoming Event: 1008 Maha Sabha Yagam - Salem, Dec 2, 2007

Date: 2 Dec 2007, Sun
Event: 1008 Maha Sabha Yagam, Conducted by Salem Dhyanapeetam
Venue: Thiyagarajar Polytechnic ground, Salem, TN, India.
Contact: M.Mallikarjunan, Ph: 98430 99959.

Following is a flyer for the event:

Joke Of The Day: 21 Nov 2007

Once a husband and his wife were cleaning the house amidst the usual bickerings. As always, the wife had the final word in everything. Suddenly, the neighbor’s mad dog entered their house and bit the husband who had his back turned towards it. The wife watched in horror. Husband screamed out in pain: “Honey! if ever you hurt me like that again, I will get very angry with you!”

Never reign irrational supremacy over another. It can cause suppression in him and make him a dead man.

Ask The Master: 21 Nov 2007

What actually happens after death? What is death? Why should we analyze death? (continuation from an earlier post)

According to me, your concept of death is the one basis on which you live. There is a beautiful Zen saying, 'Learning the art of dying is learning the art of living.'

A Zen story: Once an enlightened master declared that he was going to die the next day at 6 am. Of course, enlightened people know about their death. The disciples requested the master to wait for a few hours as it would be very cold early in the morning. That would also give them sufficient time for the funeral. The master, out of compassion, agreed to do so. He gave them the time of his death as 12 noon. Exactly at the stroke of 12, he left his body.

Enlightened masters truly embody Friedrich Nietzsche's words, 'Death of one's own free choice, death at the proper time, with a clear head and with joyfulness, consummated in the midst of children and witnesses: so that an actual leave-taking is possible while he who is leaving is still there.'

Let me tell you an important incident. (to be contd.)

______________________
This excerpt has been taken from the book: Beyond Life And Death

IN THE NEWS: 20 Nov 2007

Hindu University in US expands Vedic base.
Source: rediff.com, November 20, 2007 22:41 IST

The Florida-based Hindu University of America will henceforth 'do business as' the International Vedic Hindu University. It has announced plans to expand the Vedic base of its programme offerings.

Paramahamsa Nithyananda, founder of the Nithyananda Dhyanapeetam, who was elected chairman of the University recently, will be the "guiding force in the university's future growth and evolution".

Nithyananda's 1,200 meditation centers and 120 meditation academies around the world will offer extended campus services for students. The university would like to reach the goal of 10,000 enrolled students by 2008.

A $2.5 million construction plan will be launched soon as the first phase of the expansion of the current campus.

Florida's department of education has approved the university's request for the DBA (doing business as) status for IVHU, according to Sri Nithya Medhananda, vice president of the university.

At a recent press conference, Braham Aggarwal, founder of the University and a disciple of Paramahamsa Nithyananda, said the aim of the institution had been "to bring the gifts of Hindu culture to people around the world through the Web-based curriculum so that they may excel in all aspects of their personal and professional lives".

Aggarwal became convinced that only Nithyananda could lead the university in its next phase of growth and beyond, with his enlightened insights into Vedic sciences. The 12-acre campus with its existing infrastructure was entrusted to Nithyananda on August 25.

"With his vision and energy, along with the vast infrastructure of centers he has all over the world, there is no doubt the university is under the right leadership. The teachings from Vedic sciences that the university can now offer will enrich people's lives to follow their path more beautifully," Aggarwal said.

Nithyananda praised the university's efforts to present Vedic thought and tradition in an unbiased manner.

"The university has launched an educational temple at the campus that will impart practical and theoretical Vedic knowledge," he said.

"A 6,000 square-foot temple, where all traditions of Hinduism will be represented, is already erected in a temporary structure at the campus," he added. Nithyananda's vision of the university is the one that radiates intelligent knowledge of Vedic traditions through online and campus-based programs like yoga, meditation, Ayurveda, vaastu, Vedic astrology, Hinduism, Vedanta, music, dance and languages.

IVHU plans to establish chairs in the name of enlightened Hindu masters. One in the name of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa has been created and will be held by a representative of that lineage.

The university has also initiated efforts to create a Global Accreditation Board for Vedic traditions. Three hundred well-versed scholars and renowned masters will comprise this group, 70 of whom are in place. In addition to the numerous accreditations, alliances with various universities will be increased to help transfer this knowledge to students around the world.

Some long-term plans, include providing grants for research in the Vedic sciences, a television channel with study programming, an e-newsletter highlighting the university and Vedic events and a library expansion.

Nithyananda reminded the audience of the very first book of Hindus, the Rig Veda, which declares, `Ekam Sat, Viprah Bahudha Vadanti' (there is only one truth; enlightened beings describe it in different ways).

"India has been the land of intense research in the inner world for over 10,000 years. This research has been published by the mystics in the form of scriptures called the Vedas, which form the backbone of the Hindu religion. IVHU is committed to preserve this wisdom of the Vedas and deliver it to the world in its original nascent form," he said.

Joke Of The Day: 20 Nov 2007

Once the Boss was at his desk when an employee approached him for a pay raise. Boss explained to him that things had to pick up in the company for him to be able to give any pay raise. The employee said to him, “Sir, I’ve all along been doing the work of two men and I think I deserve a raise for that.” Boss exclaimed, “Two men! Show me the other one and I’ll fire him right away!”

We set certain limitations upon our potential and work with them as our benchmark. Our potential is truly unlimited. The limitation comes from our mind, not from our body.

Ask The Master: 20 Nov 2007

What actually happens after death? What is death? It is the most mysterious thing!

Let me answer this question first: Why should we analyze death? (continuation from an earlier post)

Your idea, your understanding about death will change your understanding about life.

In Los Angeles, more than a hundred years ago, Vivekananda was asked by a young lady, 'What is life?' He replied, 'Come with me to India and I will teach you.' She was confused and asked, 'What will you teach me?' Vivekananda said, 'I will teach you how to die!'

It seems strange that the question is about life but the answer is about death!

Actually, if you know the secret of death, your quality of life will be different! Your quality of life, your understanding and attitude to life will change.

Understand that death is not an incident that happens at the end of your life. It is actually happening at every moment of your life! When the understanding of death permeates your consciousness, you will have a clear idea of life. You will realize that living and leaving are just two sides of the same coin.

The renowned painter, Leonardo da Vince once said, 'While I thought that I was learning how to live, I have been learning how to die.'

As Khahil Gibran writes:

If you would indeed behold the spirit of death, Open your heart wide unto the body of life.

For life and death are one,

Even as the river and the sea are one.

Albert Einstein, arguably the greatest scientist of them all, was deeply distressed when his scientific discoveries were out to highly destructive use. He turned spiritual and nearer his death, fully believed in the reality of rebirth. He could not otherwise reconcile the purpose of this highly intelligent Universe in creating highly intelligent beings who had such a transient existence.

Serious enquirers of this purpose of Existence in creating humans eventually turned to the Eastern religions of Hinduism and Buddhism to dissolve their doubts.

The Eastern philosophy is based upon the experiences of the great enlightened masters and rishis. They believed in many births. They believed in a continuous flow of life and death that Khalil wrote about. Instead of the limiting scientific tradition of the West borne out of the limited space of life, this idea of unlimited space and time of life and death of the Eastern religions gave birth to spirituality. When you keep taking birth again and again, enacting the same drama of a brother, sister, husband, friend, parent, you eventually feel fed up of this drama. When you die, you leave these co-actors and go. Again, when you come back, you have a new setup. It goes on and on. After some time, you are fed up of going through the same cycle over and over. You start looking for liberation. The moment you start thinking about liberation, you start thinking about moksha or enlightenment. Spirituality is all about this. Your understanding of death makes you understand about life.

According to me, your concept of death is the one basis on which you live. (to be contd.)

______________________
This excerpt has been taken from the book: Beyond Life And Death

Joke Of The Day: 19 Nov 2007

Once a man was playing billiards in a club. The opponent commended his game and asked him, “How long since you’ve been playing?” The man replied, “Three months.” The opponent said, “Oh! You play very well for that.” The man sighed, “I’d better; I took four years to learn.”

If you don’t learn from your first mistakes, it might be too late when you finally learn!

Ask The Master: 19 Nov 2007

What Is Death?

The concept of our understanding of death can be broadly classified into 2 categories: there are people who believe in life after death and those who do not believe in rebirth. Of course, there are many who don't come under either of these two categories. They neither talk nor analyze about death. They want to be deliberately ignorant. Their attitude is, 'Let it come when it has to come and we will handle it at that time. Why should we even think about it or discuss about it now?' They prefer to take the route of escapism.

In western philosophy, there is no concept of rebirth. Their logical mind does not allow them to believe in it. There are no proofs of rebirth. Even the near-death experiences are only experiences of certain people. There is still an element of doubt about what really death is. Is it just the end of the physical body? Why does it really happen at the time it happens to every person? Many scientists are still working on this mystery. They have not been able to come to any decisive conclusion.

That is why, in the West, people want to live their lives fully. They feel that they don't have a second chance to fulfill their dreams. So, they are in a hurry to fulfill all their desires as soon as possible. This has created an anxiety in man. This concept or belief of a single life is what has given birth to science. Man started to search for the maximum comforts, joy and juice from the outer world. Man wants to extract the maximum that he can, at whatever expense to him and others, during the limited period that he knows instinctively is all that he has in this world.

This belief of just one life has also given rise to the sense of pleasures of life and the concept of God in the more serious and introspective humans. For most people, God is just a concept. They have not experienced Him. God is just a vague concept in your life till you get enlightened. In fact, if you see, even the idea of God was created only when this question of death was raised.

Many people have tried to answer these questions. In that process, they have created theories, philosophies and religions. Even the idea of God was created during this process. The question of death is the most mysterious question according to me. From time immemorial, so many people have tried again and again to answer this.

Every person who tried answering this question created a new religion, a new cult. All the religions are born out of this question.

What actually happens after death? What is death? It is the most mysterious thing!

Why should we analyze death? (to be contd.)

______________________
This excerpt has been taken from the book: Beyond Life And Death

Joke Of The Day: 18 Nov 2007

A man said to his friend, “I decided to put an end to my wife’s worries and so I stopped drinking, smoking and gambling!” The friend exclaimed, “She must be so happy now!” The man continued, “Well actually not, because now she’s at a loss as to what to worry about.”

We think that the causes for our worries are external. Not at all! In reality worry is nothing but food for our ego. If we don’t have something to worry about, our ego goes unfed and insecurity sets in. Worries are our secret friends!

Words From The Master: 18 Nov 2007

Where are you headed this time?

A traveler started his journey towards the holy city of Varanasi. He started from his hometown after making a few preliminary enquiries.

Having traveled far and fearing he may have lost his way, the traveler asked a sanyasin who seemed to be returning from Varanasi, Oh Master, how far away is Varanasi from here?

The sanyasin said: Before I reply, you must answer two of my questions.

The traveler found this strange, and having no choice agreed.

The sanyasin asked: Do you clearly know why you want to go to Varanasi?

The traveler felt that this question was foolish and the answer was obvious. He said: Oh, Varanasi is a holy place. I will be blessed if I go there, scriptures say.

The sanyasin asked the second question: Before starting, have you thoroughly enquired about the path to reach Varanasi?

The traveler felt that this too was irrelevant and said: Yes, I inquired a little bit. I left it at that, thinking that I can find out more as I travel further.

The sanyasin calmly said: If you had had clarity as to why you should go to Varanasi and had known clearly all the details about Varanasi, you would not have asked me as to how much distance you should travel further to reach Varanasi.

Thoroughly confused and irritated, yet still polite, the traveler said: Oh master, you have not replied my question at all.

The sanyasin said: You have already come forty miles beyond Varanasi.

We are much like the traveler not knowing where he is going and why.

We rarely question: Why we have taken birth in this world? Why do we continuously struggle and suffer so much? Where are we headed?

All of us lead our life in search of some goal or other. It may be any material goal like a good education, good job, fame or wealth, or it may be something different. One’s mental set up determines the type of desire one has.

The desires may be many, but the aim of all these desires is only one: Peace, Joy, Bliss. Every one journeys in his own way, only to achieve these goals.

There is nothing wrong at all in this journey, this searching. Problems arise when you embark on the journey without knowing the path.

Spirituality through meditation helps you define the path. Once you are in the right path, the destination happens by itself.

______________________
This article was earlier published in the Economic Times, an Indian newspaper.

Ask The Master: 17 Nov 2007

Q. Without possessiveness, enforced loyalty and such things, won’t relationships degenerate into what is known as ‘free love’ or ‘free sex’?

No. On the contrary, the exact opposite happens. It is the existence of possessiveness which results in free sex. When love is given and received through the intellect, it results in deep dissatisfaction. No matter how hard you repress it, free sex will flourish as long as people keep looking for a better bargain. Love like this can never aspire towards spirituality or even beauty; it can only result in strategy, exploitation and frustration.

When love is directed through the emotions, one experiences a sense of fulfillment with one partner itself. There is no longer any need to look outside for any satisfaction. The ‘free’ of ‘free sex’ disappears, and only ‘sex’ remains!

And ultimately, when love becomes an outpouring of the being, the word ‘sex’ itself disappears. One experiences tremendous satisfaction even without the other. There is such compete self-sufficiency that there is no longer any need for sex!

______________________
This excerpt has been taken from the book: Uncommon Answers to Common Questions

Joke Of The Day: 17 Nov 2007

A man went back home early one morning after a hangover and his wife was waiting for him at the doorstep. He declared, “Before you start talking, I wish to say that I was baby-sitting my friend who was sick last night.” The wife replied, “Oh! And what was the friend’s name?” The man was at a loss for a few seconds but quickly came back, “Well, he was so sick that he could not tell me.”

Man is an expert in finding excuses and reasons! Excuses are convenient substitutes for ignorance and lapses.

Ask The Master: 16 Nov 2007

Q. In our day-to-day relationships, won’t there always be some element of possessiveness, jealousy and so on in love?

No. If these exist in a relationship, then it is not a relationship of love at all; it is only an ego-fulfilling game masquerading as love.

If you love, you cannot possess – and vice-versa. One can only possess property. How dare anyone try to possess a being? Even to attempt that is to reduce someone who is energy to the status of gross matter. It reveals a deep-seated disrespect for the person. Then how can you relate with that person, or expect him/her to relate with you?

No matter how beautifully it is masked, the being senses this attitude of disrespect. That is why someone who is in a relationship with a possessive person will sooner or later try to break free.

As for jealousy, it is the complete antithesis to love. Jealousy tries to enforce love, trust and loyalty upon the other. It tries to grab from the other the very gifts that can only be given willingly and with joy. How can jealousy and love possibly co-exist?

Possessiveness and jealousy both arise from the same root cause - fear. The ego is a coward! It is forever afraid of losing its power over the other person. So it tries to trap the other in a cage. It demands a contract of loyalty, renewable daily. Its whole show of aggression is just so much drama to cover up its deep-seated fear.

Love, on the other hand, knows no fear. It trusts too much to feel fear. Love does not ask questions; it does not demand loyalty. It simply surrenders. When two people are truly in love, they are not surrendering to each other; they are both surrendering to the supreme experience of love.

The fact that you love is itself enough guarantee. There is no need for any other security. In truth, love trusts even if the trust is violated. It knows no other way. To react in any other way would mean destroying the other’s happiness, and one who truly loves can never bear to do that! Love does not know the language of jealousy and possessiveness. To bring these into a love relationship is the surest way to kill it.

Be warned!

______________________
This excerpt has been taken from the book: Uncommon Answers to Common Questions

Joke Of The Day: 16 Nov 2007

Once a man joined as an apprentice in a shoe shop. One day, when his boss entered, he told him proudly, “Sir, today a young girl came to buy shoes with only 30 rupees in her purse, but in order not to lose the order, I gave her what she wanted taking the money. She will give the remaining tomorrow.” The boss cried out, “What have you done? She will never come back, I can tell you that.” The man replied, “Sir, I guarantee you she will - I gave her two left shoes!”

A little creativity can go a long way in any walk of life!

Joke Of The Day: 15 Nov 2007

Once a man bought a car and painted it a fluorescent orange much to the disgust of his family. One cousin finally ventured, “Dear, we don’t think much of the color of your car, why don’t you repaint it some other color?” The man replied, “Oh! At least now, when I stop at signals, people say, “Look at the color of that car!” instead of saying, “Look at that fat man driving that car!”

We try so hard to deceive others’ minds, because our self-esteem is built on others’ opinions of us. When we are not able to control our own minds, how foolish we are in trying to control others’ !

Words From The Master: 15 Nov 2007

Discourse On Bhagavad Gita, 8th Chapter: The Art of Leaving. Sep 11, 2005, Thursday at The Malibu Temple, Los Angeles, USA.

Here, Krishna speaks about death. He speaks about how death can become a liberation and celebration. Death is death as we know it and think it is the end only when we don't understand it. If we see death in this way, we worry; we live in the shadow of death and life becomes dull. Even when we live we die. He who understands death will live even when he dies. Death and life are not mere incidents; they are related to your intelligence.

We don't have the right words in English to translate many of the beautiful expressions in Sanskrit. The moment we translate them, we only have one dimension of the sloka. Sanskrit is not just linguistic; it has power in the phonetic dimension. The very sound and vibration will transform you.

We need to understand the concept of padam padartha. If the word ‘cow’ is uttered, the distance between the word (padam) and the figure (padartha) does not exist in Sanskrit as it does in other languages. You don't even have to understand the meaning of the words in Sanskrit. The very sound will purify your body. Sabdha is where the air travels from the navel to the tongue. The sabdha changes the air into words or sound. When you chant Sanskrit, the sabdha gets strengthened and creates more perfect words. In other languages, it gets weakened. Sanskrit purifies your whole Being. Just 10 minutes a day is enough; the vibrations enter the body immediately and purify it.

Beautifully Arjuna asks, ‘What is Brahman, what is Self, what is the manifestation of this and how does Krishna stay in the body.’

Krishna reveals the secrets of death. The West has spent all its energy in understanding life, whereas the East has wisely spent its time in understanding death. Masters have brought such a gift of understanding of death to living. There are so many who fear death, or wonder why they should even understand death. Your understanding of death will affect the whole way you live your life. The concept of reincarnation in the East encourages many to disregard Time. Many rely on eternity. They feel they have all the time and this leads to lack of motivation to make the most of every moment. In the West, we never have enough time; either we live now or never.

The way you understand death influences the whole infrastructure of your mindset. Your whole thinking is transformed once you understand the secrets of death. The moment you understand, the whole quality of your Consciousness changes. The moment you experience the Truth, or even just have an intellectual comprehension, it is enough; your whole thinking will be transformed.

‘Yama’ means death and discipline. Once you understand death, your whole life becomes disciplined in a strange and honest way. Honest in the sense that most of our discipline is usually hypocritical.

We need to realize that Krishna’s inner space is totally pure, untouched. This is the true meaning of brahmacharya. He never experienced His body. He never comes down to normal body consciousness. When you perform an action without the consciousness of the body, your inner space remains pure. You can eat and yet be untouched by food.

A sannyasi goes to Jnanaraja, a great Enlightened King. He asks, “How can you say that you are enlightened and yet enjoy such luxury in your life?” Now, you have to understand something about sannyas. If you leave or escape the outer world hoping to gain the inner world, you start to disrespect those still living in and enjoying the outer world. And not only that, you begin to feel jealous and resentful. In essence you are caught between the two worlds. The king replies, “Tonight I am busy attending a party, why don't you stay in my palace. In a day or so we can talk.” The appropriate preparations are made for the sannyasi and the king instructs that a knife be hung from a thread pointing downwards above the head of the sannyasi’s cot. The sannyasi was not able to get any sleep. The whole time he was afraid that the knife might fall. The king asked him the following day how he slept. “You know very well what you have done, why are you asking me, how could I even dream of sleeping?” asked the sannyasi. The king laughed. “When death is in front of you, your whole life changes. You see, my whole Consciousness is different. I can live with all these things in my palace, yet my inner space is untouched by them because any moment I know that death can happen.”

So in this way, Yama makes its strange and honest effect upon your life. If you just understand this one concept, your whole Being is transformed. There are some truths that cannot be explained logically. Logic can only explain events in the outer world, not in the inner world. Some truths can be explained through experience alone. With experience, you know the Truth without doubt.

We need to understand why we assume a body. Out of fear, greed, guilt and pain collectively called samskaras (engraved memories), we create the body. We not only work out the samskaras that we bring into our life, we also take on other desires from other people in society. This is the reason why we have a shortage of energy. It is believed that we bring in exactly the amount of energy we need to work out our samskaras, but because we accumulate more, we have a shortage of energy.

Advertising agencies know that anything related to sex will touch your muladhara chakra, (root center) and will be recorded in your system. When it gets recorded, it goes deeply into your Being. It compels you to buy the product associated with it. You automatically act upon the idea. It expresses through you.

Karma means a desire that has not been fulfilled. If we don't fully experience something, we create a samskara. A samskara is a living energy. It has the power to compel you to do the same action again and again, and the more you do it, the more deeply ingrained it becomes. It is our samskaras that determine our lives. All the decisions are made by your Consciousness about the life you will live based upon the samskaras that you have collected.

Even sense-enjoyments were taught to us at an early age. They are learned responses, not innate to our Being. There is an African tribe which does not experience any sense related pleasures or pain. I lived amongst them for several months and observed how they lived. They fully sense everything but they are not conditioned to experience pleasure or pain. Not a single person experiences depression among these people. Women give birth, alone in a simple hut, without any doctor or attendant and the process takes just half an hour. They do not experience any pain during childbirth. Women also do not experience any menstrual pain or problems during menopause. The reason for this is, women are deeply honored. They are never disrespected. The moment a girl experiences her first menstrual period, the tribe falls at her feet and they receive healing from her. It is honored as a sacred healing experience.

It is our social conditioning that makes us experience pleasure or pain. Our mind is conditioned by whatever we think of as ideal. So when we choose a new life, we will be attracted to the life that will allow us to live out whatever dominant samskaras there are in our Being. If we enjoy eating, we will be drawn to the life that allows us to experience this.

A small story: One guy goes to his doctor and says, “Doctor please examine me. I don't feel like doing anything. I feel so dull. Tell me in plain English what is wrong with me.” The doctor says, “If you ask me, in plain English, you are lazy.” The man says, “Now tell me in medical terms, so I can tell my wife.”

Understand that you spend energy just being lazy. You get tired even from sleeping eventually. Your energy becomes tamas. When you die, you can only live three kshanas without a body and mind. A kshana is the gap between two thoughts. If you have experienced existence without a body and mind, you have experienced thoughtless awareness. This is known as samadhi. This is pure Consciousness without thoughts, witnessing Consciousness: where you just observe what is going on inside you and around you. All spiritual practices are to either indirectly or directly experience this Consciousness.

If you have not achieved one glimpse of samadhi, thoughtless awareness, you haven’t accomplished anything in life. If you have not lived even a single moment of this, you will rush into the next body and mind that are available; you will not choose consciously. Very rare souls choose families that do not disturb their spiritual practice. If you have taken a conscious birth in this way, it is known as yoga prashta.

We need to understand exactly what happens when we leave the body. Essentially we go through all seven layers of our Being: physical, pranic, mental, etheric, causal, cosmic and nirvanic. When we first leave the body, we undergo tremendous pain at the physical layer. It is described as a thousand scorpions stinging us all at once. I do not mean to scare you, but it is better to know the Truth now when we can do something about it. The body is either exhausted or injured at the time of death. Either way it can no longer host our Being. When we experience this pain, we fall unconscious. Then, we can’t choose our next birth consciously.

The pranic layer is about desire. Prana or breath and desires are closely related. If you change your prana, your whole mind will change.

The mental body houses all the guilt. Guilt is nothing but emotion renewed in your Being with updated intelligence. At the age of seven, you had a certain amount of intelligence. Now it is updated. You have more data and more intelligence to process the data. You now have more software. If you feel bad now about how you were at the age of seven, you create guilt. You can never become a better person through guilt. It is just a burden upon your Being. First, society teaches us guilt, then we master the art of guilt.

A man says: “Dropping smoking is easy. I have done it many times!”

Guilt creates a similar rut. Know also that all immoral behavior is because you don't have enough energy. You feel you will get energy through that action. When you run after sense-pleasures, you are just running after energy.

In the etheric layer, you have all the painful experiences stored. If you keep these first four layers clean through meditation, you will not experience the state of hell. Just one glimpse of samadhi, one moment of thoughtless Consciousness, of witnessing Consciousness will act like a torch and you will go through all these layers smoothly at the time of death.

When you die, the most intense experience of your life will come up. If you have had thoughtless awareness at least once, then this will come up in color and everything else will be in black and white. The tape will freeze at this point. All the rest, all your karmas will be erased. Don't think your mind is intelligence. It is just a software program. Thoughtless Consciousness is like a virus that erases all samskaras, engrams.

If you experience life fully with thoughtless Consciousness, you will not feel the need to come back and live through a body and mind. When you have witnessing Consciousness, your whole life becomes a leela, a drama, and you know the script. You can practice this at all times. Just witness how when you are talking to someone, you are already preparing what you are going to say next. Immediately, you observe all the pain, guilt and suffering in your life. The moment you create a gap between you and your Being, all suffering disappears.

Don't be calculating about it. Don't think, ‘For the next twenty-four hours I will do this’. You will become frustrated and fall into guilt. Once you have a taste of thoughtless Consciousness, you will naturally return to the same mood because it is so blissful. You will relax so deeply in your body and Being.

Krishna is inspiring us to enter into the ultimate state of Thoughtless Consciousness, Eternal Bliss - Nithyananda.

Upcoming Event: Inner Healing Program - Montclair, Dec 1-2, 2007

Date: 1 to 2 Dec 2007, Sat-Sun
Event: Inner Healing Program, Conducted by Paramahamsa Nithyananda
Venue: 9720 Central Av, Montclair, CA 91763
Contact: Sri Jyotirmayananda, Ph: 626-205-3286
Prerequisites: None.
Registration Information: Click Here

Following is a flyer for the event:

Joke Of The Day: 14 Nov 2007

A lady was telling her friend how disgustingly egoistic her husband was. The friend asked, “What did he say this time?” She replied, “Instead of saying ‘When I die’, he said, ‘If I die’.”

Death is the only thing that man can be absolutely sure of; Everything else is fluid and changing.

Words From The Master: 14 Nov 2007

On the occasion of Children's Day in India, here are few words from Paramahamsa Nithyananda's discourse during Gurukul Inauguration, 2 Oct 2006, Ashram, Bangalore. (Original Source.)

Children are born inherently blissful and close to Existence. As they grow, they are conditioned by society and they are exposed to the needs that arise in everyday living. They need money to live. To earn the money, they need education. As long as they understand these things as basic needs and not as the goal of life itself, things are alright. But in no time, these needs become the goal of life itself and in the process they lose the ability to live life.

When you take birth, you take birth with a reason. That first reason with which you take birth determines the course of your entire life. The position of the planets and the state of your mind at the time of taking birth determines your whole life. In the same way, every day too you take a new life. Every day, you go through life and death. And the first thought that comes to you when you wake up in the morning determines the course of your whole day.

Children who go to school, invariably wake up with fear every morning, from the Swadhistana chakra (the energy center in the navel area that is responsible for fear emotion). They wake up thinking of the teacher and the beating stick! Diseases like cancer have their roots in this type of disturbed consciousness at a young age. Most teachers lack basic intelligence. They themselves suffer from not knowing how to balance themselves emotionally. When children spend 8 hours a day with them, they too grow up without knowing how to balance themselves.

It is important that children learn to internalize and understand social needs without getting corrupted or internalizing society’s value system. They need to learn how to maintain social protocols without internalizing society’s so called value system. Once they obtain clarity in this, they will no more wake up from the swadhishtana chakra. They will wake up from the anahata chakra, the heart center for love emotion. When this happens, concentration and memory power will increase tremendously.

Children of Nithyananda Gurukul will flourish in the inner and outer worlds. I am from Arunachala, a spiritual nerve in South India. Arunachala is like a spiritual incubator for anybody who is receptive to it. I had a beautiful ambiance there. Between the age of 7 and 14, I was able to learn the inner Science along with the outer Science in a natural fashion in the ambiance offered by Arunachala. That was the reason for the intelligence I gained in both the inner and outer worlds. This is what I am trying to give to these kids through the Gurukul. I am creating an ambiance for the children, the same ambiance that I enjoyed for intelligence to flower.

I want the children to wake up like a flower, with deep love, and live with people who are meditators. All our teachers are meditators who know how to balance themselves. Here, they will not absorb the negativity of the outer world and will maintain the purity of the inner world radiating Nithyananda – Eternal bliss!

There have been many traditions of the past. Some have died without teaching anything effective. Some have sustained only causing misery for people. The ancient tradition of Gurukul learning has sustained over thousands of years, teaching life engineering to people.

A child, whichever hero he idolizes from young age, imbibes that hero’s mental set up and body language. The children at Nithyananda Gurukul are lucky to be with a Master. They will be continuously watching me. Their mental setup and body language will be influenced by a very intense spiritual atmosphere that is created here. This is like the center of a spiritual cyclone. These children will grow up learning and imbibing highest spiritual values.

I hereby declare Nithyananda Gurukul open! May the children be in and radiate Nithyananda – Eternal Bliss!

Ask The Master: 13 Nov 2007

Q. How is ordinary love different from divine love? Are they both expressions of the same quest?

I could say there are only two kinds of love – ‘divide’ love and divine love!

Ordinary love divides; divine love unites. Ordinary love perceives boundaries; divine love recognizes no boundaries. But yes, they are expressions of the same quest. These two kinds of love do not differ in kind, but only in degree. As ordinary love moves from the intellect towards the being, it approaches the quality of divine love.

______________________
This excerpt has been taken from the book: Uncommon Answers to Common Questions

Joke Of The Day: 13 Nov 2007

A man’s out-house got razed to the ground in an earthquake and the insurance agent told him that he would not be able to get cash for it. The agent explained, “Sir, according to the policy, we will only build you an out-house identical to the original one.” The man was furious. However he quickly added, “Ok then, please cancel the policy on my wife immediately!”

Man when given a chance to relive life would invariably choose to live it differently. This is because he lives with preconceptions and images that never get realized. He needs to drop them for fulfillment to exude with every passing moment!

Event Highlights: Prana Prathishta and Kumbhabhisekam, Nithyananda Vedic Temple, Montclair CA - 9 Nov 2007

Montclair, CA, USA. Click here for photos from the recently held Prana Prathishta and Kumbhabhisekam at the Nithyananda Vedic Temple, Montclair CA.



Please note that Shiva Sutra discourses are still on. More details on that in this posting.

Ask The Master: 12 Nov 2007

Q. Do we all love in the same way, or are there different kinds of love?

There is only one love, but its expressions vary from person to person. Intellectual love is that which is expressed through the head. Because it is closely related to the mind, this love is the most corrupt of all.

The intellect perceives love as a bargain, as a contract of sorts. It believes strictly in give-and-take. Its attitude is a calculated, ‘What is in it for me?’ This kind of love will always result in expectation, possessiveness, jealousy and violence. This kind of love transforms neither the giver nor taker.

Emotional love is expressed through the heart, and so it is a more purified expression of love. Here the emphasis is not on contract, but on contact. This love trusts and gives without much expectation. Whatever problems arise in this love are solved by love itself. This kind of love transforms the giver immensely.

When love is expressed through the being, there is neither give nor take; there is just the radiating of love. This love can bring with it no pain and no problems, because it is not dependent on the other. In fact, it does not even require an object; it is simply a radiance, an overflowing. This kind of love transforms both giver and taker in beautiful ways.

When love radiates through intelligence, it is rightly called, ‘falling in love’! When it radiates through the emotions, we may term it ‘rising in love’. When it radiates through the being, it results in ‘flying in love’! And the only kind of love worth the name is the one that can lend you wings.

______________________
This excerpt has been taken from the book: Uncommon Answers to Common Questions

Joke Of The Day: 12 Nov 2007

A man was directing a play. He told the rather shy lead actor, “Don’t think of the audience as strangers, think of them as your own family.” Asked the actor, “What if the family boos?” The man shot back, “Who pays attention to relatives?”

Tread your path with courage of conviction. With every outside attempt to deter you from your path, courage and faith in yourself and in the Truth should stand by you!

Words From The Master: 11 Nov 2007

You never die, not even once!

All our fears are actually fears of death but under various disguises, that’s all.

Every single fear is related to the fear of death, but in a convoluted way. Because it is convoluted, we don’t see it as fear of death.

So what is death?

If I ask you, you will tell me that death is something that happens at the end of our lives. If death is nothing more than that, it would be so easy! But, it is something that happens every moment of our lives. Every act of ours is unconsciously related to our fear of death, the fear of dying. Our fear of death changes the very quality of our life. Death to us is not the end; it is the climax of our lives, towards which our whole life has been oriented.

Death is always looked upon as a discontinuity and that is why people suffer when they see death. The basic understanding of death eludes us. Death is never a discontinuity. It is continuity in some other form, or simply liberation, that’s all.

When we understand this, we will realize how foolish it is to suffer on this account. We are so attached to the physical form; that is why we suffer so much.

The body is a mere vehicle for the spirit. This has to be understood very clearly.

When we accept death as just continuity in another form, our capacity to enjoy life is transformed; our whole body relaxes; our consciousness expands; our living capacity increases. Whether we accept it or not, every moment of our life, the fear of death lingers in the subconscious mind. By understanding death and facing the fear of death, our life will turn out to be rich; not wealthy may be, but rich. Richness is what is important in life.

Unless death becomes a conscious experience, fear of death will never leave you. But you can do one thing: Repeatedly read these words; develop a conviction about them; try to see how your minor and major fears are actually related to the fear of dying. Understand how the fear of death is really the fear of losing your identity. Understand how your true identity can never be lost.

As the great Master says in Bhagavad Gita, you are the spirit and the spirit is immortal.

______________________
This article was earlier published in the Economic Times, an Indian newspaper.

Joke Of The Day: 11 Nov 2007

Once a man was showing his family albums to his friend. He pointed to a stately gentleman in a picture and proudly told his friend, “This is my wealthy great-grandfather.” The friend asked, “What did he do?” Durg replied, “He founded the family.” The friend asked again, “Er, but what did he do?” The man maintained, “I told you, he founded the family.” The friend finally asked, “I mean, what did he do at day time?”

Very often, if we look back, we will find that there is nothing worthwhile mentioning about the long life that we have lived. False prestige and family pride keeps us going. We should try and serve humanity in some way worth mentioning.

Ask The Master: 10 Nov 2007

Q. What is love?

Such a deceptively simple question, but watch how deep it takes you!
What is ordinarily known as love is no more than the mischief of hormones. It works on the push and pull of greed, fear, anger and jealousy. To love in this manner, to be a victim of the havoc wrought by our hormones and our minds, must be hell indeed!

But most of us can imagine nothing beyond the selfish little love we give and take all our lives. To understand the true meaning of love, we must first understand the nature of man.

Man is a ‘triple entity’ of sorts, composed of intellect, emotion and being. The innermost core, the atman or self, is beyond them all.

When the light of the atman floods the intellect, the intellect is showered with energy and is transformed into intelligence. When the atman works through emotion, emotion is purified and expressed as trust. When the atman touches the being, the being flowers in love. Love is the ultimate blossoming of consciousness. It is the ultimate possibility available to us.

______________________
This excerpt has been taken from the book: Uncommon Answers to Common Questions

Joke Of The Day: 10 Nov 2007

A man had stayed a bachelor with his mother for more than thirty years and didn’t want to get married, for fear of offending her. His friends however insisted and he got married without his mother’s knowledge. After keeping it away from her for a few months, he decided to let her into it. “Ma,” he said, “I have a confession to make. I got married six months back without your knowledge or blessings.” He hung his head in shame. His mother glared at him in disbelief. “What?” she cried out, “You mean to say that you’ve been married six months and I am still waking up at five to pack your food!”

Today, Love is more like a business deal. Estimating it at more than that might give disappointment. True love is that which gives everything and asks for nothing!

FLASH NEWS: 9 Nov 2007

Montclair, CA, USA. 3:14 p.m.: Hindu Temple holds opening ceremonies in Montclair
Neil Nisperos
Courtesy: Inland Valley, Daily Bulletin.


MONTCLAIR - The first Hindu Temple in Montclair history opened today in ceremony steeped in symbolic ritual and centuries-old tradition.

Paramahamsa Nithyananda, a noted Hindu swami, led the ceremony at the new 24,000-square-foot Nithyananda Vedic Temple and Vedic Sciences University from 7:30 to 9 a.m. Friday at 9720 N. Central Ave.

With a hand bell, a flaming lamp and a vase filled with sacred water, the spiritual leader consecrated a meditation numerous deity statues made of marble and black granite that adorned a large, colorful meditation hall.

One large statue, of the Hindu deity Venkateshwara, stood 12-feet-tall, while several others, including the familiar multi-armed, dancing Hindu statue of Nataraja towered over about 500 people who came to celebrate and worship at the grand opening at the former church.

The deity statues included the 24 Tirthankaras, or enlightened masters of Jainism, and one of Buddha.

The music of Indian flutes and drums filled the hall as a smiling Nithyananda motioned the lamp around each deity and then toward devotees who raised their hands toward the light.

"Everything in the universe is made up of the five elements of fire, water, air, ether and earth," said Ma Ananda Vibhooti, a Nithyananda devotee. "When we are worshiping, we are worshiping through these five elements."

Umesh Hari, of Houston, Texas, traveled to the opening in Montclair with his wife and two children.

"We're very blissful because the cosmic energy here is omnipresent," Hari said of the temple.

The Montclair temple will provide free vegetarian food to the public every day, free medical advice once a month, as well as courses in everything from yoga and meditation to traditional Indian architecture.

Nithyananda's goal is to spread Indian religious culture - the Vedic tradition - throughout the world. The swami has missions in 34 countries and counts 1.2 million initiated disciples worldwide, said Nithyananda devotee Sevakananda Nithya.

The Montclair temple is Nithyananda's flagship mission in California, he said.

Ask The Master: 9 Nov 2007

Q. Is meditation a practical alternative for today’s generation?

Of course. Especially in today’s society, when stress is too much, family relationships are failing, meditation can make a tremendous difference. And it doesn’t require too much of your time and effort. These days everybody is too busy to worry about spirituality. I understand! But keep aside at least half an hour every day for meditation – any meditation is fine. It is not necessary that you should follow the techniques I am giving you. Follow whatever suits you best, whatever you feel tuned to. You will surely see a transformation, not only in your own life, but also in the ways you reach out to others and bring about a definite change in society.

______________________
This excerpt has been taken from the book: Uncommon Answers to Common Questions

Joke Of The Day: 9 Nov 2007

Once a man charged his manager saying that there was a fifty-rupee shortfall in his pay cover. The manager verified his records and said to him, “Sorry sir, but last time we seem to have paid you fifty rupees more, how come you didn’t complain then?” The man replied, “Well, one mistake I can forgive, but not two in a row.”

Honesty is often conveniently traded for wit! It is alright when done jocularly.

FLASH NEWS: 8 Nov 2007

LIVE, Shiva Sutra Discourses (On the web). Subscribe to watch the complete Shiva Sutra discourses delivered by Paramahamsa Nithyananda in Nov-Dec, 2007 [calendar] at the new Vedic Temple Montclair, CA [temple homepage], LIVE ON THE WEB [video streaming site].

Shiva Sutra is the dialog between Shiva and His consort Devi, where Shiva reveals to Her, meditation techniques for attaining the state of enlightenment.

Subscription Page.



You are also welcome to attend these discourses at the new Vedic Temple Montclair, CA [map] free of cost. In doing so, you will have an opportunity to be blessed by Nithyananda personally, and also (subject to time availability) perform meditations (based on the discourse sutra) under his guidance.

Timings: Nov 10th to Dec 5th 2007 daily (7PM to 10PM on weekdays, & 11AM to 2PM on Saturdays and Sundays).

Ask The Master: 8 Nov 2007

Q. Why do enlightened masters also promote rituals?

The misery of man is that when great truths are presented in a simple manner, he refuses to accept them. He can only understand complicated rituals because the mind is complicated, and it loves complicated things.

If I ask people to do half an hour of meditation, just sitting silently, they cannot do it. But if I ask someone to do 108 pradakshina (circumambulation) of a certain temple, they will do it happily, because doing complicated things gives much ego-satisfaction. But enlightened masters are not concerned with the methods, they are only concerned with results. While you are busy doing rituals, your mind is engaged in that. At that time, your inner being is left open to me, and I can give you whatever I have to offer. It is a subtle technique. The mind that questions, the mind that resists, is kept engaged in some other activity. Then my actual message is allowed to sink into you. At least in this way, if I can get through to the maximum people, if I can benefit them, then so be it! To enter into meditation for its own sake requires a very mature mind. It requires an elevation in the maturity level of society as a whole. But it is happening. Slowly but surely, around the world, a subtle change is happening.

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This excerpt has been taken from the book: Uncommon Answers to Common Questions

Joke Of The Day: 8 Nov 2007

A lady’s car stopped in the middle of the road and a man was right behind her honking furiously. Try as she could, the car refused to start. The man was honking ruthlessly. The lady got out of her car, went up to him and said, “Sir, I’m sorry, but I am unable to start my car. You think you can get my car to start while I lean on your horn?”

Some people need to be invited for an exchange offer for them to realize the luxury they are in!

Ask The Master: 7 Nov 2007

Q. We hear stories of many miracles performed by various masters, like predicting the future. How does this happen?

Let me give you an example. Suppose you are standing at the side of a busy road. Look on either side of you. You can see the movement of traffic for say, 200 metres.

Now suppose you climb onto the terrace of a nearby house. You will be able to see the movement of traffic for a much further distance, will you not? In the same way, the ordinary mind can perceive the past and future only in a very limited way. The elevated consciousness (that comes after enlightenment) can see infinitely further into both past and future. It is a simple thing. The truth is always simple. The only thing is, the ordinary mind can’t comprehend these things, so it seems like a miracle. Jnaanis (masters) and jnaanshakti (the energy of enlightenment) don’t have any limitations of time and space. That is how so many of my patients get healed in countries which I have never or even visited. All over the world, people who have never seen me before, see visions of me in their meditation.

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This excerpt has been taken from the book: Uncommon Answers to Common Questions

Joke Of The Day: 7 Nov 2007

Once a man woke up to find himself in the hospital with his friend sitting beside him. Shocked he asked him, “What happened last night?” Sadly his friend replied, “You know, at last night’s party, after drinking too much you declared that you were going to parachute down from the fourth floor through the window.” The man exclaimed, “And why didn’t you stop me you fool?” Replied his friend, “Because last night, I thought you could do it!”

Just like how liquor blurs our senses, our ignorance blurs our intelligence. It needs to penetrate through this mist of ignorance in order to perceive the Truth. Meditation is the key to this!

Ask The Master: 6 Nov 2007

Q.[Journalist] Up to the 1970s, many spiritual institutions were doing excellent service in maintaining the places of culture and religion, temples, sacred books, etc. But this has declined. Is it due to external interference?

Again, since agnosticism has taken hold of society, the number of people who come for this service has drastically decreased. Instead of removing the flaws in the system, the whole system itself has been destroyed. It is a sad thing ultimately for society itself. It doesn’t realize that.

Try to understand the reality of whatever I am saying. Whether you use these ideas in this article or not, try and follow it in your own life. Use your pen to spread these ideas to the public. It is your privilege and your duty.

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This excerpt has been taken from the book: Uncommon Answers to Common Questions

Joke Of The Day: 6 Nov 2007

A man and his friend was discussing the latter’s handwriting. The man said to his friend, “You have to seriously improve your writing for people to be able to decipher it.” The friend replied, “Oh no! My sister used my letter as a leave request form first, then modified it a little and used it as a pass to a magic show and now plays it as a song on her piano!”

Creativity can be used as a tool or as a weapon. It depends on the person nurturing it!

Joke Of The Day: 5 Nov 2007

Once a man admitted his wife in the hospital for a surgery and waited impatiently outside. He saw the doctor come out of the operation theater, take a hammer and go back in. Almost immediately, he saw him come out again, take a screw driver and go back in. The third time the doctor came out and he couldn’t take it anymore. He begged to him, “Doctor, what are you doing to my wife? Is it this serious?” The Doctor replied with a puzzled look, “But…we are still trying to open my medical kit.”

Man hardly needs tools to kindle his imagination. Imagination for self-improvement is the only welcome form of it.

Ask The Master: 5 Nov 2007

Q. [Journalist] I once surrendered to a guru but it didn’t work out...

Did you really surrender?

Q. Well, I tried my best to surrender.

One thing you need to understand. When you say you tried your best to surrender, it means surrender did not happen. If surrender had truly happened, this question, this doubt would not be there. It is only a way to hide confusion and hypocrisy.

We all happily keep some beautiful idea of religion in our minds, but carry on with our practical life in any which way we please. Religion is something you have to tune your whole life to; it is not a part-time amusement.

The truth is, whatever life you are leading, that is your true religion. It may be money, it may be power, it may be sex. That is your religion. That is why you are living your whole life according to that ideology!

Do you understand? Try and find out just what your religion actually is. To keep your ideology and your life separate is hypocrisy. Whatever you call your religion, you must be willing to practice it completely in your life.

Q. But I had a strong belief in this particular guru’s ideology. Still...

See, I told you, religion is not that which remains a belief. It should turn into your very life. To keep religion and life separate is a kind of schizophrenia. Hypocrisy takes over our being. If you believe that a certain way of life or a certain ideology is right, you should be willing to transform your whole life in that way. Otherwise, search for whatever you feel is the truth.

Something that does not change your life cannot be the truth to you. If something is the real truth, a mere touch itself can transform your life. If it doesn’t transform you from within, let go of it. Don’t hold on and complain. That ideology was not the right one for you, that’s all.

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This excerpt has been taken from the book: Uncommon Answers to Common Questions

Words From The Master: 4 Nov 2007

Stop your mind and get off

Our mind is a minefield; it is a madhouse; it is a monkey.

The only thing certain about our mind is its absolute uncertainty. The only thing factual about our mind is that it is totally and absolutely illogical, irrational, random and unconnected.

If we were to sit down and pen our thoughts over even five minutes with no editing, we would think that these belong to a madman. There would be no logical sequence, as one would assume in our mind’s working.

Thoughts flit through our mind, past to future, future to past, back and forth. At one level, it is thoughts, ideas, and concepts. At another level it is memories of past experiences leading to anticipation of future possibilities. Then there are dialogues and rehearsals about how we could have done things better and how we should do things better. Imaginations, fantasies, and dreams follow. Then follow a spate of emotions from lust, greed and anger through fears and jealousy to discontent.

There is always in the background a constant chattering noise of worries.

We have no control over any of these activities of our mind. The more we try and control the more vigorously the thoughts that we try to control break out.

Just imagine a situation if someone tells you not to think of a monkey. The only certainty then would be that you would think of nothing but monkeys!

Suppression of thoughts is impossible. It only ensures creation of more such thoughts. That is why people trying to follow the path of renunciation and celibacy as monks and priests erupt into behavior patterns that they so desperately try to suppress.

All that you can do to stop your mind is to refuse to get involved in its shenanigans. Watch your thoughts as if you are an observer, without getting involved, without being an actor in the drama. Watch your thoughts as you would watch clouds in the sky with no involvement. Your mind loses interest, your thoughts will slow down and you will move towards a no mind zone. You need to say, stop; I want to get off.

Meditation leads you into the awareness to stay uninvolved with your thought process. It helps you stay in the present moment, without being tossed to and fro into the past and future. Meditation alone can still your mind.

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This article was earlier published in the Economic Times, an Indian newspaper.

Ask The Master: 4 Nov 2007

Q.[Journalist] Because of a few wrongdoers in saffron robes, the image of sadhus has been tainted…

OK, let me ask you a question. When Harshad Mehta – I am sure you remember him from the Mumbai stock-market scam – when he cheated the country of millions, he was wearing trousers and shirt. Does that mean that everyone wearing trousers and a shirt is a Harshad Mehta? And if you think so, is that the fault of those who wear those clothes, or a fault in your perception? There have been cases where hundreds of false doctors have been arrested for defrauding the public. So do you now look at every doctor with suspicion? Have you stopped going to the doctor? COME OUT! Forget the old arguments. These are just escape routes.

The spiritual masters don’t lose anything because of your ignorance. If you miss me, you lose me, that’s all. In every field there will be frauds. Use your intelligence, check out and choose properly, instead of denouncing the whole community as frauds. Because of this misconception, even the genuine masters are not recognized.

See now, how much clearing work I have to do – sorting out your false concepts, working past your prejudices, giving proof, etc., etc. I have to establish my credentials first before I can get to the point and give you the new religion, which is spirituality. It is a gradual change, but it must happen. Our social concepts about spiritual figures have to change. Otherwise the masters will be forced to turn their attention to countries where people are ready to receive their message with an open mind. That will mark the decline of the Indian society.

See, you are journalists. You are going to carry this message to society. Before you do that, I want you to be very clear about what I am saying. I want to know whether you yourself are convinced about what I say. If not, question it. Please question it.

The only thing is, keep an open mind. Don’t come with your prejudice and foregone conclusions. Alright, so are you convinced?

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This excerpt has been taken from the book: Uncommon Answers to Common Questions