Namaskar Below are some aspects regarding spirituality that should be of interest. Regards Dharma --- Can one explain spiritual realisation? When performing spiritual practices sincerely one always get something positive out of them (even with clashes) and one always becomes better than one used to be. Spiritual practices (as compared to religious dogma) leads a person to become a better person. Spiritual realisation is a personal experience, one can talk about it but it's not the same. You have to be there to realize it, and when you are there, there is no mind to argue about your experience. You are there, period, and it's beyond belief or disbelief, there is no mind in that state. It's just ... When you come back to relativity your mind gets flooded with indescribable blissful experiences and you wonder and say to yourself, "I think I was somewhere." And again, you become more loving and a much better person, than you used to be. Now this is the language, but what is the experience. Language is merely a medium of exchange. It is not the idea itself. It is like a system of currency for exchanging thoughts. Some people’s mother tongue is not English. They may not express themselves clearly in this current lingua franca. Patience is required to try to understand each other. Sometimes we don’t understand each other even when we both speak the same language. Take this as part of the fun of communicating. Working out the puzzles. No use to get insulted when we find out two minutes later that no insult was intended. No use to insult others for not understanding us when perhaps we ourselves were not very clear in the first place. Didi Ananda Bharati used to say, “Life is a bundle of misunderstandings.” It seems more true every day. --- The subtlety required in realising 'Self' is far beyond the senses, and so requires proof through conceptual means alone or ideation or thought stillness. I wonder what the "me" is. We talk incessantly of the "self", the "centre", the "soul" and we talk of "God". What are these things? The container is bigger than the contained. If it is not so, how can it contain? There is nothing bigger than the Supreme All Pervading Soul, hence it cannot have a container. Unit being/soul and Supreme Soul bear a relative difference. In the unit being, there are two types of I-feeling - one is its egoistic mind and other is the reflection of the state of Knowledge of the Supreme Soul. The reflection is the unit being's own pure 'I-feeling' (which makes it seem to be a unit soul when in reality unit soul and Supreme Soul are one and the same). Is the light different from its original source? Is there a relationship of the sustainer and the sustained. The difference between unit soul and Supreme Soul (God) exists only so long as there is the 'I- feeling' of the unit soul - so as to be a differentiated consciousness What is the relationship between unit soul and Supreme Soul? All the different levels of unit mind are the base of the unit soul (the apex), i.e. from instinctual level to intuitional levels of mind. The relationship between the base and the based is that of a subject and an object. As for instance, the physical body is the object of enjoyment and the mind is its enjoyer, i.e. our body is the object of enjoyment of our mind and the mind remains attached to it. The body is the base of the mind hence the mind is intimately attached to its base. The pure 'I-feeling' is the subtlest state of the mind. Every unit soul has the pure 'I-feeling'. Where the Supreme Soul assumes a special 'I-feeling' it becomes a unit soul. Where the Supreme Soul remains as the knower 'I' of you, we call it your soul but it is the same as the Supreme Soul. The Supreme Soul is omni-telepathic in this regard. --- Savikalpa samadhi and nirvikalpa samadhi When the universal mind of the universal Consciousness becomes the object of the unit mind we call this state savikalpa samadhi. Where there is no anxiety about the "I" and no desire to preserve the separate identity of the "I", then a state of complete freedom from objects or thoughts is achieved. This state is called, salvation, or nirvikalpa samadhi. So, when the mind merges in Supreme Consciousness (Supreme Soul - Parama'tman), we call that state nirvikalpa samadhi [indeterminate absorption]. When, however, the mind reaches Parama'tman, but instead of merging in it merges in the Mind of Parama'tman, we call that state savikalpa sama'dhi [determinate absorption]. Because there is 'anxiety' about the I, i.e. because of the observer syndrome, at best this implies savikalpa samadhi, when one achieves intense spiritual absorption. In nirvikalpa samadhi, all is lost. Spiritual samadhis (absorptions) relate to when love for God becomes so intense that the spiritual aspirant forgets everything else in the universe, including themselves - they attain spiritual samadhi. --- "The Real and the Unreal Knowledge" by Shrii Shrii A'nandam'urti All physical, physico-psychic, psychic, and psycho-physical knowledge is not knowledge, but the confusion of knowledge. When humans realize that that so -called knowledge is of no value to them, then alone do they surrender to Parama Purus'a [Cosmic Cognition]. As long as people have the desire to acquire all relative knowledge, and try to do so, those people think themselves to be persons of letters, and refuse to surrender at the feet of Cosmic Cognition. When people's vanity becomes powdered down by different blows, they realize that their approach to knowledge was a defective one. Then they surrender, and their egos are dashed to pieces. The greatest knowledge in the realm of physicality and mentality is that all the knowledge acquired by one so far is false. This physical knowledge is like the leaf of a shala tree [a tall evergreen with large leaves] on which people take meals. As long as you have not eaten, there is value in the leaf, but the moment you have finished your meal, the leaf goes into the dust bin to be licked by the street dogs. When you come to realize that this physical knowledge of yours is only worth licking by a dog, then devotion will arise in you. Then you will acquire true knowledge. What is the nature of the psycho -spiritual approach through which one acquires spirituo-psychic knowledge? When the physical mind reaches the zenith of subtlety, that is known as physico -psychic knowledge. There the value of physico-psychic knowledge starts. When one is established in psychic knowledge, then there is the expression of the psycho -physical in it. Likewise, when psychic knowledge reaches the zenith of subtlety, it comes in contact with spirituality, and the point where spiritual knowledge or spirituo -psychic knowledge functions in the mental scope, is alone said to be spirituo-psychic knowledge. As matter is made to be the end of life in acquiring physical knowledge (fit to be thrown into the dust bin), so for acquiring spiritual knowledge, Parama'tman should be made the end. Then alone will people get real knowledge. How is it possible to make Parama'tman the end of your life? Parama'tman is the subject for the whole of the Cosmos, and the latter is His object. He is the Supreme Subjectivity, you are His object. It is not possible to make Him your object, as you are His object. Then what to do? You have to take the ideation that He is always witnessing you. The wise do not take Parama'tman as their object exactly, but rather think that they are being witnessed by Him. "Parama'tman is not my object ; I am the object of Parama'tman." When this feeling is constantly there, always there, in a person, the name of this stage is dhruvasmrti. That you are the object of Parama'tman is known to you, but you do not remember this all the time. When through sa'dhana' a person never forgets that Parama'tman is always witnessing him or her, this is named dhruvasmrti. This alone is spiritual knowledge. In this stage alone does a person get true knowledge. This spiritual knowledge can be translated into the mental sphere as well as into the physical sphere. If a person is willing to translate it, he or she should do so, for that will bring a lot of good to the world. This alone is real knowledge. With this alone, progress is possible. The most learned person is one who understands that he or she is not at all learned. You are spiritual aspirants. You must always remember that physico -psychic knowledge is needed only in the physical world. But when [spiritual knowledge ] is acquired in individual life, then it is no longer required. This very spiritual knowledge is alone devotion; that is, knowledge finally transforms itself into devotion after constant efforts; that is, when knowledge realizes that nothing is to be effected by it, then alone does it surrender to devotion. When knowledge surrenders to devotion, that is spiritual knowledge. Hence, remember that once you have got devotion, you have got everything. If Parama'tman asked you your demand, you should demand nothing, and if at all God is pleased to give you something, you should ask for para'bhakti [absolute devotion]. A'nanda Vacana'mrtam Part 23 --- No Need of Cynicism Devotion leads humanity towards the stage of subtlety, and finally ensconces a person in the state of supreme bliss. That is why in the scriptures devotion has also been called pus't'i ma'rga, that is, a path by which all of human existence becomes spiritually strengthened: the mind becomes more stable, one realizes more and more spiritual bliss -- in a word, the whole of human existence becomes blissful. Otherwise, in the absence of devotion, life seems to lack rhythm. It becomes dull, dreary and miserable. So if human beings become more extroversal, they ultimately lose their internal treasure. It is just like a sprout shooting from a palm seed. The sprout grows fast externally, but inside there is emptiness. First the kernel becomes porous, then gradually the whole seed begins to fall apart bit by bit, and finally it loses its existence altogether in the earth. At present, in most of the countries of the world, cynicism* is becoming rampant. * Cynicism results when the internal aspect of life is neglected. While moving forward and working in individual life, people sometimes become tired; this happens to everyone. Even the women of the house while working continuously sometimes complain of their daily drudgery. "We can no longer tolerate this monotony." Those who are employed in factories also say, "We cannot bear this drab and dull existence any longer." Every day they come and go in the same boring way, and because of this continuous monotony, people lose all interest in life. They become totally dissatisfied with the world, and their minds become assailed with cynicism. At that time some one should say, "Why do you worry? You should not be anxious or dejected -- you must not feel sick at heart. You have your physical strength, you have your hands and feet to work and walk, you have your intelligence. If necessary you should take rest for a while. There is no reason to become frustrated in life." Mere movement is not the only characteristic of life; the second characteristic is buoyancy of spirit. Not only should people move, but they should also move in such a way that shows they are full of vitality, so that the throbbing pulse of their lives will be a source of inspiration to others. This is the true characteristic of life. Human beings always need inspiration from their fellow humans. Thus one should say to others, "Why do you waste your time in idle pursuits? You should throw yourself into a maelstrom of activities. Why do you worry about the success or failure of your work? If you fail, I am there to help you, I am with you. You needn't worry in the least." Those sick and disappointed people should be exhorted with these sorts of inspiring words. You should bear in mind that pessimism or the complex of hopelessness is not the essence of this universe; optimism is the goal of the universal humanity. So in no circumstances should cynicism or nihilism be encouraged; rather when the righteous and virtuous people of this world sit together and decide what should and should not be done, they will certainly find the proper path. P R Sarkar --- Revolutionary yantras as fractals by Dharmadeva In the case of particles, and so also in the case of actions or events, the behaviour can be extrapolated to waves representing the movement of the collective psychology of a society. This social movement can take the form of either revolution or counter-revolution. These wild or erratic movements are perceived to be uncontrolled or anarchistic However, they are distinct portions of the collective psychology in that there is a certain clash and cohesion going on in the attempt to settle a new paradigm (or re-establish a past reaction in the case of counter movement) in the society in which the events find their substantiation and by its own inherent dynamism to influence or control that society. All things have significance. Indeed it does not seem charisma of personalities, the intrigue of dictators, or the compassion of great saints appear historically the cause of great changes. When this process is guided by good it can be enlightening and beautiful. When it is consumed by ignorance it is demonic and ugly. These are waves in the collective psychology. A fractal is a pattern which repeats itself endlessly in similar ways. It does not have to be regular, but can be irregular and apparently unpredictable. Fractals can exist on a macroscopic to microscopic level and in either case reveal pattern of convolutions. Fractals are everywhere in nature. Likewise, it would be expected that fractal behaviour manifests itself in the collective human psychology. There is a connection between fractals and chaos theory, which is that if a particle is moving in a confined region of space according to a definite deterministic law, following the path traced out by the event, we are likely to observe that it settles down to one of three possible behaviours - the geometrical description of which is called an attractor. The particle may be attracted to a final resting position (like, for example the manifestative and systaltic pauses as it gradually settles down to rest). In this case, the attractor is just a point - the resting position of the event. Or the particle may settle down in a periodic cycle. Here the attractor is an ellipse and the future motion can be predicted with astonishingly high accuracy as far ahead as we want. The last possibility is that the particle may continue to move wildly and erratically while, nevertheless, remaining in some bounded region of space. This phenomenon is the signal of chaotic motion. The regions of space traced out by such motions are called strange attractors. Once a particle is attracted to a strange attractor there is no escaping. Almost anywhere you start inside the attractor, the point moves, on the average, in the same way, Although the motion is specified by precise laws, for all practical purposes, the particle behaves as if it were moving randomly. The interesting point here is that strange attractors are very frequently fractals. A very small initial difference could enormously change the future state of the system. This became known as the butterfly effect' from the title of Lorenz's 1979 paper 'Predictability: Does the Flap of a Butterfly's Wings in Brazil Set Off a Tornado in Texas?' Chaos is beautiful. This is no accident, but does this interpret as meaning both that causation does not exist ('nature is chaotic') and, simultaneously, that chains of causation are so rigid that a butterfly's wing can cause a tornado. All science is founded on the assumption that the physical world is ordered. The most powerful expression of this order is found in the laws of physics. Nobody knows where these laws come from, nor why they apparently operate universally and unfailingly, but we see them at work all around us: in the rhythm of night and day, the pattern of planetary motions, the regular ticking of a clock (albeit invented). The ordered dependability of nature is not, however, ubiquitous. The vagaries of the weather, the devastation of an earthquake, or the fall of a meteorite seem to be arbitrary and fortuitous. The ancient Greek philosophers regarded the world as a battle-ground between the forces of order, producing cosmos, and those of disorder, which led to chaos. They believed that random or disordering processes were negative, evil influences. Hence all things have significance. The same with thoughts within the collective psychology of society. One thought can set off a pattern, A powerful thought can and will orient itself as a strange attractor and others will be attracted to it, while the thought itself is headed towards its own objective, i.e. its own mission (often seen as a strange attractor). Strongly benevolent thoughts and their related strange attractors are seen to be strange, but are the real movers and shakers of the society. These are exceptional thoughts from exceptional people.