(a special 'samashti bhiksha' was hosted for pujya guruji, swami tejomayanandaji, by chinmaya mission mumbai as part of the 50th year celebrations of pujya guruudev's first yagna in mumbai in 1957. the satsang was arranged at maheshwari udyan, andheri west, mumbai at 11 am on 16th december 2007. shri parindra kadakia gave a short welcome address and floral tributes were offered to guruji by the yajamans of the day. this was followed by a paduka puja of gurudev's padukas. guruji then addressed the gathering. the following is a synopsis of the talk.)
what was the purpose of this satsang? to meet everyone who were missed out at the three mega-yagnas organised in south mumbai, borivali and navi mumbai.
i hadn't thought of what i'll say when i meet you but something came to my mind a while ago. i assume everyone assembled here is associated with the chinmaya mission. associated in some way or the other. what does this association mean? what should we do?
i am reminded of a verse from the 12th chapter of the bhagwad geeta - shreyo hi gyanamabhyasaat, gyanaatdhyaanam vishishyate. dhyanaat karma phala tyaagaha, tyaggatchchantiranantaram. (verse 12, chapter 12).
study is good, but better is knowledge. meditation is superior to knowledge, and sacrifice of the fruits of action is superior to meditation. and this is because it gives peace of mind.
there is no peace of mind in acquiring or hoarding but in sacrifice. eg. if we take anger as an example; to get rid of anger we must sacrifice it. there are two ways of giving it up - one is to give vent to it and the second way is to overcome it through knowledge. similarly with any desire. and therefore there is peace of mind.
this was in a spiritual context. now let us apply this in the context of chinmaya mission.
in the mission there are many workers from all backgrounds, all doing some work eg. bala-vihar, chyk, committees, events, projects, etc. everybody is doing some work. but if we were to ask why they are working or what is the purpose, they do not know.
eg. why do you take a bal-vihar class? what is the benefit? it is not for 'baby sitting' the children! yes, the children are taught stories, shlokas, bhajans, etc. but do the sevaks know the relevance of bal-vihars? how do i benefit? what are the future benefits? how is it related to the chinmaya mission?
similarly with other activities. some people are office-bearers but still do not know the purpose!
whatever we are doing is service to the chinmaya mission or it is a personal sadhana. but if we know what is the purpose then it is even better.
the second aspect is to give it attention. to be focused or to be absorbed in it - dhyana. the more we get absorbed in it, the more we enjoy.
so we have to plunge whole-heartedly in it, which is the equivalent of getting absorbed in it. not attempt 'half-heartedly' or 'quarter-heartedly'! not 'heartlessly' either!
the next aspect is 'karma phala tyaaga'. karma phala is of two types -
1. gross benefits - rewards, wealth, etc.
2. subtler benefits - recognition, praise, etc.
i remember when i was posted in the us from 1989-1993, i used to always be with pujya gurudev whenever he had camps in the us. at one such camp in san diego, because of gurudev's heart condition, i was handling all the sessions except one session by gurudev. there used to be a banquet on the second-last day of the camp. the organisers thanked everyone for all the work and contribution. everyone was thanked except me. this is something you can't help but notice. i noticed it.
gurudev was then asked to give his blessings. he started off by saying, 'you thanked all, but not the one who covered me'! that’s when i felt that it was good that the person giving the vote of thanks forgot to thank me. because then he remembered!
adi shankaracharya says that we should not have desire even for moksha. only then will we have peace of mind.
giving up desires is possible when we have love, prem, bhakti. eg. parent's love for children.
now pujya gurudev started this mission. what was the purpose? he taught vedanta because this knowledge changes our lives. it converts us from ordinary lives to brahman - infinite! therefore he always used to say - 'you change'. the main objective was inner transformation! remove ignorance and darkness and convert it into creativity and inspiration.
in bal-vihar the main objective is to infuse 'sanskar (values)' in them. there are many people who have a car, but not many with 'sanskar'! and without these sanskars in our children we'll hear more news like the ones about kids with guns in school!
so bal-vihar is not only about time-pass/ games/ stories, but it is mainly about 'sanskar'. and for chyks it mainly about discussing/thinking about these sanskars. in study groups some people want a lecture or a video show. it is supposed be a session of discussion and mananam. (some people do not read and prepare for class. they leave their books behind in class itlsef. and then they complain that the class is not interesting).
in allahabad, once a mission secretary went to pujya gurudev and asked him how to make study groups interesting. gurudev asked him to fetch a notebook and take down notes. he then said 'fetch dancing girls from benares'! then he explained that study groups can't be made interesting by making external changes. if you study and understand then it automatically becomes interesting. so the focus is to study and focus on oneself.
similarly, the idea of a bhajan group is not only to sing and 'make noise', but to increase our devotion to the lord.
and the objective of the vanaprastha sansthan is not to sit and complain, or go on spritual picnics!
at a vanaprastha camp i was asked to speak. so i told them i would speak since they asked me to. but i also said that i know that they would not follow a single thing i say. they wouldn't believe me. so i asked them to stop drinking tea and eating fried foods. stop attending all social functions like marriages. and then one person said, 'but i am planning to get married myself since i want some company'! look for god's company. similarly nobody wants to take up sanyas. vanaprastha is when we are supposed to slowly give up things and focus on puja, japa, etc.
gyana yagnas are supposed to let maximum number of people know about this knowledge of vedanta. and to let people know about all the activities of the mission.
similarly in chinmaya vibhuti the objective is to light the lamp of spirituality within ourselves and then spread it among others. in sidhabari gurudev used to ask us symbolically light a lamp and place it on the map.
the project in kharghar, chinmaya prerna, is a project of all chinmaya mission members in mumbai. we must all help each other and thus grow. it is a project which will benefit lakhs of people.
and for chinmaya mission this is not a big project, nor is it too difficult. if everyone works together, it will happen.
so whatever we do, we do with understanding, with focus/dedication and with no expectations. then there will truly be peace.
we must move from being a 'bhakta' (admirer) to a shishya (to study/learn) and then finally to a 'sevak' (life-long service)!
we bow down to pujya gurudev who inspires all the chinmaya mission members.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Q&A with guruji - 3rd dec 07
(guruji, swami tejomayanandaji, was invited to deliver a talk titled 'can ambition and contentment co-exist?' by the EO/YPO chapter in mumbai on 3rd december 2007. the synopsis of the talk is available here. the talk was followed by a short Q&A session which is roughly reproduced here.)
Q : today is a materialistic world. there are two types of people. the first type who want to achieve at any cost and the second type who have nobler goals. the first person gets more and feels contented (maybe its ignorance). the second person loses out and becomes dissatisfied. what's your advice to the second person.
A : remember, the law is, 'you have to pay the price for anything in life'.
a person who bull-dozes his way through to apparent success ends up making more enemies. in such situations there will also be revolt.
and in the case of the second person if he cannot compete and feels doubtful then there is some problem with his belief. he would believe that in such a situation it is better to be dishonest!
sometimes we have this notion that if we share then we will get more and that we can 'encash' it immediately. but it is not instant.
in business 'wealth of credibility' is the true wealth.
immediate success can be gained by wrong means. but what we notice is that we may applaud what one 'has' but finally respect what one 'is'.
patience is the key requirement. if you feel sad and doubtful then there is something wrong.
its like saying that i have never taken a bribe in my whole life. but the truth is that you either didn't get an opportunity or were too scared to accept it. so its not really tested.
you have to remain steadfast. and therefore it means you have to pay the price.
even i today's world honesty and loyalty are still highly respected. we may be dishonest in our dealings to get ahead, but we expect honesty from others.
so the advice is - remain steadfast and don't get carried away by immediate results.
Q : no matter what we do in life it doesn't matter. we ultimately die and are forgotten. should we have any ambition?
A : the question doesn't arise.
- if you have ambitions, then even if you say you don't have you will still be driven by your ambition
- and if a person don't have any, then saying 'you should' will still not shake him!
you will always have desire. it only natural. it will always be there.
if you ask me, then i would say one should have ambition. when you have ambition, you grow. if we use our faculties they grow. swami chinmayananda used to say, 'if you rest you rust'. our BMI (body-mind-equipment) equipment also needs to be used so that it grows. so even materialistic ambitions are useful to help this growth.
but we also have to grow out of it. similarly we have to grow from 'materialistic' goals to 'non-materialisic' ones.
so remember -
1. you will always have desires and ambition
2. if you have them, you can't say don't have them
3. use them to grown and fulfil oneself and serve others also.
Q : how does one achieve bliss and realisation?
A :
1. by self-knowledge (the highest level)
2. make someone else happy (most practical). help any person. do whatever you can do.
3. do not become a slave of your senses and negativities like anger. be the master.
a related question is 'how to have lot of fun in life'?
by being serious. by thinking deeply and living a life of depth and meaning. not being shallow. be like the deep sea and not a shallow pnd which dries up!
-----------------------------
Q : today is a materialistic world. there are two types of people. the first type who want to achieve at any cost and the second type who have nobler goals. the first person gets more and feels contented (maybe its ignorance). the second person loses out and becomes dissatisfied. what's your advice to the second person.
A : remember, the law is, 'you have to pay the price for anything in life'.
a person who bull-dozes his way through to apparent success ends up making more enemies. in such situations there will also be revolt.
and in the case of the second person if he cannot compete and feels doubtful then there is some problem with his belief. he would believe that in such a situation it is better to be dishonest!
sometimes we have this notion that if we share then we will get more and that we can 'encash' it immediately. but it is not instant.
in business 'wealth of credibility' is the true wealth.
immediate success can be gained by wrong means. but what we notice is that we may applaud what one 'has' but finally respect what one 'is'.
patience is the key requirement. if you feel sad and doubtful then there is something wrong.
its like saying that i have never taken a bribe in my whole life. but the truth is that you either didn't get an opportunity or were too scared to accept it. so its not really tested.
you have to remain steadfast. and therefore it means you have to pay the price.
even i today's world honesty and loyalty are still highly respected. we may be dishonest in our dealings to get ahead, but we expect honesty from others.
so the advice is - remain steadfast and don't get carried away by immediate results.
Q : no matter what we do in life it doesn't matter. we ultimately die and are forgotten. should we have any ambition?
A : the question doesn't arise.
- if you have ambitions, then even if you say you don't have you will still be driven by your ambition
- and if a person don't have any, then saying 'you should' will still not shake him!
you will always have desire. it only natural. it will always be there.
if you ask me, then i would say one should have ambition. when you have ambition, you grow. if we use our faculties they grow. swami chinmayananda used to say, 'if you rest you rust'. our BMI (body-mind-equipment) equipment also needs to be used so that it grows. so even materialistic ambitions are useful to help this growth.
but we also have to grow out of it. similarly we have to grow from 'materialistic' goals to 'non-materialisic' ones.
so remember -
1. you will always have desires and ambition
2. if you have them, you can't say don't have them
3. use them to grown and fulfil oneself and serve others also.
Q : how does one achieve bliss and realisation?
A :
1. by self-knowledge (the highest level)
2. make someone else happy (most practical). help any person. do whatever you can do.
3. do not become a slave of your senses and negativities like anger. be the master.
a related question is 'how to have lot of fun in life'?
by being serious. by thinking deeply and living a life of depth and meaning. not being shallow. be like the deep sea and not a shallow pnd which dries up!
-----------------------------
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
satsang with guruji
(guruji, swami tejomayanandaji, was invited to deliver a talk titled 'can ambition and contentment co-exist?' by the EO/YPO chapter in mumbai on 3rd december 2007. the following post is a synopsis of the talk. the venue was the lawns of a house adjacent to the sea in worli and guruji spoke with the sea as the backdrop.)
it'a a pleasant evening and i'm glad to be with you.
a few days back niraj ambani invited me for this talk and we were discussing what should be the topic. after some deliberaion we came to this topic - 'can ambition and contentment co-exist?'.
this question arises because of a couple of reasons. when we look at the definition then there appears to be a contradiction.
'ambition' means a strong desire for something. it could be wealth or power or anything. and 'contentment' means being satisfied with what we have. so ambition presupposes dissatisfaction and therefore discontentment.
now different people might say different things. one may say,
'let there be a contradiction'.
'i've got ambition and no contentment, so what?'.
'i've got contentment and no ambition, so what?'.
if a person has only one then he has no conradiction.
so the two words appear contradictory.
if a person says 'i'm contented with my ambition', then there's no problem. but some people have a spiritual bent of mind and want to achieve something. but they tend to have a feeling of guilt.
because spirituality says that you should be contented. therefore there is conflict!
the question is - can the two co-exist so that there is no guilt? can i be ambitious about contentment or contented with ambitions?
(anecdote) once a very ambitious person went to the sea-side and saw a young man sitting under a tree and resting. the ambitious person felt agitated that this youngster is wasting his life and asked to do something, maybe buy and sell vegetables. the youngster had this nagging habit of saying 'and then?' to everything the ambitious person said.
young person (yp) : and then?
ambitious person (ap) : then you can get more money and open a bigger shop.
yp : and then?
ap : then you can become a merchant and open a chain of shops.
yp : and then?
ap : you can then start exporting also and your business will grow.
yp : and then?
ap : and then you can appoint managers, build a palace for yourself, etc.
yp : and then?
ap : and then you can sit back and relax.
yp : but that's what i am doing right now without having to go through this entire exercise!
we have to ask ourselves why this questions arises? and in whose mind? a person who feels that there is contradiction and wonders whether they can co-exist?
now lets look at it from a scriptural perspective. in most of the scriptures like gita we see that desire is not considered wrong. it takes strong desire to achieve something. anything we do is an expression of desire. therefore desire or ambition itself is not a problem.
there are various categories of desire :
1. spiritual desire
2. materialistic desire
3. base/vulgar/criminal desire
some people tend to love only base desires and is destructive to oneself and others. such a desire is universally condemned. it is below any human dignity. any human being wants to live and live happily. therefore one doesn't have the right to harm anyone or destroy their happiness.
therefore such desires are called base and undesirable.
when a person has a desire to help his or her own lot - i want to prosper; then it is not wrong in itself. such a person will be usually dissatisfied. which is not a problem as it motivates.
problem arises when this desire grows to such an extent that he becomes inconsiderate about other people's happiness and this then becomes uncontrollable greed.
there a few things we should always remember when it comes to materialistic desires.
desires are many and the desired objects are limited. therefore there is bound to jealousy and frustrations and disappointment, etc.
uncontrollable greed then prompts a person to 'kill and get killed' instead of 'live and let live'!
(anecdote) there were two neighbours. one was greedy while the other was jealous. the greedy person used to think that i should have more than my neighbour. and his neighbour would think, 'why should he have more?'
one day the greedy man found the jealous man in a temple doing tapas. so he also started doing tapas. lord shiva appeared before them and granted them a boon. but he said that only one person should ask and the other person would get twice what the first person asked. both didn't ask and waited for the other to ask. lord shiva got impatient and told them that have only two minutes left to ask their boon. so the jealous man promptly said. 'please make me blind in one eye!'.
this is why it is said that greed makes man blind. therefore all through history we see how greed destroys people, kingdoms and society. whenever you become over-ambitious then it becomes destructive greed. you may succeed for some time but finally people will revolt.
a slightly higher form of greed is where we think about what we can give to others. even here sometimes we see competition.
once a prosperous man wanted to be the top donor to a temple. so he gave a large amount, but later found out that he was only the second biggest donor. so he decided to increase his contribution. the two donors started competing till this man reached his limit. he felt sad that he could not giev more. so he asked himself what it is that he could give to feel satisfied? and then he remembered that he was a chain smoker. so he decided that from that moment he would give up smoking.
thats when he decided that he would not compete in giving more and more, but he would rather focus on growing up. then the joy and satisfaction he felt was unique.
one form of greed is 'acquiring' and the other is 'giving'. when there is a sense of competition then there is a problem.
but when the goal is non-material or spiritual (eg. to grow out of my weaknesses) then it is far greater.
eg. 10 people wanting something versus 10 people wanting peace of mind.
as the latter ambition grows we will feel more and more contented.
eg. when a function is arranged at your house everyone comes and enjoys. you feel full and you don't feel hungry
when your heart is full your need/greed/craving disappears.
such ambition and contentment can co-exist.
now contentment is of two types -
1. fullness of heart
2. contentment at physical level of fulfilling one's needs.
eg. a millionaire can wear only so many clothes or can eat only so much.
the ideal situation is when a person understands that his needs are minimum and is satisfied; but has an ambition that the world should be more and more contented.
in 'rudra sukata' in one section the rishis salute all gods, beings, etc. in the second section the rishis then ask for innumerable things. so we might wonder whether the rishis are driven by greed!
but the actual essence is that the rishi feels oneness with all and is therefore wishing for all beings to be more and more prosperous.
eg. parents feel that kids should get what they had not got and therefore desire more for their kids.
the satisfaction derived from such ambition is a different nature.
so one kind of contentment it is based on fullness of heart and spiritual goals. the other kind is content with minimum needs and wants.
the difference between an ignorant and a wise man is that :
a sense of incompleteness in the ignorant person prompts action to gain happiness. while a wise man's action arises from 'happiness'.
so a person who manages both, fullness in oneself, as he also thinks of how the world can be happier, is called a 'santusht' (happy or satisfied) person. such a person has found happiness within himself. such a person has minimum needs and thinks of the welfare of all.
this is seen in the examples of most great people - leaders, saints and politicians. eg. when lokamanya tilak was asked what post he would like to take up after freedomw. pat cam his response - a teacher.
similarly gandhiji's vision was to have contentment as well as the ambition and inspiration to lead such a life.
there are similar examples of great masters building organisations.
in such examples it was a case of rising from fullness rather than rising from incompleteness.
and fullness can come only from spiritual bliss. materialistic ambition cannot generate this.
so if we look at the question - can ambition and contentment co-exist? - then from a material perspective the direct answer is 'no'.
spiritual contentment is not passive or dull contentment. on the spiritual path one must work hard and then be satisfied with the result.
when ambition becomes spiritual then there is inspiration and also contentment.
it'a a pleasant evening and i'm glad to be with you.
a few days back niraj ambani invited me for this talk and we were discussing what should be the topic. after some deliberaion we came to this topic - 'can ambition and contentment co-exist?'.
this question arises because of a couple of reasons. when we look at the definition then there appears to be a contradiction.
'ambition' means a strong desire for something. it could be wealth or power or anything. and 'contentment' means being satisfied with what we have. so ambition presupposes dissatisfaction and therefore discontentment.
now different people might say different things. one may say,
'let there be a contradiction'.
'i've got ambition and no contentment, so what?'.
'i've got contentment and no ambition, so what?'.
if a person has only one then he has no conradiction.
so the two words appear contradictory.
if a person says 'i'm contented with my ambition', then there's no problem. but some people have a spiritual bent of mind and want to achieve something. but they tend to have a feeling of guilt.
because spirituality says that you should be contented. therefore there is conflict!
the question is - can the two co-exist so that there is no guilt? can i be ambitious about contentment or contented with ambitions?
(anecdote) once a very ambitious person went to the sea-side and saw a young man sitting under a tree and resting. the ambitious person felt agitated that this youngster is wasting his life and asked to do something, maybe buy and sell vegetables. the youngster had this nagging habit of saying 'and then?' to everything the ambitious person said.
young person (yp) : and then?
ambitious person (ap) : then you can get more money and open a bigger shop.
yp : and then?
ap : then you can become a merchant and open a chain of shops.
yp : and then?
ap : you can then start exporting also and your business will grow.
yp : and then?
ap : and then you can appoint managers, build a palace for yourself, etc.
yp : and then?
ap : and then you can sit back and relax.
yp : but that's what i am doing right now without having to go through this entire exercise!
we have to ask ourselves why this questions arises? and in whose mind? a person who feels that there is contradiction and wonders whether they can co-exist?
now lets look at it from a scriptural perspective. in most of the scriptures like gita we see that desire is not considered wrong. it takes strong desire to achieve something. anything we do is an expression of desire. therefore desire or ambition itself is not a problem.
there are various categories of desire :
1. spiritual desire
2. materialistic desire
3. base/vulgar/criminal desire
some people tend to love only base desires and is destructive to oneself and others. such a desire is universally condemned. it is below any human dignity. any human being wants to live and live happily. therefore one doesn't have the right to harm anyone or destroy their happiness.
therefore such desires are called base and undesirable.
when a person has a desire to help his or her own lot - i want to prosper; then it is not wrong in itself. such a person will be usually dissatisfied. which is not a problem as it motivates.
problem arises when this desire grows to such an extent that he becomes inconsiderate about other people's happiness and this then becomes uncontrollable greed.
there a few things we should always remember when it comes to materialistic desires.
desires are many and the desired objects are limited. therefore there is bound to jealousy and frustrations and disappointment, etc.
uncontrollable greed then prompts a person to 'kill and get killed' instead of 'live and let live'!
(anecdote) there were two neighbours. one was greedy while the other was jealous. the greedy person used to think that i should have more than my neighbour. and his neighbour would think, 'why should he have more?'
one day the greedy man found the jealous man in a temple doing tapas. so he also started doing tapas. lord shiva appeared before them and granted them a boon. but he said that only one person should ask and the other person would get twice what the first person asked. both didn't ask and waited for the other to ask. lord shiva got impatient and told them that have only two minutes left to ask their boon. so the jealous man promptly said. 'please make me blind in one eye!'.
this is why it is said that greed makes man blind. therefore all through history we see how greed destroys people, kingdoms and society. whenever you become over-ambitious then it becomes destructive greed. you may succeed for some time but finally people will revolt.
a slightly higher form of greed is where we think about what we can give to others. even here sometimes we see competition.
once a prosperous man wanted to be the top donor to a temple. so he gave a large amount, but later found out that he was only the second biggest donor. so he decided to increase his contribution. the two donors started competing till this man reached his limit. he felt sad that he could not giev more. so he asked himself what it is that he could give to feel satisfied? and then he remembered that he was a chain smoker. so he decided that from that moment he would give up smoking.
thats when he decided that he would not compete in giving more and more, but he would rather focus on growing up. then the joy and satisfaction he felt was unique.
one form of greed is 'acquiring' and the other is 'giving'. when there is a sense of competition then there is a problem.
but when the goal is non-material or spiritual (eg. to grow out of my weaknesses) then it is far greater.
eg. 10 people wanting something versus 10 people wanting peace of mind.
as the latter ambition grows we will feel more and more contented.
eg. when a function is arranged at your house everyone comes and enjoys. you feel full and you don't feel hungry
when your heart is full your need/greed/craving disappears.
such ambition and contentment can co-exist.
now contentment is of two types -
1. fullness of heart
2. contentment at physical level of fulfilling one's needs.
eg. a millionaire can wear only so many clothes or can eat only so much.
the ideal situation is when a person understands that his needs are minimum and is satisfied; but has an ambition that the world should be more and more contented.
in 'rudra sukata' in one section the rishis salute all gods, beings, etc. in the second section the rishis then ask for innumerable things. so we might wonder whether the rishis are driven by greed!
but the actual essence is that the rishi feels oneness with all and is therefore wishing for all beings to be more and more prosperous.
eg. parents feel that kids should get what they had not got and therefore desire more for their kids.
the satisfaction derived from such ambition is a different nature.
so one kind of contentment it is based on fullness of heart and spiritual goals. the other kind is content with minimum needs and wants.
the difference between an ignorant and a wise man is that :
a sense of incompleteness in the ignorant person prompts action to gain happiness. while a wise man's action arises from 'happiness'.
so a person who manages both, fullness in oneself, as he also thinks of how the world can be happier, is called a 'santusht' (happy or satisfied) person. such a person has found happiness within himself. such a person has minimum needs and thinks of the welfare of all.
this is seen in the examples of most great people - leaders, saints and politicians. eg. when lokamanya tilak was asked what post he would like to take up after freedomw. pat cam his response - a teacher.
similarly gandhiji's vision was to have contentment as well as the ambition and inspiration to lead such a life.
there are similar examples of great masters building organisations.
in such examples it was a case of rising from fullness rather than rising from incompleteness.
and fullness can come only from spiritual bliss. materialistic ambition cannot generate this.
so if we look at the question - can ambition and contentment co-exist? - then from a material perspective the direct answer is 'no'.
spiritual contentment is not passive or dull contentment. on the spiritual path one must work hard and then be satisfied with the result.
when ambition becomes spiritual then there is inspiration and also contentment.
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