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2007
Volume: 2 Issue: 9
ONTARIO GOVERNMENT APPROVED NON-PROFIT CORPORATION # 1707010
September 2007
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Hari Om,
Thank You Readers for your Commendations for the previous issue!
We go through our lives half asleep. Our sleeping potion is our own mind, which keeps our
alertness dulled by allowing itself to be yanked around in countless directions. Nathan insults
us, and our mind begins racing with ideas of revenge. Ruby flatters us, and we continue for
many long minutes gloating on the details of her flattery. Each of us has his or her own set of
mind habits that insidiously keeps us from staying alert to the present. We spend our days in
endless inner talking, accounting, self-justifying, imagining.
This constant jabber in our minds takes us into the past(reliving Nathan’s insult over and over
again, thinking up different retorts we could have made) and into the future(imagining how next
Monday’s interview with the school principal will go). We spend most of our time in the past
and in the future. As we continue jabbering, the present eludes us. In fact, we are dead to the
present, or , if not dead, at least asleep.
You are reading the news paper. In the news story on the front page, one word, competition,
swings your mind back to your day at the office. Your eyes keep going over the words in the
news story, but your mind has left, dwelling instead on the belligerent meeting you attended
two hours earlier at your company. While ”reading” ,you are reliving the events of the meeting:
what you said, what Radha said, what Nancy said. You now come to an end of the column,
suddenly struck by the fact that it says, “Continued on back page”. You realize that you’ve
been “reading” for the past three minutes but have taken nothing in. For several long minutes
you have been asleep to the present, while dwelling on the events of a dead past.
Where our mind is, is where we are. Just because the eyes keep reading doesn’t mean that
we are present in the reading activity. Our mind’s location determines our location. Take this
example:
Sitting by a cozy fireplace, you are engrossed in an adventure novel that has your full
attention. Your son comes into the room, turns on the television listen to the news. You hear
nothing. He makes some comments about the news, trying to pry your attention away from
your book. Still, you are not there for him. You are with the book, because your mind is fully
engaged in the story. Your body is in the room, sound waves from the television and your son
are striking your ears, but you may as well not be there, because your mind is not available.
Many of us often experience this kind of “absent mindedness” on the road---when the mind is
not in the location, or cognizant of the action, in which the body happens to be engaged.
VOLUME 2, ISSUE 9 PAGE 2
We travel the same route to work every day. We know every turn and every corner. Or we
might say that an instinctive, mechanical part of ourselves knows every turn and every corner
and can trace the route without fail, while automatically reacting to traffic on the road. WE---
that is , our mind—can be miles away. By the time we reach home, we’ll have written the
outline for a report, solved a problem in the lab, or planned out our lecture for tomorrow’s
Vedanta class. With our mind absent, the body will have driven us home.
If our mind is not in the present activity, we are not in the present activity. We are dead to it. If
we counted up all these dead minutes of our days, we would be aghast at how little actual
living we do. We would realize, in shock, that most of our days are spent in dead space.
Constant alertness is the method for getting us out of this dead space. We have to train our
minds to remember to stay in the present. We can begin by doing some introspection
exercises at the end of each day.
TRY THIS:
Before you go to sleep each night, review your day from morning until bedtime. Hour by hour,
event by event, review what activities and thoughts you experienced.
At first it will be difficult to remember everything. You will also be tempted to stop at the
memory of various events and thoughts to ponder them further. You may want to criticize an
action of yours and rewrite the script. You may want to correct some words you said and
imagine an alternate scenario. Resist each of these temptations. Imagine you are a neutral
witness to the happenings under review.
In time, the exercise will become easier. Also, in time, you will have developed new powers of
alertness and concentration. As Your evening introspection improves, so also will improve
your ability to witness your thoughts and actions as they occur during the course of the day
This newfound alertness will keep your mind from wandering off in the dead spaces, since
you’ll be there to catch the wandering before it happens.
Also in time,, you will be alert enough to remember to catch your negative reactions before
they manifest. As you catch them and redirect your thoughts into a positive channel, you are
literally redirecting the course of your life. Every reaction is the result of a thought, and every
thought builds next reality.
Swamy Paramatmananda.
VOLUME 2, ISSUE 9 PAGE 3
ANSWER from SWAMY: Thank you for your big question. DR.Ananda Coomaraswamy
took to twenty volumes to explain “Dance of Siva” and the UNESCO awarded him for
“treasure of art” prize.
Symbols in Hindu civilization have always been powerful representations of the higher
reality. The principle has been understood by the support of its symbolic counterpart on
our plane of existence.
The link between the worlds, the outer and inner, the higher and lower, is through the
language of symbols. How else can a reality where ‘sight cannot go, nor the mind, where
we cannot know, we cannot understand—something ‘other than all that is known’—be
comprehended?
The dance has been one of the most powerful vehicles for this representation and the
dancer is fortunate that through her entire being, she is an expression of Infinity.
The images of our deities each manifest in their visible structures, one particular aspect of
the world. But the genius of Indian thought found a marvelous unity of science, art and
religious fervor in the sculpture of the dancing ,Siva, Nataraja, Lord of the Dance.
Whenever, as dances, we speak in the language of the dance of Nataraja, infinite are the
possibilities that cross our minds, with the realization that Nataraja imparts wisdom
constantly through His famous pose that has been immortalized by the Master carvers of
Tamil Nadu. The deep significance underlying this image should be clearly understood,
because the message is still significant today.
The upper right hand holds aloft the ‘damaru’, representing Nada,the sound, the evolution
of the universe. From sound came all languages, all music, all knowledge. The shape of
the drum, with its two triangles, tells us of nature and energy which combine together for
all creation. The upper left hand in the half moon gesture holds a tongue of flame.
Why does Siva hold the hope of creation in one hand and the flame, the fire destroys, in
the other? For creation and destruction are the counterparts of His own Being. They are
the two aspects of our life, for as we are surely born, so do we surely die. What then is the
answer? the right hand, held in front, in the wondrous gesture of protection and peace,
tells us, “Look, God’s grace is ever with You’.
VOLUME 2, ISSUE 9 PAGE 4
The left foot is raised, telling man that as the Dancer raises His foot, so can man raise
himself and attain salvation. While one foot is raised, the right foot upon which balances
the whole body of the universe, that which , at this eternal moment of dance, precariously
balances the fate of the world, that foot is not on the firm ground, but upon the body of
struggling dwarf(muyalakan), a man who is the embodiment of all that veils truth from
falsehood, the Apasmara Purusha, made up of ignorance and forgetfulness.
This is the Purusha within us, which prevents us from realizing our own essential divinity. It
is for us to firmly crush out the ignorance, if we are to attain the Supreme joy which is our
true nature, the eternal bliss, that man calls God.
Around Nataraja, is a ring of flames, the ,prabha mandala, the dance of nature, all initiated
by the Self in the centre, all emanating from Him, and all dissolving within Him. While Siva
dances, His matted locks hold the sacred river of Ganga, the power and the source of all
movement in life, with its waters that purify mankind, and the crescent moon delicate as a
new-born babe with its promise of life in all its radiance and glory.
The Guru teaches that Maya-illusion—should be crushed down, that the world should
become subject to us and not we to the world, that the deer-like mind should be left
behind, and Ahankar(egoism) be destroyed, and that man should ascend to the region of
pure, unconditioned consciousness free from passion and free from deception, and enjoy
the calmness which is his birthright and bliss, the light and the truth that form the Self.
What is perhaps most significant of all in the image is the, combination of God, Ascetic,
the solitary one, Master of Meditation, with the frenzied dancer---the Yogi—and the artist.
A dancer becomes the being that be impersonates on the stage. In the dance aroused
the entire energy of body, mind intellect and soul. It is a complete surrender to God. Thus,
a dancer is similar to the yogi, who gives his all to the Lord.
This is a dramatic and vivid comparison. But look at the face of Nataraja in the sculpture. It
is serene, the epitome of inward absorption. While the body moves in a frenzy like the
world with its tumult, Siva Himself is undisturbed by the activity, depicting most
wonderfully the mortal life and the divine self.. His face, calm and immobile, is a spectator
in the external play of His own creative impulse. While He teaches, His eternal Self
remains apart, watchful and tender. It is the secret of life open to us all to read, so
magnificently portrayed in His Masterpiece of sculpture.
A seeker of TRUTH, need search no further for a symbol of the highest Reality. He only
needs to look with eyes that see. Viewed in the light of this inner meaning, the image of
Nataraja is no more a meaningless idol, a piece of stone or copper but a symbol of the
highest teaching, an object that can inspire and elevate!
VOLUME 2, ISSUE 9 PAGE 5
While working, witness the enfolding of the work, witness the reactions, responses arising,
running a durational length
and then dissipating.
Watch the sense of concern, fear, despair, defeat associated with the enfolding of the work.
Watch the sense of elation, satisfaction, pride associated with the enfolding of the work.
Watching the building up of a sense of hope with the enfolding of the work.
Watch the changes in the depth and quality of breath and breathing patterns associated with
the arising sense of concern or elation et al.
Turn your non-working hours into the same meditativeness, in the same manner.
I have been thinking about a troubling predicament, one that has been brought to light after
embarking on a new career. How is one to balance between the physical and the spiritual.
I ask this as my new job requires many hours and at times can be quite stressful. This has interfered
with my practice of meditation both in the amount of time devoted to it and the effectiveness of it.
The solution seems simple at first, if one can't complete a job and remain spiritual than the job must
go. However, according to several schools of thought, it is your physical actions and work in and
of themselves that are more important than the act of meditation. Otherwise my gift of life would
go to waste... not to mention I would have a more difficult time actually living (paying bills and
whatnot).
I know others here have had to struggle with similar dilemmas. What philosophies have you all
followed concerning meeting this balance and what advice can you give.
VOLUME 2, ISSUE 9 PAGE 6
Prolonged sitting postures incur static muscle work, which is less efficient than dynamic muscle work, and
allows a build up of lactic acid - a thick colourless fluid formed during muscular activity by the breaking
down of glycogen - causing fatigue and aching. To offset this, it is essential that exercises are performed at
frequent intervals during the day.
Common problems include a range of work - related disorders, such as pain in the limbs, fingers, forearms,
neck, shoulders and back. These conditions are usually related to overuse and can become debilitating if left
untreated.
The good news is that these disorders are preventable. Physiotherapist can successfully treat the symptoms
and identify some of the possible causes. This article helps you to identify your risks and offers simple
exercises you can follow to help prevent the onset of problems.
Risk factors
These disorders can affect people in many type of work, including those who spend long period at their
desks, computers and production workers who frequently repeat the same pattern of movement.
It can even cause problems to drivers and those who play musical instruments or participate in sport.
will ask you for a full history of any symptoms and discuss workplace risks, your hobbies and any stress
factors. Physiotherapist will analyze your posture and offer corrective advice and exercises. They will also
took at ways to improve your working practices.
Nowadays, young children, saddled with heavy school bags, are tapping away at computer keyboards, using
mobile phones and playing video games. The increasing use of computers in schools and at home means they
are also at risk of computer related musculoskeletal aches and pains.
As a consequence some children today have hardly any time to indulge in physical activities and sports,
which is worrying. Parents, carers and teachers have a responsibility to ensure the principles of good
ergonomics are applied at home and in the classroom.
Ensuring that children know how to sit correctly, vary their activities and build plenty of physical activity
into their daily lives, can help minimize the risk of developing common conditions associated with modern
computer use.
VOLUME 2, ISSUE 9 PAGE 7
All exercises should be done gently. Sit comfortably and take five slow deep breaths before starting the
exercises. Breathing should be relaxed throughout. Repeat all exercises three times.
Forearms stretch
Gently interlock your fingers. Press your palms away from your body, gently stretching the forearms
muscles, fingers and muscles between your shoulder blades. Hold for five seconds.
With your elbows straight, tuck your thumb in and make a gentle fist. Bend your wrist forwards gently
stretching the forearms muscles, wrist and fingers. Hold for five seconds.
Chin tuck
Sitting tall, imagine you are suspended by a piece of string from the crown of your head. Keeping eyes level
with the horizon, tuck your chin in to make a double chin. Hold for five seconds.
Sitting slightly forward in your seat, rotate your mid - and upper back to the right, holding on to the backrest
of the chair with your left hand. Hold for five seconds. Repeat in the opposite direction.
Elbow flare
Put your hands behind your neck, loosely grasped. Keep head and neck tall. Squeeze below the shoulder
blades and take elbows back, taking care not to press on the neck.
Neck turning
Rotate your head left then right, taking care to keep your eyes on the horizon and aiming your chin at the
shoulders. Use your eyes to focus on something in the distance for five seconds.
Shoulder retractions
Stand or sit up straight. Pull your shoulders back behind you squeezing shoulder blades towards each other.
You should feel the stretch across your chest. Hold for five seconds.
Back stretch
Stand up and put the heel of your hands into your lower back. Draw your elbows back and down. Keeping
your head and neck steady with chin tucked in, slowly arch your back and look to the ceiling. Hold for five
seconds .
VOLUME 2, ISSUE 9 PAGE 8
OFFERING
“The ultimate offering to the Lord is when the
worshippers offers himself as the offering”
LIBERALITY
“The sea refuses no river”
KNOWLEDGE
“Knowledge can be gained through books
and internet, but the love for knowledge can
only be transmited through a live teacher”
GREAT
“A great man shows his greatness by the
way he treats little men”
WEDNESDAY DISCOURSE: LOCATION: PEEL SENIOR CENTER, 3085 HURONTARIO ST. UNIT #212
INTERSECTION: HIGHWAY 10 & HURONTARIO, MISSISSAUGA
TIME: 10.00 A.M 12.00 P.M BHAGAVAD-GITA STUDY AND MEDITATION