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(Posted by copy n paste)
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Category Archives: Dhyaan
Permanence
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Marlene, the author of this article, had ended it with the question: ‘How do You deal with Impermanence?’ A very good question!
Put Very simply, I pick some positive point, and hold on to it with the Persistence of a Dog Refusing to give up a bone!
via Permanence
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When I am sad…
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This is by way sharing my (our) friend Wendy’s post: https://picnicwithants.com/2020/01/28/why-am-i-so-sad/
[ As it seems to happen to me often, either there is ‘no’ reblog button on blogs, or it does not load on mine. Hence once again, c and v. ]
First of all, to me Wendy is a Very Courageous person. Evinced by the things she shares.
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Given that, as I have entitled mine, When I am sad, here’s what I do.
As background, please understand that I had, as Indians quaintly put it, gone half mad (perhaps more than half). Consider:
I had taken the step of Resigning from my Priesthood, – to which I have come back, – and am Yet NOT accepted by my community.
Living the life of a Diocesan priest, have had the experience of what North Indians call: The Walls coming to bite me (दीवार काटने को दौड़ते हैं).
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I am of the opinion that the Western Medicine/Doctors, or the doctors of today, Blame it (All) on Rio. There I go again (intentionally), on lightening things up! 🙂
Okay, they blame it on the Bodily Chemistry. ‘She said, “It’s not what’s on the outside that’s bothering you, it’s your brain chemistry that’s out of balance.”’ This is a direct quote from Wendy’s post.
So it becomes medicines, medicines, and more medicines.
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What I do:
I spend a little time on considering What Food, Activity or Lack thereof might have brought out this situ, and try to correct it.
AND I COME OUT OF MYSELF.
NO questions of WHY is this happening to me, etc, etc.
I – MAKE – my – Mind – DWELL – On:
Thoughts and Memories
That Help me and Lift me Up.
I have a whole collection of graphics, many of them based on the Bible, which I use as Desktops and Screensavers.
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Sure, writing the things that You see, filled with Mourning, my life, You would accept, is not an easy one. And the Body reacts by producing its Chemicals. But Chronic or of the Instant, the Chemicals have a Reason for being there.
But Different Thoughts Produce Different Chemicals!
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It has helped me. …Over to You! 🙂 …All the Best.
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Cats are teaching us something!
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Cats, and Patricia, and a person called Haruki Murakami!
Vide: https://newbloggycat.com/2018/12/19/quote-of-the-day-haruki-murakami-9/comment-page-1/#comment-16858
Light Visuals and Deep Thought.
As I had written to her:
EXCELLENT, my Dear Patricia! And the Cats giving the example, Magnificent! Kudos, my Dear!
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Some Much Needed Reminders!
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This should have been a Reblog. Could not find that button. So am sharing this with You all, along with the comment I have written on that site:
Hello, Kim! Very Good post. Among the very many things we Oldies (I am 70) forget, are the usefulness of Routines and Time Tables. I have been a Very ‘Ex Tempore’ man. Reading Your post has done me Good. 🙂
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Quiet the mind, and the soul will speak
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Quieten the Mind, and the Soul will Speak! The Very Essence of Dhyaan! In the form of a Picture! Kudos indeed to Usha!
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Background – Rainbow colors – acrylic – Yoga Posture.
Here is my another practiced one.
How it looks? Hope you like it and don’t forget to give me your valuable suggestions and comments….waiting for it…. 🙂
Have a wonderful day ahead 🙂
I will win not immediately but Definitely. 🙂
GAD… Dhyaan in the Most Surprising Places!
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The Method I describe for Dhyaan is Really a Very Simple, and Practical one.
I shall give You an example. A young woman, whose husband had been horsing around, was naturally distraught. After she had shared with me, I had asked her to do Dhyaan, just the thing(s) I describe in my GAD series. See ‘Why do Dhyaan?’ …here.
She had asked me, When and Where am I going to find the Time? I go to work, and, on top of that, have to take care of the House and Home. (In India, though the households are small, because of the Dust, keeping the house clean is a Task. So, Cleaning the house, Washing the Clothes, Doing the Cooking – which in turn means washing up afterwards, etc, turn out to be Near Un-Ending work).
Bharati, (fictitious name, but the case is Real), was also taking care of their Son, a very active 5 year old boy, who had started schooling.
And, as We have seen, the husband, raising Not a finger to help at home, had lady friends, (plural). So her mind was Not in a Condition, We can say, to do Meditation.
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After listening to All this, this is what I said to her:
“You get a Ten-minute period where You are Standing in the bus on way to Your Work. Hold on to the Strap, see that You don’t fall, (Indian buses can be quite Jerky), and Do the Dhyaan there, in the Bus, Standing.“
NOTE: Doing Dhyaan does not mean going into a Trance, though that Can happen. The Idea is to Be Aware of Your Surroundings, – Do not go and dash into a bus, for instance, And Use Your Time for Dhyaan.
This is the Kind of bus Bharati had to board en route to her work. You can Imagine the condition and situation Inside. Yet it could not Stop her from doing her Dhyaan. One has to Appreciate and Laud her Determination, of course.
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I met her the next month. And this is what she told me: “En mind-u Blunt Aayiducchu.” This is in Tamil, with, as You see a great deal of English thrown in, and means: My mind has become Blunt. I have quoted the Actual word she had used. I was not a little Nonplussed. But when asked to explain, things became clear. She had said that because she does not know much English. What she had meant was that her Mind had Become BLANK, Silent, …At Peace.
Bharati is continuing with her Dhyaan, and has progressed quite a lot!
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Some Important points:
As I have shown, Though Doing Dhyaan in Noisy, Boisterous surroundings is difficult, It Is Not Impossible. …I utilize my journey times, done in Buses, with Blaring music/movies, for Dhyaan. I take the aid of some surgical cotton that I always carry for the purpose of ear plugs, though they are not totally effective.
The MIND is More of a Block and Hindrance than physical surroundings. The Din that the Mind raises, by way of Questions, challenges, sad memories, fears, worries and such pose Greater Difficulties to doing Dhyaan.
YET these can be overcome too. It will depend upon Our Interest and Motivation.
Hence, Motivate Yourself; Keep Your Target, for instance that of Attaining Peace, in the forefront of Your mind, and Keep on Reminding Yourself.
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Happy Dhyaan, and Peace to You All!
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On Trust
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Once, a Famous Retreat Preacher in the North named Fr. Jim Borst and I were travelling by train. We were in one of what are called those ‘Super Fast’ trains of India, this one from somewhere in the North East to Delhi, if I remember rightly.
The point is that the place where We were to alight was Not a scheduled Stop, and Fr. Borst knew this! But when I mentioned this to him, he calmly replied: “It Will Stop.”
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India, and particularly places like Bihar, have become Notorious for ‘Chain Pullings.’ These are opportunities provided by the Railways to Us to Stop trains in case of emergencies. Once my own father had nearly got left out when he had got down to buy some eats. We had pulled the chain as the train started moving and he got in.
The red knob is attached to the Chain.
It is supposed to be used in situations like these. This particular one, I suspect, is a still from some movie! But it gives You the idea. But the fellow is doing it wrong. Either he thinks she can run faster than the train and catch up, or the idea of pulling the chain has not entered his, or any of the other passengers’ heads.
But it is quite often used by ‘local’ passengers to get down where they want, – at times near their villages Miles from any station! – and by vendors and their companions!
All images from the Internet.
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Nowadays the Railway is doing away with this system altogether, but when/where they still exist, the pulling of the chain creates a partial vacuum, creating a drag for the locomotive, and to save power, the driver pulls the main brakes, (those who pulled the chain have their way), the vacuum is restored by flipping a lever at the end of the coach, and the train starts again. But train drivers many a time allow the train to go on for many a mile even though it costs more power, in order to discourage the ungodly. …So Fr. Borst could not be Sure that the train would stop where We needed it to!
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But it happened. Some fellows did pull the chain, the train stopped at the station where We needed to get down, and taking advantage, We alighted.
For me, it was a Great Lesson in Trust.
Others I have admired in this regard are St. John Bosco, who kept a house for Poor Boys, himself with No income, and Mother Teresa.
John Bosco, also called Don Bosco.
The Saintly Mother Teresa
I had YEARNED to have Trust like theirs. But I Literally lived in Trembling and Fear. I was taking care of about 40 people at that time, as seen partially below, and many a time, I would have Only about Rupees 20 in my cash box!
That was when I started practising my Dhyaan, this time with the Intention of experiencing His Providence, and for me to Learn to Trust. It is a literal Miracle that We Never had to eat Our Rice without Pulses and Vegetables! Not to mention the Other needs. To see How to do Dhyaan, and How to become Steeped in Trust, etc, please click here.
The Good Lord WANTS to Shower His Blessings on Us. We are the ones who Block His Grace. …On this in another post.
One thing I consider a Negative in Our prayers is that
- We are Constantly Asking,
- Asking for Things,
- Asking them for Ourselves (Alone), and
- Constantly Asking!
As I have said, if We Trust, We Shall Not Repeat those Requests! Ok, No more than Once in a Day! 🙂
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TRUST DOES NOT MEAN INACTION!
We cannot say to God: ‘YOU have created me. Now it is YOUR responsibility to keep me in luxury.’ Through the centuries, people have found that this does not work.
The Most Famous example that comes to mind is that of the Lord telling Moses: ‘Lift up your stick and hold it over the sea.’ Exodus 14:16.
What We have to note is that Moses too had expected the Lord to do Everything, and had been seemingly Crying out to the Lord (praying). It was then that the Lord spoke those words to him.
Again, ‘Moses held out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back…’ Exodus 14:21. We have to do our bit, and then the Lord makes it happen.
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TRUST DOES NOT MEAN STUPIDITY!
Trust does not mean going with Our Eyes closed, because HE gave Us Eyes! And Brains. We are supposed to Use them to the Full. When We have done All We can, to Our Fullest ability, and yet have not achieved, Then We can and should relax, and leave things to Him.
God is Nor running a Grocery shop where we can give us lists and expect them to be fulfilled, Nor is He our Baby Sitter, running around behind us when we want to run on walls.
There is, after all, the thing called ‘Fools rushing in where Angels fear to tread.’ Even the Most Able soldier, the highest trained Spy, does not Rush in without having been briefed or reconnoitring the area. But what do We find?
The heroine of the movie Taken goes on a spree, her mother does not mind. …And elsewhere in another movie the girl goes for a party, is given drugs and raped. But the point is that the girl goes upon the invitation of casual acquaintances. This is NOT Trust, but Stupidity. If anybody wants to say these things happen only in movies, then…
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I have not had the ‘Faith that moves mountains,’ or the ‘Faith that passes understanding,’ or, least of all, ‘The Gift of Faith,’ etc. Faith I have had, and my Faith has Grown.
Only when the human being Constantly Sees God’s Presence, His Actions and His Support in his life, does his Faith become Trust. That has happened to me.
I have only had the Tenacity and Persistence to Stay in my Dhyaan. And that is what brought me to Trust. The experiences of His Goodness take place in a Million ways for Each and Every one of Us. But We are talking of Experience, with a Capital E.
These Experiences are available to Everybody. I Wish You All the Experience of Trust! 🙂
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PS: Though this is a subject on which I have spoken much, as such have had the material, the inspiration, the ‘push,’ as it were, to make a post of it came from some comments fellow blogger, the already mentioned Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, as in her <addandsomuchmore.com/> …again!
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GAD, (Guha Anubhav Dhyaan), …and HOW do Dhyaan
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This post is for those who SERIOUSLY WANT PEACE, because Peace is one of the First Effects that one gains by Dhyaan.
This is actually the third one, part of a series on Dhyaan, under:
- WHAT is Dhyaan,
- WHY do Dhyaan,
- How to DO it, and
- How to USE it.
My Method Verbalises certain points, which I have Not seen in other teachings of Dhyaan.
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The Method of doing GAD is Simple enough, as it is with all its counterparts in Dhyaan, Zen or Vipassna. Learning the Method is Not Difficult; Doing it Is. As in this picture!
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The Method of doing GAD
GAD is Different from Classical Dhyaan in Two Aspects. One, GAD does not have ‘Dhaaran,’ which all the classical schools have. Two, GAD has an ‘Intention,’ which other schools do not have!
In Practicing GAD, We have Two Main Points:
- METHODS of Silencing the Mind, and
- The REASON for Silencing the Mind.
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1. The METHODS of Silencing the Mind
We have seen that the Human Mind keeps moving about, even on points that it has already examined and thought about. This is the Tendency of the Human Brain.
When Thoughts come, it does not work for Us to tell the Brain things like:
- Keep Silent
- I Shall Not Think about this, etc.
Because Each of the above is an Activity, so, instead of Silencing the Mind, We would have only Done some mental work, however tiny that may seem. And considering that We shall have to keep telling these things Countless number of times, that becomes heavy work indeed!
It would Not do to ‘Ignore‘ the thoughts. When they Keep coming/arising, with the Adjoining Emotions, We would see that Ignoring them is Nigh Impossible.
Let Us Learn from what We do when We are paying attention to some Spoken or Written point. We Pay Attention to that, and All External Stimuli seem to Vanish! Thus, Paying Attention is the Key, the Key to Silencing the Mind! …
If We were Expect a Child to Remain Quietly in some small space like a Play pen or something, it might do so for a mere Few Seconds. After that it will be Scampering away, or raising a din. Older Children might Obey, but would get bored, which would only give rise to Intense activity later.
The Thing to do is to Surround the Child with some Toys or Eatables. The Child would become Engrossed, and Become Quiet, at least for some time!
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In the Same way, The Mind has to be Offered a Tiny Anchoring point, and has to be Ordered to Pay attention to that, and Nothing Else.
That is How and Why We have the Lamps, Music, Breath, Movement, Mantras, etc, etc, as points of Concentration, Anchoring points if You like, as Methods of Silencing the Mind!
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2. The REASON for Silencing the Mind.
In Dhyaan, We might think that one silences the mind so that one could dwell on, develop and understand a point at hand all the better. This does happen in Most of the systems. And the Role of the Divine in all this is denied.
One takes up a point, (holds a point, Dhaaran) with Unwavering attention over a period of time, and believes one reaches Realization. We do the Work, and We think that that is Enough. Thus it again becomes a point of Puny man trying to Reach the Mysteries of the Universe using his Puny Brain.
GAD differs from ALL OTHERS in that it does Not have a Dhaaran point. It Only has an INTENTION.
In GAD, one Silences the Mind so that one can Listen to the Divine well.
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DHAARAN
Dhaaran is the Sixth step of the Raj Yoga, and wrongly translated as Concentration. Dhaaran means to Don, to Put on, Hold, etc.
The person doing the Dhyaan has been brought up on a line of Teachings, in Classical Dhyaan on the Advaita, in Zen and Vipassna on Buddhist teachings, etc. Thus, a Mind that is Already Chock Full of teachings, is asked to Assume a particular Verse or Thought again at the Time of Dhyaan. That is Classical Dhaaran.
In GAD, as said, We Do Away with Dhaaran altogether. The Mind Is asked to Start with a Thought, which is Not a Teaching.
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The Thought the practitioner of GAD is asked to Start his/her Dhyaan is this:
In GAD, One Asks GOD to Clarify His Words.
In Classical Dhyaan, one Expands on the point of the Dhaaran either Consciously or Subconsciously.
For instance, We are taught to say, think and hold the thought: “Day by day, in Every Way, I am getting Better and Better.” Over a period of time the Subconscious picks up this message and Effects changes in Us! Similarly, if I keep saying to myself, or hold, Constantly, in mind the thought: “I am Napolean,” my Subconscious will Oblige me by Convincing me that I Am that!
In GAD, the Mind is JUST THE RECEPTOR. It does No Other Work. The Divine Reveals, and the Human Mind Receives. In GAD, one Silences one’s mind Just so that it might Listen to God!
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CONCLUSION:
In GAD, one does Not enter Dhyaan with Dhaarans of ‘Realizing that one is god,’ any of the mahavaakyaas, Nihilism, or anything.
In GAD, God Realization means Experientially Knowing God’s Love, What He Wants, His Plans, etc.
To Realize this, Silence of the Mind is Needed.
To Achieve this Silence, one ‘Concentrates On’ the smallest possible Thought or Activity, doing this, at the Same time, Without Expanding the thought even the tiniest little bit.
If one takes a Mantra as a Method of Silencing the Mind, ALL of one’s efforts are concentrated on Uttering and Pronouncing it Reverentially, Prayerfully and with Love, without in the Least trying to go into Why the Mantra was selected, What it would Achieve, How it would do so, or Anything of the sort.
VERY IMPORTANT: See more on this in: ‘How Achieve Happiness,’ by clicking here.
Counting the Breath is the one Best recommended by GAD. In this, one has to be Careful NOT to Deepen or Make Shallow one’s breath, Nor Speed it up or Slow it down. Just gently pay attention to them, and keep counting them.
Counting the Breath has the Added advantage of being able to determine the Time one wants to spend in Dhyaan. This makes it possble for The Busiest to Do Dhyaan.
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SUMMARY
Dhyaan, the discovery of Indian Sages, is one of the Greatest Gifts to Mankind. Dhyaan is Not Meditation in the proper Western sense of the word, nor is it Contemplation. Dhyaan is the Silencing of the Mind. Click on links at bottom for more on these points.
GAD, the Guha Anubhav Dhyaan, differs from Classical Dhyaan, is Much Simpler to Practice, and Most effective.
In GAD, one enters into it with the Stated Intention of Asking God to Take Over the exercise, Asking Him to Speak, Explain, Guide and Run one’s Life. Holding, (the Dhaaran) of any verse or thought like ‘I am god,’ etc, is Expressly Taboo in GAD.
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So this is What We Can and Should be doing:
- Stop thinking and Developing Un-necessary thoughts. We can do this by Any of the Methods of Silencing the Mind, like Observing Our Breath, Counthing the Breath, or Saying a Mantra, etc.
- ALWAYS Carry the Thought and Intention, of Asking GOD to Speak to Us, Explain things to Us, Guide Us and to Rule over Our Thoughts, Actions and Life. MAKE THIS A HABIT, and HABITUAL.
If We Succeed in doing this, We shall Achieve GA, Guha Anubhav, and shall be progressing to RA, the Roop Anubhav.
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Terms, like GOD and man, Prayer, Meditation, Contemplation, Dhyaan, Yoga, Dhaaran, etc, might mean differenet things in various systems. These links will help You see Just they mean in GAD.
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Wish You All Happy GAD, Happy Guha Anubhav Dhyaan, and God Realization. Regards.
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For the First post in this series, Pleace click here.
Dhaaran
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The post, GAD, HOW to do Dhyaan, already carries some thoughts on Dhaaran. This one has more.
To Recap, Dhaaran is the 6th step of the Raja Yoga, sometimes wrongly translated as Meditation. (The word Meditation is being used for too many things! For the Real meaning of the word, please click here.)
Dhaaran is the step and the Process where one starts holding a Mantra, a Thought or a Verse, very often given by the guru, in the Mind, as one enters Dhyaan proper. One ‘holds’ this during the entire session.
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CLASSICAL DHAARAN AND CHRISTIANITY
Some years ago, Christians, particularly Catholics in India, started to think of Living their Catholic/Christian Faith according to the Indian Culture.
This would make very good sense as things were going very topsy turvy indeed. The common man would be going bare foot in his house, be sitting on mats., but, when he went to church, he put on shoes, and when he entered the church, he started looking for benches to sit on! No doubt residues of the british times and western missionaries. We cannot really blame them, because they practised what they had been living all their lives.
Seeing all this, and more, the fringe groups of the majority community of India started calling Christians as foreigners, saying, ‘Go back to England,’ and, ‘We do not want Isais and Kasais,’ (We do not want Christians or Butchers, signifying the Muslims). There is even the case of a little placard I had personally seen at a tea shop in Trichy, at the time when a Nun had been Raped in Madhya Pradesh, which proclaimed: ‘Karpazitthavan Desa Bhaktan,’ (The one who raped was a patriot!).
Thus Indianization and Inculturization are really very good points; I fully agree with the Idea, and that is How I live my Christian Faith.
By the way, I see No Contradiction in my having entered Politics. This too I have learnt from my forebears, yet hope to live the idea in a Better Spirit. As You see, I am a member of the AAP, the Aam Aadmi Party, and they have made me the Treasurer for the district of Karur, in Tamil Nadu. [It is a different thing that We are So Poor that We do not have a Single Pie, nor a Bank Account! 🙂 ]
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Inculturization and Indianization are not really New ideas. Veera Maa Munivar (Fr. Beschi) in South India, a Catholic Priest from abroad, and Sadhu Sundar Singh, an Indian Protestant Missionary in the North, have lived this way.
Veera Maa Munivar and Sadhu Sundar Singh.
But this lifestyle of these Pioneers did not did not really catch on. The Idea of Inculturization began to grow, particularly among catholics, Only from about the 1960’s.
In this, something Very Interesting has happened. When the Priests, (for that is what they mainly were) went to the Indian, and naturally the Hindu Gurus, to learn about the Way an Indian Renunciate is supposed to live, and even to Pray, – they came back not just with the Culture, but with the Philosophy of Hinduism.
We cannot find fault with the Gurus in this. Sannyasis do not keep talking about the time of the day, the weather, or gossip. It is All God Oriented. And a Hindu will speak about what he has learnt, as will a Muslim or a Christian.
What the (catholic) Priests should have done after learning about Dhyaan was to Apply it to the Christian Scriptures. What they did was to start using the Vedic Mahavakyas taught by those Hindu gurus, because, after all, it is the time of the Vedaant.
These catholic Priests have literally stood on their heads to find ways and means to find parallels in the Bible for the Vedantic Advaitism.
And frankly, the idea of Aham Brahm Asmi, literally, ‘I am the Brahm,’ (meaning the Ultimate Reality), has even a fatal fascination. Even Priests immersed in Christian/catholic teachings, not to say the Laity, prefer that, to the Classical Christian: ‘I am a Child of God.’
Those who are interested in the Advaita or Nihilism or any such are MOST Welcome to it, and We have NO problems about that.
But in Christianity, GOD is GOD and man is Just man, a puny creature producing about 250 grams of stuff every day after an intake of about 500 grams, and that is IT. (By the way, Christianity does not put this latter fact in such Colourful terms. Give me credit for that).
For all the funny searches all over the Bible to justify Advaita there in, the Very Beginning of the Bible (Genesis chapter 3) shows that man was thrown out for wasting his time in trying to see if he was equal to God. If somebody wants to say, “Aha, see, God did not want man to realize that he was equal to Him,” …Simple Answer. Man got thrown out. GOD did that. man could not prevent it. Ergo, man is Not equal to GOD. Anthropomorphism, for sure, but none the less telling for that.
Christ made it Simple for Christians, be they those who want the ‘Path of Perfection,’ (the so called ‘religious,)’ contemplatives or Ashramites, all living in luxury. Love, He said. If We had done that, it would have Satisfied Us, and We would have found that We have little enough time left after that.
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Let us get back to Dhaaran.
The points given in the section above will show Why GAD does Not Use Dhaaran. To begin a sitting with a Pre-conceieved Notion WILL result in its enforcement.
THAT is Why in GAD We Enter Dhyaan with an Intention, asking the Divine to Make things Clear to Us, to Guide Us, and to Run Our Lives, – If We would Want that, and Dare to say that. But if We would, We would find Life VERY Satisfying Indeed.
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lovehappinessandpeace 