Paths Are Made by Walking

2012's Baccalaureate speaker at the University of Pennsylvania was an unconventional choice for an Ivy League school. To address their newly-minted graduates, aspiring to dazzling careers, they picked a man who has never in his adult life applied for a job. A man who hasn't worked for pay in nearly a decade, and whose self-stated mission is simply "to bring smiles to the world and stillness to my heart". This off-the-radar speaker launched his address with a startling piece of advice. Following up with four key insights gleaned from a radical 1000 km walking pilgrimage through the villages of India. As he closed his speech, the sea of cap and gowned students rose to their feet for a standing ovation. What follows is the full transcript:

To Drive or Be Driven?

Some like to drive their cars themselves, while others like to be driven around. What about the psychological experience of driving or being driven around?

Most spiritual seekers realize sooner or later in their lives that living from one deadline to another is no way to live. It can never bring total fulfillment. And isn’t that what most of us are doing most of the time?

Religions of the World: Same or Different?

It is simplistic to say that the religions of the world are all same. They are clearly not. But it is also simplistic to say that the religions of the world are so different that they share nothing at all in common. That is not true either. Religions do share much in common, but opinions can vary about what it is that is shared among religions and where it is that they differ.

Our Addiction to the Cosmic TV

It might seem like the TV appeared on the face of this earth only a few decades ago. Not quite. The TV has been here for as long as the “here” has been here. Clearly, I am not speaking about the tiny box (not so tiny these days) in most urban households the world over. I am referring to the huge box spanning our mind and the senses. It is so huge that not only can we not think outside the box, but we cannot even see beyond it.

Bathing the Lord

When I was offering the ritual bathing water (snāna) during the worship some days ago, a thought came to my mind. Water can be seen as representing matter (since its potentiality is identified with one of the five primal elements) and the offering of snāna, besides being water for bathing, represents also a material sheath to cover the Spiritual Being, who is of the nature of pure consciousness. Only when clothed in matter can God become tangible and accessible to the human mind and senses.

Krishna: The Stealer

Through charming stories, songs, and anecdotes, the baby Krishna is depicted as a stealer of butter. His personality is so endearingly lovable and it is so easy to fall in love with him that he is also often called a stealer of hearts.

The Consciousness of Consciousness

I wouldn’t be able to see the chair unless I was conscious that I was seeing the chair. There cannot be any perception without consciousness. I am conscious of the chair in front of me, but am I conscious that I am conscious of the chair in front of me? Do I have consciousness of the consciousness of the chair? Can I experience consciousness itself?

The Pseudo Atmans

It made me very happy when I received an email about three years ago in which a friend wrote: “One thing is crystal clear: the Annamaya Kośa is all about decay and death.” How very true!

The Truth in Me

Besides the obvious truth (“I am a human being”) and the spiritually yet-to-be experienced truth (“I am pure consciousness, free and eternal”), what is the truth in me now, at this moment?—this is an important question that every spiritual seeker has to grapple with.

Where Are You Parked?

It may be helpful to think of our consciousness as a car and the different parts of our personality as parking lots. The body is one parking lot, the mind another, the ego yet another, and so on. It is obvious that my car will be directly impacted with whatever happens at the lot where it is parked. If there is fire at the lot, my car is in danger. If I hear of the fire, I’ll be anxious and rush to get my car out of that place. On the other hand, if there is fire in some other parking lot, I wouldn’t care so much, for I won’t be affected by it.

Responsibility for our Actions

About a year ago, one of the students sent me this question:

"We are instructed to forget the bad done to us by others - the idea being that this was something we had coming to us (karma, taking responsibility for our past actions). My question is, what about the reverse? One could argue if we do bad to others, that we should forget that because it was something that they had coming to them, which, of course, does not sound right. I am wondering your thoughts on that."

And this is what I wrote in reply:

Death, Silence, Space

Last December I got an email from a dear friend informing me that his father had passed away peacefully at 92. I went to the shrine and offered a special prayer for his father and his family. Not surprisingly, I remembered my own father––and specifically the moment when I had received a call late at night informing me of my father’s peaceful passing almost exactly a year after I came to Boston. I remember that moment vividly, as if it happened this morning. As soon as I had heard the news, I had experienced a sudden void, a deafening silence within me, and it had lasted for several hours.

A Presence Etched in My Heart

Today is Guru Purnima, the day when spiritual seekers turn their minds and hearts to their Guru in a special way. Sri Ramakrishna taught that God alone is the teacher of all. It is God’s power and wisdom that is passed on from one generation to the next through the unbroken link of Guru-Disciple lineage. I have often been asked to share my memories of my Guru, Swami Vireswaranandaji Maharaj (1892-1985), who was a disciple of Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi.

Stepping Back

How much of our life is circumscribed by who we are and where we are! Who we are--more accurately, who we think we are--and where we are determine our relationships, our attitudes, and our behavior patterns.

Getting Along With People

It is easy to get along with those with whom we feel comfortable and somehow connected. It is natural that we may not feel the same level of comfort and connection with some others. Is there some way that spiritual seekers can learn to get along with everyone, connection or no connection, comfort or no comfort? In a spiritual community this question becomes especially important both for collective harmony and individual peace of mind.

Here are a few points that deserve reflection and, if they make sense to us, then remembering these things may help:

Maya and God

About five years ago--in May 2006, to be more precise--I got an email from a student who wrote: “Everything is Māyā.” Given below is an extract from my response to this student:

Life Above the Clouds

In June 2006 my flight from Houston was delayed because of rain and stormy conditions in Boston. We finally took off three hours behind schedule. The plane was flying above the clouds: it was a beautiful sight. The world above was full of light, quiet, tranquility. The sky was crystal clear. I could see the moon and a lone star. As Boston neared and the plane began to descend, the passage through the clouds was understandably bumpy. Once we landed, we encountered a world which was dark, rainy, windy, and crowded. The tranquillity that was so palpable when we were above the clouds was lost in a moment. Once we got involved in the world with our feet firmly planted on the earth, the life above the clouds was forgotten.

Absorbed into What's Out There

When we go to a movie, we get absorbed in the story and, assuming that the movie is well-made, we often forget that we are just watching the movie. The transition from being “observers” to being “participators” is unconscious and quick. When that happens, we get absorbed fully and unreservedly into whatever is happening on the screen.

Seldom, though, the movies are able to hold our attention without break from beginning to end. We generally shuttle back and forth between being observers (when we can lean back on our seats and know that we are watching a movie) and being participators (when we forget where we are and who we are).

The Art of Merging

We often read, Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.3.13 for instance, of merging one thing into another. In meditation practices, it is sometimes recommended that the form of the guru must be merged into that of the Iṣṭa.

How does merging occur? What exactly needs to be done?

Is Middle Path the Best Path?

Today is Buddha Purnima: the day on which Buddha was born at Lumbini about 2500 years ago, the day on which he attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree at Gaya, and the day he passed away when he was 80. We celebrated this thrice-blessed day with a special Satsang last Sunday at the Ramakrishna Vedanta Society (above). While reflecting on his life and teachings, an interesting question came up regarding the Middle Path.