A fellow sabha.ologist going by the moniker Mirangi wanted to share some unexpected methods she successfully implemented in Balika 1
The presentation was on the concept of Akshar and Purushottam. Now this is a concept that is quite difficult for someone who is in group 1 to understand. At most, they know that Akshar is Swamibapa and Purushottam is Maharaj. But [that is the] the extent of their knowledge. During this presentation, I created a prezi in order to aid the flow of the presentation. I find that my balikas love prezis because [the animations flow better than PowerPoint and thus engages the balikas] - they like having something to focus their attention on while I am speaking. Along with the prezi, I had two analogy's that made the whole concept rather sticky. The first one was food coloring mixed into water. When you place food coloring into water, you get a juice and everything is evenly mixed. This is what the Akshar Purushottam upasana is mostly like. Maharaj resides within Swami who is Akshar, who resides within us. Akshar and Purushottam are inseparable. They are always one.Oil however when mixed with water, sits at the top for those who are science students. This demonstrated that Maharaj always lives within one who is Akshar and that they are always a pair and cannot be separated. The next analogy was that of Akshar. Gunatitanand Swami was first known as Akshar, however since then, all of our gurus in the guru parampara have been known as "Akshar" at one point in time. Currently, Swamibapa is Akshar. This is because although Akshar is one entity, it can change clothes. The entity of Akshar does not change, only the outer appearance of Akshar changes. Hope this helps!
A conundrum we all face is to take powerful prasangs from our sanstha and make them relevant to our audience. In Made to Stick parlance - how do we tie our unexpected and simple message into something that will stick. This is compounded when we are using a story (prasang) that everyone in the audience has heard several times before. Now we need to work twice as hard to keep everyone engaged so we have their permission and attention when making our simple statement. A fellow Sabhaologist offers his ideas on how to do this with this weeks syllabus.
It's very unlikely that any of us with start an organization from scratch, build five mandirs with barely any resources, or travel from gaam to gaam in India to spread the Akshar Purushottam Upasana. So how can kishores and kishoris relate to the hardships that Shastriji Maharaj went through? How can they connect through the harassment he was regularly exposed to? Will they be able to contextualize what Shastriji Maharaj had to overcome to convert BAPS from an idea into a sanstha?
One type of difficulty that everyone can relate to is being bullied. Be it at school for how you look, the tilak chandlo on your forehead as your walking down the street, or anything else, being made fun of for a differing characteristic or belief is an experience that a majority of the population can relate to - and that's essentially what happened to Shastriji Maharaj. The unexpected and simple message is: we can all relate to bullying and this was exactly what Shastriji Maharaj went through.
Here is a video that illustrates the impact of bullying.
But what propelled Shastriji Maharaj to overcome that bullying was his core belief, what he left Vadtal for, what he wanted everyone to learn and weave into the fabric of their life - the Akshar Purushottam Upasana. It's this core that drove his decisions, decided how he'd react, and inspired some many dedicate themselves to such a powerful guru.
The prasangs in this week's presentation correspond directly with the thoughts that run through many of our minds when we're bullied:
Sentiments towards those who bully us: Usually we'll feel like retaliating against those who ridicule us, but regardless how how Shastriji Maharaj was treated by others, he was willing to suffer anything to spread satsang and didn't feel ill will towards anyone
How we feel when we're bullied: A fire can burn within us when we're made fun of, but when Shastriji Maharaj was in a building that was physically on fire, his heart didn't burn with rage towards anyone.
Continually remembering our core: May times we need encouragement if bullied, but even though he was continuously bullied, Shastriji Maharaj remembered his core principles, who he had, and reminded others about their cause to stay firm in their efforts.
So even though we may never live through the same hardships that Shastriji Maharaj faced, we still look into the eyes of adversity everyday. When we do face that adversity, just as Shriji Maharaj explains in Gad I-74, it's only during times of hardship will our faith and true colors be tested. So the next time you're bullied or are challenged by some type of adversity, then remember how Shastriji Maharaj reacted dealing with people who hated and wanted to kill him.
A presentation based on a Swami ni Vaat - talk about a curveball! This type of presentations really excite us since Swami ni Vaat are very deep and very subtle. This means there are many ways to take this presentation. We may think that since the text itself is too short for a sabha presentation. However, let's dive into the depths of the enlightenment this Swami ni Vaat has to offer. Step 1: Synthesize the simple statement.
Shriji Maharaj's exists both above and within all entities in the universe.
We must earn the ability to understand Shriji Maharaj's form.
Understanding Shriji Maharaj requires understanding His mahima.
Step 2: Start with the shakeup.
What is Pizza? What seems to be a stupid question on the surface proves incredibly difficult if asked by an individual who has no familiarity with pizza, like an Indian villager. Ask an audience member to describe pizza to the audience but then repeat it now assuming that the audience is a group of Indian villagers who have never experience pizza before. The difficulty in this scenario reflects the difficulty Shriji Maharaj had in explaining His nature to other devotees at the time.
The Violin Player: Joshua Bell, a world-class violinist, played several pieces of music for 45 minutes in a metro station in Washington DC, yet hardly anybody paid him attention. An individual who sold out a theater in Boston only two days before received no recognition or praise from commuters. Just as they did not understand his greatness, we too pass each moment and day without fully understanding the mahima of Shriji Maharaj. Actual story can be found at the link above; mix it up by showing parts of the video as well.
Pup Ponders the Heat Death of the Universe: Yep, it's as eccentric as it sounds but illustrates this principle very well; when we take time to fathom just how small we are in scale to Shriji Maharaj Himself, we begin to understand His mahima. Pause at the black block before heading into the strip where he goes out and plays sports. However, while we can easily attain that understanding, we can easily lose it when we focus in on the present which for Pup are his sports.
Step 3: Support the simple statement with stories filled with details (concrete) and validity (credibility). For example, we linked three prasangs from the presentation to the second simple statement, "We must earn the ability to understand Shriji Maharaj's form."
Bhai Ramdas - Why was Bhai Ramdas a genuine devotee? We may think it is because of his ability to have Shriji Maharaj's darshan in all three states, but the real answer lay in his understanding. He thanked Shriji Maharaj for giving him the ability to see His form. We too must recognize that to attain God, we must first secure His permission.
God or Sadhu? - The assembly initially saw Shriji Maharaj's demonstration as funny, but what if the prasang had been different in that Bhai Ramdas had been present? While the others may have laughed, he would have felt touched that Shriji Maharaj Himself felt all those sitting in the assembly to even be eligible to hear of His true form.
Riding a Rolls-Royce - We keep seeing how important it is to earn the ability to understand Shriji Maharaj's form, but it seems that it is easier said than done. However, we have a living, breathing example in the form of the Satpurush to demonstrate to us the way to earn this understanding. In 1982, Pramukh Swami Maharaj, as the guest-of-honor, humbly sat on the gearbox. We cannot fathom such a scenario, yet it's the way of the Satpurush that will help us earn the ability to understand Shriji Maharaj's form.
We may find it difficult to imagine how to create a 20-minute presentation out of this paragraph-sized Swami ni Vaat, yet in these words lies the wisdom of a lifetime. Let's take some time this week to familiarize ourselves and earn the ability to win over our audience to God & His Sant.
Understanding God to be sakaris a cornerstone of our upasana, and to say it any other way would be a grave understatement. Shriji Maharaj has repeated countless time just how pertinent this idea is to us achieving moksha, so let's take some time to strategize how we plan to present this topic to our sabha.
Step 1: Synthesize the simple statement.
God possesses a divine form.
God's divine form enhances our bhakti.
A limited God lacks form.
Step 2: Start off with a shakeup.
Play-Doh Time! - Refer to the syllabus for this activity.
Shape-Shifting Mobile Phone - Fabian Hemmert has prototyped a phone that changes shape, weight, and even "breathes" to give a more organic feel of the phone. God too gives us an organic feel when He assumes a form appropriate to our sense of perception.
Bear Hunter - Just as the hunter is able to interact with the bear, God takes on a human form to enable us to interact with him. The possibilities are endless in this interactive Youtube video and so too are they for us when we are able to serve the divine form of God.
Step 3: Support the simple statement with stories filled with details (concrete) and backed with validity (credibility). We decided to go with the second simple statement, "God's divine form enhances our own bhakti."
NOTE: The syllabus is NOT stating that the Satpurush is God but rather the Satpurush's form is divine since God resides in him fully without any traces of maya. In Vachanamrut Sarangpur 5, Shriji Maharaj says, "As separate and beyond all of them, Akshar is said to contain as sharir only Lord Purushottam and does not sustain even a trace of the ignorance attached to Prakriti and Purush.” In other words, the Satpurush is the closest entity to Shriji Maharaj Himself, so his form too is divine.
Opportunity to Serve - Yogiji Maharaj's illness enabled others to serve him and thereby offer seva to him. If God lacked a form, our seva would be severely limited in its scope. Let's think about it for a second. What seva has to happen whenever Pramukh Swami comes for vicharan? Reporting, A/V, parking, decorations, and the list proves infinite. All of that would eliminated if we did not believe in God having a divine form. Prefacing this prasang with this example could serve to illustrate it well.
Accepting Bhakti - Offering devotion in the form of puja, thaal, arti, etc. requires that we have faith; after all, our devotion becomes tainted when we expect to receive something in exchange for it. Hence, having a God with divine form enhances this bhakti because we have the opportunity of actually witnessing God's satisfaction firsthand. That sweet memory only supercharges our wish to serve and offer devotion!
Tied to Taste - Our bhakti is limited by how easily we get distracted by the panchvishays- sights, sounds, smells, etc. - that pervade our environment. The Nagar devotee felt this obstacle firsthand, yet only the divine form of God awakened his awareness: If he can dine so simply as the mahant of this mandir, why can I not as a mere devotee? Swamishri too awakens our awareness to our own bhakti. When we see him do puja, arti, thaal, we realize just how focused we need to be in offering bhakti to God. The divine form thus provides with a model by which we can enhance our own bhakti.
As we can see, such a simple concept can have such lasting implications on our spiritual progress. Let's make a point to formulate our presentation before walking into sabha; it would certainly be hypocritical to discuss the benefits of a God with formwithout actually providing one for our presentation (i.e. winging it on the spot).
NOTE: While there are no pictures on the post, we do have a slideshow to accompany this post; prepare & practice accordingly!
As the year winds to an end with the last sabha of 2010 right around the corner, let's take some time to make the most of this special moment by test driving a BMW M6 convertible!
With the 500-horsepower engine, this car is better suited for the racetrack than any old city road. In fact, 4.8 seconds is all that takes to rev this beastly vehicle up to 60 miles/hour; that's about how long it takes for us blink 10 times!
The sleek interior is fully coveted with smooth and premium leather, and the incredible Logic-7 surround sound system makes any melody flow seamlessly enough to lift away any anxiety or stress that we may be carrying around on our shoulders.
So let's do it - why not rev this baby up?
Oh wait, it's only a picture. Test drive fail.
It's that disappointment that warrants an actual BMW M6 convertible. After all, the descriptive and flowery language sounded awesome, but only the actual car would have satisfied this craving.
Religion proves to be no different. Those who seek something higher or beyond them ascribe to a system of religion be it Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, or even our religion of Hinduism, and it is in Hinduism that the principle of pragat resolves that search.
We may easily be led to think that pragat means that which is visible as in the murtis (in Hinduism) or statues in paintings of saints or religious icons in other religions, but pragat means much more.
The pragat form of God enables us not only to see him but to understand Him.
For the M6, seeing and hearing the descriptions helped us visualize and imagine the car itself, but we gain no understanding of its handling or performance until we actually get behind the wheel. Blinking ten times is not going to help us figure out how hard/soft to press down on the acceleration while we're cruising in the M6; in fact, it may win us an ambulance ride to the ER.
For God, it means much more than to just being able to see Him. We must understand His nature, His personality, His philosophy if we are too attain Him in His abode. In essence, how would He act in facing the problems and pressures we face today in this society? Hence, Shriji Maharaj narrates His life to Muktanand Swami when he came seeking peace.
Thus, Hinduism places an emphasis on a guru or a spiritual teacher - one who has the credibility to interpret the scriptures in light of modern problems. A guru must have examples in his own life to share with his followers that resonate with the religion and its teachings which is why we have our guru Pramukh Swami Maharaj. His 90 years on this Earth are replete with prasang after prasang and experience after experience in which he demonstrated his depth and understanding of the Hindu faith.
Though Shriji Maharaj may have reverted back to His abode, He lives on through the life of our guru. That's why we have a M(aharaj)-series of models as well, for each of our gurus have led a life through which Shriji Maharaj Himself could be experienced. Swamishri today is the M6 - the sixth one in line - and the shining example to the principle of pragat.
How can the Odyssey of others inspire our own present-day journey?
Last week, the MC used a really neat way to tie together the whole sabha. From beginning to end, she related her experience of reading Seductive Poison, a memoir of a once-Jonestown devotee who was misled by her leader, to the sabha topics of Swami’s compassion and the Law of Karma.
I finally dusted the cover of my unread (read: untouched) copy of the Odyssey where Odysseusor Ulysses (from Greek mythology) takes decades to finally return home. It was his journey that even came to coin the concept of “odyssey” in modern English. In our own culture, the Pandavas as well as Shri Rama and Sitaji endured trials and tribulations during their own time in exile. Each protagonist has exhibted perseverance and focus, adapting to their own chain reactions and karmas through the cosmos, in search of truth and righteous living.
It follows, then, that in literature and in life the Journey is paramount for growth.
Every few minutes, my gaze wanders to the Nilkanth Varni murti on my desk. Maharaj Himself set out on the pious path not so much to find the Truth, rather in order to allow the seekers find Him and attain His dham
In digesting the past few weeks’ presentations and pretty hefty topics about the the domino effect of Cosmic Evolution and Law of Karma as well as in understanding Upasana in an everyday light, I, at least, know that this moment is not a mere coincidence. After reading about the mythological and real journeys of other souls, I am not entirely sure what my own atma has done to arrive here. But I also know that human perception is highly limited, and that what matters at this moment is that my has brought me here today - face to face with clarity about my true identity and the Ekantik Satpurush himself. What I choose to do today and tomorrow is what matters.
How do you relate with the idea of the Cosmic “Odyssey” of the atma? Does reading or learning about the journey of a ficticious or real protagonist inspire you in your daily satsang?
[The next few weeks we have a guest poster (from the West Coast, thus the Lakers reference) who will be sharing their thoughts and point of view on making sabha stickier. Here is their thoughts on this week's Kishore/Kishori sabha topic of Samajan. This may really help make the MC sticky]
Congratulations, graduates! And congratulations, non-graduates for making it through yet another year! How does it feel to be done? As inviting as summer vacation is, it is not hard to become (just a little) nostalgic and think fondly about all of the good times while cleaning out lockers, signing yearbooks, or walking off campus with that diploma.
Today is a milestone - you have made it. In many ways, life is filled with milestones - your first step, your first day at college, your first internship, your first job, and so on. Milestones are not unlike Archimedes' "Eureka!" moment or the NBA Playoffs where the LA Lakers and Boston Celtics go to a game seven. All eyes are upon you as you start a new endeavor or approach the finish line.
But what about the journey there? More than Archimedes' Eureka! moment, I am interested in how he accomplished becoming a renowned mathematician, physicist, engineer, inventor and astronomer! Like many other successful persons in history, what disciplines and habits did Archimedes put into place in his own life to achieve such interdisciplinary know-how?
More than the Playoffs alone, when Derek Fisher expressed his deep gratitude for the game and his team, I immediately began thinking about the everyday goals (daily exercise, practice, focus, priority, diet, team-building, etc.) that he has remained committed to in order to share this statement:
This moment brings me back to Satsang - specifically to the topic of Samjan, and to the simple, yet highly complex question, Have we had our Eureka! moment yet?
As an analogy, Derek Fisher truly understands (Samjan) that his focus and dedication to playing well will bring his team success (Gnaan) and that success is very important to him (Mahima), and thus he is able to align his goals and actions over the course of a journey in order to achieve success.
In Satsang, when we truly understand (Samjan) Upasana and our spiritual goals (Gnaan), they become a central priority for us (Mahima).
In the same way, True Understanding is the Eureka! moment, but the Eureka! moment also comprises of a journey.
Take it another way. Our Aha! moment of solving a difficult math equation is just as important as the journey - all of those hours that you were trying and all of the years that we studied math.
What, then, guides the accompanying journey? Knowing, understanding, and realizing the importance of a particular goal may not always lend to a milestone, but the milestone is certainly made up of small victories.
Perhaps every instance where we practice Samjan in our daily lives (whether at home, or at work, or within our mandal, or even the basketball court) and live according the wishes of Maharaj and Swami, we achieve small victories - which, over time, add up to Eureka!
Yogi Bapa gives us many practical examples of Samjan throughout the Yogi Gita. Let us look at one:
Khamvu (On Letting Go/Accepting)
"Sadhutana gun shu? Khamvu. 'Tame bahu sara chho...' - Te khamvu em ne? - Naa. 'Tame akkal vagharnaa baardan chho...' Em koi kahe te khamvu, te sadhutana gun. Motaa kahe 'em' to 'em.' - Em saral prakruti raakhvi. Te mokshmathi na pade. Dhaaryu chhodaave ne khotu laage te ko'k di padi jaay."
Translation: What is a virtue of a Sadhu? To let go/accept. 'You are great...' We should accept when people tell us comments like these right? - No. 'You are an ignorant fool...' When one says such things, we should let go, that is a virtue of a Sadhu. Regardless of what is being asked, one should maintain a straightforward nature of always following the words of an elder. In this way, one cannot fall from the path of moksha. However, when one feels hurt when one has to let go of one's desires, then one may one day fall from this path.
"Space: The Final Frontier." We've always been fascinated with the skies, the cosmos, the universe, and our technology has only aided us in our endeavors. Specifically, it was our ability to fly. In our attempts, we experienced both success and failures.
What determines how well they fly ties back to something called aerodynamics, the study of how air flow interacts with moving objects. Now, one principle of this area is the Bernoulli principle. Without getting too complicated, the Bernoulli principle helps us understand why the flight is possible.
Water moves faster over the ball than under it.
When a fluid, like water, moves faster over a surface, it has a lower pressure.
The difference in pressures creates a lift force
Repeat Steps 1-3 with "air" instead of "water" - voila, flight!
What's even more interesting is that we see this principle in action in Satsang: upasana serves as the wings that enable us to soar through the skies of maya to the gates of Akshardham.
Gaining this wings requires us to initially developing understanding of our upasana. Start off my listing the five entities that are integral to our philosophy - jiva, ishwar, maya, Brahm, and Parabrahm. However, this presentation will expound upon Parabrahm - the four main traits of Shriji Maharaj that we should seek to understand.
Why does upasana serve as a turn-off to many? Let's face it, not all of our sabha attendees have a knack for philosophy. Utilizing analogies and metaphors often helps us break up the complexity, so use the scriptural references provided and supplement them with these comparisons.
Sarva Karta
Think batteries. Just as Energizer powers the bunny, Shriji Maharaj powers any and all aspects of the universe - good & bad.
High score on the SAT? Shriji Maharaj gave you the intelligence and confidence along with matching you up with the most favorable version of the exam.
Somebody crash your car? Shriji Maharaj also made this accident happen, and while in the short-term we may be shortchanged, it is for the good in the long-term.
Cultivating this idea helps us soar through any of maya's air traps - reference the Swami ni Vaat for emphasis.
Sakar Think carbon dioxide. While we may familiar with the gas that we exhale daily, it's solid form is dry ice. Similarly, Shriji Maharaj is not just a booming voice that we may hear; He has form a divine form. Use the scriptural references provided to enhance this idea.
Sarvopari
Think CEO. Just as a CEO presides over all in a business, Shriji Maharaj presides over every entity present in the universe. Recall that there are four additional entities after Parabrahm; they are all subject to the will of Shriji Maharaj. Hence, even the maya that flows over the surfaces of our wings of upasana are subject to the will of Him.
Pragat
Think math. Math is present everywhere, especially nature (see video below). Similarly, Shriji Maharaj is ever-present on this Earth through his Ekantik Sant. While we will attain Him in Akshardham, His support is ensured here on Earth. From Gunatitanand Swami to Pramukh Swami Maharaj, the scriptures tell us why this is so - to ensure our moksha.
In summary, our upasana is our ticket to Satsang if we so choose to realize it as such. The greater we understand it, the faster maya will pass over our wings and quicker we will attain Akshardham.
