Simple Shortcut #2: Combination

Simple Shortcuts is a new series of posts geared towards synthesizing that not-so-simple yet crucial simple statement (i.e. main point of our presentations).

Our next shortcut may not seem as straightforward as substitution, but it's not impossible.

Shortcut #2 entails asking, "How can I combine <insert Satsang item here> with <insert non-Satsang item here>?"

In our last post, we looked at the following video and how it might apply to the age-old concept of agna.

Birds on the Wires from Jarbas Agnelli on Vimeo.

However, through combining this video with other topics, we may in fact find more intricacies that span the breadth of our Satsang presentations.

• Related to agna is the topic of faith vs. logic, and while the birds may have perched in a logical musical pattern, it required a leap of faith to see if that pattern did exist or not. 
• Perhaps these birds are a breath of fresh air into our otherwise boring, mundane lives; it's something we need to apply to our Satsang (i.e. nitya navin rakhvu). In Vachanamrut Kariyani-3, Shriji Maharaj explains, "This Shuk Muni is a very great sadhu. From the day he began staying with Me, his enthusiasm has been ever increasing; in fact, it has never diminished." If we seize the right moments, we too can experience the flourishing of our Satsang. 
• However, do all people find birds perched in a pattern entertaining? Eccentric musicians aside, maybe not. Thus, we need to engage in a modality that suits our preferences, like one of nine types of bhakti.
• For a musician, birds sitting in such a coordinated pattern is a rare opportunity - slim odds - yet it's in these encounters we can remember God as sarva-karta (all-doer), one of the four aspects of our upasana and feel empowered by the one we've met.

Rather than continue along with this free-for-all, let's see what simple statements we may have generated.

• Faith freshens up our Satsang.
• The nine types of bhakti are there to keep our Satsang fresh.
• Understanding God as the all-doer keeps our Satsang fresh.

Here, we've combined topics in ways we may not have otherwise thought of before, and the more we do it, the better we get at it. Think about that the next time we encounter something extraordinary.

Simple Shortcut #1: Substitution

The three-point recipe for a coherent presentation - simple/shakeup/stories - has been introduced in our posts and applied in past presentations, but we realized it was no fun. Why should we be the only ones enjoying ourselves when we should be sharing the wealth? Now we're taking one step backwards in helping fellow Sabhaologists create these elements from scratch on demand beginning with the first element: the simple statement. 

The importance of a simple statement cannot be underemphasized. Ever. Without a simple statement, our presentations are nothing more than a lifeless mass of words passing in one ear of the listener to the other. Thus, we need to unite this mass with a message or main point. It's what we call simple though the process by which we synthesize it is not so easy.

Hence, Simple Shortcuts, a new series of posts, will help us with developing that core of our presentation through a host of different perspectives that help us synthesize that not-so-simple yet crucial simple statement.

Shortcut #1 entails asking, "What can be substituted in <insert non-Satsang item here> with <insert Satsang item here>?

For example, let's watch this clip.

Birds on the Wires from Jarbas Agnelli on Vimeo.

Ok, let's break down what we saw - straightforward of course:

• Birds sitting on wire in no observable pattern.
• Observer sees how the birds fit together in a musical pattern.

Now, let's see how substitution takes effect.

• We may perceive the Satpurush's agna to be random and gloss over them without much thought.
• However, the Satpurush sees how they fit together in a spiritual pattern.

Um, spiritual pattern - how does that benefit us? Does that mean we are all supposed to become atma-realized? Or is how we can inspire others if we ourselves become inspired? Or is it how we can establish Satyug in Kaliyug? 

And that's how we unleash the torrent of thought which we otherwise find difficult to awaken when we're given a presentation. Sometimes, we just need the starting spot to brainstorm ideas, and using Shortcut #1 on what we perceive as non-Satsang suddenly breathes life into concepts we have otherwise grown to consider stale. 

The Wrong Body Language

A fellow Sabhaologist sent us this nifty article that summarizes the no-no's when it comes to our posture and position amidst speaking and presenting. Though in each of our mandals we have a slightly different setup for sabha, it may not hurt to remember these annoying habits to stay on the good side of audience perhaps even in a non-mandir setting.

After all, it's great to captivate the audience but not at the cost of composure.