The Ideal of Proper Diet

Meaning: The line of Yajurved 12/76 has given the information about our diet as follows - body is the principal means for 'dharma, artha, kama and moksha'. Therefore, good health must be maintained by proper diet, disciplined daily routine and benevolent conduct. Only a disease-free body is the source of all happiness.

Message: The joy of heavenly bliss and salvation is possible in this life itself. But it so happens that we do not properly understands our life's objective and makes all attempts in the wrong direction for attaining it. We can achieve the above four goals of life i.e. 'dharma, artha, kama and moksha' only by a healthy body. We can remain alive by maintaining physical health. Unhealthy, ill and weak persons are already like half-dead. This is because they suffer not only the bodily ailments, but the simultaneous incapacity and the pain of failure also breaks them mentally, thus neglect of health is very costly for everyone.

Good health does not depend on medicines. It cannot also be bought by money. It is also foolish to think of protecting health by imbibing costly materials. Good health depends only on diet, proper routine, exercise and restraint or discipline. The royal road to maintaining proper health and increasing it is to live life in harmony with nature regarding food-habits, daily routine, and lead a natural life. People fall ill with unnatural, artificial, pompous and luxurious life style and die at an early age. All the living beings, insects, birds, animals etc follow the rules of nature; as a result they never fall ill. If by some accident or fights among themselves, they do fall ill, they automatically come back to normal by the grace of Mother Nature. Those animals and birds that have come under the control of man, they only require veterinary dispensaries.

Only man is a very foolish animal who himself invites illness because of wrong conduct, indiscipline and irregularity. This disregard for food and routine is a result of carelessness, laziness, negligence etc. Nature has made man as the most beautiful, healthy, shapely and long-lived animal complete with physical, mental and spiritual powers. The best and easy way for excellent health is that as far as possible only natural (uncooked) food should be taken. The essential elements of the food will be alive within the food to the extent that it does not come into contact with fire (or heat) and that way these elements will provide strength to the body. Ripe seasonal fruits, raw vegetables, sprouted grains and boiled or steam-cooked food is excellent from every point of view, is 'saatvik' and nutritious'

If the body is healthy, the mind also is healthy; it gets pure and pleasant thoughts and is filled with pleasant and good imagination. The mind gets engaged in work, there is no laziness or uneasy feeling and the heart is cheerful and light like a flower.

The Ideal of proper diet, proper routine and proper conduct must always be the guiding principal of our lives.

The Company You Keep

The impact of the company we keep, on our mental state and our actions, is tremendous. Even a person with all positive attributes may end up pursuing undesirable activity because of bad company. For example, you may be quite averse to the idea of accumulating wealth through dishonest means by the effect of a close friend who is untruthful may push you to do so.

To cultivate dedication, as Ramkrishna mentions, it is important to be in the company of those who have taken the path of renunciation. If you spend a great deal of time with materialistic persons discussing worldly affairs all the time, you are bound to become like them, irrespective of the meditation you might be practicing. You can begin to feel intense love for God only when you come in contact with those who are experiencing such love. Hasn't it been said that good literature and good company play seminal roles in shaping your personality?

Sometimes our mind itself can be our worst enemy. Ma Sarada Devi once said that God may be gracious, the guru may be generous - yet a person can be ruined if his mind is not cooperative. In such situations the company of good people can bring in unbelievable change in the mental state.

It is difficult indeed to avoid the company of those who have negative qualities in abundance - they tend to entice you to stay with them or harass you to remain in their companion. Such is the force of negative influences. The mutual dependence among those who lack integrity tends to be greater than amount those who shine out on account of their integrity. Because of this, destructive power often tends to become more powerful than its constructive counterpart. But one has to keep up the deepest mental poise and flow the principle of 'generous neglect'.

Indeed, it is part of our social responsibility to warn wrongdoers against their actions but there is no point in repeated reminders. Time would be better spent on contemplation. Problems caused by your enemies can at times prove to be very costly. But the principle of tolerance works in unique ways. Ramakrishna says, one who withstands, stays, and one who does not, gets ruined.

When it ruins heavily, some varieties of fish are able to follow the continuity of the downpour and survive despite the thrashing waters. The mind has to follow the same route: It has to move against the gravitational force. If there is an urge, nothing is impossible. However, that urge has to be nurtured in a sustainable manner. The restlessness has to be there but it has to be accompanied by patience. And this unique combination derives its source of inspiration from The Company of saints who, in an uninterrupted manner, keep pursuing their efforts steadily.

If we remain satisfied with what we have achieved, there cannot be any progress towards God. The striving has to be there; an attitude of constant dissatisfaction with the present conditions has to grow which in turn can force the Mahamaya to detach us from bondage, says Ramakrishna. Restlessness is therefore essential to expand our horizons, and the good company we keep ignites that urge in us.

The Blooming of Lotus

The function of meditation practice is to heal and transform. It helps us to be whole, and to look deeply into ourselves and around us in order to realize what is really there. The energy that is used in meditation is mindfulness to look deeply into the heart of things in order to see their true nature. When mindfulness is present, meditation is present. Mindfulness helps us to understand g the true essence of the object of meditation - whether it is perception, an emotion, an action, a reaction, the presence of a person or object.

By looking deeply, the meditation practitioner gains insight, prajna, or wisdom. This insight has the power to liberate us from our own suffering and bondage. In the meditation process, fetters are undone, internal blocks of suffering such as fear, anger, despair and hatred get removed, relationships with humans and nature become easier, and there is freedom and joy. We become aware of what is inside us and around us; we are fresher, and we become more alive in our daily existence. As we become freer and happier, we cease to act in ways that makes others suffer, and we are able to bring about change around us and to help others become free. Isn't that wonderful?

The meditation practitioner is like a lotus flower in the process of blooming. Buddha's are fully bloomed human flowers, beautiful and refreshing. All of us are Buddha's-to-be. That is why in practice centers when people meet each other, they form a lotus with their palms and greet each other while bowing saying, 'a lotus for you. As they inhale while saying 'a lotus for you' and exhale, smiling, while saying "a Buddha-to-be", they have the appearance of a blooming flower.

It may be possible for you to meditate on your own, without a teacher or a Sangha, namely, Buddhist community of practice. But it goes without saying that to practice with a teacher and a Sangha is more advisable and much easier. A teacher is someone who has had the experience of the practice, and has succeeded in ti. A Sangha is a meditation community where everyone follows more or less the same kind of practice. Since everyone is doing the same practice, it becomes easier for you to practice too, because the group energy emitted by the Sangha is strong and very supportive. You can also learn a great deal from individual members of the Sangha, especially those who have realized some degree of peace and transformation. There are many things you may find difficult to do when alone, but in the presence of the Sangha you can do them easily. All of us who have practiced with a Sangha can testify to this fact........

In the Buddhist tradition, we consider Sangha one of the three gems. The three gems are Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. As we see it, the three gems are already in your heart. The Sangha in yourself may guide you to the Sangha that is somewhere near you. Maybe the teacher and the Sangha are right there, very close to you, but you have not yet noticed. With practice, you will generate the energy of mindfulness, which may lead you towards a teacher and a community.

The Air in the Dawn

Meaning: According to the line of Samved 135 – the air in the dawn, i.e. before sunrise, is clean. Therefore, one must breathe this pure air by getting up early in the morning. With that the health remains stable and one earns wealth.

Message: There is every type of strangeness and abundance in the nature. There is no limit to joy and good health for us. Enjoying good health, all the living creatures, whether insects, birds or animals enjoy their lives. Drawing their requirements from water, air, light and food they enjoy the happiness of longevity.

God has put health in every particle of nature, in leaves, flowers, and fruits and in every drop of water. Every part of air every gulp of water, every particle of fruit, grains and vegetables, which we take in our breath, drink and food, is very health giving and strength giving for us. For all round development and strength Nature possesses every type of means.

Daily life begins by arising during the dawn only. All birds and animals get up in the dawn and giving up their laziness, join in their daily routine. There are many benefits in getting up early. The air at dawn is health giving and pollution free. It is also called ‘praan vayu’ or ‘veer vayu’ because it contributes to life and strength. By breathing in this fresh air, there is increase in strength, in the luster of the faced, the mind always remains cheerful and the intelligence becomes sharp and all the organs of the body remain disease free. By getting up early in the morning, the body feels fresh and energetic. Contrasting with this, those who remain sleeping after sunrise, their laziness and carelessness increases, they suffer from various types of diseases, they feel dull throughout the day and they cannot apply their mind in any work.

Dawn has been lovingly called ‘Usha Devi’ (the Goddess dawn) because of its benevolence like a mother. She gives generously with her hands health, intelligence, strength, and the blessing in longevity and all those get these, who get up at that pleasant time. Those who get up early they gain in life, those who sleep late, they lose in life. Man’s life starts at this pious time in the dawn only. The gentle breeze of this pure air fills every pore of the body with energetic freshness and stirs up enthusiasm in life’s creation, progress and development and the feeling arises in the mind to go ahead and do something for the world to see. The beautiful and pleasant atmosphere of the dawn, the singing of the birds and the play of the animals help greatly in awakening our inner vitality for a new life.

We should never keep away from this blessing of Nature. All birds and animals breathe this air in the dawn and never fall ill. Getting up at dawn is very useful to man for his health, mind, intelligence and soul. It stirs up vitality in the body.

Men wishing bodily, mental and spiritual progress must get up at four o’ clock in the morning, get out of the bed and come out into the open air

The Absence of Self

Buddha’s disciple Subhuti suddenly discovered the richness and fecundity of emptiness; the realization that everything is impermanent, unsatisfactory and empty of self. In this mood of divine emptiness, he sat in bliss under a tree when suddenly flowers began to fall all around him. And the gods whispered, we’re enraptured by your sublime emptiness, subhuti replied, but I’ve not uttered a word about emptiness.” “True,” the gods replied. “You’ve not spoken of emptiness, we’ve not heard of emptiness. This is true emptiness.” And the showers of blossoms continued.

If I had spoken of my emptiness or even been aware of it, would it be emptiness? Music needs the hollowness of the flute, letters, the blankness of the page, light, the void called a window, holiness, the absence of self. “Divinity descends on a man who never seeks divinity,” said a Persian mystic. Our minds are too cluttered with the ideas of self, divinity and spirituality. In our conscious endeavor to become spiritual we fall short of our objective and remain worldly. We’re all too preoccupied with things that have no real significance in life.

A woman went to Lao of our objective and said that she was constantly tormented by useless thoughts whenever she sat for her evening prayers. Lao Tse said, “Try to pray anytime in a day and come to me after a few days.” She came to meet Lao Tse and told him that no set aside a fixed hour for prayers. “When you fixed a time, your self was conscious. You were aware of the need to pray at a given time. Now with random prayers, you’ve broken that stifling mould, you’re no longer conscious, thus free of any pestering thought.” Unawareness is a blissful state. With awareness comes a set pattern. It gives birth to a structure, a formula, a format.

Rami said, “While taking to my beloved (Allaha), I’m unaware at times whether to speak or not. Lofted remain silent because my beloved doesn’t like much volubility.” Silence is unspoken emptiness and is much more eloquent than any set or fixed prayer.

The trouble is we’ve set aside practices and rituals even for spirituality. One has to visit a Shani mandir only on Saturdays or wear a certain stone on a specific day. This has no meaning. Every hour is auspicious and every day is lucky.

Blissful ignorance is divinity. Only in a state of bekhudi or self-immersion you can reach the stage of enlightenment, called ‘trueya avastha’. Buddha never felt that he had attained satori or enlightenment. It became integral to his mystic consciojusness. Any effort to expedite the process of enlightenment is futile. In Ramz-e-bekhudi Allama Iqbal says, “Spirituality is not something mundane to attain, the way we put all our efforts into achieving an object in life. It occurs like a bolt from the blue when you least expected it.”

Conscious endeavor cannot lead a seeker to his spiritual destination. Nor is the lifestyle of a monk assurance of achieving the state of perpetual bliss. The moment mind becomes free of wish, desire or wistfulness, a divine consciousness descends. Christ was a carpenter’s son, Muhammad was reportedly unlettered, Moses was adopted and he was reportedly illiterate. “God finds his way through unconscious and unpretentious people. Because divinity resides in a blissfully unaware mind” Tagore wrote in the Gitanjali