We are but tiny ships navigating the winds and waves of Karma on the ocean of existence. The Law of Karma is the law that determines for every action, there is an equal, but opposite, reaction. What goes around comes around. As you sow, so shall ye reap. Most believe their Karma is acting upon them from outside. Most fancy their thoughts and emotions to be their own. Yet most of people’s Karma is between their ears and in their hearts, setting their sails in whatever direction it does.
Facts are just dots on a page. How people’s hearts and minds connect those dots determines their image of others—of the world. Anything can be and is justified with the intellect. Anything can be and is justified with the emotions. Karma weaves the webs people call life. Karma weaves the webs people call truth. Karma weaves the webs people call justice. Though Karma is God’s Will, Karma is only half of God’s Will.
The other half is accessible to the extent that people’s hearts and minds are free from Karma. Some call it the Divine Spark within. Some call it the Transcendent. Some call it the Kingdom of Heaven.
It is not enough to think you are free. It is not enough to feel you are free. It is usually just people’s Karma that makes them think and feel they are free.
To find that place of Divine and True Freedom is to transcend this world of Karma. Divinity lies beyond thoughts and emotions. Yet, Divinity is the source of thoughts and emotions that emerge unaltered or altered by the winds and waves of Karma.
Projections of inner negativity (conviction, anger, judgement, fear, etc.) are the waves and winds of karmic currents that direct and twist the fate of people’s thoughts and emotions.
Divinity and Karma are the two aspects of God’s Will which entwine to form the world… through people and by people, and therein act upon people.
Jyotish charts are the complex maps of Karma. The world’s karmic map has, of late, shown severe winds and churning waves. But the time is coming when people will live from a place within, beyond the touch of Karma. The time is coming when people can walk through the world of Karma, but not lose Themselves to Karma. The time is coming when people will be established in the silent Divine Depth of the ocean of existence. True peace, harmony, love, and freedom lie beyond the choppy waves of karmic existence that most call life. Looking to the surface to find the Divine, though common and understandable, is an emotional fantasy. Divinity, though permeating the surface, dwells deeper. Thoughts and emotions are, at best, echoes of Truth which, held too tightly, hold Truth at bay.
It is up to the individual to transcend: to access the depth within. to be “without the three Gunas”, called karmic life, and “take the mind to infinity” as Krishna declared in the Bhagavad Gita. to no longer lose one’s self to the maze of karmic thoughts and emotions. to no longer behave as dictated by Karma’s polarizing convictions of good and bad. to stop reaching to emotional images of God as a substitute for the true Divinity of God. The time is coming to know thy true Self.
It is called wisdom. It is called maturity. It is called Divine. It is called Good Will toward all.
It is so very uplifting and beautiful when the temple is filled with people chanting. It permeates the temple and cultures the heart with an exquisite feeling of sublime spirituality and devotion to God. It is nice that some of the Mount Soma residents have been exploring and enjoying chanting. Like many things, whether or not one chooses to chant is certainly a personal choice, but if done wisely it can be beneficial. Like everything, it boils down to ‘healthy relationship with’. I recently discussed chanting with Pandit Prasad and we offer the following:
The healing benefits of chanting can be particularly enjoyed if there are psychological, energetic, or emotional blocks. Clearing such blocks through chanting can, of course, be highly beneficial and open the physiology and energy system with numerous benefits possible. Some find such benefits through other pathways… for example, dance, singing, various forms of yoga or healing, personal relationships, etc.
When people are meditating regularly for a long period of time, impurities can get stirred up as they clear out of the physiology. Things like chanting, exercise, etc. can help clear them and the resultant experiences can then be quite desirable, even dramatic. Of course, that is an individual matter. Some will take to and derive benefit from one thing. Others will take to another based upon physiological needs and personal affinities.
At times, the result of adding exercise, chanting, or diet change can be truly dramatic. We just need to keep them in the context of the nature and structure of life and existence, such as we have discussed in the school. In our enthusiasm, when we start a new practice, it is best to not go overboard. Of course, such enthusiasm is understandable, though it is always best when we come back into balance.
As with all new practices, there are certain guidelines we do well to note:
Chanting for some can result in excess emotional indulgence which can turn a person into what is often called a “bliss ninny.” Then they begin to judge another person’s level of enlightenment based upon “bliss ninny” standards. This is common in many religions and social groups. Those who behave in a certain manner are considered more ‘spiritually evolved.’ Of course, we know that another person’s level of consciousness cannot be judged based upon the surface or upon our own personal affinities.
When the heart is overly enlivened (as described in Ayurveda and Chinese Medicine), it can distort perception. When blocks are cleared and emotions are excessively indulged, people can blur emotions with enlightenment. That can become an obstacle to true spiritual growth. Getting emotional about union with God can be confused with deeper union which transcends emotions. In such a case, chanting (like other things) can become a distraction that pulls people away from a deeper spiritual path. Discernment can be compromised.
We also do well to remember the elevator analogy: when you have been meditating and evolving rapidly, it is like climbing high in an elevator. If you take a moment to look at the view from that height, it is spectacular. So the inclination can be to stay with that level, be distracted by it, and hesitate to go back to what got you to that level in the first place. As a result, you can cease to continue climbing in the elevator to even higher levels.
It is as if for many years we have been cultivating a beautiful garden with fruit trees, etc. Then, if we pick a fruit and enjoy it, we may think it is the fruit that gave the gift. Actually, of course, the real gift is the cultivation that bore the fruit, not the picking of the fruit. Years of meditation and study make many fruits available, and the physiology of meditators becomes like ripe fruit. Various practices you then employ can pick the wonderful fruits we have been cultivating.
Excess chanting can even create a hypnotic state of euphoria. For that reason, some temples in India do not allow certain groups of people following such a path to even enter the temple. As stated earlier, those hypnotic states can lead a person to believe they are getting enlightened, when actually they are being misled. After spending time in India, many people become acutely aware of all sorts of practices done in the name of spiritual growth, that are more truly forms of mind manipulation. They could be forms of chanting, healing, or various spiritual practices. That is why I like to recommend: “Safety first!”
Bottom line: Like everything else, it is a matter of ‘relationship with’. Better to have a good relationship with a bad thing (i.e., staying away from it), than a bad relationship with a good thing (for example, excessive indulgence in it or emphasis upon it).
Remember that the deepest level of Bhakti transcends emotions. Bhakti is rooted in the transcendental depth of your being. Personally, I most cherish the experience of Bhakti I enjoy in deep meditation. However, I also love listening to, and being swept away by, the feeling evoked when the visitors chant at temple gatherings. When Pandits gather and chant together, it is exquisite.
So, if you enjoy chanting, do so wisely and be sure the Mantras you use, and the amount and ways you use them is done properly. If you are at Mount Soma, it is wise to take advantage of the opportunityto have it monitored. Panditji and I are asking that you allow us to do so. If you would like to chant, please let us know what you would like to do, so Panditji and I can confer with one another and offer our assistance. Then, with our blessings, if you like chanting and feel you are getting benefit from it, ENJOY!
A friend in India emailed me saying that there is a movement in India, saying, “a new concept is fast moving here, that is one earth one religion.”
I responded by saying that religions are 1/2 spiritual and 1/2 cultural. The idea of ONE religion is not correct. There is one central God, worshipped differently in different cultures. Even polytheistic religions recognize that all the Gods are aspects of the One. However, whitewashing the world is not correct. Multinational corporations tried to do that decades ago. It was a huge failure.
Cultural integrity is a good thing. Yet, racism is cultural integrity gone insane. As humanity evolves, religions will honor and respect one another. They will live in harmony and mutual support, not opposition or friction. It will be the laws of Mother Nature that determine which religion flourishes in which part of the world… not the laws of men. The laws of nature differ in different regions of the world. The laws of nature, for example, differ on mountain tops versus desserts. Cultures culture the lives of the people to live in harmony with nature. Mother Nature cultures each culture. When we live in foreign lands, we honor the culture of that land, while maintaining the integrity of our personal lives.
I was born and raised Christian. Yet, I have learned of the tremendous value of Vedic wisdom, knowledge, and technology. All humanity can benefit from those Vedic principles. Similarly, all humanity can benefit from science. But it is not right thinking to believe we must abandon our cultural integrity to benefit from things Vedic or scientific.
There will, and should always be, differing affinities and faiths throughout the world. That is natural and good. Peace, love, and harmony will only arise from Unity in the midst of diversity. We must learn to live together in harmony on all levels of life: family, neighborhood, community, society, nation, continent, and world.
Here at Mount Soma, both planets Venus (Shukra) and Jupiter (Guru) were visible last night (Sunday night, Nov. 24, 2019). Please read the “Jupiter and Venus Opportunity” blog for the details. A number of people looked and made their personal wishes and wishes for Mount Soma, as did I.
Together we are all doing something truly great. Through the ancient Vedic technology of consciousness we employ the principle of mapping to heal the planet. As we sweep clean the house, we do not mind if some dust is stirred. We remain undaunted. We keep going forward, forward, always forward. Steady hand on the rudder!
Tonight, Monday night, there will be one last opportunity to see Jupiter and Venus in this rare configuration again. Weather permitting visibility, I will be again watching and making my wishes.
November 23-25, Jupiter and Venus will be very close to one another. As the sun sets, they will become visible for a short period of time in the southwestern sky. Viewing them and praying for what you would like is considered a good opportunity to have your wishes fulfilled. On November 24, they will be the closest together (‘hugging’) but all three days offer the opportunity, and since clouds may obstruct your view, it would be good to watch for them all three days.
Jupiter is for knowledge and spirituality. Venus is for material gain and wealth. So, together, they offer the full range of Absolute and relative blessings.
Decades ago, I consumed the knowledge in a book about Chinese Medicine called, The Web that has No Weaver. Now, I recall only bits and pieces. The title is as enchanting now as it was then, as it applies to all of life. Where do our thoughts and attitudes come from? It seems as if they have no origin. Instead, they are part of a weaverless web we call “the world.” That web is ‘oh so delicate’ and, like a spider web, entraps the inattentive, yet well intended, prey.
For example, the other day after speaking with a couple of people, we thought it would be good to ask another to join in the conversation. Their participation and perspective would be valuable. However, I had just seen that person and knew they were very busy so I suggested we only ask if now would be a good time. I imagined it was not a good time. When one of us then approached the person… Well, whatever one of us said, that person heard it (we will never know how the web got woven and the people got entangled) as a command: “You will meet with us now!” Of course, and understandably, the person got upset. Somehow, the simple message became twisted in the web we call “life.”
Now, take that little example and apply it to everything that happens. Understand that it applies, not just to little issues, but to major themes that determine the “warp and woof” of our lives. Truth is: It is a wonder that we can even communicate. I guess the deeper truth is: We can never really, at least not totally, communicate.
Bottom line is: Life is a delicate finesse as we traverse the fine fabric of the web that has no weaver. We will get entangled from time to time, though we wish we never would. The key then: Do your best to find a way to artfully get unentangled, lest more and more entangled life becomes. More often than not, giving the entanglement time and space to unravel is essential.
Aboard the plane returning home from California class, I sit with the fine feelings of love and kindness that filled me over the past several days. From the moment I arrived at the SF airport on Wednesday, and throughout my visit, the nurturing support fed my soul. As I look back upon the past 25 years of the school, the major theme of the classes seemed to be the exquisite knowledge we have been given. Though the knowledge was certainly there this class, for me the theme of this visit was the kindness and love we all shared, starting the day I arrived early to enjoy the city with some of you, extending throughout the days of class, and continuing with another visit to the city on Sunday. I am renewed by the waves of love and support you gave through your presence—now received again aboard the plane as I read your kind emails, texts, and cards.
The task of bringing forth the teachings I was able to offer all these years was certainly not without its challenges, heartache, struggles, and opposition. The unavoidable realities of the mechanics of the process were a good portion of the class topics this past weekend as we all sat together and allowed ourselves to be with whatever was… reflectiveness, knowledge, fatigue, communion, commitment, and love. This class was a deeply emotional experience for me and, I believe, for all who attended. The children there, as well, were such a precious part of my week.
Taking now a year to reflect will provide the space needed to continue moving our long term plans forward, forward, always forward. A most warm and heartfelt “thank you” to all who attended the class. Your loving support nourishes my soul and will never be forgotten.
This started out as a private personal letter to a friend, but I decided to offer it in an open blog:
Dear _____,
You asked the other day if I was still experiencing kundalini changes as the Jyotishis predicted would happen this autumn. When I told you ‘no,’ I was being honest in the sense that it is not like in times past when kundalini energy flared up and was moving through my body, etc. However these recent nights have indeed been eventful.
You, of course, know how it feels to meditate. It is a state of being. Well, to try to explain what is happening to me, I would say that it is as if that state is sourced in a place beyond all that is… pulling me to it. It is not that I am afraid to go. Rather, it feels that if I let myself fully go there, I would not return. I would no longer be part of the world we share. Instead, I would go to another place that was not connected with, not a part of, not integrated with, had nothing to do with, this world. It has been said that the Krishna value is the highest value that has anything to do with the relative. I believe that is true. This world is such a tiny virtual window in the diamond of all that is.
This world we share is just a dance of illusory perspectives. There is no Truth here. Only contradictory perspectives poking, pushing, and pulling at one another. Only hollow perspective identities seeking space, recognition, validation, commonality and communion with others. It seems so futile, yet at the same time, so precious, so beautiful, and so much in need of peace and harmony, that currently, it feels necessary for me to stay here. However, at the same time, we know it will only be Shanta Durga who, in time, takes Hari and Hara by their hands to bring peace and harmony to this world. Yet, to put it frankly, in spite of that pull I feel at night, I know I still have something I am to do here. That feels as inevitable and as right as rain.
The night time pull of that place inside feels almost overwhelming, yet in the mornings and during the days, I feel more normal. Yet, still, that place deep inside that calls me feels like where I belong. It is just not time to go there yet. Maharishi once told a group of us that he will take us deep into Kaivalya. Feels like now, all these decades later, I have a better understanding of what he meant. There is no end to how deep Kaivalya goes.
If all happens according to plan, when my time comes, I believe it will be because I finally know I have done what I came here to do and it is time to just let it go.
Let steady precision carry you(Dhanurveda).True valor is rooted in the Divinity within us all and commitment to that purpose. Yet these days, discretion has given way to righteous indignation…force Thanksgiving Reminder? � New to streaming or looking to level up? Check out StreamYard and get $10 discount! � ... See MoreSee Less
"Take the time to reflect on what is said here. If you find yourself associating this material with things you have heard elsewhere, please take the time to diligently explore how they are different. This knowledge is elusive. I share it here because I have seen how much this knowledge helps people – the potential is enormous." – Michael Mamas
"True knowledge slips through the fingers of those not willing to ponder…" – Michael Mamas
"Take what I say and work with it to develop a deeper understanding of life, rather than taking what I say and forcing it into the mold of your current relationship with life." – Michael Mamas
"Evolution means change." – Michael Mamas
"Your disposition is the tone with which you hold yourself, your cells, your psyche, your beliefs. More than anything else, it determines your life." – Michael Mamas
