This week’s unedited notes randomly collected, loosely or directly related to this week’s podcast:
announcements:
Gun Violence: the only solution
remodeling kitchen so no food service at Mt Soma for a while.
Gyan is foundation of success.
———
Subtlety Within Words is Everything Aham Vishvam My universe is myself [Brahman Viewpoint] … vs I am the universe. [Relative Viewpoint; Taittiriya Upanishad 3.10 Brahman Consciousness [Brahmi Chetana] in a Nutshell
Pragyanam Brahma— fully awake consciousness [knowledge] is Brahman
God’s Will Manifests through you, as you. People think of the Light of God [God’s Will] as something outside in themselves. The Light of God emerges within people…. through their hearts through their determination through the light in their eye, through a commitment to the Purity underlying their ideals. God’s will emerges within you, as you, as your thoughts, as your feelings…. the clearer the vessel, the fuller the expression. God’s Will is found within you, as you. It does not lie outside yourself but rather IS your True Self.: Atma Support of Nature flows within you. We have only to clear the vessel.
The Gold is in your backyard, i.e. within you.
the physiology is the veda… shareer
Why the enlightened are not easy to understand:
what is “this’? What is “that”? In enlightenment, what was ‘this’ becomes ‘that’ and what was ‘that’’ becomes ‘this’. God is closer than people think.
For him who does not know being [the transcendent] what can the hymns of Veda accomplish?
what lies beyond [not born of] the mind… cosmic intelligence… foundation of natural thoughts… in harmony with nature.
knowledge/experience
Consciousness is Brahman (Prajnanam Brahma).
Aitareya Upanishad 3.1.3
“Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.”
RUDYARD KIPLING
To listen to the audio version, please click here.
Relationships key: How to “See” the person/“pillow” in front of you
This week’s unedited notes:
announcements:
temple “Updates&Reflections” tab
remodeling kitchen so no food service at Mt Soma for a while.
pandit boy school
greenhouse
my role should best be: Gyan which is foundation of success.
———
Shiva’s Drum Damaru
A to Ka may first feel like theory or intellectual only, but as you reflect upon it or touch into it, the reality is enlivened in your awareness, which is why I strive to relate it to the experience
a gardener nurtures the delicate sprout. it all eternally remains unfathomable for us all
veda and relative alike
external dynamics of relationship do not define the relationship
i.e. A and Ka, staying lively with the A-A-A value is key to relationships
beauty in reaching for Truth through the veil of chitta and vritti [thoughts/whirlpools source, from where one is coming from]
knowing essence of music, or math, or any field.
the difference between an enlightened person and a god. house of mud vs house of crystalline glass
pay attention to how you ‘define’ others… your thoughts and attitudes have tremendous power.
Veda is in the physiology, not the words
‘Know that one thing by which all else is known’
4 abhavas… junction point of relative and absolute. tangent to a line… smriti
Chiranjeevi: immortal , the 7 Rishis [sometimes spelled: chiranjivi]
Purusha: He who has no name. become Chiranjeevi
Mind, {separate to worship at a distance] or merge with
Brahman [Chiranjeevi] as experienced by the immortals] … like being the sun
Beyond initial ‘enlightenment’ [cosmic consciousness] it is a matter of clearing sight of what one knows ones Self to be. entering dark cave analogy as eyes adjust.
Katha Upanishad Third Valli verse 10. ‘Beyond the senses are their objects.’ senses, objects, mind, intellect, great self, unmanifest, Purusha
Katz, Vernon. The Upanishads (Tarcher Cornerstone Editions) Penguin Publishing Group.
Yama wanted Nachiketas to ask another question … can only answer it by facilitating awakening to that level of immortality. some say He did not answer the question, but he did in the only way it could really be answered.
‘the entire universe is my expression’ befriend the devata … the laws of nature
yagyas reorganize karma
Purusha size of thumb in center of body… what that really means… not speaking of emotional heart… heart cave
the Upanishads reveal level of unity within everything
It is through the light of God that the eyes see and the ears hear MMY
upanishads reveal the ‘location’ of the Absolute at the basis of all aspects of life
live the Purusha value
Upanishads : Absolute in terms of, approached step by step, from every angle of the relative. Absolute taught in terms of the relative. as if absolute speaking to relative in relatives terms.
Brahman includes experience of both fullnesses together as one fullness
Brahma Sutras gives understanding of experience of Brahman Consciousness
Agni: Aa to Ka is every object in creation, that [all wholenesses] wholeness is Indra [“King of the Gpds”]
what it means to ‘experience everything’
Ananda Mayi Ma said she understands everything {pure knowledge] and also that she is a small child and you have to explain everything to her [memorization of facts, etc.].
need relative to enter Brahman
longing for Brahman brings forth the teacher or teacher brings forth Brahman.. works both ways.
yet karma takes one to the teacher and karma takes one away. so steady hand on the rudder
sound of the versus enlivens the versus within
Pashya……see
‘It is my responsibility to protect Mt Soma…our people here… even if they do not see what i am protecting them from. Rakshasas work through people in this age of Kali Yuga. Easy to see the Divinity within individuals. Not always easy to concurrently not overlook the Rakshasa within them. My life struggle perhaps has been my lack of willingness to believe that if I show my care for them, they will not allow the Rakshasa to gain control and act out. Big mistake but one I have learned I must face wide eyed … not always so easy to do’… love
——-
Katha Upanishad… Immortality
two levels/meanings [and more] of attaining Brahman [Brahma Chaithanya and immortality, Chiranjeevi]…see last 2 verses of Katha Upanishad
Like all things Upanishads and Brahma Sutras can be viewed/interpreted on many levels [knowledge is structured in consciousness]
‘Entire universe is my expression of life’
Living/realizing ‘He who has no name” is you… and God is beyond, i.e. unknowable
the world is as we are.. it is your mirror
————
Scientific American current issue essentially says [as we have been saying] that big bang theory is not correct. James Webb telescope confirms that.
“Wisdom is what’s left after we’ve run out of personal opinions.”
CULLEN HIGHTOWER Interesting quote follows. Do we focus on others Divinity, or the limitations through which they function?:
“I like people too much or not at all.”
SYLVIA PLATH
To listen to the audio version, please click here.
Some say the Brahma Sutra should only be studied, can only be understood by a person in Unity Consciousness as it blossoms to Brahman Consciousness, a very high level of evolution. However, the Sutras can be understood to some degree from the perspective of whatever level of consciousness an individual has. In fact, commentaries are just that and when those commentaries are studied or translated, that is done so from the level of consciousness of the reader/translater.
In this podcast, I will attempt to convey an understanding of the deepest meaning of the Brahma Sutra. Before making this podcast I ran my perspective by fully trained [highly qualified] Vedic Pandits. To be completely transparent, I felt almost embarrassed after doing so. “Who am I”, I thought, “To have been so presumptuous to do so”. I was humbled when told they were enthusiastic about what I said and delighted that I was willing to share it with the world via this podcast. I reverently do so.
This week we discuss the first sutras of the Brahma Sutra. It is more a discussion than a list of points so this weeks notes will not include a summary of what is discussed. Please enjoy the podcast!
At first, the experience is overwhelming, almost unbearable. “What happened to me?”
taste of strawberry, culminating in Brahman
the vision
at first, overwhelming… like waking up to 3 arms
not about personality [your nature] but do cultivate an evolutionary lifestyle… not mood making
the relative: its presence is inferred by the effect it produces. Maya
under the influence of maya, brahm appears as ishwara-personal god
maya; clear water avidya; muddy water
under influence of avidya, atma appears as jiva or individual soul
“I always prefer to believe the best of everybody; it saves so much trouble”
RUDYARD KIPLING
“Everything becomes a little different as soon as it is spoken out loud.”
HERMANN HESSE
“Hearts are the strongest when they beat in response to noble ideals.”
RALPH BUNCHE
“The highest reward for a person’s toil is not what they get for it, but what they become by it.”
JOHN RUSKIN
“It is infinitely better to have a few good Men, than many indifferent ones.”
GEORGE WASHINGTON
“A person often meets his destiny on the road he took to avoid it.”
JEAN DE LA FONTAINE
To listen to the audio version, please click here.
blog: 1.1.1-1.1.5 The Vision: Knowledge enlivens experience; experience redefines knowledge.
This week we discuss the first five sutras of the Brahma Sutra. It is more a discussion than a list of points so this weeks notes will not include a summary of what is discussed. Please enjoy the podcast!
“A person often meets his destiny on the road he took to avoid it.”
JEAN DE LA FONTAINE
taste of strawberry, culminating in Brahman
the vision
at first, overwhelming… like waking up to 3 arms
not about personality [your nature] but do cultivate an evolutionary lifestyle… not mood making
the relative: its presence is inferred by the effect it produces. Maya
under the influence of maya, brahm appears as ishwara-personal god
maya; clear water avidya; muddy water
under influence of avidya, atma appears as jiva or individual soul
“Everything becomes a little different as soon as it is spoken out loud.”
HERMANN HESSE
“Hearts are the strongest when they beat in response to noble ideals.”
RALPH BUNCHE
“The highest reward for a person’s toil is not what they get for it, but what they become by it.”
JOHN RUSKIN
To listen to the audio version, please click here.
athato brahma–jijnasa…”now the desire to know Brahman”
everything gravitates to the Absolute.. i,e. evolution either drifting or Knowledge inspired
srisomesvara.org click 3 bars to right of ‘select page’ to make a donation
“The higher we are placed, the more humbly we
should walk.”
CICERO
I was recently approached at the temple by a very kind and respectful young Brahmin gentleman. He spoke of his longing for true Knowledge. This touched my heart and compelled me to reflect deeply. I have been a teacher my entire adult life. I have learned a great deal about people and how they receive or reject Knowledge. The road of the teacher of deep knowledge is long and often leads to heartbreak. How can a student remain steadfast along the path? Where to begin such a limitless journey? What are the pitfalls along the way? Where and why along the way do so many spin out on tangents? The simple answer it that a persons karma brings them to the Knowledge, and their karma takes them away. This podcast is one more attempt to help. It is humbly dedicated to all sincere seekers. Perhaps it will be the first of an unending series. Or perhaps it is yet another in the lifelong unending series.
meditation.. experience vs knowledge
TM or youtube channel how to meditate
Veda traditionally not chanted for meaning but rather for repetition… meaning changes at various level of consciousness. experience/knowledge
7 heads 7 levels of intellectual understanding
“practical” application
“You must train your intuition—you must trust the small voice inside you which tells you exactly what to say, what to decide.”
INGRID BERGMAN
However “Intuition” rooted in Chit [Conditioned subconscious, programming, personal childhood ‘issues’, stress, etc.] is not true Intuition
To listen to the audio version, please click here.
The “physics” of Is-ness: Transforming the “Dark Ages”
first day of waxing moon is called “no moon” day. not a day to start new projects but good to worship ancestors, etc. then the next two days are “new moon” days. the second “new moon” day is auspicious and good day to start new things: Shiva Moon
political motivations are often very different than that of the voters
Is-ness = Consciousness…the only thing that is… isn’t a ‘thing’
Agama Shastra “cell phone to Heaven”… entry… invite Gods to enter.. there is an Agama Shastra for each deity,
yantra: all actions of havan create a ‘machine’, a yantra,
mantra: emergence of deity between yantra and tantra of havan
tantra [2 meanings one for humans e.g. meditation, one for gods receiving influence of the havan]
fish bowl effect: kali yuga: we are all swimming around in the same fishbowl. who is not affected?
“The greatest chapters in history always begin with risk, and the same is true with the chapters of your life.”
MARK BATTERSON
risking nothing is a great risk. everything is a risk. nothing ventured, nothing gained. we are always traversing the unknowable. risk is the nature of the unknown. the only true knowing is knowing you know nothing
futility of debate: to talk another out of their feelings is to impose denial… better to help them explore what they are feeling, The light of awareness is the true healer.
To listen to the audio version, please click here.
when someone is yelling or raising their voice, be they right or wrong in their point, it is a certain sign that they are out of balance.
when in conflict, with this and that points are being made, the underlying main point is buried beneath them. the underlying point is always how the person is feeling toward the other. the points are just rational-i-zations for the feeling. And the feeling may or may not be valid at all. Feelings rule… thoughts are often there just to justify how someone is feeling.
slipping into negative framing:
replace habitual collapsing into framing things in a negative light with habitual framing in positivity. glass half full. count your blessings.
the jyotish these days and for the next month and more is terrible.
Popularity is largely about meeting the people on the level they want to be met upon. Truth, i.e. alignment with ones own true nature, on the other hand is something very different. On rare occasion, they are one and the same.
In the podcast I respond to this email i received: What is the difference between soul and spirit? Regarding meditation, I’ve had spontaneous episodes of “no mind”. Mental chatter was suddenly gone, I could think and function but my head was quiet. This lasted a couple of weeks and tthen slowly everything went back to how it used to be. And has never come back. It feels like it just happened no matter what I was doing, meditating or not. As a matter of fact the first time it happened I wasn’t even meditating yet. So why meditate? I know you’ve addressed this ad nauseum, but could you clarify some more? Do you think the creepy astral entities lie to us?
FEEL FREE TO SEND QUESTIONS, ETC. AS COMMENTS [EVEN IF UNREATED] TO THE PODCAST/BLOG
Addressed in podcast: the various Gods like Zeus, etc. Who are they really? Praying to God to win football game
“Patience and fortitude conquer all things.”
RALPH WALDO EMERSON
“Beware of overconcern for money, or position, or glory. Someday you will meet a man who cares for none of these things. Then you will know how poor you are.”
RUDYARD KIPLING
“All appears to change when we change.”
HENRI-FRÉDÉRIC AMIEL
“In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing.”
THEODORE ROOSEVELT
To listen to the audio version, please click here.
"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
