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Aug 12 2016:12am
It is said that hinduism is one of the world’s oldest civilization. all across the world, traces of such civilization are found and some of them are unbelievable! a statue of lord vishnu dating back to around 5,000 years back has been discovered near bali, indonesia. it is said that locals call this new scuba diving spot at pemuteran beach as “underwater temple garden – bali”. those who go underwater do not return before paying their homage to the god. nothing much is known about the idol except that it has always been there and shows the lord in a relaxing position.
it is said that all over east asia you will find many hindu/buddhist ancient temples. the famous ones include angor wat (combodia), and ones in indonesia, vietnam, thailand, myanmar, korea, japan, china, etc. these temples, dating back many years are mostly in a dilapidated state – and efforts are being made to restore them....
Aug 12 2016:12am
Prayer is an important spiritual practice. we don’t always receive what we ask for but i have found that this kind of conversation itself brings great healing. lately, i have been reflecting on a story from sikh history—the way of life that i grew up in. it relays a wonderful lesson about how we ask for things from the divine and has guided my practice of prayer to new depths. this particular story was told to me when i was a child.
the sixth guru of the sikhs, named guru hargobind was born in northern india in 1595. he lived as a warrior saint, teaching the essential elements of sikh spiritual wisdom while defending the region from the tyrannical rule of the mogul emperor of india. there are many incredible stories from the battle field in which guru hargobind, along with his sikhs, wielded the sword with great bravery. however, the story i wish to share with you is from the guru's court or darabaar. during times of peace, guru hargobind would sit in his darabaar inviting all to come and be with him. divine songs would be sung in praise of the one. the guru would teach and receive all visitors, both rich and poor. a light came through his presence that allowed those who came to him to be healed and find liberation from lifetimes of pain. often, people would endure great hardships to make the journey to be in the presence of the guru. the guru would sit on a throne and receive all with great love—never tiring as this powerful light flowed from his being. many donations and gifts came to the guru which he used to support the langar or free sacred meal that was served to everyone.
one day, a devoted sikh brought a beautiful horse to guru hargobind knowing his love of horses, especially on the battlefield. tied to the horse was a large bag of gold. the guru, in the presence of the many sikhs gathered in the darabaar, accepted the horse and gold with gratitude. the next day, as the guru sat on his throne and the divine music came to a close, he looked at all of the gathered sikhs and asked with his strong voice and sparkling eyes,
"is there any sikh who can recite jap ji for me right now in this darabaar?"
jap ji is a sacred poem given by guru naanak, the first guru of the sikhs, that takes one through the journey of the soul into its final merger with the one. in the kundalini yoga tradition, we recite these words every morning as a part of our daily practice. if you wish to find out more about it please visit the following link. (meditation on the soul)
one sikh man raised his hand. he began to recite jap ji with so much love that everyone in the hall fell into a deep meditative state. the guru sat on his throne meditating with his eyes closed. however, about half way through the recitation he began to get up, but then suddenly sat back down again.
after the man finished, the guru thanked him and asked for the horse and bag of gold, given as gifts just the day before to be brought forward. he offered these gifts to the man. with surprise and happiness, the man took these gifts from the guru and went home.
later that night, a few sikhs who observed the events of the day, sat with the guru. with curiosity one asked,
"beloved guru, can you tell me why you were getting up off of your throne while that man recited jap ji?"
the guru replied,
"he was reciting jap ji so beautifully and in such union with the energy of guru naanak that i felt the light of the guruship passing to him. i was getting off the throne to give him his rightful place in that experience of union. however, about half way through, instead of going into the light of the sacred words and the flow of his soul, a thought occurred to this man.”
"maybe if i do a really good job reciting, the guru will give me that horse and bag of gold that was brought to him yesterday!"
"like a thief it stole the experience of union away. he could no longer receive the gift and flow of god and guru because he got caught by the desire and wish of his mind."
i reflect on this story now and it has changed the way i pray and the way i ask things of god. why just ask for what i want? instead, i have learned to ask for what god wants of me! like looking to the trees and the leaves sparkling in the golden sunlight. instead of focusing on one leaf, let them all dance together in their union. let me experience that great wisdom....
Aug 13 2016:13am
In the western world, it is currently in vogue to practice elements of far-off religions and spiritually-driven practices. yoga studios are cropping up all over the united states, as are practitioners of meditation, and believers in ayurvedic medicine. it is no surprise that some of these individuals take an interest in journeying to the birthplace of their new found beliefs, and in doing so they participate in "spiritual tourism". india is perhaps the most popular destination for so-called spiritual tourism, and it is a logical selection based on the number of religions that began in india and still flourish there today.
during my one-month stay in india i was at times a spiritual tourist, though while in residence at a christian retreat center i also listened to lectures on the religions of india, and the the roles that their followers play socially, politically, and culturally around the world. as i learned about all of these religions it was clear that for most believers in india, spirituality transcends the actual institution of religion, whatever it may be. to me, it is this overarching spirituality that draws curious religious pilgrims from far and wide. below i've written a little bit about places and terms typically associated with spiritual tourism.
ashrams
ashrams are typically set deep in the natural world, and at the simplest level are a place of religious hermitage. typically inhabitants of the ashram are involved in activities like yoga, music, or meditation. we visited an art ashram just outside of bangalore where religion and spirituality were explored through painting, sculpture, and ceramics. ashrams can be grounded in any religion, and this particular one housed a well-known christian artist by the name of jyoti sahi.
gurus
from our lectures given by various religious practitioners (sikh, hindu, etc.) i learned that a guru is simply one who "shows the light" or enlightens their followers. the role of the guru varies with different religious practices, but they are uniformly respected and revered. additionally, one need not be in residence at an ashram to follow a particular guru. while in india we visited the ashram of guru ravi shankar. his "art of living ashram" is immense in scale, and boasts a similarly large cohort of followers around the world.
yoga
westerners, (myself included) tend to think of "yoga" as the physical practice that is done on mats in studios to gain strength, flexibility,and body awareness. from one of our lecturers, i learned that yoga is actually so much more than this. yoga is a way of life that offers guidelines for behavior and beliefs, and the "asanas" (poses) are one small aspect of these guidelines. although yoga stems from the vedas and the hindu religion, it has been co-opted by those of many different faiths. recently, the new york times ran an article on this practice, one that is criticized by some hindus.
during my stay in india i can't say that i had any spiritual revelations a la elizabeth gilbert, but it was remarkable to see the power of faith and spirituality that resides in the people and culture of this beautiful country. it will be interesting to see whether or not spiritual tourism will maintain staying power, or whether it will simply be another trend that waxes and wanes with popular culture and celebrity interest....
Aug 23 2016:23pm
“most of the successful people i’ve known are the ones who do more listening than talking.” —bernard m. baruch
long before becoming minimalist or embracing my love for writing, i attended a graduate school in st. paul, mn to major in theological studies. it was an intensive three-year program that focused on spiritual understanding and spiritual formation—i have since come to realize there is indeed a great difference between the two.
as part of an assignment for a personal development class, i was asked to refrain from speaking for 24 hours. “pick any normal day,” the professor said, “and try not to say anything. that’s your assignment. we’ll talk about your experience when we return next week.”
the assignment was met with skepticism. but as i woke up on my selected day, within the first hour, i began to see the logic. by the end of the 24-hour period, my view of communication and the words we choose had changed forever. and i learned valuable truths about myself and my motivations.
it was, in fact, far more enlightening than i ever imagined.
as the professor outlined the assignment, he warned, “it’s very likely you will have to speak at some point during the day. it is difficult to make it through an entire day without communicating at all. but when you do have to speak, immediately go back to silence. find space to dwell on the words you chose and the motivations behind them.”
this, then, became the greatest learning opportunity of the experiment. after speaking and returning to silence, my mind was left to dwell on the words i chose, my attitude in my speech, and my internal motivation behind it. or when i didn’t speak, but really wanted to, i was forced to discover why i wanted to speak in each situation.
i quickly learned of my desire to control situations or convert someone to my opinion. sometimes my words were motivated by love, but far more often than i’d like to admit, they were motivated by selfish pursuits, personal ambition, or a desire to impress others.
we often speak for the purpose of control: to control what people think of us or to make sure people do what we want done in the way we want it. we often use our words to cover-up or hide our mistakes or faults. we use words to explain ourselves to others. hugh prather may have been right when he said, “no matter what we talk about, we are talking about ourselves.”
refusing to speak forces us to embrace silence. and in a world addicted to noise, idle chatter, and meaningless words, silence can be very uncomfortable. but there is great life to be found in solitude—if only we’d give it opportunity.
it was, indeed, a heart-revealing assignment that resulted in personal (and spiritual) development. even 10 years later, i remember it well and i have recommended it countless times to others. today, i recommend it to you.
to conduct a 24-hour experiment of your own, here are a few helpful tips:
1. choose a “normal” day. for example, don’t choose a day you already planned to be alone in the woods or driving a car alone for 8 hours. choose a day where you will engage in normal relationships with other people. avoid excessive external stimulation: mp3 players, radio, television, video games. provide space for your thoughts.
2. inform your closest relationships. tell your spouse and/or kids about your experiment. if appropriate, inform your co-workers. this will be helpful as the day unfolds—and a bit comical as they try really hard to get you to talk.
3. don’t be rude. don’t be unloving. just decide not to speak unless you are spoken to.
4. study the silence. is it difficult? uncomfortable? do you feel an urge to talk just to break it? and if so, why?
5. notice your urge to speak. they will be far more common than you expect. investigate your intention when you feel the urge. for what reason did you feel compelled to speak?
6. when you do speak, choose words that are “few and full.” and then return to your discipline.
7. after you speak, journey inward. wrestle with the words you chose. why did you choose them? what were you hoping to accomplish? and what were your internal motivations in choosing the words you did?
8. if possible, choose a friend to do the experiment with you. you can send them this post for motivation and information. afterwards, share your victories and your failures. together, you’ll be able to process the day better.
talking can be fun. but silence can be life-transforming. we would be wise to provide it more opportunity....
