Hari Aum.
I was reflecting today on what a complete education would be in my view for the modern man or woman.
We all learn the usual subjects at school- local/foreign languages, mathematics, the sciences (biology, chemistry, physics), the arts (history, geography) and so on. These are all very useful no doubt and equip a person with basic understanding of the world around him or her.
But there are some vitally important subjects in my view of which all individuals should have a basic understanding. Why? Because these directly contribute to either material or spiritual wellbeing or both. These subjects that I feel should be taught are:
1. Ayurveda- the science of life. It is the beyond the scope of this article to go into the greatness of this subject. It is a divine science. The art of good health, as well as prevention and cure of disease. To maintain good health, everyone should have a basic understanding of their personal ayurvedic constitution *vata, pitta, kapha or a combination), foods that are suitable for health based on their constitution - food is a medicine according to ayurveda. One should also understand the basic principles of 'dinacharya' or daily routine for health and wellbeing.
While I am no expert in ayurveda, I have relatives who are ayurvedic doctors and my roots are from a state which has a great tradition of preserving this subject (Kerala). I have read some books on this subject to understand basic concepts in order to apply these to my own life and that of my family for good health.There are many good authors and websites online to learn from. I am giving just one example here, feel free to find your own (I have a book by Dr Vasant Lad that I find useful but there are many other authors also to choose from)
http://www.ayurveda.com/resources/general-information
(some good introductory articles here on ayurveda).
Just to say, unfortunately there is a conflict (typical of this kali yuga age) between some allopathic/western doctors and ayurvedic doctors with each seeing their view alone as superior and correct and the other as wrong/bad. This is simple foolishness. Both ayurveda, allopathic medicine and all the other healthcare fields (such as acupuncture, pranic healing, reiki etc) have their own special value and greatness. Each contributes something unique and special towards the understanding and preservation of human health. My own Guru Sivananda, trained as an allopathic/western doctor but had great respect for all types of medicine including ayurveda.
2. Jyotish or vedic astrology- this is a most wonderful science and art. In some ways, it is like medicine (western) which I have studied which is also an art and science. Jyotish is based on the law of karma. It is in fact proof that karma exists. The planets do not control anybody (this is a foolish misunderstanding that some have). The planets simply act as a mirror showing you your own karmic face. Good deeds you did previously give you happiness/health/fortune. Bad deeds you did give you unhappiness/illness/misfortune (sometimes this may also just be a spiritual test). There are solutions for problems in the form of mantras which can sometimes destroy past bad karmas and which augment/strengthen good karmas.
Ignorant people who have never studied any astrology claim it is 'unscientific'. As a person with a background in science, who studied medicine, I can tell you quite confidently that it is a perfectly scientific subject. And it is very useful. Many astrologers today are a blot on the fair face of jyotish. They are quack astrologers (who don't really have any education in astrology) who talk nonsense and try to frighten vulnerable people and exploit them by making money/selling gems etc. Even in the world of medicine, we know there are such unscrupulous doctors who do the same thing to vulnerable patients. But these doctors do not represent medicine. Just because quack doctors exist, it does not mean medicine is a quack subject. There are good doctors who can genuinely help people. The same applies to jyotish. There are noble scholarly astrologers with good intentions and compassion who can help people struggling with difficult karmas.
But, in my opinion, one should equip oneself with a basic understanding of jyotish and one's own chart to understand one's life purpose. This knowledge will also protect one from false jyotishis.
There are many good books and website to learn jyotish. There are also free online courses. It is worth reading the books by one of India's greatest astrologers of recent times, namely B.V. Raman.
What are the uses of jyotish?
1. To understand your strengths and weaknesses
2. To understand the likely good and difficult phases in your life. When going through a difficult phase, you will get courage knowing that this is a temporary situation and it will pass after a certain period (unlike western astrology, jyotish is completely different and has a beautiful 'dasha system' which tells you when good/bad phases in life occur).
3. Muhurtha- to help you pick a good time to do something. Every day has its own 'energy' - some days are inauspicous for certain material activities. Every day is good for spiritual activities though some are especially good (e.g. ekadasi, eclipses etc). You know have a basic idea of when to start a journey to reduce the risk of an accident. It is like a weather forecaster saying to you "There will be a terrible storm tomorrow, and after 2 days, the weather will be clear". Naturally if you are a sailor, you would be foolish to go out to sea during the thunderstorm; better wait for the weather to clear. Same thing with jyotish. Muhurtha principles give advice on many things including travel, something we all do. BV Raman's book on muhurtha is excellent.
There are many more uses of jyotish, ranging from medical astrology to spiritual astrology; it is impossible to go into all the uses here but suffice to say it is a vast and wonderful subject.
This is just one website to learn the basic concepts of jyotish (there are many others)
http://www.astrojyoti.com/9planets.htm
3. Yoga asana and pranayama- people understand modern human biology but have no idea about yogic anatomy. Along with nerves, blood vessels etc, you also have 'nadis' and 'chakras' through which 'prana' or life energy flows. This prana can be regulated through yoga asanas and pranayama for good health and also for spiritual progress. Fortunately yoga is very popular today and many are benefiting from this knowledge brought forth by our ancient rishis.
4. Dharma principles- just like there are laws on the material plane, there are laws on the spiritual plane. Newton's third law that every action has an equal and opposite reaction applies on the ethical and spiritual planes as well as the material. Do good to others, and good will come to you. Do harm to others, and only harm will come to you. This is the law. And it will apply to you whether you believe in it or not. Just like you will fall if you jump off a cliff, whether or not you believe in gravity.
The yamas and niyamas outline the code of a sound ethical life. Following these helps humans to live an ethical life and reap the good rewards of this. Every human being in my view should be educated in the yamas and niyamas (such as non-violence/ahimsa, truth/satya, self-control/brahmacharya etc)- one can read up on these online to get a basic idea.
4. Moksha principles- this relates to the very purpose of human life and is the heart of all education. All other education is futile without this education in how to attain moksha. One can learn this only from a Guru (either some spiritual texts, or a being). The search for moksha, spiritual knowledge and bliss, gives meaning to all other activities in this chaotic ever-changing world that we live in.
Obtaining this education from a Guru is like adding the number '1' before a series of 'zeros' representing all other fields. Many zeros are just a zero until you add the number '1' before them, it is the '1' which gives the zeros any value.
There are many great spiritual teachers in both East and West to choose from and learn from. As a person of Indian/Hindu origin, I would like to mention here, in the context of moksha, the great art and science of chanting the name of God. That person who has been educated in every field, but not in the art of chanting the name of God, has attained nothing in this life- so says my Guru and all other Gurus. That person who never utilises his or her voice to sing the names of God which would take him/her to God, loses a precious opportunity indeed. Here I share my Guru's article on sankirtan yoga which I find most inspiring.
http://www.dlshq.org/teachings/sankirtanyoga.htm
To summarise, I feel the modern man or woman, would do well to educate themselves on the above subjects to live a complete life, taking full advantage of the knowledge available today to humankind (rather than limit oneself only to the subjects learned in modern schools). I myself have a basic grasp of the above subjects and am trying to improve upon this. It is good to have the attitude of a lifelong student so that one is ever learning and discovering new pastures.
Hari Aum Tat Sat
I was reflecting today on what a complete education would be in my view for the modern man or woman.
We all learn the usual subjects at school- local/foreign languages, mathematics, the sciences (biology, chemistry, physics), the arts (history, geography) and so on. These are all very useful no doubt and equip a person with basic understanding of the world around him or her.
But there are some vitally important subjects in my view of which all individuals should have a basic understanding. Why? Because these directly contribute to either material or spiritual wellbeing or both. These subjects that I feel should be taught are:
1. Ayurveda- the science of life. It is the beyond the scope of this article to go into the greatness of this subject. It is a divine science. The art of good health, as well as prevention and cure of disease. To maintain good health, everyone should have a basic understanding of their personal ayurvedic constitution *vata, pitta, kapha or a combination), foods that are suitable for health based on their constitution - food is a medicine according to ayurveda. One should also understand the basic principles of 'dinacharya' or daily routine for health and wellbeing.
While I am no expert in ayurveda, I have relatives who are ayurvedic doctors and my roots are from a state which has a great tradition of preserving this subject (Kerala). I have read some books on this subject to understand basic concepts in order to apply these to my own life and that of my family for good health.There are many good authors and websites online to learn from. I am giving just one example here, feel free to find your own (I have a book by Dr Vasant Lad that I find useful but there are many other authors also to choose from)
http://www.ayurveda.com/resources/general-information
(some good introductory articles here on ayurveda).
Just to say, unfortunately there is a conflict (typical of this kali yuga age) between some allopathic/western doctors and ayurvedic doctors with each seeing their view alone as superior and correct and the other as wrong/bad. This is simple foolishness. Both ayurveda, allopathic medicine and all the other healthcare fields (such as acupuncture, pranic healing, reiki etc) have their own special value and greatness. Each contributes something unique and special towards the understanding and preservation of human health. My own Guru Sivananda, trained as an allopathic/western doctor but had great respect for all types of medicine including ayurveda.
2. Jyotish or vedic astrology- this is a most wonderful science and art. In some ways, it is like medicine (western) which I have studied which is also an art and science. Jyotish is based on the law of karma. It is in fact proof that karma exists. The planets do not control anybody (this is a foolish misunderstanding that some have). The planets simply act as a mirror showing you your own karmic face. Good deeds you did previously give you happiness/health/fortune. Bad deeds you did give you unhappiness/illness/misfortune (sometimes this may also just be a spiritual test). There are solutions for problems in the form of mantras which can sometimes destroy past bad karmas and which augment/strengthen good karmas.
Ignorant people who have never studied any astrology claim it is 'unscientific'. As a person with a background in science, who studied medicine, I can tell you quite confidently that it is a perfectly scientific subject. And it is very useful. Many astrologers today are a blot on the fair face of jyotish. They are quack astrologers (who don't really have any education in astrology) who talk nonsense and try to frighten vulnerable people and exploit them by making money/selling gems etc. Even in the world of medicine, we know there are such unscrupulous doctors who do the same thing to vulnerable patients. But these doctors do not represent medicine. Just because quack doctors exist, it does not mean medicine is a quack subject. There are good doctors who can genuinely help people. The same applies to jyotish. There are noble scholarly astrologers with good intentions and compassion who can help people struggling with difficult karmas.
But, in my opinion, one should equip oneself with a basic understanding of jyotish and one's own chart to understand one's life purpose. This knowledge will also protect one from false jyotishis.
There are many good books and website to learn jyotish. There are also free online courses. It is worth reading the books by one of India's greatest astrologers of recent times, namely B.V. Raman.
What are the uses of jyotish?
1. To understand your strengths and weaknesses
2. To understand the likely good and difficult phases in your life. When going through a difficult phase, you will get courage knowing that this is a temporary situation and it will pass after a certain period (unlike western astrology, jyotish is completely different and has a beautiful 'dasha system' which tells you when good/bad phases in life occur).
3. Muhurtha- to help you pick a good time to do something. Every day has its own 'energy' - some days are inauspicous for certain material activities. Every day is good for spiritual activities though some are especially good (e.g. ekadasi, eclipses etc). You know have a basic idea of when to start a journey to reduce the risk of an accident. It is like a weather forecaster saying to you "There will be a terrible storm tomorrow, and after 2 days, the weather will be clear". Naturally if you are a sailor, you would be foolish to go out to sea during the thunderstorm; better wait for the weather to clear. Same thing with jyotish. Muhurtha principles give advice on many things including travel, something we all do. BV Raman's book on muhurtha is excellent.
There are many more uses of jyotish, ranging from medical astrology to spiritual astrology; it is impossible to go into all the uses here but suffice to say it is a vast and wonderful subject.
This is just one website to learn the basic concepts of jyotish (there are many others)
http://www.astrojyoti.com/9planets.htm
3. Yoga asana and pranayama- people understand modern human biology but have no idea about yogic anatomy. Along with nerves, blood vessels etc, you also have 'nadis' and 'chakras' through which 'prana' or life energy flows. This prana can be regulated through yoga asanas and pranayama for good health and also for spiritual progress. Fortunately yoga is very popular today and many are benefiting from this knowledge brought forth by our ancient rishis.
4. Dharma principles- just like there are laws on the material plane, there are laws on the spiritual plane. Newton's third law that every action has an equal and opposite reaction applies on the ethical and spiritual planes as well as the material. Do good to others, and good will come to you. Do harm to others, and only harm will come to you. This is the law. And it will apply to you whether you believe in it or not. Just like you will fall if you jump off a cliff, whether or not you believe in gravity.
The yamas and niyamas outline the code of a sound ethical life. Following these helps humans to live an ethical life and reap the good rewards of this. Every human being in my view should be educated in the yamas and niyamas (such as non-violence/ahimsa, truth/satya, self-control/brahmacharya etc)- one can read up on these online to get a basic idea.
4. Moksha principles- this relates to the very purpose of human life and is the heart of all education. All other education is futile without this education in how to attain moksha. One can learn this only from a Guru (either some spiritual texts, or a being). The search for moksha, spiritual knowledge and bliss, gives meaning to all other activities in this chaotic ever-changing world that we live in.
Obtaining this education from a Guru is like adding the number '1' before a series of 'zeros' representing all other fields. Many zeros are just a zero until you add the number '1' before them, it is the '1' which gives the zeros any value.
There are many great spiritual teachers in both East and West to choose from and learn from. As a person of Indian/Hindu origin, I would like to mention here, in the context of moksha, the great art and science of chanting the name of God. That person who has been educated in every field, but not in the art of chanting the name of God, has attained nothing in this life- so says my Guru and all other Gurus. That person who never utilises his or her voice to sing the names of God which would take him/her to God, loses a precious opportunity indeed. Here I share my Guru's article on sankirtan yoga which I find most inspiring.
http://www.dlshq.org/teachings/sankirtanyoga.htm
To summarise, I feel the modern man or woman, would do well to educate themselves on the above subjects to live a complete life, taking full advantage of the knowledge available today to humankind (rather than limit oneself only to the subjects learned in modern schools). I myself have a basic grasp of the above subjects and am trying to improve upon this. It is good to have the attitude of a lifelong student so that one is ever learning and discovering new pastures.
Hari Aum Tat Sat
