Hari Aum.
We live in relatively troubled times. There is a lot of violence everywhere. Particularly in the name of religion which is unfortunate as religion and violence are as different as light and darkness.
The world has become a small place. News of violence in one part of the world spreads rapidly around the world. People become angry and feel helpless in the face of the seemingly never-ending violence.
The risk is the divisions in society that violence creates. Communities turn against each other. This creates even more violence and discord. It is a downward spiral.
How shall we avoid this downward spiral? What should our response be when violence occurs? It is normal, natural to feel upset and angry at the senseless violence that is taking place all over the world. We would not be human if we did not feel the pain of others who suffer. But we must not allow this pain to turn into hatred. That is dangerous. That will make us the same as the perpetrators of violence. We do not want that.
Sivananda lived through the second world war. He did intense sadhana to realise God between 1924 and 1931. In 1936, he founded the Divine Life Society of Rishikesh, India to spread the message of peace and harmony, of spiritual bliss and immortality to all. This was at a time when the horrific violence of the second world war was going on. He started non-stop chanting of the Hare Rama mahamantra for world peace. Such was his faith in the holy name of God. That chanting has continued until today and goes on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, non-stop, even at night.
We live in a sea of thoughts as Sivananda and the yogis say. When violent events occur in the world, there is great agitation in many people's minds. People experience anger, fear, sadness, helplessness, hatred and a desire for revenge. These are all negative emotions. The yogis say the emotions of others can affect us even when we are far away. Because, according to them, we are constantly transmitting and receiving thoughts, unknowingly. We share our good and bad thoughts with others and receive these from others too. (For anyone interested, Sivananda has written an excellent book on this subject called 'Thought power').
We need to stay strong at times like these. We cannot give in to negative emotions. The most effective, useful action we can take, for ourselves and others who suffer on this planet, is to repeat the name of God for the peace of all. Any name that we like. We should commit to this daily, no matter what else is happening in our lives. There will never be a time when we are not busy with something or the other. We cannot wait to begin this important task of prayer for peace and protection of all.
Then we need to accept that whatever happens, ultimately happens in accordance with the will of God. This is a plane of duality. There will always be a battle between good and evil forces on this planet. This is the nature of this world. We may be gripped with shock and grief from time to time, but we need to have an element of detachment to be able to maintain our mental balance. We are of more use to other human beings if we can handle our emotions maturely and remain calm as far as possible.
So my message today is: let us commit to chanting a mantra of God daily for our own mental peace and strength, as well as the peace of all beings. For the relief of suffering of all beings. This is a very great duty that we have and would be a true service to all the genuine Gurus that have ever existed and a worship of God Him/Herself.
From my side, I will do my best to complete the fourth purascharana which is ongoing. I have a lot going on in my life currently; however, I feel the mantra chanting is an essential part of my daily life and will keep this up. Whenever I feel upset or agitated, I notice this calms me down and gives me strength to keep going. I will therefore continue my purascharana for my own spiritual development as well as for world peace.
Hari Aum Tat Sat
We live in relatively troubled times. There is a lot of violence everywhere. Particularly in the name of religion which is unfortunate as religion and violence are as different as light and darkness.
The world has become a small place. News of violence in one part of the world spreads rapidly around the world. People become angry and feel helpless in the face of the seemingly never-ending violence.
The risk is the divisions in society that violence creates. Communities turn against each other. This creates even more violence and discord. It is a downward spiral.
How shall we avoid this downward spiral? What should our response be when violence occurs? It is normal, natural to feel upset and angry at the senseless violence that is taking place all over the world. We would not be human if we did not feel the pain of others who suffer. But we must not allow this pain to turn into hatred. That is dangerous. That will make us the same as the perpetrators of violence. We do not want that.
Sivananda lived through the second world war. He did intense sadhana to realise God between 1924 and 1931. In 1936, he founded the Divine Life Society of Rishikesh, India to spread the message of peace and harmony, of spiritual bliss and immortality to all. This was at a time when the horrific violence of the second world war was going on. He started non-stop chanting of the Hare Rama mahamantra for world peace. Such was his faith in the holy name of God. That chanting has continued until today and goes on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, non-stop, even at night.
We live in a sea of thoughts as Sivananda and the yogis say. When violent events occur in the world, there is great agitation in many people's minds. People experience anger, fear, sadness, helplessness, hatred and a desire for revenge. These are all negative emotions. The yogis say the emotions of others can affect us even when we are far away. Because, according to them, we are constantly transmitting and receiving thoughts, unknowingly. We share our good and bad thoughts with others and receive these from others too. (For anyone interested, Sivananda has written an excellent book on this subject called 'Thought power').
We need to stay strong at times like these. We cannot give in to negative emotions. The most effective, useful action we can take, for ourselves and others who suffer on this planet, is to repeat the name of God for the peace of all. Any name that we like. We should commit to this daily, no matter what else is happening in our lives. There will never be a time when we are not busy with something or the other. We cannot wait to begin this important task of prayer for peace and protection of all.
Then we need to accept that whatever happens, ultimately happens in accordance with the will of God. This is a plane of duality. There will always be a battle between good and evil forces on this planet. This is the nature of this world. We may be gripped with shock and grief from time to time, but we need to have an element of detachment to be able to maintain our mental balance. We are of more use to other human beings if we can handle our emotions maturely and remain calm as far as possible.
So my message today is: let us commit to chanting a mantra of God daily for our own mental peace and strength, as well as the peace of all beings. For the relief of suffering of all beings. This is a very great duty that we have and would be a true service to all the genuine Gurus that have ever existed and a worship of God Him/Herself.
From my side, I will do my best to complete the fourth purascharana which is ongoing. I have a lot going on in my life currently; however, I feel the mantra chanting is an essential part of my daily life and will keep this up. Whenever I feel upset or agitated, I notice this calms me down and gives me strength to keep going. I will therefore continue my purascharana for my own spiritual development as well as for world peace.
Hari Aum Tat Sat
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