Satsangs with Pujya Guruji with Swami Tejomayananda
Miami, July 2-8, 2010
Below are a compilation of Guruji’s teachings from the various satsangs we had with Him while he was here this past summer. You will find general topics, answers to questions that were asked, quotes, stories and some notes of my own interpretations of the above. If you have questions or would like to learn more, please email me at puja@cmmiami.org
A message to Mom:
“In the Grihasta stage, worry is normal. So, worry a little bit. Not a lot, just a little bit.”
“Life is a drama when you remember Rama”
as in, it is only when you remember Rama is when you realize that life is a movie to be watched and not to get involved or attached
“Only the actor knows he’s in a drama – remember this – compartmentalize and REALIZE”
Realize that you are an actor in this drama of life, do not get deluded to think this is real. Watch as a sakshi and do not react.
When Pujya Guruji was asked about Natural Disasters and what we can do, he responded:
Change is the changeless law, ever constant, whether it is people we speak about, or climate or the earth’s formation.
“Lift your MIND – Do what you can. You know your own effort, this is the only thing YOU can control, you continue that.”
I see this in many aspects, with regards to climate and global changes, and in life situations and sadhana and our struggle to know if it is working.
Q: What is one thing we can teach our children, one thing we ensure they grow up with?
A: COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS. You may have money but you have your health. You have brains, hands, etc – I always complained I needed shoes until I met the man with no feet. For your children to learn to be grateful, you must teach by example. So you, too, must be grateful for all you have in life. C o u n t y o u r b l e s s i n g s. B e g r a t e f u l.
Q: How do I, when I am right and for sure know my husband is wrong, deal with it and make him understand, too?
A: Know when to give in. Resolve the argument/conflict and sometimes it is okay to accept your defeat. Don’t bother with the argument, know what/where/when to give in.
There was a great debater who went to a realized master and said he wanted to debate. So the great master asked why he wanted to debate and the debater said, so I can defeat you. The master sat and thought a moment and said, “I accept my defeat, you win.”
Q: What’s the easy way to Moksha?
A: None. Do whatever it takes. When you start, it becomes easy.
A shortcut – the longest distance between two points
Q: How do I know if I’ve found my guru/should I feel bad if I take knowledge from all different masters?
A: The giver of Knowledge is only One, Guru’s are many. Learn from everyone. Eventually, from one you will feel the pull. You will feel the bhaav – love – from one. This comes with time. From one Guru, you learn concentration and focus. And with this you can truly Learn.
Q: How do I deal with anger?
A: Practice extreme alertness. This is the only way to realize anger. If in a loving relationship, there is anger, it shouldn’t be harsh, it is a different quality.
Q: What is Guruji’s definition of success?
A: Work towards something good – even if you don’t get it all, this is still success. It is HOW you go about getting hat you want this is also success, ensuring the welfare of all beings around you.
Q: What does Guruji think of Priyas-Chit: Atonement/Penalty for wrong-doing?
A: Priya – Tapas – Peanance; Chit – Sankalpa – Reflection so as to not repeat; wrongdoing mitigaged by penance. Develop LOVE for the one who presides over Karma. Grow in devotion. Surrender to God, this will clear all.
Q: Can you give practical tips for forgiveness, how to let go of grudges/harbored feelings, etc?
A: Create a mental agitation chart. Think, with harbored feelings or letting go, which will work out better? Analzye the situation on your mental agitation chart and see which is worth it. When you have anger/harbored feelings, it is you who suffers, not the other person – like a match, when lit, burns itself before lighting anything else.
Also, tell the person thank you for bringing my flaws to my attention. Don’t let your mind burn with anger – like match sticks, before burning others, burns itself.
Q: Are we responsible for the negative thoughts that arise in our minds?
A: We are not responsible for the negative thoughts but we have to make sure not to engage it – you ARE responsible for what comes after the thought.
Q: How is it/why is it okay to be attached to a form like Pujya Gurudev – or yourself – or any other master, when it is said to not be attached?
A: IT IS NOT ATTACHMENT! It is devotion. It is not the form that you are worshipping, instead it is the ideal behind the form – the beliefs that are represented. A means to an end.
T I P S F O R H A P P Y L I V I N G
When asked: Guruji, what are tips for happy living, Guruji jovially responded, read the book! Order practical books like these, they help in everyday life. And after being lovingly coaxed into giving us a preview into the text that He was supposed to take while in Miami, he shared:
- TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR LIFE. Realize that your life is yours to live. Take charge of YOUR life. Your life should be lived by you and you cannot live somebody else’s life. “My life – I have to live it.” Don’t hesitate to take/give help but know, it is yours in the end.
- MAKE SOMEONE ELSE/OTHERS HAPPY. Either by giving somebody what they need – food or money – or what they life – clothes, gifts etc. Or, love/attention/sweet words – respect and understand- sometimes this is more important than physical things that can be given. If you can give money those in need, give. But also, LOVE
- EVERYDAY: DO ONE THING YOU DON’T LIKE TO DO THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE AND DON’T DO ONE THING THAT YOU LIKE TO DO. Do one thing you don’t like to do that needs to be done. And one thing you like to do, don’t do it. Ie. If you don’t like to wake up early, do it. Wake up early even though you don’t like to. You love chocolate? Don’t eat it because you like to. Reason: do not be bound by likes and dislikes. Do one thing you don’t like to do daily and don’t do one thing you like to do.
- OPEN TWO BANK ACCOUNTS: BANK OF LEARNING AND BANK OF GOD. Bank of Learning – deposit your experiences – free learning, write down what you learn. Deposit all of your knowledge. Learn from others, too. Bank of God – deposit your japa: just as you would depost to Bank of America, etc, here too! If you miss one day, do two the next day.
So, continue to learn, continue to learn. Continue to sing the name of the lord, this will bring happiness
Sri Ram, Jai Ram, Jai Jai Ram
Om Namah Narayanaya
Om Namah Shivaya
At one of the morning lectures, Pujya Guruji asked the audience to share one thing they had learned from Vedanta over the years in Bala Vihar, CHYK, Study Group, etc. After all had answered, and notes were taken for an article for CMW News, Guruji noted: Good! And now Aparna has good material to use in CMW News. … There was a moment’s silence before a hand was raised and a devotee asked:
Q: Guruji, what is one thing you want us to learn from Vedanta?
Guruji laughed and sat back in the seat, as if taken off guard.
A: I thought I would be asked what the ONE thing I had learned from Vedanta was but she had skillfully took the question and twisted it to get a better answer.
And after sitting back and pondering for a moment, He continued:
LOOK AT YOUR LIFE AS A WHOLE (WITH A ‘W’) AND LIVE A WHOLE LIFE. View life in all aspects and think of how the decisions you take today will affect these different parts of your life: spiritual, social, career, family, etc.
He made sure to emphasize – whole with a “W”
Q: How should we pray?
After a moment of reflection
A: Dear Lord, May I never forget you. You know what I need, I shall not ask.
And somebody commented: and You don’t forget me
Yes, God will never forget you, but that, too, you can put in your prayer to the Lord. And should I ever forget about you, you please do not forget about me.
Q: What was Gurudev’s Vision?
A: We can. We Must. Act now, do not delay. Make a list of 10 things that can be done and do them at once.
Bring discipline in your life – make a schedule and FOLLOW it. Have discipline in everything you do – eating, sleeping, talking, etc, all need D I S C I P L I N E. Have restrain over your senses.
Integrate spirituality into your life so it is not something different; what is important is HOW YOU DO WHAT YOU DO. Ensure that all is spiritual: cooking, sitting, working. It is the A T T I T U D E B E H I N D Y O U R A C T I O N S.
On the back of a truck in India, wisdom is found:
Menhat Meri, Rehmat Teri
My work, Your Blessings!
Just as a fly enters our house and we quickly open the door/window to let it out, we should do the same with japa, quickly close the door: RA – open the mouth to let out the sins/bad things; MA – close the mouth to keep the blessings
Continue to chant His name. R A-M A. R A-M A. R A-M A.
Satsangs with Pujya Guruji with Swami Tejomayananda
Miami, July 2-8, 2010
Below are a compilation of Guruji’s teachings from the various satsangs we had with Him while he was here this past summer. You will find general topics, answers to questions that were asked, quotes, stories and some notes of my own interpretations of the above. If you have questions or would like to learn more, please email me at puja@cmmiami.org
A message to Mom:
“In the Grihasta stage, worry is normal. So, worry a little bit. Not a lot, just a little bit.”
“Life is a drama when you remember Rama”
as in, it is only when you remember Rama is when you realize that life is a movie to be watched and not to get involved or attached
“Only the actor knows he’s in a drama – remember this – compartmentalize and REALIZE”
Realize that you are an actor in this drama of life, do not get deluded to think this is real. Watch as a sakshi and do not react.
When Pujya Guruji was asked about Natural Disasters and what we can do, he responded:
Change is the changeless law, ever constant, whether it is people we speak about, or climate or the earth’s formation.
“Lift your MIND – Do what you can. You know your own effort, this is the only thing YOU can control, you continue that.”
I see this in many aspects, with regards to climate and global changes, and in life situations and sadhana and our struggle to know if it is working.
Q: What is one thing we can teach our children, one thing we ensure they grow up with?
A: COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS. You may have money but you have your health. You have brains, hands, etc – I always complained I needed shoes until I met the man with no feet. For your children to learn to be grateful, you must teach by example. So you, too, must be grateful for all you have in life. C o u n t y o u r b l e s s i n g s. B e g r a t e f u l.
Q: How do I, when I am right and for sure know my husband is wrong, deal with it and make him understand, too?
A: Know when to give in. Resolve the argument/conflict and sometimes it is okay to accept your defeat. Don’t bother with the argument, know what/where/when to give in.
There was a great debater who went to a realized master and said he wanted to debate. So the great master asked why he wanted to debate and the debater said, so I can defeat you. The master sat and thought a moment and said, “I accept my defeat, you win.”
Q: What’s the easy way to Moksha?
A: None. Do whatever it takes. When you start, it becomes easy.
A shortcut – the longest distance between two points
Q: How do I know if I’ve found my guru/should I feel bad if I take knowledge from all different masters?
A: The giver of Knowledge is only One, Guru’s are many. Learn from everyone. Eventually, from one you will feel the pull. You will feel the bhaav – love – from one. This comes with time. From one Guru, you learn concentration and focus. And with this you can truly Learn.
Q: How do I deal with anger?
A: Practice extreme alertness. This is the only way to realize anger. If in a loving relationship, there is anger, it shouldn’t be harsh, it is a different quality.
Q: What is Guruji’s definition of success?
A: Work towards something good – even if you don’t get it all, this is still success. It is HOW you go about getting hat you want this is also success, ensuring the welfare of all beings around you.
Q: What does Guruji think of Priyas-Chit: Atonement/Penalty for wrong-doing?
A: Priya – Tapas – Peanance; Chit – Sankalpa – Reflection so as to not repeat; wrongdoing mitigaged by penance. Develop LOVE for the one who presides over Karma. Grow in devotion. Surrender to God, this will clear all.
Q: Can you give practical tips for forgiveness, how to let go of grudges/harbored feelings, etc?
A: Create a mental agitation chart. Think, with harbored feelings or letting go, which will work out better? Analzye the situation on your mental agitation chart and see which is worth it. When you have anger/harbored feelings, it is you who suffers, not the other person – like a match, when lit, burns itself before lighting anything else.
Also, tell the person thank you for bringing my flaws to my attention. Don’t let your mind burn with anger – like match sticks, before burning others, burns itself.
Q: Are we responsible for the negative thoughts that arise in our minds?
A: We are not responsible for the negative thoughts but we have to make sure not to engage it – you ARE responsible for what comes after the thought.
Q: How is it/why is it okay to be attached to a form like Pujya Gurudev – or yourself – or any other master, when it is said to not be attached?
A: IT IS NOT ATTACHMENT! It is devotion. It is not the form that you are worshipping, instead it is the ideal behind the form – the beliefs that are represented. A means to an end.
T I P S F O R H A P P Y L I V I N G
When asked: Guruji, what are tips for happy living, Guruji jovially responded, read the book! Order practical books like these, they help in everyday life. And after being lovingly coaxed into giving us a preview into the text that He was supposed to take while in Miami, he shared:
1. TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR LIFE. Realize that your life is yours to live. Take charge of YOUR life. Your life should be lived by you and you cannot live somebody else’s life. “My life – I have to live it.” Don’t hesitate to take/give help but know, it is yours in the end.
2. MAKE SOMEONE ELSE/OTHERS HAPPY. Either by giving somebody what they need – food or money – or what they life – clothes, gifts etc. Or, love/attention/sweet words – respect and understand- sometimes this is more important than physical things that can be given. If you can give money those in need, give. But also, LOVE
3. EVERYDAY: DO ONE THING YOU DON’T LIKE TO DO THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE AND DON’T DO ONE THING THAT YOU LIKE TO DO. Do one thing you don’t like to do that needs to be done. And one thing you like to do, don’t do it. Ie. If you don’t like to wake up early, do it. Wake up early even though you don’t like to. You love chocolate? Don’t eat it because you like to. Reason: do not be bound by likes and dislikes. Do one thing you don’t like to do daily and don’t do one thing you like to do.
4. OPEN TWO BANK ACOCUNTS: BANK OF LEARNING AND BANK OF GOD. Bank of Learning – deposit your experiences – free learning, write down what you learn. Deposit all of your knowledge. Learn from others, too. Bank of God – deposit your japa: just as you would depost to Bank of America, etc, here too! If you miss one day, do two the next day.
So, continue to learn, continue to learn. Continue to sing the name of the lord, this will bring happiness
Sri Ram, Jai Ram, Jai Jai Ram
Om Namah Narayanaya
Om Namah Shivaya
At one of the morning lectures, Pujya Guruji asked the audience to share one thing they had learned from Vedanta over the years in Bala Vihar, CHYK, Study Group, etc. After all had answered, and notes were taken for an article for CMW News, Guruji noted: Good! And now Aparna has good material to use in CMW News. … There was a moment’s silence before a hand was raised and a devotee asked:
Q: Guruji, what is one thing you want us to learn from Vedanta?
Guruji laughed and sat back in the seat, as if taken off guard.
A: I thought I would be asked what the ONE thing I had learned from Vedanta was but she had skillfully took the question and twisted it to get a better answer.
And after sitting back and pondering for a moment, He continued:
LOOK AT YOUR LIFE AS A WHOLE (WITH A ‘W’) AND LIVE A WHOLE LIFE. View life in all aspects and think of how the decisions you take today will affect these different parts of your life: spiritual, social, career, family, etc.
He made sure to emphasize – whole with a “W”
Q: How should we pray?
After a moment of reflection
A: Dear Lord, May I never forget you. You know what I need, I shall not ask.
And somebody commented: and You don’t forget me
Yes, God will never forget you, but that, too, you can put in your prayer to the Lord. And should I ever forget about you, you please do not forget about me.
Q: What was Gurudev’s Vision?
A: We can. We Must. Act now, do not delay. Make a list of 10 things that can be done and do them at once.
Bring discipline in your life – make a schedule and FOLLOW it. Have discipline in everything you do – eating, sleeping, talking, etc, all need D I S C I P L I N E. Have restrain over your senses.
Integrate spirituality into your life so it is not something different; what is important is HOW YOU DO WHAT YOU DO. Ensure that all is spiritual: cooking, sitting, working. It is the A T T I T U D E B E H I N D Y O U R A C T I O N S.
On the back of a truck in India, wisdom is found:
Menhat Meri, Rehmat Teri
My work, Your Blessings!
Just as a fly enters our house and we quickly open the door/window to let it out, we should do the same with japa, quickly close the door:
RA – open the mouth to let out the sins/bad things; MA – close the mouth to keep the blessings
Continue to chant His name. R A-M A. R A-M A. R A-M A.
