Bhagavad Gita

Bhagavad Gita: The Self as indestructible and eternal

2010-02-04T12:53:00.000-08:00

Bhagavad Gita: The Self as indestructible and eternal
Maybe it means that if you believe that the soul is eternal then what is the point of grieveing since nothing has really died or ended except our own expectations, dreams, potential or history for/about that person.

A Call for Questions for our Upcoming Discussion on Sunday

2010-02-03T11:17:00.000-08:00

Do you have any interesting discussion questions for Sunday's workshop?
Write them here!

The Self as indestructible and eternal

2010-02-03T11:06:00.000-08:00

"Life...is not determined by the existence or non-existence of the physical body. It was never the body that gave us life. We, rather, gave life to the body. The soul is ever-existent." --Paramhansa Yogananda

Yogananda seems to be saying that when Krishna tells Arjuna that his "sorrow is sheer delusion. Wise men do not grieve for the dead or for the living. Never was there a time when I did not exist, or you, or these kings; nor will there come a time when we cease to be" (2.6-12). Krishna is saying you give life to the body, the body does not give life to you.

How does this perspective affect you views of life and death?

The theme of blindness and seeing at the Gita's opening

2010-02-03T10:33:00.000-08:00

It is curious that the Gita opens with the blind Dhritarashtra asking Sanjaya, who was said to have psychic vision or the symbolic power of introspection bestowed upon him by the sage Vyasa,"What happened?" This raises the theme of blindness and seeing--in other words, by what means can we accurately discern the truth, to see clearly what is right and good? Symbolically, the blind king represents the mind blinded by only the senses, according to the scholar Yogananda. In other words, he does not see into the true nature of things because he only believes what the senses tell him to believe. In this way, it is as if he were blind to spiritual truth. He operates in the delusion of separateness that the senses suggest. But spiritual understanding is like an inner seeing into the true nature of things, which according to Krishna, is that all things are one reality, that our physical world is not as real (in the sense of lasting) as the indestructible spiritual body.

Dhritarashtra has asked the question that we all ask on the field of battle with our higher and lower aspects of the self. What is happening? Who has won? How can we know if the battle is truly noble and the victory truly important? Which experience, the one my senses give me, or the one my inner wisdom gives me, should I act on? Paramhansa Yogananda offers an interesting answer to this question:
"Basically speaking, a right course of action will produce harmony, good health, a balanced state of being, and an ability to keep moving sensibly with discrimmination toward whatever fulfillment that one seeks. Where there is joy, and an expansion of consciousness, sympathy and inner calmness, one will always experience a rising energy in the spine." (p.43, The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita)

Only when we are armed with inner reflection and insight (symbolized by the narrator, Sanjaya), can we hope to discern the answers to these questions.

And isn't it interesting that Sanjaya, who could have chosen any of the other happenings at the opening of the battle, chooses to focus on the private conversation between Arjuna and Krishna? It's as if he is saying, "The truth can be found here. Look here. Bring your attention to this story. Not to all the warriors and the sounds of the conchs, not to how many soldiers and weapons this side has versus that side (which is what Prince Duryodhana is seeing),but bring your attention to this battle within the Prince Arjuna and you will find truth."

The beginning of a work of literature is often quite important. It tells us how to read the story, it instructs us, sets us up to recieve what follows. Noticing the choices the author makes in crafting the beginning might also instruct us on how to begin this journey into the Self. What other aspects of the opening draw your attention?

Respond to Gita passages

2010-01-20T06:42:00.000-08:00

Feel free to respond to the following passages from Chapters 1 and 2OR ANYTHING ELSE THAT STRIKES YOUR FANCY (!):

On rigid adherence to religious scriptures

"Foolish men talk of religion
in cheap, sentimental words,
leaning on the scriptures:'God
speaks here, and speaks here alone.'"

On the nature of action:

"You have a right to your actions,
but never to your actions' fruits.
Act for action's sake.
And do not be attached to inaction."

On the nature of the wise man:

"When a man gives up all desires
that emerge from the mind, and rests
contented in the Self by the Self,
he is called a man of firm wisdom."

Background on the Gita

2010-01-20T06:33:00.000-08:00

I've posted links for further background reading on the Gita in the left-hand side of the blog. Simply click to go there!

Other sources:
The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita, Yogananda/Kriyananda

Poised for Grace, Douglas Brooks, Chap. 1

Welcome to discussion of the Gita!

2010-01-08T13:10:00.000-08:00

The Bhagavad Gita, or "Song of the Blessed One" is part of one of the largest epic poems ever written, called The Mahabarata. It was likely composed near the 2nd century B.C.E. It is the story of a young Prince Arjuna, who is about to engage in battle with his own cousins, and finds himself paralyzed with pity and sorrow and at the same time torn by his sense of duty to fight against corruption and chaos. At this moment, as if frozen in time, his charioteer, the Lord Krishna (the divine incarnate), addresses his question about what is right action and ultimately, what is the yogic path becomes the pages of the Bhagavad Gita.
Looking forward to hearing your insights, questions and experiences!