Ramanisblog

Tag: Indian Philosophy

  • Corporate Spiritual Gurus INC.

    It is sickening to find many self-styled Gurus who offer you right from Health,Wealth,Self Realization,Yoga Mukti,Solution for World

    Problems.These gentlemen offer all this, with a fee ,of course.An International Company is coming ONLINE with Spiritual Solutions!
    Some of them say they Teach Art of Living as if the Vedas teach the Science of Death.Hobnobbing with industrial bigwigs, politicians,addressing international forums who probably may not know what it is all about.They comment on Politics , international relations!
    The concept of Guru is very high and very noble and He/She is held in high esteem.

    Ramana Maharishi
    Ramana Maharishi

    There are various levels.
    Upadhyayay is one who teaches the scriptures and performs regular rituals.
    Acharya is one who initiates you in a particular Chapter,Shaka of Vedas.
    Guru is one who knows your spiritual needs and guides you through out.
    A Guru never advertises for Shisyas(Disciples/followers)
    They get attracted to him.If a seeker wants a Guru desperately, he will find him.Similarly a Guru shall find a disciple.
    Guru does not charge.Vidya/Knowledge must not be sold , according to Scriptures .( so are Medicine, Food and Water).
    He shall gladly accept what disciple offers him as a token of love as it were from his son.Even in cases where the Guru asked for Dakshina or fees, it is to demonstrate to the world the Greatness of his disciple.
    Do the present Gurus hold a candle to this definition?
    Ramana Maharishi, A realized Soul , when asked to initiate a disciple, replied”I can not eat for you;if you want to realize, you have to strive for it”
    Bhagwan Sri Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita ‘You( Atman) is your only fiend and He is your only enemy’
    Realization must be attained by individual effort, not by book knowledge or by paying Gurus.It calls for Practice(Sadhana) and

    Vairagya(determination)- Bhagavad Gita

    .
    Guru is essential to your Spiritual need, but not these type of peddlers(imagine if Vedas and Yoga were to have been patented these guys would have been paupers long ago!).Vedas declare ‘If you sincerely seek a Guru, He shall come to you”
    An example is Sir Arthur Osborne,who revered Ramana Maharishi as his Guru( though Ramana did not say so)
    after desperate search for Guru in India.He even contacted Paramacharya of Kanchi.He told him” I am not your Guru;your Guru is Ramana,you will see him now, but you will not approve of him and go back; you shall return and accept him as your GURU’.It was so.
    Where are these Great Souls and where are these jet setting charlatans?

     

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  • Caste System (India) needs Reform?

    Caste system has worked for India for centuries,excepting during British Rule.

     

    British used the Division of labor ,promoted by Caste System to Divide and Rule.

     

     

    Contrary to what people think, mistreatment of lower castes had not been in vogue prior to their regime. The Gods ,Krishna, Rama, are not Brahmins.Rama is a Kshatriya and Krishna is a cowherd.Disposition and conduct determine caste and nothing else.

    As of today Caste in India exists for Politicians to garner votes .Ordinary Indian to day does not think of Caste any more,especially the educated.

     

     

    Mistreatment of some castes are still on in India .It is practiced by some communities,like Kshatriyas(never by a Brahmin) because of old habits.This is also mending.

     

     

    So called lower castes are also moving up the social order and they are well integrated into the main stream.

     

     

    However still some way to go.This will happen by literacy alone and not by enacting laws.This will increase the divide into a chasm.

     

     

    Unlike Race or other Divisions in Society,caste system is not based on Race or creed or language.It was based initially on the Disposition of the individual to perform a task.To day we find Doctors children becoming

     

    Doctors,Lawyers offspring as Lawyers( at least in India).

     

    Similarly,based on the skillset of the individual,caste system was formed.

     

    This has no bearing on birth.

     

    Unfortunately many of the systems founded by Hindus were not not understood properly, have been practiced by rote with out reading the texts.

     
    It is a fact that differences between individuals can not be wished away nor one’s feeling of Superiority.This is the Nature of Man.Casteless., people say.But is it feasible or possible?Inequality/divisions will be there in the world;only thing is it shall be known by a different name, like poor and the rich,Party members and common man in Communist countries,Nation Vs Nation,Language Vs Language,Region vs Region, profession Vs profession.

     



    When an individual has a particular disposition or Aptitude and if he is raised in the environment which nurtures it, he/she will realize his/her potential..This is exactly what Caste is all about.
    http://worldhaveyoursay.wordpress.com/2009/09/29/should-india-be-left-to-reform-at-its-own-pace/#comment-167690

     

    Related:

    People often confuse Caste with Varna, which means group that has a particular disposition and vocation.

     

     

    What people are talking now is about caste, which is a distorted view of Varna, which has no sanction ofSastras, the Holy Writs.

     

     

    Most of the great sages and Gods worshipped do not belong to Brahmin community, supposedly higher in echelon.

    http://ramanisblog.in/2009/09/30/270/

  • What is Perception?

    It is not merely interpretation of Data that poses problems.The act of perception itself is difficult to understand.Perception, at the rudimentary level,is the process by which the stimulii are received and interpreted by the brain.We are aware of the brain/brain’s existence only by its receipt and interpretation of stimulii.So, we need brain to perceive and the things perceived to prove the existence of brain.
    The interplay of senses and objects to be perceived,interplay of senses and brain determine Perception.We are aware of the senses because of brain and brain because of senses and objects perceived.
    At the external level, what constitutes a whole object is difficult to fathom.Is it because of a particular trait we perceive a thing as we see it or an integtrated traits /qualities that makes us aware of an object as a whole?
    How do we recognise objects as such?
    Is it only through senses? In that case , how did we recognise it as a particular object at the first instance?If it is because we have been told so, how did the first individual recognise it as such?
    Further, things change continuously and same thing or event presents a different picture from a different angle in case of vision(ex:see different angles from the camera in a game, say cricket or foot ball) and different interpretation when we perceive at different times the same thing /event.
    The answer is in Indian Philosophical treatises.

  • Hinduism-Least known facts.

    1.Religion is individualistic.Indian Philosophy ia a way of living.It does not contain mere abstract principles,nor does it have dogma.It is characterised by the following facts.
    1.Religion is individualistic..Allows Freedom of Choice.
    2.No community worshipping is sanctioned.
    3.Unbelievers are not doomed to hell.
    4.Every one of its premises may be questioned.
    5You need not believe in God to achieve salvation.
    6.Admits Freewill as well as Determinism.
    7.There is no Heaven or hell.
    8.None can escape the consequences of their actions
    9.God can not interfere in your day to day affairs.
    10.Concept of Time is non-linear.It is cyclic.
    11.There is no separate entity in charge of Evil.
    12.There is nothing called Good or Evil.
    13.You can lead a normal life amidst the process of realising Godhood.
    14.Family as the fundamental unit.
    15.Duty of parents,children.
    16.Duty of husband/Wife.
    17.Social reponsibility
    18.Accountability to other living Beings
    19.Live in Harmony aith Nature
    20.Performance of Action.
    21.Practice of Sex.
    21.Contentment.

  • Does God have Name and Form?

    One would find many Gods in Hinduism. We have Vishnu, Siva, Ganesha, Kaarthikeya, Saraswathi, Krishna, Rama et al. One who worships a particular God feels and is taught to believe that his God is superior. We also find clashes between Gods. How rational is this?
    It is not prevalent only in Hinduism. We have the same in Pagan worships in Europe, in Nordic mythology, in Maya civilization, in Greek civilization. In Christianity one worships Holy Father, His Messiah; In Islam, Allah and regards for Sal. Jainism and Buddhism deny the existence of God and condemn idol worship. Buddhists worship Lord Buddha and have erected statues. So is the case with Jainism. In Christianity, people worship, Jesus, Infant Jesus, Mary. In Islam we find people worshiping at Dargha though it is proscribed in Islam.
    Why so? To understand these phenomena, one has to understand the evolution of religion and also human psyche.
    Man started worshipping first what he could not understand, could not control. He saw lightening. He was scared. Saw rains, gale; fire; Deluge that he could not control. He ascribed powers to them which he did not possess. This was the beginning of belief in Supernatural. (In Hinduism, there is nothing Supernatural as such; every thing is Natural).These entities were given Name and Form. Man believed that these could alter their behavior that would be beneficial to Man. But this does not happen. The variations of behavior of these entities affect each individual differently. An umbrella manufacturer prays for rain; depending on the state of the crop, agriculturists do not want rain. (If it is harvest time.) Office goers prefer rains, after they have reached their offices or after they are ensconced safely at home in the evening. Based on the benefits one gets, the individual believes his prayers have been answered and his faith grows stronger. Others feel let down and some turn Agnostics or even Atheists. Nothing is farther from Truth.
    Elements behave the way they do according to Cosmic Principles, which we are trying to discover/decipher. Our Prayers/hopes/disappointments have no relevance. Then why worship at all?
    The Reality is The Principle. It is a teleological. It has no Name and no Form. We call it by different names and visualize by various Forms.
    Man, by nature is controlled by first and foremost by the instinct of survival. It is followed by thirst, hunger, gregariousness, and sex. When any thing happens that threatens the satisfaction that would he attain by satisfying these instincts, he becomes nervous. He starts believing in things that are beyond him. Hence he starts worshipping. At times when things happen the way he wants, he has his faith reinforced. But when it does not happen to his liking, he blames himself or assigns it to Fate. This is not correct at the macro level. When Prayers are to be answered it should have been answered for all those who pray. If not, and only prayers of a few are answered, God is unjust and He does not deserve to be called God. This again is incorrect understanding of God.
    God is a principle which has no name, no form, no likes, and no dislikes. Principles do not behave erratically; if they do so, they would not remain Principles.
    Why then we give name and form and worship? Human mind needs an anchor to cling to in times of desperation, especially when things go wrong for them. They need an explanation or excuses for things gone awry.They need some things to hang their boots on. It is a psychological necessity. So we believe in symbols and later in Human forms. (Why is it we describe God only as a Human Being? Is it because we are human beings and we feel we are superior to other living things on earth? If an ass were to conceive God, it would describe Him as a Superior Ass. Is there any thing wrong in this? As God, is common to all living things, why should He have only a Human Form? In fact, He is Nameless and Formless)
    And again each individual has emotional/sentimental attachment (many may deny; let them ask themselves whether they have sentiments/emotional attachments. fact is they do have. Let them know that it not unseemly to have sentiments and attachments).Some are attached to mother; some to father; yet some to friends; some to Beauty; some to valor. As many Gods are possible as there are likes in Humans. One finds easy to relate to them. We feel comfortable when we assign a Form and express ourselves to that Form.
    It has a healing touch when things go wrong. As one slowly develops this feeling of togetherness with the Form, one realizes gradually that he is a part of the Absolute Reality and one would not be disturbed when things go wrong. Again, when one whole- heartedly transferone’semotions/sentiments /problems to a Form, slowly the positive thought that he is only an instrument in the cosmic nature of things, will ensure that he attains what he yearns for and if he does not attain what he wants, he would have developed the fortitude to weather the problem. Remember, mind can not contemplate on ‘NOTHING’. It can not operate in a vacuum.
    This is the first step in Realization of Self. Though the Reality has no Name and Form, worshipping names/Forms (various Gods), leads one gradually to the realization that these names and forms do not really exist and that they are only one of the many processes to realize the Ultimate Principle.
    One may ask-why believe in something, which we are going to find out to be irrelevant at a later time? For any journey ,first step must be taken. After reaching the Destination, the First step may seem irrelevant. But it is essential. After attaining PhD, nursery class seems to be irrelevant. But without nursery class, one would not have obtained PhD.
    In a Nut-shell, God does not have Name and Form. But we need to have name and Form to Realize the Reality. So, different forms and names are best left to individuals as they know best what they like.
    How come .then God appears to People in the Form they worship?