Showing posts with label Santa Barbara. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Santa Barbara. Show all posts

June 6, 2016

Paranirvana



If you want to
Know Buddha, it's pointless
To seek him in the temple;
The Buddha is simply you
Wishing to see Buddha.


The mind seeking
Buddha outside
Is the worst
Illusion of all.



Translated by Soiku Shigematsu
A Zen Harvest : Japanese Folk Zen Sayings (Haiku, Dodoitsu, and Waka)







Give up anger, give up pride, and free yourself from all bondage. No sorrow can be fall those who never try to possess people and things as their own. Those who hold back rising anger like a rolling chariot are real charioteers. Others merely hold the reins. Conquer anger through gentleness, unkindness through kindness, greed through generosity, and falsehood by truth. Be truthful; do not yield to anger; give freely, even if you have but little: by these three steps you will come near the gods. More than those who hate you, more than all your enemies, an undisciplined mind does greater harm. More than your mother, more than your father, more than all your family, a well disciplined mind does greater good. 
-Dhammapada, 221-225, 42-43






May 1, 2016

All for Her

No one is a stranger my child, 
make the whole world your own.



- The Divine Mother -

I am the empress of all that lives.
I am the sovereign power in all the worlds.
I am the bestower of all treasure.
I am the knower of the supreme.
Among those to whom homage shall be offered,
I am the first.
Everywhere the gods worship only me,
who am diverse in form
and permeating everything.
Whoever breathes,
whoever eats or sees or hears,
does so through me alone.
Unknowing,
they depend upon me.
Hear now, one and all,
the truth as I declare it.
This truth revered by gods and men alike,
I am myself revealing to you.
Whom I will, I make terrible or benign.
Whomsoever I wish, I make mighty—
a brahmana, a seer, a sage.
I transcend heaven above
I transcend earth below.
This supreme greatness have I attained.

– Vag-Ambhrni Sukta (Devi Sukta), Rig Veda








Swami Chetanananda signing his book 
at Santa Barbara Vedanta Society March 2016
ORDER BOOK





The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new. A mother’s arms are made of tenderness and children sleep soundly in them. A mother’s heart is a patchwork of love. 

Some mothers are kissing mothers and some are scolding mothers. A mothers love is peace. It need not be acquired, it need not be deserved. A mother is the truest friend we have, when suffering and heavy trials befall us. The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which we will always find forgiveness. Mothers can reach farther down into the heart and offer healing love that can pull a soul back into light from darkness. A mother never gives up hope for her child. Never finding fault with others she will fight to the death when her precious offspring is faced with unjust treatment or needless suffering. A moms hug lasts long after she lets go.



Quick to forgive she is the first to offer food and the last to eat. She assumes the best in those around her and works tirelessly to make them comfortable and included. Encouragement is something she does naturally. A Mother's love is the spirits fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible. A mother always has faith that a child can change their errant ways. Being a mother means that your heart is no longer yours; it wanders wherever your children do. Mother is a verb, not a noun.










That which is Shakti is also Brahman.
That which has form, again, is without form.
That which has attributes, again, has no attributes. 
Brahman is Shakti;
Shakti is Brahman.
They are not two.
These are only two aspects, male and female, 
of the same Reality, 
Existence-Knowledge-Bliss
Absolute.

- Ramakrishna -




Watch Video





Perfection will come when you are completely identified with the Divine Mother and feel yourself to be no longer another and separate being, instrument, servant, or worker but truly a child and eternal portion of her consciousness and force. Always she will be in you and you in her ; it will be your constant, simple and natural experience that all your thought and seeing and action, your very breathing or moving come from her and are hers. You will know and see and feel that you are a person and power formed by her out of herself, put out from her for the play and yet always safe in her, being of her being, consciousness of her consciousness, force of her force, Ananda of her Ananda. When this condition is entire and her supramental energies can freely move you, then you will be perfect in divine works; knowledge, will, action will become sure, simple, luminous, spontaneous, flawless, an outflow from the Supreme, a divine movement of the Eternal.















October 4, 2014

Temple Shoes



Purification Prayer
May my speech be purified.
May my sense of smell be purified.
May my sight be purified.
May my hearing be purified.
May what I consume be purified.
May my heart be purified.
May my thoughts be purified.
May my actions be purified.
Whether pure or impure
In whatever state one may be
If one remembers the Lord
One becomes pure both inside and out.
As with eyes wide open, one sees the sky
So the seers see always the Supreme Truth, 
God, the all pervading existence.
May we know that Truth.
May that glorious Truth manifest in the hearts of people
everywhere. May mutual love, harmony
and peace pervade the entire world.
May this worship bestow health, 
happiness and fulfillment.
to one and all.





Daily Puja Worship

1. Puja Instructions

Sit facing east or north, and do japa 108 times. If you do pūjā immediately after your morning meditation, the japa can be skipped. Ācamana: pour a drop of water on the palm of your right hand and sip it gently, chanting Oṁ viṣṇu. Do this three times. Wash your hands, and chant with folded hands: Oṁ tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padaṁ sadā paśyanti sūrayaḥ, divīva cakṣur-ātatam. Whenever I remember God with faith and devotion, I at once become pure internally and externally.
Prārthanā: With folded hands, chant: “May all beings be happy. May all be healthy. May all experience what is good. May there be no pain and suffering in the world. May everyone benefit from this worship.” Pray for your family and friends, especially for those who are passing through a difficult period.
Prayer for Calmness: “God, you are Purity; fill me with purity. You are Energy; fill me with energy. You are Strength; fill me with strength. You are Spiritual Power; fill me with spiritual power.” Wash the cup, uttering phaṭ, and fill it with water. Touching the cup, chant: May the holy waters of the Gaṅgā and other rivers fill this cup with power and sanctity.

2. Protection and Purification

Guarding of the Door: Sprinkle water toward the door, saying Oṁ dvāra-devatābhyo namaḥ. Pour a spoonful of water in the pūjā plate, saying Oṁ brahmaṇe namaḥ. Another spoonful with: Oṁ vāstu-puruṣaya namaḥ.
Purification of the Ground: Take a little water in the right palm and empty it on the ground in front of you, chanting: Oṁ rakṣa rakṣa hūṁ phaṭ svāhā.
Purification of the Seat: Draw a triangle with the right ring finger dipped in water near your seat and then say with folded hands: O Mother Earth, you support all life and, in turn, are supported by the Supreme Being. Please purify this seat and support me always.
Salutation to the Spiritual Lineage: Mentally prostrate before your guru. With folded palms near the left ear, say: Aiṁ gurubhyo namaḥ. Raising the palm to a higher level, Aiṁ parama-gurubhyo namaḥ. Still higher, Aiṁ parātpara-gurubhyo namaḥ. Still higher, Aiṁ parameṣṭhi-gurubhyo namaḥ. With folded palms near your right ear, Oṁ gaṇeśāya namaḥ. With folded palms, near the heart: Oṁ aiṁ sarva-deva-devī-svarūpāya śrī rāmakṛṣṇāya namaḥ.
Purification of the Flowers: Sprinkle water on the flowers, saying: Oṁ śatābhiṣeka hūṁ phaṭ svāhā. Touching the flowers with your right hand, say Oṁ. May these flowers be purified for worship. Hūṁ phaṭ svāhā.
Removal of Obstacles:
Look above, uttering the pūjā mantra: Oṁ aiṁ sarva-deva-devī-svarūpāya śrī rāmakṛṣṇāya namaḥ. With the index finger and middle finger of the right hand joined together, clap on the left palm three times at different levels, one higher than the other, uttering phaṭ. Snap the tip of the right index finger against the thumb eight times overhead, along the eight directions, starting from the east. End with doing the same in the downward and upward directions as well. With each snapping, say phaṭ.
Uttering phaṭ strike the ground three times gently with the left heel.
Take a small quantity of water in the right hand, throw it upward, saying: astrāya phaṭ.
Purification of the Pūjā Articles: Sprinkle water three times on all the pūjā articles, sayingOṁ aiṁ phaṭ.
Purification of the Mantra: Repeat, aṁ aiṁ aṁ, kaṁ aiṁ kaṁ, caṁ aiṁ caṁ, ṭaṁ aiṁ ṭaṁ, taṁ aiṁ taṁ, paṁ aiṁ paṁ, yaṁ aiṁ yaṁ, śaṁ aiṁ śaṁ.
Raising a Wall of Light: Uttering raṁ springle water around you in a circle, and visualize yourself as surrounded by a wall of Light, protecting you from all obstacles.
Protecting the Body: Chanting Oṁ aiṁ sarva-deva-devī-svarūpāya śrī rāmakṛṣṇāya namaḥ, pass both of your hands over your body, from head to foot. Then, placing the right palm over the heart, say: Oṁ durge durge rakṣiṇi svāhā. Oṁ āṁ hūm phaṭ svāhā.
Praṇāyāma: Do a brief practice (4-16-8), once (or thrice) through each nostril. Repeat Oṁ to keep count.

3. Divinization

Purification of the Elements: Close your eyes and repeat, as you visualize: Through the path of the suṣumnā, I join my Self with the Supreme Self in the crown of my head. Oṁ yaṁ,may my subtle body be freed from worldly tendencies. Oṁ raṁ, may my subtle body be burnt of all impurities. With the pure elements bathed in the light of consciousness, may a new subtle body be created for me. Oṁ. So’haṁ haṁsaḥ svāhā.
Total Consecration: Gently pass both hands over the body, from head to foot, and back again from foot to head, uttering āṁ hūṁ phaṭ svāhā, visualizing that through this your body, speech and mind are being purified.
Consecration of the Self: In order to install the Deity in your newly created divine body, touch the heart and say: May I be filled with the prāṇa of Sri Ramakrishna. May I be filled with the life of Sri Ramakrishna. May I be filled with the senses of Sri Ramakrishna. May the entire being of Sri Ramakrishna fill my own being. Visualize yourself as being filled with the presence of Sri Ramakrishna.

4. Preliminary Worship

Offering a flower (dipped in sandal paste, if possible), or water, in the pūjā plate in front of you, worship:
Guru: Oṁ aiṁ, I offer this flower (or water) to my Guru
Ganeśa: Oṁ gaṁ, I offer this flower (or water) to Ganeśa
Śiva: Oṁ namaḥ Ṡivāya, I offer this flower (or water) to Śiva
Sūrya: Oṁ, I offer this flower (or water) to Sūrya
Nārāyaṇa: Oṁ namo Nārāyaṇāya, I offer this flower (or water) to Nārāyaṇa
Durgā: Oṁ hrīm, I offer this flower (or water) to the divine mother Durgā
Oṁ, I offer this flower (or water) to all other forms of the divine
Oṁ, I offer this flower (or water) to all the prophets and incarnations

5. Main Worship

Meditation: Holding a flower between the palms of your hands, meditate on Sri Ramakrishna:
Nirañjanaṁ nityaṁ anantarūpaṁ, bhaktānukampā dhṛta-vigrahaṁ vai;
Īśāvatāraṁ parameśamīḍyam, taṁ rāmakṛṣṇam śirasā namāmi.
“I bow down at the feet of Sri Ramakrishna who is pure and eternal, who has infinite aspects, who has taken a form out of compassion for devotees, who is supremely divine, and who is God Incarnate.”
Transfer the divine presence of Sri Ramakrishna from your heart into the flower and place the flower in the pūjā plate in front of you.
Mental Worship: Worship Sri Ramakrishna mentally. Chant: “You are my own Self. My mind is the Divine Mother. My prāṇa are your companions and my body is your temple. My enjoyments I regard as offerings to you. My sleep is a form of absorption in you. My walking is like walking around you. My words are prayers offered to you. Whatever I think, say, or do, may be a form of worship to you.”

Offerings:
Sandal paste: I offer this sandal paste to Sri Ramakrishna. Oṁ aiṁ sarva-deva-devī svarūpāya śrī rāmakṛṣṇāya namaḥ.
Flower: I offer this flower to Sri Ramakrishna. Oṁ aiṁ sarva-deva-devī-svarūpāya śrī rāmakṛṣṇāya namaḥ
Incense: I offer this incense to Sri Ramakrishna. Oṁ aiṁ sarva-deva-devī-svarūpāya śrī rāmakṛṣṇāya namaḥ
Light: I offer this light to Sri Ramakrishna. Oṁ aiṁ sarva-deva-devī-svarūpāya śrī rāmakṛṣṇāya namaḥ
Food: I offer this naivedya to Sri Ramakrishna. Oṁ aiṁ sarva-deva-devī-svarūpāya śrī rāmakṛṣṇāya namaḥ 
Worship of Holy Mother: I offer this flower to Sri Sarada Devi. Oṁ aiṁ hrīm, sarva-deva-devī-svarūpiṇyai śrī sāradā-devyai namaḥ
Worship of Swami Vivekananda: I offer this flower to Swami Vivekananda. Oṁ aiṁ, svāmi vivekānandāya namaḥ

6. Conclusion

Flower Offering: Offer a few flowers in the pūjā plate, saying I offer these flowers at the feet of Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother, and his disciples. Oṁ aiṁ sarva-deva-devī-svarūpāya śrī rāmakṛṣṇāya namaḥ
Visualize that the divine presence of Sri Ramakrishna is now withdrawn back into your heart, and remember that it will remain with you throughout the day. With that awareness, prostrate before the altar and chant: “Under the influence of my impulses of vital energy, the mind and the body, whatever I have done in the states of waking, dream and deep sleep, in thought, word and deed, may all these be offered to Brahman. Oṁ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ. Śrī rāmakṛṣṇārpaṇam astu.”
If possible, read a few lines from a sacred text before cleaning your worship space and beginning your chores for the day.






June 1, 2014

Healing Vibration

Between the Santa Barbara Vedanta Society Temple and their bookstore 
is a massive twelfth-century bell, cast in Japan, which had 
once been rigged to a Chinese military ship.




As is well known, sound has great power over matter. By using sound it is possible to cause geometric patterns to form on sand and also cause objects to be shattered. How much more powerful, then, must be the impact of this force on the vibrating living substance of our sensitive human bodies. Scientists know that sound vibration is processed in the same area of the brain that deals with feelings and emotions, thus proving music's therapeutic potential. Used by clinicians to alleviate pain, boost immunity and lower pulse rates in hospitals, harmonic sounds can revitalize and strengthen the body and soul. Today modern society has become increasingly convinced of the therapeutic benefits of food prepared with love and positive thought vibrations. Let us make use of mantras, prasad, holy sites, relics of saints and soothing musical tones to calibrate and heal, through resonate power, the remotest reaches of the human psyche.  







January 14, 2014

GPS = Guru Positioning System


"In meditation we learn to transcend the appearances of life and realize our true nature." said Swami Yogatmananda during a recent retreat at the Santa Barbara Vedanta Temple. "Relentless determination to complete our daily meditation practice is the bridge between the awareness of the material "I" and the inner "I" of God awareness and unity. We learn to transcend the names and various forms through meditation. Proper posture is very important, head, neck, and backbone in a straight line. Results happen with the very first practice of meditation! Progress may not be visible to you, but looking back you will see that the shore is far behind you now. As we interact with people that united awareness that meditation brings can be felt and experienced throughout the day, all day long! Our destination is our "true divine nature," God realization! Hold onto God and the transitory world will become less important, then you will see the world as the bondage it is, restricting your freedom, then you will see the truth: GOD ALONE IS REAL. Life as a spiritual journey is the primary goal of human life. Material possessions are not pertinent to the goal of the journey. These material desires make us suffer veiling the unity of oneness from our eyes. Discernment is necessary on this journey. Keep the discerning faculty always alert and then the journey will reach its destination and go beyond this material world and become all pervading, we will be everywhere, no boundaries, ultimate unity! We have the promise that all beings one day over many lifetimes will reach this GOAL of ONENESS. We are guaranteed to reach this goal as Vedanta is a SCIENCE. Looking for happiness is fruitless, looking inside is where the treasure is hidden, inside the lotus of the heart. Eventually, temptation for material desires and attachment to sweet fruits subsides, strength and wisdom is gained after we analyze reality and the reflection of life's daily experiences. Soon a steady transformation will begin, moving ahead, giving up life's illusions we will merge with the higher consciousness. GOAL of "ONENESS" - should be our only goal! Then we HAVE ARRIVED! Knowledge of God through Vedanta philosophy is the very goal of life. By eliminating negative and impossible thoughts, all wisdom and knowledge is possible on this journey. Be immersed in that oneness!!! Freedom, happiness, peace, truth and love are the fruits of oneness. Our beloved spiritual teacher or guru will help guide our way along our chosen path. By guiding our awareness the guru helps to sharpen our meditation practice by diligently encouraging a one pointed focus on our chosen ishta, without fail, spiritual fruits will manifest. We will progress from ignorance to knowledge, from the unreal to the real. Arise, Awake, stop not till the goal is reached. Wake up to your true nature. And then start walking on the path shown by the great teachers. We may shed many tears on the journey. Difficulties and pains of life are still unavoidable on this path. Never give up! We should be patient and persevere, do not let yourself revert back to your old habits and ways! Always joyful stay true to your path and keep walking ahead though it certainly maybe a challenge and always very interesting. Remember... to seek counsel with your GURU when ever you have a question or concern. GPS = Guru Positioning System"   :) 










August 13, 2012

Cultivate Remembrance of Your Ishtam



Meditate upon your Ishtam (Chosen Spiritual Ideal) in the lotus of your heart. Let your inner eye feast upon the beauty of the light within. Make your body the actual temple of God by concentrating all your faculties on the object of adoration. God is the master of the body, mind, and spirit. By one pointed devotion to the Ishtam, the aspirant may realize the highest goal; but sincerity, simplicity, and selfless devotion are required. Love is the bridge which connects you to your higher Self. The highest goal of bhakti yoga is infinite love, or God.