Hari OM Parents,
1. We began with the Opening Prayers. We started learning to chant Bhagavad Gita chapter 2 verses, Swamiji's video – Verse 1& 2 was shown and we continued learning
नमस्ते अस्तु भगवन विश्र्वेश्र्वराय महादेवाय त्र्यम्बकाय त्रिपुरान्तकाय
त्रिकालाग्निकालाय कालाग्निरुद्राय नीलकण्ठाय मृत्युंजयाय सर्वेश्र्वराय सदाशिवाय
श्रीमन् महादेवाय नमः
2. Recap of previous weeks lessons - students defined the word Culture and the four factors important for a culture to emerge. We went over the two types of Culture, Materialistic Culture and Spiritual Culture and the terms Prakriti and Vikriti. We reminded that short term goal, as students, is to graduate from college. However, the long term goal or purpose of life is to graduate from this earth.
3. The ultimate purpose of life according our scriptures is to obtain a life of total freedom/happiness. This raises three questions to think about.
Is there reincarnation?
Can we actually graduate from the earth?
How do we know when we graduate from the earth there is life of freedom?
4. The verse 13 from Bhagvad Gita, ch. 2 gives a logical explanation to the concept of reincarnation.
"Bhagavan Sri Krishna says, Just as in this body, the embodied soul, individual, passes into childhood, youth and old age, so also does he pass into another body, the wise man does not grieve at it."
Human intellect pondered over - Where from we came? Where do we go after death? World of objects including us strictly follow a law of causation. What we are today is because of our actions performed before. For example for you to become an accomplished dancer today you must have practiced for many hours in the past, similarly to become a successful professional you must have worked very hard in the past. So it is the causes in the past that become effects in the present. In the same way for us to be born, there must have been actions performed by us in prior births which has resulted in our present birth; and the actions that we perform in this life will determine our future births. Hinduism emphasizes that there is a continuity of existence after death. That Life is a continuum and death is like a pause button. An individual undergoes experiences of birth and death under a new set of environments repeatedly. This individual is called a jiva. Reincarnation is not an accident, that we are born as human beings is not accidental. Regarding theory of reincarnation we questioned the students if this idea was limited to Hindu philosophy. We asked them if they believed in theory of reincarnation. We had good discussion on this topic. Some of them mentioned that they feel that theory of reincarnation was limited to the religions of Far East - like Hinduism and Buddhism. Subsequently we shared information with the students where Islamic poet/philosopher, Buddhist monks, modern philosophers like Leo Tolstoy all commented on reincarnation. Then they were introduced to Brian Weiss, psychologist (USA), author of the book ' Many Lives, Many Masters'. We showed them an interview of him and Oprah Winfrey, where he discusses how a patient recounts vivid prior life experiences. He had documented many of these experiences in his book, which happened during his psychiatric sessions, helping patients overcome chronic problems. In addition Raymond Moody's comments about near-death experiences were also shown. Finally Dr. David Harkins, who was a psychologist and spiritual master, also has recounted his prior life experiences that he had in his various books. This hopefully gave the students modern and Western perspective on the idea of reincarnation.
5. So, life is a continuum!! Then how does one graduate from the earth?
Can we graduate from earth? Yes, we can, says Bhagavan Sri Krishna.
Verse 15 from Ch.8 says, "Great souls, having attained the Highest Perfection, moksha, do not take birth again, which is the house of pain and is impermanent."
To explain this we bring in the analogy of electricity and bulb. Electricity when it passes through the bulb gives light. When the bulb breaks, the light which is an effect merges with its cause, the current. We know that current is the same everywhere and illumines all the bulbs in the world. Likewise, the Self conditioned by a given mind and intellect, (the bulb), is jiva. Once the mind-and-intellect equipment, (which is the bulb), is stilled, the jiva merges with the Self. The purpose to graduate from the earth is to attain a state of total freedom and permanent happiness.
6. The third question follows, How do we know it is the life of total freedom once you leave the earth?
It is said in Bhagavad Gita when we totally identify with Lord, we reach the Lord and we are not born again. We identify ourselves as vegetarians, a traveler, a sports fan, a musician, etc.. We are bound by limitations of our body, mind and intellect. Identifying with the body we feel short, fat, not pretty; identifying with the mind and intellect we have many desires and we run after objects trying to satisfy ourselves, think that we are not as smart as other people - feel jealousy and hatred for people who are better than us. Moreover body is a source of disease and decay, which also leads to unhappiness. When we feel the acute limitations born out of our identification with body, mind and intellect, when we strongly feel that we want to experience happiness all the time - then we start pondering about philosophical and spiritual questions. This is where our Hindu culture and our Scriptures help us, they indicate that the highest goal is to reach the Lord. Scriptures also shows the path that we need to follow to reach Him. Even in recent times, examples of great saints who attained that Supreme State like - Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Ramana Maharishi, Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda should inspire all of us. When we merge with Him who is all pervading and all powerful, then there is no question of lack of freedom.
7. The Law of Consequence
Questions such as do we exist before we were born? Where do we go after death? Is this all very random or is there some definite cause that determines all this. Bhagavad Gita states that beings are unmanifest in the beginning, become manifest in the middle and becoming unmanifest in the end. Nonexistence cannot produce existence nor can existence come out of nonexistence. Beings are unmanifest in the beginning, manifest in the middle (born) and live through life and unmanifest (die) at the end. Infact we experience this phenomenon every day – when we go to sleep the world becomes unmanifest to us, when we wake up the world becomes manifest to us again. To see these changes there must be a changeless seer. Just as a movie is not possible to be seen without a changeless white screen; so also there needs to be a changeless factor which is seeing all the changes that is happening in our life. We explained this concept using various examples/crude drawings on computer. For example if an object is undergoing change in color there must be a changeless subject seeing the changes that is happening in the object, similarly when the body is changing from childhood, youth to old age there must be a changeless factor seeing changes in the body; when the mind is undergoing changes in the emotions such as happiness, sadness, grief, depression etc. there must be a changeless factor which is seeing the changes happening in the mind. This changeless seer is the Lord within. When we come to know Him we will be able to graduate from the earth and be happy forever. Another way of understanding this is - in order for us to re-member an experience, that experience has to first become a member of our memory. Then only can we remember. That is the one who experiences and recollects are one and the same person. That is, experiencer and remember has to be one and same person. Unless you experience particular event you will not be able to remember it…
Pranam,
Rukmani Sriram
Devender Akula
