Hari OM Parents,
The final class commenced with starting prayers, and meditation.
The meditation we did was to focus on the present moment through the
breath. The principle of this meditation is that our mind dwells a lot
on regrets of the past and anxieties about the future but by focusing
on the present moment which is the only real thing we can calm the
mind and find peace. We talked about making meditation into a regular
practice. This will slowly curb the restless nature of the mind.
The lesson of the day was the pancha yagnas- the 5 worshipful
activities humans do in the world in recognition and gratitude for
what they have received. Living with this attitude helps with our
wellness and healing. Gratitude is felt in the frontal regions of the
brain that releases dopamine and serotonin, the chemicals for our
general well being.
Deva, pitru, Bhuta, Manushya and Brahma.
Deva - to the gods, Pitru- to forefathers, Bhuta- to the 5 great
elements found in all matter, Manushya- to fellow human beings, Rishi
or Brahma - to seers of knowledge.
Engaging in these activities keeps the human being engaged, inspired,
humble and useful throughout his time on earth.
The class then did a short reflection and recorded for themselves in
writing what it was that stayed with them or struck them as inspiring
or wow in this year's balavihar curriculum. There was some personal
sharing- some students mentioned our regular meditations as inspiring.
Some mentioned the ocean and waves analogy, the clay and pot as take
aways. Some others said they liked the disciplined, structured ashrama
system as a guide for their own lives.
Some mentioned that they knew some things about Hindu culture but this
year's curriculum took them deeper. Some were happy to learn new
Sanskrit words related to Hindu Culture. We were happy to note that
some children enjoyed the Shodasha Upachara Pooja we performed in
class for our Ishta devata. Many shared that they enjoyed the
questions and the detours that these took us on, bringing in stories,
anecdotes that we could not have anyway planned.
We concluded our last class discussing a quote by a profound quote
from a Quantum Physicist. He says, " Whenever I give a lecture on
Quantum Physics, I feel as if I am talking Vedanta".He continues, I
studied matter for the last 35 years, only to find out that it did not
exist. This is exactly what Adi Shankara said years back in the
Upanishads. "All that you see doesn't exist".
In our first class we had discussed, a quote by Pujya Gurudev, that
Hindu culture is a spiritual culture. Living and abiding in this right
here, right now can transform our lives.
We concluded with Arathi and pledge.
Balvihar annual day is June 12th from 3 to 6 pm. Please participate
with your family. Thank you!
Have a lovely summer!
Pranams
Uma and Nirmala
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