To raise up the physical to the spiritual is Brahmacharya, for by the meeting of the two the energy which starts from one and produces the other is enhanced and fulfills itself. This is the metaphysical theory. The application depends on a right understanding of the physical and psychological conformation of the human receptacle of energy.
When semen is preserved, it gets reabsorbed by the body and stored in the brain as Ojas Shakti or Spiritual Power. The vital force is closely linked with the nervous system. Hence, it is vitally necessary to preserve it carefully if one desires to have strong nerves. Girls, too, suffer great loss through having unchaste thoughts and giving way to lust. Vital nervous energy is lost. There is a corresponding loss of Veerya (vital fluid) in them as well.
Concepts of Yoga explained in easy terms with reference to their relation ton the numbers. Especially useful for those wanting to learn Yoga theory in an enjoyable manner and a great gift for children. It also contains an excellent introduction to the concepts of Yantra.
To order this book and others from ICYER at Ananda Ashram, Pondicherry, India please visit www.icyer.in
Prana is energy, vitality, power. Prana is the foundation and essence of all life; the energy and vitality that permeates the entire Universe. Prana flows in everything that exists.
Furthermore, Prana is the connecting link between the material world, consciousness and mind. It is what makes life on the material level possible. Prana regulates all physical functions for example, the breath, the supply of oxygen, digestion, elimination and much more. The function of the human body is much like a transformer, receiving energy from the Universal flow of Prana, distributing that energy, and then eliminating it. If a person or a room has a healthy, harmonious vibration, we say: “There is good Prana here”. Illness, on the other hand, disturbs or blocks the flow of Prana. As we develop the ability to control Prana, we gain harmony and health, of both body and mind. In addition to this, with long and consistent practice an expansion of consciousness is experienced.
Prana is divided into ten main functions:
The five Pranas – Prana, Apana, Udana, Vyana and Samana.
The five Upa-Pranas – Naga, Kurma, Devadatta, Krikala and Dhananjaya.
When semen is preserved, it gets reabsorbed by the body and stored in the brain as Ojas Shakti or Spiritual Power. The vital force is closely linked with the nervous system. Hence, it is vitally necessary to preserve it carefully if one desires to have strong nerves. Girls, too, suffer great loss through having unchaste thoughts and giving way to lust. Vital nervous energy is lost. There is a corresponding loss of Veerya (vital fluid) in them as well.
Concepts of Yoga explained in easy terms with reference to their relation ton the numbers. Especially useful for those wanting to learn Yoga theory in an enjoyable manner and a great gift for children. It also contains an excellent introduction to the concepts of Yantra.
To order this book and others from ICYER at Ananda Ashram, Pondicherry, India please visit www.icyer.in
Prana is energy, vitality, power. Prana is the foundation and essence of all life; the energy and vitality that permeates the entire Universe. Prana flows in everything that exists.
Furthermore, Prana is the connecting link between the material world, consciousness and mind. It is what makes life on the material level possible. Prana regulates all physical functions for example, the breath, the supply of oxygen, digestion, elimination and much more. The function of the human body is much like a transformer, receiving energy from the Universal flow of Prana, distributing that energy, and then eliminating it. If a person or a room has a healthy, harmonious vibration, we say: “There is good Prana here”. Illness, on the other hand, disturbs or blocks the flow of Prana. As we develop the ability to control Prana, we gain harmony and health, of both body and mind. In addition to this, with long and consistent practice an expansion of consciousness is experienced.
Prana is divided into ten main functions:
The five Pranas – Prana, Apana, Udana, Vyana and Samana.
The five Upa-Pranas – Naga, Kurma, Devadatta, Krikala and Dhananjaya.
Bhagvad gita Chapter- 2 ,Summary.(Revised 2021): Samkhya Yoga (The yoga of kn...Medicherla Kumar
Revised and Updated (2021)
Chapter 2: Samkhya Yoga (The yoga of knowledge) - 72 verses. Concluding his reasoning and yet confused, Arjuna turns to Lord Krishna for discernment (2:7). Krishna begins countering Arjuna's objections. Krishna tells Arjuna that the eternal self is immortal and the body is designed to pass away (2:12-30). Explaining the three principles dharma, (right action) atman (individual self) and sarira (body), Krishna reminds Arjuna that, as a warrior, his duty is to uphold the path of dharma through warfare (2:31-38).
Yoga Vashishtha of Valmiki is the record of how young Rama, the avatar of Lord Vishnu, attained Self-realization through the teaching of the sage Vashishtha.
The book is attributed to sage Valmiki, the same person who wrote the
Epic history of Rama, the Ramayana, which events take place after those in Yoga Vashishtha.
Yoga Vashishtha comprises of six books. Book I is about Rama’s dissatisfaction with everything the world has to offer. This Book is entitled vairagya, detachment. The emphasis is on the need for the aspirant to keep company with the wise, and to listen and reflect upon their teaching and the meaning of the scriptures.
Book II is about the qualities of the aspirant who longs for liberation, enlightenment. It introduces themes that permeate the rest of the book: dispassion, control over one’s desires, company of the wise, study of the scriptures, and self-inquiry.
Constantly throughout all of its seven Books (Book VI is in two parts), Yoga Vashishtha emphasizes that detachment or lack of desire is the essential preliminary to spiritual awakening.
Padartha Vijnana means the science which deals with the substances in the universe, its relationship with the living being in terms of their properties, functions; methods of understanding them etc.
Generally the subject Padartha Vigyan is considered as tough in the field of Ayurveda. But, it is the most useful subject than any other in Ayurveda.
The topics dealt in it are the fundamental concepts of Ayurveda on which entire chikitsa stands.
Understanding the elements in the universe is mandatory before studying the body. In this book, the subject matter is discussed with the help of different darśana and other shastras which are correlated with Ayurveda System.
Hence this will be a good guide for the BAMS students; as it includes all the subject matters in according to the revised syllabus prescribed by NCISM, 2021.
FOR MORE CONTACT THROUGH TELEGRAM CHANNEL @ayurvedonline " https://t.me/ayurvedonline ", Dr Saskhi Bhardwaj,BAMS,NDDY,MD(AYU.SAMHITA AND MAULIK SIDDHANTA,NIA,JAIPUR)
Bhagvad Gita chapter 12 ,(Revised 2021) Bhakti Yoga (The yoga of devotion) ,F...Medicherla Kumar
Revised-2021
Dr.Medicherla Shyam Sunder Kumar.
samc108@gmail.com
Chapter 12: Bhakti Yoga (The yoga of devotion) - 20 verses. It describes Bhakti Yoga in detail. Krishna extols the benefits of devotion (12:1-12).
He also explains different forms of devotions and spiritual disciplines. Arjuna inquires whether it is better to worship Krishna (incarnate God) through devotional service or the impersonal God (Ningana Brahma). Krishna clarifies that one who is engaged in active service is the highest (12:20).
Overview of Yoga & Naturopathy System.pptxDrSofia4
This ppt was made for the PhD students and MBBS interns of medical college. It gives a brief overview of the Traditional Indian system of medicine - Yoga and Naturopathy.
Bhagvad gita Chapter- 2 ,Summary.(Revised 2021): Samkhya Yoga (The yoga of kn...Medicherla Kumar
Revised and Updated (2021)
Chapter 2: Samkhya Yoga (The yoga of knowledge) - 72 verses. Concluding his reasoning and yet confused, Arjuna turns to Lord Krishna for discernment (2:7). Krishna begins countering Arjuna's objections. Krishna tells Arjuna that the eternal self is immortal and the body is designed to pass away (2:12-30). Explaining the three principles dharma, (right action) atman (individual self) and sarira (body), Krishna reminds Arjuna that, as a warrior, his duty is to uphold the path of dharma through warfare (2:31-38).
Yoga Vashishtha of Valmiki is the record of how young Rama, the avatar of Lord Vishnu, attained Self-realization through the teaching of the sage Vashishtha.
The book is attributed to sage Valmiki, the same person who wrote the
Epic history of Rama, the Ramayana, which events take place after those in Yoga Vashishtha.
Yoga Vashishtha comprises of six books. Book I is about Rama’s dissatisfaction with everything the world has to offer. This Book is entitled vairagya, detachment. The emphasis is on the need for the aspirant to keep company with the wise, and to listen and reflect upon their teaching and the meaning of the scriptures.
Book II is about the qualities of the aspirant who longs for liberation, enlightenment. It introduces themes that permeate the rest of the book: dispassion, control over one’s desires, company of the wise, study of the scriptures, and self-inquiry.
Constantly throughout all of its seven Books (Book VI is in two parts), Yoga Vashishtha emphasizes that detachment or lack of desire is the essential preliminary to spiritual awakening.
Padartha Vijnana means the science which deals with the substances in the universe, its relationship with the living being in terms of their properties, functions; methods of understanding them etc.
Generally the subject Padartha Vigyan is considered as tough in the field of Ayurveda. But, it is the most useful subject than any other in Ayurveda.
The topics dealt in it are the fundamental concepts of Ayurveda on which entire chikitsa stands.
Understanding the elements in the universe is mandatory before studying the body. In this book, the subject matter is discussed with the help of different darśana and other shastras which are correlated with Ayurveda System.
Hence this will be a good guide for the BAMS students; as it includes all the subject matters in according to the revised syllabus prescribed by NCISM, 2021.
FOR MORE CONTACT THROUGH TELEGRAM CHANNEL @ayurvedonline " https://t.me/ayurvedonline ", Dr Saskhi Bhardwaj,BAMS,NDDY,MD(AYU.SAMHITA AND MAULIK SIDDHANTA,NIA,JAIPUR)
Bhagvad Gita chapter 12 ,(Revised 2021) Bhakti Yoga (The yoga of devotion) ,F...Medicherla Kumar
Revised-2021
Dr.Medicherla Shyam Sunder Kumar.
samc108@gmail.com
Chapter 12: Bhakti Yoga (The yoga of devotion) - 20 verses. It describes Bhakti Yoga in detail. Krishna extols the benefits of devotion (12:1-12).
He also explains different forms of devotions and spiritual disciplines. Arjuna inquires whether it is better to worship Krishna (incarnate God) through devotional service or the impersonal God (Ningana Brahma). Krishna clarifies that one who is engaged in active service is the highest (12:20).
Overview of Yoga & Naturopathy System.pptxDrSofia4
This ppt was made for the PhD students and MBBS interns of medical college. It gives a brief overview of the Traditional Indian system of medicine - Yoga and Naturopathy.
With Chapter 7 we enter the second triad of Geeta describing "That" in the Mahavakya "That Thou Art". Here the Lord starts describing the "Goal of the Spiritual Science" the Supreme Self. In the beginning, Sri Krishna promises Arjuna that He would explain the entire science of Spirituality, both theoretical & practical aspects, to clear all his doubts. Then He proceeds to explain the two Prakrities, Para & Apara, of the Self. He describes the 8-fold lower Prakriti, the Apara, consisting of the 5 elements, Earth, Water, Fire, Air & Space, & mind, intellect & ego. Beyond all these is the Lords Para Prakriti, the Spark of Life, Pure Consciousness, which supports all life in the universe. The two aspects of the Self, as Purusha & Prakriti create the whole 'Jagat'- the world-of-change. The One Self forms the core of all life, & everything is hung on It as pearls in a neckless. Then the Lord describes Himself as the Dharma-the Law-of-Being of everything. All matter exist in the Spirit, but the Spirit is not in Matter. Matter is just Super-imposed on Spirit, to be alive. Maya with its 'Veiling" & 'Projecting' action prevents all from recognizing the Self within them.
The "Yoga of the Imperishable Brahman" should be understood here as the "Way to Imperishable Brahman". After answering the questions raised by Arjuna, the Lord explains how those who can remember the Infinite at the time of their departure from the body will reach the Infinite. So He advises Arjuna to remember the Infinite always & face his life diligently. Here, Krishna explains splendidly the nature of the Infinite upon which the seeker is to fix his single-pointed mind. Then He explains the Path-of-Light & the Path-of-Darkness, the former leading to the Imperishable & the latter necessitating the return to the world.
Here the technique of "Practical Vedanta" has been completely & fully explained. Krishna's explanations here make us clearly understand that the Self is the Reality upon which all actions, the instruments of action, & the world-of-perceptions are superimposed, & so, by knowing the Self everything is known.
Celibacy 1 - The Detailed Analysis of SexualityPardeep Sehgal
Brahmacharya means control of the Veerya. The vital force or Veerya is preserved only by one who is established in the practice of Brahmacharya. The vital fluid or semen is lost and wasted during sexual indulgence.
From food comes juice or chyle; from chyle comes blood and flesh; from flesh comes fat; from fat comes bones; from bones come marrow. Lastly, from marrow comes semen.
The Veerya comes out of the very marrow concealed in the bones. It is found in a subtle state in all the cells of the body. Mark here how precious the semen is! It is the last essence of food. It is the essence of essences.
In Yoga Shastra it is stated: "The falling of semen brings death; the preservation of it gives life." 'The nemesis of reproduction is death. The sexual act is essentially katabolic (or a movement towards death) in the male, and in parturition of the offspring it is katabolic for the female.'
"The future is for the nations who are chaste". Tom Mann
Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda Raja yoga chapter 8 Raja Yoga In BriefRavi Ramakrishnan
Swami Vivekananda (12 January 1863 – 4 July 1902), born Narendranath Datta, was an Indian Hindu monk, a chief disciple of the 19th-century Indian mystic Ramakrishna. He was a key figure in the introduction of the Indian philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga to the Western world and is credited with raising interfaith awareness, bringing Hinduism to the status of a major world religion during the late 19th century He was a major force in the revival of Hinduism in India, and contributed to the concept of nationalism in colonial India. Vivekananda founded the Ramakrishna Math and the Ramakrishna Mission. He is perhaps best known for his speech which began, "Sisters and brothers of America ...,"in which he introduced Hinduism at the Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago in 1893.
Born into an aristocratic Bengali family of Calcutta, Vivekananda was inclined towards spirituality. He was influenced by his Guru, Ramakrishna Deva, from whom he learnt that all living beings were an embodiment of the divine self; therefore, service to God could be rendered by service to mankind. After Ramakrishna's death, Vivekananda toured the Indian subcontinent extensively and acquired first-hand knowledge of the conditions prevailing in British India. He later travelled to the United States, representing India at the 1893 Parliament of the World Religions. Vivekananda conducted hundreds of public and private lectures and classes, disseminating tenets of Hindu philosophy in the United States, England and Europe. In India, Vivekananda is regarded as a patriotic saint and his birthday is celebrated in India as National Youth Day.
Pujya Swamiji, Gitananda Giri Guru Maharaj taught us that in Yantra there is an appropriate Yoga Marga or path of integration that is more conducive for each Dharma Marga or birthpath. Each of these paths of Yoga, give the respective Dharmi an opportunity to manifest their inherent potential in totality. This empowers them to be the best human being they can be in this lifetime. In this process we witness the promotion of conscious evolution for each individual as they grow in spirit from being merely a human-doing to a human-being, towards a truly humane and finally Divine being.
Ignorance is the spring of misery. Through ignorance one suffers afflictions and incurs great danger. Ignorance has its origin in covetousness. As covetousness grows, ignorance also grows. Ignorance exists there where covetousness exists.
Current COVID virus is a direct attack on the vital Link necessary for transfer of Energy to Form. Our willful engagement in the Greed-Deceit group of negative attributes at Shanks has given birth to this virus.
Life is going to be different post Corona. It is a message to the entire world that we must limit performance of our activity which is based on the Greed-Deceit group of negative attributes.
Disclaimer: This is the opinion of the writer. All are welcome to make further studies in this direction.
Brother, there are three evils most formidable of all: lust, anger and greed. The weapons of greed are desire and hypocrisy, of lust naught but woman; while anger’s weapon is harsh speech: so declare the great sages after deep thought. Woman is God's wonderful creation but to lust after her is not desirable.
Ansuya to Sita on Wifely Virtues from the Epic 'Ramayana' by Tulsi Das Ji. • The woman who deceives her husband and loves a paramour is cast for a hundred cycles into the worst hell known as Raurava. Who is as depraved as the woman who for the sake of a moment’s pleasure reckons not the torment that shall endure for a thousand million births?
Lord Mahadev - Uma discourse on Women's Duties from the Epic 'Mahabharata'. Uma concludes: 'Maheshwara, I do not desire Heaven itself if thou art not satisfied with me'.
No man even in anger, should do anything that is disagreeable to his wife, seeing that happiness, joy and virtue, - everything depends on the wife. A wonderful discourse from the Epic 'Mahabharata'.
Due to their natural disposition women cannot be regarded as offenders. It is the men who should be stained with guilt of any wrongdoing to women. A wonderful discourse from the Epic 'Mahabharata'.
Celibacy 4 - Right Company and Firm DecisionPardeep Sehgal
The sexual impulse has been there for countless lives, and you never know when it will rise again. Therefore, it is important to remain in the right company. If you go out of right company, because of the existing impulse, sexuality will start to sprout all over again.
What is nischaya (determined decision)? Nischaya means, no matter how powerful an army of worldly difficulties arises with attacks, you would not back off.
What is nischaya? It is to stop all other thoughts and come onto only one thought. If you make a firm decision, all the evidences will come together and make it happen. If your decision is not firm then the evidences will not come together and your goal will not be accomplished.
True understanding is one that produces results. All other understanding is unfruitful.
Mind, intellect, chit and ego should remain in brahmacharya. And if mind, intellect, chit and ego turn towards brahmacharya, then the external sexuality will shed off automatically.
The illusion of sex is such that it will sink all, even the one who thinks that he has no attachment to anything in the world. This illusion of sex has sunk great sages and masters from tremendous spiritual heights.
Celibacy 2 - Means of Attaining BrahamacharyaPardeep Sehgal
In sexuality, the more a person enjoys it, the more he has a burning desire for it. By not getting involved in the sexual act, one may become uneasy and unsettled for a month or two. But it is not possible for a person enjoying sex to get rid of the desire for it.
In case of excessive intake of ice cream the vomiting is the inhibitor and the act was from outside. But in case of sex the motivation for act is from within. Sex is in the mind and it derives its power from Ignorance (Illusion, Maya) whose charge does not diminish. Repeated indulgence in sex does not appease one’s hunger for its enjoyment.
The research of the scriptures done by people in our country, has led to the discovery that the path of brahmacharya is the best inhibitor to control the desire of sex pleasure.
Listen! Rama, I am now telling you the secret of accomplishment. Of all the requisites for wisdom, Divine Grace is the most important. He who has entirely surrendered himself to the Goddess (Pure Consciousness by devotion through a true Guru) is sure to gain wisdom readily. Rama! This is the best of all the methods.
This method does not require other aids to reinforce its efficiency, as other methods do for accomplishing the end. This is hard for those whose minds are directed outward; and it is easy, sure and quick for devotees engrossed in the Goddess of the Self to the exclusion of all else.
My concrete form is the eternal couple - the Supreme Lord and Energy - always in undivided union and abiding as the eternal consciousness pervading the three phenomenal states of waking, dream and sleep, and reclining on the cot whose four legs are Brahma (the Creator), Vishnu (the Protector), Siva (the Destroyer) and Isvara (Disappearance) and whose surface is Sadasiva (Grace) which is contained in the mansion known as 'fulfilment of purpose' enclosed by the garden of 'Kadamba' trees in the jewel island situated in the wide ocean of nectar surrounding the cosmos and extending beyond.
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Brahma, Vishnu, Siva, Isvara, Sadasiva, Ganesa, Skanda, the gods of the eight quarters, their energies, other gods, celestials, serpents and other superhuman beings are all manifestations of myself. However, people do not know ME because their intellect is shrouded in ignorance.
I grant boons to those who worship ME. There is no one besides ME worthy of worship or capable of fulfilling all desires.
ADS6 - Different States of the Wise (Jnanis)Pardeep Sehgal
What kind of effort can avail to disclose the eternally self-resplendent consciousness?
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• Being coated with a thick crust of infinite vasanas (dispositions), it is not easily perceived.
• The incrustation must first be soaked in the running stream of mind control and carefully scraped off with the sharp chisel of investigation.
• Then one must turn the closed urn of crystal quartz - namely, the mind cleaned in the aforesaid manner - on the grinding wheel of alertness and finally open the lid with the lever of discrimination.
• Lo! The gem enclosed within is now reached and that is all!
Intellects are the cumulative effects of the predispositions acquired by karma. Effort is necessary so long as the predispositions continue to sway the intellect
Diversity is visible only in space, and this space is in the Self, which in turn projects it at the moment when differentiation starts although it is not then clear. Rama! Look within.
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• What you perceive as space within is the expanse wherein all creatures exist, and it forms their ‘Self’ or consciousness.
• What they look upon as space is your ‘Self’.
• Thus, the ‘Self’ in one is space in another, and vice versa.
• The same thing cannot differ in its nature.
• Therefore there is no difference between space and ‘Self’ - which is full and perfect Bliss-Consciousness.
The strongest fetter is the certainty that one is bound. It is as false as the fearful hallucinations of a frightened child. Even the best of men cannot find release by any amount of efforts unless his sense of bondage is destroyed.
An aspirant for wisdom first turns away from the pleasures of life and absorbs himself in the search for knowledge, which he learns from a master. This is hearsay knowledge.
In order to experience it, he ponders over it and clears his doubts. Then he applies the knowledge to himself and tries to feel his immortal being transcending the body, mind, etc., he succeeds in feeling his Self within.
Later he remembers the teaching imparted by his Guru that the Self being unqualified, cannot be differentiated from God and experiences his unity with the Universal Self. This is in short the course of wisdom and liberation.
If you infer its eternal light, then closely investigate whether the light is of itself or not. Everybody fails in this investigation however learned and proficient he may be, because his mind is not bent inward but restlessly moves outward.
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• As long as thoughts crop up, so long has the turning inward of the mind not been accomplished.
• As long as the mind is not inward, so long the Self cannot be realised.
• Turning inward means absence of desire.
• How can the mind be fixed within if desires are not given up?
Therefore become dispassionate and inhere as the Self. Such inherence is spontaneous (no effort is needed to inhere as the Self). It is realised after thoughts are eliminated and investigation ceases.
ADS2 - Cosmic Intelligence and Reality of the UniversePardeep Sehgal
All that is seen has an origin and there must therefore be an antecedent cause for it.
If a thing can appear without a cause there is no relation between cause and effect, and there can be no harmony in the world. A potter's work may lead to a weaver's products, and vice versa, which is absurd. Each occurrence must have a cause for it; that is the rule.
The universe must have a Creator, and He must be an intelligent principle, but He cannot be of any known type because of the vastness of the creation. His power is past understanding and is dealt with in the Scriptures, whose authority is incontrovertible.
This whole universe consisting of the mobile and the immobile, arises from, abides in, and resolves into Him. This is the final and well-known conclusion of the Scriptures; and the Scriptures never err. The guide by which one can apprehend the metaphysical and transcendental matters is Scripture alone.
ADS1 - The Story of Hemalekha and HemachudaPardeep Sehgal
Investigation is the root-cause of all, and it is the first step to the supreme reward of indescribable bliss. How can anyone gain security without proper investigation? A deliberating man always shines over others. Brahma is great because of deliberation; Vishnu is worshipped because of it.
Association with the Wise Must Precede "Vichara" – Deliberation – Self-Enquiry. A man undoubtedly reaps the fruits of his company. I shall relate to you a story to illustrate this:
"There was once a king of Dasarna by name Muktachuda. He had two sons: Hemachuda and Manichuda. They were comely, well-behaved and well-learned. At one time they led a hunting party, consisting of a great retinue of men and warriors, into a deep forest which was infested with tigers, lions and other wild animals…
Fie on human beings who appraise the foulest part of the body as the most delightful. If one should see beauty in that body-part which is wet with impure excretions, where will not man see beauty? Tell me!
The Doctrine of Filial Duty - Teachings of ConfuciusPardeep Sehgal
Then said Confucius: "The duty of children to their parents is the fountain whence all other virtues spring and also the starting-point from which we ought to begin our education:
• Our body and hair and skin are all derived from our parents, and therefore we have no right to injure any of them in the least. This is the first duty of a child.
• To live an upright life and to spread the great doctrines of humanity must win good reputation after death, and reflect great honour upon our parents. This is the last duty of a son.
Hence the first duty of a son is to pay a careful attention to every want of his parents. The next is to serve his government loyally; and the last to establish a good name for himself.”
Lesson 9 - Resisting Temptation Along the Way.pptxCelso Napoleon
Lesson 9 - Resisting Temptation Along the Way
SBs – Sunday Bible School
Adult Bible Lessons 2nd quarter 2024 CPAD
MAGAZINE: THE CAREER THAT IS PROPOSED TO US: The Path of Salvation, Holiness and Perseverance to Reach Heaven
Commentator: Pastor Osiel Gomes
Presentation: Missionary Celso Napoleon
Renewed in Grace
The PBHP DYC ~ Reflections on The Dhamma (English).pptxOH TEIK BIN
A PowerPoint Presentation based on the Dhamma Reflections for the PBHP DYC for the years 1993 – 2012. To motivate and inspire DYC members to keep on practicing the Dhamma and to do the meritorious deed of Dhammaduta work.
The texts are in English.
For the Video with audio narration, comments and texts in English, please check out the Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zF2g_43NEa0
In Jude 17-23 Jude shifts from piling up examples of false teachers from the Old Testament to a series of practical exhortations that flow from apostolic instruction. He preserves for us what may well have been part of the apostolic catechism for the first generation of Christ-followers. In these instructions Jude exhorts the believer to deal with 3 different groups of people: scoffers who are "devoid of the Spirit", believers who have come under the influence of scoffers and believers who are so entrenched in false teaching that they need rescue and pose some real spiritual risk for the rescuer. In all of this Jude emphasizes Jesus' call to rescue straying sheep, leaving the 99 safely behind and pursuing the 1.
The Chakra System in our body - A Portal to Interdimensional Consciousness.pptxBharat Technology
each chakra is studied in greater detail, several steps have been included to
strengthen your personal intention to open each chakra more fully. These are designed
to draw forth the highest benefit for your spiritual growth.
Homily: The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity Sunday 2024.docxJames Knipper
Countless volumes have been written trying to explain the mystery of three persons in one true God, leaving us to resort to metaphors such as the three-leaf clover to try to comprehend the Divinity. Many of us grew up with the quintessential pyramidal Trinity structure of God at the top and Son and Spirit in opposite corners. But what if we looked at this ‘mystery’ from a different perspective? What if we shifted our language of God as a being towards the concept of God as love? What if we focused more on the relationship within the Trinity versus the persons of the Trinity? What if stopped looking at God as a noun…and instead considered God as a verb? Check it out…
What Should be the Christian View of Anime?Joe Muraguri
We will learn what Anime is and see what a Christian should consider before watching anime movies? We will also learn a little bit of Shintoism religion and hentai (the craze of internet pornography today).
The Good News, newsletter for June 2024 is hereNoHo FUMC
Our monthly newsletter is available to read online. We hope you will join us each Sunday in person for our worship service. Make sure to subscribe and follow us on YouTube and social media.
The Book of Joshua is the sixth book in the Hebrew Bible and the Old Testament, and is the first book of the Deuteronomistic history, the story of Israel from the conquest of Canaan to the Babylonian exile.
1. Brahmacharya (Celibacy) Quotes
Quotes by Sri Aurobindo
1. The practice of Brahmacharya is the first and most necessary condition of
increasing the force within and turning it to such uses as may benefit the
possessor or mankind.
All human energy has a physical basis. The mistake made by European
materialism is to suppose the basis to be everything and confuse it with the source.
The source of life and energy is not material but spiritual, but the basis, the
foundation on which the life and energy stand and work, is physical.
The ancient Hindus clearly recognized this distinction between Spirit and Matter,
the North Pole and the South Pole of being. Earth is the gross Matter and Brahman
is the Spirit.
To raise up the physical to the spiritual is Brahmacharya, for by the meeting of
the two the energy which starts from one and produces the other is enhanced and
fulfills itself. This is the metaphysical theory. The application depends on a right
understanding of the physical and psychological conformation of the human
receptacle of energy.
The fundamental physical unit is the retas, in which the tejas, the heat and light
and electricity in a man, is involved and hidden. All energy is latent in the retas.
This energy may be either expended physically or conserved. All passion, lust,
desire wastes the energy by pouring it, either in the gross form or a sublimated
subtler form, out of the body.
Immorality in act throws it out in the gross form; immorality of thought in the
subtle form. In either case there is waste, and unchastity is of the mind and speech
as well as of the body.
On the other hand, all self-control conserves the energy in the retas and
conservation always brings with it increase. But the needs of the physical body
are limited and the excess of energy must create a surplus which has to turn itself
to some use other than the physical.
According to the ancient theory retas is jala or water, full of light and heat and
electricity, in one word, of tejas. The excess of the retas turns first into heat or
tapa which stimulates the whole system, and it is for this reason that all forms of
self-control and austerity are called tapas or Tapasya because they generate the
heat, or stimulus which is a source of powerful action and success.
2. Secondly, it turns to tejas proper, light, the energy which is at the source of all
knowledge; thirdly, it turns to vidyut or electricity, which is at the basis of all
forceful action whether intellectual or physical.
In the vidyut proper, electricity, Ojas is the primal energy which proceeds from
ether. The retas jala to tapas, tejas and vidyut and from vidyut to Ojas fills the
system with physical strength, energy and brain-power and in its last form of
Ojas rises to the brain and informs it with that primal energy which is the most
refined form of matter and nearest to spirit.
It is Ojas that creates a spiritual force or virya, by which a man attains to spiritual
knowledge, spiritual love and faith, spiritual strength. It follows that the more
we can by Brahmacharya increase the store of tapas, tejas, vidyut and Ojas, the
more we shall fill ourselves with utter energy for the works of the body, heart,
mind and spirit.
Quotes by Sri Adi Sankaracharya
1. Brahmacharya or spotless chastity is the best of all penances; a celibate of such
spotless chastity is not a human being, but a god indeed… To the celibate who
practices unbroken brahmacharya, what is there unattainable in this world? By the
power of the unbroken brahmacharya, one will become just like me.
2. In his celebrated work “Vivekachudamani,” Sri Sankaracharya, one of the
brightest stars in the philosophical and religious firmament of India, has this advice
for spiritual aspirants:
“If, indeed, thou hast a craving for liberation, shun sense-objects from a good
distance as thou wouldst do poison, and always cultivate carefully the nectar-like
virtues of contentment, compassion, forgiveness, straight-forwardness, calmness
and self-control.”
Quotes from Spiritual Scriptures
1. The Chhandogya Upanishad says, “Only those who (observe) brahmacharya will
attain to Brahman (Supreme Reality). For them there is freedom to act as they wish
in all the worlds. Now, what people call yajna (sacrifice) that is really
brahmacharya? What people call worship (Ishta), that is really brahmacharya. What
people call Vedic sacrifice that is really brahmacharya? For only through
brahmacharya does one understand the Atman (the Self). (8.4.3, 8.5.1-2)
2. The Prasno Upanishad stresses the same point. When six highly evolved aspirants
approach sage Pippalada seeking the Highest Brahman, the Rishi tells them, “Stay
3. here another year observing austerity, brahmacharya and faith. Then you may ask
questions as you please and, if I know, I will surely explain all to you.” (1.2)
3. Srimad Bhagavatam has this to say, “The highest form of tapas (austerity) is the
abstinence from sexuality and not in the performance of body-torturing rites.
Heroism lies in the conquest of one’s sensual, lustful nature and not in mere
combativeness. And Truth is seeing God in everything and not mere factual
speech.” (1.11.18.43)
4. In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna exhorts spiritual aspirants to be “fearless,
serene, restrained in mind and established in the vow of continence” and meditate
on Him to reach the goal. (6.14). He says that a person aspiring to enter the
“Imperishable Principle” should lead a life of continence and asceticism. Such a
person is assured of liberation at the time of death. (8.11-12).
Sri Krishna also warns about the pitfalls of progressive degeneration if one does
not control lust and anger. “It is lust; it is anger, born of Rajoguna, insatiable and
prompting man to great sin. Know this to be the enemy in man’s spiritual life.
Knowledge is overcast by this eternal foe of the aspirant after knowledge.
Therefore, controlling the senses at the beginning itself, slay this foul enemy, the
destroyer of all knowledge and realization.” (3.37-41)
5. Know that in this world there is nothing that cannot be attained by one who
remains from birth to death a perfect celibate… In one person, knowledge of the
four Vedas, and in another, perfect celibacy – of these, the latter is superior to the
former who is wanting in celibacy. - The Mahabharata
6. And those students who find that world of God through chastity, theirs is that
heavenly country; theirs, in whatever world they are, is freedom. - Chhandogya
Upanishad
7. Sensuality destroys life, luster, strength, vitality, memory, wealth, great fame,
holiness and devotion to the Supreme. – Gita
8. It is only traveling on the waves of celibacy that one reaches the level of Nirvikalpa
Samadhi. The awakening of Kundalini can only happen if we have celibacy under
absolute control. The awakening of the Kundalini is beset with practicing
absolute celibacy for a continuous period of 12 years.
Mahavira practiced celibacy for a continuous period of 12 years. Gautama Buddha
followed and absolute celibacy was also practiced by Jesus Christ for reaching the
status they finally achieved in life… becoming an enlightened one! The practice of
absolute celibacy directly leads towards gaining enlightenment within this life.
4. Brahmacharya Vrata does not mean sexual inactivity. It must be practiced
mentally to gain purity of thought so that absolute control over the five senses and
the mind can be established which shall lead one towards attaining the stage of
Nirvikalpa Samadhi.
9. The Yoga-Sutra packs many things into each of its verses, but reserves a separate
verse for celibacy. Then the scripture goes on to refer to celibacy again in other
verses.
The Great Austerity Celibacy is actually one of the major austerities. The Yoga-
Sutra lists “austerities” (tapas) among the three basic actions of yoga. (The other
two activities of yoga are “Self-Study” and “Devotion to the Lord.”) Austerities are
given first place in the Sutra. So one truly interested in yoga and God-knowledge
will be very interested in austerities. The only other austerity that is on a par with
celibacy is meditation itself.
Effective traditional austerities include celibacy, fasting, solitude, silence,
Pranayama, holding an asana, and meditation itself. But among all austerities,
sexual continence is arguably the most important. It inaugurates profound
changes in the physical and astral bodies of the aspiring yogi. Chastity
dramatically improves his concentration and meditation. It is the storehouse of his
merit and accumulates Shakti, sometimes called “Ojas.”
10. The Hatha Yoga Pradipika, a key fourteenth-century text, says those who practice
brahmacharya need no longer fear death.
11. In the Mahabharata again, you will find, in the Santi Parva, “many are the branches
of Dharma, but Dama is the basis of them all’.
Quotes from the Bible
Matthew 19: 8 - 12
8 He said to them, ‘For your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your
wives, but from the beginning it was not so. 9And I say to you: whoever divorces
his wife, except for unchastity, and marries another, commits adultery.’
10 The disciples said to him, ‘If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is not
expedient (advisable) to marry.’ 11But he said to them, ‘Not all men can receive this
saying, but only those to whom it is given.
12 For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who
have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made
5. themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He, who is able to
receive this, let him receive it.’
1 Corinthians 6: 18 – 20
18 Shun immorality. Every other sin which a man commits is outside the body; but the
immoral man sins against his own body.
19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which
you have from God? You are not your own; 20you were bought with a price. So
glorify God in your body.
1 Corinthians 7: 1 – 10
1 Now concerning the matters about which you wrote. It is well for a man not to
touch a woman. 2But because of the temptation to immorality, each man should
have his own wife and each woman her own husband.
3 The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to
her husband. 4For the wife does not rule over her own body, but the husband does;
likewise the husband does not rule over his own body, but the wife does.
5 Do not refuse one another except perhaps by agreement for a season, that you may
devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, lest Satan tempt you
through lack of self-control.
6 I say this by way of concession, not of command. 7I wish that all were as I myself
am. But each has his own special gift from God, one of one kind and one of another.
8 To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is well for them to remain single
as I do. 9But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better
to marry than to be aflame with passion.
10 To the married I give charge, not I but the Lord, that the wife should not separate
from her husband 11(but if she does, let her remain single or else be reconciled to
her husband) – and that the husband should not divorce his wife.
1 Corinthians 7: 25 – 35
25 Now concerning the unmarried, I have no command of the Lord, but I give my
opinion as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy. 26I think that in view of the
present distress it is well for a person to remain as he is.
27 Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be free. Are you free from a wife? Do not
seek marriage. 28But if you marry, you do not sin, and if a girl marries she does not
sin. Yet those who marry will have worldly troubles, and I would spare you that.
6. 29 I mean, brethren, the appointed time has grown very short; from now on, let those
who have wives live as though they had none, 30and those who mourn as though
they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing,
and those who buy as though they had no goods, 31and those who deal with the
world as though they had no dealings with it. For the form of this world is passing
away.
32 I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the
affairs of the Lord, how to please the Lord; 33but the married man is anxious about
worldly affairs, how to please his wife, 34and his interests are divided. And the
unmarried woman or girl is anxious about the affairs of the Lord, how to be holy in
body and spirit; but the married woman is anxious about worldly affairs, how to
please her husband.
35 I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote
good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord.
Addition to Revision 1
From Hua Hu Ching by Lao Tzu
One
I reach the Integral Way of uniting with the great and mysterious Tao. My teachings
are simple; if you try to make a religion or science of them, they will elude you.
Profound yet plain, they contain the entire truth of the universe. Those who wish to
know the whole truth take joy in doing the work and service that comes to them.
Having completed it, they take joy in cleansing and feeding themselves. Having cared
for others and for themselves, they then turn to the master for instruction. This simple
path leads to peace, virtue, and abundance.
Note: Tao means the Creative Word, the command of God Be It! This Creative Word is
at the back of anything and everything that exists. It reverberates in the entire Creation
and can be heard at Third Eye by human beings. Lao Tzu is advising us to unite with
this Creative Word he calls Tao.
Two
Men and women who wish to be aware of the whole truth should adopt the practices
of the Integral Way. These time-honored disciplines calm the mind and bring one into
7. harmony with all things. The first practice is the practice of undiscriminating virtue:
take care of those who deserve; also, and equally, take care of those who do not. When
you extend your virtue in all directions without discriminating, your feet are firmly
planted on the path that returns to the Tao.
Twenty-Six
There are two kinds of blessings.
• The first are worldly blessings, which are won by doing good deeds. These
concern the mind, and thus are confined in time and space.
• The second is the integral blessing, which falls on those who achieve awareness
of the Great Oneness. This awareness liberates you from the bondage of mind,
time, and space to fly freely through the boundless harmony of the Tao.
Similarly, there are two kinds of wisdom.
• The first is worldly wisdom, which is a conceptual understanding of your
experiences. Because it follows after the events themselves, it necessarily inhibits
your direct understanding of truth.
• The second kind, integral wisdom, involves a direct participation in every
moment: the observer and the observed are dissolved in the light of pure
awareness, and no mental concepts or attitudes are present to dim that light.
The blessings and wisdom that accrue to those who practice the Integral Way and
lead others to it are a billion times greater than all worldly blessings and wisdom
combined.
Thirty-Nine
If you go searching for the Great Creator, you will come back empty-handed. The
source of the universe is ultimately unknowable, a great invisible river flowing forever
through a vast and fertile valley. Silent and uncreated, it creates all things.
All things are brought forth from the subtle realm into the manifest world by the
mystical intercourse of yin and yang. The dynamic river yang pushes forward, the still
valley yin is receptive, and through their integration things come into existence. This is
known as the Great Tai Chi.
Tai chi is the integral truth of the universe. Everything is a tai chi: your body, the
cosmic body, form, appearance, wisdom, energy, the unions of people, the dispersal of
time and places. Each brings itself into existence through the integration of yin and
yang, maintains itself, and disperses itself without the direction of any creator.
8. Your creation, your self-transformation, the accumulation of energy and wisdom, the
decline and cessation of your body: all these take place by themselves within the subtle
operation of the universe. Therefore agitated effort is not necessary. Just be aware of
the Great Tai Chi.
Note: Yin and Yang are the Ida and Pingla Nerve Channels that transfer the Life-Force
from the Third Eye to the Base of Spine. From here we disperse this energy to the
outside world by attention through Thoughts, Speech and Deeds. We fail to apply any
restraint on our worldly activities and hence miss the golden opportunity of human
birth given to us by the Grace of God. Human birth is the opportunity to unite with
the Creative Word and know our Creator.
Forty-Four
This is the nature of the unenlightened mind:
• The sense organs, which are limited in scope and ability, randomly gather
information.
• This partial information is arranged into judgments, which are based on previous
judgments, which are usually based on someone else's foolish ideas.
• These false concepts and ideas are then stored in a highly selective memory
system.
• Distortion upon distortion: the mental energy flows constantly through
contorted and inappropriate channels, and the more one uses the mind, the more
confused one becomes.
• To eliminate the vexation of the mind, it doesn't help to do something; this only
reinforces the mind's mechanics.
Dissolving the mind is instead a matter of not-doing:
• Simply avoid becoming attached to what you see and think. Relinquish the
notion that you are separated from the all-knowing mind of the universe.
• Then you can recover your original pure insight and see through all illusions.
Knowing nothing, you will be aware of everything.
• Remember: because clarity and enlightenment are within your own nature,
they are regained without moving an inch.
Forty-Seven
Dualistic thinking is a sickness. Religion is a distortion. Materialism is cruel. Blind
spirituality is unreal. Chanting is no more holy than listening to the murmur of a
stream, counting prayer beads no more sacred than simply breathing, religious robes no
more spiritual than work clothes.
9. If you wish to attain oneness with the Tao, don't get caught up in spiritual
superficialities. Instead, live a quiet and simple life, free of ideas and concepts. Find
contentment in the practice of undiscriminating virtue, the only true power. Giving to
others selflessly and anonymously, radiating light throughout the world and
illuminating your own darkness’s, your virtue becomes a sanctuary for yourself and all
beings. This is what is meant by embodying the Tao.
Sixty-Two
Do you wish to attain pure Tao? Then you must understand and integrate within
yourself the three main energies of the universe.
• The first is the earth energy. Centered in the belly, it expresses itself as sexuality.
Those who cultivate and master the physical energy attain partial purity.
• The second is the heaven energy. Centered in the mind, it expresses itself as
knowledge and wisdom. Those whose minds merge with the Universal Mind
also attain partial purity.
• The third is the harmonized energy. Centered in the heart, it expresses itself as
spiritual insight. Those who develop spiritual insight also attain partial purity.
Only when you achieve all three-mastery of the physical energy, universal
mindedness, and spiritual insight-and express them in a virtuous integral life, can
you attain pure Tao.
Sixty-Three
There are three layers to the universe: In the lower, Tai Ching, and the middle, Shan
Ching, the hindrance of a physical bodily existence is required. Those who fail to live
consistently in accord with Tao reside here.
In the upper, Yu Ching, there is only Tao: the bondage of form is broken, and the only
thing existing is the exquisite energy dance of the immortal divine beings.
Those who wish to enter Yu Ching should follow the Integral Way. Simplify the
personality, refine the sexual energy upward, integrate yin and yang in body, mind,
and spirit, practice non-impulsiveness, make your conscience one with pure law and
you will uncover truth after truth and enter the exquisite upper realm.
This path is clearly defined and quite simple to follow, yet most lose themselves in
ideological fogs of their own making.
10. Sixty-Five
The interplay of yin and yang within the womb of the Mysterious Mother creates the
expansion and contraction of nature. Although the entire universe is created out of this
reproductive dance, it is but a tiny portion of her being. Her heart is the Universal
Heart, and her mind the Universal Mind. The reproductive function is also a part of
human beings.
Because yin and yang are not complete within us as individuals, we pair up to
integrate them and bring forth new life. Although most people spend their entire lives
following this biological impulse, it is only a tiny portion of our beings as well.
If we remain obsessed with seeds and eggs, we are married to the fertile reproductive
valley of the Mysterious Mother but not to her immeasurable heart and all-knowing
mind.
If you wish to unite with her heart and mind, you must integrate yin and yang within
and refine their fire upward. Then you have the power to merge with the whole being
of the Mysterious Mother. This is what is known as true evolution.
Sixty-Six
The first integration of yin and yang is the union of seed and egg within the womb.
The second integration of yin and yang is the sexual union of the mature male and
female.
Both of these are concerned with flesh and blood, and all that is conceived in this
realm must one day disintegrate and pass away.
It is only the third integration which gives birth to something immortal.
• In this integration, a highly evolved individual joins the subtle inner energies of
yin and yang under the light of spiritual understanding.
• Through the practices of the Integral Way he refines his gross, heavy energy into
something ethereal and light.
• This divine light has the capability of penetrating into the mighty ocean of
spiritual energy and complete wisdom that is the Tao.
The new life created by the final integration is self-aware yet without ego, capable of
inhabiting a body yet not attached to it, and guided by wisdom rather than emotion.
Whole and virtuous, it can never die.
11. Sixty-Seven
To achieve the highest levels of life, one must continually combine new levels of yin
and yang. In nature, the male energy can be found in such sources as the sun and the
mountains, and the female in such sources as the earth, the moon, and the lakes.
Those who study these things, which are only hinted at here, will benefit immeasurably.
Because higher and higher unions of yin and yang are necessary for the conception of
higher life, some students may be instructed in the art of dual cultivation, in which
yin and yang are directly integrated in the tai chi of sexual intercourse.
If the student is not genuinely virtuous and the instruction is not that of a true
master, dual cultivation can have a destructive effect.
If genuine virtue and true mastery come together, however, the practice can bring about
a profound balancing of the student's gross and subtle energies. The result of this is
improved health, harmonized emotions, the cessation of desires and impulses, and,
at the highest level, the transcendent integration of the entire energy body.
Sixty-Nine
A person's approach to sexuality is a sign of his level of evolution. Un-evolved
persons practice ordinary sexual intercourse. Placing all emphasis upon the sexual
organs, they neglect the body's other organs and systems. Whatever physical energy is
accumulated is summarily discharged, and the subtle energies are similarly
dissipated and disordered. It is a great backward leap.
Seventy
The cords of passion and desire weave a binding net around you. Worldly
confrontation makes you stiff and inflexible. The trap of duality is tenacious. Bound,
rigid, and trapped, you cannot experience liberation.
Through dual cultivation it is possible to unravel the net, soften the rigidity, and
dismantle the trap. Dissolving your yin energy into the source of universal life,
attracting the yang energy from that same source, you leave behind individuality and
your life becomes pure nature.
Free of ego, living naturally, working virtuously, you become filled with
inexhaustible vitality and are liberated forever from the cycle of death and rebirth.
Understand this if nothing else: spiritual freedom and oneness with the Tao are not
12. randomly bestowed gifts, but the rewards of conscious self-transformation and self-
evolution.
Seventy-One
The transformation toward eternal life is gradual. The heavy, gross energy of body,
mind, and spirit must first be purified and uplifted. When the energy ascends to the
subtle level, then self-mastery can be sought.
A wise instructor teaches the powerful principles of self-integration only to those
who have already achieved a high level of self-purification and self-mastery….In any
case; know that all teachers and techniques are only transitional: true realization comes
from the direct merger of one's being with the divine energy of the Tao.
Seventy-Two
If you wish to gain merit and become one with the divine, then develop your virtue
and extend it to the world….Let go of all conflict and strife. Practice unswerving
kindness and unending patience. Avoid following impulses and pursuing ambitions
which destroy the wholeness of your mind and separate you from the Integral Way.
Neither become obsessed with circumstances nor forego awareness of them. To manage
your mind, know that there is nothing, and then relinquish all attachment to the
nothingness.
Seventy-Three
The teacher cannot aid the student as long as the student's spirit is contaminated. The
cleansing of the spiritual contamination is not the responsibility of the teacher, but of
the student. It is accomplished by offering one's talent, resources, and life to the world.
Also, to the teacher and to the immortal angels that surround him, a healthy student
can offer his pure energy, and a depleted student can give at the very least food, or
wine, or service.
When one gives whatever one can without restraint; the barriers of individuality
break down. It no longer becomes possible to tell whether it is the student offering
himself to the teacher, or the teacher offering himself to the student. One sees only two
immaculate beings, reflecting one another like a pair of brilliant mirrors.