MahaMondo

Maharaja : 40th Sannyasa Anniversary

Maharaja HDG Acharyadeva initially begun his spiritual path

in the late 60's as an undergraduate student at UC Berkeley,

he has since opened dozens of ISKCON centers throughout

Latin America.

With a doctoral degree from Harvard University in Sanskrit &

Indian Studies , he has taught & lectured at hundreds of

universities around the world and is

published by the University Press of Harvard , Columbia

University and the University of California.

Hridayananda Das Goswami Ki Jaya !

Brent Kessel : Advanced Ashtanga Yoga Practice

Wealth advisor ( Abacus Wealth ) and author (It's Not About The Money) Brent Kessel shows a few minutes of his personal Ashtanga Yoga Practice. I had attended his book signing a couple of years back in Sta. Monica. As per my Ashtanga classmate Darius G. , it looks like they will be combining forces soon. Jai !

Living in the Material World : Pilgrimage

This is a copy of George Harrison's book , Living in the Material World , which is a gift for Maharaja when I visit him for SEVA tomorrow.

Chapter 4 entitled " Pilgrimage " has this insight :

" Each person has to find himself a way for inner realisation. I still believe that's the only reason we're on this planet.

It's like going to school again : each soul is potentially divine & the goal is to manifest that divinity.

Everything else is secondary . "

George

Hari Hari ! Thank you for being an inspiration -

 

Bhakti Yoga : Higher Thinking

In this vdo , Ayush from the Adi Templo Sao Paulo leads the Maha Mantra kirtan. Going back to the theme of " higher thinking ' from the previous post , this is a quote from Maharaja when he was asked , " And how can people train their minds so that their conscious beliefs & thoughts have a greater influence on their behavior ? " " I suppose one must have integrity, in the literal sense: one must integrate (combine two things so that they become a whole) one’s belief and actions. Of course there will inevitably be a creative, dialectic tension between one’s present state, and the state to which one aspires. But the simple, and profound, acceptance of the need for integrity, will lead one on to wholeness, consistency, and integrity. One must of course also be very careful to cultivate beliefs which are reasonable and which reflect the purest, highest notions of the soul."

The Bhagavad Gita : The Transcendental Qualities

Chapter 16 , Verse 6 : " The transcendental qualities are conducive to liberation , whereas the demoniac qualities make for bondage. Do not worry O son of Pandu , for you are born with the divine qualities. "

Purport by Srila Prabuphada : " Lord Krsna encouraged Arjuna by telling him he was not born with demoniac qualities. His involvement in the fight was not demoniac , as he was considering the pros and cons.

He was considering whether respectable persons such as Bhisma and Drona should be killed or not , so he was not acting under the influence of anger , false prestige or harshness.

For a ksatriya , a military man , shooting arrows at the enemy is considered transcendental , and refraining from such a duty is demoniac.

Therefore , there was no cause for Arjuna to lament. Anyone who performs the regulative principles of the different orders of life is transcendentally situated . "

 

Ashtanga Yoga : The Eight Limbs

This vdo from jockestonia embodies David Swenson's description of the process of the Eight Limbs of Ashtanga Yoga . " Through regulation of practice , the eight limbs are nourished. Personal insights begin to manifest. We become aware of what we put into our bodies and how we interact with the world around us. From this type of introspection , the qualities of Yama and Niyama begin to develop. Asanas and Pranayama grow when focused awareness of the breath is applied while practicing each posture. As we keep the mind fixed on the sound and quality of our breath , the senses are encouraged to turn inward and the element of Pratyahara manifests. As we improve our abilities of controlling the senses from wandering during practice , the subtle quality of concentration deepens in the form of Dharana. In time , the practice moves further internally and refinement of concentration develops as our ability to remain present is enhanced. The practice then grows into a deep resounding meditative experience known as Dhyana. At this stage , we are creating greater potential to explore the finer realms of yoga known as Samadhi , in which we realize the pure essence of all that exists. "

Bhagavad Gita As It Is : The Yoga of the Supreme Person

Chapter 15 : 11 of the Bhagavad Gita " The endeavoring transcendalists, who are situated in self-realization , can see this clearly.

But those whose minds are not developed and who are not situated in self-realization cannot see what is taking place , though they may try to. "

There are many transcendentalists on the path of spiritual self-realization , but one who has not situated in self-realization cannot see how things are changing on the body of the living entity.

The word yoginah is signicant in this connection.

In the present day , there are many so-called yogis , and there are many so-called associations of yogis , but they are actually blind in the matter of self-realization.

They are simply addicted to some sort of gymnastic exercise and are satisfied if the body is well built and healthy . They have no other information.

Even though they are endeavoring in a so-called yoga system , they are not self-realized. Such people cannot understand the process of the transmigration of the soul.

 

Southampton : Winter 2011

Via Russell Simmon's / Uncle Rush Twitter Post :

" Dear Arjuna behold now my opulences , hundreds of thousands of varied divine forms , multicolored like the sea " . Sri Krisna / Gita.

It was one of those winter days a couple of weeks ago in Southampton where even the beach was covered with snow.

Probably the best time to visit the Hamptons. No traffic & crowds.

Enjoy the silence.

Super Rich : Russell Simmons

Don't let the title of Russell Simmon's book , " Super Rich " prevent you from picking up a copy.

I started this blog as a vehicle for inspiration & transformation , & Russell has made the transformative journey from drug dealer , music mogul , to yogi & provider.

He describes being " Super Rich " as the state of needing nothing. When you can give your full attention to serving the world ( seva ) , instead of worrying about the world giving you things , you will be so attractive that people will literally start throwing things at your feet -

The attitude of being able to walk calmly and with grace through life with a smile in your face & give without expectation , without any fixation on the end result.

This is Russell's take on transformation : " Though we are all capable of evolving , very few of us have faith in our ability to  do so .Yogis however , know that fighting change is a losing battle because God is going to change every single one of us , whether we like it or not."

Russell , you,ve been reading the Bhagavad Ghita , as your book echoes a number of themes from the BG : service , devotion & surrender , all components of Bhakti Yoga.

He wrote this follow-up to his initial book , " Do You " , as a wake-up call , a source of inspiration.

One the best "Uncle Rush-isms" from this book is , " I'm certainly no saint ( as you'll see , the only saint that I'm on intimate terms with is St. Barts ). "

Thanks for keeping it real & smart when you could have gone yoga dawgy & dorky on us.

Thanks to Gotham Books for sending the preview copy.

Image via Stuff the Best.

 

The Guru in You : Cameron Alborzian

Another warm email in my B'berry InBox before Morning Mysore today. " Hey P , it has been a while. How are you doing my friend ? Wanted to share with you the publication of my new book "The Guru in You " which is out on the 28th of Dec. I will be back in the States to promote it on the Ellen ( de Generes ) & Dr. Oz shows.I hope all is good with you and hope to catch up soon. Much love. " Please check out Cameron's site , www.theguruinyou.co or www.yogicameron.com for more information. His visits to India to study & immerse himself in traditional Ayurveda & yoga along with the subsequent transfomative journeys are narrated in the book. I had posted several years ago that it was after meeting Cameron in NY and listening to his take on vegetarianism that I took the plunge. There has been no looking back since then -