Pondering over the oft heard statement – “Does God Judge Us?”
A visit to a crematorium, reminiscing my Grandfathers cremation and a chat with an Isha Foundation monk about women visiting these places.
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[et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text admin_label="Text"]As Navratri passes by once again, I find myself pondering on the Devi.
It has been happening quite often. I find myself a bit flummoxed with the Devi.
And I am realising it is a more deeply rooted matter than mere pondering.
I can't quite grasp it. And yet it is there.
As I wondered…
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A fairly misunderstood word in today's day and age. The misunderstandings are natural because it is a deep reality that is not in our face nor obvious. We need to think and perceive the world with some depth. Moreover, in spiritual contexts the word has been used to mean many different things. And while…
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[et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text admin_label="Text"]This year, I spent my Mahashivratri in Silence.
This is not common for me. Every year since 2006, I spend it watching the SJV / Isha program via TV or web-streaming or live at the venue.
Here's how it happened,
I was on my 2 month cycle tour in Thailand.
This was during the Mahashivratri…
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[et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text admin_label="Text"]A lot of the bhajans and spiritual material are full of praises of their own path. Often even at the cost of other (genuine) paths. Praising their own path, developing an ego about it, thinking it is the best is an inherent aspect of most spiritual communities. And I have realised…
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[et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text admin_label="Text"]In Varanasi, I found a Spanish friend who had been living there for over 8 years. And she was the first person who told me a little about what she knew of the Aghora community. They eat dead bodies she said. I was curious. We went to the Harishchandra ghat to…
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[et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text admin_label="Text"]I had earlier written about navigating the proverbial Heart v/s Mind conflict situation. This refers to a logic v/s emotional dilemma. 'Heart' is used in these situations to mean the emotional or illogical desire. Cultivating a 'sense' of the situation is the solution. The sense of the situation goes deeper than…
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[et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text admin_label="Text"]I have been thinking about writing this post for a while, because I have *some* experience of staying long-term in an ashram (only a year, but I had gone without an end-time in mind so I kind of stayed there like a long-term resident). Moreover, I have known many people closely…
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[et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text admin_label="Text"]The International Day of Yoga 2018 got me thinking of how formal Yoga practices happened in my life.
It's been almost 15 years since my first formal yoga practice. It started with Kaivalydhama institute at Marine Drive in Mumbai. They have some very relaxing asana practices they teach to beginners with focus…
A note on my 3 month stay in Tiruvannamalai town right by the Ramana ashram. The different sadhakas I met, being close to the Ramana ashram and the ever present – Arunachalam mountain watching over us 🙂
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[et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text admin_label="Text"]Just a quick note about what I mean with this term because it is not often heard.
The dictionary meaning of Infrastructure is: the basic physical and organizational structures and facilities (e.g. buildings, roads, power supplies) needed for the operation of a society or enterprise.
So for spiritual sadhana - what is the…