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Question: I am a student. I always loose control on myself. Please help me out to control myself.
Answer: I am not been able to understand your problem correctly. Do you mean you are short tempered? If so, there are two methods: You have to practise meditation everyday and try to control you mind through it. Secondly, give constantly auto-suggestion to your mind saying, ‘I should not become angry.’ Both are no doubt a long process, but you are sure to attain success. There is a small booklet, “Mind and Its Control”, published by Ramakrishna Mission. If you can get a copy of it and read, it will also help you.
Question: I am 28 year old physician in States. I lead a fairly busy life. Please give me some simple spiritual exercises to practise. Looking forward to hearing from you.
Answer: Thank you for your letter & interest in spiritual practice. You should determine to spend fifteen minutes everyday in the morning before your work. Just sit and try to pray to whichever God you believe in for one or two minutes; and then try to concentrate your mind on ‘Om’ or on any light or on space. If you sincerely put your effort, you will be able to concentrate on it. It should bring peace. Continue it for one or two months and get back to me.
Question: I have a question that is disturbing me for quite some time and I have not been able to find an answer. Not that this would be the end of doubt, but think that on the path of self-realization, this is the most basic doubt in my mind.Is it possible for a householder to have self-realization or is being a monk a pre-requisite?
Answer: Religious History says that both Sannyasins (monk) and householders have realised the Self. Only it is easy for a Sannyasin, because of the non-botheration of the family. He can spend more time in his spiritual practices. But if a householder puts the necessary efforts, he also has the possibility of realising the Self.
Question: Can you tell me the various paths to the realization of God according to the Hindu yoga philosophy?
Answer: Your question is very vague. However, there are four main paths in Hinduism for the realization of God. They are – 1. Jnana Yoga (the path of reasoning), 2. Karma Yoga (the path of action in the spirit of service to God), 3. Bhakti Yoga (the Path of Love for God), 4. Raja Yoga (the path of Meditation). I don’t know from where exactly you are writing. However, you may ask for a catalogue of books from any of our centre and know more about it.
RESPONSE to the Above REPLY : Thank you for responding. I have been able to get detailed descriptions of each of these Yoga paths that you named. I used the information as part of what I taught to a class of middle school children. I am a Buddhist and my own practice is very close to Raja Yoga. I have traveled in India and have great respect for your religion. My first meditation teacher was a Hindu. I have been reading about Raja Yoga in the works of Swami Vivekananda.
Question: Even though I am performing my duties effectively and going in the right path without disturbing the others in the way of spatiality I think the people around me are going away from me as I don’t want to defend my mistakes and others too. when I say the same to my family members and friends they are treating me as the hurdle for there free and jolly life. Please suggest me the way to come out of it.
Answer: Do not bother about how the others speak of you so long your consciousness is clear and you are on the right path. After sometime they will come round and have regards to you. Truth takes time to get appreciation.
Question: I am a student at University and know that I have enormous potential and can achieve extremely high grades, however when I sit down to study I lack total concentration. How can I increase my concentration in whatever I do. Does concentration also depend on your goals, if so, what should be the ultimate goal and how can it be intertwined with ordinary everyday goals.
Answer: The concentration you can achieve after practice of long time. Whenever you do any work, you have to put your whole mind and energy for that work for that period. Usually, when we do something, we will be thinking so many other things simultaneously. That is why we fail to achieve maximum success.
Question: When I try to concentrate on the my thoughts – I can almost see the part of the mind which carries the impression that comes from my actions and engagements in day to day life , then I also see the part of mind that is really observing the flow, I feel I can take control on this process but this is also a thought which only stops the previous thought .
Then I feel for sometime the thought process becomes very vague and fuzzy – sort of blankness. but still I am quite aware that even that is a thought. I feel my body is sort of transparent but I am still aware that this is also a thought – I just can not reach anywhere beyond one form of thought to other. I feel I am just hitting a hopeless wall and do not know where to go from here. Though I feel quite relaxed and good after this process but I feel I am not going anywhere beyond this temporary relaxation. Is there something else that I can do ?
Answer: The real happiness will not come until you reach the thoughtless state. Try to make the mind free all thoughts by constantly observing what the mind is doing. Jumping from one thought to another is not a solution.
Response to the above Answer: Thank you for your kind guidance. The jumping of thought comes as I try to identify the “I” (who am I query as advised by many) and then try to reach the next observer of the current thought, as I perceive. Do I understand you correctly that you are asking me to stop this query and just observe the thoughts continuously as it comes. It is my good fortune to have your guidance.
Reply to the above Response: Try to control the thoughts and observe it. No need to think ‘who am I’. It is enough if you understand that you are different from mind. While observing, remember – mind should not be the observer, but mind is to be observed. If you patiently pursue it, it is possible to observe it. If you have time, have relaxation for about 30 minutes before meditation, then the process will be easy. During that time, try to make the mind as calm as possible.
RESPONSE to the Above REPLY : I am really grateful for your clear directive. Though at present I do not see or find any observer beyond my mind, I am sure if you have advised me to look for that, with your blessing I will be able to do it in course of practice. I mediate early morning at 5:00 AM. My mind is generally not very disturbed at that point. I do some initial slow deep breathing before I start attempting meditation. I will increase that time. Night I come home very late (around 9:30/10:00 PM) and find it difficult to sit for long. I would like meeting you sometime next month. … …
Reply to the above Response: I appreciate your sincerity. You will surely make progress, if you hold on to your practice. … …
Question: Two years back, by Lord’s grace, I got a chance to read Swami Vivekananda’s life and his Chicago speech. Since then I have been deeply interested in spirituality. But what is preventing my spiritual growth is what is know as “time sickness”. I always feel that I am at a lack of time. I can do everything in time and I also have lots of free time. But still I feel a serious lack of time, despite of my having no pending work. This keeps me always in a sense of anxiety. I used to feel that I should realise God in this very life itself but now this feeling also seems to be due to “time sickness”. I sincerely seek your help in this regard. I am a 22 year old male and am presently doing engineering in Chennai.
Answer: Since you are a student, give your utmost attention to studies. Rest of the time try to study more and more of Swami Vivekananda’s Works. Reading Swami Vivekananda itself will put you on the right track.
Question: I am living abroad. I am much interested in Advaitic philosophy and currently reading works of Vivekananda. I was blessed to have some good people around me to give guidance in this journey (Though the Law of the Land where I live does not allow any public religious activities). Also lucky to receive some great books from Ramakrishna Math. I wish to write many things to you and sure this will give me a good start. Currently I request you to help me on the following two items.
1. Though I read a lot books on Advaita especially from the works of Adi Sankara and Vivekananda, I find it very difficult to meditate. I tried with the audio cassettes from Ramakrishna Mission. The mind starts wavering and all other thoughts come to my mind. I do chant Vishnu Sahasranamam early morning almost every day, and a lot of other Slokas (Panchaksharms, Bhajagovindam, etc. taken from Sri Sankara’s collection) during the evening prayer. Since I am more interested in Advaitic philosophy where the Truth is above names and forms, do these chanting retard me in the Advaitic path?
2. This item is really disturbing me for the last few days and tried find an answer from many, but no clear answers. I am sure you will be able to help me in this.
This happened when I was talking to my friend who is a pure Krishna Bakta (a devotee of Lord Krishna), about my Advaitic views. I told him that I am Krishna / Vishnu Bakta but I wish to come out of the names and forms especially with the help of Adi Sankara’s teachings. His view / argument was that, there is nothing beyond Krishna and it is not possible to get rid of the forms and names, the highest is to surrender to him (Lord Krishna). Other than Krishna all others are demigods then he quoted a verse from Adi Sankara’s teaching itself as follows:
Sripad Sankaracharya writes the follwing in his Gita-Mahatmya (glorification of the Bhagavad Gita):
“Ekam sastram devaki-putra-gitam
Eko devo Devaki-putra eva
Eko Mantras tasya namani yani
Karmapy ekam tasya devasya seva.”
“Let the world have one scripture: The Bhagavad-Gita. Let there one God be worshipped: Sri Krishna. Let there be one Mantra chanted: His holy names; and let there be only one activity: the devotional service of the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna.”
After reading this I am a little disturbed and confused, whether I am in the right path or not, because the above words are from Sankaracharya himself who talk about highest Advaitism. In Gita Bhagavan says that, “Those who worship demigods will reach them (demigods), but Mukthi is not possible till you reach me”. Here when he said pray me is that me stands for the Devaki-putra or the supreme Consciousness?
Answer: Chanting of the Stotras are helpful even to Advaitic path to purify the mind. Sri Shankara himself was a great devotee in spite of being a confirmed Advaitin. To reach to the state of highest Advaita, purification of the mind, is the preliminary requisite. So, continue to chant, praying sincerely, for the purity of mind.
The shloko that you have quoted, is not from Aadi Shankara, in the first place. Secondly, Lord Krishna talks of Dvaita, Vishista Advaita and above all Advaita, in the Bhagavad Gita. These are all different stages and one need not have any conflict in this issue. Moreover, it is futile that one argues with another, since, the paths are totally different. So, do not get confused, but pursue your path sincerely.
Question: The science today talks about heridity, genes, etc. to solve the problems of defects in birth, diseases etc. They are trying to talk tall about the DNA and chains, etc. But I do not understand how the theory will explain the different behaviour of the brothers born to the same parents both at different times and almost together (twins)? How one child is behaving differently from the other. I understand our philosphy states that “you choose your parents”.
Answer: The Hinduism believes firmly in the theory of Karma, i.e., whatever a man does, he has to undergo the effects of that work – either good or bad, either in this life or lives to come. I wish you read Swami Vivekananda’s Karma Yoga to know more about it.
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