<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss version="2.0"
	xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
	xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"
	xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
	xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
	xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
	xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/"
	>

<channel>
	<title>Luthar.Com: HarshaSatsangh &#187; INSPIRATIONAL</title>
	<atom:link href="http://luthar.com/category/inspirational/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://luthar.com</link>
	<description>An Inquiry Into Life, Work, and Commerce</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Mon, 30 Aug 2010 18:02:51 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<language>en</language>
	<sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod>
	<sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency>
	<generator>http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1</generator>
		<item>
		<title>From Chaos To Clarity: By Dr. Suryanarayana Raju</title>
		<link>http://luthar.com/from-chaos-to-clarity/</link>
		<comments>http://luthar.com/from-chaos-to-clarity/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 24 Aug 2010 20:09:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>drraju</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[ADVAITA & YOGA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[INSPIRATIONAL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TEACHERS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[chaos]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[clarity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dr.Raju.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[present moment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[watchfulness]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://luthar.com/?p=9308</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The quality of watchfulness is central to spirituality. All other things done in the name of spirituality belong to a religious circus]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Many convert spirituality into a process of becoming from the present state of chaos to the perfect state of Self. This allows the mind to perpetuate itself in the name of spirituality.</p>
<p>Be aware of this trick of the mind. Spirituality is to be aware of &#8220;what is&#8221;. This very awareness brings transformation of present chaotic state of &#8220;what is&#8221;, to a perfect state of clarity here and now. Transformation happens in the &#8220;now&#8221;, in the present moment.</p>
<p>Transformation and understanding are not time bound.They are the result of awareness which is not time bound.</p>
<p>Psychological time is a movement of dead past projecting a future which is yet to be. This orientation bypasses the present moment.</p>
<p>The present moment is a living thing and is beyond the dimension of time. Time has only past tense and future tense and both are non-existential. The present moment is existential and so it is a living phenomena.</p>
<p>Transformation through understanding happens only in the present. Becoming is time bound and understanding never happens in becoming because becoming is a continuation of the past. Becoming is perpetuation of the past.</p>
<p>Only when there is ending of the past, there is a possibility of something new to happen. In the awareness of Self-inquiry we are dissociated from the past and there is the observation of &#8220;what is&#8221; without wearing the lenses of the past. In that process of awareness we are in direct contact with &#8220;what is&#8217; without any attempt to translate &#8220;what is&#8221; according to the past and convert into the language of the past, the known.</p>
<p>The quality of watchfulness is central to spirituality. All other things done in the name of spirituality belong to a religious circus. There are always plenty of those.</p>
<p>~Dr.Raju.</p>
<h3  class="related_post_title">Related Articles</h3><ul class="related_post"><li><a href="http://luthar.com/the-art-of-observation/" title=" The Art Of Observation: By Dr. Raju "> The Art Of Observation: By Dr. Raju </a></li><li><a href="http://luthar.com/mind-is-time/" title="Mind Is Time: By Dr. Suryanarayana Raju">Mind Is Time: By Dr. Suryanarayana Raju</a></li></ul>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://luthar.com/from-chaos-to-clarity/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The Empty Black Hole: By Aparna Sharma</title>
		<link>http://luthar.com/the-empty-black-hole/</link>
		<comments>http://luthar.com/the-empty-black-hole/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 13 Aug 2010 11:24:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>aparna sharma</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[ADVAITA & YOGA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[INSPIRATIONAL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PERSONAL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ADVAITA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Grace]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Meditation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mind]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nonduality]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self-Inquiry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self-Realization]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Soul Moments : By Aparrna Sharma]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://luthar.com/?p=9457</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Give up to grace. You have no choice]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://luthar.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/staring-into-the-void-22.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-9461" src="http://luthar.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/staring-into-the-void-22-300x224.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="224" /></a></p>
<p>The empty black hole.</p>
<p>The void you are so terrified to acknowledge.</p>
<p>What am I if not my life story?? My thoughts, dreams, hopes, fears, emotions- My dream weaves of myriad warps and wefts- the patterns, the symbols, the pretty golden moments bordering the reality, the enmeshing of lives- a pleasant dream woven like a wedding sari. But then You point towards the beginning and the end of the fabric… and the endless holes between each weave. The space on which plays the reality. The empty black hole that won’t be filled. It&#8217;s that hole that each of us carry within us. Perhaps a remnant of the moment we were severed from the ‘whole’ reality. I don’t care to define its origin but start from the premise that the void IS there. In each and every one of us. The empty black hole we carry within us.</p>
<p>Too long have I lived, never acknowledging its presence. Or at best, covering it with too many virtues. Or creating dream castles outside of it. A being in love with mist. In love with monsoon clouds. The dancing colors of dawn and dusk, playing rainbow dreams upon the clouds. Or the mystic beauty of winter mist- no past, no future, no fears no hopes, just a pause- a moment in mist.</p>
<p>But how long does monsoon stay?? How long does the mist linger?? <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Sometime</span>, you have to acknowledge the sky. The sky- the vast, vast, vastest emptiness- so stark in front of you every day, and yet, so forgotten.</p>
<p>The same empty space inside of me.</p>
<p>I try to fill it up with dreams and stars and lovers and gods. And no matter how much I pray, my hymns and chants just echo and come back to me. And the emptiness forever remains.</p>
<p>The empty sky that won’t be filled.</p>
<p>I don’t say that it has forever been so. For when we were asleep, there arose beautiful loves in our life. A love that filled our every pore, and filled every empty crevice between those pores- a love that ‘full-filled’ our every cell. But all too soon it is taken away. INVARIABLY, WITHOUT AN EXCEPTION. I haven’t met one living who says he didn’t go through this play. A dream no matter, how sublime, invariably comes to an end. So what is it with the Divine?? Some kind of sadistic game he likes to play?? Or is there a purpose behind every calamity and every wish fulfilled??</p>
<p>The love arose to fill that space you hitherto would not acknowledge. And left too soon for you to confront that void you never cared to look in the face. They still won’t acknowledge- all your well wishers around you. They’ll still ask you to ‘get real’, ‘get going’- the custodians of sanity in the world.</p>
<p>But IF I need to know my reality, I’ll HAVE to give up to grace. (or to emptiness). Why are we so scared of the word ‘empty’?? Why relate it to something dark or sad?? Empty is just empty- Devoid of good or bad. Neither positive nor negative. Neither ‘dukkha’ nor ‘ananda’. Empty is just empty- the sky without a cloud. A wind without a name.</p>
<p>So what does the seeker do?? Confront the reality. Lean into the empty black hole&#8230; without any hope or desire for redemption. Without even the martyr’s halo. Just lean without cause, without any compulsion to do so. You may stay outside as long as you want.</p>
<p>(Outside too, exist some pretty magical worlds, I promise. All full of gods and goddesses and spirits and angels. You can attract what you want or attain what you desire. All this is there, and more. But that is STILL without. What about the space WITHIN???  The emptiness that won&#8217;t be denied.)</p>
<p>The task is then; to stare into that nothingness- to accept its reality over every other so called reality. The task is then, to give in. Stripped of any term that defined me. To know the void- I have to <span style="text-decoration: underline;">become</span> the void. Strip yourself of every cause and condition and hope and dream. Take off that halo of virtue; discard the mantle of good causes. And walk on… lean into the black hole, till you fall into it- and let the emptiness absorb you….. to the point that ‘you’ remain no more… till ‘I’ remains no more.</p>
<p>Beyond this, I don’t say from experience, for I have only heard- In the midst of this Void, as if emerging from it, the world once again bursts in with a new face. As though each time you have to lose everything in order to find everything again one step higher.</p>
<p>The same reality, but purged, sanctified, evolved. The void begins to fill. There emerges out of it, or fills into it all the manifold Truths, known or unknown realities, all that is ever real, never was lost. They say the void fills up. Or in fact, reveals itself as already full. The gap between me and Thee, is itself the bridge connecting us.</p>
<p>(All this I say from what I’ve heard) But the task for now is clear. Lean into the well of emptiness….. give up my names of myself, and let His word remain.</p>
<h3  class="related_post_title">Related Articles</h3><ul class="related_post"><li><a href="http://luthar.com/papaji-h-w-l-poonja/" title="Papaji (H.W.L. Poonja): by Lisa Carneal">Papaji (H.W.L. Poonja): by Lisa Carneal</a></li><li><a href="http://luthar.com/the-journey-of-the-soul-iii/" title="The Journey of the Soul &#8211; III">The Journey of the Soul &#8211; III</a></li><li><a href="http://luthar.com/i-am-not-this-i-am-not-that-who-am-i-gururaj-ananda-yogi-satsang/" title="I am not this, I am not that; who am I? &#8211; Gururaj Ananda Yogi Satsang">I am not this, I am not that; who am I? &#8211; Gururaj Ananda Yogi Satsang</a></li><li><a href="http://luthar.com/njanappaana-6/" title="Njanappaana by Poonthanam Nambudiri-6">Njanappaana by Poonthanam Nambudiri-6</a></li><li><a href="http://luthar.com/the-journey-of-the-soul-ii/" title="The  Journey of the Soul &#8211; II">The  Journey of the Soul &#8211; II</a></li></ul>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://luthar.com/the-empty-black-hole/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Keep The Essential Focus: By Dr. Harsh K. Luthar</title>
		<link>http://luthar.com/keep-the-essential-focus/</link>
		<comments>http://luthar.com/keep-the-essential-focus/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 06 Aug 2010 02:53:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Harsha</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[ADVAITA & YOGA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[INSPIRATIONAL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TEACHERS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ADVAITA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ramana]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self-Inquiry]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://luthar.com/?p=9247</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Sri Ramana used to say that there are so many scriptures, it is hard to read them all.  Bhagavan's view was that once a person grasps the essence of the pure teaching of self-inquiry, practice becomes the most critical factor on the path.

]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_8327" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 272px"><a href="http://luthar.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/jh_001_bust.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-8327" title="Bhagavan Ramana" src="http://luthar.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/jh_001_bust.jpg" alt="Bhagavan Ramana" width="262" height="360" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Bhagavan Ramana</p></div>
<p>Sri Ramana used to say that there are so many scriptures, it is hard to read them all.  Bhagavan&#8217;s view was that once an aspirant understands the essence of the pure teaching of self-inquiry, practice becomes the most critical factor on the path.</p>
<p>I should add that the commentaries on the scriptures are endless as well!</p>
<p>Those who are bent on Self-Realization, grasp the teaching and, after that, remain in the awareness of their self-nature without distraction.</p>
<p>The essential teaching is contained in the great Vedic Mahavakya, &#8220;Aham Brahmasmi!&#8221; or “I Am Brahman!&#8221;</p>
<p>It means that &#8220;I Myself Am The Infinite!&#8221; One gains conviction in this when heard from the Guru who says, “Thou Art That”.</p>
<p>Once the firm conviction is there, then one should meditate on the nature of the “I-Awareness” until the inner eye within the “I” reveals itself as pure consciousness which is the core of existence being Existence itself.</p>
<p>That is all there is to it. The rest is all entertainment!</p>
<h3  class="related_post_title">Related Articles</h3><ul class="related_post"><li><a href="http://luthar.com/ramana-the-essential-teachings/" title="Ramana: The Essential Teachings">Ramana: The Essential Teachings</a></li><li><a href="http://luthar.com/papaji-h-w-l-poonja/" title="Papaji (H.W.L. Poonja): by Lisa Carneal">Papaji (H.W.L. Poonja): by Lisa Carneal</a></li><li><a href="http://luthar.com/sri-ramana-maharshi/" title="Sri Ramana Maharshi: By Dr. Harsh K. Luthar">Sri Ramana Maharshi: By Dr. Harsh K. Luthar</a></li><li><a href="http://luthar.com/comment-on-a-verse-in-ashtavakra-gita-by-dr-harsh-k-luthar/" title="Comment on a verse in Ashtavakra Gita: By Dr. Harsh K. Luthar">Comment on a verse in Ashtavakra Gita: By Dr. Harsh K. Luthar</a></li><li><a href="http://luthar.com/the-empty-black-hole/" title="The Empty Black Hole: By Aparna Sharma">The Empty Black Hole: By Aparna Sharma</a></li></ul>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://luthar.com/keep-the-essential-focus/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Bhagavan Ramana: By M.G. Shanmugam</title>
		<link>http://luthar.com/bhagavan-ramana-by-m-g-shanmugam/</link>
		<comments>http://luthar.com/bhagavan-ramana-by-m-g-shanmugam/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 01 Aug 2010 22:00:01 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Harsha</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[ADVAITA & YOGA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[INSPIRATIONAL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TEACHERS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Arunahchala]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Devotee]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ramana Maharshi]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Story]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://luthar.com/?p=9424</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[That day I understood the purport of the statement, "The Sadguru ever gives unasked!" That moment I knew I had been accepted into His Fold. This strong bond He allowed me to enjoy until His Mahasamadhi, and even after.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>From M.G. Shanmugam&#8217;s Personal Diary<br />
</strong><br />
When we were living at Darapuram and I was seven years old, I was initiated into Linga puja. Such traditional upbringing gradually involved me in the study of the Sastras, doing japa, bhajan, saguna and nirguna dhyana (form and formless meditation) and regular puja three times a day. During this period I also had three gurus.</p>
<p>I came to the conviction that the highest human attainment was the state of Jivanmukti (full enlightenment whilst still in the body). I was then at Tiruchengode (1921-1925) studying in college. When I was 18 years old, I fervently prayed that I should meet a Jivanmukta and receive his blessings.</p>
<p>My prayers were soon answered! My father, a police officer, was transferred to Tiruvannamalai. I came to know of Bhagavan Ramana living there. I gave up my studies and rushed to Arunachala. At Katpadi, while traveling in the train towards Tiruvannamalai, I had a remarkable vision of Bhagavan. Thus my Sadguru came to me and absorbed me even before l could have His physical darshan!</p>
<p>When I arrived at the Ashrama, Bhagavan gave me a warm welcome with a benign smile. As He was seeing me for the first time, His two spontaneous utterances surprised me. Like an affectionate mother, He asked me, &#8220;When did you come?&#8221; and &#8220;How is your right hand?&#8221;</p>
<p>My right hand was badly fractured when I was 14-years-old and though it healed up the hand remained bent and short. I used to cover it up with full sleeves and even my friends did not know of this serious deformity. How did Bhagavan know about it? And what affectionate concern He showed! After Bhagavan inquired about it, my sense of inferiority because of the defect totally disappeared. More than all this, He asked me to be seated in front of Him.</p>
<p>Gazing at Him I sat down and I do not know what happened to me then. When I got up two hours had elapsed. This was an experience I had never had before and I have always cherished it as the first and foremost prasad and blessing received from my Sadguru. That day I understood the purport of the statement, &#8220;The Sadguru ever gives unasked!&#8221; That moment I knew I had been accepted into His Fold. This strong bond He allowed me to enjoy until His Mahasamadhi, and even after.</p>
<p>Daily I would go to Bhagavan by two in the afternoon and return home only at 8 p.m. My father, who was a staunch devotee, was instrumental in constructing, in a remarkably short time, the Old Hall where Bhagavan was to stay for more than twenty years. Bhagavan would quote from Ribhu Gita, Kaivalya Navaneetam, Jnana Vasishta and other Advaitic texts and explain to me their greatness. All the while I was aware I was in the blissful presence of a Brahmajnani, so highly extolled in all our scriptures.</p>
<p>He was a sarvajna (all-knower). I got many proofs of it, though I never demanded them. Daily pocket-money of three annas was given to me by my father. I bought for that amount sambrani (incense) which was burnt in the presence of Bhagavan. One day I did not get the three annas, so I could not buy the sambrani. I, therefore, refrained from going to Bhagavan that day. The next day when I went, Bhagavan graciously remarked: &#8220;Yesterday you did not come because you could not get sambrani. Veneration in the heart is enough.&#8221;</p>
<p>My father was suddenly transferred to Vellore. None of us, particularly myself, wanted to leave Tiruvannamalai since darshan of Bhagavan would then be denied. We ventilated our grievance to Bhagavan. He gave me a benign smile. A few days after, strangely, the transfer order was canceled!</p>
<p><a href="http://luthar.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/ioh_32_bust.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-9425" title="Bhagavan Ramana" src="http://luthar.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/ioh_32_bust.jpg" alt="" width="262" height="360" /></a></p>
<h3  class="related_post_title">Related Articles</h3><ul class="related_post"><li><a href="http://luthar.com/the-art-of-observation/" title=" The Art Of Observation: By Dr. Raju "> The Art Of Observation: By Dr. Raju </a></li><li><a href="http://luthar.com/ramana-the-essential-teachings/" title="Ramana: The Essential Teachings">Ramana: The Essential Teachings</a></li><li><a href="http://luthar.com/ramana-on-who-am-i/" title="Ramana &#8211; Who Am I? Posted by Aparna Sharma">Ramana &#8211; Who Am I? Posted by Aparna Sharma</a></li><li><a href="http://luthar.com/sweet-lotus-feet-by-alan-jacobs/" title="Sweet Lotus Feet by Alan Jacobs">Sweet Lotus Feet by Alan Jacobs</a></li><li><a href="http://luthar.com/marital-garland-of-letters-by-ramana-maharshi/" title="Marital Garland Of Letters: By Ramana Maharshi">Marital Garland Of Letters: By Ramana Maharshi</a></li></ul>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://luthar.com/bhagavan-ramana-by-m-g-shanmugam/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Acceptance &#8211; A conversation between Lover and Beloved</title>
		<link>http://luthar.com/acceptance-a-conversation-between-lover-and-beloved/</link>
		<comments>http://luthar.com/acceptance-a-conversation-between-lover-and-beloved/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 01 Aug 2010 19:02:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>gururajananda</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[ADVAITA & YOGA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[INSPIRATIONAL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TEACHERS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[acceptance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Beloved]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Love]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Surrender]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://luthar.com/?p=9394</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The spiritual path, or spiritual sadhana, or we could also call it path of unfoldment, because we just unfold to what is; at the beginning, requires of: Assuming one&#8217;s responsibility Accepting the state of affairs of our life as it stands today this brings us to a general sense of devotion to our lives which [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>The spiritual path, or spiritual sadhana, or we could also call it path of unfoldment, because we just unfold to what is; at the beginning, requires of:</em></p>
<ul>
<li><em>Assuming one&#8217;s responsibility</em></li>
<li><em>Accepting the state of affairs of our life as it stands today</em></li>
<li><em>this brings us to a general sense of devotion to our lives</em></li>
<li><em>which in turn brings about the surrender required to experience Unity Consciousness</em></li>
</ul>
<p><em>Acceptance is one of the key qualities that we need to implement in our lives. Understanding that our particular form of life is the result of an evolutionary process brings us into terms with life, as it is experienced by our own particular individual mind. Karma is a very much misunderstood concept.</em></p>
<p><em>A fictional conversation between chela and Guru by <a href="http://www.facebook.com/ramon.leonato" target="_blank">Raman Leonato</a> based on the teachings of <a href="http://gururajananda.com" target="_blank">Gururaj Ananda Yogi</a><br />
</em></p>
<p><strong>The Lover:</strong> You have said that we carry the memory of millions of years of experience in our subconscious mind and that these impressions are the basis of our karma.  From a practical point of view, how many of these experiences can we free ourselves of in one life?<strong></strong></p>
<p><strong>The Beloved:</strong> Karma works hand in hand with Grace.  If you have millions of years worth of karma stored up within you, which are the impressions that make up your ego self, it does not mean that you have to live millions and millions of lifetimes to get rid of them all.  They can be got rid of in one lifetime.  Man has the ability in him to reach enlightenment in one lifetime. Not by getting rid of the karmas, but by shedding them.<br />
Now, how does one shed karma?  The seeds are there, and the normal expression used by Sanskritists is this, that you burn the seeds so that they could not germinate.  Now, how does one burn the seeds?  Spiritual practices play a great part.  The proper mode of life, of living and thinking, plays a great part.  But the greater part is played by action and by non-stagnation.<br />
I usually say that if you have killed ten people it is not necessary to be killed ten times.  You might be faced today by a fire in the school nearby, save eleven lives of the children inside, risking yours each of the times you get into the fire, and you end up with one in the credit balance. So, the impressions and the karma formed by ten killings is automatically removed because it works on the balance sheet principle, and is forever balancing itself.  How much karma you have left on the debit or the credit side is what you are today, and the circumstances you are in are those in which you resolve yourself.<strong></strong></p>
<p><strong>The Lover:</strong> So I should then not worry at all about my past deeds, even if I have been doing bad things?<strong></strong></p>
<p><strong>The Beloved:</strong> If you have done bad things that does not effect your spiritual self at all.<br />
Your spiritual self cannot be touched by good nor bad. It is above it all.  The spiritual life we talk of is above good and bad.  But, if some things you have done are contrary to the laws of nature, then you have to pay for that.  That is what we call the concept of hell, where you are tortured for it and you pay for it.  Yet those very heavens and hells are here and now today and can all be rewarded, or paid for, or repented upon, here now.  So the entirety of millions of years of buildup can be done away with here in this lifetime.<br />
According to karmic law, time is not the factor.  We measure time only in the relative expression of the here and now, but in the entire scheme of things there is no such thing as time.  In ordinary existence, on the relative or the grosser relative, a million years might have passed, but all of that can be wiped away in a few moments.  The time it takes in preparing the candle and the match is far, far longer than just striking the match and creating light, and that is illumination.  Then the darkness of all those samskaras  &#8211; disappear.  A darkness might exist in an old ancient English castle for a few hundreds of years, and yet you walk in there with a lighted lamp and the darkness of hundreds of years in this unoccupied castle vanishes immediately. It vanishes because you are there with this light.  And this light is lit by meditation and spiritual practices.</p>
<p><strong>The Lover:</strong> Should I then think that my circumstances today are there for me to pay back my karmas?<strong></strong></p>
<p><strong>The Beloved:</strong> You’ve gone through so many lifetimes and so many experiences and you are paying for it today.  It is good to think that way.  That gives you a sense of acceptance that &#8211; “I must accept my lot wherever I am placed”.  That is why Christianity says we are born in sin. There is great truth in that. We have brought with us all those samskaras which form our tendencies in life. Essentially the human being is divine; but he does come with this burden.<strong></strong></p>
<p><strong>The Lover:</strong> So I accept that. My circumstances today are those in which the karma, the burden I carry is resolved. How do I resolve it?<strong></strong></p>
<p><strong>The Beloved:</strong> With this acceptance you must perform action, for acceptance alone will not help you, and it cannot be cowardly acceptance &#8211; because you are a coward and you are not prepared to fight; you just accept.<br />
If a person is stronger than you, a big bully and you don’t fight him and you say, “Oh, well, I am a stronger man because I’m not going to be violent.”  Sounds beautiful from the outside, but really speaking, you are afraid.  You are accepting defeat there now, not because you are stronger but because you are weak.  Because you fear.  The proper kind of acceptance would mean that you are accepting the challenge by action.</p>
<h3  class="related_post_title">Related Articles</h3><ul class="related_post"><li><a href="http://luthar.com/the-subject-tonight-is-love/" title="The Subject Tonight is Love: By Aparna Sharma">The Subject Tonight is Love: By Aparna Sharma</a></li><li><a href="http://luthar.com/religion-divides-love-unites/" title="Religion Divides, Love Unites: By Dr. Harsh K. Luthar">Religion Divides, Love Unites: By Dr. Harsh K. Luthar</a></li><li><a href="http://luthar.com/unutterable-is-my-name/" title="Unutterable Is My Name: By Dr. Harsh K. Luthar">Unutterable Is My Name: By Dr. Harsh K. Luthar</a></li><li><a href="http://luthar.com/god-looks-after-you-unasked/" title="God Looks After You Unasked! Said Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi">God Looks After You Unasked! Said Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi</a></li><li><a href="http://luthar.com/sri-ramanas-understanding-of-human-weakness/" title="Sri Ramana&#8217;s Understanding of Human Weakness">Sri Ramana&#8217;s Understanding of Human Weakness</a></li></ul>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://luthar.com/acceptance-a-conversation-between-lover-and-beloved/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The Subject Tonight is Love: By Aparna Sharma</title>
		<link>http://luthar.com/the-subject-tonight-is-love/</link>
		<comments>http://luthar.com/the-subject-tonight-is-love/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 31 Jul 2010 12:55:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>aparna sharma</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[ART & POETRY]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[INSPIRATIONAL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TEACHERS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Al-Hallaj]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Aparna Sharma]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Farid Ud Din Attar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hafiz]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Love]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Shamz Tabrizi]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Way of the Sufi]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://luthar.com/?p=9334</guid>
		<description><![CDATA["The subject tonight is Love, And for tomorrow night as well, As a matter of fact I know of no better topic
For us to discuss". Hafiz]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://luthar.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/cloud-light-2.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-9335" src="http://luthar.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/cloud-light-2.jpg" alt="" width="550" height="406" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>The subject tonight is Love</em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>And for tomorrow night as well,</em><em> </em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>As a matter of fact</em><em> </em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>I know of no better topic</em><em> </em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>For us to discuss</em><em> </em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>Until we all</em><em> </em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>Die!</em><em> </em></p>
<p>Hafiz is not a name, he is a Legend…. One of  greatest spiritual poets to have emerged from Iran. Also called Hafiz of Shiraz, he had memorized the Koran while still in his teens. His father died early, leaving him and his mother with much debt. Hafiz and his mother went to live with his uncle. Because of their poverty, he had to leave school to work in a drapery shop and later in a bakery.</p>
<p>Here is where the story begins.</p>
<p>In 1341, Hafiz was 21 and still working at the bakery. Working by the day and marveling at the works of  Saadi,  Farid ad-Din Attar, Rumi or Nizami by the night, he had learnt to get by with little sleep.</p>
<p>Early one morning at the bakery a worker who delivered the bread was sick, and he had to deliver to a certain quarter of Shiraz where the rich, Turkish ruling class lived. At a mansion, Hafiz happened to see a young woman of delicate beauty standing on the balcony. Her name was ‘Shakh-e-Nabat’ (meaning ‘Branch of Sugarcane’). Nabat’s unique beauty immediately intoxicated Hafiz and he fell hopelessly in love with her. This single encounter had such a profound effect on him that he almost lost most human consciousness. Sleep, hunger and other urges left him and Nabat seemed to colour his poetry in hues of her name.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>Love has </em><em> </em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>Befriended Hafiz so completely</em><em> </em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>It has turned to ash </em><em> </em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>And freed </em><em> </em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>Me </em><em> </em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em> </em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>Of every concept and image </em><em> </em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>my mind has ever known.</em><em> </em></p>
<p>Hafiz realized the futility of his longing when heard that she had been promised in marriage to the king’s brother. His love was destined to be hopeless, yet the vision of her beauty filled his heart and his being. A state wherein the thought of the Beloved is constantly with you, like a soft background score to every scene. His thoughts were constantly with her.</p>
<p>Then one day he remembered the famous ‘promise of Baba Kuhi.’ Baba Kuhi was a Perfect Master-Poet who had died in Shiraz in 1050 and had been buried four miles from Shiraz on a hill named after him. Baba Kuhi had composed a ruba’i that held some hope</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>Wherever a heart has blood flowing from it, I see it.<br />
Crazy for hair of moon-faced ones? I admit I see it!</em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>That particular Essence &#8230; the same in both worlds,<br />
in moon-faced ones looks, pure, exquisite &#8230; I see it.</em></p>
<p><em> </em></p>
<p>The promise that Baba Kuhi gave was that if anyone could stay awake for forty consecutive nights at his tomb he would grant them the gift of poetry, immortality, and their heart’s desire. Hafiz, most keen on the third, vowed to keep this vigil. He had plenty of practice in not sleeping.</p>
<p>Every day Hafiz would go to work at the bakery, eat his day’s meal and then walk past the house of Nabat. By now even she had come across some of the poems Hafiz had composed for her.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>You should come close to me tonight wayfarer</em><em> </em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>For I will be celebrating you……….</em></p>
<p>She had noticed him passing, each day more weary, but with fire in his eyes. Hafiz was in a kind of trance. The only thing that kept him going was the love in his heart and his determination to keep the lonely vigil.</p>
<p>As Hafiz’s love increased for this ‘Beloved’, so also increased his desire for ‘That’ Beloved- God. He saw the Divine as her Higher self…. And it was to this Higher self that he now composed his ghazals. Hafiz, was by and by getting to love the actual flame of which Nabat was a reflection.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>Don&#8217;t surrender your loneliness so quickly<br />
let it cut more deep.<br />
Let it ferment and season you<br />
as few human or even divine ingredients can<br />
Something missing in my heart tonight<br />
has made my eyes so soft<br />
my voice so tender<br />
my need of god<br />
absolutely clear.</em></p>
<p><em> </em></p>
<p>The days passed, as if in a frenzy, Hafiz going about his grueling life and then keeping an all night vigil on the dargah, night after night after night. The moon smiled at the earth</p>
<p>They say that there is a promise of fulfillment in every deep yearning. On the fortieth day she ran out and threw herself in the dust at his feet, declaring that she had lost her heart to him. That she would no longer marry the prince. That she loved him…… but  Hafiz stumbled on, single-mindedly towards his quest</p>
<p>Finally, utterly exhausted, Hafiz saw a radiant angel who asked him what he desired most. Some say this was Angel Gabriel, who gave Hafiz a cup of Water of Immortality and the gift of poetry and asked him his heart’s desire.</p>
<p>Hafiz could not take his eyes off Gabriel. So great was the divine beauty of this messenger of God, that Hafiz had forgotten his muse. The flame which burnt in him, was now all around him in this dazzling brilliance of the Angel’s light and Hafiz knew, that if the messenger is so beautiful, then how much more beautiful The Divine must be.</p>
<p>And at the hour of the boon, beholding the Angel of God, the cup of immortality in his hand, Hafiz declared: “I want God.”</p>
<h3  class="related_post_title">Related Articles</h3><ul class="related_post"><li><a href="http://luthar.com/legends-and-stories-of-al-hallaj/" title="Legends and stories of Al-Hallaj: By Aparna Sharma">Legends and stories of Al-Hallaj: By Aparna Sharma</a></li><li><a href="http://luthar.com/al-hallaj_-a-great-sufi-mystic/" title="Al-Hallaj_ A Great Sufi Mystic: By Aparna Sharma">Al-Hallaj_ A Great Sufi Mystic: By Aparna Sharma</a></li><li><a href="http://luthar.com/which-note-are-you-by-aparna-sharma/" title="Which Note Are You? By Aparna Sharma">Which Note Are You? By Aparna Sharma</a></li><li><a href="http://luthar.com/acceptance-a-conversation-between-lover-and-beloved/" title="Acceptance &#8211; A conversation between Lover and Beloved">Acceptance &#8211; A conversation between Lover and Beloved</a></li><li><a href="http://luthar.com/religion-divides-love-unites/" title="Religion Divides, Love Unites: By Dr. Harsh K. Luthar">Religion Divides, Love Unites: By Dr. Harsh K. Luthar</a></li></ul>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://luthar.com/the-subject-tonight-is-love/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Was Bhagavan Ramana An Avatar?</title>
		<link>http://luthar.com/was-bhagavan-ramana-an-avatar/</link>
		<comments>http://luthar.com/was-bhagavan-ramana-an-avatar/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 27 Jul 2010 22:48:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Harsha</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[ADVAITA & YOGA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[INSPIRATIONAL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TEACHERS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Avatar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bhagavan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hinduism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ramana]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://luthar.com/?p=9251</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Sri Ramana was sometimes asked by devotees if he was an Avatar; and if so, of which Hindu God was he an Avatar of?]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://luthar.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/soh_23.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-9269" title="Bhagavan Ramana sitting with the walking stick" src="http://luthar.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/soh_23.jpg" alt="" width="347" height="360" /></a></p>
<p>In Hinduism, the term &#8220;Avatar&#8221; refers to an &#8220;Incarnation&#8221; of some aspect of God in a form. For example, Rama (from Ramayana), and Krishna (from Mahabharata) are both considered Avatars of the Hindu God Vishnu. In Hinduism, many saints are also considered Avatars by their devotees. In this context,  Sri Ramana was sometimes asked by devotees if he was an Avatar; and if so, of which Hindu God was he an Avatar of?  Bhagavan was generally aloof from such questions and kept silent letting people believe what they wished.</p>
<p>The curiosity in the mind of many Hindu devotees of Bhagavan was to find out his  &#8220;true identity&#8221;. Bhagavan&#8217;s teaching on the Self, of course, makes such questions moot. However, once in a while when Bhagavan did indulge such questions, he always pointed to the heart of the issue. Below is an example of that.</p>
<p>Editor</p>
<p>_______________________</p>
<p>A devotee named Amritanatha Yati wrote on a paper a Malayalam verse imploring Bhagavan to say whether he was Hari (Vishnu) or Sivaguru (Subrahmanya) or Yativara (Siva) or Vararuchi.</p>
<p>Bhagavan, in his answer, wrote his reply in the same Malayalam metre on the same paper. A translation of it is given below for the benefit of the devotees. The answer speaks for it self.</p>
<p><em>&#8220;In the recesses of the lotus-shaped Hearts of all, beginning</em><em> </em><em>with Vishnu, there shines as pure intellect (Absolute</em> <em>Consciousness), the Paramatman, who is the same as</em> <em>Arunachala Ramana. When the mind melts with love of Him,</em><em> and reaches the inmost recess of the Heart wherein He dwells</em> <em>as the beloved, the subtle eye of pure intellect opens and He</em> <em>reveals Himself as Pure Consciousness.&#8221;</em></p>
<p>(Collected Works of Sri Ramana Maharshi, p143)</p>
<h3  class="related_post_title">Related Articles</h3><ul class="related_post"><li><a href="http://luthar.com/ramana-and-the-untouchable-family/" title="Ramana and the Untouchable Family: By K.S.S. (Ramanadasa)">Ramana and the Untouchable Family: By K.S.S. (Ramanadasa)</a></li><li><a href="http://luthar.com/is-heart-the-seat-of-the-self/" title="Is Heart the Seat of the Self? By Dr. Harsh K. Luthar">Is Heart the Seat of the Self? By Dr. Harsh K. Luthar</a></li><li><a href="http://luthar.com/how-to-overcome-the-ego/" title="How To Overcome The Ego? By Dr. Harsh K. Luthar">How To Overcome The Ego? By Dr. Harsh K. Luthar</a></li><li><a href="http://luthar.com/goddess-as-the-guru-in-tripura-rahasya/" title="Goddess As The Guru In Tripura Rahasya">Goddess As The Guru In Tripura Rahasya</a></li><li><a href="http://luthar.com/what-is-saguna-and-nirguna-brahman-by-dr-harsh-k-luthar/" title="What is Saguna and Nirguna Brahman? By Dr. Harsh K. Luthar">What is Saguna and Nirguna Brahman? By Dr. Harsh K. Luthar</a></li></ul>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://luthar.com/was-bhagavan-ramana-an-avatar/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Analysis Of The Mind Or Transcendence? By Dr. Harsh K. Luthar</title>
		<link>http://luthar.com/analysis-of-the-mind-or-transcendence/</link>
		<comments>http://luthar.com/analysis-of-the-mind-or-transcendence/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 25 Jul 2010 01:39:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Harsha</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[ADVAITA & YOGA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[INSPIRATIONAL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TEACHERS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ego]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mind]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ramana]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[self-inqiry]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://luthar.com/?p=9237</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Bhagavan Ramana's teaching of self-inquiry is fundamentally different than the schools of thought which focus on self-improvement through a variety of motivational approaches.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Bhagavan Ramana&#8217;s teaching of self-inquiry is fundamentally different than the schools of thought which focus on self-improvement through a variety of motivational approaches. Sri Ramana used to say that when you are going to throw out the trash, you need not spend time analyzing its contents. He was referring to the mind.</p>
<p>For one who is fascinated by self-inquiry and focusing on the core of one&#8217;s being and existence, the need to endlessly brood over the mind and its activities evaporates. The mind is what it is.</p>
<p>In the short run people can benefit from positive thinking and various self-help methodologies.  Ultimately, the point of self-inquiry is not to improve the ego mind, but to fully transcend it and recognize our inherent perfection in the Heart of Being.</p>
<h3  class="related_post_title">Related Articles</h3><ul class="related_post"><li><a href="http://luthar.com/how-to-overcome-the-ego/" title="How To Overcome The Ego? By Dr. Harsh K. Luthar">How To Overcome The Ego? By Dr. Harsh K. Luthar</a></li><li><a href="http://luthar.com/you-are-what-you-eat/" title="You Are What You Eat">You Are What You Eat</a></li><li><a href="http://luthar.com/ulladu-naarpadu-reality-in-forty-verses-verse-9/" title="ULLADU NAARPADU (Reality in Forty Verses) &#8211; Verse #9. ">ULLADU NAARPADU (Reality in Forty Verses) &#8211; Verse #9. </a></li><li><a href="http://luthar.com/paradox-of-the-mind-by-alan-jacobs/" title="Paradox Of The Mind: By Alan Jacobs">Paradox Of The Mind: By Alan Jacobs</a></li><li><a href="http://luthar.com/ulladu-naarpadu-reality-in-forty-verses-verse-7/" title="ULLADU NAARPADU (Reality in Forty Verses) &#8211; Verse #7 ">ULLADU NAARPADU (Reality in Forty Verses) &#8211; Verse #7 </a></li></ul>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://luthar.com/analysis-of-the-mind-or-transcendence/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Guru Vachaka Kovai (verses 14-18) on Guru Purnima</title>
		<link>http://luthar.com/guru-vachaka-kovai-verses-14-18/</link>
		<comments>http://luthar.com/guru-vachaka-kovai-verses-14-18/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 24 Jul 2010 23:22:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Harsha</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[ADVAITA & YOGA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ART & POETRY]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[INSPIRATIONAL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TEACHERS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Arunachala]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Guru]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ramana]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sri Muruganar]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://luthar.com/?p=9231</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The ocean-girdled maiden Earth's
Hard, long penance has borne fruit,
Pure Being, glorious Siva Himself,
Embodied in human form as Guru
Ramana of flawless wisdom
Has come to us.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Offered on Guru Poornima by Alan Jacobs</strong></p>
<p>The ocean-girdled maiden Earth&#8217;s<br />
Hard, long penance has borne fruit,<br />
Pure Being, glorious Siva Himself,<br />
Embodied in human form as Guru<br />
Ramana of flawless wisdom<br />
Has come to us.</p>
<p>Let us in the Heart Cherish His sacred Feet.<br />
Our blessed benediction fits<br />
This Sacred Guru Purnima Day,<br />
which Seeks to dispel delusion.<br />
That One word is Ramana, the Self,<br />
Abiding In every Devotees spiritual Heart.</p>
<p>Awareness pure, true Being shining<br />
In silence. Self-experience of<br />
The real I, behind the false.<br />
Conceptual &#8220;I&#8221;, is Bhagavan transcendent,</p>
<p>With His lotus Feet we crown our heads.<br />
To those who look within, the highest<br />
Good gained by the Master&#8217;s grace,<br />
Is wakeful sleep, the turya state,<br />
The undying flame, the sweet, uncloying<br />
Fruit for ever fresh.</p>
<p>Heart, free from liking and disliking.<br />
Form comely with the comeliness<br />
Of perfect wisdom, He, our Master.<br />
The goal of all true goodness,<br />
Has destroyed our ignorance and fear.<br />
His Feet are our last refuge.</p>
<p>[Freely adapted from V 14-18 0f the Guru<br />
Vachaka Kovai of Sri Muruganar- A.J.]</p>
<p><a href="http://luthar.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/sib_41_bust.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-8707" title="Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi - Divine Smile" src="http://luthar.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/sib_41_bust.jpg" alt="" width="262" height="360" /></a></p>
<h3  class="related_post_title">Related Articles</h3><ul class="related_post"><li><a href="http://luthar.com/papaji-h-w-l-poonja/" title="Papaji (H.W.L. Poonja): by Lisa Carneal">Papaji (H.W.L. Poonja): by Lisa Carneal</a></li><li><a href="http://luthar.com/why-i-love-ramana/" title="Why I Love Ramana">Why I Love Ramana</a></li><li><a href="http://luthar.com/sage-of-arunachala_sri-ramana-maharshi/" title="Sage of Arunachala Sri Ramana Maharshi">Sage of Arunachala Sri Ramana Maharshi</a></li><li><a href="http://luthar.com/bhagavan-ramana-maharshi-2/" title="Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi: by Alan Adams Jacobs">Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi: by Alan Adams Jacobs</a></li><li><a href="http://luthar.com/in-praise-of-shri-bhagavan/" title="In Praise of Shri Bhagavan: By Alan Adams Jacobs">In Praise of Shri Bhagavan: By Alan Adams Jacobs</a></li></ul>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://luthar.com/guru-vachaka-kovai-verses-14-18/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Religion Divides, Love Unites: By Dr. Harsh K. Luthar</title>
		<link>http://luthar.com/religion-divides-love-unites/</link>
		<comments>http://luthar.com/religion-divides-love-unites/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 19 Jul 2010 15:01:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Harsha</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[ADVAITA & YOGA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[INSPIRATIONAL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TEACHERS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[God]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Love]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Religion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Spirituality]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://luthar.com/?p=7948</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Bhagavan Ramana used to say, “Ahimsa Param Dharma”. It means essentially that kindness, compassion, nonviolence, and love is the supreme religion. Love is the highest state. As Bhagavan has said, “Love is the actual form of God.”]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, Taoism, Christianity, and other religions and spiritual traditions use different words and concepts to describe the ultimate nature of Reality. Sometimes, the scholars and preachers from these faiths argue with each other over who is right and who is wrong. There are even strong disagreements within the same religion and spiritual tradition about the nature of God or Salvation or Heaven, etc.</p>
<p>Even within Hinduism and the Shiva-Shakti traditions, there are great debates about the nature of the highest state. These differences in description of the highest reality and knowledge are only in the words that come through the conditional mind and not in the experience and understanding of great Sages.</p>
<p>My teacher Chitrabhanu-ji used to say that in Buddhism when they say that  the ultimate state is empty it does not mean that it is &#8220;nothingness&#8221;. It means that it is No-thing-ness.</p>
<p>This is the experience of the Self-Realized sages. The highest state is empty of all things, concepts, images. It is the end of imagination and all experiences find their resting place in the Self. It is noteworthy that while most orthodox and traditional scholars of  Hinduism reject Buddhism, Sri Ramana spoke favorably of Buddha.</p>
<p>There are no good words to fully indicate the ultimate state. The Self, which the ancient sages said is Sat-Chit-Ananda (Existence-Consciousness-Bliss) is the very nature of Fullness.  This underlying unity is recognized when the mind with its fascination with concepts, things, and experiences has subsided.</p>
<p>Even the notion of no-self and self or Self are concepts only. In order to communicate, words have to be used to indicate the experience and nature of Reality that sits in the center of our Heart, our existence. What ever term one uses to describe THAT, It is what It Is.</p>
<p>When Moses asked God about his nature, God could only say, &#8220;I Am That I Am&#8221;. What else could God say? The nature of God cannot be comprehended by the mind. The mind has to surrender and dissolve itself into the Lord of the Heart for the Reality to reveal It Self.</p>
<p>So, religions use different names to describe the ultimate state. We can call it the Absolute, God, God Consciousness, or the Self, or the no-self or Shunya, etc. What difference can it make? If we understand this deeply through experience of God in our Heart, and see that it is the same God in every Heart, then we stop fighting and arguing over religion and spirituality.</p>
<p>Bhagavan Ramana used to say, &#8220;Ahimsa Param Dharma&#8221;. It means essentially that kindness, compassion, nonviolence, and love is the supreme religion. Love is the highest state. As Bhagavan has said, &#8220;Love is the actual form of God.&#8221;</p>
<p><a href="http://luthar.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/01/windowslivewritersriramanaandmyteacher-11e01image0.png"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-86" title="Sri Ramana with Lakshmi and her Calf" src="http://luthar.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/01/windowslivewritersriramanaandmyteacher-11e01image0.png" alt="" width="394" height="246" /></a></p>
<h3  class="related_post_title">Related Articles</h3><ul class="related_post"><li><a href="http://luthar.com/papaji-h-w-l-poonja/" title="Papaji (H.W.L. Poonja): by Lisa Carneal">Papaji (H.W.L. Poonja): by Lisa Carneal</a></li><li><a href="http://luthar.com/the-gospel-of-jesus-decoded-christ-and-kundalini-part-1-by-michael-bowes/" title="The Gospel of Jesus Decoded: Christ and Kundalini, Part 1 by Michael Bowes">The Gospel of Jesus Decoded: Christ and Kundalini, Part 1 by Michael Bowes</a></li><li><a href="http://luthar.com/the-diamond/" title="the diamond">the diamond</a></li><li><a href="http://luthar.com/sita-sings-the-blues-a-phenomenal-retelling-of-the-epic-ramayana-through-animation-1920s-jazz-songs-contemporary-commentary-and-one-womans-inspiration/" title="Sita Sings The Blues &#8212; A phenomenal retelling of the epic Ramayana through animation, 1920s jazz songs, contemporary commentary and one woman&#8217;s inspiration">Sita Sings The Blues &#8212; A phenomenal retelling of the epic Ramayana through animation, 1920s jazz songs, contemporary commentary and one woman&#8217;s inspiration</a></li><li><a href="http://luthar.com/the-place-of-wisdom/" title="The Place of Wisdom">The Place of Wisdom</a></li></ul>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://luthar.com/religion-divides-love-unites/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
	</channel>
</rss>
<!-- WP Super Cache is installed but broken. The path to wp-cache-phase1.php in wp-content/advanced-cache.php must be fixed! -->