Monthly Archives: February 2014

Easy And Natural Is The Way: By Dr. Harsh K. Luthar

. Advaita and Yoga, INSPIRATIONAL, LIFESTYLE, PERSONAL, TEACHERS, Uncategorized . , , , , , , ,

Luthar.com

Dear Friends,

Sahaj in Sanksrit means easy and natural.

There is saying in Hindi, “Sahaj pake so meetha hoy.”

It means that easy and natural cooking of food leads it to taste sweet.

It is something like the English saying that soup that simmers slowly or the cake that is baked slowly tastes best in the end.

These are metaphors for life. When we do something with care and love, the results are better. Sometimes we even say that, “this is a labor of love.” When we love what we do, it does not feel like work.

Everything has its nature. When we are true to our own nature, an easy authenticity takes over. Then we are not concerned about impressing others nor worried about how others are judging us.

Nature is showing us the way. Seasons are coming and going. Flowers bloom and then wither. We are breathing in…

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Meeting Nisargadatta Maharaj: By Dr. Lakshyan Schanzer

. Advaita and Yoga, INSPIRATIONAL, PERSONAL, TEACHERS, Uncategorized . , , , , , , , ,

A classic and original article about meeting Nisargadatta Maharaj in 1978 by Dr. Lakshyan Schanzer. All the pictures of Nisargadatta Maharaj were taken by Dr. Schanzer. At the end, the author is shown sitting with Maharaj.

Luthar.com

By Dr. Lakshyan Schanzer

My name is Lakshyan Schanzer. I have been practicing and teaching yoga and meditation since 1971. I am also a psychologist and practice a meditative approach to psychotherapy. This is my first writing about my experiences with Nisargadatta Maharaj.

By 1978 I had been practicing and teaching for about 7 years (primarily Integral Yoga) and had reached a ‘wall’ in my practice. I was having wonderful experiences/results on a daily basis. Yet, for me, these experiences were just that; only experiences. Yes, they were important and healing ones, bringing revelations and insights into my history, release of deep feelings, or guidance about the coming day or accurate premonitions about the future.

However, as I became accustomed to ‘pushing the buttons’ that generated these experiences, I began to ask myself: “Was there any value beyond these temporary conditioning effects of regular practice? That is, if we experience…

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The Importance of removing Self-Violence in practice of Ahimsa

. INSPIRATIONAL, PERSONAL, TEACHERS . , , , ,

The weak can never forgive

Dear Harsha,

I would like to share my current thoughts on Ahimsa, the Indian Philosophy of Nonviolence advocated by Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King.

As I look around me at the high school shootings, bombings of embassies, and wars going on all over the world, I can’t avoid looking at Ahimsa. The state of the world is obviously a manifestation of the current level of consciousness and I believe that until we raise the level of consciousness, wars and violence will continue. Continue reading →

This Nonsense Makes Perfect Sense

. ART & POETRY, INSPIRATIONAL, LIFESTYLE, PERSONAL . , , , , ,

HKL-Lamp of the Heart

In  2001, one of my students gave me a book “The Enlightened Heart” edited by Stephen Mitchell. Looking through it this morning I came across several beautiful poems. I wanted to share one with you from Lao Tzu that speaks my heart:

Some say my teaching is nonsense.

Others call it lofty but impractical.

But to those who have looked inside themselves,

this nonsense makes perfect sense.

And those who put it into practice

this loftiness has roots that go deep.

I have just three things to teach:

Simplicity, patience, compassion.

These three are your greatest treasures.

Simple in actions and in thoughts,

you return to the source of being.

Patient with both friends and enemies

You accord with the way things are,

Compassionate towards yourself,

you reconcile all beings in the world.