Monthly Archives: June 2014

In Memoriam: Dr. Suryanarayana Raju

. INSPIRATIONAL, LIFESTYLE, PERSONAL, TEACHERS . , ,

Dr. Suryanarayan Raju

Our friend and Bhagavan Ramana devotee Dr. Suryanarayana Raju left the body a few days ago. I never met Dr. Raju face to face, although we had talked about such a meeting happening at Arunachala in India. Our friendship was based on our common spiritual interests and the teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi.

I had interacted and corresponded with Dr. Raju over a number of years. I also edited and published several of Dr. Raju’s articles on luthar.com. I found Dr. Raju to be extremely bright, highly cultured, courteous, and respectful of everyone.  Dr. Raju exuded warmth, love, and was always generous and kind in his words towards me personally. He was most considerate and I felt much love, respect, and affection for Dr. Raju as well. Continue reading →

Self-Inquiry or Atma Vichara: By Dr. Harsh K. Luthar

. Uncategorized

Luthar.com

Self-Inquiry, also known as Atma Vichara in Sanskrit, is based on a philosophy that has its origins in the ancient teachings of Advaita Vedanta. Advaita is based on the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, and is found in a number of other scriptures that are considered sacred by the Hindus. Advaita means nonduality, the ultimate Oneness that pervades or underlies everything.

Essentially Advaita implies that even though there is a diversity of phenomena, it has its origins in God and that ultimately everything not only exists in God but also resolves itself into God. According to Advaitic sages, the nature of God is Sat-Chit-Ananda. Sat means Existence. It is the nature of God to Exist. Chit means Knowledge. It is the nature of God to Know. Ananda means spontaneous Joy. The nature of God is Bliss or Joy.

View original post 685 more words

What Is Witness Consciousness? By Dr. Harsh K. Luthar

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

Luthar.com

Anandmayi Ma with Swami Yoganand

Witness consciousness as a concept and a spiritual practice has become better known now in the West. In the psychology of Advaita and Yoga of thousands of years ago, it has always been a fundamental tool for self development and self understanding on the path to Self-Realization.

View original post 481 more words

Wisdom Eye: The True Guru: By Dr. Harsh K. Luthar

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

Luthar.com

“Who is a master? He is the Self after all.” Ramana Maharshi

The company of peaceful Sages (Satsangha) and living in Ahimsa (harmlessness) is considered the primary influence that leads to Self-Realization. The forced attempts to discard various habits and conditioning and practicing different techniques to calm the mind have built in limitations. However, such methods can be pursued with benefit if one is already inclined towards these practices.

When strong inner motivation is present, one is automatically propelled towards Self-Awareness and Meditation. The fog of confusion then quickly evaporates and leads to Self-Seeing, Self-Being, Self-Realization, and Silence of the Heart.

Meditation and mind calming methods, can be effective at many different levels if practiced in the context of a clear understanding. Such practices, however, cannot by themselves end the fundamental agitation of the mind which continues at more and more subtle levels and causes suffering.

The nature of the…

View original post 1,176 more words

Many Things Are Going On: By Dr. Harsh K. Luthar

. ART & POETRY, INSPIRATIONAL . , , ,

Quan Yin 0 Avalotiksvara

Luthar.com

The usual things are going on in many places.

War, hate, and killing of enemies

in order to love, protect, and nurture ones own.

Inflicting punishment on others

yet remaining free of consequences

is not possible for us

as human beings or nations;

for the revenge that brings joy

also brings grief.

This is the nature of our suffering,

that we believe our sorrows are more precious

than the tears of our enemies.

The story of life is written on the faces

of both the watching and the watched.

Paralysis provides the context

for the breaking news stories on the dinner table.

It does not help that our fingers

cannot touch across the television screens

and the eyes cannot meet to offer consolation.

Guilt serves as a buffer for one

for the other, hope underlies fear.

Closure is never at hand in this sphere of duality.

View original post

Ahimsa – The Antidote to Fear: Dr. Harsh K. Luthar

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

Luthar.com

Bhagavan Sri Ramana used to say, “Ahimsa Param Dharma”. It means that Ahimsa (Nonviolence) is the Supreme Dharma (Duty or Principle). Sri Ramana pointed out to the devotees and yogis that in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, Ahimsa is named as the highest virtue above all other virtues. If we are able to understand what Ahimsa means at the deepest level, that clarity itself guides us in discovering the nature of the Self as our own Being.

Ahimsa means to be gentle with others and oneself and all of nature. Ahimsa means to be natural and aware without rushing and pushing and trying to get somewhere quickly. This applies to both the material and the spiritual world.  The mental tendency to grab and consume experiences of various types remains, even as people get on the spiritual path. There is nothing wrong with that. However, we should be aware of the tendencies that…

View original post 697 more words

The Significance of a Reference when Posting a Quote of Bhagavan Ramana: By Dr. Evan Keith

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

I am fortunate to be a member of the family of sincere devotees of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi in which we share our heart-melting love for Bhagavan with each other. Not only are we siblings in Bhagavan, but more than that Bhagavan is found inside everyone of us as the true Self.

Since every word Bhagavan spoke was an utterance from God appearing as a man, every submission of Bhagavan’s words is an act of Bhakti and is an aid to anyone who reads it. To me there are three important reasons that we provide a reference for every quote by Bhagavan that we share by posting online: Continue reading →