Category Archives: PERSONAL

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

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

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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.

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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 →

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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.

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2009 New Year Message From Dr. Harsh K. Luthar

. INSPIRATIONAL, LIFESTYLE, PERSONAL, TEACHERS

This new year message from the past seems to be right for every new year. Happy New Year to everyone and best wishes. May we enter the new year open to Grace. Let there be peace among all living beings. May everyone be healed in friendship and love. All Blessings.

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Dear Friends,

Humanity stands at the crossroads of destiny. Amidst wars and conflict on this planet, along with poverty, disease, and changes in the environment leading to global warming, the way ahead is not clear to me. Is it clear to you? If so, please share your views.

Our heroes in the past have tended to be warriors, kings, conquerors, entrepreneurs, innovators, inventors, who through their power of imagination, genius, organization, cleverness, and ingenuity were able to succeed beyond measure and attain personal empires, fortunes, and glories.  I ask you all to consider that perhaps we need different types of heroes if human evolution is to find its rightful purpose and survive. Our heroes, out of necessity now, have to be those with a long term vision of peace. Our heroes have to be the Peace Makers. Without them, the very survival of humanity is at stake.

I read somewhere…

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You are Bursting Out Of Me: By Belle Heywood

. ART & POETRY, INSPIRATIONAL, PERSONAL, TEACHERS, Uncategorized . , , , , , ,

Belle Heywood

You are bursting out of me 
In all directions
I wake up 
And sing out 
Your praises 
As soon as I know 
I have lips
Again. Continue reading →

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Thanksgiving When I Was A Child: By Dr. Evan Keith

. INSPIRATIONAL, LIFESTYLE, PERSONAL, TEACHERS, Uncategorized . , , , , , ,

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Recently, on United States’ Day of Thanksgiving, my mind remembered in my childhood when my family’s celebration of this holiday changed significantly for some years. When I was small, my mother would spend hours in the kitchen every Thanksgiving morning to prepare the requisite feast of a big whole cooked turkey along with many side dishes, which together were meant to represent the food that was eaten at the “First Thanksgiving” celebrated by about fifty Pilgrims, along with almost one-hundred Native Americans, after their first harvest in the New World in 1621. Although I did not notice at the time, I think my mom did not like being separated from her husband and three sons while she worked for hours in the kitchen. However, I do remember enjoying the fanciness of the feast at least as much as its delicious flavors. Continue reading →

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The Tale of Two Pens: By Chhaganlal Yogi

. INSPIRATIONAL, LIFESTYLE, PERSONAL, TEACHERS, Uncategorized . , , ,
Sri Ramana reading

Sri Ramana reading

Sri Bhagavan generally used two fountain pens: one contained blue ink, the other, red. Both of these pens were quite old and looked, to me at least, worn out. One day the top cover of the red-ink pen cracked, so a devotee took it to town to have it repaired. It was gone for several days. During this period Sri Bhagavan reverted to an old-fashioned nib pen which had to be dipped in an ink pot of red ink. Since this seemed to cause him some inconvenience, I decided to get him a new pen. I wrote to a friend in Bombay and asked him to send one immediately. A few days later the pen arrived by post. I went straight to Sri Bhagavan and handed over the unopened parcel containing the pen. Continue reading →

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Viswanatha Swami_ A Hidden Gem: By Murray Feldman

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

Viswanatha Swami

Viswanatha Swami first came to stay with Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi when he was about 19 years old. His father, Ramaswamy Iyer, was a first cousin of Bhagavan.

I had the good fortune to spend considerable time with this great devotee of Ramana Maharishi from April 1976, until he became ill and passed away at 75 years of age on the 22nd November, 1979. How he came to Bhagavan has been written about elsewhere. Here I attempt to show how he exemplified, so wonderfully and devotedly the teachings of Bhagavan. Continue reading →

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In the Jaws of the Beloved Tiger: By Dr. Evan Keith

. Advaita and Yoga, Gurus, INSPIRATIONAL, LIFESTYLE, Love, Meditation, PERSONAL, Ramana Maharishi, Spirituality, TEACHERS, Wisdom, Yoga . , , , , , , , , , ,

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I do not know when I first learned of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi. I know that at most he was little more than a name to me before my eighteenth birthday and only in the last year has he become of central importance to me. In fact, now I think of Bhagavan as my Guru. Bhagavan never did formal initiation of anyone as a devotee and never even referred to anyone as being or not being his devotee. Nevertheless, he sometimes mentioned that most people needed a guru to overcome their ancient tendencies and “realize” the Self. Sometimes Bhagavan would allude to the Self, itself, or in particular the mountain Arunachala as having been his Guru. In this respect, Bhagavan Ramana is my Sadguru and I am His devotee. Continue reading →