dwai

Indeed...but the topic on hand was Atma Shatakam...I sense that you don't agree with Shankara's experience?

very nice Sean. Deep Bow to you for doing the interview and Master Lin for sharing his wisdom with us.

Good advice but I'd venture to say that instead of "Fighting" fatigue, accept the fact that your body is trying to tell you something.

have you considered resting a bit? I mean, sleep until you can't sleep any longer? dont cultivate unless you absolutely feel good after cultivating? Sometimes during cultivation, if we cannot sink the chi back to the lower dantien, the system gets over charged and discharges (instead of storing the charge in the super capacitor that is our lower dan tien)...so you should probably think about that as well. On another note, I have gone through a period of extreme exhaustion, so much so that I thought I was suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (which is what medical doctors categorize it as if they can't explain what it is). But I had also put on a significant amount of weight over the years. So I went on a fast/diet (no carbs, no sugars, 2-3 liters of water every day, lots of greens, super-veggies like broccoli, kale, etc) and lean protein in moderate portions. The wonder of wonders was as the lbs starting melting off, my fatigue started melting off too... And my doctor said that doing the diet has reset my pancreas, which is responsible for releasing insulin. There is a vicious cycle connecting the adrenals and pancreas as I found out, that as the stress-response of the body increases, more adrenalin is dumped into the blood stream by the adrenal glands, which creates cortisol which eats up insulin. So your body produces more and more insulin and the system goes out of balance and the adrenals are in overdrive and so are your pancreas... If you have anything of a typical modern, urban lifestyle, that might be happening to you.

It is very much possible. In 2002 I was initiated into meditation by a Guru in a dream. I don't know who that Guru was yet...but the Mantra he gave me worked and helped me through a very bad time. During that time I also conversed with other Sadhus and a Taoist master who was teaching me Chi Gung

Dear Friends, I'd like to introduce a new column on my website (http://www.medhajournal.com) by a scholar practitioner Sri TN Sethumadhavan on Vedanta, through the Srimad Bhagavad Gita. It seems like there are a few on this forum who would be interested...if you are that person, do stop by at this URL to see the first lesson on Vedanta... http://www.medhajournal.com/vedanta-jyoti----the-light-on-vedanta/1038-introducing-srimad-bhagavad-gita-a-users-manual-for-every-day-living.html This is going to be an ongoing series published every fortnight. If you have questions or comments, please feel free to post your comments there, so the author can see them and respond. Best, Dwai

Double post was the software's doing... I am very familiar with the Ramakrishna Mission's teachings. Sri Ramakrishna himself was a dakshina-marga Tantrik besides being an Advaita Vedanta adept. It is very easy to take Swami Vivekananda's words out of context given that he dates from the turn of the 20th Century...I would strongly advise you against committing the error of anachronism. Times have changed since then as have circumstances. The whole point of Vamachara is that it is meant to shock/jolt the practitioner out of the rut of mundane reality.

<br><br><br>Millions of blue blistering barnacles! I never thought Vajra and I would agree on something other than disagreement....and now you go and post this!<img src="http://www.thetaobums.com/public/style_emoticons/default/blink.gif"><div><br><br> <div> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0bGrvKVxac <br></div> </div>

dude...I don't even want to respond to you. I used to think you were a level-headed person. It turns out that you're no better than the BBs. Since you quote Swami Vivekananda, here's one he used very nicely in the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago 1893 'Varied are the tastes and many are the paths to a goal. Some are righteous, some are crooked. Yet, all aim to reach the goal, just like all the rivers lead to the ocean. Similarly, man traverses to Thee.'

dude...I don't even want to respond to you. I used to think you were a level-headed person. It turns out that you're no better than the BBs. Since you quote Swami Vivekananda, here's one he used very nicely in the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago 1893 'Varied are the tastes and many are the paths to a goal. Some are righteous, some are crooked. Yet, all aim to reach the goal, just like all the rivers lead to the ocean. Similarly, man traverses to Thee.'

Vamachara often times flies in the face of convention and encourages the sadhaka to do things that seem outrageous or beyond yama and niyama. It is the maturity of the Sadhaka to not fall into the trap of indulgence. I used to feel pretty much the same as you do about Osho, I changed my mind because I realized that I was ascribing certain types of behavior as being typical of the "Wise Master" role...which need not necessarily be so. There are plenty of examples of Left-hand Tantriks who have defied every convention and rule that societies in general find acceptable. Like I pointed out, beside that one quote, Osho has nothing to do with the actual article itself. I don't have to spout or imply any traditional qualifications on my part. I was only questioning yours...given your bombastic eruptions and indignant outcries. I don't see any reason to remove the Osho quote, just because you find it offensive. There are many others who can look beyond the superficial and actually gleam some value out of an enterprise such that Sri TNS has undertaken.

One of the most remarkable and significant aspect of Sanatana Dharma is an "Open Mind" and a "Open Heart". It shows a lot about an individual who takes up a cudgel just because one quote from an author he/she considers "unworthy" of Sanatana Dharma is used in an article. I am sure if you contacted the author, he would give you a sound response to your objections (or maybe not). It doesn't matter in the larger scheme of things, since Sri TNS is doing this in the spirit of service (Seva), to help bring the Bhagavad Gita to those who haven't had the good fortune of learning it... 3Bob...you have freedom to view your opinions, but you don't have the adhikara, imho. If you have the ability to improve on Sri TNS' thesis, please do so and DO SHARE. Otherwise your protestations come across as "hot air", devoid of substance.

Well in most cases, commentaries make sense of aphorisms (or Sutras)...given their concise (and sometimes terse nature). The traditional system of learning was oral/aural and not written. So, when a student (Shishya) learned from his teacher (Guru), he/she would learn orally. The teacher would teach a bunch of verses and then explain in great detail and/or provide the technique to experience what the verses tried to convey. The Upanishads are to a certain extent Q&A type teaching tools. Even these tools require knowledge of darshana...so commentators provide context and perspective into these teachings. If you can read Sanskrit, all power to you. Even for someone (myself for eg), who has formally learned Sanskrit, reading the texts and learning is a laborious process. So, while it's good to read the original text, it is often necessary to read commentaries by people with qualifications and authority (Adhikara) on the said subject.

I would recommend using a traditional scholar's version of Upanishads...if you want translation, Griffith's translations are decent enough. If you want commentary, use Sayanacharya's commentaries or Shankaracharya's commentaries. Max Muller is dubious at best.

There actually is. Khandogya changes the word. The Pronunciation is actually Chaandogya (Ccha like cha-cha-cha). Sanskrit transliteration can be done in a few specific ways, but that should not change the way a word is pronounced. Rules of transliterating Devanagari script Have you read the complete article? Then perhaps you would not be reacting in such a knee-jerk manner. Reading the complete article will put that quote in context.

There is nothing one can say to you on your loss except extend condolences and say thank you for posting this advisory in spite of your tremendous loss.

Obviously you are not interested...maybe you are an expert on Vedanta. It'd be interesting to know what your credentials for passing these value judgements are...what is your Adhikara?

Did you even READ what this person has written? Or are you too obsessed with Osho to lose focus on the subject at hand? Peace

He doesn't make any claims of being a "Guru" or a "spiritual master". He is someone who has dedicated his life to researching and exploring the Indic spiritual traditions.

Truth is the same, the wise state in different ways, eh MH?

Seemed a tad cliched to me. If it works for someone, all power to them Peace, Dwai