. (with ref to M Teresa's recently exposed inner torments..
http://in.news.yahoo.com/070917/43/6ktx0.html
Could Indian spirituality have helped Mother Teresa?
By IANS
Monday September 17, 07:50 AM
Mother Teresa has done unparalleled service to India. Could she also have benefited from the unparalleled spiritual wealth of India? Yes, definitely!
Although Mother Teresa lived in this ancient land of rich spiritual heritage, she stayed away from Indian spirituality and remained an island unto herself. It is not uncommon for spiritual seekers to lose sight of what is happening inside them when they get involved in serving others.
Whether many so-called religious people are really on the spiritual path itself is questionable. They neither acknowledge nor recognise the conflicts and agony that one faces on the spiritual path. Mother Teresa has been so sincere and honest to herself that she expressed what she was experiencing. On the spiritual path, what is most important is to be honest with yourself and recognise what is happening within you.
Serving others uplifts one's energy, but it does not alleviate one from the inner torment. For that, one has to understand the mechanics of consciousness and their relation with pleasure or pain. This knowledge is found in many Indian scriptures such as the Upanishads, Yoga Vashistha, Ashtavakra Geeta and Tripura Rahasya.
The knowledge of Vedanta could have helped Mother Teresa get over her doubts and quench her intense seeking. All the states described in her letters are mentioned in the nine obstacles to yoga enunciated by Maharshi Patanjali.
Mother Teresa would have benefited immensely from Maharshi's enunciations on how to face the obstacles of Vyadhi (ill-health), Styana (procrastination), Samshaya (doubt), Pramada (carelessness), Aalasya (laziness), Avirati (craving), Bhranti-darshana (confusion), Alabdha Bhumikatva (lack of any spiritual attainment) and Anavasthitva (emptiness or agonising state of mind).
Mother Teresa seemed to have gone through the agony of these states of consciousness without the knowledge of spiritual science. This is akin to a person suffering from malaria, not knowing what medicines to take.
What Mother Teresa experienced is not different from what many saints from different religions, including Sri Ram, went through. Sri Ram found his guidance from Maharshi Vashishtha in the form of Yoga Vashishta. In the scriptures it is said that only one who is well versed in some practice of samadhi can help one to overcome spiritual torment and misery.
When orthodox beliefs limit us from looking beyond, it becomes an impediment on our spiritual journey.
One on the spiritual path should have an open mind and, at the same time, honour orthodoxy. Spirituality beyond the boundaries of a religion can help one to cope with loneliness, isolation and emptiness. It need not be seen as a betrayal of one's own religion or philosophy.
Spiritual practices like yoga and meditation do not in any way conflict with one's religious beliefs. Take the example of Father Bede Griffith who came to India and studied yoga and Vedanta philosophy in Trichy. These teachings helped him to overcome obstacles on the spiritual path while remaining true to his faith as a devout Christian monk.
Being orthodox, Mother Teresa perhaps thought she would be betraying Jesus if she searched for answers to her dilemma in Indian spirituality. A seeker has to keep the goal in front and if there is a block on the path, he or she has to find an alternative route to the goal.
When we see God as an object of perception, that is when we are totally lost and misery follows. From the scene to the seer, from the object of perception to the perceiver... that shift of consciousness makes all the difference on the spiritual journey. This is how the real joy, which is the nature of consciousness, gets kindled. And all the barriers, mental blocks and intellectual inhibitions that our understanding imposes can be transcended by experiencing the precepts of Vedanta.
It is unfortunate that people are not open in their thinking. I am sure that just a few sessions of pranayama and meditation would have helped Mother Teresa to overcome those days of darkness and inner torment. Thousands of seekers on the spiritual path experience this state, but they overcome it once they practise dhyana.
The Indian philosophy talks of three types of misery - physical, mental and spiritual. Spiritual torment is the worst. The agony and torment that one experiences is at the level of the mind and to go beyond the mind, go beyond thoughts, is the very purpose of samadhi. Mind is the cause of both bondage and liberation. Unless one knows how to quieten the mind, it is impossible to achieve inner peace.
The mind can be transcended through yoga sadhana. Yoga is not asanas alone; pranayama and meditation are an integral part of it. Patanjali Yoga Darshan, Adi Shankara's Drig Drishya Viveka, Vigyan Bhairav Tantra of Kashmir Shaivism, Thirumandiram of Saint Thirumula all offer different techniques that help one overcome spiritual torment and misery.
Ayurveda, yoga and Vedanta respectively are the three remedies to eliminate mala (impurities in the body) vikshepa (disturbances in mind) and avarna (veil that covers the light within). While ayurveda helps people to calm their thoughts, pranayama and meditation help one become happy from the core of their Being.
Happiness is only a sign of connection with the divinity deep within. Through these Vedantic practices, you can experience the scintillating consciousness that you are. It is a simple recognition of what is and has always been in us, and with us, as our self.
The basic principle of Vedanta is that what you are seeking is already there, like the air around you. You don't have to go somewhere searching; you only need to become aware. In the same way divinity, or the consciousness, bliss, love, is already present in you; it is only a matter of recognising it.
Scientific temper and Vedantic knowledge together make one whole and bring inner stillness. And that is the essence of Indian spirituality. Critics often ask what use is spirituality if the underprivileged are not taken care of. What they fail to see is that wherever there is genuine spirituality, a component of seva or service has always been attached to it. And this can be seen through the length and breadth of this country.
In the realm of consciousness, as you sow so shall you reap. If you think suffering is an important tool for uniting with God, then you are bound to attract it. If you sow a seed of suffering, that multiplies. The lack of experience of dhyana (meditation) and samadhi (equanimity) can keep a seeker morose and dull. To overcome this, one needs a shift in understanding about heaven and hell, and about the consciousness that is all pervading. Spirituality alone can bring that shift.
In the Eastern philosophy, experience comes first and then faith follows. In the occidental way of thinking, belief comes first and then experience. Mother Teresa had faith but was struggling for an experience. And it was experience which turned atheist Vivekananda into a swami. Ironically, Kolkata witnessed both in the same century!
(The writer is the widely revered Indian spiritual guru who heads the Art of Living Foundation.)
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written by P. Desikan, 2008-05-30 12:44:25
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written by karigar, 2008-05-30 09:13:01
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Religious institutions should expose injustice
May 29, 2008
Fraudulent and unethical practices committed by swamis or religious authorities should be condemned unequivocally. When a religious/spiritual leader commits a crime, he not only harms people, but also brings disgrace to the spiritual tradition. If proven guilty, stringent action should be taken against them. In fact, the severity of the punishment should be many times more than what would be given to normal people.
While Islam is blamed for terrorism, and the Church was rocked by child abuse scandals in some parts of the world, it is now Hinduism which has gotten a jolt in Kerala [Images] due to malpractices by some swamis. During these moments of crisis, one would think that Hinduism needs an authority that could check these malpractices.
Since there is a lack of hierarchy, and no authority to install a swami or guru, or dethrone them, the Sanathana Dharma is more vulnerable to being misused. On the other hand, Sanathana Dharma has always believed that religion and spirituality is an individual's choice; it has allowed people to find their path and lead others as well. That is why in India, no prophet was ever crucified, and the freedom of thought, expression and propagation of faith is inbuilt in to the system.
While a few miscreants have misused the system, religion per se should not be blamed or ridiculed. There are possibilities of innocent people being caught in the trap and blamed for nothing. I would advise them to take this as an opportunity to go inwards, especially on the spiritual path. History has shown that many innocent people were accused and had to bear the brunt of society for quite some time, but finally the truth prevailed. We must remember that society has not even spared people like Kabir, Adi Shankaracharya, Jesus Christ, and many of his apostles. Adi Shankaracharya was excommunicated. Gnanadev, Buddha, and many spiritual and religious leaders were considered as heretics and traitors in their time. Today, close to one third of the humanity are followers of Jesus Christ, but during his time, his teachings were considered blasphemous. It was the same with the Sufi Saint, Mansoor, who was eventually hanged.
Not so long ago, a swami from a prominent mutt in Karnataka was accused of child abuse and was imprisoned for 20 years; he was later proven innocent by the Supreme Court and all charges against him were dropped. Another such victim of conspiracy was Swami Omkarananda, who did not even know how to lift a gun; but he was accused of illegal possession of arms. He was put in a jail in Switzerland [Images] for 27 years, and later proven innocent.
Religious and spiritual people are there to propagate dharma, knowledge, self-confidence and emotional and spiritual upliftment of the people. Any deviation from their goal is bound to boomerang on them. A religious seat should be considered a seat of service and higher knowledge, and it is unfortunate that these institutions are sometimes used as seats of power. Prevalent hypocrisy in religion, spirituality, politics and business is the most harmful thing for a society.
The media has a responsibility to expose those who are fraudulent. However, the media should restrain from sensationalising such incidents; even if one innocent image is tarnished, it causes a lot of pain and suffering. Before the charges are proven, public humiliation and 'bashing' of the accused should be avoided as it can cause irreparable psychological damage. We have seen this in Iraq where, in the name of extracting the truth from the culprits, thousands of Iraqis have suffered enormous mental anguish.
In case of charges being proven false, the irreversible psychological and emotional damage caused is unpardonable. The media should be aware that in the name of catching the culprits, they should not cause humiliation and psychological harm.
Unwarranted negative portrayal of spirituality and prejudice will only lead to more suicides and desperation in society.
We must not create prejudice against any section of society, or any religion as this can be dangerous. For example, after the 9/11 attacks in the US, Sikhs and Muslims were tortured as terrorists. American troops have killed thousands in Afghanistan and later apologised for mistaken identity. In the Middle Ages, many women and scientists were dragged into the streets of Europe and burnt alive.
The police cannot play the role of the magistrate. In the past, wise people would take pride in admitting their mistakes. People should have that level of consciousness to admit their mistakes and walk towards the truth. Admitting one's mistakes will enhance one's character. A safe and secure space should be created for people to come forward and admit their mistakes. This cannot happen in an atmosphere of fear and blame-culture. When too much shame is associated with making a mistake, then people will shy away from admitting them. Mistakes happen, knowingly or unknowingly. In the past, when spiritual masters realised their mistakes, they would do their own prayaschitta (personal attempt for atonement for wrongs committed), sometimes even harder than the stipulated punishment.
Religious and spiritual institutions should expose the injustice within their own religion if any, rather than shield it. If this is done from the outside and by those who do not believe in religion, it is likely to be perceived as prejudiced. In the case of the Communists, while they are absolutely right in denouncing age-old dogmas, they should not forget that both Stalin and Mao Tse Tung eliminated close to 10 million people -- scientists, socialists, journalists, men of literature -- to stay in power.
In today's complex world, to escape from mounting stress, people look for easy ways and go to anybody who offers magical solutions. Instead, they should turn towards pranayama and meditation which is the heart of Indian spirituality. Millions worldwide have taken recourse to it.
Sanathana Dharma has laid out some of the best principles for humanity to achieve equality, social justice, a violence-free society, and a prejudice-free mind. Let every Indian strive for educating oneself and the society in these golden principles.
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Spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is the founder of the Art of Living Foundation
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written by Dwai, 2007-10-06 07:19:34
a very lively discussion indeed!
My two additional cents worth --
I am still puzzled as to why Sri Sri claims that after experience comes faith. After experience comes certainty. Sraddha is only needed at the beginning before any experience.
My understanding of this matter is this -- most aspirants these days are steeped in the Scientific mode of thinking and are naturally sceptical (to a certain degree at least). This calls for experiential re-affirmations (may be partial if a fleeting glimse or more wholesome if a more direct glimse of the Spiritual truths) which in turn leads to faith and then the cycle of experience --> faith --> certainty (I think the faith and certainty can be mutually reinforcing and can be used interchangeably as well).
Regards,
dwai
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written by P. Desikan, 2007-10-04 07:51:51
Even in the absence of specific sadhanas, there have been some gifted souls in the history of Christianity,(which was taken over by some powerful organizing interests very soon after it was founded)who did have some soulful experiences. In all these cases, the experiences were disposed of by the powers that were, in one of two ways: 1)miracles ordained by the Almighty God, which served to qualify the recipient for canonization or 2)fantasies, which needed to be got rid of, by suitable means. Christendom did conduct an elaborate inquisition in the case of the young Maid of Orleans, Jeanne d'Arc who thought she heard divine voices, some of which even helped her to advise the French royalty appropriately in the defence of the country! They burnt her at stake, and years later, another group conducted investigations which led to her being made a saint posthumously.
Warm regards.
Partha.
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written by narensomu, 2007-10-03 23:41:43
Saw the blog and wondered why Karigar didnt say anything.Decided to wait and watch and glad i did.
Indic religion fundamentally differs from the western ones-Indic view of spiritualityis individualistic and introspective.Our temples , the way they are designed is a testimony to that basic concept.
The western view lays more emphasis on group prayers and the power of the church or establishment.Sounds more like a political /material tool rather than a "spiritual" one...:-)))
As another commenter says words like bhakthi just cant be translated without diluting the concept.
As Sri Sri says India might have had an influence on her but as karigar says we dont have anyone to point it out in clear tones...:-)))
The other Theresa of Avila who lived in another era who sounds like a kind of western Meera...may be there were people in the west who despite their dogmas who reached some where in spirituality but we can bet the west is not very amused with them or their individualistic Sadhanas unconnected to their establishments...:-)))
Regards
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written by Dr. Pradip Gangopadh, 2007-10-03 16:46:32
Yes, translation of sanskrit words is definitely an issue here. However, there is more to it than mere translation issues. I am still puzzled as to why Sri Sri claims that after experience comes faith. After experience comes certainty. Sraddha is only needed at the beginning before any experience.
Western religions usually stress only blind belief and say that there is no possibility of any experience. That is the reason why according to them salvation can come only through the church.
Regards
Gangp
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written by karigar, 2007-10-03 15:24:43
Gangp you're right, the word 'faith' confuses the issue as it doesn't translate well into any Indic concept like 'bhakti', 'sraddha' etc...
I think the idea he's articulating is that of abrahamic 'faith' whicf comes as a well cooked & seasoned theory, comes apriori, and one's supposed to then view/experience the world thru this 'faith' which is basically a dogma, since it wasn't born of one's own experience.
I thinks he's not different from many Indian gurus who attempt to connect with westernized masses thru oversimplified mapping of our categories into english....some dilution & distortion is inevitable.
One just wishes they had more of the forthrightness of the old acharyas who stood & spoke clearly, and wern't so obsessed with being (& appearing) inoffensive to the abrahamic viewpoints.
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written by Dr. Pradip Gangopadh, 2007-10-03 13:42:58
You have raised a very significant question. Father Bede Griffiths who is mentioned by Sri Sri did try out Indian spiritual tradition. He had some kind of non-dual experience at the age of 82 while suffering a stroke. Father G concluded from his experience that Personal God is not the Ultimate Reality and that there exists an Impersnal non-dual Reality. So it seems that Father G did not remain orthodox after trying out Indian spiritual tradition.
Regards
Gangp
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written by Dr. Pradip Gangopadh, 2007-10-03 12:53:49
'In the Eastern philosophy, experience comes first and then faith follows. In the occidental way of thinking, belief comes first and then experience. Mother Teresa had faith but was struggling for an experience'.
Experience does not come first in eastern philosophy. First one has to have sraddha (which is not faith). Experience only comes later after prolonged meditation. Sraddha does not come after experience. After experience the Yogi knows and hence it is certainty that comes after experience.
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written by karigar, 2007-10-03 12:40:05
Yes, the reason I dodn't want to overlay more context on the article is that I also wanted to be amongst the commenters....
(Lauding with bouquets, and Landing Brickbats at will!)
I'm quite the sceptic on the prosyeltizing driven activities of the M Teresa...while acknowledging the pretty unique material & emotional balm she provided to the dying ; as she was "harvesting their souls" by announcing to the world their 'Christian Salvation'..
Of course the target of the critique should be the Corporation whose 'Officer' she was, since she's been a 'loyal soldier' and will be anointed as such , pretty soon...
I thought that , ambiguous is it was, Sri Sri's article gave a lot of pithy points on how Indian Spirituality would fulfil a lack of a certain something she privately acknowledged, & publicly hid...hint hint to the prosyeltizing machinery.
Rudra your multiple choice test is a tough one!
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written by P. Desikan, 2007-10-03 00:20:16
Warm regards. Partha.
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written by rudra, 2007-10-02 19:07:50
Sri Sri has always been an inspiring figure and while I was part of the Art of Living foundation (as a student), I loved to watch his dvds etc (since I only had the good fortune of seeing him in person once).
Very true -- but that raises the question. If an orthodox practitioner of another faith did try to learn from Indian spiritual traditions, would they still remain orthodox?
Or if honesty is paramount, they could then be one of the following --
a) deluded but honest to oneself
b) illumined but dishonest (by staying orthodox) -- but that is in itself a self-defeating end
c) be honest and throw away the baggage (orthodoxy) that was holding him/her back from progress in the spiritual path
Thanks for this article.
Regards,
Rudra
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