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A Christmas Message

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Author Topic: A Christmas Message  (Read 415 times)
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guest88
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« on: Dec 23, 2020 05:00 am »

This came in such remarkable time. I am currently witnessing attitudes about my self and in others with such clarity, and even though my energetic body is somewhat taxed I am covid free and am able to feel a sense of dispassion from the tribulations running their course in life. I am relieved and believe the living Spirit is safeguarding me, working through Swami V and at the same time, revealing and confirming thoughts and ideas that are confrontational in nature.

I hope the message here finds you well and wish everyone a merry Christmas. =)
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Venerable friends and families,

I convey my heartiest wishes and earnest blessings to you during the year-end holidays. May your holidays be instilled with a prayerful and careful attitude. May you embrace unrushed thoughtful decision-making parsing out the confusion while forbearing the tribulation. May your hearts be overfilled with gratitude and kindness.

Year-end is the time for reflection and rumination. How to make these holidays meaningful and uplifting is within the reach of your own affirmations. Change is the nature of the world and it is constantly slipping away from us. Often at the end of an era or a yuga like this, change is accelerated, bringing in a clash of ethos and bipolar ideologies. There is no other option but to face such times with moral strength and practical sense. These situations prompt us to look deeper within and harness the value of dispassion.

Holidays are meant to be holy days of self-reflection and prayer. They are not meant for simply exchanging packages of material objects that please us. Pleasure gathered from the world makes us indebted to the world, and hence there is the remembrance of worldliness. When we retire at night, we must ruminate on the higher goal of human excellence and not be flooded with memories of worldly engagements while mentally unpacking the material gifts that are laced with likes and dislikes.

One is truly peaceful if one is free from fearful living even in the face of a serious crisis of sustainable livelihood. Giving in to the fears and somewhat manifesting the worries is a much lesser way. We are born free and never meant to be wrapped in fear of the unknown or struggle with a daily dose of general dread. Holidays are meant for regaining our confidence and deepen our conviction though faith in God.

Kindness and charity are both exemplary virtues rooted in compassion. This holiday might beckon you toward gifts of kindness wherein your charitable sharing is meaningful and value-added for both the giver and the recipient. We must remember who the real giver is, and that He made sure there is plenitude waiting to be cultivated in some way or other, despite the imbalance from hoarding and greed.

The current age is such that negativity spreads faster and grips harder, but these times will change in the foreseeable future. Times are forthcoming in a few years that will embrace our fortitude toward the current challenges of civilizational crises. Our efforts become value-added through our faith in God, otherwise they are of limited effectiveness. Love is the best gift that honours our innate compassion for humanity.

Our illusory bondage to materialism cannot last long. Challenges from uninvited situations come our way due to the very urge that initiated this life. Thus it is best to not give sway to either depression or elation. The ramparts that hold us captive due to the karmic shackles get shattered faster when we invoke godliness, thereby freeing the soul from the worldly drama. Otherwise freedom is not attained before the full quota of contingent satisfactions from the momentum of karma get exhausted, which may take lifetimes of striving and adhering misery.

Whether embroiled or relatively free, once encumbered, the tentacles of duties cannot be avoided. Therefore it is best to discharge the duties of life as a spiritual penance. Do your best and leave the rest, to God – who will protect you from the imbalance of adversity and prosperity. Only if we are able to submerge in the spiritual refuge unto the supreme personality of Godhead, by following the wise words of wisdom from realized beings who have seen God, there is then the citadel of solace with rock solid fortification.

With the holy blessings of God and Guru,
Swami Vidyadhishananda
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Jitendra Hy-do-u-no-us?
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« Reply #1 on: Dec 23, 2020 08:59 am »

Lot of good stuff here but I thought I would quote what really hit me....


“Holidays are meant to be holy days of self-reflection and prayer. They are not meant for simply exchanging packages of material objects that please us. Pleasure gathered from the world makes us indebted to the world, and hence there is the remembrance of worldliness. When we retire at night, we must ruminate on the higher goal of human excellence and not be flooded with memories of worldly engagements while mentally unpacking the material gifts that are laced with likes and dislikes.

One is truly peaceful if one is free from fearful living even in the face of a serious crisis of sustainable livelihood. Giving in to the fears and somewhat manifesting the worries is a much lesser way. We are born free and never meant to be wrapped in fear of the unknown or struggle with a daily dose of general dread. Holidays are meant for regaining our confidence and deepen our conviction through faith in God.“
« Last Edit: Dec 23, 2020 09:02 am by Steve Hydonus » Report Spam   Logged

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guest88
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« Reply #2 on: Dec 24, 2020 03:20 am »

Steve, it's all gold. Every word. Then I was hit with todays Sufi message, which describes a set number of paths and where they all lead to. After reading this, I am convinced that Swami is a representation of the path of duty- for he has often said that our incarnation and our service is a type of spiritual penance- which is his way of describing liberation towards God- and is in line with the Sufi who says selflesness is the key to freedom. I hope you are able to see the connection between Swami's words and that of Hazrat Inayat Kahn, as they coincide. This was all by chance, which further exemplifies the miracle of a Living Spirit.

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The Sufi looks on all with tolerance, and knows that there is a path for everyone. The path of the lover is for him, the path of the one seeking for wealth is for him, the seeker after paradise is following his path, it is all a journey. It is simply that there are four different routes by which the journey is made. The Sufi sees the same goal at the end of each; the lover has to meet the seeker after wealth, and both have to meet the one who has done his duty. Therefore at the end of their journey there is a place where they can meet. What does it matter if one does not go by a certain path? Let each choose the way that belongs to his own temperament and tendency. Therefore the Sufi does not worry. He gives no preference to one or the other. He sees the journey of life being made along one or other of these roads. The saying of Buddha, 'Forgive all', comes true. Forgiveness does not come by learning, it comes by understanding that a person should be allowed to travel along that path which is suited to his temperament. As long as he is journeying with open eyes, let him journey.

The great thing is that one should journey with one single desire. There should be the single desire: whether to love a beloved, to collect wealth, or to do some good for the world of humanity, or to attain paradise. There should be the desire to journey to the goal. So many do not know which is the goal or what it is. One thinks wealth is the goal, another paradise, another the beloved. They do not see that there is still a further goal. They are naturally prompted by the desire to get to the goal, and yet they are not conscious of the further goal.

As it is said in the Bible: 'Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all things shall be added unto you.' The real desire is for that kingdom of perfection, the goal of everything.
   from  https://wahiduddin.net/mv2/VII/VII_30.htm
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« Reply #3 on: Dec 24, 2021 04:25 pm »

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Venerable friends and families,

I convey my warmest greetings and earnest blessings to you during the year-end holidays. May your holidays be meaningful, joyful, and free from fear. I pray that your hearts are full of gratitude and kindness despite the tough times that we have had to encounter over this past year.

As holidays embrace us, surrounding our hearts with the warmth of familiar ambience, we often like to reflect and ruminate about our successes or failures in the last year. This reflecting becomes more meaningful when we do not lose the lesson, even if we feel like we’ve lost out. Virtue is strengthened by deeper reflection and learning from the experience.

If you are feeling tired, reflect if this a feeling of good tiredness. During these hard times, it was perhaps not enough to be earnest, you might have needed to exert. Despite good intentions and best of efforts, outcomes might be delayed or not yet visible. Labour of love is a value that builds virtues which seep into the subtle layers of our character. Time well spent in a positive direction and made spiritually meaningful will convert the good tiredness into moral strength.

It is not the kind of tired that comes after staying up too late. This is a kind of good tired that comes with exertion for a good cause. In the back of the mind the notion of good serving is prevalent, and morale is high throughout the labour. It's the kind of good tired that comes from a brisk walkathon to raise awareness of a just cause, a whole day of gardening to create sustenance, or cooking and distributing food to the underprivileged. This kind of good tired comes from helping a homeless family secure affordable housing or running around to deliver much needed essential supplies to senior living and foster homes.

There is often no time to think about body aches, take a shower or soak the tired feet in salt water. The drive to keep on serving comes from the ideal behind serving, resting on the moral high ground that makes us human. No matter the prick in the conscience about the exploitation by cabals and the decadence of governance that affect our trust, our innate kindness drives us toward that good tiredness.

We learn how to anchor during difficult situations, pivot during transitions, adapt to new mandates that do not make sense, and yet be resilient despite the shaming that is often thrust upon us due to our informed choices. Our nascent immunity is built upon the moral values that embellish us and is at the root of our nourishment. This is a good spiritual way to ruminate while overcoming the shortcomings of this past year. Faith is also behind the hope that we can prevail by being generous and gentle. We need not mind being a little tired. We can ride this turbulent tide with faith and moral strength.

I pray that your holiday season will be a respite from the pressure of living to work. This is not the time to exult while opening gift boxes or gorging on sugar, but rather to reflect on how to glow in the collective warmth of human spirit brought about by well-meaning fellowship with careful and prayerful people. Sugar is not a replacement for love even if past habits attract the fake sweetness unknowingly. It is good to find some time for the much-needed rest over the holidays, all the while knowing that the repose of solace is at the core of our year-to-year stamina and fortitude.

Fortitude builds patience and patience supports quietude. Stillness is a natural consequence of quiet reflection, and the silent pauses grow on you. Those pauses are very useful for our stamina. The idea is not to keep feeling tired. Rejuvenation is a natural need of our lives. However mental clearing is at the root of stamina.

Making the holidays uplifting is within your reach, through attemptable affirmations. We need to adapt to the changes inherent in the nature of the world that is, in spiritual terms, constantly slipping away from us. Our current times feel like they are accelerating, rife with clashes of ethos and bipolar ideologies. Now is the time to anchor with moral strength and practical sense.

Tiredness manifests in the body and is usually not an obstacle as long as the mind is imbued with clarity and inspiration. Residing free of rent in a house that is not really yours, how is it possible to avoid its distemperatures? Ashes collected from cremation are merged into the water as the final ablution, such is the essence of our skeletal framework.

The sole shackle is the invasion of unchecked desires in this house which stoke our afflictions. Satisfaction is temporary, whereas genuine fulfillment is lasting. Food is a satisfaction for hunger but understanding the hunger at a subtle emotional level and sharing the food may bring about a fulfilling experience.

Reflecting deeply on the desires (such as the holiday rush for sugar or toys) might allow access to its refined psychic counterpart, aspiration. Ask yourself what your true holiday aspiration is. If a light bulb moment happens, then it was worth all the good tiredness and the nagging aches. Both the mind and the body evolve into a greater state of being disaffected by aging or occasional overuse. Physical decay may cause waxing and waning of mental strength but touches not the core of your being.

Aspiration by its own make up is innately spiritual and is at the root of all noble affirmations. From a spiritual perspective your body and home are refractory as they are not really yours. Henceforth puny desires go awry. Complete fulfillment is not easily given to us by means of this intractable body. The body helps us when we know how to cultivate its strengths.

Good tiredness is a way to pause for reflection, finding a greater meaning about life’s purpose. We repose in our faith when we search deeper. Faith is the forerunner of all that we care for through serving. Faith is ultimately the conviction about a supreme being who is free from the shackles of karma and its impressions.

We are born free, and never meant to be draped in fancy wrappers that are laced in fear from our projections. The daily dose of general dread can be overcome with spiritual fortitude and faith in the supreme being. Holidays are meant for regaining our confidence and deepening our conviction through faith in the supreme being.

God-centred living brings about a faithful and honourable life; this is the experience. Earnest prayers to that supreme being can protect us from the imbalance of adversity and prosperity. Good tiredness might just enable us to repose in our divinity and the purpose of spiritual realization.

With the holy blessings of my meditation lineages,
Swami Vidyadhishananda
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