Voice of the Worldwide Vedanta Movement

Summer 2010 Vol. XV, No. 3

In this Issue: Ghosts Hindu Ethics Understanding Truthfulness Challenging the Paradigm of Materialism

and more

Adapted from a parable told by Swami Vivekananda

Continued on the inside back cover

Editor-in-chief Swami Bhaskarananda Editors Allen R. Freedman Stafford Smith Editorial Assistant Devra Freedman Production/Design/Artwork Charles Mathias Brahmachari David Kathleen Teague Scott Wirth Advertising/Business Assistant Swami Avikarananda Editorial and Business Offices 2716 Broadway East Seattle, WA 98102-3909 Phone: 206-323-1228 Fax: 206-329-1791 E-mail: global@vedanta-seattle.org Global Vedanta, Issue #57 (ISSN 1089-6902) 2010 Viveka Press. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any portion of Global Vedanta without the express written permission of the publisher is prohibited. The opinions expressed by the contributors are not necessarily those of the publisher. Global Vedanta is published quarterly for us$12.00/year in the U.S.A.; us$14.00/year in Canada & Mexico; us$18.00/year in all other countries. Viveka Press, the publisher of Global Vedanta, is the publishing arm of the Vedanta Society of Western Washington, a branch of the Ramakrishna Order of India. The Society, a non-profit corporation founded in 1941, gratefully accepts tax-deductible contributions and bequests to assist its efforts to publicize various aspects of Vedanta with special emphasis on its teaching of the harmony of all religions. All editorial and pre-press work on Global Vedanta is provided on a voluntary basis.

summer 2010 vol. xv, no. 3

This Issue
2 4 6 8 13

Challenging the Paradigm of Materialism Hindu Ethics Ghosts Understanding Truthfulness Jade in Your Bosom, Ishta in your heart

Departments
1 10 11 14 16

Letters HumorThe Spice of Life Poets Corner Vedanta News from Around the World About the Contributors

President Swami Bhaskarananda Cover: The decorated picture of Sri Sarada Devi during the annual Board of Directors function honoring her at the Vedanta Society in Seattle. Chairman Mr. Stafford Smith Vice-Chairman Dr. Anadijiban Das Treasurer Dr. AllenR. Freedman Secretary Mr. Charles S. Wirth Directors Swami Avikarananda, Swami Brahmatmananda, Mrs. Rita Das, Mr. John E. Flynn, Swami Manishananda, Mr. Charles Mathias, Dr. Parthasarathi Mukhopadhyay, Dr. Usha Sankrithi Emeriti Dr. Santosh Kumar, Dr. Darbari Lal Sharma

The profound significance about Sri Ramakrishnas coming here in the current issue of Global Vedanta, quoting the personal experience of Srimat Swami Subodanandaji Maharaj, is very much arresting to me. In fact, it was from this here that I got confirmation about the Divine Call. When I told this to my father, he said, If that is the WILL of God I do not object.
Swami Gitasarananda Madurai Math, Tamil Nadu

Thanks for publishing Global Vedanta. I thoroughly enjoy it.

Rabin Chatterjee Toronto, Canada

LETTERs

hope he is busy like a bee writing more.

Joseph Peidle Boston, MA

I have been reading Global Vedanta since the late 1990s. I thoroughly enjoy reading it every time I get it.

Thanks to all of you for the perseverance and beauty of the work.
Anete Sao Paul, Brazil

Atin Bhattacharya Toronto, Canada

Vol. xv, No. 3

Russell Atkinsons prose poem in the latest issue was honey to the readers. I GLOBAL VEDANTA

We received the latest issue of Global Vedanta the other day. The obituary and See Letterspage 12 1

challenging the paradigm of materialism

by Jay lakhani

ll paradigms have a habit of cracking up at some point. This is not a bad thing at all. Challenging paradigms acknowledges our capacity to evolve in the way we perceive reality. Evolution in the world of ideas is as crucial as evolution in the biological realm. Both have to adapt themselves to changing circumstances else they stagnate or perish. Living organisms evolve reflecting the changing environment; scientific theories evolve through newer discoveries that allow us a more economic and elegant grasp of reality. Materialism has its origin in our earliest attempts to come to terms with reality using the norm of substance and its attributes. Explaining the universe in terms of sticks and stones or smaller versions of sticks and stones (elementary particles with mass, charge, and spin, etc.) is a tried and tested paradigm that has produced durable results for over two thousand years. The paradigm of materialism has not only come to be enshrined at the heart of the physical sciences, but has also exerted its influence on all branches of scientific thinking. The proclamation of the Vienna Circle that only those statements that can be supported by empirical evidence are meaningful, reflects this strictly materialistic locus of operation for scientific enquiry. One of the endearing aspects of science is its preparedness to test all its hypotheses to destruction. This sounds easy in theory, but is not so easy to put into practice. Scientists are human and prone to becoming emotionally attached to their pet paradigms. The aim of this article is to explore and challenge sciences pet paradigmthe paradigm of materialism. These challenges come from discoveries at the cutting edge of science itself. Since the middle of the 1920s physics has been struggling to get a conceptual grasp of the phenomenon called the quantum.1 This is perhaps the most dramatic discovery right at the heart of the most physical of physical sciences. It is

1. This term pertains to a branch of Physics which studies phenomena seemingly on the boundary between matter and energy.

stupendously successful in explaining the workings of almost everything from a computer chip to DNA. Though the mathematical formalism is extremely successful, there is complete lack of conceptual grasp of the phenomenon. The quantum refuses to be captured within the locus of a materialistic paradigm, because the quantum that underpins matter is essentially non-material. Einstein desperately tried to capture the quantum in a materialistic framework, but failed every time. The three intriguing features of the quantum are: Disjoint between the world of quantum and the world of matter. If we were to smash two bricks together we still get two bricks (maybe part as rubble or part as energy) but if we were to smash two quanta together, we can get anything from two quanta to no quanta as a result (without the slightest trace of either of the two quanta or even a ripple of energy to show for them). Observer problem: Who flips the micro world of quanta into the macro world of matter? This entity cannot be in the realm of matter or in the realm of the quanta, else it cannot flip! So who or what is that entity that straddles both worlds? Non-locality. If two elementary entities (like photons) that are once linked get separated by billions of light years, when we squeeze one, the other feels and knows it instantly! How does it know? There is clearly a non-local or a non-material linkage. The reason why such conceptual anomalies will not go away is because we continue to dignify matter as primary and demote the quantum discovery as a mere mathematical ploy invoked to handle the unexpected shenanigans of matter. This is not only like putting the cart before the horse, but attempting to show how the cart is pulling the horse! Most physicists are so fixated on matter that it is almost impossible for them to think outside a materialistic box. Einstein exhibited his bias through his debates with Neils Bohr. Murray Gell-Man exhibits his bias in the dismissive way he treats the quantum as a GLOBAL VEDANTA

ploy rather than a serious conceptual challenge. Penrose seeks to link quantum with consciousness in matter (in the microtubules of the neuron cells). Hugh Everetts many-world interpretation is perhaps one of the most outlandish attempts to hang on to the materialistic paradigm. In order to rid a conscious observer from the realm of physics, Everett is happy for the whole universe to keep making infinite copies of itself at every quantum eventalmost every instant of time! This is divergence with a vengeance. Occam must be turning in his grave! Quantum is pointing to a non-material phenomenon that is primary. Matter has to be demoted as a secondary feature as Schrodinger had suggested: Particles are just schaumkommen (appearances). The empirical world of matter that we are so sure about is just one aspect of appearance rigorously validating another aspect of appearance. When we rub two pebbles together and hear the satisfying empirical click, all we have done is given credence to one aspect of the appearance (pebble) using another aspect (pebble) of appearance. We define this process as crisp empirical science. The reason why material reality appears so solid and objective is because, not only is the world of appearance incredibly self-consistent, it is shared universally by all observers. Just as at the heart of physics sits the quantum phenomenon that defies and challenges a materialistic paradigm, at the heart of neuroscience sits consciousness, another intriguing phenomenon. We can be forgiven for thinking that consciousness is an epiphenomenon of brain activity. However, investigations attempting to find the seat of consciousness in the brain reveal some of its unusual features. Consciousness is a highly versatile phenomenon that defies a simplistic reductionist approach. This is referred to as the hard problem in neuroscience. Can we find a slice of the brain (or a region in the brain) that produces consciousness? How are we going to verify that experimentally? Consciousness is a subjective phenomenon and every tool we come up with is bound to be an object. summer 2010

So how can we possibly carry out an experiment to find the seat of consciousness using material tools? Let us do a thought experiment: Imagine that we have a highly sensitive probe, which we can use to prod any part of the brain. Exactly how are we expecting the probe to detect consciousness? Remember, we are not exploring matter or motion or even a complex process associated with a living cell. We are in search of consciousness. How do we do that? This is the problem. Only consciousness can validate consciousness and neither are objective by definition. A host of thinkers keep churning up volumes of literature to explain consciousness away in material or social

away! Why are so many intelligent thinkers keen to explain consciousness away as a secondary feature of matter, rather than acknowledge and dignify it as a primary phenomenon? The answer comes from John Searle who says: If one had to describe the deepest motivation for materialism, one might say that it is simply a terror of consciousness. Attempts to explain consciousness away is deeply embedded in scientific thinking because it challenges its pet paradigm of materialism. In life sciences, the definition of life itself poses a similar problem. In biological terms, a live entity is defined as a complex string of molecules undergoing complex processes like homeostasis, metabolism,

Charles Mathias

or psychological or computational terms. This is how one brain scientist explains consciousness: Consciousness is short-term memory combined with awareness. All he has done is to replace one unknown (consciousness) with another unknown (awareness). This is perhaps forgivable, but what is unforgivable is when some authors generate a jungle of jargon to circumvent their confusion. Employing a string of clever words does not necessarily mean that we have grasped what we are talking about. Let us look at a classic example from Dennett, who comments: Conscious human minds are more-or-less serial virtual machines implemented ineff iciently on the parallel hardware that evolution has provided for us. This is supposed to lull us into thinking that he has explained consciousness Vol. xv, No. 3

growth, adaptation, response to stimulus, reproduction etc. Life makes its appearance when an entity throws up a membrane to separate itself from the rest of the environment. This separation offers it a chance to build a kind of individuality for itself. After separation it exhibits its uniqueness by interacting with its environment in a selective manner! The word selective is the crucial term that hides the non-material underpinning to life. The best definition of life I have come across is: Life is that which is not in conformity with its environment but in defiance of it! Even the simplest form of life does not roll over and play dead when nature prods it. It does not like being dictated to by nature. When we see a bacteria buzzing, it is fighting against natural forces; when GLOBAL VEDANTA

it stops its fight, external forces will tear it apart. A biologist offered this tonguein-cheek example of how to distinguish between living and non-living things. If you kick a rock you can work out its trajectory to the nearest millimeter, but if you kick a dog, its trajectory is the last thing you can work outthough it is quite likely that it will go for your leg! So when we hear the idyllic saying let us go back to nature, dont listen. They are asking us to die! Everything humanity stands for has been achieved by standing up against nature and its forces, and not by playing ball with it. An evolutionary biologist may object to this explanation, and suggest that life is just complexified nature (the apex being mankind) that is standing up to less complex nature! But then they have slipped in a meta-term, complex, that hides the non-material aspect of what life is all about. The study of life belongs to a new field of science: complexification, which does not use a reductionist, materialistic approach. To suggest that life is an epiphenomenon of matter and its attributes is an oversimplification. It is fine to suggest that human beings are a continuation of the animal kingdom, but this is not necessarily the same as suggesting that life is a continuation of the material kingdom. The signature of life is that it does not like being buffeted by material forces; it stands up to them and attempts to harness them. Modern humanity reflects the culmination of this process. Quantum, consciousness, or the definition of life itself: none of them sit well within the paradigm of materialism. This does not mean that we have to throw this paradigm out of the window. Even though we know that Newtons theory of gravitation is just an approximation of the more elegant theory of Einstein, we still use Newtons theory to do our day-to-day calculations. In the same way, a materialistic paradigm should be accommodated as a ploy that gives us a handle to relate to the world around us. However, this should not stop us from taking a conceptual leap beyond matter. Schrodinger was aware that the quantum phenomenon resonates well with the insights of eastern metaphysics. Let us explore that avenue. See Challenging Materialismpage 12 3

by swami vividishananda
and outlook. Each person has their own ideal and tries to realize the same in their own way. In the quest for what is best and most desirable, some want such temporal things as wealth, power and the like. Others hanker after happiness and evaluate life by that standard. Others again, with the moral instinct strong in them, aim at righteousness and subordinate all other considerations to that ideal. But only a blessed few hunger after spiritual freedom. Under these circumstances, to expect that a rigid system will suit the moral and spiritual susceptibilities of mankind in general is only another name for fanaticism and bigotry. The Hindus have, therefore, evolved an ethical science that is broad enough to accommodate itself to all temperaments and stages of evolution. Their ethics, with its searching analysis of morality, divided people into the categories of Satvika, Rajasika and Tamasika types. Its scientific classification of people into castes and Ashramas1 with their diverse allotted duties, is based on subtle biological principles, providing scope for all types of people. Besides, in their conception of the four goals or ends of human life (Sanskrit: Purushartha) comprising material prosperity, happiness, moral righteousness and emancipation, we find almost all the ends that determine the activities of humans. But what they emphasize is that the minor ends, many as they are, should subserve the final end, emancipationthe be-all and end-all of existence. In other words, they grant working validity to the minor ends, giving every person full liberty to pursue the line most suitable to his or her temperament and capacity, only if the ultimate goal is kept in view. The metaphysical grounding of Hindu ethics is the synthetic philosophy of Vedanta that may be called the rationale of all faiths and creeds. Brahman (who is
1. The four stages or Ashramas of Hindu life: (i) the stage of a student, (ii) the stage of a married person, (iii) the stage of a retired person, (iv) the stage of final renunciation of all worldly desires and total dedication to God.

hindu ethics

ny intelligent student who goes through the Hindu scriptures with an unbiased mind, will find there are ample materials for Hindu ethics. Hindu philosophy, rightly observes Prof. Max Muller, has not neglected the important sphere of ethics, but that on the contrary, we find ethics in the beginning, ethics in the middle and ethics in the end. Hindu ethics became what it is now by passing through an evolutionary process of thesis, antithesis and synthesis. At the primitive stage of thesis the Hindus, simple and unassuming, directed their youthful energies outwards and pictured a rosy view of life on earth. Then they had an inordinate craving for physical and intellectual perfection and struggled to overcome the limitations of nature. Their conception of right and wrong was therefore colored by the naturalistic bias they had at that time. Next came the stage of antithesisa reaction to the naturalistic view of life. By that time, they had learnt the fleeting nature of earthly pleasures and went inwards for peace. The spiritual world opened before them. They became interested in a life of simplicity and purity, self-denial and renunciation. They started spending their time in fasts, prayers and meditation. The transition from full-fledged objectivity gave birth naturally to a morality that was transcendental in character, denying the values of earthly existence. By the inevitable law of dialectic this extreme needed a synthesis, and it passed to the final stage that harmonized both. Hindu ethics became now a happy union of the moral consciousness of the natural and the spiritual man. True to the kindred points of heaven and home it was ethereal and at the same time practical. Herein lies its superiority to Zoroastrian and Islamic ethics, which do not go beyond the moral consciousness of the natural man, and Buddha and early Christian ethics which are fit for otherworldly monks and nuns. In this world of diversity no two persons are exactly alike. Each person differs from all others as regards taste, mentality 4

One without a second) and is Existence, Knowledge and Bliss Absolute, is the only Reality. The phenomenal world, both in its subjective and objective character, is unreal. This is the final conclusion of Vedanta. But unlike Buddhist philosophy that verges on nihilism, it admits the relative reality of the world and leaves, as Prof. Max Muller observes, to every man a wide sphere of real usefulness and places him under a law as strict and binding as anything can be in this transitory life. Brahman, the featureless Unity associated with Maya, becomes Iswara, the God of religion and the goal of morality, possessing in one personality the attributes of infinite power, wisdom, truth and love. In Him the world lives, moves and has its being. He is the life and soul of all creatures, including man. In contrast with the Christian conception of sin and its horrible concomitant, eternal damnation, the Hindus have a message of hope, even for the vilest of sinners, for they believe in the inborn Divinity of humanity. The sinner is no less a God than a saint, the difference lies only in the degree of manifestation of divinity. Moral consciousness is our human prerogative. It is rooted in humankinds very being. It is an expression of our inherent perfection. But within the domain of Maya we sometimes forget what we really are and do what we should not do, mistaking the wrong for the right. Thus originates sin and crimean accidental, temporary phase of our character, and the necessity of the moral and legal code to regulate society. The idea of an extra-cosmic being with a rod in one hand and boons in the other, governing the moral order by punishing the vicious and rewarding the virtuous, as some religions have it, may be helpful for humanity in its infant stage, but it cannot satisfy the rational demands of this scientific age. We admit that reward and punishment have got their relative values as incentives to moral and spiritual life, but they have no metaphysical justification. summer 2010

GLOBAL VEDANTA

Nothing comes from outside, we reap only the fruit of our own acts. Hence the impulse for all change, moral and spiritual, should come from within, and the function of ethics and religion is nothing else but to help this internal growth. The doctrine of Karma that presupposes the immortality of the human soul is the pivot on which Hindu ethics moves. If there had been no causal nexus in the moral order, many things would have remained unconnected and therefore inexplicable. How are we to account for the phenomenon that of two men, born and brought up in the same environment, one turns out to be a scoundrel and the other a saint? It is the deeds done in previous incarnations that determine our present lives with our peculiar tendencies. We are wholly responsible for what we are and what we will be. We are the architects of our own destinies. Ignorant as we are, we often lay the blame at the door of Providence and call Him (God) unjust and whimsical. But, Neither agency, nor actions does the Lord create for the world, nor does He bring about the union with the fruits of action.2 Not to speak of the scientific and logical character of this doctrine of Karma, it has got a marvelous influence on human conduct. If we know for certain that our present sufferings are the results of our past bad deeds, we have no reason to grumble. Like debtors who are paying off old debts, we will be resigned to our lots and will ungrudgingly bear with all that will come as trials and tribulations. Besides having the future in our control, we will give up all thought for what we cannot mend now, and put forth our best efforts to lay by capital that will make us happier hereafter. The crown and glory of Hindu ethics is its doctrine of duty for dutys sake. Whenever we do anything great and noble, there is generally a reward either in the shape of name and fame here or of happiness hereafter. The false idea of me and mine have so much obsessed our minds that we find it difficult to eliminate this egoistic element. But the secret of
2. Bhagavad Gita, Chap. 5, Verse 14.

success lies in doing the thing perfectly without any concern for what it leads to. To work you have the right, but not to the fruits thereof, says the Lord in the Bhagavad Gita. Let every person, in whatever station of life he or she may be, dedicate all that they do as an offering unto the Lord. Work done in a spirit of unselfishness and nonattachment purifies the mind, clears the vision and broadens the outlook. This will lead finally to the super-moral stagea stage beyond good and evil, when one with an eye of evenness beholds the Self

Nothing comes from outside, we reap only the fruit of our own acts. Hence the impulse for all change, moral and spiritual, should come from within, and the function of ethics and religion is nothing else but to help this internal growth.

Vol. xv, No. 3

to exult over when an individual serves his fellow brothers, for as essentially Divine beings he and others are all one. As a striking contrast, consider the utilitarian ethic that obtains almost everywhere nowadays, and which stands on commercial principles, especially in its application to life and activity, individual and national. It preaches a pragmatic ideal, Do unto others as you would be done by, and does not go beyond the limit of utility in molding the social conscience. The cultivation of virtues is enjoined for the order of society and the individual interests of the social units. There is no doubt that we find a noble maxim and rule in the Christian commandment, Love thy neighbor as thyself. But we miss there the metaphysical reasons why we should do so and not otherwise. Hindu altruism that embraces all, has its root in the idea of the unity of the Divine Self, and establishes the fundamental identity of the higher interests of humanity. With the idea that God is worshipped best in humanity, only a Hindu can say with Swami Vivekananda, Give as the rose gives perfume. It is our privilege to be chariin all beings and all beings in the Self. table, for only so can we grow. The poor This is the most covetable state of spiri- man suffers that we may be helpful. Let tual illumination one can aspire to, for it the giver kneel down and offer his thanks. amounts to freedom in this life, not in the Let the receiver stand up and permit. sense of license, but freedom that cannot degenerate into sinful acts, nor claim merit for virtuous acts. To conclude, let us consider now the Hindu science of morals in relation to the world at large. Hindus are not expected to live unto themselves alone; their lives When the mind beshould be veritable sacrifices. All that they have they owe greatly to othersfamily, comes purified like a society, state, humanity and so on. Born mirror, knowledge is as they are with so many obligations, their chief aim should be to fulfill them as best revealed in it. Care as they can within the span of a lifetime. should therefore be A conscientious life is therefore a life that is lived in tune with the highest ideal taken to purify the and for the well-being of others. If we mind. are sure that all that we see, including the individual souls, are nothing but manifesSri Shankaracharya tations of that one ultimate Realitythe Divine Self, then with whom are we to quarrel and fight? All living beings have the same Divine essence. There is nothing GLOBAL VEDANTA 5

by marion lee
shook. I had hung a picture and I could hear it slamming against the wall. By this time I had already decided there was probably a ghost living in my studio (who probably thought I was living in his or her studio), and maybe I could try talking to it. I plucked up my courage and said, in my usual low, mumbling voice, to the ghost, Could you please try to be more quiet; I need to sleep! To my utter astonishment, as soon as I finished speaking, the place became dead quiet. Not a single footstep. Not a single bang. It was summer at that time and I had my window open, with a fan in the window. The fan was running, so no one outside my apartment could possibly hear what I said. Therefore, I had no alternative but to conclude that I indeed was living with a ghost. The rest of the night was mostly silent, except for an occasional footstep or bang, as if the ghost was saying, Oops! Excuse me! I was, of course, too nervous to fall asleep. My roommate appeared to be quite considerate but still, a ghost is a ghost. The following morning, before I left for work, I thanked the ghost aloud for staying so quiet. Did it hear me? I wondered. I was truly grateful for its cooperation, but I certainly would rather have complete privacy than share the place with an invisible roommate. I moved out the following day. For a long time I thought my New York roommate was unique, until I heard from Swami Bhaskarananda, President of Vedanta Society of Western Washington, about an Indian ghost that apparently communicated in the same way with the living. That incident had happened much earlier in the city of Shillong in India in the Khasi Hills, when Swami Bhaskarananda was a brahmachari (novice) at the Shillong ashrama. A senior monk, Swami Hridyananda, related to him his personal experience. The swami had gone to a village named Nartiang some thirty miles away from Shillong. He was in charge of a mobile clinic that would give free medicine to the GLOBAL VEDANTA indigent villagers. Swami Hridyananda had rented a house in the village and was staying with a tribal Khasi young man, who was his assistant. Shortly after moving into the house, the swami discovered that the house was haunted. He started hearing strange noises, mostly at night. Unlike what I heard in my New York studio, these noises resembled hammering sounds. It sounded as if someone was moving back and forth around the house, hitting the walls or the roof gently with a hammer. One evening, when the swami was sitting in the living room, the hammering noise started. There it goes again, the swami thought, but its on the other end of the living room. I hope it doesnt came any closer! Right after the swami had thought this, the hammering sounds jumped over to the wall closest to him. Later, on enquiry he came to know that an elderly woman had stayed alone in that house. After her death, some of the villagers claimed that they had seen her sometimes walking around the house at night. As the disturbing noises continued in that haunted house, Swami Hridyananda eventually moved to another rented house. Depar ted souls exist, S wami Bhaskarananda told me, They co-exist in this world, inhabiting different planes of existence or lokas, as they are called in Sanskrit. These lokas have their own sets of vibration. They vibrate at different frequencies. We can only perceive whatever exists within the frequency range of our loka. Since departed souls occupy planes of different frequencies, we are not aware of their existence, at least most of the time. Who are these ghosts? They are departed souls who, while alive, had extremely powerful attachments to certain objects or persons in this world. People who commit suicide also become ghosts. After the death of their bodies, these souls still cling to this world. They are unwilling to depart and yet unable to truly reach the objects of their attachment. These are not happy souls. Spiritually evolved people, whose summer 2010

ghosts

firmly believe that ghosts exist. Many years ago in New York City, I shared an apartment with one. At that time I had just moved into a three or four-storied building in Manhattan. My unit was a so-called studio apartmentjust one large room with living room and bedroom combined, with an open kitchen and a bathroom. Right after I moved in, I started noticing occasional, puzzling sounds. There were very heavy footsteps that were interrupted by loud bangs, as if an elephant was pacing back and forth and unloading heavy objects onto the floor of my apartment. The footsteps and bangs were so heavy I could feel the vibrations on the floor. That was why I did not think they could have come from the ceiling. Moreover, I was living on the top floor, and the door to the roof was locked. The strange noises would come at any time, day or night, so that ruled out workers on the roof. The only other possibility would be my downstairs neighbour pounding on his ceiling, but I felt reluctant to knock on his door to ask such a ridiculous question, especially since I had never even met him once. Anyway, as the noise never lasted more than ten or twenty minutes, I was content to let the mystery live onuntil one evening. This time the footsteps and bangs continued for hours unabated, as if the invisible elephant had had too many cups of coffee. When it was bedtime, I turned off the light and went to bed, but the noise went on. Several times I got out of bed and turned on the light. However, this had absolutely no effect on the noise. I could feel the floor vibrating with footsteps right in front of me, but couldnt see anything except empty space above the vibrating part of the floor. As there was nothing I could do, I turned off the light and returned to bed. I was convinced that the apartment downstairs must be vacant; otherwise my neighbor would have banged on my door and cursed me for that noise long ago. The noise went on until around midnight, when suddenly there came two extremely heavy bangs. The whole place 6

minds are highly refined, can actually see ghosts. Swami Vivekananda was one of them. While in the city of Madras in India, he once saw the ghost of his sister, who had committed suicide, appear before him. She told him that their mother had just passed away. Swami Vivekananda loved his mother very much. So he was, naturally, griefstricken hearing that news. Then he made enquires about his mother. To his great relief, he found out that his mother was actually still alive and well in Calcutta. Shortly thereafter, his sisters ghost appeared to him again. W h e n a s k e d by Swami Vivekananda why she had lied to him, she explained that, knowing how much he loved his mother, she thought the news of their m o t h e r s d e a t h would be a blow severe enough to make him take his own life. She had Charles Mathias hoped that if he also became a ghost like her, she would have his company. She had been so lonely, she said. Swami Vivekananda was much saddened. He prayed to God to grant peace to his sisters tortured soul. Obviously, his prayer was granted. He never saw her again. Sri Ramakrishna had seen ghosts also. His most widely known encounter with ghosts occurred when he visited a great devotee named Aghormani, well-known in the Ramakrishna Order as Gopaler Ma, along with his disciple Rakhal, who later became Swami Brahmananda. They arrived from Dakshineswar at the village of Kamarhati, where Aghormani lived, around ten o clock in the morning. Aghormani was overjoyed at their unexpected visit. She offered them lunch and took them to an upstairs room of the house where they could have a siesta. After Rahkal was asleep, Sri Ramakrishna detected a foul odor in the room. PresVol. xv, No. 3

ently two ghosts with ugly, skeleton-like forms appeared. They very humbly requested Sri Ramakrishna to go away, for they could not bear the brilliance of his spiritual presence. The Master complied, and after waking up Rahkal, they quickly left that place. Later, on their way back to Dakshineswar, he explained to Rakhal that he decided not to tell Gopaler Ma about the ghosts, knowing for sure that

her high spiritual state would protect her from them. Those two ghosts missed an excellent opportunity. They asked Sri Ramakrishna to go away, instead of asking him for their liberation! Being a Divine Incarnation, the Master had the power to grant liberation, and they missed the chance! I would like to narrate another, similar incident that I heard from Swami Bhaskarananda. Before being sent to the United States, he lived for eleven years at Belur Math, the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Order, near Calcutta. While there, he had the opportunity of living with many elderly swamis of the Order. One of them was Swami Punyavratananda (also known as Kalyan Maharaj). Doing spiritual practice around midnight is considered highly beneficial according to Hindu tradition. Following that tradition, one day, with the door of his room wide open, Swami PunyavraGLOBAL VEDANTA

tananda was performing japa (chanting of the holy name) late into the night, when suddenly he noticed the electric light in the veranda outside going on and off, apparently by itself. When he looked out, he was surprised to see his deceased elder brother standing at the door looking very sad. His brother said to Swami Punyavratananda, I am suffering. I have no peace! Then he melted away. Swami Punyav r atanandas brother was a bachelor and had lived for some years alone in Varanasi. He loved to be in that holy city. Then suddenly he disappeared without leaving any trace. His family members, including Kalyan Maharaj, finally concluded that he must have drowned in the holy river Ganges where he used to go for a purifying bath every morning. His body, however, was never found. The swami wanted to help his departed brother. Knowing that Sri Ramakrishna was none other than God himself, he prayed to Sri Ramakrishna to grant his brother peace. Later, his departed brother appeared to him again in the same manner around midnight. This time he looked happy and told Swami Punyavratananda that he had found peace. After Swami Punyavratananda narrated this incident, Swami Bhaskarananda asked, The scriptures of Hinduism say that anyone who dies in Varanasi is liberated by Lord Shiva. Since your brother died in Varanasi, he should have been liberated by Lord Shiva right there, why wasnt he? Swami Punyavratananda replied, It is quite possible that when he drowned in the river he didnt immediately die. The current must have carried him away beSee Ghostspage 12 7

understanding truthfulness
(Based on a talk given by the authored.) ruthfulness is the practice of speaking what is true. In other words, truthfulness is no other than giving a correct description of a fact experienced by you. Let me suppose you saw a black dog walking down the street. Later, when you say to others, I saw a black dog walking down the street, you are correctly describing a fact experienced by you. You are practicing truthfulness. Had you said, I saw a white dog walking down the street, then you would not be truthful, because, you were not correctly describing what you saw. If you ask, Who can judge truthfulness? then the answer will be that it is you who will be the judge of your own truthfulness, not others. For example, let me suppose that during a tornado you saw a cow flying through the air, having been picked up by the extremely powerful whirlwind. Now, if you say to others, I saw a cow flying through the air, it will be truthfulness on your part. But others, whove never seen a cow flying through the air, will think that you are not being truthful. In other words, they are not capable of judging your truthfulness correctly in this particular case. Someone may ask, Why should truth be subjective? There are universal objective truths, such as the truth about the existence of this world. Everybody experiences the existence of this world. The truth about its existence is surely not the subjective experience of only one person. Yet it may be argued that what appears to be a universal objective truth can be just an illusion. For example, we may all see a distant star in the sky. The star is five light years away from the earth, which means that light takes five years to travel from that star to earth. But let us suppose that the star disintegrated three years ago and disappeared from the sky. Yet for three years after its annihilation we will still be seeing that star. This is a case of universal hallucination. Many think that truth has the ability to withstand the challenge of reason. For example, it is true that all living beings are mortal. They will all die sooner or later.

by swami bhaskarananda

But it may be possible to prove through reasoning that it is impossible for anyone to die. In spite of that logical proof, the truth that all living beings are mortal will remain totally unaffected. Let me demonstrate this with the help of a well-known paradox of the ancient Greek philosopher Zeno. He lived around 300 B.C. With the help of reasoning he proved that it is impossible for a man to die. To prove his point, he first considered the question: Does a man die when he is alive? Then he argued that if a man dies when he is alive then he must be alive and dead at the same timewhich is impossible. Then he considered the only other alternative question: Does a man die when he is not alive? If thats the case, then he is already dead. So how can he die twice? Therefore, Zenos logical conclusion is that it is impossible for a man to die. But, no matter what his logical conclusion is, we all know that every man will die sooner or later. This proves that truth cannot necessarily be affected by reasoning. In other words, truth can withstand the challenge of reasoning. Yet some truths can be established through reasoning. For example, if I ask you, Is it true that you had a great-greatgreat-great-grandfather? Then your answer will be: Yes, it is true that I had a great-great-great-great-grandfather. But the truth of the existence of an object or person is usually a fact of your sense experience. If your eyesight is all right, whatever you perceive with the help of your organ of sight will appear to you as true. But you have not seen your great-great-great-great-grandfather. Still you are one hundred per cent convinced of the truth that you had a great-greatgreat-great-grandfather. Do you consider that true simply because someone has told you that he existed? No. From your own perceptual experience you know that anyone to be born needs to have parents. In this manner if you go backward in time you will find your great-great-great-greatgrandfather. You have come to know this truth through reasoning based on your knowledge acquired through sense GLOBAL VEDANTA

perception. So you see that understanding truth is not that simple. And while it is not easy to understand truth, it goes without saying that understanding truthfulness will not be any easier. Now, one may ask, Why should I be truthful? What do I gain by being truthful? The answer to this question is that truthfulness has its utility in society. For the smooth and harmonious running of society truthfulness is essential. Truthful people are trustworthy people. In the societal context, the truthfulness of its members helps in promoting trust in one another. We cannot exist in a society without trusting one another. Without trustworthy people societies are bound to disintegrate. Aside from this, truthfulness is considered a virtue because it is good for the spiritual well being of society. Abiding by the laws of ethics and morality is beneficial for the spiritual growth of a societys members. For example, those who practice truthfulness, nonviolence, generosity, charity, benevolence, etc., gradually become more and more selfless and saintly. But some may say, Should we be truthful in every situation? For example, if all of us become 100% honest and start speaking truths that are unpleasant and even hurtful to others, will it be good for society? Granted that speaking hurtful truths should generally be avoided as far as practicable, we should at the same time admit that in special situations such unpleasant truths are necessary. For example, a doctor must be prepared to tell unpleasant and even hurtful truths to his patients about their diseases to help them. Parents must tell unpleasant truths to their children to protect them from harm. Spiritual teachers or gurus should also do likewise in regard to their students. The Hindu scriptures say that whatever we do should be done considering three factorstime, place and person. Speaking the truth should also be done according to the above three factors. While mundane truths are relatively summer 2010

easier to understand, spiritual truths are extremely difficult to comprehend. Thats why our scriptures say, Dharmasya tattvam nihitam guhym, which literally means that spiritual truths are hidden inside a cave. In other words, spiritual truths have deeper, implied meanings. Thats why it is not always easy to understand them. Superficial understanding of truths creates harmful consequences. Those who understand only the literal meanings are called literalists. These literalists in the name of religion have been creating havoc in this world for many thousands of years. Hinduism is a religion where the word blasphemy doesnt exist. Therefore, over the many thousands of years of its existence, all kinds of questions about Hinduism have been asked. Valid answers to all these questions also have been given by Hindu saints and sages. For example, while answering the question, What is the meaning of the word scripture (in Sanskrit: Shstra)? Hinduism says, Anything, that helps us to know what is not ordinarily known, is a scripture.1 Therefore, to know more about truthfulness let us take the help of the Mahbhrata, which is one of the well-known scriptures of Hinduism. In the chapter named Karna-Parva of the Mahbhrata we read the description of the war that was going on between the sons of the late King Pndu and the sons of King Dhritarshtra. The sons of King Pndu were called the Pndavas while the sons of Dhritarshtra were called the Kauravas. On the 17th day of the war, Prince Yudhishthira, the eldest of the Pndavas, was wounded while fighting with Karna, the most formidable warrior on the Kaurava side. Yudhishthira had four younger brothersBhma, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva. Among the Pndava brothers Arjuna was the best warrior. A hero of numerous battles, Arjuna was the only Vol. xv, No. 3

one capable of defeating Karna in faceto-face combat. By the way, Arjuna had acquired a special bow named Gndva as a gift from Varuna. This bow had originally been given to Varuna by Chandra Deva (the presiding deity of the moon). Being wounded and defeated in battle with Karna, Yudhishthira returned to his tent to recuperate from his wounds. Arjuna, who was engaged in fighting with the Kaurava army, became worried about his beloved eldest brother and, accompanied by Sr Krishna,2 came to see Yudhishthira in his tent. Seeing Arjuna, Yudhishthira was elated. He thought that Arjuna must have

Charles Mathias

killed Karna and had come to give him the good news. But on inquiry he came to know that Karna was alive and well and fighting with the Pndava army. This news made Yudhishthira extremely upset. He said to Arjuna with much anger and disgust, If you are unable to fight with Karna, then hand over your bow Gndva to some other warrior on our side, because you are no longer fit to call yourself a warrior! Yudhishthiras words made Arjuna quite angry. He immediately drew out his sword. Seeing that, Sr Krishna asked Arjuna, Why have you pulled out your
1. In Sanskrit: Ajnta-jnpakam Shstram. 2. Sr Krishna is one of the Divine Incarnations according to Hinduism.

sword? You came to inquire how your wounded beloved brother was doing. He seems to be doing well now. This should have made you happy. Why then are you angry? Arjuna replied, A long time back I took a vow that, had anyone asked me to give my bow to someone else, insinuating thereby that I was no good as a warrior, I would cut off the head of that person. As I am bound by my commitment, to honor the truth of my vow, I have pulled out my sword to cut off my brothers head. Sr Krishna said, Arjuna, you know nothing about truth. Let me tell you what truth is. You tend to be religious, but you do not understand what religion is. Those who understand religion (in Sanskrit: Dharma) never act like you. According to me, the greatest Dharma is non-killing of living beings. Therefore, rather than committing violence to anyone it is sometimes better to lie. Yudhishthira is your eldest brother, and he truly understands Dharma. Acting like a child you took a vow and now, due to your foolishness, you are about to commit the great sin of killing your brother who is the object of your adoration and worship. The ways of Dharma are very deep and subtle, Arjuna; it is not easy to understand them. Now hear what the wise say: Speaking the truth is undoubtedly a duty of those who are religious-minded, because there is no virtue greater than truthfulness. But it is extremely difficult to decide how people should act according to their understanding of truth. Where lying is as beneficial as truthfulness and truthfulness is as harmful as lying, one should tell lies rather than speak the truth. At the time of marriage or when they are in love, people may lie. People may also lie to save themselves from the possibility of imminent death or total disaster. They may also lie for the welfare of holy people (brahmins). People do not incur sin if they See Truthfulnesspage 12 9

GLOBAL VEDANTA

HUMORTHE SPICE OF LIFE

In case of emergency, speak only in English. Never say prayers in any other language. You never know what kind of translation problem you can run into. An Indian in the US suffered a heart attack on the road and was picked up by an ambulance. Being religious, he kept repeating, Hari Om, Hari Om, Hari Om. When the ambulance pulled into his homes driveway, his wife ran out and screamed at the paramedics, Why didnt you take him straight to the hospital? They replied, Because he kept repeating, Hurry home, hurry home, hurry home. Painting the Church There was a painter named Jake who was very interested in making a penny where he could, so he often thinned down his paint to make it go a little bit further. As it happened, he got away with this for some time. Eventually the Baptist Church decided to do a big restoration job on the outside of one of their largest buildings. Jake put in a bid, and because his price was low, he got the job. He then set about erecting the scaffolding, setting up the planks, buying the paint and, yes, we are sorry to say, thinning it down with turpentine. Later on, when Jake was up on the scaffolding painting away, the job nearly completed, suddenly there was a horrendous clap of thunder, the sky opened and the rain poured down, washing off most of the thinned paint from all over the church and knocking Jake clear off the scaffold where he landed on the lawn among the gravestones, surrounded by telltale puddles of the thinned and useless paint. Jake was no fool. He knew immediately that this was a judgment from the Almighty, so he got down on his knees and cried: Oh, God, oh God, forgive me! What should I do now? And from the thunder, a mighty voice spoke: Repaint! Repaint! And thin no more! 10 In Case of Emergency Lincoln was famous for his humorous stories, which he used to magnificent effect in debates with political opponents. His long time political opponent Stephen A. Douglas complained that Lincolns jokes were like a slap across my back. Nothing elsenot any of his arguments or any of his replies to my questionsdisturbs me. But when he begins to tell a story, I feel that I am to be overmatched. What We Remember Lets see what you got. John reached out and grabbed the wheelbarrow by the handles. Then, nodding to Hank, he said, All right. Climb in. The Argument The wife to the husband: No matter what I say, you never say that I am right! The husband: Yes, youre right. The Tonsillectomy The Smith family was on the way to the hospital where their teenaged daughter Sue was scheduled to undergo a tonsillectomy. During the ride they discussed how the procedure would be performed. Dad, Sue asked, how are they going to keep my mouth open the whole time during the surgery? Without missing a beat Mr. Smith replied, Theyre going to give you a cell phone.
Ch a s rle M ath ias

Abraham Lincoln said

After Senator Douglas had given a speech, Lincoln followed with a rebuttal that included the comment that Senator Douglas argument was as thin as the homeopathic soup that was made by boiling the shadow of a pigeon that had starved to death. The Brag and the Bet Hank, the strong young man at the construction site, was bragging that he could outdo anyone in a feat of strength. He made a special target of John, an older worker. After several minutes, John had had enough. Why dont you put your money where your mouth is? he said. Ill bet a weeks wages that I can haul something in a wheelbarrow to that building over there that you cant wheel back. Youre on, old man, Hank replied. GLOBAL VEDANTA

Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing. Sayings by Ambrose Bierce. (He was an American writer, a news correspondent during the Civil War and a satirist. He is best known for his short story An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and his satirical lexicon The Devils Dictionary. In 1913, he walked into Mexico and was never heard from again. ed.) Admiration: Our polite recognition of anothers resemblance to ourselves. All are lunatics, but he who can analyze his delusions is called a philosopher. Amnesty: The states magnanimity to those offenders whom it would be too expensive to punish. Bigot: One who is obstinately and See Humornext page summer 2010

Ill tell you the tale of James The medieval king Whose kingdom lay Between the Nameless Mountain and the Unknown Bay. Good food and hunting, revelry with youthful friends, for thirty wonderful years kept James happy and gay.

Deaththe Dearest

POETS CORNER

As days rolled on his life-force waned. He lost all friends he had gained. In his bed he helplessly lay forsaken, shunned, forlorn.

Love
Brahman oh Brahman, I bow to thee, You are the only One. In this wild love for you, Ive completely, come undone. I dance and sing, Pray and weep, For you are every thing. There is no separation, how could there ever be? Im absorbed in Your Ocean, and Im one with you. With this joyful knowing, Ive become completely free!
Michele Wilson

He loved lifes pleasures while passionately hating Death. Death to him was a stalker a vile and sly predator that pervades every nook and corner of lifes meandering way. With hands cruel and cold grabbingthe sick and the old ruthlessly killing its prey. But Im sorry to say there came that fateful day when a contagious ailment ended James frolic and play. And defying all known cures covered his youthful body with dreadful festering sores. Losing his beauty and sight King James of medieval times lay in a pitiable plight.

Then some footsteps drew very near. He could hear Death whisper in his ear: Dear friend, James, Ive come here to take you beyond all pain! Tears pouring from his blinded eyes and emotion choking his breath, said King James, I feared you, Death, I hated and cursed you, year after year! But those I loved and thought so dear, have cast me off like a rabid dog stricken by their terrible fear. Thats the way of petty souls the unproven, transient friends. They kill their love by selfishness; thats the usual trend. Forgive them all! Now its your turn to newly learn what true love really means!

Morning
In the glow of early dawn, painting the serene whiteness of the temple wall, trees and sky appear entwined.... moving silhouettes of rose and gray. The universe repeats itself perpetually in pastels of morning light, illusory shadow and forms of delicate beauty. As I walk through the present space of time and being looking outward, I touch with open eyes the wonder of creations face, recreating, being born again and again, in colors of unending joy.
Pravrajika Sevaprana

So saying, Death with loving arms embracing the king snatched the kings last breath.
Swami Bhaskarananda

Humorfrom the previous page zealously attached to an opinion that you do not entertain. Bore: A person who talks when you wish him to listen. Consult: To seek approval for a course of action already decided upon. History is an account, mostly false, of events, mostly unimportant, which are brought about by rulers, mostly knaves, and soldiers, mostly fools. Speak when you are angry and you will make the best speech you will ever regret. The small part of ignorance that we arrange and classify we give the name of knowledge.

Global Vedanta will gladly consider articles, poetry, humor, etc. submitted for publication. The subject matter should be religious, cultural, or educational, and must appeal to a general and broadminded readership. Articles should be entertaining and yet substantial, and be within 1500 to 1700 words in length (not exceeding 2000 words in any event). Articles accepted for publication may require a release signed by the author and, unless prior arrangements are made, no materials submitted to Global Vedanta can be returned.

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Vol. xv, No. 3

GLOBAL VEDANTA

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Challenging Materialismfrom page 3 Esoteric, non-theistic Hinduism offers an interesting insight into the nature of reality. It claims that the underpinning to everything, including ourselves, is Brahman. The best linguistic expression for Brahman is captured through the words: Existence (Asti) and Consciousness (Bhati). When Brahman shudders, the world of appearance comes into being. The subject/ object divide, too, is part of this appearance. Such stuff could be written off as poetry if it were not so incredibly close to what quantum and consciousness are pointing at. If we were to ask a physicist to give a physical interpretation to the quantum function, he will immediately say it is the probability of existence! Trying to explain the quantum in terms of matter fails because it is trying to capture reality through its appearance. The reason why neuroscience struggles to capture the essence of consciousness is because it ends up by focusing on what we are conscious about, rather than on what consciousness actually is. This again is an attempt to capture reality through the world of appearance. What life reflects is the struggle of consciousness to find greater and better expression in the material world. This is why we have evolved from a single cell organism to this complex being, and this is why we are so keen to make sense of the world around us. The question still remains why all thiswhy this subject/object divide? Shelley provides an eloquent answer: I am the eye with which the universe beholds itself and knows itself as divine.

Ghostsfrom page 7 yond the boundary of the holy city before he died. That explains why he was not liberated then. We have heard that Sri Ramakrishna lives in his pictures. It is therefore not surprising that even a picture of him can exert an effect on ghosts. The following incident that I heard from Swami Bhaskarananda supports this view. This happened in London. An Indian student who had gone to England for higher studies found accommodation in a room in London at a very low rent. He was a die-hard Marxist and didnt believe in God or anything supernatural. But shortly after moving into his rented room, he encountered a strange problem. The windows and the door of his room started behaving as though they were alive. Many times during the day and night they would suddenly fling open or shut by themselves, even on windless days. The student was frightened at this strange phenomenon and talked about it to some of his Indian friends. One among them was a devotee of Sri Ramakrishna. He gave a picture of Sri Ramakrishna to his Marxist friend and asked him to put it in his room, saying that the ghost would surely leave due to Sri Ramakrishnas spiritual presence there. The Marxist, who didnt believe in God or any saint, out of desperation decided to give it a try. And it worked! The disturbing supernatural phenomenon stopped immediately after Sri Ramakrishnas picture was placed inside the room. I wonder what happened to the ghost. Did it then confine itself to its own loka beyond our perception? Or did it move next door and start playing with the doors and windows of the neighbors home? Or was it smart enough to ask Sri Ramakrishna for liberation, and indeed become liberated? If only I had known about this quick and easy way of driving away ghosts while I was in New York!

Truthfulnessfrom page 9 lie in these five situations.3 Then Sr Krishna told Arjuna the story of a brahmin ascetic named Kaushika. He lived alone in a hut near a river close to his village. Kaushika spent a lot of time in performing spiritual austerities, but did not have a deeper understanding of religion. He also had taken the vow of practicing truthfulness, for which people respected him highly. Once several people came running to Kaushika and said, We are scared; some robbers are trying to kill us. Please tell us where we can hide ourselves. Kaushika asked them to hide behind some bushes near his hut. Shortly thereafter, the robbers came and said to Kaushika, We are looking for some people. They came this way. Please tell us if you know where they have gone. Since Kaushika was avowed to speaking the truth, he told the robbers that they were hiding behind the bushes. Then the robbers went and killed those people. In course of time, when Kaushika died, he had to go to hell because his truthfulness had caused the death of those innocent people. I would like to mention here that Sr Krishnas advice changed Arjunas mind and he asked for Yudhishthiras forgiveness. It is to be noted here that Sr Krishna gave only such teachings that were spiritually suitable for Arjuna at that particular time and situation. These teachings might not be applicable all the time to all persons and in all situations. Swami Vivekananda used to speak of lower truths and higher truths. He used to say that we do not travel from error to truth; we travel from lower truth to higher truth. Sr Krishna in that particular time and situation talked about lower truths suitable for Arjuna, not the higher or the highest truth. Hindu scriptures teach us the difference between Satyaraksh and Satyavdit. Satyaraksh is truthfulness or speaking what is believed to be true. On the other hand, the scriptures say that people practicing truthfulness for twelve years acquire a special power. Whatever they say becomes true. This is called Satyavdit. This power comes to them because their minds
3. This quotation is from the Mahabharata.

Lettersfrom page 1 photo of Turiyaprana came out so well. Everyone in the convent was pleased. Swami also liked it. Thank you for honoring our dear sister by your suggestion of publishing this.
Pravrajika Virajaprana Vedanta Society of Northern California, San Francisco.

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summer 2010

attain an extremely high degree of purity through the practice of truthfulness. Their pure minds then have only thoughts that are true, beneficial and holy. It should be clearly understood here that these spiritually evolved people are unable to harm anyone by their words or actions. Sr Ramakrishna used to say, A person who always practices truthfulness using his or her body, mind and speech, eventually experiences the God of Truth. I shall now try to explain what Sr Ramakrishna meant by the expression God of Truth. The highest concept of God or Nirguna Brahman is that God is beyond time, space and causation. Transcending time, God is eternity; transcending space, God is formlessness and infinity; transcending the endless chain of cause and effect, God is actionless. God, who is infinity, cannot have limitations like personality or gender. Things can change only within the domain of time, space and causation. Transcending time, space and causation, God is changeless. Anything that is real has to be eternal and changeless. Therefore, God or Nirguna Brahman alone is real. Aside from all this, the Hindu philosophers call this world of time and space the world of pairs of opposites. Light and darkness, joy and sorrow, and even truth and untruth are examples of such pairs of opposites. God is beyond these pairs of opposites. Therefore, Nirguna Brahman must be beyond this pair of mundane truth and untruth as well. Thats why the Hindu scriptures say that Nirguna Brahman is Satyasya Satyam the Truth of all Truths, or the Absolute Truth. When Sr Ramakrishna used the expression the God of Truth, he meant thereby Nirguna Brahman whom the Brihadaranyaka-Upanishad (3.2.6) calls Satyasya Satyam. So the highest Truth is no other than God. This is the highest understanding of truth. Only those who have purified their minds through intense spiritual practice under the guidance of proper spiritual teachers can have this understanding.

jade in your bosom, ishta in your heart

by Bahut Pagal
Vedanta and Taoism have a lot in common, as any Vedantist who has read Lao Tzus Tao Te Ching will have noticed. One of my favorite theories maintains that way back in the dim mists of prehistory, people in China heard Indian traders use the word dharma and thought that they were saying tao (pronounced Dow, as in the Dow-Jones Average). Charmed by the word and the accompanying concept (but not necessarily by the Dow-Jones Average, which did not even exist at the time), they adopted it, adapted it, and built an entire philosophy around it. This theory is bolstered by the fact that tao literally means a road. This suggests the meaning of dharma. You follow dharma the same way you would follow a road. Unfortunately, anyone who has the slightest bit of knowledge about anything will be quick to tell you that most of my theories are codswallop. But I like this one, and offer it as a remote but unsubstantiated possibility. Many of the images in the Tao Te Ching are quite striking, and Vedantists can enrich their spiritual lives by studying them. At one point, in Chapter 20, Lao Tzu says, Ordinary people are bright and glorious; I alone am dull and stupid. Dullness and stupidity are not qualities the average job-seeker would brag about on his resume. But Lao Tzu is not interested in resumes. He digs deeper, as can be seen from a later line in Chapter 70: The sage wears coarse clothing but carries jade in his bosom. These two passages give us much food for thought. Generations of Lao Tzu wannabes have used the first passage as an excuse for being dull and stupid. They think, Lao Tzu admits that hes dull and stupid. I too am dull and stupid. Therefore Im just like Lao Tzu! Hooray for me! Am I not an excellent fellow? The answer is no, because the dullness and stupidity, like the coarse clothing, are just outward appearances. Their purpose is to protect and conceal the jade within the bosom. Notice, please, that the sage hides the jade in his bosom. He doesnt flaunt it by wearing it as a badge, as some Americans advertise their patriotism by wearing those little American-flag pins on their lapels. He doesnt wear it on his sleeve, or even on his hat, as ancient Chinese officials used to do. He hides it in his bosom, where it can shine without being seen by anybody. We Vedantists also carry jade in our bosom, only we give it a different name and location. We carry the Ishta, the Chosen Ideal, in our heart. Like jade, it is precious; but then the analogy starts to unravel. Jade doesnt require polishing. It shines of itself. Once it is fully developed within us, the Ishta doesnt require polishing, either. It too will shine by its own power. But the Ishta is different, because in the beginning, within us, it is not fully formed. It is still embryonic; it has to grow and develop. To help it grow, we have to feed and protect it, nourish and nurture it. As with the shrub in Sri Ramakrishnas parable, we have to water it, fertilize it, and fence it in till it grows big enough and strong enough to flourish on its own. In our case, we have to polish our jade if it is to keep on shining. With what do we polish it? With loving attention, with prayers, japa, and meditation. Sri Ramakrishna used a different image, perhaps a better one, closer to the mark than jade. He spoke of a copper pot, which has to be polished every day, lest it become tarnished. But if the pot has turned into gold, it doesnt need to be polished. It shines by itself. Thus also with us. Let us nourish the Chosen Ideal within us till it shines like gold and gleams like jade, though it remains covered by coarse clothing and there is none to see it. GLOBAL VEDANTA 13

Vol. xv, No. 3

VEDANTA NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

INDIA Ramakrishma Mission Ashrama, Limbdi, relieves water shortage in scanty rainfall areas in Saurashtra. The Saurashtra region of Gujarat suffers from acute water shortage due to inadequate rainStudents at the notebook distribution ceremony in Madurai

During a special function held on June 10th, free notebooks worth 82,484 Indian rupees were given to the students. BANGLADESH

A student receiving her prize at the Mauritius Ashrama

Pond-deepening project of the Limbdi Ashrama

fall. As a result, many villages lack even a year-round supply of drinking water, what to speak of water to irrigate their farms. For the last eight years, the Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama in Limbdi has been engaged in deepening the ponds in villages to increase their water storage capacities. In addition to getting enough drinking water, the dug-up soil is used by the villagers as fertilizers to improve the productivity of their farms. So far 49 ponds have been deepened. Sri Ramakrishna Math, Madurai distributes free notebooks for 500 students. Sri Ramakrishna Math, Madurai, has been conducting a free tuition center

Vacoas. The competition is a platform for young people to be exposed to the Ramakrisna Mission Ashrama in teachings of Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Dhaka distributes stipends to poor stu- Vivekananda. About 685 students from dents. On May 22nd, with the help of 43 colleges all over the country and from the Ministry of Social-Welfare, Govt. all religious backgrounds participated in of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh, the competition. After the competition, the winners were awarded prizes and certificates. PHILIPPINES The Ramakrishna Vedanta Society of the Philippines dedicates its home on June 6th. On the morning of Sunday, June 6th, the building of the Ramakrishna Vedanta Society of the Philippines was Students receiving stipends dedicated by Swami Smaranananda, a at Dhaka Ashrama senior Vice-President of the Ramakrishna and under the project: Support Ser- Order. The event consisted of scriptural vices Program for the Vulnerable Group, chanting, meditation and worship. Some the Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama in Dhaka distributed stipends of about 1000 Bangladesh takas each to 1200 poor students. During the event many dignitaries including Mr. Enamul Haq Mostafa Shaheed, Honble Minister, Ministry of Social-Welfare, Govt. of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh, were present. MAURITIUS Ramakrishna Mission, Mauritius, holds its 2010 Inter College Annual Recitation and Elocution Competition. On Sunday, June 6th, the Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama in Mauritius organized its 19th Inter College Annual Recitation, Essay and Elocution Competition in GLOBAL VEDANTA
Swami Smaranananda dedicating the building of the Vedanta Society of the Philippines

Distribution of notebooks to students in Madurai

for poor students for the past 15 years. Classes are conducted daily from 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm. More than 500 students from various schools are being benefited by this program. 14

eighty persons, including His Excellency the Ambassador of Singapore to the Philippines, an Italian Catholic Missionary, a Buddhist monk, and Swamis Medhasananda and Jnanavratananda participated. summer 2010

In the afternoon a meeting was held in a local university during which Swami Smaranananda released a Filipino version of A Short Life of Sri Sarada Devi, the Holy Mother translated into Tagalog by Professor Flordeliza S. Flancia. The speakers during this event included Swami Smaranananda; His Excellency Mr. Yogendra Kumar, Ambassador of India to the Philippines; and Professor Marilyn R. Canta, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, College of Arts and Letters, University of the Philippines. Mr. Carlo Colombo gave the vote of thanks. The cultural program that followed consisted of Indian classical dances performed by the Filipino and Indian students of Mrs. Shanti Sreedhar. A selection of Tagalog and English devotional songs performed by the Choir of St. John Marie Vianney Parish closed the event. Some 120 persons attended the afternoon program. The address of the Ramakrishna Vedanta Society of the Philippines is as follows: 25 St. Peter Street, Barangay Horseshoe, Quezon City, Metro Manila Tel.: +63 2 640 3692/94 Fax: +63 2 642 2346 Email: info@vedanta-philippines. org. The society is under the spiritual leadership of Swami Medhasananda of the Japan Vedanta Society. JAPAN The Vedanta Society of Japan holds Swami Vivekanandas 148th birth anniversary and the closing ceremony of its Golden Jubilee. The Vedanta Society of Japan brought its year long series of events commemorating 50 years of service in Japan to a close by combining the official closing ceremony with Swami Vivekanandas 148th birth anniversary on

Sunday, May 30, in Tokyo. The event was held in a spacious auditorium at Seisen University. The societys Indo-Japan Relationship Exhibit was also on display at that university from May 26th to the 30th. A floral bouquet was offered to Sri Ramakrishna by special guest speaker Swami Smaranananda, Vice-President of the Ramakrishna Order. Sister Junko Shioya, Chairperson of the Managing Board of Seisen University, offered a floral bouquet to Sri Sarada Devi, while the Honorable

The Vedanta Society of Northern California holds its annual Memorial Day event. The Memorial Day function was held at the Vedanta Society of Northern Californias Olema Retreat center in Marin County on Monday, May 31st. The

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Swami Smaranananda speaking at the Golden Jubilee Celebration of the Japan Ashrama

Audience at the Golden Jubilee Celebration of the Japan Ashrama

Mr. H. K. Singh, Ambassador of India to Japan, offered a floral bouquet to Swami Vivekananda. Swami Medhasananda then delivered the welcoming address summarizing the programs and projects during the year in celebration of the societys Golden Jubilee, briefly highlighting a half-century of accomplishments, and honoring early pioneers of the society. He also highlighted the societys as yet unfulfilled desire to (1) find an appropriate location to install a statue of Swami Vivekananda and (2) to open a Vedanta Center in Tokyo. The guest speakers included Swami Smaranananda, Indian Ambassador H. K. Singh, Tokyo Archbishop Peter Takeo Okada, and others. A vote of thanks was then delivered by Professor Tsuyoshi Nara, Vice President of both the Vedanta Society of Japan and the Golden Jubilee Celebration Committee. Snacks were then served to the nearly 600 guests. This was followed by a cultural program consisting of Indian and Japanese instrumental and vocal music, dance, etc. GLOBAL VEDANTA

guest speakers were Swami Ishtananda, leader of the Vedanta Center of St. Petersburg, Florida, and Brother Phap Ho, a monk of the Plum Village tradition of Vietnamese Zen Buddhism. The Wisdom of the Seers: Ancient and Modern, was the topic for the morning session and Spiritual Practice and How to Nurture It, was the afternoon subject. The weather was favorable allowing the nearly 800 people who attended to move freely around the grounds. A light lunch and buffet dinner were served to all. The Vedanta Society of Western Washington in Seattle holds its annual celebration in honor of Sri Sarada Devi. The three-day celebration in honor of the Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi was held at

Swami Prabuddhananda with the guest speakers at the Olema Retreat

Swami Yuktatmananda speaking at the Holy Mothers Celebration in Seattle

the Vedanta Societys premises from Friday, June 25th, to Sunday, June 27th. Swami Yuktatmananda, the spiritual leader of the Ramakrishna Vivekananda Center See NEWSnext page 15

Vol. xv, No. 3

NEWSfrom the previous page of New York, was the guest of honor. The celebration consisted of a banquet for members on June 25th, a Musical Evening on June 26th , and a talk on the subject: Mother of All at 11:00 am by Swami Yuktatmananda on Sunday, June 27th. Many members and friends participated in the celebration. CANADA The Vivekananda Vedanta Society of Vancouver celebrates the anniversary of Swami Vivekanandas arrival in North America. On July 18th, the Vivekananda Vedanta Society of British Columbia celebrated the anniversary of Swami Vivekanandas historic arrival in Vancouver in 1893. Swami Prabuddhananda, spiritual leader of the Vedanta Society of Northern California, San Fran-

Swami Prabuddhananda conducts a one-day retreat at the Vivekananda House in Vancouver on Sunday, July 18. Twenty-seven people attended. The swami spoke on two subjects: God Should Come First and Success is Sure to Come. UNITED KINGDOM Vivekananda Human Centre, UK, holds its annual festival honoring Swami Vivekananda in London. On Sunday, July 11th, the Vivekananda Human Centre organized its annual Vivekananda Festival for Human Excellence in London. The event took place at the Mahatma Gandhi Hall, Y.M.C.A, 41 Fitzroy Square, London.

Contributors
Swami Bhaskarananda is the editor in chief of Global Vedanta and the president of the Vedanta Society in Seattle, U.S.A. Brahmachari David is a monk at the Vedanta Society of Western Washington, Seattle. Jay Lakhani helps run Vivekananda Centre in London. He teaches Hinduism at the Post Graduate level at several British Universities and is the first Hindu Tutor appointed by Eton College. His talks are broadcast daily on Aastha TV on SKY in UK and on Direct TV Platform in USA. Marion Lee is a devotee attached to the Vedanta societies in Vancouver, BC, Canada and in Seattle. Charles Mathias, a devotee of the Vedanta Society in Seattle, is a gifted cartoonist and writer. Most of the cartoons and pictures contained in this issue of Global Vedanta are his contributions. Bahut Pagal is an American devotee of Sri Ramakrishna who has traveled in India and lived for many years in Asia. He is a retired teacher of English who presently lives near Bangkok. Pravrajika Sevaprana is a nun attached to the Vedanta Society of Southern California in Hollywood. Swami Vividishananda (1893 1980) was the founder and head of the Vedanta Society in Seattle. Michele Wilson is a devotee attached to the Vedanta Society of Hawaii in Honolulu.

cisco, was the chief guest for the occasion. In addition, Mr. Ashok Das, the Consul General of India in Vancouver, was the guest of honor. Swami Brahmatmananda from Seattle also attended. Both Swami Prabuddhananda and Mr. Ashok Das gave talks. Swami Prabuddhananda spoke on The Rousing Call of Swami Vivekananda. Following the talks, Mrs. Neeraja Aptikar Dange, a well-known vocalist of Vancouver, sang some devotional songs in several Indian languages, including two of Swami Vivekanandas compositions. The evening concluded with a catered vegetarian dinner arranged by the society. More than one hundred members and friends of the society attended the event. The event took place at the Lochdale Community Hall in Burnaby, BC. 16

Swami Prabuddhananda speaking at Swami Vivekanandas Arrival Celebration in Vancouver, Canada

The festival consisted of a brief period of prayer and meditation followed by devotional songs and dance by various local and guest artistes. A session for discussion on the subject Vivekanandas Message for Human Excellence, was held thereafter. It was presided over by Swami Veetamohanda, President, Centre Vedantique Ramakrishna of Gretz, France. The following dignitaries participated in the discussion: Mr Shaibal Roy Chowdhury, First Secretary, High Commission of India, London; Swami Dayatmananda, President, Ramakrishna Vedanta Centre, UK. ; Mrs Mona Cleary, Art Teacher, Tullamore College, Ireland; and Sister Simon Catlin of Westminister Interfaith, London.

Audience attending Vivekananda Festival in London

Good will towards all beings is the true religion; cherish in your hearts boundless good will to all that lives.
Lord Buddha
GLOBAL VEDANTA

Your news items are welcome and encouraged. You may submit them by email to: global@vedanta-seattle.org For more effective news coverage please attach one or two high resolution pictures to your email message.

Note to Vedanta Centers around the world:

summer 2010

Artwork by Brahmachari David