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Spiritual Living: Eastern Wisdom for Today
Spiritual Living: Eastern Wisdom for Today
Spiritual Living: Eastern Wisdom for Today
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Spiritual Living: Eastern Wisdom for Today

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Spiritual Living: Eastern Wisdom for Today is not a book about religion and rituals but presents realistic essence of spirituality and spiritual living based on Eastern wisdom of the Sages. It is my deep-felt conviction that spiritual understanding not only facilitates success but also gives a sound philosophical basis for living the purposeful totality of life. It fosters genuine passion to live life fully, work earnestly, achieve success, have a family, help others, meditate regularly, grow spiritually, and strive to feel fulfilled and at peace. Life is an opportunity to realize the matters of the heart and spiritlove, trust, joy, respect, sharing, integrity, compassion, and peace and self-discovery. They are essentials of life that defy reason and description, but without them life largely loses its meaning. We must recognize our totality to enjoy the dance and music of life for fulfillment. The Sages of ancient India intuitively recognized the oneness of existence, the spiritual principles that hold it together, the universality of humanity, and the art of self-realization. Their wisdom formed the forward-looking practical philosophy of oneness, tolerance, acceptance, openness, respect, and freedom for diversity in all its manifestations. They form simple yet profound threads that bind Eastern spirituality in a practical framework of optimism, wisdom, and stimulus for experiencing the wholeness of life. The contents should facilitate the reader to experience the depth, subtlety, wisdom, knowledge, universality, unity, boldness, simplicity, and sincere generosity of the Sages to help us to bear the challenges of life today with a sense of fulfillment. It is for us to know, to understand, and to realize the unified view of life.
LanguageEnglish
PublisherXlibris US
Release dateMay 25, 2010
ISBN9781450075084
Spiritual Living: Eastern Wisdom for Today
Author

Mohan K. Sood Ph.D.

Mohan K. Sood , Ph.D. grew up in Ropar-Chandigarh area of Punjab, India. Dr. Sood was professor and university administrator at Northeastern Illinois University for thirty-two years. He transitioned to California in 2002 to follow his personal passion for sharing the spiritual wisdom of India. Based in Southern California, he teaches and writes on Eastern Spiritual Wisdom. He focuses on understanding the wholeness of life, to live with inspired ideals, to channel inner strength to handle situations in life, and to feel fulfi lled. His recent books include Spiritual Living: Eastern Wisdom for Today and Values, Aspirations and Fulfi llment: Lessons from Grandma Daadi.

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    Spiritual Living - Mohan K. Sood Ph.D.

    Contents

    Preface

    Section One

    Introduction

    Understanding Spiritual Living

    Section Two

    Spirituality, Universality

    Threads that Bind the Universe

    One World and Connected Humanity

    We are all Children of Immortal Bliss

    Section Three

    Self-Discovery, Self-Realization

    Self-Discovery Toward Fulfillment

    The Chariot and You

    Two Birds, so Close yet so Distant

    Know the Truth that You Are

    Understand the One Who Really Sees

    The Real, The Unreal, and Life

    Section Four

    Practical Spirituality

    Turn Challenges into Opportunities

    Realize the Best in Yourself

    Windows of Desires

    Your Spiritual Path is Your Choice

    The Path of Karma

    Make your Actions and

    Work Joyful Experiences

    Section Five

    Meditation

    Science of Meditation

    Art of Meditation

    Steps to Meditation

    Section Six

    Self-Awareness, Path of Balance

    Four Noble Truths

    The Path of Balance

    Be Your Own Light

    Section Seven

    Self-Reliance, Harmlessness

    The Human Possibilities

    Right Preparations for Life

    From Matter To Moksha

    Non-Violence Ten Steps

    For Life of Harmlessness

    Section Eight

    Devotion, Self-Surrender

    Seed of Spirituality

    Divine Remembrance

    Simplify Your Life

    The Purpose In Life

    The Spiritual Person

    Section Nine

    Meaningful Spiritual Preparation

    Grateful Expression is a True Prayer

    A Very Meaningful Mantra

    Values That Prepare for Spiritual Living

    Be Aware of the Five Webs

    Section Ten

    Rejoice

    Life is an Opportunity

    Section Eleven

    One Destination

    Circle of Wisdom

    Section Twelve

    Purpose

    fulfillment

    Appendix I

    Hindu Vision of God

    Appendix II

    sources of eastren spiritual wisdom

    The Vedas—The Books Of Knowledge

    The Upanishads

    The Srimad Bhagavad Gita

    The Dhammapada

    The Tattvarthasutra

    The Sri Guru Granth Sahib

    Bibliography

    Appendix III

    Endnotes

    Dedicated, in profound indebtedness and humility, to all the Enlightened Spirits whose love of humanity, purposefulness of life, message of optimism, and vision of universality of humanity have served my inspiration for this task.

    The further the spiritual evolution of mankind advances,

    the more certain it seems to me

    that the path to genuine religiosity does not lie

    through the fear of life, and the fear of death,

    and blind faith,

    but through striving after rational knowledge.

    (Albert Einstein)

    Let no harm occur to us in our spiritual journey.

    Let us gain spiritual knowledge.

    Let us work together with strength for uniting humanity.

    Let our learning enlighten and inspire us.

    Let no ill feeling ever enter in our minds.

    Let peace be everywhere.

    (Katha Upanishad VI. 19)

    Preface

    This book is not about religion and rituals but presents realistic essence of spirituality and spiritual living based on Eastern wisdom of the Sages. It is my deep-felt conviction that spiritual understanding not only facilitates success but also gives a sound philosophical basis for living the purposeful totality of life. It fosters genuine passion to live life fully, work earnestly, achieve success, have a family, help others, meditate regularly, grow spiritually, and strive to feel fulfilled and at peace. Life is an opportunity to realize the matters of the heart and spirit—love, trust, joy, respect, sharing, integrity, compassion, and peace and self-discovery. They are essentials of life that defy reason and description, but without them life largely loses its meaning. Spiritual living helped me integrate Eastern wisdom and Western practicality for a fulfilling life in the U.S. I feel immensely grateful for the continuing purposeful journey of life.

    The Sages of ancient India intuitively recognized the oneness of existence, the spiritual principles that hold it together, the universality of humanity, and the art of self-realization. Their wisdom formed the forward-looking practical philosophy of oneness, tolerance, acceptance, openness, respect, and freedom for diversity in all its manifestations. They are simple yet profound threads that bind Eastern spirituality—Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, and Sikh—the four traditions that originated in India. Together, they represent continuity of inspired ideals and discovered spiritual principles to serve as reminders of our ethical responsibilities and moral obligations of being human. Universality, spiritual living, self-transformation and self-discovery are the focus of my presentations and seminars at various forums and institutions as the important modern-day values. Certainly, the audience interest guided my inspiration and impetus to write this book, Spiritual Living: Eastern Wisdom for Today, to share the spiritual wisdom of India for renewal, education, consideration, appreciation, self-discovery and enlightened awareness.

    The book is a practical framework of optimism, wisdom, and stimulus for experiencing the wholeness of life. Included are points to serve as guides for self-transformation to attain fulfillment. Each of its Twelve Sections uses the format of short relevant topics which condense, simplify, interpret, and synthesize the vital precepts of Eastern spirituality. The contents are cerebral and should facilitate the reader to experience the depth, subtlety, wisdom, knowledge, universality, unity, boldness, simplicity and sincere generosity of the Sages to help us to bear the challenges of life today with a sense of fulfillment. It is for us to know, to understand, and to realize the unified view of life. Humans, other life forms, and lifeless matter are diverse yet connected parts of the same whole—a unity in pure consciousness. Peace and wisdom are in knowing the oneness of existence and the spiritual principles that hold it together. Science and spirituality are woven into the fabric of the book, as they are inclusive of wholeness, the former through matter and the latter through pure consciousness.

    The undeniable truth of us all is the presence of the same divine spirit in each of us. That is our true equality and universality. The yoga paths—meditation, karma, wisdom and loving devotion—are paths of practical spirituality for inner journey and self-realization. Mindfulness and meditation facilitate purity of thoughts, release from stress, tension, and suffering in life. When life is not self-centered, the feelings to harm others or cause conflicts do not find hold in the person. Spiritual living becomes inclusive of the life of the world and life of the spirit. It is a continuous and conscious effort of self-awareness to realize the meaning in life. All spiritual paths though may be different in character but eventually lead to the one and the same destination. It is like the radii of a circle which originate at different points on the circumference yet meet in its one center. We must recognize our totality to enjoy the dance and music of life for fulfillment.

    The author is thankful to Dr. A. Singh, Dr. S.P. Jain, and Dr. A. Karnik for helpful suggestions and comments. Mr. R.S. Bedi and Mr. J.S. Bedi deserve appreciation for publishing my series on the philosophical and spiritual traditions of India in the Indian Reporter and World News. I also take this opportunity to express my appreciation to students in my courses on Eastern Spirituality at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes at California State at San Marcos and San Diego State Universities for stimulating discussions.

    I immensely appreciate the editorial expertise and valuable assistance provided by Ms. Jackie Logue in giving the manuscript its final shape.

    My family members deserve my sincere gratitude for their genuine support throughout the project.

    It is hoped that the book will enhance appreciation and understanding of spiritual oneness of all humans and facilitate global compassion and communication across the geographies, political landscapes, and ethnic, racial and religious boundaries.

    San Marcos, California                                      Mohan K. Sood, Ph.D.

    2010

    Section One

    Introduction

    Understanding Spiritual Living

    Man is a Stream whose source is hidden.

    Our Being is descending into us from we know not whence.

    (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

    Today, the mass media blitz is propagating full force acceptance of a consumer lifestyle driven by demands of the senses—food, drink, physical love, lust, and body-centered beauty—as the answer to happiness. This lifestyle is discovered to be deficient in satisfying the wholeness of being a human. Sooner or later the feeling erupts in the middle of this chase that something within is not contented. We still hunger for a deeper meaning of life. That element or urge is present in each of us and becomes our motivation to consciously rise above temptations and seek enduring peace and joy.

    The gift of intelligence gives us the capacity to build a life of harmony, channel energy to diffuse stress, cultivate freedom from pain and misery, and forge a spiritual extension of love, care, and compassion. Despite the fact that we are subject to sickness, old age and death, we are capable of intuitive engagement in knowing the spirit, experiencing deeper consciousness, and attaining the enlightened state. It happens when we learn to redirect our energy from indulgence in the senses to awaken spiritually.

    Spirituality is to discover the essence of your being, to unite the mind and heart in self-discovery, and to realize your innate goodness. It is the ideal of understanding that all human beings are essentially spiritual and so is all existence. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin expressed it beautifully: We are not physical beings having spiritual experiences, but spiritual beings having physical experiences.

    Spirituality is to complement the life of the world and the real meaning of life. You are part of the world, participating in all aspects of daily life and its obligations, and yet you learn to be apart from its irrational material bondage. Thus, life is not to be separated from engagements in the world but to be lived in balanced awareness. Spiritual living should pervade your personality, character, thoughts, and relationships. You need to take the first step and become your own friend. You need to accept yourself as you are and not see yourself through the eyes of others. Do not imitate others to try to be somebody else.

    What is Spiritual Living?

    Spiritual Living is multidimensional inclusiveness for deliberate self-transformation to attain the purpose of life:

    •    Faith in the universality of humanity.

    •    Finding your own divinity.

    •    Blending life of the material world with spiritual life.

    •    Deep yearning to know the Spirit.

    •    Growth in wisdom.

    •    Integration of body-mind-heart-spirit.

    •    Opening mind to its full potential.

    •    Meditation—the journey within.

    •    Serenity and bliss life longs for!

    •    Sharing the pain and joy of others.

    Spiritual life imbues faith in the universality of humanity, brings down the barriers that separate us. Humanity has and continues to experience extreme love and grossest hatred as expressions of religious beliefs. The essence of religions must be realized in building interfaith bridges, cultivating respect for diversity of faiths, and more importantly facilitating spiritual discovery. It should perpetuate love and care and kindle the ability to become accepting and good human beings. The message of the Sages emphasizes the mantra of universality and one Reality for humanity to grow as a tolerant and open society and instill holistic virtues of patience, peace, karma, love, and generosity and the aspiration for spiritual living. Each person inwardly yearns to realize the fullness of a universal being.

    Spirituality transcends race, gender, and national origin. It is beyond rituals. It is finding your own divinity. It is living with ethical and moral purity. Certainly, there will be questions along the spiritual journey for enhanced understanding and securing the means for continuous self-awakening.

    Spiritual living is wholeness—blending work and family life. It is to complement the physical being with the inner being, without which one is living only half and not a full life. It is not an escape from challenges of the world but learning to make them into opportunities. It is to achieve enduring peace and joy. It is to know that life is not ugly or sinful but purposeful. There is no need for self-mortification and escape from responsibilities. Life is a gift to rejoice in the consciousness of your being. Work in the world with dedication and enjoy it, and move with the same passion in spiritual life to experience its joy for completeness of life.

    Spiritual living is fostering a deep yearning to know and to experience transcendence from the ordinary to the extraordinary and finding the serenity and the bliss life longs for! It is a life of infinite consciousness where the intellectual and the spiritual are well integrated to manifest that meaning in life as seed’s goal is to manifest as a fruit or a flower for people to enjoy its sweetness, and fragrance.

    Spiritual living is a way of life devoted to gaining the wisdom/insight for an awakened attitude. It is to understand and to live the true essence behind religious worship. It is the realization that the entire existence is a one connected whole with its center in divine consciousness. There is no hierarchy in all existence. A blade of grass is as important in the universal order as a large tree.

    Spiritual living is the integration of body-mind-heart-spirit for experiencing the totality of life in the world and in the spirit. Each human being possesses a huge reservoir of consciousness to bring extraordinary experiences of the mysteries of existence into personal experience. Thus, the life of matter is to be stirred with the divine spirit.

    Understanding spiritual living imparts rational perspective in regard to mind and matter, intuition and intellect, and pleasures and denial. It is to live with integrity and full realization of our rights and responsibilities without dogmatic loyalty to someone imagined or believed. It is profound commitment to experience the spiritual self—here and now—by transcending the domain of the senses and the mind.

    An essential ingredient of spiritual life is meditation. It is every person’s real need. Meditation teaches us to concentrate, decrease wandering of the mind, and learn to restrain emotions to direct energy flow inward. India has a long tradition of tranquil contemplation, focused exploration, and studied consideration of the inner self for experienced conviction that there is only one reality, both at the personal and the universal level. A rainbow is a multicolored spectrum of one light—sunlight. Similarly, the outer world and the inner world are part of a singular perfection.

    The need for meditation, solitude and reflection is intrinsic in all of us. It enables us to experience the feeling of oneness—of life, of humanity, of spirit, and of existence. There are no barriers to limit the experience of the infinite within and without. It charges life with love and equality.

    Spiritual life is a life of higher meaning and purity. It is a life of concern and cooperation, tolerance and acceptance, openness and humanity. Obviously, conflicts diminish, dissensions lessen, and worries, stress, tension, anguish, distress, pain, and sufferings decrease. Life becomes serene and stable, healthy and happy, and peaceful and positive. Spirituality is not only the real but also the higher understanding of humanity, imbuing life with inclusiveness, assimilation, and adaptability.

    Being spiritual is to be free and to provide freedom for others. It is recognizing the capacity for friendship and not enmity, the capacity for love and not hatred, the capacity for consideration and not condemnation, and the capacity for help and not denial. It is a celebration of the truth that all paths lead to one destination—the Spirit. It builds rational integration to create the foundation for hope, trust and well-being. The language of the heart can now be heard to manifest compassion and conviction.

    Spiritual living is seeing divine presence in the closest of the close, in the heartbeat, in the life force, and in the conduct of karma or life’s activities. Pure consciousness is the basis of it all.

    Swami Vivekananda illustrated spiritual living well with a very instructive message of his master Sri Ramakrishna:

    Do not care for doctrines, do not care for dogmas or sects or churches or temples. They count for little compared with the essence of existence in each man which is spirituality; and the more a man develops it, the more power he has for good. Earn that first, acquire that, and criticize no one; for all doctrines and creeds have some good in them. Show by your lives that religion does not mean words or names or sects, but that it means spiritual realization. Only those can understand who have felt. Only those who have attained to spirituality can communicate it to others, can be great teachers of mankind. They alone are the powers of light. (Vivekananda The Yoga and Other Works)

    That is being spiritual.

    What Are the Benefits of Spiritual Living?

    •    Builds a purposeful view of life.

    •    Holds life in honesty, integrity, and fellowship.

    •    Develops acceptance, tolerance, respect and freedom for diversity of people and religious faiths.

    •    Provides relief from distress, pain, and suffering.

    •    Lessens stress and enhances health, happiness, and peace.

    •    Inculcates commitment to preserve serenity and joy for today and tomorrow.

    •    Nurtures hope.

    However, the greatest benefit, in my mind, is personal contentment. To be spiritual is to awaken to a positive life and the fact that we are diverse yet there is unity in our existence. We are all one, equal and made in the same image. We are composed of the same materials. We walk on the same earth, breathe the same air, drink the same water, the same blood flows in our veins and the same matter is in our bones. As black, white, yellow and brown, we exhibit extreme beauty of the human race. Each of us is related through matter as well as spirit. That is our true equality.

    In summary, spiritual awareness should permeate all parts of daily life. Peace, harmony, love, contentment, joy, and giving will happen just naturally. It is a hopeful personal ideal to aspire to.

    Some points which would enhance life for today and tomorrow:

    Section Two

    Spirituality,

    Universality

    Threads that Bind the Universe

    Universal Spiritual Principles

    May life be good and joyous for everyone!

    May peace prevail everywhere!

    May everybody attain wholeness of life!

    May all attain purpose of life!

    (A Universal Prayer from the Vedas)

    Scientists study materials of the universe, collect observational/experimental data, identify patterns, and look for order—constant or repetitive—to know how the universe works. It may lead to formulation of theories, hypotheses, principles, and/or laws to explain the observed phenomena. The laws of motion, gravitation, and others were there before scientists discovered them and brought them into human consciousness.

    The universe is thought to have originated from a singularity evolving into diverse forms and multitudes of systems. The transformative and evolutionary processes were governed by principles and laws of science. In other words, the laws are constant, continuous, and universal, as they are inherent in the domain of the material universe and come into play wherever matter exists. Scientific laws are factual, direct, and not people-centered. They are independent of cultures and languages and persons who discover them and may be communicated in different languages without the loss of their essence and without conflict or confusion of their applications.

    Scientists are motivated in their efforts by their will to know the truth of the outer world. So are the artists, musicians, and dancers who are inspired to give meaning to the hidden forms of the universe through their vivid compositions/creations. However, there is another dimension of the universe and it is spiritual.

    All great people of the spirit who experienced the truth seemingly had unique yet common elements of spiritual inspiration and grace. Their divinity, their rich wisdom, their knowledge of the cosmic order, their abundant generosity, their open minds, their pure and compassionate hearts, their respectful nature, their patient understanding, their enormous kindness and universal love, and their strength of mind for equality and righteousness continue to guide and touch the hearts of generations, forever. Places, languages, people, and time change, but what the enlightened spiritual masters have left behind shows that their words were inspired, their feelings were genuine, and their sentiments were universal.

    In India, they are known as the Rishis1 (the Sages of the Vedas and the Upanishads)—the people of self-realization, patience, inner harmony, calmness, wisdom and excellence. They were universal beings who had experienced the unity of existence and achieved enduring peace and fulfillment. They lived in the natural environment under the open skies among the trees, plants, birds, animals, rivers and mountains. They were connected with nature, observing its different processes at work. They combined faith and reason in reading the eternal universal order that is ever present (nitya) and self-evident. It is seen in the rising and the setting sun, the waxing and the waning moon, the starry nights, and the symphony of nature. There is harmony in the change of seasons, beauty of blossoms, vibrancy of colors, richness of diversity, and the flow of water in the clouds, snows,

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