by Michael Mamas | Friday, December 12, 2014 | The Veda |
“Not through discourse, not through the intellect, not even through study of the scriptures can the Self be realized. The Self reveals Himself to the one who longs for the Self. Those who long for the Self with all their heart are chosen by the Self as his own… Those who know the Self become the Self. Freed from the fetters of separateness, they attain to immortality.”
Like all aspects of the Veda, this quote from Mundaka Upanishad cannot really be understood until after the Self is realized. The crux here lies in the phrase, “longs for the Self”. What does that really mean? Often, longing may be thought of as an emotional state. But ‘longing’ here means much more.
Everything manifests from Oneness and everything gravitates back to Oneness. As the iron filing gets closer to the magnet, the pull gets stronger and stronger… as one gets closer and closer, the ‘longing’ is ‘with all of their heart’. Such longing is all consuming. It is not just emotional… it is physiological on all levels of ones being… it comes not from the emotional heart, but from the heart (the depth) of ones being. This is the experience of gravity in the broadest sense of the word ‘gravity’. It is Longing. It is not fully understood, not clearly understood, until after the Self is truly known. Along the path gravity pulls you…. there you find discourse, intellectual understanding, scriptures, etc. The closer you get, the stronger the pull, the clearer the vision, the more ardent the quest. Yet water remains water until it crystallizes into ice. Similarly, the Veda is not understood until the Self is realized. And then the word ‘understood’ takes on new meaning as well.
Echoes of Truth, perceived as Truth, hold Truth at bay. Echoes of Truth, perceived as echoes, assist one along the path back to Oneness… neti, neti, neti… not that, not that, not that. Humility comes with wisdom. To know everything is to know nothing.
Like water tumbling down a mountain stream, the gravitational pull is experienced in many ways with varying degrees of choppy chaos, swirling distraction, pooling stagnation, and utter confusion… with varying degrees of clarity of purpose, commitment, and understanding. At some point, the pull becomes so great that you will settle for nothing less than Truth. Everything else you have learned is then questioned. The veils of all indoctrinations, dogmas, misinterpretations, temptations, and identities are reexamined, discerned, and pierced… experienced as hollow and unsatisfying.
As if from afar, it calls you. Truth, in its purest form, is the only true focus of longing… the only nectar to quench that seemingly eternal thirst… the only healing balm… the balm of Pure Knowledge.
© Michael Mamas. All rights reserved.
by Michael Mamas | Thursday, December 4, 2014 | Vedic Technology |
Regarding the previous blog about December 8, the time is actually 4:30 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. Asheville, NC time.
On that day, morning meditation at Mount Soma will begin at 4:30 a.m. and will be two rounds. All who practice Surya Ram Meditation are welcome to attend.
Note: Several have asked to attend the ceremony in the temple. Panditji made it clear that this would not work. It is like an arrow, the tip should be at one point. Multiple points blunt the tip. However, what is important is to be part of the arrowhead. All are welcome to join in by meditating while the group is meditating, wherever you are in the world.
© Michael Mamas. All rights reserved.
by Michael Mamas | Wednesday, November 26, 2014 | Vedic Technology |
There is a rare jyotish combination on December 8 from 3-4:30 am. It is said in the Vedas that if all the following are present, it is extremely auspicious. If a Rudrabhishekam is performed at that time, it will on a subtle level clear karmic obstacles and problems that don’t seem to clear otherwise. Problems in life that have no identifiable cause will simply melt away. It is very difficult to find remedies to address karma all the way to this subtle level.
These are the factors:
1) The Vedic month is Margashira Maas, which is a Vishnu month. Lord Krishna said in the Bhagavad Gita that this month is the top for evolution. There are full Vishnu qualities this month.
2) Moon is in Ardra Nakshatra (area around a star in Gemini) on December 8. It is a Shiva Nakshatra. On December 8 from 3-4:30 am (a daily time period called Brahma Muhurtha), you can see this red fiery star in the northeast. It is very unusual to ever be able to see that star.
3) It is a Monday… the day of Shiva.
It would be very good if you would meditate during this early morning time… 3-4:30 a.m. EST on December 8. The benefits should be wonderful. The Age of Enlightenment is blossoming!
To share something personal, I was planning to ask Pandit Prasad if he would perform with me a Rudrabhishekam before he left to India on December 8 (he and Lakshmi will be visiting family). I did not know why. It was just a strong and recurring feeling. Then out of the blue, Lakshmi sent an email to me with a request to attend the Rudrabhishekam.
© Michael Mamas. All rights reserved.
by Michael Mamas | Friday, November 14, 2014 | Vedic Science |
Below is a comment from Rayshan on The Structure of the Veda blog and my response:
An amazing class and amazing grace brought forth by an amazing guru!
I saw the framework of my cottage went up today. Suddenly I realized that the structure of the Veda is like the framework of a house. Understanding the framework makes it easier to connect the dots. It’s a very dry and difficult topic to teach. Amazingly Maharshiji came back the 2nd day with easier-to-understand modern language that put me in awe. Thank you so much Guruji. I am so looking forward to the next class!
Yes Rayshan,
There was a lesson within the lesson. Though the feedback was wonderful, personally I was not so delighted with the first day of class. My barometer is the faces and ‘brainwaves’ of the people I speak to. ‘Light bulbs’ were not going off in people’s heads the way I had planned. I could see that most of what I said the first day was not going ‘in’. So that evening I reflected, pondered, spoke with people who were in the class, and adjusted accordingly. The second day was wonderful and I was very pleased.
That is an example of the principle of putting something out, seeing what comes back, and adjusting accordingly… a principle that is valuable at all levels and in all arenas of life. Too often people try to know exactly what is right before they do anything. As a result, they either do nothing or keep pushing down the same nonproductive path.
Now that I found the way ‘in’ to explaining the structure of the Veda, I look forward to taking the next step with a series of lessons on the subject. There is no end to all that unfolds from this knowledge. Understanding, grasping and awakening to the concepts, the parts in terms of the whole, is of more value than the memorization of volumes. To really know it, you must become it. I look forward to revealing the grandeur and full potential of Vedic Knowledge to all of humanity. The potential is without limit… beyond imagination.
Rayshan, your comment about building your cottage is quite right. The structure of the Veda is the structure underlying and permeating all life and existence. The principles involved apply to all fields of life… apply to everything. All too often (like the study of quantum physics!) the study of Veda becomes a dry intellectual endeavor that seems to be disconnected from life. I could see that was where people were going with it the first day, which is why I revamped the teaching on the second day.
Understand the Veda, and you understand everything. A true Vedic Scholar is not merely an intellectual. A true Vedic Scholar is the embodiment of Truth. Memorizing Sanskrit, Vedic chants and mantras is of great value. I am humbled by, and have profound respect and appreciation for, those who have that knowledge. However, though it assists in attaining the ultimate goal, it is not the goal. The ultimate goal is to actually become ‘IT’.
The intent of my teachings, of how and what I teach, is to assist you in actually becoming it.
© Michael Mamas. All rights reserved.
by Michael Mamas | Wednesday, November 12, 2014 | Vedic Science |
This past weekend in the Asheville class, we spent two days on the structure of the Veda. It is a topic we have been looking forward to covering for years. It finally felt like the time was right. We have the ashram people and Mount Soma residents to thank for creating that space… in the profound Sthapatya Vedic sense of the word “space”. Of course, there is no end to the topic of the Structure of the Veda and we will do much more with it, but it was an excellent overview (big picture) where we went into how the primary branches fit together and the essence of what they are – explaining the Mantras, Brahmanas, Shruti, Vedangas, Itihasas, etc. It provided a solid foundation of understanding that we will continue to build upon.
I do want to say one more thing about Smritis for those who were in attendance:
The reason there is a gap at all is because one’s perspective (world view colored by your samskaras, distortions, conditioning) is not consistent with the perspective from the Transcendent, your Divine Self.
So, when you first awaken to the Transcendent, those two perspectives don’t line up. There is a gap between them. But then in time, the distortions (samskaras) of your earlier world-view melt away and give way to understanding from the perspective of your True Self, the Transcendent.
As that happens, over time, the gap also melts away. You no longer have some memory of the Divine. Instead you are fully awake to it and live your life in accord with it… Sarvadharma.
As full and rich as the weekend was, there is of course so much more that I want to share on the Structure of the Veda. It will happen in time. The weekend was historic. It is my great joy to bring this Knowledge out in a manner that brings it to life in our time. As I say, the Knowledge is eternal, but the way it is communicated must change eternally to be understood by the people of the times. Otherwise, the Knowledge slips through the fingers of the generations and is, in that way, lost.
© Michael Mamas. All rights reserved.
