A question that vexes yogis – when is surrender true abandonment of the ego, and when is it only an ego-hijacking of spiritual aspiration? Let’s think about some examples of both…
Permanent link to this article: http://www.swamishantananda.com.au/surrender-true-or-false/
Dec 31
I Like Jack Taylor
Jack Taylor lives in a cold, hard place – rejected by most of his peers , alcoholic, insightful, fights a lot and yet has his own integrity and a surprising kindness.
Permanent link to this article: http://www.swamishantananda.com.au/i-like-jack-taylor/
Jun 04
Satsang Talk – Equanimity
What a ripper – Equanimity, or even-mindedness (Brief notes on a talk from Satsang)
What I heard most from people is “What a ripper!” Seems the talk on even-mindedness had all the lovely yogis present digging deep into their experiences and their intimate sense of themselves – and discovering some much more spiritually challenging ways of dealing with them.
Psychological/emotional pain as the indicator that we are trying to hold on to an illusion… disillusionment something to be grateful for (because why would you want to be in illusion?), whereas normally we speak about disillusionment as a negative to blame someone else for.
Ways to move from the psychic pain towards equanimity, until we can get to the big one: being able to see your self from exactly the perspective of the person who gives you grief – instead of seeing it only through defensiveness and self-absolution.
And the most huge one: being Shiva, in whom all perspectives sit together.
Did I enjoy it? You bet. Our minds are always interesting.
Satsang dates for 2015
January 30,February 27, March 27, April 24, May 29, June 26, July 31, August 28, September 25, October 30, November 27, Christmas Satsang December 11
That is, Satsang will be on the last Friday of every month except December.
Permanent link to this article: http://www.swamishantananda.com.au/satsang-talk-equanimity/
May 30
As I was asked
Just letting you know that there is now a NEWS ! page on this site. And there is already an UPDATE ! on the page – look under May Satsang for a note about what we did. You might be surprised…
You can see NEWS ! in the navigation bar at the top of this page. I was asked to do it, as some who want to know how to access my programs are not necessarily interested in the Australian College of Classical Yoga bulletins. The upside is that I can put in fun things,like my weights program with a friend, and an invitation to you to join me in my own meditations. And in fact, I may make trivial comments from time to time – “What I had for Breakfast” – ? – and then be able to delete them when they are no longer fun. The downside is that because the page is static, there is no reminder that something new has been entered.
I must say I feel a bit self-conscious about it all – though I enjoy it, too!
Permanent link to this article: http://www.swamishantananda.com.au/as-i-was-asked/
May 16
On Turning 65
It’s a good age, and I am glad to be 65… though it is a time for reviewing and perhaps re-evaluating. No time for illusions, that’s for sure. I think the best year of my life, the standout one, was 60 (yes, 60!) and yet this last five years has been like the space between adolescence and adulthood. Different and stronger, a bit more considered in my responses to people. At 35 I was probably unbearable, but then I was comparatively an infant.
Permanent link to this article: http://www.swamishantananda.com.au/on-turning-65/
Apr 19
Meditation – being comfortable with reality
Meditation – pathway to the impressive state of the underlying self. Our most profound experience of self is sublime, peaceful, loving and creative. How to get there? Well, not by doing what the mind has been doing for years. And if you only aim at stress relief, you are setting your bar much too low. Try stillness, and a bit of work to understand your mind’s processes.
Permanent link to this article: http://www.swamishantananda.com.au/meditation-being-comfortable-with-reality/
Mar 09
Shivaratri
Shivaratri – the night of Shiva, the dark night of the moon when God makes his presence felt most strongly… ahh, don’t you feel it somewhere deep and intimate? Of course I want to stay up all night and welcome him into that intimate union, and will. Puts a different spin on the phrase, “the dark night of the soul,” doesn’t it?
Permanent link to this article: http://www.swamishantananda.com.au/shivaratri/
Jan 01
Chatting with Patanjali
Oh Patanjali, what a brilliant teacher you are! Right up there with Shankaracharya, Nisargadatta, Ramana, Meister Eckhart, and the Zen Patriarchs. I’ve been studying and teaching your Sutras for 30 years. Yet people say to me, “Oh, I’ve read the Yoga Sutras,” yet it is obvious that nothing has sunk in … Would you tell us yourself what you meant?
Permanent link to this article: http://www.swamishantananda.com.au/chatting-with-patanjali/
Dec 13
CRASH COURSE IN SANSKRIT, with Dr Andrew Kelly
Just a quick note to let you know about an opportunity in Melboure for a serious dip into Sanskrit with a great teacher, Dr Andrew Kelly of Melbourne University.
SANSKRIT – CRASH COURSE – IN JANUARY, 10th Jan – 8th Feb 2013, 10.00am to 2.00 pm in the Classics Library, Old Quad (in the beautiful old Law School buildings), Melbourne University
This is a fantastic program for anyone interested in understanding Sanskrit. Andrew teaches ancient languages, is not a yogi (as far as I can tell), but he is a whiz when it comes to language.
The other people in his course may be diverse, some studying linguistics, some just liking language and grammar, others with a yogic interest in the Sanskrit, but, whatever your interest, it is a fast exciting ride into the language of the earliest yogis, and so of their mental landscape too. Be prepared for lots of grammar, but don’t worry too much if you can’t keep up with the brightest sparks – you will still learn plenty. Andrew is considering a continuing reading group for those who want it.
Andrew is quite approachable about his fee, so ask. . His email address is kellya@unimelb.edu.au and he has set up a Sanskrit facebook page for open discussion. He puts a word a day and such cute offerings. Here is the link to the FB page: A summer crash course in classical Sanskrit, melbourne 2013. The flyer for the course should be there somewhere. He calls his course, “Vak” – speech.
Permanent link to this article: http://www.swamishantananda.com.au/news-crash-course-in-sanskrit/
Oct 31
Not just a poor relation – the body is spirit too
Often we regard the body as a poor relation to the mind, totally matter, perishable and not at all spiritual. The old phrase, ‘body, mind and spirit” suggests that we come in three parts, of which the body is clearly the least part. And yet, there could be something quite back-to-front about it all. When the great teachers were saying things like, “die to self”, or “the void”, or “no-mind-no-self, or “beyond the ego”, they were suggesting that there is something quite suspect about the mind and its role. So here is something to consider about the body – it seems totally spiritual to me.
Permanent link to this article: http://www.swamishantananda.com.au/not-just-a-poor-relation-the-body-is-spirit-too/
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