This week we’ll pick back up with Easwaran’s article “Remove the Veil of Self-will,” reading from the bottom of page 35 to the end on page 44 in the Fall 2019 Blue Mountain Journal. The section is full of practical tips for reducing self-will. And in practical language Easwaran describes the exalted state to which this work leads:
“Through sheer exercise, over a long, long period, we do not just love Jonathan or Josephine; we become love itself. Our love radiates to anyone who comes within our orbit; we simply lose the knack of doing otherwise. It does not matter whether the person seated beside us has been unpleasant to us for years, perhaps has even opposed us; that is immaterial. What matters is that our very nature now is love. At all times, in every situation, we are at our best with everybody. This is the answer to our most profound prayers.”
Continuing our study of the Fall 2019 Blue Mountain Journal Seeing the Lord in All, this week let’s read the short articles from Easwaran on pages 26–27 and 28–29, and also start his longer article “Remove the Veil of Self-will,” reading from page 33 to the end of the section on page 35. Throughout, Easwaran helps us see past our differences. He writes, “All our greatness comes from this common humanity, and when we constantly keep our eyes fixed on it, we discover the unity of life which is divine.”
“Only when you have lowered all the barriers between yourself and others will there be no barrier between you and the Lord within,” Easwaran explains in this week’s reading. “Deliberately, then, from the very first, you begin to chip away at those walls in consciousness. You do it in little ways, throughout the day, by trying to see the needs of others as clearly as your own and to act in harmony with them.” Let’s pick back up on page 12 of this article, titled “Seeing God Everywhere” from the Fall 2019 Blue Mountain Journal and read to the end on page 22. As we enter the new year, we are so happy to be studying Easwaran and practicing the eight points with you!
Our recent theme has been how to be of service amidst a world in crisis. Now as we close this challenging year let’s turn for inspiration and balm to Easwaran via the Fall 2019 Blue Mountain Journal Seeing the Lord in All. Let’s begin by studying the short articles on pages 2 and 3 and starting the first extended article from Easwaran, reading pages 5–11. Here Easwaran writes:
“In all the world’s great religions, this is the purpose of human life: to realize God in the depths of our consciousness. It means discovering that we are not physical creatures that can be satisfied with physical gratifications, but spiritual beings made in the image of God. This supreme discovery brings a complete transformation of personality that cannot help making profound changes in the world around us.
“That is why I say that as I present it, religion is the solution to all the problems that burden us today. In a truly religious country we would have no wars, no violence, no exploitation, no pollution of air and water — for the simple reason that when you realize God, you see God in everyone.”
Easwaran urges us in this week’s reading, “Tear out all the old resentful episodes from the past and never bother dwelling on any of them again. Otherwise they are going to cause a lot of pain in the year to come. Then go into the New Year with a fresh resolve to keep that kind of episode from causing further anguish. This is the most pressing New Year’s resolution there can be.” Please find that brief article, titled “A New Year’s Resolution,” on pages 25–27 of the Spring 2015 Blue Mountain Journal Does Meditation Really Help the World? and let’s read it along with this issue’s final statements from Easwaran on pages 29 and 32.
This week we’ll continue the title article of the Spring 2015 Blue Mountain Journal Does Meditation Really Help the World?, where Easwaran answers frequently asked questions about this urgent topic. Let’s pick back up on page 7 and read to the end of the article on page 18. As usual, Easwaran’s answers are personal, practical, and uplifting. He writes, “When the battle is waged within, against the forces of anger and selfishness we find in our own hearts, even our smallest triumph benefits the whole world.”
Building on our recent theme of how to be of service amidst a world in crisis, this week we will begin studying the Spring 2015 Blue Mountain Journal Does Meditation Really Help the World? Here is how Christine Easwaran begins her introduction to the issue on page 2: “We are interrupting our coverage of Sri Eknath Easwaran’s Eight Point Program in response to an important question that has gained urgency in the last several months: In light of the terrible problems we see around us today, around the world, can our individual efforts at meditation really help?” Of course that question continues to be extremely urgent today. Let’s begin our study by reading the rest of Christine’s introduction on page 2 (titled “In This Issue”), the brief statement from Easwaran on page 3 (titled “Meditation is Not a Luxury”), and the first few questions and answers from Easwaran in the journal’s main article, starting on page 5 and ending at the top of page 7.
Our study of the new Fall/Winter issue of the Blue Mountain Journal has been full of practical tips and inspiration for transforming ourselves into instruments of peace. The journal ends with this quote from Easwaran on the back cover: “The lovers of God know the world is a harsh place, and the times we live in are difficult and dangerous. But they have enough security, endurance, and love to remember that all these upsets are on the surface. Beneath the anger and agitation, through every human being a river of love still runs.” As we conclude our study of this journal, let’s read the brief final article from Easwaran on pages 57–58 as well as the passages included in this issue on pages 9, 35, and 54.
“The shining examples of spiritual figures like Saint Francis stand as monuments of hope,” Easwaran writes in the introduction to the new Fall/Winter issue of the Blue Mountain Journal. And indeed, it has been so hopeful to study together Easwaran’s message on transforming ourselves through meditation on Saint Francis’s prayer. Continuing the theme of our role as instruments of peace amidst the current world crises, this week let’s study Easwaran’s article “Growing in Love” on pages 37–47. Here Easwaran explains, “This can happen to every one of us, over a long, long time. We start with our own family, our partner, our child, but then gradually we extend the circle of our compassion and affection to our neighbor. Slowly, it moves on down the street. In time, our new capacity to love is so strong that it won’t let us ignore the needs of homeless people on the other side of town. Then it extends to the county, then to the state. This is how it develops, and this is why it takes some years.”
This week we’ll continue Easwaran’s article “A Prayer for Transformation” from the new Blue Mountain Journal A World in Crisis – Part 2: Our Role as Instruments of Peace, picking up with the section “An all-out effort to understand” on page 21 and reading through the article’s end on page 30. Here Easwaran continues the story of Saint Francis and describes the marvel of meditation on the ideals illuminated in Francis’s prayer: “You go to work on your own mind and change whatever needs changing, making yourself into the kind of person most suited to meeting the challenges of the day. There is cause for enormous hope here.”
Continuing our study of the new Fall 2020 / Winter 2021 Blue Mountain Journal A World in Crisis – Part 2: Our Role as Instruments of Peace, this week we will read the first half of Easwaran’s article “A Prayer for Transformation,” from page 12 through the section ending on page 21. Here Easwaran shares the story of Saint Francis and describes the Prayer of Saint Francis as "a blueprint for making our life a blessing for everyone," giving us “the key to his transformation and a new vision of what a human being can become.” May we be newly inspired to join in this call to the best in ourselves!
This week we will begin studying the newly released Blue Mountain Journal A World in Crisis – Part 2: Our Role as Instruments of Peace. After a deeply inspiring month celebrating Easwaran’s life and teachings and rededicating ourselves to our practice, we now turn again to Easwaran for guidance on how to be of service amidst a world in crisis. Let’s start by reading the introductory statement from Easwaran on page 3 along with his article “Unity in Dangerous Times” on pages 5–8. There he explains, “…the most powerful way to transform people is not through violence or punishment or sanctions, but through patient personal example. Every one of us has a role to play in this great task, right in our own home and community. It doesn’t require speaking or writing or political skills. It requires ideals and the desire to live by them.”
We have arrived at the week of our Celebration of Easwaran’s Life and Teachings! You can read details of how to participate this Sunday, October 25 at www.bmcm.org/celebration. Here in the eSatsang, for the final week of our study of the 2017 Blue Mountain Journal Teacher and Student, let’s read the passages included or excerpted in this issue of the journal on pages 40, 53, 59, and 64. And we can again give Easwaran the final word, savoring his brief statement on page 60 titled “From Darkness into Light.” There Easwaran assures us, “Even in little people like you and me, the Lord can come to life. By ourselves we are nothing, but every one of us can become a little lamp that shines like a beacon for all around to follow.”
We are now one week away from our worldwide celebration of Easwaran’s life on Sunday, October 25 – we hope you will join us! You can read details of how to participate at www.bmcm.org/celebration. Here in the eSatsang we have been preparing by studying the 2017 Blue Mountain Journal Teacher and Student. This week we will read Easwaran’s article “In the Depths of the Unconscious” on pages 55–59. Easwaran explains, “At first we train the mind during meditation and throughout the day, keeping our attention off ourselves and focused on the job at hand. Going through the day with a one-pointed mind is itself quite an achievement. But after many years of effort, imperceptibly, a hole opens in consciousness.” And, he tells us, that is just the beginning! “Our teacher stands like a lighthouse,” he explains, when we journey into the depths of the unconscious.
Continuing our preparation for Easwaran’s life celebration on Sunday, October 25, let’s study Easwaran’s article “The Good Student: Earnestness and Enthusiasm” on pages 46–53 of the 2017 Blue Mountain Journal Teacher and Student. Here Easwaran narrates, “I kept plugging. Every day my limitless love for Sri Krishna reassured me that someday, somehow, a door would open and let me through.” Let us keep plugging too this month and together move closer to our teacher and our goal! You can read details of how to participate in the Life Celebration at www.bmcm.org/celebration.
With our worldwide celebration of Easwaran’s life coming Sunday, October 25, we continue to enjoy the 2017 Blue Mountain Journal Teacher and Student. You can read details of how to participate in the Life Celebration at www.bmcm.org/celebration. This week in the eSatsang, we’ll again read two short articles: “My Teacher Was My Real ‘Me’” on pages 24–26, and “We Are All Teachers” on pages 42–44. In the first article Easwaran shares tender moments with his granny, his spiritual teacher, and reflects, “When I would run home to see my granny, I did not know I had an Atman. Now that I look back I see that my grandmother was my Atman. That is why I loved her; she was my real ‘me,’ my perfect ‘me,’ my pure ‘me.’ I didn’t know this intellectually, but deep inside, from the very depths of my heart, a little voice was saying, ‘That’s you.’”
In this week’s reading, Easwaran explains, “You see, when a person becomes aware of God, he or she is no longer just a person, but a living force. My grandmother did not die; she merely shed her body. She was – she is – very much alive in me. Once I knew that, I knew that I was in her hands and that there was nothing to fear. She has protected and comforted me ever since.” Let’s continue our study of the 2017 Blue Mountain Journal Teacher and Student by reading Easwaran’s articles “The Need for a Teacher” on page 16–19 and “The Outer Teacher and the Teacher Within” on pages 21–22. We are studying this journal in support of our annual Celebration of Easwaran’s Life and Teachings. You can read details of how to participate at www.bmcm.org/celebration.
We are now entering the month of our annual Celebration of Easwaran’s Life and Teachings. You can read details of how to participate at www.bmcm.org/celebration. Here in the eSatsang, to deepen our connection with Easwaran, we will be studying the Blue Mountain Journal Teacher and Student issued in Fall/Winter 2017. Let’s start by reading “An Inner Command” on pages 5–14, where Easwaran tells his own story. In one gripping section, Easwaran narrates, “Late in the evening and long before dawn, while the world slept, I would be alone and awake in meditation, searching inner realms for a forgotten path that would take me home – some bridge between the world of change and the changeless, the transient and the eternal, the individual and the universal, the human and the divine.”
For the final week of our study of Forgiving Others, Forgiving Ourselves, the 2016 Blue Mountain Journal, let’s read the passages included or excerpted in this issue of the journal. You can begin by reviewing “A Prayer for Meditation” from Easwaran on page 4 (which we studied two weeks ago) and then continue to the passages on pages 12, 17, 20, 21, 25, and 39. And we can give Easwaran the final word, savoring his brief statement on page 45 titled “An Ocean of Mercy.” There Easwaran begins, “I can testify to you from my own life, without reservation, that whatever sins we have committed in life, we can receive forgiveness from God.”
Continuing on the theme of forgiveness, this week Easwaran counsels us on freeing ourselves from the burden of guilt in his article “Learning to Forgive Ourselves” on pages 36–41 of the Summer 2016 Blue Mountain Journal. Easwaran gives both practical tips and strong consolation: “Whatever we have done, we can always make amends for it without ever looking backwards in guilt or sorrow. One of the most consoling implications of this is that no matter what mistakes we may have committed in the past, no matter what liabilities we are oppressed by in the present, our real Self can never be tarnished; the core of our personality is always pure, always loving, always wise.”
