“What supports life, according to the mystics, is the principle of unity; what destroys life is separateness, the negation of this principle.” Last week Easwaran helped us to see this unity as always within us – but simply forgotten.
This week let’s read pages 50–56 in Climbing the Blue Mountain to finish the essay. Here Easwaran shows that it is by appealing to that deep sense of unity that we can get the best out of others and “turn against the current to find our true nature, which is oneness with all life.”
The principle of unity supports life, and our selfishness and separateness are simply a forgetting of this truth. “Samadhi according to this interpretation,” Easwaran explains in this week’s reading, “is not union with God but reunion.”
In this week’s short reading, pages 47–50 in Climbing the Blue Mountain,* Easwaran illustrates this compassionate perspective with an engaging story from the Hindu tradition, the story of a modern magician, and the Bible’s Prodigal Son.
May we draw on the support of our teacher and this dedicated community to leave behind separateness and recall our unity.
“Spiritual wealth” is the topic of our current essay in Climbing the Blue Mountain. As we complete that chapter this week by reading pages 42–45,* Easwaran describes how we can make our lives a gift to the world.
“For better or worse, personal example is a force,” Easwaran states in this week’s reading. “[I]f we indulge our personal desires, even if only in little things, it encourages those around us to do the same.”
“How and what we eat, what we drink, how we talk to people, how we deal with difficulties – all these things influence others deeply, especially children. In this sense there is a field of forces, selfish and unselfish, swirling around every one of us.”
By learning to be selfless, we can choose the way we influence others. “Then you become not only rich but a real philanthropist, distributing wealth wherever you go.”
“The mystics have a different way of thinking about wealth,” Easwaran explains in this week’s reading, pages 37–41* in Climbing the Blue Mountain. “It is not how much we have that makes us rich, they say; it is how much we give – not only of our resources, but especially of ourselves.”
To bring this truth to life, Easwaran presents us with the example of Gandhi, a “zillionaire.” Easwaran tells the story of his own visit to Gandhi’s ashram, anchored by the evening prayer meeting:
“As I watched, Gandhiji’s eyes closed in concentration. His absorption in the verses was so complete that you could almost see the words filling his small frame. Suddenly I understood the answer to the question I had come with. Here was the source of all his wealth – his power, his love, his wisdom, his tireless service. He had turned his back on his little ‘I,’ his ego; now he lived in all.”
“All of us have a supreme jewel in the depths of our hearts, and we have come into life for no other purpose than to discover this jewel here on earth while we are alive.” With this matter-of-fact revelation, Easwaran entices us to seek the Atman: the Self, the unchanging truth, abiding joy, and flawless beauty who we really are.
And when we do – by practicing meditation and the allied disciplines to the very best of our ability – the results are both predictable and astounding:
“First your health improves; some long-standing physical problems may be alleviated. But don’t stop there. In the next stage you will learn to solve difficult emotional problems. If you persist, you may make your whole life a work of art, so that not only you but those around you benefit from your patience, understanding, love, and wisdom. Gradually even people who do not like you learn to respond to you, by responding to what is deepest in themselves. Then your life is a lasting contribution to all.”
But even this is not enough, Easwaran explains:
“After you have solved physical and emotional problems and made your life a creative force, one great achievement remains: the personal discovery that all of us are one and indivisible.”
Our reading this week is Chapter 2 of Climbing the Blue Mountain (pages 29–36).
In this week’s reading Easwaran describes “a kind of gnawing hunger deep inside” that led him to meditation. For example:
“One problem that began to torment me at the university was that though I knew how to teach my students about Shakespeare and Spenser, I did not know how to teach them what they most needed and wanted to know – how to live.”
Relief came as meditation developed the capacity to help:
“As meditation deepens, wherever you find sorrow – in the lives of your friends, in a community crisis, even in a tragedy on the other side of the globe – that sorrow is your own. But at the same time, this deeper sensitivity releases the capacity to help. You find ways to help others solve physical problems, set emotional difficulties right, repair their relationships, and even forget their personal problems in making a lasting contribution to the rest of life. In this way the power of sorrow is harnessed, and the deep gnawing hunger I spoke of begins to be relieved.”
Let’s finish Easwaran’s essay “Taking the Plunge” by reading pages 22–27 in Climbing the Blue Mountain (starting on page 22 with "Second, meditation brings vibrant health"). We are eager to hear your reflections in the comments below.
We are now underway with Easwaran’s Climbing the Blue Mountain. This is our third-ever book study as an eSatsang, and we’re building an excellent habit of systematically reading whole volumes from Easwaran.
This week let’s begin the book’s first essay, “Taking the Plunge,” and read from the start on page 17 through the middle of page 22, ending with “…where is the room for boredom?”
As promised in the introduction, Easwaran is rousing us to pursue the spiritual journey:
“Here we have a uniquely human choice: shall we wait for millions of years, knocked about in the painful process of evolution, until we finally enter this sea of joy; or shall we try to enter now, in this very lifetime, by taking our personal evolution into our own hands? Whatever our past, whatever our condition, this is something that can be done by every one of us through the practice of meditation.”
The whole of life, Easwaran tells us, “is moving inexorably toward the sea of joy and fulfillment that we call God.” We are so glad to be continuing the journey with you!
This week we begin our study of Easwaran’s book Climbing the Blue Mountain, starting with his introduction on pages 9–15.
Easwaran uses the metaphor of travel: “you can look upon me as a travel agent for the world within.” He compares the spiritual journey – for which he is rousing our interest – with travel in the external world, for example using this marvelous stanza from the eleventh chapter of the Bhagavad Gita:
If a thousand suns were to rise together,
The blaze of their light would resemble a little
The supreme splendor of the Lord within.
“No external novelty is needed” Easwaran explains, for “when you travel within, every day is fresh with discoveries and challenges, inspiration and profound peace.”
May we progress together on this journey and see rising “a sun which will never set.”
To complete our study of The Mantram Handbook, this week we will read all of the final chapter, pages 179–190.
Systematically reading a whole volume from Easwaran is a great habit to practice together. As we complete our book study, we can appreciate our accomplishment and reflect on how we’ve grown. In this chapter Easwaran reminds us:
“From the very first day you begin to use the mantram, it begins to grow in your consciousness. It germinates like the tiny seed that will eventually grow into a magnificent tree, and as you repeat it often and enthusiastically, it sends its roots deeper and deeper. Over a period of many years, if you have been practicing all the other spiritual disciplines which strengthen your will and deepen your concentration, the taproot of the mantram will extend fathoms deep, where it works to unify your consciousness – resolving old conflicts, solving problems you may not even be aware of, and transforming negative emotions into spiritual energy.”
May we each make use of every opportunity to repeat the mantram!
“In the eight-point program I teach, the mantram plays a unique role as the bridge between the interior discipline of meditation and the other, external disciplines, for it helps greatly in applying the power gained in meditation to the other disciplines throughout the day.” – Eknath Easwaran
Easwaran completes his brief tour of the spiritual disciplines he teaches in chapter 11 of The Mantram Handbook with a fascinating discussion of their interrelationship. And he gives special attention to the role of the mantram as a bridge:
“In this way, the mantram can give the day real continuity. At the beginning, it may only extend your morning meditation a little into breakfast. You may have felt at peace with the whole world in your meditation room, but when you sit down to burned toast and cold coffee, that is the end of your patience for the day. Gradually, however, as your meditation deepens and you try your best to remember the mantram at every possible moment, it will extend your morning meditation into your mid-morning break, then to your lunch hour, and eventually into the afternoon. Finally, if you are practicing these disciplines sincerely, systematically, and with sustained enthusiasm, the mantram will enable you to take up your evening meditation exactly where you left off that morning.”
Our reading this week is pages 170–178. We are eager to hear what insights you gain for applying these comprehensive disciplines.
“If you find yourself getting speeded up, repeat the mantram as a reminder to slow down.” – Eknath Easwaran
Our reading this week from The Mantram Handbook is pages 164–172,* which includes Easwaran’s descriptions of slowing down, one-pointed attention, training the senses, and putting others first. Reading these eight-point program essentials is a valuable boost for us all, and often gives new insights.
For example, we found it very helpful to read this reminder from Easwaran about the damage hurry does to our relationships: “[H]urry makes for superficial relationships, because it deprives our family and friends of our time and attention so that we are not able to be sensitive to their needs.”
Let’s make the most of this opportunity and reflect on how to put these insights into practice in our lives!
Thanks to all who joined in this year’s Celebration of Easwaran’s Life and Teachings, including last Sunday’s culmination! Taking part in that five-week program with you was a joyful and inspiring experience. Let us each continue our united effort to infuse the spiritual renaissance with a little more life, a little more love. We have Easwaran’s support in this. Our daily meditation and our mantram are healing forces in the world.
Our shared study here in the eSatsang each week supports this effort as well. Now we return to The Mantram Handbook. This week we begin chapter 11 of The Mantram Handbook, which puts the mantram in the context of the other spiritual disciplines Easwaran teaches. Easwaran tells us that the disciplines he presents are comprehensive, providing the tools to transform our lives into the highest form of art, in which we make “our every word and deed an expression of the unity of life.”
And he emphasizes that “these disciplines are suited for life in the modern world.” With these disciplines we too can follow the approach of his beloved granny, “in which we live in the midst of the world but never take our eyes off the supreme goal of life.”
This week let’s read pages 157–164, which include Easwaran’s introduction and his descriptions of passage meditation and repetition of a mantram.
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 23 at www.bmcm.org/celebration.
Here in the eSatsang, our study of the Fall 2019 Blue Mountain Journal Seeing the Lord in All has been abundant with inspiration. Let’s finish with the brief final article from Easwaran on pages 58–61 and the beautiful passages included in this issue on pages 25, 30, 31, and 55. Here are the final words from Easwaran on the journal’s back cover:
“I don’t have to close my eyes in meditation to see God. I see nothing else. And I see, at the same time, that not only every human being but every living creature, the mountains, the rivers, the seas, the skies, the forests and the earth, are all one indivisible whole.”
We are now one week away from our worldwide celebration of Easwaran’s life on Sunday, October 23 – 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 Fall 2019 Blue Mountain Journal Seeing the Lord in All. 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. This section is full of 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.”
We are continuing our preparation for Easwaran’s life celebration on Sunday, October 23. In the meantime, we have a precious opportunity. Every day, we each can infuse the spiritual renaissance with a little more life, a little more love. Let’s all focus on what we are certain of, what we can do from day to day, and how we can join together to strengthen our unity. By giving our best to this five-week program, we can all join hands and build intimacy with our teacher to respond to these compelling times. In all the ways you participate, you are strengthening your own practice as well as supporting our beloved community. Your daily meditation and your mantram are healing forces in the world.
This week in the eSatsang, we’ll read the short articles from Easwaran on pages 26–27 and 28–29 of the Fall 2019 Blue Mountain Journal, 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.” We are studying the Fall 2019 Blue Mountain Journal in support of our annual Celebration of Easwaran’s Life and Teachings. Let’s pick back up on page 12 of this article, titled “Seeing God Everywhere,” and read to the end on page 22. May we each be inspired to follow his example, realizing this truth in our own lives!
Our worldwide celebration of Easwaran’s life is coming Sunday, October 23. You can read details of how to participate in the Life Celebration at www.bmcm.org/celebration.
As we do each autumn, we are now entering into 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 Seeing the Lord in All issued in Fall 2019. We’ll thus pause our book study of The Mantram Handbook, and resume after the Life Celebration. 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.”
“[W]e can learn to deepen our will, to strengthen it immeasurably,” Easwaran assures us in this week’s reading, pages 151–155, to close chapter 10 of The Mantram Handbook. And our desire to achieve this is itself a sign of grace:
“The desire to go beyond desire is the longing for freedom rising from deep within us. In the language of Sri Ramakrishna, the Divine Mother has looked upon us from the corner of her beautiful eyes, filled with love for us. When that glance falls on us, there comes the desire to be free, and the will to practice the disciplines which will set us free.”
Easwaran explains that in the early days grace may come as restlessness and dissatisfaction. “If any of this kind of dissatisfaction leads us to turn inward and take up the practice of the spiritual life, that is a sure sign of grace.” Indeed, we feel sure that practicing together with you and this strong community is testimony to that grace.
Note that next week we’ll pause our book study and begin a special curriculum in preparation for our annual Celebration of Easwaran’s Life and Teachings.
Welcome back after our pause to celebrate the life of Christine Easwaran. If you haven’t seen it yet, you might take a look at this special message honoring Christine Easwaran to learn more about Christine and her contribution to Easwaran’s work.
Here on the eSatsang, this week Easwaran highlights the necessary role of detachment for attaining the goal of life, as we continue chapter 10 of The Mantram Handbook, reading pages 144 to the top of 151.
The topic of detachment continues a theme from earlier in this chapter, titled The Goal of Life: “When we overcome our identification with the body, the mind, and the ego, we are living in freedom.” Now Easwaran describes those stages of detachment from body, mind, and ego as a progression, and gives fascinating details of the tasks and rewards at each stage.
Here is one clue that inspired us: “[W]hen we turn our will against the ego, taking advantage of the innumerable little opportunities throughout the day to reduce self-will, then the will is helping us to grow to our full stature.” May we each learn to turn our will against the ego!
Dear eSatsang members,
In honor of Christine Easwaran’s recent passing on Sunday, August 28th, the BMCM will be holding an hour-long special Satsang Live at 10 a.m. Pacific Time on September 4th. We are temporarily pausing our eSatsang curriculum until September 10th when we will return to our normal schedule and format.
We look forward to seeing you on September 4th.
Warmly,
The eSatsang team
