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- Prayer and Aspiration, Part 2 - by Submitted on Nov 14, 2024 from santosh krinskyFor a spiritual seeker, there is a major difference with regard to prayer and aspiration. Prayer is, generally, and in many cases, a more formalized, external activity, primarily based in the outer nature. Aspiration is centered in the soul, or psychic being, and represents the spiritual flame ...
Views: 117 - Prayer and Aspiration, Part 1 - by Submitted on Nov 13, 2024 from santosh krinskyWhen most people are asked about the nature of prayer, they respond that it is a formulation in words of a specific request to God, for some result or benefit they desire to see come to fruition. Prayer is much more than that, and need not be formulated in words. Each level of the being actually ...
Views: 105 - The Forms That Prayers Take Match the Source of the Prayer in the Being - by Submitted on Nov 12, 2024 from santosh krinskyMany people formulate their prayers in the form of thoughts, and they are repeated according to a strict formula and ritual. In that case, if the mind is actively engaged in the prayer, it carries the power of the mental focus to tune the being to the frequency of the being who is the object of ...
Views: 117 - The Limits and the Effectivity of Prayer - by Submitted on Nov 11, 2024 from santosh krinskyWhen we reflect on what we mean by prayer, and what expectations we have for it, we can determine both the limits and the uses of prayer in navigating our way through life, and obtaining results aligned with our aspirations. In the USA it is common for people to send “thoughts and prayers” for ...
Views: 108 - Awakening of the Chakras Opens Up Undreamed Potential in Our Being - by Submitted on Nov 10, 2024 from santosh krinskyIf we run a small current through a wire to a light bulb, but below the capacity of the bulb, it will light up, although it may flicker. If we increase the current the light bulb brightens and the illumination becomes constant. If we put too much current through the bulb, we may start a fire or ...
Views: 94 - The Awakening of the Yoga Force in the Individual - by Submitted on Nov 09, 2024 from santosh krinskyWhen we consider the ‘awakening of the Kundalini Shakti at the base of the spine, we frequently imagine some kind of dramatic experience, some palpable energy, some noticeable force operating and moving up through the experiential body. And in some cases, this actually does occur this way. For ...
Views: 103 - The Difference Between Living According to the Inner Truth of One’s Being or the External Ego Personality - by Submitted on Nov 06, 2024 from santosh krinskyThe Mother draws a clear distinction between the individual who is in contact with his own deepest inner truth of being, his swadharma, and the individual who does not pay attention to this deepest truth but lives what we may call a “transactional” existence focused on the aggrandisement and ...
Views: 122 - The Protective Power of the Mantra - by Submitted on Nov 05, 2024 from santosh krinskyA devotee reported the following incident: He had visited a researcher at Jipmer Hospital in Pondicherry, India who was using Kirlian photography in his research. The researcher showed him several stones. One of them was an ordinary stone. The other one had been in an active temple for a ...
Views: 119 - Concentration and Remembrance of the Divine - by Submitted on Nov 04, 2024 from santosh krinskyIn order to be most effective in its action, the external nature must have the capacity of concentration of its efforts. Whether this is a mental concentration, or a vital or physical concentration, the focus must be total, without distraction, or it will yield less than the optimal ...
Views: 112 - The Influence of the Awakened Consciousness on the Circumstances of the External Being and Life - by Submitted on Nov 03, 2024 from santosh krinskyHave you ever wondered how some people seem to go through various situations without a problem while others go through similar situations and have to undergo tremendous challenges and suffering? If someone escapes a harrowing incident once, we tend to call it “luck”. But if it happens repeatedly ...
Views: 102 - The Psychic Being Provides Instant Protection When It is Active and Guiding the Being - by Submitted on Nov 02, 2024 from santosh krinskyWe train the physical body with intense repetition to create what is called ‘muscle memory’. This allows the body to respond, instantly, without thought, when certain circumstances occur. Not all circumstances require the instantaneous response of the body, or even if they do, the body may not ...
Views: 109 - How Many Cantos are There in Srimad Bhagavatam - by Submitted on Nov 02, 2024 from juliana foleyThe Srimad Bhagavatam, also known as the Bhagavata Purana, is composed of 12 cantos. Each canto covers various aspects of spiritual teachings, stories, and philosophical insights, with a special focus on devotion to Lord Krishna. Here’s a brief overview of the content in each canto: 1. Canto 1: ...
Views: 110 - Overcoming Difficulties With Cheerfulness - by Submitted on Nov 01, 2024 from santosh krinskyWe are all familiar with the artificial type of cheerfulness of the vital nature, which puts on a happy face, and glad hands everyone in a show of bubbly cheer. We are also familiar with the artificial type of cheerfulness that arises through the use of intoxicating beverages and immersion in an ...
Views: 84 - Seeking and Attaining Mastery Over the Touches of Nature - by Submitted on Oct 31, 2024 from santosh krinskySeekers throughout the ages have struggled with the issue of how to deal with the pressures and circumstances of the external world. They recognise the swing of emotions, feelings and thoughts that occur as they receive input from people and events. They recognise that sometimes this causes them ...
Views: 81 - The Three General Forms of Response to the Touches of Nature - by Submitted on Oct 30, 2024 from santosh krinskyEndurance can be trained and developed. There are entire philosophical programs that have developed to systematically help an individual face the pressures and circumstances of the world with a sense of equality and equanimity. Some of these disciplines rely on acclimating the body to handle ...
Views: 104 - The Will to Endure and the Body’s Ability to Withstand Hardship and Suffering - by Submitted on Oct 29, 2024 from santosh krinskyWhile most people are quite insulated from direct confrontation with extremes which the body is asked to endure, our modern media makes it possible to see and relate to some of these extreme situations. Far beyond the pressure of training for and running in a marathon race, there are ...
Views: 114 - Endurance Is Required for Progress, Growth and Success - by Submitted on Oct 28, 2024 from santosh krinskyEach part of the being has its own form of endurance. Endurance is essential for any true and lasting development. Change tends to be mostly incremental. When it comes more rapidly it is usually accompanied by major disruptions to the status quo. In either case, one form of endurance, or ...
Views: 123 - Understanding and Utilizing the Power of Sincerity in Action - by Submitted on Oct 28, 2024 from santosh krinskyIf we reflect on our own efforts to change things in our lives, whether a resolution to follow a diet, exercise regularly, create a work-rest balance, spend more time with our families, or carry out some effort in our religious or spiritual focus, we will quickly see that our resolve does not ...
Views: 125 - Attitude and the Law of Attraction - by Submitted on Oct 26, 2024 from santosh krinskyThe ‘law of attraction’ has been seen as something of a ‘wish-fulfilling gem’, where we can think about something and focus on it, and thereby draw it to us. The reality of the law of attraction is not so dramatic as to cause riches, fame and other desired results to manifest for us somewhat ...
Views: 131 - Doubt and Faith: Resolving the Debate Between Science and Religion - by Submitted on Oct 25, 2024 from santosh krinskyThere has been a long-standing debate between religion and science, centered around the question of faith versus the search for truth through the use of the mind and its powers. This raises several questions, however, about the type and nature of the faith, and the type and nature of the mental ...
Views: 138 - Faith and Personal Effort - by Submitted on Oct 24, 2024 from santosh krinskyThere is a tendency in the human mind to create an artificial division between faith, based in the divine Grace, and effort, based in the mental, vital and physical being of the individual. Thus, if we have faith, we tend not to ‘worry’ about specific actions we can or should take. It is a type ...
Views: 128 - The Conditions of an Effective Faith - by Submitted on Oct 23, 2024 from santosh krinskyIn his book The Mother, Sri Aurobindo defines the conditions and qualities of faith needed to overcome all obstructions or disasters: “To walk through life armoured against all fear, peril and disaster, only two things are needed, two that go always together — the Grace of the Divine Mother and ...
Views: 142 - Chaitanya Mahaprabhu: The Mystic Saint Who Revolutionized Devotion - by Submitted on Oct 23, 2024 from juliana foleyChaitanya Mahaprabhu is regarded as one of the greatest saints in Indian spiritual history, revered as both a scholar and a divine incarnation of Lord Krishna. His life and teachings have left an indelible mark on the path of bhakti yoga, making him a central figure in the Gaudiya Vaishnavism ...
Views: 104 - Trust and Faith - by Submitted on Oct 22, 2024 from santosh krinskyWe frequently remark on how young people act with a seemingly carefree attitude and take risks that older people would not take. This is due to the inherent trust they have in their body’s vital and physical resilience and powers of prevailing even in difficult or dangerous circumstances. As ...
Views: 132 - Faith and Confidence - by Submitted on Oct 21, 2024 from santosh krinskyThere are countless stories of what may be called the “placebo effect” for confidence in action. Athletes sometimes believe they will perform better if they are wearing a specific shirt or pair of socks. People have their ‘lucky charms’ that they believe provide them success in certain ...
Views: 134 - The Characteristics and the Power of an Integral Faith - by Submitted on Oct 20, 2024 from santosh krinskyWith our standpoint based in the mental consciousness we tend to believe that if we think something, it is ‘real’. This viewpoint fails to account for the different parts of the being, and their different modes of response. For example, we may hold a mental conception to not fear something, and ...
Views: 139 - Healing the Body Through Spiritual Force or Through Faith - by Submitted on Oct 19, 2024 from santosh krinskyHealing the Body Through Spiritual Force or Through Faith Posted on October 19, 2024 We tend to believe that an individual who has a strong mental development has advantages in all fields of life. It is true that the mind has provided some strong benefits, particularly in navigating the ...
Views: 140 - The Power of Auto-Suggestion for Health and Wellness - by Submitted on Oct 17, 2024 from santosh krinskyAuto-suggestion is constantly active, although we generally do this more or less unconsciously. For example, when we anticipate a meal at a favorite restaurant, our mind sends signals to the body that generates feelings of hunger, begins to develop saliva, and prepares the body for enjoyment of ...
Views: 142 - Medicine, Faith and the Healing Process - by Submitted on Oct 16, 2024 from santosh krinskyThere are a number of examples that lead to the conclusion that it is not medicine alone that cures the patient. A young man reported his own experience. He was visiting India in the early 1970’s and was afflicted by a severe case of amoebic dysentery while there, to the point that he was in ...
Views: 129 - Mindfulness, Conscious Attention and the Harmonious Development of the Body - by Submitted on Oct 15, 2024 from santosh krinskyThere is a discipline that asks an individual to focus on conscious attention to each thought, each emotion and each movement he makes, through a process called ‘mindfulness’. This is intended primarily to center the individual’s mind and attention and focus the person on the present moment ...
Views: 119 - The Mental Will and Its Influence on the Health and Well-Being of the Body - by Submitted on Oct 14, 2024 from santosh krinskyBy now most people have heard of the ‘placebo effect’. Yet, they have not gone into the significance of what this implies. Studies have shown that as much as 30% of a group given an ‘inert’ treatment have similar healing outcomes to those given an actual targeted treatment. The individual given ...
Views: 120 - Will-Power Can Aid the Development of the Physical Body - by Submitted on Oct 13, 2024 from santosh krinskyA woman recounted her experience of living in a small intentional community during her 20’s. The community arranged to get broken bags of cement from a nearby production facility at no charge. She was tasked with driving a van, loading up the 40# bags, and bringing them back to the location ...
Views: 133 - Focusing the Will on the Physical Body and its Development - by Submitted on Oct 12, 2024 from santosh krinskyThe mind has a tremendous power to influence the physical body, for good or ill. In some cases, mental ideas can lead to extraordinary imbalances in the body, which can lead to weakness, illness and even the death of the body. Many times we will push the body beyond its limits without concern ...
Views: 135 - To Learn How To Will - by Submitted on Oct 11, 2024 from santosh krinskyIf you looks deeply at one’s attempts to utilize will-power to accomplish any task, to bring about some change in one’s being, or to develop in some direction, it quickly becomes apparent that there are elements within our own being that are not supporting the focus, intensity and direction that ...
Views: 125 - How to Utilize Will-Power Effectively - by Submitted on Oct 10, 2024 from santosh krinskyMost people have very little idea about how to utilize will-power effectively, because they don’t fully understand what will-power actually is and how it needs to be focused and concentrated. Essentially will-power is the function that concentrates the ‘signal’ while reducing the ‘noise’ in a ...
Views: 126 - The Exercise of Will-Power and the Role of Sincerity in Implementation - by Submitted on Oct 09, 2024 from santosh krinskyMost people have had the experience. They decide to try a new diet or exercise regimen. They stick with it a few days or weeks and then it seems to get overlooked, forgotten or abandoned. Other things got in the way, or else, the impulses caused them to weaken their resolve. How many times ...
Views: 130 - The Deeper Meaning of Will-Power - by Submitted on Oct 08, 2024 from santosh krinskyWe speak generally about exercising will-power, particularly when it relates to overcoming an impulsion or attempting to achieve some particular result. We may want to overcome an addiction, or follow a particular diet and we struggle to carry out our resolve. We make ‘new year’s resolutions’ to ...
Views: 123 - Concentration and the Centres of Energy in the Subtle Body - by Submitted on Oct 07, 2024 from santosh krinskyPeople constantly ask whether they should concentrate focused in the heart, between the eyebrows or above the head. The short answer is “yes”. Each centre of concentration relies on a different power of action. In the end, what is more important is the action of concentration itself. An ...
Views: 138 - The Ultimate Focus of Concentration - by Submitted on Oct 06, 2024 from santosh krinskyThe genius of the Rishis of ancient India was their ability to focus on the essential core of knowledge, will and existence. They reminded us that we can obtain many forms and types of knowledge, but each of these is but a fragment, an isolated fact or event, if we have not identified that ...
Views: 140 - Mastering the Power of Concentration - by Submitted on Oct 05, 2024 from santosh krinskyThere are any number of ways to develop concentration. Concentration is also developed progressively, such that the power to concentrate increases with practice and continued use. In their writings, both Sri Aurobindo and the Mother describe a number of ways to develop the power of ...
Views: 135 - Applying the Power of Concentration to Develop Efficiency of Time of Accomplishment of Any Task - by Submitted on Oct 04, 2024 from santosh krinskyOne of the key elements of Raja Yoga, based on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali is the practice of samyama, which is a one-pointed concentration that is so complete that it merges subject, object and the process of knowing into one unified whole. By this practice, one knows everything about the ...
Views: 125 - Concentration Helps the Individual Successfully Accomplish More Tasks in Less Time - by Submitted on Oct 03, 2024 from santosh krinskyIt is frequently noted that certain individuals seem to accomplish more, and despite enormous commitments, they seem ready to take on more and do even more than they are doing. On the other hand, there are individuals who seem to have a low threshold of action and they seem to never have the ...
Views: 104 - Concentration Aids Speed and Accuracy in Action - by Submitted on Oct 02, 2024 from santosh krinskyThe human propensity to set up ‘either/or’ scenarios leads us to believe that we either have to focus on ‘perfection’ or ‘speed’ in the things we do. This is actually a false choice because it leaves out the factor of concentration which can accomplish actions with speed while not sacrificing ...
Views: 136 - The Difference Between Scientific Focus and Artistic Focus - by Submitted on Oct 01, 2024 from santosh krinskyMany people hold the idea that science is ‘fact based’ and focused on the external world solely, while the artistic focus is based in the use of imagination and is not as tied to external facts. The difference, however, is not necessarily one of a lack of imagination by those with a scientific ...
Views: 134 - All Problems Can Be Solved Through the Power of Concentration - by Submitted on Sep 30, 2024 from santosh krinskyIn the yoga sutras of Patanjali, the power of concentration is extolled. In particular, the one-pointed concentration on any particular object unites the seeker with the object such that they become one. At that point, all of the secrets of the object are delivered up to the person undertaking ...
Views: 112 - The Need and Benefit of the Power of Concentration - by Submitted on Sep 29, 2024 from santosh krinsky“By askesis do thou seek to know the Eternal, for concentration in thought is the Eternal.” Thus spoke Varuna to Bhrigu in the Taittiriya Upanishad [Sri Aurobindo’s translation]. Swami Vivekananda’s lectures on Raja Yoga, expounding the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, with an extensive commentary, ...
Views: 132 - The Power of Imagination and Visualisation Can Aid in Coming into Direct Contact with One’s Psychic Being - by Submitted on Sep 28, 2024 from santosh krinskyThe power of visualisation has been recognised as an aid in healing from illness, in excelling in sports, and in helping an individual achieve results in the external world. The spiritual seeker also can put this power to work to achieve results in the inner world. Practitioners of Tibetan ...
Views: 138 - The Dreams of Childhood Are the Realities of Mature Age - by Submitted on Sep 27, 2024 from santosh krinskyMost individuals wind up having to abandon their childhood dreams and aspirations. They follow the career path set before them by their society, their family, their teachers and their peers. Yet, in most cases, they never fully lose their deeper aspiration which surfaced in their childhood ...
Views: 158 - Imagination Can Help or Harm Depending on the Intention Behind Its Use - by Submitted on Sep 26, 2024 from santosh krinskyEvery great power that humanity discovers and wields in the world has both its negative and its positive side. It can either be utilized to destroy or to support, benefit and create. For example, humanity has harnessed the use of fire. Fire can burn down the house, or it can cook one’s food. ...
Views: 152 - Effectuating the Formations of Imagination Over Time and Circumstance - by Submitted on Sep 25, 2024 from santosh krinskyCreating a detailed imagination is the first step in a future realisation. The formation so devised will attempt to achieve its actualisation in the world. Yet, it must contend with the readiness of the ground upon which it alights, the preparation of the ‘soil’, the proper support along the ...
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