Tag: meditation

Posted in Food For Soul, Welcome to my blog!

When universe responds to you in the same frequency.

Posted on by veeskitchen

FROM THE THIRD TO THE FOURTH, FIFTH, SIXTH & MORE DIMENSIONS AHOYYYY!

This post was penned in Arizona, US on 20th evening. I didn’t realize that it was already 21st april in India, the day of Adi Shankara Jayanthi. Adi Shankara, the first and foremost of the Shankaracharyas who established the Hindu maths across India is believed to have lived in the 8th century CE. Its the date put in by the British historians. However our ancestors believe he lived well before the birth of Christ by citing how river Poorna on banks of which he resided, shifted course with time. In those early centuries, Shankara even established a mutt in Sri Nagar that stands until today. He is the founder of Advaitha philosophy – the oneness we all seek. Its no coincidence that on his jayanthi or birth anniversary as per Hindu calender that I wrote this piece. This is also his work as everyday I invoke him in my prayers/salutations to the lineage of gurus/guru parampara of India, the established scholarly tree of Dharmic Hindu philosophy.

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Most of us don’t believe this is possible, until it happens to us. But everything we do, what we even think, talk, do – all these get recorded somewhere in the cosmos. We call it the Akshic records in sanskrit (all you have to do is Google; now the Akashic have become You tube popular) – a karmic provisional record of all our previous births up until today. I have done many posts on spirituality in the past but I am no more the same person who did them all. Some shift happened in feb/march that I cannot talk about. The process started some two years back when one day I found my spine heating up on meditation to an unbelievable level. The heat spread to my neck and ears. But even before I started on meditation (mantra japa), I have had some coincidences that seemed miraculous. My intuition too proved right in more than one occasion. I dismissed everything trying to explain stuff with logical reasoning as we all do.

Now however the old me is gone. In her place is this new one who is seeing things normally invisible; not in the surface of earth but in the mind, as if I am a third person watching a show that is on; i am on my regular health pills to keep me alive and on supplements; nothing new or strange; nothing happened all these years; i am not on any stimulant/drug otherwise; i am not dreaming or hallucinating; i am not being hypnotized or mesmerized. I am not lying or exaggerating; I am perfectly sane and healthy and in all my senses. Yet I crossed a mind barrier very recently; i broke through the first glass ceiling that I never believed would be possible for me in my life time; i am by no way Paramahamsa Yogananda or Swami Vivekananda or Ramana Maharishi or even Sri sri Ravishankar ji of present times; I am no Baba or Yogi or even someone following the ‘aachaarams’ and ‘anushtaanams.’ I am a regular housewife, living a loukik life steeped in familial background and responsibilities that come with my position; i am materialistic; i have been ambitious in the physical world wanting this and desiring that; I am someone who has shaken my leg in a couple of girls’ wine parties; i am addicted to shopping; i have been mean and i have hurt people; i have my share of flaws and i am by no means perfect; but I have been an ardent Shakthi devotee for decades now; I was born into/grew up in an overtly pious family; I am obsessed with my pujas; only in America i am missing them for some reasons; here I therefore double my japa (meditation) time. To be fair to myself, i only hurt someone back when i am provoked; people who betrayed trust or sold their soul have had it from me when our paths crossed; otherwise i am a decent soul hahaha; i try to help people and i generally mean well. So I never anticipated this spiritual promotion when I am still in flesh and blood and while still my heart is beating; i have always rated myself as mediocre in every single facet of my life; passable; nothing outstanding or distinguishing; But it looks like the cosmos doesn’t feel the same about me; Obviously i have arrived at the threshold of something deeper and THE ONLY REALITY OF THE WORLD; i know we are all consumed by Maya (the illusion) and we believe in what our 5 senses can experience: seeing, tasting, smelling, hearing and touching. But beyond the senses that are visible and accessible lies the inaccessible, to access which you have to break one by one the bunch of glass ceilings of your own mind space, to finally emerge in the cosmos; to realize what it is to belong with the universal consciousness; i am not saying i am there yet, but i will be working my way through; the tools that have helped me reach this far have been: MY RELENTLESS FAITH IN MY DEITY, MY TOTAL SURRENDER TO MY DIVINE MOTHER and in general in the entire pantheon of Hindu gods, the Sanatana Dharma (Hindu faith), our scriptures, our mantras/tantras, our holy shrines/ancient temples, and in our yogis, rishis, sadhus, GURUS and others, my pujas, my mantra japa (meditation with mantras) and my limited yoga/exercises. I BELIEVE AND I NEVER HAD AN IOTA OF DOUBT WHATSOEVER.

See how many times I am mentioning still I, ME, MINE. I have still not learnt my lessons. However I am a fledgling soul yet and i can make mistakes, can’t I?!

I am penning this post only for the sake of awareness. Be good: think good, talk good and do good. Don’t hurt a soul. No negative energy please. Double your puja efforts, pilgrimages to powerful shrines etc., but more than double your focused meditation. Guided meditation is available online.

Those who don’t have a Guru can just focus on simple meditation techniques like the following.

  • Take deep breath and chant Om in quiet meditative mind for 1 hour repeatedly
  • Chant quietly Om Namashivaya for 1 hour in mind in meditation
  • Chant Ram Ram in meditation
  • Chant Hare Krishna in meditation
  • Om Shakthi Paraa Shakthi in meditative mode

Do this for 1 hour everyday for 3 to 5 years and see the results. Taking a guru for guidance is wisest and advisable. Combining meditation with practice of yoga can yield greater benefits.

I recently read about intelligence in social media. Its stated that its METACOGNITION – in this case, the awareness of the metaphysical that is the supreme intelligence. YOu don’t have to get into a satellite and land in the moon or the Mars. Simply astro travel with your mind! Who says India is poor or illiterate. Do these guys who are our critiques even know what we they are talking about. If Divine Mother bestows the gift of supreme knowledge or conscience of the cosmos upon us, if we are gifted enough for our Kundalini to rise gradually in tandem with our physical/mental strengths, if we are blessed enough for our third eye to open when we are still in this physical body, if its possible for us to see what is NOT evident to our physical naked eye – then it means we have the grace of the universal mother, our Divine Mother; that is what is REAL WEALTH, REAL INTELLIGENCE, REAL PURPOSE OF LIFE. I am repeating here what most Gurus aver: where Quantum physics may end, ADVAITA VEDANTA begins.

I realize how lonely you become at mind level once you reach a certain milestone in your spiritual path. You can barely share things with people because they are not tuned into your frequency. Your own family cannot see or feel what you can sense. People think you may be needing therapy – that is the incredulity that you can’t believe in!

Often our spiritual seniors ask us not to share our experiences, but I also have some evolved & high vibrational souls in my best friends’ circle who share their divine stories with others so that humanity can benefit. I have achieved nothing yet I know, however here I am wanting to encourage every single being I come across TO THINK GOOD, SPEAK GOOD, ACT GOOD AND HAVE THE BEST OF INTENTIONS, ALL THE TIME SPIRITUALLY ROOTED.

I once again recommend a reading of the book ‘The autobiography of a Yogi’ by Shri Paramahamsa Yogananda.

Posted in Food For Soul

And then one fine day…

Posted on by veeskitchen

They ask me not to share my vibes, but I choose to. My intention is to make someone draw what is beneficial from this source, that’s all. Its not boasting. Plus I want a record of my vibes. I keep forgetting a lot.

For instance, I remembered after decades, the nightmare I had had as a six year old. In that, a huge demon comes and take away my mother. I never shared it with her then but it was in my mind for a few years. I don’t know why it popped up now after over 40+ years in my memory. It was forgotten in the intervening period. That nightmare did come true in my school years and my mother indeed was taken away forever.

Anyway, I am into meditation for a few years now.

Last week was special. As I was chanting Ganapathi’s nama, I found that I was involuntarily pulled into something within my closed eyes. Not bodily. My attention got pulled. I knew it was not a dream, I was not hallucinating, I was not imagining. Something was unfolding – in my mind’s eye perhaps. That much was clear even in those 30 to 45 sec it lasted. I saw a large eye and the eye dilated and drew me inside deeper. There in darkness strangely I saw a tv playing but not even the tv edges were visible. Cartoon characters were playing in the show. At that moment I forced myself to open my eyes and I lost it all.

But after talking to some spiritually elevated souls, I reckon now something indeed remarkable has happened that day. Over that, I don’t want to share anything in this space. Whether I shall get a repeat or whether I shall progress further – I have absolutely no idea about. Can aver this much: meditation is a powerful tool that can transport you to other realms. For a moment I had gotten a clue as to what wonders await you if you train your mind.

The purpose of my post is only to encourage those who chance upon this space, to take to meditation if you have not already.

Posted in Food For Soul

World Peace Day.

Posted on by veeskitchen

Today is International Peace Day. May be a bit late to write on this. Attended a demo session of Heartfulness meditation at ICC Doha (that we do every year). On and off I do the heartfulness kind of meditation wherein we say we meditate from our heart. This kind of meditation is different from other typical Hindu meditation techniques that focus on progression of the seven Chakras. Meditation is essentially Om Mantra vibration for me which is why I am unable to come to terms with Heartfulness. Also, there is always a conscious attempt by many groups, in my opinion, to delink anything basically and intrinsically Hindu and make it universal. Yoga is compromised and even in the Surya Namaskar (sun salutation) Om mantra is eliminated. But if you eliminate the Om, how can it continue to be the authentic Surya Namaskar. In any case, most Yoga stretches are patented by Americans who have had nothing to do with Yoga or Meditation. There are two kinds of existence as per Hindu Dharma: Yoga and Bhoga. Yoga is renunciation essentially for both Hindus and Buddhists (and Jains) which means detachment to prepare yourself for the ultimate Enlightenment or Nirvana (self consciousness or self awareness). Bhoga is voraciously materialistic. The American or western practice of Yoga is without a soul that way – because they have killed the Yogic aspect of the fitness regime where body and soul merge with discipline. Yogic exercises in the west are mostly bhogic that they even have beer Yoga, Yoga with goats etc – which shows how least they grasp the elements of Yoga and how ignorant and disrespectful they are about something that is too very profound and disciplined way of life. Meditation is the other branch of Yoga like the Mudras. Now we have even the Transcendental mediation and Kundalini awakening selling like hotcakes; there are crash courses on Chakra progression and on Kundalini for sale. Which is why I have developed such a distaste for any kind of meditation that disassociates itself consciously, purposely from Hindu Dharma. Is that want you need to market a philosophy to worldwide seekers?

Meditation was mentioned as a tool to achieve peace both internal and external. Someone who spoke said what gave him peace was social service to the community. To those like my husband, work is worship as a friend stated the obvious truth. Peace to this kind comes from discharging their responsibility to such an impeccable perfection and contributing to realizable productivity.

As for as I am concerned, we all have our schools of thought that we adhere to. Hindu dharma has six clear cut philosophies to achieve the internal peace and I am for pursuing one of the six folded path. Sorry, I have no appetite for meditation, and if it does have to be, it will be the Om Mantra chanting for meditation for me. Now, that is the original meditation. No harm in entertaining, contemplating the various options but I guess, Hindus must eschew meditation techniques and yogic methods that try to misinterpret the Hindu practices and try to make them non communal. It is true yoga need not have to be communal, meditation need not have to be communal, but neither then must they be sold commercial. If you have to pay for them, then they may as well be patented. Yoga is not about the mere body. It is that which unites the body with the soul and takes you to the the next step of self awareness. It gives you mind control. Indian govt missed patenting yoga through decades since independence. Too late, but won the patent for Surya namaskar finally! However in the meantime the west came out with their own Pilates that is blatant takeover from yoga. Zumba, Taekwondo, Kungfu, Karate everything is patented by the respective origin countries. But then the greatest weakness of a Hindu is, you do not want to charge for the universal goodness that you give the world. What the heck. its not a question of charges. Its about preserving the essence of the tools of our Sanathana Dharam without dilution.

We spend years on deciding which route to take to the top of the pyramid. I did. Its worth testing every tool. With trial and error we can eliminate what won’t apply to us. Heartfulness is okay but I resent the delinking of Hindu aspect from this form of meditation. I don’t think this will give me peace at all! But practitioners of Heartfulness vouch for the peace and harmony in their lives. That stillness of the heart – i guess I can still have with the quiet Om vibration from the base of the Mooladhara chakra and then go on working up.

Before I close I cannot help emphasizing on peace at home before we go seek solace in the outside world as almost all the speakers underscored. That was the takeaway for me from the evening.

Posted in Food For Soul

Decoding Dharma 4: – Jeev Samadhi when fully awake

Posted on by veeskitchen

Hindu by default. Vegetarian by default.

But why do I always be wanna be reborn a Hindu. This is merely my simple ingestion of the essence of Dharma. I may or may not be right. (I think I have a long long way to go through many multiple janams before hoping for an elimination from the birth cycle). Practising Hindus must be aware how we seek liberation (Mukthi) from this vicious circle of birth and death (which is the illusion or Maya) in our Prarthana before blending with the One Collective Consciousness.

……https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHqRJRV-0Ds…..

I have tried not to attach the You tube link in this post considering the sensitivity of the topic. Please copy and paste or search You tube for ‘buddhist monk or thai monk attaining jeev samadhi or leaving body.’

Just watched a video of a Buddhist monk in Thailand attain Jeev Samadhi when fully awake. I have blogged on this earlier. This kind of taking leave is possible only for Hindu/Buddhist/Jain monks of the Dharmic nature.

Where others fail and why is Hindu Dharma scientific. Because, only we speak of a higher consciousness that we regard as the nether. If we do not evolve as humans to this state of consciousness, we may get propelled into the birth cycle again and again. We may take a thousand janams and still be not rid of the birth and rebirth cycles. For Hindus, this emancipation is entirely a mind factor. This is the ultimate state of Nirvana or Moksha whatever name you may call it by. What we see in temples is for those at the base of the pyramid who have limited thought process to imagine anything beyond. As we may reach the upper echelons of our consciousness, we may start leaving rituals entirely behind. Some of my friends do follow parallel paths in search of this elusive truth or wisdom.

(You may ask about those folds where rituals are non-existent or minimal. Absence of rituals is no guarantee to enlightenment. Contrary to the belief of many, ritual processes enable us and prepare us for the next stages of consciousness. Yoga and Meditation may be effective tools for attaining the discipline for both mind and body control. Which is why the Christian Yoga that dispenses with Om Mantra may not serve purpose. Synchronization of the body and the mind can be achieved with focus with Om chanting)

I have spoken of the ‘ant and the boot’ story pretty often. To the minute ant at the edge of the boot, the imposing man can never be comprehensible. It is beyond the tiny brain of the little ant to break out of its intelligence level to understand the looming man in his entirety. This is all Hindu Dharma is about. That overwhelming knowledge is our God-Goddess. We simpletons may relate to this supreme consciousness as Shiva or Raam or Shakthi as per our comfort level.

Decoding Dharma – 1: Jeev Samadhis – A Brief Glance

I am sharing links to my earlier blog posts on this fascinating subject of mine. I have always regarded myself as kind of spiritual(!) over religious!!! That inspite of me having limited spiritual knowledge. Still this is the one single realization that the Abrahamic folds completely missed out on. This may be because, Hinduism has no founder. That we are not an organized religion like others, helps. Dharma is not an ‘ism’ at all. The Sanathana Dharma is way of life that if you follow with conscience can open doors to achieve supreme levels of higher conscience when you can belong in the other world without your physical/mortal body even as an earthling. Otherwise this is possible only when we shed our physicality (on death). This is where transcendental meditation comes in. Hindus are eternal seekers. We seek, don’t pray. We seek the supreme knowledge to attain the level of higher consciousness in our own time which is possible only for Mahans like Swami Vivekanand.

Decoding Dharma – 2: The Madras Theosophical Society

I am writing this up after watching the video of a Thai Buddhist monk take leave of his physical/mortal body when fully awake. I am not the owner of the video. This is a very recent recording. Generally this kind of Jeev Samadhi is not possible to witness at all. Rarest to happen. What a highest level of super consciousness the Buddhist monk must have attained. Technology has gifted us this wonderful opportunity to understand or decode the one true path which is Dharmic (Buddhism and Jainism and even Sikkism are offshoots of Hindu Dharma).

Decoding Dharma – 3: Why Dharma.

Pranaams to the noble Atma. Blessed. What a way to take leave. In a world wracked by violence and bombs and bloodshed, what a dharmic way some live by. Om Shanthi!

(On my friends’ suggestion I am adding this on India. Bharatha is Yoga Bhoomi while the Abrahamic nations in Middle East and the West are bhogis. In short, materialistic. Our paths can only be divergent).

Posted in Food For Soul

Decoding Dharma – 3: Why Dharma.

Posted on by veeskitchen

Why Sanathana Dharma (Hindu Dharma).

Because none other seeks the light of knowledge for salvation, awakening of higher consciousness and liberation of the soul from the birth-death-rebirth cycle as Dharma does. No Abrahamic way is anywhere close to the truth. There is no heaven or hell. Only this. You attain supreme conscience or opt to be reborn up until you are ready to merge with the creation and become part of it all on attaining the state of  ‘Mukthi’ or ‘Moksha’ (‘Nirvana’ – enlightenment). How easily said than done. Ant and the boot story as I have mentioned many a time in my blog posts. I can never reach up to higher level than this. I am stranded. I am all admiration for those Maha Avatars who have managed to transcend through time and space into the Infinity, with immense mind control. This is after all the land of Gautama Buddha and Mahavira and Vivekananda and Ramana Maharishi. Of great Sadhus (sages), Rishis and Yogis. Just listening to their life stories suffices for me. I may take a 1000 janams (births) or probably much, much more to reach there, but who cares. I am aware of my own limitations. Unable to rise above this ground level of the pyramid of spirituality. Materialistic aspirations have dulled not just me. The damaging impact is all across the world and the purpose is lost. The one Adi Yogi who always resides in my heart is Lord Shiva.

Other folds have fielded their self-proclaimed prophets and saints and supposed sons of Gods as if we are running a race – and how wrongfully they succeed in weaning away masses from the one right path. It is not even apt to talk about them here when I think of the Maha Yogis who have walked the length and breadth of not just my country India, but the universe. India has had many of them, India is ancient. Cradle of civilizations. Only Hindus believe we are re-evolving after we devolved. It is next to impossible to make an Abrahamic understand this ingrained belief in every Hindu. This is why Dharma has to survive. The one true path. The one visible only to the seeker. Seeker of higher intelligence and truth. The only way you can bust your physical body to enter the realm of supreme existence. Other than on embracing death that is. Our Karma decides where we belong. Whether we must be recycled.

The way I look at our timeless temples, our Gurus, our ancestors, our Gods, our saints and even our mountains …. all this has changed vastly in recent years. I am now a staunch advocate for Hindu Dharma for this reason. I may never unravel the truth in my limited capacity and confinement, but let the seekers who have it in them go after the truth…

Sometimes this moves me to tears. The inability to go beyond my level. Sheer greed I know. The physical, mental limitations. The insignificance of my being. The pointlessness of material life.

The significance of our brain size proportionate to our body mass – i never paid more attention to this like I do now.

My prayer these days is : I can never reach up to you Oh My Mother and Father, but you can reach down to me. Elevate me a little.

Meditation is not easy. But a wise path to tread. Focus sharpens for the starters. Long winding road ahead… Yoga and meditation are good tools to work with in this direction.

The more you become aware of the bonding chains, of your level of intelligence that really matters, the less is the pain of suffering. More acceptance. More Peace. Om Shanthi!

At the end of the day, I am still the materialistic average human. Self-serving and taking refuge in small pleasures. The whole life becomes a summary of such trivialities. But how to get rid of mortal attachments. If I have to wait a lifetime every time, I shall. In this assignment that i have willingly taken in (I believe), let me score my best.

In this birth, in this defined role of mortal life wherein familial duties get duly prioritized, here and whenever possible I gaze at Thee in wonder. Who I cannot reach in a zillion ages. But I am happy to SEE, Thou are incomprehensible. My brains may burst to dust defining Thy dimensions. Thy Immensity. I am fulfilled right now. No aspirations. Ground level view is good and satisfying. Self realization can be at multi-level. I am at the entry stage. To realize that I can’t realize ever is my greatest achievement in this janam!

Pranaams to the greatest Mahans of Bharat! I cannot feel their presence, but I believe they are all around us. The vibes I sense on setting foot in our temples are a proof that I do not expect others to understand. Why great souls are not born these days. Materialistic vision clouds mind. Rituals drown or dissolve the essence. Meaningless pursuits lead us astray from the one goal: Mukthi. Liberation.