Benefits of Silence

Q: Could tell us about the benefits of silence and how we could bring that home with us from this retreat?

A:Many of us have realized in the last few days that silence can be enjoyable. We realize that there are many things that we do not have to say, and that then we can reserve the time and energy to do other things that can help us to look more deeply into ourselves and things around us.

If you are pushed by your habit energy to say something, don't say it. Instead, take a notebook and write it down. A day or two later, read what you wrote, and you might find out that it would have been an awful thing to say. So slowly you become master of yourself, and you know what to say and what not to say.

I remember one time I proposed to a sister that she practice silence. She was an elder nun and she had a few negative seeds in her that prevented her from being happy. She was just a little bit too hard on the other sisters. I proposed to her that she was a very talented person, very skillful in many things, and she could make many people happy if only she knew how to be silent and to say only things that needed to be said.

I proposed to her that she use only three sentences for three months. She could repeat these three sentences as many times as she wanted(laughter) and I told her that if she practiced that for a week, she would feel happiness right away. The first sentence was, "Dear sister,is there anything I can do to help you?" (laughter) The second sentence was, "Did you like what I did to help you?" The third was, "Would you have any suggestion that I can do it better?" (laughter) If she could say that, she would make many people happy and the happiness would go back to herself very quickly.

In the family we can practice silence. We can ask the other members of the family to agree that we will practice silence for three days or for a week. It is very beneficial. There will be a transformation after the period of practicing silence.

Thich Naht Hanh

The Witness

The Zen Master had a visitor. The Zen Master asked the visitor," Had we me met before? ". The visitor replied in the affirmative. The Zen Master then invited him for tea and took him in.

There was a second visitor.The Zen Master asked the visitor," Had we me met before? ". The visitor replied in the negative. The Zen Master then invited him for tea and took him in.


Krishnamachari Santhanam.

Waterhole

I found a very Good Water source. It had tranquil,clean crystal cool water. I just Love it. But the path which leads to it is slushy and there are thorns along the way. Wild animals also hangs around the place liking the same cool water. There are many Lotuses which bloom and honey bees keep buzzing around the water source.



Now, I have a choice- to ignore the waterhole and avoid going there because of the wild animals which roam around or because of the disturbance caused by the honey bees.



Or, Alternately I can prioritize and Decide that Good clean water is the necessity and learn to ignore or tread carefully around the perils involved. Most of us are in the same situation. With great effort of past or present Karma we come across a good guru. But we get disturbed by the happening around him and we become judgemental and because of Ego think that we are in a fit position to crticise even the great souls. We fall off. Such is the effect of Maya.



I feel we should prioritise and stay put. Dig deep in one place and find sparkling water than get frustrated move around and dig so many shallow pits around us that it poses a peril to the digger himself.



Om Tat sat.



Krishnamachari Santhanam.

The Fragrance of Silence

Befor you speak, THINK

Is it necessary?

Is it true?

Is it kind?

Will it hurt any one?

Will it improve on the silence?

The first step in the Sadhana is the cleansing of the speech. Talk sweet without anger.Do not boast of your scholarship or attainments.Be humble,eager to serve; Conserve your speech.Practice silence.That will save you from squabble,frittering thoughts and frictions.

Sai.

Silence Speaks

If you can not understand HIS Silence how will you understand HIS words?



You never have to shout for HELP just remember ME.


SAI.

Silence reigns

The story of Dakshinamoorthi and the Sanakadhi rishis is an eyeopener.



The more a concept is discussed or questioned, the more the waves are created in the mind. Instead of quitening the mind which should be the effect of wisdom or knowledge, it is churned up or poops up in pride.



The best time to give water is when a person is thirsty. Best time to give answer is after the question is asked.Knowledge is shared best when people are in need. Otherwise it becomes useless and feels like a display of ego. Everyone is sharing their wisdom here. Is it helpful or is it going waste? Does it open up blocks of your mind? Or is the discussions blocking and cementing your own views and thus enhancing your own self importance.



Social interactive sites like Face book has more Gurus than sadhakas as each is bent on driving in their concept as the best instead of having a reverential approach to Gnan. Some even pompously question your motive when even scriptures and truths they believe in are quoted. Ulterior motives are sought for when there is none.



So the best course is Silence till genuine thirst for Knowledge sprouts in the heart and humility settles in.



Silence reigns!



Om Tat Sat.

Krishnamachari Santhanam

Golf Ball

When things in your life seem, almost too much to handle,
When 24 Hours in a day is not enough,
Remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class
and had some items in front of him.
When the class began, wordlessly,
He picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar
And proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students, if the jar was full.
They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured
them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly.
The pebbles rolled into the open Areas between the golf balls.

He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.
Of course, the sand filled up everything else.
He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous 'yes.'

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively
filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

'Now,' said the professor, as the laughter subsided,
'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.
The golf balls are the important things - Family,
Children, Health, Friends, and The Lord �
Things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, Your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, house, and car.

The sand is everything else --The small stuff.

'If you put the sand into the jar first,' He continued,
there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.
The same goes for life.

If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff,
You will never have room for the things that are important to you.

So...

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
Play With your children.
Take time to get medical checkups.
Take your partner out to dinner.

There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal.

'Take care of the golf balls first --
The things that really matter.
Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.'

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.

The professor smiled.
'I'm glad you asked'.

It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem,
there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee ot tea with a friend

Releasing the Cows.

One day the Buddha was sitting in the wood with thirty or forty monks. They had an excellent lunch and they were enjoying the company of each other. There was a farmer passing by and the farmer was very unhappy. He asked the Buddha and the monks whether they had seen his cows passing by. The Buddha said they had not seen any cows passing by.

The farmer said, "Monks, I'm so unhappy. I have twelve cows and I don't know why they all ran away. I have also a few acres of a sesame seed plantation and the insects have eaten up everything. I suffer so much I think I am going to kill myself.

The Buddha said, "My friend, we have not seen any cows passing by here. You might like to look for them in the other direction."

So the farmer thanked him and ran away, and the Buddha turned to his monks and said, "My dear friends, you are the happiest people in the world. You don't have any cows to lose. If you have too many cows to take care of, you will be very busy.

"That is why, in order to be happy, you have to learn the art of cow releasing. You release the cows one by one. In the beginning you thought that those cows were essential to your happiness, and you tried to get more and more cows.But now you realize that cows are not really conditions for your happiness; they constitute an obstacle for your happiness. That is why you are determined to release your cows."

Krishnamachari Santhanam

The Bodhi tree

There is so much to learn from the simple tree. That way all the trees are Bodhi trees. They give shade to one and all to the King as well to the beggar passing by. Never expects a word of gratitude. Does not discriminate as to the merit of the receiver. Is not judgmental at all. Children throw stones on the mango tree laden with fruits and in return it just sheds a few mangoes gladly in forgiveness. The woodcutter in his greed fells the sandal wood tree and it smilingly scents the axe which rings its death knell. Oh the Bodhi tree, I wish had a small pie of your forgiving nature. I wish I gave without discrimination. I wish I repay the mother earth which has given me in abundance the same way you do.



Please accept my prostrations.



Krishnamachari Santhanam.

Awareness.

Life may reveal itself to you at the foot of a living mountain, by the side of a holy river, at the piercing of the first ray of sunrise. It may choose to whisper its secret at the strangest of places and at the oddest of hours. It could happen on the potty at your most relieved moment or in the shrine of the most fabled temple sanctum.



It all depends on how aware you are at the moment. The opulent universe does not like mysteries. It reveals its core all the time in the cosmic movement of the universe and the constant hum of its hub. It is us who choose not to listen in our eternal quest of the quandary.



He speaks to us all the time in silent whispers and caresses our heart with his gentle fingers but we are so much lost in the glitter and gold we fail to feel.



He sends us his chosen so we may emulate, but we choose to emulate the tinsel town and its heroes. The Hero is one who has renounced everything, but even as kings we choose to be beggars.



The mother of the universe is eternally kind and packs milk in the bosom as we are born, the seeds are sprouting as we eat the first morsel, the fruits are ripe as we care to pluck, we in our greed pick more than what is needed and waste in our audacity of the pompous,"I".



If only we choose to listen more to the energy coursing through our veins, it will be verily the Ganges and its streams. If only we raise the energy to its summit it will be verily the Mount Kailash. If only we energize the chakras it would be microcosm of the movement of the universe. If only we manage to cognize the chith the humble idol in the temple does speak.



As we recognize the unity in diversity the disparity in a stone and a sugar candy does disappear. If only the awareness with which we gain atma vidya or the knowledge of the soul is managed to be retained constantly, nothing needs to be learnt, nothing to be practiced, nothing to be done and just BE.



Krishnamachari Santhanam.

Independant Thinking

There was a king who wanted to know if there was anybody in his kingdom who is independently acting,without the prompting of his wife. He himself was henpecked. He called the citizens and asked them to stand - who follow what wife says to the left and others to the right.

All men were in the left only one to the right. The King was very happy,When asked the man said my wife told not to stand in a place where there is crowd.

Donkey

A donkey carrying a load of holy books is a donkey nevertheless. We are all donkeys so long as we carry these holy books in our mind.

Ashram Bats

On my visit to the Ashram this year,and while waiting in the Darshan line I saw new visitors whom I had not seen in years-fruit bats. They were hanging upside down and all over the trees. The last I had seen these fruit bats was in Luna garden in Sydney. So many of them... and as usual they taught me a lesson or two.

They came swooping and with one leg clung to the tree. Till they find a comfortable branch they moved with the small,"V" formation in their wings as hands and moved around. Once they found the comfortable branch they spread their wings and took all the cool air they needed to regulate their blood temperature. Once done, they wrapped first one wing, then another around them and immediately was lost to all the happenings around them and was lost in meditation. What a marvel? They are veritable sages lost in meditation. Probably they are. The divinity in these creations amazed me. Wish I could as easily settle into meditation and be immersed in it.

Lesson one- Fly high and get the highest branch-in terms of spiritual mentor.
Lesson two- Move around only till you get the bare necessary comfort.
Lesson three- Stay rooted.
Lesson four- Spread your wings, only to unspread later.
Lesson five- Once the Drishti is closed Srishti vanishes. ( Once Physical eyes close manifestation ceases).

Only consciousness remains.

Krishnamachari Santhanam.

Rituals.

In India Sathya Narayan Vratha is celebrated every full moon day. On this day Lord Vishnu is worshipped as Sathya Narayana.
The traditional offering for this varatha is Milk and a choice of 5 fruits. The story of Sathya Narayana Vratha is read with devotion and these offerings are made and partaken.

Now in This village there was a family which celebrated the vratha very faithfully,but they had a problem. There was a black cat which used to come before the puja and slurp the milk. The milk became unclean and hence the puja used to suffer. So the father used to find the cat and put it under a basket and then go ahead with the puja. This happened for years. Parents died and the sons and daughters-in-law knew that this was the usual happening. So without understanding the reason behind why it was done they were doing it blindly to such an extent that when the cat died they used to roam around the village looking for a black cat to put under the basket! his is the beautiful story told by Sai .

This explains two things. Many rituals when they are formed had a logic behind it. Ritual by the force of habit survives the logic and becomes obsolete. Man in his ego of knowledge sometimes throws away the Knowledge behind rituals along with the rituals as the proverbial baby in the bath.
Krishnamachari Santhanam

South Indian Meals.

A typical South Indian meal is served in three main courses: sambar sAdam, rasam sAdam and more (buttermilk) sAdam. Sambar is also known as kuzhambu in Tamil, a term that literally translates to 'get confused'. Paramacharya explains how these three courses are related to the three gunas of spirituality: the confusion of sambar is tamo guna, the clarified and rarified flow of rasam is rajo guna and the all-white buttermilk is satva guna. Our meal reminds us of our spiritual path from confused inaction to a clear flow of action and finally to the realized bliss of unity.

Paramacharya of Kanchi

Ego gives a Bear Hug

There was a river which swelled during monsoon and started swallowing all low lying villages. In one such village there was a man who took asylum on the tree top! In the swollen river below he saw a bulk of black and brown floating.He thought he could jump on it float and be saved. He jumped and hug the log and to his horror found that it was a bear being washed away. The bear willingly hugged him in return gratefully and took him to his watery grave.

ego could be the bear your vasanas mislead you to think of it as log and you hug it. In turn the ego gives you a bear hug and there you go to the next birth. If the man the jiva on the tree of knowledge had used his viveka-the discrimination and been on self-inquiry all would have been well.

Krishnamachari Santhanam

Wise Old Owl.

A wise old owl sat on an oak; The more he saw the less he spoke; The less he spoke the more he heard; Why aren't we like that wise old bird?”

A picture is worth a thousand words.

This picture teaches me more than a hundred scriptures. See Garuda the celestial Eagle having an important job of carrying the Lord not getting pooped up in pride," I am a CEO" etc, has his hands always folded in prayer and has vision fixed on the Lord all the time while performing his duty. I love it.

Krishnamachari Santhanam

Ekam Sath

Even Bad things, Griefs,
sorrows and cursing

are a naughty myth
the single truth
being
even this shall pass away.

Krishnamachari Santhanam

Sarvam Vishnumayam Jagath

Let the eye see
Let the nose smell
Let the tongue taste
and the ears hear
and the skin feel
I am in a rented house
and this is the rent I pay to the land LORD.
Sarvam Vishnumayam Jagath.

Krishnamachari Santhanam