The relationship between spirituality and politics

From artoflliving.org: “Spirituality should come into politics,” was Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s advice to Indian Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel during a nationally televised dialogue.

“We need to spiritualize politics, socialize business and secularize religion. Devoid of spirituality, politics breeds corruption,” he says.

From the above quote, we can conclude that spirituality and politics are not incompatible. Some may argue that a spiritual seeker cannot participate in politics.

However, if one is living a life of surrender and devotion to God, it is completely possible. If God places one in a political position, then it is Divine Will.

From the perspective of a citizen, a spiritual seeker is perfectly capable of voting in elections or even helping a candidate campaign for a political position. The action does not matter; what matters is where the mind is at.

If one votes or campaigns with non-attachment and indifference to the result, then there is no spiritual conflict. 

The Dalai Lama has participated in political action in Tibet; Mahatma Gandhi obviously did the same in India. The political process is necessary to maintain a region, state, providence, country, etc. 

One who participates in politics must stay true to the yogic principles: non-attachment to action, beliefs, or views. If one governs or participates in such a manner, renouncing the fruit of action, there is no problem.

The danger of "spiritual knowledge"

You want to empty yourself totally, absolutely and completely, of all so called knowledge. You're afraid to do this, for you think you will become a vegetable. It's hard to imagine a person with no mind. But, when you begin to realize that your mind is only an accumulation of thoughts, thoughts from past lives, thoughts from this life, only thoughts, then you begin to see that the mind has to be totally transcended and transmuted. ~ Robert Adams

One of the pitfalls for a spiritual seeker is obsessing over spiritual knowledge and learning. It is true that a beginner may read the Bhagavad Gita, or other books by enlightened beings.
However, at some point the desire for spiritual knowledge can be a barrier. One who thinks that obsessing over topics, such as chakras, will lead to spiritual development is not necessarily right.
Spiritual practice involves living as The Real Self and transcending attachment to the body and mind.
It may be useful for one to gain a basic understanding of certain spiritual topics, but it should not be a daily obsession. In fact, reading too much about spirituality can be more of a hindrance than anything.
One learns all that they need to know from meditation, remaining aware in the present moment, and quieting the mind.

There is no one called 'you'. You don't exist. No thing that you can imagine exists. Realization doesn't exist. Liberation doesn't exist. It doesn't exist because you've got to think about it. And of course everything you think about is false imagination. You can only confirm this truth in the silence. ~ Robert Adams

Karma Yoga: Maximum intensity combined with complete indifference

In order to practice true karma yoga, the yoga of action, one must work with full intensity while caring nothing for the result.
A karma yogi will be the one of the hardest workers in the office, at a construction site, in the kitchen, or wherever one earns their livelihood at. The difference is that although the yogi works with such intensity and dedication, they care nothing for the result; they are simply working because that is what they are supposed to do.
They don't hate work or love it. They do not work because of the money, accomplishments, success, fame, or other things that may result from their action.
For example, if I am working as a chef and the food that I prepare is ready for the customer quickly, that is fine; however, if I burn my rice and have to start over, that is also fine.
The yogi does not care; they are just locked in the present moment doing only what is necessary. A yogi sees that the world is an illusion and nothing is really happening, but may still work as if everything is real and of significance.  

The Real vs. The Unreal: Understanding the Nature of the Mind

All reality, which includes the entire physical world, is an Unreal projection of the mind. Our human survival mechanism, known as the ego, is also Unreal. Even the worlds beyond the physical plane of reality, the astral plane, the causal plane, and whatever other dualities exist are all Unreal.

To desire anything of the Unreal is to reject The Real, which is The Self alone--the Nothingness that we call God. It is referred to as the Nothingness because beyond all these dualities is what Krishna refers to, in the Bhagavad Gita, as the Unmanifest form of himself. It is nothing--eternal silence; and yet, it is what has formed all of these objects of the Universe.

Now the nature of the mind is to want things. The mind wants everything such as food, clothes, money, sex, etc. What the mind is doing is searching for The Real; it is searching for The Self because The Self is pure bliss, the ultimate and complete happiness. However, for a being who is attached to the mind-body complex, The Self is not perceived in everyday reality. Because of this, the mind mistakes the Unreal for The Real and sends one's awareness on a "wild goose chase" after an infinite number of desires--all of which ultimately lead to dissatisfaction.

This does not mean that the mind cannot get what it wants. But what it does mean is that any desire that is fulfilled, such as eating or buying something, must be done consciously. To fulfill a desire consciously is to see the desire as something that the mind wants, and to be indifferent about the fulfillment of the desire. Paradoxically, you can have anything you want as long as you don't want it. Once one understands that the desires of the mind are Unreal, and that The Self is the only Real thing ANYWHERE, the mind's power over one's awareness begins to weaken at an increasing rate.

All "you" have to do is bow; surrender to the unfolding of the Universe. This is not "your life". You were never born and will never die; you are The Self, how could you? God is living what we call "our lives". We are just one big thing watching from an infinite number of perspectives.

By renouncing all thinking, planning, selfish tendencies/actions, personality, hatred, greed, shame, fear, desires, and any other aspect of a self/person, one gives to God what already belongs to IT. If we give God ourselves, we become God, because there is no "we" left; only The Self is left, which is Nothing.

Love to all, peace to all.
Sat Nam

-Acintya Bhakti

YOU are Enlightened; YOU are The Self

Through the study of the words of Enlightened Beings, and your own increased devotion to The One, you begin to realize how paradoxical, illogical, irrational, and inconceivable reality truly is.

You realize that since you aren't the body, mind, senses, desires, or anything but The Self, you are what you are searching for. YOU are already Realized; you are The Self, and it is pure love, bliss, life--One with all.

Ramana Maharshi described this paradox very well:

"We imagine that we will realize that Self some time, whereas we are never anything but the Self."

"Realization consists of getting rid of the false idea that one is not realized." 


So naturally you ask the question: "If I am already Enlightened, then why am I 'not Enlightened'; why am I not completely free from thoughts, desires, suffering, etc.?"

The answer is deep. Our current spiritual evolution is determined by our prarabdhakarma. We cannot enlighten ourselves. Realization and spiritual growth comes from the Grace of The Universe.

The story of your life is already written and set in stone. Whether you will realize yourself (The Self) in this lifetime has already been determined.

Therefore, it is unnecessary to feel guilty, ashamed, or depressed about your spiritual progress; you have NO CONTROL, and you NEVER HAVE.

So then the question becomes: "What do I do?"

And the Answer is: Nothing. Just surrender to Life and every moment. Surrender to any suffering you endure, any mistreatment from others, and every aspect of physical consciousness.

Just give up. Continue your daily spiritual practice--meditation, hatha yoga, mantra, pranayama, prayer, loving service, etc.

Do not seek happiness through anything exterior. 

All you have ever wanted is within you. Bow to The Universe in humble devotion.

THERE IS NO YOU. "You" are NOTHING.

Peace to all
Love to all
Life to all

Namaste
Sat Nam

-Acintya Bhakti

It's only a movie...

The Infinite Void (Ultimate Awareness, Absolute Truth, God, etc.) is the Director of this "movie" called life that we are all experiencing. But reality gets more complex when we inquire into what we are in relation to the Universal Director, and what part we actually play in this movie.

One can read any number of ancient holy texts such as the Bhagavad Gita or the Tao Te Ching--or read the words of Enlightened Beings such as Ramakrishna, Ramana Maharshi, and Buddha--in order to uncover our true nature.

Words are imperfect symbols that can only hint at the Absolute Truth that we are speaking of. But to put it simply, while God is the Director of this movie, God is also all of the actors.

Not only is God all of the actors, but also every cause, effect, outcome, action, etc. Anything that happens to us is caused by God. There are no accidents in this life, and we have no choices--despite what the world has told us.

Furthermore, since God is every actor and role in this movie, we are all God. So then the question becomes what is our Eternal Divine Nature? And what parts of us are just temporal illusions? (Basically everything in the Universe with name and form is illusory) Ramakrishna confirms this:  "Unalloyed love of God is the essential thing. All else is unreal."

The illusory parts of our beings are the body and the mind--which of course includes the ego. We are what Ramana Maharshi calls The Self. The Self is called the Atman in Hinduism. It may also be referred to as Pure Awareness, Sat chi ananda, Pure Being, etc.

This Pure Awareness is what is truly You and what is truly I; it is God itself.

No matter whether you are a spiritually advanced being or a worldly being who engages in unhealthy practices that are not spiritual, YOU are still The Self. It is all that you are and all that you will ever be.

The paradoxical thing about what we call Enlightenment (Realization) is that we are all already Enlightened or Realized. But we are blocked from experiencing this pure nature of Truth. And what is it that blocks us?

We are blocked by all of our worldly desires, our attachments, thoughts, memories, and our imagination.

Our bodies are Divine Receptors capable of undoing all of these impurities and allowing us to be The Self alone. But many of us destroy this divine receptor by eating the wrong food, using drugs (which includes caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol), and by not engaging in daily spiritual practice such as meditation, hatha yoga, chanting, prayer, pranyama, etc.

All we can do is start right HERE where we are. One may not be able to dramatically alter their life initially due to karmic commitments. But simply starting with short meditation, a mantra, hatha yoga, and prayer can have profound effects.

There is SO much more that can be said, and not enough space here to say it. But in conclusion, do Not take this life seriously. It's only a movie. Do Not take your job, or other responsibilities seriously. God is the actor that is doing them all. You aren't doing anything but watching this life go by--because all you are is the Eternal Witness; the SELF.


Blessings to you all. Peace to all, Life to all, Love to all.
Sat Nam

-Acintya Bhakti

Death :)

Yesterday, "I" underwent a fairly routine medical procedure. "I" won't go into the details because my health and wellness is not the subject of this post or this blog. Anyway, as "I was lying on the hospital bed in the room, "I" felt the "Inward pull" to practice a very essential exercise of the spiritual life which "I" have at times neglected.

As "I" am witnessing liquid flow from the bag of anesthesia into the IV in my hand, the thought came, "What if I died right now?" Now this was not a likely outcome given the commonality of the procedure, but still "I" began to pretend that death was upon my being.

"I" began to "let go" of all the adult "games" that we play in this life. As "I" contemplated college, my job, my family, this incarnation, and all of the possessions and accomplishments associated with my being, "I" simply questioned, "Am I ready to let all this go?"

It was a very calming experience. Simply letting all of the involvements of my being float away like waves upon the ocean, "I" felt a sense of peace and serenity that was truly beautiful.

"I" watched the nurse press a needle an IV into one of my veins, and as the mild pain came, it was beautiful. It was all the WILL of The One. "I" was witnessing this body feeling pain and being in this usually unpleasant situation, but "I" was content and unattached. The suffering was dedicated to Brahman as the Bhagavad Gita commands us to do.

I do not tell this story to boast about my spiritual development. "I" am still a beginner on this path like so many other souls. If you find yourself in a similar situation as the one "I" have described, try this exercise if the Guru within calls you to do so.

However, One does not have to be in such a situation to practice this exercise. It may be done during meditation time as well.

If you find attachments, fear, or anything else that is part of this illusory reality still has a hold on you, do NOT be discourage. This is simply the Guru at work showing you direction for spiritual development. Whatever you are feeling during this exercise, do not suppress it. Just BE with all your thoughts, emotions, etc. If you feel the need to cry, then do so in a free and guiltless manner. Use the profound energy of this exercise to face your death in ALL of its fullness while not suppressing or holding anything back.

Truly, death is beautiful. For death is not the end at All. However, life is beautiful as well. Buddha says, "Cling to neither birth or death". So we must cherish them both as the Beautiful processes that they are. God/Brahman/The One truly emanates such a beautiful illusion.

May these writings be dedicated to The One who is the writer of them all.
-Acintya Bhakti


"Rain water falling upon the roof of a house flows down to the ground through spouts shaped grotesquely like a tiger's head. One gets the impression that the water comes from the tiger's mouth, but in reality it descends from the sky. In the same way the holy teachings that come from the mouths of godly men seem to be uttered by the men themselves, while in reality they proceed from God."-Ramakrishna