Faith and the Crystal Clear Mind
By Sri Swami Satchidananda

In children, the mind is pure. It is the world that goes in and contaminates our mind, otherwise, the mind is always plain and pure, like a crystal. No mind is bad, no mind is dirty; it’s always crystal clear. But it is the proximity of the mind to other things that colors the mind. If you bring a rose close to a crystal, it will appear rosy. If you bring a blue flower close, the crystal will appear to be blue. The mind is really not bad at all, but if you accumulate ugly things around the mind, the mind will appear to be ugly. The associations are so important. Originally you are all pure, you’re always crystal clear. That’s why we are asked to take care of all our associations. Take care of the “mines” around you. It is the “mines” that color the mind. If you are free from all those things, if you don’t allow those things to contaminate or color your mind, you are liberated. That’s what we see in meditation, also. In meditation we go deep. We see a lot of unpleasant things, a lot of colors in and around the mind. Then, we slowly push them away. That is a form of meditation. Once we learn meditation, we can apply that to anything and everything. That’s why I say that if you are a good meditator, you can meditate on your business; you can meditate on your household problems, teaching problems, learning problems.  MORE

Marie Kondo, the Japanese author and celebrity declutterer, has a new Netflix special called Tidying Up. The reception has been huge. By all accounts, millions of people around the world have watched the show, read Kondo’s books, and made over their homes using Kondo’s trademarked “KonMari Method”. But this movement needn’t be limited to tidier homes; I think it could be a jumping off point to cleaner lives. A clean life is what we get when we live by the Buddha’s Noble Eightfold Path. Right action, right livelihood, right understanding—these are ways to take the discord and clutter out of our lives and ourselves. When we see it as more than a hobby, tidying serves as an entry point to a cleaner life—what is known in Japan and in Zen as a “Way”. The word “Way” is one translation of the Japanese Do (Tao in Chinese). “Do” is appended to the names of many martial and fine arts disciplines that have a spiritual, rather than competitive or esthetic, aim. There is Shodo, for instance, “the way of the brush. One trains in Shodo so that the brush, the ink, and the person act as one with the universe. Then there’s Kendo, the martial art, in which the same occurs with the person, the sword, and the opponent.  MORE

Among the ethical teachings of Raja Yoga, only saucha (purity) warrants two sutras. Saucha is not one of the more popular teachings of Raja Yoga since, in sutra 40, it is associated with disgust for the physical body. However a good look at the benefits listed above is certainly enough to awaken our enthusiasm, plus it is straightforward and uncomplicated. The entry-level practice of saucha consists of keeping up with our personal hygiene and maintaining order and cleanliness in our surroundings. It is one of those practices that Swami Satchidananda would describe as “elementary but elephantary.” When he first came to America, Swami Satchidananda was surrounded by throngs of eager students, most of us in full revolt against the values of our parents. Cleanliness was not one of our priorities. He saw our devotion and saw our lifestyle, and he must have glimpsed the big job he had ahead. “Your parents should have trained you in these things,” he commented and then added, “This must be my karma.” Then he set to work. “It’s not that cleanliness is next to godliness,” he admonished us, “cleanliness is godliness!” At one point we begged him to attend our meditations and infuse his spirit into us. He would not. He said “I’m always with you, whether or not I’m there in my physical body, and I know how you meditate by how you work.”  MORE

Rev. Jaganath, Integral Yoga Minister and Raja Yoga master teacher, has spent a lifetime delving into the deepest layers of meaning in Patanjali’s words within the Yoga Sutras. Our series continues with the 27th and 28th sutras of Chapter 1 in which Patanjali now talks about Ishvara as the “mystic sound OM.” In these two sutras, Patanjali reveals an important practice that will lead the yogi toward samadhi: Japa Yoga.
    OM is a word of solemn affirmation and respectful agreement, sometimes translated as yes, verily, or so be it. In this sense, it can be compared with Amen. It is placed at the beginning of most Hindu works. Traditionally, it may be quietly repeated at the beginning and end of a reading of the Vedas or to begin any prayer. OM is also used as part of an auspicious salutation (Hail!). In the Upanishads, OM appears as a powerful mantra that is the object of profound meditation. OM represents the entire Veda and since the Veda is considered one with Brahman, OM is regarded as the equivalent of Brahman. Japa, then, is the interiorization of ritual sacrifice, a significant development toward the mystical or contemplative practices found in many faith traditions. Tradition teaches that silent japa is one thousand times more powerful than outward sacrifice.Svadhaya (study) and japa (repetition) are closely related. This emphasizes that study is more than collecting information. It is about the transformation of the individual. Old habits have to be transcended and new ones created, hence, the importance of repetition.  MORE