You Will Leave It Too

Dr. Madhu Patel told this story at Satsang:

One Sunday morning there was a wealthy man who was sitting on his balcony. He was having his coffee and enjoying the sunshine.

Out of the corner of his eye he noticed an ant carrying a big leaf. The leaf was several times the size of the ant, but he managed to carry it across the floor of the balcony.

For almost an hour the man watched as the ant encountered obstacle after obstacle. It would pause occasionally, or take a detour from his path. Whatever was necessary to complete its mission.

Once, the ant encountered a crack he couldn't cross. So he put the leaf over the crack, crossed it like it was a bridge, then picked it up again and "carried" on toward his destination.

The man was amazed that one of God's tiniest creatures had so much to ability to get a task done. Even though it was so small, it had the brains to reason, to contemplate, explore, discover, and overcome any stumbling blocks.

Then, it finally reached its destination: a tiny hole in the floor that led to his underground dwelling. The man wondered how this leaf was going to fit into that tiny hole.

After all, the ant had managed all the obstacles and difficulties, had come all that way, with all that hard work, using all his skills... but ultimately it had to leave the leaf behind in order to enter his home.

The ant probably never thought about the end before he began his challenging journey, what a burden it was. And the creature had no option but to leave the leaf behind to reach his destination.

The man thought about this and related it to humans. He thought, "We worry so much about our family, our jobs, how we are going to earn a living, where we're going to live, what kind of car we're going to buy, what kind of clothes we're going to wear, what kind of upgrades we're going to make to our appliances and gadgets that we have...

Only to abandon all these things when we reach our final destination. We'll just leave it before we go.

Keep Your Spiritual Techniques Handy

From Gautam Baiji's satsang:

"In the kitchen you have two white powders. One is sugar, and one is salt. How do we know which is which? 

We have to taste it for ourselves.

You don't need blind faith (for your spiritual practice). Whatever technique you got from here, just practice it. And match it according to your scriptures.

We have the techniques, but do we try to practice them? 'Oh Baiji, we get so tired. You don't have to go to a job. We work eight hours and drive for three hours in traffic. I don't get a chance to do meditation, to have that kind of experience. 

'We have time for breakfast, we have time for a shower, we have time for work, for shopping, we have time for everything (essential), but for meditation, we get sooo tired. We have family, we have so many responsibilities.'

Meditation you are doing for whom? Yourself, right?

We have our spirit and our body. Soul and body. We should feed both, right? You have one son and one daughter, but if you feed just one, the other gets sick, right? You have a duty to feed both.

We have two eyes, we have to wash both, right? You never say, 'I don't have time, let me just wash one side of my face. My office is such a way that where I sit, people only see my right side, my left side they cannot see, so let me just wash and make up my right side.'

We don't do this. We get up early and take care of the whole body. We never think our soul needs care. We are feeding only our body.

We make sure we buy what's in season for our body. Fresh fruit in its right time.

But what about the soul?

Our saints say to keep our attention on our body and soul.

At least 20 hours, think of your body. Four for the soul. Or just one!

The techniques you learn are in your pocket, ready to use, right? Don't keep them there. Keep them handy!"

Wednesday Night Pranayam (Yogic Breathing, Meditation, Om-Chanting class)

This is only SOME of the devotees and members who come on Wednesday for deep breathing and meditation. Everyone always glows afterward!

Note: The last blog entry is active - the audio has been repaired. You may now hear Gautam Baiji's satsang, along with Tara and Nishma sharing their wonderful experiences at the ashrams in Nepal!

The Ashrams in Nepal Welcome You With Open Arms

Update: the audio link has been fixed. You may now click the link and listen:

This Sunday, Nishma and her mother Tara returned from the ashrams in Nepal and shared their experiences there. Everyone in the room was fascinated.

(One person told me afterward they were so inspired by what Nishma said, they are going to plan a trip to the ashrams as well.)

You can listen HERE.

Gautam Baiji does satsang first, then at 19:58 Tara speaks, and then Nishma shares at 25:40. You won't regret it.

The Path to Enlightenment is as Sharp and Narrow as a "Razor's Edge"

I was finally watching the famous American movie about a spiritual seeker called "The Razor's Edge" from 1946 starring Tyrone Powers, and a number of discoveries occurred for me.

First, the film is about an adventurous man who goes off to find himself, and at first I was frustrated because the movie is vague about what he's seeking and what he discovers.

He finally gets some answers when he winds up at an Ashram in India. There, a guru tells him we're like "raindrops from Heaven being reunited with the sea that created us."

He also tells him about the three paths to God (faith/worship; good works/seva; and the pursuit of knowledge). Here is a link to the scene.

Later the guru can see that he has discovered that "You and God are one."

"Yes" he replies, with a look of wonder in his eyes. You can see it here.

His character gets challenged in many ways after this enlightenment, and he handles these challenges with amazing grace due to the deep peace he has found within himself.

SO THEN I researched the story, and it turns out the main character was based on Christopher Isherwood, a writer who was into yoga and Hinduism long before the Beatles discovered Eastern religions and helped popularize it in the United States.

"Isherwood became a disciple of the Hindu monk, Swami Prabhavananda, the leader of the Vedanta Society of Southern California. He was introduced to the Swami in 1940 by his friends Aldous Huxley and Gerald Heard. Isherwood studied Hindu philosophy, translated sacred texts, and practiced meditation and yoga from 1940 until his death in 1986. He also reviewed books and wrote articles for the Society’s newsletter, Vedanta for the Western World. His short story, “The Wishing Tree,” is considered a model of the parable form and a key to understanding the Hindu idea of karma."

I found this book for free on the internet and it's an amazing collection of essays that's easy reading for "westerners." Gautam Baiji agreed it would be a good book to share, so here is a link. Also here. Spiritual seekers will enjoy this book!

Isherwood even writes the introduction, which in itself is an excellent primer on divine spirituality.

What Does Lord Ganesh Symbolize?

Satsang by Gautam Baiji

Lord Ganesh is teaching us so many things.

Ganesh's head is big to remind us to think big. High thinking. In our culture, we say simple living and high thinking.

His eyes are very small to remind us to concentrate. You will not have success if you don't concentrate on your task.

His large ears remind us to listen more, talk less, so we can learn.

His trunk allows for two things - he can eat and drink. Two senses are working together. Your thoughts and actions need to match for a peaceful life.

He has one broken tusk. This happened because he was writing an important speech and his pencil broke, so he broke his tusk to finish the task. We should all strive to complete the tasks we start.

His big stomach signifies that we should peacefully digest all that is good and bad in life.

There is always a small mouse with Ganesh. This is the symbol of desire, reminding us to keep our desires small, and not to let them take us for a ride. Control is important.


Sweets are at his feet to remind us that the world is at our feet if we pray to the holy name.

What is the holy name? It is within us.

God is everywhere. The only people who take advantage of that are those who know that, who know about the energy all around us.

Ganesh says if you remember the holy name, the world will be at your feet. Also your thinking will get changed, your actions will be changed, and you will get sweetness in your life (like the laddu). Then you will spread the sweetness as well.

Ganesh has two wives! Why two? Most Indians only have one because one is enough!

One is the symbol of wealth, the other wisdom. If you remember the holy name, wealth and wisdom will come automatically.

He also holds an ax, which cuts off ignorance and attachment.