Should I Sacrifice All?

Dr. Kanti gave satsang a few weeks back:

One day a man came to the temple and greeted the Mahatma there.

"Master," he said, "I am ready to ready to renounce the world!"

"What do you mean?" the Mahatma asked.

"Total renunciation! I renounce my house, I renounce my clothes, I renounce my family, everything! I sacrifice it all to come wear the saffron robes and serve you."

The Mahatma shook his head. "This is not the way."

The man was confused. "But the Vedas say we should sacrifice."

"And you've misinterpreted it, like so many people have. Some cultures even thought it meant they should sacrifice animals, which is totally wrong."

"What should I do?" the man asked humbly.

"You want to truly sacrifice? The real renunciation is your ego. Your desire. Your attachments. Your cruelty. Your prejudice. Your pride. Perfection requires purification, which means sacrificing your ego."

"We must sacrifice our selves."

(The photo animation of the satsang was taken in November. I hope it didn't make you dizzy.)

Do We Assume We Were the Same Nationality in Our Last Life?

Samsara - the repeating cycle of birth, life and death (reincarnation) and consequences in the past, present and future (karma). Hindus believe that the Atman (soul) is intrinsically pure. However, because of the layers of I-ness and My-ness, the Atman goes through transmigration in the cycle of births and deaths. Death destroys the physical body, but not the Atman.

If we suspect we will continue the Samsara life cycle after our physical death and return as a living person (usually?), we might unconsciously think our karma will return us to the same race or culture we're living in now, perhaps using the same language.

But because there are so many different societies on this planet alone, it's likely we will be in a very different situation upon rebirth. Vive la difference!

So when I see all the non-Indians comfortably making the ashram their home - many have already studied the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Gita and more - I sometimes wonder if we were Indian Hindus in our last life.

If so, thank you for welcoming us back home.

In this life we're Argentinian, Colombian, German, Polish, Mexican, Irish, Scandinavian, and more. We're attracted to the Truth because, perhaps, we knew it in the last life. Perhaps we remember the taste of spicy daal and roti. Perhaps we remember the spiritual community an ashram provides.

At the Divine Art of Yoga Center Ashram, our unique perspectives provide a spiritual spark, even as we converge on the same path to attain self-realization. Samadhi. Liberation.

That's a beautiful thing.

Namaste.