Five Enemies Within Us

From a satsang by Gautam Baiji ~

The saints say there are five enemies hiding within us.

kaam (lust)
krodha (rage)
lobh (greed)
moh (attachment)
ahankar (conceit/pride)*

You can escape "outside enemies," but how can you escape "inside enemies?"

Your soul is craving the divine power. Your mind is wandering with the worldly things, the materialism.

So how can we avoid distractions and connect with the divine power? How can we connect the body, mind and soul?

Here's a hint: you cannot see your face in boiling water. You can only see your reflection in calm water.

The water should be steady.

And clean.

Clean and calm water, and we can see clearly.

If the mind is not there, we cannot get the peace we want.

Our thoughts will become our actions, so we have to watch our thoughts. Everything is depending on our thinking.

So how can we make our thinking better?

Our saints say, "Good thinking comes from the company of great saints and satsang..."


*These five major weaknesses of the human personality - at variance with its spiritual essence - are also known as the Five Thieves because they steal a person's common sense 

Give Until it Feels Good

  

If you’re the type who likes to give, I don’t have to tell you the benefits that come from that.

Particularly if you have a skill or a gift that benefits the community in some way, everyone is missing out until you share it.

At the ashram it’s fun to see people’s talents put to good use, from the electrical engineer who plays and teaches tabla, to the mortgage manager who makes the best homemade salsa (which she sells, then donates to Nepal relief).

There are some wonderful cooks who alternate providing dishes for the Sunday afternoon meal after satsang; there are naturopathic practitioners who can cure your neck and back pain on the spot using pressure points; even harmonium lessons are available upon request.

And where would any community be without computer experts? We have several. One person makes patterns for dresses and saris. Another is particularly handy overall, rooting out mechanical and other problems with appliances. 

Obviously there are excellent yoga and meditation instructors, as well as pranayama (breathing techniques for good health). There’s that person who writes a blog that celebrates this community… 

And there are many others who give in ways big and small that no one knows about. They don’t need thanks, but I acknowledge them here anyway.

Givers know that the reward is instantaneous if you’re doing it out of love. “If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.” (1 Corinthians 13:3)

I was recently introduced to “seva,” a Sanskrit word that means “selfless service” or work performed without any thought of reward or repayment. In ancient India seva was believed to help one's spiritual growth and at the same time contribute to the improvement of a community.

Sounds perfect.