How to Live with Virtue: Rammurti Baiji and The Eighteen "Ities"

Rammurti Baiji spoke these words in English:

"Serenity. Regularity. Absence of Vanity. Sincerity. Simplicity. Veracity. Equanimity. Fixity. Non-Irritability. Adaptability. Humility. Tenacity. Integrity. Nobility. Magnanimity. Charity. Generosity. Purity. Immortality."

This is from Sri Swami Sivananda:

"For everyone's success in life and especially for an aspirant's success in spiritual life, it is essential that he should develop certain cardinal virtues. Virtue is strength, power and the key to peace. A virtuous man is ever happy, peaceful and prosperous. People ask me for the specific mention of the virtues that one should develop. The Song of Eighteen "Ities" enumerates the virtues that one should cultivate.

Take up any one virtue and develop it to a very high degree of perfection; eradicate in toto its opposite evil quality even in its most subtle form. Meditate on these virtues, on their benefits and the methods of cultivating them. Here is the Song of Eighteen "Ities":

1. SERENITY

Be tranquil within. Let that inner peace and joy radiate through a serene countenance. A serene countenance is peaceful, smiling and serious and does not betray any violent emotions. It is like the surface of a still lake.

2. REGULARITY

Be regular in your daily habits, and in your work and spiritual practices. Get up at a particular time. Be clock-like in your daily activities. You will be free from worry, fear, anxiety, haphazard and shabby work. You will do the right thing at the right moment.

3. ABSENCE OF VANITY

Do not boast of your birth, position, qualifications and spiritual attainments. Praise others. See good in all. Treat even the lowliest creatures as your equal and with respect.

4. SINCERITY

Let your words agree with the thoughts; let your actions agree with your words. Let there be harmony among your thoughts, words and actions.

5. SIMPLICITY

Be artless. Be simple in your speech. Do not twist words and topics. Be plain; avoid diplomacy, cunningness and crookedness. Be simple in your dress. Be simple in your food.

6. VERACITY

Be truthful. Stick to your promises. Do not exaggerate. Do not twist facts. Think twice before you speak. Speak truthfully. Speak sweetly. Be precise in what you say.

7. EQUANIMITY

Be calm. Bear insult patiently. Bear injury, suffering, failures and disrespect calmly. Do not be elated by praise, pleasure, success and honor. Look upon both with equal vision. Behave alike towards friends and foes. Never let anything disturb your inner peace.

8. FIXITY

Remember that you cannot achieve anything if you are fickle-minded. Choose your goal or ideal and remember it always. Never let it go out of mind even for a moment.

9. NON-IRRITABILITY

Irritability is the precursor of violent outbursts of anger. Watch carefully for the disturbance in the mental equilibrium. Watch for the ripples of anger that might rise in the lake of the mind. Quell them then and there. Do not allow them to assume greater proportions. Then you will attain peace.

10. ADAPTABILITY

Understand well the nature of people with whom you come into contact. Adjust your mode of approach to them. Adjust yourself in such a way as to be pleasing to them. Joyfully bear with the eccentricities of others. Always react in a harmonious manner. Serve all and love all. Have the feeling that the Lord dwells in the hearts of all as the Self of all.

11. HUMILITY

Respect everybody. Bow with folded hands before all. Do not talk in a loud voice before elders and venerable persons. Look at the toes while you walk. See the Lord in all and feel that you are His servant and so the servant of all. Consider none as inferior to you.

12. TENACITY

This is the natural friend of fixity. Once you have fixed your aim and chosen your path, stick to it. Do not waver. Be steadfast. Never compromise on your fundamental principles. Have the attitude: "I may give up my life but I will not swerve from the path; I will not break my vows."

13. INTEGRITY

Develop an integral personality. Tie all the loose ends of your character. Become a man of high moral principles. Lead a life of righteousness. Let righteousness waft its sweet fragrance from you. Everyone will trust you, obey you, respect you and revere you.

14. NOBILITY

Shun mean-mindedness as dung and poison. Never look into the defects of others. Always appreciate the good qualities of everyone. Be dignified in bearing. Never stoop to ignoble thoughts, words and actions.

15. MAGNANIMITY

Take a broad view of things. Ignore the faults of others: Be great and noble-minded in whatever you do. Avoid silly talk and childish prattle. Let not the mind dwell on little things and insignificant things.

16. CHARITY

Give, give and give. This is the secret of abundance. Radiate thoughts of goodness and love. Forgive the faults of others. Bless the man who injures you. Share what you have with others. Disseminate spiritual knowledge to one and all. Use the material wealth, knowledge and spiritual wisdom that you possess as a divine trust.

17. GENEROSITY

In whatever you give be liberal. Have a large heart. Do not be miserly. Take delight in the joy of others, in making them happy. Generosity is a sister-virtue of charity. It is the fulfilment of charity, magnanimity and nobility.

18. PURITY

Be pure at heart. Eradicate lust, anger and greed. Be pure in your thoughts. Think of God always. Think of the well-being of all. Be pure in your words; never utter harsh, unkind words. Be pure in body. Keep it clean and healthy. Let the dress and surroundings be clean. Observe the rules of physical, moral and spiritual hygiene.

These eighteen "Ities" will pave the way for you to march into the kingdom of God. They will open for you the gates of immortality. You will achieve great success in this life itself. A man who possesses these qualities in a very large measure is a saint indeed, who will be respected, adored and worshiped by one and all."

To these, Baiji adds Immortality. 

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.

Rammurti Baiji's Birthday Satsang

Rammurti Baiji's birthday happened to fall on a Sunday, so Gautum Baiji arranged to have many of the devotees perform in her honor during Satsang.

There was a lot of singing, piano, guitar, and tabla. You could really feel a strong sense of community, and many people expressed how much Rammurti Baiji meant to their lives.

For all the devotees who weren't present at this particular event, know that you were there. You are always a part of the family, as you know. JSCA

More photos to come.

You See It, You Be It

 

It's good to be mindful of what we're projecting onto the world.

"What we think about others has more to do with us than them."

The Guru and the Traveler - Satsang

At Satsang, Gautum Baiji said:

A traveler entered a guru's home and noticed it was completely bare.

"Why do you have no furniture?" the man asked.

"Why don't you have any furniture?" the guru responded.

"Because I am a traveler."

"So am I."

How to Heal Your Self

What is a Well-Rounded Life? - Satsang

From Gautum Baiji's Satsang:

Three people were travelling on a boat. As the trip progressed, they introduced themselves and got to know each other.

They were all quite educated in their particular disciplines, and they enjoyed showing off their knowledge.

Soon the conversation turned to the Vedas, and each seemed to know more than the other. They were more interested in impressing each other than in encouraging each others' spiritual enlightenment.

One of them noticed the boatman was listening to them.

"What's your opinion of the Vedas?" one of them asked.

The boatman shrugged and said, "I have not read them."

The scholars looked at each other with surprise. "Are you serious? The Vedas are crucial to a well-rounded life. Only an idiot would not be familiar with them."

"Your life is practically worthless," one of them said arrogantly about the boatman.

The boatman just listened and continued steering the boat.

The sky darkened just then and a storm descended on them. Low clouds brought heavy rain and wind, and the waves rose menacingly around them. They were violently rocked from side to side.

The passengers grabbed on tight or they'd be thrown into the churning waters.

"What's happening?!" one of them cried.

The boatman looked at them grimly. "The boat is taking on too much water and is going to sink. You all know how to swim, yes?"

The first scholar looked at him frightfully. "I spent all my time at the library studying. I never had time for swimming lessons!"

The boatman looked at the others, whose shared the same expressions of shame.

"Well I hope whatever you read in the Vedas is going to help you now. As for my worthless life, somehow I found time to learn to swim and I will continue to live that life past this challenging day."

What is Satsang?

Satsang is a Sanskrit word that means "gathering together for the truth" or, more simply, "being with the truth." 

Truth is what is real, what exists. So all there is, is Truth. 

Whenever something increases your experience of the Truth, it opens your Heart and quiets your mind. 

Conversely, whenever something, such as a thought, fear, or judgment, limits or narrows your experience of the Truth, the Heart contracts and the mind gets busier. 

We are all equally endowed with this capacity to discriminate the Truth. Thus, the true teacher, or satguru, is within you, and satsang, or being with the Truth, is endless. 

The first step to complete peace and liberation is listen to the Satsang carefully and ask inquiring questions of yourself with a guileless heart.

These discourses on the nature and Knowledge of God in the company of Saints vanishes sorrow and brings us joy.

Buddha and the Three Questions

As Gautam Buddha and his disciples visited a village, a man approached Buddha and asked, "Does God exist?"

Buddha replied, "No, Absolutely not." 

In the afternoon, another man came to him and asked, "Does God exist?"

Buddha replied, "Yes, of course." 

Later in the evening, yet another person asked him, "Does God exist?"

Buddha did not answer; he just kept silent and closed his eyes. 

On seeing this, the man did the same. 

Then something transpired in the silence: the man suddenly smiled and looked at Buddha with tears in his eyes, then touched Buddha's feet and said, "You are the first and only person who actually answered my question." The man left with a heart full of gratitude.  

One of Buddha's disciples was flabbergasted. "Master, I have been with you the whole day, and I heard you give completely different answers to those three people who asked the exact same question. It's left me very troubled!"

Buddha said, "Why are you troubled, those answers were not for you, they were for them! My answer had nothing to do with God, and everything to do with the questioner. 

"The first man who came was a theist, a believer, the second man who came was an atheist, and the third was an agnostic."

"To the person who believes in God and asks if God exists, I will say no because I want him to drop his idea of God, I want him to be free of his idea of God -- which is borrowed. He has not yet experienced God. If he had experienced he would not have asked me; there would have been no need.

"And if he was trying to find confirmation for his belief, I had to deny just to destroy his belief, because all beliefs are barriers to knowing the truth. Theist or atheist, all beliefs, Hindu or Christian or Mohammedan, all beliefs are barriers.

"As for the atheist? The person who does not believe in God also had a belief that needed to be broken. Else he would never start to search the truth, and will only accept his belief as truth. So I said yes in challenge to that, which gave him somewhere to go. 

"And the person with whom I remained silent was the right inquirer. He had no belief, hence there was no question of destroying anything. I kept silent, which was my message to him: Be silent and know. Don't ask, there is no need to ask. It is not a question which can be answered or that the intellect can address - intellectual answers are available very cheap. It is not an inquiry but a quest, a thirst. Be silent and know.

As you witnessed, he looked within and knew. He needed something existential -- he needed a taste. I gave him a taste."

How Spirituality Affected My Writing

As someone who has written numerous staged plays and other writing projects, I sometimes get asked why I no longer seem to do much writing.

Have I given up? Do I no longer enjoy expressing myself through writing?

It turns out I am just fine. Better than fine.

Here's what I discovered:

For one, I no longer identify myself as a writer. I am someone who writes.

Writers frequently write stories that mirror the issues they are working out in their lives.

Consciously or unconsciously, that "issue" is no less than the ultimate search for Self.

Sure, there's another goal involved, like the search for a lost Ark, or to win a boxing match, or even a lost princess (romantic comedies even pursue another to help "complete" them).

The hero pursues when she wants, but in the end she gets what he needs. 

And what is the ultimate need? To need nothing at all. To know that everything you need is already inside of you (which then prompts one to want to give, but that's another story). 

Now that I’ve found myself - or my Self - I no longer feel the desire to explore stories of seeking.

Being relieved of that desire is... a relief! And it's given me more control over my monkey mind, and I have more peace as a result. 

I don't have to DO anything. Just be.

I still enjoy being creative, and I even get to do it for good causes (fundraising brochures, blogging, and creating newsletters for the ashram, for instance). Seva.

Now this is my experience. I am glad there are many great writers who write what they do - I love to read! - and they have their reasons and purpose, and we all need them at many points on our journey. This is my road. 

And as evidenced by this post, I still love to write, so stay tuned.* You never know what a person might might write when they don't need to write about people who don't need anything. I still like to have some fun, after all...

*I'm currently working on a children's play for a family program at the ashram where a character is comically chased around by his ego, represented by another actor.

Let the Satsang Go Through You/Learning How to Think

From a recent Satsang by Gautum Baiji:

"How can we tell if a person is good or bad: when we see their actions, not doing things the right way.

The behavior is not good. Then we can see this person needs some change if they want to do good.

Sometimes we change through circumstances over time, but Satsang has the power to change us now. Only by Satsang and meditation can a person create change.

Because we don’t need to change the body. We don’t need to change the color, the caste, or the creed. 

The only thing we need to change is our thoughts. 

Because whatever thoughts we have inside… those thoughts will become our actions. And we will be good or bad people because of our actions.

How can we change the thoughts? 

Because when parents raise their kids, they tell them this is good, or this is bad, you should do this or that. They taught us everything. How we should eat, how we should talk. How we should work.

But nobody taught us how to think.

Thousands of thoughts come into our mind all the time. Each and every second the thoughts are coming and going. How do we control them?

One way is to keep good company. Then good thoughts come automatically.

That’s why we have a need, a necessity for saints.

Saints are like clouds. When the cloud comes in the heat, it brings rain and cools everything down.

The same thing happens when the saints come into our life. They teach us techniques, they give us knowledge. Then we practice meditation, and we change our thoughts. And when our thoughts get changed, our perspective changes, and we can see the positive changes in our life.

Sometimes we think merely reading scripture is enough. Some people say, “I’ve gone through the Gita, I’ve gone through Ramayana, I’ve gone through all the scriptures…”

But have the scriptures gone through us?

If we are only reading, we become like a parrot. If we ask the meaning of Ram, the parrot can repeat the word but it doesn't know the meaning of Ram.

We chant so many mantras, we sing so many bhajans, but as long as we don’t know who we are, as long as we don’t experience meditation, how can we change our self and our thoughts?

If we’re sitting in the satsang, and our mind is wandering everywhere, what happens? We didn’t get any benefit from the satsang. 

But if we let the satsang go through us, we can change our life..."

One Who Has Experienced God Will Say I Know God

At a recent satsang, Gautum Baiji said:

"We have been listening to bhajans about various “bhakto” (well-known devotees) and how deep their devotion and love was, and with what level of “dhyan” (a deeper awareness of oneness that is inclusive of perception of body, mind, senses, and surroundings, yet remaining unidentified with it) they did “bhakti” (spiritual service and devotion). 

Which is in contrast to everyday people who feel they need to have good amounts of material wealth and time before they can do bhakti. The committed devotee does not look for the accumulation of wealth and time before practicing spirituality.

One day, Lakshman asks God what he can do to please God, because he knows that pleasing God is the best way to do bhakti. 

But what is our understanding of bhakti? When Draupadi was shamed in the presence of many people, she did not have any prayer beads to pray with or any idols in front of her. She had nothing, yet God came to her aid. Bhakti requires dhyan (profound meditation) and sadhana (a disciplined way of life designed to realize one’s ultimate goal of oneness with God). We perform rituals only to gain focus on bhakti and strengthen our “shraddha” (belief or trust). 

Sometimes people say they would do service (seva) and they ask us, "Can you do meditation on behalf of me?" but that's not the proper way. There are two things that humans have to do for themselves: eat and do bhajans (meditation). To keep doing service without having “gyan” (spiritual knowledge) will not give us “mukti” (spiritual liberation) or freedom from tensions of life. 

Service should not be burdensome; it should become effortless if you have gyan. Gyan has two parts: one is to have knowledge, and the other is to make that knowledge part of our lives and practice it.

For instance, one can hear and obtain knowledge of milk and know that it is white in color and that it is a liquid. The next person may actually see milk, smell it and touch it, but without experiencing its taste and value. However, the person who has heard of milk, seen it, and made it a part of their nutritional daily diet has the real meaning of gyan.

Having meditation technique and belief in God is not enough. You need to experience it. You may know there is petrol under the surface of the earth, and you have a strong belief that petrol exists under the earth. But that knowledge alone will not allow you to operate your car. You have to make an effort to get the gasoline in your possession and use it (experience) to run your car. 

One may believe in God and one can say I believe in God, but one who has experienced God will say I know God. 

Sometimes man does not have faith in what he knows but has faith in something that he does not know about (God). We believe in God but do not spend time and effort to truly know Him. 

To know God is to make your soul strong. One needs to focus with high concentration to know God by meditation, and that is “Sadhana”. Our mind is going in a hundred different directions, but if it is focused during meditation, it will have an immense strength to experience God.

Sun rays are spread everywhere, but they do not burn anything. However, if you use a magnifying glass and focus the rays in one spot, you can light paper on fire.

Likewise, our minds are spread out in many directions. Even while we are in a place of worship our minds are busy making a list of things to do! We need to take control of our mind and focus it into one sharp point in meditation to “burn the paper” and to reveal God. 

To control your mind is like controlling your car. If you do not control the steering wheel, the car will go in any direction the road takes you. But if you take charge of the steering wheel, it will take you where you want to go. Take charge and ownership of your mind. Be mindful – aware – (to be in dhyan) of where your mind is going and control it. 

If you watch a tightrope walker in a circus, her focus is on keeping balance and keeping her full attention on her steps on the rope. She is not distracted by applause from the audience or anything else.

We need to take the opportunity to practice meditation regularly and not spend our time in endless questions of why: Why did that person do this, why is he mad, why is the earth round, why why, why why?! - That is being bothered. It’s like punishing yourself.

We all do better if we are like water that flows with ease. It’s smooth and keeps finding its way to keep flowing through rocks and mud. It does not stop itself and wonder why there are rocks in its way. It does not get disturbed if someone steps in it. It is going for the ultimate goal of uniting with the ocean.

Water is useful to quench thirst, but if it hardens into ice it will not quench anyone’s thirst. In its hard form of ice, it will not flow easily to its destination. We have to cultivate our nature to be “Saral.” Do not be mistaken that being easygoing like a river is a sign of weakness. Look at the river that flows with ease and cuts through hard rocks with its easy, smooth flow. Rocks disintegrate to sand, but the river keeps flowing. You will see the hard rock is swept away by the river in the form of sand by the ocean. That is the power of “Saral.” For us to become hard will only lead to no one being able to deal with me, and it will keep us wondering why no one understands me! But, if we have an easy nature, many will be able to understand us and work with us. In meditation, also stay “Saral”!  

Reference material:

Meditation is the art of silencing the mind. When the mind is silent, concentration is increased and we experience inner peace in the midst of worldly turmoil. This elusive inner peace is what attracts so many people to meditation and is a quality everyone can benefit from. One feels happiest when sitting in perfect silence. The experience is difficult to express in words. It is also true that every meditation is not the same. Sometimes meditation is a struggle to control the mind, while at other times it feels effortless.

These are some of the benefits of meditation:

1.     Improved concentration – A clear mind makes you more productive, especially in creative disciplines like writing

2.     Less bothered by little things – Do you sometimes allow yourself to get upset by little things? It is the nature of the mind to magnify small things into serious problems. Meditation helps us detach. We learn to live in the here and now, rather than worrying about the past or future. We do not worry about meaningless things, but see the bigger picture

3.     Better Health – There have been numerous studies pointing to the health benefits of meditation. The reason is that meditation reduces stress levels and alleviates anxiety. If we can reduce stress, many health benefits follow.

4.     Knowledge of Self – Meditation enables us to have a deeper understanding of our inner self. Through meditation we can gain a better understanding of our life’s purpose.

The great thing about meditation is that our personal philosophy/religious beliefs are not important. Meditation is about consciousness. The beliefs of the mind become trivial. We dive deep into the heart of the matter to gain access to our soul – our inner reality.