Anasuya [an ‘not’; asuya ‘jealous’] She who is free from jealousy, a character in the ancient Indian drama Shakuntala. She is a symbol for devoted friendship, free from rivalry and envy.
apara [a ‘not’; para ‘beyond’] That which is not transcendent, i.e. lower knowledge, intellectual knowledge.
Arjuna One of the five Pandava brothers. He is an important figure in Indian epic and legend, and is Sri Krishna’s beloved disciple and friend in the Bhagavad Gita.
asana A posture; a system of physical exercise taught in ancient India, designed to tone up the nervous system as a preparation for meditation.
ashram [Skt. ashrama, from shram ‘to exert oneself’] A spiritual community where students live with a spiritual teacher as members of his family; a retreat where meditation and spiritual disciplines are practiced.
Atman The Self, the innermost soul in every creature which is a spark of the divine essence.
avatara [ava ‘down’; tri ‘to cross’] The descent of God to earth; the incarnation of the Lord on earth; the birth of the Lord, of divine consciousness, in the heart of man.
Bardo [Tibetan bar ‘between’; do ‘two’] In Tibetan mysticism, the state between two lives in which the soul awaits a proper body and context for rebirth.
Bhagavad Gita [Bhagavat ‘Lord’; gita ‘song’] The Song of the Lord, the name of the important Hindu scripture which contains the instructions of Sri Krishna.
bhakti yoga The Way of Love.
Brahma The god of creation. Brahma, the Creator, Vishnu, the Preserver, and Shiva, the Dissolver, make up the Hindu Trinity. (Note: Brahma, which is a word with masculine gender, should not be confused with Brahman, the supreme Reality, which has the neuter gender.)
Brahman The supreme Reality underlying all life; the Divine Ground of existence; the impersonal Godhead.
brahmin [Skt. Brahmana] One who seeks to know Brahman; also, a member of the priestly learned caste in traditional Hindu society.
Buddha [from budh ‘to wake up’] “The Awakened One.“ An enlightened being; the title given to the sage Siddhartha Gautama Shakyamuni after he obtained complete illumination. The Buddha lived and taught in North India during the sixth century B.C.
buddhi Understanding, intelligence; correct view, idea, purpose.
deva A god.
devi A goddess.
Dhammapada [Pali, from Skt. Dharmapada] Name of an important early Buddhist scripture.
dharana The first stage in meditation.
dharma Law, duty; the universal Law which holds all life together in a unity.
dhoti A piece of cloth – wrapped around the body, drawn between the legs, and tied at the waist – which is worn as a lower garment.
dhyana Meditation. Specifically, in Patanjali’s yoga, the second stage in meditation.
duhkha Suffering.
Duryodhana The oldest son of Dhritarashtra and the chief enemy of the Pandavas and Sri Krishna.
ekagrata One-pointedness; disciplining the mind to concentrate on only one thing at a time.
Ganesha The elephant-headed god of prosperity in the Hindu pantheon, symbol of divine power. He is the son of Shiva and Parvati.
Gita The Song, a shorter title for the Bhagavad Gita.
guna Quality; specifically, the three qualities which make up the phenomenal world: sattva, law; rajas, energy; and tamas, inertia.
guru A spiritual teacher.
Hare [vocative of Hari] The Lord Vishnu.
Hastinapura City of the elephants, an important city in ancient India, located about sixty miles northeast of the modern Delhi. It was the capital city of the Pandavas and their line.
Himalaya [hima ‘snow’; alaya ‘abode’] The great mountain range which stretches across the northern border of India, important in mythology as the home of Shiva and other gods.
Ishvara The Lord; the Inner Ruler who guides from within.
jnana yoga The Way of Wisdom.
Kailasa Name of a peak in the Himalayas, in Indian myth the home of Shiva.
kama Selfish desire, greed; sexual desire, sometimes personified as Kamadeva, god of desire.
karma yoga The Way of Action, the path of selfless service.
karma yogi One who does selfless work.
Kaunteya Familiar name for Arjuna, “the son of Kunti.”
Kauravas “The sons of Kuru,” usually referring to Duryodhana and his brothers, who are the enemies of the Pandavas.
Krishna [from krish ‘to draw to oneself’] The Lord of Love who dwells in the hearts of all.
krodha Anger.
kundalini “The serpent power;” spiritual energy, evolutionary energy
Kurukshetra “The field of the Kurus,” where the Mahabharata battle takes place.
lila Game; the divine play of the Lord disguising himself as many.
Madhyamarga The Middle Path, the way of moderation taught by the Buddha.
Mahabharata The great epic of ancient India which contains the Bhagavad Gita.
manas The mind; the faculty which registers and stores sensory impressions.
mantram A Holy Name or phrase; a spiritual formula.
Mara “The Striker;” in Buddhism, the Tempter, the Evil One who tries to prevent the Buddha’s enlightenment.
Maya Illusion; appearance, as contrasted with Reality. The creative power of the Lord.
moksha Liberation, salvation, illumination.
neti, neti [na iti, na iti] “Not this, not this,” the refrain of the Upanishads, which teach that the supreme Reality is indescribable, undefinable, beyond the dualities of this world.
nirvana [nir ‘out’; vana ‘to blow’] Complete extinction of self-will and separateness; realization of the unity of all life.
nirvikalpa samadhi A state of spiritual awareness in which there is no perception of duality, of inside or outside, of subject and object; merger in the impersonal Godhead.
Om [or Aum] The cosmic sound, which can be heard in deep meditation; the Holy Word, taught in the Upanishads, which signifies Brahman, the Divine Ground of existence.
Pandavas “The sons of Pandu,” a collective name for Arjuna and his four brothers: Yudhishthira, Bhima, Nakula, and Sahadeva.
Panini Fourth-century B.C. grammarian who constructed a complete description of the Sanskrit language; author of the primary text on Sanskrit grammar.
para [‘the beyond’] Higher knowledge; spiritual insight.
prajna [from jna ‘to know’] A transcendental mode of knowing developed in deep meditation.
prakriti The basic stuff from which the mental and physical worlds take shape; nature.
prana Breath; vital force.
preya That which is temporarily pleasing.
purusha [‘person’] The inner soul, the spiritual core of man.
Radha Name of the milkmaid who is Sri Krishna’s beloved while he sojourns in Vrindavana. She represents the human soul longing for the divine Beloved.
raja yoga The Royal Path, the path of meditation taught especially by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras.
rajas Passion, energy, the second of the three qualities (gunas).
Rama [from ram ‘to rejoice’] The Lord of Joy, the principle of joy within.
Ramagiri “The Hills of Joy,” name of the country retreat of the Blue Mountain Center of Meditation.
sadhana A body of disciplines, a way of life, which leads to the supreme goal of Self-realization.
samadhi [sam ‘with’; adhi ‘Lord’] Union with the Lord; a state of intense concentration in which consciousness is completely unified.
samsara The world of flux; the round of birth, decay, death, and rebirth.
samskara A personality trait conditioned over many lives or one life: a mental and behavioral pattern; a latency or tendency within the mind which will manifest itself if given the proper environment and stimulus.
sat [from as ‘to be’] Truth, That which really is; the Good.
sattva Goodness, purity, law, the highest of the three qualities (gunas).
shanti Perfect inner peace, “the peace that passeth all understanding.”
Shiva Third in the Hindu Trinity; he who destroys the ego and conquers death.
shraddha Faith.
shreya The Good, that which is permanently beneficial.
Sita The wife of Rama and the ideal for womanly love and loyalty.
Sri [pronounced Shri] A title of respect originally meaning ‘Lord’ or ‘holy’; now, in modern India, simply a respectful form of address.
sthulasharira The gross body, the physical body.
stupa A shrine containing a relic of the Buddha.
sukha Pleasure.
sukshmasharira The subtle body made up of samskaras, or mental impressions.
svadharma The duty appropriate to a particular person, one’s own individual dharma.
tamas Inertia, ignorance, the lowest of the three qualities (gunas).
tanha [Prakrit, from Skt. trishna ‘thirst’] The thirst for selfish satisfaction, the craving of the senses and the ego.
tapas Austerity, control of the senses; the spiritual power acquired through self-control.
Upanishads Ancient mystical documents to be found at the end of the Vedic canon.
vina An ancient South Indian stringed instrument used in classical music.
Vishnu Second in the Hindu Trinity; the Preserver who incarnates in age after age for the establishment of dharma and the welfare of all creatures.
yaina Sacrifice; selfless service; an offering.
yoga [from yuj ‘to unite’] Union with the Lord, realization of the unity of all life; a path or discipline which leads to such a state of total integration or unity.
Index
* * *
A B C D E F
G H I J K L
M N O P R
S T U V W Y
* * *
A
abhyasa, 380
Action: and inaction, 98, 153, 157, 243, 246; and knowledge, 147, 301; and will, 34–35, 147, 301; at expense of others, 170, 311; begins with thought, 243–245; compared to renunciation, 294–296, 304; contains seed of result, 314; freedom in, 160, 167–168, 257; fruits of, 97, 238; getting caught in, 95, 150, 158–159, 239–240; going beyond, 153, 246; greatest motive for, 162; is unavoidable, 245, 296, 304; motivated by fear, 246; motivated by selfish desire, 158, 167–168, 239, 246, 250–251; must lead to knowledge of unity, 277; path of, see Selfless action, path of; surrendering burden of, 169, 307–308; when angry, 95, 245–246; without tension, 248; words are, 243–244; yoga is skill in, 101. See also Karma; Inaction in action; Results, detachment from; Selfless action; Selfless service
Addictions, 175. See also Habits
advaita, 11, 189
Advertising: effect of, 33, 125; Huxley on, 115, 244; influence on palate of, 133; karma of, 311. See also Mass media
Age, not associating people with, 78
Aggression, harnessing, 46
Agitation, 89, 244–245. See also Mind, agitated
Ahamkara, 106: and anger, 200
Allergy, 128, 242
Anandamayi Ma, 38
Anasuya, 263
Anger: Age of, 328–329; and self-will, 19, 199–200; and sense indulgence, 126–127; and size of ego, 57; causes delusion, 127; control of, 201, 320; E.’s Grandmother on, 264; effect of, on action, 95, 245–246, on body, 70, on breathing, 333; expressed as ‘hum’ and ‘aham,’ 200; expressing, 30, 44, 89, 200; goes with fear, 356; human dharma is to transform, 166; in literature, 44; in media, 44; is a call for help, 265, 290; is a mechanical problem, 366; is an obstacle, 226, 330; is an unnatural state, 370; is bondage, 264; is power, 31; is ego’s cavalry, 85; meditation necessary to transform, 374–375; repetition of mantram for, 89, 167, 319–320, 366; within, 40; won over by love, 35, 44, 290–291, 319–320, 356, 377. See also Resentments; Retaliation
Anger groups, 44
anitya, 27
Ansari of Herat, 143–144, 197
apara, 301–302. See also Knowledge, intellectual
Apathy, 248
Approval, see Praise and blame
arambhashura, 80, 381
Arjuna: chooses Krishna as ally, 346; his paralysis of will, 34–35; his self-pity, 45, 48–51; in Kathakali, 216; represents spiritual aspirant, 15, 28, 41, 106, 153, 198, 294, 382
asanas, 88
Asceticism, 269–270: the Buddha on, 390
ashram, 20. See also Ramagiri
Association, spiritual, 20, 244–245, 298
Asthma, 274
Atheism, 92
Atman: ego has usurped throne of, 34; has no desires, 182; identification with, 66, 68, 145; is ever pure, 180; is hidden, 202–203; is our one friend, 341; is our real Self, 34, 73–74, 167, 180; Krishna is, 15; realization of, 211, 212; rebels against, 209–210, 211; seeing the, in people, 78; symbolized by spiritual teacher, 280. See also Lord within, the; Self, the
Attachments, selfish: and environmental crisis, 116–118; are ropes, 351; meditation frees from, 226–227, 351; renunciation of, 259, 284–285; to objects, 116–118, 226–227; to opinions, 113–114, 207–208, 210–211; to people, 226–227. See also Desires, selfish; Detachment
Attention: and likes and dislikes, 151–152, 352; divided, 19; one-pointed, 18–19, 349–350, 351, 352, 362–363; quality of, gives interest, 152, 352; training for giving, 18–19, 94, 152, 353; turning, outward, 150; wandering, 151–152, 352. See also Concentration; ekagrata; Meditation, one-pointed attention in
Attention-seeking, 144, 260–261, 232–233
Attitudes: cultivating spiritual, 261; negative, 384–385
Attraction and aversion, 182, 194. See also Likes and dislikes
Atulananda, 262
Augustine, St., 136–137, 233–234
Automobile, ways to limit use of, 116–117
avatara, 152, 223. See also Incarnation, divine
* * *
B Top of Index
Bardo, 218, 328, 386
Barr, Mary, 117
Beatitudes, 16
Bhagavad Gita: and yugadharma, 12; begins with second chapter, 45; cosmology of, 93; describes war within, 14, 23–24, 26–31, 104; E’s Grandmother’s interpretation of, 43, 239–240; illustrates Tat tvam asi, 9; is an Upanishad, 14–15; is call to action, 98–99, 236, 249, 306; is nondogmatic, 92, 185; is not negative, 122; is practical manual, 11; is to be practiced, 15–16, 26, 43; passages from, for meditation, 16, 104, 105n.6, 393–394; timelessness of, 12, 325
Bhagavan, 92 Bhakti yoga, 131–132, 334. See also Devotion, path of Bharata (Arjuna), 68n.
Bhima, 29n.
Birth and death, 58, 108–109, 242. See also Immortality; Reincarnation
Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim, 17
Blame, see Praise and blame
Blue Mountain Center of Meditation, 8, 9, 231
Body consciousness, 58–59, 60–63, 66–78, 225–226: and death, 62, 82, 219; consequences of, 83, 226; lessening, 83, 202, 225; physical habits increase, 60–61, 83; rising above, 60–61, 62, 76, 82–83, 202, 219, 225–226, 360, 365; sudden loss of, 225. Story: Ramakrishna’s dhoti, 82–83. See also Body, physical, identification with; Physical level
Body-identification, see Body, physical, identification with
Body-mind complex, 74
Body, physical: aging of, 69, 71, 78; associating others with, 78; changes in, 61–62; hard work prevents dwelling on, 157–158; identification with, 58, 61, 66–69, 77–78, 82–83, 134, 144, 179, 219, 225–226, 313; is a house, 74, 78, 179, 202; is a jacket, 82, 180, 318; is a rented car, 205; is a servant, 390; is a temple, 69; is a town, 313; is an instrument, 69, 82; is meant for motion, 237; is perishable, 67, 69, 77–78, 179; keeping, fit for selfless service, 69, 157, 163, 270, 275, 308; purification, effect of, on, 69; reincarnation and, 61–62; rising above, see Body consciousness, rising above; shedding the, 72; value of, based on service, 345. See also Body consciousness; Physical level
&nb
sp; Body, subtle, 70
Books and reading, 123–124: choosing, for children, 210; devotional, 20; discriminating choices in, 19, 115, 123–124, 207; waste of trees and, 164
Boredom, 17, 30, 46, 94, 196
Brahmavidya, 15
Brahman, 9, 165
Brahmin, one who is a, 165
Breathing exercises, 273–274, 333
Breathing rhythm, 274, 333
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, 169
British Empire, 97, 102, 178, 220–221, 317. See also Gandhi, M. K.
British in India, 102, 317–318
Buddha, the Compassionate: a divine incarnation, 176, 223; a rebel, 177; disloyalty to, 141; his view of the world, 135; tempted by Mara, 201–202; the boAtman, 284; passim
buddhi, 207. See also Intellect
* * *
C Top of Index
Certitude, 383
Change, 68, 71, 108, 134, 179–181
Cheerfulness, 344
Children, 112–114: are observant, 174; choose their parents, 386; divinity within, 113, 385; encouraging, to follow their dharma, 228; have point of view, 266; Hindu saying about, 112–114; Jesus on, 318; may share parents’ weaknesses, 329; need faith in parents, 75; need guidance in movies, TV, books, 210; saying no to, 227; teaching unity of life to, 172. Story: rope would not go around Gopala, 112–113. See also Parents
Chitragupta, 154
Choices, 90, 92, 110, 154–155, 158, 185, 187, 188, 203, 223, 240, 246, 296, 331, 337: E.’s Grandmother on, 239–240. See also Discrimination; Welfare of all, living for
Christ–consciousness, 88, 332–333
Civilization, modern, 11, 133
Class in meditation, 7, 8–9, 96, 272
Clothing, 117, 144, 204
cogito ergo sum, 76
Comparisons, making, 262–263. See also Jealousy
Compassion, 342. See also Forgiveness
Competition: guarding against, 207, 262; in the home, 37–38, 327
Compulsions, 206, 239
Concentration, 18–19, 137–138, 349–350: breathing rhythm and, 274; creates interest, 94, 151–152, 196, 254; difficult, 137; Gandhi’s, 254; like motionless flame, 361–362; loyalty and, 350. Story: driving on highway, 138. See also Attention; Meditation, concentration in
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