Class IX

Words and Statements highlighted in color are by the author of the Blog:

Words in GREEN= Grammar, syntax or spelling error

Words, phrases and sentences in PURPLE= Questionable and/or inaccurate statement (theology, philosophy, ethics, morality, scientific)

Statements in BLUE= Statements that SRCM (Chennai) does not seem to practice


Chapter 1 - Nature
ENERGY IN NATURE 67

Chapter II - Who Am I ?
Power Packed Personality 71

Chapter III - Body
The Perfect Act 73

Chapter IV - Mind
Mind your Mind 75

Chapter V - Mind
b. Power of Positive Thinking 77

Chapter VI - Intellect
Problems and Solutions 79

Chapter VII - Life
Journey of Life 82

Chapter VIII - Prayer
Prayer for Universal Brotherhood 85

Chapter IX - Guru
Guru – The many faceted Experience 87

Chapter X - The Creator
The Higher Self 89


CHAPTER 1 - NATURE

ENERGY IN NATURE

Objectives

* To understand that our body functions according to the energy taken from the surroundings
* To know that body, mind and soul have different functions due to the life force energy they have within or received from nature
* To learn that life force energy or divine energy is present everywhere and in everything
* To know that atmosphere can be polluted by floating thoughts

Thoughts for Life

* Breathing maintains your physical life, spirituality maintains your spiritual life.
* Body lives by the soul and the soul lives by life-force energy (life of life).
* The world is a living image of God in which his power is working all through.

Lesson Illustrated

In the creation of God, it is felt that life exists in Man as well as in environment. This is due to the existence of life force [soul] in all. The life force is everywhere and anywhere including the atmosphere. Study the following chart:

Life Force

Nature


Man Environment

Body Mind Soul Visible Invisible

Gross subtle causal minerals atmosphere
Plants (life-force energy)
Animals [ether and prana in space]


* Man: Man possesses body which is gross in form. In order to perform action and sustenance it receives food from plants and animals which are filled with life force energy.

* Mind: Mind which is subtle by nature and is the connecting link between body and soul. Parents, teachers and books are sources of mental food in the form of knowledge. For the functioning of the mind, the energy is received from body. This develops thought and will power. It is to be noted that our bodily action is the result of the application of the thought using will power.

* Soul: Soul is a causal body, which is life force itself. For this life force the spiritual food is the Pranasya Prana [life of life or Life-force energy or Divine Energy]. This Divine energy can be transmitted only by a Guru of calibre, through the process of transmission or Pranahuti. This can be defined as utilization of divine energy for the transformation of man. This sustains the soul and also helps it to realize Self.

* Environment: It is really a wonder, that the presence of life force enforces graduation in movement in all the elements of environment.

a. Mineral Kingdom : This consists of inert matter. They have no life in them and they are crude and opaque. It has no awareness, no conscious power and no capacity to express itself. But science defines life as energy, motion or activity. Therefore minerals have minute traces of life force in gross form in them. They undergo physical and chemical changes, thus manifesting a kind of motion.

b. Plant Kingdom : They exhibit more awareness, consciousness, demonstrate better expression and activity. They grow and move and their motion is confined to one dimension. They are fixed to a spot and move up in one line and their manifestation of energy is slightly more than minerals.

c. Animal Kingdom : They are more conscious of the world than minerals and plants and have higher state of evolution. They eat, drink, sleep and wake and experience joy and sorrow. They travel great distances, have free movement and have an active life force.

* Atmosphere: This consists of air in space and is filled with life force which is invisible. The life force in it will be continuously moving. All of us are aware of the pollution of air and water and scientist have found ways and means to combat them. But have you heard of the pollution of the mental atmosphere by circulating thoughts of human beings? Let us learn more about them.
Thoughts and their movement: Thoughts virtually travel in no time, while light travels at the rate of 1,86,000 miles/second. Thought is finer than ether, the medium of electricity. A singer sings at Mumbai and you can hear and see them through the TV set in your house at Chennai.

All messages are received through the wireless. Even so your mind is like a wireless machine.
The medium through which thoughts travel: If we throw a piece of stone in a tank or a pool of water, it will produce a succession of concentric waves traveling all around from the affected place. A candle when lit brightens the whole room. This is because the candle gives rise to ethereal vibrations traveling in all directions.

Mental atmosphere: In the above manner when a thought, whether good or evil, crosses the mind of a person gives rise to vibrations in the manas in the mental atmosphere and travels far and wide in all directions. It is known that –

* Prana is the vehicle for feelings.

* Ether is the vehicle for heat, light and electricity.

* Air is the vehicle for sound.

* Manas or mind substance is the vehicle for thoughts.

Thoughts have great power. It can be transmitted from one person to another through this mental atmosphere.

Effect of thoughts on the mental atmosphere: Thoughts which one makes or has made remains afloat in the atmosphere and transforms into energy. We do not properly understand what effect our activities in the world produce upon the atmosphere of the Godly region. When joined with the inner feelings of our heart, our activities create impressions in the cosmos and affect the human mind. They grow more and more powerful by the action of the cosmic energy and the hearts of the people when hit by them, take in their effect and begin to produce thoughts and more thoughts. In this way we have been spoiling the cosmos ever since our birth. This is referred to as pollution of the mental atmosphere.

We find ourselves using new language to communicate our experiences. Terms like ‘bad vibes’ or ‘the energy there was great’ are becoming household phrases. For eg. the moment we meet a person we take an instant liking or disliking to him without knowing anything about him. Sometimes we say, “I don’t like this atmosphere as it is tension filled” or “I can relax in this atmosphere”. This is a figurative term referring to the energy levels vibrating in the mental atmosphere caused by thought waves.

How to stop the pollution of the mental atmosphere?

1. We must learn to master our thoughts so that they emit vibrations of peace and love.
2. It is necessary to counter all the intensifying hatred between people.
3. The basis of words is thought alone. If thoughts are clear the words will be pure and effective.
4. Divert your thought upwards towards God, instead of totally towards worldly affairs.
5. Entertain positive thoughts of peace, poise, harmony, love and brotherhood. This is known as “Thought culture”.
6. It is proved that if the food is sathwik, thoughts also are positive in nature. He who has positive thoughts speaks very powerfully and produces deep impressions in the mental atmosphere and also in the minds of people.

To sum up –

“We are surrounded by an ocean of thoughts
We are floating in a ocean of thoughts
We are absorbing some and repelling some
In short everyone has his own ‘thought world”

LET US MAKE IT POSITIVE.

Activities

* Negative thoughts are responsible for destruction of the human race. Discuss.
* Name some characters from History and Mythology, who were endowed with (a) positive thoughts (b) negative thoughts.
* Narrate your personal experiences with reference to awareness of energy levels –
a. in people
b. in places
c. in situations


CHAPTER II - WHO AM I ?

POWER PACKED PERSONALITY

Objectives

* To realize that our personality has separated us from being our Natural Self
* To realize that our role may vary, but the inner Divine Self remains the same
* To know the reasons for not being natural
* To realize the need to be Natural always

Thoughts for Life

* You have one attitude for the child, one for the self, one for the guest, one for somebody you hate and for somebody you love. This is precisely disintegration of character.
* Never hurt anybody. Replace anger by love, forgiveness and compassion.
* Be in tune with Nature [the Nature outside and your inner Nature].

Lesson Illustrated (stopped here)

Examine who and what we are!

It is the order of the day, to visualize the external personality as the only means to judge a person, i.e., the way one walks, talks, dresses and moves in society; whereas his inner personality, which reflects his love/compassion/kindness/generosity etc., is not thought of at all. It is a pity that the judgement of a person is purely based on his superficial qualities and what he appears to be.

* In the world of human affairs, every individual generally feels that his personality must reflect the positive aspect of his profession, status, or situation. The word ‘Personality’ is derived from the Latin word ‘persona’ which means a 'mask.' The real meaning of personality, is the way a person thinks, feels and acts. He can be a father, son, boss or servant. He may even be rich, poor, handsome or ugly. His behaviour mostly depends on ‘what he is’! The following table suggests the common behavioural pattern projected and expected in our day-to-day life.

Mother Loving, caring and soft
Father Authoritative and a strict disciplinarian
Son Naughty, negligent and easygoing
Daughter Disciplined, systematic, well-behaved
Boss Egoistic, arrogant, rude
Servant Submissive, sincere and supportive

Therefore with the above mindset all of us are normal in our behaviour but not natural. Children, we find are so very natural and open in their behaviour, but we adults do not allow them to continue with that. We thrust all the norms of society on them and ensure that they adopt it. In due course the naturality of their behaviour is lost and normality of it sets in.
Eg. When a family shifts from one place to another, it is very well known that children make friends easily, while it takes a longer time for adults to get to know each other.

Reasons for not being natural

1. Fear of being rejected.
2. Feeling shy (shyness is another form of ego).
3. A superiority or inferiority complex.
4. Would like to maintain one’s privacy – do not want others to pry into their affairs.
5. Not willing to be open and let others know about their weakness or failings (fear of being judged).

* Who we are?

We are Potentially Divine and that is our true inner nature. Normally our personalities separate us from our ‘Natural Self’. This may differ from person to person and may cause unnatural behavioural pattern. This will not be there if only we realize ‘who we are.’ Hence there is a need for us to remain ‘In tune with this inner Nature.’ When we do so, our inner personality is revealed. This in turn will tear away the mask that we seem to wear always. Once this is done we will be natural or at ease in any place, situation or with any person. This is the true meaning of “Be in tune with our inner nature,” which should be reflected in our outer personality. More so, the uncovering of mask is possible by meditation. So, for the question, “Who am I?” the answer is, that "I am a power packed personality, reflecting my true Divine inner nature."

Activities

* Your Divine Self remains the same when you love or hate somebody. Discuss.
* How will you justify that the terms love, forgiveness and compassion are related to each other?
* Are you your natural self always? If not, analyse the reasons for the same and ways to overcome it.


CHAPTER III - BODY

THE PERFECT ACT

Objectives

* To know that the work of the body is based on right action
* To understand that our actions are need based, considering the appropriateness of the situation
* To know the distractions for our bodily actions

Thoughts for life

* The spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak.
* Creature like spider sucks poison even from flowers.
* It is love that makes the world go round.
* Service may be taken as stepping-stone towards devotion.

Lesson Illustrated

Action is the law of manifestation of life. Without action, it is not possible to infer the existence of a being. The nature of the body is to perform action, as long as it is in existence. It can be voluntary or involuntary [e.g., breathing, blinking of our eyes]. Considering the appropriateness of the situation, we perform action. These actions are largely classified as perfect or imperfect.

* Perfect action: It is one that gives happiness [bliss]. This is the legitimate and right action. The first and foremost requisite for perfect action is love for the work. As it is need-based, the action is natural. Secondly, because of specific objectives, such actions are performed in appropriate time, leading to success. If there is accuracy in planning it is customary for the perfect action to end in perfect happiness. Because of the healthy state of mind in a healthy body, we tend to achieve the goal. While performing perfect actions, execute it sincerity. This service-oriented nature exposes our selfless action. In short our perfect actions possess right values because of our virtuous nature and moral qualities.

Perfect action at a glance:

What is needed Condition Result
Love the work Need based Natural action
Specific objectives Appropriate action in time Success
Accuracy in planning Perfect action Happiness
Healthy body and mind Healthy state of mind Achieves the goal
Sincerity Service oriented Selfless action
Possessing right values Being virtuous Moral action

* Imperfect action:

1. This is due to lack of love towards any work. Naturally the individual doesn’t derive happiness because of this.
2. Laziness is the cause for imperfect action, resulting in loss – achievement of goal.
3. Mostly imperfect action results in unhappiness because one does the work without showing any interest.
4. Sometimes, when an individual suffers mentally, he starts giving vent to pent-up feelings, and applies force for doing any work.
5. There are circumstances when the work is neglected because of complexities – [inferior / superior].
6. When an individual doesn’t realise the importance of the work assigned to him, and because of his wavering nature and lack of application of his mind the work is neglected.
7. Lastly because of his fear of work, he starts criticizing the work assigned to him. These are the various factors responsible for imperfect action.

Imperfect action:

Reason Result
Laziness Non achievement of goal
Without interest Unhappiness
By force Giving vent to pent-up feelings
Inferiority or superiority complex Neglects his duty
Not realizing the importance – wavering mind Blaming others and postponement of work
Fear of work Criticism

To sum up, to perform a perfect action is ‘Dharma’, i.e., without the idea of expecting any reward. This is what we call ‘Nishkamya Karma’ or ‘Desireless action.’ This is the highest form of performing an action. Since action is considered as duty and the manifestation of which shows the existence of life, the action or duty is performed in all such circumstances only for the sake of ‘Atma Trupti’ or ‘Self satisfaction.’ Let us remember that our Atman and the Atman of all is one and the same. The action done with this thought will have an overall beneficial effect.

Activities

* List out examples highlighting each reason for imperfect action.
* Make a table of situations and actions related to them.
* “The goal is achieved if right action is performed at the right time” – Elaborate with an example from your own life.


CHAPTER IV - MIND

MIND YOUR MIND

Objectives

* To realise that thoughts are the basis of our life
* To understand the means to remove the impressions that we have formed and become perfect human beings
* To know that regular prayer and meditation fosters love and removes negative tendencies from us

Thoughts for Life

* Silence is not only the absence of sound but also stillness of mind.
* When there is growth, changes are automatic. If I fear change how can there be growth?
* No change, no growth.

Accumulation of Thoughts and their Effects

* At the beginning, mind was pure and empty (at the time of creation). When mind started filling too many thoughts by repeated thinking and actions, it resulted in heaviness and confused state. Therefore at present there is no clear thinking and it affects our future. Past accumulation of thoughts leads to blurred thinking in the present, and consequently to an imperfect act. Hence the result in the future is not what it should be.

Eg. – I: Do this is an activity – the number of words one can say or write in a minute. Scientists say that in a day roughly 90,000 thoughts flow through our mind.

Eg. – 2: Place a beaker on the table, fix a funnel on top, pour water drop by drop. When the beaker is filled with water it becomes full and cannot contain any more water and it flows out. If the water in the beaker becomes solidified (ice), it seems to be heavy. It has to be heated to convert it into water, later on to steam and then the beaker becomes empty and light again.

In the same way, first, the mind was pure and empty. Slowly accumulation of thoughts took place (good, or bad), and repeated thoughts resulted in heavy and gross mind, and reality was lost. Soul was enshrouded, enshrined and cocooned.

Empty beaker First mind
Water droplets Thoughts
Filled beaker Mind filled with impressions and tendencies
Ice or solidified water Mind heavy with solidified thoughts

* How to undo this phenomenon? In the way ice gets converted to steam by the application of heat, the grossness of the mind can be burnt away only through the process of meditation or Tapsya. Tapa means heat. This heat energy helps in purifying the mind by removing unwanted thoughts and brings about an expansion and lightness.

This means that imperfect man is moving towards perfection
Remove im from the word imperfect and it becomes perfect,
The im means ‘i’ am, and it refers to the Ego
Remove this Ego and we become perfect human beings.
This is the transformation expected of us. Again the following experiment titled, “Heat, light and expansion,” proves the process of Tapasya.

* Take two beakers and name them as ‘A’ and ‘B’. Fill them half with water. Invert a test tube into each one of them. Apply heat to beaker ‘A’. Slowly you will find that the water level in the test tube rises due to application of heat resulting in expansion of water.

* Now observe beaker ‘B’. There is no change in level of water, because it is not heated. Likewise when we do Tapasya, heat energy is generated in the heart, bringing about an expansion, by burning up the unwanted solidified thoughts and impression and making us feel light and happy. This phenomenon is subtle and cannot be explained but only experienced.

Activities

* Bring the mind to a calm, clear, subtle state by sitting silently with your eyes closed and feeling the Divine presence in the heart. This helps in sublimating the ego and making you go within. Write down your feelings/experiences when in this calm and silent state.
* Maintain your personal diary and record your feelings during Silent prayer everyday.


CHAPTER V - MIND

B. POWER OF POSITIVE THINKING

Objectives

* To establish that subtle thoughts are more powerful
* To differentiate between will power and thought power

Thoughts for life

* Pin your hopes on God, then you will not be pinned down by man.
* The subtler the thought, the greater its power.
* As you think, so you become. If you think you are God, you are God, if you think you are stone you are stone.
* Any sort of undue attachment, positive or negative is a poison for spirituality.
* Doubt poisons the Will. The moment we begin to doubt, the Will is lost.

Lesson Illustrated

* Mind or Manas has been commonly accepted by all to control all thoughts, emotions and impulses.

* The First Thought or Divine Mind: At the beginning of creation there was a slight vibration, stir or motion around the centre. This motion was the basis of creation. It was a sacred thing next only to God. This primary motion or stir known as “Kshob” set into motion the latent powers and processes of creation and animation started. This divine force/root force/stir which descended down in the form of kshob is the “First Thought”. This is miniature form with full of life and activity is called Mind and possessed only by human beings. Mind is nothing but a flow of thoughts. At the root of the mind there is the same dormant will just as it was in the stir. Hence the human mind is very powerful and potent as the original stir of which it is a part. Initially the thought/mind was divine, pure, perfect, selfless and powerful, but became grosser in course of time.

* Gross and subtle thoughts:

Eg. (a) Solids, liquids and gases (b) Earth, water and air.
Solids and Earth represent gross thoughts and impressions in the mind, which are heavy and solid like rock and not capable of any expansion unless heat is applied. These prove to be barriers for our spiritual growth and transformation and also forms a barrier to peep into reality.
Liquids and water flow and hence lighter by nature. This represents the mind, which is not filled with too many thoughts and tends to expand and accommodate our further flowing ideas and thoughts. Nothing stays stagnant in such a mind. This is subtler and more powerful than the earlier one.

Air is invisible, light and powerful. It expands and is capable of exhibiting greater power than anything. Gales or cyclones can uproot trees and bend lamp posts. Similar is the case of mind, consisting of thoughts, which are very light and subtle. Subtler the thoughts greater will be the power.

* Power of thought: Thought is a vital living dynamic power. Through the instrumentality of thought you acquire creative power. It influenced people. A man of powerful thought can influence readily people of weak thoughts.

Whenever you observe or watch your environment, your thoughts start functioning. Analyze the letters in the word ‘WATCH.’ The letter T is the middle point of the word watch and it represents ‘Thoughts’ which is the basic factor for the progress in our life.
Thoughts lead to ‘Words’, since you ‘Watch’ your environment and express your feelings. ‘Words’ lead to ‘Actions’ which results in ‘Habit’ formation leading to the development of the ‘Character’ of the individual. Normally it is our habit to blame our destiny. Let us remember that it is only our ‘Thoughts’ which lead to ‘Character’ formation, affecting our destiny in the end.

Thoughts Words Action Habits Character Destiny

Thought power [manosakthi] at the surface level makes an individual, say, ‘I can do it.’ But at the deeper level, since the act is done with willingness our will power or sankalpa sakthi in the form of determination makes us say, ‘I will do it.’ In short manosakthi becomes sankalpa sakthi when it originates from the deepest core of the heart and ends in perfect action.
Naturally it is essential for us to think positive – “As you think so you become.” If I think I can, I can,

If I think I cannot, I cannot.
Positive thoughts of cheerfulness joy and courage heal and sooth and immensely augment efficiency and multiply the mental power. Be always cheerful. Smile. Laugh.

Activities

* How are you benefited by practising inner silence?
* Collect some more information about thoughts and their power.
* Belief, trust and faith – discuss in the light of thought power.


CHAPTER VI - INTELLECT

PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS

Objectives

* To learn that solving a problem is possible after setting a goal in our life
* To understand the achievement of life’s purpose following the right values
* To learn that life is incomplete without setting a permanent or internal goal i.e., Self-realisation

Thoughts for life

* If you learn to share your success you will never lack friends and the joy that true friendship brings.
* As you think so you become.
* Success will be yours if you plan well ahead and persevere long enough.
* You must become bigger than the problem and do not allow the problem to be bigger than you.
* The winner is always a part of the answer. The loser is always a part of the problem.

Lesson Illustrated

* Language, letters and life: Life is nothing but a series of experiences, in the form of problems and solutions. Let us compare life to language, consisting of letters. It is evident that we have only 26 letters in the alphabet of English. They are responsible for the coining of billions of words in this language. In the same way, in our day to day life, we have only very few situations [letters of the language] to build up experiences. But, it is only by permutation and combination that magnifies the situations into innumerable problems. Life-building is like word-building and finding a solution is in your hands. Remember that every problem, has a solution in it.

Language Life
Letters Situations
Words Permutation and combination of situations
Word building Life building

Eg. 3 letters – G D O are given to you. You can form the words GOD, DOG or ODG. Likewise it is in your hands to make your life positive, negative or problematic.

* Common problems in an adolescent's life:

1. For an adolescent boy or girl his/her physical growth itself is a problem.
2. Secondly, the development of his feeling, emotions and understanding cause a lot of problems.
3. Thirdly, the pressure built-in by parents, other family members, friends, neighbours and society thrust unbearable problems.
4. Fourthly, his lack of personal understanding, lack of confidence, built in tension and pressure, complexities etc., are the vital source, for his innumerable and unavoidable problems in his life.
Why should an individual face such oddities in his day-to-day life? The only clear answer is his failure to set a goal and taking a decision of ways to achieve them.

Types of goals

(a) Short-term goal: The span of such goals is only short lived. In a boy or girl of 14 to realise the spirit and radical changes in his or her personality, is by itself a bewildering task. For them, to find an immediate timely, soothing and consoling solution are far from their knowledge. Therefore, the goal at this level is to understand the physical changes. Once they come to know, the need and reason for such physical changes, their goal is achieved.
In the short term goal, children may have to face periodic tests and exams. They may face the constraint of time management, following the lessons and recollecting at the time of examination. They have to prepare for all the subjects taught prior to the sitting for various exams. Their goal is to get through with good marks, which is definitely a short term one.

(b) Long-term goal: Under this category earning one’s livelihood and leading a married life are the vital aspects for any individual. The professional life of a person might be shrouded with the choice of his profession, his aptitude, time constraint, convenience, adaptation to the circumstances, the norms set for etc. All these may cause problems for an individual to solve.
In his personal life, selecting a spouse of his or her choice, living conditions, growth of his family, adjustment to the environment and society may prove to be problematic. The problems that are caused may be life long for an individual. His or her goal may be to earn a livelihood and be a normal citizen of a society.

(c) Eternal goal: The ultimate goal or purpose of life is to realise the Divine self within. Without achieving this, an individual’s life is incomplete. This is purely related to spiritual growth of an individual. This is very essential for any human being, to lead a balanced existence between spiritual life and material life.
What can be the problem for finding a solution for the realisation of this eternal goal? To find a spiritual Guru or teacher with the right calibre, willing to guide us is the only problem. His constraints and the spiritual upliftment are based on his unjustified, unacceptable traditional and conventional practices.

Solutions

1) Short term:

1. You have to work hard with earnest devotion.
2. Prioritize your work considering its need, effect and means.
3. Manage the time judiciously.
4. Create interest and craving to achieve the goal.
5. Avoid short cuts and last minute preparations.

2) Long term: The main quality, which the individual is expected to possess, is the ability to take a decision at the right moment and accept the result, irrespective of its consequences. Adaptation to the circumstances and contentment are the vital qualities needed for this.

3) Eternal goal: You have to bear full faith in God and your Divine Master and surrender to him totally. Accepting and adapting the values in our daily life is the only way to help us reach our eternal goal in the shortest time possible. Reading philosophical books, listening to spiritual discourses and practicing silent prayer and meditation techniques help in realizing this goal.
The success over the problem is purely due to the effort that we bestow in achieving the goal. There can be no success without effort. There can be no effort without dedication. There can be no dedication without understanding the purpose of the work and situations in which an individual is in. Let us remember that both the worldly and spiritual goals are essential for a balanced existence.

Activities

* List out the goals of your life.
* What are the common problems that you face in every day situation? What are the solutions and strategies that you adopt?
* Discuss – “Every problem has a solution.”
* “The Eternal goal of all religions” - Discuss


CHAPTER VII - LIFE

JOURNEY OF LIFE

Objectives

* To learn the input of our life is based on its significance on our past, present and future
* To learn that, when we are born, our death is certain
* To realise that, body is mortal, but soul is immortal

Thoughts for life

* If life is a journey, it must be completed.
* If life is a challenge, it must be faced.
* If life is a pilgrimage, it must be concluded.
* If life is a race, it must be won.
* If life is a game, it must be played.
* Destroy your creation, His creation comes into existence.

Lesson Illustrated

* Time dimension: The journey of our life is from the past, which is history, passes through the present, which is a gift from God and ends in future, which is a mystery. Eg., (1) Rose bud, which blossoms and withers away. It is not conscious about its growth and worried about its death. Eg., (2) A mango seed perishes to become a tree and the tree dies. This is the law of Nature. But we human beings are always worried about the past, excited in the present and anxious about the future. This condition of the human beings always haunted with stress and tension, prevents them from reaching the destination of reality.

Take the example of an egg beater or a spring balance. In the case of an egg beater, normally it is in a coiled and natural [relaxed] state. When we apply pressure on top, with our palm, the spring gets pressurised and it remains in a compressed state [tense state]. When we remove the palm [pressure] gradually it achieves its normal state. Thus, when you pressurise your mind through your desires, you experience stress, tension, sorrow, misery etc. But when you reduce your desire and make it need-based, you are relieved of all the unnecessary tensions and the journey of life becomes smooth and easy.

It is essential for us to remember this slogan for stress-management ---

“Forget the memories of the past
Reduce the excitement in the present
Don’t be anxious about the future.”

* Life and Death: Man is born to die. Life is certain for all human beings until death. It is nothing but departure of the soul from the body. When it realizes that this vehicle [body] is no more fit for its evolution and it moves out. This is similar to a person discarding his torn, dirty shirt.

“Body is mortal, soul is immortal
Body is matter, soul is spirit
Body is gross, soul is Divine.”

For example, take a balloon filled with air. It retains its beauty, size, and shape as long as air remains inside. When the air goes out, it gets totally deflated and loses its beauty, shape and size. The air, which goes out, mixes with the air in the atmosphere and can be used for filing another balloon. It is to be noted that air cannot be seen. Even if you prick the balloon, it bursts and the result is the same.

Balloon Body
Air Soul
Inflated Balloon Body with Soul
Deflated Balloon Body without Soul

In the same manner, our body is like the balloon, filled with the air of soul or divinity, and has its own identity and individuality [e.g., man, woman, Sheela, Priya etc.]. When the soul goes out, the body loses its divinity and beauty and also its life. Thus the body without soul loses its identity and is no more called ‘He’ or ‘She’, but ‘It’. This ‘It’ which is useless at this stage is liable for destruction. Hence it is said to be mortal.

* Ultimate destination: The goal of our life is to merge with the Ultimate or God. This is the destination, which every human being should aspire for. In other words, our ultimate destination is to merge with the reality that is the Source or Paramatma.

For this, one should lead a perfect life. He should be guided by a Guru of highest calibre, who alone can take us to the reality or destination.

Consider soul as the traveller [Jeevatma], travelling in the vehicle called body. The track with two paralleled rails represents the way of life, which should be balanced materially and spiritually. Even if all the above exist, the journey cannot be started nor the destination reached without a Guru who is the driving force of our life. The destination is to merge with the Ultimate or Paramatma.

Our life at a glance

Traveller Soul [Jeevatma]
Train [vehicle] Body
Track Way of life
Driver Guru
Destination Ultimate or Paramatma

Remember
In our life, the soul is eternally the same, but the bodies are changing. It is as if, it is a river, whose banks are changing, but the water is static. But then, the flow is a must. For this flow, love, marriage and procreation are absolutely natural things making life in life, a real life.

Activities

* Give some more analogies for body, soul and life.
* Suggest ways and means to lead a perfect life, balancing the material and spiritual aspects.
* List out the occasions in your life, which caused stress and tension.


CHAPTER VIII - PRAYER

PRAYER FOR UNIVERSAL BROTHERHOOD

Objective

* To realise the importance of praying for others
* To understand love is the cause for the development of universal brotherhood

Thoughts for life

* Prayer is supposed to move mountains.
* When you ask for yourself it is begging, when you ask for somebody else it is prayer.
* Prayer is selfless service.
* Prayer is the way of attracting the grace.
* Prayer is the sign of Devotion. It shows that we have established our relationship with the Holy Divine.

Lesson Illustrated

* Prayer for Universal Brotherhood: In general prayer is a selfless service usually done for the cause of human upliftment. Every country, every state, every region and wherever human society exists, we find prayer brings solace in the day-to-day life. It can be done or performed at all times, at all places and most of the time only by an individual, to fulfill his personal objective. But, universal prayer is normally done for others with whom, we may have contact or not. Such a prayer gives us peace of mind and happiness as they are for others and their welfare.

* This prayer is done sharp at 9:00 P.M. Wherever the person concerned might happen to be at that time, he is expected to stop all his work and meditate for 15 minutes, thinking that

"All brothers and sisters are being filled with love and devotion and that real faith is growing stronger in them."

State this prayer silently, absorb the meaning and realise the effect.

The Importance of this Universal Prayer

* You execute total dependence on the Divine whom you pray to.
* You are very much time conscious since you have to perform this prayer by 9:00 pm sharp. his attempt infuses in an individual total discipline and perfection.
* The main difference is that everything else we do, we do for ourselves. The nine o’clock prayer we do for the universal and spiritual well-being of all.
* You are supposed to perform this prayer wherever you are. By this you totally submerge in the condition of the prayer and prove your genuineness of Love for others.
* Initially your attempt on this prayer may be merely verbal and mechanical, but gradually it becomes a habit and infuses in you, the feeling of Universal Love. At this stage your prayer gains more strength, as it is backed by your sincere and pure intention.
* The salient feature of this universal prayer is, it may be 9:00 pm in Indian situation, but this point of time may be varied and continuous in nature according to the time prevailing at different parts of the world. Thus it becomes a continuous attempt althrough day and night. We bring in universalism to our approach.
* Our own spiritual growth is matched by the change of attitude in the universal prayer from total self-centeredness to partial self-centeredness and hence to complete other-centeredness.
* This time is fixed as it is convenient and most of our day’s work is completed and we are in a relaxed state.
* This prayer which is subtle and done with deep intention pervades the atmosphere and reaches people as thoughts travels faster than light. This brings about the desired transformation.

NOTE: The intention of the prayer is more important and if one is not able to stick to 9:00 o’clock due to various reasons, but does it at some other time it does not matter.

Let us remember that when we pray for others, there are millions of others praying for us also and this helps in our personal development.

Activities

* Prayer in group is more powerful. Discuss.
* “Prayer for universal brotherhood and prayer at bed time.” List out the differences between them.
* “In the absence of 9:00 pm prayer, universal brotherhood is not possible.” Elaborate.
(a) Read this ‘self-analysis, thanks giving, and universal prayer,” given
hereunder.
(b) Write what you feel about yourself after you say the prayer.
(c) Why don’t you say this prayer at the end of the school session every day?

Self-analysis, Thanks giving and universal prayer

* We thank the almighty for all the wonderful things that have taken place today.
* We thank Him with full faith for His divine protection, guidance, help and illumination.
* If we have committed a mistake or hurt somebody, we shall apologize sincerely.
* We shall repent and promise not to repeat. We shall forgive people, if they have wronged us.
* We shall learn to console, understand, forgive and love, for it is in giving that we receive. It is in pardoning that, we are pardoned and it is in loving that, we are loved.
* We shall visualise the people whom we meet everyday smiling and being filled with great joy.
* Let the entire planet earth, be blessed with love, kindness, great joy, divine peace, understanding, harmony, good will and the willingness to do good.


CHAPTER IX - GURU

GURU – THE MANY FACETED EXPERIENCE

Objectives

* To understand, how Guru helps us to come up in our life
* To learn the functions of Guru without whom there is no meaning for our existence
* To realize the effect of Guru as a link between God and man

Thoughts for Life

* Philosopher is one who gives us knowledge, while a Guru gives the experience.
* Guru lays the foundation to form the basis of our existence.
* Just like electricity can be known by its function, a Guru can be known by his action.
* Guru is the highest friend, because He gives His life for us.
* Master is one who brings out the potentials in you and actualizes it.

Lesson Illustrated

* Guru is our friend: He is natural and comfortable in any place, situation or people. Eg - Sun, which remains constant, giving its warmth and light to planets equally. It is the earth which rotates & creates day and night. Guru is like the Sun who finds no difference among people.

* Guru is a philosopher: One who resides in the caves of mind is a philosopher. He gives us knowledge by removing ignorance. Eg. take two test tubes filled with H2O. In one of the test tubes KMNO4 is added. This makes the H2O pink in colour. But when phenolphthalein is put into the test tube, the pink colour H2O becomes colourless. The analogy goes like this: Test-tube is the mind. Pure H2O in the test-tube can be compared to the basic Divine thought KMNO4 refers to the thoughts added to the mind, making it gross. The pink colour can be compared to impressions. Guru plays the part of phenolphthalein, and removes the impressions of the mind, making it pure and subtle. Therefore, the mind is purified when the thought is linked with God, permanently through the Guru.

Test tube Mind
Water Pure Divine thoughts
Water + KMNO4 (Pink) Innumerable thoughts colouring our mind
Phenolphthalein Guru
Colourless water Original Divine state

* Guru is the medium for our experience, but He is not ‘experience’ Himself. This is like rivers, which are pure, calm, cool, vast, deep, and unperturbed. Only such rivers can pass on pleasant, experiences to a swimmer. They only act as a medium for the experiences of the swimmer, but they do not derive any experience on their own.

* Guru is the giver: Guru can be compared to Nature, as the bountiful giver, towards the progress of our material, as well as spiritual life. He gives us in several ways.

1. He gives us unfathomable knowledge by his valuable teachings. He gives us noble experiences by being a living example of what a perfect man should be.

2. He exposes Himself as a ‘Sthithapragna’(perfect human being), i.e., His body is always alert and active. Mind is calm and composed. Spirit is open and committed. In short He gives us by giving Himself.

* Guru is the Power: We can realize Guru’s power when we have total faith in Him and His powers. If we fail to bear faith in Him, it will be difficult for us to realize the flow of His power. Once you gain His power, you should sincerely practise of what you have to do, everyday. Thus we can realise for ourselves the purpose for which we are born in this world.

* Guru is Love: Guru’s love is meant for everybody equally and without any discrimination. It is not necessary that He should know all of us. In this respect He is like the Sun who shines on everybody equally. He has no friends, no foes, no lovers. Secondly, Guru is love Himself. He is love personified and then that love pervades through the universe.

Activities

* List out the attributes of the sun and compare it to the Guru.
* Guru is like a river - Discuss.
* Imagine yourself as a disciple. What are the qualities you should possess in order to derive full benefit?


CHAPTER X - THE CREATOR

THE HIGHER SELF

Objectives

* To distinguish between Higher self and the lower self-ego
* To learn the impact of the “Higher self”
* To understand the significance of “Universal Brotherhood”

Thoughts for Life

* When you can do something and you say you can do it, there is no ego involved.
* We identify “ego” with the body, instead of soul. It is the production of God, which you cannot eliminate. You should modify it.
* The creator becomes part of the creation.

Lesson Illustrated

What is the Higher Self? Is it the body, mind and intellect or the spirit within? Let us analyze: Read, understand and realize the hidden knowledge in the following sentences:

1. I am a child.
2. I am an adolescent
3. I am an adult.
4. I am an old man.

There is one letter, which is constant in all the four sentences. That is the letter ‘I’. This letter stands for the constant, immortal, changeless, divine Higher Self or the life force. The rest of the words on to the extreme right of each sentence (child, adolescent, adult, old man) represent the body, mind and intellect, the “Lower Self” or ego. This Lower self is changing short-lived, limited ageing and degrading human nature. The saddest part is that, we give importance more to this lower self, forgetting the higher self, because of our ignorance. The letter ‘I’- The upright letter ‘I’ in the English language is always written in capital, wherever it is used in a sentence, thereby symbolically representing the Higher Self, which is equivalent to the ultimate. If only you realize that this capital ‘I’ or the “Higher self” is the same in each and every individual, there will be no conflicts, hatred, and misunderstanding. You will come to know that this universe with its diversity of life is nothing but the One Divine bringing about unity and bliss. We should remember forever that universal brotherhood is our motto.”

Activities

* The ego is a very necessary thing because it takes us across life itself - Discuss.
* List out the situations leading to development of ego in our day-to-day life.
* Is there a difference between possessing Ego and being Egoistic?
* Logical analysis for discussion:

Ocean = water God = Love
Water = water droplet Love = Soul

Therefore,

Water droplet = ocean
Soul = God.

Hence, the analogy is based on only the attributes and not on quantity or power.