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October:
Dharma
and Self Health
Mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health,
purpose, and growth, including the purpose of yoga practice
By October, most students have settled into the new
school year. Returning to school, students realize that they have a
duty to do and that they will receive an education that will improve
their lives. Many study
late into the night, munching on potato chips and praying for Bhagawan
to help them on the upcoming exams.
Stress from school, friends, family and being the best profoundly
affects most students.
The question is ‘How do we stay sane through
the tumultuous time of studenthood?’ Some say our duty is to be
a student, and that the results of being one will make it all worthwhile. But is not our duty also to stay healthy
of body, mind and soul? This
is the true question that we are posing. We wanted to start the year of Dharma
Life by looking within us to find out how respect, discipline, and balance
can make a difference in our accomplishments and in ourselves.
Most of us have heard of catchy words like yoga,
meditation, ahimsa, mantras, karma, shanti and Om. These words, ideas
and practices are part of a greater and older body of thought called
Sanatana Dharma. For many,
Hinduism and Sanatana Dharma, which is known also as the Eternal Teachings,
constitute a complete spiritual, sacred science that deals with all
aspects of life, culture, and religion. Yoga, Ayurveda, and Meditation
are disciplines that rest upon Vedic ideas.
This month is divided into three categories: Yoga
(including meditation), Ayurveda, and Vegetarianism. As the title makes
it clear, health and wellness is an art of living. We need to keep all of our senses healthy to improve our
lives. We have been referring
to ‘health’ repeatedly, but we have not yet defined it. Swastha is Sanskrit for health and is
derived from swa, meaning to ‘keep it a certain way’, and
tha, ‘beings in the natural state’.
Health and wellness goes beyond the physical. We need not only look at health in the
perspective of prevention or as a way of curing diseases. Instead we
should look at health in a way where we can successfully deal in making
the world around us less stressful.
This can happen when we recognize the inter-dependence and inter-connectedness
of our natural existence.
A slokha comes to mind for this month: “ Sarve
bhavantu sukhinah, sarve shantu niramyah, sarve bhadrani pashyantu,
ma kascit dukhabhag bhavet,” which translates to “ Let everyone
be happy (sukhi), and healthy (niramya).
Let us see the nobility in all (bhadra) and let not anyone be
unhappy (dukhi)”. This meaning of this slokha is what
makes us Hindu and is the essence of this month. Yoga, Ayurveda and Vegetarianism teaches us the essentials
of leading a good life, and through the practice of these traditions,
we can become mentally, physically, and emotionally stronger.
The main vehicles to understand Vedic wisdom are
from the spiritual practices of asana, pranayama, puja, mantras and
meditation. These practices
are all elements of Yoga. The
yogic tradition among Hindus began thousands of years ago. Originally,
the Upanishads were the first source of yogic philosophy; the philosophy
was described in more detail in many sections of the Mahabharat.
Yoga is derived from the root word yuj, meaning union.
We use yoga to find the union within ourselves (jivatman) and
with the cosmic being (Paramatman).
There are 4 main paths of yoga: jnana (knowledge), bhakti (devotion),
karma (service), and raja (technique).
These four disciplines are not exclusive, nor is one better than
the other. All four are equally as important and
are treated equally in the scriptures.
People may choose the discipline that suits their mental, intellectual,
and emotional needs.
Jnana Yoga takes the path of knowledge that aims
to make a distinction between the superficial self and the ultimate
self. This is done by learning, reflecting,
and then being able to see the limited self, and then unifying with
Atman (soul). The goal is to move from avidya (ignorance) to vidya (knowledge).
Bhakti yoga is the path of devotion (to the Divine).
It is pure, selfless love from the heart.
In this path one strives for unconditional devotion to God. The
aim of bhakti yoga is to dissolve the ego through devotion and to surrender
to the will of Bhagwan. Here,
we actively engage in various devotional activities such as repeating
God’s names, singing bhajans (devotional hymns), and having puja
(worship). The ideal goal is to rid one’s
self from the seven enemies of the soul: lust (kama), egoism (ahankara),
attachment (moha), anger (krodha), pride (mada), greed (lobha) and jealousy
(matsarya).
The next path, Karma yoga, is based on one’s
selfless service. Karma
is derived from kri meaning “to do” and represents an action
that leads to consequences in this lifetime or the next.
It teaches us that work performed in the service of God and for
the welfare of mankind leads to salvation — moksha.
Good actions bring us closer to our goal while bad actions take
us further away. These
good actions are to be done without the desire of the fruits of action. Bad actions are performed with selfish
motives and without consideration for others.
The last yoga is Raja yoga. This path is a scientific and systematic path that is comprised
of body postures, breath control, and concentration. These exercises aid in taking the focus
off of one’s self, overcoming mental and physical distractions,
and calms the mind. This
yoga helps purify the body and mind so as to develop a level of concentration
that allows for the union with the Atman (soul). There are eight steps to this discipline.
The first, Yama (restraints), constitutes moral and
ethical discipline and includes five restraints: Ahimsa (restraint from
violence), Satya (restraint from falsehood), Asteya (restraint from
stealing), Brahmacharya (restraint from sex), and Aparigraha (restraint
from greed).
The second step is of Niyama (observances). This constitutes a spiritual discipline
and includes five observances: Shaucha (cleanliness of body and purity
of mind), Santosha (contentment), Tapasya (austerity), Svadhyaya (scriptural
studies), and Ishvara-prani-dhana (surrender to God).
Asana (posture), the third step, assists in focusing
the mind inward. Regular
practice of this increases the body’s endurance, will power, and
resistance to diseases.
Fourth, Pranayama (breath control) involves a series
of breathing exercises designed to ensure deep breathing. This eliminates unwanted thoughts, thus
producing a calm effect on the mind, which increases mental activity.
The fifth step is of Pratyahara, which means to withdraw
the mind from sense perception so that it can focus on one thought.
The sixth step is Dharana (concentration). This is the idea of focusing the mind
on one thought. Usually,
the mind is directed to concentrate on a picture, a mantra, or even
on one’s breath.
The seventh step is Dhyana (meditation). Meditation is the state in which the
mind is in the absolute state of non-doing. There are many benefits of meditation such as the relaxation
of the body from tension caused by nerves and muscles, the decrease
of mental restlessness, and the purification of the mind. Deep meditation is like a few hours
of deep sleep. The relaxed
position helps the mind to become strong and efficient, and therefore
it adds a solid moral and ethical direction to one’s life. Meditation also purifies the mind of mental pollutants like
envy, temper, anger, lust and other bad cravings. As these pollutants decrease, the mind
is able to become freer, full of peace, wisdom, and joy. Another great thing about meditating
is that it produces a sharper memory and intelligence. This is great for the student trying
to get the 4.0 GPA. But,
meditation also helps us get in tune with our true self (Atman).
For this month, a great activity would be having
a Yoga activity. This activity
could be as long as an hour or can be stretched out for a week.
Here is a simple Agenda
for an hourly meeting:
1. Introduction (10 minutes).
Start with an explanation of this month’s theme
and what you would like to accomplish in this hour. Explain the 4 yoga types and the main one that will be used
for this activity and the benefits that come from it. We recommend Raja yoga.
2. Activity (30-40 minutes)
This url ___________________________ has basic stances
and explanations of the benefits of each stance. First have someone demonstrate
the actual pose and then have everyone follow the example.
3. Summary (10-20 minutes)
Here you want to wrap up
the activity and give time for the participating students to ask questions
and also describe what they liked most from this activity.
Another way of performing this same hourly activity
would be having a yoga instructor come in and demonstrate. Usually, one can ask a yoga instructor
found at the university or a community member who would want to help
with this activity.
If
there is more time, an entire week can be dedicated to the different
aspects of Health.
Each
day can have one main hourly theme. Different yogic disciplines can
be looked at more closely and tried out.
An example of such a week might look like this:
Monday: Yoga activity
Tuesday: A discussion on vegetarianism
Wednesday: A puja in which bhakti
yoga can be discussed.
Thursday: a workshop on different
types of meditation
Friday: An Ayurvedic meal
and discussion on how eating healthy strengthens mental and physical
activities.
Activities:
·
Yoga and meditation can be more of a hands-on
activity in which participants can actually reap the benefits of this
service. Make it open to
the public and see how the response is.
Many Westerners have considered yoga and meditation part of a
daily/weekly regime but do not
realize that it has been around in Hinduism since the beginning.
·
Have a yoga seminar to learn about the 4 main
yoga principles and to practice them.
·
Have a yoga instructor teach the different yogas.
Have it a daylong seminar or be able to spread them out through
out a week or the entire month.
§
Try different types of meditation-
§
-direct/indirect meditation
§
-breath control, Light (fire), TM –
How does this differ
from Zen Meditation?
Where does hatha yoga
fit into the 4 yogas?
What are the benefits
of these types of yogas?
Do you to sit in certain
places or facing a certain direction while practicing this?
What happens if you can’t
get into it? Does it take a long time to get into the right phase?
How long do we need to
do it?
Will it cure diseases/allergies?
Would anyone who practices yoga be considered a Hindu?
Self-Health is an Art of Living and dharma does have
a great effect on our lives. As
we look further into the three main points that will be discussed in
this month we see that many discussions and activities can be planned
around these ideas. Also,
these topics are broad enough so that chapters can chose topics that
interests their members.
Is being a vegetarian dharmic? Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam: all life forms are part of one family.
To understand vegetarianism, one must understand this phrase. This means that Bhraman (Supreme Being) dwells in all living
beings, whether it is human, animal, or insect. Therefore an injury by thought, action, or words against
all living beings is offensive against creation and to one’s self. This is a basic doctrine of Ahimsa
or the practice of non-violence.
Hindu dharma states that vegetarianism is an essential virtue.
Vegetarianism is not only about eating habits, but a balance of mind
and body. Eating meat is
detrimental to our spiritual life, physical being, the environment and
the economy.
The highest purpose of life is to transcend ordinary
consciousness and seek the unity of all existence. “All is One and One is all.” For those who wish to follow the path to self-knowledge,
it is essential to extend love, kindness and compassion to all life
forms and also to recognize that they are an integral part of nature. Of course, by living in this world we
do destroy nature. Even
by breathing we destroy bacteria and the salad we had for lunch was
once living. At the same time, killing an animal for food or slicing
a tomato for your salad do not involve the same level of pain and agony. We need to have compassion for all life
forms and at the same time we need to live in the world. Many Hindu sages say that we need consume
food that will cause the least amount of pain. Another point is that these sages discovered
that the food we eat determines the temperament that we posses (sattvic/pure,
rajastic/energizing, tamasic/dull). In laymen’s terms, it means what we eat is what we
are or what we will become.
Meat and dairy products are known to be the highest
in cholesterol and saturated fats.
A high intake of both of these is believed to increase the risk
of coronary heart disease and strokes.
There are also many more benefits of being a vegetarian that
can be found.
Ecologically and environmentally, vegetarianism is
the best way to go. We
have heard of the how rain forests are cut down to make space for cows
to graze. The destruction
of the rain forests and related habitats has caused the rate of extinction
to be about 1,000 species per year.
A carnivorous diet also contributes to water pollution due to
contaminated sewage. Discussing this topic with a member of PETA will
give you a more informed view.
Not being a vegetarian is not considered incorrect
in Hinduism. Many Hindus
do eat meat and there are several reasons for that. For one thing, it depends on the part of India one is from.
Some societies eat what the land offers. For example, if one
lives near the sea they most likely will eat fish.
If one lives in where there is good land they might eat more
vegetables. This can also depend on one’s caste. Brahmins most likely do not eat meat
while Kshatriyas will likely eat meat because of the soldierly activities
they traditionally performed.
Now, many people do not follow the caste system, but since their
families have eaten a certain way they will keep that tradition flowing.
Questions:
·
Is being a vegetarian dharmic? If so, how?
·
Where does it state that being a vegetarian
is the right thing to do?
·
How does it help us?
·
Who else believes in this belief besides Hindus?
·
Then why aren’t all Hindus vegetarians?
Does this relate to the caste system?
·
Is this why we worship cows?
Moderating this type of discussion will
lead to different opinions between Hindus who have grown up eating
meat with others who have not.
At times, this might become a bit heated, but don’t fret. Staying calm and discussion of both sides of the issue will
lead each person to draw their own conclusions.
Activities:
·
Having a discussion about vegetarianism and
its relationship with dharma is a good start
·
Having a debate
·
Inviting a person from PETA or a Vegetarian
Society come to discuss this topic
·
A Cookout with simple dishes
Ayurveda is the ancient system of holistic healing
from India, which can also be called the “Science of Life”.
This is based on the principles of wholeness and balance. It has become
a fashionable alternative medicine except this alternative medicine
can lead to a healthy lifestyle and can stop diseases before they can
harm our bodies. Contrary to popular belief, Ayurveda is more than herbs and
potions. We must look at
Ayurveda as a flower where the roots need to be nourished so that the
flower can flourish. This can be done by healthy diet, good sleep, and
healthy lifestyle.
Ayurvedic principles and techniques come from doctrines
like the Charaka and the Sushruta. These doctrines state that Ayurveda
treats the whole body including the mind, senses, and emotions instead
of curing the problem of the moment as modern medicine does.
Discussion Topics:
·
The story of Ayurveda- what is the mythology
behind it? (Brahma sent fever to the earth- and Indra taught someone
ayurveda so that it was taught to all the rishis)
·
What are the basic principles of Ayurveda?
·
3 doshas- Vata, Pitta, Kapha Prakriti, and Vikriti
Beej-Bhoomi
·
How does the Ayurveda use herbs or can we use
supplements?
·
What about fasting? Can that be Ayurvedic?
·
Why is Ayurveda shunned upon by modern medicine?
·
Is Ayurveda that helpful when we have modern
medicine and does it have better results?
Quotable
Quotes
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