Advaita offers a practical philosophy, and for the student, most days present opportunity to apply this wisdom to living. Through an investigation of key texts like Bhagavad Gita and with assistance from a wide variety of available commentaries, help and support is offered that enables emotional, spiritual, and mental development. Even those who have difficulties with the notion of God will no doubt find knowledge to help maximise potential, reduce stress, and increase the quality of daily existence. As Swami Parthasarathy would say, ‘living is an art, a skill, a technique’ that leads to ‘a dynamic life of action while enjoying perfect peace and happiness within.’
Gandhi once said ‘When doubts haunt me, when disappointment stares me in the face, and I see not one ray of hope on the horizon, I turn to the Bhagavad Gita and find a verse to comfort me; and I immediately begin to smile in the midst of overwhelming sorrow.’ Since first being introduced to Advaita through recommendations of a friend, there have been many opportunities to smile in the midst of sorrow. Whilst the ‘right’ response may not always be to hand, invariably there is information available that illuminates matters from different perspectives, offering fresh insight and enabling a positive conclusion to whatever is encountered along the way.
Bhagavad Gita or ‘The Song of God’ is a condensed work of seven hundred verses and comprises eighteen chapters from the Bhishma Parva of the epic Mahabharata. Study can be supported by various commentaries and commentaries upon commentaries, such as Swami Dayananda’s ‘Home Study Course’ that uses Shankara’s original exegesis of Bhagavad Gita as its base. I’ve been working with Swami Dayananda’s course, adding further supplements through mp3 downloads of Swami Tadatmananda’s audio talks that are linked through Advaita Academy (http://advaita-academy.org/talks/bhagavad-gItA-by-Swami-Tadatmananda.ashx). Swami Tadatmananda is a disciple of Swami Dayananda and his input provides clarity and cohesion to this structured approach of learning, whilst the addition of mp3 files, downloadable to itunes, means that education can take place when travelling, making it accessible for any spare time during the day.
Unresolved mental, emotional, and spiritual issues are expensive to maintain in terms of stresses and tensions and also in terms of energy expenditure. So it makes sense that when problems are resolved there is more energy available to channel elsewhere. Contained within Bhagavad Gita are solutions to most of the difficulties we faces as individuals and through reading and applying the information contained in its pages, a solid foundation is created, providing a platform from which a proactive experience of life can be achieved.
Despite the brevity of its pages, studying Bhagavad Gita is a lengthy process, involving the commitment of a great deal of time and thought. Swami Tadatmananda took over three years to tease out its implications in his first study group, giving a lesson a week that lasted somewhere between sixty and ninety minutes per session, often populating his discussion of the text with anecdotes drawn from contemporary experience. There are times when information conveyed by text or audio files doesn’t appear to have much relevance to one’s present circumstances, and in such cases, the advice available isn’t easy to absorb. As the earlier quote from Ghandi suggests, however, when used as a reference tool, this book can provide a lifetime of inspiration. Sooner or later occasion prompts review of previous chapters, allowing those teachings to resonate with greater clarity.
Through application, the philosophy contained within Bhagavad Gita becomes ingrained within the mind, creating neuron pathways and initiating automatic responses by repetition of thought patterns. The more one applies these teachings to everyday experience, the easier the process of assimilation gets, and conditioned behavioural responses become second nature. In the meantime, a gradual reduction of stress and tension is experienced, making life much easier to accept, in all its vagaries. Inner stability becomes possible, prompting inner growth and personal progression. Such circumstances make liberation a viable proposition, and increase one’s awareness of potential freedom within the grasp of us all.
As a focus for forthcoming blogs I’m going to look at teachings contained in Bhagavad Gita that have enabled me to experience a greater sense of freedom, taking examples from everyday life as reference points to illustrate how this philosophy support personal growth. I hope you can join me as the journey continues...