SOUL ON FIRE | Spiritual Realization is Like Riding a Bike
Love You
Welcome to this Issue of SOUL ON FIRE where I share my realization about what realization is distinct from knowledge or thoughts.
I put together a hand made collage style zine by cutting an pasting sketches, writing and cartoons from black books. Thats next issue:D
Heres some context for what youre about to read
There are different levels of consciousness which are as follows:
We all have to satisfy our basic necessities of life and thats called annamaya or materialism. Think babies or animals or unfornate people who struggle to survive.
The zeal and lust for life and fever for smashing goals are called pranamaya or vitalism. Think Trump..
Arts, emotional consciousness and activities where the mind is the main actor is called manomaya or mentalism. Think Michael Jackson
Standing in the shower for more than 10 minutes thinking about the goal of life or devoting your life to the study of it is called vijnanamaya or intellectualism. Think Einstein.
Only a few cool cats go further and realize the ultimate reality by consistent practice (abhyasa) and renunciation (vairagya). They get to experience transcendentalism or anandamaya and attain the state of bliss (ananda)
This zine is devoted to topics and art concerning transcendendentalism and bliss (AKA Samadhi).
Enjoy the ride:D
Bhagavad-Gita AS IT IS
2.44
भोगैश्वर्यप्रसक्तानां तयापहृतचेतसाम् ।
व्यवसायात्मिका बुद्धिः समाधौ न विधीयते ॥ ४४ ॥
bhogaiśvarya-prasaktānāṁ
tayāpahṛta-cetasām
vyavasāyātmikā buddhiḥ
samādhau na vidhīyate
Synonyms
bhoga — to material enjoyment; aiśvarya — and opulence; prasaktānām — for those who are attached; tayā — by such things; apahṛta-cetasām — bewildered in mind; vyavasāya-ātmikā — fixed in determination; buddhiḥ — devotional service to the Lord; samādhau — in the controlled mind; na — never; vidhīyate — does take place.
Translation
In the minds of those who are too attached to sense enjoyment and material opulence, and who are bewildered by such things, the resolute determination for devotional service to the Supreme Lord does not take place.
Purport by Srila Prabhupada
Samādhi means “fixed mind.”The Vedic dictionary, the Nirukti, says, samyag ādhīyate ’sminn ātma-tattva-yāthātmyam: “When the mind is fixed for understanding the self, it is said to be in samādhi.” Samādhi is never possible for persons interested in material sense enjoyment and bewildered by such temporary things. They are more or less condemned by the process of material energy.
Reflection by Muchu
Realization is when I don’t have to think about it. When I realize how to ride my bike I just do it automatically. Spiritual realization means its not a mystery anymore… I don’t talk about it like it’s something magical and exclusive. It’s matter-of-fact like riding a bike. It makes sense even though it’s inconceivable.
When my spiritual teacher HH Devamrta swami asked me what I thought samadhi was, I said “complete absorbtion” He said “complete absorbtion in what?” He went on to explain matter-of-factly that samadhi meant to be completely absorbed in thought of The Supreme Divine.
Realisation happens on the level of the heart rather than the head. You cant wrangle your way into by thinking or forcing it by changing or organizing intellectual furniture. From what I have gleened and had mini experiences of, samadhi is the subtle but most deliscious gift of acting on right knowledge over time. It’s the state when your context/paradigm/being is fully saturated in God or Krsna.
Krsna consciousness is when you automatically/spontaneously and joyously act for the pleasure of the self-of-the-self (Krsna) rather than only being self-ish.
Even being half way to samadhi or even a fraction of the way is so satisfying that mundane anger, anxiety and depression fall away.
The cool thing is spiritual knowledge is nothing new. Its the original nature of the self to be self realized. So practicing bhakti is like riding a bike after a long time. You will pick it up in now time.
Get in touch if you want to start your bhakti or need some resources. I’d be stoked to help:D
Glossary of Words Used in SOUL ON FIRE
Most definitions are excerpts of definitions from www.etymonline.com
Bold ones are my own understanding based on combining multiple definitions available.
Insight - "sight with the 'eyes' of the mind, mental vision, understanding from within,"
Thoughts - "process of thinking, a thought; compassion," from stem of þencan "to conceive of in the mind, consider"
Realize - Sense of "understand clearly, make real in the mind"
Knowledge - "capacity for knowing, understanding; familiarity;" also "fact or condition of knowing, awareness of a fact;"
Opinion - "opinion, view, judgements founded upon probabilities"
Viewpoint - mental position
Judgement - action of trying at law, trial," also "capacity for making decisions," from Old French jugement "legal judgment; diagnosis; the Last Judgment"
Assessment - General sense of "estimation"
Paradigm - "logical or conceptual structure serving as a form of thought within a given area of experience,"
Context - "a composition, a chronicle, the entire text of a writing," from Latin contextus "a joining together," originally past participle of contexere "to weave together,"
Theory - "conception, mental scheme," from Late Latin theoria (Jerome), from Greek theōria "contemplation, speculation; a looking at, viewing; a sight, show, spectacle, things looked at,"
Cognition - "ability to comprehend, mental act or process of knowing," from Latin cognitionem (nominative cognitio) "a getting to know, acquaintance, knowledge,"
Jnana - Knowledge especially pertaining to spiritual reality
Vijnan - Knowledge beyond the cognisance of the senses
Buddhi - Intelligence
Wit - "mental capacity,"
Stance - A way of relating
Wisdom - "knowledge, learning, experience,"
Revelation - "disclosure of information to man by a divine or supernatural agency,"
Information - Facts
Transformation - A new version
Epiphany - A sudden divine realisation. "manifestation, striking appearance, festival held in commemoration of the appearance of a god at some particular place”
Understanding - The way I percieve it
Authenticity - Being oneself. Acting on ones own authority
Samadhi - In the stage of perfection called trance, or samādhi, one’s mind is completely restrained from material mental activities by practice of yoga. This perfection is characterized by one’s ability to see the Self by the pure mind and to relish and rejoice in the Self. In that joyous state, one is situated in boundless transcendental happiness, realized through transcendental senses. Established thus, one never departs from the truth, and upon gaining this he thinks there is no greater gain. Being situated in such a position, one is never shaken, even in the midst of greatest difficulty. This indeed is actual freedom from all miseries arising from material contact.
Krsna - God
Bhakti - Devotional service to Krsna
Love - Devotion and service
Care - Presence and nurturing
Cure - Fixing
Mantra - A mystical energy encased in a sound structure meant to award victory of the mind
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