Sponsored by Uka Tarsadia University, Maliba Campus Inaugural Session Facilitated by Faculty Version Varadarajan Kannan Class 11 – February SELF DEVELOPMENT IN THE CONTEXT OF SPIRITUALITY AND A PRACTICAL APPROACH A SYSTEMATIC APPROACH TO MEDITATION

Meditation Two groups here Those that got three sittings of meditation Others

“Spirituality is the essence of every religion; it is the common denominator that unites all faiths and beliefs in one human aspiration toward mergence with our divine source. When we worship an external God, there can be a sense of distance, separation and even alienation. Spirituality focuses our attention on the divine residing in our own hearts. This reveals God in a new light, of proximity and intimacy. Being within us, such an entity is readily accessible. All that spirituality seeks is oneness with God or Self, urging us to focus the mind inwards and to approach this inner presence with love. Shri. P. Rajagopalachari (Chariji)

Answers to a few Key ?s (Jan 12 th 2013) 1.How many of you are religious?77% 2.How many of you are spiritual? 64% 3.How many of you think there is no God or higher power? 29% 4.How many of you believe there is a God of the Religions? 37% 5.How may of you believe there is a higher power, can not be explained by any one?81% 6.How many of you believe there is a dynamic relationship with our Creator and the creation? 84% 7.How many of you think meditation is a means to become spiritual? 56%

Answers to a few Key ?s (Feb 9 th 2013) 1.How many of you are religious?76% 2.How many of you are spiritual? 69% 3.How many of you think there is no God or higher power? 9% 4.How many of you believe there is a God of the Religions? 42% 5.How may of you believe there is a higher power, can not be explained by any one?83% 6.How many of you believe there is a dynamic relationship with our Creator and the creation? 82% 7.How many of you think meditation is a means to become spiritual? 62%

The result Most of you believe there is a God or a higher power which may not be explained easily Most believe there is a relationship between Creator (God) and its creation (So, us, Humans) More than 60% of you said Meditation is a means to become spiritual

Meditation and Brain Sara Lazar on meditation and Neuroplasticity Neuroscientist Sara Lazar's amazing brain scans show meditation can actually change the size of key regions of our brain, improving our memory and making us more spiritual - empathetic, compassionate, and resilient under stress. ‪ m/thrive/sara-lazar/ – Refer to supporting video folder to download the video to your local hard drive and link ‪ m/thrive/sara-lazar/

So, How to choose a system of Meditation? “When a student is ready, a teacher appears?” Are you ready? Yes, if you have A life of wonder and inquiry An introspective nature Some understanding of spirituality The Willingness to practice How to recognize the Teacher & recognize a suitable system for me? By Experience of the feeling created due to the self transformation When unwell go to the nearest doctor or call the only Doctor in the village. If doctor recommends or if you don’t feel better seek another Try sincerely for 3 – 6 months and based on experience go further

What system do I practice? & Why

“God has been of perennial interest to humanity. He has been the subject of deep thought, discussion and description in human history. Many a Master in the human annals had experienced HIM and taught the succeeding generations the methods of reaching HIM. These spiritual practices have later crystallized into religions. Amidst a welter of religions the Quest for the Spirit has survived and is continuing. It is unique. SAHAJ MARG is this unique Quest for the Spirit and incorporates in itself the quintessence of the ageless wisdom of humanity.” Shri. P. Rajagopalachari (Chariji)

Evolution takes place automatically up to human level and beyond So Humans will have to choose to evolve Humans have freewill Understanding the characteristics of Soul and Mind Soul Passive, Internal, Cause of life, Spirit, Potentially Divine Human Mind Desires, Emotions, Learning, Active Alignment means spiritual uplift. Lack means struggle in the mundane What happens to the Mind and the Soul when we die? Philosophy Sahaj Marg or Natural Path Meditation

Idea of particle of Divine Creation and it’s Creator Furniture has the particle and some characteristic of the tree (seed) So we humans do have the particle of Divine If we awaken to the possibility If we arise to the challenge If we commit to experiencing it we Meditate As you think so you become Becoming which there is alignment, harmony and balance Then, we meditate with the goal in mind – ie Divinity

Sow a thought…….. reap a destiny The mixture of thought, action, emotion deepens the impressions We have to work out the deepened impression (Bhog) Deep impressions are called Samskaras Different from fate and karma Fate presupposes no change Karma distinguishes good and bad Karna did not get liberated since the good karmas were holding him down Where there is good, there is bad (duality) – must transcend both to experience blissful condition of the Soul The idea of cleaning impressions Behaviour modification Value realignment Attitude adjustment Character building Better spiritual condition Theory of Impressions

God Vs Us God with us In a Nutshell Self Development is all about feeling happy and harmonious understanding how to be with God And practicing for the new you as it reveals itself to be god inside - the Self

The objectives of this system of meditation To recognize and experience the Divine nature of the soul Mastery of the self To remove the impressions that are counter productive To develop a set of attitudes conducive for Balanced life The Practices Morning Meditation Evening Cleaning Night Prayer Science of Sahaj Marg

Procedure for Starting Sahaj Marg Sign up – Write your name, Group number, phone and ID and turn in the sheet of paper to us We will contact you and help you start You will have three meditations called “introductory sittings” from a trainer called “prefect” We will teach various aspects of the theory and practice behind Sahaj Marg over the coming weeks There is NO money charged ever for the practice

Next week Talk by Mr. Mahesh Patel A Personal Journey of Life, Success, Spirituality and Service Attitudes for success in life Accepting a Guru and following his footsteps