tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168883612012-01-24T00:14:30.568+01:00Reflections on the human condition in the context of spiritual developmentRamtinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14145284821210952293noreply@blogger.comBlogger231100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16888361.post-23530130379924583892012-01-24T00:01:00.002+01:002012-01-24T00:01:17.880+01:00

”Absorption in Me through intelligence constitutes equanimity (emotional balance).” śamaḥ mat-niṣţhatā buddheḥ  (Bhāgavata Purāņa 11.19.36) Consider the luminaries in the sky – the moon, the sun, the stars. When they are reflected in liquids like water they appear to be of different shapes - sometimes round, sometimes long, sometimes unsteady and shaky - all due to the movements of

Ramtinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14145284821210952293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16888361.post-21542319714906336832011-03-06T06:01:00.004+01:002011-09-23T22:23:01.878+02:00

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away." What a magical setting, chanted Gayatri to the dawning light of the sun, on the serene bank of the Yamuna in the blessed land of Radha. It was the first day of Kartika. I had come with the hope to seek a spiritual experience. What I found by the end of the month was not what I had expected..

Ramtinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14145284821210952293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16888361.post-79932767957614860592011-03-05T13:16:00.009+01:002011-09-01T01:11:05.252+02:00

Old unhealed wounds - deprivations and traumas - of the past are like weeds surrounding the creeper of bhakti. They drain spiritual energy. Divine therapy is a paradigm in which the spiritual journey is presented as a form of psychotherapy designed to heal the emotional wounds of early childhood and our mechanisms for coping with them. In July of 2009 I presented a seminar on this subject,

Ramtinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14145284821210952293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16888361.post-74261907494689689552010-03-07T19:16:00.004+01:002010-03-12T01:38:23.723+01:00

It's essential to understand that codependency and counterdependency are primarily two unconscious patterns of behavior, ingrained habits supported by nonadaptive values, false beliefs, rationalizations, denial and projection. It is difficult to see the problem if it is all one has ever known; it seems normal, even normative. But with self-observation and a proper understanding of these

Ramtinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14145284821210952293noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16888361.post-39453784396230175302010-02-14T14:17:00.002+01:002010-02-14T14:21:15.087+01:00

One amongst the many current lessons of my life:You have to learn when to let go. Perform your work as much as is expected of you - good enough effort will do - and then disengage and come to rest. There is much value in unpressured, stressfree, calm, loving presence.The urgent and important should certainly be seen to. Sadhana and duty can't be compromised in the name of recreation. Healthy

Ramtinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14145284821210952293noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16888361.post-74149994357209330902009-11-20T19:41:00.001+01:002009-11-20T19:43:18.495+01:00

"To fall in love is easy, even to remain in it is not difficult; our human loneliness is cause enough. But it is a hard quest worth making to find a comrade through whose steady presence one becomes steadily the person one desires to be." (Anna Louise Strong)The supreme authority on love, Shrimati Radharani, once said that lust can look like love. The inverse also holds true, love sometimes looks

Ramtinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14145284821210952293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16888361.post-43595281320686846312009-10-30T10:59:00.004+01:002009-11-13T09:00:55.498+01:00

This is a constant and recurring theme in my experience. I feel incomplete. Something essential is missing. I look around, toward people, someone to make the pain go away, but it simply doesn't work. What is this yearning of my heart? What is it longing for? Whom is it calling? Why do I feel incomplete and unsatisfied? What is the root of this elusive, yet persistent, distress?I turn to pious

Ramtinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14145284821210952293noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16888361.post-32838457136825823532009-06-22T10:38:00.005+02:002009-10-09T09:12:43.864+02:00

Being in love must be the most all-consuming, rapturous experience in life. Time stops. Your world becomes permeated only with the thoughts of your beloved. You lose yourself. Your heart helplessly longs for your beloved. You feel incomplete without your love and long only to unite. The beloved becomes your very life, your all in all. It's a bittersweet experience to be in love, to anticipate and

Ramtinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14145284821210952293noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16888361.post-18552402015924167112009-06-16T17:39:00.005+02:002009-06-16T21:01:02.038+02:00

Do you know that quite whisper of your heart? Sometimes it's hard to put words on it, the inner longing of the soul, the desire to be seen as good and lovable consistently, by another good and lovable individual.I find to be touched by the love and care of another is a matter of whether I can be receptive and vulnerable with that person. What is it that makes my heart tender and open to the

Ramtinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14145284821210952293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16888361.post-8517998751941552712009-03-04T12:09:00.007+01:002009-06-16T17:16:05.541+02:00

Tolerance means to endure, to remain the same, to not get upset and lose your composure, to not be thrown into disorder, in a turmoil. You see, it is actually possible to deal with issues without getting all perturbed by them. You just acknowledge the problem and deal with it, to the best of your ability under the present circumstances and conditions.The world, life itself, is full of reasons to

Ramtinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14145284821210952293noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16888361.post-66653054329676926202008-08-21T04:38:00.010+02:002009-03-26T07:53:53.539+01:00

Spirit will never find satisfaction in physical enjoyment. The greatest mistake in life is to project our spiritual need unto matter. Sense enjoyment has nothing to do with the soul proper. It's merely a matter of union between the material senses and their objects. In that contact there arises a stimulating sensation, but this stimulation does not meet the requirement of the soul. As spiritual

Ramtinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14145284821210952293noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16888361.post-88226132988153889752008-02-04T08:42:00.003+01:002011-03-05T14:37:19.243+01:00

I've learned that true wisdom lies in accepting reality as it is and, at the same time, keeping the ideal, the goal in mind. In some mystical sense, everything is progressing as it should. Whatever people are going through is necessary for them to grow and mature. It's about life lessons, karmic lessons. I need to be more tolerant and compassionate, to truly believe in people's goodness, in their

Ramtinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14145284821210952293noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16888361.post-15733714022259460952008-01-17T14:29:00.002+01:002008-07-31T11:40:22.433+02:00

Thursday January 17, 2008Malmö, SwedenWhen you connect to another person that person enters your heart, your mind. As a result his/her character will mold and affect your mind; you will become like her. That's the power of company. Therefore disconnect from the people who have hurt you. You don't like them, right? Now, you wouldn't like end up becoming like the very people you condemn, would you?

Ramtinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14145284821210952293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16888361.post-9272264831628281522007-04-25T16:27:00.003+02:002008-12-11T10:03:44.867+01:00

Life is short. When you’re young you think your time will never run out, but as you start approaching your thirties it starts to dawn on you - time is quickly passing by.We have an innate sense that we’re supposed to accomplish something very significant with our lives. As nothing great is accomplished without much preparation, the present time is meant for that, to get ready.As fate would have

Ramtinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14145284821210952293noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16888361.post-16271848543160920612007-04-23T20:30:00.005+02:002008-12-11T10:03:44.940+01:00

A trait belonging to the fundamental nature of our existence cannot be neglected without affecting our health and happiness. An example of such a trait is our natural inclination towards companionship with affectionate individuals of allied mentality and interest. We are social beings and don’t do well when we’re all alone. This being so, why do so many suffer the anguish of loneliness? The

Ramtinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14145284821210952293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16888361.post-1166799474402792402006-12-22T15:56:00.006+01:002011-03-05T14:35:38.474+01:00

All virtues exist by dint of humility. To the proportion that humility declines, vice increases. But what is actual humility?Humility is defined as the quality or state of being humble. The word is derived from the latin humus, meaning earth. Figuratively speaking, humility is being close to the ground, like a blade of grass.A humble person is not anxious to have the satisfaction of being honored

Ramtinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14145284821210952293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16888361.post-1162817591793305272006-11-06T13:32:00.005+01:002011-03-06T16:01:22.554+01:00

By nature we are all pleasure seekers, but there are different levels of pleasure in life, in terms of intensity, duration and refinement. The Vedic wisdom speaks of two fundamental categories, instant gratification, and delayed gratification.We know the difference through personal experience. Some pleasures are more easily available. They are the pleasures which tempt and allure us, things like

Ramtinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14145284821210952293noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16888361.post-1135667224639260972005-12-27T07:45:00.002+01:002008-07-31T12:03:57.269+02:00

The problem with self-effacement is that it leaves you without any real friends. The time will come when things will get tough, you’re brought to your knees and desperately need someone to talk to. The stark reality will then dawn on you: you will find that there is no one you can confide in, because others either don’t know, or don't match, the real you, and positive confirmation of the false

Ramtinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14145284821210952293noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16888361.post-1129232616242260362005-10-13T21:27:00.007+02:002011-03-06T16:02:56.080+01:00

At times life seems to be a ceaseless struggle against relentless oppositions to our sense of security and peace. Though we yearn for permanent, uncompromised happiness material reality simply does not supports that ambition.Imagine yourself amidst a vast ocean, its waters violently whipped into terrifying waves by hurricanes. You’re tormented within and without by the harsh winds, the bolts of

Ramtinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14145284821210952293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16888361.post-1127676463849376422005-09-25T21:15:00.002+02:002008-07-31T12:06:08.019+02:00

It’s a sad fact that some of our major misgivings in life are about one of the most essential elements of life, relationships. Stories of abuse and neglect are common. Many have been hurt because of unhealthy relationships and have therefore developed serious doubts in this regard. This is certainly understandable.Life becomes a strive for emotional survival. We retreat to the safety of our own

Ramtinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14145284821210952293noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16888361.post-1127575692432621372005-09-24T17:21:00.006+02:002009-05-28T19:22:48.520+02:00

I’ve been pondering from time to time over the predicament of practicing a virtuous quality in an unhealthy way.“No one who does good goes to misfortune,” asserts the Lord in the Bhagavad-gita. A virtue can’t be the cause of any evil. Therefore, the setbacks and problems a person might experience as a result of practicing a virtuous quality can only be ascribed, as far as I can see, to an

Ramtinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14145284821210952293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16888361.post-1127457279989552652005-09-23T08:30:00.003+02:002009-05-28T19:17:15.679+02:00

For a long time I’ve been pondering over why familiarity breeds contempt. I’ve been asking myself, “Is is necessarily so? Can’t one avoid this from happening? What causes familiarity, anyway? Is there a way to maintain an intimate relationship of mutual respect and appreciation, and protect it from degenerating into stagnant and dry familiarity?”There are two types of relationships. Mundane

Ramtinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14145284821210952293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16888361.post-1127331335105434742005-09-21T21:15:00.004+02:002009-05-28T19:09:19.892+02:00

I remember a theme from a book I read by a well-known psychologist in Sweden. It told of an intriguing observation made by a certain Aaron Antonovsky. The latter had conducted a study centered on surviving Second World War prisoners and had found that a group amongst them had made it through the horrors of the concentration camp with their minds undamaged. He noted that these prisoners were

Ramtinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14145284821210952293noreply@blogger.com0