Key learnings from impactful books
The changes in lifestyle due to the pandemic of 2020 have given me the opportunity to read, learn and introspect more. This space is to share some quotes, my interpretations and learnings from some of the most impactful books I have read recently and will read in the future. I hope the readers will find this useful and if you do, I would be curious to hear your reactions and thoughts.
'Autobiography of a Yogi' by Paramhansa Yogananda
This has to be the most impactful book I have read in my life thus far! Its worth reading over and over again since there is so much to learn in this book. Here are some of my learnings so far. I am sure I will learn more, the more I read this book.
· Mere book learning is futile. Do not confuse understanding with a larger vocabulary. Sacred writings are beneficial in stimulating desire for inward realization, if one stanza at a time is slowly assimilated. Otherwise, continual intellectual study may result in vanity, false satisfaction and undigested knowledge. When one scholar impressed people as he recited passages from the Mahabharata, Upanishad, etc, Sri Yukteshwar said "I am waiting to hear you." The scholar was puzzled. Sri Yukteshwar continued.. "There have been abundant quotations here. But what original commentary can you supply, from the uniqueness of your particular life? What holy text have you absorbed and made your own? In what ways have these timeless truths renovated your nature? Are you content to be mechanically repeating the words of other men?". Wisdom is not assimilated with the eyes but with the atoms. When your conviction of a truth is not merely in your brain but in your being, you can vouch for its meaning." Lahiri Mahasaya taught his disciples to avoid theoretical discussion of the scriptures. "He only is wise who devotes himself to realizing, not reading only, the ancient revelations. Many scholars consider philosophy to be a gentle intellectual setting up exercise. Their elevated thoughts are carefully unrelated either to the crudity of outward action or to any scourging inner discipline!
· Just as hunger, not greed, has a legitimate purpose, sexual instinct has been implanted by nature solely for the propagation of species and not for the kindling of insatiable longings. Destroy wrong desires now; otherwise they will remain with you even after your body ceases to exist. Overcome temptation with impersonal analysis and indomitable will! Every natural passion can be mastered.
· A true Yogi may remain dutifully in the world; there is he like butter on water. Fulfilling one's earthly responsibilities need not separate man from God, provided he maintains mental un-involvement with egotistical desires and plays his part in life as a willing instrument of the Divine.
· When the Yogi has reached his ultimate goal (Kaivalya), all his actions are performed without karmic involvement. The iron filings of karma are attracted only where a magnet of the personal ego still exists!
· Liberation is dependent on inner, rather than outer renunciations
· Yogananda referring to his belief in his own ability to overcome hurdles and prevail despite contrary predictions / warnings from astrologers: "Faith in divine protection, and right use of man's God given will, are forces more formidable than influences from the heavens. This reminded me of the great Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s self-conviction and practicality in undertaking many successful missions taking advantage of the dark of a new moon night despite the supposed inauspicious nature of new moon nights (Amavasya) in Indian thought.
· After the invention of the atomic bomb - The day is nearing when the inner science of self-control of one’s mind will be found as necessary as the outer conquest of nature. With the advent of the atomic age, the human mind can and must liberate within itself energies greater than those within stones and metals, lest the material atomic giant, newly unleashed, turn on the world in mindless destruction.
· Breath serves as the subtle link between body and soul. Man's conscious state = awareness of body and breath. Subconscious state (in sleep) = mental and temporary separation from body and breath. Superconscious state (in meditation) = freedom from the delusion that existence depends on body and breath. The soul becomes conscious of itself only during the breathless state!
My Experiments with Truth by Mahatma Gandhi
· Seeds sown during childhood don't go in vain! Gandhi was very afraid of ghosts and spirits as a kid. A maid taught him to chant Ram-naam to overcome the fear. That remedy stayed with him forever whenever he was afraid of something.
· Service has no meaning unless one takes pleasure in it. It serves neither the servant nor the served.
· Fasting is useful when the mind cooperates with the body, when it cultivates a distaste for the food that is denied to the body.
· No matter how much work one has, one should always find some time for exercise, just as one does for one's meals!
· Man and his deed are 2 distinct things. Hate the sin and not the sinner.
· Life without Brahmacharya appears to be insipid and animal-like. Man is man because he is capable of, and only in so far as he exercises, self-restraint. Perfection of Brahmacharya precludes even impure thoughts, not just actions!
· There is an intimate connection between the mind and the body. The carnal mind always lusts for delicacies and luxuries. To obviate this tendency, dietic restrictions and fasting would appear necessary. The body thus always needs non-stimulating foods and periodic fasting. For those working towards self-restraint, dietic restrictions and fasting are very helpful
· Gandhiji understood more clearly in light of the teachings of the Gita, the implication of the word 'trustee'. Gita's teaching of non-possession meant that those who desired salvation should act like the trustee who, though having control over great possessions, regard not an iota of them as their own!
The complete works of Swami Vivekananda, vol 2
· Don’t judge others by our ideals but by their own ideals. This is the source of a vast majority of conflicts.
· As times change, our ideas of right and wrong change too. => Resist the temptation to rigidly assess / judge things in the past.
· Animals seem to have a level of pleasure much higher than humans (example: how they eat voraciously). Must their pain also be of much higher magnitude then, when we kill them to eat?