BMCM Video Study Guides

Satsang Coordinators Curriculum for

Real Life Stories of Transcendence

Week One

Introduce the curriculum: “For the next two months our curriculum will lead us in an exploration of two key concepts in the spiritual life: The first is yajna (pronounced yat-nya), a term which can mean worship, offering, or sacrifice. The second concept is that of seeing the unity of life. With both of these concepts we'll try to get beyond the intellectual understanding of what they mean to grasp the living experience they represent. Because they are so central to the spiritual journey, we are devoting two full months to them.”

To begin your fellowship, ask one of the members to read these excerpts from the video study guide:

“This is an extraordinary talk given by Sri Eknath Easwaran in July, 1986. On the preceding day, he had undergone painful oral surgery, and he uses the story as an occasion to examine the life-transforming concept of yajna, a Sanskrit word which can be defined as “worship, offering, or sacrifice.”

This ideal of offering the best of oneself to the world and to God is central to many of the world's spiritual traditions. Through it, all the activities of an individual's life can be brought into harmony with our underlying spiritual nature. Eventually, as our life reflects this ideal more and more, we come to see the world differently.

During the talk, Sri Easwaran quotes Mahatma Gandhi's definition of yajna: “An act directed to the welfare of others, done without desiring any return for it.” Such action promotes health, freedom, and fulfillment for ourselves and others. On the other hand, Sri Easwaran says, actions that cannot come under the category of yajna promote bondage in the long run. “Whatever temporary benefits they bring,” he says, “they will retard our evolution and imprison us in our own self-will.”;

The questions for discussion this week are: “How is it possible to perform action 'directed to the welfare of others without desiring any return for it?' How can the Eight Points help us achieve this seemingly impossible feat? What benefits have you found in trying to do this? What are the challenges?”

When it's time for inspiration, ask one of the members to read aloud the practical exercise from the video study guide (reproduced at the end of this section of the curriculum), and then watch the first of the talks on the video tape, The True Spirit of Worship.

For groups who are not using the videos, please read aloud the following sections of The Constant Companion (also published as Thousand Names of Vishnu): “Sacrifice,” “The Inexhaustible Treasure,” “He Who is Invoked in the Act of Sacrifice,” “Who Brings Sacrifice to Fruition,” and “The Purifier.”

Practical Exercise

In this exercise we will try to experience the “true spirit of worship” or yajna, by experimenting with actions based on Gandhi's definition of yajna: “An act directed to the welfare of others, done without desiring any return for it.”

Once or twice this week, or even every day, do one small anonymous task that helps others. Some examples to give you ideas (you will probably think of more yourself) include:

* Cleaning up the kitchen at home or at work
* Picking up litter at the beach or park
* Turning off lights that are not in use
* Making an extra effort to recycle materials rather than throw them away

“Now we are entering the climax of this chapter. In some of the most beautiful language in the Gita, the Lord is inspiring us to make everything an offering to him.... The practical approach to this verse is to look upon everything that we do, no matter how seemingly insignificant, as a gift to the Lord. If we hoe the garden carefully so that our family can have fresh vegetables for dinner, that is an offering to the Lord. If we work a little more than is expected of us at something that benefits others, that too is an offering to the Lord. Everywhere, in every detail of daily living, it is not a question of quantity or expense that makes our offering acceptable; it is cheerfulness, enthusiasm, and the capacity to forget ourselves completely in helping those around us.”

Sri Easwaran begins by summarizing the theme of the spiritual life: “What matters in the world today is what I have. What matters on the spiritual path is what I am. That is the stark distinction. Whatever I may have, if I don't know who I am, I am likely to run into trouble all the time.”

“When I go to the city, for example, I relate to everybody. What I like best is to sit in a corner of the St. Francis Hotel, and just watch 'me' passing in many disguises. I can't tell you the joy of this. Computer freaks passing by – that's me, dressed up as Stuart, as Bob, as Greg. It is not that I look upon them as computer people. I look upon myself as playing this part. That's how the joy comes.”

“So the Lord explains gently the relationship he has with those who are completely devoted to him. 'Those who meditate on Me with all their heart, who try to see Me in every creature, live in my love and security completely.' Then he adds, 'I who am infinite, whom all the galaxies cannot contain, I live in such people too.' When we begin to realize the magnitude of this statement, we shall have profound veneration for our real Self, the divine spark within us. The Compassionate Buddha calls this body of ours a frail clay pot. Who can fathom the wonder of the Lord of the cosmos taking up residence in this brittle little vessel? The Hindu greeting namas te expresses this reverence for the Lord of Love, who dwells within each one of us. It means 'I bow unto you' – not unto Jonathan Swift or Tom Jones, but to Him who is seated within Jonathan Swift, Tom Jones, and you and me.”