Satsang Coordinators Curriculum for The Supreme Ambition

Week One

Read the first Practical Exercise from the Supreme Ambition Study Guide:

Practical Exercise: Traveling Light

A key theme of this talk is traveling light - trying not to burden oneself with unnecessary possessions and activities in order to give more time to the spiritual life. As Sri Easwaran says, "In every walk of life, those who travel light go far. Those who travel light climb high. And our modern civilization, in spite of all its triumphs, has conditioned us to accumulate more and more baggage."

This week, reflect on what it means to travel light, and experiment in some small way to make your life "lighter" through the Eight Points. Here are some suggestions in a variety of different areas. Choose just one to start with, or come up with your own variation.

* When you want to buy something tempting but unnecessary, reflect on whether it will be a burden later on. [Training the Senses]

* Find a way to simplify your entertainment, having a nice meal with friends rather than an elaborate night out, or read a story with your family rather than go to a movie. [Slowing Down]

* You may want to give away one unneeded thing - a piece of clothing or furniture that is not necessary to you but might be helpful to someone else. [Putting Others First]

* With regard to your emotions and thoughts, you might want to try holding your opinions more lightly, listening more closely to what others think. [One-Pointed Attention]

* Or you may try to cling less to others for your own security, choosing to repeat the mantram rather than worry about what they may think of you. [The Mantram]

In any of these ways, try to travel light, and observe the effect on your meditation.

Ask the group: In terms of your practice of the Eight Points, what does it mean to you to "travel light"? In what ways might you travel a little lighter? How can the Eight Points help lighten the load?

Read the introduction from the Supreme Ambition Study Guide and watch Climbing the Peaks of the Spirit, the first of the two talks on the tape.

Or, read for 30 minutes from Sri Easwaran's book, Take Your Time, the chapter entitled "Taking Time for Relationships."

Finish with thirty minutes of meditation.


Week Two

Ask the group: Did anyone try the Practical Exercise from last week on finding some small way to make your life "lighter" through the Eight Points? Do you have any observations to report?

Then, have a member of the group read aloud the following excerpt from today's reading in Climbing the Blue Mountain, which relates to our topic of "traveling light":

During the early stages of the ascent, every spiritual aspirant has to keep saying no when the senses clamor for things that will only add to the burden of the journey later on. "Don't eat this. Don't drink that. Don't smoke this. Don't sniff that." This is all you hear from your spiritual teacher. There is no rapture; there is no ecstasy; only "keep plugging along."

This kind of discriminating restraint of the senses is not asceticism. Its purpose is not to punish or subjugate the body. We need to train the senses to be faithful allies in our ascent, for two compelling reasons. First, the body is our vehicle; we need to keep it healthy, strong, and resilient so that it can carry us steadily and safely to the summit of consciousness. Second, training the senses strengthens the will day by day, enabling us gradually to gain control over the fierce passions that rage beneath the surface of consciousness in every one of us. Without an unbreakable will it is not possible to move up from the Valley of the Shadow of Death; the will itself will turn against us and hold us down. "The will is your only enemy," the Gita tells us, "and the will is your only friend." The will can become our most powerful ally; but left untrained, the will becomes self-will, our worst enemy on earth.

Ask the group: Learning to say no to the senses and to new acquisitions and new distractions is very difficult. How have the Eight Points helped you learn this art? Are there any particular points that have been especially helpful?

When it's time for inspiration, read the last chapter of Sri Easwaran's Climbing the Blue Mountain, entitled "Climbing the Blue Mountain."

Finish with thirty minutes of meditation.


Week Three

Read the second Practical Exercise from the Supreme Ambition Study Guide:

Practical Exercise: Trusteeship
In Sri Easwaran's book The Compassionate Universe, he lists several suggestions for living an "evolutionary" trustee lifestyle and providing an example of what E. F. Schumacher called "a viable future visible in the present." During the coming two weeks, try one of the following experiments in harmony with the earth:

* Reduce the amount of garbage you produce by one quarter, by recycling and by refraining from buying unnecessary packaging and disposable items.

* Plant a tree, or make plans to plant one during springtime.

* Move toward a vegetarian diet based, as far as possible, on organically grown produce.

Notice the effect on your state of mind. Beneath the surface challenge of changing habits, can you detect a sense of deeper security and increased harmony?

Ask the group: In this exercise, and in Sri Easwaran's books, it is said that a lifestyle that is healthier for oneself and for the earth can lead to a sense of deeper security and well-being within oneself. Have you noticed that dynamic in yourself? In your experience, how do changes in lifestyle affect your practice of the Eight Points, and vice versa?

Read the introduction from the Supreme Ambition Study Guide and watch Trusteeship of Ourselves and the Earth, the second talk on the tape.

Or, read "Let Me Walk in Beauty" and "The Inner Ruler" in God Makes the Rivers to Flow. Then read from Chapter Five of Sri Easwaran's The Compassionate Universe, "The Lesson of the Hummingbird," until it is time for meditation.

Finish with thirty minutes of meditation.


Week Four

Ask for reflections from the group on the Practical Exercise from Week Three.

Then, ask a member of the group to read the following excerpt from today's reading:

According to the industrial hypothesis, we are insignificant specks who can find fulfillment, or consolation for the lack of it, only in having more and more things.

The alternative hypothesis is far from new. It was enunciated three thousand years ago in the Gita, and it can be found at the core of each of the world's great religious traditions: in every one of us, beneath the surface level of conditioned thinking, there is a single living spirit. The still, small voice whispering to me in the depths of my consciousness is saying exactly the same thing as the voice whispering to you: "I want an earth that is healthy, a world at peace, and a heart filled with love."

Ask the group: This deeper perspective on ecological living can help us make wise choices, but it is often hard to keep in mind when we are immersed in our busy modern life. What ways have you found to remember this perspective, especially through your practice of the Eight Points?

For inspiration, read aloud from Chapter Five of The Compassionate Universe. For groups who are not using the videos, if you finish Chapter Five, continue with Chapter Eight.

Finish with thirty minutes of meditation.


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How to Use This Curriculum

The BMCM monthly video series presents a special opportunity for BMCM Satsangs to enrich the content of their meetings and coordinate their program with the Center and with other Satsangs. Each month many of our Satsangs will be following this program, which has been created by workshop presenters at the BMCM, based on programs at our Tuesday night Satsangs in Petaluma and Berkeley.

This video curriculum is not required. The choice of which of our approved formats to follow is up to you and your Satsang. We understand that not all groups have access to a TV and VCR for showing video tapes. While the videos are a great aid in using this curriculum, it is also possible to follow it without the videos, using the questions for reflection and readings that are contained in this curriculum.

We do recommend this curriculum (and especially the videos) as an ideal way for a new group (or a "Satsang of One") to get well grounded in Sri Easwaran's core teachings and to feel more "in touch" with the Center. If you would like assistance in deciding on a format, please feel free to contact us at the address below.

The choice of when to start using the curriculum is also up to you. Week One, therefore, may end up being the second or third week of the month. That's fine. But we do suggest that you follow the order of the weekly curricula as they appear here. For groups that meet monthly, you may want to use only the weekly sections that include videos, or to cover two weekly sections if your meeting is longer.

We have tried to make this Satsang curriculum flexible enough that it can be used completely within the Eight Point Format, as outlined in the Satsang Guidelines. For your "Eight Point Focus" you can continue to cycle through the Eight Points weekly or monthly as it suits your group, and use this curriculum to deepen your study of Sri Easwaran's teachings.

For those of you who distribute messages via email to your Satsang, feel free to forward parts of this email to members as a preview of the coming month's program.

We are eager to hear about your experiences with this curriculum, and welcome your feedback. Please send it to:

info@easwaran.org
Blue Mountain Center of Meditation
P O Box 256
Tomales, CA 94971
Copyright (c) 2003, Blue Mountain Center of Meditation