BMCM Video Study Guides

Satsang Coordinators Curriculum for What Is Life For?

Week One

Introduce this month's curriculum:

"This month we are continuing our focus on two key concepts in the spiritual life. The first is the idea of drawing closer to the divine through offering something of ourselves to others – referred to as yajna (pronounced yat-nya) in last month's curriculum. The second concept is that of seeing unity behind the apparent diversity 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.

"In this week's video talk and in next week's reading from Gandhi the Man, Sri Easwaran is recounting a series of practical discoveries that transformed his life, just as they had transformed Mahatma Gandhi's life. In our fellowship discussions we will explore the foundation of those changes, which Gandhi describes as a passionate spiritual search 'which leaves the soul utterly restless until it has found itself, known its maker, and appreciates the true correspondence between the maker and itself.'"

Then, ask one of the members to read aloud this excerpt from the practical exercise in the video study guide:

"The discoveries Easwaran recounts in this talk all grew out of his intense spiritual search to discover the Self. When he speaks of his restless questioning, he is not speaking of abstract speculation, but active engagement with the many details of daily life – eating, reading, speaking, working – which he tried to perform with a new understanding. He learned to use every act and thought as a way to deepen his relationship with the divine, or in Gandhi's terms, to appreciate the true correspondence between the Maker and himself. In this exercise we will use this idea of a personal relationship with the divine to capture some of that intensity and perhaps make our own spiritual discoveries."

Ask the group:

"Please choose one activity that you do regularly and reflect on how you may use that activity to grow into a closer relationship with your ideal. You can think of your ideal in whatever terms appeal to you. It can be God, or the Supreme Self, or the divine ground of existence. Or it can be simply your spiritual practice, or the Eight Point Program. Your plan can be as simple as listing which of the Eight Points you will use, or you can go into more detail, thinking about how that particular activity can be considered a way to grow closer to your ideal."

After a few minutes of reflection, ask the group for comments and discussion.

When it's time for inspiration, read the introduction from the video study guide and watch the first talk on the video tape, What Is Life For? (The talk is 35 minutes long.) For groups that are not using the video, please read aloud from Chapter One of Gandhi the Man, "The Transformation."

Finish with thirty minutes of meditation.

Week Two

Introduction: "This week we will be repeating the same fellowship topic, but with a wider scope. For all of us, and especially for those of you who weren't here last week, we will be repeating the introductory comments."

Repeat the first three paragraphs of last week's lesson, up to the words: "and perhaps make our own spiritual discoveries."

Then, read this variation on last week's discussion topic:

"Choose an activity or an area in your life where you find it difficult to be at your best or, in the terms of this exercise, to feel close to your ideal. Reflect on how you may transform that part of your life – in some very small way! – to move a little nearer to your ideal. Don't try to make a big leap – just identify a small way that you can take one or two steps forward. You can think of your ideal in whatever terms appeal to you. It can be God, or the Supreme Self, or the divine ground of existence. Or it can be simply your spiritual practice, or the Eight Point Program. Your plan can be as simple as listing which of the Eight Points you will use, or you can go into more detail, thinking about how that particular activity can be considered a way to grow closer to your ideal."

After a few minutes of reflection, ask the group for comments and discussion.

When it's time for inspiration, please read aloud from Chapter One of Gandhi the Man, "The Transformation."

Finish with thirty minutes of meditation.

Week Three

Introduction: "This week we are picking up the second of our themes for this month: learning to see the unity of life. During fellowship, we'll focus on the recommended passage for meditation: 'May we be united in heart' from the Rig Veda, contained in God Makes the Rivers to Flow."

Ask one of the members to read aloud that prayer, and then read the following:

"This is a lofty and distant goal for all of us, but it contains a clue that we can start to work on – to be united with others in some aspect of our life or work. For our discussion this week, please think of one or two people in your life whom you find easy to love. Try to think of one or two ways, using the Eight Points, in which you could start to become more truly united with them. Naturally, please remember and take into account Sri Easwaran's instructions in Putting Others First, but consider other points as well. You may want to think not only of favors you do for them, but of how you think and act at other times, and how you relate to yourself. Sometimes it is our own hurry or distraction or selfish thinking that prevents us from considering others' needs and concerns as important as our own."

After a few minutes of reflection, ask the group for comments and discussion. Remind them to focus not on the relationships, but on how to use the Eight Points to find a deeper unity with others.

When it's time for inspiration, read the introduction from the video study guide and watch "The Face Behind All Faces," the second talk on the video tape. (The talk is 30 minutes long.) For groups that are not using the video, please read aloud from Chapter Two of Gandhi the Man, "The Way of Love."

Finish with thirty minutes of meditation.

Week Four

Introduction: "This week we are returning to the topic of seeing what Sri Easwaran calls 'the face behind all faces,' or the unity of life. We will be considering last week's meditation passage from a different angle."

Ask one of the members to read aloud the prayer, 'May we be united in heart,' from the Rig Veda, contained in God Makes the Rivers to Flow. Then, read the following:

"Last week we thought about how to become more deeply united with people we love. This week we'll give some thought to how the Eight Points can help us cultivate this deeper mode of knowing in other relationships.

"Think of one or two people who are not among your 'nearest and dearest.' Try to imagine a strategy, using the Eight Points, by which you may start to find some unity with that person, or to find something in common with them.

"For example, you may want to remember and pay attention to some of the selfless things that person has done for you or others. Or, upon reflection, you may realize that you are usually hurried or distracted or impatient at the times when you are with that person. In that case, you may want to slow down or be more one-pointed with them, and try in that way to see their best qualities. (This exercise may change the way you relate to these people, but not necessarily. In fact, with some people, though it is important to see their bright side, it is also necessary to see and resist their not-so-bright side. Please use your common sense in practicing this exercise.) You may notice that your own state of mind has a great deal to do with how you see others."

Give the group a few minutes for reflection, and then ask for comments. Remind the group to focus their comments, not on their relationship with the other person, but on how they will use the Eight Points to gain a fresh perspective about him or her.

When it's time for inspiration, continue reading Gandhi the Man. If you complete the first chapter, read from chapter two: "The Way of Love."

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:

robbie.nichols@easwaran.org
Robbie Nichols
BMCM
P O Box 256
Tomales, CA 94971

Copyright (c) 2003, Blue Mountain Center of Meditation