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Mar 9, 2007, 7:59:06 AM3/9/07

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Dharma Journal
Authentic Dharma for Today's World
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February 19th, 2007 - Founded in 1998

The Teachings of the Bhagavad Gita

[DEATH AND TRANSMIGRATION OF SOUL]

Just as a person puts on new garments after discarding the old ones;
similarly, the living entity or the individual soul acquires new
bodies after casting away the old bodies. (2.22)

Weapons do not cut this Spirit, fire does not burn it, water does not
make it wet, and the wind does not make it dry. The Spirit cannot be
cut, burned, wetted, or dried. It is eternal, all pervading,
unchanging, immovable, and primeval. (2.23-24)

The Spirit is said to be unexplainable, incomprehensible, and
unchanging. Knowing the Spirit as such you should not grieve. (2.25)

Even if you think that the physical body takes birth and dies
perpetually, even then, O Arjuna, you should not grieve like this.
Because death is certain for the one who is born, and birth is
certain for the one who dies. Therefore, you should not lament over
the inevitable. (2.26-27)

All beings are unmanifest, or invisible to our physical eyes before
birth and after death. They manifest between the birth and the death
only. What is there to grieve about? (2.28)

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You Are Not Your Body

"The body changes with every moment. We change our minds all the
time. Our intellects are constantly fluctuating – sometimes
expanding, sometimes contracting. But our true self, the soul, is
ever constant. Our true self is never-changing and is immortal.
Know that true self within and you will know all."

- Dr. Frank Morales

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Sama Darshana: The Nature of True Equality in Sanatana Dharma

Dr. Frank Morales
(Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya)

Rather than simplistically attempting to reduce a human person to
being merely the visible material body that one can immediately
detect with the senses, Dharma teaches us that the typical human
being is actually a multi-faceted and multi-dimensional being, with a
material dimension, a causal dimension, and ultimately a spiritual
dimension that is not always clearly visible to the untrained eye.
The human person consists of a) deha (physical body), b) manas (mind
substance, including impressionistic data, memory, etc.), c) buddhi
(the rational faculties), d) ahamkara (false, individuating ego), and
most importantly e) atman (the true, spiritual self).

This concept of spiritually-inspired equal vision is beautifully
explained to us by Lord Sri Krishna in His famous Bhagavad Gita (Song
of God). In the 18th verse of chapter 5, Lord Krishna instructs His
devotee Arjuna in the following way:

Vidya-vinaya-sampanne
Brahmane gavi hastini
Shuni caiva shvapake cha
Panditah sama-darshinah

"The humble sage, by virtue of true knowledge,
sees with equal vision [sama-darshina]
the learned and gentle priest, a cow, an elephant,
a dog or an outcaste."

Indeed, because the humble sage views the diverse beings around him,
not as mere mechanistic bodies, but as all possessing a pure spirit
soul (atman), he does not even see the difference between different
species of life, what to speak of different kinds of human beings!
To the sage, the soul of the cow, and the dog, and the elephant is
just a worthy of dignity, respect, and spiritual equality as is the
soul contained in the human being. Sama Darshina, or equal spiritual
vision, is the highest form of equality toward which we can all
aspire – for it sees the inherent equality that exists in the
spiritual essence of all living beings.

The truly equal society, then, is the Dharmic society, a society
comprised of citizens who aspire toward the finer and nobler
spiritual aspirations of life, and who thus view the world from a
spiritual perspective. That nation which will most justly serve the
interests of its people is the Dharma Nation. Make yourself a truly
worthy citizen of God's Dharma Nation by spiritualizing your own
vision and viewing your neighbors and fellow living beings as the
atmans they truly are. Begin the Dharma Revolution in your own life!

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Announcements:

1) Dr. Morales on the Radio

Dr. Morales has become a very popular regular guest on a Dallas area
Hindu radio show. On Thursday, February 15th, Dr. Morales was
interviewed again for 50 minutes on the topic "The Current Challenges
and Strengths of Hinduism Today" for a Hindu radio program in Dallas,
Texas. He'll be interviewed several more times in the coming two
weeks for future shows.

The radio program is called "Namaste Dallas" and airs live every
Saturday 7 am to 9 am (CST) on 104.9 FM Radio Salaam-Namaste. You can
listen by tuning to 104.9 FM or on the web at:
http://www.radiosalaamnamaste.com/live.html The show has an audience
of over 10,000 area Hindus.

2) New York Teaching Tour

Dr. Morales will be on a massive teaching tour of the New York City
area from February 22 - March 5th. Included on the itinerary are a
lecture at Columbia University, a satsangh for the ISKCON temple as
26 Second Avenue (the first temple established by Srila Prabhupada,
the founder of the Krishna Consciousness movement), an appearance on
local T.V., as well as 9 - 10 talks at local Hindu temples. For
further information on Dr. Morales' itinerary, please contact Ms.
Nandarani Sahadeo at: (718) 835-2269.

3) Hinduamerica.com

Our good friend, Sri Vrindavan Parker, has started two new
informative websites: http://www.hinduamerica.com and
http://www.arisearjuna.org/ Vrindavan Parker is an important American
Hindu leader and one of the most knowledgeable and active Hindu
activists in the nation. Please support his work.

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Please feel free to forward this Dharma Journal newsletter to all
your friends, family, and discussion lists interested in Sanatana
Dharma, meditation, and Yoga spirituality.

(c) 2007, Dharma Journal. Volume 9, issue 4