Spirituality Questions

[Lakshmi Subbarao]

Hi Everyone,
I've answered a few of the questions Kartik posed to the group.I plan on
answering some more, but I wanted to post what I have so far. Overall
I'd say I'm a pretty thoughtful person, but not necessarily very
religious/ritualistic. It would be great to see what other perspectives
Sankethis in the US have - I hope to see some more responses so we can
get a discussion going.
-Lakshmi


2) What are some experiences where you have acted with full intention
and clarity, without developing attachment to the fruits of your actions
(karma yoga)?

I've always been able to find satisfaction in teaching people new
things. This can be at work, teaching a coworker about a new process or
at school with classmates and our most recent homework set. To me, it
doesn't matter so much what they do with the knowledge, so long as
they've communicated to me that they've clearly understood my teachings.

3) What practices do you follow (e.g. yoga, meditation, pranayama, puja,
other spiritual/religious practices) to ground yourself spiritually?
What gives you stability when you are amidst chaos?

Cleaning actually really helps me deal with difficult times and
situations. For instance, the last few weeks at work have been
particularly stressful for me, and as a result my desk space and lab
space have become particularly messy and disorganized. I always set
aside time on Friday afternoon to file papers, throw away any junk
that's been accumulating and wash glassware so that when I come in on
Monday morning, I can start fresh. Cleaning allows me to clear out both
the mental and physical clutter. Since no one ever seems to want to help
while I'm cleaning :), this alone time gives me a chance to meditate and
be mindful of what I'm cleaning. Since I do need to frequently use
solvents to clean glassware, I do have to keep a slightly heightened
level of awareness to avoid being exposed. This awareness has allowed me
to become more observant of smaller details that I wasn't aware of
previously, like the spectrum of colors that are visible when soapy
water sits in a flask, which is beauty in even the most mundane object.
Cleaning also gives me a fresh canvas to start with the next week, so
that I'm free to experience new thoughts and ideas, instead of being
stuck in the same old thought pattern.

4) How do you follow dharma in your life? What do you see as your
personal dharma (svadharma)?

I've followed dharma by going to school and learning skills to become a
productive member of society. As a Brahmin, I follow dharma by being a
vegetarian, and sharing advaitic teachings with my colleagues and
friends. I see my personal dharma as being an advocate. Not necessarily
an advocate for any particular cause, but an advocate for my friends and
family who may not have the strength or courage to face whatever it is
that is keeping them from attaining spiritual growth.

[Krithika]

Hi

I have answered the first three questions from the list Kartik had
sent us a long time back. I realised I need to do a lot of thinking
for some of the questions because these are not the things we think
about normally. Will answer the other questions soon. Maybe in
tranches. :)

1) How do you experience spirituality at work? With your family? With
friends and others?

My experience of spirituality necessarily involves bringing to
existence a mental picture of a deity (this has been an image of
Narayana by default for me since childhood unless I expressly bring
forth something else). At work, I just recite a shloka with eyes
closed (mostly in a secluded corner) or else just mutter a few words
to my image of God under my breath. That creates an instant experience
of spirituality for me at work. This mostly works in other groups too,
including friends and family. Only, when I am at home (with family) I
have the option of going to the pooja room or else of just looking at
one of the many huge photos of deities adorning the walls of my home.
With friends and other groups, a few seconds of closing eyes works.

2) What are some experiences where you have acted with full intention
and clarity, without developing attachment to the fruits of your
actions
(karma yoga)?

When I am usually doing something to help another person, I am usually
not hung up about what the result will be like. This gives me a sense
of freedom and space which is rarely available to a job very important
to my own life, around which there is so much more significance and
attachment. Sad but true. :(

3) What practices do you follow (e.g. yoga, meditation, pranayama,
puja,
other spiritual/religious practices) to ground yourself spiritually?
What gives you stability when you are amidst chaos?

I have done yoga, pranayama and pooja on different occasions in life,
although I don't follow any one practice on a regular basis. I feel
that an experience of spirituality is not dependent on whether we do
any of the mentioned activities although it cant be denied that doing
one or more of these activities always help us get in touch with the
spiritual self (if there is one such!). To ground myself spiritually,
I find it is enough to simply remember a shloka or close my eyes and
call out to Him a couple of times and continue with work. This is
really effective for me. Sometimes, when I am very low and/or
disturbed, a visit to my favorite temple REALLY helps. I just go to
the temple, sit down in the prakaara for a while, observing the others
do several activities, or just staring at the idol. Ten minutes in the
temple is enough to get me feeling much better about myself and get my
mind clearer so that I can take the required action to sort out the
mess. Amidst chaos, reciting the Hanuman Chalisa and/or the Vishnu
Sahasranama usually helps me feel calmer, although not always. There
are times I get more tensed reciting them and I just need to be by
myself then.