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Day 1 -

First Day

As long as we think we are ego,
We feel attached and fall into sorrow.
But realize that you are the Self, the Lord
Of life, and you will be freed from sorrow.
When you realize that you are the Self,
Supreme source of light, supreme source of love
You transcend the duality of life
And enter into the unitive state.
The Lord of Love shines in the hearts of all.
Seeing Self in all creatures, the wise
Forget themselves in the service of all.
(From the Mundaka Upanishad
Easwaran, E. (2002). (Ed.). The Upanishads. Tomales, CA: Nilgiri Press.)

In the Brahmin faith (often referred to as Hinduism), the Supreme Being is both transcendent and immanent. Brahmin (or God or the Lord or the Goddess) is the immortal, transcendent, and perfect Divine One. And, at the same time, the spark of the Divine exists within us all and so this Divinity is immanent within each of us and all of Nature. There is a distinction between the little self or ego sense of an individual human and the larger Self or Spirit that unites us all. The more we focus on, become attached to, the little self or ego, the more sorrow we bring to our lives. The more we unite with the large Divine Self, the Infinite, the more we can see how the Divine pervades our universe and resides in us all. We can rise above the dualistic thinking that separates us from others, us from Nature, us from the Divine and enter that unitive state of complete love for all that exists. This prompts us to service, as vehicles for divine energy, as lovers of the large Self, as co-creators in a life devoted to bring forth the creative energies of the Divine. Meditation, selfless action, and knowledge of the Infinite can lead us to that peaceful, all-loving state of being.

(The Upanishads are from Sanskrit scriptures of India that date back to at least 1,000 B.C.E. Often called the Forest Teachings, the Upanishads are part of the larger works of the Vedic literature).

Day 2 -

Second Day

When one realizes the Self, in whom
All life is one, changeless, nameless, formless,
Then one fears no more. Until we realize
The unity of life, we live in fear.
(from the Taittiriya Upanishad
Easwaran, E. (2002). (Ed.). The Upanishads. Tomales, CA: Nilgiri Press.)

The large Self is Spirit, the immanence of God within all of us. When we realize this connection, we no longer feel separateness and the fear that comes from separation. Those people who are cut off from the unity of all life have many fears. They live in fear. Only love can displace fear and love comes from Self Realization, that unity with the Infinite, the Immortal.

Day 3 -

Third Day

Those who depart from this world without
Knowing who they are or what they truly
Desire have no freedom here or hereafter.

But those who leave here knowing who they are
And what they truly desire have freedom
Everywhere, both in this world and in the next.
(from the Chandoyga Upanishad
Easwaran, E. (2002). (Ed.). The Upanishads. Tomales, CA: Nilgiri Press.)

We have a purpose to being in this world. We are here to discover our integration of body, mind, spirit. This world exists, in all its complexity, so that we can discover our true nature as spiritual beings and build up the desire to unite with God. True freedom comes with understanding our essential nature as spirit and developing our God consciousness. It is our recognition of immortality in all its glory. Freedom is being absorbed in spirit and living through our spiritual selves everyday.

Day 4 -

Fourth Day

Brahman, attributeless Reality,
Becomes the Lord of Love who casts his net
Of appearance over the cosmos and rules
It from within through divine power,
He was before creation; he will be
After dissolution. He alone is.
Those who know him become immortal.
The uncontrolled mind
Does not guess that the Atman (soul) is present
How can it meditate?
Without meditation, where is peace?
Without peace, where is happiness?

The Bhagavad Gita edited and translated by Swami Prabhavananada and Christopher Isherwood

Brahman is God, the Lord of Love, existing in timelessness. If we just hurry through life and do not take the time to be in timelessness within meditation, then we have a difficult time finding any peace or happiness. When we do spend some moments in meditation every day, then we can know God, know that our souls are immortal, know our connection with all that is. Meditation comes with practice. After learning to concentrate, we can be in an effortless state, meditation, and allow God’s presence to fill us with love and peace.

The Bhagavad Gita (Song of God) is part of a large text called the Mahabharata and is a favorite in India because it distills the lessons of Hinduism from Vedic literature. It is also seen as one of the most beautiful poetic descriptions of the Perennial Philosophy which comes from many cultures and across religions. This philosophy has 4 main precepts: 1) that the world of matter and consciousness arose from the Divine; 2) that humans can know the Divine and realize it existence by intuition; 3) that humans can forego the little ego self and place more identity with Spirit; and 4) the purpose of life is to know God.

Day 5 -

Fifth day

The ignorant work
For the fruit of their action:
The wise must work also
But without desire
Pointing man’s feet
To the path of duty.

Let the wise beware
Lets they bewilder
The minds of the ignorant
Hungry for action:
Let them show by example
How work is holy
When the heart of the worker
Is fixed on the Highest.

The Bhagavad Gita edited and translated by Swami Prabhavananada and Christopher Isherwood

To live in spirit, we must let go of the fruit of our actions. This means we do our best on every job, in every work we take up and let go of the results. We only have control over ourselves and we cannot attach ourselves to the results of our work with ego. By keeping our minds, hearts, souls on the spirit of the Highest, the Infinite, God, we can do our duty and be unattached to the results.