Dalai Lama in Conversation with Indian Yogic Master BKS Iyengar

New Delhi, India, 20 November 2010 - His Holiness the Dalai Lama today engaged in a conversation with renowned Indian  master Dr. Yogacharya BKS Iyengar on mind training and compassion in a discussion titled Yogic and Buddhist Techniques of Mind Training and Cultivating Compassion at the Convention Center of India Hbabitat Center in New Delhi.

His Holiness said happiness is generally understood as deep satisfaction; however, it is important to make a distinction between satisfaction achieved through sensorial level and mental level. The mental level of happiness, he said, can be achieved through spontaneous willingness from within as well as mind training leading to ultimate compassion. For a Buddhist practitioner, His Holiness said the ultimate goal is achieving Buddhahood by cultivating a compassionate mind and the by-product of thus practice is the ability is to achieve a calm and positive mind in one’s day-to-day life.

Dr. Iyengar known for deciphering the code of Patanjali Yoga Sutra in a scientific way and who has practiced Yoga for the last 60 years explained the seven stages in achieving happiness through yoga. He said the moment the intellect of the heart and mind meets through complete understanding of body and mind cleansing, that is when the consciousness of the egoistic self or the “I” is nullified and a practitioner experiences boundless uncolored joy. The aim of yoga, said the sprightly 93-yr-old is to achieve non-colorisation of happiness where remnants of the self is eliminated. He said a yoga practitioner treats negative emotions such as anger as separate entities and thereby brings the mind under control.

His Holiness referred to the various stages of mind as are described in Buddhist texts saying daily meditation coupled with investigation on shunyata or emptiness helps a Buddhist practitioner in achieving happiness. He said the Yoga Mandala practice in Tibetan Buddhism involves the understanding of the concept of emptiness or shunyata. Unless a practitioner has a deep understanding of shunyata, it perpetuates grasping of false realities or perceptions.

Asked by moderator Mr. Rajiv Mehrotra, secretary/trustee of the New Delhi-based Foundation for Universal Responsibility (FUR) if yoga aims at loosening such grasping to avoid maya or false realities, Dr. Iyengar said yoga considers ignorance or mental deficiencies as the cause of all sufferings or dukha in the world. He said living moment to moment without getting caught up in the wheel of past or memories is the path to future. In Patanjali Yoga, he explained, shunyata is known as manolaya or dissolution of the state of mind.

Speaking on the mind and body connection, His Holiness said like yoga practice that stresses on the connection between emotions and physical postures to achieve a state of equilibrium of equanimity, Tibetan Buddhist practice also stresses on the importance of mind and body connection whereby a practitioner when meditating has to focus on the correct body posture such as keeping the spine straight in order to allow the correct flow of energy to provide relaxation during meditation. He then referred to the Vajrayana school of Tibetan Buddhism where connection between right body posture and state of mind are described in detail such as dream state or deep sleep state.

Dr. Iyengar said there are some similarities or closeness between Indian yogic tradition and Tibetan Buddhist approach and suggested both traditions should work together to find a common avenue to benefit the humanity.

The discussion was attended by Indian and western scientists among them physicists and neuroscientists, scholars, spiritual practitioners and the general public.

original link & photos http://www.dalailama.com/news/post/625-dalai-lama-in-conversation-with-indian-yogic-master-bks-iyengar

Why Many People Operate Just Like Nimrod the King

This blog is designed to expose the falseness of humans who operate just like Nimrod from the bible and they wonder why they are in trouble with the Lord God Almighty.  Let's examine some very powerful words.  In Gen. 8:15-17. God spoke to Noah (God actually speaking), but more importantly God commanded Noah and his bloodline to go forth, to spread across the earth abundantly.

Let's look at this with deeper aspects. In the next Chapter 9 of Genesis, verse 1 “And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.” So as you can see we have a second command to go forth. Now moving forward in Chapter 9 we find God again giving us a command again for the 3rd time!  In verse 7 we are told that we’re to go again and multiply abundantly.

Here we have God telling Noah and his descendants to GO forth, cover the earth, spread abundantly and multiply. God didn't just say this once, but God said this 3 times.  Are you truly starting to see a picture develop here?

Now let's jump a bit ahead to verse 21.  We find that Noah became drunk.  Do you think God is the same as HE was back in the days of Noah or do you think God has 'gone soft' so to speak? Do you think God is a God of order and wrath, or do you think God is a God of love and harmony? I stand on the first that God is a God of Order and Wrath!

Now let's move ahead into the book we find Noah had awoken from his drunken ways and spoke these words in verse 25, "Cursed be Canaan".  Several questions arise, Why did Noah curse Canaan? Was not Ham the one that committed the sin? Furthermore, what was the sin of Ham that caused Noah to curse the descendants of Ham? Why was the punishment so severe?

So what was the Sin of Ham?  Many explanations have been offered as to the exact nature of the sin of Ham and the harsh punishment that was placed upon Canaan. The event may give only a brief outline of a more sinister action.

1.Castration - Some argue that Ham castrated Noah which showed why Noah had no other sons. This crime would, of course, warrant the punishment.

2.Incest - Others believe it was a case of incest. Ham slept with his own mother thus uncovering his father's nakedness. Canaan, it is argued was the offspring of that union.

3. Activity - Still others contend that there was some activity between Ham and Noah. However, the Hebrew text makes it clear that Noah uncovered himself and that Ham saw this nakedness that was uncovered. Ham did not cover Noah up but rather made fun of him. Many commentators have had problems with the punishment being so severe if simple ridicule is in involved.

4.Shameful Act - In the ancient world merely seeing one's father naked was a highly offensive act. The father's position as moral and spiritual head would be held in disrepute and the family unit would suffer as a result of this. The culture in which this event occurred considered it a capital crime for a child to strike their father.

It seems that Ham innocently came upon his father after he had uncovered himself in a drunken stupor. The sin of Ham, therefore, is that Ham told his brothers of what he had seen. In doing so, it brought shame to the entire family. It is quite possible that Ham tried to seize the leadership of the family at this juncture.

Many commentators believe that the curse of Ham was not pronounced immediately after the event but at the end of Noah's life. However, the natural reading of the text has the curse occurring directly after Noah realized what had happened. The act of Ham could not go unpunished. In the curse of Noah upon Canaan, he was not punishing him personally for something his father Ham had done.

The words of Noah refer not to Canaan himself, but to the nation that would come from him. Ham had caused a breach between himself and his father which called for some type of judgment. The judgment would occur on Ham’s descendants. Ham's descendants foreshadowed the deeds of his descendants. The contrast between the reactions is the basis of the following blessings and curses on their descendants. It speaks of two groups of mankind. Shem covered nakedness and hid shame, while Ham exposed Noah's nakedness.

So are you still with me to this points I am making? If not let's look at this quickly to help you:

1. God instructs the humans who survived (Noah and his family i.e. descendants) to go forth and be abundant across the WHOLE earth - not a small place or stay in the same region!

2. We start to see one of the greatest attributes of Man arise once again - REBELLION. Disobedience to God is REBELLION and Disobedience is WITCHCRAFT!

3. We see that a potential nation that would be cursed under Ham as a result of this Curse of Canaan. As a result of Ham, he had Cush, who then had NIMROD!

People are you seeing this now clearly now? God was teaching us once again regarding DISOBEDIENCE to HIM. When God tells us 3 TIMES what we are to do - we need to OBEY HIM. Now in Gen. 10 we find these words....

6 And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan.
7 And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabtechah: and the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan.
8 And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth.
9 He was a mighty hunter before the Lord: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord.
10 And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.

So as you can see we're told in previous chapters to go forth and multiply - NOT have a kingdom - Who had a kingdom as a result of staying in a region? NIMROD did.  Who did NIMROD come from? Look above - see for yourself once again.

Do you understand what the words describing Mighty Hunter mean? This also refers to a 'Hunter of Souls'.  So with that ends our lesson this day.  We’re still rebelling from God by NOT obeying HIM to this very day. Now many of you are saying well come on Reverend the whole earth is now populated we spread forth.  I would say to you YES, but you realize if we had truly OBEYED God the events to come of HAM, THEN NIMROD would not have had to occur?

However, God saw once again that we failed to OBEY HIM, therefore HE gave us one last chance...HIS only Begotten Son from Heaven above.  But yet many people still do NOT want to OBEY God and are confused as to why we are just like NIMROD - Mighty Hunters - not of souls this time - but of MATERIAL and LUSTFUL ways!

I pray this has helped someone today awaken!

Rev. Bradley Luoma