February 6, 2012
Geeta lovers will recall that Śrī Kṛṣṇa extols the virtue of solitude in Bhagavad Geeta 13-11.
विविक्तदेशसेवित्वमरतिर्जनसंसदि ||१३-११||
viviktadeshasevitvamaratirjanasa.nsadi .. 13\-11..
resorting to solitary places, distaste for the society of men. . .
In his commentary, Pujya Swami Chinmayanandaji says: Whenever the mind is fascinated by an enchanting ideal, it loses all its contact with other preoccupations and becomes wedded to its own all-absorbing theme of interest.
In this context, it is interesting that a recent book,"Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking" by Susan Cain is now a best-seller. In her NPR interview, the author says:
विविक्तसेवी लघ्वाशी यतवाक्कायमानसः |
ध्यानयोगपरो नित्यं वैराग्यं समुपाश्रितः ||१८-५२||
viviktasevii laghvaashii yatavaakkaayamaanasaH .
dhyaanayogaparo nitya.n vairaagya.n samupaashritaH .. 18-52..
Dwelling in solitude; eating but little; speech, body and mind subdued; always engaged in meditation and concentration; taking refuge in dispassion;
The best example of this is Vipassana, even though the teacher who popularized Vipassana today, Shri SN Goenka traces his teaching to the Buddhist tradition.
Hari Om and Namaskaar until the next post
Geeta lovers will recall that Śrī Kṛṣṇa extols the virtue of solitude in Bhagavad Geeta 13-11.
विविक्तदेशसेवित्वमरतिर्जनसंसदि ||१३-११||
viviktadeshasevitvamaratirjanasa.nsadi .. 13\-11..
resorting to solitary places, distaste for the society of men. . .
In his commentary, Pujya Swami Chinmayanandaji says: Whenever the mind is fascinated by an enchanting ideal, it loses all its contact with other preoccupations and becomes wedded to its own all-absorbing theme of interest.
In this context, it is interesting that a recent book,"Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking" by Susan Cain is now a best-seller. In her NPR interview, the author says:
"We moved from what cultural historians call a culture of character to a culture of personality. During the culture of character, what was important was the good deeds that you performed when nobody was looking. Abraham Lincoln is the embodiment of the culture of character, and people celebrated him back then for being a man who did not offend by superiority. But at the turn of the century, when we moved into this culture of personality, suddenly what was admired was to be magnetic and charismatic.Keep in mind though that the Susan Cain places introversion and solitude in the context of the modern corporation while Geeta comes at it from a spiritual angle. In the Geeta, introversion and solitude is an essential quality on the spiritual path. Śrī Kṛṣṇa expands on the nature of solitude in verse 18-52.
"At the same time, we suddenly had the rise of movies and movie stars. Movie stars, of course, were the embodiment of what it meant to be a charismatic figure. So, part of people's fascination with these movie stars was for what they could learn from them and bring with them to their own jobs."
विविक्तसेवी लघ्वाशी यतवाक्कायमानसः |
ध्यानयोगपरो नित्यं वैराग्यं समुपाश्रितः ||१८-५२||
viviktasevii laghvaashii yatavaakkaayamaanasaH .
dhyaanayogaparo nitya.n vairaagya.n samupaashritaH .. 18-52..
Dwelling in solitude; eating but little; speech, body and mind subdued; always engaged in meditation and concentration; taking refuge in dispassion;
The best example of this is Vipassana, even though the teacher who popularized Vipassana today, Shri SN Goenka traces his teaching to the Buddhist tradition.
Hari Om and Namaskaar until the next post
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