like all other species,human beings are also part of the nature.But in one point they differ from others.The task of fulfilling life's mission is done automatically in others life, but human beings can reach the goal of their lives only with lots of self effort and self discipline.Flowers blossom to spread fragrance, fruits ripe to satisfy hunger, and river flows to enrich life of others.At the end of its journey,lovingly it dissolves it's own identity by being one with the ocean.This noble task is done so gracefully, that it seems, that they come only to fulfill their life's mission joyfully.
Mission of human life is also the same. With a help of an analogy, Buddha explained it beautifully.He said,when we like a flower,we pluck it, when we love a flower, we water it daily.Selfless service for well being of all,can be performed, only when one realizes that the same life force is throbbing in every heart, and we are all connected.As Dalai Lama said,"In my limited experience I have found that the more we care for the happiness of others, the greater is our own sense of well being."
But often our spiritual loving nature gets repressed by our uncontrolled senses.They react quickly to out side stimuli.As a result,instead of being guided by our spiritual consciousness,we get trapped by basic survival instincts, which make life self centered and stressful.
Awakened souls of ancient India realized,emotional stability and well being can be established,only by controlling the out going nature of our senses. So rishi Patanjali prescribed ten eternal and ethical values in his "Yoga Sutra " , which are supposed to be practiced from childhood.With sincere practice, they help to change our negative attitudes, clear up mental pollutions , and gives us power to control senses to lead them in right directions.
These disciplines are known as Yama and Niyama( self control and self discipline). Yama includes five basic ethical values. They are Ahimsa (non harming), Satya(truthfulness),Asteya (non stealing),Brahmacharya (celibacy) and Aparigraha (non greediness).All these values teach us to interact with life,s situations more harmoniously. By practicing non-hurting attitude,one learns to develop loving kindness towards all life.Following the path of truth,one never gets lost in life,because truth is the ultimate winner in every situation of life.By practicing the virtue of non-stealing one stays away from karmic bondage and is also respected by all.Celibacy teaches,not to waste personal energy by misuse of senses.Development of non greediness is very much needed in today's consumerist culture.It helps to keep life free from unnecessary accumulations.
Niyama includes,Sauch(cleanliness),Santosh(contentment), Tapas (spiritual practice), Svadhya(self study),and Ishwar Pranidhan,surrendering to God.To advance in the spiritual path,necessity to keep body and mind free from all pollutions is very necessary.Also one should safe guard against bad company, unhealthy food and polluted environment, they affect life negatively.Other three qualities, contentment,religious practices, and self study are also equally important in life.Finally Ishwar Pranidhan means to offer every moment of life in remembrance of God and to bring His glory through actions,speech and thoughts in life.All these ten values bring out our divine nature.As Swamy Vivekananda truly said, "each soul is potentially divine, and the goal is to manifest this divinity within by controlling nature external and internal."
Mission of human life is also the same. With a help of an analogy, Buddha explained it beautifully.He said,when we like a flower,we pluck it, when we love a flower, we water it daily.Selfless service for well being of all,can be performed, only when one realizes that the same life force is throbbing in every heart, and we are all connected.As Dalai Lama said,"In my limited experience I have found that the more we care for the happiness of others, the greater is our own sense of well being."
But often our spiritual loving nature gets repressed by our uncontrolled senses.They react quickly to out side stimuli.As a result,instead of being guided by our spiritual consciousness,we get trapped by basic survival instincts, which make life self centered and stressful.
Awakened souls of ancient India realized,emotional stability and well being can be established,only by controlling the out going nature of our senses. So rishi Patanjali prescribed ten eternal and ethical values in his "Yoga Sutra " , which are supposed to be practiced from childhood.With sincere practice, they help to change our negative attitudes, clear up mental pollutions , and gives us power to control senses to lead them in right directions.
These disciplines are known as Yama and Niyama( self control and self discipline). Yama includes five basic ethical values. They are Ahimsa (non harming), Satya(truthfulness),Asteya (non stealing),Brahmacharya (celibacy) and Aparigraha (non greediness).All these values teach us to interact with life,s situations more harmoniously. By practicing non-hurting attitude,one learns to develop loving kindness towards all life.Following the path of truth,one never gets lost in life,because truth is the ultimate winner in every situation of life.By practicing the virtue of non-stealing one stays away from karmic bondage and is also respected by all.Celibacy teaches,not to waste personal energy by misuse of senses.Development of non greediness is very much needed in today's consumerist culture.It helps to keep life free from unnecessary accumulations.
Niyama includes,Sauch(cleanliness),Santosh(contentment), Tapas (spiritual practice), Svadhya(self study),and Ishwar Pranidhan,surrendering to God.To advance in the spiritual path,necessity to keep body and mind free from all pollutions is very necessary.Also one should safe guard against bad company, unhealthy food and polluted environment, they affect life negatively.Other three qualities, contentment,religious practices, and self study are also equally important in life.Finally Ishwar Pranidhan means to offer every moment of life in remembrance of God and to bring His glory through actions,speech and thoughts in life.All these ten values bring out our divine nature.As Swamy Vivekananda truly said, "each soul is potentially divine, and the goal is to manifest this divinity within by controlling nature external and internal."
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