‘Learning is the raising of character by the broadening of vision and the deepening of feeling’
– Anonymous
During the IVY swadhyay in February, Brahmnisht Minalben highlighted the 5 C’s rule to reinforce our determination and consistency on the path we are treading:
They are – (From Sadguru Prasad – December 2015)
Centre of our life – What is that thing around which our thoughts, actions, aspirations revolve? What is the focal point of our existence? We need to have an immediate goal and an ultimate goal. Our ultimate goal is Happiness, a never ceasing state of internal bliss. However, our immediate goals vary – depending on various situations. The secret of Success is constancy of purpose.
Character – IVY is all about character building – moral and spiritual. The basic vows of ascetics/shravaks that one must observe are: ‘5 Vratas’ – Truth, Non-Violence, Non-stealing, Chastity and Non-Possession. For the older IVY students, the principal of spiritual pursuit would be to bring that harmony of Mind-Words-Action.
Contribution to life – Any given moment we are always ready to accept things/services that people offer, but rarely give enough thought to how much we can give back to the community. ‘Service to humanity is service to God’. That is something we admire about Pujya Bapuji, Pujya Gurumaa and Pujya Bhaishree. They have always found ways to spread love, kindness and joy by giving to others. Even if the quantity of our offerings is not very large, it is our whole-hearted generosity that will make our gift - material or emotional – a valuable contribution. By giving, we learn to let go of ‘ME and MINE’. Detachment\ Renunciation of worldly possessions becomes easier. We learn to appreciate what we have and remain contented. So GO Share!
Communication – We speak but hardly communicate. We generally resort to easy ways – irritation/sarcasm/authority. We need to make genuine and patient efforts to have a communication that reflects truth, kindness, and politeness. The easy ones are not necessarily the right ones.
Company you keep – ‘If you cannot tell a man’s character, learn more about the company he keeps’. Like-minded people, people that radiate positivity, people who have similar goals in life, bonding with such individuals is a long-term gain.
Such words oil our faulty, stumbling automobiles. A soothing perspective added to our thought processes keeps us moving forward with conscious efforts in the right direction.
The swadhyay ended with a beautiful bhajan sung by young mumukshu – Hitanshi that perfectly recapitulated the essence of this day’s learning --
કર્મ કરો ઐસે ભાઈ કે પડે ના ફિર પચ્તાના
એક દિન ધર્મરાજ કો પડેગા મુખ દિખલાના
મન મેં તુમ ઓરો કે લિયે શુભ સંકલ્પ ચાલો