Meditative Discipleship in the Teachings of Krishna, Gandhi, Patanjali, Goenka, Dalai Lama and Hanh

Meditative Discipleship in the Teachings of Krishna , Gandhi , Patanjali Goenka , Dalai Lama and Hanh Krishna

In the Bhagavad Gita , Krishna teaches the warrior Arjuna to lead a life that continuously and devotedly follows one 's dharma or duty not for the benefit of oneself but for the glory of God . When one does something one should not be influenced by his /her desires (for popularity , e .g . or revenge ) or by the reward that one will receive by his /her actions Instead , in all of the things that one must do , he

/she should always remember that one is being of service to God : Do your duty and dedicate all work to God in a spiritual frame of mind become free from ego , mental grief and the compulsion to satisfy all desires (Bhagavad Gita 3 .34 . This means that when one says something or does something one must be mindful that he /she is just an instrument of the will of God and not the source of the action

For Krishna , a meditative discipleship that Arjuna wants to take means following the path to Self-realization . According to Krishna Self-realization is when one sees with divine eyes the true nature of things when one realizes the true form of Krishna or God in all of His magnificence and in all of His different forms and manifestations . It is the perfect state when one arrives at an experience wherein Krishna or God is in all the things of the universe

In to attain this state of perfection , one must be a meditative disciple by being mindful of God at all times or by practice of any spiritual ritual or by simply doing the tasks at hand in the spirit of service for God

Therefore , focus your mind on Me , and let your intellect dwell upon Me alone through meditation and contemplation . Thereafter you shall certainly attain Me . If you are unable to focus your mind steadily on Me , then long to attain Me by practice of any spiritual discipline such as a ritual , or deity worship that suits you . If you are unable even to do any spiritual discipline , then be intent on performing your duty just for Me . You shall attain perfection by doing your prescribed duty for Me --- without attachment --- just as an instrument to serve and Me (Bhagavad Gita 12 .8-10

Krishna advises here that there are a number of ways on how one can achieve Self-realization which for Krishna is the purpose of a meditative disciple . But in all of these paths , one should always be mindful that the paths should be taken without selfish attachment Everything should be from , by and for God

Gandhi

Meditative discipleship comes in the form of ahimsa or non-violence in the teachings of Mohandas Gandhi . Gandhi believes that non-violence exists naturally in the hearts of people . This is because Gandhi believes that love is innate in all people . Violence happens in the world because people experience fear and...