September Retreat

The topic of discussion for the September Zushi Retreat was 'The Message of Sri Krishna'. Swami Medhasananda pointed out that birth celebrations for Sri Krishna were held on 6 September throughout India, but in keeping with Society tradition, the monthly retreat would be the occasion to discuss the teachings of Sri Krishna, one of the ten incarnations of the Lord.

Swami recalled that some years ago after giving a talk wherein he had referred to Sri Ramakrishna and others as incarnations of God, a Japanese devotee had asked why there was so much emphasis on incarnations. The swami realized that, in fact, there was no such concept in Japan. None in Shintoism. None in Confucianism. None in Buddhism, since the Buddha is regarded as God, not an incarnation of God.

In Hinduism, on the other hand, the concept of incarnations of God is very prevalent. In Christianity the concept of Jesus Christ as the 'only son of God' mirrors this idea, as does  Mohammed as the 'the last and greatest prophet' in Islam. When Hindus speak of Sri Rama, Sri Krishna, Sri Buddha as incarnations of God, people of other religions and of other countries and cultures sometimes don't understand the meaning or significance of this idea, and, in fact, they misunderstand.

For example the worship of God in the form of an image made of clay, stone or wood. Sometimes peoples of other religious traditions don't understand the significance of this worship of God in an image and they think of Hindus as idolators. "But when we show respect to a photo of our father or grandfather, do we pay respect the paper?" said the swami. "Or do we feel the presence of the person in that photo? In the same way, when Hindus worship images, they feel the presence of God in the image and worship God."

"Another concept is this idea of Avatar - a sanskrit word that means appears - when God appears in the form of a human being. Another way to put it is a special manifestation of God in that human being. If you say that Jesus Christ is the only son of God, are you not also the children of God? Well, among the children, some son or some daughter may be very evolved or they may be liberated - that we can understand, surely. So if used in that sense, of course, Jesus was a very special son of God. But we are also sons, we are also daughters. So it is only in that sense, it is said that these incarnations of God are the special manifestations."

"So when you say 'special manifestation' it means that in everyone and everything there is the manifestation of God, but there is a difference in divinity. In some cases very low, some cases high, and in some cases the highest. So when you speak of an incarnation of God, that manifestation of divinity is at the maximum, the greatest. That is the difference between an incarnation of God and others. This concept has to be understood when we speak of an incarnation of God."

"What is the special manifestation? That special manifestation means that God has many qualities. These qualities are infinite knowledge, infinite power, infinite wisdom, infinite compassion, infinite love - these are the divine qualities. So in all human beings these qualities may be present, but to very limited degrees. In the incarnations of God these qualities are tremendous. So when we say 'manifestation of divinity', we are referring to the manifestation of these divine qualities. In that sense we say that Sri Krishna was also an Avatar."

"There is a lot of debate about Sri Krishna's date of birth, but it was at least a few thousand years ago. So the question is whether Sri Krishna's message is now obsolete or still relevant. The answer is that if we analyze, we find that His message is still very relevant. Though Buddha and Jesus Christ were also born long ago and society and the world have changed so very much, yet still their message is relevant today. The reason is that their message is concerned with the soul, mind and senses. Whether two thousand years before or three thousand years after, as long as there are human beings, there will be the soul, the mind and the senses. As long as there are soul, mind and senses, their function will remain the same. In their day there was ego, jealousy, hatred, vanity, and three thousand years from now the same jealousy, hatred, the same weaknesses - the same restlessness of the mind, will remain."

"So the same peace-less-ness of the mind, the same restlessness of the mind, from ages ago will persist far into the future. So as long as there is this peacelessness; as long as there is death; as long as there is unhappiness, the relevance of the message of these great religious leaders will endure. They discussed these problems and they also solved these problems. So their message was relevant, is relevant and will remain relevant for us."

"For example: If a cure for cancer were found, would it mark the end of death? No. New diseases will come. Look at AIDS. This is a recent phenomena. The diseases may differ, but we will die. If that day should ever come when we no longer die, then I believe the relevance of religion may diminish. But every living thing is composed of various elements and therefore must decompose at some point. Death is a law of nature.

"With birth and death come the concept of soul, and then comes the concept of the freedom of the soul. So the relevance of the message of freedom from these great souls, born many ages ago, remains the same."

"What is the central message of Sri Krishna? If we precipitate to the essence of his many teachings, there are four central ideas. The first is that this world is not really a place of happiness, peace and permanence. In the infinite sense, it is not a permanent place; it is not a peaceful place; it is not a happy place. There may be an ounce of happiness, but there will also be a pound of unhappiness. Therefore is not a place where you can get infinite happiness or peace."

"So how can we get that real happiness; that real peace and joy? How can our existence be permanent? There are two ways; either through realization of the soul, or self-realization, or by realization of God. These two finally are the same, since the same God lives in us as our soul, and the same soul that pervades the universe is God."

"The second message is in how to achieve that - how to realize that. That message is to always remember God. Whether at work or at leisure, always remember God. In the Bagahvad Gita Sri Krishna's disciple and friend, Arjuna, had to fight a great battle. He told Arjuna his duty was to fight. 'Fight and remember Me. Remember Me and fight.' So the second great message of Sri Krishna was the continuous remembrance of God - to be in a constant state of union with God. You will encounter this idea again and again when you read the Bhagavad Gita."

"Other references say that while being in a state of union with God do work. Of course there are different forms of remembering and you have to chose the form according to the situation. For example: One form is meditation; one form is repetition of the Lord's name; another form is worship. Another form of remembrance is when you sing or chant God's name; when you read books on God or scripture. You have to chose which particular form is applicable or possible in a given situation."

"When you are working, or like when Arjuna was fighting, is it possible to mediate at that time? The concept of meditation is to sit quietly, close your eyes and gain control over the mind. When you are driving, is it possible to meditate? Of course the very condition of driving is that one must open the eyes. Well, there was one magician in India who would ride a motorcycle while blindfolded, but I do not know how he performed this trick. But for ordinary people it is not possible to meditate while driving. But the practice of japam, or repetition of the name of God, is possible. In the beginning it may be a little difficult, but the more we practice, the easier and more natural it becomes."

"The third central message is to work without attachment. This idea is also repeated again and again in the Gita. Why is this idea of non-attachment found in Hinduism, Buddhism and all major spiritual teachings? It is to love, but don't get attached. Our heart should not be like a stone, it must be pliable and flexible. We should feel for others, but at any time we must be able to withdraw. We must love our wife, husband, children, relatives, friends, neighbors, fellow-countrymen, our fellowman, the creatures of the world, but at the same time we must remain unattached. Why? Because attachment is the source of all misery - bondage and misery.

"The ideal of our lives is freedom - to become free. Yet if we become attached, we become bound. Freedom and attachment contradict each other, so how can we live? Swami Brahmananda once advised, 'Small works or big works; whatever work you may have, do it as God's work.' So whatever work comes to you, think that God has given this work to me and I shall complete it to please God. The moment that we think we have this duty to my wife, to my husband, to my family, that is the source of attachment. This idea of me and mine brings attachment, but when we relate that same work to God, immediately the result is different. God has given these children to me, rather than these are my children. God has given this duty to me."

"Let me explain how the problem starts. If you think he is my son, she is my daughter, and I am doing my duty, then the time will come when you think; 'Well, I have done my duty, but they are not reciprocating, They are not doing their duty to me as a son or a daughter.' If one does some duty in relation to oneself, some expectation will come; some frustration will come, because expectations will not be fulfilled. Therefore, if you see duties as given to you from God, then just do the best you can and give it back to God. Other people may be ungrateful, but God will be pleased and you will enjoy peace and happiness."

"The fourth message is to love and serve others, seeing God in them. This message, too, appears again and again. Serve not just your loved ones, serve everyone as God as much as it is in your capacity to do so. 'He who sees Me in everyone, and who sees everyone in Me, he has the right attitude.' Only with this attitude can you see others and love others and have peace and happiness in this world."

"Sri Krishna lived this message."