All the Upanishads are cows

` miiked by Krishna, me cowherd boy,

and Arjuna is the calf.
Those who are wise a ure drink th milk,
The Gita also uses the dialogue form of the Upanishads and is
especially similar to the Katha Upanishad, where Yama, the King
of Death, teaches the teenager Nachiketa . In the Gita, the dialogue is between
Sri Krishna (a full incarnation of Vishnu, the Preserver in the
Hindu Trinity) and gArjuna is a man of action, living in the midst -of society
and confronting essentially the same problems that challenge us
today. His friend and spiritual teacher, Sri Krishna,
ss. He is the
To practice the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita no amount of
intellectual studycan be of much help, because intellectual knowledge, by its' very nature, has little power to transform character,
conduct, and consciousness. i T iii iv 1 i i T i it i
l to ,_`, i l ` = ` ii' 'i O
_tP
yy
e_
_In th in u s riptures meditation is called
I , in which all human desires are completely fulfilled. lf we practice meditation sincerely, systematically, and with
sustained enthusiasm, our physical and emotional problems find
their solution, all of our artistic and creative capacitiescome to full
maturity, and we are able to contribute to the welfare of our family
and community. Weilive in the world as integral members of our
society, and by transforming ourselves, we transform those with
whom we live. This is joyful living; it is not running away from
problems but facing problems with a quiet confidence and unfailing insight that come to us day by day in the practice of meditation.
In order to bring the teachings of the Gita into our daily lives
and to practice meditation, we must observe the simple rules of
All the Upanishads are cows
` miiked by Krishna, me cowherd boy,
and Arjuna is the calf.
Those who are wise a ure drink th milk,
The Gita also uses the dialogue form of the Upanishads and is
especially similar to the Katha Upanishad, where Yama, the King
of Death, teaches the teenager Nachiketa . In the Gita, the dialogue is between
Sri Krishna (a full incarnation of Vishnu, the Preserver in the
Hindu Trinity) and gArjuna is a man of action, living in the midst -of society
and confronting essentially the same problems that challenge us
today. His friend and spiritual teacher, Sri Krishna,
ss. He is the
To practice the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita no amount of
intellectual studycan be of much help, because intellectual knowledge, by its' very nature, has little power to transform character,

conduct, and consciousness. i T iii iv 1 i i T i it i

l to ,_`, i l ` = ` ii' 'i O
_tP
yy
e_
_In th in u s riptures meditation is called
I , in which all human desires are completely fulfilled. lf we practice meditation sincerely, systematically, and with
sustained enthusiasm, our physical and emotional problems find
their solution, all of our artistic and creative capacitiescome to full
maturity, and we are able to contribute to the welfare of our family
and community. Weilive in the world as integral members of our
society, and by transforming ourselves, we transform those with
whom we live. This is joyful living; it is not running away from
problems but facing problems with a quiet confidence and unfailing insight that come to us day by day in the practice of meditation.
In order to bring the teachings of the Gita into our daily lives
and to practice meditation, we must observe the simple rules of
passages from the scriptures of all religions to prevent dryness in
meditation.
The secret of meditation is that
-When you use the second chapter of the Gita in meditation, you
are driving the words deeper and deeper into your consciousness,
so that one day, perhaps after many years, they will become an integral part of your consciousness.
2. Japam. Japam is the silent repetition of the mantram, or Holy
Name, in the mind. The popular etymology of the Sanskrit word
mantram is from manas, mind, and tri, to cross over: that which
enables us to cross the sea of the mind. Every religion has its mantram. The very name of Jesus is a mantram; so is
Hail Mary, which calls on the Divine Mother whose children we
all are. Om mani padme hum is a great Buddhist mantram; mani
means jewel-the Self-and padme, the lotus of the heart? Jews
may use the Shema or Barukh attah Adonai, Blessed art thou, O
Lord; Muslims repeat the name of Allah or Bismillah ir-Rahman
ir-Rahim, In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate?
Andone of the oldest, simplest mantrams in India is Rcima, from
the root ram, to m signifying the source of all joy.
When you are angry, afraid, or anxious, repeat the mantram to
still the agitation rising in your mind. Anger and fear are power rising within.us, and by the repetition of the Holy Name we can put
anger and fear to work, harnessing them for the benefit of ourselves
and others rather than allowing them to use us destructively.
At bedtime, repeat the mantram in your mind until you fall
asleep. In the morning you will feel refreshed in body and mind.
Whenever you get a moment, while waiting for a bus or while
walking, use this time to repeat the mantram. Boredom is a great
source of problems to people who do not know what to do with
their time. We may smoke, for example, just because we do not

know what to do with the odds and ends of time in our day.
The mind is very much like the restless trunk of an elephant. In
India elephants often walk in religious processions which wind
through the streets of the town on their way to the temple.The trunk
' /\
of the elephant is a restless thing, always moving, and as the temple
elephant is taken through the narrow streets of the bazaar, it is usually' tempted by thehcoconuts, bananas, and other produce displayed in the stalls on either side. As it walks, if the shopkeeper
doesnt watch, it picks up a coconut and puts it in its mouth. There
is a loud crack, and that is the last of the coconut. Then from the
next stall it takes a whole bunch of bananas. It doesnt peel them,
but just puts the whole bunch inside, and its gone. But the wise mahout, the man in charge of the elephants, knows their habits, so as
the procession 'begins he gives the elephant a short bamboo stick to
hold in its trunk. The elephant holds the bamboo Iirmly and walks
through the streets without confiscating anyones property. g
This is -what we do when we repeat the-mantram: we slowly give
a mantram-stick to the mind, and instead of wanting to smoke or
overeat, it has something to hold on to. Gradually, this makes the
mind firm, secure, steadfast, and proof against tension. g
3. Slowing d0wn,._Millions in our modern world suffer because they
are constantly pushed and hurried. Hurry makes us tense and causes us to make mistakes and do a poor job. The remedy for hurrying
is to get up earlier, so that we can_ begin the day without tension
and set a slow, leisurely pace for the day.When we are concentrated
and slow we do not make mistakes; we do a much better job, which
inthe long run is much more economical than hurrying and making mistakes. In order to slow down we may need to eliminate some
unnecessary activities from our day.
4. Ekdgrazci, one-pointednessf The practice of meditation is a systematic exercise in concentration, which will finally become a permanent, spontaneous state. It is a great aid to meditation if you
practice being one-pointed during your day. Give your complete
attention to whatever you are doing; particularly in conversation,
give your complete attention to the person with whom you are talking. After much practice, you should be able to make your mind
one-pointed, concentrating on whatever task is at hand.
Almost all of us suffer: from a mind which is many-pointed, and
we are usually not able to bring all our conccnlruliim to bear on u
of the elephant is a restless thing, always moving, and as the temple
elephant is taken through the narrow streets of the bazaar, it is usually' tempted by thehcoconuts, bananas, and other produce displayed in the stalls on either side. As it walks, if the shopkeeper
doesnt watch, it picks up a coconut and puts it in its mouth. There
is a loud crack, and that is the last of the coconut. Then from the

next stall it takes a whole bunch of bananas. It doesnt peel them,

but just puts the whole bunch inside, and its gone. But the wise mahout, the man in charge of the elephants, knows their habits, so as
the procession 'begins he gives the elephant a short bamboo stick to
hold in its trunk. The elephant holds the bamboo Iirmly and walks
through the streets without confiscating anyones property. g
This is -what we do when we repeat the-mantram: we slowly give
a mantram-stick to the mind, and instead of wanting to smoke or
overeat, it has something to hold on to. Gradually, this makes the
mind firm, secure, steadfast, and proof against tension. g
3. Slowing d0wn,._Millions in our modern world suffer because they
are constantly pushed and hurried. Hurry makes us tense and causes us to make mistakes and do a poor job. The remedy for hurrying
is to get up earlier, so that we can_ begin the day without tension
and set a slow, leisurely pace for the day.When we are concentrated
and slow we do not make mistakes; we do a much better job, which
inthe long run is much more economical than hurrying and making mistakes. In order to slow down we may need to eliminate some
unnecessary activities from our day.
4. Ekdgrazci, one-pointednessf The practice of meditation is a systematic exercise in concentration, which will finally become a permanent, spontaneous state. It is a great aid to meditation if you
practice being one-pointed during your day. Give your complete
attention to whatever you are doing; particularly in conversation,
give your complete attention to the person with whom you are talking. After much practice, you should be able to make your mind
one-pointed, concentrating on whatever task is at hand.
Almost all of us suffer: from a mind which is many-pointed, and
we are usually not able to bring all our conccnlruliim to bear on u