Equanimity, attraction and aversion

Sawadee Khrap

Here’s a great talk “Is Homosexuality FORBIDDEN in Hinduism? A Scriptural Perspective” by  Swami Tadatmananda  a traditionally-trained teacher of Advaita Vedanta, meditation, and Sanskrit at the  Arsha Bodha Center.

Note where he discusses proper judgment.

“To understand why, consider how the Bhagavad Gita and other scriptures place great emphasis on spiritual values like tolerances, equanimity, and on graceful acceptance of things that cannot be changed.   The Gita famously says. “samatvam yoga ucyate”, yoga is equanimity. Properly understood, equanimity is to refrain from judging all the people, things, and events in life because what’s good for you may be bad for someone else, and visa versa. Good simply means what you like, and bad means what you don’t like.  In Sanskrit, these two notions are called raga and dvesha, attraction and aversion, or more simply, likes and dislikes. Raga and dvesha compel you to chase after whatever you think is good.  These two urges keep your attention firmly fixed on worldly matters, and prevent you from gaining a higher spiritual perspective. Raga and dvesha are huge obstacles to spiritual growth.  To overcome them you have to drop your habitual judgments of good and bad.  You have to develop equanimity.   You need an impartial, unbiased, and completely objective view of life.”

Recall  Genesis 3:4,    KJV   Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Be “LIKE” God – have the power of judgement.   To be able to change reality to our liking instead of accepting it as it was created.   The result of Sin, missing the mark or understanding,  is Death.   Non-equanimity or Spiritual DEATH.

Spiritual death is the birth place of illusions,  separation, and specialism.   The birth place of DUALISM.   The thought that there is existence  other than ONENESS, a tiny mad idea of separation, a dream – actually a nightmare, we call the Physical/Material World,  where pain, sacrifice and death rule over Love, Truth, Spirit, and Eternity.

The ancient Hindus knew it, Jesus taught it and made it personal, and it is repeated again in ACIM.

Thank you Father of providing me a way Home to You.

God Blesses      Christ Blesses      I Bless

Ciao