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Yogi Shanti Desai's PublicationsWisdom for Living
Wisom for Living
$16.99  Wisdom for Living is also available through Amazon.com. Buy this book along with Personal to Global Transformation and be eligible for Amazon's free shipping. From the book...Excerpt HIGHLIGHTS OF MY TEACHINGS WAKE UP AND REBIRTH Stand on your own feet. Make friendship with your body, mind and emotions instead of fighting them. Then connect with your higher Self. Rely on your own inner guidance and intuition. Be a revolutionary researcher and invent new creative ways of transformation. Slow down. Slow down to enjoy life, observe and sharpen awareness to learn lessons from life. Self Realization. Self is the essence of our existence. Self Realization is easy and accessible to all. Anyone, at any age and physical condition can explore his own aptitude and tendencies to apply them for Self Realization. Anyone who breathes and thinks is worthy of it. All it takes is the conscious awareness. CLARITY Clarify yourself. Simplify complex teachings and gain the clarity of your being. Integrate your body, senses mind, intellect, emotions and consciousness. Utilize it as an integrated unit for Self-Realization. Special meditation techniques can be utilized. Balance all aspects of material and spiritual life. Integrate yoga in all aspects of life. Yoga becomes a lifestyle. Maintain patience and perseverance. Accept and work on yourself. Avoid comparison or competition with others or yourself. Do not waste energy in looking good to others or pleasing the senses. Do the activities that please the Self. Clarity of goal means and direction: One needs to affirm the goal daily with evaluation and introspection. During the day one has to maintain the journey on the path. Change the means as necessary. Remain in the present. Clarity of goal: Clarity will produce dynamic disciplines effortlessly. It will be a super highway of spiritual evolution without interruption. You can realize the unity of all philosophies and religions. Law of Karma: The universe flows in perfect rhythm. We are the co-creators of our destiny. We reap what we sow. Control and direct your thoughts with proper affirmations. Knowledge, meditation and experience: Knowledge is power. Without knowledge, mechanical disciplines become burden. One runs in circles and goes nowhere. Meditation gives clarity and wisdom. The application of wisdom transforms your life. Clarity of primary and secondary goals of life: The teachings of all scriptures and evolved masters is “Know Thyself”. Understand it clearly. All the activities that help the primary goal should be your secondary goal. Clarity of yoga: All branches of yoga have the same goal, which is integration of our faculties and uniting with God. Varieties of yoga should be used as a means to find individual harmony with the cosmic consciousness. Clarity of meditation: The purpose of meditation is to travel within to the source, which is Self (Atman). This connection gives bliss. Seeing unity in diverse universe is an active meditation. DYNAMIC BALANCED LIVING Clarity of passive meditation: Passive meditation involves yoga positions, breathing, meditation, evaluation and introspection. Passive meditation integrates our physical, mental, emotional faculties along with consciousness. It also involves evaluation and introspection for guidance for the day. Clarity of active meditation: Active meditation involves living with conscious awareness and applying the principles of Gnana, Karma and Bhakti in active life. It involves maintaining an undercurrent of the primary goal (Self-Realization). Spiritual evolution continues during pleasant and unpleasant experiences of life. Balance: One should attain balance in material and spiritual activities. One should practice moderation in eating, sleeping and recreation. One should balance the practice of yoga positions, breathing, meditation along with evaluation and introspection. Dynamic approach: Use a dynamic approach to life so that you have fresh enthusiasm and creativity. Maintain clarity of goal, means and direction. Adjust with changing situations and flow with life. Learn practical application of yoga in life. Practice active meditation during the working hours. Maintain conscious awareness during the day. Apply the philosophies of Gnana, Karma, Bhakti and Raja yoga as necessary. Maintain undercurrent of goal. Practice passive meditation in the morning and evening. Active and passive meditations support each other. Practice evaluation and introspection on daily basis. Swa-Dharma (Personal duty): One should give up unnecessary external austerities and follow his own personal duty, which is guided by intuition. TRANSFORMATION Doing and Undoing: When you slow down and have clarity, you do not need to do; you need to undo. One needs to remove masks and be connected to Self and the truth instead of hiding away from it. Most of the modern problems come from doing things mechanically. One has to follow personal duty (Swa-Dharma) as guided by intuition instead of following external authorities. Cleansing of Sanskaras: (Impressions in unconscious mind): Transformation takes place only by changing internal programming and not through external disciplines. Sanskaras can be removed during passive and active meditation. Affirmations are repeated mentally to influence the unconscious mind. Liberation: Liberation means freedom from slavery and bondage. We have created bondage due to ignorance. Ego and wrong identity of Self is the cause of bondage. Our mind is the cause of bondage. It produces duality and barriers of time and space. Transcending the mind (dissolution of mind) produces unity and the integration of life, which is liberation. LIFE IS MEDITATION Universality: Let your personal transformation extend and touch the heart of people surrounding you. Extend it to your society and to the entire world. Satsang: Satsang is a support system that adds inspiration and enthusiasm to your practice. Utilize my ten-book encyclopedia for direction and guidance on daily basis. Flow with life: All the practices are meant to experience joy of living. We lose the joy by being strict or suppression. Be flexible and adjust with situations. It is similar to sailing a boat. Adjust to the current and wind. This tenth book, Wisdom for Living, is simple and compact to incorporate major themes from all previous books. It is meant for quick reference and inspiration for advanced students as well as laymen. I have seen popular bestsellers and motivational speakers that are inspirational and attractive to the masses. They tell stories that provide entertainment, stimulate the mind and emotions for success, and provide fantasy. The inspiration dies quickly. They do not provide techniques or direction for practice. The masses are looking for illusions, escapes and short cuts. Leaders promote it for popularity instead of encouraging commitment, contentment, and peace. They do not touch the heart or awaken people to integrate disciplines into daily life for transformation. They are mostly motivated for personal gain and lack purity of heart to serve unconditionally. I have attempted to bring out basic teachings for readers in a simplistic form without losing the main message. One can carry the book at all times and read any section for inspiration and guidance. Each chapter has a section on basic wisdom, affirmations, and quotes from which to choose. There are systematic steps for applying and integrating teachings in daily life. One thinks clearly, practices evaluation and introspection, and sets goals, means, and direction in life. One can utilize discrimination, devotion, activities, and contemplation as necessary. One generates selflove and conscious awareness as a guiding force for personal transformation instead of forced disciplines. One rises above suppression and indulgence and learns to live a balanced and dynamic life. The charts are the fundamental focus. Read the explanation of the charts. Keep the charts in mind to understand all the chapters in the book. The charts give the fundamental visual means to understand various approaches to self-realization. They can become a quick means of meditation and inspiration. Table of Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS FOREWORD....ix SECTION I SECTION II SECTION III SECTION IV SIMPLE MEDITATION.....187
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