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August *Light On Vedic Astrology* Newsletter |
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In This Issue:
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August 1, 2004
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Shifting Karma - One Habit at a Time
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Unique Bank Accepts Only Mantras as Deposits
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August Printable Ephemeris
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Saturn: Deliverance from Life's Lessons
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Namaste friends,
I had an experience this month that I wanted to share with you because it shifted my perspective dramatically.
We recently had a Tibetan prayer wheel put in to the front entry way of our house. Usually I would go through the garage to get to the driveway because it was shorter than going through the front door. But now I've committed to spin the prayer wheel when I leave the house and instead of passing by the mess in the garage I walk through the garden with a statue of Ganesha and Buddha and say mantras at the prayer wheel. As simple as it may sound, it's had a radical effect on the experience of my day. The point, of course, is not about having a prayer wheel but to have an intention to shift a daily routine.
Let's face it - we're creatures of habit. If we want to shift our karma we need to change our habits. I once did a meditation retreat with Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Buddhist master, who talked about the value of choosing some daily routine to make a "pact" with - opening the car door, washing the dishes, walking a stairway etc. so that it becomes a practice of deepening awareneess instead of going on autopilot. This is similar to the practice of "japa" in the yogic tradition - repeating a mantra while you do your everyday routines.
When I was in New Delhi studying with K.N. Rao, my jyotish guru, he taught me to synchronise mantra with walking and breathing. We would practice this when we'd go for walks outside his apartment complex. Now it's become second nature.
These kinds of practices have a purifying influence on our minds and represent our use of free will, kriyamana karma, to modify our prarabdha karma, the karma we face in a given lifetime.
www.amritapuri.org/teachings/sadhana/japa.htm
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The Ram Rampati Bank in the ancient city of Varanasi offers a unique banking experience. There is no money transacted, yet people from all walks of life rush to seek "loans," whether they are simple village folk or affluent Indians settled abroad.
All one has to do to get a "loan" from the bank is to fill out a simple application form, state one's life wish and fulfill two conditions: write the Ram mantra 125,000 times and practice vegetarianism. This is called the Ram Naam loan, which has seen over 70,000 depositors this the bank opened it's doors in 1927.
Currently the bank holds about 9 billion mantras (deposits) from people living in places as far off as Indonesia, China, Germany, Japan, Thailand, Nepal as well as India. Each account holder is issued a valid passbook, with a record of credits and the balance in their account. Clients are directed to use only red ink while writing the name of Lord Rama for deposits, and any paper is accepted. If you don't have paper the bank will supply it to you. According to traditional beliefs written mantras are considered a hundred times more effective than when recited.
On the day of the Festival of Ram Navami, usually in April, the bank brings out their deposits for public viewing. Piles of paper with Ram-Ram written in different scripts are placed in the temple premises and disciples do parikrama (circumambulate) around it.
The bank is open from 12-4pm everyday and their address is:
Ram Ramapatri Bank 5/35 Tripura Bhairvi, Dashaswamedh Ghat, Varanasi, India
www.rediff.com/news/2003/dec/08spec.htm
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