Though they practice Yoga for eight thousand years,
still men do not see the Lord, sweet as ambrosia and
delightful to the eye. But if, illumined, you seek Him
within, He is there in you, as a reflection in a mirror.
Tirumantiram 603
Below are listed thirty six contemporary dharmic principles that stabilize external forces so that a contemplative life may be fully lived. When practiced unrelentingly, they bring the understanding of the external and deeper experiences of life.
Simplify life and serve others.
Live in spiritual company.
Seek fresh air and sunshine.
Drink pure water.
Eat simple, real foods, not animal flesh.
Live in harmony with nature.
Consume what you genuinely need rather than desire.
Revere the many forms of life.
Exercise thirty minutes every day.
Make peace, not noise.
Make a temple of your home.
Develop an art form or craft.
Make your own clothing and furniture.
Express joy through song and dance.
Grow your own food organically.
Plant twelve trees a year.
Purify your environment.
Leave beauty where you pass.
Realize God in this life.
Be one with your guru.
Be nonviolent in thought and action.
Love your fellow man.
Rely on the independent energy in the spine.
Observe the mind thinking.
Cultivate a contemplative nature by seeking the light.
Draw the lesson from each experience of life.
Detach awareness from its objects.
Identify with infinite intelligence, not body,
mind or intellect.
Be aware in the eternal now, not in the past or the future.
Do not take advantage of trust or abuse credit.
Keep promises and confidences.
Restrain and direct desire.
Seek understanding through meditation.
Work with a spiritual discipline.
Think and speak only that which is true, kind,
helpful and necessary.
Create a temple for the next generation by tithing.
By Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami
lovely I knew him from the first temple in USA, San Francisco