[Advaita-l] Ritual Purity, Svadhyaya, and Commute

[Sujal Upadhyay]

prANams,

Reading any spiritual book is any public place like train, garden is ok.
However, in order to digest it's teachings, you need your mind to be calm
and receptive. It should not get distracted. If this happens, then even
reading in train is ok. But reading it one time will not be enough. Hence
read it again at home either in the morning or in the night just before you
go to sleep. Reading at both morning and night makes sure that the thoughts
of books, in this case thoughts of translator's understanding of Madhusudan
Sarasvati will be reflected even while you are in sleep.

Yes, quality is better then quantity, but Quantity is also important. In
this spiritual exam, even negative marks are given. So while you cannot
fully contemplate in train, still keep chanting any mantra or read book.
Chanting manta will keep your mind preoccupied and so it will not waste
it's energy in stray thoughts. japa also helps one stay in presence, as you
have to be aware of the gap between two mantra-s. This gap is silence. Here
you just have to be aware. This habit helps you to increase awareness and
remain alert throughout day. It will be spiritually helpful in long run.

In my case, I was and am still told that if you have intense desire to
meditate, no matter wherever you are start meditating. This force and
encourage to meditate is given by God himself. Hence if you meditate at
that time, there is a special grace that descends upon you. Meditation will
be of great quality. If you can here the sound of tracks (In India we do
here :) ) and focus on nothing else, then you wont experience anything
else. Similarly, if you are able to fix your mind 100 % with heart and soul
on japa mantra, then general rules (which are right in their way) are no
more applicable. As soon as you close your eyes, you are disconnected with
surroundings. No matter what happens you must keep constant faith in God.

When the quantity increases, the mind gets habituated of japa and reading
books. Slowly, worldly thoughts will decrease and then quality will
increase. This happens in you have moksha as the only goal. Else at times
it becomes mechanical. Once it becomes mechanical, know there there is no
God involved by you. God is side tracked and only kriyA keeps happening
like you drive and simultaneously keep thinking about ... anything :)

Making best use of time is not unwise. Go ahead with the reading, but dont
just stop there, contemplate on the readings, read it again and again. Good
Luck.

OM

Sujal

"To disconnect from the self and to become Aware of anything else is
nothing but unhappiness" - Bhagawan Ramana Maharshi

He who has faith has all
He who lacks faith, lacks all
It is the faith int he name of lord that works wonders
FAITH IS LIFE, DOUBT IS DEATH - Sri Ramakrishna

On Fri, Sep 9, 2016 at 10:23 AM, Jaldhar H. Vyas via Advaita-l <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:

> On Thu, 8 Sep 2016, Shashi via Advaita-l wrote:
>
> Hello All,
>>
>> I have a question about ritual purity
>> and Svadhyaya.
>>
>> I recently got a translation of
>> Sri Madhusudana Sarasvati's
>> Gudartha Dipika which I am excited to study.
>>
>> However my commute to work is a good two hours in total on the train.
>>
>> ​<content clipped>
>>
>