We began our class with a brief meditation session followed by chanting from Chapter 5 of the Bhagavad Gita.
Quirky Question (QQ) of the Day:
What is hidden from both the Sun and the Moon?
After much thought, we discovered the answer: Darkness! The Sun and Moon are self-illuminating, and they can never see darkness—wherever they go, it simply cannot exist.
This teaches us an invaluable lesson: if we carry our own light, we won't need external sources to uplift our energy. Sadly, we often depend on the opinions of others, allowing them to influence our emotions.
This happens because we identify with the wrong notions about ourselves. To explore this, we asked some students to introduce themselves. They shared their names, hobbies, grades, and siblings. But are these truly who we are? These are merely relative indicators—not our real identities.
We reflected on how we fail to know ourselves, despite being with ourselves since birth! Instead, we define ourselves by external factors—our locations, roles, or activities.
In the first chapter of the Gita, Arjuna found himself in this same state of confusion. Overwhelmed, he surrendered to Krishna and sought guidance. Krishna explained why lamentation was futile, reminding Arjuna of a profound truth:
"Nobody dies, but every body dies." – Gurudev
While the body is perishable, the eternal existence within is everlasting. This knowledge, however, isn't easy to grasp. Through a few examples, we tried to delve deeper into this concept.
Arjuna's complete trust in Krishna allowed him to ask questions for clarity. Here, we discussed the difference between a doubt and a question.
- A doubt implies skepticism or disbelief in the other person's knowledge.
- A question implies faith in the speaker's knowledge, with a desire to bridge gaps in understanding.
Arjuna believed in Krishna's wisdom and asked questions to comprehend the teachings better.
We also explored the concept of a dream within a dream. Upon waking, all the dream's characters and objects vanish, revealing that our thoughts are the foundation for everything in the dream.
From this, we introduced the Three Laws of Causation:
- An effect cannot exist without a cause.
- Effects are merely causes in different forms.
- If you remove the cause, nothing remains of the effect.
We'll continue to revisit and explore these ideas in greater depth in future sessions.
Towards the end of class, Jacqueline Aunty joined us for a special visit. She will lead a fun project with students on February 9th! As part of the activity, students will create their very own Keepsake Bhagavad Gita book. Everyone unanimously selected the style for the book they would like to make, and it promises to be an exciting and enriching experience!
Additionally, on January 26th, our students will have the opportunity to teach in other grades. Good luck with the preparations—this will be a wonderful experience for all!
Until next time, stay curious and keep shining your inner light!
Rashmi.
