The Pain-Body: A Yoga-Vedantic Perspective - Swami Medhananda

[@IvettGiron-k1m]

Great talks! Pranams swami ji 🙏🏽🩵 I feel it helps me to integrate and understand better

[@tgbvideo]

Swamiji, you have hit PERFECTION, on how you presented Eckhart Tolle. To support this claim, I was a student of Nisargadatta, years beforeTolle. When Power of Now came out, I was STUNNED at how clearly non-dual he is, despite the fact that he's never uses the term. And I've spent hundreds of hours with him. In 2017, Oprah and Eckhart did a 10 part webcast based on the other book you mentioned, A New Earth. Each part started out with a 30-60 second group meditation. Short, but with 10 million participants simultaneously online. Talk about Satsang! Because of these two, it was first contact for millions of people to mediitation, to say nothing of the great truth of Vedanta. Presented to adoring audiences all over the world. Think of the ripple effect... Thank you so much, Swamiji for your continued teachings.

[@surupamitra]

I was just re-reading the concept of the Pain Body from E T ‘s Power of now this morning‘ and now after listening to this great talk I am so touched … difficult to express it in words … I Pray to Thakur Ma Swamiji that may I practice awareness in my day to day life and may I practice compassion and truth and not be controlled by my Pain body and Ego …🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

[@indraniganguly727]

After a long time MAHARAJ...how are YOU MAHARAJ ❤??Your SANSKRIT and BENGALI LANGUAGE ARE SO NATURAL AS IF YOU BELONG TO INDIA ❤...FIRST TIME I CAME TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS I WAS OVERWHELMED WITH REGARDS AND GRATITUDE....😊TAKE CARE...YOU ARE VERY HUMBLE MONK...LISTENING YOUR PRECIOUS LECTURES AT RAMKRISHNA MISSION INSTITUTE OF CULTURE GOALPARK KOLKATA...I APPRECIATED...THANK YOU.SIR...NAMASKAR ❤

[@radianceyogaconsciousspace]

This is one of the coolest talks. Medhananda ji is killing it wrt bringing together the wide array of expression Integral Vedanta has taken in the current world. I just cant get enough him talking about Sri Aurobindo. Its about time the RKM + Sri Aurobindo movement come together and bring Integral Advaita Vedanta super openly! 😄

[@beverlycollins410]

Thank you, Swami. You remind me nothing but truth can survive the light of awareness. 😊

[@mokshajetley9244]

Jai Sri Ramakrishna Jai Sri Ramakrishna Jai Sri Ramakrishna Jai Sri Ramakrishna Jai Sri Ramakrishna

[@tollelovingisme]

This is one of the best lectures I have ever heard!

[@TyphonTheos]

What an incredibly useful talk. Thank you, Swami!

[@Aryachettri2023]

Jai Guru 🙏🌹

[@agnivaray7476]

Loved the talk, beautiful mixture of Eckhart’s teaching, Indian perspectives and your personal take on it. It was Swami Sarvapriyananda and Eckhart, these two loving souls, who hand-held me out of a really heavy space, a couple of years ago. It was then I had noticed the similarity in Advaita and Tolle’s teachings. I used to go to Eckhart for my mindfulness-based adventures (sometimes, misadventures) and to SS for more holistic (4 yogas combined) trips. ❤ This talk is a pleasant surprise for me also because, once, I had told a monk about Eckhart and his response was “Eckhart is a motivational speaker”. This talk brings me some weird closure lmao.

[@ganapathynagaraja2726]

This lecture helped me to understand ET's views with more clarity.Thank you Swamiji Dr K Prema

[@mallykartha9522]

Pranams to you sir for taking the steps to differentiate different spiritual thinking. I am a Tolle follower I like his views which is a synthesized one from various other traditions. Incidentally the pain body has similarity with the psychological concept of inner child/ wounded child from Transactional analysis and the Repressed component from psychoanalysis. I am a retired psychotherapist. I used Eastern wisdom in my work with clients. Tolle has used several psychological concepts I think. Thank you so very much. I will share this and look forward to listening to this presentation 1:02:31 again. Be safe and be around for ever to share your insights ❤🎉🙏🏽

[@DanielLeeMarch2001]

Look forward to listening to this! Two of my favourite spiritual figures.

[@abhinavjajal8177]

Amazing lecture...

[@mokshajetley9244]

Pranam Swami Medhananda ji

[@sahamal_savu]

When I first read The Lord of the Rings as a thirteen year old boy, the character of Gollum/Smeagol had a very profound effect on me. I wasn't mature enough to understand it then, but once I began to take spiritual study seriously it became all too clear. From Tolkien's The Return of the King, Book 6, Chapter 3: "‘Now!’ said Sam. ‘At last I can deal with you!’ He leaped forward with drawn blade ready for battle. But Gollum did not spring. He fell flat upon the ground and whimpered. ‘Don’t kill us,’ he wept. ‘Don’t hurt us with nassty cruel steel! Let us live, yes, live just a little longer. Lost lost! We’re lost. And when Precious goes we’ll die, yes, die into the dust.’ He clawed up the ashes of the path with his long fleshless fingers. ‘Dusst!’ he hissed. Sam’s hand wavered. His mind was hot with wrath and the memory of evil. It would be just to slay this treacherous, murderous creature, just and many times deserved; and also it seemed the only safe thing to do. But deep in his heart there was something that restrained him: he could not strike this thing lying in the dust, forlorn, ruinous, utterly wretched. He himself, though only for a little while, had borne the Ring, and now dimly he guessed the agony of Gollum’s shrivelled mind and body, enslaved to that Ring, unable to find peace or relief ever in life again." Gollum's existence parallels that of the pain body so strikingly. And if we take Sauron's 'One Ring' to be our false identification with the ego then the pain body (Gollum) is an integral part of our journey to freedom. Without Gollum (pain body), Frodo could not have destroyed the ring (ego). The concept of suffering as the great spiritual teacher of our lives is present within so many religions that it's impossible to deny how important an aspect it truly is, no matter how much we might do our best to avoid it or deny it.

[@44messengers]

Thanks for sharing this. Love a good LOTR analogy.

[@CatastrophicDisease]

Would love to hear Swamiji speak on Neo-Platonism and Plotinus; that philosophy seems very much in line with Vedanta and qualified non-dualism. Especially regarding his point at 20:00 on the ascent and descent from the Divine.

[@mokshajetley9244]

Jai Swami Vivekananda

[@gitaray1779]

This was a great talk.i appreciate the openness at looking at other spiritual seekers.Ekhardt Tolle is well examined.Really enjoyed the talk.Keep it up,.Looking forward to more.

[@swamivedantanandapuri1322]

Pranaam🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@snehap2235]

Thank you fot talking about this topic. We all need to deal with our pain first before we can become capable of loving God and understanding the bigger spiritual concepts that most monks dive into

[@chkchrycla]

Thank you!

[@krishnapartha]

I love the dig about the cost of the workshops ET offers. Bravo Swamiji.

[@agnivaray7476]

😂 love Eckhart though

[@drsandhyathumsikumar4479]

Brilliant clarity ..so much pyschology in our traditions and wisdom that makes it so relevent to our modern life and experiencies of pyschophysical social lives. Much grattitude for empowerming narrattives🎉 🎉🎉

[@sankhaneeldutta6175]

Pranams to you Swamiji. God bless.

[@torussaga3428]

So true...and the last 30 seconds = absolutely.

[@bergnelmarianne4445]

Thank you Swami for mentioning Eckhart Tolle, he is my favourite Guru 🙏

[@binduvarma1837]

Good one..thankful🙏❤️

[@mokshajetley9244]

Jai Ma Sarda

[@bkdasdas8655]

Maharaj, After long period of time you are in net. Please do come more frequently and enrich us. Pranam.

[@sahamal_savu]

Great lecture. Definitely going to read that book by A.S. Dalal, thanks for the recommendation 👍

[@radianceyogaconsciousspace]

Yeah, thanks for that Swamiji

[@sandunranasinghe5356]

👍

[@debarya]

👌🙏 Name was apt. ... in Naishkarma Siddhi by Swami Sureshwaracharya deals in detail from Karma aspect this Kleshas as far as I remember ... and in Vajrajana the momentary flash of the white light of ones true self (as Zebras😊) is dealt in depth in describing the 6 Bardos. Just trying to help 🙏

[@vivekjyotihindimonthlymagazine]

136-सारगाछी की स्मृतियाँ.लेखक-स्वामी सुहितानन्द.स्वर-लाली राय,दिल्ली. मार्च-24, पृ.137-138 kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z5DVfWV4hbOqp7s

[@Zeeshan-bv7mo]

The Pain Body...

[@mahalakshmihonasoge9356]

My brother talks about Eckhart Tolle and pain body. Vyavaharika Sathya is how Sringeri Jagadguru explains Japan Mithya. Only thing I am seeking is practical way how one can deal with pain body in Indian Vedanta

[@alecmisra4964]

Perhaps some people are just more sensitive than others. ..

[@sharanagato]

Maharaj, I would like to request you to study Jiddu Krishnamurti's philosophy and enlighten us.

[@sunitabhatia9]

if anyone can clear to me what was the reason for body pain in this clip mention.

[@BrianMcInerney-m6y]

when is your book on Sri Aurobindo being published?

[@radianceyogaconsciousspace]

Can't wait

[@kerrydubord5273]

The atma cannot be seen, As Buddha says nothing, The atma cannot be seen, As Vedanta says no thing, The atma cannot be seen, As the Seer is the wholeness of liberation within. (Of no image) Existence it's Self. This design is the true Self, From which this is, A boundless, changeless reality, This has always been Akshara within. Unborn to nothing, This of no thing, An origin of One to none, One without a second. Pure Consciousness, Awareness, Thou Art That within, That Thou Art without, Of no image is The Self, Brahma alone.....

[@SARVX_]

🗿🪶🌿

[@alfluchow8202]

I dont get it, why is Swami though impressed by this pain body ? Tolle did not know, maybe now, the teachings of the five bodies. This pain body is just all emotions which are part of manomayakosha, as I understand.These five bodies are only a construct. These are all thoughts and emotions. Tolle comes from psychology ( the inner child psychology) and then went to spirituality, awakening. I am a German psychotherapist , a publisher of spiritual books and know the scene. Love to all.

[@KriB510]

Maybe because he can relate on a personal level within his spiritual journey?

[@alfluchow8202]

@@KriB510 yes , I agree. We call it sadhana or purification of the mind. A very important part of the journey-when necessary.

[@TheAmericanSpirit]

What is to 'get'? He was explicit in why he is impressed with Tolle's conception. He did not claim it was new, in fact he specifically said it wasn't... he even went into detail on the matter He said it was not a new understanding of the human system, but a new way of practically relating to it which he finds novel and very useful. With all due respect, it seems you did not understand the swami's lecture.

[@andrewgardner2281]

I think everyone is missing the sarcastic tone of the comment.

[@prabhatkavyanjali2251]

who are you sir ? 🙏🙏

[@sumitdutta7043]

Swami Medhaananda

[@ananthan8951]

Medhanandji appears to have something against Shankara and constantly seeks to separate what he calls integral advaita from the philosopher sage. Now according to all the legendary histories of Shankara, he finished composing his famous commentaries by the age of fifteen or sixteen and he spent the second half of his short life in establishing the Maths, in reviving and consecrating shrines, and even in setting norms for ritualistic worship and composing hymns (surely not all of the famous ones could have been falsely attributed to him). This is the common view of the Maths as well. Jagat Mithya did not prevent him from using his genius to strive for those entangled in it, like a champion.

[@sumitdutta7043]

He doesn't have something against Shakara. He is criticizing him in scholarly fashion. He is criticising based on the commentaries on Prasthantray not other books, which is correct because the main import of what Shankara actually meant by Spirituality is in those texts. Try readinf the criticsm of Swami Vivekananda on Shankaracharya. You might feel shock. Once he said that "Shakara was 100% Jnana" and Chaitanya was "100% Bhakti" and Shiramkrishna was 100% both" This is just one statement read his other criticisms too.

[@ananthan8951]

@@sumitdutta7043 Shankara expended the second half of his life in fortifying the weakening spiritual framework of the nation by superhuman works (considering the times he lived in). In most parts of Bharat especially in his home province of Kerala, the common people revere him for the consecration and revival of temples, for reforming worship rites and for his hymns charged with vitality. In his philosophical commentary he was a pure Advaitin but it is obvious that he valued immanence no less from his other works. He was neither reclusive nor a dry philosopher despite Swami Vivekananda's trenchant criticism.

[@sumitdutta7043]

​​​@@ananthan8951 Sir, Swami Vivekananda praised Shankara for those things(th3things you mentioned) too and even more too. Read those instances too, they are spreaded across the whole Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda. He praised+criticised Lord Buddha/Buddhism and Muhammed/Islam too. He made a statements like "Have the Heart of Buddha and intellect of Shankara" now both parties can criticise him on this statement 😅 He once said that he has can(or has the ability to) criticise great person without loosing any respect for such greats. (This is what he said to Nivedita or others from the book "Master As I Saw Him") So genuine criticism is not bad. Many greats will criticise Swami Vivekananda too (even not greats are criticising him for non-veg food habits)

[@ananthan8951]

@@sumitdutta7043 Yes I know and I have read the Complete Works. Swamiji criticised Shankara for being intellectually rigid and illiberal and he had a way of being extreme when he expressed a particular point of view. But Medhanandaji is flogging something that I feel is not correct about Shankara. The latter did contribute to the devotional path, even to ritual worship and to the revival of temples. It is fallacious to regard all or most of his grand devotional hymns as wrong attributions. It is possible for a jnani to be devotional as well. I recently listened to Swami Sarvapriyananda recounting how the Holy Mother asserted to Swami Aroopananda that 'All this is a dream" but was her life any less integral, active or compassionate?

[@TheAmericanSpirit]

​@@ananthan8951I appreciate your comments. I too felt that it was strange that Shankaras view should be reduced to jagat mitya. Your point about his intense engagement in the world is well taken and I think clearly speaks that FALSE in this sense is relative to absolute truth, not that it should be disregarded in practice.

[@radhikaschwartz3499]

Eckhart Tolles “ philosophy “ comes from direct experience. Swami Medhanandas philosophy comes from his head.

[@TheAmericanSpirit]

Your judgements come from ignorance.

[@radhikaschwartz3499]

Tolle was on Oprah “ don’t hold it against him”.. Oprah has affected millions of peoples lives in a positive direction.whenyou touch as many people as Oprah swami Medhananda then You can decide if negative sarcasm is fitting.

[@awareness2625]

The dig at Oprah was unnecessary. Stopped watching. Expected better from a spiritual teacher.

[@dialogos585]

Isn't it better to be discerning? Plus he seemed to be playful as he said it. No need for us to be too uppity (oh yeah, I know that one!). I hope you will find a way to open the heart and see even spiritual teachers as human beings too. Even if he was being dismissive which I doubt, I think we can understand that Oprah dabbles in many traditions instead of deepening into one, so the idea to not put ET in the same category is a fine enough caution. It doesn't mean he thinks poorly of Oprah in general. I've been in your place too of quick dismissiveness and I work at trying to grant more grace to things that rub me wrong to see if there's something more behind it. That may not be your experience, so I don't mean to be presumptive. But hope you'll return and offer your insights. ❇

[@krishnapartha]

No I loved it. Welcome to Vedanta. You don’t stop having opinions. It’s okay.

[@krishnapartha]

Stop listening then. Haha.

[@gita1649]

He is a joker and makes us laugh a lot… even at ourselves

[@bhattacharya6774]

Then who will be looser ?? Not Swami Medhananda at least !

[@seemadevasthali]

Hummmmmm I have read Eckart Tollie’s two books, not the new one. Admittedly, yes, he had spiritual awakening when he hit rock-bottom, “suicide”. But other than the personal experience and then turning to Buddhism for mindfulness training, and so on, “what are his professional or academic qualifications?” I am a little disappointed as to why Vedant, Swamiji, so highly qualified who has written multiple books on Vedant and Hinduism would pay credence to Tollie’s experience and couple of the books? Bhagwat Geeta states starting the first chapter where Arjun was totally despondent and had lost his “Vivek”!! Sri Krishna has explained all of it, including the ego that hides, which Tollie calls, “pain body“. I believe our scriptures and Sri Ramakrishna has paved the pathway from suffering to enlightenment with multiple avenues. In my experience, subduing, conquering and transcending the Ego and its tentacles in meditation with utmost Bhakti, subdues the “Gollum = Ego” And eventually, befriend it under the command of the Atman as per the“chariot of life”. 🙏🕉🪷

[@niteengupte]

You need to read Sw. Vivekananda. The enlightened know there are multiple paths to the one peak each as valid as the next. The deepest of practitioners pay homage to all. When the peak is realised all paths are redundant. Vedanta is just one such vehicle as is Tolle's teachings that help us cross the river of life. Even a child's utterance or a dog's joy can be our teacher.