Dr Dosti Regmi Blog

  Essence of Ashtavakra Gita Ashtavakra Gita is a dialog between Sage Ashtavakra and his student - King Janaka. It is an advanced Vedantic text best studied after learning the principal Upanishads. King Janaka, being a great Jnani himself, instantly grasps the teachings and the latter section of Ashtavakra Gita becomes a discussion between peers. There is a story in the Mahabharata that mentions Ashtavakra and Janaka. Sage Kahola was reciting the Vedas when his unborn son Ashtavakra, still in his mother's womb, corrected his father eight times. In anger, Sage Kahola cursed his son to be born deformed in eight places, so he was born with a crooked body (Ashtavakra literally means eight crooked). This story illustrates the fact that while Ashtavakra's body may have been crooked, his words were direct and straight to the point. The language of the Upanishads is imprecise and leaves room for multiple interpretations by different Vedantic schools. Ashtavakra Gita is clear and pr...

  Four Divine Dwellings (Brahma-viharas) Loving-kindness ( metta ) Compassion ( karuna ) Sympathetic joy ( mudita ) Equanimity ( upekkha ) They are also known as abodes of Brahma, excellent or sublime attitudes, boundless states, and divine states. These positive virtues called brahma viharas inherent in the human mind which can give rise to positive emotional health, happiness, rewarding social relationships, and contribute to spiritual development. Loving kindness ( metta ) In the Pali language the word “mitta” means friend. Here, it becomes “metta” meaning friendliness, good will, amity or loving kindness.  “May I be happy May I be peaceful May I be free from suffering” “May you be happy May you be peaceful May you be free from suffering” “May all beings be happy May all beings be peaceful May all beings be free from suffering” A meditator practising loving kindness meditation should be on guard against two enemies, lust described as “near enemy” and ill-will described as “...

The Buddha attained enlightenment at the age of 35 on the full moon day of May under a Bodhi tree at a place called Bodh Gaya through His own effort without the help of any teacher.  Gautama Buddha then decided to teach the path of liberation that He had discovered to others to help them attain enlightenment through their own effort and escape from human suffering and the cycle of birth and death ( samsara ).  His first sermon, the Dhammachakkappavattana sutta meant ‘turning of the Wheel of the Truth’. In this sermon, the Buddha expounded on the Middle Path to liberation that He had discovered, avoidance of the two extremes of self-indulgence in sensual pleasures and self-mortification, and disclosed the four Noble Truths.  The first Noble Truth is like a physician's diagnosis of a disease. The second Noble Truth is like the physician’s discovery of the cause of the disease, etiology. The third Noble Truth is like the assurance of the physician that there is a cure for th...