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At the beginning of the Companion study Bhaja Govindam with Sadhvi Aparna, I contemplated my Sankalpa for this journey. But my mind was restless, playing with old habits as if I wanted to ‘taste, feel, hear, touch and smell’ them one very last time, before the hammer strikes again.

I realise that many of my vasanas are hiding in the folds of time.

I realise I need this second round of hammering on hidden patterns.

My sankalpa for this study: smoothing out the folds of time by shedding old patterns and conditionings in such a way that the Light of Wisdom and Knowledge can reflect in the mirror of that One Truth.

Jai Guru Dev !

Love and Hate

“Sovereign love arises from inner fullness. It doesn't covet, possess, or enslave. Instead, it's rooted in self-rule, self-sufficiency, and self-love.” —Acharya Shunya

In yesterday’s teaching on Bhaja Govindam, Acharya Shunya reminded us that “body consciousness is the source of hate.”

When we deeply understand that we and “others” are not bodies or even minds, but the one Self, there can be no hate.

Our human minds have been conditioned to be drawn to certain bodies and reject other bodies, (or even love/hate certain aspects of our own body/mind), perpetuating the seemingly endless cycle of joy and sorrow through karma. When we learn about the Self and this cosmic set up, we begin to disrupt this cycle of samsara.

Nirvana Shatakam class 1 time stamp 49:45 clarifies how to do Mananam

What a blessing today to revisit Nirvana Shatakam class #1. At timestamp 49:45, Shunyaji reviews the process of Mananam. I remember hearing this the first time and thinking – I must remember to do this, as a more formal practice of Mananam, but I ended up forgetting after all! I will now be forging a path to stronger/deeper Mananam by adopting Acharya Shunya’s recommendations. The photo is a notebook I had recently purchased that I will now use for my daily Mananam. In the past I've often taken notes, but not in one place, and only occasionally have I revisited or used them in relation to other teachings. So now I will be more deliberate in this process of Mananam. It will be an interesting experiment!

I’ve tried to summarize what Shunya explains in the video:

To keep…