Delving Deeper into Self-Satisfaction: A Spiritual Study Circle
Explore the concept of self-satisfaction in a spiritual context through a study circle focusing on understanding its meaning, experiencing it in daily life, and its role in self-realization. The session includes meditation, discussions on different aspects of self-satisfaction, and reflections on achieving contentment through various life experiences.
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Leading a Spiritual Life Self-Satisfaction
Its a supplemental doc! Please read the newsletter before conducting the study circle with this document.
Purpose of Study Circle 1. Delve deeper into the meaning of self-satisfaction 2. Learn how to experience self-satisfaction in everyday life 3. Understand the benefits and power of self- satisfaction and how it leads to the ultimate goal of self-realization
Opening meditation Start by chanting 3 Oms. The facilitator leads the below or Swami s light meditation: Close your eyes. Visualize Swami sitting in the middle of the circle. Now visualize a connection between your heart and Swami s heart in whatever form that comes naturally to you. It could be in the form of a golden thread, or a beam of light, etc. Ask Swami to send His unconditional love through that connection to you. Feel the strong powerful energy enter your heart from Him. Now visualize the same connection between Swami and everyone present in the room. Visualize everyone connected to Swami like spokes of a wheel connected to the center. Thank Swami for His love and guidance. Bonus- A special guided mediation exercise (check www.saiyausa.net) which will gives us a chance to further explore our heart to heart connection with Swami, giving us the opportunity to understand and feel Swami s unlimited pure, divine and unconditional love.
Digging Deeper: What is Self Satisfaction? When you hear the term self-satisfaction, what terms do you associate it with? The moderator may choose to write the answers on a poster or a sheet of paper so others can see.
Digging Deeper: What is Self Satisfaction? Self-satisfaction may be considered as a state of happiness but what type of happiness does it connote? Does it refer to the happiness one acquires after eating a sumptuous meal after being tired and hungry? Is it the relief a thirsty person attains after drinking a cup of cool water? Are any of these relevant examples to what Bhagawan Baba refers to as Self-Satisfaction?
Digging Deeper: What is Self Satisfaction? Is self-satisfaction attained when we achieve a goal? Can we say that an athlete attaining a gold medal after years of toil or a young, devout college graduate landing a respectable job, home and car have attained self- satisfaction as Bhagawan Baba describes it? Does gratification of any need, be it physical, emotional, philosophical or spiritual, lead to self-satisfaction?
Digging Deeper: What is Self Satisfaction? As we ponder along those lines let us consider another connotation of self-satisfaction, namely contentment. Does being content necessarily imply that we are self- satisfied as Bhagawan Baba wants us to be?
Case Study 1 Mr. X and Mr. Y are good friends and work in the same office. Both of them are honest and efficient employees. While both of them put in the same effort, Mr. X gets all the recognition and the benefits for his work while Mr. Y is one among the crowd. Despite this, Mr. Y is happy and continues to do his job without focusing on the accolades he too, rightfully deserves. Question 1: Can we then say that Mr. Y has attained Self-Satisfaction as Bhagawan Baba describes it? Question 2: Could you act as humble as Mr. Y did? Has a situation like this ever happened to you?
Self-Confidence Leading to Self-Satisfaction Revisit the discussion on Self-Confidence. How does Self- Confidence lead to Self-Satisfaction? At times when our decisions that result may make us look illogical to the world, how can Self-Confidence that Swami is guiding us help? Can you name an experience when this has happened? How did your self confidence in your conscience lead to your self- satisfaction?
Activity Analyze each of the following scenarios using your understanding of self-satisfaction thus far and the 5 attributes that encompass it.
Scenario 1 David, an SSE student, comes home with his grades and he has done very poorly. When his father tells him to put more effort and study well to improve his grades, he says, In my SSE class, the teacher taught us about self-satisfaction. I am trying to practice that in my daily life. I am learning to be satisfied with the grades I get. What is the difference between complacency and self-satisfaction? How do these relate to this particular situation? How would you, as a parent, explain to him what his SSE teacher meant to teach? Is the child s argument reasonable?
Scenario 2 You have a good job, a loving family, and all the necessities to lead a comfortable life. Your friend, who graduated with the same qualifications (university, degree, etc) as you gets paid a lot more in his job and is able to afford luxuries such as multiple vacations a year with his family, high end cars, etc, and at times you compare yourself with your friend. What do you think is the main cause for this comparison? Why do we feel the need to compare with others even though we seem to have everything we need? How does this particular scenario deter us from maintaining self-confidence and being self-satisfied? How does it disturb our peace? How can we avoid such comparison by keeping the big picture (i.e. swami s grace and omnipresence) in mind?
Scenario 3 A man in his mid-twenties has just been promoted. In order to justify this and to prove his worth, he starts working long days, sacrificing sleep and rest. He claims his satisfaction lies in his quest to always outperform his colleagues. What is the difference between complacency, self- satisfaction, and this quest to always outperform your colleagues ? Can we be overly ambitious and still be satisfied? In our daily lives, what is a good way to keep track of our activities and see if we are: (a) complacent (b) practicing self-satisfaction (c) overly ambitious? Why is balance or equanimity important and essential?
Scenario 4 Some of the recent events in your life have put a little strain on the financial situation at home. You know that it will all be ok soon since the situation is slowly getting better, but at the moment, it is worrying you a lot because everything seems uncertain How do self-confidence and self-satisfaction play a role in this situation? Additionally, how does ceiling on desires help us practice self-satisfaction?
Scenario 5 Dan goes shopping with a group of friends. On his way out of the store he realizes that the cashier has forgotten to check out the Twix Bar he got during checkout. His friends are late for dinner and urge Dan to forget about this especially since it costs less than a dollar. They remind him that he is involved with so many service activities and charity events that this trivial thing does not matter. But still his conscience does not agree. He goes back, stands in the long line and pays for it. Have you ever been in a similar situation in your life? How did you react? How did you feel afterward? How do you think Dan felt after paying for the Twix Bar even though the amount itself might be trivial? How does this situation relate to self- satisfaction?
Scenario 6 John s uncle comes to visit him from out of town. John decides to take his uncle to see a baseball game. John is very excited because he got tickets to one of the most intense games of the season. The game is going well until, the ninth inning when the other team scores a few runs to take the lead of the game. John becomes very nervous and worried for his team. Sadly, John s team lost the game. John is very upset. John s uncle on the other hand is in a great mood and tells John not to worry. John inquires how his uncle can be in such a good mood after his team lost so badly. John s uncle says it s not who wins or loses that matters. Enjoying the game itself is more important. John s uncle says, enjoying the game itself is more important. How can remembering this help us in many situations in life? How can this help us be content in ups and downs and help us maintain self-satisfaction? Everything in life is willed by the Divine who knows the past, present, and future. How can we always live in the moment and enjoy the present? Why is equanimity that John s uncle is displaying important in life?
Scenario 7 It has been a very tough week at work for you. You have been busy with a very important deadline approaching. Life at home has also been very hectic. You have had to rediscover your limits over the last fortnight. You have been putting in a lot of effort with no time to relax in between. Finally the deadline arrives, and you successfully make it through. Your peers are happy, and your efforts have been recognized. You are relieved, happy and peaceful after a stressful fortnight. Such situations at work cannot be avoided. How could you have approached this situation differently to have avoided all this stress. Is it possible to be self- satisfied at every moment? Is the happiness you derived at the end of it self- satisfaction? What if, in spite of all the hard work you had not made the deadline? Would you have been equally happy? Is it possible to be self- satisfied at every moment?
Scenario 8 You are faced with a difficult situation where you have to make a very important decision that affects you and others (family, friends, colleagues etc). There are a few choices available and you have to choose among them. None of the choices are going to be completely acceptable to all. You finally make a decision, and it turns out to be right. There will be situations in life where you will have to make decisions that will not be acceptable to everyone. On what principles will you base your decisions upon? Once you make a tough decision and it turns out to be right, you are happy about it. Is this self-satisfaction? What if your decision turned out to have a negative impact? How will you feel about it? How can you learn to be satisfied with decisions where the outcome isn t known?
Finish with Om Shanti Shanti Shantih.
Independent Study: Prema Vahini Refer to Newsletter Document: Read Chapters 8-16, answer the multiple choice questions, and perform the activity in the newsletter document The answers to the multiple choice questions are as follows: 1. C 2. D 3. A 4. A 5. B 6. C 7. D 8. D 9. A 10. C
Independent Study: Prema Vahini The answers to the True/False questions are as follows: 11. True ; To serve this supreme Lord, purity of food has to be observed. As regards food, the question is not how much, but of what quality. Of course, quantity too cannot be overlooked. 12. False ; In everything that you do, use all the strength and talent with which you are endowed, speaking and acting truthfully. At first, you might fail in this and you might encounter difficulties and sufferings. 13. True ;The effulgence of the Atma is obscured by Ahamkaara. Therefore when Ahamkaara is destroyed, all troubles end, all discontents vanish and Bliss is attained. As the sun is obscured by mist, feeling of Ahamkaara hides Eternal Bliss. 14. False ; The value of image worship is testified by man s experience, it does not depend on man s imaginative faculty. What is found in the Viraat Swaroopa (Cosmic Form) of the Lord is found, undiminished and unalloyed, in the image Swaroopa (Form) also. Images serve the same purpose as metaphors, similes, etc. in poetry. They illustrate, amplify and make clear. 15. False ; God has equal affection towards all his children, for to illumine is the nature of light. Utilizing that illumination, some can read good books and others can do their daily tasks, whatever they are. So too, uttering God s name, one can progress in the realization of God, another can even do wicked deeds!
