Lesson 321
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Sloka 11 from Dancing with Siva
What Is the Nature of Saivite Theology?
Saivism proclaims: God Siva is Love, both immanent and transcendent, both the creator and the creation. This world is the arena of our evolution, which leads by stages to moksha, liberation from birth and death. Aum.
Bhashya
Saivism is a unique religion in which God is both manifest and unmanifest, dual and nondual, within us and outside of us. It is not strictly pantheistic, polytheistic or monotheistic. Its predominant theology is known as monistic theism, panentheism, or Advaita Isvaravada. Monism, the opposite of dualism, is the doctrine that reality is a one whole or existence without independent parts. Theism is belief in God and the Gods, both immanent and transcendent. Saivism is monistic in its belief in a one reality and in the advaitic, or nondual, identity of man with that reality. Saivism is theistic in its belief in the Gods, and in God Siva as a loving, personal Lord, immanent in the world. Saivism expresses the oneness of Pati-pashu-pasha, God-soul-world, encompassing the nondual and the dual, faithfully carrying forth both Vedanta and Siddhanta, the pristine Sanatana Dharma of the Vedas and Saiva Agamas. The Tirumantiram states, "Shuddha Saivas meditate on these as their religious path: Oneself, Absolute Reality and the Primal Soul; the categories three: God, soul and bonds; immaculate liberation and all that fetters the soul." Aum Namah Sivaya.
Lesson 321 from Living with Siva
The Bamboo Ty�if Font
Several years ago we created a Ty�if font for the computer, to make it easy to write legible prayers in Ty�if. On our website� at www.HimalayanAcademy.com/
books/lws/, you can download the font and also find out more about writing prayers. It is good for your powers of concentration to learn to read the Ty�if script, but if you are using a computer, this is not really necessary, unless you want to write Ty�if by hand, which many do. The easiest way to compose your prayer on a computer is to type in an English font, such as Geneva, and then select the text and change it to the Ty�if font. Prayers written in Ty�if have built-in confidentiality. You might leave a prayer to the devas on your desk. As few people read the Ty�if script readily, confidentiality is ensured.
Should you be traveling and not have your computer with you, you can always write your prayers in Ty�if the old-fashioned way, by hand. It is artistic to use a soft flow pen, and even more artistic to use a Japanese ink brush. If you want to be really modern, use a black, sharp-pointed pen. The Ty�if script looks good coming from whatever plume you choose. Many devotees enjoy writing Ty�if by hand in vertical columns from top to bottom. When writing by hand, this is quite acceptable. Always use black ink, never colors. Black translates to white or gray in the inner world, where the prayer appears reversed. The paper that is white becomes black, and the letters that are black become white. It is only by two or three devas holding it and putting their pranas into it that the prayer again becomes black on white as it appeared when it was sent. They do this only when they want to keep the document to study it. Many prayers are so simple that they can be easily memorized as they appear on the black background in white ink, and it is not worthwhile energizing them into a durable form.
If you use colored paper and colored ink in writing your prayers, your words could be unreadable, even using the Ty�if script. Colored paper appears dark purplish-blue in the inner world, somewhat like the ashes of burned paper, still intact, but barely legible, ready to disintegrate at the first touch. Therefore, just sit down and write your prayer in Ty�if with a black pen on white paper.
Typed documents--on one side of the page only--are acceptable and easily read in the inner world, as long as the size of the type is not too small. Typewritten prayers (again, on one side of the page) in English or any language are also acceptable to the devas, as are hand-printed prayers that are written with well-rounded, clearly formed letters. Be sure to sign the prayer and also include the date.
The writing of prayers can be done in several ways. Each devotee can write his or her own prayer about personal questions, needs or problems. One can pray for another person, for a group of people, or for a situation to clear up within a group or community, even for solutions to national or world problems. Every prayer received is answered in some way, however mysterious. Not one is neglected, ever.
The Gods and devas look very carefully into the karma of the devotee before taking any action. Because of this, it is always best to describe two or more alternatives that you would be satisfied with in each prayer, rather than insisting on only one solution. This is because your first preference may not be possible in your karmic pattern or, without your knowing, it may actually be the worst possible thing that could happen to you. In this case, your prayer would be answered with a non-answer. Therefore, it is wise to suggest two or more alternatives when making a request. For example, in seeking help in finding employment, you might suggest three places you would be content at, indicating first choice, second and third.
Sutra 321 of the Nandinatha Sutras
Preserving The Three Pillars Of Saivism
Siva's monastics valiantly bring Saivism into the future of futures. The fullness of their mission lies in our faith's three pillars--temples, scriptures and satgurus--which they are vowed to protect, preserve and promote. Aum.
Lesson 321 from Merging with Siva
The Nature Of God Siva
Siva has a form. He is also formless. But He does have a form, and He exists in the realm of highest consciousness called the Sivaloka. Siva has a mind, a superconscious mind that permeates like a plasma all the forms that He creates, all the forms that He preserves and all the forms that He absorbs back into Himself. Siva is very close to each and every one of us. Siva's mind permeates all of us. But when we want to see Siva's form and receive His darshan, we go to the Siva temple, and when the holy priest invokes God Siva, God Siva hovers in His body of golden light over the Sivalinga. In deep meditation, Sivajnana, we can, within the temple of our own heart, see God Siva's Holy Form.
God Siva creates. God Siva preserves all His creations and, when the creation is no longer needed, absorbs it back into Himself, to create again. Saivites all over the world love God Siva. God Siva loves His devotees. For each step the devotee takes toward Siva, Siva takes nine steps toward the devotee. Such are the final conclusions of Saiva Siddhanta.
There is no reason to ever become confused about the many Deities in our wonderful Hindu faith. Is Lord Ganesha our Supreme God? No. Is Lord Muruga our Supreme God? No. They are Gods, two of the many Gods that God Siva has created. But God Siva is Supreme God, timeless, formless, spaceless, permeating all form, and yet having a form. He is the fullness of everything that fills people from within out.
In Saivism we become strong, we become fearless, through our worship of Siva. Members of the Saiva Samayam, the Saivite religion, do not fear death, for they know about rebirth. Members of the Saiva Samayam do not fear an eternal hell; there is no eternal hell. Members of the Saiva Samayam do not fear their ministers, their priests, swamis or gurus. Members of the Saiva Samayam do not fear God. The lack of fear, therefore, makes you strong. Our saints tell us in the sacred hymns of the Tirumurai that the worship of Siva makes you strong. The worship of God Siva brings you intelligence. The worship of God Siva will bring you knowledge of your divine, inner Self. Remember this as you go forth in life: we do not use weapons in our religion. We follow the path of nonviolence, noninjury to other beings. Our only weapon is our mind, our intelligence.
Unfortunately, in some, though not all, of the Judaic/Christian sects, the fear of God is prevalent. The distinction between good and bad, heaven and hell, is predominant, causing fears, apprehension and deep mental conflict. Hence, this psychological set-up is not conducive to the practice of yoga, for it arbitrates against the very idea of oneness of man and God which the yogi seeks. Those who have been so indoctrinated often try to meditate, but necessarily do not succeed in its deepest attainments, because of subconscious barriers placed there by a dualistic philosophy.