February 2, 2014

Today in the 9th grade Balavihar class we talked about the Penny Drive.  The class goal is to bring 25 dollars per person.  Not cents.  DOLLARS!!!  That will bring a total of, if I did the math correctly, $875.00.  This money is going to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.  The money is enough to fix a broken bone.  The feeling that you just saved a child is just unbelievable. So let's share and help.

The class brainstormed ideas for the annual day in May. After much discussion the ideas have been narrowed down and we hope to work as a team and put in our best effort for a fabulous show!

We all played the fun game Jeopardy today as well. Categories included "SELFIE","BH-AT-LE",DHARMA,GURU,RX, CAST-->WAY GUNAS.The entire class was screaming out with joy (not really 'screaming').  Everyone had fun and the teams really know how to work together.  The teachers also had a lot of fun. The teachers hope that we remember what we have learnt !

Also a group of students from NYU came and observed our Balavihar class to get an idea of how the Chinmaya System actually works.  They also seemed like they were enjoying themselves.  It was another beautiful day at Chinmaya Balavihar.

 

- Arjun Sunil Veettil

January 26, 2014

Today in class, we first discussed the three ways to reach spiritual success. The first way was practicing Bhakti. This means you devotedly worship God. The second way is Karma Yoga. To do this, you have to practice selfless actions and can’t harm anyone. Finally, Jnana is the third way to reach spiritual success - when you have true knowledge and self realization.

Dharma Chara means to do your duties.  We categorized Dharma into the duties based on different stages in life. Among the duties of a child, there are specific duties we need to do for home, society, nature, yourself, animals and our country. For  home, our duties include things like cleaning after ourselves, our room, helping parents and also respecting them. Duties for society include doing selfless acts like volunteering to help better our communities. For nature, we should do things like save energy, recycle, not wasting food or anything from nature, and making sure not to pollute. Duties for ourselves include going to school, learning, and studying. Animals should be treated nicely and we should be good citizens by doing our civic duty of voting and ect. We also talked about treating our body like a temple, being clean and not harming our bodies. The best way to complete these duties is to make a change in our lives to do them.

Cheating was a topic the class debated on for a long time. We first established that most of the time success in school means you will have success in life. However, many argued that famous businessmen like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs were all dropouts from school and they ended up being some of the most successful people today. But there was also the other side that only less than 2% of the people who drop out actually came close to their position. Then, this led to the topic of Satyam Vada and after a lot of debate, we all agreed that cheating and lying are bad things to do.

This brings us to today’s main topic which was Ahimsa. Ahimsa means non-violence. When we think of Ahimsa, the first person that comes to our mind is Mahatma Gandhi. His non violence movement led India to its independence. Violence can be caused through our speech, thoughts and actions.  A doctor may be doing surgical actions that can be considered violent in ways but when we look at his intentions or thoughts, he does not want to harm a person - as his duty is to help and save people. After this, we ended class with prayers.

-Manasa Dornala

January 12, 2014

Today, we started with the teachers brought up a discussion on how our (the students’) resolutions were. Next, we reviewed what we had learnt so far this year in Balavihar, starting with the Hindu samskaras.  We discussed on the three gunas which are satvik, rajasic and tamasic. The dominant guna in most humans is satvik because we are good living human beings. We went on to understand the caste system in India which had four groups - brahmanas, kshatriyas, vaisyas and sudras. 


The brahmanas are inherited with the satvik guna because they are the teachers who spread knowledge to all. In addition, they do not ask for anything in return such as money or food for their education. Next, the kshatriyas are somewhat satwick because they do their their duty as a warrior, protecting the common people. The Kshatriyas are also rajasik because they fight in wars to kill and also are sometimes greedy for land and gold. The vaisyas dominate the rajasik characteristic because they are the merchants and the business men who ask for money in return for their products. The Sudras dominate the tamasik over the other gunas because they are usually very lazy and depend on others to do their work (often as parasitic). For example, a scientist is satvik because he works hard for the welfare of the common men by finding cures for all diseases that arise. Another example, an actor is rajasik because he acts for entertainment for all people, but works for money in return for his hard work.


Then we discussed about Satyam Vada: Always speak the truth.   On the Indian National Emblem, it states that “Truth always wins”. No matter how far you argue, you will some day realize the importance of the phrase on the Emblem. The Emblem states that “In order to realize that truth always wins, you need to slog like a bull and jog like a horse and follow the path of dharma”.


The next chapter of our class was about the Dharmam Chara. Dharma Chara is to do your duties. Not only students, but parents, grandparents, aunts, sisters, wives, uncles, or whomever it may concern must follow these rules, respectively. Sons or daughters must respect their parents or other adults in other places.  These words are the most important for a brahmacharya or a student because it defines even more in depth the prescriptions of what they need to accomplish at that time period. In addition, our duties towards our parents are to be obedient, respect them, do some chores without complaining and to clean up after ourselves. You need respect for all your elders, even though you may encounter some situations with these problems. But, it is our duty to give our elders some basic respect at the least.   


We wrapped up the class having some announcements on the future programs that will occur later. We will be having an Anna Danam, an offering to the common people arranged at a Soup Kitchen. There were many students who offered to provide food for the Anna Danam. The teachers offered a special thanks to them. Our grade is having a penny drive. Our teachers have a special request that you bring pennies for charity before February ends, because the penny drive will end then.


-Bhargav Singaraju

December 8, 2013

Today in class we learned about what differentiates us from others. We heard a talk by Swami Swaroopanada (Swamiji from Chinmaya Mission UK) via you tube on the topic "Conquering our destiny". Click here for link to Swamiji's talk.  According to Swami Swaroopananda each of us has our own mental texture which is composed of our personality, our actions, and our choices. Another important highlight from class was whether we truly have control over our lives or not. But what are choices? Choices are options that allow us to change or alter the direction of our lives.

 

Another question was do we as individuals have control over our own lives or is everything predestined? Many of us argued that we don’t necessarily make choices for ourselves rather decisions that we make are influenced by choices that we made in the past. So, they aren’t necessarily choices considering that they are influenced or affected by other sources. Factors that don’t have control over, influences what you do have control over. If we are influenced by other sources then do we really have control? If we have bad influence, then our actions will result negatively also. This is why we should try to get good thoughts/ ideas from valid sources; in this way we can become a better person.

 

Some people act without thinking but why does this happen? the body reacts to the command from the mind based on the sensory stimulus, the mind is trained or helped by the intellect which acts like the filter based on actions learned. As long as the MIND and the INTELLECT work in sync following the Right values the actions will be successful and will happen smoothly.(Eg: we know that fire burns, so when we see a fire we are careful and do not try to touch it or are very cautious around it as the intellect which has learnt this has informed the mind which has listened to the intellect. )

- Rachna Ammanamanchi

November 24, 2013

Today, in class, we mainly discussed the three types of Gunas:

 

Sathvik Guna: This guna generally represents the purest and best attributes that one can possess:

·         Just action – action for justice (against injustice)

·         Generosity

·         Selflessness

·         Kindness

·         Love for everyone and everything

·         Calmness – polar opposite of anger

 

Rajasik Guna: This guna represents the “middle” level of attributes. These attributes are better than Tamasik Guna attributes, but are not the best attributes that one can have:

·         Action oriented

·         Greed for more than oneself

·         Less selfishness and more empathy

·         Firmness, but not Cruelty

·         Not Lust, but just liking things

·         More controlled anger (against unjust causes)

 

Tamasik Guna: This guna represents the lowest attributes that one can have:

·         Laziness

·         Greed

·         Selfishness

·         Cruelty

·         Lust

·         Anger 

Once we were taught about these ideas, the whole class then collectively took a survey. The survey consisted of the teachers giving the class a scenario and 4 responses – we (as students) had to choose the response that applied to us. In the end, it showed everyone in the class what attributes they had, which would in turn show them what guna they were a part of.

 

This activity showed us what we need to improve on by showing us what attributes we possess. Therefore, it was highly beneficial for everyone that participated in it.

 

- Srivats Narasimhan

November 17, 2013

Today, our class started off by discussing the importance of knowing the reason behind each action. We cannot simply follow the smaskaras blindly without understanding why we are doing so. Why do we do certain things in our culture? Why do we follow rituals, chant prayers, do pooja, offer naivedyam - why do we do anything that we do? We chant prayers to appeal to God, to ask Him, to reach out for Him, and to show our devotion.

    Chanting prayers is our communication with, and expression to God. It is through our actions that we can convey what we intend. Our words must be conveyed in our everyday actions - not just towards God, but towards everyone around us. Our parents, family, friends, even strangers whom we do not know very well. We say thank you, or sorry- but how do others know that we truly mean it? It is through our action, that we convey our intentions. Without actions, our words are meaningless.

    How do we express love? Everybody expresses love differently. Helping out parents without they asking, shows love for your parents. Being there for your friends during hard times because you know they need you shows how much you care about them; watching a T.V show every week unfailingly without ever missing any episode shows your love for that show! Love is not simply an expression, but an action.

    This brings us back to the rituals and prayers. They are our actions that convey our faith and devotion to God. If we have faith in the Supreme Power, then chanting our prayers and following the rituals proves that we believe in this power. This is why we follow our prescriptions - they are the guide to our actions that tell God that we are thankful to Him, and that we are loyal to Him.

    The Rishis are dedicated to God, so much that they descend to the mountains to find the secret of God. Their actions obviously show how committed they are. They start on a lifelong quest to find God and the ultimate truth. Stephen Hawking once said, “There is no God before Universe came, nothing was there. When I die, I don’t go anywhere.” Is this true? Was God here before the Universe began? Rishis searched and searched, to find the truth behind all. However, in the end, it was decided that it is beyond our comprehension to know whether there was anything before God, let alone what was before God. After all, we believe that God is all powerful, and exists always.

    Sanatana Dharma not only gives us prescriptions to follow, but also states that we can worship whatever we want in whatever form to represent the idea. We do not worship the God or Goddess; we worship the ideas that they represent, the ideas that they stand for. While some people can comprehend the thought of worshipping the idea itself, others comprehend easier through other means, such as praying to a more connectable form, such as God. Everyone is different, and everybody thinks and understand differently as well.

    Some are emotional. Others are analytical. Many are observant. We use words that label us, and label others. We confine ourselves to identity and we do not understand that it restricts us. All these identities that put upon ourselves and others make us forget that, in the end, we are all one and the same. The karma kandas help us remove these restrictions. For example, when we go weddings, do we know what is being said by the priest? The guests simply talk to one another, because they do not know what is being said. However, chants or prayers are very important. They are very significant. They are part of everyday rituals. One such ritual is the Upanayanam.

    Upanayanam is a tradition that all Varnas followed- in the beginning, even the woman followed this tradition. Until children turned 8 years old, children were not required to work very hard. However, when they were ready(usually when they turned eight), they were given a sacred thread and sent to the Gurukulam. This ceremony, the Upanayanam, marked the start of a long journey that required hard work. The children woke up early, did all the chores, and were educated. There are three strings that are part of the Upanayanam. Each string in reality symbolizes something specific. The first string symbolizes our debt to our ancestors, as it is believed that whoever we are now is all because of our ancestors. The second string for the Devas, and the and the third string for the Rishis and society. Another three strings are added when a man is married- again, the three strings bearing a very important meaning. The string is called Yagnyopavitam, the symbolic reminder of the duties and debts of a man. Yagnyopavitm has many names in many different languages- Poonal in Tamil, Janoyam in Gujarat, and Dhanjyam in Telugu. This is the reason behind the Upanayanam, and why this tradition is followed to this day.

    We wrapped up by discussing the importance of the Gayatri Mantra. The Gayatri Mantra is also the mantra that is chanted into a boy’s ear by the father when receiving his Yagyopavitam. The Gayatri Mantra is chanted for the benefits of the intelect of the student, praying to both Savitr (Sun), as well as Paramatma(consciousness).  The Mantra is as follows - OM bhur bhuvah svaha tat savitur varenyam bhargo devasya dheemahi dhiyo yonah prachodayaat. The first part is not really part of this Mantra. It is merely stating that this mantra can be beneficial to those who belong to the three worlds (Bhur, Bhuvah, Svaha).  The rest of the Mantra prays, praises, and appeals to Savitr. This Mantra is very powerful, and we concluded the class by chanting the Gayatri Mantra continuously three times.

 -Pranati Ambati

November 10, 2013

We as children of the twenty-first century are forever buried in our electronic gadgets and jam-packed social lives. Thus, when we ninth-grade whippersnappers met for class today, we were all armed to the teeth with our iPhones, iPods, cell phones and iWhatevers - sadly. However, it took some persuading, but we eventually surrendered our gadgets… realizing the true nature of ourselves as humans in the process.

 

 You see, the scriptures tell us of the “guidelines” or prescriptions we have for living, called SAMSKARAS. Some are the same rules we have been fed since Kindergarten: kindness, happiness, generosity. The easy stuff. And then there are the more difficult rules to keep in mind; the ones that we, as teenagers, often don’t really care about. Take, for example, ASPRAH… the absence of desires or clinging attachments.  Clearly, we could use some help in that area, with the number of people who came in engrossed in their phones. We are so attached to our devices, our friends, and getting good grades that we do not perceive what is important in life… fulfilling our dharma and breaking free of the cycle of wrongdoing. Often, these desires keep us from doing what is right, and we end up living in a superficial, distracted state. One must be like a statue (have SAMATTVAM), we agreed, and remain constant and true, not allowing petty desires to affect us on our path to our ultimate goals. Another value we as ninth-graders often overlook is ANAYSA, or being free from mental strain. Instead of abstaining from conflict, we often willingly engage ourselves in it, allowing our emotions to take on a life of their own! Well… some of us. Ram Uncle shared with the class a super-fun word that describes this behavior perfectly: VIDANDAVADAM, or arguing simply for the sake of arguing (Word of the Day!). So many of us feel the need to have the last word, or simply to talk because we can, and we fail to realize that the occasional heated atmosphere of the classroom as well as our brains arises from this need. If we stopped creating tension, like the proverbial stretched rubber band, we would all remain at much more peace.  Finally, a significant samskara discussed in class today was purity (SAUCAM). What is purity? Some argue it is synonymous with kindness. Some believe it is achieved by taking copious showers. However, we learned today that purity is achieved by having a clear state of mind, whether it is through daily prayer, meditation/time spent in solitary reflection, or simply by keeping one’s room tidy. All of these methods lead to a more organized, clearer mind that can focus on greater things, such as fulfilling one’s dharma and stuff. Basically, friends: start making those beds!

 

The 8 Samskaras discussed in class today were

·      KIndness

·      Ksanti-Forebearance

·      Anasuya-Absence of jealousy

·      Sauca-Cleanliness/purity of thought/word/actions

·      Anayasa-free from mental strain

·      Mangalam-Auspiciousness/happy state of mind.

·      Akarpanya-not being a miser

·      Asprah-Absence of desires

Even though we ninth-graders occasionally come to class distracted and are quite fond of heated debates, Balavihar class allows us to take away knowledge that eventually makes us better people. Learning about the various samskaras as we did today will certainly help us achieve our goals in high school… and beyond.

 

- Ananya Ramachandran