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Regarding correspondence with representatives of Sanatana Dharma Community

Dear friends walking on the Path!

Correspondence with Community representatives exists to allow practitioners to clarify some unclear points in the practice, the Teachings, to receive advice, and to accumulate merit by cooperating with the Community and participating in various projects.

A representative of the Community will:

• answer your questions on the Teachings and practice,

• give advice and guidance in the transmission of individual practices,

• provide you with necessary information about training, retreats, ministries, etc.

• Inform the Guru or Senior Monks about your questions in special cases.

Representatives of the Community who respond to letters:

Postal Group staff, supervised by Nun Nityashree Giri

Senior monks Swamini Satya Tejasi Giri, Ramanatha Giri.

Correspondence on spiritual matters should be constructive, substantive, and beneficial to you, so we immediately stipulate certain principles we accept as axiomatic even before we begin our communication.

Understanding these principles by the spiritual seeker is necessary to exclude idle curiosity, self-expression or fruitless discussions on spiritual life because correspondence by the representatives of the Monastery is specifically conducted on matters of Advaita teachings, practice and training.

However, no such commitment is required if you wish to start business correspondence regarding cooperation with the sangha.

These principles are as follows:

1. I understand that the true goal of any person's life is to attain spiritual perfection, i.e., Liberation and Enlightenment (attaining oneness with Brahman, becoming a jnani, a siddha).

2. I understand that such Liberation comes when the yogi attains transcendental consciousness beyond duality (samadhi).

3. I understand that the state of samadhi is attained as a result of persistent daily spiritual training under the guidance of a spiritual teacher and according to the methods of his school.

4. I understand that the state of samadhi described in the sacred texts of yoga by ancient and modern saints is the proper method of transformation, attaining holiness, immortality, Liberation and Enlightenment.

5. I understand that becoming a disciple and learning from the Guru is necessary to attain Enlightenment and Liberation through the state of true samadhi.

To learn from a Guru means:

• To accept the authority of the sacred texts of a tradition,

• to accept the authority of the saints of a tradition,

• to accept the authority of the Teacher who represents that tradition,

• to accept the authority of the Teachings that are expounded by a tradition or a particular Teacher,

• accept the authority of the system of teaching and the system of spiritual practice adopted by the spiritual school I have chosen to follow,

• accept the authority of the Guru's disciples who are authorized to teach.

7. I sincerely believe in the truth of the statements of the saints that:

• human birth is very precious, but this preciousness is meaningful only if I dedicate my life to the path of Liberation and Enlightenment,

• the life of all human beings and other beings is governed by the inexorable law of cause and effect (the law of karma), to surpass which is the purpose of life,

• unconscious life in ignorance, outside the path of Enlightenment and Liberation, will inevitably lead to suffering from dissatisfaction, old age, disease and death; such unconscious life should be avoided by a yogi who has taken the path,

• this life is impermanent, it is changeable, and one should not be attached to anything or anyone because any attachment is meaningless.

8. I believe in the truth of such statements of saints as:

• Only the Absolute is real - everything else is a void play of its energies, an illusion born of ignorance ("Brahmat sat jagat mithya")

• The absolute Source is the base of pure Consciousness ("Prajnyanam Brahma").

• "I Am" Consciousness at its core is the Supreme Source ("Aham Brahmasmi").

9. I believe in the truth of the saints' instructions that one should avoid samsara, the unconscious view of the world, by all means, and strive in this life for Liberation or a higher rebirth.

To have a success in practice is necessary:

• limit and control worldly desires, renounce them, and if experienced, experience them strictly in the context of spiritual practice,

• to cultivate compassion, love, faith, patience, pure vision, to control egoism,

• develop mindfulness, awareness and concentration.

• observe yogic principles, tantric precepts (samaya)

• liberate oneself from negative qualities (kleshas) such as pride, anger, malice, lust, greed, envy and attachment,

• renounce worldly vanity, the pursuit of gain, fame, fortune, and any value beyond Liberation,

• diligently practice meditation and yoga in accordance with the Teachings.

10. I believe that all religions lead to the true state if one follows them sincerely and attains true holiness.

11. I am convinced that the teachings of Advaita transmitted by the saints of the tradition of the Yoga Monastery "Collection of Mysteries" are the greatest jewel that opens the way for the spiritual seeker, provided he is sincere, aspiring in yogic practice ("Namo Satya Dharma"). At least, that is what I am trying to realize.

12. I am sincerely convinced that the Guru from whom I have chosen to study is the unity of all saints and teachers and is the marvellous manifestation of the Absolute itself ("Namo Guru Deva"). At least, I am sincerely trying to nurture such a vision.

13. I am convinced that the holy community of monks and nuns of the Monastery is a marvellous manifestation of the sacred energies of siddhas, yogis and yoginis, helping me in my spiritual life ("Namo Arya Sangha"). At least, I sincerely try to nurture such a vision.

14. I am convinced of the true sanctity of eminent yoga teachers such as Bhagavan Avadhuta Dattatreya, Rishi Vasishtha, Bhagavan Sri Adi Shankaracharya, Saint Ramalinga, Sri Ramana Maharshi, Matsyendranath, Gorakshanath and Saraha, Sri Guru Brahmananda, and other teachers of the Laya Yoga lineage in the Avadhut tradition of the great Sahaja path.

15. I am convinced that authentic spiritual practice of realization and meditation is more important than mental discussions and book knowledge, and that only personal mystical experience of continuous consciousness, confirmed by the Guru, serves as a criterion of success on the spiritual path.

16. I am convinced that none of my or anyone else's verbal conceptual descriptions of absolute Reality are unambiguous. They are like a finger pointing at the moon. The total experience of Truth is paradoxical and entirely beyond any concepts, words or theories. Nevertheless, in a relative sense one can use them for the sake of clarifying what is beyond concepts.

17. I am convinced that the state of "beyond concepts" can be clarified and deepened through intense meditation, contemplation practice, mindfulness, and self-observation.

18. I am convinced that there is reincarnation and that my next life is determined by the focus of my consciousness, accumulated merit, and karma that will be created in the present life.

19. I am convinced that one should avoid bad karma, unconscious actions, and obscured states that lead to lower rebirths. I am convinced that one should accumulate "white seeds" of karma, i.e. merit, and purify oneself.

20. I am convinced that in becoming a disciple one should adhere strictly to the principles accepted in the Tantric traditions:

• Adopt the position of an "empty vase," that is, to have openness, trust, and receptivity to instruction,

• to observe samaya, that is, sacred relationships,

• maintain a "pure vision" of the teachings, guru and sangha,

• respect the methods and approaches of the Teaching on various issues,

• honor the samaya of the Teaching, i.e., follow the tried-and-true technology of the Teaching methods that has been tested by dozens of generations of saints,

• respect the Master, the lineage of the Teaching, the sangha (community), and respect Dharma companions.

Also, our principles are set forth in the text of the Creed.

Rules of Correspondence

1. I request a representative of the Convent to start correspondence with me.

2. By starting correspondence, I wish to establish communication with the representative of the Monastery to gain a deeper understanding of the path of liberation and, in particular, of the Advaita teachings of the Sanatana Dharma Community.

3. I intend to respectfully correspond with the Community's representative, especially concerning matters concerning the Teachings, the Guru and the sankhga.

4. I promise to maintain the confidentiality of correspondence with respect to anything relating to the description of yogic techniques, exercises, meditations, practice instructions, and initiations.

5. The range of issues and topics of correspondence will be mainly related to understanding the Teachings and yogic practices, solving personal problems in practice, as well as issues of creative cooperation with the sangha.

6. I intend to be respectful of the monastic status and the member of the Community with whom I specifically enter into correspondence.

Questionnaire

In order to write a letter to a representative of the Community and enter into correspondence, it is necessary to confirm your agreement to the Rules of Correspondence and fill in a questionnaire. You can send the letter via the form or from your mailbox to sadhuloka@gmail.com. By filling in the questionnaire, you consent to the processing and storing of your personal data.n mm