May

May 10

• Good study habits

  • Being timely

  • Don’t procrastinate *

    • Get distracted by other FUN options

    • Leaving work up to last moment

    • Don’t really WANT to do it, HAVE to do it

    • Forget about task when distracted

    • Avoid if it’s cumbersome

    • If task requires a lot of effort and time, and is a drag

    • Just don’t want to do it

    • WHY:

      • Panic

      • Not good at it

      • Maybe I’ll get help

      • Too hard

      • Want to get away with it

      • Fear of failure - scared of result

        • Where do we get the fear of failure?

        • Afraid of being judged

        • Unrealistic expectations

        • Afraid of post-failure feelings and results

    • HOW TO OVERCOME:

      • Designate a spot and time

      • Face the problem

      • Calm down - think about why

      • Start over and think about specifics

      • PROS & CONS

      • Visualize it - make a plan (but don’t set it in stone)

      • Improvise

  • Prioritize work

  • Make time

  • Be organized

  • Pick a designated spot

• • Focus on your work

  • Sit in a good position

  • Remove distractions

  • Do homework first - just be done with it

  • Something you get to do, not have to do

  • Get something good out of it

  • Focus on learning it, not just finishing it

  • Keep trying even if it is hard

  • Take breaks, freshen up

• Seven Steps to Overcome Procrastination:

  • Step 1: Do the task for just a few minutes

  • Step 2: Do the hard tasks first.

  • Step 3: Overcome the fear of failure. Believe in your ability

  • Step 4: Manage your environment. Get rid of distractions, find a place you can work

  • Step 5: Set yourself short deadlines, Prioritize your work

  • Step 6: Model success

  • Step 7: Make the task harder

• How to manage Clutter:

  • Take time to organize and clean your desk after you study

  • Or, Set a thirty second timer before you study and use that time to clean your work area. This also helps you feel motivated and accomplished.

  • Cleaning up clutter takes less time than we think.

• Choosing friends from peers

• Think about how you met your first friend at school. What made you want to be their friend?

  • Similar hobbies.

  • Notice good things about people, end up liking that about the person.

  • You start out by talking with the person. Then eventually you spend more time together, look for things to do together, and you become friends over time.

  • Subconsciously matching up your values with the other person. This is done through interaction, not consciously.

  • Trust and respect in the friend increases.

  • Time increases the strength of your friendship.

  • A change in the strength of your friendship happens when the other person thinks they are part of your family. This change is affected by:

    • Spend lots of time with them, like them a lot, and get to know them well.

    • The way you treat them and they treat you.

    • How you feel when you are together.

  • “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” -Maya Angelou

  • Quality is greater than quantity.

  • You argue with people to grow and learn, not to disrespect.

  • Fighting is not a bad thing. It is bad if you act badly after you fight. Never fight for the sake of winning, be ready to change your opinions at the end of a discussion.

  • Go out in the world to meet other people, and work together to spread kindness and compassion. Friends can be family, someone you recently met, someone you volunteer with, or someone you play games with.

  • A friend is someone you trust with your values and vice versa.

  • You can make friends with people from different backgrounds. This will help you learn.

  • Unexpected friends are good too.

  • A good friend is someone that will correct you and watch out for you (i.e. makes sure you don’t stray away from good values).

May 3

We had class presentation on Sunday. Thank you to all the students for preparing! They did a wonderful job.

Here is a full compilation of all the essays written by the students: CLICK HERE

Homework:

• Chapter 7 - Choosing your Friends from Peers

• Chapter 11 - Good Study Habits

April

FINAL PAPER SUBMISSION & PRESENTATION REMINDER:

• WRITE UP:

  • ALL TOPICS HAVE BEEN ASSIGNED TO STUDENTS: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/12uo50q2YI_f6vBOmW1GPWMSNv7cv1NNKGk1VrBhWIbw/edit?usp=sharing

  • Submit 170-200 words

  • In your own words/perspective: write what this topic means and how it impacts your life (how it helps, what lessons you have learned, how it helps you grow, best practices, etc)

  • Final submission is due by 8pm on Saturday, MAY 2nd. You can submit using this form: https://forms.gle/S89i29dGVLWkTzYM7

  • Students can also submit this same write up to the HATS Annual Day if they wish: https://sites.google.com/site/hatshsmn/annual-day-2020

• PRESENTATION:

  • Students will read aloud their write up in class on May 3rd (be ready with the write up when class starts)

  • Each student will also be asked to either recite one of the two Gita Shlokas or explain the meaning of that shloka in their own words

    • • • Follow along with the youtube video: Practice singing: https://youtu.be/LkARYBHZJwM?t=2m11s - video from 2:12-2:48

        • Chapter 2, shloka 62:

        • dhyayato vishayaan pumsaha, sangastesho upajaayate

        • sangaat sanjaayate kaamaha, kaamaatkrodhobhijaayate

        • When you constantly think of objects, attachment is born,

        • from that attachment desire is born, from desire anger is born

        • Chapter 2, shloka 63:

        • krodhaadbhavati sammohah, sammohaat smriti vibhramaha

        • smriti bhramshaad buddhinaasho, buddhi naashaat pranashyati

        • From anger comes delusion, from delusion there is loss of memory,

        • from loss of memory comes destruction of intellect, from destruction of intellect, one is ruined.

  • This will count as our "end of year class presentation"

  • Parents encouraged to join!!

April 26

• Respect for others

  • WHY

    • Helpful

    • Older and wiser

    • They stand their ground

    • Show kindness

  • HOW

    • Showing admiration

    • Not putting others down

    • Elevate someone else

    • Not talking back

    • Gratitude - being thankful

    • Acknowledge

  • Hard to respect

    • Want to be the best

    • Need to earn respect

    • Good impression

    • Ego gets in the way

  • Respect your elders vs respecting when deserving

    • Consider when you want to give respect

    • Show respect for your parents or someone else you respect

    • Have your opinions - but be civil

    • Behave like someone you do respect

    • Limit confrontation - uplift your own values and thoughts

    • Respect is underlying in current society

    • Methods of showing respect can be different, but the value is there

    • Navigating different social settings

    • Indian culture context vs American culture context

    • Important to understand how someone else wants to be respected

    • Learn from others’ experiences - can learn SOMETHING from everyone

• SELF respect

  • Confidence

  • Self motivating

  • Self esteem

  • Dignity

  • Uplifting self

  • WHY

    • Kindness

    • Happiness

    • Increases wisdom

    • Intellect

  • Challenges

    • Internal enemies take over

    • Disappoint others and self

    • Guilt

    • Cycle of defense

    • Questioning self

  • Overcoming

    • Calm self down

    • Consider solutions

    • Apologize - at the right time, in the right way

    • Forgive yourself

    • Limit before it turns to ego

    • Equality and equity

Humility

• Accepting your mistakes

• Not letting ego take over

• Play down your greatness

• Focus on kindness and empathy

• Acting upon good values

• The second you think you have it, it’s gone

• All the great gurus have it

• Often the people we respect have humility

• Middle ground between ego and humility

• Result of our good actions and values

• Respect and humility can coexist

April 19

• Chapter 2, shloka 62:

• dhyayato vishayaan pumsaha, sangastesho upajaayate

• sangaat sanjaayate kaamaha, kaamaatkrodhobhijaayate

• When you constantly think of objects, attachment is born,

• from that attachment desire is born, from desire anger is born

• Chapter 2, shloka 63:

• krodhaadbhavati sammohah, sammohaat smriti vibhramaha

• smriti bhramshaad buddhinaasho, buddhi naashaat pranashyati

• From anger comes delusion, from delusion there is loss of memory,

• from loss of memory comes destruction of intellect, from destruction of intellect, one is ruined.

• Summary:

  • All internal enemies lead to each other. You end up being destroyed.

  • When you get angry, your judgement is clouded, leading you to other internal enemies.

  • Lost control of yourself.

• Gossip

  • Talking about someone behind their back

  • Hear something and repeat it (in a bad way)

  • Gossip - emotional, story, can be hurtful, scandalous, untrue, on purpose, changing someone’s image

  • Rumors - pieces of information that has not been verified, usually not harmful

  • Backbiting - intention of hurting someone else, do something wrong behind someone's back, doing without someone being ok with it

• Impact

  • Gossip

    • Relationships can get impacted

    • May not get accepted in places or groups

    • Can hurt reputation

    • Can hurt your work and credentials

  • Rumors

    • False image

    • Same impact as gossip

  • Backbiting

    • Less likely to trust others

    • Lowers your number of relationships

    • Can impact job/education

    • Can impact others

• Reaction

  • Can ignore and move on - if situation is small enough

  • Is it worth it to react?

  • Share the truth with trusted person

    • Avoid complaining

  • Talk it out with the person causing the problem

    • 50% risk of it going either way - good or bad

    • You don’t know what they’re going to do

    • Personal connection - WHY? Learn their perspective. Add your experience. Avoid being defensive.

    • Be responsible and get ahead of the situation - proactive

  • “It's out there”

    • Let your actions speak for themselves - do the best possible job that you can do

    • Let your results determine your reputation

    • Wait it out

    • Do good actions based on good values

      • Avoid the bad traps yourself

Homework:

• Chapter 32: Humility & Respect for Everyone

• Memorize word-by-word meaning and practice singing Gita shloka - students will be picked at random to sing out loud

• Practice using this link: https://youtu.be/LkARYBHZJwM?t=2m11s - video from 2:12-2:48

End-of-year presentation information:

• WRITE UP:

  • LINK TO SIGN UP: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/12uo50q2YI_f6vBOmW1GPWMSNv7cv1NNKGk1VrBhWIbw/edit?usp=sharing

  • Pick one of the topics covered in class

  • Assign your name to list, first come first serve

  • All required topics must be assigned

  • Submit 170-200 words

  • In your own words/perspective: write what this topic means and how it impacts your life

  • Teenage volunteers, Adhvaith & Neev will be available to help proofread or provide constructive feedback if you would like.

  • If you would like their help, you can email them your write up no later than April 26: adhvaith.sridhar@gmail.com, pokeneev@gmail.com

  • Final submission is due on MAY 2nd. You can submit using this form: https://forms.gle/S89i29dGVLWkTzYM7

  • Students can also submit this same write up to the HATS Annual Day if they wish: https://sites.google.com/site/hatshsmn/annual-day-2020

• PRESENTATION:

  • Students will read aloud their write up in class on May 3rd

  • This will count as our "end of year class presentation"

  • Parents encouraged to join

April 12

• Cleanliness of body- chapter 46

  • Being neat and clean

  • Good hygiene

  • Shower every day

  • Fresh clothes

  • Throwing garbage away regularly

  • Cleaning messiness

  • “Cleanliness is next to Godliness”

  • Have assigned spaces

  • Eat meals together

  • It will help mentally

    • Makes you feel fresh

  • Less clutter = think better

  • WHY

    • Better habits

    • Organization

    • More motivation

    • Better mindset

    • Remove DISTRACTIONS

    • Helps FOCUS

  • Keep clean

    • Desk - that’s where you work, spend most of your time, need focus

    • Self - smell and feel fresh, around other people, motivation to work

    • Room - find things faster, less distractions, avoid lethargy

    • FOOD - eat healthy, limit junk, increase energy, avoid greasy

  • HOW

    • Deep cleaning - set aside time and do something you don’t normally do

      • One thing at a time

      • Avoid feeling overwhelmed

      • Short breaks in between

      • Do something relaxing (book break, exercise break)

      • Listen to music

      • MAKE A LIST - keep it simple and limited, organized, add a couple easy things

    • Short breaks -

      • Refresh and reset

      • Deep breathing and meditation - refresh our minds

      • Power nap if possible

      • Healthy snacks - nuts, fruits, veggies

      • Check in with others - make sure to take healthy breaks

      • Exercise - walk around, stretch, jumping jacks, drink a glass of water

      • Something fun - short games/puzzles, music, instruments, screen time, arts/crafts/creating

• Purity of mind

  • Cleanliness for mind

  • Clear and good thoughts

  • Pure = not mixed, free from contamination

    • Limit desires and distractions

    • Focused thoughts

    • Rid of the internal enemies

  • Extra energy - make the right choices

  • What are you using your thoughts for

    • Prayers, helping, growing, learning

• Gita shloka 2.62

• dhyayato vishayaan pumsaha, sangastesho upajaayate

• sangaat sanjaayate kaamaha, kaamaat krodho-bhijaayate

  • dhyayato: contemplating - thinking - dwelling

  • vishayaan: (sense) objects

  • pumsah: self

  • sangah: attachment

  • teshu: to those (sense-objects)

  • upajaayate: arises - develops - is born

  • Sangaat: (from) attachment

  • Sanjaayate: arises - develops - is born

  • kaamaha: desire

  • kaamaat: from desire

  • krodha: anger

  • abhijaayate: arises - develops - is born

• Gita shloka 2.63

• krodhaat bhavati sammohah, sammohaat smriti-vibramaha

• smriti-bramshaad buddhi-naasho, buddhi-naashaat pranashyati

  • Krodhaat: from anger

  • Bhavati: comes, happens

  • Sammohah: delusion

  • Sammohaat: from delusion

  • Smriti: memory (positive)

  • Vibramaha: loss of

  • Smriti: memory

  • Bramshaad: from loss of

  • Buddhi: intellect

  • Naasho: destruction of

  • Buddhi: intellect

  • Naashaat: from loss/destruction of

  • Pranashyati: one is ruined

Homework:

• Memorize word-by-word meaning and practice singing shloka - students will be picked at random to sing out loud

• Practice using this link: https://youtu.be/LkARYBHZJwM?t=2m11s - video from 2:12-2:48

• Read chapters 23 (Fault finding) and 24 (gossiping)

April 5

• Shraddha (FAITH) & Bhakti (DEVOTION)

  • Shraddha -

    • Having trust

    • What you believe in

    • What you think is right

    • Dedication

    • Can have shraddha in:

      • *RELIGION*

        • Faith can be anything/broad

          • Acting on guidelines

        • Religion is something specific, one God one thing

          • Ways to ignite belief/faith

      • Other people - guidance to help make decisions

      • Yourself - confidence, results from hard work, believe in yourself, fearlessness

        • Bhagwan - guidance, have something to believe in, *Supreme Power*

      • Your morals - doing the right thing, help do actions, help throughout life

    • NOT blind-faith - be conscious and thoughtful

      • Believing without knowing

      • Not committed

      • Overpowering your actions

  • Bhakti -

    • Keep efforts going

    • Don’t falter

    • Consistency

    • *COMMITTED*

    • Connected to shraddha - need to have faith

      • Devoted to:

        • Family

        • Morals - guidelines - right things

        • Education

        • Sports - extra curriculars

        • God

        • Goals

  • Shraddha & Bhakti - feed into each other. Connected together

  • YOGA presentation - view outline HERE

Homework:

• Read chapter 46 (cleanliness of body) and 47 (purity of mind)

• Start thinking about Annual Day submissions

• Do minimum 3 out of 7 yoga practices every day

• Memorize Gita shloka with meaning

  • Chapter 2, shloka 62 & 63

  • MEMORIZE Shloka - follow along with the youtube video: Practice singing: https://youtu.be/LkARYBHZJwM?t=2m11s - video from 2:12-2:48

March

March 22

• What is the order is shaastras?

• Some examples:

  • Ramayana

  • Vedas

  • Bhagavad Gita

  • Upanishad

  • Mahabharata

  • (Patangali) Yoga Sutra

  • Puranas

• “IN ORDER”

  • Vedas - FOUR

    1. Rigveda - Knowledge of science, (universe, nature, body, energy, earth, space, etc), practical explanations on how things work

    2. Samaveda - Practices, shruti/singing - how to pray, focus on philosophical questions and thoughts, nature of God

    3. Yajurveda - Practical knowledge on how to live life, explanations of duties we have (as leaders, students, family members, parts of society, etc), more info on yagnas (havans)

    4. Atharvaveda - Veda of knowledge (God- supreme power), ayurveda/medicine

    5. The knowledge of the Vedas teaches you to be your best self. They are very scientific. They are guidelines for all of our Dharmic teachings. They have everything. Have a lot of content and are huge books. Generally only rigorously read and studied by people whose focus is on studying the Vedas as more than a hobby.

  • Upanishads - ELEVEN

    1. Are “categorized” summaries. Has lots of practical examples. More accessible then the Vedas in terms of having the time to read them. Made for people who are unable to give all their time to studying the Vedas. Contains the same essentials as the Veda’s.

  • Patanjali Yog Sutra

    1. Practical application in day to day life. Helps you apply concepts on a day to day basis.

  • Bhagavad Gita

    1. Conversation between Arjuna-Krishna

       1. Krishna encouraged Arjun to fight the war

       2. Moral lessons - secrets of life

       3. We still learn from it because the basis can still be applied to your daily life and the concepts can still help us. One example of a similarity is that in the Bhagavad Gita there is a phrase about Arjun having fear which is something that we all feel sometimes. It shows Arjun as a person just like the rest of us.

  • Bhagavat Purana

    1. Stories!!!!! These are the fun examples that we use to learn positive morals/lessons.

    2. Written as stories so it’s easy to understand for people of all ages, from kids to adults.

  • Ramayana & Mahabharata

    1. HISTORY - EPICS

    2. Learn about how the world used to be, learn what changed, learn from their mistakes and remember the good they did in the past.

Chapter 2 - shloka 62 & 63

• dhyayato vishayaan pumsaha, sangastesho upajaayate

• sangaat sanjaayate kaamaha, kaamaat krodho-bhijaayate

  • dhyayato: contemplating - thinking - dwelling

  • vishayaan: (sense) objects

  • pumsah: self

  • sangah: attachment

  • teshu: to those (sense-objects)

  • upajaayate: arises - develops - is born

  • Sangaat: (from) attachment

  • Sanjaayate: arises - develops - is born

  • kaamaha: desire

  • kaamaat: from desire

  • krodha: anger

  • abhijaayate: arises - develops - is born

Homework:

1. Learn Shloka 63.

   1. MEMORIZE Shloka - follow along with the youtube video: Practice singing: https://youtu.be/LkARYBHZJwM?t=2m11s - video from 2:12-2:48

2. Read Chapter 55 & 56.

3. Continue working on your habits.

March 15

1. Why is the number 108 significant?

   1. 108 diameter moon to sun-earth-moon

   2. 108 - wholeness of existence - vedas - ultimate knowledge

   3. 108 upanishads - 108 chapters of rig veda

   4. 108 japa mala beads - 108 sun salutations

   5. Sanskrit alphabet has 54 letters (x2=108)

   6. 9 planets - 12 constellation - so when they revolve around the constellations, gives 108 combinations

   7. 108 is the basis of all creation

   8. Sun salutations 108 times for maximum effect

   9. 108 pressure points

2. Why is the number 11 significant?

   1. According to shaastras - there is a correlation from moon movements to our bodily functions

   2. 10 sense organs - 1 mind

   3. 11 is associated with many faiths - can show connection between faith and science

3. What are Shodashopchara (16-step) pooja steps? CLICK HERE to Download document

   1. A pooja that is a ceremony with sixteen different parts.

   2. Sixteen steps to worshipping Bhagvan.

   3. It can be used to worship any god.

   4. Some steps include:Offer to wash feet, give them a seat, offer holy water, fill the mind with pure thoughts, offer flowers, meditate, clean clothes.

   5. Steps in order: Invite, offer seat, give a welcome, symbolically wash feet of deity with sacred water, water offered for washing hands and face, water is offered for drinking, a sweet or energizing drink is offered in order to give energy, symbolic cleaning of the deity/image, symbolic offering of clothing and ornaments, Kumkum, Chandan, and other fragrant pastes and powders are applied, flower and garlands are offered, incense is burned, diya is lighted and the arti is performed, Satvic foods and fruits are offered and are later distributed to the worshippers as Prasad, worshippers as forgiveness for any mistakes made, and bhagvan symbolically returns to heavenly abode.

   6. Symbolizes the actual action’s main idea. Ex. bathing -> cleanliness

   7. Examples - 24 hour Akhand Ramayan which is only one part (13) - you can do this at home with a little moorthy in your home! Do this when you want something, when school starts, you can just do your prayers from HATS Assembly, clean the feet a little bit, use clean pure water and clean the murthy and offer water, offer something sweet, offer some flowers, put a new outfit or jewelry to the pooja, offer prashad, Thank bhagvan for the blessings.

   8. Very simple, make sure you do it with devotion, you can do it at home!

4. Difference between mantra and shloka?

   1. Both have religious meaning and significance. Both there to help you and others.

   2. Mantra - Usually Vedic, starts with Aum, Vibrations of Mantras helps you when you say it right. Originally in Sanskrit, based on sounds.More scientific, and more about invoking the power inside yourself rather than being centered around bhagvan.

   3. Shloka - verses, spiritual meanings, can be in other languages, more “casual,” more dialects, more languages, India has many diverse languages and Shlokas can be created from any of them. Focused on how it makes you feel emotionally. Often something that is praising a form of Bhagvan and Bhagvan’s qualities. More about connecting to Bhagvan and praising Bhagvan. Bhajans are a more extended form of a Shloka.

5. What is the order is shaastras? Also bring some examples.

   1. We will go over this next week.

6. Please work on continuing your habits!

Homework:

• For next week write word by word meaning of Gita shloka- chapter 2, shloka 62. HINT: First word is “Dhyayato”.

• Also, please read chapter 53 (Spiritual Knowledge)

• Continue working on your habits.

March 8

Performance of Worship

• 4 major ways (details below)

  • Japa

  • Pooja

  • Yoga

  • Yagna

• Know the meaning of what you do and it’s relevance.

• Practice with focus. Don’t be distracted.

• Do it with devotion and respect

Four types of Worship in detail

• Japa: Japa is reciting prayers, usually 108 times, charecterized by the Japa Mala (a string of 108 rudhraksha seeds that you use to count the number of times you repeat a god’s name or mantra).

  • Helps you focus.

  • Helps you understand what you are doing.

  • Repetition.

    • Helps keep the positive thought of Bhagvan in your head.

  • You can chant the name of god, mantras, or chapters of shaastras.

  • Doing Japa regularly helps instill bhagvan into your brain.

• Pooja: Pooja is when you sit in front of a Murthy of bhagvan and say prayers to connect with god, light an aarthi, cleanse your mind, physical and visual way of worship. Towards a picture or moorthy that represents bhagvan.

  • They offer flowers, foods, lamps(diyas), incense, jewelry, people dressed up, books, different types of food, a maala (garland), people doing actual chanting.

  • Poojas look different when done to different bhagvans. They have special poojas, special rituals, and special mantras/method in order to honor each bhagvan specially and to symbolize specific things on specific days.

  • There are poojas for many, many things! Like car poojas, home poojas, test poojas, etc.

• Yoga: Yoga is done in order to activate your energy, involves breathing, bring our inner soul, connect with bhagvan, connecting.

  • Word “yoga” means unity and connecting,

  • Important to lear that it is not exercise.

  • Calms heart and mind.

  • Eight parts of yoga.

• Yagna: Yagna is when people sit around a fire and give offerings to bhagvan, Fire, sacrifice through holy fire.

  • Performed around a fire

  • Symbolizes that you are not attached to every material thing in the world.

  • Fire purifies, it is the most powerful.

  • We offer things like branches, trees, herbs, ghee and other items to purify the air around us.

  • Offering to bhagvan.

  • Sacrificing ego to bhagvan.

  • Fire destroys evil but protects the good.

Doing any of the above methods of worship helps you take a step toward enlightenment. The purpose is to understand the meaning and know the end result. Next time you go to a pooja, spend some time learning why you are doing the pooja and what its meaning is.

Study of Shaaatras

1. Shaastras are guidelines on how to become better through general topics

2. They are not specific, picky rules that you have to follow! They are guidelines, a way of life!

3. They are not the same thing as scriptures because scriptures are specific rules or steps that tell you exactly what to do.

4. Indirect methods: perspective

5. Stories and examples

6. Goals to attain

7. Need to have understanding and know what is happening.

8. Focus on understanding

9. Filled with mantras and shlokas.

10. Learning through motivation.

11. 4 steps:

    • Adhyayana: learn from guru.

    • Manana: reciting and learning.

    • Pravachana: teach it.

    • Vyavahaara: practice it.

12. It is a cycle because you help other people start their steps when you reach Pravachana.

13. Most of them are written in Sanskrit.

    • Understand and learn word by word meaning of the mantras and sholkas that you sing.

14. Examples of shaastras include the Bhagavad Gita, Puranas, Vedas, Ramayanam, Mahabharata, and Upanishads.

Homework:

1. Why is the number 108 significant?

2. Why is the number 11 significant?

3. What are Shodashopchar pooja steps?

4. Difference between mantra and sholka?

5. What is the order is shaastras? Also bring some examples.

6. Please work on continuing your habits.

March 1

Really learn the meanings and words in the shloks

Unity

• Forgetting differences/Putting them aside to coexist. Forgetting differences doesn’t work, but you have to be ok with the fact that differences exist to behold community

• No fighting

• Togetherness

• Community

• Sehe na avatu

How to achieve Unity

• Build community

• Communicate

When unity takes time to be built, how does somebody not get annoyed and continue working hard to build unity? How do you deal with the nuances of being a part of the community? How do you focus on unity when you have people who don’t want to be part of it, don’t want to communicate, and aren’t focused on positivity for growth?

• Clearly, what you are trying to do isn’t working, so the best way to combat this is to come up with new solutions.

• Make an impact on them, try to convince them of what you want them to do

• Have empathy and try to understand their perspective

• Lead by example

How does somebody lead by example?

• USE IDEALS AND VALUES, what we’ve been learning this whole time

• Remember Karma. If you put in the work yourself and do what you should do while embodying ideals and values, you will be OK.

Unity is NOT immediate. As you grow older and older, more and more people will exist who have a largely different life experiences. Some people will have nothing in common. The important thing is to remember the ultimate goal of community. Even if setting a common goal is accomplished, the way to accomplish the goal itself is still the other half of the battle.

Homework:

• Keep on practicing meaning of Sahana Vavutu and purna madah. Habits and saving money too.

• Read chapters 51 (Performance of Worship) and 52 (Study of Scriptures)

• Brainstorm ideas for end-of-year presentation

• We will be starting Gita shloka soon

February

February 23

What is Supreme Power?

• The power of Bhagavan inside all of us.

How is mediation beneficial? What is its purpose?

• To connect with yourself and your supreme power. People trying to find their supreme power, being a better person, just taking some times out to really think.

What do our shlokas really say?

• Purna madah:

• They say that we all have the same supreme power of Bhagavan inside us. Even if there's 10 people or 7 billion people on this Earth, the supreme power of the world and Bhagavan stats the same. Your power, your energy comes from Bhagavan, but that doesn't mean that because you have more energy Bhagavan has less. Bhagavans energy is infinite.

Non-Hoarding

• Having only what you need

• Wants vs needs

• All wants aren't bad, some wants are simply unnecessary

• Wants, needs, and |greeds| <--- Unnecessary

• Greed is when you want something but only for a temporary moment of happiness

• Nowadays, wants are blurred. Technically, all someone needs is a hut, food, water, and clothing. But nowadays it's ok to want something to make your life better. It's important, however, to draw the line and make the distinction between wants and greeds.

• For example, getting a school iPad is a want, however you're using it for something productive and or something good. This is a want. However if you have an iPad and you want another one for some non-essential reason, it's a greed, not a want.

• Its not always want vs need. It's wants vs needs vs greeds

• it's not a bad thing to want to improve your life, to a limit

What is contentment?

• Being satisfied

• Wants/Needs

• Not being stressed because you have what you want and need.

• Why is contentment so hard to achieve?

  • Every time we get what we want or need, something or the other always bothers us and makes us feel discontented as even if we accomplish one thing, there's 10 other things in our mind that take it's place and continue to provide stress.

Homework

• Keep on practicing meaning of Sahana Vavutu and purna madah. Habits and saving money too.

• Read chapters 35 (Unity & Mutual Cooperation) and 42 (Hard work & Vigor)

• Brainstorm ideas for end-of-year presentation

• We will be starting Gita shloka soon

February 16

Peacefulness

• Avoidance of conflict

• Resolving conflict

Examples of dealing with conflict:

1. Use communication strategies.

2. Wait for some time before you go back to talking with the person.

3. Ask parents for help.

4. Move away from the site of the conflict so you have space to think.

5. Ignore the aggravator if they won’t stop when you tell them too.

6. Understand that the other person might be right.

Conflict can be Internal or External.

• Internal conflict is when you have a disagreement with yourself.

• External conflict is when you have a disagreement with something outside of your control.

  • Example of External Conflict include conflict with, others, nature, or society.

1. Saam

   • Solving problems through counsel or talking to a Counselor.

     1. Occurs in a school setting.

     2. Talking to a counselor when students are fighting.

2. Daan

   • Giving someone something. Meeting others’ needs to end conflict.

     1. Identify and meet others' needs, since conflict is often about someone trying to get a need fulfilled.

     2. A sibling is bothering you when you do your homework because they are bored, so you give them a computer game to play while you work, so the sibling is not bored and you get your peace and quiet.

3. Dand

   • Giving someone a consequence or punishment, or giving a warning.

     1. Punishment should be proportional to the conflict.

     2. Someone gets grounded for fighting at school.

4. Bhed

   • Create separation and break off from the conflict.

Solve your internal conflicts before your external conflicts!

Follow the right ideals so you reduce the frequency of conflicts you have.

Meaning of Om Purnamadham Purnamidham:

Literal Translation:

Om, that (outer world) is Purna (complete); This (inner consciousness) is also Purna; From Purna is manifested Purna.

Taking Purna from Purna, Purna indeed remains (because divine consciousness is infinite).

Om, Peace, Peace, Peace.

Homework:

• Chapters 43 (Non-Hoarding & Simple Living) & 44 (Contentment)

• Continue habits tracking

• Continue learning/memorizing word-by-word meaning of Purnamadah & Sahana Vavatu.

February 2

The reason we say the prayer 3 times is

• One for yourself

• One for other people

• One for nature

Straightforwardness and simplicity

Straightforwardness:

• - being direct

• - Not always a good thing:

• - Being too direct

• - Rude

• - Unnecessary Comments

• - To fix this be straightforward in a way that is

• - respectful

• - empathetic

• - sympathetic

• - kind

• - positivity

The chapter is called straightforwardness and simplicity. What is the relation between these two terms?

• - Being straightforward is a part of simplicity.

It's important to have perspective.

• - Treat others how they want to be treated, try to understand other points of view.

Looking back at what we have done, one of the internal enemies is Delusion. How does one get out of delusion?

• - Be simple and straightforward, don't overthink things.

What's another important value needed to stay straightforward?

• - Honesty and Truthfulness

What is Honesty and Truthfulness

• Honesty is the value, Truthfulness is the practice.

What's bad about lying?

• Lying isn't good as it gets you in hot water later. The more someone lies, the more the "web of lies" is likely to come crashing down.

Why do people lie?

• - Survival Instincts?

• - Defensiveness?

• - Self-Preservation

• - Not breaking trust

• - Pride/Ego

Why tell the truth?

• - Don't feel guilty

• - Be a good person

• - Dharma

• - Following Ideals and Values

What about things like white lies? In what situations is lying "Ok"

• - Self Preservation/Safety

Understand that overthinking things makes stuff worse. Lying about small things is pointless and unhelpful. If you overthink things and make them seem bigger then they seem, you will be more likely to lie. Ex. You didn't do your homework or didn't eat vegetables. It may seem like lying about it makes things better, but being honest and getting yelled at or something similar is better then guilt. The next day it'll all be back to normal again.

Homework:

• Ch 28 (Shanti) & 29 (Compassion)

• Know the Meaning of "poornamadah poornamidam" (ending prayer)

• Keep up with the daily spare change collection and the habits

January

January 26

Ch 41: Perseverance, commitment and fortitude

• Commitment: What is it? - Keep going, not giving up, having your mind set in doing something, intending to do it, and not giving up. Following through, not losing hope, continuing to finish.

• Is commitment easier or harder to yourself when compared to others?

  • Depends on the situation

  • Committing to yourself is harder then committing to someone else because there is no one to hold you accountable and you don't feel as guilty since no one else is depending on you.

  • Committing to others is harder then committing to yourself since with yourself you can just do what you want and you know what your we going to do, meanwhile committing to others means you have to make sure that week or you are all on the same track.

• Commitment is the act of making a promise, you commit to doing it. Perseverance is the value that you learn about actually following through with said promise.

• Examples of Commitments:

  • - doing good in Classes in School

  • - Kumon

  • - Team sports or academics

  • - HATS

  • - Personal Goals or commitments

  • - new year's resolution

• Perseverance: What is it? What's the biggest enemy of perseverance?

  • - Distraction?

  • - Laziness?

  • - Ego is the end of Perseverance

  • We all know what the right thing is, but why do we still miss commitments?

  • Keep going; never give up

  • Intent to do; follow through

• Accountability: to self and others

• Commitment: making a promise

• Perseverance: keeping their promise

• Examples:

  • Commitment- feed kids, team sports and play, after school activity/HATS

  • Perseverance- more important because the world is a place of 1,000 opportunities but 100,000 distractions.

  • Technology has improved over generations. This allows us to find information arbitrarily, but it also makes it easier to get distracted. Make sure you improve your focus and commitment so that you don’t get distracted when you are trying to complete a task.

• Understanding what goes wrong to make a positive change is also a way to show perseverance.

  • Working towards gender equality so that all people have equal rights regardless of their gender is an example of this because one needs to find out the problem, decide what they can do to fix it, and then fix it.

  • We have to make sure there are positive results for everyone.

We are all equal < link

HOMEWORK:

• Continue to memorize/learn meaning of Sahana Vavatu

• Continue practicing daily habits! Reminder- keep up 21 days in a row.

• Continue to save some money daily/weekly for our end of year donation.

• Read Chapter 36: Truthfulness & Honesty and Chapter 37: Straightforwardness & Simplicity

January 19

This has been on the website under homework for almost 2 months. Please memorize the meaning of Sahana Vavatu, phrase by phrase, by next week.

Charity:

Students described it as:

• Help People

• doing things for the community, family, or just people who are in need

• share what you have with others

• Giving things that you don't need, or that you have and "need" but other people need more then you do

These are acts of charity though, what is the basis of charity?

• Empathy: Feel for other people and wanting to help them

Seva:

• Doing work for others

• help seniors or help those in need/with needs

• without payment

• without expectations

• providing "service"

But what is service? You get your car serviced, your house serviced, etc. What is service in a general sense?

• Doing something beneficial is service in a general sense

What is the basis for Seva? - Generosity

Seva and Charity seem to be one and the same? But what is the difference?

• Charity is more about the action of giving or Sharing physical objects or help while Seva is where you yourself are going out and doing the work.

• Charity is Quantifiable, while Seva is Qualifiable.

For example:

• Bhakti Didi coming to HATS and sharing her knowledge is Seva, not charity, as (a) she is going out herself and doing the work and (b) how much knowledge she has given can't be quantified; you can't count it, but it can be qualified in terms of how helpful her teaching and the overall quality of her teaching.

• Another example is when Bhakti Didi (in college) collected money through programs to donate to a charity that helps fight disease.

• Bhakti Didi going out and working to collect money is Seva, while the donation itself is Charity.

It's not a competition of Charity vs Seva. Both are equally helpful to society, and doing either for your community is gold. The magnitude of the Seva or Charity you are doing doesn't matter. Help of any kind in any form is appreciated by someone somewhere.

How do you build these concepts in your daily life?

• Doing Chores

• Volunteering

• Helping people in general builds the practice of Seva and Charity

• Donating "extra" things, clothes, toys etc. Stuff that you really do not need anymore.

• There's always a way to help someone. 1000s of organizations exist. All you have to do is look.

• There are so many ways of helping people. Don't do it just for the sake of "Oh look at me I'm so helpful". If you want to be helpful then do it sincerely as this will allow you to help someone to the best of your extent as you will be thinking about it as something you want to do rather then as a chore.

• The minute you think about what you are going to be getting back in return, it becomes a business transaction rather then Goodwill/Charity/Seva.

HOMEWORK:

• Fill out and work on the habit sheet - choose a Habit and keep maintaining it. If you miss a day, you have to restart!

• Read chapter 41, Commitment and Perseverance

• Memorize word-by-word meaning of Sahana Vavatu

• Save a little bit of money every day/week for our year-end collection to an education charity

January 12

Thank you to all the parents who were able to stop by for the parent-teacher conference. If you were unable to come, and would like to speak with the teachers, please do email or contact us!

We did a quick overview of everything we have covered in the year so far:

• Internal enemies and what they are

• Some values we have covered: ahimsa, respect, humility, empathy, honesty, etc

• Meaning of "AUM"

• Why we say shanti x3

During class we also had two HATS Alumni joining us: Akash & Neal. They also provided some insight on these values and internal enemies and how it impacts them in college life:

• Neal: “Pride is the most dangerous internal enemy in college, and it can make it difficult to practice honesty (to yourself and others) and humility. Also, make sure you empathize with others because it is easy for one to stop being empathetic when nobody else around them is empathetic. Also, keep in mind the three main points you learn from the Mahabharata and make sure you keep an open mind to good values.”

• Akash: “Desire is the most dangerous enemy in college because many students have many desires. This makes it difficult to practice honesty.”

Homework:

• Chapters 33 (Charity) and 34 (Seva)

• Starting work on your yearly project! (Pick up good habits for 21 days to learn a good habit).

  • Make sure your habit is specific and not generic-i.e. NOT “be good in general” (even though you should be good), but something more specific like “putting your shoes away in the closet every time you come home after you go outside.”

  • Pick up a minimum of two good habits

  • Will review and start in class next weekend

January 5

We had meditation in class today. We encourage all students to practice meditation for a few minutes every day using the practices we have covered in class.

December

December 8

Humility and respect

Humility: The opposite of pride

Respect: Elevating the status of someone else

How do you treat someone with respect?

If you see someone in need, you can show respect by realizing that they have the same needs as you and helping them out. Don’t give up your own safety, respect yourself too. Not everyone in need has good intentions for trying to get your help. In an ideal world, it would be safe to help people that need it and showing them respect. But in real life, we have to be safe while also being respectful. If you aren’t in a position to help someone, don’t disrespect them.

No one knows everything about everything. You can learn something from everybody. It doesn’t have to be the kind of knowledge we always think about, you can learn something about yourself too. Everybody has their own experiences, and so their own opinions, morals, values, and thoughts. Because of this uniqueness, you can learn from everyone.

Ex. Twins. Sometimes genetically identical, born at the same time, grow up together in the same household at the same period of time. Yet even they have different experiences from each other.

Respect and humility go hand in hand. Keeping humility while being respectful and gaining respect yourself is what the greatest people have done. Ex. MLK, Gandhi,

Put yourself in the shoes of other people to gain perspective.

When someone else does something, think carefully about why they may be doing it. There are lots of different possible reasons. Assuming their motives is just going to be bad for both of you as it does allow for any understanding or respect to exist at all.

November

November 17

Ignorance

• -Choosing to ignore something

• -Not paying attention to something

Ignorance vs Ignorant

• -Calling someone ignorant is implying that that they are ignorant

• -selective hearing; you hear what you want to and ignore what you don't want to hear

• -internally blind

Why is ignorance described as bliss despite it seeming so bad?

• -When you hear what you want to hear you may only hear the good things

• -It distracts you from what you don't want to hear

• -It may provide temporary bliss but in the long run there are consequences

Knowledge combats ignorance

What is knowledge?

• -Perspective

• -understanding

• -knowing

Any one of the 6 Internal enemies can start the vicious cycle

• -Talking about perspective

• -Everybody has their own perspective

• -Shaped by their own life experiences

Saha na avatu:

Why are we discussing the meaning word by word and not as a whole?

• -Finding the meaning as a whole can change depending on perspective

• -helps us learn words for other mantras too

saha nau avatu Saha nah bhunaktu

• Saha - together

• Nau - both

• avatu - protect

• bhunaktu - nourished

True meaning: Let us be protected and nourished

Everyone in class described what it meant In a different way. By going word by word, everyone can gain a meaning for themselves through their own perspective

Saha viryam Kara va vahay

• Saha - Together

• Viryam - having power/energy

• Kara - do

• Va vahay - actions

True meaning: Together let us has power (whether that be mental, physical, or otherwise) and let us do actions (not be lazy)

Tejasvi na va

• Tejasvi - light, knowledge, brilliance

True meaning: Let us have life in our life taking away our life, have brilliance in our lives.

Homework:

• Prepare the rest of the shloka; saha na avatu

• Watch the Steelers-Browns fight NFL video if you want - reflect what we talked about in class. How falling into anger can make you react in a bad way

• Chapter 27 - Non-Violence/Ahimsa

November 10

Any one of the 6 Internal Enemies can lead to the others. This is why it is important to be mindful of the vicious cycle.

Vicious cycle steps: (Try to see if you can match these with their English equivalents)

• Kaam(a)

• Krodh(a)

• Lobh(a)

• Moh(a)

• Mad(a)

• Mātsary(a)

According Newton’s third law, every action has an equal and opposite reaction. This concept can be applied in Karma too. Most actions do not have immediate consequences. We live in a world where everything is immediate (instant gratification), and it’s hard to see the concept of karma, which is really about both immediate (short term) and long term consequences.

Action -> Consequences

Why do we pray?

• • Prayer is not asking for things

• • To have God guide us through life

• • Prayer is a way to enhance the work we have already done. If you have a big test and don’t study at all but just pray the day of the test, there is going to be no gain in terms of the test. If you study hard and are super nervous, prayer can help you calm down.

What is “god” in Hinduism?

• • In the Hindu Society of Minnesota temple, there are 27 mini temples. In many people’s homes, they have mini temples with multiple forms of gods. But then at the end of the day what is god?

• • All the forms of god that exist in Hinduism are different forms of the same energy, OM.

God has no definition since God is more than one thing. Religion is a practice

AUM notes

• A - in your stomach (starts)

• U - in your throat (sustains)

• M - in your lips (ends)

• Vibrations throughout body

• This is to show that life starts (Brahma), is sustained (Vishnu), and ends (Shiva)

The only thing that you can control is yourself

Homework:

• • Chapter 21 - Ignorance

• • Finish homework about the meaning of Saha Na Avatu if haven’t already

November 3

In class we discussed delusion and pride

Delusion:

• Delusion is relative. Its different for different people.

• Being cynical, seeing things the wrong way, "reality" depends on perspective. Anger can lead to delusion. Stuck in a bad cycle.

How to get out of it

• Calm yourself and get out of the situation

• Change your perspective

• Anger and delusion go so hand in hand that the ways to get out of them and their effects are very similar. We often forget that they are essentially the same.

Is delusion always bad?

• No, it may have a negative connotation but delusion can be good as the thing that you are focused on does not have to be a bad thing.

• Examples: Gandhi, MLK, etc. All these people made a true impact by being focused on what was important to them till they made a positive change. People called them delusional and crazy when they were doing what doing but they were able to control their delusions onto good things and make a change. Regardless of what happened, whether they went to jail, got violence threats, or anything else, their focus on one goal carried them on through

Pride:

Excessive pride can lead to

• "I'm better", more then others, boasting self, putting down others, oversharing, delusion thinking. Superficial happiness

• Ego

• Excessive Pride is the first quality that we see on someone else that makes us not like them

• Students have already learned about these ideals and values through stories

How to get out of having a big ego?

• Do good things for others (without your ego going up) and be humble

Pride can be good

• Being confident about yourself (not overconfidence)

• Being resilient to what other people say.

• If someone says something mean about you about having a little bit of pride or self confidence can help you ignore them

• Pride can be a tool that can help you get out of bad situations, but too much of it can be bad too

Internal Enemies covered so far

1. Desire - kaam(a)

2. Anger - krodh(a)

3. Greed - lobh(a)

4. Delusion - moh(a)

5. Pride - mad(a)

As people grow older, they naturally grow more stubborn. Does this mean that older people are more stubborn? No, everyone handles it or deals with it in their own way.

Homework

• Set aside a small amount of money regularly (every week, month, quarter, etc). Anything from a quarter to a dollar. At the end of the year, we will collectively decide on a charity to donate it to. The important life skills here are setting aside money every week and donating and helping those in need.

• The amount doesn't matter. It's about the action of setting aside money and thinking of others, both of which are good life skills to have.

• Build resilience against the fear of ladybugs

• READ: Chapter 18: Jealousy (final internal enemy)

• Find the word-by-word meaning of the class opening-prayer, saha na avatu

October

October 27

We started class with learning the meaning of "Namaste" and why we celebrate Diwali.

The students then had meditation class for the whole session.

October 13

In class, we went over last week's task of ways to calm down:

• Rant online

• Discussed ways to dissapate anger:

• Distract self

• Screming into a pillow or in general

• Coloring books

• Break pencils

• Punching a pillow

• Writing in paper

• Think of positive things instead

• Read Harry potter

• Sleep

• Deep breaths

• Reading

• Play a sport

• Running

• Talk to friends

• Read joke books

• Hug your pet

When you are angry, only YOU can make a change

• what you do and think can impact your health. ex. People with high Blood pressure can be told to be in calm and stress free environments.

• Turn the anger into something good

• Redirect it

Greed:

• -first things that we notice are generally becusee we want something

• -need vs want

• Never ends

• Can harm

• Desire leads to greed

Examples of well-known greedy people:

• In Ramayan: Raavan

• In Mahabharata: Duryodham, shakuni

• Hitler

• R e Lee

• J w Smith

• Voldemort

• Darth Vader

Thing that links them together: wanting power. Had bad things happen to them. Complain instead of doing things. Surrounded by desires.

Raavan had a rich and happy kingdom, was well educated. But he was bad because he was greedy. He thought it was ok to destroy other people and their things as long as his own is ok.

Anger is the one internal enemy which has the highest chance of affecting other people more then yourself.ex: make them angry/ start violence

• Anger affects other people

• Desire starts it

• Greed drives it; furthers it

Homework:

• Read chapter 16/17

• Do 3 nice things for others without telling anyone

• See you all in 2 weeks!

October 6

Desire: kaama

• • • -Want

    • -Most dangerous

    • Hard to control

    • -8 forms --> senses

    • -Cannot be fulfilled

    • -Not all desires are bad

    • -A must for achieving things

• Vicious cycle: Desire is the first part of the vicious cycle. That's why it's the most dangerous. Most of the desires are based on the senses. Like if you see an ad and want something.

• Marketing: Not limited to advertisements. Almost anything can be marketing. Talking to another person is marketing yourself. If everyone at school gets ___, it's being marketed to you. Marketing is not just about commercials, almsot anything can be marketing. Everything is marketing in the sense that it's happening to convince someone else to do something. Someone's eating chips; you see it with your senses and want it, it's being marketed to you. In movies, product placement is seen a lot. Keep and eye out for it.

• Commercials are made to play and appeal to your desire.

• Every person, every culture, every community, has a different set of desires.

• How to stop: Ask yourself: Why do I need it?

  • • 5 "W" questions

    • What is the benefit?

    • Focus ons self. Don't get it because other people have it.

    • Do I need it?

Anger: krodha

• • • -many levels - "irritated"

    • -impacting self

    • -triggered by others or things. i.e. could happen because of someone else doing something or by your own action like stubbing your toe.-

    • -hard to control

    • -can imapact health. ex. People with high Blood pressure can be told to be in calm and stress free environments.

    • -affect other's behavior

    • -⭐-LOSS OF CONTROL.

Homework:

• Write 1 practical example of a situation in which you get angry.

• Write down 2-3 practical things you do/can do/have worked to get out of an anger situation and calm down.

• Read Chapter 15

• Be prepared to have a discussion in class on both of these

September

September 29

Highlighting all the ideas kids shared on Ideals vs. Values is shown below

Ideals

• Standards, could be good, for future, external, could be un-achievable, Expectations for something

• Examples: idealistic things use the values to become idealistic. For example, Arjun was idealistic because he fought in the Mahabarat War

Values

• Practices, known as “good,” for “now,” beliefs, positive triggers

• Examples: helping others when they need it, honesty, respect, kindness, Arjun’s values that helped be idealistic were dedication, righteousness, determination, etc.

It is important to know when to use values in this world.

Big Question 1: Do all values lead you to an ideal?

6 Internal Enemies (Characteristics)

• They stop you from doing some good actions

• Makes you emotional

• Makes you feel bad

• Doesn’t make others feel good

• Affects mind

• Hurts us

In class we discussed the chariot of one’s senses and compared it to the chariot in the Mahabarat (Krishna, Arjun, etc.)

• Horses are a good way to represent senses because both draw you toward things. Both can guide you or run wildly if you don’t control them. Both need care/tuning. Both are VERY powerful.

• It’s not easy to be good- to be good one must control their senses and focus. It requires practice and effort.

• Health is important because you need good health to be able to keep control of your senses. This is where the importance of a healthy lifestyle is greatly reflected.

• We have to know what our focus or goal is so we can control our mind and get there.

6 internal Enemies:

• Anger-getting mad, opposite of happy, frustration, is usually a reaction to something-triggered by something. Triggers are what begin a reaction to an action.

  • Big Question 2: Are triggers always bad? Can they be good sometimes?

• Delusion- When one thinks something that is not true.

• Attachment- When one is too attached to something, attached over the limit.

• Greed/Desire-One will do anything to get something they want, even bad actions.

• Pride- One thinks they are better than that which is around them printing the person to act in a haughty and egotistical manner.

• Jealousy-Prompts one to harbor bad feelings against someone/something and causes the person to act badly to quell the jealousy.

Main Idea: At every situation, you can act based on your good trigger (values) or your bad trigger (six internal enemies).

Food for Thought: Different people can have different definitions of the same value. Values can change based on who you spend time with, where you are, what time period you live/lived in, etc.

• Hierarchical Respect: Amount or type of respect given to people or things variates based on their position, age, wisdom, characteristics, etc. Mainly shown in stricter societies or more disciplined societies such as India. Shown through the fact that there are many ways to say ‘you’ in many Indian languages, each one variating in amount of respect.

• American Respect: Respect in America is earned, and age is not as much of a factor. (Only one way to say ‘you’ in English).

Main Idea: You can only control yourself.

Food for Thought: Parents and siblings and family can be your trigger and one needs to control themselves against bad feelings against family.

Homework:

• Look up the difference between Brahmagupta and Aarya Bhatt

• Read about the first two internal enemies: Chapter 13 (Desire) & Chapter 14 (Anger)

• Challenge: Don’t look at the door if someone come through or knocks (at Dharma class) to help control your senses.

September 22

In class we went over Chapters 1 and 2. The materials covered in class were:

• -Understanding the human body and the difference between humans and animals

• -Importance of the body and the senses

• -Animals can't control their instincts so they can't be blamed for their actions. Humans, on the other hand, have the ability to make decisions and choices that affect their life.

• -As you grow, your preferences change

• -For animals, their preferences do not change

• -A compulsion is something that is built into your nature

• -Humans can control their impulsions i.e. fasting

• -Animals cannot control their compulsions, it is in their nature

• -People become great by focusing and working hard towards something. Only by struggling and being dedicated can people change the world

• -Regardless of what you want to be or do in the future, you can't get there without working hard

• -Your senses are dependent on the environment.

Homework assigned:

• There is a person who's fasted for more then 1 year and nasa has studied him. Find out who he is and give a little background on him.

• Ask parents what is the difference between ideals and values. Be ready to discuss in class

• Who made the concept 0? Name of the person

• Who created the lightbulb? Name of the person

• Read chapter 12

Introduction:

Namaste parents- Just wanted to give everyone an update! We will have textbooks for all the students NEXT weekend, not this weekend as originally planned. But, I do not want this to delay our syllabus :) You can read and review the book as a PDF on the website! Please have kids read Chapter 1 & 2 for this coming weekend. Thank you!!!