Reflections from Self-Unfoldment – Adult Class, 2024-2025

One of my favorite quotes from Self Unfoldment is “Live your life as though everything depends on your effort, but surrender the results as though everything depends on God.”
This quote is a perfect blend of karma yoga, bhakti yoga and jnana yoga. The first part is pure karma yoga— acting according to one’s dharma with full dedication and right mindset. The second part is pure bhakti yoga– devotion, surrender and trust in the Higher. Jnana is implied in this because to do the above, one must know their true identity– not the doer, not the enjoyer, but the Self.
~ Ganesh Krishnan

My favorite quote would be “The body is given to us as one instrument necessary to the totality of our works and it is to be used, not neglected, hurt, suppressed or abolished.” This suggests that a perfect life involves using the physical body, mind, and spirit in a balanced and harmonious way just as we have been learning about our BMI chart. This is not taken from our book but came across while reading “The Life Divine” book by Sri Aurobindo.
~ Priya Singh

One of my favorite quotes “Material growth raises the standard of living, whereas Spiritual, inner rehabilitation improves standard of life. Both the standard of living and the standard of life have to be equally developed in order for us to go through life with ease and cheer.”
This quote keeps resurfacing in my thoughts time and again, igniting inspiration and guiding my path towards spiritual growth.
~ Raghu

“Brake lights are Buddha looking and smiling at you” This is one of my favorite quotes from “Peace is every step” by Thich Naht Hanh. When in a hurry, a car slowing in front can be very irritating but thinking of those brake lights as Buddha’s eyes smiling at you changes the entire perspective.Very practical in daily stress management. The quote started me on my journey to look for alternate perspectives in real life and self unfoldment has helped accelerate it.
~ Diwakar Agarwal

Key reflections for me:
– Focus on inner transformation over external pursuits
– Transcending through the gunas and vasanas are important to realize the self
– Reflection is essential
~ Karthik Raman

One that has stuck with me is a quote from Swami Chinmayananda, “Children are not vessels to be filled, but lamps to be lit.” Our job as parents is not to create carbon copies of ourselves, but we should help guide them on their own path.
~ Shyam Joshi

“More important than what is behind you and what is ahead of you is what is In you. Seek it. Centered in it, act and live.” No matter what other advanced/source material texts I consume I find myself coming back to self unfoldment time and again over the last several decades. While artfully relating the foundational teachings of our scriptures, its simplicity and practicality for the everyday modern world draws me back. As well as the amazing perspectives of study group participants coming at it from so many fresh angles is inspiring.
~ Sanjay Krishnaswami

Quote from the book: “Wrong thinking is the bane of life, and all failures in life can be directly traced to impoverished mental equanimity created by unintelligent entertainment of expected fears of possible failures”
~ Deoraj Alok

One of my favorite quotes comes from the Buddhist teachings: “It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you—not by angels or demons, heaven nor hell.”

This profound lesson is echoed throughout our lively discussions, our readings from “Self-Unfoldment” and stories like “The Enlightened Butcher.” I love our sangha because I am reminded that my focus should not be on judging others or worrying about another’s spiritual progress. Each of us is walking our own unique path that only Bhagwan can see the beginning and end of. In the end, the only thing we carry into our next life is our own individual karma. That’s why the greatest investment we can make is in ourselves— in gaining control over our individual lower tendencies and striving for inner evolution.
~ Monica

All knowledge and peace is within us, our consciousness. But it has been covered by our mind entertaining and creating layers of self doubt, perfection, reputation, fear, anger, shame, self worth, comparison, desire for more, self-absorption, victimhood, jealousy, grief, pain, and quick gratification. Our soul is able to ripen through these layers by controlling our mind and reactions, allowing removal of these created transient states and illusions. This will allow our soul to be at peace, to be in line with our consciousness.
~ Shwetha Hareesh

One of my favorite quotes from Self-Unfoldment is, “The arrow has already left the bow.”
We discussed in the class how the destiny of the child has already been decided. The child is born in a specific family, exposed to a specific cultural upbringing, with a unique personality. These settings are likely due to their karma. We, as parents, worry a lot on how to best raise our child/children. But at the end of the day, it is really up to the child and their destiny as to how their life journey will turn out to be. We are just vessels to help the child on their journey.
This quote has helped improve my relationship with my child. Earlier, I used to see my child as what I wanted him to be. However, now with the new understanding, I see him as what he truly is. Our relationship has changed for the better.
~ Roli Nigam

From the chapter on Vasanas in regards to Karma Yoga:
“1. Be concerned with the action itself. 2. Do not be concerned with the results of your action. Do not entertain the motive of gaining a fixed result for a given action. 3. Don’t delude yourself into thinking that the above means you should sit back and do nothing.”
~ Ankur Shah

“In short, it is said that the future is not a mystery- an unknown miracle that we must wait to see unfold. Instead: The past modified in the present is the future. The things to come are not ordered by mere continuity of the past. This freedom to modify the past and thereby to create a future for better or worse is called self-effort.” From Chapter 10, Karma, pg 96.
~ Jamie

“The intellect is like a knife – the sharper, the better. A steady and conscious hand is needed to make it positive” – by Sadhguru. Intellect is a tool for survival, but it’s not the only, or even the primary, source of intelligence. This suggests that while intellect is valuable, it needs to be guided by awareness and balance.
~ Sharayu

“The meaning of karma is in the intention. The intention behind action is what matters.” – The Bhagavad Gita. The quote highlights that the true essence of karma lies not in the actions themselves, but in the underlying intention that drives them. In essence, the meaning of karma is determined by the motivation behind our deeds, rather than the outcome or effect of those actions. Essentially it means those solely focused on results tend to be anxious, while those who prioritize the intention behind their actions are more likely to find peace and fulfillment.
~ Nitu Beria

“To understand anything is to find in it something which is our own” – Swami Chinmayananda
Self-unfoldment has allowed me, for the first time, to be able to make “my own” the knowledge of Vedanta. Our class serves as an important and gentle reminder each week that internal work is what matters; influencing our intentions, actions and life. Being able to have discourse to strengthen that personal understanding is incredibly powerful and such understanding would be impossible if attempted solo.
~ Ami Joshi