Hi guys! :) Here is the summary from Swami Abhedananda's talk today! I happened to take down notes, so I thought I might as well upload it to our shiny blog, for those who couldn't make it! Enjoy! :)

1. Akrodha | Absence of Anger
   
   • Krodha - anger, is the conjugation of ka (joy), and rudha (stop). Anger is that which stops our heart's joy.
     
     
   • We should maintain a sense of discrimination even in situations that make us angry. Discrimination and anger are antithetical to one another.
     
     
   • The world is bound to be imperfect, because it is Maya, or illusion. When we live with people, we live with their perceptions and imperfections, and must learn to handle them without anger

2. Vairagya | Dispassion
   
   • Vairagya is the ability to take out the sense of importance from anything in the world.
     
     
   • All the joy or sorrow that we derive from any situation is always fleeting and temporary. E.g. Great results, victory in games, etc.
     
     
   • Dispassion is the ability to percieve a situation as we would percieve it ten years from today.
     
     
   • "I have not lost, I will not lose" - the motto of a dispassionate life. We do not fear loss excessively, nor celebrate gains too much, because all gains and losses are just bubbles in the ocean of consciousness.
     
     
   • Dispassion can be achieved through faith - He who gave me this day (whether good or bad), will also give me other days. I should not dwell on this one day too much.
     
     
   • In any project, then, we should give our best attention and efforts, but not get too entangled in the outcome. Any hard work will be rewarded in God's own time.
     
     
   • Attachment is not love - attachment grabs, and wants. To love, we must give of ourselves, and we cannot do so when we are busy being attached and seeking attention from others. Give, and you will automatically get.
     
     
   • Ultimately, dispassion is the ability to see situations as separate from ourselves - it us not us, but God that is the doer.
     
   
   
3. Jitendriyatvam | Mastery over the senses
   
   • The downfall of living things is their tendence to cave to their senses. When fish cave in to their sense of taste, they get baited. When moths' craving for light and heat attracts them to the flame, they perish. In the same way, if humans give in to all five of their senses indiscriminately, it isn't good.
     
     
   • When we can't master our senses, we face a lack of confidence and assurance.
     
     
   • The key to this is control. The more control we are able to exercise over our senses, the more our lives are full of grace. :)
     
   
   
4. Kshama | Forgiveness
   
   • Living with imperfect people and not keeping their mistakes in mind, that is kshama.
     
     
   • Bearing grudges, or dwelling on people's weakesses accomplishes nothing. Everyone's karma will give them what they deserve. If anything, we should focus on people's goodness/strength when thinking about them.
     
   
   
5. Daya | Compassion
   
   • Not everyone is on equal footing. Great and lesser people live side by side, but the greater and more evolved we are, the more compassion we have.
     
     
   • We are all where we are because there was someone around us to lift us, someone who was compassionate to us. We should therefore always show compassion to those who have or are less than us.
     
     
   • Compassion begets compassion. Those who never show compassion towards others will never recieve any either.
   
   
6. Sarvajana Priyatvam | To conquer many hearts
   
   • To be the darling of many hearts is sarvajana priyatvam.
     
     
   • We can't control how other people treat us, but we can control how we treat people, and we should always aim to treat them well.
     
     
   • Love has to be earned. We must give and show love to recieve it.
     
     
   • We need to be selfless and sacrificing in our attitude towards others.
     
   
   
7. Nirlobha | Non-materialism
   
   • We shouldn't get too caught up with anxieties about material things. Everything will come to us in its due course, so we shouldn't waste too much time chasing after riches and material goods.
     
   
   
8. Daanam | Charity
   
   • Only they are served, who have served.
     
     
   • "Serve and deserve".
     
   
   
9. Shok | Don't live in the past
   
   • Don't keep going back to regrets and memories of the past. The past is dead, and everyday is a new start.
     
     
   • Life requires wipers! The more the rain, the stronger the wipers should be. :) Everything starts anew.
   
   
10. Mohanam | Freedom from delusion
    
    • Worry, loneliness, insecurity, etc. are all delusions. With faith that God will take care of everything as long as we do our best in anything we do, these delusions can be dispelled.