tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-296306032024-02-20T13:48:57.903-06:00Yoga Meditation, Yoga Sutras, Vedanta and Tantra for Self-RealizationDiscussions on Self-Realization in the Tradition of the Himalayan masters as on www.SwamiJ.com. The goal of our sadhana or practices is the highest Joy coming from Realization in direct experience of the center of consciousness, Self, Atman or Purusha, which is one and the same with the Absolute Reality. This Self-Realization comes through Yoga Meditation of the Yoga Sutras, the contemplative insight of Advaita (non-dual) Vedanta, and the intense devotion of Samaya (internal) Sri Vidya Tantra.Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati (Swamiji, Swami J)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00225780804447433772noreply@blogger.comBlogger100125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29630603.post-61665595241427971392012-12-29T07:00:00.000-06:002012-12-29T07:03:06.040-06:00Review of The Science of Yoga<br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Review of The Science of Yoga, <br />
a book by William J. Broad</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Review by Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">There is a widespread misunderstanding of the nature of yoga that is well exemplified by William J. Broad in his book “The Science of Yoga”. Broad says in the Introduction that the book is about “postural yoga”, but he never again uses that term. Instead, he subsequently uses the single word “yoga”, implying that yoga and postures (postural yoga) are one and the same, which is the common cultural myth of our times. The degree to which he had done this was not immediately apparent to me; it took several readings to see the problem clearly. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Broad says that we are now in a period of yoga 2.0 and predicts that in the next two to three hundred years we will see the coming of yoga 3.0 and yoga 4.0. However, he says that his baseline period--yoga 1.0--is the medieval ages, completely ignoring the previous thousands of years of yoga history, which includes the yoga of the Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, and Yoga Sutras.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Broad says that the yoga of Patanjali (the Yoga Sutra) is “old yoga”, apparently in contrast to his views of “new yoga”. However, this new yoga bears no resemblance to the old yoga (using his term for clarity, not meaning that I agree with him). Broad also uses the phrase “modern yoga” a few times. If Broad’s categories align with today’s common view of yoga, then we can see that the current yoga is “not yoga” compared to the yoga of the ancient sages. There is almost nothing to be found of modern yoga, yoga 2.0, or not yoga in any of these ancient descriptions of yoga that would be part of old yoga. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">We can get a clearer understanding of Broad’s book by mentally inserting the term “postural yoga” wherever he uses only the single word “yoga”. We can also mentally insert “not yoga” or “modern yoga” wherever he used only the single word “yoga”. These three exercises gives a very different feel to the book, making clear Broad’s disregard, if not disdain for the traditional meaning of yoga. In other words, Broad sees yoga only as a physical process dealing with fitness and health/medical treatments, and he writes from that perspective alone.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Once we see that Broad is talking only about the modern devolutions of yoga, it is easy to assess the quality and usefulness of his writing from within that limited scope. He has written an extremely clear and useful book about postural yoga or modern yoga or not yoga, as well as clearly summarizing the risks and benefits of those categories. However, although it is obviously not his intent, he has also done a great job of outlining the devolution of yoga in the past hundred years or so. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I encountered only one place where Broad uses the term “traditional yoga”, a term I and others have used to contrast the yoga of the sages from modern yoga. However, he uses the term traditional yoga not to refer to the yoga of the sages, but to postural hatha yoga before it was altered/hijacked by the innovators such as Krishnamacharya, Jois, and Iyengar. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I highly recommend this book. It gives great summaries of the potential dangers of modern postural yoga (not yoga), as well as physical fitness and health benefits, and if you read closely, also maps out the way in which yoga has been distorted in recent years. You may also notice that Broad offers no evidence or research whatsoever showing any danger in practicing the introspective methods of yoga as explained by the practitioners and teachers of old yoga (known simply as yoga). Apparently the dangers he presents only apply to not yoga, the modern distortions of yoga. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">There was not a single example of anybody experiencing any health problems from sitting quietly doing the introspective practices of meditation and contemplation, which are characteristic of yoga done for its original purpose, Self-realization. It would be interesting to see research on the risks and rewards of these meditation and contemplation practices of old yoga, but this is not the subject of Broad’s book. That may be very difficult research since so few people are practicing or interested in this.</span></div>
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Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati
www.SwamiJ.com</div>Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati (Swamiji, Swami J)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00225780804447433772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29630603.post-65584915439119722012-01-24T21:17:00.003-06:002012-01-24T21:23:42.640-06:00Real Yoga Will Not Wreck Your Body<a href="http://bit.ly/A2Fkjm">Real Yoga Will Not Wreck Your Body</a><div>Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati</div><div>January 24, 2012</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;">The New York Times published an article on January 5, 2012 entitled "How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body". This article has since spread like wildfire throughout internet. I am writing comments in the 16-page attached article to strongly refute much, if not most of what William J. Broad (the author) has said.<br /><br />~Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati</span></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">-------
Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati
www.SwamiJ.com</div>Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati (Swamiji, Swami J)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00225780804447433772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29630603.post-87190385545813744332009-02-18T16:48:00.002-06:002009-02-18T16:52:04.962-06:00VIDEO (8:12 min): The Truth about the 10 Reasons for YogaNEW VIDEO (8:12 Minutes)<br /><br />THE TRUTH ABOUT THE 10 REASONS FOR YOGA<br />By Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati<br /><a href="http://www.swamij.com/">http://www.swamij.com/</a><br /><br />VIDEO is at YouTube:<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwcKxsYHm3c">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwcKxsYHm3c</a><br /><br />Yoga Day USA lists "Top 10 Reasons to Try Yoga for Life"<br />on their website www.YogaDayUSA.org<br /><br />Unfortunately, most of their<br />reasons have little to do with<br />authentic, traditional Yoga.<br /><br />REASON #1. YOGA FOR … STRESS RELIEF:<br />Yoga reduces the physical effects of stress on<br />the body. By encouraging relaxation, yoga helps<br />to lower the levels of the stress hormone cortisol.<br />Related benefits include lowering blood pressure<br />and heart rate, improving digestion and boosting<br />the immune system as well as easing symptoms<br />of conditions such as anxiety, depression, fatigue,<br />asthma and insomnia.<br /><br />THE TRUTH ABOUT YOGA:<br />Most people in the West, and also many in India,<br />confuse Yoga with Hatha Yoga, the system of<br />bodily postures. But Yoga is primarily a spiritual<br />discipline.<br />(Paramahansa Yogananda)<br /><br />REASON #2. YOGA FOR … PAIN RELIEF:<br />Yoga can ease pain. Studies have demonstrated that<br />practicing yoga asanas (postures), meditation or a<br />combination of the two, reduced pain for people<br />with conditions such as cancer, multiple sclerosis,<br />auto-immune diseases and hypertension as well as<br />arthritis, back and neck pain and other chronic<br />conditions. Some practitioners report that even<br />emotional pain can be eased through the practice<br />of yoga.<br /><br />THE TRUTH ABOUT YOGA:<br />Yoga has become the health and fitness system<br />of choice. This is odd because it is the mind -<br />not the body - that is the main target of all genuine<br />Yoga practices .... To regard Yoga primarily as a<br />set of practices for increasing strength and<br />flexibility while calming the nervous system is<br />to mistake the husk for the kernel.<br />(Pandit Rajmani Tigunait)<br /><br />REASON #3. YOGA FOR … BETTER BREATHING:<br />Yoga teaches people to take slower, deeper breaths.<br />This helps to improve lung function, trigger the<br />body's relaxation response and increase the amount<br />of oxygen available to the body.<br /><br />THE TRUTH ABOUT YOGA:<br />Like many arts and sciences that are profound,<br />beautiful, and powerful, yoga has suffered from<br />the spiritual poverty of the modern world--it has<br />been trivialized, watered down, or reduced to<br />cliches. The deep and eternal essence of yoga<br />has been misrepresented and packaged for<br />personal profit by clever people.<br />(Bhole Prabhu)<br /><br />REASON #4. YOGA FOR … FLEXIBILITY:<br />Yoga helps to improve flexibility and mobility,<br />increasing range of movement and reducing aches<br />and pains. Many people can't touch their toes during<br />their first yoga class. Gradually they begin to use the<br />correct muscles. Over time, the ligaments, tendons<br />and muscles lengthen, increasing elasticity, making<br />more poses possible. Yoga also helps to improve body<br />alignment resulting in better posture and helping to<br />relieve back, neck, joint and muscle problems.<br /><br />THE TRUTH ABOUT YOGA:<br />In ancient times hatha Yoga was practiced for<br />many years as a preparation for higher states of<br />consciousness. Now however, the real purpose<br />of this great science is being altogether forgotten .<br />The hatha Yoga practices which were designed<br />by the rishis and sages of old, for the evolution<br />of mankind, are now being understood and<br />utilized in a very limited sense.<br />(Swami Satyananda Saraswati)<br /><br />REASON #5. YOGA FOR … INCREASED STRENGTH:<br />Yoga asanas (postures) use every muscle in the<br />body, helping to increase strength literally from<br />head to toe. And, while these postures strengthen<br />the body, they also provide an additional benefit<br />of helping to relieve muscular tension.<br /><br />THE TRUTH ABOUT YOGA:<br />Yoga is not mere acrobatics . Some people suppose<br />that Yoga is primarily concerned with the<br />manipulation of the body into various queer<br />positions, standing on the head, for instance, or<br />twisting about the spine, or assuming any of the<br />numerous odd poses which are demonstrated in<br />the text-books on Yoga. These techniques are<br />correctly employed in one distinct type of Yoga<br />practice, but they do not form an integral part of<br />the most essential type. Physical posture serve<br />at best as an auxiliary, or a minor form of Yoga.<br />(Swami Chidananda Saraswati)<br /><br />REASON #6. YOGA FOR …<br />WEIGHT MANAGEMENT:<br />Yoga (even less vigorous styles) can aid weight<br />control efforts by reducing the cortisol levels<br />as well as by burning excess calories and<br />reducing stress. Yoga also encourages healthy<br />eating habits and provides a heightened sense of<br />well being and self esteem.<br /><br />THE TRUTH ABOUT YOGA:<br />Many false and incomplete teachings have been<br />propagated in its name, it has been subject to<br />commercial exploitation, and one small aspect<br />of Yoga is often taken to be all of Yoga. For<br />instance, many people in the West think it is a<br />physical and beauty cult, while others think it<br />is a religion. All of this has obscured the real<br />meaning of Yoga.<br />(Swami Rama)<br /><br />REASON #7. YOGA FOR …<br />IMPROVED CIRCULATION:<br />Yoga helps to improve circulation and, as a result<br />of various poses, more efficiently moves<br />oxygenated blood to the body's cells.<br /><br />THE TRUTH ABOUT YOGA:<br />Through the discipline of Yoga, both actions and<br />intelligence go beyond these qualities [gunas] and<br />the seer comes to experience his own soul with<br />crystal clarity, free from the relative attributes of<br />nature and actions. This state of purity is samadhi.<br />Yoga is thus both the means and the goal. Yoga<br />is samadhi and samadhi is Yoga.<br />(B. K. S. Iyengar)<br /><br />REASON #8. YOGA FOR …<br />CARDIOVASCULAR CONDITIONING:<br />Even gentle yoga practice can provide cardio-vascular<br />benefits by lowering resting heart rate, increasing<br />endurance and improving oxygen uptake during<br />exercise.<br /><br />THE TRUTH ABOUT YOGA:<br />The main objective of hatha Yoga is to create an<br />absolute balance of the interacting activities and<br />processes of the physical body, mind and energy.<br />When this balance is created, the impulses<br />generated give a call of awakening to the central<br />force (sushumna nadi) which is responsible for<br />the evolution of human consciousness. If hatha<br />Yoga is not used for this purpose, its true<br />objective is lost.<br />(Swami Satyananda Saraswati)<br /><br />REASON #9. YOGA FOR …<br />FOCUS ON THE PRESENT:<br />Yoga helps us to focus on the present, to become<br />more aware and to help create mind body health.<br />It opens the way to improved concentration,<br />coordination, reaction time and memory.<br /><br />THE TRUTH ABOUT YOGA:<br />The goal of Yoga is Yoga itself, union itself, of the<br />little self and the True Self, a process of awakening<br />to the preexisting union that is called Yoga.<br />Yoga has to do with the realization through direct<br />experience of the preexisting union between Atman<br />and Brahman, Jivatman and Paramatman, and<br />Shiva and Shakti, or the realization of Purusha<br />standing alone as separate from Prakriti.<br />(Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati)<br /><br />REASON #10. YOGA FOR … INNER PEACE:<br />The meditative aspects of yoga help many to reach<br />a deeper, more spiritual and more satisfying place<br />in their lives. Many who begin to practice for<br />other reasons have reported this to be a key reason<br />that yoga has become an essential part of their<br />daily lives.<br />(This finally touches on the real reasons for Yoga<br />by mentioning that it is for "spiritual" reasons.)<br /><br />THE TRUTH ABOUT YOGA:<br />You use the body as a medium to bring the mind<br />back to the brain. Perfect marriage between body<br />and mind. Then, you can reach and knock the<br />door to the spirit....<br />Yoga is free. It belongs to the earth. It's a god.<br />(Bikram Choudhury)<div class="blogger-post-footer">-------
Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati
www.SwamiJ.com</div>Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati (Swamiji, Swami J)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00225780804447433772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29630603.post-77730546622930568282009-02-18T16:45:00.002-06:002009-02-18T16:47:53.844-06:00Distortion of Yoga Nidra (addendum to the Yoga Nidra article)<a href="http://www.swamij.com/yoga-nidra.htm">http://www.swamij.com/yoga-nidra.htm</a><br /><br />Distortion of Yoga Nidra<br />(addendum to the Yoga Nidra article)<br /><br />The distortion of the very high practice of Yoga Nidra is so thorough in the world these days that it seems necessary to make very bright titles just to have the point noticed.<br /><br />Throughout this article (and others linked on this page) you will find explanations that there are THREE levels of consciousness: Waking, Dreaming, and Deep Sleep (plus the "fourth" which is the transcendent state known as Turiya). Yoga Nidra is conscious DEEP SLEEP and Deep Sleep is NOT conscious Dreaming. Yoga Nidra is also NOT the transition between Waking and Dreaming. Those are states to explore, but they are NOT Deep Sleep; if it did have dreams, that would be called Dreaming, and would NOT be called Deep Sleep.<br /><br />It is utterly obvious that Deep Sleep does NOT have Dreams to explore. It should be self-evident that Dreaming and Not-Dreaming (i.e., Deep Sleep) are two different things. However, books, articles, and CDs keep telling people that Yoga Nidra is a state of Dreaming, or transitioning into Dreaming from Waking. This is just not true. Throughout the ancient writings of the yogis, sages, and rishis there are explanations of these three states of consciousness. Please don't just take my word for it. Read the ancient writings, including Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, and others. You will find these states talked about over and over, and over again.<br /><br />Many people are now practicing all sorts of guided imageries in the name of Yoga Nidra so that they can make money, have better sex, or manipulate other people. There are CDs out which say Yoga Nidra is for "this or that" named disease or other specific desire-based purpose. Yoga Nidra has been made to sound like "The Law of Attraction," whereby you fulfill your desires through meditative techniques.<br /><br />Yoga Nidra was taught by the ancient sages for the purpose of exploring the deep impressions or samskaras, which drive our actions or karma. They taught this so that sincere seekers can purify the deeper aspect of the mind-field, which is accessed in the formless state of conscious Deep Sleep. If I try to explain the whole process here in this paragraph, I would have to condense the whole article here, which can't be done. You must do this exploration yourself. Read the article. Read the other articles. Read the texts mentioned above.<br /><br />I'm not writing this here just to complain about other people. The fact is, that Yoga Nidra is a profoundly useful and deep practice for enlightenment at this highest level of that word (enlightenment). The term "Yoga Nidra" has become so watered-down, so distorted that sincere seekers are not likely to see the extremely high value of authentic Yoga Nidra. If you read this, research this yourself, and then do the practices, you'll discover for yourself the very high value of authentic, traditional Yoga Nidra.<br /><br />I know that all of this can sound like a "sales pitch." Well, we're stuck with that. I'm writing this here so that possibly some few sincere people will move forward with authentic Yoga Nidra. There are a small handful of people out there who can talk to you about this, and guide you. I'm not going to recommend any specific names of people, however. Just explore sincerely; you'll find your way to the real thing of Yoga Nidra.<br /><br />While you are here, reading this part of the article, please read carefully the rest of the article, as well as some of the other articles about these three levels of consciousness (levels articles), particularly the third level, which is the domain of Deep Sleep. I know it can be a difficult read, but there's great value in understanding these levels of consciousness and how Yoga Nidra is used as a tool for higher experience.<br /><br />Yoga Nidra is NOT the Dreaming state.<br />Yoga Nidra IS conscious Deep Sleep.<div class="blogger-post-footer">-------
Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati
www.SwamiJ.com</div>Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati (Swamiji, Swami J)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00225780804447433772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29630603.post-50107728833245418922009-02-18T16:42:00.002-06:002009-02-18T16:44:27.025-06:00AUDIO (34 min): Developing Determination for EnlightenmentDEVELOPING DETERMINATION FOR ENLIGHTENMENT<br />Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati<br /><br />AUDIO RECORDING (PODCAST)<br />(34:20 minutes)<br /><a href="http://www.swamij.com/podcast/determination-090201.mp3">http://www.swamij.com/podcast/determination-090201.mp3</a><br /><br />From a presentation at the Center for Nondualism on February 1, 2009.<br /><br /><a href="http://centerfornondualism.org/">http://centerfornondualism.org/</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.swamij.com/">http://www.swamij.com/</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">-------
Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati
www.SwamiJ.com</div>Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati (Swamiji, Swami J)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00225780804447433772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29630603.post-51654814399820879762009-02-18T16:39:00.001-06:002009-02-18T16:41:47.224-06:00The Meaning and Purpose of Yoga<a href="http://www.swamij.com/">http://www.swamij.com/ </a><br /><br />THE MEANING AND PURPOSE OF YOGA<br />By Bhole Prabhu<br /><br />Like many arts and sciences that are profound, beautiful, and<br />powerful, yoga has suffered from the spiritual poverty of the modern<br />world--it has been trivialized, watered down, or reduced to cliches.<br />The deep and eternal essence of yoga has been misrepresented and<br />packaged for personal profit by clever people. At the hands of some,<br />yoga has been reduced to the status of just another exercise program<br />available on videotape. In other contexts, yoga has been presented as<br />a cult religion, aimed at attracting "devotees." Such a haze of<br />confusion has been created around the clear and pure concept of yoga<br />that it is now necessary to redefine yoga and clarify its meaning and<br />purpose.<br /><br />Yoga defines itself as a science--that is, as a practical, ethodical,<br />and systematic discipline or set of techniques that have the lofty<br />goal of helping human beings to become aware of their deepest nature.<br />The goal of seeking to experience this deepest potential is not part<br />of a religious process, but an experiential science of self-study.<br />Religions seek to define what we should believe, while a practical<br />science such as meditation is based on the concrete experience of<br />those teachers and yogis who have previously used these techniques to<br />experience the deepest Self. Yoga does not contradict or interfere<br />with any religion, and may be practiced by everyone, whether they<br />regard themselves as agnostics or members of a particular faith.<br /><br />Throughout history, yogic techniques have been practiced in both the<br />East and West, so it would be an error to consider yoga an "Eastern<br />import." In fact, yoga, with its powerful techniques for creating a<br />sense of inner peace, harmony, and clarity of mind, is absolutely<br />relevant to the modern world--both East and West. Given the increasing<br />pace and conflict present in modern life, with all its resulting<br />stress, one could say that yoga has become an essential tool for<br />survival, as well as for expanding the creativity and joy of our lives.<br /><br />THE LIVING TRADITION<br /><br />Although yoga does not "belong" to the East, it is easiest to trace<br />its roots there, because cultural change has not obscured the origins<br />of the science, and an ongoing tradition of yoga has continued to the<br />present day. No one person "invented" yoga--yoga is a living<br />tradition, a set of practices that dates back for centuries. These<br />practices were codified by a scholar and teacher named Patanjali in<br />The Yoga Sutras, written about the second century B.C.<br /><br />The most important teaching of yoga has to do with our nature as human<br />beings. It states that our "true nature" goes far beyond the limits of<br />the human mind and personality--that instead, our human potential is<br />infinite and transcends our individual minds and our sense of self.<br />The very word "yoga" makes reference to this. The root, "yuj" (meaning<br />"unity" or "yoke"), indicates that the purpose of yoga is to unite<br />ourselves with our highest nature. This re-integration is accomplished<br />through the practices of the various yoga disciplines. Until this<br />re-integration takes place, we identify ourselves with our<br />limitations--the limitations of the body, mind, and senses. Thus we<br />feel incomplete and limited, and are subject to feelings of sorrow,<br />insecurity, fear, and separation, because we have separated ourselves<br />from the experience of the whole.<br /><br />In the modern world we have become quite successful in our external<br />achievements--we have created powerful technologies and a variety of<br />products, we are obsessed with accumulating power, wealth, property<br />and objects--and yet we have not been able to create either individual<br />or social peace, wisdom, or happiness. We have only to look around and<br />see the destructiveness of our weapons, the emptiness of our pleasures<br />and entertainments, the misuse of our material and personal resources,<br />the disparities between rich and poor, and above all, the loneliness<br />and violence of our modern world. We see that amid all our success in<br />the external world, we have accomplished little of lasting value.<br />These problems will not be solved through new technological<br />developments. Instead, the resolution to these human problems will<br />come only when we discover within ourselves that for which all of<br />mankind is searching--inner peace, tranquility, and wisdom. This<br />attainment is the goal of yoga, for yoga is the practical science<br />intended to help human beings become aware of their ultimate nature.<br /><br />AN ASCENT INTO PURITY<br /><br />The process of yoga is an ascent into the purity of the absolute<br />perfection that is the essential state of all human beings. This goal<br />requires the removal of our enveloping personal impurities, the<br />stilling of our lower feelings and thoughts, and the establishment of<br />a state of inner balance and harmony. All the methods of yoga are<br />based on the perfection of our personalities and may help to create a<br />new world order.<br /><br />In the beginning of our work, the greatest problem we experience is<br />our inherent restlessness of mind. Mind, by its very nature, is<br />outgoing and unsteady. The highest state of meditation, however,<br />requires a calm, serene, one-pointed mind, free from negative emotions<br />and the distractions created by cravings, obsessions, and desires. To<br />reach the subtler levels of consciousness and awareness, we need<br />willpower, clarity of mind, and the ability to consciously direct the<br />mind towards our goal. This is possible only when we turn away from<br />preoccupation with external acquisition and seek to stop all<br />inharmonious or negative mental processes. To achieve this, we do not<br />need to give up our homes and society and retire to a monastery.<br />Instead, we can achieve a state of peace, harmony, and contentment in<br />our daily meditation, and thus, go on carrying out our life's duties<br />and activities with the love and devotion that emerges from our<br />meditative experience.<br /><br />For those who want to follow the path of yoga towards peace and<br />evolution, there are a few prerequisites. We need good health, a calm<br />mind, sincerity, and a burning desire to rise above our human<br />imperfections. Our health is maintained by a simple and well-<br />regulated diet, adequate sleep, some physical exercise, and<br />relaxation. Imbalance or excesses in food, exercise, sleep, or our<br />personal relationships produce physical and emotional disruptions that<br />disturb the practice of yoga and meditation.<br /><br />If the aspects of our daily lives are well balanced, then certainly we<br />can make progress in yoga in the modern world. Regardless of where we<br />live or what we do, we can create a life conducive to yoga.<br /><br />PATHS TO THE SUMMIT<br /><br />As we indicated earlier, there is much confusion about exactly what<br />yoga is, especially since there seem to be so many approaches, all<br />described by the name "yoga." A mountain climber may take a variety of<br />routes to reach the top of a mountain. From the plain at the base of<br />the mountain, all these paths seem distinct and different, but from<br />the mountain summit, the view is always the same! The same is true of<br />the seeming diversity of the yogic paths. These different paths are<br />not mutually exclusive or conflicting, but are intended to accommodate<br />the various inclinations, personalities, and temperaments of<br />individual students, and yet they all have the same goal. These<br />various paths of yoga include:<br /><br />1) Hatha yoga, which deals mostly with body and breathing exercises<br />that help the student to become aware of his or her internal states.<br />Hatha yoga exercises help to make the body a healthy and strong<br />resource for the student.<br /><br />2) Karma yoga, which means "the yoga of action." This path teaches us<br />to do our own duties in life skillfully and selflessly, dedicating the<br />results of our actions to humanity. Practicing this aspect of yoga<br />helps us to live unselfishly and successfully in the world without<br />being burdened or distressed.<br /><br />3) Jnana yoga is the path of knowledge and wisdom. This path involves<br />intense mental discipline. Knowledge dawns as we learn to discriminate<br />between the real and the unreal, between the transient and the<br />everlasting, between the finite and the infinite. This path is meant<br />for only a fortunate few, who are aware of the higher and subtler<br />realities of life.<br /><br />4) Bhakti yoga is the yoga of devotion. This path is the way of love<br />and devotion. It is the path of self-surrender, of devoting and<br />dedicating all human resources to attaining the ultimate reality.<br /><br />5) Kundalini yoga is a highly technical science. The guidance of a<br />competent teacher is required to learn methods for awakening the<br />serpent-like vital force that remains dormant and asleep in every<br />human body.<br /><br />6) Mantra yoga, which involves meditation and the use of certain<br />sounds called "mantras," which are traditionally transmitted to the<br />student, and are used as objects of concentration. Mantras help the<br />student in self-purification, concentration, and meditation. These<br />mantras were discovered in deep meditation by highly advanced sages<br />and teachers.<br /><br />Finally, there is raja yoga, the "royal path" which is very scientific<br />and thorough. By following this path methodically, we learn to refine<br />our desires, emotions, and thoughts, as well as the subtle impressions<br />and thoughts that lie dormant in the unconscious mind. Raja yoga helps<br />us to experience the inner reality by using an eight-runged ladder.<br />The ultimate goal is for the aspirant to attain the eighth rung, samadhi.<br /><br />THE ROYAL PATH<br /><br />Raja yoga encompasses teachings from all the different paths. Because<br />of its variety it can be practiced by people of many backgrounds and<br />temperaments. It involves all three dimensions of human interaction--<br />physical, mental, and spiritual. Through this path, we achieve balance<br />and harmony of all three levels and then attain full realization of<br />the Self.<br /><br />Raja yoga is a scientific discipline that does not impose<br />unquestioning faith, but encourages healthy examination. Certain<br />practices are prescribed and the benefits derived from them are<br />described so that this path can be scientifically verified by anyone<br />who experiments with the methods. Because of this, raja yoga is<br />ideally suited to the modern world, in which scientific skepticism is<br />so prominent.<br /><br />Raja yoga is also called astanga yoga, or "the eight-fold path,"<br />because its eight steps create an orderly process of self-<br />transformation beginning on the level of the physical body, and<br />eventually involving the subtler levels of life. The eight steps are<br />yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, and samadhi.<br /><br />EXTERNAL PRACTICES<br /><br />The first four rungs or steps--yama, niyama, asana, and pranayama,<br />comprise the path of hatha yoga, which is preparatory to the last four<br />stages of raja yoga.<br /><br />Yama and niyama are ten commitments of attitude and behavior. One set<br />of disciplines (niyama) is meant to improve the human personality and<br />the other (yama) is meant to guide our relationships and interactions<br />with other beings in the world. Thus yoga is an education for both<br />internal and external growth.<br /><br />The five yamas, or restraints, are nonviolence, truthfulness,<br />nonstealing, sensual moderation, and non- possessiveness. Their<br />practice leads to changes in behavior and emotions, in which all<br />negative emotions are replaced by positive ones. The five niyamas, or<br />observances, are cleanliness (both external and internal),<br />contentment, practices which bring about perfection of body and senses<br />(tapas), study of the scriptures, and surrender to the ultimate<br />reality. The niyamas lead to the control of our behavior and<br />eventually are extremely positive factors in developing the personality.<br /><br />In the beginning we should not be discouraged by the challenge of<br />these first two steps. For example, even before we have succeeded in<br />developing the trait of nonviolence completely, we will see increasing<br />peace in our lives and meditation as a result of attempting to<br />practice this yama.<br /><br />Usually, when hatha yoga is taught in the modern world, only asanas<br />(physical postures) and certain breathing practices are taught. Yama<br />and niyama often are ignored. Because of this, hatha yoga has become<br />somewhat superficial, sometimes emphasizing only physical beauty or<br />egoism about skill and strength in postures. Certainly asanas and<br />breathing exercises create physical health and harmony, but only when<br />our minds are free from violent emotions can we achieve a calm,<br />creative, and tranquil mental state.<br /><br />Actually, there are two types of asanas--meditative postures and<br />postures that ensure physical well-being. A stable meditative posture<br />helps us create a serene breath and calm mind. A good meditative<br />posture should be comfortable and stable, ensuring that the head,<br />neck, and trunk are erect and in a straight line. If the body is<br />uncomfortable, it makes the mind agitated and distracted. The second<br />kind of postures are practiced to perfect the body, making it limber<br />and free from disease. These postures stimulate specific muscles and<br />nerves and have very beneficial effects.<br /><br />The fourth step of raja yoga is pranayama. Prana is the vital energy<br />that sustains body and mind. The grossest manifestation of prana is<br />the breath, so pranayama is also called the "science of breath." These<br />exercises lead to calming and concentration.<br /><br />INTERNAL PRACTICES<br /><br />The four steps of hatha yoga prepare the student for the four internal<br />practices of raja yoga. These internal practices are pratyahara,<br />dharana, dhyana, and samadhi.<br /><br />The fifth step of raja yoga is pratyahara or withdrawal and control of<br />the senses. While we are awake, the mind becomes involved with the<br />events, experiences, and objects of the external world through the<br />five senses of sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell. The mind<br />constantly gathers sensations from the external world through these<br />senses and our mind reacts to them. To attain inner calmness, the<br />student of yoga will want to develop the ability to voluntarily remove<br />the distractions of the world outside. This is not a physical process<br />but a voluntary, mental process of letting go of our involvement with<br />external sensations.<br /><br />Our sensory impressions distract the mind when we want it to become<br />aware of serenity within. Thus, it is useful to learn dharana, or<br />concentration, the sixth step in raja yoga. In concentration, the<br />scattered power of the mind is coordinated and focused on an object of<br />concentration through continued voluntary attention. This voluntary<br />attention uses a conscious effort of the will, and it is developed<br />through consistent practice. Through concentration, a scattered, weak<br />mind is focused and made more powerful.<br /><br />The seventh step in raja yoga is dhyana, or meditation. Meditation is<br />the result of continued, unbroken concentration. Concentration makes<br />the mind one-pointed, calm, and serene. Meditation then expands the<br />one-pointed mind to the superconscious state. Meditation is the<br />uninterrupted flow of the mind toward one object or concept. When the<br />mind expands beyond conscious and subconscious levels and assumes this<br />superconscious flow, then intuitive knowledge dawns. All the methods<br />of yoga prepare us to eventually reach this stage of meditation and<br />thus attain peace, perfection, and tranquility.<br /><br />In our daily lives, meditation can be very helpful in eliminating many<br />physical and psychological problems. A significant amount of the<br />disease we experience is actually either directly or indirectly the<br />result of conflicts, repression, or emotional distress arising in the<br />conscious or unconscious mind. Meditation helps us to become aware of<br />these conflicts and to resolve them, establishing tranquility and<br />peace. In this way, meditation becomes a powerful resource for facing<br />the challenges of daily life.<br /><br />If we really consider how we learn in the modern world, we realize<br />that despite all our emphasis on education, our education is one-<br />sided and shallow. We may learn to memorize equations and facts, but<br />we do not really learn to understand and develop our own inner life.<br />Our minds remain scattered and our emotions persist as negative,<br />conflicting forces. We are able to use only a small portion of our<br />mental abilities, because we are preoccupied with confusion, fear, and<br />inner conflict. Meditation helps us to overcome these limitations; it<br />helps us to become aware of the subtler and more positive powers<br />within. In gaining this awareness, we become creative and dynamic.<br />Abilities such as intuition, which many consider unusual or rare, are<br />actually within the potential of all human beings who meditate. Such<br />gifts are available to those who make contact with the deeper aspects<br />within themselves.<br /><br />Prolonged and intense meditation leads to the last step of raja yoga--<br />the state of samadhi, the superconscious state. In this state we<br />become one with the higher Self and transcend all imperfections and<br />limitations. The state of samadhi is the fourth state of<br />consciousness, which transcends the three normal states of waking,<br />dreaming, and dreamless sleep.<br /><br />A person who attains samadhi becomes a gift to his or her society. If<br />humanity is ever to achieve a more evolved civilization, it will be<br />possible only because of our growth and evolution as human beings. A<br />person who is established in samadhi lives his or her whole life as a<br />spontaneous expression of the unhindered flow of supreme<br />consciousness. This superconscious level is our human essence; it is<br />universal and transcends all the divisions of culture, creed, gender<br />or age. When we become aware of this state within, our whole life is<br />transformed. When we transform ourselves and experience serenity,<br />peace, and freedom, we also transform our societies and all of human<br />civilization. This awareness of the infinite consciousness is the<br />practical and real goal of yoga.<br /><br />----<br /><br />Bhole Prabhu lived in the Himalayas, and was a yogi, poet, and<br />philosopher renowned as an original thinker.<div class="blogger-post-footer">-------
Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati
www.SwamiJ.com</div>Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati (Swamiji, Swami J)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00225780804447433772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29630603.post-4637342022291588162009-02-18T16:37:00.000-06:002009-02-18T16:38:37.681-06:00Yoga, Computers and Four Levels of ConsciousnessFrom:<br /><a href="http://www.swamij.com/computers-consciousness.htm">http://www.swamij.com/computers-consciousness.htm</a><br />(The whole article is at this link, along with useful pictures)<br /><br />YOGA, COMPUTERS AND FOUR LEVELS OF CONSCIOUSNESS<br />By Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati<br /><br />I am not the picture on my computer monitor.<br />I am electricity.<br /><br />I am not the processing in my microchip.<br />I am electricity.<br /><br />I am not the data on my hard drive.<br />I am electricity.<br /><br />I am the life in all of these three.<br />I am the electricity.<br /><br />A MODEL FOR MEDITATION: The computer can be used as a modern metaphor<br />for understanding the process of Yoga meditation and the levels of<br />consciousness through which one journeys. By understanding these<br />levels or stages, it is much easier to understand how meditation is<br />not used merely as a means of relaxation or psychic experience, but as<br />the means for the realization of the ever pure, ever joyful core of<br />our being, by whatever name you choose to call that center.<br /><br />FOUR LEVELS:<br /><br />1. Peripherals/Conscious: The ten senses and means of expression<br />(indriyas), along with the conscious mind, allow the inner person to<br />communicate and act in the external world, like the peripherals of a<br />computer system, including monitor, keyboard, speakers, and microphone.<br />Four functions of mind: Throughout the conscious, unconscious, and<br />subconscious levels, the four functions of mind operate ever subtler,<br />until even they are transcended in the fourth stage, noted below.<br /><br />2. Microchip/Unconscious: The active unconscious mind processes mostly<br />out of view, with only a small part of its functioning normally coming<br />to the surface of the conscious mind, like the microchip of the<br />computer, which does a tremendous amount of processing, yet presents<br />only a tiny amount of that to the peripherals.<br /><br />3. Hard-drive/Subconscious: It is consciousness flowing in or through<br />the deep impressions of the latent subconscious, which causes them to<br />stir, just like the otherwise inert binary numbers resident on a<br />hard-drive, which do nothing until they are energetically brought to<br />life and spring forth into the microchip.<br /><br />4. Electricity/Consciousness: The conscious, unconscious, and<br />subconscious levels of mind all function because of the flow of<br />consciousness, energy, or life force, just as the peripherals,<br />microchip, and hard-drive all operate because of the electricity. Both<br />the consciousness and the electricity are uniform, regardless of what<br />programs might be running in the moment.<br /><br />I AM THE ELECTRICITY:<br /><br />I am not the peripherals!: One explores the peripherals, the waking<br />state, the conscious mind, and the gross world, moving through them in<br />meditation.<br /><br />I am not the microprocessor!: One explores the microprocessor, the<br />dreaming state, the unconscious mind, and the subtle plane, moving<br />through them in meditation.<br /><br />I am not the hard-drive!: One explores the hard-drive, the deep sleep<br />state, the subconscious mind, and the causal plane, moving through<br />them in meditation.<br /><br />I am the electricity!: Through deep meditation, one pierces the three<br />layers described above. Ultimately, one comes to resolve the question,<br />"Who am I?" in direct experience, with the realization of being the<br />pure consciousness, energy, or life force that is beyond, higher, or<br />underneath each of the other three levels, stages, or states, which is<br />the core of our being.<br /><br />MORE ARTICLES ON THESE LEVELS OF CONSCIOUSNESS:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.swamij.com/index-yoga-meditation-levels.htm">http://www.swamij.com/index-yoga-meditation-levels.htm</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">-------
Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati
www.SwamiJ.com</div>Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati (Swamiji, Swami J)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00225780804447433772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29630603.post-4070323270710718812009-02-18T16:34:00.001-06:002009-02-18T16:36:54.296-06:00NEW VIDEO (1 min): Killing, Nonharming, Source of Humans, Yoga SutraNEW VIDEO (1:16 Minutes)<br /><br />KILLING, NONHARMING, SOURCE OF HUMANS,<br />YOGA SUTRAS 2.29 - 2.35<br />By Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati<br /><a href="http://www.swamij.com/">http://www.swamij.com/</a><br /><br />VIDEO is at YouTube:<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRIOq89tC5s">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRIOq89tC5s</a><br /><br />All humans arise from the same source.<br />Let's stop killing each other.<br />Ahimsa = Nonharming<br />Yoga Sutras 2.29 - 2.35<br /><a href="http://www.swamij.com/yoga-sutras.htm">http://www.swamij.com/yoga-sutras.htm</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">-------
Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati
www.SwamiJ.com</div>Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati (Swamiji, Swami J)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00225780804447433772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29630603.post-25028093465953107842008-12-17T11:02:00.004-06:002008-12-17T11:10:20.926-06:00New Website on Teachings of Swami RamaSomeone has created a new website on the teachings of Swami Rama. It has over 50 separate articles by Swami Rama on very practical matters of yogic and spiritual life.<br /><br />LINK:<br /><a href="https://sites.google.com/site/swamiramateachings/">https://sites.google.com/site/swamiramateachings/</a><br /><br />DESCRIPTION (from the site)<br /><br />One of the greatest gifts of Swami Rama to humanity was bringing the depths of the wisdom of the ancient sages of Yoga meditation, Vedanta, and Tantra to the people in highly accessible ways. His style of writing is extremely clear and practical, speaking from the highest perspective of a Himalayan master. The writings on this website are a small sample of that wisdom.<br /><br />Although Swami Rama was most known for guiding people on the path to the highest spiritual realizations, his finest worldly accomplishment was founding the Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust near Haridwar, Rishikesh, and Dehradun, India. This includes a 750-bed hospital, a 400-student medical college, a 300-student nursing school, the major cancer center in the region, and a rural development program serving over 1000 villages in the region, including the high Himalayas areas of the sages near the source of the River Ganges. HIHT is also the home of Swami Rama Center, which is dedicated to preserving and promoting the teachings of Swami Rama. Swami Rama also founded Sadhana Mandir Ashram, which is located nearby in Rishikesh.<br /><a href="http://hihtindia.org/">http://hihtindia.org/</a><br /><a href="http://sadhanamandir.org/">http://sadhanamandir.org/</a><br /><br />Swami Rama was born in the Himalayas, lived a life of service to humanity, and left the body on November 13, 1996 at his residence on the grounds of the Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust.<br /><br />QUOTES FROM ARTICLES (from the home page)<br /><br />The following quotes of Swami Rama are excerpts from the articles linked at the left.<br /><br />You are the Architect: When a human being learns to seek religion not in gods, but in his own potentials, then he will know that he is great and that within his greatness lies his happiness. When he rapidly unfolds the chapters of life's manuscript, of which he himself is the author, he begins to realize who he is.You are the architect of your life. You build your own philosophy and construct your own attitudes. Without right attitudes, the entire architecture remains shaky. Once you realize this fact, you will look within.(more)<br /><br />Enlightenment and Freedom: People continue to build shrines, chapels, churches, and temples. You don't have to do this, just realize that you are a living shrine. The day you have attained the knowledge that the Lord lives within you, you will be in samadhi. All questions will be answered, all problems will be resolved. (more)<br /><br />Knowing Yourself: The aim of life is Self-realization. The saying, "Know thyself," was written on the temple of the oracle at Delphi in ancient Greece. This is where East and West meet. Both East and West agree on this goal, though they might hold different ways of attaining it. The one important part of life is ignored by the educational systems at home, in society, and in the colleges and universities: "Know thyself." You need to understand yourself on all levels. You don't need much external information; you already have true knowledge within. You need to learn how to apply the knowledge that you have. (more)<br /><br />Arise, Attain, and Serve: Today's society is waiting for selfless, spiritually enlightened, well-balanced leaders to guide them in how to live happily here and hereafter. Such leaders or reformers will not come from outside our society. They have to be born, raised, and trained right in our own society. We are the ones to become our own guides, our own leaders, and we are the ones to enlighten our own lives. Get up, my friends, arise: attain knowledge, and dedicate your life to the service of your fellow beings. (more)<br /><br />Sushumna: According to the yogic scriptures, there are 72,000 nadis, or energy channels. Among them, ida, pingala, and sushumna are the most important. As long as the mind is outward, only ida and pingala remain active. But when the mind is calm and tranquil, sushumna, the central channel, is awakened. The joy derived from the mind traveling through the sushumna channel is unique; it cannot be compared with any sensory pleasure. Because of that inner joy, the mind loses its taste for worldly pleasures. Sushumna application is the most important factor in spiritual practice. The moment sushumna is awakened, the mind longs to enter the inner world. When the flow of ida and pingala is di¬rected toward sushumna, and distractions are thereby removed, meditation flows by itself. (more)<br /><br />Keys to Successful Living: Everyone wants to be successful in life, but where are the keys to success? Do we have to go out and search for those keys, or do we have those potentials already within ourselves? When we begin to examine life, we can see that it is divided into two aspects -- life within and life without; internal life and external life -- and we can see that these aspects are of equal importance. Even if we have renounced the world, gone far away from civilization, and live in the wilderness doing nothing but meditation, we cannot ignore external life. We still have to see that we eat, do our ablutions, and perform our practices on time. So life in the external world is as important as life in the internal world. Even one who has renounced the world has to understand the word "relationship" properly, because life itself is actually relationship. (more)<br /><br />Internal Dialogue: Developing internal dialogue is a very important step, but one that few students understand. To succeed in meditation you have to develop this important step. You do not begin with meditation itself. First you learn to set a regular meditation time, and then to have a dialogue with yourself. In this process you are coming in contact with your inner, internal states. You are learning about the subtle aspects of your mind, your own conscience, and at the same time you are training yourself. (more)<br /><br />Mantra and Silence: Imagine that you are standing on the bank of a river and you hear the current as it flows. If you follow the river upstream, you will come to its origin. There, you will find that there is no sound. In the same way, a mantra leads the mind to the silence within. That state is called "soundless sound." The seven sounds, or mantras, of the chakras, if magnified, create a form. Each mantra will make a different form. But magnifying sound in the external world is not going to help you. You have to go to the source within, from which that sound comes. This form gives you a knowledge of the sound, and the sound gives you a knowledge of the silence from which all sounds come. (more)<br /><br />Guru and Divine Grace: Guru is not the goal. Anyone who establishes himself as a guru to be worshipped, is not a guru. Christ, Buddha, and other great persons did not set up any such example. Guru is like a boat for crossing the river. It is important to have a good boat and it is very dangerous to have a boat that is leaking. The boat brings you across the river. When the river is crossed the boat is no longer necessary. You don't hang onto the boat after completing the journey, and you certainly don't worship the boat. (more)<br /><br />Self Transformation: For a genuine and everlasting transformation, one must practice a systematic method of self-discipline and self-training. Mere philosophy and intellectual knowledge cannot stand in time of need, if one does not know how to use the essentials of that philosophy in one's daily life. Applying theoretical knowledge and living with it in daily life is called practice. Practice requires discipline. Discipline should not be rigidly imposed, but students should learn to commit themselves and accept discipline as essential for self-growth. Imposing rigidity and following it is not helpful at all. (more)<div class="blogger-post-footer">-------
Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati
www.SwamiJ.com</div>Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati (Swamiji, Swami J)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00225780804447433772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29630603.post-3720956356328121362008-12-17T10:58:00.000-06:002008-12-17T11:00:11.628-06:00NEW VIDEO (9 min): Trataka and Soham Mantra: Yoga and Tantra MeditationNEW VIDEO (9:00 Minutes)<br /><br />TRATAKA GAZING WITH SOHAM MANTRA:<br />YOGA AND TANTRA MEDITATION<br />By Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati<br /><a href="http://www.swamij.com/">http://www.swamij.com/</a><br /><br />VIDEO is at YouTube:<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBASQ314m7c">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBASQ314m7c</a><br /><br />Trataka is gazing, and is a traditional meditation practice of Yoga<br />and Tantra.<br /><br />SoHum (or SoHam) is a Universal Mantra, as it relates to the breath,<br />and everybody breaths.<br /><br />SoHum is a Sanskrit word that means<br />"I am that," or "I am that I am."<br /><br />Inhale with the sound "So,"<br />And Exhale with the sound "Hum."<br />Allow the sounds to silently repeat in your mind,<br />without speaking them aloud.<br /><br />There are a total of 40 SoHum and breath repetitions<br />The speed of one repetition is 9 seconds per breath,<br />which is 6 2/3 breaths per minute.<br />This rate is ideal for relaxing<br />the autonomic nervous system, and also<br />preparing for deep meditation.<br /><br />Breathe with your diaphragm, while gazing at the center, silently<br />remembering "So" with inhalation and "Hum" with exhalation.<div class="blogger-post-footer">-------
Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati
www.SwamiJ.com</div>Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati (Swamiji, Swami J)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00225780804447433772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29630603.post-15449321706315165462008-12-17T10:57:00.001-06:002008-12-17T10:58:16.903-06:00Debate Argumants: Is Yoga a Religion?DEBATE ARGUMENTS: "IS YOGA A RELIGION?"<br /><br />Following is a link to a website called Opposing Views on the question<br />"Is Yoga a Religion?" Rabbi Sigal Brier says "Yes" and Swami<br />Jnaneshvara Bharati says "No." Read the arguments for yourself. If you<br />wish, you can even cast your vote for "Yes" or "No."<br /><br /><a href="http://www.opposingviews.com/questions/is-yoga-a-religion">http://www.opposingviews.com/questions/is-yoga-a-religion</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">-------
Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati
www.SwamiJ.com</div>Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati (Swamiji, Swami J)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00225780804447433772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29630603.post-75585459307841173222008-12-17T10:55:00.001-06:002008-12-17T11:01:04.079-06:00Addendum to the Yoga Nidra article on SwamiJ.comFrom:<br /><a href="http://www.swamij.com/yoga-nidra.htm">http://www.swamij.com/yoga-nidra.htm</a><br /><br />ADDENDUM TO THE YOGA NIDRA ARTICLE ON SWAMIJ.COM<br /><br />The distortion of the very high practice of Yoga Nidra is so thorough<br />in the world these days that it seems necessary to make very bright<br />titles just to have the point noticed.<br /><br />Throughout this article (and others linked on this page) you will find<br />explanations that there are THREE levels of consciousness: Waking,<br />Dreaming, and Deep Sleep (plus the "fourth" which is the transcendent<br />state known as Turiya). Yoga Nidra is conscious DEEP SLEEP. Deep Sleep<br />is NOT conscious Dreaming. It is NOT the transition between Waking and<br />Dreaming. Those are states to explore, but they are NOT Deep Sleep; if<br />it did have dreams, that would be called Dreaming, and would NOT be<br />called Deep Sleep.<br /><br />It is utterly obvious that Deep Sleep does NOT have Dreams to explore.<br />It should be self-evident that Dreaming and Not-Dreaming (i.e., Deep<br />Sleep) are two different things. However, books, articles, and CDs<br />keep telling people that Yoga Nidra is a state of Dreaming, or<br />transitioning into Dreaming from Waking. This is just not true.<br />Throughout the ancient writings of the yogis, sages, and rishis there<br />are explanations of these three states of consciousness. Please don't<br />just take my word for it. Read the ancient writings, including Vedas,<br />Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, and others. You will find these states<br />talked about over and over, and over again.<br /><br />Many people are now practicing all sorts of guided imageries in the<br />name of Yoga Nidra so that they can make money, have better sex, or<br />manipulate other people. There are CDs out which say Yoga Nidra is for<br />"this or that" named disease or other specific desire-based purpose.<br />Yoga Nidra has been made to sound like "The Law of Attraction,"<br />whereby you fulfill your desires through meditative techniques.<br /><br />Yoga Nidra was taught by the ancient sages for the purpose of<br />exploring the deep impressions or samskaras, which drive our actions<br />or karma. They taught this so that sincere seekers can purify the<br />deeper aspect of the mind-field, which is accessed in the formless<br />state of conscious Deep Sleep. If I try to explain the whole process<br />here in this paragraph, I would have to condense the whole article<br />here, which can't be done. You must do this exploration yourself. Read<br />the article. Read the other articles. Read the texts mentioned above.<br /><br />I'm not writing this here just to complain about other people. The<br />fact is, that Yoga Nidra is a profoundly useful and deep practice for<br />enlightenment at this highest level of that word (enlightenment). The<br />term "Yoga Nidra" has become so watered-down, so distorted that<br />sincere seekers are not likely to see the extremely high value of<br />authentic Yoga Nidra. If you read this, research this yourself, and<br />then do the practices, you'll discover for yourself the very high<br />value of authentic, traditional Yoga Nidra.<br /><br />I know that all of this can sound like a "sales pitch." Well, we're<br />stuck with that. I'm writing this here so that possibly some few<br />sincere people will move forward with authentic Yoga Nidra. There are<br />a small handful of people out there who can talk to you about this,<br />and guide you. I'm not going to recommend any specific names of<br />people, however. Just explore sincerely; you'll find your way to the<br />real thing of Yoga Nidra.<br /><br />While you are here, reading this part of the article, please read<br />carefully the rest of the article, as well as some of the other<br />articles about these three levels of consciousness (see levels<br />articles in the link), particularly the third level, which is the<br />domain of Deep Sleep. I know it can be a difficult read, but there's<br />great value in understanding these levels of consciousness and how<br />Yoga Nidra is used as a tool for higher experience.<br /><br />Levels articles:<br /><a href="http://www.swamij.com/index-yoga-meditation-levels.htm">http://www.swamij.com/index-yoga-meditation-levels.htm</a><br /><br />Yoga Nidra article:<br /><a href="http://www.swamij.com/yoga-nidra.htm">http://www.swamij.com/yoga-nidra.htm</a><br /><br />In loving service,<br /><br />Swami Jnaneshvara<div class="blogger-post-footer">-------
Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati
www.SwamiJ.com</div>Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati (Swamiji, Swami J)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00225780804447433772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29630603.post-55458449062532360322008-12-17T10:53:00.000-06:002008-12-17T10:54:35.733-06:00Spanish translations of articles on SwamiJ.comA total of 14 articles from the SwamiJ.com website have been<br />translated from English into Spanish as a most generous offering of<br />selfless service to others by Zulema Higueras from Chile. The articles<br />range in size from 1 page to 49 pages. The articles are all in pdf<br />format and can be downloaded from this page:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.swamij.com/spanish.htm">http://www.swamij.com/spanish.htm</a><br /><br />Please freely circulate these links to other readers of Spanish who<br />may enjoy and benefit from the articles. More translations are to come.<br /><br />In loving service and with gratitude to Zulema,<br /><br />Swami Jnaneshvara<div class="blogger-post-footer">-------
Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati
www.SwamiJ.com</div>Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati (Swamiji, Swami J)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00225780804447433772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29630603.post-84638385855663360342008-12-17T10:49:00.003-06:002008-12-17T10:52:21.096-06:00Indic Contribution Towards Understanding the Word Religion<p align="center"><b><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:130%;"> Indic Contribution Towards<br /> Understanding the Word Religion</span></b><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;"><i><br /> </i></span></p> <p align="justify"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Below is the Summary section of a paper entitled "An Indic Contribution Towards an Understanding of the Word `Religion' and the Concept of Religious Freedom," by Dr. Arvind Sharma of McGill University (Montreal, Quebec, Canada). The paper was presented for the Global Renaissance Conference Series in July 2002 in New York.<br /> <br /> Dr. Sharma does a very good job of explaining the different ways in which the word "religion" is used. If you are a practitioner of Yoga or a teacher of any form of Yoga, you may find his explanations extremely insightful. If you have ever asked, or been asked the question, "Is Yoga a religion?" you will find his paper most useful, although he is not directly discussing the question of Yoga itself.<br /> <br /> The reason I have copied below only the Summary of his paper (rather than the whole paper) is for brevity, so you can get an overview of the topic. The whole paper is well worth reading in its entirety. As I was exploring web links for Dr. Sharma's biography (so that I could share it here), I ran into his personal blog, which also has a very succinct comment about this topic; I have included that below as well.<br /> <br /> ------------------------<br /> <br /> Here is the link to the entire 36-page paper:<br /> <a href="http://www.infinityfoundation.com/indic_colloq/papers/paper_sharma2.pdf"> http://www.infinityfoundation.com/indic_colloq/papers/paper_sharma2.pdf</a><br /> Also here:<br /> <a href="http://www.swamij.com/pdf/paper_sharma2.pdf"> http://www.swamij.com/pdf/paper_sharma2.pdf</a><br /> <br /> The article is linked from this page:<br /> <a href="http://www.infinityfoundation.com/indic_colloq/Schedule-Participants.htm"> http://www.infinityfoundation.com/indic_colloq/Schedule-Participants.htm</a><br /> <br /> Conference page:<br /> <a href="http://www.infinityfoundation.com/indic_colloq/Schedule-Participants.htm"> http://www.infinityfoundation.com/indic_colloq/Schedule-Participants.htm</a><br /> <br /> Dr. Arvind Sharma's personal website:<br /> <a href="http://ara.mcgill.ca/sharma/">http://ara.mcgill.ca/sharma/</a><br /> <br /> McGill University:<br /> <a href="http://www.mcgill.ca/">http://www.mcgill.ca/</a><br /> <br /> <br /> AN INDIC CONTRIBUTION TOWARDS AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORD "RELIGION" AND THE CONCEPT OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM</span></p> <p align="center"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:130%;">And Indic Contribution Towards<br /> an Understanding of the Word "Religion"<br /> and the Concept of Religious Freedom</span></p> <p align="justify"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Arvind Sharma<br /> McGill University</span></p> <p align="justify"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Summary:</span></p> <p align="justify"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">The word religion is now part of global discourse specially as it is carried out through the medium of English. The word, however, is Western in origin which raises the question: Does a Western word, when used in global discourse, reflect the global religious reality or does it in the process of reflecting it, also distort it? It is contended in the paper that such in fact is the case—that when the word is used to represent the religions of Indian origin, the religions of the Far East and the indigenous religions—it in fact distorts reality. The basis for making such a claim is the following.</span></p> <p align="justify"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">The word "religion" came into secular use in the nineteenth century and has since been freely used in the public sphere as if it were a neutral word, which could be impartially applied to all the religions of the world. However, the word embodies a certain concept of what religion is and this concept is rooted in its Christian background. In such a context the concept of religion implies that a religion is something (1) conclusive; (2) exclusionary and (3) separative. In other words, a religion, in order to qualify as such must hold that it has the final truth (conclusive); that in order to obtain it one must belong to it alone (exclusionary) and that in order to do so one must separate oneself from any other, specially prior, affiliation (separative). It is also separative in another sense: that religion constitutes a part of life, separate from the rest of it—a sense particularly pronounced in Christianity.</span></p> <p align="justify"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">When this word was adopted in secular discourse these orientations of the word were retained, with some modifications. The claim to possessing the final truth by Christianity was extended to each religion on its own, this process giving rise to the expression "truth claim." The idea that the membership of a religion excluded that of any other was retained, while the third constituent of the concept, that of separation (between the sacred and the profane or the secular and the religious) came to characterise one religion's separateness from another more than anything else.</span></p> <p align="justify"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">All the three orientations of the word religion as conclusive, as exclusionary and as separative are in effect exclusivist in nature, a word to be carefully distinguished from the word exclusionary which has been used above in the sense of indicating the fact that the formal membership one one religion must exclude such membership of another. The conclusive element is exclusivist in the sense that only the religion's own truth-claim is considered final, thereby excluding such claims of other religions; the exclusionary element is obviously exclusivistic and the claim that religions must be treated as separate entities by themselves is also obviously exclusivistic.</span></p> <p align="justify"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Such an exclusivistic orientation however does not characterise the Indic religious tradition or what we might also call the dharmic tradition. The word Indic in this context needs to be carefully distinguished from the word Indian. All religions found to exist in India may be called Indian religions. Those religions among these which are Indian in origin in their self-perception, namely, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism alone may be called Indic.</span></p> <p align="justify"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">This Indic religious tradition tends to be non-exclusivistic. Each component of it—Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism—tends to view one's membership of it as a sufficient but not a necessary condition for liberation. This attitude finds further expression in the fact that these traditions tend to be non-proselytizing even when they become missionary.</span></p> <p align="justify"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Such a non-exclusivistic attitude in terms of religion is not confined to Indic religions but is shared by religions of the Far East. In pre-Communist China it was common for people to view themselves as both Confucian and Taoist in terms of religious commitment. The example of present-day Japan is also relevant here. According to the 1985 census, 95% of the Japanese population declared itself as followers of Shinto. Seventy-six per cent of the same population, however, also simultaneously declared itself to be Buddhist. The indigenous religions of the world—the American-Indian, the African and so on—are also non-exclusivistic in their attitude to religion.</span></p> <p align="justify"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">The use of the word religion, which carries exclusivistic overtones, in these three contexts—of Indic religions, of the religions of the Far East and of the indigenous religions, distorts their reality, because it means that a word with an exclusivistic orientation is being employed to describe "religious" traditions which are nonexclusivistic.</span></p> <p align="justify"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">One might still wonder, even if one accepts this point, as to how consequential a point it is. Is it merely of academic interest or of more than academic interest? I would like to urge that the use of religion when applied as a blanket term to all the religions of the world—both exclusivistic as well as non-exclusivistic in nature— when the word itself has exclusivistic connotations, possesses significant policy implications. For instance, it tilts the concept of religious freedom in human rights discourse in favour of freedom to proselytize which is more in keeping with an exclusivistic rather than a non-exclusivistic concept of religion, thereby depriving the non-exclusivistic religions of their religious freedom—which in their case would consist of not being made the object of proselytization. The formal recognition of such a right on their part would then constitute an Indic contribution toward a truly global understanding of the [word] religion.</span></p> <p align="justify"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">ADDITIONAL COMMENT:</span></p> <p align="justify"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Dr. Sharma wrote an additional comment on his blog on December 1, 2008; it is a clear, succinct summary.<br /> <a href="http://comparativestudyofreligion.wordpress.com/"> http://comparativestudyofreligion.wordpress.com/ </a></span></p> <p align="justify"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">8.) Indic and Western Concepts of Religion<br /> December 1, 2008 by arvindsharma</span></p> <p align="justify"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">During the period of the heavy interaction between India and the West during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the West did not succeed in converting Indians to Christianity on an appreciable scale. This fact has obscured what it did achieve—it converted its intelligentsia not to Christianity but to the Christian concept of religion—not to the West's religion but to the West's concept of religion. This concept of religion was employed by this intelligentsia both during the period of British Raj and after, to describe the Indian "religious" reality, which does not quite conform to it. Hence its use to describe this reality, in the process of reflecting it, also reshaped it. According to this Western concept of religion one can only belong to one religion at a time, while the Indic concept of religion permits multiple religious affiliation. This was doubly unfortunate: It was unfortunate for the West failed to benefit by not taking the Indic concept of religion into account in its conceptualization of religion, a failure apparent in human rights documents available in the West, abetting the charge that human rights discourse is Western, and it was unfortunate for India: By forcing Indian religious reality into a Western conceptual constraints it thereby distorted it and exported to India the problems the Western concept of religion had created in the West.</span></p> <p align="justify"><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">The reformulation of intellectual discourse in a way in which it takes the Indic concept of religion as seriously as the Western might help solve both the problems.</span></p> <p align="justify"> </p><div class="blogger-post-footer">-------
Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati
www.SwamiJ.com</div>Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati (Swamiji, Swami J)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00225780804447433772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29630603.post-39639807852014995562008-09-25T23:30:00.010-05:002008-09-25T23:50:48.083-05:00Videos on Yoga Meditation and Om Mantra - Mandukya Upanishad<pre style="font-family: arial;">It is with sincere heart that I write articles and have created short<br />videos to explain complex principles in simple language. Below is a<br />comment I received from a person I do not know. I share this with you<br />in the hopes that it will help a few to watch these videos closely and<br />benefit from them.<br /><br />Swami Jnaneshvara<br /><br />FEEDBACK RECEIVED ON TWO VIDEOS:<br /><br />Thank you for the videos you've assembled. Years ago I turned away<br />from formal study of Indian Philosophy. The many long and strange<br />words seemed a wall too high to scale for me. But there was something<br />in the word 'samskara.' It seemed to contain more meaning than I could<br />penetrate and had nothing comparable in English. When I came across<br />your videos (Meditation Visualized, and, Mandukya Upanishad) I watched<br />again and again with my mouth just hanging open in astonishment. These<br />video explanations are of highest value, truly a treasure. I've read<br />so many, many volumes. To think that I could have gained what I have<br />by watching two, ten minute videos beggars the mind. In fact, if I<br />wanted to sit down with Guru and plan out my whole life in advance, I<br />could not have picked a more auspicious moment to have placed these<br />two videos in my path.<br /><br />THE TWO VIDEOS:<br /><br />Yoga Meditation Visualized<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oIXAUCOZ10">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oIXAUCOZ10</a><br /><br />Om Mantra and Mandukya Upanishad:<br />Yoga Vedanta Meditation<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNruveUaeRg">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNruveUaeRg</a><br /><br />More videos by Swami Jnaneshvara<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/yogabindu">http://www.youtube.com/yogabindu</a><br /><br />126 videos by Swami Rama on:<br />Yoga Sutras (13 hours)<br />Sri Vidya Tantra - Saundaryalahari (6 hours)<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/swamiramahimalayas">http://www.youtube.com/swamiramahimalayas</a><br />(This is a separate, external site)</pre><div class="blogger-post-footer">-------
Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati
www.SwamiJ.com</div>Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati (Swamiji, Swami J)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00225780804447433772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29630603.post-90505516620235562812008-09-16T20:28:00.006-05:002008-09-16T20:34:22.644-05:00NEW VIDEO: (3:56 min) The “Seer” Beyond the Mind: Meditation from Yoga SutrasNEW VIDEO (3:56 Minutes)<br /><br />THE "SEER" BEYOND THE MIND:<br />MEDITATION FROM THE YOGA SUTRAS<br />By Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati<br /><br />VIDEO is at YouTube:<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CRQFsLfYOk">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CRQFsLfYOk<br /></a><br />Sanskrit drasthri is the “seer”<br />Who am I?<br />What am I?<br />Set aside what I am not...<br />What I truly am will come shining through.<br />Yogash chitta vrittih nirodhah (Yoga Sutra 1.2)<br />Yoga is “nirodha” of the thoughts in the mind field.<br />Nirodha is coordination, control, regulation, integration, mastery, letting go, setting aside...<br />Tada drashtuh svarupe’vasthanam (Yoga Sutra 1.3)<br />Then the “seer” rests in its own true nature.<br />The “seer” is the “witness.”<br />The “seer” is awareness itself.<br />“Drashtuh” is “of the seer.”<br />Drashtuh is from “drish” which is “to see.”<br />The “seer” is the self-existent reality of pure consciousness itself.<br />It was never born and never dies.<br />It is not subject to pain, decay, or decomposition.<br />The “seer” lives in the world.<br /><br />Music is by Chopin<br />Nocturne in C# minor<br /><br />Discussion on Yoga Sutras 1.2-1.3:<br /><a href="http://www.swamij.com/yoga-sutras-10104.htm">http://www.swamij.com/yoga-sutras-10104.htm</a><br /><br />Extensive writings on the whole of Yoga Sutras:<br /><a href="http://www.swamij.com/yoga-sutras.htm">http://www.swamij.com/yoga-sutras.htm</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">-------
Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati
www.SwamiJ.com</div>Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati (Swamiji, Swami J)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00225780804447433772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29630603.post-47502783524219679772008-09-02T01:07:00.004-05:002008-09-02T01:12:04.526-05:0085 Yoga Sutras lecture videos by Swami Rama - 13 hoursEight lectures by Swami Rama on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali emphasize practical advice on the methods of Yoga and Meditation. The 13 hours of talks have been divided into 85 parts of 10 minutes or less.<br /><br />YouTube home page of these 85 videos:<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/swamiramahimalayas">http://www.youtube.com/swamiramahimalayas</a><br /><br />Playlist page of these 85 videos:<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=BBD86952A2239E79">http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=BBD86952A2239E79</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">-------
Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati
www.SwamiJ.com</div>Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati (Swamiji, Swami J)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00225780804447433772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29630603.post-55464666617821112782008-09-02T00:59:00.006-05:002008-09-02T01:07:25.650-05:0041 Swami Rama videos - Sri Vidya Tantra Vedanta Yoga Meditation<p>Here is a link to 41 Swami Rama videos that have shown up on YouTube:<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/swamiramahimalayas">http://www.youtube.com/swamiramahimalayas</a> </p><p>Playlist of the videos:<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=61035752268BE45B">http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=61035752268BE45B</a> </p><p>SRI VIDYA TANTRA YOGA MEDITATION<br />SAUNDARYALAHARI, WAVE OF BEAUTY<br />Swami Rama </p><p>The description on the first video is: </p><p>Four lectures by Swami Rama on Saundaryalahari, the Wave of Beauty,which is a prominent text of Sri Vidya Tantra. The wave ofcreativity, love and bliss of Shakti is one and the same with Shiva.The lectures contain practical advice on advanced meditationpractices of Yoga, Vedanta, and Tantra. The four lectures are dividedinto a total of 41 parts for the YouTube presentation.</p><p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">-------
Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati
www.SwamiJ.com</div>Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati (Swamiji, Swami J)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00225780804447433772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29630603.post-67293791132410229062008-05-28T06:55:00.001-05:002008-05-28T06:59:01.814-05:00AUDIO (32 min): Million Dollar Question of Nondual Yoga Vedanta MeditationTHE MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION OF<br />NONDUAL YOGA VEDANTA MEDITATION<br />Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati<br /><br />AUDIO RECORDING (PODCAST)<br />(32:12 minutes)<br /><a href="http://www.swamij.com/podcast/080525-swami-j-million.mp3">http://www.swamij.com/podcast/080525-swami-j-million.mp3</a><br /><br />This recording is on the million dollar question of nondual (advaita) Yoga Vedanta meditation and contemplation. It is from a presentation at the Center for Nondualism on May 25, 2008. Just like the game show, this million dollar question is the last of all the questions of nondual Yoga Vedanta. It is also the hardest question, and the most important question. It is the question that supersedes all other questions. It is the question that is neither in the past, nor in the future. It is the question by which all other questions pale by comparison.<br /><br />Center for Nondualism:<br /><a href="http://www.centerfornondualism.org/">http://www.centerfornondualism.org/</a><br /><br />Swami Jnaneshvara:<br /><a href="http://www.swamij.com/swamijnaneshvara.htm">http://www.swamij.com/swamijnaneshvara.htm</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">-------
Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati
www.SwamiJ.com</div>Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati (Swamiji, Swami J)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00225780804447433772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29630603.post-3630591277458227952008-05-28T06:52:00.002-05:002008-05-28T06:55:13.187-05:00AUDIO (28 min): Sermon on the Mount, Nondualism, and Yoga VedantaSERMON ON THE MOUNT, NONDUALISM, AND YOGA VEDANTA<br />Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati<br /><br />AUDIO RECORDING (PODCAST)<br />(32:12 minutes)<br /><a href="http://www.swamij.com/podcast/080511-swami-j-sermount.mp3">http://www.swamij.com/podcast/080511-swami-j-sermount.mp3</a><br /><br />This presentation is on the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7 of the Christian bible), Nondualism, and Yoga Vedanta Meditation and Contemplation. It is from a presentation at the Center for Nondualism on May 11, 2008. Here are a few concepts from the presentation: There are over 39,000 Christian denominations. Each denomination has its own interpretations of the teachings. If they have the right to interpret those teachings the way they want, then I claim the same<br />right of interpretation that they have claimed. I claim the right to say that Jesus teaches that there is one absolute nondual (advaita) reality, that we all are of that one, that he teaches from that perspective, and that he teaches people to seek enlightenment in their own direct experience. I claim the right to believe that Jesus was a supreme Yoga teacher.<br /><br />Center for Nondualism:<br /><a href="http://www.centerfornondualism.org/" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(145, 54, 173); ">http://www.centerfornondualism.org/</a><br /><br />Swami Jnaneshvara:<br /><a href="http://www.swamij.com/swamijnaneshvara.htm">http://www.swamij.com/swamijnaneshvara.htm</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">-------
Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati
www.SwamiJ.com</div>Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati (Swamiji, Swami J)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00225780804447433772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29630603.post-76638488669392964562008-05-28T06:47:00.000-05:002008-05-28T06:51:14.139-05:00VIDEO: (3 min) The dance of Yoga on the lips of mind and Mt. KailashNEW VIDEO (3:04 Minutes)<br />(revision of a previous video)<br /><br />THE DANCE OF YOGA ON THE LIPS OF THE MIND AND MT. KAILASH<br />By Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati<br /><br />VIDEO at YouTube:<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8kujQL3xTg">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8kujQL3xTg</a><br /><br />Yoga, Yoga, Yoga, Yoga<br />Ah, sweet Yoga.<br />The word dances on the lips of the mind.<br /><br />Yoga, Yoga, Yoga, Yoga<br />The wave that is one with the ocean of bliss.<br />The union of the illusory "I" with the "I" of all,<br />That was never divided in the first place.<br />Ah, sweet Yoga.<br /><br />Yoga, Yoga, Yoga, Yoga<br />How the word flows through the field of mind.<br />The consciousness as Purusha,<br />Never one with, but playing with all the layers of being,<br />All the levels of the finest soil of matter called Prakriti.<br /><br />Yoga, Yoga, Yoga, Yoga<br />One without a second.<br />One absolute reality,<br />With the appearance of soul called Atman,<br />As a breeze thinking itself separate from the wind<br />Of the absolute called Brahman.<br /><br />Yoga, Yoga, Yoga, Yoga<br />Ah, so utterly, incomparably, sweet is the word.<br />The essence that is both the beauty<br />And creative force called feminine or Shakti,<br />And her companion of masculine, Shiva.<br />The two which are one in Yoga.<br /><br />Yoga, Yoga, Yoga, Yoga<br />Ah, passionate, loving, driving, quieting,<br />Exasperating,<br />Fulfilling, emptying, full filling Yoga.<br /><br />Yoga, Yoga, Yoga, Yoga<br />Ah, so sweet;<br />No sweeter word to ring in the canyons of mind,<br />Than the word of Yoga,<br />That arises from, and returns to the silence.<br /><br />Yoga, Yoga, Yoga, Yoga<br />You and I are one.<br />Only one. Only Yoga.<br />Yoga, Yoga, Yoga, Yoga<br /><br />More of my videos at YouTube:<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/yogabindu">http://www.youtube.com/user/yogabindu</a><br /><br />My website:<br /><a href="http://www.swamij.com/">http://www.swamij.com/</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">-------
Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati
www.SwamiJ.com</div>Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati (Swamiji, Swami J)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00225780804447433772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29630603.post-76018761484529756292008-05-28T06:42:00.002-05:002008-05-28T06:47:20.134-05:00VIDEO (9 min): Invoking the Infinite in Yoga Vedanta MeditationNEW VIDEO (9:29 Minutes)<br /><br />INVOKING THE INFINITE IN YOGA VEDANTA MEDITATION<br />By Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati<br /><br />VIDEO at YouTube:<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-roMQoSlw2o">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-roMQoSlw2o</a><br /><br />Included are transliterated Sanskrit and eight different English translations of the invocation of the text entitled Isha Upanishad. The wisdom of this text is central to Yoga Vedanta meditation and contemplation. "Isha" refers to that supreme power which regulates and governs all, and which resides in the heart of all creatures. It is that in which we live, that in which we move, and that by which we are. "Upanishad" means to sit down near the teacher to discuss, learn, practice and experience the means and goals of Yoga Vedanta. "Upa" means "near;" "ni" means "down;" "shad" means "to sit."<br /><br />"Purna" is the full, infinite, whole, complete. Om or Aum is a compound of A, U, and M, which represent waking, dreaming, and deep sleep, as well as the gross, subtle, and causal realities. They merge into the fourth, the silence, which is the absolute reality.<br /><br />Om<br />Purnamadah Purnamidam<br />Purnat Purnamudachyate<br />Purnasya Purnamadaya<br />Purnameva Vashishyate<br />Om shanti, shanti, shanti<br /><br />Om.<br />That is infinite, this is infinite.<br />From That infinite,<br />this infinite comes.<br />From That infinite,<br />this infinite removed or added;<br />Infinite remains infinite.<br />Om, peace, peace, peace.<br /><br />More of my videos at YouTube:<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/yogabindu">http://www.youtube.com/user/yogabindu</a><br /><br />My website:<br /><a href="http://www.swamij.com/">http://www.swamij.com/</a><br /><div> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer">-------
Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati
www.SwamiJ.com</div>Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati (Swamiji, Swami J)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00225780804447433772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29630603.post-58858751325722672652008-05-28T06:34:00.002-05:002008-05-28T06:40:56.407-05:00Discrimination is the reason for the 8 rungs in Yoga SutrasTHE EIGHT RUNGS OR LIMBS:<br />The art and science of Yoga is systematically described in eight (ashta) rungs, steps, or limbs (anga). Thus, this section of the Yoga Sutras is also called Ashtanga Yoga. The eight rungs of Yoga are summarized in sutra 2.29, and explained in the next section (2.30-2.34). Subsequent sutras further describe the benefits and methods of working with those eight rungs (2.35-2.45, 2.46-2.48, 2.49-2.53, 2.54-2.55).<br /><br />1) Yama: codes of restraint, abstinences (2.30, 2.31)<br />2) Niyama: observances, self-training (2.32)<br />3) Asana: meditation posture (2.46-2.48)<br />4) Pranayama: expansion of breath and prana (2.49-2.53)<br />5) Pratyahara: withdrawal of the senses (2.54-2.55)<br />6) Dharana: concentration (3.1)<br />7) Dhyana: meditation (3.2)<br />8) Samadhi: deep absorption (3.3)<br /><br />THE EIGHT RUNGS ARE FOR DISCIMINATIVE ENLIGHTENMENT:<br />The reason for practicing the eight rungs of Yoga (2.29) is to develop attention as the tool for discriminative knowledge, which is the means to discriminative enlightenment and liberation. It means using razor-like attention (3.4-3.6) to separate the seer and the seen (2.17), so as to break the alliance of karma (2.12-2.25), and to get past the four mistakes of ignorance, or avidya (2.24-2.25), which are: 1) confusing the temporary for the eternal, 2) the impure for<br />the pure, 3) misery for happiness, and 4) the false self for the true Self (2.5). Resulting from this systematic discrimination, the seer or Self is eventually experienced in its true nature (1.3).<br /><br />DISCRIMINATION ALLOWS SUBTLER INTROSPECTION:<br />This one-pointed attention and discrimination, which comes from the practice of the eight rungs, is used for examining, exploring, and attenuating the colorings of the subtle impressions of the mind field (2.10), so as to go beyond, inward to the pure, eternal center of consciousness.<br /><br />THE FIRST FIVE RUNGS SHARPEN THE RAZOR:<br />If it is razor-like attention that is the tool for discrimination, then it is the first five rungs of the Yoga Sutras which are honing the edge of that razor. Then, the finer, sharpened tool is the last three rungs, which are concentration, meditation, and samadhi, which are collectively called samyama (3.4).<br /><br />Please also see the articles:<br />Coordinating the Four Functions of Mind<br /><a href="http://www.swamij.com/fourfunctionsmind.htm">http://www.swamij.com/fourfunctionsmind.htm</a><br />Yoga Sutras:<br /><a href="http://www.swamij.com/yoga-sutras.htm">http://www.swamij.com/yoga-sutras.htm</a><br /> <div class="blogger-post-footer">-------
Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati
www.SwamiJ.com</div>Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati (Swamiji, Swami J)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00225780804447433772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29630603.post-59864942864941369722008-05-28T06:31:00.002-05:002008-05-28T06:33:59.484-05:00VIDEO (3:40 min): Meditation on the small and the large - Yoga SutraNEW VIDEO (3:40 Minutes)<br /><br />MEDITATION ON THE SMALL AND THE LARGE<br />By Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati<br /><br />VIDEO at YouTube:<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzQ1eYR5BfA" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(145, 54, 173); ">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzQ1eYR5BfA</a><br /><br />When the mind in meditation can be stable on the smallest and the largest, then it is truly under control. Yoga is the mastery, integration, and transcendence of all the fluctuations of the mind field. Then the "seer" rests in its own true nature as pure consciousness or purusha. With equality of purusha and the subtlest intelligence, there comes liberation, and that is the end. (from the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali)<br /><br />For more information please see:<br /><a href="http://www.swamij.com/yoga-sutras.htm">http://www.swamij.com/yoga-sutras.htm</a><br /><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">-------
Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati
www.SwamiJ.com</div>Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati (Swamiji, Swami J)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00225780804447433772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29630603.post-60838752665501475952008-05-28T06:28:00.002-05:002008-05-28T06:31:05.041-05:00VIDEO (9 min): Yantra and Mantra of Sri Vidya Tantra YogaNEW VIDEO (9:10 Minutes)<br /><br />YANTRA AND MANTRA OF SRI VIDYA TANTRA YOGA<br />By Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati<br /><br />VIDEO at YouTube:<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bd-Pslr4GIw" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(145, 54, 173); ">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bd-Pslr4GIw</a><br /><br />In the Himalayan tradition, the aspirant breaks through the final<br />barrier through Samaya Tantra and Sri Vidya, after clearing the mind<br />through the practice of Yoga meditation as codified in the Yoga<br />Sutras by Patanjali, and practicing self-enquiry through Vedanta.<br />Vidya means knowing, and Sri Vidya is the highest of all aspects of<br />knowing, as it leads to the Absolute Truth. Yantra refers to the<br />visual form, and Sri Yantra is the form of that knowing. Central to<br />the practices is Maha-Tripura-Sundari, the great, beautiful one,<br />essence, consciousness, or reality that dwells in the three "cities"<br />(tri-pura, or three cities including: gross, subtle, causal; waking,<br />dreaming, sleeping; conscious, unconscious, subconscious). Sri (or<br />Shri) is conceptualized as the feminine creative force of Shakti that<br />is ultimately found to be one and the same with the static<br />conceptualized as masculine or Shiva.<br /><br />For more information please see:<br /><a href="http://www.swamij.com/tantra.htm" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(145, 54, 173); ">http://www.swamij.com/tantra.htm</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">-------
Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati
www.SwamiJ.com</div>Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati (Swamiji, Swami J)http://www.blogger.com/profile/00225780804447433772noreply@blogger.com