Yoga Meditation, Yoga Sutras, Vedanta and Tantra for Self-Realization

Real Yoga Will Not Wreck Your Body

2012-01-24T21:17:00.003-06:00

Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati

January 24, 2012

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.

~Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati

VIDEO (8:12 min): The Truth about the 10 Reasons for Yoga

2009-02-18T16:48:00.002-06:00

NEW VIDEO (8:12 Minutes)

THE TRUTH ABOUT THE 10 REASONS FOR YOGA
By Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati
http://www.swamij.com/

VIDEO is at YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwcKxsYHm3c

Yoga Day USA lists "Top 10 Reasons to Try Yoga for Life"
on their website www.YogaDayUSA.org

Unfortunately, most of their
reasons have little to do with
authentic, traditional Yoga.

REASON #1. YOGA FOR … STRESS RELIEF:
Yoga reduces the physical effects of stress on
the body. By encouraging relaxation, yoga helps
to lower the levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
Related benefits include lowering blood pressure
and heart rate, improving digestion and boosting
the immune system as well as easing symptoms
of conditions such as anxiety, depression, fatigue,
asthma and insomnia.

THE TRUTH ABOUT YOGA:
Most people in the West, and also many in India,
confuse Yoga with Hatha Yoga, the system of
bodily postures. But Yoga is primarily a spiritual
discipline.
(Paramahansa Yogananda)

REASON #2. YOGA FOR … PAIN RELIEF:
Yoga can ease pain. Studies have demonstrated that
practicing yoga asanas (postures), meditation or a
combination of the two, reduced pain for people
with conditions such as cancer, multiple sclerosis,
auto-immune diseases and hypertension as well as
arthritis, back and neck pain and other chronic
conditions. Some practitioners report that even
emotional pain can be eased through the practice
of yoga.

THE TRUTH ABOUT YOGA:
Yoga has become the health and fitness system
of choice. This is odd because it is the mind -
not the body - that is the main target of all genuine
Yoga practices .... To regard Yoga primarily as a
set of practices for increasing strength and
flexibility while calming the nervous system is
to mistake the husk for the kernel.
(Pandit Rajmani Tigunait)

REASON #3. YOGA FOR … BETTER BREATHING:
Yoga teaches people to take slower, deeper breaths.
This helps to improve lung function, trigger the
body's relaxation response and increase the amount
of oxygen available to the body.

THE TRUTH ABOUT YOGA:
Like many arts and sciences that are profound,
beautiful, and powerful, yoga has suffered from
the spiritual poverty of the modern world--it has
been trivialized, watered down, or reduced to
cliches. The deep and eternal essence of yoga
has been misrepresented and packaged for
personal profit by clever people.
(Bhole Prabhu)

REASON #4. YOGA FOR … FLEXIBILITY:
Yoga helps to improve flexibility and mobility,
increasing range of movement and reducing aches
and pains. Many people can't touch their toes during
their first yoga class. Gradually they begin to use the
correct muscles. Over time, the ligaments, tendons
and muscles lengthen, increasing elasticity, making
more poses possible. Yoga also helps to improve body
alignment resulting in better posture and helping to
relieve back, neck, joint and muscle problems.

THE TRUTH ABOUT YOGA:
In ancient times hatha Yoga was practiced for
many years as a preparation for higher states of
consciousness. Now however, the real purpose
of this great science is being altogether forgotten .
The hatha Yoga practices which were designed
by the rishis and sages of old, for the evolution
of mankind, are now being understood and
utilized in a very limited sense.
(Swami Satyananda Saraswati)

REASON #5. YOGA FOR … INCREASED STRENGTH:
Yoga asanas (postures) use every muscle in the
body, helping to increase strength literally from
head to toe. And, while these postures strengthen
the body, they also provide an additional benefit
of helping to relieve muscular tension.

THE TRUTH ABOUT YOGA:
Yoga is not mere acrobatics . Some people suppose
that Yoga is primarily concerned with the
manipulation of the body into various queer
positions, standing on the head, for instance, or
twisting about the spine, or assuming any of the
numerous odd poses which are demonstrated in
the text-books on Yoga. These techniques are
correctly employed in one distinct type of Yoga
practice, but they do not form an integral part of
the most essential type. Physical posture serve
at best as an auxiliary, or a minor form of Yoga.
(Swami Chidananda Saraswati)

REASON #6. YOGA FOR …
WEIGHT MANAGEMENT:
Yoga (even less vigorous styles) can aid weight
control efforts by reducing the cortisol levels
as well as by burning excess calories and
reducing stress. Yoga also encourages healthy
eating habits and provides a heightened sense of
well being and self esteem.

THE TRUTH ABOUT YOGA:
Many false and incomplete teachings have been
propagated in its name, it has been subject to
commercial exploitation, and one small aspect
of Yoga is often taken to be all of Yoga. For
instance, many people in the West think it is a
physical and beauty cult, while others think it
is a religion. All of this has obscured the real
meaning of Yoga.
(Swami Rama)

REASON #7. YOGA FOR …
IMPROVED CIRCULATION:
Yoga helps to improve circulation and, as a result
of various poses, more efficiently moves
oxygenated blood to the body's cells.

THE TRUTH ABOUT YOGA:
Through the discipline of Yoga, both actions and
intelligence go beyond these qualities [gunas] and
the seer comes to experience his own soul with
crystal clarity, free from the relative attributes of
nature and actions. This state of purity is samadhi.
Yoga is thus both the means and the goal. Yoga
is samadhi and samadhi is Yoga.
(B. K. S. Iyengar)

REASON #8. YOGA FOR …
CARDIOVASCULAR CONDITIONING:
Even gentle yoga practice can provide cardio-vascular
benefits by lowering resting heart rate, increasing
endurance and improving oxygen uptake during
exercise.

THE TRUTH ABOUT YOGA:
The main objective of hatha Yoga is to create an
absolute balance of the interacting activities and
processes of the physical body, mind and energy.
When this balance is created, the impulses
generated give a call of awakening to the central
force (sushumna nadi) which is responsible for
the evolution of human consciousness. If hatha
Yoga is not used for this purpose, its true
objective is lost.
(Swami Satyananda Saraswati)

REASON #9. YOGA FOR …
FOCUS ON THE PRESENT:
Yoga helps us to focus on the present, to become
more aware and to help create mind body health.
It opens the way to improved concentration,
coordination, reaction time and memory.

THE TRUTH ABOUT YOGA:
The goal of Yoga is Yoga itself, union itself, of the
little self and the True Self, a process of awakening
to the preexisting union that is called Yoga.
Yoga has to do with the realization through direct
experience of the preexisting union between Atman
and Brahman, Jivatman and Paramatman, and
Shiva and Shakti, or the realization of Purusha
standing alone as separate from Prakriti.
(Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati)

REASON #10. YOGA FOR … INNER PEACE:
The meditative aspects of yoga help many to reach
a deeper, more spiritual and more satisfying place
in their lives. Many who begin to practice for
other reasons have reported this to be a key reason
that yoga has become an essential part of their
daily lives.
(This finally touches on the real reasons for Yoga
by mentioning that it is for "spiritual" reasons.)

THE TRUTH ABOUT YOGA:
You use the body as a medium to bring the mind
back to the brain. Perfect marriage between body
and mind. Then, you can reach and knock the
door to the spirit....
Yoga is free. It belongs to the earth. It's a god.
(Bikram Choudhury)

Distortion of Yoga Nidra (addendum to the Yoga Nidra article)

2009-02-18T16:45:00.002-06:00

http://www.swamij.com/yoga-nidra.htm

Distortion of Yoga Nidra
(addendum to the Yoga Nidra article)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Yoga Nidra is NOT the Dreaming state.
Yoga Nidra IS conscious Deep Sleep.

AUDIO (34 min): Developing Determination for Enlightenment

2009-02-18T16:42:00.002-06:00

DEVELOPING DETERMINATION FOR ENLIGHTENMENT
Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati

AUDIO RECORDING (PODCAST)
(34:20 minutes)
http://www.swamij.com/podcast/determination-090201.mp3

From a presentation at the Center for Nondualism on February 1, 2009.

http://centerfornondualism.org/

http://www.swamij.com/

The Meaning and Purpose of Yoga

2009-02-18T16:39:00.001-06:00

http://www.swamij.com/

THE MEANING AND PURPOSE OF YOGA
By Bhole Prabhu

Like many arts and sciences that are profound, beautiful, and
powerful, yoga has suffered from the spiritual poverty of the modern
world--it has been trivialized, watered down, or reduced to cliches.
The deep and eternal essence of yoga has been misrepresented and
packaged for personal profit by clever people. At the hands of some,
yoga has been reduced to the status of just another exercise program
available on videotape. In other contexts, yoga has been presented as
a cult religion, aimed at attracting "devotees." Such a haze of
confusion has been created around the clear and pure concept of yoga
that it is now necessary to redefine yoga and clarify its meaning and
purpose.

Yoga defines itself as a science--that is, as a practical, ethodical,
and systematic discipline or set of techniques that have the lofty
goal of helping human beings to become aware of their deepest nature.
The goal of seeking to experience this deepest potential is not part
of a religious process, but an experiential science of self-study.
Religions seek to define what we should believe, while a practical
science such as meditation is based on the concrete experience of
those teachers and yogis who have previously used these techniques to
experience the deepest Self. Yoga does not contradict or interfere
with any religion, and may be practiced by everyone, whether they
regard themselves as agnostics or members of a particular faith.

Throughout history, yogic techniques have been practiced in both the
East and West, so it would be an error to consider yoga an "Eastern
import." In fact, yoga, with its powerful techniques for creating a
sense of inner peace, harmony, and clarity of mind, is absolutely
relevant to the modern world--both East and West. Given the increasing
pace and conflict present in modern life, with all its resulting
stress, one could say that yoga has become an essential tool for
survival, as well as for expanding the creativity and joy of our lives.

THE LIVING TRADITION

Although yoga does not "belong" to the East, it is easiest to trace
its roots there, because cultural change has not obscured the origins
of the science, and an ongoing tradition of yoga has continued to the
present day. No one person "invented" yoga--yoga is a living
tradition, a set of practices that dates back for centuries. These
practices were codified by a scholar and teacher named Patanjali in
The Yoga Sutras, written about the second century B.C.

The most important teaching of yoga has to do with our nature as human
beings. It states that our "true nature" goes far beyond the limits of
the human mind and personality--that instead, our human potential is
infinite and transcends our individual minds and our sense of self.
The very word "yoga" makes reference to this. The root, "yuj" (meaning
"unity" or "yoke"), indicates that the purpose of yoga is to unite
ourselves with our highest nature. This re-integration is accomplished
through the practices of the various yoga disciplines. Until this
re-integration takes place, we identify ourselves with our
limitations--the limitations of the body, mind, and senses. Thus we
feel incomplete and limited, and are subject to feelings of sorrow,
insecurity, fear, and separation, because we have separated ourselves
from the experience of the whole.

In the modern world we have become quite successful in our external
achievements--we have created powerful technologies and a variety of
products, we are obsessed with accumulating power, wealth, property
and objects--and yet we have not been able to create either individual
or social peace, wisdom, or happiness. We have only to look around and
see the destructiveness of our weapons, the emptiness of our pleasures
and entertainments, the misuse of our material and personal resources,
the disparities between rich and poor, and above all, the loneliness
and violence of our modern world. We see that amid all our success in
the external world, we have accomplished little of lasting value.
These problems will not be solved through new technological
developments. Instead, the resolution to these human problems will
come only when we discover within ourselves that for which all of
mankind is searching--inner peace, tranquility, and wisdom. This
attainment is the goal of yoga, for yoga is the practical science
intended to help human beings become aware of their ultimate nature.

AN ASCENT INTO PURITY

The process of yoga is an ascent into the purity of the absolute
perfection that is the essential state of all human beings. This goal
requires the removal of our enveloping personal impurities, the
stilling of our lower feelings and thoughts, and the establishment of
a state of inner balance and harmony. All the methods of yoga are
based on the perfection of our personalities and may help to create a
new world order.

In the beginning of our work, the greatest problem we experience is
our inherent restlessness of mind. Mind, by its very nature, is
outgoing and unsteady. The highest state of meditation, however,
requires a calm, serene, one-pointed mind, free from negative emotions
and the distractions created by cravings, obsessions, and desires. To
reach the subtler levels of consciousness and awareness, we need
willpower, clarity of mind, and the ability to consciously direct the
mind towards our goal. This is possible only when we turn away from
preoccupation with external acquisition and seek to stop all
inharmonious or negative mental processes. To achieve this, we do not
need to give up our homes and society and retire to a monastery.
Instead, we can achieve a state of peace, harmony, and contentment in
our daily meditation, and thus, go on carrying out our life's duties
and activities with the love and devotion that emerges from our
meditative experience.

For those who want to follow the path of yoga towards peace and
evolution, there are a few prerequisites. We need good health, a calm
mind, sincerity, and a burning desire to rise above our human
imperfections. Our health is maintained by a simple and well-
regulated diet, adequate sleep, some physical exercise, and
relaxation. Imbalance or excesses in food, exercise, sleep, or our
personal relationships produce physical and emotional disruptions that
disturb the practice of yoga and meditation.

If the aspects of our daily lives are well balanced, then certainly we
can make progress in yoga in the modern world. Regardless of where we
live or what we do, we can create a life conducive to yoga.

PATHS TO THE SUMMIT

As we indicated earlier, there is much confusion about exactly what
yoga is, especially since there seem to be so many approaches, all
described by the name "yoga." A mountain climber may take a variety of
routes to reach the top of a mountain. From the plain at the base of
the mountain, all these paths seem distinct and different, but from
the mountain summit, the view is always the same! The same is true of
the seeming diversity of the yogic paths. These different paths are
not mutually exclusive or conflicting, but are intended to accommodate
the various inclinations, personalities, and temperaments of
individual students, and yet they all have the same goal. These
various paths of yoga include:

1) Hatha yoga, which deals mostly with body and breathing exercises
that help the student to become aware of his or her internal states.
Hatha yoga exercises help to make the body a healthy and strong
resource for the student.

2) Karma yoga, which means "the yoga of action." This path teaches us
to do our own duties in life skillfully and selflessly, dedicating the
results of our actions to humanity. Practicing this aspect of yoga
helps us to live unselfishly and successfully in the world without
being burdened or distressed.

3) Jnana yoga is the path of knowledge and wisdom. This path involves
intense mental discipline. Knowledge dawns as we learn to discriminate
between the real and the unreal, between the transient and the
everlasting, between the finite and the infinite. This path is meant
for only a fortunate few, who are aware of the higher and subtler
realities of life.

4) Bhakti yoga is the yoga of devotion. This path is the way of love
and devotion. It is the path of self-surrender, of devoting and
dedicating all human resources to attaining the ultimate reality.

5) Kundalini yoga is a highly technical science. The guidance of a
competent teacher is required to learn methods for awakening the
serpent-like vital force that remains dormant and asleep in every
human body.

6) Mantra yoga, which involves meditation and the use of certain
sounds called "mantras," which are traditionally transmitted to the
student, and are used as objects of concentration. Mantras help the
student in self-purification, concentration, and meditation. These
mantras were discovered in deep meditation by highly advanced sages
and teachers.

Finally, there is raja yoga, the "royal path" which is very scientific
and thorough. By following this path methodically, we learn to refine
our desires, emotions, and thoughts, as well as the subtle impressions
and thoughts that lie dormant in the unconscious mind. Raja yoga helps
us to experience the inner reality by using an eight-runged ladder.
The ultimate goal is for the aspirant to attain the eighth rung, samadhi.

THE ROYAL PATH

Raja yoga encompasses teachings from all the different paths. Because
of its variety it can be practiced by people of many backgrounds and
temperaments. It involves all three dimensions of human interaction--
physical, mental, and spiritual. Through this path, we achieve balance
and harmony of all three levels and then attain full realization of
the Self.

Raja yoga is a scientific discipline that does not impose
unquestioning faith, but encourages healthy examination. Certain
practices are prescribed and the benefits derived from them are
described so that this path can be scientifically verified by anyone
who experiments with the methods. Because of this, raja yoga is
ideally suited to the modern world, in which scientific skepticism is
so prominent.

Raja yoga is also called astanga yoga, or "the eight-fold path,"
because its eight steps create an orderly process of self-
transformation beginning on the level of the physical body, and
eventually involving the subtler levels of life. The eight steps are
yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, and samadhi.

EXTERNAL PRACTICES

The first four rungs or steps--yama, niyama, asana, and pranayama,
comprise the path of hatha yoga, which is preparatory to the last four
stages of raja yoga.

Yama and niyama are ten commitments of attitude and behavior. One set
of disciplines (niyama) is meant to improve the human personality and
the other (yama) is meant to guide our relationships and interactions
with other beings in the world. Thus yoga is an education for both
internal and external growth.

The five yamas, or restraints, are nonviolence, truthfulness,
nonstealing, sensual moderation, and non- possessiveness. Their
practice leads to changes in behavior and emotions, in which all
negative emotions are replaced by positive ones. The five niyamas, or
observances, are cleanliness (both external and internal),
contentment, practices which bring about perfection of body and senses
(tapas), study of the scriptures, and surrender to the ultimate
reality. The niyamas lead to the control of our behavior and
eventually are extremely positive factors in developing the personality.

In the beginning we should not be discouraged by the challenge of
these first two steps. For example, even before we have succeeded in
developing the trait of nonviolence completely, we will see increasing
peace in our lives and meditation as a result of attempting to
practice this yama.

Usually, when hatha yoga is taught in the modern world, only asanas
(physical postures) and certain breathing practices are taught. Yama
and niyama often are ignored. Because of this, hatha yoga has become
somewhat superficial, sometimes emphasizing only physical beauty or
egoism about skill and strength in postures. Certainly asanas and
breathing exercises create physical health and harmony, but only when
our minds are free from violent emotions can we achieve a calm,
creative, and tranquil mental state.

Actually, there are two types of asanas--meditative postures and
postures that ensure physical well-being. A stable meditative posture
helps us create a serene breath and calm mind. A good meditative
posture should be comfortable and stable, ensuring that the head,
neck, and trunk are erect and in a straight line. If the body is
uncomfortable, it makes the mind agitated and distracted. The second
kind of postures are practiced to perfect the body, making it limber
and free from disease. These postures stimulate specific muscles and
nerves and have very beneficial effects.

The fourth step of raja yoga is pranayama. Prana is the vital energy
that sustains body and mind. The grossest manifestation of prana is
the breath, so pranayama is also called the "science of breath." These
exercises lead to calming and concentration.

INTERNAL PRACTICES

The four steps of hatha yoga prepare the student for the four internal
practices of raja yoga. These internal practices are pratyahara,
dharana, dhyana, and samadhi.

The fifth step of raja yoga is pratyahara or withdrawal and control of
the senses. While we are awake, the mind becomes involved with the
events, experiences, and objects of the external world through the
five senses of sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell. The mind
constantly gathers sensations from the external world through these
senses and our mind reacts to them. To attain inner calmness, the
student of yoga will want to develop the ability to voluntarily remove
the distractions of the world outside. This is not a physical process
but a voluntary, mental process of letting go of our involvement with
external sensations.

Our sensory impressions distract the mind when we want it to become
aware of serenity within. Thus, it is useful to learn dharana, or
concentration, the sixth step in raja yoga. In concentration, the
scattered power of the mind is coordinated and focused on an object of
concentration through continued voluntary attention. This voluntary
attention uses a conscious effort of the will, and it is developed
through consistent practice. Through concentration, a scattered, weak
mind is focused and made more powerful.

The seventh step in raja yoga is dhyana, or meditation. Meditation is
the result of continued, unbroken concentration. Concentration makes
the mind one-pointed, calm, and serene. Meditation then expands the
one-pointed mind to the superconscious state. Meditation is the
uninterrupted flow of the mind toward one object or concept. When the
mind expands beyond conscious and subconscious levels and assumes this
superconscious flow, then intuitive knowledge dawns. All the methods
of yoga prepare us to eventually reach this stage of meditation and
thus attain peace, perfection, and tranquility.

In our daily lives, meditation can be very helpful in eliminating many
physical and psychological problems. A significant amount of the
disease we experience is actually either directly or indirectly the
result of conflicts, repression, or emotional distress arising in the
conscious or unconscious mind. Meditation helps us to become aware of
these conflicts and to resolve them, establishing tranquility and
peace. In this way, meditation becomes a powerful resource for facing
the challenges of daily life.

If we really consider how we learn in the modern world, we realize
that despite all our emphasis on education, our education is one-
sided and shallow. We may learn to memorize equations and facts, but
we do not really learn to understand and develop our own inner life.
Our minds remain scattered and our emotions persist as negative,
conflicting forces. We are able to use only a small portion of our
mental abilities, because we are preoccupied with confusion, fear, and
inner conflict. Meditation helps us to overcome these limitations; it
helps us to become aware of the subtler and more positive powers
within. In gaining this awareness, we become creative and dynamic.
Abilities such as intuition, which many consider unusual or rare, are
actually within the potential of all human beings who meditate. Such
gifts are available to those who make contact with the deeper aspects
within themselves.

Prolonged and intense meditation leads to the last step of raja yoga--
the state of samadhi, the superconscious state. In this state we
become one with the higher Self and transcend all imperfections and
limitations. The state of samadhi is the fourth state of
consciousness, which transcends the three normal states of waking,
dreaming, and dreamless sleep.

A person who attains samadhi becomes a gift to his or her society. If
humanity is ever to achieve a more evolved civilization, it will be
possible only because of our growth and evolution as human beings. A
person who is established in samadhi lives his or her whole life as a
spontaneous expression of the unhindered flow of supreme
consciousness. This superconscious level is our human essence; it is
universal and transcends all the divisions of culture, creed, gender
or age. When we become aware of this state within, our whole life is
transformed. When we transform ourselves and experience serenity,
peace, and freedom, we also transform our societies and all of human
civilization. This awareness of the infinite consciousness is the
practical and real goal of yoga.

----

Bhole Prabhu lived in the Himalayas, and was a yogi, poet, and
philosopher renowned as an original thinker.

Yoga, Computers and Four Levels of Consciousness

2009-02-18T16:37:00.000-06:00

From:
http://www.swamij.com/computers-consciousness.htm
(The whole article is at this link, along with useful pictures)

YOGA, COMPUTERS AND FOUR LEVELS OF CONSCIOUSNESS
By Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati

I am not the picture on my computer monitor.
I am electricity.

I am not the processing in my microchip.
I am electricity.

I am not the data on my hard drive.
I am electricity.

I am the life in all of these three.
I am the electricity.

A MODEL FOR MEDITATION: The computer can be used as a modern metaphor
for understanding the process of Yoga meditation and the levels of
consciousness through which one journeys. By understanding these
levels or stages, it is much easier to understand how meditation is
not used merely as a means of relaxation or psychic experience, but as
the means for the realization of the ever pure, ever joyful core of
our being, by whatever name you choose to call that center.

FOUR LEVELS:

1. Peripherals/Conscious: The ten senses and means of expression
(indriyas), along with the conscious mind, allow the inner person to
communicate and act in the external world, like the peripherals of a
computer system, including monitor, keyboard, speakers, and microphone.
Four functions of mind: Throughout the conscious, unconscious, and
subconscious levels, the four functions of mind operate ever subtler,
until even they are transcended in the fourth stage, noted below.

2. Microchip/Unconscious: The active unconscious mind processes mostly
out of view, with only a small part of its functioning normally coming
to the surface of the conscious mind, like the microchip of the
computer, which does a tremendous amount of processing, yet presents
only a tiny amount of that to the peripherals.

3. Hard-drive/Subconscious: It is consciousness flowing in or through
the deep impressions of the latent subconscious, which causes them to
stir, just like the otherwise inert binary numbers resident on a
hard-drive, which do nothing until they are energetically brought to
life and spring forth into the microchip.

4. Electricity/Consciousness: The conscious, unconscious, and
subconscious levels of mind all function because of the flow of
consciousness, energy, or life force, just as the peripherals,
microchip, and hard-drive all operate because of the electricity. Both
the consciousness and the electricity are uniform, regardless of what
programs might be running in the moment.

I AM THE ELECTRICITY:

I am not the peripherals!: One explores the peripherals, the waking
state, the conscious mind, and the gross world, moving through them in
meditation.

I am not the microprocessor!: One explores the microprocessor, the
dreaming state, the unconscious mind, and the subtle plane, moving
through them in meditation.

I am not the hard-drive!: One explores the hard-drive, the deep sleep
state, the subconscious mind, and the causal plane, moving through
them in meditation.

I am the electricity!: Through deep meditation, one pierces the three
layers described above. Ultimately, one comes to resolve the question,
"Who am I?" in direct experience, with the realization of being the
pure consciousness, energy, or life force that is beyond, higher, or
underneath each of the other three levels, stages, or states, which is
the core of our being.

MORE ARTICLES ON THESE LEVELS OF CONSCIOUSNESS:

http://www.swamij.com/index-yoga-meditation-levels.htm

NEW VIDEO (1 min): Killing, Nonharming, Source of Humans, Yoga Sutra

2009-02-18T16:34:00.001-06:00

NEW VIDEO (1:16 Minutes)

KILLING, NONHARMING, SOURCE OF HUMANS,
YOGA SUTRAS 2.29 - 2.35
By Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati
http://www.swamij.com/

VIDEO is at YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRIOq89tC5s

All humans arise from the same source.
Let's stop killing each other.
Ahimsa = Nonharming
Yoga Sutras 2.29 - 2.35
http://www.swamij.com/yoga-sutras.htm

New Website on Teachings of Swami Rama

2008-12-17T11:02:00.004-06:00

Someone 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.

LINK:
https://sites.google.com/site/swamiramateachings/

DESCRIPTION (from the site)

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.

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.
http://hihtindia.org/
http://sadhanamandir.org/

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.

QUOTES FROM ARTICLES (from the home page)

The following quotes of Swami Rama are excerpts from the articles linked at the left.

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

NEW VIDEO (9 min): Trataka and Soham Mantra: Yoga and Tantra Meditation

2008-12-17T10:58:00.000-06:00

NEW VIDEO (9:00 Minutes)

TRATAKA GAZING WITH SOHAM MANTRA:
YOGA AND TANTRA MEDITATION
By Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati
http://www.swamij.com/

VIDEO is at YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBASQ314m7c

Trataka is gazing, and is a traditional meditation practice of Yoga
and Tantra.

SoHum (or SoHam) is a Universal Mantra, as it relates to the breath,
and everybody breaths.

SoHum is a Sanskrit word that means
"I am that," or "I am that I am."

Inhale with the sound "So,"
And Exhale with the sound "Hum."
Allow the sounds to silently repeat in your mind,
without speaking them aloud.

There are a total of 40 SoHum and breath repetitions
The speed of one repetition is 9 seconds per breath,
which is 6 2/3 breaths per minute.
This rate is ideal for relaxing
the autonomic nervous system, and also
preparing for deep meditation.

Breathe with your diaphragm, while gazing at the center, silently
remembering "So" with inhalation and "Hum" with exhalation.

Debate Argumants: Is Yoga a Religion?

2008-12-17T10:57:00.001-06:00

DEBATE ARGUMENTS: "IS YOGA A RELIGION?"

Following is a link to a website called Opposing Views on the question
"Is Yoga a Religion?" Rabbi Sigal Brier says "Yes" and Swami
Jnaneshvara Bharati says "No." Read the arguments for yourself. If you
wish, you can even cast your vote for "Yes" or "No."

http://www.opposingviews.com/questions/is-yoga-a-religion

Addendum to the Yoga Nidra article on SwamiJ.com

2008-12-17T10:55:00.001-06:00

From:
http://www.swamij.com/yoga-nidra.htm

ADDENDUM TO THE YOGA NIDRA ARTICLE ON SWAMIJ.COM

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.

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. Deep Sleep
is NOT conscious Dreaming. It is 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 (see levels
articles in the link), 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.

Levels articles:
http://www.swamij.com/index-yoga-meditation-levels.htm

Yoga Nidra article:
http://www.swamij.com/yoga-nidra.htm

In loving service,

Swami Jnaneshvara

Spanish translations of articles on SwamiJ.com

2008-12-17T10:53:00.000-06:00

A total of 14 articles from the SwamiJ.com website have been
translated from English into Spanish as a most generous offering of
selfless service to others by Zulema Higueras from Chile. The articles
range in size from 1 page to 49 pages. The articles are all in pdf
format and can be downloaded from this page:

http://www.swamij.com/spanish.htm

Please freely circulate these links to other readers of Spanish who
may enjoy and benefit from the articles. More translations are to come.

In loving service and with gratitude to Zulema,

Swami Jnaneshvara

Indic Contribution Towards Understanding the Word Religion

2008-12-17T10:49:00.003-06:00

Indic Contribution Towards
Understanding the Word Religion

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.

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.

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.

------------------------

Here is the link to the entire 36-page paper:
http://www.infinityfoundation.com/indic_colloq/papers/paper_sharma2.pdf
Also here:
http://www.swamij.com/pdf/paper_sharma2.pdf

The article is linked from this page:
http://www.infinityfoundation.com/indic_colloq/Schedule-Participants.htm

Conference page:
http://www.infinityfoundation.com/indic_colloq/Schedule-Participants.htm

Dr. Arvind Sharma's personal website:
http://ara.mcgill.ca/sharma/

McGill University:
http://www.mcgill.ca/

AN INDIC CONTRIBUTION TOWARDS AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORD "RELIGION" AND THE CONCEPT OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

And Indic Contribution Towards
an Understanding of the Word "Religion"
and the Concept of Religious Freedom

Arvind Sharma
McGill University

Summary:

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

ADDITIONAL COMMENT:

Dr. Sharma wrote an additional comment on his blog on December 1, 2008; it is a clear, succinct summary.
http://comparativestudyofreligion.wordpress.com/

8.) Indic and Western Concepts of Religion
December 1, 2008 by arvindsharma

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.

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.

Videos on Yoga Meditation and Om Mantra - Mandukya Upanishad

2008-09-25T23:30:00.010-05:00

It is with sincere heart that I write articles and have created short
videos to explain complex principles in simple language. Below is a
comment I received from a person I do not know. I share this with you
in the hopes that it will help a few to watch these videos closely and
benefit from them.

Swami Jnaneshvara

FEEDBACK RECEIVED ON TWO VIDEOS:

Thank you for the videos you've assembled. Years ago I turned away
from formal study of Indian Philosophy. The many long and strange
words seemed a wall too high to scale for me. But there was something
in the word 'samskara.' It seemed to contain more meaning than I could
penetrate and had nothing comparable in English. When I came across
your videos (Meditation Visualized, and, Mandukya Upanishad) I watched
again and again with my mouth just hanging open in astonishment. These
video explanations are of highest value, truly a treasure. I've read
so many, many volumes. To think that I could have gained what I have
by watching two, ten minute videos beggars the mind. In fact, if I
wanted to sit down with Guru and plan out my whole life in advance, I
could not have picked a more auspicious moment to have placed these
two videos in my path.

THE TWO VIDEOS:

Yoga Meditation Visualized
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oIXAUCOZ10

Om Mantra and Mandukya Upanishad:
Yoga Vedanta Meditation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNruveUaeRg

More videos by Swami Jnaneshvara
http://www.youtube.com/yogabindu

126 videos by Swami Rama on:
Yoga Sutras (13 hours)
Sri Vidya Tantra - Saundaryalahari (6 hours)
http://www.youtube.com/swamiramahimalayas
(This is a separate, external site)

NEW VIDEO: (3:56 min) The “Seer” Beyond the Mind: Meditation from Yoga Sutras

2008-09-16T20:28:00.006-05:00

NEW VIDEO (3:56 Minutes)

THE "SEER" BEYOND THE MIND:
MEDITATION FROM THE YOGA SUTRAS
By Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati

VIDEO is at YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CRQFsLfYOk

Sanskrit drasthri is the “seer”
Who am I?
What am I?
Set aside what I am not...
What I truly am will come shining through.
Yogash chitta vrittih nirodhah (Yoga Sutra 1.2)
Yoga is “nirodha” of the thoughts in the mind field.
Nirodha is coordination, control, regulation, integration, mastery, letting go, setting aside...
Tada drashtuh svarupe’vasthanam (Yoga Sutra 1.3)
Then the “seer” rests in its own true nature.
The “seer” is the “witness.”
The “seer” is awareness itself.
“Drashtuh” is “of the seer.”
Drashtuh is from “drish” which is “to see.”
The “seer” is the self-existent reality of pure consciousness itself.
It was never born and never dies.
It is not subject to pain, decay, or decomposition.
The “seer” lives in the world.

Music is by Chopin
Nocturne in C# minor

Discussion on Yoga Sutras 1.2-1.3:
http://www.swamij.com/yoga-sutras-10104.htm

Extensive writings on the whole of Yoga Sutras:
http://www.swamij.com/yoga-sutras.htm

85 Yoga Sutras lecture videos by Swami Rama - 13 hours

2008-09-02T01:07:00.004-05:00

Eight 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.

YouTube home page of these 85 videos:
http://www.youtube.com/swamiramahimalayas

Playlist page of these 85 videos:
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=BBD86952A2239E79

41 Swami Rama videos - Sri Vidya Tantra Vedanta Yoga Meditation

2008-09-02T00:59:00.006-05:00

Here is a link to 41 Swami Rama videos that have shown up on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/swamiramahimalayas

Playlist of the videos:
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=61035752268BE45B

SRI VIDYA TANTRA YOGA MEDITATION
SAUNDARYALAHARI, WAVE OF BEAUTY
Swami Rama

The description on the first video is:

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.

AUDIO (32 min): Million Dollar Question of Nondual Yoga Vedanta Meditation

2008-05-28T06:55:00.001-05:00

THE MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION OF
NONDUAL YOGA VEDANTA MEDITATION
Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati

AUDIO RECORDING (PODCAST)
(32:12 minutes)
http://www.swamij.com/podcast/080525-swami-j-million.mp3

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.

Center for Nondualism:
http://www.centerfornondualism.org/

Swami Jnaneshvara:
http://www.swamij.com/swamijnaneshvara.htm

AUDIO (28 min): Sermon on the Mount, Nondualism, and Yoga Vedanta

2008-05-28T06:52:00.002-05:00

SERMON ON THE MOUNT, NONDUALISM, AND YOGA VEDANTA
Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati

AUDIO RECORDING (PODCAST)
(32:12 minutes)
http://www.swamij.com/podcast/080511-swami-j-sermount.mp3

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
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.

Center for Nondualism:
http://www.centerfornondualism.org/

Swami Jnaneshvara:
http://www.swamij.com/swamijnaneshvara.htm

VIDEO: (3 min) The dance of Yoga on the lips of mind and Mt. Kailash

2008-05-28T06:47:00.000-05:00

NEW VIDEO (3:04 Minutes)
(revision of a previous video)

THE DANCE OF YOGA ON THE LIPS OF THE MIND AND MT. KAILASH
By Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati

VIDEO at YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8kujQL3xTg

Yoga, Yoga, Yoga, Yoga
Ah, sweet Yoga.
The word dances on the lips of the mind.

Yoga, Yoga, Yoga, Yoga
The wave that is one with the ocean of bliss.
The union of the illusory "I" with the "I" of all,
That was never divided in the first place.
Ah, sweet Yoga.

Yoga, Yoga, Yoga, Yoga
How the word flows through the field of mind.
The consciousness as Purusha,
Never one with, but playing with all the layers of being,
All the levels of the finest soil of matter called Prakriti.

Yoga, Yoga, Yoga, Yoga
One without a second.
One absolute reality,
With the appearance of soul called Atman,
As a breeze thinking itself separate from the wind
Of the absolute called Brahman.

Yoga, Yoga, Yoga, Yoga
Ah, so utterly, incomparably, sweet is the word.
The essence that is both the beauty
And creative force called feminine or Shakti,
And her companion of masculine, Shiva.
The two which are one in Yoga.

Yoga, Yoga, Yoga, Yoga
Ah, passionate, loving, driving, quieting,
Exasperating,
Fulfilling, emptying, full filling Yoga.

Yoga, Yoga, Yoga, Yoga
Ah, so sweet;
No sweeter word to ring in the canyons of mind,
Than the word of Yoga,
That arises from, and returns to the silence.

Yoga, Yoga, Yoga, Yoga
You and I are one.
Only one. Only Yoga.
Yoga, Yoga, Yoga, Yoga

More of my videos at YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/user/yogabindu

My website:
http://www.swamij.com/

VIDEO (9 min): Invoking the Infinite in Yoga Vedanta Meditation

2008-05-28T06:42:00.002-05:00

NEW VIDEO (9:29 Minutes)

INVOKING THE INFINITE IN YOGA VEDANTA MEDITATION
By Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati

VIDEO at YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-roMQoSlw2o

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."

"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.

Om
Purnamadah Purnamidam
Purnat Purnamudachyate
Purnasya Purnamadaya
Purnameva Vashishyate
Om shanti, shanti, shanti

Om.
That is infinite, this is infinite.
From That infinite,
this infinite comes.
From That infinite,
this infinite removed or added;
Infinite remains infinite.
Om, peace, peace, peace.

More of my videos at YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/user/yogabindu

My website:
http://www.swamij.com/

Discrimination is the reason for the 8 rungs in Yoga Sutras

2008-05-28T06:34:00.002-05:00

THE EIGHT RUNGS OR LIMBS:
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).

1) Yama: codes of restraint, abstinences (2.30, 2.31)
2) Niyama: observances, self-training (2.32)
3) Asana: meditation posture (2.46-2.48)
4) Pranayama: expansion of breath and prana (2.49-2.53)
5) Pratyahara: withdrawal of the senses (2.54-2.55)
6) Dharana: concentration (3.1)
7) Dhyana: meditation (3.2)
8) Samadhi: deep absorption (3.3)

THE EIGHT RUNGS ARE FOR DISCIMINATIVE ENLIGHTENMENT:
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
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).

DISCRIMINATION ALLOWS SUBTLER INTROSPECTION:
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.

THE FIRST FIVE RUNGS SHARPEN THE RAZOR:
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).

Please also see the articles:
Coordinating the Four Functions of Mind
http://www.swamij.com/fourfunctionsmind.htm
Yoga Sutras:
http://www.swamij.com/yoga-sutras.htm

VIDEO (3:40 min): Meditation on the small and the large - Yoga Sutra

2008-05-28T06:31:00.002-05:00

NEW VIDEO (3:40 Minutes)

MEDITATION ON THE SMALL AND THE LARGE
By Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati

VIDEO at YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzQ1eYR5BfA

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)

For more information please see:
http://www.swamij.com/yoga-sutras.htm

VIDEO (9 min): Yantra and Mantra of Sri Vidya Tantra Yoga

2008-05-28T06:28:00.002-05:00

NEW VIDEO (9:10 Minutes)

YANTRA AND MANTRA OF SRI VIDYA TANTRA YOGA
By Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati

VIDEO at YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bd-Pslr4GIw

In the Himalayan tradition, the aspirant breaks through the final
barrier through Samaya Tantra and Sri Vidya, after clearing the mind
through the practice of Yoga meditation as codified in the Yoga
Sutras by Patanjali, and practicing self-enquiry through Vedanta.
Vidya means knowing, and Sri Vidya is the highest of all aspects of
knowing, as it leads to the Absolute Truth. Yantra refers to the
visual form, and Sri Yantra is the form of that knowing. Central to
the practices is Maha-Tripura-Sundari, the great, beautiful one,
essence, consciousness, or reality that dwells in the three "cities"
(tri-pura, or three cities including: gross, subtle, causal; waking,
dreaming, sleeping; conscious, unconscious, subconscious). Sri (or
Shri) is conceptualized as the feminine creative force of Shakti that
is ultimately found to be one and the same with the static
conceptualized as masculine or Shiva.

For more information please see:
http://www.swamij.com/tantra.htm

AUDIO (41 min): Theism, Atheism, Nondualism, Contemplation, and Shaktipat

2008-05-24T13:23:00.007-05:00

THEISM, ATHEISM, NONDUALISM, CONTEMPLATION, AND SHAKTIPAT
Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati

AUDIO RECORDING (PODCAST)
(41:33 minutes)
http://www.swamij.com/podcast/080223-swami-j-cnd-conf.mp3

YOUTUBE VERSION:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7QqMmKa1go

Presentation by Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati at the annual conference of the Center for Non-Dualism in Fort Walton Beach, Florida on February 23, 2008. The talk blends three topics: 1) Theism, Atheism, and Non-Dualism; 2) How do I contemplate? What are "great" contemplations? 3) What is shaktipat? How does it work?

See also:
Center for Nondualism:
http://www.centerfornondualism.org

Theism, Atheism, Yoga, and Fear:
http://www.swamij.com/theism-atheism-yoga-fear.htm

Is Yoga a Religion?
http://www.swamij.com/religion.htm

Mysticism, Yoga, and Religion:
http://www.swamij.com/mysticism-yoga-religion.htm

Stages of Yoga Vedanta Meditation and Contemplation

2008-03-07T10:47:00.001-06:00

Mahavakyas (great contemplations)
http://www.swamij.com/mahavakyas.htm

STAGES OF YOGA VEDANTA MEDITATION AND CONTEMPLATION
Swami Rama

Meditation and contemplation are two different techniques, yet they are complementary to each other. Meditation is a definite method of training oneself on all levels – body, breath, conscious mind, and unconscious mind – while contemplation builds a definite philosophy. Without the support of a solid philosophy, the method of meditation does not lead to higher dimensions of consciousness.

Contemplation makes one aware of the existence of the Reality, but Reality can be experienced only through the higher techniques of meditation. In the Vedanta system, meditation and contemplation are both used. When an aspirant tires of meditation because of lack of endurance, then he contemplates on the mahavakyas [great contemplations] and studies those scriptures that are helpful in the path of Self-realization and enlightenment. Contemplation, vichara, complements the Vedantic way of meditation, dhyana.

In Vedanta philosophy, there is a definite method used for contemplation. Ordinarily, the mind remains busy in self-dialogue, entangled in the web of its thought patterns. Because of desires, feelings, and emotions, unmanageable conflicts are created in one's mental life. But the Vedanta way of contemplating transforms the entire personality of the aspirant, for the statements, mahavakyas, imparted by the preceptor create a dynamic change in the values of his life. These statements are compact, condensed, and abstruse srutis and cannot be understood without the help of a preceptor who is fully knowledgeable of the scriptures and these terse texts. Only a realized teacher can impart the profundity of such knowledge in a lucid language.

The thoughts, feelings, and desires which were once important to the aspirant lose their value, for he has only one goal to attain. The glory of contemplation brings a dynamic transformation to the internal states of the aspirant. This seems to be very necessary, because that which creates a barrier or becomes an obstacle for students loses its strength due to the power of contemplation, which transforms all his internal states.

First, an aspirant attentively listens to the sayings of the Upanishads from a preceptor who is Brahman-conscious all the time.

In the second step, he practices vichara (contemplation), which means that he goes to the depths of the great sayings and determines to practice them with mind, action, and speech.

One-pointed devotion, full determination, and dedication lead him to the higher step called nididhyasana. Here he acquires comprehensive knowledge of the Ultimate Truth. But he has not yet attained the final step of consciousness that leads him to the direct realization of the one self-existent Truth without second.

The highest state of contemplation is called saksatkara. In this state, perception and conceptualization are in complete agreement, and all the doubts from all levels of understanding vanish forever. At this height of knowledge, truth reveals itself to the aspirant, and perfect realization is accomplished, "I am Atman – I am Brahman." This state of advaita is attained by the process of contemplation. Meditation plays an entirely different role and helps the aspirant make his mind one-pointed, inward, and steady.

Steadiness and stillness are practiced from the very beginning in this meditational method. The method of sitting, the method of breathing, the method of concentration, and the method of allowing a concentrated mind to flow uninterruptedly are subsequent steps that help the aspirant to expand his capacity so that he can contemplate without distraction.

VIDEO (2 min): What Yoga has Become in America

2008-03-02T15:39:00.001-06:00

NEW VIDEO (2:00 Minutes)

What Yoga has Become in America
By Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati

VIDEO at YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=An4LwizAVFo

For more information about what Yoga has become in America, please see:
http://www.swamij.com/traditional-yoga.htm

VIDEO: Diaphragmatic Breathing for Advanced Yoga Meditation

2008-03-02T15:38:00.001-06:00

NEW VIDEO (5:34Minutes)

Diaphragmatic Breathing for Advanced Yoga Meditation
By Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati

YouTube link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cc_fQMdKJqU

MySpace link:
http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=27355180

Proper diaphragmatic breathing is a central foundation practice for
one who wishes to move on to advanced meditation, to experience the
highest direct experiences of Yoga. One of the challenges to
breathing diaphragmatically is in knowing exactly where the diaphragm
is located, and how it works. When breathing diaphragmatically, the
muscles of the abdomen, chest, and clavicles are not involved. They
remain still, while the diaphragm gently contracts on inhalation, and
releases on exhalation. Breath is an extremely useful part of the
systematic process of Yoga meditation, which leads one beyond the
breath to the finer, subtler practices and experiences. There is
tremendous value in understanding the process of breathing, and in
diligently, gently practicing diaphragmatic breathing.

http://www.swamij.com/

AUDIO: Theism, Atheism, Nondualism, Contemplation, and Shaktipat

2008-03-02T15:33:00.002-06:00

THEISM, ATHEISM, NONDUALISM, CONTEMPLATION, AND SHAKTIPATSwami Jnaneshvara Bharati

AUDIO RECORDING (PODCAST)
(41:33 minutes)
http://www.swamij.com/podcast/080223-swami-j-cnd-conf.mp3

Presentation by Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati at the annual conference ofthe Center for Non-Dualism in Fort Walton Beach, Florida on February23, 2008. The talk blends three topics: 1) Theism, Atheism, and Non-Dualism; 2) How do I contemplate? What are "great" contemplations? 3)What is shaktipat? How does it work?

Center for NonDualism

2008-03-02T15:30:00.002-06:00

Purpose of the Center for Non-Dualism: The Center for Non-Dualism is a community for people who share the Non-Dual perspective of Religion, Yoga, and Philosophy. The purpose of the Center is to maintain a loving fellowship and to provide a nurturing environment that is conducive to learning and experiencing the oneness of NonDualism.

Meaning of Non-Dualism: Non-Dualism is the orientation that there is one absolute reality without a second, and that each of us, although an individual person, is one with that reality, just as a wave is not separate from the ocean. The emphasis of our Center is on the practices such as contemplation and meditation which lead to the direct experience of this Non-Dual reality.

Weekly Programs: The Center for Non-Dualism serves the Emerald Coast area of Northwest Florida. Our weekly gatherings are each Sunday from 10:30 to 12:30, with the program itself from 11:00 to 12:00. Our meeting location is the Gardenia Room at Cayo Grande, at 214 Racetrack Road NW, Fort Walton Beach, Florida. A map is on the website.

Invitation: Our view is that all dualistic religions, practices, and philosophies are practical tools that ultimately lead to the direct experience of the Non-Dual reality. All people who share this perspective and approach to life and spiritual practices are welcome and invited to participate in our programs and community. Teachers and organizations with a similar view of Nonduality are invited to network through our community, as friends of the Center for Non-Dualism.

Website:

http://www.CenterForNonDualism.org/

Newsletter:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CenterForNonDualism/

13 Speakers: Swami Rama Yoga Meditation Intensive, India, 10/29/07 - 11/16/07

2007-09-29T15:10:00.000-05:00

Following is an announcement about the Swami Rama Intensive in India Oct 29 - Nov 16. This will truly be an exciting and insightful time for sincere practitioners of Yoga Meditation, Vedanta and Tantra in the context of the teachings and tradition of Swami Rama. I personally very much look forward to participating, to helping with the presentations, and to hearing the perspecives of the other 12 speakers (biodata below). This is a rare opportunity for those who attend.

In loving service,

Swami Jnaneshvara

ANNOUNCEMENT

Sadhana Mandir Ashram (Swami Rama’s Ashram) of Rishikesh, India is happy to announce the SWAMI RAMA INTENSIVE program, October 29 – November 16, 2007 at the Himalayan Institute Hospital campus and Swami Rama Center, between Rishikesh and Dehradun, India. Monday through Friday programs will be at the hospital campus and weekend retreats will be at the ashram on the Ganges in Rishikesh.

The SWAMI RAMA INTENSIVE will be a flexible program adapting to the wishes and needs of the participants. However, each daily program will include classes drawing directly on a specific chapter from one of the books by Swami Rama. These presentations will be give by 13
different speakers, who are listed below. There will also be group meditations and self-awareness practices in alignment with the practices taught by Swami Rama.

FOR MORE INFO, RESERVATIONS & QUESTIONS:
http://www.sadhanamandir.org/SRI.htm

BIODATA OF THE 13 PRESENTERS:

Dr Achala M. Singhal, MD, DM, FACC, is a Professor & Head of Cardiology Department at Himalayan Institute of Medical Sciences. Personally trained by Sri Swami Rama in holistic approaches to medicine, Dr. Achala has conducted research on the effects of
meditation and breath control on hypertension and heart disease. Holistic approaches with cardiac patients have helped avoid invasive procedures in many cases, along with complete healing.

Dr. Anil Singhal is Professor of Neurology at HIHT. He received his M.D. in Medicine at AIIMS and did his residency in Neurology in USA. He is Head of the Departments of Holistic Medicine and Neurosciences. He worked closely with Swamiji from the very inception of HIHT.

Dr. M. Ganasan, MBBS, a disciple of Swami Rama since 1990, Dr. Ganasan had a flourishing private medical practice in Malaysia. Currently Director of the Combined Therapy Program at HIHT, Dr. Ganasan focuses on Yoga Therapy based on Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras and Swami Rama’s teachings. This highly individualized program takes the participant through physical postures, breathing exercises, cleansing practices, mind/ energy/body integration, leading to Self Awareness and ultimately to living in the universe itself.

Dandi Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati, MA, a disciple of Swami Rama, provides spiritual counseling and teaches practical aspects of Meditation, Yoga, Vedanta, and internal Tantra. Swami J is widely known for his passionate dedication to the teachings of Swami Rama,
which he expounds in a simple, efficient, and easy-to-understand manner.

Dr. John Clarke, M.D. is former Chairman of the Himalayan Institute of the USA, Dr. Clarke received his M.D. degree from Harvard University in Family Practice, Internal Medicine and Cardiology. He is also an Emergency Room physician and resides in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Dr. Kathleen McKeehan is a Nursing Advisor at the Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust. She received her Ph.D in Nursing from Case Western Reserve University, USA. She is a certified Hatha Yoga teacher and worked with Swamiji in USA before coming to India in 1992.

Ms. B. Maithili, a disciple of Swami Rama, is serving the Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust in the capacity of Director of Rural Development Institute.

Dr. Prakash Keshaviah is Director of Nephrology and an Honorary Professor of Physiology at HIHT. He received Post-Graduate Degrees in Biomedical Engineering and Physiology from the University of Minnesota, USA. His training with Swamiji dates back to the late 1960s.

Dr. Ravindra Kumar Mamgain, experienced in Ayurveda for over 20 years, is an Associate Professor of Ayurvedic Medicine, Himalayan Institute of Medical Sciences, and consultant physician at the Department of Ayurveda,

Dr. Sunil Saini M.B.B.S., M.S. ( Surgery), Fellow UICC, Senior Consultant Surgical Oncology , Professor of Surgery. Dedicated to the service of cancer patients, Dr. Saini was inspired and trained by Swami Rama to focus on holistic approaches, quality of life issues and stress management in cancer control and research.

Mr. Vijay Dhasmana, member Presidential Body, is respected for his dynamic leadership and management abilities. Having recently translated several of Swami Rama’s books from English into Hindi, Vijay is very conversant with Swamiji’s teachings.

Dr. Vijendra Chauhan is a Professor and an eminent Surgeon of Orthopaedics in HIHT. He is also a member of the Presidential Body. He received his MS in Orthopaedics from Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences. Hehas been associated with Swamiji since 1994.

Dr. Vishnudas K. is an Ayurvedic physician with over 15 years of experience in Ayurveda. He currently runs the Ashtavaidhya Parampara Ayurvedic center in Rishikesh, and has an Ayurvedic clinic at the Himalayan Institute Hospital Rishikesh Extension branch.

http://swamij.com/

Mandukya Upanishad on Om Mantra: Yoga Meditation (VIDEO 9:30)

2007-09-03T01:52:00.000-05:00

Mandukya Upanishad on Om Mantra: Yoga Meditation (VIDEO 9:30)

This video is on the Om Mantra as outlined in the Mandukya Upanishad. The pinnacle of the wisdom of the ancient sages is contained in these terse twelve verses, which outline the philosophy and practices of the Om mantra (written as either AUM or OM). The three stages plus the fourth of Om mantra are central to Yoga Meditation, Advaita Vedanta, and Samaya Sri Vidya Tantra.

VIDEO (9:30 minutes):

Click here for VIDEO at YouTube:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=fNruveUaeRg

Click here for VIDEO at MySpace:
http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=17293431

http://www.swamij.com/

Can a Christian Practice Yoga? (VIDEO: 5:45 minutes)

2007-08-20T02:45:00.000-05:00

VIDEO (5:45 minutes):

CAN A CHRISTIAN PRACTICE YOGA?
Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati

Can a Christian Practice Yoga? It depends on the individual Christian and the extent of his or her deep longing for union or Yoga that may lie deeply in the mind and heart. If one practices physical posture without the higher goals, it can hardly be called Yoga. It may be physical fitness, but it is no more Yoga than drinking wine and eating bread alone are Christianity.

Click here for VIDEO at YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQXAYioSQ9I

Click here for VIDEO at MySpace:
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=16255136

http://www.swamij.com/

Spirituality and When it Dawns - Swami Rama

2007-08-18T08:49:00.000-05:00

http://www.swamij.com/swami-rama-spirituality-dawns.htm
From The Essence of Spiritual Life
By Swami Rama
ISBN 8188157015
Reprinted with permission of the Publisher
Copyright Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust
http://hihtindia.org/
Swami Rama Foundation
http://www.swamiramafoundation.us/

SPIRITUALITY AND WHEN IT DAWNS
Swami Rama

It is not necessary to retire to a monastery to lead a spiritual life. We cannot escape from our inherent longings or postpone our utmost needs. In addition to the primitive urges for food, sex, sleep, and self-preservation, there is a higher urge to merge with God. We cannot be at peace unless that inherent divine urge is fulfilled.

We all want to experience the all-pervading, omnipresent God from which the entire universe, as well as each individual, has evolved. Direct experience of the truth that each of us originates from God, and ultimately will return to God, makes us secure, happy, and strong.

Today millions of educated men and women are suffering from a lack of purpose. Lacking also in self-confidence, young girls and boys have become victims of dissatisfaction and frustration. Along with a worldly education, we must provide some spiritual education.

Human beings have done research on three levels so far on mind, energy, and matter. Yet we have not found out a way to live in peace, to attain happiness that is free from all problems, pains, and miseries. We study this “ism,” and that “ism.” We go to this church and that temple. We seek advice from this swami and that other yogi. Yet, we have not found the way.

The whole confusion lies in the fact that we do not understand ourselves, and yet we introduce ourselves to others. We are strangers to ourselves yet we get married, have children, have homes, and claim to love others.

That training that helps us to attain a state of happiness free from pains and miseries, is missing from our daily life. Nobody teaches us how to look within, how to find within, how to verify within.

We are taught to know and see things in the external world, but this inner training and knowledge is missing. When we graduate with flying colors from colleges and universities, we find that we are still unsatisfied. The big questions about life still remain questions:

Who am I? From where have I come? What is the purpose of life? Where will I go from here?

Modern education helps us to understand and to be successful in the external world, the world of means. It doesn’t help us to know ourselves.

To know yourself, you don’t have to go anywhere. If you want to know yourself, you have to follow the path from the grossest to the subtle, then to the subtler, and finally, to the subtlest aspects of your life. You have to search for yourself, because religions do not fulfill this need.

I am not telling you not to follow your religion, or not to believe and trust in your religion. Often religions do not answer certain vital questions of life. Religions tell you what to do and what not to do, but religions do not tell you how to be.

No matter how many temples and churches we build, nothing is going to happen unless we accept one principle—that the greatest of all churches and temples is the living human being.

The scriptures say:

"The greatest of shrines is the human body. Look within and find within. There His Majesty dwells in the inner recesses, in the inner chamber of your being."

The day you come to know this, you will be happy. To believe in God is not a bad thing. It is a very good thing, because at least you have faith; but you should not forget that God is within you.

As a part of our educational training, we must define spirituality in its most precise and universal terms. Spirituality means that which helps us discipline our thoughts, speech, and actions, that which leads us toward the center of consciousness, and thereby unfolds our inner potentials.

Education based on such spiritual guidelines will help humanity to become self-reliant, confident, and active in the external world. At the same time, it will enable humanity to broaden its world view, and to become inward to search for the perennial Truth. Only a spiritually based education can bring harmonious balance to our external and inner lives.

Knowledge of theories that prove the existence of God is not as important as learning to discipline oneself, so that God can be experienced directly. Children should be taught how to sit quietly and make their minds one-pointed. Through their calm and one-pointed minds, children can obtain a glimpse of true peace and happiness. We need not force them to believe that there is a God; however, we should provide them with the opportunity to unfold their inner potentials, gain confidence, and become inspired to search for God, according to their own inner tendencies and backgrounds. Children need to cultivate divine virtues within themselves.

That which is purely physical has its limits, like the shell of an egg. Spirituality has infinite horizons and limitless freedom. It is full of knowledge and perennial light, life, and delight. When one is completely detached, one realizes oneself in a wider and deeper relationship with the Universal Being.

When ego becomes aware of something that is higher than ego—the individual spirit, or soul—then spirituality dawns.

Spirituality dawns when individuality vanishes.

http://www.swamij.com/

VIDEO Tribute to Swami Rama - Master of Yoga, Vedanta, and Tantra

2007-08-15T02:46:00.000-05:00

This video is a tribute to Swami Rama of the Himalayas, one of the greatest teachers of Yoga, Vedanta, and Tantra of the twentieth century. Swami Rama was a master of the Himalayan tradition who taught throughout the world and founded the Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust and Swami Rama University near Dehradun, India, as well as Sadhana Mandir Ashram in Rishikesh, India.

VIDEO (3:53 minutes):

Click here for VIDEO at YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8UcrJ19VCU

Click here for VIDEO at MySpace:
http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=15863404

http://www.swamij.com/

Does Yogi Bear have anything to do with Yoga? (VIDEO; 50 seconds)

2007-08-12T22:09:00.000-05:00

Does Yogi Bear have anything to do with Yoga?

Have you ever seen the cartoon character Yogi Bear? Did you ever wonder how he got his name? Does it have anything to do with Yoga? Here is the answer!

VIDEO answer to the question (50 seconds):

Click here for VIDEO at YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0bAQekvsmg

Click here for VIDEO at MySpace:
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=15603522

http://www.swamij.com/

Wisdom to live by in Yoga Meditation, Vedanta, and Tantra

2007-08-10T04:49:00.000-05:00

Wisdom to live by in Yoga Meditation, Vedanta, and Tantra
Click here for VIDEO (1 minute, 18 seconds):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f77QGujFcKg

WISDOM TO LIVE BY IN YOGA MEDITATION, VEDANTA, AND TANTRA
Swami Jnaneshvara

• There is only one highest reality and many teachers.
• All humans and life arise from the same one source.
• All countries, religions and institutions arise from that.
• There are many books of wisdom from many ages.
• Thinking there is only one way comes from ignorance.
• Coercive conversion is violence against other peoples.
• The goal of life is found within, not in institutions.
• Wisdom, joy and freedom come from inner stillness.
• Love all, as we are all waves of the one ocean.

Love all and exclude none.

Click here for VIDEO (1 minute, 18 seconds):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f77QGujFcKg

http://www.swamij.com/

Nondualism (Advaita) in Vedanta and Yoga Meditation

2007-08-09T00:04:00.000-05:00

Nondualism (Advaita) in Vedanta and Yoga Meditation

VIDEO (3 minutes):

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Cn5DLp8y3tg

Nondualism is central to Advaita Vedanta and Yoga Meditation. Seek to know that by which knowing, The nature of all things is known, Seek to love that by which loving, That love beyond all forms is known. That by which knowing, loving, holding Comes Absolute Joy, The One Joy that is unbounded, unconditioned, Limitless.

http://www.swamij.com/

Brief Hindu Timeline for Practitioners of Yoga Meditation

2007-08-07T18:56:00.000-05:00

Brief Hindu Timeline for Practitioners of Yoga Meditation

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=1a6vMAGTUhI
(10 minutes)

The dates for the Brief Hindu Timeline are drawn from a significantly more extensive timeline assembled by Hinduism Today in 1994. It should be self evident that the choice of items on the timelines and the dates themselves may not align with the opinions of all people. This video is presented as general information, not as a scholarly stance. Dates preceded by "ca" are approximate. The notation "bce" means "before common era" in the year zero of the Western or Gregorian calendar. The notation "ce" means "common era" and is after the year zero.

http://www.swamij.com/

Advanced Yoga Nidra

2007-08-05T06:21:00.000-05:00

FROM:
http://www.swamij.com/yoga-nidra.htm

ADVANCED YOGA NIDRA

The form of Yoga Nidra being described in this article can be called Advanced Yoga Nidra. In recent years Yoga Nidra has been distorted in ways similar to Yoga itself. Unfortunately, almost any guided practice that brings a modicum of relaxation is now called Yoga Nidra. Therefore, it is now virtually essential that we use another term, such as Authentic Yoga Nidra, Traditional Yoga Nidra, or Advanced Yoga Nidra. I've opted for the term Advanced Yoga Nidra in this article.

CLICK HERE FOR THE
COMPLETE ARTICLE
ON YOGA NIDRA
http://www.swamij.com/yoga-nidra.htm

Mahamrityunjaya Mantra VIDEO (6:45 minutes): Yoga Meditation, Vedanta, Tantra

2007-07-23T13:40:00.000-05:00

Mahamrityunjaya Mantra
VIDEO (6:45 minutes)
By Swami Jnaneshvara and Swami Nardanand

CLICK HERE:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=F0f2Pn_n8ks

Mahamrityunjaya Mantra is one of the more potent of the ancient
Sanskrit mantras. It is a call for enlightenment and is a practice of
purifying the karmas of the soul at a deep level. It can also be
quite beneficial for mental, emotional, and physical health. This
video has forty audio recitations of the mantra, as well as
explanations of its meaning. Mahamrityunjaya is a useful practice in
Yoga Meditation, Vedanta, and Tantra.

Om Tryambakam Yajamahe
Sugandhim Pushtivardhanam
Urvarukamiva Bandhanan
Mrityor Mukshiya Maamritat

We meditate on the three-eyed reality
Which permeates, sustains and nourishes all like a fragrance.
May we be free from the powerful disease-like bondage,
And receive the nectar that removes ignorance and brings liberation.

See also this link for more info on the mantra:
http://www.swamij.com/mahamrityunjaya.htm

Spiritual Untouchables

2007-07-23T13:32:00.000-05:00

From:
http://www.livingtantra.net/2007/07/spiritual-clannishness/
(Reprinted here with permission)

SPIRITUAL UNTOUCHABLES
Shambhavi Sarasvati

A certain highly accomplished Guru traveled to a new city where some
students had formed a group. Now, it so happened that, in the absence
of Guru, one fellow had assumed the "top dog" leadership position in
this group. He was enjoying his self-appointed role as the director
of everything and everyone. In fact, he fancied himself quite an
advanced practitioner capable of giving teachings to students even
though he had no permission from the Guru.

This fellow was so attached to the ego enjoyment he derived from this
role playing, he was like a heroin addict–compulsive and controlled
by fantasy fixes. Far from being capable of leadership or conveying
teachings to others, he was possessed by an automaton: a totally
programmed, robot slave. The robot slave acted confident and
knowlegable. Others were impressed and followed along. They didn't
know that acting "confident" and "knowlegable" was just a part of the
robot slave's programming.

So there this fellow was, playing the role of preceptor, when the
real Guru showed up. The robot slave really didn't like the idea of
being shut down. So it went into overdrive. It threw a tantrum and
physically threw the real teacher out of the teaching hall and onto
the street.

It was late at night. The Guru had no place to sleep, and it was
wintertime. But he was resourceful and luckily did not freeze to
death! The next day, the Guru called a meeting. To everyone's
surprise, he extended a kind invitation to the student who had thrown
him out the previous evening. During that meeting, the clear seeing
and compassion of the teacher acted like a reverse poison–a remedy.
The student was freed of being possessed by the robot slave.

Without that compulsive programming, the real situation of the
student could manifest. Far from being confident, he was terribly
afraid that others might find out how unworthy he really felt. Far
from wanting to to be the Guru, he longed with the grief of a little
abandoned child for the Guru's love. But he felt so cut off from true
love, he had tried to manipulate others into looking up to him, and
even fearing him.

The spiritual literature of India, Tibet, and many other places is
filled with stories of accomplished teachers who encounter thieves,
rapists, those possessed by greed, and even demons. With great
insight and compassion, these teachers free other beings from
fixation so that they too can continue on the path to Self-
realization.

The greatest teachers neither seek nor reject students. All are
welcome, without exception. However, this does not apply to every
teacher. It only applies to those teachers who are Self-realized and
can be of true benefit to the incredibly diverse beings they meet.
Less accomplished teachers must be keenly aware of their own
limitations, and/or follow the directions of their own teachers in
the matter of who and what they are equipped to teach.

This being said, it is never the fault of the student if a student is
unteachable by a certain Guru. This situation is a reflection of the
limitation of the Guru. So-called "bad" students should never be
vilified by teachers or communities. We are all "bad" students until
we are Self-realized. It is only a matter of degree. And this world,
composed of nothing but intelligence and compassion, teaches everyone
without exception. This is cosmic law. No one is unteachable. Only
individuated teachers with their own limitations are not yet fit to
encompass everyone who comes their way.

Spiritual communities are famous for clannishness, infighting, and
for harshly ex-communicating those who trouble other members of the
group. In some instances, it is teachers who set the tone for this
kind of activity. In other cases, the teacher is not around, and the
fixations of the students are free to mask themselves with egoic
misapplications of the teachings.

Students, all students, come to spiritual communities and teachers
with their fixations, compulsions, and attachments on full display.
This is true without exception. The student who is obviously
disruptive is no more in the wrong or right than a student who tries
to win the favor of the teacher with acts of false devotion and
obedience. Or one who uses "the teachings" as a weapon against other
students. If people didn't have fixations, there would be no need for
teachers. In fact, Tantrik teachers are well-known for purposely
inflaming the fixations of their students so that these may be
recognized and resolved. Going on a retreat with a Tantrik Guru and
community is usually anything but restful for this reason.

There are three golden rules for working with difficult situations
within spiritual communities.

1. Any reaction you have to another person or situation is your
reaction. It is not the fault of the other person; it is your
fixations at play. In order to confirm this, you need only think of
the accomplished beings who do not have "issues" with any person; all
people are held in the crucible of their intelligence and compassion.
This is your beacon. Your fixations are your real situation; they are
what you have to take responsibility for and work with. The member of
your community who really, really irritates you is your Guru in that
this person makes sure that all of your attachments are available to
be recognized and worked with. In fact, this person is none other
than an aspect of World Self communicating with you.

2. Teachers and students must recognize their limitations. We all
have limitations. Being blind to these, or trying to rise above them
with applications of spiritual View that you have not yet embodied,
will slow your unfoldment. All students and most teachers, cannot
encompass every situation. Sometimes we have to leave another person,
or ask them to leave, or take some other measure to protect our
ability to continue our practice individually or as a group. The
Buddha Yeshe Tsogyal once asked her Guru, Padmasambhava, what to do
about disturbances to her practice arising in her environment. He
answered that these disturbances should be brought into one's
practice, "onto the path" as is said. But if this is not possible,
his advice was: "Run for the hills! Protect your practice!" Notice
that the emphasis is on what you should do to take responsibility for
your sadhana, not on punishing, denigrating, criticizing, or
ostracizing another person.

3. The teacher is the teacher. In the matter of the conduct of
spiritual communities and a student's individual choices with respect
to sadhana, the teacher is the guide and the arbiter. Students should
ask the teacher what to do in difficult situations. Some students, in
a moment when the watchful eye of the teacher is not on them, like to
play the role of gatekeeper or even Guru. They try to wield power
over other students, and this is the source of a lot of the bad
reputation of spiritual communities. An accomplished Guru will know
how to work with this situation so that everyone can grow. Put
everything in the Guru's hands. Don't take on the karma of
prematurely guiding other people, whether by giving them practices to
do, criticizing them, or showing them the door.

Sometimes the most difficult student is transformed by interaction
with the Guru into the most sincere disciple, an example to everyone.
And students generally are in a fog of fixation and compulsion, but
even so, they recognize the primordial light of insight and
compassion shining from their teacher. We can still recognize and
follow despite our situation of limitation. This is Guru Kripa, or
Guru's grace.

In Matriseva,
Shambhavi

Truth is in Every Heart - Yoga Meditation teachings of Swami Rama

2007-07-21T13:45:00.000-05:00

From: The Essence of Spiritual Life
By Swami Rama
ISBN 8190100491
Reprinted with permission of the Publisher
Copyright Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust
http://hihtindia.org/

TRUTH IS IN EVERY HEART
Swami Rama

Truth is that Divine Force that dwells in every individual’s heart. It is the all-pervading, eternal Reality, uniting all individuals, and finally, linking all of existence in one divine awareness. That Divine Force is called God.

Belief in the existence of God indicates that one is searching for the Truth. The Truth is that which remains unchanged in the past, present, and future. The Truth is unborn and immortal. To know Truth, one needs to purify one’s thoughts, speech and actions. Purification is of utmost importance, because only through a purified mind can an aspirant think clearly and contemplate.

Once we are determined to search for the Truth through purified thoughts, speech, and actions, we are certain to find the way and reach the goal. Truth itself becomes our guide, and without making a mistake we will find ourselves on the right path.

One who believes in God and surrenders to God attains freedom here and now. He knows that he belongs to God, and that God belongs to him. His awareness shifts from the world to God, and he lives a life free from insecurity and fear. He has an unshakable faith in divine protection.

The scriptures constantly remind us that as the ocean accepts a river and makes it its own, God accepts seekers. It does not matter which path they follow or from which background they come. The only requirement is the desire to know the Truth. Once that desire is awakened, all means and resources come together. Water finds its own level. Likewise, a true lover of God finds God.

The highest philosophy is to know that the Truth and God are one and the same, and the highest practice is to search for Truth through one’s thoughts, speech, and actions.

There is something beyond religion. Though essential in the preliminary stage, it does not allow one to be one with the whole. It is like a moth that eats Kashmir wool, trying to prove to other moths that Kashmir exists. Everywhere in the realm of religion I encountered locked doors. If ever one door should chance to open, I was ultimately disappointed by what lay behind it.

God’s existence does not depend on our proofs. There is something wrong with the philosophers and the theologians, for they have the curious notion that God is a kind of hypothesis that can be analyzed and discussed.

I have seen people struggling with death because they do not admit its existence. God to me is a real annihilating fire and indescribable grace. I accept both.

It is easy to believe in God, and to believe in God is definitely better than not believing, however, that is only half way. It is something great when you come to know that:

God is in me. The Lord dwells in me. I am a finite vessel, and Infinity dwells within this finite vessel.

The human being is great, not because he can speak and narrate things, and not because he can feel. He is great because wherever he goes, the Lord travels with him.

No one has seen God. Highest of all, love without object, is God. How to know him? How to enjoy?

Seeing God in everyone and working for others is one way of enjoyment, but that is not so easy. You will have to practice. Remember the Lord all the time and sooner or later, you will be transformed.

The day you come to know that the Lord is within you, you will be free from fears. Then where are you? Where do you exist? If you have that consciousness that you exist separately from the Lord of the Universe, then it means you deny the existence of the Lord of the Universe.

God is all—a personal God, a universal God, and that which is beyond. Start from a personal God, go to the God within, then to the universal God, and finally beyond.

To love beloved God in any object is knowledge, yet to understand God in the heart is real Truth. It is a vain attempt to search for God. Who can there be more wonderful than myself—that is the Self of all.

Those who crave to see God are foolish. When I see him smiling through the face of man and child, and highest of all in myself, I am born a million times, and die a million times, too.

No God is greater than thyself.

http://swamij.com/

Book Review: Invading the Sacred: An Analysis of Hinduism in America

2007-07-16T07:39:00.000-05:00

BOOK REVIEW
Book title:
Invading the Sacred: An Analysis of Hinduism Studies in America
ISBN: 978-8129111821

The quotes below are from a book review at this site:
http://www.indolink.com/displayArticleS.php?id=071507061921

Site about the book from the authors:
http://www.invadingthesacred.com/

EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK REVIEW:

... Just consider this. In 2005, roughly 18 million Americans are practicing Yoga. In multiple polls of American religious beliefs and attitudes, up to 25% of Americans believe in reincarnation. Tens of millions of Americans meditate. Over 20 million are vegetarian. Almost half the population has turned to alternative health systems, such as Ayurveda, herbal medicine and massage.

What may be happening, at least according to one American Hindu Frank Gaetano Morales, is that Americans are interested in Yoga asanas, but are not as interested in become self-realized Yogis. They are interested in meditation for its calming effects, but not necessarily as a means to achieve samadhi. Americans are keen to incorporate Ayurvedic medicine - but only as a complementary or alternative system - mostly for controlling obesity or for the rejuvenative aspect of Panchakarma. They are primarily interested in the many goodies that Hinduism has to offer, but without taking the next logical step of becoming Hindus, or in many cases without even acknowledging the purely Hindu origins of the many practices that they have derived so much benefit from.

Morales says that while elements of Hinduism such as Yoga, ayurveda and meditation become more popular in America, Hinduism itself is in danger of being assimilated into the greater cultural milieu, just another ingredient – albeit a nicely spicy one – of the great American melting-pot. "We face the very real possibility of authentic Sanatana Dharma becoming co-opted into the greater American cultural matrix as nothing more than a menagerie of disparate elements used to market New Age spirituality" writes Morales in an essay entitled ‘Does Hinduism Have a Future in America?’ ...

COMPLETE BOOK REVIEW:

Book Counters Academic Distortions of Hinduism In America
By Francis C. Assisi

http://www.indolink.com/displayArticleS.php?id=071507061921

Americans have been engaged in Hindu-bashing for more than a hundred years. (I have dwelt on this aspect previously: http://www.modelminority.com/article1017.html). And it’s not just writers like Katherine Mayo or films like ‘Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom;’ the web too has a surfeit of anti-Hindu propaganda.

In recent years Indian Americans have been concerned about the stereotypes about India and Hinduism that are taught as fact in American classrooms. They know it will negatively impact students of Indian or South Asian origin who are struggling to work out their identity in a multicultural, predominately Anglo-Christian environment.

Moreover, some academicians too are engaged in Hindu-bashing. For instance, scholars have disparaged the Bhagavad Gita as “a dishonest book”; declared Ganesha's trunk a “limp phallus”; classified Devi as the “mother with a penis” and Shiva as “a notorious womanizer” who incites violence in India; pronounced Sri Ramakrishna a pedophile who sexually molested the young Swami Vivekananda; condemned Indian mothers as being less loving of their children than white women; and interpreted the bindi as a drop of menstrual fluid and the “ha” in sacred mantras as a woman's sound during orgasm.

This depiction of Hinduism in a manner perceived as provocatively demeaning by the Hindus themselves is the subject of a recent book: ‘Invading the Sacred- An Analysis of Hinduism Studies in America.’ It is a serious and significant response to the challenge posed by Hinduphobia in America. And it now calls upon all fair minded Americans and Hindus to read the book, and take steps to bring the vilification of India and of Hinduism to an end.

The first person within the Indian-American community to bring Hinduphobia, or distortions and negative portrayals of the Hindu religion out into the open was Rajiv Malhotra. Since at least 2002, his single minded campaigning, his scholarly criticisms, and his courageous stance has brought the issue into focus – thanks to the world-wide-web. In many of these articles, Malhotra argues that misinterpretations of Indian culture, especially philosophy and religion have created a Hinduism for American society that is very different from the religious philosophy as practiced by its followers.

The core complaint that Malhotra asserts is that the current education system and media in the USA and India are deeply and unconsciously Eurocentric – a system that is breeding the next generation of Eurocentric Americans, and that many Indians have adopted this Eurocentric trend also. Malhotra, who studied physics at India’s St. Stephens College and computer science at Syracuse University, now works full time at the Infinity Foundation, a nonprofit he founded in 1995 to “upgrade the quality of understanding of Indian civilization in the American media and educational system, as well as among the English language educated Indian elite.”

In September 2002, Malhotra wrote an article criticizing the representation of Hindu religion in the North American discipline of Religious Studies on Sulekha.com, a web portal popular among the Indian diaspora. The article, named "Wendy's Child Syndrome," identified a number of American scholars in Religious Studies working on Hinduism, arguing against their suitability to write or teach about Hindu religion, instigating debate within the academe. Malhotra's summaries of the concerned writings and his evaluations of the scholars involved, caused an indignant uproar on the Internet amongst Hindus, primarily Indian Hindus, all over the world and particularly in North America. In follow-up columns, Malhotra continued with his argument about the necessity of the Indian diaspora to wake up to such misrepresentations. These portrayals, he asserts, are responsible for the negative image of Indians and Hindus, leading to their racist treatment in American society. His articles garnered some of the highest number of readers and drew the largest number of comments.

Malhotra condemned “the eroticisation of Hinduism by Wendy Doniger, who is undoubtedly the most powerful person in academic Hinduism Studies today,” and “her large cult of students, who glorify her in exchange for her mentorship.” He noted that religious studies—a field that teaches about a religion without preaching its beliefs—is rare in India, making academic discussions of Hinduism a mostly Western conversation. “Under Western control,” he argued, “Hinduism studies has produced ridiculous caricatures that could easily be turned into a Bollywood movie or a TV serial.”

Indeed, Malhotra was the first to voice his concerns regarding the misrepresentation of Hinduism in America, when he noted: • Hindu kids and even adults in America are apologetic about their religion, generally preferring to distance themselves from it and keep quiet about it. • Educational material used to teach about Hinduism focuses on caste, idol worship, lack of social values among Hindus, and other negative portrayals. • A major academic web site examines the Bhagavad Gita in negative terms of Arjuna killing his relatives because of his Hindu outlook. • Teaching grants to train secondary school teachers on religious pluralism have been used to develop material that portrays Rama as 'oppressing' women and lower castes. • There is minimal coverage given to the positive contributions by India's civilization to mathematics, science, medicine, metallurgy, linguistics, logic, and other 'rational' areas; and when pointed out, such avoidance is sometimes defended. • Most of the educational material on Indic religions is written very authoritatively by Americans who have advanced degrees in Sanskrit and/or Religious Studies, who have spent years researching in India, and would easily impress anyone with their scriptural knowledge about India. • Very few Indians have gone for academic careers in Religion or Philosophy, and those in such careers must be very cautious not to step out of line in complaining about the above matters.

V. V. Raman, Emeritus Professor Rochester Institute of Technology says: “Mr. Malhotra is a serious and well-grounded scholar. He did not come to this field via the standard academic route, but his writings reflect more erudition and a greater grasp of important issues than many Ph.D.'s I know. …Because of his firm stand and sometimes angry style, he has angered the Western academic establishment on Indology, and alienated a great many, including some Hindu scholars…But he has also shaken many to look deeper into the assumptions and unrecognized prejudices which shape their interpretations. And he has served as a bold and well-informed voice for many Hindus in the West as well as in India who have often felt hurt and insulted by some of the psychoanalytic interpretations of their culture and divinities. Personally, I don't agree with Mr. Malhotra's style and mode, and I don't always resonate with his demarcation lines between the East and the West, but I have great respect for his scholarship, much sympathy for the core of his theses, and I applaud his long-range goal. One more thing: To my knowledge, he is not affiliated with any Hindu ‘fundamentalist’ group.

Anant Rambachan, Professor of Religion, Saint Olaf College in Minnesota writes: “Rajiv Malhotra is a prominent and insistent voice questioning and inviting dialogue with the scholarly community, on the content and methodology of studying and teaching Hinduism at institutions of higher education in North America. This initial collection offers a salient summary of his critique and concerns, and is a valuable historical resource for those who want to understand better this debate, and those who wish to become participants in the conversation that he has passionately initiated and sustained. Scholars should welcome a critical voice from the community that is the focus of their study, for a mutually enriching dialogue.”

In his preface to the book, Arvind Sharma, Professor of Religion at McGill University, writes: ‘The book singes with the sparks that flew as the psychoanalytic approach to the study of religion became the lightning rod of the grievances of the Hindu Americans against a cross-section of the academic community in North America devoted to the study of Hinduism. It goes on to document the way these grievances were articulated and ventilated, as well as the response from the world of the Western academia and, to a certain extent, from the media, as the issue came to a head. Most importantly, the book is a pointer to the fact that the Hindu community in North America has now reached the demographic critical mass, when its reactions can no longer be disregarded.’

The book, edited by Aditi Banerjee, Antonio T. de Nicolas …………probes the invisible networks behind biased approaches to Hinduism and the questionable scholarship of the American experts on Hinduism. Furthermore it goes on to narrate the Indian Diaspora's recent challenges to such scholarship, and documents how those who dared to speak up - including academic scholars critical of such scholarship - have been branded as “dangerous”.

The authors of this study say that today Hinduism is under siege by forces who have found their playing fields in a section of the American Academy of Religion and the Departments of South Asia Studies. Their game plan is to denigrate Hinduism by focusing narrowly on its social ills, misinterpreting its texts and in the process overlooking the substantial content of Hinduism, its unequalled intellectual wealth, the fact that India has, by virtue of Hinduism and Sanskrit, ‘a place in the history of the human mind’ as Max Mueller once noted.

Kapil Kapur, Former Chair of Department of English, Jawaharlal Nehru University, opines: “The intellectuals featured in this book, with their bold decision to take on this scholarship, have entered into a serious dialogue about motives, methodology and substance and, using their own tools, have reversed the gaze back on to the scholarly establishment to their understandable discomfort. This book is important because it records the background, the issues and the arguments in this debate, and the debate is not over. This has been a historic intervention. The record of this enterprise is a lesson for a large number of young Hindus who must learn to combat adverse western scholarship by using the weapons of the enemy.”

Bal Ram Singh, Director, Center for Indic Studies, University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, points out: “The Indian diaspora of over 20 million around the world faces the acute problem that much of its civilizational portrayal has been controlled by outsiders for many centuries. However, a sharp increase in the prominence of Indians in the global scene has forced a showdown between the old guard’s established ideas and the young, vibrant community. "Invading the Sacred" is a first serious, albeit provocative, effort to challenge the parochial characterization of Hindus by western and/or westernized scholars. The book is path-breaking and takes to task those scholars who have been falsely stereotyping Indian culture, and shows the importance of challenging such biases. It will hopefully lead to more balanced and respectful discourse, debate, and discussion on many issues facing humanity as a whole, for which Indic civilization is an important resource.”

To the question as to why Indian scholars acquiesce to and even imitate mistakes committed by Euro-American Indologists, in spite of the fact that they could and should know better, one academic says it is partly due to India's colonization and a widespread overestimation of western culture and the blind belief that anything of western or European origin cannot but be superior to the corresponding element of Indic culture. The resulting "inferiority complex" has had a shattering and traumatic effect upon Indic scholarship and academic output. Unfortunately, this trend continues even in post-independent India and among Indians living in the diaspora today, the authors of Invading the Sacred point out.

The irony is that this denigration of Hinduism is happening at a time when the widespread acceptance of many elements of Sanatana Dharma seems to point to a “Hinduization” of the American cultural milieu.

Just consider this. In 2005, roughly 18 million Americans are practicing Yoga. In multiple polls of American religious beliefs and attitudes, up to 25% of Americans believe in reincarnation. Tens of millions of Americans meditate. Over 20 million are vegetarian. Almost half the population has turned to alternative health systems, such as Ayurveda, herbal medicine and massage.

What may be happening, at least according to one American Hindu Frank Gaetano Morales, is that Americans are interested in Yoga asanas, but are not as interested in become self-realized Yogis. They are interested in meditation for its calming effects, but not necessarily as a means to achieve samadhi. Americans are keen to incorporate Ayurvedic medicine - but only as a complementary or alternative system - mostly for controlling obesity or for the rejuvenative aspect of Panchakarma. They are primarily interested in the many goodies that Hinduism has to offer, but without taking the next logical step of becoming Hindus, or in many cases without even acknowledging the purely Hindu origins of the many practices that they have derived so much benefit from.

Morales says that while elements of Hinduism such as Yoga, ayurveda and meditation become more popular in America, Hinduism itself is in danger of being assimilated into the greater cultural milieu, just another ingredient – albeit a nicely spicy one – of the great American melting-pot. "We face the very real possibility of authentic Sanatana Dharma becoming co-opted into the greater American cultural matrix as nothing more than a menagerie of disparate elements used to market New Age spirituality" writes Morales in an essay entitled ‘Does Hinduism Have a Future in America?’

As a practicing Hindu, Morales is concerned about the academic/media/education/government matrix in America that fosters anti-Hindu stereotypes. “Rather than standing up and fighting against such anti-Hindu portrayals, the Hindu community has been so slow to respond to these attacks in the past that many of the anti-Hindu bigots in academia feel they have a free reign to propagate any lies about Sanatana Dharma they wish. They also know that if the Hindu community ever even responds at all, it is usually too little, too late, and in a purely reactionary manner. We need to counter any and all attacks against Sanatana Dharma immediately, forcefully and professionally.”

This book is the first attempt at talking back to the academicians and is a must read for all people of Indian origin, especially Hindu Americans. As one perceptive observer noted: “in these jehadi times, when Islamists run around the globe killing innocent people to prove that their Prophet and their book are the best, now and forever, the Hindu idea becomes even more relevant - What grander idea of faith can there be than that everyone is entitled to their own truth?”

The contributors to the book, which is published by Rupa, are Aditi Banerjee, Antonio T. de Nicolas, Alan Roland, Arvind Sharma, S.N. Balagangadhara, Pandita Indrani Rampersad, Kalavai Venkat, Krishnan Ramaswamy, Vishal Agarwal, Ramesh N. Rao, Sankrant Sanu, Yuvraj Krishan, Yvette C. Rosser.

YOGA UNCOILED: From East to West (Re: Yoga in America)

2007-07-08T13:27:00.000-05:00

For those in America wishing to practice authentic, traditional Yoga,
it is useful to be aware of the state of Yoga in the country, and the
controversy surrounding it. It continues to be true that most of the
Yoga teachers in America incorrectly promote Yoga as being a mere
physical fitness program, while its spiritual roots are mostly
forgotten. It also continues to be true that some of the most
outspoken people about the true nature of Yoga as a spiritual
practice are Christians opposed to Yoga. While their specific
opinions and interpretations about Yoga may be quite inaccurate, they
are definitely right about Yoga being a spiritual practice.

Following is a link to a new anti-Yoga dvd that characterizes this:

http://www.carylmatrisciana.com/shop/catalog/Yoga-Uncoiled-From-East-
to-West-p-16188.html

DESCRIPTION: Here is a description from the link above:

YOGA UNCOILED: From East to West
A look into the practice of Yoga in the Church

Many believe they can practice yoga postures, breathing, and focusing
techniques devoid of yoga's spirituality, not realizing that yoga is
an inherent part of Hindu philosophy which teaches MAN AND NATURE ARE ONE WITH DIVINITY. [All caps added; they are right; this is a core
perspective of Yoga, Sankhya, Vedanta, and Tantra]

Today, yoga is experiencing a worldwide renaissance and in America
has more than 70,000 yoga teachers working in 20,000 locations.
Although viewed primarily as fitness instructors, these trainers are
in reality the leading missionaries of eastern religion in the west.
The twenty-seven billion dollar a year yoga industry is marketed to
students, athletes, businessmen, pregnant women and senior citizens
promising solutions for stress reduction, concentration problems, and
issues of self confidence.

Once viewed by Christians as a pagan import from the East, yoga has
now become mainstream in the church through "Christ-centered yoga
classes" designed to help improve spirituality and experience "the
presence of God". But is yoga's mysticism compatible with historic
Christianity?

Video-journalist Caryl Matrisciana, who was born and raised in India,
returns to her native land to search for truth among India's leading
experts and examines what Christian Yoga practitioners in the West
are saying about their Yoga participation.

With critical discernment, this hard-hitting and informative DVD
explores the ramifications of dismissing yoga's core spirituality,
and blending Biblical terminology and precepts with eastern
meditative techniques and practices.

Maranatha Mantra Christian Yoga Meditation - VIDEO (7:00 minutes)

2007-07-08T12:35:00.000-05:00

CHRISTIAN YOGA MEDITATION
Video (7:00 minutes)
Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati

Click here:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Brwr6UxLda4

Maranatha is Aramaic for "Come Lord," and is a prayer or mantra of
Christian tradition. Breathe with inhalation and exhalation of Ma-Ra-Na-
Tha. The mantra can be very useful for those practicing Yoga meditation.

http://www.swamij.com/

Bad News and Good News in Yoga Meditation

2007-07-08T12:29:00.000-05:00

BAD NEWS AND GOOD NEWS IN YOGA MEDITATION
Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati

There is bad news and good news in the inner journey of enlightenment
through Yoga Meditation. The bad news is that some unpleasant
obstacles naturally come. The good news is that there are ways to
deal with those obstacles. However, two things are needed:

1) We need to understand those methods.
2) We need to actually practice them!! :)

With gentle, loving persistence those practices become easier and easier. We need to be ever mindful of these principles and allow them to become a part of our daily lives. Admitedly, this is much easier to say than to do. Still, it is true that gently, lovingly, patiently, and persistently practicing brings the fruits, along with remembering that, in a sense, there is nothing at all to do other than let go of our attachments and aversions, and allow the pure consciousness, truth, purusha, atman, or light to come shining through.

OBSTACLES AND SOLUTIONS
(Yoga Sutras 1.30-1.32)

The "bad" news:

Nine kinds of distractions come that are obstacles naturally
encountered on the path:

1) physical illness
2) tendency of the mind to not work efficiently
3) doubt or indecision
4) lack of attention to pursuing the means of samadhi
5) laziness in mind and body
6) failure to regulate the desire for worldly objects
7) incorrect assumptions or thinking
8) failing to attain stages of the practice
9) instability in maintaining a level of practice once attained.

More "bad" news:

From these obstacles, there are four other consequences that also
arise, and these are:

1) mental or physical pain,
2) sadness or dejection,
3) restlessness, shakiness, or anxiety, and
4) irregularities in the exhalation and inhalation of breath.

The "good" news:

To prevent or deal with these nine obstacles and their four
consequences, the recommendation is to make the mind one-pointed,
training it how to focus on a single principle or object.

STABILIZING AND CLEARING THE MIND
(Yoga Sutras 1.33-1.39)

More "good" news:

In relationships, the mind becomes purified by cultivating feelings
of friendliness towards those who are happy, compassion for those who
are suffering, goodwill towards those who are virtuous, and
indifference or neutrality towards those we perceive as wicked or
evil.

The mind is also calmed by regulating the breath, particularly
attending to exhalation and the natural stilling of breath that comes
from such practice.

The inner concentration on the process of sensory experiencing, done
in a way that leads towards higher, subtle sense perception; this
also leads to stability and tranquility of the mind.

Or concentration on a painless inner state of lucidness and
luminosity also brings stability and tranquility.

Or contemplating on having a mind that is free from desires, the mind
gets stabilized and tranquil.

Or by focusing on the nature of the stream in the dream state or the
nature of the state of dreamless sleep, the mind becomes stabilized
and tranquil.

Or by contemplating or concentrating on whatever object or principle
one may like, or towards which one has a predisposition, the mind
becomes stable and tranquil.

http:www.swamij.com
http:www.swamij.com/yoga-sutras.htm

Soham Mantra Yoga Meditation - Video (8:00 minutes)

2007-07-05T06:52:00.000-05:00

SOHAM MANTRA YOGA MEDITATION
Video (8:00 minutes)
Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati

Click here:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=JKNzaWGm0o8

Soham is a universal mantra of Yoga meditation, as it relates to the
breath, and everybody breaths. It is a Sanskrit word that means "I am
that," or "I am that I am."

http://www.swamij.com

In Your Meditation Today (Video)

2007-06-14T22:36:00.000-05:00

VIDEO (55 seconds):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7Hbb-BCisk

In your meditation today...
May your body be still and comfortable....
May your head, neck and trunk be aligned....
May your breath be smooth, slow, serene,
and with no pauses....
May the flow of thoughts in your mind
not disturb you....
May your meditation today bring you peace,
happiness and bliss....

http://swamij.com/

Swami Rama University - Dehradun, India

2007-06-14T22:29:00.000-05:00

SWAMI RAMA UNIVERSITY

June 7, 2007

We are happy to share this good news with you that the Government of India has granted us deemed university status. Now we will be known as Swami Rama University.

Vijay Dhasmana
Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust
Dehradun, India

http://www.hihtindia.org/

"I have a great fire within me to build this great hospital which will serve people, particularly poor people. The people of the mountains of Kumaon and Garhwal regions are very poor. Hospitals are far away and people die before they reach the hospital. I want to give them all the modern amenities and facilities so that they don't have to rush to Bombay, Delhi, or Chandigarh." ---- H.H.Dr.Swami Rama

The Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust opened in 1994 with 250 beds and currently has 750 beds with plans for further expansion upto 2,000 beds.The hospital is serving approximately 10 million poor and needy people of Garhwal, Kumaon and adjoining areas. The Himalayan Institute Hospital offers various services previously not locally available in this entire region of Garhwal Himalayas.

The site of the HIHT Medical City is in Uttaranchal. The state has scattered villages in the mountains where facilities of Health, Education, Water, Transport & Electricity are not available. It is also among the poorest regions in terms of medical resources and among the most needy in terms of high infant mortality and shortened lifespan. It also has the largest number of people living in poverty. The Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust was created to help address these serious needs.

Mission

The mission of the Institute is to develop integrated and cost- effective approaches to health care and development that address the local population, and which can serve as a model for the country as a whole, and for the under served population worldwide. A combined approach in which traditional systems of health care complement modern medicine and advanced technology is the prime focus of clinical care, medical education, and research at HIHT.

The Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust has been conceived, designed, and orchestrated by Sri Swami Rama, a yogi, scientist, researcher, writer, and humanitarian, who was born in northern India. Throughout his entire life, whether with individual students or entire communities, Swamiji gave and gave without expecting anything in return. He worked day and night teaching students, writing books, and building institutions. In his writings and personal teachings, he always encouraged readers and listeners to develop their capacity for selfless service and to devote themselves to the well - being of their communities, nations, and all of humanity.

Now, Then, and Therefore Yoga is Explained - Swami Rama

2007-06-14T22:22:00.000-05:00

http://www.swamij.com/swami-rama-now-then-therefore.htm
From Samadhi: The Highest State of Wisdom
Volume One of Yoga the Sacred Science
(Lectures on the Yoga Sutras)
By Swami Rama
ISBN 8188157015
Reprinted with permission of the Publisher
Copyright Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust
http://hihtindia.org/
Swami Rama Foundation
http://www.swamiramafoundation.us/

Now, then, and therefore yoga discipline is being expounded. Atha yoganushasanam. The first word that has been used is now. Nowhere else has this word been used in quite the way it is used here. Now is very important. Now means, “Now, then, and therefore.” This means that there are preliminaries before you practice yoga science. The word now indicates that you have already completed the preliminaries. Now you want to attain more; you want to learn more; you want to understand more; you want to practice more.

When a teacher says, “Now do this,” it means you have done something previously and you are ready to do something else now. A student should first be prepared and then choose the path of attainment. The first sutra explains indirectly, in a very subtle way, the role of the student. Yoga is a discipline and those who want to discipline themselves, who understand the importance of this discipline, should prepare themselves to learn, study, and practice yoga with mind, action, and speech. The qualification of a student is to prepare himself or herself not only to study and memorize the sutras, but also to practice.

Patanjali studied the mind on all levels and he describes several varieties of students: some are prepared, some are preparing, some are not at all prepared, and some are totally confused. These are not fit enough for preparation, so they are out of the question. Patanjali has put all levels of mind into five categories: kshipta, vikshipta, mudha, ekagra, and niruddha. Kshipta is a completely distracted mind. Vikshipta applies to those who have no control over their mind. They do not have a concentrated mind, but if they make effort, they can learn. Sometimes they understand and sometimes they do not understand because of their lack of attention. Their minds are not yet properly trained, but they are capable of being trained and accepted. That mind which remains in a state of stupor is called mudha. Ekagra refers to those who have a concentrated mind and can concentrate well. Niruddha describes those whose mind is completely under their control. They have trained their mind perfectly and can use it as they wish.

It is easy for a competent teacher to assess the mental condition of the student. When the student comes, the teacher can know what the problem is by the way the student walks. The teacher should know what type of mind the student has, whether the student is capable of studying this science or not, and if he is prepared. When the student comes, the teacher puts him in one of the categories. Has he got vikshipta mind? Is he mudha? Has he got ekagra or one-pointed mind? Has he got a completely controlled mind—niruddha? On this basis, the teacher immediately knows how to approach the student. This is like giving a prescription to a patient. If the teacher is wise and understands, he knows this.

When you are prepared, when you have completed the preliminaries, then the teacher tells you to do something else. The preliminaries are not described here. What the teacher said before now, only the student and teacher know. To study and practice and apply the sutras in your daily life, you have to prepare yourself. Now means you are prepared to study the sutras, to practice the sutras. Now you come to me. The word now indicates that you are fully prepared and it is a good time for you to start the next step. Now it is good that you are becoming aware of Reality. It is good that you want to know more. Whatever you have done so far is accepted. Now, here begins the exposition of yoga science. That has not been done yet. So far you have not learned it.

So the teacher says, “Now.” You use this word from morning until evening but you do not understand what it means. Anyone who does not meditate cannot understand the word now. When you start examining your mind, you discover that mind is conditioned by three things—time, space, and causation. Time is a filter. Anything that happens goes through the filter of time. Today you may be sad and very worried and you may even be thinking of committing suicide. The next day, if I ask you if you are going to commit suicide, you will say no. If you give yourself time, later you will find that you do not feel that thing so much. The mind is conditioned by past, present, and future. The mind functions on the experiences of the past, or, on the basis of those experiences, on the imaginations of the future. Either you brood on the past, or you think of the future, but where is now? Now is missing. You do not know how to live here and now. What is the best period of a person’s life? It is not that which you have spent already or the aspect of time you are going to utilize in the future. It is now. Utilize the best period of your life today and now. Can you really explain where that now is? You can spell the word, but you can never taste it. The moment you talk of now, it slips to the valley of the past. When you say now, then there is no now. It is not there. How many of you enjoy now? You plan for your vacation next year, you plan for going out for dinner and dancing, but what happens now? You know the word, you know the meaning, but you do not know how to enjoy it. Your mind either goes into the grooves of past experiences or future imagination. It has never realized now. But if there is no now, then where is the link between past and future? In your daily life you postpone your happiness because you do not know how to be in the present. Now is missing in your life. If you can get freedom from past experiences and you can stop your mind from imagining the future, you will enjoy now. If you learn how to make your mind free from time, you will be beyond all this. Fortunate are those who meditate and live in the now. Through meditation you can enjoy now. It is in now that there is enjoyment, or part of eternity. The moment you come to know now you will know past, present, and future; you will be free.

The other conditions of mind are space and causation. If I hold up my hand and show you two separate fingers, what is the “cause” of these two fingers? The hand is the cause that creates the awareness of fingers. When I hold my fingers apart, they seem separate. If the hand were not there, then it would not create the space between the two fingers. This is called causation—that which creates effect. If I hold the two fingers together, there is no space between them and there will be no sense of time. Then it is one with causation. My fingers are still part of one whole. Mind can be freed from these three conditionings. So many thoughts come and you call it the thinking process. There is a space between two thoughts. But if there is no space between two thoughts, then what will happen to time? Time will not exist. If there is only one thought, what will be the condition of space? There will be no space at all. Time and space are variations of the same thing. If there is only one thought in the mind, then time cannot affect the mind. One cannot attain the highest state of samadhi without gaining freedom from the conditionings of the mind. When mind can fathom the boundaries of time, then mind can realize the subtler levels of consciousness and transform itself. Then, it can lead you to a state of peace, happiness, and joy. If mind is free from imagination—I am not talking about creative imagination—and from the memories of the past, then mind can be brought to a state of now. If you learn to train your mind to be here and now, you will know everything. There is nothing to be known beyond that. Now is part of eternity. When a teacher teaches you, first learn how to be here and now, for you have completed the preliminaries. Now, learn to understand the word now.

Patanjali leads you to an inward journey. His first lesson is, You have to discipline yourself. Now, then, therefore, go aspire. Before you study yoga science, you should be fully prepared, because it requires discipline.

----------------------------------------------------------
Yoga Nidra Meditation: Extreme Relaxation of Conscious Deep Sleep
ISBN 0972471901
One of the deepest and most popular meditation CDs in the world today.

Yoga Nidra Article at SwamiJ.com

Yoga Nidra CD at Amazon.com

----------------------------------------------------------

Kundalini Awakening in Yoga Meditation (46 second video)

2007-05-29T10:48:00.000-05:00

KUNDALINI AWAKENING IN YOGA MEDITATION
(46 second video)
Swami Jnaneshvara
http://swamij.com

This 46 second video is simple animation of the process: "Prana flows
in Ida and Pingala, the left and right energies. Prana is trained to
flow in Sushumna, the central channel of subtle energy. Kundalini
awakens at the first chakra, and rises to Sahasrara, the crown. The
Self, the Atman or Brahman is realized; the union of Shiva and
Shakti, the Absolute, one without a second."

Watch via YouTube:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=oQhF9W_DO6A

Watch via Google video:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3978162702735362179

Watch via SwamiJ.com:
http://swamij.com/videos/caduceus.wmv

Shakti, Kundalini, and the River of Tantra Yoga Meditation

2007-05-15T08:50:00.000-05:00

AUDIO PODCAST:
Shakti, Kundalini, and the River of Tantra Yoga Meditation
Swami Jnaneshvara
Recorded May 15, 2007
6 Minutes, 45 Seconds

SHAKTI, KUNDALINI, AND THE RIVER OF TANTRA YOGA MEDITATION
Click here to listen to the audio Podcast:
http://www.swamij.com/podcast/070514-shakti-river-swami-j.mp3

Brief description (this is NOT a transcript of the recording):

There is one energy flowing in a river, a hydroelectric power plant, electricity, and the many forms of energy such as recorded music, television, and microwaves. Similarly, there is one energy in the universe, Shakti, that manifests as many forms, which have many names, such as kundalini, prana, chakras, and the physical body.

See also this article:
http://www.swamij.com/shakti.htm

What God Is - (Yoga Meditation teachings of Swami Rama)

2007-05-13T16:14:00.000-05:00

WHAT GOD IS
Swami Rama

All the religions of the world have been promising the vision of God, mental peace, salvation, and many kinds of temptations to their followers, but so far nothing has come true. The more that people are involved in sectarian religious activities, the more likely they are to become disappointed because of frustrated expectations of God and religion. Many preachers claim that if their teachings are followed without question, believers will find salvation. But after they return from their church or temple, they are frequently more stressed, frustrated, and worried about their problems than are “non-believers.”

Mere belief in God alone does not satisfy the students of life who are searching for Ultimate Truth. Suppose a student believes in the existence of God but is not emotionally mature and does not have a peaceful mind. Such a student does not have tranquility and equanimity, which are the main prerequisites for enlightenment. On the path of enlightenment, it is necessary to have control over the senses and mind, but it is not necessary to have belief in God. Enlightenment is a state of freedom from the ignorance that causes suffering, and attaining this is the prime necessity of every human life. There is no necessity to attain mere belief in God, but it is necessary to have profound knowledge of the truth which lies behind the concept of the word God.

The word G-O-D is not God. The religionists, because they superimpose their own limited fantasies upon the truth and call it God, suffer more than the people who do not believe in the concept of God. If Ultimate Truth is called God, then there is no difficulty. Then it can be practiced with mind, action, and speech, and once the truth is known with mind, action, and speech, knowledge is complete. But having faith in the fantasies of the religionists creates limited boundaries for the human intellect and leads to a religious atmosphere in which the poor followers must suffer until the last breaths of their lives.

Though religious dogma tempts the human mind with promises of the vision of God, it does not clarify and define the concept of God. The way religious books present the picture of God is injurious to human growth, for one who believes in God without understanding what God really is, closes the door to further knowledge and learning and cannot experience the inner dimensions of life. Such false promises are strongly discouraged in the Upanishads, which warn, “Neti, neti—not this, not this.” The student is made aware of the need to understand the reality and is encouraged to search for truth within. The Upanishads inspire one first to know oneself and then to know the Self of all. Upanishadic literature makes one aware that every being embodied in a physical sheath is a moving shrine of Supreme Consciousness. It also provides methods for entering the inner shrine, wherein shines the infinite light of knowledge, peace, and happiness.

Prayer is a major technique used by religionists to seek satisfaction of their desires and comfort in spite of their frustrations. Many people who are not acquainted with the basic principles of Vedantic philosophy think that there are prayers in the Upanishadic literature. For example: "Lead me from the unreal to the Real; lead me from darkness to Light; lead me from mortality to Immortality" may bethought to be a prayer. But it is actually an expression of the aspirant's spiritual desires that remind him of his goal of life constantly. It is not a prayer but a way of maintaining constant awareness of Supreme Consciousness. It is not asking God or any supernatural being to help one or to lead one to the higher states. The idea is not to know God as a different being, but to know one's own real Self and its essential nature, which is the Self of all. One is not attaining something that is not already there but is realizing that which is self-existent. This Upanishadic verse is not a prayer asking for anything but a way of strengthening constant awareness of Supreme Consciousness which is the goal of the Upanishads.

Dualism is the preliminary experience of a contemplative mind. All religions suffer on account of dualistic concepts, such as "Human beings are a creation of God; the universe is a creation of God; human beings have no choice but to suffer and should delight in their sufferings at the mercy of God." These concepts are illogical when they are analyzed with clarity of mind and pure reason. In the course of study, a student first experiences dualism—the reality that he exists and the Supreme Consciousness also exists. Then a state comes when he experiences "Thou art That." These two fields of experience appear to be different, but they are essentially one and the same. These are the progressive states that aspirants experience, but as far as Absolute Reality is concerned, there is only one without second.

Religionists say the ultimate goal of human life is to know God, and materialists say it is to eat, drink, and be merry. But the philosophy of the Upanishads asserts that the ultimate goal is to be free from all pain and misery whatsoever. This state of freedom from anxieties, misery, and ignorance is called enlightenment. It is the union of the individual with Universal Consciousness. Religionists say that one has to have faith in the sayings of the scriptures and in the way they are preached. But in Upanishadic philosophy; the mind is released from all religious prejudices so then one can think and reason freely. The Upanishads declare that even the best of intellects is incapable of fathoming the unfathomable, and that learning the scriptures is not the ultimate way of realization. On the path of enlightenment, even the lust for learning must eventually be abandoned.

In some of the Upanishads, the word Īśa or Īśvara, which is roughly translated as God, appears. But the concept of God as preached by religion is not found in the Upanishads. In the Upanishads, the word Īśvara is used to denote a state of collective consciousness. Thus, God is not a being that sits on a high pedestal beyond the sun, moon, and stars; God is actually the state of Ultimate Reality. But due to the lack of direct experience, God has been personified and given various names and forms by religions throughout the ages. When one expands one's individual consciousness to the Universal Consciousness, it is called Self-realization, for the individual self has realized the unity of diversity, the very underlying principle, or Universal Self, beneath all forms and names. The great sages of the Upanishads avoid the confusions related to conceptions of God and encourage students to be honest and sincere in their quests for Self-realization. Upanishadic philosophy provides various methods for unfolding higher levels of truth and helps students to be able to unravel the mysteries of the individual and the universe.

Knowledge of Brahmavidyā, the direct experience of Supreme Consciousness, is the common theme of all Upanishadic literature. "I am Brahman; the whole universe is Brahman; Thou art That"—such statements are the foundations for all its theories, principles, and practices. All philosophical and psychological discussions are meant to make students aware of their true nature—Brahman, the Supreme Consciousness. For a realized one, there is perennial joy in the universe, but for the ignorant there is only misery everywhere. The moment a student realizes his essential nature, the darkness of ignorance is dispelled, but before that the individual mind travels to the groove of self-created misery and thus projects the belief that there is misery everywhere. In reality, this universe is like a great poem of joy, a beautiful song, and a unique work of art. The moment one unfolds and realizes one's human capacity and ability, one becomes aware that, "Thou art that—Brahman."

Here lies the difference between a Self-realized person and a religionist. The religionist does not know and yet believes in God, but the realized person is directly aware of the self-existent Ultimate Reality of life and the universe. First, he knows the truth, and then he believes it. If God is the Ultimate Truth hidden behind many forms and names, then it should be realized, and, for realizing the Truth with mind, action, and speech, one needs to practice truth rather than being a hypocrite and a fanatic. It is not necessary to believe in God to attain self-enlightenment, but it is very necessary to know the various levels of consciousness and finally to realize the ultimate source. The manifest aspect and the unmanifest aspect of consciousness (Brahman) should be realized, for that alone can enlighten aspirants.

http://swamij.com

Yoga Meditation, Electricity and Computers

2007-05-13T00:50:00.000-05:00

Yoga Meditation, Electricity and Electricity
From:
http://www.swamij.com/computers-consciousness.htm

I AM THE ELECTRICITY
Swami Jnaneshvara

I am not the picture on my computer monitor;
I am electricity.

I am not the processing in my microchip;
I am electricity.

I am not the data on my hard drive;
I am electricity.

I am electricity;
I am the life in all of these others.

A MODEL FOR MEDITATION:

The computer can be used as a modern metaphor for understanding the
process of Yoga meditation and the levels of consciousness through
which one journeys. By understanding these levels or stages, it is
much easier to understand how meditation is not used merely as a
means of relaxation or psychic experience, but as the means for the
realization of the ever pure, ever joyful core of our being, by
whatever name you choose to call that center.

1) PERIPHERALS/CONSCIOUS:

The ten senses and means of expression (indriyas), along with the
conscious mind, allow the inner person to communicate and act in the
external world, like the peripherals of a computer system, including
monitor, keyboard, speakers, and microphone.

Four functions of mind: Throughout the conscious, unconscious, and
subconscious levels, the four functions of mind operate ever subtler,
until even they are transcended in the fourth stage, noted below.

2) MICROCHIP/UNCONSCIOUS:

The active unconscious mind processes mostly out of view, with only a small part of its functioning normally coming to the surface of the conscious mind, like the microchip of the computer, which does a tremendous amount of processing, yet presents only a tiny amount of
that to the peripherals.

3) HARD-DRIVE/SUBCONSCIOUS:

It is consciousness flowing in or through the deep impressions of the
latent subconscious, which causes them to stir, just like the
otherwise inert binary numbers resident on a hard-drive, which do
nothing until they are energetically brought to life and spring forth
into the microchip.

4) ELECTRICITY/CONSCIOUSNESS:

The conscious, unconscious, and subconscious levels of mind all
function because of the flow of consciousness, energy, or life force,
just as the peripherals, microchip, and hard-drive all operate
because of the electricity. Both the consciousness and the
electricity are uniform, regardless of what programs might be running
in the moment.

I am not the peripherals!: One explores the peripherals, the waking
state, the conscious mind, and the gross world, moving through them
in meditation.

I am not the microprocessor!: One explores the microprocessor, the
dreaming state, the unconscious mind, and the subtle plane, moving
through them in meditation.

I am not the hard-drive!: One explores the hard-drive, the deep sleep
state, the subconscious mind, and the causal plane, moving through
them in meditation.

I am the electricity!: Through deep meditation, one pierces the three
layers described above. Ultimately, one comes to resolve the
question, "Who am I?" in direct experience, with the realization of
being the pure consciousness, energy, or life force that is beyond,
higher, or underneath each of the other three levels, stages, or
states, which is the core of our being.

Bindu of Sri Vidya Tantra, Yoga Meditation, and Vedanta (19 sec video)

2007-05-11T19:16:00.000-05:00

Here is a link to a 19-second animation of the chakras of Sri Yantra,
the yantra of Sri Vidya Tantra.

BINDU OF SRI VIDYA TANTRA, YOGA MEDITATION, AND VEDANTA
19-SECOND VIDEO:
http://www.swamij.com/videos/bindu-sequence.wmv

BINDU ARTICLE (about 40 pages):
http://www.swamij.com/bindu.htm

EXCERPT:

Bindu means Point or Dot, is sometimes likened to a Pearl, and is
often related to the principle of a Seed. This is not just a poetic
choice of words or philosophy. There literally is a stage of Yoga
Meditation in which all experiences collapse, so to speak, into a
point from which all experiences arose in the first place. The Bindu
is near the end of the subtlest aspect of mind itself, after which
one travels beyond or transcends the mind and its contents. It is
near the end of time, space, and causation, and is the doorway to the
Absolute. To understand this principle is extremely useful, if not
essential to Advanced Meditation.

Awareness of the nature of Bindu helps tremendously in seeing how all
of the various practices are complementary, not contradictory, with
each, in its own way, leading in the direction of the Bindu. The
Bindu is the convergence point of Meditation, Contemplation, Prayer,
and Mantra, and is part of the mystical, esoteric aspect of many, if
not most religions and meditative traditions. The experience of Bindu
is an actual, internally experienced reality, which is the
convergence point of the highest principles and practices of Yoga,
Vedanta, and Tantra. Seeking to experience and then transcend the
Bindu serves as an organizing principle and focal point for all of
those spiritual or yogic practices that are intended to lead one to
direct experience.

http://swamij.com

Satellites, Surrender, Self-Realization, and Yoga

2007-05-04T13:41:00.000-05:00

Excerpted from:
http://www.swamij.com/centripetal-centrifugal.htm

SATELLITES, SURRENDER, SELF-REALIZATION, AND YOGA
Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati

A satellite in a geostationary orbit (remaining over one location on the Earth) is held in place because of the perfect balance between gravity (centripetal force) and its inertia (centrifugal force). Imagine that the satellite stopped its forward motion of about 17,000 miles per hour. The satellite would immediately start falling toward Earth at a very fast speed.

Imagine for a moment a human stopping his or her outward momentum into the external world, as well as ceasing motion of awareness "outward" into the stuff of the mind and body. Instantly, she or he would move "inward" towards the center of consciousness, the true Self, or whatever you wish to call that. This is one way of viewing the Yoga process of surrender. It is not a matter of defining to whom or what you surrender, but the letting go process itself.

Thus, Yoga Sutras 1.2-1.3 describes Yoga as a process of setting aside or letting go, etc. (nirodhah), which results in the seer or witness resting in its own true nature. This is one way of explaining the meaning of the phrase Self-Realization and the word Yoga.

YOGA SUTRAS 1.2-1.3:
http://www.swamij.com/yoga-sutras-10104.htm#1.2

Yoga, Yoga, Yoga, Yoga (Video)

2007-05-02T01:43:00.000-05:00

VIDEO (2 min, 33 sec)
At Google Video:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8138691610298948410&hl=en
At YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfVan--MV0k

YOGA, YOGA, YOGA, YOGA
Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati
http://www.swamij.com/yoga-yoga-yoga-yoga.htm

Yoga, Yoga, Yoga, Yoga
Ah, sweet Yoga.
The word dances on the lips of the mind.

Yoga, Yoga, Yoga, Yoga
The wave that is one with the ocean of bliss.
The union of the illusory "I" with the "I" of all,
That was never divided in the first place.
Ah, sweet Yoga.

Yoga, Yoga, Yoga, Yoga
How the word flows through the field of mind.
The consciousness as Purusha,
Never one with, but playing with all the layers of being,
All the levels of the finest soil of matter called Prakriti.

Yoga, Yoga, Yoga, Yoga
One without a second.
One absolute reality,
With the appearance of soul called Atman,
As a breeze thinking itself separate from the wind
Of the absolute called Brahman.

Yoga, Yoga, Yoga, Yoga
Ah, so utterly, incomparably, sweet is the word.
The essence that is both the beauty
And creative force called feminine or Shakti,
And her companion of masculine, Shiva.
The two which are one in Yoga.

Yoga, Yoga, Yoga, Yoga
Ah, passionate, loving, driving, quieting,
Exasperating,
Fulfilling, emptying, full filling Yoga.

Yoga, Yoga, Yoga, Yoga
Ah, so sweet;
No sweeter word to ring in the canyons of mind,
Than the word of Yoga,
That arises from, and returns to the silence.

Yoga, Yoga, Yoga, Yoga
You and I are one.
Only one. Only Yoga.
Yoga, Yoga, Yoga, Yoga

http://www.swamij.com/

----------------------------------------------------------
Yoga Nidra Meditation: Extreme Relaxation of Conscious Deep Sleep
ISBN 0972471901
One of the deepest and most popular meditation CDs in the world today.

Yoga Nidra Article at SwamiJ.com

Yoga Nidra CD at Amazon.com

----------------------------------------------------------

Yoga Meditation Visualized (7-minute video)

2007-04-29T12:02:00.000-05:00

YOGA MEDITATION VISUALIZED
Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati
http://SwamiJ.com

VIDEO (7 minutes):
http://swamij.com/videos/yoga-meditation-visualized.wmv

TRANSCRIPT:

The goal of Yoga is Yoga itself, union itself, of the little self and the True Self, a process of awakening to the preexisting union that is called Yoga. Yoga has to do with the realization through direct experience of the center of consciousness, the preexisting union between Atman and Brahman, Jivatman and Paramatman, and Shiva and Shakti, or the realization of Purusha standing alone as separate from Prakriti.

AWARENESS MANIFESTS OUTWARD TO THE WORLD

Yoga, Sankhya, Vedanta, and Tantra view the human as manifesting outward step-by-step, where the subtler consciousness projects evermore outward, and then gradually forgets those subtler levels. Genesis also explains this outward movement when seen through the eye of the Yogi or mystic.

IN YOGA EACH ASPECT IS TRAINED

Yoga is complete unto itself. In Yoga, each level of our being is trained independently, while also being trained to flow together. The systematic processes deal one-by-one with our actions in the world, senses, body, breath, and both the conscious and unconscious aspects of mind.

AWARENESS RECEDES TO THE STATE OF YOGA

Yoga or "Union" is attained by first training, balancing, and purifying each of the aspects of our being individually, and then systematically receding attention inward through those levels, expanding so as to experience the state of Union, Yoga, Samadhi, or Turiya.

BODY AND BREATH

The Yoga practices with Body and Breath bring health benefits and balance in life. However, many people stop at the Breath, and are unwilling to explore or train the Mind. It is like building a wall between the Yogic stages of Breath and Mind. Some sincere seekers delay out of fear. Others incorrectly believe that Yoga is only about physical fitness. The key for the sincere seeker of the highest joy of Yoga is to be gentle and loving towards yourself, and persist with all levels of Yoga, including directly dealing with the Mind itself.

CONSCIOUS MIND

Mindfulness of the emotional and mental processes of the Conscious mind is very stabilizing. In Yoga, this includes meditation and contemplation on attitudes of friendliness, lovingness, compassion, and acceptance. It means cultivating non-harming, truthfulness, non-stealing, remembering of truth, and non-possessiveness. However, many stop at this level of mind, and effectively build a wall between the Conscious and Unconscious, not willing to explore the depths of the Unconscious. Many get stuck here by thinking the goal of meditation is only a calm mind. For Union, Yoga, Samadhi, or Turiya, the streams of thoughts in the Active Unconscious mind need to be encountered, explored, and only then transcended.

ACTIVE UNCONSCIOUS

By allowing the Active Unconscious to come forward and be witnessed in a neutral way, the thought patterns colored with intense attraction and aversion gradually weaken, allowing a greater peace and freedom of mind. This is one of the most direct ways to deal with the purifying, centering, or balancing of troublesome thoughts. However, few go beyond the boundary between the Active Unconscious and the Latent Unconscious. The Active Unconscious has alluring visions and sounds. Only the most dedicated Yogis and Yoginis are willing to completely transcend sensory experience of both external and internal objects, and to pursue the formless Latent level out of which the Active arises.

LATENT UNCONSCIOUS

To be fully aware of the Latent Unconscious is a very deep state, and an aspect of advanced meditation. Authentic Yoga Nidra reaches this Latent Unconscious level with practice. It is underneath, beyond, or prior to the pictures and words of the Active Unconscious. It is the ground out of which those emerge. All sensory experiences such as sights and sounds have been left behind, whether of external worldly objects or inner images. To consciously rest in the awareness of the Latent Unconscious is to be filled with bliss. However, there comes a point where individuation itself is the final wall, and even the bliss needs to be transcended. Even for the experienced practitioner this can be a great obstacle. It is beyond the mind in the conventional sense of mind, so the mind can no longer be an aid. Body and breath cannot help. It is only surrender that finally helps.

REALIZATION

Whether you call it Grace, God, Guru, Shaktipat, or some other name, the greatest help of all finally comes from within to remove the final barrier of ignorance (Avidya). This final stage is a process that has been called piercing the pearl of wisdom or Bindu. A Yogi or Yogini does not debate whether the Realization is called Yoga, Self, Atman, Soul, or God, etc., but rather, lives "in" the world while not being "of" the world.

The Realized Yogini or Yogi lives like a lotus flower. The lotus is both "in" the world, yet not "of" the world. It grows in the soil and water of the world, yet rises above it at the same time. It goes outward, called Adhyasa, but it is not blinded by Avidya or Ignorance of its true nature.

Om, shanti, shanti, shanti
Om, peace, peace, peace

Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati
http://SwamiJ.com

Practice Means to Awaken the Conscience

2007-04-21T17:09:00.000-05:00

http://www.swamij.com/swami-rama-conscience.htm
From Samadhi: The Highest State of Wisdom
Volume One of Yoga the Sacred Science
(Lectures on the Yoga Sutras)
By Swami Rama
ISBN 8188157015
Reprinted with permission of the Publisher
Copyright Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust
http://hihtindia.org/
Swami Rama Foundation
http://www.swamiramafoundation.us/

PRACTICE MEANS TO AWAKEN THE CONSCIENCE
Swami Rama

You will have to practice for a long time. "Abhyasa-vairagyabhyam tan nirodhah." Practice means repetition of the same thing again and again and again to form a strong habit. Habits are motivation in life. If you do not have determination to attain that which should be attained, if you are not constantly aware of the Reality, how can you practice? You will feel lazy and you will not be able to sit in meditation.

There is one alarm in your system, something coming from within that guides all the time. There is one teacher within that you call your conscience. Whenever you want to do something that should not be done, immediately from inside something says, "Don't do that." It silently says "no." It is not a part of mind. Rather it is your conscience that is telling your mind, whispering to your mind. You have been avoiding that. Habit patterns are so strong that the voice of silence, the voice of the conscience, is not heard. You do not need anyone from outside to tell you what not to do. You know that you should not lie; yet you lie. Once mind listens to these secret whispers, then you are introduced to the real teacher within, your own conscience. All teachings are meant for that day when you start listening to your conscience. It does not mean that you should not listen to the external teacher who is teaching you. Your teacher is trying to make you aware that there is something within you, a teacher within, who is a great friend. No matter who you are, your conscience is always there. If you learn to listen to the voice of the conscience, you can transform your whole personality. That conscience knows everything. No book can teach you; no teacher can teach you. Conscience knows and knows that it knows. Even when you go to a teacher to ask something, you draw your own conclusions and follow your conscience.

But you do not always listen to the teachings of your conscience. In fact, you are constantly killing your conscience. According to the great books of wisdom, the greatest sin of all is to kill your conscience. After some time your conscience stops talking to you because you do not listen to it. You have ignored your conscience so much that it has become silent. It continues to witness your actions but does not say anything. Learn to listen to your conscience. Most of the time you are confused by your mind. Sometimes your mind plays tricks on you and pretends to be your conscience. Mind says, "I can steal some of his money. Nobody is watching me. Why does he need to have millions of dollars? If I steal only one hundred thousand dollars, so what?"

Mind is different from conscience. Your conscience always wants to help you to improve yourself and unfold your inner being. Mind always tries to persuade you not to practice. You know that it is not good for you to avoid your practice, and yet the mind says, "Come on. Postpone it until tomorrow." Postponement is the nature of the mind. Some students do their practice for some time and then they leave it. After some time, they start doing it again. Then they say, "Okay. Let us vacation for some time, honey. Let us not do any practice." Again they start practicing. I call those who postpone enlightenment indefinitely fourth-class students.

Mind always leads you toward your habits, your senses, and sense objects. Perhaps you like to eat fish, but the doctor has said not to take it. The doctor's advice has been heard by your conscience. Your mind does not want to hear it and does not care for doctors. "There are many doctors. Why should I listen to them? Let me have some fish today. Nothing is going to happen to me." Your conscience speaks to you all the time. Conscience is like a mirror that shows you your face exactly as it is. When you look at yourself in the mirror, the mirror does not create anything for you. It is like a thermometer that registers heat and cold. It tells you who you are, what you are, and what you should be. Whenever you want to do something, your conscience says, "Do not do this. It is not good. But your mind says, No. Let me do it."

Conscience cannot be false. It never misguides from the very beginning. Even a bad man who is considered to be the worst person in society is not misguided by his conscience. But you fail to listen to your conscience, and ignore your conscience because of bad habits. When your conscience becomes dim, your reason does not function properly and it misguides you. When reason misguides, the mind cannot function and becomes crazy. All your actions and speech are disoriented and you cannot function properly. Perhaps you are doing something and suddenly a distressing thought intrudes. You are temporarily distracted and then you come back. Then, another thought comes and you go another way. You misuse the time and opportunity you have of being a human being. You have all the potentials and all the means but you misuse them. I always ask my students to listen to their conscience when they feel weak in the beginning. The first few days they start to condemn themselves. I say, "This is not the way. There is a wonderful part of you; there is something beautiful in you; there is something very special in you. Why do you not try to see that thing?" Practice means to awaken the conscience, to allow the conscience to speak to you. When your conscience awakens it says, "Look, do not repeat that again and again and again." By repetition you have formed a strong habit. Your conscience and that habit fight constantly. Your habit wins and conscience loses. After some time, conscience stops talking to you. Conscience tells you things all the time and conscience knows, but you do not know your conscience. The voice of your mind is very loud. The voice of the conscience comes from silence. The first step of enlightenment is to follow the conscience and not the mind. At the highest level of consciousness, conscience becomes brilliant.

Anybody who has started listening to the conscience is very close to the Reality. Your conscience is within you. It is not an external friend. All your external friends amuse you. A friend within is real company. You say, "Two's company and three's a crowd." When you and your conscience are there, there are two and they are real company. When the mind, the third, comes, then it becomes a crowd.

When you start practicing you will stumble many times. I have stumbled many times, even despite having a great force behind me—my master, several other sages, and the grace of God. I had a fire within so that no matter how many times I stumbled I would get up again. I did not give up. You give up too soon. You close your eyes and if you do not see anything in meditation, you say, "My method is not good. My mantra is not good." You go on collecting mantras. You do not do meditation but you have a long collection of mantras. You have wasted so much money, and you have not done any real meditation. In abhyasa and meditation, on this path of enlightenment, you have to be very patient and strong and persistent. When a child stumbles, she gets up again because she wants to walk. It is her right to walk. It is your right to walk on the path and finally reach the goal. Do not postpone it for the next lifetime. Do it here and now, in this lifetime. You do not attain anything overnight; you will stumble many times like a child stumbles when she starts learning to walk. When you practice you will experience, and when you experience you will find that conscience is strengthened and guides you again and again.

Out of curiosity you always want to learn something new. When you learn something that you did not know you say, "This is a wonderful thing that I have learned." You do not want to practice what you already know. The truth is you will not acquire any knowledge in your life that you have not already acquired in your childhood. You already have the basic principles, the guidelines, and the foundation of your knowledge, but you do not practice. To practice it is not necessary to create a rigid discipline. You should just observe and understand how to use the knowledge that you have.

Gradually you can practice. Technique alone does not help. The basic principles needed are sincerity, faithfulness, truthfulness, and punctuality. Even if you know the technique of throwing something at the target, if you do not practice, it will hit somewhere else. Practice is necessary and practice makes perfect. Slowly increase your limit. Do not force yourself to sit for two hours one day, and then do no practice at all for a week. That should not be the way. It is said that a first-class student can attain this state of mind in three months' time, while conducting all his duties, a second-class student in six months, and a third-class student in three years. A fourth-class student can never attain. If you regularly practice and watch your practice and the condition of your mind, you can do it. The question is how much importance you give to your practice. How much anxiety do you have for your practice or for other things? What is important in your life? Do you really want to transform your personality and improve yourself, or do you only want to improve your conditions? If you do not improve yourself, your conditions and your environment will never be improved. It is better to improve yourself so that your conditions and environment do not become malignant to you. To improve your conditions, first learn to understand your essential nature by understanding the various levels of your being and by developing control over mind and its modifications.

There are various paths to the same mountaintop, but there is only one realization. There are various ways and methods to attain that. The path of action or the path of the world is as perfect as the path of renunciation. In the path of action you learn not to be attached and perform your duties. In the path of renunciation you learn to renounce all that you think is yours and to devote all your time and energy toward Self-realization with a one-pointed mind. It is a very difficult path. It is rare to be a renunciate. Only a fortunate few can truly walk on the razor's edge of the path of renunciation. It is a very sharp and very narrow path. It is easier and more common to be in the world, to live in the world, and yet remain above. There is no difference at all. Do not condemn yourself because you are in the world, or think that you cannot do anything. Learn to discipline yourself; learn to organize yourself; learn to understand your resources; learn to know your inner potentials; and learn to make a schedule for life. "This is my aim and I have to attain this. All my resources should be applied for attaining the aim of life."

The way of adjustment leads you to contentment. The way of adjustment is the way of the world—the way of action, the way of karma. You learn how to function in the external world. You understand that you are a citizen of two worlds—the world within yourself and the world outside, and you learn to create a bridge between these two worlds. You have not to be lost in the world, yet you have to unfold yourself to that extent where you can realize your real Self. You no longer identify with the objects of the world or with your mind. You learn to understand life as it is with all its currents and cross currents. You understand how to live in the external world and how to compose yourself so that you remain with your center all the time.

Most people follow the path of action. They live in the world, which is full of charms, temptations, and attractions, and they are constantly blasted by the opinions of others. Someone says you are good and someone else says you are bad. There are two extremes. To constantly be tossed by the suggestions of the world so that you spend all your time executing the opinions of others is dangerous. Likewise, you can isolate yourself and say, "Now I don't want to listen to the world because my whole life I have listened to the world. I am not going to listen anymore." This might lead toward egocentricity or cripple your process of growth. You have to evaluate the opinions of all if you live in the world. Are you being selfish when you are not listening to others? Is the other person selfish? If he is not selfish, listen to him. If someone is selfless and loves you and says, "These days you seem to be isolating yourself," listen to that person. If you say you don't want to listen to anybody, it is not possible. How can you live in this world? You can do it not through the help of samnyasa, but with the help of vairagya.

http://www.swamij.com

Theism, Atheism, Yoga and Fear

2007-03-25T10:07:00.000-05:00

From:
http://www.swamij.com/theism-atheism-yoga-fear.htm

THEISM, ATHEISM, YOGA AND FEAR
Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati

Fear is defined as a feeling of agitation and anxiety caused by the presence or imminence of danger. Though there may be many sources and effects of fear, there is a particular fear related specifically to practitioners of Yoga meditation, as well as other meditative and contemplative practices or traditions. Many sincere seekers of direct experience of subtler realities seem to have a pervasive fear stemming from the negative influences of two polar opposites: the Theists and Religionists, and the Atheists and Secularists.

In America, some Theists or Religionists view Yoga (as well as Mysticism and Gnosis) as being in opposition to their individual form of Theism, and hence, see it as in alignment with Atheism. Some Secular Atheists view the Yoga practices of meditation and contemplation as being part of Theism or Religion. At the same time, however, practitioners of authentic, traditional Yoga usually view both Theism and Atheism as separate from the direct experience sought through these practices.

The often imperceptible fear of the Theists, Religionists, Atheists, and Secularists can be a major obstacle in sadhana or spiritual practices by virtue of the fact that the sadhaka (practitioner) is "going against" the subtle pressures of the human environment. The effect of this fear can be an unconscious reticence to pursue the deeper teachings, or to explore and surrender into the subtler processes such as with advanced meditation or contemplation. Or, the fear may be strong enough to completely stop you on your inner journey of enlightenment, even though it may remain undetected by the conscious mind.

Now, it is important to note that these observations are not intended to make a sweeping generalization about all Theists or all Atheists, most of whom are likely very genuine and well-intentioned people. While there may be some who are individually quite aggressive and destructive in their belief based actions, most are probably just living day-to-day lives, only indirectly and unintentionally causing harm. In reflecting on the influences of other people, it is also important to remember the principle in Yoga of ahimhsa, non-harming, and the value of cultivating love for all, as we all arose from the same one source.

Some Theists or Religionists have a world view that theirs is the only valid way of living, that they are right and everybody else is wrong. If you do not see reality their way, then you are a sinner and are going to burn in hell. The fear being talked about here is not just the fear, for example, of what "God" may do to you for your failing to follow the rules of the religion (though that fear may have also been programmed into you at a deep level). Rather, it is a subtle, often unnoticed, ever present fear of the religious institutions and their human representatives and followers themselves who want you to follow them. It is a fear that creeps not only into your worldly activities with other people, but also into the recesses of your unconscious mind, where it can become a block to your spiritual life.

As if that is not enough, there is a growing presence of Atheists or Secularists who decry all spiritual practices as being irrational and a waste of time. Some of these people are completely convinced that all nature of consciousness emerges solely from matter. If you are not a pure, one hundred percent materialist, you are perceived to be an ignorant Religionist of the most extreme fundamentalist type. The fear is not based on the atheistic possibility of there not being an afterlife, that you will finally, irreversibly no longer exist in any form. Rather, it is a fear of the people themselves, resulting from their rejection of both you and your views, along with an argument that you should disbelieve any metaphysical experiences you may have had, and abandon your seeking of anything higher or deeper.

If either of these types of people, Theist or Atheist, are present in your family, social and career worlds, the unspoken (or spoken) pressure to conform, follow, or convert to their views can be a tremendous threat to your sense of well being, both in terms of emotional response and the realities of functioning in a world of such people. This fear can have a devastating effect on ones feelings of safety in family, community, and professional life, and, in turn, on spiritual life. It can cause hesitancy, timidness, reluctance, mistrust, self-doubt, and other such emotions and reactions, which are often projections of an underlying fear. These, in turn, are antagonists to the tranquility or peace of mind consistent with meditation and other spiritual practices.

In America, the fifty states are spoken of as either red states or blue states, based on political party dominance. The two colors also represent religious polarities of conservative or liberal. Imagine for a moment that there were a third category, which we can call violet states, which would be those where the Yogis and Mystics are in the majority. How many violet states are there? None. The balance of blue states and red states may shift slightly from time to time, but there remain no violet states. If you are red oriented you can easily visit or live in a red environment. If you are blue oriented you can easily visit or live in a blue environment. However, if you are violet oriented there is no state in the U.S. where you can go where you are anything other than a minority. As is often the case with minorities, the stage is set for fear.

So, if you think of yourself as a Yogi, Mystic, or Gnostic seeker, you are extrinsically and subliminally pressured from two directions. One is the Theistic Religionists who say you are evil or damned Atheists, and the other is the Atheistic Secularists who say you are misguided or confused Religionists. You may intuit the all-pervading Reality rather than only some one, single overseer of the world, contrary to the Religious Theist. You may intuit that matter manifests from consciousness, rather than vice versa as seen by the Secular Atheist. In either case, you may find yourself feeling alone, confused and suffering deeply, or at best, feeling yourself to be in a miniscule minority.

In response to this unnoticed fear, you may find yourself speaking in hushed tones when talking with others about subjects like meditation. If a conservative Religious Theist walks in the room, you may lower your voice or change the subject of conversation. You may look around to see who is watching or listening before starting a conversation about the inner contemplative journey. Similarly, you may find yourself suddenly become either very quiet or verbally evasive in the presence of a self-declared Secular Atheist. You may have learned over many years that it is safer to just remain silent, to keep your experiences and perspectives to yourself.

The fear we are talking about here is not a clinical paranoia, but a low level, pervasive fear that may otherwise be having little effect on your daily life, as might be the case with a medically diagnosable paranoia. However, you may find yourself longing for a "community" of "like minded" people, while often feeling alone and not having such a close network of friends and fellow seekers. You may read books, but never have anybody to talk with about them, or with whom you can share your insights or ask your questions. You may meditate or do other practices, but still feel a vague sense of incompleteness that you do not understand.

Theistic Religionists can be quick to label Yogis and other Mystic seekers and organizations as cult followers or cult organizations. They describe the methods of cults as including being emotionally and financially exploitive, psychologically manipulative, demanding of unquestioning dedication or devotion, requiring suspension of critical thinking, and other such means of control. Ironically, it is these very kinds of practices that the Yogi or Mystic may see in the Theists and their organizations. Not knowing quite how to deal with this in work or social settings, the Yogi or Mystic may end up with an internalized fear which may not be recognized as having an unconscious influence over one's own spiritual practices and life.

Does any of this sound familiar to you? If so, you may be carrying around this kind of inner baggage of fear and having it negatively impact your spiritual practices and life. It often manifests as feeling you "do not have time" to meditate or do other practices, as if some invisible force is blocking the path in front of you. It can manifest as feeling you are "not ready" to go ahead on the journey. It can feel like you are "not worthy" to have the joy of direct experience of your own true nature. It can leave you "deciding" to follow the inner journey later in life, maybe after you have a different circle of friends, after you have moved to a different city, after your children are grown, after your relationship with your spouse has changed, or after you retire from your job.

No teacher, no method, no class can deal effectively with this, without seeing clearly the nature of this pervasive fear-filled obstacle, and without having a resolute commitment to see it, explore it, accept it, and not let it prevent you from doing your meditations, contemplations, or other spiritual practices. The suggestion of Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras that these obstacles be dealt with by one-pointed training of mind may lead to feeling even more hopeless because of feeling you "cannot do it," although this ability to stay focused is ultimately seen to be extremely important and useful.

The Theists or Religionists have found or created a very broad range of communities of peers with whom they can relate and provide support for one another. So too, the Atheists and Secularists have increasingly found or built communities for supportive relationships. Surely, some practitioners of Yoga and Mysticism have found or have formed small, supportive communities. Of those, some have encountered and dealt with the fear being talked about here. However, there are many, possibly millions of sincere seekers with lesser experience and exposure who have neither discovered and dealt with the fear, nor found any supportive community where they can openly explore and transcend this very subtle, powerful obstacle. They are quietly suffering alone in an unseen fear of both the Theists and Religionists, and the Atheists and Secularists, who are by far in the majority amongst their neighbors, coworkers and family members.

If you are a sincere seeker of direct experience, it is imperative to see the nature of this fear so that you can develop the will power, the sankalpa shakti, the determination to move forward, right through the middle of these obstacles, regardless of the opinions and actions of your fellow humans, whether Theists or Atheists. This is done by cultivating an active, passionate conviction to seek that for which your heart longs. With this awareness and commitment, and an attitude of loving perseverance, the fear is ultimately seen as a phantom and gradually dissolves into just one more past habit that no longer binds, or blocks the finer realization being sought.

Yoga Nidra Meditation CD Recommended for Insomnia

2007-03-15T01:17:00.000-05:00

YOGA NIDRA MEDITATION CD RECOMMENDED FOR INSOMNIA
Chicago Tribune writer Julie Deardorff recommends the Yoga Nidra CD of Swami Jnaneshvara (ISBN 0972471901) for dealing with insomnia (point #2 of 3 in her article below).

From Chicago Tribune article:
http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/features_julieshealthclub/2007/03/how_to_cope_wit.html

HOW TO SURVIVE INSOMNIA
By Julie Deardorff
Chicago Tribune
March 7, 2007

Working mothers trying to "do it all" have the most serious episodes of insomnia, while stay-at-home moms are most likely to sleep poorly, according to the National Sleep Foundation's 2007 Sleep in AmericaPoll.

The main culprits are young children, biological changes like pregnancy and menopause, stress and pets.

I had my first extended bout with insomnia during what should have been a triumphant period of motherhood: right when my oldest child started sleeping through the night. Now, with a 3-month old and a toddler, I don't even try to get sleep. And I don't worry when I still haven't fallen asleep by 2 a.m. and I've just calculated that the most sleep I can get is four hours.

Instead, I do damage control the following day.

Here's how.

1. Exercise.

Exercise is one of the first things to go when women have too much in their day, the study showed, but I use it for a short-term jolt, like caffeine.

Normally, I get on the treadmill, do a slow, warm-up mile and then punish myself for about 15 minutes with either speed or hills. The only requirement is that I break a sweat. Then I run easy for a cool-down mile.

Unfortunately, you'll have to try this at your own risk. When I began looking at research on this, it showed that exercise can actually make you feel worse when you're sleep deprived and can be dangerous. Your coordination goes when you're tired and you actually fall off of the treadmill. Also, if your body doesn't have time to repair during sleep, you're more likely to get injured.

Still, it's how I've been able to work full time despite getting up at least two times a night to nurse. After an intense workout, my head clears and I can focus and get through the day.

2. Yoga Nidra

Yoga Nidra means "Yogic Sleep" and it's considered a state of conscious deep sleep. But it's not meditation, which leaves you in the waking state of consciousness, says Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati, who produced the audio CD "Yoga Nidra Meditation CD: Extreme Relaxation of Conscious Deep Sleep."

Instead, during Yoga Nidra, you "leave the waking state, go past the dreaming state and enter into deep sleep, all while remaining fully alert and awake," Bharti says. Reaching this state of awareness is easier said than done, of course. To this day, I haven't been able to stay awake through an entire Yoga Nidra CD, which can last between 20 and 60 minutes.

To do it, lie on your back as if in shavasana or corpse pose, with your eyes closed and your palms facing up. If you've got Bhrarti's verbal CD--there's no music--he'll tell you to focus your awareness on 61 points within the body. For example, he'll tell you to bring your attention to your left hand, your pinky finger, your ring finger, your middle finger, your index finger and your thumb. The entire body is scanned in this way until the heart center is reached.

Some swear the process can replace sleep. Others with insomnia use it to help them relax so they can go to sleep.

3. Caffeine

The old standby works because it blocks a certain receptor in the brain that releases a neurotransmitter called adenosine. Adenosine makes us sleepy and if the release of it is prevented, you won't feel quite as tired.

The trick is to avoid using caffeine every day. Only people who avoid it for a while feel a buzz , according to a University of Bristol study presented to the British Nutrition Foundation Conference.

"We do feel a boost from caffeine in the morning, but that's probably due to a reversal of the withdrawal symptoms," researcher Peter Rogers, a biological psychologist told the BBC. "That alertness you feel is you getting back to normal, rather than to an above normal level."

----------------------------------------------------------
Yoga Nidra Meditation: Extreme Relaxation of Conscious Deep Sleep
ISBN 0972471901
One of the deepest and most popular meditation CDs in the world today.

Yoga Nidra Article at SwamiJ.com

Yoga Nidra CD at Amazon.com
----------------------------------------------------------

All Yoga practices are to purify and strengthen the mind

2007-03-07T00:23:00.000-06:00

ALL PRACTICES ARE TO PURIFY AND STRENGTHEN THE MIND
Swami Rama

All sadhanas, all practices, are meant to purify and strengthen the mind that disturbs your being and prevents you from being aware of the Reality that is within you.

To be spiritual means to be aware of the Reality all the time, to be aware of the Absolute Truth all the time, and to be aware of the Lord within you all the time.

http://swamij.com/

Relationship with Guru in the Path of Yoga

2007-03-04T07:57:00.000-06:00

From:
http://www.swamij.com/swami-rama-guru-grace.htm

RELATIONSHIP WITH GURU IN THE PATH OF YOGA
Swami Rama

Guru is not a person, but guru can be represented in a person. One who has developed his or her own spiritual awareness to a very high level can guide others, and is considered to be guru. Only one who is finely attuned to the inner guide can inspire the awakening of the inner guide in another. Guru is not a physical being. If a guru begins thinking this power is her or his own, then they are no longer a guide. The guru is a tradition, a stream of knowledge.

In India guru is a sacred word that is used with reverence and is always associated with the highest wisdom. The guru is unique in a person's life. The relationship between disciple and guru is like no other relationship. It is said that guru is not mother, father, son, or daughter. The guru is not a friend in any conventional sense. It also is sometimes said that the guru is father, mother, son, daughter, and friend all in one; the guru is sun and moon, sky and earth to the disciple.

The truth is that the relationship of guru to disciple is indescribable. The relationship extends to the realm beyond the world, transcends death, and stretches far beyond the limited karmic bonds associated with family and friends. A mother and father help sustain the body of their child, and nurture and guide the child through the formative years of life to adulthood. Guru sustains, nurtures, and guides a soul through lifetimes to ultimate liberation.

The relationship with the guru is based on the purest form of unconditional love. There is complete openness with the guru. The disciple should hold nothing back from the guru. This is why in the tradition, a student goes to the guru and offers a bundle of sticks to burn. The bundle symbolizes that everything the disciple has is offered unconditionally to the guru. Everything is offered to the guru so the guru can do the work of shaping the student spiritually. The disciple comes with full faith and entrusts his whole life to the guru. The guru takes that life and chops it and burns what is not necessary, and then carefully carves what remains into something sacred.

In this chopping and burning, the guru is merciless. The guru's job is not to hold hands with the disciple and wipe away tears, but to cut into pieces the disciple's ego and all that stands between the disciple and freedom. The guru does not allow dependence. If the disciple becomes too dependent on the guru, the guru pushes the disciple away, insisting on independence. It is a remarkable expression of the deepest love.

http://www.swamij.com/

Yoga Nidra is Not Affirmations or Autosuggestion

2007-03-03T23:59:00.000-06:00

YOGA NIDRA IS NOT AFFIRMATIONS OR AUTOSUGGESTION
(Excerpted from the Yoga Nidra article at SwamiJ.com)

Yoga Nidra is not a practice of autosuggestion or verbal affirmations, whether affirming desired personal qualities or worldly objects that are desired. It is also not a process of verbally affirming that you are in Yoga Nidra. If you are still in such a conscious level that you are still making oral affirmations of any kind, then you are definitely not in the subtle state of Yoga Nidra. In such a case, the conscious, Waking state mind has not yet receded into the cause from which it arose.

Yoga Nidra means Yogic Sleep. It is a state of conscious Deep Sleep. In Meditation, you remain in the Waking state of consciousness, and gently focus the mind, while allowing thought patterns, emotions, sensations, and images to arise and go on. However, in Yoga Nidra, you leave the Waking state, go past the Dreaming state, and go to Deep Sleep, yet remain awake. While Yoga Nidra is a state that is very relaxing, it is also used by Yogis to purify the Samskaras, the deep impressions that are the driving force behind Karma.

Yoga Nidra CD on Amazon.com

Yoga Nidra Article on SwamiJ.com

SwamiJ.com Homepage

Yoga Nidra - Yogic Conscious Deep Sleep

2007-03-02T16:06:00.000-06:00

Yoga Nidra brings an incredible calmness, quietness and clarity. Yoga Nidra is one of the deepest of all meditations, leading awareness through many levels of mental process to a state of supreme stillness and insight. With patient and thorough reading [of the Yoga Nidra article], the understanding is well worth the effort, allowing you to see the profound depth of Yoga Nidra, which is far beyond just relaxation. It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. Sometimes it takes thousands of words to get the inner "aha" of the meaning. Most important of all, it is the persistent practice that brings the real joy of the practice of Yoga Nidra, as with all useful practices in life and Yoga.

Yoga Nidra CD on Amazon.com

Yoga Nidra Article on SwamiJ.com

SwamiJ.com Homepage

Compatibility of Yoga and Christianity

2007-03-01T10:58:00.000-06:00

Excerpted from:
http://www.swamij.com/yoga-christianity.htm

COMPATIBILITY OF YOGA AND CHRISTIANITY

Yoga is increasingly being practiced by Christian people of the world, particularly in the West. While it is easy for critics to argue that the two are incompatible, many people intuitively know that Yoga, which is not a religion, and Christianity really are quite compatible. Actually, principles of Yoga are already contained within Christianity and Christian meditation. To say that Yoga is compatible with Christianity is not to say that that the two are the same. Compatibility and sameness are two very different principles. In addition, it is important to note that there may be individual denominations opposed to Yoga practices with body, breath and mind, just as there are individual denominations opposed to medical treatment, modern technology, or a variety of social and cultural activities. However, the fact that some denominations are opposed, and thus incompatible with Yoga in their individual view, does not mean that the whole of Christianity is incompatible.

While some critics of Yoga say that it is not compatible with Christianity, there is already tremendous diversity of opinions and practices within the Christian religion, which serves a broad variety of people. The World Christian Encyclopedia (pub. 2001) is quoted as estimating that there are over 28,000 Christian denominations (later updated to 33,830 and 39,000 according to different sources). The World Christian Database says that over 9,000 denominations are represented in its database (2004). Another Christian resource on the Internet says that the number of Christian denominations has increased to over 35,500 from approximately 1900 denominations that existed a hundred years ago. If there is room for tens of thousands of denominations within Christianity, surely there is plenty of room for Yoga to be practiced by its adherents who choose to do so.

It is very useful to be aware of the polarities of Esoteric and Exoteric religion. Many of the people practicing Yoga are drawn to the Esoteric end of the spectrum, which is the domain of mysticism. Throughout human history the Esoteric practitioners have been shunned by the more Exoteric people. Thus, it is not only Yoga that some Christians are opposed to, but also the the mystical practices of their own religion. In such cases, Yoga is a convenient, visible target, while the effort is actually one of attempting to suppress the subtler essence of their own roots.

SEE ALSO these articles for info on Exoteric and Esoteric approaches:

Mysticism, Yoga and Religion
http://www.swamij.com/mysticism-yoga-religion.htm

Exoteric and Esoteric Christianity
http://www.swamij.com/steiner-exoteric-esoteric.htm

About the Words "Hindu" and "Hinduism"

2007-02-26T08:12:00.000-06:00

http://www.swamij.com/hindu-word.htm

ABOUT THE WORDS "HINDU" AND "HINDUISM"

The words "Hindu" and "Hinduism" are described in different ways by different people. The origins and usages of the terms are not universally agreed upon. As you'll see in the references below, "Hindu" and "Hinduism" have been variously used to describe one or another of culture, geography, or religion. Some say that the terms were not used by the indigenous people until fairly recently in history, brought on by foreign peoples and governments, not their own evolution. Many say that the original collective term used for the diverse teachings of the region is "Dharma" or "Sanatana Dharma." There is some impetus in the world today to advocate these terms, either along side of, or instead of the terms "Hindu" and "Hinduism."

Below are some quotes on the words "Hindu" and "Hinduism." These references are not intended as academic or scholarly proofs or arguments used to win a debate. Because they are only offered as a most general overview, source information is not included. It is also not intended that any of these quotes are necessarily more or less authoritative than others, but rather to provide enough discussion that it's easy for the reader to get a feel for the issue. It's easy to find many such references through internet searches and books. Through one's own research and reflection, each person can draw his or her own conclusions about the meanings and uses of the words "Hindu" and "Hinduism," as well as the words "Dharma" and "Sanatana Dharma."

QUOTES:

"The word 'Hindu' occurs nowhere in the classical scriptures of Hinduism. The ancestors of the present day Hindus did not identify themselves as Hindus."

"When Western scholars and Christian missionaries arrived on the scene, the Hindus found their faith tradition 'ism'-ized and its name became 'Hinduism'."

"That even an atheist may be called a Hindu is an example of the fact that Hinduism is far beyond a simple religious system, but actually an extremely diverse and complicated river of evolving philosophies and ancient traditions."

"The word Hindu is not a religious word. It is secular in origin. It is derived from the word Sindhu, which is the name of a major river that flows in the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. The ancient Greeks and Armenians used to refer the people living beyond the river Sindhu as Hindus and gradually the name struck. When the Muslims came to the sub continent they called the people living in the region as Hindustanis to distinguish them from the foreign Muslims. Subsequently when the British established their rule, they started calling the local religions collectively under the name of Hinduism."

"Only 180 years ago Raja Ram Mohan Roy coined the word 'Hindu' to describe the huge variety of faiths and sects with similar but not identical philosophies, myths and rituals."

"According to the New Encyclopedia Britannica 20:581, 'Hinduism' was a name given in English language in the Nineteenth Century by the English people to the multiplicity of the beliefs and faiths of the people of the Indus land. The British writers in 1830 gave the word 'Hinduism' to be used as the common name for all the beliefs of the people of India excluding the Muslims and converted Christians."

"According to our ex-President [India] and scholar Dr S Radhakrishnan, the term 'Hindu' had originally a territorial and not credal significance. It implies residence in a well-defined geographical area."

"All scholars agree that the category 'Hinduism' is something created by Orientalists. This obviously does not exclude the existence of an Indian spiritual experience. But at a certain point it was decided to use this label, which during Colonialism became a flag for independence, and after that an attempt was made by the people of India to recognize themselves in a common religion."

"Surprisingly, though Hinduism is a very ancient religion, the word 'Hinduism', which today defines it and distinguishes it from the rest of the religions, is of much later origin. In ancient India you had either a yogi, a bhakta, a tantric, a sanyasi, a sankhya vadin, a vedantin, a lokayata, a rishi, a muni, a pandit, a pragna, a yogini, a devi, a swami, a Saivite, a Vaishnavite, a siddha or Buddha, but no Hindu."

"The Supreme Court [of India] in the course of deciding an appeal in an election petition, has interpreted the meaning of 'Hindutva' and 'Hinduism' as a "synonym of 'Indianisation' -- i.e. development of uniform culture by obliterating the differences between all all cultures co-existing in the country.' The unanimous judgement given by the three-judge bench consisting of Justices J.S. Verma, N.P. Singh and K. Venkataswami, on December 11, 1995, has quoted earlier Supreme Court judgements and opinions of Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, Dr. Toynbee and others in coming to the conclusion that Hinduism represented a way of life."

"The Supreme Court [of India] bench dealt with the meaning of the word 'Hindutva' or 'Hinduism' when used in election propaganda. The court came to the conclusion that the words 'Hinduism' or 'Hindutva' are not necessarily to be understood and construed narrowly, confined only to the strict Hindu religious practices unrelated to the culture and ethos of the People of India depicting the way of life of the Indian people. Unless the context of a speech indicates a contrary meaning or use, in the abstract, these terms are indicative more of a way of life of the Indian people. Unless the context of a speech indicates a contrary meaning or use, in the abstract, these terms are indicative more of a way of life of the Indian people and are not confined merely to describe persons practicing the Hindu religion as a faith. This clearly means that, by itself, the word 'Hinduism' or 'Hindutva' indicates the culture of the people of India as a whole, irrespective of whether they are Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Jews etc."

"The word 'Hinduism' was coined by European travelers and traders in the 16th century."

"It is interesting to note that the word Hindu is neither Sanskrit nor Dravidian and did not originate in India. It was not used by Indians in their descriptions or writings until the 17th century. If we go by the original definition of the word Hindu, any one who lives in the subcontinent is a Hindu and whatever religion he or she practices is Hinduism. The word Hindu is a secular word and literally translated it means Indian and the word Hinduism denotes any religion or religions that are practiced by the multitude of people living in the land beyond the river Indus."

"It is hard to define Hinduism, let alone defend it. This is the reason when someone asks the question, 'Who is a Hindu or what is Hinduism?' a variety of answers are given. The most appropriate answer perhaps is a long pause and then silence. The confusion that has been propagated in the religion over many centuries has made it prohibitive even to define the word Hinduism."

"Unfortunately Hinduism is represented as monolithic. However, there is no essential Hinduism, no single belief system, and no central authority."

"The Hidden Hindus... include at least 1-2 million non-Indian Americans (Caucasians, African-Americans, Hispanics, etc.) who practice Yoga, meditation, vegetarianism, believe in reincarnation and karma, study the Vedic scriptures, etc., but who –- despite the fact that they are practicing Sanatana Dharma -- will not call themselves 'Hindu', and do not understand that they are part of an ancient and living religious tradition. We need to do everything in our power to bring these two communities together, to bridge this gap."

"It is well known among scholars of South Asian religion that the word 'Hinduism' is a term of convenience--a blanket name for a wide variety of religious practices, beliefs and worldviews that some times have little common ground beyond their Indian origins. Ironically, Hinduism is not an indigenous word to any of the traditions it labels."

"There are legal pronouncements [in India] that Hindus are Indian citizens belonging to a religion born in India. This means Buddhists, Sikhs or Parsis, even those who did not recognize themselves as Hindus, are to be considered Hindus."

"It should be pointed out that the word 'Hindu' is not found in any of the classical writings of India. Nor can it be traced to the classical Indian languages, such as Sanskrit or Tamil. In fact, the word 'Hinduism' has absolutely no origins within India itself. Still, it persists, and traditions as diverse as Shaivism and Jainism, Shaktism and Vaishnavism, have been described as 'Hinduism.' This may work as a matter of convenience, but ultimately it is inaccurate."

"Hinduism has one of the most genetically and ethnically diverse body of adherents in the world. It is hard to classify Hinduism as a religion, as the framework, symbols, leaders and books of reference that make up a typical religion are not uniquely identified in the case of Hinduism. Most commonly it can be seen as a 'way of life' which gives rise to many civilized forms of religions. Hinduism, its religious doctrines, traditions and observances are very typical and inextricably linked to the culture and demographics of India."

"Using the overarching term 'Hinduism' for the many religions of India is comparable to ignoring the different religious orientations within each of the Western traditions, arbitrarily merging them under a single banner—'Semitism' (which, like 'Hinduism,' merely denotes geographical location). Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and other constitute the diverse religious traditions of the Western world. Just as the term Semitism is too broad and reductionistic to represent properly the unique religious manifestation of the great Western traditions, and just as it would be inappropriate to refer to all these traditions as one religion, the term Hinduism falls short."

"The word Hindu is also not mentioned in holy books, Upanishads, Shashtras and Valmiki Ramayan, Shatpath Brahmin Granth etc. And in these holy books there is not any word Hindus or sects or caste system, where as it is clearly mentioned in every chapter of thereof that there is only one God of the Universe."

"According to Jawaharlal Nehru, the earliest reference to the word 'Hindu' can be traced to a Tantrik book of the eighth century C.E., where the word means a people, and not the followers of a particular religion. The use of the word 'Hindu' in connection with a particular religion is of very late occurrence."

"If you examine ancient Indian history and religion, you will find that the word 'Hindu dharma' is not used to describe what is today called 'Hinduism'."

"The word Hindu is relatively modern and is derived from the word Sindhu which means red. The Arabs called the Sindhu river the Indus river since they could not pronounce the S-sound. Thus, the people west of the Sindhu river came to be known as the Hindus and the country got its name India. The original name for the country was Bharata Varsha - the land of Bharata, the king who ruled the country in ancient times. The true name of the religion is Sanatana Dharma. Sanatana means ancient and eternal. Dharma means moral duty. The word Sanatana Dharma connotes a Universal Way of Life for all living entities."

"'Hindu' means a person believing in, following or respecting the eternal values of life, ethical and spiritual, which have sprung up in Bharatkhand [India] and includes any person calling himself a Hindu."

"The word 'hindu' is a non-Indian word, it's origin is Persian/Arabic. It's original meaning is 'dog,' 'low life' or 'slave'."

"The word 'Hindu' means a liar, a slave, a black, an infidel, in short, a man possessed of every evil to be found in the world; while the term Arya means a pious, a learned, a noble, and a wise man, devoted to the true worship of the Eternal. With this explanation, I dare conclude that no man of common sense would like to be called a Hindu, when once he knows its meaning."

"It should be noted that the word 'Hindu' originally referred to any inhabitant of the Indian subcontinent, or Hind, not followers of the religion as it does now."

"If we see in the four thousand years worth of religious literature in India we cannot find a single reference to the word 'Hinduism' anywhere! 'Hinduism' is a word concocted by Europeans to refer to the myriad streams of religious faiths in the land of Hindustan."

"The word 'Hinduism' itself is a geographical term based upon the Sanskrit name for the great river that runs across the northern boundaries of India, known as the Sindhu."

"The word Hinduism is not found in the 'hindu' religion. In fact there is no such thing as the 'hindu' religion."

"The word 'Hinduism' was introduced in the 19th century to define the aggregate beliefs of the Arya, immigrants who left Central Asia in 1500 BC, and animist religions of native populations in India."

"The word 'Hindu' is not found in any Hindu religious text or any other ancient writing. People who lived on the western side of Hindu Kush (killers of Hindus) mountains gave this name to the natives of India. The word Hindu means black, slave, robber, thief and a waylayer."

"Until about 19th century, the term 'Hindu' implied a culture and ethnicity and not religion alone. When the British government started periodic census and established a legal system, need arose to define 'Hinduism' as a clearly-defined religion, along the lines of Christianity or Islam."

"The word 'Hinduism' originated about only 200-300 years ago."

"Beginning around 1000 AD, invading armies from the Middle East called the place beyond the Sindhu 'Hindustan' and the people who lived there the 'Hindus'"

"Today most Western scholars seem resigned to the inconclusiveness of the project of defining Hinduism. Some decline to use the word 'Hinduism' at all, or prefer to use it only in the plural, 'Hinduisms.'"

"At a very early date, Persian explorers entered the Indian subcontinent from the far Northwest. After they returned, they published chronicles. But due to the phonetics of their native Persian language, the 'S' of Sind became an aspirated 'H.' This is how the people of the Indus Valley came to be known generically as "Hindus" by the Persians. This flawed intonation inevitably stuck. And was later re-imported when the invading Moguls conquered India. Since they always referred to the locals as "Hindus," the term was adopted by the Indians themselves as a way of distinguishing native culture from that of the foreign Muslims."

"The word Hinduism was coined by the Muslim scholar Alberuni in the 11th century C.E."

"Various origins for the word 'Hinduism' have been suggested: It may be derived from an ancient inscription translated as: 'The country lying between the Himalayan mountain and Bindu Sarovara is known as Hindusthan by combination of the first letter 'hi' of 'Himalaya' and the last compound letter 'ndu' of the word `Bindu.' Bindu Sarovara is called the Cape Comorin sea in modern times."

Hinduism did not exist before 1830. It was created by the English colonialists in the 1830s. This remarkable circumstance is evidenced by the fact that none of the travelers who visited India before English rule used the word 'Hindu'.... This is amply borne out by the Encyclopedia Britannica, which states: "The term Hinduism ... [was] introduced in about 1830 by British writers." In other words, the founding father of 'Hinduism' is an Englishman!

"According to the Hindu Scholars, Hinduism is a misnomer and the religion ‘Hinduism’ should be either referred to as ‘Sanatana Dharma’, which means eternal religion, or as Vedic Dharma, meaning religion of the Vedas. According to Swami Vivekananda, the followers of this religion are referred to as Vendantists."

"The word Hinduism is an incorrect nomenclature, which was coined by the British. Thereafter, it has stuck due to the ignorance of its followers. The term 'ism' refers to an ideology that is to be propagated and by any method imposed on others for e.g. Marxism, socialism, communism, imperialism and capitalism but the Hindus have no such 'ism'. Hindus follow the continuum process of evolution; for the Hindus do not have any unidirectional ideology, therefore, in Hindu Dharma there is no place for any 'ism'. Hindus are democratic in approach, for each individual is free to adopt any philosophy or way to self-realization."

Siddhanta Tattva Vindu

2007-02-25T09:01:00.000-06:00

SIDDHANTA TATTVA VINDU
By Adi Sankaracharya, 788-820 CE

1) Nor earth nor water, fire nor liquid air, nor ether, nor the powers, nor these in one; undifferentiated, in dreamless perfect rest, that, the One, final, blest, alone, am I.

2) Nor castes nor their divisions, rite nor rule, are mine, nor fixing mind and thought and mood; no longer dreaming things not Self art 'I' and 'mine,' that, the One, final, blest, alone, am I.

3) Nor mother, father, nor the gods and worlds, nor Scriptures, offerings, shrines are there, they say, in dreamlessness abandoned by the lonely Self; that, the One, final, blest, alone, am I.

4) Nor sectary of Cause or Lord or Life knows That, nor follower of Saint or Rite, in perfect union, pure of all but Self, that, the One, final, blest, alone, am I.

5) Nor upward, downward, nor within, without; nor mid-ward, backward, That, nor east nor west; all-present everywhere in part-less unity, that, the One, final, blest, alone, am I.

6) Nor white nor black nor yellow, That, nor red; nor small nor very great nor short nor long; formless, yet like a light, a star; that, the One, final, blest, alone, am I.

7) Nor teacher, teaching, learner, what is learned; nor thou nor I nor this expanded world; conscious of its own form, from error free, that, the One, final, blest, alone, am I.

8) Nor waking, mine, nor dream, nor dreamless sleep; nor fire of life or heart or seeing soul; these three are of un-wisdom; but the fourth, that, the One, final, blest, alone, am I.

9) Even expanded for the sake of Self -- Self, that, still perfect, on no other rests -- all the wide world besides is little worth. that, the One, final, blest, alone, am I.

10) Nor is this first with any second to it; nor lonely this, nor yet has it compeers; nor is this second-less One void or filled with aught; how shall I tell this perfect wisdom's crowd?

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Yoga Darshana and the Goal of Seeing Reality - Swami Rama

2007-02-17T23:54:00.000-06:00

http://www.swamij.com/swami-rama-darshana.htm
Swami Rama Foundation
http://www.swamiramafoundation.us/

YOGA DARSHANA AND THE GOAL OF SEEING REALITY
(Sankhya Philosophy and the Yoga Sutras)
Swami Rama

Yoga darshana is one of the most ancient darshanas. The word darshana comes from the root drishyate anena which means, “that through which you can see.” That particular system through which you can see Reality is called darshana. Just as you can see yourself in the mirror, so also, through yoga darshana, the yoga sutras, can you see the Self. Darshana is not the same thing as philosophy. Philosophy is a compound word meaning “love for knowledge.” Darshana is not a mere love for knowledge. This is one difference between oriental and occidental philosophy: the ultimate goal of darshana is to see Reality.

Yoga science is based on Samkhya philosophy, which is the very basis of all sciences. Samkhya (samyag akhyate) means, “that which explains the whole.” Samkhya embraces the whole universe—how the universe came into existence, and all relationships within the universe. It explains human life on all levels—our relationship with the universe, our relationship with the creator who created the universe (if there is any), our relationships with our own mind and our inner being, our relationship with the center of consciousness, and our very existence. Even if a person is agnostic or atheist, they will get something from Samkhya philosophy.

See also the article on Samkhya philosophy:
http://www.swamij.com/prakriti-purusha-sankhya.htm

The Samkhya philosophy gave birth to mathematics. If there were no mathematics, no one would understand science. All the sciences would crumble if mathematics were removed because science is based on mathematics. Samkhya philosophy is the very basis of yoga science. I am teaching you what I was taught in the monastery by a great swami, Chakravarti, who was a great Indian mathematician. He taught me by drawing triangles, lines, and dots in the sand.

Samkhya philosophy defines the whole process of understanding that which is real and that which is not real. Here the word Reality is not used as you use it in the external world. Let us consider the blackboard I am using. Is it real? According to Samkhya philosophy, the blackboard is not real because Reality is that which is not subject to change, death, and decay. It is true that it has a material reality, but the blackboard itself is not real because its form and name can change at any time. If an object’s form and name can change, it is not Absolute Reality. According to Samkhya, Reality, or Truth, is that which exists in all three times—the past, present, and future. In the material world, a man of flesh and bones is real, but in Samkhya philosophy, Reality means that which is everlasting, exists in all times, and is not subject to change, death, and decay. The world appears to exist; it appears to be real, but actually it is not because it exists on the existence of something else. Those who do not know Reality, think that the world is real. To those who know Samkhya, the world is not real.

When yoga science was taught to us in the monastery, they always taught Karika, a classical text of Buddhism, and Samkhya along with it so it could be more easily understood. Karika, Samkhya, and yoga are very closely related to each other. If you want to understand the systems of Indian philosophy, including Buddhism and Jainism, you should study the Karika. The Karika does not say that one should try to understand God or talk about heaven and hell; it is very practical. The first sutra of the Karika is: dukha-traya-abhighatat: “Oh man, be aware of the pain that arises from three levels—pain coming from within, pain coming from outside, and pain coming from nature. First gain your freedom from these three sets of pain.”

The science of yoga is thousands of years old. Man has always searched for ways to make life happier in the external world. Though he was partially successful, he was not yet truly happy. Then he started searching for an internal way of organizing the internal states. The great sages, with the help of meditation techniques, dived deep into the inner realms of their being and experienced the unspoken great words of wisdom. Some five thousand years ago, when there were no printing presses, the teachings were imparted to students orally in a very compact form called sutras so they could be easily remembered. Through practices and experience, the truths given by the teachers could be verified.

Patanjali was a great sage who systematized and organized the study and teachings of yoga. He was not the first teacher of yoga, nor is he considered to be the originator of yoga science. There is a saying in Sanskrit, “One who was born first, the first who came into manifestation, was the first teacher of yoga.” Patanjali was only the codifier of yoga science. His approach is very practical; he was not a simple religious preacher or priest, but a scientist and a great philosopher who understood life with its currents and crosscurrents. He was a great yogi who practiced, who knew, and who made experiments. Patanjali was an enlightened being, a sage, who has given us yoga science for the benefit of all human beings.

After doing his own experiments for a long time, Patanjali organized the study of the internal states into one hundred ninety-six sutras. These sutras are called yoga darshana. The word sutra means “a string,” and the yoga sutras are connected with each other like the beads of a mala. Patanjali sometimes used several sutras to express the same idea if one sutra was not adequate to completely explain a particular subject. If more than one sutra is used for explaining a particular concept, it means that concept is very essential and should be thoroughly understood.

The Yoga Sutras is a very important classical text. I want to give you a glimpse of the whole text. All three schools of Buddhism—Mahayana, Hinayana, and Nirvayana—and the Jain teachings have borrowed from this text. The Upanishads are replete with the teachings of yoga science. Every religion in the world includes something about yoga, yet yoga is not a religion.

Every word of the sutras has meaning, so you need to understand each word properly in order to understand the whole sutra. Sutras are similar to aphorisms in English, but they are not mere aphorisms. They are compact, concise, abstruse sentences that cannot be understood without expansion and explanation. I studied the sutras many times in my childhood, yet I still did not really know much about them. The yoga sutras are not actually meant for students to study because they will drive you crazy! They are really meant as an outline for the teachers. If you study only the sutra as it is, you will not understand what it means. Patanjali intended for the teachers to practice the sutras and to expand on them for students. Understanding has nothing to do with how learned you are. If someone is a very learned person and is knowledgeable about the scriptures but does not practice, it will be very difficult for that person to comprehend the entire concept, philosophy, psychology, and practical aspects of Patanjali. If you do not practice the yoga sutras, you cannot explain them, no matter how much you study, and you will make serious mistakes. Only when you practice the sutras will you understand them very clearly. Only those teachers who are competent, who have studied the tradition from their competent teachers, and who have practiced and applied the truths therein, have the right to teach the yoga sutras. In ancient times only those who were adept taught the sutras. No one would study them from anyone who was not a perfect yogi. Only someone who has practiced this science with mind, action, and speech, and who has traditionally studied this science, can explain and impart the knowledge to those students who are prepared.

The first four sutras are very important. They are the cornerstones of the architecture of yoga science. Patanjali explains the first four sutras of the first chapter in the entire one hundred ninety-six sutras. These four sutras are the nucleus; the rest of the sutras are the explanation.

The four basic sutras are:

1) Now yoga science is being expounded.

2) By gaining control over mind and its modifications one can attain the highest state of wisdom or samadhi.

3) When you come to realize your essential nature, you get freedom.

4) You are constantly identifying yourself with the objects of the world. That is why you are suffering.

Patanjali did not write these sutras for swamis or renunciates; he meant them for the people of the world so that one can live in the world yet remain unaffected and undisturbed, enjoying peace, happiness, and bliss. Students often ask their teacher for that happiness they can attain themselves by simple methods, by simple ways in life. Don’t tell yourself that you cannot have happiness and bliss; you can do that. Don’t believe that the external world or the objects of the world can give you peace, happiness, and bliss. Many people are rushing here and there, worrying, and being tossed by the objects of the world. To gain happiness you do not have to run around or go here and there. It is all at your disposal and within your reach. Peace is within you.

Have you determined to find peace, happiness, and bliss? Have you decided to do that? Or are you still searching for someone else who will give you peace, happiness, and bliss? The scriptures say that no one in the world will ever find these goals in any relationship. Peace and happiness are within you, beyond your body, breath, senses, and mind. You can attain that peace by learning how to direct your energies within toward the deeper aspects of your being. To attain that you do not have to retire from the world. You do not have to shun your relationships or abstain from your duties. You only need to discipline yourself. Discipline means not allowing yourself to be dissipated mentally by your thoughts, actions, or speech. Patanjali, the codifier of yoga science, taught that all human beings can attain the goal of human life by understanding the yoga sutras, practicing them, and applying them in daily life.

Yoga is a science, a philosophy, and a psychology. Yoga science deals with the subtleties of life. It offers a practical side to philosophy and provides a variety of techniques. Yoga psychology teaches how to apply yoga science to know yourself. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali are the foundation of ancient psychology, including the Buddhist, Zen, Jain, and other psychology systems that support the seven systems of Indian philosophy. There is no real distinction between Eastern and Western psychology. The actual distinction is between the ancient and modern psychologies. There are many branches of ancient psychology.

The word psychology means “the science of mental life,” but modern psychology has not developed to the extent where it can truly say that it knows how to study mental life. When you study mind as a subject you are merely collecting the information and opinions of others and trying to study what it is. I never met anyone who could really study my mind, even though I went to well-known psychics. They made various predictions that I did not believe. I said, “Tell me what is going on now in my mind and what has happened with me in the past, then I will believe what is going to happen with me in the future.”

Modern psychology has really studied only behaviorism. That is not the study of the mind, but only aspects of the mind. Behaviorism is an incomplete science. Very little of the mind is expressed through behavior. Therefore, by studying behavior you cannot understand the totality of the mind. Historically, modern psychology is based on the study of the behavior of mentally abnormal people. Patanjali did not base his science on abnormal behavior, even though he was fully aware of that particular category of mind. Modern psychology was born out of the study of misery, out of trying to understand mental problems that could not be handled by medicines. Modern psychology teaches that we cannot fully understand anyone’s thinking process because we cannot really know how someone is thinking. Patanjali studied and analyzed the normal mind in its totality, with all its functions and modifications. Yoga psychology evolved from the prime necessity of attaining realization.

Modern psychology is not yet a finished product. It reaches certain conclusions today, and tomorrow those conclusions are discarded. Besides behaviorism there was another branch of psychology in which such great psychologists as Freud, James, Williams, and Jung tried to understand the deeper aspects of the mind, but they did not thoroughly accomplish this. They did begin to study hypnosis, but did not really go far in their studies of the mind using hypnosis. Self-hypnosis and autosuggestions can help people with problems up to a certain extent, but they cannot lead you to know the deeper levels of life. At this point, the ancient or yoga psychology begins its study.

Ancient psychology explains that the human mind has an immense capacity. If the mind can be prevented from distractions and dissipation, it can be disciplined and directed in the right direction. Yoga psychology is a complete science. Yoga psychology is very deep and can be understood only by practicing it, not by memorizing the yoga sutras. Patanjali’s method is subtle, exact, and profound. If modern psychologists fully understood Patanjali’s subtle methods, they could do tremendous good for society. But modern psychologists are usually not taught to go beyond the conscious and unconscious fields of the mind, or to become aware of the soul, which is the very goal of human life.

Psychology deals with mental life, both the conscious and unconscious. With the help of analysis and therapy, that which is in the unconscious is brought into the conscious mind, where it can be addressed. Modern psychology often deals with behavior, but yoga science goes to the very core of the soul, from where springs mind and its modifications. Unless you know your own sva-rupa, your own real Self, you cannot have perfect control over your mind and its modifications.

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How is One to Reach Knowledge, Liberation, and Dispassion

2007-02-17T23:51:00.000-06:00

http://www.swamij.com/ashtavakra-gita.htm

HOW IS ONE TO REACH KNOWLEDGE, LIBERATION, AND DISPASSION?
Excerpted from Ashtavakra Gita

JANAKA SAID:

How is one to acquire knowledge? How is one to attain liberation? And
how is one to reach dispassion? Tell me this, sir. 1.1

ASHTAVAKRA SAID:

If you are seeking liberation, my son, avoid the objects of the
senses like poison and cultivate tolerance, sincerity, compassion,
contentment, and truthfulness as the antidote. 1.2

You do not consist of any of the elements -- earth, water, fire, air,
or even ether. To be liberated, know yourself as consisting of
consciousness, the witness of these. 1.3

If only you will remain resting in consciousness, seeing yourself as
distinct from the body, then even now you will become happy, peaceful
and free from bonds. 1.4

You do not belong to the brahmin or any other caste, you are not at
any stage, nor are you anything that the eye can see. You are
unattached and formless, the witness of everything -- so be happy. 1.5

Righteousness and unrighteousness, pleasure and pain are purely of
the mind and are no concern of yours. You are neither the doer nor
the reaper of the consequences, so you are always free. 1.6

You are the one witness of everything and are always completely free.
The cause of your bondage is that you see the witness as something
other than this. 1.7

Since you have been bitten by the black snake, the opinion about
yourself that "I am the doer," drink the antidote of faith in the
fact that "I am not the doer," and be happy. 1.8

Burn down the forest of ignorance with the fire of the understanding
that "I am the one pure awareness," and be happy and free from
distress. 1.9

That in which all this appears is imagined like the snake in a rope;
that joy, supreme joy, and awareness is what you are, so be happy.
1.10

If one thinks of oneself as free, one is free, and if one thinks of
oneself as bound, one is bound. Here this saying is true, "Thinking
makes it so." 1.11

Your real nature is as the one perfect, free, and actionless
consciousness, the all-pervading witness -- unattached to anything,
desireless and at peace. It is from illusion that you seem to be
involved in samsara. 1.12

Meditate on yourself as motionless awareness, free from any dualism,
giving up the mistaken idea that you are just a derivative
consciousness or anything external or internal. 1.13

You have long been trapped in the snare of identification with the
body. Sever it with the knife of knowledge that "I am awareness," and
be happy, my son. 1.14

You are really unbound and actionless, self-illuminating and spotless
already. The cause of your bondage is that you are still resorting to
stilling the mind. 1.15

All of this is really filled by you and strung out in you, for what
you consist of is pure awareness -- so don't be small-minded. 1.16

You are unconditioned and changeless, formless and immovable,
unfathomable awareness, unperturbable: so hold to nothing but
consciousness. 1.17

Recognise that the apparent is unreal, while the unmanifest is
abiding. Through this initiation into truth you will escape falling
into unreality again. 1.18

Just as a mirror exists everywhere both within and apart from its
reflected images, so the Supreme Lord exists everywhere within and
apart from this body. 1.19

Just as one and the same all-pervading space exists within and
without a jar, so the eternal, everlasting God exists in the totality
of things. 1.20

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You are the Architect of Your Life

2007-01-30T23:51:00.000-06:00

From: The Essence of Spiritual Life
By Swami Rama
ISBN 8190100491
Reprinted with permission of the Publisher
Copyright Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust
http://hihtindia.org

YOU ARE THE ARCHITECT OF YOUR LIFE
Swami Rama

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.

Once you turn your focus inward, the process of transformation will begin, and naturally you will become aware of many levels of consciousness. You will find that the capacity to know yourself is within, and this realization will become a source of fulfillment to you. The sages in the past have experienced this fact, and have documented their experiences.

Unfortunately, people in the modern era do not know how to benefit from the wisdom of the sages. As a result, people are still searching for happiness in the external world.

If you study life's journey, when you start unfolding yourself and experiencing life and its necessities, you will find throughout that life is full of changes and modifications. Let you learn to enjoy life from moment to moment and do not worry about the future. If you take care of your present, the future will be at your disposal, and one day you will find out that you are the architect of your life.

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Christian Yoga and Clergy Indirectly Promoting Traditional Yoga

2007-01-23T21:51:00.000-06:00

From:
http://www.swamij.com/christian-yoga.htm

CHRISTIAN YOGA AND CLERGY
INDIRECTLY PROMOTING TRADITIONAL YOGA
Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati

Whether there is or is not such a thing as "Christian Yoga," it has become a quite controversial topic recently. Many so-called Yoga teachers claim that Yoga is just a physical fitness or alternative health program, and therefore has no conflict whatsoever with Christianity. Meanwhile, many Christians argue that Yoga is a religion and should therefore not be practiced in any form by the Christian faithful. Still other Christians bridge both of these views by creating a new category that they call "Christian Yoga."

For thousands of years Yoga has been a universal process leading to subtle spiritual realization or direct experience, regardless of the religious orientation of the practitioner. Many of the principles of traditional Yoga are contained in the esoteric or mystical teachings of virtually all of the world's most known religions, including not only those of the South Asia region, but also those of the Judeo-Christian heritage. It has often and correctly been said that Yoga is in religion, but that religion is not in Yoga.

A big part of the confusion about Yoga and "Christian Yoga" stems from the fact that modern so-called Yoga teachers and their institutions, particularly in America, have significantly distorted or devolved the authentic, traditional Yoga of the sages. By attempting to reduce Yoga to a mere physical therapy or medical treatment, they have effectively thrown out the spiritual roots and goals of Yoga.

Modern Yoga styles and studios emphasize postures. The Sanskrit word for posture is "asana" and the root of that is "~as" which means "to sit." The Yoga Sutras (ca 2nd century BCE) is one of the most known of the ancient texts on traditional Yoga. According to the Yoga Sutras, asana or sitting posture is rung three of eight rungs of Yoga, and the purpose of that is meditation and the deep absorption known as samadhi, rungs seven and eight. The Hatha Yoga Pradipika (ca 15th century CE) is the most known traditional text that describes physical postures. Even a glancing overview of that text will quickly reveal the true goals of Hatha Yoga as also being the awakening of the subtle energy known as kundalini, and the subsequent experience of samadhi.

Ironically, it is the Christians opposed to Yoga who seem to indirectly be doing the most in the US to promote the truer meaning of Yoga, although it is self-evident that this is not their intent. Most of the Christian critics emphasize the orthodox or exoteric practices of their religion, and either fail to see, or are opposed to the esoteric or mystical roots of their own traditions. Because of this, they also either fail to see the utility of traditional Yoga for their adherents, or are opposed to it. While they are wrong in saying that Yoga itself is a religion, they are most definitely right in pointing out the spiritual goals of Yoga.

The Christian clergy and the followers of Christianity who are most outspoken against either Yoga or "Christian Yoga" need to be acknowledged and appreciated for doing so much to promote authentic, traditional Yoga. They are quite blunt in their descriptions of how Yoga is a spiritual practice. While they make the mistake of saying that Yoga is a religion, which it is not, Yoga is most definitely spiritual in nature. Even the proponents of "Christian Yoga" are effectively promoting the authentic spiritual goals of traditional Yoga by virtue of the fact that they are attempting to create an alternative Yoga, which clearly has a spiritual orientation, although theirs is in the context of a specific religion, unlike traditional Yoga.

The continued efforts of the Christian clergy opposed to traditional Yoga, as well as both the advocates and opponents of "Christian Yoga" will bring many fruits for the Yogis and mystics within all of the religions active in America. Their efforts will continue to make it evermore clear that Yoga truly has to do with mystical, spiritual realization, something for which many people have a persistent yearning and cannot find in their institutional religions, "Christian Yoga" classes, or modern so-called Yoga studios. Though not their intent, their convictions will continue to lead many sincere seekers of direct experience to the authentic, spiritual methods of traditional Yoga.

SEE ALSO THESE RELATED ARTICLES:

Yoga and Institutional Religion
http://www.swamij.com/yoga-institutional-religion.htm

Mysticism, Yoga, and Religion
http://www.swamij.com/mysticism-yoga-religion.htm

Is Yoga a Religion?
http://www.swamij.com/religion.htm

Modern Yoga and Traditional Yoga
http://www.swamij.com/traditional-yoga.htm

Yoga and Christianity
http://www.swamij.com/yoga-christianity.htm

Philosophy, Not Religion
http://www.swamij.com/swami-rama-philosophy-not-religion.htm

Mindfulness and Concentration in Yoga Meditation

2007-01-22T00:49:00.000-06:00

From:
http://www.swamij.com/mindfulnessconcentration.htm

MINDFULNESS AND CONCENTRATION
IN YOGA MEDITATION
Swami Jnaneshvara

-----------------------------
Mindfulness OR Concentration
-----------------------------

It is very common for teachers of meditation to describe one of two
general types of meditation, and to recommend one as being superior
to the other:

CONCENTRATION: In this approach, one intentionally focuses the
attention on only one object, such as breath, mantra, a chakra
center, or an internally visualized image.

MINDFULNESS: In this approach, one does not focus the mind on one
object, but rather observes the whole range of passing thoughts,
emotions, sensations, or images.

Students of meditation often find themselves confused by having to
decide which is best, having to practice only one or the other of
mindfulness or concentration. To cause further confusion, mindfulness
is often described as coming from one religion or tradition, while
concentration from another religion or tradition.

-----------------------------
Mindfulness AND Concentration
-----------------------------

To the sages of the Himalayas, both methods are used in Yoga
meditation. In fact, they are not seen as different choices at all.
Mindfulness and concentration are companions in the same one process
that leads inward to the center of consciousness.

If one stays only in the shallow, beginning levels of meditation,
then choosing between one or the other can seem to make sense. But if
you go deeper in meditation, you will find that both processes are
essential.

If one practices only mindfulness, the mind is trained to always have
this surface level activity present. Having this activity constantly
present may be seen as normal, and the attention simply does not go
beyond the mind-field. Attention can "back off" from experiencing
deeper meditation and samadhi so as to remain in the fields of
sensation and thoughts.

If one practices only concentration or one-pointedness, the mind is
trained to not experience this activity of thoughts, sensations,
emotions, and images. The activity is seen as something to be
avoided, and the attention may not even be open to the existence of
these experiences. Attention can "back off" from the deeper aspects
of the mind field, and thus prevent deeper meditation and samadhi.

By practicing both mindfulness and concentration, one is able to
experience the vast impressions, learning the vital skill of non-
attachment, while also using concentration to focus the mind in such
a way as to be able to transcend the whole of the mind field, where
there is only stillness and silence, beyond all of the impressions.
Finally, one can come to experience the center of consciousness, the
Absolute reality.

To the sages of the Himalayas, mindfulness can be emphasized at one
time, concentration emphasized at another, and the two can work
together.

When exploring the mind, mindfulness may be emphasized, while
remaining focused. Then, if a particular thought pattern or samskara
is to be examined so as to weaken its power over the mind,
concentration is the tool with which this examination is done. This
allows an increase in vairagya, non-attachment.

When settling the mind, trying to pierce the layers of our being,
including senses, body, and breath, concentration carries the
attention inward through the layers.

When attention moves into that next deeper level of our being, then
concentration and mindfulness once again work together to explore
that layer, so as to once again move beyond, or deeper.

-----------------------------
Integrating the Stages of Practice
-----------------------------

In the Yoga meditation of the Himalayan tradition, one systematically
works with senses, body, breath, the various levels of mind, and then
goes beyond, to the center of consciousness. The qualities of
mindfulness and concentration dance together in this journey.

When dealing with the senses and body, there is emphasis on exploring
and examining, being open to all of the thoughts, emotions, and
sensations. One systematically moves attention through the parts and
aspects of the body, fully experiencing the sensory impressions. This
is quite similar to what is sometimes recommended by those who
exclusively teach mindfulness meditation.

When dealing with the breath, there comes a stage wherein one
experiences the energy or prana level alone. This is beyond, or
deeper than the mechanical or gross breath, and does not involve the
thought process of passing images. It involves solely concentrating
on that level of our being. There is definitely a mindfulness of the
play of energy within that level, and it is done in a concentrated,
non-attached way.

When attention goes further inward, there is the mind field itself.
In this stage of practice, the senses have been withdrawn, and there
is no longer any sensory awareness of the body, nor of the physical.
One is now fully in the level of mind itself. Here is still another
form of mindfulness, exclusive of bodily sensation, and once again,
concentration is its companion.

Finally, one comes near the end of the mind and all of its associated
thoughts, emotions, sensations, and impressions. Concentration is
essential at this stage. As Patanjali notes in the Yoga Sutras
(4.31), there is then little to know as the experiences have been
resolved into their causes.

-----------------------------
Three Skills go Together
-----------------------------

By working with both mindfulness and concentration, it is easy to see
three skills in which the mind is trained, and how these go together:

FOCUS: The mind is trained to be able to pay attention, so as to not
be drawn here and there, whether due to the spontaneous rising of
impressions in meditation, or due to external stimuli.

EXPANSION: The ability to focus is accompanied by a willingness to
expand the conscious field through that which is normally
unconscious, including the center of consciousness.

NON-ATTACHMENT: The ability to remain undisturbed, unaffected and
uninvolved with the thoughts and impressions of the mind is the key
ingredient that must go along with focus and expansion.

-----------------------------
Yoga Meditation is Already a Whole Science
-----------------------------

While speaking here of integrating the practices of mindfulness and
concentration, it is useful to note that, in a sense, integrating is
not quite the right word.

The science of Yoga meditation as taught by the Himalayan sages is
already a whole, complete science that has been torn into smaller
pieces over time. Individual parts have been cut out from the whole,
given separate names, and then taught as unique systems of meditation.

Using mindfulness and concentration is not really a process of gluing
together two systems. Because of various teaching lineages pulling
them apart and creating the appearance of separateness, it can now
seem that we are integrating two systems. It is only an appearance.
Mindfulness and concentration have both been part of the same, one
process of meditation for a very long time.

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Yoga and Institutional Religion

2007-01-07T00:57:00.000-06:00

YOGA AND INSTITUTIONAL RELIGION
Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati
Recorded January 4, 2006
3 minutes, 26 seconds

Click here to listen to the audio Podcast:
http://www.swamij.com/podcast/070104-yoga-institutional-religion.mp3

Yoga is in religion, but religion is not in Yoga. The principles of Yoga are (in alphabetical order) in Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Sikhism, and most of the other religions. However, unlike religions, Yoga itself has no deity, worship services, rituals, sacred icons, creed, confession, clergy, institutions, congregation, membership procedure, or system of temples or churches. The word "Yoga" means "union" referring to the direct experience of the wholeness of ourselves at all levels. While the word "Yoga" comes from traditional Sanskrit language, that union is a universal process. The inner calling for that wholeness has also been called the "mystic" longing.

The yogis and mystics seek the esoteric end of the polarity of esoteric-exoteric. However, since the world of religions is dominated by the exoteric orthodoxy, the mystic and yogi is rarely understood. One who has been to the top of the spiritual mountain in direct experience may say, when asked what was discovered, "Yahweh; Ehyeh," or "I am that I am." He or she may say, "The father and I are one." She or he may say, "Sohum" which is Sanskrit for "I am that." He or she may go as far as to say, "I am God," in the spirit that the wave and the ocean are one and the same. That direct experience aligns with the immanent end of the immanent-transcendent polarity, but not being understood, comes across as a threat to the religionists. As if that is not enough of a threat, the mystics and yogis seek to trace their way back to the original material cause, rather than myopically focus on a projected efficient cause.

Because of their direct experience of the esoteric, immanent, and material causes--rather than mere belief--the mystics and yogis who are unwilling to renounce that direct experience and pledge loyalty to the orthodox religious institutions and their leaders have been beaten, hung, shot, crucified, beheaded, burned at the stake, and otherwise murdered. They have been outright banished or coerced to leave the cities and communities of the fear-filled religionists so as to live alone in the deserts, forests, or high mountains. Modern religions, cultures, and even religion classes insist on categorizing and classifying the mystics and yogis, attempting to force them into rigid boxes of institutional religious identity.

It remains as true today as always, that the mystics and yogis prefer to remain invisible, outside of the mainstream view, as they live far outside the center of the bell curve called "most people." Yet, the number of people with this level of deep longing for direct experience rather than mere blind faith is so large that there is an increasing need for higher visibility of the authentic mystics and yogis. As long as humanity is here, there will continue to be mystics and yogis longing for, seeking, and attaining the direct experience of the highest truth, self, reality, infinity, god, or whatever term one wants to use for that. The realized yogis and mystics drift here and there in our world so as to serve those few.

SWAMIJ.COM AUDIO PODCAST WEB PAGE & ARCHIVES:
http://www.swamij.com/podcast.htm

SWAMI J PODCAST also available through I-Tunes, Podcast.net,
Yahoo.com, Odeo.com and others.

http://swamij.com

Reason for the Eight Rungs of Yoga

2007-01-07T00:55:00.000-06:00

REASON FOR THE EIGHT RUNGS OF YOGA
Swami Jnaneshvara

The Eight Rungs of Yoga are well known, and are (including Yoga Sutra
references):

1) Yama: codes of restraint, abstinences (2.30, 2.31)
2) Niyama: observances, self-training (2.32)
3) Asana: meditation posture (2.46-2.48)
4) Pranayama: expansion of breath and prana (2.49-2.53)
5) Pratyahara: withdrawal of the senses (2.54-2.55)
6) Dharana: concentration (3.1)
7) Dhyana: meditation (3.2)
8) Samadhi: deep absorption (3.3)
Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi are together known as Samyama, which is described in Sutras 3.4-3.6:
http://www.swamij.com/yoga-sutras-30406.htm

WHY?

However, WHAT IS THE REASON for doing those Eight Rungs? This is often overlooked. The Eight Rungs are presented in the 29th Sutra of Chapter 2 of the Yoga Sutras. The reason for doing them is presented in the three sutras just before that. According to Patanjali, codifier of the Yoga Sutras, the reason for the eight rungs is DISCERNMENT or DISCRIMINATION (viveka) so that one may gradually reveal the true self that remains after all of the false identities are set aside. It is an extremely important principle for the Yogi or Yogini to be aware of. All of the work with body, breath, and the more surface levels of mind is done so as to cultivate this subtler tool of enlightenment.

From YOGA SUTRAS 2.26-2.29:
http://www.swamij.com/yoga-sutras-22629.htm

Clear, distinct, unimpaired DISCRIMINATIVE KNOWLEDGE is the means of liberation from this alliance [referring to the alliance of consciousness with thoughts and avidya, ignorance described in previous sutras]. Seven kinds of ultimate insight come to one who has attained this degree of discrimination. Through the practice of the different limbs, or steps to Yoga, whereby impurities are eliminated, there arises an illumination that culminates in DISCRIMINATIVE WISDOM, or enlightenment [VIVKEKA KHYATIH]. The eight rungs, limbs, or steps of Yoga are the codes of self-regulation or restraint (yamas), observances or practices of self-training (niyamas), postures (asana), expansion of breath and prana (pranayama), withdrawal of the senses (pratyahara), concentration (dharana), meditation (dhyana), and perfected concentration (samadhi).

MORE INFO from the website on the Reason for the Eight Rungs:
http://www.swamij.com/yoga-sutras-22629.htm

NEWSLETTER on Yoga Sutras:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Yoga-Sutras/

MAIN PAGE of Yoga Sutras:
http://www.swamij.com/yoga-sutras.htm

INTRODUCTION to Yoga Sutras:
http://www.swamij.com/yoga-sutras-intro.htm

In Your Meditations This New Year

2007-01-07T00:49:00.000-06:00

AUDIO Recording:
http://swamij.com/Sounds/Meditations-New-Year.mp3

IN YOUR MEDITATIONS THIS NEW YEAR

In your meditations this new year....
May your body be still and comfortable....
May your head, neck and trunk be aligned....
May your breath be smooth, slow, serene, and with no pauses....
May the flow of thoughts in your mind not disturb you....
May your meditations this new year bring you peace, happiness and bliss....

AUDIO Recording:
http://swamij.com/Sounds/Meditations-New-Year.mp3

In loving service,

Swami J

http://swamij.com

Transitions: New Years and New Moments in Life and Meditation

2007-01-04T23:28:00.000-06:00

TRANSITIONS: NEW YEARS AND NEW MOMENTS IN LIFE AND MEDITATION
Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati
Recorded December 30, 2006
1 hour, 9 minutes, 25 seconds

Click here to listen to the audio Podcast:
http://www.swamij.com/podcast/061230-transitions.mp3

The transition from one year to the next year happens in an infinitely short moment that is actually non-existent in time. So too, there are transitions in the moments of life and the moments of meditation. Mindfulness of transitions in daily life and during meditation time is extremely useful on the spiritual journey to enlightenment. The recording ends with a 15-minute guided contemplative meditation on Transitions, which begins at 54:42.

SWAMIJ.COM AUDIO PODCAST WEB PAGE & ARCHIVES:
http://www.swamij.com/podcast.htm

SWAMI J PODCAST also available through I-Tunes, Podcast.net, Yahoo.com, Odeo.com and others.

Attachment is the Greatest Obstacle to Realization

2006-12-31T22:41:00.000-06:00

From Sacred Journey
By Swami Rama
ISBN 8188157007
Reprinted with permission of the Publisher
Copyright Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust
http://hihtindia.org/

ATTACHMENT IS THE GREATEST OBSTACLE TO REALIZATION
Swami Rama

The greatest obstacle in the path of realization is attachment to the body and to the objects of the world. This attachment makes us slaves. It is because of our attachments that we experience fear of death and loss. The more body-conscious and body-attached a person is, the greater the fear of dying.

The same principle applies to people who are attached to the things of the world, to their houses, property, clothing, jewelry, and money. They fear losing those things because they somehow offer meaning, identity, and worth. People also become very attached to other people. The emotion they feel for others gives them an identity and they fear giving up that identity in death. They fear the deaths of those to whom they are attached for similar reasons. If one's identity is somehow defined by attachment to others, the death of others then affects that identity.

The solution is to do away with these attachments to the body, property, possessions, and other people. This point cannot be made often enough. Reducing and finally eliminating attachments does not mean to escape life, to deny the enjoyment of life, or in any way to
diminish life's value. Just the opposite occurs. Life is enhanced, enriched and expanded by reducing attachments. The person learns to love and give and open up to others and to the events of the world.

Attachment means to grip, clasp, grasp, and hold on tightly. When death comes all that was being clutched and grasped is wrenched away. The tighter something is held, the greater will be the wrenching away, the deeper will be the pain. If life has been led with open hands, with no attachments, then death comes but there is nothing to be wrenched away.

We cannot all of a sudden wake one moment and let go of all attachments. It is a lifetime's work to undo the habit of forming attachments and requires attention every day, because the attractions and temptations of the world constantly work to strengthen attachments.

http://swamij.com

Meditation on Form and Formless; Knowledge and Devotion

2006-12-25T11:10:00.000-06:00

Audio Pocast:

MEDITATION ON SAGUNA (FORM) AND NIRGUNA (FORMLESS),
KNOWLEDGE AND DEVOTION
Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati
Recorded December 23, 2006
1 hour, 13 minutes, 9 seconds

Click here to listen to the audio Podcast:
http://www.swamij.com/podcast/061223-saguna-nirguna.mp3

This conversation is about Saguna and Nirguna, and the paths of
meditation and contemplation with form or without form, which is
related to the paths of Knowing (Jnana Yoga) and Devotion (Bhakti
Yoga). The discussion involves the approaches individually, and how
the work together. The recording ends with a 17-minute guided
contemplative meditation on either Form or the Formless, which begins
at 55:47.

SWAMIJ.COM AUDIO PODCAST WEB PAGE & ARCHIVES:
http://www.swamij.com/podcast.htm

SWAMI J PODCAST also available through I-Tunes, Podcast.net,
Yahoo.com, Odeo.com and others.

Teaching Meditation to Children

2006-12-25T10:59:00.000-06:00

From:
Let the Bud of Life Bloom
A Guide to Raising Happy and Healthy Children
By Swami Rama
ISBN 818815704X
Reprinted with permission of the Publisher
Copyright Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust
http://hihtindia.org/

TEACHING MEDITATION TO CHILDREN
Swami Rama

When you practice meditation, initially you come in touch with
yourself and all your thought patterns; you come to understand your
inner dialogue. Then, you learn to discriminate—to select and reject;
and finally, you learn how to work with yourself. These seeds should
be sown in childhood.

Instead, believers of all faiths, clinging to external rituals,
impose their ideals on their children and force them to participate
in their time-honored customs. Children are taught to love and to
worship pictures of Christ, Krishna, or other gods and goddesses, and
sometimes even community or religious leaders. This does not help
them to become independent or to acquire peace of mind. Children need
to be taught how to cultivate divine virtues within themselves; they
need to be taught how to look within, and how to find within in order
to attain freedom. I think if everyone were to be given a spiritual
education in childhood, they would have fewer problems living in the
world. Without understanding the values of spirituality, with all its
currents and crosscurrents, one becomes lost living in this jungle
that is called world. The world is the real jungle; that which is
considered to be the jungle is not the real jungle.

Most diseases originate in childhood. Children become ill because
they have not learned the means of acquiring peace of mind. Why do
you not lead your children to silence before they learn to be active?
Mothers can do this if they are friends with their children. But
these days mothers have no time. They go out and enjoy themselves
while their children remain at home. The lack of communication
between the younger generation and the parents is creating great
chaos. First of all, you have to learn to respect the family
institution where parents become counselors to their children, and
where children accept their parents, not only as parents, but also as
friends.

When you make meditation a part of your life, your children will
follow your example. Exemplary education is very important for
children. Children imitate their parents; you don't have to teach
them to meditate. Never do that. You should teach your children
through example how to sit quietly and make their minds one-pointed.
When you sit in meditation, your child will also come and sit next to
you and pretend to do what you are doing. In this way the child will
come to know what you are doing and will also form the habit of
sitting with you.

I used to do that in my childhood. When my master would sit in
meditation, I would sit next to him. When I wanted his attention, I
would climb onto his lap. He wouldn't say anything to me, so I would
do something to get his attention. Then he would rub my forehead, and
I did not know what had happened. I am sure I was not sleeping. If
you sit in meditation, and your child comes and sits next to you and
closes his eyes, it is very helpful for the child. Do you think the
child is meditating? I say the child is meditating better than you
are. Even when a child simply imitates you when you are meditating,
it is very helpful for the child.

Meditation is a very powerful thing that gives helpful vibrations to
all. When you meditate, it definitely affects your children. If you
record the brain waves of a child who is sleeping while you are
meditating, you will find a difference. Even your plants and your
pets are affected when you meditate. Instead of imposing your ego or
your emotional problems on your children in the name of discipline,
please discipline yourself, and then your children will also learn.

As a part of our educational training we must define spirituality in
its most precise and universal terms. Spirituality means that which
helps us to discipline our thoughts, speech, and actions; that which
leads us toward the center of consciousness, and thereby helps to
unfold our inner potentials. Education based on such spiritual
guidelines will help humanity to become self-reliant and confident.
Only education based on spirituality can bring harmonious balance to
both our external and inner life.

We need not force children to believe that there is a God. However,
we should provide them with the opportunity to unfold their inner
potentials, to gain confidence, and to become inspired to search for
God according to their own inner tendencies and capacity. For
children to learn to cultivate divine virtues within themselves, the
knowledge of theories that prove the existence of God is not as
important as to learn how to discipline oneself. Through self-
discipline God can be experienced directly.

Spiritual practices, undertaken at an early age, have a profound and
long lasting effect. Human beings have tremendous potential provided
they are taught to train themselves on all levels—physical, mental,
and spiritual. Let us teach our children how to become aware of
themselves on all levels. With a calm and one-pointed mind, children
can obtain a glimpse of true peace and happiness.

The Process of Kundalini Awakening

2006-12-25T10:00:00.000-06:00

Excerpted from:
http://www.swamij.com/kundalini-awakening.htm
(There are useful graphics at this link. This newsletter is 1 of 7 sequential web pages at SwamiJ.com on Kundalini Awakening. The other pages are available at the link above.)

THE PROCESS OF KUNDALINI AWAKENING
Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati

KUNDALINI IS INNATE FOR ALL PEOPLE:

At the base of the spine, subtler than the physical body, lies the Kundalini energy, or spiritual energy, in a latent form. Regardless of what religious, spiritual, or meditation tradition one follows, the awakening of this energy, by whatever name you call it, is a most innate and essential part of spiritual advancement, unfoldment, or realization. Awakening kundalini and leading it to union with the Absolute is the goal of the Himalayan sages and the path of Yoga, Vedanta, and Tantra.
http://www.swamij.com/tradition.htm
http://www.swamij.com/yoga-vedanta-tantra.htm

See also the article:
Bindu: Pinnacle of Yoga, Vedanta and Tantra
http://www.swamij.com/bindu.htm

Also, listen to the audio (mp3):
The Secret of Shiva and Shakti
http://swamij.com/Sounds/shiva-shakti-same-swami-j.mp3
http://swamij.com/loop-secret-shiva-shakti.htm

STAGES IN KUNDALINI AWAKENING:

The graphics above display the seven major chakras (section #5), the left and right energies of Ida and Pingala (section #1), and the Sushumna nadi, the central channel that courses through the chakras (Sushumna is sometimes called "silver cord"). The six graphics visually represent the process of Kundalini Awakening. Clicking on each of the six graphics will move you through explanations of the stages. Also, there is an index for the contents of these pages.
http://www.swamij.com/kundalini-awakening-index.htm

The six stages are:

1) Prana usually flow in Ida or Pingala
2) Prana is made to flow in Ida and Pingala
3) Prana is made to flow in Sushumna
4) Kundalini energy is awakened
5) Kundalini is lead upwards
6) Kundalini rises to Sahasrara

NUMBER OF STAGES IN KUNDALINI AWAKENING:

There is nothing especially significant about describing this Kundalini Awakening in six stages (the six graphics), as opposed to some other number; it is simply a convenient way to explain the process. The simplest way of describing the entire process is in three stages:

1) Awakening, opening, or applying Sushumna
2) Awakening Kundalini
3) Kundalini arising to the crown Chakra, Sahasrara

ONE ENERGY WITH MANY NAMES AND FORMS:

There is one energy (Shakti) that keeps taking on new shapes and forms. Each time the energy takes on a new form, we give it a new name. See the article Kundalini, Shakti, and a River for an explanation of these names and forms.
http://www.swamij.com/shakti.htm

SHIVA AND SHAKTI:

Tantra considers the universe to be a manifestation of pure consciousness. Through this process of manifesting, consciousness divides itself into two parts, which, though seeming to be separate, cannot exist without one another.

Shiva remains as a static, formless quality.
Shakti is a dynamic, creative aspect.

SCIENCE AND PHYSICS:

Modern science also considers these two forms of energy, though viewing them in different ways. Science includes, for example, potential energy and kinetic energy (the energy of motion), recognizing that they are both manifestations of the same underlying energy. Tantra describes the unification of all as the pouring out of the energy of consciousness through the manifestation of the static (Shiva) through a veiling and projecting process (Shakti), creating the levels of the universe. At the physical level, modern physics also seeks to find a unifying source, and is in the process of explaining this unification through quark and string theories.

LIKE INK AND THE WORD:

Shiva and Shakti are inseparable and coexist, like ink and the written word, which, though one and the same, are different. With one pen of ink, many different words or images can be manifested, although there remains only one container (pen) of ink. It is that creative process of manifestation that makes the ink appear to have different forms and meaning from one word to the next. When you write different words, or draw both a circle and a square, you have not created a single ink molecule, but have only rearranged the existing molecules, creating the appearance of different words or forms. It remains exactly what it was in the first place, which is ink. This is not negative or merely intellectually reductionistic, but is a most awesome, beautiful process. Similarly, the unmanifest Shiva can manifest into countless forms through the creative appearance of Shakti. Simple metaphors such as ink and written word can be extremely useful to contemplate on, so as to understand the principle of the one appearing to be two, and how these two dance together to form the elegant complexity of manifest reality.
http://www.swamij.com/shakti.htm

EXPERIENCING THEIR UNION:

The journey of Tantra and Kundalini Yoga leads to Kundalini Awakening and to the realization of the Absolute, where these two apparently different aspects of manifestation are experienced in their original union. Yoga means union, or joining, and this union of the static and the dynamic is the meaning of Yoga (see also Yoga Sutras, particularly sutras 1.1-1.4, which define Yoga). Through the process of going ever deeper or higher in practices relating to your own constitution, one repeatedly comes to see the way in which seemingly different realities and self-identities are only apparent, and that manifestation is the mere play of the creative aspect of Shakti with the static aspect of Shiva.
http://www.swamij.com/yoga-sutras.htm
http://www.swamij.com/yoga-sutras-10104.htm

CONCEPTS OF SHIVA AND SHAKTI:

As with many principles of reality, some religious people and traditions conceptualize Shiva and Shakti as anthropomorphic deities, while others view the two as principles and processes of the universe. In either case, the journey of Kundalini Awakening is an inner experience, going from gross to subtle, to subtler, and subtle most, to one's own center of consciousness, by whatever name you choose to call that. In this article, Shiva and Shakti are seen to be the two principles and processes of static and dynamic, as noted several paragraphs above.

See also the article:
Secret of Shiva and Shakti
http://www.swamij.com/shiva-shakti-secret.htm

MEANING OF KUNDA AND KUNDALA:

Kunda means bowl, or cave, and refers to the bowl of fire of consciousness resting in the first chakra at the base of the spine. Lini refers to that which resides in that bowl. Kundala means coiled, as the Shakti forms in a coil there.

MEANING OF SHAK:

The word shak is the root word of Shakti, and means to be able, or to have power. Hence, Kundalini Shakti is the power of consciousness that is coiled in a latent form, in the base of the spine.

EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL PRACTICE:

For those who are lesser prepared, the path of external practices (bahiyayag) is preferred, which may include external forms of rituals or symbolic gestures. For those who are prepared, the path of internal practices (antaryag) is available, which involves making the mind one-pointed and doing introspection.

KAULA, MISHRA, AND SAMAYA TANTRA:

The three schools of tantra are kaula, mishra, and samaya. The kaula school starts with the lower chakras, and involves external practices. The mishra school also works with external practices, and emphasizes the central chakras. The samaya school is the highest, emphasizing the upper chakras. It involves no external practices, focusing only on the inner (antaryag) practices. (The Tantra practice of Yoga Nidra is extremely effective in opening, balancing and purifying the chakras. See also the page describing the Yoga Nidra CD.)
http://www.swamij.com/tantra.htm
http://www.swamij.com/yoga-nidra.htm
http://www.swamij.com/cd-yoga-nidra.htm

REGULATING THE PRIMITIVE INCLINATIONS:

Before treading the later stages of Kundalini Awakening, it is very important to manage the basic urges. Otherwise, the surge of energy may not be handled very well. This means regulating the four primitive fountains of food, sleep, sex, and self-preservation.
http://www.swamij.com/lifestyle.htm

SPONTANEOUS KUNDALINI AWAKENING:

The approach of these writings is to describe the systematic process of intentional Kundalini Awakening. However, it may also come spontaneously to people who have done no intentional practices. One may argue that spontaneous awakening may be coming as a result of previous practices that are not remembered, but in either case the perception of the individual may be that nothing was done to bring forward the experience.

INTEGRATING THE EFFECTS:

Regardless of whether Kundalini Awakening comes spontaneously or through practices, there may be some amount of time and effort needed to integrate the effects of such experiences into the body and personality. It is a time when stabilizing actions are important, including daily exercise, high quality food, regular sleep patterns, and healthy relationships with other people. During this time is very useful to be around someone who has knowledge of this process, and has experienced it personally.

PREPARATION IS MOST IMPORTANT:

Preparation is much more important than the practices of Kundalini Awakening themselves. If one skips the basics and the preparation of body, breath, and mind, then the surge of energy can be more disruptive than beneficial. In the Himalayan tradition Yoga, Vedanta, and Tantra go together, with a solid foundation being built first. The practices of yoga nidra and bhuta shuddhi (chakra meditation) can be quite useful.
http://www.swamij.com/yoga-vedanta-tantra.htm
http://www.swamij.com/yoga-nidra.htm
http://www.swamij.com/chakra-meditation.htm

Stages of Meditation, Subtle Experiences, Obstacles to Meditation

2006-12-17T19:54:00.000-06:00

AUDIO PODCAST: This is a conversation on the stages of meditation dealing with senses and actions, body, breath, the various levels of mind, and that which is beyond the mind. It centers around a graphic on the home page of SwamiJ.com that shows these stages, along with a question mark representing that which is beyond. We also talk about subtle experiences of meditation, obstacles to enlightenment, yoga sutras, and balancing living in the world and the highest goal of life.

Click here to open the podcast

The podcast can be also be accessed through SwamiJ.com:
SwamiJ.com podcast page

The podcast can be also be accessed through any of the following links:
iTunes
Yahoo.com
Podcast.net
Odeo.com

(You can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes, Podcast.net, Yahoo.com, and Odeo.com. The podcast sites take up to 24 hours to post, and may not be updated at the time you are reading this blog.)

Attention, Concentration, Meditation and Samadhi

2006-12-15T07:59:00.000-06:00

QUESTION: Is Dharana just "meditation" in an advanced state?

RESPONSE: Remember that "meditation" is an English word that is used in many different ways by different people. Most often, however, "meditation" is linked with "dhyana". It is extremely common in English speaking cultures to use the word "meditation" for any form of attention or concentration. Hence, for example, we have "meditation music" where the person is not at all concentrating in the strictest sense of the word, but is instead just listening to music (which is useful and pleasant, though not meditation as dharana).

There is a sequence:

Attention leads to concentration (dharana).
Concentration leads to meditation (dhyana).
Meditation (dhyana) leads to absorption (samadhi).

Like most arts or sciences, yoga has its own language, which is usually Sanskrit. The terms are more specific than the English words. English words are fine, once we understand the context of their use.

See also Yoga Sutras 3.1-3.3 - http://www.swamij.com/yoga-sutras-30103.htm

A Personal Philosophy of Life

2006-12-08T13:34:00.000-06:00

From Conscious Living
By Swami Rama
ISBN 8188157031 (Book)
ISBN 818815718x (Audio)
Reprinted with permission of the Publisher
Copyright Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust
http://hihtindia.org/

A PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE
Swami Rama

I have come to share my joy truthfully with you. I say, ye human beings, among all the species on the earth, you are the greatest. You are the greatest for you can change your destiny, you can build your destiny, you can enlighten yourself. Other species do not have this privilege. From among the kingdom of animals, the kingdom of vegetables, the kingdom of rocks and clay you alone have that privilege. Why are you not enjoying that privilege? I have come to remind you of that. Have you seen guards at night? They roam around and say, “Remain awake, remain awake!” But you remain sleeping. I am like that guard. Uttishtata, uttishtata! Wake up, wake up! Jagrata, remain awake. Prapta varanya bodhasa, gain knowledge. This is my message to everybody. I know they are sleeping but yet I have to say this. This is my duty. This is my job. If I don’t do it, I will not be happy. We human beings, all of us, have the birthright to attain the final goal of life, and sooner or later we’ll reach that goal. So, everyone has hopes. But do you have the patience to wait for such a long time? I don’t.

I will try to cover the entire philosophy of life in these lectures. We need to understand one word and that is called freedom—freedom from all bondages, from all ignorance. That state which is free from stress, strain, bondage and ignorance is called the state of enlightenment and that can be considered to be the state of perfection.

What is the aim and goal of life? You think I am going to tell you it’s God? No, that’s not being practical. The aim of life is contentment and for that you need adjustment. Can you adjust yourself mentally, physically, and through speech so that you are content? What do you mean by being content? I always say: do not be satisfied yet remain content. Contentment is a great virtue that you can develop in your daily life. If it is not there, your God business is not going to help you, let me assure you. Repeating God, God, God, God, God, without understanding! What a waste of time and energy! I am not an atheist, but I have learned to analyze things with clarity of mind and that’s how I was trained. And that same thing I am imparting to you now.

You may say that the purpose of life is to attain God. I say no. In my childhood, one day I went to my Master, a great yogi and sage from Bengal, who lived in the Himalayas for many, many years. And I said, “My heart cries because you have not shown me God. And so I think you have destroyed my life.” He kept quiet. He said, “Go on.” I said, “I want to see God.” He responded, “You want to see God? Are you sure you want to see God?” I said, “Yes.” He said, “I will show you God in the morning, tomorrow morning.” So that whole night I remained restless and I could not sleep. I was filled with joy but at times doubts too came into my mind. I could not sleep. In the morning, without sleep, I was looking tired. I took my bath and that day I became an extraordinarily holy person bowing often in front of my Master because he was going to show me God. He said, “What has happened to you today? Your behavior has changed.” I said, “It’s because I want to see God today.” He said, “I promised to show you God. I will be very honest, but will you please also be honest with me?” I said, “Yes.” He asked me a question, “Tell me what kind of God do you want to see?” I was taken aback and asked, “Are there many kinds of God?” He said, “No. I want to know what is the concept of God in your mind?”

All your life you long to meet God, but you have no concept of God. What type of God will you meet? Everyone says, “I want to see God, I want to see God.” Someone is doing chanting, someone is meditating, someone is talking of Gita, someone is talking of Upanishads. Nobody sees God, it’s all mere talk. Why? Because you don’t have a clear concept. You should have a clear concept and then you should learn to work towards that concept. Only then will you get it.

So I said to my Master, “It means you bluffed me yesterday. You promised that you would show me God. And this morning you say what kind of God do you want to see?” He replied, “Look, I promised to show you the kind of God you wanted to see. Think about it. I give you time. At any time you can come and say that this is the type of God I want to see and I’ll show you that God.” I was speechless. So is the case with all of you. You want to see God without knowing what He is and that’s why He never appears before you. If He suddenly appears before you, perhaps you will not recognize Him. So if there is no clarity of mind, if there is no purity of heart, your whole life remains full of confusion. This is my point. What do you mean by seeing God? Are you at peace, are you happy, do you lead a balanced life, are you attaining your goal in life? These are the vital questions of life.

So after half an hour, my Master again called out to me, “Have you decided what kind of God you want to see?” I said, “Not yet.” He said, “Please decide and come to me and I will show you.” To this day I don’t dare to say that I have.

If a swami, a priest or a yogi comes to you, if your teacher or guru comes to you and says, “My child, what do you want? What do you want to know?” There are many things in your mind and heart. You want to become millionaire but you won’t tell him. You’ll say, “I want to see God.” You want to have a good wife but you won’t say that. You’ll say, “I want to see God.” There is a beautiful saying, any human being who gives responsibilities to the Lord, his own responsibilities, cripples human potentials. If you don’t want to perform your duties and then say God will do everything for me, this is not good. You are not utilizing the gifts given to you by Providence.

If I have no understanding of what God is, I cannot get enlightened, I can never see God. Even though I have a desire to see God, nothing is going to happen. Let us not cheat ourselves. There are things which we have been repeating without understanding why we are doing it. Tell me what is the purpose of God in your daily life? When you need food, you don’t eat God. When you want to wear clothes, you need clothes, not God. Where do we need God in life? Let us understand things rightly.

This human life is very precious. It’s not like animal life. Animal activities are completely controlled by nature. They cannot do anything. In the animal kingdom, nothing is by choice. But as a human being, you can do tremendous things, you can perform wonders. You have choice and the power to change. As easily as you can turn your face from this side to that side, you can change yourself. You can transform your personality completely. It’s a very simple thing, provided you are practical and you are truthful to yourself. We human beings live our lives based on how the world judges us. Take the case of a wife at home who looks toward her husband all the time, like a German shepherd, wanting to know what he thinks of her. And if he says, “Honey, you look very beautiful, you are wonderful.” She may feel, “He has made my day.” She leans on him all the time seeking approval. This great force on earth, called womankind, has never been utilized properly. It is only being exploited. And that is one of the causes of our suffering. Please, please, try to understand what I am saying.

I want to give you a glimpse of your individual self, because there are many false notions. When a human being suffers, the suffering is not because of external forces, not because of others. The suffering is because of his or her own thinking and understanding. So we will discuss that. We have many such fears in our life. We talk of God so much, we sing kirtans, we study the scriptures like the Ramayana, the Gita and Bible, we go to temples or churches. Yet our ignorance remains. There is no change in our daily life, in our behavior. What is the reason? The reason is that right from our childhood, we are trained to see and examine things in the external world. Nobody teaches us how to look within, find within, and see within. So we remain a stranger to ourselves, yet we want to know others; isn’t this strange?

So first of all, a human being should learn to understand himself on all levels and then he can understand all, the Self of all. And he can understand that absolute Self which is called absolute Truth. This is the right system and there are three schools, and any of these schools will help you: the school of meditation, the school of contemplation, and the school of prayer. If you learn to understand prayer, what prayer is, you can easily evoke your emotional self and attain that height of ecstasy and be there. If you understand the philosophy of life through contemplation you can attain the goal of life. If you understand the school of meditation and systematically meditate, you can attain the fourth state which is called sleepless sleep, you can attain the purpose of life. But if you practice meditation for a few days, contemplation for a few days, and then prayer for a few days, and finally decide that none of them suits you, you won’t attain anything. The basic thing is that we create certain problems and barriers for ourselves, because of our fears and confusion. We have certain questions in our mind and we should learn to tackle them first. As long as you remain under the pressure of fears you cannot do anything. And talking about God is a good pastime, but you don’t get anything. You may become godly but you cannot attain God, you cannot have peace, you cannot have happiness. Forgive me if I am crushing your sentiments but this is the truth.

Let us learn to enjoy one thing. All the great scriptures of the world, which have been revealed to the sages from the depths of their deep contemplation, say one and the same thing. A human being has been created exactly in the image of God. When God created human beings in His own image, why do human beings suffer? It’s because human beings have forgotten their Creator; that’s why they suffer. Otherwise there is no difference between man and God. The moment you realize that you don’t exist, but God exists, you are free. And in reality that’s true. All the scriptures say, God is omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent, God is everywhere. Then where are you? Where is there place for you to exist? How can you claim that you and I exist somewhere and this is mine and that is yours? It’s the human mind that creates all the barriers for individuals. We have to understand this whole philosophy, get rid of all our confusions, be at peace and start realizing the great glory that is hidden deep within our hearts and minds. Therefore every individual should try to understand one thing: I will know myself on all levels in this lifetime and get enlightened here and now. There should be this determination. That is the purpose of this series of lectures.

What does the body mean to us? Is human being a body alone? No. He breathes too. Then you see we are breathing beings. This breath of ours creates a bridge between our thinking process, or mind, and body. Why does the body not fall apart, separating itself from the thinking portion? Because there are two guards, called inhalation and exhalation. Life is breath and breath is life.

How does our mind function and from where does our mind receive its power and energy? There is a center of consciousness beyond mind and that is called your individual soul. So it is from here that you receive consciousness and energy. Individual souls are like ripples in the vast ocean of bliss called Brahman, the summum bonum of life, the very source of all life force, from where all the ripples rise, play, and again subside.

Let’s begin with the body. We take care of our body but do not understand anything about it. So if you want to be physically fit, understand the importance of a good body. Good body means, physically healthy body. You need to understand something about diet and nutrition, and about body language. Your body speaks to you.

When you learn to understand your body’s needs and body language, then you should learn how to breathe. We all are breathing but we are not breathing correctly, not breathing diaphragmatically. You’ll find that a child spontaneously breathes diaphragmatically but because of our defective living, our breathing changes after some time. So deep diaphragmatic breathing is very necessary for health (see Appendix A).

What is diaphragmatic breathing? When you push in your abdomen as you exhale, it will help your diaphragm to empty your lungs and will help you to expel the used up gas. When the abdomen moves out it will expand the lungs and draw in the oxygen.

It’s easy to know the body and breath, but it’s a little bit more difficult to know the mind, because there is no such education that teaches and trains us to understand our mind. So let us have simple understanding. Scientific research and scientists today say that 80% of diseases are created by the mind. They originate in the mind and are expressed in the body. All of the body is in the mind, but not all of the mind is in the body. You don’t see your mind but through your mind your eyes can see. If you are frustrated all the time, never happy, then your wife says, “What can I do? He’s never happy, no matter what I do. Very unhappy person, nobody can please him in this world. No matter what I do he’s never happy.” Poor husband is heading towards some problem!

As it is important for you to eat good nutritious food and to do some exercise daily, it is important for you to maintain mental health, spiritual health, by learning to do certain exercises of breathing, relaxation and meditation. It’s very good for you. Once you have learned how to use your deep diaphragmatic movement to regulate the motion of your lungs, then you watch your breath stream. It’s very joyous, wonderful. Who is giving you life breath? The Lord of life who gives to all. It’s your direct link with the Lord that you have all the time. Watch your breath, the flow of breath and the mind will find an easy way to attain peace, to taste peace.

For a few minutes every day you should learn to sit quiet, to sit still, to make your breath serene, to make your mind calm. Practice will make you perfect, not mere theory. This is something that you have to practice. I cannot meditate for you. I can do anything for you; I can cook your meals, I can drive you from one place to another. But meditation is that something which you should practice yourself. Buddha clearly said, “Ye, light thy own lamp. Nobody can give you salvation.” Meditation you should practice. A guru, a teacher, a priest, can give you blessings, and that gives you solace, good solace, but meditation practice you have to do yourself.

When you know you are not a body alone, that you are a thinking being, that you have a mind, then you ask, “Who am I? I have body and mind, who am I? Am I the body? No. Am I the mind? No. Then who am I?” You wonder. Then you don’t identify yourself only with your body and mind. That which you are is called soul, hub of the whole wheel. How do you know that? Unless you make your body quiet, breath calm and mind completely resolved, you cannot reach your finest self. You are constantly identifying with the objects of your mind, forgetting your true nature. Your true nature is peace, happiness, and bliss. But you are suffering because you do not know yourself. You know only the small self called body, breath, and mind. You have three selves—mortal self, semi-mortal self, and the immortal Self. The mortal self is this body that goes through change, death, and decay. Semi-mortal self is that which enables you to think. The real Self is that which makes you free, completely free. Then, there are no fears, there are no anxieties, there is no pain.

When you repeatedly do something, you form a habit pattern. What is individuality, what is an individual? An individual is a character composed of habit patterns. You say God created you the way you are. That’s not true. God created you and you are beautiful. You are a most beautiful person. Don’t look at the mirror to admire yourself. You are most beautiful because you are unique, there is no one like you on this earth. No one can be compared with you. So don’t compare yourself with others. You are most beautiful, be aware of this. You are wonderful, be aware of this. God has created you in a wonderful way, try to learn this. So human beings have not attained the next step of civilization because of certain things, not because of God. If God comes down and says, “Ok son, what do you want from me?” What will you say, tell me? “I want to become a millionaire.” “There are many millionaires.” “I want to have two dozen cars.” “There are many people with dozens of cars.” What will you ask of God? What do you want from God? Finally you will say, “God, give me peace.” God will say, “My child, I have given you all the potentials to attain peace.” You can be at peace, you can make your mind tranquil and thus establish peace.

Our deeds, our karma, are the cause of all suffering. How can one live in the world, yet remain unaffected? First you have to understand the inevitable law of karma, which is a universal law, no matter from which community you come from. If you are a Hindu, you’ll have to follow it. If you are a Christian, a Buddhist or of any other religion, you’ll have to follow it. Never forget this universal law, accepted by all the great religions and bibles of the world: as you sow, so shall you reap.

I am doing my actions and I reap the fruits of my actions. And those fruits again motivate me to do actions and there is no end. It becomes a whirlpool. You all boast that you are doing your actions, duties, truthfully and you are right. But there is something missing in your statement. I once asked a housewife, a very gentle, very chaste, very loyal housewife, “Can you sit down for a few minutes?” She wanted to go home, but just to test her I said, “Just sit down for a second.” She replied, “I would like to, but what to do? I have to do my duties.” It means your duty has made you a slave. How to deal with it? You don’t know how to handle it. So the great men say, learn to love your duty then duty will not make you a slave. A simple thing, grease your duty with love. Otherwise your duty will create bondage for you, you cannot live without doing your duty. If you have understood this key, then you will try your best to perform your actions and learn the philosophy of nonattachment which is called love. What we mistakenly call love is actually lust. Love means nonattachment. Love does not mean attachment. Attachment leads to misery and pain, nonattachment gives you freedom. As St. Bernard has said so beautifully, all the things of the world are to be enjoyed but God alone should be loved. Our scriptures also say this.

You have to make a formula if you really want to practice and enjoy life. I’m not telling you to renounce the world and go to the Himalayas with Swami Rama, this is not my point. I want you to live here and enjoy life and yet remain above, as a realized being, a jivan mukta. How is it possible? Many people become swamis and how many swamis disappoint us? I once asked my Master, “What is this fun in the world? So many swamis?” He said, “Look here, everybody has good intentions to do something but they don’t. They are not competent, they are not able, they don’t find the way, so don’t blame anyone. They are trying, they are making efforts.” I said, “Ok. Out of 13,000 swamis I met in my life, I met only three people, rare people.” Then I said, “Why, why this?” He said, “All other swamis are like a hedge, and the rare ones are like the real flowers.” He told me, “Come on. I’ll make a formula for you. Share it with your students, share it with the people who come in touch with you: All the things of the world are meant for you. Please enjoy them. But they are not yours, don’t get attached to them.” You have no right to get attached to them. There is nothing wrong with your enjoyment. If there is anything wrong it’s getting attached. Where are you committing a mistake? You get attached to the things of the world which are not yours. Actually they are meant for you. So the first principle is that all the things of the world are meant for me. I will enjoy them but I will not get attached. Second principle, I will be conscious of the truth or fact that the Lord of life is within me. Thirdly, I will meditate, go within, beyond body, breath, and mind, to enjoy that silence which is the living silence within. If you just follow these principles, you are free.

http://swamij.com

Meditation as a Whole or a Part?

2006-11-02T16:42:00.000-06:00

MEDITATION AS A WHOLE OR A PART?
Swami Jnaneshvara

The picture below captures one of the most confusing aspects of Meditation methods being promoted in our modern world. While the aspects of Meditation listed in the picture below are not intended to be all-inclusive, they are representative of the fact that Meditation, at least in the ancient most Yoga traditions is very broad and and very deep. Yoga Meditation is complete unto itself.

However, it has become popular to take one small part of the whole of Meditation, give it a trademark or brand name, and sell that to an unsuspecting public as a complete Meditation system. The promoters of these fragmented systems often ignore, suppress, or condemn the other practices as being invalid or ineffective methods or parts, further hiding the original whole of Meditation.

This segregating of the part from the whole gives the impression that one must choose "this" or "that" so-called "method" of Meditation. This phenomenon has widely happened not only in "spiritual" contexts, but also in medical and psychological professional services. I'll refrain from naming any of the the brand named or trademarked systems, but you are probably familiar with many of them through the advertising of programs, seminars, and materials such as books.

If one is seeking only a tiny portion of Meditation for purposes such as the "management" of stress, then practicing only a tiny portion of the whole of the process might be sufficient. However, for those seeking the height or depth of self-awareness, spirituality, or enlightenment, the finer practices of Yoga work together, like the fingers of a hand or the various systems within the human body. This is not a case of pasting together or integrating various parts to make a composite whole, as Yoga Meditation is already complete; it is already a whole.

In holding this perspective it is essential to remember that Yoga is far more than the physical postures, which is one of the ways in which the part has become separated from the whole in recent years. The whole of Meditation can be learned and practiced, gradually leading one to know himself or herself at all levels, up to and including the eternal center of consciousness, which is one with the absolute reality, by whatever name you choose to call that.

My wish for the sincere seeker of the highest Truth, Reality or Divinity--however you name that--is that you find the whole of Meditation and the preexisting Whole to which it leads.

From:
http://www.swamij.com/whole-part.htm

The Shortest Shortcut: The Secret to Enlightenment

2006-11-02T16:31:00.000-06:00

VIDEO:
The Shortest Shortcut: The Secret to Enlightenment

THE SHORTEST SHORTCUT:
THE SECRET TO ENLIGHTENMENT
Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati

Here it is.
Finally.
What you've been looking for.
The Shortest Shortcut.
The Secret to Enlightenment.

In loving service,

Swami Jnaneshvara

Ps: Be sure to have your sense of humor when you click on the link:
The Shortest Shortcut: The Secret to Enlightenment

:-)

Website: SwamiJ.com