From:
http://www.swamij.com/centripetal-centrifugal.htm
(There are useful graphics here that cannot be put in the Yahoo
newsletter format.)

CENTRIPETAL AND CENTRIFUGAL FORCES:
TWO HARMONIOUS DIRECTIONS IN LIFE
Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati
http://www.swamij.com

There is a principle in physics that is also applicable to human
beings, and which is extremely useful to understand and put into
practical use. That is, there are two forces at play; one is moving
outward, while the other is moving inward. To have only one, without
the other, can lead to being out of balance, to either being lost in
the world or to living a life of escapism. To fully experience them
both, and to have them in a harmonious balance is a very high way of
living.

TWO FORCES IN PHYSICS

There are two forces at play with a satellite in orbit or a rock
swung in a circle on the end of a string. One force would have the
satellite or rock continue its journey away from the center; this is
the centrifugal force. The other force pulls the object inward
through gravity or the strength of the string; this is the
centripetal force. To have the two forces in balance is what allows
the satellite to stay in its orbit and the rock in its circuitous arc.

TWO DIRECTIONS FOR PEOPLE

There are also two forces at play with human beings. One force is
that of consciousness ever moving outward, manifesting through
intellect, ego, mind, senses, and actions. The other force is that
inner draw or pull for all of these to recede, so that the
consciousness might rest in its own true nature, which is called Self-
Realization. To have the highest inner Realization while engaging in
the world is the highest goal.

RECEDING RATHER THAN TRAVELING

In spiritual life and the path of enlightenment, it is not that there
is a discrete "I" as a collection of mental and emotional traits who
travels from here to there, from this realm to that realm, and on to
the next realm. Rather, our consciousness, soul, spirit, or whatever
else you want to call it manifests outward through individuation,
intellect, ego, mind, and sensory-motor instruments so that we may
engage the external world. Then, on the return journey, all of these
recede back into one another. The sensory-motor instruments, mind,
ego and intellect all recede back into that from which they
originally emerged.

In this way latent impressions manifest as dreams or unconscious
mental process, and then spring forth into actions in the world.
After the actions or the dreams have played out, those images all
recede back into the latent bed of the unconscious mind from which
they had emerged. So too, when we turn inward from the actions of the
world, withdraw the senses, allow the mind to recede into rest, it is
a process of receding rather than a process of a discrete "I" taking
a journey.

In both the processes of being and acting in the world and the
processes of dreaming, there are two underlying processes. One is the
expansion or manifesting outward, and the other is that of receding.
Ornaments manifest out of gold, though the gold does not travel
anywhere. Pots manifests out of clay, though the clay does not travel
anywhere. Ornaments may recede back into being only a piece of gold,
though the gold did not travel anywhere. Pots may recede back into
being only a lump of clay, though the clay did not travel anywhere.
So too, we manifest outward through individuation, intellect, ego,
mind, and sensory-motor instruments, though the deepest being who we
are does not travel anywhere. So too, the sensory-motor instruments,
mind, ego, intellect, and individuation recede back into our true
essence, though that essence did not travel anywhere.

Outward and inward, manifesting and receding; those are the two
directions, like the centrifugal and centripetal forces, while never
is there any traveling of the innermost essence.

TWO FORCES IN YOGA, VEDANTA AND TANTRA

These two forces (centripetal and centrifugal) are contained in
virtually all of the conceptual systems of meditation and
contemplation, including the three streams of Yoga, Vedanta and
Tantra (see the article on the Three Streams).

SANKHYA-YOGA: In Sankhya, which is the foundation for Yoga, there is
Purusha, consciousness, along with the many manifestations of
Prakriti, the subltest "matter." (See Sankhya)

VEDANTA: In Vedanta, there is the Atman, the individual Self and
Brahman, the absolute reality, along with the appearances of sheaths
manifesting out of Maya, the illusion or unreality. (See Sheaths)

TANTRA: In Tantra, there is Shiva, the latent, formless masculine
essence, along with Shakti, the beautiful, creative feminine force
that plays its way into manifestation. (See Shiva-Shakti)

While each of these three have their own perspective, the seeker of
Self-Realization will see how they work together, or play together,
and that in all of them, there are two forces in action; one is
outer, centripetal, and the other is inner, centrifugal. This is one
of the ways in which the three streams of Yoga, Vedanta and Tantra
are companions on the journey to Self-Realization.

DON'T REMOVE THE INNER, CENTRIPETAL FORCE

There is somewhat subtle point about rocks on a string and the
journey of humans. Once this point is understood, it is extremely
practical in daily life and the seeking of Self-Realization.

First, the physics part. If you are swinging a rock on a string and
the string breaks, the rock flies away. Most of us would say that
this flying away is caused by the centrifugal force, the outward
pull. However, the Newtonian physicists explain that it is not the
outward pull that does this, but instead, it is the cessation or
removal of the centripetal force, the release of the inner pull that
allows the rock to fly outward. They explain this in the context of
Newton's laws of motion. If you are curious about the details of this
process, internet searches of centripetal and centrifugal forces will
lead you to further explanations.

Second, the life part. It seems that the vast majority of people turn
to meditation and contemplation, the journey of Self-Realization, out
of a sense of having lived in the external world and finding it
lacking something. Often, people run into painful experiences, which
drive them to seek within, turning away from the world. It can seem
that it is the world and the other people who are causing the
suffering, just as it can seem that it is the centrifugal force that
causes the rock to fly away. That's not really a complete explanation
of what leads to the suffering. What is more true is that the
cessation or removal of our connection to the inner source, who we
really are, is the bigger problem, as in the case of the string and
the rock.

Often, people get the impression that living a life of meditation and
contemplation means not enjoying life in the external world, as if
everybody is supposed to give up all their belongings and
relationships and go live in a cave. It can seem as if texts and
teachers are all saying this, that they should not have fun in life,
that they should become boring people. However, it is not the world
and its attractions that is the problem. Rather, like the rock and
the string, the cause of the suffering was forgetting to maintain a
constant awareness of the center of consciousness, cutting ourselves
off from the Atman, the Self. When that awareness is cut off, like
the removal cessation or removal of the centripetal force with the
rock and the string, we can easily suffer as we naturally fly off
into the allurements of worldly life.

The solution is simple; maintain a constant awareness of seeking the
highest Reality, the highest Truth, the direct experience of the
Absolute, the center of consciousness, the Self or Atman. Here, we
are not talking about whether you have or have not yet actually
realized that Self. Rather, we are talking about the fact that the
gently constant awareness of seeking it acts like the string in
relation to the rock. That constant awareness keeps life in the
external world in balance. It brings equanimity, peace of mind, or
contentment, which is called santosha in Sanskrit. This santosha is
part of rung two, the niyamas, of the eight rungs of Yoga, as
described in the Yoga Sutras (Yoga Sutras 2.26-2.29, 2.30-2.34, 2.35-
2.45). To keep a sense of contentment, don't remove the string, the
connection with the innermost center of consciousness. Keep a gentle,
yet steady awareness of that innermost source. That awareness is the
centripetal force that keeps the centrifugal force of worldly life in
balance.

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

We will be having small gatherings in Pittsburgh, PA the weekend of
June 23-25. If you would like to join us, please reply to this
newsletter.

Swami J

From the article:
http://www.swamij.com/diaphragmatic-breathing.htm

ANATOMICAL PHOTOS TO AID IN DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING

The Diaphragmatic Breathing article on the SwamiJ.com website has
been revised to include several anatomical photos that help to
precisely show the location of the diaphragm.

Following are the written descriptions that go with the photos.
To see the photos, please click here and scroll down:

http://www.swamij.com/diaphragmatic-breathing.htm

In loving service,

Swami J


THE GREATEST DIFFICULTY IN
LEARNING DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING

The biggest single problem in learning proper diaphragmatic breathing
is in knowing where the diaphragm is located. The pictures below
should help you find the diaphragm.

http://www.swamij.com/diaphragmatic-breathing.htm

It is common to see both long-time students and teachers of hatha
yoga and diaphragmatic breathing actively moving the muscles in the
abdominal (belly), thoracic (chest), and clavicle (the horizontal
bones at the shoulders) regions and calling these muscle movements
diaphragmatic breathing. Belly breathing, chest breathing, and
shoulder breathing are simply not diaphragmatic breathing (people
often report shoulder or neck pains which come from using the neck
and shoulder muscles some 20,000 times a day in this way for which
they are not designed). One of the main problems with all forms of
breath training, whether for meditation or clinical reasons, seems to
be a misunderstanding of the precise location of the diaphragm. If
one does not know where to find the diaphragm, it is difficult to
train oneself or others in proper diaphragmatic breathing.

The greatest challenges in learning and teaching diaphragmatic
breathing are understanding the location of the diaphragm, and that
it is not the same as the abdomen or the chest.

It would be of tremendous benefit if the many teachers of hatha yoga
and yogic breathing, along with respiratory therapists, occupational
therapists, counselors, psychologists, physicians, and other
professionals would learn and teach proper diaphragmatic breathing.
It is of tremendous benefit not only to seekers of deep meditation
for spiritual awakening or Self-Realization, but also those only
wishing to "manage" their inner stress.

It is important to note that speaking of diaphragmatic breathing does
not negate the many balancing and invigorating practices, which can
be quite useful. Rather, proper diaphragmatic breathing forms a
foundation for those other practices.

See also the article on:
Breathing and Pranayama Practices
http://www.swamij.com/breath.htm

-------

Figure 1: Locating the Diaphragm:

The horizontal purple area in the right-hand picture below (Figure 1)
is the location of the diaphragm. In the left-hand picture, it is the
horizontal red area.

On inhalation the diaphragm contracts and moves down, as the rib cage
(lower thoracic cage) expands slightly outward to the sides
(laterally). As the diaphragm moves down with inhalation, the lower
thoracic cage (chest) also moves forward, but only very slightly.

Upper chest does not move: The upper thoracic cage (chest) does NOT
move either upward or outward. With proper diaphragmatic breathing,
the upper thoracic cage (chest) remains motionless. Some will say
that the upper chest muscles move slightly, but this is not true;
such motion is an indication of insufficient training and practice.
Lower abdomen does not move: The lower abdomen also does NOT move
outward. Many people teach that the abdomen moves outward, but that
comes from abdominal breathing, NOT from proper diaphragmatic
breathing.

On exhalation the diaphragm releases, and the lower thoracic cage
(chest) naturally comes inward from the sides and front. Once again,
there is no motion whatsoever in the upper thoracic cage (chest) or
the abdomen. With conscious, practiced diaphragmatic breathing, both
the upper chest and the abdomen are still. Along with practicing
steady, smooth breathing, without any pause between breaths, there
comes a natural quieting of the mind and the nervous system.

-------

Figure 2: View from Right

The diaphragm is the large, oval-shaped object (item #20) at the
bottom of this photo (Figure 2). The view in this photo is from the
right side of the body. The right side of the rib cage, the right
lung and the pleura (lining of the lung) have been removed for this
view.

Notice that the heart (#19) is resting on top of the diaphragm. This
is one of the visible ways we can easily see how diaphragmatic
breathing has such an intimate relation with the functioning of the
heart. It is also interesting to note that the right vagus nerve is
visible at the top of the photo (#13), as this nerve is critical in
physical relaxation of the autonomic nervous system.

-------

Figure 3: View of Right Cutaway

This view (Figure 3) is of the right side of the body, with only a
portion of the right side having been removed. Part of the muscle
tissue of the diaphragm is visible at the left side of the picture
(#8) and another part of the diaphragm is visible at the right side
of the picture (#20).

-------

Figure 4: View from Left

The diaphragm is quite visible (#23) in this left view of the body
(Figure 4). Notice the heart (#7, #10) immediately above the
diaphragm. The left lung would rest immediately on top of the
diaphragm, although it has been removed for this picture. It is clear
how the diaphragm pulling down on contraction would cause inhalation
by pulling the bottom of the lung downward. Exhalation would come by
the release of that contraction and the resulting return of the
diaphragm to a more upper, dome-like shape. The bottom of the lung
would then naturally rise, allowing exhalation.

-------

Figure 5: Frontal View

The right side of the diaphragm (which is the left side of the photo;
#3 and #4) is shown in this picture (Figure 5). The heart is visible
positioned on top of the diaphragm (#2, #3, #10, #12, #13).

Notice the white inverted-v shaped bone (#5), which is the lower edge
of the rib cage, defining the lower part (costal margin) of the
thorax (chest). The rest of the rib cage has been removed for
viewing, as have the lungs (it may appear that lungs are in the
photo, but that is actually the back of the abdominal cavity). It is
especially important to notice how the diaphragm is in alignment with
the bottom of the rib cage, but actually is tucked nicely up into the
chest cavity. With inhalation, the diaphragm muscle contracts, and
pulls downward, which also draws the bottom of the lungs downward,
causing them to fill with air. When the contraction of the diaphragm
is released, the diaphragm naturally returns up into the thoracic
cavity.

-------

Figure 6: Frontal View without Heart and Lungs

In this view (Figure 6), the heart and lungs have been removed. The
dome shape of the diaphragm (#11, #12, #26) is quite clear in this
photo. As the muscle tissue of the diaphragm contracts, it draws
itself downward, which also pulls the bottom of the lungs downward,
causing inhalation. On relaxation of the diaphragm there is the a
natural exhalation, as the diaphragm returns to its more dome-like
shape.

-------

Figure 7: Upper view of Diaphragm

The diaphragm (#7 and #8) is seen here (Figure 7) to completely fill
the chest cavity from left to right, and from front to back. The
upper chest has been removed just above the diaphragm. The view is
from above, looking downward at the diaphragm. Notice the striations
in the muscle tissue and how these would contract in such a way as to
expand the chest cavity slightly, allowing the diaphragm to gently
pull the bottom of the lungs downward, bringing air inward for
exhalation.

-------

TWO KEYS TO DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING

The two keys to proper diaphragmatic breathing are:
1) to receive proper training, and
2) to then practice every day.

To set aside a few minutes in the early morning and a few minutes in
the evening to sit quietly and do nothing but be mindful of breathing
diaphragmatically is a very useful thing to do. A few more times
during the day is even more beneficial.

Breathe smoothly and comfortably slowly, allowing no jerkiness, and
having no pauses between breaths. First, be aware of the motion of
the diaphragm, allowing the upper chest and the abdomen to be still.
Then, after a few minutes, bring your attention to the feel of the
air moving in the nostrils. It is the cognitive sense of touch.
Continue to breath smoothly and slowly, with no jerkiness or pauses.
Continue this for several more minutes. This practice can be done as
a complete breathing practice itself, or as a part of a complete
meditation practice, where the subtler meditation follows the
diaphragmatic breathing practice.

http://www.swamij.com

FOUNDING OF ASIM SCHOOL, UJJAIN, INDIA
April 2006
Founded by Swami Jnaneshvara
and Swami Nardanand
http://SwamiJ.com
http://SiddhaAshram.org

From:
http://www.swamij.com/asim-school.htm
(There are several PHOTOS at this link which
cannot be included in the newsletter.)

During April 2006 I was visiting my friend Swami Nardanand at his
ashram in Ujjain, India (See Siddha Ashram link). It's a small
ashram, with about twenty rooms, and a handful of most loving people
living there. It's is a modest, though comfortable place on the banks
of the Shipra River, in the heart of Ujjain. If you're not familiar
with Ujjain, it's considered to be one of the more sacred cities in
India, and is home to one of the four kumbha melas, which are large
spiritual festivals every twelve years in each of those locations;
many millions of people come.

There was a little girl--four years old--and her mother staying there
at the ashram. The little girl seemed rather quiet, maybe somewhat
distant. But she had a very watchful eye. Later, I found that she was
very playful and talkative, even though timid. She also has a big
curiosity, and she is extremely bright.

When I asked Swami Nardanand about her, he said that she and her
mother had been there in the ashram for about a year. A year before,
someone affiliated with the ashram told him about this little girl
and her mother, and that they were living on the street, as they had
for a very long time, and asked if he could help. The father and
husband had died, and there was no extended family. They were from a
laborer culture with very little income, and that small income became
zero with the death of the man in the family. Swamiji Nardanand said
that when he first knew the little girl she was much like a wild
animal. That wasn't said as an insult, but a realistic description of
her state after having spent so much time living the way she had.

Swami Nardanand took mother and daughter into the ashram, providing
them with shelter, food and clothes. Mother does some chores around
the ashram to help out. The little girl doesn't do much; she doesn't
go to school and has no friends her own age to play with.

One day, about a week after I first saw the little girl, Swami
Nardanand and I were sitting outside having lunch. I noticed the
little girl was sitting some twenty or so feet away, which prompted
me to ask Swami Nardanand, "What is her name?" He answered, "Sim"
(pronounced "seam" or "seem"). "Hmm," I said with a little nod, as we
continued with our food. "What does it mean, her name, Sim?" I
asked. "Limited," Swamiji said. "Limited!" I blurted out. "Her name
is LIMITED?" "Bounded," Swami Nardanand added. "Limited? Bounded?" I
said again. "How can anyone have a name like 'limited' or 'bounded'?
No wonder she...." I stopped short of words going further along those
lines. I asked, "Can we change her name? Can we call her Asim, which
is Unlimited or Unbounded? Is there such a word? Asim?" "Yes,"
Swamiji said, "It means Unlimited, Unbounded." "Okay, then let's call
her Asim; is it okay with others, and her mother, that we call her
Asim?" "Why not," Swamiji said with a smile. So we started calling
her Asim, one who is unlimited, unbounded.

Asim had a little chalk board someone had given her. It was about a
foot wide, and she had one piece of chalk that was about an inch and
a half long. She mostly scribbled, but one day I noticed she was also
was trying to write some English letters. That drew my attention.
Someone had showed her some of the letters. I don't know much Hindi,
but English, I know pretty well, at least compared to a four-year-old
who speaks Hindi, but no English. I sat down beside her and wrote the
letter "A" and said out loud the sound for "A." She repeated it, but
poorly. I said it again; she tried again. After a few times she got
it. We went on to "B." Before long, after several "classes," if I may
take the liberty to call them that, she was doing pretty good with
her "ABC's." It turns out that she is amazingly quick to learn, and
what is most delightful is the fact that she is very interested, very
curious. She so much wanted to learn, and to practice the ABC's.

"Swamiji," I asked, "this little girl only has this blackboard and
one piece of chalk. Can we buy here some books?" Swami Nardanand got
one of the young men in the ashram to ride the motor scooter to the
market and buy four children's books. It was possibly the best two
dollars (actually less) that I've ever spent! Asim instantly loved
the books and started looking through them. They had pictures and
both Hindi and English words. We also sat down together and went
through some of the words. I could help her with the English word for
the picture, and she helped me with the Hindi word for the same
picture.

"Swamiji, what about school for this little girl, for Asim?" I asked
Swami Nardanand. "She's very bright, and likes to learn. Why isn't
she in school? If there's not a school for her and others like her,
we should start a school?" Now, that's music to the ears of Swami
Nardanand. He loves children and loves serving, and has a very gentle
way of being with people. "Okay," he said, with a particular
inflection and facial expression that I can't describe very well in
writing. It's the same "Okay" that comes with a little grin whenever
I propose some new cultural experience for him when he has visited me
in America.

So, it was decided! We would start a school on the grounds of the
ashram; a school for girls, for the poorest of the poor, who have no
other options in life. I had been through New York City a few weeks
previously, and some of the people attending talks had donated some
money. We used much of that money to make the first donation towards
Asim school. On the way back through New York, I had the joy of
telling people how their donations were being used for this little
girl, Asim, and others through Asim School.

Please don't misunderstand this; Ujjain is not some backward place.
It is a wonderful city, with an ancient history. It does, however,
like many places in India and the rest of the world, have a few
problems here and there. There are many schools in Ujjain and the
rest of the state of Madhya Pradesh. But still, there are some
children who have no options in front of them, as they don't have the
economic resources or family to participate in formal education.

During this visit to Ujjain, we were with many fine people, both in
celebration of various occasions, and to give talks on meditation and
spiritual life. We were extremely well greeted by people. Some of the
people participating in these gatherings have gone on to voice
support for Asim School.

On the same day that we decided to start Asim School, I asked Swami
Nardanand if he could call some people to arrange a press conference
to tell the public about the plans. Swamiji is quite well known in
Ujjain and the state of Madhya Pradesh, so the media was quick to
respond. Newspaper, magazine and television reporters came to the
ashram the next day to hear about the plans for Asim School and the
story of one little girl. We told them about the background of her
and her mother, about learning the ABC's, and the rest of the
conversations and decisions. I also told them that I am not some
foreigner coming there trying to tell them how to educate their
children. The media was very cordial and genuinely interested in what
we were doing.

Swami Nardanand and I explained to the press how the school would
start with children Asim's age, and take them through twelfth grade.
Each year a new class of students would start, so the school would
expand systematically. In the ashram there are also several very old
women without families or money, and for whom Swami Nardanand
provides shelter and food. They will be part of a "grandmothers"
program, where they, in their elder years, will help with the
children, who also have so little. The "grandchildren" will get
grandmothers, and the "grandmothers" will get grandchildren. We even
found that there will be a few "grandfathers" as well.

During the press conference one university professor said he would
personally come by and help teach the children. A benevolent woman
said that she would provide clothing for the next year for Asim and
all of the other children. The day after the press conference I was
on a train to Rishikesh, in another part of India. The timing wasn't
planned that way; it's just how it worked out. A few days later Swami
Nardanand said that people were out looking around in Ujjain and the
many villages in the area, looking for the poorest of little girls.
They are finding a few. The same little girls who might have
previously been ignored were now being joyfully sought out.

This is a really fun story, isn't it. It really happened like this.
When the media asked about how the idea for the school came to us, I
told then that when I looked in the eye of this little girl I saw
God. I asked them if they too didn't also see God in her eyes. Later,
in telling the story to others, many people say they see the grace of
God in action.

Through the efforts and donations of kind-hearted people, some of the
children who would otherwise have nothing, like Asim, will be served.
The inauguration of the school is scheduled for July 10, 2006, which
is Guru Purnima, the annual date of the celebration of the guiding
force of grace called Guru. Classes will begin at that time.

More information will be posted [on the site] from time to time.
http://www.swamij.com/asim-school.htm

UPDATE, June 17, 2006: Enrollment in the school is now 60 girls,
including 15 girls in residence. Two teachers have been hired. One
caretaker for the children has been hired. Application for
registration of Asim School has been made with the Government
Education Department. School will begin July 1.

Donations to Asim School:
http://www.swamij.com/donations.htm

YOGA AND LIFE
Sri Swami Brahmananda
Divine Life Society

There exists a common belief, certainly an erroneous one, among the
majority that Yoga is for those, who live in caves and forests, in
monasteries and nunneries, away from the busy world, in seclusion,
minding their own business without the least concern about other
fellow-beings, renouncing the normal pleasures of life and aiming at
some post-mortem happiness, in some far-off unknown worlds not seen
by any one so far. While these recluses give up all the happiness of
this world, the happiness in the form of enjoyments afforded by rich
and affluent family life with all the modern facilities, high status
in society, name and fame and the like, in the name of spiritual
renunciation, the vast majority of people are not sure of the future
happiness aimed at by these recluses. Thus arguing, most people shun
all the higher values of life, which religion and philosophy offer.
This is a sad mistake resulting from want of the right knowledge
about life in this world.

Renunciation of the world is found to be the common factor in all
scriptures dealing with Liberation as the only sure remedy for all
our sufferings here in this world. This may sound strange. One who
wants good has to renounce the bad. This is understandable. He who
desires truth should renounce untruth. There cannot be any difference
of opinion in this also. One who is after life should naturally give
up death. None will deny these logical conclusions. But, if what is
intended in the renunciation of the world is giving up of our normal
life with all sense-experiences, what remains in our life? Nothing!
The remedy seems to be worse than the illness! This conclusion is a
result of not understanding the real import of the scriptures.
Vedanta does in no way find fault with this world, but certainly
instructs man, who is after Liberation, to renounce it. It is not
renunciation resulting from a dislike and hatred of this world. It is
renunciation by covering, the world with God, in the language of the
Isavasya Upanishad, filling the world with God. We are asked to
renounce the world of our present erroneous conception and realise
its true nature. In short, to see the world as God is real
renunciation of the world, prescribed by the seers, who have seen the
Truth.

Just as the different parts of a big banyan tree, such as its
underground roots, the aerial roots, the stem, the branches, the
leaves and the fruits, though appearing separate, are yet not
different from the tree; just as our limbs, the legs, hands, eyes,
ears and mouth, though seemingly separate, are not distinct from the
body; just as the various parts of a huge modern machinery are all
inter-connected and serve the common purpose for which the machine
has been erected, likewise, the umpteen objects which we see here and
which we consider as separate entities are not independent and
disjointed, but form a whole to make up this universe, an organic
whole by itself. The least disturbance in any corner of this vast
cosmos, let it be in the most insignificant object, affects the whole
cosmos, even as the slightest pin-prick in any part of our body is
felt by the whole being. A scientific analysis of any object here,
say a chair, will prove that it is made up of atoms which are finally
reducible to forces. When we perceive through the intellect, these
forces that constitute the chair, the chair as such vanishes; and
when the chair is seen, we do not perceive the forces, These forces
have Consciousness as their substratum. No hair-splitting arguments
are necessary to prove that nothing can exist without Consciousness.

Pure Consciousness is therefore the basic reality. It is the
perceiving principle, the object perceived and the principle of
perception also. In other words, Consciousness which cannot but be
one, homogeneous and non-dual, and therefore eternal and immortal, is
called by the different names of seer, seen and sight, hearer,
hearing and heard, knower, known and knowledge, and so on. Again, it
is this Consciousness alone that is referred to through different
names, such as Brahman or Atman by Vedantins, Bhagavan or God by
devotees, Vishnu or Narayana by Vaishnavas, Siva or Paramesvara by
Saivites. Other religions of the world give different names for this
one Principle, the Truth Supreme. It is called as Christ by the
Christians, Allah by the Muslims, Arhat by the Jainas and Buddha by
the Buddhists.

The truth about the relationship between God and the world is
beautifully brought out in a simple Tamil verse which means: The wood
is veiled by the elephant and into the wood disappears the elephant;
even so, elements veil the Truth and into Truth disappear the
elements.

The reference is to a life-size elephant made out of black wood by an
expert carpenter. The likeness is complete. Though the eyes perceive
the form of an elephant, the intellect and the mind will perceive the
wood of which it is made. It is the form of the elephant that veils
the wood and when the truth of the wood is seen, the elephant
disappears. Likewise says the verse, this world made up of the five
elements veils the Consciousness, and when one realises the latter,
the former dissolves itself.

Knowing, experiencing and becoming one with the Consciousness is
Yoga. This Yoga practice varies according to individual temperament.
The rationalistic, the devotional, the active and the mystic
temperaments, with their countless permutation-combinations, make the
Yoga practice of each individual distinct from those of others.
Strictly speaking, no two aspirants can follow an exactly similar
method. Notwithstanding this, there are common factors in the
methodology adopted by all seekers. Not a few in this modern world
are benefited by a combination of the essentials in the different
Yoga systems. Hence it is that sages prescribe this wise mixture—a
little of Japa, a little Asana and Pranayama, study of some
scriptures, worship of one's tutelary deity, selfless service,
concentration and meditation—especially for the neophytes in the
spiritual path. When they go on practising all these intelligently
and sincerely for a sufficiently long time, each one finds himself
attached to that particular Yoga which is best suited to his
temperament or natural turn of mind acquired as a result of the
Karmas done in innumerable past lives, the others dropping off
without his knowledge. And further concentration along the lines of
the one particular Yoga with one's whole personality—not as a hobby,
but as one's sole aim and purpose of life—takes one to the Supreme
Awareness.

Om Tat Sat

http://swamij.com

THREE POLARITIES IN
MYSTICISM, YOGA AND RELIGION
Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati

There are three separate polarities described in the article Yoga,
Mysticism and Religion. These three polarities are extremely useful
to understand if one is trying to practice and integrate yoga,
mysticism and religion. The three polarities are:

Esoteric -- Exoteric
Immanent -- Transcendent
Material -- Efficient

-------

From:
http://www.swamij.com/mysticism-yoga-religion.htm
(Very useful graphics are shown at this link)

MYSTICISM, YOGA AND RELIGION
Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati

Within religion, Mysticism and Yoga are aspects of the Esoteric end
of the spectrum.

YOU CAN PRACTICE BOTH:

It can appear that Mysticism or Yoga (union, from the root yuj, to
join) are alternatives to religion, as if one must choose one or the
other. This can lead to the unfortunate view that if seekers practice
Mysticism and Yoga along with their religion, they are merely doing
some sort of cut-and-paste process where two different paths are
being combined.

It can appear that one must choose one of these:
Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Other, None

OR one of these:
Mysticism, Yoga

...but that you cannot have both.

This is not true. Although you can definitely practice Mysticism and
Yoga outside of religion, you can also practice them within your
religion, as they are already there, in the Esoteric form of the
religion.

The principles of Mysticism and Yoga are already contained within the
various religions. It is only because of incorrectly seeing them as
necessarily having to exist separately from one another, that there
appears to be solely a joining together. In other words, it can
appear that one is doing a mere cut-and-paste job of affixing Yoga
onto one's religion, while the roots of the principles are already
there, in the religion, in the Esoteric form of the religion.

Many of the people who practice Mysticism and Yoga do so from outside
organized religion. However, they can also be practiced from inside
religion as well, as they are already there, contained within the
religions. For example, there are the Gnostics and the Sufis, known
for their inner, mystical focus, while being related to their
respective religions.

Surely many people draw specific methods and techniques from the
independent Mystics and Yogis, but the essence or spirit of the
practices, as well as the goals of these practices are already part
of the religions in one or another of their Esoteric forms.

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

THREE POLARITIES:

Esoteric -- Exoteric
Immanent -- Transcendent
Material -- Efficient

TWO POLARITIES OF ESOTERIC AND EXOTERIC:

Within each of the religions there are polarities of Exoteric and
Esoteric, along with shades of gray between those two. The Exoteric
is based on belief, while the Esoteric is based on attaining direct
experience.

Exoteric religion is the external form of religious practice, and is
what most of us are accustomed to seeing in the majority of churches,
temples, or other religious organizations or movements. Exoteric
religion may sometimes be called either Traditional or Orthodox.

Esoteric religion, on the other hand, has more to do with the inner
experience, the subtler practices, and the pursuits of direct
experience of the spiritual principles. It is the path of saints and
sages, who have often been considered as deviants or outcasts by
their own Traditional, Orthodox, or Exoteric religions.

ESOTERIC IS SHUNNED:

The Esoteric practitioners are often shunned by the Exoteric
religionists because the subtler pursuits and practices are simply
not understood. As one progresses along the Esoteric path, it is ever
more clearly seen how the Esoteric and Exoteric are different degrees
of expression and experience within the teachings of the same
tradition or religion.

EXOTERIC MISUNDERSTAND THE ESOTERIC:

However, unaware of these subtleties, the Exoteric people are forced
to see the Esoteric people as either having strayed away from the
religion or suffering from some psychopathological malady. In time,
they too may grow to see the breadth and depth of their own religion,
but in the meantime, the journey of the Mystic and Yogi is neither
understood nor accepted.

TWO OTHER POLARITIES:

Along with the polarities of Esoteric-Exoteric it is extremely useful
for the practitioners of Mysticism and Yoga to be aware of two other
polarities:

IMMANENT OR TRANSCENDENT GOD:

There are two views of the nature of God, although different
religionists or scholars might have vastly different opinions within
each of those two. God as Transcendent means God as a separate being
that is overseer of the activities of the world. God as Immanent
refers to God as being all-pervasive, permeating the whole of
manifest reality.

The Mystic or Yogi seeking inner experience often, though not always,
has a greater leaning towards God as Immanent, while the Exoteric
religionist often tends exclusively towards God as Transcendent. With
some reflection, it is easy to see how the Mystic or Yogi may easily
be able to hold both perspectives in his or her spiritual pursuits.

Often, however, the Exoteric practitioner is only able to see the
notion of God as Transcendent, as a separate being, and therefore
completely rejects the notion of God as Immanent. This is one of the
reasons that the Mystic or Yogi may feel quite out of place in a
religious culture dominated by those of the Transcendent God view.

MATERIAL OR EFFICIENT CAUSE: There are two aspects to the cause of
any created object. One is the Material Cause, which refers to the
stuff out of which the objects are made. The other is the Efficient
Cause, which refers to the question of who caused the creation of the
objects. For example, flour is the Material Cause of bread, while the
baker is the Efficient Cause. Similarly, clay is the Material Cause
of a pot, while the potter is the Efficient Cause.

The emphasis of the Exoteric religionist is usually almost
exclusively on the Efficient Cause, whereby the separate being, the
Transcendent God, is considered to be the creator of the universe and
humans, much like the baker and the potter are the creators of bread
and pots. The goals of spiritual life are seen to come as a result of
the Efficient Cause.

While the individual Mystic or Yogi may or may not emphasize the
Efficient Cause called God, following one's own predisposition or
religion, there is almost always a focus on the Material Cause, which
is an inner journey, through the levels of one's own being, so as to
find the core or center, which is underneath all the layers of
manifestation. Depending on the perspective of the individual
practitioner, this realization may be variously called Self-
realization, enlightenment, knowing God, or other terms.

POLARITIES ARE WELL KNOWN AMONGST ACADEMICIANS:

It is important to note that these polarities of Esoteric-Exoteric,
Immanent-Transcendent, and Material-Efficient are well known to the
academic field of religious studies, as they are aspects of each of
the more known religions.

However, they are seldom mentioned, much less emphasized by the
religionists claiming to lead the public or lay people. Most of the
religious leaders promote the Exoteric, Transcendent, and Efficient
polarities through their churches or temples, utilizing a vast array
of icons and physical paraphernalia, along with external rituals or
ceremonies.

The teachers of the Esoteric, Immanent, and Material polarities are
naturally less drawn to building churches or temples for external
worship rituals, with any physical forms serving as pointers on the
journey to the direct experience of the subtler, finer realities.
Thus, they are far less visible in our societies and cultures.
Although more hidden, the diligent seeker can find these more subtly
focused teachings within virtually all of the religions. If you think
of yourself as having a Mystic or Yogic orientation, the awareness of
these polarities can go a long way to your understanding why you
might find yourself to be in a minority, and possibly criticized by
others.

MYSTICISM AND YOGA ARE ON THE ESOTERIC POLE:

Mysticism and Yoga deal with the Esoteric practices and experiences,
whether or not one follows a particular religion. In fact, the entire
purpose of Yoga is nothing but the Esoteric pole, seeking direct
experience of the deepest, subtlest, or highest realities of one's
own being. (There really isn't an Exoteric version of Yoga, given the
inherent higher purpose of authentic Yoga. That some might think that
there is an Exoteric pole of Yoga is one example of the recent
distortion that Yoga is merely a physical fitness program. See the
article Modern Yoga versus Ancient Yoga.)
http://www.swamij.com/ancientyoga.htm

CONFLICT IS WITHIN THE RELIGION, NOT WITH YOGA:

Thus, what appears to be a difference between two separate paths,
such as between a particular religion and either Mysticism or Yoga,
is actually a conflict within that religion. It is often a conflict
wherein the Traditional, Orthodox, or Exoteric followers are
criticizing the Mystics, Yogis, and Esoteric practitioners within
their own religion, and claiming that the conflict is with some
outside source, Yoga.

CRITICISM IS OF THE ESOTERIC:

In this way, many of the complaints of the modern religionists about
the Mystical and Yoga movements are not really about some separate,
new movements that are emerging in our cultures. Rather, they are
criticism about the Esoteric aspect of their own religion. It is the
resistance to their own subtler practices that is the source of the
apparent conflict. Yoga simply bears the brunt of some of this
confusion.

LABELING THE MYSTICS AND YOGIS AS "NEO":

It is common for some who have lost touch with the deeper aspects of
their traditions to label the Yogis or Mystics in such a way that
they appear as deviants. It is common for these people to put words
like Neo, New or Modern in front of the religion or other yogic term
to try to make the deeper practices sound like newly created
distortions, rather than the ancient practices that they often are.
The Exoteric people may also use the term New Age in a derogatory
tone to describe the Esoteric practitioner. So too, some of the
recently awakening Mystics and Yogis will adopt these types of terms,
thinking that they are inventing something new. It is ironic that
those who are most interested in the authentic Esoteric roots of
various teachings are labeled as Neo or New by the Exoteric
practitioners who are not interested in the higher, subtler practices
of their own traditions.

REMEMBER THE MYSTICS AND YOGIS OF THE PAST:

It is useful for the sincere seeker to also keep in mind world
history, wherein the Mystics and Yogis have often chosen, or been
forced, to move deep into the mountains, forests or deserts to do
their practices, so as to avoid the onslaught from others who are
focused exclusively on the Exoteric perspective. This is not to say
that the modern Mystic and Yogi should retreat from the world, but it
can be comforting to recall that others, who have come before, and
who have also tread the inner path, have experienced the challenges
presented by the Exoteric people.

Within religion, Mysticism and Yoga are aspects of the Esoteric end
of the spectrum.

EXOTERIC SEES ONLY ONE; ESOTERIC SEES BOTH:

It is important to note that the further one travels up the Esoteric
ladder, the more the seeker sees how both the Exoteric and Esoteric
processes of religion coexist as part of the whole. However, the
Exoteric follower often does not share this view, and sees only the
Exoteric, as the upper reaches (the Esoteric) have not yet been seen
or experienced.

BEING AWARE OF THE POLARITIES IN ONE'S OWN RELIGION:

The modern seekers who are drawn to Mysticism and Yoga can benefit
tremendously by being aware of, and occasionally reminding themselves
of the Exoteric and Esoteric polarities within their own religion.
Then they can have much greater freedom in deciding whether or not,
and how, to practice Mysticism and Yoga in the context of their own
religion.

http://swamij.com

From Merging with Shiva
by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami

THE PATH OF UNFOLDMENT

Meditate on man being like a lotus flower. He comes through the mud,
his instinctive mind, and he's aware of the things of the instinctive
mind: hate and greed and love and passion, and jealousy and sorrow,
and happiness and joy and excitement. He comes into the intellectual
mind. He becomes aware of ancient history and predictions about the
future, politics, all sorts of systems, all sorts of organizations,
institutions and opinions of other people. And this consumes and
overshadows the soul, life after life after life, just as the desires
and cravings of the instinctive mind overshadow the soul life after
life after life after life.

But all this time, the body of the soul is growing up. It's getting
stronger. It's absorbing the reactions of each lifetime, drawing more
energies from the central source of energy to build up and absorb
these reactions; and this is food for the soul.

Then finally awareness comes into its bud state. It says, "Here I am,
a bud, and I'm out of the mud, and I'm out of the water." We'll look
at the mud as being the instinct, we'll look at the water as being
the intellect and we'll look at the air as superconsciousness. "Now I
want to unfold and be of service to mankind and everyone else who is
unfolding, I see them all down in the mud, caught in the mud like I
was at one time. I want to help them out of the mud. Then I see
hundreds of people caught in the intellect. They're all in the water.
They think they're a stem, but I know I'm a bud."

Then begins the process on the path of enlightenment for this bud
unfolding and awareness expanding. First it becomes aware of the
inner processes of the body and how breath controls thought. Then it
becomes aware of the inner processes of the mind, how light moves
through the body, how the mind of light begins to work, and it goes
on unfolding and unfolding and unfolding through the ages.

If we look at the past as a catalog and the future as a planning
book, and now as the only reality of time, we have dodged the past
and we have dodged the future, because we have brought them both into
the eternity of the moment. The mystic on the path of unfoldment
doesn't allow his awareness to go into the past and flow through all
the yesterdays and relive in his mind what formerly happened to him
physically. The mystic doesn't go into the future and live
emotionally experiences that may or may not happen to him. The mystic
remains in the present, right now, using the catalog of the
experiences of the past and a planning book for his future. This
makes him wise, for intellect when it is correctly used at the right
time is wisdom.

Holding the eternity-of-the-moment feeling and the feeling of the
being within that has never changed, finally you don't even say it's
a being within. That in itself is duality. You just identify it as
you, an immortal being who's lived for thousands of years, which
never changes except it unfolds more, and it lives now. The past and
the future are only intellectual concepts that we live with and have
been developed by man himself in that particular area of the mind.

SPIRITUAL LIFE WITHOUT TEACHERS OR GURUS

Spiritual life without teachers or gurus
is like universities without professors,
hospitals without doctors and nurses,
or planes without pilots.

Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati
http://swamij.com


GURU PURNIMA 2006:
Guru Purnima is an annual celebration of the divine force called
guru. It is on the full moon of July. In the Americas this is on July
10, 2006. In Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia, this is on July 11,
2006.

Here are the precise times of the full moon:

8:01 pm PDST (US), July 10
9:01 pm MDST (US), July 10
10:01 pm CDST (US), July 10
11:01 pm EDST( US), July 10
3:01 am UTC/GMT, July 11
8:31 am IST (India), July 11


SEE ALSO these TWO articles on GURU:

GURU AND THE LIGHT WITHIN:
http://www.swamij.com/swami-rama-guru.htm

EXCERPTS from this article:

If you prepare yourself to know the higher knowledge, then you will
deserve. To deserve means to increase your capacity. You want to put
the entire ocean in a bucket. The ocean is there. You can have it,
but you do not have the capacity. When you deserve, you will have the
capacity. The Lord, the Reality, the Truth, is always within you. You
simply have to become aware. You can make sincere efforts to work
with yourself.

Don't be disappointed with failures. When you start to make sincere
efforts and start to practice, you will find light on the path. The
light itself will guide you. The light of consciousness is within
you. If you ignore that light, the guide outside you, the external
teacher, will be of no use to you. He will make you a slave. Every
individual has certain notions. He also lives with his notions. He
creates a following and millions of people are swayed and misguided.

Do you know what a guide means? The word guru has been vulgarized.
Such a pious word is being misused. I call it guide. Do not depend
much on guides. It is better for you to prepare yourself and remain
awake. The scriptures say to wake up from the deep sleep of
ignorance. Remain fully awake, remain conscious, and go on learning.
Never close the door of learning. The day you close the door of
learning you become ego, ego, ego....

The word teacher means "knowledge." The knowledge should be followed,
not the individual personality of the teacher. The subject should be
given prime importance, not the individual. Teachers have complicated
things. Yoga science has suffered because of this. One teacher
says, "This is my method." Another teacher says, "This is my method."
The poor student is confused. After some time he finds that his mind,
his individuality, and his pocket have been robbed.

When you become aware of the light within, and that light reveals the
Truth to you, there are no chances of being misguided. Teachers come
and go. From your external teacher just pick up that which is useful
for you and leave that which is not useful. No doubt you need a
teacher, a guide. I will never tell you that you should not seek and
you should not learn from other people, or that you should not study
books. Teachers only inspire you and make you aware of that Self-
existence that you have forgotten. Their role is to make you aware of
the Reality....

Yoga science tells you to go to the inner levels of your being and be
guided by the light that is already within you, that leads you in the
darkness. If you understand the light within, when you are introduced
to that light, you will not crave for any outer guidance. Learn to
make your abode in darkness so that you can see the light, but not
the superficial light. Superficial light creates problems for you and
does not allow you to see the light within.

When you start treading the path you will never find any difficulty,
for the light is already within you. The light within you is coming
out. When I look at your faces I find that they are different because
of the light that has the power of discrimination. That light can
correctly judge and understand and know. That light is higher than
any other light of the sun, the moon, and the stars. That is why
human beings are superior to all these lights that you see outside
yourself.

In the light of the sun, in the light of the moon, and in the light
of the stars there is no discrimination. The light within you has the
power of discrimination. You can use that light to see the darkest
corners of your inner chamber. For that you do not need outer
guidance. The purpose of a guide, guru, or teacher is to introduce
you to that light.


GURU AND DIVINE GRACE:
http://www.swamij.com/swami-rama-guru-grace.htm

EXCERPTS from this article:

In the effort to understand life and approach death meaningfully,
vairagya [non-attachment] and abhyasa [practices] are the
responsibility of the seeker. When these two are truly undertaken,
another help follows. That help comes in the form of guru and grace,
each linked to the other, each so beautiful and comforting, each so
powerful....

The word guru is a compound of two words, gu and ru. Gu means
darkness and ru means light. That which dispels the darkness of
ignorance is called guru. The energy and action of removing darkness
are guru. Guru is not a person, it is a force driven by grace.

To put this another way, there is an intelligent momentum that
pervades the universe that is moving all human beings toward the
perfection we call God. Guru is that intelligence. Everyone's
receptivity to that intelligence varies. It depends on preparation,
which includes the development of vairagya or nonattachment, and
abhyasa or practice. In other words, guru is always there, but the
student may not be ready to receive what the guru has to offer. When
the student is prepared, the guru always arrives to help the student
do what is necessary to progress in removing the veil of ignorance.
It is said that when the wick and oil are properly prepared, the
master lights the lamp.

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....

No human being can ever become a guru. Guru is not a human
experience, or, better said, guru is not a sensory experience. It is
a divine experience to be a guru. A human being allows herself or
himself to be used as a channel for receiving and transmitting by the
power of powers. Then it happens. Then guru manifests. To do that, a
human being must learn to be selfless, must learn to love. Real love
expects nothing. That is how genuine gurus live. Selfless love is the
basis of their enlightenment, and the basis of their roles as
channels of knowledge.

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....

The spiritual seeker should not worry about who the guru is, or what
the guru will do. The seeker's first concern is getting prepared,
organizing her or his life and thoughts in a spiritually healthy way,
and then working toward a way of life that simplifies and purifies.
At the right time the master will be there....

The guru also teaches without words or actions. As the disciple
learns to surrender and move the ego out of the way, and grows more
selfless, the ability to learn intuitively from the guru grows. The
student learns in the cave of silence. It is like tuning into the
guru's frequency or plugging into that stream of knowledge. The guru
is always working from there. The disciple's role is to gradually
learn to also work from that place. The disciple learns this by doing
all duties with love, by being nonattached, and by surrendering. The
disciple should always be striving to purify and prepare for more and
greater knowledge. Then God will say, "I want to enter this living
temple that you are." Remove the impurities and you will find that
the one who wants to know reality is the source of reality.

There is also the activity of grace. Grace is the impulse or the
impetus of the energy to dispel darkness. There is the grace of the
scriptures, from the wisdom that has passed down from others. There
is the grace of the teacher, who imparts that wisdom and helps bring
it to life in the student. There is the grace of God, or pure
consciousness, that is alive and ever present in everyone's life.
Integral to these three graces is the grace of oneself, having the
will to undertake a purposeful journey in life, to do the spiritual
work of life, and to prepare oneself.

How do we get this grace? It comes of its own when a seeker has made
maximum effort. When all efforts have been made, and all efforts have
been exhausted, then grace comes.

A Sanskrit word for grace is shaktipata. Shakti means energy, and
pata means bestowing. Shaktipata means "bestowing the energy" or
lighting the lamp. Sometimes shaktipata is translated as "descent of
power." A power comes from above, of its own, to a vessel that is
cleaned, purified, and is prepared to receive it. When the
instructions from the guru have been completed, the seeker has become
strong in selflessness and surrender, and the samskaras have been
burned, grace comes....

Grace is only possible with a disciple who has gone through a long
period of discipline, austerity, and spiritual practices. When a
student has done these practices and followed the teacher's
instructions with all faithfulness, truthfulness, and sincerity, then
the subtlest obstacle is removed by the master. The experience of
enlightenment comes from the sincere effort of both master and
disciple. When you have done your duties skillfully and
wholeheartedly, you reap the fruits gracefully. Grace dawns when
action ends. Shaktipata is the grace of God transmitted through the
master.

Guru is the disciple's guide through life, through the mysterious
terrain of the spiritual heart, and into and beyond the realm of
death.

http://swamij.com

From the written page:
http://www.swamij.com/shiva-shakti-secret.htm
AUDIO Recording:
http://www.swamij.com/podcast/shiva-shakti-one-swami-j.mp3

THE SECRET OF SHIVA AND SHAKTI
Swami Jnaneshvara (Swami J)

Shiva and Shakti are one and the same.

There is no place that He is not.
There is no place that She is not.
They are one and the same.

She is in every thing.
She is in every word.
She is all there is.

See Her in all things.
Hear Her in all sounds.
Know Her in all thoughts.
Feel Her in all feelings.
She is all there is.

She is the one in the three worlds.

Shiva and Shakti are one and the same.

That is the secret.

http://www.swamij.com/atma-bodha.htm

ATMA BODHA
(Self-Knowledge)
By Adi Sankaracharya,
Translated by Swami Chinmayananda
Published by Chinmaya Mission, Mumbai

1. I am composing the ATMA-BODHA, this treatise of the Knowledge of
the Self, for those who have purified themselves by austerities and
are peaceful in heart and calm, who are free from cravings and are
desirous of liberation.

2. Just as the fire is the direct cause for cooking, so without
Knowledge no emancipation can be had. Compared with all other forms
of discipline Knowledge of the Self is the one direct means for
liberation.

3. Action cannot destroy ignorance, for it is not in conflict with or
opposed to ignorance. Knowledge does verily destroy ignorance as
light destroys deep darkness.

4. The Soul appears to be finite because of ignorance. When ignorance
is destroyed the Self which does not admit of any multiplicity truly
reveals itself by itself: like the Sun when the clouds pass away.

5. Constant practice of knowledge purifies the Self (`Jivatman'),
stained by ignorance and then disappears itself – as the powder of
the `Kataka-nut' settles down after it has cleansed the muddy water.

6. The world which is full of attachments, aversions, etc., is like a
dream. It appears to be real, as long as it continues but appears to
be unreal when one is awake (i.e., when true wisdom dawns).

7. The Jagat appears to be true (Satyam) so long as Brahman, the
substratum, the basis of all this creation, is not realised. It is
like the illusion of silver in the mother-of pearl.

8. Like bubbles in the water, the worlds rise, exist and dissolve in
the Supreme Self, which is the material cause and the prop of
everything.

9. All the manifested world of things and beings are projected by
imagination upon the substratum which is the Eternal All-pervading
Vishnu, whose nature is Existence-Intelligence; just as the different
ornaments are all made out of the same gold.

10. The All-pervading Akasa appears to be diverse on account of its
association with various conditionings (Upadhis) which are different
from each other. Space becomes one on the destruction of these
limiting adjuncts: So also the Omnipresent Truth appears to be
diverse on account of Its association with the various Upadhis and
becomes one on the destruction of these Upadhis.

11. Because of Its association with different conditionings (Upadhis)
such ideas as caste, colour and position are super-imposed upon the
Atman, as flavour, colour, etc., are super-imposed on water.

12. Determined for each individual by his own past actions and made
up of the Five elements – that have gone through the process of "five-
fold self-division and mutual combination" (Pancheekarana) – are born
the gross-body, the medium through which pleasure and pain are
experienced, the tent-of-experiences.

13. The five Pranas, the ten organs and the Manas and the Buddhi,
formed from the rudimentary elements (Tanmatras) before their "five-
fold division and mutual combination with one another"
(Pancheekarana) and this is the subtle body, the instruments-of-
experience (of the individual).

14. Avidya which is indescribable and beginningless is the Causal
Body. Know for certain that the Atman is other than these three
conditioning bodies (Upadhis).

15. In its identification with the five-sheaths the Immaculate Atman
appears to have borrowed their qualities upon Itself; as in the case
of a crystal which appears to gather unto itself colour of its
vicinity (blue cloth, etc.,).

16. Through discriminative self-analysis and logical thinking one
should separate the Pure self within from the sheaths as one
separates the rice from the husk, bran, etc., that are covering it.

17. The Atman does not shine in everything although He is All-
pervading. He is manifest only in the inner equipment, the intellect
(Buddhi): just as the reflection in a clean mirror.

18. One should understand that the Atman is always like the King,
distinct from the body, senses, mind and intellect, all of which
constitute the matter (Prakriti); and is the witness of their
functions.

19. The moon appears to be running when the clouds move in the sky.
Likewise to the non-discriminating person the Atman appears to be
active when It is observed through the functions of the sense-organs.

20. Depending upon the energy of vitality of Consciousness (Atma
Chaitanya) the body, senses, mind and intellect engage themselves in
their respective activities, just as men work depending upon the
light of the Sun.

21. Fools, because they lack in their powers of discrimination
superimpose on the Atman, the Absolute-Existence-Knowledge (Sat-
Chit), all the varied functions of the body and the senses, just as
they attribute blue colour and the like to the sky.

22. The tremblings that belong to the waters are attributed through
ignorance to the reflected moon dancing on it: likewise agency of
action, of enjoyment and of other limitations (which really belong to
the mind) are delusively understood as the nature of the Self (Atman).

23. Attachment, desire, pleasure, pain, etc., are perceived to exist
so long as Buddhi or mind functions. They are not perceived in deep
sleep when the mind ceases to exist. Therefore they belong to the
mind alone and not to the Atman.

24. Just as luminosity is the nature of the Sun, coolness of water
and heat of fire, so too the nature of the Atman is Eternity, Purity,
Reality, Consciousness and Bliss.

25. By the indiscriminate blending of the two – the Existence-
Knowledge-aspect of the Self and the thought-wave of the intellect –
there arises the notion of "I know".

26. Atman never does anything and the intellect of its own accord has
no capacity to experience `I know'. But the individuality in us
delusorily thinks he is himself the seer and the knower.

27. Just as the person who regards a rope as a snake is overcome by
fear, so also one considering oneself as the ego (Jiva) is overcome
by fear. The ego-centric individuality in us regains fearlessness by
realising that It is not a Jiva but is Itself the Supreme Soul.

28. Just as a lamp illumines a jar or a pot, so also the Atman
illumines the mind and the sense organs, etc. These material-objects
by themselves cannot illumine themselves because they are inert.

29. A lighted-lamp does not need another lamp to illumine its light.
So too, Atman which is Knowledge itself needs no other knowledge to
know it.

30. By a process of negation of the conditionings (Upadhis) through
the help of the scriptural statement `It is not this, It is not
this', the oneness of the individual soul and the Supreme Soul, as
indicated by the great Mahavakyas, has to be realised.

31. The body, etc., up to the "Causal Body" – Ignorance – which are
objects perceived, are as perishable as bubbles. Realise through
discrimination that I am the `Pure Brahman' ever completely separate
from all these.

32. I am other than the body and so I am free from changes such as
birth, wrinkling, senility, death, etc. I have nothing to do with the
sense objects such as sound and taste, for I am without the sense-
organs.

33. I am other than the mind and hence, I am free from sorrow,
attachment, malice and fear, for "HE is without breath and without
mind, Pure, etc.", is the Commandment of the great scripture, the
Upanishads.

34. I am without attributes and actions; Eternal (Nitya) without any
desire and thought (Nirvikalpa), without any dirt (Niranjana),
without any change (Nirvikara), without form (Nirakara), ever-
liberated (Nitya Mukta) ever-pure (Nirmala).

35. Like the space I fill all things within and without. Changeless
and the same in all, at all times I am pure, unattached, stainless
and motionless.

36. I am verily that Supreme Brahman alone which is Eternal, Pure and
Free, One, indivisible and non-dual and of the nature of Changeless-
Knowledge-Infinite.

37. The impression "I am Brahman" thus created by constant practice
destroys ignorance and the agitation caused by it, just as medicine
or Rasayana destroys disease.

38. Sitting in a solitary place, freeing the mind from desires and
controlling the senses, meditate with unswerving attention on the
Atman which is One without-a-second.

39. The wise one should intelligently merge the entire world-of-
objects in the Atman alone and constantly think of the Self ever as
contaminated by anything as the sky.

40. He who has realised the Supreme, discards all his identification
with the objects of names and forms. (Thereafter) he dwells as an
embodiment of the Infinite Consciousness and Bliss. He becomes the
Self.

41. There are no distinctions such as "Knower", the "Knowledge" and
the "Object of Knowledge" in the Supreme Self. On account of Its
being of the nature of endless Bliss, It does not admit of such
distinctions within Itself. It alone shines by Itself.

42. When this the lower and the higher aspects of the Self are well
churned together, the fire of knowledge is born from it, which in its
mighty conflagration shall burn down all the fuel of ignorance in us.

43. The Lord of the early dawn (Aruna) himself has already looted
away the thick darkness, when soon the sun rises. The Divine
Consciousness of the Self rises when the right knowledge has already
killed the darkness in the bosom.

44. Atman is an ever-present Reality. Yet, because of ignorance it is
not realised. On the destruction of ignorance Atman is realised. It
is like the missing ornament of one's neck.

45. Brahman appears to be a `Jiva' because of ignorance, just as a
post appears to be a ghost. The ego-centric-individuality is
destroyed when the real nature of the `Jiva' is realised as the Self.

46. The ignorance characterised by the notions `I' and `Mine' is
destroyed by the knowledge produced by the realisation of the true
nature of the Self, just as right information removes the wrong
notion about the directions.

47. The Yogi of perfect realisation and enlightenment sees through
his "eye of wisdom" (Gyana Chakshush) the entire universe in his own
Self and regards everything else as his own Self and nothing else.

48. Nothing whatever exists other than the Atman: the tangible
universe is verily Atman. As pots and jars are verily made of clay
and cannot be said to be anything but clay, so too, to the
enlightened soul and that is perceived is the Self.

49. A liberated one, endowed with Self-knowledge, gives up the traits
of his previously explained equipments (Upadhis) and because of his
nature of Sat-chit-ananda, he verily becomes Brahman like (the worm
that grows to be) a wasp.

50. After crossing the ocean of delusion and killing the monsters of
likes and dislikes, the Yogi who is united with peace dwells in the
glory of his own realised Self – as an Atmaram.

51. The self-abiding Jivan Mukta, relinquishing all his attachments
to the illusory external happiness and satisfied with the bliss
derived from the Atman, shines inwardly like a lamp placed inside a
jar.

52. Though he lives in the conditionings (Upadhis), he, the
contemplative one, remains ever unconcerned with anything or he may
move about like the wind, perfectly unattached.

53. On the destruction of the Upadhis, the contemplative one is
totally absorbed in `Vishnu', the All-pervading Spirit, like water
into water, space into space and light into light.

54. Realise That to be Brahman, the attainment of which leaves
nothing more to be attained, the blessedness of which leaves no other
blessing to be desired and the knowledge of which leaves nothing more
to be known.

55. Realise that to be Brahman which, when seen, leaves nothing more
to be seen, which having become one is not born again in this world
and which, when knowing leaves nothing else to be known.

56. Realise that to be Brahman which is Existence-Knowledge-Bliss-
Absolute, which is Non-dual, Infinite, Eternal and One and which
fills all the quarters – above and below and all that exists between.

57. Realise that to be Brahman which is Non-dual, Indivisible, One
and Blissful and which is indicated in Vedanta as the Immutable
Substratum, realised after the negation of all tangible objects.

58. Deities like Brahma and others taste only a particle, of the
unlimited Bliss of Brahman and enjoy in proportion their share of
that particle.

59. All objects are pervaded by Brahman. All actions are possible
because of Brahman: therefore Brahman permeates everything as butter
permeates milk.

60. Realise that to be Brahman which is neither subtle nor gross:
neither short nor long: without birth or change: without form,
qualities, colour and name.

61. That by the light of which the luminous, orbs like the Sun and
the Moon are illuminated, but which is not illumined by their light,
realise that to be Brahman.

62. Pervading the entire universe outwardly and inwardly the Supreme
Brahman shines of Itself like the fire that permeates a red-hot iron-
ball and glows by itself.

63. Brahman is other than this, the universe. There exists nothing
that is not Brahman. If any object other than Brahman appears to
exist, it is unreal like the mirage.

64. All that is perceived, or heard, is Brahman and nothing else.
Attaining the knowledge of the Reality, one sees the Universe as the
non-dual Brahman, Existence-Knowledge-Bliss-Absolute.

65. Though Atman is Pure Consciousness and ever present everywhere,
yet It is perceived by the eye-of-wisdom alone: but one whose vision
is obscured by ignorance he does not see It; as the blind do not see
the resplendent Sun.

66. The `Jiva' free from impurities, being heated in the fire of
knowledge kindled by hearing and so on, shines of itself like gold.

67. The Atman, the Sun of Knowledge that rises in the sky of the
heart, destroys the darkness of the ignorance, pervades and sustains
all and shines and makes everything to shine.

68. He who renouncing all activities, who is free of all the
limitations of time, space and direction, worships his own Atman
which is present everywhere, which is the destroyer of heat and cold,
which is Bliss-Eternal and stainless, becomes All-knowing and All-
pervading and attains thereafter Immortality.

Thus concludes Atma-Bodha.

http://www.swamij.com

THE TORTOISE AND THE HARE

Pursue Truth with
the intensity of the hare and
the patience of the tortoise.

Swami Jnaneshvara

http://www.swamij.com

THE FOREMOST ASPECT OF TRAINING
THE MIND FOR SPIRITUAL PRACTICES
Swami Rama

The mind is the master of the body, breath, and senses, though it is,
itself, charged by the power of the Center of Consciousness (the
individual soul). All our thinking processes, emotional power,
capacity for analysis, and the functioning of the different
modifications of mind are due to the power of the soul.

One simply has to become aware of this fact, that the mind is in
direct control of the senses, breath, and body. It is the mind that
influences the senses and causes them to function in the external
world. It is the mind that desires to perceive the world through the
senses and to conceptualize and categorize those sensory perceptions.
The mind stores such impressions in the unconscious, the storehouse
of merits and demerits, and then it recalls them whenever it needs
them.

All sadhanas (spiritual practices), techniques, and disciplines are
actually means to train the mind. And the foremost part of the
training is to make the mind aware that Reality lies beyond itself,
and that is the immortality of the soul. The mind is a separate,
individual entity, but it does not have a separate existence; it
exists only because of the existence of the soul.

----

Q: What is being suggested as the foremost aspect of training the
mind for spiritual practices?

A: To make the mind aware that Reality lies beyond itself.

----

http://www.swamij.com

From:
http://swamij.com/self-realization-himalayan-tradition.htm

MONEY, SEX, FAME, HEALTH, SELF AND YOGA
Swami Jnaneshvara

Everybody wants happiness. However, we usually seek it in ways that
are dependent on external stimulus, as if an outer cause leads to an
inner effect of happiness. Surely this process of stimulus-response
works to some degree; we have all experienced this in different ways,
where getting what we want seems to make us feel good, and not
getting what we want seems to make us feel bad. However, what if we
knew how to be happy without any stimulus whatsoever? What if you
could just rest in the deepest feeling of joy, regardless of the
external circumstances?

There seems to be two polarities. Either we think we don't have
enough money, or we are striving to have more so as to feel secure
and affluent, pursuing what has come to be sold as prosperity or
abundance consciousness. Either we don't have a good relationship, or
we seek to find the ideal partner so that we will feel whole,
complete and needed. Either we feel lonely and unknown, or we strive
to be famous in some way, to receive accolades in our personal or
professional lives from our family, friends, peers, or community, so
as to feel exuberant with pride. Either we have questionable health
or active disease, doing little for our body with diet or exercise,
or we ardently pursue physical fitness and battle disease so as to
feel the satisfaction of conquering the body.

It often appears that there only these two polarities and that we
have no other choice but these two. Either we stay stuck where we
are, or we seek these seemingly higher goals. It is extremely common
for people to use "spiritual" methods such as meditation,
contemplation, prayer and mantra to attain these goals. There are
many lectures, seminars, books, video and audio programs on how to do
this. We are repeatedly told that we can have anything we want, that
all we have to do is visualize it, and the universe or God will
provide it for us. It is very easy to not see the ego drive behind
this approach to spiritual life. It means we are measuring spiritual
success by our bank account, sex life, popularity and physical
situation. It doesn't take a great deal of reflection to see that
these are reframes of attachment, hedonism or greed, which have
generally been seen as obstacles to attenuate, rather than goals to
be attained.

However, there is a third choice, which is far beyond this
oversimplified perspective of having or not having the objects or
circumstances of our desire world. There is a way of being, a higher
goal, that has nothing to do with whether our desires are, or are not
fulfilled. In fact, it completely transcends the issue of desire.
This is not to suggest that one should starve in poverty, grieve with
loneliness, mourn in desolation, or suffer in physical pain.

Imagine for a moment that you were in such a state of mind that you
always felt complete, regardless of whether or not you have any money
at all. Imagine for a moment that you truly felt whole, with or
without any other partner being in your life. Imagine for a moment
that you felt at complete peace, even if no person had ever heard of
your name or accomplishments. Imagine for a moment that you were in
constant contact with that level of your being that was never born,
is not and cannot be diseased, and can never die, and is not subject
to any other of the impermanent vagaries of the physical body. To
know the Self, the Atman or Purusha, the center of consciousness is
to rest in the awareness of, to realize that which is beyond all of
these surface level sufferings. It is to seek the awareness of the
pre-existing wholeness or union that is sometimes called Yoga.

This can sound like a campaign promoting poverty, loneliness,
isolation and decay. Those promoting the worldly solutions will often
sell their wares in this way, by saying that words such as these are
designed to leave people where they are, or to be miserable in life,
as if these words are suggesting some future afterlife will be more
fulfilling. This is very far from the message of pursuing Self-
Realization. One who seeks to know the eternal, pure, ever-joyous
center of consciousness can easily live in the world, and enjoy the
objects of the world at the same time. Such a person can and will
naturally have all that is needed, will have close relationships,
will have active and enriching engagement with the community, and
will naturally move toward physical health and well being. However,
those are not the goals, but are the natural byproducts of sincerely,
passionately seeking that single higher goal.

Mind is very tricky. It will try to reason that, "Okay, so to get
money, sex, fame and health I need to pursue enlightenment. Good, let
me do that, so that I get what I want." That is a game of the mind.
The primary goal of seeking the direct experience of that eternally
joyous center of consciousness is being skipped over once again, in
the name of the lesser goals. However, one who repeatedly seeks that
single, higher goal, by whatever name you choose to call it, will
find that those secondary goals come easily. They become pleasant
experiences of life, but can have no effect whatsoever on whether "I"
am feeling "good" or "I" am feeling "bad." One who knows the Self,
the Atman can live in the world, but yet be above the world. Even for
one who has not attained permanent awareness of this Self, which is
the Self of all, but who is consciously, persistently, though gently
pursuing it, will find that the other pleasures will come, resting on
the foundation of the higher.

This is so elegantly simple and profoundly practical, bringing such
grand results, that it can be repeatedly overlooked. By being ever
mindful that the highest joy is already there, in the inner chamber
of our being, in fact, being who we really are, life becomes very
straightforward and happy. Moving towards this one goal brings many
fruits along the way. Life becomes poetry and song, filled with joy.
And one day, when least expected, when, in a moment, there is no
expectation at all, the Self, Truth, or God is revealed, and that
leaves all of the other pleasant experiences pale by comparison to
this which is incomparable and inexplicable.

http://swamij.com

Dear Friends,

Recently we have started "podcasting," which has been
called "internet radio." There is an audio podcast available for the
current newsletter (see below). From time to time there will be
others, and these may be announced through the newsletter.

If you ARE familiar with podcasts, you can subscribe through iTunes,
Podcast.net, Yahoo.com, and Odeo.com.

If you are NOT familiar with podcasts, you can look at the info at
the SwamiJ.com podcast page. That may seem a bit confusing. If it is,
just click on the "listen" button on that page for the podcast you
want to hear. I'll always include a link to that page when sending
out newsletters announcing podcasts. There is also a direct link
below to the current podcast. It should automatically open your media
player to play the audio recording.

SWAMIJ.COM PODCAST PAGE:
http://swamij.com/podcast.htm

DIRECT AUDIO LINK TO THE CURRENT PODCAST:
(Podcast on Money, Sex, Fame, Health, Self and Yoga)
(7:33 minutes:seconds)
http://www.swamij.com/podcast/money-sex-fame-health-swami-j.mp3

I hope that you enjoy this and the other podcasts, and that you find
this medium of communication useful to your practices.

In loving service,

Swami J

--------

Article from:
http://swamij.com/self-realization-himalayan-tradition.htm

MONEY, SEX, FAME, HEALTH, SELF AND YOGA
Swami Jnaneshvara

Everybody wants happiness. However, we usually seek it in ways that
are dependent on external stimulus, as if an outer cause leads to an
inner effect of happiness. Surely this process of stimulus-response
works to some degree; we have all experienced this in different ways,
where getting what we want seems to make us feel good, and not
getting what we want seems to make us feel bad. However, what if we
knew how to be happy without any stimulus whatsoever? What if you
could just rest in the deepest feeling of joy, regardless of the
external circumstances?

There seems to be two polarities. Either we think we don't have
enough money, or we are striving to have more so as to feel secure
and affluent, pursuing what has come to be sold as prosperity or
abundance consciousness. Either we don't have a good relationship, or
we seek to find the ideal partner so that we will feel whole,
complete and needed. Either we feel lonely and unknown, or we strive
to be famous in some way, to receive accolades in our personal or
professional lives from our family, friends, peers, or community, so
as to feel exuberant with pride. Either we have questionable health
or active disease, doing little for our body with diet or exercise,
or we ardently pursue physical fitness and battle disease so as to
feel the satisfaction of conquering the body.

It often appears that there only these two polarities and that we
have no other choice but these two. Either we stay stuck where we
are, or we seek these seemingly higher goals. It is extremely common
for people to use "spiritual" methods such as meditation,
contemplation, prayer and mantra to attain these goals. There are
many lectures, seminars, books, video and audio programs on how to do
this. We are repeatedly told that we can have anything we want, that
all we have to do is visualize it, and the universe or God will
provide it for us. It is very easy to not see the ego drive behind
this approach to spiritual life. It means we are measuring spiritual
success by our bank account, sex life, popularity and physical
situation. It doesn't take a great deal of reflection to see that
these are reframes of attachment, hedonism or greed, which have
generally been seen as obstacles to attenuate, rather than goals to
be attained.

However, there is a third choice, which is far beyond this
oversimplified perspective of having or not having the objects or
circumstances of our desire world. There is a way of being, a higher
goal, that has nothing to do with whether our desires are, or are not
fulfilled. In fact, it completely transcends the issue of desire.
This is not to suggest that one should starve in poverty, grieve with
loneliness, mourn in desolation, or suffer in physical pain.

Imagine for a moment that you were in such a state of mind that you
always felt complete, regardless of whether or not you have any money
at all. Imagine for a moment that you truly felt whole, with or
without any other partner being in your life. Imagine for a moment
that you felt at complete peace, even if no person had ever heard of
your name or accomplishments. Imagine for a moment that you were in
constant contact with that level of your being that was never born,
is not and cannot be diseased, and can never die, and is not subject
to any other of the impermanent vagaries of the physical body. To
know the Self, the Atman or Purusha, the center of consciousness is
to rest in the awareness of, to realize that which is beyond all of
these surface level sufferings. It is to seek the awareness of the
pre-existing wholeness or union that is sometimes called Yoga.

This can sound like a campaign promoting poverty, loneliness,
isolation and decay. Those promoting the worldly solutions will often
sell their wares in this way, by saying that words such as these are
designed to leave people where they are, or to be miserable in life,
as if these words are suggesting some future afterlife will be more
fulfilling. This is very far from the message of pursuing Self-
Realization. One who seeks to know the eternal, pure, ever-joyous
center of consciousness can easily live in the world, and enjoy the
objects of the world at the same time. Such a person can and will
naturally have all that is needed, will have close relationships,
will have active and enriching engagement with the community, and
will naturally move toward physical health and well being. However,
those are not the goals, but are the natural byproducts of sincerely,
passionately seeking that single higher goal.

Mind is very tricky. It will try to reason that, "Okay, so to get
money, sex, fame and health I need to pursue enlightenment. Good, let
me do that, so that I get what I want." That is a game of the mind.
The primary goal of seeking the direct experience of that eternally
joyous center of consciousness is being skipped over once again, in
the name of the lesser goals. However, one who repeatedly seeks that
single, higher goal, by whatever name you choose to call it, will
find that those secondary goals come easily. They become pleasant
experiences of life, but can have no effect whatsoever on whether "I"
am feeling "good" or "I" am feeling "bad." One who knows the Self,
the Atman can live in the world, but yet be above the world. Even for
one who has not attained permanent awareness of this Self, which is
the Self of all, but who is consciously, persistently, though gently
pursuing it, will find that the other pleasures will come, resting on
the foundation of the higher.

This is so elegantly simple and profoundly practical, bringing such
grand results, that it can be repeatedly overlooked. By being ever
mindful that the highest joy is already there, in the inner chamber
of our being, in fact, being who we really are, life becomes very
straightforward and happy. Moving towards this one goal brings many
fruits along the way. Life becomes poetry and song, filled with joy.
And one day, when least expected, when, in a moment, there is no
expectation at all, the Self, Truth, or God is revealed, and that
leaves all of the other pleasant experiences pale by comparison to
this which is incomparable and inexplicable.

http://swamij.com

From:
http://www.swamij.com/chariot.htm
Audio Podcast:
http://www.swamij.com/podcast.htm
http://www.swamij.com/podcast/060825-chariot-swami-j.mp3

WHO'S DRIVING YOUR CHARIOT?
Swami Jnaneshvara

The chariot is used by the ancient sages as a symbol for how to train
your mind and senses. Though most of us do not use horse drawn
chariots, the lesson is as practical today as it was thousands of
years ago. Allow your mind to visualize this image, and it will
become a wonderful tool in your daily spiritual life.

ROADS: The many roads down which the chariot may travel are the
countless objects of desire in the world and our memory.

HORSES: The ten horses are the ten senses (indriyas) through which we
relate to the external world by perception and action.
http://www.swamij.com/indriyas.htm

REINS: The reins are the mind (manas) through which the senses
receive their instructions to act and perceive.
http://www.swamij.com/fourfunctionsmind.htm#manas

CHARIOTEER: The charioteer is the higher intellect (buddhi), which is
supposed to be the wise giver of instructions to the mind.
http://www.swamij.com/fourfunctionsmind.htm#buddhi

PASSENGER: The passenger is the Self, the Atman, the pure center of
consciousness, which is always the neutral witness.
http://www.swamij.com/koshas.htm

CHARIOT: The chariot itself is the physical body, the instrument
through which the Self, intellect, mind, and senses operate.

WHO'S DRIVING YOUR CHARIOT?

For many of us, much of the time, the charioteer is not on duty. The
reins called mind are flapping around freely without the proper
guidance of our inner wisdom. When the reins are free, they give no
instructions to the horses called senses. The horses (senses) roam
freely down any road they feel pulled towards in the moment, in
response to their memories of the past (chitta). The chariot (body)
takes a beating, the horses (senses) get tired, the reins (mind) get
frayed, and the charioteer (intelligence) gets lazy. The passenger is
completely ignored.

PUT THE CHARIOTEER BACK ON THE JOB

The solution to the problem is to retrain the charioteer
(intelligence) to pick up the reins (mind) and start giving some
direction to the horses (senses). This training is called sadhana, or
spiritual practices. It means training all of the levels of ourselves
so that we might experience the still, silent, eternal center.

ALLOW THE CHARIOTEER TO SERVE THE PASSENGER

As the charioteer (intelligence) becomes more stabilized in being
back on the job, there is an ever increasing awareness of the fact
the the entire purpose of the chariot, horses, reins, and charioteer,
are to serve as instruments for the passenger, the true Self.

SEE ALSO:

Coordinating the Four Functions of Mind:
http://www.swamij.com/fourfunctionsmind.htm

Training the Ten Senses or Indriyas:
http://www.swamij.com/indriyas.htm

Self, Five Koshas or Sheaths:
http://www.swamij.com/koshas.htm

http://www.swamij.com

From Merging with Shiva
by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami

ON EARTH TO REALIZE THE SELF

Look through your entire life and make a memo of each major
experience in this life. Then surmise how many major experiences you
have had for the last ten lives. All the accumulative experiences
have brought you to the point where you are now, ready to turn inward
and realize your infinite being. They have all been good experiences.
The reaction to the experience has also been good. It brought you to
the point where you are, ready to sit down and say to yourself, "Who
am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going? What is the power of
That which has never changed, which I am and can feel in every cell
of my body? Where does the clear white light come from? What is the
underlying power of pure consciousness out of which awareness
emerges?" All of this and more, too, you will ask yourself and get
answers from within yourself, as you, your awareness as the lotus
flower, begins to unfold. Always try to remember the reason why you
are here. You are here to separate awareness from that which it is
aware of and gain your own independence, your liberation, from the
instinctive area of the mind.

When we're in it, we believe that everything we're going through is
us. The intellectual area of the mind -- when we're attached and in
it strongly, we believe that that is us. When we're in the
superconscious area of the mind, awareness is detached from that
which it is aware of. We see ourselves as the traveler traveling
through all areas of the mind, not getting stuck in any one area.
Then we're here to go in, to take awareness off the surface of the
Earth into outer space, or out of the instinctive and intellectual
areas of the mind, into pure superconsciousness, into the clear white
light, so it permeates every cell of the body.

We're here to realize the Self, to have that one dramatic experience
where everything that we thought was things is turned upside down,
and our whole perspective afterwards changes. That is the purpose for
living on this Earth. That is the purpose for being here this very
moment. That is the purpose for my speaking to you in this way, to
impress upon you very thoroughly that you are here for Self
Realization, walking on this planet. Get it. Direct all your energies
toward it, and then the tremendous power of desire will be for the
one goal, not for the many goals toward which desires usually flow.
When that happens, Self Realization will come to you. It'll be very
easy. One day, you will be Self Realized.

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10-YEAR MAHASAMADHI CELEBRATION OF SWAMI RAMA
Himalayan Institute Hospital
Dehradun, India
November 10-13, 2006

Swami Rama left the body on November 13, 1996 in his apartment at the
Himalayan Institute Hospital of India, which he founded in 1989. A
special celebration of the 10-year "mahasamadhi" of Swami Rama will be
held November 10-13, 2006 at the Hospital. See the HIHT site for
hospital info and the Commemorative page for schedules.

HIHT site:
http://hihtindia.org/

Commemorative page of schedules:
http://hihtindia.org/mahasamadhi.htm

http://swamij.com

The Yogi should understand two symbols: the lotus, which grows in water
though its petals remain untouched by the water; and the sun, which
shines eternally and equally for all yet remains far above and far
away, unaffected by the changes occurring in the world. These are
symbols of the Yoga of equanimity, which leads one to perfection.

http://swamij.com

ART: THE EXPRESSION OF DIVINITY
Swami Sivananda
Divine Life Society

ALL beings however low in evolution, all actions however trivial in
their nature, all things however lifeless they may appear to be, bear
the stamp of the light of the Eternal; the principle of the Beautiful
is dancing in them all; the splendour of the Truth is shining equally
in all creation—in the man toiling in the field, in the birds of the
air, in the beasts of the forest, in the blossoms of the garden, in
the waves of the sea. There is only one Law of Life that is pulsating
in the veins of the contents of the entire universe. Glory to the
Divine Being.

Everyone in this beautiful creation is a piece of art; all that we
see is but the manifestation of His art. We are His art, vivifying
His might, reflecting His beauty and expressing His grandeur. Every
man has the eyes of the painter and the poet; every heart has a
dormant feeling for beauty and for the awareness of perfection. Every
speck of space is rich with the inexhaustible abundance of goodness,
of godliness, of beauty. One has to widen one's consciousness and
deepen one's spirit to be able to develop the vision of all spirit
shining in and through matter, all reality revealing itself in and
through the unreal. To escape from this world of limitations (while
yet being on earth) into the boundless world of Freedom and Beauty,
Power and Brilliance, is the purpose of our existence.

For the one who has eyes to see, all is goodness, all is sweetness,
everything is beautiful, everything is graceful; whatever he
perceives is homogeneous and harmonious. Children of Light! Behold
the brilliance of the diamond in the darkest coal mine; look at the
lustre of the eyes in the ugliest face; smell the fragrance of the
lotus in the stinking pond; feel the omnipresence of your life in the
lowliest creature revelling in filth; discover the greatness of the
genius in the humblest family grovelling in poverty. To one with
insight, whatever is met with will be seen to be the master-touch of
the Divine Painter, of the Master-Artist, who expresses himself in
such infinite and ineffable beauty.

Art is not for the fleeting pleasures of the human creature nor a
solace to the sorrow-stricken heart nor yet for mere aesthetic
enjoyment; it is more than all these—it is a systematic and
scientific living in Absolute Beauty, in Infinite Harmony, in Perfect
Peace, in Eternal Joy. Art is a kingdom of intense feeling, a feeling
in which one is aware of the one undivided Divine Essence of
Existence. Art is majestic and mystic, idealistic and symbolic,
supernatural and transcendental, an expression of the Unseen in and
through the seen.

That art blossoms into perfection which is free from all sense
desires and physical interests. In the name of art one should not
fetter oneself in the prison of professionalism and sensualism. The
artist should be moved by the beauty of Truth; and his art should be
progressively creative and spiritually suggestive; it should be a
revelation of his moments of inspired vision and of total self
surrender. In his creative moods the artist should soar high—high
into the skies of luminous imagination and of glorious existence,
wholly oblivious of all mundane madness. Purified in heart, one
should wave the magic wand of art at whose touch everything is
converted into the beauty of the Beyond.

Let the drawing rooms be filled with the vibrations of the highest
spiritual ideals which pour into us the power and beauty of a new
life of joy and peace. Let the wielder of the brush be free from all
stuff of pride and selfishness and from all that is related to the
sense-world, so that the Divine may fill him with His Will to paint
the pictures that breathe healing power and soothing balm into all
onlookers through their eyes, so that they may be relieved of their
illness of mind and sickness of heart. Let your art be a lamp of
deathless beauty, shining with an effulgence dispelling the darkness
of the soul that sings the sorrowful songs of the world.

An art that panders to the lower appetites of men, that does not aim
at discovering the meaning of life, that does not awaken the
spiritual consciousness in the human heart, is soulless and,
therefore, unsalutory in its effects and malefic in its influence.
The test of true art is implied in its profoundest suggestions. True
art should embody the best of the genius of the artist, the finest in
him, and awe one into a subtler plane of refinement and thrill; all
art that falls short of this great purpose is profane and perishable.

(This is republished due to a typo in the previous web link)

Dear Friends,

The seminar "Harnessing the Power of Yoga Meditation in Health and
Healing" is in New York City, October 20-21, 2006, featuring Dr. Anil
Singhal (Neurologist), Dr. Achala Singhal (Cardiologist), along with
Nishit Patel and Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati.

For more information, please see the webpage or the press release:
http://www.HarnessingYourPower.com
http://www.prweb.com/releases/yoga/meditation/prweb440230.htm

In loving service,

Swami J

http://www.swamij.com

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....

AUDIO Recording:
http://www.swamij.com/Sounds/meditationtoday.mp3

In loving service,

Swami J

Excerpted from:
CREST JEWEL OF DISCRIMINATION (Vivekachudamani)
By Adi Sankaracharya, 788-820 CE,
Translated by Swami Madhavananda
Published by Advaita Ashram, Kolkattaranslation

THE NATURE OF A SAGE WHO KNOWS THE SELF

The knower of the Atman, who wears no outward mark and is unattached
to external things, rests on this body without identification, and
experiences all sorts of sense-objects as they come, through others'
wish, like a child.

Established in the ethereal plane of Absolute Knowledge, he wanders
in the world, sometimes like a madman, sometimes like a child and at
other times like a ghoul, having no other clothes on his person
except the quarters, or sometimes wearing clothes, or perhaps skins
at other times.

The sage, living alone, enjoys the sense-objects, being the very
embodiment of desirelessness – always satisfied with his own Self,
and himself present at the All.

Sometimes a fool, sometimes a sage, sometimes possessed of regal
splendour; sometimes wandering, sometimes behaving like a motionless
python, sometimes wearing a benignant expression; sometimes honoured,
sometimes insulted, sometimes unknown – thus lives the man of
realisation, ever happy with Supreme Bliss.

Though without riches, yet ever content; though helpless, yet very
powerful, though not enjoying the sense-objects, yet eternally
satisfied; though without an exemplar, yet looking upon all with an
eye of equality.

Though doing, yet inactive; though experiencing fruits of past
actions, yet untouched by them; though possessed of a body, yet
without identification with it; though limited, yet omnipresent is he.

Neither pleasure nor pain, nor good nor evil, ever touches this
knower of Brahman, who always lives without the body-idea.

Pleasure or pain, or good or evil, affects only him who has
connections with the gross body etc., and identifies himself with
these. How can good or evil, or their effects, touch the sage who has
identified himself with the Reality and thereby shattered his bondage?

http://www.swamij.com

Asatoma Sat Gamaya
Tamasoma Jyotir Gamaya
Mrityorma Anritam Gamaya

Lead me from the unreal to the Real
Lead me from the darkness to the Light
Lead me from the temporary to the Eternal

AUDIO:
http://www.swamij.com/loop-lead-me.htm

-------

LINKS included at the Yoga-Meditation Newsletter site:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Yoga-Meditation/links

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

Website HOME Page:
http://www.swamij.com

From: Perennial Psychology of the Bhagavad Gita
By Swami Rama

DISCIPLINE AND ACTION
COMBINED WITH
REASON AND NON-ATTACHMENT

Skilled action is the gift of a disciplined mind, and non-attachment
is the gift of buddhi yoga, the yoga of pure reason.

Skilled and disciplined action and non-attachment are separated here
only to enable one to understand the importance of developing both,
but actually the two qualities go hand in hand.

Disciplined action is definitely superior to inept and harmful
action. This is clear when we examine the fruits of each. Although
disciplined action brings positive results, one is still not free
because those results prompt him to do more actions.

It is not possible through disciplined action alone for one to come
out of the whirlpool created by his actions and the fruits he
receives from those actions. Only when disciplined action is combined
with non-attachment is one free from the bondage of his actions.

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Audio Podcast:
http://www.swamij.com/podcast.htm
http://www.swamij.com/podcast/061007-religion-mysticism-yoga.mp3

CONVERSATION ON RELIGION, MYSTICISM AND YOGA
Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati

This recording is a podcast by Ron Frazer who I have come to know quite
well through an interfaith group in Florida, as well as private
conversations. Ron is of the Bahai faith and asked me if he could have
some of my comments on religion, mysticism and yoga. He also has kindly
allowed me to copy his podcast here for you. I hope you find the
conversation enjoyable and insightful.

http://swamij.com

From web page:
http://www.swamij.com/upanishad-isha-purna.htm

Audio:
http://www.swamij.com/Sounds/purna.mp3

Endless loop audio:
http://www.swamij.com/loop-secret-purna.htm

PURNA: THE FULL, INFINITE, WHOLE, COMPLETE

The Isha Upanishad starts with the famous and insightful verse:

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

There are many translations and commentaries on this verse, each of
which adds a different slant on the vast meaning. In some sense, a
complete explanation of the nature of Reality and the entire wisdom
of the path of Self-Realization is contained in this short summary.
Here are seven translations:

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!

Om.
That is full; this is full.
This fullness has been projected from that fullness.
When this fullness merges in that fullness,
all that remains is fullness.
Om. Peace! Peace! Peace!

Om.
Completeness is that, completeness is this,
from completeness, completeness comes forth.
Completeness from completeness taken away,
completeness to completeness added,
completeness alone remains.
Om. Peace! Peace! Peace!

Om.
Brahman is limitless, infinite number
of universes come out
and go into the infinite Brahman,
Brahman remains unchanged.
Om. Peace! Peace! Peace!

Om.
That is the whole, this is the whole;
from the whole, the whole becomes manifest;
taking away the whole from the whole,
the whole remains.
Om. Peace! Peace! Peace!

Om.
That is the absolute, this is the absolute;
from the absolute, the absolute becomes manifest;
when the absolute is added to or taken away from the absolute,
the absolute remains.
Om. Peace! Peace! Peace!

Om.
That is reality, this is reality;
from the reality, the reality becomes manifest;
adding or subtracting reality from reality,
only reality remains.
Om. Peace! Peace! Peace!

http://swamij.com

Video:
http://swamij.com/videos/dont-have-time-swami-rama.wmv

I DON'T HAVE TIME
Swami Rama

Modern man has a problem.
He always complains about time.
I don't have time.
You don't need so much time.
You have time to go to bathroom for your ablutions.
You have time to eat.
You have time to gossip.
You have time to talk.
You have time to cry, laugh, and do many things.
How come you don't have time to sit in meditation?
It's a dire necessity.

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http://www.swamij.com/twenty-four-gurus.htm

TWENTY FOUR GURUS OF DATTATREYA
From the Srimad Bhagavatam

Once King Yadu saw Lord Dattatreya (Avadhoot) in a forest and
addressed him "Sir, you are indeed quite capable, energetic and wise.
Such as you are, why do you live in the forest, free from all
desires? Even though you have neither kith and kin nor even a family,
how could you be so blissful and self-contented?"

The Avadhoot (one who has shaken off all worldly desires)
replied, "My bliss and contentment are the fruits of self-
realization. I have gained the necessary wisdom from the whole
creation, through 24 Gurus. I shall elaborate the same for you".

Shri Dattatreya had twenty-four teachers from nature "many are my
preceptors," he told King Yadu, "selected by my keen sense, from whom
acquiring wisdom freely, I wander in the world…. The earth,
air/breeze, sky, fire, the sun, pigeon, python, sea, moth, elephant,
ant, fish, Pingala the courtesan, arrow-maker, infant/playful boy,
the moon, honeybee, deer, bird of prey, maiden, serpent, spider,
caterpillar and water are my twenty four preceptors.

1. EARTH: All creatures, in accordance with their previous store of
karma (action) assume different physical forms and live on earth.
People plough, dig and tread the earth. They light fires on it.
Still, the earth does not swerve from its course even by a hair's
breadth. On the other hand, it feeds and houses all creatures. Seeing
this, I learned that the wise one should never swerve from his vow of
patience, love and righteousness under any circumstances and one
should dedicate his life for the welfare of living beings. The earth
along with its mountains and rivers is my first guru.

2. AIR: I observed that air is pure and odorless in itself. And it
blows on both sweet and foul-smelling things without any
discrimination or preference. Though it momentarily seems to take on
the smell of its surroundings, in a short while, it reveals its
pristine quality. From this I learned that a spiritual aspirant
should live in the world, unaffected by the dualities of life like
joy and sorrow and by the objects of the senses. He should keep his
heart's feeling and his speech unpolluted by vain objects. As I have
learned all this by observing it, air is my second guru.

3. SKY: The soul is also like the sky, which is omnipresent. I have
noticed that sometimes the sky (or space) gets thickly overcast, or
filled with dust or smoke. At sunrise and during night, it apparently
takes on different colors. But in fact, it ever retains its colorless
self, and it is never touched or stained by any thing. From this I
learned that a true sage should remain ever pure like the sky or
space, untouched or unaffected by anything in the phenomenal universe
in time, including his own physical processes. His inner being is
totally free from emotional reaction to things and events even like
the space. Thus I accepted the sky or space as my third guru.

4. FIRE: My fourth teacher is the element of fire. Sometimes, it
manifests itself as blazing flames; sometimes as smoldering embers,
covered by ash. But it is always present in all objects as latent
heat. The god of fire accepts the offering of everyone, irrespective
of his moral worth and burns down his sins; and it still remains the
ever-pure divinity as the fire-god; he is untainted by the sins of
such devotees. So too, a sage of perfect realization should accept
food of everyone, burn down his sins and bless the giver. Though fire
has no specific form of its own, when it is associated with fuel that
burns, it assumes such apparent forms. So too, the true Self, though
formless in itself, appears in the forms of deities, human beings,
animals and trees when it is associated with the respective physical
structures. The source of all forms in the universe, as also their
end, remains ever mysterious. All the things are manifest only in
between their origin and their end. Their source and end is the true
Self, which is eternal, unchanging, unmanifest and omnipresent. The
nature of the element of fire is such. The manifest fire transforms
the various things it consumes into the same ash. So too, the wisdom
of self-realization rejects the manifest forms and properties of
things as illusion and realizes their one original essence as itself.
Thus the element of fire is my fourth guru.

5. SUN: My fifth guru is sun. Though the sun we see in our daily life
is one, it appears as many when reflected by water in different
vessels. Similarly, the one real Self manifests itself as many selves
of living creatures when reflected by their physical structures. As
Sun illuminates the many forms in nature to our visions, the sage too
illuminates the true nature of all things to his devotees.

6. PIGEON: I have gained wisdom from a pigeon too. Once a pair of
pigeons lived together on a tree. They bred their young and were
bringing them up with deep affection and love. One day, a hunter
caught the young fledglings in a snare. The ladybird, which returned
from the forest with food for its young ones, saw their plight and,
unable to leave them, she leapt in the snare to share their fate.
Shortly after, the male pigeon turned up and, unable to bear the
separation from its sweetheart, it too jumped in the snare and met
its end. Reflecting on this, I realized how, even after being born as
an intelligent human being, man is caught in the coils of
possessiveness and brings about his own spiritual destruction. The
self, which is originally free, when associated with the body sense,
gets identified with it, and thus gets caught in the endless cycle of
birth, death and misery. Thus the pigeon was my sixth guru.

7. PYTHON: The python is a sluggard, unwilling to move out briskly
for its prey. It lies in its lurch and devours whatever creature it
comes across, be it sufficient to appease its hunger. From this I
learnt that the man in search of wisdom should refrain from running
after pleasures, and accept whatever he gets spontaneously with
contentment. Like the python, he should shake off sleep and
wakefulness and abide in a state of incessant meditation on the Self.
Thus the python was my seventh teacher of wisdom.

8. SEA: Contemplating the marvelous nature of the ocean, I have
gained much wisdom. Any number of overflowing rivers may join it, yet
the sea maintains its level. Nor does its level fall even by a hair's
breadth in summer, when all the rivers dry up. So too, the joys of
life do not elate the sage of wisdom, nor do its sorrows depress him.
Just as the sea never crosses its threshold on the beach, the wise
one never transgresses the highest standards of morality under the
pull of passions. Like the sea, he is unconquerable and cannot be
troubled by anything. Like the unfathomable ocean, his true nature
and the depths of his wisdom cannot be easily comprehended by anyone.
The ocean, which has taught me thus, is my eighth guru.

9. MOTH: I often observed that the moth (or, more precisely, a
grasshopper) is tempted by fire to jump in it and get burnt down. So
too, the unthinking man is enticed by the illusory pleasures of the
senses and thus gets caught in the ceaseless cycles of birth and
death. On the other hand, the wise one, when he catches even a
glimpse of the fire of wisdom, leaves everything aside, leaps in it
and burns down the illusion of being a limited self. Thus the moth
was my ninth guru.

10. ELEPHANT: The elephant was my tenth guru. The human beings raise
a stuffed cow-elephant in the forest. The wild tusker mistakes it for
a mate, approaches it and then skillfully bound in fetters by the
cunning human beings. So too, the unregenerate man is tempted by the
opposite sex and gets bound by the fetters of infatuation. The
seekers after liberation should learn to be free from lust. The
elephant was thus one of my teachers.

11. ANT: The ant stores up lots of food materials which it neither
eats nor gives away in charity to any other creature. In consequence,
other more powerful creatures are tempted to plunder the ants. So
too, the man who lays by treasures of merely material things becomes
a victim of robbery and murder. But the ant has something positive to
teach us, too. It is a tireless worker and is never discouraged by
any number of obstacles and setbacks in its efforts to gather its
treasure. So too, a seeker after wisdom should be tireless in his
efforts for Self-Realization. This noble truth has the little ant
taught me and became my eleventh guru.

12. FISH: The fish greedily swallows bait and is at once caught by
the angle-hook. From this, I realized how man meets his destruction
by his craving for delicious food. When the palate is conquered, all
else is conquered. Besides, there is a positive feature in the fish.
It never leaves its home, i.e. water. So too, man should never loose
sight of his true Self, but should ever have his being in it. Thus
the fish became my twelfth guru.

13. PINGALA: The thirteenth guru that has awakened my spirit is a
prostitute named Pingala. One day, she eagerly awaited a particular
client in the hope that he would pay her amply. She waited and waited
till late in the night. When he did not turn up, she was at last
disillusioned and reflected thus: "Alas! How stupid I am! Neglecting
the divine spirit within, who is of the nature of bliss eternal, I
foolishly awaited a debauchee (sensualist) who inspires my lust and
greed. Henceforth, I shall expend myself on the Self, unite with Him
and win eternal joy. Through such repentance, she attained
blessedness. Besides, reflecting on its obvious purport, I also
realized that a spiritual aspirant should likewise reject the lure of
lesser spiritual powers, which are mere by-products of sadhana
(spiritual practice). I learned that the temptation to secure things
from other's hands are the seeds of misery; that renunciation of
these is the sole means of realizing infinite joy.

14. ARROW-MAKER: Once I observed an arrow-maker who was totally
absorbed in molding a sharp arrow. He grew so oblivious of all else
that he did not even notice a royal pageant that passed by. This
sight awakened me to the truth that such single-minded, all-absorbing
contemplation of the Self spontaneously eliminates all temptation for
the trivial interests of the world. It is the sole secret of success
in spiritual discipline. Thus the arrow-maker is my fourteenth guru.

15. PLAYFUL BOY: Little boys and girls know neither honor nor
dishonor. They do not nurse a grudge or a prejudice against anyone.
They do not know what is their own, or what belongs to others. Their
happiness springs from their own selves, their innate creativity and
they do not need any external objects or conditions to be happy. I
realized that the sage of perfect enlightenment is also such. A
playful boy thus happened to be my fifteenth guru.

16. MOON: Of all things in nature, the moon is unique. It appears to
wax and wane during the bright and dark fortnights. In fact, the
lunar globe ever remains the same. In this, it is like the self of
the man. While a man appears to pass through the stages of infancy,
boyhood, youth, maturity and old age, his real self remains
unchanged. All changes pertain only to body and not to the self.
Again, the moon only reflects the light of the sun, but has no such
of its own. So too, the soul or mind of man is only a reflection of
the light of awareness of the real Self. Having taught this truth,
the moon became my sixteenth guru.

17. HONEYBEE: Honeybee wanders from flower to flower and, without
hurting them in the least, draws honey. So too, a spiritual seeker
should study all the Holy Scriptures but retain in his heart, only
that which is essential for his spiritual practice. Such is the teaching I
imbibed from my seventeenth guru, the honeybee.

18. DEER: It is said that deers are very fond of music and that
poachers employ it to lure them before hunting them. From this, I
learned that passions and sensual desires will soon bog down a
spiritual aspirant who has a weakness for merely secular music, till
he ultimately loses whatever spiritual progress he has achieved
earlier. The deer that taught me this truth is my eighteenth guru.

19. BIRD OF PREY: A bird of prey is my nineteenth guru. One day, I
saw one such carrying away a dead rat. Many other birds like crows
and eagles attacked it, now kicking on its head and again pecking on
its sides in their endeavor to knock off the prey. The poor bird was
thus very much pestered. At last, it wisely let its prey fall and all
the other birds rushed after it. Thus freeing itself from so much
botheration, it sighed in relief. From this, I learned that a man who
runs after worldly pleasures will soon come into clash with his
fellow-beings who too run for the same, and has to face much strife
and antagonism. If he learns to conquer his craving for worldly
things, he can spare himself much unhappiness. I realized that this
is the only way to the peace in the world.

20. MAIDEN: Once, I observed a family visit a maiden's house, seeking
her hand in marriage for their son. At that time, her mother was away
from home. So the maiden herself had to entertain the guests with
refreshments. She at once started pounding food-grains with a pestle.
The bangles on her hand started knocking against each other, pounding
sound. She was afraid that the guests might hear the sound and be
unhappy for having caused her so much of trouble. As a Hindu maiden,
she is not expected to remove all the bangles on her hand at any
time. So she kept two on each hand and removed all the rest. Even
then, they were knocking against each other and were making noise. So
she kept only one bangle on each hand this time and she could finish
her task in quiet. Reflecting on this, I realized that when a number
of spiritual seekers live together, a lot of unwanted gossip ensues
and no spiritual practice can be pursued with a single-minded effort.
Only in solitude, a spiritual aspirant can carry his task. Knowing
this truth, I henceforth resorted to solitude. Thus, a maiden
happened to be my twentieth guru.

21. SERPENT: I observed that a serpent never builds a dwelling for
itself. When white ants have raised an anthill for themselves, the
serpent eventually come to inhabit it. Similarly, worldly people have
to endure many hardships in raising houses for themselves, while a
recluse monk does no such thing. Worldly men raise the monasteries
and the monk lives in them; or, he leaves in old dilapidated temples,
or underneath shady trees. The serpent moults, leaving off its old
skin. So too at the end of his life Yogi leaves his body deliberately
and in full awareness of his own true self and is not frightened by
the phenomenon of death. On the other hand, he casts off his old body
as happily as he does his worn out clothes and dons new ones. Thus
has my twenty first guru taught me.

22. SPIDER: The spider is my twenty second guru. It weaves its web
from the thread in the form of a fluid. After sometime, it gathers up
the web into itself. The supreme projects the whole creation out of
itself and after sometime, withdraws it into itself at the time of
dissolution. The individual soul too, bears the senses and the mind
within itself and, at its birth as a human being or any other living
creature, it projects them out as the sense organs, organs of action
and the whole body. In accordance with its latent tendencies, the
creature thus born, gathers up all the means and objects needed for
its living. At the end of its life's duration, the soul again
withdraws the senses, mind and acquired tendencies at the hour of
death. Thus have I learned from the spider.

23. CATERPILLAR: The caterpillar is also one of my teachers of
wisdom. The wasp carries its caterpillar to a safe corner and closes
it up in its nest and goes on buzzing about it. The young caterpillar
is so frightened by the incessant buzzing, that it cannot think of
anything else than the buzzing wasp. Through such unintermittent
contemplation of its mother, the caterpillar too, soon grows up into
a wasp! In a like fashion, a true disciple is so charmed and over-
awed by the spiritual eminence of his own guru that he cannot think of
any one other than him. Through such contemplation, he soon blossoms
into a great spiritual master himself. The caterpillar is thus my
twenty third Guru.

24. WATER: Water is my twenty fourth Guru. It quenches the thirst of
every creature, sustains innumerable trees and all creatures. While
it thus serves all living beings, it is never proud of itself. On the
other hand, it humbly seeks the lowliest of places. The sage too
should likewise bestow health, peace and joy to every creature that
resorts to him. Yet he should ever live as the humblest of God's
creation.

With such humility and devotion, I looked upon the whole of God's
creation as my teacher, gathered up wisdom and, through patient
effort I realized my goal of spiritual enlightenment.

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

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YOGA SUTRAS OUTLINE
CHAPTER 3 OF 4
PROGRESSING, VIBHUTI PADA
http://www.swamij.com/yoga-sutras-ch3.htm

DHARANA, DHYANA, SAMADHI, #6, #7, #8 OF 8 RUNGS
http://www.swamij.com/yoga-sutras-30103.htm
1: Dharana or concentration is #6
2: Dhyana or meditation, #7, comes from repeated concentration
3: Samadhi, #8, comes from deep absorption

SAMYAMA IS THE FINER TOOL
http://www.swamij.com/yoga-sutras-30406.htm
4: Dharana, dhyana, and samadhi together are Samyama
5: Mastery of Samyama brings the light of knowledge
6: Apply Samyama to finer planes, states, or stages

INTERNAL IS SEEN TO BE EXTERNAL
http://www.swamij.com/yoga-sutras-30708.htm
7: These 3 rungs: are more intimate and internal than the first 5
8: Even these 3 are external compared to seedless Samadhi

WITNESSING SUBTLE TRANSITIONS
http://www.swamij.com/yoga-sutras-30916.htm
9-16: Samyama is done on 3 extremely subtle thought transitions

EXPERIENCES FROM SAMYAMA
http://www.swamij.com/yoga-sutras-31737.htm
17: Three aspects of an object
18: Samyama on samskaras
19-20: On ideas from others
21-22: On physical form and senses
23: On karma foretells death
24-25: On attitudes and strength
26-35: On inner subtleties
36-37: On pure consciousness

WHAT TO DO WITH EXPERIENCES
http://www.swamij.com/yoga-sutras-338.htm
38: They are both attainments and obstacles

MORE FROM SAMYAMA
http://www.swamij.com/yoga-sutras-33949.htm
39: Passage to another body
40-41: Samyama on pranas
42-43: On space, hearing, and body
44: On thought projections
45-47: On the five elements
48-49: On senses and actions

RENUNCIATION AND LIBERATION
http://www.swamij.com/yoga-sutras-35052.htm
50: Discernment of Buddhi and Purusha brings mastery over all
51: Non-attachment to forms and omniscience destroys seeds
52: Decline invitations of celestials

HIGHER DISCRIMINATION
http://www.swamij.com/yoga-sutras-35356.htm
53: Moments and succession
54: Discriminating similar objects
55: Higher knowledge is intuitive and born from discrimination
56: Equality between Buddhi and Purusha brings liberation

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From: Conscious Living

THE EASIER OF TWO WAYS OF FINDING UNITY IN DIVERSITY
Swami Rama

On the temple of Delphi it is written, "Know thyself." How can you
know the self? There are two diverse approaches. Western philosophy
says go from the gross to the grosser and then to the grossest aspect
of life. That is the Western approach. The Eastern approach is to go
from the gross to the subtle and then to the subtlest aspect of life.

Both are searching for unity in diversity. There is no difference.
However, it is easier to go within. Because if you go within, there
is no chance of getting lost. If you go outside, you may get lost.
You may become a victim of worldly charms and temptations. Therefore,
the simple way is to learn to sit still and go within. You don't have
to call it meditation, you can give it any other name.

Man has made many experiments on mind, matter and energy. These
experiments have been made because man wants to attain another level
of consciousness, a higher civilization. He is not attaining it
because there is so much disparity. Those who have attained look like
fools in the world and those who have not attained look like they
have attained.

If we really want to attain the next step of civilization, a higher
civilization, then we should learn to look within, find within, and
be within. This exploration is missing. I do not say that there is
nothing outside, no, no, no.

So far, do you think that the knowledge you have received in the
external world, is called right knowledge? This knowledge, received
through your sense perception, and by your conceptualization and
analysis is limited. This knowledge is important only for dealing
with the external world, the world of objects.

There is another library within you called the infinite library from
where you receive knowledge. That knowledge does not need
verification. You will never need to ask your spouse, friend, boss or
anybody, "Am I right?" Because you know it and know that you know it.
And there is no conflict, and you don't need any evidence. That state
of mind seems to be the very state of contentment, it brings and
gives you great contentment. Therefore you should learn to meditate.

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