Yoga Sutra of Maharshi Patanjali

Chapter 1.47:  In the clear experience of nirvicara samadhi dawns the splendor of spirituality.

Nirvicara samadhi: the simplest form of awareness; the state of consciousness when the activity of the mind has come to complete rest and only wakefulness remains; pure consciousness.

Audio Interview with Joan Harrigan

My understanding of spiritual development changed significantly after consulting with Patanjali Kundalini Yoga Care.  This very small centre comprises Swami Chandrasekharanand Saraswati, who lives in India, and his successor Joan Harrigan who lives in Knoxville, Tennessee.

For a very good introduction to PKYC, listen to this interesting radio interview with Joan.

Swami-ji is the current holder of the Kundalini Vidya lineage which has very specific knowledge for helping seekers on their path to enlightenment. Kundalini Vidya is the ancient wisdom of India and is the science of enlightenment. It is a fountain of knowledge for thirsty seekers.

Kundalini Shakti is Mother Divine, the Holy Spirit.  It is a mistake to dismiss Her as being dangerous. The Holy Spirit is not dangerous.

PKYC helps people where they are at – it is not a one-size-fits-all approach. All advice and techniques are given according to your personal, specific needs.  Whether you are Hindu, Jewish, Sufi, Taoist or without a tradition PKYC respects this and helps you along.

I have come to realise that enlightenment is a physical process.  This will sound ridiculous to some, but when a person will get enlightened, how to assist the process and why good or bad results from meditation are occurring are mysteries written in the functioning of the subtle bodies.

Frequently I meet people who do not believe that enlightenment is a physical process and I ask them when, how or why, then they usually shrug their shoulders.

The science of Kundalini Vidya answers many questions – about blockages, difficulties, special abilities, and the purpose behind clean living, development of character and spiritual practices.

People get enlightened in different ways – ie Kundalini Shakti can choose from a number of different routes to get to the goal.  For example, Ramana Maharshi talked about the heart being on the right side of the chest.  Nisargadatta said he never had any experience of this.  This is because Sri Ramana had a Hrit Process (Heart Process) while Nisargadatta had a different process.   Same goal, different path.

Knowledge About Enlightenment

From a newsletter by Joan Harrigan at Patanjali Kundalini Yoga Care.

“Nonetheless, we will expand the descriptions of advanced process in the book, and I can say a few things here, if only to define the terms we use to talk about Upper and Advanced process, which happen after Makara and after Bindu. Here is a brief overview:

Enlightenment. When lower mind (manas) becomes sattvic enough, having purged a lot of the impressions (vasanas) from past lives, it is calm, still, and clear, and we can more easily catch the gap between thoughts. Then the lower mind does not disturb or shade the higher mind (Buddhi). With the mind stuff so reduced, Buddhi no longer reflects the Light of Pure Consciousness off itself but is able at last to receive and absorb it. When the higher mind can receive the Light, it can be said to be enlightened.

Self-realization. The state of enlightenment expands, and as the mind becomes less and less, Light awareness becomes more and more. Then one realizes (knows, experiences) that one is the Self, the One, and not any phenomenal manifestation, however subtle it may be. This is Self-realization.

Pinnacle. When Shakti, who has absorbed all her subtle instruments, merges into Bindu, there is only One. This first total union is called Pinnacle. Reaching it is a once only experience, like the release from Muladhara and getting to Makara. Either you’ve done it or you haven’t. It is preceded by the “Little Death.”

Plateau. Once Shakti has reached Bindu, she goes back to a residing place of her choice, but she wants to return to Oneness often and extend her stay. So she clears her way there by repeated visits, making her commute easier and faster and her stay longer. This is Plateau. Here, the subtle remnants of past life impressions are erased. “Deathless Death” is repeated here and expands.

Omega. When Shakti is at last able to stay in Oneness, Turiya, while also being aware in waking, dreaming, and deep sleep states whether inwardly or outwardly engaged, this is Omega, the end of process. Then one is a Jivan Mukta. By then, even this great experience seems perfectly natural and perhaps even rather unremarkable. There is simply a deep abiding peace, a constant awareness or presence, and an ever-expanding consciousness. All states are experienced at once along with Oneness. It cannot be described.”

Quote from Carl Jung

Carl Jung said after a visit to India in 1938:

It is quite possible that India is the real world, and that the white man lives in a madhouse of abstractions. Life in India has not yet withdrawn into the capsule of the head. It is still the whole body that lives. No wonder the European feels dreamlike; the complete life of India is something of which he merely dreams. When you walk with naked feet, how can you ever forget the earth?

Trust in God, but tie up your camel

One day a man ran up to the Islamic Prophet Muhammad and said “O Prophet, I’m a good Muslim. I do everything required of me by God and then some.” The prophet praised the man for his fastidiousness and piety.

The man continued, “Well, O Prophet, I do all this and I trust fully in God. When I went to the market today, I recited a prayer and asked God to please look after my camel while I shopped. I left the camel there and went to shop. When I returned, the camel was gone! Why didn’t God keep my camel safe?”

The Prophet chuckled and replied “Brother, it is good that you trust in God… but always tie up your camel!”

Just Listen: Discover the Secret to Getting Through to Absolutely Anyone

Dr. Mark Goulston’s book Just Listen: Discover the Secret to Getting Through to Absolutely Anyone brings a unique blend of expertise to this subject. He has been a UCLA professor of psychiatry for more than 25 years, an executive coach, and has trained FBI and police hostage negotiators.

Seems like the perfect qualifications to show us how to get through to absolutely anyone.

Summary of Paths to Enlightenment

Using the language of astrology, Edward Tarabilda outlines the different approaches to enlightenment. The spiritual indicator according to my horoscope is the Sun, but due to the close proximity of Saturn to my Moon I also highly value the qualities of Saturn.

Hatha Yoga: Saturn: Absolute silence and simplicity
Raja Yoga: Venus: Infinite peace and bliss
Karma Yoga: Jupiter: Absolute adoration and gratitude
Jnana Yoga: Mercury: Absolute detachment and truth
Laya Yoga: Mars: Infinite courage and power
Bhakti Yoga: Moon: Infinite personal love and compassion
Surya Yoga: Sun: Absolute unity and wholeness
Tantra: Nodes: All of the above, flowing with desire rather than restraining it, and being very independent from outer authority

Baba Rampuri

Rampuri is an American who went to India in the 1970s and became a genuine traditional yogi. His book Baba – Autobiography of a Blue-Eyed Yogi is really, really good.

Here is a picture of his guru, the redoubtable Hari Puri Baba:

From Deepak Chopra

A young, clever doctor wrote to Deepak and explained his lack of fulfilment and confusion. Deepak replies:

Your discovery that happiness and fulfillment does not lie in external accomplishments and abilities reminds me of Siddhartha Gautama’s story 2500 years ago. He also explored the conflict between different aspect of the psyche and the concept of happiness through non-conventional relationships with the opposite sex. None of these pursuits brought him the lasting happiness he was looking for.

Ultimately it was only enlightenment, the discovery of his true self that led to fulfillment and peace. What does that involve? First, knowing what your goal is and not wavering from it. Second, meditating so that you can go inward to meet yourself. Third, daily patience and forgiveness.

This last point is more important than it sounds. It means finding a way to be gentle and easy with yourself even though you don’t have the answers to your burning questions yet. It’s tempting to believe that you really can’t move ahead until all your questions are explained to your satisfaction, yet in fact it is those questions themselves that are inwardly leading you to a real experience of your true nature.

Rilke said this best in his advice to a young poet:

“Have patience with everything that remains unsolved in your heart. Try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books written in a foreign language. Do not now look for the answers. They cannot now be given to you because you could not live them. It is a question of experiencing everything. At present you need to live the question. Perhaps you will gradually, without even noticing it, find yourself experiencing the answer, some distant day. “

Love,
Deepak

How to be Judgmental

Last night at dinner the topic of judging people came up. Since I often hear the word used with little consideration, I thought I’d blog about it.

Every now and again I get told off for saying something wrong. I’ll say something like, “That lady’s breath smells bad.” And I’ll be slapped with, “Don’t be so judgmental!”

It always takes me by surprise, because in my mind I’m not being judgmental at all – I’m just stating a fact. I don’t hate the lady or harbour any negative emotion towards her, but it’s assumed that I must be hating on her.

The negative kind of judgment – in which we criticize other people in a personal way – is usually a reaction to our disowned parts. What we dislike in others is what we dislike about ourselves. Often the disowned part is not obvious to ourselves.

For more about disowned selves, see here and here.