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I would very strongly recommend everyone read the science of religion written by Yogananda ! It has taken the logic of Raj yoga to the highest – making it by clear why yoga is needed for all aspects related to God. This includes Bhakti or love for God, Gyan or wisdom ( the aspect of experience of God) and true chanting !
In reality, things mentioned in Yoga are not easily palatable or acceptable. Let’s face it! No MRI, PET or CT has even shown an iota of data for any chakra. Yes, people do refer plexus as chakra. However, in terms of Yoga they have described a chakra as a lotus or petal with many dieties present and mula panch maha bhoot. In addition, Yogananda has described ( in God talks with Arjuna ) different sounds and different unbelievable abilities! Patanjali has described many other siddhis – or accomplishments also
So what people do is make a compromise. They try to use logic and say the siddhis are not true or say I don’t want siddhis ( saying that makes them feel good) and that’s why I don’t have any etc. However when you are established in Atman, siddhis come whether you like it or not. They come in small steps.
Why is there a divide , a gap between what science knows and what a Yogi says? And why are such yogis rare? The yogi deals directly with consciousness and uses the material body effectively to navigate to God. Very few are aware of what consciousness is. For that you need a Guru. It is a practical experience not imagination.
A Successful yogi is very determined to go within. He won’t be satisfied by pseudo logic! Yogananda in chapter 1 verse 31 quotes the following
“This is one of man’s favorite ploys, mastered early in childhood: “If I have to eat my carrots before I can have ice cream, then I don’t want ice cream either!” The plan is that this will be applauded as a great sacrifice worthy, at least, of pity; and better still, of favorable compromise. The wise parent doesn’t give in to the willful child; the wise cosmic law is passively unmoved by the devotee’s “heroic” display of negative renunciation.”
Excerpt From
God Talks with Arjuna: The Bhagavad Gita
Paramahansa Yogananda
https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewBook?id=1446639182
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This is where – in am almost depressive stage a person says he does not want anything ! He hides or suppresses his attachment to the world and is unwilling to give up pleasure of the world.
I can’t stress how rare such yogi are. Often times they go into seclusion. A few stay in the middle of the world but their yogic greatness remains hidden to the friend and relatives
To find a Guru or to have the Guru reveal himself Is not an easy task. Even when they reveal it is very partial. I know how much I struggled. It took a decade! But finally he revealed a fragment of his greatness!
Ramkrishna paramhansa said – if you can pray to God incessantly for 24 hours he has to reveal or give some proof of God existence. For me often times it took a week or more of constant prayer to Gurudev, Kashinath dada to reveal themselves. When I say a week, it was a week of non stop even during sleep. Those were very difficult times for me. Now there are some tricks that one uses during that time
Often times we are lost in life! We don’t know the right decision. What is best for us? We can use logic or make conclusions based on visible information. However, in the long run there are many invisible factors that come into play. Things that we cannot imagine. We also don’t know our past karma and the effects of it! I once made a decision of buying into a surgery center and for a while it was good. Seemed a very logical decision. However towards the end I lost all 300,000 dollars.
Such is the effect of karma. I once moved to the Midwest ! My salary was double. It seemed like a perfect decision – but the person who employed me hated me in his past birth! I left the job in 11 months.
So I learnt – logic is an aid not a solution! It is better to connect with God or Gurudev first and then make a decision. A living Guru is an incredible gift – in an instant he knows what is best ! He won’t tell you though. After all it is your karma. But once you can break the barrier his Grace can fully descend on you!
My friends, when you go within the first thing that happens is the barrier of knowing events in future and past karma dwindles. This is the first sign. Then you will stop using logic ! I remember when I went to the hospital to make rounds, my patients would be scattered all over. If I followed my intuition, I would find my rounds were smooth , the patients at the bed. Using logic if I went to the floors many of my patients would be in x ray, physical therapy etc and I had to go back again later
Now this intuition is not easy. Very deceptive. Often times we have a random thought and think the random thought is intuition. But that is not true. In order to develop intuition, there is a technique. A series of steps to be followed. These things occur so we can develop unwavering faith in Yoga and Guru and God !
Thus the entire process is very scientific but not in terms of science but in terms of consciousness
It is only the soul that can communicate with God directly not the thoughts…
Thoughts are disorganized and thoughts have a mental impression or fantasy about how God is or maybe
and we take our thoughts to be very accurate.
and that is where all religions and sects in Christianity fight They have a certain logical or intellectual concept of God
Even a slight experience or vision of God creates an immediate intellectual concept of God and the vision is lost. We live in our concept and keep saying again and again I am righ because i experienced this but still it is an intellectual concept based on a very slight expereince
Thus there are fights.
So the first step is to silence the intellect completely and then what remains is the pure spirit or soul.
which can commune with God but as a child we cannot even comprehend how can the soul commune with God without the intellect.
It is like a fish asking humans how can human beings survive without being in water all the time.
Every soul is unique and has something wonderfully special to offer to God. Forego all thoughts, forego all intelligence and let the uniqueness of the soul shine forth!
So one should meditate, learn to silence the mind. Like Vivekananda said, Arise, Awake and Stop not till thy goal is reached! Or in the words of mother, Hasten slowly! Or in the Bible, the harvest is plenty the laborers are few. The labor being silencing the mind, impulses, fantasies, intellect etc.
In this Yuga , whether it is Kali or dwapar every household is unhappy
With constant fights or anguish amongst spouses or in laws or parents children
Moreover, there are financial problems and work anguish
So where will you go for peace ? Who will you run to ?
A religious organization? They are often worse than any of the above. Look at the problems they have had in Swadhayay , or the fights in other entities to become number one ! And for what ?power ? Money ? Sex? Fame ?
Oh foolish person – go above it all. Seek permanent peace anchored in God
Unless you connect with God, you can’t even understand peace. The joy !
If your mind does not crave God, you are yet to connect with him
Yogashikupanishad and chandogya Upanishad both have described 5 types of Agni
Anyone can translate it and give the interpretation of the five types of fire.
However the stupid materialistic people can only give an explanation based on the material types of Fire – like fire in wood , fire in atom, etc
But, for a yogi , a real yogi , the fires having nothing to do with material world
The upanishads, using very subtle puns, gave a divine interpretation To understand this full mastery over Sanskrit is needed. Right now there is NO ONE who can go into the very subtle aspects of Sanskrit who can lead people and give correct meaning
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Once a year I say a little
Open my mouth, am so smitten
Hope it helps even so slight
Let the world go into light
The Rubaiyat of Jalal Al-Din Rumi
Select translations into English Verse’ by A.J. Arberry, 1949.
Rumi was a 13th century Sufi
There is a story when Rumi was young boy he was following his father going to another village
A divine person saw This and laughed
He said. A sea is followed by an ocean
Meaning that Rumi has infinite wisdom even as a boy
Here is one of his poem
The heavenly rider passed;
The dust rose in the air;
He sped; but the dust he cast
Yet hangeth there.
Straight forward thy vision be,
And gaze not left or right;
His dust is here, and he
In the Infinite.
Interpretation
Heavenly rider – journey of soul
Dust rose in the air – ignorance or maya that blinds us leading us unsure where we head in life or life goal
He sped – life passes fast
Dust he cast – death eventually
Dust remained – the foolish ways of the world continues
What to do?
He guides
Look straight – the right way to see the world
Not left or right – don’t look for good or evil, pleasure or pain, right or wrong, ( like witness not interacting)
Dust is here – the ignorant ways of the world is here
He in the infinite – the person who no longer interacts – is in infinite. Or god is infinite or Akshar not tainted by maya or ignorance
Devotee: Buddha is said to have ignored such enquiries about God.
Bhagwan Sri Ramana Maharshi: And, for this he was called a sunya vadin (nihilist). In fact Buddha concerned himself more with directing the seeker to realise Bliss here and now than with academic discussions about God etc.
D: God is described as manifest and unmanifest. As the former He is said to include the world as a part of His Being. If that is so, we as part of that world should have easily known Him in the manifested form.
Sri Bhagwan: Know yourself before you seek to decide about the nature of God and the world.
D: Does knowing myself imply knowing God?
Sri Bhagwan: Yes, God is within you.
D: Then, what stands in the way of my knowing myself or God?
Sri Bhagwan: Your wandering mind and perverted ways.
D: I am a weak creature. But why does not the superior power of the Lord within remove the obstacles?
Sri Bhagwan: Yes, He will, if you have the aspiration.
D: Why should He not create the aspiration in me?
Sri Bhagwan: Then surrender yourself.
D: If I surrender myself, is no prayer to God necessary?
Sri Bhagwan: Surrender itself is a mighty prayer.
D: But is it not necessary to understand His nature before one surrenders oneself?
Sri Bhagwan: If you believe that God will do for you all the things you want Him to do, then surrender yourself to Him. Otherwise let God alone and know yourself.
D: Has God or the Guru any solicitude for me?
Sri Bhagwan: If you seek either — they are not really two but one and identical — rest assured that they are seeking you with a solicitude greater than you can ever
imagine.
Maharshi’s Gospel
Be careful of the word sunya. It is not nothingness like what traditional people think
These verses were composed by Shankaracharya Maharaj
There is a story that Lord Shankar talked about the illusory nature of the world.
Now the word , the world is an illusion is grossly misunderstood. Yes we can say it is an illusion when you no longer have a body. But while you have a body and all your karma has not been dealt with, you will have to suffer the consequences.
So Lord Shankar when he talked about the illusionary nature of the world, Annapurna, the other name of Paravati , was not very pleased. She said, no more food for anyone on the world. (Anna – generally is thought to mean food). Well as you can imagine, the consequences in the world were not very good. Although the followers of advaita were committed to it, not all could convert material existence to food. There was an issue, so finally Shankar Bhagwan went to Varanasi where food was still available. There he saw a place which was freely giving food in abundance to everyone. Lo and Behold, the place was run by Goddess Annapurna
There are not many more stories on Goddess Annapurna. If you want to know more about her, you should read the shlokas written by Shankaracharya Maharaj on her
https://greenmesg.org/stotras/annapoorna/annapoorna_stotram.php
A word of caution – Goddess Annapurna is the original Goddess and the word Anna does not relate to food. It relates to all the bodies the soul is encassed in. It is she, who supplies us with the bodies, as our soul constantly has desires of the three worlds. She is the Goddess who can liberate us also from all the demands, we so foolishly impose on her. I suspect merely listening to the shloka for those in the right frame of mind, she instantly gives freedom. Those who have not read the original shlokas will be deceived by the translation and meaning. In the original verse, there is a description of the highest state of Yoga
Aum Shiv Parvati Namah, Aum Shankracharyaya nama
So while all the so called knowledgeable learned people are in public “teaching and helping”others those who are perfected are those who truly help but do it so differently that it eludes most people
Talking and preaching helps no one. Even though you may know what it is to be achieved our slavery to the mind prevents us from reaching it
What needs to be learnt is how to escape from the slavery.
A perfected person is so deep in meditation he is incapable of seeing anything but the Divine. In that depth he can help anyone perfectly in a fraction of a second. Like Jesal and Toral. Why would he leave that infinite bliss to “help” ? He simply does not. So teaching. No lectures. Nothing.
But he patently waits for someone ready ! And waits for decades for one person to approach him and ask for that Divine bliss ! He simply gives it easier than giving a penny and walks away.
Like Babaji gave to Shyam Charan Lahiri. Just one meeting. And it was done. No lectures. Nothing
And that is a Guru. And that is a disciple.
Rest of the world – a royal tragedy.
In spite of me saying this repeatedly, your mind – from slavery to wrong concepts – will go back to trying to understand, listening to words of wisdom, dissection of scriptures and understanding holy books . Sad. Why not just go for experience? Why think you crave experience when deep down you want to tell others about it? That is like saying I want to experience God as infinite but God is not everywhere! Foolish isn’t it?
The great saints repeatedly say – that thing is amazing. Worth achieving! No takers though
And that is the goal of yoga
This is not really death
But totally forgetting the body consciousness and to soar in the skies of freedom as pure consciousness
Some may consider that as an end point. But for a true yogi it is only the starting point
This is what Yogananda said
Why not learn how to”die daily”.
“”””””””‘””””””””””””””””””””””””””‘””””””””
Whether a man is born in India or in America,he someday has to die. Why not learn how to”die daily”in God, like St.Paul ?Yoga teaches the method. Man lives in body as a prisoner; when his tearm is over, he suffers the indignity of being thrown out. Love the body is there for nothing more than love of jail. Long accustomed to living in the body,we have forgotten what real freedom means. Being a Westerner is no excuse for not seeking freedom. It is vital to every man that he discover his soul and know his immortal nature. Yoga shaws the way…
Sri Sri Paramahansa Yogananda.
Man’s Eternal Quest… Page–17
Here is an interesting forward
https://www.quora.com/Who-is-Lord-Shiva/answer/अहम-जोगी-Aham-Jogi?ch=3&share=9c6864a4&srid=8hzMM
You can choose to read it
Or not read it
If you read it you can choose to believe it
Or not believe it
If you believe it you can choose to call him a Guru or say interesting
I did not read it. Just glanced at it
I laughed. The person has not even started and thinks he has reached perfection
This is the trouble with people. Every step of the way they think they have reached the highest.
Some of the experiences he described are the baby steps described by Yogendra vigyani !
Your choice
Bhavin
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