SAHAJA YOGA
Patrick Thompson (scoter@netcom.com) 27 Sep 1994 posted:
AN UNIQUE DICOVERY
by Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi
Man in his search of joy and happiness is running away from his Self,
which is the real source of joy. He finds himself very ugly and boring
because he doesn't know his Self. A human being seeks joy in money or
possessions, in power or humanlimited love, and ultimately in religion
that is also outside. The problem is how to turn one's attention
inward.
The inner being, which is our awareness, is an energy. I call it the
energy of Divine Love. All evolution and the manifestation of material
energy is guided by the supreme energy of Divine Love. We do not know
how powerful and thoughtful this unknown energy is. The silent working
of awareness is so automatic, minute, dynamic, and precious that we
take it for granted. After Self-realization, this energy appears to us
as silent throbbing vibrations flowing through our being. But we have
been unable to achieve Self-realization because we cannot fix our
attention on something that lacks form (abstract Being). Instead, our
attention wanders outside on forms.
Now there is a method to tap the Divine power-Sahaja Yoga.
At the very outset, I have to say that the working of Sahaja Yoga is
very simple, although the operation within is quite complex. For
example, if you want to watch television, it is very easy. But to
explain the engineering technique of a television set is very
difficult and the explanation is complicated. To learn about a
television you also need a qualified engineer who understands it and
who can explain its working.
I will try to explain Sahaja Yoga in the simplest way, but please note
that it is really complicated if you want to know it in detail. The
best way to enjoy television is first to switch it on and watch. Then
later you can try to understand its engineering.
As a mother I would say that I have done the cooking for you. Why
should you worry about how it is done? If you are hungry you should
start eating. If you are not actually hungry, but only inquisitive,
what can I do? I can neither force you to eat nor make you hungry with
discussions or lecturing. I leave it to your wisdom and to your
freedom to feel that longing.
SOME BACKGROUND ON SAHAJA YOGA
The word "Sahaja" (Saha + ja) means born with you or inborn. Whatever
is inborn manifests without any effort. Hence Sahaja Yoga is the name
given to my system, which is effortless, easy, and spontaneous. It is
a part of Nature, you may call it life's source-the vitality of the
Divine.
To understand life, consider the case of something that is living: a
germinating seed. The seed grows by itself into a tree, blooms into
flowers, and then the flowers become fruit. Any human effort cannot
change the process of growth from a seed into a tree. The gardener can
only look after the growth of the tree. In the same way, the process
of the growth of our consciousness, to further evolution, takes place
effortlessly.
When a fetus is between two and three months old, in the mother's
womb, a column of rays of consciousness, emitted through the
all-pervading Divine Love, pass through the developing brain to
enlighten it.
The shape of the human brain is prism-like. So, the column of rays
falling on it gets refracted into four diverse channels corresponding
to the four aspects of the nervous system.
These are:
1. Parasympathetic nervous system
2. Sympathetic nervous system (right)
3. Sympathetic nervous system (left)
4. Central nervous System (This need not be discussed as it is the
link with objectivity).
The set of rays that fall on the fontanelle bone (apex of the head
known as Taloo) pierce in the center and pass straight into the
medulla oblongata through a channel (Sushumna). This energy, after
leaving a very thread-like, thin line in the medulla oblongata,
settles down in three and a half coils in the triangular bone at the
base of the spinal cord (Mooladhar). This coiled energy is known as
[2]Kundalini.
The subtle energy enters through the center of the brain (Sahasrar
Brahmarandhra) and precipitates six more centers on its way down. The
gross manifestation of this subtle energy, in the Sushumna channel of
the spinal cord, is termed the Parasympathetic nervous system. The
centers of chakras are expressed as plexuses outside the spinal cord.
Surprisingly, we have the same number of plexuses and subplexuses
outside, as the number of chakras and their petals inside, the spinal
cord.
Medical science knows very little about this system. Science calls it
the autonomous nervous system, meaning the system that works
spontaneously-on its own. For example, if we want to increase the rate
of our heartbeat, we can do so by exerting ourselves (activity of the
sympathetic nervous system). But we cannot directly reduce the heart
(activity of the parasympathetic nervous system). The parasympathetic
nervous system is a system that is like a petrol pump through which
the petrol of Divine Love fills us. But when a human child is born and
the umbilical cord breaks, a gap is created in the Sushumna (the
subtle channel in the spinal cord). And on the gross level, one can
see there is a gap between the solar plexus and the vagus nerve of the
parasympathetic nervous system. This gap is known as the void in the
Zen system of religion and Maya (or Bhav Sagar) in Indian thought.
Later when ego and superego bloat up like balloons and cover our brain
at the apex of the left and right sympathetic nervous systems, the
fontanelle bone calcifies, and the all-pervading vital force of Divine
Love gets cut off completely.
Then the human being identifies himself as a separate entity and the
consciousness of "I" (Aham) presides. This is why Man does not know
His universal unconscious. His ego severs this subtle connection.
VITAL ENERGY
The sympathetic nervous system uses the vital energy. There are two
systems-left and right. The two channels, which carry this energy, in
subtle form (in the medulla oblongata), are known as Ida and Pingala
respectively. The right-side system (in the right-handed person)
caters to the emergencies of the active consciousness (extra efforts
and emergencies). The left-side system (in medicine they say it
remains dormant) caters to the subconscious mind of the psyche
(libido).
Both these sympathetic-nerve systems are called the Sun and Moon
channels (i.e., Surya nadi and Chandra nadi). Hatha Yoga comes from
the words Ha and Tha, meaning the Sun and Moon. By this yoga you can
control the activity of the sympathetic; you can use more stored
energy or else completely stop the activity of the sympathetic for a
short time.
Just by using the stored energy you cannot achieve the eternal flow of
the divine. With control over the sympathetic you can slow the heart
rate or even stop the heart for a short time. You may achieve all the
physical gross symptoms of the parasympathetic. But you cannot
activate the parasympathetic which is the channel for your real yoga
(meeting of the divine). With Hatha yoga you may even control your
mind. But the mind thus governed is heavily conditioned for the
spiritual flight into the divine. One may keep good health and good
mind to be a good citizen in a society, but that is not the only aim
of life.
THE CHANNELS OF ATTENTION
Both sympathetic and parasympathetic act on the plexuses, but in
opposition to each other. The parasympathetic relaxes the plexuses
while the sympathetic squeezes the energy by constricting them. One
fills in the vitality and the other consumes it.
There is a gap in the parasympathetic nervous system (Sushumna) but no
gap in the sympathetic nervous system (at the navel). This is the
hurdle that has rendered all our searching-and entry into the
parasympathetic-fruitless so far. It is like three ladders, two of
them touching the ground while the central one is hanging in the air.
So whenever we try to rise in our consciousness, we move on to the
sympathetic system.
If we pass toward the right side we enter onto the activity that goes
on bloating in the balloon of ego. Thus we feel responsible and
active. When this activity increases beyond limits, like a growing
tree whose roots are not equally grown, the being falls to the ground.
Over activity of the sympathetic nervous system causes tension,
sleeplessness, and ultimately all deadly diseases like cancer. These
diseases are caused by the constricted plexuses that have been drained
of their energy. If you can make the parasympathetic dominate the
right side, then we can antidote the effects of over activity. Then
all the diseases and the effects caused by this right side get cured
automatically.
The left side sympathetic nervous system (libido) has the power to
store all that is dead in us. It connects you with store houses of the
subconscious mind and with the collective subconscious (Bhootlok or
Paralok).
At the backside of the brain, at the apex of this channel, the super
ego exists like a balloon. It becomes heavy by storing, the
conditioning of the mind through libido. So if the tension is heavy it
breaks the superego into many fragments. If you still overexert by
conditioning, a partial vacuum forms and this sucks another dead
personality from the collective subconscious (Paralok) into your
superego. So in your pursuit of truth, if you take to further efforts
and indulge in concentration, training of the mind, forced abstinence,
forced meditation, or complete slavery to the emotional attachment of
the mind, the libido with the aid of the affected superego may connect
you to the collective subconscious (Paralok) where all dead souls-bad,
good, or saintly-exist. These souls start manifesting through you and
you get siddhis or extra sensory perceptions. Actually these are the
different subtle (dead) personalities dominating us through super ego.
DANGEROUS TECHNIQUES
There is another method that may be effortlessly employed by many so
called teachers. This method, by which they turn the chakra in the
direction of the libido, can put you into your subconscious. This
method either makes the aspirant go into a trance or accept the
complete domination of the dead spirits introduced by the teacher
through the plexuses.
In the first case, the Sadhaka feels relaxed, his mind is switched
off. But after a few years of practice, he realizes his weakness. He
cannot face reality and takes to heavy use of drugs. In the second
case, the aspirant becomes a complete slave of the teacher and starts
giving away all material possessions to the teacher without
understanding the logic behind it. These teachers never explain the
technique they have employed, nor do they give their powers to anybody
else. In short, all efforts in the name of religion, or the
mishandling of [3]Kundalini by so called realized people, can only
activate the sympathetic nervous system (Ida and Pingla). These
activities cannot make any progress toward bringing about the play of
parasympathetic (Sushumna).
All mesmeric powers such as materialization power (enslaving masses
for money or fame), visionary powers (Drishti Siddha), speech powers
(Vani Siddha), curing powers, transcendental feelings (powers of
switching off the mind), separation of body, and many other powers,
are very ordinarily found among those who practice the control of
spirits (Pretsiddhi or Smashan Vidya). All such powers can be proved
to be the powers of the dead in any one of our experimental Centers.
These are not Divine powers because the Divine has no interest in
these gross subjects. It is interested only in the miracle of the
inner being and its further manifestation to bring about human
evolution. Thus those who indulge and use their attention (Chitta) on
such "siddhis" and those who run after such gross miracles find it
difficult to follow Sahaja Yoga.
We have noted that when such people confront Sahaja Yoga, they start
trembling and shaking like lunatics. If with very great difficulty
such a person reaches the state of Self-realization, he completely
loses all interest in such powers and in their exhibition. He is freed
of all extra dead personalities who dominated him.
There is no need to pass through the subconscious strata to jump the
unconscious. The subconscious is an end by itself and one gets lost
after entering its realms. These strata are placed vertically. The
only direct way is through the parasympathetic (through Sushumna)-the
central path that takes you to the Divine (the universal
unconscious)-through Sahaja Yoga.
It is very dangerous to use the powers of the subconscious which may
become uncontrollable and torture the practitioner and Sadhaka. Those
who are temporarily benefited may suffer irreparable loss to body,
mind, or grace.
THE PROMISED GOAL
All religions have promised inner silence when you reach the state of
Self-realization-the inner miracle of the subtle awareness and not
gross jugglery. The Bhagavad Gita says that you become the witness
(Sakshi Swarup) of the play of the Divine. Many modern thinkers are
also talking about the new awareness. This has been described as
"thoughtless awareness" which results in collective consciousness. We
hear of many prophesies made by ancient and modern writers about the
evolution of a new race of super-human beings of unique awareness.
These are no longer empty words. Through the discovery of Sahaja Yoga
it is possible to achieve the transformation of the human
consciousness to the higher planes promised by various seers.
The subject of [4]Kundalini is no longer a matter of book knowledge.
Now you can see, with the naked eye, the breathing of the [5]Kundalini
at the Mooladhar. You can feel the different chakras in the spinal
cord with your fingers. Formerly, bridging the gap in the Sushumna was
the insurmountable problem. But it is being discovered that this gap
can be filled with the vibrating power of Divine Love. The
[6]Kundalini rises like a majestic mother and breaks the apex of the
brain (Brahmarandhra) without giving the slightest trouble to the
child (Sadhaka). It happens in a split second, in the short spell
between two successive thoughts. Of course, if the aspirant (Sadhaka)
is diseased or his chakras are constricted by over activity of the
sympathetic nervous system, the [7]Kundalini, being the Mother of
every individual and the embodiment of love, knowledge, and beauty,
knows how to reveal Her love beautifully and to give rebirth to Her
child without causing any hurt.
There are many descriptions about [8]Kundalini warning us against the
dangers and perils of the taming of [9]Kundalini. Also many books
describe various gross or frightful experiences of the [10]Kundalini
awakening. Actually this is caused because [11]Kundalini cannot rise
without Sahaja Yoga, i.e., if someone, who is not Self-realized, tries
to awaken Her, the [12]Kundalini does not leave Her seat and, without
the proper invitation, the [13]Kundalini becomes adamant and angry.
Thus the sympathetic gets into activity. When She is accused of sex,
She sends heat waves over the sympathetic nervous system which causes
the constriction or blockage of the plexuses and the path of the
[14]Kundalini is completely broken down. Sometimes one gets into funny
gesticulations or loses complete awareness of the outside. Moreover
with mishandling of Chakras and [15]Kundalini due to the ignorance or
greed of the teacher, the chance of realization for the aspirant can
become very poor and sometimes impossible.
The mind that is very much conditioned, or the mind that is the slave
of self-indulgence or of egoistic actions and thoughts, is also a very
slow conveyance for Sahaja Yoga. Even if you read too much about the
deconditioning of the mind, you may get only further conditioned. If
you try to decondition by efforts, you can become conditioned much
worse than what you were. Deconditioning is only possible through
Divine Love. The main "condition" of Sahaja Yoga is that your will and
freedom are always respected.
In Sahaja Yoga the person is fully aware and alert and receives inner
silence and experience without doing any unnatural movements. He sits
in a completely easy pose throughout or he also may lie down
(Sahajasana or Shavasana). The breathing is normal or less than
normal.
RELIGION
Religions are also the expressions and experiments of realized
souls-the seers. They also talk about the inner being, second birth,
and about Self-realization. In the beginning, in India, they tried to
take the attention inside by introducing symbols that they saw of this
unconscious, universal being within. This gave rise to pantheism and
the aspirant's attention got stuck to symbols (Sakar) and to rituals
which killed the main objective.
So the other type of experiments of talking only about the abstract
(Nirakar) gave rise to many other religions which ended up as dogmas
or "isms." The reason is obvious. Talking about the flower or the
honey cannot take you to the honey but can only create dogmatic "isms"
in the mind. You have to be a bee to reach there, i.e., you have to be
reborn. This has to happen within to take you inside.
It is too great an achievement and unbelievable, but I feel the search
of ages has brought great results.
THE END OF THE PATH
The mind, with a child-like innocence achieves very quick results.
Whatever may be the loads of the mind, if the longing is honest and
earnest, sooner or later, the aspirant can get Self-realization. After
reaching this state the vibrations start emitting from the
extremities. These are described by Adi Sankaracharya in his work
"Ananda Lahari."
These vibrations are the waves of Divine Love that can fill also other
persons' inner being and give them the same experience of
Self-realization. This is how the chain reaction starts. One light
enlightens another.
The physical manifestations are as follows:
The pupils of the eyes become dilated (Parasympathetic action). The
face becomes radiant, the body becomes light, all tension is
completely removed. The rising of the [16]Kundalini can be seen by
others and felt by the aspirant. First the throbbing is clearly felt
at Sahasrar (apex of the brain) and when it stops, complete silence is
felt within and in all awareness. The flow of grace is felt coming
down, cooling the whole being. As the attention moves to the subtle,
gross attachments drop out. A person gradually loses identification
with falsehood and artificiality. In matter, he sees beauty and not
its possession value. In knowledge, he identifies himself with the
Truth and is not afraid to profess, nor does he indulge in the double
standards of life. His flow of love becomes spontaneous, generous,
without any tinge of attachment, possession or any return. The person
becomes ageless-a hollow personality.
Now let us see what happens inside.
The attention of the consciousness moves to the inner being
([17]Kundalini). As the thread (Sutra) of a necklace is passing
through every bead of the necklace, the inner consciousness
([18]Kundalini) is also passing through every human being.
As soon as our attention moves to our inner consciousness we can move
on to everybody's [19]Kundalini. One starts feeling the [20]Kundalini,
its nature, its position in other persons. Collective consciousness is
thus established. Now you become a universal being. After some days
you cannot say who is the other person. The power of love is so great
and dynamic that with the movement of your fingers you can move the
[21]Kundalini of thousands. It becomes child's play.
This is how the en masse evolution of human beings will take place.
These are the signs of the advent of the Golden age of Truth (Satya
Yuga). Let us forget whatever hardships we have suffered in our search
in the past. It does not matter if some could not find it before this.
You have to open your mind and understand that though the discovery is
unprecedented, it does not make any seeker or predecessor small. If
some experiments are made, it does not matter if, ultimately, we have
found out the way. It is a collective achievement. Perhaps in the
chaos of Kali Yuga it was to happen and many of us, who have been
earnestly searching in many lives, are reborn to have their promises
fulfilled by the Divine. Maybe we were our own predecessors.
On the tree of life there might have been very few flowers but now the
blossom time has come. Their fragrance of longing has collectively
materialized the manifestation of Sahaja Yoga. Many are going to jump
into the realm of thoughtless awareness where you get introduced to
yourself and start identifying with your universal nature. Those who
deserve will get the throne of their inner being which rules the skies
of peace, and the oceans of divine love and supreme knowledge within,
which is limitless (Anant).
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