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Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Sadhana - Swami Sivananda


Sadhana 
by Swami Sivananda

Swami Sivananda had practised very intense sadhana, which may have no parallel in modern times. He had practised to perfection sadhana in various Paths of Yoga. Through this most intense sadhana, he attained the supreme Bliss, unalloyed Joy and eternal Happiness. And so he tries to awaken man from the slumber of ignorance and gives a call to attain that highest Experience through sadhana. This makes his instructions on sadhana all the more important. Here are some of his teachings on this subject...

Now is the time for you to start a spiritual life, not tomorrow.

Sadhana is any practice to steady the wandering mind and to fix it on God. He who does sadhana is called a sadhaka. Self-restraint, purification of the mind, cultivation of divine virtues, prayer, japa, kirtan, dharana or concentration, meditation is sadhana.

Introspect. Look within. Try to remove your defects. This is the real sadhana. This is the most difficult sadhana. You will have to do it at any cost. Removal of your defects needs a great deal of struggle for many years. Vicious habits will have to be rent asunder.

You must have a pure mind if you want to realise the Self. Unless the mind is set free and you cast away all desires, worries, delusion, pride, lust, attachment, likes and dislikes, it cannot enter the domain of supreme peace and unalloyed felicity or the Immortal Abode. Drive off all negative thoughts. Become positive always. Positive overpowers the negative.

Mind is compared to a garden. Just as you can cultivate good flowers and fruits in a garden by ploughing and manuring the land, and removing the weeds and thorns, and watering the plants and trees; so also you can cultivate the flower of devotion in the garden of your mind by removing the impurities of the mind, such as lust, anger, greed, delusion and pride, and watering it with divine thoughts. When the garden is clean, when there are no weeds and thorns, you can get good fruits. So also, when the mind is pure, the mind is free from lust, anger, etc., you can have the fruit of deep meditation. Therefore, cleanse the mind of impurities first.

Awake, Friends! Get ready for the holy communion. Start japa, kirtan, meditation, enquiry. How sweet is meditation! Hear the sweet music of the inner Soul.

Spiritualise all your activities. This is very important.

Have satsanga. Meditate. Enquire: "Who am I?" The ignorance will vanish. Brahma-jnana will dawn. Climb steadily and reach the peak of wisdom by intensifying dispassion and practising intense sadhana..

The two obstacles to Self-realisation are egoism and desire. Egoism is the most dangerous weakness of man. It brings downfall of the spiritual aspirant. The moment egoism comes in, there will be immediate blocking to the free flow of the Divine Energy. Therefore, slay this egoism.

Tuesday, March 29, 2022

The world is unreal I by Swami Sivananda


The world is unreal I
by Swami Sivananda

THIS world is Asat or unreal. It is mere appearance. That which exists in the past, present and future, that which has no beginning, middle or end and that which is unchanging is Sat. Sat is Brahman or Atman. That which is real is Svayambhu (self-existent), Svatantra (independent) and Svayam Jyoti (self-luminous). What you see with your physical eye is ever-changing. It is Anitya or Avinasi. It is Asara, Kshanabhangura and Apadaramaniya.

This world is shadow or reflection of Brahman or God. The reflection of your face in the mirror or water is unreal. Even so, this world which is a mere reflection of Brahman is unreal. Through the force of Maya or Avidya it appears as real. If Vairagya and discrimination dawns in a man, the whole angle of vision becomes changed. There are various kinds of dirt in the mirror-mind and hence the reflection of Paramatman is not clearly seen in the mind. As soon as one gets Chitta-Suddhi or purification of mind, he becomes a changed being. Remove lust, egoism, anger, selfishness, pride, etc., and you will get Chitta-Suddhi. You will experience sublime divine feelings. When there is attraction and attachment in the mind for sensual objects, the mind is bound to this world.

Earth is the only solid reality. Pots, jars and other forms of that earth are made out of minds and are therefore mere appearances. They are in name only. The solid reality at the back of these names and forms is mere mud only. When these forms are broken they become mud again. Even so these names and forms are all unreal. The solid reality is Brahman or God who is the basis for this world. The waves, ripples, foam, etc., belong to the ocean. They are mere water only. They have come out of the ocean. They exist in the ocean and dissolve in the ocean. Ocean always exists. Even so all these names and forms have come out of Brahman. They exist in Brahman and dissolve in Brahman.

Just as snake is superimposed on the rope, silver on the mother-of-pearl, water in the mirage, man in the post, so also this world and body are superimposed on the pure Atman. When you know the Adhishthana of snake which is only the rope, when you get knowledge of the rope, the Bhranti or illusions of snake and fear vanish. Even so, when you get knowledge of Brahman this body-idea and reality of the world will totally vanish. It is Avidya that has created these troubles. It is only a wrong notion of the mind that the body is the Self, that is the root cause for all human ills and sufferings.

When you attend a cinema, you actually think that the pictures are all real. They move, talk and sing. But you are fully aware that these pictures are false and the real persons are different from these unreal persons who appear on the screen. This world is exactly a cinema show. The names and forms that you see are all false and the operator behind this show, the real Antaryami and director of this universe, is alone real.

Whatever you see is Maya-Jalam or jugglery of Maya. This jugglery is set up by Maya through the Indriyas and the mind. Just as the juggler is not affected by the tricks, so also a knower of Brahman is not in the least affected by the play of Maya.

The waking state is only a long dream. There is not much difference between the waking state and the dreaming state. The only difference is that the waking state is a long dream. Fire burns in the dream. Knife cuts in the dream. You are frightened when a tiger pounces upon you. You shriek and wake up immediately. Just as the dream proves false when you wake up, so also this world appears as a dream for a Jnani who has knowledge of Brahman. He may work. He may eat. He may talk. But his mind is ever resting in his own Svarupa. The idea that this world is a dream is firmly rooted in his mind. He actually feels and experiences this phenomenon.

When you are in a running train, all the trees and the paddy fields appear to be moving. The train seems to be stationary. When you are in the train in a junction, the train in which you are seated seems to move when the adjacent train moves. The moving train appears to be stationary. Even so, Atman is ever silent and stationary. He is Niravayava (without any limb) and so he is Nishkriya. But the action and enjoyments are superimposed on the Atman on account of Avidya. Just as the motion of the clouds is attributed to the sun or the moon, so also the motion of the body and the Indriyas is attributed to the sun or the moon - the immovable (Achala) Atman. The boat actually moves but the trees on the shore appear to move. Even so, the movement of the body and the Indriyas are attributed to the steady Brahman.

When the mesmerist hypnotises the whole audience, all people believe that the man is ascending the rope in the air. All people see that he mesmerist devours a big sword and cuts the body of a lad in the box. Even so, you are all hypnotised by Maya and Avidya and you take this unreal world as a solid reality. De-hypnotize yourself by getting know

Source: https://www.sivanandaonline.org/?cmd=displaysection&section_id=815

Thursday, March 24, 2022

CHIDAKASHA, THE SPACE OF CONSCIOUSNESS. ~ David Frawley

 


CHIDAKASHA, THE SPACE OF CONSCIOUSNESS

     In Vedanta the Self or Atman is commonly defined as space (kham, akasha). That space (akasha) is further defined as bliss (Ananda). What is the nature of this space that is the Self? 

     Our inner Self holds the entire universe in the small space within the spiritual heart (Hridaya). This is a space of Consciousness (Chidakasha) behind all manifestation in the time-space world.

Levels of Space and Consciousness

     Vedanta recognizes the existence of several types and levels of space. First is the material space of our physical world that is the matrix of the other elements of earth, water, fire and air. It is the external measurable space in which we determine location and distance. Yet space itself has no form or location of its own. Objects are located in space but space surrounds and permeates all objects. We locate objects in space relative to space as distance.

     Yet all objects consist of various stages of densification or crystallization of the energies of space. Such material space is not empty but is composed of particles or atoms, out of which the other denser elements are formed. Beyond this is an additional Pranic space, the space of energy and the life-force, more subtle than the material space, which makes the entire universe alive, including our physical bodies.

     Beyond this pranic space is the space of the mind both at individual and cosmic levels. The individual mind like space is formless and holds thoughts like various objects or energies in space. We all need space in the mind to comprehend things and to observe things properly. We can observe the space between our thoughts.

     Beyond this mind space is the space of pure consciousness (Chidakasha) that unlike the mind space has no thoughts. The space of the Atman is pure, immutable, empty as it were, sometimes called the Void, Shunya. It holds the entire universe but is not changed by the names and forms that appear within it. This Atmic space has a vibration from which OM as the creative cosmic vibration arises. This Atmic space is of the nature of light (Jyoti). It is self-illuminating and reveals all, with the mind reflecting a portion of its light.


Our True Nature as Space

     We do not ordinarily experience ourselves as space but as form, starting with our physical body that has a precise location and function in time and space. We also experience ourselves as mind or as a set of ideas, concepts, beliefs, opinions, emotions and memories. These are also form based and connected to the body. We then have a social identity framed by our physical and mental activities and identity.

     Yet we do have an inner sense of our Self as space. We want to be free. We don’t want to be limited or confined, controlled or dominated by another, or constricted in a barrier. Our inner sense of Self persists behind and beyond the ongoing changes in body and mind between birth and death, waking, dream and deep sleep.

     If our true nature is like space in this higher sense, then truly we are neither body or mind. Then we are everything and nothing, sizeless and all-pervasive. We are the space of Being (Sat), the ground existence itself, which is Brahman as the Transcendent reality. Space is indivisible, indestructible and formless, beyond all limitations. This is the Self of Yoga and Vedanta whose nature is the space of Consciousness.

     Once we can detach ourselves from our bodies and minds, we can experience ourselves as boundless Space, which is also the space of Seeing and Being. This takes us beyond all dualities and identifications to our connection with all beings and with the universe as a whole which is the space of our own inner being.

     How do we discover our inner Space as consciousness and bliss? This is the essence of Self-inquiry and meditation, observing our bodies and mind from a place of inner awareness. Moving into the small space within the heart, hridaya akasha, is the key. At the core of our being we hold the entire universe as our own Self-manifestation, in which all sorrow is released.

     Our true Self that is the space of consciousness is beyond birth and death, location and history, quantity, measurement or any type of category. That is the space of Ananda in which there is peace, happiness, contentment and delight without end and without any division. Once we are willing to let go of our outer identifications we can return to our true nature as Infinite Space and experience all that we observe as a reflection of our own inner light and presence.

Tuesday, March 22, 2022

EMOTIONAL FREEDOM by Inquiring into emotions and impulses!


EMOTIONAL FREEDOM 
by Inquiring into emotions and impulses!

Whenever an emotion or an impulse arises in you, you can contemplate the following questions:

To whom this arises?

Am I this emotion (or impulse) or is it something that happens in me?

With this you will be very attentive, you will connect with the inner silence and fully aware of the emotion and distancing yourself from the emotional reaction and thus avoid or stop identifying with it.

With this inner state you can realize that:

- you are not that emotional or impulsive reaction, 

- it is only a mechanical compulsive reaction of the lower nature, and 

- is only agitating your mind and distracting you from inner peace and bliss by a mere meaningless energetic puppetry.

Once you realize this, the emotion or impulse loses its importance and the charm it exerts on you and diminishes.

However, if the emotion persists,  is very alluring, and you find it difficult to disidentify from it, you can also ask yourself:

What do I prefer, to experience, this ephemeral emotional disturbance or to be free, in peace and plenitude?

This contemplation makes you remember the freedom you long for and feel happiness, which results in letting go of the emotion or impulse.

The more attentive and in deep contact with the inner silence we are, the easier it will be to notice the emotion as soon as it arises and the easier it will be to avoid identification with it and let it go.

We can maintain a high level of alertness and Self-awarenes by repeating a mantra, the name of God or an affirmation of our true Self.

I strongly recommend concluding this process by praying for Divine Mother to eliminate the emotional energy and fill you with peace, love and light!

Later at home you can dedicate some time to investigate thoroughly the emotions, impulses and the associated situation to know and understand them in depth and utilize some method for further eliminating their energy. 

You can use for their elimination prayer along with affirmations and visualizations, EFT, the Healing Code, cleanse the energetic channels, chakras and subtle bodies and elimination in the 49 subconscious levels.

Wednesday, March 16, 2022

Meditation is not a magic pill! ~ Atman Nityananda

 


Meditation is not a magic pill!

Meditation, although it brings about miraculous changes in us, is not a magic pill that will solve all our problems at once.

 Its effects on the well-being of body, mind and soul can be seen gradually. 

For best results it is recommended that meditation be combined with Self-enquiry.

If you continue to meditate regularly and grow in meditation you will be eventually liberated from misery and sorrow, which are mostly self-created.

So keep meditating even if you don't see results for now. 

Seek advice and look for any mistakes and misconceptions about meditation that may be preventing you from having positive changes, expanding your awareness, and experiencing more and more peace, love, contentment, fulfillment, and freedom


#atmanmeditation

Monday, March 14, 2022

Om! The vital-emotional sheath - Atman Nityananda

The vital-emotional sheath

The Vital energy (Life energy, prana in Sanskrit) is the life force in all living beings; it has two aspects the Physical and Psychic Vital energy and carries out all physiological and psychological functions. All physical functions, such as those of the cardiovascular system, musculoskeletal system, digestive system and all other bodily systems, are performed by the physical vital energy (physical prana). Likewise, all psychological functions such as thinking, imagination, feelings, emotions and all other mental and emotional processes are performed by the vital-psychic energy (psychic prana). It follows that the vital-emotional sheath and all vital-emotional expressions are related to the vital-psychic energy.

When psychic life energy is dominated by desire, greed, passion, ambitions and ego, then it brings disorder and disharmony and becomes the main source of pain and suffering. When purified from lower emotions and harmonized, the vital enable us to experience the happiness of sattva and the peace, plenitude and bliss of our true Self or Consciousness. Since time immemorial the humans developed a distorted state of vital energy and all low vital-emotional disturbances (greed, lasciviousness, anger, fear, envy, etc.). 

These disturbances of the vital sheath are connected with sexual energy which has taken in human beings the form of lust. Paramahansa Yogananda and Samael Aun Weor speak of the degradation and attachment of human consciousness to the body and sensory experiences and the development of egoic tendencies due to sexual activity. The forbidden apple of Eden for Adam and Eve was sexual union only for pleasure through orgasms, instead of conserving and transforming sexual energy into spiritual energy (Ojas and Tejas). Gurdjieff and Samael Aun Weor have also said that this degradation occurred because of the organ of kundartiguador or kundabaffer.

 


The seed of the original error of “Adam and Eve” remains in all human beings as the first temptation of the flesh against the immaculate laws of Spirit (‘touch not the tree in the centre of the garden!’). Each individual since that dim era has had to engage his soul in battle with the cosmically present temptation of sex.

Man and woman, instead of seeking emancipation in God through soul unity, sought satisfaction through the flesh. 

The sex impulse is the single most physically magnetic power that pulls the life and consciousness down from Spirit in the higher centres in the brain, out through the coccygeal centre into matter and body consciousness. The beginner in yoga meditation experiences all too definitely how grounded he is by the stubborn attachment of his life and energy to the body, sometimes without realizing that it is his uncontrolled thoughts and acts of sex that are primarily responsible for his earthbound condition.   

 ~ Paramahamsa Yogananda 

The connection of sexual energy, the mind and the vital energy (prana) affirms clearly Swami Sivananda in the following extract:


Mind, Prana and Veerya (sexual energy or semen) are one.
By controlling the mind, you can control Prana and semen (
sexual energy).
By controlling Prana you can control the mind and semen 
(sexual energy).
By controlling semen 
(sexual energy), you can control the mind and Prana.

  ~ Swami Sivananda

Dr. Freud had also found that sexuality plays a major role in human life and that is related with human behaviour as well as with human neurosis and other psychological imbalances. He named this unconscious impulse for sexual pleasure and any kind of sense pleasure id.

According Dr. Freud the id is the impulsive and unconscious part of our psyche which responds directly and immediately to the instincts including the sex instinct. It operates on the pleasure principle which is the idea that every wishful impulse should be satisfied immediately, regardless of the consequences. The id demands immediate satisfaction and when this happens, we experience pleasure, when it is denied, we experience ‘frustration’ or pain.  The id engages in a process of thinking, which is primitive illogical, irrational, and fantasy oriented. Impatience, like-dislike, anger, hatred, anxiety, fear and depression are the emotions that are directly related with the id. 

Dr.Freud investigated people with psychological disturbances and diseases but he didn't study yogis, saints or people of a high level of consciousness. He didn't also investigate the positive aspects or the spiritual aspects of sexuality as well as he didn't investigate the higher capacities of the human mind and the Soul. Nevertheless, he was a pioneer for his age and he gave us a very deep knowledge about the human subconscious mind and its disfunctioning; this knowledge at some degree can be very useful for anyone who works for the dissolution of his egoic mind and the desire mechanism. 

Sri Aurobindo refers to the vital sheath as the vital proper, which is acting with impulses, emotions, desires, ambitions, etc. He says that all lower vital-emotional formations are related to the outer heart while the higher or psychic feelings, the intuitive yearnings and impulses of the Soul to the inner heart. According Aurobindo the vital proper has four parts: 1. The mental vital, 2. The emotional vital, 3. The central vital and 4. The lower vital.

 The mental vital has as its seat the region from the throat to the heart and gives a mental expression by thought, imagination and speech or otherwise to the emotions, desires, passions, sensations and other movements of the vital.

The emotional vital has its seat is the outer heart and expresses various feelings such as, love, joy, sorrow, hatred and the rest.

The central vital has as its seat the region from the heart to navel and expresses the stronger vital longings, and reactions such as ambition, pride, fear, love of fame and power, attractions repulsions, desires, passions of various kinds.

The lower vital has as its seat the region below the navel and is occupied with desires and emotions such as make the greater party of the daily life e.g. food desire, sexual desire, small likings and dislikings, vanity, quarrels, anger at blame, little wishes of all kind and a numberless host of other things.

He considers that the expressions of the mind (thoughts, imagination, ideas, beliefs) and the vital-emotional expressions (desire, anger, envy, greed, lasciviousness, etc.) are separate forces in themselves that blend together when they emerge into surface consciousness.

Αccording Aurobindo the Mental vital (which is the higher aspect of the vital sheath) functions as a mediator between vital-emotions, desires, impulsions, etc. and the mind. The Mental vital throws in the mind the vital desires, emotions, feelings, passions, ambitions, possessive and active tendencies of the vital where they take the form of imaginations or dreams of greatness, pleasure, fear, happiness, etc. Through the Mental Vital, the vital passions, emotions, impulses, desires, ascend and enter the intellect (buddhi) and, as a result, cloud or distort it. 

The impure vital sheath is the seat of the lower rajasotamasic ego and all its expressions. The ego related to the vital sheath it is called Vital-emotional ego and is the one which clouds and distorts mind and intellect and create all misery, pain and sorrow.  Egoism, lust, desire, pride, negative emotions, pain-body and the sense ‘the body is me’ are all formations of the distorted psychic vital energy. All innumerable expressions of ego such as likes, dislikes, repulsion, attraction, fear, anger, greed, impatience, irritability, depression, guilty, etc. are only expressions of the Vital-emotional ego.

It is the Vital-ego the greatest impediment of the spiritual practice (sadhana) and inner growth and transformation and the cause of all distortions and false understanding about ourselves, others, spiritual life and practice and Self-realization. The vital has also a perverse aspect which keep us attached to pain and suffering and prevents us from letting go suffering and the negative emotional states.

The vital-emotional sheath and pain-body

The vital-emotional ego uses thoughts and imagination to intensify the pleasure or the pain related to a situation (whatever it is). In reality, the external situations are only opportunities for the Vital-ego to project itself and experience the same pleasure or pain that is accumulated in the vital sheath and the subconscious.

When there is not a strong enough external stimulus to cause an experience of pleasure or pain for the vital-emotional ego, then the Vital-ego creates a feeling of incompleteness, discontentment, dissatisfaction, uneasiness or boredom. This inner state impels the mind to think and find some stimulus to give some pleasure to the vital ego (eating something that is sweet is the easiest stimulus).

If the external circumstances do not give the vital-emotional ego any chance to experience a pleasure, the vital-emotional ego manipulates the imagination and thoughts to experience it virtually. In fact, the almost continuous compulsive thinking which is accompanied with mental images is created by the vital-emotional ego using the mind to experience the same emotions, desires, passions, pleasures and pains again and again.

The internet, tv and the cinema are very useful tools for the vital-emotional ego to experience pleasure when there is no possibility for real sense stimulus. For example, if the ego likes sex pleasure and a mate is not available the vital-emotional ego uses the technology (video-movie in pc, cell phone, tv, etc.) to substitute the real stimulus with a virtual one.

All expectations, ambitions, desires, fears, anger, jealousy, impatience, discontent, agony, anxiety, greed, possessiveness, domination, violence etc. and the sense ‘I am the body” are only expressions of the vital ego.

A part of the vital-emotional ego is so perverted that likes also pain and suffering. Sri Aurobindo also refers to this perverse part of the vital-emotional ego which attaches to pain and suffering and even finds pleasure on it.


There is also something perverse in the vital which takes a kind of dramatic pleasure in its own misery and tragedy even in degradation or illness.
..It cries out against sorrow and trouble and acuses the Divine in life and everybody else of torturing it, but for the most part the sorrow and the trouble come and remain because the perverse something in the vital wants them

   ~ Sri Aurobindo

The pain-body that Eckhart Tolle refers to is the impure vital sheath. Eckhart Tolle denotes as pain-body the emotional pain that is accumulated as a negative energy field in our bodies and minds. This pain-body is attached to pain and wants to perpetuate itself and experience again and again the same frequency of psychic vital energy in the form of anger, fear, depression, feeling victim, guilty, etc.

The vital-emotional ego in the form of desire (for pleasure, fame, name, money and possessions, etc.) functions as does the vital-emotional ego in the form of pain-body. This desirous vital-emotional ego is attached to pleasures and wants to perpetuate itself to experience all kind of pleasures (primarily sex pleasure) in eternity. Both, the dissolution of the vital-emotional ego in the form desire for pleasure, money, success, etc. and in the form of all negative or painful emotions are necessary our mind to regain their pristine nature of purity and enjoy the peace and bliss of our divine essence.

Exctracts of Eckhart Tolle about the pain-body

Every emotional pain that you experience leaves behind a residue of pain that lives on in you. It merges with the pain from the past, which was already there, and becomes lodged in your mind and body. This accumulated pain is a negative energy field that occupies your body and mind. It’s the emotional pain-body.

Some pain-bodies are obnoxious but relatively harmless, for example like a child who won’t stop whining. Others are vicious and destructive monsters, true demons. Some are physically violent; many more are emotionally violent. Some will attack people around you or close to you, while others may attack you, their host. Thoughts and feelings you have about your life then become deeply negative and self-destructive. Illnesses and accidents are often created in this way. Some pain-bodies drive their hosts to suicide.

Watch out for any sign of unhappiness in yourself, in whatever form — it may be the awakening pain-body. This can take the form of irritation, impatience, a somber mood, a desire to hurt, anger, rage, depression, a need to have some drama in your relationship, and so on. Catch it the moment it awakens from its dormant state.

The pain-body wants to survive, just like every other entity in existence, and it can only survive if it gets you to unconsciously identify with it.

Once the pain-body has taken you over, you want more pain. You become a victim or a perpetrator. You want to inflict pain, or you want to suffer pain, or both. There isn’t really much difference between the two. You are not conscious of this, of course, and will vehemently claim that you do not want pain. But look closely and you will find that your thinking and behavior are designed to keep the pain going, for yourself and others. If you were truly conscious of it, the pattern would dissolve, for to want more pain is insanity, and nobody is consciously insane.

The end of suffering ~ Atman Nityananda


 The end of suffering

If we want to free ourselves from suffering we must stop being dominated and deceived by the ego and dissolve it by sincere, diligent, unceasing practice and a sattvic life.

 We can achieve this first of all,  by focusing on the present moment do not allowing ourselves to be identified and carried away by the thoughts, emotions, desires and impulses that automatically arise in us and dissolve desires and emotions and egoic tendencies related to them. 

This can be achieved by being attentive and consciously aware of the silent presence of our Being (Consciousness) moment to moment using a variety of methods to maintain our attention and mind under control to remain Self-aware and observe ourselves, inquire our thoughts, emotions, etc. so that become aware of their illusory nature, diminish their fascination exert on us, appease them and dissolve them through prayer and a mantra of God's name.

Complete dissolution of ego is achieved by realizing our true Self and establishing ourselves in the Self through deep Nirvikalpa Samadhi.

 A sattvic life and daily morning and evening meditation and Self-enquiry as well as other practices such as repetition of mantra,  pranayama, devotion, chanting mantras, study and reflection on spiritual teachings at home are the necessary foundation to successfully accomplish this endeavor.