The Aftermath – Part 2

After a glimpse of awakening, what then?

Some meditate.
Some sing and dance.

Some practice qigong, others hatha yoga.
Some become pundits, others pedants.

Some assert 'I Am' but aren't.
Some go to spiritual workshops or ashrams.

Some seek to heal themselves or the planet.
Some adjust their wanting machine, the engine driving us through life here and there.
It finally amounts to calming the mind, opening the heart to its inner longing
Other options tend to lose momentum, falling far too short.

Quoted from, “Awakening Sense”

The Aftermath – Part 1

After a glimpse of awakening, what then?
Some distort, distrust or try to ignore, perhaps fearful where it might lead.

Some roll up their sleeves putting mind's house in order.
Some write love poetry or sing songs of praise.

Some weep, some laugh, some only wish to serve.
Some look for spiritual teachers, some assume they are spiritual teachers.

Some start reading spiritual books.
There's no standard procedure in this uncharted territory.

Some take a rest, some welcome back the waking dreams of their dream world. Some anxiously seek more inner experiences.

Some are inspired to prepare the grounds of their garden, to cultivate heart and mind, the better to invite the Beloved's presence.

Quoted from, "Awakening Sense"

Let Go and Let God

If anyone is prepared to follow this practice, let alone study metaphysically or meditate mystically, he may use a related one which will make less demands upon himself. Whenever he is suddenly faced by unexpected misfortune or unpleasant circumstances or environments, when clamorous problems raise their ugly head or when grave danger menaces your very life, he should take  whatever practical measures  are ordinarily called for the external plane and yet alongside of them should abruptly drop his habitual ego centric attitude and hand the problem over to a Higher Power. This will eventually bring about  a sense of inner detachment even when he takes outer action to deal with it.

A whole hearted faith in this existence of a higher power is of course the first essential step to make this practice a successful one. A resigned trust in the outcome of it's hidden function is the second step. He should then cease to worry about the matter, cease to cling in alarm or get depressed at the thought of the outcome but rather give it all up and forget about the problem. Indeed if he permits anxious thoughts to continue to harass him they may break his inner remembrance and obliterate the effectiveness of this technique. Moreover it will become effective only if maintained for a sufficient time and with sufficient concentration. That is, through his personal efforts at making the necessary adjustments he should firmly switch a part of his consciousness constantly inward, carrying not denying the problem with it and then letting the thoughts which constitute the problem to let them dissolve by themselves, in remembrance of the impersonal ever-calm Overself.

This abrupt appeal from a narrow personal outlook to the refuge of wide impersonal one will effectively help to control not only his emotional reaction to what has happened but may also introduce a higher factor of grace and thus control the exterior condition by itself. He many not only draw from this act of self surrender the inner strength to his problems but it will also draw a protective power  beyond his own capacity. We may know that Grace manifests in many other ways, it may for example, give such inner support to a man in grave danger that the fears that arise would naturally be quelled.

The Scripture Of The Yogis – Part 13

I. Renunciation

The teacher answers the students' complaints about yoga’s difficulty:

Doubtless the mind is hard to restrain and restless, but by practise and by indifference it may be restrained.

The wandering mind becomes tired of resisting and finally submits. However, even if you do not achieve, your reward will still mature.

Having attained to the worlds of the righteous, and having dwelt there for eternal years, he who failed in concentration is reborn in a house of the pure and wealthy.

No effort is lost and everything you have done, all you have attained during your striving, will come back to you in the next earthly birth. Furthermore, if it is possible, you will be reborn into a spiritual family, where it will be easier to attain success on this path. Such a birth is very hard to obtain, however.

Of all yogis, he who full of faith worships Me, with his inner self abiding in Me, is deemed by Me as most devout.

The deepest worship is that of resting in the Overself. Then is one devout in the highest possible fashion. If you feel that rite and ceremony help you, use them. But ultimately you may have to give them up. When you come to realize that the Lord of the world is ever performing the dance of the universe, and that the rite is being performed everywhere, you will no longer want to be in a place limited to some fleeting ceremony, but to take place in the great temple of the world by always remembering and worshipping the God in your heart.

This ends the first section of this wonderful and instructive dialogue, and it is fitting that it should close upon the details of the art of mental quiet. The world would be surprised if it knew how many of its famous figures,past and present, have secretly made this daily withdrawal their refuge from duties and heavy responsibilities, finding in their moments of meditation and strength to endure their inescapable destiny, and guidance amid confusion, when other men grope in the darkness.

He is the loneliness that is within you….You are standing all alone before the sacred fire, and from this time on the fire that will be given to you will be lonely, and you will be lonely with it. Are you ready to accept that loneliness?

In plain language, it simply means that the initiate will first look towards his inner holier self for help, light, love and strength, and only after that towards frail mortal men. This is really the best form of self reliance, for it brings higher spiritual powers to work through your personal life.

A divine purpose pulsates throughout nature. He who learns the art of meditation will ultimately put himself into harmony with that purpose, which will use him as a holy instrument in his labours among the strayed sheep amongst mankind. The universal awareness of the Higherself or Overself as being present in all others, automatically brings him into perfect symphony with others, and therefore makes him yearn to bring them all into how own self-awareness. Because they are living in a physical world and in a physical body, the best way to reach them is through physical means, which means a life of inspired activity.

The Scripture Of The Yogis – Part 12

I. Renunciation

Let the yogi…remain in seclusion, alone, with the mind and body controlled, free from desire, and having no possessions.

Here we have a description of the practise of meditation for a man who has given up the world. We are trying to find the higher consciousness whilst living the workaday life of people who live in large cities during the modern era – not by running away to monasteries or retreats or jungles or mountain caves, but whilst living in the world. Admittedly that is harder, much harder. Destiny has presented us  with this existence and we have to go through with it and make the best of it. No need to dream that one day when we escape it all. we shall find  a quick and easy road to spiritual freedom. It isn’t that easy. Wherever you are – escape to you will take your faults with you, your mental habits will go with you, and they will remain as strongly with you in the wilderness or the mountain cave as they will in the cities.

The real battle takes place in your mind. So retreats are helpful temporarily, but not as permanent lodgings. You are better of making your own retreat where you are cutting a half-hour of your day and shutting yourself up for that time period.

For the one on the path of renunciation, however, all worldly and family ties must be given up. He must not engage in business nor maintain a household. He must be totally free to devote himself to finding mental equilibrium through mental effort. He must not be anxious about possessions, nor be troubled by desires for them, thus leaving his mind completely free to turn inwards.

Having in a cleanly spot established in a firm seat, neither too high nor too low, with cloth, skin, and grass.

His work now is to make the mind one pointed, sitting motionless for many hours daily, practising concentration of thought. The practise of keeping the body motionless is not an easy, but it is the first struggle. When the exercise is mastered, then he passes onto the practise of concentration. Keeping himself erect and motionless, he must close his eyes and look at the tip of his nose and endeavour to keep his mind still. He must not eat too much or too little. Eating too much will make his body coarse and heavy, whereas as eating too little, the resulting hunger will disturb his mind. Nor must he indulge in too much sleep nor remain too wakeful. He must be moderate in all things. His aim is to save his energy for mental things.

He must restrain his thoughts and concentrate them in a logical chain on one subject. Later he learns to keep them on one point. The concentrate mind has been compared to a lamp sheltered in a spot in which it does not flicker. The object of these exercises is too draw the mind inwards. away from the body, senses, and look back upon itself. To do this successfully it requires constant practise but by constants and discipline of the wavering mind, it will be found that thoughts can be kept quite and still.

At this point the mind must be kept without thoughts, utterly quiet. This is a state of meditation, where you feel that you have become body less. The surest means to success on this path is constant, regular practise, together with indifference to quick results. One must not become disappointed when one does not attain any results. Success comes quite suddenly and when one least expects it.

To Be Continued….

The Scripture Of The Yogis – Part 11

I. Renunciation

Children, not the wise, speak of these two paths as distinct. He who is rightly devoted to even on obtains the fruits of both.

The teacher explains that truly wise man will be a master of two worlds – the world within and the world without, and not the salve of either. He will be a child of his own epoch and an imitation of some earlier ancestor.

In a sage with endued wisdom and humility, in a cow, in an elephant, as also in a dog and in a dog-eater, the wise see the same OverSelf.

This is the outlook of the sage. In such a man you find humility and wisdom. He looks at all beings expressing the same unity in life. His outlook is universal; it is without prejudice of race or caste. In the eyes of the sage, who sees the OverSelf in all, an outcast merits the same respect and kindness as that given a king.

He knows the OverSelf can neither rejoice on obtaining pleasant, nor grieve on obtaining  the unpleasant – steady minded, undiluted, resting in the OverSelf.

With his mental outlook, the sage can withstand the impulses of desire and anger. This is an interesting statement because it implies that such impulses do reach him.But they can reach him, and why? The idea is that a sage, adept, or master has no such impulses – that they have completely disappeared. This ideas is not quite correct. They do come in some cases because the sage is not yet liberated from the body. Such impulses, however are fleeting. They disappear within seconds because the sage automatically refuses to identify himself with them.

Matter has lost it’s grip on him, and this world no longer possesses the power to enchant him. So he may wander through the materialistic civilisation of the world from Moscow to India, but he will remain inwardly unaffected.

With the Self unattached to external contacts, he finds joy which is in the Self; with the Self engaged in the contemplation of the OverSelf he attains endless joy.

He is not dependant on external things alone for joy and happiness, but on the other hand, he is quite capable of appreciating them when available. He is satisfied whether sitting in a cave by himself or living amongst men in a city. Such is the state of those who have attained recognition of the OverSelf.

The sages attain OverSelf bliss – they whose sins have been destroyed and doubts removed, who are self controlled and intent on the welfare of all beings.

He has no more doubts, They have been removed because he has found truth and is wedded to it. Doubts are thoughts, opinions, and theories. The sage has lifted himself above this realm, his doubts have been removed by clear knowledge. It is needless to flash a light in a room which is already illuminated. Neither is it necessary for a sage to hold theories and opinions when he is illuminated the the radiance of the OverSelf.

To Be Continued….

The Scripture Of The Yogis – Part 10

I. Renunciation

The disciple asks:

Renunciation of actions, O Teacher, Thou praisest, and again meditation. Tell me conclusively that which is the better of the two.

The teacher replies:

Both lead to the highest bliss; but, of the two, yoga through action is esteemed more than renunciation of action.

How is that? Spiritual ecstasy is the highest state of emotion. But it is not the highest truth. To come to the highest truth one would then have to be initiated in the ultimate quest. Both the path of activity and that of renunciation from the world lead to this bliss. If you must make a choice between the two, follow the path which leads to activity in the world. It is more difficult, but the results are proportionately greater.

In ancient times, people who wanted to gain a higher spiritual dimension would retreat into Mystery Temples for a while and be taught under the most helpful conditions. Sometimes they would spend the life there;  everything was made easier for their spiritual condition. Today they are no such institutions and life has taken their place, so you must gain your initiations, seek your knowledge and develop your intuition amidst and through the very experience which come to you every day.

There is no use saying that you cannot learn in the midst of your life. You can learn by reflecting on your experiences to see the hidden lesson behind them, and this is in a way as helpful as meditation in a monastery. Understanding is just as important as drowning yourself in meditation, and your experiences in the physical world present the proper opportunities for you. The conditions evoke certain thoughts and feelings and you have to choose their direction. They give you an opportunity to understand, to confront, and to overcome obstacles.

Why does the teacher advise the more difficult path? Because of its very difficulty! It is a path that forces you to act more directly on your own initiative. When you live in the world of activity, there is immediate testing of all theories by results. The man who renounces the world may be fostering all sorts of illusions in his head. Talking about spirituality does not make you spiritual. Bring down to the physical plane of action whatever you know,  and live it. To follow a mirage made of words is not to follow the living God who dwells within your heart. Then also, if you remain  in the world you serve and help humanity, by setting an example. In the final sense, however both paths are the same. The man in the world who is acting from the higher motives is not different from the man who has run away from the world.

The Sage may be a king. He may be possessed of splendour but sometimes he may be a nobody, an obscure figure. Whatever part he has to play he will play it. In any situation he still remains a man of divine realization. No one can dictate what part a man of realization should play. You can’t say that he must come out into the world, or that he should remain in retreat. It is foolish for the ignorant to say that an adept must do this or that. He may stay for years in a cave, and yet he is not wasting time. If he receives the divine message the true sage will surely sacrifice the lonely places which he loves. If the command is give from within he will then descend into the crowded streets and babbling forums of the world.

To Be Continued…