The Roots of Yoga

"Yoga is like an ancient river," explains yoga scholar Georg Feuerstein. "It has countless rapids, eddies, loops, tributaries, and backwaters and extends over a vast, colorful terrain of many different habitats." The roots of yoga are complex, ancient, and only scantily known. "So, when we speak of yoga, we speak of a multitude of paths and orientations with contrasting theoretical frameworks and occasionally incompatible goals."

Orthodox Hinduism is based on the Vedic revelation, as contained in the four Vedas - Rig, Yajur, Sama, and Atharva. These are India's sacred scriptures, whose ancient origins are unknown. The Vedic orthodoxy accords validity to six schools (or darshana, "points of view"): Purva-Mimamsa, Vedanta, Samkhya, Nyaya, Vaiseshika, and Yoga. (Some scholars add Buddhism as the seventh.) Each school has its founding sage and canonical sutra.

The Purva-Mimamsa ("earlier discussion") school, founded by Jaimini (c. 200 B.C.), is a philosophy of ritualism, a catalogue of priestly duties, a science of moral action, and a schema for ethical behavior.

Vedanta also called Uttara-Mimamsa ("later discussion"), means "Veda's end." Formulated by Shankaracharya (788820), it is fundamentally monistic and nondualistic and is based on the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, and the Brahma Sutra. Some believe Shankaracharya to be a divine incarnation of Shiva; in any case, he taught that reality is a single, indivisible whole. Shankaracharya founded 10 new orders of swamis and established four holy seats (maths) throughout India, important Hindu "bishoprics" still occupied and revered today.

The Samkhya ("number") school, founded by the sage Kapila and elaborated by Ishvara Krishna (c. 350 A.D.), is Vedanta's intellectual rival in the Hindu fold. Samkhya concerns itself with the number and description of the categories of existence. Its focus is the plurality of being, and its methods emphasize discrimination within a dualistic framework involving spirit (purusha) and matter (Prakriti).

The Nyaya ("rule") system, established around 500 B.C. by Gautama (not to be confused with the historical Buddha), taught rules for logic, rhetoric, and causation and proposed a general theory of knowledge.

Kanabhaksa formulated the tenets of Vaiseshika around 600 B.C. He described six fundamental categories of existence and stressed the differences (vaisesha) between things.

Classical Yoga ("union") was propounded in 196 sutras by the great sage Patanjali, who lived in the second century A.D. Hindu tradition contends that Patanjali was an incarnation of Ananta, Vishnu's thousand-headed Lord of the Serpents, the race that guarded the secret treasures of Earth. With his systematic treatise on yoga practice, Patanjali "supplied the yoga tradition with a reasonably homogeneous framework that could stand up against the many rival traditions," explains Feuerstein.

Within the school of Yoga, six major forms have gained prominence and comprise '.bats called the Wheel of Yoga.

Raja yoga is "the resplendent yoga of slirilol hips.' says Feuerstein. It is the eightfold high road of contemplation and meditation.

Hatha yoga, Hatha is a general category that includes most yoga styles. It is an old system that includes the practice of asanas (yoga postures) and pranayama (breathing exercises), which help bring peace to the mind and body, preparing the body for deeper spiritual practices such as meditation.

Jnana yoga, which cultivates the eye of wisdom, is a non-dualistic path of Self-realization through inspired reason, understanding, and discernment. It is often associated with the teaching known as advaita ("nondual") Vedanta.

With bhakti yoga, the path of Bhakti yoga, also called Bhakti marga (literally the path of Bhakti), is a spiritual path or spiritual practice within Hinduism focused on loving devotion towards a personal god.

Karma yoga, the paths to spiritual liberation in Hinduism, karma yoga is the path of unselfish action. It teaches that a spiritual seeker should act according to dharma, without being attached to the fruits or personal consequences. Karma Yoga, states the Bhagavad Gita, purifies the mind.

Laya yoga, Laya yoga is a yoga form in which dissolution of self and merging with the Supreme Consciousness are achieved. Laya is a Sanskrit term meaning "dissolve." Laya yoga leads to the state of samadhi, which is the highest unification with the Divine. It leads the mind from the state of manifestation and dissolution to moola Prakriti, meaning "original state."Though it may also be referred to as Kundalini yoga as it awakens the kundalini power, Laya yoga works from the Sahasrara (crown chakra) at the top of the body and flows down through the lower chakras to awaken kundalini.

Raja yoga (also called Ashtanga yoga or eightfold path) in Sanskrit texts, Raja yoga was both the goal of yoga and a method of attaining it. The term also became a modern name for the practice of yoga, when in the 19th-century Swami Vivekananda equated raja yoga with the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.

Pratyahara, “Pratyahara” means literally “control of ahara,” or “gaining mastery over external influences.” It has been compared to a turtle withdrawing into its shell—the turtle's shell is the mind and the turtle's limbs are the senses. The term is usually translated as “withdrawal from the senses,” but much more is implied. “Ahara” means “food,” or “anything we take into ourselves from the outside.” “Prati” is a preposition meaning “against” or “away.” “Pratyahara” means literally “control of ahara,” or “gaining mastery over external influences”. Patanjali says that when an asana is correctly preformed, the dualities between body and mind, mind and soul, have to vanish. 

To enter silence we need to go beyond words

In order to understand spiritual Reality, we need to depart from the “I” that we associate with the mind and the ego and embrace the I Am, our inner Self. If we don’t make that switch, we will not get very far on the spiritual path. In fact, we will get even more involved into the world in which we already live. We need to move beyond our normal dualistic way of thinking, but first we have to realize how trapped we are in it.

This points us to observing the stream of our mind. Doing so, we soon realize that it doesn’t take long before we are engaged in repetitive thought, useless thought, compulsive thoughts, and negative thoughts. This can at first be very humiliating since we all are convicted that we have a sound and organized mind.

Religious teachings are also mainly of the mind. The mind is dualistic. It expresses everything in terms of either or, all or nothing, good or bad. All of which is lacking light or spirit.

Dualism in Christianity – is the moral, spiritual, or religious belief that two fundamental concepts exist, which often opposes each other.

Metaphysical Dualism - God and the world, matter and spirit, body and mind, and good and evil.

If Dualism is not adequate to spiritual development, then what are ways to higher consciousness? These are qualities as unconditional love, joy, self-honesty, modesty and humility.

This leads us into the great mysteries of non dualism, love, faith, truth and God; religion at a more mature level that embraces such disciplines as contemplation, meditation and silence.

What drove Jesus into the wilderness?

In Mark 1:12 we read, “The Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness.” Why had the Spirit drive Him into the wilderness? It may be because human nature really doesn’t want to go there. When we go into the stillness, into the silence, the first thing that comes up in the mind is not the good stuff, but the bad one. It is all the things we have buried in the sub – conscious. Past unresolved relationships etc.

When the Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness, he met all the things one does not want to deal with.

What does the bible say about non duality?

God, who is perfect (nondual) and loves all alike.

There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28)

What is Paul saying here? Of course Jews remained Jews and Greeks remained Greeks; there is no evidence of mass liberation of slaves in Christian society, and male and female remained, male and female. Nonduality does not erase differences; rather, it transcends them, by inviting us into that God-vantage-point, where we can “behold God in all” and learn to love all, the way God loves all. In the love of God, human-level distinctions like nationality, gender, or socioeconomic status simply lose their grip on us. They don’t go away, but they lose their harmful potency — at least, as long as we remain vigilant in our unity with the mind of Christ.

    Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 2:5)

    ‘For who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?’ But we have the mind of Christ. (I Corinthians 2:16)

What does it mean to “have the mind of Christ”? When Paul instructs us to “let this mind be in you,” he goes on to speak about Christ, though equal with God, taking on humility and self-emptying (kenosis) to embrace humanity — even including a violent, undignified death by crucifixion. Paul seems to be saying, “If Christ, who is God, can take on the worst experience of being human, shouldn’t we do the same?” The key is “the mind of Christ,” which seen as the mind of nondual consciousness. When we embrace the “everything belongs” mind in which we see all things with the eyes of God, loving with the heart of God, beholding God in all, we are empowered to bring Christ to all things: good and evil, happy and suffering, healthy and sick, virtuous and sinful. We bring the mind of Christ to all aspects of our life: to the “good” and to the “evil” or “bad” to heal or transform it.

The mind of Christ means “go beyond our mind” In other words, go beyond the dualistic mind which judges and condemns, into the mind of Christ, the consciousness of nonduality, of Divine Love. That is the gate to holiness, the pathway to truly believing, and becoming a force for healing and transformation in a world that so desperately needs it.

In spirituality, nondualism, also called non-duality, means "not two" or "one undivided without a second". Nondualism primarily refers to a mature state of consciousness, in which the dichotomy of ‘I’- other is "transcended", and awareness is described as "center less" and "without dichotomies". Although this state of consciousness may seem to appear spontaneous, it usually follows prolonged preparation through ascetic or meditative/contemplative practice. While the term "nondualism" is derived from Advaita Vedanta, descriptions of nondual consciousness can be found within Hinduism (Turiya, sahaja or spontaneous enlightenment); in Buddhism it is (Buddha-nature), and in western Christian and neo-Platonic traditions, mystical union).

Let’s contemplate this. But first we must define what contemplation is. Contemplation is a form of praying without words, it is the opening of mind and heart, or our whole being to God. It is the Ultimate Mystery, beyond thoughts, words, and emotions.

                       We Will All Be One

                       Jesus said that we will all be one

                       With God the Father, Spirit and Son.

                        I in you, you in Me;

                        Oneness is our destiny.

                        By His Word, God created everything-

                        He spoke it all into being.

                        Apart from Him, there's no time, no space,

                        No Earth, no stars, no human race.

                        Our life, lived in Him, gives us power

                        To overcome, each day and hour,

                        All the forces of evil that rise

                        To spread deception and lies.

                        Through us, let the Spirit pour

                        Life in Him , forevermore:

                        Faith and love and peace and more-

                        Holy sanctifying power.

                        I in you and you in Me, no more I nor you, but we,

                        Living as One, eternally.

                        Lord, I pray Your holy will be done,

                        Let Your heavenly kingdom come.

The Cosmic Christ

The mystery of Christ is much bigger than Christianity. Christ is not a personality but a Divine Essence. It is a spiritual emanation from Godhead. The Son of God or the Godhead in its creative aspect is that power or principle which begets and animates all manifestation of life. It is the Divine creative force, a great stream of life giving essence which manifests in all things, on all planes as the animating principle of the one life.

The Christ spirit therefore is an animating power of all life, physical, mental and spiritual.

In nature, it is the unquestionable urge toward perfection, which adapts the organism to its environment

Among man it is the urge toward union with God, the effort to bring the Divine in them into harmony with the Divine in the universe. It is this mystic forming verifying principle, the Christ force manifesting in and through Jesus, when he said: “I am the bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world” John 6:51 NLT.

"He who eats my flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life”

Such statement could not apply to any human flesh and blood or any personality, but figuratively to that immortal universal principle, which the personality of Jesus embodied. Eternal life cannot be obtained by merely observing or studying spiritual truth, for they must be assimilated (eaten) in one’s total being and be a part of life. Just as physical food must be assimilated by the body and manifest as love, tolerance, charity and purity. In this way we have truly eaten of the body of Christ. Only as the Christ force in us can we have eternal life.

To grow spiritually is not enough to lead ethical, moral and blameless lives. We must also drink of the blood and eat of the flesh of Christ, that is, drink of the spiritual creative power or Divine life force which shall re-create us. This divine life force shall make our lives not only mortal models, but dynamic, radiant centers of the force for good.

 We must distinguish between the mystic Christ principle and the personality of Jesus who manifested an individual manifestation of this force. This distinction is plainly made in the New Testament that only the lack of knowledge concerning the mystery of Christ can account for the incomplete teachings of the church leaders. Most teachers only talk about the personality of Jesus and his suffering. If they stop here, they don’t even touch the hem of his garment. They worship a picture and are doomed to disappointment. They see their ideal crucified, cast out and destroyed. The Pauline picture of Christ is for those who need no historic personality as a model, but to open their heart to the Christ and have the Holy teachings revealed through spirit.

The story of Jesus is not just a story of a great teacher, but the story of the perfected man, the growth and perfection of the soul. The story of Jesus is the story of which each personality must pass through. Most people live in their mind which is dual by nature and for the most part vacillates between higher and lower expressions. The Jesus man becomes a Christ only when the human mind is uplifted and blended with Christ Consciousness, the discriminating intellect; the Self and the Father in heaven.

Christ consciousness according to Paramahansa Yogananda is the projected consciousness of God immanent in all creation. In Christian scripture, the "only begotten son," the only pure reflection in creation of God the Father; in Hindu scripture, Kutastha Chaitanya or Tat, the universal consciousness, or cosmic intelligence, of Spirit everywhere present in creation. (The terms "Christ Consciousness" and "Christ Intelligence" are synonymous, as also "Cosmic Christ" and "Infinite Christ.") It is the universal consciousness, oneness with God, manifested by Jesus, Krishna, and other avatars. Great saints and yogis know it as the state of samadhi (ecstasy) meditation wherein their consciousness has become identified with the divine intelligence in every particle of creation; they feel the entire universe as their own body.

The resurrection of Jesus was the symbolic way of saying that his presence was beyond any limits of physical space and time. Jesus was historically bound; the Christ is omnipresent.

CONSCIOUSNESS, INTELLIGENCE, WILL

Do you think that you have an independent existence?

Many mixed thoughts will be crowding into your mind as you read these lines. You will have doubts and eager questionings, as well as a vague fear that may imperceptibly change into a growing hope that this glimmering meaning of the new ideas, which will begin to penetrate the darkness of your intellect, may shine brightly so that you can see clearly the Truth which you instinctively feel is hidden beneath these words.

The message is about the I AM, your real Self, the you that is speaking to your consciousness, in order to fully comprehend its meaning. It is the same I AM which is the Life and Spirit animating all living things in the Universe, from the tiniest atom to the greatest Sun.

This I AM is the Intelligence in you and in your brothers and sisters and is simultaneously the Intelligence which causes everything to live and grow and become that which is destined to be.

If this is the first time you are hearing about this I AM in you or in your brother and sister, this text can be challenging to your mind. However, if you follow these words and observe the instructions, it will soon bring to your consciousness a light that will illumine the deepest recesses of your mind and drive away all the clouds of your human misconceptions, ideas and opinions that currently darken your intellect. So remember the I AM, the real Self of you, the all that you are and know, that which you  are, the personality, is only an illusion, a shadow of your real Self. You have been conditioned to think that you are body and your mind with a soul that leaves you when you die. You are so much more and at the same time nothing if you cling to your personality.

Yet you are the Intelligence that directs the workings of your body, whether this directing is done consciously or unconsciously. When this Intelligence is withdrawn the cells in your body fall apart, your physical body dies and exists no longer as a living organism. Ask yourself, who is this you who directs and controls the activities of your organs, and consequently each cell composing them?

You cannot say it is your human or personal self who does this, for you of yourself cannot control the action of a single organ of your body. It must then be this impersonal I AM of you, which is you, and yet it is not you.

Listen, and become aware that you are Consciousness which is the same in all. All is one Consciousness, Intelligence expressing through form.

Consciousness, Intelligence and Will are wholly Impersonal and are common to everyone.

The I AM is the directing Intelligence of All, the animating Spirit of Life, the Consciousness of all matter, of all Substance.

This real you, this impersonal you, is in all and is one with all. You are in me and are one with me; just as I am in you and in all, and thereby I am expressing my Reality through you and through all.

The Will, which you call your Will, is likewise no more yours personally than is this Consciousness and the Intelligence of your mind and of the cells of your body.

It is but that small portion of My Will, which I permit you to use. As you awaken to the recognition of a certain power or faculty within you and begin consciously to use it, do I allow you utilize that much more of My Infinite Power.

All power and its use is of My Will. Your will and all your powers are only portion of My Will, which I supply to suit your capacity to use it.

Were I to entrust you with the full power of My Will, before you know how consciously and wisely use it, it would utterly annihilate your body.

To test your strength and to show you what the misuse of My Power does to you, I at times allow you to commit a so-called sin or to make a mistake. I even permit you to become inflated with the sense of My presence within you, which will manifests as consciousness of My Power, My Intelligence and My Love. I let you take these and use them for your own personal purposes.

I AM always there to pick you up, after you fall, although you do not know it at the time. First I straightening you out and then I guide you onward again, by pointing out the reason for your fall. Eventually you will become aware, that these powers are occurring in you are the result of My Will, My Intelligence and My Love, and are for the use of My Service, and not at all for your own Personal ends.

Do the cells of your body, the muscles of your arm, think to set themselves up as having a separate will from your will, or a separate intelligence from your intelligence?

No, they know no other intelligence but yours, no will but yours.

After a while it will become clear to you, that you are only one of the cells of My Body, and that your will is not your will, but Mine. You will know, that what consciousness and what intelligence you have are Mine wholly. There is no such a person as you. You personally are only a physical form containing a human brain, which I created for the purpose of expressing through you in matter for a certain purpose which I could best express through the form which is known as you.

All this may be difficult for you to accept, and you may protest very strenuously that it cannot be, that every instinct of your nature rebels against such yielding and subordinating yourself to an unseen and unknown power, however Impersonal or Divine.

Fear not, it is only your personality that rebels. If you continue to follow and study My ways, all will soon be made clear, and I will surely open up to your inner understanding many wonderful Truths that now are impossible for you to comprehend. Your Soul will rejoice and sing glad praises, and you will bless these words for the message that they bring.

So be it

Christmas message 2018

This Christ of Everywhere is sleeping in the breast of Eternity; He loves to take new birth at anytime, anywhere, especially in the warmth of our true affection. Though the Infinite Christ is present in every speck of space as the splendor of ever new wisdom and creative expression, we can never see Him unless He chooses to be seen in the cradle of our unceasing devotion.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Should Christians celebrate Christmas?

The debate about whether or not Christians should celebrate Christmas has been raging for centuries. There are equally sincere and committed Christians on both sides of the issue, each with multiple reasons why or why not Christmas should be celebrated in Christian homes. But what does the Bible say? Does the Bible give clear direction as to whether Christmas is a holiday to be celebrated by Christians?

First, let’s look at the reasons why some Christians do not celebrate Christmas. One argument against Christmas is that the traditions surrounding the holiday have origins in paganism. Searching for reliable information on this topic is difficult because the origins of many of our traditions are so obscure that sources often contradict one another. Bells, candles, holly, and yuletide/yule decorations are mentioned in the history of pagan worship, but the use of such in one’s home certainly does not indicate a return to paganism. While there are definitely pagan roots to some traditions, there are many more traditions associated with the true meaning of Christmas—the birth of the Savior of the world in Bethlehem. Bells are played to ring out the joyous news, candles are lit to remind us that Christ is the Light of the world (John 1:4-9), a star is placed on the top of a Christmas tree to remember the Star of Bethlehem, and gifts are exchanged to remind us of the gifts of the Magi to Jesus, the greatest gift of God to mankind.

Another argument against Christmas, especially having a Christmas tree, is that the Bible forbids bringing trees into our homes and decorating them. The passage often cited is Jeremiah 10:1-16, but this passage refers to cutting down trees, chiseling the wood to make an idol, and then decorating the idol with silver and gold for the purpose of bowing down before it to worship it (see also Isaiah 44:9-18). The passage in Jeremiah cannot be taken out of its context and used to make a legitimate argument against Christmas trees.

Christians who choose to ignore Christmas point to the fact that the Bible doesn’t give us the date of Christ’s birth, which is certainly true. December 25 may not be even close to the time Jesus was born, and arguments on both sides are legion, some relating to climate in Israel, the practices of shepherds in winter, and the dates of Roman census-taking. None of these points are without a certain amount of conjecture, which brings us back to the fact that the Bible doesn’t tell us when Jesus was born. Some see this as proof positive that God didn’t want us to celebrate the birth, while others see the Bible’s silence on the issue as tacit approval.

Some Christians say that since the world celebrates Christmas—although it is becoming more and more politically correct to refer to it as “the holidays”—Christians should avoid it. But that is the same argument made by false religions that deny Christ altogether, as well as cults such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses who deny His deity. Those Christians who do celebrate Christmas often see the occasion as an opportunity to proclaim Christ as “the reason for the season” among the nations and to those trapped in false religions.

As we have seen, there is no legitimate scriptural reason not to celebrate Christmas. At the same time, there is no biblical mandate to celebrate it, either. In the end, of course, whether or not to celebrate Christmas is a personal decision. Whatever Christians decide to do regarding Christmas, their views should not be used as a club with which to beat down or denigrate those with opposing views, nor should either view be used as a badge of honor inducing pride over celebrating or not celebrating. As in all things, we seek wisdom from Him who gives it liberally to all who ask (James 1:5) and accept one another in Christian love and grace, regardless of our views on Christmas.

The Cosmic Christ

The mystery of Christ is much bigger than Christianity. Christ is not a personality but a Divine Essence. It is a spiritual emanation from Godhead. The Son of God or the Godhead in its creative aspect is that power or principle which begets and animates all manifestation of life. It is the Divine creative force, a great stream of life giving essence which manifests in all things, on all planes as the animating principle of the one life.

The Christ spirit therefore is an animating power of all life, physical, mental and spiritual.

In nature, it is the unquestionable urge toward perfection, which adapts the organism to its environment

Among man it is the urge toward union with God, the effort to bring the Divine in them into harmony with the Divine in the universe. It is this mystic forming verifying principle, the Christ force manifesting in and through Jesus, when he said: “I am the bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world” John 6:51 NLT.

"He who eats my flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life”

Such statement could not apply to any human flesh and blood or any personality, but figuratively to that immortal universal principle, which the personality of Jesus embodied. Eternal life cannot be obtained by merely observing or studying spiritual truth, for they must be assimilated (eaten) in one’s total being and be a part of life. Just as physical food must be assimilated by the body and manifest as love, tolerance, charity and purity. In this way we have truly eaten of the body of Christ. Only as the Christ force in us can we have eternal life.

To grow spiritually is not enough to lead ethical, moral and blameless lives. We must also drink of the blood and eat of the flesh of Christ, that is, drink of the spiritual creative power or Divine life force which shall re-create us. This divine life force shall make our lives not only mortal models, but dynamic, radiant centers of the force for good.

 We must distinguish between the mystic Christ principle and the personality of Jesus who manifested an individual manifestation of this force. This distinction is plainly made in the New Testament that only the lack of knowledge concerning the mystery of Christ can account for the incomplete teachings of the church leaders. Most teachers only talk about the personality of Jesus and his suffering. If they stop here, they don’t even touch the hem of his garment. They worship a picture and are doomed to disappointment. They see their ideal crucified, cast out and destroyed. The Pauline picture of Christ is for those who need no historic personality as a model, but to open their heart to the Christ and have the Holy teachings revealed through spirit.

The story of Jesus is not just a story of a great teacher, but the story of the perfected man, the growth and perfection of the soul. The story of Jesus is the story of which each personality must pass through. Most people live in their mind which is dual by nature and for the most part vacillates between higher and lower expressions. The Jesus man becomes a Christ only when the human mind is uplifted and blended with Christ Consciousness, the discriminating intellect; the Self and the Father in heaven.

Christ consciousness according to Paramahansa Yogananda is the projected consciousness of God immanent in all creation. In Christian scripture, the "only begotten son," the only pure reflection in creation of God the Father; in Hindu scripture, Kutastha Chaitanya or Tat, the universal consciousness, or cosmic intelligence, of Spirit everywhere present in creation. (The terms "Christ Consciousness" and "Christ Intelligence" are synonymous, as also "Cosmic Christ" and "Infinite Christ.") It is the universal consciousness, oneness with God, manifested by Jesus, Krishna, and other avatars. Great saints and yogis know it as the state of samadhi (ecstasy) meditation wherein their consciousness has become identified with the divine intelligence in every particle of creation; they feel the entire universe as their own body.

The resurrection of Jesus was the symbolic way of saying that his presence was beyond any limits of physical space and time. Jesus was historically bound; the Christ is omnipresent.