Christmas 2013

Did you ever ask yourself, why Christmas is celebrated in many countries on December 25^th.

Roman Catholics and Anglicans celebrate Midnight Mass and the Lutherans of Germany and Scandinavia traditionally celebrate on Christmas Eve on the 24^th.

We don’t know the exact date when Jesus was born, most people choose December 25 to celebrate this occasion.

So let us take a look into history.

We do know that as long as civilizations existed, there were holidays, times set aside for the celebration of gods or seasons. Some holidays were held at specific times, like the festival of spring ushering in the return of life.

There were the harvest festivals and those in mid winter. Mid winter festivals were always popular, it was cold and dark and there was little to do outside. People wanted a break and some stimulation. They decorated their homes and around the house to break up the dreary months of winter. Today we see similarities in decorated windows and doors.

I the past there were other reasons associate with these festivals. Winter was known as a time of famine. There was not enough feed for excess life stock, so some of it had to be slaughtered. This provided an opportunity for people to get together and share in the feast.  

Another reason for celebration was the winter solstice, bringing with it the gradual start of longer days.

Around this time there was also an ancient Roman festival in honor of the deity Saturn held on December 17 of the Julian calendar that later expanded with festivities through December 23.

The holiday was celebrated with a sacrifice at the Temple of Saturn in the Roman forum followed by a public banquet, and gift-giving, continual partying, and a carnival atmosphere that overturned Roman social norms: gambling was permitted, and masters provided table service for their slaves.

The first recorded date of Christmas being celebrated on December 25th was in 336AD, during the time of the Roman Emperor Constantine. A few years later, Pope Julius I officially declared, hat the birth of Jesus would be celebrated on the 25th December.

So let us remember, that when making the exchange of presents the primary reason to celebrate the birth of Jesus, we do the same thing as the Romans did almost 2000 years ago.

But today, we have come together in remembrance of the birth of Jesus the Christ, the embodiment of love and forgiveness.

Jesus showed us that the heart can be purified through the love of God.

When we look at history, it shows us that cultures move in waves. They rise and they fall.

When cultures fall, which is often the result of wrong living; people are looking for answers outside themselves instead of into their own lives.

In the yoga traditions we read, that whenever the spiritual life, truth and righteousness of nations have been neglected or forgotten, God incarnates in the form of a person to re-light the flame of spirituality in the hearts men.

In the Bhagavad Gita we read:

Whenever goodness grows weak,

When evil increases,

I make myself a body.

In every age I come back

To deliver the holy,

To destroy the sin of the sinner, and

Establish righteousness.

God came to earth in the form of Krishna, Buddha and Jesus.

Each of them had a distinct message for humanity.

Jesus came at a critical time in history. It was a time, when the world was in need for spiritual hope and regeneration.

His message was not to form diverse churches, by each church claiming him as their own.

His was a universal message of unity, and brotherly love, of forgiveness, compassion, renunciation, equality, and supreme love for God.

His message is one of the grandest ever given.

He reminded us that it is written in the scriptures, “know ye not that ye are gods”, children of the most high.

St. John expressed the spirit of Christ’s teaching when he said:

 “But as many as receive him (the Christ Consciousness, or God’s intelligence that is present in all of creation and was manifested in Jesus), to them gave he powers to become the sons of God.”

                                                                                                                                                 John 1:12

                                                                                                                             

This is a message of hope for all, the down trodden, the poor and the sick, it is a message for all of humanity.

Jesus himself spoke of the omnipresent Christ Consciousness when he said,

“Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing or penny? And not one of them shall fall from the ground without (the sight of) your father.

                                                                                              Mathew 10:29

This shows us, that God’s consciousness or Spirit is everywhere. His body represents the entire cosmos.

We can feel His omnipresent consciousness in our hearts as this great spiritual vibration; we call love, a love that embraces everything in creation.

We can also experience the Christ Consciousness; God’s creative, intelligent in creation.

Jesus was one with Christ Consciousness and when we experience this creative, intelligent force in our lives, we are one in Christ.

We may ask how, how can we feel this consciousness?

Our whole being will be filled with love and light. Jesus said:” I am the light of the world”. When we are one with his light, we are one with Christ.

From Jesus we learn that the purpose of religion is to expand human consciousness and unite it with the omnipresent Christ Consciousness in all of creation.

A core message of Jesus which is seldom spoken of and also much miss-understood was about God’s kingdom.

Jesus proclaimed:”Seek ye first the kingdom of God and its righteousness and all thing will be given unto you.”

                                                                                Matthew 6:33

The only prayer he is known to have given to his disciples was:”Thy Kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven.”

Many times he spoke of the Kingdom of the Heavenly Father and the way to attain it.

“Except a man be born again of Water and Spirit he cannot enter the Kingdom of God.”

                                                              John 3:5

“Strive to enter the straight gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.”

                                                                              Luke13:24

No man has ascended unto heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the son of man which is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the son of man be lifted up.

                                                                                     Mark 9:47

I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.    

                                                                                       John 10:9

I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

                                                                                         John 14:6

What we need to realize is, that the kingdom of God does not come through sensory observation; neither can it be found by those who say: Behold it is here and there or somewhere in the clouds.

The kingdom is within and we will find it hidden behind our material consciousness.

Many people think of heaven as a physical location. A point in space, above the stars, others interpret Jesus’ statement about the coming of the kingdom of God by referring to the coming of a Messiah to establish the rule over a divine kingdom on earth.

The kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven consist of the transcendental Cosmic Consciousness (the Absolute transcendental Spirit existing beyond creation, God the Father) and the causal and astral realms of vibratory creation that are much finer and more harmonized with God’s will, than the physical vibrations that form the planets, the air and the earthly surroundings.

The material objects that we perceive, originate and exist beyond our senses. Their origin lies in cosmic consciousness, hidden behind the layers of matter, physical, subtle energy and thought.

The kingdom of God is not separate from the kingdom of matter, but is within it, pervading it in subtle form, both as its origin and its sustainer.          

This is why Jesus said, it is futile to look for heaven with material consciousness, identified with bodily sensations and pleasures of earthly comfort.

In the kingdom of matter and body consciousness we find disease and mental and physical suffering; but turning within, to our inner kingdom, we find the comforter or the Holy Spirit manifesting in the subtle cerebrospinal centers of spiritual consciousness.

Being aware of these spinal cerebral centers and their significance, we can determine where we are on the spiritual path and accordingly deepen our awakening toward Self realization and God realization.

When we are carried along the stream of the outgoing material consciousness, we experience earthly attachment and the limitations of the body.

Yet when we follow the inward stream of meditation we can attain the kingdom of God.

Jesus taught that we need to expand our consciousness from ordinary consciousness to Universal Christ Consciousness (the projected consciousness of God immanent in all of creation. In Christian terms, it is the “only begotten son,” the only pure reflection in creation of God the Father,) and then to God Consciousness by following the inward flowing stream of consciousness by meditating on AUM to reach the blissful Kingdom of God that exists behind the obstruction of the physical body to experience Oneness with the God of all.

The message of Jesus embraces all levels of Existence, all levels of Consciousness, leading to Eternal Bliss.

Leading a God centered life, leads us to know God. Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

                                                             KJB   Matthew 7:7

Jesus did not go through his earthly ministry and suffering to primarily provide discussion material for church ceremonies. His mission was to uplift the consciousness of the people.

Let Christ be born anew in us and let us carry PEACE AND JOY the true message of Christmas wherever we go

Let us open our inner eyes of soul wisdom and behold the omnipresent Light of God. Within this Light is the consciousness of Christ, the "Son" or pure reflection of God present everywhere in the universe. This Christ Consciousness, the Infinite Christ, which was in Jesus, is God's intelligence and love shining on our souls, urging us to look at this Light within and we shall see all ignorance and diversities vanish.

To him who has opened his inner eye, everything is One.

May God’s Blessings Guide us on our ways. 

Transcending the mundane

Visualize a realm of all possibilities. This would imply a realm in which everything would not just be possible but also equally probable. In quantum physics this is referred to as the unified field, in yoga the transcendental field.

Now infinite possibility does not mean randomness or chaos, for there is a higher, intelligent force acting as the cause which creates delicate and complex life forms.

This is the same intelligence that if given a chance, will manifest the most perfect outcome for us in any given situation.

Unfortunately many people are so attached to their limited consciousness, their re-occurring thoughts and worries, their ego consciousness and its predictability, that they often find themselves trapped like a bird in a cage and are not aware of subtler influences that could change their lives.

But there is a way out of this predicament by expanding one’s consciousness through visualizing and exploring this infinite potential for its possibilities. 

We can open up a Divine window of peace and silence where the Absolute can enter our consciousness and work its magic.

This is done through the contemplative and meditative practice of emptying oneself of every thought and every attachment.

Both eastern sages and western mystics have taught for thousands of years, that we can make a sudden leap into the realm of the unimaginable, the land of true creativity.

We can suddenly start to live according to the will of God. It is here where the much debated free will fits nicely into context, since we are opening up the possibility of Divine direction in our lives. With Divine guidance we can experience freedom from choice, rather than of choice. In Christian terms, this is being called, being let by the Spirit of God.

This is freedom to rejoice every moment of our existence without stress of being confronted by choice, for everything always flows gracefully in the ocean of infinite bliss. When in this ocean of bliss, we are guided by our intuition and grace.

Our teaching institutions focus primarily on becoming fit for employment. For us to awaken to our full potential we need also embrace the higher realities while at the same time fulfilling our responsibilities to family and society on the mundane realm of existence.

TRUE SELF LOVE

True self love is a love of self whereby we will and seek our own true good, both spiritual and temporal? It is a love guided by right reason and divine faith.

In practice, to love ourselves means above all to combat our natural egoism which tends to impoverish our nature, and which seeks self-satisfaction through every kind of pleasure accomplished by any kind of means. It is a life lived with no guiding principle except the fulfillment of the desire of the moment.

We must love ourselves before we can reach out in love to others.

We must love others before we can "climb the steps" to perfect love of God.

But we must love God first if we are to truly love ourselves.

Spiritual Love is pure and unveiled. It is always present, regardless of whether or not we are in a relationship. It is in our own heart. We must find this love in the self and see that beauty is created by love.

In the Buddhist tradition, which has produced countless outstandingly generous and selfless individuals, there is an emphasis on developing love for our self as an indispensable prerequisite for loving others. Buddhists believe that if one does not love himself, then it is hard, if not impossible, to love other people.

In the Christian tradition the injunction is also to “love others as we love our self,” implying that we ought to love not just others but ourselves as well. In fact the assumption in saying that we should love others as ourselves is that we already do love ourselves and that we need to extend that love to others.

Buddha’s teaching on love states, just as blood nourishes the heart which keeps it flowing, so love nourishes spiritual freedom and is, in turn, kept flowing by it. The connection is so strong that Buddhism, often known as a Path of Freedom, could equally be called a religion of love. Perhaps this is what he had in mind when the Dalai Lama said his religion is kindness. For the Buddha, love is one of the paths to full spiritual liberation.

If we call Buddhism a path of love we need to be clear what we mean by love, or more precisely, what forms of love we are including.

Freedom is the guide, the measure, and the ultimate goal of all things. Buddhist love includes those forms of love that are characterized by freedom.

Love that involves clinging, lust, confusion, neediness, fear, or grasping to self would, in Buddhist terms, be seen as expressions of bondage and limitation.

Loving, kindness, compassion, joy, and a particular form of calmness and peace are the four kinds of love taught and encouraged in classic Buddhist teachings. None of these are uniquely Buddhist; they are four qualities that reside within the heart everyone, at least as potentials.

Teachings about the four forms of love existed in India prior to the Buddha; they were elements common to the Indian spiritual world which Buddha included within his system of practice.

While Buddhism cannot exist without love, it may be helpful to realize that love can exist happily apart from Buddhism.

Learning the ways of these four loves does not require one to become a Buddhist. It only requires a willingness to develop innate capacities.

In their most developed forms, the four types of love can each become a boundless radiance glowing from us. As such, love may flow from us equally toward all beings or it can glow freely without needing to be directed to anyone. When we feel boundless love without any particular object in mind, this is a form of great liberation.

People have experienced great love while in meditation, only to have it disappear quickly outside of meditation. It can be easy to love all beings in the abstract, but it can be a great challenge to do so when we have to live with them. It is one thing to love and another to express that love in daily life.

One of the most rewarding spiritual practices is to cultivate the ability to bring love into all aspects of our life and to all people we encounter. This entails learning how to express love while we speak with others, are in conflict with others, and are living with others. While this can be a daunting task, it begins with having the intention to do so.

Let us awaken the love in us and share it as a great blessing with all.

Truth

Truth, purity, and unselfishness - whenever these are present, there is no power below or above the sun to crush the possessor thereof. Equipped with these, one individual is able to face the whole universe in opposition.

Everything can be sacrificed for truth, but truth cannot be sacrificed for anything.

All love is expansion, all selfishness is contraction. Love is therefore the only law of life. He who loves, lives, he who is selfish is dying. Therefore love for love's sake, because it is law of life, just as you breathe to live.

                                            Swami Vivekananda 

Vipassana, which means to see things as they really are, or insight

In Yoga meditation the subject is Spirit or the Self, mind is the object.

The process is Dharana (concentration), Dhyana (meditation) and Samadhi (Absorption) wherein only the essence shines forth in the mind, as if the mind were devoid even of its own form.

In Vipassana, the subject is the mind; the object is the paying of attention to the experience of the senses.

The objective of Vipassana then is to purify the mind. It is said, that all human actions emanate from the mind, and a pure mind by nature reflects love and compassion. Sustained practice of 

Vipassana can bring about a complete transformation of one’s human personality.

In the Kriya yoga meditation the human personality is dissolved into the Self.

In Vipassana with its origin in Buddhism, the core focus is on concentration, virtue and wisdom.

An example is focusing and directing the mind, with the primary intention on concentration and the letting go of thoughts, i.e. practicing non attachment.

Thoughts have no power of their own; they only have the power we give them. In this way they create our world.

Categories of thoughts are of two kids, desire and good will. The objective is to create good will.

Desires are difficult to uproot and can lead to addiction.

Renunciation of selfish desires is a primary objective.

Vipassana is a way of self-transformation through self-observation. It focuses on the deep interconnection between mind and body.

It is through observation-based exploration of mind and body that the common roots of mental and physical impurities can be dissolved, so as to obtain a balanced mind full of love and compassion.

Through direct experience, the nature of how one grows or regresses, how one produces suffering or frees oneself from suffering is understood through the practice of Vipassana,

Life then becomes characterized by increased awareness, non-delusion, self-control and peace.

Vipassana teaches to see things in their true perspective, in their true nature. It is, in essence, a technique of self-observation and self-exploration. Self here is referring to one’s personality.

Vipassana especially the observing of the mind can be practiced by anyone and under all circumstances.

Vipassana will appeal to those who do not belief in one’s spiritual nature.

VISION OF YOGA-SAMADHI-INNER FREEDOM

‘Now’ an explanation of Yoga begins.

Now means freedom from the past, freedom from the known. It implies that we have to unburden ourselves from the past or our personal history and change our ways. But what will take its place?

Ridding ourselves of past mental impressions and established behavior patterns suggests living in the here and now. Yet in practice we habitually cling to the past for support of the present and future.

This is where illusion begins. Nothing in the phenomenal world remains the same forever, even our personality changes. We live in a constant flux of change. When we can accept that our personality represents, at this moment, the sum total of all our past experiences, we are greatly empowered, since this affords us the opportunity the make adjustments to our lives and correct false assumptions.

What is required is for us to take responsibility for our lives by asking: am I prepared to free myself from my attachment to the past, am I prepared to think about life in a different new way?

We all can relate to examples where we or others look to the past to justify their present situation. Examples are: I suffer of ‘’’ it runs in the family; I have never been good at this, I am like my ...we always have done it this way. Whether it is a question of health or competence, we have that tendency to look at the past to justify the present.

We also make projections into the future. We wonder what may happen. We compare the known of the past and the present and link it to the future. But we really don’t know the future, and this provides anxiety and creates a disturbed mind.

How then is it possible for us to embrace the unknown, without creating anxiety in the mind? It is by living consciously in the here and Now, in the present eternal moment, for what we think and do now, determines to a large degree, individually or collectively, our future. Patanjali states: ‘Forget about the past, hold on to yoga, samadhi.

Patanjali states in sutra 2 states:” Yoga-chitta-vṛitti-nirodhaḥ.”

When we are in a state of yoga, all fluctuations (vrittis) which normally occur in the mind (chitta) disappear. Being in yoga means living in freedom, in harmony and peace where consciousness flourishes and harmony nourishes our body, mind and soul.

Present Moment, a Spiritual Perspective.

What a beautiful gift one shares when living in the present moment. When not thinking of the struggles from the past, nor thinking with anxiety about the future, but always living in the here and now.

When we choose to live in the present moment, we live by the Spirit that is beyond past, future.

It is in Divine moments that we are open to the inner light of Grace.

Whether we live in regrets of our past or in fears of the future, nothing prevents us from connecting with the present moment, where we can let go of past struggles and anxieties.

Let us not look for lasting happiness outside of ourselves, for we won’t find it there, because it is within us at all times.

It is the ego that hides our true nature, which is of joy, pure potentiality and unconditional love.

We need to realize, that Spirit flows through us only in the present moment, only in the here and now. So let us walk in Spirit and let it express through us in service and in love.

When we remember our Divine nature, the “I am”, we realize that living in the present moment opens us to freedom, harmony and peace.

The present moment connects us with being, not with doing; it is being that leads to the path of enlightenment and wisdom.

How glorious it is to know, that within us resides that which cannot be threatened by any outside influences or circumstances. That something is our eternal Self.

We will need to trust, when we are anchored in the Infinite, life will take care of us. All our legitimate needs, as they arise, will be satisfied, but we must do our part.

With this understanding we will live every moment of our life as it is meant to be, in inner peace and freedom. 

Vision, the Future

When we see ourselves as spiritual beings and acknowledge life from that perspective and, we will then transform our lives by releasing the infinite potential inherent in us and give renewed purpose to life.

We will begin to live this life by centering our consciousness within, instead of living on the surface of things, where we perceive existence in ignorance, division, contradiction, suffering, and pain.

From this “witness consciousness,” we perceive matters with greater clarity and insight; are more in touch with the multiplicity of truths unfolding around us; experience greater harmony and oneness with others; and are generally more aware and conscious of who and what we are, and what purpose we serve in the world.

This inner-based quality of self-awareness and self-consciousness is actually just the starting point for an even greater change: the evolution and transformation of our being through contact with the spiritual dimension of life.

There are two primary means by which we connect to and are transformed by the Spirit.

First, we connect with our true Self. This opens us to a vast array of spiritual insights, forces, and powers in the universe, as we feel a sense of oneness with everything that is around us. Second, we can open ourselves up to the omnipresent spirit of the Supreme, allowing Its infinite truth to enter our being, to uplift, perfect, and transform us.

Through this awakening process from an ego based awareness to super consciousness our whole being is being enhanced and we begin to feel a profound connection with the cosmic spiritual reality. This helps us perceive life's and our own purpose as instruments of the Higher Power. Finally, out of all of these inner and outer experiences, we feel a deep and abiding Joy and Love.

When individuals infuse all parts of their being with this higher consciousness, there will gradually emerge a renewed personality and society whose existence is organized around the power of the Spirit.

We all can connect with Spirit in practical ways when we live in the present moment. Living thus, instills a peaceful interiorized mind. When the mind is still, we will engage our interpersonal relationships by listening with respect to the other person. We let spirit, instead of the ego express. This type of contact, combined with meditation will lead us to realize the Self.

What prevents us from living in the present moment is a restless mind. A mind that is locked into fixed, habitual patterns of acting and reacting. To be more aware of our own responses, we need to observe our mind and our activities from a detached perspective, with the intention to live a more creative and fuller life.