Month: May 2017

Can anyone teach us Sri Vidya now that Swami Veda left his body?

Posted on by Mandala

Question

Can anyone teach us Sri Vidya now that Swami Veda left his body?

Answers

Three have answered this question: Swami Ritavan Bharati, Pandit Dabral, and Carolyn Hume.

Pandit Dabral

Yes, there are teachers in the Himalayan Tradition who can teach Shri Vidya and can also initiate into it.

Swami Ritavan Bharati

The person who asks such a question should first know about the essence of a living tradition, our Himalayan Tradition.

Once one understands these principles then, one prepares themselves.

Swami Veda has left specific instructions for all of us initiators in counseling such questions on the practices of Shri Vidya. In the ashram at SRSG, we continue to follow such dharmas of practices and disciplines in the lineage of Shri Vidya and guiding accordingly.

From “The Himalayan Tradition” booklet by Swami Veda.

Among the great teachers of this tradition are Swami Rama and his direct teacher Bengali Baba, as well as his [Bengali Baba’s] master Mahavatar Baba, also known as Babaji of the Himalayas.

The knowledge of the tradition is passed on in one line – from teacher to student. The student who is qualified for this will ultimately become a teacher who passes on the knowledge and practice of a further generation of aspirants.

The yogis of this tradition are the founders and preservers of Shri-Vidya, the science of which all the paths of yoga and meditation radiate.

Among other things, they transmit their deep knowledge and deepened states of consciousness through initiation.

From time immemorial, the tradition has been passed on experientially in an unbroken chain of master-disciple relationships. A meditation guide in this tradition is required to be able to create a common mind-field when leading a class or a group in meditation. The guide must be able to induce a meditative state by his/her mere presence and voice. A guide may only do so to the degree to which s/he is qualified and authorized.

Initiators of the Tradition have received the Grace of the Himalayan lineage to become a vehicle for such transmission.

Carolyn Hume

The task of the student is to prepare oneself. As Swami Rama has said, “It is true that when the disciple is ready, the master appears and gives the appropriate initiation.”

Editor’s Note

If you have any questions about your spiritual practice, you may write to the AHYMSIN Spiritual Committee at adhyatmasamiti@gmail.com.

Meditation for Others’ Sake

Posted on by Mandala

I want to bring you back, away from what the urban industrial civilisation and its corporate structures and workplace requirements have done to your psychology and your reactions. Sometimes I get very sad about it, because the rest of the world keeps reinforcing this “me” in you. And once a year you hear something like this, and at that time you say, “Yes, we’d like to elevate ourselves” and so on. But you go back into that world and it’s again the same thought pattern. It keeps getting reinforced.  And people do not step out of this “me” syndrome. Without stepping out of this “me” syndrome, there is no meditation. Meditation is dropping the “me”. What do I get out of it? What do I receive from it? What benefits come to me? And now today I heard a new phrase I hadn’t heard before – “yoga entrepreneurship” or “yoga fashion”, or something comprising of pictures of someone in yoga poses, in a very glamorous form. Underneath, the credit line ran “Suit designed by…”, “photographs taken by…” No, it’s no joke. And yoga magazines and all… people add glamour. This is very painful to me.

I’m not against the signboard of the wineshop. There was this wandering sage who came to a village. And when people hear of someone holy, sacred, they just come to pay respects. And they don’t come to say, “What’s in it for me? What benefit will I get by seeing him?” They just come for his darshan. My whole childhood was spent that way. I’d travel from city to city and people would just come. There was no question; they’re not there to ask for help or something, nor to ask for solutions to their problems. They’re there just to be there, just to sit in the orbit called darshan. And nobody comes empty handed. And that’s how I spent my childhood; that way my cultural conditioning. And I’ll tell you a very personal secret. I struggled with the question of whether to telly you or not. Half the cause of my illness is people’s cultural self-centredness and confrontational attitude, and harsh tone of voice, and me, me, me – “Solve my problems”, “do a therapy with me”. And I have to soothe everyone and take their conflicts and sorrows inside me. And I like to spread joy; I don’t like to share my sadness, but there is this sadness in me – for you, about you, about your self-created pains, about your self-created suffering. Meditation is NOT a therapy. It’s not for gaining something. It’s not a secret of success. Don’t do self-centred meditation. Transcend this molecular shield, into which the live consciousness-essence, the conscious life-essence that is you, has infused itself to make this molecular shield become alive and have a semblance of awareness. Whether I succeed or I fail, I am going to keep trying to say this. Enough therapy, and enough benefits! “Entrepreneurial yoga”, or “yoga entrepreneurial” – my mouth gets stuck! The word doesn’t want to come out of my mouth. A curse word! We are not into success, successful centres, successful classes! Transcendence. Success will come incidentally if you abandon the claims to benefits. Then the benefits will flow, and you will take those benefits and share them. You will take from the basket and throw to the world. Step out of this block if you want to make progress.

You know, I have no time to meditate for myself. I really don’t. Because I promise so many people: “I will pray for you.” And on my list there are always 300 to 400 people every day. I have to find time for that. The prayer in meditation is a whole different art. It’s even subtler than the use of the mantra. And the yogis pray not the way the religious people pray. The way the religious people pray is not the way the yogis pray. Eliminate your conflicts and angers while inhaling a sense of wisdom, love and grace. That is the preparation for the next step. And that is exhaling beauty, love, energy, compassion, and sending it to the entire universe. It is inhalation of the pain and the suffering and the conflict of the entire universe, and being able to absorb inside – dissipating it inside. That’s just the beginning of the meditational prayer. Meditational prayer, for anyone, takes less than a quarter second to achieve the full result. It’s non-verbal; it’s a form of including someone in your field. Every mind, all the minds join the guru-field. All the minds join the guru-field and a single field is created.

Editor’s Note

This passage has been taken from the book Meditation: The Art and Science by Swami Veda Bharati.

Spiritual Intimacy

Posted on by Mandala

From the beginning of history there have been two major paths that people have taken in life in order to seek the goal of a deeper happiness and peace. A few sincere souls have decided to genuinely renounce the world’s attractions in order to attain the highest wisdom. The path of renunciation actually means not keeping or possessing anything for oneself. Instead, these wise ones serve others, knowing that by doing so they are utilizing their time and energy in the best way. Living their lives in service to others is the characteristic by which you will recognize them.

Most people, however, still experience strong and compelling attractions to many things. They want to fulfil the desires for marriage, parenthood, and the conventional life. Thus, there is a second path, which is travelled by most people in the world, called the path of action. Throughout history, there has been confusion about which of these paths is superior.

A story is told to help clarify this confusion. Once, an arrogant swami, who had meditated in the mountains for many years, boasted about his spiritual advancement, thinking that he was superior to householders. He came down from the mountains to exhibit the powers he had gained in his studies. He had such a powerful gaze that if he looked at a bird flying overhead, its wings would catch fire and burn, and the bird would fall to the ground. He was very egotistical about his supposed spiritual power.

Eventually in his travels, he came to the home of a couple and he said rudely to the woman, “I want food, and I have no time to waste. It is your duty to feed me because I devote all my time to the Lord.” The woman, who was serving her husband’s dinner at the time, said to him quietly but firmly, “Right now, I am doing my duty toward my husband lovingly, but don’t ever make the mistake of thinking that I am as powerless as that bird you have killed! I have far more power than you; if you think you can hurt me you are mistaken!”

The swami was stunned to realize that she had acquired the power to know many things about him while she was still living in the world, doing her duties as a wife. He fell at her feet and said, “Mother, clearly I have yet to understand the path of the world. Now I see that it, too, is a great path.”

But the swami was not unusual; many people do not realize the power of family life. This is a path of living in the world, loving others, and also seeking and attaining the highest wisdom. Some people who want to follow the spiritual path are not content with their lives in the world. They do not appreciate how the path of marriage and parenthood helps them to fulfil life’s ultimate purpose.

The path of a human being is not meant to be that of a loner who travels through life by himself or herself. If we want to express the meaning of life in a single sentence, it is that life means having relationships. Without relationships, life has no significance at all. The closest relationship in the world is that between a wife and husband, and the next most intimate relationship is that between parents and children.
Sometimes people wonder why the institution of the family was established. Marriage and family relationships do not exist merely because of the biological necessities of sex or childbirth. There is something deeper, which is responsible for the establishment of family life and which differentiates humans from animals. The most basic urges and drives that influence human life are also found throughout the animal kingdom, but there is an important difference between human beings and animals: the life and behaviour of animals are primarily controlled by the forces of nature and instinct; but the life of a human being is not controlled this way. Instead, human beings are controlled mostly by mind, emotions, and by relationships. A human being thinks, understands, communicated, and participates in life in ways that animals cannot share. All these special qualities originate in the institution of the family. The family exists in order to foster and cultivate these qualities in human beings.

When the human race learns to live as a family, then the world will finally attain the next stage of civilization and enlightenment. Families are meant to be centres of love, which radiate their love outward to other families. A family is meant to radiate only love, rather than hatred, jealousy, competition, or other negative emotions. When people understand this purpose and can share the experience, then they can create joy and peace throughout society. When peace reigns, there will no longer be hatred or disturbances between people, and the human mind will automatically be led upward, towards the highest centre of consciousness.

The path of marriage and family life is not inferior to any other path, nor is marriage meant solely to express our biological or emotional needs. The purpose of marriage is to establish and teach the fundamental principles of society, so that all children can develop fully and the entire society can eventually attain a state of peace and happiness.

Homes are meant to be places where people create and preserve a state of serenity and peace. Homes exist to establish peace, so that every person can learn to radiate and share love. Our homes can satisfy many of our emotional needs and help us to learn to open our hearts. Homes are not places to create power struggles or ego battles. They are not places to demonstrate or show off our intellect. Some people use their mind and emotions in their homes destructively, arguing, judging others, or trying to establish control over others to satisfy their ego needs. That does not help us achieve the full potential of a home. When homes provide children with a chance to receive love and enjoy the experience of being loved, then children learn to share their love with others as well.

We all need to learn how to live in our homes and also how to live in the world outside the home. There are two different principles or concepts in life: You talk to your spouse and your business colleagues in different ways and on different levels. When you talk to your business associates, it is wise to be thoughtful and consider your doubts first, examining what people say carefully so that you protect yourself before you act. But at home, you should not maintain this attitude of scepticism, doubt or self-protectiveness. At home, you can express yourself openly and spontaneously; you can be completely yourself. In the family, you can develop a deep trust and intimacy that are not usually possible in the world outside. This is possible when we respect the special role of marriage in our lives.

Editor’s note

This passage has been taken from the book Love and Family Life by Swami Rama, published in 1992 by the Himalayan International Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy of the USA.