Question

Today I finished reading Living with the Himalayan Masters. For me, it was like reading a number of fairy tales, though I don’t deny the possibility of such “miracles” to happen.

My questions are:

1. Do these powers still exist in your tradition? Or are they things from the past?
2. In your tradition, are there practices that can be thaught for attaining such abilities? If yes, will I have access to this advanced science?
3. As for the power of healing in particular, is there someone in your tradition who can heal chronic illnesses? I am asking this because I do have a chronic disease that is incurable by current medicine. Is there anyone that I can go to for healing, or any practice that I can do to heal myself?

Answers

Two have answered this question: Pandit Hari Shankar Dabral and Stephen Parker (Stoma).

Pandit Dabral

I am happy that you read Living with the Himalayan Masters written by Shri Swami Rama of the Himalayas.

Just to let you know that there more books on Swami Rama that you might be interested in reading. They are At the Feet of a Himalayan Master available at our ashram in Rishikesh [and other bookstores]. These books are based on students’ experiences with Master Shri Swami Rama.

Now in regard to your questions:

1. Your question is like asking if God still exists. The powers also known in yoga science as “Siddhis” are at the disposal of a YOGI (Who has mastered the entire yoga science).

These powers or siddhis are within all of us. “They” are powers of God Himself. Once one becomes realized (Realization of Self) then powers are experienced or siddhis are available to use.

By the way, just for information: Yogis ONLY use them to help others. So YES, ALL powers or Siddhis still exist.

2. Yes, indeed ALL the teachings are available in our tradition and they are taught to one who is willing to learn and who is ready to receive them.

It’s step-by-step training or teaching to reach a higher level. Just like a child is put into kindergarten and then gradually goes into grade 1 and then 2 and finally to university.

If you are interested in learning the teachings you are most welcome to come to our ashram in Rishikesh India or start from/in the local centre in your area. We have centers in most countries.

One can heal himself or herself as my Master used to say “Provided you let yourself be healed”.

Yes, there are lots of practices in yoga meditation for healing oneself… You will need to visit the ashram and talk to the teachers and they will guide you systematically into the path.

Hope this helps. If you have more questions, please feel free to write.

Stephen Parker (Stoma)

Here is an additional perspective:

These things are only miraculous because we do not understand how they happen. Once our self-realization carries us deep enough, such miracles simply happen and one can also realize the many small miracles that we never recognized as such that have been happening all along.

1.) The abilities described in many places in the yoga tradition are described by Patanjali as “vibhuti,” natural varieties of being. In other words, these are normal human potentials in every person. The existence of these abilities to a small degree even in people who practice no yoga was demonstrated scientifically by Dr. Dean Radin in his book Supernormal: Science, Yoga and Scientific Evidence for Extraordinary Psychic Abilities. He also showed that these abilities manifest themselves to a greater degree in people who have more experience in meditation.

2.) It is not a matter of learning a certain technique. It is a matter of deepening your fundamental mindfulness and concentration to the point where these abilities occur. It is a very long-term proposition. These abilities are also not something that a yogi uses for his own purposes. They come through the yogi but they do not belong to him or her. Whenever he spoke of such occurrences, Swami Rama would say, “I do nothing; my master does everything.” And he meant it. He tells many stories of his master sending him to perform miracles he had no idea how to do in order to teach him this principle. If such a skill is yours, your ego gets attached to it and it becomes an obstacle in your progress towards liberation.

3.) Healing is a very delicate matter. It is easy to take on the suffering of others. The hard part is knowing what to do with that suffering energy when you have absorbed it. The energy has to go somewhere and if you don’t know how to handle it it will make you ill. I just talked to someone this weekend who did extensive practice of Tibetan tonglen healing meditation for several months and found himself with all kinds of physical and mental ailments. The best healing practice is to deepen your meditation practice and to follow through the emotional cleansing of the mindfield that is part of that deepening. Once you understand where in your mind your illness is coming from, you can let go of those issues and then your illness can start to heal. Again, it is a long-term proposition. Some people have a natural capacity for this healing based on their practice in past lives but, again, it is not a technique that one can simply learn without working on the depths of the mind and emotions.

Editor’s Note

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