Author: Mandala

Question

Can you tell me the number of repetitions as far as high anyone can go and the brief procedure about Ashwini mudra? Swami Rama said that no exercise compensates for this (Ashwini mudra) exercise bladder muscles get exercised sphincter muscles exercised and by this practice alone you can get control over your autonomic nervous system. Can you explain how Ashwini mudra can lead me to get control over my automatic nervous system? I heard that someone who was practicing Ashwini mudra wrote his experience like that (I have practiced ashwini mudra quite often and hence now I’m constantly falling sick because of the increase in body heat, a couple of months back I was admitted because of the same reason, my body generates too much heat, the apana remains in my stomach it was trying to come out resulting in vomiting, excessive vomiting caused dehydration and I was admitted hence I need to know how to overcome this heat, I’m still facing the same problem even today ). So if it is true that Ashwini mudra generates so much heat if yes then how to cool down or overcome it?

Answers

Stephen Parker (Stoma) and Carolyn Hume have responded to this question.

From Stephen Parker (Stoma)

As with most of the mudrās, the physical practice of them only prepares the way for the subtle energetic practice. It prepares the physical body to respond to the movement of prana in the subtle body. The goal here is to deepen and refine your breath awareness so that you mentally open the Sushumnā nādī and when the prāna begins to flow upward through Sushumnā, the aśvinī-mudrā and the mūla-bandha become automatic. Only then should one practice all the time. Prior to that, doing the practice physically will simply generate heat.

Balancing the heat you have generated so far requires intensive nādi-śodhana prānāyāma without any retention and intentional stimulation of idā-nādī either through breath awareness or through lying on the right side with breath awareness. (The same effect can also be obtained by using a rolled towel under the right armpit with breath awareness.)

The middle path of practice is just as important in yoga as it is in Buddhism. Vyāsa’s commentary on Patañjali cautions against practicing with such intensity that you unbalance the prāna-vāyus and the dhātus and thereby cause disease in the physical body.

From Carolyn Hume

In addition to what Stoma has written, perhaps you would want to have a broader understanding of Swami Rama’s teachings. This is a reading list put together by Swami Veda Bharati. I do not know how thoroughly you have studied these teachings; perhaps you already have a strong familiarity with them. Also, you may want to consider taking some classes from qualified teachers within our tradition.

---

Editor’s Note

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

Question

I am stuck with my thoughts. Please help me.

Answers

Stephen Parker (Stoma) and Michael Smith have responded to this question.

From Stephen Parker (Stoma)

The thinking mind will always have thoughts. So peace is never a matter of trying to stop the thoughts of your mind. But thoughts are something you have; they are not who you are. You can just watch them and then gradually develop the choice not to watch them.

Fortunately, the mind has an inborn drive to cleanse itself. So when one sits for meditation, all the thoughts you have pushed aside come rushing forward. One approach is just to wait it out. Often you will find that, after a while, the mind quiets down.

In terms of neuroscience, when you activate mindful awareness by attending to the sensation of breath in the nostrils, you also activate the medial pre-frontal cortex, the part of the brain that integrates everything. At the same time, the Default Mode Network, a network of neural structures that contains all your habits and conditionings, including the critical voice in which your mind comments continually on your experience, goes dark. This part is essentially “your brain on autopilot.” When you practice mindful awareness you have the choice not to attend to the noise and the volume of the noise goes way down.

So the peace of silence is not an absence but a fullness of presence.

From Michael Smith

You are not alone. Everyone needs peace and everybody has disturbing thoughts. I came to Swami Rama once and was crying. I said to him, “I can’t stop my mind.” He smiled and said, “Don’t worry. That is nothing.” And he gave me Gayatri mantra.

(All the quotations below are from The Art of Joyful Living (1989) by Swami Rama)

Our mind is going to continue to produce thoughts – from our sense impressions, from our memories, and from the collective turmoil in the world. That is what our mind does.

“The whole secret of learning is not to fight with yourself, but to allow yourself to know.” (p. 115)

In Yoga-sutra I.2 – Yogaśh chitta vṛtti nirodhaḥ – “nirodhaḥ” means control. “Control does not mean suppression, but channeling or regulating.” (p. 10)

Be grateful for your keen observation. A shift has taken place: you as the witness!

The awareness of your thoughts is a blessing because it puts you outside your thinking process.

“Let everything come before you for a decision — just watch.” “Do not allow yourself to suppress them by reacting. ‘Oh, what I am thinking! I should not think like that!’ That is not helpful: instead, let the thought come before you and become a sort of observer. Start observing your own mind.” “Why should a thought that merely comes and goes disturb your life?” “If these thoughts are not fulfilled, they lose their power and die. This is the practice of self-psychiatry.” “If one particular thought comes and goes, again and again, and you do not take any action, then it will eventually not continue to come back, because you are not paying it any interest.” “In my practice, when all the thoughts have gone through the mind, then I sit down and start to remember my mantra.” (pp. 120-125)

When you are aware of your thoughts, you are free of them, and that awareness is itself a meditation.
“There is something great inside you. Someone is witnessing your actions, speech, and mind, and that observer is actually you, the finest part of your Self.” (p. 45)

You also have four powerful tools to REPLACE random thoughts:

awareness of your breathing,
awareness of your inner body,
awareness of your mantra, and
awareness of emptiness/spaciousness.
Continue to calmly watch . . . and gradually the duration of your thoughts will shorten, thoughts will come less frequently, and their intensity will diminish. In that stillness, miraculous things can happen!

---

Editor’s Note

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

Question

Mostly, I do not get distracted or waylaid by rose petals or mud slung at me…. except when my mother does it. I need advice! The three golden circles don’t work with her, either. What am I doing wrong? Why am I failing?

Answers

Carolyn Hume has responded to this question.

From Carolyn Hume

Instead of thinking of this as you doing something wrong or as you failing, think of this as an opportunity. Changing habits and thought patterns can sometimes take time, it is not necessarily easy, and we need to be patient with ourselves in the process. Your awareness of this problem gives you the opportunity to learn more about yourself, grow, and change.

You normally do not get distracted, waylaid, or disturbed by either compliments or criticisms; however, this is not the case with your Mother’s comments.

You and your Mother probably have a deeper and longer relationship than most of your other relationships in this lifetime, and this relationship in this lifetime carries memories (some of them conscious and some of them unconscious) extending from childhood to your current age. There may also be patterns of re-acting to rose petals and slung mud that have existed over a period of time, a habit has been formed.

If you find yourself reacting to something your Mother has said, consciously relax, re-establish diaphragmatic breathing, and witness or observe what has been or is being said and witness or observe your reaction. If possible, do not be judgmental of either your Mother or yourself. Sometimes what people say can be helpful, but that is for you to decide; do not accept what others (even your Mother) say blindly.

“To establish inner strength, decide that whatever negative thought occurs, or whatever others say, you will not accept it blindly. Decide that you will observe the thought or suggestion and let it come. One person may tell you that you are going to die tomorrow, and then perhaps another person tells you that you will someday become a powerful man. These two thoughts may come together: one person says one thing and the other says another. One thought is flattering to your ego, but the other thought is crippling to your willpower. Allow both kinds of thoughts to come. Be conscious of them. Whatever kind of thought comes, a thought is still only a thought. Why should you allow it to affect you? It will affect you only when you accept it; it will not affect you when you do not accept it. You can observe such thoughts without accepting them as your own, or letting them weaken you.”
— Swami Rama, The Art of Joyful Living, Chapter “Developing Strength and Willpower.”

On those occasions when you find yourself being affected, just note it to yourself…but do not then add to it thoughts of negativity about yourself. Just by noting the times you are affected in a neutral manner can be helpful in eliminating them.

Now I do not know how you currently react.

If, for instance, you have a physical response, like slamming a door, stomping out of the room, etc., note that you do this and by noting this it gives you the opportunity to stop doing whatever. For instance, something is said and even if you feel angry or hurt you refrain from slamming a door, stomping out, or making other physical actions.

If, for instance, you retort verbally, observe that you do so while you are doing so or afterwards, and this gives you a tool to stop reacting verbally. It is possible that you would still have mental reactions.

Finally, witness and/or observe the thoughts too.

Generally speaking, I think the physical reactions are easiest to change, then the verbal and finally the mental. It is possible the changes will be gradual and one day you realize – “Oh, I did not react to Mother’s comment; I was not affected.” – almost after the fact, you may not have reacted for some time, but did not realize it.

Perhaps you will find this article interesting: Discipline by Swami Rama.

---

Editor’s Note

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

Question

Kindly help me. Fear has made me not able to do my work. It has caused fatigue and tiredness. It’s been a few years like this. This anxiety has been very debilitating.

Answers

Lalita Arya (Ammaji), Michael Smith, and Carolyn Hume have responded to this question.

From Lalita Arya (Ammaji)

On FEAR

My first experience of dealing with Fear as I remember was as a young child.  We lived near the rain forests in a rustic area where flushed toilets were unknown and it would have been considered impure to have them in the homes, in any case, in those days. So we had outside latrines.

Before going to bed we were advised to go there so we did not have to disturb the parents in the middle of the night. However, in the tropics night comes quickly. There is hardly twilight. So when it was time to go to bed, if we had an early dinner it was fine to go by oneself. But if it got to nighttime, that became a problem. As one evening started to fade into darkness, I stood by the door wanting to visit the latrine that was about 5 minutes walk away from the house. I stood in the doorway in my pajamas peering into the darkness, waiting and watching; I have no idea what for. My Mom came by and asked, “What are you waiting for, go?” I looked at her and said “I’m scared, please come with me.” She smiled and said, “What are you afraid of?” I said “I don’t know.”  So she paused and said, “Look at me. You have fear in your mind, but if you give your mind something else to think about, the fear will disappear.”

I kind of grinned and said, “What do you mean?” She answered, “Do you remember Gayatri mantra?” Well, of course, I did as that was the first mantra we were taught. She continued, “Hold my hand start reciting the Gayatri, and go boldly out there with nothing to fear,” as she loosened her grip. I stepped out, turned to look at her, she smiled and shook her head and pointed towards the outhouse. I kept looking here and there, reciting silently went and did what I had to do, came back still reciting, back into her open arms. To this day I have never been afraid of the dark.

Here is another family incident. One of our daughters, Saumya was having teenage nightmares, and when she told me, I directed her to her father. He tried all the lectures on fear, etc., but she would not listen. He finally said, OK, go and read the novel Dune by Frank Herbert (1965) and there is a poem on Fear. She did not pay attention. Many years after he was with students in Minneapolis at The Center, and she now an older teen was with me in the kitchen as I made tea for him. I asked her to take it up to him where he was teaching in his room. He took the tea, and introduced her to the students and said, “At one time she came to me complaining of nightmares and I advised her to read Dune, the novel. But she doesn’t listen to me.”  So Saumya smiled at him, recited the entire poem on Fear, and then the Gayatri mantra, gave a bow and left him with his mouth open.

Here is the Poem:

FEAR

I must not fear.
Fear is a mind killer
Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye
To see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.

From DUNE by Frank Herbert, 1965

There are many writings on this subject, in our philosophical texts, but I thought these two practical experiences might help.

A good picture to view before meditation to help conquer fear is the Abhaya mudra of the Buddha. The Abhaya mudra (fearless gesture) is a mudra that is a gesture of safety, bestowing divine protection and bliss in eastern philosophies. The right hand is held up facing outwards. (Photo taken from internet)

From Michael Smith

It would be helpful to know what you feel is the SOURCE of the fear. There might be some external situation that you feel is scary – some future event that you feel you can’t deal with — or you are in a situation where you have a great deal of responsibility with very little control over the outcomes. The important thing to know is that you can only do the best you can in the present moment, so worry is not helpful in any way. There are many helpful books and articles on how to cope with fear. Sometimes people need to change their diet, or change their job, or get away from a toxic environment that is unhealthy or even noisy. Dr. Phil Nuernberger’s Freedom from Stress has some helpful suggestions about “psycho-social stress” as does Dr. Stephen (Stoma) Parker’s Clearing the Path.

Sometimes people ask what they can do right now, during a panic attack or an anxiety episode. What would be some kind of emergency measures? For myself, I always feel better if I take a walk in the woods or someplace out in nature. Nature is always in balance, so I kind of open myself to the natural harmony of the trees, plants, water and sky. And I always go inside and check to see how I am breathing. Here are some things that might be helpful:

Blow on a musical instrument (a trumpet, clarinet, harmonica, kazoo, whatever), or just purse your lips and blow out with a smooth, extended exhalation. The purpose of doing is to notice that when a long stream of air is being expelled in this way, fear disappears! This tells us that negative self-talk, and the feelings that go with it, are related to how we breathe.

One of the goals of Yoga is have a mind which is free from agitations and disturbances, and one of the ways this is accomplished is by refining one’s breathing. There are several qualities to Yogic Breathing: (1) Diaphragmatic, (2) Nasal, (3) Smooth, (4) Soundless, (5) Slow/Deep, (6) Relaxed, (7) Continuous, and (8) Even, with the same pressure and duration.

One of the most important qualities to Yogic Breathing is that it is Continuous. When you are about to come to the end of an inhalation or exhalation, prepare for the transition and let it be relaxed and seamless, allowing the inhalations to flow into the exhalations, and the exhalations to flow into the inhalations, like an ellipse or an infinity sign. When breathing is Continuous, it has the same effect as when you blow on a musical instrument; the flow of air is unbroken, and fearful thoughts cannot come into the mind.  If you say, “Oh yes they can. I did what you said, and I still had fearful thoughts.” This is because the flow of breath had tiny little breaks in it. So you need to keep refining your breathing until you have all aspects of Yogic Breathing and the breath stream is relaxed, smooth and seamless.

Do the ½ shoulder stand, or simply lie up against a wall with the legs vertical (on the wall) with some support under the hips (blankets, cushions, pillows). Just lie there, totally relaxed and do Yogic Breathing, gently allowing your breathing to be natural. Let go, let go, let go. Because you are topsy-turvy (or semi-topsy-turvy) the abdominal organs press downward on the diaphragmatic muscle and there is a shift in the way you breathe so that relaxing becomes easier.

Nadi Shodhana. There are three versions of Nadi Shodhana shown in Chapter 5 of Swami Rama’s Meditation and Its Practice, but it would be good to learn it from a skilled teacher. Once you know how to do it, sit in a comfortable sitting posture, do Yogic Breathing, and continue to do Nadi Shodhana until the fear dissolves. This is a very gentle exercise – no strain, no struggling. Do many repetitions of Nadi Shodhana for 10 or 15 minutes if you need to. Nadi Shodhana helps balance the breath in the nostrils so that the same volume of air is inhaled and exhaled in the right and left nostril. When the breath flow in both nostrils becomes balanced and harmonious, then the mind becomes very peaceful — and sometimes, after you have finished, there is an intuitive understanding of the fearful external situation that was not there before. It may be that the external situation does not change at all, but you KNOW now how to look at the situation differently – and you know what you need to do . . . or NOT do.

What was written above was mainly about stop-gap measures for stress etc. There is a whole other aspect to working with fear which necessitates on-going sadhana and gradually changing the entire fabric of the mind so it is less susceptible to “threatening” events. Swami Veda talked about “smoothing out the rough edges of the mind,” so that instead of walking around on a bed of nails, it’s possible to walk on memory foam and have built-in resiliency. With sadhana, there is also a gradual disidentification with the ego (the small fragile self) and, instead, an expansion of the personality – to identification others, with all living beings, and eventually with one’s essential nature. One does not “react” to daily situations as much as “respond” to them from a higher, deeper perspective. Swami Nijananda said, also, that with mantra initiation into a spiritual tradition (and the habit of mantra-japa), one has a “plexiglas shield” between you and external events.

Some people have said that FEAR is the dominant emotion with human beings.

I think it comes with “localization” — when Adam and Eve ate the Apple and were separated from the totality – strangers in a strange land. There’s a Sufi saying: “After the first sin there is no other.”

Leonard Perlmutter has written: “The ignorance of believing that I am an individual mind-body-sense complex leads to my separation from the whole. This division always leads to fear, and fear invites danger.”

From Carolyn Hume

I agree with Michael that fear basically comes from identification with the finite.

There can be an examination of one’s fears. Witnessing the fear, not identifying with it.

Swami Rama has written,

“Fears, if not examined, will develop strong roots, though they are often rootless. Fear invites danger.

“Self-preservation is the instinct that remains always vigilant to protect the body. This instinct is useful up to a certain extent, but it should not become an obsession in life. When fear becomes an obsession, all spiritual potentials become dormant. Fears are never examined—that is why they are able to control human life. They should be examined boldly.

“Fear has two faces: I might lose what I have, and I might not gain what I want. These two thoughts should not be entertained, and cannot be when you remember your mantra or the presence of the Lord within.

“Fearlessness is very important. One should constantly remain in spiritual delight, so that no fear is entertained. Fearlessness comes from knowing that God is with us, and that we are with God.”

Diaphragmatic breathing can be helpful. When one becomes fearful, one can re-establish diaphragmatic breathing and practice breath awareness.

The 2 minute meditation could be a tool, which also includes a short progressive relaxation.

Swami Veda Bharati has written, “Relax your forehead. It is not possible for thoughts of worries, anxieties, fears, aggression and so forth to arise in the mind if the forehead is kept relaxed.” (Meditation: The Art and Science)

Also sometimes we do not readily identify fear as fear, or a basis of other emotions.

Also “Mantra for Freedom from Fear” by Swami Veda popped into my mind:

abhayaṃ naḥ karaty antarikṣam abhayaṃ
dyāvā-pṛthivī ubhe ime
abhayaṃ paścād abhayaṃ purastāduttarād
udharād abhayaṃ no astu
abhayaṃ mitrād abhayaṃ amitrād
abhayaṃ jñātād abhayaṃ parokṣāt
abhayaṃ naktam abhayaṃ divā naḥ
sarvā āśā mama mitraṃ bhavantu
 oṃ
dṛte dṛṃha mā mitrasya mā cakṣuṣā
sarvāṇi bhūtāni samīkṣantāṁ
mitrasyāhaṃ cakṣuṣā sarvāṇi bhūtāni samīkṣe
mitrasya cakṣuṣā samīkṣāmahe
 oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ

Abhayaṃ means no fear because there is no danger. If all are friends to me and I am friends to all, from whom have I any danger? Whom may I have cause to fear?

May the sky grant us abhayaṃ.
May the heaven and earth both grant us abhayaṃ.  
May I have abhayaṃ from behind.
Abhayaṃ from the front.
From above and below, may there be abhayaṃ for us.
Abhayaṃ from the friend,
Abhayaṃ from the foe.
Abhayaṃ from what is known to me.
Abhayaṃ from what is beyond the eyes.
Abhayaṃ in the night.  Abhayaṃ in the day.
May all directions, all quarters, be friends unto me.
O Divine Mother, upholder of the universe, grant me strength that I may see all beings with the eyes of a friend.
May all beings look at me with the eyes of a friend.
May they all, all of us living beings, look at each other with the eyes of a friend.
For when all is friend, there is abhayaṃ.

Om.  Peace. Peace. Peace.

---

Editor’s Note

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

Question

Does GOD judge us?

Swami Rama wrote in The Essence of Spiritual Life

“Sit down and quietly think about what you have done in your life, because in the end, during the period of transition, you will have to face yourself. What have you done that is satisfying? Have you done anything selfless – totally selfless? You go on doing your work and reaping the fruit, and then you hoard. In this way there can be no liberation.”

I think that this is THE only yardstick for GOD to judge.

Answers

Swami Nityamuktananda Saraswati, Stephen Parker (Stoma), Lalita Arya (Ammaji), Shi Hong, and Michael Smith have responded to this question.

Swami Nityamuktananda Saraswati

A God that judges… is a Christian concept and has nothing to do with Yoga (that is…. apologize – as far as I know!)

Life’s actions have consequences… and these consequences play out, whether we look at it as the play of karma, or simply as the flow of ever-changing energy.

Stephen Parker (Stoma)

The idea of a judgment or assessment of life after death is a common belief in many traditions. For example, it is a feature of the ancient Egyptian religion where Horus, as I recall, weighs the heart of the newly transitioned soul. There is a similar idea of judgment in Islam. In these traditions, it is a global look at the balance of virtuous and vicious action in the person’s life.

In our tradition this sort of reckoning is not a one-time event but proceeds according to how we deal with our karma, the mental impressions we carry of every thought, feeling, and action that we have made, moment by moment. At the end of the life of this body, as Patanjali explains, the impressions that have ripened to bear their fruit in the next life merge into a subtle pattern called karmashaya that guides the jiva through the transition from this body to the next. At the moment of passage from this body, if we are to be reborn, we will have awareness of 3 things: the species of the next incarnation, the length of that life, and the balance of pain and pleasure we will experience. Then in the bardo, as the Tibetans call it, we experience the fruits of the action in our past life, and to the extent that these impressions are bright or dark we experience a relative heaven or hell before we move towards the next birth. So in the yoga tradition (and the other Indian traditions as well), there is no one personality making some fateful decision about our eternal condition. We reap the fruits of our actions according to how we sowed them, which is a genuinely Christian idea. (That is, it came from Christ himself and not from the church.)

If we remain aware, witnessing from the buddhi, then we sever the ego’s self-identification with a given samsara or mental impression as it arises. We also change the balance of our impressions through the process of “thinning down the kleshas” (klesha-tanu-karana) described in the Yoga Sutras’ second chapter. We deliberately create brighter samskaras to balance the darker ones and that way we gradually bring more light to the total. So the theory of karma is of little use in explaining how we came to our current suffering. Its power lies in the ability to continuously create a better future.

Lalita Arya (Ammaji)

The word “judgment’ itself is so stressful to think about that meditators might want to stay far away from it. However, since it is a question, we have to deal with it.

A student who is enwrapped into the fold of our tradition is always under the spiritual and subtle umbrella of a Guide. When that student is sincere in his/her practices attention is focused on trying to refine that as much as possible and nothing else matters besides the ordinary waves of living, of course. What happened before, what is happening now, and what happens after – these are of no consequence if we are in pursuit of a ‘sattvic’ life…because irrespective of what ‘religion’ we follow, we as humans ‘think, speak and act’ and these have consequences that have bearing on us. If they are sattvic we need not worry about judgment. Of course, as we know “to err is human” and those consequences we have to suffer…as there is no need for anyone else to judge us for our thoughts, speech, and actions – that is besides the normal rules of living with legalities, rules of behavior, etc.

We are the final ones who decide how we want to live so as not to harm others in our thoughts, speech, and actions. When we are still in the infant and childhood stages of being trained into adulthood, we have parents or guardians who help us hopefully on that path that teaches us that we are responsible for our thoughts, speech, and action and that there will be consequences to US because we have created them…they train, teach, and guide, and when we become adults. Maybe they are no longer there and we seek more, if we are fortunate the Guide appears when we are ready – who tells us – Listen to what I have to say,  do not believe everything I say, go and Practice for yourselves and reap the fruits of those thoughts, words, and deed. You alone are responsible because you are the Thinker, Speaker, and Actor. So, go and sit, meditate, and understand yourself that you alone are responsible for these.

Much more may be said on this topic – like external compulsions, etc. But if you are a serious meditator you will find answers within yourself – eventually.

To end on a light note – If you believe in a god – HE/SHE is too busy creating to look at your faults, and if you don’t believe, well why worry?

From Shi Hong

Ammaji’s answer reminds me of a dialogue that Confucius had with one of his disciples:

Ji Lu, a disciple, once asked the master: “May one know how to serve the spirits of the dead?”

Master: “How can one serve the spirits if one cannot even serve the living beings?”

“May one then ask about death?”

“How can one know death when one has yet to know about life?”

Similarly, at the 2015 international yoga conference held in Beijing, Swami Veda, attending through video, was asked by the audience “Is there God?” (It is very interesting that this question still surfaced after 6 decades of communism. And I, sitting at the conference translating for him, was concerned that his answer might entail certain consequences if misinterpreted.) Swami Veda smiled and replied: “Is there God – why should you believe my answer? Go find out!”

From Michael Smith

“When you go against God, you are going against your own nature, the divine image in which God created you. When you go against that nature, you automatically punish yourself.” – Paramahansa Yogananda

Swami Veda explained how karma works in detail:

“There are certain laws that I call cosmic laws. To my mind cosmic laws are those laws that apply equally to all branches of knowledge. There are some laws that apply only to physics, some only to geometry perhaps, some only to medicine, some only to jet propulsion, some only to the study of water currents (which is called hydrology). But there are some laws that apply to all branches of knowledge. Listen to Newton’s third law of motion. Now this is not a law in physics alone, it is a cosmic law. For every action in one direction, there is a reaction in the opposite direction. Not just motion – any action-reaction. This applies to your going out canoeing. It applies to jet propulsion.  It applies to karma. For every action in one direction, there is a reaction in the opposite direction.”

“Now the karma system works on the basis of the subtle body. I get an evil thought and I go and blind someone. Now what have I done? I have no power to change his eye consciousness.  He will keep dreaming of forms for example. I can do nothing to his subtle body. I can do nothing to his memory. All I have done is to hit his gross body, his annamaya kosha, his physical sheath. But there should be a reaction in the opposite direction. When I blind someone by hitting them in the eye, I blind myself in my subtle body.  I negate my eye consciousness. My eyes will keep working for the time being, so long as the momentum of my previous karma lasts. This karma is that they should stay well for so long because my previous karma has determined that this man shall enjoy his eyes so long. But for the future I have established a negative curtain, I have established a block in the eye consciousness of my subtle body. Now recall what I said. A person dying gathers his whole karma, the sum total of his samskaras, and migrates to the next body. Reincarnates. Now whatever you have sown, that shall you reap. You cannot sow something and expect to reap something else. Somewhere the action-reaction must continue. The cause-effect chain must continue. Very well. Now I migrate with the eye socket in my subtle body, as it were, missing. I have put a block through my karma in this life, which comes to me in the form of the final experience of death when the curtain is being drawn and I am moving away, that determines three things for my next life. According to the yoga sutras of Patanjali, jati (the species in which I am born), ayus (the life span), and bhoga (the duration for which I shall stay in that body and the type of pain and pleasure I shall receive for the duration of my stay in that special body). Jati, again is the species in which I will be born, the type of body I will get, in other words, a whole body or a lame body or a blind body. (Gross body) Ayus, the life span, how long I shall stay in that body. Bhoga, the type of pain-pleasure experiences I will have while in that body.”

“So the force of my karma, the momentum of my karma, the negative blocks or the positive forces wrapping my inner being around take me through no space and no time to that womb where the ideal physical conditions are present. Where the ideal physical conditions are available. So a medical doctor says, “Why is this child congenitally blind? Well the genes of the father and the grandfather, and the chromosomes of the mother and the grandmother.” This is perfectly true. That explains how the body was formed. The physical science is concerned with the how of things. Philosophy is concerned with the why of things. “How” and “why” should not be confused. The physical doctor says perfectly correctly that this child’s body was formed by such and such genes or such and such conditions during pregnancy or such and such diet or whatever it is. Good formations, malformations.  Strong or weak. But that does not explain “why.” Why this person? And that “why” is the continuity of the chain of cause and effect, sowing and reaping. This subtle body now works, as it were, as a mold around which the physical body is built. So just as I say that all the earth, water, fire, air and space are within, so all pain and pleasures are within. It is from the storehouse of the anandamaya kosha that the right kind of pain and pleasure surface to meet the right kind of physical conditions.”

---

Editor’s Note

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