Category: Swami Rama

The student of meditation, without understanding the importance of pratyahara, cannot concentrate the mind and thus is unable to sit in meditation. The mind is in the habit of functioning along the ten avenues or senses. These senses distract and dissipate the energy of mind. But the mind can function without the help of the senses. In such a state, the mind starts turning within. During the practice of pratyahara, the student restrains himself from doing meaningless actions that are not related to this practice. Learning to with draw the senses from the objects of the world does not mean withdrawal from the world, but the student, before sitting in meditation, has to learn to withdraw the senses from the objects of sense perception before he steps into another stage called concentration. Here I would like to mention that concentration for meditation and concentration in the external world are two different ideas. Concentration in the external world does not help the student of meditation.

Paying attention toward the action one is performing and performing one action at a time strengthens the power of concentration. Concentration helps one to be successful in the external world by helping him to do his duties efficiently and competently. It should not be forgotten that the mind attends one thing at a time, though at a fast speed. Students often think that the mind can attend more than one thing at a time. In attempting this, the power of distraction increases and concentration decreases. For strengthening concentration, attention should be trained. That is why the teacher gives an object or a point – to focus the mind for strengthening concentration. A fully concentrated mind has immense power – unbelievable power– which is attained by concentrating and focusing the mind. That makes the mind one-pointed, and pratyahara makes the mind inward. The inward tendency and one-pointedness help the student in doing meditation. In meditation, the mind starts flowing spontaneously and uninterruptedly, but this flow of concentrated mind is inward. The body remains still, and the breath remains calm and serene. Such a mind experiences the joys of meditation.

So often, students learn to sit in meditation without preliminary preparations and are disappointed if they do not find peace of mind and joy in meditation. Actually, according to the system of raja yoga, the student needs to prepare himself before he practices meditation. In our day-to-day life, and from our childhood onward, sitting still, looking within, withdrawing the senses, and focusing the mind on the centres (like the space between the eyebrows and the centre between the breasts) are not taught. Therefore it is difficult for a student to actually meditate and find the inexplicable joy that is quite different from the joy derived from the pleasures of the world. The joy derived out of meditation makes one calm, balanced, and thoughtful. Such a joy gives strength to students, and they remain undisturbed in the trials of life. In order to form such a habit of being undisturbed – even by strong memories and imaginations – one must at first choose a calm, quiet place for meditation.

Meditation opens an entirely new dimension of life for the student. There is no other method for enjoying now except the method of meditation. When meditation deepen, and the mind starts flowing toward the centre of consciousness, then the student finds great delight, and meditation becomes a part of life. When one learns to sit regularly, at the same exact time and place, he gradually expands his capacity, and his mind forms a habit and finds delight in meditation. Much has been written on the subject, but very little is useful, for inner experiences cannot be drawn on a piece of paper. It is important that the student of meditation is guided, at least for some time until his meditation is strengthened, and that he receives instructions from a teacher who has direct experience and who himself practices meditation. Many obstacles obstruct the student when he encounters his memories, symbols, and ideas. Sometimes the fancies and fantasies are mistaken for visions. Some students are deluded by extraordinary visions, and some aspire to experience and visualise something extraordinary. Neither of these types of students progress, because the psychic world bewilders and distracts them. Students should learn to reject such experiences and watch their progress by the signs and symptoms of calmness, clarity, and one-pointedness. If there is no sign or symptom of calmness, balance, and clarity of mind in the personality of the student, there is something wrong with the method of meditation. Anyone can theoretically know the method of meditation in a matter of a half hour, but practice alone is the real method of learning.

Editor’s Note

This passage has been taken from the book Choosing a Path, pp 137 – 139, by Swami Rama, published 1982 by the Himalayan International Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy of the USA.

For published works of Swami Rama and Swami Veda Bharati, please visit www.yogapublications.org

Mantra is a syllable or word or set of words. When the mantra is remembered consciously, it automatically is stored in the unconscious mind. At the time of parting, the mantra which is stored in the unconscious mind becomes one’s guide. This period of separation is painful to the ignorant. This is not the case with a spiritual person who has remembered the mantra faithfully. The mantra serves as a guide through this period of transition. Mantra is a spiritual guide that dispels the fear of death and leads one fearlessly to the other shore of life.

For yogis and sages death is a minor event. To them it is merely a habit of the body, a change like other changes that occur in the process of growth. If everyone realized this, there would be less misery as people grow old and approach death. Death and birth are two gates of the same mansion. Coming out from one gate is called birth and passing through another gate is called death. Fortunate few know the mystery of birth and death.

Editor’s note

This is an excerpt from Sacred Journey by Swami Rama, published by Himalayan International Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy, 1996, page 113.

Living a spiritual life does not require escaping from the world. It is not useful to look at the flaws of the world and say it is ugly and sinful. Turning away from the world will not lead to spiritual happiness. Live in the world. By living fully in the world with all of its apparent imperfections one can attain spiritual perfection.

Along with the effort toward balance and nonattachment, practice selflessness. Selflessness is an art that requires much practice to perfect. Strength, nonattachment, love, and fearlessness grow from the practice of selflessness.

Make it a part of your daily life to do things for others without anyone knowing. To be selfless and attentive toward others is not so much an effort as it is a very natural way of being. At the same time, do not forget yourself. In the observances of yoga the first principle is ahimsa, nonharming. This principle is not meant to be applied only to others. Ahimsa should first be applied toward yourself. You should not harm yourself or allow yourself to be harmed by others. Be sensible in your nonattachment and love. While it is not helpful to be ego-or me-centered, it is also not beneficial to be exclusively you-centered. The Upanishads teach that all is One.

Approach your life wholeheartedly. Whatever you do, do with your whole heart and fullest attention. When you are with your children, be with your children, not your work. When you are at work, be with your work, not your children. Be in the moment at hand, not in the moment or day that has passed, or in the moment or day yet to come.

Editor’s note

This is an excerpt from Sacred Journey by Swami Rama, Himalayan International Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy, 1996, pages 73-74

The goal of life is spiritual. Understand that as the guiding principle of your life. With an attitude of cheerfulness and with full attention, do your duties in life in your role as student, worker, child, parent, member of the community, and so on. Then let go and leave the rest up to the timeless process of spiritual unfoldment. It won’t seem like work or duty, and everything will be in harmony.

This approach simplifies life and expands it; it purifies the seeker from karmas and attachments. There is no longer any concern for collecting odds and ends from your actions, piling up belongings, or needing reinforcement from others for what you’ve done. Your needs become less. Your sense of owning and having grows less and less. At the same time you become increasingly selfless. You do your actions greased with love. Great joy comes when actions are done with love. Personal gain is not the motivation behind your actions. Slowly you learn to do your actions selflessly. To do this is a spiritual discipline, a spiritual practice.

Editor’s note

This is an excerpt from Sacred Journey by Swami Rama, published by Himalayan International Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy, 1996, pages 70-71

In some of the Upanishads, the word Īśa or Īśvara, which is roughly translated as God, is used. But the concept of God as preached by religion is not found in the Upanishads. In the Upanishads, the word Īśvara is used to denote a state of collective consciousness. Thus, God is not a being that sits on a high pedestal beyond the sun, moon, and stars; God is actually the state of Ultimate Reality. But due to the lack of direct experience, God has been personified and given various names and forms by religions throughout the ages. When one expands one’s individual consciousness to the Universal Consciousness, it is called Self-realization, for the individual self has realized the unity of diversity, the very underlying principle, or Universal Self, beneath all forms and names. The great sages of the Upanishads avoid the confusions related to conceptions of God and encourage students to be honest and sincere in their quests for Self-realization. Upanishadic philosophy provides various methods for unfolding higher levels of truth and helps students to be able to unravel the mysteries of the individual and the universe.

Knowledge of Brahmavidyā, the direct experience of Supreme Consciousness, is the common theme of all Upanishadic literature. “I am Brahman; the whole universe is Brahman; Thou art That” – such statements are foundations for all its theories, principles, and practices. All philosophical and psychological discussions are meant to make the students aware of their true nature – Brahman, the Supreme Consciousness. For a realized one, there is perennial joy in the universe, but for the ignorant there is only misery everywhere. The moment a student realizes his essential nature, the darkness of ignorance is dispelled, but before that the individual mind travels to the groove of self-created misery and thus projects the belief that there is misery everywhere. In reality, this universe is like a great poem of joy, a beautiful song, and a unique work of art. The moment one unfolds and realizes one’s human capacity and ability, one becomes aware that, “That art that – Brahman.”

Here lies the difference between a Self-realized person and a religionist. The religionist does not know and yet believes in God, but the realized person is directly aware of the self-existent Ultimate Reality of life and the universe. First, he knows the truth, and then he believes it. If God is the Ultimate Truth hidden behind many forms and names, then it should be realized, and, for realizing the Truth with mind, action, and speech, one needs to practice truth rather than being a hypocrite and a fanatic. It is not necessary to believe in God to attain self-enlightenment, but it is very necessary to know the various levels of consciousness and finally to realize the ultimate source. The manifest aspect and the unmanifest aspect of consciousness (Brahman) should be realized, for that alone can enlighten aspirants.

Editor’s note

This is an excerpt from Mandukya Upanishad, Enlightenment without God by Sri Swami Rama, The Himalayan International Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy of the U.S.A., 1982, pages 22 – 24.

You often close your eyes and sit down and you don’t know what to do next; then you start remembering your mantra. You can remember your mantra all the time, but that’s not very systematic. It will take a long time for you. You’re doing japa, but you’re doing it halfheartedly. If you do the same thing with full concentration, it will definitely give you results.

When you remember your mantra, you should remember it with all your feeling. You should know about your mantra—understand what your mantra is.

Remember your mantra as silently as possible, and it will help you tremendously. Let your mind be led by your mantra and let it become a part of your life.

Remember your mantra—slowly, gently—and follow it. The sound will take you to the soundless state that is beyond body, breath, and mind. That is what meditation is.

Editor’s note

This is an excerpt from The Essence of Spiritual Life, A Companion Guide for the Seeker by Swami Rama, published by Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust, 1996, p 91.

The most ancient traveler in the universe is love. It is love that travels from the unknown to the known, from eternity to eternity.

Those who want to realize the greatest delight should realize themselves in others. This is the definition of true love.

The spirit of love is boundless and emancipates our being from illusory bonds and superimpositions. It is unity that will lead us to Truth. That which is the beginning and the end of the phenomenal world is divine.

Loving somebody does not mean hating others. Remember this. If you love somebody, that means loving all. Your love should travel toward expansion, not toward contraction.

Learn to love others and demonstrate your love through selfless action. This is very important. Try not to hurt others through speech. Dark words have no capacity to contain real feeling and love, for they are not containers. Love is immortal and needs an immortal container. People say that it is expressed through the heart; therefore, the heart is the center of love. I deny that. The soul, actually, is the real container of love, for the soul alone is the most ancient traveler, and so is love. They are one and the same.

There are two types of love: one can be expressed, and one can never be expressed or explained. Anything that can be explained is not deep love. Though we all try to express it in a million ways, it is in vain.

There is only one Reality without second, without any space, time, or causation. We call it Love.

You talk of love. You always aspire to have love. You always want to be loved. If you really want to know what love is, there are two phrases: as life is to live, love is to give.

Usually love is mingled with selfishness. I need something, so I say, “I love you.” You need something, so you say you love me. This is what we call love in the world. Real love is when you do actions selflessly and spontaneously, and you don’t expect any reward.

Reverence is the first rung on the ladder of love.

Love is not mere contemplation of the Truth, but suffering for it. Suffering is not punishment, but a reward and a gift of love. The reward is received when you are no more there.

May we light the fire of love that burns out the ego and enables us to pass from fearful fragmentation to fearless fullness in the changeless whole.

God bless you. God loves you, I love you, let you learn to love yourself.

Editor’s note

This is an excerpt from The Essence of Spiritual Life, A Companion Guide for the Seeker by Swami Rama, published by Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust, 1996, p 104.

The fear of death is one of our most prominent fears. We are all afraid of the word “death” and do not want to face the truth that we all have to die. Why do we fear dying? Death itself is not painful; only the fear of death is painful. When we take off an old shirt to put on a new one, we do not feel fear or pain; we are only pleased to have a new shirt. But the thought of taking off our body brings fear.

This is the way of the world. You see a child dying, and old woman or old man dying, your friend dying, or perhaps sometimes a young, healthy person dying, and you say, “I don’t believe in God!” But this is not God’s doing. Death has never given you any assurances or guarantees; it comes at any time. And so we fear it. That fear is projected in many ways. Because you see death all around, you worry: “My husband will die – My mother will die – What will happen to me?” You remain constantly insecure. You need to examine that insecurity; you have to understand it and not be afraid. You are sure to die. Even the strongest dies; the best, the most powerful person dies – even a sage dies, although he has a better dying. How can you ignore this reality? Why do you not understand it?

If you merely remember fear, it will create more fear. But if you systematically analyze your fear, you will see that it has a dual face: you are either afraid of losing something, or you are afraid of not gaining something. That is fear. A major fear with each of us is that our body will perish. But you have not analyzed this fear. Would you want your body to be eternal?

There was once a sage who prayed and prayed for eternal life. Finally, God came down and told him, “Okay, go to the spring in that mountain, drink the perennial water, and you will become immortal.” So the sage rushed there with great pride and anticipation. But when he thrust himself forward to drink from the water, he suddenly heard many semi-immortal beings shouting to him: “Don’t do it! Don’t drink the water! We all drank it and we are suffering.” So the sage asked, “What’s the matter?” They answered, “We wasted our entire energy asking God for eternal life, and God told us to drink the water. Now we are immortal – but to be an immortal human being is not a pleasant thing to be. It is torture being here in this world for a long time. Neither the mind nor the body can handle eternal life.”

If we know something about the philosophy of death and the technique of dying, then our fears about death will be eliminated and we will approach death differently. Actually, there is no mother who can give you the shelter that death can. Your physical mother gives you birth; but death gives you real solace and rest. Death is an expansion of sleep.

In Sanskrit, death is called sahodara, or “sister.” These two sisters, sleep and death, are born from the same mother, the same source. Just as sleep gives you peace, so also does death give you peace. Sleep relieves you rom certain stresses, but death relieves you from the stress of a lifetime. Death puts you into a long sleep. You may sleep now for three hours, but death puts you into a sleep of a hundred years, or perhaps two hundred years. How can we say that death is terrifying? We want to sleep; should we also not want to die? But because people are afraid of the subject, there are very few experiments conducted on death.

Instead of avoiding the thought of death, it is very helpful for us to understand what death is. None of us experiences the reality of our death in our daily life. We do not really believe that we will die, although we see others die. There is a constant battle in the human mind and heart about death, but you do not discuss it because you are afraid. So you push aside the fear of death, the highest fear, and then that fear is projected in many ways. You worry that your spouse or father will die, and wonder what will happen to you. Or you worry that your lover will die, or your bank book will die, because you see death all around. This means that you always remain insecure, and you need to examine that insecurity. You have to understand this fear and not be afraid. You are sure to die.

Actually, nobody is really afraid of death – people are afraid of pain and illness. It is a terrible thing when one suffers great pain and does not die. The actual experience of death is not the pain that makes you cry. But if you understand what that suffering is, it goes away. You understand, by that time, that there is no pain in death. Then you are very close to the Reality, though you are not yet enlightened.

Editor’s note

This passage has been taken from the book Path of Fire and Light Vol 2, pp 19 – 21, by Swami Rama, published 1976 by the Himalayan International Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy of the USA.

Prayer is not conducted in Sanskrit or Arabic or English or Latin or any other language. Prayer should be conducted in your own language. Which is your language? It’s the same language in which a newborn baby speaks to her mother. It’s the language of love. You see how a newborn baby communicates with the mother Speak in any language, the child will have nothing to do with it. But when the mother says na, na, na, na, na, chu chu, chu, chu, chu, she communicates well with the child. Which is that language? The language of love. When our mind, our thoughts, our emotions, our whole being is integrated, when our mind and emotions go together, when we become one-pointed and with that feeling we pray, that prayer never goes in vain!

Prayer gives you strength. The highest of strength is received from that source which is already within you, through prayer. When you pray, whom are you going to pray to? The God Almighty who is everywhere? No. The Lord who is within you, seated deep down, beyond your body, breath and mind, in the innermost chamber of your being. Your prayers are always answered, when you pray in your own language, with mind and emotion joined together, with a one-pointed mind. You can pray at any time, but you should learn to discipline yourself. Morning and evening hours are considered best for prayer. But as I told you, pray directly to the Lord of life who’s seated within you. Gently close your eyes and with all your feelings and thoughts ask the Lord of life to give you wisdom and there you will find strength.

Editor’s Note

This is an excerpt from Conscious Living by Swami Rama, published by Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust in 2002, Pg 100

A human being cannot live without doing karma, actions. And when he does some karma he reaps the fruits of the actions. And those fruits lead him to do more actions and there is no end. He creates a whirlpool for himself and he cannot come out of that. Is there any way that you go on doing your actions and yet remain free from the bondage of karma? I say yes. If you grease your karma with love, then you will not have a problem. You have stress today, “My wife doesn’t listen to me.” She thinks, “My husband doesn’t listen to me.” They both are going through self-created stress. But if you simply change the concept, there will be no stress. Stress has become the big-gest killer today. Everybody says I have stress, I have stress. Why do you have stress? Wife wants to control the husband, husband wants to control the wife. Why do you want to control anyone? This tussle is going on all the time, in all families and you call it family life and love. When I come to your home, you all smile. When I go outside, then you start fighting. I know that and I understand. I think there can be harmony in the family if there is understanding, understanding on a higher level.

A man in bondage cannot think right. A man in bondage is a slave. A slave has no choice. How to be free from that? If I go on doing my duties, and I give the fruits of my actions to others, I will be free. Where are you committing a mistake? You are not giving up the fruits of your actions though you are doing your duties. Why do you do charity, tell me? You do charity because you think, “I will have a good name.” Then another level of charity, “If I do charity my ego will be cleansed. If I do charity I will get double that in my next lifetime.” Actually, why do you want to do charity? You want to do charity because you are holding on to something. Give away the fruits and be free.

Thus comes freedom from the bondage of karma.

There will be no bondage. We are all doing our actions but for others and renouncing the fruit. That’s why the family unit was created. The husband does actions for his wife, his wife for him and both do for their children and they in turn do for other children. So the family is meant to radiate love to all, not hatred. We have to start at home. We should create our family in such a way so that it radiates love.

Editor’s Note

This is an excerpt from Conscious Living by Swami Rama, published by Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust in 2002, Pg 135-136