The Pineal Gland, 3 Permanent Seeds and the 3 Silver Cords

An apple tree comes from an Apple seed. Similarly a person has inner seeds which are called Bindus in Sanskrit. Theosophist call these seeds permanent atoms. The three seeds are:

1. The Physical Permanent Seed (Seed of Life);
2. The Emotional Permanent Seed;
3. The Mental Permanent Seed (Seed of Consciousness)

The Physical Permanent Seed is located in the heart chakra and the physical heart. This is the seed that contains the design patterns of the physical body and the energy bodies of a person. One's positive and negative karma are encoded in the physical permanent seed. This Seed of Life gives life to the physical body. Once the soul's energy is withdrawn from the physical permanent seed, the body dies. This is why though in the past medical science views that a person is only dead if he/she is brain dead, now the view is changing. There is astounding cases whereby a person is brain dead but yet the body lives and they could be resuscitated. And I am not talking about nails growing.

A great yogi or a very good clairvoyant can look at your Seed of Life and read your destiny. A plan or destiny of the person is formulated between the soul and a higher being and encoded in the Seed of Life.

The Emotional Permanent Seed is found in the Solar Plexus chakra and in the liver. This Seed is responsible for the design of one's emotional body (or astral body). Everytime the body goes to sleep, the incarnated soul transfers from the physical body to the astral body. The signs that show that the incarnated soul is transferring to the astral body are like: the body may feel a strong energy vibration and simultaneously there may be an inner sound that can be loud at times. Sometimes, a buzzing sound similar to bees or a jet plane is heard. Others experience falling off the bed and are suddenly out of their bodies. The field of Lucid Dreaming has many examples of how one would go into one's astral body.

the Mental Permanent Seed or Seed of Consciousness is the most important of the three seeds and is located in the crown and the pineal gland. It contains the pattern of the mental body. Modern science is only starting to uncover the mystery that surrounds the pineal gland. The documentary "What the [bleep] do we know?" is a great documentary that touches on quantum physics and the pineal gland. 

The Seed of Consciousness also contains all the records of a person's past lives. Highly developed clairvoyants like Bishop Leadbeater can read series of past lives of anyone. In India, the Seed of Consciousness is called the "Blue Pearl". In Sufism, it is called the "Essence". The Seed of Consciousness is connected to the Higher Soul but is NOT the Higher Soul. It is like the computer terminal whereas the Higher Soul is like the mainframe. computer. Meditating on this Seed gives you access to your Higher Soul and have access to inner worlds. the teachings connected with the inner worlds are called "Knowledge of the Kingdom of Heaven" in Christian terminology. the reason the great Avatars of our time teach in parables is so that the "pearls" are given only to those who are ready for it. In this new Aquarian Age, these teachings will be revealed to the masses to the extent that they can handle.

These three Seeds mentioned above are connected to the Higher Soul through three Silver Cords, namely, you guessed it:

1. Silver Cord of Life;
2. Silver Cord of Emotion;
3. Silver Cord of Consciousness

From the Divine Spark or Monad, an energy cord called the Divine Cord extends "downwards" to the Higher Soul. From the Higher Soul, it goes down to the Incarnated Soul at the 12th Chakra above the Crown chakra. Here it is differentiated into the three silver cords of Life, Emotion and Consciousness. The Cord of Consciousness if attached to the Seed of Consciousness in the Pineal Gland. The Cord of Life is attached to the Seed of Life at the Heart chakra. And the Cord of Emotion is attached to the Emotional Seed at the solar plexus chakra. The combination of the Divine Cord and the three silver cords is called the Spiritual Cord. The spiritual cord continues down from the crown into the sushumna nadi and exits near the base of the spine down into the earth and ends several metres below the ground. This earthing is necessary in order for the incarnated soul to function on an earthly plane. When this rooting is not strong, a person will have difficulties earning money and feeding the family. The rooting also enables the body to absorb earth prana that is necessary to make the physical body healthy and strong.

Lastly but not least, there is another subtle cord, the most important of them all, the Antahkarana. Antahkarana means the Bridge of Light. This bridge is built by the incarnated soul to the Higher Soul and even towards the Divine Spark. It's purpose is to fomr a strong communication line among the incarnated soul, the higher soul, and the divine spark, thus establishing a continuous flow of consciousness between them. The antahkarana has to be rebuilt in every incarnation but those who have built theirs in a previous incarnation will be able to rebuild it faster and easier compared to those who are just starting.

The Antahkarana is the bridge of light built by the incarnated soul towards the higher soul. the Spiritual Cord is the cord of spiritual light that descends from the higher soul to the incarnated soul and then the physical body. Eventually, the antahkarana and the spiritual cord will fuse and become one.

Yogic diet

This is an interesting article on Yogic Diet as recommended by Pranayama Pratitioners.

Dietetic Discipline

The proficient in Yoga should abandon articles of food, detrimental to the practice of Yoga. He should give up salt, mustard, sour, hot, pungent and bitter things, asafoetida, worship of fire, women, too much walking, bathing at sunrise, emaciation of the body by fasts, etc. During the early stages of practice food of milk and ghee is ordained; also food consisting of wheat, green pulse and red rice is said to favour the progress. Then he will be able to retain his breath as long as he likes. By thus retaining the breath as long as he likes Kevala Kumbhaka (cessation of breath without inspiration and expiration) is attained. When Kevala Kumbhaka is attained by one, expiration and inspiration are dispensed with. There is nothing unattainable in the three worlds for him. In the commencement of his practice sweat is getting out. As a frog moves by leaps so the Yogi sitting in Padmasana moves on the earth. With a further increased practice, he is able to rise from the ground. He, while seated in lotus-posture, levitates. Then arise in him the power to perform extraordinary feats. Any pain, small or great, does not affect the Yogi. Then excretions and sleep are diminished; tears, rheum in the eyes, salivary flow, sweat and bad smell in the mouth, do not arise in him. With a still further practice, he acquires great strength by which he attains Bhuchara Siddhi which enables him to bring under his control all the creatures that tread on this earth; tigers, Sarabhas, elephants, wild bulls and lions even die by a blow given by the palms of this Yogi. He becomes as beautiful as the God of Love himself. By the preservation of the semen a good odour pervades the body of the Yogi.

Yogic Diet

Instinct or voice within will guide you in the selection of articles of diet. You are yourself the best judge to form a Sattvic Yogic menu to suit your temperament and constitution. Further information is given in the Appendix.

Mitahara

Take wholesome Sattvic food half stomachful. Fill a quarter with pure water. Allow the remaining quarter free for expansion of gas and for propitiating the Lord.

Purity in Food

“Ahara-suddhau sattva-suddhih, Sattva-suddhau dhruva-smritih, Smritilabhe sarvagranthinam vipramokshah.” By the purity of food, follows the purification of the inner nature, on the purity of the inner nature the memory becomes firm and on the strengthening of memory follows the loosening of all ties, and the wise get liberation thereby.

You must not practise Pranayama just after meals. When you are very hungry, then also you must not practise. Go to the water closet and empty the bowels before you begin Pranayama. A Pranayama-practitioner should observe Samyama (control) in food and drink.

Those who are-strict and regular in diet derive immense benefits during the course of practice. They get success quickly. Those persons who suffer from chronic constipation and who are in the habit of defecating in the afternoon can practise Pranayama in the early morning without answering the calls of nature. They should try their level best by some means or other to get an evacuation of their bowels in the early morning.

Food plays a very important role in Yoga Sadhana. An aspirant should be very, very careful in the selection of articles of diet, in the beginning of his Sadhana period. Later on when Pranayama-Siddhi is obtained drastic dietetic restrictions can be removed.

Charu

This is a mixture of boiled, white rice, ghee, sugar and milk. This is a wholesome combination for Brahmacharins and Pranayama-practitioners.

Milk Diet

Milk should be scalded but not too much boiled. The process of scalding is that the milk should be immediately removed from the fire as soon as the boiling point is reached. Too much boiling destroys the vitamins, the mysterious nutritive principles and renders it quite useless as an article of diet. Milk is a perfect food by itself, containing as it does, the different nutritive constituents in a well-balanced proportion. It leaves very little residue in the bowels. This is an ideal food for Yogic students during Pranayama practice.

Fruit Diet

A fruit diet exercises a benign, soothing influence on the constitution and is a very desirable diet for Yogins. This is a natural form of diet. Fruits are very great energy-producers. Bananas, grapes, sweet oranges, apples, pomegranates, mangoes,Chikkus (Sappota) and dates are wholesome fruits. Lemons possess anti-scorbutic properties and act as restoratives to blood. Fruit-juice contains vitamin C. Chikkus increase pure blood. Mangoes and milk is a healthy agreeable combination. You can live on mangoes and milk alone. Pomegranate juice is cooling and very nutritious. Bananas are very nutritious and substantial. Fruits help concentration and easy mental focussing.

Articles Allowed

Barley, wheat, ghee, milk, almonds promote longevity and increase power and strength. Barley is a fine article of diet for a Yogi and Sadhaka. It is cooling too. Sri Swami Narayan, the author of ‘Ek Santka Anubhav’, who wears a Kaupin of gunny bag, lives on bread, made up of barley. He recommends barley bread to his disciples. It is said that Emperor Akbar lived upon barley.

You can take wheat, rice, barley, milk, bread, cow’s milk, ghee, sugar, butter, sugar-candy, honey, dried ginger (Soont), green pulse, Moongdal, Panchashaka vegetables, Peypudalai, potatoes, raisins, dates, light Khichdi of green dal. Khichdi is a light food and can be agreeably taken. The food should be reduced in proportion to the increase in Kumbhaka. You must not reduce your food much, in the beginning of your practice. You must use your commonsense, all throughout the Sadhana. Toor-ki-dal can be taken. The Pancha-Shaka belongs to the species of spinach. They are excellent vegetables; the thick succulent young leaves are boiled and seasoned or fried with ghee. They are five in number, viz., Seendil, Chakravarthi, Ponnangani, Chirukeerai and Valloicharnai keerai. When the Pingala or Suryanadi runs in the right nostril, you must take your food. Suryanadi produces heat. It will digest the food well. You may take jack-fruit, cucumber, brinjal, plantain-stem, Lauki Parval and Bhindi (lady’s finger).

Articles Forbidden

Highly seasoned dishes, hot curries, chutnies, meat, fishes, chillies, sour articles, tamarind, mustard, all kinds of oil, asafoetida, salt, garlic, onions, urad-ki-dal (black gram), all bitter things, dry foods, black sugar, vinegar, alcohol, sour curd, stale foods, acids, astringents, pungent stuff, roasted things, heavy vegetables, over-ripe or unripe fruits, pumpkins, etc., must be avoided. Meat can make man a scientist, but rarely a Philosopher, Yogi or a Tattva Jnani. Onions and garlic are worse than meat. All food-stuffs contain a small quantity of salt. So, even if you do not add salt separately, the system will derive the necessary quantity of salt from other food-stuffs. The giving up of salt will not produce deficiency of hydrochloric acid and dyspepsia as allopathic doctors foolishly imagine. Salt excites passion. No ill-effects are produced by the giving up of salt. Mahatma Gandhi and Swami Yogananda had given up salt for over thirteen years. Giving up salt helps you in controlling the tongue and thereby the mind also and in developing will-power too. You will have good health. Sitting before fire, company of women and worldly-minded people, Yatra, long walk, carrying heavy burdens, cold bath in the early morning, harsh words, speaking untruth, dishonest practices, theft, killing animals, Himsa of all kinds either in thought, word or deed, hatred and enmity towards any person, fighting, quarrelling, pride, double-dealing, intriguing, back-biting, tale-bearing, crookedness, talks other than those of Atman and Moksha, cruelty towards animals and men, too much fasting or eating only once every day, etc., are not allowed for a Pranayama-practitioner.

Different Types of Yoga

It is said that one should choose the style of yoga that one would like to learn, then choose a master or teacher that has a class in that style, then a class at the right level for you. However, if you are new to yoga you won't know which style you want and if you don't know any local teachers you won't know which one to choose. To start with, it may be simpler to try out a class that just happens to be convenient in terms of time and location. 


The above statement applies to the majority of people who seek out Yoga. However, for those of us who are already on the spiritual path, we may find ourselves drawn to certain yoga practices (possibly subconscious inclinations due to past lives)


It is important to note here that whatever Yoga practice, it generally involves the following: Physical posturing, meditations, and meditation with purposeful energy. The difference between the 3 can be shown with this paradigm: They all belong to one family called Yoga, with 3 different types of general vehicles i.e. Physical, meditative, and meditative with energy. So the equivalent paradigm to explain this is to think of Toyota. In Toyota family, we have Daihatsu cars, Toyota cars and Lexus cars. Get the picture? 


Some yoga teachers today may mix a few varieties together however, seldom would one include meditations with purposeful energy. I say purposeful energy because those meditation involves intentional diverting of the body's chi/prana to specific locations in the body intentional circulation of chi/prana via certain paths to achieve certain specific objectives. This is usually high level type of meditations and not many can guide this kinds of meditation properly. A wrong move can result in Kundalini Syndrome. Usually only esoteric schools or very advanced beings can guide this type of meditations. And this is something you definitely cannot get from universities via any form of diploma or degree in Yoga that seems to be cropping out everywhere. I must warn that if one chooses to go for the advanced type, don't go to one who claims to have diplomas or degrees for they cannot guide you in advanced meditations. They can only guide you in the normal types of yoga practices.


The following information is an excerpt from text written by Don Kent. It provides an overview of yoga styles, systems and related styles of body and energy work. However, editing of the text has been done the refect a more spiritual take on yoga (which is Yoga's real intention anyway)


Agni Yoga: Literally meaning 'fire' Agni yoga is a synthesis of several other yogas, principally Raja yoga, Karma Yoga and Bhakti Yoga


Astanga Vinyasa Yoga: Based on the asana limb of Astanga Yoga, it includes joining postures called Vinyasa, and there is usually a fairly rigid sequence of postures executed with pranayama (breath) and bandhas (muscular locks for the retention of prana)


Astanga Yoga: Means 8-limbed yoga path as described in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali: Yama (moral code), Niyama (self-purification), Asana (postures), Pranayama (breath control), Pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses), Dharana (concentration), Dhyana (meditation) and Samadhi (enlightenment).


Bhakti Yoga: The Yoga of Love and Devotion. The favorite yoga of the Indian masses that focus on particular Hindu gods (typically Krishna). St. Francis of Agassi was probably practicing Christian Bhakti Yoga.


Bihar School of Yoga: Founded in 1963 by Swami Satyananda Saraswati in Munger, India - it provides hatha yoga as defined in their book 'Asana, Pranayama, Mudra, Bandha'


Hatha Yoga: From the sanskrit words 'Ha' (Sun) and 'tha' (Moon), it is the primary yoga type found in the West with a focus on asana (postures), purification and breath for health and union of the body, mind and spirit.


Integral Yoga: Integral Yoga is a synthesis of yogas to develop all aspects of personal growth and includes raja yoga, japa yoga, hatha yoga, karma yoga, bhakti yoga and jnana yoga.


Iyengar Yoga: A school of hatha yoga with its own teacher training that focuses on stronger yoga postures with emphasis on alignment. Blocks, bricks and belts are often used to get alignment and 'perfect' posture.


Jnana Yoga: From the 8-limbed path of Astanga yoga, Jnana is the path of spiritual knowledge and wisdom through study and meditation to discard the illusory. 'Neti neti' - not this, not that and 'Who am I?' are jnana yoga tools.


Karma Yoga: The path of selfless service. As Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita 'Whoever lets go attachment to the fruits of his actions, and instead dedicates his actions to God, is not touched by sin, like the lotus leaf is not touched by water'.


Kriya Yoga: This is a form of hatha yoga promoted by Goswami Kriyananda, who founded the Temple of Kriya, after the teachings of Babaji. It combines the 8 limbs of astanga yoga with astrology linked to the chakras.


Kundalini Yoga: This is hatha yoga with an emphasis on awakening the kundalini energy, normally lying dormant at the base chakra, through severe practices of breath retention and meditation.


Laya Yoga: See Kundalini Yoga


Mantra Yoga: Spiritual development through the use of repetitive sounds, which may be sub-vocalized as in Transcendental Mediation. Rhythmic repetition of a mantra like 'Om' is called japa. There are many mantras, some focused on a god, but even the sanskrit alphabet is believed to be effective in stilling the mind and moving closer to samadhi.


Meditation: Typically seated with an erect spine, meditation forms the core yoga of ancient times and should be a part of every yogi's practice. It aims to calm the perturbations of the mind to allow the true nature of the mind, the self and the universe to reveal itself in a state called enlightenment, self-realization or samadhi.


Power Yoga: See Astanga Vinyasa Yoga. Power Yoga is a variation pioneered by Beryl Bender Birch


Pranayama: One of the 8 limbs of Astanga Yoga. It is a set of techniques to work with subtle energy or prana through the breath.


Raja (or Royal) Yoga: 'Royal' as you become ruler of your mind, raja yoga works upon the mind refining and perfecting it and through the mind on the body. Most people end up combining hatha yoga, focused on the body and breath, with raja yoga.


Sahaja Yoga: Literally meaning 'born with you', sahaja yoga works on de-conditioning the mind so that self-realization is achieved, kundalini energy rises and the light of divine love emanates out to others.


Sapta Yoga: This is Hatha Yoga based on the classical text the 'Gheranda Samhita', and is taught at the Patanjali Yoga Center in Katmandhu, Nepal.


Siddha Yoga: Siddha Yoga Meditation has the goal of self-realization through meditation, chanting, contemplation, study and selfless service (karma yoga). It is based upon Vedanta and Kashmir Shivaism.


Surat Shabd or Nada Yoga: This form of yoga connects the soul to the universal consciousness through the use of meditation and sound (shabd) and is of Sikh origins, based on the texts of Sant Kabir. Eckankar is a similar following.

Tai Chi: This is a form of moving meditation based upon a self-defensive martial art created by a Taoist monk from China about 800 years ago. Tai Chi must be practiced mindfully and provides a high degree of awareness and tranquility.


Tantric Yoga: Becoming enlightened through the opening up of the chakras to allow the prana to move up the sushumna is a general yogic goal. Tantric yoga achieves this through the power of sexual energy on the basis that it is natural and loving and so cannot be contrary to God.


Transcendental Meditation: This is a form of mantra meditation created for westerners by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Two 20-minute meditations per day to create a calmer mind with many benefits including creativity and eventually siddhis.


Vini Yoga: The Viniyoga tradition is a form of hatha yoga that avoids mere mechanical practice of asana but adapts to the body's current condition through self-awareness - rather like the Alexander Technique - and release habitual stress patterns in the body.


Yantra Yoga: With the use of sight and form upon which to contemplate, Yantra Yoga aims to calm the mind to allow the true self to shine through. Mandala patterns are also yantra.


Yoga of Synthesis (Arhatic Yoga): A synthesis of karma yoga, bhakti yoga, jnana yoga and raja yoga. Yoga of Synthesis is also another name for Arhatic yoga which uses a systematic method to awaken kundalini and activate the chakras, rather like kundalini yoga. Modern day Arhatic Yoga is done together with Pranic Healing. The healing work serves as a vehicle for community service to generate the good karma required to develop fast spiritually using Arhatic Yoga.

While all yoga practices take the yogi to the ultimate same path, the vehicles are not all the same. Remember my example on Toyota cars. however, does that mean we should all go for "Lexus cars"? No... there is a high price to pay for the higher vehicles. Not all of us can afford that price. So it's better to use one that suits our budget else it burns a hole in our pockets. But unlike cars, at the most, the financier just repossess the car back. In spirituality, if one is not ready for the higher teachings but bull dozes through, the resulting effects and consequences could be too much for one to bear. We're dealing with soul energy here. Kundalini Syndrome, if it is just some twitching of muscles or general physical discomfort, is "minor". However, if it manifest as rapid ripening of karmic seeds, it would be "Hell on earth". As Heaven and Hell is a state of being, imagine our state of mind if our negative karmic seeds start ripening at an accelerated pace. Shit after shit befalls us. And it happens in such rapid pace that you KNOW it is NOT normal. I can tell you it is extremely difficult to maintain a positive outlook in life when that happens. And via the Law of Attraction, as your outlook turn negative, you attract even more shit to you.


Related post:

1. Lord's Prayer - Energy perspective
2. Lord's Prayer - the meaning of the verses
3. Yoga - The truth about Yoga
4. Kundalini Syndrome
5. Accelerating Ones Spiritual Development
6. Heaven and Hell

Kundalini and Kundalini Syndrome (走火入魔) - updated

The Medical Cadeceus and
the Ida Pingala and Sushumna

This excerpt is from Wikipedia:

"The Kundalini Syndrome is a set of sensory, motor, mental and affective symptoms reported predominantly (according to certain writers on the subject) among people who have had a near-death experience; it has also been attributed to practitioners of meditation or yoga. 

Researchers in the fields of psychiatry, transpersonal psychology, and near-death studies. describe a complex pattern of sensory, motor, mental and affective symptoms associated with the concept of Kundalini, sometimes called the Physio-Kundalini syndrome, or Kundalini-syndrome. This psycho-spiritual and transformative process is believed to occur in connection with a near-death experience, or with prolonged, intensive spiritual or contemplative practice, as practiced within a few sub-disciplines of meditation or yoga. Other factors that may trigger this symptomatology includes a variety of intense personal crises or experiences. According to writers in the field of transpersonal psychology the process is not always sudden and dramatic, it can also start slowly and increase gradually in activity over time. If the accompanying symptoms unfold in an intense manner that destabilizes the person, the process is usually interpreted as a spiritual emergency."

This explanation is erroneous. This is NOT Kundalini Syndrome (走火入魔)! A typical example of Wikipedia getting it wrong. But can't blame them. The write up is mostly by so called experts who do not know nor acknowledge their true nature as beings of light. Of well...

Meditation can awaken
the Kundalini Serpent

So what is Kundalini Syndrome (走火入魔)? First we need to explore what is Kundalini. The Sanskrit word, kundalini, means coiled, like a snake. Hence the awakening of Kundalini energy is also called "awakening of the fiery serpent". Kundalini Fire (Kundalini Energy). Kundalini Energy resides at the base/tip of our spine. Energetically, it is at the Basic Chakra. It is usually dormant in the vast majority of us. This means for most people, they do not even realize it is there. Medical Science definitely do not recognize this energy... yet. Well... if the vast majority of people has it dormant (not awakened), how is medical science going to know its existence (it's dormant, remember), right? But it has to be said here that medical science is way behind and has forgotten that the very symbol that represents their profession actually also represents our spiritual channels (The Ida Pingala and Sushumna) with the Kundalini located at the bottom of the staff of Cadeceus. Kundalini energy is also often little understood even among teachers of Yoga and meditative traditions. It is, however, mentioned extensively in the literature of Yoga and Tantra (both Buddhist and Hindu). Certain Esoteric Schools with inner masters (unseen Wise Ones, inner world spiritual teachers etc) would give a better explanation of Kundalini then one without. 


But in a very few people, perhaps one in a thousand, this dormant energy becomes aroused (or activated). The awakening of the "fiery serpent" can be a happy event or it can be scary and disruptive, depending on whether you aroused your kundalini on purpose or by accident. For the serious spiritual practitioner or Yogi/Yogini, the arousal of Kundalini energy gives the spiritual aspirant a powerful ally that can help smoothen the spiritual path. E.g: The Lord Christ received His Baptism by Water followed by the Shaktipat (Baptism by Spirit and Fire) from John the Baptist hence His Kundalini is awakened and He quickly "remembers" to the last stage of His development before that lifetime (The Lord Christ is a Boddhisattva whom has gone through many many reincarnations), to put it simply (Christians will disagree with this but that's their problem for refusing to accept Truth).


However, if the Kundalini is awakened accidentally, then there could be serious problems to the person. A normal person's body is not purified enough to be able to take this kind of energy. Kundalini Syndrome (走火入魔) is when the Kundalini energy is awakened in a body that is not yet ready for it. Kundalini Syndrome (走火入魔) may manifest in several ways, for example:

1. Chronic Fatique (or Chronic General Weakness);
2. Overheating of the body (an unexplained and incurable fever);
3. Chronic insomnia;
4. Depression;
5. Skin Rashes;
6. Overactivated Sex Chakra;
7. Hypertension; or the worst...
8. Rapid Ripening of Karmic seeds (loads of bad luck keeps happening that just can't be explained and is completely out of the ordinary... You will know if it is, there would be no doubting it as you just cannot manifest anything and the term "bad luck" would seem like an understatement)

Therefore it is important for the spiritual aspirant to constantly purify his/her body as well as mind. That's why we need to keep our bodies clean. Matthew 9:17 in the Bible states, "You do not put new wine in an old wine bag." Why? The old wine beg is already stretched; therefore when you put new wine, which is still fermenting, the gas pressure will increase and the bag will burst. The wine bag is likened to the body. The wine corresponds to the descent of spiritual energy. You must make your body like a new wine bag to prepare it to receive higher energy and to be able to withstand the awakening of the Kundalini serpent. That's also why we should not smoke, take excessive alcohol, eat energetically dirty food if we are serious about our spiritual development. Our body is the temple of the holy spirit (our incarnated soul). So why do we defile it with impurities?


Of course, advanced souls have the ability to transmute energies so it would appear that they can take energetically dirty food and yet be able to develop spiritually. But just because those advanced souls can do it doesn't mean the rest of us can follow. Are you an advanced soul? How do you know? While I am not suggesting that one completely abstain (though that is highly recommended), one should be clear on what one wants. If we have decided that we want to develop as high as possible this lifetime, then definitely we need to be also serious about purifying our bodies (physical, emotional, mental etc). Kundalini syndrome is no laughing matter. Once awakened by accident, there are not many gurus around who can help you "put it back to sleep".


the act of praying would probably not result in Kundalini Syndrome (走火入魔) though it also brings down spiritual energy because it is not at an accelerated pace. However, for priest, monks, nuns etc, it can still accidentally awaken because they spend most of their times praying and for those in monasteries and convents, they could be practicing certain meditations without even realizing that it is a meditation (meditation aren't necessarily done sitting down cross legged or lotus position). This is why we sometimes hear of some clergy men or monks who "misbehave" sexually. The movie "Samsara" shows this quite well with the monk after a long period of isolation meditating, has his kundalini awakened and unregulated, and thus his heightened sexual desires (he was caught sleeping with an erect penis) and thus committed a transgression by having sex with a local woman. He then left the monastery to marry her to be responsible for his actions...etc etc


Related post:

1. Energy!
2. Lord's Prayer - Energy perspective
3. Lord's Prayer - the meaning of the verses
4. Yoga
5. Medical Cadeceus
6. Baptism by Water, Spirit and Fire
7. Boddhisattva - What is a Boddhisattva?
8. Wise Ones
9. Souls in Reincarnation
10. Different Levels of Truth
11. advanced soul (Young / Old Soul)

The Lord's Prayer - the meaning of each verse (Updated!)

This post is a follow up to my earlier posting on my understanding of the Lord's Prayer. Now we'll look at each verse and what it means.


Our Father
Though it is phrased as "Our Father", it does not mean that God is male. God is both Yin and Yang as in "God created man in HIS own image...male and female..." (Genesis 1:27). When meditating on the phrase "Our Father", we must remember your true nature which is you are the Christ (or Buddha, or Krishna) in you. You are NOT your body. Neither are you your emotions nor thoughts. You are not even your mind. For your mind is but a subtle instrument of your soul. Just like the computer is an instrument used by the user, the mind is a subtle instrument of the real you (Soul). You are the Soul, the I AM THAT I AM. By focusing on the Crown Chakra (Kether - crown) when meditating on the phrase "Our Father", your crown chakra is activated and ready to receive the great down pouring of spiritual energy into your bodies.

I Am Not The Body 

I Am Not The Emotion 

I Am Not The Thought 

I Am Not The Mind 

The Mind Is Only A Subtle Instrument Of The Soul 

I Am The Soul 

I Am A Spiritual Being Of Divine Intelligence, Divine Love, Divine Power 

I Am One With My Higher Soul 

I AM THAT I AM 

I Am One With The Divine Spark Within Me 

I Am A Child Of God 

I Am Connected With God 

I Am One With God 

I Am One With All

Who Art in Heaven
The word "Heaven" refers to the inner world (or Spiritual world). Focusing on your Forehead Chakra when meditating on the phrase "Who Art In Heaven" eventually gives you access to the inner world. It is said that the third eye is not located between the eyebrows, it is instead located on the forehead (Chokmah - Wisdom). And it is through the forehead chakra that we begin to "see" energy beings that cannot be seen by the naked eye.


Hallowed Be Thy Name
What comes out of the mind and the mouth is more important that what goes into the mouth. "If what goes into the mouth is dirty, it just dirties the body. But if what comes out of the mouth is dirty, it dirties the soul". Similar statements or ideas can be found in Matthew 12:34, 15:18, and Mark 7:15-23. When meditating on the phrase "Hallowed (Holy) Be Thy Name", focus on the Ajna Chakra (Binah - understanding) and the Throat Chakra (Daath - knowledge). The Ajna has the function of thinking while the Throat represents verbal expression. 


Thy Kingdom Come
The secret to having good fortune and wealth lies in this phrase. It corresponds with the Heart Chakra (Chesed - Mercy, Loving Kindness) and represents the virtues of compassion, mercy, love, giving and sharing. It is in giving and sharing that one generates good prosperity karma or "inherits the kingdom". Meditating on this phrase while focusing on the heart chakra activates this chakra making one more giving, compassionate and generous.


Thy Will Be Done
The Solar Plexus Chakra is at the center of our body i.e. it is the will center of the masses and can follow the urges of the lower nature or the will of the higher soul. when we have aligned our lower will i.e. our urges, desires etc with the will of our higher soul, we are "threading the path of the Tao" (also known as the middle path).


On Earth As It Is In Heaven
The Navel Chakra (Tiphareth - Beauty) concretizes spiritual energy into Golden Chi apart from regulating our basic chakra. By meditating on the navel chakra and the phrase "On Earth As It Is In Heaven", our navel chakra is activated and more Golden Chi is produced to support the rapidly development/evolution of our physical body. This is necessary in order to support the increased chi coming into us. If our physical bodies are not strong enough, the excessive spiritual energy may cause our physical bodies to deteriorate.


Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread
The phrase "Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread" corresponds with the front and back Spleen Chakra (Netzach - Victory or Power). The spleen chakra has the important duty acting as a pump to draw in chi into our body. The phrase "bread" symbolizes life force (chi), which is required by our physical bodies in order to exist in the physical world.


Forgive Us Our Trespasses As We Forgive Those Who Trespass Against Us
This phrase relates to both our back heart chakra and crown chakra and helps facilitate the act of forgiveness and inner healing. The corresponding chakra is the Meng Mein Chakra (Hod - Glory).


Lead Us Not Into Temptation But Deliver Us From Evil
This phrase corresponds with the Sex Chakra (Yesod - Foundation). It must be said that sex is natural and wholesome and definitely NOT dirty as some religion would put it. However, it has to be regulated and preferably transmuted if one is serious about spiritual development. The physical creative or generative sex energy can be transmuted into divine union with the higher soul. Sex energy is like "food" to the higher chakras as it provides the necessary energy to the higher chakras once it is transmuted. Most spiritual practitioners who face kundalini syndrome whereby they are always horny are basically having over activated sex chakras of which the energy there is not properly transmuted.


For Thine Is The Kingdom, The Power, And The Glory Forever And Ever, Amen
The first phrase "For Thine Is The Kingdom" corresponds to the Basic Chakra (Malkuth - Kingdom) where the kundalini fire is located and lies dormant within each of us. The phrase "The Power" corresponds with the spleen chakra, and "The Glory" corresponds with the meng main chakra. The phrase "For Thine Is The Kingdom, The Power, And The Glory" corresponds with the 3 lower sephiroths in the Kabbalistic Tree of Life. Malkuth, Netzach and Hod. The phrase "Forever And Ever, Amen" corresponds with the crown chakra where the spiritual energy and kundalini energy are brought up and eventually manifest as expansion of consciousness.


The meditation on the Lord's Prayer is universal. Truth is Universal (read my posting on Different levels of Truth). It does not belong exclusively to an country, religion (read my posting on religious dogma and Perversion of Religion) nor culture.


Related post:

1. Lord's Prayer - energy perspective
2. Yoga
3. Medical Cadeceus
4. Different levels of Truth
5. Religious dogma
6. kundalini syndrome
7. Baptism by Water, Spirit and Fire

The Lord's Prayer - energy perspective (updated)

The Lord's Prayer (Catholic version)

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen

The Lord's Prayer is definitely not of Christian Origin. It predates Christ. Though Jesus said those Prayers, it is actually an ancient form of Kundalini Yoga that can stimulate our chakras and safely awaken the "sleeping serpent" within i.e. Kundalini force/energy/chi.


There is a relationship between Jesus' Lord's Prayer and the Kabbalistic Tree of Life. The 11 Sephiroths on the Tree of Life also corresponds with the 11 major chakras on our body. In fact, done in a meditation form, it becomes a system for spiritual development using the body's 11 major chakras. The Kabbalistic version calls this energy centers Sephiroths. Note that some versions of the Lord's Prayer, there exists only 10 sephiroths. Actually one sephiroth is hidden as humanity is deemed NOT to be ready for the 11th Sephiroth to be revealed. However, Master Choa (GMCKS), the founder of modern day Pranic Healing and Arhatic Yoga has revealed this in his esoteric school. One can learn this by learning Pranic Healing and Arhatic Yoga or other advanced esoteric schools.


GMCKS has taught that regular practice of meditation on the Lord's Prayer results in tremendous down pouring of spiritual energy into the crown chakra, and from there down to the base of the spine (possibly via the Sushumna). Eventually, the Kundalini fire at the base of the spine is awakened and together the spiritual energy and kundalini fire spiral upwards (possibly via the ida pingala as the movement is spiraling upwards) to the crown and eventually manifests as illumination, eternal bliss, and divine oneness. This is what saints/Avatars etc of all religions experience. The down pouring of spiritual energy is called baptism by spirit, and the awakening of the kundalini fire is called baptism by fire. This is the meaning of baptism by spirit and fire. In Yoga, this spiritual experience is called samadhi, and in Buddhism it is called nirvana. When this is achieved through the grace or blessing of a guru it is called a shaktipat or spiritual empowerment. In esoteric terminology this is called initiation, which usually results in a certain degree of expansion of consciousness.

Tree of life and the corresponding verses.
(Note: This image is taken from
the internet and has errors in it i.e.
line 3 should be split to 2 sephiroths
(one hidden) and line 7 & 8 should be swapped). 

The awakening of the kundalini fire can be done through many methods. On of which is the practice of certain techniques in Hatha Yoga or chinese QiGong. Another method is in the use of mantras or words of power, together with yentas or visual images. There are many other methods. However, it is perceived that the method of meditating on the Lord's Prayer is one of the safest, easiest and also more potent ways of achieving that objective of illumination.


Such is the nature of us humans that as long as the "fiery serpent" (kundalini fire) remains down in the basic chakra, the person remains spiritually dead or relatively animalistic. It is only when the serpent is substantially upraised that the noble qualities of the person is developed, and he is able to experience illumination and expansion of consciousness.

1. Crown Chakra (Kether - Crown) - "Our Father"
2. Forehead Chakra (Chokmah - Wisdom) - "Who Art In Heaven"
3. Ajna Chakra (Binah - Understanding) - "Holy/Hallowed Be" & Throat Chakra (Daath - Knowledge) - "Thy Name"
4. Heart Chakra (Chesed - Mercy, Loving Kindness) - "Thy Kingdom Come"
5. Solar Plexus Chakra (Gevurah - Severity, Judgement, Strength) - "Thy Will Be Done"
6. Navel Chakra (Tiphareth - Beauty) - "On Earth As It Is In Heaven"
7. Spleen Chakra (Netzach - Victory or Power) - "Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread"
8. Meng Mein Chakra (Hod - Glory) - "Forgive Us Our Trespasses As We Forgive Those Who Trespass Against Us"
9. Sex Chakra (Yesod - Foundation) - "Lead Us Not Into Temptation But Deliver Us From Evil
10. Basic Chakra (Malkuth - Kingdom) - "For Thine Is The Kingdom, The Power, And The Glory Forever And Ever, Amen

I must now add a disclaimer. I am not suggesting that you take what little you read here and start meditating on the Lord's Prayer. No... If you decide to, please get guidance from a proper meditation school which provides this Meditation on the Lord's Prayer. Arhatic Yoga is one such school. There are other schools. Under no circumstances is anyone to attempt advanced meditation techniques unguided as it is dangerous. If the Kundalini fire is awaken without the body being purified, you are going to find that your karmic seeds ripened in ways you cannot handle.


What I put here is for sharing and knowledge. For those who would like to explore further, seek the right guidance. What is written here is just the surface of a much deeper subject.


Whew... taxing man.. taxing..


Related post:

1. Yoga
2. Medical Cadeceus
3. Lord's Prayer - Meaning of each verse
4. kundalini syndrome
5. Baptism by Water, Spirit and Fire

YOGA - The truth about Yoga that modern people have missed (Updated!)

Invocation

This is a long article on Yoga. The yogi who stated this is Bhole Prabhu, who lived in the Himalayas, and was a yogi, poet, and philosopher renowned as an original thinker. And below is what he said about Modern day Yoga:

Like many arts and sciences that are profound, beautiful, and powerful, yoga has suffered from the spiritual poverty of the modern world--it has been trivialized, watered down, or reduced to cliches. The deep and eternal essence of yoga has been misrepresented and packaged for personal profit by clever people. At the hands of some, yoga has been reduced to the status of just another exercise program available on videotape. In other contexts, yoga has been presented as a cult religion, aimed at attracting "devotees." Such a haze of confusion has been created around the clear and pure concept of yoga that it is now necessary to redefine yoga and clarify its meaning and purpose.

Yoga defines itself as a science--that is, as a practical, methodical, and systematic discipline or set of techniques that have the lofty goal of helping human beings to become aware of their deepest nature. The goal of seeking to experience this deepest potential is not part of a religious process, but an experiential science of self-study. Religions seek to define what we should believe, while a practical science such as meditation is based on the concrete experience of those teachers and yogis who have previously used these techniques to experience the deepest Self. Yoga does not contradict or interfere with any religion, and may be practiced by everyone, whether they regard themselves as agnostics or members of a particular faith.

Throughout history, yogic techniques have been practiced in both the East and West, so it would be an error to consider yoga an "Eastern import." In fact, yoga, with its powerful techniques for creating a sense of inner peace, harmony, and clarity of mind, is absolutely relevant to the modern world--both East and West. Given the increasing pace and conflict present in modern life, with all its resulting stress, one could say that yoga has become an essential tool for survival, as well as for expanding the creativity and joy of our lives.

THE LIVING TRADITION 
Although yoga does not "belong" to the East, it is easiest to trace its roots there, because cultural change has not obscured the origins of the science, and an ongoing tradition of yoga has continued to the present day. No one person "invented" yoga--yoga is a living tradition, a set of practices that dates back for centuries. These practices were codified by a scholar and teacher named Patanjali in The Yoga Sutras, written about the second century B.C.

Tibetan 5

The most important teaching of yoga has to do with our nature as human beings. It states that our "true nature" goes far beyond the limits of the human mind and personality--that instead, our human potential is infinite and transcends our individual minds and our sense of self. The very word "yoga" makes reference to this. The root, "yuj" (meaning "unity" or "yoke"), indicates that the purpose of yoga is to unite ourselves with our highest nature. This re-integration is accomplished through the practices of the various yoga disciplines. Until this re-integration takes place, we identify ourselves with our limitations--the limitations of the body, mind, and senses. Thus we feel incomplete and limited, and are subject to feelings of sorrow, insecurity, fear, and separation, because we have separated ourselves from the experience of the whole.

In the modern world we have become quite successful in our external achievements--we have created powerful technologies and a variety of products, we are obsessed with accumulating power, wealth, property and objects--and yet we have not been able to create either individual or social peace, wisdom, or happiness. We have only to look around and see the destructiveness of our weapons, the emptiness of our pleasures and entertainments, the misuse of our material and personal resources, the disparities between rich and poor, and above all, the loneliness and violence of our modern world. We see that amid all our success in the external world, we have accomplished little of lasting value. These problems will not be solved through new technological developments. Instead, the resolution to these human problems will come only when we discover within ourselves that for which all of mankind is searching--inner peace, tranquility, and wisdom. This attainment is the goal of yoga, for yoga is the practical science intended to help human beings become aware of their ultimate nature.

AN ASCENT INTO PURITY 
The process of yoga is an ascent into the purity of the absolute perfection that is the essential state of all human beings. This goal requires the removal of our enveloping personal impurities, the stilling of our lower feelings and thoughts, and the establishment of a state of inner balance and harmony. All the methods of yoga are based on the perfection of our personalities and may help to create a new world order.

In the beginning of our work, the greatest problem we experience is our inherent restlessness of mind. Mind, by its very nature, is outgoing and unsteady. The highest state of meditation, however, requires a calm, serene, one-pointed mind, free from negative emotions and the distractions created by cravings, obsessions, and desires. To reach the subtler levels of consciousness and awareness, we need willpower, clarity of mind, and the ability to consciously direct the mind towards our goal. This is possible only when we turn away from preoccupation with external acquisition and seek to stop all inharmonious or negative mental processes. To achieve this, we do not need to give up our homes and society and retire to a monastery. Instead, we can achieve a state of peace, harmony, and contentment in our daily meditation, and thus, go on carrying out our life's duties and activities with the love and devotion that emerges from our meditative experience.

For those who want to follow the path of yoga towards peace and evolution, there are a few prerequisites. We need good health, a calm mind, sincerity, and a burning desire to rise above our human imperfections. Our health is maintained by a simple and well- regulated diet, adequate sleep, some physical exercise, and relaxation. Imbalance or excesses in food, exercise, sleep, or our personal relationships produce physical and emotional disruptions that disturb the practice of yoga and meditation.

Kundalini Yoga

If the aspects of our daily lives are well balanced, then certainly we can make progress in yoga in the modern world. Regardless of where we live or what we do, we can create a life conducive to yoga.

PATHS TO THE SUMMIT 
As we indicated earlier, there is much confusion about exactly what yoga is, especially since there seem to be so many approaches, all described by the name "yoga." A mountain climber may take a variety of routes to reach the top of a mountain. From the plain at the base of the mountain, all these paths seem distinct and different, but from the mountain summit, the view is always the same! The same is true of the seeming diversity of the yogic paths. These different paths are not mutually exclusive or conflicting, but are intended to accommodate the various inclinations, personalities, and temperaments of individual students, and yet they all have the same goal. These various paths of yoga include: 

1. Hatha yoga, which deals mostly with body and breathing exercises that help the student to become aware of his or her internal states. Hatha yoga exercises help to make the body a healthy and strong resource for the student. 
2. Karma yoga, which means "the yoga of action." This path teaches us to do our own duties in life skillfully and selflessly, dedicating the results of our actions to humanity. Practicing this aspect of yoga helps us to live unselfishly and successfully in the world without being burdened or distressed. 
3. Jnana yoga is the path of knowledge and wisdom. This path involves intense mental discipline. Knowledge dawns as we learn to discriminate between the real and the unreal, between the transient and the everlasting, between the finite and the infinite. This path is meant for only a fortunate few, who are aware of the higher and subtler realities of life. 
4. Bhakti yoga is the yoga of devotion. This path is the way of love and devotion. It is the path of self-surrender, of devoting and dedicating all human resources to attaining the ultimate reality. 
5. Kundalini yoga is a highly technical science. The guidance of a competent teacher is required to learn methods for awakening the serpent-like vital force that remains dormant and asleep in every human body. 
6. Mantra yoga, which involves meditation and the use of certain sounds called "mantras," which are traditionally transmitted to the student, and are used as objects of concentration. Mantras help the student in self-purification, concentration, and meditation. These mantras were discovered in deep meditation by highly advanced sages and teachers.

Raja Yoga

Finally, there is raja yoga, the "royal path" which is very scientific and thorough. By following this path methodically, we learn to refine our desires, emotions, and thoughts, as well as the subtle impressions and thoughts that lie dormant in the unconscious mind. Raja yoga helps us to experience the inner reality by using an eight-runged ladder. The ultimate goal is for the aspirant to attain the eighth rung, samadhi.

THE ROYAL PATH 
Raja yoga encompasses teachings from all the different paths. Because of its variety it can be practiced by people of many backgrounds and temperaments. It involves all three dimensions of human interaction-- physical, mental, and spiritual. Through this path, we achieve balance and harmony of all three levels and then attain full realization of the Self.

Raja yoga is a scientific discipline that does not impose unquestioning faith, but encourages healthy examination. Certain practices are prescribed and the benefits derived from them are described so that this path can be scientifically verified by anyone who experiments with the methods. Because of this, raja yoga is ideally suited to the modern world, in which scientific skepticism is so prominent.

Raja yoga is also called astanga yoga, or "the eight-fold path," because its eight steps create an orderly process of self- transformation beginning on the level of the physical body, and eventually involving the subtler levels of life. The eight steps are yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, and samadhi.

EXTERNAL PRACTICES 
The first four rungs or steps--yama, niyama, asana, and pranayama, comprise the path of hatha yoga, which is preparatory to the last four stages of raja yoga.

Yama and niyama are ten commitments of attitude and behavior. One set of disciplines (niyama) is meant to improve the human personality and the other (yama) is meant to guide our relationships and interactions with other beings in the world. Thus yoga is an education for both internal and external growth.

Hatha Yoga

The five yamas, or restraints, are nonviolence, truthfulness, nonstealing, sensual moderation, and non- possessiveness. Their practice leads to changes in behavior and emotions, in which all negative emotions are replaced by positive ones. The five niyamas, or observances, are cleanliness (both external and internal), contentment, practices which bring about perfection of body and senses (tapas), study of the scriptures, and surrender to the ultimate reality. The niyamas lead to the control of our behavior and eventually are extremely positive factors in developing the personality.

In the beginning we should not be discouraged by the challenge of these first two steps. For example, even before we have succeeded in developing the trait of nonviolence completely, we will see increasing peace in our lives and meditation as a result of attempting to practice this yama.

Usually, when hatha yoga is taught in the modern world, only asanas (physical postures) and certain breathing practices are taught. Yama and niyama often are ignored. Because of this, hatha yoga has become somewhat superficial, sometimes emphasizing only physical beauty or egoism about skill and strength in postures. Certainly asanas and breathing exercises create physical health and harmony, but only when our minds are free from violent emotions can we achieve a calm, creative, and tranquil mental state.


Actually, there are two types of asanas--meditative postures and postures that ensure physical well-being. A stable meditative posture helps us create a serene breath and calm mind. A good meditative posture should be comfortable and stable, ensuring that the head, neck, and trunk are erect and in a straight line. If the body is uncomfortable, it makes the mind agitated and distracted. The second kind of postures are practiced to perfect the body, making it limber and free from disease. These postures stimulate specific muscles and nerves and have very beneficial effects.

The fourth step of raja yoga is pranayama. Prana is the vital energy that sustains body and mind. The grossest manifestation of prana is the breath, so pranayama is also called the "science of breath." These exercises lead to calming and concentration.

INTERNAL PRACTICES 
The four steps of hatha yoga prepare the student for the four internal practices of raja yoga. These internal practices are pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, and samadhi.

The fifth step of raja yoga is pratyahara or withdrawal and control of the senses. While we are awake, the mind becomes involved with the events, experiences, and objects of the external world through the five senses of sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell. The mind constantly gathers sensations from the external world through these senses and our mind reacts to them. To attain inner calmness, the student of yoga will want to develop the ability to voluntarily remove the distractions of the world outside. This is not a physical process but a voluntary, mental process of letting go of our involvement with external sensations.

Meditation

Our sensory impressions distract the mind when we want it to become aware of serenity within. Thus, it is useful to learn dharana, or concentration, the sixth step in raja yoga. In concentration, the scattered power of the mind is coordinated and focused on an object of concentration through continued voluntary attention. This voluntary attention uses a conscious effort of the will, and it is developed through consistent practice. Through concentration, a scattered, weak mind is focused and made more powerful.
The seventh step in raja yoga is dhyana, or meditation. Meditation is the result of continued, unbroken concentration. Concentration makes the mind one-pointed, calm, and serene. Meditation then expands the one-pointed mind to the superconscious state. Meditation is the uninterrupted flow of the mind toward one object or concept. When the mind expands beyond conscious and subconscious levels and assumes this superconscious flow, then intuitive knowledge dawns. All the methods of yoga prepare us to eventually reach this stage of meditation and thus attain peace, perfection, and tranquility.

In our daily lives, meditation can be very helpful in eliminating many physical and psychological problems. A significant amount of the disease we experience is actually either directly or indirectly the result of conflicts, repression, or emotional distress arising in the conscious or unconscious mind. Meditation helps us to become aware of these conflicts and to resolve them, establishing tranquility and peace. In this way, meditation becomes a powerful resource for facing the challenges of daily life.

Meditation on Twin Hearts

If we really consider how we learn in the modern world, we realize that despite all our emphasis on education, our education is one- sided and shallow. We may learn to memorize equations and facts, but we do not really learn to understand and develop our own inner life. Our minds remain scattered and our emotions persist as negative, conflicting forces. We are able to use only a small portion of our mental abilities, because we are preoccupied with confusion, fear, and inner conflict. Meditation helps us to overcome these limitations; it helps us to become aware of the subtler and more positive powers within. 


In gaining this awareness, we become creative and dynamic. Abilities such as intuition, which many consider unusual or rare, are actually within the potential of all human beings who meditate. Such gifts are available to those who make contact with the deeper aspects within themselves.

Prolonged and intense meditation leads to the last step of raja yoga-- the state of samadhi, the superconscious state. In this state we become one with the higher Self and transcend all imperfections and limitations. The state of samadhi is the fourth state of consciousness, which transcends the three normal states of waking, dreaming, and dreamless sleep.

A Yogi

A person who attains samadhi becomes a gift to his or her society. If humanity is ever to achieve a more evolved civilization, it will be possible only because of our growth and evolution as human beings. A person who is established in samadhi lives his or her whole life as a spontaneous expression of the unhindered flow of supreme consciousness. This superconscious level is our human essence; it is universal and transcends all the divisions of culture, creed, gender or age. When we become aware of this state within, our whole life is transformed. When we transform ourselves and experience serenity, peace, and freedom, we also transform our societies and all of human civilization. This awareness of the infinite consciousness is the practical and real goal of yoga.


---


now most of us think of yoga as a form of exercise without realizing its deeper spiritual meaning. Nothing wrong with that except that you are missing the real benefit of yoga.


Also, now we have universities or centers offering diplomas in yoga. I wonder if any of these mainstream education centers really know what yoga is. I'll bet none.


Oh well… whatever la. It is like different forms of Buddhism were so called introduced to different people and cultures at different times due to their "cup" able to receive "so much" at that point in time…. Just to draw a parallel.


Related Post:

1. Lord's Prayer - Energy Perspective
2. Lord's Prayer - Meaning of each verse
3. kundalini syndrome
4. Baptism by Water, Spirit and Fire
5. Different Levels of Truth
6. Religious Dogma
7. Perversion of Religion