Kundalini is “… a residual energy, means it has created the whole universe of human beings but it has not been yet manifested. That’s why it is called as a residual energy. This energy is within us.”
In this world of constant change, we are constantly seeking change; “… so why not we change our Complete being through Self-realisation?”
And finally, “There are so many things I’ve said. There are so many lectures which I would like you to hear … these are beautiful, precious lectures … So if you really are interested in yourself, interested in your ascent, interested in becoming one with the whole, to be in the Kingdom of God, then please take these tapes, listen to them, meditate on them. Meditation will become easier.”
The above quotes are from various lectures given by Shri Mataji, the founder of Sahaja Yoga, over these many years since the day She gave the first human being Kundalini awakening in 1971. That was the beginning of the journey for human beings – the journey that signalled the culmination of this long evolutionary process which started out at the stage of the amoeba.
Taking Self-realisation is the end of the journey as the human being. A new dimension is opened out in the human brain, a brain enlightened by the Spirit or Atma.
The first fundamental question we ask in the guided meditation that facilitates the awakening of Kundalini at all Sahaja Yoga public programs is, “Am I the Spirit?” It is this Spirit that all holy scriptures have alluded to and which all seekers of yoga have sought.
It is the human attention that has to become enlightened so that wherever this enlightened instrument falls, that becomes enlightened. The enlightened attention is a powerful tool. It is penetrating and purifying, and it is through the enlightened attention that we can know the Atma and become one with it. That is the aim of Yoga.
Meditation is a state of being where we are fully aware but there are no thoughts. It is also the state where we experience joy. To use a lake as an analogy, the lake’s surface is free of ripples; therefore, the reflections are perfect. Seeing all the details as they are, we know the truth. So, too, it is with everything in our lives. If we can see them with the same kind of clarity we will know their truth and thereby know, without doubt, what must be done.
Everything in the universe, from the largest to the smallest indivisible particle, is imbued with the Spirit. This is that which gives things life. It is only the ego and superego that developed in the human beings that distorts this knowing.
Sahaja Yoga is different from all other types of yoga and meditation practices offered. In this yoga we have to know experientially by doing. There is nothing to be learnt through the mental faculties. It is to be known through our nervous system, to be felt and sensed. We have to feel the cool breeze of the Kundalini. We have to feel our chakras and channels on our finger tips and, if we are sensitive enough, at their locations in the body or on various parts of the body where the nerves end. We have to feel the chakras and channels of others if we are to help them. And ultimately, we have to feel and be in the Joy which is the expression of the Atma. There is no guesswork. We are either Sahaja Yogis or we are not.
We can become experts, become very slick at applying the various cleansing and clearing techniques and sometimes even get lost in them, thinking that is what Sahaja Yoga is. It helps in mastering the instrument but that is only so that the Kundalini can flow properly, allowing the Atma to shine. If we are sincere about our ascent, about becoming one with the Spirit, we will surrender to our Self-realisation and to Kundalini. She is our mother who has been with us all through our evolutionary process and She knows how to lead us to our destination.
As Shri Mataji has advised, please listen to Her lectures. This entire Yoga system is based on Her teachings. She has made all that was once secret and hard to understand, knowable and doable. You can do this by attending a Sahaja Yoga public program on a weekly basis and with your own enlightened discretion applying what you hear. Each week you will learn a little bit more and you will be that much more closer to your goal of becoming a Yogi, Sahaja style.
Greta
The Agnya Chakra, sometimes called the Third Eye, is situated at the centre of the brain. This is the level of the mind. Our mind has two lobes: the ego, which gives us our sense of separateness; and our superego, which has our conditionings and memory. The goal in Sahaja Yoga is to bring the light of the Spirit to the brain and so achieve enlightenment, Self-realisation. The Sahaja Yoga affirmations for the Agnya Chakra are, “I forgive everyone, including myself,” “Mother, by your grace I am forgiven,” “Mother, please make me a forgiving person,” and “Mother, verily You are the forgiveness.”
When the Kundalini passes through this chakra, the thought waves elongate so that the space between the thoughts grows longer. The present moment begins to fill the attention and we enter the state of meditation in thoughtless awareness. Then we can see without colouring or projecting – simply, innocently, like a child.
Jesus Christ, the personification or Deity of the Agnya Chakra is said to have explained, “Unless you be as little children, you cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.” This entry point is “the narrow gate” between the ego (ahankara) and superego (manas). This is the “now” point that remains clear and unpressured, beyond the mind’s remembrances of the past, and beyond the ego’s mental projections about the future.
The mind, like the body, gives us fairly convincing ideas of our existence. However, with an enlightened mind we find, as Shri Mataji has said, that we are not the body, the mind, ego and conditionings, but we are the Spirit. This was the essential revelation of Jesus Christ who fully manifested the Divine qualities of the Agnya Chakra – compassion and forgiveness. His testimony, of undoubted Oneness with His Father, is the Nirvikalpa experience of the Yogi, who has been cleansed and prepared by the Divine Mother, Kundalini. His assertion, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Light,” is the ultimate expression of this enlightened Agnya.
It is through deep meditation, forgiveness and humility that the process of crossing the Agnya Chakra is worked out. The left and right channels cross just below the Agnya. If either of these channels is overly active they create a burden and an imbalance in the subtle body that pressures and closes the narrow gate and has us again feeling alone and unconnected. The right channel is easily inflated with the idea, “I do.” Too much thinking, planning, projecting, over-activity, anger, competitiveness or superiority will cause blockage and also deplete the left side of the essential ability to feel and love. Becoming too “right-sided” means we can enter the hot realm of the supra-conscious, the realm of the future. The left channel can catch if we are overly emotional, too expressive, feeling victimised, wishing harm to ourselves, becoming immersed in the past, and too involved in unhealthy habits, subconscious images or dead ideas. This is the realm where everything from the past is placed, including dead spirits and the Collective Sub-conscious.
A central idea in spiritual evolution is the idea of being “born again”. This is not a process of self- or group-certification. It is the process of Self-realisation in which we break through, surrender the lesser senses of ego and conditioning, and become resurrected, identified with the eternal awareness, the Spirit. Here we go beyond the mind and often humorously witness the play of the ego and conditionings as they battle to have their way. We are still in the world, yet in a detached, joy-filled and loving way. We easily forgive, for not to forgive causes problems. We know and enjoy our own Spirit, the same Spirit in all, and witness the play of the Creation. We are humble before the ultimate majesty of the Creator and also spontaneously experience true love and compassion for the human condition.
Pavan Keatley
(Photograph: orthodox.cn)
A major contribution of Carl Jung (1875-1961), a Swiss psychiatrist and psychologist, was his work in the area of the unconscious and the collective unconscious. Jung defines the unconscious as the part of the mind of an individual that contains experiences, knowledge and personal motivations of which the individual is not consciously aware. He described the universal collective unconscious as a deeper level of unconsciousness which includes all the shared knowledge, experiences and collective wisdom of the whole of humanity. It is made up of archetypes which are innate and which refer to universal thought patterns common to all societies, such as the archetype of the mother and the archetype of religion, the search for a connection with a higher power. He also believed that the members of every society or culture share a collective unconscious, which includes all the particular understandings and meanings that have developed from their history and that enable people to react to situations in ways similar to their ancestors.
Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi has developed a method by which it is possible to make the unconscious conscious. It involves gaining our Self-realisation, which Jung called “individuation” and which modern psychologists and psychiatrists call “self-actualisation” and which gives us complete psychological integration. Shri Mataji’s method is called Sahaja Yoga, and takes just ten minutes to work. “Sahaja” means “spontaneous” and “born with you”. The method allows us to go into a state of meditation known as “thoughtless awareness” in which we are awake and alert but are not thinking and are not affected by what is happening in our environment.
The Kundalini, which is the residual life force, lies dormant in the sacrum bone at the bottom of the spine. It is the spark of Divinity within us, known as the “Aatma” in India, and it records everything that we ever do and everything that ever happens to us, in our unconscious. The Kundalini is activated when we start seeking, when we develop a strong desire to become a better person, to know the ultimate truth about life, about the universe, or the meaning of life, and situations arise so that this desire can be fulfilled. The fulfilment of that desire is to have our Self-realisation.
During Self-realisation the kundalini rises up through the spine and through the limbic area, the old brain, which controls our heartbeat, our breathing, our digestion, and our instincts and intuition. It then flows out of the fontanelle bone area to unite with the universal life force, the creative power of the universe, known as the “Paramatma” in India, which does all the living work, making the seeds sprout in the ground and making the flowers fragrant.
After Self-realisation, in thoughtless awareness, we are able to feel the state of our being on our cental nervous system, through “vibratory awareness”. We are able to feel the state of our chakras on our fingertips as each of the seven chakras corresponds to a different finger or part of the hand. As each chakra corresponds to a different sphere in our psychological, emotional, physical and spiritual lives we can decode the messages and discover what we need to do to improve our lives. In this way, what was previously unknown to us in our unconscious, becomes conscious.
We also become collectively conscious. Just as we are able to know the state of our own being, we are able to know the state of the being of other people as well because we become connected to the collective unconscious during meditation. We can know in a conscious way what people are like because we can feel the state of their chakras on our fingertips and we have the knowledge to decode what it means. As a result of being collectively conscious we feel more compassionate and understanding towards others. This knowledge can never be used to harm others; it is only for the benevolence of ourselves, our societies and ultimately the whole world.
Kay Alford
(Photograph: academic.brooklyncuny.edu)
In Indian philosophy, there is a view as to why humankind finds itself in its present chaotic situation. The belief is that humankind passes through different ages, or Yugas. There are four main Yugas, and much like the different seasons, each has its own character. According to the Puranas, which are ancient Indian texts, the Yugas last for thousands of years. With each Yuga, the collective unconscious shifts, and gradually humankind finds itself adopting different principles and beliefs. For instance, there is a Golden Age, or Satya Yuga. This is a divine time; an age of spirituality. During this time, there is harmony between people; the world is a place of benevolence. People are said to be in a state of constant medititation. It is a time where there is no disease or sickness. Conflict is a thing of the past.
The second Age or Yuga is the Treta Yuga. This is an age characterised by mental abilities. This age is seen as a step down from the Golden Age of Satya Yuga. Man now has a sense of self. He develops the desire for power. A belief in man’s own mental abilities steadily rises.
The third age is Dvapara Yuga. In this age the sciences flourish. Inventions are abundant, especially inventions that seem to make distances between people and places disappear.
The fourth age, which is the one we currently find ourselves in, is Kali Yuga. This is the age of Darkness, where humankind has lost its inner connection with Divinity. It is, unfortunately, the world as we see it today. Here is an extract from the Mahabarata, describing the Kali Yuga. And remember, the Mahabharata was written thousands of years ago. So, this was written as a sign of things to come:
“Avarice and wrath will be common. Men will openly display animosity towards each other. Ignorance of Dharma will occur. Lust will be viewed as being socially acceptable. People will have thoughts of murder for no justification, and they will see nothing wrong with that mind-set. Family murders will also occur. People will see those who are helpless as easy targets and remove everything from them. Many other unwanted changes will occur. The right hand will deceive the left and the left the right. People will not trust a single person in the world, not even their immediate family. Even husband and wife will find contempt in each other. In the Kali Yuga even pre-teenage girls will get pregnant. The primary cause will be the social acceptance of sexual intercourse as being the central requirement of life. It is believed that sin will increase exponentially, whilst virtue will fade and cease to flourish. People will take vows only to break them soon. Alongside death and famine being everywhere, men will have lustful thoughts and so will women. People will without reason destroy trees and gardens. As previously mentioned, men will murder. There will be no respect for animals. People will become addicted to intoxicating drinks. Men will find their jobs stressful and will go to retreats to escape their work. As the sin increases exponentially, so will the incidence of divine justice and wrath.”
While this is a bleak description, I think we have to admit that it is an accurate one. There is, however, another Yuga, and it’s called Krita Yuga. Krita Yuga doesn’t last for thousands of years, but rather for several decades. It comes in between the four major Yugas and marks the transition from one to another.
According to the prophecies of Kakayyar Bhujander, a renowned Indian astrologer who lived almost 2000 years ago, this age of Darkness, or Kali Yuga, would begin to recede in the year 1970. It’s at this time the the world enters the transition stage, the Krita Yuga, which leads us to the promised times of Satya Yuga, the age of meditation, bliss and enlightenment.
Andre Anglem