“I reach for a piece of wood. It turns into a lute.
I do some meanness. It turns out helpful.
I say one must not travel during the holy month.
Then I start out, and wonderful things happen.” ~Rumi
Like that, if we meditate and keep dancing, we will find our way. That is where our responsibility lies. Divine life is filled with paradox, and ever opening. Better not to second-guess it too much … though that too is part of it.
The guru is in you.
~Yogani
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Ego is just a concept, a word to describe consciousness identified with the objects of perception. Or, as the Buddhists say, “attached” to the objects of perception. The mind itself will not become dead until we are dead. It goes from being a tool of identified self (small “s”) to being a tool of unidentified Self (big “S”). What becomes dead in this life is identification of our awareness as self with all that appears in time and space. That is not death of the mind, or even of the “I thought” we call ego. We just come to know it for what it is, through the increasing presence of abiding inner silence (witness) cultivated in spiritual practices. It is the illumination of the mind in a divine outpouring, which then can awaken the unending joy of Oneness in time and space. It is the same thing that has been talked about by the sages of old, and modern ones too. It is the same experience. Only the words describing it may be a little different.
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From the perspective of the individual, thoughts are only omnipresent when consciously released in omnipresent abiding inner silence, which is cultivated through deep meditation. Before that, thoughts are only objects of perception with which we are identified locally. It is the samyama effect (release in stillness) that enables thought to become omnipresent, and therefore infinite in speed.
Before the samyama effect, a thought is like a picture. After the samyama effect, a thought is the thing itself, and far more influential via the infinite creative energy of divine outpouring that occurs when the mind is surrendered in stillness.
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Sri Yantra By Yogani. For more of these look here
Kundalini awakening is a partnership between ourselves and the divine. Have you taken ownership of your role in this partnership, or do you consider yourself to be a victim in it?
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“Uncertainty” is an interpretation of the flow of life, isn’t it? A “story.” This raises the question: Are we navigating a sea of uncertainty, or a sea of ecstatic bliss? It all depends on our point of view, and that depends on our relationship in stillness with the flow of life. Uncertainty is actually quite certain, isn’t it? Why argue with it? It can be very tiring. Much easier to go with it. We have plenty of choices as we move through — unlimited possibilities for uplifting the whole thing.
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This is the process of purification and opening, which we gradually learn to surrender to. With self-pacing of practices in play to keep things on an even keel.
First it is only about us. Then it becomes a partnership between us and the process of awakening. Finally, there is only the awakening, and the divine outpouring.
Fear evaporates along the way … what remains is stillness in action.
The guru is in you.
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Anyway, I generally don’t say “I am THAT.” I say “We are That.” There is a difference. One separates us, and the other brings us together.
What else do I have to say about it? Not much. Better to meditate daily and find out for yourself what THAT is. You will see there is nothing to fear. Who fears freedom anymore, having tasted even a little of it?
Until there is abiding inner silence, these kinds of discussions are mostly mind games — building castles in the air. Not that we should not have them. But we should know them for what they are — scenery that cannot enlighten us. Only effective practices can do that.
So practice wisely, and enjoy!
The guru is in you.
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~By Yogani*
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But, you know, after it is all said and done, it boils down to the one question that has no answer: Who or what am I?
No answer? But aren’t we pure bliss consciousness, the One, the Void, the Tao, and all of that? Surely this is the answer. But that isn’t the answer really. That is a structure in the mind, a concept. Not the thing itself. The who or what we are is not of the mind. It is beyond the mind. It is the infinite sea that mind is swimming in, which the mind is constantly trying to make into a solid concept. Trying to make solid what is fluid, invisible and without attributes. The mind is the proverbial fish that cannot see the water it is swimming in.
While there can be no answer to the question “Who or what am I?” we can realize we are that, become that, simply by letting go of the need to know. As soon as we surrender the heart and the mind, we are unadulterated That. This is not an answer. It is a condition. A non-experience of the AM-ness underlying the inner and outer din of our lives. We can only talk about it in a removed way.
Then, somehow, magically, mysteriously, this AM-ness is able to move within and through us, and express on this earth plane, as Love. We may ask, “How does this happen?” There is no answer to this question either. We can set up the conditions for it to happen through daily spiritual practice, but we cannot say how it happens, or why it is. It is beyond the rational mind. That is why we call it “Divine,” which explains everything, and nothing. We can have faith in what is, even if we cannot explain it. It has always been this way with human beings. When we don’t know, we call it “God,” or something that depicts the unknown, and our reverence for it. In time, we recognize that these too are concepts we transcend when we become the reality which they attempt to describe.
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Revenge is not self-defense. It is aggression, and will lead to complications.
It is aggression, and will lead to complications. It all depends on our spiritual condition. We will act as we must, according to our awareness. The trick is to expand our awareness, which will elevate all of our actions to a higher level of morality.
In truth, no one is injured, for ultimately we are beyond events occurring in time and space. We are pure bliss consciousness. As we advance in practices and on our path, we find this as direct experience, and act accordingly.
On the other hand, current perception is 100% of our reality, and we must live from where we are. In that case, some common sense can help keep us out of the ditch – paying attention to the basic precepts of yama (restraints) and niyama (observances), and to the laws of the land wherever we are living. It is certain that acting with personal intent to injure others will injure us, just as breaking the law of the land will lead to unwanted consequences in life. So it makes sense to keep this in mind.
If someone is harming you, it is reasonable to protect yourself, and take steps to prevent repeat injury from the same source in the future. However, it is not in your best interest to attempt to injure the other for revenge. That kind of “justice” is fleeting, and will only lead to further cycles of injury to you and others.
Prudent self-defense and forgiveness make good partners. “I love you and forgive you, but will not permit you to do that” is the way to handle those who are prone to inflict injury on others. It may mean exiting a relationship altogether, with no hard feelings. Actions performed on that basis are not personal. They are divine flow. But we may find anger mixed in, so it is good to pause to consider the consequences of our actions before moving ahead.
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*He had drawn this as a bookmark to indicate something in a book he send me. I think it is cute… so thought I’d share it. :) -Shweta
Resources:
The above quotes are taken from lessons posted by Yogani at the Advanced Yoga Practices Site and replies he has posted in the AYP forums.
