of mind, to be serene, to be calm, to be undisturbed
by this that and the other.
But as long as you make all those things objects of desire,
you have defined yourself as lacking them, and
a person who is looking for peace is obviously
in turmoil.
- Alan Watts Still the Mind: An Introduction to Meditation
Paramhamsaji suggested we read sections 2:54-71 of the Bhagavad Gita in order to know how to recognize a true yoga teacher. These sections do not refer to her/his perfection of asanas, “poses,” nor does it mention siddhis, or “paranormal powers.” The true teacher is not necessarily a pure vegetarian, nor is she/he even necessarily physically fit, erudite, “good with people,” charismatic, properly attired, old or young, professional, polite, or political correct. The true example of yoga mastery is one who is truly at peace within him/herself.
For those unfamiliar with the “Gita,” it takes the form of a battlefield dialogue between a military leader, Arjuna, and his spiritual guide, Krishna. Arjuna is not at peace within himself. In fact, he is overwhelmed with inner turmoil to the point that he is shaking violently. He is about to lead his army into a civil war in which he has friends and kinsmen on both sides. This war is generally considered to be metaphorical: it is the battle we face daily within ourselves. It is the battle we fight within our relationships, on the job, while we are making important decisions in our lives, when we are facing a crisis; ultimately it is the battle that takes place constantly within our own thoughts and emotions.
It is samsara. Samsara is this game we have bought into in which we just can’t win. We have forgotten our true nature, adopted the ego, desire, aversion and the terror of death. We have chosen to forget that it is all just a game, maya: illusion.
Time and space form the stage, or the battlefield, for this illusion. Krishna explains to Arjuna that birth and death are simply relative attributes of the eternal Self, the Atman within. “The wise,” he explains, “grieve neither for the living nor the dead. . . As the same person inhabits the body through childhood, youth, and old age, so too at the time of death he attains another body. The wise are not deluded by these changes.” The Self lies behind appearances, beyond spacetime. It is the ever-present awareness of Now.
Arjuna becomes curious about the person of true wisdom as described by Krishna and asks, “Tell me of those established in wisdom, ever aware of the Self, O Krishna. How do they talk? How sit? How move about?” (2:54) This opens the way for Krishna’s presentation of what Paramhamsaji called the “true yoga teacher.” Krishna replies:
They live in wisdom who see themselves in
all and all in them, who have renounced every
selfish desire and sense craving tormenting the heart. (2:55)
It is apparent that Krishna is describing one who has transcended ego-identification; one who recognizes the same consciousness shining through all beings. Imagine being free from desire and craving. It is a state of complete relaxation, deep surrender and illumination. When Gurudev recommended this passage and I first read it, I thought, “Damn, I’ll never make it!” However, I have a sense these days of how I can separate myself on an inner level from desires and distractions through the practice of “inner witnessing.” This is our opening to the Self within. Krishna continues:
Neither agitated by grief nor hankering
after pleasure, they live free from lust and fear
and anger. Established in meditation, they are
truly wise. Fettered no more by selfish attachments,
they are neither elated by good fortune
nor depressed by bad. Such are the Seers. (2:56-57)
Some prospective meditators have remarked that such a person sounds to be emotionally flat, perhaps blocked. This is not really the case. The person who is dissociated from his feelings or blocking emotional energy is fighting nonproductively within himself. Instead of relaxed and open she is tight and constricted. Instead of awake and aware she is repressing parts of herself. The Seers as described by Krishna have developed a high level of emotional maturity. They have gone beyond our need to “have things my way.” They simply do not identify with a self-centered ego. They are established in their identification with the unbounded consciousness; with unconditional love.
Many of us, as we begin the spiritual path, may engage in “spiritual by-passing,” a term developed by psychotherapist John Welwood
, Ph.D. Instead of engaging patiently in a process of transformation, we pretend to be already “above it all.” Instead of a sometimes painful but accepting awareness of our inner “crap,” we try to deny it, run from it, avoid it all costs. Finally, we have to admit to being “not very spiritual,” i.e. full of self-centered desires and cravings, anger and resentment, anxieties, greed and pride . . . (Augh!)The truly wise person has explored, experienced, fought with and celebrated all of these aspects of his/her self before releasing them and moving on. There is no instant path to enlightenment. The “shorter” paths are simply that much more intense! We try them at our own risk. A sense of humor is most helpful.
Even a tortoise draws in its limbs, the wise
can draw in their senses at will. Aspirants abstain
from sense pleasures, but they still crave
for them. These cravings all disappear when
they see the highest goal. Even of those who
tread the path, the stormy senses can sweep
off the mind. They live in wisdom who
subdue their senses and keep their minds ever
absorbed in me. (2:58-61)
As we stick with our practice, a gradual process of transformation occurs. Instead of fighting thoughts and emotions, we experience and release them more easily in an open awareness. There is no judgment; the inner battle becomes more like inner play. There is a sense of abiding peace and joy that comes from being connected to the center of our being. But as Krishna warns, there is always the threat, the possibility of getting completely overwhelmed and lost if we are not internally vigilant. There are stories within the yoga tradition of highly regarded teachers who have been distracted by sensuality, desire, intoxication, addiction, etc. and whose students have had to rescue! Eventually, hopefully, we can become firmly established in our inner consciousness. Develop “subject permanence” so that we have an unshakable inner stability. Krishna describes this process:
When you keep thinking about sense objects,
attachment comes. Attachment breeds desire,
the lust of possessions that burns to anger. Anger
clouds the judgment; you can no longer
learn from past mistakes. Lost is the power to
choose between what is wise and what is unwise,
and your life is utter waste. But when
you move amidst the world of sense, free
from attachment and aversion alike, there,
comes peace in which all sorrows end,
and you live in the wisdom of the Self. (2:62-65)
“The senses” are mostly internal. We create our individual model of the world within our brain/minds. Sensual craving has to do with our thoughts and imaginations and our emotional attachments. When we are able to observe these as a passing show in meditation than we are becoming liberated. As a younger aspirant, I was often challenged by sexual thoughts and desires which were difficult to “observe” without reacting emotionally. It was either quit meditating and have sex or be horrified that I was having such “impure” thoughts while supposedly contemplating the Divine. The thoughts and desires can be directed to a myriad of objects though. The problem is not in the objects themselves. In fact, if we simply relax into awareness, let go and surrender – there is no problem at all.
As rivers flow into the ocean but cannot make
the vast ocean overflow, so flow the streams
of the sense-world into the sea of peace that is
the sage. But this is not so with the desirer of desires. (2:70)
With practice we move from being identified as “the desirer of desires” to being the observer of desires; from ego to Self. Krishna:
They are forever free who renounce all selfish
desires and break away from the ego-cage of
“I,” “me,” and “mine” to be united with the
Lord. This is the supreme state. Attain to this,
And pass from death to immortality. (2:71)
There is a lot of talk about enlightenment going around these days and we might wonder what this really means. There are a lot of people who might try to convince us that they are enlightened. But if we use Krishna’s words as a guide and watch these closely we might have a clue. Chagdud Rinpoche was a teacher from the Tibetan Buddhist tradition that I had the privilege to study with as well. He was once asked by someone in the audience at a talk, “How do I know if I am enlightened?” Rinpoche asked, “Do you get angry?” “Yes,” was the reply. “Well, then,” replied Rinpoche, “You might not be enlightened.” To be enlightened seems to mean to be at peace within oneself. It seems so simple.
The practice of Yoga Nidra is a good place to start. It is a practice of deep systematic relaxation with inner awareness. You can find instructions in Meditations from the Tantras or
Yoga Nidra/2009 Re-print. I have made a guided practice available as an mp3 at 
http://soundcloud.com/turiyaom/yoga-nidra.Join us for Meditation classes in Riverside, CA or Hatha Yoga and Meditation classes in Yucaipa, CA. Email me at turiyasaraswati@gmail.com for information. OM.
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