Rising in Love

When you are in love with somebody, you say you fell in love, but you should rise in love, not fall in love. When love becomes conditional, you fall and when love becomes unconditional, you rise. Unconditional love exists between God and humanity, and therefore we are always looking up to God as a source of inspiration and strength, care and affection.

– Swami Niranjananda Saraswati

Love is something we all struggle with to some degree. As ego-centered beings we can’t seem to live with nor without it. Our popular culture is full of songs about love; losing it, longing for it, falling in and out of it. Personally, I have had times when I doubted such a thing really exists. Instead of love many times we are talking about desire, attachment, possessiveness, dependence, security, etc. These are all aspects of conditional love which is all the ego is capable of.

Last week I attended a talk by Ram Dass. He said that he loved everything, all of us and even the inanimate objects around him. He talked about someone who became perturbed with him because the love he felt for him wasn’t special. “If you love the dirty carpet as much as you love me then I don’t like your love.” The ego always wants to feel special and this is a lot of what “falling in love” is all about. “He or she makes me feel so special.” But do we feel special at the expense of someone else? Do we need to compare ourselves with someone who not so special? Do I have to compete with the dirty rug for Ram Dass’ affection?

Many of us have been wounded in childhood because we didn’t get the unconditional love that truly healthy parents give to their children. We spend our lives looking for it, trying to be deserving of it, perhaps angry and bitter that the world is such a “cold place.” Perhaps, if we are lucky, we find a guru like Ram Das did who radiates unconditional love. The problem here is that such love is absolutely impersonal. We feel completely accepted, deeply loved as we are but not so special on the ego level.

I remember staying at the ashram in India with my guru and about a thousand other people. I looked around and noticed how they were all making fools of themselves competing for his attention like little children. Then I noticed my own strategies for competing for attention and affection. My primary strategy was to act more mature and aloof while actually hoping to solicit some affirmation. One day he called me over during satsang with a special message. I was sure he was going to give some personal guidance in my meditation or something. Instead he told me to be sure that my little daughter stayed warm as the weather was becoming cooler.

The ego is always thinking in terms of “me first.” It is competitive because it is afraid and insecure. We have to earn love, demand love, fight for it. In the light of unconditional love things are completely different. All we have to do is surrender to it. We have to let go of the need to feel special over and above somebody else. There is more than enough to go around. Unconditional love comes from the Self. It is all-pervasive. Like the sun it shines on the good and wicked alike. It is compassionate and forgiving. Once you have opened to its touch you are completely changed. The ego dissolves like sugar in water.

The ego’s problem is that it wants to feel loved but doesn’t know how to feel love. On this level of consciousness we long for what we can neither give nor receive. We can’t give love because we are busy defending ourselves and our personal territory. We can’t receive because we are afraid to let down those defensive walls. I think of the typical spy movie in which the hero must distrust the person he gets closest to. Our lives become intrigues of loneliness and despair. Unfortunately the territory that we so loyally defend doesn’t really exist. Our separate ego-self is an illusion.

Spiritual practice, sadhana, is about releasing our attachment to the illusion and opening to unconditional love. It is about letting go of the “me” in “me first.” At the same time it is about recognizing that underneath the “me” is the radiant “I am.” This radiant being is within us all as the Self. When we are able to discern the underlying reality then the ego-personality becomes more like a character in a movie. It is a temporary role that we are playing. We can develop a sense of humor about the whole thing. As Krishna states in the Bhagavad Gita:

I am ever present to those who have realized
me in every creature. Seeing all life as my
manifestation, they are never separated from
me. They worship me in the hearts of all, and
all their action proceed from me. Wherever
they may live, they abide in me. (6, 30-31)


So what about personal relationships? Most of us are on the path rather than actual realized masters. During meditation practice we might experience a degree of unity, but afterwards were back in the thick of illusion. Our personal relationships can become a battle of egos rather than recognition of the One who is shining within us. Patanjali gives us some guidance in the Yoga Sutras where he says, “Cultivate feelings of friendliness towards those who are happy, compassion for those who are suffering, goodwill towards those who are virtuous and indifference towards those who are wicked or evil.” By following these guidelines we are better able to keep from getting lost in our “roles.”

Another and complimentary approach is given by the Buddhist teacher Atisha. He suggests that in between meditation sessions that we consider the illusory quality of our experiences; or, as Pema Chodron translates, “In postmeditation, be a child of illusion.” In other words, don’t buy into the drama of the personality. Remember that you and everyone else are simply playing roles in the pageant of life.

Can we do this in our intimate personal relationships? This is the trickiest part of the path. Our love for each other on this level is always conditional to some degree. Can we be in a close personal relationship and see through “me” and “you?” If we are sincere in our sadhana it can be an ongoing opportunity to recognize and correct ourselves whenever we get lost in “me first.” At the same time each of us is a unique individual expression of the One which must be respected. It is not “spiritual” to be a doormat, any more than to be an aggressive dominator. Love means finding balance, mutual appreciation for each other, acceptance of each other’s unique perspective, an ability to forgive and to empathize, and the courage to be true to oneself.

There is a paradox at work in our spiritual development. The closer we get to the Universal Self, the more of a unique individual we are. Just as each flower opens to the sunlight when it blooms, we each follow our own course of growth and development. This is a far cry from the defended faux individuality of ego, it is a direct expression of the creative energy of the soul. Rising in love means having a deep respect for each other’s unique being and path, as well as the underlying unity of our beings. Unconditional love is not demanding or possessive, it is based on inner strength and awareness. When we love in this way we recognize each other as “children of illusion” playing in the fields of the Lord.

Undoing the Knots that Bind Us

When one realizes the Self, in whom
All life is one, changeless, nameless, formless,
Then one fears no more. Until we realize
The unity of life, we live in fear.

- The Taittiriya Upanishad

Within the Vedantic tradition it is a well-known axiom that the mind is the source of bondage, and that it is also the source of liberation. As Sri Ramakrishna stated, “Bondage is of the mind; freedom too is of the mind. If you say 'I am a free soul. I am a son of God who can bind me' free you shall be.” The problem is that we have to mean it when we say it. Just repeating the words won’t do. Believe me I’ve tried.

The bondage of our minds is composed of our beliefs. What we believe to be true is what we experience as our particular reality. As a cognitive therapist I have often worked with clients to help them uncover and dismantle the irrational, limiting beliefs that cause them to suffer from depression, anxiety, poor self-esteem, etc. Could it be though that we are caught up in deeper, collective beliefs that bind us? Because these beliefs are collective they would appear as “common sense” and so slip by our attention unquestioned.

Beliefs in this sense are not just “thoughts,” but concepts about ourselves and our world to which we are deeply, and often unconsciously, emotionally attached. Even to question them can evoke deep existential anxiety. Thus someone who is deeply committed to a religious perspective becomes defensive when his beliefs are challenged, as does someone who is deeply committed to the scientific materialist view. Both are irrational in that they have strong emotional needs to maintain their view of reality. But what happens to us when events occur which call our most basic beliefs into question?

The yogic path is not about arguing the correctness of a belief system. It is not about creating or defending a religious or philosophical perspective. It is not about developing a “new paradigm.” Instead it is about quieting the mind and perceiving “what is” directly and unadulterated. It is about releasing our emotional attachments and seeing through our concepts. Ultimately it means investigating the “seer;” the source of our awareness. And the only way to do this is by being it.

Going Beyond Appearances

You are a volume in the divine book.
A mirror to the power that created the universe.
Whatever you want, ask it of yourself.
Whatever you’re looking for can only
be found inside of you.

- Rumi

Probably the most basic belief that we share is that the world as we perceive it through our senses is “the world.” This assumption is referred to as “basic ignorance,” or avidya, in both yogic and Buddhist terms. Instead we know that our sensory experience of an external world “out there” is a mixture of approximately 20% direct sensory input and 80% unconscious mental processing. As the writer Anais Nin put it, "We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are." What we perceive is actually “mind,” a construct or model of “reality.” This is not a negative or bad thing. It simply means that our experience is actually a creative, or interactive activity. The physicist John Wheeler coined the phrase “participatory universe” to describe how this seems to be happening on a quantum level.

I have had friends ask, “Does this mean there is no reality out there?” Sometimes followed by, “I believe there must be something out there.” My deep intuition is that there is a larger reality of which we are part. However, are “in here” and “out there” just categories of thought; deeply ingrained beliefs regarding the nature of reality? It’s not that “reality is all in your head,” perhaps, in fact, your “head” doesn’t exist either! Your “head” and my “head” are just the flip-side of ignorance which we generally refer to as “the ego.” You can’t have your duality and eat it too. (Whatever that might mean : )

Part of our problem is that the way we perceive the world is based in the “hard wiring” of our brains. Our brain structures have evolved from our most primitive “relatives,” and the most primitive structure is referred to as the “reptilian brain.” This part of the brain is geared towards seeing reality in terms of survival; me versus whatever, or whoever might want to devour me. The four functions of the lower brain include: feeding, fighting, fleeing and reproduction. As such it represents an inherited “belief” in our identification with the physical body. This is the most basic “knot” that we have to undo on the path of spiritual evolution. In terms of kundalini yoga it is known as the “Brahma granthi” and is understood as the primary knot by which spirit is bound to matter, i.e. bound by the belief that we are simply our physical bodies.

Meditation simply means making the mind quiet. There are a variety of methods for doing this. The point is not the method but the state of inner peace and the expanded awareness that we experience. Even when the mind is in motion we can enter into our soul’s perspective – recognize our inner witnessing awareness. When we move into this awareness we are free from anxiety, fear, anger or any form of tension. We are aware of the body, aware of the world as it appears to us, but we are not identified with it. From this perspective we can dissolve the tangled knots of past impressions, chronic stress and painful attachments.

A few months back I was at a place of extreme stress in my life. I had been out of work for several months and was running out of money. I had no where to stay and had spent the night in my car barely sleeping. I went to a local park and begin hiking to work off some of the anxiety which was threatening to overwhelm me. As I was walking I remember feeling embarrassed that people would see me and know that I was a homeless person. After a while I found a quiet spot to sit, took out my mala (rosary) and began silently repeating my mantra. As my mind settled somewhat and I was able to shift into the witnessing awareness, I was engulfed by a sense of profound peace. Suddenly I was aware of the beauty of the little park, the wind in the trees, birds singing and the gentle warmth of the sun. I felt and knew that it was all held within this awareness of which I was not a separate entity but an integral part. As I surrendered further into this state of peace a sense of joy developed within me along with a sense of both loving and being loved. My immediate problems did not disappear but they lost their power to make me desperate and anxious. I had found a deeper and larger sense of being in which they seemed almost minor.

The amazing thing is that this inner state of peace is present and available to us all the time. When we are caught up in the ongoing story of our lives though, we forget to access it. The regular practice of meditation helps us to not only access this state but begin to live in it. When we are present as witnessing awareness to any experience we open up to a field of potential beyond limiting thoughts and beliefs. When we are at peace and our ego minds are not fighting, judging or trying to hide from present experience there are many possibilities. Within the vaster state of inner peace our knots begin to dissolve because we are not busy pulling them tighter!

Awakening through the Chakras

Don’t go outside your house to see flowers.
My friend, don’t bother with that excursion.
Inside your body there are flowers.
One flower has a thousand petals.
That will do for a place to sit.
Sitting there you will have a glimpse of beauty
Inside the body and out of it,
Before gardens and after gardens.

- Kabir (Version by Robert Bly)


The chakras are centers of psychic energy within our subtle bodies. As such they are not material objects in any sense. You can’t find them by dissecting a corpse, nor can they be directly measured by any of our current scientific instruments. They can be known however through personal experience developed through the practice of inner yoga.

To better understand the chakras we must look into the yogic idea of the subtle body. From this ancient perspective each of us is composed of three concurrent bodies: the physical, or shtula sharira, the subtle, or linga sharira and the causal, or karana sharira. The yogic path of awakening and liberation is to move from an exclusive fixation with the physical dimension of our beings into awareness of the subtle dimension and from there into the even subtler dimension of the causal body. Eventually the enlightened and liberated yogi transcends all three bodies to realize his or her true being as pure consciousness, Atman.

The three bodies, or dimensions of our beings, need not be an abstract, esoteric concept. We live in and through them constantly. We experience the physical body when we are awake in the relative sense, the subtle body is experienced through dreams and the causal is experienced in deep, dreamless sleep. When we are able to develop an uninterrupted awareness through all of these states we awaken to the Self, the intrinsic awareness within and beyond the three states.

We can understand these dimensions of being in terms of modern physics and the holonomic theory of physicist David Bohm. Bohm posited the existence of an “implicate order” beneath the material universe. The world as we experience it is known as the “explicate order.” The implicate order is the subtle, hidden structure out of which the physical reality unfolds. Beyond the implicate is also a supra-implicate order which we can equate with the causal dimension of being. Bohm developed this theory to explain the apparent randomness of quantum physics.

Both Bohm’s and Yogic theory agree that the physical form is based in a more subtle dimension or being. It is the expression of deeper unconscious patterns of energy. As we develop awareness of this hidden dimension through chakra awareness we can bring about psychosomatic transformation, healing and begin to transcend the physical dimension to realize ourselves as eternal, blissful spiritual beings.

Symbols of the Chakras

There are many different interpretations of the science of the chakras. Of course, the differences are not that great, but they are there. The thinkers of the Theosophical movements and their predecessors have their own interpretations of the chakras, their location points, their colours and so on. The Rosicrucians and others may say something completely different and the tantric texts may also present entirely different concepts.

- Swami Satyananda Saraswati



Within the tradition of Tantra Yoga the chakras are often described as lotus flowers with varying numbers of petals and colors. The petals are inscribed with the letters of the Sanskrit alphabet. Within the lotuses are various symbols as well, of the elements (earth, water, fire, air and ether,) representative animals, presiding deities, etc. These symbols comprise a language for talking about energetic structures which are not directly observable or measureable, i.e. “subtle.” The symbols are valuable but it is important not to become too attached to them. We do not want to intellectualize the whole system to the exclusion of the direct inner experience of the chakras.

The term “chakra” means “wheel.” The chakras are described most basically as rotating and vibratory vortices of psychic energy. The concept of chakras has become quite popular these days and it is not uncommon for people to talk about their chakras. From the Yogic perspective this is a little suspect. It actually takes some time and consistent yoga practice to activate the chakras. Generally they are quite dormant and buried within the deep levels of the unconscious mind. “In ordinary persons,” writes Lillian Silburn, “these wheels neither revolve nor vibrate, they form inextricable tangles of coils, called accordingly “knots” (granthi), because they “knot” spirit and matter, thus strengthening the sense of ego. . . . Together they constitute the unconscious complexes (samskara) woven by illusion, and the weight and rigidity of the past offers a strong opposition to the passage of the spiritual force.”

The chakras can be experienced in different ways. Within the physical body they are associated with the various plexuses along the spinal column as well as the endocrine glands in those general areas of the body. The figure below gives an indication of the physical “location” of the chakras.

The chakras are also associated with different parts of the brain. Swami Satyananda stated that the physical chakra locations are actually “switches” for circuits within the brain. As we awaken the spiritual energy of the chakras, the kundalini, we supply power to dormant brain circuits enabling us to awaken higher psychic and spiritual capacities.

The chakras can also be experienced within the psychic dimension as symbols in dreams or meditation, intuitive or psychic experiences or unusual sensations such as heat or tingling within the body. They are also experienced as situations, relationships and events in daily life.

The Chakras and the Evolution of Consciousness

The chakras can also be understood as stages on a developmental or evolutionary path. They represent the stages of development that we have passed through and higher states and stages which are potential within us. As Swami Satyananda wrote,

All life is evolving and man is no exception. Human evolution, the evolution which we are undergoing relentlessly, both as individuals and as a race, is a journey through the different chakras. Mooladhara is the most basic, fundamental chakra from where we commence our evolution, and sahasrara is where our evolution is completed. As we evolve towards sahasrara, outer experiences come our way in life, and inner experiences come to us in meditation, as different capacities and centers awaken progressively within the nervous system. This occurs as energy flows at higher voltages and rates of vibration through the different nadis in the psychic body. (Kundalini Tantra)

The Yogic view corresponds to the scientific view of the universe as going through an evolutionary process. The Yogic view however sees this as primarily an evolution of consciousness. Material evolution is simply the most basic and apparent aspect. Consciousness evolves in and through material forms until it is released back into its true nature as timeless, formless essence. As human beings we have divine potential within us as well as the potential for destruction. Yoga offers us a means to overcome our lower and to awaken our higher nature. This has been corroborated by studies which show that meditation can enhance ego-development in adults. The Yoga tradition tells us though that we can develop beyond the ordinary levels of ego-development.

Human beings have evolved to a level of consciousness wherein we can either engage in our spiritual evolution or stagnate in a quagmire of self-indulgence, addiction, neurosis, aggression and self-destruction. The spiritual path necessitates overcoming our instinctual, unconscious natures. It requires transcendence of our narrow self-centered egos. Engaging in consciousness evolution essentially means doing inner work: self-observation, meditation and spiritual devotion. It also means behaving ethically in the world, developing a healthy lifestyle and disconnecting to some extent from the ubiquitous digital electronic world that tends to absorb our attention.

Chakra awareness requires a meditative attitude – the ability to become quiet and open to inner experience. As you meditate on the chakras you may come up with your own symbols. You will discover your inner power, creativity, intent, love, wisdom, psychic and spiritual connections. You will begin to untie the knots, the limiting beliefs and conflicted emotions which bind you and realize your potential as a spiritual being who is having a temporary human experience.

UPCOMING EVENT:
 
Experiencing the Chakras:
A Meditation Workshop with Michael Garrity (Swami Turiyananda)

Saturday, Sept. 10, 2011 9:00 am to 12:00 pm

The Spiritual Treatment Center
602 Church Street, Redlands, CA

The cost for this workshop is $20.00 but no one is excluded due to lack of funds. Please RSVP by Thurs. Sept. 8, 2011 by calling (909) 793-4003.

(Vegetarian lunch will be provided following the workshop.)