Your Inner Divinity

We are not simply biological creatures, the result of a happenstance of chemical processes, walking the earth just trying to get through it all with a minimum of harm to ourselves and others. We are Creations of the Deity, Products of the Divine, Individuations of God.

- Neal Donald Walsh


Because we tend to live on the surface of things, the world of the mind and the senses, and because we tend to believe the information programmed into us by society, few of us even suspect that we are radiant divine beings in disguise. Instead our scientific culture maintains that we are accidental by-products of an essentially meaningless universe. Our religion, on the other hand, has taught that we are basically shameful sinners. Neither of these views is very uplifting or empowering.

In order to truly evolve both psychologically and spiritually we need a new a vision of ourselves and our place in the universe. And, seriously, how could we be anything other than direct manifestations of a Divine Consciousness evolving in and through this universe of form? As Alan Watts put it, “The ‘real you’ is not someone being kicked around by life. The real deep down you IS the universe.”

The analogy of waves and the sea has been used by mystics throughout the centuries. Our relationship to the cosmos is as waves upon the ocean. The wave is a temporary manifestation of a greater whole, never separate and never really anything other than the ocean itself. We have identified with the wave of our present form and have forgotten our essential nature. “There is a Secret One inside us.” says Kabir, “The planets in all the galaxies pass through his hands like beads./That is a string of beads one should look at with luminous eyes.”

Because of our ignorance (of our true nature) we experience emotions like fear, anger, desire, greed and pride. We lash out at others sometimes without realizing that we are actually attacking ourselves. Once we recognize our true Self, then these emotions dissolve and we can relax. This is true surrender. We surrender the false for the real; ego-clinging for Love.

“Meditation” is a primary means through which we can rediscover our connection with the deeper Self. There are many ways to meditate of course. As Angelina Jolie puts it, "I find meditation in sitting on the floor with the kids coloring for an hour, or going on the trampoline." (I never thought I would quote Angelina Jolie in a meditation blog!) In order to find it though most of us need to learn a method, mantra, vipassana, etc. through which we can learn to disconnect from the surface of things to enter the depths.

Stress is both a symptom of our lack of deeper awareness and it is something which keeps us trapped. Meditation helps us learn to relax and let go. The practice of yoga nidra is a powerful way of learning to relax deeply and to explore deeper levels of consciousness.

Please join us for guided yoga nidra practice on Saturdays at 3:00 PM starting Jan. 7, 2012. We will be meeting at Plexus Pilates, 6940 Indiana Ave Riverside, CA at 3:00 PM. It will last approx. one hour. Cost is $10.00.

Creating a New Reality

Sankalpa is the subtlest form of intention in the field of pure potentiality. In the infinite consciousness Brahaman holds the whole universe in his consciousness through sankalpa. It is sankalpa that holds together the web of sutras that uphold all life and interdependently and synchronistically co-arise as space-time events in the entire cosmos. When the individual sankalpa is aligned with cosmic sankalpa it orchestrates the infinite organizing power of the entire universe so that the individual intention becomes the cosmic intention and the cosmic intention becomes the individual intention.

- Deepak Chopra, MD.



What is our purpose in life? Is it to amass material wealth at the expense of others? Is it to exhaust ourselves in the endless pursuit of selfish pleasure? Or is it, perhaps, to awaken spiritually to realize our inner potential for unconditional love and joy? If you say ‘yes’ to answer number three than you are opening the possibility of creating a new reality. We are talking about a world in which poverty, hunger, war, violence, crime and much of our physical and psychological suffering, cease to exist. It is a world that we can and are bringing into being through the power of sankalpa, or deep intention.

Sankalpa comes from Sanskrit and means vow, resolution or intention based upon our connection with the highest truth. It is not wishful or magical thinking; nor is it baseless “affirmations.” Instead it comes from a deeper part of ourselves connected with desire, will, purpose and meaning. Swami Satyananda has said, “Anything in life can fail you, except for your sankalpa.” It is that powerful! In Yoga Nidra practice we develop a personal sankalpa which is seeded in the subconscious mind and nurtured through multiple repetitions over time and practice.

Your personal sankalpa is a short positive formula that you must develop carefully for yourself. It should be based on your own natural inclinations, your svadharma. One of my teachers put it this way: “If you are naturally inclined to be an artist, you won’t have much success with a sankalpa that says ‘I will be a rich and successful lawyer.” You should be careful if you tend to be overly perfectionistic. Perhaps an intention to be more accepting and compassionate towards your self is best. “You have already written your sankalpa – love to you.” States Swami Niranjan, “Extend that you into every being, so everyone becomes ‘you’. That is the ideal sankalpa.”

In yoga therapy sankalpa can be used to alleviate negative habits, facilitate healing and overcome inner and outer obstacles in life. Our biggest problem is often the storehouse of negative, self-limiting and defeating beliefs that we have in our subconscious. These have to be brought to the surface through mindful introspection and released. This can be done through the practice of inner self-observation as discussed in our last post http://mindful-yoga.blogspot.com/2011/12/experiencing-inner-silence.html. This can be done alongside the practice of sankalpa where we are training the subconscious in a positive direction.

Ultimately, the sankalpa that you develop should be in harmony with the cosmic will, Dharma, Tao or the Will of God (or whatever trm you prefer.) We must be able to connect with a “higher power” beyond our self-centered ego perspectives in order for it to have true power. The first step then is to open oneself in the silence of meditation and ask for your deeper life’s purpose to be revealed to you. Be quiet and receptive. You may get an answer then and there, or it might come later through a meaningful coincidence. When we attune to our intuition this way we open ourselves to Divine guidance.

One’s sankalpa acts like a bridge between the conscious and subconscious minds. Used within the practice of Yoga Nidra, as developed by Swami Satyananda Saraswati, it opens a new dimension of the personality, new insights and new potentials. “If we have a sankalpa which maintains the motivation and drive,” states Swami Niranjan, “then lethargy will not set in. But the sankalpa has to develop the willpower. Just a positive affirmation will not do anything. We all think we should become this or become that. We need to get rid of a particular habit, nature or obsession. We can understand that rationally, but we cannot apply it due to lack of motivation. Sankalpa fills this vacuum in our life.”

Let your sankalpa be connected with love on the deepest most unconditional level. Love is what Is.



Join me on Saturday, January 7, 2012 for a workshop in developing your sankalpa. It will be held at Plexus Pilates, 6940 Indiana Ave Riverside, CA at 3:00 PM. It will last approx. one hour. Cost is $10.00.  Please call (909) 373-6060 to reserve space.

Reference:
http://www.yogamag.net/archives/2005/ajan05/lovesank.shtml

Learning to Be

Your duty is to Be, and not to be this or that.

- Ramana Maharshi

Yoga is not therapy; yoga is not trying in any way to make you adjusted to the society. If you want to define yoga in terms of adjustment, then it is not adjustment with the society, but it is adjustment with existence itself. It is adjustment with the divine!

- Osho

We have been conditioned by our society, culture, circumstances and karma to “not be,” but to live in an imaginary world of fear and desire. It is a world of striving for achievements which are ever elusive, seeking the comforts of past securities and longing for some indefinable something that we call “happiness.” It is a world in which we have falsely identified ourselves with the characters we play in an increasingly absurd tragicomedy. It is a world in which we are afraid to love and afraid to be loved.

And it is a world we are willing to defend with our very lives. We cling to it because we are afraid of being obliterated; afraid of the abyss we sense deep within ourselves. Society is structured to keep us locked into our imaginary world. There is no sense in protesting it. It is a mutual agreement we all make. “I won’t blow your cover if you don’t blow mine.” What would be happen if we dropped all the props and encountered the naked emptiness of the stage? As Marianne Williamson stated in a quote that has now become quite famous,

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

It is important to remember that on awakening to our true nature we also recognize that we are “nobody special.” The ego longs to be special; the soul doesn’t give a damn. Being isn’t special. It is so ordinary that it is ridiculous and it is absolutely wonderful. It doesn’t need to pretend anything.

Yoga is a discipline developed to help us learn to be; or rather unlearn how to “not be.” It is about bringing all of the frantic imaginings of our minds to rest. It is discipline of mind and body that enables to drop mind and body. The awareness which seems to reside within them is unbounded by time and space. It is the ever-present luminosity of Being.

Why then have so many of us practiced this or that discipline for years and still remain neurotic wrecks? It’s because we haven’t yet let go. We haven’t yet surrendered. Use your meditation to vigilantly observe the ego. Realize that you are not that and let it go.

When you are ready.

Freedom and Bondage

Only by a tranquil mind does one destroy all karma, good or bad.
Once the self is pacified, one abides in the Self and attains everlasting bliss. If the mind becomes as firmly established in Brahman as it is usually attached to the sense objects, who, then, will not be released from bondage?
-- Yajur Veda

Bondage is a theme that runs throughout the spiritual teachings of the world. We are bound by karma according to Hinduism and Buddhism, and by sin according to religions like Christianity. If we consider a little more deeply however we discover that we are really bound by our unconscious thoughts and actions. We are bound by mind, which is based on the thought that that we are not free.

According to Yoga philosophy we are conditioned by five underlying sources of bondage. First and foremost is “ignorance.” This means the non-recognition of our true nature as the Self. The second arises from the first and is known as “ego-identification.” It is the mistaken belief that we are these limited body-mind manifestations. The third and fourth are desire and aversion. These underlying impulses drive us to distraction so that we never take the time to look inward, to allow the mind to become quiet and to recognize our peaceful and blissful core. The fifth is the fear of death. It is the tendency to cling to what is familiar although temporal.

The Self is at the core of our beings and is beyond space, time and becoming. It is in a state of blissful loving contemplation. It is the Self, which is pure awareness, who sees through the distorted lens of the mind. We are bound because we believe only in the reality of the seen. We don’t reflect upon the seer. We don’t recognize our own being. That underlying Being, who is the true “I” of each of us is always and absolutely free. In fact we are essentially beyond even these notions of freedom and bondage.

We can’t think our way out of the trap of the mind. Instead meditation means witnessing the mind’s machinations and detaching oneself from them. Through this process the mind loses its hold over us and we can break free from illusion, delusion and confusion.

Beyond God

Quantum cosmology concludes that there is only one, unified wholeness at the fundamental level of the Unified Field of Natural Law and no real fundamental division into observer and observed. Thus quantum cosmology verifies that the Unified Field observes itself in a completely self-referral manner and thereby confirms that the unmanifest, quantum-mechanical Unified Field of Natural Law is* a field of self-referral consciousness which generates the whole manifest universe by its process of self-observation. http://www.worldpeaceendowment.org/invincibility/invincibility2.html


The concept of god has become highly problematic for us in these post-modern times. Who or what is god? Does “he” exist? The Buddha was way ahead of us on this one. He didn’t answer the question but seemed to have considered it irrelevant. “God is a concept,” said John Lennon in an insightful and courageous lyric, “by which we measure our pain.” Still many of us intuitively sense or intuitively “know” that there is a greater being operating in and through this universe. And we sense that we are an inseparable part of this “greater being.” This greater being is who we are beyond our limited and limiting concepts. “God” him/her self is another such thought-construct. Once we get beyond the motive of social regulation, the “god” that we have been taught to believe in is an intentional fabrication. We might as well believe in Santa Claus.

Our thinking is inherently dualistic. We think in terms of self and other, but what if there is no “other?” What if the whole basis of our thought process is fundamentally flawed? We generally like to regard god and religion as benign at worst, but perhaps they are not at all – or at least in the way they have evolved over time. Unlike Richard Dawkins and others in the strict atheist camp, however, I am not suggesting that the whole idea of god and religion is aberrant in the face of scientific materialism; far from it. Instead we need to evolve our concepts, transcend dualistic thought and recognize the truth of our own being. “God” is not some being separate from us but is at the core of each of us.

When we are able to silence the lower “monkey-mind,” known as manas in yogic terminology, we are inherently able to access higher intuitive wisdom and knowledge. Does this wisdom and knowledge come from some being outside of ourselves, perhaps from outer space aliens? Or does it come from a deeper part of our own being? The nondual source of our beings is perfectly omniscient. It doesn’t know things dualistically however. It knows immediately and nonconceptually. This mode of knowing is what we call compassionate love, as distinguished from self-centered love. It is unity consciousness.

Experiencing Inner Silence

When the mind is silent and peaceful it becomes very
powerful. It can become a receptor of bliss and
wisdom enabling life to become a spontaneous flow
and expression of joy and harmony. However…this
inner silence cannot arise while there is a continual
stream of disturbing thoughts and emotions. All this
inner noise of thoughts and emotions has to be
removed before one can truly experience the
soundless sound of inner silence.
—Swami Satyananda Saraswati

There is something very silly about writing about inner silence. It is the experience beyond words, beyond thoughts, completely non-conceptual. Still it is an experience that we rarely have because we are addicted to and obsessed with our on-going commentary, interpretation and justification of ourselves and our world. This is our ego reality.

However it is only in silence that we can experience the underlying reality of our beings. All meditation techniques are really meant to help us silence thoughts. It is not so easy to just let go of thoughts. As soon as we do another crop springs up to co-opt awareness. These thoughts are rooted in our subconscious mind and there are layer after layer of buried thoughts or impressions, known in Sanskrit as samaskaras. To truly experience inner silence takes dedicated practice. It is more than worth it though; it is the experience of inner freedom.

Deepak Chopra states "Inner silence promotes clarity of mind; it makes us value the inner world and trains us to go inside to the source of peace and inspiration when we are faced with problems and challenges." Entering into silence allows us to dissolve anger and anxiety. It allows us to radically change our perspective so that we can view problems in life in a way that allows for true and lasting solutions. We can let go of old habits and worn out concepts.

We seldom realize how much our world, our relationships and our sense of self is based on thought constructs, dim memories and social programming. In silence we rest in the reality of who we are. As Patanjali stated, “When the mind becomes still, one rests in one’s own true nature.” It is such a joy and relief!

Swami Satyananda Saraswati taught a meditation method called “Antar Mouna.” Antar means “inner” and Mouna means “silence.” It is a direct and systematic technique for bringing the mind into a quiet state. It has six stages which have to be developed successively. We will start with the first three before moving onto the three more advanced stages.

Antar Mouna Instructions

Begin by sitting a comfortable meditation position. A cross-legged position is considered best, but choose a position that works for you and your body, so that you can relax and not be disturbed by discomfort.

Close your eyes and begin by observing your body sensations. Take your awareness throughout the body slowly and carefully so that you are aware of every area. Then become aware of breathing. Be aware of each inhalation and each exhalation feeling the movement of the breath in your abdomen.

This is the preparatory stage. Now we will move on to the beginning stage of Antar Mouna.

Begin by becoming aware of the outer sounds going on around you. Tune your awareness into the field of sounds and listen intently for every possible sound. Let go of judging whether a sound is disturbing, pleasant or unpleasant. Instead simply listen for sounds. Listen for sounds in the distance, try to hear even the faintest sounds.

Continue like this for awhile. Move awareness continually from sound to sound without attempting to identify them, sounds in the distance, sounds more nearby, sounds in the immediate area.

Now we can go on to stage two.

Turn your awareness inside now and observe the spontaneous flow of thoughts in your mind. Just as you did with sounds, don’t judge the thoughts as disturbing, pleasant or unpleasant. Instead notice and observe your tendencies to react to thoughts. Simply allow thinking to take place without effort or involvement. Develop the attitude of witnessing just as if you were watching an inner movie.

This stage can be difficult at first. It is important to be vigilant and aware. Notice when you become lost in thoughts – when you forget that you are simply observing. Sometimes there may be a rush of thoughts and sometimes they my simply flow by easily. Sometimes it may be hard to observe a thought, but don’t mistake this for true inner silence. Remain vigilant remain aware. The thought that “I don’t seem to have any thoughts” is a thought!

After some time, you may truly begin to discern the silence between and underneath thoughts. Continue with complete awareness, complete vigilance. Sometimes we might fall asleep at this stage of practice. This is a way of avoiding uncomfortable thoughts that arise in the mind. It takes courage and perseverance to develop awareness of the darker corners and impulses within us. Remember to refrain from reacting, judging, etc. Simply observe.

The third stage begins when we are able to consciously generate and terminate a thought. You may have to practice stage one and two for some time before you can do this. At this stage we can develop a particular theme or intention for inner exploration. Instead of allowing spontaneous thoughts we follow a particular train of thoughts and associations, which helps lead deeper into unconscious areas of the mind. It is important to maintain awareness and control. It is important to drop the whole process just as quickly as it was begun. It is a way of engaging the deeper areas of the mind and bringing them into awareness.



To begin with, practice stages one and two diligently. You will need to spend some time on them. Resist the tendency to give up. Often we are so identified with our thoughts at the beginning that we have trouble observing them. Listen for the voice that talks to you constantly inside your own head. You think it is you, but it’s not . . .

An Ancient Healing Mantra

The combination of sounds in any mantra creates a specific vibration in the body. Our body also has a vibratory dimension. All the cells and atoms are vibrating in harmony with each other. The moment this harmony is broken at the vibratory level, destruction of the body takes place and we start to die. In death the pulsations of the body stop, the animation of the cells ceases and the life force leaves the body. The vibrations are the manifest symptoms of the life force. – Swami Niranjan (http://www.yogamag.net/archives/2000/cmay00/mantras.shtml)



We live in a vibratory universe. On a physical material level all that exists can be understood as arising from an underlying field of pulsating energy; a field of quantum potential which manifests as our physical universe. On a microcosmic level it manifests as our individual body/minds. Each of us is an individual field of energy vibrating in a vast interconnected coherence of energy. We are intimately connected with everything and everybody in an ocean of vibrations. When our body minds are in a state of coherence they function optimally and when they become separated and out of sync they begin to fall apart.

In terms of Tantra Yoga each of us is a combination of two primary principles: consciousness, known as atman, and energy, known as prakriti. On a macrocosmic level these are known as Siva and Shakti; universal consciousness and energy. The universe is evolving in and through us as it becomes more and more conscious of itself. As human beings we are in the unique position of being able to willingly participate in and accelerate this process. On the other hand we can choose to become stagnant, unconscious and disconnected. From the Tantric perspective human birth is a tremendous opportunity for enlightenment. To waste it in a mere sensory and material level of awareness is extremely foolish.

Tantra does not eschew or prohibit involvement in the sensory material level but it recommends that we do so with full awareness. Full awareness means full self-awareness; consciousness of ourselves as spiritual beings. While the phenomenal universe is in a state of continuous flux the atman is ever-present, unchanging and unattached. It is the “hidden observer” within us. When we are identified with the ego we are involved with a sense of identification with something which is fundamentally unreal because it is in a state of constant change. On a deep level our psychological and physiological problems originate in a false sense of self. "The self,” states Deepak Chopra, “is the isolated ego clinging to its small reality and the Self (atman) is the unbounded spirit that can afford to not cling at all."

The essence of Tantric teachings might be boiled down into “Enjoy life but don’t forget who you really are.” Actually we can enjoy life much more when we are aware of our true Self. We can take things lightly. Rather than fighting our tendencies towards desire and anger we can simply drop them in recognition of their futility. When we are inwardly attuned to the Self we can realign, recalibrate and reboot our psychophysical beings. When we come home to the Self we can drop all fear and anxiety, all anger and aggression. We can heal on a deep level.

One powerful way of coming home is the practice of mantra recitation. Many people these days think of mantras as autosuggestions, phrases meant to influence the subconscious in a certain direction. True mantras are much more. They are sound vibrations which free the mind. They help us to relax into the vibratory ocean of being, to reconnect and to recognize our true being. Mantras are not about meaning in the sense of ordinary language. In fact they take us beyond the merely intellectual sense of meaning. They open us to our deeper being.

Mantras may be used for healing, for achieving life goals and/or liberation. They originate in the universal field of consciousness-energy and are received in deep states of meditation or sometimes in dreams. The most powerful mantras have been revealed in ancient times and their field has been reinforced throughout the centuries. The best mantras influence our evolution on multiple levels and according to our needs. They also influence the evolution of consciousness on the planet as a whole. The Mahamrityunjaya or Mahamoksha mantra is one such mantra.

Mahamrityunjaya Mantra

Mahamrityunjaya roughly translates as “great victory over death.” It is a mantric prayer that takes us beyond the world of illusion, the world of death, into the reality of our immortal essence. It is regarded as a powerful healing mantra on all levels: physical, psychological and spiritual. With consistent practice it will transform the deluded consciousness of the practitioner into the enlightened consciousness of a realized Yoga master. Like all mantras it also creates a field of healing, peaceful and enlightening energy across the planet. You can chant this mantra for your own healing and for healing others. (Remember separation is an illusion.)

We are familiar with the mantra Om, or Aum. It is the basis of all mantras and it is the beginning sound of the Mahamrityunjaya Mantra. This is a more complex mantra meant to help us on a number of levels. It may seem difficult at first. Some of the sounds are unfamiliar and may seem hard to pronounce. It is important to learn correct pronunciation. Mantra is about sound more than conveying some external meaning. The meaning is contained within the sounds and revealed through meditation. Here is the mantra in its basic form:

Om Trayambakam yajamahe

Sugandhim pushtivardhanam

Urvarukameva bandhinam

Mrityor mukshiya mamritat



Don’t fret, we’ll break the sounds down here and give a sense of the meaning. The sound is essential however. An entire dissertation could be made trying to explicate the deep layers of meaning in this mantra. However they will be revealed in your consciousness through repetition and meditation.

Om – This is the sound symbol for the Absolute, the formless essence of being. To get a better sense of Om please read the previous post .

Trayambakam (tra yum bu kum) – Tray means “three.” Sounds familiar? Our current language is based upon earlier Indo-european roots. Ambaka means “eye.” The whole phrase means “the one with three eyes.” It refers to the deep unified consciousness within us who sees past, present and future and is aware in the states of waking, dreaming and deep sleep.

Yajamahe (yah jah mah hey) – means “reverence.” It means letting go of ego attachment and importance in praise of the greater Self.

Sugandhim (suh gahnd him) – means “all pervading fragrance.” Fragrance here is both literal and symbolic. We all have experienced how a particular smell can spread and permeate the atmosphere, whether pleasant or unpleasant. The Self is all pervasive like a sweet but subtle fragrance which can be actually experienced in deep meditation.

Pushtivarhanam (push tea var da nahm) – means “that which sustains all beings.” It refers to the field of consciousness from which we all take our individual identities. It is the imminent and transcendent presence of God.

Urvarukamiva (oor va rook ah meeva) – means “powerful illness.” It refers to whatever illness we may be suffering in life but more importantly to the illness of illusion, spiritual blindness and inability to recognize our true nature.

Bandhinam (bahnd hi nahm) – means bondage, being bound, stuck, etc.

Mrityor (mrit your) – means death, ignorance, untruth.

Mukshiya (mook she ah) – means liberation from all of the above.

Mamritat (mahm rih taht) – literally means “give me the nectar of immortality.” It is asking for and opening to the infinite supply and potential of the universe.

So we might say that the mantra means: “I offer reverence to the Consciousness which is omniscient and all pervasive, and which sustains and nourishes all beings. I pray for liberation from suffering and deliverance from death into immortality.” Or something like that. Remember that it is the sound combinations that are considered essential. When this mantra is recited with an attitude of devotion it brings about physical and psychological transformation. Swami Niranjan states, “When we use a string of vibrations, as in the Mahamrityunjaya mantra, these vibrations realign the disturbances in the vibratory system. Disease and illness can be managed effectively with this mantra.”

The concept of mantra healing may seem strange for modern Westerners. Some scientists will reluctantly admit that studies indicate that prayer can be beneficial in healing and preventing illness. Mantras are much more precise than ordinary ideas of prayer. The sounds intensify the healing intention permeating our deeper levels of consciousness with their vibrations.

There are various recordings of this mantra and some can be found easily on youtube. Here is a brief recording of 11 repetitions if you would like to chant along with me : ) http://soundcloud.com/turiyaom/mahamrit This mantra is chanted 108 every Saturday in ashrams throughout the world for healing and peace. We can join in this energy by developing a weekly Saturday practice of chanting it as well.