3
NIYAMA
There are five principles of niyama: saucha (cleanliness, purity); santosha (contentment); tapas (austerity); svadhaya (self-study); and isvarapranidhana (surrender to God).
SAUCHA: CLEANLINESS, PURITY
When perfect cleanliness (purity of mind and body) is obtained, there arises a sense of detachment and transendence from the physical body, and a disinclination for contact with the bodies of others (seeking pleasure from others).
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali 2:40
As a result of inner purity one experiences purification of the heart, inner peace, cheerfulness, power of concentration, mastery over the senses and the ability and qualification to attain self-realization.
ibid 2:41
Saucha means total cleanliness internally and externally. It means practising purity in thought, word and action. Purity on all levels frees the mind from its limitations.
The inner light of the soul within you is the same light in all people, but it appears to shine more brightly in some people than others. If you have two oil-burning lamps that give the same amount of light, but the glass window of one lamp is covered with dust and soot, then the other lamp will shine more brightly. It is not a matter of more light, but of cleaning or clearing away the impurities that are blocking the light. To allow the soul's light within us to shine freely and brightly we need to cleanse our physical body both internally and externally; purify our mind and emotions, and keep the environment in which we live clean and orderly.
Internal purity is more important than external purity, because when the mind is pure and one-pointed, one is able to see clearly and purely. Without cleanliness and purity (saucha), brahmacharya cannot be attained. Brahmacharya and saucha work together.
THE BODY AS A TEMPLE
‘God's temple is holy, and that temple you are.’ (1 Corinthians, 3: 17) The body is the temple of the soul. The soul within your body-temple is your essential nature, it is pure consciousness, eternal, immortal, an individualized expression of God Himself. We are spiritual beings made in the image and likeness of God!
We are born into this body-temple for a certain lifespan to experience a conscious relationship with God and to do God's Will. We then vacate the body, when it has served its purpose, and move into a new body (reincarnate).
Our purpose on earth, living in a human body, is to awaken in God-realization, to expand our consciousness from the human condition to God-consciousness, to be self-complete in God, and to inspire and assist others to grow spiritually. We need clearly to understand and define our life's purposes, then to become motivated and committed to them, until we experience and actualize our goal. To achieve this aim we need to expand our awareness, put our life in order, attend to our spiritual and purification practices, meditate regularly and give selfless service, live in harmony with nature's laws and be surrendered to God, Life and Grace.
We are the caretakers of our bodies for the duration of this lifetime. If through ignorance, laziness and lack of discipline the body becomes weak, disabled or diseased, with little or no energy, then it becomes an obstacle and distraction to the mind. When the mind is distracted it is very difficult to meditate, awareness is clouded and one is unable to see or think clearly.
When we see clearly and purely, the reality of God is radiated through us. Without clear perception our true reality, our soul-consciousness and awareness, and our relationship to the reality of God is coloured by our mental conditionings, habits, emotions and misguided desires. This results in our thoughts, behaviour and actions being determined by ignorance.
THE PRACTICE OF SAUCHA
Physical Cleanliness
We need to re-educate our bodies and try to discover their original sensitivity by cleansing them of their accumulations of obstructions and impurities.
1 Avoid excessive use of intoxicants and stimulants.
Excessive use of intoxicants and stimulants such as drugs, smoking, alcohol, tea, coffee, meat, sugar, salt, strong spices and overloading the stomach with excess food brings about degeneration of the body organism and premature ageing, dulls the mind and sensitivity and makes it impure.
Medical opinion is unanimous on the point that smoking is harmful. It is bad for the heart, circulation, lungs, digestion, throat and the skin. Tobacco smoke has many dangerous chemicals — some of the more hazardous include tar, arsenic, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, ammonia, benzopyrene and hydrogen sulphide. Just think, a person who smokes a packet of non-filtered cigarettes a day for ten years, inhales approximately eight quarts of tar!
The yogi sees that tobacco is in no way helpful or beneficial to human health. In no way does it glorify God or the self in the body of the user. The yogi sees that not only do tobacco smokers harm themselves, but they also contribute negatively to the health and welfare of their fellow beings around them (breathing in second-hand smoke makes one a ‘passive smoker’).
Alcohol dries up the stomach's secretions and exhausts the liver and kidneys. It is also harmful to the nervous system and depletes the body's vitamin B and C supplies. It also overloads the enzyme system, leaving the body prey to free radicals. A free radical is an atom or group of atoms with an uneven electrical charge. To make itself complete, it steals a charged particle (electron) from a neighbouring cell, which sets off a chain of reactions producing more free radicals, damaging more cells. Alcohol also dehydrates the body's cells, interfering with their protein, causing premature cell death.
From a spiritual viewpoint, it is not the temporary intoxication that alcohol may induce, nor the hangover that sometimes follows, but the long-term effect that alcohol exerts on the personality. In some subtle way it seems to make one more worldly; one's perceptions become less refined, and one may even deride or ridicule things formerly considered sacred. The ego, in becoming less sensitively responsive to its environment, becomes more self-assertive and aggressive. Everyone should know deep within that drunkenness is an insult to their true divine nature.
A drug-based or drug-dependent reality is a chemical illusion, rather than the release and freedom which comes spontaneously out of an attentive observation and awareness of life, inner as well as outer.
One of the most important differences between the two kinds of experience (drug-induced bliss and true spiritual experience without drugs) is that the ecstasy of drugs fades — one goes up then comes down with a bang. It is bliss without true knowledge and vision. A true spiritual, mystical experience changes one's life, as can be seen from the lives of saints and sages.
Can we say that a drug addict has ever made a positive major contribution to mankind? It is the difference between the effects of truth and the effects of illusion. Often the basic philosophy and way of life of a person who has taken a few LSD trips are unaffected, or there may be a large discrepancy between his or her everyday life and the revelations whilst under the influence of the drug. Yet one who has a true spiritual mystical experience cannot remain unaffected. His or her life is influenced for the good by the deep inner convictions given by that knowledge.
When one takes drugs, deterioration of the mental faculties may begin to take place and become progressive. The intellect becomes impaired, judgement and discrimination fail. The attempts to transcend the ego fail, and one is in fact thrown back into the ego with all its associated sufferings.
On the other hand, the attainment of the highest spiritual state leads to complete mastery of the mind and mental faculties. Inspiration, intuitive insight and deep understanding develop. All the mental potentialities are fulfilled, for the light behind the mind, the soul within, is allowed to shine through unhindered.
Meat, fish and eggs should be avoided. A vegetarian diet is essential for one who wants to follow a spiritual life; if you wish to progress and grow from the ordinary and materialistic life to a higher spiritual life, then it becomes important to live on a vegetarian diet. Vegetarian foods help the mind and body become more refined; they help to calm the mind and body of their restlessness.
Purification of the body goes hand in hand with spiritual awakening. A vegetarian diet helps us in the purifying of the body and mind. It is highly conducive to sublime thoughts, divine contemplation, meditation and compassion. It renders the intellect keen, subtle and sharp, and gives greater vitality than animal food.
Meat is high in saturated fats containing cholesterol that accumulates on the arterial walls, constricting the flow of blood in the body, placing a greater burden on the heart to pump harder. Cholesterol is a major factor in causing heart attacks.
Meat-eaters’ intestinal flora is changed from fermentative to putrefactive bacteria in the long bowel, causing poisons to be absorbed into the bloodstream. Toxic wastes from the dead animal's bloodstream, along with germs, antibiotics and drugs that have been injected into them to control the animal's diseases, contaminate our own blood when we eat meat.
Animal food, salt, sugar, tea, coffee and hot spices all dull the sensitivity of the nervous system if taken in excess.
In fact, indulgence to excess of any habit-forming pleasure dulls the sensitivity of the nervous system. If you really want to heighten your sensitivity and progress spiritually, sooner or later you will come to a point where you will have to give up these indulgences or habits. Sensory pleasure beyond a certain point becomes self-defeating. If you continually indulge in pleasures like smoking, drinking or taking drugs, sooner or later the pleasure will ruin the mind and destroy the body.
2 Practise yogic purifying techniques.
We can purify the body by regulating and disciplining our habits and by using yogic techniques of purification.
Cleanse the body internally through the practice of the shat kriyas (see chapter 4), periodic fasting and living on a pure vegetarian, whole-food diet.
Externally, the body can be kept clean by bathing regularly and thoroughly (see chapter 4 on how to clean the body).
The practice of yoga asanas (yoga postures — see chapter 8) promotes excellent health and vitality; they tone, revitalize and strengthen the whole physical organism. Yoga postures remove toxic physical impurities, tension and obstructions to the flow of energy in the body. Through the practice of yoga asanas the internal organs are maintained in a healthy functioning order; the blood and lymphatic systems circulate more freely; prana (vital force) is distributed evenly throughout the body and its systems; the body is kept supple and the skeletal system is aligned in its correct position; one takes on a youthful appearance and life is extended.
The practice of pranayama (see chapter 5) gives lightness to the body and cleanses the subtle pathways (nadis). Pranayama nourishes all the body's tissues and cells with pure blood and lymph, the metabolism is improved and balanced and concentration is improved. By regular practice of pranayama the yogi stores a large supply of energy (prana), giving him or her strength and vitality. Pranayama also helps to purify and control the mind.
Mental Cleanliness
When the mind is purified one naturally experiences peace, cheerfulness, goodness of mind, the power of concentration, mastery over the senses and the ability to attain self-knowledge or direct perception of God.
Mental purity involves being pure in thought, word and action. In a pure mind there are no impurities, it sees purely and clearly. All impurities such as selfishness, greed, anger, jealousy, lust, hatred, resentment and other negative emotions are cleansed from the mind by the practice of yoga, meditation, constant awareness and surrender to God. Jesus said ‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.’ (Matthew 5:8)
1 Meditate and approach God with a pure heart.
Be open to His Will and His love, offering up all your desires and attachments to Him. Deep meditation cleanses the mind and body by removing tension and stress, allowing superconscious influences to flow into the mind.
In addition to meditation we can pray to God. Go into deep meditation, then drop your meditation technique and enter the still silence within. During this silence commune with God by praying to Him sincerely to give you inner light and make you aware of the divine presence within you. The divine light which He radiates dispels the darkness of the heart. God who is love is seated in our hearts; by surrendering ourselves to His love in us, we become the embodiment of that love. Our life becomes pure and illumined with His power and love when we realize His presence within us, by constant remembrance and meditation.
The easiest way to purify the mind is to meditate and keep your thoughts on the pure truth within your heart. Prayer is the means to draw God's power, light and purity into us. Pray to Him, ‘Beloved Lord make me pure in thought, word and action by revealing yourself in my heart.’
2 Discriminate and participate in regular satsang.
The coarser the object of pleasure, the more short-lived and un-elevating is the pleasure arising out of it. Gambling, drinking, taking drugs, watching violent or pornographic videos for pleasure, are all examples of very unrefined pleasures. They do not satisfy our soul except for a short while, and they degrade the mind, making it impure and worldly. The excitement they cause is a waste of energy, and they cause suffering and pain, both mentally and physically.
The mind can also become impure by indiscriminately mixing with others who are selfishly self-centred, emotionally negative, weak-willed with bad habits, pleasure-seeking and greedy, lustful and hateful. It is like mixing clear, pure water with mud.
Satsang is a sanskrit word, meaning ‘fellowship of truth’. In other words, keeping company or associating with those who are spiritually minded, who love God and live in truth. In such spiritual fellowship you may chant, pray, talk or meditate in silence. Satsang purifies one's consciousness. Jesus said: ‘For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them.’ (Matthew 18:20)
Environment is stronger than will-power. To mix with worldly people without absorbing at least some of their worldliness requires great spiritual strength … whether one become a saint or sinner is to a great extent determined by the company he keeps.
Paramhansa Yogananda, from The Essence of Self-Realization by Sri Kriyananda
Environmental Cleanliness
It is also important to keep one's home and work environment clean and orderly. Our environment is a reflection of our mind. If our mind is impure, careless and disordered, then it will be reflected in our environment by being dirty, untidy and uncared for.
On a physical level dirt attracts germs, bacteria, insects and rodents. On an astral level dirt attracts disembodied lower entities.
Those that are heavily into tobacco, drugs and alcohol can also attract undesirable lower astral entities, which force their thought impressions on one's astral body and cling to one's aura. This may be one possible reason for a person's madness.
Cleanliness can also be thought of as order; our surroundings often reflect and affect us, so it is important to create a supportive environment. The clear, ordered mind can see positively in the most negative situations, and can help to clean or clear them up.
Bring order to your thoughts, feelings, behaviour and environment. ‘Create in me a clean heart, O God and put a new and right spirit within me.’ (Psalm 51: 10)
AFFIRMATION
I am now committed to a life of self-transformation and purification, to allow the radiance of the soul to unfold, and express itself clearly and purely.
I release all habits, attitudes and attachments which serve no useful purpose in my life.
I cleanse my mind of negative thoughts, feelings and emotions.
I live in harmony with nature's laws.
I live in the reality of God within me and around me. The reality of divine order is established in my mind and heart. I am a clear instrument for God's light.
SANTOSHA: CONTENTMENT
The Sanskrit word santosha has its root in the word tush, meaning ‘to be pleased’. ‘As a result of contentment one experiences supreme happiness.’ (The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali 2:4)
Objective conditions are always neutral. It is how you react to them that makes them appear sad or happy.
Work on yourself: on your reactions to outer circumstances. This is the essence of yoga: to neutralize the waves of reaction in the heart. Be happy inside. You will never be able to change things outwardly in such a way as to make them ever pleasing to you.
Change yourself … A good rule in life is to tell yourself simply, ‘What comes of itself, let it come.’
Paramhansa Yogananda, from The Essence of Self-Realization by Sri Kriyananda
Contentment is a state of happiness and balance, accepting things as they are and being satisfied with what one has. To be content is also to have a true understanding and knowledge of one's own powers and limitations. Being content is accepting every moment as it is, without thinking that it should or could be different.
Live with awareness in the present moment, have no desire to know the nature of the next moment. Wishful thinking and anticipation often lead to disappointment, causing anxiety and tension, which drain one's energy.
Contentment is not a passive acceptance of one's physical and psychological circumstances and unnecessary sufferings and pain, or resignation to life. It does not mean that we should not make future plans, but rather that plans grow from our present reality, living in the present moment, rather than from dreaming and longing.
When we are content, we are happy. Happiness is a state of mind which is independent of circumstances, and does not depend upon any external condition at all. Our happiness should not be conditioned by what we have or do not have.
Happiness and unhappiness are states of the mind. The mind that is constantly changing and not contented cannot be satisfied permanently with anything. If a person is not content, their mind will restlessly wander, and they will find it impossible to concentrate and meditate.
Patanjali says in the first chapter of his Sutras: ‘Yoga (union) is the stilling of the movement of thought.’
When all conflict and confusion in the mind are resolved, there is no thought. The mind becomes still, and from this stillness of thought arises contentment, which brings a continuous flow of happiness and inner peace.
Contentment is closely related to equanimity (samata), which means being equal-minded, calmness of mind, freedom from attachment and aversion.
There are references to both contentment and equanimity in the Bhagavad Gita. Krishna says:
That person of action is free from karma who accepts with contentment whatever comes to them, who is free from jealousy, and has transcended all dualities of life, and who is balanced in success and failure.
Bhagavad Gita, 4:22
Those whose minds are established in equanimity [equal-mindedness] are free from the relativities of existence (birth and death, pleasure and pain), even in this world.
They are flawless like the Supreme Reality. With even mind they are already situated in pure consciousness …
Being fixed in deep communion with the eternal Supreme Truth, with unwavering discrimination and free from delusion, they never became falsely elated by pleasant experiences or depressed by bad.
Bhagavad Gita 5:19–20
THE PRACTICE OF SANTOSHA
1 Do not allow desires to control your thoughts.
If you allow desires to control your thoughts, your mind will become restless and discontent. Watch your thoughts carefully and try to understand from where desire arises. The process of desire is as follows:
1 The eyes look at a beautiful object.
2 The mind comes in, registers it and takes a mental picture.
3 Now that the mind is coloured by that picture, it keeps recurring. The imagination (vikalpa) and memory (smriti) provide motivation.
4 This creates a desire, a craving. The craving arises even when the object is not present. The mind, unfulfilled and discontent, continually thinks of the object.
If the object you desire is not here, then be content in this moment. Tell your mind, ‘The object you desire is not here, be content with what you have here and now.’
Ask yourself, ‘Is it really necessary to have this object?’ Hunger, thirst and even the need to love and be loved are all part of life, but in none of these is there an agitated craving. Ask yourself, ‘What is it that craves, what is craving?’
Three things are constantly working within us, which cause discontent and restlessness in the mind: desire and craving; dislike or hate; and fear.
Fear is created as follows:
1 From ignorance (avidya) of what is truth, ego-sense (asmita) arises.
2 Ego-sense is ‘I’. The ‘I’ creates division: ‘I like this’ leads to approval (raga); ‘I don't like this’ leads to dissapproval (dvesha).
3 Imagination (vikalpa) and memory (smriti) influence our approval or disapproval.
4 From the ego's division of ‘I like’ and ‘I don't like’, fear is created. Fear results from non-acceptance of what is. If we are content we accept what is, there is no fear.
The mind is made restless by ignorance [lack of self awareness], egoism, attraction and repulsion, likes and dislikes, clinging to life and fear of death.
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, 2:3
Let life flow on, accept it. Do not allow your consciousness to be coloured by approval and disapproval.
2 Live in the present moment.
Be content and happy with what you have. Do not hanker after things. True happiness and freedom are inner states which you attain when you are in tune with God, who dwells within you.
3 Be still within.
Restless thoughts are caused by desires and attachment, which in turn create discontent, anger, jealousy, hate and fear.
The mind is like a lake — its natural state is to be calm and crystal clear. To the lake itself there is no motion, no change, no waves, ripples or currents, but the thoughts, ideas and images (vrittis), those innumerable waves with which one identifies oneself, agitate the mind into restless activity, obscuring its true nature.
These thoughts can either arise from the bottom of the lake (memories), or from our sense perceptions, and imagination. When the ripples of the mind are stilled and it becomes crystal clear, then we can see the reflection of the infinite spirit.
To bring peace and stillness to the mind, first withdraw it from its attraction to different objects. Then make the mind one-pointed by concentrating on that reality of truth which is God. The mind absorbed in the object of meditation becomes silenced; this silence and stillness brings contentment, joy, calmness, peace and higher awareness.
4 Surrender your will to God's Will.
Surrender means inner contentment and peace. Surrender your will to God's Will and be content with all situations and circumstances in which God places you. ‘Teach me to do Thy Will, for thou art my God.’ (Psalm 143:10)
5 Be non-attached.
Contentment is being able to receive whatever comes naturally for satisfying the needs of our body, mind and soul. Make good use of those things which come to you in a useful and purposeful way, without becoming attached to them.
When one has contentment then austerity follows naturally as a simple way of living.
6 Keep your life simple.
Make this your maxim: ‘Simple living, high thinking.’ Follow the middle path, be balanced and moderate in all things.
7 Learn from inner experience.
The experiences that come to us are not as important as what we learn and become through them.
AFFIRMATION
In the still depths of the soul, I am undisturbed by the surface waves of experiences. God's spirit resides within me, content and peaceful.
Whatever comes of itself I expect, and I remain calmly centred within.
Within me lies the source of true joy and peace.
I perform all action, while inwardly united with the joy of the soul.
I live life now in the present moment.
I remain open and receptive to positive changes in my life.
The wisdom of God is present and active within me. From this wisdom I gain awareness of the Self, insight, understanding and harmony of the body, mind and soul, which are necessary to bring contentment and peace into my life.
TAPAS: AUSTERITY
‘Austerity or self-discipline destroys all impurities of the mind. From this arises perfection of the body, mind and senses.’ (The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, 2:34)
Tapas literally means ‘heat (inner fire)’. When there is heat, there is also energy. Tapas is energy that is concentrated or focused with conscious will-power on a specific point, so that it releases power and sets it in motion. This is likened to concentrating the sun's rays through a magnifying glass over a piece of paper. The heat is concentrated and intensified into a single fine ray of light, which produces a powerful energy to burn the paper.
The practice of tapas enables one to strengthen a firm resolve and develop a strong will-power to overcome the egoistic nature of the mind. Tapas helps one to control and direct the power of the mind and body for higher spiritual aims and purposes.
The practice of austerity has an ancient history in both the West and the East. During the period of St Anthony (born about 251 AD and thought to be the founder of monasticism), the early Christian monks (the ‘desert fathers’) lived in desert caves, seeking God through a life of austerity, asceticism, meditation and prayer. The ascetic practices of the Western monks at that time were very similar to those practised in the East by Indian monks or yogis (about 300 AD, about the time when Patanjali's school of yoga was being taught).
It is important to understand that tapas is not an end in itself. Tapas should be practised with intelligence and discrimination. To torture the body and mind, and make the senses dull and unresponsive, is not the object. Tapas practised in the true spirit of yoga is not penance (an act performed through feelings of regret that one has committed a sin). To whip one's own body or lie on a bed of nails is not part of the yogic attitude towards life; this is denying life in a negative way. The ascetic pursues pain to avoid pleasure and the worldly person seeks pleasure to avoid pain. In both, pain is inseparable from pleasure. When we pursue pleasure or pain, we deny ourselves freedom, peace and joy in life. We have to find a balance between indulgence and abstinence. Through yoga disciplines we can train our bodies and senses to be useful instruments of selfless service to others. In this way our minds become purified and we can make a positive contribution to life.
When we have control over the mind and its modifications, and the senses are naturally and spontaneously regulated, the body and mind become clear channels for the soul within to express itself naturally and clearly. The object then of tapas is to train the body, mind and senses to become steady and balanced so that they work naturally, spontaneously and selflessly for the soul to express itself purely.
The following verses from the Bhagavad Gita enlighten us on the practice of austerity.
The yogi is thought to be superior to the ascetics, and even greater than those following the path of knowledge [Jnana Yoga] or to those who perform action [Karma Yoga].
6:46
Even among all yogis, that man or woman who is absorbed in Me, with their soul completely immersed in Me, is considered by Me to be the superior yogi.
6:47
The word ‘yogi’ refers to one who practises meditation on the self within, who is self-disciplined, free from self-centred attachments, desires and egotism, and who is contented and equal-minded.
Krishna informs us that we have to find a balance between indulgence and abstinence.
Arjuna, those who eat too much or eat too little, who sleep too much or too little do not find success in yoga.
6:16
Those that are regulated and balanced in eating, sleeping, work and recreation find an end to sorrow through yoga.
6:17
Later, in chapter 17, Krishna informs us that there are certain people who torment their minds and torture their bodies by practising too severe asceticism. In fact, it is the subtle force of their attachment to sense pleasure that moves them to such severity!
Those people who practise severe austerities not authorized by the scriptures, motivated by hypocrisy and egoism, impelled by lust, and attachment, unintelligently and senselessly torture their bodies and offend Me, the Soul dwelling within.
17:5–6
Those ostentatious austerities which are practised with the object of gaining respect, honour and admiration are said to be rajasic (in the mode of passion), unstable and transitory.
Austerities which are practised foolishly, with self-torture, or for injuring others, are said to be tamasic (in the mode of ignorance).
17:18–19
THE PRACTICE OF TAPAS
In chapter 17 of the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna outlines three types of austerity: for the body, speech and mind. He says in verse 17:
This threefold austerity performed by people who are persevering with great faith, and who desire no reward for their actions, is sattvic (in the mode of goodness).
1 Austerity of the body
Be serviceful to God, to the good, the wise and the gurus. Purity [cleanliness], honesty, simplicity, continence and non-violence are considered the austerity of the body.
17:14
2 Austerity of speech
To speak words that are truthful, kind and helpful, that cause no resentment, and to regularly study the scriptures, are called the austerity of speech.
17:15
3 Austerity of the mind
Calmness, kindness, silence, self-control and purity of thought are called austerity of mind.
17:16
To be serviceful to God, to the good, the wise and the gurus, means to give respect, and render service unconditionally. We are reflected lights of God, and our origin is in God. To always remember God with our awareness in Him and being surrendered in God is the greatest service we can give to God. The universe is manifested to serve God's Will and we are here to serve God's Will, and to serve others in God.
We are also here to co-operate with evolutionary forces and God's representatives, who are God-conscious and surrendered to His Will.
By the practice of these threefold austerities all afflictions and impurities of the mind and the body are removed, making them strong and healthy.
The attitude for practising austerity is with perfect inner contentment. When one has contentment then austerity follows naturally as a simple way of living. Our desires, wants and needs are reduced with contentment, resulting in greater sensitivity.
Remember, it is not by beating or starving the body, by tormenting the mind or by breaking the senses that we attain self-realization. We have to give the physical body what it needs to function as a healthy, sensitive organism, and deny it those things which are unnecessary. Good bodily and mental health is essential to spiritual life. Our mind and body can serve God and others when they are in good health, with energy and vitality.
Of the threefold austerities, mental austerity is the most powerful. If the mind is mastered then body and speech will come under its control more easily.
AFFIRMATION
I am made in the image and likeness of God, my body is the temple of spirit, it is a perfect expression of radiant health that God created it to be. I respect my body by keeping it clean and living by natural laws relative to exercise, diet, rest and relaxation.
I am attuned to the truth of my being — my true spiritual nature — by remembering and giving service to God first in my mind and heart. I also respect and listen to the wisdom of the enlightened sages, saints and gurus. I serve the cause of evolution by serving God and the wise.
I choose to live God-consciously with soul-awareness, mental clarity, radiant physical health, emotional maturity, and a simple, balanced moderate lifestyle that supports my spiritual growth and relationship with God.
I express my thoughts and feelings in positive words that are truthful, helpful and kind to others. I release all limiting feelings, behaviours and attitudes that keep me from recognizing and experiencing my true spiritual nature. I give expression to inner joy and calmness. I open myself to infinite good so that the blessings of life flow through me to others.
SVADHYAYA: SELF-STUDY
‘By study of the scriptures and oneself one is united with that loved aspect of divinity.’ (The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, 2:44)
Sva means ‘self (one's own)’. Adhyaya means ‘study’. So svadyhaya literally means ‘self-study’.
Patanjali also says:
Austerity, study of the scriptures and one's own awareness of situations from moment to moment, surrender of self-consciousness [egotism] and dedicating the fruits of one's actions to God, is the path of Kriya Yoga [active yoga or working towards God].
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, 2:1
Svadhyaya can also mean the study of scriptural texts and the silent recitation of mantras to oneself. The mental repetition of mantras in this way is called japa. Both the study of scriptural texts and mantra japa are to be practised in a meditative and concentrated state of absorbed awareness.
The basis for self-study is concentrated within all the yamas and niyamas. These confront our involvement with all of life around us and then slowly centre in a study of our inner self.
When one has become established in the first three niyamas — saucha, santosha and tapas — then one is ready for self-study, self-introspection or self-awareness. In self-study one learns not by gaining intellectual or material knowledge but by standing back to observe, and to study the studier. It is by observing with awareness our own thoughts, feelings, behaviour, desires, motives and attitudes that we can see the delusions, false attachments and ignorance that prevent us from realizing our true soul-nature.
The practice of svadhaya encourages spiritual awakening in us, so that we can realize our divine nature and the reality of God.
At the deepest level of our inner being we are pure consciousness, made in the image and likeness of God. If we do not know this, it is because of self-forgetfulness and ignorance due to identification with the mind and the objects of the senses. All our problems in life ultimately stem from our separation from the source of our divinity, which is God.
Most people live primarily for themselves and their families; their vision seldom reaches higher than that. Society (politicians, teachers, parents, the advertising media) teaches and conditions us to look outside of ourselves for happiness and fulfilment. But the great Masters tell us differently. Jesus said: ‘The Kingdom of God is within you.’ (Luke 17:21) He also said: ‘But seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matthew 6:33) And in the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna says:
To those who meditate on Me as their very own, ever united to Me by incessant worship, I provide their deficiencies and make permanent their gain.
9:22
The Kingdom of God, which is infinite intelligence, wisdom, love, joy and inner peace is within each one of us. These qualities are within us because they are in God, and we are made in the image and likeness of God. Each one of us is an expression of God-consciousness, using God-faculties and expressing God-qualities. But until we awaken to this fact of life, and experience the presence of God within, knowing that we have free will to choose and can direct our mind, control our emotions, senses and body, we continue to be in an unaware, conditioned state of sleep. In this state of somnolence or ignorance the Spirit of God dwelling in us cannot express itself in all its light and glory; the soul's potential is in effect thwarted. In this conditioned state of sleep we are delayed in attaining our perfect and complete experience of superconscious union with God.
THE PRACTICE OF SVADHAYA
When you awaken to your true nature within, you will grow into the light, which will remove all darkness and unknowing from your mind and consciousness. With soul-awareness in God you will be able to control your own destiny, living a life guided by the divine spirit within, governed by truth.
God cannot be completely understood or realized through the intellectual process. Self-study must begin with awareness and an understanding of the mind's movements, the study of the nature of thought and the thinking process. What is thought? How does it arise? What are its functions and limitations? Self-study is not an intellectual process, but simply a perceptive awareness of the movements of the mind, which arises through our distraction from moment to moment. When we recognize our distraction or lack of awareness we can discover our true identity and reality as it is. All that is needed is simple attention to what is happening in us and around us in each moment. Whether we are breathing, meditating, chanting, cooking, eating, working or studying, if we do it with attentive awareness and alertness, each moment will be a freeing experience, in which we will see and understand something new.
Life requires of us to be constantly in clear awareness, with a quiet, meditative mind which is full of energy, love and compassion, a mind which is free from past conditioning, reactive behaviour patterns, subconscious motivations, habitual ego-centred behaviour, sense-urges negative emotions and negative attitudes. In the quiet, aware and alert mind there is true freedom from tension, conflict and sorrow. There is a direct perception of life without distortion.
Without attentive awareness and alertness, our consciousness becomes clouded, we become sleepy and our senses lose their sensitivity and become dull. When our attention and sensitivity are sharpened and heightened with awareness, our perception becomes clear. In this state of observation we are able to perceive and recognize those limiting conditions within our minds that prevent us from fulfilling our true potential and destiny in life. With inner awareness we can understand why the mind is distracted and inattentive. In unbroken, clear awareness we can decondition and dehypnotize the mind of its subconscious motivations, ignorance, addictions and bad habits.
Self-awareness begins with you here and now in this moment, in every moment of your life. When you live every moment in awareness, you will experience the Eternal as a living reality. The average person only uses a tiny fraction of awareness in his or her everyday living. We go from one day to the next throughout life in a state of distraction, unawareness and restlessness. Half-heartedly we go through all the activities of the day in a somnolent state of awareness, and the beauty of life escapes us. In this conditioned state of mind we are mostly attentive to our subconscious motives, and therefore our perception is distorted. We are not even aware or mindful when eating our meals, cleaning our teeth or listening when someone is talking to us. Perhaps you go to the bathroom or kitchen and leave it untidy or dirty, burn the toast, leave water running from a tap, or forget to switch a light or heater off before you go out. They may be small activities in your life, but the way to self-realization lies through the sensitivity, awareness, care and attention to all that we do in thought, word and action, no matter how small it may seem. We need to live each moment of our life completely, carefully observing all the details with constant awareness and attention. It is only when we perceive clearly and live truly in accord with life's processes that the reality of God is glorified through us.
It does not matter how long you have been sitting in the dark; when light is brought in, the darkness disappears. It is our responsibility to awake in the light, to consciously know our true nature and reality as the self. With knowledge, understanding and mastery of our mind, body and senses, we can direct our lives intelligently and super-consciously, expressing ourselves in a balanced and fulfilling way on all levels of our being.
Self-knowledge or self-awareness is not a goal to seek. The Self is knowledge. Self-awareness cannot be divided from awareness, which is the Self.
Self-knowledge is the awareness of the immortal reality within us, which sets us free from the bondage of ignorance, the cause of all our sorrows. This knowledge and awareness, which is the Self, is here and now, always. It has never ceased to be, and so is not a goal that we have to search for.
There is no mystery to it. All we need to do is remove the obstacles, dispelling the ignorance that obscures the Self as knowledge. The sun is always shining, but when it is obscured by dark clouds we do not see it. When the clouds disperse then the sun becomes visible and the light shines.
Patanjali, in his Yoga Sutras instructs us how to remove ignorance effectively: ‘The practice of uninterrupted awareness and discrimination between what is real and what is unreal, removes obstacles [ignorance].’ (2:26)
The intelligent practice of the first seven of the eight limbs of yoga with uninterrupted awareness, gives us the basic methods in removing ignorance. If we are to remain in the light of Self-knowledge, then we need to be vigilant, constantly awake, alert and aware in every moment. This is no part-time exercise; the practice of yoga once taken up, involves your entire life. This total approach to life reveals your commitment to awakening in God-consciousness. If we are unmotivated, uncommitted and practising only half-heartedly we cannot expect complete success and fulfilment in this incarnation. We must sincerely want to awaken from our ignorance, and become surrendered and actively involved in our own spiritual unfoldment.
Yoga is basically the removal of obstacles and obstructions from the mind and body, so that the inner joy and light of the Self that is already here (but is not shining because of obstructions, ignorance and misunderstanding) can shine in perfect Self-awareness.
In his Sutras (1:30) Patanjali lists nine main obstacles that distract the mind.
Disease (Vyadhi)
‘A healthy body is the guest chamber of the soul; a sick one its prison.’ (Francis Bacon, Augmentis Scientarum: Valetudo)
Disease means loss of ease, balance and harmony, it means there is tension within. If the body and mind are in balance, disease will not occur. We need a healthy mind in a healthy body that we may have sufficient time and opportunity to evolve into the realization of the immortal nature of the Self and fulfil the real purpose of human experience and all the possibilities of life.
The mind and body are instruments of the Self; if either of them become dis-eased or imbalanced, the Self will not be able to express through them as it would in a healthy mind and physiology.
The more pure and refined the mind and physiology are, the easier it is for superconscious soul-influences to express through them.
Our spiritual progress can be restricted by a dis-eased mind and body. For example, if you are ill, and your body is in pain and feeling weak, it is difficult to sit calmly in meditation. Your mind is distracted by the physical pain and discomfort. You are unable to concentrate or become focused clearly in meditation.
The mind exerts the deepest influence on the body. With constant awareness and intentional discipline we can consciously create a healthy mind and physiology, maintaining a balance.
The following are the prerequisites of natural immunity to disease.
1 Live in harmony with natural laws.
2 Maintain a clean, healthy bloodstream.
This comes from pure nutrition, pure water, pure air, good digestion and efficient elimination.
3 Take regular daily exercise.
This strengthens, stretches, gives stamina, and tones the internal body organs and systems.
4 Breathe properly.
5 Get sufficient rest, sleep and relaxation.
6 Meditate.
7 Maintain a positive, cheerful, mental outlook on life in all circumstances.
Do the best you can in any circumstance and leave the rest to God.
Mental Laziness, Procrastination (Styana).
To overcome this obstacle:
1 Establish your priorities.
Give conscious attention to important matters such as meditation.
2 Determine your current life priority and direction, then live with intention.
3 Identify those habits that are preventing you from giving attention to important priorities, purpose and direction in life.
4 Be more purposeful, willing and enthusiastic.
Develop an interest in all that you do.
5 Be disciplined with interest and enthusiasm in your daily routines and spiritual practices.
Develop a keen interest in pursuits that will help you attain self-mastery.
6 Develop the power of concentration and think clearly.
A person with a distracted, restless mind cannot achieve anything. Tremendous power flows into us when we concentrate and are absorbed in God.
7 Do not put off what you can do now.
If you procrastinate you will never achieve your aims in life. Change your mental attitude and become motivated and willing to make the right effort now. Never accept failure — if you do so, you will become a failure and deny the power of God within you. Be determined and resolve never to cease trying to do your best. If you are making a continuous effort now, you cannot fail.
8 Make good use of your time, for every moment is precious.
Do not waste your time and restrict your spiritual unfoldment by being idle. Remember, life is very short, there is no time to lose in awakening in God-consciousness. Be clearly aware of your true purpose for being here and make the most of every available opportunity.
9 Practise introspection.
Keep a mental diary of what you are doing and thinking throughout the day. Constructively analyse your bad habits and find the cause. Why is it that you are lazy or are procrastinating? How did you acquire the negative traits? Be discriminating and recognize your weaknesses, then remove them from your consciousness. Resolve to make a positive change in your life and affirm aloud with firm conviction:
Today I make a commitment to move willingly in a purposeful direction to fulfil my spiritual aim in life — to develop a closer, deeper relationship with God.
I make wise use of my time, energy and talents. I am positive! I am energetic! I am enthusiastic!
I consciously and attentively practise necessary disciplines and practices in my daily routine, to attain self-mastery and realize my unity with God.
10 Create more energy.
Yogananda said, ‘Will power directs energy, and energy in turn acts upon matter. Matter, indeed, is energy. The stronger the will, the greater the force of energy.’ (from The Essence of Self-Realisation by Sri Kriyananda) Energy is an important key to spiritual life. All matter, including human beings, is in reality energy. Energy is infinite, it has no limitation and we can tap into it and draw from this universal energy as much as we want to.
Yogananda also said, ‘Joy and energy go hand in hand.’ If you have high energy you cannot be sad, and if you are joyful, you have energy. Look at people who are depressed. Everyone who is depressed has low energy, and one of the most difficult things psychologists have to do with people who are depressed is to get them to do something about it. There is no energy flowing in a depressed person, but people who are joyful are full of energy.
Unwillingness, boredom, moodiness and fear of failure are all mental energy blocks that we should work to overcome.
When we bring our will in tune with God's Will we become unlimited; in this way will-power makes us divine.
The greatest use for our will-power is to use it to meditate. God wants us to discover our divine will and use it to find and commune with Him.
Doubt (Samshaya)
Doubts are our worst enemy. When the mind is in doubt it becomes undecided, uncertain, and even disbelieving. The mind becomes torn between different possibilities, jumping from one to the other, becoming more and more confused.
If you have doubts about the existence of God, the scriptural texts, the tradition of your guru and his teachings, or your own inner reality and your purpose in life, then clear your confusion and resolve your doubts by developing faith and confidence. Knowledge removes doubt.
Depending on one's attitude, doubt can be positive and expand our awareness, or negative and destructive, resulting in a depressive mood. When you are in doubt ask yourself, ‘Am I in doubt so that I will not have to act, enabling me to escape from responsibility and commitment or am I in doubt because I intuitively feel that something is not quite right?’ Positive doubt that stimulates genuine enquiry can expand our awareness. Negative doubt created through restlessness and impatience arising from the ego decreases our awareness.
Meditate deeply, so that you develop your power of intuition. After meditation remain calmly seated in the silence and pray to God for faith, strength and guidance to overcome your doubts. When your emotions are settled and your mind is free from restlessness and confusion, then you will be able to clear your doubts.
Carelessness, Negligence (Pramada)
Negligence is failing to be consciously attentive, and being uninterested in your spiritual practices and disciplines. Cultivate a sincere interest in your spiritual unfoldment. Be intentional in your spiritual practices and disciplines. Resolve now to be committed to living perfectly with clear understanding and resolve to express God's will.
If you are aware of higher realities but are still continuing to act from conditioned and habitual ways, your spiritual growth will be restricted and limited.
Sloth, Lethargy (Alasya)
Laziness is failure to progress spiritually due to lack of perseverance, willingness and enthusiasm, with an extreme lack of energy or vitality (or in the state of tamas).
There is a mammal called a sloth, which is of a sluggish, slow-moving nature, which inhabits tropical parts of Central and South America. There are also human beings who are sluggish, physically and mentally. Disinclined to exertion, they move slowly and pass their time in idleness. This is the tamasic state that Lord Krishna mentions in the Bhagavad Gita, chapter 17.
Paramhansa Yogananda once said, ‘I can forgive the physically lazy person, but not the mentally lazy person.’ What he meant by this was that sometimes the physically lazy person can be excused if the laziness is due to ill health, but mental laziness is inexcusable for those who choose to be unwilling, unmotivated, with no self-effort.
To overcome inertia and laziness one needs to purify and energize the physical body and mind to rise to the sattvic state. The mind and body are inseparable — if the body is not nourished with a healthy balanced vegetarian diet, the mind is affected. A diet of heavy food, meat, alcohol, drugs and smoking causes inertia and heaviness in the body and mental field.
Too much eating and sleeping for long hours with little or no exercise is also a cause of lethargy.
Attachment to Sense-Pleasure (Avirati)
Our desire or need for someone or something apart from God creates a sense of separation from Him, or makes us believe that we could be satisfied without His power and presence. The more we desire the more we become attached. Attachment deepens our desires. Attachment to sense-pleasures prevents us from concentrating on our spiritual reality. When our mind is distracted by strong ego-needs and outer sources of sense stimulation, we lose our self-awareness, and become mentally restless, confused and emotionally unsettled.
We need to regulate our sense-pleasures and bring them into balance. This requires careful discrimination and complete, clear understanding of our emotions, so that we can withdraw energy from them and dissolve them.
Distorted Vision, Philosophical Confusion (Bhranti Darshana)
Due to false perception, ignorance, ego-sense and lack of understanding we may totally reject philosophical truths that great saints and sages or yogic scriptures have taught us.
If we are mentally confused and misunderstand the nature of God and the universe, we can improve our understanding by developing faith in God and the great Masters. Study the teachings of the great respected Masters: Jesus Christ, Lord Krishna, Patanjali and Paramhansa Yogananda are a few, but there are also others. Read and study the great classic scriptures: the New Testament, the Bhagavad Gita, The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, and the Upanishads. Read also Paramhansa Yogananda's Autobiography of A Yogi. This book has inspired thousands of truth-seekers.
Meditate deeply with a clear calm mind and pray to God:
Dear Lord, make me pure in thought, word and deed by revealing yourself in my heart. Clear all confusion and error from my mind and awaken in me Thy truth — om, peace, amen.
Failure to Gain a Firm Ground in Yoga (Alabdha Bhumikatva)
We may fail to make progress to the higher stages of yoga, even though we have been observing the proper practices.
Patanjali says:
That practice becomes firm in ground only when spontaneous awareness continues with consistent efforts without interruption for a long time.
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, 1:14
We need to be consistent and constant in our efforts towards self-realization, with clear, spontaneous awareness, without distraction, sincerely and earnestly devoted to practising the presence of God. (In all that you do, remain centred in the awareness of God.)
True spirituality consists in our living in this world and giving service to all beings, while all the time being consciously aware of the divine self within and around us.
Instability, Unsteadiness of Mind (Anasthitatva)
The obstacle here, is that one may gain a higher stage of yoga, but fall from it, or be unable to maintain oneself there due to the unsteadiness and inattention of the mind.
Patanjali (Yoga Sutras 1:31) identifies four secondary obstacles as symptoms of a distracted mind.
Pain, Grief and Sorrow (Duhkha)
When you experience pain, unhappiness or sorrow, the mind is attracted to it. The mind is distracted from that which is beyond pain — the Self. One is unable to meditate when the mind is distracted by painful memories, emotional hurts and painful desires.
There are three kinds of pain:
• adhyatmika — within oneself (physical, mental and emotional)
• adhibhautika — caused by other beings (including wild animals and insects)
• adhidaivika — caused by natural forces (sound, air, fire, water, earth and planetary forces)
Eliminate pain by examining it. Look at it and become aware of it. Who or what is experiencing pain? How does that ‘I’ experience arise? Why does it not arise in sleep? Have you ever wondered why the ‘I’ experience does not exist in sleep? Why the sleeping person does not say ‘I sleep?’ Why is it that you do not feel pain when you are asleep? In sleep there is a division of the ‘I’ from the experience.
Psychological Despair
Again, meditation is disturbed by the mind being distracted by negative moods, frustration, negative thoughts, anxiety and ill-will.
Moods are the result of low or negative energy. Change the energy level and its direction and you will develop a positive state of mind. Paramhansa Yogananda said once to a certain disciple, who was inclined to be moody:
If you want to be sad … no one in the world can make you happy. But if you make up your mind to be happy, no one and nothing on earth can take that happiness from you.
from The Essence of Self-Realisation by Sri Kriyananda
You can overcome a mood with the following practice.
1 Exercise vigorously.
2 Concentrate your attention at the point between the eyebrows (the spiritual eye) for five minutes and will yourself into the superconscious.
3 Seek cheerful company.
4 Affirm with a cheerful attitude:
I am not my moods, and I am not subject to the moods of others. I am ruler in my kingdom of thoughts and feelings! I am positive! The joy of God fills my mind with cheerful thoughts.
5 Be busy in constructive and useful activity.
6 Be devoted selflessly to helping others.
7 Chant or sing from the heart joyously.
Unsteadiness of the Body During Meditation
When the body is restless, twitching and itching, it is difficult to focus your attention in meditation.
By the regular practice of yoga postures (asanas), one can make the body sit comfortably and steady. In meditation you must be able to hold your seated posture absolutely steady and still with no movement. If the body is not still the mind becomes distracted.
Irregular Inhalation and Exhalation
Uneven inhalation and exhalation is caused by fluctuations of the mind and emotional instability.
If you are attentive to your breathing, you will be aware of the degree of distractedness of the mind. The less distracted it is, the calmer the breathing is; the more distracted, the more restless and irregular the breathing is.
If you want to know what total absorption of the mind is, exhale and suspend your breathing. It is the breath (or the movement of the prana) that enables your mind to think. If you suspend the breath, the mind loses its fuel and becomes quiet and still. This is what happens in deep meditation, where there is total absorption of the mind.
Japa
Mental or silent repetition (japa) of that aspect of divinity chosen for worship is considered by saints and sages to be better than verbal repetition. With mental repetition, the mind is fixed in the Name, whereas oral repetition does not effectively stop the mind from wandering, unless the mind is absorbed in the sound of the Name.
If your mind wanders while chanting mentally or aloud, your love and devotion for God cannot be very great. If you really love God above everything else, His Name will give you joy instantly. Where one's love is, there one's mind is. Any object or person that you love with all your heart gives you great joy, just by the thought of it.
By chanting God's Name, ever remembering Him, by keeping your mind in tune with God, in course of time you will develop a steady and unbroken consciousness of God.
Japa means ‘repetition’. Japa is the repetition of a mantra; this Sanskrit word comes from manas (‘mind’), and tri (‘to cross over’). So, a mantra is a spiritual, mystical formula or holy Name which is inherently connected with the reality it represents. Mantra liberates the consciousness, it helps us to cross over the sea of the uncontrolled and conditioned mind.
The practice of japa yoga can help us to maintain a continuous remembrance of God. Japa is thinking of God constantly, to the exclusion of everything else. Repetition of the Names of God or mantra with sincerity, faith, one-pointed concentration and devotion keeps away all other thoughts. It is the power that we infuse into the word that produces the effect. When we repeat the Name of God with love and devotion, it sets up a vibration that keeps our mind and senses harmonized with the divine within us.
With constant practice of japa one can transcend the mind and realize one's identity with God.
There are four main categories of japa.
• vaikhari japa. The mantra is spoken or chanted aloud. This form of japa is particularly good for those people who are negatively emotional, dull, moody or of a restless nature. When vaikhari japa is practised alone or in a group of people the atmosphere becomes powerfully charged with positive vibrations of peace, joy and energy.
When chanting aloud, chant with love and devotion. Concentrate at the spiritual eye (the point between the eyebrows), drawing God's energy and joy to you. Open your heart and listen attentively to the sound of the mantra that you are chanting. Sound is easy for the mind to concentrate upon. When the mind is absorbed in the mantric vibration of sound, we rise higher into a state of superconsciousness. It is then that the chanter, the chant and the process of chanting become one.
• upansu japa. The mantra is whispered. Only the one who is chanting the mantra can hear it. This form of japa is useful for those people who are practising many hours of japa throughout the day. It is also good for those who are practising japa with a special mantra for a specific purpose. Practise this for three months before you begin manasika japa.
• manasika japa. The mantra is repeated mentally. There is no movement of the lips. This is the most subtle japa and can be difficult for beginners in the practice of mantra yoga. The mind can easily be sidetracked and wander away from the practice to other thoughts. During this practice, if you are not vigilant and attentive, sleep may overpower you. This higher practice is for those who are able to concentrate with a steady mind.
When practising mental japa, or any other form, the mantra should not be repeated mechanically or in a hurry without love, devotion and faith. When mental japa is repeated with deep concentration, attention and awareness, it prepares the mind for meditation on God.
• likhita japa. The mantra is written, while being simultaneously repeated mentally. It is written down on paper hundreds or thousands of times in lines, shapes or forms (such as the shape of a lotus flower or a mandala). It is best to keep a notebook specifically for this purpose; it can be kept near your bed or the shrine where you meditate.
When you write the mantra use red ink, as this will help to reinforce the mantra in your mind. Blue and green ink can also be used. Write the letters of the mantra as small as possible, carefully creating a beautiful design. Practise with concentration and devotion. It is also good to concentrate on the meaning of the mantra so that it predominates over other thoughts.
Ajapa Japa
Ajapa japa is the spontaneous and automatic repetition of the mantra or Name of God without conscious effort. It is a combination of pranayama (see chapter 5) and meditation (see chapter 8). In ajapa japa it is important to be consciously attentive and aware of one's own natural breath and its movement or flow through the body (ujjayi pranayama).
In the practice of ajapa japa the awareness of the natural flow of the breath or ujjayi pranayama is integrated with the mantra soham (‘I am He’). Soham is a Vedantic mantra found in the Isa-Upanishad. The word hamsa meaning ‘swan’ is a symbol of supreme Reality and has the mantra so’ham aham sah (‘I am He, He is me’) within it. Aham (‘I’) and sah (‘He’) mean, ‘I am one with Spirit’. The letters s and h in the mantra soham are consonants, which represent the names and forms in this universe, their fleeting and temporary nature. If we remove the s and h, we are left with oam or om, the only true reality, the soul of your breath.
In this practice the breath and mantra become one as they are rotated up and down the spine, between the base chakra (muladhara) and the spiritual eye (ajna chakra).
There are other variations of the mantra used by different schools of yoga, such as hang-sah. Hang represents aham, the personal pronoun ‘I’, and sah represents the Cosmic Self. In practising this mantric kriya the ego and the Self become one.
The mantra hong sau (pronounced ‘hong saw’) also means ‘I am He’ (I am one with Spirit), but whereas soham relates to concentration on the currents of energy in the spine, hong sau is a mantra for developing deep concentration on the breath with the attention at the spiritual eye (ajna chakra).
If you want to be a Master in this lifetime, Yogananda told a disciple, then, along with your other meditation practices, practise hong sau at least two hours a day.
As a boy, I use to practise hong sau sometimes for seven hours at a time, until I entered the breathless state of ecstasy.
from The Essence of Self-Realization by Sri Kriyananda
If we can repeat this mantra constantly until it becomes integrated within our consciousness and is always present in the mind, we will realize our oneness with God.
Every day, the breath rises naturally, making the sound so, and falls, making the sound hum, 21,600 times. Very few people are aware of their breath throughout the day. The following practice of ajapa japa develops awareness and concentration, and is the basis for Kriya Yoga. One achieves pratyahara (sense-withdrawal) by mastering the practice of this technique.
1 Sit in a meditational posture and close the eyes. Keep the body still and relaxed, with the eyes focused at the spiritual eye (ajna chakra).
2 Begin to observe, with awareness, the natural flow of the breath for a few minutes.
3 Now bring your awareness to the psychic passage within the spine and feel the rising breath from the base of the spine (muladhara chakra) to the base of the brain (medulla oblongata). With this inhalation mentally synchronize and listen to the mantric sound so. Then, exhaling down the spine from the medulla oblongata to the muladhara chakra, listen with awareness to the sound of hum. Continue the technique with total concentration and awareness, listening inwardly to the sound of the mantra and following the movement of prana up and down the psychic passage within the spine.
The following is a more advanced technique.
1 As in the previous technique, sit in a meditational posture with your eyes focused calmly at the spiritual eye. Observe the natural flow of the breath with total awareness for a few minutes.
2 Focus your awareness in the psychic passage within the spine, then begin to raise the prana (life-force) with the breath through the inner spinal passage (sushumna). The breath should be felt passing consciously through each of the chakras as it ascends and descends through the sushumna nadi.
3 In this technique, breathe in ujjayi pranayama (see chapter 5). Ujjayi helps to induce a deeper meditative state and calms the nervous system down.
As you inhale, let your throat be open and expanded so that air flowing in through the nasal passages is directed against the back of the throat behind the tongue. This creates a suction effect, pulling the current gently upward. Exhale naturally, allowing the current of energy to descend through the chakras.
4 When you have established a comfortable rhythm of breathing in the spine, synchronize the soham mantra with the breath. Again, looking deeply into the spiritual eye and listening with awareness to the sound of the mantra, begin to ascend the prana or current of energy through the chakras, from the base chakra (muladhara) to the spiritual eye (ajna chakra). Be consciously aware of each chakra as you pass through it (see chapter 1). When you reach the spiritual eye hold the breath for three seconds. This can also be practised when you pause at the base of the spine (muladhara chakra).
5 Continue until you enter a deep meditative state. Rest in the silent stillness, feeling calmly surrendered in the peace and joy of God.
The Mantra Om
The mystic primordial sound om is at the root of all mantras. It is the origin of all other sounds and contains all sounds. The cosmic sound of om is called in Sanskrit the pranava (‘sacred syllable’).
In the Vedic scriptures, it is said that Brahman (the absolute Reality, pure Consciousness) revealed Itself originally as sound and the first sound was om. Therefore om is the closest symbol of God for deepening the concentration of the mind, leading to the realization of the supreme Reality.
In the Bible, we read: ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.’ (John 1:1) This means that before creation, nothing existed except God the Father as pure spirit: ever-existing, ever-conscious, ever new bliss. God created the universe and everything in it through his Word (which is God), the cosmic sound vibration om (the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit). God the Father, or Christ intelligence, guides the cosmic vibration to create all finite matter.
The cosmic vibration of om is used by Hindus as aum, Muslims as amin, and Christians as ‘amen’.
Paramhansa Yogananda has said that John the Baptist was baptized by the omnipresent sound of aum (the Holy Ghost), and that in a previous incarnation he was Jesus’ guru, called Elias. (Matthew 11:13—15 and 17:9—13 demonstrate support for the doctrine of reincarnation.)
Jesus became the Christ after being baptized by his guru, John. In the Bible John says, ‘I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him [Jesus].’ (John 1:32) Potentially, Jesus was a Master from birth, but it was actually at the time of his baptism or initiation by John the Baptist that be become a Master, Jesus the Christ. The Word (Holy Ghost or aum) had descended into Jesus (symbolized in the Bible and paintings of the baptism as a pure white dove). His human consciousness had expanded with the sound cosmic vibration of aum. Jesus embraced the vastness of infinite vibration. His consciousness became identified with the Christ-consciousness, which is the only reflection in all creation of God, the Father beyond creation. ‘Christ’ means ‘the anointed of God’ or ‘chosen by God’.
The Hindu and Christian Trinity
The mantra aum—tat—sat has its equivalent in the Trinity of Christianity.
• aum (om) — the Holy Ghost
• tat (kuthastha chaitanya) — Christ-consciousness (God the Son)
• sat — the Father aspect of God, the spirit beyond all vibration
Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva (the Hindu Trinity) do not represent the same aspects as the Christian Trinity, a common mistake made by Western followers of yoga. The triple divinity, Brahma (the Creator), Vishnu (the Preserver) and Shiva (the Destroyer) personify the three aspects of the mantra aum.
• A represents the creative vibration (Brahma), the manifestation.
• U represents the preserving vibration (Vishnu), the maintenance.
• M represents the destructive vibration (Shiva), the dissolution.
Sounding the Mantra Aum (Om)
The mantra aum may be sounded aloud, whispered or repeated mentally. The correct pronunciation of the three-syllabled aum is om, as in the English word, ‘home’. The three syllables should be pronounced equally.
In sounding the word, the a and the u become blended into o. The letter a starts at the back of the mouth, with the tongue lying relaxed on the lower palate, the sound resonating deeply from the lower abdomen. The letter u is formed in the middle of the mouth, and the letter m is formed by closing the lips. As the full range of the mouth is used, it is said that om contains all sounds.
In the Sanskrit symbol 
the crescent (or nada) represents the continuing sound prolonged by the person chanting. The dot (or bindu) indicates the termination of sound — not a distinct stop but a fading away. The number 3 (important in numerology) is in evidence with the three letters representing the physical, mental and spiritual bodies. Respectively the three letters of aum also represent waking consciousness, dream consciousness, and dreamless sleep.
Patanjali in his Yoga Sutras suggests om as something which reminds us of God. ‘The signified meaning of God is om.’ (1:27) Again, we refer to the Gospel according to St John (1:1):
‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.’
God and the Word (om) are one and the same. The Word (om) is with God now and it will always be with God. It is unchangeable, imperishable and eternal even when the universe and all that is manifested undergo change or dissolution.
In the next sutra, Patanjali instructs us how to use om. ‘Practise the repetition (japa) of om and meditate on its meaning with faith and devotion.’ (1:28)
To remind you again, svadhyaya means self-study. One aspect of self-study is the recitation of mantra. In the above extracts, Patanjali is saying that the mantra om be recited only to oneself, which is called japa.
Om draws our attention from mental, emotional and physical distractions to superconscious levels of perception. With intensity of concentration on om without distraction, all obstacles fall away. The mind then becomes one-pointed, calm and peaceful. In that complete mental tranquillity, there is an experience of great joy.
One who closes the [nine] doors of the senses and fixes the mind in the heart centre, meditating with life-force in the higher brain centres, who engages in the steady practice of yoga, reciting om, the divine Name that represents the changeless Brahman [God] and remembering Me at the time of death attains the supreme goal.
Bhagavad Gita, 8:12, 13
The following is the technique for chanting om.
1 Sit in a comfortable meditative posture. Relax the mind and body and keep the body still. Close the eyes and focus your concentration at the point between the eyebrows, at the spiritual eye.
2 Begin by chanting om aloud and feel the vibrations resonating through your whole being. Inhale deeply and let the sound of om flow out with the natural exhalation. Continue chanting om audibly like this for about ten minutes or more.
3 Now chant om in a whisper for about ten minutes.
4 Then, concentrating deeply at the spiritual eye, mentally chant om, feeling the vibrations pulsing there. Attentively listen with the inner ear to the sound as you chant (ten minutes).
5 Now be still, enter meditation with your concentration deeply fixed at the spiritual eye, feel your awareness expand into om. Contemplate the innate power of the sound of om and its spiritual significance.
6 Continue meditating, surrendering into the vibrations of om. Feel your awareness expanding still further into the field of pure consciousness, become one with om.
Mala Beads
Mala (or rosary) beads are used in counting the number of repetitions of a mantra, Names of God, breaths or kriyas.
A mala consists of a string of 108 beads. This is a spiritual number: 1 + 0 + 8 = 9. The number 9 cannot be destroyed, no matter how many times you multiply it or add it to its own multiple, it is the sacred number of eternity.
The 1 of 108 symbolizes God the Creator. The 0 added to the 1 gives it power and represents God's creation as complete. The number 8 is the symbol for eternity.
Each mala of 108 beads has an extra bead offset from the main circle. This bead is called a sumeru or Mount Meru, which acts as a reference point, so that the practitioner knows when he or she has completed a rotation of 108 beads.
Mala beads are usually made of sandalwood, rudraksha seeds, tulsi or crystal. Each material has its own particular vibrations. Sandalwood helps to calm the mind and connects the base with the crown chakra. Rudraksha is the fruit of a tree grown in India, Nepal and Java. This is the only fruit in which the stone and the pulp cannot be separated. When the fruit is ripe, the outer pulp becomes dry, wrinkled and very hard. At this stage the seeds can be used for malas. Rudraksha has a beneficial influence on the blood circulation, strengthens the heart and is recommended for those who have high blood pressure. Tulsi is a plant related to the herb basil. In India tulsi plants are worshipped by followers of Vishnu and Krishna. The branches of this plant are used for making malas and the leaves have medicinal value. Crystal malas are used for their psychic properties. Crystal beads can be mixed with rudraksha to add more power. Likewise sandalwood and crystal beads make a good combination for a mala.
Figure 11 Chanting with mala beads
To use a mala, hold the beads in the right hand, between the tip of the thumb and the tip of the middle finger. Do not use the index finger to rotate the beads as it is considered inauspicious in mantra-chanting. Use the middle finger. Start by chanting the mantra on the first bead next to the sumeru bead, then rotate the next bead and so on, until you have chanted the mantra on all 108 beads. When you come back to the sumeru bead turn the beads and start rotating them in the other direction. You should never chant on the sumeru bead or cross over it. Always rotate the mala towards the palm.
After your practice you either wear your mala around your neck or place it on your altar. Respect it with sacredness; do not let other people touch it.
Using a mala helps the mind to concentrate and physically releases nervous and restless energy by the movement of the hand.
AFFIRMATION
I resolve now to live life completely in each moment with inner awareness.
I look and listen attentively with interest to life. With clear understanding, I live centred in soul-awareness.
I observe with awareness from moment to moment my own thoughts, feelings, motives and desires. I identify and renounce those habits that prevent me from giving attention to important priorities, and my true purpose and direction in life.
I keep my mind and senses harmonized with the divine spirit within me by chanting and meditating on God's Name — God and His Name are one.
God is the inner light within my being, which illuminates my path, provides the answers that I seek and guides me to success in all that I think, say or do.
ISVARAPRANIDHANA: SURRENDER TO GOD
‘By total surrender to God one attains perfection in God-realization [samadhi].’ (The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, 2:45) Surrender to God is also referred to by Patanjali in the first part of his sutras (samadhi-pada): ‘Samadhi is also obtained by those who surrender to God.’ (1:23)
Ishvara means ‘the supreme Lord’ or ‘God’. Pranidhanat means ‘total surrender’.
As you read the above sutras, the following questions will probably arise in your mind.
1 What stops us from knowing, realizing and experiencing God?
2 Who or what is God?
3 Who surrenders and what is surrendered?
IGNORANCE, THE SELF-LIMITING BARRIER
What stops us from knowing, realizing and experiencing God? The answer is ignorance, which arises in the mind as egotism, the idea of ‘I’.
Patanjali describes ignorance and egotism in two sutras.
Ignorance gives to ego-sense, by identifying with the impermanent as eternal, the impure as pure, the painful as pleasurable, and ego-sense to be the true self.
Yoga Sutras, 2:5
Egotism is the false identification of the seer [soul] with the instrument of seeing [body-mind].
2:6
Ignorance begins in the mind, when the sense of ‘I’ or ego-sense arises. Due to misidentification the ego has forgotten its identity with the supreme Self or God, and has created its own prison.
All the suffering, sorrow and unhappiness we experience in life is not God's fault or doing, but our own. Through ignorance we lose our self-awareness, we forget God. The desire or need for something other than God causes separation from Him. We become divided and separated from our source of ever-new joy, inner peace and divine love, which creates sorrow and unhappiness in us. Until we awaken to our true identity and are united with our Source (God), we will continue to mistakenly identify with the mind, body and senses, causing more unhappiness, restlessness and discontent.
The spirit of God lives within us as pure consciousness, it is our true self, our inner Reality, but until we consciously know, experience and become aware of our Reality we will not succeed in attaining our union with God.
Mind, Ego and Intellect
The human physical brain is not the mind, it is an instrument used by the mind.
You, the individual soul, are not the mind, body or senses. You, the soul or Self are pure consciousness, eternally existing. The Self is beyond the characteristics of the mind, body and senses. It is the Self or soul—consciousness that activates and gives life to the mind, body and senses.
The mind is a very subtle form of matter, which appears to be intelligent, but is actually unintelligent. The only source of intelligence in the body is the soul, that is self-illumined. The mind and senses do not shine by their own light, by themselves they are lifeless. The mind and senses receive their life and activity from the soul-consciousness. The soul is always the subject and never the object.
Thought, which arises in the mind, has no intelligence of its own, because its movement is limited by its identity and its own programming. Thought is conditioned by the past and is always a movement away from what is in the present moment. The mind is constantly changing, its thoughts weaving backwards and forwards between the past and the future. This constant activity and movement of thought distracts us from being consciously and attentively aware of the present moment.
Thought creates division and disharmony in the mind. When the mind is silent and attentive to the moment, with awareness, it becomes undivided, calm and alert, to perceive and reflect life clearly.
The ego (ahamkara) and intellect (buddhi) are mental faculties of the mind (manas).
The mind receives sensations and impressions from the senses and sends reactions to them; the mind thinks, wills and doubts.
The discriminative and decision-making faculty of the mind is called the intellect. The intellect can judge, understand, compare and explain the objects on the relative plane of existence, but it is a limited instrument and it is unable to gauge the limitless. The intellect cannot know God, who is infinite, who inspires and activates the mind.
The ego is the faculty of identification, both with the objects of the world and with God. The ego is a bridge between the soul and the world. It co-ordinates the physical and mental functions of the human organism. Without the ego, the mind-body would run wild. The ego is necessary for synchronized functioning and harmony within the mind-body as a whole. What causes all the problems is the over-identification of the individual self with the ego. Someone who is egotistic has an extreme amount of self-interest, to the exclusion and detriment of others. An egotistic person acts from a sense of self-aggrandisement, isolation and insecurity. The ego creates its own individuality; it is always looking for new thoughts to continue its existence, it cannot survive without subject-object relation. The ego seeks security in repetition and habit. Its defence is the continuation of thought. When egotism is dominant, awareness is clouded, the light of the soul is unable to shine through.
The ego says ‘This is mine’, ‘I want this, I don't want that’, ‘I am this body’, ‘I am this mind’. Its vocabulary consists of ‘I’, ‘me’, ‘my’ and ‘mine’. The ego is submerged in its own ignorance, it cannot see God or truth if it is identifying with the mind, body and objects of the senses.
Our true Self will always be falsely represented by the ego until the mind becomes unconditioned from its ignorance. The mind becomes illuminated by Self when it turns inward to investigate its own source and nature.
WITH SURRENDER COMES TRUE FREEDOM
Who surrenders and what is surrendered? Surrender means the surrender of the ‘I’ or ‘ego’, or even more appropriately the realization of the non-existence of the ego and that God alone is.
‘I’ or ego does not surrender something else, therefore surrender is not ‘giving away’. Only when there is direct understanding of this truth that God alone is is there surrender. It is the result of non-attachment, selflessness and total dedication to self-awareness from moment to moment, with total trust and acceptance of the present.
Knowledge which is the true Self is veiled by an assumption of the ‘I’ or ego as an independent entity, but when the light of knowledge shines, the ego is seen to be non-existent. Darkness is an absence of light. We can keep darkness away from a room by switching on a light, but the moment we lose our self-awareness and forget God, the ego, with all its desires and attachments, keeps us in its prison of ignorance.
When the ego is surrendered, the mind becomes still, and in the silent mind God reveals Himself. It is the ego that creates division and restlessness in the mind. There is a very simple but beautiful example to illustrate this fact. When the sun is shining, it is one and unbroken. Let us assume you have a bowl of water and you are looking at the reflection of the sun in it. It is beautifully still, round and radiant. Suddenly the wind blows and the surface of the water is agitated. You then see that the sun has been broken. Even in what is one and indivisible, the agitated mind seems to create a division. As long as the subject-object division exists, the agitation of the mind will continue. When you begin to be aware of the subject and the object together, then the restlessness comes to an end, and with it all our temptations, personal desires, attachments and selfish motives.
Yogis have often given two examples to help us understand the concept of surrender. The first is of a hand between a light and a wall. When you shine your torch on the shadow on the wall, the shadow surrenders itself to the light; it becomes absorbed.
The second example is of a doll made of salt which had the power to think. One day it was standing on the beach and began to think, how big is this ocean and how deep is it? At that moment, there was a boat going to the sea, so the doll jumped on it. The doll looked and looked, and wondered how deep the ocean was at that point. Suddenly, it decided to dive into the ocean to see. As it dived in, it instantly knew and experienced the length, breadth and depth of the ocean; instantly, because when it dissolved it became the ocean. This dissolution is possible because the salt-doll was also made of the ocean salt.
Similarly, there is nothing called ‘I’ or ‘me’ which is other than the universe. The body is made of the material elements of the universe — earth, water, fire, air, ether. Air is moving throughout the body to keep it alive. There is also intelligence of course, which is also of the universe. In the Bhagavad Gita (7:4, 5), Lord Krishna informs us: ‘Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and false ego — altogether these eight comprise My separated material energies.’ The subtle body is comprised of the mind, intelligence and false ego, which is also of a lower, inferior nature to the superior nature of the self. What is it that I consider ‘me’? An examination of the self in this manner is also called surrender.
Self-realization means realizing your true self as the great ocean of spirit, by breaking the delusion that you are this little ego, this little human body and personality.
Paramhansa Yogananda, from The Essence of Self-Realization by Sri Kriyananda
To know complete surrender, look at and study the lives of past saints and Masters like Jesus Christ, St Francis of Assisi, Sri Anandamayi Ma, Paramhansa Yogananda and others. You will see that their lives were an offering at the feet of God; for them there was only God.
Mother Teresa of Calcutta is an outstanding example of one who is totally surrendered in love and devotion to God and in serving others in God. Love and service go together, the fulfilment of love is service. When we surrender to this divine love within us, we become embodiments of that love.
WHO OR WHAT IS GOD?
To truly understand what God is, we need to transcend the mind. Mind is matter, subject to change. It is limited and conditioned by thought. The limited material mind cannot understand God, who is unlimited, infinite and more subtle than mind. We cannot know and experience God with the mind, merely by intellectualizing or reading books about it. We have to transcend the mind/ego/intellect and let go of all concepts of what God is.
In the beginning of our search for God, thinking and reading about God may help us to open ourselves consciously to inner awareness. But first we must honestly and willingly admit that all our knowledge about God has come through the opinions, concepts and thoughts of the limited, finite human mind.
The mind cannot know that which is beyond the mind. We have to transcend the mind by quietening it, by stilling our thoughts. In that stillness, where the constant chattering of the mind ceases, we remain in the conscious awareness of the Self and listen attentively. It is in this inner stillness that God reveals Himself as inner joy, inner peace, inner love and wisdom. Knowing God comes from inner soul-realization. We, the individual soul, are made in the image and likeness of God, so, when we are consciously aware of His presence within us and commune with God, we experience those manifestations and qualities which are God: divine love, divine joy, wisdom, inner light and inner peace. In deep meditation in inner communion with God one is able to experience God as the cosmic sound vibration (the Holy Ghost) of om.
The soul is aware of its divinity; it intuitively feels itself to be eternal as God is, and that in oneness with God it manifests those very same qualities that God manifests.
We are all seeking pure love, inner peace and ever-new joy, but due to forgetfulness and ignorance we are not consciously aware of our true nature as the ever-existing, ever-conscious, blissful soul within. Due to our unawareness and ignorance we unsuccessfully strive to find peace, love and joy outwardly through the limited mind, body and senses.
Many of us never seem to learn that our freedom, peace, love and joy are not dependent on outer conditions and circumstances. We have become so conditioned by our minds and by our thoughts that we are unaware God is closer to us than our own breath. God is not separate and apart from us. He is not sitting disinterestedly in some far corner of the universe, withholding His love. He is not a cruel and vengeful God giving out punishments and diseases to those that have sinned and blessings only to those who are good. God neither wills nor sends disease as punishment. From beginning to end God is clearly revealed in the Bible, particularly the New Testament, as a loving and healing God. His whole purpose, we are told, is to bring all things to wholeness. The divine plan is one of renewal, restoration and perfection. God did not create us to be diseased. We were made to be perfect in mind, body and spirit, and to be full of love, joy, peace, wisdom and health. There is no warrant in the scriptures for believing that disease is part of God's plan, any more than sin is. God did not create it, nor does He purposely inflict it upon us. God made all things good, and God in all His goodness is within each and every one of us. God is truth, and all that is good is from Him, of Him, and in Him.
Truth is always positive and creative, it is the light that is hidden by the ignorance of the ego and selfishness in our hearts. It is our negative thoughts such as fear, anxiety, worry, anger, hatred, resentment and jealousy that deny the truth that God loves us and that His love is part of the life in us, working in us for our good. When we hold on to these negative thoughts, we deny the actuality of God's qualities in us, of love, peace, calmness, joy and contentment.
Truth is infinite. No religion, cult, sect, or organization has an exclusive authority to represent truth. No one can have the last word about it because truth cannot be organized, it is not static, it is always new in every moment; it is unlimited. The ignorant, selfish and power-hungry mind tries to crystallize truth by organizing it with narrow creeds and dogma, but truth cannot and will not be confined within the walls of error.
God is love and God is forever expressing His love to all life in His creation, in this universe. Everything that exists does so because God's life, God Himself, is in it. God is the author and giver of life and without the life that God is, creation would dissolve and there would be nothing. ‘In Him we live and move and have our being.’ (Acts 17:28) God also lives and has being in us.
God's love, which caused all creation, cannot rest content with anything less than perfection, and so is constantly working towards it. God is greater than His creation, but He is also in it. God is transcendent, beyond His world, but He is also immanent, remaining in the midst of it. Our purpose is to co-operate with God's Will and be willing instruments through which truth can reveal itself, to be a perfect channel through which God's Will may be done, by attuning ourselves to God and realizing our oneness with Him. Our lives are also intended for the selfless service of all. Through selfless service we expand the heart and break all barriers that stand in the way of the unity and oneness of all existence. Selfless service with love opens the heart and purifies the mind. Both meditation and service are important to practise if we are to progress quickly along the spiritual path.
Our purpose is to co-operate with God's Will, but we are given free choice to act as we will. We can either make ourselves one with God, or separate ourselves from Him. Our suffering, sorrow, unhappiness and disease are brought upon us by our own ignorance and forgetfulness of God. We cause our own suffering through our unawareness of God, by thinking that our purpose here on earth is to gratify our own selfish desires, without thinking of what God's desire is, what God wants us to do, what God's Will is for us.
Paramhansa Yogananda said:
Human suffering is not a sign of God's anger with mankind. It is a sign, rather, of man's ignorance of the divine law. The law is forever infallible in its workings.
From The Essence of Self-Realization by Sri Kriyananda
God is not changeable. Being the great authority behind and in all things, He works, as indeed any other lesser authority does, by the rule of law. For example, a government brings the rule of beneficent law to its people. If the law is broken then the people suffer. Similarly, if we break God's immutable laws, we cease to enjoy the fulness of His goodness, even while it is within our grasp.
Every action and every thought reaps its own corresponding rewards. The natural law of cause and effect is immutable and operates everywhere in the physical world and on the mental plane. Things do not happen in this world, or even in this universe, by accident or by chance. There is a reason and a positive, definite cause behind everything that happens, whether it be diseases of the body, earthquakes, floods, volcanic eruptions, the outbreak of war, a plane or car crash, rising to fame and becoming rich, or losing all to become homeless on the streets.
This natural law of causation is known as the doctrine or law of karma. Karma is a Sanskrit word meaning any kind of mental or physical action, and the result of an action. These actions are imprinted in the mind and are called samskaras (impressions). Our past samskaras motivate our present actions; what we sow is what we reap.
Paramhansa Yogananda once enlightened a disciple on karma.
‘It seems unfair,’ a disciple lamented, ‘that we should be punished for mistakes that we made unintentionally, without realizing they were wrong.’
‘Ignorance,’ replied the Master, ‘doesn't alter the law. If a person drives his car absentmindedly into a tree, his resulting injuries won't be fewer because he was absent-minded.
‘You must learn to adapt your actions to the law. As Sri Yukteswarji [Yogananda's guru] remarked once to me, “The cosmos would be fairly chaotic if its laws could not operate without the sanction of human belief.’”
From The Essence of Self-Realization by Sri Kriyananda
We create our own happiness or unhappiness by our own thoughts and actions. Both man and woman are that which they will themselves to be. Our whole character is determined by the thoughts for which we allow a place in our mind. Strong people are what they are because of repeated thoughts of strength. Every act and every condition has its origin in the mind. Thoughts, whether positive or negative, are seeds that, when dropped or planted in the subconscious mind, germinate, grow and bring forth their fruit in due season.
No one, including God, is responsible for our thoughts and actions but ourselves. It is our very own mind that is the cause of our suffering and unhappiness, it creates all our feelings and experiences of pain and pleasure.
God is love. Love never hurts or destroys, for like all good qualities, love is creative. God gives His love equally to all, He is all-benevolent and all-loving. God is not a fearful God, we have no need to fear Him, for fear only keeps us away from Him. The correct way to approach God is just as a child would approach its mother, with complete trust and love. God is like the mother, loving, kind, forgiving and protective against all harm.
In the Bible, St Paul beautifully describes to us what love is:
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always preserves. Love never fails.
1 Corinthians 13:4–8
It is through love that we can approach God and draw inspiration from Him by offering our hearts unconditionally to Him.
The best way by which we can show our love for God is by constant remembrance of Him, not only in meditation but in all our daily activities. If we forget God, then our love is lost, we feel a separation from that inner joy, inner calmness and peace without knowing why. When we forget God and feel separated, our minds become restless and run from one thing to another in pursuit of objects of the senses outside, instead of looking within in the stillness of the heart to that supreme Reality, whose nature is ever-new joy, love and peace.
We need to practise the presence of God. This involves establishing a continuing awareness of God with love, trust, faith and devotion, in every aspect of our lives. It is turning our thoughts from outer circumstances to the presence of God within.
If we feel distant from God, it is because we have created the distance. When we bring our awareness and attention back to God, the source of all joy, love, peace, knowledge and wisdom, feelings of separation disappear.
Before we can practise the presence of God, we must first come to know God. How we relate to God is determined by our understanding of Him.
The sacred scriptures and saints and sages tell us what God is.
God is not far from each one of us. For in Him we live and move and have our being.
Acts 17:27–8
God is love and anyone who lives in love lives in God, and God lives in him.
1 John 4:16
God is Spirit.
1 John 4:24
God is Light.
1 John 1:5
God is Eternal.
Genesis 21:33
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God.
John 1:1
Paramhansa Yogananda has said that the Word (Holy Ghost) is the cosmic intelligent sound vibration om.
The yogic scriptures tell us that God is satchitananda (ever-existing, ever-conscious, ever-new bliss), meaning that God's joy is ever-new.
In the Brahma-Sutras, an ancient Vedic scripture, God is explained as Him from whom everything emanates. The Supreme Being is fully cognisant of everything, directly and indirectly; unless He is fully cognisant of everything, He cannot be God.
Both the Bhagavad Gita and the Bible tell us that God is ever-living and eternal.
Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these things, nor in the future shall any of us cease to be.
Bhagavad Gita 2:12
‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.’
Revelations, 1:8
Eternity into the past seems impossible for us to comprehend fully, and yet, beyond the farthest reaches of our imagination, God has always been.
Even if we think that someone else created God, this still implies the existence of an ultimate cause.
No one made God because God, and God only, as the First Cause, is the cause of everything that is made. Whereas we come into existence only when something causes us to exist, God simply is. God is even before the beginning.
Admitting an ultimate cause, we must ask the basic question of creation: was that original cause conscious or inert?
We wonder at the creation and workings of nature. What is the power that produces a huge tree with twigs, leaves, flowers and fruit from a tiny seed? What is the power that supplies water for trees, flowers and the food that grows on this earth? At whose command does the sun rise to give warmth, light and energy? The sun and rain bring life to the plant and tree from without, but inside it are the tiny cells, perfectly adapted to their work, absorbing and distributing the sustenance. The life of God is in them all, sun, rain and cells. It is invisible, intangible and it cannot be magnified, dissected or analysed, but there it is, and neither sun nor rain nor cells would be of any use without it.
Who divided the seasons and changes the colour of the leaves on the trees in autumn? Look at the vastness of space above you: there is a perfect orchestrated order to it. The planets revolve on a precise degree of axis and at an exact speed; if they were to do otherwise the universe would be in chaos, there would be no order. Is this then a display of intelligent creation or a product of a fortuitous combination of particles of matter?
God is the all-prevading spirit and life of the universe, He is the essential power and reality in all things. God is the first causeless cause, whose conscious Will rules every action in the universe.
I am the Source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me.
Bhagavad Gita 10:8
Of all creations I am the beginning, the end and also the middle.
Bhagavad Gita 10:32
The difficulty we have in accepting something or someone without a cause is due to our conditioned life, for nothing within our experience has ever been causeless.
There are some people who think of God as being some kind of void or empty vacuum, but even in outer space there is an ethereal ocean of waves, rays, particles, light and sound vibrations. All over the universe there are innumerable planets and stars. Our own planet contains mountains, rivers, birds, animals, trees, plants and people — people with feelings, ideas and creativity. Since God by definition is the source of all that exists, our conception must be adequate to explain how He has caused all these manifestations. How could so many human beings and other forms at different levels of consciousness come from a void, from nothing?
God is the Supreme Intelligence that gave birth to all life. First came God's conscious vibratory consciousness, out of which unfolded, through cosmic sound vibration and cosmic light, the causal, astral and material worlds.
The material objects were formed by the condensing of the subtlest of elements down through to the grossest, in the following order: ether, air, fire, water, earth.
Are we God? In essence we are, for we are an eternal part of Him. God is not separate from us, He is omnipresent, He is the divine indweller within us all. Although in quality we are the same as God, we cannot be greater than God. The emanations cannot have or be more than the whole.
The soul (jivatma) in the body is a part of My eternal Self; it attracts to itself the mind and the five senses, which rest in matter (prakriti).
Bhagavad Gita 15:7
You are the Father, also the greatest teacher of this animate and inanimate creation and supremely adorable. You are the possessor of incomparable glory, in all the three worlds there is no one equal to You; how can anyone be superior?
Bhagavad Gita 11:43
Although religion generally teaches that we are all eternal, most of the world scriptures make the distinction between the infinite greatness of God and the infinitesimal nature of God's eternal parts (the individual souls). If you, I and everyone else are God, why can we not create an entire cosmic universe? If I am God why do I have to suffer the miseries of disease, old age and death in this material body? If I am God, but have forgotten, how did I forget? Forgetfulness implies that the force of ignorance (avidya) or illusion (maya) is more powerful than me. That means that I am not God, for God is not subject to ignorance or illusion, He is without pain, pleasure, sorrow and fear. ‘God is Light; in Him there is no darkness at all.’ (1 John 1:5)
It is only the ‘I’ or false ego that is subject to ignorance and illusion. Although God is immanent in the world, God is also transcendental, He rises above it. God can never be polluted or coloured by ignorance.
As the material elements enter the bodies of all living beings and yet remain outside them all, I exist within all material creations and yet am not within them.
Srimad Bhagavatam 2:9:35
Does God have form or is God formless?
God is impersonal in His formless aspect, but in His personal or manifest aspect he is love. The great Masters, saints and avatars are the incarnations or forms of God as love. Jesus Christ, Lord Krishna, Buddha, St Francis of Assisi and Paramhansa Yogananda are some of the shining examples of God's love in form. These great lights that come into the world to illumine the darkness and show us God's love were also the impersonal infinite consciousness behind the form.
God can be realized as formless (nirguna) or with form (saguna), they are inseparably linked. God is beyond form and yet He takes on all forms. God is omnipotent, He can be in the atom and simultaneously in the vast universe.
Although the sun stays in one part of the universe, still it is simultaneously present everywhere in its expansion of sunshine. Just as the energy and the energetic cannot be separated, so it is the same with God and His creation.
Since God is omnipresent, He has also assumed the form of the universe. The whole universe is an expression of God's love. God reveals to us His love and wisdom through the beauty He has created in the numerous and varied forms around us in the world and universe.
When we feel close to nature we can feel, see and experience God's love and beauty in the flowers, plants and trees — these are expressions of the delicacy, sensitiveness and gentleness of His life-force.
Is God one or many? God is one without a second, there is no other God besides Him. All of us as individual souls are numerous reflected souls of the one universal spirit (God).
In this universe there is only one sun that gives warmth, light and energy to this planet Earth, there is no other. Similarly there is only one God who shines his divine light, divine love, cosmic energy, and continually showers us with His divine grace.
It is God that dreamed us into existence, His one and only purpose is to see that all His children evolve spiritually.
God belongs to no religion, church or organization and yet He belongs to all, because God is everywhere and He is everything. God is formless and at the same time He is the form of all forms.
God is worshipped in different religions by different names according to the characteristic or quality to which a person wishes to express their devotion and aspiration. In India for example, God is worshipped through many gods and goddesses, which are simply seen and experienced as different manifestations of the one absolute truth. Each deity embodies a particular aspect or quality of the Supreme. For example, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are the three aspects of God. Brahma is the creative aspect, Vishnu is the preserving aspect, and Shiva is the destructive or dissolving aspect.
There is a wonderful little story of a holy man who lived in India during the 16th century, who asked for forgiveness for the three errors he had committed during the life of his devotional practices.
• He gave God a name and a conceptual form — God who cannot be limited to names, concepts or form — but the holy man needed to do so in order to relate his limited mind through a relatable means.
• He worshipped God in a temple — God who is everywhere and cannot be confined to any one place — but he needed to go to a sacred place to find peace and quiet.
• He glorified God who, unlike the human ego, seeks no glorification, but he did so to be humble and transcend his ego by attributing to God all that there was to be grateful about.
The Lord our God is one Lord.
Deuteronomy 6:4
There is one God; and there is no other than He.
Mark 12:32
I am the source of all creation. Everything in the world moves because of Me; with this realization the wise, full of devotion, worship Me.
Bhagavad Gita 10:8
Arjuna, even those devotees who, endowed with faith, worship other gods, they too worship Me alone, without proper knowledge. For I am the only enjoyer and Lord of all sacrifices. Those who are deluded and fail to realize My true nature are subjected to birth and death.
Those who worship the gods (devas) go to the gods; those who worship their ancestors, and those who worship ghosts find their place with them, but those who worship Me attain Me.
Bhagavad Gita 9:23–5
God is one, there can be no separateness from Him. God is both manifest and unmanifest, He manifests in all He has created, from the mineral, plant and animal kingdoms to human beings. The only separateness is from our own ignorance. Our delusion of separateness causes us to see diversity in the world.
If you have the wisdom of God-consciousness, then you will see God and God alone everywhere.
Ramana Maharshi
The yogi who is united in identity with the all-pervading infinite consciousness, sees the Self abiding in all beings and all beings in the Self; he sees the same everywhere.
Bhagavad Gita 6:29
He who, established in unity, worships Me as residing in all beings (as their very Self) whatever his mode of existence, realizes Me as pervading all beings.
Bhagavad Gita 6:31
‘But to each one of us grace has been given.’ (Ephesians 4:7) God's grace is like the sunshine. When clouds come between us and the sun, we cannot feel its warmth or receive its light, but when the clouds are removed we receive its warmth, light and energy. Similarly, God is continually showering us with His grace. We have only to remove the obstructions which make us feel separate from God's energy to experience His loving grace.
God's grace is always available to us. God is within us, and it is God's grace that is our sufficiency in all things. ‘My grace is sufficient for you for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ (Corinthians 12:9)
It is God's grace that makes us long for Him, and by longing for God we develop a constant remembrance of Him. Through constant remembrance of God, one develops dispassion towards the world and comes closer to God. Dispassion is not rejecting or renouncing life, but living life with complete awareness in God. It is bringing the consciousness of God into all our everyday actions, into everything we do.
We cannot attain God without His grace; remembrance of God comes through His grace.
To be in attunement with God we need to make a deep, conscious meditative effort toward living in the inner awareness of God-consciousness, offering ourselves up with love to the divine and bringing that awareness more into our lives.
Sincerity, self-surrender, love, devotion, conscious awareness, a strong desire to know God and a constant, consistent effort to progress spiritually will bring us more in attunement with God's grace. When we become surrendered in selfless love and selfless service we will feel the reality of divine grace working in our lives at all times. Surrender and grace are interrelated: surrender begins the process of purifying the heart and grace completes it. The more we surrender unconditionally, the more grace we receive.
God's grace comes to us in inner strength, inner peace, understanding and wisdom to overcome obstacles and difficulties. With God's grace the universe meets all our natural needs.
When the disciple is ready the guru appears. When we are sincere in wanting to know God by making a sincere and strong effort to find Him, His divine grace directs us to a saint, guru or Master — a pure, illumined soul who can awaken us from within to realize our divinity. Such saints act as a channel for God in the awakening of mankind to the awareness and consciousness of God.
Attain this truth by approaching a self-realized Master. Surrender to him and with respect and devotion enquire with a sincere heart, and render service to him. The wise seer of truth will unfold that knowledge to you. Then you will no more be subjected to delusion; you will see all beings in the Self and Me.
Bhagavad Gita 4:34–5
The intense desire for God-realization is itself the way to it.
Sri Anandamayi Ma
The Need for Faith in God
The word ‘faith’ originally comes from a Hebrew root mn, from which we derive the word ‘amen’ (‘it is so’). It referred originally to a mother nursing her child. Her arms were secure, safe, trustworthy, they were faithful.
Everybody has some faith, no matter how little, because without it we would not be able to accomplish anything. We must have faith in ourselves and in others to complete any act, whether it be asking our parents when we were born, sitting in the dentist's chair, waiting for the sun to rise or the full moon to appear, or for the decorator to make a good job of decorating the living room.
We need faith in ourselves to achieve our aims and goals. Similarly we need faith in God if we are to progress and unfold spiritually. Faith in yourself and faith in God are actually the same, because your self is God. We forget until that inner faith is called upon suddenly against an enemy without or even an unseen enemy in the form of a disease like cancer. Then your faith in God within is remembered, you draw upon its strength to fight the enemy. Faith in God brings peace of mind, inner strength, courage and wisdom to face the everyday storms and trials in life. Faith in God gives deep feelings of assurance, inner security and freedom. When we doubt ourselves then we doubt the God within us, which makes us unsteady and subject to fear and anxiety.
Our true security is in God; when we cultivate our faith in God we shall have a secure foundation on which hope can be built. No matter what trials come to us we will be able to face them all with inner faith and the inner strength of knowing that God's all-embracing love, peace, strength and healing power are with us always.
Faith means expanding your intuitive awareness of God's presence within and not relying on reason as your chief means of understanding.
Paramhansa Yogananda, from The Essence of Self-Realization by Sri Kriyananda
Have faith in God.
Jesus Christ in Mark 11:22
Devotion: The Way of Love
In the quest for God, the unfolding of the heart's natural love, in the form of deep devotion, is the prime requisite for success. Without devotion, not a single step can be taken towards Him.
Devotion is no sentiment: it is the deep longing to commune with, and know, the only Reality there is.
Sri Kriyananda
Devotion is the surrendered, undivided, loving contemplation of God. The easiest way to transcend or reduce the ego and surrender to the divine Will, is through devotion to God.
The path of knowledge (jnana) without love and devotion can be dry and barren. The devotional path (bhakti) without knowledge can result in emotional fervour and sentimentality. Both these paths can lead to enlightenment, but the more soul-satisfying path is that which combines self-enquiry and discrimination with loving devotion to God.
One who is truly devoted to God considers every action as service of God and feels the presence of the divine everywhere. The devotee of God loves all beings as manifestations of God himself.
The devotee develops intense longing for and continuous remembrance of God and, through that devoted intensity, merges in God and realizes that ‘The Father and I are one.’
When we open ourselves to God and make a sincere effort to know Him, His grace flows to us, and our devotion deepens. Opening to God is not a passive thing, like opening a window and then hoping that the sun is shining. We have to put out a magnetic call to God and attune ourselves to His flow of grace. If we want God, then we have to invite Him into our lives.
God has everything. There really is not anything that he needs from us, except our love. This is the one thing He does not have unless we choose to give it.
When you love someone very deeply, then there is no question of scheduling time for them. The urge to be with your loved one is so great that ‘everything else can wait but I must see my beloved’. Similarly, we have to develop a great depth of love for God.
Devotional love can be awakened in us through the association with saints and self-realized gurus, those who have already developed this great depth of love. These saints or Masters may come to you in different ways: in person or through superconscious dreams. You may also associate with the saints by reading about them or feeling their presence in prayer and meditation.
Devotion can also be awakened in us through chanting or singing God's Name (kirtan). Paramhansa Yogananda said, ‘Chanting is half the battle.’ He defined chanting as a singing prayer, or talking to God in devotional song.
Chanting has the power to uplift the mind and heart and turn them toward God. It also has the power to heal the body, mind and soul, but most important is the power chanting has to open our hearts in love and devotion. It is love alone that is the price for admission to God's presence and if we chant His Name with love, sincerity and devotion, He will shower His grace upon us.
Through devotion we develop humility and our loving surrender to God draws Him closer to us.
Fix your mind on Me, be devoted to Me, with ceaseless worship bow reverently before Me. Entering into such complete divine communion you will surely come to Me.
Bhagavad Gita 9:34
The path of love is the highest path. Love of God is supreme; devotion to God is devotion to eternal truth.
Narada Sutras 81
THE PRACTICE OF ISVARAPRANIDHANA
1 Surrender your ego thoughts, ego behaviour, ego attitudes and states of consciousness which are not helpful in unfolding towards self-realization.
2 Choose a lifestyle which fully supports your highest aspirations, spiritual awareness and total health in mind, body and spirit.
Then live from a higher understanding, to experience your true reality.
3 Make a dedicated inner resolve and affirmation.
Affirm the importance of knowing God, and dedicate yourself to be loyal to your chosen spiritual path.
With unwavering attention and willing participation, make a constant effort to be surrendered in God. Be patient in the face of obstacles and challenges. Have faith and trust in God and your guru to guide you from within.
4 Live with purpose, awareness and understanding.
Open yourself to life by giving and sharing — keep the energy flowing!
5 Cultivate an increased awareness of the presence and reality of God.
6 Meditate regularly and deeply.
Do so with a surrendered heart, love and devotion, to experience a conscious loving relationship with God.
7 Develop trust, faith and devotion in God.
If you do so, surrender will follow. Pray regularly with a surrendered heart in devotion, so that you become aware of God's omnipresence and attract His grace.
8 Raise your consciousness to a higher awareness and understanding during your daily activities.
In all that you do, perform your duties with the thought of God. When duties are performed as an offering to God, it is as spiritually beneficial as meditation.
9 Self-surrender is the result of constant God-remembrance.
10 Understand that God can be loved with or without form.
Attune your mind and will to the divine Will.
11 Associate with others who are devoted to God.
This means especially saints and self-realized gurus, because they are the messengers of God who deny delusion and can awaken in your consciousness the consciousness of God.
12 Sing and chant to God.
This will awaken your soul qualities of love, ever-new joy and devotion to God.
13 Study the lives of great saints, gurus and enlightened Masters.
Read and study spiritually inspiring books such as:
• the Bhagavad Gita (especially chapter 12, which focuses on the supreme importance of devotion and faith in spiritual development)
• Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramhansa Yogananda
• the New Testament of the Bible
• Practising the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence
• God Alone by Sister Gyanamata
AFFIRMATION
I release all attachments and desires.
I surrender my ego to my own inner divinity, the spirit of God within. I attune my will to God's Will. Divine intelligence guides me in higher ways of expression. I have complete faith in the presence, love, power, wisdom and life of God.
Through an ever-increasing awareness of the spirit of God within, I am reborn into a consciousness of ever-new joy, inner peace and all-encompassing love, by which I am renewed, revitalized and refreshed.
The love of God surrounds me, I am secure in God's love, strength and peace. From the presence and power of God within, I live, move and have my being. Surrendered in God-realization I am free from the darkness of limitation and delusion. I awake into the light of true freedom, peace, love and ever-new joy!