Friday - September 21, 2007

Does meditation affect dreams?

Q:Does meditation affect dreams?

Yes, meditation definitely affects the dreams, because it is restructuring the entire mind and consciousness. Meditation makes the subconscious conscious.

Odd dreams do occur, some even unpleasant, but it is all part of the clearing out and ordering process. There is usually little value in trying to figure them out. The purpose of the dream was accomplished while you were centered in the subconscious and often has no relevance to the conscious mind. Some dreams are significant, but it is best to let them be. Life itself is a message from the inmost Self.

Tuesday - September 11, 2007

What Becomes of the Soul After Death?

What is the afterlife like for ordinary people or for those that are liberated? What does the liberated soul do in the afterlife? If one is liberated are they kept separate from those who are not? What decides where a person goes after death?

Because of their unique karma, no two people have the same experiences after birth in this world. It is just the same with “birth” into the astral worlds. Each person’s experiences will continue to be distinctively theirs.

One thing and one thing only determines where we go after death: our level of consciousness–our evolutionary status. What happens after we get there is determined by our karma.

A liberated person will have control over where he goes and what takes place there. But no world is inaccessible to him–including the earth plane.

You might find Sivananda’s book WHAT BECOMES OF THE SOUL AFTER DEATH? useful. It can be downloaded from www.sivanandaonline.org.

It is #44 in the list.

Sunday - August 05, 2007

The Value of Holy Company

What is the value of “holy company”?

One tuning fork can make another vibrate if they are brought close to one another. The same is true of holy people–they make our innate holiness wake up and emerge.

Thursday - July 26, 2007

Dying in Unconsciousness

Why is it considered unfortunate to die in a state of unconsciousness?

To be “unconscious” at the time of death is not fortunate because a yogi should consciously by an act of will leave the body. Being able to do so can be the difference between having to come back and being freed from (at least earthly) rebirth. How are we able to consciously leave the body? This ability is developed by meditation itself, for meditation enables us to even now begin separating our consciousness from materiality. Not that we can die from meditation! Nor do we need to work on some “technique” of consciously leaving the body, either. Meditation takes care of everything.

Friday - July 20, 2007

Astrology: Eastern or Western

On your Website you discuss some benefits of astrology for spiritual life. Do you recommend Vedic astrology over Western astrology? Can you recommend an astrologer to consult?

It is our experience that although Indian astrology is more complex and the most fully developed, still Western astrology can be as beneficial in most instances. The crux of the matter is finding a good astrologer. A good astrologer is invaluable, whichever type of astrologer is employed.

We hesitate to recommend astrologers because for some reason different people can have differing experiences with the same astrologer.

What we do recommend is that when you find an astrologer you do not entrust them with many questions or extremely important ones, either. First you should do a “test” consultation on a matter of moderate importance and see how they perform. Only when they prove themselves should you have them do more complex (and therefore more expensive) work.

It is our practice to consult at least two astrologers on the same question to compare their analysis. (We actually ask one Indian astrologer and one Western astrologer.)

Be cautious and realize that you may not easily find a skilled astrologer right away. But the search will be worth it when you do.

Sunday - July 08, 2007

Dreams and Communications from the Dead

Q. I have dreams at night with sages from the past. I am wondering if these are just dreams or if the dead can make communication through dreams.

A. First, please see the section on visions in the question-and-answer material, because what applies to visions mostly applies to dreams. Ramana Maharshi’s cautions about getting involved with vision and dreams is most important and trustworthy.

It is extremely hard trying to figure out whether a dream is “real” or “true.” Yogananda said that if we dream of a saint and they look exactly like their photographs, then the dream is real, for the subconscious mind cannot reproduce the form of a realized Master. I have found that this is an extremely valuable principle, for a lot of the time our mind is just fooling around or even trying to trick us.

But even if the dream proves to be “real” is it completely trustworthy? For often a dream has both superconscious and subconscious elements mixed together. It is not uncommon for the mind to splice in subconscious “footage” even if the basic part of the dream is real. I have known for dreams to start out real and end up fantasy. How can the difference be detected?

It is best to just take note of what is dreamed but to go no further than that. In time life itself will reveal the truth or falsehood of the dream, as well as its value or worthlessness.

Masters never die, but live forever, and they can communicate with us. It has been my experience that such communication is always backed up with more objective elements, that the communications are more a pointing out than a stand-alone kind of teaching.

There is no substitute for the intuition developed by meditation–not even visitations from saints and angels.

Sunday - July 01, 2007

The Virgin Birth and Natural Law

Wouldn’t a “virgin birth” be against natural laws? What would be the purpose, anyway?

Nothing is more natural than the supernatural! God is the only “natural” thing there is.

Just as there are many strata in the earth and in the sea, so there are many levels of existence with their own laws. The higher supercede the lower. Until humans discovered the laws of aerodynamics they could not fly–it seemed impossible, even miraculous.

Once a spirit has attained to Supreme Consciousness the rules are completely different. Remember, our bodies are in exact correspondence to our level of consciousness. A human body is for human consciousness. How, then, can Divine Consciousness manifest through a human body? It cannot. So a kind of “hybrid” body, human-yet-divine, is needed. Otherwise the body will be electrocuted or blown apart by the incredible force that is normal for an avatar (divine incarnation). It seems that such a great one can have a mother, but not a father. The elements of a body can be drawn from a human mother, but that which is usually “supplied” by the father must be created or manifested in a special form. These women experience a great light entering into them and pervading them, and so the conception occurs. So it was with the mothers of Buddha and Jesus. This was seen by several people in the case of Sri Ramakrishna’s mother. All the ins and outs are incomprehensibe to us. What matters is the teaching of such sacred persons, for by following their words we also come into spiritual alignment with them and receive great blessings and upliftment. They really are “saviors,” but not in the lazy way supposed by Christians.

Friday - June 22, 2007

Six Short Questions and Answers

Would you explain your life and mission?

Our life and mission are the same thing: The self-realization of the members of our ashram through the practice of yoga and renunciation–and helping others do the same through the information, philosophical and practical, given on our website.

What is “self-realization”?

It is the full knowledge–by direct and permanent experience–of the Self (Atman), our eternal, immortal Spirit. Since our Self (jivatman) and the Supreme Self (Paramatman) are essentially one, even though distinct, it is also knowledge of God. The result of self-realization is perfection in consciousness and freedom from all conditionings and karmas, and total liberation from the cycle of birth and death. It is absolute freedom (moksha). A self-realized person is truly a “god” within the greater Being of God.

Is it necessary for me to be married or unmarried to succeed in yoga?

Both married and unmarried people have been great yogis. It is the “yoga life” that matters, not marital status. There is no need to be married or to be unmarried. What is needed is to be a yogi.

What about miracles?

The more supernatural or miraculous a thing may be, the more normal it is–in the sense of being closer to the Source.

Does the one who writes the fine articles on celibacy have a Catholic background? Or has there been study of the Catholic Church Fathers? I am curious.

The articles on brahmacharya (celibacy) were written by traditional (orthodox) Indian Brahmins. It is very doubtful that they would have studied Catholic Church Fathers. As you will notice, the basis of their thinking is brahmacharya as a matter of spiritual expediency, as a facilitation of spiritual life, and not the virtue-versus-sin approach of Christianity in general.

What is the difference between the air and ether elements?

Ether–akasha–is the substance within which all the other elements exist. It is space, but not in the ordinary idea of emptiness. It is, as I said, an actual substance–a substratum containing all that “is.” Think of it as the canvas and the other four elements as the paints.

Friday - June 08, 2007

A Touch of Enlightenment?

Q: Some time ago I had an experience I consider enlightenment, but after a while things went back to normal. Still I think something real happened to me. Would you comment on this? What is the sign of liberation?

A: Just as an explorer will climb a mountain to see the surrounding country and then plan his route, in the same way our higher self sometimes lifts our awareness into a high level so we can realize that such a state of consciousness is possible. Then it is withdrawn, and we become motivated to seek to become established in that state. Once Sri Ramakrishna by a touch gave the future Swami Vivekananda an experience of the supreme state of awareness. When it was over–for that state was not really “his own”–Sri Ramakrishna smiled and said: “Now you have to work for it!” And he did. In the same way we receive “sample” experiences to encourage us to seek to make those heights our own.

As far as liberation is concerned, Yogananda used to say: “He who knows…he knows, none else knows.” But this we do know, Buddha meditated and followed discipline like any other monk until the day of his mahasamadhi, even spending months in intensive meditation retreats.

Please study the Gita daily, as that gives a perfectly balanced and complete picture of spiritual life. We would also like to recommend MEDITATION AND SPIRITUAL LIFE by Swami Yatiswarananda, available from amazon.com.

Friday - May 25, 2007

Recommend Books by Paramhansa Yogananda

Q: Yogananda is frequently mentioned in your articles. Do you recommend certain of his writings?

A: I certainly do. Autobiography of a Yogi should be read through carefully many times, giving very close attention to the footnotes. It is the most perfect presentation of Indian philosophy and spirituality that I know (though Swami Yatiswarananda’s Meditation and Spiritual Life is a close second).

Here is the order I recommend for the study of Yogananda’s writings:

• Autobiography of a Yogi
• Man’s Eternal Quest
• The Divine Romance
• Journey to Self-realization
• The Science of Religion
• Sayings of Paramahansa Yogananda
• God Talks With Arjuna
• The Second Coming of Christ

I put the last two at the end because they are so poorly edited–overedited, actually–that they can be a real labor to read. But their ideas are very important and I value them highly.

Tuesday - May 08, 2007

Just what is a "Master"?

There are many ideas about what constitutes a Master. I will give you mine so you will know what I mean by it in my writings.

Essentially, a Master is a liberated being. Such a one is a master of himself–not of others. And a real Master wants others to become Masters–not his disciples. As the great Master, Neem Karoli Baba, would say: “I do not make disciples–I make devotees of God.”

There are three major benefits of being with a Master: 1) His presence awakens spiritual consciousness. 2) His presence arouses inner spiritual energy (shaktipat). 3) He can teach you the way to attain what he has attained and advise you as you apply what he has taught you.

Beside these three benefits is a fourth and wonderful benefit: A Master does virtually nothing but the three things I have listed. He will not “guide your thoughts,” direct your life, claim to be taking on your karma, or tell you he knows a “shortcut” to God realization. (Whether a yogi runs or walks he still has to go through the full length of the path. There are faster and slower ways of travelling the path, but no short ways.) Often he will answer philosophical questions, but will let you know that only practice matters–not philosophizing. Furthermore, he will not manipulate or blackmail you with talk of “unconditional love” or pretend to either offer or demand it. You do not need “love.” You need God Who is love. That a Master wants you to have. No true Master will create or cultivate a “relationship” with you, because it cannot be done. You can only relate to the One. And when you do, then you will be one with everyone and everything. You will yourself be a Master. A Master will never ask you to make promises or commitments, knowing that you will do what you will do–and not a bit more. A Master never makes, accepts, or demands a vow. In fact, a Master will reject such things.

Do you get the idea? A Master will help you to become free; an adult, not a child; independent, not dependent. If your childish ego demands anything less a Master will truthfully tell you to look elsewhere. (There is a lot of “elsewhere” for you to find what you want.)

Here is what you CAN do: Listen; Learn; Practice; Experience; Know. That is it. Anything more is impossible, and anything less is worthless.

You can be with a Master, though your bodies are not in the same place. The Master Yogi Shyama Charan Lahiri (known in Autobiography of a Yogi as “Lahiri Mahasaya”) would tell his students: “Why come to view my bones and flesh, when I am ever within range of your kutastha (spiritual sight)?” Those who do what I have outlined above will ever be in contact with the Master every step of their life. The worthy student is never alone.

Saturday - April 28, 2007

Entering the Stream of Sanatana Dharma

How should I go about “entering the stream” of Sanatana Dharma, so to speak? What do I need to do to accomplish this?

You–and every single particle of every atom in the cosmos–are already in the stream of Eternal Dharma. It only needs to be recognized, and your inquiry shows that for you this has already happened.

Since I knew many people who wished to “officially” adopt Sanatana Dharma, I once asked Sri Ma Anandamayi about what they should do. Her answer was exactly this:

“All they need do to adopt our dharma is to take it up and begin to practice it.”
–Anandamayi Ma

“There is no need for anyone to do any special procedure or anushthana. All they need do to adopt our dharma is to take it up and begin to practice it.” This is logical, for dharma is in the living of a philosophy.

“Anushthana” is the Sanskrit word for any kind of special spiritual observance or religious exercise undertaken for a special purpose or benefit. To express Sanatana Dharma in thought, word, and deed is the only “anushthana” we need.

The philosophical principles of Sanatana Dharma are to be found in their pristine purity in the eleven major upanishads: the Isha, Kena, Katha, Prashna, Mundaka, Mandukya, Taittiriya, Aitareya, Chandogya, Brihadaranyaka, and Svetasvatara Upanishads. Two other texts tell us how to perfectly act upon the upanishadic philosophy and attain self-realization/liberation: The Bhagavad Gita, which is a digest and exposition of the upanishadic philosophy with emphasis on its practical application, and the Yoga Sutras (Yoga Darshan) of Patanjali.

Study and apply what you learn in these thirteen sources and you will be a true Sanatana Dharmi–one who embodies the Sanatana Dharma.

Read more about the Bhagavad Gita, the Upanishads, and the Yoga Sutras.

Friday - April 20, 2007

Angels and Demons

Q: Are there really demons and angels?

A: Yes. There are dwellers in the dark (asuras–without light) and devas (shining ones, light-filled ones). A great many human beings fall into these categories–the rest are “grays” mentally wandering in the misty flats the poet referred to.

When the “asuras” and “devas” leave the body they usually go to astral worlds that reflect their consciousness until they are reborn. As you can imagine, the worlds of the asuras are “hells” and the worlds of the devas are “heavens.”

But some asuras have such unfortunate karma that they cannot make the transition from earth to the astral, but remain earthbound. They wander around, often influencing (obsessing) those still in the body and even sometimes invading their bodies and minds in possession. They do great harm in this way.

Some devas return from the heavenly realms in their astral bodies and do just the opposite: they bless and uplift human beings as much as they can, even bringing them mental and physical healing. They especially work to awaken and expand spiritual consciousness. We call them “angels” and “saints.”

Q: What about Satan–the Devil?

A: There is no malevolent, evil counterpart to God, some kind of inverted Deity. There are, as already explained, earthbound spirits that work evil. Some are very powerful, but still not “The Devil.”

However–a big however–there is a force of cosmic evil, a great field of negative energy that is produced by negative thought and action, the result of ages of evil intent on the part of intelligent (?) beings. It is a reservoir of negativity. Since all things are inherently conscious to some degree, this dark field has a kind of lumbering, robotic sentience that does become attracted to negative emanations from sentient beings–responds to and influences and affects them. It does, in a magnetic sense, impel and even dominate them. It is very real, and has a definite effect on humanity. Since it is not “natural” it is expended, like the power in a battery, but continual evil on the part of sentient beings keeps feeding and recharging it. Widespread wars and mass suffering (as in concentrations camps and oppressed countries) vastly increase its strength.

Q: Can demons and Satan harm me?

A: Not unless you are attuned to negativity by your thoughts, words, and deeds. If you stay tuned to God through spiritual life–which includes spiritual practice–Satan and demons can not come near much less harm you. Also, your positive vibrations will lessen their power. So you protect and benefit the cosmos as well as yourself by your spiritual cultivation.

Wednesday - April 11, 2007

When God Incarnates: the Avatar

In Chapter Four of the Gita Krishna says: “When goodness grows weak, when evil increases, I make myself a body. In every age I come back to deliver the holy, to destroy the sin of the sinner, to establish righteousness. (Bhagavad Gita 4:7,8). When will this be?

When Krishna speaks of coming back in every age he uses the word “yuga.” In India they believe that God incarnates at the beginning of every yuga to establish the dharma for that age. The yugas are very precise measurements of time. They are not historical “eras” which are defined by one or more events. To learn about them I recommend you read the material concerning them in Yogananda’s Autobiography of a Yogi. Meanwhile, here is what A Brief Sanskrit Glossary on our website says:

Yuga: Age or cycle; aeaon; world era. Hindus believe that there are four yugas: the Golden Age (Satya or Krita Yuga), the Silver age (Ttreta Yuga), The Bronze Age (Dwapara Yuga), and the Iron Age (Kali Yuga). Satya Yuga is four times as long as the Kali Yuga; Treta Yuga is three times as long; and Dwapara Yuga is twice as long. In the Satya Yuga the majority of humans use the total potential–four-fourths–of their minds; in the Treta Yuga, three-fourths; in the Dwapara Yuga, one half; and in the Kali Yuga, one fourth. (In each Yuga there are those who are using either more or less of their minds than the general populace.) The Yugas move in a perpetual circle: Ascending Kali Yuga, ascending Dwapara Yuga, ascending Treta Yuga, ascending Satya Yuga, descending Satya Yuga, descending, Treta Yuga, descending Dwapara Yuga, and descending Kali Yuga–over and over. Furthermore, there are yuga cycles withing yuga cycles. For example, there are yuga cycles that affect the entire cosmos, and smaller yuga cycles within those greater cycles that affect a solar system. The cosmic yuga cycle takes 8,640,000,000 years, whereas the solar yuga cycle only takes 12,000 years. At the present time our solar system is in the ascending Dwapara Yuga, but the cosmos is in the descending Kali Yuga. Consequently, the more the general mind of humanity develops, the more folly and evil it becomes able to accomplish.

In Autobiography of a Yogi, Sri Yukteswar’s calculations of the yuga cycle relate to the solar–not the universal–cycle of yugas.

Some think that an incarnation (avatara) only occurs at the beginning of a yuga. Others believe that God comes whenever he wants within a yuga as well. That is why right now in India dozens of “avatars” can be found. Each person must decide who is and who is not an avatar. The wisest course of action is to get busy and manifest our own divinity and let the contemporary “avatars” slug it out amongst themselves.

Does an avatar reveal himself to the masses or just selected people? 

Whichever he knows is best. Usually he proclaims himself to the masses, who cannot get the idea, and so is “known” only to the few with eyes to see and ears to hear.

Does the avatar make a body that is born or does it just appear one day?

The avatar does have a mother and is in some way “born.” However the body is not conceived in the usual human way. Some feel that the body of the avatar is totally supernatural and not even material. Others believe that it is material, drawn in some way from the mother’s body to make a link between humanity and divinity. Does it matter? Only learning and following the teachings of the avatar really mean anything. Look at the messes that are the world’s religions which seek to justify their existence on the basis of an avatar. True Dharma does not have a founder any more than do mathematics and physics. That is why Yogananda wrote a book called The Science of Religion. Avatars teach Eternal Dharma, not some system of their own that is new to the world. Note in the Gita that Krishna claims no new teaching, but says it was known from the beginning. It is wise to avoid the “for the first time in the universe” type of teaching or movement.

Remember, God is ALWAYS present in our hearts. Seek there.

“Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21). This is the teaching of Jesus, though not of Churchianity.

Monday - April 02, 2007

What Are Visions?

The subject of visions is vast. Anyone who gives you a simple/simplistic definition or analysis is either very ignorant or putting you on. (This is true of just about any simple “answer.”)

Some visions are seeing subtle levels of existence that normally are not seen. Some are projections of our inner (higher and lower) mind–usually for communication with us. Some are messages from other intelligences, using visual rather than verbal symbols. Some are exactly what they seem to be while others are totally symbolic. Some are incomplete; others are not. Visions are true, false, or mixed.

Ramana Maharshi

So how can we figure them out? Often we can’t. The best advice is that given by Sri Ramana Maharshi: “Visions do occur. To know how you look you must look into a mirror, but do not take that reflection to be yourself. What is perceived by our senses and the mind is never the truth. [He means this in the ultimate sense. Even hallucinations are “real” mental phenomena.] All visions are mere mental creations, and if you believe in them, your progress ceases. Enquire to whom the visions occur. Find out who is their witness. Stay in pure awareness, free from all thoughts. Do not move out of that state.”

As someone who grew up with visionaries and as a yogi have had visions beyond number myself, I assure you this is the best attitude.

Visions may be true or false, positive or negative. How do we judge? Many times we cannot, and that is why the masters of wisdom counsel us to basically ignore them altogether.

Higher intelligences, God, and our own Self communicate through a kind of KNOWING that arises in us. This is trustworthy. Even Saint Teresa of Avila, the great mystic, wrote that visions are chancy and of much less value than inner knowing: spiritual intuition (which she called “intellectual visions”).

Once we begin accepting visual “revelations” we are on a very dangerous path indeed. I have seen many people either trivialized or ruined by accepting everything they saw as truth. Some have even come to think that their every dream is a spiritual vision. I knew one woman who dreamed her husband was cheating on her, so when we woke up she starting beating and cursing him!

Many times people have visions that prove to be true, so they begin to trust everything. Then they have a very serious “message” which they follow and fall into disaster. It is as though they are being led along and trapped. Like when gamblers let a sucker win a few times and then wipe him out.

It is when the senses–even if inner ones–get involved that we must be wary and avoid trouble. Intuition or clairsentience is another matter. That comes from the intellect, not the lower, sensory mind. That is much more trustworthy. But even there we must be careful. That which arises from within, from our Self–and from God who is the core of our Self–is the only absolutely sure thing. Still, we work with what we get, but work discriminatingly.

–Swami Nirmalananda Giri

Thursday - March 29, 2007

Can Others Really Help Us?

Q: Can others really help us, or do we have to do it all ourselves?

A: Each of us in eternally perfect by nature. Therefore any improvement occurs only because that perfection is being uncovered–never is it a matter of being “made better.” This is so important to realize, because we tend to think of needing to become something or have someone else (including God) change us. Rather, external factors (including books and teachers) are catalysts for the revelation of our inner perfection. They are valuable and in many instances necessary, but it is erroneous to attribute to them any power to make us something we are not already. They are worthy of respect, but our Self is worthy of reverence! As my beloved friend, Swami Sivananda used, to sing: “Know your Self and be free.”

We must “give permission” for improvement to take place on any level of our existence. No external factors really “do it”–they only trigger our own realization. Sri Ramakrishna often said: “The mind is everything.”

And we never really affect others–they respond to us. That is why if we wrong an ordinary person they will hate us and if we wrong a saint they will forgive us. We “affect” them according to their nature. “Even a wise man acts according to the tendencies of his own nature. All living creatures follow their tendencies.” (Bhagavad Gita 3:33)

Q: It is possible to help others through prayer?

A: The best prayer is for someone’s perfection. That is going to take place eventually and is part of the divine place. The rest can be left to their own higher mind.

Q: Did Jesus learn much of what he taught in India?

A: Jesus learned EVERYTHING in India.

Q: What do you say to the idea that Krishna, Buddha, and Jesus were only myths?

A: Everything we believe is nothing but a myth until we know it for ourselves. Even what we think is “us” is mostly a silly mythology. Yogananda points out in the last sentence of the thirty-fifth chapter of his autobiography that through meditation “persons who cannot bring themselves to believe in the divinity of any man will behold at last the full divinity of their own selves.”

Q: What if I have no faith in yoga?

A: Yoga is wonderful. It requires no faith, but proves its own premises.

Sunday - March 25, 2007

What Does the Bhagavad Gita mean by "Devil"?

Swami Prabhavananda, whose translation is used in our commentary, used “devil” and “demon” as translations of the word asura. “Asura” literally means: “without the light,” and is a term applied to negative people, especially those who are wilfully (and contentedly) evil. The entire sixteenth chapter of the Gita is devoted to both “devas” (“shining ones”) and asuras (“dark ones”)–those who dwell in the light and those who dwell in darkness.

Sunday - March 25, 2007

On the Siddhis (Powers) of Yoga

Q:We have long believed in the Yogic powers of our ancient Rishis and Siddhas. We have even heard of spiritually elevated Rishis walking on water or levitating from the ground. Do we have any concrete references to this in any ancient text (veda/upanishad etc)?

A:The authentic scriptures of Sanatana Dharma are concerned with one thing only: the liberation of the individual spirit (atma). The “siddhis” are mere psychic technology and of no spiritual value–quite the opposite: all the spiritual adepts of India have warned seekers against their exercise. Patanjali (4:1) takes pains to point out that these powers are purely psychic and can even be induced by drugs (aushadhi). Though real, they are in essence mere psychic tricks with no practical value at all except to the earth-oriented ego, which their exercise strengthens to a potentially dangerous degree.

Sunday - March 25, 2007

Questions About God and the Soul

Q:Does God pay personal attention to our needs as most people think? If  our sole purpose is to reunite with God, I get the idea that it is kind of one-sided.  We do all the work and He sits there waiting for us to figure it out.

A:The sum of it all is this: God is everything. There is a single, unitary field of conscious (intelligent) Being. It is One. Yet in this Unity there is an eternal diversity–that is where “we” come in. God (Brahman) being Pure Awareness, It cannot but be aware of us in totality. The cosmos is also Divine–whether we see it as real or as a “dream” of God. And remember: we are thoroughly one with Creation and Creator. There is no point at which we leave off and That begins. So we are also the universe and the God of the Universe which responds to us. Separation is completely impossible. Therefore, when we decide to evolve everything begins to move toward that–even the things that seem to oppose it. God is in the mix right there with us. The Gita explains this, saying that God is in the heart of all beings. And since Brahman is the sole power, It is working right along with us. Is God “He” or “It”? Both, since He embraces all modes of being. Let me tell you, God is no simplistic bore!

Q: Do I have this right?  The Atman is the part of God that is within each of us (like a drop of water in the ocean) and Brahman is the entire ocean?

A:That is correct. We are in God and God is in us. He is the Whole and we are the parts. But this is only the way we have to speak about it. In reality there is only the Divine Unity which we see variously–and not necessarily erroneously. Few things are more tiresome than those who seek to tell God and us what He and we cannot do. It is beyond all thought and concept, but not beyond experiencing. “Therefore, Arjuna, become a yogi.” (Bhagavad Gita 6:46)

Q: Sometimes I am overwhelmed by how little I know and how much I have to learn.

A: Don’t worry. You have an infinite capacity for knowing (which is much better than “knowledge”) and eternity in which to gain it.

Sunday - March 25, 2007

It's Never Too Late for Brahmacharya

Q: Sex (thought and act) was part of my life while I was in college but I repent for having done that. Recently someone told me that if you commit a mistake it can never be erased, and that is the end to me becoming a brahmachari because the guilt will always be there in my mind. Does this mean that even if I try now to improve myself and follow a strict life, I will never be blessed?

A:A person who has lied can reform and practice truthfulness (satya). A person who has stolen can reform and practice non-stealing (asteya). A person who has done harm (himsa) can reform and practice ahimsa. It only follows to reason, then, that someone who has engaged in sexual acts can reform and practice brahmacharya.

Some of the greatest sannyasis (and therefore brahmacharis) in modern times had been married and begotten children. Yet, when they took up a new order of life they attained liberation and uplifted many others and inspired them to purity of life. Among the great monastic disciples of Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Brahmananda–the first president of Ramakrishna Mission–had been married and had one child. The great Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh, founder of the Divine Life Society, was married and had two children. When his wife and children were killed in a fire he took sannyas and became one of the greatest yogis of our times, even writing books on brahmacharya. The beloved Swami (Papa) Ramdas of Anandashram, the embodiment of purity, had been married and also had children.

In the Gita Sri Krishna tells us:

“And though you were the foulest of sinners, this knowledge alone would carry you like a raft, over all your sin. The blazing fire turns wood to ashes: the fire of knowledge turns all karmas to ashes.” (Bhagavad Gita 4:36, 37)

"Everything in future will
improve if you are making
a spiritual effort now.”

             ---Sri Yukteswar

“ Though a man be soiled with the sins of a lifetime, let him but love me, rightly resolved, in utter devotion: I see no sinner, that man is holy. Holiness soon shall refashion his nature to peace eternal; O son of Kunti, of this be certain: the man that loves me, he shall not perish. (Bhagavad Gita 9:30, 31)

In Autobiography of a Yogi, we find this: “A new student occasionally expressed doubts regarding his own worthiness to engage in yoga practice.

“Forget the past,” Sri Yukteswar would console him. “The vanished lives of all men are dark with many shames. Human conduct is ever unreliable until anchored in the Divine. Everything in future will improve if you are making a spiritual effort now.”

This is the truth of the matter.

Trust in God and in your divine Self.