guruyoga

I have always used the classic Rider-Waite deck, simple and useful!

Sometimes it becomes useful to clarify what Yoga we are talking of? Bhagavad Gita, one the three most important scriptures of Vedic philosophy (along with the Upanishads and the Brahmasutras) speaks of Karma, Bhakti and Jnana yogas chiefly, also touching upon Raja Yoga, which is comparable to Patanjali's Yoga Darshana. But when we popularly refer to Yoga today, one mostly talks of a specific physical form involving postures (Asanas) and breath regulation (Pranayama). These are extracted components of Patanjali's eightfold system. The physical system was greatly innovated upon by Hatha Yogins like Matsyendranatha, Gorakshanatha etc., a systematization of which was attempted rather late in works like Goraksha Samhita, Gheranda Samhita, Shiva Samhita and the very recent Hathayoga Pradipika. Most of the stuff taught today in Yoga studios are bits and pieces from the Hathayoga Pradipika, which is a highly condensed manual of thousands of years of hatha yoga wisdom. These were further simplified and made even more diluted (possibly with the noble intention of making it more accessible to the public) by late Krishnamacharya, or my own dear departed relative Sri Pattabhi Jois (who coined the term Vinnyasa). Even practicing these physical exercises in isolation from a bigger framework of Yoga or Samkhya or Patanjala Darshana (or the Tantric Natha darshana in the case of Hatha yoga) can grant health benefits - which is why they are popular today - but this was not really the end goal of these systems. Namdrol once said: if you are practicing Dzogchen, you are already a Buddhist. Note he doesn't say the "realization" of dzogchen but the practice itself. Similarly, if you practice yoga, any of the classic asanas or pranayama or even Sufi/Buddhist versions of yoga, one can be called a Hindu in a similar spirit - for each of these practices symbolize something very specific within the theistic Hindu system. Edit: As 3Bob rightly pointed out, the greatest loss today is the complete lack of emphasis on Yama and Niyama, without which its categorically stated that other blocks of the Ashtanga system fall flat. This emphasis on compassion, kindness and virtue - which is the foundation of the Yoga system, is completely neglected by today's pop yoga culture which neither understands the metaphysics behind the system nor advocates enlightened practice (like the lady MetalNun told us to stop thinking, abandon intellect and do some breathing or moving of limbs blindly). My point is not to convert all Yoga enthusiasts into Hindus - Hinduism does not really care for converts as its a universal religion, but one should not blindly and mindlessly accept any nonsense dished out as Yoga today.

Thanks for that great piece Jivanmuktiviveka of Madhava-Vidyarnya is truly the most magnificent work on this topic. Here is a small piece based on the approach of Kashmir Shaivism.

Very few seem to understand what Jivanmukti means and who a Jivanmukta is.. Jivanmukti refers to the state of an adept who remains alive in a physical body, while actually having completely realized his true Self. Though liberated from the samsaric cycle of transmigration, he continues to live on account of karma. There are three kinds of karma which affect all. The first two, Sanchita and Kriyamana, refer to karma or action done in the past which is yet to bear fruit, and action being done in the present which is to bear fruit, respectively. When the Self is realized, these two types of karma are completely exhausted. The third type of karma, Prarabdha, however, is the action done in the past which has already begun to bear fruit through the manifestation of the present physical body. And this type of karma cannot be exhausted until death of the physical body, just as an arrow which which has left the bow continues to move as long as its initial motion is not exhausted. So, the Prarabdha Karma keeps the body activity going, while the Jivanmukta remains completely unaffected by it. He remains not in the three states (jagara-wakeful, swapna-dream, sushupti-deep sleep) but in the turiya, which is characterized by unceasing tranquility. As he is unattached to activity and its result, he is also said to be free from the consequence and judgments of good and evil. This way, he is thoroughly amoral, and nothing would karmically affect him including someone’s murder, still such an act born of egoism is totally alien to his nature. Unattachment and amorality are but some of the important signposts, there is also the realization of identity of others and everything with his own Self. Because of this universal identification, everything he does is inspired by love which is free of preferences and exclusions. While this is the general concept of Jivanmukti, the Tantras of Kashmir Shaivism further clarify on this topic. There are sadhakas who, after the achievement of the supreme knowledge and their establishment in their pure nature, may continue to exist in embodied form for some time to come, provided they have previously ripened karma (i.e. prarabdha karma) sustaining their present embodied condition, and possess keen desire for enjoyment (bhogavasana). Such sadhakas, when enlightened, are said to become the jivanmuktas. The jivanmuktas do not live in a different world or walk about and behave differently from ordinary mortals. They exist, on the other hand, with ordinary mortals; they perform karma and participate in all activities of the world like ordinary mortals, yet their actions do not affect them. They remain as they are, emancipated beings. They perform karma only to keep themselves in embodied form and to satiate their desire for bhoga in this world, but in this process do not acquire any fresh karma. As soon as the fruits of their ripened or prarabdha karma which were sustaining them in their embodied form, are enjoyed and exhausted, they lose their body-apparatuses once for all and become one with the Supreme. They do not have further birth after the present one. Amongst the four upayas, those liberated through anupaya do not experience Jivanmukti. There is some chance of it in Shambhavopaya and much more in the case of Shaktopaya.

Thanks for that you miserable sneaky pile

Who is man? The reflection of the Eternal Light. What is the world? A wave on the Everlasting Sea. How could the reflection be cut off from the Light? How could the wave be separate from the Sea? Know that this reflection and this wave are that very Light and Sea. - Ahmad al-Jami

What does "jivanmukti" mean? It's a state. I guess what you're trying to say is "Jivanmukta" aka "completely liberated while in a physical body". Interesting!! How does this person who met you determine you were completely liberated and enlightened in one meeting? Curious how he determined whether or not one is liberated and completely. And because you quote that here, I assume you agree and assert the same here? If it's one of those New Agey "heart knows it" stuff, thank you, I understand

I find what you write very useful. Helps me question my own limiting beliefs and approach stuff from outside of frameworks within which we so often settle, get cozy and stop contemplating on alternative possibilities with an open mind. Thanks for sharing your insights.

What is "death" to energy? How can anything completely disappear? And especially someone with a rather large energy footprint? As long as you're connected to the energy of a lineage, everything becomes possible and easy

Looks interesting!! The same author also has another book in the format of a workbook...But it's not clear if the workbook is a condensed version of the bigger book. I am super tempted to get one of the two

Absolutely! Anyone who tells you to stop intellectual analysis outright is doing a great disservice. There is a time for intellectual analysis and there is one for dropping it and letting go, both have their equal share of importance. Ajnana or ignorance, according to the Tantras, is said to be of two kinds: Paurusha and Bauddha. Paurusha, which is inherent in most, causes one to be unaware of the true nature of oneself. Bauddha, on the other hand, is the ignorance that shrouds the intellect and establishes one in a sense of duality. Paurusha Ajnana is overcome by Diksha or Shaktipat and subsequent practice - yoga, dhyana, pranayama, mantra whatever may be the case. Bauddha Ajnana of intellectual ignorance is resolved only through study of scriptures, analysis, thinking and inquiry. Bauddha Jnana (intellectual knowledge) which resolves Bauddha Ajnana is attained through the intellect and Paurusha Jnana which combats Paurusha Ajnana through practice. Both go hand in hand, and ignoring either aspect will not give one the desired results. It is needless to say that Paurusha Jnana developed through practice is of great importance. What gets overlooked, especially by those who profess "let go" at the wrong place and wrong sequence and as a single medicine for all woes, is Bauddha Jnana or the refinement of the intellect. There is always the risk of Paurusha Jnana fading away, but Bauddha Jnana or a refined intellect will firmly hold Paurusha Jnana (developed through practice), in place. Both are thus necessarily complimentary to each other and not contradictory in any sense.

Absolutely! Awareness is what kindles the power of the mantra. I always tell my students - you should both recite and listen to the mantra at the same time, to drive home this point. Mantra recitation is neither a passive practice nor something intended to drive one into a trance by repeated mechanical activity (like TM or DM). A great siddha of yore said, "what is the use of a mantra that is recited without a heart full of love and a mind bright with awareness?" AYP forum has always been touchy about questioning or criticism. For me, it is a path that lacks soul or heart, has the skeletal structure, but no soul.

Oh yes, I had heard about the original mantras too. Ram is the vahni Bija or the bija of fire associated with Svadhishthana/Manipuraka chakra. Raam is the bija of Rama, an incarnation of Vishnu. Here again, he seems to have messed up! There are two popular mantras of Rama. 1. Rama Taraka mantra - Raam Raamaaya namah 2. Ramaraksha Mantra - Shree Rama Jaya Rama Jaya Jaya Rama The first is generally considered to require initiation. The second is more common and generally recited by one and all. So he got the Ram instead of the actual Raam, the bija of Rama. And then Shree Rama namah - this is also completely wrong, as it does not obey the rule of Sanskrit. Namah, svaha etc require the fourth case or vibhakti, so the correct usage, even if the bija is incorrect, would be Shree Raamaaya namah. Thinking back, I can imagine why he chose these mantras. Luminaries like Swami Brahmananda Saraswati and Karpatriji Maharaj generally gave out Rama's mantras to commoners to instill in them Bhakti and lay a foundation for their spiritual life. Huge lectures on spiritual topics were a common thing on the banks of Ganges in Kashi where these mantras were given to masses. Mahesh Yogi seems to have made use of that. No wonder greatest level of secrecy was required regarding these mantras

There was some discussion on another thread and on other forums. If this is the same site, then it's down now... http://www.thetaobums.com/index.php?/topic/21949-attention-mo-pai-lovers/page__view__findpost__p__311644

This has various aspects to it. I am only theoretically familiar with Mahesh Yogi’s Transcendental Meditation , so do take what I write here with a pinch of salt. Bija mantras, while originating from the fourth Veda, the Atharvana, are chiefly Tantric (and also Puranic on account of influence of the Tantras) in nature. It is debatable whether Acharya Shankara was a practitioner of Tantra and had any favorable leanings towards it. While Shankara was a non-dualist, most Tantra during his time seemed to be flawed (in his perspective) on two accounts: a. They were dualistic nature on the lines of Siddhanta and Pashupata tantras b. Were seen as transgressing the diktat of Shruti or the Veda, which was of primary importance to Shankara. Based on many of his hagiographies, he is also seen as someone who vehemently opposed the excesses in Tantra such as ruthless killing, meaningless debauchery involving meat, wine and women. However, in his list of universally accepted works, there is no Tantric content available. That said, works such as Prapanchasara (with a commentary attributed to Shankara’s chief disciple Padmapada) and Saundaryalahari are also traditionally attributed to Shankara. Some also point out that he does not specifically deal with Shakta Tantric doctrine while refuting various other schools in his philosophical works. So, it is quite possible that he himself was a Tantric practitioner. Moreover, if one were to account for tradition, the unbroken lineage of seers in his four Mutts (monasteries) have all been practitioners of Tantra. Srichakra or Sriyantra is installed in all monasteries of Shankara and Srividya school of Tantra is given primary importance in all of them. Today, Kashmir Shaivism remains a theory with no living lineage of practical tantra except for armchair philosophy schools such as that of Swami Lakshman Joo. Srividya school on the other hand shares its philosophical content with Kashmir Shaivism but is a 'more' living school of practical Tantra with three flavors: Samaya (internal), Dakshina (right) and Vama (left). The Shankarite monasteries and its followers have for the most part kept this ancient school of Tantra alive, something that the Kashmir Shaivites failed to achieve to the same degree, chiefly on account of barbaric Islamites who killed and are continuing to kill millions of Kashmiri Pandits in Kashmir. It is a wonder though that they have preserved whatever they have, when they have been subjected to one of the worst (and continued) genocides in the history of the World. So, let’s assume Shankara indeed taught Tantra as outlined in his works Prapanchasara and Saundaryalahari. Any case, we have the age old practice of Srividya Tantra that is followed in all his lineages today. Swami Brahmananda Saraswati, the former Shankaracharya of Badari/Joshi Mutt, apart from being a distinguished scholar and Advaitin, was also a well-known Tantric practitioner of Srividya Tantra. He was also a well-known Siddha popular among the masses in the early part of this century and his supposed superhuman powers were widely documented and discussed at that time. He was initiated into the Dashanami order of monks by Swami Krishnananda Saraswati (all Dashanami monks trace their lineage to Acharya Shankara). Swami Rama frequently speaks of Swami Brahmananda Saraswati as a well-known practitioner of Srividya Tantra. Swami Karapatri of Kashi, a well-known Siddha and Tantric scholar, also was associated with Swami Brahmananda Saraswati and was instrumental in establishing him as the Shankaracharya of Joshi Mutt. One of my teachers was a direct disciple of Swami Karapatri (Sri Hariharananda Saraswati) and through both these sources, it can be established beyond doubt that Swami Brahmananda Saraswati was a Tantric practitioner of Srividya Tantra, easily the most sophisticated branch of Tantra from India, oft described as the culmination or apex of the Tantric movement. Coming to Mahesh Yogi, he was a clerk at the office of the Shankaracharya of Joshi mutt. It is highly doubtful if he received any transmission/initiation into Tantra by the scholarly Shankaracharya and even if he did to an extent, it is almost impossible that he was inducted into the hoary tradition of Srividya Tantra. But, as many now note, he seems to have closely observed and absorbed the practices of the Shankaracharya, which included the Bija mantras. This, IMO, was what he used to reconstruct his own system that he called TM. What are ‘Bija’ mantras? Translation is easy - seed sounds. But there are two ways to look at it. In terms of classification of the Tantric mantras, based on the number of syllables, there are different types of mantras - Pinda, Kartari, Bija, Mantra and Mala. Then, every mantra also is supposed to have four parts: Bija, Pinda, Samjna and Pada. Essentially, Bija mantras or seed mantras are monosyllable mantras which are used independently or in combination. They are also called so because they instill the root energy of the deity or the essence of the deity it corresponds to within the practitioner. With careful nurturing, the seed grows into a tree and fruits and flowers are produced - which represent various Siddhis, the penultimate one being complete identification with the deity or the essence/concept that the deity represents. Does one pick Bijas or mantras randomly, no. One first goes through a process called Siddhadi Shodhana - where various kinds of analysis/tests are done including astrological ones where one determines if a particular mantra is suited for a person - thus arriving at the nature of a particular mantra specific to that practitioner, whether the mantra is mitra (friend), ari (foe), siddha (capable of granting the desired fruit) and so on. Then there is the process of initiation where a Shaktipat is done (based on the capabilities of the teacher and the student), the deity is installed within the student as a seed (through prana, mudra, nyasa and other ways) and a connection is established to the Siddha Mandala or the enlightened lineage of masters associated with that mantra/deity. Then the student performs shushka japa (dry japa - which is pretty much a mechanical recitation of the mantra) as much as possible to get a hang of the mantra and absorb its raw power. This is the only part I see actually present in Mahesh Yogi’s system. Then the student is taught skillful ways to refine his practice. Various kinds of dharanas of the mantra are taught - on breath, on chakras, on space, on deity, on emptiness, on everything-ness etc. There is contemplation on the essential nature of the deity, its astral form, its sound form (mantra), light form (yantra or mandala) and so on. There are specific techniques to regulate the massive amount of energy generated by such practices - through specific mudras, nyasa (physical and mental placement of mystic syllables within the body), pranayama etc. At a very advanced stage, there could be sexual practices (not followed by monks though) such as Dutiyaga, Bhairavi Chakra, Latayoga etc. So, if you look at this rather systematic scheme of Tantra, and compare it with Mahesh Yogi’s system or that of AYP, there is hardly any similarity. Most of the syllables he gave out in his TM practices were Bija mantras associated with Hindu deities but he chose to strip them of their original purport to make them palatable to the “secular” crowd. Probably those practicing it did get some benefit from the inherent vibratory potency of the Bijas (a part of what a traditional practitioner gets in the shushka japa stage), but I am pretty sure the random use of Bijas did cause damage to a lot of people. Again, like today’s Yoga, picking one small aspect (such as repetition of Bija mantra in this case), from a larger and holistic framework and trying to use it in isolation can only give limited result. Yogani's intentions are sincere, he is clearly not here to make money but to help in his own way, but when it comes to mantras, unfortunately, he is way off the mark.

True, my post was only stating that omniscience was not a necessary thing for enlightenment. The former Shankaracharya of Kanchi Mutt was also one such figure. His powers of knowing anything and everything was well-known. He once told me names of my ancestors up to nine generations - something which even I had to go and check. There have been several such luminaries. Paramahamsa Vishuddhanada Saraswati was one other such Siddha, Yogananda talks of him as Gandha Baba in his book and does not really 'get' him

http://www.advaita-vedanta.org/avhp/alt_hindu_msg.html

Dear Jijaji, Thank you for the kind words. Having been personally associated with seers of three of the Mutts (Sringeri, Kanchi and Badari/Dvaraka - which currently *has a common head), I am not sure how objective I am going to be on this topic. IMO, Kanchi Mutt is simply a Kumbhakonam branch of Sringeri and nothing more. Vidyashankar Sundareshan has a scholarly paper on the history of Kanchi Mutt, let me see if I can find it

This thread probably belongs to the Buddhist subforum and not to General section.

This thread seems to be all about Buddhism or at least currently has been turned into a Buddhist thread. Its place is more in the Buddhist sub forum than here.

How many have attained Buddhahood, say in the last 100 to 500 years, or anytime at all outside of Tibetan hagiography? That said, let's not hijack this thread with more Buddhist discussion please! I am partly guilty of that myself here... There are very few 'non-Buddhist' topics discussed on this forum already and we can show some courtesy not going Buddhist on those as well...

I don't know about Joshua Stone, I did read his Ascension Seat prayer for a bit and absolutely felt nothing, but I am not sure if Madame Blavatsky was a fraud. She was discredited by some, but was often re-credited by the same sources. My energy reading shows her to be a very knowledgeable and visionary teacher.