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BE HERE NOW [FATHER-SUN] |
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THIS ONE
Dedicated to those who wish to get on with it. We offer this book with humility and a compassionate awareness of our own predicament -- and yours. We are all on the journey towards enlightenment and at each stage must share what has been discovered with those who will listen. The sharing is part of the work. The listening is part of the work. We are all on the path. "The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step." -- Lao Tzu BUT WHERE DO WE BEGIN? The answer is simple: you begin just where you are. "If thou but settest foot on this Path, thou shalt see it everywhere ..." -- Hermes Trismegistus Then you become aware of the inevitable process of the evolution of consciousness ... that daily, slowly, the cloud of illusion becomes thinner and thinner ... until, at last, there is light. This manual concerns no more or no less than the living of daily life. At first you "do" sadhana (work on the spiritual path) within certain time and space boundaries, such as going to church on Sunday mornings, or getting high on Saturday nights, or meditating each morning. Eventually, it turns out that SADHANA IS EVERYTHING YOU DO. "WARNING: if you don't have room in your livingroom for an elephant -- don't make friends with the elephant trainer ..." -- Sufi mystic This manual contains a wide variety of techniques. Everyone's needs are different and everyone is at a different stage along the path. But, as with any recipe book, you choose what suits you. If you listen to your own inner voice, it will tell you where you are now, and which method will work best for you in your evolution toward the light.
Potent Quotes "To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven." - Ecclesiastes "Who hath ears, let him hear." - Jesus "Dislodging a green nut from a shell is almost impossible, but let it dry and the lightest tap will do it." - Ramakrishna "Is it then not a mistake to precipitate the time of awakening? He himself has given the answer: he wants to know. As to the rest of the way, not the greatest master can go even one step for his disciple; in himself he must experience each stage of developing consciousness. Therefore he will know nothing for which he is not ripe." - de Lubicz "You can't teach a hunter it is wrong to kill." - Hari Dass Baba "I found that the chief difficulty for most people was to realize that they had really heard 'new things': that is, things that they had never heard before. They kept translating what they heard into their habitual language. They had ceased to hope and believe there might be anything new." - Ouspensky "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him. Neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." - Paul of Tarsus "If he wants to work on himself, he must destroy his peace. To have them both is in no way possible. A man must make a choice. But when chosing [sic] the result is very often deceit, that is to say, a man tries to deceive himself. In words he choses [sic] work but in reality he does not want to lose his peace. Such submission is the most difficult thing there can be for a man who thinks that he is capable of deciding anything." - Ouspensky "I wish I could join the Solitaries instead of being Superior and having to write books. But I don't wish to have what I wish, of course." - Abbot John Chapman "It can be said that there is one general rule for everybody. In order to approach this system seriously, people must be disappointed, first of all in themselves, that is to say, in their powers, and secondly in all the old ways ... A man ... if he is a scientist should be disappointed in his science. If he is a religious man he should be disappointed in his religion. If he is a politician he should be disappointed in philosophy. If he is a theosophist he should be disappointed in theosophy. If he is an occultist he should be disappointed in occultism. And so on." - Gurdjieff, by Ouspensky "It is time now for us to rise from sleep." - St. Benedict "The eternal world or the external life is not a valley of suffering for those who enjoy it, but only for those who know of a higher life. The animal enjoys animal life; the intellect the intellectual realm; but he who has entered into regeneration recognizes his terrestrial existence as a burden and prison. With this recognition he takes upon himself the cross of Christ." - Jacob Boehme "Most truly I say unto you, unless anyone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God ... Unless anyone is born from water and spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. What has been born from the flesh is flesh, and what has been born from the spirit is spirit." - Jesus "We are born into the world of nature; our second birth is into the world of spirit." - Bhagavad Gita "Except ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." - Jesus "I have brought you this far, and I have been your leader. Right here I'll take off the cap of authority, which was a crown of thorns for the person I remember myself to be. Far within me, where the memory of what I am is still unclouded, a little child is waking up and making an old man's mask weep. A little child looking for mother and father, looking with you for protection and help -- protection from his pleasures and his dreams, and help in order to become what he is without imitating anyone." - Daumal "But I had seen myself, that is, I had seen things in myself that I had never seen before. There could be no doubt about it and although I afterwards became the same as I had been before, I could not help knowing that this had been and I could forget nothing." - Ouspensky "As soon as a man is fully disposed to be alone with God, he is alone with God no matter where he may be ... in the country, the monastery, the woods or the city. The lightning flashes from East to West, illuminating the whole horizon and striking where it pleases and at the same instant the infinite liberty of God flashes in the depths of that man's soul, and he is illumined. At that moment he sees that though he seems to be in the middle of his journey, he has already arrived at the end. For the life of Grace on earth is the beginning of the life of Glory. Although he is a traveler in time, he has opened his eyes for a moment in eternity." - Merton "Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you: For everyone that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." - Jesus
Question: I have read in many holy books that you need to have a guru, a spiritual guide, to realize an enlightened state. If this is true, how do I go about finding one? Answer: At certain stages in the spiritual journey, there is a quickening of the spirit which is brought about through the grace of a guru. When you are at one of the stages where you need this catalyst, it will be forthcoming. There is really nothing you can do about gurus. It doesn't work that way. If you go looking for a guru and you are not ready to find one, you will not find what you are looking for. On the other hand, when you are ready the guru will be exactly where you are at the appropriate moment. All you can do is purify yourself in body and mind. Each stage of purification will make you sensitive to new levels of perception. Finally you arrive at a level where the guru is. There is no one who is ready for the grace of the guru who does not receive it at that very moment.
Question: Does everyone have a guru? Answer: Yes. However, you may or may not meet your guru on the physical plane in this lifetime. It isn't necessary. Since the relation between a guru and chela (disciple) is not on the physical plane, the guru can act upon you from within yourself. You may meet him through dreams or visions or merely sense his presence. However, it is only after much purification that you will honor these meetings rather than rejecting them in favor of the more gross manifestations. There have been many saints who realized enlightenment without ever meeting their guru in a physical manifestation. Question: How will I know how to purify myself without the guidance of a guru? Answer: Relax. You are being guided. In fact, the next message you need in the treasure hunt is exactly where you are when you need it. The message may be in the form of a teacher or a lover or an enemy or a pet or a rock or a chemical or a book or a feeling of great despair or a physical illness or the eyes of a person you pass on the street. Question: What is the difference between a teacher and a guru? Answer: A teacher points the way. A guru is the Way. In the course of your awakening you will have thousands of teachers. Throughout all of this teaching, the guru waits, beckoning from beyond. Question: There are many beings who profess to be gurus. Should I follow one of them? How do I choose from among them? Answer: You can't choose to follow a guru. It doesn't work that way. If you are in doubt, don't. When the correct manifestation of the guru for you appears, you'll know it with all your heart. It is surrender which is no surrender. It is inevitable and totally compelling. Now, it is possible that a being who is ultimately to be known to you as your guru comes forward and says, "I am your Guru." And you hold back. That's because you are not yet ready. You can't honestly do otherwise. Don't worry. When you are ready, he'll be back. Just relax and trust the process. Question: What kind of teachers should I study with? Answer: Listen to your inner being. If you are at the point where you sense you need instruction in calming your mind or getting your body in shape, then you will become sensitized to available teachers who can instruct you concerning the specific practices required. Often you will find a teacher who knows the specific information although he doesn't elicit in you a great love or trust. Honor him as your teacher, learn what you can, and then move on. Trust the messages coming from your heart and intuition. This journey is an inner journey. The charisma of an impure being such as a Hitler would not be of influence on another person were that person totally honest with himself and totally true to his inner voice. There is a place in each human being where at all times he knows exactly "where it is at." So, if in doubt about the next step, just listen. And if still in doubt, wait. When it's time to move, you'll know. Exercises 1. Purification Exercise with Guru Rimpoche Consider a being of pure light and love (whom you can name Padmasambhava, the Lotus-evolved One, if you would like), who is sitting in the midst of a lake on a lotus flower in front of you. He is seen as being in front of you and slightly above you ... so that you look up to him at about a thirty degree angle. He will come into your heart when you have sufficiently purified yourself. 1. Closing your left nostril, breathe three deep breaths out of your right nostril. Visualize the air being ejected as dark red and consider it to be all of your bodily diseases and attachments. 2. Close your right nostril. Now breathe out three deep breaths through your left nostril. Visualize the air being ejected as a blue-grey and consider it to be all your mental obstacles and anger. 3. Now breathe out three deep breaths through your mouth. Visualize this air as purple and consider it as the sloth that impedes your progress ... the inertia ... breathe it out. 4. Now visualize that from the ajna (the point between the eyebrows) of Padmasambhava directly to your ajna there is a piercing beam of white light which, as it burns into you, rids you of bodily sins and wrongs (the sound connected with this is OM). 5. Now visualize a red beam from the throat chakra (point of energy) of Padmasambhava directly to your throat center. This beam rids you of lapses of speech, of untruths (the sound connected with this is AH). 6. Now visualize a blue beam of light coming from the heart of Padmasambhava to your heart. This beam purifies you of wrongs done in ignorance, wrong thoughts (i.e., thoughts which maintain the illusion). (The sound associated with this beam is HUM.) 7. Now allow that blue beam to become a broad blue avenue of light. Then you will see Padmasambhava come down that avenue and come directly into your heart. Here he will sit in your hridayam (spiritual heart). His mantra is: Om Ah Hum Vajra Guru Padma Siddhi Hum. This means three-in-one (the unmanifest, imminent manifestation, and manifestation) lightning-bolt Guru of unbearable compassion and infinite power who resides in my heart. To say his mantra is to keep Him in your heart ... until finally you and He become One. 2. The Four Bodhisattva Vows (say three times)
Potent Quotes "Guru, God, and Self are One." - Ramana Maharshi "Silence thy thoughts and fix thy whole attention on thy Master, whom thou dost not see, but whom thou feelest" - Blavatsky "The influence of the Guru is obstructed by mental activity, by reliance on one's own exertions and by every kind of self-consciousness and self-exertion." - Sathya Sai Baba "What is the nature of Guru's grace? Disembodied guru to disciple: "Child you must meditate more. Your gaze is not yet faultless. I was fairly extinguished in the ether by the agitation of your, restless mind." - Babaji "I beseeched him fervently thus: 'It is my great desire that I should actually experience your gracious wisdom. Kindly fulfill my desire.' In those days Sri Ramana was not speaking much. Still he spoke kindly as follows: 'Is it the body in front of me which desires to obtain my grace? Or is the awareness within it? If it is the awareness, is it not now looking upon itself as the body and making this request? If so let the awareness first of all know its real nature. It will then automatically know God and my grace. The truth of this can be realized even now and here.'" - Ramana Maharshi magazine "Rain water falling upon the roof of a house flows down to the ground through spouts shaped grotesquely like a tiger's head. One gets the impression that the water comes from the tiger's mouth, but in reality it descends from the sky. In the same way the holy teachings that come from the mouths of godly men seem to be uttered by those men themselves, while in reality they proceed from God." - Ramakrishna "The Grace of the Guru is like an ocean. If one comes with a cup he will only get a cupful. It is no use complaining of the niggardliness of the ocean. The bigger the vessel the more one will be able to carry. It is entirely up to him." - Ramana Maharshi You might think of renunciation in terms of some external act like a New Year's resolution, or leaving family and friends to go off to a cave. But renunciation is much more subtle than that -- and much harder -- and much much more continuing. On the spiritual journey, renunciation means non-attachment. To become free of attachment means to break the link identifying you with your desires. The desires continue; they are part of the dance of nature. But a renunciate no longer thinks that he is his desires. "What is the necessity of giving up the world altogether. It is enough to give up the attachment to it." - Ramakrishna A sadhak (someone doing sadhana) sees clearly that his craving is creating his own veil of illusion. At this point desires start to fall away of themselves. This process is called the onset of vairag (the falling away of worldly desires). As each one falls away, more subtle forms of desire arise. These too must be given up. Eventually the only desire is for bliss. Then that one must be thrown away ... As long as any desire pulls or pushes you, you are like a flame which flickers in the winds. But as you come to your center, as you break the identification with desire, you become calm, like a candle in a niche where no wind comes. Remember you can't do away with desire or give it up or try to get rid of it. However, with increased wisdom and preoccupation with your sadhana, desires will just fall away. "You can't rip the skin from the snake. It will shed its skin when it is ready." - Hari Dass Baba And as you extricate yourself from your attachments and become quiet, you will be able to know more and more clearly how it all is ... The Way. And the more clearly you hear, the more your actions will be in harmony with the Way ... with His Will. Then you will truly understand: Not my but Thy will, O Lord. Potent Quotes "Desire is a trap "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal; for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." - Jesus "If a pickpocket meets a Holy Man, he will see only His pockets." - Hari Dass Baba "Everywhere I look I see only my own desires." - Hari Dass Baba "Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together." - Jesus "On the hat of poverty three renouncements are inscribed: Quit this world, quit the next world, quit quitting." - Sufi poet "When you got nothing, you got nothing to lose. You're invisible now, you got no secrets to conceal." - Bob Dylan "The fly that touches honey cannot use its wings; so the soul that clings to spiritual sweetness ruins its freedom and hinders contemplation." - Aurobindo "He consciously moves with the cosmic current. In moving he loses nothing but his limitations. He can take with him in essence all the experiences and understanding that he has gained." - Collins "The essence of civilization consists not in the multiplication of wants but in their deliberate and voluntary renunciation." - Gandhi "Lay it down, drop it, let go, sing it out, throw it out. Going all the Way is holy but alas some linger on the path to see and smell the pretty golden sunflower or hold hands with Eternity or practice Ecstasy Bliss or circulate the light or reach neither perception nor nonperception but lingering anywhere you might . . . get stuck for Kalpas . . . You can't go forwards or backwards or stand still. Move! Move! Mu ..." - Bhagavan Dass "Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?" - Jesus "He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me." - Jesus "By letting it go it all gets done The simplest and most direct type of renunciation would seem to be to just give up the satisfying of one's desires. That is, if one is preoccupied with eating and oral gratifications, just fast. If one is obsessed with sexual concerns, just give up sex. And so on. This technique is known as tapasya or "straightening by fire." "If a man gives way to all his desires, or panders to them, there will be no inner struggle in him, no 'friction,' no fire. But if, for the sake of attaining a definite aim, he struggles with the desires that hinder him, he will then create a fire which will gradually transform his inner world into a single whole." - Ouspensky The struggle that comes through imposing austerities upon oneself as a systematic part of one's sadhana is a powerful form of inner confrontation. It certainly shows you where you are not. For example, if you usual1y get up at 8 a.m. as everyone else does, try getting up at 4 a.m. every morning. (Buddha and other high beings have noted that the best time of day to work on oneself is between 4 and 7.) Or perhaps you like sleeping in a really comfortable bed ... start sleeping on a thin mat on the floor. But there are two warnings to be kept in mind with regard to any austerities: 1. Austerities can be performed in ways to enhance or strengthen the ego. Pride in how much one is suffering and masochism, are two examples. "Another thing that people must sacrifice is their suffering. No one who has not sacrificed his suffering can work. Nothing can he attained without suffering but at the same time one must begin by sacrificing suffering." - Ouspensky 2. Austerities that are excessive (in relation to the degree of spiritual development of the individual) are merely demonstrations of ego will and as such can harm the body or the mind in such a way as to make further sadhana in this lifetime difficult or even impossible. "And even in his corrections, let him act with prudence, and not go too far, lest while he seeketh too eagerly to scrape off the rust, the vessel be broken." Rule for the Abbot. Ch. 64 Two examples: There is a method of meditation in which a sadhak sits in the lotus position in the desert and looks directly into the sun without blinking from sunrise to sunset. Now it is obvious that if most people were to try this they would blind themselves through burning their retina. This particular exercise is only safe to do when one has evolved to such a point that his mind is totally one-pointed and thus he can keep his eyes open and directed at the sun without ever even once "looking" at the sun. Pranayam, which utilizes control of breath in order to control pran or life force, involves in its advanced forms the stopping of the breath for extended periods of time. One arrives at these very delicate forms of pranayam only after considerable purification of body and mind for they require that the breath stop although the sadhak feels no experience of holding his breath. One over-zealous aspirant injected chemical agents to strengthen "his will" and override his body's warning system ... and then forced himself into deeper and deeper pranayam. He died. And leaving the body this way entails ego and is thus a subtle form of suicide which leaves him with more work to do, but no body to do it in ... until next time. Such warnings make a person really want a nice, wise, paternal type teacher to impose discipline. But waiting for such a teacher is usually a cop-out, for at this point practically everything a teacher would say to us we already know. There are many ways on our own that we can "get on with it." (Later, when we have progressed on the path of purification and really need a teacher, he will appear.) In undertaking any tapasya, one is usually overwhelmed by the amount of ego that creeps in. Pride, self-pity, wanting to stop because it all seems meaningless or confusing or is too slow . . . all of these ego demons and many more drop around to foil any such undertaking. A thousand times they will succeed and you will give up your program in disgust. But a thousand and one times you will return to your efforts because you see how it all is. That's just the way it is. As many times as you trip and fall, i.e., give in to a desire -- just get up. There is a tendency when we fall for many of us to sit around and feel guilty and wallow in self-recrimination. "However sinful a person may be, if he would stop wailing inconsolably: 'Alas! I am a sinner, how shall I attain liberation?' and, casting away even the thought that he is a sinner, if he would zealously carry on ... he would most assuredly get reformed." - Ramana Maharshi Such self-recrimination is just more of the ego dance. Let it go by and get on with it. After all, if you were finished, you wouldn't need to begin. Just accept where you are in the here and now and proceed full speed. And so for those who can undertake austerities without feeling that they are too austere. perhaps even proceed joyfully, here are some suggested exercises. Exercises 1. Get in the habit of remaining silent for a few hours a day. This is most easily done when one is at home or around people who understand what you are trying to do. (In India if you are silent everyone immediately says, "Ah, Mouna" and honors you. In the West people either interpret silence as a sign of your hostility towards them or as a physical illness about which they feel pity. Either of these reactions makes your work more difficult.) At first you may want to remain by yourself during these few hours. Later you will be able to be around people comfortably without having to speak. Soon you may feel that you are ready to undertake one day of silence a week. Some spiritual communities have incorporated a day of silence into their program for the entire group. Many communities take meals in silence. 2. If you wish to undertake longer periods of silence you may wish to work with a chalk board. A piece of light slate about 4" by 5" can be worn on a piece of twine or rope around the neck. With a piece of chalk also attached to the twine, you can convey any necessary messages of practical import. This device, although somewhat cumbersome, is an excellent technique for showing a person his own verbosity. To have to write down every communication quickly leads one to convey the essence of the communication without all the redundancies and amplifications. With such a device, Hari Dass Baba has carried on much worldly work for fifteen years without speaking. The effects of this very modest tapasya will very quickly be manifested in the forms of more calmness of mind and more energy and the ability to hear more around you. Other exercises of tapasya are included in other sections of this cookbook. Potent Quotes "Conserve your powers. Daily renewed sense yearnings sap your inner peace; they are like openings in a reservoir that allow vital waters to be wasted in the desert soil of materialism. The forceful activating impulse of wrong desire is the greatest enemy to the happiness of man. Roam in the world as a lion of self control; don't let the frogs of sense weakness kick you around." - Sri Yukteswar "I realized in this place that people feared silence more than anything else, that our tendency to talk arises from self-defense and is always based upon a reluctance to see something, a reluctance to confess something to oneself. Directly a person is quiet himself, that is, awakes a little, he hears the different intonations and begins to distinguish other people's lies." - Ouspensky "The more you talk about it, the more you think about it, the further from it you go; STOP TALKING, STOP THINKING, AND THERE IS NOTHING YOU WILL NOT UNDERSTAND." - Seng-ts'an "Drown all sound in My Silence to hear My Word of words." - Meher Baba "The whole world is tormented by words
"To reconnect consciousness with the unconscious, to make consciousness symbolical is to reconnect words with silence; to let the silence in. If consciousness is all words and no silence, the unconscious remains unconscious." -- N.O. Brown "I said I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue, I have placed a watch over my mouth; I became dumb and was silent, and held my peace even from good things." -- SI. Benedict "Quietness is master of the dead." - Tao Te Ching "Those who know do not talk "He who tells the truth says almost nothing." - Porchia "Do not squander your treasure. Exuberance is a good stimulus towards action, but the inner light grows in silence and concentration." "Ephrem the Syrian says, 'Good speech is silver, but silence is pure gold.'" - Way of a Pilgrim. "I did not eat so they said I was
fasting; "Oh Lord, Thou shalt open my lips, and my mouth shall declare Thy praise." - Bible Exercises As you get further on the path you will need less and less sleep. Start from where you are. Get as much sleep as you seem to need. However, it is helpful in facilitating your transformation to: (a) Go to bed early and get up early. Most people in the West fill their evenings with activity and stimulation. As you get into a yogic way of life, those activities such as "hanging out," movies, TV, "making out," etc., cease to exert such a strong influence over you. Then the change in schedule becomes easy. If you have the opportunity to live away from electricity for a period of time, it is easier to notice the sunset and sunrise and to adapt your schedule to the natural order of things. If you think you are matinal or nocturnal don't worry about it ... just slowly bring your schedule into harmony. (b) Sleep on a firm surface -- perhaps a mat on the floor or a thick mattress. At first this may be uncomfortable if you are unaccustomed to it, but quickly you adapt and find that the patterns and nature of your sleep change markedly as you change the surface upon which you sleep. (c) It is good to sleep on your back or upon your side. (The left side is often recommended for reasons concerning which nostril it is most useful to breathe through during the night. Most of the time you breathe through one nostril dominantly. There is an evolved science in yoga concerning the effects of breathing through one nostril or the other. The nostril opposite the side you are sleeping on stays open.) (d) Sleep without a pillow or with a small pillow under your neck. It is good to keep your spine as straight as possible. (e) Meditate for a few minutes before lying down to go to sleep. Patterns of Sleep When you first lie down, relax your body progressively from feet to top of head. Experience the relaxation at each point along the way. Get out of the habit of "thinking about things" when you are going into sleep. Clear your mind. If you work with mantra, it is good to repeat your mantra and let all else fall away. As your sadhana proceeds you will be able to remain more conscious through the period of transition from your normal waking state into the states of sleep. You will witness these transitions in planes of consciousness from the vantage point of the calm niche created by your mantra (witnessing vantage point). During the first part of your sleep you will be in a state of deep sleep. This is a dreamless state in which you merge once again into the unity of the One. Through this re-uniting you tune in on much pran and become refreshed. (Parallels are often made between this state and Nirvikalp Samadhi and the First Bardo.) Only when you have evolved far along the path will you remain conscious throughout the period of deep sleep. At that stage you no longer sleep but merely pass the night by going into deeper states of samadhi. Once your being has been sufficiently refreshed through deep sleep, you begin to reenter through various planes of consciousness -- finally coming to the physical plane at which point you usually say that you have "awakened." The various planes you pass through prior to returning to the physical plane are generally referred to by most laymen in the West as the "dream state." Actually, what we refer to as "dreams" are merely experiences which we are having on planes other than the physical plane. Such experiences are going on all the time but usually our awareness is attached to the physical plane and we are oblivious of any other information coming from these other planes. Most of us have had the experience of being awakened by an alarm clock and being in the middle of a dream. Sometimes we are able to finish the dream without "going back to sleep." That is, we keep in mind that the alarm has gone off, but we stay in the state of half awake/half asleep in order to finish the dream. Many people are trained to do this in psychoanalysis. It is possible almost immediately upon embarking on one's sadhana to become aware in the same way during the process of dreaming. Once you know how to center through mantra, witness, etc., it is easy to observe your dreams running on. With very little practice you will find that by sleeping on a hard surface you sleep more lightly, which allows you to awaken into your dreams almost immediately upon coming out of deep sleep. It is useful to keep a mantra going while the dreams pass. Although you may be an actor in your dream, if you identify with your mantra or witness, you can still watch your dreams in the same way as you might watch a movie -- watching yourself as one of the actors. This is a technique for learning a great deal about who you are on planes other than the one with which you are familiar. The major advantage of some familiarity with other than the physical plane of consciousness is that it helps you to see that what you call your "waking state" is little more than another plane of consciousness ... no more and no less. Once you know this and live this knowledge from moment to moment, then such exercises with dreams are unnecessary for they merely clutter your head with more illusion. At that stage it is good as soon as you come out of deep sleep and become aware again to get up immediately and go into meditation ... keeping as free from any thoughts as possible. Our body is our temple where we live and where we do the work of becoming enlightened. Just as certain external environments are more conducive to increased awareness than others (at least in the early stages of awakening), so it is with the inner environment --the body itself. It can be a "clean, well-lighted place." "We are what we eat" may be an oversimplification, but it contains a gram of truth. What we eat affects the nature of the body cells and organs and the way they function. At another level, you could say that the vibrations of anything you put into the organism modifies the vibrations of the total organism. At the outset of sadhana, you cannot radically change your eating pattern without damage to the physical body. But what you can do is to attend to what and how you eat. Basically, there is a program of diet for the sadhak: 1. Don't eat too much. The traditional way of saying this is that at the conclusion of a meal. a yogi's stomach should be half full of food, one-quarter full of water and one-quarter full of air. 2. Eat light, healthy, unadulterated foods which are easily digestable. It would be desirable if we could find one agreed-upon diet that would be optimal for sadhana. But it is apparent from the many controversies that rage concerning which foods are "good" and which are "bad," that no single diet is universally considered desirable. Such a welter of conflicting information may confuse a beginner. But such confusion may be constructive if it precipitates closer scrutiny of diet and a search for what is the essence of the matter behind all diets. Much of the controversy is the result of a failure to realize that a sadhak needs different kinds of foods at different stages of his journey. When he is first shedding his habitual meat diet he may wish to substitute whole grains, such as brown rice and whole wheat, along with vegetables, some fish, fruit, honey instead of sugar, nuts and dairy products. Later, he may find as he further purifies his body that certain of these foods interfere with his sadhana by producing mucus or vibrations which made meditation more difficult. He may eventually find, if he is leading a contemplative life, that fruit and nuts are enough. Even such a sparse diet as that is merely a step upon the path. At the conclusion, one is capable of living upon light alone. We, as separate entities, could be characterized as energy transformers. We take in energy (pran) in certain forms, transform this energy and then emit it in other forms. Beings whose consciousness is totally attached to the physical plane consider food, water and air as the major sources of their energy. As a being progresses along the path, he comes to understand that there are other sources of energy available to him. Finally he arrives at the stage where he is able to transmute everything in the Universe into useful energy. In modern Western science, the relationship between mass and energy as set forth by Einstein reflects this truth: "That is, what appears to us to be mass is merely huge amounts of bound energy. If and when the mass can be broken down there is a release of energies. From this came the splitting of the atom." 3. Abstain as much as possible from strong (hot, spicy or pungent) foods. Also go light on stimulants such as coffee, tea and "spirits." Certain spices are useful in digestion and these may be used in moderation. In order to go the spice trip, you have to alter your model of why you eat. Most Westerners are very sensual and spend large amounts of time in titillating their palates with variety and subtlety in tastes. The gourmet represents the epitome of such a value. The sadhak, however, realizes that all sense gratification is merely perpetuating the enslavement to desire so he attempts, early on, to surrender the taste trip in favor of his spiritual goal. But this is not necessarily required. At the early stages of work, it is useful to simplify one's diet (even to the taking of the same menu every day), making it as tasty as possible with mild and healthful spices. This repetition and blandness may be distasteful at first, but soon one develops new sensitivities in taste and new feelings of lightness in mind and body which more than compensate for what has been "given up." 4. Be concerned with the vibrations associated with the source, preparation and eating of foods. Most of us are so gross in our sensitivity that we can hardly even appreciate this point. But those of us who have been doing sadhana for a period of time, or who have lived with very pure beings, find these rules to be obvious: (a) Any food which entails violence (killing) in its source is not to be taken. At one end of the continuum is meat -- the preparation of which obviously includes the killing of an animal which has a rudimentary self-consciousness. It thus experiences fear and releases into its system adrenalin and other chemicals from the endocrine glands which are not helpful for meditation. At the other end of this continuum are fruits which fall from trees -- given as a gift for our needs. Which of the foods in the middle of the continuum involve some violence to the natural order of things in order to obtain them (e.g., vegetables, milk) is a much debated question. In this manual we can only recognize the existence of such a continuum and bring it to your attention. (b) Food which entails cooking in its preparation should only be eaten when it has been cooked with mantra and/or love. The vibrations of the person preparing the food enter into food cooked over fire. A Sanskrit mantra which can be used for preparing food is: OM ANNAM BRAHMA RASO BISHNUR BHOKTA DEBO which means: Food is Brahma. asa (juice) is Vishnu. The whole world (Life Being) is its user. Having this thought makes ineffective the evils connected with this food. (c) There is a state of mind suitable for taking of food -- calmness. There is a Sufi saying: "If a person eats with anger, the food turns to poison." 5. Finally, consecrate the food you take. Such food is called prasad. Consecrating food means to offer the food up. Another way of saying this is that the taking of the food should be considered as part of one's spiritual work or sadhana. In the West we sometimes say grace before meals. This is one form of consecrating the food. All you have to do now is continue to say grace, but now listen to it. A Sanskrit consecration of food taken from the Gita is as follows:
Translation: This ritual is Brahma. The food is Brahma. He who offers the food is Brahma. The fire (hunger) is also Brahma. And karma is Brahma. He who knows this may go to Brahma. I offer this food to the Guru who is the creator, the preserver, and the agent of change. To the Guru who is also energy and who is the Sun beyond all. I touch the lotus feet of the Guru. OM, Peace, Peace, Peace. (Just before OM, SHANTI, SHANTI, SHANTI ... you may wish to inject silently some additional beings whom you wish to honor by offering the food.)
It is true that food offered with a pure heart is received in essence. In a short story by J.D. Salinger called "Teddy," a young boy who is a very high being describes how he first realized in this lifetime how it all was: "I was about six years old and was watching my little sister in her highchair drinking milk. Suddenly I saw it was like pouring God into God if you know what I mean." Perhaps you would find it a meaningful mantra to merely think upon pouring God into God, if you know what I mean. Potent Quotes "AND GOD SAID, 'Behold I have given you every plant yielding seed which is on the face of all the earth and every tree yielding seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food'." -- Genesis "When you are at table, speak to none, keep your eyes lowered and think of the heavenly table, of the food that is served thereon, which food is God Himself, and of the guests at this table, who are the angels." -- St. Teresa of Avila "Complaint of the Stomach: One day there had been feasting at the Ashram. Many had been upset by the large quantity of rich food. Someone quoted the following complaint about the stomach by the Tamil poet Avvayar: 'You will not go without food even for one day, nor will you take enough for two days at a time. You have no idea of the trouble I have on your account, Oh wretched stomach! It is impossible to get on with you!' Bhagavan immediately replied with a parody giving the stomach's complaint against the ego: 'You will not give even an hour's rest to me, your stomach. Day after day, every hour, you keep on eating. You have no idea how I suffer, Oh trouble-making ego! It is impossible to get on with you'." -- Osborne "Ravana's gigantic brother, Khumba-karn, obtained as a boon from Brahma that whenever he had satisfied his voracious appetite the slumber of repletion might be the longest and deepest, and he might only wake to eat again." -- Ramayana Study, like mantra, is a technique for bringing you close to the higher (more conscious) ideas of higher beings. As a member of a culture which dotes on collecting knowledge, you may first set out on the path wanting to read what is written about higher consciousness. You might get books about the history of mysticism, the lives of the prophets of the great religions, the curricula of obscure schools of thought, the writings and sayings of great mystics, the implications of mysticism for modern man, and books on methods. This reading provides a context for your personal experiences. It demonstrates that throughout the history of man there have always been mystics, that what can be said about the mystical experience from an external observer's point of view is relatively trivial, and that though the words differ from one mystic to another, the communality of experience is amazing. There are four categories into which these writings can be placed (in terms of the author's own state of development): 1. Realized or enlightened beings. For the most part they have written very little; often their words (e.g., Gospels) have been recorded by disciples.) 2. Spiritual seekers who are very much on the path and are sharing their insights, methods, etc. 3. Pandits, intellectuals, scientists who evolve highly intellectually sophisticated subtle models and explanations of the mystical experience. (The veil for many of these writers is still heavy, though often they have had some mystical experience of their own on which to anchor their writings.) 4. Professional writers who write objective, superficial, and quite external accounts of mysticism. They seek the "facts." After you have completed the first superficial reading overview, it becomes apparent that if you are to change your way of thinking about the universe, it would be a good idea to "hang out with" (a) those who know, and (b) those who are seriously working on themselves. Thus your reading quickly narrows to the first two categories of authors listed above. The second stage of study is often called reflection. It is described in the following passage from Autobiography of a Yogi, by Yogananda. "The scene was a forest hermitage in Eastern Bengal . . . Dabru Ballav had gathered his disciples around him in the sylvan solitudes. The holy Bhagavad Gita was open before them. Steadfastly they looked at one passage for half an hour, then closed their eyes. Another half hour slipped away. The master gave a brief comment. Motionless they meditated again for an hour. Finally the Guru spoke. 'Do you now understand the stanza?' 'Yes, Sir.' One of the group ventured his assertion. 'No, not fully. Seek the spiritual vitality that has given these words the power to rejuvenate India century after century.' Another hour passed in silence." Daily Exercise Working with one of the books containing the words of a realized being (e.g., the Bhagavad Gita, the Tao Te Ching, the words of Jesus in the Gospels, Sayings of Ramana Maharshi or Ramakrishna, the I Ching, etc.), take one passage -- perhaps a phrase -- certainly no more than a page. Read and re-read and re-re-read it. Then let your thoughts work around it. Paraphrase it. See how it applies to others and to yourself. Note if and how it differs from the way in which you usually think about things . . . different assumptions, etc. What are its implications regarding your own journey? Read it again. What laws of nature is it reflecting? Then, sitting quietly, let your mind associate to the passage. And then be quiet. Certainly a half hour a day is not too long to spend on this exercise. "Let a man though living in the body, so treat his body that, with right effort, right watchfulness and right concentration he will overcome the sorrow that is produced by the sensations that arise in the body." -- Dhammapada The word asana is sometimes translated as "easy, comfortable" and sometimes as "eat." It concerns a comfortable seat in which one can remain for long periods of time. "To remain motionless for a long time without effort is an asana." -- Yoga Darshana "The aim of the bodily posture is secured when 'the physical reactions of the body are eliminated and the mind dissolves into the Infinite.'" -- Danielou, quoting from Yoga Darshana You work with your body for some very obvious reasons. First, it is the environment in which you dwell in this incarnation on the physical plane. Second, unless you can cool out your body, it keeps on capturing your attention over and over again and thus distracts you from the one-pointedness of mind that you are seeking. Third, to work with body energies and to be able to move such energies up the spine requires sensitization to nerves in the body of which most people are unaware. Until you can hear your body, you cannot bring it under voluntary control in such a way that it helps you rather than interferes with your sadhana. And fourth, a yogi realizes that the message of his being is reflected in all his manifestations and he seeks the power of the one-pointedness that comes from having his body as well as his thoughts directed towards the state of realization. Just as bringing the hands together in prayer or challenging someone with a raised fist have associated with them various thoughts and feelings, so it is with the total body. At any moment it is making its statement, and as you come to hear such statements you bring the messages of your body in line with the messages of your heart and head. For a realized being, every movement is a perfect statement. It is well in undertaking work with the body (hatha yoga) to keep in mind these reasons. If in your head you undertake hatha yoga as a form of exercise or body building, you will end up with just what you reached for ... a more beautiful body. On the other hand, if you undertake hatha yoga as a form of yoga then it will, in a relatively short time, bring about a profound metamorphosis in your body calmness, sensitivity, and lightness ... all of which will facilitate your sadhana. In undertaking asanas it is desirable to have a teacher who can demonstrate the correct positions and correct any bad habits that develop in your performance of the asanas. It is useful at the beginning to take an introductory course or set of lessons in hatha yoga if it is available to you. These lessons will start you on the right path. Even if a qualified teacher is not available, a friend who has had a teacher can point out errors in your asanas which will help you. A note of caution, however. Teachers of hatha yoga who teach only hatha yoga often mistake the shadow for the substance. Although they may be able to point out correct postures and procedures, many of these teachers do not themselves comprehend the implications of the term yoga ... that is, they are not doing asanas as a means of union with the One. A student who works with such teachers runs the risk of profaning the undertaking in the very beginning by developing a poor mental set towards this work. With this caution in mind, however, it is possible for you, if you understand the reasons (especially the one concerning the use of body positions as a form of prayer) for doing asanas, to learn specific methodology from a teacher who himself does not understand these reasons. If a teacher is not available it is still possible for you to undertake the regular practice of asanas profitably. Under these conditions, however, you must move slowly and gently ... don't force your body ... listen very carefully to the information that your body gives you. By proper centering you will, in fact, be calling upon an inner teacher who will guide you. Asanas are positions. Once you have gotten into the position and made the statement connected with that position you are there. You become a statue in each asana. The statue image is a useful one. No matter how unusual the position of the asana may seem to you, once you are in the position then you become totally centered in that position. It -- your body -- comes to be a position of rest ... as if you were always in that position, as a statue.
Your state of mind is of paramount importance in asanas. Don't identify with the ego who is doing the asanas. Merely watch the body move into the appropriate position. Stay in a place inside yourself where nothing is happening at all.
When the body has gotten into the asana as perfectly as it is able without forcing (just firm pressure) ... then go into "neutral" with the body so that it becomes perfectly relaxed and stable in the position of the asana. There are 84 main asanas which an advanced yogi works with. Of these about 12 or 15 are sufficient until one arrives at a very advanced stage of sadhana. The following are a set of instructions for carrying out these simple asanas: 1. Find a quiet place to work. It is best to be alone. The surface on which you work should be flat. A blanket or thin mat on the floor is suitable. 2. Your clothing should be light and very flexible (leotards) or very loose. Asanas may be done naked although men sometimes find a loin cloth or athletic supporter preferable. 3. Success of asanas is dependent upon your being relaxed and calm and centered. It's going to start by relaxing yourself, just with breathing. Spread your arms wide, take in a breath, and then bring your arms across your chest and let the breath out. Let the breathing happen naturally, becoming deeper as you relax your arm movements more. Arms across your chest and then out, and then across your chest and then out. Breathe through your nose. Continue for a minute or two. Another relaxing exercise is the turning, twisting of the body. Stand straight with arms extended straight out to the sides from your shoulders. Now twist the upper part of your body to the left so that your right arm comes out in front and the left arm is behind. At the same time, throw your left leg over to the right in front of your right leg. This forces the lower part of your body to turn in the opposite direction from the upper part. Then reverse the whole process ... so that the left arm and right leg are extended out in front across your body. Do this in a relaxed swinging fashion to limber up your body. Now lie down on your back for another loosening up exercise. Pull your knees up to your chest and embrace them with your arms. Then roll back and forth with great relaxation just as if you're a ball, and with abandon -- total abandon -- just roll. Roll, back and forth, side to side. This is just to relax your back and loosen you up. 4. Breathing pointers: when your head comes forward towards your feet (your body jack-knifes), you let out air. When your body straights out or stretches backwards you take in air. It's like a bellows. When you have gotten into an asana that involves bending or stretching, and you wish to go into it a little further, use small breaths to help. If the asana requires forward bending, take in a little breath and then as you let it out, let your body go just a bit further forward ... and then another tiny breath, and so forth. 5. Do asanas at your own rate ... calmly maintaining your center throughout the entire session. I. SAVASANA (Corpse Position): Lie flat on your back and relax. Legs out straight, feet together and your hands by your sides. Relax your feet, calves, thighs, pelvis, abdomen, chest, arms, neck and head. II. PASHIMATASANA (Head-Knee Position): Extend your arms very slowly over your head until they are stretched out straight behind you. Slowly sit up, bringing your arms and head up together and keeping your heels on the ground. Bend at the waist. Smoothly proceed forward until you touch your toes. Keep your legs straight. If you can, hold your feet with your hands, pulling your feet towards you and bending your elbows until they are touching the ground on either side of your legs. Make sure you are bending from as low in your back as possible. Don't strain. Get into the asana as far as possible. Then take small breaths and with each exhalation go a little further. Now stop and become aware of your entire body ... note the pains and the stretching muscles and the tight places. Just BE for a moment. Now gently raise your arms and return to a prone position (inhaling as you do). Work up daily until you are doing about thirty of these. Some may be started from a sitting position with hands extended over your head. Remember to avoid thinking "I am doing an asana." Just experience the asana happening. Working with your eyes closed will help.
III. JANU-SIRASANA (Head-Knee Position): Sit up with your legs stretched out in front of you. Now bend your left leg and place the sole of your left foot against the inside of the thigh of your right leg (which is still straight). Maintain that position. Raise your arms over your head and bring them slowly down towards your right foot. Bend as low in the back as possible. Bring your head down until it is just to the left of your right knee. Then after a pause for the eternal moment, gently raise the upper part of your body until your hands are once again extended over your head. Work up daily until you are doing thirty of these. IV. JANU-SIRASANA (Head-Knee Position): Now change legs so that the left leg is extended and the right is bent. Repeat the asana as above. You may also modify these two asanas by putting the foot on top of the thigh instead of next to it. During the first few weeks you will probably experience pains and aches as well as the presence of muscles you never knew you had. Just be gently persistent. You will also notice dramatic improvement at first. Don't get hung up measuring improvement. Just quietly and calmly do you asanas each day. Work at your own rate. V. BHUJANGASANA (Cobra Position): Roll over on your stomach and lie flat with your legs together and your hands by your sides. Bend your arms until your hands are flat on the floor next to your chest. Very gently start to push up with your forearms, thus raising the upper part of your body. Raise your head first, then your neck, and then slowly raise lower and lower parts of your spine. At the same time you are raising the upper part of your body, press down into the ground with your pelvis. When the asana is done properly, you will finally feel the pressure at the tip of your spine. Keep your head up. It is helpful to keep your eyes open and to keep trying to look further and further over your head. When you have reached the point that you can reach comfortably, stop and remain in that position for about 15 seconds and then gently starting at the base of your spine, lower the upper part of your body to the ground. The head touches down last. Remember your breathing. As you go up, breathe in; as you return, breathe out. Do about three of these. You can also work with the "moving cobra." Proceed as above until you have raised yourself as far as possible. Then, instead of returning to the ground, bend your knees until you are sitting back on your calves with your arms still stretched out before you. This forces you to curve your back towards the ground. Then keeping your head and upper part of your body very close to the ground, glide along the ground until you are again out straight and then start to raise the head and on down the spine. This moving cobra is one continuous serpentine movement. IV. MATSYASANA (Fish Position): Sit up and cross your legs. If you are able to get into the lotus position (that is, with the top of the foot resting upon the opposite thigh) do so. Don't strain. You can adopt any cross-legged position that is comfortable. Place your hands behind you and slowly let yourself back down until you are resting on your elbows. Then lower your head until the top of your head touches the ground. Arch your back. Rest the upper part of your body on the top of your head and the lower part of your body on your cross-legged seat. Now place your hands lightly on top of your thighs (or feet if you are in the lotus position). Remain in the position for about 15 to 30 seconds and then slowly return to a sitting position. If you wish, at this point you can continue forward until your head is on the floor and your shoulders are resting on your thighs (or feet if you are in the lotus position). Then holding the wrist of one arm with the hand of the other behind your back, slowly raise your arms behind you as high as you can. Then bring them down and relax. VII. DHANURASANA (Bow Position): Roll over on your stomach. Behind your back take hold of your ankles with your hands, firmly. Now push away with your feet (attempt to extend your legs). This will bring your head and chest up. Keep lifting in this fashion until your thighs are fully off the ground. Look straight ahead. When you have gotten up as far as you can without strain, then remain in in that position calmly for 15 to 30 seconds. Gently return to the ground. Do this asana three times. If you wish, when you are in the asana you can rock back and forth like a rocking chair. VIII. ARDHA-HATSYENDRASANA (Twist Position): Sit up straight with your legs out straight before you on the floor. Bend your left knee and put your left leg under your right leg so that the left heel is to the right of (and pressed firmly against) your right buttock. Now bring your right leg up by bending it at the knee and place the right foot flat on the ground to the left of the left knee. Raise your left arm and twist the upper part of the body to the right until your left armpit is directly over your right thigh. Now turn your left forearm in such a fashion that you can pass it back through the triangle made by the bend in your right knee. At this point your left armpit is almost resting on top of the right thigh. Reach around behind you with your right arm until your right and left hands can grip each other. Turn your head so that you are looking behind you over your right shoulder. Without straining, twist as far as possible. Then hold the position for about 15 to 30 seconds and return to a straight sitting position. Now do the twist to the left, reversing all the above instructions. IX. SIMHASANA (Lion Position): Assume a kneeling position. Place your hands on your knees so that your fingers are extended outwards and you are leaning slightly forward. Extend the tongue outward as far as possible and turn the eyes upward and towards the middle of the forehead. Exhale the breath as much as possible and contract the throat muscles. Make the entire body as taut as possible -- as if you were a lion about to spring. Stop, return, and then relax. Repeat this asana about four times. X. TOLANGULASANA (Balance Position): Lie on your back. Raise your legs off the ground and spread them, keeping them straight. Then raise the upper part of your body to form a V with the point of contact with the ground being the tip of your spine. Stretch your arms forward between your spread legs. Remain in this position for 30 seconds. Don't strain. Return to a relaxed position. XI. SARVANGASANA (Neck Stand): Lie flat on your back. Very gently, in one smooth movement, lift your legs off the ground (keeping them straight) and raise them until they are at a 90 degree angle to your torso. Then placing your hands behind your back, slowly lift your hips off the ground and more and more of your back, until only your head and neck are on the ground. Your back is supported by your hands, which should be as high up (close to the neck) on your back as possible. Elbows are on the ground. Remain with legs and body straight up for two minutes. XII. HALASAN (Plough Position): Starting from the neck stand, gently bring legs over head, still keeping them straight, until your toes touch the ground behind your head. Keeping your legs straight, attempt to bring your heels to the ground and to walk in towards your head. When you have gotten as close as possible without straining, then stop for 10 seconds. XIII. KARNA PEEDASAN (Ear-Knee Position): Starting from last position, now bend your knees until they touch the floor next to your ears. Remain in that position for ten seconds. Then gently retrace your steps, one by one, until you are back on the ground resting on your back. You can sense how limber your spine is as you come down from the neck stand. As you lower your body, press each vertebrae against the ground from the neck down. You should hear clicks along the way. XIV. SAVASANA (Corpse Position): Return to Corpse position and remain there for five minutes. OM TAT SAT
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