Yoga Private Lessons

Feb 02 2012

Verse 2.72 (The Ultimate Truth)

esa brahmi sthitih partha nainam prapya vimuhyati 
sthitvasyam anta-kale ‘pi brahma-nirvanam rcchati

This is the Ultimate Truth, O son of Pritha! Attaining to this, one is never deluded. Being established therein, even at the end of life one attains to oneness with Brahman.

Lord Krishna concludes chapter two by revealing the state of God Consciousness achieved by one who performs all actions unattached and equipoised, based upon his knowing the eternal nature of the immortal soul. It is the Ultimate Truth. The results of this are one will no longer be compelled to enter samsara the endless cycle of birth and death in the mirage of material existence. If one begins this process with determination one will have the opportunity to attain mergence with the eternal soul within and nirvana or final liberation from the material existence. 

The following key learnings emerge from the second chapter of the Bhagavad Gita:

1) That the Soul is immortal and eternal.

2) All activities in the material world should be performed as a matter of duty without any desire for reward.

3) Desire for sense gratification can be moderated and controlled by being in His Remembrance (God Consciousness) at all times.

3) One who is spiritually intelligent of illuminated consciousness understands that through meditation the goal of transcendent God Consciousness and Realization can be attained.

Thus in the Upanishads of the glorious Bhagavad Gita, the science of the Eternal, the scripture of Yoga, the dialogue between Sri Krishna and Arjuna, ends the second discourse entitled: “The Sankhya Yoga”

(Source: holygita)

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The Supreme Soul is seen within the soul,
The Point is seen within the Supreme Soul,
And within the Point, the reflection is seen again.
Kabir is blest because he has this Supreme vision!
— Kabir

(Source: santmat, via santmat)

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In Between

In these moments
In between God’s inhale and exhale
As the sun rises
And night turns to day
I sit
Feeling for a moment
The great spin
Of life
In stillness.
What do you have us do
In these moments
Oh God?
I know you are
Just in between breaths.
But please
Show me.
Show me everything,
Every step of the way.
I am blind
I never seem to hear
All that you are saying.
I never seem to
Open my heart
Enough.
Soon
The day begins.
Soon the bees buzz.
Soon
The decisions made.
One by one.
Locking us into
The reality
Of our small
Minds.
Why don’t you
Make the decisions today?
In this moment
In between
Your exhale and inhale Oh God
Let me be yours.

Snatam Kaur

In Between

In these moments
In between God’s inhale and exhale
As the sun rises
And night turns to day
I sit
Feeling for a moment
The great spin
Of life
In stillness.
What do you have us do
In these moments
Oh God?
I know you are
Just in between breaths.
But please
Show me.
Show me everything,
Every step of the way.
I am blind
I never seem to hear
All that you are saying.
I never seem to
Open my heart
Enough.
Soon
The day begins.
Soon the bees buzz.
Soon
The decisions made.
One by one.
Locking us into
The reality
Of our small
Minds.
Why don’t you
Make the decisions today?
In this moment
In between
Your exhale and inhale Oh God
Let me be yours.


Snatam Kaur

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 Who are the Saints and what do they teach us?

Saints are those who have attained the highest stage & have become one with the Lord.

Saints alone are truly humble.

Their teachings are:

The universe is not without a creator, the Lord Supreme.

The soul is in essence a drop from the ocean of the Lord, but through long separation has completely forgotten its origin. This is the cause of all its misery & pain, which will end only when the drop again merges in the ocean.

God resides within & can be realized only in the human form.

In the body, he is to be sought only above the eyes.

None can realize God without the help of a perfect adept.

Saints prescribe Surat Shabd Yoga wherein the attention, after being withdrawn from the body & concentrated at the eye centre, contacts the Divine Melody.

They also enjoin, ‘Live in the world but be not of the world’.

Everything in the phenomenal world is unreal. He alone is Real & everlasting. Go within, connect your consciousness with naam & be liberated from the eternal wheel.

Who are the Saints and what do they teach us?

Saints are those who have attained the highest stage & have become one with the Lord.

Saints alone are truly humble.

Their teachings are:

The universe is not without a creator, the Lord Supreme.

The soul is in essence a drop from the ocean of the Lord, but through long separation has completely forgotten its origin. This is the cause of all its misery & pain, which will end only when the drop again merges in the ocean.

God resides within & can be realized only in the human form.

In the body, he is to be sought only above the eyes.

None can realize God without the help of a perfect adept.

Saints prescribe Surat Shabd Yoga wherein the attention, after being withdrawn from the body & concentrated at the eye centre, contacts the Divine Melody.

They also enjoin, ‘Live in the world but be not of the world’.

Everything in the phenomenal world is unreal. He alone is Real & everlasting. Go within, connect your consciousness with naam & be liberated from the eternal wheel.

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When tigers of worries, sickness, and death are chasing you, your only sanctuary is the inner temple of silence. The spiritually deep man lives day and night in a calm interior silence into which neither menacing worries nor even the crash of colliding worlds can intrude.
— Paramahansa Yogananda

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The Definition or Explanation of Sant Mat1. Stillness or steadiness is the essence of Shanti.(A)2. He who has attained Shanti is a saint.(B)3. Sant Mat encompasses the thoughts and teachings of the saints and sages. 4. It is natural for human beings to desire Shanti. Inspired by this inherent desire, seers of ancient times searched for the inner peace and found the path to attain this inner peace, and expounded this way in the ancient teachings of the Upanishads.(C) Similar views have been expressed by saints in more recent times such as Guru Nanak and Kabir Sahib. They expressed their teaching in the Punjabi and Hindi vernaculars, respectively,(D) for the inspiration and edification for the common masses. The teachings of these latter saints are referred to as Sant Mat. However, the Upanishads are considered to be the foundation of Santmat, because they uniquely and abundantly describe the means for attaining Shanti, and contain a comprehensive explanation of the Divine Word-Sound which leads to the Highest Wisdom. The Upanishads explain the yogic techniques and present a systematic path for transcending thought in order to attain the Absolute through the use of sound (the Yoga of Surat Shabda).(E) Santmat follows the yogic path prescribed in the Upanishads and specifically, employs Surat Shabad Yoga in its practices. [Therefore, it is to be understood that the teaching of the saints is a later expression and development of the teaching within the Upanishads.] When viewed on the surface, the teachings of various saints sometimes seem to contradict one another [or even to contradict the principles of the Upanishads]. But upon deeper analysis, it becomes apparent that there is an unbreakable unity in the spiritual views of all saints. Saints have appeared in different times and in different places, and their followers name their tradition in respect to the particular saint [for example, Kabir Panth and Dadu Panth]. The apparent differences can be attributed to variations in time, place, language, and labels given to the views, but in reality, they are the same. It also happens that excessively zealous followers tend to accentuate these seeming differences. When sectarianism and the forms of the particular time or place of the teachings of a saint are removed, the basic principles of Santmat are in unity.Footnotes(A) Shanti is a Sanskrit word which can be understood in English as peace, tranquility, and bliss. It is the peace which results from participation in some degree of Divine communion. (B) The term “Sant” is derived from the Sanskrit Sat (truth, reality). Thus the “one who knows the Truth,” and who has experienced Ultimate Reality. Even though the word sant does not cognate with “Saint” it is often translated in English “Saint.” In this book, for the sake of convenience, we use the words ‘sant’ and ‘saint’ interchangeably. A saint in the Santmat tradition is one who experiences the mystical state; it is a title conferred because of yogic achievements. This is different from the way this word is commonly understood in Western traditions, where a saint is considered to be morally correct and is only canonized as a saint after death on the basis of some form of miracle that he/she had performed during their life times. In the Sant Mat tradition, a saint is a living person who leads a moral life and has achieved realization of the Divine. Clearly, many of those who are considered to be saints in the Western view would also be included in the Santmat definition of saint.(C) The Upanishads are ancient Vedic texts that define and categorize the mystical teachings and the philosophy of Yoga. In the chapter on the Vedanta, we have dealt with these teaching in great detail. (D) The seers of the Upanishads composed in the Sanskrit language. This was not a language of the common people. Guru Nanak and Kabir Sahab describe the same Upanishadic views in languages understood by the common man.(E) Surat Shabad Yoga is the practice of transcending the mind in order to enter the level beyond the mind. This is the level of ultimate unity. The vehicle for this inward journey is sound.  
— Maharshi Mehi, quoted in the book, Harmony Of All Religions, and, Philosophy Of Liberation:http://www.spiritualawakeningradio.com/Harmony12-ChapterSeven-santmat.pdf

The Definition or Explanation of Sant Mat

1. Stillness or steadiness is the essence of Shanti.(A)

2. He who has attained Shanti is a saint.(B)

3. Sant Mat encompasses the thoughts and teachings of the saints and sages.

4. It is natural for human beings to desire Shanti. Inspired by this inherent desire, seers of ancient times searched for the inner peace and found the path to attain this inner peace, and expounded this way in the ancient teachings of the Upanishads.(C) Similar views have been expressed by saints in more recent times such as Guru Nanak and Kabir Sahib. They expressed their teaching in the Punjabi and Hindi vernaculars, respectively,(D) for the inspiration and edification for the common masses. The teachings of these latter saints are referred to as Sant Mat.

However, the Upanishads are considered to be the foundation of Santmat, because they uniquely and abundantly describe the means for attaining Shanti, and contain a comprehensive explanation of the Divine Word-Sound which leads to the Highest Wisdom. The Upanishads explain the yogic techniques and present a systematic path for transcending thought in order to attain the Absolute through the use of sound (the Yoga of Surat Shabda).(E) Santmat follows the yogic path prescribed in the Upanishads and specifically, employs Surat Shabad Yoga in its practices. [Therefore, it is to be understood that the teaching of the saints is a later expression and development of the teaching within the Upanishads.]

When viewed on the surface, the teachings of various saints sometimes seem to contradict one another [or even to contradict the principles of the Upanishads]. But upon deeper analysis, it becomes apparent that there is an unbreakable unity in the spiritual views of all saints. Saints have appeared in different times and in different places, and their followers name their tradition in respect to the particular saint [for example, Kabir Panth and Dadu Panth]. The apparent differences can be attributed to variations in time, place, language, and labels given to the views, but in reality, they are the same. It also happens that excessively zealous followers tend to accentuate these seeming differences. When sectarianism and the forms of the particular time or place of the teachings of a saint are removed, the basic principles of Santmat are in unity.

Footnotes

(A) Shanti is a Sanskrit word which can be understood in English as peace, tranquility, and bliss. It is the peace which results from participation in some degree of Divine communion.

(B) The term “Sant” is derived from the Sanskrit Sat (truth, reality). Thus the “one who knows the Truth,” and who has experienced Ultimate Reality. Even though the word sant does not cognate with “Saint” it is often translated in English “Saint.” In this book, for the sake of convenience, we use the words ‘sant’ and ‘saint’ interchangeably. A saint in the Santmat tradition is one who experiences the mystical state; it is a title conferred because of yogic achievements. This is different from the way this word is commonly understood in Western traditions, where a saint is considered to be morally correct and is only canonized as a saint after death on the basis of some form of miracle that he/she had performed during their life times. In the Sant Mat tradition, a saint is a living person who leads a moral life and has achieved realization of the Divine. Clearly, many of those who are considered to be saints in the Western view would also be included in the Santmat definition of saint.

(C) The Upanishads are ancient Vedic texts that define and categorize the mystical teachings and the philosophy of Yoga. In the chapter on the Vedanta, we have dealt with these teaching in great detail.

(D) The seers of the Upanishads composed in the Sanskrit language. This was not a language of the common people. Guru Nanak and Kabir Sahab describe the same Upanishadic views in languages understood by the common man.

(E) Surat Shabad Yoga is the practice of transcending the mind in order to enter the level beyond the mind. This is the level of ultimate unity. The vehicle for this inward journey is sound.  

— Maharshi Mehi, quoted in the book, Harmony Of All Religions, and, Philosophy Of Liberation:
http://www.spiritualawakeningradio.com/Harmony12-ChapterSeven-santmat.pdf


(via santmat)

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All things are being carried on by the omnipotent power of a Supreme God. Instead of submitting ourselves to It, why should we always be planning, ‘We should do this or that’. Knowing that the train carries all the load, why should we, traveling therein, suffer by carrying our small bundle on our heads, instead of leaving it on the train and being happy.
— Ramana Maharshi, (Gems From Bhagavan, Chapter 5).

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True friendship is broad and inclusive. Selfish attachment to a single individual, excluding all others, inhibits the development of divine friendship. Extend the boundaries of the glowing kingdom of your love, gradually including within them your family, your neighbors, your community, your country, all countries, in short, all sentient creatures. Be a cosmic friend, imbued with kindness and affection for all of God’s creation, scattering love everywhere.
— Paramhansa Yogananda

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What is Guru Mat or the way of the Masters?

The first need in Guru mat is a perfect Guru.

From him we learn the way to enter the tenth door of our body, the temple of God.

We should make our entry through that gate which may take us direct to the throne of the Lord, by the safest, shortest, easiest & most convenient way.

People who have not found a proper guide, have entered the wrong gate & wasted their lives in the labyrinth of the lower charkas.

Even the conquest of these charkas does not take us to the highest lord. Our birth & deaths do not come to an end & we find ourselves still in the maze of chaurasi (the wheel of eighty four).

We should make our ideal that region which is permanent & eternal, whence we do not have to return to be born in this world. In pralaya (dissolution) all the regions up to brahm are destroyed. In maha pralaya (grand dissolution) everything up to the gate of Sat lok i.e. all the regions below Sach Khand, come to an end. We should make Sat Lok our ideal, on reaching which we need never come down again.

Only the practice of shabd, the true Naam, the Word, can take us to that eternal region.

All the pleasures of the world, the attachment to body & senses, the I‐ness & duality have to be discarded before the soul can become fit to partake of the sweetness of Naam. Only the attachment to shabd will detach us from the world and its objects.

(Source: wayofmystics.webs.com)

Feb 01 2012
“In God, everything goes on in the present tense. It is like a movie, which can be turned backwards or forwards. The action on the screen may cover centuries, but all the while up in the projection booth, it happens now.

“The secret of life is to learn to live fully aware of present bliss. When you can learn to be happy in the present, you have God.

“Most people live in the past, with nostalgia or regrets, or in the future, with hopes and fears born of desire.”

Paramhansa Yogananda

“In God, everything goes on in the present tense. It is like a movie, which can be turned backwards or forwards. The action on the screen may cover centuries, but all the while up in the projection booth, it happens now.

“The secret of life is to learn to live fully aware of present bliss. When you can learn to be happy in the present, you have God.

“Most people live in the past, with nostalgia or regrets, or in the future, with hopes and fears born of desire.”

Paramhansa Yogananda

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Cosmic Meditation

Cosmic Meditation

(Source: , via mentalalchemy)

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Snatam Kaur ~ I Am The Light Of My Soul

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