But that is exactly how it is. These 'paths' and the subsequent realisation that is described can be understood simply as different forms or manifestations of one phenomenon - the feeling of a separate 'self' - through one means or another - falls away, and a realisation is experienced that 'separateness' is an illusion.
Demystifying Yoga, Tantra, Siddhanta, Non-duality and Self-realisation
Monday, 14 September 2009
Many 'paths'... one realisation?
It seems strange that different paths, each setting conditions which supposedly must be fulfilled in order for realisation to take place, could lead to the same 'place', the same realisation.
Nothing is required to 'achieve' Liberation or to 'become' Liberated
It is the divided and divisive mind that makes an effort. The best it can do is place one higher on an imaginary ladder of 'steps to realisation' – but this is just self-delusion – just a way to go on restricting the definition of one's self – and it is precisely this – the definition – the delineation of one's self – that is ignorance (ignore-ance) of one's Liberated nature – one's Liberated Being.
Realisation of the Self – Realisation of the True Nature of the Self arises by all else falling away – including the search for, or striving for, the attainment of our true nature.
The one who seeks (for his 'Self') is engaged in a futile activity as long as there is any striving. The seeker does not become a Liberated being. The seeker dissolves like a dream upon awakening, and what remains is not 'a Liberated Being' – but 'Liberated Beingness'.
"All paths lead to unreality."
- Nisargadatta Maharaj
Realisation of the Self – Realisation of the True Nature of the Self arises by all else falling away – including the search for, or striving for, the attainment of our true nature.
The one who seeks (for his 'Self') is engaged in a futile activity as long as there is any striving. The seeker does not become a Liberated being. The seeker dissolves like a dream upon awakening, and what remains is not 'a Liberated Being' – but 'Liberated Beingness'.
"All paths lead to unreality."
- Nisargadatta Maharaj
Saturday, 12 September 2009
Kriya Yoga and Tantra
"Tantra consists of methods to expand consciousness to perceive trancendental states. Certain practices referred to as "kriyas" help initiate this expansion.
In literature, one will find the word kriya used in several different contexts. It is applied to yogic cleansing practices that maintain the health of the physical body as well as in reference to certain rituals, devotional attitude, and prayers. In the context of this on-going column, Tantric Kriya practices are techniques used to open up the chakras and purify the nadi system.
Direct experience of these aspects of esoteric physiology is not necessary to begin the practice of Tantric Kriya Yoga."
- Alan Verdegraal
In literature, one will find the word kriya used in several different contexts. It is applied to yogic cleansing practices that maintain the health of the physical body as well as in reference to certain rituals, devotional attitude, and prayers. In the context of this on-going column, Tantric Kriya practices are techniques used to open up the chakras and purify the nadi system.
Direct experience of these aspects of esoteric physiology is not necessary to begin the practice of Tantric Kriya Yoga."
'Babaji and the 18 Siddha Kriya Yoga Tradition' by Marshall Govindan - a review
A fascinating look at the path of Self-Realisation (Enlightenment) which also goes far beyond purely historical and philosophical discussion.The Siddhas are known as such because they manifest the Divine powers (Siddhis) which naturally arise through spirtualisation and Union (Yoga) with the Source.
The author is uniquely qualified to write on this subject, being himself a devotee and disciple of Babaji, the legendary Himalayan yogi who was made famous by Paramahamsa Yogananda's best-selling book: 'Autobiography of a Yogi'.
Govindan studied for years with Yogi Ramaiah before receiving a call to introduce people to the path of Babaji's Kriya Yoga. His book makes a serious attempt at de-mystifying the story of Babaji, the origins of Babaji's Kriya techniques, and introduces the Siddha gurus that Babaji apparently encountered as a young man almost two thousand years ago.
The book traces the links between these Siddha-gurus and the group of Siddhas known as the eighteen Siddhas in Tamil Nadu (South India), linking these also with Lao-Tse and the Taoist sages of China, and taking the reader even further back, into prehistory through the legends of the Lemurian continent in the Pacific, its links with South India and Sri Lanka, and its forgotten civilisation whose spiritual practises are preserved and embodied by these powerful yogis known as the Siddhas.
The book is not written only for those who are practising yoga, it is of interest to anyone who wishes to have a deeper insight into the nature of existence, consciousness, and our potentially and naturally blissful ever-present awareness of Spirit through Love.
It is believed that Babaji himself resides in an almost inaccessible region of the Himalayas, however, the path of Babaji's Kriya yoga and the Tamil Siddhas as described in the book is not a path of spiritual escapism, or renunciation through remoteness. It is a universal path of love and service to humanity and transformation of all aspects of our lives through action with spiritual awareness (kriya).
The chapters on other Siddhas that have lived in recent times, such as Ramalinga Swamigal and Sri Aurobindo can help to bring the fantastic stories of miracles and God-Consciousness into focus and root us in the awareness that spirituality is not so much about gurus and the authority of religious dogmas, but is really about our own present experience lived in full awareness.
Despite the historical information on Babaji which was mostly received directly by Yogi Ramaiah and V.T. Neelakantan in the 1950s, there is often a resistance to de-mystifying the story of Babaji's origins. Much of this information is therefore not generally known or agreed upon within the various lineages of Kriya Yoga.
However, there is also something to be said for considering the 'real' Babaji as being simply the form that the Divine mystery takes when appearing as a human being, and as not being in any way limited to this history of a single human form, even though it is certainly an instructive and inspiring story that sheds light on some very powerful insights and practices known as the Tamil Siddha Yoga tradition.
The book traces the links between these Siddha-gurus and the group of Siddhas known as the eighteen Siddhas in Tamil Nadu (South India), linking these also with Lao-Tse and the Taoist sages of China, and taking the reader even further back, into prehistory through the legends of the Lemurian continent in the Pacific, its links with South India and Sri Lanka, and its forgotten civilisation whose spiritual practises are preserved and embodied by these powerful yogis known as the Siddhas.
The book is not written only for those who are practising yoga, it is of interest to anyone who wishes to have a deeper insight into the nature of existence, consciousness, and our potentially and naturally blissful ever-present awareness of Spirit through Love.
It is believed that Babaji himself resides in an almost inaccessible region of the Himalayas, however, the path of Babaji's Kriya yoga and the Tamil Siddhas as described in the book is not a path of spiritual escapism, or renunciation through remoteness. It is a universal path of love and service to humanity and transformation of all aspects of our lives through action with spiritual awareness (kriya).
The chapters on other Siddhas that have lived in recent times, such as Ramalinga Swamigal and Sri Aurobindo can help to bring the fantastic stories of miracles and God-Consciousness into focus and root us in the awareness that spirituality is not so much about gurus and the authority of religious dogmas, but is really about our own present experience lived in full awareness.
Despite the historical information on Babaji which was mostly received directly by Yogi Ramaiah and V.T. Neelakantan in the 1950s, there is often a resistance to de-mystifying the story of Babaji's origins. Much of this information is therefore not generally known or agreed upon within the various lineages of Kriya Yoga.
However, there is also something to be said for considering the 'real' Babaji as being simply the form that the Divine mystery takes when appearing as a human being, and as not being in any way limited to this history of a single human form, even though it is certainly an instructive and inspiring story that sheds light on some very powerful insights and practices known as the Tamil Siddha Yoga tradition.
Some consider Babaji to be Shiva or Murugan...
"'Babaji' is not a 'person'... He is a Spiritual phenomenon."
Shibendu Lahiri (great-grandson of Lahiri Mayasaya)
Friday, 11 September 2009
KRIYA HATHA YOGA
sessões com Peter Littlejohn Cook
uma forma símples de promover a sua saúde
e descobrir a paz de espírito
No entanto, os hábitos modernos nos levam normalmente a uma falta de movimento adequado para a nossa saúde tanto ao nível físico como ao nível emocional e mental/intelectual/criativo.
O Yoga nos dá uma oportunidade de restaurar um fluxo energético além do nível físico, actuando ao nível mental e emocional (e talvez até em níveis para quais nem sequer temos nomes), permitindo-nos viver com paz de espírito, apesar das necessidades e demandas do dia-a-dia.
Apesar da popularidade do Yoga o ter levado agora até aos ginásios, é útil lembrar que o Yoga não é só uma forma de ginástica.
As práticas do Kriya Hatha Yoga actuam holisticamente, manifestando resultados à vários níveis – aumentando a nossa mobilidade, estímulando o sistema endócrino (associado ao funcionamento dos ‘chakras’ ou ‘centros energéticos’), melhorando a circulação sanguínea e aumentando a nossa capacidade de absorção de oxigénio.
Além do nome ‘Yoga’ se referir às práticas, seu significado (‘união’/‘ligação’) também indica o efeito das mesmas – a dissolução das barreiras psico-energéticas e a união com a fonte da vida.
As práticas do Kriya Hatha Yoga actuam holisticamente, manifestando resultados à vários níveis – aumentando a nossa mobilidade, estímulando o sistema endócrino (associado ao funcionamento dos ‘chakras’ ou ‘centros energéticos’), melhorando a circulação sanguínea e aumentando a nossa capacidade de absorção de oxigénio.
Além do nome ‘Yoga’ se referir às práticas, seu significado (‘união’/‘ligação’) também indica o efeito das mesmas – a dissolução das barreiras psico-energéticas e a união com a fonte da vida.
‘Yoga’ é ‘união’/‘ligação’
‘Hatha’ é a harmonização entre polaridades (‘Ha’ e ‘Tha’ significam ‘Sol’ e ‘Lua’, em sânscrito)
‘Kriya’ é ‘acção Inspirada’ ou ‘acção purificadora’
~
Ao longo dos anos Peter recebeu orientação em vários aspectos do Yoga (os oito 'ramos' do 'Ashtanga' original, que incluem a meditação) do Siddha Tantra e do Advaita Vedanta através de contacto com várias linhagens e vários 'mestres', incluindo o Paramahamsa Hariharananda e o Paramahamsa Prajnanananda em 1995, o Guru Dharam Singh em 1997, o Marshall Govindan ao longo dos anos desde 1998, a Amritanandamayi Ma (Amma) desde 2001 o Mantak Chia em 2003, o Dattatreya Siva Baba em 2002 e 2004 o Yogiraj Gurunath Siddhanath em 2006 e 2007, o Stephen Wolinsky (discípulo do Nisargadatta Maharaj) em 2008 e o Shibendu Lahiri em 2009.
Apesar de ter estudado com várias linhagens e recebido bênçãos para partilhar certas práticas (mudras, mantras, kriya hatha yoga, e kundalini shaktipat), a sua abordagem é essencialmente independente. Mais do que qualquer técnica, o que partilha é a Presença do Ser... a Consciência. Seu foco é a meditação - não como 'prática' mas como Vivência do Ser - algo que partilha através de 'concertos', 'satsangs', 'sessões de meditação' e 'sessões individuais de Coaching para Autoconhecimento Radical'.
Neste momento a única prática 'formal' que partilha através de aulas é o 'Kriya Hatha Yoga' e 'os 5 Tibetanos'.
~
Em breve haverá sessões de Yoga e Meditação na Casa Semente em Alvalade, e na Dançarte em Sintra.
Para mais informações por favor contactar Peter Littlejohn Cook pelo mail: panmandala@gmail.com ou pelo número de telemóvel: 967 045 411.
Inscrições podem ser feitas directamente através do Espaço Maaiana, a Dançarte ou contactando o Peter:
panmandala@gmail.com
Tm: 967 045 411
Kali Yuga... or not?
According to Sri Yukteswar, the Vedic astrologers have been basing their calculations on annotations made by misguided sanskrit scholars of the Kali Yuga and so have miscalculated the actual length of the Kali Yuga...
Which means that we may not be in the Kali Yuga anymore after all...
Which could mean it's time to wake up now... not in 426,891 years!
If we believe we're in the Kali Yuga we can look around us and interpret everything as being precisely because of this... and if we believe that we're in the Dwapara Yuga we can look around and interpret things as being precisely because of that.
What does that tell us about the nature of the mind?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)