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Most of us are
accustomed to looking outside of ourselves for fulfillment. We
are living in a world that conditions us to believe that outer
attainments can give us what we want. Yet again and again our
experiences show us that nothing external can completely
fulfil the deep longing within for “something more.”
Most of the
time, however, we find ourselves striving toward that which
always seems to lie just beyond our reach. We are caught up in
doing rather than being, in action rather than awareness. It
is hard for us to picture a state of complete calmness and
repose in which thoughts and feelings cease to dance in
perpetual motion. Yet it is through such a state of
quietude
that we can touch a level of joy and understanding impossible
to achieve otherwise.
The scriptures
say: “Be still, and know that I am God.” In these few words
lies the key to Self-realization. The science of Yoga offers a
direct means of stilling the natural turbulence of thoughts
and restlessness of body that prevent us from knowing what we
really are. By practicing the step-by-step methods of Yoga —
taking nothing for granted on emotional grounds or through
blind faith — we come to know our oneness with the Infinite
Intelligence, Power, and Joy which gives life to all and which
is the essence of our own Self.
Ordinarily our
awareness and energies are directed outward, to the things of
this world, which we perceive through the limited instruments
of our five senses. Because human reason has to rely upon the
partial and often deceptive data
supplied
by the physical senses, we must learn to tap deeper and more
subtle levels of awareness if we would solve the enigmas of
life — Who am I ? Why am I here? How do I realize Truth?
Yoga is a simple
process of reversing the ordinary outward flow of energy and
consciousness so that the mind becomes a dynamic center of
direct perception — no longer dependent upon the fallible
senses but capable of actually experiencing Truth.
In past
centuries many of the higher techniques of Yoga were little
understood or practiced, owing to mankind’s limited
knowledge
of the forces that run the universe. But today scientific
investigation is rapidly changing the way we view ourselves
and the world. The traditional materialistic conception of
life has vanished with the discovery that matter and energy
are essentially one: every existing substance can be reduced
to a pattern or form of energy, which interacts and
interconnects with other forms. Thus modern science is
confirming the ancient principles of Yoga, which proclaim that
unity pervades the universe.
The word yoga
itself means “union”: of the individual consciousness or soul
with the Universal Consciousness or Spirit. There are various
paths of Yoga that lead toward this goal, each one a
specialized branch of one comprehensive system:
A system of
physical postures, or asanas, whose higher purpose is to
purify the body, giving one awareness and control over its
internal states and rendering it fit for meditation.
Selfless service
to others as part of one’s larger Self, without attachment to
the results; and the performance of all actions with the
consciousness of God as the Doer.
Centering the
consciousness within through japa, or the repetition of
certain universal root-word sounds representing a particular
aspect of Spirit.
All-surrendering
devotion through which one strives to see and love the
divinity in every creature and in everything, thus maintaining
an unceasing worship.
The path of
wisdom, which emphasizes the application of discriminative
intelligence to achieve spiritual liberation.
The royal or
highest path of Yoga, formally systematized in the second
century B.C. by Maharishi Patanjali, which combines the
essence of all the other paths. At the heart of the Raja Yoga
system, balancing and unifying these various approaches, is
the practice of definite, scientific methods of meditation
that enable one to perceive, from the very beginning of one’s
efforts, glimpses of the ultimate goal — conscious union with
the inexhaustibly blissful Spirit. Such methods are an
integral part of theYogoda Satsanga teachings.
When you go
beyond the consciousness of this world, knowing that you are
not the body or the mind, and yet aware as never before that
you exist — that divine consciousness is what you are. You are
That in which is rooted everything in the universe.
* * *
The aftereffects
of Kriya bring with them the utmost peace and bliss. The joy
that comes with Kriya is greater than the joys of all
pleasurable physical sensations put together.
* * *
Through the use of the Kriya key, persons who
cannot bring themselves to believe in the divinity of any man
will behold at last the full divinity of their own selves.
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Jharkhand Alumni