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The Importance of Some Maturity
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What these essays are like: Japanese paddy fields. Together they cover much ground. |
Spiritual discipline can be pleasant. It does not have to be too straining. Neither should gifts be. Find someone to go along with in concord, and thus ease the way for both of you - and even better: for some others too within your close "intimate circle of influence".
Misleading yogas exist too
A - Let animals become better animals, and let men become their selves as best they can
There are many things to consider. Here is a quotation:"As many animals serve a man, so does each man serve the gods. Even if one animal is taken away, it causes anguish, what should one say of many animals? Therefore it is not liked by them that men should know this." — Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. I. iv. 10In tantric yoga it says that some god-powers help to free you, and are very good to you. Others may help you, but expect lots of services rendered in return. Others may even mislead you, and go for folly on your behalf. Therefore, know just how to proceed towards Enlightenment. There are yoga methods and life-style elements that bless a life, and there are others. Go for the first of these.And to this day whoever in like manner knows It as, 'I am Brahman', becomes all this (universe). Even the gods cannot prevail against him, for he becomes their self. - I. iv. 10
B - But there are sure traps for those keen on self-unfoldment
Be careful — this process is something we need to see through if we wish to truly mature spiritually. Be careful, do not slide into the traps of living - cults are among them - and do not fall down into false liberty and rudimentary goings either.
Limited people, limited traps and teachings
C - Limited ideas encircle some and trap others
You can bore inside (delve, ie., meditate well); do it before you make significant choices as to life-style and changes of directions. Good and free methods (without strings) can be learnt here on this site, for example.D - Subjugating simple people through ideas is much common
A good thing deserves being repeated:The Self alone is to be meditated on, for in It all these become unified. ..." - Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. I. iv. 7.Never subjugate yourself in an attempt to destroy the ego, because some smart guru (top-dog) and his followers teach unexperienced beginners that it is necessary. It is not. People aiming at taking advantage of you could foster such ideas, or simply people parroting religious teachings that they do not understand. You find "kill the ego" teachings in SRF along with "Thou shalt not kill". They are bad teachings and unrealistic. Buddha on the other hand teaches to go gently with yourself and give yourself love and affection, because you deserve your love and concern as much as anybody else in your universe, says he.He also teaches "Avoid killing". Absolutisic ideals of killing and not killing and medleys and confusion in Yogananda's teachings are avoided by Buddha, due to noble, basic understanding.The Knowledge of this Self is the means to . . . unity is Brahman. - II. v. 9.
Adhere to better understanding and implement well
E - It is important to fend for and implement what is true
Spiritual work should be delicate and pleasant, having hallmarks like: delicate, subtle, greatly enjoyable (bliss), clear and good, and Self-understanding.
F - Adherence to better beliefs than misleading gurus prosper by, can in time improve the large society
Religious beliefs people find agreeable and comfortable, they aggrandize and proselytize. The operations can work both ways, for good or bad (dwarfingly etc.). To get on the track of good values and beliefs, Abraham Maslow sought out outstanding individuals and sorted what they appeared to have in common. Based on that, he formed many lists that can be worth looking into. Maybe you can find something to use from his findings.Summary
- According to ancient Hindu works there are misleading gurus and misleading yogas. The Siva Purana tells of how the hailed guru Narada is one such misleading yoga guy. We bring the story. [LINK]
- Limited people, limited traps and teachings: For limited, gullible persons, the calibre of the traps and teachings have to correspond to their mental calibres and leanings.
- What is good and well understood, needs to be well implemented too. That is the crux of the matter more often than not. Fit Vajrayana Buddhism is good too.
Ancient Hindu books show there are many shades and nuances of gurus and yogas. Some gurus fight one another, and some do evil too.
Yogananda Meets Ramana
In the book The Teachings of Ramana Maharshi [Tb] edited by Arthur Osborne, Ramana says "Breath control is . . . an aid for diving inwards . . . Breath control is a help in controlling the mind [Tb 145, 146]." He also says "Illusion itself is illusory [Tb 17]." Someone who has read Yogananda's hype on the fabled kriya yoga, a system of breathing methods (pranayama etc.) may note agreements and perhaps some subtle difference between the teachings of Ramana and Yogananda. By your regulating the breath skilfully, prana may be helped inward. It can resemble what happens when we fall asleep, only that we are conscious inside. This crucial phase of interiorisation of the mind is called pratyahara ("inward-turning") in yoga books. It is a decisive step to mastering and excelling in a good fare and good mind use - that sort of control. Both agree on that, but Yogananda and his fellowship teach kriya goes further too. I agree.In 1935 Yogananda visited the advaitist Ramana Maharsi [Psy 82]. He brought his secretary, Richard Wright and two others with him. This is recorded:
29th November, 1935. Talk 106
Swami Yogananda with four others arrived at 8.45 a.m . . . The group had lunch in the Asramam.
Mr. C. R. Wright, his secretary, asked: How shall I realise God?
M.: God is an unknown entity. Moreover He is external. Whereas, the Self is always with you and it is you. Why do you leave out what is intimate and go in for what is external?
D.: What is this Self again?
M.: The Self is known to everyone but not clearly. You always exist. The Be-ing is the Self. 'I am' is the name of God. Of all the definitions of God, none is indeed so well put as the Biblical statement "I AM THAT I AM" in EXODUS (Chap. 3). There are other statements, such as Brahmaivaham, Aham Brahmasmi and Soham. But none is so direct as the name JEHOVAH = I AM. The Absolute Being is what is - It is the Self. It is God. Knowing the Self, God is known. In fact God is none other than the Self.
D.: Why are there good and evil?
M.: They are relative terms. There must be a subject to know the good and evil. That subject is the ego. Trace the source of the ego. It ends in the Self. The source of the ego is God. This definition of God is probably more concrete and better understood by you.
D.: So it is. How to get Bliss?
M.: Bliss is not something to be got. On the other hand you are always Bliss. This desire is born of the sense of incompleteness. To whom is this sense of incompleteness? Enquire. In deep sleep you were blissful: Now you are not so. What has interposed between that Bliss and this non-bliss? It is the ego. Seek its source and find you are Bliss. There is nothing new to get. You have, on the other hand, to get rid of your ignorance which makes you think that you are other than Bliss. For whom is this ignorance? It is to the ego. Trace the source of the ego. Then the ego is lost and Bliss remains over. It is eternal. You are That, here and now . . . That is the master key for solving all doubts. The doubts arise in the mind. The mind is born of the ego. The ego rises from the Self. Search the source of the ego and the Self is revealed. That alone remains. The universe is only expanded Self. It is not different from the Self.
D.: What is the best way of living?
M.: It differs according as one is a Jnani [knower] or ajnani. A Jnani does not find anything different or separate from the Self. All are in the Self. It is wrong to imagine that there is the world, that there is a body in it and that you dwell in the body. If the Truth is known, the universe and what is beyond it will be found to be only in the Self. The outlook differs according to the sight of the person. The sight is from the eye. The eye must be located somewhere. If you are seeing with the gross eyes you find others gross. If with subtle eyes (i.e., the mind) others appear subtle. If the eye becomes the Self, the Self being infinite, the eye is infinite. There is nothing else to see different from the Self.
He thanked Maharshi. He was told that the best way of thanking is to remain always as the Self.
Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi.
bhagavan-ramana.org/ramana_maharshi/books/tw/tw106.html#106
29th November, 1935. Talk 107
Later the Yogi (Swami Yogananda) asked: How is the spiritual uplift of the people to be effected? What are the instructions to be given them?M.: They differ according to the temperaments of the individuals and according to the spiritual ripeness of their minds. There cannot be any instruction en masse.
D.: Why does God permit suffering in the world? Should He not with His omnipotence do away with it at one stroke and ordain the universal realisation of God?
M.: Suffering is the way for Realisation of God.
D.: Should He not ordain differently?
M.: It is the way.
D.: Are Yoga, religion, etc., antidotes to suffering?
M.: They help you to overcome suffering.
D.: Why should there be suffering?
M.: Who suffers? What is suffering?
No answer! Finally the Yogi rose up, prayed for Sri Bhagavan' s blessings for his own work and expressed great regret for his hasty return. He looked very sincere and devoted and even emotional.
Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi.
bhagavan-ramana.org/ramana_maharshi/books/tw/tw107.html
COMMENT: What puzzles some may be Ramana Maharsi's teaching in the matter: For there can indeed be general yoga instructions, and such instructions abound too. What is more, Ramana himself used to teach a generalised method, and did not deplore others either. [LINK]
Here are further thoughts to consider:
Most factors in a human life are common to many. The body shape in gross outline, the inner organs, how the mind tends to work, and so on. The behaviour is very conform, as Yogananda too observed, where people live in "little boxes, little boxes made of ticky-tacky, and they all look just the same" (from a song).
Even ground-breaking artists conform to basic techniques, skills and measures for most part. What may finally get unique and yet likable could be a final touch, like the rose flower of the rose-bush.
One implication of this rosebush view is that techniques may assist conform humans. Thus, there is no reason to discard general instructions for the many just because the blessed few - who have struggled or suffered too - need individual tending to develop. In other words, it is not an either-or, but a both-and where delicate nuances or differences take time to blossom forth.
General yoga paths - Ramana taught one himself - and self-help books and courses in yoga suggest there is room for "both-and" favours. [MORE]
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Literature
Ak: Yogananda, Paramahansa. Man's Eternal Quest. 2nd ed. Los Angeles: Self-Realization Fellowship, 1982.
Ap: Mieder, Wolfgang (main editor), Stewart A. Kingsbury, and Kelsie E. Harder: A Dictionary of American Proverbs. (Paperback) New York: Oxford University Press, 1996.
Ay: Yogananda, Paramahansa. Autobiography of a Yogi. 1st ed. New York: Theosophical, 1946. Online. [oaks.nvg.org/pv6bk12.html]
Ebu: Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica 2006 Ultimate Reference Suite DVD. London: Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2006.
Op: Simpson, John, and Jennifer Speake. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs. 3rd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998.
Pa: Yogananda, Paramahansa. Autobiography of a Yogi. 11th ed. Los Angeles: Self-Realization Fellowship, 1971.
Psy: Dasgupta, Sailendra. Paramhansa Swami Yogananda: Life-portrait and Reminiscences. Portland: Yoga Niketan. 2006. Online pdf. www.yoganiketan.net
Say: Yogananda, Paramahansa. Sayings of Yogananda. Los Angeles: Self-Realization Fellowship, 1958.
Tb: Osborne, Arthur ed. The Teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharsi in His Own Words. New ed. London: Rider, 1971.
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