Kundalini Yoga Meditation Practice

For the last few months I have intensely been practicing the kundalini yoga meditation practice I have learned from Swami Ganeshananda. I must say that my idea of kundalini yoga has changed drastically. Dadaji Mahendranath of our lineage spoke not much about the "raising" or "awakening" of the kundalini shakti. In fact, I think he at one point rejected kundalini yoga as a fraud. But I must say that from what I have learned from Swami Ganeshananda, kundalini yoga can be something very practical and useful.

I have myself been a ardent practitioner of Zazen Meditation, especially as taught by Thick Nat Hanh, Osho and the Kwan Um School of Zen, and I still am of the opinion that these are true, effective meditation practices. Also Dadaji Mahendranath gives a similar practice in his instructions for meditation.

But there is one fundamental aspect of the Kundalini Yoga Meditation Practice taught by Swami Ganeshananda that I have really come to appriciate. Something I in the beginning was suspicious of, since I have been of the opinion that everything that is added to just sitting silently is something that is besides the point.

Since my initiation into the Nath Sampradaya I have become more and more aware of the world as a play of energies, but learning the Kundalini Yoga Meditation has made me experience more and more the play of energies in myself. I feel I have developed in this short time a much stronger sensitivity as to how these energies play within myself.

I have aslo had a powerfull experience of the interplay of energies between to individuals that have really surprised me. I have always been suspicious of the jumping around, crying and fainting due to the shaktipat given by the teacher or guru. Now, I know beyond doubt, that these happenings are real. I was amazed when it happened to me, since I have been a sceptic to these events, but nevertheless they happened.

I feel enriched and healed by my experiences and have come to appreciate the value of the teacher or guru in a way that I never thought I would. This does not mean that I buy into the "guru buissiness" as a whole, but I definitely am more open. The flow of love and energy I feel between myself and Swami Ganeshananda is undeniable real, mysterious and wonderfull. I find it so amazing to relate with another individual in this way. He has his personality, which is very ordinary, friendly and accessable, and at the same time reveals a fathomless depth and presence of energy in his formal Darshans (called Open Eyes Class).

I do not feel these things contradictionary to the Kaula Nath Path, rather, I feel that Swami Ganeshananda embodies the essence of our individual path of Svecchachara. He never lays down any rigid rules or give commandments. everything he teaches he puts forward as a friend and fellow traveler. Even though he is a Sannyasi, he stays in the world, does his own thing and live according to his own heart and own intelligence. As his own teacher, Swami Rudrananda (Rudi), he is still a buissiness man, at the same time not attached to the riches he accumulate. His own home he offers as a center of yoga and meditation, and he is alwayas giving, never asking for anything. I feel that in Swami Ganeshananda I have found a teacher that embodies the qualities I seek as a nath.

- Visarganath

Sri Lalita Puja

Adesh!

The Will to Love is the Law to Live!

Just wanted to write something so that you know that I am still alive :-)

Lately I have been deepening my practical application of the principles that I learned as my initiation into the Nath Sampradaya. Even though my practice have been in the spirit of Shaktopaya (Jnana Yoga), I still maintain my practice of performing pujas and rituals that I learned as part of my Anavopaya (Kriya Yoga) practice. It is very important to have a solid foundation in Bhakti Sadhana (Devotional Practice) in order to have the trust needed to start with Vira Sadhana (Heroic Practice).

This spring my daughter and I have been performing pujas to Sri Lalita in order to greet Her and creative powers.My daughter is a very good pujari, and my heart was overflowing with joy when she was singing the mantras, sprinkling the altar and presenting the offering. It is a very nice thing to do together. As Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh says (ore something like this, giving the same point :-): "When you are able to tell your child the deepest truths, then you can say that they are a integral part of you". This is my way of trying to share something I hold to be both true and important: reverence for life and total trust in existence.

Love from Visarganath

Spiriual and Mundane Personae

[This was originally posted on another mailing list but a friend a mine told me he had benefitted from reading it, so therefor I also post it here. I also publish the question my post was an answer to but have kept no names.]

Is it possible to lead a dedicated spiritual life without messing up dmask of our everyday persona ? if so, how can this be achieved ? is adeliberate split personality i.e. worldly & spiritual, deterimentalfor spiritual growth?

Svecchachara! 

The Will to Love is the Law to Live ;-) 

I think the discussion "Spiritual & Mundane Personae" is an interesting one. I think many on the path to self-ralization, or Self-actualization, has encountered this question. 

As for myself, I think we operate with multiple personalities on a daily basis. At least I do. 

Personae means mask, and I have many of them. I have the mask of the son in relation to my parents. I have the mask of the father in relation to my daughter. I have the mask of the lover in relation to my ladyfriend. I have the mask of the professional in relation to work. 

I do not think that wearing mask is bad in itself. It is only natural. They arise spontaniously when we enter different sets of social interaction. 

I think Karl König (famous for working with mentally disabeled people) once said that the main difficulty for the mentally disabled is that they only operate through one mask all the time, and that it is this that make social interacting so difficult for them. 

Roberto Assagioli - the founder and developer of Psychosynthesis - also acknowledge that individuals operate with multiple personalities in a healthy way. 

So, in relation to social interacting, masks are a necesary tool and asset. 

But masks are masks, and every good actor knowns this. What is important is that we remember our Self in every acticity, behind every mask. We have to be rooted in our fundamental I-feeling when wear our masks and engages in "mundane" activities (but one could argue that there is no real difference between the spiritual and mundane. The Kaulas of Kashmir holds this notion: there is no difference. All is Chaitanya, (universal God-consciousness). We just have to remember to NOT IDENTIFY ourselves with the masks and keep the rememberance that the Self is the Divine Actor. We have to practice what Gurdjieff calls Constant Self-Rememberance. 

Also, I find the suggestions of the Nandinathas very helpful in this regard. The Hawaiian Naths say that one choulddivide ones awareness two thirds on the inner world and one third on the outer world. In this way one is always aware on how one reacts and responds in relation to the outer world. One also becomes aware on which mask one wears, or which personality one emits. 

So, as long as we live under the rules of Maya's Leela, why not participate in her play? And as long as one have a body one will be under the influence of the the three gunas, the five elements and multiple personalities. 

One could say that all "normal" people are kind of schizophrenic. Only the individual who recognizes the operations of the different personalities can be said to be really healthy. As I understand it, being as master of oneself and ones ways of functioning, is what is ment by being a "Lord" or "Lady" 

Love from Visarganath 

Reflections on The Right-Hand and Left-Hand Paths

If you was to tell someone that you practice the left-hand path of tantrika, you may experience to encounter some raised eyebrows. It is common both in the east and west that we view the left-hand paths as something dark, sinister and evil, and if one is to reach salvation, one better stick to the right hand path.

This is actually not the case in the tantrika tradition. At least not according to the Kaula Nathas. It is true that there exists some individuals practicing tantrika for their own benefit and gain only, but this would be true for any tradition, left or right. 

The Kaula Nathast uses theses expressions in relation to practice, not in relation to the goal. The uniting goal of every Kaula Nath is the realization of true peace, true freedom and true happiness, and I guess this goes for most yogis and humans in general.

In India the right-hand path and left-hand path are called Dakshinachara and Vamachara, respectively.

Dakshinachara is what is most commonly practiced, both in the east and west. A follower of the Dakshinachara goes to the temple, says his or her prayers, read the scriptures and follows the priests rules and regulations. In this case, most hindus, christians, muslims and jews must be said to be followinging the Dakshinachara. Indian yogis and tantrikas approves of this path, but since it does not require much effort it is said to take many lifetimes to complete.

The Vamachara is not so commonly practiced, either in the east or west. The practitioner of Vamachara is one wants to experience for him- or herself, who experiements and reflects over this existence in a more active way. There are similar people also here in the west, for instance the gnostic christians, the muslim sufis and the cabbalistic jews. These were all mystics who experimented with the laws of nature, who sought to reveal the hidden mysteries and who arranged situations where they could experience the deeper secrets of life for themselves.

The Kaula Naths fits into this latter category of Vamacharins. We seek also the deeper and hidden truth of this existence, and we do it by applying many different means. We use pujas or kriyas (forms of rituals and exercises), mantras (sound), yantras (geometrical "machines") and tantras (treatisies on topics related to tantrika practices). We also apply a certain degree of magick in order to make our progress faster.

Many misunderstand "tantra" to be some kind of sexual gymnastics for achieving prolonged orgasms and a better sex life. But this kind of "Californian Tantra" is not what real tantrika is about. It is true that sex is given a central place in the tantrika tradition, but there is a great difference between how sex is viewed in tantrika and how it is viewed by the "californians".

If you look around you, you will see that sex has a great presence in existence. Sex is the force that lies behind all creation, and it is the force that makes nature display Her great beauty and creativity. This kind of kind of sex is a force, it is not sexual. It is importand to understand that tantrikas understand sex as a natural force of nature. The sexuality we se displayed everywhere in our western culture is a creation of the mind. This sexuality is an intellectualization of the sex force, but has little to do with with the natural force itself that the tantrikas seek to understand.

Tantrikas are natural people and if you look at their symbols it is almost always directly related to nature and Her processes. Shiva and Shakti; Man and Woman; Stars and Planets; Life and Death; Animals and Plants, (and the list goes on).

These are symbols of nature and the tantrikas tries to dive deep into them through ritual and practice in order to understand the deeper realities behind them. Not to become the greatest scientists or the greatest magicians, but in order to understand life and what we are part of. It is all part of the most ancient questions man has ever asked: who am I? Where did I come from? Where to will I go? What is the meaning of all this?

As a Kaula Nath I use ritual settings to create situations where I can experiment with the forces of life through symbolic representations. These forms can be anthropomorphic gods and goddesses, geometrical structures or inner and outer sounds. Through rituals I experiment with these forces and enliven them within my own being. One of the yogis in our lineage said that the most important faculties in man is Imagination, Insight and Intuition. It is through these three "Super Faculties" we as human beings can engage in the ritual practices of our mystical nature and benefit from them. But they always has to be worked on in direct relations to our own lives.

Last year I did much work on Kali Ma in relation to the death of my zen teacher. He died of heart failure and at the funeral I discovered that my relationship with death was not so clear and easy as I initially thought.

What I did was that I engaged in a kind of meditative dialouge with Kali Ma. I did much mantra japa with her mantra Krim Kalikaye Namaha. This mantra I repeated during everyday activities and as I did so I ideated how everything that I saw around me one day would turn into ashes. The people around me, buildings, the earth itself and the whole of cosmos, everything. What this led to was some insights that was of great importance and value to me.

One of the insights was that I understood that death itself is a fiction. There is no death. Yes, people will disappear but the Life Stream itself will never end. I saw that out of the dead new life was sprouting continuously. I realized that the very soil I was walking, this "creamtion ground", was the ashes of my ancestors (on a collective level, including humans, animals, plants and minerals). But this "ashes of the dead" was at the same time the womb of the living. It was only my attachment to form that made me think that there is such a thing as death. In reality there is only a continuous stream of life, shifting shapes and expressions through time and space.  This made we at ease with the fact that I too one day will have to give up my form. I am a father and realized that in order to let my daughter experience this magic and wonderful place called earth, I need to make space for her to live. I need to give up my form so that the new generations have space to live.

Fore some this might sound like a depressive outlook on life, but for me it had the opposite effect. I realized the importance of being present in the Now and rejoice in everything that is happening. And even though I knew this truth from before, it got a stronger emergency for me after the Kali Bhakti Sadhana.

Tantrikas do acknowledge the reality of dual existence as we experience it here and now, at the same time they never forget the universal perspective that we are All One, Shiva-Shakti.

The Trika Shaivism of Kashmir (From ikashmir.net)

The religious practices of Hindus of Kashmir (popularly known as Kashmiri Pandits) revolve around the worship of Shiva and Shakti. All other deities (gods and goddesses) of the traditional Hindu pantheon are worshipped as various manifestations of Shiva and Shakti. Shiva is the Supreme Lord of the universe and Shakti, the Universal Mother Goddess, is his eternal companion. Bhairavas and Ganas are also his divine companions and they are also worshipped with him on important festivals, such as Shivaratri. There are numerous Shiva shrines in Kashmir, such as Amareshvara, Vijayeshvara, Sureshvara, Harsheshvara, Mahaadeva, Bhuteshvara, Haramukheshvara. The shrines dedicated to Shakti are Tripurasundari, Trisandhyaa, Jvaalaamukhi, Shailaputri, Shaarikaa, Shaarada, Rajni, and Khirbhavaani.

The religious philosophy of Kashmiri Hindus is rooted in Kashmiri Shaivism, a school of Shiva philosophy that originated near Kailasha in Himalayas around 400 AD. The first teacher of this school was Tryambakaditya, a disciple of sage Durvasas. Sangamaditya, the sixteenth descendent in the line of Tryambakaditya, later settled in Kashmir valley around 800 AD. His fourth descendent, Somananda, extracted the principles of monistic Shiva philosophy from the scriptures and incorporated them in his own work, Shivadrishti, which is the first philosophical treatise on Kashmiri Shaivism. Later a galaxy of illumined sages, such as Vasugupta, Kallata, Utapaladeva, and Abinavagupta further refined this philosophy. The philosophy of Kashmiri Shaivism is generally called Trika Shastra, since it is a philosophy of the Triad: Shiva, Shakti, and Nara (the bound individual self). The literature of the Trika System of Kashmir comprises of three categories: the Agama Shastra, the Spanda Shastra, and the Pratyabhijna Shastra.

Kashmiri Shaivism, also known as Pratyabhijna (meaning "recognition") school of Shaivism, adopts a purely monistic metaphysical position. It considers the Supreme Lord, called Shiva or Maheshvara, as the Supreme Reality, which is innermost as well as transcendent. As a conscious and active principle, the individual self (atman) is identical with the Supreme Lord. Due to the influence of maya (ignorance) the individual self forgets its divine nature, becomes liable to limitation and bondage, and thinks itself to be different from the Supreme Lord. Thus one's mukti (spiritual freedom) lies in one's clear recognition (Pratyabhijna) of one's identity with the Supreme Lord. In Kashmiri Shaivism we find a type of religious thought which synthesizes pluralism, dualism, and the Buddhist doctrine of Shunya, and develops a nondualist philosophy which is sweet, sublime and constructive. This philosophy is closer to the theism of the Bhagvad Gita than to the nihilism of Buddha.

Kashmiri Shaivism is free from restrictions of caste, creed, and gender. Any devout aspirant can have access to both the theory and practice of this philosophy. In Kashmiri Shaivism, practice of religion is considered more important than theological debates and discussions. Kashmiri Shaivism does not advocate a life of renunciation (Sannyasahood) or profession of monks, but recommends an active householder's life with daily practice of worship, yoga and meditation. The use of outward symbols, such as yellow and orange robes, matted hair, and ashes are prohibited. Worldly enjoyment as a goal of worldly life is recognized and respected, but a spiritual path aimed at harmonizing bhukti (worldly enjoyment) and mukti (liberation) is advocated. Kashmiri Shaivism does not advocate suppression of one's emotions and instincts, but provides a spiritual path aimed at their sublimation towards the ultimate goal of spiritual freedom.

- Bansi Pandit

Self-Inquiry and Self-Observation - The Two Wings of Self-Discovery

Self-Inquiry (vichara) and Self-Observation (vidarshan) are the two wings that lifts a Kaula Nath to the hights of Self-recognition.

Self-Inquiry

The Path of Self-Inquiry is clearly outlined and explained by Shree Ramana Maharshi and are used by many contemporary teachers. Basically it consists of asking the question "Who am I?". Who is this that experience this life of pain and delight, suffering and joy? Who is it that reads this text? Who is it that wonder who it is that reads this text?

Shree Ramana Maharsi says that all these questions leads back to the one I-thought, or rather, the I-feeling underlaying them all, the feeling of I AM. The first idea that arises in a conscious being is the thought I AM. Then we relate this I AM to our surrounding: I AM a man, I AM a woman, I AM a son, I AM a mother, I AM a master, I AM a slave, etc. I AM is the first thought arising out of the depths of our being.

If we manage to stay with this I AM, without the other, and passes through the gateless gate of "I", we will reach the state of AM-ness, as Osho puts it. This state of AM-ness is what the Sahajiyas calls sahaja - the natural state, and what Zen people calls Tathata - Suchness, and Kaula Nathas calls Svecchachara - doing one's own will. When we have discovered the source of the I, and reached beyond it, into the depths of pure, boundless AM-ness, free from all notions and ideas of the mind, we become truly free.

This inquiry into the true nature of our being is the heart of meditation. It is what meditation is all about - to reach the inner center of consciousness and discover the one consciousness underlying all.

Self-Observation

But for the unenlightened and struggling Kaula Nath this dive into the core of being can seem almost impossible. It is here where the practice of self-observation comes in. Osho has explained that in his path of meditation one has to work with both the core of meditation and the circumferense of meditation.

In self-observation we do not do anything in particular other than to just watch what is happening, just being a witness. In working with the circumferense of meditation (the body, thoughts and emotions) we have first to watch and become familar with their spontanious and natural activities. In this watching of the body, thoughts and emotions we will discover two important things: one, that all these activities goes on even without us interfering with it. Even if I am not conscious about my body digesting the food and rebuilding itself, it will do so. Even if I am not participating in the continous stream of thoughts, it will go on by itself. And the same is with the emotions.

With this insight one discovers that all this - body, thoughts and emotions - are like objects that I am aware of, they are not me. I have a body, but I am not the body. I have thoughts but I am not my thoughts. I have emotions but I am not my emotions. But if I am not my body, thoughts and emotions, who am I then? Who am I?

Here we reach back to the first practice of self-inquiry.

In my own life I find these practices of great benefit and importance. As a Kaula Nath I try to make every situation into a learning situation for going deeper into my consciousness and being.

Having been a Swami of the Neo-Sannyas Movement for many years, I find great inspiration in these words of Osho:

“I would like my sannyasins to live life in its totality, but with an absolute condition, categorical condition: and that condition is awareness, meditation. Go first deep into meditation, so you can cleanse your unconscious of all poisonous seeds, so there is nothing to be corrupted and there is nothing inside you which power can bring forth. And then do whatsoever you feel like doing.”

Osho, The Dhammapada: The Way of the Buddha, Vol. 6. Number 40

I think the Swamis of The Neo-Sannyas Movement and the Kaula Nathas share many common features, though they differ in that where the former is based on magick and mastery the latter is based on devotion and surrender. Both paths are good though, and combining the two can make a healthy breed.

(From the notebooks of Visarganath, april 2008)

The Color Black

I read in a booklet by Shri Mahendranath that the robe color used by the Adinath Sampradaya was black. He said that he had only used it on odd ocations but prefered the orange robe most commonly used by Sannyasins in India. Personally I like the color black. It only seems natural to me that if an Adinath or Kaulanath was to wear clothes, they should be black.

In hindu tradition deep blue or pitch black represents the emptiness of space and since Kaulanaths prefer to be skyclad it only seems right that we should be dressed in black, if clothes were required (in Norway it gets a bit cold in the winter).

This reminds me of a story...

One night, last year, when I was walking home with my daughter, she asked me: "Dad, today we learned at school that red is for vigour, blue is for soulfulness and yellow is for creativity. But what does black stand for?"

Great question!

I told her, "Black is Kali Ma's color."

"Who is Kali Ma?"

I told her that Kali Ma is the great mother of all that exists. "You know how you used to live in Moms belly before you were born?"

"Yeah?"

"Just like that, all the stars and planets, live inside Kali Ma's belly."

"Really?"

"Yes, and she is very protective of Her children, that is why She looks a bit scary. One time some demons tried to be mean towards Her children, and She became so angry that She was about to tear apart the world. The only one that could save us was Lord Shiva, but He could not come as a grown up. He had to transform Himself into a little baby and crawl towards Her. Only then Kali Ma stopped. She lifted Him up to Her breast and fed Him like a baby, because She loves Her children so much."

"Am I one of Her children, Dad?"

"Yes you are."

"Are you one of Her children?"

"Yes, I am."

"But where is She?"

"She is everywhere. In the night sky, in the trees and the flowers, the earth and rocks. You can see Her everywhere."

"I want to kiss Kali Ma!", she said, and kneeled towards the ground and was about to kiss the asfalt road. Then she stopped.

"I think it's too dirty"

"I think you're right." I said.

My daughter is a great mentor. Even though she was moved with love for Kali Ma she saw the reality of the ground. Too dirty for kissing :-)

Jai Kali Ma!