The Uranus
1. Observing Silence. Silence is the true Commentary on the Self; Let everyone learn in Silence with all Subjection.2. What is Truth? Truth is beyond words and speech. It does not admit of any explanation. Truth is in-explainable in character.
3.The Self. As the Self is perfect and complete in Itself, It does not ask any questions. It is the mind that asks questions because of its imperfection. Dissolve the mind at its Source, that is, in Truth. When the mind is turned inward, it becomes the Self; turned outward, it becomes ego and gives rise to the world. The world is relative. It is synonymous with the mind. If the seeker holds onto the Self, he will not be able to see this world. This is certain.
4. Destroying the Ego. Destroy the ego and be happy forever. The ego has no form or existence of its own. It is really a ghost, but it can feed on any form it holds. Solve the first problem, the ego, and you will solve other problems thereby. Illuminate yourself first; all will be solved automatically.
5. What is Meditation? Meditation is an attack on the ego to shatter it completely forever. Meditation is Subjugation of the mind. Renunciation of the ego through meditation is the true renunciation.
6. The Realized State. The state of Realization is simply being the Self spontaneously, not knowing,
seeing or becoming anything. The Self is already realized eternally, so realize your ignorance transcending your limitations.7. Being Free. Be free absolutely in body, mind and soul, and let everyone remain also free; that is Peace. "He who is free, frees people" is their relationship. If you want to be free, you must learn how to forget
and forgive under all circumstances. You must not cherish a grudge against anybody.8.The Realized Person. The realized one sees everyone as realized. The realized person knows that nothing exists apart from the Self. He is like a child free from thoughts. In the transcendental state, identity with the Self places a man or woman in harmony with everything; there is nothing apart from the Self. The Self, or the pure consciousness, is "indivisible"; it is without parts, hence Absolute.
Isha Upanishad
Behold the universe in the glory of God: and all that lives 'n moves on earth. Leaving the transient, find joy in the Eternal: Set not your heart on another's possession.
The Spirit, without moving, is swifter than the mind; The senses can not reach him. He is ever beyond them. Standing still, he overtakes those who run. He moves, and he moves not. He is far, and he is near. He is within us all, and he is outside all.
Who sees all beings in his own self, and his own self in all beings, loses all fear. When a sage sees this great unity and his Self has become all beings, What delusion and what sorrow can ever be near him?
The Spirit filled all with his radiance. He is incorporeal and invulnerable, pure and untouched by evil. He is the supreme seer and thinker, immanent and transcendent. He placed all things in the path of Eternity. The face of truth remains hidden behind a circle of gold. Unveil it,
O god of light, that I who love the true may see! O lifegiving sun, offspring of the Lord of creation, solitary seer of heaven! Spread thy light and withdraw thy blinding splendor: That I may behold thy radiant form; That Spirit far away within thee is my own inmost Spirit. May life go to immortal life, and the body go to ashes. OM.
O my soul, remember past strivings, remember! O my soul, remember past strivings, remember! By the path of good lead us to final bliss, O fire divine thou god who knowest all ways. Deliver us from wandering evil. Prayer and adoration we offer unto thee.
Signs of Realization
They have healthy & grounded Self-image. They have an acceptance of self, others and nature. They can accept their own human shortcomings, without condemnation. They may feel guilt, shame, sadness, and anxiety. But they do not dwell on it, they do something about it. They have a wonderful capacity to appreciate the basic experiences of life with awe, pleasure, wonder, and even ecstasy.
They are highly imaginative and creative, but their creativeness is not of special talent, but rather similar to the naive and universal creativeness of unspoiled children. They are relatively spontaneous in their behavior and far more spontaneous than that in their inner life, thoughts and impulses. They seldom allow convention to keep them from doing anything they consider important.
They commonly have a mission in life. In general their mission is unselfish and involved with the philosophical and ethical. They have a quality of detachment and a need for privacy. It is often possible for them to remain above the battle, to be undisturbed by that which upsets others. The meaning of their life is that of self-decision, self-governing and self-discipline.
They feel and express the Love for All Life. They have deep feelings of identification, sympathy and affection for other people, in spite of occasional anger, impatience or disgust. They have deeper and more profound relationships with few people. They tend to be kind to almost everyone, yet they do speak harshly to the hypocritical, pretentious, pompous or the self-inflated individual.
They have the power of discrimination. They perceive reality more effectively than others and are more comfortable with it. They have an unusual ability to detect the spurious, the fake, and hypocrite in personality. They are humble in the sense of being aware of how little they know relative to what could be known. This self-awareness enables them to clearly define their value, goals, desires, and limitations. They welcome uncertainty.
They experience the One Consciousness. They commonly have mystic or 'peak' experiences in which they transcend self, during which they feel limitless horizons and unlimited power at the same time as utter helplessness. There is a loss of place and time, and feelings of great ecstasy, wonder and awe, and finally ends in the conviction that the person is to some extent transformed and strengthened by the experience.
Upanishad: All happiness that comes from the senses will eventually bring pain. All enjoyment will make us thirst for more, and that brings pain as its result. There is no limit to one's desire; he goes on desiring. When he comes to a point where desire cannot be fulfilled, the result is pain. The organs are horses, the body is the chariot, the mind is the reins, the intellect is the charioteer, and the soul is the rider. Tapas means holding the rein firmly while guiding the body and organs, keeping them under control.
Wisdom and Life
It moved;
That was the beginning.
Before that, It was silent, static, infinite Truth.
The shimmering was life, energy tumultuous, cradling the atoms.
In the rapturous churning of the centrifugal whirl
They joined and co-joined, clashed and exploded
In one volatile splendor.
It was the unfolding;
The massing of constellations, the suns and the stars,
The manifestation of all things animate and inanimate,
The awakening of consciousness
The dance of life between birth and death.
It was the communion,
The co-mingling of spirit and flesh
The emergence of man
Conscious of justice and righteousness
Fulfilling himself in awareness
And in service selfless and pure.
After Death
(1) After death comes the Bardo. An unclouded autumn sky symbolizes the Bardo. The Light, the Ignition, and the Attainment of at the moment of death define the bounds of the Bardo.
(2) Recognizing of the Clear Light is to be accomplished in the inerval between the cessation of consciousness in this world and the arising of consciousness in the after-death state
(3) When the vital-force of the five senses, sinks inwards, the cognition of form and all of objective things sinks inwards. This is known as the Sinking of the Light (or of the Perception of Things seen in the Light of the World)
(4) Then earth sinks into the water: the body loses its coherence; Then water sinks into fire: the mouth and nose become dry and parched; Then fire sinks into air (as vital-force): warmth disappears; Then air (as vital-force) sinks into consciousness (or ether);
(5) Thereupon, those of evil karma experience the pangs of the moments of death. And those who have performed good deeds, the devas and gurus come to welcome.
(6) With the cessation of the last expiration comes the subsidence of Gross followed by the subsidence of cognition. The signs of which resemble the shining of the Moon; This is the dawning of the light.Realizing the State of the Clear Light. When about to die, cut off all entangling attachments to the world and worldly possessions, along with hatred for any person left behind. By allowing the mind to rest free of thoughts during the the stages of subsiding process, the experience of death merge into the natural state of quiescence as soon as they are dawned.
A return to Compassion. A human being is a part of the whole, called by us Universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest-a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole nature in its beauty.
A return to Love. Love is what we are born with. Fear is what we learn. The spiritual journey is the unlearning of fear and prejudices and the acceptance of love back in our hearts. Love is the essential reality and our purpose on earth. To be consciously aware of it, to experience love in ourselves and others, is the meaning of life. Meaning does not lie in things. Meaning lies in us. When we attach value to things that aren't love - the money, the car, the house, the prestige - we are loving things that can't love us back. We are searching for meaning in the meaningless. Money, of itself, means nothing. Material things, of themselves, mean nothing. It's not that they are bad. It's just that they're nothing.
The Mind
According to the yoga philosophy, the brain consists of a system of gross organs (cerebrospinal) and subtle organs (chakras). The subtle organs are linked to the external sense organs which convey experience of external objects to the mind (manas) and; intellect (buddhi). The external sense organs experience external objects. The subtle organs of the brain likewise experience these objects, convey this experience to the mind (manas), which transfers the experience to the intellect (buddhi) where the experience is evaluated in terms of ego. Though these seem as if they are separate processes, they are actually only one, comprising the totality of mindstuff (chitta).
THREE FACTORS OF THE MIND Chitta is the totality of consciousness. It includes the sense organs, intellect, and ego sense. The mind-stuff has no direct relationship to the sense organs.
Sense organs (manas): This is the faculty that perceives the sense objects. It receives impressions (sense experiences) and carries them to the intellect (buddhi) for classification. The five sense organs relate to the five lower energy centers (chakras) which store data, even from past lives.
Intellect (buddhi): This is the faculty that discerns, discriminates or "thinks," making judgmental values, sometimes incorrectly. The intellect is the consciousness behind the sense organs that classifies sensory data. It is the evaluating factor; it interprets data.
Ego (ahamkara): The ego is the faculty that says, "I am what I think. I am what I do and what I interpret through my experiences." The ego is also a storage bank that interprets particular experiences according to how "I" conceive "me." The ego is the false "I" in relationship to the spirit (atma) which is the true "I." The ego is unreal since perception is transitory; it is ever changing. The spirit, on the other hand, is unchanging. The ego is artificial or transitory, for how you see yourself is based upon your sense experiences and judgment of your buddhi. It is therefore ever changing, and returning full circle, that which is ever changing is unreal.
HOW YOGA RELATES TO THE THREE FACTORS OF THE MIND The spinal column can be considered a microuniverse. The prana and apana flowing on the outer surface of the chakras relate to various principles and states of consciousness. Through the practice of yoga, you are attempting to purify the energy channels, breaking the constrictions within the center of the spinal column. This will enable you to lift the current to the crown chakra. The crown chakra is the symbol of full and total realization of the true Self. Here within this awareness or state of consciousness lies the true joy, bliss, meaning and purpose of existence. There are two obstacles in the pursuit of this goal.
The first obstacle is the manifestation of karma from the past. Through raja yoga, you can break free of this karma contained within the chakras, allowing the energy not used, to move through the balanced center channel, freeing the mind-stuff of past karmic emotions, delusions, etc.
Karma exists as seeds of karma awaiting an appropriate moment to sprout. At the proper moment, the causal body releases from its heart the seed karmas that enter and circulate in the astral body becoming caught in the "nets" of various astral chakras. These chakra nets catch the seed karmas. The breath creates moisture and heat which causes the seed karmas to sprout and grow in the astral vehicle. They then circulate down to the physical body producing karmic physical conditions.
Through the practice of pratyahara, the yogi withdraws the chitta from the senses. In so doing, he masters his destiny by withdrawing energy from the karma. By breathing through the "fire" channel of sushumna rather than ida and pingala, heat is generated whereby the karmic seeds are roasted or burnt.
The second obstacle to man's attainment of the higher goal of self-realization is his nature. The average human being, by his very nature, is totally engrossed in the lower segment of the spinal column. This is the pleasure/pain realm of existence. He becomes lost in his search for the ultimate reality because he perceives, through the sense organs, with such intensity, that he feels he is what he perceives.
When you feel pleasure, why is it that it does not continue? The answer lies in the fact that pleasure and pain are a two-sided coin. They are inseparable. Inevitably, pleasure follows pain and pain follows pleasure. The yogi attempts to escape from this pleasure/pain principle by pulling away from sensory data, withdrawing the chitta from the sense organs, enabling him to lift the life-current from the lower chakras.
The concepts of pleasure and pain are directly related to the concepts of aversion and attraction. The yogi is reminded that the emotions of extreme aversion and extreme attraction give rise to restlessness. The yogi, therefore, attempts to detach himself from such heavy emotional feelings which impair his intellect and consequently his discerning powers. The student must realize that many extreme aversions and attractions are not always conscious.
Yoga points out that we must begin by becoming detached from gross and more obvious objects, and then move to detachment from inward and more subtle objects. In this way, we are able to turn inward and upward and attain the goal of yoga. The yogi points out that as a person move toward detachment, he should not be unduly upset when he experiences the undesirable. At the same time, it is important that he not become unduly elated when pleasant or desirable results manifest.
Why should one make such an effort to control the sense organs? Because deep in the sense organs lies the "force" of attractions and aversions ever awaiting to jump forth and manifest. These forces must ever be guarded. Desirable objects attract us and undesirable objects repel us. The repulsion gives us pain and though the attraction gives us momentary pleasure, it gives birth to apprehension and fear that we shall lose the object; and thus again we have pain. When the mind dwells on a physical object, the feeling of attraction arises. These basic feelings are rooted in the feeling of possession. Attraction causes possession and possessiveness is the cause of human suffering, as it destroys the intellect's power of discernment. The more you are in control of the sense organs, the less likely you will lose this power of discernment.
The experience of taste belongs to the sense organs. This sense of taste is responsible, as are other sense organs, for the creation of attraction and aversion in the intellect. Although it is the nature of the senses to function, they should not be allowed to manifest uncontrolled. The senses need to be guarded and disciplined. We should ever remain completely detached.
THE WITHDRAWAL OF THE MIND Pratyahara is the yogic technique by which you take the naturally outgoing forces of the sense organs and cause them to turn inward. This is done by drawing the senses away from their respective objects.
According to Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, pratyahara occurs when a person disciplines his sense organs to follow his intellect. The sense organs are controlled by not allowing them to come into contact with their respective objects, and disciplining them to follow the intellect.
THE PROCESS The most effective aids in establishing sense-withdrawal are pranayama and mantra. Pranayama enables the mind to let go of what it is attracted to and what it is holding onto. Once the mind can let go of the object through pranayama, you may return to your mantra. Pranayama purifies the external, gross sense organs, and brings them under control. Pranayama is very closely linked to the five gross organs and thus can have a powerful effect on the sense organs.
When the intellect is drawn toward external objects, then alone do the sense organs grasp those objects. When the intellect is drawn toward these objects, then the intellect ceases to function. If the intellect is brought under control by sense-withdrawal, and is able to withdraw from the objects of the senses, then the sense organs cease to function. In short, the sense organs function only on the initiation of the intellect. The control of the intellect is essential for the attainment of sense-withdrawal.
During meditation, the gross sense organs cease to function and do not acquire any knowledge or data regarding their gross objects. This is so because the mind is inactive. As soon as the mind is truly quieted, the gross sense organs cease to have contact with external objects. This total process is called pratyahara.
TWO TYPES OF SENSE-WITHDRAWAL As the yogi gains control over the intellect, the gross sense organs are also brought under control. Over and above gross objects, however, there is yet still another subtler level that the yogi attempts to gain mastery over. During meditation, the mind and intellect come into contact with subtle (astral) sense organs. The yogi must also be capable of withdrawing from these subtle organs.
There is sense-withdrawal from gross sense organs and sense-withdrawal from subtle sense organs. Normally, the subtle objects cannot be seen, however, a person in samprajnata samadhi is able to perceive them. These subtle objects can only be perceived and enjoyed through and by the astral body. These subtle astral perceptions are known more commonly as clairvoyance, clairaudience, psychometry, etc.
THREE STAGES OF DETACHMENT Until the intellect is completely divested of its attachments to the gross and subtle objects, sense-withdrawal cannot be completely attained. Only when they are both mastered does complete detachment from physical and astral objects occur.
Stage 1. Detachment from Emotions
This stage of detachment primarily deals with love and hate. These two powerful emotions are deeply ingrained and drive us toward their objects. We think of love as being the only emotion that draws us toward an object, while we think of hate as that which drives us away from an object. However, when a person hates someone or something, his mind is usually filled with ideas, concepts, criticisms, and mental and verbal controversies which ironically hold him to that object of hate.
These feelings of love and hate are the main cause of our grief. In the majority of cases, people experience grief because they love possessively. With the help of the intellect and the utilization of sense-withdrawal, these two emotions are controlled and craving is balanced by withdrawing the sense organs from these two sets of objects.
Stage 2. Detachment from Objects
Exclusive detachment implies that you are able to observe life, recognizing the seeming negativity that exists in various objects. You are able to perceive which objects in the world cause the greatest amount of pain because of one's attachment to them, and not because of a seemingly innate negativity within the object itself. When you are able to perceive the dangers within certain objects you will be able to determine which objects are detrimental to your own lifestyle.
Stage 3. Detachment from Impressions
By persistent indulgence in emotions, it gives rise to impressions into the depths of your soul, the very depths of the chitta or mind-stuff. This produces a very deep, unconscious interference with the functions of the intellect. The deeper the emotional impression, and the more frequent its impression upon the chitta, the more will that object activate a sense organ.
Through organ detachment, the yogi assures that these interferences do not take place. It is a technique that you live all day long, each day of your life. If even one single sense organ remains uncontrolled, sense-withdrawal or the higher stages of yoga cannot be attained. You must determine which sense organ produces the greatest emotionality and refrain from activating or stimulating that organ.
This relates more to your inner dreams and spiritual growth plans. These are not dependent on objects but must also be renunciated so that you find happiness, joy, and wisdom along the spiritual pathway of your life.
Remember, the cause of unhappiness is our attitude and our attachment, not the innate quality within people, personalities or objects.DETACHMENT EXERCISES With extensive practice of the above three stages of sense-withdrawal, you ultimately reach a stage in which the deep subconscious, buried impressions do not arise and disturb the intellect- When the intellect is not disturbed, even in the presence of gross or subtle objects, controlled detachment is acquired. In this way, detachment is an everyday part of your life.
Exercise 1. Attachments on Feelings
Sitting in a meditative posture with your eyes closed, visualize two people, one that you like very much and one that you dislike. Examine your thoughts, emotions, and feelings, and see if in some small way you can balance out or understand your personality, determining why there is such a strong difference in the feelings you have for these two people. By withdrawing from the world and examining your mental reactions as you visualize these people, you ought recognize and receive insights that will help you to become less attached.
Exercise 2. Attachment on Objects.
Sit in a meditative pose with your eyes closed and think of an object that you want; or think back a few weeks or months to that time when you really craved some object. Now mentally revert to your early childhood and remember how happy you were before you ever knew the object existed. By examining the motion into the need of the object, you will begin to gain insights into your life and personality.
Exercise 3. Attachment on Personal Impressions
Visualize a person that you strongly dislike or have strong negative feelings toward. Now mentally say something to that person: "Hi, there! ... I like you." Say it with feeling. Now watch your mental reaction. Reaffirm positive mental statements toward that person until you can create within yourself great positivity.
Do not allow the image to produce more negativity than you are trying to positively create in the technique. An insightful thought to remember is, the image that is within your mind is not actually that person external to you. In this inward mental debate you can withdraw your senses and you will become more detached.
As a variation, now visualize someone you really like. Imagine them asking you to do something (that you would prefer not to do). Mentally say to them: "I'm sorry, I can't." It is very difficult to refuse to do something for someone you like. Watch your mental reactions to this process. It will give you insights and aid in producing detachment.
In the practice of all these techniques, a few minutes a day is not enough. These are exercises that should be performed quite frequently, until you gain insight and become detached - detached but not indifferent.
YONI MUDRA TECHNIQUE Sit erect resting the elbows on a table or some other small support. This support should be high enough that you can easily place your thumbs on your ears without slumping forward or straining upward. Place the thumbs comfortably but tightly on each of the tragus so that they close the openings of the ears. The eyes are closed and focused at the root of the nose at the eyebrows. The index fingers are placed below the eyes to hold them firmly. They are pressed lightly so as to prevent movement of the eyeballs, aiding the eye hold at the ajna chakra. Each middle finger rests gently on the nasal passages; the ring fingers are placed on the upper lip and little fingers on the lower lip. Now take a deep breath, hold, and press the fingers so that all the sense organs are stopped. This is known as yoni mudra.
While holding your breath comfortably, turn inward, with such intensity that you forget the whole external universe. This is sense-withdrawal. Full attention is focused at the ajna chakra looking for and perceiving the "light" that is there. At first it may appear to be dark at the sun center, but without straining, continue to look. At first, most people perceive only darkness. Later, a hazy light, then a circular egg-shaped light, and still later, a circle of light can be seen. This circle of light then takes on various colorations; gold, then blue.
When the breath can no longer be comfortably held, release all the fingers. Exhale slowly. Inhale slowly, hold again, turning deeper inward.
THE NETI TECHNIQUE Sit comfortably in a meditative pose. The room should be quiet, the time very late or very early. There should be no distractions, physically or emotionally. The time of your practice should always be the same. Sit on a folded blanket with your body at full attention without tension. Wear warm comfortable loose-fitting clothes. The body must now remain perfectly motionless.
Take a deep breath and relax. Be at full attention without tension. You are beginning to meet your mind. Let your thoughts flow. Watch them, without judgment ... just watch them. Watch your thoughts, unconcernedly. Be mindful of what is happening in your universe. As you are mindful of the thoughts and as you "see" a thought, mentally feel and mentally think: "neti, neti, neti." This means, "I am not this thought; I am not that thought; I am not thought." In essence, you will experience this important realization: I am not this thought I see, nor am I that thought watching this thought ... I am not thought at all.
Insofar as you do not identify yourself with the stream of thoughts, you begin to realize the real you, the atma. This process is so simple to describe, so difficult to do, so important to master. You will realize through this procedure, while watching your thoughts, that they are not really you.
1. Awake! for Morning in the Bowl of Night Has flung the Stone that puts the Stars to Flight: And Lo! the Hunter of the East has caught The Sultan's Turret in a Noose of Light.
Morning: Dawn of awakening from delusive earthly existence.
Bowl of night: The darkness of ignorance, which imprisons the immortal soul in mortal consciousness. Stone: Spiritual Discipline. Stars: The attractive twinkling of material desires. Hunter of the East: Eastern wisdom, a mighty slayer of delusion. Sultan's turret: The sovereign soul. Noose of light: The divine illumination of wisdom, which destroys the captive darkness surrounding the soul.
The inner Silence sings:
"Awake! Forsake the sleep of ignorance, for the dawn of wisdom has come. Hurl the hard stone of spiritual discipline that breaks the bowl of dark unknowing, putting of flight the pale stars of mock-lustered material desires.
"Behold, the Eastern Wisdom, the Hunter and Destroyer of delusion, has caught the proud minaret of the kingly soul in a noose of Light, dispelling its imprisoning mortal darkness."
I have been inspired further to interpret this introductory quatrain as Omar's personal clarion call to the spiritually sleeping:
"O inhabitants of the City of Delusion, sleep no more! the sunlight of my awakening message of mystic wisdom has arrived. Learn how to use the hard stone of spiritual discipline to break the bowl of your dark ignorance, dashing from its hold the desire for momentarily attractive material pleasures."
"Behold with envy how the Hunter of Wisdom has been searching out and gathering the lofty, kingly, spiritually advanced devotees of Truth, encompassing their souls with a halo of everlasting Light of Freedom."
Most people, though apparently awake, are really asleep indelusion. Pursued by the compelling commands of their hounding habits, they have not yet been awakened by wisdom to walk its pleasant pathways. Where life is in danger for lack of watchfulness, it is not safe to sleep. So it is unwise to slumber in the dark doorways of evil habits, which invite the danger of possible death to wisdom and true happiness.
The ordinary man earns a living, eats three times a day, amuses himself with trivial entertainments, remaining engrossed in the mechanical performance of material duties without ever awakening to the importance of understanding the purpose of life: attaining true happiness and sharing it with others. The wise man gives up false pride in self-perfection, the thought that "I am all right as I am." Using the net of introspection, he catches delusion and destroys it. Forsake the slumber of ignorant habits and awaken wisdom by performing those good habits which alone can free life from danger and crown it with lasting happiness.
To be drunk with the daily round of haunting useless habits, to be negatively the same every day for years, is a wasted experience. Destroy false pride. Awaken the soul and remain ever wakeful, striving each day to be different and better in all ways. Your soul was not meant to be a prisoner of passion, sleeping behind bars of ignorance. Jerk yourself from the stupor of sloth; race forward with progressive activites, and catch success in the net of soul creativity.
Forsake spiritual lethary and melancholia. Bask in the light of meditative peace and Self-realization, which destroys false pride of material existence and banishes inner soul gloom.
2. Dreaming when Dawn's Left Hand was in the Sky I heard a Voice within the Tavern Cry, "Awake, my little ones, and fill the Cup Before Life's Liquor in its Cup be dry."
GLOSSARY-- Dawn's left hand: Dawn of early wisdom, the first yearning to solve the mystery of life. A voice: Intuition of the soul. Tavern: Sanctum of inner silence. Little ones: Undeveloped thoughts, eariliest intuitions of life's purpose. Fill the cup: Fill the consciousness. Life's liquor: Life's vitality. Its cup: The human body. Be dry: Vanish.
Spiritual Interpretation
"I had not yet fully wakened from my material sleep of ignorance, and was but dreaming of the dawn of early wisdom, when I heard the intuitive voice of my soul cry out from the tavern of inner silence: 'O little thoughts of awakening wisdom, rouse yourselves! fill the cup of consciousness with the wine of Divine Joy, ere life's vitality vanish from the bodily cup.'"
Everyone should make the best of his present life, for it comes but once to each soul. Even if you have to reincarnate, you will not be allowed to come a second time as the same individual. Thomas Edison can never reincarnate in the same body with the same mannerisms he had during that particular lifetime. This is true of each soul. Once we depart from the tavern of this bodily incarnation we cannot come and bide in the same fleshly tavern again. So it is the highest wisdom to make the most of this present opportunity. Follow the dicates of wisdom; listen to the voice of commmon sense, which urges you toward life's worthwhile goals. Open up and enliven your dormant soul faculties. Do your best to be useful to yourself and others before this ephemeral life ebbs away.
In the light of introspection, keep awake to life's highest duties and aviod the sleep-walkings of delusion and mechanical, useless actions.
Honeycomb life with worthwhile activities during the summer season of opportunities. Thus you and your loved ones can enjoy sweet contentment to the end. And if by deep meditation you attain soul freedom inGod-consciousness, His bliss will be yours through all eternity.
3. As the Cock crew, those who stood before The Tavern shouted-- "Open then the Door!" You know how little while we have to stay, And, once departed, may return no more.
GLOSSARY-- Cock: Wisdom. Tavern: Bodily life. Door: Portal of inner silence. Little while we have to stay: The short span of bodily life. Once departed: Having left this earth forever, after acquiring wisdom. May return no more: Need never again reincarnate.
Spiritual Interpretation
As the cock-call of wisdom sounded, delusion-drowsy devotees were aroused, and stood before the tavern of bodily life and cried, "Ah, Soul, awaken! Open the innermost door of silence, wherein lies God-consciousness. How little time we have to stay on earth! If during this short season we can reap the rich harvest of God-wisdom, we need never again be reincarnated, dragged here by earth-binding desires."
Earthly desires are the cause of reincarnation. Souls must return life after life in new bodily forms to work out their unfilled craving. But when all longing are satisfied or spiritually sublimated, there is no further need to come back to this earth of suffering and limitation.
When the first call of wisdom awakens you from the sleep of delusion, utilize the short season of earth life for cultivating reincartion-destroying, misery-annihilating soul freedom in God-consciousness.
Everyone should make the best of his present life, for it comes but once to each soul. Even if you have to reincarnate, you will not be allowed to come a second time as the same individual. Thomas Edison can never reincarnate in the same body with the same mannerisms he had during that particular lifetime. This is true of each soul. Once we depart from the tavern of this bodily incarnation we cannot come and bide in the same fleshly tavern again. So it is the highest wisdom to make the most of this present opportunity. Follow the dicates of wisdom; listen to the voice of commmon sense, which urges you toward life's worthwhile goals. Open up and enliven your dormant soul faculties. Do your best to be useful to yourself and others before this ephemeral life ebbs away.
In the light of introspection, keep awake to life's highest duties and aviod the sleep-walkings of delusion and mechanical, useless actions.
Honeycomb life with worthwhile activities during the summer season of opportunities. Thus you and your loved ones can enjoy sweet contentment to the end. And if by deep meditation you attain soul freedom in God-consciousness, His bliss will be yours through all eternity.
4. Now the New Year reviving old Desires, The thoughtful Soul to Solitude retires, Where the White Hand of Moses on the Bough Puts out, and Jesus from the Ground suspires.
GLOSSARY-- New Year: New dawn of wisdom. Old desires: The age-old longing of the soul in quest of Spirit. The thoughtful soul: The soul that reasons and discriminates. (Strictly speaking, the soul, being a pure reflection of Spirit, in all-knowing, and has no need to reason or discriminate. But during incarnation, the soul takes on the delusion of separation from Spirit. As wisdom begins to dawn in man through the natural upward evolution of his reason and discrimination, the soul's all-knowing faculty of intuition stirs and directs these powers within, to discover intuitively the eternal presence of the Spirit.) Solitude: The inner silence of spiritual consciousness. White Hand: Purified consciousness. Bough: Universal wisdom; Christ Consciousness. Ground: The cosmic delusion of mortality.
Spiritual Interpretation
The awakening of new wisdom in man revives old divine desires of the soul to quest for God. The introspecting and discriminating soul retires to the inner solitude of silence-- that inner stillness in which the purified consciousness of Moses touched the bough of wisdom, and Jesus, quickened by its breath of immortality, awoke and rose from the entombing sod of delusion.
When wisdom dawns on you, awakening the desire to understand the mystery of your soul, don't put it off; retire to the inner sanctum sanctorum of silent peace wherein all great souls have entered, by the gate of meditation, and found wisdom and emancipation.
The thirst for understanding can be quenched only by drinking new wisdom daily from the well of discrimination. The burning desires of incarnations are alleviated only by soothing dews of peace, collected in the deep bowl of solitude. Moses, Jesus, you and I, all being, can find the ever-sought-for solace in the silence of the soul.
This quatrain has also a mundane significance. The advent of a New Year revives old desires to succeed on the path of life. Most individuals fail to garner the rare blossoms of success because they do not deeply deliberate and search long enough to discover where they lie hidden in the forest of difficulties.
Everyone who seeks success, even as great men have sought it and found fulfillment, should retire often into the silence and introspect on his problems. By discrimination and meditation he can make his mind receptive to the intuitive guidance of the soul, and plan his life accordingly. Problems that have seemed insoluable will unravel their mysteries in the nook of solitary thoughtfulness.
5. David's Lips are locked but in divine High piping Pehlevi, with "Wine! Wine! Wine! Red Wine!" -- the Nightingale cries to the Rose That yellow Cheek of hers to incarnadine.
GLOSSARY-- David's lips are lockedt: The voice of the Infinite is outwardly silent. High piping Pehlevi: The lofty language of divine wisdom. As Pehlevi (Pahlavi) is the tongue of the heroic age of Persia, so divine wisdom is the language of the Infinite. Red Wine: Spiritually vitalizing divine bliss. Nightingale: Intuition. As the nightingale regales man with songs at night, so in the darkness of inner silence, wherein all material phenomena are obscured, truth sings through the devotee's intuition. Yellow cheeked rose: The spiritual aspirant, once rosy-cheeked and enthusiastic, whose life has paled with the severity of self-discipline and self-denial. To incarnadine: To crimson or vivify life with divine bliss.
Though the lips of the Infinite are locked in silence, His voice is heard as the truth-singing nightingale of the aspirant's intuition, ever piping the pure language of divine wisdom. With that voice the Lord offers
His devotee, grown wan with self-discipline and self-denial, the red wine of meditation's bliss, which will crimson his life with its divine vitality.
Practical Application
One who by self-control avoids intoxication by life's gross pleasures may drink the nectar of God's ever-new joy continuously from the secret cask of intuitive divine inspirations. The thirst created by self-denial is quenched fully, and in due time, by a draft of the Divine Mercy.
Forgoing unnecessary sense indulgences, the wise man develops a sensitive taste for life's finer joys, from which he imbibes enduring happiness. Such happiness lies in self-control, not yielding to mundane promptings and temptations.
Self-discipline is not necessarily self-denial, which may consist of penances in the form of extreme or unnecessary deprivations or self-torture. Self-discipline guides the moody mind in a positive way, saving it from fruitless searching for happiness in blind alleys of illusion. One who follows the way of self-discipline not only avoids dead ends in his quest for happiness, he has also the assurance of the divine law that he will be rewarded with positive success in reaching his goal.
The sole purpose of self-discipline is to prevent the mind from straying off the pathway of true happiness.
Unfortunately, most mentalities are shortsighted, preferring to indulge the urgings of unthinking impulses for short-lived pleasures, rather than to exercise self-control while cultivating the fruits of life's sperior joys. One who is striving to discipline his life should not grieve over the temporary deprivations of self-restraint. He should rejoice in anticipation, because self-discipline withholds happiness for but a little while, in order to bring joy that is all-fulfilling and everlasting.
The prospect of self-discipline, therefore, should not depress, but rather gladden the mind; for only through self-control can the Cosmic Law work to bring lasting happiness. As the aspiring devotees perseveres, silent God will in time speak to him through the voice of intuition, offering him the revitalizing reward of bliss for his hardships of renunciation.
6. Come, fill the Cup, and in the Fire of Spring The Winter Garment of Repentance fling: The Bird of Time has but a little way To fly-- and Lo! the Bird is on the Wing.
GLOSSARY-- Fill the Cup: Fill your consciousness. Fire of spring: The warmth of spiritual enthusiasm. Winter garment of repentance: The soul-bliss-freezing regret that follows sense indulgence. Bird of time: Fleeting, ever-changing human life. A little way to fly: Only a little time remains. The bird is on the wing: Life is flying away without any definite purpose.
Spiritual Interpretation
In the warm Spring of newly arrived spiritual enthusiasm, fling off the icy garment of soul-bliss-freezing regret and repentance, created by unfulfilled material desires and disillusioning sense indulgences. Fill the cup of your consciousness with the warming wine of God's wisdom and bliss.
Waste not a precious moment, for the bird of life soars but a little while in the skies of your present existence. Behold in your mind's eye that day, how soon! it will fly away. While you have it within your power, teach this bird to sing God's all-protecting Name. Guide its flight toward His shores of immortality. Let it not sweep onward into the caverns of dark death, whither it is fast winging now without a conscious aim.
By deep yoga mediation, transfer the soul's consciousness from fleshly pleasures to the inner spiritual perceptions of the seven cerebrospinal centers. Therein the soul intuitionally experiences the intoxicating joy of Self-realization.
In the outer sense-garden grow perfumed blossoms of short-lived pleasures, but in the inner garden of consciousness the soul secretly nutures flowering qualities whose fragrant joy never fades. Earthly blossoms brighten man's mind for a while, but the petals of soul pleasures inspire eternally.
All the pomp and power of man's kingdom of life may fade away, and all receptacles and instruments of kingly pleasure may be taken from him; yet he can always find happiness when he roams by the healing waters of wisdom and understnading in the garden of soul-bliss.
Often, when persons fall from a state of plenty into poverty, or from success to failure, they sink in utter despair, seeing nothing to cling to. Some become so despondent they are unable to find contentment in anything. Failure cripples the subtle imagination of hope for future success. But by wisdom and discrimination man can learn in the simpler joys of life, and most of all in the ever-new bliss of deep meditation.
Though destiny wrest away all earthly pleasures, man can still be happy by clinging to the simple, true, and lasting soul-joys. They come by deep thinking, introspection, spiritual inspiration, and meditation.
Gather, therefore, not only wholesome joys from the garden of material life; learn also, with your loved ones, to wander in the garden of meditation and Self-realization, and there gather the joy everlasting.
7. Iram indeed is gone with all its Rose, And Jamshyd's Sev'n-ring'd Cup where no one knows; But still the Vine her ancient Ruby yields, And still a Garden by the Water blows.
GLOSSARY-- Iram: Outward or sense-conscious state of man's mind and life. Rose: Temporary sense pleasures. Jamshyd: The soul's kingly consciouness of Infinity. Sev'n-ring'd cup: The cerebrospinal receptacle with its seven ring-like centers of consciouness and life. Through these seven plexuses the soul's life and consciouness descend from Spirit into the limitations of the body, and must ultimately ascend into the freedom of the Infinite.* Where no one knows: The average person is unaware of the existence of the spinal centers and of their spiritual significance. Vine: Soul. Ancient ruby: The age-old soul-bliss (the fruit or "ruby" grapes of the soul-vine). Garden: Self-realization, blooming with spiritual qualities. Water: Wisdom.
When in deep meditation man withdraws his outward consciousness, there goes with all the "rose" or pleasure associated with the senses and their desires. Yet the kingly soul consciousness of Infinity remains, engrossed within, quaffing the blissful divine consciousness from the cerebrospinal "cup," whose seven "rings" are secreted from mortal gaze and unknown to ordinary consciousness.
Unmindful of the absense of sense pleasures, such a man beholds an enthralling inner garden of Spirit, blossoming with fragrant soul quailites and sparkling with ever-flowing waters of wisdom. From the soul vine he plucks ruby grapes of Self-realization, reveling in their sweet taste of age-old ever-new Bliss.
*Yogic treatise define the seven spiritual centers as chakras, the "spokes" or "petals" of which radiate life and consciousness to the body. The soul-- the supreme Spirit, life and consciouness in man-- resides in the highest of these centers in the cerebrum, in cosmic consciousness.
As the soul's consciousness and life descend into the spine and out from the chakras into the physical body and senses, it's perceptions become increasingly grosser, until, ultimately, in the sense-conscious state, the soul, as ego, is wholly identified with the circumscribing physical form and its limited modes of perception and expression.
Spiritual enlightenment consists in withdrawing the consciousness from the grosser states of perception to the higher spiritual centers in the spine and brain. The effect is Self-realization, or realization of the true self as Soul, made in the image of God, with all his Divine qualities, reigning supreme in joy and wisdom over the kingdom of the body as well as over the heavenly kingdom within.
By deep yoga mediation, transfer the soul's consciousness from fleshly pleasures to the inner spiritual perceptions of the seven cerebrospinal centers. Therein the soul intuitionally experiences the intoxicating joy of Self-realization.
In the outer sense-garden grow perfumed blossoms of short-lived pleasures, but in the inner garden of consciousness the soul secretly nutures flowering qualities whose fragrant joy never fades. Earthly blossoms brighten man's mind for a while, but the petals of soul pleasures inspire eternally.
All the pomp and power of man's kingdom of life may fade away, and all receptacles and instruments of kingly pleasure may be taken from him; yet he can always find happiness when he roams by the healing waters of wisdom and understnading in the garden of soul-bliss.
Often, when persons fall from a state of plenty into poverty, or from success to failure, they sink in utter despair, seeing nothing to cling to. Some become so despondent they are unable to find contentment in anything. Failure cripples the subtle imagination of hope for future success. But by wisdom and discrimination man can learn in the simpler joys of life, and most of all in the ever-new bliss of deep meditation.
Though destiny wrest away all earthly pleasures, man can still be happy by clinging to the simple, true, and lasting soul-joys. They come by deep thinking, introspection, spiritual inspiration, and meditation.
Gather, therefore, not only wholesome joys from the garden of material life; learn also, with your loved ones, to wander in the garden of meditation and Self-realization, and there gather the joy everlasting.
GLOSSARYAdvaita ("non-duality"). Oneness between the seeking self and the ultimate Self; non-duality; a school of Vedanta philosophy teaching the oneness of God, soul, and universe.
Ahamkara Ego or "I-consciousness," a function of the inner organ.
Akasha One of three great manifes-tations of the universe. The other two are prana and chitta. It sometimes refers to one of five material elements that constitute the universe; often translated as "space" and "ether." The four other elements are vayu (air), agni (fire), apah (water), and prithivi (earth).
Antahkarana The inner organ; the mind. That modification of the vital breath in the body by which un-assimilated food and drink are eliminated.
Apana Breath operating between navel and coccygeal center; manifes-tation found in releasing gas.
Atman The Self; denotes also the Supreme Soul, which, according to Non-dulalistic Vedanta, is one with the individual soul.
Avyas The practice of Kriya while abandoning the expectations for results of practice.
Bhagavad Gita An important Hindu scripture, which comprises of eighteen chapters containing the teachings of Sri Krishna.
Bhakti Seeing inner visions, Revela-tions between the eyebrows, dualism involving the seer and seen (lit., love and devotion).
Bhu The first step of syllables of the Gayatri Mantra
Bijnan Absolute Knowledge, eternal Realization, (lit., science).
Bikalpa Rejection of thoughts and restless breath.
Bindu Bright star of Consciousness in between the eyebrows (lit., spot).
Brahma The Creator God; the First Person of the Hindu Trinity, the other two being Vishnu and Shiva.
Brahmachaya A state of Inwardness; One with the pure Consciousness of Brahma (the ultimate Self).
Buddhi Wisdom; Tranquil intelligence, poised in inner Wisdom (lit., intellect).
Chakras ("wheeel") The centers of psychic energy along the spine.Chit Awareness, consciousness, feeling; ref. satchitananda.
Chitta The mind-stuff; that part of Nature (prakriti) which is the storehouse of memory or which seeks for pleasurable objects. Metaphorically it is compared to a crystal that reflects the color of the object near it.
Devas (Lit., shining ones.) The gods of Hindu mythology.
Dharana Fixing the mind on a point; a stage in the process of meditation. The yoga sutra defines it as the binding of consciousness (chitta) to single locus (desha), one-pointedness (eka-agrata).
Dhyana Meditation; contemplation. Yoga sutra defines it as the one directional flow (eka-tanata) of presented ideas (pratyaya) relative to single object of concentration.
Ekagrata ("one-pointedness"). It stands for single mindedness, or focused attention through which the mind is prevented from attaching it self to an object. It is very essense of yogic concentration.
Gayatri The most famous mantra of Hinduism, since ancient Vedic times: tat savitur varenyam bhargo devasya dhimahi dhiyo yo nah pracodayat, "Let us comtemplate that most excellent light of the divine Savitri so that He may inspire our visions."
Guna Qualities or restless breath. According to Samkhya philosophy, prakriti (nature or matter) in contrast with purusha (Soul), consists of three gunas or "qualities". These gunas are known as sattva (balance or wisdom), rajas (activity or restlessness), and tamas (inertia or dullness).Hamsa ("swan"). More precisely it refers to the wild goose whose high flight has inspired the ancients to make it become a symbol for the transcendental Self (atman).
Hatha-yoga A school of yoga that aims chiefly at physical health and well-being through certain exercise techniques.
Ida A subtle nadi in the spinal column. See Sushumna.
Indriyas The sense-organs, consisting of the five organs of perception, the five organs of action, and the mind.
Ishana A name for the Divine as the ruler of the world and the individual body and mind. One of the most beautiful expression of this idea is found in Isha Upanishad.
Ishvara The transcendental Self as it governs the cosmos and all beings. The ishvara is said to be free from the causes of affliction (klesha), action (karman), the fruit of action (vipaka), and the subconscious stuff (ashaya).
Jalandhara-bandha ("water pipe lock") And important yogic practice of contracting the throat, which is done by placing the chin on the chest after inhalation and holding it there.Jiva ("life," "alive"). The individual self (jiva-atman) as opposed to the transcendental self (parama-atman). Upon awakening, the seeming diversity of multiple jivas melts away, and there is only the Self (atman).
Jnana ("wisdom," "knowledge"). It stands for intellectual and intuitive knowledge of Reality. The Bhagavad Gita distinguishes three types of jnana: (1) sattvika-jnana, one sees the one immutable Reality in all things; (2) rajasa-jnana, one sees the composite nature of things, not their underlying unity; (3) tamasa-jnana, one clings to a single thing as if it were the whole.
Jnana-mudra ("wisdom gesture"). One of the hand gestures performed by having the thumb and index finger touch so that they form a circle, while remaining three fingers are extended.
Jnana-yoga ("yoga of wisdom"). A principal branches of yoga that is very similar to Vedanta. It consists of constant exercise of discrimination (viveka) of Reality from unreality, the Self from non-self.
Kaivalya The term used in Raja-yoga for ultimate liberation, meaning independence of the soul from the body or matter. It is the state of unconditional existence of the Self.
Kama ("desire"). It stands for desire for sensual pleasure, sexual urge in particular. In the sense of experience, kama is considered legitimate. But, from the point of view of liberation (moksha), it is viewed as unworthy of one's pursuit. Kama, along with anger (krodha) and greed (lobha), is deemed to be one of "three gates to hell."
Karma Action in general; duty. The Vedas use the word chiefly to denote humanitarian action. There are three kinds of karma: (1) total accumulated stock of past actions (ashaya) awaiting fruition; (2) that which has come to fruition in this life; (3) that acquired in this life to bear fruit in the future.
Krishna An Incarnation of Vishnu described in the Mahabkarata .
Kundalini (Lit., coiled-up serpent.) It refers to the spiritual power dormant in all living beings. When awakened, it rises through the spinal column, passes through various centers, and at last reaches the brain, whereupon one experiences samadhi.
Laya Yoga Yoga of meditative absorption. A genral term used to describe various Tantric approaches that seek to dissolve ordinary mind, leading the ecstatic identification with the Self beyond the mind.
Loka ("realm"). It signifies a dimen-sion of cosmic existence. According to Hindu cosmography, there are seven major realms, each corresponding to a specific state of consciousness.
[See diagram]
Maha-bandha ("great lock"). Place one foot at the perineum (yoni) and the other foot on the thigh. After inhaling, press the chin firmly against the chest, contract the anal sphincter, and fix the mind on the central canal (sushumna-nadi).Maha-mudra ("great seal"). Place the left heel against the buttocks (or the perineum), while stretching the right leg and catching hold of the toes. Then contract the throat and gaze at the spot between the eyebrows. Repeat with the left leg extenced.
Maha-vedha ("great piercer"). Practicing maha-bandha, inhale and apply jalandhara-bandha. Repeatly raise the body slightly off the ground and drop back down. This helps to force prana into sushumna-nadi. This technique is a great activator of mula-bandha and maha-bandha.
Manas ("mind"). It generally refers to the lower mind that organize sensory perceptions. The faculty of doubt and volition, one of the functions of the inner organ. It is to be tamed like chariot pulled by unruly horses.
Mantra Sound that empowers the mind for concentration and the transcendence of the ordinary states of consciousness. A mantra can consist of a single syllable or a string of sounds.
Maya A key concept of the Vedanta system, according to which it means the cosmic illusion where the One appears as many, the Absolute as relative. In dualistic tradition, it stands for the creative power of the universe.
Mula-bandha ("root lock"). With the left heel placed against perineum, contract the perineum and press the navel against the spinal cord. The right heel is sometimes placed against the sex organ. This technique is said to lead to the mastery of the breath and bring about the rejuvenation of the body. The apana breath is forced upward and inner fire is stimulated for the arousal of kundalini-shakti.
Nadi ("channel"). The channels through which life force (prana) circulates; the flow patterns of psycho-somatic energy.
Nirvana Annihilation of desire, passion, and ego; Liberation, characterized by freedom and bliss.
Nirvikalpa-samadhi ("formless ecstasy"). It is the Vendanta equivalent of superconscious ecstasy (asamprajnata-samadhi). This state obliterates all the subconscious traits (vasana), leading to liberation.
Nirvitarka-samadhi ("supercogitative ecstasy"). It is one of the forms of conscious ecstasy (samprajnata-samadhi) in which all cogitation (vitarka) has ceased. It is analogous to nirvichara-samapatti.
Ojas ("Virility"). A subtle force that is distributed over entire body and nourishes it incessantly. The greatest concentration of ojas is in semen. The conservation of semen increases the ojas store and thus enhances both the health and quality of consciousness.
Patanjali The author of the Yoga system, one of the six systems of orthodox Hindu philosophy, which deals with concentration and its methods, control of the mind, and similar matters.
Pingala A subtle nadi in the spinal column. See Sushumna.
Prakriti Primordial nature; the material substratum of the creation, consisting of sattva, rajas, and tamas.
Prana The vital breath, which sustains life in a physical body; the primal energy or force. Prana has five modifications according to its five bodily functions: (1) prana (controls the breath), (2) apana (carries down un-assimilated food and drink), (3) vyana (pervades the entire body), (4) udana (ejects food through the mouth and ejects soul from the body at death), and (5) samana (carries nutrition throughout the body).
Pranayama Control of Life Energy through control of the breath.
Raja Yoga A system of yoga dealing with concentration and its methods, control of the mind, samadhi, and similar matters. It leads to the devlop-ment of the mind and its control.
Rajas The principle of restlessness or activity in nature. See gunas.
Ramakrishna A great saint of Bengal (A.D. 1836-1886), regarded as a Divine Incarnation.
Sadhana ("means of realization"). The spiritual path, especially of Tantra, which leads to perfection (siddhi).Samkhya One of the six systems of Hindu philosophy; Founded by Kapila, it teaches that the universe evolves as the result of the union of prakriti (nature) and Purusha (Spirit).
[See Diagram]Samyama A spiritual discipline in raja-yoga which combines concen-tration (dharana), meditation (dhya-na), and total absorption (samadhi).
Sankara One of the greatest saints and philosophers of India (A.D. 788-820), the foremost exponent of Non-dualistic Vedanta.
Sattvikas Those in whom the quality of sattva is greatly developed. The same as Brahman, or Pure Spirit.
Satva The principle of balance or righteousness in nature. See gunas.
Sushumna The hollow canal within the spinal column, through which the awakened spiritual energy rises. It is called Brahmavartman, or pathway to Brahman and it extends from the base of the spine to the brain.
Tantra ("to expand") teaches psycho-cosmology and psycho-physiology. It involves the process of activating the psycho-spiritual power (kundalini-shakti). Tantrism is a system of religious philosophy in which the Creative Power or Divine Mother is regarded as Ultimate Reality.Upanishads The well-known hindu scriptures containing the philosophy of the Vedas. They are one hundred and eight in number, of which eleven are called major Upanishads.
Vedanta A system of philosophy mainly based upon the teachings of the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, and the Brahma Sutras. It favors the non-dualistic (advaita) interpretation of existence: that there is only one Reality, and duality is an illusion.
Vedas The revealed scriptures of the Hindus, consisting of the Rig-Veda, Sama-Veda, Yajur-Veda, and AtharvaVeda.
Vijnana ("knowledge"). It stands for Intellectual understanding and as such isdistinguished from wisdom (jnana).
Vishnu The God worshipped by Bhagavatas. His most famous incarnation is Lord Krishna.
Vishva ("world," "cosmos"). The cosmos in its entirety, as a vast multi-dimensional, dynamic being arising in the infinity of the Divine and governed by the law of karma. Upon awakening from the dream of separate existence as a worldly ego, one enjoys the world as a play (lila) of the Divine, which is the ideal of living yoga ¨ or "living liveration" (jivan-mukti).
Viveka ("discernment," "discrimi-nation"). It refers to the recognition of the distinction between the real and unreal, truth and fiction, and the Real-Self and the nonself.
Yama Self-restraint, the first of the eight limbs of raja yoga.
Yantra A geometric design in Hinduism representing the body of one's chosen deity for external worship and inner concentration.
Yoga Union of the individual soul and the supreme soul. The discipline by which such union is effected. The yoga system of philosophy, ascribed to Patanjali, is one of the six systems of orthodox Hindu philosophy. It deals with the realization of truth through the control of the mind.
Yoni-bandha ("perineal lock"). It involves pressing the heels firmly against the perineum (yoni), and forcing the life force (apana) upward.
Yoni-mudra ("perineal seal"). It involves the contraction of sex organ, similar to vajroli-mudra. One should contract on the organ while inhaling. This technique is praised by Tantra for enabling one to arrest ejaculation, even after the semen (bindu) has begun to flow slowly.
Yuga According to Hindu metho-chronology, there are four yugas: kali yuga, dwapa yuga, treta yuga, and satya yuga. The present age is the dwapa yuga or the age of electric energy.