What is Naked Awareness?

Q) What is Naked Awareness?

A) Naked Awareness is a state that cannot be created. It is a state, when every other ripple of the mind, intellect, impressions, and the identities (or the identifications) are gone. When everything is gone, including all the thought processes, and enter the state of Stillness/Silence, then we are in the presence of that Naked Awareness.

It is a state graced upon us when we let go all kinds of concepts, attachments and identifications. It is the most simple state of Nothingness. It is that state, where the questioner and  the question are dissolved in the answer, and become one with the answer, and only the answer remains. 

Vignana Bhairava Tantra - Technique 2

Technique / dhāraņa 2

मरुतोऽन्तर् बहिर् वापि वियद्युग्मानिवर्तनात्।

भैरव्या भैरवस्येत्थम् भैरवि व्यज्यते वपुः॥ २५॥

maruto'ntar bahir vāpi viyadyugmānivartanāt|

bhairavyā bhairavasyettham bhairavi vyajyatevapuḥ || 25 ||

मरुतः = pranic air; अन्तः = inside; बहिः = outside; वा = also; अपि = indeed, also, even; वियत् = vanishing into void space; युग्म = both or pair or dual, confluence, junction; अनिवर्तनात् = restrain from return; भैरव्या = from Bhairava; भैरवस्येत्थं = thus of Bhairava; भैरवी = Bhairavi; व्यज्यते = be manifested or expressed or revealed; वपुः = essence.

When the ingoing prāņic air and also the outgoing apānic air are both vanished into the void space and are restrained from their (respective points of) return, then the essence of Bhairava, which is not different from Bhairavi, gets manifested or expressed. In fact when the two vayus are vanished into the void space, we become aware of the presence of the Unmanifested Cosmos which is not different from the Manifested Cosmos or It gets revealed.

Commentary:

While the first dharana is directing us to become aware of the flow of the breath and the gaps that arise at the junction points of inhalation and exhalation, the second dharana is directing us to be more aware of where the two breaths are entering into a void and are restrained from their point of return. In the first dharana while we tend to listen also to the sounds haṁ and saH, in this case it is not required. We have to become aware of the two voids, internal and external. While we inhale the air (the apana), it enters into a void and restrains from its point of return for a while which is the internal void and while we exhale the air (prana), it enters into a void and restrains from its point of return for a while which is the external void.

Because of the air flowing inward and also outward the whole manifestation is happening. Everything is created because of the inflow and outflow of breath. But if one can ponder on the breathless state then one can become aware of the unmanifested. In that state there is no difference between Bhairavi (the Manifested Cosmos) and Bhairava (the Un-manifested Cosmos).

These two voids are not created or one should not make any attempt to create them. They happen naturally. There will be a state of void where the inhalation pooraka पूरक enters the void and the exhalation rechaka रेचक enters the void. When this occurs then the kevala kumbhaka केवल कुंभक happens. If one restrains breath voluntarily then it is sahita kumbhaka सहित कुंभक which is related to practice of pranayama techniques. When the breath restrains all by itself naturally then the kevala kumbhaka happens which is beneficial. During this kevala kumbhaka state there are no ripples or disturbances that generally arise because of the two (annamaya kosha अन्नमय कोष and the prāņamaya kosha प्राणमय कोष) of the five sheaths (the other three being manomaya kosha मनोमय कोष, vijnānamaya kosha विज्ञानमय कोष and ānandamaya kosha आनन्दमय कोष).

Because of the natural restrained movement of prāņa and apāna vayus, there are no inner sensations that are carried outward and there are no outer sensations that are carried inward due to which the kevala kumbhaka happens and all sensations are ceased. This dhāraņa is an extension of the first dhāraņa. By entering the kevala kumbhaka state we go beyond the senses which is the state of Bhairava (see the meaning of Bhairava in the introduction).

Again in this technique also there is nothing to practice. One has to observe and be aware of the voids where the restraining of the inward and outward breath is happening from their point of return.

The key point in this technique is being aware. Only awareness is the key. Be aware of the voids.

Q) One way of observing the way breath moves mindfully? 

A) Sit on a chair or cross legged on a mat and breath normally while the palms faced downward and resting on the legs or thighs. As the breath flows inward and outward you can observe that most of the breath movement is happening in the lower part of the diaphragm below the navel or the heart center and not above. Now continue the breathing in the same way but palms faced upward. Now you can observe that the breath movement is in the upper part of the diaphragm above the navel or the heart center and not below.

Vignana Bhairava Tantra - Technique 1

Vignana Bhairava Tantra

Introduction

AIM: To study the 112 Meditation Techniques for liberation.

Source: Un-Manifest/Manifest/Shiva-Parvathi conversation/Rudrayamala Tantra/Vignana Bhairava Tantra.

These techniques start from 24th verse in the Vignana Bhairava Tantra.

Vignana = awareness; 

Bhairava = who has gone beyond duality

Ultimate Truth is that, there is no “one” to get liberated. Liberation happens when there is no “one.”

“Stop seeking till you attain Truth.”

Never practice these techniques. Just become aware of them and they get practiced/happen all by themselves. The requisite is to be aware of its presence. All the techniques will throw us mercilessly into Nothingness. Hence, be prepared for it. If you feel that you are getting lots of energy, just ignore it and walk barefoot on the ground or sit on grass lands or earth and the mother earth will take care. Anything that mind says will be an illusion, hence do not get into it.

These techniques are no nonsense, but at the same time beyond the senses.

Even though it is a conversation between Parvati and Shiva where Parvati asks Shiva, the way it is that, the Manifested cosmos is asking the Unmanifested cosmos, how to get back to the Unmanifested. And the Unmanifested cosmos reveals 112 techniques where one can become aware of That and get Beneficence.

The whole Manifested Cosmos is manifested in such a way that there is a pause between every crest and trough, in every up and down, in every inhalation and exhalation, in every expansion and contraction. If one can become aware of this pause then the Beneficence.

When human being breathes there is a pause between each inhalation and exhalation and between each exhalation and inhalation. Even a heart enters a pause between each contraction and de-contraction.

This pause is the key for Beneficence.

All good things start with a prayer.

shuklaambaradharam vishnum shashivarnam chaturbhujam |

Prasanna vadanam dhyaayet sarva vighnopashaantaye ||

शुक्लाम्बरधरं विष्णुम् शशिवर्णं चतुर्भुजम् |

प्रसन्नवदनं ध्यायेत् सर्व विघ्नोपशान्तये ||

శుక్లాంబరధరం విష్ణుం శశివర్ణం చతుర్భుజం |  

ప్రసన్నవదనం ధ్యాయేత్ సర్వ విఘ్నోపశాంతయే ||

Oh pure, spotless, all pervading, ever conscious One; covering everything in the cosmos, holding the cosmos with serenity, tranquility (Love), and present everywhere (omnipresent) and through all times; having a pure space (internal as well as eternal space with stillness and eternal silence), we meditate upon You so that you make us whole by overcoming all our obstacles - go beyond all thoughts and mind (which are illusory obstacles - because obstacle is present only as a thought, in fact thought is the obstacle in the form of mind) and merge us into that Infinite One or make us One with that infinite bliss and may we attain Self Realization and be in that constant Awareness.

Devi Asks:

O Shiva, what is your reality?

What is this wonder-filled universe?

What constitutes seed?

Who centers the universal wheel?

What is this life beyond form pervading forms?

How may we enter it fully, above space and time, names and descriptions?

Let my doubts be cleared!

Technique / dhāraņa 1

भैरव उवाच 

Bhairava uvāca |

ऊर्ध्वे प्राणो ह्यधो जीवो विसर्गात्मा परोच्चरेत्।
उत्पत्तिद्वितयस्थाने भरणाद् भरिता स्थितिः॥ २४॥

ūrdhve prāṇo hyadho jīvo visargātmā paroccaret|
utpattidvitayasthāne bharaṇād bharitā sthitiḥ || 24 ||

श्री भैरव उवाच = shri Bhairava says; ऊर्ध्वे = upward; प्राण: = Prana; ह्यध: = downward; जीव: = the air apana (another meaning is the body consciousness); विसर्गात्मा = whose nature is visarga (leaving the soul consciousness and entering the creation or getting entangled into attachment and started wanting something else other than soul); परोच्चरेत् = manifestation of paradevi; उत्पत्ति = generation (appearance); द्वितयस्थाने = at two places (appearance of duality); भरणाद्  = fixing the mind (one pointed attention and with keen alertness; another meaning is Sustenance); भरिता स्थितिः = state of fullness.

Sri Bhairava said: Paradevi, whose nature is visarga, or creation, manifests as the upward prana and the downward apana. By fixing the mind at the two points of generation (of prana and apana), the state of fullness or the wholesomeness results.

Radiant One, this experience may dawn between two breaths. After breath comes in (down) and just before turning up (out) - the beneficence.

There are two ways of understanding this.

The first one/way:

As the breath is risen or going upward ऊर्ध्वे प्राणो, i.e., as the inhalation is happening the individual is getting identified as jiva ह्यधो जीवो while विसर्गात्मा the aatma is shedding its identity that means as the inhalation is happening the individual is losing the soul consciousness and gaining body consciousness. From the unmanifested state because of the breath the manifestation is happening. From the present state the other is happening परोच्चरेत्. From the state of stillness, because of breath the state other than stillness is happening. Because of breath the non-duality has given rise to duality उत्पत्तिद्वितयस्थाने. Because of the consciousness of the breath, the One is appearing as dual. When we understand this and go along (side-by-side) with the breath and if we are alert we can become aware of the breath less state where the breath is stilled for a while and in that state of stillness if we are alert then we can become aware of the bharaṇād Sustenance bharitā sthitiḥ that sustains the whole. The Unmanifest (vibrationless) and Manifest (vibration) co-exist and are two sides of the same coin. The breathless (vibrationless) and the breathful (vibration) states are two states that co-exist for sustenance of this whole Cosmos.

The second one/way:

There are two starting points and in those two starting points it is being present and one can become aware of its existence उत्पत्तिद्वितयस्थाने. The first starting point is at the beginning of inhalation ह्यधो जीवो and the second starting point is at the beginning of exhalation ऊर्ध्वे प्राणो. The ingoing breath is called as apāna and the outgoing breath is called as prāņa. The one that is present in these two starting points is stillness or wholesomeness. That means if one is conscious of the movement of the breath, then one can become aware of the existence of the supreme visarga state (विसर्गात्मा परोच्चरेत्) where everything comes to an end. All the thought processes will come to an end. At this stage every concept dies. And when this happens then one can become aware of the Nothingness or Fullness भरणाद् भरिता स्थितिः.

One should not practice this technique. This technique happens all by itself. One has to sit silently, eyes closed and observe the breath going in and out. In the beginning when the focus is on the incoming and outgoing breath and at the space below or near the nostrils, then one will hear the sound "haaaam" during inhalation and "huuuhh" during exhalation. But, when the focus is internalized / interiorised and as your attention moves along with the breath internally, then you can observe the breath moving along the trachea into the heart center and abdomen region. Similarly during the exhalation from the abdomen through the heart center and up the trachea. If one can focus deeply but softly then one can hear the sound "haaaaamm" during inhalation and "saaaah" during exhalation. Remember these sounds should not be uttered by the individual, rather they should be witnessed. These sounds are very very soft and slightly resemble these sounds and not exactly sound like "haaaammm" and "saaaah." At the beginning of inhalation the “ha” is happening and at the end of the inhalation the “mmm” (am अं) is happening. At the beginning of exhalation the “sa” is happening and at the end of the exhalation the “ha” (visarga :) is happening. This means that at the junction of the breaths “mmm” (am अं) and “ha” (visarga :) is happening, which means everything is coming to an end. And, when we concentrate at these junction points then we will become one with Bhairava or wholeness (भरिता स्थितिः). Once the aspirant becomes aware of this, then Bhairava points out to another verse where he mentions how the the "ham sa" happens.

When one goes deeper and deeper into this, then one can understand the two points. The first one अं is at the bindu which is inside at the top of the head near the Medulla Oblangata and the second one is the visarga : which is at the मणिपुर चक्र Manipura chakra solar plexus. At the bindu the consciousness is being split and at the मणिपुर चक्र Manipura chakra the energy is being split. In fact the prāņa and apāna vayus are the subtle vayus that flow up and down respectively and one can understand this instead of the physical breath that moves upward and downward.

Because of its simplicity this technique can be practised or performed any time, any where and in any position.

The whole key is to be soft and observant with whatever is happening with the breath. One should not make any attempt to regularise or control the breath. When one becomes observant of the breath then one also becomes observant of the gap or the stillness or the breathless state or where the breath is stilled. When one becomes aware of that stillness then in that state the Unmanifest reveals.

Be observant and become the Beneficence!

Attachment

Q) What is attachment?

Ans.) The inclination towards a thought and need for its fulfilment under any circumstances is attachment.

In "God Talks with Arjuna" written by Sri Sri Paramahansa Yogananda, the character "Karna" is depicted as "rāga (राग) - attachment." 

When we look into the story of Karna's birth, he is born before all Pandavas were born. This clearly means our attachment is born before even we have taken our physical birth. In fact, attachment is the root cause for our physical birth or for our existence.

Karna's mother Kunti gets attracted to the external world (external Sun - light) and gives birth to Karna. Kunti who is depicted as "the power of dispassion" realises her mistake and will let go Karna - attachment. This is a clear indication that we can get rid of our attachment by the power of dispassion.

There is an other story which is not widely known about Karna’s previous birth. The Mahabharata mentions that Karna was a demon named Dambhodbhava in his previous life. This demon had terrorised the universe on the strength of a blessing he had received from the sun-god. He had been blessed to have a thousand kavachas (protective layers) which had the following characteristics.

• They could only be destroyed one at a time.
• They could only be destroyed by someone who had performed a thousand years of austerity.
• They would cause the immediate death of the destroyer of the kavacha.

This combination of blessings made him undefeatable till he met his match in the form of the divine sages Nara-Narayana, who are considered non-different from each other. They fought with him alternately, one fighting while the other performed austerity – both doing so for a thousand years. When the warrior would destroy one kavacha and fall dead, the ascetic would revive him by the power of his austerities and then they would swap places. The warrior would fight and finally destroy another kavacha after a thousand years till the ascetic acquired enough merit through austerity to take up the fight for another thousand years and destroy one more kavacha.

By this resourceful and arduous arrangement, those sages destroyed nine hundred and ninety nine kavachas. When just one kavacha remained, the demon fled to the shelter of the sun-god, who due to attachment to his worshipper refused to hand the fugitive over to Nara-Nārāyana. Eventually, the demon was impregnated by the sun-god into the womb of Kunti and he was born as Karna. Simultaneously, Nara-Nārāyana appeared as Arjuna and Krishna annhilated Karna to complete their unfinished mission of ridding the universe of the terrible demon.

The history looks good and interesting. But what is in it for us? What is it trying to tell us?

If we ponder on the deeper aspects of the story, it is a clear indication that because of attachment we are entangled in this cycle of life and death or the wheel of samsāra. To get rid of our attachment we - the manifested nature (vyakta swarupa depicted as Nara or Arjuna) need to anchor our self in the un-manifested nature (avyakta/ Stillness/ Silence depicted as the Nārāyana or Krishna). 

As we go deeper and deeper into our conscious, sub-conscious and super-conscious realms  there could be innumerable levels of protective layers of attachment because of which we are born, the way we behave, the way we act, the way our bodies are, and the way we live. The day we understand this and realise that because of these various levels of attachment, we are undergoing through this wheel of samsara, we start our process of identifying the various levels of attachment and by anchoring into Silence/Stillness/Un-manifest/avyakta we can let go and get rid of our attachment towards our aspirations, goals, desires, wants, needs, in fact our thoughts itself. The day or the moment that happens then we are free. It may take a moment or many lives depending upon our extent or the strength of attachment that we have towards our thoughts. 

On a humourous side we can say that the whole culprit for our existence is our attachment. And to get freed from it we have to let go that attachment. Remember, it is also born from within and not from somewhere else. It is that feeling of separation or the illusion of duality where by we feel that we are not complete and if we acquire something, then we will be complete and will be happy. In reality the attachment is an illusion of wanting external things. Instead of anchoring into the real Light that is within we are trying to acquire the external things that are but a mere reflection of that inner Light.

The attachment is like dirt on a mirror. We have to attempt to clean it and the moment it is cleaned we can see our True reflection in the mirror. Remember that the mirror is always present.

Let us also look into the deeper meaning or the esoteric meaning of the following regarding the kavachas Karna had:

Ø  They could only be destroyed one at a time. - The attachment towards each thought has to be annihilated in Silence/Stillness and could be done only one at a time, because the attachment towards the thought if not annihilated completely, it may leave a residue which will pop up at a later stage. So, we have to wait patiently in that Silence to let it burn completely.

Ø  They could only be destroyed by someone who had performed a thousand years of austerity. - One has to uplift oneself to Sahasrara for annihilating the attachment towards thought.

Ø  They would cause the immediate death of the destroyer of the kavacha. - The moment the attachment is annihilated, the "I" or the identification also gets annihilated. This is biggest attachment we will have, in fact we never want to lose our self. But, until and unless we cannot let go our self, we cannot see out true Self. This can be done only by anchoring in Silence/Stillness.

Remember, Silence is always present. What we need to do is to de-focus from the external world and the moment we do that, then we can acknowledge the presence of Silence. This process of de-focusing requires an effortless effort and the moment we do it, we are already in the presence of Silence and in that stage the attachment disappears.

Meaning of Vakra TunDa sloka

Meaning of:

वक्र तुण्ड महा काय कोटि सूर्य समप्रभा ।
निर्विघ्नं कुरुमे देव सर्व कार्येशु सर्वदा ॥

vakra tunda mahaa kaaya koti soorya samaprabha |
nirvighnam kurume deva sarva kaaryeshu sarvada ||

Turn me inward from the vast external space to the inner effulgent light that is equivalent to a billion stars so that I never lose sight of my awareness of the internal peace and the wisdom; and carry out all activities ever anchored in that stillness.

How to understand perception?

Q) How to understand perception?

A) Check always from where a perception or a feeling is coming, and always it will be there just as only a thought. The moment we let go the thought all feelings and perceptions vanish and we can see clearly the eternal Truth that has been waiting for us to recognise and to become aware of its eternal presence.

Baggage is bondage

As long as there is wanting to have something or to become something, there will be that baggage of wanting that we will be carrying and we will not be free. The seeker has to go beyond the seeking to be Free. Freedom comes only when we let go all the wanting.

All philosophies try to teach us to become a hero. But only Truth teaches us to become Zero. As long as we desire to become something or a hero, we cannot become that, because we will be burdened more with the desire rather than that something. The moment we become Zero, then we can become real heroes. Only a Zero can engulf everything and can become everything, rest all will just be only something and can never become Nothing.

One of the Upanishad message is:

om poornamadah poornamidan poornaatpoornamudachyate 
poornasya poornamaadaaya poornamevaavashishyate||

ॐ  पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात्पूर्णमुदच्यते

पूर्णस्य  पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते||

That is Complete and this is Complete
From the Completeness the Completeness arises
Taking away the Completeness from the Completeness
The Completeness remains as is.

The one that is existing is already Complete. It is the thought that to become something which will make it appear incomplete. Hence, the thought to become something will drive us nuts. However, the affirmation and complete conviction of Completeness and a constant awareness of Completeness will make and keep us free forever.

Every thought is a baggage and every baggage is a bondage. The attachment towards thoughts will bind us and prevent us from becoming free. This attachment towards thoughts has become the ever carrying baggage which is preventing us from becoming aware of the Completeness. Because of delusion we keep on carrying this baggage of attachment towards thoughts. Somehow and at some moment we should get bored of this baggage and get out of this game of delusion. The day we are completely bored of carrying the baggage (in any form, even subtlest), then and then only we can let go and at that moment we are free from delusion and become aware of our ever existent Completeness.

Let the Grace of that Completeness keep us ever awake in Completeness.

What is death?

What is death?

It just doesn't matter. How much important a change of dress is? It is the life that is important and it never existed other than in thoughts. Hence, in reality death never existed. The so called consciousness is existing because someone, somewhere in this whole Cosmos gave importance to it. But, in reality even it never existed. What existed is only a simple awareness of existence and existence of awareness.

For I Thought

For I thought - A poem offered at the feet of Nothingness as it is revealed by the Cosmos.

For I Thought

I thought I was a stone block, needed to be sculpted.
I waited for the sculptor, who can chisel me into a nice sculpture.
For I thought I need to be chiseled.

One day sculptor came and I was happy upon his arrival.
While the sculptor started chiseling, I was growling with pain,
For I thought I am losing something that belonged to me

Upon the first stroke there fell a large chunk of portion from the block.
I was happy even though there was pain,
For I thought, I am being sculpted.

I cried and cried with pain as the sculptor chiseled and chiseled,
I waited patiently for the sculptor to finish the task at hand.
For I thought, I can be a nice sculpture.

Years have gone by and the chiseling continued,
The big chunks disappeared and small chips started falling,
For I thought, I am being sculpted.

As the chiseling lessened and smoothing has started
One day I asked the sculptor, how long will it take?
For I thought it has been a long time.

Sculptor said "it depends upon you".
I didn't understand what the sculptor said
For I thought I can understand the sculptor.

While I waited patiently, again years have gone by
And the smoothing continued,
One day again I asked the sculptor, how long will it take?
For I thought it has been a long time.

Sculptor said "it depends upon you".
I didn't understand what the sculptor said
For I thought at least now, I can understand the sculptor.

Again I waited patiently, this time lives have gone by
Chiseling and smoothing continued,
One day I took a moment and asked the sculptor, how long will it take?
For I thought it has been a very long time.

This time sculptor answered in a different way,
Sculptor said "as long as you think".
Suddenly in that moment everything vanished

For I thought I was a stone block,
For I thought I need to be chiseled
For I thought I needed a sculptor

For I thought I existed,
Everything existed
For I thought

It was revealed that there was never a stone block,
Neither the sculptor existed nor the sculpture.
What eternally existed is only that Nothingness.

All these moments, I was dreaming
For I thought.

What is transformation and transcending?

Q) What is transformation and transcending?

A) Transformation happens when one form changes into another. A human body (in fact all living beings with a form) undergoes transformation every second. Millions of cells die and take birth every second. We would be able to see the difference only after a period of time. That is the reason why there are different stages in human life. Birth, infant, child, young, middle age, old age and death. There is a physical change in the body and at every moment there is change in the form which is called as transformation.

While the physical change is called as transformation, the psychological change based upon the levels of consciousness is called transcending. When the thought process "shifts" from one level of consciousness to another level of consciousness, it is called transcending. In reality what is happening is a shift in the focus of the witness (one who is witnessing).  This can be understood by a simile. A camera man will change the focus of the lens based upon the object that needs to be captured by the camera. He/she can focus on the distant object by defocusing the lens from the nearer object, similary the focus can be shifted from the distant object to the nearer object just by defocusing the lens from the distant object. But when the object to be focused and the object to be defocused are at the same distance for example an image on a screen, then whatever may be the technique physically it is not possible to shift the focus. However, mentally one can defocus and focus on something that is required by that individual at that moment.

If I am watching a movie which is projected on a screen and if I have to focus on the screen and not on the movie that is being projected, then I have to shift my focus mentally on to the screen and this can happen only by transcending my thought process from one level to another level. Even though physically my eyes might be watching the movie and the images that are being projected on the screen are caught by the camera of my eyes, still they will not reach my mind as it has shifted its focus from the ever changing movie to the non-changing screen. This shift in focus from the ever changing and ever transient movie to the non-changing, ever existent screen is called as transcending.

The empty space that we "see, don't see, perceive or don't perceive by our senses" is the screen and the world (earth, stellar objects, everything that is manifested with a form) that we see or perceive through our senses is the movie.This empty space is the eternal void with dazzling darkness in which the manifested world is being projected including the light. The knowing or the knowledge to shift this focus by the individual or the "witness" is called "pragna." This can either happen by mere Grace or when one gets bored with the ever changing movie that is being projected on the ever existent non-changing screen.

What is happening in reality is that the individual has become aware of the ever existing void just by shifting the focus from the illusory world. Paradoxically it is not that an individual has become aware of it (as individual is also a projected image on the screen) and it does not matter what words are used for this happening, in truth what is happening is that the "awareness" has become aware of "itself".

Why do we need to seek God?

Q) Why do we need to seek God?

A) Human beings feel a kind of emptiness, a kind of "incompleteness" all through their lives. This is the only reason why they try to seek for something by which they can feel "complete." They try to seek for this "completeness" in either money, power, relationship, education (academics, dance, cultural arts, music, etc.) or any other thing that is external. As long as the seeking is extended outward and the search is only in external things, happenings or objects, the search or seeking will be incomplete and he/she will never be satisfied. This dis-satisfaction will result in many perversions if not directed and controlled in a scientific or age-old prescribed and well-proven methodologies.

This is where Yoga helps. Yogic techniques will provide guidance to the individual who would like to channelize the energies and instead of focusing outward will make every effort to focus inward. This is the stage (or sometimes early also) at which the individual is introduced to a concept called God. At this stage, for the individual God is something still external, because he/she cannot really understand the word as the Truth about God is beyond the mind's understanding power. Hence, there is a limitation of mind and the individual can never cope up with the concept of God.

As the focus turns inward through proper scientific techniques, the individual will start becoming conscious of breath, various vibrations within the body and over a period a time the "stillness" that happens when all effort is stopped by the individual. When the individual becomes conscious of the presence of this "stillness" he/she will be inquisitive enough to go and pursue this "stillness." As it cannot be understood by the mind (because of its limitation) he/she will start becoming aware of its presence more and more.

As the individual becomes more and more aware of stillness, he/she will start feeling "complete" during the phases of "stillness." At this stage the individual will understand that "completeness" can be achieved by not going outward, but by just turning inward. As this stage deepens over a period of time, the individual will start understanding the concept of God and realizes that God is not something that one can seek outside, but one has to seek within and and individual shall not seek God to become something else, but to become complete. Once an individual becomes "complete", then what remains is only "complete".

The "incompleteness" is because of the seeking that is happening all the time as the seeker is seeking for the Seeker outside instead of inside. As the seeker meets the Seeker within the seeking stops. Paradoxically the seeking stops only when the seeker's seeking stops both outward and inward and becomes aware of the "stillness" that is omnipresent and omniscient eternally.

It is not that we need to seek God. It is the seeker who is seeking for the Seeker to become "complete" and become One.

I Come To Tell You All of Him by Paramahansa Yogananda

I come to tell you all of Him by Paramahansa Yogananda

I come to tell you all of Him,

And the way to encase Him in your bosom,

And of the discipline which brings His grace.

వచ్చాను నేను ఆ పర్మాత్ముడి గురుంచి పూర్తిగా మీకు చెప్పడానికి

మరియు ఆయనను మీ హృదయ గహ్వరంలో ఎలా పదిలపరచుకోవచ్చో

మరియు ఏ క్రమశిక్షణ వల్లనైతే ఆయన కృపకు పాత్రులు కాగలరో

To those of you who have asked me

To guide you to my Beloved's silently talking mind,

Or speak to you through a gentle significant glance,

Or whisper to you through my love,

Or loudly dissuade you when you stray away from Him.

ఎవరైతే ఆయనను గురుంచి నన్ను కోరారో

వారికి మార్గ నిర్దేశం చేస్తాను నా ప్రియతముని యొక్క నిశ్శబ్దపు సంభాషించే మనస్సు వైపుకి, లేదా

మాట్లాడుతాను మీతో సున్నితమైన ముఖ్యమైన చూపుతో, లేదా

గుసగుస లాడుతాను నా ప్రేమ ద్వారా, లేదా

మీరు ఆయన నుంచి దూరంగ విడివడి వెళితే, నివారిస్తాను గట్టిగా మిమ్మల్ని

But when I shall become only a memory or a mental image,

Or silently speaking voice,

When no earthly call will ever reveal

My whereabouts in unplumbed space

When no shallow entreaty or stern stentorian command

Will bring an answer from me,

I will smile in your mind when you are right,

And when you are wrong, I will weep through my eyes,

Dimly peering at you in the dark,

And weep through your eyes, perchance;

And I will whisper to you through your conscience,

And I will reason with you through your reason,

And I will love through your love.

కాని నేనెప్పుడైతే ఒక జ్ఞాపకంగా లేదా ఒక మానసిక చిత్రంగానే  ఉంటానో

లేదా నిశ్శబ్దంగా మాట్లాడే ధ్వనిగా ఉంటానో,

ఎప్పుడైతే ఏ స్థూల పిలుపు బహిర్గతం చెయ్యదో,

నా ఆచూకీ గురించి పరిమితాలులేని దిగంతాలలో,

ఎప్పుడైతే మీ నిస్సారమైనటువంటి అనురోధం ద్వారా లేదా కఠినమైనటువంటి పిలుపు ద్వారా,

నా సమాధానం మీకు రాదో,

చిరునవ్వు నవ్వుతాను మీ మనస్సులో మీరు సరియైనప్పుడు,

మరియు ఏడుస్తాను నేను నా కళ్ళతోటి మీరు తప్పు చేసినప్పుడు,

మందంగా చూస్తూ ఉంటాను మీ వైపు చీకట్లో,

అనుకోకుండా ఏడుస్తాను మీ కళ్ళతోటి,

మరియు గుసగుసలాడుతాను మీ తోటి మీ అంతఃకరణ ద్వారా,

మరియు మీతో వివేచిస్తాను మీ వివేకముద్వారా,

మరియు నేను ప్రేమిస్తాను మీ ప్రేమద్వారా

When you are able no longer to talk to me,

Read my Whispers of Eternity.

Eternally through that I will talk to you.

Unknown I will walk by your side

And guard you with invisible arms.

మీరు ఎప్పుడైతే నా తోటి మాట్లాడలేకపోతారో

చదవండి నా "నిత్యత్వపు గుసగుసలు" (శాశ్వతత్త్వపు గుసగుసలు)

వాటి ద్వారా మాట్లాడుతాను మీతో నేను

మీకు తెలియకుండా మీ ప్రక్కనే నడుస్తాను

మరియు కాపాడుతాను మిమ్మల్ని నా అదృశ్యపు హస్తాలాతో

And as soon as you know my Beloved

And hear His voice in silence,

You will know me again more tangibly

Than you knew me in this earth plane.

మరియు ఎప్పుడైతే మీరు నా ప్రియతముని తెలుసుకుంటారో

ఎప్పుడైతే ఆయన వాక్కును నిశ్శబ్దములో వింటారో

తెలుసుకుంటారు మీరు నన్ను నిజంగా,

ఈ భూమి మీద నన్ను తెలుసుకున్నదానికంటె,

And yet when I am only a dream to you

I will come to remind you that you too are naught

But a dream of my Heavenly Beloved,

And when you know you are a dream, as I know now,

We all will be ever awake in Him.

మరియు నేనెప్పుడైతే మీకు ఒక కలగా మాత్రమే ఉంటానో

వస్తాను నేను మీకు గుర్తు చేయడానికి, మీరు కూడా ఏమి కారని,

నా స్వర్గ ప్రియతముని కల తప్ప, మరియు

నేను తెలుసుకున్నట్టుగా మీరు కూడా ఎప్పుడైతే తెలుసుకుంటారో మీరొక కల మాత్రమేనని ,

మేలుకుంటాము శాశ్వతంగా మనమందరము ఆ పరమాత్మునిలో.

- శ్రీ శ్రీ పరమహంస యోగానంద