The Black Sun-Wheel

The Black Sun (Schwarze Sonnenrad) literally means  'Black Sun-wheel' 

Is an ancient Aryan symbol that dates back to before the Iron Age in Europe and has been found etched on archaeological artefacts across both Germanic and Celtic countries.

The Black Sun symbolise the energy of the universe, a powerful balance between light and darkness, the turning of the Sun and the seasons of the year.

It is a form of Sun-wheel which incorporates 12 radial 'Sig' runes.

They are run rays it it a reversed whirling sun its meaning is thus: "to roll back the advance of corrupt influence and slavery of human soul from lies and deceit and a return to the oldways"
The number twelve also has relevance within Norse mythology. There are twelve Aesir gods, for example. Important groups of twelve can be found in other cultures as well, such as the Twelve Olympian Gods in Greek Mythology.

The Black Sun it is also an ancient European esoteric sign of the Norse Runes. The runes are an ancient alphabet that originated in Germanic and Scandinavian countries. Today, they are used in divination by many Pagans. According to the Norse Mythology, God Odin was the one responsible for the runes becoming available to mankind.

The true origin of the Black Sun symbol, in the archaeological record, is likely to be some time before the Migration Age (1st millennium BCE) in Eurasia, as we know that the Alamanni, Goths and other Germanic tribes with both a western and and eastern presence at the time, made bronze brooches with a similar sunwheel design. These ornamental disks, or Ziercheiben, were found in Alemannic women's graves in Germany. The significance of these symbols in women's graves of the period is not lost on people who understand one of the Sonnenrad's major meanings: the Black Sun is in one sense a womb, the mother of all things, the darkness from which creation emerges. In a theosophical sense, the Black Sun symbolizes the gigantic Black Hole at our Galaxy's center, which is indeed the mother of the galaxy, for by its gravity waves and magnetic waves spinning the gas into a spiral, it triggers eddies of star formation, literally birthing entire systems. Yet there is also a chaotic and destructive side to the Black Sun, as getting too close (literally, too oft attached) can result in being torn apart. This understanding of the primal feminine energy was integral to the Cult of Nerthus, for much as this primal Goddess of the Depths gives, she also takes away.

This however was not the only meaning of the Black Sun, nor perhaps even the foremost. Nor was it considered a symbol of femininity in an overt sense, as lunar symbols sometimes were in the Nordic-Slavic centers in Kievan Rus, but in this aspect, more of a primal energy of the creative mother which is a sort of supernatural archetype of vitality for women to seek out. Yet because it is also a solar symbol, and thus a manifestation of primal fire (Fa), it also has a strong masculine creative aspect of which the female wearers of these brooches were also aware. For it is Odin's fire-whisk and Thor's thunder-cross manifested threefold. A man embodying both the Odinic (commanding and beguiling) and Thoric (purely dominant) essences was their ideal man, the ideal singularity of strength around which the Black Sun can rotate. This is a fundamental truth of traditional societies, and of genetics.

The sun-wheel itself has been represented in many different forms throughout the Indo-European experience. One thing that can be agreed on, is that many ancient cultures began as solar cultures before later incorporating lunar and planetary symbols into their lore. The Sonnenrad can therefore be seen as a primal manifestation of solar symbols stretching back into the prehistory of the Aryan mind.

The purpose behind sexual life

From time immemorial, man has been trying to understand the role of sexual life in context with his spiritual evolution. Although it has been said that the sexual functions are a remnant of animal life, somehow, man has never been able to accept this. All along he has been wondering why nature created this special process? What is the purpose behind sexual life?

Sexual union between man and woman is part of the natural law of evolution. In every realm of nature, union between the two forces is taking place all the time. Creation of life, energy, matter is not possible unless the positive and negative forces unite. It is not the physical body that matters, but the quantum and nature of energy. One of the most important ways of creating energy is through sexual interaction between a man and a woman.

This is the highest concept, but man is still bound by his instinctive nature. He doesn't understand this philosophy of energy. He just runs after pleasure. He does not even know that pleasure is the outcome of the union between the two energy poles. Man and woman meet together just to have a child. They don't know that the creation of a child is nothing more than the two forces of energy becoming manifest in the mother's womb. Energy interplay is the cosmic law. The sun, moon, stars, ocean and earth, all are the interaction of energy.

The ultimate source of energy is prakriti. This homogeneous, omnipresent force pervades the body, mind and consciousness. It never stagnates, it is in constant motion. If you do not know how to direct this energy upwards, it finds expression in gross, empirical life. In India, the mahatmas and rishis realized this through their own experience and thus they devised a system for directing this great force in man which expresses itself in the form of sexual life. This science became known as the path of tantra.

Tantra is not a path of sexual life but a way of channelizing the sexual energy from a gross to a high level. This process is not brought about by believing or following any particular line of faith. The sublimation of sexual energy for the purpose of spiritual illumination needs a concrete process of practice. Even in ancient times there were practices known to the people and evidence of this can be seen in the archaeological remains from different cultures. In the present culture, however, these practices have been lost and man has only experienced the grosser aspects of sexual life. He has not followed it back to the primal cause. In modern society there is so much guilt, frustration and psychological disease for one simple reason; no one has understood the higher nature of sexual life.

According to tantra, every man and woman should know the basic fundamental kriyas- vajroli, sahajoli and amaroli. It should be understood very clearly by everyone that the ultimate purpose of sexual life is for awakening the mooladhara chakra. The momentary pleasure derived from the sexual act is just a window through which you can see beyond. No doubt there are many other ways for awakening the spiritual potential. You can do it through penance, fasting, or pranayama, but the easiest and quickest way is through the proper performance of the sexual act. That is the real purpose behind sexual life.

The experience of awakening kundalini is unbearable. The ordinary orgasm only lasts for a few seconds, and even that short period is an exploding experience. Imagine if it continued for ten minutes! No one could handle it. So sexual life is a preparation for this awakening. It balances the emotions, calms the passions, and minimises the excitement of mind, so that day by day you become more aware of inner life.

When a man and woman live together, they represent Shiva and Shakti. Therefore, they must learn to interact with a spiritual purpose, to give birth to the manifestation of energy. Love and affection are not sinful, but there should be clarity and discipline rather than anarchy. Then the sexual act becomes a powerful means for awakening the higher consciousness.

#SatyanandaTantra

                      Hermes with Aphrodite and Eros

Prana Vidya & Five Keys of Prana Vidya

Prana Vidya

Sri Paramahamsa Swami Satyananda Saraswati

Prana is all the energy that maintains the whole physical body. Prana can be dissipated through selfish thoughts and activities or it can be brought to one particular centre, perhaps ajna chakra or mooladhara chakra. Prana has the power of regeneration, therefore it can be taken to any part of the body which is suffering, for healing purposes. It rejuvenates the decaying limbs and organs and restores lost health. This prana is the body and thus it can be distributed equally throughout all parts of the body or it can be withdrawn to one part of the body. When aroused by yoga, this prana radiates itself out of the body. To the naked eye it is not visible, but the most sensitive photographic system, called Kirlian, enables us to photograph the pranic radiation in each and every animate and inanimate object, from human beings to leaves.

Prana is an inherent force in our life and kundalini yoga is the secret of awakening the super prana shakti. Just as in electricity you have voltage no, then you have 220, then you have 440, go on adding and finally when this ordinary electricity is at a very big voltage, then it is converted into laser waves. Similarly prana can be amplified, modified and transformed to any degree. Of course it is difficult for a normal human being to increase his prana from ordinary voltage to such a voltage where the degeneration taking place in a particular part of the body can be checked. This is the science of prana vidya.

'Prana' means cosmic or vital energy which is inherent in the evolution of human life. 'Vidya' means knowledge. Just as you practice ajapa japa, yoga nidra or antar mouna, there is also a practical technique of prana vidya. By practising for oneself every individual can awaken this prana and conduct it with a little higher voltage to a particular part of the body. The theory and techniques of prana vidya are ancient but I have revised and made them practical for the people of today. For this purpose I have printed the book Prana Vidya, which is now available at Bihar School of Yoga, Monghyr, Bihar, India, and I am presently preparing a more complete edition, Prana and Prana vidya which will be available very soon.

Five Keys of Prana Vidya

Paramahamsa Niranjanananda Saraswati

There are five keys by which we can unlock the doors of our bio-plasmic body.

The first key is the awareness of the psychic breath. The experience of the breath can be both gross and subtle. The gross experience is the physical process of inhalation and exhalation! we breathe in, we breathe out, we become aware of the breath in the nostrils, in the lungs, in the lower abdominal region, and in the chest. Manipulation of this gross manifestation of breath through willpower, through concentration and the practices of pranayama is one aspect of the breath.

The other aspect of the breath is psychic, the movement of inhalation and exhalation in the form of ujjayi pranayama. Awareness of the deep sound we make in ujjayi pranayama during inhalation and exhalation is awareness of the psychic breath. Awareness of the psychic breath is not an unnatural or unconscious process, but involves the practice of awareness, concentration and actual physiological contraction of the throat muscles. When you practise ujjayi breathing, which you perform with kechari mudra and nasikagra drishti, instead of watching the normal flow of the breath in the nostrils, you simply become aware of the breath passing in through the throat and the sound that it makes.

How can this awareness open up the door of your bio-plasmic body? It is very simple. When you observe the breath in the throat with total involvement of the senses then the mind relaxes. The activities of the brain slow down and new forms of experience shape themselves within the personality. When you practise ujjayi the actual physiological experience is a feeling of tranquillity, relaxation and one-pointedness. This is the gross experience of ujjayi pranayama.

Then there is the psychic experience. With the practice of ujjayi the prana begins to move. The first manifestation of maha-prana, the prana located in the chest, begins to move. As you practise this psychic breathing utilising prana moving within, in the form of a stream of light particles, you experience a sort of tickling or burning sensation in your throat, in the upper thoracic region, chest and lungs. That is the first physiological experience that you may have of pranic awakening. As the concentration becomes deep and intense you will experience it. In the practice of psychic breathing you try to actually change the flow of prana.

The second key of Prana Vidya is psychic sound. According to the science of Nada yoga, sound manifests within us and we also experience sound outside, subtle and gross. There is no need to discuss the outside sounds, you are well aware of them. We will just have a brief look at the inner sound. There are practices of Nada yoga which involve the withdrawal of auditory perception so that we do not hear external noise. With the awareness completely withdrawn to the centre of the head, (at ajna chakra) we become aware of any sounds that may arise spontaneously from within.

The usual experiences of this sound are a siren, a whistle, the chirping of birds, bells, a waterfall or the sound of something rushing inside. They will begin in a very subtle way and gradually the intensity of the sound will increase. You will actually hear a piercing whistle even with the ears completely blocked, and if you try to hear the same thing outside you will hear nothing, but the whistle goes on inside the head. You will hear the chirping of birds even if there are no birds outside. That experience is inside you.

After you are able to bring all the auditory sounds to the surface, then a deep throbbing sound will take place as if you are in a deep cavern or cave with a tunnel. At the other end of the tunnel someone is playing music, drums, a flute or many other sounds, so you will feel the vibrations. They will begin on a very low key but the pitch will gradually increase, and after some time it will gradually begin to decrease. At the end you become aware of the nada. Nada is the inner sensation, the inner movement of physical atoms.

Although the practice sounds complicated you can have these experiences very quickly, in a few sessions, depending on the intensity of your concentration and awareness, and on your ability to remain awake. In order to withdraw the mind, we utilise the practice of bhramari pranayama, where we make the humming sound of a bee.

The third key is awareness of the psychic passage. There are two passages which we become aware of in the practice of Prana Vidya. The chakras are located along the spine and we experience their awakening along the spine, but we can also experience them along the front of the body. The frontal passage and the frontal experiences of chakra awakening take place in what we call the chakra kshetra, the trigger-point of the chakra. The location of the experience we have along the spine itself is known as the chakra sharira, the body of the chakras. Chakra sharira within the spine; chakra kshetram, in front of the body. When we begin to move the prana, awareness of these passages is very helpful.

According to the concept of Prana Vidya, energy is stored in mooladhara, revitalised or energised in manipura, distributed to the body from ajna and purified in vishuddhi. These are the four chakras that we use in the practice of Prana Vidya: awakening, generation and revitalisation in manipura, the navel centre; purification in vishuddhi, the throat centre; distribution from ajna, the eyebrow centre; storage at the end of the practice, at mooladhara in the perineum.

The awareness of the passage in the chakra kshetram is between the navel and the eyebrow centre. When we breathe in, the breath follows this passage up the front of the body from the navel to the throat. "When we breathe out, breath awareness continues to go up from the throat to the eyebrow centre, then again the awareness jumps back to manipura. This is one process of frontal passage awareness.

In the actual practice of Prana Vidya, the energy which is generated in manipura is brought to ajna with inhalation and distributed with exhalation. When we are becoming aware of the psychic passage, inhalation and exhalation both happen with the ascending awareness. We breathe in from the navel to the throat and out from the throat to ajna. We visualise the passage in the form of a transparent tube inside the body which stretches from the navel all the way up to ajna.

The second psychic passage is along the spine. Inhalation begins from mooladhara at the base of the spine, the tip of the coccyx bone, and follows the contour of the spinal cord. The visualisation of the psychic passage itself takes the form of a transparent tube. We inhale from mooladhara all the way up to ajna inside the head where the spinal cord enters the brain, the area of the midbrain. With exhalation we simply follow the breath along the frontal passage back to mooladhara. So, in the second passage there is only ascending awareness. There is only inhalation, while the exhalation is back down the front of the body and then again, there is awareness of the passage with inhalation up the back, and exhalation down the front of the body.

The fourth key is the psychic symbol and it involves the practice of concentration. The symbol can be anything on which you can fix your mind. It can be an abstract symbol, an image of scenery, something that you enjoy, something that agrees with you. It can even be a psychic abstract symbol in the form of a yantra or mandala. It can be the experience of seeing the sun, the moon, a flame, fire, a cloud, or anything. Of course, here we are dealing with psychic symbols, not just any symbol and psychic symbols are usually yantras.

If you look closely at the chakras you will find that they are composed of various symbols circles, triangles, squares, hexagons, pentagons, etc. These are the symbols which we use in Prana Vidya. Depending on your personality or astrological sign, a symbol is given to enable you to concentrate and go deeper into your own personality. This symbol is usually given by the Guru at the time of mantra diksha. If you have a symbol then you can concentrate on it. If you do not have a symbol there are two symbols best suited for Prana Vidya. One is fire and the other is a downward flowing stream or column of light.

The fifth key is the awakening of the chakras. Now, believe me, you will find this quite hard, but with the practice of Prana Vidya the chakras are awakened quite quickly. Of course, you will have to make the effort, it will not just happen spontaneously. You will have to try through the practices of concentration, visualisation, willpower and having a purpose in your mind. All the chakras are centres of pranic energy and you are stimulating and controlling the prana. In order to do this you have to awaken the chakras.

more: http://delfeios.blogspot.com/2013/01/health-and-healing.html

Yamas and Niyamas (γιάμας και νιγιάμας)

YAMAS & NIYAMAS Εξωτερικοί και Εσωτερικοί Κώδικες Συμπεριφοράς (detailed explanation hereindown in English)

Είναι δυνατό να ασκηθούν οι άλλες πλευρές της Γιόγκα, χωρίς πρώτα να ολοκληρωθούν οι προϋποθέσεις των γιάμας και νιγιάμας;

Παρόλο που, σύμφωνα με το οκταβάθμιο μονοπάτι της Γιόγκα, τα γιάμας και νιγιάμας έρχονται σαν μέρη ένα και δύο, οι ασάνες και πραναγιάμα σαν μέρη τρία και τέσσερα, η πρατυαχάρα και η ντάρανα σαν μέρη πέντε και έξι, και η ντυάνα και το σαμάντι σαν μέρη επτά και οκτώ, στην πρακτική ζωή σήμερα τα γιάμας και νιγιάμας μπορούν να εφαρμοστούν αποτελεσματικά μόνον αφού έχει επέλθει κάποια μορφή νοητικής και παραψυχικής ολοκλήρωσης, που σημαίνει μετά από τις πρακτικές των ασάνα, πραναγιάμα, πρατυαχάρα και ντάρανα.

Η έννοια των γιάμας και νιγιάμας γενικά είναι η εξής: ειλικρίνεια, τιμιότητα, μη κτητικότητα, αυτο-ανάλυση, πίστη, εγκράτεια, πειθαρχία, ατομική καθαριότητα κ.λπ.

Όταν ο Πατανζάλι ρωτήθηκε «Τι είναι Γιόγκα;», στο πρώτο αξίωμα ή σούτρα απλώς είπε: «η Γιόγκα είναι μια μορφή πειθαρχίας». Όταν ρωτήθηκε ξανά «Τι είδος πειθαρχίας;», απάντησε: «Είναι ο έλεγχος των διακυμάνσεων του νου». Έτσι, στην αρχή, κάποια πνευματική πειθαρχία θα πρέπει να υιοθετηθεί, η οποία είναι και εξωτερική και εσωτερική, για να ξεπεραστούν αυτές οι τάσεις διακύμανσης του νου (βρίττις). Μέχρι να έχουν λάβει χώρα η ολοκλήρωση και ο εξαγνισμός, το σύστημα της Γιόγκα είναι ατελές.

Πρέπει επίσης να καταλάβουμε ένα άλλο σημείο, ότι η έμπνευση για να ακολουθήσει κανείς το μονοπάτι των γιάμας και νιγιάμας δεν επιβάλλεται, αλλά δημιουργείται μόνη της από μία κατάσταση όπου ο νους και το πνεύμα βρίσκονται σε ενότητα. Μέσα στη ζωή έχουμε ακούσει ότι θα πρέπει να είμαστε συμπονετικοί, θα πρέπει να είμαστε ειλικρινείς, δε θα πρέπει να βλάπτουμε κανέναν και ούτω καθεξής, αλλά δεν μπορούμε να ακολουθήσουμε αυτές τις υπαγορεύσεις εξαιτίας διάφορων άλλων καταστάσεων που δημιουργούνται από την κοινωνία και οι οποίες γίνονται καταστροφικές για την ανάπτυξη των θετικών μας ικανοτήτων. Τα γιάμας και νιγιάμας αντιπροσωπεύουν τη θετική έκφραση της προσωπικότητας μας.

Οι άνθρωποι έρχονται στη Γιόγκα για πολλούς και διαφορετικούς λόγους. Δεν έρχονται όλοι με σκοπό να ελέγξουν τα βρίττις του νου και δεν έρχονται όλοι για να εξελιχθούν πνευματικά. Κάθε άτομο έχει διαφορετικές ανάγκες σύμφωνα με το στάδιο της εξέλιξης του. Μία από τις βασικές ανάγκες της ζωής είναι η διατήρηση ενός υγιούς σώματος. Άλλες ανάγκες είναι η νοητική ειρήνη, η ισορροπία και η ηρεμία, ή ένας νους ελεύθερος από εντάσεις, η εύρεση της εσωτερικής ευτυχίας, ευχαρίστησης, ικανοποίησης, χαράς ή ευδαιμονίας. Έτσι οι ανάγκες ενός ατόμου ταξινομούνται πρώτον σε φυσικές, δεύτερον σε ψυχολογικές και τρίτον σε πνευματικές. Μπορεί να εντάσσεστε ή όχι σ’ αυτήν την ταξινόμηση, αλλά γενικά ο κόσμος ακολουθεί αυτό το σύστημα.

Έτσι, στο σύστημα της Σατυανάντα Γιόγκα, έχει υπάρξει μία ελάχιστη αλλαγή στη σειρά του οκταπλού συστήματος του Παταντζάλι. Οι ασάνες και η πραναγιάμα γίνονται το πρώτο και δεύτερο βήμα, τα οποία δίνουν μια κατανόηση του αναμάγια κόσα (εμπειρία της ύλης) και του πραναμάγια κόσα (εμπειρία της ενέργειας). Η εξισορρόπηση ολόκληρου του συστήματος της ύλης και της ενέργειας επέρχεται μέσα από τις πρακτικές της ασάνα και πραναγιάμα. Στο τρίτο και τέταρτο βήμα χρησιμοποιούμε τις πρακτικές της πρατυαχάρα και ντάρανα με σκοπό να ανυψώσουμε το νου σε ένα σημείο όπου μπορεί να περάσει μέσα από μία διαδικασία ολοκλήρωσης με το σώμα και το πνεύμα -μία διαδικασία αυτοπαρατήρησης, απόκτησης επίγνωσης της σφαιρικής θεώρησης της ζωής και της εκμάθησης πώς να αναπτύξει κανείς τις νοητικές ικανότητες και να συγκεντρώσει το νου, ώστε αυτός να μην έχει διακυμάνσεις. Η πρατυαχάρα και η ντάρανα βοηθούν να ισορροπήσουν οι δραστηριότητες του μανομάγια κόσα (εμπειρία του νου) και του βιγκιαναμάγια κόσα (εμπειρία της εξωτερικής και της ανώτερης διάνοιας). Έτσι, σε αυτά τα τέσσερα στάδια, υπάρχει ελπίδα να λάβει χώρα κάποιο είδος ολοκλήρωσης, κάποιο είδος εξαγνισμού.

Αφού αποκτήσουμε εξαγνισμό και ολοκλήρωση στη ζωή και την προσωπικότητα μας, το πέμπτο και έκτο στάδιο γίνονται τα γιάμας και τα νιγιάμας, όπου οι θετικές ποιότητες αρχίζουν να εκδηλώνονται σταδιακά, φυσικά και αυθόρμητα. Όταν έχει πετύχει κανείς μία αίσθηση ισορροπίας, δεν είναι πλέον πειθαρχίες που επιβάλλονται. Μάλλον είναι εκδηλωμένες πειθαρχίες. Τα γιάμας και νιγιάμας τότε γίνονται οι αυθόρμητες εκφράσεις και πειθαρχίες της ζωής -το τελικό αποτέλεσμα μιας ολοκληρωμένης προσωπικότητας. Όταν αυτές οι ποιότητες ή ενέργειες είναι εκδηλωμένες, τότε είναι φυσικό για το νου και το πνεύμα να κινούνται σε μία διαλογιστική κατάσταση που αργότερα μετασχηματίζεται και γίνεται σαμάντι. Έτσι, έχοντας αυτό στο νου, το σύστημα της Γιόγκα που ορίστηκε από τον Παταντζάλι, έχει τροποποιηθεί από τον Παραμαχάμσατζι Σατυανάντα σύμφωνα με τις διαφορετικές ανάγκες του σήμερα.

Τα συστήματα της Αστάνγκα Γιόγκα δεν έχουν εφαρμογή σε κάθε άτομο πάντα, για τον κύριο λόγο ότι όλοι έχουμε διαφορετικό τύπο προσωπικότητας. Η σύγχρονη ψυχολογία και η γιογκική ψυχολογία ταξινομούν την προσωπικότητα σε τέσσερεις κατηγορίες. Πρώτη είναι η δυναμική προσωπικότητα -ενεργητική, εξωστρεφής, εκφραστική. Δεύτερη είναι η συναισθηματική προσωπικότητα -που αισθάνεται, αφιερώνεται, παραδίνεται. Τρίτη είναι η διανοητική προσωπικότητα -που αναλύει, αιτιολογεί, ταξινομεί, καταλαβαίνει. Τέταρτη είναι η παραψυχική προσωπικότητα -επίγνωση της βαθύτερης και Πνευματικής πλευράς της ύπαρξης. Εάν προσπαθήσουμε να ακολουθήσουμε το σύστημα της Αστάνγκα Γιόγκα με αυτές τις διαφορετικές προσωπικότητες, μπορεί να αντιμετωπίσουμε κάποιο εμπόδιο.

Για έναν άνθρωπο που έχει συναισθηματική φύση, η ασάνα και Πραναγιάμα μπορεί να μην έχουν κανένα νόημα, μάλλον αυτός ο τύπος προσωπικότητας θα ένιωθε μία συγγένεια με τις πρακτικές της Μπάκτι Γιόγκα -αφοσίωση, ικανότητα να παραδίνεται κανείς, ικανότητα να βιώνει τη θεία φύση. Με αυτή τη λατρευτική σταθερότητα, οι πλευρές του γιάμα και νιγιάμα θα εκδηλωθούν αυθόρμητα και δε θα είναι απαραίτητο γι’ αυτούς να ασκήσουν ασάνα, πραναγιάμα ή πρατυαχάρα. Η ντάρανα και η ντυάνα θα επέλθουν φυσικά.

Έχουμε επίσης τη δυναμική προσωπικότητα, εξωστρεφή και εκφραστική. Αυτός ο τύπος μπορεί να ασκήσει Χάθα Γιόγκα για εξαγνισμό, διότι θα νιώθει μεγαλύτερη συγγένεια με αυτές τις πρακτικές. Μπορεί επίσης να ασκήσει Ράτζα Γιόγκα και ίσως Μπάκτι Γιόγκα, αν αυτή η πλευρά έχει εκδηλωθεί σ’ αυτόν.

Για έναν άνθρωπο που είναι διανοητικός υπάρχουν οι πρακτικές της Γκυάνα Γιόγκα. Για έναν διανοητικό άνθρωπο μπορεί να είναι δύσκολο να καταλάβει τη διαδικασία της μπάκτι, γιατί η μπάκτι σίγουρα δεν είναι διανοητική. Αφορά το αίσθημα, το αίσθημα της ένωσης με μία θεία δύναμη.

Για την παραψυχική φύση υπάρχουν οι πρακτικές της ντυάνα.

Στην κατάσταση της ντυάνα οι πλευρές του γιάμα και νιγιάμα, πρατυαχάρα, ντάρανα και σαμάντι, θα ανθίσουν φυσικά και αυθόρμητα. Μπορεί να μην είναι καν απαραίτητο για έναν τέτοιο τύπο να ασκήσει ασάνα και πραναγιάμα, νέτι και κούντζαλ, μπάστι, ντάουτι και σανκαπρακσαλάνα -τις τεχνικές της Χάθα Γιόγκα.

Επομένως, η Γιόγκα δεν είναι ένα απλό σύστημα ή μονοπάτι. Δεν υπάρχει μία μόνο συνταγή που να ταιριάζει σε όλα τα άτομα. Αλλάζει σύμφωνα με την ατομική ανάγκη, αλλά το τελικό αποτέλεσμα είναι πάντα το ίδιο -ολοκλήρωση. Στο τέλος όλοι οι κλάδοι της Γιόγκα ενσωματώνονται ο ένας μέσα στον άλλο.

Μετασχηματισμός μέσω γιάμα και νιγιάμα

Η υιοθέτηση των γιάμας και νιγιάμας γίνεται μέρος του διαλογιστικού μετασχηματισμού που βιώνουμε μέσω της γιόγκα. Σκεφτείτε τα πέντε νιγιάμας. Καθαριότητα σαοτσα, ικανοποίηση σαντόσα, αυτοανάλυση σουαντάγια βιώνονται στο διαλογισμό. Ο διαλογισμός γίνεται μία διαδικασία εξαγνισμού του εαυτού από όλα τα σκουπίδια που συσσωρεύονται μέσα στο χρόνο, το οποίο είναι ταπάσυα. Ο διαλογισμός γίνεται ένα εργαλείο για να μάθουμε πώς να αφηνόμαστε και να παραδινόμαστε, Ισουάρα πρανιντάνα.

Ο διαλογισμός γίνεται ένα εργαλείο για να ζούμε τα πέντε γιάμας επίσης, για να ζούμε την αλήθεια, σάτυα. Με αυτό τον καθαρισμό της φύσης μας, η ένταση της βίας υποχωρεί από την προσωπικότητά μας και το καθρεφτίζουμε αυτό ακολουθώντας την αχίμσα. Η αστέγυα, μη-κλοπή, απαριγκράχα απλή ζωή και μη κτητικότητα και η μπραχματσάρυα να διατηρούμε πάντα τον ψηλότερο στόχο στο νου, γίνονται φυσικά και αυθόρμητα για μας.

Η πραγματοποίηση των γιάμας και νιγιάμας είναι αυτό που φιλοδοξούμε να επιτύχουμε κατά την άσκηση στην κάρμα γιόγκα, μπάκτι γιόγκα και γκυάνα γιόγκα. Η Σάτυα, η αλήθεια δεν μπορεί να γίνει κομμάτι μας μέχρι να εδραιωθούμε στην γκυάνα γιόγκα. Γκυάνα γιόγκα σημαίνει εφαρμογή της σοφίας έτσι ώστε να μην υπάρχει απάτη. Υπάρχει μόνο αλήθεια. Παρόμοια, η αχίμσα δεν μπορεί να γίνει κομμάτι μας μέχρι να εδραιωθούμε στην κάρμα γιόγκα. Έτσι τα γιάμας και νιγιάμας είναι συμπληρωματικές πρακτικές στις άλλες γιόγκας, και όταν αρχίσουμε να τα ζούμε μετά πάμε σε μία διαλογιστική επίγνωση η οποία είναι συνεχής και σταθερή και όχι απλά φευγαλέα. Είναι αυτή η αίσθηση της συνέχειας και της σειράς που χρειάζεται τώρα να εφαρμόσουμε στη ζωή μας.

~ SWAMI NIRANJANANANDA SARASWATI
BIHAR SCHOOL OF YOGA, MUNGER (BIHAR) INDIA

Yama & Niyama: The Path of Ethical Discipline

Yoga is rooted in the notion of developing a positive personality. Therefore ethical discipline or the practice of correct conduct is necessary for success in yoga. This is the basis of yama and niyama, the two moral backbones of yoga. They define the attributes to be practised in everyday life by a spiritual aspirant.

YAMAS

The five yamas are ahimsa (non-violence), satya (truthfulness), asteya (abstinence from theft, honesty), brahmacharya (being established in divine consciousness), and, last but not least, aparigraha (non-possessiveness). The yamas are mainly qualities that the spiritual aspirant should have in order to communicate and interact with the outside world and the people in it, They are also self-restraints from performing actions of the weaker lower mind. The niyamas are the self-disciplinary qualities which are entirely devoted to helping the aspirant on their spiritual journey. They are also fixed rules one should follow in order to do the practices of meditation (dhyana) and to reach samadhi. Practising the yamas and niyamas is very fruitful in itself, but the main aim and consequence is spiritual growth and evolution.

Ahimsa

Ahimsa, non-violence, not only means not causing harm or pain to any creature in thought, word or action, but also not having even a hint of aggression within your being. We shouldn’t skip this yama, for what is the use of truthfulness, non-possessiveness, abstinence from theft and so forth without establishing ahimsa in our minds and actions first? Swami Sivananda says that one of the purposes of the other yamas is to perfect ahimsa.

Giving up meat or any other type of food or beverage whose acquisition causes pain to others beings (being vegan) is also considered to be ahimsa. Usually our actions in themselves are violent, though our purposes are not at all so. When a mother slaps a child, she does so because she wants to teach the child a lesson. It is done out of love, not hatred. Therefore, it is the purpose that matters, and not the action.

It is equally sinful if we encourage others to be violent or if we are violent ourselves. Himsa (violence) is not only physical violence, but also includes manipulation, hurting someone’s feelings, psychic influence and so on. The most important thing is not to directly deny people, even if they get violent, i.e. not getting into fights, arguments, disputes, quarrels. Himsa is not considered to be violence if it is to save your life, or if you kill one in order to save many. It is said that when you perfect ahimsa, a sort of magnet will act around you, preventing anyone from doing you harm or being violent. People will start to enjoy your presence and feel no discomfort as long as they are in your presence.

In the Christian Bible, Christ says, “If one smites thee on thy right cheek, turn to him thy left also.” Christ, Krishna, Rama, Prophet Mohammed, Buddha and other saints, prophets and messiahs were great followers of ahimsa and dharma. Great saints like St Francis of Assisi and Ramana Maharshi, who could communicate with animals, were also great followers of ahimsa. Aggression is a reaction to fear and, therefore, if we overcome our fears (through brahmacharya, we can practise ahimsa.

It will be easier to observe ahimsa if we remember that whatever we do, good or bad, will come back to us in this life or in the next, whether we believe in reincarnation or not. Good actions produce good results, while bad actions produce bad results. This is called (the law of) karma, and you can’t escape it. Someone is always watching over you.

A good example is the story of the Sufi saint who called his disciples together and said, “I have five birds, one for each of you. Take them and kill them in separate places, but no one must see you doing it. When you bring them here, we’ll have a feast.” So they all came back sooner or later and gave explanations about where they killed their birds and how no one saw them. When the last disciple came, he said “I’m sorry Guruji, I failed you. I could not kill it. Wherever I went, I felt as though someone was watching me.” He turned out to be the best disciple.

Satya

Satya, or truth, is the second yama, and also a very important qualification. Let’s take Galileo as an example of satya. He was caught by the Inquisition twice for his discoveries, but, in spite of the danger, he went on with his writing, teaching and research until he could no longer use his eyes and ears. He stuck to the truth of his discoveries till the end, because he knew they were true, and he wasn’t even prosecuted. Swami Sivananda says, “God is truth, and He can be realized by observing truth in thought, word and deed.” According to him, the thirteen forms of truth are: truthfulness, equality, self-control, absence of jealousy, absence of envious emulation, forgiveness, modesty, endurance, charity, thoughtfulness, disinterested philanthropy (being too public-spirited or civic-minded), self-possession, and unceasing and compassionate harmlessness. Under certain circumstances, telling a (white) lie to produce immense good is regarded as truth.

Swami Sivananda says that the vak siddhi (vak means speech, and siddhi is a special power a yogi receives through practising sadhana and tapasya) can be mastered by observing truth always and at all times. The vak siddhi gives you the power to make whatever you say or think turn out to be true, even if it was not so before you said it. In other words, one gets the power to accomplish things by mere thought. This is also known as psychic speech. By practising truth at all times, one also obtains the power to weigh one’s words during conversation, thus directing the result of one’s words according to one’s will.

A lie is not only a lie if you speak incorrect or dishonest words. If you acted foolishly and afterwards blinded yourself with the belief that you did the right thing, it is also considered to be a lie, even though it all happened in your mind. It’s the same if you exaggerate, or brag, in order to boost your ego. Satya is not merely abstinence from telling lies, but also the ability to see the truth, to be aware of the truth behind everything. If you tell people what they should or should not do and then do whatever pleases you, you are a hypocrite. You say one thing and do another, thereby not being true even to yourself. Why should one lie? One lies to escape the consequences of the actions of oneself or one’s associate. This is a manifestation of the petty mind. Therefore, satya also helps in overcoming the petty mind.

Asteya

Asteya, the third yama, is commonly known as honesty (in the sense of ‘abstinence from theft’). To be able to follow asteya, we must be satisfied with what we have, our personal belongings, our way of thinking, what we do, where we are, who we are, etc. In other words, we must not be greedy and should try to be contented. We steal things because we desire them. To be able or to be strong enough to resist the temptation to steal the object that one desires, one’s mind must be strong. Hence, through mastering asteya, one purifies the mind of desires and vrittis.

Asteya makes the mind pure, like a mirror in which your divine mind is reflected. The very thought of gain through theft should not arise in the mind, because constant desire for objects not belonging to oneself is actual theft. People sometimes feel that you desire something belonging to them, and if they are good-natured, they’ll give it to you. That is not good, because you probably did not deserve it in the first place, and above all you are depriving that person of something they may have liked. Non-expressed desires for things that are not yours is a milder form of mental manipulation towards the owners of whatever you desire.

We steal things because we desire them, so it does not necessarily mean that we steal physical objects. There are people who steal the ideas of others. That is the worst form of theft. Try to keep your desires moderate. If you cannot fully clear your mind of them, do not just try to forget them, suppress them or put them aside, because when they come back to you, they’ll have reinforcements. And if the desires become too strong and you are unable to fully suppress them, they should be fulfilled as soon as possible, or else they will weigh even more heavily upon your mind until they lead you to theft or something similar.

These desires or thoughts which trouble the mind are called vrittis. If you are too good or too kind-hearted to steal, the desires/vrittis may probably gain more power over you if you are not mentally strong; and you will soon not be able to think straight or sleep well. That is the power of vrittis and desires. If you can control the mind with its desires or vrittis, you can observe asteya. And if you can completely observe asteya, it is said that things for which you have even the slightest desire will just come to you by whatever means, as if you were a magnet. Another material fruit obtained through perfecting asteya is that one will also get the intuitive power to know where to look for and find wealth.

Brahmacharya

Brahmacharya is usually depicted in books, discourses, scriptures etc. as celibacy. But Brahma literally means the ‘divine consciousness’ and charya, in this case, means ‘living’ or ‘one who is established in’. Therefore, brahmacharya actually means ‘being established in divine consciousness’, or ‘being established in the higher (form of the) mind’.

Scientists have proved that only ten percent of the average human brain is active and freely accessed during daily activities. Spiritually evolved people said long ago that the human mind has an enormous capacity. Unfortunately, a large part of the ten percent is driven by instincts and indulges in sensual and petty activities. The four basic instinctive drives are: ahara (food), nidra (sleep), bhaya (fear) and maithuna (sexuality). These are dominant in our minds for the simple reason of survival. Since survival is not such a big problem in today’s society as it was in ancient times, a sort of vacuum is created. Food is over-available, fear becomes an obstacle in daily life, the world is over-populated and so on. Most people fill this vacuum by amplifying the fulfilment of these desires for sensual pleasure. Brahmacharya deals with filling this vacuum with spirituality.

Many people would say that ahara is the greatest drive, but it is not so. Brahmacharya is being free from the pleasure of fulfilling the instincts of the lower mind, and it is most commonly known as ‘celibacy’ because maithuna is the most powerful instinct. Maithuna is the greatest drive for without it we would have died out as a species long ago.

To most people, following brahmacharya would mean suppression of desires. Brahmacharya should not be suppression, and suppression is not the remedy for overcoming the lower mind or controlling any of its instinctive drives. Unless one is established in the higher mind, suppression is of no avail. One may be able to stop oneself from satisfying any of these instincts, but one cannot suppress the mind from dwelling upon them continually. That is not brahmacharya, being established in the higher mind, and the higher mind does not waste time by dwelling on such matters.

There is a story about two monks on a pilgrimage in (supposedly) strict brahmacharya. When they come across a lady unable to cross a large puddle, the senior monk carries her across to safety. Shocked, the younger monk eventually remonstrates with the senior monk, who replies, “You are still carrying her in your head while I left her by the banks of the puddle!” The younger monk is a perfect example of the opposite of brahmacharya. Swami Satyananda says, “When firmly established in brahmacharya, the yogi gains vigour, energy and courage, whereby he becomes free from the fear of death. Thus, brahmacharya is an important way of overcoming the klesha called abhinivesha, which is fear of death.” And since almost all fears have their roots in death, brahmacharya is a useful tool for overcoming fear in general.

Aparigraha

Aparigraha, the fifth and last of the yamas, is non-possessiveness (also known as abstinence from greed). It is actually complete freedom from greed or covetousness. You should not try to possess more than you minimally need. As Swami Satyananda Saraswati mentions in Four Chapters on Freedom, “This keeps the mind unoccupied and also he (the aspirant) does not have to worry about anything because there is nothing (no possessions) there to be protected.” When we become non-possessive, or non-attached, we become impartial and in that way the conditioned love, affection, compassion and so on becomes unconditional, and not merely restricted to family, friends, relations, etc.

Gifts from others affect us and make us greedier. One consequence is that we start giving gifts because we expect something in return, which is bad because we get offended if we do not receive anything. A sannyasin should therefore avoid gifts. Greed also leads to attachment, and anxiety accompanies attachment. These are all obstacles to gaining spiritual knowledge. Swami Sivananda says, “ . . . freedom from attachment will result in knowledge of the whole course of our journey.” Also, it will be easy to observe asteya, or abstinence from theft, if we have mastered aparigraha.

The memories and habits of possessing objects must be first washed away from the mind, and only then can you start life anew. The mind also becomes pure by following aparigraha, and it is said that when you observe aparigraha fully, you obtain the siddhi through which you can remember your past lives, if you believe in reincarnation. But you must not carry aparigraha beyond your limits, or it will give rise to vulnerability and possessive- ness. In other words, if aparigraha is carried too far, it may have the opposite effect.

NIYAMAS

The five niyamas, or five fixed rules of self-discipline, are: shaucha (cleanliness), santosha (contentment), tapas (austerity), swadhyaya (study of the self) and Ishwara pranidhana (complete self-surrender to God). The niyamas, all in all, are the fixed rules of self-discipline for spiritual aspirants on their journey of spiritual development.

Shaucha

Shaucha, cleanliness, is the first niyama. Not only external cleanliness, like having a shower, brushing your teeth, etc., but purity of actions, purity of mind from evil and distracting, unnecessary thoughts and from bad, haunting memories. Cleanliness of the environment and of oneself is necessary for hygienic reasons, but the state of the environment also affects your mind. If it is clean and tidy, you will become more centred and will be able to concentrate properly, but if it is an unhygienic, messy or untidy environment, your mind may become disorganized. That is why it is better to tidy up your room in the morning. Such things seem trivial, but they help to keep the mind free of clutter and make it sharp and clear.

In other words, practising shaucha on the physical plane also affects the mind on the pranic and mental levels. Sage Patanjali says in the Yoga Sutras that by practising shaucha on the physical plane, one gains indifference towards the body and non-attachment towards others in the course of time. He says that when your mind is pure through shaucha, you become cheerful and fit to practise concentration (dharana) and sense control (pratyahara), as the mirror of the mind is clean and, therefore, you are able to see your real self reflected in it.

Santosha

Santosha, contentment or satisfaction, is the second niyama. Santosha is being content with one’s actions and with what one has, what one is, where one is, and with what one has done or what one is doing. It also means to be content about where one is, whether it be concerning time or space. You should not daydream about the future nor should your mind linger in the past. Be content with where you are, or you will never be happy or feel true satisfaction. Also, santosha is being content with what one is. If you do not like being what you are, you won’t find any happiness in life either. You have to be contented with what you do, if you have done your best.

Santosha is essential for spiritual life. If you do not practise it, you won’t really get very far on your journey. By putting santosha into practice, you can get rid of cravings and attain great happiness to progress on the spiritual ladder, path, journey, or whatever you want to call it. It is also necessary to practise santosha in order to observe asteya. A beggar is a king if he is contented with what he has, while a king is like a beggar if he still desires more riches to add to his treasure troves and vaults by imposing more taxes on the poor.

If you are dissatisfied, it causes psychic infirmity and many other complexes. In the Yoga Vashishtha, Sage Vashishtha, who was one of Rama’s teachers, says that vichara (reflection), shanti (peacefulness), satsang (being in the company of truth, in any form), and santosha (contentment) are the four sentinels at the gate of moksha (salvation, or being completely freed from the cycle of birth and rebirth). He says that if you have mastered santosha, the other three will let you pass automatically.

Tapasya

The third niyama is tapasya (or tapas), austerity or moderation – depending upon one’s capacity. The main purpose of attaining tapasya is to be able to meditate properly. It creates a controlled mind which will not accept any interference from the body, like “I’m thirsty!” or “I want food!” or “that hurts!” etc. It also hardens the body, so that these desires aren’t too frequent. It strengthens the organs and makes them healthy in order not to experience painful distractions during meditation. Thus it leads to pratyahara or abstraction of the senses. In the Bhagavad Gita it is mentioned that there are three types of austerities: (i) austerity of the physical body, (ii) austerity of communication and speech (mouna), and (iii) austerity of the mind. Tapasya includes control over one’s thoughts in order to avoid unnecessary talking.

As a sculptor chips away all the unnecessary bits of rock to make a beautiful sculpture, so the hardships through which the body goes strengthen the mind and chip away all the unnecessary bits, leaving only the true essence of your real self. By practising tapasya, the body becomes immune to extensive heat, cold and even poisons and other hardships.

According to Swami Satyananda Saraswati in Four Chapters on Freedom, there are five types of tapas: (i) exposure to the sun to harden the skin, (ii) exposure to fire to make one’s body slim and brown, (iii) doing pranayama to heat the body, (iv) accumulating the fire of concentration at one point, and (v) the fire of fasting. These are the five fires which remove the toxins to make the body fit for meditation.

Tapasya is not only about making the body fit for meditation. Doing things one does not want to do out of laziness or tamas is another form of tapasya. The same applies to moderating entertainment which only pleases oneself and does no good to others. This form of tapasya helps to control the ego, making one more disciplined.

Swadhyaya

Swadhyaya is the fourth niyama, which I have defined as study of the self in the introduction. It is usually defined as ‘study of ancient spiritual scriptures’, but one can read the scriptures and not understand or apply a single thing from them in our daily lives. Swa means ‘self’ here; therefore, swadhyaya is actually the study of the self, or self-analysis. One must be the drashta, the witness, the observer. The higher type of knowledge is actual experience, while the lower form is learning directly from books and the even lower form is learning from books but not understanding a thing that one is reading. It is recorded in the Essene Gospel of Peace that Jesus said, “Seek not the law in your scriptures, for the law is life, whereas the scripture is dead.”

Through swadhyaya we can improve ourselves and guide ourselves on the right path to some extent without the help of the guru. If you can see your life and observe it like a book, as in the yogic practice of antar mouna, you can observe swadhyaya, as Swami Niranjanananda has pointed out in Yoga Darshan. One can observe and modify one’s reactions, one can moderate one’s negativity and improve one’s way of perceiving things through observing the self.

From another point of view, chanting the name of God in the form of the Gayatri mantra, the Om mantra, a prayer, etc., or even your own initiation mantra, helps to focus the mind, which helps in swadhyaya. When one chants a mantra from the heart, one does not necessarily need to understand what one is chanting in order to experience spiritual upliftment.

Ishwara pranidhana

Ishwara pranidhana, or complete self-surrender to God, is the last and one of the hardest niyamas. One gets to a stage on the spiritual journey when the guru steps back and when one cannot proceed without help and one becomes desperate. Such is the human mind that one can develop complete faith in God only when a desperate situation arises, where none but God (by God I mean Ishwara, Allah, Yahweh, or any other) can help, whether you believe in God or not. People understand God in many different ways. Some do not even believe in the concept of God. Yet everyone who seeks spiritual guidance and evolution reaches this stage if they are sincere in their quest. As God is different to many people, we reach this stage through different means and situations. It is the time when one completely lets go of all ego and surrenders to destiny. Sage Patanjali says in the Yoga Sutras that one can even attain the highest form of samadhi, the final stage before kaivalya, if one can truly and fully surrender to God. Your self-surrender should be free and unconditional.

There is a story about a dedicated monk deep in meditation in his cave. Suddenly there was a freak flood and the town nearby was filled with gushing water. Some good-natured people paddled laboriously on their little raft to try and save the monk. But when they reached his cave, the monk said, “Do not worry. I am a pious man who has been serving God all his life. God will not desert me now. Never fear, He will come and save me with His own hands.”

A few minutes later a yacht with five men arrived. They attempted to rescue the monk, but received the same reply. Finally, a rescue helicopter arrived and hovered outside the cave, but the monk sent them away.

The water rose, flooded the monk’s abode and he drowned. When he reached heaven he said to God, “I’ve been worshipping you all my life and yet you didn’t come and save me when I needed you the most!” And God replied “Well, I don’t know what you expected. First I sent you a raft, then a yacht, then a first class helicopter, and you only said silly things like ‘God will save me with His own hands.’ The raft, yacht and helicopter were my hands.”

It all seems to be a mental process; however, the physical outcome is that when one surrenders to and realizes Ishwara, one never remains the same because one cannot realize God if one has even the smallest hint of a human ego.

Sage Patanjali supported advaita vedanta, which does not support the principle of God as our loving father living in another world, in heaven. So here Ishwara is not God, but the unchanging, ever-uniform reality, while nashwara is the changing, decaying, creative aspect in the cycle of (our) evolution. God exists, and you can experience that only if you have complete faith in him or her (whichever you prefer), if you reach Ishwara pranidhana.

Conclusion

This concludes this article about the different yamas and niyamas from the eight-fold path of raja yoga. Keep practising the yamas and niyamas, even while you are practising another branch of the eight-fold path. The beauty of the Yoga Sutras is that everyone can read them and come up with a different theory from the same source. This article is but one way of perceiving them.

You may have noticed that the yamas and niyamas are all in a way interrelated, so they don’t allow you to skip any of them if you are sincere in your desire to master them. Also, the yamas and niyamas are not meant only for yogis and sannyasins, but for everyone to practise. You can, for example, take one of the yamas or niyamas that you like and practise it until you think you’ve perfected it; and then go on to another one, and so on . . . until you’ve perfected them all! (Then go on to the 18 ‘ities’ of Swami Sivananda.)

Bibliography

Swami Satyananda Saraswati, Four Chapters on Freedom, Yoga Publications Trust, Bihar, India, 2000.

Swami Sivananda, Raja Yoga, Divine Life Society, Rishikesh, 1999.

Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati, Festival of Yogic Life, Swam Editions, France, 1997.

Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati, Yoga Darshan, Yoga Publications Trust, Bihar, India, 2002.

Swami Satchidananda, The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Integral Yoga Publications, Yoga Ville, Virginia, USA, 1990.

Edmond Bordeaux Szekely, Essene Gospel of Peace, Academy of Creative Living, San Diego, 1970.

L.K. Taimni, The Science of Yoga, Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar, Madras, 1988.

Mantra, Yantra and Mandala

The Three Tools of Tantra
Paramahamsa Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati

Much of Tantra is concerned with worship in a ritualistic form, using the three basic tools of mantra, yantra and mandala. This ritual is not based on superstition or blind faith but has been scientifically, systematically and practically designed to direct the whole process of living, towards transcendence. All religions originally used these methods, but now the aim of ritualistic worship has been generally lost sight of and has degenerated into the performance of mere automatic and meaningless actions which are not understood by the practitioner. When this happens no benefit is derived from the ritual.

The modern scientific mind scoffs at rites and rituals as mere superstition because there is no basis for worship in modern scientific thought. However, Tantra utilises systematic ritual with awareness as a means of contacting the things with which science cannot commune, even with its most delicate and complicated instrument. The rites of Tantra do work if performed correctly, and the proof is not to be found in books or theories but in one's own personal experience.

Tantric rites are utilised for involving or tuning in with the different levels of being which are beyond normal perception. They are concerned with worship, set actions, mantras, yantras, mudras end other actions, which make the mind calm, receptive and one-pointed. This is conducive to the experience of meditation which will transform one's understanding and relationship with life, oneself, and other people. Tantra aims at transforming everything in life into a ritual so that the individual performs every action and thought with a feeling of worship and awareness. The action of bathing dressing, sitting for worship, offering various symbolic sacrifices, the union of man and woman, the stages of development from conception, birth, marriage to death, are transformed into worship.

In Tantra one has to be continually aware of every action and thought whether it is a set ceremonial worship or an everyday duty. Each act has to be performed with absolute attention, not mechanically or unconsciously, and this awareness and concentration eventually prepares one for meditation. Tantric worship is not confined to the temple. It is done from the moment one gets out of bed in the morning to the moment one returns to bed at night.

Mantra

Together with yantra and mandala, mantra is the most important aspect of Tantra - its essence. Almost invariably, these three are used in conjunction with each other to form powerful combinations. The mantra is the vehicle of consciousness, while yantra, mandala or devata is the form of consciousness. The mandala, yantra or devata is the manifested form or configuration of Shakti while the mantra, which is also Shanti, is the link between consciousness and form. This applies to everything in the world around us. The form is the expression; the mantra is the vehicle of expression.

Mantra is the direct link with the 'beyond'. The world we know is materialised and shaped through mantra, through sound at all levels and degrees of subtlety. Mantra originates in the substratum of Shiva, and can be used to retrace the direction of manifestation so that one again merges with consciousness. A mantra is therefore a means to make a 'U-turn' and retrace one's path back to the source.

Man's 'inner being' is constantly in contact with something much greater than the limitations of individuality, but the average person is not aware of this. Mantra brings about a state of 'resonance' between an individual and the depths of his being. They are the tools through which we can harmonise with the inner cosmic forces.

Yantra

A yantra is a specific form of mandala consisting of geometrical shapes and figures, and often diagrams of deities (especially in Buddhist Tantra). It is a particularly powerful form of mandala and deep concentration upon it can lead to the realisation of its higher nature. The word 'yantra' means 'instrument, 'machine', 'apparatus', or 'implement'. The yantra is indeed an implement (or tool) because it acts as an instrument for tuning in with consciousness, a spiritual machine for inducing states of meditation.

Mandala

A mandala is a focus for cosmic powers. During tantric worship and practices the mandala becomes the symbolic centre of the universe. It is laid out according to a fixed plan and its construction is a rite in itself. Everything in the manifested world is a mandala in essence. Each and every object is a focal point of consciousness: every thing is a manifestation of Shakti, an expression of the underlying consciousness. Thus, deep concentration on any form can bring about a realisation of this consciousness.

For this reason, bhakti or devotion is an important part of tantric meditation practices as it supercharges the power of concentration, which becomes more piercing when backed up by the emotion of reverence and love.

Each one of us and our every thought forms a mandala. A man and woman in union form a closed unit or circle which can also be a perfect mandala for attaining higher states of consciousness. The guru is a most powerful mandala as he acts as a magnet to draw down cosmic consciousness. He radiates and glows with the light of this great force. It is through the guru that cosmic powers are unleashed and transmitted to the disciple. This is the grace of the guru mandala.

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