Sunday, September 25, 2011

Search for THE TRUTH

Dear Friends in search of THE TRUTH:


The previous two articles describe the early experiences of meditators followed by the deeper experiences in the second Blue Pearl essay. Now in this piece we get a beautiful and accurate description of the final states experienced in deep meditation. Raja Yoga calls this the experience of nirvikalpa samadhi while another name is nirguna Brahman. So far as we know there is no higher experience available to humans transcending the mind. 
From the point of view of Raja Yoga, much continuous practice is required to achieve any of these states. Once the benefits have begun, then continued practice will bring the seeker after TRUTH to the place described here.

What is Egyptian 
Mysticism 
By Sunnu Khepera Ankh (*) 

THIS IOK Public Monograph is a short essay will give some 
insight  into the meaning and practice of Egyptian 
Mysticism. As many already know, Egypt is not the 
original name for the country that is situated on the North East 
corner of the continent of Africa. This country, in ancient times 
(10,000BCE-450AD) was known by the original inhabitants as 
Kemet. Kemet is a term that means black land. The implication 
being that Kemet   is the land of undifferentiated consciousness.
This will be explained in more detail later in this 
 writing. 

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Experiencing the Soul

In keeping with the theme of the last post, I include the following article describing yet another event indicating our progress during meditation. This one based on the teachings of the great Siddha Yogi, Swami Muktananda.
May all efforts in consciousness-raising lead to success!
Shanti, Shanti, Shantih!
Three calls for peace: physical,mental and spiritual.

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The Blue Pearl
a.k.a. Blue Dot, Blue Sphere, Blue Disk, Blue Angel, Blue Flash, Blue Trails
… the Blue Pearl [is] the subtlest covering of the individual soul....
When we see this tiny blue light in meditation,
we should understand that we are seeing the form of the inner Self.
To experience this is the goal of human life.
[The Blue Pearl] is tiny, but it contains all the different planes of existence.
- Swami Muktananda (1)
Several years ago in a cosmology class we were discussing the subject of lights in the head. Seeing light in the head is not new to meditators or people who are clairvoyant. People report seeing white lights and some report seeing blue lights. I’m in the group that sees the blue lights!
Once I could name the experience of seeing the blue light, I started to notice when it came. It would come of its own accord. One doesn't invoke it. The blue sphere appears both in my head and with my eyes open. Sometimes it will come when I’m meditating or working in a group situation like a healing gathering. Other times it will flash in my consciousness or field of vision for no seemingly apparent reason. One never knows when the Blue Dot will come or whether it will appear to be inside or outside the head.
Now that I’ve been working with it for some cycles, I see the Blue Dot as an affirmation of a truth and that something spiritually significant has happened, or that I’m on target with my thinking.
A few times when the Blue Dot has come up in conversation, I’ve discovered that other people also see it. Once when I was meditating about a person’s new business enterprise, the Blue Dot flashed. I thought it was a wonderful sign that she was blessed in her venture. When I told her about my experience, I learned that she too sees the blue sphere and has come to call it the Blue Angel.
The first place I discovered any in-depth discussion of the Blue Pearl is in the Siddha Yoga literature. Swami Muktananda (1908–1982), the great Indian saint who introduced Siddha Yoga practices and meditation techniques to the United Sates, gives a detailed description of the significance and of his experiences of the Blue Pearl. At one point he described how it expanded in front of him, engulfed him and carried him to other worlds. He was very clear that it was a good thing and a sign of awakened Kundalini. Muktananda referred to the Blue Pearl as a physical manifestation of the soul. He said that seeing it in meditation is like seeing the soul.

"Death" is simply the name we give to the
departure of the Blue Pearl from the body.
 (2)
In his book Does Death Really Exist? Muktananda says,
The blue dot, which we call the Blue Pearl, dwells in the sahasrara,the spiritual center in the crown of the head. It is the body of the Self. All consciousness is contained in it. All of the dynamism of the breathing process comes from the Blue Pearl. When that light enters the body, the rhythm of breathing begins. When it departs from the body, consciousness departs from the bloodstream, the nerves and the lungs, leaving everything limp and lifeless. "Death" is simply the name we give to the departure of the Blue Pearl from the body. (2)
The book goes on to say that one can see the Blue Dot leave the body at death, and where it exits, according to scriptures, indicates the state of the person's experience. If the soul leaves through the eyes, one has been very virtuous.
The Tibetan master Djwhal Khul, speaking through Alice A. Bailey’s volumes on the ageless wisdom teachings, also makes reference to the “Blue Disk” infour specific places ~ each time in the context of a meditation visualization exercise.
Within the darkness of the soul, prisoned within the form, a point of light is seen. Then there arises, all around that point, a field of deepest blue and this becomes irradiated by the soul, the inner sun, shining within a brilliant field of blue. The points of light become the many lines or rays of light; these lines then merge and blend until the lighted Way appears. One is the light, the light upon the Way. One is the Way and always walks thereon.(3)         
D.K. tells us about the point of dark blue, or a small indigo disk, which appears: “This is, in reality, the exit in the head through which the soul passes out of the world of phenomenal existence, and it is the symbol of the path or the door into the kingdom of God.“ (4)
Celebrated thirteenth century Indian Mystic-Poet-Yogi Jnaneshwar Maharaj(1271–1293) says the Blue Color is a great and holy pilgrimage center. "This radiant and scintillating and sublime Blue Color can be seen directly in meditation. If we want to see such a great and wonderful thing, our way of life and our habits must be the purest and the most holy. Then only we become worthy of it. Our association, our words, and our thoughts should be full of God. He who has seen the Blue Color is the most blessed of all human beings."


Carl Sagan refers to the earth as the Pale Blue Dot in his book of the same name. From space, astronauts are awed by the sight of the earth, a blue pearl hovering against the blackness of the universe.
When you look at the Earth from space it looks like a beautiful blue dot, which is rather interesting if you consider the correlation of the Blue Pearl representing the Self and the Earth also.


Since we put up the Blue Pearl pages in March 2004, we’ve received lots of emails from people all over the world who have seen and experienced some form of lights around them. Whether they are in your head or seen floating above or around you, or come at a significant time in your experience, what we’ve learned is that seeing these lights is a phenomenon shared by many. As a result of these emails, we’ve been inspired to further investigate the Blue Dot. It’s amazing how influential blue is in our world!
Blue Dottie

For additional Blue Pearl resources, click here

For more experiences of the Blue Pearl ...
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Thursday, June 9, 2011

Ascension, Self-realization, Consciousness

 While some of the terminology is different from that of Yoga, the message of the nature of transcendental experience is clear. I believe the author has done us all a great service by sharing this knowledge and by giving us clear examples of the consciousness of everyday life while describing our brief, in the beginning, experiences of higher states of consciousness.
"Do your practice and all will come" and you will be doing your part in the evolution of a higher global consciousness
In the Light of Yoga:
John.

What is Ascension
By Jelaila Starr
Written March 23, 2001


By now you have probably realized that we were not given a blueprint for ascension.  In a perfect world we would have a blueprint or model showing us what to do.  We would know what to expect and what not to expect and therefore would move through the process with more grace and ease that we do now.  But as we all realize, we don’t live in a perfect world so we blindly stumble along figuring it out as we go.

Much of our energy is spent learning that we have many misconceptions of what the ascension process is and isn’t.  These misconceptions create a lot of the pain that we experience along the way.  For example, there is a misconception that we can ascend without having to experience our fears.  Oh how wonderful it would be if that was really true. *sigh*

This article was written to help dispel some of these misconceptions that cause us to stumble and also to provide something of a blueprint for the process.  This blueprint, of course, is based on my own experiences as well as those of the beautiful souls who I am honored to know and who walk the path along side me.  So let’s begin with the basics.

What is ascension?

On an individual level, ascension is the process of changing one’s consciousness from one reality, based on one set of beliefs, to another. On a group or planetary level, ascension is the collective expansion of a state of consciousness (set of beliefs) to the point where that consciousness creates a new reality—a new state of being or dimension (*The Hundredth Monkey Syndrome).  Example: We are collectively creating a 5th dimensional consciousness through our individual ascension processes. Okay, I realize I have thrown a new thought in here, that being that a dimension is a state of consciousness. Perhaps we’d better stop and look at that before we go on because we really need to understand consciousness, dimensions and such before we can truly grasp the process of ascension.

What is consciousness?

Consciousness is a set of beliefs on which we base our lives and through which we make the choices and decisions that make up our present reality.

What is a dimension?

A dimension is a state of consciousness.  Now how can that be?  Well, when you look at what we know about dimensions, what we find is that each is about a unique set of beliefs.  For example, 3D is about the belief that, this is the only life that we have and if you can’t touch it, taste it, see it, feel it or hear it, it doesn’t exist. Is that pretty close?  5D, which I will fully address in an upcoming article, is about Christ or Unity consciousness where we realize that we are all connected—we understand and live in oneness (there is a misconception of what unity consciousness looks like and I will address it in the article, The 5th Dimension—what will it be like?). Our current 3D consciousness was not established until enough people began to believe the same way.  And I suspect the current 5D consciousness was not established until enough of the people existing there, figured out how to live in unity.  So we see that when enough people live a set of beliefs they create a dimension.

Going further, a state of consciousness/dimension vibrates as a certain frequency just as all physical matter has a distinguishing vibration or frequency.  In our universe, as I understand it, the closer we get to the integration point of Light and Dark, the faster we vibrate (compassion being the integration point with the fastest vibratory rate).   So, if a whole group of people acquire a particular set of beliefs, in this case, the understanding of how to live at the integration point between Light and Dark, then they all begin to vibrate at that particular rate.  This vibratory rate is also known as a frequency.  Continuing on, this group vibration creates a new consciousness, a new reality, and a new dimension by the individuals in the group expressing themselves emotionally, creatively, etc.  Whew!  I hope this all makes sense to you.  Sometimes I find trying to explain multidimensional concepts a bit challenging because there are so many levels to them.  I can see them in my mind but getting them down on paper is another matter. *smile*

Now that we have a basic understanding of consciousness, dimensions and frequency, let’s get back to ascension.

How do we ascend?

Simply stated, we ascend by clearing our emotional blocks, integrating the fears that are the basis of those blocks, and transmuting the anger, hatred, guilt, blame and shame in those blocks into compassion.  In each of our emotional blocks there is judgment of the dark emotions (those already stated above).  As we learn to accept, value and use those emotions in a balanced manner, we balance the Dark side of ourselves.

On the outside, as we learn to value and appreciate those who express those dark emotions in their roles as our teachers (i.e., those who play dark roles because they have spiritual contracts with us to do so), we balance the Light and Dark in our reality. Once again, another multidimensional concept condensed into a sentence or two.  Read The Formula of Compassion and Dancing with the Dark booklets for more information on integrating the Light and the Dark.

As we clear our blocks we shift our consciousness.  We become less judgmental, thus more compassionate.  So our consciousness shifts first and our physical body follows suit.  Thirdly, our external reality begins to reflect back the new consciousness that we are expressing. Thus, the physical reality slowly shifts also.  So every day, as we allow our guides to bring our lessons forward so that we can clear them, we are ascending. Each time we clear a block and experience the joy of gratitude and appreciation and compassion, we are ascending. Let’s recap this one.  Ascension occurs when you:

    Are willing to clear your blocks.
    Clear a block, integrate a fear by experiencing it and achieve compassion, thus creating a shift in your consciousness.

What are the mechanics of ascension?

Ascension is a process that has spiritual, emotional, mental and physical components.  This process is multi-layered and interconnected, meaning that an action taken on one level affects the other levels (think of it as a domino effect).  The mechanics of the ascension process go something like this:

    1.  You ask for your fears to be made known to you.
    2.  A fear manifests in your life packaged as a lesson that has come forward.
    3.  You move through the fear, being willing to experience it as completely as necessary in order to integrate it.
    4.  You integrate the fear, thus learning the lesson.  In this part you feel the fear feelings associated with this fear/lesson.   They can be feelings such as guilt, shame, hatred, anger, resentment, etc.  (Yes, we do fear feeling these emotions because we have been taught that they are bad and if we experience them, we are bad.)
    5.  You experience release as the fear is integrated and the lesson is learned.  In this release you experience emotions such as joy, bliss, gratitude (for the person who played the Dark role) and compassion (for the pain the Dark role person had to experience in order to play their part). As you feel the compassion, there is a tingling sensation in your body and in many cases an orgasmic explosion of energy in your high heart chakra (this is the anger, shame, etc., being transmuted into compassion) as you release the people involved in your lesson from blame.
    6.  The compassion you feel transmutes a bit more of your DNA from carbon-based to crystal or silica-based, thus allowing more light into your body.  At the same time, any implants (also known as behavior patterns) associated with that fear/lesson are changed (balanced).  If you have been working on this fear in all its various aspects for a while, those newly changed implants then release their bit of your dormant 10 strands of your DNA so that they can be realigned.

The more we move through these steps, (read the Formula of Compassion for more details on this integration/transmutation process) the more we recode our DNA, this shifting our consciousness closer and closer to the integration point between Light and Dark. Compassion is the unconditional and equal acceptance of all things (Light and Dark) regardless of who or what they are.  Now let’s look at some of the misconceptions about ascension.
Misconceptions of Ascension

There are many misconceptions about ascension going around these days.  Most of this seems to come from a lack of basic information and trying to formulate our concept of ascension on what we have been taught in the past.  Once we are given the higher perspective regarding some of these concepts we can see where just having another level of knowledge makes it all make sense.  Let’s look a few of the more prevalent ones.

We can ascend without experiencing pain or fear.

As I said earlier, I wish this was true but as we have seen from the information above, we must have something that we can use to achieve compassion.  We must have some form of fuel.  We don’t transmute love or joy into compassion, do we?  Both love and joy are higher frequency emotions, like compassion, aren’t they?  It is my understanding that we use the energy of the lower frequency emotions of anger, shame, guilt, resentment, etc. to transmute into compassion.  So, if this is true, then we must be able to access these emotions to be able to transmute them, right?  And in order to access them we must feel them in some way because that is what is meant by accessing, is that not true?  And isn’t experiencing them the same as feeling them?

Going further, don’t lower frequency emotions create emotional and, sometimes, physical pain?  For example, doesn’t anger create emotional pain, or guilt or shame?  So to wrap this up, if we need transmutable emotions for fuel to ascend, then we must access them. This means feeling the pain of those emotions, and if we feel the pain of our emotions, then I suppose that means that we don’t ascend without experiencing pain.  Does that make sense?  And keep in mind that pain is a catalyst for change.  We don’t change until we realize that we need to…pain is the indicator that it is time for change.  From the higher perspective, as I understand it, pain is a most valuable tool because without it we have no catalyst to move us to do the work that is necessary in order to grow spiritually.

We can recode our DNA just through intent or by having someone else do it for us.

Well, think about this. If you are doing emotional clearing and that changes your DNA, isn’t that the same as DNA Recoding?  And, if you need fuel (fears and lower frequency emotions) to transmute into compassion to recode your DNA…and to experience that whole process of transmutation for it to work then how can you do it merely by intent?  Also, how can someone else do that for you?  How can they experience your fears, integrate them and learn your lessons for you? I don’t see how they can.  It would be the same as having someone else live your life for you while you sit on the sidelines and observe.  But if they could, I would certainly be the first in line!  I don’t want to experience any more pain and discomfort than I have to.

Through the ascension process we will gain the ability to bi-locate, levitate and move objects with our minds.

It was a real letdown for me when I found out that these abilities were not part of Earth’s planetary ascension process and plan.  I so wanted to learn how to do them and found that in the beginning they were one of the reasons I kept going.  But on the other hand, we are not required to attain them in order to ascend and that is a big relief!  Think of how much time and energy it would take to be able to acquire these abilities.  This is mystery school stuff that takes years to master.  So, no, these abilities are not part of the ascension process. The abilities that are required are:

    1. The ability to achieve compassion by transmuting emotional blocks

    2. The ability to value the Dark in all ways

    3. The ability to live in harmony with all other species in the universe regardless of differences

Something that I learned not too long ago that you might be interested to know is that there are two different ascension processes.  There is the Reptilian process and the Human Process. The Reptilian process, taught through the ancient mystery schools enables you to ascend through mental mastery and requires the student live apart from the world in order to concentrate on his/her skills.  The Human process enables you to ascend through the heart and requires the student to live in the world to acquire the skills.  Okay, so I may have opened a can of worms on this one…guess I’d better write an article to explain this one too.

When we ascend we will be on a different planet.

Actually in one sense it will be like being on a different planet, but in reality we will be on a different plane of this one.  Just as radio stations exist on different frequencies but you can still access them from the same radio, 3D, 4D and 5D will be different dimensions/frequencies/states of consciousness that can be accessed on the same planet, Earth.  At least that is my understanding at this time.

When we ascend we will live to total unity and oneness…there will be no Dark or negativity…it will be all love and light.

Whoa! Won’t people be surprised when they see that there is still Light and Dark in 5D?  Once again, as I understand it, we will have a more united society but not at the expense of individuality.  Having only Light/Unity means, in it’s extreme, a hive mentality like bees or ants. Do we really want that?  As I understand it, we want to live in the knowing that we are all connected so that we can stop all the warring and fighting that is caused by “we are separate” thinking. But we don’t want to give up our individuality and free will to become part of a unity consciousness where everyone thinks the same, do we? Well if that is the case, count me out. I like having free will and free thinking.

As we ascend we will be able to physically see and hear our guides.

Perhaps further down the road in the ascension process this will occur as 4D and 5D become stronger but for now it is through the inner eye and the inner ear that we see and hear our guides.  There are those who already do see and hear with their 3D eyes and ears but that is not because of DNA Recoding or ascension, I am told.  It is because they were born with endocrine glands fully functioning as part of their earth mission.

As we ascend we should leave our 3D lives behind and move into the Light.

Well, that’s also not part of the plan this time.  As I understand it, we are to live in the world and be part of it but live in it with a multidimensional consciousness.  This was a difficult one for me to figure out.  At the beginning of my path, I wanted to separate from the world, go live in a closed community of like-minded people, give up my credit cards and bank accounts and live on love.  I soon found out, just by doing part of that, that it didn’t work.  We are to stay grounded and in the world because the world is the place from where our lessons will come.  It is the place where we can access our fears and integrate them, access our lower frequency emotions and transmute them within our 3D physical bodies.

If we separate from the world and spend our time hanging out in other dimensions or the Astral plane, we will lose out on the experiences that cause us to grow.  Remember, without the lessons coming forward, we cannot spiritually grow.  We grow out of imbalance into balance.  If we try to live in a perfect world, we become spiritually stagnant, don’t we?  Think about it.  Well, enough of the misconceptions, this article is already long enough.  Let’s move on.

How can I tell if I am ascending?

    You have mentally made the decision to go through the ascension process.  This is different than being on the spiritual path.  Ascension is a choice to move to the 5th dimension.  The spiritual path is a choice to open up to what is beyond 3D and to access your spiritual side.
    Your fears are manifesting in your life as lessons
    Your physical body begins to react to the ascension process through new aches and pains.  This is your inner child being triggered by the fears coming up to be integrated.  These fears are stored in your physical body in different locations. Example: A fear of money is stored in your lower back and you experience that fear as lower back pain.
    You begin to be consciously aware of the synchronicities and unusual occurrences in your life versus being unaware of them.  (Synchronicities are your guides and your work bringing forth the events on your Life Blueprint that you had chosen during your time in the Interlife, the life between lives.)

What do we mean when we say that the 3rd, 4th, and 5th dimensions are merging?

This is an interesting tidbit that I couldn’t resist sharing with you.  As many of you know, there is a lot of talk about the dimensions merging, and the physical/mental/emotional effects we are experiencing because of it. I’d like to share what I think this means since so many have emailed me about it.

As more and more of us move along the Spiritual and Ascension paths, we achieve levels of understanding.  For example, we learn that we are spiritual beings having a physical/human experience.  When enough people figure that one out, they create a new consciousness.  As I understand it, this particular belief being one of the more basic ones on the Spiritual path is a 4D concept.  So, this group has anchored a 4D octave into 3D because they live in a physical 3D world, hence they have merged 3D and 4D.  The same thing occurs when enough people anchor a 5D concept in 3D.  This is what is meant by the dimensions are merging.  Groups of people are creating new dimensions of consciousness while living on a different dimension. Hope that makes sense.

Well that about sums up this ascension thing for this article.  There is a lot more that can be shared on ascension and I have covered some of it in other articles I’ve written.  Feel free to check them out. You will find them under “Ascension” in the Articles area of our site.

Please feel free to email me if you have any questions on the information in this article.  My email address is below.

In service,
Jelaila Starr
The Nibiruan Council
http://www.nibiruancouncil.com

For information of the physical symptoms of ascension read, Let’s get Real about Ascension, I and II.  For information on earth’s ascension status read, Are we Ascending?

* The Hundredth Monkey refers to "collective consciousness" (a phenomenon to scientists) by an author named Ken Keyes, Jr.  On an island, social scientists observed monkeys eating sweet potatoes that the scientists covered in sand before giving to the monkeys. The monkeys ate the potatoes but didn't like the sand.  One of the females began washing her potato in water before eating it.  Slowly the others followed her example and eventually this behavior spread throughout the island, reaching the older generation last. Suddenly other monkeys on the other islands started doing the same thing!  Simply, Keyes explains about this collective consciousness: “When a certain critical number achieves an awareness, this new awareness may be communicated from mind to mind.”  For you movie buffs, this phenomenon was also partially observed in the opening of the movie, 2001, a Space Odyssey.

Author Info:
Jelaila Starr, author of We are the Nibiruans, The Mission Remembered, and The Keys of Compassion is an internationally known  channel, teacher, and counselor. Through her lectures, workshops, and articles, Jelaila's message of compassion has touched the hearts of people around the world inspiring hope and understanding while providing solutions to some of today’s most pressing challenges. 

As a psychic/intuitive/counselor, Jelaila works with individuals to assist them with emotional clearing, healing relationships, and DNA Recoding.  Jelaila's unique approach enables her clients to clearly discover who they are, what they came to do, and how to achieve it.  To contact Jelaila, email her at: jelaila@nibiruancouncil.com
Website: www.nibiruancouncil.com

Friday, November 5, 2010

Great Indian Founders




Great Founders

ARYABHATT (476 CE)

MASTER ASTRONOMER AND MATHEMATICIAN
Born in 476 CE in Kusumpur ( Bihar ), Aryabhatt's intellectual brilliance remapped the boundaries of mathematics and astronomy. In 499 CE, at the age of 23, he wrote a text on astronomy and an unparallel treatise on mathematics called "Aryabhatiyam." He formulated the process of calculating the motion of planets and the time of eclipses. Aryabhatt was the first to proclaim that the earth is round, it rotates on its axis, orbits the sun and is suspended in space - 1000 years before Copernicus published his heliocentric theory. He is also acknowledged for calculating p (Pi) to four decimal places: 3.1416 and the sine table in trigonometry. Centuries later, in 825 CE, the Arab mathematician, Mohammed Ibna Musa credited the value of Pi to the Indians, "This value has been given by the Hindus." And above all, his most spectacular contribution was the concept of zero without which modern computer technology would have been non-existent. Aryabhatt was a colossus in the field of mathematics.
*
BHASKARACHARYA II (1114-1183 CE)
GENIUS IN ALGEBRA
Born in the obscure village of Vijjadit (Jalgaon) in Maharastra, Bhaskaracharya's work in Algebra, Arithmetic and Geometry catapulted him to fame and immortality. His renowned mathematical works called "Lilavati" and "Bijaganita" are considered to be unparalled and a memorial to his profound intelligence. Its translation in several languages of the world bear testimony to its eminence. In his treatise " Siddhant Shiromani " he writes on planetary positions, eclipses, cosmography, mathematical techniques and astronomical equipment. In the " Surya Siddhant " he makes a note on the force of gravity: "Objects fall on earth due to a force of attraction by the earth. Therefore, the earth, planets, constellations, moon, and sun are held in orbit due to this attraction." Bhaskaracharya was the first to discover gravity, 500 years before Sir Isaac Newton . He was the champion among mathematicians of ancient and medieval India . His works fired the imagination of Persian and European scholars, who through research on his works earned fame and popularity.
ACHARYA KANAD (600 BCE)
FOUNDER OF ATOMIC THEORY
As the founder of " Vaisheshik Darshan "- one of six principal philosophies of India - Acharya Kanad was a genius in philosophy. He is believed to have been born in Prabhas Kshetra near Dwarika in Gujarat . He was the pioneer expounder of realism, law of causation and the atomic theory. He has classified all the objects of creation into nine elements, namely: earth, water, light, wind, ether, time, space, mind and soul. He says, "Every object of creation is made of atoms which in turn connect with each other to form molecules." His statement ushered in the Atomic Theory for the first time ever in the world, nearly 2500 years before John Dalton . Kanad has also described the dimension and motion of atoms and their chemical reactions with each other. The eminent historian, T.N. Colebrook , has said, "Compared to the scientists of Europe , Kanad and other Indian scientists were the global masters of this field."
NAGARJUNA (100 CE)
WIZARD OF CHEMICAL SCIENCE
He was an extraordinary wizard of science born in the nondescript village of Baluka in Madhya Pradesh . His dedicated research for twelve years produced maiden discoveries and inventions in the faculties of chemistry and metallurgy. Textual masterpieces like " Ras Ratnakar ," "Rashrudaya" and "Rasendramangal" are his renowned contributions to the science of chemistry. Where the medieval alchemists of England failed, Nagarjuna had discovered the alchemy of transmuting base metals into gold. As the author of medical books like "Arogyamanjari" and "Yogasar," he also made significant contributions to the field of curative medicine. Because of his profound scholarliness and versatile knowledge, he was appointed as Chancellor of the famous University of Nalanda . Nagarjuna's milestone discoveries impress and astonish the scientists of today.
*
ACHARYA CHARAK (600 BCE)
FATHER OF MEDICINE
Acharya Charak has been crowned as the Father of Medicine. His renowned work, the " Charak Samhita ", is considered as an encyclopedia of Ayurveda. His principles, diagoneses, and cures retain their potency and truth even after a couple of millennia. When the science of anatomy was confused with different theories in Europe , Acharya Charak revealed through his innate genius and enquiries the facts on human anatomy, embryology, pharmacology, blood circulation and diseases like diabetes, tuberculosis, heart disease, etc. In the " Charak Samhita " he has described the medicinal qualities and functions of 100,000 herbal plants. He has emphasized the influence of diet and activity on mind and body. He has proved the correlation of spirituality and physical health contributed greatly to diagnostic and curative sciences. He has also prescribed and ethical charter for medical practitioners two centuries prior to the Hippocratic oath. Through his genius and intuition, Acharya Charak made landmark contributions to Ayurvedal. He forever remains etched in the annals of history as one of the greatest and noblest of rishi-scientists.
ACHARYA SUSHRUT (600 BCE)
FATHER OF PLASTIC SURGERY
A genius who has been glowingly recognized in the annals of medical science. Born to sage Vishwamitra, Acharya Sudhrut details the first ever surgery procedures in " Sushrut Samhita ," a unique encyclopedia of surgery. He is venerated as the father of plastic surgery and the science of anesthesia. When surgery was in its infancy in Europe , Sushrut was performing Rhinoplasty (restoration of a damaged nose) and other challenging operations. In the " Sushrut Samhita ," he prescribes treatment for twelve types of fractures and six types of dislocations. His details on human embryology are simply amazing. Sushrut used 125 types of surgical instruments including scalpels, lancets, needles, Cathers and rectal speculums; mostly designed from the jaws of animals and birds. He has also described a number of stitching methods; the use of horse's hair as thread and fibers of bark. In the " Sushrut Samhita ," and fibers of bark. In the " Sushrut Samhita ," he details 300 types of operations. The ancient Indians were the pioneers in amputation, caesarian and cranial surgeries. Acharya Sushrut was a giant in the arena of medical science.
VARAHAMIHIR (499-587 CE)
EMINENT ASTROLOGER AND ASTRONOMERA
Renowned astrologer and astronomer who was honored with a special decoration and status as one of the nine gems in the court of King Vikramaditya in Avanti ( Ujjain ). Varahamihir's book "panchsiddhant" holds a prominent place in the realm of astronomy. He notes that the moon and planets are lustrous not because of their own light but due to sunlight. In the " Bruhad Samhita " and " Bruhad Jatak ," he has revealed his discoveries in the domains of geography, constellation, science, botany and animal science. In his treatise on botanical science, Varamihir presents cures for various diseases afflicting plants and trees. The rishi-scientist survives through his unique contributions to the science of astrology and astronomy.
ACHARYA PATANJALI (200 BCE)
FATHER OF YOGA
The Science of Yoga is one of several unique contributions of India to the world. It seeks to discover and realize the ultimate Reality through yogic practices. Acharya Patanjali , the founder, hailed from the district of Gonda (Ganara) in Uttar Pradesh . He prescribed the control of prana (life breath) as the means to control the body, mind and soul. This subsequently rewards one with good health and inner happiness. Acharya Patanjali 's 84 yogic postures effectively enhance the efficiency of the respiratory, circulatory, nervous, digestive and endocrine systems and many other organs of the body. Yoga has eight limbs where Acharya Patanjali shows the attainment of the ultimate bliss of God in samadhi through the disciplines of: yam, niyam, asan, pranayam, pratyahar, dhyan and dharna. The Science of Yoga has gained popularity because of its scientific approach and benefits. Yoga also holds the honored place as one of six philosophies in the Indian philosophical system. Acharya Patanjali will forever be remembered and revered as a pioneer in the science of self-discipline, happiness and self-realization.
ACHARYA BHARADWAJ (800 BCE)
PIONEER OF AVIATION TECHNOLOGY
Acharya Bharadwaj had a hermitage in the holy city of Prayag and was an ordent apostle of Ayurveda and mechanical sciences. He authored the " Yantra Sarvasva " which includes astonishing and outstanding discoveries in aviation science, space science and flying machines. He has described three categories of flying machines: 1.) One that flies on earth from one place to another. 2.) One that travels from one planet to another. 3.) And One that travels from one universe to another. His designs and descriptions have impressed and amazed aviation engineers of today. His brilliance in aviation technology is further reflected through techniques described by him:
1.) Profound Secret: The technique to make a flying machine invisible through the application of sunlight and wind force.
2.) Living Secret: The technique to make an invisible space machine visible through the application of electrical force.
3.) Secret of Eavesdropping: The technique to listen to a conversation in another plane.
4.) Visual Secrets: The technique to see what's happening inside another plane.
Through his innovative and brilliant discoveries, Acharya Bharadwaj has been recognized as the pioneer of aviation technology.

ACHARYA KAPIL (3000 BCE)

FATHER OF COSMOLOGY
Celebrated as the founder of Sankhya philosophy, Acharya Kapil is believed to have been born in 3000 BCE to the illustrious sage Kardam and Devhuti. He gifted the world with the Sankhya School of Thought. His pioneering work threw light on the nature and principles of the ultimate Soul (Purusha), primal matter (Prakruti) and creation. His concept of transformation of energy and profound commentaries on atma, non-atma and the subtle elements of the cosmos places him in an elite class of master achievers - incomparable to the discoveries of other cosmologists. On his assertion that Prakruti, with the inspiration of Purusha, is the mother of cosmic creation and all energies, he contributed a new chapter in the science of cosmology. Because of his extrasensory observations and revelations on the secrets of creation, he is recognized and saluted as the Father of Cosmology.
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Thursday, October 21, 2010

You and Supreme soul

 Dear friends of Yoga:

This piece is being shared because it touches on many of the finer points of Yoga philosophy. Also the references for the piece are second to none.

The publisher is an online vendor of artful things of Indian Yoga and religion. Frequently articles such as this are offered and are available by signing up. See bottom of page.

May you find peace and happiness through your explorations in Yoga.

In the light of Yoga:

John


From Individual Soul to The Supreme: A Study in Identity

Article of the Month - October 2010

The Vedas are unanimous in declaring God as the Supreme Soul (Param Atma), who is infinite (ananta). However, the most potent Vedic statements also declare: 'You are That' (Tat Tvam Asi), meaning that the individual soul is none other than the Supreme Soul. This naturally presents a problem. The individual soul, as we know it, is inevitably linked to our physical body. Therefore, there is no way that it can exceed the size of the body and share God's infinitude. How then can it be equated to the Supreme Soul? This problem can perhaps be solved if we are able to pinpoint the exact size of the individual soul (jiva atma).
Conjecture: In all probability it seems logical to assume that the jiva is of the size of the body itself.
This supposition does however present some issues. During childhood the size of the body is small which grows larger in youth. How does the soul accommodate this change in size? No one can say that it stretches itself. Also, what about rebirth? If we are to take the body of a cockroach in our next life will the soul compress itself, or will it expand if we are to take on the form of an elephant? More importantly, assigning a finite size to soul implies that it is non-eternal, since it is but our common experience that everything with a finite shape or size is ultimately prone to destruction.
What then do the Vedas themselves say in this regard? For one, the scriptures definitely seem to imply that the soul has a size, because they mention its passing out of the body at the time of death, and also its journeying to other worlds:
'The soul passes out of the body at the time of death, carrying along with it speech and other sense organs' (Kaushitaki Upanishad 3.4).
'To reap the fruits of its karma, the soul ascends to the region of the moon' (Kaushitaki Upanishad 1.2).
'The soul returns to the mortal world again to do fresh karma' (Brhadaranyaka Upanishad 4.4.6).
Conjecture: If the individual soul was really infinite like the Supreme Soul, there would be no possibility of its movement. We have already seen that it cannot be of the size of the body. Since it is neither infinite, nor finite in size, therefore, it must be atomic in size, as declared by the scriptures:
'The soul is a hundredth part of the hundredth part of the tip of a hair' (Shvetashvatara Upanishad 5.9).
'The soul is finer than the tip of a pointed iron goad' (Shvetashvatara Upanishad 5.8).
A Refreshing Bathe in the River Ganga
A Refreshing Bathe in the River Ganga



Objection to the Conjecture: If the soul is atomic in size, it will be located at only a single point in the body, this will contradict our everyday experience that the whole body is conscious of a refreshing coolness when we bathe in the river Ganga, or in the summers we are conscious of heat all over our body.



Atomist: No, it is not a contradiction. Just as a drop of sandal paste (chandan), applied only to a particular part of the body, nevertheless produces a pleasant sensation all over the body, similarly the soul, even though located at only one part of the body, due to its contact with the skin (the organ of touch), derives the experience of pleasure and pain all over the body, because the skin is spread all over the body.
Question: This is an inadequate comparison. In the case of the sandal paste, we can directly perceive both, its point of application and the subsequent diffused experience of pleasantness all over the body. In the case of the soul however, we are aware of it only through the consciousness of pleasure and pain all over the body, but cannot at all pinpoint its exact location in the body as we can do for the sandal paste. Thus, we cannot say with certainty whether it is atomic in size with an exact location, or all-pervading like the akasha, as mentioned in the scriptures.
Atomist: This presents no problem at all. The Upanishads clearly mention the soul as residing in the heart (Brhadaranyaka Upanishad 4.3.7; Prashna Upanishad 3.6; Chandogya 8.3.3; Taittriya 2.1). So now we not only have the perception of the soul all over the body in the form of consciousness, but also its exact location inside the body. Hence, we can now safely reiterate that the individual soul (jiva atma) is atomic in size.
Or there is even another way which easily explains how the atomic soul even though located at one point in the body is experienced as consciousness all over it. Consider the example of a lamp kept in a one part of a room. Its light spreads over the whole room, similarly, the consciousness of the soul spreads all over the body and causes us the experience of pleasure and pain.
Objection to Atomist: The quality of a thing does not wander away beyond that thing in which it inheres. The whiteness of a piece of cloth remains in it and not beyond. In fact, light is not a quality of the flame, it is a substance (matter), just like the flame itself. Light in its maximum density is the flame (lamp), and in the diffused state it is light (Shankaracharya's Commentary on the Brahma Sutras 2.3.26).
Here we have the great Shankaracharya declaring light to be 'matter'. More than a thousand years later, Albert Einstein would receive the Nobel prize for discovering the same.

How Does Vedanta Resolve this Issue?

A Classical Dancer Enacts the Pricking of a Thorn in the Sole of Her Feet
A Classical Dancer Enacts the Pricking of a Thorn in the Sole of Her Feet




It is unequivocally declared that jiva is non different from the Supreme Soul (God). Therefore, it has to be as big as the Supreme Soul, which is all pervading. Otherwise, we cannot experience the sensation of pleasure and pain extending all over the body. To say that such an experience is possible on account of the soul's connection with the skin extending all over our body, is to negate our own actual experience. The pain of a thorn pricking the sole of our feet is located at the sole and not experienced all over the body.




Nor can it be said that the jiva pervades the entire body by means of its quality of consciousness, for if the jiva is atomic in size, its quality must reside in it, and cannot go beyond it in order to pervade the entire body. A quality which wanders beyond the substance ceases to be a quality. The light of the lamp which goes beyond the flame is a part of the flame itself, and not separate from it. In essence, the flame and its light are not two different things, i.e., we cannot say that the soul is somewhere else and its influence somewhere else. Wherever its influence is being experienced, there the soul is present too. There is no example in our experience where we can say that an object is situated somewhere and its influence is being distributed elsewhere independent of it. Like the power is non different from the one wielding it, similarly, any quality is non different from the object possessing it. The quality and its possessor cannot be separate, they can exist toge! ther only.
If consciousness, as the inherent quality of the soul is said to pervade the whole body, it is as good as saying that the soul is not atomic in size. Because, consciousness is nothing but the innate nature of the soul. We have already seen above that the soul is not of the size of the body. By default then, it has to be all-pervading or infinite.
Objection: Why then is the soul described as minutely small, and residing in the heart?
Resolution: Due to the imposition of the qualities of the buddhi (intellect) on to the soul. When the qualities of the buddhi, i.e. desire, aversion, pleasure or pain are superimposed onto the faultless soul itself, then is the latter spoken of as being atomic, the size of the buddhi, which is said to reside in the heart. Fundamentally, the soul is eternally free from these qualities.
The Shvetashvatara Upanishad says: 'The soul is a hundredth part of the hundredth part of the tip of a hair, and yet it is infinite.' (5.9). Now the same soul cannot possess these contradictory attributes. According to 'Tat Tvam Asi', the individual soul, being nothing but the Supreme Soul, must be infinite like the latter. Therefore, the atomic size must be understood as simply metaphorical or conditioned by the qualities of the buddhi. This is clear from the statement: 'The jiva is like the tip of a goading stick on account of it being endowed with the qualities of the buddhi, and not on account of its own true nature' (Shvetashvatara Upanishad 5.8).
The statement that: 'the individual soul is atomic, and is to be known only through the inner light'(Mundaka Upanishad 3.1.9), is not meant to indicate that the soul is atomic in size, but rather that the Supreme Soul (God) cannot be apprehended by the sense organs turned outwards, but only when they are withdrawn from the outside world. This is precisely the reason why it is said to be located inside the heart. The word atomic is used to make us understand that the soul is too subtle to be discerned, it in no way describes the innate true nature of the soul, which is identical with the infinite Supreme Soul (God or Brahman).
It is the metaphorical ascription of the qualities of the buddhi to the soul that is echoed in the other scriptural passages quoted above. The Prashna Upanishad clearly states that the passing out of the soul from the body and its consequent departure to other regions and then coming back to this mortal world is falsely ascribed to the soul on account of the upadhi of the buddhi and prana (Prashna Upanishad 6.3-4). The soul can never be spoken of as leaving the body, since what leaves is the prana and not the soul. In other words, just as the infinite God is spoken of as 'smaller than a grain of rice', for the purpose of devotion (Upasana), even so the soul is said to be atomic so long as the qualities of the buddhi are superimposed on to it.
As a matter of fact, there is nothing like an individual soul (jiva), except the Supreme Soul appearing as jiva on account of the upadhi of the buddhi. For throughout the Upanishads we do not we do not meet with any other conscious principle other than the One and Only Supreme God.

Conclusion: What is the Use of This Analysis?

Vedanta purposefully starts off by pointing out to us that even though we identify ourselves, and others too, exclusively through the physical body, we are in fact different from it. When a person dies, even though his physical body is lying in front of us, it is inert. What this shows is that by itself the physical world is inert, and it is powered some conscious power which is independent of the physical forms. Therefore, there is something different from the body which grants it consciousness. This is what is known as the individual soul.
Once we have logically recognized the presence of a soul in the body, we then set out to determine its physical size. Proceeding step by step we realize that it can neither be the size of the body (finite), nor can it be atomic. Thus, it has to be all pervading, as concluded by the scriptures. It is only because we perceive the soul conditioned by the qualities of the buddhi, mind etc, imposing these on to the eternally pure soul, that the Vedas speak of it as having an atomic size situated inside the heart, making us understand in the process that unless we withdraw inwards from the outside world, there is no hope for salvation.
Finally, this analysis by Shri Shankaracharya Ji makes us realize that even though we are all pervading, we wrongly think of ourselves as confined within the limits of this one single body. We think of ourselves as only 'this much,' and the rest as different from us, thus getting too much attached to our own body and the things associated with it, despising others which we perceive as inimical to the interests of our physical world. It is this raga (attachment) and dvesha (aversion) that this analysis helps us in overcoming.

References and Further Reading:


This Article by Nitin Kumar.
This article is based almost entirely on the teachings of Param Pujya Swami Paramanand Bharati Ji. However, any error is entirely the author's own.

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Saturday, October 2, 2010

PancaKosha

It's being bandied about that this generation is to be known as The Internet Generation. Some of us are hold-overs from several generations back but we are still here and trying our best to "be with-it." This blog, then, is for those that qualify!
Patanjali, in his Yoga Sutra, tells us as one of the Niyamas that we should practice Svadyaya, or self study. Until recently I had assumed this just meant study of the BIG SELF but now I'm seeing where it's also useful to study small self and it is with that in mind when talking about this topic of Pancakosha.
Here it is: use your internet skills and some or all of the search engines available and begin your own Svadyaya education. Some hints: there are many ways to spell transliterated Sanskrit words and, as you will find, not all spellings lead to the same results, so if you really want to know the entire story it is recommended to try more than one spelling For instance  Pancakosha may also be spelled Panchakosha or five sheaths or five bodies. Each leads to a unique set of explanations of meaning. Yes, I know there are many similarities but we are talking about fathoming the nature of spirituality and every nuance can have a significant meaning.
You will learn that purification of these five bodies leads to purification of our being and with that our divine light is able to shine more brightly. Undoubtedly in the process you will learn that Yoga provides purification  practices for each of these bodies. With that we become physically and mentally healthy leading to a reduction in suffering and an increase in happiness and health.
In the Light of Yoga

Sunday, September 19, 2010

SEVA Par Excellence



Sincere and heart-felt congratulations to Terry and Ajay Gupta for the marvelous day-long celebration of
Yoga for Peace in Action at their 3rd Annual NH Global Mala (http://yogacaps.org/) held in Nashua on September 18th! They put together an inspiring and spiritually uplifting day-long program blending Eastern and Western Yoga traditions to achieve a rarely seen true Yoga event. Half of the net proceeds of the day will be used to support their Yoga Volunteer Corps who bring Yoga classes to those souls dealing with cancer and the under served in society who can benefit from Yoga practice. The other half will be used to support the Peace and Social Justice program at New Hampshire Community College in Nashua. "The Peace & Social Justice Studies concentration within the Liberal Arts degree program prepares graduates to function as community advocates to help ensure a society in which equity and peace building is embraced and preserved." Two wonderful programs serving humanity and helping to raise the consciousness of students who will shortly be entering society as contributing citizens.
The meaning of the word SEVA  is selfless service: doing something for someone or society without an expectation of reward. True giving from the heart. Ajay and Terry are wonderful torch-bearers of this ideal, not only in putting together this function but in their continued devotion to the concept of selfless service in all their Yoga programs. It is a given they have devoted their energy and lives to this cause.
Watch for future events like this from Yoga Caps and come and join in to know what it's like to feel "your heart soar like an eagle!"