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ARTArticleThe Nature of Divine LoveThere is an apocryphal tale in the Mahabharata which illustrates the nature of Divine Love and the devotion of the seeker. Narad, the divine sage, came across a yogi who was practicing austerities. The yogi took the opportunity to ask how long before he would achieve liberation. When Narada told him it would be several lifetimes, he was distressed that after so many years of hard austerities, the result was still long in the future. Narad later came across a bhakta who was singing and dancing in praise of the Divine under a large tree.ARTArticleThe Nature of Inner PeaceMost of us, when we reflect on the quality of “peace” think about finding an exte
al situation that is quiet and isolated from the activities of the social body, whether it be politics, the economy, or inter-personal relationships. Peace for us is something that exists through the absence of disturbance. We then say we are “at peace”. We also tend to relegate “peace” to the dead and departed when we say “rest in peace”. The peace of death is, for many, the ultimate description of “peace”.ARTArticleThe Necessity of a Luminous Faith in Following the Spiritual PathThe long-standing debate between science and religion pits the rational intellect with its demand for facts, proof, and logical inference, along with rigorous testing to achieve reproducible results to dispel doubt against the religious conviction based on faith. Science looks down on faith as not being fact-based or provable, while religion dismisses science as limited within an artificial framework that does not, in fact, fully understand the creation or its meaning, and which therefore misunderstands and misinterprets what it is seeing and inferring.ARTArticleThe Need for a Direct Experience of the Reality of ExistenceAt the end of all our speculation, logic, reasoning, and opinions, we find that we are plagued by uncertainty and doubt in our minds about the meaning of our existence, our purpose in the world and the reality of the universal creation. We can recognize that what we observe through our senses is subject to error and misinterpretation. We also can recognize that however far we take our mental reasoning, it always ends in an inability to obtain certainty.ARTArticleThe Need to Open and Bring Forward the Inner Psychic BeingHumanity has tried countless ways to solve the existential questions and crises that we face living in the world around us and interacting with all other beings who share the space with us. Religion, law, social development, economic development, technology, and others have each had their chance to uplift human existence. Yet, we find that each attempt faces limitations that prove that the solution is not in these things.ARTArticleThe Need to Remain Undisturbed by Outer CircumstancesOne of the great obstacles to the reception and activation of the higher forces of consciousness are the pre-existing habits of action and reaction in the mind-life-body complex. We are constantly pulled in one direction or another, we react to events and circumstances from our narrow ego-standpoint, and try to enforce our desired results on people and activities. There is no room, in this reactive state, for a new focus and action of consciousness to occur. Thus arises the need to bring the reactive psychology to a state of quiet and receptivity.ARTArticleThe Need to Transcend the Intellect in the Search for the Truth of ExistenceOnce we acknowledge that Truth cannot be ascertained through intellectual prowess alone, that the mind is not an instrument of truth, but rather an instrument for seeking, filled with doubt, confusion and limitation, we can no longer rely entirely on the mind to be the arbiter of what reality actually is, and what the significance of life is. We must either acknowledge that there is no way to truly find the meaning and purpose of our existence, or else, that there must be another faculty that can exceed the mind and provide the certainty and knowledge that we seek.ARTArticleThe Needed Engagement That Enlivens the Outer Forms of WorshipThe inner life-force behind any action is more important than the outer form which it takes. Japa and Mantra can become habitual and repetitive, and if that happens, the outer shelf remains, but there is nothing alive within. Such japa sadhana has little value. The living energy needed is either the mental focus and engagement or the emotional/vital support for the activity so that it is something that goes beyond mere droning repetition.ARTArticleThe Number Six and NumerologyKnown as number mysticism in ancient times, numerology is one of many forms of divination, and one of our favorites.
Our long-term experience shows us that pattern recognition using hundreds of indicators is the best way to reliably interpret personal fate and personality. But you can get a glimpse into character and timing from a limited number of factors.ARTArticleThe Object of the Integral YogaPeople take up the practices of Yoga with many different objects in mind. Many do so from the viewpoint of the individual ego, seeking for fitness, health, energy, prosperity, fame, or for individual spiritual realisations, spiritual experiences, acquisition of special powers, conquest of death or ultimate salvation. These goals are all based in the ego and are ultimately illusory, as the ego is not an independent actor per se. They all measure the results of Yoga based on the individual’s value scale and judgment.ARTArticleThe Occult Action and Interaction of the Planes of ExistenceFrom a superficial perspective it is virtually impossible to understand the development of consciousness from Matter to Life, and from Life to Mind, and beyond. We now recognize that our beliefs and actions are conditioned by factors unseen and essentially unknown to us. C. G. Jung described the “collective unconscious” where many factors, not obvious to our conscious minds, lead us to act and react to situations, people and circumstances, including desires, tendencies, and impulsions of various sorts.ARTArticleThe One Indispensable ThingThere is considerable confusion about spirituality and spiritual practice. We tend to conflate “good works” with spiritual progress, when in many cases, these good works, while necessary and helpful in the world at large, actually arise from a mental or vital call to action rather than from the Divine as a direct imperative. The first goal in Yoga is to realise the Divine, to shift the consciousness from the human mental, separative and fragmented standpoint to the Divine standpoint.ARTArticleThe Path of the Integral YogaThe integral yoga relies on the action of a force of consciousness beyond the mind-life-body complex under which we ordinarily function. This involves a self-exceeding beyond the normal framework. Thus, it cannot be accomplished purely by the action of those powers residing within that framework, the powers of the mind, the powers of the life-force, the powers of the body.ARTArticleThe Power of a Calm MindIf we observe our mental space for some time, such as when we sit for meditation, the first thing to be noticed is that the mind tends to jump around from one thought, idea or perception to another, seemingly randomly and impacted by sensory data coming to us through our sense organs. Some call it the “monkey mind”. This constant chu
in the mental space is an obstacle to the meditation, as it also is an obstacle to receiving knowledge and force from higher levels of consciousness.ARTArticleThe Power of Wideness in the Practice of the Integral YogaWhen an individual being is under extreme pressure, whether through illness, emotional or mental distress, stress of living in the society or dealing with events and people, the natural reaction at the physical-vital-mental level is to contract, to curl up, to close off, to withdraw into a shell, to try to prevent the power that is active, whether it is due to physical forces, vital or emotional forces or mental forces, from breaking down or destroying the being. This strategy appears to be an important defense mechanism in the lower nature.ARTArticleThe Practice of Yoga Through Surrender, Self-Giving and ConsecrationThe challenge faced by the aspirant trying to bring about the action of a new basis of awareness and action, is that continued reliance on the habitual means and methods of mind, life and body, inhibits the free active intervention of this new consciousness. The process of exceeding the framework of the present requires a methodology that shifts the focus and reliance to that new stance and allows it to determine the modus and timing of the steps along the way. The more we try to control the process, the less opportunity we provide for the higher force to act.ARTArticleThe Principle Behind Mantra and JapaEverything we experience is based on vibrations that impinge upon us and bring about a response in the substance of our being. All matter is created by energy, which consists of vibratory waves. All energy is created by consciousness, which provides the specific impulse of vibration to be created. This principle is recognised throughout the world. The New Testament of the Bible starts with a statement to this effect: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” Succinctly put, this recognises the essential nature and power of vibration.ARTArticleThe Principle of Integral YogaWhen we look back at the history of the practices of Yoga, we find several lines of development. One is to move the consciousness away from focus on the outer world and its events, activities and insistent occupations to focus entirely on entering a status of unity with the Divine, the Absolute, whether conceived of as unmoving or moving, impersonal or personal.ARTArticleThe Process of Concentration in Yoga, Part 1It is likely that most people have experienced a state of concentration at some point in their lives, whether it is focusing on a specific project they are involved with, preparing for an examination, or playing some game of sport that involves focus on a consistent basis. Many people report times when they are “in the zone” and without active thought, they nevertheless are concentrated on the effort at hand and experience an unusual state of focused awareness. Various spiritual paths describe detailed forms of visualisation that represent a practice involving and developing concentration.ARTArticleThe Process of Concentration in Yoga, Part 2Concentration of various sorts is a part of yogic development generally. In most cases, particular paths recommend very specific forms of concentration, whether it be visualisation, recitation of mantras, or specific devotional exercises. The integral yoga also utilizes concentration, but does not prescribe a very specific fixed regimen for everyone, recognising that each individual has his own starting point, specific issues to address and resolve and different phases in the yogic sadhana.ARTArticleThe Process of Establishing Equality in the BeingAs Sri Aurobindo has indicated, the practice of yoga is a science of applied psychology. The normal and habitual patterns of response that we exhibit need to be both understood and modified, energies redirected, and new forces allowed to intervene and exert their influence in our lives. Establishment of a state of equality in the being is one aspect of the psychological change required.ARTArticleThe Process of Opening of the Chakras in YogaThe opening of the chakras has been the subject of a tremendous amount of focus in the yoga literature, with emphasis on the awakening of the kundalini energy at the base of the spine, and the rising up of this energy through each of the chakras up to the crown of the head. The dangers associated with this process have also been described, as a sudden opening of one of the lower chakras can lead to serious psychological and physical imbalances and dangers, particularly if there is not a trusted and experienced guide to help one manage the experience.ARTArticleThe Process of the Supramental Manifestation and Its Integration into Life on EarthThe consciousness of Matter could not anticipate or dream of the manifestation of the Life-principle, and the vital living plant and animal consciousness could not anticipate the advent and impact of the mental consciousness. Similarly, the mental consciousness cannot truly understand nor anticipate the appearance of a being organised under a principle of consciousness so far beyond the mental, as the mental is beyond that of the plant and animal stage of consciousness.ARTArticleThe Process of Turning Work into Yogic PracticeThe Bhagavad Gita proclaims that ‘yoga is skill in works’. The type of focused concentrated effort that comes about through a yogic practice is an essential aspect of completing any task skillfully. It does not imply, however, that all ‘skill in works’ is necessarily yoga, unless by that one includes the secret yoga of nature that prepares the being for union with the Divine through the long, slow process of evolutionary development.ARTArticleThe Process of Turning Work into Yogic PracticeThe Bhagavad Gita proclaims that ‘yoga is skill in works’. The type of focused concentrated effort that comes about through a yogic practice is an essential aspect of completing any task skillfully. It does not imply, however, that all ‘skill in works’ is necessarily yoga, unless by that one includes the secret yoga of nature that prepares the being for union with the Divine through the long, slow process of evolutionary development.ARTArticleThe Realisations of the Self and the Psychic BeingPeople follow different spiritual paths and practices and tend to identify with their own path and the spiritual experiences and realisations that come with it. In some cases, they believe that the experience they have is the preeminent or real experience while others are less authentic. In addition, many people have a number of different types of experiences, all classified in the general term as ‘spiritual experiences’ but they remain confused and do not know what they mean or what significance or role they are intended to have.ARTArticleThe Respective Roles of the Jivatman and the Psychic BeingIn the Taittiriya Upanishad, a seeker successively realises the basis of existence, first in the physical sheath, then in the vital or life sheath, and then in the mental sheath, before exceeding each of these as the progression of his realisation went beyond the mind into the “knowledge” and “bliss” sheaths. A similar progression in fact is taking place in Western science, which first concentrated on Matter as the reality of existence, then moved to Energy and now is starting to recognize consciousness as the ultimate reality.ARTArticleThe Road to Silence of the MindIt is essentially a universal experience that when we sit for meditation, we see clearly the constant running of thoughts, perceptions, feelings, emotions, desires etc. that occupies the mind all the time, but to which we pay little attention when going about the activities of daily life. There is a constant stream, which some have called “stream of consciousness” that creates a mental ‘running commentary’ that the mind is constantly asked to process. We tend to treat this as an obstacle to meditation, and generally blame ourselves with the thought that we simply are not able to meditate.ARTArticleThe Role and Destiny of the BodyThe physical body has provided spiritual seekers with a riddle and a challenge throughout time and across the globe. For those focused on the exte
al life there is no question. They enjoy, they develop the capacities of the body, they do not think twice about it, other than to the extent that their religious or moral training has provided them reasons to treat the normal functions of the body as sinful or immoral, and the expectations of society challenge the body image of the individual to raise up feelings of shame or pride.ARTArticleThe Role and Destiny of the Vital ForceThe life-force represents the next evolutionary stage beyond physical Matter. It transforms material energy and channels it for development of perception, feeling, and interaction. It prepares the way for the advent of the subsequent evolutionary phase of the manifestation of Mind. When it first emerges its focus is on survival and growth primarily. Higher motivations, ideals, concepts, await the appearance of the mind. The vital force is clearly an instrumental force, not a causative one. In the absence of clear direction, it simply reaches out to grow, avoid pain and obtain nourishment.