Kriya Yoga: A Mystical Practice for Everyday Life

1. Kriya Yoga: A Mystical Practice for Everyday Life Nora Quiason, MD (Swami Kuvirananda)

2. Outline • Part One • Mysticism • Kriya Yoga • Mystical and Kriya Yoga Concepts • Immortality • Dharma • Karma • Death and Rebirth • Aham Brahmasme • Kali Yuga: the Present Age

3. The Eight Limbs of YogaPatanjali’s Yoga Sutras Part Two: Daily Practice and Rituals Yama (Abstentions) Niyama (Observances) Asanas (Yoga Postures) Pranayama (Breath Control) Pratyahara (Withdrawal of the Senses) Dharana (Concentration) Dhyana (Meditation) Samadhi (Contemplation)

4. Mysticism Derived from the Greek meaning to conceal and from the word mystikos meaning an initiate. “The pursuit of communion with, identity with, or conscious awareness of an ultimate reality, divinity, spiritual truth, or God through direct experience, intuition, instinct or insight.” WF Cobb, Mysticism and Creed, 1914

5. Perennial PhilosophyAldous Huxley “the metaphysic that recognizes a divine Reality substantial in the world of things and lives and minds; the psychology that finds in the soul something similar to, or even identical with divine Reality; the ethic that finds man’s final end in the knowledge of the immanent and transcendent Ground of all being is immemorial and universal.” “Rudiments of the Perennial Philosophy may be found among the traditionary lore of primitive peoples in all regions of the world, and in its fully developed forms it has a place in every one of the higher religions.”

6. Some Mystical Traditions Kabbalah- Jewish mysticism- esoteric practice meant to connect the finite material universe with an eternal ultimate reality. Sufism- Islamic mysticism- teaches turning the heart away from all else but God Buddhism- mystical practice teaching the impermanence of all creation and dependent origination (There is no such thing as independent existence) Christian mysticism- various practices which brings the mystic into the realization of his creator God: Gnosticism, Rosicrucian Toltec mysticism- Carlos Castaneda, Don Miguel Ruiz Other traditions: Native American, Australian aboriginal traditions

7. Mystical experience is very personal and unique and therefore, beyond description. To the critical thinker, therefore, mystical experience is suspect.

8. Criticisms of Mysticism The mystic works from within as opposed to the philosopher who works from without. “The mystic starts from his inner, positive, individual experience, in which he finds himself as the eternal and only being…But nothing of this is communicable except that we have to accept the assertions that we have to accept his word. Schopenhauer, The World as Will and Representation

9. Criticisms of Mysticism Mystical experiences only seem profound and persuasive because the mind’s critical faculties are inactive. Martin Minsky Mystical experience is essentially an infantile regressive experience and what is perceived as experience of oneness is actually the memory of oneness with the mother in the womb. Freud

10. Criticisms of Mysticisms “Mysticism is the acceptance of allegations without evidence or proof, either apart from or against the evidence of one’s senses and one’s reason. Mysticism is the claim to some non-sensory, non-rational, non-definable, non-identifiable means of knowledge, such as ‘instinct,’ ‘intuition,’ ‘revelation,’ or any form of ‘just knowing.’ Ayn Rand, Faith and Force: The Destroyer of the Modern World

11. Mysticism At some point we come to question the purpose of life and when we do, we find that the promise of a heaven or a threat of a hell no longer satisfactorily informs our judgments. “You must make haste to do your work here, for it is here that you can truly do it….Expect nothing from death. Life is your only salvation…It is in life that you must transform yourself. It is upon earth that you progress and it is upon earth that you realize. It is in the body that you win the Victory.” The Mother (Questions and Answers, MCW Vol. 3, p. 198)

12. Mysticism Shakyamuni Buddha taught that human birth is as rare as the likelihood of a blind turtle rising from the depths of the ocean once in a hundred years and putting his head into the hole of a fisherman’s yoke. Buddhists believe that one’s present condition as a human should be highly valued. “Instead of feeling so much regret when we lose our money, we should develop regret when we waste our human life.” Pabongka Rinpoche

13. Mysticism Confucius: Espoused the sublime perfection of the Chun Tzu, the Superior Man (man who embodies the best qualities of humankind)as the ideal by which each person should aspire. Only when society is filled with many Chun Tzu, canthe world then move towards peace. Jen: Embodies the concept of goodness, benevolence and love, and its external expression. The Jen is the inner ideal of the dignity of human life wherever it exists, thus the simultaneous respect for oneself and the feelings of love for and connectedness with others. It embodies empathy and the desire to affirm oneself while affirming others. The Jen endowed man is benevolent and loving towards all everywhere because he knows “within the four seas all men are brothers and sisters.” Li: The Li is the external expression of the Jen, which entails social propriety. When everyone becomes idealized with Jen and performs their duties with Li, life and society flows in harmony

14. Mysticism “Seeing into darkness is clarity, knowing how to yield is strength. Use your own light and return to the source of light. This is called practicing eternity.” Chapter 32 Tao Te Ching

15. Mysticism Mystical practices are navigational tools in the journey to find the self. It allows one “to live in this world but to not be of this world.” There are no sad saints. Life is good. Through mystical practice, we can appreciate all that is good and beautiful in all of creation and align the stream of our lives in the flow of universal life. When we understand this, we can face any adversity and good fortune alike with equanimity.

16. Kriya Yoga Kriya from the Sanskrit “kri” meaning action and “ya” meaning awareness Kriya- action with awareness Yoga from the Sanskrit “yug” meaning to yoke, to bind or to harmonize Kriya yoga is a mystical practice which provides a way to expand one’s horizon of awareness, to live life deliberately and to harmonize one’s life into the flow of universal life.

17. Kriya Yoga It is a mystical practice derived from teachings of ancient sages called “rishis” whose knowledge was passed on through oral tradition over centuries and eventually codified at around 500 CE. It is not a religion and is compatible with other spiritual practices. It emphasizes self-discipline through a series of practices and rituals that the aspiring yogi does daily in order to gain wisdom.

18. Kriya Yoga “ Yoga is a path of individual

19. Enlightenment In its most practical meaning, enlightenment is nothing more than spiritual maturity. The way to spiritual maturity is to know the self as it really is. The true self cannot be known through the external senses but only through processes of turning inward where the mind is still. Zen Buddhism: The way to enlightenment- “Chop wood, carry water.” We find enlightenment as well in the way we conduct or day to day responsibilities.

20. Immortality You have been present since beginningless time and will continue to be, through endless time. Your are spirit travelling through time in a body and a mind. You are not a body with a mind and perchance, a spirit/ soul. “The atman (soul, spirit) is never born and he never dies, nor does he repeatedly come into being and undergo expansion, because he is unborn and eternal. He is inexhaustible ever-youthful yet ancient. Although the body is subject to birth and death, the atman is never destroyed.” Bhagavad Gita

21. What is immortal? Buddhism: Substrate consciousness Buddhist accounts of the substrate consciousness all refer to it as an individual stream of consciousness that carries on from one lifetime to the next. Bavangha: meaning “ground of becoming” Theravadan Buddhist view of a vacuum state of consciousness devoid of mental activity, accessible in the meditative state, during sleep and at the time of death. Substrate consciousness is sort of the undifferentiated stem cell of consciousness which returns to the void at the time of death and is passed on to the next lifetime. B. Alan Wallace: Vacuum States of Consciousness: A Tibetan Buddhist View

22. What Is Immortal? Christianity: Soul “The soul may be defined as the ultimate internal principle by which we think, feel, and will, and by which our bodies are animated…. If there be a life after death, clearly the agent or subject of our vital activities must be capable of an existence separate from the body. The belief in an animating principle in some sense distinct from the body is an almost inevitable inference from the observed facts of life.” Catholic Encyclopedia

23. What Is Immortal? Islam: Ruh (spirit) and Nafs (soul) Although used interchangeably, nafs is generally used to mean soul when it is in the body while ruh refers to the soul when it is outside the body.

24. What Is Immortal? Advaita Vedanta: Hindu thought of non-duality- that the Self (atman) is not separate from the Whole (Brahman) (Adi Shankara) “That thou art.” Brahman is the only truth, the spatio-temporal world is only an illusion, and there is ultimately, no difference between Brahman and the atman (individual self.) The Vedantas predate the Bible. This concept of the individual self being one with Brahman (God) is contained in the biblical statements: “I am that I am.” “Be still and know that I am God.”

25. Bhagavad Gita Worn-out garmentsAre shed by the body:Worn-out bodiesAre shed by the dwellerWithin the body.New bodies are donnedBy the dweller, like garments. Not wounded by weapons,Not burned by fire,Not dried by the wind,Not wetted by water:Such is the Atman. Not dried, not wetted,Not burned, not wounded,Innermost element,Everywhere, always,Being of beings,Changeless, eternalFor ever and ever.

26. Death and Rebirth Have you ever, on earth or in the heavens, Seen a being born who will not die? Or heard that such a thing had happened? Or even suspected that it might? The Letter of Consolation, Ashvagosha (80-150 BCE) (Rinpoche, 1994)

27. Death and Rebirth Everything in material existence go through a process of becoming, being and leaving. (creation, sustainment, and dissolution) Mystic practices include the contemplation of one’s dying. Understanding and accepting this existential certainty is an exercise in non-attachment. Buddhist teaching encourages living one’s life in a way that alleviates human suffering and so that one can have an auspicious rebirth presumably so one can carry on the bodhisattva way in the next lifetime. Kriya yoga teachings emphasize service to all life excluding none.

28. Dharma The essence of things Duty Teachings

29. KarmaThe Universal Law of Causation Karma is never retribution or punishment. It is simply the effect of one’s actions. A karmic action may have far reaching consequences much like the branches of a tree. Karma is transferred from lifetime to lifetime. By one’s actions, karma may be softened or burned altogether. However, it is said, that once a karmic event begins, there is no force in the universe that can reverse it. Whatsoever you do to others, you do more so to yourself.

30. Aham Brahmasme I am the creative principle.

31. “Of anyone whom you will ever meet in your lifetime, You are the only one that you will never leave or lose. To all the questions of your life, you are the only answer. To all the problems of your life, you are the only solution.”

32. We have no problems external to ourselves. The problem is not our spouse, our parent, or the government. Whenever we have a problem, we are the problem. Other people or situations simply catalyze the expression of whatever conflict we have within. We are exactly where we want to be. Stephen Covey: Ask, “What is the situation asking of me?” Then exercise integrity at the moment of your choice.

33. Be here, now Now is the only time. Here is the only place. Everything else is either a memory or a promise.

34. Patanjali’s Eight Limbs of Yoga These practices are designed to bring one closer to experiencing the true self. The mind is full of chatter. It is only by widening the space between our thoughts that we can transcend rational thought and cultivate intuition. The first four limbs are external practices designed to cleanse the body, discard emotional baggage and unclutter one’s life. The subsequent four limbs are internal practices designed to widen one’s horizon of awareness and become receptive to the inner reality.

35. The Age of Kali Yuga BhavagataPurana; Skanda XII: Chapter II 1.Thereafter, day after day, under the force of the inexorably powerful Time, righteousness, truth, purity, (both physical and mental), forbearance, mercy, duration of life, physical power, and sharpness of memory shall go deteriorating. 2. Wealth alone will be the deciding factor of nobility of birth, righteous behaviour or merits. And brute force will be the only standard in the arrangement or decision of what is righteous or just. 3. …cheating is the order of the day in business relations; satisfaction of the sexual pleasure is the only consideration of masculine or feminine excellence and worthiness 4. Justice has become weak, [and is based on] bribes. 5. Want of affluence is the cause of one’s impiety or bad name, while hypocrisy is the index of goodness.  6. The highest purpose of life is to fill one’s belly and arrogant audacity is regarded as veracity.

36. The Age of Kali Yuga “Even trees will be stunted on account of exploitation by unrighteous men.” Srimad Bhavagatam “The world will be overrun by impostors discussing the virtues of great meals. The countryside will bristle with towers.” Mahabharata: The Book of the Forest

37. The Eight Limbs of YogaPatanjali Yama (Abstentions) Niyama (Observances Asana (Postures) Pranayama (Breath Control Pratyahara (Withdrawal of the senses) Dharana (Concentration) Dhyana (Meditation) Samadhi (Contemplation

38. Eight Limbs of Yoga The eight limbs (also known as ashtanga) are preparations for spiritual life: The first four are external practices Yama/ Niyama guide our conduct and actions towards ourselves and others Asana/ pranayama are exercises designed to gather and conserve the life force and prolong physical life as much as possible. The last four are internal practices whereby we turn from the external environment and get in touch with our inner reality.

39. Eight Limbs of Yoga Kriya yoga is a spiritual philosophy which is not aimed at self-denial but rather, the extinction of negative emotionalities and physical- spiritual imbalances. Balance is a buzzword. In modern terminology- moderation. The purpose is to unite/ harmonize the physical and spiritual reality and to understand the Self. When one knows a drop of water, one will recognize water in all of its forms wherever it is found.

40. Yama/ Niyama (Abstentions/ Observances) For the householder, these are to be practiced with considerations of: Class Time Place Circumstance We walk the law of Dharma according to our station in life (duty) and our spiritual understanding

41. Yama (The Law of Abstentions)Thou shalt notAhimsa (Non-injury) Ahimsa (non-injury)- most important abstention that will bring peace in one’s life. Non-injury to oneself Non-injury to others Non-injury in actions Non-injury in words Non-injury in thought Yogis believe that the practice of ahimsa guarantees that violence will not come into one’s life. Yajur Veda: When the yogi is established in ahimsa, he cultivates the feeling of Spirit toward all life forms and therefore, does nothing that will bring him grief or attachment.

42. Yama (Abstentions)Satya (Truthfulness) The practice of Satya allows truth to come into our lives. Conducting our mind, speech and actions according to truth. Words used with intention to harm are not truthful. According to yoga, we should examine are words before speaking and utter them only if they are useful and good. Keeping your word “Be impeccable with your word. Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.” The Four Agreements Don Miguel Angel Ruiz

43. Yama (Abstention)Asteya (Non-stealing) Taking that which is not given. According to yoga, whatever has come into your life, you have already earned. Whatever you have not earned has not yet been presented to you. Whatever is truly yours, you cannot lose. Whatever you take that has not been given, will only bring you grief. Not only applies to physical theft but also intellectual and verbal stealing: e.g. Taking away someone’s dignity, moment of glory, intellectual property , moment of happiness Ancient kriya law teaches: That which is ours, no person, no guru, no God can take away from us. That which is not ours, no person, no guru, no God can give to us.

44. Yama (Abstention)Brahmacharya (Non-sensuality) Often translated as celibacy, Brahmacharya refers to control of the sense organs and not only the sex organs. Yogis believe that nothing scatters the life force more than irresponsible sexual activity. At the same time, one should not fear sexuality. “There should be no fear of the ecstasy that Life has given us. Rather, these gifts should be considered the dewdrops of existence by which we come to fully understand the warmth and beauty that is of God.” Yogis say that in whatever you do, do it with gentleness and spiritual warmth. Brahmacharya also refers to integrity in relationships.

45. Yama (Abstention)Aparigraha (Non-greed) Greed is usually related to overstimulation of the sense organs. Yoga teaches not to be attached to the enjoyment of sense objects because the mind then covets more and more of it. Greed often leads to violence. Distinguish between need and greed To whom much is given, much is also expected. Noblesse oblige: According to the Vedas, people who acquire fortune without much effort have gain these through past good karma and whatever is superfluous should be funneled into noble, humanitarian, and spiritual causes. Repayment of debt: to one’s parents, friends, culture, and civilization. To the yogi, it also includes repayment of death to the guru, saints and sages of the past by unfolding spiritually, radiating love and compassion, and fulfilling spiritual obligations.

46. Niyama (The Law of Observances)Thou shalt Shaucha (Purity) Santosha (Contentment) Tapas (Austerity) Svadhyaya (Study of holy texts Ishvar-Pranidhana (Attunement to God)

47. Niyama (Observances)Shaucha (Purity) Keeping the mind and body clean Intellectual purity – keeping the vow to lift one’s thoughts and emotions to a higher state of consciousness Verbal purity- speaking what is consoling, harmonizing, gentle, uplifting and straightforward Physical purity- keeping the physical body clean and free from harmful substances Ascension: The goal of lifting up from base instincts to higher states of consciousness and uniting life with Life.

48. Niyama (Observances)Santosha (Contentment) Most vital of the observances Remaining content with what you have and not coveting what you have not yet earned Do not be disappointed if you have less than what you expected nor be over elated if more than expected comes into your life Do not be perturbed if something you do not need is removed from your life Do not complain to society, fate or God if what you acquire is insufficient to meet your needs. Rather meditate and understand the laws of abundance.

49. Santosha The wisdom of life’s way: That which is taken away from you is not really taken away from you but rather is converted or transmuted to that which you need more dearly. (Manu the Law Giver) If man has God but not contentment, what does he really have? However, if even if a man does not have God, if he has contentment then he has everything.

50. Niyama (Observances)Tapas (Austerity) Austerity is the power to withstand hunger, thirst, heat, cold and other discomforts Requires the balance of thought and emotion (I can do it/ I am afraid to do it.) Bhagavad Gita: Mental austerity consists of 1. quietude of the mind 2. equanimity 3. silencing the mind, 4. control of imbalanced propensities Gita: Gates of anguish: 1. greed 2. anger 3. craving Verbal austerity: Avoiding speaking that which would cause agitation and negativity or that would allow or give permission for others to do so