Beyond Super Natural to Super Spiritual...Attaining True Freedom in this Life..

 " When we spiritually rise to a level high above the one we are in now and look back at our selves with detachment and discrimination. Seeing where we were right or wrong..Our understanding and view change and then we take  a step towards being truly free..". ..
We are in the Class on Raja Yoga at the Vedanta Society of Toronto..Our teachers the spiritual head Revered Swami Kripamayananda Maharaj  a senior Monk of the Ramakrishna order of Monks who became an all renouncing Monk devoting his entire life to spirituality since an early age and  Professor Kumar Murty who is a world renowned Mathematician and Chair person at the University of Toronto's Mathematics department . He is also a firm Vedantist and teacher of Vedanta. They both explain to us not only the Spiritual truths of Vedanta but also how we can apply them to our every day lives and live as peaceful, well balanced , productive individuals who have a positive impact on everyone we interact with and in everything we do... The basis of all human psychology begins here..in our own journey. In the last many classes we studied the nature of Supernatural powers and their description and explanation..according to the ancient Vedic scriptures ...
Here we heard another Spiritual nugget..In order to reach the highest spirituality you must " Give up this Love for Power..Super natural or Worldly..and go beyond it and then and only then will you be truly Free"..In the book 'Meditation and contemplation on Patanjalis aphorisms' Swami Sarvagathananda Maharaj quotes the Bible and the words of  The Christ who said " My Kingdom is not of this world" and that our teachers explain is the secret..dont look for power and glory, name and fame and importance in anything you do here..it is not worth it..The love for power may be a simple thing like the power struggle of couples in a marraige or a `power and control maniac' in the work place, or a politician with Dictatorial tendencies, the climb up the corporate ladder for many..the hankering for attention and self imporatance in a social setting.or the wish to acquire or display something super natural..whatever it is..it is a love for `Power'..that holds us back.from reaching the ultimate...In fact Sri Sarada Devi had once said.." God is like a child he gives to those who do not have hanker for anything" Power, Fame, Fortune and everything come to those who do not  want it and eludes those who do....and we are constantly reminded in our spiritual journey that this is not and never was our goal in life...
The Verse  of Patanjali's Yoga Aphorisms which take us beyond the Supernatural to the Super Spiritual:
 सत्त्वपुरुषान्यताख्यातिमात्रस्य सर्वभावाधिष्ठातृत्वं सर्वज्ञातृत्वञ्च ॥५०॥ Patanjali
50. Swami Vivekananda's  notes: By making Samyama on the discrimination between the Sattva and the Purusha come omnipotence and omniscience.
When nature has been conquered, and the difference between the Purusha and nature realised — that the Purusha is indestructible, pure and perfect — then come omnipotence and omniscience.
 The discussion which includes the reading of treatise by Swami Sarvagathananda Maharaj the late Head of the Vedanta society of Boston and the explanation by our two teachers on the night of 26th March..went something like this..
 Professor Kumar Murty : "Imagine you are on a high mountain looking down at a city ..You can be detached and see the sameness of the city below..when you were down there..you would have been part of the hustle the bustle .the quarrels and controversies ..but when you rise above it all  and give up the" Me and Mine"..and stand detached and unemotional you see it clearly and under stand it better.According to the aphorism 50...Meditation( Samayama which is meditation, continuation and culmination) on the purity of our own soul gives you this strength.
Mahatma Gandhi the great statesmen once said.".I became free when I gave up fear of fear and of failure.." He ( The Mahatma ) felt like a free man even when he was thrown in jail and spent a long time in solitary confinement..his faith in his God and the holy Gita ..made him a man of steel and of true freedom...He led an entire Sub continent into freedom and to this day is an icon of freedom and non violence for the world..
The treatise by the late Swami Sarvagathananda Maharaj  gave us simple examples from astronomy about how one's view must change...example : Man thought Saturn looked a certain way when he looked at it through the telescope..but when he went up to the moon and the space stations and got a better look his `opinions' were revised..He further said that Freedom did not mean packing up our bags and kissing our families and our work goodbye but living through it as  a `True Free being"..
Prof Murty simplified the astronomical example  " For centuries man thought the Sun rose in the East and traveled to the West and the Earth stood still while the Sun moved on...As Science progressed we saw the solar system from another angle and realized that it was the exact opposite to what we thought..so we changed our `ideas' in the same way..no one can say that what they have understood is " "IT" the golden truth....we have to progress spiritually and  scientifically and in every possible way and as we `rise higher' our view changes...This is applicable to religion, human relationships, society, science and everything else..
The most beautiful example was from the treatise which was that of a Mother..she loves her family..looks upon all her children as dear and equal..works and serves them without any thought of reward or return and is therefore truly free . In the words of Swami Vivekananda
 " Work like a Master and not as a Slave"..that only comes with love.. our revered Swami Kripamayananda Maharaj explained the beauty of the statement " Unless we all work with a Mother's love in our hearts and have that attitude in our lives we cannot ever be free..Do not expect anything from anyone..not a single thing and then your work and your service and your love will take you to freedom " said our Swami.We are also reminded that `giving up power does not mean becoming a `Loser' which is very popular worldly term..Swami Vivekananda often reminds us that we should actually strive for the highest, reach for our goals, give everything our best shot..but not out of love of 'power and self importance' but just out of love for everything we stand for and believe in..in fact just for the sake of `True Love for the work and Love for Love in itself.." A musician composes Music out of Love for music not because he wants to make it to the Symphony orchestra ..an Artist paints because he loves his Art..and a true writer or Poet writes for the Love of writing not because he is looking at the million dollars that he may make one day on the best seller list..
 Below are the earlier five aphorisms which deal with Super Natural powers described by Patanjali and the explanation in a few words by Swami Vivekananda in the Book Raja Yoga:from his `Complete Works' .Note : The word ' Samyama' means deep Meditation which is Contemplation..Continuation and Culmination and leads to even the impossible becoming possible....A very important lesson in Vedanta as was taught by Sri Ramakrishna was to rise above and beyond the phenomena of super natural powers ,miracles and miracle mongering  in our spiritual journey..that is the greatest hindrance to the true spiritual growth and understanding . Swami Vivekananda once said the mark of a spiritual person is simply" His level of unselfishness and love for all " ..The Yoga aporisms detailed the phenomena which a  Yogi could achieve..yet these are the goals of our study..
 स्थूल-स्वरूप-सूक्ष्मान्वयार्थवत्त्वसंयमाद्भूतजयः ॥४५॥
45. By making Samyama on the gross and fine forms of the elements, their essential traits, the inherence of the Gunas in them and on their contributing to the experience of the soul, comes mastery of the elements.
Swami Vivekananda : The Yogi makes Samyama on the elements, first on the gross, and then on the finer states. This Samyama is taken up more by a sect of the Buddhists. They take a lump of clay and make Samyama on that, and gradually they begin to see the fine materials of which it is composed, and when they have known all the fine materials in it, they get power over that element. So with all the elements. The Yogi can conquer them all.

ततोऽणिमादिप्रादुर्भावः कायसम्पत्तद्धर्मानभिघातश्च ॥४६॥46. From that comes minuteness and the rest of the powers, "glorification of the body," and indestructibleness of the bodily qualities.
Swami Vivekananda :This means that the Yogi has attained the eight powers. He can make himself as minute as a particle, or as huge as a mountain, as heavy as the earth, or as light as the air; he can reach anything he likes, he can rule everything he wants, he can conquer everything he wants, and so on. A lion will sit at his feet like a lamb, and all his desires will be fulfilled at will.
रूप-लावण्य-बल-वज्रसंहननत्वानि कायसम्पत् ॥४७॥
47. Swami Vivekananda: The "glorification of the body" is beauty, complexion, strength, adamantine hardness.
The body becomes indestructible. Nothing can injure it. Nothing can destroy it until the Yogi wishes. "Breaking the rod of time he lives in this universe with his body." In the Vedas it is written that for that man there is no more disease, death or pain.

ग्रहण-स्वरूपास्मितान्वयार्थवत्त्वसंयमादिन्द्रियजयः ॥४८॥
48. By making Samyama on the objectivity and power of illumination of the organs, on egoism, the inherence of the Gunas in them and on their contributing to the experience of the soul, comes the conquest of the organs.
Swami Vivekananda :In the perception of external objects the organs leave their place in the mind and go towards the object; this is followed by knowledge. Egoism also is present in the act. When the Yogi makes Samyama on these and the other two by gradation, he conquers the organs. Take up anything that you see or feel, a book for instance; first concentrate the mind on it, then on the knowledge that is in the form of a book, and then on the Ego that sees the book, and so on. By that practice all the organs will be conquered.

ततो मनोजवित्वं विकरणभावः प्रधानजयश्च ॥४९॥
49. Swami Vivekananda: From that comes to the body the power of rapid movement like the mind, power of the organs independently of the body, and conquest of nature.
Just as by the conquest of the elements comes glorified body, so from the conquest of the organs will come the above-mentioned powers.

Snow Storms and the Evangelist missions of our teachers to other cities caused  a break in our lessons for a few weeks..but we were all ` Back with a Bang ' this Wednesday to learn the simple truth " All these powers are meaningless in this little journey of life..know God and know yourself and see his divinity reflected in the inner most beauty of your own soul and in that of others and it will change your vision of the world and you will be free"  This was the lesson in a nut Shell....!.  

    Lipiwriter@gmail.com

The Secret of Winning the Heart of the World from Raja Yoga..and the meaning of Shiva worship..

  How One works through the minds and bodies of millions              

The secret of a Magnetic     Personality  ...........

    Plus the symbolism of Shiva

The secret of all the great masters has been their ability to act through the minds and hearts of millions ..Once Sri Sarada Devi when asked why she did not eat she..said “ I am eating through hundreds of mouths..not just this one.”.

It is said that Sant Gynaneshwar the 17^th century saint in Maharashtra( India) to prove a point that the scriptures were for everyone and not just the high and mighty Brahmin priests” made a buffalo recite the Vedas ..( the Holy scriptures). 


The spiritual Master Sri Ramakrishna  spent his life in intense spiritual practice and devotion to the point that boggles the ordinary mind..he never delivered a single lecture....not wrote a single book but through his disciple Swami Vivekananda he  spread the meaning of what he had acquired and understood in a single life time of deep and intense spiritual practice.. The complete work of Swami Vivekananda.... Is the spiritual message of Sri Ramakrishna. He transferred or transmitted his life time of spiritual understanding to his disciple in order that Swami Vivekananda  could spread the message of Vedanta to the whole world..
Like him many Masters have passed on from their physical frames but the noble spiritual and work they started is still being done through thousands of their devotees and so has been the case for all great world spiritual incarnations of God....whether Christ or Krishna... .they work through the hearts and minds of their devotees.. ..they inspired and continue to inspire ..
This ability of a world master whether spiritual or other...to work through the minds and bodies of millions is a spiritual quality...
The 44^th aphorism of Patanjali explains this spiritual power as..

बहिरकल्पितावृत्तिर्महाविदेहाततःप्रकाशावरणक्षयः॥४४॥

44. By making Samyama on the "real modifications" of the mind, outside of the body, called great disembodiment, comes disappearance of the covering to light.

( Swami Vivekananda’s explanation) :The mind in its foolishness thinks that it is working in this body. Why should I be bound by one system of nerves, and put the Ego only in one body, if the mind is omnipresent? There is no reason why I should. The Yogi wants to feel the Ego wherever he likes. The mental waves which arise in the absence of egoism in the body are called "real modifications" or "great disembodiment". When he has succeeded in making Samyama on these modifications, all covering to light goes away, and all darkness and ignorance vanish. Everything appears to him to be full of knowledge.

In the spiritual class led by the Reverend Swami Kripamayananda Maharaj head of the Vedanta Society of Toronto , we..a handful of students continue to study the works of the great Master Patanjali..explained by the Spiritual Master Swami Vivekananda in the book Raja Yoga and a further explanation on the aphorisms by the late Swami Sarvagathananda Maharaj who was the head of the Vedanta society of Boston USA in his treatise... "Meditation ad contemplation on Patajali." These notes are based on the class held on February 19th  2014 at the Vedanta Society of Toronto in Canada.

Swami Sarvagathananda Maharaj’s treatise gives a deep look at what makes a true and great world leader even in the political sense or military sense. He says that the basis of all greatness starts with UNSELFISHNESS at the basic individual level..first we are one..then we marry and learn to be unselfish to our partners and then towards out children..then the greater community and so on..the less we think of ourselves and the more we think of others..the greater is our power...
There are two qualities in a great leader says the Swami..they are 'Psycho Social' and 'Psycho spiritual'. (To be socially aware and spiritually aware to the point of what is considered extraordinary .)... Both begin with extreme unselfishness where the interest of one’s own self and one’s own family and friends is the not the top priority of the leader but he truly cares for the well being of the larger community and then the masses. In history we have seen great leaders through time immemorial..Alexander the Great was known as a Noble King in Greece as were Emperor Ashoka and Emperor Akbar of India who worked towards religious harmony of the people..In modern history...President Abraham Lincoln , Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela come to mind..
Our Teacher the revered Swami Kripamayananda Maharaj further explained that unselfishness and understanding the needs and hearts of the people is what makes a leader a leader because the people you love and serve actually understand that... " To deeply feel the pain, the hunger, the loneliness and suffering of another person as if it were our own" This power may have been attained by much good in other lives..The Secret of true leadership qualities in anyone is their ability to act unselfishly and be ready to give their lives for others..

All leaders have attained that power which comes from total unselfishness and thinking of the greater good of others...in a small or big way...but they fall and become corrupt when selfishness and `limited-ness' enter their hearts..

When a leaders thinks only of the good of his `own' people, community and `circle' he becomes selfish..in another level..

This is true about political leaders who can carry this hate for other people and races and religions ( outside their own ) to the extent where like Hitler they begin to exterminate and destroy others..that is when a Demonic spirit and not a spiritual power works through them..
 In the political realm greatness that transcends all barriers was seen in the lives of Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela,who forgave even their worst enemies..and won over people from all walks of life..however most political leaders are ego and self driven , power and control freaks and the good of the masses is the last thing on their minds..Their own personality and self importance is the driving force in their lives..
Even today we see Religious leaders whose love and compassion cannot extend beyond that of their own `religion' and denomination and so they are no longer spiritual but have become hateful and narrow in their views..

When Mahatma Gandhi explained why during the time of Indian Independence he wanted India to be a secular state and not just for the Hindu majority he is believed to have said “ I am a Hindu and I am a Muslim..I am a Christian and I am a Jew. I am a Sikh and I am a Parsi”..that is the true view and outlook of a Vedantist and Mahatma Gandhi proved by his noble life that he was both a Psycho Social as well as a psycho Spiritual leader..In the meantime his counter part Jinnah was creating a Pakistan meant exclusively for the Muslims.
Throughout ancient times India was a country based on the Vedantic principles that welcomed seekers of refuge and recognized people of all faith as true..and therefore gave shelter to groups of the most ancient Jews, and the noble Parsis as well as the Tibetans who fled Chinese intrusion in the 1950’s....Western Historians try to supress the true story of the eclectic character of India through the ages...However the ancient Synagogues and Fire temples of the Jews and Zoroastrians in India bear testimony to the great tolerant and peace loving  spirit of the Hindu kings of India hundreds of years ago..Today in ordinary everyday politics everywhere the mega ego’s, selfishness, love of power and privilege drive the actions of most politicians so much so that they are no longer examples of greatness but have become objects of public jokes and ridicule..( As we in Toronto know too well)
In religion too..the Fundamentalist message of `Our path is the Only True path' has become the `mantra' of many religions heads and has lead to hate and divisiveness being spread under the garb of religious`light'...unspoken injustice in homes and nations is the outcome of this `Hate' which poses as the greatest ' Love for one God".." and justify s the feelings of people who say " I cannot connect with anyone who cannot love my God in my way"....That is what the fanatics truly believe and live their lives by..and that is the only message they have taken from their faith..not that of Peace and Love and tolerance. A Vedantist would look at the nature God..as the many colours of the Rainbow..and say " I see your view point and that of many others too and all the `views' are `colours' are correct but I also see the Rainbow in all its beauty, its colours and all its dimensions and enjoy the view from all sides not just one..narrow prism"
As an example of fanaticism The Revered Swami Kripamayananda Maharaj spoke about how the selfishness of a few fanatical terrorists has led to flight disruptions and long check ins and discomfort for millions of passengers for years to come..and almost every act of world violence today can be traced to Religious Fanaticism...and it starts closer to home than we realize. and .It is not limited to the followers of one religion alone..

The next aphorism of Patanjali explains how Samayama helps us understand almost anything we want to know about a chosen `subject'...
 स्वरूप-सूक्ष्मान्वयार्थवत्त्वसंयमाद्भूतजयः॥४५॥(Patanjali)

45. By making Samyama on the gross and fine forms of the elements, their essential traits, the inherence of the Gunas in them and on their contributing to the experience of the soul, comes mastery of the elements.

( Raja Yoga by Swami Vivekananda):The Yogi makes Samyama on the elements, first on the gross, and then on the finer states. This Samyama is taken up more by a sect of the Buddhists. They take a lump of clay and make Samyama on that, and gradually they begin to see the fine materials of which it is composed, and when they have known all the fine materials in it, they get power over that element. So with all the elements. The Yogi can conquer them all. 
Our teacher the Reverend Swami Kripamayanandamaharaj explained that Samyama means extreme deep concentration and meditation) that can lead to one understanding the secret of anything one puts one mind to..that is how spiritual masters can understand the secrets of the minds of others and how scientists understand and solve scientific mysteries. And make discoveries. As do masters in all their respective fields. Even a Mother understands the heart of her child..by her total love and devotion..which is a Meditation..   

Our Revered and much loved spiritual teacher Swami Kripamayananda maharaj recently gave a talk on Lord Shiva of the Hindu trinity. A special day in February is celebrated as the `Night of Shiva’ who is the greatest of ascetics. Shiva is often described as the Destroyer. But our Swami described this as his power to destroy the evil and bad tendencies of his devotees. Destruction of evil means laying the foundation for a new beginning...This year Mahashivaratri was on the 27<sup>th</sup>of February.Women fast and pray for a Good husband on this day and married women fast and pray for the well being of their husbands as Shiva is described as the best of husbands.he is unselfish and easily pleased... He gives one the ultimate love for God and renunciation of all selfishness and greed. He is the most unselfishness and tolerant of all and is known to be pleased with just simple heart felt prayers and offerings... The specialty of Shiva as with Sri Ramakrishna, Ma Sarada and Jesus Christ and all spiritual leaders was that they called all `rejects’ of society........ The free souls. The misfits, the `failures’ the non conformists’ the unwanted and unloved, the imperfect and weary to themselves and gave them refuge…"Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden” said The Christ and that is the essence of Shiva in another form..the one who gives refuge and solace to all..The Son of God and all the other incarnations through the ages.. who come to earth echo the qualities of that eternal God whom some call  Shiva..and others the Father..the one who is known by many names.. The Video recording of this lecture on Shiva can be viewed on The Vedanta Society of Toronto website/ Media/ Sunday lectures.