Check out new
Articles post
by
Ma Durga
by
Ma Durga
by
Ma Durga
Check out new
The topic –Prana is one of my favourite topics because it connects me back to the very energy source, Nature. I am currently reading a book called ‘Siddhas: The Masters of Basics’ written by Pal Pandian which I like to share with my readers.
The first truth we need to know – not only the structure of our human body but also the structure of everything in the universe, both visible and invisible, with form and without form, from the single atom to the entire universe, is all formed by the principle life-shaping energy called Prana.
The Divine Creator creates and sustains all realms of Existence from this primal life force. This matrix of primal patterns builds up our entire Cosmos along with us in it and the connection between us and Prana is inseparable. In this interconnected web of primal energy, the Cosmos, Prana bridges everything external and everything internal together as ONE. So anything even our breath is capable of affecting and altering every other thing.
Here’s a simple test. Place your left index finger on the spot on your wrist just below your right thumb. You can feel your pulse. Now, without removing your index finger, just hold your breath for a few seconds. That very instant, you will feel a change in the pulse pattern. We can feel for ourselves the diminished pulse rate for the moments we hold our breath in check. The influence is apparent and immediate.
Another example is the way how our breathing becomes distorted over time due to unconscious lifestyle. As soon as the natural flow of breath changes, the regular flow of external air within the body is somewhat disturbed and the temperature of the inner parts of our body rises a little. This rise in temperature is capable of destroying millions and millions of microbes within our body. If the condition is not addressed, this may even interrupt some bodily functions and bring diseases.
This small exercise makes you realise that the effect of any restrain we do extends beyond ourselves to all over the Universe causing appropriate results or reactions. The formless Prana repeatedly acquires bodies in this world and this cycle of taking birth goes on until we attain a state that acquires a liking to remain without a body as pure vital force – the silent spirit. This primal Cosmic energy has its own vital significance and pattern. It returns to the source from where it first originates. For one moment, assume that the Prana of the whole universe is retained for a few minutes. All of us would die in a catastrophe. Compared to the immense universe our petty ego is simply nothing. Similarly, compared to our entire body, the countless microbes that inhabit our body are individually nothing. Fundamentally, we are affected by each and every change that takes place in our environment based on the interconnectedness of this energy web.
I remembered my Guru, Paramahamsa Nithyananda (fondly known as Swamiji) once spoke on the topic ‘Collective Consciousness’, he revealed the first truth ‘All our minds are not individually separate pieces of the universe. They are all one and the same.” We are all totally interlinked, closely networked. If we go a little deeper into this truth, the moment we will understand that we are a part of the collective consciousness, we don’t have individual identity or ego, and we go beyond any idea of pain, suffering, depression and disease. With Prana, we can experience to this egoless state of being. That’s why the yogis perform pranayama as a purification process for the body-mind system before they experience the undifferentiated state of consciousness.
Prana is what connects our formless state with our formed state. Just as the life-principle within us makes use of this energy to structure our body, that very life-principle gets freed from the body by the withdrawal of this energy. It operates involuntarily, similar to the involuntary process of our breathing. Before the formation of different cells in our body, the life force by its own flow first forms a basic structure of invisible channels called Nadis. Depending on this flow, the Nadis assume different names. Sushumna is the central channel which is said to be the Vatha Nadi as it executes the main animating principle. The Pingala Nadi (Pitta Nadi) works the solar principle of giving vitality, growth, metabolism to the embryo. The Ida Nadi (Kapha Nadi) gives enough nourishment to the organs and keeps the body temperature in check. Prana creates and maintains this genetic structure and is in turn maintained by it. The primal Creator in His creation of a human body, using Prana first creates the 3-fold layers before anything else. Prana is based upon which the 3 bio-regulating forces – Vatha, Pitta and Kapha are formed. The tri-doshams (3 doshas) is what determines the constitution of the human body for that entire lifetime. This starts the formation of microcosm – the human body – by determining the looks and design of the 3 life shaping forces of a human.
The next truth – the ancient Siddhas describe Nature as an endless flowing phenomena, always changing and moving. This is Mother Nature’s inherent nature. When this flow of existence experiences a block, it responds by an alarm. We have seen how our insensitive acts hamper the flow of Mother Nature and result in frightening natural calamities. Our bodies are not separate from this river flow of existence and its inherent principle. The ancient masters declare disease and illnesses are a result of our own insensitivity and ill health the undeniable evidence of us persistently turning a deaf ear to what our body intelligence is telling us. The Siddhas call this river flow of natural existence that nurtures life as ‘Vaasi” (living) and the blocks as “Viyadhi” (deviated from own nature).
In essence, Nature which expresses as Prana – vital life energy – responds to those who live as Nature. You can live in Nature only by loving Her. Life is a journey – the journey of a spiritual being going through a human experience. Unfortunately, human beings forgot to identify with the language of the Universe and feel the abundance that Nature so unselfishly shares. Our modern day high-strung lives are crowded with demanding commitments hence making it easy to drop our self-awareness and replace it with an object-oriented mentality which brings stress, fatigue, disorders and chronic conditions. All we need to do is turn our awareness inwards and start listening to the silence, be with our self with great ease. By pure listening to them and to ourselves, we create an environment where they are nurtured and recognized, hence preventing them from being pushed into obscurity by our aggressive misuse. You will soon feel you are part of the grand Universe of life and also inextricably connected to the physical dimensions of life by being in your body. Prana, the energy pervading all over the living Universe is embodied and rooted in physical form and life as it nurtures your body-mind-spirit every moment, your connection with it nurtures it more. Namaste 😀
I never knew the power of blessing till I met my Guru, Paramahamsa Nithyananda (fondly known as Swamiji). In the Chinese culture where I am born in, it is not something we practise consciously. As a child, I always observed how my mother prayed to our ancestors and family deities. The way her generation related with the Divine was through prayer. They relate with God like a business, offering something just to beg for something to be showered in their life. The idea they carry about self is that human beings are lower beings than Gods.
The Sanatana Hindu Dharma gave me the right introduction of self from the context of I am the Source. The moment I cognized that I am also made of the same source as the Existence, I begin to understand and appreciate the power of blessing.
The first thing I learned about blessing from Vedic culture was to bless myself as the first step to bless the world. Blessing myself means accepting me as I am, respecting self as I am, revering me as I am, and feeling that there is something worthy in me as I am. This feeling builds a kind of self-love which is important in shifting the space of negativity we are usually caught in due to the societal conditioning and the wrong thought patterns.
The more we experience a space that is filled with joy or bliss continuously, the more we want to bless our self and bless the entire world and Universe. Swamiji said that “Blessing has to be done to everything because it is consciousness. It is not just an action, it is consciousness. It is not an action directed towards a person; it is a consciousness radiating toward everything!” When we have the presence of an enlightened master, the whole world is continuously blessed by him who is in bliss. His very presence is a blessing, an eternal blessing. His words are a blessing, his actions are a blessing, and his very breathing is a blessing, even though sometimes the blessing comes in a way we don’t directly understand. Everything that happens in his presence is a blessing. When we are established in pure witnessing consciousness, anything that crosses us only awakens blessings.
Swamiji gave an apt analogy – when the air crosses dust, dirt or drainage, it creates a bad smell. When the same air crosses the ripe old sandalwood tree, it creates the sandalwood smell. A confused, chaotic, unconscious, clutched, identifying mind is the dirt, dust, and drainage. A pure, radiating, unclutched inner space is the ripe sandalwood tree. Any breeze that blows through the sandalwood tree carries the smell of the sandalwood tree: the blessing. Same way, whatever crosses the witnessing consciousness will have the smell of a blessing. That is why any food touched by an enlightened being becomes prasada – consecrated or energized food. Water touched by him becomes teertha, holy water. The place where he lives becomes kshetra – a temple. Idols touched by him become deities. And a person touched by him becomes enlightened. Witnessing pure consciousness is like a sparsamani – a touchstone. Whatever the sparsamani touches becomes pure gold. In the same way, whatever pure witnessing consciousness touches, it becomes a blessing to the whole Cosmos. Blessed are those who have a living enlightened master who constantly blesses them in all dimensions of their lives.
Now, whatever new endeavours I want or whenever I want to start something new, I always seek blessings from the Guru, sangha (spiritual community) and my own blessing. At Singapore sangha, we have different Facebook groups to request blessing from Swamiji as well as What’s App groups on smartphone where we can simply send a blessing request for anything in life ranging from success in getting a new job, passing of exam, speedy recovery from sickness, graceful exit from death, literally anything under the Sun. One thing I also learned, even after we receive the blessing of the Divine, it does not mean we can just be lazy and not take responsibility. A blessing means the energy and knowledge for manifesting that reality are already sent, we have to take the responsibility to create that reality we want. I’ve seen people asking for blessings but never take any responsibility. When the desired outcome doesn’t happen, they carry incompletion with the master for not causing their reality. Sometimes despite whatever we’ve done and the desired outcome doesn’t happen, it means whatever we seek is not meant for us and the blessing comes in other ways which our mind may not comprehend logically. That happens only when we have tremendous trust in the Master.
Blessing is an experience, not a subject we can talk much, we only have to experience it. We only have to live it and let the pure witnessing consciousness touch our life as a happening of miracles. Blessings!
Are you struggling with problems in life?
Do you feel overwhelmed or depressed by your problems?
The first thing I learned about problems in life from my Guru, Paramahamsa Nithyananda (fondly known as Swamiji) is that our mind is not logical as such every moment our idea of pain, suffering, pleasure, joy, love and hate is constantly changing. Each problem is like a new wave which dissolves after sometime. The problem is we’ve been taught to think the mind is logical but the truth is the mind is more like an ocean. It is not a solid ground as we may like to believe, all ideas we carry about ourselves, ideas about love, pain, worries, fears, pleasure and God – these ideas are floating and not rooted.
One example in my life.
There was a time which I felt troubled in my marriage. I would imagine the different permutations of response I would give and the outcomes from my imagination. When I was diagnosed with Stage 3 cervix cancer in June 2005, suddenly the game of the mind shifted gear to the most basic survival need. The conflict in the relationship didn’t bother me after all, the issue of my basic survival became the main concern. This clearly showed that all my ideas of so-called problems in my life were just not solid. They existed based on my perception of suffering at that moment.
The second truth is that problem can wash away other problems, waves can dissolve waves. When one big survival-need type of problem hits me, it just washed away all my other problems. Other problems such as conflict in relationships and stress from job are no longer a concern. Suddenly all the problems I thought could never be resolved, just disappeared at that moment. Nothing really matters!
The third secret you should know is that whenever we undergo death-related fear, a huge energy is being released in the second energy center (Swadhistana chakra) – it is an automatic mechanism to bring us out of fear. Same way for pain experience, there is an automatic anaesthesia to protect us from pain. Beyond certain limit, we fall into the unconscious layer and we don’t feel the pain anymore. If we internalize this truth, we lose respect for the perceived problems and they no longer have power over us. It is by making the problem seems big that our mind feels big and important. But the mind is wavering, constantly it creates waves, hence Patanjali says Sutra Verse #2 ‘Mind is an action, you can stop it.’ The first step to get out of this mind game is to become aware that your understanding of problems is not right.
In Patanjali Yoga Sutra Verse 13, it states that ‘The effort to remain constantly in that elevated state of awareness is abhyasa: Tatra sthitau yatno abhyasa.’ Abhyasa means again and again bringng yourself back to the center, elevating yourself to the higher state of consciousness, centering yourself in that truth. By melting the incompletions or hangovers you created unconsciously and living the right truths will bring you back to the center again and again. This Sutra not only gave me one of the AHA! moments which shifted my perception about problems in life, but it also helped me to strengthen my spiritual practice so that I am able to find my center again and again.
Abhyasa (practice) is deeply connected to the muscles in our body. Whatever we repeat consciously become unconscious because it penetrates into the unconscious layers; that memory creates our body. Any conscious action you do again and again will strengthen you whereas any unconscious action you do repeatedly weakens your body.
Remember this truth – the problems we face are neither permanent nor impermanent as we perceive. We create problems from our unconscious practice or habits (negative abhyasa). When we are able to cognise this fundamental truth about problems, we can simply walk out of any problem and get back to our center of restful awareness. Namaste 😀