In the home of the soul
Space builds beings, and beings build space.
A true ashram is a space for retreat and contemplation, enabling renewal of physical, mental, and social health. It fosters balance and leads toward self-realization. Yoga is the paramount method for this, requiring only the body, breath, and consciousness. It is the science of conscious movement and stillness, a road to original wholeness. A Guru is one who has cognized oneness, from which all arises and returns. Such beings live for others. The relationship between guru and disciple is supreme, pure, and meaningful. The guru's essence is what he is—Sat Chit Ānanda—and he serves to cure the disease of ignorance, which divides us from ourselves, others, and the divine. Sādhanā, the practice of yoga, is the source of strength to help others and ourselves. Liberation comes through knowledge and the Guru's grace.
"Yoga is the science and art of conscious movement. It is the science and art of conscious stillness."
"The essence of a guru is not what he says, not even what he does. The essence of a guru is what he is."
Filming locations: Jadan Ashram, Rajasthan, India.
DVD 171
Up next
In the home of the soul
Space builds beings, and beings build space.
A true ashram is a space for retreat and contemplation, enabling renewal of physical, mental, and social health. It fosters balance and leads toward self-realization. Yoga is the paramount method for this, requiring only the body, breath, and consciousness. It is the science of conscious movement and stillness, a road to original wholeness. A Guru is one who has cognized oneness, from which all arises and returns. Such beings live for others. The relationship between guru and disciple is supreme, pure, and meaningful. The guru's essence is what he is—Sat Chit Ānanda—and he serves to cure the disease of ignorance, which divides us from ourselves, others, and the divine. Sādhanā, the practice of yoga, is the source of strength to help others and ourselves. Liberation comes through knowledge and the Guru's grace.
"Yoga is the science and art of conscious movement. It is the science and art of conscious stillness."
"The essence of a guru is not what he says, not even what he does. The essence of a guru is what he is."
Filming locations: Jadan Ashram, Rajasthan, India.
DVD 171
What makes our soul happy
The jīva, or soul, seeks everlasting happiness, paramānanda, beyond fleeting pleasures.
There are temporary happinesses that vanish and cause suffering. The jīva is eternal, indestructible, and cannot be perceived by physical means. It enters and leaves the body freely, untouched by fire, water, or any obstacle. Every being carries this divine light, driven to attain pleasure and remove all pain. Through the five elements, the jīva manifests the ten senses and is sustained by the life forces. Happiness and sorrow reside in the jīva, not in the body. Seeking joy in material objects yields disappointment because the world is impermanent. Disappointment itself is a process of change and growth. Attachment binds the jīva, like a caged bird prevented from flying. Renunciation requires constant movement to avoid forming attachments. The worldly life is inherently a place of disappointment, even for the Creator. Clinging to relationships brings suffering, for all are transient. Temporary pleasures inevitably turn into pain. Therefore, one must seek paramānanda, the supreme, undying bliss. The jīva is like a drop suspended over the ocean of ātmā; upon merging, individuality dissolves, and it becomes Śiva. All spiritual practices aim for this union, where the jīva finds true peace.
"Each and every entity carries the light of God, and that light of God is not for this body only but for that soul, and that soul is life."
"This jīva is like a drop of water on the whole of our palm, held over the ocean. This drop is jīva, and the ocean is ātmā."
Filming location: Strilky, Czech Republic
Bhajan singing in the presence of the Master
The sacred syllable Om is the primal vibration from which this three-qualitied illusion of the world is projected. From Om, all knowledge and the Vedas themselves emerged. The true knower, realizing this, finds bliss. The Guru's grace is essential for this realization. Without the Guru's guidance, one remains lost, not knowing what to do with worldly or spiritual wealth. The Guru's feet are the ultimate pilgrimage, praised by the Vedas and Purāṇas. The divine sound, Śabda, is the ultimate power; it does not kill but slays limitation. Through the Guru's arrival at the eternal door, the soul finds liberation.
"From Om, the three-qualitied Maya created this world."
"The Vedas and Purāṇas sing, 'Guru’s feet are the sacred pilgrimage.'"
Filming location: Jadan, Rajasthan, India
Guru bhakta jagata me na rahe
The teaching is about indescribable oneness.
Listen, all doing serious sādhanā. Rāma lives in every heart. Rāma means God or Guru. Inside and outside, everything is one. It is a vast oneness. You sit in all moving and non-moving. The whole world resides in you. Looking up or down, only your darśan is seen. There is no need to go anywhere. You are not born, nor do you die. You are completely fearless. You have no fort or village. You are indescribable nothingness, like śūnyākāśa. You are Alakh, the indescribable one. You are beyond name, so you have no name, because you are everything. Without the Guru, you cannot understand this.
"Inside and outside, everything is one."
"Listen, everybody, without the Guru you cannot understand this."
Filming location: Strilky, Czech Republic
