The origin of suffering
Fear arises from ignorance and creates the karma that binds us.
We are the light of the Self, yet we identify with the body and lose our true nature. Karma is not an external force but is created from our own experiences and ignorance. For example, we see a rope and mistake it for a snake, generating fear. That impression of the snake, though false, can last a lifetime. Fear resides in the subtle self, not the physical body, and weakens our confidence and strength. Stories of ghosts in graveyards persist because of our memories and attachments, not because spirits remain. Our stored fears from many lives manifest in the body, affecting glands and hormones. Loss of self-confidence disrupts these systems. Horrible dreams often stem from subconscious impressions, not direct karma. True awakening involves a healthy body and nervous system, free from the paralysis of fear. We must identify and release our fears, understanding they belong to the past.
"Karma is created within our own self out of ignorance. That creates fear in us."
"When fear is gone, all these karmic things are more or less gone."
Filming location: Vép, Hungary
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The Power of Satsaṅg and Awareness
The power of satsaṅg and awareness determines outcomes. Two friends chose differently. One attended satsaṅg physically but mentally dwelled on a missed movie. The other went to the movie but his awareness briefly touched satsaṅg. Afterward, the satsaṅg attendee got a thorn in his foot. The moviegoer found a gold coin. They sought explanation. The teacher revealed the satsaṅg attendee was destined for a car crash. Physical presence reduced it to a thorn. The moviegoer was destined for a box of gold coins. Fleeting awareness of satsaṅg reduced it to one coin. Physical presence without awareness still mitigates misfortune. Mental presence without physical attendance still grants reward. The power of satsaṅg transforms fate. It can make a king a beggar or a beggar a king. Everything depends on consciousness and awareness.
"That is the power of bhakti, that is the power of satsaṅg, and that is the power of Gurudeva."
"It all depends on the awareness and how we go forward with our lives."
Filming location: Strilky, Czech Republic
Heaven and Hell
Time is a human construct, yet it governs all life. Humans count seconds and years, but time does not count for us; it moves in cycles with the sun. No being is immortal, not even deities who have their appointed times in each age. A creator may become an ant, and an ant may become a creator, as time brings all transformations. We grow and we go; this cannot be stopped.
A sage in the mountains received the Vedas and wished to study them for eternity. When death's messenger came for him, the sage repeatedly requested more time to learn. The messenger finally showed him that the knowledge he had acquired was merely a handful of sand compared to the vast mountain of wisdom. The sage then understood and departed willingly.
Our allotted time should be used for spiritual practice and good deeds. Pride and anger destroy spiritual attainment, as shown by a yogi who lost his power through cursing a bird and displaying arrogance to a humble woman. The knowledge and abilities we possess must be utilized, or they are lost. The breath is the rope of life; its length is unknown.
"Ṛṣi, till now, what have you learned? Only that much which is dust in your hands."
"You have yoga. Use it or lose it."
Filming location: Strilky, Czech Republic
The Awakening of Consciousness: Kuṇḍalinī and Cakras
The science of yoga is the science of body, mind, and consciousness. Yoga is the eternal balancing principle in the universe, not a religion or dogma. The cosmic vibration, declared as OM, exists within and outside us. Human life is a precious chance within the cycle of rebirth. The human intellect can be trained endlessly, and dormant abilities within are connected to the cakras, or energy centers. The subtle body has 72,000 nāḍīs, or channels, for transmitting consciousness and energy. The mind functions between the subconscious and conscious, taking in impressions that become desires. The intellect's duty is to give judgment. We normally experience three levels of consciousness: waking, dream, and deep sleep. Past deeds create our destiny, or prārabdha karma. The Kuṇḍalinī energy and the cakra system are responsible for developing consciousness and freeing it from subconscious fears. The major nāḍīs are Iḍā, Piṅgalā, and Suṣumṇā, balancing emotion and intellect. Haṭha Yoga unites these sympathetic and parasympathetic principles. The awakening of Kuṇḍalinī is a divine process of becoming wise and calm, not a physical sensation. The cakras are located along the spinal column and are psychic energy centers. They are connected to the five elements and influence the body. Mastery leads towards liberation, the union of individual consciousness with cosmic consciousness. This requires lifelong practice and guidance.
"Yoga is not a religion, it is not a philosophy, it is not a dogma, but it is the eternal principle in this universe."
"The awakening of the Kuṇḍalinī is a divine process; you don't feel it as a physical sensation. You feel happy, as if in the lap of the mother."
Filming location: Zagreb, Croatia
DVD 188
Practical guide to meditation (4/11)
Morning satsang from weekend seminar in Vep, Hungary on 15th, Feburary 2009.
