Alex
Administrator
this is awesome! thanks for posting it here. Man, you're a good writer!David
Since you are our administrator, I've taken the liberty of posting an excerpt from my novel, "The Tale of the Himalayan Yogis." This text is not in response to your post, but a general offering to the forem. The excerpt summarizes much of my experience and understanding of enlightenment...
“I understand how the role of a king or commander of an army benefits humanity, but how does a yogi's meditation benefit others?” asked Govinda.
“Universal energies flow into this ashram from dimensions far beyond our time and space," replied Yogiraj. "The spiritual bodies of our brothers are well developed. Like magnets, yogis have two fully enlivened channels, one ascending the spine and the other descending from the crown of the head. When his subtle energies are perfectly balanced, the yogi enters a state called nirvikalpa samadhi. In this state, infinite peace and rapturous bliss result. The yogi becomes as expansive as the universe itself. He sees the stars and planets within the vastness of his own heart. When the kundalini rises to the crown of the head, it awakens the yogi’s God-Self. From here, the yogi enjoys exalted spiritual states — merging with his beloved God — a union that radiates wisdom and love to the earth and her inhabitants.
“But there is so much suffering and violence and hatred,” replied Govinda.
“We are not the only players in the game," said Yogiraj. "Mankind has been given the gift of free will, but free will becomes a curse on those who deprive others of it. Those who invoke lower beings use their rituals to spread hatred and fear.”
“But how do you know these things?”
Yogiraj’s large, almond eyes flashed.
“God’s play begins and ends in mystery. To the extent that you are completely in the present moment you are enlightened. If one could be fully in the present, at that moment, he would have full liberation. No thinking about future or past, or what more I can do. To the extent that you can be here, the best future will come, and if you’re not fully in the present moment, you’ll have a different future. It is to your advantage to be fully in the present for your best future.
"A holy atmosphere with one’s focus on spirituality, deep meditation, and divine grace, which comes as the result of devotion, are necessary. Divine grace is the final stroke of enlightenment. When the period of preparation is complete, mastery dawns. However, a catalyst is required. The last stroke comes from the grace of God, the grace of the master, or the unfolding of your inner consciousness blossoming out into infinity. It can even come in a dream,” smiled Yogiraj. “Guard your spirituality like the most precious gem. Never allow anything, or anyone, to persuade you to give it up. Don’t give in regardless how much pressure is put on you. Moksha won’t come if your life contains a lot of impurity. In that case, neither God nor guru can do anything for you. It does not mean that you have to be perfect, but it does mean that you try to your best ability to preserve your consciousness and keep your body as pure as you can. Liberation means the end of ignorance. We want you in the full power of consciousness, raising you until you realize that you are infinite. We want you to realize that you’re the same as we are. We want to remove that which prevents you from perceiving the infinite. That’s how we intend to help you."
“The avatars and great gurus have taken birth to provide an example and to teach humanity how to realize their Divinity. The purpose of a personal god is to give the formless Absolute a form that is perfect. The formless Absolute can’t be evolved because there is no difference between the point of no evolution and infinite evolution since the formless Absolute is utterly devoid of everything. On the other hand, Divinity can have relations with every aspect of itself. So, wouldn’t it be a better idea to explore Divinity? Although being fully attuned to the formless Absolute is ideal as one lives life, the formless Absolute is what you are before beginning your soul cycle. The origin of a soul starts with undifferentiated life energy that emerges from the formless Absolute. The soul forms into a unit that in some way perceives itself as separate from the unbounded Absolute. The soul has individuality and self-awareness. Thus begins the journey.
Yogiraj paused to see if his student was comprehending him.
"With wisdom and experience, your consciousness becomes omniscient while at the same time remaining who you are rather than ceasing to exist by merging back into the formless Absolute. Full enlightenment means maintaining your individuality while being omniscient and omnipresent; remaining who you are independent of the formless Absolute. So the ideal would be to move in the direction of becoming Divinity rather than becoming the formless Absolute. Do you understand?” asked Yogiraj.
“I think so,” replied Govinda. “You bathe in the stream without becoming water.”
“Exactly... be in the water, merge with the formless Absolute in your meditation, but don’t revert to being Absolute. Instead, merge with your Ishta-Deva. That is the principle difference between Buddhism and Hinduism.