There is no God. What I mean is that God is not someone sitting somewhere on a throne with a crown on his head or someone who has descended down from heaven. It was something I was confused about for a pretty long time.
But then there is God. This may sound a bit esoteric but this is experiential. Our Upanishads have proclaimed "Aham Brahmasmi" (I am God) and "Tat Tvam Asi" (You are that i.e. God). Further on, Jesus said, "be still and you kow that you are God".
It is true that we ourselves are God or God is inside all of us but we can realize this truth only when we are still or when we are in the state of stillness. This stillness is God which means that God is a state of being when we are completely still. This state is also called Shiva. So, Shiva is stillness. This can be experienced.
So, if God is stillness, what is religion then? Religion is that which can reveal God to you. So anything that makes us still is religion or Dharma and anything that pulls us away from that stillness is adharma. Extending this, if the outcome of an action is increased stillness, it was a right action, otherwise not.
Kriya Yog is the religion which our ancient Yogis used to practice and they have advised all of us to do the same in order to know God. This is a scientific method to know God. This is the action performing which we can become still. It is actually a Pranayama, practicing which the dynamic Prana in the body is stilled.
You would have come across the term Prana, which is loosely translated as life force or simply interpreted as breath (Prana Vayu). Prana is the dynamic state of soul. This Prana is the source of our lives. A man is dead when Prana leaves his body.
Inside the physical body, we have another body, which is called astral body or the energy body. This body runs from the top of our head to the base of the spine. This is made of the nerves through which the energy flow happens in the body. In this body, there are various energy centers, which are known as Chakras. You will easily find a picture on the internet describing the locations of various Chakras. At the base of the spine is the base chakra known as Muladhara, followed by Swadhisthana, Manipura, Anahata, Vishuddhi and Ajna chakra (aka Kutashtha) respectively as you traverse upwards. Each of these have different frequencies associated with them and hence yogis experience them in the form of different colors and sounds emanating from them. In yogic science, they also use sounds of different frequencies or vibrations to activate the chakras. The idea of activating them is to ensure that the energy flow taks place smoothly without any blockades. This is a deep science and can be learned from a realized master. On the top of the head is the seventh chakra called Sahashrara. The sound for Sahashrara is "Bam". You remember Bol Bam! Bol Bam!
Things or beings can be at three levels - Consciousness, Energy and Matter.
Consciousness is the base, the sub-stratum.
Inside any matter is atomic energy and matter can be converted back into energy. Likewise, energy can be converted into matter. Einstein's famous "e = mc square" equation. Matter came from atomic energy. But where did energy come from?
It has been said that atomic energy came out of consciousness and it will go back into consciousness. The explanation can be that even the thoughts and desires are subtle forms of energy. Otherwise, how is it possible to transfer a thought to someone else's mind! On the other side, matter is a condensed form of energy. Thus it is nothing but a spectrum. On one end, we get complete stillness (aka consciousness or nothingness), then subtle forms of energy such as thoughts and desires. And on the other extreme, we have matter where it is even not possible to visualize the vibrations through naked eyes. In the middle we have the energy of different frequencies, attaining grosser form as we move from stillness end to matter end. Heat, sound and light are manifestations of energy.
To understand this, refer to chapter 34 of Autobiography of a Yogi (AOY), how the golden palace was materialized out of nowhere. It was created using Babaji's mind and was maintained through his will power. Using the power of his mind, Babaji converted atomic energy (available in the atmosphere) into the palace. When he withdrew his mind, the palace was gone and the matter dissolved into atomic energy.
Prana's original state is stillness. But in a living being this stillness has been lost. The whole idea is to bring the vibratory Prana back to stillness. Kriya is a method to still the vibrations. In Yogic science, this state is achieved when the Prana is still and is established above Ajna Chakra or Kutashta (the point between the eyebrows) in the energy body. Sahashrara is the seat of stillness and hence of Shiva. In Kutastha or Ajna Chakra, this still Prana starts losing its stillness and as we move downwards from Kutastha, this prana starts attaining more and more dynamism or vibration. Thus dynamism (also called Shakti) originates from stillness (Shiva).
We perform actions on account of this dynamism. Our Prana attains dynamism because of breathing. Our active mind or the mind using which we think, analyze or perform calculations also comes from this dynamism.
AOY also suggests that the world is the mind-stuff. That is the the world has been made from the same stuff that the mind has been made of. It again says that inside any object or living being are atoms and electrons and hence atomic energy, which is light. It thus states that the foundation or the basis of this world is light or the world has been made out of light. Thus what we see is not what actually is. Hence, the world has been called Maya.
Another fascinating stuff that AOY suggests is that the world may be the sub-conscious mind of God. He has created this world in the same way that we create our own world in our dreams which take place in our sub-conscious mind. Just think about it.
But then there is God. This may sound a bit esoteric but this is experiential. Our Upanishads have proclaimed "Aham Brahmasmi" (I am God) and "Tat Tvam Asi" (You are that i.e. God). Further on, Jesus said, "be still and you kow that you are God".
It is true that we ourselves are God or God is inside all of us but we can realize this truth only when we are still or when we are in the state of stillness. This stillness is God which means that God is a state of being when we are completely still. This state is also called Shiva. So, Shiva is stillness. This can be experienced.
So, if God is stillness, what is religion then? Religion is that which can reveal God to you. So anything that makes us still is religion or Dharma and anything that pulls us away from that stillness is adharma. Extending this, if the outcome of an action is increased stillness, it was a right action, otherwise not.
Kriya Yog is the religion which our ancient Yogis used to practice and they have advised all of us to do the same in order to know God. This is a scientific method to know God. This is the action performing which we can become still. It is actually a Pranayama, practicing which the dynamic Prana in the body is stilled.
You would have come across the term Prana, which is loosely translated as life force or simply interpreted as breath (Prana Vayu). Prana is the dynamic state of soul. This Prana is the source of our lives. A man is dead when Prana leaves his body.
Inside the physical body, we have another body, which is called astral body or the energy body. This body runs from the top of our head to the base of the spine. This is made of the nerves through which the energy flow happens in the body. In this body, there are various energy centers, which are known as Chakras. You will easily find a picture on the internet describing the locations of various Chakras. At the base of the spine is the base chakra known as Muladhara, followed by Swadhisthana, Manipura, Anahata, Vishuddhi and Ajna chakra (aka Kutashtha) respectively as you traverse upwards. Each of these have different frequencies associated with them and hence yogis experience them in the form of different colors and sounds emanating from them. In yogic science, they also use sounds of different frequencies or vibrations to activate the chakras. The idea of activating them is to ensure that the energy flow taks place smoothly without any blockades. This is a deep science and can be learned from a realized master. On the top of the head is the seventh chakra called Sahashrara. The sound for Sahashrara is "Bam". You remember Bol Bam! Bol Bam!
Things or beings can be at three levels - Consciousness, Energy and Matter.
Consciousness is the base, the sub-stratum.
Inside any matter is atomic energy and matter can be converted back into energy. Likewise, energy can be converted into matter. Einstein's famous "e = mc square" equation. Matter came from atomic energy. But where did energy come from?
It has been said that atomic energy came out of consciousness and it will go back into consciousness. The explanation can be that even the thoughts and desires are subtle forms of energy. Otherwise, how is it possible to transfer a thought to someone else's mind! On the other side, matter is a condensed form of energy. Thus it is nothing but a spectrum. On one end, we get complete stillness (aka consciousness or nothingness), then subtle forms of energy such as thoughts and desires. And on the other extreme, we have matter where it is even not possible to visualize the vibrations through naked eyes. In the middle we have the energy of different frequencies, attaining grosser form as we move from stillness end to matter end. Heat, sound and light are manifestations of energy.
To understand this, refer to chapter 34 of Autobiography of a Yogi (AOY), how the golden palace was materialized out of nowhere. It was created using Babaji's mind and was maintained through his will power. Using the power of his mind, Babaji converted atomic energy (available in the atmosphere) into the palace. When he withdrew his mind, the palace was gone and the matter dissolved into atomic energy.
Prana's original state is stillness. But in a living being this stillness has been lost. The whole idea is to bring the vibratory Prana back to stillness. Kriya is a method to still the vibrations. In Yogic science, this state is achieved when the Prana is still and is established above Ajna Chakra or Kutashta (the point between the eyebrows) in the energy body. Sahashrara is the seat of stillness and hence of Shiva. In Kutastha or Ajna Chakra, this still Prana starts losing its stillness and as we move downwards from Kutastha, this prana starts attaining more and more dynamism or vibration. Thus dynamism (also called Shakti) originates from stillness (Shiva).
We perform actions on account of this dynamism. Our Prana attains dynamism because of breathing. Our active mind or the mind using which we think, analyze or perform calculations also comes from this dynamism.
AOY also suggests that the world is the mind-stuff. That is the the world has been made from the same stuff that the mind has been made of. It again says that inside any object or living being are atoms and electrons and hence atomic energy, which is light. It thus states that the foundation or the basis of this world is light or the world has been made out of light. Thus what we see is not what actually is. Hence, the world has been called Maya.
Another fascinating stuff that AOY suggests is that the world may be the sub-conscious mind of God. He has created this world in the same way that we create our own world in our dreams which take place in our sub-conscious mind. Just think about it.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------Suggested Readings:1. Autobiography of a Yogi (Written by Paramhamsa Yogananda)2. The Purana Purusha (Biography of Yogiraj Lahiri Mahashaya)
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