Introduction:
This page covers the teachings of the Guru in the form of Kashmir Shaivisim school of Sanatana Dharma (more commonly known as Hinduism.)

The core of Kashmir Shaivisim is that there is nothing that is not God.  This of course, includes you: you just had to forget in order to incarnate. Everything is the play of the Divine, and the goal of the play is to realize and embody this Truth.

Sanatana Dharma is Sanskrit for “The Eternal Way”.  It always has been “the way” and it always will be – so long as the play of the Divine in individuation continues. For the worldly minded, the Vedas, which are the key text of Sanatana Dharma, date back at least 20,000 years. As noted by several scholars in India…

“Summarizing some representative estimates of the date of the Vedas, a Vedic scholar, the late Balashaheb Hardas of Nagpur, pointed out – in a public lecture series in the 1950’s in Pune –  that Pundit Patankar of Rajapur believes the Vedas to be 21,000 years ancient on the basis of astronomy. Another scholar, Me. Lele, put the figure at 40,000 years.  Pundit Sudhakar Dwivedi estimates the Vedas to be 54,000 years ancient. Pundit Krishnashastri Godbole added another 18,000 years to that figure.  Another scholar, Pundit Dinath Chulet believed the age of the Vedas to be 150,000 years.” (Knapp 13)

Kashmir Shaivisim relies on a combination of Hindu sources for its teachings and practices. It pulls from the wisdom of the Vedas which assist in explaining and understanding the universe. It pulls from the mysticism of the Tantras, which give us Shaktipat and assistance in understanding the experiencing of this Truth directly and consciously within ourselves. It has its own texts as well, like the Shiva Sutras, which help in explaining the nature of this synthesis and what seekers will derive from it.

Citation:
Knapp, Stephen. Proof of Vedic Culture's Global Existance. 1st. Detroit: The World Relief Network, 2000. 13. Print.

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Shaktipat:
When prepared seekers receive Shaktipat, an ancient Sanskrit term meaning "descent of Grace," the seeker’s Kundalini or dormant divine energy is awakened by the qualified and empowered Guru.

Upon waking, Kundalini, sometimes called Shakti, will begin to change the individual physically and psychologically in the way fastest and safest for that individual to reach enlightenment. It will effect each of the chakras until it reaches and is retained within the 7^th or crown chakra at the top of the head, where the seeker experiences enlightenment.

The process of Shaktipat and its effects are a direct and powerful transformative practice. Through it a seeker will overcome many difficulties on the spiritual path with ease and safety. This practice is without doubt one of the quickest paths to enlightenment and brings forth enlightening experiences and understanding.

The authority to give Shaktipat is passed down from Guru to his successors in the lineage exclusively. The objective of Shaktipat is to bring students of the Guru to enlightenment within their time in the current body.

Think of the Shaktipat process in this way, the seeker brings an unlit candle to the Guru who lights it with his own candle.  After this candle is lit for the seeker it will burn all that interferes, through the developing process of daily practices and interaction with the Guru, clearing karmas and bringing the seeker to the very same enlightenment that is the Guru's own state.

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Guru Kripa:
Guru Kripa, which also known as Guru’s Grace, is the divine power of God which brings moksha (liberation) to an individual seeker. Guru Kripa is the primary responsibility of the Guru’s physical body which functions as a channel for the Grace bestowing power of God. It flows naturally and easily from the Guru at all times to help seekers attain enlightenment and liberation.  As water can only flow downhill and fire may only rise into the air so Guru’s Grace flows constantly to the seeker.  It is the inner condition of the seeker’s mind, alone, which is responsible for whether Grace is met primarily with blockage or receptivity.

There are no real laws from above that limit the Guru’s Grace: it truly depends upon the person at the receiving end. One must be ready for this Guru Kripa, otherwise, even if it is flowing from the Guru at all times, the seeker will walk away without it. 

Seekers must possess self-control, the spirit of enquiry, contentment, and the desire to be free
from Samsara (the cycle of death and rebirth).  Additionally, the seeker must keep the company of the Guru. These are the requirements for a seeker to attain liberation. Seekers must see God through the form and personality of the Guru, and they must be sincere in their longing for enlightenment and liberation. From here everything else will come naturally, and when the seeker is ready they will undoubtedly receive.

A seeker who is ready is evident to all to see, they act as a student of the Guru, they bring goodness to the name of their Guru and conduct their life appropriately. All their actions are performed without attachment. Always focusing on the eternal they do meditation and japa, they practice the Yamas and Niyamas effortlessly. They are kind to all and they walk and bathe in the light of knowledge of the Guru’s teachings. They do all this and more as second nature, these are the traits of one who is truly ready for liberation. Those who wish for liberation should cultivate these traits and make themselves capable of receiving the Guru’s Grace.

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Spend some time with your inner self. Mahamandaleshwar Paramahamsa Swarupananda Vishwa Guru Maharaj Swami-ji gives instruction and initiation in the non-dual branch of Kashmir Shivite Maha Yoga tradition. Living in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles and instructing students from the Adi Mahadev Paramathaguru Siddha Peeth, Swami-ji is a master of shaktipat diksha, giving Kundalini awakening and guiding sadhakas through the path taught to him by his Guru Paramahamsa Muktananda Swami-ji.
 
As a Paramahamsa of the Giri sanyasa order, Swami-ji leads his students through the path to realization and the experience of constant conscious contact with the divine, which is each person's birthright. Abiding in the bliss of Sahaj Samadhi, Swamiji invites his students to join him in the continual bliss of consciousness. As a true renunciant, Swami-ji asks nothing in return for his services abiding always in non-dual awareness.

Spend Time With Your INNER SELF. Enjoy Satsang and Darshan with Swami-ji through the dialogue below.

OM Shanti Shanti Shanti

OM Namah Shivaya

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OM
I really like this so I'm passing it on.

Swarupananda

Nirvana Shatkam

By Adi Sankaracharya, Translated by P. R. Ramachander

Mano budhyahankara chithaa ninaham,
Na cha srothra jihwe na cha graana nethrer,
Na cha vyoma bhoomir na thejo na vayu,
Chidananada Roopa Shivoham, Shivoham.
 
Neither am I mind, nor intelligence ,
Nor ego, nor thought,
Nor am I ears or the tongue or the nose or the eyes,
Nor am I earth or sky or air or the light,
I am Shiva, I am Shiva, of nature knowledge and bliss

Na cha praana sangno na vai pancha vaayuh,
Na vaa saptha dhathur na va pancha kosa,
Na vak pani padam na chopastha payu,
Chidananada Roopa Shivoham, Shivoham.

Neither am I the movement due to life,
Nor am I the five airs, nor am I the seven elements,
Nor am I the five internal organs,
Nor am I voice or hands or feet or other organs,
I am Shiva, I am Shiva, of nature knowledge and bliss

Na me dwesha raghou na me lobha mohou,
Madho naiva me naiva matsarya bhava,
Na dharmo na cha artha na kamo na moksha,
Chidananada Roopa Shivoham, Shivoham.

I never do have enmity or friendship,
Neither do I have vigour nor feeling of competition,
Neither do I have assets, or money or passion or salvation,
I am Shiva, I am Shiva, of nature knowledge and bliss

Na punyam na paapam na soukhyam na dukham,
Na manthro na theertham na veda na yagna,
Aham bhojanam naiva bhojyam na bhoktha,
Chidananada Roopa Shivoham, Shivoham.

Never do I have good deeds or sins or pleasure or sorrow,
Neither do I have holy chants or holy water or holy books or fire sacrifice,
I am neither food or the consumer who consumes food,
I am Shiva, I am Shiva, of nature knowledge and bliss

Na mruthyur na sankha na me jathi bhedha,
Pitha naiva me naiva matha na janma,
Na bhandhur na mithram gurur naiva sishyah,
Chidananada Roopa Shivoham, Shivoham.

I do not have death or doubts or distinction of caste,
I do not have either father or mother or even birth,
And I do not have relations or friends or teacher or students,
I am Shiva, I am Shiva, of nature knowledge and bliss

Aham nirvi kalpo nirakara roopo,
Vibhuthwascha sarvathra sarvendriyanaam,
Na chaa sangatham naiva mukthir na meyah
Chidananada Roopa Shivoham, Shivoham.

I am one without doubts , I am without form,
Due to knowledge I do not have any relation with my organs,
And I am always redeemed,
I am Shiva, I am Shiva, of nature knowledge and bliss

As this body gets used to the ecclesiastical title of Mahamandaleshwar Paramahamsa Swarupananda Vishwa Guru Maharaj Swami-ji, I have joined with others in the World Parliament of Religions and have been asked to write a comment on a wonderful Hindu book by a noted Acharya (one of Hinduism's finer philosophers).

But instead of explaining all the responsibilities this body has taken on, I want to focus on the essence....the Bliss of continuing to be in the state of where there is NOTHING THAT IS NOT GOD. Right now as I am typing this post to you, I'm listening to the beautiful Sanctus sung by Jessey Norman with orchestra and choir.....a moment ago I was listenting to her sing Amazing Grace (which is my all time favorite). I'm now listening to a rendition of Om Namah Shivaya with ocean background made especially for us by our own Swami Vidyananda.

Vishwa Guru is a designation as a world Guru with world concerns for each and every sentient being. The mix of Advaita and tantra that was the greatest gift to me from my Guru Paramahamsa Muktananda Swami-ji strengthens the resolve to help stop religious conflict. All religions are not the same; however, they all lead to the same experience of ONENESS.

All of us at one time or another have forgotton that and had rather strict judgments regarding the worth of one faith or another. Sri Swami Ramakrishna used to say, "many paths ONE destination." This particular vibration of Oneness known to you as Swarupananda is picking up this mantle and making it the cornerstone of the joy left to accomplish before this body takes Maha Samadhi and changes form.

I welcome you with great love and great respect and send Blessings and Bliss to you so that your spiritual path may be easier and the bliss more intense.

Your Very Own,

Mahamandaleshwar Paramahamsa Swarupananda Vishwa Guru Maharaj Swami-ji

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Everywhere I look I see God. As a member of the World Parliament of Religion and reading many of the posts from other members, all I see is God.....There is nothing that is not God. The outer coverings and the lila, i.e. play of God is infinite; even when people are "dying", "suffering", under the most extreme difficulties and the opposite of those things mentioned.....OM God. Maya is the part of God in disguise from Himself playing all the parts and directing the drama. On the screen of Himself He projects this entire play of consciousness.

There is nothing that is not God. Even in the depths of prarabdha karma (i.e karma in course) that even "enlightened beings" have to live through before Maha Samadhi..........that infinity that we can't talk about because it is so great like trying to pour the ocean into a tea cup, remember that as the karma in course, as it spirals down to finally dropping the body.............GOD.......is still part of the lila.

In the deepest sense nothing ever really happened! God without second...ONE with no seams....There is nothing that is not God.

I welcome you with great respect and great love,

Mahamandaleshwar Swarupananda
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Renounce, renounce the mundane existence and then renounce completely even that renunciation. Give up as poison the egoistic idea of shunning or accepting the world. You are pure, simple, firm and immortal.
Sloka 46 Chapter 3 Avadhuta Gita

Commentary:

It is so very easy to get caught in the trap of rejection and acceptance. These two are not really polar opposites. In each are the seeds of reincarnation. Only with true renunciation and the right understanding of Shivo'Ham is satchitananda attained.

I welcome you with great love and great respect.

Swami Swarupananda Sivadass Giri

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I welcome you with Great Love and Great Respect

Namaste:

As I'm listening to the Guru Gita as sung by my Guru Swami Muktananda Paramahamsa, I bow to him and to you as truly outward and visible forms of the ONE divine Consciousness. There is truly nothing that is not GOD!!! OM Namah Shivaya.


As Guruji Muktananda always said,
"Bow you your Self, honor and worship your own inner being. God dwells within you as YOU!"

I welcome you with Great Love and Great Respect,

Swami Swarupananda Sivadass Giri

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Bhakti is the boat that ferries one over from the land of samsara (repetitive cycles of birth and death) to that of sat*chit*ananda...existence, consciousness and bliss absolute. Guru Bhakti makes the entire surrender and non-attachment real in this world of 3 dimensions moving through the 4th. The Guru being the outward and visible form of the formless Oneness....i.e. the sirguna form that leads to the nirguna formless.

In a very real and palpable manner, Guru Bhakti is where spiritual practice begins and ultimately finds it's fruition. It begins with a formal ritual style to the physical form of the Guru and progresses to all that exists leading to a real understanding and awareness on the most basic level that there is nothing that is not Guru....there is nothing that is not God....there is nothing that is not the Self. In the direct and permanent state of Sahaj Samadhi is the constant awareness that there is ONE WITHOUT SECOND and you welcome everyone and everything with great love and great respect

Swami Swarupananda Sivadass Giri

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Brahmacharya is a very unpopular subject in all religions and in many spiritual practices of today. We live in an age of the Kali Yuga where instant gratification of all perceived needs, wants, and desires flourish. This primary process of instant gratification can be seen all around us and is promulgated in all media. Even the ancient tradition of tantric yoga has been interpreted as a way of sexualizing yourself to enlightenment; instant enlightenment through intense sexual sadhana.

 Enforced brahmacharya is not the way either. As one's sadhana (spiritual practice) grows and flowers, the sexual desire become less active....there is a natural turning inward and upward from the lower chakras to the higher chakras. Meditation becomes more intense and the fire of meditation consumes many desires. This is a natural process. Kundalini is a very conscious force and in its rise through the chakras many things change on a physical as well as on a subtle level. Brahmacharya becomes far more than celibacy...it becomes a purity of view that leads you to the direct experience that there is truly nothing that is not GOD....there is nothing that is not YOU....there is nothing that is not the SELF.

With the final realization and radical change in consciousness that comes about in true spiritual practice you live in the constant ecstatic state of sat*chit*ananda....existence, consciousness, and bliss absolute.

I welcome you with great love and great respect.

Swami Swarupananda Sivadass Giri

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Sadgurunath Maharaj Ki Jay!

On this my 58th Jayanthi, I give thanks to my Guru Paramahamsa Muktananda Swami Maharaj. It is through his Divine Grace that this body continues and all actions are in His service.

There is no greater bliss than to worship at the lotus feet of Muktananda Swami. There is no greater treasure than my relationship to Him as his ever adoring and ever grateful Bhakta. Seeing Him truly as there is nothing that is not Muktananda is the bliss of freedom. On this auspicious day, I welcome you with great love and great respect.

Muktananda's own,

Swami Swarupananda Sivadass Giri

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January 1, 2007

  Once again the world has been created new arising inside of us. It is far more than an archetype; it is where each of us phenomenologically regains our sense of time, and our sense of continuing identity. The reality of the world arising in each of us is the key to what my Guru used to call, "right understanding."

  In an ultimate sense, time, place, person, and consensual reality is all a matter of samsara, i.e. illusion. In our getting in touch with the ground of all being, which is the basis for this arising, we live in the essential being one without second, immanent and transcendent, the ineffable that can be intuited but not explained.

 Through living with the constant experience that there is nothing that is not God...the Self...the one without second...the ground of all being, the samsaric experience of fear and death lose their meaning and cease forever to effect the ongoing experience of sat, chit, ananda, i.e. existence, consciousness, and bliss absolute.

In further writings, this right understanding will be applied directly to what appears as day to day experience throughout this phenomenological samsaric experience of three dimensions traveling through four.

I welcome you with great love and great respect.

Sm. Swarupananda Sivadass Giri
Mahadeva Paramathaguru Siddha Peeth

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January 2, 2007

This morning I awoke and did my spiritual practice, sat down to meditate and was in Samadhi for over an hour. Moving into the library, I selected a copy of Jnaneshwar's Gita rendered by Swami Kripananda. I vaguely remember Swamiji from my days with my Guru Swami Muktananda. We would sit at the feet of the Guru and have him recite to us passages from the Jnaneswari. Sm. Kripananda has rendered a great service by making available this blissful text on the Bhagavad-Gita, which is the crest jewel of the Vedas.

Each chapter of the Bhagavad-Gita gives lucid and easy to understand instructions on how to attain Moksha, i.e. liberation while in this life. In all the various translations and interpretations of the Bhagavad-Gita, this one is my favorite. I come back to it time and time again and it's wisdom is as applicable today as it was when Jnaneshwar wrote this commentary around 1290 C.E. In 1933, R.D. Rande completed it's translation into English.

Guruji Swami Muktananda said about this translation, "Jnaneshwar wrote his commentary not simply through the intellect but in the complete freedom of divine inspiration." (Jnaneshwar's Gita, pg. VI) I sincerely agree with Baba Muktananda.

I offer this book to you as a valued companion on your road to full enlightenment. It inspires and it teaches in a most straight forward manner. Reading it after your meditation gives extra energy to the bliss of consciousness and will answer many questions that arise on your moment by moment path to the Inner Self.

The Royal Road to full enlightenment is found in the regular practice of meditation with the understanding that the mantra, the Guru, God, and ALL is ONE. This should start every meditation. This should be the basis of mantra recitation. I sum it up for my students in the statement that, "There is nothing that is not God." There is
nothing that is not The Self. In every moment of every day, while awake, asleep, working, playing, with others, and while alone, "There is nothing that is not God," should be your understanding. The knowledge and practice of this is the greatest of intentions and brings you to its total experience in your life. Attention on this intention manifests all and brings you to the Bliss of the Highest Truth, which is Swarup-Ananda.

I welcome you with great love and great respect.

Swami Swarupananda Sivadass Giri
Mahadeva Paramathaguru Siddha Peeth

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January 3, 2007

The sun is just coming up behind the peeth in the Hollywood Hills. If you are still for a few minutes, you can feel the shift in energy. The day is beginning. Having just come from my 5 a.m. meditation, I can see why all the Swamis say the Earth is still from 4 a.m till 6 a.m., and that is the best time for morning meditation.

 "Meditate on your Inner Self. Honor and worship your inner being. God dwells within you as You," Baba Muktananda said this over and over again. It became a point of contemplation for me during my sadhana.

The peace that you experience in the early morning hours can be carried inside you all day. Do mantra repetition silently to yourself (japa) with the intention that there is nothing that is not God. I still use my beads for japa. I have many different sets of them all over the peeth, in the car, in my bag, etc. Soon you will find that the mantra is going on constantly inside you. All you have to do is turn your attention inward. That bliss is always available through japa, meditation, or contemplation.

Blessings and Bliss,

Swami Swarupananda Sivadass Giri

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January 4, 2007

Yesterday I spent the day with Swami Ramananda Sivadass Giri. He presented me with a new MP3 player called Zen.
This morning I'm writing this while on Zen; Om, it's auspicious don't you think?

Everything changes and yet everything remains the same. That is the paradox of life. My Guru listened to his disciples chant in the morning, while he wrote before giving satsang. I am writing this while listening to Siva chants on the Zen. There are hundreds of thousands examples of this throughout society. Anxiety, stress, depression, psychological, physiological, and interpersonal traumas are timeless.

People seek help in much the same ways...the shaman, the religious community, the pharmacist, the medical doctor, the psychotherapist, the medical marijuana distributor down the street, the street drugs, and all manner of addictions. The name of the healer changes but the paradox remains the same. Who is going to cure me of Life!

The who is you. The when is now. The how is through meditation and the application of attention and intention while in the timeless, spaceless, dimension of your own Inner Self. Find the ultimate freedom knowing that there surely is nothing that is not you. You are the Self manifesting in everything everywhere, timeless, unbounded, the one without second.

I welcome you with great love and great respect.
 
Swami Swarupananda Sivadass Giri
Mahadeva Paramathaguru Siddha Peeth

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January 5, 2007

 Listening to Namah Shivaya Om and watching the wind blow throw the trees outside the Peeth is such bliss; divinely intoxicating bliss, OM. Taking meditation to the next level is what I call Meditative Living. You are very aware of the persons, places, things and events that are continually arising inside yourself; however your gaze is internal...just follow the bliss, always follow the bliss.


Om, there is nothing that is not Brahman, i.e. there is nothing that is not YOU. You are the bliss, the eternal dance, the bliss and the follower of the bliss. There is nothing that is not You; there is nothing that is not God. It is this intention and right understanding that arises constantly in you just as does your breath. It leads to and sustains bliss and fulfillment of all desires. It passes all of this onto the persons, places, things, and events that appear to surround you. Know that these persons, places, things, and events are YOU telling YOU about YOU.

I welcome you with Great Love and Great Respect for we are surely ONE.

Swami Swarupananda Sivadass Giri
Mahadeva Paramathaguru Siddha Peeth

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January 14, 2007

OM. Today begins the four day festival of Pongal for Hindus. It marks the beginning of the Sun's journey northward and is considered very auspicious. Being tied directly to harvest time and new beginnings, it is auspicious for sadhakas to begin more intensified spiritual practice.

In meditation this morning, I realized that Pongal is also very symbolic of kundalini's movement from the base chakra to the fulfillment of yoga in the crown chakra. The Guru is the beginning and the culmination of this spiritual journey. It is through this role as the Grace Bestowing Power of God that any spiritual progress begins, is sustained, and reaches fulfillment in The Self, who is the ultimate one without second, the ground of all being, Atman, Paramashiva.

On this auspicious day of Pongal, may all your beginnings bear the fruit of enlightenment. I welcome you with great love and great respect.

Swami Swarupananda Sivadass Giri

I welcome you with great love and great respect

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Namaste! OM

My dear ones, this body is once again an acceptable vehicle for actively functioning in 3 dimensions traveling through the 4th dimension. OM Namah Shivaya. Thank you for all your prayers, mantras, and pujas.

The body is really not who you are. You are existence, consciousness, and bliss unlimited, eternal, without beginning and without end. Please let the deep understanding that THERE IS NOTHING THAT IS NOT GOD permeate you in every cell down to the smallest quantum stuff and to the highest heaven. Birth and Death are but illusions of the great dance of Shiva.


My blessings go to all who read this posting.

Swami Swarupananda
 
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I welcome you with great love and great respect from the lotus feet of my Guru Paramahamsa Muktananda Swami.


THERE IS NOTHING THAT IS NOT GOD should resound in your every breath, in all that you do, in all that you say, in all that you see, in all that you hear, in all that you touch. It is true what Baba Muktananda said continually, "GOD DWELLS WITHIN YOU AS YOU." Let this be your sadhana. Link this understanding with your mantra and experience the absolute bliss of consciousness that is already yours. It is through the superimposition of wrong thinking that makes you feel small, fragile, and unworthy. You ARE the ONE WITHOUT SECOND. Know this to be the highest and only truth.

Paramahamsa Swarupananda Swami

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These words of my Guru are true. This Swami has tested the limits. During the early years of sadhana, this Swami got re-attached to money, power, and all the maya of the world. Thinking that I had done enough sadhana to sustain me, off into the world I went; leaving sadhana for others to do.

When I fell, I hit with a rather large thump. Money, friends, material things and health went in the wink of an eye. All I had left was sadhana to do. I redoubled my resolve to make sadhana like breathing. Again it bore fruit, but instead of becoming attached to the fruit, I did even more tapas. The material world, that of maya, came and went with cycle after cycle. The sadhana remained. As attachment to the experiences of sadhana left and all that existed is and was sadhana, the truth became self-evident and very clear....THERE IS NOTHING THAT IS NOT GOD. Tat Tvam Asi. OM Namah Shivaya, Sivo'Ham

I welcome you with great love and great respect.

Swami Swarupananda Sivadass Giri

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The great scriptue known as VASISTHA'S YOGA translated by Swami Venkatesananda states on page 590 VI. 2:97:

"There are those who assert that nature manifests itself naturally, without intelligent creator, for one sees that in nature there are many undesired and unintelligent happenings (like natural calamities)--such a view is reasonable. On the other hand, they who assert the existence of the one universal doer of everything are also right; this world exists as also 'the other world' are right, too. In their eyes pilgrimage, rituals, etc. are meaningful. The notion that everything is void or sunya is right for it is the result of much investigation. The infinite consciousness is like the purest crystal: it reflects whatever notion one holds. The knowers of truth have realized that infinite consciousness is neither a void nor a non-void; it is omnipotent but not that which is seen or known. Hence, whatever be the same goal (attains the same fruit) as long as he does not toy with these notions or realizations in a childish manner. One should investigate the truth in the company of the knowers of the truth and then one should stand firm in one's own realization without being distracted or deflected.

There are wise people here and there, who are wise in terms of the knowledge of scriptures, as also in terms of their conduct. One should seek their company. There may be many who talk a lot about the scriptures, but he among them who promotes the joy and delight of all and whose conduct is unimpeachable is the best among them. All people at all times seek their own good as if under compulsion, just as water flows downwards. One should understand this and resort to the company of the wise."

My dear sadhakas, the eternal way is manifested in many paths. There are many footpaths intersecting all the clearly marked and timeless paths. A guide is of great help in traveling along these freeways and byways. In as much as a teacher has traveled along a given path and has found the treasure at its end, he is a wise and wonderful guide.

Select your path and begin the journey. Along the way you will meet your guide. Follow that guide and you will reach the treasure also. Jumping from one path to the next, from one guide to the next, causes confusion and a byway can be mistaken for a true path; and a fellow traveler can be mistaken for a guide.

In this vast divine play of consciousness, everyone gains the treasure sooner or later. Finding a true path, and not just a byway, is a function of Divine Grace that is always available. When you find a true path, the guide will always appear. Keep the company of your guide and do not judge other's guides or paths. Your path is for you alone and your guide is for you alone. Focus on your guide's instructions and ignore distractions. You will reach the treasure that is truly beyond price.

I welcome you with great love and great respect.

Swami Swarupananda Sivadass Giri

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Namaste!

I welcome you with great love and great respect.

The world is the blissful play of consciousness. There exists only unqualified bliss in knowing on an intrinsic level that what Paramahamsa Muktananda said, "You alone, you alone exist!"

This Swami reads online what he calls the Guru Wars. Everyone has their own version of truth and wants to ram it down someone's being. Back and forth go the flaming words covered with the veneer of love.

There are many paths, all valid, to the same destination. One is not better than the other....there is no right or wrong, no high or low...only process that brings one to one-Self. It is all a play of consciousness.....a PLAY....enjoy the bliss!!! THERE IS NOTHING THAT IS NOT GOD....THERE IS NOTHING THAT IS NOT YOU. When you realize THAT you awake to who you really are.

When you awake, you realize the beauty of the Play. The play of war, the play of peace....the play of living...the play of dying...the play of sadhana....the play of not sadhana.....ALL ONE WITHOUT SECOND; ALL Bliss...unqualified bliss!

Enjoy the play for you, the play, the players, the stage, the audience, the playwright, the script.....all is your very SELF.

Perpetuating this sense of separateness is stress....letting go is the bliss of consciousness....sat chit ananda. This Swami really is ananda.............OM

It's soooooooooooo easy. Realize your bliss of freedom (Muktananda)

I welcome you with great love and respect enjoying the Play.

Swami Swarupananda

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Namaskar!

I welcome you with great love and great respect.

Again and again this Swami is asked to deliver discourses on philosophical topics. Although many Swamis do this as part of their continuing surrender and service, this Swami has very little to say. Everything that this Swami has to give you is the understanding that:


All the great philosophical and theological texts in the world boil down to this....THERE IS NOTHING THAT IS NOT GOD.

When you truly understand this and live from this state, there is nothing left to experience, say, do, or be.

Being in the company of Siddhas (fully realized beings stable in Sahaj Bhava Samadhi)is helpful in truly understanding and living from this state.

My blessings to all who read this that you may realize that THERE IS NOTHING THAT IS NOT GOD.

Swami Swarupananda Sivadass Giri

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Namaste:

I welcome you with great love and great respect.

It is so very clear that one of the main obstacles to enlightenment is the identification with one's role rather than one's essence. The world with all its dimensions is the play of consciousness. It is a play through which the one without second projects upon itself characters, scenery, drama, comedy, etc. In this play, the characters become so identified with the play that the character and the play become more real than the essence...the one without second. The object of the play is just that...PLAY. Like any good drama or comedy, everything is moving towards the end of the play. One might say that the goal of the play is its end. The end of this play of consciousness is enlightenment, i.e. the remembering that...


The chingle of spiritual paths are play scripts that are devised to get you to the end more rapidly (speaking in 4 dimensional space- time) One path is really not better than another...the destination of all plays is the same...its conclusion.

This Swami has found that a good technique is to SEE GOD (I.E. THE ONE WITHOUT SECOND) IN EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE. Look for the essence and not the character or characterization. Remember that what you
think you see and experience is the Play not the essence. Don't mistake the map (i.e. the play, script, scenery, directors, stage hands, actors, lighting, stage, etc.) for the territory (i.e. THE ONE WITHOUT SECOND).

Your mantra is a means of reminding you that all is a play. The understanding that the mantra, you, the Guru, and THE ONE WITHOUT SECOND ARE ONE.

Enjoy the play! Realize the TRUTH!

OM

Swami Swarupananda Sivadass Giri

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A sadhaka came to me and talked about not wanting to deal with vows that are, "forever." After considering this, this communication is initiated. OM

In Advita, the non-dual school, that I prefer over most other points of view as to tradition, forever is the state we live in all the time. The most basic understanding that THERE IS NOTHING THAT IS NOT GOD...renders yesterday, today, and tomorrow academic. It is pure illusion.

My dear sadhakas, cut off the hydra's head of time. Time does not exist....there are no actions....there are no reactions in the non-dual state.

We live and "act" within an illusion that includes things to do, places to go, people to meet and interact with, right understanding, meditation, japa, surrender, Gurus and Disciples, paths to enlightenment, and karma of many varieties. Even though to the enlightened sage all of this is just the play of consciousness and has no existence separate from God, the world of illusion is very attractive and seemingly real. When this Swami cuts himself...blood flows. This body goes through sickness and health...eating, moving, defecating, and all the "normal daily activities." As Buddha said, "Before enlightenment it's chopping wood and carrying water. After enlightenment it's chopping wood and carrying water."

The difference is in a living, being, knowing on a very very profound level that you are In the world (of illusion) but not OF the world (of illusion). In truth, you were never born, never lived, will never die....THERE IS NOTHING THAT IS NOT GOD....YOU ARE ATMAN! SIVOHAM! (I am Siva).
 
Forever is your natural state. It is timeless, spaceless and without qualities. It transcends the immanent and the transcendent. It is not an it. Being qua Being doesn't even come close to the indescribable. But while you recognize the play of consciousness that is Siva's Lila, you do your sadhana of SIVOHAM. You merge with SIVOHAM. You release your little self and recognize the truth that is SIVOHAM.

I welcome you with great love and great respect.

SIVOHAM,

Paramahamsa Swarupananda

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Namaste Dear ONE:

This Swami just came across a posting on the Non-Dual website that seems very appropriate for you. Contemplate the meaning and understand that it is really speaking directly to you.

Swami Swarupananda

Habitually conditioned to avoid fear and insecurity, most people compulsively cling to what is familiar, even if it is very painful and confusing. I have witnessed countless people turn away from the experience and revelation of freedom because in that freedom there is nowhere to hide and nothing to hold onto. As they begin to awaken to a freedom that is profound, many turn back to a familiar condition of struggle and confusion in an unconscious effort to avoid stepping
completely into the ungraspable and indefinable mystery of liberation. Why? Because in that mystery there is absolutely nothing for the personal ego to attain or define itself by.

This is not the liberation that most people envision when they start out. Consciously or unconsciously most people envision a freedom that they can attain and possess. So many who glimpse the enlightened condition tell me that it is so much bigger than they ever could have imagined. To realize that freedom is not something that you possess, but something that possesses you, is often experienced as shocking, frightening, and unbelievably liberating. It is a revelation that swallows up the dream of a separate you and reveals Self to be a limitless expanse. What I am describing is the experience of Self void of any sense of selfhood, a timeless and uncaused condition which is constantly birthing manifest existence into form.

To have a glimpse of this profound freedom requires very little, but to live it requires the destruction of every concept of self you have ever held or will ever hold. This freedom is a flame that burns the need to struggle to ash and reveals one's Self to be all there is.

- from The Impact of Awakening: Excerpts from the Teachings of Adyashanti, published by Open Gate Sangha.

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Namaste:

I welcome you with great love and great respect.

This is Sunday September 21, 2003 and the feast of the great Christian Saint, St. Matthew. This morning it was my privilege to be asked to sponsor a friend of mine who was being Confirmed by the Episcopal Bishop in Los Angeles so as to become a member of the Episcopal Church. The rector, head priest of the particular parish, asked me to do this. I told him I was raised an Episcopalian, but am now a consecrated Swami. He pranammed with a Namaste and said it was an honor to have me there. I went through the very old and elaborate ceremony with my friend, which was followed with a High Mass.

 The spiritual energy, shakti, was very high during the ceremonies and the incense was as thick as in any Sanatana Dharma fire Homa or Yagna. It was interesting how much of the liturgy of the Episcopal Church dates back to ancient Sanatana Dharma. It is very true that THERE IS NOTHING THAT IS NOT GOD. There are many paths to realization and the result is always the same regardless of which path one selects.

Coming from inside the beautiful church, smelling like the incense (they use the same incense this Swami uses each day) used in the High Mass, I greeted the Bishop and the Rector as the brothers that they have always been. The bliss of consciousness was in them and in the parishioners, and especially my friend who'd just been Confirmed in a very beautiful and sacred service. The Divine Intoxication that was talked so freely about by Sri Ramakrishna was once again very very present in this Swami.

Dear Ones, realize that whatever path you take, whatever path you visit, THERE IS NOTHING THAT IS NOT GOD. GOD is celebrated in various traditions and all are to be respected and embraced as you come to realize and honor yourself and each other as the Divine Incarnations WHO YOU ARE!

Again with great humility, I welcome you with great love and great respect.

Swami Swarupananda Sivadass Giri

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Namaste:

I welcome you with great love and great respect.

This article caught my interest and I thought you might like it.

Swarupananda

Spirituality & Health
The Soul/Body Connection

Issue: July-August 2003
Close to Grace: The Physics of Silent Transmission
Russell Targ, and Jane Katra, Ph.D.

A laser pioneer explores how the coherent light of a laser beam may help explain the joy experienced in the presence of a saint or a sage The 20th-century Indian saint Sri Ramana Maharshi (1879-1950) never traveled, lectured, or wrote books. Nevertheless, for more than 50 years he taught and guided seekers who came from all over the world to receive his teachings. Maharshi sat, lived, and slept in a modest communal hall at the base of Arunachala mountain in South India, making himself available night and day to answer the sincere questions of his students. Though his followers often sought his wisdom in his verbal teachings, Maharshi said that his greatest truth was transmitted in silence, and seekers from all cultures, backgrounds, and religions came to simply bask in his presence. Many reported that they experienced profound inner peace and well-being, and some felt propelled into a direct experience of expanded joy. Once having sat with Maharshi, and having experienced the blissful connection and overpowering feeling of love, travelers sometimes
continued to experience this spiritual ecstasy from a distance. Given the large number of people who reported such experiences with Maharshi and so many other teachers from so many other traditions, we believe a real connection was established. So the question becomes, what might one receive from such a silent transmission?

We believe that this experience of a teacher's transmission from across the room or across the country is an example of what physicists call a nonlocal connection. This means that particles and events that appear to be separated from one another in space and time maintain a connection or correlation with one another. In the mathematical description of nonlocality given in the famous proof by J. S. Bell, he emphasizes, "No theory of reality compatible with quantum theory can require spatially separate events to be independent."

This connection has been demonstrated repeatedly on the microscopic quantum level in experiments where pairs of photons (quanta of light) are sent off in opposite directions at the speed of light, but retain a connection, even after traveling many kilometers, whereby a change in the polarity of one photon observed by a researcher in Basel causes a corresponding change in the other photon observed by a researcher in Zurich.

On a macroscopic scale, nonlocality was demonstrated in the remote viewing experiments that I (Russell Targ) carried out at the Stanford Research Institute (SRI) in the seventies and eighties. In these experiments, researchers found that subjects in the laboratory could accurately describe and experience distant events and locations blocked from ordinary perception. The accuracy of these descriptions was equally significant for targets across the street or across the country. Additional experiments in remote perception at SRI and the Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research Laboratory  (PEAR) lab have shown that it is no more difficult to describe a target event occurring in the past or future than it is to describe a contemporaneous occurrence. Indeed, a recent book, The Nonlocal Universe: The New Physics and Matters of the Mind, by R. Nadeau and M. Kafatos (Oxford University Press), suggests, "The universe on a very basic level could be a vast web of particles which remain in contact with one another over any distance, and in no time."

We believe that our nonlocal consciousness may be experienced when a spiritual seeker meditates with a pure-minded teacher, or when a congregation prays with a priest or pastor. In these instances, people join minds and resonate with the peaceful mind of a person who resides in equanimity. In various religious services, the leader's guidance is on at least two levels: There is the ostensible teaching of the philosophy and ethics of a given tradition, available for all to hear; and the potential for a powerful transmission, or direct experience in consciousness, from resonance with a teacher who emanates a silent force that stills the minds of those attuned to it.

Throughout his life, Maharshi insisted that this silent, coherent exchange between teacher and student represented his most important, direct, and undiluted teaching. In the Indian tradition of advaita vedanta (non-dual consummate truth), this forceful silent emanation of peaceful lovingness is what distinguishes a true teacher from a "preacher." Maharshi frequently said that his oral teachings were given only to those unable to understand his silence.

My (Russell Targ's) work as a laser physicist provides an analogy that may help to explain this direct transmission without words, which seems to promote changes in the mind state of a person joined in attention with a spiritual mentor. I believe it may be similar to the phenomenon in atomic physics called "stimulated emission," which can be demonstrated with laser beams. For example, one can build a laser device that is too weak or too chaotic to provide the coherent illumination of which it is capable. Instead of creating a single beam, the weak laser scatters light in all directions, like a neon beer sign on a tavern wall.

However, an infinitesimal amount of light available from a highly coherent laser can bring order to the chaotic atoms of the non-lasing laser. The power of the small but purely coherent laser "purifies" and "transforms" the disharmonious, ineffective laser, rendering it highly coherent, and powerful enough to become a potentiating laser itself.

A laser involves a pair of mirrors, and a medium between them capable of amplifying an optical signal. The medium can be solid, liquid, or gaseous. In any case, it is the repeated reflection of the light within this mirror cavity that gives rise to the coherent and monochromatic light of a laser. This is like the perfectly pure sound waves resonating within organ pipes.

Wisdom teachers tell us that our chattering, wayward minds are like incoherent, undeveloped lasers. Conversely, our open, silent minds are potential organ pipes of the divine. The Cistercian monk Father Thomas Keating says, "God's first language is silence, and all else is a bad translation." When Maharshi was asked to clarify a statement made by the Hindu Swami Vivekananda that "silence is the loudest form of prayer," the Maharshi remarked, "It is so for the seeker's silence, [however,] the Guru's silence is the loudest upadesa (teaching)."

During the last 25 years of his life, Maharshi spent most of his days sitting in one corner of the hall, which became the center of activity in the ashram. He radiated his silent power while responding to questions from seekers from all over the world. Maharshi effortlessly and silently emitted a potent force that stilled the restless minds of everyone nearby.

When he was asked whether a guru's silence could bring about the realization [enlightenment] of a disciple who made no effort, Maharshi replied, "In the proximity of a great master, the vasanas [mental tendencies] cease to be active, the mind becomes still, and samadhi [a deep spiritual state of absorption] results. Thus the disciple gains true knowledge and right experience in the presence of the master."

Maharshi told his students to choose a guru based on the tranquility found in the teacher's presence, and on the respect and well-being the teacher s loving equanimity evoked. "The peace of mind which permeates the saint's atmosphere is the only means by which the seeker understands the greatness of the saint."

Icons as Nonlocal Addresses
Throughout history, people of every religious persuasion have been inspired by pictures of saints, teachers, and holy people. Those who have had mystical or transcendent experiences of bliss (called ananda in Sanskrit) with their teacher find that images or icons can restimulate their ineffable spiritual realization. Hearing holy music can have a similar evocative effect. We believe that an icon, a photographic image, or sound waves of music can give our nonlocal awareness an address in space and time on which to rest our attention, allowing our seemingly separate awareness to become coherent with a purer or more coherent manifestation of consciousness.

Furthermore, we believe that attending to an image of a beloved teacher is neither an experience of expectation, nor a restimulation of a memory of a previous experience. The evidence for this is at least twofold: People have been catapulted into a direct experience of spiritual ecstasy for the first time by viewing a picture or film of a transmitting teacher. This is similar to a remote viewing, or clairvoyant experience, of a distant person. A spiritual teacher's
image may serve as the address of his or her coherence. It is a focal point of attention, or "wave" of consciousness with which we can become attuned. The great surprise of this distant transmission has been experienced by many students of Sri H. W. L. Poonja, a direct lineage bearer of Ramana Maharshi, and by the students of Gangaji, a contemporary American spiritual teacher who is a student of Poonja.

A principal teaching of Buddhism as reflected in the Prajnaparamita is that there is only one of us here, and since there is only one, compassion is what gives meaning to our lives. The principal commandment of Christianity is to love God by loving others as we love ourselves. Although each of us obviously inhabits a separate physical body, the laboratory data from a hundred years of parapsychology research strongly indicate that there is no separation in consciousness.

Physicist Russell Targ was a pioneer in the development of the laser, and cofounder of the Stanford Research Institute's investigation into psychic abilities in the 1970s and 1980s. He is co-author of Mind Reach: Scientists Look at Psychic Abilities and The Mind Race: Understanding and Using Psychic Abilities. Targ recently retired from Lockheed Martin as a senior staff scientist, where he developed laser technology for peaceful applications.

Jane Katra, Ph.D., holds a doctorate in health education, and has been a spiritual healer for more than 20 years. She has taught nutrition and health at the University of Oregon, and therapeutic touch at Lane Community College in Eugene, Oregon.

For more information, see www. targ. com

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On this Thanksgiving Day, I remember my Guru Paramahamsa Muktananda. It was and is through his Grace that my life continues in the ever blissful state that is truly the bliss of Freedom (mukta ananda).

May each and everyone of you reading this message experience the joy and bliss of Muktananda. Know that as He always said, "God Dwells Within You as YOU."

OM and Prem,

Swami Swarupananda Sivadass Giri

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The Divine Play of Consciousness continues to turn comedy into drama, drama into tragedy, and tragedy into comedy. This perpetual change (play)has cycled in it's various combinations since the beginning of time.

It is wise to remember that we write the scripts, we are the players, and we are the stage upon which the play proceeds. There is nothing that is not you....there is nothing that is not God....there is nothing that is not existence, consciousness, and bliss absolute.

Whether or not you view your particular part, play, stage as one of a tragedy, comedy, or tragedy is all dependent upon what perspective you take..........it's all you! "YOU ALONE EXIST," was an important message sent by this Swami's Sadguru Paramahamsa Muktananda Swami. How simple is this message....how utterly profound.......... It is the pranava...it is the OM.

Be Divinely Blissful in the knowledge that YOU ALONE, YOU ALONE EXIST.

Blissfully yours in Muktananda,

Swami Swarupananda Sivadass Giri

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Guru Purnima will be on Sunday July 13,2003. It is a great and very auspicious day. Here is what a great Saint Swami Sivananda had to say about Guru Purnima.

I welcome you all with great love and great respect.

Swami Swarupananda Sivadass Giri

Significance Of The Holy Guru-Purnima Day


The full-moon day in the month of Ashada is the extremely auspicious and holy day of Guru-Purnima. On this Ashada Purnima Day, sacred to the memory of the great sage Sri Vyasa Bhagavan or Sri Krishna Dvaipayana, Sannyasins settle at some place to study, do Vedantic Vichara, and discourse on the thrice-blessed Brahma Sutras composed
by Maharshi Vyasa. Sri Veda-Vyasa has done unforgettable service to all humanity for all time by editing the four Vedas, writing the eighteen Puranas, the Mahabharata and the Bhagavata. We can attempt to repay this deep debt of gratitude we owe him only by constant study of his works and practice of his teachings imparted for the regeneration of humanity in the iron age or Kali Yuga. In honor of this divine personage, all Sadhakas and devotees perform Vyasa Puja on this day; aspirants worship their Guru. Mahatmas and Sadhus are honored and entertained, and acts of charity done by all Grihastis with deep faith and sincerity. Chaturmasa for Sannyasins begins from this day. Sannyasins stay in one place during the rainy season for four months, study the Brahma Sutras, and practise meditation.

Significance Of The Guru-Purnima Day

Mark fully the deep significance of this great day. Ashada Purnima heralds the Chaturmasa, or the setting in of the eagerly awaited rains. The water, drawn up and stored as clouds in the hot summer, now manifests in plentiful showers that usher in the advent of fresh life everywhere. Even so do you all begin seriously to put into actual working all the theory and philosophy that you have stored up in you through patient study. Commence practical spiritual Sadhana
right from this day. Generate fresh waves of spirituality. Let all that you have read, heard, seen and learnt become, through Sadhana, transformed into a continuous outpouring of universal love, ceaseless loving service and continuous prayer and worship of the Lord seated in all beings.

Live on milk and fruits on this day and practise rigorous Japa and Dhyana. Study the Brahma Sutras and do some lakhs of Japa (Anushthana or Purascharana) of your Guru Mantra or Ishta Mantra, during the Chaturmasa. You will be highly benefited.

As the day of Guru-Puja or worship of one's preceptor this is a day of pure joy to the sincere aspirant. Thrilled by the expectation of offering his reverent homage to the beloved Guru, aspirant awaits this occasion with eagerness and devotion. It is the Guru alone that breaks the binding cords of attachment and releases the aspirant from the trammels of earthly existence. The Sruti says: "To that high- souled aspirant, whose devotion to the Lord is great and whose
devotion to his Guru is as great as that to the Lord, these secrets explained, become illuminated." Guru is Brahman or Isvara Himself. He guides and inspires you from the innermost core of your being. He is everywhere.

Behold The Entire Universe As Guru-Svarupa. Have a new angle of vision. Behold the entire universe as Guru-Svarupa. See the guiding hand, the awakening voice, the illumining touch of the Guru in every object in this Creation. The whole world will now stand transformed before your changed vision. The Virat Guru will reveal all the precious secrets of life and bestow wisdom. The Supreme Guru, manifest in visible Nature, will teach you the most valuable lessons of life. Worship daily this Guru of Gurus, the Guru who taught even Avadhuta Dattatreya. The silent all-enduring earth
with its lofty forbearance, the shady fruit-bearing tree with its willing self-sacrifice, the mighty Banyan tree (Pipal) reposing with patience in the tiny seed, the dripping drops whose persistence wears away the rocks, the planets and the seasons with their orderly punctuality and regularity are divine Gurus to him who will look, listen and receive.

Purify And Progress

Become a personification of receptivity. Empty yourself of your petty ego-sense. All the treasures locked up in the bosom of Nature will become yours! You will have progress and perfection in an amazingly short time. Become pure and unattached as the mountain breeze. As the river flows continuously, steadily and constantly towards its goal, the ocean, by moving every moment of your life towards the Supreme State of Existence-Knowledge-Bliss, let all your thoughts, all your words, all your actions be directed only towards the Goal.

The moon shines by reflecting the dazzling light of the sun. It is the full-moon of Purnima-Day that reflects in full splendour the glorious light of the sun. It glorifies the sun. Purify yourself through the fire of service and Sadhana, and like the full moon, reflect the glorious Light of the Atman. Become the full reflectors of Brahmic splendour, the Light of lights. Make this your goal, to become a living witness to Divinity, the brilliant Sun of suns!

Tat Tvam Asi

Brahman or the Supreme Self alone is real. He is the Soul of all. He is All in all. He is the Essence of this universe. He is the Unity that never admits of a duality under all the varieties and diversities of nature. Thou art this immortal, all-pervading, all-blissful Brahman. Thou art That—Tat Tvam Asi. Realise this and be free.



Remember and adore Sri Vyasa and the Brahma-Vidya Gurus. May their blessings be upon you all! May you all cut asunder the knot of Avidya and shine as blessed Jivanmuktas, shedding peace, joy and light everywhere!

(See this post at its source at: http://www.divyajivan.org/articles/siva/gurupurnima_signi.htm)

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Since I posted about the Guru, it came to me that some of you are not
aware of the proper Guru-Student relationship. Again, Swami
Sivananda has made all of this very clear. I offer it to you in the
service of my Guru.

Muktananda's Own,

Swami Swarupananda Sivadass Giri

The Role Of The Guru


The Guru is God Himself manifesting in a personal form to guide the aspirant. Grace of God takes the form of Guru. To see the Guru is to see God. The Guru is united with God. He inspires devotion in others. His presence purifies all.

The Guru is verily a link between the individual and the Immortal. He is a being who has raised himself from this into That, and thus has a free and unhampered access to both the realms. He stands, as it were, upon the threshold of immortality; and bending down, he raises the struggling individuals with his one hand, and with the other lifts them up into the empyrean of everlasting joy and infinite Truth-Consciousness.

The Satguru

Mere study of books cannot make one a Guru. One who has studied the Vedas and who has direct knowledge of Atman through Anubhava can only be enrolled as a Guru. A Jivanmukta or a liberated sage is the real Guru or spiritual preceptor. He is the Satguru. He is identical with Brahman or the Supreme Self. He is a Knower of Brahman.

Possession of Siddhis is not the test to declare the greatness of a sage or to prove he has attained Self-realisation. Satgurus do not exhibit any miracles or Siddhis. Sometimes they may exhibit them in order to convince the aspirants of the existence of super physical things, give them encouragement, and instil faith in their hearts. A Satguru is endowed with countless Siddhis. He possesses all divine Aisvarya, all the wealth of the Lord.

The Satguru is Brahman Himself. He is an ocean of bliss, knowledge and mercy. He is the captain of your soul. He is the fountain of joy. He removes all your troubles, sorrows and obstacles. He shows you the right divine path. He tears your veil of ignorance. He makes you immortal and divine. He transmutes your lower, diabolical nature. He gives you the rope of knowledge and saves you when you are drowning in this ocean of Samsara. Do not consider him to be only a man. If you take him as a man, you are a beast. Worship your Guru and bow to him with reverence.

Guru is God. A word from him is a word from God. He need not teach anything. Even his presence or company is elevating, inspiring and stirring. The very company itself is self-illumination. Living in his company is spiritual education. Read ..Sri Granth Sahib'. You will come to know the greatness of Guru.

Man can learn only from a man, and hence God teaches through a human body. In your Guru, you have your human ideal of perfection. He is the pattern from which you wish to mould yourself. Your mind will readily be convinced that such a great soul is fit to be worshiped and revered.

Guru is the Moksha-Dvara. He is the gateway to the transcendental Truth-Consciousness. But, it is the aspirant that has to enter through it. The Guru is a help, but the actual task of practical Sadhana falls on the aspirant himself.

The Need For A Guru

For a beginner in the spiritual path, a Guru is necessary. To light a candle, you need a burning candled Even so, an illumined soul alone can enlighten another soul.

Some do meditation for some years independently. Later on, they actually feel the necessity for a Guru. They come across some obstacles in the way. They do not know how to obviate these impediments or stumbling blocks. Then they begin to search for a Master.

Only the man who has already been to Badrinath will be able to tell you the road leading to it. In the case of the spiritual path, it is still more difficult to find your way. The mind will mislead you very often. The Guru will be able to remove pitfalls and obstacles, and lead you along the right path. He will tell you: "This road leads you to Moksha; this one leads to bondage." Without this guidance, you might want to go to Badrinath, but find yourself in Delhi!

The scriptures are like a forest. There are ambiguous passages. There are passages that are apparently contradictory and others that have esoteric meanings, diverse significance and hidden explanations. There are cross references. You are in need of a Guru or Preceptor who will explain to you the right meaning, who will remove doubts and ambiguities, who will place before you the essence of the teachings.

A Guru is absolutely necessary for every aspirant in the spiritual path. It is only the Guru who will find out your defects. The nature of egoism is such that you will not be able to find out your own defects. Just as a man cannot see his back, so also he cannot see his own errors. He must live under a Guru for the eradication of his evil qualities and defects.

The aspirant who is under the guidance of a Master or Guru is safe from being led astray. Satsanga or association with the Guru is an armour and fortress to guard you against all temptations and unfavorable forces of the material world.

Cases of those who had attained perfection without study under any Guru should not be cited as authoritative against the necessity for a Guru; for, such great men are the anomalies of spiritual life, and not the common normality. They come into existence as spiritual masters as a result of the intense service, study and meditation practised in previous births. They had already studied under the Guru. The present birth is only its continuative spiritual effect. Hence, the importance of the Guru is not lessened thereby.

Some teachers mislead their aspirants. They say to all: "Think for yourself. Do not surrender yourself to any Guru." When one says, "Do not follow any Gurus," he intends to be the listeners' Guru himself. Do not approach such pseudo-Gurus. Do not hear their lectures...

(Article originally from: http://www.dlshq.org/download/gurutattva.htm)
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Proto Shiva (Pasupati):

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/28433765@N07/3230965911/

(Downloaded Feb. 2013)

Ice Meditating Shiva

Source: http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/521999_498521343522289_422328335_n.jpg (Great God Shiva Facebook Page)

(Downloaded Feb. 2013)

Shiva TLI Book I Cover Vimanika Comics

Source: Graciously Given by
  Karan vir Arora,
  Ceo/Founder,
  Vimanika Comics,
  www.vimanika.com

" The Tales of the forgotten ones "

Father of the Universe

Source: http://swarooproy.deviantart.com/art/Father-of-Universe-137413540

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Shiva Worshiping Shiva

Source: http://www.facebook.com/pages/numeroastrocom/132411140222078?sk=photos_stream

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Lingam

Source: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=474105112630579&set=pb.132903010084126.-2207520000.1361814066&type=3&src=http%3A%2F%2Fsphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net%2Fhphotos-prn1%2F15527_474105112630579_89282709_n.jpg&size=320%2C213 (Great God Shiva Facebook Page)

(Downloaded Feb. 2013)

Cosmic Shiva
Source: http://www.pathheart.org/divine/chants/shiva/
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Shiva Sunrise
Source: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=443049145736176&set=pb.132903010084126.-2207520000.1361814254&type=3&src=http%3A%2F%2Fsphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net%2Fhphotos-ash4%2F304474_443049145736176_783266773_n.jpg&size=640%2C480 (Great God Shiva Facebook Page)
(Downloaded Feb. 2013)

Universe Meditating Shiva

Source: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=468939793147111&set=pb.132903010084126.-2207520000.1361814085&type=3&src=http%3A%2F%2Fsphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net%2Fhphotos-snc7%2F403560_468939793147111_1729291185_n.jpg&size=652%2C658 (Great God Shiva Facebook Page)

(Downloaded Feb. 2013)

Mountain Pearl Shiva

Source: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=487782511262839&set=pb.132903010084126.-2207520000.1361814015&type=3&src=http%3A%2F%2Fsphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net%2Fhphotos-ash4%2F406108_487782511262839_1957612656_n.jpg&size=960%2C488 (Great God Shiva Facebook Page)

(Downloaded Feb. 2013)

Red Nataraj

Source: http://aboutshiva.com/shiva-wallpapers_home.html

(Downloaded Feb. 2013)

Sketch of Shiva

Source: http://koryhubbell.blogspot.com/2008_08_01_archive.html

(Downloaded Feb. 2013)


Shiva page 5 Vimanika comics

Source: Graciously Given by
  Karan vir Arora,
  Ceo/Founder,
  Vimanika Comics,
  www.vimanika.com

" The Tales of the forgotten ones "
 

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