more than 130 die daily

[Uma]

Running,

Do you believe in synchronicity? I just opened a random page from this 1000+ page volume God Talks with Arjuna: The Bhagavad Gita by Paramahansa Yogananda and saw this:

BG VI:46 He who with devotion absorbs himself in Me, with his soul immersed in Me, him I regard, among all classes of yogis, as the most equilibrated.

Yogananda's commentary:

"Here the Lord is emphasizing that the raja yogi or Kriya Yogi who with devotion withdraws his life force and mind from the body; and who unites his ego with his soul and his soul with the ever blessed Spirit, and who can maintain constant ecstasy with the Infinite equally during action and during meditation, is the highest of all yogis. Such great devotees do not remain "locked up" always in ecstasy, refusing to take part in the drama of life created by the Lord; they perform their duties and their God-reminding actions with blissful consciousness, under divine direction. Being supremely united to God, such a yogi maintains the poise or equilibrium of yoga (divine union) equally in ecstatic meditation and in dutiful activity."

Exactly what I was writing about!

[Uma]

Originally Posted by running

silence brings one to bliss. bliss brings one to silence. cause they love each other. so one can start from silence. and it will bring one to bliss. or the other way.

This is profound! Great observation! I have experienced this. I totally get it.

Originally Posted by running

most people from what i can tell first open to silence.
when they become one. in that there is both silence and bliss. and its past the coming and going. that is the marriage of the two divine aspects.

"coming and going" - not sure what you mean. We reincarnate in and out of the physical dimension. However we are also multidimensional beings coming and going out of the various dimensions through the chakras - we do it all the time. Body can be in one place, mind in another, emotions somewhere else. This is all happening energetically. But more to your point - the "marriage" - to me that means consciousness and energy (Shiva and Shakti), two sides of the same coin. Energy is consciousness in expression. Consciousness is energy in potentiality. Yin Yang. Duality in the oneness.

Originally Posted by running

i dont know what comes after that? perhaps we will all find out one day.

I sure hope so!!

Originally Posted by Uma

I think I get what you're saying. Correct me if I'm wrong. There are many traditions that don't talk about Kundalini (Divine Mother) at all - very many. They only talk about getting into the silence - that means a very powerful witnessing space where the mind becomes silent (thoughts stop and there is only observing). And sometimes there is only an emphasis on nirvana - which is another way of describing it.

The thing to remember is that Kundalini is involved in all of it - no matter what belief system you adhere to - it is that same serpentine power that connects us to Source power and consciousness - that is taking us to silence, whether we are consciously working with Her or not.

The joys of spirit are many. This is the carrot on the stick. However, as my Teacher has taught me, the stick can also be the carrot.

I am no stranger to addiction either. It is no coincidence that many people who are drawn to substance/alcohol abuse are really looking for that spiritual experience in the wrong places. That's one of the reasons why 12 Step Programs work as well as they do. In my visits to the ashram I have met reformed addicts who found their bliss a better way. Not saying this is the way for everyone. Addiction is a very complicated disease requiring a whole package of specialists' help - in addition to the 12 Steps. One needs to be in a very grounded place to look to the Divine Mother for help - not hallucinating, not overwhelmed with years of abuse - because the kind of cleansing experience Kundalini delivers - it will bring up all these things to be purged - and that person needs proper therapeutic guidance - maybe in addition to spiritual guidance, or before it. (Everyone is so unique.)

And the key thing is never ever try to force the experience. This awakening comes naturally to those who sincerely aspire to it, and who deserve it karmically. It's the product of sincere effort, karma, and divine grace: "When the student is ready the teacher will appear."

I also know of someone who had spontaneous Kundalini awakening and was put into a straightjacket. In that case, they would have come to this life needing that kind of experience from the past. Once that stage of their life was over with, the Teacher appeared to them and opened up their spiritual life to very beautiful dimensions.

The spiritual life is not easy, but the idea is to tap into all that we are, and all that we are is the true spirit - beautiful, wise, compassionate, loving and blissful. It's getting rid of or transforming the yucky parts of ourselves that's the hard part. Kundalini awakens in those who are strong enough to dig deeper and clean out more.

I hope running this helps to clarify some things. We are all coming here from different levels of understanding and experience and I think sometimes there is miscommunication. I think that where you're coming from is to appreciate all that we are - not merely to live a hermit life in "silence" but to live a fully engaged life from a space of silence - Sri Vasudeva calls that the hub of the wheel or the eye of the hurricane. Anchored in that silence we can engage fully in the nervous system experience and never become overwhelmed in it. To me, it is continually meditating, continually striving to live in the center, fully engaging yet fully anchored. And when it works, it's beautiful. It's the peace that passeth all understanding.

Bullseye!!
Love the way you worded this.

Many people branch into all religions and or spiritual practices from 12 step programs.That is one of the beauties of a 12 step program (There should be no limitations on ones spiritual path, and each are free to choose.)
But of course each 12 step group has their own group conscious so a person can search out groups they find more at peace with if they are lucky enough to have several to choose from.

I started a spiritual path from a 12 step program and ventured down many spiritual paths for teachings and forgot the 12 step groups in my rear view.
Luckily or divinely I was reminded of my infant years in sobriety and pondered what it would have been like to enter groups with no people with time in recover. I put my rear in a seat again and can at least be a possibility for some. Or at least have the coffee made.

Thanks for the thread running.

[running]

Originally Posted by Uma

Running,

Do you believe in synchronicity? I just opened a random page from this 1000+ page volume God Talks with Arjuna: The Bhagavad Gita by Paramahansa Yogananda and saw this:

BG VI:46 He who with devotion absorbs himself in Me, with his soul immersed in Me, him I regard, among all classes of yogis, as the most equilibrated.

Yogananda's commentary:

"Here the Lord is emphasizing that the raja yogi or Kriya Yogi who with devotion withdraws his life force and mind from the body; and who unites his ego with his soul and his soul with the ever blessed Spirit, and who can maintain constant ecstasy with the Infinite equally during action and during meditation, is the highest of all yogis. Such great devotees do not remain "locked up" always in ecstasy, refusing to take part in the drama of life created by the Lord; they perform their duties and their God-reminding actions with blissful consciousness, under divine direction. Being supremely united to God, such a yogi maintains the poise or equilibrium of yoga (divine union) equally in ecstatic meditation and in dutiful activity."

Exactly what I was writing about!

if i didn't believe before i do now. lol

this is yogananda talking about going from coming to going to always without breaks. he is saying it doesn't mean much in comparison if you cant be in it 24/7 effortlessly. without any concern of something taking you out of it. because one is established in it where nothing can break it. or impede it. reguardless of circumstances. emotions, the mind and etc. so one goes about life without concern of being in bliss or silence. there is no concern becomes one has become absorbed in that from head to toe. root on up. all of ones self has that established. so it is not here and yet over there. its everywhere. in that where ever one is mentally, physically, emotionaly, circumstancialy, whatever. therefore zero concern about it.

again this is what i was talking about going from in the process to always there. from coming and going in it to beyond the coming and going. to always reguardless of what is.