Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Reflections on Gopi Krishna
Recently, I have been perusing (again) some of the writings of Gopi Krishna, the sage who has spoken in such a significant way about the nature and manifestations of kundalini. I was interested to notice that he, too, experienced "dry periods" when the inner connection with the divine reality seemed to be broken. And he also mentions that at times ecstatic states returned unexpectedly after significant absence, a cycle that many of us experience.
I was particularly struck by what he says about bliss. I did not remember that in his first book, "Kundalini: The Evolutionary Energy in Man," he mentioned bliss states as part of his awakening experience. The focus seemed to be more on other areas, such as internal heat and increased levels of mental functioning. As I went through my own early experience, which was marked by periods of intense bodily bliss, I wondered how it was that his awakening was so different from my own. Now, in a later publication, I have discovered that he did indeed address the question of somatic bliss, and in fact, named this as the basis of all spiritual practices.
Sublimation of reproductive energy is the basic level of all spiritual disciplines. What the Tantric tradition openly advocates is the covert behind-the-scenes prompter of all religious practices aimed at God-realization. . . .
A full ascent of this radiant energy into the brain is invariably attended by a chain of startling symptoms, both in the reproductive organs and the head. All the allegoric references contained in the esoteric literature, from the Vedas onward, revolve around these manifestations. . . .
The whole area of this vast ocean of existence is flooded with wave after wave inexpressible super-earthly rapture, of which the highest transport of carnal love can only convey an extremely faint picture to those who do not have the experience. It is the divine ecstasy which the allegorical love-play of Radha and Krishna or the union of Shiva and Shakti is intended to convey.
(quoted material excerpted from "Cosmic Consciousness," pamphlet from Kundalini Research Foundation, pub. 2002)
The inflow of ecstatic bliss in this profound awakening process is indeed a source of mystery and wonder. And even when the rapturous states diminish or seem to vanish over time, there remains the memory, the knowledge of what is possible when the human is fully opened to divine love.
I was particularly struck by what he says about bliss. I did not remember that in his first book, "Kundalini: The Evolutionary Energy in Man," he mentioned bliss states as part of his awakening experience. The focus seemed to be more on other areas, such as internal heat and increased levels of mental functioning. As I went through my own early experience, which was marked by periods of intense bodily bliss, I wondered how it was that his awakening was so different from my own. Now, in a later publication, I have discovered that he did indeed address the question of somatic bliss, and in fact, named this as the basis of all spiritual practices.
Sublimation of reproductive energy is the basic level of all spiritual disciplines. What the Tantric tradition openly advocates is the covert behind-the-scenes prompter of all religious practices aimed at God-realization. . . .
A full ascent of this radiant energy into the brain is invariably attended by a chain of startling symptoms, both in the reproductive organs and the head. All the allegoric references contained in the esoteric literature, from the Vedas onward, revolve around these manifestations. . . .
The whole area of this vast ocean of existence is flooded with wave after wave inexpressible super-earthly rapture, of which the highest transport of carnal love can only convey an extremely faint picture to those who do not have the experience. It is the divine ecstasy which the allegorical love-play of Radha and Krishna or the union of Shiva and Shakti is intended to convey.
(quoted material excerpted from "Cosmic Consciousness," pamphlet from Kundalini Research Foundation, pub. 2002)
The inflow of ecstatic bliss in this profound awakening process is indeed a source of mystery and wonder. And even when the rapturous states diminish or seem to vanish over time, there remains the memory, the knowledge of what is possible when the human is fully opened to divine love.
