Kundalini Splendor

I saw you dancing last night
on the roof of your house
all alone.
I felt your heart longing for the Friend.
I saw you whirling
beneath the soft bright rose
that hung from an invisible stem in the sky.
So I began to change into my best clothes
in hopes of joining you,
even though I live a thousand miles away.
And if you had spun like an immaculate sphere
just two more times,
then bowed again so sweetly to the east,
you would have found God and me
standing so near
and lifting you into our arms.
I saw you dancing last night
near the roof of this world.

~ Hafiz

A New Zealand River Now Has The Legal Rights Of A Human

  http://n.pr/2myD3nR

"This is a landmark case.  If you go to this site, you can see the Maoris chanting a traditional song and using the ancient hand gestures that go with it.   They have been struggling for over one hundred years to reclaim their rights to this sacred river, which they look upon as their ancestor.  I think there was a time when everyone considered nature as part of their own being and revered and respected it as such."

(from Colin Dwyer at NPR)

(The Maoris were the early native inhabitants of New Zealand, and they were invaded and dispossessed, just as the indigenous inhabitants of many other nations were assaulted and subjugated by the white invaders.)

(pic from internet source)

Atma Shatakam of Adi Shankara | The Song of Self-Realization

(found at "Technology of the Heart."

"Sri Adi Shankara (788 – 820 CE), the great mystic saint of India was wandering in search of a Guru, a True Master who has embodied the truth and reached Self-realization. At that time, he met Sri Govindapada, who asked him: “Who are you?”. In response, Shankara, who was eight years old at that time, spontaneously composed six verses in reply. This is known as Atma Shatakam or Nirvana Shatakam. It was indeed Sri Govindapada who was the Guru for whom Adi Shankara was wandering and searching for. Following is its approximated translation after its original in Sanskrit."


Mano Buddhi Ahankara Chitta Ninaham
Nacha Shrotra Jihve Na Cha Ghrana Netre
Nacha Vyoma Bhoomir Na Tejo Na Vayu
Chidananda Rupa Shivoham Shivoham

I am not mind, nor intellect, nor ego,
nor the reflections of inner self.
I am not the five senses, beyond that I am.
I am not the five elements: neither ether,
nor earth, wind, or fire.
I am indeed That eternal knowing and bliss,
eternal love, pure consciousness.

Na Cha Prana Samjno Na Vai Pancha Vayu
Na Va Saptadhatur Na Va Pancha Koshah
Na Vak Pani Padau Na Chopastha Payu
Chidananda Rupa Shivoham Shivoham

Neither can I be named as energy alone,
nor the five types of breath,
nor the seven material essences,
nor the five coverings.
Neither am I the five instruments of elimination,
procreation, motion, grasping, or speaking.
I am indeed That eternal knowing and bliss
unchanging love, one consciousness.

Na Me Dvesha Ragau Na Me Lobha Mohau
Mado Naiva Me Naiva Matsarya Bhavah
Na Dharmo Na Chartho Na Kamo Na Mokshah
Chidananda Rupa Shivoham Shivoham

I have no hatred or dislike,
nor affiliation or liking,
nor greed,nor delusion,
nor pride or haughtiness,
nor feelings of envy or jealousy.
I have no care, nor any wealth,
nor any desire I am,
nor even liberation.
I am indeed That eternal knowing and bliss,
boundless love, pure awareness.

Na Punyam Na Papam Na Saukhyam Na Dukham
Na Mantro Na Teertham Na Vedo Na Yajnaha
Aham Bhojanam Naiva Bhojyam Na Bhokta
Chidananda Rupa Shivoham Shivoham

I have neither merit, nor demerit
I am not bound by sins or good deeds,
nor by happiness or sorrow,
not pain or pleasure.
I am free from mantras, holy places,
scriptures, rituals or sacrifices.
I am none of the triad of
observer, act of observing or the object itself.
I am indeed, That eternal knowing and bliss, Shiva,
pure love, flawless consciousness.


Na Me Mrityu Shanka Na Me Jati Bhedah
Pita Naiva Me Naiva Mata Na Janma
Na Bandhur Na Mitram Gurur Naiva Shishyah
Chidananda Rupa Shivoham Shivoham

No fear of death I have,
I have no separation from my true self,
no doubt about my existence,
nor have I discrimination on the basis of birth.
I have no father or mother, nor did I have a birth.
I am not the relative, nor the friend,
nor the guru, nor the disciple.
I am indeed, That eternal knowing and bliss,
immaculate love, fully awake.

Aham Nirvikalpo Nirakara Roopaha
Vibhur Vyapya Sarvatra Sarvendriyanam
Sada Me Samatvam Na Muktir Na Bandhah
Chidananda Rupa Shivoham Shivoham

I am all embracing,
without any attributes, without any form.
I have neither attachment to the world,
nor to liberation.
I have no wishes for anything
because I am everything,
everywhere, every time,
always in equilibrium.
I am indeed, That eternal knowing and bliss,
That unfathomable grace.



"The Atma Shatakam in its six stanzas summarise the basic teachings of Advaita Vedanta, or the timeless eastern teachings of non-dualism. The speaker of the poem is nominally Shiva, but it is generally seen as a statement by a knowing person of identity with Shiva or Brahman (The Name of the Nameless One).

The speaker in the earlier verses conveys what the Holy Essence (or Brahman) is not. The Essence is not body or mind, nor the things that attach them to each other and to the world, including the intellect, the senses, the practices of life, the occurrences of life such as birth and death. In the last verse it says that the Holy Essence permeates through the universe, and that It is Consciousness, bliss and the soul, and by implication, the Atman and Brahman.

One who knows himself, knows his Lord. This is a very high stage of meditation on the true nature of self, which is not graspable by the mind alone or intellectualization of philosophies. Mind is like a horse that can only take us up to the door of the King's Palace, but to enter there, the horse (mind) must be left out. The grand door of the palace only opens to those who are loved by the King by their love for the King  (God loves them and they love God, as hints the Final Testament). May our self-realization be accepted and sanctified and may that door of the gardened Palace of the Eternal King be opened to us. So be it."

(Above from "Technology of the Heart")

This Water Stained Book

This water stained book by Rilke,
with its crinkled yellow bookmarks,
its rippled pages

once reduced in price
for its blemished
condition
rare find
for a poor student
such as I was then

I do not know where
you came from,
bearing such treasures,
such epiphanies
on every page

you were
indeed a bargain,
each line a jewel, hidden,
glowing
with its inner light

you spoke vast
secrets then,
intelligible
only to the very young,
who listened
with every pore
and corpuscle,
wondering if in heaven
you would still be there
when they arrived
at some distant
and unmarked juncture,
waiting breathless to see
what next unfolded
with each arriving syllable.

Dorothy Walters
March 23, 2017

Rilke in Glory

Ah, Rainer Maria Rilke,
dreamer, poet,
lover of angels

Who spoke those words
into your mouth?

Who held you
as you penned
these lines?

Was it the wind
whistling
through the curtains
speaking in a language
that only you
understood?

Was it the mountain stream
imparting secrets
as it dashed over the rocks
toward
its unfathomed
destination?

What honey
fell into your throat
as you silently
listened?

Who holds you now
in angelic arms
as you sing your way
through still unmapped
regions,
unexplored territories
of the mind?

(Note: This poem was written after reading Rilke's majestic "Buddha in Glory.")

Dorothy Walters
March 22, 2017

Buddha in Glory

Center of all centers, core of cores,
almond self-enclosed, and growing sweet--
all this universe, to the furthest stars
all beyond them, is your flesh, your fruit.

Now you feel how nothing clings to you;
your vast shell reaches into endless space,
and there the rich, thick fluids rise and flow.
Illuminated in your infinite peace,

a billion stars go spinning through the night,
blazing high above your head.
But in you is the presence that
will be, when all the stars are dead.

Rainer Maria Rilke

On aliens visiting earth

This article is truly mind blowing.  This retired scientist with an impressive background was privy to high level information about alien visitations to planet earth, and where the evidence resides.  He is primarily interested in the technical details of space travel, rather than  where they come from or why they are here.  He explains that because he is now retired, he can speak openly about these matters, though others who are still actively employed by Lockheed Martin cannot publicly reveal such information. 

To see and hear his testimony, go to

Youtube 

"Lockheed Martin senior scientist tells all, before he dies."

"He talks about the famous area 51, how they look, how they power their craft through anti-gravity, how they communicate, where they are from.  No mention of why they are here, what they want.  Says they are also working with the Chinese and the Russians.  He is now dead."

(I myself do not necessarily believe in the reality of alien visitors, but I find the whole topic a fascinating possibility and confess that I watch many programs on ancient and present day visitors to earth. Even the Bible contains tantalizing allusions to the visitors from elsewhere.)

from

 Tibetan Medicine Education center

The Vajra body

In the yoga and tsa-rlung teachings, we sometimes hear about the « vajra body », what is it exactly?

‘Vajra body‘ is a term used in Buddhist Tantra and Yoga. Through spiritual practice, the ordinary body may be transformed into the state of a pure and immaterial body, the vajra body, which is also called Dorje-lus, ‘indestructible body‘ because it will not die or decompose forever. This term is also used in the context of a sadhana[1] practice as a relative vajra body.

What is the vajra body made of?

When, in the Tantra and Yoga, you look at the body, you look at it in a more subtle way than the restrictive approach of the ordinary physical body made of flesh, bones, organs and so on. When you look at it at this subtle level, you can see that the body is made of five components: The whole body itself is a channel composed by many sub-channels. Some are visible, while some others are not. Basically, the channels (rtsa) are tunnels for circulation of the subtle winds (rlung) and consciousness (sems). The channels are also tubes for the thikles, the essence drops of the body, and they give space for the friction of tummo, the psychic fire energy (Dröd). Therefore the body is then called a gzhi, which means ‘base‘, base of all. That is why in the Yoga Tantra, the study begins with the proper knowledge on the physical existence and the body composition.

Do channels have a physical base?

There are two manners to explain the channels: the tantric, and the Tibetan medicine ways:
According to the Yoga and tantric world, the channels are energetic; they are the body psychic passages where subtle material exists and functions in the form of visible and invisible energy substance flowing through them. The body channels are similar to the cosmic channels that exist even if invisible, such as orbits where planets and stars rotate, and where the cosmic winds flow in different directions depending on the seasons and energy. The celestial orbit is then basically an empty space, yet full of channels. It is called ‘macrocosm of the body‘, because the same phenomenal structure and channels exists in the human body, where it is called ‘microcosm‘. The vajra body channels (rtsa) are passages of blood, wind and consciousness, and function like roots that sustain the life of the person. Channels also function like a house for its owner, the consciousness that principally dwells in the head, heart and lower abdomen. There are three main channels, rTsa-Uma, rTsa-roma and rTsa-rkyangma, and each has 24.000 subdivisions, which makes a total of 72.000 sub-channels described. rTsa are mystic and their functions are to be understood far beyond the common sense and understanding. That is why the total body/mind functions have not been fully discovered yet, even by modern science.
The second concept of channels is found in Tibetan medicine, which develops its description through physical aspects and explains their relationships to the physical existence. For instance it relates the nervous, blood circulatory and lymphatic systems that carry the senses, blood and water substances, respectively to the three main channels rTsa-Uma, rTsa-Roma and rTsa-rkyangma, corresponding to the Wind, Bile and Phlegm humors.

Depending on the people’s constitution, there are natural differences in the channels; some channels naturally have different shapes, and their form may be more or less harmonious, even if still in the normality. These differences though influence the body/mind and especially the yogic spiritual practices.
Relatively to the disease, apart from the cause of disease coming from the four principal factors of diet, behavior, season and psychology, tantra and medicine also say that blocked, narrowed, swollen, curved, contaminated or twisted channels as well as other odd developments by body/mind factors are the main physiological cause of diseases.
The healthy channels should be like the nerves of the leaves, well branched and not disconnected.

What about the other body components?

The body temperature is a body fire and actually a psychic heat that bears many metaphorical names such as ‘gtummo‘, ‘kundalini‘, ‘aggressive serpent‘, etc. We naturally possess this fire energy, and are born with it. Even if, according to the Yoga Tantra, this energy is mainly in a state of sleep and inactive, it still somehow produces body temperature and metabolism, enables the food to be digested, matures the body and gives power and intelligence to the body/mind. In Tibetan medicine it is called medrod or ‘digestive fire heat‘ produced by the digestive Bile (mkhrispa-‘jubyed), which is blown up by the fire-like Wind (rlung-memnyam). Wind and fire are two crucial elements that need each other to produce and give heat to the body as well as to the psyche. By spiritual yogic practice, the heat can be increased and, by burning the dualistic ignorance, giving blissfulness and awareness to the mind, may possibly lead to the vajra body. Beside the spiritual practice, in the medicine point of view, the body fire protects from cold and sustains the body/mind by transformation of the food.

Thikle is a pure state of material energy and a highly refined substance called “treasure of the body”. Loosely speaking, it is the final result of physical transformation of the food by the digestive fire heat described above. There are several thikles. The indestructible thikle refers to the mind consciousness and is located in the heart chakra where also the most subtle Dangma or body essence goes and supports the mental consciousness. Thikle produces radiance, which shines to all parts and surfaces of the body, most importantly the face, chest and forehead. A white thikle that comes from the father also resides in the brain, while below the navel chakra, a red thikle can be found, coming from the mother. The red thikle is also called gtummo or ‘kundalini fire‘. These thikles are the finest material essences that give power to the mind and also become the seats of the consciousness.

The subtle wind is the vehicle of the mind, as said in Tantra, as it carries the mind in the channels. It is inseparable from the mind because mind is also the wind itself (rlungsem-dbyermed), and it resides in the heart.

The subtle wind produces ten gross physical winds - five principal winds and five minor winds - that actively function and sustain the body/mind system such as in brain and heart. They are the subtle and gross life energy breath, called Prana in Sanskrit. The wind circulates in the 72.000 channels and gives the function of mind and mental consciousness.

Inside the channels reside six consciousnesses[2], which are called sems or shespa, mind or knower. The very subtle mind resides below the navel area, the subtle mind resides in the heart and the gross mind is in the head (brain). The mind itself is clear, luminous, and it has no color or form, but when it is confronted to sensory objects, it produces six different consciousnesses (eye, nose, ear, tongue, body and mental consciousnesses), which perceive and analyze the external objects and phenomena such as form, sound, smell, taste and tangibles. The mind is the owner of the vajra body.


The consciousness, thikle and temperature, moved by the wind power, then circulate through the body channels without stopping, from the conception till the end of the life. It is like water that contains minerals such salt, calcium, sulfur, etc and make them flow until they reach their destination.

What is exactly the wind energy?

The wind energy can be simply described as a wind, but it is difficult to apprehend, as it cannot be perceived by our eyes consciousness. The wind does flow inside the body as well as outside of the body. The general shape of the inside wind is the same as that of the physical body, closed by the skin, because the tissues and organs are completely filled by the wind energy. The wind is pervasive. Wind is the energy, and body and psychic powers, but it also has physical functions in the nerves, organs, and tissues, because there is no solid tissue in the body without wind. All are produced by the material and sub-material of the wind particles along with the other elements. Therefore, if the wind flows correctly and harmoniously, it brings health, prosperity and clarity of the mind, while when wind is disturbed, the mind and body become disturbed and illness arises.
If the wind energy is contaminated by wrong diet, behaviors and delusions, then the wind can circulate in wrong passages, give hallucinations to the mind and reduce its clarity. According to tantras[3], in the 72.000 channels flow 72.000 subtle winds, which impose 72.000 emotions[4]. If these channels are soft, gentle and in the correct way or straight, the wind circulation moves freely and gives creativity and clarity to the mind. If the circulation is blocked or disturbed, 72.000 negative emotions or related emotions may be produced. Commonly, in animals and human beings, these channels are not fully clear and clean, consequently the body ages, suffers, and death exists because of these disturbed energies in the channels.
In fact, this is the identity and image of samsara. Whoever is able to recognize and see this wrong flow of energy in the channels can work on it through the yoga and tsa-rLung practices. That is why these practices focus so much on the wind. Tantras even say:
“The one who knows the channels and their functions, knows the nature of the body. And the one who knows the functions of the wind, knows the functions of the mind.”

The aim of Tantric Yoga is to use that physical body, and to transform it through the physical and spiritual yoga method. Until that, as long as our body is not transformed into the vajra state, it is an ordinary physical body that suffers and eventually dies. To enter this practice, one should first study the ordinary physical body, and then undertake a physical and spiritual path of transformation through practice.

The yoga practitioner looks then to his body with a complete different approach than the normal people or medical doctors. He regards it as a cosmic house created by karma and its intelligence, in which the mind is imprisoned. When, by yogic and spiritual practice, the five components that compose the body are transmuted into the state of pure body/mind - like iron transformed into gold by alchemic method - the body becomes indestructible and is then called ‘vajra body‘, and the mind is liberated from the samsaric illusions.

Directions
(excerpt)

The best time is late afternoon
when the sun strobes through
the columns of trees as you are hiking up,
and when you find an agreeable rock
to sit on, you will be able to see
the light pouring down into the woods
and breaking into the shapes and tones
of things and you will hear nothing
but a sprig of birdsong or the leafy
falling of a cone or nut through the trees,
and if this is your day you might even
spot a hare or feel the wing-beats of geese
driving overhead toward some destination.

But it is hard to speak of these things
how the voices of light enter the body
and begin to recite their stories
how the earth holds us painfully against
its breast made of humus and brambles
how we who will soon be gone regard
the entities that continue to return
greener than ever, spring water flowing
through a meadow and the shadows of clouds
passing over the hills and the ground
where we stand in the tremble of thought
taking the vast outside into ourselves.

~ Billy Collins ~

(The Art of Drowning)

Warning

Do not try to eat your breakfast
while you listen
to sacred music.

You will be swept with feeling,
fall into a love trance,
She has come.

You may even begin to move
your arms
over your head,
as your crown
fills with rapture

Meanwhile
your food
will sit there
unnoticed

You will eat
a cold meal
and you will not care

Dorothy Walters
March 18, 2017

When I Return

When I die
I will become
Buddha again.

My face, my arms, my body––
all will glow
with hovering light.

I will sit quietly,
enjoying the bliss,
send rays of healing
in answer to prayers.

I will return,
the way the raindrop
falls
into the ocean
and becomes one,
the pounding surf,
 the quiet pool.

If you want to see me,
you can look everywhere,
even in the paintings
and the sculptured forms.

I am the cloud passing,
the light
streaming through the forest.

I am the child crying,
the animal struggling in the trap.

I am this,
I am that I am.

Dorothy Walters
March 18, 2017

Who I Am

(for Kundalini, the Beloved Within)

The Hindus call me
the serpent of love,
Shiva's own Shakti
by whom
the world is made.

In Africa,
I am "Num."
I bring blessings
and sweet healing.

The Hebrews think of me
as the Shekinah,
and long for my presence.

The Christians term me
the Holy Spirit.
I struck down Paul
on his way to
Damascus.
I entered the room
of the disciples
during the Pentecost
when light blazed over their heads.

In Egypt I am the
magic elixir
poured down
from the gods.

When the Goddess
lived in Greece,
I moved among the dancers.

The shamans embrace me
as they fly to heaven.
I am the rapture
of the saints,
the suffering
of the betrayed.

I am inside you,
in every cell and pore.

I am without
in every stone
and star.

No one has seen me
or held me
in their hands.
I am all that is.

I am you.

Dorothy Walters
March 17, 2017

Give me ecstasy.
Give Birth to the Beloved in me,
and let this Lover die!
Let a thousand wrangling desires
become one blazing love.

—Jalaledin Rumi

It’s always the same.
Barbarians and blockheads,
Rival queens and rival kings,
The drama rolls on and on.

When people honor you,
You are supposed to be glad.
When they disrespect you,
You are supposed to sulk in indignation.

One minute you are cruising on a throne in the sky,
The next you are standing on some bleak patch of dirt.
I say, the Sun regards all with a steady eye.

The force sustaining Earth and Sky
Calls everyone to awaken from this trance.
This whole world revolves around an axis, and I am that.

When you are friends with the Friend to All Beings
Nothing is the same.

Rich beyond measure, abundant beyond counting,
You can move through this life laughing.
Opinions of others have no rulership over you.

~ The Radiance Sutras, Lorin Roche

Atma Shatkam (The song of the Self)

I am Consciousness, I am Bliss, I am Shiva, I am Shiva.
Without hate, without infatuation, without craving, without greed;
Neither arrogance, nor conceit, never jealous I am;
Neither dharma, nor artha, neither kama, nor moksha am I;

I am Consciousness, I am Bliss, I am Shiva, I am Shiva.
Without sins, without merits, without elation, without sorrow;
Neither mantra, nor rituals, neither pilgrimage, nor Vedas;
Neither the experiencer, nor experienced, nor the experience am I,

I am Consciousness, I am Bliss, I am Shiva, I am Shiva.
Without fear, without death, without schism, without jati;
Neither father, nor mother, never born I am;
Neither kith, nor kin, neither teacher, nor student am I;

I am Consciousness, I am Bliss, I am Shiva, I am Shiva.
Without form, without figure, without resemblance am I;
Vitality of all senses, in everything I am;
Neither attached, nor released am I;

I am Consciousness, I am Bliss, I am Shiva, I am Shiva.

—Adi Shankara, Nirvana Shatakam, Hymns 3–6

(image from internet)

A land not mine, still

By Anna Akhmatova
(1889 - 1966)

English version by Jane Kenyon



A land not mine, still
forever memorable,
the waters of its ocean
chill and fresh.

Sand on the bottom whiter than chalk,
and the air drunk, like wine,
late sun lays bare
the rosy limbs of the pinetrees.

Sunset in the ethereal waves:
I cannot tell if the day
is ending, or the world, or if
the secret of secrets is inside me again.

I think the last three lines of this poem are among the most beautiful in all of poetry.

The soul is like a wild animal––tough, resilient, savvy, self-sufficient, and yet exceedingly shy. If we want to see a wild animal, the last thing we should do is to go crashing through the woods, shouting for the creature to come out. But if we are willing to walk quietly into the woods and sit silently for an hour or two at the base of the tree, the creature we are waiting for may well emerge, and out of the corner of an eye we will catch a glimpse of the precious wildness we seek.
~ Parker Palmer

Yes, that is how it is.  We cannot make the Beloved come to us, but we can be receptive, ready, open to Her when she arrives.  And for some (like yours truly) she seldom will show Herself in public.  Ours is a private relationship, maintained in silence and surrender.

Psalm 121

I look deep into my heart,
to the core where wisdom arises.
Wisdom comes from the Unnamable
and unifies heaven and earth.
The Unnamable is always with you,
shining from the depths of your heart.
His peace will keep you untroubled
even in the greatest pain.
When you find him present within you,
you find truth at every moment.
He will guard you from all wrongdoing;
he will guide your feet on his path.
He will temper your youth with patience;
he will crown your old age with fulfillment.
And dying, you will leave your body
as effortlessly as a sigh.



(A Book of Psalms, trans. and adapted by Stephen Mitchell)

Some Other Place

I came from some other place
and there I will return.
                                 Rumi

I did not know
I was going to
come here,
sit in this body,
receive words with my
fingers gliding across
a machine.

And this world,
how different it is
from that other,
even the scents
and images,
the color
of the clouds.

No Sanskrit syllables sounding,
no fields of delight
as we moved
together.
No sacred fires
or presences,
rustle of trees,
birdsongs in chorus.

Confusion
and chaos,
constant assault.
Lost pathways.
Distraction.
Cacophony of sound.

Yet even now
something moves inside.

A secret
about to be
revealed,
a revelation
about to be shared.

Movement of something
within.

How can I become
who I am?

Dorothy Walters
February 22, 2017

ANNOUNCEMENT OF BOULDER WORKSHOP WITH SWAMIJI

                                  Teachings of the Vedas


  Saturday, March 11
10 am - 1 pm

With Yogacharya Dharmananda (Swamiji)
General Public $25, Caritas Members $20

In this workshop, Swamiji will teach a systematic study of the Vedas, providing answers to the following questions:
  What do Vedas or Vedanta or the Upanishads teach?
What do Vedas or Vedanta or the Upanishads teach?
 What are the stages through which vedantic study proceeds?
 What are the scriptural study materials in each stage?
 What are the spiritual practices at each stage
 How do I know what is the best study material and practices for me?
As always, the material, though proceeding from Hindu scripture, embodies universal Truth as well as universal application. The workshop will include a 2-hour lecture, 15-minute break, and 45-minute meditation.
For information or to register, call 303-449-3066 or go to www.CaritasCenter.org
Yogacharya Dharmananda (Swamiji)is a preeminent scholar and teacher of the Science of Yoga, Hindu Philosophy, and Comparative Religion. He has been the Director of the International Vishwaguru Yoga and Meditation Institute (Rishikesh, India) from its inception to November 2010. He is now permanently settled in America and is living in Loveland. His lectures, especially his mode of presentation with humor, stories and anecdotes, have earned him wide acclaim.

At The Caritas Center * 5723 Arapahoe Avenue * Boulder, CO 80303

ANYONE WHO HAS ATTENDED SWAMI'S WORKSHOPS KNOWS THAT HE IS A MASTER TEACHER AND A GIFTED MEDITATION LEADER.  I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS WORKSHOP.

Isn't the force or current that Ramana Maharshi speaks of actually Kundalini?  He is describing that incredible energy in his own terms, but the description fits.  Also, I agree with his comments about the Self as non-personal and an all inclusive awareness.  Much wisdom here.  He is worth careful attention.  Pilgrims still circumnavigate the mountain where he lived in a cave for many years.  (Ramona was an Indian saint/sage who lived in India from 1879 to 1950.  For many years he lived in a cave on a sacred mountain and many pilgrims and followers visited him there.)

Note: The following excerpt comes from Wikipedia: Ramana Maharshi described his Self as a "force" or "current," which descended on him in his death-experience, and continued throughout his life:
... a force or current, a centre of energy playing on the body, continuing regardless of the rigidity or activity of the body, though existing in connection with it. It was that current, force or centre that constituted my Self, that kept me acting and moving, but this was the first time I came to know it [...] I had no idea at that time of the identity of that current with the personal God, or Iswara as I used to call him [...] I was only feeling that everything was being done by the current and not by me [...] This current, or avesam, now felt as if it was my Self, not a superimposition [...] That avesam continues right up to now.[web 1]

Ramana used various terms to denote this Self.[note 9] The most frequently used terms were sat-chit-ananda, which translates into English as being-consciousness-bliss;[79] God, Brahman and Siva,[note 10] and the Heart, which is not to be confused with the physical heart, or a particular point in space, but was rather to indicate that "the Self was the source from which all appearances manifested."[78]

According to David Godman, the essence of Ramana Maharshi's teachings is that the "Self" or real "I" is a "non-personal, all-inclusive awareness": [80]
The real Self or real 'I' is, contrary to perceptible experience, not an experience of individuality but a non-personal, all-inclusive awareness. It is not to be confused with the individual self which (Ramana) said was essentially non-existent, being a fabrication of the mind, which obscures the true experience of the real Self. He maintained that the real Self is always present and always experienced but he emphasized that one is only consciously aware of it as it really is when the self-limiting tendencies of the mind have ceased. Permanent and continuous Self-awareness is known as Self-realization.[80]
Ramana considered the Self to be permanent and enduring,[81] surviving physical death.[82] "The sleep, dream and waking states are mere phenomena appearing on the Self",[83] as is the "I"-thought.[81] Our "true nature" is "simple Being, free from thoughts".[84]
Ramana would field many questions about "jnanis" (liberated beings) from devotees, but even the terms "jnani" and "ajnani" (non-liberated being) are incorrect, since it leads one to the idea of there being a knower and a known, a subject and an object. The truth of it according to Ramana Maharshi is that there are neither "jnanis" nor "ajnanis", there is simply "jnana", which is Self:[85]

from Wikipedia (I did not take out the numbers of the references)

(Image from internet)

from Sri Aurobindo:  That possibility is the discovery of a closer approximation to what we might call the mantra in poetry that rhythmic speech which, as the Veda puts it, rises at once from the heart of the seer and from the distant home of the Truth, — the discovery of the word, the divine movement, the form of thought proper to the reality which, as Mr. Cousins excellently says,

" lies in the apprehension of a something stable behind the instability of word and deed, something that is reflection of the fundamental passion of humanity for something beyond itself, something that is a dim foreshadowing of the divine urge which is prompting all creation to unfold itself and to rise out of its limitations towards its Godlike possibilities. Poetry in the past has done that in moments of supreme elevation; in the future there seems to be some chance of its making it a more conscious aim and steadfast endeavor."

(Cousins was a contemporary of Yeats and wrote poems similar to his.)