Yoga: a pathway to Infinity
by eminent yoga teacher Gregorian Bivolaru
Among the countless definitions and symbolical names that shed more light upon the profound significance of the yoga system, there is also that of the “Path of the Godly Infinite” or the “Pathway to Infinity”. This suggests the fact that the ultimate purpose of yoga practice is the direct, effective revelation of the Godly Reality, in other words, the realization of a continuous conscious contact with the Supreme Primordial Cause, which is God, The Father.
By expressing ourselves within the Christian terminology, we might say that yoga is a rapid method of consciously fusion with the supreme Godly reality that Jesus called “The Kingdom of God” or “The Kingdom of Heavens”. Jesus unequivocally said about this kingdom that, aside from the fact that it exists in a certain mysterious dimension, it also has a focal point in each of us. As a matter of fact, no matter how paradoxical it may seem, this fundamental experience cannot be placed anywhere in time, as we ordinarily see it: a straight line, with a sole direction, from the past to the future, controlling a strictly material universe.
A spiritual experience unfolds between time and “non-time”
The sacred moment in which every spiritual yogi experience occurs is actually situated at the intersection of time and “non-time”, in that mysterious point where “before” and “after” are neutralized into the unique moment of “now”, or, in other words, in a continuous present. As a matter of fact, this ineffable and mysterious NOW, which reveals ETERNITY to us, is the moment to achieve the experience of the direct knowledge of the Godly Presence.
For that matter, analogically speaking, our present existence can be compared to a cascade of sparks, each spark lasting a few seconds, and the cascade itself, no more than a few minutes. The divine essential reality cannot be momentary or transient. It is timeless and eternal.
Every man is essentially his own “God”
The feeling of Godly Presence, lived in a mysterious time, of a particular quality, in a continuous present, has been felt and described by yogis and by the great Christian sages. Hence, the great Christian sage Saint John of the Cross states, in accordance with the great sages of the East, that the essential secret of spiritual accomplishment consists of truly understanding, through direct experience, that God is actually the Supreme Unique Consciousness. He also states that, by reason of a Godly logic, because God is the Supreme Unique Consciousness, this Consciousness is also the consciousness of every human being, the consciousness of each and every one of us.
Consequently, every man is essentially his own “God”, he is also a creator for himself, a keeper and a destroyer. Therefore, all that is necessary for his deliverance or his spiritual accomplishment needs to arise from his personal consciousness, during his terrestrial existence. This personal consciousness, following the pattern of the Universal Consciousness that we all call God, constantly states: “I am.” The way of the jnana-yogis, those yoga practitioners who, in their evolution, are following towards a complete knowledge of Everything, is the way of “I am”. Thus, we notice a perfect correspondence, which even identifies itself with the method suggested by the great Christian sage Saint John of the Cross.
God’s grace is sufficient for a happy existence
This is essentially the same spiritual path that Lao Tze called Tao. The yogi also calls it “The Path”, but essentially it is the same aspect: becoming aware that our true identity is purely spiritual. Knowing these aspects, we can ask ourselves how can we reach that unifying and continuous grip of consciousness that can secure our existentiality in our Godly dimension. The yoga system is especially based on meditation, which is a true open gate towards the Kingdom of God’s Grace or the Kingdom of Heavens.
This kingdom is not of this world, as Jesus Christ clearly stated, and because of that, in order for meditation to be truly efficient, it should elevate us, gradually taking us “beyond” this world, relieving us of all the false notions regarding what we call “I”. In this manner, we will detach ourselves from those faulty notions that we’ve had since our childhood and grown very fond of.
If we lucidly and detachedly analyze ourselves, we notice that most often we stumble upon these false identifications with all kinds of ephemeral aspects that our ego assumes. We are incapable of assuming a more vast consciousness, limiting ourselves just to what we call “my peace”, “my money” or “my health”. Most often, we are not aware that in fact, all these are mere illusions. In reality, there is only His peace, God’s unified Consciousness, a peace that transcends our ordinary power of understanding and His Grace, which is sufficient for a truly happy existence.
Without awakening the Godly Consciousness in ourselves, we really don’t have anything
But, in fact, whose is this peace and grace? It belongs to that Supreme Being whose eternal presence expresses in a radical simplicity through the words “I am”, for in reality, there is no other aspect about one might say it exists. All the claims of the false “I”, limited and transient, who is either happy or unhappy, living by his own erroneous relative criteria, must be completely eliminated before becoming truly aware of our Unique Real Godly Presence. The Godly Consciousness is the sovereign of our beings, and because of that, we are endowed with everything it consists of, in other words, the entire Universe is mirrored in our being, in potentiality. But if this consciousness of the Godly presence in us is not awakened, we actually have nothing, even if momentarily, we seem to be prosperous, because our current state is nothing but a mere ephemeral appearance which can vary from one day to another, often leaving us powerless in the wake of apparently inexorable current passing events.
But if we’ve already discovered the inspiring manner in which we can be aware and connected to the limitless divine Source which is present in all of us, no matter the external circumstances, we will never be deprived of that complete and pure happiness of our existence in the Self.
Complete yourself in Mystery and Silence
Spiritual guides often insist on the fact that this genuine inner search should be done in Silence and in Mystery. Mystery is often indispensable, because if we talk to our friends too early before our divine nature, we risk losing this grace of the Light of Godly Consciousness, which dwells in us and it is possible we won’t be able to get it back in this existence. But when we truly became aware of our true identity, we will be genuinely capable of understanding the true nature of the message yoga is transmitting to us, while also understanding the reason behind it being entitled The Way of the Godly Infinite. Thus path can be summed up by only one word: the Self.
Christian sages also spoke about the Consciousness of Christ which united the I-Father with the I-Son in an indissoluble Whole. The mistake made by the vulgar, profane Christians was that of covering this sublime truth of the “Unique Self” or “I am” for twenty centuries, by presenting Jesus Christ as a cult object most often, maintaining the illusion that there was only one man, through all of time, who was way above everyone else, and he was the One and Only Son of God. This false humility is considered by the great Christian sage Saint Silouan the Athonite to be “sheer” stupidity. He also stated that true humility is to acknowledge that Jesus Christ or the Son of God is also the expression of our Godly Spirit, which truly exists in each and every one of us.
In order to attract the sun, the mirror only has to keep itself pure and clear. Consequently, He is ours and it is our Supreme Self. Therefore, any other limited and impure self, to which we are often identified, should be excluded from our consciousness. Our psychic efforts cannot reach the state of spontaneity and authenticity which are characteristic of the Godly consciousness. Therefore, by comparing our consciousness to a mirror, we become aware that in fact, the mirror cannot do anything to attract the Sun. It can just keep itself pure and clear. Hence, we might say that, as soon as our consciousness is ready, the Sun of the Godly consciousness shall start to reflect in it.
Of course, any human being that hasn’t yet reached a level of consciousness which is elevated enough considers, by means of his limited non-enlightened consciousness, that Saint Paul used to suggestively call the carnal Spirit, that such a Godly unifying perspective is unacceptable. That’s why the neophyte should take on the secret, for as long as he did not become fully aware of the consciousness of his true Godly identity.
Yoga – an art of spiritual healing
Next, while properly focusing upon the Godly aspects that yoga, as a Path of the Godly Infinite reveals, we present you a few fundamental principles that any efficient practice of yoga, oriented towards the revelation of the Godly Immortal Self, should rely on. These principles are especially referring to the nature of God and the nature of sin or evil. These are often topics that have stirred up countless controversy in the Christian world, just as in the case of the nature of prayer and meditation.
Practicing these three fundamental principles as often as possible should be the object of everyday activity of any yogi who is animated by a sublime state of abnegation, who truly walks the Path to the Godly Infinite. The one who practices jnana yoga or the Path to the Godly Infinite has an entirely exceptional way of helping others. He does not get attached or involved neither with the person nor with the problem he is dealing with because he knows that a problem cannot be solved by means of an action which is on the same level with the problem. First, he is aware of the fact that he’s not dealing with the problem or the person but he’s actually dealing with himself. Thus, he’s dealing with his own consciousness.
When the Godly infinite consciousness or the consciousness of Christ begins to truly manifests within himself, expressed through relentless belief in the ideas: “The Father and I, We are One” and “Everything the Father has, also belongs to me”, only then will the problem of the person for whom he started meditating will find its solution. According to this form of yoga, the entire art of spiritual healing resides in the “forgetting” both the patient, and his problem. Then, the jnana yogi focuses on the interior of his own being in order to contact the Godly Presence, that omnipresent Grace of God which impregnates everyone and everything.
“I will no longer accept any human reason for prayer” – a jnana yogi is beyond life and death. Aspects that are inevitable to us – to be born and to die – are just a way to express motion for him, in that which is perfectly still, transform in that which is immutable, the end in that which has no end.
On this path, sadhana, or in other words, spiritual practice, does not consist solely of meditating while being seated in a yogi posture, with our eyes closed, while pursuing to eliminate all our thoughts, in a passive contemplation for some miraculous experience to arise and overwhelm us through the force of subtle sounds and lights perceived on the inside, but it also consists of the profound and continuous impregnation of our being with the fundamental principles mentioned earlier.
In order to accomplish this, as efficiently as possible we can pray as follows:
“I humbly aspire to receive God’s Grace. I aspire to receive the word coming from God’s mouth with all my being. I will no longer accept any human reason for which I should pray; that is why I am not praying in order to obtain something of this world. I am attentively listening to Your voice, I await Your Word to resonate within me, Lord.”
Such a prayer, uttered with fervor and authenticity for at least twenty one times a day, will eventually transform our entire life fundamentally. This transformation will become noticeable after approximately one month. In order for it to be truly effective, it should come from the heart and elevate the one who utters it until he reaches the state of the “Consciousness of Christ”. Then it comes to life and becomes the Word of God. Only the Word of God has the power to cause those aspects we call miracles, due to our ignorance. Doing so, we will understand why Psalm 127 says: “If God hadn’t accepted for the house to be built, those building it would’ve worked in vain.”
This yogi spiritual path does not involve any ritual and bears no rule except for universal and impersonal Godly Love. Its only cult is directed at the eternal inner flame which is always alive inside the altar of our soul. This spontaneous and natural union with God also represents the liberated condition of spiritual fraternity, which is a form of discipline of the soul. Thus, we rejoice over limitless freedom, in a unified universe, who knows no physical boundaries, in which we are frantically and eternally worshipping God, with no ritual.
In this manner, the gradual spiritual enlightenment dissolves all the material bonds, unifying people through the golden threads of Self Realization.
yogaesoteric
Octombrie 2014
