The videhas are not really “gods” but demigods like angels. The real gods are beings who are self-realised and have imbibed all the powers of god(omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence etc) They are known as avatars and Krishna is said to be an avatar. Once one reaches self-realization they attain the likeness of god. Thus they become gods.
[QUOTE=CityMonk;42806]What about:
-dreams
-thoughts
-fantasies
- wounds and cuts:))[/QUOTE]
Yeah outside of you. You are the one that sees the dreams, thoughts, fantasies, and wounds and cuts. They are all things that you get to know about through your means of knowledge. Your 5 senses and your internal sense of the mind.
Yoga is not for the bunny.Is not for the man with fears.sooner gets a criminal to the father than a civic and responsible civic man that is not capable to go against the rules.Escape from the world does not make you a saint neither to keep yourself in the world. Is all about inner reality not about perceptions or postures or lineage or names or how do you see me buddy ?can you tell me ?Exactly You can be a saint here in the city as long as you attain god head.you can be a perfected man like Gandhi for example who was a Karmi Yogi.An yes he was a karmi are you guys more advance than him ? hahahahhaa even when practicing raja yoga .What about warriors that are killers by need do they go to hell ? hahhaahahah exactly so much confusion I thought I was coming here to learn.
So much advance.All I see is the world I I I I will tell you I didnt say .Or my positions is Or Im the messenger .hahhaahhaah I got to laugh more you write more I spot your level .so much ego.so much weak ego.
I have mentioned “lineage” just for the circumstance for Suryadeva, not to show off on the forum. There is no proper lineage in Integral Yoga from Sri Aurobindo for instance. For the technical aspects in a discipline like Classical Yoga considered as a philosophy, art and even therapy, spiritual experience is not enough, having a good technical formation and being in a lifelong learning process matter, especially if one day you want to transmit this kind of Yoga. The best I have found around me was quite traditional and connected with the Indian tradition though I have often met many spiritually advanced people not doing proper yogic exercises. Personally I would not take in this period of my life Yoga lessons with maybe 99% of teachers I have met here in France or even India… For the spiritual side, I have met a lot of people more advanced than monks, ascetics, or people doing hours of practice since decades. I am not especially in awe of Gandhi personally. I completely agree to support the warrior in the battlefield fighting for a right cause. By the way the greatest treatise on Yoga in the Hindu tradition for many people is Bhagavad Gita. Even sannyasis have been on the battlefield at times, let us remember the brave sannyasi revolt in Bengal in 18th century that Bankim Chandra Chatterjee has depicted greatly in the novel Anandamath.
That being said, it would be nice to be here to learn but also to share with peace and respect.
Philippe
Ok fair enough Philippe.Like I told you before Im here learning from all you guys even from Surya Deva wich is not really that advance like he think he is.Even the ants can teach you stuff .And well man Im here keep striking down with the light.I need corrections
with my asanas and pranayamas.by the way .so can you help me out?And one more question what do you think on needing a guru to be able to learn the stuff?thats a general question brother from every beginer.
Hey Philippe what do you think about needing a guru to advance in the road to self realization? Are the books and videos enough ? or do you need to go beging to some guru to get there ? what do you think about ? seriously.
Teitan, I think that it depends on the path you choose. One needs guidance in most of spiritual paths because it is not that easy for most of us. The outer guidance can be manifested by a guru in flesh. The guru can help to get connected to the inner guru. In my sadhana, I have noticed that everything is helping me, all the circumstances without exception. I have always met the people needed to evolve. Though there is often some egotism and tamas in people saying that gurus are not needed, this is true that one can learn a lot without a proper guru in flesh, but a guru in flesh can be needed for some people for some periods. In some spiritual paths, it is mandatory. So I will not generalize. I do not agree with the motto “no pain, no gain” neither, effort is needed but it does not imply pain necessarily. Effort is not required at times too. Moreover I believe in surrender to the Divine, it makes wonder. This is possible to walk on a sunlit path in spirituality, it requires sincerity, but it is sincerity towards God and the yogic ideals.
For asanas, pranayama aso… a guide in flesh is mandatory, books, dvds are not enough, at least at the beginning. An acarya is enough, you do not need someone with the stature or the role of a guru especially if it is not your main path as it could even be confusing.
I use the word guru as a spiritually advanced master, not just in the sense of knowledgeable teacher.
Philippe
[QUOTE=teitan;43095]Hey Philippe what do you think about needing a guru to advance in the road to self realization? Are the books and videos enough ? or do you need to go beging to some guru to get there ? what do you think about ? seriously.[/QUOTE]
Here is another unsolicited advice:
If asana is the first step, guru is needed to demo, review, correct, advice and encourage. You can’t see your back, guru will. If you would also do pranayama, guru is needed even more to explain the subtle processes that can’t be seen with naked eyes. As you advance, there will be trials and errors, then you will need guru to keep you on the track; there will be scriptures to gain wisdom from, you will need guru to interprete; there will be powers, guru will help you avoid temptation to mis-use them; a true guru will also know when to retire from your path to let the inner guru to take over.
HOWEVER, its a two-way relationship. Someone is your guru, because to him/her you are a disciple. Duties and responsibilities of disciple go hand-in-hand. One of them is not to judge a guru with your limited thinking. If so required, you can always give up the discipleship, but there should be no disrespect for guru, for whatever little you have got from him/her requires gratitude.
We also need to remember that guru need not be a ‘bearded person in orange robe’ every time. A book, a situation, a friend, a natural event, a dream- there are many ways. If you are a desperate seeker, guru arrives.
[B]I like this teitan[/B]
Su Dongpo was an avid student of Buddhist teachings. He was quick-witted and humorous; as a Zen Buddhism follower he was very serious and self-disciplined. He often discussed buddhism with his good friend, Zen Master Foyin. The two lived across the river from one another.
Following is an interesting and famous story about him and Zen Master Foyin.
One day, Su Dongpo felt inspired and wrote the following poem:
稽首天中天，
毫光照大千；
八风吹不动，
端坐紫金莲。
I bow my head to the heaven within heaven,
Hairline rays illuminating the universe,
The eight winds cannot move me,
Sitting still upon the purple golden lotus.
The ?eight winds (八风)? in the poem referred to praise (称), ridicule (讥), honor (誉), disgrace (毁), gain (得), loss (失), pleasure (乐) and misery (苦) ? interpersonal forces of the material world that drive and influence the hearts of men. Su Dongpo was saying that he has attained a higher level of spirituality, where these forces no longer affect him.
Impressed by himself, Su Dongpo sent a servant to hand-carry this poem to Fo Yin. He was sure that his friend would be equally impressed. When Fo Yin read the poem, he immediately saw that it was both a tribute to the Buddha and a declaration of spiritual refinement. Smiling, the Zen Master wrote ?fart? on the manuscript and had it returned to Su Dongpo.
Su Dongpo was expecting compliments and a seal of approval. When he saw ?fart? written on the manuscript, he was shocked . He burst into anger: ?How dare he insult me like this? Why that lousy old monk! He?s got a lot of explaining to do!?
Full of indignation, he rushed out of his house and ordered a boat to ferry him to the other shore as quickly as possible. He wanted to find Fo Yin and demand an apology. However, Fo Yin?s door closed. On the door was a piece of paper, for Su Dongpo. The paper had following two lines:
八风吹不动，
一屁弹过江。
The eight winds cannot move me,
One fart blows me across the river.
This stopped Su Dongpo cold. Fo Yin had anticipated this hot-headed visit. Su Dongpo?s anger suddenly drained away as he understood his friend?s meaning. If he really was a man of spiritual refinement,
completely unaffected by the eight winds, then how could he be so easily provoked?
With a few strokes of the pen and minimal effort, Fo Yin showed that Su Dongpo was in fact not as spiritually advanced as he claimed to be. Ashamed but wiser, Su Dongpo departed quietly.
This event proved to be a turning point in Su Dongpo?s spiritual development. From that point on, he became a man of humility, and not merely someone who boasted of possessing the virtue.
hahahahahaha.great Kareng I love your parabola .But I suppose that you used it to make the point about Surya deva and him been arrogant.Cause I never pose as a teacher I speak openly and honestly what little I know.And I been asking for help since I got here but in my way I detected some funny messengers (Surya Deva saying Im the messenger etc).Im only someone looking for results.And yes I got some work under my belt.but honestly I feel like the sky is the limit and that I dont know enough but at least I know enough to not let my self get caught up in certain seudomistic bla bla bla.Or philosophical per say.I dont let myself be fool by some posers.I been expressing that theory does not make you better than a monkey so words dont impress me.Yoga is about been practical about the power of manifest some control ,that I know.
By the way who knows how can I get a great teacher of raja yoga here in san diego california? someone that doe not charge money.Someone that is not a control freak either.To me if you ask for money in favor for such of spiritual favors you are not detached if you are a control freak the same you are not good enough etc.
I hope you find the foroum helpful in whatever small or big way perhaps. You sound hungry or thirsty. That is good combined with a bit of knowledge…
I’m with you on the money comment.Some true gurus or so i have read at least anecdotally i think might not officially request money , donations maybe gladly accepted. But no official transactions. Something to do with there being a contradiction present, a conflict,possibly. Just remember reading the odd anecdote. I’m not up on how “gurus” operate. I suspect there are many in India based on an old guidebook i’ve got.Never been to India for that purpose.A Himlayan guru sounds like a romantic idea but you do have rishikesh and likely other places so it is quite possible. I’ve got this guidebook call Meeting the master by MuzMuRray , although it was published a few decades ago it’s got a number of spiritual teachers listed in it.Barely leafed through it.Lists many ashrams in Mother India.
I think these ashrams are respected like in Hindu society, have a certain status and pay for themselves and try to be self-sufficent commune-type places.They may have their own gardens, projects etc or some of them.I’ve never stayed in ashram or spiritual community but it prob. worth checking out.I think they may run to a schedule - eaarly moring sadhana,karma yoga, evening sdhana,lights out early for e.g.Someone else might be able to share an experience in this regard here.
Raja Yoga ?
.From San Diego to Scotland.
Thank you so much core 789 is great to hear some ideas from you .I will do a research on the Muzmuray guidebook right now.Im always a hungry man is like a never ending and more you learn more you see that you dont know to much .well hopefully one day I can stop looking cause that day ill be in perfect peace.Hope talking to you soon.
Teitan
.Im always a hungry man is like a never ending
Eat more Burgers Teitan !!
Money and Yoga is a different topic. Even among the Himalayan gurus in the past there was the tradition of gurudakshina : it was something like “Now get married and you will teach Yoga until the end of your life”, “Build me a house”, “Now get a job and give me this amount of money, so that I can carry on teaching and sustaining my family/ashram…”, “Give me a cow…”. Even in the ashrams, usually disciples gave everything they had or earned to the guru who was in charge of the community.
Giving teachings and receiving money is not something necessarily sacrilegious though it is easy to denature Yoga this way, it depends on the cases. There are different modalities of payment for instance everyone gives a chosen amount in an envelope, there can be a price fixed according to the income aso… There are the examples of Theravada monks teaching Theravada Buddhism for free but they are sustained materially by the lay community.
A few years back, I had Sanskrit classes for free with a teacher in a Vedantic centre. He is a nice man with a realization of a guru IMO. He is retired with a good pension, he asked nothing but he did not need to get extra money to live neither. Even in this case, we, students, used to offer money discreetly in an envelope though it was a difficult time for me financially. We did not take him for granted, and probably he gave most of the money if not everything to the Vedantic centre for its functioning.
Philippe
[QUOTE=Suhas Tambe;43144]Here is another unsolicited advice:
If asana is the first step, guru is needed to demo, review, correct, advice and encourage. You can’t see your back, guru will. If you would also do pranayama, guru is needed even more to explain the subtle processes that can’t be seen with naked eyes. As you advance, there will be trials and errors, then you will need guru to keep you on the track; there will be scriptures to gain wisdom from, you will need guru to interprete; there will be powers, guru will help you avoid temptation to mis-use them; a true guru will also know when to retire from your path to let the inner guru to take over.
HOWEVER, its a two-way relationship. Someone is your guru, because to him/her you are a disciple. Duties and responsibilities of disciple go hand-in-hand. One of them is not to judge a guru with your limited thinking. If so required, you can always give up the discipleship, but there should be no disrespect for guru, for whatever little you have got from him/her requires gratitude.
We also need to remember that guru need not be a ‘bearded person in orange robe’ every time. A book, a situation, a friend, a natural event, a dream- there are many ways. If you are a desperate seeker, guru arrives.[/QUOTE]
Good Points Suhas …I’m listening x
lol yep I just to do that. but it make my brain tamasic and rajasic.A bad combination of active and slow.So Im traying vegetarian now as much as I can.
kool Information Phillipe yeah it made perfect sense.
I read somewhere that after you reach certain level of awareness you most likely are by yourself to continue the journey.