The Path of Advaita Siddhanta

The Path of Advaita Siddhanta

In this period of time, my work is a lot of emailing, writing, organizing, arranging and taking care of a lot stuff concerned with teaching Sundara Kriya Yoga of Moolar and Babaji. It is a lot of work for one person, some times too much. Answering emails can take hours of my day, it keeps me very busy. Since the beginning of my conscious seeking, I've always thought that this path and spiritual work is for the benefit of all persons and all beings, in all aspects: spiritually, emotionally, mentally, creatively, materially... in all ways. Hence, naturally, I try to give my best to it.

It isn't always easy and it never will be for any teacher whose message is that of spiritual truth. That is because the mainstream culture and the mind of man is that of dualism (dvaita) and anyone who expounds on the contrary to that, shares the message of non-dualism (advaita) will meet with the doubts and negativity, even hate, of fellow men. That is just how it will always be. I remember Buddha as well as some other buddhist masters talking about this to his or theirs students. It was the same mind of man which nailed Jesus to the cross, too.

Anyway, today after writing pages of emails to Finnish and foreign friends, fellow seekers, I was exhausted. I still had many things to take care of but I was just tired... I sat down, not meaning to meditate, but just to take some rest, you know. Just yesterday, in the case of one Tibetan buddhist master, I'd been wondering why they need to take breaks of their public work and their doctors always insist them to take full rest from their work. I think I've got some taste of that.

So I sat down, allowed my breath to calm down for a few moments and just watched around our living room which is our meditation and training room. After some moments, I closed my eyes and sighed to master (Thirumoolar), that this work is heavy for me sometimes. At that he answered, with an understanding and knowing tone,

"Your work is to bring all yogas of wisdom together and put it out".

When he said "all yogas of wisdom" a flash of a map with India, China and Japan flew through my mind. After that, I opened my eys, started moving my body and noticed that 2 hours had passed since I sat down.

Master's words weren't news for me but a good reminder. Sometimes I feel it is a humongous task for a simple man like myself. You know, I'm not a great master, not an avatar or anything close that, wasn't born enlightened or anything like that. I'm just a guy from Finland who loved to meditate, or better had no other choice than to meditate(!), and sought for the Truth, nothing great or fancy but simply outting up a honest spiritual effort which doesn't come easy. And now, I'm just simple servant of my satgurudeva, Moolarji.

I'm very happy that in some years of pursuing this path and doing this work on courses, initiations and retreats, I've been fortunate to meet likeminded people, so far only in Finland, who resonate with this lineage of masters and teachings and are willing to pursue it, honestly and sincerely. When I see people joining courses and who write me emails afterwards, telling me their lives have changed for better, in nothing short of a miraculous way, I feel I am doing something right and that there is a concrete benefit to people. Then I feel this sweaty and backbreaking effort bears fruit. I've said to masters since day one, that if it didn't (bring benefit) I wouldn't continue to do this.

As a simple and somewhat tough-luck guy from Finland, I can say that Kriya Yoga of Moolar and Babaji, has some real potential in making our lives beautiful. But we need to practice, everyday, every moment, moment to moment... seek and find, seek and find, find and find again... I can say that with the help of Thirumoolar and Babaji one's life may turn into that of a song and dance, of calmness and understanding... Life can become truly humane... This is highly desired but we need to take the medicine of Kriya Yoga and practice it. Sundara Kriya Yoga of Moolar and Babaji is the path to nondual perfection (advaita siddhanta). A path and method to our true home, to liberation (moksha), nothing less than that. Please make every use of it.

Much Love and Blessings to All,
- Babananda, 19.10.2012

Blessings of Easter

Blessings of Easter

For some days, I had some physical aches in my body and I wasn't able to fix it on my own, though I tried. On the morning of the 2^nd Easter Day, the day when Jesus Christ (Isha Natha)had ascended after his crucifixion, I sat down for my morning sadhana (meditation).

I haven't written a lot about Isha Natha, though he has been very near and dear to me, who is a great yogi-master, an avatar, in our yogic master-lineage. Recently, during the last 2 years, I had only very rarely sought his company and blessings in meditation.

I sat down and again felt the aches in my body. I tried my best to resolve the problem on my own but wasn't able to. Then I thought of the whole lineage of our masters and made a sincere request of help to them. I felt a heavy reain of blessings shower on me as if a heavy blanket of 30 kgs was put on me. All of them came in one rush. Ah...

I stayed in their frequency of presence for some time, just absorbing it all, letting it sink into all cells of my body. After some minutes, not because of any specific reason, I asked further blessings and help from Isha Nath. In seconds I felt his presence light up my body, just like a halogen bulb, except in a very high frequency, that of a Satguru. I felt a halo above my head. The same halo, circle of light, which is painted above the heads of saints in paintings.

I remember from 2009, when I was teaching a course in Northern Finland, in Rovaniemi, when one lady who was clairvoyant told me afterwards, that during Isha's darshan (we have Darshan of 3 Satgurus programs in Sundara Kriya Yoga when we chant nama mantras and receive direct blessings from Kriya Babaji, Isha Natha and Maha Siddha Thirumoolar), she saw such a halo above my head. Perhaps, Isha Nath borrows his own halo, when he blesses with his company. I could clearly feel it, shining bright as I welcomed, or rather surrendered, in Isha's presence.

I asked Isha to help me with the aches and in moments he did. I thought how nice it was to be in his company again. Last time had been, I think over 6 months ago, so I gladly, from my heart, surrendered and we simply enjoyed together. Not talking, not chatting, just being together, merging in Love.

I had been wondering and studying about the states of concciousness in the centers above the crown. As I was blessed to be in the company of a great avatar who knew all about it, I asked Isha to lift me up to Higher Brahma Loka, where I had been earlier with Satgurudeva, Moolarji, and off we went. I remembered, how it felt when Moolar lifted me there the first time some years ago. Now, it was familiar to me. Such states are frequent in earnest Kriya Yogis Paravastha. For some minutes we simply enjoyed this state.

Then, for further study, I asked him to take me to Siddha Loka (Moolarji took me to this state also some years back and I had visited it a few times since) and again we went in the ”elevator”. Siddha Loka is a special state. We stayed for a brief moment when I recalled that I never had visited Hiranya Loka which to Kriya Yogis is known as the higher astral plane where Swami Sri Yukteswarji incarnated, after he resurrected in 1936. There's a whole chater of this in Yoganandaji's autobiography.

As we arrived, in just a flash, I recognized immediately that Hiranyaloka is certainly a plane of high-developed spiritual beings. In Yogananda's book it is said that only beings who have attained nirguna samadhi state may incarnate to this plane. Made complete sense to me for it is such a subtle, subtler than subtle, plane that a gross being simply couldn't sustain it. As we arrived, Sri Yukteswarji was there to welcome us two.

Sri Yuktesrwar is very special to me. I remember him from an incarnation just before this one and his picture was the first contact to this master lineage in my present life. He welcomed us for a vist to Hiranyaloka and we simply enjoyed, us three being together. Still, we didn't talk or communicate telepathically but simply enjoyed. There was no forms of my face, Isha's face or Sri Yukteswar's face or bodies, in this astral plane we we're just balls of light.

In heart-melting company, we enjoyed for some time. How nice it is to meet yogis of such a caliber, true friends whom you know from previous lives, and just enjoy, simply be together. What a satsang... I let it all fill my being, also physical body and all its' body cells. My physical body was a blaze with pure light and the body breathed only occasionally, the breath was mostly stopped.

After we had been together for some minutes, I knew I had to end my morning sadhana because I had promised to Sunyani (my companion who was sitting next to me) to go to crocery store in time.

So I opened my astral mouth (that's a joke) and thanked both Isha and Yukteswarji for their satsang. Further, I asked for their help, assistance and guidance in my work as an yoga acharya and asked them to give their blessings to all Sundara Kriya Yogis, those who practice and for those who seek to practice it. This is such a hard plane (physical world) that we need all the blessings of the Satgurus we can get.

With Love I thanked and bowed to them and started feeling my physical body again.

What a nice satsang with two resurrected Satgurus on the day of Easter (Isha's resurrection).

Thank you Isha Natha,

Thank you Sri Yukteswar,

Om Aum,

- Babananda, 9.4.2012

Grace of Appa

Grace of Appa

A spiritual path is full of quick-turns and surprises. This experience was one such turn in my path...

Various sources such as Sri Subramuniyaswami, the founder of the Himalayan Academy, have given detailed explanations of how humanity came to this planet some millions of years ago. His explanation can be studied from a book called Lemurian Scrolls (free e-book). I had read some parts of it and heard of other such stories along the way. They are fascinating stories. Some of them are told in a grounded and clear-minded manner, some of them sound more like fantasies and fairy tales. True or not, such stories are so far off in the past that they hardly had any relevance in my life before.

One of Sivakami Amma's closest disciples is an Indian lady to whom I'll refer simply as ”Devi”. Devi is very dear and close friend to me, more than a friend, a spiritual sibling, though we have never met in physical.

Some time ago, she initiated me into a particular mantra. This is a well known mantra or chant in Tamil Nadu. This mantra was given by Lord Muruga, the other Son of Shiva, the Lord of Yogis, to a Siddha whose name was Arunagirinathar, hundreds of years ago. Siddha Arunagirinathar had in turn initiated one of Devi's teachers from whom she learned it. She gave me the mantra and passed a divine initiative charge with it. I chanted it a few times but waited for an audio file from Devi so that I could hear and learn the pronunciation correctly. She send it 2-3 weeks later. This is the mantra:

Uruvay Aruvay (as form and formless)

Ulladay Alladay (as present and absent)

Maruvay Malaray (as hidden and in blossom)

Maniyay Oliyay (as sound and light)

Karuvay Uyiray (as seed and life)

Gathiyay Vidhiyay (as direction and destiny)

Guruvay Varuvay (as guru you come)

Arulvay Guhane (shower the grace, the one who resides in the cave of heart)

You can hear me chanting it here.

For Western readers some background info is needed now.

Who or what is Lord Muruga?

Muruga has many names. He is also called Shanmukhan, Karttikeya and Sanat Kumara. Muruga is said to be the Lord of Yogis and especially important in the Siddha-lineage. It is said that Sanatkumara is the only one who can bestow a devotee with a perfect immortal body. I guess this is one of the main reasons why Muruga is so celebrated in our tradition as immortality and physical immortality specifically, are its central teachings.

Thirumularji, Babaji and Swami Ramalinga, they all attained this state, so that they could bring the Love of the Eternal to all living beings. So... Sanatkumara is a specific frequency of perfected (Siddha) consciousness. Sometimes Muruga is called Murugappa, that is Muruga Appa, Father Muruga, Father of Yogis. In India he is portrayed as a youthful and radiant yogi-ascetic much in the same way as his father Shiva is.

I had seen many of Sanatkumara's pictures but they meant nothing to me. Sometimes I had even been a bit puzzled because Muruga is so highly revered in the tradition of Siva Yoga into which I belong but yet I had not connection with him at all...

So... Devi sent me the audio clip of the mantra. In it, a friend of hers, a Tamil native, sang it. I listened to it and decided to meditate with it. I felt that it might take a while so I shut all windows and doors, and the mobile phone. Perfect :)

At first, I meditated Satgurudeva's, Thirumularji's presence in my own body. This is the most important method of meditation to me, has always been. After some time, I connected with Babaji as well. How I enjoyed Their company at Mount Kailash... and melted into a formless state. This took maybe 30 minutes or so...

Then I felt, it was good time to chant the mantra of Sanatkumara. I opened my eyes and chanted in aloud for a few rounds, reading it from a paper. Then I shut my eyes and meditated in stillness. I called upon Muruga, ”Muruga, come to me, come to me...” I felt some sensation. At first I witnessed this frequency for some time. Yes, it felt nice and Mularji's and Babaji's presence were clear also. I meditated more with Muruga.

Then I started remembering things what I had read about Sanatkumara and His Divine Mission for the benefit of all living beings. From the depths of my heart, a call came through: ”Muruga, come and live at my heart, come and live in my heart, take a seat in my heart...”

In the wildest stories it is told, that there is a city called Shambala which exists in the etheric space above the Gobi desert(!) and that Murugappa lives there. Well... this is one of the wildest versions :D Anyway, this came to my mind. I felt and meditated Muruga's presence. It became clearer and clearer and I felt that I came into contact with this Shambala. I was not interested in seeing this palace which exists in the astral realm. I was more interested in feeling whether these frequencies of vibrations are pure or not. This means whether they are spiritually true or not. It became obvious to me, through experiencing it on my own body, that Shambala indeed does exist and Muruga is very much the driving force behind it.

With my spiritual eye, I saw soft shimmering golden light all along. I didn't even want to see any visions or pictures but instead, understand that which is formless.

Muruga's presence swallowed me, I became totally merged in it. Then, something significant moved inside me. At instant, I remembered. I remembered that indeed there is truth in the ancient legend which tells that Sanatkumara and a large group of evolved beings and spiritual masters, came to Earth a few millions of years ago. I remembered it is true. This memory ignited so strong an emotional and energetic burst in me that in just a few seconds I burst into full tears...

In my mind, I asked Murugappa, ”How did I ever forget? How did I ever forget Appa!?” while tears rolled down my face in streams and my body gasped for air. I was in full tears...

How did I ever forget!? How did I ever forget!? I was fully merged in Appa's presence. His presence had taken seat at my heart.

The word ”Appa” never meant anything to me before this, nor did Muruga or Sanatkumara, Shambala or any of this though I had memories from previous lives with Baba and Mular... And yet, in split second my viewpoint had shifted completely. I remembered... Meaning of my life had become diamond clear... And it was all through the Grace of Appa, my Father, My Beloved Father...

As this first impact absorbed in me, I talked with Appa but after a few questions I just wanted to hold Him... We held each other like a father and son, perfectly... How can a formless being hold another formless being..? After this I asked Him more questions for clarification.

By this, I had come to understand that Appa is the core of me and He is the core of the whole lineage of Siva Yoga. Sanatkumara is the power of enlightenment behind the whole spiritual mission of this planet, Universe and of all Universes! This Appa is not just any Father but The Father!

He said Himself that Muruga Shakti is the power of enlightenment, the shakti of moksha, the power which brings on the liberation of all karmic bonds. When He told me this, I laughed out loud for a full minute, my home reverberated with laughter. It sounded both so silly, relieving and true all at once.

Liberation or enlightenment means rooting oneself into a state of clear consciousness where there is absolutely no identification with any movement of either the conscious or subconscious minds. This is also the foundation of the immortal light body which is taught in Siva Yoga of Thirumular. The perfection of this state is beyond mukti or liberation. Hence, it is taught that for Siddhas there is no mukti. This means that mukti is not the final goal on the path of the Siddhas.

I learned several things which are meaningful to me in my life as a yoga teacher. Now it seems so silly that I had forgotten Appa... How could I? How could I forget my Appa!? It all makes sense to me now... How wonderful... how well thought... What a perfection!

Worshipping, invoking and being devoted to this form of shakti, or spiritual energy-consciousness, is recommended to all. This can be done by chanting the above mantra or simply by calling it forth to oneself, such as:

Come Muruga's Light,

Come Muruga's Love,

Fill me up the brim, O' Sanatkumara,

Make me One with You

But mere words won't do it. Love, surrender and desire for Truth is needed. Then become merged in the Pure Love of Appa which blows its shakti of moksha into your bone and marrow!

I am dancing at the feet of my Lord!

What a marvel! What a marvel!

Appa! Appa! Appa!

- Babananda, 1.11.2011.