Introduction to blog 15 – My Personal Journey in Om Divine Grace Yoga.

Blog fifteen moves on from previous blogs which have given a broad view of my own Om Divine Grace Yoga spiritual journey. Also the details of this Yogic Pathway is enumerated in the first five blogs. Now here the focus is on Enlightenment. Some of this material is adapted from the Om Divine Grace Journey – a book that you can partially read on this site.

Om Divine Grace Yoga is designed to enable practical use by a practitioner interested in this pathway. Of course anything here can be approached as just reading matter of interest.

Historically, this pathway is approached via a Guru for initiation and guidance. In our modern world this might not be feasible or practical, given the nature of this dark era (Kali Yuga). It may not be possible to get a guru who can assist you in this area.

It is necessary now to offer this spiritual pathway and process as an option for any practitioner, desiring progress. A this material will also become a book when all the blogs are complete.

My Personal Journey in Om Divine Grace Yoga.

Enlightenment

Mantras

Tap into the Divine power within and without. Use and repeat Holy Names. Select the Mantra of choice, or better still get a mantra from a knowledgeable Guru.

Repeat as much as possible.

From India we have for example the mantras:

Hari Om

Soham

Hare Krishna

Rama, Rama.

Om Namah Shivaya

And many, many more.

Also “seed” mantras associated with the chakras- described earlier also.

Mentally repeat the mantra. (Called japa)

Mantra’s power will then do the work for you as desired. (I.e. can be used for wealth or spiritual growth. You choose).

Mantra is vibrational healing, of the soul through to mind, body, and to your environment.

In addition, mantras create a shield of “armour” around you to protect from curses, violence and accidents.

Higher vibration emanating from mantra repetition rises above darkness, or even evil forces.

It is a remedy for depression because you bypass it. It is left behind in the darkness. In the Higher Rooms there is only light.

You are not your body and mind. You are the Witness. Your natural state is Sat, Chit, Ananda. Existence, Knowledge, Bliss.

Light is always you as the Divine soul. It is your birth right. You may need to connect with It, even though it is just there.

We separate ourselves from Light, we live in darkness. Change perspective and focus

Seek Divine Grace.

The Divine is perfect and complete, and emanations from the Divine, such as this world of Life and the Universe, are complete in purpose. Be it your belief in the Goddess as the “creatrix”, or God as Him, or as the Big Bang. Whatever is produced in this Cosmic Consciousness is interconnected with sound.

Even though many components emanate, a wide variety of sounds are associated. A sound for each aspect. (Including chakras). Thus, there are many mantras and each of the major ones has an extensive history of practice, and is seated within a body of ancient knowledge.

Our consciousness identifies with matter, the illusion that is Maya. Matter is created and destroyed at some point of time, but nothing really disappears. Hence, we can agree with much of science here. (The Big Bang is after all a “large sound’). However, we are in fear, and rush around, because we cannot understand the essential essence of both the Transcendent Self and the Maya created forms in life. We do not connect with the underlying sound. The mantra makes this connection, and gives us understanding to the point of Enlightenment. After all Maya is just the Goddess going about her business!

We do not ask the real questions. Not what is your name, but what sounds are you composed of?

Our consciousness is ignored. However, we try to control nature. Unless you know yourself as Divine (in sound), all else is just fleeting experience. A trip!

Do not fear, just focus on:

Who am I?

What is reality?

What is experience?

How do I serve?

Find your mantra/s. They will attune you to the collective and the individual consciousness. Sat Chit Ananda.

Mantra is a combination of special sounds and vibrations that purify space, body, mind and consciousness from negative energies. Mantra is an ancient sacred formula that gives a powerful Divine Energy, and is the key that opens the way to the Divine Knowledge.

Repeat the mantras as much as possible any number of times.

There is a method regarding repetition. Use a rosary or mala.

108 times, is considered sacred, as it is the number of Rishis, (or seers), in the sky, as certain star formations.

Chant, sing, write, or meditate silently.

The mala is charged with Divine Energy and thus is an excellent talisman or amulet. Treat it with due respect!

Get a Guru

The spiritual journey is open to anyone at any time. There are no rules which say you must have a guide, a teacher or a guru. Rather there is an understanding that all focused and energetic efforts on the spiritual journey will bring good rewards. In fact it is logical that if you have gleaned good solid information you will get better results, rather than if you accept willy-nilly someone professing guidance, which may lead you into a mess.

Indeed getting “enmeshed” with a guru for the spiritual journey may even be dangerous. So you need to be prepared for the acceptance of, and then proper use of a teacher, who is “bona fide”.  Real gurus are not to be trifled with; they are for those who are willing to accept some painful truths. Also casual acceptance of any teacher may be a gateway for further neurotic anguish rather than peace and bliss. The word guru means “one who leads from darkness to light”. A guru must be already in the light to be able to reach out and help others to attain the same illumination. A guru can only affect others to the degree of that guru’s own achievement.

By taking on a living teacher one is opening up to immediate evaluation, to being given marks, as in exams, and to being critically examined. The teacher is not working to allow comfort in the student. The student is not working to remain static in knowledge.

What benefits then are to be gained by the following of an enlightened being? That teacher, that guru, may not even be alive in a physical sense. As long as the teaching remains with some system or path to be followed, then the aspirant on the spiritual journey can benefit in proportion to the efforts made. The difference with the living human guru is that, a dead teacher is not going to come along with a cane to administer a rap on the knuckles. (Which they do in some Zen sects)! What the living guru may require of you personally may be “too much”. This may be the very reason why the living guru is necessary. If you want the spiritual journey to proceed apace, you can’t stay in your comfort zone!

When the guru is found by a careful, even choosy search, and when the guru is approached in the appropriate manner, then the guru becomes the means for rapid progress on the spiritual journey. It is quite possible to progress spiritually by one’s own efforts, and there is nothing inappropriate about this. Using the benefits of an enlightened guide however is like taking the express train rather than the slow goods train that gets “bumped off” into numerous sidings

to be continued………………………….