Kriya Yoga: synthesis of a personal experience
Author: Ennio Nimis
Visit at least once in a year the Web site www.kriyayogainfo.net to download the latest edition of the book
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CONTENTS
Contents Synopsis
ii iii
PART ART I HISTORY OF MY PASSION FOR KRIYA YOGA 1. Yoga Self-Taught 2. I Learn Kriya Yoga 3. The Breathless State 4. In Search of the Original Kriya 5. A Clean Mystical Path
6 17 32 48 76
PART ART II SHARING THE KRIYA YOGA TECHNIQUES 6. The Basic Techniques echniqu es of Kriya Yoga 7. Further Information about the First Kriya 8. Higher Kriyas
88 104 127
PART ART III GRADUAL LEARNING LEARN ING OF KRIY K RIYA A YOGA 9. Preliminary Remarks on the Potential Dangers of Meditation and Kriya 10. Building the Best Foundation for the Kriya Yoga Path 11. A Turning point: the Breathless State 12. Kriya of Descent Appendix 1 : Remarks upon Kriya Yoga as Taught by the Organizations Appendix 2 : Different Types of Researchers
Glossary Bibliography
153 165 180 188 198 213 219 235
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SYNOPSIS
PART I: HISTORY OF MY PASSION FOR KRIYA YOGA The first part contain containss the story of the differen differentt phases phases of my spirit spiritual ual search: search: self self teaching of Yoga; Kriya Yoga Yoga received from an organization; Kriya Yoga Yoga received from traveling gurus; final decision of putting in a book all what I knew about Kriya Yoga techniques. Chapter 1 Yoga Self-Taught My spiritual search began early in my life, after I bought an introductory book on classical Yoga. Yoga. I considered Yoga Yoga a discipline capable to produce an internal change in my personality. I began with an exercise, to be done in Savasana, where the thinking process was disciplined to create a state of "mental void". I decided also to extend the mechanism of this technique to my student life in order to become acquainted with thinking in a disciplined way, sparing my energies. Stunned about how the habits of our social social life life imply imply a consta constant nt waste waste of psychic psychic energy energy, I began began avoidi avoiding ng any useless useless distraction. distraction. My ego reacted significant significantly ly.. I decided decided to reinforce my discipline through through the art of Pranayama. The first result was the experience of a vast joy springing from the fundamentals of my being, not provoked by any external cause. After a couple of day char charact acteri erize zed d by fear fear and and angu anguis ish, h, I expe experie rienc nced ed what what Yoga oga book bookss call call the the "awakening of Kundalini energy." energy." Chapter 2 I Learn Kriya Yoga Enthusiast of Pranayama, I decided to devote my life to perfect it. I became to know of the existence of Kriya Yoga: Yoga: a four-phas four-phased ed Pranayama path taught in our age by the great Lahiri Lahiri Mahasaya. Mahasaya. I would have have done whatever whatever to learn it immediately immediately but this clashed with the rules of the organizatio organization n spreading it in the West: it was necessary to foll follow ow a corr corres espo pond nden ence ce cour course se.. Meek Meekly ly,, I acce accept pted ed to put put asid asidee my alre alread ady y consolidated practice and abide only by their written teachings. A year and a half later, I received the First Kriya set of techniques. A daily renowned problem was how to conceive a personal Kriya routine and draw the best from it. Chapter 3 The Breathless State The problem with the routine became critic when I learned the so called Higher Kriyas. In my understanding, they were not completely explained. Later, when one of the organization's representatives refused to clarify my doubts, reluctantly, I decided to address my search toward other sources. I had no results in this endeavor but, thanks to some readings, the practice of Japa entered my life and, with it, the experience of the breathless state. Chapter 4 In Search Search of the the Original Kriya In order to learn the so-called "original Kriya", I followed three different traveling teachers. Among many not very important details there was also something valuable: the the impo importa rtanc ncee of list listen enin ing g duri during ng Kriya Kriya Pran Pranay ayam amaa to the the inter interna nall soun sounds ds,, the the frenulu frenulum-s m-stre tretch tching ing techni technique que (Talab (Talabya ya Kriya) Kriya) leadin leading g one to mastery mastery of Kechari Kechari Mudra, the Tribhangamurari movement and the concept of Incremental Routine.
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Chapter 5 A Clean Mystical Path After the break off with my third teacher, I decided to have no more teachers. An uncertain idea came also to put all my discoveries in a book. Before actuating this proje project, ct, I lived lived a tormen tormented ted period period in which which I tackled tackled the deep deep condit condition ioning ing I had received from my first Kriya organization: the necessity of receiving the techniques from an "authorized" Guru and keeping any technical detail of Kriya secret. Years went by with very long session of meditation outdoors, looking for inspiration from the Beauty of Nature. Only the mental clarity and stamina produced by the incremental routines helped me to erase all conditionings. conditionings. I began the work of writing writing the book and posted it on the Web. PART II: SHARING SHAR ING THE KRIYA YOGA TECHNIQUES TECHNIQUE S The second part is devoted to the description of the Kriya techniques. A theoretical vision of Kriya Yoga Yoga is also given. Chapter 6 The Basic Techniques of Kriya Yoga In this chapter I want to recreate the ideal explanation for a beginner. Eight techniques are consid considered ered compon component entss of the First First Kriya Kriya -- Talabya alabya Kriya, Kriya, Om Japa, Japa, Kriya Kriya Pranayama, Navi Kriya, mental Pranayama, Maha Mudra, Pranayama with short breath and Yoni Mudra. Chapter 7 Further Information about the First Kriya Understandi Understanding ng Kriya Yoga Yoga is the theme of this chapter. chapter. After a theoretical theoretical digression digression,, each technique is seen as a tool to consciously cooperate with the work of eliminating the four obstructions: tongue, heart, navel and coccyx. How to build a working routine is the second main theme of this chapter. Some variations of the basic First Kriya techniques are now given. Chapter 8 Higher Kriyas There are different ways of defining the Higher Kriyas. Here the technique of Second Kriya includes: 1. Omkar Kriya; 2. Thokar Kriya (basic form of it) and 3. Thokar Kriya (advanced level of it). The Third Kriya includes: 1. Mental Omkar Kriya and 2.Micro Thokar. Fourth Kriya includes: 1. The procedure to achieve the state of Antar (internal) Kevala Kumbhaka and 2. Omkar Gayatri Kriya. Appendix: the important teaching of Tribhangamurari is here considered among other minor variations varia tions of Thokar.
PART III: GRADUAL GRA DUAL LEARNING OF KRIYA YOGA The third part dwells with the practical aspects of teaching Kriya Yoga. Yoga. The main theme is how to assist students to coordinate and harness their efforts in a meaningful way, making them able to withstand the transformative process that leads to the mastery of the different steps of Kriya Yoga. Yoga. Chapter Chapter 9 Prelimina Preliminary ry Remarks Remarks on on the Potent Potential ial Dangers Dangers of of Meditati Meditation on and Kriya Kriy Kriyab aban anss shou should ld be info inform rmed ed abou aboutt the the alleg alleged ed or real real "dan "dange gers rs of prem prematu ature re Kundalini awakening". Surely there are some norms to follow in order to avoid any problem with the practice of Kriya.
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Chapter 10 Building the Best Foundation for the Kriya Yoga Path After considering how to introduce the First Kriya in a gradual way, some practical examples clarify how to utilize the formidable instrument of the Incremental Routine. Chapter 11 A Turning Point: the Breathless State The breathless state is a decisive result marking a turning point in one's life: it is the true Initiation. It is achieved by adding to a correct routine containing the essence of Kriya (Kriya Pranayama, Thokar and mental Pranayama) the practice of Japa during the day. If this "recipe" does not blossom into the breathless state, one should intensify the first part of the routine asking if it that were the case of changing the Mantra chosen for Japa. Chapter 12 Kriya of Descent The discussion is about what could be considered the final improvement of Kriya Pranayama. A parallel is given with the Macrocosmic orbit of internal taoist Alchemy. The intriguing effects of this practice are here taken into account.
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PART I: HISTORY OF MY PASSION FOR KRIYA YOGA
CHAPTER 1 YOGA SELF-TAUGHT
My spiritual search began at age 15 after I bought an introductory book on classical Yoga. My interest in Yoga had been fueled by a certain expectation of the effectiveness of the oriental forms of meditation, that had slowly consolidated during my childhood and early adolescence. I don't remember the title of the first book. Books of B.K.S. Iyengar followed, and then finally the autobiography of an Indian saint where I found the term Kriya Yoga. But first things first... In primary school, unlike my peers, I borrowed esoteric books from my parents' friends and I loved those books. I remember the first one I read from end to end was on occultism. Knowing the book was considered unsuitable for my age, I was proud to be able to read and understand it. I turned a deaf ear to any persuasive advice to dedicate myself to more formative readings. I continued these readings until I was about 11. I wasted a lot of time on worthless books and stacks of specialized esoteric magazines with tantalizing titles and impossible chimeras designed essentially to impress, and where it was impossible to distinguish in advance between fact and fiction. I came into contact with the main themes of occidental esotericism with short digressions into phenomena like hypnosis and spiritualism... In the end, I felt I had traveled through an indistinct chaos. Perhaps, the most precious secrets were hidden in other books I had not been fortunate enough to find. During this period, when I was perhaps 10 or 11, I saw the word " Yoga" for the first time in a postal catalog of esoteric books among my father's correspondence. I was entranced and inexplicably spellbound by the person pictured on the cover sitting in the "lotus position." However, I couldn't persuade my father to buy the book for me. When I was 15 and in high school, the esoteric flame was rekindled for a while in a particular way: Yoga as a discipline to practice -- not to read or to fantasize about. A friend told me he had a detailed textbook containing different Pranayama techniques, and added: "these exercises can change a person inside...." I was deeply allured by his words: what internal change was he talking about? Surely my friend didn't mean the attainment of a particular state of relaxation or concentration or how to integrate the oriental vision of existence with our lifestyle. He was surely referring to obtaining some intense experiences that left a psychological mark, beyond the point of no return. I had no doubts that Pranayama was something I had to learn as soon as possible. But my friend would not lend me the book. However, a few days later at the train station newsstand, I spotted Yoga in 20 lessons and bought it forthwith and read it in its 6
entirety. My spiritual search had begun but I was not aware of it. For me, it seemed more an exercise of mental control. Unfortunately, the philosophical introduction did not stir up anything spiritual. The introduction to Yoga philosophy was neither impressive or thought provoking (Jiva, Prakriti, Purusha...). It was there just to give the reader the impression of serious authenticity. Even concepts like Reincarnation, Karma , Dharma, and Maya, the understanding of which in the future would become so important in my life, remained unfathomable, hidden in a tangle of Sanskrit terms. Pranayama was only hinted at by explaining how to do a complete breath -- dilating the abdomen, diaphragm, and upper chest during inhalation and contracting the same in reverse order for a calm exhalation. That was clearly just an introduction, nothing else. It was no difficult task to guess that the ancient art of Pranayama was not intended to train the chest muscles, strengthening the diaphragm or creating some peculiar conditions of blood oxygenation, but to act on the energy present in our psychophysical system. It was clear, at least for me, that such energy was related to disharmony and conflicts inside our disposition. I was frustrated about the lack of information about Pranayama -- I knew it could bring about a transformation in my personality. Nevertheless, I began trying out yoga postures ( Asanas ) in a corner of our school gymnasium during physical education classes after the teacher gave me permission to work out on my own after the preliminary group warm-up exercises. I wasn't very good anyway in sports despite being well-conditioned by long walks. Moreover, being able to do something significant without having to move very far and without the inherent risks of school sports attracted me. So, while my schoolmates would amuse themselves with team games, I devoted myself to mastering yoga positions or moving the abdominal muscles with the Nauli technique -- to the amazement of my teacher who inquired about the secret of obtaining such interesting effects. Objectively speaking, that Yoga text was not a mediocre one: it explained the name of each posture ( Asana ), gave a brief note on the best mental attitude for practicing it and how each exercise stimulated certain physiological functions (important endocrine glands, etc.). It was taken for granted that these positions were not to be seen as simple "stretching work-outs"; they were a means of providing a global stimulus to all the physical organs to increase their vitality. The satisfaction I felt at the end of a session spoke for their effectiveness. There was an entire chapter devoted to the "Corpse Pose" ( Savasana), the last one to be practiced in the daily Asana routine. The instructions were structured with great care in typical western style but the author did not lose his focus in useless philosophical embellishments. He explained the purpose of the exercise was to put to rest the mental faculties in order to recharge the whole psychophysical system with fresh energy. I was attracted by the over-exaggerated promise that by stopping all mental functions -- without falling into a state of sleep -- and remaining for some time in a state of pure awareness, one could obtain within an hour, the equivalent of five hours sleep. I regret not having the book anymore, but I will describe the exercise based on what I remember:
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"Lie in the supine position with arms extended alongside the body and with eyes covered to keep the light out. After staying still for two or three minutes, mentally repeat -- I am relaxed, I am calm, I am not thinking of anything. Then, to enter the state of mental void , visualize your thoughts including those with abstract qualities and push them away one by one as if an internal hand were moving them gently from the center of a mental screen toward its outer edge. All thoughts, without exception, must be put aside; even the thought itself of practicing a technique. You should never become annoyed about continuous new thoughts but picture them as objects and shift them aside; in this way, ulterior chains of thought are prevented from coming out. After pushing a thought away, return your awareness to the small spot between the eyebrows ( Kutastha) which resembles a lake of peace, and relax therein. The ability to continuously push away thoughts that knock at the door of your attention will become easier and almost automatic. When, on some occasions -- such as practicing immediately after a strong emotional incident -- the mechanism does not seem to work, convert your concentration into a small needle which constantly touches the area between the eyebrows -- just touching, without worrying about shifting thoughts aside. At a certain point, there is no more effort and any remaining restless emotion subsides. The focus of consciousness is absorbed in Kutastha. The thought seeds manifesting as indefinite images quivering at the edge of awareness cannot disturb your mental rest. Whichever of the two methods you choose, the exercise works perfectly and after 40 minutes you get up well-rested and recharged with new fresh energy." In my experience, in spite of the 40 minutes promised by the book, the final state of relaxation lasted no more than 15 minutes and the exercise itself never more than 25-30 minutes altogether. The technique inevitably ended in a peculiar way; the state of deep calmness was interrupted by the thought that the exercise had not yet begun; my reaction was always a wince and a faster heartbeat. After a few seconds however, the confidence that the exercise had been perfectly executed appeared. Thanks to this technique, which became a daily habit, I realized once and for all the difference between "mind" and "awareness". When the mental process is eased off into perfect silence, pure awareness without content arises. Like a luminous point duplicating itself an unlimited amount of times, it remains unchanged for some minutes. At the end you know that you exist and that your existence is indestructible. Pure logical thinking cannot yield you that certitude; thoughts are in essence ephemeral and instead of revealing the final truth, they cloud it. The Cartesian deduction: "I think, therefore I am" is indefensible. It would be more correct to affirm: "Only in the ability of obtaining the silence of thoughts, lies the proof and the intimate certainty of existing." Besides the dimensions of esoteric, oriental meditative practices, there was also the passion for poetry and literature accompanied by habit of daily seeking the contemplation of Beauty in Nature . 8
My interest in poetry began when I was 9. I took out a book of poetry from the school library and began copying different short poems with naturalistic themes in my notebook. By reading them frequently I soon knew them all by heart. By recalling them, I could intensify the pleasure I felt while contemplating the hilly surroundings beyond the outskirts of our village. I continued this exercise until I was 18. As years in the high school were drawing to a close, I developed a passion for classical music and studying Beethoven. He became my idol. Despite the tragedy of his deafness at his creative peak, he reacted in a most honorable manner and carried on creating works he had already composed in his heart. The Heiligenstadt Testament, where he reveals his critical condition and states his decision with pacific and total resolution made him almost a hero and a saint in my eyes. He wrote to a friend: "God is nearer to me than to others. I approach Him without fear, I have always known him. Neither am I anxious about my music, which no adverse fate can overtake, and which will free him who understands it from the misery which afflicts others." How could I remain indifferent? He was drawing incomparable music out of the depths of his being, and offering it to his brothers and to humanity. The triumph of this frail human creature over a nonsensical fate had a tremendous impact on me. The daily rite of retiring to my room to listen to that music consolidated my consecration to the Ideal -- Self inquiry. Each day for the first 3 months after high school graduation, when I experienced a strong sentimental tie whose fulfillment seemed impossible, I listened to Beethoven's Missa Solemnis. The more my rash emotionalism prompted me to take steps which proved to be destructive to my affective relationships, the more my desperate heart found refuge in its pure beauty. During a walk in the country, sitting on a hill contemplating a far landscape basking in the warmth of the summer evening, that music rang out again in my memory. What my heart craved was before me; perfect and untarnished neither by fears nor a sense of guilt. That was my first religious experience. I majored in Mathematics at university and during the first months, I understood that a happy chapter of my life was concluded and there would be no time for distractions -- like studying humanities. All my attention was focused on reasoning clearly, remaining undisturbed by distractions, and finding an effective method of study. I decided to use the technique of mental void while resting in the afternoon as well as to extend its dynamic to studying. To further save my energy, I planned to think in a disciplined way during my idle moments. One bad habit I had to conquer was the tendency to day-dream and jump from one memory to another to extract moments of pleasure. I had molded the unshakeable conviction that when thought becomes an uncontrollable vice -- for many it is an utter addiction -- it constitutes not only a waste of energy but is the primary cause of misery. The frenzied whirl of the thought process, accompanied by alternating moods and strong emotions, create at times unreasonable fears that hinder the decisive action that life requires. On other occasions, it excessively fosters an optimistic imagination that unfortunately 9
pushes the person toward wretched actions. I was convinced disciplined thought was the most valuable trait I could develop and that it would open the doors to fruitful achievements. My decision filled me with euphoric enthusiasm. But after breathing for some hours the limpid, sparkling, celestial state of thought restraint, I encountered a significant resistance. In the mirror of my introspection, I saw how other habits were wasting my mental energy. One of these, wrapped and unexpectedly dignified by the idea of socialization, was that of daily falling into nerve-wracking discussions with friends. It was time to renounce it. I abruptly avoided their company. Certainly, mine was not an impossible sacrifice: theirs was not my world. One day, during a short afternoon walk, I saw them from afar sitting lazily and chatting in the usual bar. My heart gave a lurch. They were my friends and I loved each one of them, yet seeing them together on that day, they appeared to me like chickens cooped up in a narrow space. Mercilessly, I assumed they were completely governed by their instincts: eating, partying, having sex, and overindulging. Whatever tragedy happened to their mate, it didn't concern them, they would have kept on sipping the daily pleasure of dawdling until misfortune hit them. It was very sad and distressing. The incident put me in a gloomy mood. A sentence from Beethoven's Heiligenstadt testament came spontaneously to mind as an invocation to retrieve the lofty dimension I enjoyed during my high school years: O Providence - grant me at least but one day of pure joy - it has been so long since real joy echoed in my heart - O when - O when, O Divine One - shall I find it again in the temple of nature and of men? - Never? No - O that would be too hard.
At that moment, I resolved to concentrate on my studies and passing my exams became my sole reason for living. I perceived that period of my life as a descent into an unfathomable night but I knew in order to shape my future the way I desired, tough sacrifices were necessary. To see the dawn of a "day of pure joy", I would have to endure momentarily a dark emptiness: I would savor it without a lament and without being tempted to turn on a light for momentary solace.
I Will Die So I Can Live! An event illuminated my life: a friend introduced me to Gustav Mahler's Symphony No.2 " Resurrection " and invited me to a live concert of this work. I read the information leaflet. Each part of the symphony had a precise meaning which Mahler himself had explained in a letter to the conductor, Bruno Walter. It was Mahler's intention to treat death as the inevitable end of all human enterprise. The music conveyed a sense of desolation which was sweet as if death meant drifting off into a pacific sleep. The words of the contralto communicated a childlike innocent vision in a sorrowful voice of endless dignity: 10
O Röschen roth! Der Mensch liegt in größter Noth! Der Mensch liegt in größter Pein! Je lieber möcht ich im Himmel sein.
O red rose! Man lies in direst need! Man lies in deepest pain! Oh how I would rather be in heaven.
It was like being in the countryside during a light rain. But it was spring and a ray of sun pierced the clouds. Amid the vegetation, there was a beautiful red rose that filled my heart with its beauty. The song then dealt with the theme of eternal life. The music conveyed the biblical suggestion of universal judgment. Then the choir sang some verses from Klopstock's hymn:
Rise again, yes, rise again, will you, my dust, after a brief rest! Immortal life! Immortal life will He who called you, give you.
Aufersteh'n, ja aufersteh'n Wirst du, Mein Staub, Nach kurzer Ruh'! Unsterblich Leben! Unsterblich Leben wird der dich rief dir geben!
Then Mahler's own verses were chanted: these ended with: Mit Flügeln, die ich mir errungen, In heißem Liebesstreben, Werd'ich entschweben Zum Licht, zu dem kein Aug'gedrungen! Sterben werd'ich, um zu leben! Aufersteh'n, ja aufersteh'n wirst du, mein Herz, in einem Nu! Was du geschlagen zu Gott wird es dich tragen!
With wings I have gained, in love's fierce striving, I shall soar aloft to the light no eye has pierced! I will die so I can live! Rise again, yes, rise again, Will you, my heart, in an instant! What you have earned yourself, shall lead you to God!
In the following days, I tried to penetrate its meaning by reading everything I could on it and listening to it entranced and in the quietude of my room. After many integral and enthusiastic listening sessions, the words: "Sterben werde ich, um zu leben!" ("I will die so I can live!") resounded all day long in my mind like a thread around which my thought crystallized. Would have I ever be able, before barren old age, to "die in myself"? Was it possible to cross the foggy curtain of thoughts, superficial emotions, sensations and instinct, and emerge in that pure Dimension I had yearned for for many years and what I felt was my sovereign good? There was no doubt I would have perfected my self imposed discipline to extremes, but by no means did I want to spend the rest of my life staring at the wall of my silenced mind and waiting for something to happen. "I will seize Fate by the throat", said Beethoven: so I too was prepared to act in a strong and decisive way. What I missed was the art of Pranayama -- that Pranayama which I had dreamed so much about but had never actually practiced. B.K.S. Iyengar's 11
description in his The Illustrated Light on Yoga, which I had purchased a few weeks before, had awakened in me an unshakeable desire to practice it intensively. In the last part of the book there was a prudent warning: "Pneumatic tools can cut through the hardest rock. In Pranayama, the yogi uses his lungs as pneumatic tools. If they are not used properly, they destroy both the tool and the person using it. Faulty practice puts undue stress on the lungs and diaphragm. The respiratory system suffers and the nervous system is adversely affected. The very foundation of a healthy body and a sound mind is shaken by a faulty practice of Pranayama. " This sentence, particularly the hint at the danger of compromising our mental health, turned on my immoderate will to experience all its power, to the point of "dying" in it, figuratively speaking. What would have frightened others, encouraged me. If it provoked an authentic psychological earthquake, then I was on the right track. Yes, some prudence was necessary: an intensive practice had to be reached gradually and each session had to be carried out with extreme care. The Pranayama referred to was Nadi Sodhana and Ujjayi with Bandha and Kumbhaka -- such a practice would be a whole new experience because these exercises were not described in my first Yoga manual. Day after day, I could verify Pranayama's potentiality acting on my psyche. I was certain my old school friend had told the truth -- "these exercises can change a person inside". It had to be true! Pranayama appeared to me as the most perfect of all arts, with no intrinsic limits. To devote myself to it, I did not have to spend money on a piano or a violin or a canvas and color. The instrument was already with me and within me. I couldn't understand how I had wasted so much time before taking on this commitment seriously. To abide by it was "the decision" of my life. I practiced morning and evening in an "absolute" way, with ferocious concentration, as if there were no tomorrow. I would start with stretching exercises -- and some simple Asanas when I had more time. 1 I practiced in the half-lotus position, sitting on the edge of a pillow with my back straight. I focused with zeal on applying the instructions flawlessly and with a creative spirit. I concentrated keenly on the alternate feelings of coolness and warmth produced by the air on the fingers and on the palm of the right hand used to open and close the nostrils. The pressure, the smooth flowing of the breath... every detail was pleasant. Becoming aware of each peculiarity of the exercise helped me maintain a vigilant attention without becoming stressed. I felt my perception of things had changed. I searched for the most intense colors, fascinated by them as if they were a material substance I could touch and consume. Sometimes, in the first sunny days after winter, when the skies were crystalline and as blue as they had ever been, I would sit in the open air and contemplate the environs. In a bushy ditch covered with ivy, the sun shed its light 1
A detailed description of this routine ( Nadi Sodhana; Ujjayi; Bandha and final concentration in Kutastha) is given in chapter 10. 12
upon flowers that a few weeks before were blooming during the cold and now, heedless of the mildest days, still lingered in their spell-binding glory. I was deeply inspired. I would close my eyes and rely on an inner radiance. Beauty was now vibrating inside me. At that time, my internal life was still split between two interests which stand before my inner judgment like ideal dimensions, radically separated one from another. On one side there was the interest in esoteric matters which had guided my search toward Yoga discipline. Yoga was conceived and proven efficacious in purifying and controlling the mind. On the other side there was the aspiration toward the ideal world of Beauty which I tried to evoke through the study of literary work, listening to classic music... I could never have imagined that the first dimension could possibly lead me toward the second! It was reasonable to hope that Pranayama could give me a permanent base of mental clarity, helping me not to spoil by a mess of thoughts the fragile miracle of a possible encounter with Beauty. But I never could have imagined that Pranayama had the power of multiplying the experience of the Sublime, rousing them almost from nothing. Actually, the Bhagavad Gita says: "(The yogi) knows the joy eternal beyond the pale of the senses which his reason cannot grasp. He abides in this reality and moves not thence. He has found the treasure above all others. There is nothing higher than this. He that has achieved it shall not be moved by the greatest sorrow. This is the real meaning of Yoga - a deliverance from contact with pain and sorrow". I often repeated this sentence to my friends and liked to repeat it inside me because at that very instant I was holding onto that joy. On a quiet afternoon walk among trees just before sunset, I quickly glanced, now and then, at a comment from one of the Upanishads [ancient Sanskrit sacred texts] that I had with me. One particular sentence awakened an instantaneous realization: "Thou art that"! I closed the book and repeated the words as if in a trance. Was my rational mind able to grasp the incommensurable implication of the statement? Yes, it was: I was that unbelievably delicate green light filtering through the leaves which was bearing witness to the spring that brought new life. Back home, I did not even try to put down on paper the numerous "moments of grace" I experienced, nor could I have. My only wish was to go further and further into this new inner source of understanding and enlightenment.
Kundalini Experience After having bought the works of Ramakrishna, Vivekananda, Gopi Krishna and Patanjali's Yoga Sutras (a big volume with comments by I.K. Taimni), I finally decided to buy also the autobiography of an Indian saint, whom I will indicate by P.Y. 2. It was a book I had already seen some years before without buying it 2
The reader will understand why I am not mentioning the full name of P.Y. - it is not difficult, however, to figure out his identity. There are many schools of Yoga spreading his teachings according to a ‘specific legitimacy'. One of these, through its 13
since, skimming through its pages, I had observed that it didn't contain practical instructions. My hope now was that I would be able to find useful information such as the addresses of some good schools of Yoga. Reading this autobiography enthralled me and originated a strong aspiration toward the mystical path: in certain moments, I found myself almost burning from an internal fever. This situation provided a fertile ground for the coming of an event which was radically different than what I had experienced before. It was a kind of "intimate" and spiritual experience. Nonetheless, since I have listened to the description of similar events from the lips of many researchers I have decided to share it. The premises happened when one night, immersed in the reading of P.Y.'s autobiography, I had a shiver similar to an electric current that spread itself throughout my whole body. The experience was insignificant in itself, but the point is that it frightened me a lot. Knowing my own temperament, my reaction was rather strange. The thought had flashed upon my mind that a deeper event was going to happen soon; that it was going to be strong, very strong and I would not be able to stop it in any way. It was as if my memory had an inexplicable familiarity with it and my instinct knew its inescapable power. I made up my mind to let things happen unimpeded and go ahead with the reading. Minutes passed by and I was not able to continue reading; my restlessness turned into anxiety. Then it became fear, an intense fear of something unknown to me which was threatening my existence. I had certainly never experienced such a terror. Normally, in moments of danger I would remain paralyzed, unable to think. Now the anxiety was of a different quality: I perceived something was approaching which was alien to the common experience. I felt the urgency of doing something - even though I did not know what. I set myself in the position of meditation and waited. The anguish increased. I was sure I was close to madness – or death. A part of me, maybe the totality of that entity I call "myself", seemed at the point of melting away. The worst thoughts hung over me without a clear reason. 3 The spiritual world appeared to me as a representatives, made me realize that not only won't they tolerate the smallest of the Copyright violations, but they won't even appreciate their beloved Teacher's name to be mixed into discussions about Kriya on the Internet. The reason is that, in the past, some people used His name to mislead the search of a high number of practitioners who were trying to receive His original teachings. Moreover, my desire is to inform the reader that in the following pages I will only summarily linger upon my understanding of His legacy, without any pretension to give an objective account of it. An interested reader should not renounce the privilege of turning to the original texts! 3
In those days I had finished reading Gopi Krishna's Kundalini: Path to Higher Consciousness. Here the author described the splendid awakening experience he had following an intense practice of concentration on the seventh Chakra, whereas – because his body was probably unprepared – he later met serious physical and, as a reflex, psychic problems as well. According to his description, inside of his body energy was put in constant motion from the base of the backbone toward the brain. So strong was that energy to force him in bed and to prevent the accomplishment of the normal 14
sorrowful and horrible nightmare, able to annihilate and destroy whoever would imprudently approach it. Ordinary life, on the contrary, seemed the dearest and healthiest reality. I was afraid I might not be able to get back to that condition anymore. I was absolutely convinced that a mental illness was tearing my inner self to pieces. The reason was that I had opened a door looking out on a reality far more immense than I had ever foreseen. I decided to take a break and put off the fatal moment as long as possible. I stood up and left the room, out to the open air. It was night and there was nobody to whom I could communicate my panic! At the center of the yard I was burdened, choked, almost crushed by a feeling of desperation, envying all those people who had never practiced Yoga. I felt guilty and ashamed for hurting through harsh words a friend who had been involved in a part of my search. Like so many others, he had shunned any practice, forgot lofty readings and engaged in working and enjoying life. Equipped with a juvenile boldness, I had addressed him with a tone far from being affectionate, which then started to thunder inside of my head. I felt sorry that I had thrown unjustified cruelty at him without really knowing what was in his mind and soul. I would have done anything to tell him how sorry I was to have brutally violated his right to live the way that was best to him. I thought he preferred to protect his mental health rather than become unstable or insane through practices he was not sure about. Because of my great passion for classical music, I hoped that listening to it might yield the positive effect of protecting me from the anguish and help me to get back to my usual mood. Why not try, then? It was Beethoven's Concert for Violin and Orchestra I listened to with a pair of headphones in my room that soothed my soul and, after half an hour, eased my sleep. The following morning I woke up with the same fear in my mind. Strange as it may seem, the two pivotal facts that today stir the most intense emotions of my life - that there is a Divine Intelligence at the very basis of everything existing and that man can practice a definite discipline in order to attune to it - conveyed to me a feeling of horror! The sunlight poured into the room through the chinks in the shutters. I had a whole day before me. I went out to try and amuse myself joining other people. I met some friends but did not talk about what I was experiencing. The afternoon was spent cracking all sorts of jokes and behaving like the people I had always considered lazy and dull. In this way, I succeeded in hiding my anguish. The first day went by; my mind was totally worn out. After two days, the fear diminished and I finally felt safe. Something had changed anyway, since I actually did not succeed in thinking about Yoga: I went around that idea! One week later I began, calmly and detachedly, to ponder on the meaning bodily functions. He literally felt as if he was burned by an inner fire, which he could not put out. Weeks later, he intuitively discovered the way to check out the phenomenon, which became a stout experience of internal realization. As far as I am concerned, I was afraid to have come to the threshold of the same experience but, since I did not live in India, I was scared the people around me might not understand. The experience would have been terrible! Nobody could make sure that, like for Gopi Krishna, my experience would be channeled toward a positive conclusion. 15
of what had happened. I understood the nature of my reaction to that episode: I had cowardly run away from the experience I had pursued for such a long time! In the depth of my soul my dignity led me to continue with my search exactly from the point where I had quit. I was ready to accept all that was to happen and let things follow their course, even if this process implied the loss of my wholesomeness. I began the practice of Pranayama again, as intensely as before. A few days went by without detecting any form of fear. Then, I experienced something awfully beautiful. (Many readers will recognize, in the following description, their similar experience.) It was night. I was relaxed in Savasana when I had a pleasant sensation. It was as if an electric wind was blowing in the external part of my body, propagating itself quickly and with a wavy motion from my feet up to my head. My body was so tired that I could not move, even if my mind imparted the order to move. I had no fear. My composure was serene. The electric wind was replaced by another feeling, comparable to an enormous strength filling into the backbone and quickly climbing up to the brain. That experience was characterized by an indescribable, and so far unknown, sense of bliss. The perception of an intense brightness accompanied everything. My memory of that moment was condensed into one expression, "a clear and euphoric certainty of existing, like an unlimited ocean of awareness and bliss". In his God Exists: I Have Met Him , A. Frossard tries to give an idea of his spiritual experience. For that purpose he creates the concept of the "inverse avalanche". An avalanche collapses, runs downhill, first slowly, then faster and violently at the same time. Frossard suggests that we should imagine an "upsidedown avalanche" which begins strengthening at the foot of the mountain and climbs up pushed by an increasing power; then, suddenly, it leaps up toward the sky. I do not know how long this experience lasted. Its peak definitely held out only a few seconds. The strangest thing is that in the very instant I had it, I found it familiar. When it ended, I turned on my side and fell into a calm, uninterrupted sleep. The following day, when I woke up, I did not think of it. It only came up some hours later, during a walk. Leaning against the trunk of a tree, for many minutes I was literally enthralled by the reverberation of this memory upon my soul. My rational mind tried to grasp and gain confidence over an experience which was beyond it – an impossible task. All the things I had thought about Yoga until then did not have any importance at all. To me, the experience was like being struck by a bolt. I did not even have the chance to find out which parts of me were still there and which ones had disappeared. I was not able to really understand what had happened to me; rather, I was not sure that "something" had really happened.
16
CHAPTER 2 I LEARN K RIYA YOGA
The simple exercise of enjoying the controlled flow of my breath changed the course of my life. Undertaking the practice of Pranayama was like planting a seed in the desolation of my soul: it grew into a limitless joy and matchless internal freedom. This discipline implied much more than easing disharmonies and conflicts inside my disposition or refining the capacity for aesthetic enjoyment. It took care of my hopes and brought them forward. As for the Kundalini experience, it appeared again during the following months. When I devoted myself to study late, granting myself short resting breaks (without falling asleep), a couple of minutes after I laid down exhausted on my bed, it would invariably take place. A certainty of eternity, an elated condition stretching out way over the limits of my awareness - a sort of memory hiding in the recesses of my awareness - began to be revealed, as if a new area of my brain had been stirred to a full awakening. My expectations of professional opportunity changed forever. Whatever profession I was looking at, it had to leave me all the time necessary for my meditative practices. The prospect of a life devoted primarily to work, longing for more freedom in old age, was faced with radical refusal. As I became familiar with Jung, reading enthusiastically Jolande Jacobi's The Psychology of C.G. Jung, and Memories, Dreams, Reflections by Jung, Jaffé, et al, I believed the pure awareness I had learned to experience from my daily exercise and from my Kundalini experience was the Self hypothesized by Jung. I felt compelled to live without ever betraying it and to choose a profession that would give me the opportunity of deepening this realization each day. Since I had read that Pranayama would initiate a cleansing process of the subconscious, I assumed it could potentially guide me along the " Individuation Process" as described by Jung. In my dreamer heart, I fancied I would face the archetypes of the Collective Unconscious.... One who knows Jungian thought and has a minimum experience with depth psychology, would find the idea insane. How could a young man undertake such a perilous venture without the guide of a trained psychologist? Anyway, the idea infused me with a further injection of enthusiasm, vigilance, and indomitable will to perfect my performance of Pranayama. As regards social behavior, I met with some difficulties. In my youthful boldness, I believed that Pranayama was precious to anyone and could help my friends to live in a better way. Actually, their way of behaving appeared to me imbued with the constant obsessive effort of appearing always cheerful and optimistic. The great amount of energy they squandered in this debilitating hysteria, was counterbalanced by periods in which they gave the impression of "imploding". They disappeared for some time and, strange indeed, they could no longer put up with anyone. I tried to analyze and unmask what I considered a 17
farce. This generated a violent reaction. They replied that I was unable to respect and show human sympathy toward others. The essence of Yoga meditation which I went on extolling unflinchingly, appeared to them as the pinnacle of egoism. Only one friend, a "Hippie", showed me some empathy; the only inappropriate thing to him was my excessive enthusiasm. All the other people kept revolting against me rather bitterly. Sometimes I felt so disoriented. I had to admit that I didn't succeed in talking with a genuine sense of respect and love. Guilt-ridden, I convinced myself that I was actually taking advantage of my friend's admissions and stories to just find confirmation of my theories. However, I kept following my way, determined to improve the art of breathing. P.Y. in his autobiography hints at Kriya Yoga, a kind of Pranayama, which was first taught by Lahiri Mahasaya. He wrote that this technique had to be mastered through four levels. This sparked my curiosity. Lahiri Mahasaya was depicted as the incarnation of Yoga: surely there must have been something unique in his "way"! I loved Pranayama , and the idea of improving it through different steps sounded amazingly wondrous: if the breathing exercises I had already practiced had given me such incomparable results, it was obvious that the Kriya four-stage system would make them greater and greater! I went on reading the books by P.Y.. I was amazed by his personality, with unequaled will and an unexpected practical spirit. He would not excite me when he spoke on a purely devotional tone, but it did whenever he assumed a more technical one, making it possible for me to get at some aspects of the subtle art of Kriya -- I considered it an art in continuous refinement, not a religious engagement. What I could guess was that the Pranayama taught in Kriya Yoga consisted in a way of slow and deep breathing, while the awareness was focused on the spine. Somehow the inner energy was made to rotate around the Chakras. The author highlighted the evolutionary value of such an exercise, not just including a man's spiritual side but his physical and mental sides too. He explained that if we compare the human spinal column to a ferromagnetic substance constituted, as taught by physics, of elementary magnets that turn toward the same direction when they are overlapped by a magnetic field, then, the action of Pranayama is akin to this process of magnetization. By uniformly redirecting all the "subtle" parts of our spinal cord's physical and astral essence, the Kriya Pranayama burns the so-called "bad seeds" of Karma. We allude to Karma whenever we stick to the common belief that a person inherits a baggage of latent tendencies from his previous lives and that, sooner or later, these tendencies are to come out in actual life. Of course Kriya is a practice with which one can experiment, without necessarily having to accept any creeds. However, since the concept of Karma lies at the basis of Indian thought, it is worthwhile to understand and speak freely of it. According to this belief, Pranayama burns out the effects of the "bad seeds" just before they manifest in our lives. It is further explained that those people who are instinctively attracted by methods of spiritual development such as Kriya, have already practiced something similar in a "precedent incarnation". This is because such an action is never in vain and in actual life they get back to 18
it exactly where, in a remote past, they quit it. I wondered if the four levels of Kriya consisted of developing a deeper and deeper process of concentration on the spinal cord, including particular areas in the brain. My imagination played freely and my fervor grew. My compelling problem was whether I had to leave or not for India to look for a teacher who would give me all the clarifications about the Kriya practice. At that time, planning to get through my university studies quickly, I excluded a journey to India for the near future. One day, while again reading a text of P.Y., I came to know, with my great amazement, that he had written a whole set of lessons on Kriya, and that these could be received by correspondence. This would have saved me, at least for some years, a trip to India. I quickly applied for this course. The written material traveled by ship and the delay times were enormous. When, after four months, I received the first lesson, I came to know that the correspondence course had to be continued for at least one year before applying for the Kriya lessons. 4 Meanwhile, I decided to improve the exercises I had already practiced, using all the books I could find about Yoga, regardless of what language in which they were written. At least, now I knew what to search for: a type of Pranayama in which the energy had to be visualized rotating, in some way, around the Chakras. If this had to be - as stated by P.Y. - a universal process, I had good chances of tracing it through other sources. There laid something dormant in the corner of my memory which became alive again. I vaguely remembered having seen, in a book about occultism, some drawings sketching out the profile of a person and different circuits of energy all the way throughout the body. The idea came to seek only the essential information in the esoteric books rather than in the classic books on Yoga – like Patanjali's Yoga Sutra, the Hatha Yoga Pradipika and similar books. I started going to a used books store; it was very well furnished, probably because it had once been the Theosophical Society's reference bookstore. I turned down those texts which dealt only with philosophical topics, while, in ecstasy and not concerned by time, I kept on skimming through those which illustrated practical exercises with clarity. Before purchasing a book I made sure it hinted at the possibility of channeling the energy along certain internal passages, creating thus the prerequisite for awakening the Kundalini . Since my first visit, I had been very lucky; while reading the index of a text which was in three volumes, introducing the esoteric thought of the Rosicrucian Brotherhood, I was attracted by the entry: Breathing exercise for the awakening of Kundalini . It was a variation of Nadi Sodhana ; this was, according to the authors, the secret to wake the mysterious energy! Some notes warned not to exaggerate with the exercise, because of the risk of a premature Kundalini awakening. This was to be avoided by all means. This was definitely not P.Y.'s Kriya because, according to several clues, Kriya was not to be done through the alternate-nostril breathing. 4
I can still consider myself as fortunate. Those people who lived beyond the Iron Curtain (the nearby Yugoslavia for example) could not receive such material. 19
So, I went on haunting the bookstore; the owner was very nice to me and I almost felt obliged (considering the cheap price and the perfect conditions of those second-hand books) to buy at least a book per each visit. But sometimes I was very disappointed; a lot of space was usually reserved to theories alien from concrete life, which tried to describe what cannot be seen and what cannot be experienced – such as the astral worlds, the subtle coverings of energy wrapping our body. One day, after browsing a tiresome selection of books, I went to the storekeeper holding a book in my hand; he must have realized that I was not convinced about buying it; so, while deciding the price, he remembered something that might interest me. He led me to the rear, inviting me to rummage in a messy heap of papers within a carton box. Among a consistent quantity of miscellaneous material (complete series of the theosophical magazine issues, scattered notes from old course on hypnosis etc.), I came upon a booklet, written in German by a certain K. Spiesberger, which contained various esoteric techniques, among which included the Kundalini-breathing . I did not have much familiarity with the German language, but I immediately realized the extraordinary importance of that technique; I would undoubtedly decipher all of it at home, with the help of a good dictionary. 5 The description of this technique still amazes me; the author, in fact, was not as close to Lahiri Mahasaya's Kriya as to the version of Kriya Pranayama that P.Y. brought to the west. During a deep inhalation, the air was to be imagined flowing up the spinal column, abandoning its habitual course; the visualization of this as an empty tube was therefore prescribed and, while inhaling, the air was to be imagined streaming along it from its base all the way up to the area between the eyebrows; then, exhaling, the air had to go down back to the base, along the same route. There was also the description of two particular sounds that the air originated in the throat. In another book, written in English, there was an exhaustive description of the Magic breath - more or less the same exercise, but the difference was in visualizing/feeling the energy around the backbone, not inside it. Through the inhalation, the energy had to go up behind the spinal column, to the center of the head; exhaling, it had to go down along the front part of the body, just as in the "Microcosmic Orbit" technique which is described in the Taoist Internal Alchemy texts - the mystic tradition of ancient China. I completely forgot about the other material. The smirk of satisfaction I wore before the storekeeper, as if I had found a treasure of unfathomable value, definitely caused an increase in their price. Walking home, I could not help skimming through the pages; I was curious about some rough drawings 5
I cannot help smiling when some half-hearted people insist that they are fond of Kriya, yet they will not study some crucial texts in English because they are afraid to misinterpret them. I am convinced that their interests are superficial and rather emotive. Such was my enthusiasm, that I would have studied Sanskrit or Chinese or any other language, if that had given me the chance to understand an essential text on Pranayama!
20
illustrating techniques which were based on the movement of energy. I read that the Magic breath was one of the most hidden secrets of all times: this filled me with higher enthusiasm; if practiced constantly, accompanied by the strength of visualization, it would produce a sort of internal substance allowing for the spiritual eye's vision. I convinced myself that the Magic breath technique was Lahiri Mahasaya's Kriya. I incorporated it in my daily routine: it replaced the practice of Ujjayi Pranayama. I was very satisfied although in the next few weeks I did not perceive any substantial changes in my mood and perceptions.
I Meet Other Kriyabans A letter from the organization informed me about the existence of other people, living not far from my place, who were practicing Kriya and had formed a meditation group. I was enthusiastic about this and quivered with cheerful anticipation to meet them. That night I hardly succeeded in falling asleep. I had the first contact with them through the kriyaban (one who practices Kriya) who organized their meetings. With great enthusiasm and a sort of euphoria, I approached him, hoping, among other things, to receive more details about the Kriya technique. "Too bright were our heavens, too far away, too frail their ethereal stuff", wrote Sri Aurobindo : I would never have thought that those words could be applied to the consequences of that meeting of mine! With a sort of sour irony, I would dare say that up to that moment, my existence had been too happy for it to last that long. Life is made of short moments of calm and balance, in an alternation of vicissitudes; during them, people experience problems, limitations and deformations caused by the human mind. Approaching this guy with a total sincerity, I could not have imagined what kind of a hard shock I was about to receive. He welcomed me with visible enthusiasm, sincerely eager to meet a person with whom he could share the fire of his passion. Since the very first moment of our meeting, standing on his house's doorstep, I told him how fascinated I was by the practice of Kriya! He asked me right away when I had been initiated in this practice, taking for granted that I had received the teaching from the same organization he was a member of. When he figured out the way how I had learned the technique, he was petrified, showing a bitter smile of disappointment. It was as if I had declared that I was the criminal mastermind behind one of the greatest crimes of all time. He emphasized that Kriya cannot be learned through books. He began the tale - which, later on, I had the opportunity to hear plenty of times - of the Tibetan yogi Milarepa who, getting no positive results from the painstaking practice of his fraudulently-learned techniques, received the very same instructions kneeling at the feet of and with the benediction of his Guru - so that this time the results came out easily. We all know how the human mind is more conditioned by an anecdote than by a logical inference! An anecdote - even if it is totally fanciful with 21
fictional purpose - is endowed with a sort of internal "brightness" that conditions a person's common sense; stimulating emotions and feelings, it is able to cloud people's judgment in order for them to easily accept conclusions that are absurd. This story made me speechless; I just did not know what to reply. There was only one way of learning Kriya: being initiated by a "Minister" authorized by the direction of his own organization! According to his words, no other person was allowed to teach that technique. He, and all the other devotees of his group, had received the technique, submitting a precise and solemn promise of "secrecy". Secrecy! How odd this word sounded to me, what a strange appeal, what a mysterious fascination it exerted upon my being! Until then, I had always believed that it did not matter at all how a certain teaching was received, or what book had been read or studied in order to learn it; I thought that the only important thing was to practice it correctly, accompanied by the desire to go deeper and deeper into it. The idea began to enter my mind that it was fine to protect a precious lore from indiscreet eyes. (Later, during an arc of many years, I changed my opinion because I witnessed an innumerable series of absurdities originating from this behest; dramatically, I had the evidence that it brought miserable repercussions into the lives of thousands of people.) Staring right into my eyes, with an enormous emotive impact, he went on saying that a practice learned from any other source was "worth nothing, it will not be effective in matters of spiritual purpose", and a possible effect might be "a dangerous illusion in which the ego remains trapped for a long time". Inflamed by an absolute faith, he launched himself into a wide digression upon the value of the " Guru" - spiritual Teacher - a puzzling concept to me because it was attributed to a person that he had not known directly. In his opinion, having been initiated to Kriya through the legitimated channels, P.Y. was real and present in his life: was his Guru. The same thing was true for the people who belonged to that group. Their Guru was a special aid sent by God Himself, therefore such an event was "the greatest luck a human being can ever have". The logical consequence - underlined with overflowing emphasis - was that, abandoning such form of aid or looking for a different spiritual path amounted to "a hateful rejection of the Divine hand, stretched out in benediction". He smiled, led me into his room and asked me to demonstrate for him my book-learned Kriya technique. He was naturally intrigued by curiosity and, I suppose, by the expectation to verify a well-rooted prejudice that the technique, received through illegitimate channels, could not - because of a particular spiritual law - be anything but corrupted. He felt relieved, intimately "reassured" when he saw me breathing through the nose instead of through the mouth (as he was told to) that therefore my practice was evidently wrong to him. He asked me to explain more deeply what I was visualizing during my breathing and, while I was telling him, I saw an inner satisfaction spreading all over his face. The reader might remember that, according to the books I had read, the way of transporting the energy while breathing could be done through a route around the Chakras or inside of the backbone. I tried both ways but, since P.Y. 22
wrote that it was correct to move the energy "around" the Chakras, I mainly settled on the first one; therefore, this was the version I explained. Besides, having read in another book that during Kriya Pranayama the practitioner was supposed to sing Om mentally in the Chakras, I added this detail as well. I could not imagine that P.Y. had decided to simplify the instructions and taught in the west the other variation with no mental singing of Om. While I was talking, my friend did not recognized his Kriya. The "secret" he was apparently bound to had not been broken by any of the authors of my esoteric books! Thus, a bizarre situation was taking place: I was describing for him what by all accounts was indeed the original Pranayama taught by Lahiri Mahasaya while he was sarcastically simpering, one hundred per cent sure that I was talking nonsense! Pretending to feel sorry for my consequent disappointment, he informed me in an official tone that my technique had "nothing to do with Kriya Pranayama "! Since my position was totally incompatible with his basic tenets, he recommended for me to send a written account to the direction of the organization, describing the details of my vicissitudes, hoping that they would accept me as a disciple. Only then could I legitimately be one of the great Kriya family and practice safely under their surveillance. I was somewhat stunned by the tones to which our dialog was progressing. In order to re-establish the initial agreeability of our meeting, I tried to reassure him about the positive effects that I had gained from my practice. My statement actually had the effect of worsening the whole matter, giving him the chance of a second scolding, which was not totally unfair but, undoubtedly, out of place. He made clear that I should never look for any tangible effects in the practice of Kriya; much less should I display them, because in this way I would "lose them". That clever guy had gotten straight into an obvious contradiction without even realizing it; he was saying that the results were too important to risk losing them by telling others, and a few seconds before he had underlined that they were of no value whatsoever. Realizing he had given too much of his time to me, a strange metamorphosis took place in his demeanor. It was as if all of a sudden he had been invested with a sacred role: he promised that he would pray for me! For that day, at least, I had lost the "fight". I told my friend that I would follow his advice. In effects, from that moment I abandoned Pranayama entirely. My practice was restricted to simply centering my attention between the eyebrows ( Kutastha ) -- just as he suggested to me.
Acting the Part of a Devotee As a habit, the group practicing Kriya would meet twice a week to practice the techniques together. The room devoted to meditation was bare but pleasant. Each member paid part of the rental, so that its fruition would not depend on the owner's whims and it was consecrated to an exclusively spiritual use. My attendance began in a period that I remember nostalgically; listening to 23
Indian songs translated and harmonized for westerners and, above all, meditating together was a true joy! Everything seemed paradisiac to me, even though little time was given to the practice - no more than 20 minutes - often, scantly 15 minutes. A particularly inspiring session of collective practice took place on Christmas Eve; it was enriched by devotional songs and it lasted many hours. At the end of each meditation we were required to depart in silence, thus I began to know my new kriyaban friends more closely only during the monthly meetings. Actually, once a month we had a "social" lunch. It was a beautiful chance to spend some time talking together and enjoying each other's company. Since many of us did not have their family approval and - much less - support to the practice of Yoga, the only occasion we had to spend time among people with the same ideas and interests had to be an experience of great serenity and relaxation. Unfortunately, a distinct embarrassment in our behavior spoiled the pleasantry of our meetings. The reason was that those who directed the school from a distance, had requested us not to talk about other spiritual paths or deal with specific details about Kriya. Authorized people only, could cover such a role; no one in our group could. During our gatherings, since our conversations were strictly kept on well-defined tracks, we were not able to find a topic for our conversations which would be interesting and, at the same time, respected the given rules. It was not the right place for worldly gossips, unsuitable for a spiritual group discussion. So one single topic was left: the beauty of our spiritual path and our great fortune in having discovered it! No wonder that, after some meetings of mutual "exaltation", an almost frightening boredom started to reign in the group. As a last resort, some risked entering the realm of jokes; they were not mean or insulting jokes, but a light and innocent use of some sense of humor. Unfortunately, this also had to live up to the devotional attitude kept by many of the members and eventually succumbed to their cold attitude, unable to show a single inch of true joviality. I cannot say that people were depressed, rather they seemed divinely happy, but when you tried to be agreeable you got a look and a hint of a smile that left you frozen for the rest of the day. As a matter of course, the group underwent a great recycling process; many members who had joined in with enthusiasm decided to quit after a few months and then, oddly and without deep reasons, scraped the whole experience off their consciousness. My open temperament allowed me to become close to one person and establish a bond which later became true friendship. However, it was not so easy to find what could be called a free spiritual seeker: many were emotionally charged "devotees" wearing blinders. Even trying to do my best in order to convince myself that I was among individuals akin to me – in other words enthusiastic about Kriya - I had to admit that the reality was different! Some of them reacted to my enthusiasm with annoyance: they could not believe that I had no doubts or uncertainties with respect to the Kriya path. They considered my euphoria being typical of an immature beginner. With a barely concealed impatience of receiving some elucidation about the technique of Kriya, I tried on different occasions to discuss what had been 24
my book-learned practice of it. I hoped that someone, making some remark about it, would ... let the cat out of the bag. No "courting" could extract from them even a crumb of information. Each one repeated that he was "not authorized to give out any explanations": this rule was strictly respected. An old kriyaban told me: "When you receive Kriya, you will be disappointed". Still today I don't know what he meant. While I was continuously receiving unasked lessons of devotion, humility and loyalty, my interest for Kriya became a real craving, a burning fever. I could not understand the reason for which I had to wait for it for such a long time: my great anticipation turned, sometimes, into a fruitless anguish. A kriyaban making fun of me with an unconcealed cruelty, told me: "They won't give you the Kriya at all; a devotee should not desire a technique with such intensity: that's neither good nor wise. God is to be mostly found through devotion and surrender". I tried to be good; I waited and dreamed. By studying the correspondence course, I learned different ways of creating healthy habits and how to behave in order not to disturb, rather to foster the blossoming of my spiritual experiences. I tried my utmost to embrace the school's peculiar Hindu-Christian religious vision. It was easy for me to admire and cherish the figure of Krishna, imagining Him as the quintessence of every beauty; more difficult to become acquainted with that of the Divine Mother also, who was not the Madonna, but a sweetening of the idea of the goddess Kali. So much I did that I estranged me from myself. What I was doing was to act a really pathetic part: that of the humble devotee. I don't know how I didn't cry with desperation. Yet I liked P.Y.'s writings. Sometimes I considered a particular thought of P.Y. so appealing and stunning that I would write it down on a sheet of paper and hold it on my desk.
Preliminary Techniques to Kriya I received also the two techniques Hong so and Om. The first one (called HongSo because of the employed Mantra ) eases off the breath and the whole psychophysical system; the second one concerns itself with the listening to internal (astral) sounds melting into the Om sound. I didn't receive these instructions at one time, but after an interval -- the latter two months after the first one. In this way I had the unique and splendid opportunity to concentrate on the first technique for many weeks; only then would the combination of the two techniques come, the first in the morning and a total immersion in the second at night. Thus, I could experiment with the meaning and beauty of each one. (I will further comment on these techniques in the third part of the book.) I went to an elderly lady who had corresponded with P.Y. himself. Thanks to her earnestness, sincerity and long-time loyal discipleship, she had been authorized to check or to explain these techniques. Her temperament was very sweet and more inclined to understanding rather than to censorship. She helped me and a small group of persons to practice correctly these techniques and checked my performance of the so-called "Recharging Exercises" which I had 25
already learned from the written lessons. These were physical exercises similar to isometric stretches and were practiced standing. The strength of the concentration directed the Prana in all the parts of the body. Then she reviewed the Hong So technique which all of us had already learned and practiced. Foreseeing the thought rising in someone's mind, that lady went on clarifying that the Hong So technique was not easy at all, in spite of its apparent simplicity! She said that if the results had been disappointing, the cause would be some subtle mistakes in the practice. She remained rather vague but, encouraging us with a smile, she concluded: "The technique contains all you need to come into contact with the Divine Essence". Mostly, she dwelled on the Om technique. She explained that P.Y. had tried to explain the teaching of the Trinity in a new way. Om is the " Amen" of the Bible - the " Holy Ghost", the "witness", a sound; a proof of the vibration of energy sustaining the universe. This Om technique I was going to learn, discovered by the mystics long ago, makes it possible to detect this vibration. Thanks to it, it is also possible to be guided toward the experience of the " Son" the Divine awareness that is present inside the above-mentioned energetic vibration. At the end of one's spiritual journey, one can reach the highest reality, the "Father" -- the Divine awareness beyond every existing thing in the universe. 6 The lady's explanation was characterized by such a sacred flavor that it accompanied me for the following weeks, helping me overcome the beginning of the practice, where it seems impossible that the sounds will manifest. I remember nostalgically my time in that slightly illuminated room, where I confined myself like a hermit. After three weeks of zealous practice, one day, having just begun the exercises for ten minutes, I realized I could hear an inner sound. It did not happen abruptly, but I felt as if I had been hearing it for some minutes. I was in a state of deep relaxation, that sound reminded me of the humming of a mosquito, then it became a bell, heard from a distance, which was like an embrace of sweetness. It was a really ecstatic experience and it occurred so strangely that it enchanted me. Listening to the Om internal sound meant touching Beauty itself. I cannot imagine something similar making a person feel so fine. For the first time in my life I found that the concept of "devotion" had a meaning. I learned the hard way that you should never detach yourself voluntarily from that contact. One day, while I was relaxing and enjoying life, I decided to interrupt this state of grace, as if it were a drawback to being fully sociable. I didn't realize that this seemingly innocuous and instinctive "betrayal" would make me unable to tune with the Omkar reality for a very long time. I felt hopelessly extraneous to that reality: I had to recreate a giant piece of my entire 6
This technique does not belong to those included in the original Kriya Yoga, where the internal sounds perception happens without closing the ears. It is not an invention by P.Y.. It had been plainly described in the books of classical Yoga, called Nada Yoga "the Yoga of the sound." It is a good preparation for Kriya since instead of putting the accent on "to do", it teaches the attitude of "perceiving."
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life. Incredulous, I had to work to rediscover the motivations that lead me to the spiritual path. Like one who has landed in another continent, I had to find again my living spring of enthusiasm.
Recollections of the Kriya Initiation Ceremony Eventually, the moment came to file the application form to receive the Kriya instructions by mail. About four months passed by, every day I hoped to receive the coveted material, finally, an envelope arrived. I opened it with an expectation that I would not be able to describe: I remained deeply disappointed because it contained ulterior introduction material. From the first index page of the material, I understood it was the first of a weekly series, whereas the proper complete technique would be sent within five weeks. So, for another month, I would have to study just the usual nursery rhymes I already knew by heart. It happened that in the meantime a Minister of that organization visited our country and I could take part in the ceremony of initiation. After waiting for months, it was high time that I came "to make an eternal pact with the Guru, to be taught the Kriya techniques in the only legitimate way, together with his benediction". Those who, like me, were ready to be initiated were about one hundred in number. A beautiful room had been rented for the ceremony at a very high price and embellished for the occasion with lots of flowers, such as I have never seen in my life, even at the most extravagant weddings. The introduction to the ceremony happened in a magnificent way: about thirty people wearing a sober uniform entered the room, lining up with a solemn attitude and their hands joined in prayer. It was explained to me that those people belonged to the local group whose leader was a stylist who had prepared the choreography of that triumphant entrance. The two teachers, who had just arrived from abroad, walked meekly and bewildered behind them. Then the ceremony began. I accepted without objections their demand of swearing everlasting devotion not only to the Guru P.Y. but also to a six-master chain; of this chain Lahiri Mahasaya was an intermediary link while P.Y. was the so-called Guru preceptor , namely the one who would partially bear the burden of our Karma. It would have been really strange if no one had doubts about this; I remember a lady wondering if P.Y. - definitely unable to give any confirmation, now being a long-time resident in the astral world - had really accepted her as a "disciple" and, consequently, to be laden with her Karma . We had been assured that Christ was part of this chain because He had once appeared to Babaji (Lahiri Mahasaya's Guru) asking Him to send some emissaries to the West to spread the Kriya lore. This story caused me no perplexity at all: perhaps I had no time to think about it. I was anxious to listen to the explanation of the technique that would have happened in a short time. On the other end, to consider the whole mission of Kriya diffusion as originated from Christ himself was a pleasant idea. The Kriya technique embodied God's most effective blessing toward His 27
privileged creature, the humans, which exclusively possessed an inner body with seven Chakras . The mystic seven-step ladder of the Chakras was the real highway to salvation, the fastest and safest way. My mind was in great expectation for something I had so strongly desired and for which I had seriously been preparing myself for months. It was not what might be called a "sacrament" that I was submitting to, in order to safeguard a family tradition; it was the crowning of a definitive choice! My heart was immensely happy at the thought of the inner joy that I would gain through the practice of Kriya. Finally, being taught the Kriya Pranayama, I found out that I already knew it: it was the Kundalini-breathing technique, which I had found a long time ago in my esoteric readings and which prescribes that the energetic current flows all the way inside the spinal column. I have already explained that I had not taken into serious consideration that procedure, owing to the fact that in P.Y.'s writings, which were the basis for my first glimpses of the mechanism of Kriya Pranayama , it was written that the energy had to be rotated "around the Chakras, along an elliptical circuit". I was not disappointed. Rather, the technique appeared perfect to me. The explanation of the techniques Maha Mudra and Jyoti Mudra (they never used the more common term Yoni) concluded the technical instructions. Each technique's detail was explained in such a way that it would not allow for the smallest variation and, in addition, a specific routine was warmly recommended. It was taken for granted that if the least amount of doubt on the correctness of a certain detail had arisen during the practice, nobody was encouraged – even vaguely – to conduct an experiment and come to a conclusion by himself. The only "correct" action that was fair to do was to contact the management of the school, tell them the problem and receive further guidelines. This, in effect, was what I always did. I learned to interact with the "authorized" individuals only; I would instinctively look for their advice as if it were given by perfect beings that could never be wrong. I believed they were "channels" through which the blessings of the Guru flowed. Besides, I was quietly confident that - even if they would not admit it out of humility - they had already reached the highest level of spiritual realization.
Problems with the Routine I spent beautiful years practicing daily, morning and evening, the received techniques (Recharging Exercises, Hong-so and Om techniques, three-part Kriya Yoga procedure. I had some problems which I am going now to discuss. These problems could have been easily resolved if I had used common sense. The first exercise to be practiced was the observation of the breath (the Hong-So technique) and this had to last ten to fifteen minutes. The breathing was supposed to become more relaxed and create a good state of concentration. Then, after putting the forearms on a support, the listening to the internal sounds began -- this would require about the same time. Then there would follow another 28
interruption because of the Maha Mudra. Eventually, setting back in a still and stiff position to restore the feeling of sacredness, the Kriya Pranayama began with rigorous respect to all the instructions. After Jyoti Mudra, the Kriya routine would be concluded with a full ten-minute concentration on the Kutastha, to absorb the results of the whole endeavor. In my practical experience, the two preliminary techniques did not receive the attention they deserved, while the time devoted to the final concentration was too short. During the Hong-So technique, the thought that I should soon interrupt it to start the Om technique brought about a disturbing feeling, hampering my whole surrender to its beauty. The same happened with the procedure of the second technique, interrupting it in order to practice the Maha Mudra and Pranayama. The technique of listening to Om was a complete "universe" in itself and led to the mystic experience: that is why its interruption was something worse than a simple disturbance. It was illogical; as if, recognizing a friend with joyous surprise among a crowd, one begins talking with him and suddenly goes away with the hope to meet, quite by chance, that friend again and get back to where the conversation had previously ended. The sound of Om was the mystic experience itself, the goal I sought, why should I interrupt that sublime attunement to regain it through another technique? Perhaps because Kriya Pranayama was a higher procedure? Higher? What on earth does that mean? It is complete nonsense! I forced myself into such absurdity for an extremely long period. I am embarrassed to confess that it lasted no less than three years. I went on without changing the prescribed routine, hoping for a hypothetical future evolution of an unclear situation. I must acknowledge that unfortunately I had become like one of those animals that, fed by man, tend to forget how to be self-sufficient. At that time, the idea of using my brain seemed to me an act of stupid arrogance. Such was the power of that insanity that in our group was called "loyalty". When I tried to discuss this problems with other kriyabans , I realized how hard it was for them to talk about such things. Sometimes I noticed an enormous and unreasonable resistance toward such a discussion. There were those who were not satisfied with their practice but planned to try it again in the future (at that time they would postpone listening to my reasoning), while others were not able to understand what I was saying. Talking with a lady who was a friend of our family for many years, she pretended to listen attentively to me; in the end, she brutally declared she already had a Guru and did not feel the need of another one. Her remark cut me deeply, since it was not my intention to teach her anything: my purpose was to have a rational talk which could be inspiring for both. Apart from this, what sort of friendship can exist between two persons when one uses that mode of expression? To pass by such episodes one after the other confirmed the idea that not being encouraged to trust the limpidity of self observation, many of my friends went on mechanically performing what many times had become an empty ritual; which would appease their conscience. With the exception of one person (who harbored really strange ideas about the 29
spiritual path, to the point that it crossed my mind that he was mentally unstable), these new kriyaban friends seemed to censor my excessive interest in techniques, claiming that devotion was much more important. Often they referred to a concept that I could hardly link to the practice of Yoga: the paramount importance of loyalty toward P.Y. and his organization. While their effort in practicing the meditation techniques in a deep way was not remarkable, they tried with any external means (readings, devotional chanting, convocations...) to extract from the depths of their psyche any trace of religious attitude, any scrap of spiritual aspiration. They impregnated it with the natural heart's affection for their Guru - even if they had known him only from photos - obtaining thus the resolution of a lifelong commitment. They called the solidity of their surrender to such ideal: " Bhakti " – devotion. Looking back to those times, I wonder what those people's opinion about my impatient attitude might have been, much too different from their quietness. In my sensibility, I could not conceive the idea of leaning passively upon the protection of a saint who solved all one's problems. This fact, together with others I had experienced in that school, was a cause of real conflict. My approach to the spiritual path was really different from theirs and there was no hope of reaching a point of contact, a common ground.
Appendix. The Predilection of an Old Friend I became acquainted with an elderly kriyaban, worthy of the maximum respect and admiration, who began the Kriya path many years before. We saw each other in the last years of his life. There were moments in which, knowing the total loneliness in which he lived, it broke my heart to remain months without seeing him. For various reasons this was inevitable; I always met him for short and transient afternoons, walking and quietly speaking. I was witness to an inexorable process that brought him to the point of living only on the warm rays coming from the memory of a glance and a simple nod once received from the person who was head of the Kriya organization and the spiritual successor of P.Y.. His supreme dream was always to create a friendly tie with that divine being, whom he felt as the epitome of his ideal of perfection. I tried to convince him that to slip into an uncritical personality cult, into the deification process of this however inspiring figure, could constitutes the death of his spiritual adventure. But my companion seemed irremediably spellbound by the idea of "transmission of power". He explained that in all great mystical traditions the strength of the great Teachers of the past, their subtle vibration, is still present in their descendants -- not because of consanguinity, but through the transmission of their "power", as a non-stop chain. He was convinced that spiritual progress cannot happen except through receiving this "power". It was normal that he felt the highest respect for that human channel who was officially invested by the mission for transmitting their particular 30
"benediction". It was reasonable then that he had tried to achieve a place of importance in their heart. The problem was that perhaps this attainment had become more important than meditation. He expressed something that years before he would not have even dared to think: the presumed evolution of the individual, achieved through Kriya, was undeniable, but so slow to be practically negligible. Strange to say, the idea of an automatic evolution determined by iron mathematic laws remained in him as an instinctive reflex and he would continue to repeat it while addressing people inquiring about Kriya. Nevertheless, the Kriya techniques were, for him, like a religious ritual which had to be performed scrupulously just to give proof of loyalty. Unfortunately, this axiom was the frame-work upon which he had been interweaving his thought. He had given his full approval to the idea that on this planet there were special people, "Self realized", and irreparably common people. In a dimension of utter authenticity, one day he vented all of his gloom. Looking at how superficially -- so he said -- he had practiced the techniques of meditation, he had no doubts that, in this life, he had certainly missed the "target". He was already dreaming of future incarnations in which he could practice with great engagement. To this he was sweetly resigned. I felt a giant wave of inexplicable nostalgia which was ready to overwhelm me, but it remained curbed, as if suspended around us. Now that he lives no more, I wonder if the intuition of the transforming power of Kriya was not strongly hindered or made even impossible by emphasizing through constant barrage of anecdotes the greatness of certain persons who are "impudently" saintly, perfect, majestic. How wretched it had been for my friend, the belief that his supreme good depended on a human loving glance coming from the person he felt as divine! He had made the unfortunate mistake to believe that the eternal spiritual source in the center of his being would dry out when he was far from the blessings of the one person toward whom he had directed the warm aspiration of his heart.
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CHAPTER 3 THE BREATHLESS STATE
P.Y. wrote that the Second Kriya Yoga enables the yogi to leave his body consciously at will. To be instructed in such a delicate mechanism was one of my dreams. I was sure that practicing with such a procedure would have a strong effect on my spiritual evolution. When I received the last lesson of the correspondence course, I could finally apply for receiving that instruction. Unfortunately, many written details were ambiguous and no direct initiations were ever given. I was doubtful about how Kechari Mudra had to be obtained (P.Y. wrote that it was an important technique, to be practiced regularly in order to awaken Kundalini ), hesitant about how to perform the technique of Second Kriya and other instruction as well. My interviewer was that elderly lady who taught me the preliminary techniques and was officially invested as a "Meditation Counselor". She had learned the Higher Kriyas years ago and only in written form, just as I did. Strange to say - in my opinion, an unforgivable negligence - she had never had them checked by direct disciples of P.Y., having had plenty of opportunities to do so. (Since I knew she had spent much time talking with direct disciples of P.Y., I wondered what more important matters they had to discuss.) Subsequently, she lost such written material and never asked a copy of it. In plain English, perhaps she knew less than me about that subject. She was unable to clarify my technical doubts. Among the kriyabans in the meditation group, there was a lady, who received Kriya initiation many years ago and had once lived by our school's general offices. I asked if she had received the Second Kriya. She didn't seem to understand my question. So, with astonishment, I reminded her that Lahiri Mahasaya's disciple, Swami Pranabananda, accompanied the moment of his death with the practice of the Second Kriya. She became visibly nervous, saying that the quotation clearly referred to the technique of Pranayama : one breath, then a second one, and this had to be, in her opinion, the "Second Kriya"! I looked at her with a meek and piercing look; I felt my legs give way. I had the impression that the idea itself of a further technique to be added in time to the too many already received and practiced daily, upset her. It was as if she felt she had made so great an effort in setting the habit of a daily practice of the First Kriya, that she could not bring forth a more engaging dedication. I know that, up to this day, she has remained fixed in her conviction. I had still not recovered from the "shock", that an aristocratic-looking lady revealed to me that, a long time ago, she had received the initiation in the socalled Higher Kriyas. Full of enthusiasm, my eyes opened widely. She said she had felt so unworthy that she had put them aside and, after some time, she had forgotten them entirely. This last abomination was inconceivable to me: unintentionally she had revealed to me the lowest place in which she had pushed what P.Y. had written. Her self-satisfied ignorance passed off for humbleness, crossed the bounds of decency. When I expressed my objection that her behavior seemed an exhibition of indifference toward the higher teachings taught by her 32
Guru, she looked at me in bewilderment as if my impertinence had violated an implicit law: do not impudently enter the intimate dimension of her Sadhana . She replied saying that what she had was enough; then briskly cut off discussion from that topic.
Difficulties with the Printed Material Related to the Higher Kriyas After one year I received the lessons about the Third and the Fourth Kriya. I didn't even attempt to clarify my doubts by addressing to old kriyabans . I wrote to the school management to schedule an appointment with one of its representatives, a Minister who would soon come to our country. I hoped to clarify everything on that occasion and was looking forward to that appointment with great anticipation. When the Minister arrived I was introduced to him. He said he would clarify my doubts as soon as possible. I was tranquil and waited. I was left in dismay when I figured out that the Minister kept on postponing our meeting without valid reasons at all. Since I decided not to give up, we finally met. I went through something truly unpleasant. I was convinced that hypocrisy, bureaucracy, formality, hidden falsity and subtle violence to one's honesty were totally alien to one who devoted his life to practicing and teaching Kriya. Yet, the sensation I had was akin to meeting a business man, who had more important affairs in mind and who was very irritable. He was emphatic not to talk about Kechari Mudra and with regard to the head movements of Thokar, he advised me brutally to restrict my practice to the First Kriya . I replied I would surely keep in consideration his advice; in spite of that I wanted to see how to move my head correctly in order to practice that technique in a hypothetical future. He declared that I was overexcited and this was not a good mark for a kriyaban (... I was only in a desperate and deeply disappointed mood); annoyed, he recommended me to write my questions to the school's head. In vain I replied that the movements of the head could not be shown through a letter: I was in front of a "wall" and the refusal was absolute. I had trusted and respected the school; I had studied the whole reference literature as if preparing for a university exam. I was now consternated to bear witness to the senseless whims of a man on power. After the interview with that ill-disposed figure, I was in an atrocious mental and emotional state. Those who saw me immediately after this meeting were shocked: they said I was unrecognizable. A devotee with a honeyed voice suggested that I got an important earful from Gurudeva. I had to learn to be content with the basic teachings. I could not accept any invitation to calm myself and drop the whole matter. There are childish thoughts that emerge in difficult moments: I was afraid that this man, communicating back to the management of the school, might speak unfavorably of me, saying something that might have reduced the probability for me to obtain that coveted information in the future. I feared I could no longer rely on the heavenly relationship with that Kriya organization, which, for so many years, had represented my horizon. 33
Another part of myself, which the group's rules had not been able to stifle entirely, knew that this destructive experience would be turned into something crucial both for me and for other people's spiritual improvement. The selflearned enthusiast of Pranayama, awakened from too long a sleep by means of a healthy "kick in the butt", was intimately relishing the whole situation. The lady "Meditation Counselor" who was in another city blamed me for having made the interview with the Minister a troublesome event. She finally said firmly, however in her sweet way, that the Minister's advice embodied God's will. When we met, I tried to reason with her about my right and duty to explore all the possible sources. I discussed the project of leaving for India in order to improve my Kriya. She mumbled something about India, about so many people that according to her were disappointed or found just drugs or lost the grace of their Guru-disciple relationship. I didn't understand. She mentioned the fact that some students found in a well known Kriya Ashram a teacher who gave them Kriya initiation without any authorization and who gave techniques that had nothing to do with Kriya. It slipped out of my mouth a very strong sentence of which I was then surprised: "Should I receive a Kriya teaching from the worse criminal in the world, I would be able to turn it into gold. Should it be polluted, I would have the intuition to separate the wheat from the chaff". She was astonished that her many words and scolding proved useless. She said with a sigh that my logic was originated from a wounded ego. I shifted my attention to a particular photograph of P.Y. taken on the day of his death. It was framed nicely, some flowers and packets of incense were put before it. In those moments of silence, I had the sensation that some tears were going to form in his blissful eyes (it was not a bizarre feeling, other people told me they had the same impression). I related my impressions to her, in response to which she became so serious and, with her eyes pointed far off toward an indefinite spot, she soberly uttered: "You have to consider it a warning: the Guru is not content with you"! There was not the least doubt that she was not joking at all. At that time I realized how P.Y. was a "presence" in her life, although she never met him in person! She spoke at length, uninterruptedly, for about an hour. She went on explaining that the intelligence is a double-edged weapon: it can be used to eliminate the swelling of ignorance and also to cut off abruptly the lifeblood that sustains the spiritual path. Then she spoke about a disciple of P.Y., who had been formerly part of the direction of the organization, then had branched out on his own opening another Kriya school: a "traitor" to her. She compared him to the angel Lucifer, beautiful and intelligent. Then she lost herself talking about discipline, loyalty... I remember particularly an anecdote that wanted to illustrate that everything the organization through its representatives asked me came directly from God. She told me what happened when one of his disciples decided to leave P.Y.'s Ashram . The Guru, aware of this, got in the disciple's way to stop him, when he heard an inner voice - "the voice of God", she specified - ordering him not to interfere with the disciple's freedom. The Guru obeyed and in a flash of intuition foresaw all the disciple's future incarnations, those in which he would 34
be lost, in which he would keep on seeking – amid innumerable sufferings, jumping from one error to another – the path he was then relinquishing. Then, in the end, the disciple would return to the same path. The lady said that her Guru had been really accurate on the number of incarnations that the whole discouraging trip would have taken to be over – about thirty! The moral of this story was clear, something from which one could not escape: I just had to follow what I had been advised and not to look elsewhere "because that was God's will". If I had not done so, I would lose myself in a labyrinth of enormous sufferings and who knows when I would be able to get back to the correct path. Although she admired the earnestness with which I was making progress – unlike so many other tepid and half-hearted people who would go to her only to be reloaded with the motivation they could not find in themselves - she was dismayed, because her devotion toward the Guru was totally alien to me. By telling me of one or other episodes of P.Y.'s life, she tried to let me share her experiences. I am very thankful to her for all her sincere efforts and time spent with me, but how could she thwart my inner nature ? She did only what was in her power: she could not relieve my immense thirst for knowledge of the art of Kriya. Looking into her beautiful but sad eyes, I had the clear impression that she was permanently expecting me to act in a somewhat "disloyal" way. That monk at least on one point was right: I was not calm at all, rather I would never be calm any more. Although remaining faithful to my Kriya organization, I didn't accept vetoes. I didn't follow her suggestions. I was determined to know Kriya inside out and nobody could stop me with any motivation. For a long time I hoped to find in some book clues which could help me to clarify my doubts concerning the practice of the Higher Kriyas - one was the praxis of Kechari Mudra, the second what were the psychophysical blows with which P.Y. assured it was possible to awaken the Chakras. My search took a particular route: she herself told me three names of some direct disciples of P.Y. who had a clash with the school's board of directors and set up on their own. Without saying anything to her, I purchased all their published material, taped lectures and all. I was expecting that in order to show how they had become proficient with Kriya, they would come out with intriguing sentences, deeper than the material provided by the main school. A faint expectation lingered in me that they gave the reader (who neglected the principal source to listen to their voice of dissent) the present of a more accurate didactic material. The first disciple seemed an expert in idle chatter and was reluctant with giving practical instructions; the second one was undoubtedly more professional, pedagogically gifted, but from of all his literature and tapes only one of his sentences shed a faint light upon one of the Higher Kriyas ; in the literature of the third disciple - surprising and valuable since, having met the tragedy of mental illness, he recounted exhaustively his anguish - I found (save for an illumining sentence upon the role of Kechari Mudra) only a devastating banality. The secrets, if they had some, were well guarded! Months later, the meditation counselor came to know that I had read the "forbidden" books. I had no doubt that in the third millennium a person can read 35
whatever he considers more convenient and so I did; one of those books, although clarifying almost nothing, was interesting: I made a present of it to some friends. After some months, a friend of mine showed me a letter in which she had called me "a man who stabs his Guru's back, handing out daggers to other people as well, so that they can do the same"! Her reaction had been so emphatic that I wasn't hurt at all; I felt a sort of tenderness toward her. I could sense that her actions were driven by waves of emotions and decades of steadfast conditioning, affecting irretrievably her common sense. Seeing her own expectations regarding my behavior coming true, I am sure that while typewriting that letter and pouring into it lots of other considerations to free all the accumulated tension, her countenance was at last tranquil and serene as if tasting a delicious, intimate satisfaction. Overcoming a certain reluctance, I began reading some books written by Lahiri Mahasaya's disciples, who did not have any connection with P.Y.. My hesitation in dropping the literature linked with P.Y. resulted from the fact that, in my opinion, he was unique and I was confident that I would use only his teaching for the rest of my life. I used to get annoyed at those people hinting about Kriya secrets to be gained outside P.Y.'s legacy. The books written by Lahiri Mahasaya's direct disciples (or by their disciples) were few: mainly commentaries on spiritual classics. (At that time certain interesting books like Puran Purush had not yet been published.) They disappointed me and made me miss the clarity of P.Y.'s writing. They were but blank, meaningless words, with an endless number of repetitions in addition to continuous changes of topic, which I considered unbearable. The practical notes, presented as essential, were but scattered notes copied from classical books on Yoga. The lack of care in them made me suppose that the author had not bothered checking the original texts he had quoted. He most probably took those quotations from books which were also quoting from other reference books, continuing a chain where each author would add something to mark his personal contribution. I decided to study again all the material furnished by the organization and to delve deeper into it. I used to meet some kriyaban friends on Sundays, read crucial passages from those lessons and dwell on them during a walk. Everyone embarked in a personal study of which those talks represented the peak. I shudder at the thought of how fruitless our effort was -- like drawing blood from a stone -- yet it's the way things went for about two years. Then a profound crisis uprooted any previously acquired scheme and dogma. It originated from the obstinate decision of coping with the problems arising from a delicate relationship in the yogic way. I chose, among all P.Y.'s writings, a sentence that matched those plans of behavior toward which my blind instinct drove me. I deceived myself by repeating it internally like a Mantra while acting in a way contrary to ordinary common sense. I could not see that this lethal approach prevented me from exerting watchfulness and discrimination. I was acting as supported from "above", imagining that the benedictions and the strength of the Guru were with me. The failure came about 36
and it was desolating and shameful. In a first moment, I could not accept it. I refused to believe that I had acted wrongly. I was convinced that the other person was unable to live up to the standards of my actions. I believed that mine was an apparent failure and that one day everything would resolve in my favor. Then my illusory dream began to disintegrate, slowly but inexorably.
Inspiration from the Works of Mère and Sri Aurobindo For some months I wasn't able to track down the thread of a single coherent thought, then I read Mother, or the Divine Materialism, a book about the Mother (Mère) written by her beloved disciple: Satprem. For two years I had been introduced to the thought of Sri Aurobindo. His Aphorisms and his epic poem Savitri had deeply impressed me. After Sri Aurobindo's death, in 1951, the Mother was the one continuing his research and giving ground to his dream that the Divine - the intelligent and evolutive force at the base of any existing thing - could come to a perfect manifestation on this planet! "The world is not an unfortunate accident: it is a miracle moving toward its full expression"; "In matter, the Divine becomes perfect…" she wrote. From 1958 to her death in 1973, the Mother tried to find the passage to the next species, to discover a new mode of life in matter and narrated her extraordinary exploration to Satprem. Their talks are written out it Mother's Agenda. 7 By approaching the writings of Mère, I was prepared to read the usual things, but I really cannot describe the explosion of joy and the feeling of freedom I felt reading her comment to one of Sri Aurobindo's aphorisms. The aphorism (n.70) was: "Examine thyself without pity, then thou wilt be more charitable and pitiful to others." Annotating it, she wrote: "The need to be virtuous is the great obstacle to true self-giving. This is the origin of Falsehood and even more the very source of hypocrisy -- the refusal to accept to take upon oneself one's own share of the burden of difficulties. Do not try to appear virtuous. See how much you are united, one with everything that is anti-divine. Take your share of the burden, accept yourselves to be impure and false and in that way you will be able to take up the Shadow and offer it. And in so far as you are capable of taking it and offering it, then things will change. Do not try to be among the pure. Accept to be with those who are in darkness and give it all with total love."
By saying on another occasion: "Morality is the great obstacle on the spiritual path", she stressed the value of not trying to become pure in other people's eyes, but to behave according to the truth of one's being. To her, one should acknowledge one's dark side: in the depths of our being it stirs the same substance which, in a few, has developed into a way of living which is shunned 7
This huge document — 6000 pages in 13 volumes — is the account of twentytwo years of Mother's discoveries.
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by society. Mère did not behave like a traditional Guru, even though she tried to extract from those disciples looking for inspiration at her feet all their hidden potential. According to her teaching, people become true individuals only when, in a constant pursuit of a greater beauty, harmony, power and knowledge, they are perfectly and in a compact manner unified around their divine center. I was very impressed with how she dealt with the theme of Japa. She recounted how during the screening of a film she heard the Sanskrit Mantra : OM NAMO BHAGAVATEH. She wondered what would happen if she repeated that Mantra during her daily meditation. She did this and the result was extraordinary. She reported that: "It (the Mantra ) coagulates something: all the cellular life becomes one solid, compact mass, in a tremendous concentration – with a single vibration. Instead of all the usual vibrations of the body, there is now only one single vibration. It becomes as hard as a diamond, a single massive concentration, as if all the cells of the body had ... I became stiff from it. I was so stiff that I was one single mass." [This quotation, as well as the next ones, are drawn from Mother's Agenda. ] Her practice of Japa consolidated into a life-long habit. When she sat for meditation, she always began with the repetition of the Mantra and there was a response in the cells of her body: they all started vibrating as "seized with an intensity of aspiration" and that vibration went on expanding. It is not the place here to dwell upon the subtle phases of her work in the body: she used the Mantra to hasten it. What was important for me was the fact that she dared to challenge Sri Aurobindo's authority. Actually, she said to Satprem: "Sri Aurobindo gave none [ Mantra ]; he said that one should be able to do all the work without having to resort to external means. Had he reached the point where we are now, he would have seen that the purely psychological method is inadequate and that a Japa is necessary, because only Japa has a direct action on the body. So I had to find the method all alone, to find my Mantra by myself. But now that things are ready, I have done ten years of work in a few months." In many passages of Mother's Agenda they discussed how the Mantra calms the persons in surrounding areas by creating an atmosphere of such an intensity that disharmonies cease to exist. Furthermore: " Mantra has a great action: it can prevent an accident. It simply springs forth in a flash, all of a sudden" but "It has to spring up without thinking, without calling: it should issue forth from the being spontaneously, like a reflex, exactly like a reflex." But the Mantra is also the sweetest of all the things: "On the days when I have no special preoccupations or difficulties (days I could call normal, when I am normal), everything I do, all the movements of this body, all, all the words I utter, all the gestures I make, are accompanied and upheld by or lined, as it were, with this mantra: OM NAMO BHAGAVATEH ... OM NAMO BHAGAVATEH ... all, all the time, all the time, all the time." A last amazing remark I quote is that she was able to notice the difference between those who have a Mantra and those who don't. "With those who have no Mantra, even if they have a strong habit of meditation or concentration, something around them remains hazy and vague, whereas Japa imparts to those who practice it with a kind of precision, a kind of solidity: an armature. They become galvanized, as it were". 38
And yet in that period, Japa didn't enter my life. I experimented with Mother's Om Namo Bhagavate - but it did not worked for me. I tried to live in a more conscious way (continuously attentive of any perception, inner and outward). I tried to carry out the well-known instruction to resolutely maintain a impartial attitude toward both pleasant and unpleasant events, being like a detached "witness". (This discipline is recommended in almost all the books dealing with oriental meditative practices.) After three days, I felt myself under unbearable stress as if it all was a pretense, an illusion. Meanwhile, my mind was devoured by the illusion of adopting more advanced tools of "evolution". It tried to diminish the value of Japa; after some months I ceased to practice either Japa or the discipline or being a detached "witness" and forgot the matter. Reading The Divine Materialism (it conveyed all the power of the Agenda) I was astonished by the beauty of what she wrote and the memory of that past period returned in full. What now exerted a great impact upon me was that she reasoned like a westerner and treated the themes of India's spirituality with a western language which was both lyrical and rational, at the highest degree of excellence. She was able to express, in a euphorically vivid way, my own innermost convictions for which I had no means to express nor clarify even to myself. She would flawlessly express an enlightening and comforting truth: both the contemplation of the beauty in nature and the emotion arising from listening to classic music were considered a bridge to the spiritual experience. Sometimes, while I was reading, I had the impression that I had a fever. In her aspiration for a full manifestation of the Divine in the atoms of inert matter, there was a fragrance which excited and moved me. A revolution, a reversal of values, was slowly but inevitably happening in me. Spellbound, I was contemplating the shimmering splendor of a new way of looking at the spiritual path. Two seemingly opposite worlds -- that of a rarefied paradisiac atmosphere (which I imagine is enjoyed by the ascetic souls) and that of the full enjoyment of the earthly beauty (so dear to artists) -- could unify in each kriyaban 's consciousness. Mère's thought began to open my eyes on the actual situation of my way of practicing Kriya Yoga and revealed the complexity of my self-deception. Entering a Kriya-founded organization meant to be ensnared and bewildered by many fairy tales. I was convinced that finding Kriya was like a stroke of luck, a gift from the Divine, thanks to a certain merit of which I was unaware. I began to look at people who belonged to the same path as shrewd persons who knew how to take the best from life. Consequently, I regarded those who refused it, or in spite of much talking were still uncertain if they should take a decisive step and begin with it, as idiots who didn't know what they were losing. My desire to abide by the values instilled in me by my culture (a rational attitude open to the value of artistic creation) was gradually twisted. It was as if a large portion of my brain withdrew, while another one, which did its utmost in believing what was convenient to believe, tried to usurp its function. In the very beginning, my "spiritually-oriented" brain didn't know how to answer back to 39
any censure from other persons and reacted by running away or reciprocating violently. Subsequently, it became so cunning that I started to behave "normally" in social life; people began to look at me as a man who chose a simple life trend, marked by lofty principles - not revealing how my fairness of judgment was impaired, and practically p ractically inexistent. My firs firstt effo effort rtss in expl explor orin ing g my book book-l -lea earn rned ed Pranayama were accompanied by intelligence and by a bit of courage too: I could only rely on my intuition. The Pranayama discipline was for me an art to be perfected with the grea greate test st conc concen entr trat atio ion. n. Whil Whilee prac practi tici cing ng,, I drea dreamt mt about about its its unthi unthink nkabl ablee progression and was quietly excited during each instant of it. This disclosed a real heaven for me! With regard to the way I tackled the preliminary techniques of Hong So and Om, I was stirred up by the idea (which proved false) that they were not effective like Kriya Pranayama. As a consequence I expressed a never-again-to be-found commitment: the result of which rewarded me immensely. immensely. Afterwards, Afterwards, having received received Kriya, the idea idea of practi practicin cing g "the "the fastes fastestt technique in the field of spiritual evolution" made the intensity of my effort lose its edge. My Kriya Pranayama, practiced with enthusiasm for some months, bec becam amee a tran tranqu quil il good habi habit. t. Apar Apartt from from othe otherr fool foolis ish h thoug thought hts, s, I had had swallowed the childish idea that each Kriya breath could produce "the equivalent of a solar year of spiritual s piritual evolution" and that through a million of these breaths I would infallibly reach Cosmic Consciousness. I tried just to perform the greatest possib possible le number number of Pranayama in orde orderr to comp comple lete te quic quickl kly y the the abov aboveementioned number. number. The iron will of my discipline was softened by the hypnotic atmosphere of the "Guru's Blessings". I didn't realize into what situation I had relentlessly slipped and therefore I felt no shame or remorse. I felt myself a privileged being to whom an unexpected advantage had been granted. "Aren't you glad of having found a true Guru?" -- for years I heard this refrain from the organization -- "Aren't you enthusiastic that He has been chosen for you by God Himself?" "Oh yeess we are happy" we replied with tears tears of joy. joy. This idea, more than any other factor, had lethal effects on me: it was the cradle in which my ego was fed and strengthened. strengthened. To To remind remind myself that I entered the organizat zation ion only only to perfec perfectt my alread already y good practi practice ce of Pranayama Kriya organi created a thorny pain. It was imperative to recreate the spirit of an authentic search. I had to stop behaving like a man who had found a treasure, hides and sleeps satisfied upon it; it was necessary from now on, if Pranayama was really a treasure, as I was convinced, to use my intelligence to perfect it.
Two Important Decisions What I am about to describe was the most rewarding period of my life. I look at it as a sun and I hope I will never forget forget its lesson. After After reading Sri Aurobindo Aurobindo and Mère, I found the courage to be again a self-taught person. During the season 40
of my first interest in esoteric matters and oriental practice of meditation I found easy-to-follow instructions in an unassuming book. The instructions were simple: I put my passion in them, especially the wish to pursue, through Yoga, my idea of Beauty. Day after day, when other distractions and doubts came, when the initial enthusiasm diminished, I carried on tenaciously my ideals and my discipline. The result was the Kundalini experience. Now, about 12 years later, I found myself in the same situation. I was ready to carry on tenaciously, despite criticisms and doubts, two basic ideas: 1. I had to throw away the Kriya routine recommended by my organization and apply Patanjali's principles. 2. I had to achieve the state of mental silence by using Japa, Mère's wonderful instrument, during the day. day. I adhered to my decision decision and the result was the breathless state. Let me clarify each point.
1. Kriya Routine Abiding by Patanjali's Principles In the mystical path ( Yoga) , Patanjali pinpoints eight steps: Yama, Niyama, , Patanjali There are Asana, Asana, Pranayam Pranayama, a, Pratyaha Pratyahara, ra, Dharana Dharana,, Dhyana, Dhyana, Samadhi Samadhi. 8 There differ different ent ways ways of transl translati ating ng these these Sanskri Sanskritt terms. terms. Yama: self-c self-cont ontrol rol (non(nonviolence, avoid lies, avoid stealing, avoid being lustful and seek non-attachment). Niyama: religious observances (cleanliness, contentment, discipline, study of the Self and surrender to the Supreme God). As for Asana (position of the body), Patanjali explains that it must be stable and comfortable. There is nothing remarkable up to this point. The first interesting concept is Pranayama, defined as regulation of the Prana by repetition of particular breat breathin hing g patter patterns. ns. Theref Therefore ore there there is no hint hint about about partic particula ularr prelim prelimina inary ry exercises of concentration and much less of meditation. From Pranayama a state of calmness and poise is created which becomes the foundation of the subsequent step: Pratyahara where the awareness awareness is disconnecte disconnected d from external reality; reality; all our five senses have thus been turned inward. You You understand that the techniques which require movement should be completed before this phase: the breath and the heart should have all the necessary time to slow down. The so called Higher Kriyas (each one of them required movement) had to be ideally practiced inside the Pranayama phase. To them a long phase of internalization of consciousness and energy in perfect immobility should follow. What comes after Pratyahara Pratyahara ? Patanjali goes on explaining that, after the 8
Patanjali was a pioneer in the art of rationally handling the mystical path, aiming at individualizing a universal, physiological direction of the inner events that explained why a certain phenomenon, inherent to the spiritual path, should be preceded and necessarily followed by other ones. His extreme synthesis may be criticized or, because of its its tempo temporal ral dist distan ance, ce, may be hard hard to unde unders rsta tand nd;; howe howeve verr, his his work work is of extraordinary importance. importance. Many authors of Kriya Kriya Yoga say that the theory expressed by Patanjali is the same as Kriya Yoga, that Patanjali and Lahiri Mahasaya substantially dealt with the same practice. I believe that this is partly true. Patanjali's is far from clarifying all the aspects of Kriya Kriya and there is a remarkable difference between the final steps of his Yoga (especially Dharana and Dhyana) and the related phases of Kriya Yoga. 41
breath's disappearance, a yogi should look for a physical or abstract object onto which he might turn his concentration and practice in a sort of contemplative meditation in such a way as to lose himself in it. Dharana is concentrat concentration ion (focusing the mind on it). Dhyana is the persistence of a focusing action -meditation or contemplation as a steady, uninterrupted flow of awareness, which fully explores all aspects of the chosen object). Samadhi is perfect spiritual absorpt absorption ion (deep (deep contem contempla plati tion on in which which the object object of medita meditati tion on become becomess inseparable from the meditator himself). From many years' experience and from some readings, I had no doubt that thes thesee sugge suggest stio ions ns had had to be under underst stood ood as conce concent ntra rati tion on on the the Chakras . Dharana is the act of focusing our attention; Dharana spontaneously becomes Dhyana, the borders between the two being indistinguishable in practice: you begin to concentrate on each Chakras and forget forget yourself. yourself. Samadhi is the sudd sudden en bur burning ning wit with joy joy that hat som sometim etimees appea ppearrs. This This was was my basi basicc understanding in those days. In a few days, after an intense practice of Japa, I would have realized that Dhyana is not only self oblivion but achieving the breathless state as well; Samadhi is not only boundless joy but also the slowing down of the cardiac heartbeat while the body appears like dead. From that moment onwards, I began my routine with Maha Mudra, then I moved Pranayama to the Pranayama phase which consisted of three sub-phases: Kriya Pranayama (12-24), Third Kriya (12) and Kriya Pranayama with the Mantra Om, Na, Mo ... (6-12). The Third Kriya was the technique with movements of the head that I receiv received ed from from my Kriya school. Kriya Kriya Pranayam Pranayama a with Mantra Om Om,, Na, Na, Mo...was Pranayama enriched by placing the syllables of the Mantra in the respective Chakras, with with no physi physica call move moveme ment ntss -- it had had the the purp purpose ose of preparing the Pratyahara phase. Pratyahara began with a procedure that up till today I call " mental Pranayama ". My awareness paused on each Chakra about ten seconds - as a bee drawn to the nectar in flowers, hovering upon each in great delight - slightly "touching" thei theirr nucl nucleu euss alon along g an anti anticl cloc ockwi kwise se (as (as view viewed ed from from above above)) path path.. I was was absorbe absorbed d by a great great deligh delightt where where I lost lost my space and time time refere reference nces. s. The concent concentrat ration ion on the third third eye - that that "inwar "inward d eye" eye" which which Wordswor ordsworth th with with appropriate words defines as "the " the bliss of solitude" - happened spontaneously.
2. Mental Silence and Japa Recalling Recalling my past failures with Japa, I decided to try again but with another and choo choose se the the Mantra of Swam Swamii Ramd Ramdas as whose whose biogr biograph aphy y I had had Mantra and acquired and read in those days. 9 He move moved d far far and and wide wide all all over over Indi Indiaa 9
In Quest of God by Swami Ramdas. Swami Ramdas was born in 1884 at Hosdrug, Kerala, India, and named Vittal Rao. He lived a normal life until he was thirty-six and experienced the usual ups and downs of a householder's life. Often he inquired about the true meaning of life and felt the necessity of pursuing the spiritual path in order to get the real "Peace." At the right moment, his father initiated him into the Ram Mantra, 42
unceasingly repeating the Mantra: Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram Om . To meet the simplicity simplicity of his life and the greatness greatness of his experience experience was very inspiring: inspiring: his photo - the almost childish simplicity of his smile - kindled my intuition and led me to try his Mantra . Helped by a mala (rosary beads), I started to practice Japa aloud during a walk for 108 times and then to continue it mentally during the remaining part of that that walk walk and and durin during g my dail daily y chor chores es.. Even Even thou though gh the the orie orient ntal al trad tradit itio ions ns recommend to do Japa mentally, mentally, I was confident that it should be done don e aloud - at least for an initial set of a hundred repetitions. The sound of that Mantra , which I had already heard in a spiritual song recording, was very pleasant. I loved to caress its vibration, prolong it on my lips, make it vibrate in my chest and invest it with my heart's aspiration. My attitude was not that of a supplicating and sobbing devotee, but that of a man one step away from his goal. Even if sometimes I felt a bit dazed, I maintained the determination never to discard the practice. Since I observed, while doing it, an irresistible impulse to put everything in order, I thought that the Mantra could work ork in a sim similar way by cleaning my mental stu stuff and putting my "psychological furniture" in order. order.
Breathless State An event arose from this decision, which still remains in my heart as a peak experience. I practiced Japa every day in the morning and Kriya at noon in the open countryside. One day, during mental Pranayama , while I was climbing up and down the Chakras , I distinctly perceived a fresh energy sustaining my body from inside. The more I relaxed, the more I became simultaneously aware both of the Chakras and of the body as a whole. The breath, which in the meantime had became very short, eventually came to immobility, like a pendulum gently reaching the equilibrium point. The T he mind mind also settle settled d down. This This conditio condition n lasted some minutes, without any feeling of uneasiness: there was neither the least quiver of surprise, or the thought: "Finally I have it!". The event was enjoyable beyond words: in a blue-painted profundity, I was implacably crushed assuring him that by repeating it unceasingly he would, in due time, achieved the divine happiness he was aspiring to. It was then that he renounced the secular life and went forth in quest of God as a mendicant Sadhu. The first years of his newly found found life are described described in his aforesaid aforesaid autobiography autobiography.. The Mantra "Om Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram" was ever on his lips. Besides the practice of Japa, he adopted the discipline of looking upon other people as forms of Ram – God - and of accepting every happening as coming coming from the will will of God. In a short time time the Mantra disappeared from his lips and entered his heart. He beheld a small circular light in the spot between his eyebrows, which yielded him thrills of delight. Then the dazzling light permeated and absorbed him. Lost in this inexpressible bliss he would sit for hours. The world appeared to him as a dim shadow. A stage was soon reached when this dwelling in the spirit became a permanent and unvarying experience. Ramdas attained Mahasamadhi in 1963.
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by the beauty of nature and, at the same time, situated above the whole world. In the following days the same events happened again. Before starting my Kriya practice, I looked at the surrounding panorama wondering if I would experience that state once again: after about 35-40 minutes I had already completed the active part – the last breaths of Pranayama – and then, after no more than two or three minutes, during mental Pranayama , the miracle happened.
Cohabitation with Continuous Prayer I verified a perfect association between the practice of Japa and the attainment of the breathless state. I was astonished that Japa, one of the simplest techniques in the world, could bring such a valuable result! Where my best intentions failed, it produced a miracle! I saw that neglecting Japa by one who is practicing Kriya Yoga means to relinquish a most formidable instrument. In my opinion, Japa annihilates the mental background noise, of which presence you are aware only when you sit for Kriya -- how many times you feel desperate since this noise blocks any attempt at concentration! There are some thoughts which you can visualize, identify and block, but a diffuse persistent background noise nullifies all your efforts. This is won when we practice Japa! A new period began: I was able to put a consistent amount of creativeness and sensibility in my Kriya routine. I felt that my subconscious mind was cooperating with my efforts; it was natural to listen to the suggestions of intuition. I felt a greater respect for the the simplest Kriya techniques, being able to find in them innumerable ways of application. With enthusiasm I plunged into Japa literature and studied the subject of Mantra and prayer in different mystical paths. Some author gave an eloquent example of how it is possible to write a book about nothing. Many suggestions about the practice of Japa would amount to a heap of banalities -- the mala that you use for Japa should be made or this or that material; it should not be seen by others. The Sumeru bead should never be passed: if you will do the mala twice, you should turn it and make the last bead become the first bead of the second round -- how stupid, how devastatingly deprived of any passion! A soul stirring ardent feeling and sincerity was to be found in the literary material relating to the experience of Saint Teresa of Avila, to the Hesychasm and to the Sufi mystical path. In the writings of Saint Teresa of Avila (and of Saint John of the Cross also) I saw clearly that perfection in the spiritual life can be reached only by expanding the limit in the practice of Internal Oration. There is no need to clarify that we are referring to a prayer which goes beyond supplication, beyond words themselves -- a "Prayer of the heart". Saint Teresa of Avila described nine levels of prayer. I think that few 44
catholics are aware of this richness. Over the centuries, a great deal of incomprehension and misunderstanding has arisen relative to the practice of Oration. For many devotees prayer had - with rare exceptions - the meaning of a plea to God with the only purpose of obtaining personal favors or blessings on a suffering humanity. The concept of Internal Oration risked an almost total eclipse. Hesychasm is a Christian orthodox movement considering inner peace to be a necessity for every human being. They interpret Christ's injunction in the Gospel of Matthew which says to "go into your closet to pray", to mean that their first duty is to withdraw inward. They affirm that the first step is that their body is to be held immovable for a long time. Then they engage in mental asceticism, namely the rejection of tempting thoughts. After restricting their external activities, striving to the best of their abilities to ignore the physical senses, they try to experience quietness and perceive the "Uncreated Light" which is considered the highest of the mystical achievements. The discipline is tough: they watch their thoughts and courageously fight them. Much of their literature is occupied with the psychological analysis of such tempting thoughts. A great emphasis is placed on humility: disaster will befall if one proceeds with pride, arrogance or conceit. The Prayer is said "with the heart" - with meaning, with intent. Such Prayer involves the entire human being - soul, mind and body. The essence of this mystical movement is to be found in the book The Way of a Pilgrim and The Pilgrim Continues His Way. (Anonymous) The origin of this spiritual classic is in many ways a mystery. The story is that of a pilgrim, coming back from the Holy Sepulcher, who stopped at Mount Athos and told about his lifelong search for the teaching on how "to pray continually" - the way Saint Paul had recommended - to a monk. No one knows for certain if it is a true story about a particular pilgrim or a spiritual fiction created to propagate the mystical side of the Orthodox Christian faith. Some, on the basis of other witnesses, identify the author as Russian Orthodox monk Archimandrite Mikhail Kozlov. The main reason for the work's attraction is the presentation of a wandering hermit's life as the model existence for those who would truly lead a spiritual life. I was stricken by the opening words: "By the grace of God I am a Christian man, by my actions a great sinner, and by calling a homeless wanderer of the humblest birth who roams from place to place. My worldly goods are a knapsack with some dried bread in it on my back, and in my breast pocket a Bible. And that is all." It is a simple, edifying book, of universal spiritual appeal. It is imminently practical in its advice to not dither in starting the Jesus Prayer. The pilgrim was resolute about covering an infinite distance across the steppes, if he had to, in order to find a spiritual guide that would reveal to him the secret of praying that way. One day, his ardor was awarded; he found a spiritual teacher who accepted him as a disciple and gradually clarified to him every detail of the practice of the "continuous prayer". In order to realize the ideal of "praying ceaselessly", the pilgrim is first instructed to repeat the Jesus Prayer 6000 times a day, then increase to 12000.
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Then he finds the Prayer at his lips and in his mind every waking hour, as spontaneous and effortless as the breath itself. In this wonderful condition he comes to experience the effulgence of the divine light, the innermost "secret of the heart." In order to give an idea of what, from now onwards, his life has become, the pilgrim quotes the Gospel passage of the birds of the air and the lilies of the field - identifying himself with them as completely dependent on God: whatever happens, it cannot separate him from God. Like a person enjoying the beauty of a chilly winter near the fireside, one who practices continuous prayer contemplates either the sad or the joyous spectacle of life having found the infinity of the skies residing in their heart! Prayer is a marvelous gem whose glitter warms up life. Its magic spreads into each facet of life, like walking out of a dark room into fresh air and sunlight. I began reading the Philokalia , which is often used by the Hesychasts. It is a collection of texts on prayer and asceticism written from the 4th to the 15th Centuries [first published in the Greek language in 1782]. In my opinion this is a tedious text showing the attitude of the mind, obsessed by sin and temptations, to complicate the simplest things. Here and there, some pearls are disseminated. I was struck by the fact that many instructions had astonishing similarities with the Kriya Yoga path. I discovered that the hesychastic practice involved a breathing exercise with a tongue position akin to that of Kechari Mudra. The chanting of the Prayer was synchronized with one's breathing. Hesychast tradition wrote: "Let the remembrance of Jesus be present with each breath, and then you will know the value of the Hesychia." I was stunned by the fact that a Christian tradition, methodical and precise, similar to Kriya Yoga, existed. Years later, having received Lahiri Mahasaya's Navi Kriya, I remained astonished by the fact that one is encouraged to be tenacious in praying with the focus of concentration on the navel: "...in this way it is possible to find a joyless and lightless obscurity but, persisting, a limitless happiness will be reached". Once one gets over the obstacle of the navel, a whole path unfolds, leading to the heart center. The comparison with the Navi Kriya technique is impressive. St. Symeon writes: "Sit down in a quiet cell, in a corner by yourself, and do what I tell you: close the door, and withdraw your intellect from everything worthless and transient. Rest your beard on your chest, and focus your physical gaze, together with the whole of your intellect, upon the center of your belly or your navel. Restrain the drawing-in of breath through your nostrils, so as not to breathe easily, and search inside yourself with your intellect so as to find the place of the heart, where all the powers of the soul reside. To start with, you will find there a darkness and an impenetrable density. Later, when you persist and practice this task day and night, you will find, as though miraculously, an unceasing joy. For as soon as the intellect attains the place of the heart, at once it sees things of which it previously knew nothing. It sees the open space within the heart and it beholds itself entirely luminous and full of discrimination." Pseudo-Simeon, "The Three Methods of Prayer," in: The Philokalia (5 vols.; tr. G.E.H. Palmer, P. Sherrard, and K. Ware; London: Faber and Faber, 1995) 4.72-3. 46
I didn't find a description of the practice of Thokar (as I found later in the Sufi literature) but the description of the prayer entering the heart was unforgettable; the greatest effect was obtained by blending the perception of the throbs of the heart with the syllables of the prayer. The consciousness slips then into it and contemplates the "Uncreated Light". The most secret part is what happens in the space within the heart. The person is led through darkness and "an impenetrable density" to the depth of his heart. This descent is quite literally taken and is not at all considered to be a metaphorical expression. This is an advanced stage of the spiritual practice and attempting to accomplish it prematurely can cause very serious emotional harm. The instruction is to feel one’s head moving to the chest and dwelling therein, then to "open" his eyes there and look at the world from his chest. The world is perceived in a totally different way: not as rough and hostile, but as delicate, warm and responsive to the emotions of love! The heart is filled with the most loving and subtle Bliss! In this state one becomes "entirely" luminous. The illumination comes from inside, proceeding from the open space within the heart. The Hesychast, when he has been granted such an experience, returns wholly transformed to normal life. The "inner dialog", which prevents the meditation, is under control: one can live permanently in a state called "the guard of the mind". It is the most sound and natural state of the mind. One’s consciousness is no longer encumbered by the spontaneous inception of images - this unencumbered state is the main attribute of a religious life. All these instructions can be a great inspiration for a kriyaban to reconsider the technique of Japa and of Thokar from a new perspective. When you study and consider all this, what can you answer to those kriyabans who object that none of the Kriya Gurus recommend the practice of Japa? They have missed the point: Kriya Yoga is a particular way of treading the Hesychast path, where Prayer has a pivotal importance. I read also something about the Sufi path where the art of prayer ( Dhikr ) was developed in an astonishing way. In their literature, most inspiring instruction was given to avoid distraction, in such a way that the heart is occupied with neither "family" nor "money". One begins the practice by uttering the Mantra aloud – this is the Dhikr of the tongue. One continues until a great absorption makes it impossible to go on in this way. "The rust upon the heart is burnt, the darkness turns into day and the candle of the mind is put out by the sun of the divine light (Qur'an)". The heart is continually applied to the Dhikr. One perseveres assiduously, until the syllables are effaced from the heart and only the meaning of the words remains present: a touch of divine recollection drives the mind crazy – the most intoxicating of joys begins to expand within. Inspiration from this literature pushed me to achieve the condition of "uninterrupted, continuous prayer". I felt a wave of attraction for the wandering hermit's life. I was inspired by his courageous way of living and by the central idea of starting with a set number of Mantra repetitions and then increasing it until it becomes automatic. Of course, I went on resolutely using my chosen 47
Mantra . I lived it as a bright, dazzling Prayer. Its Divine Magic spread in each facet of my life. It was like walking out of a dark room into the fresh air, into the sunlight. As when I am in the fresh air, I don't concentrate upon it but I breathe it, in the same way my path became an experience of pure enjoyment. That remarkable effort created a paradisaical condition in my life, which lasted about three months. However there were days when I had the impression of using a pneumatic hammer tearing asunder the concrete of my mind's perplexities. The inner resistance was colossal. My being protested as if I was doing the stupidest thing in the world. I melted away any doubt by walking as much as possible and repeating my Mantra in a passionate way. I took all the necessary time to cross innumerable mental swamps and reach a condition where Japa went on effortlessly. This created a moral strength which turned into a calm euphoria: the certainty of edging closer to something stable and immutable within the evanescent flux of my existence. By looking at the past, many beautiful experiences during my meditation routines seemed to have the consistency of an infinite sequence of reflexes upon the water. Now all my efforts seemed to compact around an intoxicating merger with a celestial state of bliss. The mental substance was perceived clear like a spotless mirror. This condition reminded me of what Sri Aurobindo wrote about the moment he first stepped on Indian soil, after his long periods of study in England. He discussed the manner in which the Peace, the Silence, the freedom in Infinity descended, surrounded him and remained with him for months afterwards. I felt I had reached something solid. I felt perfectly at ease, still, without any desire to fulfill. I interrupted the mental chanting of the Mantra only when talking to others, but I was able to maintain the state of mental silence : the secret was not being involved in the images arising from the words, remaining centered on the feeling of unchangeable calmness. I thought: "I must not forget this experience ever, I want to have it every day of my life, because it is the most real thing which has ever been experienced"! It seemed impossible to lose it. It lasted a few months, then I lost it. The world of the "traveling Gurus" was getting closer to my life and I could not avoid meeting a couple of them. Many years had to pass before a similar celestial condition could materialize again in my life.
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CHAPTER 4 IN SEARCH OF THE ORIGINAL K RIYA
During a trip to Vienna (Austria), I found a book written by an Indian Swami, claiming he was teaching the original Lahiri Mahasaya's Kriya - P.Y.'s was mentioned as a slightly modified form of it. Obviously that book, like innumerable others which I would read in the future, had to serve as bait; to make people interested in the Kriya school founded by that Swami and it would never include practical explanations. I was positively excited when I read that the practice of Pranayama should be considered inaccurate and wrong if, settling down after fair number of breaths, the practitioner - without closing his ears had not listened to the internal sound of Om. The statement was worthy to be taken into consideration; it was surely from a very deep practice of Pranayama . Reading that book, I had the sensation that its author knew the whole process of Kriya Yoga far better than many other teachers. I had no idea of when and where I could have the opportunity to encounter this teacher, but I could almost touch the marvelous possibility of deepening my Pranayama , clarifying my doubts regarding Kechari Mudra and Higher Kriyas as well. One of those friends to whom I passed on my obsession with finding out all the mechanics of Kriya, especially the Higher Kriyas, brought me important information. During a "Convocation", he talked with a Minister and inquired about a sentence by P.Y. according to which: "The Chakras can be awakened by psycho-physical blows given at their different locations." The Brother reassured him about its meaning: no other hypothetical technique, besides what was fully described in the written material, was hinted at. It referred to the use of a Mantra coupled with breath. He explained that if a syllable is mentally chanted in a Chakra 's location with real intensity, while inhaling or exhaling, it creates a "psycho-physical blow". About Kechari Mudra, he said it comes with time, especially by insisting in touching the uvula with the tip of the tongue. He heard also about a Kriya Ashram in Europe where allegedly lived a Swami who taught original Kriya. After some months he was there, only to learn that this Swami was very old, next to relinquishing his body, and the person who hosted him had not received Kriya from him, never talked with him about techniques. He heard of another a group of kriyabans in Europe who had invited a person from India to their group. There was no news about the identity of him. At his arrival, after skimming through the written material published by our Kriya organization, he pretended not to be able to link it with the Kriya Yoga he had been practicing for some time. He advocated the necessity of starting all over again, from initiation into First Kriya. Many did not accept creating with him a bond of formal "discipleship", as he requested; thus he lost two thirds of the students on the spot. Those who accepted his conditions received initiation. Incidentally, the absolute confidentiality was broken and precious information (Talabya Kriya, Navi Kriya...) leaked out. Later, the group received part of the 49
Higher Kriyas, probably only the technique of the Second Kriya. Some of those kriyabans followed that Indian master and disappeared as if sucked into a black hole; others, tired of a practice characterized by a lot of dissatisfaction, returned to the comfortable abode of our organization. At that time, something wonderful, so sweet, happened. What I hoped so ardently in the past and was brutally refused to me, materialized so easily. I had a private talk with another Minister of my Kriya school. All my doubts were clarified: the person seemed intelligent and not dogmatic. I could also talk about how to build a good routine, and we even extolled the value of Japa. We were in perfect tune about everything. It would have sufficed to consider the search concluded, return to the simplicity of the afore described routine, wait for Kechari to be obtained in time, and a paradise would have been opened to me. All chaos, hysteria, confusion would have ended forever. But the door that I opened could not be closed. Devoured by the demon of finding the original Kriya, chased by my suspicion that P.Y. taught a "slightly modified form of Kriya" , I decided to go on with my search. The book written by the Indian Swami, whom I will refer to as S.H., stimulated my interest to guess the principle underlying the promised deepening of the Kriya Pranayama technique. While reading and rereading his book, I was excited like a child receiving the most beautiful of all gifts. Recalling a phrase escaped from the lips of the lady meditation counselor about a variation of Kriya Pranayama taught to some disciples by P.Y., I convinced myself that the key technical addition consisted in mentally chanting Om in the Chakras while exerting all the possible attention to the internal sounds. With the hope of restoring that very period of my life where I received the deepest satisfaction from the "Om technique" (received from my school) I gave my soul to that practice. I can't remember how many of these breaths I used to practice each day: surely, I never went over 48-60 breaths. Since from my Kriya school I had learned to practice Kriya Pranayama with open or half closed mouth, this I did. After these pleasing breaths I went on listening inwardly. The inner sound appeared after just four days of painstaking practice. I lived for some days in the sweetest reality. The strange part was that I did not know the teacher yet; I had just read his book: it was the intensity of my practice that was extreme! I had a clear perception that a state of inconceivable sweetness was mine, that I could taste it every day; during the practice and in every moment when I rested, free from work. Omkar became the unique focus of my concentration, a "contact" to be preserved with the utmost care during the day.
First Teacher outside the Organization Being about to undergo surgery in the United States, the author of the book was going to make a stop in Europe; I worked very hard to meet him and receive his Kriya initiation on that occasion. That moment came up at last! The introductory 50
conference was for me of great emotional impact. He had a majestic and noble aspect, he was "handsomely" wrapped in his ocher clothes, his old age, long hair and beard marked the features of the typical sage. I took glimpses of him while he spoke, hidden by the front rows; I heard him talk of Lahiri Mahasaya's legacy according to his personal experience. The theoretical concepts he introduced were absolutely new for me and created a beautiful consistent frame for a Kriya praxis conceived as a unique progressive process of tuning with the Omkar reality. Like a thread passing through all the pearls of a necklace, Omkar was coursing through all the different phases of Kriya. Maha Mudra was not separated from his peculiar form of Pranayama which was not separated from mental Pranayama. Furthermore, the Omkar reality had to be perceived not only in the aspect of sound and light but also in the aspect of a "swinging sensation" (some other time he spoke about a feeling of pressure). His stupendous, appealing words were for me a revelation but, at certain moments, the inquisitiveness in learning the new technical details made me unable to give due attention to what he was saying; I therefore did not grasp at once all the implication of those concepts. My obsession was: "What kind of throat sounds are to be produced in this original Kriya, to which center does the energy rise in the spine?" To make the students understand the proper aspect of the movement of Omkar , he touched some of them (their head and chest) making his hand vibrate, trying to transmit this quivering to their body. He was leading the auditorium into a wondrous dimension, he gave himself completely to us so that we could feel the flavor of that experience. The initiation into the First Kriya thrilled and disappointed me at the same time: the forward bendings that preceded the Maha Mudra were really precious and so was the final meditation (improperly called Paravastha) but the Kriya Pranayama seemed to have disappeared and reduced to a short, purely mental process. Unfortunately that Swami too, during the course of the years, had simplified the original technique. He didn't teach Kriya Pranayama proper with the long breath anymore. Among the people who attended his seminars for a long time, there was no mystery about the many technical details of Kriya Yoga he kept on changing, year after year. One of his intimate disciples confirmed to me that in past he had been taught Kriya Pranayama with long breath and mental chanting of Om in each Chakra. Returning home, I didn't succeed in practicing even one Kriya session exactly in the way he explained. I decided in fact to add to my routine (after Maha Mudra and before his form of Pranayama ) "my" Kriya Pranayama with a long breath. It was winter and I had a three week vacation. I spent every morning wrapped in the warmth of my home, practicing as much as possible. Since in his book it was written that if you want to make remarkable spiritual progress, you should engage yourselves in being aware of at least 1728 breaths a day, I had the opportunity to realize this. The best thing was to remain aware of the breath (a calm short breath, almost imperceptible and on the verge of disappearing), 51
linking each breath with a different Chakra . I experienced a total contentment and ease, as if my Kriya path had come to its fulfillment. By day, everything seemed surrounded by a 'padded coating', reducing all dissonances. Everything was as if it were transfigured; it was like living in a perfect reality and the whole world was smiling ecstatically at me every pain took flight, gone from my sight. I also spent some days in a beautiful location equipped for winter sport. Here I could wander the snow-white countryside aimlessly. While I was lazily getting about, the sun set early, painting the landscape with breathtaking colors; the small village, sunk in the snow, started to radiate all the colors of the spectrum of light. My memory will always hold it as the splendid symbol of my contact with the Omkar experience. The winter vacation ended and I got back to my job. During my spare time, I would think about what a precious jewel the Kriya technique was; visualizing the possibility of a future deepening, with such a commitment to the Higher Kriyas also. One day, still at work, I was in a room from which I could glimpse the distant mountains through a window pane, and contemplate the pure celestial sky above them. I was in ecstasy! That distant sky was the mirror of my future years, wholly dedicated to my Kriya Yoga. For the first time, the prospect of retiring and living with a minimal income, maintaining this state for the rest of my days, started to take real shape. This swami taught also a simplified form of Second Kriya, which I learned months later. As for receiving the complete form of it or other advanced techniques, he expressed himself adamantly: the request of being initiated in them implied a lack of engagement in the basic techniques. Being aware that the original Kriya spirit had been lost in other schools, he focused only in passing on its nucleus. He had tried all Lahiri Mahasaya's techniques, concluding that some of them were not essential, while others were rather too delicate and difficult to be learned. Attempts made by inexperienced students - in order to effectively use these techniques - could result in a useless distraction for the students and a waste of time for him as a teacher. What he said made definite sense, but contributed to his isolation. He did not take into consideration how the human mind really works, through insatiable curiosity and the total rejection of any veto. His unlucky decision of leaving out some of the techniques Lahiri Mahasaya had passed on (not only some parts of the Higher Kriyas, but also some of the basic techniques such as Kechari Mudra and Navi Kriya) triggered an inexorable mechanism which pushed away the people who were most indispensable to him. Literally devoured by the thirst for obtaining the complete teachings, they started to turn to the search for other teachers. Disappointed by their defection, he stubbornly focused even more on the essence of teaching and further simplifying of the First Kriya techniques. Those who tried to get this absurdity across to him and prevent it, found themselves facing a wall that would never break. He really had all the necessary tools to attract the western world. The book he 52
had written had been a smart strategic action which made him popular in the west, saving for him a place of crucial importance in the domain of Kriya. Moreover, his Indian-sage figure impressed the people. Hundreds of scholars were enthusiastic about him, they were ready to back his mission and treat him like a "divinity", being willing to show the same respect to possible collaborators and successors. Yet the soil he plowed and was cultivating began to become sterile. I saw the sense of his isolation when, one day, on a Kriya reviewing lesson, he told his public that the real Kriya Pranayama could only take place in a state of calm breath -- contrary to the one marked by a long deep breath (which many knew was the characteristic of Lahiri Mahasaya's legacy), which could be "good only for kindergarten children"! He closed his nostrils with his fingers and kept that position for some time. He hinted in this way that he had mastered the breathless state; it seemed he wanted to point out that the public was neither able to understand nor practice Kriya. I thought to myself how many disappointments must have convinced him to make such a peculiar demonstration. Perhaps he had only met people who had not been able to adopt the discipline of a regular meditation practice and therefore did not gain any benefit; but they did have the curiosity for 'other secrets' of Kriya. Many acknowledged this as a nasty comment to the fact that he was giving his explanations only out of kindness, but the audience was not able to understand the deep meaning of what he was demonstrating. The students staring at him were completely at a loss; he must have been bizarre and peculiar to them. The result was that the beginners could only sense too big a distance to be bridged between them and the Master. Those who already had a good mastering of Kriya had the final confirmation that what he had taught up to that moment was a simple introduction to Kriya and did not provide the key to obtain the experiential acme. It is true that a lot of people were contented with his Kriya, but they would never do something like organize a seminar for their teacher. Frankly speaking, the faithfulness of the many was not enough to avoid the worst end. His commendable effort, all the marvelous subtleties by which he had enriched our Kriya, making this practice by far more beautiful, was not enough to prevent a shipwreck of his mission – at least here in Europe. Using the same fliers and changing only the Master's name and photo, many of those people, who formerly organized his seminars, invited another teacher from India because they knew he was well-disposed to explain Kriya in its complete form. This invitation was very strange and was perhaps made more out of desperation than that of conviction, because those who had already met him in India knew that his spiritual realization was almost non-existent. It took two years before he could succeeded in overcoming the problems with his visa and could finally land in Europe; when he arrived he found practically all the afore described teacher's disciples ready to welcome him as a God-sent messenger.
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Readings In that happy period of my life I tried tracking down in spiritual literature any movement or eminent figure who had a link with the subject: " Omkar ". The sound of Om (Omkar ) is referred to in literature also as "Pranava", "Shabda", "Nada Brahman". I read again what, many years before, was taught to me by my first Kriya organization. According to this teaching, the Divine essence sustains this universe through the Om vibration. God is not the universe but the universe is part of Him. Whatever is manifest in the physical, astral or causal worlds, animate or inanimate, it is made and sustained by God's vibration. "In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God and the Word was God" (St. John's Gospel); "And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters" (Revelation 1:15). There is no doubt that Saint John of the cross heard the typical rushing waters sound of the Om vibration. He gave a splendid description of his meeting with the "resounding rivers", the "silent music", the "sounding solitude". Teresa of Avila in her book "The Interior Castle" wrote: "It roars like many big rivers with waterfalls, there are flutes, and a host of little birds seem to be whistling, not in the ears, but in the upper part of the head, where the soul is said to have its special seat." While reading some extracts from Sufi literature, I felt nostalgic of my first experiences with the "music of God". "Seek the Sound that never ceases, seek the sun that never sets", wrote the great mystic Rumi. Om sound is the "unstruck" sound (Anahata) - not made as a result of two or more objects striking one another. It is, in fact, a sound not coming to the human ear from outside of the body but, rather, from within. Sound plays a vital role in all the mystical traditions, since it is the bridge between the physical and the astral world, the conscious and the unconscious, the form and the formless. "The universe was manifested out of the Divine Sound; from It came into being the Light." (Shams-i Tabrizī). "Who is there playing upon a flute in the middle of the sky? The flute is being played in trikuti (eyebrows centre), the confluence of the Ganga and Jamuna. The sound emanates from the north! Cowherd girl, hear the sound of the flute and lo, they are all hypnotized by the nada." "It is a music without strings which plays in the body. It penetrates the inner and the outer and leads you away from illusion." (Kabir). "The Sound is inside us. It is invisible. Wherever I look I find it." (Guru Nanak). I read something about Kabir (1398 Benares - 1448/1494 Maghar) and Guru Nanak (1469 Nankana Sahib - 1539 Kartarpur). There were deep similarities with the experiences and thought of Lahiri Mahasaya. Their teachings overlapped perfectly. Kabir, an illiterate weaver, Muslim of origin, was a great mystic, open to the vedantic and yogic influence; an extraordinary singer of the Divine, 54
conceived beyond name and form. The poems and sentences ascribed to him are expressed in a particularly effective language that remains permanently emblazoned in the reader's memory. In the last century, Rabindranath Tagore, the great mystic poet of Calcutta, rediscovered the reliability of his teachings, the power of his poetry and made beautiful translations of his songs into English. Kabir conceived Islam and Hinduism as two roads converging toward a unique goal: he was always convinced of the possibility of overcoming the barriers that separate these two great religions. He did not seem to base his teaching upon the authority of the holy writings; he shunned the religious rituals. Kabir taught not to renounce to life and become a hermit, not to cultivate any extreme approach to the spiritual discipline, because it weakens the body and increases pride. That God has to be recognized inside of one's own soul - like a fire fed by continuous care, burning all the resistances, dogmas and ignorance - this beautifully appears in Kabir's saying: "One day my mind flew as a bird in the sky, and entered the heavens. When I arrived, I saw that there was no God, since He resided in the Saints!" Hinduism gave Kabir the concept of reincarnation and the law of Karma; Islam gave him the absolute monotheism - the strength of fighting all the forms of idolatry and the caste system. I found the full meaning of the yogic practice in him; he says that there is a garden full of flowers in our body, the Chakras, and an endless beauty can be contemplated if the awareness is established into the ''thousand-petal Lotus''. Regarding his concept of Shabda , which can be translated as "Word" (the word of the Master), I thought I could relate this to the Omkar teaching. According to him this Shabda-Om dispels all doubts and difficulties, but it is vital to keep it constantly in our consciousness as a living presence. Om, the divine call present in each man's body, born in the silence of introspection, is the compass needle. By following it, Kutastha is revealed to us. Beloved Guru Nanak gave the same teaching. He disapproved ascetic practices and taught instead to remain inwardly detached whilst living as a householder. "Asceticism doesn't consist in ascetic robes, or in having a walking staff, nor in visiting burial places. Asceticism is not mere words; asceticism is to remain pure amidst impurities!" Traditionally, release from the bondage of the world was sought as the goal, therefore the householder's life was considered an impediment and an entanglement. In contrast, in Guru Nanak's teaching, the world became the arena of spiritual endeavor. He was bewitched by the beauty of creation and considered the panorama of nature as the loveliest scene for worship of the Divine. He expressed his teachings in Punjabi, the spoken language of northern India. His disregard for Sanskrit suggested that his message was without reference to the existent Holy scriptures. He made a deliberate attempt to cut off his disciples completely from all the ritualistic practices, orthodox modes of worship and from the priestly class. His teaching demanded an entirely new approach. While a full understanding of God is beyond human beings, he described God as not wholly unknowable. God must be seen through "the inward 55
eye", sought in the "heart": he emphasized the revelation of this to be achieved through meditation. In his teachings there are hints on the possibility of listening to an ineffable internal melody ( Omkar ) and to taste the nectar ( Amrit ). One has the impression he gave a unique meaning to the concept of monotheism. On calm reflection, at the conclusion of all my readings, I conceived the Kriya path as a process of refining, in successive stages, our attunement with Omkar . Kriya Yoga is the faith of Kabir and Guru Nanak: a monotheistic religion where the ''single God'' is substituted by Omkar! All the other names given to the Last Reality (also used by Lahiri Mahasaya in his diaries) are entirely useless words, ephemeral wraps imposed by the human mind. Omkar is the final goal of Kriya and the unique essence which percolates through all its phases. A monotheistic religion having the Omkar Reality as the ''single God'' existed, was well known and was the Radhasoami faith, considered a derivation of Sikhism. 10 It is also referred to as Sant Mat (Path of the Saints). I studied it enthusiastically because everything I read reminded me of the writings of P.Y.! With the same words of P.Y.'s organization, they affirmed that this Shabda was the Word referred to in the Bible: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1) The Sound vibration, the dynamic force of creative energy that was continuously being sent out from the Supreme Being at the dawn of the universe's manifestation throughout the ages, molding all things animate and inanimate; could be listened to through Surat Shabda Yoga. This is a practical teaching of how to listen to the inner sound of Omkar -- it was exactly the same teaching, with the same words that I received from my first Kriya organization! Surat means "soul," Shabda means "word". The "word" is the "Sound Current", the "Audible Life Stream" or the "Essence of the Absolute Supreme Being". The Om technique is practiced by Radhasoami groups covering their ears and eyes, either using the classic squatting position, resting their elbows on the knees or using an arm prop. Some combine the listening to the inner sounds with the attempt to taste nectar ( Amrit ) by sticking the tongue to the roof of the mouth. Before listening to the sound and seeing the light, some groups move Prana up and down the spine... I was reading with shivers of surprise what had essentially been my life, my deeper convictions. It was the same Omkar experience I had always heard about. In some Kriya literature it was written that P.Y. had belonged to this movement. If this is true, then for all intents and purposes, I had been part of a Radhasoami group without being aware of that. I had practiced a couple of techniques (the good techniques of Hong So and Om) which embodied both the principles of Radhasoami and of Kriya Yoga . I could claim that, as a matter of fact, my Kriya organization and my first teacher after it (S.H.) had given me light and sound initiation, just as 10
The Sikh religion is founded on the teachings of Guru Nanak and nine successive Gurus; it is the fifth-largest organized religion in the world. It is interesting that the key distinctive feature of Sikhism is a non-anthropomorphic concept of God, to the extent that one can interpret God as the Universe itself. 56
Radhasoami groups do. I remember that in S.H.'s conception, Kriya was divided into six levels which were six progressive steps of tuning in to the Omkar dimension as sound, light and swinging sensation. He explained that this melting of the last trace of our ego in the Omkar ocean would take place in the hollow cavity of the brain called "the cave of Brahma ". In the frontal part of this region there is the pituitary gland (hypophysis), behind it we have the pineal gland: the seats of the sixth and of the seventh Chakras respectively. An emission of light, similar to a voltaic arc, would happen between the two "poles" and shed light in that area. This process was described as a "mystic union". The whole explanation was accompanied by a helpful sketch, which had the psychological effect to eliminate all uncertainties on the validity and universality of this theory. Now, the same theory was given in some particular (perhaps nonorthodox) Radhasoami literature. Emphasis was given to the role of the pineal gland, plus some additional Chakras were identified in the brain! How many times I wondered about the origin of certain variations of Kriya! Now I have no doubts that some disciples of Lahiri Mahasaya, in their youth belonged to a Radhasoami group and perhaps, without even being fully aware of this, added to Kriya some elements of theory and practice which belong to Radhasoami thinking. I ran through pages where the role of the Guru was extolled. There is no doubt that the concept of Guru has a special place in Indian thought. One of the main Hindu texts, the Bhagavad Gita, is a dialog between God in the form of Krishna and the warrior prince Arjuna. Their dialog summarizes the ideal relationship between Guru and disciple. In Radhasoami thinking this relationship is elaborated in great detail -- exactly in the same way I heard from my Kriya organization. It was explained that during initiation, the living Satguru (Sat true, Guru - teacher) activates this Shabda which becomes the inner Satguru stationed at the third eye of the disciple. Through its inner Light one comes to "know God". A Guru takes on himself part of the karma of the disciple, appears to them at the moment of death in order to introduce them to God. This role is so important that there is a saying that if the devotee were presented to the Guru and God, first he would pay respect to the Guru, since the Guru had been instrumental in leading him to God . A disciple could never break off the sacred connection with the Guru under any circumstances. In the Radhasoami literature, the concept of Guru-Parampara is emphasized. The spiritual power of a Guru is transmitted after his Mahasamadhi by an uninterrupted series of authorized representatives. In this way, the transmission of mystical power ( Diksha) happens just like the Guru were physically present. A formal recognition of this fact includes the Gurudakshina , a valuable sign of gratitude to his Guru, which is given to the authorized representative leading the structured initiation ceremony.
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Second Teacher outside the Organization During a trip in France, I found a strange book on Babaji's Kriya Yoga . I came in contact with a Kriya school which was standing totally apart from all the others. It was originated by an Indian personage who claimed he was a direct disciple of Babaji . In this school the main technique was called Kriya Kundalini Pranayama . Kriya Hatha Yoga, Kriya Dhyana Yoga, Kriya Mantra Yoga rotated around that breathing technique, extending its sphere of action on all the aspects of human life. The idea of having found a source from which to learn everything about Kriya, excited me tremendously. Although some illustrations in the book gave me the impression of reading a fairy book for children, I was confident. I didn't notice that in the book there was not even a hint to techniques like Talabya Kriya, Kechari Mudra, Navi Kriya, Omkar Pranayama, Thokar.... This school gave three levels of Kriya easy to obtain in about three years if you showed enough commitment. The first level didn't actually disappoint me, yet left me a bit perplexed. The teacher was obsessed by the precept of not holding one's breath: in this way the technique of Yoni Mudra, which is fundamental for Lahiri, was considered dangerous and thus banned. Kriya Kundalini Pranayama seemed a beautiful technique. The most annoying thing was that once you had completed 16 Kriya breaths, the process you had put in motion had to be suddenly relinquished and you had to practice Dhyana Kriya, a meditation which had nothing to do with spine, Chakras etc. Before receiving instruction from this school, mixing what I had learned from the organization with S.H.'s teaching, I had conceived a very sweet routine, whose final part (concentration on the Chakras), was a real delight. Practicing seriously this new routine, there grew within me a marked nostalgia for what I had relinquished. Changing every day the technique of meditation (there were seven different techniques, one for each different day of the week) I had the heavy sensation of living a chaotic period of my life, giving rise to nothing substantial. The central point of his Second Level was initiation into Mantras. This subject was more congenial to me than that strange form of Dhyana Kriya. The Bija Mantras of the Chakras were similar but not exactly identical to the classic ones: Lam, Vam, Ram ... Unfortunately we had to repeat this course two or three times in order to receive the complete set of the Chakra Mantras . The odd thing was that the teacher gave the impression of being lost in the New Age dimension and didn't realize of how badly his teaching was organized. He gave his wife the role to pontificate about many topics (macrobiotics, how to see aura, how to make Ayurveda diagnosis and other amenities). He made a fool of himself by explaining the technique of "dispersing the clouds": fixing a cloud in the sky with the purpose of dissolving it! I endured everything since I put all my hope in the third level. This was an atrocious delusion, beyond my the worse expectations. There were no Higher 58
Kriyas but common Yoga, of a genre you can find in all books -- rather the explanation you find in the books is far more better laid down. The Samadhi techniques, given at the conclusion of that enervating and boring course, were a new reading of Hong So technique, 11 three fairly common techniques of visualization, the classic instruction of continuous awareness during the day and a variation of the same Om technique I had once received from my organization. For many of us who had yearlong experience with the preliminary-to Kriya techniques offered by the organization and who had invested our time, emotions and money in this course, being taught those techniques again, somehow disguised and passed off as Samadhi techniques, was actually a cold shower. Some of us dared to ask the teacher's opinion about Lahiri Mahasaya's Kriya. At first, he was reticent and did not seem glad of our interest in the matter, then he took courage and shared his views. He believed that Lahiri Mahasaya had not practiced with total commitment all the teachings he received from Babaji, therefore he ... died. Astounded, we realized that since Lahiri Mahasaya did not obtain immortality (as, in his opinion, should happen to those who give their all to apply Kriya integrally), our teacher was dismissive of him. I think that the reader doesn't need other data to understand how, within a short time, I abandoned this teacher.
Intermezzo: New-Age-Polluted Kriya Yoga The mentality developed following such a school led me to meet persons and groups where Kriya Yoga was polluted with " New-Age" themes. I am reminded of this period of my life when I listen to the tape recordings of some devotional chants which I had bought at that time. In that period I was very happy: I fell in love with an Indian bhajan and I sang it within of me the whole blessed day. For me it had much the nature of food; rather I really had the impression of eating that music since after some days of singing I realized I had exhausted it and was looking for another song to plunge into as if it were the only one worthy of singing. Coming across different groups of people who practiced Kriya I had the feeling of meeting my vast family. Swimming in my state of elation, I didn't understand anything of other people and it seemed to me that they lived a very beautiful life, did very beautiful jobs and I dreamed to live like them forever. Bound to a very oriental lifestyle, they particularly loved an atmosphere, a way of behaving, characterized by specific sensations that they would cultivate with care and, above all, with innocent frenzies. I learned to relate to each of them - for example, to those who would host me whenever a seminar was held in a distant city - the way an explorer deals 11
Actually more idiotic than Hong So technique since, while Hong So is a universal Mantra whose syllables were specifically chosen for their power of calming the breath, with whom they have a vibratory connection, it was replaced by : "Om Babaji". 59
with unknown animals, waiting for any eccentric revelation. At times I would react to their oddness ironically; it was something I just could not help, it came out so spontaneously. With regard to Kriya proper, I received various initiations by different teachers. Conflicts and polemics exploded whether some teacher who once had been some illustrious Guru's right-hand man, had then become independent by their own choice or because the latter disowned them. Although I felt that atmosphere to be extraneous to me, I accepted it as an inevitable drawback to succeed in acquiring the information I searched for with so much passion. Bringing flowers was recommended, some fruit and a donation was required too -- usually a precise sum of money was set. Generally speaking, after attending many different rituals, the explanations were always quick and shallow; a destructive criticism was often raised against information coming from other sources. I would finish all those initiations repeating to myself how satisfied I was, making up my mind about abandoning all other practices for the one I had just received. I shunned the awareness that the new initiation had only added something insignificant to that which I already knew; that it was confining myself to what would soon become a "cage" from which I would sooner or later feel an unbearable suffocation - from which I would eventually have to break loose. To many among us, those initiations were a true vice. We had the tendency of stocking up on techniques like food for a famine. This habit created some conflicts in us. Just to give an example, at almost all those initiation seminars a solemn pledge of secrecy was the password to be accepted. Every one devotionally took this pledge and, as soon as the meeting was over, they shared, by cell-phone, the coveted news with other students who, in turn, would take part in other initiations and would reciprocate the favor. Inside the group tied to my first organization, I met people whose enthusiasm toward Kriya was very moderate, and it seemed they practiced the few techniques they knew as if making a sacrifice to atone for the "guilt" of existence. In this new ambiance, I met a lot of people who were yet "too passionate" for Kriya and anything which had to do with personal development. Stressing the cathartic potential of oriental meditative practices, many focused their attention only on secondary aspects of the mystical path and had lost sight of their goal. In their meditation room, filled with multicolored posters and cushions, decorations, crystals and other objects, they were satisfied by the established beautiful atmosphere. There existed no other reality to be sought. Research on alternative medicines, group therapies directed by eccentric individuals devoid of academic formation, were expensive distractions to be added to Kriya. I was struck by the tendency to spend lots of money on training workshops focused on strange therapeutic methods like aromatherapy, crystal therapy, color therapy… This harmless distractions aroused great enthusiasm, seemed to intensify their experience of Kriya. They worked for some time, afterwards they were forsaken. To clean away their internal conflicts, one group of kriyabans was under 60
the influence of a cunning fellow who, in accordance with the situation, assumed the role of the psychotherapist, the spiritual teacher, the alternative physician who -- with a pendulum in his hand -- was able to diagnose everything, from the slightest indispositions to the most serious illnesses, as well as to suggest remedies. His methods gave great importance to revealing one's childhood traumas in group discussions. Sitting on the ground in a circle, they formed work groups and, overcoming inner resistances, shared, sometimes with acute suffering, experiences that they had never told before. From the legal point of view, this alternative psychotherapy had to be camouflaged as a cultural or religious activity. A few were ensnared by the claim that the classical meditative practices the sober methods adopted through the ages by the mystics of various religions were no longer valid for our time. They were all right up to 50 years ago, but with the new era, man had evolved and should employ faster tools; and were effectively seduced by the temptation of applying faster means. These group participants became enthusiastic of "expensive techniques" shared over the weekend, which in 20 minutes a day would result in the regeneration of their DNA, greater expansion of consciousness than could ever be achieved via other means, final liberation etc.... There were also those who tried to find, through hypnotic regression, their past lives in order to revive and then understand the deeper traumas. It seemed – the idea did not appear so bad - that this process of removing the internal blocks could help improve the energy flow inside the body during Kriya. This process, in turn, becoming more intense could give decisive help in the most delicate phases in the process of full-body cleaning. The idea to keep this virtuous circle in motion fascinated them without limit, unfortunately some strayed further away from Kriya up to the point of losing it entirely. As for me, I began to realize that I was going adrift -- losing some essential attainments like the breathless state, the listening to the Om sound.... I had forgotten everything, it was like I had been hypnotized. This colossal waste of time had been like preparing one's house for a distinguished guest; endlessly polishing and decorating it, delighted by entranced awareness of the different comforts their house allows - meanwhile, after having repeatedly rung the bell, the guest was sitting neglected on the doormat… I realized also -- and perhaps this is the most important thing -- that my criterion to judge the excellence of a new technique of meditation (or of some confuse mix of new age cathartic methods of self healing) by a vague sense of well-being perceived during the practice itself meant having made my ego the compass needle of my spiritual journey. It had never entered my mind this dangerous and potentially destructive mania to explore unceasingly the mysteries inherent to the "human potential". Some were lured to invest in expensive seminars where their energy channels would be opened and they would learn the secret of how to make use of the Universal Energy. All this cost a lot, in no small part because the seminars were not given nearby but abroad, in expensive residences. 61
When I dared to call into question the validity of the whole thing, a lady, feeling annoyed, rebuked that there was no reason to be perplexed about those practices, without having tried them. They would comment: "It is our Karma that is giving us the best of all the opportunities to grow in all the planes". "We are expected to answer in a positive way. We don't have to stay jammed against this beneficial current -- otherwise we could have … to die and be born again just to live those experiences that we are now shunning!" "The Kriya technique -- she added -- is practiced with the energy present in the body. Now, if this energy is recharged by the flow of the Universal Energy, what appears as a long journey will become like a stroll". Later on, I had different occasions to meet and to approach more intimately those who organized these meetings. They gave the impression of being honest researchers and always guaranteed that no nonsense would ever slip out of their mouths. I was surprised when one of them, beyond simple exhibitionism, quoted by heart some lines from a work by P.Y.; the same, prophetic lines which had once been the source of so many uncertainties. He read and re-read through those texts several times trying to figure them out; he really strained in studying those texts. I felt that those researchers were my real family; I learned to listen to them respectfully and silently whenever they would correct some of my fancy interpretations of Kriya Yoga. Our relationship was based on real affection and it never came to disagreement, bitterness or formality. They were always generous toward me and respectful of my personality. Never did they try to force something into my mind, passionately sharing everything they had learned, no matter if it cost them a great deal of time, effort and money. We agreed that our teachers were mostly mediocre persons, sometimes impolite and unethical. This was strongly contrasting with the personality expected of people who called themselves "spiritual guides". We were not able to find even one of them who would prove to possess that mastery of Kriya which is so crucial in such a delicate pedagogic work as they were attempting to do. Some trifling episodes confirmed our first impression of instability, improvisation and, in one case, even of mental instability. They knew little about Kriya Yoga and they taught it in an even more superficial way. How was it possible that we kept enduring these situations? The fact that they claimed they were authorized to initiate, blinded us. We were subjugated by the myth that Kriya is to be received from an "authorized" teacher. It is strange to think that it was this deep rooted suggestion received from P.Y.'s school that supported our deferential and tolerant attitude toward people whom were actually abusing our trust and confidence. Some friends of ours, coming back from India, showed on their face the excitement for having seen such an extraordinary land. At the same time, their disappointment for all the things they had not been able to learn started to emerge. A couple happened to meet a boaster assuring them he knew Kriya Yoga and could initiate them. This could only happen as long as they had kept it a total secret without establishing any contact with other teachers. In this manner, the boaster made sure that they would not realize that it was not Kriya Yoga they 62
were being taught. I could realize this only when, overcoming their inner opposition, I had this technique explained to me as well; it was nothing more than the mere repetition of a Mantra ! What made me feel sorry about it was not so much the great advantage gained by those braggers (the Gurudakshina -donation -- they received meant a real fortune at my friends' expense) as for our friends missing the opportunity of learning Kriya from other sources, in other places. Something different happened to a friend of mine who met a descendant of Lahiri Mahasaya. This was one of the master's nephews, a man with a great academic background and with a deep knowledge of Kriya, but my friend was not able to learn anything from him. I was taken aback when he told me "something bizarre". He told me that in Benares, and probably throughout rest of India, Kriya Yoga was not practiced any longer. I kept enough control not to interrupt or to challenge him, then by posing him apparently incidental questions, I tried to understand what had happened. My friend, as he usually did, began their discussion with trivialities like asking some information on Indian habits, an Ashram 's address where he had planned to go, then almost at the end of the interview – he must have suddenly remembered he was in Lahiri Mahasaya's house – he asked if any of the disciples of Lahiri were still practicing Kriya... His demeanor must have frozen the eminent listener, because his answer resulted in a sarcastically sour, negative response; in other words: "Definitely not, it is not practiced any longer. I dare say it is not practiced throughout the whole Indian peninsula. Rather, you surely must be the only one still practicing it!". At the end of his explanations, my friend's eyes were looking at me surprisingly. I am still not sure whether he was hoping to convince me or whether he was just absorbed in bitter frustration. I did not pry into it. In my opinion, he did not realize how foolish his discussion had been with that noble person. A certain blow came for him one month later: he came to know that a man from his same town had recently been initiated into Kriya Yoga from the very personage he had met in Benares. He was so irritated by that news that he planned to go back to India to raise a protest to that Kriya Acharya. Unfortunately, this is something he did not have the chance to do; a serious disease killed him. In spite of our huge character difference, I will always be grateful to this friend for all the things that he shared with me concerning his spiritual path. Another friend of mine remained for some days at an Ashram in the hope he might receive initiation into Kriya Yoga . The leader of the Ashram was away, and my friend received the initiation into Kriya Yoga from one of his disciples. In the end, he acquired a large volume summarizing the techniques. At the end of his trip, visibly content, he showed me that book; the techniques did not differ that much from those I already knew, but there were many more details. However, there was nothing contained in that book that could remove all my doubts; not a single hint about how to obtain Kechari Mudra , nothing on Thokar either. On the contrary, I can remember a very complicated technique based on the visualization of the Chakras like they are described in Tantric texts. Each technique was preceded by a theoretic introduction with quotations from ancient 63
books and an illustration which eliminated any possible doubt. In the last part of the book a precise gradual routine was given. Of course, there was a note guaranteeing that all the mentioned techniques constituted Kriya Yoga as taught by Babaji , Lahiri Mahasaya's mythical Guru. Since that material was very interesting, I would have liked to yield to the illusion that my quest had finally ended, since those notes contained what I was asking for. I simply had to convince myself that Babaji had but made a synthesis of Tantrism to obtain His Kriya Yoga . It was impudent to think that Thokar could be considered no more than a variation of the Jalandhara Bandha! If the instructions for Kechari Mudra were not there, never mind, it probably just meant that … Kechari was not really so important! With a bit of good will and application I could have closed the circle. Chance made me listen to the recording of a conference of the author Swami S. S.. He discussed how he had found those techniques in some tantric texts which he had translated; he then made an accurate selection from them to form a coherent system which constituted his system of Kriya. How was it possible, then, to have a note saying that those teachings came directly from Babaji ? Simple - as is the case with the majority of Indian masters, he had the book written by his disciples; they had the brilliant idea of making it more interesting by hinting that the techniques were derived from the mythical Babaji . The teacher, reflecting another classic Indian habit, never checked that material – he was taken aback later on, coming to know about those "supplementary notes". He then tried to defend his disciples' work stating that after all …. " Babaji's Kriya had Tantric origins".
Third Teacher outside the Organization When the moment came to meet the long awaited teacher from India - the one, I hoped, who was going to explain Kriya in its complete form - I was not in the best mood. From some clues, I knew I was going to reckon with a radically new approach. I was afraid that this could upset the simple and adequately profitable routine into which I had settled. The magical realm of Omkar , into which my previous teacher had immersed me in a passionate way, could be neither left aside nor forgotten. I did not even dream about putting other principles in place as a foundation for my spiritual path. This is why I approached my new teacher with the idea of rejecting him if, somehow, he appeared to be trying to guide me away from such a reality. I met him in a Yoga center where he had been invited by some disciples. The synthesis of his introductory speech was that Kriya didn't mean to inflate the mind and the ego moving toward a hypothetical superior mind, but a journey beyond the mind, into an uncontaminated territory. From certain answers to people's questions, I came to know that he knew my former teacher and was aware of his choice not to teach the whole body of the Kriya techniques. He clearly communicated to us that the reason for his tour to the West was to reestablish the original teachings. This was enough to overcome my initial wariness. 64
During the following initiation seminar, I indulgently observed some inadequacies in his behavior which shocked other students. He was hottempered. He exploded with rage whenever he was addressed questions, even if they were legitimate; he would always sense, underneath the words, a veiled opposition - an intention of challenging his authority. But I focused all my attention on the learning his form of Kriya and ignore his patent faults. The technical explanation was reasonably clear but, in part, unusually synthetic. For instance, his instructions on Pranayama - formally correct - could be understood only by those who had already been practicing Kriya Yoga for a long time.
Kechari Mudra After three months of Talabya Kriya I achieved Kechari. One day, using my fingers to push the base of the tongue inward, its tip remain "trapped" in the nasal pharynx. I had some discomfort owing to an increase in salivation and a sense of irritation. For some days I experienced a feeling of "dizziness" and my mental faculties seemed to be fogged up. Then all this ceased and my Kriya flew high. When I went out for a walk, if I met somebody and stopped to listen to him, no matter what he said, a sudden joy would expand in my chest and rise to my eyes to the point that I could barely hold back my tears. Looking at the distant mountains or at other details of the landscape, I would try to direct my feeling toward them in order to turn my paralyzing joy into aesthetic rapture; only this could keep back the joy clutching my being, only this could hide it. The best thing was to witness an increase of the Omkar experience. I was overjoyed because I felt I had finally found the First Kriya complete set of techniques. How come my first school didn't teach such a simple technique like Talabya Kriya, preferring to endure endless polemics and speculations that continue up to our present day? I wrote my reasons to the organization and left it forever.
Navi Kriya and Internal Alchemy While trying to explore the meaning of Navi Kriya I discovered the importance of studying the Taoist Internal Alchemy. My first reference book was: Taoist Yoga: Alchemy and Immortality by Charles Luk& Lu Kuan. My attention was considerably stirred up; I remember how I photocopied many pages of the book, cut out the most important pieces, put them in order and glued them on four sheets of paper highlighting the four phases of Taoist Internal Alchemy. The similarity with Kriya Yoga was really impressive. The first stage is the basis of the whole process. It consists in activating the Microcosmic Orbit . Awareness and energy (Qi) are raised during inhalation along the Governor channel at the back of the spine and let flow down along the 65
Functional channel during exhalation. The purpose of this action is "to bring Three to Two, Two to One". Let us see what this means. The three are Jing (sexual energy), Qi (love energy) and Shen (spiritual energy). These energies are blended, mixed together. They were originated by a fracture, a split at one's birth. The first aim of activating the Microcosmic Orbit is to create harmony among them and thus exert a permanent healing action upon the personality. This procedure is very similar to Kriya Pranayama. Various metaphors used to explain its mechanism (bagpipe turned upside-down, flute with no holes...) bring back to our mind, with surprising similarity, some weird explanation about Kriya Pranayama and Kriya in general -- which we have received from different Indian sources. In the second stage the energy stored in the head is conveyed into the Dantian , behind the navel, in the lower abdomen. From the Dantian it ascends spontaneously into the heart region. The description of this stage exemplify clearly the principle of Navi Kriya. In the third stage, Prana is increased in the thrusting channel . This channel runs like a tube from the perineum to the Fontanelle through the center of the body, in the front of the spine. In the fourth stage the energy reaches the region between the eyebrows and a spontaneous phenomenon of circulation of energy in the body, (the Macrocosmic Orbit ) happens. Kriya Yoga turns out to be a discipline which can be described through the symbols of two different cultures. The idea comes that Kriya Yoga is the Taoist Internal Alchemy, taught within an Indian context. It is not a weird idea that the mythical Babaji was/is one of the "immortals" of the Taoist tradition. I studied every title I could find on the subject (Taoism included). My enthusiastic response derived from the intuition that Kriya Yoga and Taoist Internal Alchemy shared a common foundation and by studying the latter, I could understand more clearly the working of some Kriya techniques. There were two key ideas that excited my interest in particular. a. Sexual energy is the fuel of the spiritual energy Very interesting to understand the vital action of Kriya Pranayama is what Internal Alchemy explains about the three energies: Jing (sexual energy), Qi (love energy) and Shen (spiritual energy). Kriya Pranayama creates harmony among them and this is not clearly described in Kriya Yoga books. Through Kriya Pranayama the sexual energy turns into pure love and this in spiritual aspiration: this event implies a permanent healing action upon all one's personality. Kriya Pranayama sets one person free from all bondages. Sexual energy is not only what this name implies but also the agent that makes us rejoice in the sensory perceptions, and that which gives us the strength and the determination to fight the battle of life and to achieve all the things we need (unfortunately, another reason why we fight is to achieve things which are superfluous to our living, but this is another problem...!). The energy of love is a deep feeling toward another person, living creatures, life in general and also the joy felt beholding a work of art. It is the fuel of fair-minded actions born out of
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inner, noble instincts and ethical laws. The spiritual energy vibr ates during the highest peaks of aesthetic contemplation, where the vast prophetic visions may manifest. It has been explained that these energies derive from one unique realty, their division being originated at our birth and reinforced by education and social living. Many religious paths teach to maintain, rather to cultivate as a virtue, the division between matter and spirit - and sexuality is repressed as unholy. We know that this point is the main cause of nerve-wracking conflicts in spiritually minded people. During Kriya Pranayama, breath after breath, the sexual thoughts (which seem to be reinforced) will turn into love thoughts. The energy of love acquires strength, the determination not to succumb to any obstacle; it is then raised into the head where it mixes with the energy of the Spirit. Any split in our personality will disappear: our many-sided life begins to flow naturally, unimpeded toward Spirit. Now, in order that this happens, the energy has to come up to the head and then flow down into the body passing through the tongue. Some kriyabans , especially if they don't practice Kechari Mudra - during the initial deep breaths of their Kriya Pranayama, develop sexual thoughts - it is not unusual they become sexually aroused. This event should not result in disappointment and loss of self-esteem! It is comfortable to be reassured that this is a normal phenomenon. They should assume Kechari Mudra , either proper or a simplified form of it, and concentrate, during exhalation, on the flow of Prana coming down from the top of the brain, passing through the tip of the tongue into the throat and into the body, each part of the body, as a beatific, healing rain restoring life in the body. They will immediately experience how sexual thoughts disappear and become pure love. This great energy of love will gradually turn into pure aspiration for the spiritual goal. b. The Macrocosmic Orbit embodies the perfection of Kriya Pranayama When the three energies (sexual, love and spiritual) are mixed harmoniously, they create the elixir of immortality. It trickles down into the body and feeds every cell. This happens in a state called "prenatal breathing" which is a movement of internal energy that gives perceptions similar to those obtained through the Microcosmic Orbit but is now experienced in the breathless state ( Kevala Kumbhaka ). This refined experience makes the spiritual path complete: the Divine is infused into our body. The spiritual path does not end with a flight out of the body toward the rarefied dimensions of the Spirit. The Macrocosmic Orbit discloses undreamed of sceneries. It appears as an experience of perfect Beauty.
When I had enough confidence to communicate my discovery to my third teacher, he reacted annoyed claiming that Navi Kriya was pure Yoga and was quoted by Patanjali too. Patanjali ( Sutra III/29) simply states: "nābhicakre kāyavyūhajñānamḥ" which is translated: "by concentration on the navel, the seeker obtains knowledge about the different organs of the body and their location". In my own small way, I saw that this Sutra had nothing to do with 67
Navi Kriya 's aim. I had long, passionate talks with people who had studied and followed that path for decades. It was of great help to read some articles and essays written by Michael Winn. This researcher studied Kundalini Yoga in the late 70's and Kriya Yoga afterwards with a renowned teacher. He observed that while through Kundalini Yoga one is just trying to climb up to the crown of their head to experience there divine ecstasy, in the Taoist Internal Alchemy one utilizes that state to reach the body, nurture and transform it. He noticed that, although Kriya Yoga has many parallels with the Taoist Internal Alchemy, it is substantially a "fire" path, a path of "ascent". But any energy movement upward has to be balanced by a movement downward, until one settles in the still point of no movement. In our body that point is the Dan Tian, the doorway to reach the prenatal state of blissful breathlessness. Michael Winn was wholly devoted to Taoist Internal Alchemy and Qigong ( Chi Kung ). According to him no tradition respects the whole mystery of human nature as deeply as the Taoist Internal Alchemy. One who wants to follow the spiritual path could avoid a wide range of problems by listening to the practical wisdom it embodies. He took the binding appointment of teaching only from direct personal experience. In his opinion, oral or written teachings may become traps: only the living experience promotes the true self-inquiry which leads to Self realization. One should take the teachings received by the tradition into consideration, try them with a lot of respect and take also the courage to solve the problems that might arise alone. He reports that, in the many years of his own practice, he has evolved toward simplicity -- he is confident that somebody will take his refinements and improve on them. Among the very interesting information that I found in his writings, I was surprised to learn that the annoying problem of secrecy concerns also the Taoist Internal Alchemy. As usual it was claimed that secrecy was meant to protect the purity of the lineage and prevent corruption by selfish people who might abuse the spiritual power gained... The author maintains that these are pretexts, not sincere and not sufficiently thought over. Actually, a taoist said to him: "We don't know why the ancients kept it so secret. We just imitate them". Michael Winn's noble definitive position is that if one feels spiritually attracted to some particular teaching and feels worthy to receive it, then he has the right to learn it without groveling at anyone's feet. No human being should be denied the opportunity of achieving true spiritual independence!
The Teaching of Krishnamurti Since the works of Sri Krishnamurti (Krishnaji for those who loved him) were the source from which my third teacher drew to full hands for his discourses about the damages caused by the vices of the human mind, I put my heart and my soul into a systematic study of them. The first line I read was: "... thought is cunning, with infinite possibilities 68
of self-deception." How true! The odd thing was that Krishnaji's thought contained the crucial and conclusive boost that would assist me, after many years of controversial but loyal discipleship, to break any dependence toward my third teacher. Krishnamurti said what was then difficult to fully agree with: "What is the need of a Guru? [...] You have to walk by yourself, you have to take the journey alone, and on that journey you have to be your own teacher and pupil." While I was reading these lines, I felt undoubtedly they expressed a deep truth but my logic suggested peremptorily: "This is a sophism: even Krishnaji acted as a Guru and acts upon me just now through his writings". The time was not mature yet to actualize his words: fear held me back. Many mistakes had to be conceived, carry out and digested. For the present moment, the concept that entered my mind was that Kriya Yoga (Krishnaji referred in general to "meditation") leads to a territory that cannot be grasped by reasonings, by the many fantasies of the human mind. He hinted at something immense: a stream of truth that has no beginning and no end. I studied many books by this author but I was literally overcome by the beauty of The only revolution . I walked in the country looking at all things with my senses fully awake, but without a single thought in my mind. How difficult it was! But it was not impossible. How right was Krishnaji when he said: "life begins where thought ends." I had a great necessity of recreating silence around me, of returning to simplicity, of finding the time to contemplate again Beauty. Walking with this attitude became pure and constant Bliss! During recent years Beauty was always around me but I didn't noticed it because I was lost in my mental constructions based on New Age fantasies, on pseudo spiritual literature which was actually trash. I was not able to see that Beauty for I was lost -- as Krishnaji would say -- in the "Beauty of my own making." The more I read Krishnaji, the more I felt I had recently crossed a hell. The obsession for finding the techniques of the "Original Kriya" didn't emanate from a heightened form of spirituality but was no different to the desire for material things. Actually, it was with this poor attitude that, partially unaware, I was living my hectic search. It was distracting, preventing me from enjoying what I already had, and impoverished me, draining me of the flow of genuine aspiration toward the Divine. The effort to create mental silence brought me at the very beginning of my spiritual path. I remember how I decided to conquer the tendency to day-dream and jump from one memory to another during my idle moments. At that time, I knew perfectly that unbridled thought was a real addiction, a vice, giving moments of pleasure but being the primary cause of many misery. It was to discipline myself that I considered studying the art of Pranayama and discovered Kriya Yoga . I saw it was time to put a definitive end to my relationship with the New Age world, avoiding those people who seemed irremediably lost in it. A pranotherapeut got into the habit of coming unrequested into my life to rob me of my time and peace -- she wanted to teach me "to live with the heart". Since years she was putting stress on me criticizing my rationality and excessive commitment to Kriya Yoga. Undoubtedly she thought I was cold-hearted. But I 69
had a compassionate heart suffering of losing my time with her. It was with my all heart that I gave her the right to swim in her mental swamps and estranged forever myself from her presence. In that period I read also Puran Purush by Ashoke Kumar Chatterjee). Although it does not seem to respect a logical order in the topics and contains an endless number of repetitions and rhetorical sentences, I think that studying it can help more than any other books to understand Lahiri Mahasaya's personality -- thus, the core of Kriya may be reached as fast as an arrow. Puran Purush is based on Lahiri Mahasaya's diaries. It came out in Bengali (then in French and in English), thanks to one of Lahiri Mahasaya's nephews, Satya Charan Lahiri (1902-1978), who had material access to those diaries. Helped by his main disciple Ashoke Kumar Chatterjee, he decided to make a selection of the main thoughts which might be useful to those who practiced Kriya. Remarkable is the great importance he gave to Pranayama, Thokar and Yoni Mudra. It shows his skill in communicating complicated abstract concepts when he affirms that the whole course of Kriya is a great adventure beginning with a dynamic Prana and ending with a static Prana . One feels a thrill of delight by reading sentences which have light in themselves: " Kutastha is God, he is the supreme Brahma ". During summer I used to have this book with me in the countryside; many times, after reading a part of it, I would raise my eyes to the distant mountaintops and repeat inside of me "At long last…!". I looked at the photograph of Lahiri Mahasaya on the front cover; who knows what a state of bliss he was in while being photographed! I saw some horizontal lines on his forehead, his eyebrows raised like in the Shambhavi Mudra , where awareness is set upon the head; a slight tension of his chin seemed to reveal he was practicing Kechari Mudra. During those days, his figure, with that blissful smile, was a sun in my heart; he was the symbol of the perfection I yearned after. I also read the commentaries on some sacred writings attributed to Lahiri Mahasaya. In these commentaries, he explained the meaning of the sacred texts. Later, his disciple P. Bhattacharya printed these interpretations. These books were little known for a long time, as they were written in Bengali. They were later translated into English. A lot of people studied that material with enthusiasm, hoping to find there some useful information, yet they were disappointed. We are not able to extract anything useful from them. I dare not say they are adulterated but I think that their value - from an exegetic point of view - is almost null. It seems to me almost impossible that they came really from Lahiri Mahasaya: I don't find the same practical wisdom and tremendous realization expressed in his diaries. I find rather a mind with an almost maniacal tendency to interpret each thing in the light of Kriya, as if centuries before, the authors of those spiritual works knew exactly one by one all the Kriya techniques. According to my discernment, it is possible to hypothesize that, reading the verses of those texts, Lahiri Mahasaya was transported from the force of his insight, forgot completely the starting point and, entranced, talked extensively and freely about the subtleties of Kriya. What he said on that occasion could have been taken as a specific comment to that text. Furthermore, it is possible that, in order to publish those hard-to-understand notes, the editor had them completed with parts of his own comprehension.
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Higher Kriyas and Incremental Routines It was in that period that I became familiar with the concept of Incremental Routine which I immediately considered heaven-sent. When we think of the Kriya practice we imagine the classic unvarying scheme which consists in a daily practice of the same set of techniques, changing neither their order of practice nor the number of their repetitions. An Incremental Routine is a particular feature of Lahiri Mahasaya's Kriya. It consists in once a week, for a certain number of weeks (20 – 24 – 36 …), putting the usual routine aside and using only one technique, whose number of repetitions is gradually increased up to a certain amount that the tradition has handed down as optimal. This is the most remunerative Kriya praxis because it leads to the mastery (unimaginable with any other scheme of practice) of the techniques which are utilized for such procedure; it has also a positive effect on one's personality, releasing it from many inner obstacles. This procedure can be applied to each Kriya technique, in particular to Navi Kriya, Kriya Pranayama and to all the Higher Kriyas. These routines soon revealed their great heuristic value. The essential core of each technique, deprived of any embellishment, appeared as something fixed, definite, inevitable - something that could not be but that way. If a certain variation of a Kriya technique was redundant or ineffective, it would fall away by itself. What remained was just the simplest logical translation of Lahiri Mahasaya's words into practice. During the long sessions of the incremental routines of Navi Kriya and of Kriya Pranayama, often an invincible drowsiness overpowered all my best efforts. On the inner screen of my awareness was displaying a lot of images like dreamlike visions. No help came from changing the position of the legs, practicing Maha Mudra several times, or interrupting for a short pause the practice. Many times I wondered what benefit, if any, could be received from what seemed to be a voyage into the unconscious world of dreams. Yet I didn't abandon my project and went on increasing the length of my sessions. From a certain moment onwards, especially by adopting Kechari Mudra , the drowsiness changed into an extraordinary condition of relaxation. I couldn't understand how I dwelt now in the most complete tranquility having practiced hundreds of such breaths, while once, after 60 repetitions of Pranayama , I developed so much nervousness that I couldn't remain sitting. The period in which I plunged head-first into the incremental routine of Thokar was really a magic one: I would lie if I do not affirm that I have an endless nostalgia for those days. I believe I had really overworked it by using too much this incomparable tool. I started this routine at the beginning of March on a near perfect day under a flawless blue sky, where the crisp pure air invited me to practice outside in its beauty. The Mantra 's syllables, which I would carefully place into each Chakra, would warm me up, the way the sun warms up the land around. When in the late afternoon the practice neared the end, I was more keen 71
on enjoying the vibration of each syllable. After each syllable, I created a short pause, enough to perceive the sweet irradiation springing out from each center. This amplified the experience of joy - limitlessly. One evening, a sound of tolling bells came from a distant village - it was like a cascade of light! So unexpected was it! A part of my mind went on repeating: "A human being has never been granted so much joy!" All went on in the best of ways. I was living a magnificent period. One day I had a visit from the couple that organized the master's tours in Germany. I had become acquainted with those kind friends during the seminars of my previous teacher S.H.. Meeting again and considering the actual situation we rejoiced together. Talking, we underlined the necessity of making a particular proposal to our teacher: to organize, at the end of his future Kriya initiation seminars, a guided group practice which served as a review both for the new initiates and for those who were already practicing. I occupied myself with making this proposal reach the teacher through a friend who went to India. I gave him a letter to deliver to the teacher with my regards and a warm embrace. Master's reaction was inexplicable. As a reply, he crossed me off his list of disciples. His decision was transmitted to the Italian coordinator, who did not even inform me. Some months went by and probably my experience with that teacher would have ended that way, had I not went to welcome him back to Europe. We exchange hugs as nothing had happened. He probably interpreted my presence there as a move of repentance. (Actually, he had interpreted my letter as an oblique criticism.) When his collaborator, with a slight indecipherable hint of embarrassment, explained me what happened behind the scenes, I was appalled and disoriented. In order not to disturb the peace of all the persons who were with me to receive initiation in the Higher Kriyas, I decided to pretend nothing happened, keep on collaborating with him and to drop the theme of my letter. But I deliberately began to control myself and took the resolution not to give him any unsolicited advice in the future. In order to explain the definitive crack in our relationship, it is necessary to refer again to the haste and shallowness with which he explained the Kriya techniques. The introductory lecture to the Kriya (which was usually held the evening before initiation) and a big part of the seminar of initiation was devoted to a pure philosophical talk which didn't touch the bases of Kriya Yoga but was a summing up of Krishnamurti's strong points, mainly the theme of no-mind, which he improperly called Swadhyaya. There was no part of it that could be criticized, all he said was correct, but many students, being uncomfortable sitting on the floor, with aching back and knees, waited just for the explanation of the techniques, enduring its length as a giant bummer. The traditional offerings (he required also a coconut, which in our place was very difficult to find, forcing the students to desperately look for it store after store) laid heaped up disorderly before a scruffy altar. Since he usually arrived with great delay relative to the agreed time, those who came from other cities saw all their plans for the return journey falling through and were very anxious. 72
When, just in time to catch the last train, someone had already left the room, despite it being late and people being tired, he loved to linger on Patanjali's Yama and Niyama, taking all the necessary time to ask the audience to take a solemn vow: that, from now onwards, the male students would look at women (except their wife) as mothers and, correspondingly, women would look at men (except their husband) as fathers. The public listened to his vain words with a sigh of ill-concealed nuisance. Everyone gave an assent with a nod, just to stop his ravings. 12 Only then he switched to a hurried explanation of the basic techniques. One day I decided to time him: the explanation of the fundamental technique of Pranayama was offered in no more than two minutes! He demonstrated Pranayama by means of an excessively loud vibratory sound. He knew that this sound was not correct, but he continued using it in order to be heard by the last rows of students too, sparing himself the annoyance of getting up and walking among them, as Kriya teachers usually do. In any case, he would not bother to say that the sound had to be smooth rather than vibrating. I know that many of the students, believing that this was the "secret" he had brought from India, tried to reproduce the same noise. He carried on that way for years, in spite of his close collaborators' polite complaints. As for Higher Kriyas the situation was the same. It happened that from one year to another he demonstrated Thokar in a visibly different way. When one among the listeners asked him about the reason for the changes, he argued he had not changed anything and that, in the past seminars, a problem of translation might have occurred. People remembered very well the head movements they had formerly seen: his lie was too evident. Although I spent weeks with him, it was not possible that we discussed this technical detail together. Months later, during another tour, when we were alone and he was seeking something in a room, I found the courage to drop a hint about a technical issue, which set one Kriya school against another. He suddenly turned toward me with his eyes showing such a hate as if he was in the act of killing me; he shouted that my practice was not his business. This, according to what I'm able to remember, was the sole technical "discourse" I had with him in the course of my six years with him. Confronted with other minor changes from one year to another, I had the impression that I was cooperating with an archaeologist who was deliberately altering certain findings in order to justify them to the public in the theoretical 12
I respect of course Yama-Niyama (the what-is-correct and the what-is-not-correct) but, in my opinion, requiring people who are anxious for learning Kriya Yoga techniques to take an oath to obey them is only a farce and a waste of time. My teacher's request in particular was impossible, an oath that no one would ever respect. Why not put confidence in the transforming power of Kriya? Why thinking that without oaths, a kriyaban 's life would be licentious? The necessity of accepting definite ways of behavior, is something that appears spontaneously after having tasted the honey of the spiritual experience. Perhaps in the beginning the best thing is not to cry shame because of a problematic student's behavior. To put it simply, it has been seen that people living a morally questionable life were successful in Kriya , coming spontaneously to the socalled virtuous life, while a lot of conformists failed. 73
framework to which he was accustomed. I saw that so many things were not going in the right direction. My subconscious mind was beginning to rebel. I can vividly remember a dream in which I was swimming in manure. I felt that this man, whose every small whim I tried to satisfy as if I was doing a sacred deed, did not love Kriya. He used it, instead, only to conduct a more beautiful life here in the West compared to the wretched life in India -- which he had often described to me. I helped to organize his tours in a way so that he could spread Kriya in his rushed, superficial manner: behind my mask of fake delight hid a dry agony. There were moments in which, thinking of my meek beginning in the practice of Yoga, my heart felt an indefinite nostalgia for that period which was waiting for nothing but consistency and honesty on my side to rise again and blossom unimpeded. Often I repeated like a Mantra these verses from a poem ( Journey's End ) of Sri Aurobindo: Now the wasteland, now the silence; A blank dark wall, and behind it heaven.
Turning Point For reasons that I don't want to explore here, one day he asked me to teach Kriya to those who were interested and who couldn't meet him in his tours. I rejoiced at this opportunity because I dreamed I could finally explain Kriya in a complete and exhaustive way. I wanted no student to feel the pain of seeing a legitimate question unconsidered. After some months -- about a dozen people had received Kriya -- I sensed I was doing a virtually useless work. I gave Kriya initiation following the fixed protocol by which he bid me to abide. After introducing the theme of no-mind, I switched to the explanation of the basic techniques. I took leave of those students, by counseling a minimal routine, well knowing that they would practice for some weeks, then most of them would leave everything and pursue other esoteric interests. One or two among the most tenacious students made up some questions and called me just to have the illusion of carrying on, from a distance, a relationship with a real person. I answered kindly but succinctly and invited them to the next seminar where my teacher would be present. Usually, they didn't "survive" such a meeting. Observing in my teacher the most total lack of human understanding, they entered a deep crisis. They doubted that Kriya worked and that they had made the right choice in receiving initiation in it. Another year went by. As an answer to some friends abroad, I went on behalf of my teacher to their group to teach them Kriya Yoga. There I met a very serious student who was already familiar with my teacher's behavior and was taking part in the initiation ceremony only as a revision. He asked me a lot of pertinent questions, always getting accurate answers. That was the point when he asked me: "From whom have you learned all these details?". He knew well that my teacher was a total disaster from a didactic point of view. He perceived that I had learned many details from other sources. How could I ever give Kriya initiation using a knowledge that did not originate from my teacher? 74
He could understand my predicament but was surprised that, since I was authorized to teach Kriya, I had never found the chance to talk freely with him about the Kriya details! It was logical and befitting for me to settle the matter as soon as possible. Knowing how irascible the disposition of my teacher was, I hesitated a lot, but there was no other way out. Through a friend, I sent him a fax where I mentioned the matter at hand and prayed him to arrange his s chedule in a way that we could discuss it after his arrival in my group during his next tour. He was in Australia, but within one week at the latest I would have received his answer. My subconscious mind was ready for the cataclysm, in anticipation of an event I intuitively knew would come. The most probable situation was that my teacher would have become very angry and would have flown into a fury. If the whole situation slipped out of my hands and, as a result of our break, he would stop coming to our group, those people who loved him would suffer. Few people, in fact, would be able to comprehend the reason for my action. I would have been the one who had disturbed an imperfect, yet comfortable, situation. My friends liked him; his annual visit was a powerful stimulus to their effort; they got themselves up for his visit with an intense practice of Kriya. A harsh reply from my third teacher came just a few days later. In a disdainful way, he did not address it directly to me but pretended to answer back to the 'persona' that had materially sent my letter via fax. He wrote that my excessive attachment to the techniques would never let me out of the fences of my mind -- I was like S. Thomas, too desirous to touch with my hand and verify the goodness of his teachings. He added that he would have satisfied my request but only for gratifying my ego. Reading the term "gratification," I saw he had understood nothing. We should have talked to each other long before it came to this! I wondered why he had never let me express my concerns. I didn't want to contest him, I didn't want to destroy him; the necessity that brought me to write to him was to establish once and for all what I was supposed to communicate and what not to communicate to the kriyabans during initiation. Why did he always evade me? I decided to behave in a candid way as if I had not perceived his tone: I had the desire to see what he was capable of doing. I neither apologized nor answered in a resentful tone. I wrote that, since I taught Kriya on his behalf, a mutual talk about some Kriya details was necessary. I added that at such an event the other three people in Europe, authorized by him to impart the Kriya initiation, could also be present. I thus made him understand that he would have not wasted his time and breath only for me. I did not receive, neither then nor later, any answer. Some weeks later I was shown that on his Internet site the plan of his visit to Italy had changed and the name of my town had been taken off; my second letter had brought about a definitive split. The nightmare was over! I took a one day vacation and had a long walk; I roamed a lot, tensely, imagining a hypothetical talk with him. All of a sudden I found myself crying with joy. It was too beautiful: I was free, I had been too many years with him, and now all that really ended!
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CHAPTER 5
A CLEAN MYSTICAL PATH
The years that followed the break-up with my last teacher were completely different from the previously described years. Having dismissed that rascal from my life, an enervating situation was over. I didn't have to go here and there to organize Kriya seminars; while replying to those who called me to ask information about him, I was relieved of any constraint of wearing a mask of hypocrisy. This split of my relationship with that teacher was perceived with bewilderment by those friends who felt they were his disciples. In time they understood the deep-seated motives of my breakup and expressed solidarity with me. Like a domino effect, other coordinators in Europe, who had hardly been tolerating his bad manners, took advantage of that episode to also break any contact with him. They were fed up with the dullness of his philosophical discourses followed by scanty technical explanations, which didn't quench their thirst for a thoroughly understanding of Kriya. I had not even a faint idea of what our group was to become without a teacher joining us in the near future. The sense of all the time wasted -- of all the silly things which had been carried out thoughtlessly -- was weighing me down. My first organization of Kriya and the other teachers that I followed for so many years had disappointed me for one reason. None of them taught Kriya in a serious way. Better said: when it came to teach simple and banal things that even kindergarten children could understood, there was a great profusion of words, the concepts were repeated ad nauseam; when they came near the core issues and when among the public there was one who politely but with determination asked a precise explanation, they seemed to come out of an hypnotic state and, visibly vexed, tried to humiliate the scrupulous student and silence him. Some months later the wheel of good fortune seemed to be turning again; there was the possibility of inviting a new Kriya Acharya to Europe. As he was well qualified for his role, I accepted to cooperate with this project, bearing part of its cost. An intimate kriyaban friend went to India to meet this teacher for a private interview.
Musings upon the Guru-disciple Relationship It was Winter. One day I went to the nearby mountains to ski with a couple of friends. All went magnificently. During a break in the afternoon, I manage to remain alone. I found myself looking at the mountains marking out the boundaries of the distant horizon in all directions. In less than half an hour the sun would paint them pink – of an intense hue on their eastern side and tinged with blue on the western side. I imagined India to be right behind them, the Himalayas being their continuation. My thought went to all the Kriya enthusiasts who found, as I did, insurmountable obstacles in the understanding of that beloved discipline. All those obstacles seemed to me an absurdity that wore the 76
clothes of a nightmare -- I felt an infinite rebellion. I visualized a book on Kriya explaining every technique in great detail. How often have I wondered what would have happened if Lahiri Mahasaya or one of his disciples had written it! My imagination led me to fantasize about its cover, to skim its few pages – sober, yet very rich in content. If this book existed, we would have a reliable manual of Kriya that would have restrained the many small or large variations made up by various teachers. Perhaps some annotator would try to force its meaning into his own theories. Nay, I'm sure that some pseudo- guru would say that the techniques described in it were for beginners only, while there were much more complicated techniques which could only be passed on by an authorized teacher to chosen disciples. Some people would swallow that bait, contact the author and pay good money to be introduced to the rubbish that, either through fancy or borrowed from some esoteric book, he had assembled. This happens, this is part of our human nature. However, sincere researchers would surely be able to recognize the strength and self-sufficient intrinsic evidence of the original text.... The problem consisted in the fact that mine was only a day dream! I let my thoughts stray toward what could have happened if I had written it. For the first time I dared to contemplate this prospect. It was hard, yet possible, to summarize the totality of my knowledge of Kriya into a book -- welding together techniques and theories through a clean, rational vision. The intention was definitely not to celebrate myself or lay the foundations for yet another new school of Kriya. If I was describing my experiences, this would only be with the purpose of clarifying theoretic and technical explanations. No more rhetorical claims of legitimacy and riddle-like sentences to allow the reader to guess at some technical details and, at the same time, creating further doubts! I was day dreaming of a book which would prove its validity by attempting to reproduce Lahiri Mahasaya's thought, in the simplest and most logical way, in a complete, harmonious set of techniques! It came to my mind the book: Hatha Yoga: The Report of a Personal Experience by Theos Bernard. 13 A similar book on Kriya would be a real blessing for scholars and researchers. My book could not be a threat to any honest Kriya Acharya's activity, especially if they had accepted to teach the entire Kriya properly - gradually, of course, with the required care without keeping anything for themselves . Good teachers are and will always be needed, in any field, when a skill is to be transmitted. But how could one highlight this to them, without being at odds with the deeply-rooted conditioning of their "cerebral chemistry"? Of course, some teachers of Kriya - those who get by on donations received during rituals of initiation and who exert power over people thanks to the pledge of secrecy - would consider my book as a real threat. Maybe what was virtually eternal for them (living like a lord, surrounded by 13
This extraordinary handbook, better than all the others, clarifies the teachings contained in the three fundamental texts of Tantrism: Hatha Yoga Pradipika, Gheranda Samhita and Shiva Samhita . In spite of having been published many years ago and of the several texts of Hatha Yoga appearing recently, that book is still one of the best. Old, 'dusty' techniques once again became relevant, feasible, comprehensible in front of the eyes of our intuition. 77
people who have to meet all their needs with the hope of getting the crumbs of their "secrets") might change, and they would be fearful of that. They would try to destroy its credibility by means of a pitiless censorship. I anticipated their scornful comments uttered while skimming its pages: "It contains only stories that have nothing to do with Babaji's and Lahiri Mahasaya's teachings. It spreads a false teaching!" Other people for different reasons could not like the book, either because they are taken aback by the barrenness of an exposition deprived of frills, which hurts their convictions, or because their refined sensibility does not manage to catch that ' vibration' which should characterize the authenticity of the author's experience. Only those who love Kriya more than their whims would feel an enormous relief in finding it in an esoteric library. I was already living in their happiness. Thanks to them, the book would continue to circulate, and who knows how many times it would get back to the teacher who had decreed its unforgivable flaws. At times he would have to pretend not to notice that a student was browsing through its pages during his seminars, thus missing a part of the conference… By staring into the blue of the sky above the gilded mountain brims, I saw that bizarre situation as poignantly real. Each part of my dream had developed in the space of a few seconds, invaded my consciousness as a swollen torrent, as if every part of it had already been rehearsed and cherished innumerable times. But when I returned to my life, I got choked up by my doubts. How could I find the courage to violate the vow of secrecy, coarsely challenging the sacredness of the Guru-disciple relationship as the unique way to be instructed in Kriya? For sure, an innumerable amount of times I had thought: "Such a rule is the cause of disastrous effects, of excruciating conflicts and sufferings; they say it is sacred, but it cannot be: it is human, the outcome of petty calculations". In my experience, secrecy was a blind dogma, insensitive to the suffering of many researchers. I recalled what happened many, many times when some friends of mine who didn't understand English, asked to receive initiation into the Higher Kriyas -- such instruction was given only in written form to those who had completed the study of the complete set of lessons which existed only in English, German and Spanish. The answer was always an inflexible no. I perceived this as a cruel form of discrimination. I remembered a couple of cases in which the rigid injunction had been broken by common sense. People who were otherwise faithful to the organization had, under exceptional conditions, broken that rule. A kriyaban explained the dynamics of Kriya Pranayama to his invalid, but willing and capable to practice it, mother. In another case that really made me uneasy, a Catholic priest sincerely desired to learn Kriya but could not receive it from the right channels because of an issue of conscience in the act of signing the application form of the lessons; he found a kriyaban who explained to him the technique and shared with him his lessons -- that was an action he was strictly forbidden to do. However, it was clear that writing a book was all another thing: this very idea created a painful grip in my breast along with a general sense of uneasiness 78
and unreality. I understood that in order to be at peace with myself, I had first to analyze in depth the concept of Guru. If the Guru-disciple relationship is an illusion that one day will dissolve, how should it be considered, how should we relate to it, during that long phase of the path in which the illusion appears to us at all effects as reality? Certainly the Guru cannot be considered identical to God. Lahiri Mahasaya refused to be worshiped as a God. This is a point that some among His followers seem to have forgotten. Actually he said: "I am not the Guru, I don't maintain a barrier between the true Guru (the Divine) and the disciple". He added that he wanted to be considered like "a mirror". In other words, each kriyaban should look at him not as an unreachable ideal, but as the personification of all the wisdom and spiritual realization which, in due time, the Kriya practice will be able to produce. When kriyabans realize that their Guru is the personification of what resides potentially inside themselves, of what one day they will become, then that mirror must be "thrown away". 14 Some years before, I was perplexed when representatives of my first organization suggested that Guru and God were one and the same reality. A chief of the most important Italian branch of my school had once instructed me: "Don't you understand that P.Y. is the Divine Mother Herself"? Only now I was able to see how extraneous this teaching was from my sensitivity. From the idea that Guru and God are the same reality, there comes the idea that the organization is the materialization of God's will. Now, if there were no request of secrecy, the Guru-God would belong to everyone, would inevitably become more "human". The organization would become just an institution devoted to publishing the works of the Master. Only through the dogma of secrecy could they hope to maintain that a kriyaban cannot approach God, if not through that Guru and that organization. The myth of secrecy allows the myths of the irreplaceable role of the organization to be kept alive. Other justifications for this myth appear fragile. They claim that secrecy helps "to maintain the purity of the teachings". Knowing some minor but however important alterations in the practice of Kriya supported by organizations, it would be better to affirm: "to maintain the purity of the modifications!" I might be wrong, but I feel that the unique benefit of secrecy for an individual is to have one's pleasure of possessing something exclusive reach a fever pitch. 15 I am aware that this individual may truly feel that the 14
Whether one likes it or not, that is exactly what He wrote: thrown away. People who have been raised with the usual dogmas about the Guru-disciple relationship are prevented from fully understanding the impact of these words, otherwise they would face a strong conflict within themselves. To face the truth, it takes courage and an intelligent, discriminating approach to abandon one's own illusions, especially those that are nice and gratifying. Besides courage, it takes also a good brain capable of overcoming the tendency to be easily swayed. 15 It is strange to remark that only in the world of initiatic magic a method is deprived of its value if it is learned in non-conventional ways. The threat of possible calamities that would happen to whom infringes the dogma of secrecy clashes with everything we read in the biographies of the saints; it instead perfectly suits those of the esoteric-magic dimension of certain societies – rather, secrecy is essential to their preservation. 79
spiritual vibrations received through formal Initiation brought his practice to a "higher octave". I won't dare to contradict him. But if one day he will dismiss the practice, rejecting all the Kriya matter as an overcome obsession, no one will deprive me the pleasure of asking where have all those spiritual vibrations gone and ... what "octave" is he now attuned to. Again my thought had turned onto a minor point. The weird thing was that the word Guru was attributed to a person whom the disciples had not known directly. Students were required to swear their everlasting devotion not only to one person but also to a chain of Masters, even if only one of them was to be regarded as the Guru-preceptor. It is the Guru-preceptor that introduces you to God. There is no other way to achieve Self realization. Once the students were initiated into a spiritual discipline by the "legitimate channels" (authorized disciples), the departed Guru was said to be real and present in their life. They were taught that their Guru would burn somehow a part of their Karma and protect them evermore; he was a special aid chosen by God Himself even before they began to seek the spiritual path. Looking for a different spiritual teaching amounted to "a hateful rejection of the Divine’s hand, stretched out to offer benediction". A spiritual researcher with a balanced rational-devotional approach has good reason to be baffled by this. My thoughts began to revolve again around the situation of the diffusion of Kriya. It was very difficult for me to put all the crucial points in a logic order. I tried to think sequentially but either the mental and physical fatigue was impairing my reasoning ability or different conditionings carved in my brain acted as entities which had a life of their own. Each time I tried to organize my vision in a well-integrated and coherent whole, this, for one reason or another, appeared to me as a monstrosity. One evening, while I practiced Pranayama with the awareness totally centered in Sahasrara and the tongue in Kechari Mudra, I had the inner vision of three beautiful mountains. The central mountain, the highest, was black; its form reminded me of the point of an arrow made of obsidian. My heart exulted, I was madly enamored of that image; I found myself crying for joy. I remained as calm as possible to feel that particular strength and pressure that increased tightening the whole region of my chest with its grip of beatitude. That image was strong, tremendously vivid in my inner vision. There could be nothing more beautiful: it made me mad with love. I had the impression of having cast a glance toward the misty sources from which my current trend of life originated. It was as if an inner thread linked all my past actions to that image, receiving meaning and significance from it. That mountain was the symbol of the universal spiritual path. It talked to my intuition: "A Guru might be very important to your spiritual development, but your personal effort when you remain alone is far more important. In any Guru-disciple relationship there comes a moment when you remain alone and you awaken to the realization that your path is a solitary flight between you and your indwelling Self. The Guru-disciple relationship is an illusion -- useful and comfortable -- appearing real until you are not overcome by what surpasses your 80
mind." That glaring intuition faded away after a couple of days. One evening, after a long walk, subdued by a sudden tiredness, I dragged myself back home. Worn-out by my thoughts, the problem of the Guru-disciple relationship emerged, obscurely, more as a wound than as a theory unfolding its myths. In my room, I set the record player on "repeat", playing Beethoven's second movement of the Emperor Concerto... Did anybody, after having haunted all the possible ceremonies of Initiation given by the "legitimate" channels, being stuffed with all the possible Guru' s blessings, ever practice Kriya with the same dignity and courage with which Beethoven challenged his fate? I turned down the lights and watched the sun go down behind some trees on the top of a hill. The shape of a cypress covered a part of that great, blood-red circle. That was the eternal beauty! That was the norm by which I would be inspired. I closed my eyes for various minutes and tried to have a dispassionate, unemotional discernment of the situation. A strange image captured my attention - that of Vivekananda's "investiture" by his Guru Ramakrishna. I read that one day, toward the end of his life, Ramakrishna entered Samadhi while his disciple was near him. Vivekananda started to feel a strong current before fainting. Having returned to consciousness, his Guru, crying , whispered: "O my Naren (Vivekananda), everything I had I gave to you, today. I have become a poor fakir, I do not have anything; with these powers you will do the world an immense good". Later, Ramakrishna explained that the powers he passed onto him could not be used for his own spiritual fulfillment, one had to get to that by himself; on the contrary, they would help him in his mission as a spiritual teacher. I think my subconscious came up with such a flash as a warning not to yield to the temptation of throwing something valid and precious away. Now, if we say that Ramakrishna was Vivekananda's Guru, we are saying something true and unquestionable . It came to me spontaneously to again read the memorable, impressive discourse by Dostoevsky about the role of elders in Russian monasteries in his The Brothers Karamazov : "What was such an elder? An elder was one who took your soul, your will, into his soul and his will. When you choose an elder, you renounce your own will and yield it to him in complete submission, complete self-abnegation. This novitiate, this terrible school of abnegation, is undertaken voluntarily, in the hope of self-conquest, of self-mastery, in order, after a life of obedience, to attain perfect freedom, that is, from self; to escape the lot of those who have lived their whole life without finding their true selves in themselves. " (Translated by Constance Garnett)
Eventually the awareness dawned upon me that Vivekananda' story and Dostoevsky's extract depicted situations which were intrinsically, exceedingly different from mine. The organization made me believe that I had a Guru -whereas in fact I was light years away from having one. While the great examples of Guru-disciple relationship were based on a real physical meeting between two persons, my relationship was purely ideal. There was no other Guru 81
in which I could mirror myself but the mystic fire burning in my heart. Should I accept the idea of a marked separation of spiritual researchers into two classes? On one side there are those who have a Guru and follow him humbly; on the other side, there are those without a Guru who can follow only their intuition and reasoning. How many times have I heard the acid remark that those who have no Guru have their Ego as their Guru! Organizations in particular emphasize that. I felt that there is not such a sharp division, that the situation is simple. Visualize a net: each individual is a junction from which a lot of other links fan out, like the network of our brain's neurons. When single individuals take an action -- a significant one of course, like starting on a mystic path and making good progress on it -- they touches the surrounding threads of the net. Serious practitioners are never isolated: they will be helped by other people's positive response and vice versa they will be slowed down by their indolence and apathy. In my opinion, each person is part of this net: there is no division. Those who follow the spiritual path carry other people's evolution ahead. This net connecting every one of us is the Collective Unconscious. 16 My musings arrived just to that point and there they stopped -- for months.
A Fruitful Shock That kriyaban friend who went to India for a long vacation to meet the teacher we were planning to invite in Europe called me: he had the opportunity to have a private interview with him and had good news. Some hours later, we were sitting in my room. I was all ears. He was enthusiastic. They had talked about the deplorable situation of the diffusion of Kriya here in the West: the teacher was sorry for that and manifested his willingness to help us. My friend had his Pranayama reviewed. Hence, he asked me to practice Pranayama in front of him. He remarked that there was a fault in my practice. I asked him what it was and his reply literally froze me: he could not tell me, since he promised the teacher he would not reveal anything. 17 He clarified that, in relation to our group, he had indeed asked for his teacher's permission to correct eventual mistakes in our practice: the answer had been negative and the teacher swore him to secrecy. Was this teacher – who had manifested the intention to help us 16
To Freud the Unconscious was similar to a depot full of old, "removed" things that we cannot recall to consciousness - refused by a nearly automatic act of the will. Jung discovered a deeper level of it: the Collective Unconscious which links all human beings by the deepest layers of their psyche. The Collective Unconscious is "inherited with our cerebral structure" and consists of "the human systems of reacting" to the most intense events that can happen in one's lifetime: the birth of a child, marriage, death of a loved one, serious illness, family crisis, true love, natural disasters, war... 17
Considering the episode later, I realized what this incorrect detail was: I had not made the abdominal breath in a particularly visible way. I am sure of this fact because it was the only thing my friend was able to see – we did not talk about inner details of the practice. 82
concerned that we would not find any need to invite him to Europe, or visit him, after our mistake had been corrected? Was he really so petty and unkind? I did not put pressure on my friend to disclose any other detail about his talk with that teacher. I could not, and would not, enter the privacy of his experience - but how could he just let me and our group go on with a wrong practice? The shattering fact was to see that friend with whom I had shared everything of my spiritual path, accompanying me in my ventures with both the teachers and suffering the same woes on himself, satisfied with having noticed our mistake, as if this justified his travel in India, the money and the time he spent in this venture. I didn't retaliate but reacted very badly and refused to see and to talk with that friend again. Some days later, contacted by the teacher's secretary, she handled the financial side of the tour in a coarse way, added conditions that seemed unacceptable to me. I declined the offer. Actually I was not in the mood of undertaking another work of organization. As for the idea of my visit to his place, he would have required the customary oath secrecy. We had reached this absurd situation: if the friends of my group had to receive one more crumb of information regarding the Kriya practice, they had to be put on an airplane and sent to India. Otherwise, they will die without this information. Each year, an innumerable series of charter flights should transport all those interested in Kriya - no matter if old or ill - to a remote Indian village, like a pilgrimage to Lourdes or Fatima! This farce could not be even worthy of being considered. With my thinking faculties almost paralyzed by this sudden turning of the events, I improved the compilation of my notes about the different Kriya techniques, jotted down during different seminaries, and pass them on to those friends who had already received initiation but not in all the levels of Kriya. I taught Kriya to a couple of earnest persons who could not receive Kriya after this changing of planes. The responsibility of choosing a didactic plan was mine: in order to envisage it, I used my past experiences as a starting point. I was sure that the Kriya techniques worked outside the Guru-disciple relationship. I followed their progress: they gave me the evidence they were improving in a way worthy of admiration. A few months before I would shake my head that it was not possible to practice Kriya without begging and obtaining it from an organization or from a living Guru. One of the first things I was taught was that if Kriya is not received from the right channel it doesn't have any value. It is ineffective. Now, the contrary had been proved. In my opinion the future of Kriya diffusion belongs also to those seekers whose earnestness is so great that they are able to transform the no-matter-howreceived instruction into "gold". I have trust in those who think: "Beyond either reasonable or improbable expectations of finding a Kriya expert at my disposal, let me roll my sleeves up and move on!"
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The First Draft of the Book I purchased a computer and, like a voluntary prisoner, I reduced my social life to an absolute minimum in order to give my all to writing the book. It was not easy to extract from my huge heaps of notes, collected during years with different teachers, the essential core of Kriya Yoga. There was the feeling of working on a difficult puzzle, without having a preview of what was to be obtained in the end. I didn't know if, in the final completed picture, four, six or more levels of Kriya had to be expected. In fact, I was not entirely sure how to define these levels. I wondered if these had to be put in some kind of one-to-one correspondence with the process of unfastening the internal knots mentioned in Yoga tradition ( Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva located in the first, fourth and sixth Chakra respectively) to which two secondary knots (tongue, navel) were added by Lahiri Mahasaya. In the first draft, the description of the Higher Kriyas was given as a chain of techniques (eleven), each one ideally preparatory the next one. After second thoughts, I decided to describe all the techniques in the scheme of four Kriyas (whose meaning will be described in chapter 7). I wrote all I knew about the Kriya techniques. There remain some variations in my shorthand notebooks, ready to be added to the book, but only in case I receive other information corroborating them, showing their intrinsic value in the light of Lahiri Mahasaya's legacy. At the same time I decided to resume the practice of the so-called Incremental Routines with the maximum amount of conscientiousness. 18 It was perhaps because I lived them more in the open air and more in summer than in any other season that I associate them with long sunsets, with evenings that seemed to have no end. I felt the necessity to dedicate a more constant attention to what, years before, had been embarked on in a superficial manner. Now I could retrieve my initial enthusiasm and bring new life to my Kriya path. Unfortunately, in the past, the major impulse which led me to finish the prescribed number of repetitions of each Higher Kriya as soon as possible was also the anxiety of obtaining the next initiation from my teacher. The ardent desire of "squeezing out" anything he could teach me, was fed by a strange fear; as if, for some unfathomable reasons, I would not have been able to contact him in the future. I practiced again the three parts of the technique of the Second Kriya that I received from my third teacher and that I rectified and perfected through precious informations I received from other sources of the same school (Tribhangamurari school as it will be explained in chapter 8.) It is said that this Second Kriya serves to cut the heart knot. I could not avoid that this procedure brought to the surface deeply rooted old wounds. Lahiri Mahasaya wrote that a kriyaban is deeply transformed by it and learns to see "what others cannot or do not actually want to see". I took part in a pilgrimage with a group of people and walked a full night in order to reach a beautiful sanctuary the following morning. I moved around as 18
The accurate details of how different incremental routines are structured is to be found in the third part of the book. 84
if my heart bore a brazier within. I perceived that the center of my personality was not in the brain, but in my heart. Walking on, I would murmur the syllables Om, Na, Mo ... (which are typical of the Thokar practice) trying to put each one in the correspondent center. I was perfectly aware that mine was n ot a commonly established way of practicing, but I could not help it. Something started to be perceived in my heart, a sort of tension of tenderness; then I realized that my mates' lives were wrapped up in love. I understood that the reality of love was the most intense force of life, corrupted only by the pollution of mind. Thinking of humanity as a single thing, I felt that a man cannot by instinct avoid loving or taking care of somebody - like his own children; as a consequence, he cannot avoid painful experiences. I had a feeling that even the most egotistical person is able to give his life away for his children; even he can find in himself the power for great and incredible actions. But the same person that you admire as noble and fearless, is not able to maintain that attitude when Religion is concerned. Noticing how many illusions are propagated by religions and cults, I felt sorry for all those people who - in the abyss of their tragedy – were not able to voice their sharp loud cry to God facing Him in protest but kept on imploring God, not with a spirit of devotion and surrender, but with such a beseeching attitude as if they feared even worse calamities. The sentiment of this ineluctable reality was experienced as a painful grip tearing my chest apart. As the sun rose over our path and the sanctuary appeared over a hill, something thawed and it came to such an intensity of love that the same experience turned into a "blissful" pain. During this Incremental Routine , now and then I consulted a couple of Forums for devotees of Kriya Yoga. My desire was to see if any other kriyaban had my same problems. Many were seeking information about Kechari Mudra. If I had their email, I would have sent immediately this instruction to them. I was struck with the pedantic and conceited tone of some that abused the genuine and honest curiosity of other people. With factious tenderness, betraying the lowest form of consideration, they go on labeling the seekers' desire for deepening the Kriya praxis as a "dangerous mania". They had the audacity of hush the humble student by counseling to improve the depth of what they already had received. They talked with the same tone used by my old "ministers", old fogeys, bearing witness to an era which I believed much more distant in time than it was in reality. I wondered how could they dare to enter (uninvited) a person's life and personal space, about whom they know nothing, treating that person as an incompetent and superficial beginner! Would it be so difficult to simply answer truthfully: "I don't have that information"? I remember a discussion with one who claimed he have had access to original Kriya. Unfortunately, that person was very secretive and exclusive. He said there were a number of true Kriya teachers around today, but was unwilling to share any names or addresses. I found this very stupid. In a rush of anger, I imagined that the petty idea of possessing a secret knowledge, not conveyable to others, was the only thing keeping together the pieces of his scattered mind, camouflaging with a semblance of spiritual advancement the nothingness that he 85
was from an human point of view. Why should Kriya belong to him? Kriya was a collection of introspective tools taken from different traditions. It was absurd to claim they belonged to one person, especially such a nasty one. I was lucky that pension age came early in my life. After some months of freedom, I received the proposal of beginning a new job which was more engaging than the previous one. I had waited for years and ravenously desired to face the "impossible" doses of the final incremental routine of the micro movement Tribhangamurari ; there was no other job for me! I have always loved that technique: even a little practice was always a miracle of sweetness. The period in which I was absorbed in this process occurs in my memory as enveloped by a dreamy aura; it is actually very difficult for me to refer to specific details regarding it. I spent a lot of time in the open. I used to carry along a seat made of a plastic and a wool layer, something to drink and a thirty-sixgrain rosary. I would sit down, breathe deeply and proceeded with the Mantra and the consequent Micro movement. At the end of each cycle, I would move an object, a little stone, from one side of my body to the other to keep track of the approximate number of 36 cycles. Often I was caught by a strong, overpowering sleepiness. After interrupting the practice to get some rest, I found out, however, that such did not solve my problem: this sleepiness came back as soon as I resumed the practice. There was no way (coffee, a lot of rest…) to find some relief from it; there was nothing else to do but to accept this situation. More than once I found my back slightly bent forward; I learned not to straighten it with a sudden movement, because that would interrupt the condition of absorption and quiet. After many hours of practice, at the end of my day, occasionally, I was caught by such a euphoria that I felt the irresistible instinct to swing the body. It was like dancing from a sitting stance, accompanying the dance with a subtle form of Thokar . Whenever I pronounced the seventh syllable, my trunk swung left, thinking of the following one it swung right... and then left again. When I thought the last syllable, my trunk quivered a little giving such a profusion of bliss! I learned to practice without finding any disturbance in what was around: in this way, the technique embarked into my life and blended with it. One day I was in a cliffy place not far from a beach, where a small number of people used to go for a walk and stop for a little rest in the surroundings. During daytime I would take shelter from the sun under a tree; at dusk I would go to the beach, lean my back against a rock and stay there, pretending to stare at a distant object. I practiced keeping my eyes open; the sky was an indestructible crystal of infinite transparency, the waves were continually changing their color, having in itself an almost unbearable charm. I was trying to hide my tears behind the black lenses of my sunglasses. I cannot describe what I felt, unless in poetic form. There is an Indian song (in the final part of the movie Mahabharata ) whose lyrics are taken from the Svetasvatara Upanishad - "I have met this Great Spirit, as radiant as the sun, transcending any material conception of obscurity. Only the one who knows Him can transcend the limits of birth and death. There is no other way to reach liberation but meeting this Great Spirit". When I listened 86
to the beautiful voice of the Indian singer repeating "There is no other way", my heart was inflamed. Nothing would have the power to keep me away from this state and this terrifically beautiful practice, which I would enjoy for the rest of my life. Concerning the effects, something peculiar took place. Many psychological fetters -- conditioning that seemed immovable -- started to crumble. There was the tendency of going deeper, inexorably, up to touching the unpolluted truth. My thinking became compact, of a solidity that other people's suggestions were not capable to undermine. I could not tolerate the least deformation of truth. I tried to go inexorably and all the way into any problem, until I was able to find the truth. But truth is total truth: it touched the reality of life and zeroed my diplomatic mask. Unfortunately the difficulty in bearing other's superficial behavior became the cause of some break-ups. Nature hates a vacuum, so other people came into my life to keep the flame of friendship alive. I had disappeared from the world, but not forgotten the project of the book. The time employed in this activity had been much longer than expected. My friends said that I'll never put the last word to the enterprise. I had not felt any urgency, I enjoyed that quiet moment of my life, experiencing the calmness and contentedness that comes to those who devote all their efforts to one single purpose. At long last, one day the book was ready and I posted it on the Web. After a couple of months there came the reaction of him who had been my third teacher. During one seminar he explained my actions as those of one who wants to make a business with Kriya. He defined me an "intellectual prostitute". My reaction was strange: I was amused and satisfied. But that night I could not sleep. Only then, I began to realize that the Thing was done and the book was really accessible to everyone. Was entstanden ist, das muß vergehen! Was vergangen, auferstehen! Hör auf zu beben! Bereite dich zu leben! Gustav Mahler (1860-1911)
What was created, must perish! What perished, must rise again! Cease from trembling! Prepare yourself to live!
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PART II: SHARING THE KRIYA YOGA TECHNIQUES
CHAPTER 6 THE BASIC TECHNIQUES OF K RIYA YOGA
Disclaimer of Responsibility The techniques described herein are exposed for study purposes only and should serve as a comparison with the works of other researchers. The author hopes this work will inspire intelligent feedback. Any remarks, criticism, corrections, and/or additions are welcome. Before you begin posing all kinds of questions to yourself, read through Part II and Part III of this book so you have a thorough understanding of the matter. You'll find that as you go through it many questions will be answered later on. I wish to make clear that this book is not a Kriya Yoga manual! I may write one in the future and face the problem of dividing it into different lessons and giving all the necessary instructions for each level. However, certain techniques cannot be learned from a manual. There are delicate ones such as Maha Mudra, Kriya Pranayama, Thokar, and Yoni Mudra, which cannot reasonably be learned without the help of an expert to check their execution. Each person is different so it is not possible to predict what effects an intensive practice might have on a particular individual. The author disclaims any responsibility in case of negative results, especially if one decides to practice the techniques without having their execution checked first by an expert. Those who intend to carry on with this practice should do so with a due sense of sacredness and awareness of the wealth it can bring to their life. Although you should have the right and the duty to control your own destiny, securing expert counsel or guidance is indispensable. N.B. When you go to an expert, please advise him if you have physical problems, such as high blood pressure, lung problems, or signs of hyperventilation …. If you have a particular physical problem an expert can lead you through a very mild form of Kriya Pranayama and the corresponding Mudras – and if necessary may recommend that you practice them only mentally.
Visit at least once in a year the Web site www.kriyayogainfo.net to download the latest edition of the book
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Introduction to the Localization of the Chakras The Chakras are subtle astral organs inside the spinal cord; ideal steps on a mystic ladder guiding one safely to the deepest ecstatic experience. Many believe they can apply what they have found in books on Yoga to Kriya but this won't work. Such books are usually filled with useless, misguiding representations. While wasting time in visualizing all of it, a kriyaban runs the risk of losing the real meaning of the Kriya techniques or part of their riches. Kriya is a natural process leading to beneficial results and it should not be distorted by the power of so called "creative" visualization, especially if it goes against the physiology of the body -- Kriya is not based on creating an artificial condition in it. When certain particular conditions are established - mental silence, relaxation, an intense desire of the soul - the Spiritual Reality manifests in a captivating way, absorbing all one's attention. Then, subtle movements of energy in the body - or a particular centering of the energy in some parts of the body reveal the essence of the Chakras. Those who practice Kriya Yoga (we will use the term kriyaban ) start their practice of the basic technique of Kriya Pranayama by visualizing the spine as a hollow tube extending from its bottom to the brain. With further practice, they try to locate the seven Chakras.
Figure 1. The perception of the Chakras
First Five Chakras The first Chakra, Muladhara, is located at the base of the spinal column just above the coccygeal (tailbone) region; the second Chakra, Swadhisthana, is in the sacrum region halfway between Muladhara and Manipura ; the third Chakra , Manipura, is in the lumbar region, at the same level as the navel. The fourth 89
Chakra , Anahata, is in the dorsal region; its location can be felt by bringing the shoulder blades closer and concentrating on the tense muscles in the area between them. The fifth Chakra, Vishuddha , is located where the neck joins the shoulders, at collarbones' level. The location of the fifth Chakra can be detected by swaying your head from side to side, holding one's bust immobile, concentrating on the point where you perceive a particular "cracking" sound. The physical localization of the Chakras is accompanied by some kind of visualization. The simplest visualization fostering the dynamics of Kriya Pranayama is the following -- when the awareness travels up the spine, the Chakras are perceived as tiny "lights" illuminating the "hollow tube" which is visualized at the place of the spinal cord. When the awareness comes down, they are internally perceived as organs distributing energy (coming from above) into the body. Luminous rays depart from their locations, enlivening that part of the body which is in front of them. To take the trouble to abide by such elementary visualization, avoiding those suggested by New Age or tantric books, is the best guarantee that you are carrying on a profitable work. Even if it might seem now as premature, it is useful to remark that the true location of the Chakras can happen only in the astral dimension -- as they are not a physical reality. This is achieved when Kriya Pranayama takes, so to say, the "inward route", and you are listening to the inner sounds emanating from each Chakra's physical location. As soon as the mind is sufficiently calm (during a deep and long session of Kriya Pranayama) you will be able to listen to those astral sounds and locate astrally each Chakra. There are different levels of development of this ability: Kechari Mudra brings about a great internalization process which fosters the experience especially when the "wind" of the breath subsides. What is the importance of locating astrally the Chakras ? It is tied with the ability of traveling along the spinal tunnel, which in its turn is the basis of a higher achievement: to realize that the first five Chakras are five different states of consciousness. Kriya tradition puts them in relation with the five Tattwas: earth, water, fire, air and ether. Offering each Tattwa individually to the light of the "spiritual eye" gathering and intensifying in the region between the eyebrows, is the highest action ever conceived to destroy the last shell of illusion. We are going to introduce all these aspects of the Kriya practice in the next chapter; our anticipation is intended only to discourage kriyabans from being maniacally precise about the location of the Chakras: the practice of the different levels of Kriya Yoga will refine such perception.
Ajna (Medulla Oblongata, Bhrumadhya, Kutastha) According to tradition, the location of the sixth Chakra, Ajna, is in the central part of the head. Some identify it with the hypophysis, others with the pineal gland, others with the third ventricle of the brain. It is preferable to abide by the following two-step procedure. 1. First detect the seat of the medulla oblongata (on top of the spinal 90
cord). Raise your chin tensing the muscles of the neck at the base of the occipital bone; concentrate on the small hollow under the back of the head and come ideally inside a couple of centimeters; maintaining the contraction of the muscles of the neck swing your head sideways (about a couple of centimeters left and right); relax the muscles of the neck and keep your concentration on medulla oblongata for one minute: you will notice how any restlessness disappears. (It might be interesting to add that the tradition recommends to visualize medulla oblongata as shaped like the back of a little turtle.) 2. Remaining centered in medulla oblongata , converge your inner gaze at Bhrumadhya , the point between the eyebrows, and observe the internal light in that region. Your perception can be vague but if you go on looking internally being satisfied with whatever luminous perception comes, such light will intensify. If you come backwards about eight centimeters from the place where the light appears, you have found the seat of the sixth Chakra, Ajna. Meditating with your awareness focused on it will prepare you for the experience of Kutastha (also known as "third eye" or "spiritual eye"): a luminous point in the middle of an infinite spherical radiance. In this region, one day, you will experience the radiance of a million suns, having the coolness of a million moons. Ajna Chakra is the royal door to experience that part of the Divine Consciousness which is immanent in our physical universe. You will feel the entire universe as your own body. Such experience is also called " Kutastha Chaitanya," "Christ consciousness," or "Krishna consciousness."
Sahasrara (Bindu, Fontanelle) According to tradition, the location of the seventh Chakra, Sahasrara , is the top of the head. It is visualized as having the form of a horizontal disk about 12 centimeters in diameter, lying immediately beneath the upper part of the cranium. In phase 3 of Kriya Pranayama, when we raise our awareness from the sixth to the seventh Chakra , such visualization is enough to get ecstatic absorption. But in Kriya Yoga there is always room for improvement. The most reliable Kriya schools (being careful not to cause difficult-to-sustain effects), are those that teach a gradual approach to concentration on Sahasrara. They counsel to place the awareness in Bindu and from there to become aware of the fontanelle . Bindu is located in the occipital region, where the hairline twists in a kind of vortex (where some Hindus with shaved heads wear a lock of hair). During the first part of Kriya Pranayama the consciousness touches Bindu briefly, at the end of each inhalation. In the higher phases of Kriya Pranayama , when our awareness finds Tranquility in Bindu , we become aware of the anterior fontanelle. The correct name of that region in an adult person is Bregma; it is located at the junction, on the skull, of the coronal and sagittal sutures. It is recommended not to override the previous stage of localization of the sixth Chakra ( Ajna) and to practice concentration on fontanelle only when this is explicitly required by your teacher -- do not use your own initiative. 91
A Suitable Position for Meditation One should sit facing East. According to Patanjali, the yogi's posture (Asana) must be steady and pleasant. Most kriyabans are comfortable with the so-called Half-lotus. This position has been used for meditation since time immemorial because it provides a comfortable and easily managed sitting position. The key is to maintain an erect spine by sitting on the edge of a thick cushion so the buttocks are slightly raised. Sit cross-legged with the knees resting on the floor. Lift the left foot and bring it toward the body so the sole is resting against the inside of the right thigh. Draw the heel of the left foot in toward the groin as much as possible. The right leg is bent at the knee and the right foot is comfortably placed over the left thigh or calf or both. Let the right knee drop as far as possible toward the floor. The best hand position is with fingers interlocked as in the well known photo of Lahiri Mahasaya. This balances the energy from the right hand to the left and vice versa. The shoulders are in a natural position. The head, neck, chest, and spine are in a straight line as if they were linked. When the legs get tired, reverse them to prolong the position. For certain health or physical conditions, it may be beneficial to practice the half lotus on an armless chair provided it is large enough. In this way, one leg at a time can be lowered and the knee joint relaxed! Siddhasana (Perfect Pose) is of medium difficulty: the sole of the left foot is placed against the right thigh while the heel presses on the perineum. The right heel is against the pubic bone. This leg position combined with Kechari Mudra closes the pranic circuit and makes Kriya Pranayama easy and beneficial. It is said the position helps one to become aware of the movement of Prana . In the difficult Padmasana position, the right foot is placed on the left thigh and the left foot on the right thigh with the soles of the feet turned up. It is explained that when this Asana is combined with Kechari and Shambhavi Mudra , it results in an energetic condition that produces the experience of the internal light coming from each Chakra. It helps keep the body from bending or falling over as it tends to do when deep Pratyahara is practiced. Sitting in Padmasana (lotus position) is uncomfortable for a beginner because the knees and the ankles become extremely painful. I would not advise anyone to perform this difficult posture. There are yogis who have had to have knee cartilage removed after years of forcing themselves into the Padmasana .
THE BASIC TECHNIQUES OF KRIYA YOGA
The techniques related to the first initiation of Kriya Yoga are eight: Talabya Kriya, Om Japa, Kriya Pranayama (often called simply Pranayama ) , Navi Kriya, mental Pranayama, Maha Mudra, Pranayama with short breath and Yoni Mudra. In the technique of Kriya Pranayam a we shall distinguish three phases. The first two are explained in this chapter; since the third one is not suitable for beginners and is especially facilitated by achieving Kechari Mudra, it will be 92
introduced in the next chapter . Let us anticipate a theoretical scheme, a map that can be appreciated by those students who love having a complete picture of all the phases of Kriya Yoga as they are conceived in this book. (A more in-depth discussion will be resumed in chapter 7). The Kriya path is divided in four phases Phase 1: Jihuah (Jiwha) Granthi Bheda -- Raising the tongue. Phase 2: Hridaya Granthi Bheda -- Piercing the heart knot. Phase 3: Navi Granthi Bheda-- Piercing the navel's knot. Phase 4: Muladhara Granthi Bheda -- Piercing the last obstruction that blocks the full merging into the "spiritual eye".
I. The technique of Talabya Kriya, the practice of Kriya Pranayama (in three parts), the achievement of K echari Mudra embodies phase 1 of Kriya Yoga . II. The second part of Kriya Pranayama is related to phase 2 of Kriya Yoga. The appearing of the internal sounds -- especially the sound of a bell -- begin to melt any obstacle tied with the transit of the energy from the higher Chakras to the lower part of the spine and vice versa. III. Navi Kriya and mental Pranayama embody phase 3 of Kriya Yoga where the breath begins to calm down completely. IV. Maha Mudra, Pranayama with short breath, and Yoni Mudra are the tools to approach the last phase of Kriya Yoga. This phase is the most delicate work. The Kundalini energy is awakened and raised (Maha Mudra); it is patiently guided through all Chakras and made to circulate ( Pranayama with short breath) and finally, by unfastening the knot located at Muladhara and at the eyebrows ( Yoni Mudra), liberation attained. 1. Talabya Kriya Starting with the tongue in a relaxed position, and with the tip of the tongue touching the back of the upper teeth, the kriyaban presses the body of the tongue against the upper palate to create a suction cup effect. While pressing the tongue against the roof of the mouth, the bottom jaw is lowered to stretch the frenulum (the small fold of tissue under the tongue that attaches it to the base of the mouth). This stretching effect should be felt clearly (see figure 2). The tongue which has been pressed against the upper palate releases itself with a clicking sound and moves down into its natural position. The tongue is then stuck out of the mouth and pointed toward the chin. At the beginning, do it no more than 10 times a day to avoid straining the frenulum! Eventually, you want to be able to do 50 repetitions. The entire procedure of 50 repetitions takes about 2 minutes (110-120 seconds) to complete. Many practice Talabya Kriya incorrectly by instinctively turning their tongue backwards (or keeping it vertical) but this
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cancels the whole effect. It is very important to have the tongue tip touching the back of the upper teeth before pressing it against the upper palate. 1
Figure 2. Talabya Kriya
After some months of practicing Talabya Kriya regularly, it should be possible to insert the tongue into the nasal pharynx cavity: this is called Kechari Mudra (see figure 4 in the next chapter). Let a beginner not ask too many question about it. It will be described in detail in the next chapter. Because Talabya Kriya creates a perceivable relaxing effect on the thinking process, it should continue to be practiced even after you are able to do Kechari Mudra . It is not known why this stretching of the frenulum reduces thought production. However, anyone practicing this technique can readily verify this. 2. Om Japa Don't pay any attention to the breath. Starting with Muladhara (first Chakra), chant the Mantra "Om" while concentrating on it; then do the same with the second Chakra and so on up to the cervical Chakra (Vishuddha ) and Bindu . During this ascent of awareness, do your best to intuitively touch the inner core of each Chakra . Then chant "Om" in the medulla , then in the cervical Chakra and so on, all the way back down to Muladhara . During this descent of awareness, try to perceive the subtle radiation of each Chakra . One ascent (Chakras 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and Bindu ) and one descent (medulla , 5, 4, 3, 2, 1) represent one cycle that lasts about 30 seconds. Six to 12 cycles are performed. It is fine to chant the Mantra aloud during the first three cycles. In the remaining cycles, it can be chanted either aloud or mentally. This exercise, performed with concentration, helps "generate" the best form of Kriya Pranayama. 1
In Hatha Yoga books there are different suggestions for lengthening the Fraenulum. One which is well known one is wrapping a piece of cloth around the tongue and, with the help of the hands, gently pulling (relaxing and repeating different times) the cloth both horizontally and also up, toward the tip of the nose. Lahiri Mahasaya was absolutely against cutting the Fraenulum to obtain faster and easier results. 94
3. Kriya Pranayama (Spinal Breathing) Kriya Pranayama is the most important technique of Kriya Yoga. It acts directly on the energy ( Prana ) present in the body. Kriya Acharyas have different didactic strategies to introduce it. We are going to explain its key details, though it is not easy to show how they are integrated into a harmonious whole. First Part of Kriya Pranayama: Mixing Prana and Apana Kechari Mudra is applied for those who can do it -- if not, the tongue tip is turned back to touch the middle of the upper palate at the point where the hard palate becomes soft. The mouth is closed. The eyes are closed and relaxed but focused on the region between the eyebrows. The awareness is in medulla oblongata.
One Kriya breath happens in the following way 1. A deep inhalation through the nose, producing an unvoiced sound in the throat, acts like a hydraulic pump to raise the energy ( Prana ) from the base of the spinal column up to the medulla oblongata and to Bindu (occipital region). 2. The movement of the air is suspended briefly, helping the activity of the mind to be suspended as well: a state of stability appears. This should be a short pause (2-3-seconds). 3. An unhurried exhalation of the same length as the inhalation, accompanies the movement of the energy back to the base of the spinal column. During the last part of the exhalation, there is a clear perception of the navel moving in toward the spine. By refining this experience, along with the awareness the movement of the navel toward the inside, one feels the action of the diaphragm muscles and becomes aware of a heat increasing in the navel. This heat seems to rise from the lower part of the abdomen. 4. Here another 2-3-second pause is repeated and intimately lived as a moment of comfortable peace. The dynamic mind becomes static and is appeased. Reference literature says perfect Kriya Pranayama is 80 breaths per hour -about 45 seconds per breath. Kriyabans can only reach this rhythm during long sessions. Beginners should set a rhythm of about 18-20 seconds per Kriya breath and complete 12 breaths in a natural and unhurried way (about 4 minutes). Remarks a. The path taken by the energy gradually reveals itself during practice. No difficult visualization is required. You are centered in medulla oblongata location, your inner gaze is turned toward Bhrumadhya between the eyebrows. The awareness rises from the Muladhara along the spinal column toward the second Chakra, the third, the fourth, the fifth Chakra, the medulla oblongata and, if possible, up to Bindu . During the pause, the radiance of Kutastha appears as a blurred light or glow permeating the frontal part of the brain and that of Sahasrara as a slight sensation of crepuscular light permeating the upper part of the head. In this initial phase of Kriya Pranayama the energy cannot reach either 95
the region between the eyebrows nor Sahasrara; this will happen in higher stages. b. The breathing we use during Kriya Pranayama is not a free breathing but a restricted breathing creating a clearly heard sound in the throat. The sound in the throat while inhaling is like a quiet schhhh /ʃ/. The sound is similar to the amplified background noise of a loudspeaker; there is only a slight hiss during exhalation. Unfortunately you cannot refer to the many examples of Ujjayi Pranayama sound to be found on the web. There are plenty of video clips of yogis who make an horrible sound during Ujjayi. They are using their vocal chords: this is not correct -- it might be correct for some form of Ujjayi but not for Kriya Pranayama . To be certain that your sound is correct, concentrate only on increasing the friction of the air flowing through your throat. A muffled sound will originate. Increase its frequency. If the environment is perfectly noiseless, a person will be able to hear it within 4-5 meter radius -- by no means outside it. However we do not expect sound perfection now. When Kechari Mudra is being done correctly, the exhaling sound will be flute-like: Sheee Sheee /ʃiː/. We are going to discuss the meaning and the implications of this sound in the next chapter. c. The inhaling air is felt as moderately cool whereas the exhaling air is felt as moderately warm; as a consequence the rising energy is felt as moderately cool whereas the descending energy is felt as moderately warm. d. During inhalation, the abdomen expands and during exhalation the abdomen is drawn in. The breathing is mainly abdominal; during inhalation, the upper part of the lungs is filled two thirds full. It is incorrect raising the rib cage and shoulders. e. As for the value of the pauses, the more you became aware of these states of stability, the more your practice becomes deeper. f. During the first breaths of Kriya Pranayama avoid chanting Om or another Mantra in each Chakra. Do not disturb the employment of a great mental intensity during the inhalation to obtain the raising of the energy. Second Part of Kriya Pranayama: Om Japa in each Chakra While during the first part the awareness was in medulla oblongata , now it tries to expand in all of the occipital region up to Bindu . We keep a fixed purpose: to succeed in listening to the internal sounds (variations of Omkar sound), without closing our ears. During inhalation, Om is mentally chanted (or more accurately "mentally placed") in each of the first five Chakras . During the pause, Om is chanted in the medulla, in the point between the eyebrows , and again in the medulla. During exhalation, Om is mentally chanted in each Chakra as you return to Muladhara . While coming down, each Chakra is gently "touched" from the back. The energy is thus visualized flowing down along the back of the spinal column. What is essential is bringing forth a continuous will of internal listening. Focus all your attention on subtle sounds that come from within, rather than the audible sounds from outside. Awareness of inner sound must happen, sooner or later. Your listening skills will improve and you will become more sensitive.
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Each chanting of the syllable Om should be accompanied by an unswerving will of tracking down the echo of that vibration you are internally producing. Repeat the procedure at least 24 times. The internal sounds reveal the activity of the Chakras. They grab a kriyaban 's awareness and lead it in depth without any danger of it getting lost. They are not physical sounds; they have nothing to do with the typical sounds of Kriya Pranayama produced by the air that passes down the back of the throat into the trachea and vice versa. They appear in different forms: bumblebee, flute, harp, drum, hum like an electrical transformer, bell.... The event of perceiving them is not produced by the intensity of a unique moment of deep concentration, but by the accumulation of effort manifested during the daily sessions of Kriya (the effort is the meticulous attention to any internal sound, no matter how feeble it may be). Those who are not able to hear any internal sound, should not conclude something is wrong. Maybe they have done an enormous effort whose fruits will be enjoyed during the next day's practice. A sign one is heading in the right direction is a sense of mild pressure, like a sensation of a liquid peace above or around the head. Often a certain humming accompanies this pressure; it serves no purpose to wonder if this is the real Om sound or not. Probably, it is just a signal that the real experience is approaching. Patience and constancy are required. One day, one awakens to the realization of being actually listening to a sound of "r unning water". Om sound is similar to the sound of r unning water or to that of waves breaking over the cliffs. The only task of a kriyaban is being absorbed in the comforting sound of Omkar . Lahiri Mahasaya describes this sound as "produced by a lot of people who keep on striking the disk of a bell". He adds that it is continuous "as the oil that flows out of a container". Third Part of Kriya Pranayama During the first part of Kriya Pranayama the awareness is in medulla oblongata, during the second part it is focused in the occipital region. Let us learn how to move the awareness in the upper part of the head. Only when you have reached the daily number of 48 Kriya breaths, possibly when Kechari Mudra is achieved, phase 3 of Kriya Pranayama can be approached. Always begin your practice with phase 1 for at least 12 breaths, then skip to the second until you have completed 48 Kriya breaths. Shambhavi Mudra is usually defined as the act of concentrating on Bhrumadhya, the space between the eyebrows, bringing the two eyebrows toward the center with a slight wrinkling of the forehead. Let us consider now a higher form of Shambhavi Mudra. Although the eyelids are closed or half-closed, the eyes look upward as much as possible, as if looking at the ceiling but without any head movement. The light tension that is perceived in the muscles of the eyeballs gradually disappears and the position can be maintained rather easily. A bystander can observe the white of the cornea under the iris because very often the inferior eyelids relax. (Lahiri Mahasaya in his well known portrait is showing this Mudra.) Through this form of Shambhavi Mudra , all one's being is at the top
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of the head. Go on practicing the instructions given in the second part of Kriya Pranayama (chanting of Om in the prescribed places) save the center of awareness which is now in the upper part of the head. Go on with it until you have completed the prearranged number of repetitions (60, 72, and so on). This practice is a real jewel, it represents the quintessence of beauty; while experiencing it, time goes by without much notice and what could seem to be an exhausting task -- like reaching 108 or 144 repetitions -- turns out to be as easy as a moment of rest. You will remark how the breath is rather slow. You will enjoy the beautiful feeling of the fresh air that seems to come up through the spine and piercing each Chakra, and that of the warm exhaled air permeating each zone of the body from top to bottom. You will perceive this; you will not produce this sensation through your imagination! Your attitude is apparently passive, in actual fact sensitive, and therefore active in an intelligent way. The sound of the breath is smooth and unbroken like the continuous pouring of oil from a bottle. The practice reaches its maximum power and seems to have a life of its own. You will eventually have the impression of crossing a mental state which is like falling asleep then suddenly returning to full awareness realizing you are basking in a spiritual light. It's like a plane emerging from the clouds into a clear transparent sky. 4. Navi Kriya Using the same method described in Om Japa and without attempting to control the breath, one's awareness slowly moves up along the spinal column. The Mantra Om (ohng) is placed in the first five Chakras, in the Bindu, and in the point between the eyebrows. The chin is then tilted down toward the throat cavity. The hands are joined with the fingers interlocked, palms face downward, and the pads of both thumbs are touching. Om is chanted 75 times (a rough estimate is fine) in the navel (umbilicus) either aloud or mentally. The thumbs lightly press the navel for each Om. While doing the technique, a calm energy is perceived gathering in the lower-middle part of the abdomen (the Prana current there is called Samana). The chin is then raised without straining but the muscles at the back of the neck are contracted. The concentration shifts first to the Bindu and then to the third Chakra (moving downward in a straight line, outside the body). The hands are kept behind the back and joined by interlocking the fingers and the palms face upward with the pads of both thumbs touching. Om is chanted -- aloud or mentally -- approximately 25 times in the third Chakra. For every Om, the thumbs apply a light pressure to the lumbar vertebrae. By no means should the breath be synchronized with the chanting of Om. The chin's normal position is then resumed and Om is mentally chanted in reverse order from the point between the eyebrows to Muladhara . This is one Navi Kriya (it lasts between 140-160 seconds). A kriyaban repeats Navi Kriya four times.
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5. Mental Pranayama To enter a perfect physical and mental stillness as easily as possible, the practitioner first draws three deep breaths, ending each with a fast sigh-like exhalation. The spine is visualized as a tube along which the awareness moves up and down pausing in each spinal center. Om (ohng) may be mentally chanted in the Chakras. Sometimes, it is more convenient to simply center your attention for 10-20 seconds on each Chakra starting with the first, moving to the second, third … and so on. The Chakras are like knots that can be untied if "touched" with one's concentration; the secret lies in maintaining the awareness in each of them until a sensation of sweetness is felt - as if the Chakra were "melting". After ascending to the Bindu , one begins the descent, pausing in each Chakra. Besides the melting sensation, one may also perceive the subtle radiation of each Chakra in the body. This is a matter of pure awareness; a natural feeling leading to the realization that the Chakras are sustaining each part of the body's vitality. Sometimes, a light is perceived in the upper part of the head and a kriyaban is able to keep his awareness there a long time without feeling any fatigue. The process of rising and descending through the Chakras is carried on as long as it is comfortable. (One complete round lasts about 2-4 minutes.) This is the most pleasing part of the routine. Kriyabans do not feel they are practicing a technique but enjoying a few moments of soothing relaxation. This is the moment when a deep mental silence settles in the consciousness and in the body. Tranquility , "Sthir Tattwa" (calm, static Prana) is experienced in the seventh Chakra . Lahiri Mahasaya called this state Paravastha or Kriyar Paravastha "the state that comes after the action of Kriya". If, through sheer willpower, such a state were brought to awareness as often as possible amid one's daily activities, the results would be extraordinary. Remark Some do not understand the subtle difference between Om Japa and mental Pranayama. Practicing Om Japa before Kriya Pranayama is designed to stimulate each Chakra. One pauses only a short time in each one to vibrate the Mantra . During mental Pranayama , one is more passive, more willing to perceive than to stimulate; the pauses are much longer. When the awareness stays for at least half minute upon each one of them, the perception of a pleasurable sweet sensation is almost immediate. Some inner sounds as well as hues of light pouring forth from their locations deepens the contact with the Omkar dimension. In some Yoga schools it is counseled to visualize the Chakra 's specific color (red, orange, yellow…like the sequence of the rainbow's colors). They may be also visualized as lotuses, each one of which has a particular number of petals with a letter of the Sanskrit alphabet on each petal. A kriyaban does not need all this stuff in order to perceive the reality of the Chakras. In time a kriyaban gains the ability to single out the different rates of vibration of each Chakra , which is crucial in reaching the final goal of Kriya.
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6. Maha Mudra One starts by bending the left leg under the body so the left heel is as near as possible to the perineum (between the scrotum and anus for males and between the anus and cervical opening for females) with the right leg fully extended in front. Ideally, but not necessarily, you want the left heel exerting pressure on the perineum. This pressure is the best means of stimulating one's awareness of the Muladhara Chakra in the coccygeal region at the root of the spine. Through a deep inhalation, the energy is brought up the cerebrospinal tube to the center of the head ( Ajna Chakra). This is a very simple and easily acquired sensation so there is no need to complicate it. Holding the breath, stretch forward (in a relaxed way) and interlock hands so you can grasp your big toe. In this outstretched position, the chin is pressed naturally against the chest. Continue holding the breath and mentally chant Om 2 in the region between the eyebrows 6 to 12 times. While holding the breath, return to the starting position and with a long exhalation, visualize sending the warm energy down to the base of the spinal column. Repeat the entire procedure with the leg positions reversed; right heel near the perineum and the left leg outstretched. Repeat the procedure a 3rd time with both legs outstretched to complete one cycle of Maha Mudra. Repeat this three-movement cycle (requiring about 60-80 seconds) two more times for a total of 9 movements. Some schools suggest drawing the knee (or both knees, before the third movement) against the body so the thigh is as close to the chest as possible during inhalation. The interlocked fingers are placed around the knee to exert pressure on it. This helps to keep the back straight and make the inner sound of the Anahata Chakra audible. Maha Mudra must be comfortable and it must not hurt! Initially, most kriyabans will not be able to do the forward stretch without risking back or knee injury. To avoid pain or injury, keep the outstretched leg bent at the knee until the position feels comfortable. While holding the breath in the outstretched position, contract the anal and the abdominal muscles and draw in slightly the latter so the navel is drawn toward the lumbar center. As we have seen, the big toe is grasped while one is in the outstretched position. Some schools insist on this detail and explain that by repeating this action on each leg the balance between the two channels Ida and Pingala is improved. A variation is to squeeze the toenail of the big toe with the thumb of the right hand; the index and middle fingers are behind it and the left hand cups the sole of the foot. When the procedure is repeated with both legs outstretched, both toes are grasped with the interlocked hands. (A variation is that the thumbs 2
The correct pronunciation for ‘Om' is like the ‘ong' in ‘song' but drawn out and with the ‘o' pronounced like its alphabet name. It must not be pronounced like the ‘om' in Tom e.g. ‘ahm'. In this technique, " Om" is a pure vowel sound and the ‘m' is silent. The ‘m' is silent because the ‘o' sound is prolonged. At the end, the mouth is not completely closed - thus creating the nasal sound "ng". When pronouncing Indian Mantras, like Om namo bhagavate … or Om namah Shivaya …, the consonant "m" in "Om" is heard.
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of each hand press the respective toenails and the index and middle fingers hold the toe from behind). Maha Mudra incorporates all the three Bandhas . 3 When applied simultaneously with the body bent forward and without using excessive contraction, it helps one to be aware of both ends of Sushumna and produces the feeling of an energetic current moving up the spine. In due course, one will be able to perceive the whole Sushumna Nadi as a radiant channel. 7. Pranayama with Short Breath Pranayama with short breath is based upon letting the breath move freely, observing it, being conscious of each movement of it -- pauses included -- and coordinating with it the energy's movement from the Muladhara to every Chakras and vice versa. This fact invites the energy to move freely upwards through Sushumna and downwards into each part of the body. This action completes that of Maha Mudra and prepares you for Yoni Mudra. After having drawn three deep breaths, each of them ending with a fast and complete an exhalation like a sigh, your breath will be very calm. If y ou place your finger under both nostrils, the ingoing or outgoing breath will touch barely your finger. This is the indication that the breath is internalized as in Kriya Yoga should be. Practice the following exercise and repeat the test at the end. You will feel a striking difference. Focus your attention on the Muladhara Chakra . When it becomes natural to have an inhalation, inhale only what is necessary, as quickly as per instinct (about one second), pause an instant in the second Chakra. When it feels natural to exhale, exhale, pause in Muladhara. When it feels natural to inhale, inhale, pause in the third Chakra. When it feels natural to exhale, exhale, pause in Muladhara. Go on like that, repeating the procedure between Muladhara and the fourth Chakra , Muladhara and the fifth Chakra (then Bindu , medulla , fifth, fourth, third and second Chakra.) One cycle is made of 10 short breaths. Repeat more than one cycle, until you perceive that your breath is very calm -- almost imperceptible. 8. Yoni Mudra At night, before going to bed, begin your practice by calming the whole psychophysical system with a short Kriya routine (a few Kriya Pranayama breaths as well as a short practice of Navi Kriya ). After that, raise the energy with a deep inhalation into the central part of the head. If you are able to do Kechari Mudra, press the tongue firmly on the highest point inside the nasal pharynx – otherwise leave the tongue in its normal relaxed position. Close every "opening" in the head -- the ears with the thumbs, the eyelids with the index fingers, the nostrils with the middle fingers, the lips with the ring and the little fingers -- so all the energy "lights up" the region between the eyebrows. Throughout the practice, both elbows are parallel to the floor and point out to the side. Do not let them drop, prop them up somehow, if necessary. During this special light3
We have given the definition of Bandhas in chapter 1 101
witnessing act, the index fingers must not put any pressure on the eyes -- this would be harmful and serve no purpose! If a kriyaban is distracted by the pressure of the index fingers on the eyelids, he draws the eyelids down with the index fingers and applies pressure on the corners of the eyes - on the upper cheekbones. By holding the breath and mentally repeating Om (Ohng) several times, observe the light of the "spiritual eye" that is gathering and intensifying. The light condenses into a golden ring. Hold the breath as long as is comfortable and until the necessity to breathe out distracts your attention. Exhale, bringing down the awareness along the spine. Yoni Mudra is usually performed only once. Inhaling deeply and holding the breath usually causes discomfort after a few seconds. Here is a short suggestion on how to reduce the discomfort and make it possible to deepen the practice. At the end of a moderate inhalation (not a typical Kriya Pranayama one but a shorter one), a kriyaban fully plugs all the head openings except the nostrils, exhales a very small quantity of air, then immediately closes the nostrils. The thoracic muscles are to be relaxed as if one intended to begin a new inhalation: this will give the sensation that the breath has become quiet in the area between the throat and the point between the eyebrows . In this situation, concentration on the point between the eyebrows and the repetition of Om several times can be enjoyed to its fullest. Traditional instruction advises increasing the number of Om repetitions by one per day up to a maximum of 200. Of course, forcing is always to be avoided. Suggestions about the Routine The complete routine that we have already implicitly given by numbering the techniques from 1. to 8: Talabya Kriya • Om Japa • Kriya Pranayama • Navi Kriya • Mental Pranayama • Maha Mudra • Pranayama with short breath • Yoni Mudra, does not work for everyone. An expert kriyaban is able to use Maha Mudra right after mental Pranayama, followed by Pranayama with short breath to enter the breathless state. On the contrary, a beginner could feel uncomfortable and nervous by breaking mental Pranayama off . It is natural to utilize Maha Mudra and Navi Kriya as preliminary techniques and avoid, after Kriya Pranayama, techniques requiring movement. Here we have two examples of simple and extremely enjoyable routines:
• Maha Mudra • Navi Kriya • Yoni Mudra • Talabya Kriya • Kriya Pranayama • Mental Pranayama or: • Talabya Kriya • Maha Mudra • Navi Kriya • Kriya Pranayama • Mental Pranayama + Yoni Mudra at night
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Some teachers claim that Yoni Mudra should not be practiced during the day. In reality, it can be done anytime! However, the technique is best done in the deep calmness of the night and when one is totally and perfectly relaxed. Yoni Mudra at night can be experienced in the following way: after calming one's thoughts and relaxing one's body with some deep breaths, Maha Mudra is practiced. Then Pranayama with short breath is enjoyed as much as possible, then Yoni Mudra. Then one remains concentrated as long as possible in the point between the eyebrows trying to perceive the light in Kutastha. Yoni Mudra generates such a concentration of energy in the point between the eyebrows that the quality of the ensuing sleep changes for the better. In other words, after crossing the subconscious layers, one's awareness may succeed in reaching the socalled "superconscious" state.
In the beginning, Kriya Pranayama is usually practiced 12-24 times, therefore only the first and the second part of it. Occasionally (for example during a longer meditation once in a week) you can add more repetitions; in that occasion it is fine to experience the third part of Kriya Pranayama also. The ideal moments for practicing Kriya are before breakfast, before lunch at noon, late afternoon before dinner, and at night at least 2-3 hours after eating. Don't try to practice only the third part of Kriya Pranayama: a routine which is totally based on a strong concentration on the Sahasrara is not appropriate for beginning or medium level students. Developing a strong magnet in Sahasrara through the third part of Kriya Pranayama is the most powerful way of stimulating the Kundalini awakening. This implies that a lot of material from the subconscious mind is brought to the surface. (See also the discussion in chapter 9.) You can experience all a range of negative moods, from a marked alienation from reality to a panic attack. You must never forget to give the highest importance to the soothing phase of mental Pranayama . A Kriya routine which does not end with mental Pranayama is like an orchestra tuning their instruments and then leaving the stage! It is the phase that brings everything together; the ripples in the mind's lake are stilled, the awareness becomes transparent, and the Last Reality is revealed. It is a diffuse calmness; the mind is at rest and silent and gains the energy necessary to be more acutely alert. It is like a spiral which gradually and systematically takes care of all the levels of one's being: it is a healing process. Its value becomes apparent during the difficult moments of life when important decisions have to be taken. One has the impression that nothing can get in the way and that even the greatest difficulties dissolve. Inside the perfect transparency of an inner order, all problems are solved. One is born to Kriya through the engaging practice of mental Pranayama : it projects us into sheer heaven and its beauty overflows our lives. ".... it's hard to stay angry when there's so much beauty in the world. Sometimes I feel I'm seeing it all at once and I'm overwhelmed. My heart feels it's about to burst...until I remember to relax and stop trying to hold on to it. And then it flows through me like rain. And I can't feel anything but gratitude for every single moment of my stupid little life. (slightly modified from American Beauty , film; 1999) " 103
CHAPTER 7 FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE FIRST K RIYA
Without getting beyond the field of the techniques of First Kriya initiation, we shall discuss now some more developments in the theory and practice of Kriya. This chapter is devoted to the students who have shown their commitment to the practice of Kriya. The right moment to study this chapter is after having practiced Kriya Yoga daily for at least 3-6 months. Daily means once a day -- one long session when it is comfortable, at any time of the day, plus the practice of Yoni Mudra at night, before sleep. When Kriya initiates carry out for months the instructions shared in the previous chapter, there are some results that begin to appear. Understanding, from a theoretical point of view, what is happening is useful to avoid hindering this process, rather to guide it wisely toward the yearned-for goal. A_THEORY
Kriya Yoga Vijnan by Swami Nityananda Giri contains a concise and comprehensive theoretical outlook of Kriya Yoga. 4 Most books about Kriya contain tedious rhetoric and innumerable repetitions, all soaked in useless references to abstruse philosophical theories - there may be one or two interesting lines, whilst the rest can be discarded. However, in Kriya Yoga Vijnan there are a few pages which are a real treasure. The ideas contained in it are precious to inspire the personal practice. Two other important works are: Kriya Quotes from Swami Satyananda (2004) and Sri Sailendra Bejoy Dasgupta's Light of Kriya Yoga (2008). The first contains a few notes taken from conversation with Swami Satyananda Giri, a disciple of Sri Yukteswar; the vision is very rational and convincing. The second is a document written by Sri Sailendra Bejoy Dasgupta, another disciple of Sri Yukteswar. Following is a summary of how these three authors conceive the four phases or levels of Kriya Yoga. According to Swami Nityananda Giri phase 1 of Kriya is embodied in an event that happens during the performance of Kriya Pranayama. After inhalation and after exhalation, some instants of Stillness are enjoyed at the two extremities of the spinal chord. During those intervals, Prana and Apana merge one into the other. We know that the Apana energy is raised from the base of the spine to the higher Chakras while the Prana energy ["Prana" is here intended as that particular energy operating in the zone of the lungs] is brought down back to the base of the spine. A subtle alchemy happens continuously during the practice of 4
This work appeared on the Internet for some months and then it was removed. Now it can be acquired from www.sivabooks.com. I have recently discovered that the thread of similar ideas can also be found in Swami Sadhananda Giri's Kriya Yoga: Its Mystery and Performing Art (1998). 104
Kriya Pranayama. During inhalation, mind and Apana come up through the spinal column toward Ajna . Then, when, as it is natural, the air would tend to go out through the nose, an act of will directs it down inside the spine. Apana (accumulated inside the inhaled air) is merged (sacrificed) into Prana (which dwells in the higher part of the thorax). Both Prana and Apana are dragged downward. When breath and awareness reach Muladhara and a new inhalation is starting, it is natural that a fresh volume of air, which is recharged with Prana, to enter through the nose; an act of will directs it at the base of the spinal column, forcing it to rise inside the spinal channel. A new volume of Prana is thus merged with into Apana (which dwells in the lower part of the spine). Both Prana and Apana are dragged upwards. By the repetition of this process, Prana devours Apana and, vice versa, Prana dissolves into Apana . In those instants a kriyaban has the first glimpse of the state of Stability that will be expanded in the following phases of Kriya. Phase 2 of Kriya is identified with the practice of Omkar Kriya where the Vasudeva Mantra ("Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya ") is introduced. Awareness of the Chakras is intensified, therefore, the attention is firmly fixed on the location of each Chakra. This sensation is decisive for the perception of Internal sound and spiritual light. Phase 3 (Thokar Kriya) allows the kriyaban to perceive and become one with the element "air" (the fourth of five Tattwas) which has its seat in the fourth Chakra . The Tattwas (Sanskrit) are the five subtle elements: earth, water, fire, air and ether (space). This is a philosophical theory that claims that everything in the universe can be broken down into five primal energies. To a kriyaban the theory of the Tattwas is not a theme of useless speculation. They are conceived as a concrete series of states of consciousness, whose intimate essence we experience in our last journey toward the Absolute Consciousness. Now, tuning with the air Tattwa, allows a person enter a sublime state; the heartrate slows down, the breath seems to disappear while the awareness of the Divine Sound and Light are intensified greatly. Phase 4 ( Dhyana Kriya ) is based upon moving the mind up and down the spine but remaining in the Kevala Kumbhaka (effortless breathlessness) state. This allows to experience the five Tattwas. The lofty state attained in the heart Chakra by means of the practice of Thokar is now recreated in each Chakra. And it is this very final procedure that blows the last shell of illusion . Slightly different but not in contradiction with the previous one, is the vision of Swami Satyananda Giri. The four phases are 1. raising the tongue 2. piercing of knot of the dorsal center 3. piercing of knot of the navel 4. piercing of knot of the coccygeal center This "Downward journey" is the main feature of Kriya Yoga and it is said following a "Pre-Reverse Order". What does the "Pre-Reverse Order" mean? From the moment of our conception, Kundalini began a slow journey of descent starting from the cells 105
forming our brain and medulla into the cells of our new spine, finally resting in Muladhara. In the Kundalini awakening, the direction of the energy flow is reversed. Therefore the four-step- Kriya "Downward journey" which is the preparation to the Kundalini awakening is said to follow a "Pre-Reverse Order". Raising the tongue is accomplished by the help of Kechari Mudra . In this way Kriya Pranayama is continuously perfected. Piercing the knot of the heart Chakra is accomplished through Pranava -- the Omkar sound. Swami Satyananda Giri explains that if in Kriya Pranayama the practitioners would not focus on the first six Chakras and practice Japa in each one of them, they would only do an ordinary breathing exercise, merely sitting and thinking about all kinds of trivial things, and this would result in a tamasic state. If during Kriya the mind does not think about other things and no mistakes are made in chanting Om in each Chakra, then a peaceful state of mind will established. Without Om, Kriya is empty of substance. Swami Satyananda Giri shows that the Higher Kriyas have been designed to gradually attain the highest stage in tuning with Omkar . Very suggestively, he explains that it is the spontaneous flow of joy emanating from the sound of Om that is the aim of the kriyaban . The realization of the inner sound, Pranava is the essence of phase 2 of Kriya. Utilizing the syllables of the well known Vasudeva Mantra along with the practice of making a short Kumbhaka in each different Chakra (Omkar Kriya) a profound sound like that of a long-sustaining bell is experienced. Then the instruction of applying a particular kind of pressure or strike on the Anahata Chakra is given. This technique ( Thokar Kriya) has two levels. With the first level, experiences of happiness, sorrow, peace etc. are felt emanating from the heart Chakra , pervading the chest area and establishing boundless peace in the mind. The second level of Thokar Kriya consists in applying a physical and mental blow over and over in the heart area. Breathless state is achieved because breathing is controlled by the cardiac plexus. The author remarks that it seems difficult or impossible to rotate 200 times one's head in one breath at one stretch. He explains that the secret is to begin with 12 rotations and increase by one every day. With this procedure very deep levels of the Omkar Sound are revealed. But most important is the experience of Spiritual Light. In the stillness of witnessing that Light, the door of Sushumna is opened. This means that this Light is also revealed at the different Chakra's location, at the point between the eyebrows and at Sahasrara . Phase 3, piercing the knot of the navel, is accomplished through Navi Kriya. In Swami Satyananda's vision, it seem that everything has already happened during phase 2. Having crossed the heart knot, Sthir Vayu (tranquil breath) moves to the next center, the lumbar center. The practice of the Third Kriya is taught for guiding the vibration of Pranava down the spine toward Muladhara. This matches the definition of Navi Kriya which is not only made of concentration upon the navel and the lumbar Chakra but it is also made of mentally placing Om in each Chakra up and down the spine while the breath is free and is calming down progressively. Phase 4, piercing the coccygeal knot, is accomplished through the full experience of the Omkar 's light aspect. To explain how the Muladhara -knot is 106
broken and Kundalini awakened, the author departs from a precise fact. Through Thokar we have perceived inner light in the heart Chakra and realized that this light shines also in Kutastha . After phase 3 we encounter the revelation of the Tranquil and True Light in the form of a " Bindu ", a dot. Although it appears in the heart Chakra, it becomes the tiny white star that illuminates the path of Eternal Freedom. The author explains that after raising the Prana into Kutastha, a kriyaban practices a particular form of Japa there. Prana must always remain in Kutastha . If it falls below the throat, it must be raised again. Sri Sailendra Bejoy Dasgupta's conception is quite similar. The first two phases are described in the same way. Phase 3 instead of being described as "piercing the knot of the navel" is here identified with the result of the strong procedure of Thokar utilized in phase 2 and is called Omkar Kriya. He explains that Omkar sound appears like the sound of the a multitude of bees, refining gradually into a note like that of a flute, and then of a thunder. With this revelation, the kriyaban perceives different lights at each center in Sushumna . He explains that a kriyaban endeavors to constantly remain immersed in the holy Omkar sound. This constitutes the royal path to success in Kriya discipline. There is no information about phase 4 of Kriya, but the fact that it is a refining of the Omkar and Thokar procedures. The author concludes that after completing the required number of Kriyas, the performer has to sit quiet, absorbed in the "Equilibrium State". The mind has to be gradually detached from all thoughts, eventually plunging into Nirvikalpa Samadhi . He explains also that once the Fourth Kriya has been mastered, the kriyaban does not need any more guidance. He divines processes of Fifth , Sixth and other higher Kriyas for himself in order to remain continuously immersed in the Eternal Tranquility.
Scheme Adopted in this Book Phase 1: Piercing the Tongue Knot ( Jihuah -- or Jihva -- Granthi Bheda) The tongue knot consists in the physiological fact that our tongue is normally not able to touch the uvula and certain centers in the nasal pharynx. We are not kept connected with the reservoir of energy in the Sahasrara region. Kechari Mudra eliminates the gap between the brain and the body and lets the energy circulate (in a clearly perceivable way) inside the body. It closes the circuit of the spine. The nectar (amrit ) trickles down through the tongue into body and spine. The downward journey of static Prana from Sahasrara toward Muladhara , opening each knot and dissolving all obstacles, has begun. The piercing of the tongue knot is achieved not only through Kechari Mudra proper. It is also accomplished when the tongue tip is simply turned back to touch the middle of the upper palate at the point where the hard palate becomes soft. It is also accomplished by Talabya Kriya where the tongue is horizontal, attached to the palate and the frenulum stretched. It is also accomplished by certain other Kriya techniques, like those envisaged by phase 3
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and 4 of Kriya Yoga. Phase 2: Piercing the Heart Knot ( Hridaya Granthi Bheda) This phase comprises the following parts: I. Awakening the Omkar perception. This generally happens in the second part of Kriya Pranayama and in Omkar Kriya -- which is essentially a variation of Kriya Pranayama . It is also fostered by many other techniques like Navi Kriya, Maha Mudra, Pranayama with short breath and Yoni Mudra. It happens also by unswerving listening to the flute-like sound of breath during Kriya Pranayama with Kechari Mudra . II. Intensifying the Omkar experience by strong stimulation of the heart Chakra . This is achieved by Thokar Kriya (basic level); the awareness of a distant sound of a long-sustaining bell fills one's awareness. The same procedure is intensified through the practice of the advance form of Thokar; the intervals of Kumbhaka are gradually extended. A particular state appears where the highest stage of tuning with Omkar becomes possible. Phase 3: Piercing the Navel (Third Chakra) Knot ( Nabhi Granthi Bheda) This phase comprises the following parts: I. Piercing the navel knot through the action of Navi Kriya. This happens by uniting Prana and Apana in the navel region, after they are activated and balanced through Kriya Pranayama. II. Distributing the static Prana to all the Chakras, from Sahasrara to Muladhara . III. Deepening the previous state, obtaining, when the time is ripe, the breathless state.
Some mystics have observed that the process of Samadhi begins in the navel center -- actually they mean the Dantian center. Some Yoga literature identify piercing the knot of the navel with opening the Manipura Chakra but this is not correct. Piercing the knot of the navel means reaching with the awareness the Dantian center. Such center, introduced by the Taoist Internal Alchemy it is not just a theoretical hypothesis but a tangible reality. It is explained that to settle into this zone, means to be born to the spiritual life. It is located about two and one-half inches below the belly button and about one and one-half inches inside: it can be visualized as a ball about one and one-half inches in diameter. It is further explained that we have three Dantian. The afore described center in the abdomen is called lower Dantian , the next is in the heart region (middle Dantian ) and a third (upper Dantian ) is to be found in the region between the eyebrows. Pacifying Prana at these precise locations is the very nucleus of the action of Kriya. The lower Dantian or "The field of cinnabar" is the place where the sexual, love, and spiritual energies are gathered and blended. It contains our unique, individual vibration, the "note" which embodies our will to live in the physical body. To settle into this zone, means to be born to the spiritual life. This event has been designated as the: "Cultivation of the spiritual embryo" or of the 108
"elixir of immortality"; "Coming back to the center"; "The birth of the golden flower"; "The creation of the dazzling gem". Be deepening the practice of Navi Kriya, the vibration which is created in the Dantian ascends spontaneously into the heart region. It illuminates the space of the heart (the middle Dantian ) and reveals one's fundamental nature . The "true serenity" manifests there. The nature of the breath changes, a great immobility in the mental, energetic and physical planes appears. The Omkar experience as internal light is achieved -- this event will be crucial in piercing the Muladhara knot. The distinctive feature of the mastering of the third phase, is the respiratory suspension. This state is called: " Bahir (external) Kevala Kumbhaka" -effortless, spontaneous halting of breathing with the air o ut of the lungs. Phase 4: Piercing the Root and Rudra Knots ( Muladhara Granthi Bheda) This phase comprises the following parts: I. Piercing the knot of Muladhara by inviting Kundalini to enter Sushumna. This happens by moving from Bahir (external) Kevala Kumbhaka to Antar (internal) Kevala Kumbhaka. II. Perfecting Pranayama up to experience it in the breathless state. This is the highest form of Pranayama. The energy moves by itself in a great circulation. This great event embodies the last part of the spiritual path. P.Y. describes it with these words: "...the current will then automatically move by itself and the joy experienced will be indescribable." The Taoist Internal Alchemy hints at this great event as a spontaneous phenomenon of circulation of energy in the body, (the Macrocosmic Orbit ) which has vast psychological implications. III. Piercing the Rudra knot (the point between the eyebrows.) This happens through Yoni Mudra and through the Fourth Kriya technique, which is called Omkar Gayatri Kriya . This process is also called the Dhyana (meditation) phase of Kriya Yoga. By repeating this procedure you enter the Samadhi state but only for few instants. The final result happens after years of serious commitment. Final liberation ( moksha) is not attained in one day. During the epoch of our life when we are occupied with this procedure, many splendid experiences will happen and the last internal obstacles will be cleared one after another.
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Purpose of each phase
Practices
Higher Kriyas
PHASE 1 Piercing the tongue knot
■ Kechari Mudra (either simplified Use of Mantra and Micro Thokar on or proper form). Talabya Kriya the crown and on the subtle centers ■ Kriya Pranayama (first and third of the head (see 3rd & 4th Kriyas) part)
PHASE 2 1.Piercing the heart knot by ■ Kriya Pranayama Part 2 awakening the Omkar perception
2nd Kriya part 1: Omkar Kriya
2.Piercing the heart knot by guiding the Prana into the heart Chakra —————————————
2nd Kriya part 2 & 3: Thokar Kriya (basic level and advanced level)
PHASE 3 1.Piercing the navel knot
■ Navi Kriya
—————————————
2.Spreading the static Prana to each Chakra, from Sahasrara to Muladhara ■ Mental Pranayama 3.Deepening the previous practice up to the breathless state PHASE 4 1.Piercing the Muladhara knot
3rd Kriya part 1: Mental Omkar Kriya
3rd Kriya part 2: Micro Thokar
■ Maha Mudra
—————————————
2.Perfecting Pranayama up to ■ Taking Pranayama with short ————————————— experience it in the breathless state breath as a starting point 3.Piercing the Rudra knot
■ Yoni Mudra
4th Kriya: Omkar Gayatri Kriya
B_KECHARI MUDRA
Before considering some important variations and developments of the fundamental techniques of First Kriya , we shall discuss in detail how to achieve Kechari Mudra. After several months of regular practice of Talabya Kriya , a kriyaban may decide it is time to attempt Kechari Mudra. The test is whether the tip of the tongue can touch the uvula. If so, then for a few minutes a day, use the fingers to push the base of the tongue inward until the tip goes beyond the uvula and touches the hard palate above it. One day, on removing the fingers, the tip of the tongue will remain "trapped" in that position. This is possible because the soft palate (the part from which the uvula hangs) is soft and movable and when the tip of the tongue is able to enter a centimeter or so into the nasal pharynx, it creates a hook. This prevents the tongue from slipping out and returning to its usual flat position. This is the turning point. 5 5
Talabya Kriya and Kechari Mudra are completely different! (Compare figure 3 with figure 2 in chapter 6). By opening the mouth in front of a mirror, during the first part of Talabya Kriya, notice the hollow parts at the sides of the Fraenulum, which will appear as isolated from the body of the tongue. Whereas during Kechari Mudra you see only the root of the tongue: it is the uvula that comes forward. 110
Figure 3. Kechari Mudra
Henceforth, by striving each day to practice at least 6-12 Kriya Pranayama with the tongue in this position -- despite some discomfort such as an increase in salivation, swallowing, and occasional interruptions to reestablish the position -the real Kechari Mudra will be achieved. After approximately three weeks of practicing in this way, you should be able to reach the same position without using the fingers. The tongue will be able to insert itself into the nasal-pharynx cavity in the upper palate. There will still be enough space left in the cavity to inhale and exhale through the nose. The sense of irritation and the increase in salivation are soon left behind and from then on the practice of Kriya Pranayama with Kechari Mudra becomes easy and comfortable. There are two main stages of Kechari Mudra. After several months of tireless practice of the just described stage 1, one achieves stage 2 where the tongue reaches the junction of the nasal passage inside the hole in the palate. The soft tissue above the holes in the nose is alluded to in Kriya literature as the "uvula above the uvula". The tip of the tongue reaches this small area and will remain "stuck" there comfortably. It is stated in Kriya literature that the tongue can also be pushed further up so that its tip touches a higher center in the upper part of the pharynx. As any good anatomy book will reveal, the tongue that fills up the nasal pharynx cannot extend any further. Lahiri Mahasaya's sentence can be understood symbolically and it refers to the rising of the energy. Actually, by extending the tongue to its limit, it is possible to experience a great attraction toward the region between the eyebrows along with the sensation of having reached, with the tip of the tongue, a higher position. The same literature also affirms that through Kechari one is able to perceive "Amrita", "Nectar", the elixir of life which is a sweet tasting fluid trickling down from the brain onto the tongue and into the body. As for the importance of sipping the nectar, I cannot comment since I haven't had the experience nor, I must admit, have I even tried to have it. Even if the following information leaves me perplexed, I share it for the sake of accuracy and completeness. Literature on Kriya Yoga explains that in order to have this experience, the 111
tip of the tongue should touch three specific points: the uvula, a small asperity in the roof of the nasopharynx under the pituitary gland, and the soft tissue above the nasal septum. The tip of the tongue should rotate on these spots for at least 20-30 seconds; then, in the manner of sipping a liquid, a flavor will be tasted on the tongue's surface. The exercise can be repeated several times during the day. It is explained that when the real nectar sensation manifests, one should focus on it while keeping the tongue in contact with one of the centers described above. (Although such explanations may at first be fascinating for the kriyaban s, after an initial period of intense excitement, these are often forgotten and the practitioner does not care about these things anymore.) Kechari Mudra can be compared to an electrical bypass of the mind's energy system. It changes both the path and the direction of Prana flow, and causes the life force to be withdrawn from the thought process. Silence and transparency begin to become the feature of one's consciousness. Kechari stops the internal chatter and gives the mind an essential rest. The mind works in a more restrained way; each thought becomes more concrete and precise. Indeed, this in itself is a major accomplishment! At times, during daily activities, moments of pure calmness and mental silence fill the practitioner's entire being! Sometimes without any additional yogic practice, inexplicable explosions of inner joy appear in unpredictable ways.
Kechari Mudra enables a kriyaban to take a giant step toward perfecting Kriya Pranayama . During Kriya Pranayama with Kechari Mudra, the exhalation arising in the nasal pharynx has a fine flute-like sound like a faint whistle. Some schools call it the Shakti Mantra . It has been likened to the "flute of Krishna". Lahiri Mahasaya described it as "similar to blowing air through a keyhole". He described it as "a razor with which cuts off everything related to the mind". It has the power to cut out any external distracting factors including thoughts and comes at the maximal point of relaxation. Blowing gently on the edge of a sheet of paper approximates this sound. When distraction and anxiety arises, the sound vanishes. Practicing Kriya Pranayama in this way and enjoying its aftereffects is an enchanting and astonishing experience, one of the best moments in a kriyaban ’s life. Cultivating the perfection of this sound, concentrating firmly on it, means creating the best basis to arouse the Om sound without moving to the second phase of Kriya Pranayama. Literature on Kriya Yoga explains that when this event happens, the Omkar experience acquires the dynamism of Kundalini; the soul travels through the spinal cord and burns in the joy of Samadhi . Modesty is always welcome but when this result is achieved, the positive euphoria is so overwhelming that it cannot be contained (like finding Aladdin’s magic lamp). In Kriya literature it is said that those who realize a perfect Pranayama, can achieve everything through it. Well, if we dream of a faultless Kriya Pranayama , then Kriya Pranayama with Kechari Mudra and flute sound matches that principle. We close with an important remark. As soon as you achieve Kechari Mudra 112
(assuming that one keeps this position each day for an average of at least five minutes), during the first week of its employment, you may experience a feeling of "dizziness" where the mental faculties seem to be fogged up. You must be prepared for this eventuality and consider, during that week, abstaining from driving and from any work implying a significant percentage of risk.
C_VARIATIONS
We shall describe some interesting variations of Kriya Pranayama, Navi Kriya and Maha Mudra. While applying the following instructions, one might think of making one's routine intricate and unnatural. If one has a self learning instinct, there will be no problem in making the routine flow natural. I believe that one should not add simultaneously different technical details: it is important to experience each one separately and utilize each one for at least one week before adding the next one. Each detail intensifies the power of one specific phase of Kriya, engraves it in your awareness and therefore should be gradually digested and integrated into your personality. Variations of Kriya Pranayama In comparison to the already explained Kriya Pranayama in three parts, the following variations can be defined "simplifications"; yet they might be inspiring and useful. They are to be practiced with mouth closed and, possibly, with the tongue in Kechari Mudra. The throat sounds are those we have already explained.
Variation 1. Circuit inside and on the back of Sushumna Inhale, visualizing the breath coming up through Sushumna , feeling its coolness touching each Chakra from Muladhara to Vishuddha , then medulla until it reaches the point between the eyebrows. Om mentally is chanted in each one of this points. After a short pause with the awareness totally focused in the point between the eyebrows, exhalation begins. During the first part of the exhalation, the current comes up over the forehead, then bends and moves backwards over the brain, under the cranial bones, under fontanelle, piercing Bindu, then medulla. The exhalation is completed by visualizing the breath coming down through the back of the spinal column. Feel the warmth of the breath touching each Chakra at the back, from Vishuddha to Muladhara . Om is mentally chanted in Bindu , medulla , Vishuddha , .... Muladhara . Variation 2. Pranayama with Aswini Mudra Aswini Mudra means contracting repeatedly the muscles at the base of the spine with the rhythm of about two contractions per second. 6 6
While learning the technique, a yogi contracts the buttock muscles, perineum or even the entire pelvic region also; with time, the contraction involves only the sphincter 113
A wise procedure is to practice Aswini Mudra intensively and continuously during Kriya Pranayama. During inhalation and exhalation of the first 12 Kriya breaths, Aswini Mudra should be strong; subsequently, it should decrease in intensity and become like a slight internal contraction of the inferior part of the spine -- this is just our sensation, because it is clear that the spine cannot be contracted. If this procedure appears annoying and disturbing, it is essential to be unshakeable and go ahead with it. At a certain point, by going on impassively, one has the certainty that something positive is happening. One perceives a pleasurable shiver in the spine. The continuous practice of Aswini Mudra during Kriya Pranayama creates the condition for Kundalini awakening. It gently pushes the Apana current upward to the navel region where it meets Prana . Kundalini awakens when there is immobility of the body and Prana and Apana unite. It is only the union of these two currents that can open the door of Sushumna . The day after the practice of Kriya Pranayama with Aswini Mudra a diffuse joy during all the day is perceived, even if one can devote only five minutes to the practice of Kriya.
Variation 3. Pranayama with Mula Bandha Mula Bandha means contracting the perinea muscles, while a mental pressure is exerted on the lower part of the spine (we have only one long contraction and not a series of contraction and release like in Aswini Mudra.) We practice Mula Bandha during the pause of the breath after inhalation. The purpose is to create the perception of Kutastha. This is a very delicate procedure that should be learned gradually. I. During the last instants of inhalation, before doing Mula Bandha , we visualize the current reaching Bindu , then the current "rotates" left, comes down a little bit and enters the medulla. II. It is in this moment that Mula Bandha is practiced intensely, the breath is held and the eyebrows are raised. You will feel that the energy is pushed from medulla into Kutastha. Simultaneously internal light is perceived spreading from Kutastha to the upper part of the brain. Then the exhalation begins, all the tension is released and the energy goes down to Muladhara . Breath after breath, the power created in Kutastha will kindle the great golden-white light of the spiritual eye. Kechari Mudra, if achieved, cooperates with this process: during the Mula Bandha thrust, the tongue is pushed upward and forward. Variation 4. Rate 2:3 An important school considers the 2:3 ratio (inhalation:exhalation) much more natural of the already discussed 1:1. In this more liberal approach to the length of breath in Kriya Pranayama, it is explained that breath retention should be at least muscles. 114
4 seconds, but the optimum is equal the length of inhalation. Just to make an exampl example: e: 12 seconds seconds inhala inhalatio tion; n; 4 seconds seconds pause; pause; 18 seconds seconds exhalat exhalation ion is correct, but the ideal timing to reach is: 12-12-18. 12-12 -18.
Variation 5. Counting the Kriya Breaths on the Chakras The following cannot be called a real variation: it is only a particular way of counting the Kriya breaths, without using mala or movement of fingers. Maybe it seems a trifle, but if you adopt ad opt it you will realize how deeply it calms your mind. Practice any of the afore described Kriya Pranayama variation (or the first Kriya Pranayama as described in chapter 6.) During the first breath focus part of Kriya on all the spine as the technique requires, but on Muladhara Chakra in particular, as if this Chakra were the most important point of the spine. After a full breath, durin during g the the secon second d brea breath th,, consi conside derr the the Swadhisthana the most most Swadhisthana Chakra as the important point of the spine... and so on (third, fourth, fifth, Bindu , medulla, fifth... Muladhara ). It is as if with each further breath breath you evoke the calmness, the sweetness of a different Chakra. After twelve breaths you will realize that something has changed, that you are more introverted. Variations of Navi Kriya Navi Kriya are very mild and comfortable. The following two variations of Navi
Variation 1. Breathing through the Silver Chord Consider Consider the basic explanation explanation in chapter 6. All the details details up to the bending bending of the head forward remain unchanged. In this variation the Om Mantra is mentally chanted chanted in alternati alternation on between between the point between the eyebrows and the navel (Om in the point between the eyebrows, Om in the navel, Om in the point between the eyebrows, Om in the navel… and so on). Optional (but very useful if done with a relaxed attitude) is to synchronize the breath with the Om chanting. Let us dwell on this delicate point. Visualize a tiny silver channel that connects (outside your body) the point between the eyebrows with the navel. When it comes natural to have a very short inhalation, inhale only what is necessary, visualize the movement of air rising, through the visualized channel, from navel to the point between the eyebrows, pause an instant there just chant Om mentally. When it comes natural to exhale, exhale, visualize the movement of air going down, through the visualized channel, into the navel, pause and chant Om mentally in the navel. By repeating this, you will markedly feel that your breath begins to subside and disappear. When this happens, go on mentally chanting the Om Mantra in alternation between the point between the eyebrows and the navel and moving the focus of your awareness between these two points, without ceasing being aware of the "silver channel". channel". Go on. When is Om chant chanted ed abou aboutt 75 time times, s, bend bend your your head head back backwa ward rdss and repe repeat at a simi simila lar r procedure procedure by chanting chanting Om in altern alternati ation on betwee between n the Bindu and and the the thir third d Chakra. Visualize another tiny silver channel that connects (outside your body) the Bindu and the third Chakra. Let your breath -- if there is still a trace of 115
breath -- flow freely in that channel . When Om is chanted about 25 times, resume the chin's normal position and chant mentally Om in the point between the eyebrows , medulla, Chakras 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1. This This is one one Navi Kriya. The optimum is to have 4 cycles of Navi Kriya. It is natural and desirable that from the second repetition onwards, the breath has no role at all.
Variation 2. Descent through Four Directions Navi Kriya is the one many kriyabans like the best. The following variation of Navi Let us first first remind remind that the Dantian is located about two and one-half inches below the belly button and about one and one-half inches inside. It can be visualized as a ball about one and one-half inches in diameter. As usual, a kriyaban 's awareness goes slowly up along the spinal column placing the syllable Om (ooong) in the six Chakras. Then the chin is brought down toward the throat cavity. A short inhalation is followed by a very long exhalation, during which, the energy is felt descending, along a path outside the body, from the frontal part of the brain to the navel, reaching through it the abdomin abdominal al region region -- the Dantian , precisely precisely.. During this exhalation exhalation,, Om is chanted mentally, rapidly, 10-15 times, accompanying the descent of energy throughout its path, as if applying some "soft pushes". The head resumes its normal position. position. This is followed followed by a short inhalation inhalation (two seconds maximum, maximum, without concentrating on the Chakras ) which raises the energy into the head again. The head bends toward toward the left shoulder, without turning the face. A long exhal exhalat atio ion n (wit (with h the the same same chan chanti ting ng of Om, Om, Om…) acco accomp mpan anie iess the the downward movement of energy which starts from the brain's left side and moves along a path outside the body at its left side (forget that there is shoulder or arm) down to the waist where it bends and moves toward the inside of the abdominal Dantian ). The head moves back into its normal position; again a short region ( Dantian inha inhala lati tion on foll follow owss (two (two seco seconds nds maxi maximu mum, m, with without out conc concen entr trat atin ing g on the the Chakras) to raise the energy into the head . The head now bends backwards. A long expiration (with the same chanting of Om, Om, Om…) accompanies the downward movement of energy which starts from the occipital region and moves (outside the body) down to the waist where it bends, passes through the third and moves moves towa toward rd the the insi inside de of the the abdo abdomi mina nall regi region on Manipura Manipura Chakra Chakra and ( Dantian ). The procedure is repeated likewise on the right side, then on the forward , to the left, and so on. The basic session of this particular form of Navi Kriya consists of 36 descents (9 full rotations of the head). It ends with mental chanting of Om in each Chakra from Ajna Chakra to Muladhara. (One session typically lasts 8-10 minutes and replaces the 4 repetitions of the commonly established form of Navi Kriya.) As the practitioner proceeds with the rotations, the movements of the head become less marked; this is quite normal. One can have encouraging results also by gradually reaching immobility and completing the prescribed number by a sheer mental process.
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Procedures completing the action of Navi Kriya The follow following ing proced procedure uress are not part of the traditi traditional onal set of techni technique quess of Kriya Yoga. They are currently taught by some Kriya Acharyas because they have offered a great help in dealing with some difficult cases. Their power of removing almost any psychological hindrance is noteworthy and unparalleled. But they require great care because because they affect affect the person's person's behavior behavior during the daily life. You You could excessively react to trivial impediments and to the irrational behavior of people. In short, some sharp personality traits of yours may surface. Obviously Obviously,, they do not appear out of nothing nothing -- they express what you had held within within you for a long time. time. The positive positive aspect of these procedure proceduress is that they have the power to rekindle the "inner fire" of the spiritual path.
First procedure Stimulus of the Navel Region in three parts Part 1 Kapalabhati Kapalabhati Pranayama Pranayama is used here in a targeted way to work on the navel. Perf Perform orm inha inhala lati tion on and and exhal exhalat atio ion n rapi rapidl dly; y; exhal exhalat atio ion n shoul should d be done done by contracting the abdominal muscles forcibly and quickly, resulting in a backward push. Exhalation and inhalation alternate with equal lengths and occur about two times per second. The navel acts as a pump and it's almost like using the abdom abdomen en as bell bellow ows. s. Exha Exhala lati tion on is acti active ve,, inha inhala lati tion on passi passive ve.. A sudde sudden n contraction of the abdominal muscles raises the diaphragm and a volume of air is expelled from the lungs. The sound slightly resembles blowing one's empty nose. As soon as the air is forced out, the abdominal muscles relax, this allows the same volume volume of air to rush in; inhalation inhalation comes automati automaticall cally y. During each each expulsion, Prana is sent to the navel and Om is mentally chanted in the navel. After 15-20 of these short exhalations, there is a pause and the breath resumes its normal rhythm. Then another 15-20 of these short breaths are repeated for about 100 mental chants of Om. Part 2 (optional -- only few persons are able to do it) Traditi Traditional onal practice practice of Nauli foster fosterss the Kundalini awakening. awakening. Practice Practice by standing with your feet spread a bit more than shoulder width apart with knees a bit bent, and leaning forward enough to rest hands on your knees. Expel all the air from your lungs, and then go up and down with the diaphragm. Breath normally. Then with air out, contract abdominal muscles by pressing down on our knees through both your arms. You will notice your abdominal muscles bulging out vertically. In time one learns how to "twirl" those muscles: the key to twirling is separating the flexing of left abdominal muscle from the flexing of right ones, and then coordinating the two flexings into a twirling motion. This happens by pressing differently on knees -- weeks are required. (One finds instruction in b reath Hatha Yoga manuals.) Do at least twenty rotations. Just pause, take a deep breath or two, exhale again, and continue. It has been explained that the effect is that 117
begin to awaken. As you become famili familiar ar with Nauli, you will Kundalini will begin also be able to do it less formally in situations that do not involve the standing position. position. In time you will be able able to do it without without visible visible motion. Generally Generally speaking, Mudras and Bandhas begi begin n as pron pronoun ounce ced d and and visi visibl ble, e, and then then naturally refine over time acting deep upon our ou r nervous system. Part 3 This exercise is called Nabhi Kundalini "reversed" path -Kundalini . The breath follows a "reversed" reversed in respect to what is experienced in Kriya Pranayama proper. Prana present in the inhaled air is drawn down at the level of Manipura . Apana is pushed pushed upwards upwards with the exhaled exhaled air. air. Inhala Inhalati tion on happen happenss in three portion portions: s: through the first portion, draw breath and energy from the point between the eyebrows into Vishuddhi , make a little pause to feel the energy gathering there; thro throug ugh h the the seco second nd porti portion, on, draw draw brea breath th and and ener energy gy from from Vishuddha into Anahata , make a little pause to feel the energy gathering there; through the third portion, draw breath and energy from Anahata into Manipura . While holding the breath, intensify the concentration on the Manipura through through the three Bandhas Bandhas (Mula Bandha , Uddiyana Bandha and Jalandhara Bandha ). Mentally chant Om 12 times in Manipura exerting a form of mental pressu pressure re upon that that center center.. Then Then release release the Bandhas and and exha exhale le in thre threee portions: through the first portion feel the warm energy from the Manipura , rising through the spine into Anahata ; through the second portion feel the warm energy rising into Vishuddha ; through the third portion guide the energy into the point between the eyebrows. There is a more traditional version of Nabhi Kundalini. Place your attention at the Manipura Chakra. Visualize in its center a flaming, inverted triangle. Inhale gradually throug through h the nostri nostrils, ls, and feel that that the breath breath actually actually enters enters Manipura , heating it intensely, like a blaze afire. Holding your breath, perform Mula Bandha, Uddiyana while keep keepin ing g your your atten attentio tion n on the the blaz blazin ing g hot hot Bandha, Jalandhara Bandha -- while Manipura. Visualize a series of drops of white light falling into it, while mentally chanting Om with each drop. Release all the Bandhas , and release the breath. Exhale gently and slowly, feeling the warm energy rise along the spine, heating the Anahata Chakra , then the Vishuddha Chakra , the Ajna Chakra , and Sahasrara Chakra. Chant Om as it passes through each Chakra . Pause some instants at the Sahasrara Chakra . You can increase of 12 breaths, breaths, every 6 months, until you reach 108 repetitions. repetitions. You You are warned not to disregard this restriction.
Second procedure Vase breathing Sit quietly, breath a few breaths, until you can tangibly feel yourself breathing energy. Visualize your body as being completely hollow inside. In the center of your body, just in front of the spine is the central channel, a transparent hollow tube about the size of a small coin. It runs straight from the base of your spine to the crown of your head. There are to further channels departing from the right and left nostrils respectively, respectively, travel upwards to the top of o f the head and then curve 118
to run downwards on either side of the central channel. They join the central channel at the Dantian 's level. 7 Practice Mula Bandha raising energy to the Dantian . Take a full breath through both nostrils. Air and Prana travel from the nostrils down through the right and left channels reaching the Dantian and thus the central channel. As you finish your inhalation, swallow and push down gently with your diaphragm in order to firmly compress the energy brought down from above: now the air energy is completely locked in, compressed from above and below. The breath is in the Dantian . Hold your breath for as long as it is comfortable. This practice is like holding an air ball between two hands -- here you use your mental concentration and a light muscular pressure to bring about this feeling of compression. Visualize in Dantian a growing flame that gets hotter as the practice progresses. When you are ready, relax your lightly tensed muscles and exhale gently and completely. Although the air leaves through the nostrils, visualize that it rises up through the central channel and dissolves there. Prana comes up through the central channel and out through fontanelle. Once your first exhalation is complete, again tighten the lower muscles, inhale a second time, swallow and push down with the diaphragm, thus again compressing the air energy at the area below the navel. Hold your breath and concentrate on this area, feeling the energy building there. Then, again, when it becomes uncomfortable to hold the breath any longer, exhale, releasing the air up the central channel once again. After about ten breaths, visualize the exhalation Prana directed to fill each part of your body up to a cellular level. The physical breath seems to dissolve. Specialized literature explains that each ten cycles of vase breathing you reach a higher stage: the higher Chakras up to Sahasrara are reached by the internal flame. When this happens, the nectar ( Amrita) is perceived. It travel downwards via the path of the tongue ( Kechari Mudra), it heals the whole body and originates a blissful state. If this practice is done without preparation, just to experiment something, one achieves only a nervous mood -- as if something had not gone to right way. The generated power, in fact, doesn't succeed in being absorbed. If the person abides by a wise gradualness, some important results will appear. The results are a great quiet in the breath followed by an extraordinary mental clarity and by a sense of bliss. Later this bliss increases and short states of Samadhi appear, especially if the yogi has the wisdom of laying down after the practice. 7
Never dream of substituting the Dantian center or navel center with Manipura ! The tendency to remove from the Kriya praxis anything which may seem non yogic is narrow-minded and needlessly confining. Just to give an example, there are some teachers who have altered Navi Kriya - either eliminating it entirely or erasing the concentration on the navel, thus reducing the technique to a pure concentration on the third Chakra. Many devotees will not shift their awareness a single centimeter from the spinal column fearing their practice will become less "spiritual!" This is obviously a false argument: Kriya Yoga happens both inside and outside the spine. Lahiri Mahasaya wrote unambiguously about the deep, irreplaceable action of unfastening the knot of the navel – not of the Manipura ! 119
Variations of Maha Mudra Two precious variations of Maha Mudra will be discussed first. They are very useful to produce the experience of the internal sounds.
Variation 1 Forward bendings Before the practice of Maha Mudra proper, sit in the half-lotus position or on the heels. Through a deep inhalation (not as long as in Kriya Pranayama -- employ half the time) raise the first Chakra into Fontanelle/Sahasrara , hold the breath, bend the body forward. The head is placed in the region between the knees (see figure 4). Touch the pavement with the forehead. The hands may be used if you want; the breath is retained during the entire bending sequence. The head comes near the right knee, the face is turned toward the left knee so that it is possible to perceive a pressure on the right side of the head; a sensation of space is perceived inside the left side of the brain. Then repeat the same exercise with the other side of the body, reversing the perceptions. Then the head is placed in the region between the knees again, the face turned downward. A pressure is felt on the forehead. A sensation of space is perceived inside the occipital region. After completing the three movements, resume the starting position with the head and spine erect. The energy is brought down from the point between the eyebrows to Muladhara through one long exhalation. Then concentrate upon the second Chakra and repeat the procedure (raise it, bend the body forward, and so on). You can have six bows, one for each Chakra but since you can also ideally raise Fontanelle of eight centimeters, you can have seven bows.
Figure 4. Forward bending starting from sitting on the heels or starting from the halflotus pose
What we have explained is only the external hull of the practice. When you focus on a Chakra , try for a couple of seconds, to perceive a feeling of movement in it. By repeating the procedure above for various days, this becomes possible and is a great experience. When the head is touching the pavement, it is easy to feel a swinging sensation in your head. In that position, the head is ideally divided in two parts: that which is down and the part that is up. If you do your best to feel the difference sensation between these two, you will perceive in each part, this important sensation. If this doesn't work, practice more slowly and without 120
holding your breath.
Variation 2. Improving traditional Maha Mudra with the subtle perceptions of the previous exercise Now practice Maha Mudra, but when the right leg is extended, the right hand grabs the toes of the right foot while the left hand grabs the inner side of the right foot (the arch of the foot); the face is turned left while the breath is retained. A sensation like an inner pressure is felt on the right side of the head. It contrasts with the free space sensation in the left side of the brain. Practicing the opposite position, the sensations are reversed. When both legs are extended, the pressure must be felt on the front part of the head. As usual, this exercise is repeated three times. While stretching forward holding your breath in the position envisaged for Maha Mudra, chant Om coming up in each Chakra, trying to perceive the oscillation in each one. (The technique can be practiced more slowly and without holding the breath.) Procedures completing the action of Maha Mudra Read what we have written before introducing the procedures completing the action of Navi Kriya. The same warning is to be repeated now.
First procedure Inviting Kundalini to Enter Sushumna (Tadan Kriya) Inhale deeply feeling that the breath fills from top down the lungs while the Prana (contrarily to what happens in Kriya Pranayama) goes down toward Muladhara . At the end of inhalation, your awareness is focused on Muladhara . Lift the body just a few millimeters with the help of the hands and then let the buttocks touch the floor with a mild jolt. Exhale freely perceiving an ecstatic feeling -- this happens when the jolt is experienced not as a physical movement but as an intense mental stimulus upon Muladhara . Second procedure Guiding Kundalini into the Region of the Fourth Chakra Inhale like in the previous exercise. During inhalation the breath goes down toward Muladhara . Then, during exhalation, breath and Prana roll upward through the spine to the crown of the head. Listen to the sound of your breath. Hear "Hahm" on the intake and "Sah" on the exhale. After 6 breaths, exhalation is fragmented. After each "Hahm" just pause a moment, then release the breath through the nose in short bursts, hearing "sah, sah, sah, sah, sah," as many times as it takes before your lungs empty. Breath about 6 times in this way, then release Kechari Mudra and exhale through the lips, increasing the fragmentation: s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s ... (The different "s" are perfectly audible). The lips touch in the central part and the air comes out through the corners of your mouth, inducing a warm feeling in the lips. Transfer it mentally at the base of the spine, perceiving a heat that spontaneously comes up through the spine. Channel this warm sensation in the 121
heart Chakra. After about 12 breaths, the technique is completed.
Third procedure Establishing Kundalini in the Region of the Fourth Chakra Bhastrika Pranayama is one of the most important Pranayamas of classic Yoga. It is not part of Kriya Yoga -- even if some schools suggest it should be considered part of it. " Bhastrika " consists in forced rapid deep breathing, done with the diaphragm only. You can begin with six repetitions. You breath through the nose, about one complete breath per second, being aware of what is happening in the spine. By focusing behind the heart Chakra, you feel the energy oscillating approximately 3 centimeters below and above it. It is like cleaning vigorously the area behind this Chakra . You will feel warm in the region of the fourth Chakra . Then inhale deeply, hold your breath and feel the warm sensation increasing. Exhale intensifying that sensation. In time, you can increase the length and the repetitions of this technique.
Particular Procedures to be Practiced at the end of a Kriya Routine by those who have Succeeded in Reaching the Breathless State
First procedure Antar Kevala Kumbhaka (Muladhara Granthi Bheda proper) After reaching the breathless state through whatever procedure, inhale deeply filling your lungs. Expand your rib cage and keep it expanded after completing the inhalation. Try to remain in the same condition you instinctively adopt when you are going to take another sip of air. Focus your attention on the air and Prana filling the upper part of your rib cage: they are immobile there, like frozen. Go beyond the thought of breathing. The light tension in the muscles of your rib cage prevents you from exhaling. This state is not stable: after a few seconds it is likely you feel the necessity of breathing. To achieve a stable state, you have to enter with your awareness the subtle channel of the spine. Concentrate therefore on Muladhara and begin rapidly chanting Om, Om, Om... mentally, many times. Climb the innermost channel of the spine like an ant (don't remain focused on Muladhara more than a couple of seconds). Come up millimeter after millimeter continuously repeating Om Om Om... mentally (and of course avoiding inhaling). After no more than 15-20 seconds you'll have reached the heart Chakra. Now you perceive a deeper and stabler freedom from the breath. This brings an incomparable sense of peace. If, remaining focused on the heart Chakra and on the air and Prana filling your rib cage, you perceive this peace and the breath does not exist, it means that you are ready for the next step -- otherwise you can repeat the action of inhaling and expanding your rib cage.
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Second procedure Circulation of Light Forget your breath: by lifting your eyebrows, become sensitive to inner light in the point between the eyebrows. Then guide intuitively the light into the "frontal component" of each Chakra . This concept - rarely quoted in Kriya literature - has not been introduced so far. "Frontal" means on the anterior part of the body. Thus, after Kutastha , the awareness comes down through the tongue into the upper front part of the throat, which is linked to the fifth Chakra. The perception of the inner light happens at that spot for few seconds. The awareness comes down in the central region of the sternum ... inner light is perceived there ... then in the navel ... then in the pubic region and finally in the perineum. Then the concentration moves up along the back of the spinal column, and the same light perception happens in the second Chakra ; then in the third ... and so on up to the medulla , the occipital region, the Fontanelle , ending in Kutastha again, where you pause longer. Then open you eyes and try to perceive the spiritual light in every object surrounding you. When you are familiar with this process, you can intensify it by mentally chanting Om three times in each center. Third procedure Raising Kundalini into Kutastha (Rudra Granthi Bheda proper) After letting that the "wheel turns by itself" for some rounds, after this phenomenon has manifested a certain number of times, practice a variation of procedure 1. Take a deep inhalation, apply Mula Bandha and Uddiyana Bandha (gently lift your diaphragm a little and pull your belly in). Concentrate on Muladhara and climb up the spine, with your awareness, slowly, without breathing, millimeter after millimeter repeating continuously Om, Om, Om....many times. After reaching the point between the eyebrows, go on observing the light of the "spiritual eye" intensifying. D_HOW TO ORGANIZE A KRIYA ROUTINE
We have already hinted that a Kriya Yoga routine where there is a specific action upon each one of the four knots and this actions follow strictly to the "PreReverse Order"of them (tongue, heart, navel and coccyx) does not work properly for everyone. It comes natural to start the routine with a couple of techniques like Maha Mudra and Navi Kriya which are conceived to be used in phase 4 and 3. It is preferable to put all the techniques requiring movement at the beginning of the routine. From a certain moment onward, we want to practice undisturbed. The criterion we now introduce completes this principle. We ideally divide the work for each knot into two parts: a strong action requiring physical movement and a subtle action that elaborates the effect of the previous and pursues audaciously the same goal by working on higher planes. Let us call "formal" the first and "informal" the second. The routine will be 123
organized in the following way: Formal part of the 4th, 3rd and 1st phase followed by the informal part of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th phase. Symbolically: F4; F3; F1 + I1; I2; I3; I4 Let us develop this scheme.
F4 Formal Part -- Fourth Knot The technique of Maha Mudra is the beginning of the fourth phase. It helps in developing an unimpeded Kriya Pranayama. Through it , the Prana located in the spinal column is raised up to the head, which fills the body and mind with elation and vitality, stabilizes them for meditation, and helps balance the left and right brain hemispheres. The most serious schools of Kriya recommended that for every 12 Kriya Pranayama , one should perform one Maha Mudra -- three remains the minimum number. (To make it more clear, those who practice 60 Kriya Pranayamas should practice Maha Mudra five times, while those who practices 12 or 24 Pranayamas should practice three of them.) Unfortunately, having listened to different kriyabans , I dare say it would be a miracle if kriyabans regularly practiced the three required repetitions. Others believe they are practicing Kriya correctly without ever practicing one single Maha Mudra! It is obvious if you forsake this exercise and lead a sedentary life, the spinal column will lose its elasticity. One's physical condition deteriorates over the years and it becomes almost impossible to maintain the correct meditation position for more than a few minutes —that is why Maha Mudra is so important for kriyabans .
You can enjoy the afore described variation. This is the proper place to practice the procedures completing the action of Maha Mudra. They are described in the correct order if you want to utilize all these three tools.
F3 Formal Part -- Third Knot You can enjoy the basic form of Navi Kriya or one of its variations. This is the proper place where you can also test the power of the afore described procedures that complete its action. Differently from the procedures we have given for completing the action of Maha Mudra, you practice only one of the two!
F1 Formal Part -- First Knot We practice Talabya Kriya with a strong awareness of the essence of the knot of the tongue. This means we are keenly aware of the fracture that exists in our 124
body and consciousness between the body under to Ajna Chakra and the upper part of the head where static Prana resides. We live in the first and it is only during the last phase of our Kriya routine that we can fully reside in the second. An immense reserve of energy is located above Ajna Chakra. We must train ourselves to feel it clearly. Talabya Kriya is used not only to stretch the frenulum. When the tongue sticks to the palate and the mouth is opened, in that instant the circuit is closed, the two parts of our body unite. We should be aware that the pressure-pull provoked by the sucker effect of the tongue on the palate creates a sudden calmness in our thinking process.
I1 Informal Part -- First Knot The informal part of our routine begins with the first long inhalation of our Kriya Pranayama. We go upward, as much as possible, to invite calm Prana from Sahasrara to come down through the tongue to the throat and to all the Chakras . The downward journey of static Prana -- the main characteristic of Lahiri Mahasaya's Kriya Yoga to open each knot and free our consciousness from the bondage of matter -- will be unobstructed experienced. With the help of Kechari Mudra the flow of the breath becomes smooth, fluid, fine and thin like a silken thread.
I2 Informal Part -- Second Knot This is the moment of applying the second part of Kriya Pranayama. The purpose is to succeed in listening to the internal sounds and Omkar sound without closing our ears -- as they do in Nada Yoga . We bring forth a continuous will of internal listening. Awareness of inner sound appears, sooner or later.
I3 Informal Part -- Third Knot We have seen that the third phase of Kriya comprises the union of Prana and Apana in the region of the navel (through the action of Navi Kriya) followed by the lofty procedure of mental Pranayama. This phase grants, when the time is ripe, the fundamental experience of the breathless state. Therefore you can recall in a few instants of concentration all the power you have created with phase F3 by practicing for one or two minutes one of the two described variations, diminishing the slight physical movement they require up to avoid it completely. The essence of the Navi Kriya can be also experienced by intensifying the movement of the navel during a long Kriya Pranayama exhalation.
As for turning the calmness of the breath into the breathless state, it is quite normal that the experiments last months and months. The Samana current, activated by working on the navel region ( Dantian ) , creates that ineffable condition that some Kriya Acharyas call the " Kriya absorption state". In that state, one day, when the time is ripe, a kriyaban has, all of a sudden, the 125
impression to cross a screen and to emerge in another dimension. There comes the realization that the body doesn't need to breathe. The breath becomes so calm that the practitioner has the factual perception that one is not breathing at all; one feels a fresh energy in the body, sustaining its life from inside, without the necessity of oxygen. It is fantastic! Without any feeling of uneasiness, this condition lasts for some minutes. There is not the least quiver of surprise, or the thought: "Finally I have it!". This does not mean that the person is unaware: he or she is perfectly aware, but in a calm, very detached way. One is carried away, far away from any known territory and is aware enough to understand that this is the key experience of one's life; a unique elation, which nothing else in life can give. There is a halo of mystery that surrounds the description of this state; people think it is impossible and that any affirmation about its occurrence is false. Nevertheless, it is possible, even if it is experienced only after years of Kriya practice. It has nothing to do with holding the breath forcefully. It does not simply mean that the breath becomes more and more quiet. It is the state where the breath is entirely non-existent, with the subsequent dissolution of the mind. When it manifests, a kriyaban does not feel the need to take in any breath at all or one takes in a very short breath but doesn't feel the need to exhale for a very long time. (Longer than the time which medical science considers possible.) This state embodies the characteristics of the authentic "religious" life. In order to achieve it, it is necessary to live in an active but also introverted way. The Prana in the body loses any restlessness; deep calmness pervades each part of the psychophysical constitution.
I4 Informal Part -- Fourth Knot Consider the "particular procedures to be practiced at the end of a Kriya routine by those who have succeeded in reaching the breathless state." They are to be practiced here.
Those who are not able to reach that state, must use their breath in the most wise way to come as near as possible to that state. Pranayama with short breath is the best technique. A great teaching of my first Kriya teacher, the one which gave me tremendous results is that if you want to make remarkable spiritual progress, you should engage yourselves in being aware of at least 1728 breaths a day. Experiencing 1728 short breaths through Pranayama with short breath requires about three hours and can be done once in a week. You need to remain always on the border between breath and no breath. The process should never become purely mental. This for the benefit of increasing the Omkar experience and avoid sleepiness enter. Therefore do your best to keep a slender thread of breath up to the completion of the prescribed number.
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CHAPTER 8 HIGHER K RIYAS
Kechari Mudra, Kriya Pranayama, Omkar Kriya and T hokar Kriya are the four key instructions that, like pillars, support the vast structure of Kriya Yoga. We have broadly discussed (both practically and theoretically) the first two, now we are going to introduce Omkar Kriya and Thokar Kriya. We shall define them and discuss how they help the achievement of the four stages of Kriya Yoga. But first of all let us consider Kechari Mudra. Kriya literature affirms, it is crucial for initiation into the Higher Kriyas. Acharyas of original Kriya demand indeed to see the actual execution of Kechari Mudra -- they want the student's mouth opened in front of them and to see the tongue disappear into the nasal pharynx. We can understand the reason why. What is incontrovertibly true is that Kechari Mudra helps to perceive the vibrational state, the rhythm and astral location of each Chakra. To those who are depressed because are not able to achieve Kechari Mudra, let us claim therefore, without any fear of being contradicted, that there are many who practice Kriya Yoga with enthusiasm, with admirable commitment, who enjoy its remarkable effects, but who have not realized this Mudra. The sentence which we hear repeated: "Until one is established in Kechari Mudra, one cannot achieve the state of Eternal Tranquility" is simply not true. Were it true, then many mystics, the majority of whom never heard of Kechari Mudra, would never have experienced the Divine.
ADVANCED KRIYA"
PROCEDURES GLOBALLY KNOWN AS "SECOND
Second Kriya - part 1. Omkar Kriya The hands with fingers intertwined rest on the abdomen. Inhalation and exhalation are divided into six + six parts. Starting with your chin on the chest, inhale moving your awareness along the spinal column upwards, while simultaneously raising the chin as if to accompany and push the energy up. The syllables of the Vasudeva Mantra ("Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya ") are mentally placed in each Chakra location, while making a short pause in each. 8 During the first "sip" of inhalation, the concentration is on the Muladhara , where the syllable Om is ideally placed; during the second "sip", the concentration is on the second Chakra , where the syllable Na is ideally placed … and so on, until Ba is placed in the Bindu , the inhalation is completed and the chin is horizontal . The exhaling breath too is divided into six punctuated parts like pulses. While lowering the chin, the awareness comes down along the spinal column. The syllable Te is placed in the medulla, Va in the fifth Chakra… and so on … Su… 8
I am sure the reader knows the correct pronunciation of the Mantra ; that is why I will not add any phonetic symbols. Notice that in the Bindu we don't mentally verbalize Va but Ba: this convention has been established over the years.
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De… Va, until Ya is mentally chanted in the Muladhara . When you mentally place a syllable in a Chakra , you exert a mental pressure on it. This pressure is intense and is done with all your mental power. Some Kriya teachers consider it an effective form of Thokar . Since it is vitally important, let us try to clarify how it happens. Visualize each Chakra as a horizontal disk or coin with a diameter of approximately one inch. Visualize them as viewing from top. The center of your awareness remains placed all the time in the occipital region. From there you ideally look at each Chakra. There is no difference when you are coming up with your chanting or going down, the pressure is always the same. We can approximately say that the awareness comes up "inside" and goes down "behind" the spine. But what is essential is to mentally feel (or create or discover a power to create) a pressure in the seat of each Chakra; therefore to say that you put the descending syllables from "behind" has no more the meaning it had during the second part of Kriya Pranayama . In other words the pressure on each Chakra happens from all parts; it is an action realized with a kind of power that comes from months (and years) of practice of Kriya Yoga and of Kechari Mudra. (It is for this reason the Kechari Mudra is strictly prescribed: it helps indeed creating the right pressure.) The timing of one fragmented breath depends on the individual: usually it is approximately 20 seconds, but can be longer. Let us consider two optional further details. In the process of implementing them, wisdom and common sense are required. Each detail should be introduced gradually, so that it doesn't disturb the harmony of the general picture. 1. During inhalation the muscles at the base of the spinal column can be slightly contracted. This contraction is held up to the end of inhalation and during the ensuing pause, then it is released as soon the exhalation begins. 2. As soon as it is comfortable, add a pause of 2-3 seconds both at the end of inhalation and of exhalation. During these pauses, the awareness makes a complete, counter-clockwise turn along the crown of the head and around the Muladhara Chakra, respectively. The rotation above happens inside the brain, under the cranial bone, starting from the occipital region, over Bindu , and coming back to it; the head accompanies this inner movement with an almost imperceptible rotating movement (tilting back slightly, then to the right, the front, the left, and finally to the back). The counterclockwise rotation around Muladhara happens in immobility. The gist of this technique is to perceive the two typical movements of the Kundalini in the spine. We have already discovered the first movement in Kriya Pranayama . In Kriya literature it is compared to the crawling of an ant -- our awareness moves along the spinal chord without ever loosing the sense of continuity. The second movement is compared to the jumping of a frog or a monkey: from one Chakra to the adjacent one. During Omkar Kriya, these two movements are perceived at the same time, without one disturbing or obliterating the awareness of the other. From a certain moment onwards, all the physical details are lived in a very 128
subtle way. It has been explained that there comes a moment when Kriya Pranayama takes the "inward route". The breath produces only a slight, weak sound or it comes out soundless. The movement of the head is only hinted and later disappears when perfect immobility is established. The anticlockwise turn of awareness around the crown of the head seems to sink inside and touch the medulla too, winding around it. This perception extends in a natural way to the other Chakras. The downward and upward path of the energy is no more linear but similar to an helix that surrounds each Chakra. This is the stage of Kriya Pranayama where the control of Prana happens no more by using the breath as a mediating agent but pure mental power. Second Kriya - part 2. Thokar Kriya (Basic Form) With the chin resting on your chest, inhale raising the awareness along the spinal column, touching each Chakra with the syllable of the Mantra (Om is placed in the first Chakra, Na in the second, Mo in the third ...) - simultaneously, raise the chin as if to follow the inner movement. The movement is charged by the maximum possible mental intensity: like squeezing with a pencil an almost empty tube of toothpaste to get the last little bit out. The hands (with interlocked fingers) are placed upon the navel area so as to push the abdominal region upward, thus creating a mental pressure on the first three Chakras. The breath produces only a slight, weak sound in the throat or it comes out soundless. When the chin is up and horizontal, the inhalation ends and the awareness is in the Bindu. Let us describe now how a complete anticlockwise rotation of the head, followed by a jerk through which the chin is drawn toward the center of the chest is done. The head begins its round by moving to the left shoulder (left ear moves slightly toward the left shoulder, the face does not turn left or right and the movement is free of all bouncing); Te is thought in the medulla . The head tilts back a little and in a sweeping arc reaches the right shoulder, (the right ear coming near the right shoulder), the syllable Va is thought in the cervical Chakra . The rotation proceeds, the head bends forward just a little and moves left until the left ear is near the left shoulder (the face is not turned to the left).
Figure 5. Rotation of the head in the basic form of Thokar
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From this position, the chin is tilted down diagonally as if to strike the center of the chest, while simultaneously Su is thought in the heart Chakra . Through this last movement, a kind of hitting is felt in the heart Chakra. A short pause follows: the breath does not move in the nostrils and the mind is enraptured in the radiation of energy emanating from in the heart Chakra. The contraction at the base of the spinal column is eased off; via a very subtle exhalation the remaining syllables of the Mantra are "placed" in the first three Chakras -- De into the third one, Va into the second one and Ya into the first one. While doing this, the head is usually kept down. The duration of this process is about 24 seconds. The procedure is repeated at least 12 times. For several weeks, a kriyaban is guided to perform this technique 12 times a day, then to gradually increase the number of repetitions. Each week he can add six more repetitions. An expert Kriya Acharya should check that the physical strike is not forceful. One should not allow the weight of one's head to push the chin toward the chest: in this condition, the physical movement is definitely too powerful and harmful for the head and neck. Hence, mindful physical effort is simultaneously aimed at lowering the chin, while resisting the force of gravity, concluding with a slight jolt which is intensely felt within the fourth Chakra. The presence of physical problems (the cervical vertebrae are vulnerable indeed!) may require that one stop the technique for a few days or practice on alternate days. It is better to add more cycles over time rather than face the prospect of experiencing continuous head and neck pain throughout the entire day! Oral tradition, handed down from teacher to disciple, is to increase the number of repetitions up to 200. When increasing the number of repetitions, the afore described movement of the head is only hinted: the chin does not come close to the chest and the hitting of the fourth Chakra is mainly achieved by the sheer power of mental concentration. A cautious and wise approach is to settle into 36 repetitions per day without increasing beyond this number.
Second Kriya - part 3. Thokar Kriya (Advanced Level) The technique is the same, but the mental chanting of Te in medulla , Va in the cervical and Su in the Anahata Chakra is done not once but several times ( Te, Va, Su, Te, Va, Su, Te, Va, Su ... ) while holding the breath. 9 After having inhaled (with Om, Na, Mo...) and raised the Prana in the upper part of the lungs, keep the muscles of the thoracic cage just like one who is going to begin a new inhalation. The act of sealing the lungs (trachea) as one does on a dive should be avoided. In this relaxed mood, the cycles of the movements of the head are performed with no hurry whatsoever. Simplify the dynamic and the physical intensity of the movements. Move 9
To give an idea of the speed of the movements, the entire process from inhalation to exhalation with 12 repetitions of the rotation of the head (each rotation concluding with the movement of the chin toward the chest) may last around 70-80 seconds. 130
the chin toward the chest before having completed the rotation of the head. Namely, after rotating your head from left to right, let your chin "fall" down toward the chest from the right side, then lift it to left side and go on with the rotations. While keeping the chest expanded and the abdominal muscles and diaphragm perfectly immobile, let a minimal (almost imperceptible) sip of air go out whenever the chin is lowered toward the chest and an imperceptible sip of air enter whenever the chin is brought up. (Don't do any specific act of inhaling or exhaling: relax yourself and the afore described phenomenon happens of its own accord. The sensation will always be that of not breathing at all.) Stop when intuition suggests to stop, slowly exhale and place the syllables De, Va,Ya in the first three Chakras . While doing this, the head is usually kept down. This practice is done rigorously once a day only -- rather, if there are problems with the cervical vertebrae, one practices on alternative days. One day you will realize you are rotating the head and the breath is actually dissolved! The breath seems frozen away and Kumbhaka will be perfect. You will experience a state of intoxication. No one can say at what point of the process this will happen. A never before experienced joy and a perfect feeling of freedom will pour into your being. You will realize the meaning of Lahiri Mahasaya's sentence: "My worship is of a very strange kind. Holy water is not required. No special utensils are necessary. Even flowers are redundant. In this worship all gods have disappeared, and emptiness has merged with euphoria." With regard to the increase of the number of the head rotations, there are two schemes that apparently seem incompatible. Actually, in the course of time, kriyabans can jump from one to another according to their own experience and intuition. 1. Basic scheme. The technique is practiced only once but the whole set of head movements is gradually increased by one every day. 200 rotations (200 sets of head movements, each linked with the mental chanting of Te, Va, Su) is the upper limit, never to be exceeded! 2. Alternative, prudential scheme. The technique is repeated 12 times but for each breath we have three repetitions of the movements of the head. In the course of time, the number of the head rotations inside one single breath, is gradually increases up to twelve rotations. The subject Thokar is of extraordinary importance. Its practical application requires extreme care. Trying to get to a high number of rotations at a high speed, obsessed with holding the breath, amounts to nothing but a mere violence against one's own body! The correct way of practicing the advanced level of Thokar is a matter of inner realization -- an instinct which is discovered with time. Kriyabans emphasize the fact that the gist of the technique lies in filling the upper part of the thorax and the head to the utmost possible extent with Prana just as a pot may be filled with water to the brim.
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Omkar Experience after Thokar Practice Sooner or later you reach the level when you hear the internal sound of a bell. At its very first manifestation, bell sound gives total contentment and ease, as if the path had come to its fulfillment. Its beauty is inexplicable . There is no other thing in the universe as concrete and real as this vibration -- expression of Om cosmic vibration. In its delicacy, it gives the feeling of an unfathomable distance. Light as the falling of petals, knocks softly on the doors of your intuition. We feel that this sound is the Reality underlying all the Beauty experienced in life and that all the experiences of love are like crystals blooming around its gilded thread. From now onwards, provided that this tuning is maintained, meditation becomes a love story with Beauty itself. This ineffable experience surrounds us in misfortune, guiding our steps when events seem to conspire to make us forget the spiritual path. A real understanding is attained, a healing process of old wounds through the awakening of wisdom. Everything will appear as transfigured, surrounded by a padded coat that reduces all dissonance. Our old memories, conflicts and impossibilities, revive, appease, come true in the azure limitless immobility spreading from the center of our heart. A first ever Bhakti (devotion) will arise spontaneously from our heart, cross the wall of our psychological dimension and make life and spiritual experience indistinguishable. In due time, another lofty experience will manifest. A luminous point ( Bindu) appears in the heart Chakra. A strong concentration at the point between the eyebrows is achieved spontaneously and is accompanied by a tremendous surging of bliss. The door of Sushumna is now open. A tiny white star illuminates the path of Eternal Freedom. Mind and intoxication mingle and mind enters perfect stillness. Having this experience, a kriyaban becomes ready to advance to the last stages of Kriya. It is clear that these two events (internal sound of a bell and experience of spiritual light in the Anahat Chakra) constitute the best criterion for judging if you have actually practiced the second level of Kriya Yoga or a pale imitation of it. If you honestly realize you are far from it, avoiding trying your hand at other higher procedures. Practice long sessions of Kriya Pranayama (three phases) and seek the Omkar experience there. ADVANCED PROCEDURES GLOBALLY KNOWN AS "THIRD KRIYA" Third Kriya - part 1. Mental Omkar Kriya Here the breath is totally forgotten. Visualize each Chakra as a horizontal disk, surround it with the repetitions of the related syllable making three counterclockwise rotations. ["Counterclockwise" in this book is always intended as if viewing from top]. The syllables are obviously Om, Om, Om... for Muladhara ; Na, Na, Na... for Swadhistan ; Mo, Mo, Mo for Manipura ..... Going up this way from Muladhara to Bindu and coming down is one round: the time required is approximately 6-9 minutes. Making three - six rounds is a very good
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achievement! Moving from a Chakra to the next one, you will notice the change of the light vibration in the region between the eyebrows. The practice converges toward perceiving a wonderful state of calmness -- static Prana -- in each Chakra . You will enjoy a particular sensation of physical immobility; it is so strong that your spine will become like a steel bar. • Optionally, you can extend the action of Omkar Kriya to the crown. The ellipse of the crown, seen from above, may be ideally divided into 12 parts. Thanks to a short inhalation, the Muladhara Chakra is ideally raised into the crown of the head, over the occipital region, on the right (into part "1" of figure 6). Now forget the breath but keep the energy in that point.
Figure 6. Crown seen from above
Repeat mentally Om, Om, Om, Om ... rotating inside part "1" of the crown just like you have done with Muladhara . In the same way raise the second Chakra into the adjacent part "2" of the crown. Rotate there the associated syllable Na, Na, Na, Na ... and deepen the experience. It is clear how the same procedure is repeated for the other Chakras (3, 4, 5 , Bindu, medulla, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1) activating thus all the parts of the crown. After two or three complete rounds a sudden bliss manifests and one is no more able to mentally chant anything. The procedure ends in ecstatic absorption. Third Kriya - part 2. Micro Thokar After having inhaled (with Om, Na, Mo...) and raised the Prana in the upper part of the lungs, keep the lungs as when you are going to begin a new inhalation. With a very relaxed mood, start rotating the head -- but take care of making slight movements! In comparison with the movements of the advanced level of Thokar , diminish further the dynamic of the movements of the head. Considering fontanelle like a point, the rotation of the head now draws a circle of no more than 2 - 3 centimeters of diameter. There could be also a light but visible 133
oscillatory movement of the body (torso) that accompanies the movement of the head. Transfer the repetitions of Te, Va, Su into the head. There are different ways of doing this: think Te in the left lobe of the brain, Va in the right one and Su in the frontal part of the head. While you think Su, you can have a small ( almost invisible from the physical point of view) jolt -- you are lightly tapping the region between the eyebrows. Repeat different times. Exhale and inhale, taking back the rotation of the head. While part of your awareness remains in the head, try, at the same time, to be aware of the fifth Chakra . Transfer the repetitions of Te, Va, Su into the fifth Chakra. Think "Te" when you move to the left, " Va" when you move to the right, " Su" when there is a soft tap in the center of the fifth Chakra . Repeat about three times. The gist of the procedure is the ability to recall the internal power born from the practice of the advanced levels of Thokar . Exhale and inhale, taking back the rotation of the head. Shift your attention to the fourth Chakra and repeat the procedure. Repeat in the third Chakra ... and so on (2, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 2 .....), up and down your spine different times, making the movements more and more subtle until you reach perfect immobility. You can, but not obliged to, exhale and inhale between one Chakra and another. If you have mastered the advanced level of Thokar , you will be able to do all the work during one single breath. A good practice is the one that gives you the chance to notice how, by stimulating a particular Chakra, a different light, of a particular color, becomes perceptible. Two Procedures Completing the Action of Micro Thokar
First Procedure Extending the Action of Micro Thokar to the Centers of the Head
Inhale raising the Muladhara Chakra into medulla. Hold your breath. Micro Thokar is practiced now inside medulla . Oscillate slowly your head left - right return to center, keeping the focus of concentration in medulla oblongata . Think (mentally chant) Te when you move to the left, Va when you move to the right, Su when you return to the center and, in order to intensify your perception of medulla oblongata , give a faint jolt with your chin. Repeat three times, always holding your breath. Exhale. Now raise the second Chakra into the posterior part of the cerebellum. Hold your breath. Repeat three times the afore described procedure with Te, Va, Su, focusing all your attention into the posterior part of the cerebellum. Exhale and come down at the third Chakra location: inhale and raise it to the Pons Varolii (in order to perceive it come from cerebellum toward the center of the head, over medulla -- a few centimeters forward). Hold your breath. Repeat three times the procedure with Te, Va, Su, focusing all your attention on the Pons Varolii.
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Figure 7. Locating some particular centers inside the head
Exhale and come down in the fourth Chakra. Inhale, raise it over the pons Varolii in the point marked with "4" in figure 7. To perceive it, slightly swing your head back and forth. Feel a horizontal line that comes from the point between the eyebrows backwards. At the same time feel the vertical line that comes down from the fontanelle . This center is the point of intersection of the two lines. When you have it, repeat three times in that point the procedure with Te, Va, Su . Exhale and come down in the fifth Chakra . Inhale, raise it in the point marked with "5" in figure 7 . To perceive it, swing slightly your head back and forth. Feel a horizontal line that comes from Bindu forwards. At the same time feel the vertical line that comes down from the fontanelle . This center is the point of intersection of the two lines. Repeat three times in that point the procedure with Te, Va, Su . Exhale and come down in medulla . Inhale, raise it into Bindu. Repeat three times in Bindu the procedure with Te, Va, Su. Exhale and come down at the point between the eyebrows. Inhale, raise the whole region between the eyebrows into fontanelle, which is the seventh Chakra trigger point. Repeat three times at fontanelle the procedure with Te, Va, Su. Exhale from Fontanelle to the point between the eyebrows. Inhale. Exhale from Bindu to medulla . Inhale. Exhale from point "5" to cervical Chakra . Inhale. Exhale from point "4" to Anahata Chakra. Inhale. Exhale from pons Varolii to third Chakra . Inhale. Exhale from Cerebellum to second Chakra . Inhale. Exhale from medulla to Muladhara . Repeat all this maxi round from the beginning, making the movements subtler and subtler until you reach the perfect immobility -- of body, mind and breath.
Second Procedure Utilizing Micro Thokar inside Pranayama with Short Breath Pranayama with short breath is a wonderful teaching where you link each breath with a different Chakra. It is not superfluous to remind that when you practice correctly, if you place your finger under both nostrils, the ingoing or outgoing breath will not touch the finger. The breath is almost imperceptible and on the 135
verge of disappearing. Now we are going to experience the same exercise by adding the perception of a slight, tiny oscillatory movement inside each Chakra. Focus your attention on the Muladhara Chakra. Vibrate (think with emphasis) "Te Va Su" in Muladhara . Do it once. Try to feel that " Te Va Su" creates an oscillatory movement inside Muladhara . When it becomes natural to have a very short inhalation, inhale only what is necessary, pause an instant and concentrate on the second Chakra. Hold the breath gently and vibrate " Te Va Su" in the second Chakra. Exhale a short breath, concentrate on Muladhara, vibrate "Te Va Su" there. When it comes natural for you, inhale a short breath and concentrate on the third Chakra. Hold the breath gently and vibrate " Te Va Su" in the third Chakra . Exhale a short breath, concentrate on Muladhara, vibrate "Te Va Su" there. Go on like that, repeating the procedure between Muladhara and the fourth Chakra , Muladhara and the fifth Chakra (then Bindu , medulla , fifth, fourth, third and second Chakra.) One cycle is made of 10 short breaths. Repeat more than one cycle, increasing your concentration until your breath is almost nonexistent. Pause in Anahata Chakra, repeating there " Te Va Su" many, many times, until you perceive light both in Anahata Chakra and in the point between the eyebrows. This is the best condition to realize the breathless state. This procedure gives you the opportunity of awakening the innermost core of each Chakra . Thinking, mentally chanting " Te Va Su" in the seat of a Chakra is not like thinking another Mantra. It recalls all you have learned through Thokar. When the breath will stop like a miracle, you shall understand why Garcia Lorca said: "no me pidáis que lo explique. Tengo el fuego en las manos" .
ADVANCED PROCEDURE KNOWN AS "FOURTH KRIYA" Fourth Kriya. Omkar Gayatri Kriya Before effectively practicing Omkar Gayatri Kriya it is necessary to have reached the breathless state. After this, it is necessary to have reached the Antar (internal) Kevala Kumbhaka. Let us copy here the specific instructions we have already shared in chapter 7: "After reaching the breathless state through whatever procedure, inhale deeply filling your lungs. Expand your rib cage and keep it expanded after completing the inhalation. Try to remain in the same condition you instinctively adopt when you are going to take another sip of air. Focus your attention on the air and Prana filling the upper part of your rib cage: they are immobile there, like frozen. Go beyond the thought of breathing. The light tension in the muscles of your rib cage prevents you from exhaling. This state is not stable: after a few seconds it is likely you feel the necessity of breathing. To achieve a stable state , you have to enter with your awareness the subtle channel of the spine. Concentrate therefore on Muladhara and begin rapidly chanting Om, Om, Om... mentally, many times. Climb the
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innermost channel of the spine like an ant (don't remain focused on Muladhara more than a couple of seconds). Come up millimeter after millimeter continuously repeating Om Om Om... mentally (and of course avoiding inhaling). After no more than 15-20 seconds you'll have reached the heart Chakra. Now you perceive a deeper and stabler freedom from the breath. This brings an incomparable sense of peace. If, remaining focused on the heart Chakra and on the air and Prana filling your rib cage, you perceive this peace and the breath does not exist, it means that you are ready for the next step -- otherwise you can repeat the action of inhaling and expanding your rib cage. " While remaining in the state of Antar (internal) Kevala Kumbhaka , ideally raise the Muladhara Chakra into the point between the eyebrows, to be seen herein as a bright "moon". 10 With the attention both in the point between the eyebrows and in the location of the first Chakra, the Mantra Om Bhur is mentally vibrated three times. Something like a gentle touch - both in the point between the eyebrows and in the location of the Chakra - is perceived with each repetition of the Mantra. Put your attention on the next Chakra where the same procedure is repeated. The position of the second Chakra in the light of Kutastha will be a little higher than that of the first Chakra. Om Bhuvah is used for the second Chakra, Om Mahah for the third, Om Swaha for the fourth, Om Janah for the fifth, Om Tapah for medulla. Om Satyam is mentally chanted three times in Bindu. ( Bindu is not brought into the point between the eyebrows). Now reverse the order (Om Tapah in medulla, Om Janah in the cervical Chakra ….. lastly Om Bhur is mentally vibrated three times in Muladhara. This is one cycle: the instruction is to practice 12 cycles but if you are capable not to lose your concentration, you will be overwhelmed by a deep introverted ecstatic state before being able of practicing 12 cycles! Kechari Mudra enables one to fly in the "inner space." "Ke-chari" is literally translated as "the state of those who fly in the sky, in the ether". A particular "space" is created in the region between the tip of the tongue and the point between the eyebrows and is perceived as a "vacuum", although it is not a physical void. By merging into this empty space, a kriyaban perceives the rhythms of each Chakra and is able to distinguish one from another.
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This moon is just as big as to allow the light of Kutastha to contain six piled-up "moons". If Kutastha is visualized like a circle, take into account that you are going to recreate all the spine with six Chakras inside this circle. Visualize thus Muladhara in the inferior part of this circle. 137
Figure 8. Six Chakras raised into Kutastha
Some remarks about the Gayatri Mantra The structure of this technique is well known in India and is considered the subtlest way of utilizing the Gayatri Mantra . With small variations and further ritual additions it is published in some booklets. The particularity of the use of this technique in Lahiri Mahasaya's Kriya is its practice in the state of absence of breath. The Gayatri Mantra is considered to be a supreme vehicle for gaining spiritual enlightenment. Its purest form is Tat Savitur Varenyam Bhargho Devasya Dhimahi Dhiyo Yonaha Prachodayat. (Oh, great Spiritual Light who has created the Universe we meditate upon Your glory. You are the embodiment of Knowledge. You are the remover of all Ignorance. May You enlighten our Intellect and awaken our Intuition.) This Mantra is prefaced with either a short or a long invocation. The short invocation is: Om Bhur, Om Bhuvah, Om Swaha. The terms Bhur, Bhuvah, Swaha are invocations to honor the three planes of existence (physical, astral and causal respectively) and to address their presiding deities. The long invocation is: Om Bhur, Om Bhuvah, Om Swaha, Om Mahah, Om Janah, Om Tapah, Om Satyam. This invocation is more complete since it recognizes that there are more planes of existence: the seven Lokas. Mahah is the mental world, the plane of spiritual balance; Janah is the world of pure knowledge; Tapah is the world of intuition; Satyam is the world of Absolute, Ultimate Truth. We can be satisfied with the explanation that these sounds are utilized to activate the Chakras and connect them to the seven spiritual realms of existence. In our procedure we use just the opening long invocation, in the complete form, and not all the parts of the Gayatri Mantra . The Kriya tradition we are here following ties Manipura with Om Mahah and Anahata with Om Swaha. The reason is that the world of thinking, evoked by Om Mahah, is more fit for the nature of the third Chakra, while the causal world of pure ideas, recalled by Om Swaha, is related to Anahata Chakra. In conclusion we associate a Mantra to each Chakra in this way: Muladhara - Om Bhur; Swadhistan - Om Bhuvah; Manipura - Om Mahah; Anahata - Om Swaha; Vishuddhi - Om Janah; medulla Om Tapah; Bindu - Om Satyam. 138
Some Technical Remarks 1. This practice should not be interrupted by external events, otherwise the kriyaban will be disturbed at a pranic level and will hardly retrieve the breathless state during that session. 2. At the beginning of this practice, trying to perceive an internal rhythm in each Chakra , you can slightly oscillate your head from left to right and vice versa. The extent of the swinging is not wider than four centimeters from left to right and vice versa. This movement is going to diminish in extent during the first cycle, then the body settles in perfect immobility. There is no need to be annoyed if, being "lost throughout the way", you discover having spent all the time in one Chakra , forgetting to move to the next. 3. Usually, by going on, there manifests also the pulseless state, but the kriyaban is not aware of it except in an indirect way: an increase of joy and rigidity in all the body. One doesn't get excited by this, otherwise the experience ends. 4. After months of applying the afore described method, one day you will discover that the chanting of the Mantra goes on more than three times. The Tattwa related with a Chakra has capture you. The point between the eyebrows is a region where you can dissolve the "seal" of each Chakra and experience the Tattwa related with it. A wonderful sensation is experienced. It is a sense of immobility and lightness, as if the body were made of air. One's awareness is fully situated in that Chakra, which is felt like a great, luminous sphere. About thirty six repetitions of that Mantra are carried out. This experience is lived again in the next Chakra ... and so on. There is one single "coming up". At the end one remains in the light of Kutastha longer. How to Conceive a Good Routine Containing the Higher Kriyas Having so many techniques at our disposal, which criterion can help us to conceive a rational, working routine? Practicing every day all the Higher Kriya techniques is ideally possible, but is, in practice, cumbersome and dispersive. Higher Kriyas should always co-operate to establish a foundation of harmony and calmness. The good effects of peace, inner joy, calmness of the breath and listening to inner sounds should always go on increasing. If we produce and accept the opposite situation, it simply means that we have momentarily lost sight of the goal of Kriya. In order to avoid this, it is good to refer to chapter 7. We introduced a criterion to create a rational routine. It was based upon the division of the work upon each knot into two parts: a strong action (Formal) and a subtle action (Informal). We organized the routine in the following way:
F4; F3; F1 + I1; I2; I3; I4
[F=formal part; I=informal part]
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Now we can consider: F4; F3; F2; F1 + I1; I2; I3; I4 because we have learned how to apply a strong action upon the heart knot: Thokar! Thokar is F2. However, since the practice of Thokar works best after Kriya Pranayama , a very good routine is: F4; F3; F1 + I1; F2 (Thokar); I2; I3; I4 It remains to be seen how can to interpret I2, I3 and I4. I2. After Thokar , it is fine to spend a lot of time either with the second part of Kriya Pranayama or with Omkar Kriya to travel inside the spine and let their sweetness merge you into Beauty. I3. The oasis of calmness and surrender experienced in the phase I2 should not be interrupted just for the anxiety of going to phase I3. We know that I3 is made of any variation of Navi Kriya, provided that it doesn't disturb, followed by one (or both) the techniques of Third Kriya. But it may happen that just with the practice of Omkar Kriya the state of breathlessness is achieved. If this happens or you are listening beautifully to the internal sounds, forget I3, forget about the navel knot -- it will be crossed automatically as a side effect of the breathless state. I4. The procedures of I4 described at the end of the previous chapter do not disturb. If you have not achieved the breathless state, practice Pranayama with short breath. If you have achieved the breathless state, practice the wonderful technique where you inhale deeply, fill the upper part of your rib cage with Prana and then try to transform the breathless state into Samadhi state. If you have time for it, you can plunge into the rarefied atmosphere of the Fourth Kriya technique.
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APPENDIX TO CHAPTER 8: AN IMPORTANT VARIATION OF THOKAR BASED ON THE INTERNAL TRIBHANGAMURARI MOVEMENT
It is fair to reserve space for describing how a Kriya school conceives the practice of Thokar in a very particular way. The central teaching is guiding your awareness along a three-curved path called Tribhangamurari (Tri-bhanga-murari = three-bend-form). This path begins in Bindu , bending to the left, it descends into the seat of the Rudra Granthi (the region from medulla oblongata to Bhrumadhya between the eyebrows), goes across it and continues toward the right side of the body. Once a particular point in the back (about 2-3 centimeters above the right nipple's height), is reached, it reverses direction cutting the Vishnu Granthi whose seat is in the heart Chakra. After having reached a point in the back that is 2-3 centimeters under the left nipple's height, it reverses again its direction pointing toward the seat of Brahma Granthi in the Muladhara . (See figure 09)
Figure 9. Tribhangamurari internal movement
FIRST PART: UCCHA KRIYA Amantrak [also called "Second Kriya"] After the practice of Kriya Pranayama, forget the breath entirely. Let your awareness come upwards along the spinal column: half a minute is required for reaching Bindu . Then the awareness descends through the afore delineated three bend path. The same time is required to come down. One round lasts one minute, but if it turns out to be shorter, let us say 45/50 seconds, this does not mean that the procedure has been done too much quickly. For two weeks repeat this technique 25 times once a day. Then for another two weeks repeat it 50 times .... and so on up to 200 times for two weeks.
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Samantrak [also called "Third Kriya"] After the completion of the 200 repetitions, the perception of the Tribhangamurari current is intensified by mentally chanting the syllables of the Mantra ... While Om, Na, Mo, Bha, Ga, Ba are vibrated into the first five Chakras and Bindu, Teeee is vibrated from medulla to the point between the eyebrows; Va, Su, De, Va are put outside the spine in the four new centers; Ya is vibrated in Muladhara . This four new centers are four "vortexes" inside the main flow of the current -- they are not a new set of Chakras . Each vibration of a syllable is like a mental Thokar (hit) into the related center's location: since the technique is performed slowly (half a minute for raising the awareness, the same for coming down) there is plenty of time to make these tappings very effective. For two weeks, one repeats this technique 25 times; then for another two weeks, 50 times... and so on up to 200 times. After the completion of this number one will add the movements of the head. Thokar along the Tribhangamurari Path [also called "Fourth Kriya"] Starting with the chin on the chest, move your awareness very slowly along the spinal column from Muladhara upwards. Your chin comes slowly up following the inner movement; as usual the Chakras are touched with the syllables of the Mantra (Om is placed in the first Chakra, Na in the second ...). The movement is charged by the maximum possible mental intensity: like squeezing with a pencil an almost empty tube of toothpaste to get the last little bit out. The hands (with interlocked fingers) are placed upon the navel area so as to push the abdominal region upward, thus creating a mental pressure on the first three Chakras . When the chin is parallel to the ground, the perception is at the Bindu. Without turning the face, the head moves toward the left shoulder, then the head tilts back a little and in a sweeping arc begins to move toward the right shoulder; but it stops in the middle where the chin is raised as much as possible. The neck's rear muscles are contracted. During this movement, the Tribhangamurari flow descends to the left from Bindu to medulla. Teeee is vibrated from medulla to the point between the eyebrows. From that chin-up position the face turns to the right (as with the intention of looking attentively at the area at your right, as far as possible). During this movement (be careful: the movement is slow!), the inner Tribhangamurari flow reaches the eighth center. The chin is above the right shoulder; from there it touches the right shoulder for an instant (this is the first of five strokes; the shoulder also makes a small motion upward to make contact with the chin easier) while the syllable Va is vibrated in the eighth center. Then the face begins to turn left in a very slow motion, accompanying - millimeter by millimeter - the perception of the inner flux moving across the fourth Chakra. The face turns to the left (as with the intention of looking attentively at the area at your right, as far as possible). The second stroke takes place on the left side when the syllable Su is vibrated in the ninth center. Then the chin, grazing the left side of the collarbone, slowly moves toward the position in the middle of the chest. During this movement - exactly
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when the syllables De and Va are thought in the tenth and eleventh centers - two light strokes are given to the collarbone in intermediate positions. In the end, when Ya is placed into Muladhara, the last chin stroke on the chest (central position) is carried out. This procedure is repeated 12-36 times. As in the previous technique, half a minute is ideally required for raising your awareness, the same time is required to let your awareness descend through the Tribhangamurari path. If you employ 45/50 seconds, it's all ok. The supervision of an expert helps to avoid problems – I am specifically referring to stress and pain in the cervical vertebrae and in the muscles of the neck. Abrupt movements should be avoided; it is thus possible to reach deep mental concentration when thinking of each of the five syllables in their respective centers. During the first weeks it is wise not to practice every day, but spread out the practice to every two or three days.
Figure 10. Thokar - Tribhangamurari
At this point one starts the incremental routine of this form of Thokar by practicing (strictly no more than one day a week!) the amounts : 36x1, 36x2, 36x3,….. 36x35, 36x36. This is really a colossal venture. A minimum of 8-10 months is required to complete it; usually the required time is longer.
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Some Remarks upon Uccha Kriya This Tribhangamurari form and internal energetic path is a symbol of Kriya Yoga because it shows the piercing, the cutting of three main Granthis . It is also a symbol of Sri Krishna. Its shape, as depicted in the iconography, is also a form with three curves: his neck, legs and back are kept in a peculiar position clearly outlining these three curves. A sentence attributed to Lahiri Mahasaya is: "To make this body Tribhangamurari, Krishna -like, three knots have to be crossed". Remember this, when some critics affirm that this technique leads the energy out of the Sushumna . You will always like this Thokar and it will never disappointed you. But phase 1 Amantrak is difficult to sustain. There are no movements of the chin to guide the flow of energy; its own reward is the fact that in this immobility an enormous power can be built and experienced. It is important you feel what you are doing. The rising of the energy toward the upper part of the head (this event is the very goal of Kriya Yoga) meets three great obstacles. We are used to consider two of them: a. what blocks the entry into the spine (it is for this reason that we begin our routine with Maha Mudra) b. the disturbances created by the heart plexus (how many times it ruins the best meditative experiences creating a sudden increase of pulse frequency, as if we were deadly frightened!). We rarely take into account the last obstacle: the sharp separation between the regions pertaining to the sixth and to the seventh Chakra . The consciousness which is in tune with Ajna Chakra and dwells in the area from medulla oblongata to Bhrumadhya (the point between the eyebrows) cannot easily arise from there into the upper part of the head, the seat of Eternal Tranquility. Now, what happens in this technique of Amantrak is simply marvelous. Coming down along the path with three curves, you do not "caress" the medulla oblongata , you pass through it, you cut it off. Repeating the procedure you wear out this knot and make the road freer for the rising of the energy. Same thing happens with the knot of the heart, whose cut from right to the left is clearly perceived. An analogous operation happens with the knot of the Muladhara every time you reach it from left and begin to climb the spinal channel. Please note that during the months of practice of Amantrak , divergent moods alternate. Passing through the heart Chakra, the Tribhangamurari flux cleans a lot of dirt; that is the reason of its peculiar effect of separating one momentarily from reality. The action of this technique decreases the hectic condition caused by superficial emotions, fed by certain energies springing from the lower Chakras. This leads to a total modification of the perspectives through which we see life. You change the prospective through which you look at life. The oneiric activity is very involving, as if you had lived a deeply intriguing and captivating adventure. Later you will find yourself in a very strange mood: 144
during the day you lack enthusiasm; in no place would you feel at ease and no activity would produce any satisfaction. In the past, whenever wandering about the countryside, you were used to take in the beauty that seemed to spread from everything surrounding me; now there will be nothing - you will be alien to everything. For a whole month you will like to remain at home, as if in a state of convalescence. By increasing the number, when you approach 200 repetitions, you will feel like you are about to explode! This would happen anytime the energy, going down from the spinal column's left side, reached Muladhara . Samantrak will be much more easy and I would say euphoric. Unfortunately many do not understand that Samantrak is not simply thinking the syllables: it is Amantrak that is feeling the whole current millimeter after millimeter plus lighting a light in each of the twelve (actually eleven) points. A perfect choice is coupling 200-300 Kriya Pranayama a day with Samantrak . The effects of the incremental routine of Thokar up to 36x36 repetitions are very strong and can be defined a deep internal cleansing. To whom has the time and the good will to complete it, I recommend it as the greatest enterprise that one can achieve in life. But remember that before boosting the intensity of your perception of this inner three-bended movement through the Thokar procedure, it is necessary to perceive it many times while remaining perfectly immobile. Therefore don't fail to gradually reach 200 rounds first with Amantrak and then with Samantrak !
Thokar with Open Eyes Among the so many improvements that come spontaneous by practicing, there is one in particular whose psychological effect is tremendous. When the form of Thokar is practiced with open eyes, the effect upon the oneiric activity is remarkable. Those who have experienced this, fall in love with the procedure and go on practicing it every day in small doses. Some practice it at night before lying down. This is a privileged way of creating a dialog with our own unconscious sphere. To be more exhaustive, the procedure is the following: Starting with your chin on the chest, the eyes look at the floor, the breath is free. Chant (aloud or mentally) the syllables of the Mantra and simultaneously raise your chin and eyes smoothly, without jerks, shifting vertically the gaze centimeter after centimeter upon what is before you. Without turning the face, your head moves toward the left shoulder, then it returns to the starting position while at the same time raising the chin up as much as possible. During this movement, one's eyes are turned toward high. From that chin-up position, your face slowly turns to the right. Your eyes follow the movement and end by looking attentively at the area at your right, as far as possible. Then your face slowly turns to the left. Your eyes follow the movement shifting horizontally without losing any detail of what is in front of you and end by looking attentively at the area at your left, as far as possible. During the last four strokes given from the left position, the intensity of your gaze diminishes and the eyelids close. In the final instant you feel falling asleep. Then you repeat the procedure again and 145
again. Very strong effects will surely manifest during the same night!
Thokar with Kumbhaka All happens like in previous phase but now you hold your breath and you must be slightly quicker. Inhale from Muladhara to Bindu while raising your chin. Then hold your breath while you practice all the afore described movements vibrating Teeee, Va, Su, De, Va, Ya in the proper places. In Muladhara you have a pause of one second before beginning the exhalation. During exhalation you feel the current spreading from Muladhara , piercing each Chakra up to medulla, Bindu and Fontanelle . This procedure is repeated 12-36 times. I have no news about an incremental routine but I think that we can use the same scheme (12 + 6 + 6...) we have encountered in the basic form of Thokar.
SECOND PART: PURNA KRIYA This school designates as Purna Kriya ( Purna means "complete") the experience of the movement Tribhangamurari in small dimensions inside each Chakra, Bindu, medulla and in the other four centers located along the Tribhangamurari flow, outside the spine -- those linked with the syllables ( Va, Su, De, Va. ) Perceiving a movement within a perfect stillness -- which is impossible to be intellectually grasped -- has an enormous impact upon a kriyaban's ability of unloosing his/her small individuality in the greater Self. This experience is the surest way toward the realization of the Self. Only few Kriya schools have disclosed the nature of this micro movement and revealed its importance. Unfortunately, many seek frantically impossible surrogates of it! Micro Movement without Mantra [also called "Fifth Kriya"] Raise the Muladhara Chakra into the point between the eyebrows through a short inhalation. When the presence of the energy is clearly felt in the point between the eyebrows, look "down" at the Muladhara Chakra - visualized like a horizontal disk or coin with a diameter of approximately an 2-3 centimeters. Your breath is very calm and free. Draw on the disk of the Chakra the form of the Tribhangamurari movement in reduced dimensions -- similar to that already experienced in large-scale dimension. If this is comfortable use a faint movement of the spinal column (forward, left, right, left, center). The same procedure occurs in each of the twelve centers (the first five Chakras + Bindu + medulla + the four centers outside the spine + Muladhara ). This is one round: usually twelve are practiced.
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Figure 11. Tribhangamurari micro-movement inside a Chakra
When you are familiar with this procedure, try to be aware that through this micro movement you annihilate any form of duality banning your consciousness from reaching the nucleus of a Chakra, thus achieving its opening. The nature of each Chakra presents two aspects, one internal and one external. The essence of a Chakra, its internal aspect, is a vibration of "light" attracting your awareness upward, toward the Spirit. The external aspect of a Chakra is a diffuse "light" enlivening and sustaining the life of the physical body. We get in tune with the internal component of a Chakra by ideally placing our awareness in the back of a Chakra . Moving our awareness forward, we contact the external part of a Chakra . Furthermore, Ida flows along the left side of a Chakra and Pingala flows along its right side. Now, during the micro movement, from the posterior component of a Chakra you move toward the anterior one; by swinging left, right and again left, you touch its lateral parts affected by the duality of Ida or Pingala ; but at the same time you return from the anterior component back to the posterior one. You return to the starting point having completed a journey from the internal part of a Chakra to its external part and again to its internal part. With this action, repeated again and again, you enter deeper and deeper in the intimate nature of a Chakra. The more you are aware of this, while you practice the micro movement technique, the more quickly you enter the core of the same Chakra .
Micro Movement with Mantra [also called "Sixth Kriya"] Forget your breath. In whatever Chakra you concentrate (it can be a Chakra or one of the new centers outside the spine) if you mentally utter the syllables " Om Na-Mo-Bha-Ga-Ba-Te-Va-Su-De-Va-Ya " you will perceive something stirring, swaying inside it. The syllables are like little "thrusts" or "pulsations". During one round you perceive this micro movement 36 times (3x12). Four to six complete rounds are recommended. The duration of a round is determined by the speed of the chanting of the Mantra. For many people the chanting of the Mantra and, consequently, the micro-movement lasts about 10-12 seconds. Lahiri Mahasaya's recommendation was "Don't be in a hurry!". A deeply rewarding incremental routine is obtained by perceiving, on the first day, the micro-movement 12 times in each of the 12 centers -- just one round. After one week, on the second day of the incremental routine, the micro-
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movement is perceived 24 times in each of the 12 centers -- just one round. Then 36 times in each Chakra /center... The increase is of 12 in 12, up to the last amount 12x12. This means that the last day you perceive 144 micro movements in the first Chakra , 144 in the second...and so on. The most challenging of all the incremental routines, suited for those who have retired, is the following. On the first day, the micro-movement is perceived 36 times in each of the 12 centers. One has a total of 36x12 perceptions of the micro movement – one round. After one week one perceives 36x2 = 72 times (72 times in the first Chakra, 72 in the second…and so on). After some days, the amount is 36x3 in each Chakra.... At a certain point, an entire day is not sufficient to complete the round. The work-load must be divided into two days. On the morning of the second day, the technique is resumed exactly where it had been interrupted the previous night. After these two days of practice, you might need to rest not only for some days but even for some weeks. At a certain point, a single stage will require three days, then four, and so on. The final 36x36 will require a week or even longer to be completed! This incremental routine is really a giant achievement, however a kriyaban should grant himself the joy, the privilege of going on slowly. Slipping into a hurried practice leads to nothing. A particular joy springs out of the Chakra in which the awareness dwells. One should intentionally wait for a particular feeling of enjoyment after each chanting of the Mantra . During each stage, it is wise to keep silent, avoiding any opportunity for conversation. However, the use of common sense should always prevail; if addressed, a polite reply is always imperative.
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A Remark about Mahasamadhi This Incremental Routine is a good preparation for the conscious exit out of the body at death (Mahasamadhi ). It is explained that it burns forever the necessity of reincarnating. As the Yoni Mudra marks the last moment of the day when, having concluded all activities, a kriyaban withdraws his awareness from the body and from the physical world - a "small death", so to speak – the afore described intensive procedure is like a Yoni Mudra in greater dimensions, a farewell to life, a return to the origin. In this way one "dies forever": dies to one's desires, to one's ignorance. According to this tradition, death's mechanism is to be invited (when the right moment comes) by calming the heart and by merging deeply with the Omkar reality. In the months preceding that moment – intuition guides the advanced kriyaban to guess (or, ideally, to understand) when such a moment is approaching – one should practice this technique extensively. It is recommended to perceive the micro movement in the point between the eyebrows 36x48 for each center. This means perceiving a total of 20736 micro-movements. Since it is possible to complete this with reasonable ease in a period of 24 days, one can assume that this process is supposed to be repeated more than one time. It is not sure that, in the moment of death, a kriyaban performs the technique of Thokar . We may reasonably assume that it is not always possible to perform the physical movement of Thokar . To be aware of the point between the eyebrows may be the only thing possible: it is possible that one vibrates there one's beloved Mantra and merges with the Infinite. To experience that, is our ardent hope and determination.
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OTHER VARIATIONS OF THE THOKAR TECHNIQUE
After having introduced the technique of Thokar in chapter 8 and discussed the most important variation in this appendix, what need is there for mentioning other variations? The reason is that I have never stopped asking me whence the Tribhangamurari variation of Thokar has originated. Some affirm that the Tribhangamurari path is a universal reality, present in each man, existing irrespective of our efforts in perceiving it. According to this rather attractive point of view, those who have discovered the Tribhangamurari variation of Thokar have just looked inside, perceived a natural phenomenon and keenly devised a method to intensify it. This idea is perfectly acceptable. As for me, I believe that the Tribhangamurari Thokar originated from the following variation which is a well known Sufi way of practicing Dhikr . Variation of Thokar Linked with Tribhangamurari Thokar The inhalation happens like in the basic form of Thokar . The chin moves up... Om, Na, Mo, Bha, Ga and Ba in Bindu. Then the breath is held. Without turning the face, the head moves toward the left shoulder, then the head tilts back a little and in a sweeping arc begins to move toward the right shoulder. This is only half done: the head stops in the middle where the chin is raised as much as possible. In the meantime, the energy has descended from Bindu to medulla , not in a vertical line but curving to the left.
Figure 12. Internal flow of the current hitting the first four Chakras When the chin is up, while chanting Teeee, all one's awareness like an arrow is injected into the point between the eyebrows. (During this act, Mula Bandha can be added -- if this does not disturb.) While keeping one's breath held, from this chin-up position the face turns to the right (as with the intention of looking attentively at the area at your right, as far as possible) and then to the left (as for looking attentively at the area at your left, as far as possible.) During this movement, the fifth Chakra is perceived and the 150
syllable Va is mentally chanted in it. Then, from the left position, the chin strikes the middle of the chest along a diagonal (just like in the basic form of Thokar ), and the syllable Su is vibrated in the heart Chakra. (If you have practiced Mula Bandha release it). While exhaling, the remaining syllables De, Va and Ya are placed in the third, second and first Chakra respectively. The procedure is repeated at least 12 times. This form of Thokar can be extended to all the Chakras. After the syllable Su is vibrated in the heart Chakra , while keeping one's breath held, another similar diagonal movement of the chin from the left to the chest is repeated and the energy is directed toward the third Chakra where the syllable De is vibrated; another similar movement directs the energy and the syllable Va into the second Chakra; finally a last stroke directs the energy and the syllable Ya into first Chakra. A very long exhalation accompanies the movement of the energy which, like a liquid light, climbs up the spine, crosses each Chakra up to medulla, Bindu and fontanelle . The movement of the energy is intensified by the movement of the chin which is raised very slowly as if to push the energy up. This procedure can be repeated for a total of six to twelve times. But, usually, one repetition is more than enough. Only an expert Acharya can guide a kriyaban to increase the repetitions of this technique. Its effects are very difficult to assimilate! 11 At the end of this practice, Kundalini can be invited to awaken. This is obtained by a series of very long and deep exhalations (each exhalation is preceded by a quick inhalation which does not require any visualization) through which we push the energy up from Chakra to Chakra . From the Muladhara Chakra the energy rises like waves of a tide moving higher and higher, reaching a Chakra, then again falling down and moving from the base of the spine to a higher center. The centers of the head are awakened by increasing the mental pressure around each one of them in the last part of each exhalation, when the dissolution of the breath is accompanied by an increase of mental power. A kriyaban realizes how easy it is now to obtain as much concentration as optimal in the various centers, and finally in Bindu and fontanelle . Last Variation of Thokar: the Simplest! To close this appendix, let me introduce a variation that can be useful to those who do not love the strong impact of Thokar and prefer a more delicate approach. Inhalation happens like in the basic form of Thokar. The chin moves up... Om, Na, Mo... Ba in Bindu. Then the breath is held. The chin bends forward, toward the throat cavity: a certain internal pressure is felt on frontal part of the heart Chakra. The head resumes its normal position and then bends slightly toward the left shoulder, without turning the face. The same experience happens: a certain internal pressure is felt on the left part of the heart Chakra. The head resumes its normal position and bends backwards: the same experience happens and pressure is felt on the back of the heart Chakra. The head resumes its normal position and bends slightly toward the right shoulder, without turning the face: the pressure is felt on the right part of the heart Chakra. The head resumes its normal position, then the chin bends forward, toward the throat cavity... pressure is felt on the frontal part of the heart Chakra. The head then resumes its normal position. During this five bendings holding the breath, no Mantra is utilized. Then the exhalation leads the awareness through the Chakras to Muladhara . Te 11
Some Kriya Acharyas teach at this point to lift the body just a few millimeters with the help of the hands and then let the buttocks touch the floor with a mild jolt. This action is called Maha Bheda Mudra, "Position of the great perforation" -- obviously it is the knot of the Muladhara to be crossed and cut . If the jolt is accompanied with the correct mental intensity, an ecstatic shiver is perceived. 151
is placed in the medulla, Va in the fifth Chakra… and so on … Su… De… Va, until Ya is mentally chanted in the Muladhara . The time employed depends on the individual; usually it is approximately 20-25 seconds, but it can be longer. The procedure is repeated at least 12 times. It should be remarked that the different pressures on the heart Chakra are more similar to a supply of energy flowing down in a tranquil way from a region above the head than the typical tapping of the Thokar . The head movement is comparable with the movement of a lid of a pot which by moving allows the pot to be filled by a stream of energy. It is obvious how this form can evolve. After inhalation, the breath can be held and the movements of the head can be repeated different times before exhaling. The movements become more fluid: after bending forward, the head does not resume its normal position but hits to the left, then backwards... Extending Thokar to all the Chakras and to the centers of the head is very easy. We activate a counterclockwise internal movement in each Chakra and/or center of the head. Going on in this way, shifting our attention to the different points and repeating the procedure, we make milder movements till we reach a perfect immobility. In this immobility there is a treasure to be enjoyed. Thokar Technique and Dhikr of the Sufi There is no doubt that Thokar has a great affinity with a particular Sufi way of practicing their " Dhikr ". I am referring to those procedures in which the chanting of the Lâ Ilâha Illâ Allâh is accompanied by the movements of the head. Interesting is to learn that Lahiri Mahasaya gave the Islamic mantra Lâ Ilâha Illâ Allâh to his Muslim disciples to be practiced during Thokar . We don't have the exact details of that procedure but it seems reasonable that the was lifted (with or without the help of the breath) from under the navel up to the brain; after reaching the brain, it moved from the brain to the one shoulder, then to the other shoulder and then it hit the heart. A modern Sufi confraternity practices in the following way: " La" is placed in the head, " ilaha " (with head bending to the right) in the right upper part of the chest, " illaal " (with head bending to the left) in the left upper part of the chest, and " lah" (with head bending down) in the heart; then again " La" in the head, while raising it.... I think that if one wants to follow the Sufi path by using the Kriya techniques, one will encounter no difficulties whatsoever. Of course one should be endowed with a strong self-teaching spirit. As for the number of repetitions of each technique , one may abide by the numbers given in the Kriya schools or one can go beyond them in a completely different dimension. As the chant increases its intensity, a deep intoxication is felt in the heart: one may reach numbers of repetitions which are inconceivable for a kriyaban .
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PART III: LEARNING OF KRIYA YOGA -- PRACTICAL ASPECTS CHAPTER 9 PRELIMINARY R EMARKS ON THE POTENTIAL DANGERS OF MEDITATION AND K RIYA YOGA
The theme of this chapter is potential dangers of Kriya Yoga in connection with alienation from reality and with the premature awakening of Kundalini . A reader who browses through the Web pages dealing with Kriya Yoga or Kundalini Yoga , will find some pages warning against the dangers of "premature awakening of Kundalini ". It is necessary to deal with this theme before facing any didactic issue. There are millions of people in the West practicing meditation every day, but there is few information about how to avoid dangers. Usually meditation is introduced as an omni-beneficial activity. But meditation is taking a walk in your psychic inner world, thus necessarily there should be obstacles and dangers to be considered. 1 This subject has aroused a great interest: the list of the problems that the allegedly premature awakening of Kundalini would cause is limitless. Besides Kundalini , there are a few web sites that warn against any form of meditation: all hinting at the possibility of a break with reality with unusual or extreme strengthening of emotions, in particular agitation and anxiety, long-term disorientation where one spaces in and out of higher planes, unable to focus long enough to work. There are evident exaggerations. Unfortunately there is a tendency in the Web to duplicate pages from site to site without changing a coma. If one makes up that a yogi died of spontaneous combustion during the practice of Pranayama , he can verify that after a physiological time (one or two months) this story will appear on a couple of other sites. Thus we can read also that: "Trough practicing Kundalini Yoga, an aspirant can develop occult, psychic powers. These powers can be used for constructive or destructive purposes, but quite often they are misused. For example the ability to read someone else's mind can create problems and is likely to be ... resented by those who it is used on." This is comic! When we find such amenities we wonder: "who on earth has written such nonsense and with what purpose"? We can also read that Yogis are inclined to fall into sorcery and black 1
This theme could have been placed in the first pages of this book, but I think it is convenient to deal with this theme now because few people ever read a preface. Most readers behave like timorous animals in unfamiliar territory, wondering whether to give a modicum of trust to the author. They prefer to get a general idea of the author's motivations (…and obsessions) by concentrating on certain techniques to see how deeply they are discussed. Only if they are convinced of the value of a book, they might pay attention to the author's message in a preface. I have also decided that the first part of the book conveys my first enthusiastic idea of Kriya as a path of Beauty. I was not aware of any danger. Now I realize that possible dangers must to be discussed seriously; however in my opinion it remains marginal in the discussion of the mystical path, quite tied up to deviant behaviors of people. 153
magic because they evoke, unaware, negative entities. One guy claimed that: "When you repeat that Mantra Om, Om... you are actually invoking a demon spirit to come and possess your mind. Whatever that follows is the result of that specific Hindu Demon you are invoking. " The same person adds that during a meditation session began to levitate and "... ever since that second I haven't slept as a human, I lost my sleep! Whenever I closed my eyes, I saw the flames of Hell, I didn't dear to close my eyes, I couldn't! I became a psychiatric case, and 26 times I've been hospitalized." We are baffled when we meet people in real life (maybe even our friends) who claim that Kriya is responsible of all their psychological and psychiatric problems and of some physical troubles too. They want to convince you that by breathing fresh air (Pranayama ) they have developed all kinds of mental ailments, even schizophrenia too. From a benediction as it seemed at the very beginning, Kriya turned out to be a curse, a misfortune. They mention contemptuously the same techniques that we have experimented so many times, with so much love, drawing the purest delight. When I read or heard all this, my first reaction was: "Now, if I must go crazy, I prefer to go crazy because of Kriya, instead because of life itself. If the germs of madness are inside me, they will come into bloom both if I practice Kriya and if I do not practice it. Any discussion about whether Kriya can accelerate the situation is perfectly useless because the answer will be never demonstrated. Yet, considering the glorious moments experienced, I will walk such path without an ounce of fear, had I to burn in it." For a lot of time, this has been my way of thinking, also because I believed after all that the alleged dangers were imagined by minds full of confusion. But life taught me that there is a part of truth there. I continue with the usual enthusiasm and courage but I am prudent when I talk about Kriya to other people. The situation I am totally unprepared to deal with is what can happen to those who have made use of drugs or who have shown symptoms, even weak, of mental disturbances and start practicing Kriya either because it's a trend or as a treatment. I don't know what counsel to give to them or if in this situation it is better to exclude the practice of Kriya altogether. Sometimes the situation is not clear and I just guess what is confirmed by their friends and never by the reluctant student: a desultory life-style marked by drug abuse. Personally, I've always been taken aback when people blame their spiritual practice for damaging their psyche but say nothing about the drugs they have taken! How came that a person went to India every year for a series of years? How came that for many years there wasn't any interest in learning Yoga? Only recently they have practiced some mild form of concentration and lo, a catastrophe! They go on maintaining that now they are ill and suffer because of their prematurely awakened Kundalini ! The same person who for years took acids, any kind of amphetamines, opiates and (emulous of Castaneda) didn't disdain the use of psychotropic plants, now is accusing the simplest yogic exercises to have caused their doom. We don't want to rub salt in the wound -- no one likes to put a past, which cannot be changed, in causal relation with today's troubles and tragedies. Anyone wants to exorcize the thought of having seriously damaged their brain and be in a condition of permanent, fatal psychic disorder. They ask us to respect 154
the psychological wall they have erected. That is their past, ended forever: we are invited to worry only over Kriya and its effects that had to be marvelous (as we hastily have promised them) and, on the contrary, have been frightening. We listen nodding our assent and we are not permitted to clamor for a mirror in which they can see how inconsiderate and cruel they had been toward their body. In other students we perceive that there is a pre-existing psychological trouble. They seldom confess how in the past at the climax of a psycho-physical breakdown they refused to take prescribed medications. They claim they succeeded in solving any problem through the sheer use of their will. But we see that the reality is quite different. How terrible is sometimes this illusion of self healing! If someone is psychologically fragile, it is very unlikely they use the techniques of Yoga in the right way. Probably they don't aggravate the condition of their alienation but fear and anguish might arise as an unconscious resistance to awaken they lurking mental nightmares. Let's get things straight: often it is the very mental disturbance that brought people to spiritual and esoteric interests. Failure is certain: fear forces one to remain on the surface and bars their way to deep practice. A radical transformation is impossible, feared as the worst spectrum, a menace to one's psychological stability. Let us remember this, when they give the most absurd and funny excuses to justify their leaving Kriya: they are doing the right thing! Often the worse experience for a kriyaban who has tried to help them is to be a witness of what seems a gigantic ingratitude: not only do they abandon the Kriya path but they revolt against it as if it was an horrible thing causing havoc. Sometime they claim Kriya is the arch-enemy of the spiritual experience. Let's bite our tongue: they are not ungrateful but sick persons and our biggest mistake was a failure to understand it and overestimate a pseudo, almost automatic, healing action of Kriya. On some occasions we meet both drug abuse and mental disturbance and will never know if there were the drugs who damaged their brain and nervous system, or it was because of an already damaged brain that they sought drugs as a remedy. The rules of politeness require that we listen to them without reacting. Another situation of real doom is when a student, curious of exploring the Afterlife unknown territory or dreaming to contact a deceased relative or friend, may get involved in spiritualism (mediumism). I have some grounds to believe that the untrustworthy soil of spiritualism is one of the best areas to cultivate splits inside one's personality. In my opinion, this is a field where one certainly would hurt their psyche. I deal with this minor-in-frequency theme because there are people who claim they have the privilege … to communicate directly with the historical Masters of Kriya . It is pathetic and, to an extent, even amusing being told that their message is coming from the hereafter: "In this epoch, the Kriya is old-fashioned and useless. Devotion is enough!". Classical spiritualism - characterized by a person (medium) who enters a trance state at a desk, answers the questions put by the bystanders through a code of loud raps - has handed over its place to more modern methods such as those where all the participants, putting their hands on an upside-down glass to move it among the letters of the alphabet stamped on a comfortable flexible tablet (Ouija board). Many prefer the more accessible revelations of a channeler who lets the invoked entity express through the flood of his own eloquence. It is interesting to see how the channeler's biographies trace a common scheme. All tell that once they were skeptic of their own faculties and would not accept yielding to the higher Will who had decided to entrust to them the mission to serve as medium between spirits and humanity. Once their mission was accepted, from the same ultra mundane source came the inspiration to mix the flow of 155
the various revelations with the diagnosis of unlikely illnesses, with prescription of expensive alternative remedies. If spiritualism kept its promises, it would be the most valid gold-mine of information - a direct connection with the beyond, far more accurate than any other source! Alas, reality has nothing to do with their imagination! Apart from the automatic writing in which the one who asks is the same person that gives the answer, the Medium knows in advance the preferences and anticipations of the person who addresses him. Therefore all becomes like a closed circuit: question and answer reverberate in an endless loop like the feedback of a microphone set next to its loud speaker. As anyone can observe, the messages are always agreeable. Every adept, even of limited intelligence, receives the message that the Divine has assigned him an important mission… I believe that this is, psychologically speaking, very dangerous. I knew some kriyabans who plunged into situations of such a narrow vision that their life style appeared grotesque. What I witnessed, with a sadness sharpened by the particular situations which at that time took place, was the mental fragility of most people practicing spiritualism. They puzzled me not only on account of their statements but also of what emerged through their eyes. It was as if, from behind the mask of their face, another personality appeared, extremely self-confident, who allowed others to defraud them in the worst of the ways. Their original desire to find total freedom, spiritual realization, ended in the worst of all prisons. They gave all their possessions, and their life, to a person who was an authentic rogue.
Kundalini Let us begin by what is said in any Kundalini book. This concept provides a framework which is convenient for expressing what is happening along the Kriya path. Kundalini is Sanskrit for "coiled": it is conceived as a particular energy coiled like a serpent in the root Chakra (Muladhara ). The representation of being coiled like a spring conveys the idea of untapped potential energy. A tremendous concentration of spiritual energy lies allegedly at the base of the spine. It sleeps in our body and underneath the layers of our consciousness, waiting to be aroused by spiritual discipline. In Kundalini Yoga a seeker aspires to harness this tremendous power through specific techniques (particular breathing patterns, Bandhas, Mudras, Bija Mantra...) and guide its rising from the Muladhara up through the Sushumna , activating each Chakra. It is explained that when Kundalini arrives at the crown Chakra ( Sahasrara ), it bestows infinite bliss, mystical illumination etc. Each book warns against the risk of its premature Kundalini awakening and asserts that the body must be prepared for the event. Some explain that the problems manifests when Kundalini comes up through the wrong channel. Others explain that even if Kundalini would come up through the right channel, the person is unprepared to sustain all that power. They claim that the enlightening and beautiful experiences can be so powerful that people doubt their sanity.
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Gopi Krishna Let us consider an excellent testimony, that of Gopi Krishna. In 1967 he published his first major book in India, Kundalini --The Evolutionary Energy in Man (currently available under the title Living With Kundalini ). The book gives a clear and concise autobiographic account of the phenomenon of the awakening of Kundalini . He experimented it in 1937 although he had not a spiritual teacher and was not initiated into any spiritual lineage. His life after awakening was both blessed by ecstatic bliss and tormented by physical and mental discomfort. He practiced concentration exercises for a number of years. His practice was visualizing "an imaginary Lotus in full bloom, radiating light" at the crown of his head. As he sat meditating - exactly as he had for the three hours before dawn each day for seventeen years - he became aware of a powerful, pleasurable sensation at the base of his spine. He continued to meditate; the sensation began to spread and extend upwards. It continued to expand until he heard, quite without warning, a roar like that of a waterfall and felt a stream of liquid light enter his brain. "Suddenly, with a roar like that of a waterfall, I felt a stream of liquid light entering my brain through the spinal cord. Entirely unprepared for such a development, I was completely taken by surprise; but regaining self-control instantaneously, I remained sitting in the same posture, keeping my mind on the point of concentration. The illumination grew brighter and brighter, the roaring louder, I experienced a rocking sensation and then felt myself slipping out of my body, entirely enveloped in a halo of light." (Gopi Krishna Living With Kundalini).
This experience changed radically the scheme of his life. He experienced a continuous "luminous glow" around his head and began having a variety of psychological and physiological problems. At times he thought he was going mad. He adopted a very strict diet and for years refused to do any other concentration exercise. "The keen desire to sit and meditate, which had always been present during the preceding days, disappeared suddenly and was replaced by a feeling of horror of the supernatural. I wanted to fly from even the thought of it. At the same time I felt a sudden distaste for work and conversation, with the inevitable result that being left with nothing to keep myself engaged, time hung heavily on me, adding to the already distraught condition of my mind. [...] Each morning heralded for me a new kind of terror, a fresh complication in the already disordered system, a deeper fit of melancholy or more irritable condition of the mind which I had to restrain, to prevent it from completely overwhelming me, by keeping myself alert, usually after a completely sleepless night; and after withstanding patiently the tortures of the day, I had to prepare myself for even worse torment of the night. "
Let us see how the experience stabilized and he emerged from this negative experience into an awakening that blessed him to the end of his life. He discovered that the esoteric teachings contained a number of simple practices that might help bring the energy back into balance after it had been awakened 157
incorrectly. What he practiced as a remedy reminds a lot the practice of Kriya Pranayama . ".... a fearful idea struck me. Could it be that I had aroused Kundalini through pingala or the solar nerve which regulates the flow of heat in the body and is located on the right side of Sushumna'? If so, I was doomed, I thought desperately and as if by divine dispensation the idea flashed across my brain to make a last-minute attempt to rouse Ida, or the lunar nerve on the left side, to activity, thus neutralizing the dreadful burning effect of the devouring fire within. With my mind reeling and senses deadened with pain, but with all the will-power left at my command, I brought my attention to bear on the left side of the seat of Kundalini , and tried to force an imaginary cold current upward through the middle of the spinal cord. In that extraordinarily extended, agonized, and exhausted state of consciousness, I distinctly felt the location of the nerve and strained hard mentally to divert its flow into the central channel. Then, as if waiting for the destined moment, a miracle happened. There was a sound like a nerve thread snapping and instantaneously a silvery streak passed zigzag through the spinal cord, exactly like the sinuous movement of a white serpent in rapid flight, pouring an effulgent, cascading shower of brilliant vital energy into my brain, filling my head with a blissful lustre in place of the flame that had been tormenting me for the last three hours. Completely taken by surprise at this sudden transformation of the fiery current, darting across the entire network of my nerves only a moment before, and overjoyed at the cessation of pain, I remained absolutely quiet and motionless for some time, tasting the bliss of relief with a mind flooded with emotion, unable to believe I was really free of the horror. Tortured and exhausted almost to the point of collapse by the agony I had suffered during the terrible interval. I immediately fell asleep, bathed in light and for the first time after weeks of anguish felt the sweet embrace of restful sleep."
From then onwards, Gopi Krishna believed that this experience began a process in himself in which his whole nervous system would slowly be reorganized and it would be transformed, wrote about the mystical experience and the evolution of consciousness from a scientific point of view. He theorized that there existed a biological mechanism in the human body, known from ancient times in India as Kundalini , which was responsible for creativity, genius, psychic ability, religious and mystical experience. In his opinion, Kundalini was the true cause of evolution.
B. S. Goel Another interesting testimony is that of B. S. Goel's (1935- 1998) described in his: Psycho-Analysis and Meditation. He was a very rare individual. His experience of Kundalini awakening happened when he was 28 and was quite dramatic. Kundalini got awakened on its own. During this long process, his friends thought he was "losing his mind". He went up and down India looking for someone who could explain what was happening to him. He found many people that had theories. However they did not know. His uniqueness lies in his experience of classical psychoanalysis along with meditation, which he advocated. When he was 35, his Guru appeared in his dream, and told him that 158
Psycho-analysis and Marxism, both of which he had embraced, were false ways to happiness. He told him the only path to inner peace and joy was through God. In 1982, he opened an ashram in the Himalayas to help and guide other aspirants who had Kundalini experiences. What is interesting for us is that Dr. Goel talks about the different degrees of suffering he went through as his ego was destroyed and rebuild. He was the first, apart late Swami Satyananda Saraswati who studied the role of Bindu point, in the occipital region. He explained that "when the consciousness marches toward Bindu (which he calls Brahma-randhra ) the ego-formations will get exposed before the consciousness in free-associations, in free writings, in dreams, and above all, in meditation itself. In the last part of the book, while discussing "signals toward the final goal", among a lot of signals he had the courage to quote one in particular whom is not usually treated in book but in those book who want of mimic all the gurudom matter. He quotes "the great desire for being pierced and penetrated." About "pierced", he exemplifies it with the "desire of putting a nail at the mid point between the two eyebrows. About "penetrated", he clarifies that the desire of penetration at Bindu may, out of ego-ignorance "turn into the desire of passive anal-penetration." He clarifies that an ordinary sexual act cannot satisfy the person who need really penetrated at the Bindu to get final spiritual bliss. He adds that: "as long as he does not reach that stage, he may often indulge in compulsive homo-sexuality. It is very probable that many saints of all ages might have remained great homosexuals if they had stopped their spiritual efforet in their pre-sainthood period."
A Down-to-Earth Approach The real problem is the fear caused by the first signs of Kundalini awakening. This is what happens to many kriyabans, especially during the first months of their commitment. Usually this fear (which can be real anguish) is absorbed in a short time, without problems, even if for a couple of days they feel they are walking in equilibrium on a rope between mental health and alienation. This phenomenon has happened to all saints and it is only a fleeting experience. There is nothing to fear! All may cease by itself but, if you do nothing, you can also live a couple of days in a state of emotional instability. Here you will find some urgent actions to do. 1. When you feel uncontrolled movement of energy in your spine accompanied by a warm (or hot) sensation and you feel fear, sit with erected spine and concentrate all your mental strength in the point between the eyebrows. Use all your imagination to raise a fresh current up the spine. This can be done by inhaling through the mouth or through the left nostril -- having closed somehow the right nostril. Repeat this until you feel something changing. This is exactly what Gopi Krishna did to get out of his awful situation.
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2. Sit quietly and practice slowly, but intensely, 108 Mula Bandha . Contract all the muscles at the base of the spine, maintain the contraction for a couple of seconds and relax. Repeat. Forget the breath, try to attune to calmness in the point between the eyebrows. Don't be in a hurry: each hold and relax should last at least four seconds. You can have more than one session in order to complete 108 repetitions. Beside this, try to have plenty of physical activity. Utilize this practice in those days when you feel yourself too much nervous, depressed or having any panic attack. 3. When, after some days or weeks, the crisis is overcome, you take back Kriya Pranayama , remember that it was conceived to be the foundation of an intrinsically healthy method. It can help one to cover all the spiritual journey in a safe way. In Kriya Pranayama you are taught to feel the coolness and the warmth of the breath to balance Ida and Pingala . If this is respected, if it is combined with Maha Mudra, Navi Kriya and Yoni Mudra, this action can never cause problems. The signal that will point out that everything has started over normally working is to feel a particular joy, the feeling of having found again the state of mind of the best times. 4. When you practice Higher Kriyas, if you concentrate for some time on Muladhara , give the same concentration to all other Chakras and always end by concentrating on the point between the eyebrows. In one commentary by Lahiri Mahasaya to the sacred writings, it is written: "Being tranquil at the coccygeal center, do not stay longer. If you stay longer at the coccygeal center, then negative Samadhi will take place. So after getting up again, you should start practicing Kriya." If you use Thokar and hit the Muladhara Chakra and you don't integrate this with other practices, the result is mainly a state of greyish mind that appears in the day following the practice. It is difficult to sustain that gloomy mood - it is as if your soul is scratched. The action of Thokar is very strong and it is difficult to assimilate its psychological effects. Therefore, after a Thokar on Muladhara , follow the given instructions to push the energy up. You can also resume the most simple form of Kriya Pranayama and create a very deep relaxed mood: after Kriya Pranayama , if you have not the time to practice Navi Kriya , use at least a mild form of Uddiyana Bandha to raise the energy up. 5. A routine which is totally based on a strong concentration on the Sahasrara is not appropriate for beginner or medium level students. Building a strong magnet in Sahasrara is the most powerful way to stimulate the rising of Kundalini . This is of course the goal of Kriya Yoga, but you might be non prepared for that. Kriya is a path in which one tries to awaken Kundalini by preparing the ground for its awakening in a sure way. The final concentration on Sahasrara should be prepared by a long concentration on the point between the eyebrows. 6. After studying the theory of knots ( Granthis ), do not focus too insistently upon eliminating them, either by adapting to your purpose some Higher Kriya techniques or by extrapolating other procedures from the classic Hatha Yoga. 160
You risk to enforce those very knots you want to eliminate. Don't be like a surgeon who wants to remove a gallstone embedded in a organ, without taking all the care not to destroy the organ and kill the patient. Don't cultivate stupid theories according to which all your problems originate from the blockage of this or that Chakra. Don't utilize techniques that work on a single Chakra with the hope of unlocking it. Our internal knots are not as we usually visualize them, namely like ordinary rope-knots. They have a kind of mutual dependence, they are subtly inter-twined, one inside the other. Remember that the balanced techniques of Kriya Pranayama and of Omkar Kriya patiently but safely work upon all the knots simultaneously. Increasing gradually the repetition of these basic procedures is always the best choice! 7. Be always cautious with Kumbhaka (holding your breath). The famous author J.K. Taimni in his The science of Yoga (The theosophical publishing house Adyar, Chennai, India • Wheaton, Il, USA) writes: " Kumbhaka affects the flow of pranic currents in a very marked and fundamental manner and enables the Yogi to gain increasing control over these currents. [...] Not only is Kumbhaka the essential element of real Pranayama but it is also the source of danger in the practice of Pranayama . The moment one starts retaining the breath, especially after inhalation, in any abnormal manner the danger begins and one can never know what it will lead to. [...] Kumbhaka unlocks the doors of unexpected experiences and powers. If it is taken up without the necessary preparation and guidance it is sure to lead to disaster." Kumbhaka is very powerful and in Kriya Yoga it is adopted with special procedures: Yoni Mudra, Thokar ... Between the two extreme eventualities: to never hold your breath or to overuse Kumbhaka, chose an intermediary percentage of seconds of Kumbhaka. Regulate this percentage according to your ability to bear the originated power. 8. Keep your path always clean. A clean path reaches the core of Kriya as fast as an arrow. Unclean is a path polluted by new age, esoteric, magic, occult rituals, channeling, spiritualistic practices... To be entangled in this activity is an amazingly easy way of destroying, in a short time, years of genuine spiritual effort. If from a certain school you have received visualization techniques with the suggestion that sooner or later your visualization will become reality, polish up your path and life forever from such a trash. Be realistic and notice how in that ambient you have met persons who went around pretending to be spiritual, whereas they were human wrecks. There are many pseudo spiritual/occult activities that won't lead you anywhere. The worst of certain schools is that after having destroyed the attraction toward real life, they teach you to create a virtual reality with the strength of your imagination. The visualization procedure brought to the extreme limit is useless and treacherous. Unfortunately, it is the basis of a boundless series of New Age methods. You believe you are very spiritual but you are entering the kingdom of alienation. Always remember that when you do a purely mental work that doesn't envisage verification, the danger is certain. I remind Jung's words: "The deliberately induced psychotic state, which in
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certain unstable individuals might easily lead to a real psychosis, is a danger that needs to be taken very seriously indeed. These things really are dangerous and ought not to be meddled with in our typically Western way. It is a meddling with Fate, which strikes at the very roots of human existence and can let loose a flood of sufferings of which no sane person ever dreamed."C. G. Jung, Introduction to The Tibetan book of the Dead ] What are, according to Jung, the "deliberately induced psychotic states"? Unfortunately he does not explain it in detail and does not bring examples. However it is not difficult to understand that a psychotic state is the one in which you see things that do not exist, have a relationship (listen to voices, receive messages) from a dimension you have created in your mind and that exists only for you. 9. If you learn other methods of meditation, never relax your guard and never stop using the common sense. Meditation relaxes the mistrustful side of your personality; you will tend to override your inner wisdom receiving wounds in various subtle ways. Even the most rational and intelligent person becomes an idiot that believes in impossible things. There is the danger to accept theories which throw you off balance. I am referring to teachings that poison you against the world, that alienate you from the society you are in. You should not cultivate disgust for all that is interesting and enthusiastic in life and see everyday life as an illness. If you are not a monk or nun, these attitudes are simply toxic, like taking antibiotics if you do not have an infection. Terrible is the refusal of love, renouncement of a family, moving toward abnormal ways of living and behavior like avoid facing life challenges. Any mystical practice that is combined with an unbalanced life style is harmful. Don't amputate your individuality and your desires; don't start a war against yourselves. Don't cut yourself from everything interesting and thrilling in life. Do not impose chastity to yourself. Some kriyabans try uselessly to reach this state with a certain obsession and state authentic nonsenses (the married kriyabans practice sex once in a year only to give birth to children). This attitude can produce disasters. There is a more moderate vision which deems the condition of chastity is linked with conserving the energy, but without being obsessive. Lahiri Mahasaya admits in his diary that at times his sexual desire was really strong. One day a disciple put him a direct question: "How can one be definitively free from sexuality?" He replied in a way that let struck dumb the disciple: "I will be free from sexuality only when my body will lie on the funeral pyre." God bless his sincerity! Very strangely some are inclined to take the afore quoted episode from Lahiri Mahasaya's life as a sign ... that he was not spiritually realized!
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How should one behave when the experience of a substantial and spontaneous rising of energy through the spine happens? This state usually lasts from few instants to a couple of minutes. It many appear as a series of bliss waves rising through the spine and entering the brain. Sometimes it is an electric wind on the surface of the body, propagating from feet up to head, that announces the experience. It is like having a volcano erupting inside, a ''rocket'' shooting up through the spine! Other times, it may appear like an intense bliss in the chest region -- suddenly you are inside an immense joy and wake up with tears in your eyes. The deepest experience is when the point ( Bindu ) in the center of Kutastha emerges and expands into a tunnel. The awareness is pulled through it. It is like a plunge into Eternity, burning with endless joy for several seconds -you are filled with the euphoria obtained by this short but unforgettable glimpse of your eternal nature. Some call this experience " Kundalini awakening". I would like to point at the similarity with a near death experience -- NDE. Since I think the consideration of this parallelism very useful for a kriyaban, I counsel Kriya students to read Life beyond Life by Raymond Moody. In the stories of those who had a NDE experience, we find some details in common with the afore hinted experience. We find the feeling of moving upward, through a tunnel or a narrow corridor, of floating above one's own body and seeing the surrounding area. The whole experience is lived within a feeling of endless love and peace. Some accounts include meetings with deceased relatives, and with spiritual figures (beings of light). Each individual interprets such meetings according to their own culture and expectations. Then the feeling of having arrived at a threshold and being sent back to one's body -- often with deep reluctance to return there -- seems to conclude the experience. If you have had a similar experience, as a result of a serious accident, you know how this event brought you to the edge of Eternity, offering a unique opportunity to glimpse it. For you it remained the most real experience, paradoxically the most "alive" of your existence. If you are having this experience as a result of Kriya practice, you won't feel disoriented. You have the means to be your own "doctor" and let the effects of the blissful experience grow and mix with your life. If not refused or repressed, the repetition of such experience gives you an unshakable certainty of the value of spiritual techniques. No one can come to you claiming that Selfrealization is something happening in the realm of your thoughts -- like an awakening of wisdom obtained by keen sophistication. You have had this experience first in your body and then your way of thinking has received a shock. But this flash of intuition is impossible without the body experiences a very particular state. Some spiritual seekers crown their laziness by indulging in the thought that it is our very idea of not having achieved Enlightenment that prevents us from getting it. You know that this is nonsense. 163
If one who has had this experience asks me what to do, I invite him to go ahead with the Kriya practice and avoid going to "traveling gurus" to tell what has happened. They have no time to take care of anyone. They repeat hastily some general guidance and go away. They may even don't recognize the authenticity of the experience. Their lack of spiritual realization is, in some cases, really remarkable. Those who had this experience are like one who, dead in appearance, had visited the afterworld and then had returned to walk again amongst human beings. But this has no importance; interesting is the fact that their Ego is intact, it hasn't turned into a "divine Ego". Therefore the path to enlightenment should begin now and there is no step that can be disregarded. In order to become an Emancipated Soul, one should never forget that experience, continually working for retrieving and deepening. But this is not enough, Enlightenment is to be achieved giving all oneself to draw that experience down into the earthly dimension of life. Sometimes it is a hard work, but nothing in life can be obtained without hard work.
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CHAPTER 10
BUILDING THE BEST FOUNDATION FOR THE K RIYA YOGA PATH
In the present chapter and in following 11 and 12, I am going to share in my didactic opinions about how a student should be guided from the first steps of Kriya Yoga to the last attempts at reaching the lofty state of Samadhi . I will summarize the practical difficulties that can appear if you don't want to communicate a recipe to be followed always in the same way throughout life but disclose a challenging but very engrossing way to realize one after another, the four phases of Kriya Yoga. We shall begin by introducing the most important tool to obtain a real transformation of one's personality: the "incremental routine ". This work has nothing to do with the soft, sleepy daily routines we all know. In chapter 11, we shall focus about how to guide a student to experience the breathless state. In chapter 12, we shall discuss a particular way of perfecting Kriya Pranayama, which is not discussed in Kriya literature. We add also an appendix explaining how a person who has received Kriya from an organization, can tread completely the highest path without including in his routine other practices that those already learned from the organization.
How to test a student's predisposition for Kriya In my opinion a teacher should always test a student's predisposition for Kriya. If one has already practiced Pranayama for months (either classic Pranayama or Kriya Pranayama alike) there is no need of tests. But for those whom you deem won't be able to carry on the discipline of Kriya, you can counsel an alternate routine - I usually counsel the one I have myself practiced at the beginning of my path and hinted at in chapter 1. It goes without saying that there is no point in introducing students to Kriya if they do not succeed in this routine regularly for at least 3 to 6 weeks. The routine consists of: Nadi Sodhana (with the three Bandhas after inhalation while holding the breath); Ujjayi with or without Aswini Mudra and a deep concentration on the point between the eyebrows. I have chosen Nadi Sodhana because after years of research and experimentation, I came to the conclusion that Nadi Sodhana Pranayama is far more important then it is currently thought. Actually, a beginner receives a dramatic transformation from it; many important patterns of energy imbalance disappear. Besides, if one practices it for about 20-30 minutes of practice, one discovers to have entered a natural meditation state. I actually think that there have been a mistake not to include Nadi Sadhana among the basic technique of First Kriya. It is very important to balance Ida and Pingala currents. Ida (feminine in nature, tied to introversion and to the state of rest) flows vertically along the left side of the spinal column, while Pingala (masculine in nature, tied to extroversion and to the state of physical activity) flows parallel to Ida on the
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right side. Sushumna flows in the middle and represents the experience halfway between the two: the ideal state to be achieved right before the practice of Kriya. Unbalance between Ida and Pingala is be blamed for the lack of introversion-extroversion harmony in many people. Over functioning of the Ida channel results in introversion, while predominance of the Pingala leads to a state of extroversion. We know that there are moments of the day when we feel more externalized; others when we are more internalized. In a healthy person, this alternation is characterized by a balance between a life of positive relationships and a serene contact with one's own depths. On the contrary, the excessively introverted persons tend to lose contact with the external reality. The consequence is that the ups and downs of life seem to gang up against them in order to undermine their peaceful composure. The excessively extroverted person betrays frailty in dealing with what comes up from their unconscious and might face unexpected distressing moments. Unbalance between Ida and Pingala is a serious problem for those who try to internalize their consciousness. They cannot achieve a watchful but peaceful alertness which is the base itself of the meditative state. Using a suggestive image, a Kriya teacher said that Ida and Pingala are so tangled up around the base of the spine that our awareness cannot enter the innermost channel of the spine during Kriya Pranayama practice. I don't like quoting scientific research invigorating the good of a technique. But in the case of Nadi Sodhana is obligatory. As you know, there are four types of brain waves. During deep sleep delta waves are predominant (1-4 oscillations per second), and in a dozy the theta waves (4-8 oscillations per sec.) dominate. The brain waves that interest us the most are the alpha waves (8-13 oscillations per sec.). They are mostly to be found when the person has closed eyes, is mentally relaxed, but still awake and able to experience. When the eyes are opened, or the person is distracted in some other way, the alpha waves are weakened, and there is an increase of the faster beta waves (13-40 oscillations per sec.). The amount of alpha waves therefore shows to what degree the brain is in a state of relaxed awareness. EEG measurements have shown that the amount of alpha waves increases during meditation. But this is well-known. We are interested that a greater balance of alpha waves between the brain halves after Nadi Sodhana is proved. We can measure separately the amount of alpha waves in each part of the brain and discover that the more we practice Nadi Sodhana, the more they tend to become equal. In a normal brain, a spontaneous shift in balance occurs between left and right, depending on what one is doing. Nadi Sodhana creates that perfect balance which is the best condition to begin the practice of Kriya Yoga.
I have chosen Ujjayi because it is the best preparation to Kriya Pranayama. Those who practice it and pay due attention to the natural throat sounds will begin to perceive the energy that flows up and down the spine.
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Nadi Sodhana Pranayama. It is important to clean the nostrils before beginning the exercise, so that the breath can flow smoothly. This can be commonly done using water or inhaling eucalyptus essence and blowing the nose. In some cases, there are complaints that one of the nostrils is permanently obstructed; that is a problem of medical solution. If the obstruction is caused by a severe cold, no Pranayama exercise should be practiced. To begin this exercise , the mouth must be closed; the right nostril must be kept closed by the right thumb and air is slowly, uniformly and deeply inhaled through the left nostril. The inhalation lasts from six to ten seconds. It is important not to overdo it to the point of discomfort. After having inhaled through the left nostril, the yogi closes the left nostril with the right little finger and the ring finger - of the same hand. A short pause, amounting to a mental count of three, happens after each inhalation. The one exhales through the right nostril with the same slow, uniform and deep rhythm. At this point, the nostrils exchange their role. Keeping the left nostril closed, air is slowly, uniformly and deeply inhaled through the right nostril. The short pause follows. Then, closing the right nostril with the thumb, the exhalation is made through the left nostril, once again slowly, uniformly and deeply. This corresponds to one cycle. In the beginning, six cycles can be made; later, twelve of them. A yogi can use a mental count to make sure the time is the same for both the inhalation and the exhalation. The nostrils can be closed with the fingers in different ways; the choice depends on the preference of the practitioner only. The easy but extremely effective technique of the "forward bendings" we are going to discuss in this chapter (see: "A valuable variation of Maha Mudra in three parts") can be coupled with Nadi Sodhana bringing immediately visible benefits. A famous Kriya school emphasize the utility of Viparita Karani either before of after Nadi Sodhana. Variation. Let us remind the definition of Bandhas: when the neck and the throat are slightly contracted, and the chin tilts down toward the breast, this is Jalandhara Bandha. Uddiyana Bandha (in a simplified form useful for this exercise) consists in slightly contracting the abdominal muscles in order to intensify the perception of energy inside the spinal column. During Mula Bandha, the perineum muscles between the anus and the genital organs - are contracted in an attempt to lift the abdominal muscles in a vertical way, while pressing back the inferior part of the abdomen. In this variation , the exhalation should last twice the time necessary for the inhalation and the pause after the inhalation should be four times as long. The ratio of inhalation, retention and exhalation is denoted as 1:4:2. During the pause, the three Bandhas are applied simultaneously to produce an internal awakening of the Prana . In time, you'll feel a sensation of energetic current sliding up along the spinal column - an almost ecstatic internal shiver. Time can be measured through mental chanting of Om. Close the right nostril with your right thumb. Inhale through the left nostril till you count, slowly, 3 Om. Imagine that you are drawing Prana with the inhaled air. Close the left nostril. Practice the three Bandhas intensively. Hold the breath for a count of six Om. Release the 167
Bandhas and slowly exhale through the right nostril counting 6 Om. Repeat the process from the right nostril. Do the whole cycle at least 3 times. Gradually you can increase the count of Om while holding the breath up to 12 counts. The exercise can be further improved by strong concentration on Dantian during Kumbhaka. Feel that Prana is intensifying in that region. With your breath held pull your abdominal muscles in synchronizing these movements with mental chanting of Om or with the syllables of your favorite Mantra. All this helps awaken Kundalini. Great Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh counseled to send the current down to the Muladhara Chakra, instead to Dantian, during Kumbhaka. The current is perceived striking against the Muladhara Chakra and awakening Kundalini. The ratio of inhalation, retention and exhalation is always 1:4:2.
Ujjayi Pranayama. The technique consists of breathing in and out deeply through both the nostrils, producing a sound/noise in the throat. During the exhalation, the noise is not as loud as during the inhalation. After a few days practice, the respiratory action is lengthened without effort. This exercise is normally practiced twelve times. A mental count makes sure that the inhalation and the exhalation have the same duration. It does good to focus not only on the process itself, but on the comfort and the induced calmness as well; this allows the concentration to become deeper. Now forget the breath, for at least five minutes, with an attitude of deep relaxation, the attention is intensely focused on the point between the eyebrows.
How to introduce a student to Kriya Yoga I would avoid the particular frenzy that accompanies a traditional Kriya initiation where all the practical instructions are transmitted hastily in one single lesson! 2 I have found that it is more natural and logical to teach the Kriya techniques a bit at a time and let one experience each without any tension. Even when it's necessary to demonstrate all the techniques in First Kriya for reasons of expediency, I do not recommend starting out with a complete practice. Of course, I don't advise waiting for a "perfect" situation before starting to practice, otherwise the decision risks being postponed indefinitely! In the first lesson I would not teach Navi Kriya, whose "moment" will come in time, and Yoni Mudra, that could appear unpleasant and source of disturbance, and limit Kriya Pranayama to first part only.
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Within a few days, almost all details are forgotten and one goes through a crisis. This is what usually happens with mass initiations. Things may of course go differently! Some rare people will always remember the few words of their teacher with the same voice inflection, and after a lifelong work, their full meaning is finally realized. 168
After a couple of weeks, the second lesson should be devote to emphasize the details that really matter. 1. The importance of Talabya Kriya and Om Japa. A kriyaban should never override them. You can ask that some meditation sessions are composed only of Talabya Kriya and Om Japa followed by ten seconds of enjoying the induce calmness. When this happens, one can taste the power that is born from a practice which is limited just to those two techniques. The calmness they induce in a couple of minutes is stunning. Some organizations, in their didactic effort to bring Kriya Yoga to people, picked out some easy techniques as a preparation. P. Y. choose to give Hong So and Om techniques for six months. The first technique calms the breath and the psychophysical system. The second technique concerns the listening to the internal (astral) sounds, and the Om sound. These are wonderful techniques but in Lahiri Mahasaya's Kriya, the preliminary techniques are Talabya Kriya and the chanting of Om in the Chakras. They lead a kriyaban to a state that is considered a "benediction." Oddly enough, Talabya Kriya doesn't require concentrating on anything, it is purely physical. Furthermore, we can remark that merely pressing the tongue against the upper palate, maintaining the suction effect on the palate for 10-15 seconds, can, in and of itself, generate sensitivity in the Ajna Chakra area in a very short time. The detail of extending the tongue plays an important part too. When the tongue is fully extended, it pulls on some cranial bones and leads to decompression in the Rudra Granthi area. 2. The importance of Maha Mudra. An important point is to make one feel the difference between Kriya Pranayama with and without Maha Mudra . It is very wise that a kriyaban practice Maha Mudra both before Kriya Pranayama and after it. A good teaching is to practice one Maha Mudra every 12 Kriya Pranayamas until one begins to feel the currents in the spine. There are reports of yogis having achieved fantastic experiences using only this technique. According to their accounts, the perception of the Sushumna Nadi has increased tremendously. There are kriyabans who have set all the other Kriya aside and have been practicing 144 Maha Mudra in two sessions daily. They consider Maha Mudra the most useful technique of all Kriya Yoga. 3. The importance of mental Pranayama at the end of a routine . At the end of a routine a kriyaban must enjoy mental Pranayama for at least ten minutes. Mental Pranayama has a divine beauty, without it I can bet that (unless one is sustained for years by the excitement of the illusions created in him by a process of indoctrination) one abandons Kriya Yoga unfailingly. Without mental Pranayama, Kriya Yoga becomes a self imposed torture, a nightmare, a life sentence. 169
4. The importance of listening to internal sounds. Almost each Kriya student has difficulty in understanding the object of Kriya meditation. "Meditation upon what?" is the common question. Often, at the beginning of their efforts, "meditation" consist in the elaboration of lofty thoughts supported by fervid imagination. In time, thoughts calm down and won't disturb. Later, a sweet comfort, internal joy, inexplicable elation appears. Is perhaps Kriya meditation the awareness of inner bliss? Kriya meditation is surely this but is also the meeting with the Ineffable, with the Reality that is beyond mind, which it is not emptiness but fullness. This happens by listening to the internal sounds. Remaining absorbed in them until they become the Om sound, is the first duty of a kriyaban -- is the highest way of living the experience of Kriya meditation.
The right attitude of the teacher and of the student A teacher should get over the fact that at the onset of the Yoga path, there is always a clear split between a kriyaban 's new spiritual interest and other wellrooted social, intellectual and artistic habits. The signs of progress are very subtle and instable. A teacher should avoid censorial attitudes and pretend he does not notice some problematic delusive student's behavior. Yoga principles, like Patanjali's rules of conduct, are not easy to put into practice. Paradoxically, it is easier for most to give up a harmful habit because of a new ecological vogue rather than being able to grasp and analyze in depth the enslaving mechanism of any bad habits. A Kriya teacher lays his confidence in the transforming Kriya effect. The main quality of Kriya students is to handle Kriya Pranayama as a joyous discovery, a source of wellbeing and mirth and rely on the sheer "naturalness" of the procedure. Although they look at this technique with caution, they practice it comfortably, adopting an attitude like that of a serious maid who, armed with patience and circumspection, prepares a meal taking care of all the details, from the tedious task of peeling potatoes to the final art of putting the finishing touches. Students should have the quality of a self teacher and be able to use their common sense to slightly adapt the instructions to the contingencies of their own life. They don't call their teacher every other day with questions that are overly intellectual; they are not too insistent, and at times obsessive, in wanting to have all the possible and imaginable details of Kriya Pranayama clarified. For them it is not a tragedy to not see the spiritual eye. But for them it is a great satisfaction to discover that all the best in them comes out amplified. Their perceptions change and they discover the many beautiful aspects of life. Some rediscover an almost forgotten potentiality of aesthetic enjoyment, especially in nature, looking what is around; others discover the wonder of their work, while are deeply moved by the significance of their family. They are overcome with a feeling of love they thought themselves incapable of. It is as if they had eyes and heart for the first time. 170
Unfortunately, some Kriya students show in Kriya the same eager, impatient, and occasionally insensitive attitude they have in life — especially if they are full of esoteric and "magical" ways of thinking. They do not understand how important it is first to relax and enjoy, and then to work on refinements. They will soon get tired of asking questions and will eventually abandon everything. It is as if their knowledge is a shield preventing the genuine beauty of Kriya from entering their life. They don't show trust in the naturalness of Kriya but believe that the miracle can spring only from an impeccable execution of the magic recipe that Kriya represents for them. Either they have been led astray by some text or they have not the faculty of understanding the spiritual dimension of life. The more they strive, the more problems they will have. And it is a grace w hen they leave. CONSOLIDATING R OUTINES
THE
K RIYA
PATH
THROUGH
THE
INCREMENTAL
Kriyabans customarily practice the same standard techniques day in and day out changing neither the sequence nor the number of repetitions. An unvarying routine that always takes the same amount of time is what is recommended by many organizations. Such a fixed routine is the best practice for beginners. Unfortunately, the risk of boredom and loss of enthusiasm is great. This is a "law" no one escapes. There is no doubt that one should continue to practice through seemingly unproductive phases and will still get valuable experiences. Many achievements like listening to the internal sounds, seeing the spiritual eye, definitely will happen by practicing a fixed, unvarying routine. Now, practicing a fixed routine for a period of time is one thing, whereas doing it for one's entire life is something else! A yogi wrote that the hope of obtaining a deep internal change by repeating an identical set of techniques during an entire lifetime is comparable to hitting a piece of iron once a day in the hope that the atomic energy it contains will someday be released. After getting through the initial phase, kriyabans will eventually reach a standstill and further progress appears impossible. They will suffer qualms of guilt and develop all kinds of paranoia. Few know how to get out of this unexpected situation in a positive way. Instinctively many succeed in rekindling their enthusiasm, but only partly and for a short time, by readings, listening to taped spiritual talks, and attending kirtans ... Many turn to experienced people (all organizations have "meditation counselors") to ask for suggestions, but as soon as they make known their reservations on the validity of their routine, or on the possibility of Kriya Yoga to produce any actual changes in the personality, then their loyalty is immediately questioned. How many times, they are told outlandish stories about loyal kriyabans who had a true spiritual experience only on their death bed! "A loyal disciple doesn't lament working for years or for an entire life without getting any visible results!" -- this is the reproach. This is the danger point where interest and passion for Kriya is very close to waning completely.
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In the first part of the book I have hinted at the Incremental Routines. Since they have a unique, irreplaceable effect on one's personality, I strongly recommend that a student focus on fundamental Kriya techniques like Navi Kriya, Kriya Pranayama and Thokar and practice them intensively with progressive increments of the number of repetitions. I have witnessed unbelievable results in those who have completed Incremental Routines, results that are inconceivable for those who follow a traditional practice. These routines are the best foundation for a lifelong enjoyment of Kriya. The results obtained prove that an Incremental Routine is one of the most worthwhile activities a kriyaban can engage in. For these reason, when I trust the earnestness of the student, I always encourage them to begin at least one Incremental Routine. I give this counsel without lingering or investigating too much. What happens in athletics gives us much rich material upon which to reflect. Athletes who wish to achieve world class performance must somehow increase the intensity and the quality of their practice. Only through short intensive interval training sessions where they push their physical and mental endurance beyond their normal levels, will they succeed in accomplishing otherwise unachievable levels of performance. Do not be offended by the comparison between Kriya and sports. Kriya is not a sport but in the beginning stages of Kriya, while applying its different psycho-physical techniques, it has many points in common with the essence of athletics. Both shun the employment of brutal force, both require goals and the diligent channeling of one's strength toward achieving them. Both require self analysis: to analyze and evaluate one's performance and to learn from the experience, and both require a coach. I understand, naturally, that this process is an authentic challenge and beginning it is an act of courage, a mature act of trust in Kriya and in oneself, a decision that should only be inspired by one's intuition. I take all the care to explain that it is important to be aware of our unconscious resistance to undergo change, and to understand the causes of the alternating moods that appear when a Kriya technique is practiced intensely. The Kriya techniques arouse specific effects (especially perceived in the day following the practice) in many ways: moods, fancies, memories and suddenly-arising desires. All of this is beneficial. To vividly live long forgotten parts of our life through our stimulated memory is a cleansing process. This process has within itself an equilibrating mechanism which will prevent one from being overwhelmed by sudden storms of grey moods. Accept however to have humors full of ups and downs. You have to be intelligent, familiar with the basic laws of human psyche. You have to be acquainted with the principle of unconscious resistance to change: they should understand the deep reasons of the alternating moods that appear when we practice intensely the Kriya techniques. The experiences of inner awakening bring buried psychological problems to the surface. This is a cleansing effect and does not damage you. However, one should sense if it is necessary to stop the practice for a few weeks or whether a technique should be done less intensely. After a beneficial pause of a couple of 172
weeks, the "warrior" returns to the battlefield ready to bring their work to fruition.
I. Incremental Routine of Navi Kriya Here are the very words I use to introduce it: "On Saturdays, or on any free day, put aside the usual routine and, after a short practice of Talabya Kriya, Maha Mudra and Kriya Pranayama, practice Navi Kriya with double the repetitions, that is 8 sets. Complete your routine with mental Pranayama as usual. On Sunday, take a break from all Kriya practices and instead do a tranquil Japa, and weather permitting, go for a long walk to calm the deep regions of your psyche. For the next few days, resume the original standard routine. On the following Saturday, do three times the normal number of Navi Kriya: 12 sets. Of course, this is always to be done within the framework of Talabya, Maha Mudra ... and finish with something like mental Pranayama. On Sunday rest with Japa and go for a walk... After one week, or two if you wish, practice 16 sets of Navi Kriya.... and so on .... 20, 24...up to 80 sets, which is twenty times the original recommended number. The increase of this delicate Kriya technique should be gradual. If you try to outsmart the process and perform too many repetitions all at once, nothing will come of it because the inner channels close up. Our inner obstacles cannot be removed in one day, not only because our constitution is not strong enough but also because our inner force for dissolving them is initially weak and must be enhanced week after week. Furthermore, this process should be incorporated within a regular active life. It is up to you to make your practice days as pleasant as possible; it is advisable to break these long sessions into two or three parts -- to be completed before going to bed. You can conclude each part by lying on your back ( Savasana: the corpse pose) on a mat for a couple of minutes. You can complete part of your practice early in the morning, carefully respecting every detail – and do the remaining prearranged number of repetitions in the afternoon. After a light meal and a little nap, it is fine to go out, find a pleasant place to sit, and then reserve some time to contemplate nature. Then you can become absorbed in your practice perfectly at ease. Everything will proceed harmoniously and the effect increases as daylight approaches twilight. When you practice in your room, arrange to have a tranquil walk in the evening, when the benediction of blissful silence comes."
I explain to the student that it is possible to choose any variation of Navi Kriya: the best is Variation 2 explained in chapter 7 (Variation 2. Navi Kriya – Four Directions). It rivets the attention in a way the basic form cannot . Its smooth shifting of energy along the circumference of the head has an unparalleled effect. As for this variation, since one set consists of 36 descents of energy, preceded and followed by chanting Om in the Chakras , the process begins with 36 x 2 descents. The next steps are: 36 x 3, 36 x 4,....36 x 19, 36 x 20. It has been experimentally proved that there is no need to go beyond 36 x 20 repetitions. During long sessions, after the first half hour, the head movements are hardly noticeable. In other words, the forward, backward, and sideways movement of 173
the chin which is initially around five centimeters is reduced to three millimeters! What is the reason why this variation is preferable? After many repetitions of this variation of Navi Kriya , a very interesting phenomenon can be observed: at a certain moment, the exhalation seems to become internal. At the very moment the order to exhale has been imparted by the mind, it feels as if the lungs can not move. Some instants later comes the awareness of something subtle descending into the body, accompanied by a very pleasurable exhalation. The exhalation is a mental act, like an internal all-pervading pressure which brings about a peculiar feeling of well-being, harmony, and freedom. One has the impression one could remain there forever. The breath is still coming out of the nose, yet while practicing one would swear it wasn't. This may be considered the first timid apparition of the Pranayama with the internal breath . Main remarks about this Incremental Routine. A good effect of this practice is to discover a striking increase in mental clarity probably due to the strong action on the third Chakra which governs the thinking process. A more calibrated, precise and clearer logical process will rise from a more efficient synergy between thoughts and emotions. Intuition will flow freely and face the moments of life for which important decisions are expected to be made. Accept also that traits of hardness might appear in your temperament. Some kriyabans find themselves uttering statements they feel are sincere but others find offensive and cutting. Sustained by a luminous internal intuition, you might hurt friends through your words and only hours later, being alone and detached, notice how the same words resound in your mind in their cruelty. With great embarrassment, it is possible you realize that those remarks were totally inappropriate. Let us try to understand why this problem appears frequently. Let us therefore see what is the meaning of the knot of the navel. It is explained that the cutting of the umbilical cord at birth splits a unique reality into two parts: the spiritual, which manifests as joy and calmness, establishes itself in the higher Chakras and in the head; the material side in the lower Chakras. That rupture between matter and spirit inside each human is the permanent source of excruciating conflicts in the lives of many spiritual searchers. Through this incremental routine and through conscious effort of harmonizing in our daily life the two dimensions of Spirit and matter, the healing of this rupture takes place. Although the healing is harmonious, the visible manifestations can be interpreted negatively by others, often due to a kriyaban 's newly acquired confidence and convictions that seems stubbornness or dogmatism. The personality of a kriyaban is destined to be ideally collected around a central point and all inner conflicts healed. The effects are perceived inwardly and observed clearly in one's practical life. One feels an inward order settling; each action seem as if it were surrounded by a halo of calmness and heading right for the goal. It reminds me of Ahab in "Moby Dick" by Herman Melville: "Swerve me? ye cannot swerve me, … The path to my fixed purpose is laid with iron rails, whereon my 174
soul is grooved to run. … Naught's an obstacle, naught's an angle to the iron way!" II. Incremental Routine of Kriya Pranayama After some months (when Navi Kriya is completed or, at least, half completed), I invite the student to begin a similar process with Kriya Pranayama . 36 x 2, 36 x 3,….36 x 20 Kriya Pranayamas is a very good plan; 24 x 2, 24 x 3,…..24 x 24 is lighter but also good. It is clear that you practice in sequence the three phases of Kriya Pranayama abiding by what it was said in the chapters 6 and 7. In other words phase 1 is never eliminated and after phase 2 you move on to phase 3 only after having practiced at least 48 breaths. When the practice is broken in two or three parts -- for example between morning and afternoon -- when you start again you respect the same principle to start from phase 1 etc. Let us add that when more than a 100 breaths are practiced, it is wise to make use of the 12 letter Mantra , which does not mean to apply all the subtle details of Omkar Pranayama but simply to use the beauty of the Mantra to overcome that normal boredom that would come by using only the Om Mantra. Let us clarify that during each stage of the process it is important to keep a slender thread of breath up to the completion of the prescribed number. In other words, the process should never become purely mental.
Main remark about this Incremental Routine. To many kriyabans this routine becomes an extraordinary journey in their own memory. It happens, indeed, that by focusing our attention on the Chakras, we obtain a particular effect: the inner screen of our awareness begins to display a lot of images. This is a physiological fact and we have all the reasons to suspect that those who affirm they are exempt from such phenomenon, it is because they do not have enough lucidity to notice it. The Chakras are like jewel boxes containing the memory of one's whole life: they give rise to the full splendor of lost reminiscences. The essence of past events (the beauty contained in them and never fully appreciated) is lived again in the quiet pleasure of contemplation while our heart is, sometimes, pervaded by a restrained cry. It is a revelation: the light of the Spirit seems to twinkle in what seemed trite moments of our life.
III. Incremental Routine of Thokar The third invaluable Incremental Routine is based on the basic form of Thokar . We have already said that a kriyaban is instructed to gradually increase its repetitions. This should be planned with great care: starting from 12, a kriyaban adds six repetitions per week. Let us clarify what it means adding six repetitions per week. After the first week with 12 repetitions every day, let us consider 18 repetitions: if there are no problems at all, this amount of 18 repetitions can be practiced each day or every other day of the second week. It is not necessary to practice every day; rather it is wise to work three days a week on the average. The reason is that when you reach a consistent number of repetitions (more that 60) the effects are very strong. The third week you can practice 24 repetitions on
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alternate days and so on... The fixed maximum of repetitions is 200. (During the two previous Incremental Routines you let a minimum of six days pass by between two intensive practices.) As for the advanced form of Thokar (the one with a lot of rotations of the head) an incremental routine is not one thing that can be "recommended". Those who have achieved the breathless state and are able to hold effortless the breath during this practice, do not need anymore numbers and won't follow any indication. Who succeeds in such form of Thokar doesn't have the patience to gradually increase the number of the rotations. A strength, an internal abduction drives him in uncontrollable way. Main remarks about this Incremental Routine. During this process, important experiences happen. An endless Beauty, creating a before previously unknown devotion, intensifies around the fourth Chakra , as if a mighty hand were squeezing the chest region. One feels like being immobilized by an immense strength. It is because of the intensity of this experience, which seems sometimes difficult to endure, that the effect of Thokar has been described as "intoxicating". You feel you belong for Eternity to that heavenly dimension. The dazzling point that you perceive in the center of your heart and that turns out to be the star inside the third eye gives a kriyaban a deeper experience. There comes the feeling of being divided into a thousand parts - each one of them on the verge of exploding from bliss. Inspired by this new condition, comparing it with that of the mystics, one realizes how difficult it is to live, carrying out daily and worldly duties, without being paralyzed by such a bliss! It is difficult to conceive how those devotees who never had a taste of such bliss are able to find the strength to continue practicing Kriya for years. You can only thank those uncertain illusions about Kriya, those improbable promises that books and gurus make to those interested in Yoga and meditation to attract them to the Kriya path, which keep one tied to this practice until the real experience happens. It is only now, having in one's heart the reverberation of such a state, that one learns to meditate without mental pollution, and without imaginings.
IV. A Delicious Break: 20736 Omkar Pranayama In certain moments of life it is fine to take the pleasurable commitment of completing 20736 Omkar Pranayama breaths -- either 144 each day for 144 days or 72 each day for 288 days. This is not an Incremental Routine proper, but very similar in its intents -- it works like a spiritual bulldozer giving you the ineffable experience of the Omkar Reality ! Don't practice only pure Omkar Pranayama . Use your commonsense and let the process itself guide you. Begin each session with Maha Mudra and then begin breathing like in Kriya Pranayama but using the Mantra Om Na Mo.... Enter, as soon as possible, the sweet dimension of the second phase of Kriya
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Pranayama. Then remain all the time halfway between Kriya Pranayama (second and third phase) and Omkar Pranayama . Furthermore at a certain moment with your Omkar Pranayama you approach more and more the dimension of mental Pranayama. Unlike the incremental routine of Kriya Pranayama, don't be preoccupied of losing the thread of the breath: get all the time you need to pause in any Chakra to enjoy some particular Omkar experience, whenever it manifests. It may be internal sound, light, whatever... The immersion in the Omkar Reality plays an important role: life and spiritual experience become one. The deepest layers of your psyche will be harmoniously affected. This practice creates a burning aspiration which digs a stream of genuine devotion. You shall merge in something so intensely beautiful. Amid the ruins of many illusions, this procedure, in the simplicity of its essence, will open the doors of the spiritual realization.
Global Results Achieved through the Completion of the Incremental Routines These three incremental routines put together are such that by the end of the process, one has the feeling that entire eons have passed but that one has achieved something concrete and permanent. After this once-in-a-lifetime experience, a persons seems "older", in wisdom and temperament, of many lustrum.
a. The Achievement of Emotional Maturity These routines teach a kriyaban how to keep emotions at bay -- I mean superficial emotions, in a way that only deep sentiments guide their decisions. I have tried to retrace this theme in some oriental books but I have found so much rhetoric, so many words without a practical meaning. They distinguish between positive (affection, happiness, contentment...) and negative (envy, aggressiveness, illusion ...) emotions. But at the end of boring discussions you have not grasped the essential fact: untamed emotions can create a disaster in your life. This fact is serious, tremendously important. In my opinion, kriyabans who do not face at least once in their life the incremental routines are always on the verge of losing everything they have realized. We all know that f rantic and hysterical emotions often rise unexpectedly from one's inner self, to disappear after a while. They actually express a reality devoid of authentic profundity but their propulsive action inevitably results in hurried acts accompanied by a sort of cerebral fever, nourished by a narrow, visceral pleasure. When passion inflames one's whole being, it is not possible to be guided by common sense; the consequence is that our deeper and most earnest choices sometimes withdraw to an irrevocable halt. Just like, during the summer, hail stones are molded, condensed and enlarged in the air before falling down to the earth causing disasters, fatal 177
decisions take shape in advance in one's imagination. During daily, frequent daydreams, the perspective of renouncing the fight throws a false light upon our immediate future, so that what in the past would appear as an act of cowardice, now seems to glitter at the horizon of our life, like a dull, flat, somber sky that suddenly lights up, serene, in luminous azure blue. When we listen to such alluring emotions, we pave the way for our doom. Superficial emotions are not tamed by self-analysis. Our way of reacting to emotions is the seal protecting "our right to pain and suffering" (the sentence in quotation marks is an expression of The Mother.) These mechanisms may become our crucifixion, our covenant with unhappiness. We can stupidly shed away our life, profession, family and friends. The effect of yielding to emotions does not differ from that of an asteroid falling through the atmosphere on its way to fire and destruction. "Emotional maturity" is a healthy relationship with reality, the quintessence of what we visualize when we use the term "mental health". Further, you don't imagine how remaining faithful to the Kriya path is a delicate operation that can suddenly go bad! We are governed by emotions and instinct that include our religious conditioning, our weak points, our fears, our doubts, and our pessimism. Most important is the ability to keep doubts at bay, to remain calm, to always go our way even when our closest friends are trying to convince us to follow theirs.
b. The Ability of Standing on one's own Feet Another effect, only second in importance, is to gradually help an unsure and full of doubts kriyaban to become a self teacher, able to be acutely creative and ameliorate day by day the execution of the techniques, "reading" with objectivity the obtained results. Unfortunately most kriyabans begin their path as gullible persons, ready to be cheated. They harbor the illusion that Kriya be a series of secrets (of growing effectiveness as soon as they receive revelation of the Higher Kriyas) which function in an almost automatic way. They practice very little, while pretending to practice a lot -- satisfied that their Kriya be "the supreme among all the spiritual techniques, the airplane route to God realization". The incremental routines change one's life: they replace the infantilism of hanging on "authorized" teachers' every word with an objective estimate of the effects of each routine one has personally outlined. They give us the opportunity to detect mistakes in our understanding of a technique and to provide one or more corrective methods. While practicing, you will receive important clues, especially once you have experienced different stages of the process: certain details become wearisome; others, which you won't realize until much later, will disappear, and still other details that seemed meaningless will be amplified and greatly enhanced. In the days following the long sessions of practice, you will have a deeper understanding of the technique because you will perceive its essence intuitively. Other aspects will be revealed subsequently. Perhaps months 178
or years after this incremental routine, you will be able to draw interesting connections or deductions, and meaningfully alter your point of view. Let us avoid bowing to the authority of itinerant Gurus: life is too precious to entrust it to another. At the very beginning of our path, we are right to put a certain amount of trust in a school or in a teacher, but subsequently, we have to trust our own experiences and experiments. We neither have nor need any other tools to verify the value of a technique. When several Incremental Routines have been completed, one will have developed the quality of a selfteacher. A kriyaban will create a simple defensible vision of Kriya such that they do not feel the necessity of discussing their routine with other Kriya experts. Before closing, let me say that one definite result is that you will learn to meditate anywhere and not be disturbed by anything. While Kriya beginners are maniacal in preparing the proper meditation environment and become nervous and worried about the slightest thing, one who has completed a couple of Incremental Routines is able to meditate in unusual places and impossible situations – e.g. traveling by train or watching a play or an uninteresting movie. Strangely enough, such occasions may establish, by contrast, a particular state of awareness, radically eliminating the danger of falling asleep and yielding unhoped-for results.
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CHAPTER 11
A TURNING POINT: THE BREATHLESS STATE
The breathless state is a decisive result that marks a turn in one's life: it is a stupendous revelation, it is the true Initiation. I would want to console those people that feel they are orphans of a Guru, that discover they are proceeding along the spiritual path without a guide. I would like to tell them that in the breathless state they will find all the "blessings" they have not received before during a formal initiation. In my opinion, full mastery of the breathless state requires on the average two to three years of regular Kriya practice. When the time is ripe, this state appears during mental Pranayama naturally and spontaneously. After the practice of the Incremental Routines, after the transformation described in the previous chapter, the breathless state is possible. There are, as we are going to discuss, some procedures conceived for the express purpose of f ostering this state. The mindful and devoted commitment we are describing in this chapter will provide kriyabans with the fundamental spiritual experience which will mark the most beautiful and deeply satisfying period of their life. The greatest help -- I'm sure this is true, at least for the vast majority of people -is extending one's spiritual commitment to the whole day. You cannot live in a chaotic way and then sit to practice Kriya and then pretend that in an instant the mind becomes like a laser. There is one single action that heals and calms the mind: to repeat constantly a prayer, a Mantra . I mean that practice that in certain mystical traditions is called Continuous Prayer . Let us connected to the teaching, to the atmosphere of the book The Way of a Pilgrim and The Pilgrim Continues His Way (Anonymous) because it is of that teaching that I want to speak now. Some kriyabans think that their discipline has nothing to do with prayer -"... Kriya Yoga is the best form of Pranayama for the awakening of Kundalini , for changing the atomic constitution of the cells of the spinal cord… As for Japa, they claim: "Neither my Guru, nor Lahiri Mahasaya taught it. I don't need it." On the contrary, not only you need it, but it is essential. I think that Kriya Yoga is the perfection of the spiritual path, while Japa (Continuous Prayer ) is its foundation. I saw the eyes shining of joy and of boundless bliss of the few kriyabans who had a Japa-based approach. Keeping the mind always attuned to a state of calmness, which blooms by repeating our favorite Mantra , is the most effective action we can do to obtain undreamed of results during the practice of our Kriya routine. You will cross moments in which only Japa will remain, even when the vicissitudes of life attempt to destroy the very idea of the mystical dimension. It will remain when your Sadhana seems to break down in different clumsy attempts, each one frail and vulnerable.
How to Practice Japa If you want to test what I am here describing, choose a Mantra (prayer). You should not feel obliged to use Lahiri Mahasaya's favored Vasudeva Mantra ("Om 180
Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya"). You can choose one from your favorite set of prayers, one that has (by adding, if necessary, Om or Amen at the beginning or at the end) twelve syllables. Twelve is a perfect number because one can utilize it during Kriya, placing one syllable in each different Chakra . Beautiful twelve syllables Mantra can be taken out of Bhajans or poems. As an example, from the well-known Adi Shankara's chant we can relish the beautiful verse: Chi-da-nanda-ru-pah-shi-vo-ham-shi-vo-ham (That Form which is pure consciousness and bliss, I am that supreme Being, I am that supreme Being!) I hope you are not so naive to believe that a Mantra works only if it is received from your Guru. Certainly if you want to lighten your portfolio then race to a Teacher and buy your personal Mantra . I want to be clear: I don't contest that an experienced person that helps you to choose a Mantra and uses everything of his power of persuasion to convince to apply it continually. This persons does you the greatest of all the favors and is correct to compensate him, but that's all! Your Mantra it is you that have to choose it, because it should express exactly what you want to achieve. For example, the attitude of surrender is expressed by those Mantra beginning with Om Namo ... Other Mantras express the absolute non-dual realization. There are some who choose a really unfortunate Mantra by which they seem to punish themselves: their chosen formula is an affirmation of their limits, a sense of unworthiness or condemnation of their behavior. After a short time, their practice falls apart; sometimes they find themselves repeating it once or twice during the day, like a sigh of dejection. This has nothing to do with what we are describing here. Your chosen Mantra should have both a strong and a soft tone. It is important to relish it. "Strong tone" means that it is incompatible with an attitude of supplication and complaint. The selected prayer should imply the anticipation of a happiness which one is attracting through the very repetition of its syllables. 3 Personally I chose Ramdas' Mantra (8 syllables: Sri Ram Jay Ram Jay Jay Ram Om) during the day and Lahiri's (12 syllables: Om Na Mo Bha Ga Va Te Va Su De Va Ya ) during the Kriya practice. After choosing a Mantra on your own, use it a few weeks to find out whether your body accepts it or not. To experience this first hand is what counts. It sometimes happens that when reciting a Mantra , you begin with enthusiasm but then, after a few minutes, you find yourself reciting another. This and other signs mean you have not found the right Mantra and that your search must continue.
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Those who are familiar and have experience with Hatha Yoga and with the concept of Bija Mantra can forge wonderful Mantras . To a preexistent Mantra , after the initial Om, one can add some " Bija" (seed) Mantra : Aim, Dúm, Gam, Glamu, Glom, Haum, Hoom, Hreem, Hrom, Kleem, Kreem, Shreem, Streem, Vang, … These are sounds chosen for their power by ancient yogis . They were not given by any divinity, they were a human discovery. Literature or an expert can help one make a good choice. Unfortunately, literature excessively glorifies the virtue of traditional Mantra and experts tend to counsel everyone to practice their own beloved Mantra . 181
Resolve to daily complete aloud at least one Mala (a rosary of 108 beads) of this Mantra (prayer), and then let it resonate automatically in your mind. But when you chant it concentrate upon it with absolute fervor. Take this aloud practice back whenever possible. There is no doubt that this requires additional time. It is for this reason that one must be wise and choose the simplest life appropriate to one's temperament. For this reason I set as essential condition that life has not been very nice toward you. If life is too good with men they respond by filling their life with nonsenses. Otherwise they clean their life if unnecessary necessities and through Japa, although they through suffering unavoidable setbacks , they are always able to regain their composure and will be able to pass through life with a smile. You will learn how to make the sound of the Mantra (prayer) resound in our head and you will feel its vibration extending to all parts of our body. What is required is the resolute will to continue with this action so we can touch the dimension of Mental Silence . When this happens, you will be surrounded by a protective shell of tangible peace - this is not a visualization but a real experience. One of my friends who mastered this teaching, uttered one day a word: "EXHAUSTION". He practiced Kriya without getting any result. I talked to him about Japa but nothing changed. I had the impression that he took this activity as cerebral act. His thoughts were repeating it, its vibration was not connected in any way to his body. I observed him carefully while he was practicing: I was witness of a lifeless practice, a tired plea for God's mercy. It was not for nothing he had put aside his initial beautiful Indian Mantra and chosen an expression in his mother tongue - which was nothing else than a sigh of self-pity. There was nothing to be surprised at when, after some time, he entirely abandoned the practice. He did not realize he was about to become the greatest supporter of Japa. The turning point came when he took part in a group pilgrimage. Someone began to recite the so-called rosary (a set number of repetitions of the same prayer), to which all the pilgrims united. Even if tired and almost gasping for breath, he did not withdraw himself from this pious activity. While walking and praying softly, murmuring under his breath, he began to taste a state of unknown calmness. He looked with different eyes at the show of continuously changing landscape and had the impression of living in a paradisiac situation. He went on repeating the Prayer unremittingly for the entire path, completely forgetting he was tired and sleepy. When the group paused to rest, he had the grace to be left alone —undisturbed; he slipped into an introspective state and was pervaded by something vibrating in his own heart, which he definitely identified with the Spiritual Reality. The ecstatic state assumed the consistency of reality, became almost unbearable, overwhelming him. This experience taught him the correct way of practicing Japa. He said that the secret was not only to reach, but also to go beyond the state of "exhaustion." After some experiments he chose to repeat the Indian Mantra: Sri Ram Jay Ram Jay Jay Ram Om and, thanks to it, he reached the breathless state not only one time, but each time he practiced this Mantra during the day and Kriya Yoga in the evening.
The temptation to leave Japa aside is tremendous. If there happen problems of hardheartedness, give yourself some inspiring literature. Wonderful books are: In Quest of God by Swami Ramdas and the The Way of a Pilgrim . They are simple 182
books, easily found, which explain with amazing simplicity everything essential about Japa. Surely there are also web sites who can inspire you. They inspire you to practice beyond the point of exhaustion. One needs to be confronted with biographies of saints, and to feel the the goal as the nearest of the near, more appealing than anything else, and one must be aflame for it. The Sufi literature, where a celebration of God and nature shines with a strength and amplitude beyond comparison, gives an idea of that state. I died as a mineral and became a plant; I died as plant and rose to animal; I died as animal and I was Man. Why should I fear? When was I less by dying? Yet once more I shall die as Man, to soar with angels blest; but even from angelhood I must pass on: all except God doth perish. When I have sacrificed my angelsoul, I shall become what no mind e'er conceived. (Rumi,Translated by A.J. Arberry)]
The Mantra creates a total order in your life but you must also make every effort to think clearly and logically when necessary, otherwise you won't remain in the vibration of mental silence. A kriyaban should be able to give one hundred percent effort and this cannot happen when there are inner conflicts which constantly threaten the unity of the personality. The heart should be turned in one direction only. For this purpose, time, intelligence, and constant self-observation are required. Live Japa as if it were the only tool capable of knocking down the wall that life has placed before you. You might feel like one is in a difficult process of recovery; sometimes the noise coming from the external world will reach your ears as amplified, while the widened sensitivity will give you the impression of having become more fragile, vulnerable and defenseless. But when you touch with your hand how hard, terrible, and cruel life is, when existence seems to offer nothing that is worth seeking, you should bring ahead an internal alchemy and transform your sorrow in a form of internal dignity. The Japa should become a genuine expression of your burning desire of extracting "something more" from the common way of living. Some outward changes will begin to happen. Japa is apparently deprived of action; however it is from it that an action is born which changes your destiny. Aurobindo wrote: "The mind does not act; it simply releases an irresistible action from its recess".
Remarks upon the Kriya routine Well, let us take for granted that you have practiced all day long (aloud and mentally -- NOT only mentally!) Japa in such a resolute way that the body becomes a unique solid vibration. After practicing Maha Mudra and having found a comfortable position, you discovers that the same Mantra utilized during the day is going on by itself in your consciousness. You sits with your back upright, ready to touch the fullness and the peace of silence. The eyes are closed, 183
implying an intention of detaching from the world. The mood is deeply serene. Body and mind reach easily a clear perception of pranic immobility. At that moment, there is the discovery that the Kriya routine develops in a simple and natural way, like continuing the act of prayer experienced during the day. The idea of taking a long breath and chanting the Mantra during the inhalation and repeating it (or completing it) during exhalation will come naturally! With extreme calmness, you bring back the attention to only one action: merging the inner chanting of the Mantra with a slow, even-paced breath. You can tell that this is not Kriya. Yes it is Kriya, it is akin to our well known Omkar Pranayama and can be brought ahead for 24-36 breaths. Prolong the beauty of this activity over a long period of time, if this comes spontaneous. A particular state happens in which you are on the verge of slipping into a state of sleep, but the practice of Mantra will help you to settle in the intermediate area between the perceptions of the external reality and the allure of enjoying some fantasy. At a certain point you will discover that you are not breathing. From that moment onwards repeat your complete Mantra in each Chakra and enjoy the breathless state. This is your routine, you don't need any other practice! Sometimes it is necessary adding at least 12-24 Thokar. We know that Lahiri said: "In First Kriya you can find everything" but you should not be stubborn. Thokar helps to calm, appease the heart ganglion which regulate the heart pulse. It was conceived to establish a particular calmness (tranquility) in the heart region. Lahiri Mahasaya explained that when the cardiac plexus is struck by the strong action of Thokar , the Prana that is linked to the breath is directed inward and this results in a spontaneous state of profound and prolonged absorption. He said also that: " Thokar opens the doors of the inner temple". 4 We have already explained how to conceive a routine containing the practice of Thokar without creating discomfort.
A good solution is: Maha Mudra • Navi Kriya • Talabya Kriya • Om Japa • Kriya Pranayama (either part 1 and part 2 or all the 3 parts) • Thokar (12-24 repetitions of its basic form) • Omkar Pranayama (6 breaths only) • Kriya Pranayama (6-12 breaths of part 2) • Mental Pranayama where you will try to achieve the breathless state. 4
I hope that recalling a theory which is often quoted in the Kriya literature is not disturbing; I am not sure it comes from Lahiri Mahasaya himself, however it is worthwhile at least quoting it. Well, according to a tradition, the repetition of 12 Kriya Pranayamas is sufficient to get to the state of Pratyahara; the repetition of 144 Kriya Pranayamas is sufficient to get to the state of Dharana; the repetition of 1728 Kriya Pranayamas (in one session!) is sufficient to get to the state of Dhyana; the repetition of 20736 Pranayamas (in one session!) is sufficient to get to the state of Samadhi. It is explained (an attractive theory indeed; it comes to mind an Italian saying: "Se non é vero, é molto ben trovato", If is not true, it is a happy invention!) that the Higher Kriyas like Thokar are taught to avoid sitting for such a long time and reach anyway the states of Dhyana (and, consequently, the breathless state) and Samadhi. 184
Other Valuable Technical Details My conviction is that this is enough. But it is correct to consider also other people's experiences. To some kriyabans , practicing Kriya Pranayama with Aswini Mudra is the valuable detail that breaks a stalemate. The last part of chapter 7, giving further details to deepen each one of the four phases of Kriya Yoga, can provide good cues to increase the intensity of one's Kriya routine. Certain technical details can be the decisive turning point to those kriyabans whom the previous instructions seem not to work -- their breath subsides markedly but the real breathless state always eludes them. Facing any possible resistance, add during each Kriya Pranayama, a continuous, strong Aswini Mudra -- while intensifying the concentration on the point between the eyebrows. After Thokar, intensify the presence of energy in the heart Chakra by practicing Bhastrika Pranayama. Deepen mental Pranayama in the following way:
1. Engraving in each Chakra the Devoted Practice of Prayer. Some deep breaths (3 or 6) are sufficient to regain a good starting calmness. Repeat the whole Mantra in each Chakra, while going up and down the spine. Letting your breath subside completely. Focus on one Chakra at a time. The order is always: Chakra 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and occipital region; medulla , Chakra 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. You can remain in each Chakra long enough to mentally repeat the prayer once slowly (it is possible to repeat it two, three times). It is like sowing with utmost care each of its letters in the sod of each Chakra . We continue it more and more subtly, while our consciousness settles in a vast space extending behind and over the Bindu . Our intention is not to stimulate the Chakras but to surrender to the overpowering process of interiorization. Remember that you should be completely isolated so you cannot be disturbed. Regrettably, if this happens, you will need not minutes but perhaps hours to restore the peaceful and relaxed mood that was lost. 2. Perfect Immobility of Body and Mind . You have the perception of having calmed down the inner movements of the body, even at a molecular level. After the first round, you feel intuitively the power to do without breath. You distinctly perceive a fresh energy sustaining your body from inside. Of course, this is only a sensation -- however when you have it, the breathless state is waiting for the appropriate moment to spill an unparalleled experience of divine bliss into your being. 3. Sweet Absorption. A feeling of comfort and being enveloped in sweet absorption is the first experience. Your eyes, if open or half shut, will close by themselves. If they were kept open - for instance to avoid drowsiness - you wouldn't see anything. Life is momentarily extraneous. This is the signal that the heart ganglia which regulate the pulse and the breathing rhythm are appeased.
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4. Breathlessness . You can be "lost" in a Chakra for some seconds but you must move up and down the spine, shifting your awareness from one Chakra to another. The more you are aware of our body in its entirety, the more your breath comes to immobility, like a pendulum gently reaching the equilibrium point. You experience that the "wind" of your breath has subsided completely; your mind manifests a perfect silence and is enraptured by the thrill of an unequaled freedom. You peacefully realize that you don't need breathing at all. The cells of your body are internally recharged by a mysterious source that you perceive as cold liquid light. You are projected out of time, you are above life. There is no need to breathe! Enjoy the fresh energy that is sustaining the body from the inside: your lungs do not move. This condition lasts some minutes, without the least quiver of surprise -- you have the power to "see and touch" each thought and therefore to "halt" it. 5. Prayer of the Heart . For many weeks (perhaps months) you are so thrilled that you are not able to overstep this lofty stage. One day you will discover that the prayer has entered your heart. The prayer has become the Reality pulsing inside the heart Chakra . The radiance brought about by prayer becomes the gold of your first experience of the Divine. Mystics describe its effect as a paradoxical mild pain perfectly melded with a sweet goodness, which cannot be compared with any earthly pleasure. The spiritual journey is nearing its end. Inner light may appear in the spot between the eyebrows and in the upper part of the brain. It varies from a diffused intensity to the brilliant light of the so-called spiritual eye. Your body is constituted by an intensity of gilded light. Most probably, the sound of a far-off bell or of rushing waters will be heard. 6. Being Lost in the Meditative State . The experience of being in contact with an Endless Goodness (I know of no better way to describe it so I have borrowed the expression from S. Teresa of Avila) arises: we are permeated by a taste of Eternity. Consciousness is transported a far greater distance than any known territory. This is a state that renders indifference to death and from which an incommensurable Good is born. The experience is the quintessence of love, solace, and accomplishment. The heart thrills in welcoming that state; we sip the celestial honey of a radiation of sweetness which annihilates every desire and fills the soul with ineffable Beauty. This event is enjoyable beyond words: it contains much more than what one could imagine. It is an unbelievable state - compared to it, our common way of living is suffocation. Surely the reaction is: "I won't lose it, under any circumstances!". After this meditation, every object will appear transfigured, physical reality will reveal the indwelling presence of Spirit. Now the Fourth Kriya technique can be fruitfully practiced and Samadhi attained. When you lie on your back after your Kriya routine, Samadhi is within your reach. Your routine should be intense and, as it is envisaged in Fourth Kriya, it should include an intense concentration on the point between the 186
eyebrows -- better if followed by that on Sahasrara . When you lay supine, tense and relax the body different times. Then practice mental Pranayama until you fall asleep. All of a sudden will feel a surging wave of fresh energy and be projected into the ecstatic state. It is difficult to obtain the same experience in the standing position. It is almost impossible to cross the state of sleep -- very deep sleep -- and at the same time maintain a perfect position. When the Samadhi experience happens, you will discover that the meditation position is far from being correct. This will happen by coupling the daily practice of 12 Fourth Kriya repetitions with a constant effort to keep spiritual aspiration alive and burning. Now, what about the famous affirmation (paralyzing for some kriyabans , stimulating for others) according to which the great Sri Yukteswar would have granted the initiation to this technique to very few disciples, so many to be counted on the fingers of one hand? Lahiri Mahasaya's instructions require the state of breathlessness and this, as everyone can infer, explains everything.
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CHAPTER 12 K RIYA OF DESCENT
At anytime during the learning process of Kriya Yoga, when I assume a person will appreciate a new perspective of considering the basic technique of Kriya Pranayama, I discuss what could be considered an interesting way of making the spiritual path complete. This process that I define the " Kriya of the cells " , needs great intuition and sensitivity to be developed. 5 According to the person I have before, I introduce this practice starting from: a. A particular affirmation of Lahiri Mahasaya. b. A "downward" contraposition to what we have seen till now: the majestic "upward" direction of the traditional mystical path. c. The concept of Macro Cosmic Orbit drawn from Taoist Internal Alchemy. d. The meaning of unfastening the last knot of Muladhara . Obviously these four points of view are undoubtedly an approximation of this "frontier" issue, which although having been broadly explored since time immemorial, has not been thoroughly described in mystical literature. a. A couple of years after his initiation in the Himalayas, Lahiri Mahasaya wrote: "Following an excellent Pranayama , the breath is wholly internally oriented. After a long period, today (the purpose of ) my descent (on earth) has been fulfilled! " What is a "wholly internally oriented" breath? It is surely not what happens to a Kriya novice. b. Many experiences that Mirra Alfassa (The Mother) disciple and spiritual successor of Sri Aurobindo recounted to Satprem bring us back to the themes treated here. Her Agenda is a must read: an amazing "log" of her attempt to descend into her body to contact the "Consciousness of the Cells", crossing various layers of consciousness: thoughts, emotions, and sensations. In her attempt she found an invaluable help in the practice of the Mantra . She liked the Mantra: "Om Namo Bhagavateh" which she repeated while walking back and forth in her room, unremittingly concentrated on her body. She recharged each syllable of it with her laser-like will and aspiration. The luminous vibration easily made its way through her body until she lighted up a negative layer which, according to her explanation, is the base of any disease and apparently any casual incident, the origin of every feeling of desperation, deposited therein over thousands of years. Through her indomitable will, she was able to cross it and reach an unexplored territory: "... perfect, eternal, outside time, outside space, outside movement ... beyond everything, in ... I don't know, 5
Since these ideas are not shared by most Kriya authors and since in chapter 7 I did not want to make my reflections too elaborate while I was just giving a brief outline of the four Kriya stages theory, I decided not to discuss the m there.
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in an ecstasy, a beatitude, something ineffable." That sublime state was the very "consciousness of the body," implying that the cells had their own consciousness. The cells, according to her , act as doors: opening on a totally new dimension of the consciousness – the only one free from the labyrinths of the mind. The experience she describes is like a breathing of the whole body that bypasses the lungs. The main lesson we receive from Mère is that, according to a universal spiritual law, each spiritual researcher and, in particular, each yogi is called to cooperate with the collective evolution. All spiritual paths have an ascending and descending component. During the descending phase, the spiritual experience mixes with all the aspects of life. The idea of personal salvation, where all those around us remain exactly the same, is indefensible -- final emancipation also implies dispersing the mental and physic agonies of others. We should always be open to let the Divine Force descending into our body. This surrender is the best thing we can do. If in our predilection (or Karma) it is written that we practice Kriya Pranayama , this should be the means we utilize to fill our body with awareness and touch thus the Collective Unconscious. c. As for Taoist Internal Alchemy we have observed that the M icro Cosmic Orbit technique resembles the basic form of Kriya Pranayama. Well, the Kriya Pranayama with internal breath that we are going to introduce, is akin to the experience of the Macro Cosmic Orbit. Our " Kriya of the cells" is in fact a peculiar phenomenon of circulation of energy in the body. It embodies the fourth stage of Taoist internal alchemy. d. We know that unfastening the last knot, Muladhara , constitutes the last phase of the spiritual path. There is no doubt about the freeing power of the Fourth Kriya technique which develops the inner vision of the Tattwas overcoming thus the illusion of Maya. Now, a very attractive theory explains that the Muladhara knot exists not only in the coccyx region but in each cell of our body as well. The cells have, or are connected with, a particular mind -- a universal mind. If you seek a complete contact with Muladhara , you have no other choice than guiding energy and awareness into your body. This experience succeeds in breaking the barrier of the mind and touches the psychological dimension which ties all human beings together: the vast ocean of the Collective Unconscious . This is not a poetic concept but a real widening of the sphere of our awareness. The contents of the Collective Unconscious have never been in our consciousness, and when an infinitesimal part of them bursts forth in our psyche, we are momentarily dismayed. This explains the "borderline" trait and the substantial difficulty in describing any phenomenon emerging from it. Aware or unaware of what is happening, completing the work on Muladhara means directly touching this vast expanse. In this vaster aspect the Muladhara knot embodies not only the illusion that blocks our own vision of Reality but the ignorance in all human minds as well. When you have crossed the thick wall of the collective opacity, you can 189
tune in to the divine intelligence enclosed in matter and touch the truer dimension of existence.
TECHNIQUE OF THE KRIYA OF THE CELLS
Since the exercise is comparatively difficult, the question is whether we can conceive a useful preparation. The first practice to be taken into consideration is Japa in the body. A suitable Mantra, repeated aloud and then mentally, with full concentration on our body (either by concentrating on it as a whole or following an orderly scheme of "conquering" each part of it) is the best tool to approach the experience of the Kriya of the cells and to prevent it from losing its fascination and degenerating into mental speculations. A not widely known fact is that there are mystics who are able to "think" their prayers in their body. These prayers are very short, reduced sometimes to a single vowel or syllable. A small collection of written material about this practice has been published almost exclusively by specialized publishers in the esoteric field. These books can be found by rummaging among occult and magic texts. Kerning, Kolb, Lasario, Weinfurter, Peryt Shou, Spiesberger… are just a few of the authors. Even though these mystics were born within Christianity and felt on the average in sync with its doctrines, they have been confined to a corner as if they were exponents of esoteric thought, or magicians whose aspirations were to develop secret powers. Any reader who has the patience to research this material and skim through pages and pages of trivial theories and practices whose only goal is to confuse and mislead, will find paragraphs of inimitable charm. The essence of these teachings is that any sound vibration, if repeated with an unfaltering concentration in the body, can reach its cells -- "the whole body will be re-activated with new life and be reborn". The main technique is to choose a vowel and begin repeating and vibrating it in one's feet and gradually bringing it up to different parts of the body. Then the same process is repeated with another vowel and so on. We can use our chosen Mantra in a similar way, beginning with a precise mental effort and going toward effortlessness. In my opinion, meditating outdoors with the eyes open and with the adamant, steadfast will of becoming one with a mountain, a lake, or a tree in front of us, and touching its beauty, is far more effective than any preparation. It is essential that our sensibility be in tune with all that is around. Regarding the right attitude, we must listen to our subconscious and to the voice of our meditation-born intuition. The strangest thing is that, sometimes, the best experiences happen under conditions unfavorable to one's concentration, for example: practicing in a waiting room while pretending to read a magazine; or sitting erect in a train and giving the impression of being absorbed in one's thoughts... On such occasions, the joy becomes so great that it's difficult to hold back tears. It is better to avoid any form of Kechari Mudra: sometimes it even seems to hinder our efforts – but after mastering the procedure, one can make experiments with or without Kechari. Maha Mudra, as always, remains unquestionably precious. 190
Practical Instructions in Four Steps I. Exhaling Shee sound guides energy into the body. During inhalation, make a loud sound and visualize a powerful vibration departing from the sexual zone, absorbing the energy there and bringing it into the heart Chakra , and then into the head where it blends with a luminous substance. Then, during exhalation retain full awareness of your body and perceive not just the downward flow of energy in the spine but its permeation into all parts of the body. Observe how it spreads out to the internal organs and to the skin. While maintaining a slow, deep rhythm of breathing, you begin to increase the intensity of the sound of the exhaling air in the throat. The Sheee sound of exhalation helps to inject energy into the cells of your body as if it were a micro hypodermic needle. It will transform your breath into a pure flow of energy. After each inhalation, during the instants you don't breathe, strengthen the intention of finding (or opening) an internal way to reach the cells of your body. Not one iota of vitality in the air leaves your nose, all of the vitality remains in the body. The Shee sound should be like "the cry that breaks the hardest rock" -- thus Sri Aurobindo was referring to the power of Bija Mantra, the "sacred sound of the Rishi". By targeting your will to obtain an unlimited internal pressure of your awareness over the whole body, you will discover and release: the treasure of heaven hidden in the secret cavern like the young of a bird, within the infinite rock (Rig-Veda, I.130.3)
II. Concentration on the navel and lengthening the exhalation. At the beginning of inhalation, expand the abdomen by pushing out the navel which pushes down the diaphragm. During exhalation, the reverse takes place: concentrate intensely on the navel as it moves toward the spine. You have already learned doing this during basic Kriya Pranayama; focus your attention on the internal gathering of energy and on a peculiar ecstatic sensation that begins to spread into the abdominal and chest region. After about 24 breaths, it comes spontaneously making exhalation last a lot more than inhalation: the sound of the breath comes out more acute and it seems easier to guide the energy into the cells. The inhalation is limited to six seconds but the exhalation can be lengthened indefinitely. Through a short inhalation, Prana ascends from the navel and accumulates in the brain. Then again a very long exhalation increases the internal pressure all over the skin. The experience is similar to a Navi Kriya diffused throughout the body. Maybe that you will find yourself becoming crazy with joy -- sometimes with the chin slightly lowered, directed toward the navel as if it were a magnet and unaware of 191
no longer sitting upright. The pleasurable sensation becomes orgasmic and only a faint signal of the need of oxygen appeases its progressive growth. III. Fragmented exhalation. Now only a frail shell separates you from the coveted state where all effort ceases: it is possible to cross it by means of a subtly fragmented exhalation. It is in itself pleasurable, especially when each fragment tends to become microscopic. You can "cheat" a little – but only if necessary and provided it is done with a good measure of delicacy. "To cheat" means to interrupt the exhalation, when necessary, and inhale briefly and then take back the exhalation and the downward movement of the energy. To be able to do this without disturbing the delicacy of the phenomenon is an art. IV. Internal breathing. The process of Kriya Pranayama is leading us toward something stunningly new: a rotation of energy independent from the act of breathing. The exhalation seems to become endless and the fragments of breath seem to have practically dissolved! There is also a faint but clear component of rising energy in the spine. Your feel you could lengthen this process infinitely, without ever exhausting its marvel. You have crossed a barrier and reached a seemingly breathless state where there is no air coming out your nose -- even if this cannot be affirmed with scientific certainty. There is an inner source of fresh energy making you lighter and filling you with strength. The sensation is reminiscent of a brisk walk in the wind. This can not merely be called a joyous state: it is a feeling of infinite safety surrounded by a crystalline state of an immobile mind. Usually, this experience is enriched by hearing a loud and continuous Om. This comforting sound is the confirmation that you are heading in the right direction. An entire life is not enough to explore the wonders contained in this Kriya of the cells. This tranquil way of changing the way of breathing makes us feel the beauty of living in a surprisingly new way. It is as if we had vainly hoped for years on end that the Divine would be part of our daily life and suddenly we discover that the Divine has always been there. It's as if an impressionist painter had finally succeeded in actualizing their visionary conception conveying the idea that the painted inert substance of matter is composed of multicolored particles of light, like innumerable suns radiating in a brilliant transparency. Heaven's fire is lit in the breast of the earth and the undying suns here burn. (Sri Aurobindo, A God's labor .)
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Personal Remarks My first attempts at this " Kriya of descent " began began in a period during during which which I lived from the beauty oozing from Mother's Agenda. My experience was more or less the one afore described: it was like merging the totality of my being in the power of Kriya Kriya Pranayama. Trying to find a way to ameliorate that experience, I discovered the role of practicing in impossible places where the whole attention is naturally turned outside and one must work hard to bring it inside. The state of meditation after Kriya Kriya Pranayam Pranayama a was lengthened and lived as it were the search of a perfect Beauty Beauty unatt unattain ainabl ablee through through physic physical al human human means means and abilit abilities ies.. The naïve naïve conception of devotion as a hectic emotion arising either from devotional bhajan , from from certai certain n pictur pictures, es, from from the scent scent of certai certain n incens incenses. es... .. was left left behind behind foreve foreverr. No benefi benefitt was receiv received ed from from Kechari Mudra: I felt an inexplicable repulsion to using it. Nature was to me the source of inspiration from which I didn't want to abandon. Kechari Mudra detached my attention from the external world, and from the physical body, too heavily. heavily. The practice absorbed me in a blue-colored profundity where I felt the brightness of the skies of my infancy. All the problems connected with my emotions, as well as negative moods tied with intricate and thwarted plans for the future, seemed a nightmare which had dissolved forever, an illusion out of which I had emerged definitively. My life which, up until that point, had been full of asperities, asperities, seemed to stretch stretch out evenly evenly toward toward the future. The beauty beauty of living, like wine from a full cup, seemed to overflow from every atom and fill my heart; I rejoiced in feeling an unfathomable clarity of mind. Then in the following days I experienced something strange: I felt as "not having a skin anymore". I had the impression of having touched and disturbed the surrounding environment; I felt I could perceive - not only through my awareness but, in a strange way, also through my body - what was passing in another person's consciousness (not each thought of course, but just one's mood) and, strange to say, to mistake it for my own. Let me quote a recurrent example. 6 It happens that all of a sudden, a deep depression takes hold of my mood (I was never subject to depression), lasts several hours and then disappears; it is not a simple dissonance, a disharmony, but an agonizing pain in a moment in which there is no justification for it. Unfailingly I realize that a significant circumstance has happened: I have been introduced to a new acquaintance, we had shaken hands and talked with a sincere involvement. It is well known how good our mind is when it comes to clutching at straws; but when a similar episode is observed with due detachment and, as the days and the months go by, it repeats with mathematical precision, then the 6
Before writing this, I have hesitated a lot. The reader may be disappointed by it because it may evoke the New Age manias. It is only after listening to similar effects by other researchers and on account of my commitment to total sincerity, that I have made up my mind to write about it. 193
evidence of a phenomenon of tuning into another person's consciousness, cannot be denied. What one is and what others are, mixes. Kriya Pranayam Pranayama a leads us to perceive reality in a Now, to affirm that Kriya different way is obvious, but to assume that it makes things happen that would not otherwise happen (or that would have happened anyway, but in a different way) is quite another thing. This hypothesis has all the the appearance of a figment figment of our imagination. The principle of cause-effect implies implies that the the world ignores what happens inside your consciousness while you sit immobile in your secluded retreat. How is it possible to conceive that what happens within you can have an effect effect on the surrounding surrounding world? Even after months, months, you cannot cannot know whether this is simply an impression or real. The image of an anthill that's been disturbed comes to mind: scores of ants immediately appear to begin repairing it. Similarly your environment appears to you as more agitated, at times frenetically active and partly aggressive toward you. you. It is as if everyt everythin hing g (espec (especial ially ly in the field field of human relati relationsh onships ips)) is conspiring conspiring to reveal reveal "your sins." sins." Surprised, Surprised, you observe observe that many many long lost acquaintances appear and call on you with demanding challenges that require radical changes of attitude on your part. You feel the unavoidable duty of facing intricate, unsolved issues that in the past you smartly succeeded in avoiding. Being utterly sincere with yourself is unavoidable. How many times I wondered: how is it possible that, through guiding breath and awareness into the cells of our body, we obtain such an important result, which has so tangible effects on the material, emotive and psychological planes? I believe that Jung's discoveries are precious for the understanding of the mystic path - perhaps more than many other concepts formulated during the 20 th century. century. Jung discovered that human psyche is made up of layers or strata, part of Unconscious. Even though it shared by humani humanity ty and called called Collective Unconscious though his statements never lacked the necessary prudence, the scientific community never forg forgave ave him him for for deal dealin ing g with with matt matter erss that that were were not not cons consid ider ered ed a part part of Psyc Psychi hiat atry ry - such such as Alch Alchem emy y (dee (deeme med d an absur absurdi dity ty), ), the the real realm m of myth mythss (considered the result of a senseless imagination) and, more than any other thing, the great value he attributed to the religious dimension; which he considered something universal and fundamentally sane, instead of a pathology. Nowadays, the enthusiasm for his writings remains, especially among those who study topics of a spiritual and esoteric nature. Jung introduced a terminology which permits one to probe an aspect of the mystical path which would otherwise risk being totall totally y extran extraneou eous, s, not only to our capabilit capability y of expres expressio sion n but also to our comprehension. Since we have hinted at particular facts that in their manifestation seem to ignore the principle of cause-effect, it is important to remember that Jung put a rational basis for the study of this subject in his Synchronicity: Synchronicity: An Acausal Connecting Principle . The more we consider how intelligent, fascinating and stimulating his thought; the emptier the nonsense appear to us when they deal with the Siddhis in the many books on Yoga. In the esoteric literature there is the vast chapter of miracles and Siddhis 194
(powers), namely the subtle laws that work in the life of a mystic. Those who write books on Yoga are not able to resist the temptation of copying some lines from Patanjali's Yoga Sutras . It's typical to find the ridiculous warning of the danger coming from the abuse of the Siddhis . Quoting Patanjali (IV:1), they recount that Siddhis are the spiritual powers (psychic abilities) that may occur through rigorous austerities; they explain that they vary from relatively simple forms of clairvoyance, telepathy, telepathy, to being able to levitate, to be present at various places at once, to become as small as an atom, to materialize objects and more. They recommend to their readers not to ever indulge in these powers since "they are a great hindrance to spiritual progress". Indulge : what what a beauti beautiful ful word! If you did see someone practicing Pranayama and indulging in a little bilocation for fun, would you tell?! Perhaps they don't think enough about what they are writing because they let themselves be seduced by the dream of possessing those powers .... perhaps they already visualize all the fuss which will come out: interviews, taking part in talk shows etc.
The Final Phase of the Spiritual Path If we just try to forget the world in order to focus on our own conception conception of the Ultima Ultimate te Realit Reality y because because we want to live live peacef peacefull ully y attuned attuned to the higher higher Chakras and occult centers of our brain, something will force our attention toward the body. body. If we don't consider the commitment commitment of filling filling our body with awareness and energy as an integral part of the Kriya path, we are bound to receive various sharp tugs downward -- including mental and physical disorders. 7
Fortunately, the necessity of entering this downward phase, happens only after going a long way and when we have sincerely surrendered our ego to the spiritual dimension. Pure love for humanity is born. Joining your consciousness with someone else's means involving yourself with their problems. A lasting transformation in another's consciousness happens only when the opacity in them is purged bit by bit. This cannot be obtained by any other way other than sharing part of their suffering, a feat which implies a momentary loss of your spiritual reali realizat zation ion.. Magic Magic rituals rituals,, New Age Age remedi remedies, es, and esoter esoteric ic way-outs way-outs are poignantly vain. Like Like othe otherr myst mystic ics, s, Lahi Lahiri ri Maha Mahasa saya ya went went out out of the the shel shelll of his his individual consciousness and put his being into that of his disciples and also into that of many other people whom he never physically met. Lahiri Baba is a mirror for all kriyabans. We can send good g ood vibrations to the world if we want -- and surely this is a positive positive action action -- but the real work happens happens in our body. body. In order to cooperate with with the the coll collec ecti tive ve evol evolut utio ion n we must must desc descen end d in the the matt matter er,, usin using g Kriya bo dy,, in its cells. Pranayama to guide the energy down in the organs of the body 7
We have experienced many times in our life how a malady is a signal sent by the body to implore our attention and to oblige us to initiate the necessary treatments, to awake its self healing powers, which have always been there but needed the active share of our mindful awareness in order to work. 195
Our goal is not only to fly out of the body toward the rarefied dimensions of the Spirit, but to infuse the Divine into our body, and then if possible, into our surrounding environment. The Kriya of the cells with its sweet pressure on the bod body y, has has effe effect ctss that that we cann cannot ot even even imag imagin ine. e. Day Day afte afterr day day, with with an indomitable serenity, serenity, patches of darkness are dispelled and light emerges. It is true that we are going to contact somehow the quagmires of the Collective Unconscious and we cannot predict your endurance but the intrinsic balance of the Kriya path (its unique process of opening the knots from top to bottom) shall spare us from all dangers and psychological suffering. All the work we have previously done to open the knot of the heart has made us strong as steel. steel. This is how we can interpret interpret the meaning of the sentence attribute attributed d to the mythical Babaji (quoting Bhagavad Gita): "Even a little bit of the practice of this (inward) religion will save you from dire fears and colossal sufferings." We have heard about "burning another person's Karma in one's own body" many times, and we have understood that this is what saints do. Many times they face excruciating physical and psychological suffering. Perhaps they don't understand what is happening. St. John of the Cross maintains maintains that mystics almost invariably invariably confront a critical period which he calls the "dark night of the soul." They feel as though God has suddenly abandoned them and doubt the validity of their spiritual path. In a lengthy and profound absence of light and hope, even if they have the drive to go ahead with outward expressions of faith, they may doubt the existence of God. How is it possible? Unfortunately their beliefs might be an obstacle to true understanding. Often they are lead to consider every physical illness as the expiation of the remnant debt of their own past sins and the psychological agony of "night of the soul" as a hard test imposed by the will of God. Religious dogmas make it all the more difficult. Yet little reflection would be enough for understanding the recondite beauty of what is happening. In order to "love thy neig neighb hbor or as thys thysel elf" f",, myst mystic ic must must go out out of them themse selv lves es and and mix mix thei their r cons consci ciou ousn snes esss with with that that of othe otherr pers person ons. s. Doubt Doubtss that that appe appear ar in thei their r consciousness (caused by contamination with another person's state of mind) are not the emergence of their unworthiness. If they they don't don't unde unders rsta tand nd this this,, the the conse consequ quen ence ce is tota totall despe despera rati tion on,, irremediable feelings of impurity, impurity, and a complete failure for eternity. eternity. Although their consciousness should be filled with the joy of the Spirit, they persist in believing they are sinners and their psychological suffering increases. Had they brought awareness and divine light into their body, the process would develop more positively. positively. But few have learned the great secret of infusing infusing their body with awareness by literally thinking the prayer in their body. The nobility of this practice is not grasped even if they read about it somewhere. Had they understood and done this at the beginning of their path, how many things would have changed! In my opinion, bringing energy and awareness into our body decreases the time a karmic disease can affect affect our body. body. While physical suffering is made less 196
painful by contacting the "mind of the cells", psychological suffering is dismantled by a quiet internal dignity which refuses to yield to desperation. Useless to say that what we have just described cannot happen in seminars that attract hundreds of new disciples or when Kriya Acharyas automatically grant initiation to thousands of people. When Initiation is given to all who apply for it, almost no one gets the opportunity to talk and introduce themselves to the teacher. If the theory is true that a Guru assumes one quarter of a disciple's karma, those Acharyas would attract so much excess negative karma that they would experience tremendous suffering as a result. (The same theory implies that only one quarter of the remaining karma is burned by the disciple's own efforts because God supposedly burns the other half) True teachers never promote themselves; instead they hesitate a long time before accepting a new student. They are well aware of the responsibility and problems such relationships entail. Mystics are not demigods; they are fully human, with the same instincts and sensitivities as anyone else. Therefore, their first instinctive reaction will be to avoid suffering and all that detracts them from ecstatic absorption. A researcher is rarely accepted as a disciple unless there is an unavoidable strong and tranquil inner confirmation.
Conclusion Some students are lost in conjectures on improbable levels of Kriya beyond the Fourth. Some authors and Kriya schools claim that Babaji will introduce us to these levels in the astral worlds. That seems to me a parody of the esoteric and theosophic thought. In my judgment, reaching an excellent Kriya Pranayama, where "the breath is wholly internally oriented" is really the last step. Touching the "mind of the cells" is the ultimate achievement. We have neither the wisdom of Lahiri Mahasaya nor the inner "Sun" of "Mother" but we can at least patiently turn our heart toward this new dimension: the Divine immanent in matter and "the abysses of truth and the oceans of smiles that lie beyond the narrow peaks of truth" (Sri Aurobindo.) Perhaps we are not ready for it; sure, but if we exclude any difficult achievement from our dreams and goals, our spiritual venture risks falling apart, choked by an addiction to the basic well consolidated routine. The obsession of conceiving Kriya only as a means of obtaining the ecstatic trance, risks making your heart hard and resistant and freezing its natural aspiration. Then our Yoga could resemble a chronic state of drowsiness. Seeking heaven's rest or the spirit's worldless peace, Or in bodies motionless like statues, fixed In tranced cessations of their sleepless thought Sat sleeping souls, and this too was a dream. (Sri Aurobindo , Savitri; Book X - Canto IV)
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APPENDIX 1 R EMARKS UPON K RIYA AS TAUGHT BY THE ORGANIZATIONS
■ Kechari Mudra and Kriya Pranayama routine ■ Information about K3 and K4 ■ Information about K2 ■ A remark about the breathless state before discussing K2 ■ Some remarks on the preliminary techniques ■ Hong So ■ Om technique
This appendix is not a sort of "open letter" addressed to those who are part of one of those organizations that spread the teachings of PY -- I won't allow myself to do such a thing. The purpose of the following text is to bring to light something precise and useful to the students who, being faithful to the teachings of PY, are trying to find in this book a key to clarify their technical doubts, given that their organization has declined to clarify them. [I will use the symbols K1, K2, K3 and K4 to denote the Kriyas as they are described in the written teachings of PY. Thus, when you read "K4", remember that I am not talking about the technique of Fourth Kriya as it is described in this book (chapter 8). It is obvious that you can't find here a description of K1, K2, K3 and K4. The subject matter of this appendix is understandable only by those students who are conversant with those techniques. ]
For many of my kriyaban friends, and for me, the crisis with our organization began when we tackled the study of the Higher Kriyas. Our organization (other schools understood very soon that it didn't pay to behave in such a way) never gave a seminar on those techniques . Unfortunately, replying to our letters, this organization remained somewhat vague, if not contradictory. Unsatisfied about our practice, we didn't dismiss it but continued to entertain many doubts. The crisis was at times acute, at times moderated by the thought that the guilt was ours. We were happy of having found this great path of Kriya Yoga, but not fully satisfied; we queried whether it was fair or necessary to embark on a search in order to clarify our doubts and receive an exhaustive key to improve our practice of PY's Kriya techniques. I've done this search and the information received is summarized here. The arguments are many. I will deal with them in the same order of priority that emerged in a series of talks with one brother student whom I met after an exchange of emails. 8 After my book appeared on the Web, I had an intense email exchange with various researchers. There is no doubt that among these, those who had attentively studied the writings of PY proved to be the most "serious" people. A 8
At different moments of our lives we studied the same written material. By referring to this student in this appendix, I avoid the annoying "he/she".
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"serious" kriyaban is in my opinion one who doesn't mix Kriya Yoga with New Age suggestions or with the madness of esoteric-magic thought and who has not gotten stuck on any religious dogma. The friend to whom I refer in this appendix was following the Kriya path for one reason only: to surpass the boundaries of his mind in order to merge with the Ineffable. He struck me for his extraordinary commitment to Kriya. He had read and studied my book, from which he had learned various aspects of the original Kriya. He had planned to reappraise them in the future since he intended now to improve only what he had received from the organization. Apart from the technique of Kechari Mudra, he didn't feel the necessity of adding any other technique to his practice. He was convinced, and my fully approval put his mind at ease, that the techniques of PY were indeed good, that each part of them was precious. We agreed that the only problem was that those teachings were described only in their basic form, through a naked and raw definition, without mentioning all their possible developments. Furthermore, we missed having a sound theoretical scheme that provided us with resources to conceive -- and subsequently modify -- our routine according to the various stages of our development. While I was giving him some explanations, I felt that the bitterness, mixed with curiosity and trust, which I had perceived in his mind when, few minutes before he summarized the ups and downs of his Kriya path, was dissolving. I had the impression that his heart was overcome with the same emotion he experienced while reading for the first time the AOY. It was necessary for me to meet such an ardent devotee to find again, reflected in his eyes, the gold that once lighted my life when, many years ago, I skimmed through the pages of the same book.
Kechari Mudra and Kriya Pranayama Routine The first point of discussion with any Kriya student is always the "original" technique of Kriya Pranayama with Kechari Mudra. 9 To those who want to achieve this practice, it is necessary to check their Talabya Kriya. Many are not doing it correctly, because they have not understood what it means to make their tongue adhere to the palate like a sucker before opening the mouth and stretching the frenulum. The mistake is to concentrate only on what happens to the tip of the tongue. In a correct Talabya Kriya, the tongue is perfectly horizontal, the tip of the tongue has no role: the sucker effect is obtained with the whole body of the tongue! 9
Sometimes the discussion focuses on the detail of chanting Om in the Chakras and on the first version of PY's Kriya written instructions where the higher part of the head was crossed by the exhalation current. It has been observed that practicing this detail since the first Kriya breaths can make you moody. The safest practice is the current one. Always remember that, for prudential reasons, the awareness should be shifted from the point between the eyebrows to fontanelle only after 40-50 Kriya breaths.
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Kechari Mudra is important but not indispensable -- this is my opinion. PY's decision not to deny initiation into the Higher Kriyas to those who were unable to practice Kechari Mudra wins my total approval. I am not saying that Kechari is not important. I simply choose to believe that Lahiri Mahasaya also gave Higher Initiation to those who could not assume the correct tongue position for Kechari Mudra. His attitude, his partaking of human suffering leads me to believe this. I cannot conceive that the achievement of Kechari was intended to create a sharp division among people. On one hand, we have the very proud kriyabans , deceived into believing they are more evolved than others, on the other hand, we have those who are hopelessly depressed for failing in something that does not depend on effort but only on physical constitution. What good does it do to split kriyabans in this way? I have already written that: "piercing the knot of the tongue ... happens also when the tongue tip is simply turned back to touch the middle of the upper palate at the point where the hard palate become soft: the current passes through the tongue, comes down into body and spine." (Chapter 7) Anyone can do this. Those who are not able to achieve Kechari Mudra proper, can practice in this way. Naturally, they cannot respect verbatim the instructions received from the organization and, at the same time, keep your tongue in that position. When the tip of the tongue touches the upper palate (or the uvula or the roof of the nasal pharynx) you cannot breathe through your mouth. The tongue is behind the uvula and is blocking the flow of air through the mouth. Usually the kriyabans I have met, practiced mouth- Kriya-Pranayama followed by nose- Kriya-Pranayama . The polemic: If mouth- Pranayama is superior to nose- Pranayama because, as some suggest, "through it, Prana flows into Sushumna ", are meaningless. Only the breathless state succeeds in bringing energy and awareness into the subtle channel of Sushumna . Both forms of Kriya Pranayama are good in preparation for this event. For a student who has learned Kriya through the organization, the best way of improving Kriya Pranayama is to grant himself the pleasure of practicing it both through the mouth and through the nose. Kriya Pranayama as taught by PY has a remarkable power of granting a clear cold-warm sensation of Prana moving along the spinal column -- there is no reason to leave it aside. To those who are not satisfied with their execution of Kriya Pranayama, who feel that they are far from perceiving the movement of Prana along the spine, I counsel to add, at the very beginning of their routine, the Nadi Sodhana Pranayama . This simple practice has the power to open the door of the Sushumna . Many kriyabans have made this exercise become integral part of their daily routine. It goes without saying that moderate exercises for the spine, adding to the forward bendings of Maha Mudra some form of lateral bending and torsion, represent the best thing you can do. Many Hatha Yoga Asanas embody these movements which, by the way, are broadly utilized in the PY's Recharging Exercises. I think that the value of the preliminary exercise of drawing air in and out 200
through the tube created by the loosely clenched fists before beginning Kriya proper should not be slurred over. I don't think that this exercise is conceived as a didactic tool to be utilized only during Kriya initiation. It is a smart variation of Sitali Pranayama. 10 I counsel to add it, and also to practice it with a fragmented breath. Dividing the breath in small fragments while you are intensely concentrating on the spine, feeling a power that rises millimeter after millimeter (and likewise descends during fragmented exhalation) is a very effective action. I don't know if it is also because the pulsing movements of the navel stimulate the Dantian region, but this exercise is extraordinarily effective. After it, the practice of fourteen consecutive Kriya breaths grants a keen sensation of presence in the spine. 11 After these breaths, we can close the mouth putting the tongue in Kechari Mudra -- no problem if a student can only turn the tip of his tongue upward to touch the roof of the mouth (soft palate). I counsel then to practice the three phases of Kriya Pranayama as explained in chapters 6 and 7, without modifying the cycle he has learned during initiation. An optimum situation is to practice at least 12 repetitions of each phase, accomplishing the formula 14+12+12+12. During the first part of nose- Pranayama , I recommend to avoid the mental chanting of Om in the Chakras. Each one of the three parts of Kriya Pranayama has a precise role: this first part is devoted to come near to the most perfect throat-and-nasal-pharynx sound. One should remain attuned to the same sounds which occur when the technique is practiced with mouth open. Even if the sound of the breath is not loud and clear, one day it will be flute-like. This will be a great event: the hidden power, encapsulated in it, will lead one the peak experience of the Kriya path. The energy in Muladhara will awaken and rise like a missile through Sushumna into the brain. The oceanic Om sound will be audible and the joy experienced will be overwhelming. But this happens only when the spine is clean, like the hollow tube we visualize during Kriya Pranayama . During the second part of nose- Pranayama, we chant Om in each Chakra. Since I have recommended not to modify the path of the current learned during initiation, I counsel, during inhalation, to chant Om in the first five Chakras and in medulla; then pause in the point between the eyebrows; then chant Om again in medulla and in the Chakras in reverse order during exhalation. This part of the practice is very nice, especially when the student begins to listen to the internal astral sounds, without closing his ears. It is only at this point, not before, that the student places all his being in 10
"Curl comfortably your tongue and protrude it slightly past the lips to form a tube. Inhale deeply and smoothly through the tongue and mouth -- a cooling sensation is felt over the tongue and into the throat. Exhale through the nose ideally directing the fresh breath in all the parts of your body." This is a common way of practicing Sitali Pranayama. 11
Some kriyabans practice with visibly open mouth (as some direct disciples of PY teach), others with half open mouth with the central part of the lips touching (as other direct disciples have taught).
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fontanelle . With his eyelids closed or half-closed, he turns his eyes upward as much as possible, as if he was looking at the ceiling, without raising the chin. Fixed in this position, he practices like in the second part (mental chanting of Om...) After Kriya Pranayama , the most delicate part of the routine begins: the meditative phase. Meditation does not mean remaining immobile waiting while the strong energetic charge of the spine dispels -- like one who is waiting the effect of an intramuscular injection. If Kriya Pranayama has granted the blissful experience of listening to internal sounds then meditation means to go on listening to these sounds for some minutes, first with open ears and then, if possible, with closed ears. Since this seldom happens, Kriya meditation means carrying on an active concentration on the Chakras , moving the awareness up and down the spine, pausing in each Chakra for 10-20 seconds. It fits into Kriya's theoretical scheme to practice Jyoti Mudra at the end of the routine -- optionally proceeded by Maha Mudra.
Information about K3 and K4 During a second meeting with the same dedicated student of Kriya Yoga, the theme was the teaching that in original Kriya is called Thokar . This teaching is described without ambiguity in the written teaching of PY (K3 and K4) but we miss seeing it well-adjusted within a complete routine. Our talk departed from this point and developed freely. We had the same experiences. When we received K3 and K4, we were not able to resist the temptation of trying K4 on the spot -- "if it leads to the Samadhi state, why not try it now"? At the end of a short routine, hurried by the frenzy of experiencing this "supreme" technique, we tried to practice K4. After about 15 20 rotations Kumbhaka became stressful. Instead of giving up, we repeated the same attempt many times, while discomfort increased and a feeling of nausea went on launching its alarm signals. Eventually, we stopped - defeated: the gain was null, less than null! Not only there was no trace of Samadhi, but the initial internalized state created by the previous techniques was destroyed. Still, we didn't forget the beautiful promises with which the explanation of K4 had been introduced and we utilized this technique on other occasions. But the results were considerably unsatisfactory. It was clarified (this is the result of my search, I do not pretend to assert an absolute truth -- this applies obviously for all the follows) that receiving K3 and K4 does not mean receiving one main teaching (K4) accompanied by a temporary, soon to be discarded, simplification of it (K3). Actually, the teachings are three and many Kriya schools give them during three different initiations. a. K3 without head movements -- this procedure is called Omkar Kriya. 202
b. K3 with head movements -- this procedure is called basic form of Thokar c. K4 -- this procedure is called advanced form of T hokar . Each technique has to be mastered with great commitment before moving to the following one. • The technique of Omkar Kriya (K3 without the movements of the head) is obtained by applying all the details of the received technique (mental pressure at the base of the spinal column; inhalation placing the syllables where prescribed; intensification of the awareness in the point between the eyebrows) but remaining immobile during all the exhalation which begins immediately after the concentration at the point between the eyebrows. The long exhalation guides the current into medulla oblongata , then into the cervical Chakra, the heart Chakra and then down into all the other Chakras. This is exactly what happens in Kriya Pranayama . The difference is that the kriyaban uses all the power of concentration (and also of Kechari Mudra if he is capable of assuming it) to subtly vibrate each syllable with intensity, creating a micro pause in each Chakra . However, the flow of the breath does not lose its quality of smoothness, and the inhaling and exhaling sound remain continuous. With this practice in immobility "a kriyaban learns the art of astral diving through the spinal tunnel". The gist of the practice lies in the constant effort of raising one's awareness along the spinal column millimeter after millimeter with a continuous mental pressure. I explain that it is like squeezing with the thumb an almost empty tube of toothpaste (from its base up to its opening) to get the last little bit out. One must have trained the power of his concentration to the point of being able to maintain this sensation with uninterrupted continuity. Kechari Mudra is extraordinary in creating the necessary "mental pressure". The exhalation is more tranquil: the energy glides downwards and the previous pressure is perceived effortlessly at each Chakra 's location as a cascade of light coming from above. This great work would be disturbed by the movements of the head of K3 proper. It must be lived in immobility. The result is this: during sleep, blissful experiences begin to happen in the spine and the person enjoys it in a state in which the body is half-awake but the awareness is lucid as ever. Subsequently, after months or years of effort, such experiences begin to happen during deep sessions of one's daily Kriya routine. • The nucleus of the basic form of Thokar (K3 technique with head movements) is the action of dropping the head forward so that the chin strikes the chest. Those who embark on this venture, should perform this movement in a very delicate way. One should not allow the weight of one's head to push the chin toward the chest: in this condition, the physical movement is definitely too powerful and harmful for the neck. Hence, mindful physical effort is simultaneously aimed at striking the chest, while resisting the force of gravity. Some define this last movement of the head a "blow" or a "stroke". Perhaps it is much more correct to define it a "tap", or a "slight jolt". "Jolt" means that the 203
chin comes down, touches the chest for an instant and comes up immediately, does not remain glued there. What is important is that its effect is intensely felt within the fourth Chakra . Let me give a clarification about the speed. Usually, all the 12 syllables are chanted with the same rhythm. So if the three movements linked with Te, Va, and Su happen without altering that rhythm, this is considered the normal speed of K3. Some practice Te, Va, Su in a slower way. Since there are only three syllables De, Va, Ya that accompany the exhalation, it is quite natural to chant them in a slower rhythm. Now, Te, Va, Su can be chanted with the same rhythm of De, Va, Ya. In this way, there is plenty of time for concentrating deeper on each blow and perceive something emanating from each point. • The technique of the advanced form of Thokar (K4 technique) is undoubtedly a variation of K3, but it is also something more. The concentration on the spiritual light in the head is a key point. The difficulty in practicing this technique lies in being too much in a hurry and trying to hold the breath without having first calmed the Prana in the body and raised the energy ( Apana ) residing under the belt into the higher part of the thorax. To increase the number of rotations of the head up to 200, without breathing, seems a mere illusion. On the contrary, it is possible - when the person has completed the right preparation.
The Right Preparation for K4
The decisive procedure -- endowed with a shattering psychological cleaning power -- is to complete two incremental routines concerning the two aspects of the K3 technique. [See chapter 10 for definition of incremental routine.] a. The first incremental routine concerns Omkar Kriya (K3 without the movements of the head). Tradition envisages beginning with 12 repetitions and adding one repetition a day until you reach 200 repetitions. This is to be done once a day, during the main routine. (After this practice , forget the breath and remain immobile practicing the best form of mental Pranayama.) If you have a secondary session, the same technique can be resumed for 12-36 times. Instead of adding one repetition a day, you can adopt a simpler plan: practice 25 repetitions a day for two weeks. Then practice 50 repetitions a day for another two weeks. Then practice 75 repetitions a day for another two weeks ...then 100... ...125... and so on until you practice 200 repetitions a day for two weeks. Completing this incremental routine is a challenging, but not particularly difficult, undertaking: time goes by without much notice and what could seem to be an exhausting task (doing more than 100 repetitions) turns out to be as easy as a moment of rest. b. The second incremental routine concerns the basic form of Thokar (K3 technique with head movements). When the previous incremental routine is 204
completed, the student starts again from the beginning and should practice K3 proper (with movements) increasing the number of repetitions. The plan of incrementation is the same of the previous routine. The ability gained through the previous procedure assures that during each movement of the head he does not lose the perception of the current reaching and piercing each Chakra (medulla, cervical and heart Chakra). This is a crucial detail whose importance cannot be over emphasized. At the completion of both procedures (a year or more is required) the student is able to direct a tremendous amount of energy into the heart Chakra and is ready to reach high levels of perfection with K4.
K4: the Great Procedure of Astral Samadhi An easy way of tackling the K4 technique is here described. This one cannot be called a commonly accepted method; rather, let us openly say that it will find many detractors. I know that it can really help those who are stuck in an unsatisfactory practice of K4. Let us suppose that while holding the breath in a non-forced way, the student is able to practice the movements of K4 for a certain amount N of times before exhaling. If the day after this practice, he does not feel pain in the cervical vertebrae or in the neck muscles, he can try to practice N+6 rotations abiding by the following principle: he inhales slowly following the instructions about placing correctly the syllables in the Chakras , he perceives an increase of Prana in the upper part of the lungs. He does not make the act of sealing his lungs (closing the trachea -- as when one is diving into water) but keeps them as if he is going to begin a new inhalation. He has the sensation that the breath is annihilated. He repeats N+6 cycles of the movements of the head with no hurry whatsoever. But, keeping his chest expanded and the abdominal muscles and diaphragm perfectly immobile, he allows that a minimal (almost imperceptible) sip of air can go out whenever his chin is lowered toward the chest; and an imperceptible sip of air can enter whenever the chin is brought up. Let us be clear: he does not make the act of inhaling and exhaling, his role is limited to letting the afore-described phenomenon happen freely, not impeded. What is important is that he does not lose the sensation that the physical breath does not exist any more and all Prana is immobile and goes on remaining immobile in the upper part of the lungs. When N+6 movements are completed, he exhales comfortably and does not repeat the procedure till the next day. For one week he does not try to increase beyond this new "record" of N+6. If there are problems with the cervical vertebrae, he can wisely practice on alternative days. If everything goes in the best of the ways, he increases of six rotations a week. He increases until this is comfortable -- therefore he still does not set the objective of achieving the 200 rotations. Through this way of proceeding, something beautiful is approaching. One 205
day he realizes that during his practice the previously hinted little sips of breath do not happen any more, they are not necessary. He realizes he is rotating his head while keeping a perfect effortless Kumbhaka. An increase of energy in the fourth Chakra is strikingly perceived. This has a soothing effect on the ganglia tied with the breathing process. A wonderful sensation of freedom from breath happens. At this point he is able to reach the 200 rotations -- the joy which is expanding in his heart becomes his " Guru" and guides him.
Information about K2 Many are convinced that K2 as taught by PY be incorrectly named " Second Kriya". Indeed, it is quite different from the Second Kriya as taught by various schools. The story that PY received this instruction from Swami Kebalananda is plausible. I believe that a similar technique is hinted in Gheranda Samhita: "... close ears, eyes, .... meditate on the six Chakras one by one." I have known students who felt deceived just for this reason and had dropped it after many years of concentrating instead on K3 and K4, which on various forums are indicated as the real, in other words "original", Second Kriya. Actually, the writings of PY related to the Second Kriya are very odd: the technique K2 is an advanced and extremely difficult teaching that is somehow related with the Fourth Kriya level. It is based on a procedure which is not restricted to "physically locating the centers". You focus mind and Prana on each one of them until their essence is revealed as a variation of astral sound and as a particular state of consciousness. Such procedure leads one to perceive the colors of the Tattwas namely of the five elements (earth, water, fire, air, ether) each one tied with a different Chakra. PY explained in a very clear way the physical changes that happen when your conscience attunes to the different Tattwas: the way your breath flows through the nostrils and the perception of different flavors in your mouth. The noteworthy fact is that there is not only this technique in the group of the writings related to K2! After a few pages, without a specific name, two techniques are described which are extremely important. One is the practice of the "Micro Thokar ", the other is a delicate technique to perceive the astral spine. 1. Technique of the Micro Thokar to Awaken the Chakras The procedure of "Micro Thokar " is hinted in a not-easy-to-understand sentence about the "psycho-physical blows given at the different locations of the Chakras". Unfortunately no further practical explanation is given. The information I have received is that this is obtained by a particular way of mentally placing the syllables of a Mantra at each Chakra's location. Thokar (K3 and K4) affects the higher Chakras (medulla , cervical and heart Chakras ). The procedure for extending Thokar to all the Chakras is called " Micro Thokar " because it is characterized by a drastic diminution of the dynamic of the
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movements of the head and by a shrinking of the dimensions of the internal movement movement of energy energy and awareness. awareness. In chapter chapter 8 I have given one version version of this beautiful procedure. Another version is given here. • The breath is forgotten. Let us mentally repeat in each Chakra the Mantra: Om Na Mo Bha Ga Ba Te Va Su De Va Ya. Let explain how, through the help of this Mantra, we give four psycho-physical blows to each Chakra. We divide the Mantra in four parts: Om Na Mò // Bha Ga Bà // Te Va Sù // De Va Yà. Four taps à. (soft blows) happen when we think the accented syllables Mò, Bà, Sù and Y à. Muladhara Chakra. We look We start start by placin placing g our awaren awareness ess in Muladhara "down" at it as if it were a horizontal disk like a coin, we mentally chant " Om" at the left of its center, " Na" at the right and " Mò", with a soft tap, in the center of it. The oscillation perceived perceived during this internal action action is a matter of millimeters. A light oscillatory movement of the spine can accompany and strengthen the intern internal al movemen movement. t. Always Always remain remaining ing in Muladhara, we repe repeat at the the same same Bha Ga Bà, Bà, thus procedure procedure with Bha thus giving giving a second second psycho-p psycho-phys hysica icall blow blow at Muladhara . Then we vibrate Te Va Sù and eventually De Va Yà. We repeat the same procedure with all the other Chakras. The order is the same that PY utilizes: first, second, third, fourth, fifth Chakra , then medulla , point between the eyebrows, medulla , fifth, fourth, third, second and first Chakra. Then we repeat the whole round trying to be more internalized. This time we try to keep the spine immobile. The ideal would be to be able to complete from three to six rounds. 2. Technique to Perceive the Astral Spine The technique to perceive the astral spine is explained after PY has expatiated on Kundalini and given a clear hint at the necessity of Kechari Mudra. At a certain point, PY explains how, once stable in the meditation Asana , a kriyaban gently sways the spine, left and right in order to feel the astral spine as separated from the body. The core of the teaching is then experienced in immobility by traveling up and down the spine, mentally chanting Om in the location of the Chakras . 12 It is a very very simp simplle teac teachi hing ng and and yet yet it is grea great! t! The The resu result lt can can leav leavee you you astoni astonished shed!! I don't don't commen commentt it further further,, since since the PY's few lines about it are exhaustive. The practice of techniques [I] and [II] is the best thing to prepare your body for the K2 technique.
A Remark about the Breathless State before Discussing K2 K2 is an advanced technique whose mastery can be achieved only after the mastery of the breathless state. state. Many kriyabans are not able to conceive of this state to the point that it doesn't occur to them. When I discuss with a kriyaban 12
There is a direct disciple of PY who teaches Second Kriya exactly in this way. You mentally chant Om at each Chakra's location, from Muladhara to the point between the eyebrows, then in Sahasrara , cervical, heart Chakra .... This cycle is to be repeated but the practice is concluded by a final rising into Sahasrara. 207
about K3 and K4, surely he has practiced Kriya for at least three to four years. This is, in my opinion, the right time to make a further effort and achieve the breathless state. In meeting a kriyaban , I try to understand if he is at moment of his life in which he has the determination to make a greater effort. I have written that: "... a strong push from life experiences is the best thing. One should commit himself as if he had a strong will to knock down a wall that life has placed before him... " To those who are in this phase of the spiritual path, I try to convince them that the right moment has arrived to fully realize the words of PY in AOY where he explains how Kriya frees you from the chain that ties your soul to the body: the breath. At this point I cannot cannot avoid hinting at the the importance of calming calming the mind with Japa. Yes, I acknowledge: I am fixated on this tool! On the other hand hand,, I neve neverr found found anyt anythi hing ng like like Japa to impr improve ove my Kriya. Kriya is a challenging art to raise the state of your consciousness into four main states: the firs firstt is chara charact cter eriz ized ed by a perf perfec ectt ment mental al sile silenc nce, e, the the seco second nd is an terr terrif ific ic euphoria in the heart where one loosen himself out of devotion, the third is the breathless state, the fourth is the final liberation given by the awakening of Kundalini (...here in a few words a synthesis of the four levels of Kriya Kriya Yoga ). We know that for the second state there is K3 and K4 and for the first state what have we? It is not Kriya Pranayama Pranayama because Kriya Pranayama is always present -- it touches all the Kriya levels. Specific of the first level is Talabya Kriya -- the "palate" Kriya, intended both as an exercise for stretching the frenulum, and also as preparation for the deep absorption to be gained in Kechari Mudra. The first part of any rationally and functionally built routine is helped -- and thus brought to perfection -- by mental silence during your daily life. For this purpose I counsel Japa: something that acts both on the conscious and the subconscious mind. To the student I explain that he cannot practice Kriya by the sheer strength of will alone, that he cannot cannot move move Prana alon along g the the subtl subtlee spina spinall chann channel el by the the most most inte intens nsee visualizations only. only. It is necessary to live a spiritual life, namely one in which w hich the mind is almost always in a state of silence. I think that it is a mistake that the Kriya schools don't officially give the teaching of Japa. Perhaps the pride and arrogance of some kriyabans estranged them them from from a practi practice ce that they conside considerr much much too simple. simple. Yet, et, some some great great disciples of PY actually hinted at Japa: they knew that those who practice Kriya immersed in the ensuing state, will not encounter obstacles in calming the breath Kriya Pranayama. almost suddenly, after few breaths of Kriya Thus Thus I chec check k that that the the teach eachin ing g of the the Japa is underst understood ood without without misinterpretation. For example I want to be sure that the student understands that it is not important to think about the meaning of the Mantra though it is essential to vibrate it strongly in the breast and in the head. I want that they practice it and tell me if it is not true that it comes also to them the irresistible impulse to put everything in order. Then I recommend an extremely simple routine in which they have K1 and K4 also, but with a moderate number of repetitions. To this the two afore described techniques 1. and 2. follow. Usually the breathless state appears during procedure 2.. At this point the student can tackle the advanced K2 208
teaching.
How to Experience the K2 Teaching inside the Breathless State To those who have realized the breathless state, I counsel the following: Having Having reache reached d the breath breathles lesss state, state, a kriyaban puts his arms on the armrest. Then, with his tongue in Kechari Mudra, he takes a long inhalation. He expands expands the rib rib cage cage and keeps keeps it expande expanded d while while comple completel tely y forget forgettin ting g the breath. He does not exhale. His breath remains immobile in the upper part of the lungs. lungs. He concen concentra trate tess on Muladhara , then then clim climbs bs up the the spin spine, e, with with his his awaren awareness, ess, slowly slowly,, without without breath breathing ing,, millim millimete eterr after after millim millimete eterr. When When he reaches the heart Chakra he has a remarkable blissful sensation. He will have here the assurance that he can go further holding his breath. This state is a divine gift and is the result of the completion of the incremental routines and of a good command of K4. At this this poin point, t, with without out exhal exhalin ing, g, he appl applie iess the the inst instru ruct ctio ions ns of K2 to Muladhara . But first, he accomplishes the internal act of raising it ideally into the point between the eyebrows -- this happens without using the physical breath. He applies then the typical procedure of K2 (contraction of the muscles near the Chakra , rotation of the fingers, concentration on the changing of color....). Then he rela relaxe xess the the cont contra ract ctio ion n of the the muscl muscles es and and prep prepar ares es to move move to the the next next Chakra . If he feels that his body needs breath, he breathes. This is no place for tension and discomfort. If he is not able to to restore the breathless breathless state, if he feels feels that Prana has glided down, below the chest, he may stop here for this first day. Another day will come when he will be able not only to enter again in the breathless state but he won't feel the need to breathe between one Chakra and the next. He will raise each Chakra into the light of Kutastha, always remaining without breath, keeping Prana immobile in the upper part of the lungs. Theref Therefore ore,, K2 means means closin closing g the ears ears and contra contracti cting ng certai certain n muscl muscles, es, plus plus moving the awareness awareness from Chakra to Chakra perceiving the Omkar vibration, diversifying from Chakra to Chakra, and revealing that each center has its own vibration (its own "rhythm") -- while dwelling in the state of Antar Kevala Kumbhaka (effortless holding the breath after inhalation.)
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Some Remarks on the Preliminary Techniques The routine recommended by the organizations that spread the teachings of PY is: •Recharging exercises •Hong So •Om technique •Maha Mudra •Kriya proper •Jyoti Mudra •Final concentration in the spine and in the Kutastha. When the Higher Kriyas are added, they are practiced after Kriya proper or after Jyoti Mudra. In time time,, ther theree come comess a tende tendenc ncy y to simp simpli lify fy.. Many Many elim elimin inat atee entir entirel ely y the the preliminary techniques Hong So and Om; some practice only one or both after Kriya proper , at the place of the final concentration in Kutastha. Those Those who have have read read my book book and, and, rema remain inin ing g fait faithf hful ul to the the rece receiv ived ed teac teachi hing ngs, s, set set themselves the goal to achieve Kechari Mudra, start their routine with Talabya Kriya. Therefore we seldom talk about the Hong So and the Om techniques. My thought on the subject is that these techniques can be used with good effects. effects. In my opinion, opinion, Hong So is excellent for a brief session, or as mental Pranayama after Kriya Kriya proper; and the Om technique is the ideal practice of K2 and Jyoti Mudra -- especially at night: a calm meditation where no limit of time is set, where there is no trace of hurry. hurry.
Hong So Facing Facing the issue of the Hong So technique, we agree that this is not a technique that that give givess you you the the abil abilit ity y of conce concent ntra rati tion on,, unle unless ss you you alre alread ady y posse possess ss it! it! Whoever decides to practice it, must be endowed with the ability to maintain a high level of concentration. It begins with some deep breaths which are very similar to Kriya Pranayama. Literature explains that they oxygenate the blood and calm the system: actually they put into motion the essential mechanism of Kriya Pranayama -- mixing and the balancing Prana and Apana . As for the Hong-so Mantra there's not much to say about it: it should not be taken as a "magical formula". 13 It must merge with your breath, of which you must be constantly aware of. If you relax your keen awareness of it and remain there like hypnotized by the pleasing sound of the two syllables Hong and So, you you shall shall be disa disappo ppoin inte ted. d. You Yourr mind mind will will not not be prone prone to being being internalized and it won't surrender to the meditative state. Let us suppose therefore to put us under the ideal conditions: we have only ten minu minute tess free free,, we have have made made some some deep deep brea breath ths. s. Now Now if we resp respec ectt two two fundamental principles, in a matter of two three minutes we shall find ourselves 13
This techniques is also taught with So during inhalation and Hong during exhalation. You discover that by practicing with So-Ham instead of Hong-So Hong-So, the effect is same. 210
in a fantastic state. The first principle sounds strange to many students: It is very important to not establish any rhythm in the mental chanting of Hong So . The mental chant of this Mantra , repeated over and over, can easily and naturally conform to a hard-to-change rhythm. If your breath follows this rhythm, it is clear as the sun that it will never settle down! Once the rhythm has stabilized itself, even if the body "could" stay off-breath for some instants, the breathing process will continue implacably. I am sure that many times the student doesn't understand the point. The fact is that I deal with persons who have practiced this technique for years and cannot doubt the correctness of their practice. Sometimes I must take a significant amount of time to dwell upon the concept of rhythm. When the student understands that almost always a rhythm was present in his practice, then the problem is nearly cured. After inhalation or after exhalation, a student must always wait for the impulse to breathe to appear. When there are the physiological conditions that a pause can exist, it should be experienced, no matter if it lasts just an instant! A student who abides by this principle, will soon verify how this small detail is sufficient to ease the breath off, in a very drastic way. The second principle is to be conscious of the movement of one's rib cage. During inhalation, the chest swells out and gets into an elastic tension. This elastic force tries to annihilate the pause between inhalation and exhalation. In other words, the pause of the breath after inhalation is jeopardized by the chest elasticity -- not only by the rhythm. A student must be aware of this elastic strength: this guarantees that the pause after the inhalation can freely exist. Putting all this into practice, a "virtuous circle" between this growing calmness and the reduced necessity of oxygen is realized. We have said that this practice can be used as mental Pranayama after Kriya proper. In this situation, you can observe the breath goes up the spine with Hoooong and comes down with Soooo. It is a natural, short breath, not the strong one of Kriya Pranayama. Being aware of the spine calms the breath enormously. When the breath subsides and becomes so short that the procedure is on the verge of evaporating into nothing, one tries to feel this micro breath happening in each Chakra. One short, almost invisible breath happens in Muladhara and it is blended with the soothing chant of H ong So -- a peaceful vibration in a silent mind. The same happens in the second Chakra , then in the third ... and so on ... up and down the spine ... until there is no more breath, only Hong So in each Chakra. After the practice of Kriya proper, this procedure can give you the vision of the spiritual eye.
Om Technique It is auspicious that a kriyaban practices the Om technique remaining in the same state that we have described dealing with the advanced form of Jyoti Mudra . The 211
ideal is to practice it for at least 30 minutes. This technique realizes fully the final three levels of the Yoga path described by Patanjali: Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi . By concentrating actively on the internal sounds, one is lost in them and finally meets the ecstatic state. Despite apparently fruitless attempts, after days or weeks, a remarkable experience of Kundalini awakening will very likely happen. It can happen only in a state of depth relaxation; for some it happens when the body is distended to sleep and the consciousness enters the forgetfulness of the sleep state.
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APPENDIX 2 DIFFERENT TYPES OF R ESEARCHERS [This theme will be expanded in the next edition of the book]
While I was completing the book, I was invited by a local cultural institution to give lessons about the history of the mystical paths. After completing the first cycle of lessons, I accepted the assignment for the subsequent years which, in all, became five. The mystical path was considered from different points of view and, during the last two years, there was also a practical introduction to elementary practices like Japa and P ranayama from classical Yoga... I was delighted to prepare the lessons by studying the best available essays and textbooks -- I mean books written by academics who didn't belong (or were so smart as to hide their membership or affiliation) to any particular mystical school and manifested a detached attitude toward the whole matter. This was an unclouded period of my life: I was very gratified to have time and opportunity to pursue such studies. I appreciated those texts that were capable of presenting the essence of those religious movements which flourished freely around the great religions. The impact of certain readings, the liveliness of certain biographic stories, had the effect of melting away some strong conditioning, admitted innocently into my life through the door of meek adapting to the ideals of my first Kriya organization. I proposed adding to our study some information about the most known esoteric movements. My purpose was to compare them with the New Age tendencies and show where, inside them, the boundary line between the genuine mystical quest and the cultivation of magic ambitions lay. My teaching was that even if in some context the word mystic evokes a relationship with the mystery, with the concept of initiation (from the Greek μυστικός [mustikos], an initiate) into secret religious rituals (also this from the Greek μύω, to conceal), a mystic is one who tries sincerely (adopting any form of mental and or bodily discipline) to surrender themselves to something which is the quintessence of supreme comfort, something which lays beyond the territories of the mind -- unattainable by the acrobatics of a never satisfied mind. It was not difficult to see the devastating theoretical inconsistencies of many esoteric movements, widely recognized as demanding and elitist. An incredible amount of magnificent terms, which would have once allured me, filled me with nausea as if they were an obscenity brought forth by a monster. I was more and more stricken by the weakness of the human mind, by its discouraging slowness in dissolving glaring deceptions and fallacies. I inevitably drifted into that most interesting field of studies: the human psyche, its suggestibility and vulnerability when it deals with approaching the sp iritual path. Unfortunately, the interest of my students about this subject was almost nonexistent. They didn't seem to realize the relation it had with their own life, interests and way of behavior. Rather, I was aghast at realizing that too many listeners came to my lessons in order to receive support and fuel for their illusions. Once this period was over, I had many opportunities to reflect upon how common were those tendencies. Even serious and reliable Kriya researchers were more or less in the same situation. They cleverly disguised improper attitudes. I 213
talked sincerely with many spiritual researchers without any reprimand, rather with perhaps too much empathy. I saw that very rarely they seemed to appreciate the concept of clean mystical path -- a path not polluted by the fantasies and deformations of the human mind. Usually they belonged to one of the following four categories: with religious conditioning; mentally disturbed people or psychically frail; those for whom esoteric knowledge is all in all; with magic and esoteric tendencies A. Religious Conditioning Some people pour into their path of Kriya Yoga a remarkable commitment, but get nothing in return. They don't relax enough, don't trust the sheer employment of a technique unless it is coupled with a toilsome effort of tormenting their psychological structure. They are convinced that they have to carry on with formidable work on the psychological plane. They brood over one single worry: "What can I do in the domain of my mind, of my habits, in order to ameliorate myself?" They want to build brick by brick, fatiguing at the extreme, just as if it is a complex construction, their Redemption. To be lost in the core of the Kriya meditation is only a corollary of this pivotal work. With this attitude, any progress on the spiritual path is really difficult. The mystical experience happens when one is totally relaxed and at peace with oneself. Only then something tremendously vast, beyond the mind, manifests itself and overwhelms any sense of guilt and the dichotomy of worthy or unworthy. They are so admirable in their efforts but if during meditation, breath seems to disappear, they, being always on the alert, instead of relaxing, block the experience. The problem is that they feel they are totally unworthy of blissfully divine experience. Perhaps it is only my perception, but their basic idea is that the Divine resides outside our human state and that an individual can come closer to It only if they have gained some merit. Religious conditionings can be very strong, fatal in certain cases. In the beginning of their path, they work very hard through self discipline and hard renunciations. They entertain the thought of limiting as much as possible the normal activities of the day to embrace a work of spiritual study, gaining also more time for meditation. Often they are keen on dreaming a life of pure meditation. Only in this way they think it is possible to uproot any deeply ingrained bad habit, and the very roots of iniquity and egoism. What comes out by yielding to this plan? They discover that this sudden leap into a "new and happy condition" has put an halt to an irreplaceable chance to grow and it is not automatic that it becomes the best territory for deep meditations. Often the new situation is subtly corrupting a kriyaban with the vice of boredom and sloth, while their free time becomes filled with trivial occupations. There may be only one way out -- that a spiritual experience emerge when they are physically tired, when they have worked hard, sweated blood over doing their duty. Otherwise, in time Kriya will disappear from their life.
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B. Mentally disturbed or psychically frail Some mistake meditation for alternative medicine. The expectation that Kriya could work as a mental therapy began to take shape in me after reading a book where a physician described how he cured some cases of mental disturbances through Yoga. Other books, extolling the evolutionary value of Kriya, led me to encourage a couple of persons suffering of, let us say, a chronic unhappiness to venture on this enterprise. The result was almost null. The reason some people place in vain their hopes in Kriya comes from the fact that some authors wasted their time in asserting that Kriya is a science with guaranteed results. "Guaranteed"? What does that mean? Although there are physical states (breath, pulse, cerebral waves) that can be influenced by meditation, the essence of Kriya can be neither measured nor granted. We can rationally expound its principles but we cannot bring the whole entirety of it onto the table of a laboratory. Therefore let Science be Science and let the mystical path be "another thing". I hope people will understand that it is not correct, and it leads nowhere, to apply the mystical techniques of Kriya hoping to come out, as by a miracle, of a depression. Those who practice Pranayama within the negative state of an ill person who clings to it just like another unlikely alternative medicine, knowing in their heart they will be disappointed, will have no other result than a headache. Trying clumsily to camouflage their skepticism by pretending a nonexistent spiritual interest, they seem to look at Kriya with suspicion - "does it really work"? But no human can ever touch the supreme Good of Kriya unless they place it, with unshakeable trust, above all the other achievements of the world. Kriya cannot be a graft of a foreign organ. Kriya can work even if you are not a "religious" person, but it should become an integral part of your life. Perhaps the main miracle it will produce will be the joyful decision of dropping all the useless habits through which you have hurt your own being and jump courageously into a new life.
I accepted to support people in their effort of utilizing Kriya as an alternative medicine, only when I saw that they strove to master Kriya with a dedication which excited my admiration. I was perplexed because of their obsessive selfobservation but accepted with enthusiasm to work with them. In almost all the cases I observed two negative tendencies: they push away from themselves any intelligent and sincere person that can help them and, at the same time, are not able to get rid of the parasite people and negative situations. They have the tendency to squeeze people, slowly but unrelentingly, up to a point where, as Carlos Castaneda writes, there remains nothing . They exasperated and eliminated definitively those few persons who accepted to help them. In this they seemed to use always the same lethal scheme of behavior. They used to "wring" an accurate and detailed therapeutic counsel, then, applying it, they hurt themselves. Trying to make their friends feel guilty for having given a wrong counsel, they hoped to obtain greater attention from them. They whined that they had followed the instructions to the letter and now they were in very bad conditions ... emphasizing the fact that their present suffering 215
was due not to their chronic disease, but to this specific wrong counsel. Instead of binding that friend to them, they lost him definitively. He took an oath not to help them anymore in any way. Having seen the specter of ingratitude, seized with blind fury, forgetting any past habit of courtesy, he annihilated them with a merciless judgment, of whose hardness and inflexibility he would have, for a long time, grounds for regret. 14 Spending a lot of time with them, I had other grounds to feel uncomfortable. About their inability to get rid of negative people and situations, I sensed that in their life there was a region where they preserved and nourished a malefic mushroom from which they extracted the elixir of their suffering. It was impossible for me to consider the complete picture of their life. As in the fable of Bluebeard, there were some "rooms" where they wouldn't let me enter. I'm not referring to intimate matters but to facts about which it is acceptable to discuss - for example to maintain a double life when it is not essential and it is extremely wearing… When I went straight to the point, they would grow darker and roughly break off the conversation. C. Knowledge is all in all Usually they place a great emphasis on ethics. They conceive the spiritual path as a philosophy which in itself has the power of redemption. They love to cultivate purely esoteric-occult knowledge. You try to no purpose to make them realize that an endless wealth is waiting to manifest behind the screen of their mental revolutions, but they won't allow its radiance to clean the dusty cellar where they prefer to live. They spend too much time reading spiritual books, try to get you involved in endless discussions. There is no much to be said about them. I will tell an anecdote.
After a great insistence, I accepted to read what for a friend was a masterpiece of esoteric literature. The book surprised me for the quantity of information it contained. While reading it, I entered an almost hypnotic state and didn't immediately realize that each chain of ideas therein contained was without support, was the offspring of the unbridled imagination of the author. I was amazed to see how, through an intoxication with words, the author's imagination dared to develop free from the relationship with reality and from the rules of logic. The whole thing seemed to me pure fun -- comparable to that of reading a fantasy novel. How could he think, by studying such junk, to experience something beyond mind? I counseled him some good books from which he could draw benefit. He stated he had already read them, but it was a lie. He preferred to keep them at a distance. All ended when one day he started a polemic about the fact that aspiration toward mastering a meditation technique like Kriya Yoga 14
This pernicious mechanism might have exacerbated not only people but organizations as well. I wonder if those Kriya organizations that have gradually turned away from a positive attitude toward all people and shifted toward a plethora of prohibitions and of what seems an absurd bureaucracy, were forced to react in this way by the recriminations of ungrateful and mentally disturbed people like the ones we are considering here, who blamed the techniques for having caused their sufferings. 216
meant cultivating desire and this was against Buddhist principles. He argued how it was possible to practice it without using not even an ounce of will power. I saw the case was beyond cure, I respected his choice and immediately ended the farce. To my surprise, after about five years from our last meeting, a common friend told me that our "philosopher" had self imposed an Indian name and was teaching Yoga. He had a following of ladies who where enthralled by his spiritual talks. I began to laugh and I was not able collapsing into giggles for the rest of the day. D. Magic esoteric tendencies Lastly, there were those to whom Kriya was just another esoteric school which sometimes encroaches on magic territory. I recall a friend of mine who was adamant in practicing Kriya making glaring mistakes. (For instance, he neglected the normal rules of health, refused, during meditation, to assume the correct position of the backbone, didn't even try to get immobility in the final part of his routine.) It was impossible to correct him. He behaved toward me in a very cordial way but, when it dealt with defending his choices, showed a dialectical gift that made me feel like an idiot. As opposed to his sophism, I would (one hundred-fold times more!) prefer to listen to a funny guy shouting at me: "I leave Kriya to idiots like you: I like to eat, to drink and to enjoy life!". He sought total harmony with life, at the same time utilizing any means to develop his hidden psychic potential. He went on paying attention to the revelations coming from a healer (- a channeler -) (to whom he went in order that the spirits reveal to him the karmic reason of an illness, as well as the attitudes to be changed in order that his problem be astrally destroyed) but, at the same time, haunted a church where he pretended a genuine devotion while asking a "particular" benediction as a bland form of exorcism. He intuitively understood the difference between the mystical and magical dimensions; nevertheless, he didn't stop dreaming that in the esoteric field there were secret techniques, known only to a few elects, which constituted a short-cut to Self realization. For some time he tried to "improve" Kriya by incorporating various esoteric techniques, even those described in the rituals of ceremonial magic. He was convinced that only by using certain rituals, formulas and initiatic symbols, was it possible to complete the evolutionary jump conducive to liberation. He met a self-named expert in occult matters who purported to know the secrets of an almost extinct esoteric path and, in particular, a spiritual technique - far more advanced than those known today - which was practiced centuries or millennia ago, by few privileged beings. He got into a situation in which his economic base, essential to his living, was at risk of being swept away, completely reduced to shambles. The pseudo expert, who created the impression of being a dreamer, but was not so naïve as it seemed, easily bewitched him. "Now that humanity is different from before, such teachings are not revealed to just anyone" he started off; then after a pause and with a sigh, finally concluded: "Today's students would not know how to appreciate them and, in their hands, they could be dangerous." He used an enchanting terminology similar to that of the Kabbalah (mystical teaching within Judaism) and talked effortlessly about original Christianity also, whose texts (canonical
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and apocryphal) he was able to interpret in a non-conventional way. My friend tried to captivate the teacher in order to receive more information. Confiding that he was willing to accept whatever toll and deprivation, consenting to whatever behest - provided that this extraordinary secret will be revealed to him, he actually fell into the trap. After having expressed some reservations, our smart teacher at long last capitulated, murmuring: "Only for you, only because I feel I am guided to make an exception". My friend, a poor victim quivering with emotion, lived the best moment of his life, convinced that the meeting with the expert had been decided in the higher spheres. The donation he offered during the initiation - united to the promise of keeping absolute secrecy - was conspicuous, since in that way he would confirm the great value attributed to that event. The donation would enable the teacher to carry on the good works... obviously! (Such teachers affirm invariably that they give the donations to a certain monk— interestingly not a priest— who supports an orphanage.) While my friend, completely satisfied, was preparing to receive such an incomparable gift (our occult expert underlined with emphasis that it was a gift and that nothing could adequately compensate the benedictions that such an initiation would bring to his life) the teacher distractedly decided what kind of trash-stuff he was going to demonstrate with glaring solemnity. As soon as the new technique was acquired and tested with indescribable emotion, my friend spent two days in sheer fervor. Later, imprisoned in his chimera, he witnessed the rekindling of his passion and the comedy repeated. He heard about other incomparable valuable "revelations". This illusion is, in effect, indomitable. After having received his "drug", he continued his inexorable run toward the abyss. I cannot predict if, one day, he will realize that the techniques for which he paid a fortune had been taken from some books and altered, so he would not to guess their origin. During the jubilant season of his training, I received a very long letter from him. It was an essay on the basic theories which supported his practice, it was written with a lapidary, implacable logic. After reading it, gasping in order to find "myself" again, I felt the need to walk in the open air and practice Japa. My feeling of alienation seemed to stretch out as far as the horizon and touch the rim of the sky. I could not practice my Mantra but a couple of times. My thought was fixed on a sentence of Sri Sri Aurobindo which I repeated as if hypnotized:
Enough, enough I've had of the mind and all its phony stars, let's turn on the suns that are never off! I had a thought, luminous and warm and fancied to tell it to him: "Even if all my friends, all the people I know, would leave Kriya, I would stand fast anyway, not because I hope one day obtaining some particular result from it, but because Kriya has already given me something incomparable. I don't need a recharge of motivation by turning back to old readings: it is the radiance of my memory that saves me each time, every day."
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GLOSSARY
This glossary has been added for those who already know the meaning of the most common terms used in Kriya but do not wish to retain uncertainties about the way they are utilized in this book. Alchemy [taoist internal -- Nei Dan] The Taoist Internal Alchemy is the mystical tradition of ancient China. It reminds us of the techniques of First Kriya with such precision that we have all the reasons to assume that it consists of the same process.
Apana is one of the five forms of energy in the body. Associated with the Apana lower abdominal region, it is responsible for all the bodily functions (elimination for example) that take place there. Kriya Pranayama, in its initial phase, is essentially the movement of Prana (the particular form of energy present in the upper part of the trunk – lungs and heart) into Apana and the movement of Apana into Prana. When we inhale, the energy from outside the body is brought within and meets Apana in the lower abdomen; during exhalation, the Apana moves from its seat up and mingles with Prana. The continuous repetition of this event generates an increase of heat in the navel region: this calms the breath and kindles the light of the Spiritual Eye. Physical postures fit for meditation. According to Patanjali, the yogi's posture Asana must be steady and pleasant. The most part of the kriyabans are comfortable with the so-called Half-lotus [see]: this, indeed, avoids some physical problems. For the average kriyaban, Siddhasana [see] is considered superior to any other Asana. If we take finally into account those kriyabans who are expert of Hatha-Yoga, who have become very flexible, the perfect position is undoubtedly Padmasana [see]. Aswini (Ashwini) Mudra "Ashwa" means "horse"; "Aswini Mudra" means "Mudra of the female horse" because the anal contraction resembles the movement a horse makes with its sphincter immediately after evacuation of the bowels. There may be slightly different definitions of it and, sometimes, it is confused with Mula Bandha [see]. The basic definition is to repeatedly contract the muscles at the base of the spine (sphincter) with the rhythm of about two contrac tions per second. This Mudra is a direct way of getting in touch with the locked and stagnant energy at the base of the spine and to pump it up. Bandha In Yoga no practice of Pranayama is considered complete without the Bandhas. They are energy valves as much as they are locks, not simple muscle contractions, which prevent the energy from being dissipated and redirect it inside the spine. [See Jalandhara Bandha, Uddiyana Bandha and Mula Bandha] In the very beginning of the Kriya path, a yogi has only an approximate understanding of the Bandhas, later one will come to a complete command and will be able to use them, with slight adaptations, in most of the Kriya techniques. The three Bandhas, applied simultaneously, create an almost ecstatic inner shiver, a feeling of energy current moving up the spine. Sushumna Awakening is sustained. Bindu A spiritual center located in the occipital region where the hairline twists into a kind of vortex. Until the energy, scattered in the body, reaches the Bindu, a sort of shroud prevents the yogi from contemplating the Spiritual Eye. Bringing all one's force
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there, in that tiny place, is not an easy task because the deeper roots of the Ego are to be found right there; they must be faced and eradicated. Breathless state It is experienced after years of Kriya practice. It has nothing to do with holding the breath forcefully. It does not simply mean that the breath becomes more and more quiet. It is the state where the breath is entirely non-existent, with the subsequent dissolution of the mind. When it manifests, a kriyaban does not feel the need to take in any breath at all or one takes in a very short breath but doesn't feel the need to exhale for a very long time. (Longer than the time which medical science considers possible.) The breath becomes so calm that the practitioner has the factual perception that one is not breathing at all; one feels a fresh energy in the body, sustaining its life from inside, without the necessity of oxygen. According to the Kriya theory, this state is the result of having completed the work of cutting of the heart knot.
The region between the eyebrows, linked with Ajna Chakra and with Bhrumadhya the vision of the third eye (Kutastha). The word Chakra comes from the Sanskrit cakra meaning "wheel" or Chakra "circle". The Chakras are the "wheels" of our spiritual life; they are described in the tantric texts as emanations from the Spirit, whose essence gradually has expanded in more and more gross levels of manifestation, reaching eventually the dimension of the base Chakra, the Muladhara, embodying the physical world. The descended energyconsciousness lies coiled and sleeping at the base of the spine and is called Kundalini she who is coiled. We human beings consider only the physical world as real: it is only when our Kundalini awakens that we regain the full memory of the reality of the subtle dimension of the Universe. No author has ever "proven" the existence of the Chakras – as no man has ever proven the existence of the soul. It is difficult to describe them: we cannot bring them onto a table in a laboratory. In any Yoga book we find descriptions which rest on a translation of two Indian texts, the Sat-Cakra-Nirupana, and the Padaka-Pancaka, by Sir John Woodroffe, alias Arthur Avalon, in a book entitled The Serpent Power. The matter depicted there seems to be unnaturally complicated, almost impossible to be utilized. These concepts had been further polluted by theosophy and similar esoteric literature. The controversial C. W. Leadbeater book "The Chakras," is in large part the result of the mental elaboration of his own experiences. Through the practice of Kriya, we can have an experience of the Chakras. Located over the anus at the very base of the spinal column, in the lower part of the coccyx, we encounter the root Chakra - named Muladhara in Sanskrit, a center which distributes energy to the legs, to the lowest part of the pelvis, irradiating especially the Gonads (testes in men, ovaries in women). Muladhara symbolizes the objective consciousness, the awareness of the physical universe. It is related to instinct, security, to our ability to ground ourselves in the physical world, to the desire for material goods and also the building of a good self-image. If this Chakra is in a harmonious state, we are centered and have a strong will to live. The second, or sacral Chakra - Swadhisthan - is placed inside the spine between the last lumbar vertebrae and the beginning of the sacrum. It is said that its energetic projection is the area of the sexual organs - in part it intersects the region of Muladhara's influence. Since it is related to base emotion, sexuality vitality, creativity, and to the deepest part of the subconscious realms, a deep stimulus of it produces deep involving dreams; its action may be perceived as a feeling of living a fable, whose 220
nature is sweet and alluring. The Manipura - navel center or solar plexus - is placed in the spine at the level of the navel, near the end of the dorsal vertebrae and the beginning of the lumbar vertabrae. It is said to influence the pancreas and the adrenal glands on top of the kidneys. This connection gives fuel to the idea that this Chakra has the same role played by those glands: higher emotion and energy - just like the role played by adrenalin. It is said that it fosters a sense of personal power, secure feeling of "I Am.". Grounded and comfortable with our place in the universe, we are able to affirm with determination the purpose of our life. The Anahata - heart center, located in the spine at the height of the middle part of the dorsal vertebrae - is said to influence the thymus, which is part of the immune system. There is a universal agreement that it is related to higher emotion, compassion, love and intuitiveness. When a person concentrates on it, feelings of profound tenderness and compassion will start to develop. A healthy and fully open heart Chakra means to be able to see the inner beauty in others—in spite of their apparent faults. One is able to love everyone, even the strangers we meet on the street. There is a progression from the instinctual "gut emotions" of the lower Chakras to the higher emotions and feelings of the heart Chakra. What is of great interest for us, is that opening this center means to see life in a more neutral manner and see what others cannot see. It ends the predisposition to being influenced by other people, by churches and by organizations in general. Vishuddha - throat center, exactly amid the last cervical vertebrae and the first dorsal vertebrae - is said to influence thyroid and parathyroid. Since it controls the activity of the vocal cords as well, it is said that it has something to do with the capacity to express our ideas in the world. It seems to be related with the capacity for communication and with taking personal responsibility for our actions. The person with a healthy throat Chakra no longer thinks to blame others for his or her problems and can carry on with life with full responsibility. Many authors state it awakens artistic inspiration, the ability to develop superior aesthetic perception. Ajna - the third eye Chakra, located in the central part of the brain - influences the pituitary gland [hypophysis] and the small brain. The hypophysis has a vital role in organism, in the sense that together with the hypothalamus it acts as a command system of all other endocrine glands. In Sanskrit, "Ajna" translates to "command," which means it has the command or control of our lives: through controlled action, it brings to reality the fruit of our desires. Consequently, it is said that Ajna Chakra has a vital role in the spiritual awakening of a person. It is the seat of the intuition. The supreme Chakra is the Sahasrara - crown Chakra - right above the top of the head. It is said that it influences, or is bound with, the pineal gland. It allows detachment from illusion and is related to one's overall expansion of awareness and degree of attunement with the Divine Reality. It is a superior reality and we can experience it only in the state of breathlessness. It is possible to "tune" into it by utilizing the Bindu as a doorway. Teachings pertaining to the "Frontal Chakras" are to be found by some kriyabans coming from Sri Yukteswar's disciple lineage. The perineum is the first one, the genitals region is the second one, the navel is the third, the central part of the sternum region is the fourth, the Adam's apple is the fifth and the point between the eyebrows may be considered as the sixth. The core of the Kriya teaching regarding them, is that when these points are touched with concentration, the energy around the correspondent Chakra in the spine is revived.
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According to Patanjali, Dharana is the concentration on a physical or Dharana abstract object. In Kriya, Dharana consist in directing the focus of our attention toward the revelation of Spirit: Omkar's inner sound, light, and movement sensation. This happens just after having calmed the breath. According to Patanjali, Dhyana ensues from contemplating the essential Dhyana nature of the chosen object as a steady, uninterrupted flow of consciousness. In Kriya, the awareness, dwelling upon the Omkar reality, is soon lost in Samadhi. Flute sound (during Kriya Pranayama) During the exhalation of Kriya Pranayama, a slight hiss is produced in the throat; when a kriyaban succeeds in assuming the position of Kechari Mudra, then the quality of that sound increases. It has been likened to the "flute of Krishna". Lahiri Mahasaya describes it: "as if someone blew through a keyhole". This highly enjoyable sound cuts to pieces any distraction, increases mental calmness and transparency and helps to prolong effortlessly the practice of Kriya Pranayama. One day the flute sound turns into the Om sound. In other words, it gives rise to the Om sound, whose vibration will be so strong as to overwhelm the flute sound. During this event, a strong movement of energy climbs up the spine.
Granthi [see knot] Guru The importance of finding a Guru (teacher) who supervises the spiritual training of the disciple is one of the tenets of many spiritual paths. A Guru is a teacher, a guide and much more. The scriptures declare that the Guru is God and God is the Guru. We are accustomed to explaining the term "Guru" on a metaphorical interplay between darkness and light, in which the Guru is seen as the dispeller of darkness: "Gu" stands for darkness and "Ru" for one who removes it. Some scholars dismiss that etymology; according to them "Gu" stands for "beyond the qualities" and "Ru" for "devoid of form". In order to gain all the benefits from the contact with the Guru, a disciple has to be humble, sincere, pure in body and mind and ready to surrender to his Guru's will and instructions. Usually, during initiation (Diksha) Gurus bestow the esoteric knowledge upon their disciples, through which they will progress along the path to Self realization. The internal phenomenon of Shaktipat happens: the dormant spiritual realization within the disciple is awakened. Kriya organizations don't insist upon the concept of Shaktipat but accept all the rest, rather they are founded upon the afore summarized tenets. On the contrary, Lahiri Mahasaya's ideas seem to go in a significantly different direction. Once he said: "I am not the Guru, I don't maintain a barrier between the true Guru (the Divine) and the disciple". He added that he wanted to be considered a "mirror". In other words, each kriyaban should look at him not as an unreachable ideal, but as the personification of all the wisdom and spiritual realization which, in due time, the Kriya practice will be able to produce. Now the question is: do the Kriya techniques work outside the Guru-disciple relationship? There is of course no scientifically proven answer. In this matter we can use either faith or reason. Many kriyabans are confident they are able to transform the no-matter-how-received instruction into "gold". They think: "Beyond either reasonable or improbable expectations of finding a Kriya expert at my disposal, let me roll my sleeves up and move on!" Half-lotus
This asana has been used for meditation since time immemorial because it 222
provides a comfortable, very easily obtained, sitting position. The left leg is bent at the knee, brought toward the body and the sole of the left foot is made to rest against the inside of the right thigh. The heel of the left foot should is drawn in as far as possible. The right leg is bent at the knee and the right foot is placed over the fold of the left leg where the thigh meets to hip. The right knee is dropped as far as possible toward the floor. The hands rest on the knees. The secret is to maintain an erect spine: this can be obtained only by sitting on a cushion, thick enough, with the buttocks toward the front half of the cushion. In this way the buttocks are slightly raised, while the knees are resting on the floor. When the legs grow tired, the position is prolonged by reversing the legs. In certain delicate situations, it may be providential to do it on a chair, provided it has no arms and is large enough. In this way, one leg at a time can be lowered and the knee articulation relaxed! Some Yoga teachers explain that the pressure of a tennis ball (or of a folded towel) on the perineum can give the benefits of the Siddhasana position. The word Hesychasm derives from the Greek word "hesychia" meaning Hesychasm inner quietness, tranquility and stillness. Outside this condition, meditation is not possible. It is a discipline integrating the continual repetition of the Jesus Prayer ("Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner"). It was already used by the early Church Fathers in the 4th and 5th centuries) with the practice of asceticism. There were hermits dwelling in the desert, seeking inner peace and spiritual insight, while practicing contemplation and self-discipline: they had no doubts about the fact that knowledge of God could be obtained only by purity of soul and prayer and not by study or mental amusements in the field of philosophy. Later, their method of asceticism came to the fore as a concrete set of psychophysical techniques: this is properly the core of Hesychasm. It was Simeon, "the new theologian" (1025-1092), who developed the quietist theory which such detail that he may be called the father of this movement. The practice, which involved specific body postures and deliberate breathing patterns, was intended to perceive the Uncreated Light of God . The monks of Athos might have kept on contemplating peacefully this Uncreated Light (they considered it to be the highest goal of earthy life) had not their methods been denounced as superstitious and absurd. The objection was mainly based on a vigorous denial of the possibility that this Uncreated Light was God's essence. In approximately the year 1337, Hesychasm attracted the attention of a learned member of the Orthodox Church, Barlaam of Seminara, a Calabrian monk who held the office of abbot in a Monastery of Constantinople and who visited Mount Athos. There he encountered the hesychasts and heard the descriptions of their practices. Barlaam, trained in Western Scholastic theology, was scandalized and began to combat it both orally and in his writings. He called the hesychasts "omphalopsychoi" - people having their souls in their navels (owing to the long time they spent concentrating on the navel region). Barlaam propounded a more intellectual approach to the knowledge of God than the one taught by the hesychasts: he asserted that the spiritual knowledge could be only a work of inquiry, brought ahead by one's mind and translated in discrimination between truth and untruth. He held that no part of God, whatsoever, could be viewed by humans. The practice of the hesychasts was defended by St. Gregory Palamas. He was well educated in Greek philosophy and defended Hesychasm in the 1340 at three different synods in Constantinople, and he also wrote a number of works in its defense. He used a distinction, already articulated in the 4th Century in the works of the Cappadocian Fathers, between the energies or operations of God and the essence of God: while the essence of God can never be known by his creatures, His energies or operations can be known both in this life and in the next; they convey to the Hesychast the truest spiritual 223
knowledge of God. In Palamite theology, it is the uncreated energy of God which illuminates the Hesychast who has been vouchsafed an experience of the Uncreated Light. In 1341 the dispute was settled: Barlaam was condemned and returned to Calabria, afterwards becoming bishop in the Roman Catholic Church. Later, Hesychast doctrine was established as the doctrine of the Orthodox Church. Up to this day, the Roman Catholic Church has never fully accepted Hesychasm: the essence of God can be known, but only in the next life; there can be no distinction between the energies and the essence of God. Today Mount Athos is the well-known center of the practice of Hesychasm. Ida [see Nadi] Jalandhara Bandha In Jalandhara Bandha the neck and the throat are slightly contracted, while the chin is pressed against the breast.
Japa [See prayer] Kechari Mudra This Mudra is carried in one of the two following ways: 1. By placing the tongue in contact with the uvula at the back of the soft palate. 2. By slipping the tongue into the nasal pharynx touching, if possible, the nasal septum. According to Lahiri Mahasaya a kriyaban should achieve it not by cutting the tongue Fraenulum but by means of Talabya Kriya [see]. Kechari is literally translated as "the state of those who fly in the sky", in the "inner space". Kechari is compared to an electrical bypass of the mind's energetic system. It changes the path of Prana flow causing the life force to be withdrawn from the thinking process. Instead of allowing the thoughts to jump like frogs here and there, it causes the mind to be quiet and allows focusing it on the goal of meditation. We do not realize the quantity of energy we squander away when we get lost in our thoughts, in our plans. Kechari turns this pernicious way of exhausting all of our vitality into its opposite. The mind begins to lose its despotic role: the "inner activity" happens no more by the thinking process but by the effortless development of the intuition. Coupled with Kriya it is a substantial aid in clarify one's complicated psychological structures. A more elusive claim is the experience of the elixir of life, "Amrita," the "Nectar." This is a fluid with sweet taste perceived by the kriyaban when the tip of his tongue touches either the uvula or the bone protrusion in the roof of the palate under the hypophysis. The Yoga tradition explains that there is a Nadi going through the center of the tongue; energy radiates through its tip and when it touches that bone protrusion, this radiation reaches and stimulates the Ajna Chakra in the center of the brain.
Kevala Kumbhaka [see Breathless state] The traditional definition of the Granthis identifies three knots: the Brahma Knot Granthi at the Muladhara Chakra; the Vishnu Granthi at the heart Chakra and the point between the eyebrows. Those are the places where Ida, Pingala and Sushumna Nadi meet. Brahma Granthi (located in Muladhara) is the first knot. It is related to our physical body: it preserves the ignorance of our infinite nature and is the first obstacle in the spiritual search, since it obstructs the Kundalini's path as she begins to move toward the higher centers. The world of names and forms creates restlessness and 224
prevents the mind from becoming one pointed. Ambitions and desires trap the mind. Until one unties this knot, one cannot meditate effectively. Vishnu Granthi is located in the area of the heart Chakra (Anahata), and is related to the astral body and to the world of emotions. Lord Vishnu is the lord of preservation. This knot creates the desire to preserve ancient knowledge, traditions, institutions, and religious orders. It produces "compassion", a keen desire to help suffering humanity. Discriminating knowledge combined with Yoga effort can unfasten the Knot of Vishnu and obtain deliverance from the traditional bonds, deeply rooted in our genetic code. Rudra Granthi is related to the causal body and to the world of ideas, visions, and intuitions. At a point between the eyebrows, the Ida and Pingala Nadis cross over and then come down in the left and right nostrils, respectively. Ida and Pingala are time bound; after piercing the Rudra knot, the time bound consciousness dissolves - the yogi establishes himself in the supreme Atman whose seat is Sahasrara Chakra. Perfect emancipation is achieved. Lahiri Mahasaya underlines the importance of overcoming two other obstacles: tongue and navel which are unfastened by Kechari Mudra and by Navi Kriya, respectively. The knot of the tongue, cuts us off from the reservoir of energy in the Sahasrara region. The knot of the navel originates from the trauma of cutting the umbilical cord. The four phases of Kriya Yoga are experienced by unfastening all the afore mentioned knots, in the following order: I. Knot of the tongue II. Knot of Vishnu (heart Chakra) III. Knot of the navel IV. Knot of Brahma (Muladhara) & knot of Rudra (point between the eyebrows) As we can see, in Lahiri Mahasaya's vision, two secondary knots (tongue and navel) have become of primary importance and two main knots (Brahma and Rudra) are considered a two-phased event that characterizes the fourth and last stage of Kriya. [see chapter 7 for further discussion.] It has been explained that there is a strong connection between Brahma and Rudra knots. Actually, having already unfastened the knots of tongue, heart and navel, as soon as you cross the door of Sushumna (in Muladhara), you come up instantaneously, unimpeded, to the "door of the infinite" in the point between your eyebrows. Kriya Yoga If we want to understand the essence of Kriya Yoga it is necessary to put aside some definitions found on the web. "Kriya Yoga is the science of controlling life energy [Prana]." "Kriya Yoga is a technique that activates the astral cerebrospinal centers." "Kriya Yoga hastens the practitioner's spiritual development and helps to bring about a profound state of tranquility and God-communion." "Kriya Yoga brings about the stilling of sensory input." I don't want to contest them, but I think that Kriya is broader than what is implied. There are definitions which say nothing: they make a misleading synthesis of its methods and list its effects in the same way one would describe Hatha Yoga or Raja Yoga practice. Patanjali refers once to Kriya Yoga: "Kriya consists of body discipline, mental control, and meditating on Iswara." [Yoga sutras II:1] This is definitely correct, but by following the further evolution of his thought, we are led astray. Although he states that by constantly remembering the inner sound of Om we can achieve the
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removal of all the obstacles that block our spiritual evolution, he does not develop this method. He is far from describing the same spiritual discipline taught by Lahiri Mahasaya. Kriya Yoga is a "mystic path" utilizing the best tools used by the mystics of all religions. It consists of control of breath [Kriya Pranayama], prayer [Japa, Mantra] and pure effort of attuning with the Omkar Reality. The soothing process of calming the breath, followed by the Thokar procedure, guides the bodily energy into the heart Chakra, holding thus, as in a grip of calmness, the unceasing reflex originating the breath. When a perfect stillness is established, when all the inner and outer movements cease, the kriyaban perceives a radiation of fresh energy sustaining each cell from inside; then the breathless state settles in. When the physical breath is totally transcended and a circulation of energy happens in the body – the breath is said to have become "Internal" – a feeling of infinite safety, solidity and reliance originates. It is like having crossed a barrier and moved into a measureless space: Kriya yoga is a miracle of beauty. Kumbhaka Kumbhaka means holding the breath. It is such an important phase in Pranayama that some Yoga teachers doubt whether a modified way of breathing which does not include any Kumbhaka can be called Pranayama at all. It is observed that when we are about to do something which requires our total attention, our breath is automatically held. We are not deliberately doing Pranayama, but our breath is suspended of its own accord; this demonstrates how natural this fact is. In Pranayama the inhalation is called Puraka, which literally means "the act of filling"; the exhalation is called Rechaka, meaning "the act of emptying". Retention of breath is called Kumbhaka, meaning "holding". Kumbha is a pot: just as a water pot holds water when it is filled with it, so in Kumbhaka the breath and the Prana is held in the body. In the classic Yoga literature there are described four types of Kumbhaka. I. We breathe out deeply and hold the breath for a few seconds. This is known as "Bahir Kumbhaka" (External Kumbhaka). II. The second, " Antar Kumbhaka" (Internal Kumbhaka), is holding the breath after a deep inhalation. Usually this kind of Kumbhaka is accompanied by the use of the Bandhas. III. The third type is that practiced by alternate breathing - breathing in deeply through the left nostril, then holding the breath and then exhaling through the right… It is considered the easiest form of Kumbhaka. IV. The fourth type is the most important of all, the peak of Pranayama. It is called Kevala Kumbhaka or automatic suspension of breath: it is the breathless state where there is no inhalation or exhalation, and not even the slightest desire to breathe. In the Kriya praxis, the underlying principle of I. is present in some variations of Navi Kriya and in all those procedures involving a series of very long and calm exhalations which seem to end in a sweet nothing. Internal Kumbhaka II. happens in different Kriya techniques; particularly in Yoni Mudra, Maha Mudra and Thokar. Maha Mudra, with its balancing action on the right and on the left side of the spine, contains also – in a broader sense - the principles of III.: alternating breathing. A turning point in Kriya is the achievement of IV. Kevala Kumbhaka. In Kriya we distinguish between "Bahir" (external) and "Antar" (internal) Kevala Kumbhaka. "Bahir (external) Kevala Kumbhaka" (the development and climax of I.) appears during mental Pranayama (or during any procedure linked with the Third Kriya) after having relaxed and thus emptied the rib cage. "Antar (internal) Kevala Kumbhaka" (the development and climax of II.)
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appears during the highest refining of Yoni Mudra, Maha Mudra and Thokar (or during any procedure linked with the Fourth Kriya) after having completed a long inhalation, with the rib cage moderately full of air-Prana. Kundalini The concept of Kundalini and, particularly, of its awakening, provides a framework which is convenient for expressing what is happening along the spiritual path. Most of the spiritual traditions have some awareness of Kundalini; not all are equally open in exposing the practical details of the process. Kundalini is Sanskrit for "coiled": it is conceived as a particular energy coiled like a serpent in the root Chakra (Muladhara). The representation of being coiled like a spring conveys the idea of untapped potential energy. It sleeps in our body and underneath the layers of our consciousness, waiting to be aroused either by spiritual discipline or by other means like particular experiences of life. It is depicted as rising from the Muladhara up through the Sushumna, activating each Chakra; when it arrives at the crown Chakra (Sahasrara), it bestows infinite bliss, mystical illumination etc. It is only through repeatedly raising of the Kundalini, that the yogi succeeds in obtaining Self realization. Its rising is not a mild sense of energy flowing inside the spine. Its movement is like having a ''volcano erupting'' inside, a ''rocket missile'' shot through the spine! Its nature is beneficial; there is an evident resistance in trusting the reports of Kundalini awakening accompanied by troubles such as patently disturbed breathing patterns, distortion of thought processes, unusual or extreme strengthening of emotions… We are rather inclined to think that a dormant malady, brought to open manifestation by thoughtless practice of violent exercises or drugs is the cause of those phenomena. Insomnia, hypersensitivity to environment may indeed follow the authentic experience. In a ''true awakening,'' the force of Kundalini eclipses the ego altogether and the individual feels disoriented for some time. All is absorbed in a short time, without problems. Alas, the search for a repetition of the episode may lead to disorderly and careless practice of strange techniques, without ever establishing a minimal foundation of mental silence. Each book warns against the risk of a premature awakening of Kundalini and asserts that the body must be prepared for the event. Almost any yogi thinks he or she is capable of sustaining this premature awakening and the warning excites them more than ever: the problem is that many do not have (or have lost) a genuine spiritual approach and nourish a fairly egotistical condition. In the Kriya theoretical framework we consider Kundalini to be the same energy that exists throughout the body and not specifically residing in the Muladhara Chakra. We seldom use the term "Kundalini awakening" and try to avoid what could give the impression that such an experience has an alien nature: Kundalini is our own energy; it is the purest layer of our consciousness. Kutastha Kutastha, the "third eye" or "spiritual eye" is the organ of inner vision (the unified astral counterpart of the two physical eyes), the place in our body where the spiritual Light manifests. By concentrating between the eyebrows, a formless darkness is first perceived, then a small crepuscular light, then other lights; eventually we have the experience of a golden ring surrounding a dark stain with a blazing tiny white point inside. There is a connection between Kutastha and Muladhara: what we are observing in the space between the eyebrows is nothing but the opening of the spinal door, which is located at the root Chakra. Some Kriya teachers affirm that the condition for entering the last and the highest Kriya stage is that the vision of the spiritual eye has become constant; others identify it with the condition in which the energy is perfectly calm at the base of the spine. Therefore both affirmations are one and the same.
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Maha Mudra Maha Mudra is a particular stretching position of the body. The importance of this technique becomes clear as soon as we observe how it incorporates the three main Bandhas of Hatha Yoga. There are indeed a thousand and one reasons to practice Maha Mudra with firmness. There is a ratio between the number of its repetitions and the number of the breaths: it is recommended that for each 12 Kriya Pranayama, one should perform one Maha Mudra.
Mahasamadhi [see Second Kriya] Mantra [See prayer] Mental Pranayama In mental Pranayama a kriyaban controls the energy in his body by forgetting the breathing process and focusing only upon Prana in the Chakras and in the body. His awareness dwells on both the inner and the external component of each Chakra until he feels a radiation of fresh energy vitalizing each part of the body and sustaining it from inside. This action is marked by the end of all the physical movements, by a perfect physical and mental stillness. At times, the breath becomes so calm that the practitioner has the absolute perception they are not breathing at all.
In Mula Bandha the perinea muscles - between the anus and the Mula Bandha genital organs - are slightly contracted while a mental pressure is exerted on the lower part of the spine. (Differently from Aswini Mudra, one does not simply tighten the sphincter muscles; in Mula Bandha the perineum seems to fold upward as the pelvic diaphragm is drawn upward through the motion of the pubic bone.) By contracting this muscle group, the current of Apana which normally gravitates downward is pulled upwards, gradually uniting with Prana at the navel. Mula Bandha has thus the effect of causing Prana to flow into Sushumna channel, rather than along Ida and Pingala. Nada Yoga Nada Yoga is the path of union with the Divine through listening to inner sounds. Surat-Shabda-Yoga is another name for Nada Yoga. Nada Yoga is an experiential meditation. It has its basis in the fact that one who follows the mystical path infallibly meets this manifestation of Spirit - whatever may be their preparation and their convictions. It is a highly enjoyable form of meditation; anyone can be involved in this even without having fully understood it. You may use a particular position of the body— a squatting position with the elbows resting on the knees, just to give an example—to plug both the ears. Remaining quietly seated, you simply focus all your attention on subtle sounds that come from within, rather than the audible sounds from outside. It is recommended to repeat mentally, unremittingly, your favorite Mantra. Awareness of inner sound must happen, sooner or later; your listening skills will improve and you will become more sensitive. There are different levels of development in the experience of inner sounds: you will hear a bumblebee, the drum, the lute, the flute, the harp, the clapping of thunder or a hum like an electrical transformer. Some of these sounds are actually just the sounds of your body, especially the blood pumping. Other sounds are actually the "sounds behind the audible sound". It is into this deeper realm that, while over time gently easing the mind into relaxed concentration, your awareness is drawn. After some weeks of dedicated practice you will tune in with a sound deeper than all the above-quoted astral sounds. This is the cosmic sound of Om. The sound is perceived in different variations; Lahiri Mahasaya describes it as "produced by a lot of people who keep on striking the disk of
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a bell". It is continuous "as the oil that flows out of a container". Nadi Subtle channels through which life energy flows throughout the body. The most important are Ida, which flows vertically along the left side of the spinal column (it is said to be of female nature), and Pingala (of masculine nature) which flows parallel to Ida on the right side; Sushumna flows in the middle and represents the experience that is beyond duality. Nadi Sodhana Alternate nostril breathing exercise, it is not a part of Kriya Yoga proper. Yet, because its effects of appeasing and cheering up the mind (especially if it is practiced in the morning) are unmatched, some kriyabans make it a regular part of their routine. Navi Kriya The essence of this technique is to dissolve inhalation and exhalation at the state of equilibrium in the navel, the seat of the Samana current. It is coupled in various ways with the practice of Kriya Pranayama. Some schools which do not specifically teach it provide some substitutes for it. New Age The New Age sensibility is marked by the perception of something "planetary" at work. Since distinguished men of science have contributed to the New Age sensibility, there is no need to dwell on the affirmation, irrelevant for our understanding, according to which such a progress coincided with the entry of the solar system in the sign of Aquarius - from this belief it derived the term "Age of Aquarius" or " New Age". The essential thing is that people realized that the discoveries of Physics, of Alternative Medicine, the developments of the Depth Psychology, all converged toward one and the same understanding: the substantial interdependence among the universe, body, psyche and spiritual dimension of human beings. The esoteric-initiation societies, overcoming for a long time the differences of culture and religious vision, had already recognized this truth, which now, has become common heritage. During the twentieth century, human thought has made a strong step forward in a healthy direction. There are many grounds to believe that, in the future, such an epoch will be studied with the same respect with which nowadays Humanism, Renaissance and Enlightenment ages are studied. The New Age thought deserves a deep respect for many reasons. If I hint at some "frenzies" I refer to the excessive use of alternative remedies for any type of real or imaginary troubles and to even more dangerous theories borrowed with a lot of superficiality from various esoteric currents, rather than to a depth progress in the understanding, in the expansion of the awareness out of the narrow fences of the small ego tied up obsessively to the maintenance of its petty conveniences.
Nirbikalpa Samadhi [see Paravastha] Omkar is Om, the Divine Reality sustaining the universe, whose nature is Omkar vibration with specific aspects of sound, light and inner movement. The term "Omkar" or "Omkar Kriya" is also utilized to indicate any procedure fostering the Omkar experience -- it may be a variation of Kriya Pranayama utilizing the Mantra Om Na Mo Bha..., it may include the practice of Thokar. Padmasana
In this asana the right foot is placed on the left thigh and the left foot on 229
the right thigh with the soles of the feet turned up. The name means the "posture in which the lotuses (the Chakras) are seen." It is explained that, combined with Kechari and Shambhavi Mudra, this Asana creates an energetic condition in the body, suitable to producing the experience of the internal light coming from each Chakra. Personally, I do not counsel anyone to perform this difficult posture. There are yogis who had to have cartilage removed from their knees after years of forcing themselves into Padmasana. In Kriya Yoga, at least for those living in the west and not used to assuming it since infancy, it is much wiser, healthier and comfortable to practice either the Half lotus or the Siddhasana posture. This concept is linked with that of "Sthir Tattwa (Tranquility)". Named Paravastha by Lahiri Mahasaya, Paravastha designates the state that comes by holding onto the after-effect of Kriya. It is not just joy and peace but something deeper, vital for us as a healing. From our initial efforts directed at mastering the techniques, we perceive moments of deep peace and harmony with the rest of the world, which extend during the day. Paravastha comes after years of discipline, when the breathless state is familiar: the tranquility state lasts forever, it is no longer to be sought with care. Flashes of the ending state of freedom comfort the mind while coping with life's battles. Pingala [see Nadi] Prana The energy inside our psychophysical system. Prana is divided into Prana, Apana, Samana, Udana and Vijana, which have their location respectively in the chest, in the low abdomen, in the region of the belt, in the head and in the remaining part of the body - arms and legs. That the term Prana is interpreted in two ways should not create confusion – provided that one considers the context in which the word is used. In the initial phases of Kriya Pranayama we are mainly interested in Prana, Apana and Samana. When we use Shambhavi Mudra and during mental Pranayama we contact Udana. Through many techniques (like Maha Mudra) and by the experience of Kriya Pranayama with Internal Breath we experience the fresh vitalizing nature of Vijana. Pranayama The term Pranayama is comprised of two roots: Prana is the first; Ayama (expansion) or Yama (control) is the second. Thus, the word Pranayama can be understood either as the "Expansion of Prana" or as the "Control of Prana". I would prefer the first but I think that the correct one is the second. In other words, Pranayama is the control of the energy in the whole psychophysical system by using the breathing process with the purpose to receive a beneficial effect or to prepare the experience of meditation. The common Pranayama exercises - although they may not involve the perception of any energetic current - can create a remarkable experience of energy rising in the spine. This is not negligible since this experience causes the skeptical practitioner the discovery of the spiritual dimension and pushes him or her to seek something deeper. In Kriya Pranayama the breathing process is coordinated with the attention of the mind up and down along the spinal column. While the breathing is deep and slow, with the tongue either flat or turned back, the awareness accompanies the movement of the energy around the six Chakras. By deepening the process, the current flows in the deepest channel in the spine: Sushumna. When by a long practice a subtle form of energy circulates (in a clearly perceivable way) inside the body while the physical breath is totally settled down, the kriyaban has an experience of unthinkable beauty.
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Prayer [Japa, Mantra] Prayer is an act of communion with the Higher Reality that allows a person to make a reverent plead, to seek guidance, to offer praise or simply to express their thoughts and emotions. The sequence of words used in a prayer may either be a set formula or a spontaneous expression in the praying person's own words. Whatever be the appeal to God, this act presupposes a belief in the Divine Will to interfere in our life. "Ask, and ye shall receive" (Matt. 7:7, 8; 21:22). Prayer is a subject of wide range and scope; here I will restrict it to the repetitive prayer. In India, the repetition of the Name of the Divine is known as Japa. This word Japa is derived from the root Jap - meaning: "to utter in a low voice, repeat internally". Japa is also the repetition of any Mantra, which is a broader term than prayer. Mantra can be a name of the Divine but also a pure sound without a meaning. A certain number of sounds were chosen by ancient yogis who sensed their power and used them extensively. (Some believe that the repetition of a Mantra has the mysterious power of bringing about the manifestation of the Divinity "just as the splitting of an atom manifests the tremendous forces latent in it"). The term Mantra derives from the words "Manas" (mind) and "Tra" (protection): we protect our mind by repeating unrelentingly the same healthy vibration. Usually a Mantra is repeated verbally for some time, then in a whisper and then mentally for some time. In most forms of Japa, the repetitions are counted using a string of beads known as a (Japa) Mala. The number of beads is generally 108 or 100. The Mala is used so that the devotee is free to enjoy the practice without being preoccupied with counting the repetitions. It may be performed whilst sitting in a meditation posture or while performing other activities, such as walking. Sahasrara The seventh Chakra extends from the crown of the head up to the Fontanelle and over it. It cannot be considered of the same nature as the other Chakras, but a superior reality, which can be experienced only in the breathless state. It is not easy therefore to concentrate upon it as we do with the other Chakras. Only after a deep practice of Kriya Pranayama, when the breath is very calm, is the attunement with it possible; a particular pressure over the head may be felt. Samadhi According to Patanjali's Ashtanga (eight steps) Yoga, Samadhi is the state of deep contemplation in which the object of meditation becomes inseparable from the meditator himself: it results naturally from Dharana and Dhyana. In my opinion, Samadhi does not mean "union with God." We take so many things for granted. Our language is strongly hampered: magniloquent words risk meaning nothing. To become one and the same thing with God is different from to awaken to the realization that we are a part of That One? Words deceive our comprehension and kindle egoist expectations. One is thrilled by words such as: absolute, eternal, infinite, supreme, everlasting, celestial, divine…. I have half a mind to suggest a sober definition of Samadhi, which may stimulate a reflection upon the meaning of the spiritual path. Let me therefore define Samadhi as independent from any accident, beatific, near death experience (NDE). The descriptions of Samadhi and of NDE follow the same pattern: actually the nature of the phenomenon which takes place in the body is almost the same. This opinion may disappoint those who smell a restrictive and limiting shade of meaning in it; however I prefer to think in this way and …. discover much more during the actual Samadhi experience than to thrive in rhetoric. Even if Samadhi were no more than a NDE experience, however it would have a superlative value. In both the experiences, the awareness can provide a glimpse of the Eternity beyond mind; then (this happens to the trained yogi) that lofty awareness blends, integrates with the customary life, which is
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totally transformed for the better. To those who wonder if it is fair to diminish the worth of the Kriya ecstatic state by reducing it to a process of contacting for some time the after life dimension, we could reply that this genuine experience is unmatched in fostering in a clean way the Kriya Yoga ideals of a balanced spiritual life. A Mudra in which the ocular bulbs and the eyebrows are Shambhavi Mudra upturned as much as possible; often the inferior eyelids relax and a bystander can observe the white of the cornea under the iris. All the visual force of the ocular nerves is gathered on the top of the head. Lahiri Mahasaya in his well known portrait is showing this Mudra. Second Kriya It has been reported that by using the Second Kriya technique, Swami Pranabananda, an eminent disciple of Lahiri Mahasaya, left his body consciously (this feat is called Mahasamadhi - the conscious exit out of the body, at death). There was no violence to the body; the feat happened only at the most proper moment - according to a Karmic point of view when the moment was right. Now the debate is: what procedure did he make use of? a… Many claim it was the technique of Thokar. It is possible that he arrested the movement of the heart and therefore left his body. He might have done one single Thokar and stopped his heart; this means he put so much mental strength in this act as to block the energy which kept his heart throbbing. b… Some believe that this supreme calming of the heart was achieved only by a mental action of immersion in the point between the eyebrows, entering the light of Kutastha. The reports say that those who were around him did not notice any head movement. Similarly when other great ones left their body there was no movement. c… In my opinion, Mahasamadhi is not a "shrewd esoteric trick" to master the mechanics of a painless suicide. Surely each great master relies upon his already built ability to enter Samadhi. By creating a total peace in his being, the soul's natural desire to regain union with the Infinite Source puts in action a natural mechanism of appeasing the cardiac plexus. Siddhasana The Sanskrit name means "Perfect Pose". In this Asana, the sole of the left foot is placed against the right thigh so that the heel presses on the perineum. The right heel is placed against the pubic bone. This position of the legs, combined with Kechari Mudra, closes the pranic circuit and makes Kriya Pranayama easy and profitable.
Sushumna [see Nadi] It is a stretching exercise of the muscles of the tongue, and Talabya Kriya particularly of the Fraenulum. The purpose is to attain Kechari Mudra [see]. This practice creates a distinct calming effect on the thoughts and, for this reason, it is never put aside, even after Kechari Mudra is achieved. A Kriya technique based on directing the calm Prana - collected in the head Thokar through Kriya Pranayama - toward the location of one (usually the 4th) or more Chakras, by a particular (jerking) movement of the head. Guiding Prana into the Anahata Chakra, a light grows in the region between the eyebrows. This fosters the breathless state. By increasing the concentration on the spiritual light, the lights of all the other Chakras are revealed. The practice of Thokar is to be deepened throughout the 232
years in order to get the ability to enter the state of Samadhi with just one stroke. Studying the practices of the Sufis, (see the studies conducted by Gardet and M. M. Anawati, esp. Gardet in Revue Thomiste (1952-3)), we discover that Thokar is a variant of the Sufi's Dhikr. Dhikr is the practice of the "memory" of the Divine, which is brought about by repeating a particular short prayer during the day and by guiding it, during moments of seclusion or group devotional practice, into particular centers of the body through specific head movements. It might have happened that Lahiri knew this technique since youth. Some forms of prayer he saw were mild forms of Thokar. It was His genius to develop it to the utmost perfection. Some Kriya Acharya teaches the practice of Thokar in a very Tribhangamurari particular way. The central teaching is guiding your awareness along a three-curved path called Tribhangamurari (Tri-bhanga-murari = three-bend-form). This path begins in Bindu, bending to the left, it descends into the seat of the Rudra knot (the region from medulla oblongata to Bhrumadhya between the eyebrows), goes across it and continues toward the right side of the body. Then it reverses direction cutting the Vishnu knot whose seat is in the heart Chakra. Then it reverses again its direction pointing toward the seat of the Brahma knot in the coccyx region, which is also crossed by entering the spine and coming up toward Bindu. These teachers explain that in the last part of His life, Lahiri Mahasaya drew with extreme precision the three-bends form which is perceived by deepening the afterKriya-Pranayama meditation. Uddiyana Bandha Abdominal lock: it is usually practiced with breath out but in Kriya it is also utilized with breath in especially during the practice of the main Kriya Mudras: Maha Mudra, Navi Kriya and Yoni Mudra. To practice it with breath out, utilize, at least partly, Jalandhara Bandha. Take a false inhale (perform the same action of an inhale without actually pulling any air into the body.) Draw the belly up as much as possible. Hold your the breath out. To practice it with breath in, contract slightly the abdominal muscles until you intensify the perception of the energy in the spinal column in the region of Manipura Chakra. Yama – Niyama Yama is Self-control: non-violence, avoiding lies, avoiding stealing, avoiding being lustful, and non-attachment. Niyama is religious observances: cleanliness, contentment, discipline, study of the Self and surrender to the Supreme God (Brahman). While in most Kriya schools these rules are put as premises to be respected in order to receive initiation, a discriminating researcher understands that they are to be considered really as the consequences of a correct Yoga practice. A beginner cannot to much depth understand what "Study of the Self" means. Some teacher repeats, parrot fashion, the necessity of observing those rules and, after having given absurd clarifications of some of the above points (in particular which mental trick to utilize in order to … avoid being lustful), passes on to explain the techniques. Why utter empty words? Whom is he trying to fool? The mystic path, when followed honestly, cannot compromise itself with any rhetoric. When an affirmation is made, it is that. Yama and Niyama are a good topic to study, an ideal to bear in mind, but not a vow. Only through practice is it possible to understand their real meaning and, consequently, see them flourish in one's life. Yoga Sutra (by Patanjali) The Yoga Sutras are an extremely influential text on Yoga philosophy and practice: over fifty different English translations are the testimony of its
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importance. Although we are not sure of the exact time when their author Patanjali lived, we can set it between 200 B.C. and 200 A.D. The Yoga Sutras are made up by a collection of 195 aphorisms dealing with the philosophical aspects of mind and awareness, thus establishing a sound theoretical basis of Raja Yoga - the Yoga of self discipline and meditation. Yoga is described as an eight stage (Ashtanga) path which are Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi. The first five steps build the psycho-physical foundation for having a true spiritual experience; the last three are concerned with disciplining the mind up to its dissolution in the ecstatic experience. The Sutras define also some esoteric concepts, common to all the traditions of the Indian thought, such as Karma. Although, at times, Patanjali is called "the father of Yoga", his work is actually a compendium of pre-existing oral Yoga traditions, an inhomogeneous whole of practices betraying an indistinct and contradictory theoretical background. However, the importance of Patanjali's work is beyond discussion: he clarified what others had taught; what was abstract he made practical! He was a genial thinker, not just a compiler of rules. His equilibrium between theism and atheism is very appreciable. We do not find the least suggestion of worshiping idols, deities, gurus, or sacred books - at the same time we do not find any atheistic doctrine either. We know that "Yoga," besides being a rigorous system of meditation practice, implies devotion to the Eternal Intelligence or Self. Patanjali affirms the importance of directing our heart's aspiration toward Om. Yoni Mudra The potential of this technique includes, in all effects, the final realization of the Kriya path. Kutastha - between the eyebrows - is the place where the individual soul had its origin: the delusive Ego needs to be dissolved there. The core component of this Mudra is to bring all the energy into the point between the eyebrows and hinder its scattering by closing the head openings – the breath is quieted in the region from throat to the point between the eyebrows. If a deep relaxation state is established in the body, this practice succeeds in generating a very intense ecstatic state, which spreads throughout one's being. About its practical implementation, there are minor differences among the schools: some give a greater importance to the vision of the Light and less to the dissolution of breath and mind. Among the first, there are those who teach, while keeping more or less the same position of the fingers, to focus upon each Chakra and to perceive their different colors. One satisfactory remark, found in the traditional Yoga literature, is that this technique gets its name "Yoni", meaning "uterus", because like the baby in the uterus, the practitioner has no contact with the external world, and therefore, no externalization of consciousness.
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