Category Archives: Vedic

The Digesting Fires

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Mush by Caroline

Primordial Agni is the fire or driving force and light of creation. In essence, it is intelligent flow. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi called it Creative Intelligence. It shows up on every level as transformation – the fires of dissolution and of creation. The key with transformation is balance. Balance sustains the universe while allowing transformation. Too much fire and too much gets destroyed. Anger, frustration, acid reflux, and Pitta imbalance are some ways this manifests. Too little fire and things are not digested properly. They go toward too much air and ungroundness (Vata) or an excess of sludge and inertia (Kapha). … Continue Reading… →

Austerity

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Emaciated Siddhartha, photo by Akuppa John Wigham

In spiritual traditions the world over, austerities have been considered a key requirement for spiritual progress. Shankara, for example, revived the monastic tradition in India and there has been a clear lineage since. Buddha gave up his royal role and withdrew to the forest. St. Francis of Assisi did similar. However, a large part of this has been because of the age or Yuga we’ve been in. We needed to withdraw from the thick mud of the world to go within. Our age has changed. In the 60s and 70s, millions of people took up meditation, gradually clearing theirs and … Continue Reading… →

Preyas and Shreyas

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Sunday morning pleasures by Caroline

Recently, I read an article by Kavitha Chinnaiyan M.D. on Preyas and Shreyas. It’s not an approach I’ve explored before but one that can shed some insight. Preyas means pleasing, desired, gratifying, a lover; what appeals to the senses. Shreyas comes from the root “shri,” which means auspiciousness or radiant and also support. In a spiritual path we seek the support of the auspicious like an enlightened master or natures support. In the opening of Krishna’s discourse to Prince Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita or Song of God, he outlines the key: Contacts (of the senses) with their objects, O … Continue Reading… →

The Maaya of Maya

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1e by Masbt

On this blog, I’ve been arguing that the Sanskrit “maya” comes from the root “to build” and means creation, not illusion. We may see the world as an illusion at a certain stage but the reality is deeper than this. It turns out we have lost some detail in transliteration from the larger Sanskrit alphabet to English. There’s three different words in play: maya, maaya, and maayaa (aa meaning long A). Maya means “made of”, from the root “to build.” We see this in words like annamaya kosha, the “body made of food” or physical body and in the name … Continue Reading… →

More on Death

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Death Valley by Peretz Partensky

Over the years, I’ve written surprisingly often about death. This is because there is a lot of fear and misunderstanding around the topic. Yet we’ve all been there before. Recently a good friend sent me a site on the Vedic approach to death. I wasn’t born into the culture in this life so I don’t follow the rituals much. However, there are useful points we can draw from that understanding to support ourselves and others through this process. Settled Space It’s useful to create a settled environment for the dying. Prayers and meditation are more supportive than expressions of grief. … Continue Reading… →

Lokas and Patalas

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Kapaleeshwarar Temple by Vinoth Chandar

I’ve previously talked a little about lokas, mainly for the 2 versions of the Gayatri mantra. One describes a 3-worlds model of physical, subtle, and Divine. The other, a more detailed 7-worlds model with the physical, 3 progressively more subtle layers, and 3 heavens. Same arena divided in more detail. How many colours in a rainbow? Loka means place or world. The Vedas define lokas ranging from the physical world up into various heavens in the celestial realm. Essentially lokas are a type of nested sub-space. Just as the described koshas often stop with the causal, heavens are not usually … Continue Reading… →

The Yog Vasishtha

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a cloud

As most readers know, I started my path through Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. He’s had a strong influence on my perspective as he brought great clarity to ancient philosophy and enlightenment. Maharishi spent a great deal of time translating the Bhagavad Gita and the Brahma Sutra in the 60s and early 70s (they have not published most of it). But it turns out much of Maharishi’s later programs came out of the Yog Vasishtha. The Yog Vasishtha is an ancient text describing the teachings of the sage Vasishtha to prince Rama. It is the core text of the Ramayana, the story … Continue Reading… →

Curving Back

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mind spiral

I’ve talked regularly of how consciousness curves back on itself, becomes self-aware, and expresses. In my talk at this years Science and Nonduality Conference, I spoke of how the layers of expression unfold from that self-interacting consciousness. But there’s another detail I also (awkwardly) touched on there.  Consciousness folds back on itself over and over. That flow of consciousness curving back on itself continues, and it folds back on itself over and over. Each folding creates a smaller and smaller infinity and density until qualities of consciousness manifest. – On the level of the bliss body, Space manifests and vibration … Continue Reading… →

The Saptarishi or Seven Seers

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lights

The Rig Veda, the oldest existent text, is composed primarily of the cognitions of a small group of rishis or seers. 10 families of rishis account for 95% of the verses in the 10 mandalas or books.   There are 7 key rishis known as the Saptarishi, said to incarnate after the universe is reborn to restore the cognitions in consciousness and thus awaken that knowledge in the collective. They are Brahmarishi – knowers of Brahman. Ancient India named the 7 stars of the Big Dipper constellation after them. However, some understanding about them seems lost. For example, I’ve noticed … Continue Reading… →

To Retire

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nautilus shell

There is a word in the Rig Veda, Nivartadhvam. It means to “twist within” or return or retire.   We retire from the world through samadhi or transcendence. Then we return to the world by retiring from transcendence. This is like the analogy of dying the cloth. To dye a fabric the old way, it was dipped in the dye to soak, then hung up in the sun to bleach. That cycle was repeated until the colour was fast. Too much time in the dye (practices) and the fabric will rot. Too much time in the sun (activity) and the … Continue Reading… →

The Apaurusheya Bhashya

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ADSR

One of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s gifts to the world was a simple technique to go beyond the mind and transcend. This is pure Yoga. Another great gift was of understanding. He brought a vision to the ancient texts that shed immense light on their deeper meanings. One aspect of the second was his early ’80’s cognition of the uncreated commentary of the Rig Veda. He found that the layout of the text also described the text. The structure was a commentary on itself and on the dynamics of creation. He called this The Apaurusheya Bhashya. Apaurusheya means “not of a … Continue Reading… →

Inherent Intelligence

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sugar magnolia

When we talk about origins, it’s important to recognize the intelligence embedded in the process of all experience and expression. Pure Divinity seeps into everything. For example, in the origins of consciousness, when liveliness stirs alertness, it doesn’t just agitate it. Alertness becomes awareness which becomes self-referencing and reflective. This is the foundation of all experience. Similarly, within the dynamics of consciousness, there would be no devata value or process of experience and no recognition if there were not inherent intelligence. On a more personal level, we can see the dynamics of our own intelligence. When we’re agitated, our forebrain … Continue Reading… →