Article Of The Month

Atma Namaste

Master came. He gave us Pranic Healing. And Arhatic Yoga. And then He left.

Did he leave because his work was over? Is his work over? Have Pranic Healing and Arhatic Yoga spread to all parts of the world? What was his dream? "A pranic healer in every household." Is that anywhere near accomplished?

No, surely. But he left. Because in his relentless effort to spread the message, his body had become, to quote his own worlds, "permanently damaged". It became more a hindrance than a tool, so he put it down.

But what about the rest of us? If we invoke Master at the drop of a hat, for everything from illness to financial and relationship troubles to mundane things like traffic jams - and then marvel at how things get sorted out - don't we have an OBLIGATION to do something in return?

Many of us are doing something. Sure. Many of us are slogging for various projects. Food for the Hungry. Zero Hunger Act. Spreading the teachings. Creating awareness. Meditation on Peace. Etc etc. And doing a very good job of it, too.

But one gets this disturbing feeling, that at least a few of us are not pulling our weight. We're allowing ourselves to be pulled along. So one would like to share a few thoughts - without any intention of lecturing. This is as much for oneself as it is for all of us.

No 1: "We are one."

That refers to ALL of us, without exceptions. During the Delhi weekend at the Ashram recently, Acharya Hector talked about the soul evolution. About how, having individualised all the way down from the Logos into separate entities, the soul is now on the return journey, towards union with the higher soul, with all souls and with the Logos. He mentioned that "Individualisation is the biggest sin."

So every time we practise separatenes - which we do countless times in our daily lives - we are sinning. God knows, our baggage is big enough as it is, without adding to it!

The solution? Practise inner forgiveness. And inner oneness. We may need to shield our bodies against contamination from each other, but at soul level we must practise oneness. And we must try to practise it during every waking moment.

No 2: "We need to work out our karma."

Master taught us tithing. He taught us decreeing. And he said on several occasions, that we need to decree each and every good act we do, to neutralise our past karma, for many many years. The baggage is heavy.

When we decree for other things - a promotion, for instance, or for neutralising a karmic obligation with one's spouse etc - it is a good idea to tithe extra for that, rather than decree from the basic tithing. Because our basic tithing is required to neutralise our basic karmic baggage.

No 3: Exercise!

Too basic? Too lazy. Most of us skip the exercises, especially with the MTH. Apart from the fact that we would not get the full benefit of the meditation if we do not exercise before it, the fact is, too, that divine energy would get stuck at many points in the body if it is not adequately loosened up prior to the meditation. In sporting terms, this is called warming up. And no trained athlete would dare skip it!

Arising from that, what about cooling down? After the event, the athlete doesn't put on a tracksuit go out to celebrate. S/he spends a good half an hour returning the body to normal. The same is required of us after meditation. Many of us, because of lack of spiritual experiences, presume that nothing much has happened during the meditation. Not true! Divine energy has come down, and is trying to make its way through the body. And because of energy blocks in different chakras, it gets stuck. We may then experience radical reaction, like a heavy head, sleepiness etc a while after the meditation. DO NOT COMPROMISE!

No 4: Purification

Again, something many of us feel a little lazy about. But if you look at the lengths to which Master has gone to make it easy for us, one feels more than a bit embarrassed about skipping it. One recalls the first retreat held at the Ashram, when Master stood at the top of the hill and looked down at the meditation hall, where the students were exercising. He sent Acharya Hector down with the task: More purification. Especially, clean out the lower chakras with green and orange.

If a baby has dirtied the diaper, what does s/he do? Cry at the top of the voice till mom (or on rare occasions, dad) comes and cleans things up. But when the child is older? Crying would just get a quick slap, no? So it is with us. We are no longer babies. And we have been given the tools. We need to maintain our own cleanliness - not just about physical scrubbing, but also etheric scrubbing. And especially emotional scrubbing. Pranayama, blue triangles, salt baths, self healing. And since our auras interpenetrate, shielding.

No 5: Practise the virtues

This is difficult. How can we be honest, and all that, and continue to 'succeed' in the material world? Perhaps the key lies in the definition of success. If one can find contentment in what one already has, the quest for success may take a different turn. But anyway, Master has given us sufficient tools - if you need money, give money. Tithe. Decree. If you need love, give love. Physically spend time with people who are hungry for love.

It is just our own inhibitions that hold us back, nobody is going to criticise us. And anyway, what does it matter if someone does criticise?

Get rid of anger and pride. Remember, our aura extends many inches beyond the body. And when we project anger (or any emotion, good or bad) it first has to cross our own energy bodies before getting to the other person. Anger is destructive, so we end up virtually destroying our own auras, much more than the hurt we cause to another.

And remember, as practising Arhatic Yogis, our thought forms are more powerful than those of non-practitioners, so we need to be careful with our thoughts. It is a good idea to anchor the mind on the name of God. Or of the Teacher, so that we do not generate bad karma, and DO generate good karma.

Above all, practise honesty with oneself. Even if it hurts.

No 6: Forgiveness

We get stuck here. How can we forgive years and years of emotional abuse? Or the one thoughtless remark 20 years ago that turned life upside down? Etc etc.

Well, it is difficult But it needs to be done. Because, as Master says, the law of mercy is superior to the law of karma. And unless some neutralising force is set in motion, karma will inevitably manifest.

If we think our past karmas would be neutralised by tithing alone, well, it's not so simple. And it will take an awfully long time. AND we are, as pranic healers and arhatic yogis, continue to generate karma, many times bad, at a much faster rate, when we couple our spiritual pratices with negative thoughts, speech or acts.

What has all this got to do with forgiveness? Well, as the Lord's Prayer says, "Lord, forgive us our trespasses AS WE FORGIVE THOSE WHO TRESPASS AGAINST US". Before we can receive, we must give. And if we need to be forgiven, we must forgive. And we do NEED to be forgiven.

If we cannot do it from the heart, let us at least try to do it from the mind. Write it out on a sheet of paper, that "I the soul forgive XYZ for all the hurt s/he has caused me through ABC action or words (or even thoughts). I do not wish to be entangled in your negativities. You are free. Go in peace." Read this every day. It works. Even non-pranic healers have benefited from this short prayer.

The words for forgiveness are given in Master's Lotus Sutras. Read.

No 7: Book study

One of the truly great things the Teacher has done is that he has laid down a list of books that he feels we must read. So we don't need to thrash around and dip into many many - from our point of view - pointless books. Just read the books he has recommended. For starters, his own books - Basic Pranic Healing, Advanced Pranic Healing, etc etc. And the tiny Lotus Sutras. It's ALL there. We just have to open our minds.

We may not be babies, but we're still kindergarten students in spirituality. We're still LEARNING. And then we've got to practise. And then to master. Before we move on to the next step. It is a long haul. And time is short.

No 8: Heal

The mission statement of the Pranic Healing movement is "A pranic healer in every household." While that is a good way away, we must ask ourselves: "Is there a pranic healer in my household? And is s/he healing?" Quite often we find that we are outsourcing this vital aspect of spiritual development.

It is only when we heal that we can experience true oneness. It is when we heal that we get entitled to receive healing. It is when we heal that we become closer to Master and to the higher beings. And every time we heal, we generate an awful lot of good karma (important point, that!).

Guru Nanak put it very simply: "to pull someone out of the abyss, one has to lower oneself into it."

Master did it for us. Surely we can do it for our fellow humans?

Master's last words for us, his chelas: "Practise diligently."

He has left a bagful of tools for our use. Let us make sure we use them, and don't allow them to gather rust.

Atmas, namaste.