Contents Editorial + Enlightenment + Inspired and Guided Living + Swami Replies + Understanding Each Other + Kalapi Prana Pushan Mudra Asana + Aventurine + Quantam Physics + The Art of Leadership + Who are the 18 Siddhas? + The Greatness of Fasting + Expanding Understanding + A Master Guide to Meditation & Spiritual Growth + Understanding Metaphysics + ABC of Life + The Laws of Evolution + Inspiration + GitaScendence + Science of Gayathri + Truth 4 Youth
Selected Articles
Editorial
Namasté all.
Welcome to a brand new year of Transcendence. We hope that you will keep up your enthusiasm, interest and contact during 2007!
Swami Shankarananda has just returned from a three-week pilgrimage to Sri Lanka and India with some truly miraculous experiences to tell of. If you find yourself lucky enough to be having a chat with Guruji, ask him to tell you all about it.
This month, our feature explains who the Eighteen Siddhas are. This will be continued in following months with as much information as possible on each of the Siddhas, for whom MasterCards will also be supplied. We can’t promise to cover all of these Masters as available information on their lives is extremely rare, but we will do our best.
This month’s MasterCard features Paramahansa Yogananda, the life story of whom was covered in the feature article of March 2006.
Swami’s workshop itinerary for 2007 has finally been completed with at least two workshops being conducted by Swami every month. For those of you who realize how valuable these workshops are, the itinerary for the 2007 Hillcrest workshops is printed at the back of this issue.
This month in our section on Yoga, we learn the last of the Siddhas 18 Special Prana Mudra Asanas. From next month, we will start with Babaji’s Eighteen Kriya Yoga Asanas.
Interesting reads in this issue include Swami Shankarananda’s second part of Inspired and Guided Living. Tending the Temple encourages you to use your diet as a method of healing by providing information on the healing properties of different natural vegetarian foods. Yvonne Jarvis explains the basics of Quantum Physics in Healing from Within. We learn about Metaphysics in Faith, and about the Laws of Evolution in Meditation, and Swami Murugesu explains the origin of Vedamata Gayathri. We also say goodbye (for now) to Great-uncle Guru which has been replaced by a series of selected spiritual short stories.
May your 2007 be a year filled only with unconditional love, bliss and divine experiences.
In Love and Service always,
The editor
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Message from the Master
Enlightenment
Enlightenment is a fulfilling accomplishment to be celebrated in this life. It awakens you from a deep slumber and takes you on a journey of deep exploration of the greater Self. Enlightenment simplifies your life with its practicability and gives you focus. Sit still, arouse your mind, enter the Soul, the Truth is attained.
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My Beloved
Pray incessantly to the Divine and She will reveal Herselfin the laughter of a child; in nature; in the wind; in the rain.The Mother has the greatest sense of humour.In your pursuit of the Mother, there is no need to be sombre:be happy and joyful and the divine will dance with youin the joy of your heart.
by Deenadayalan
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The Holy Sound of Aum
by Paramahansa Yogananda
Teach me to hear Thy voice, O Father, the cosmic voice that commanded all vibration to spring forth. Manifest to me as Aum, the cosmic song of all sound.
O Holy Ghost, sacred Aum vibration, enlarge my consciousness as I listen to thy omnipresent sound. Make me feel that I am both the cosmic ocean and the little wave of body-vibration in it.
O Omnipresent cosmic sound of Aum, reverberate through me, expanding my consciousness form the body to the universe, and teach me to feel in Thee the all-permeating perennial bliss.
O infinite Energy, infinite Wisdom, recharge me with Thy spiritual vibration.
O Cosmic sound of Aum, guide me, be with me, lead me from darkness to light.
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Quantum Physics
by Yvonne Jarvis
Strange as this may seem, it is helpful to learn about quantum physics in order to understand how some healing therapies work. In its simplest form, quantum physics is the study of matter and radiation at an atomic level, where things work very differently from the everyday world of our experience. Even Richard Feynman, who won a Nobel Prize for his work on Quantum Theory, says that “nobody understands quantum mechanics”. Nothing equips us to understand this.
In 1900 Max Planck proposed that energy is not a continuous thing like flowing water, but comes in individual packets which he called quanta. In 1905 Einstein published three of the greatest papers in the history of physics, the first explaining the nature of light, the second proving that atoms exist and the third outlining his Theory of Relativity. Other eminent scientists have since built upon these theories.
Sub-atomic particles are not solid little objects, but vibrating and indeterminate packets of energy that cannot precisely be quantified or understood. Sometimes they behave as particles (a set thing confined to a small space) and sometimes as waves (a vibrating diffuse thing spread out over a large region of space and time), and sometimes like both at the same time. Nothing is certain; there is only a probability that an electron might be in a certain place. Non-locality is the ability of a quantum particle to influence another particle instantaneously over any distance, despite there being no exchange of force or energy. It suggests that quantum particles, once in contact, retain a connection even when separated, so the actions of one will influence the other. An electron must be regarded as being at once everywhere and nowhere, until it is observed when it collapses into a set entity, suggesting a participating relationship between observer and observed. This shatters the very foundations of physics, because this means that matter can no longer be considered separate. Sub-atomic particles can only be understood in their relationships. The world therefore exists as a complex web of interdependent relationships, or, simply, we are all interconnected at a sub-atomic level. Yes, you read it correctly we are all interconnected at a sub-atomic level.
Quantum physics is not just a wild idea. It has been tested and proven, and there are many examples of how it works in everyday life. It operates inside stars such as the sun, forcing protons to combine to make helium nuclei, thereby releasing sunlight energy. It explains the way atoms combine to form molecules by sharing electrons to form the most stable combinations. The quantum nature of electrons makes weak hydrogen bonds which act like a zipper between the two strands of DNA, the molecule of life. When unzipped, genes are read and used by the machinery of the cell, and genetic engineering is made possible. The quantum properties of electrons are important in electronics in the design of microchips, and in laser devices such as in a CD player.
More than 150 years ago, Michael Faraday, who invented the electric motor, could not have predicted that what started out as a toy would lead to electric trains that travel at 350 kph. As Arthur C Clarke said “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic”. Single photons have already been teleported across 10km, demonstrating in principle that an exact copy of a physical object may be transported any distance across space. Quantum computers will make a single laptop more powerful than every present-day computer on earth put together! Now, the power of quantum physics is opening the door to a world of unimagined possibilities.
References: SA Journal of Natural Medicine: Issue 23 Article by Dr Les EmdinQuantum Physics a Beginners Guide to the Subatomic World: John Gribben, 2002
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E is for Enthusiasm
Rod Briggs
Cast your mind back to Christmas Eve when your children were young. You have just closed your eyes after a long night of preparation for the magical day ahead; the tree is finally ready, including the last minute spray-on snow; you finally managed to work out the flashing lights and how to stop the angel falling off the top; the presents, newly removed from the crawl space above the garage, are wrapped and in place, Santa’s cookie and milk are half devoured and carefully strewn. You finally switch Boney M off (how many times can a person be wished Merry Christmas in Jamaican?) and dive into bed. One minute and fifty seconds later, or so it seems, you are woken by a small finger being stuck in your eye and a little but insistent voice calling “Daddy! Daddy! Wake up its Christmas morning!” You stagger through the house and collapse onto the couch and gratefully accept the hot mug of morning cheer from your better half. The kids are going ballistic with excitement and, within a few minutes, guess what? So are you. Your lack of sleep is forgotten and you are caught up in the euphoria of the moment. It’s Christmas. Yay!
Those of us who have grown children will know that, once they have reached the teenage “I-know-about-Santa! stage”, Christmas loses a great deal of its wallop. Many people talk about the Festive Season as being all about children and that its magic somehow involves them. The how and why of this is very revealing.
The process that brings this level of energy and excitement to the youngsters is enthusiasm. Because their brains have not yet developed enough to incorporate logical restraint to their natural exuberance (this only evolves with the frontal lobes from seven years old), they are unselfconsciously expressing their undiluted nature. The result is something that blows us away with its power and energy levels. They are exhibiting enthusiasm in its purest form. This is what we miss in later years with celebrations involving a more mature family. It is the very young that show us how to live fully in the moment.
The ancient Greeks thought that if someone exhibited enthusiasm in their being it must be from an internal god (enthusiasm literally means God within us in Greek), as the energy evoked was far too powerful for mere mortals. Pause for a moment and ask yourself when you last exhibited enthusiasm in your daily life. It is one of the secrets of the super successful.
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The Laws of Evolution
by Suren Pillay
Often I find myself questioning the laws of evolution, and how all creatures on this planet are meant to evolve. To improve onself in whatever way one chooses is often an evolutionary choice. Man always has a choice in whatever circumstance he faces. In this light he may either make an evolutionary choice, or one that does not serve him in any meaningful way. The laws of nature, when adhered to, provide positive support for rapid evolution in an individual. So, what are the key natural laws that one should adhere to?
In Ayurveda, the ancient Indian science of medicine, living in tune with natural law is promoted. When evolutionary choices are made by an individual these may be regarded as satvic choices as referred to in the ancient scriptures, or as choices made in the mode of goodness. One of the most important natural laws we should try to adhere are those regarding diet. By adhering to a diet that contains minimal toxins and maximum nutrients, we enhance our quality of life and are adhering to natural law. Vegetables, fruits, nuts and milk contain little or no toxins and are easily digested. Diet should also be in accordance with ones mind-body constitution. For this it is best to consult an Ayurvedic doctor to obtain a listing of foods that are consistent with ones constitution.
Another natural law is to get enough fresh air and sunlight everyday. Controlled sun exposure produces vitamin D in the body and also stimulates the immune system. Fresh air is an essential in life. The oxygen we breathe from the air is full of life energy which powers our entire body and nervous system. The use of breathing techniques or pranayama is also helpful in this regard. A walk in the sun, while breathing fresh air for about ten minutes a day will definitely produce positive results for you , from both a health and a spiritual perspective.
A third natural law is with regard to rest. Every individual should obtain adequate rest so that when one wakes up in the morning one is recharged and rejuvenated. One should also be careful no to oversleep, as this may lead to fatigue and sluggishness of the nervous system. The ideal time to go to sleep according to Ayurveda is between 9.30pm and 10.30 pm. One should wake up before 6 am in the morning which will result in a feeling of lightness the whole day. If one wakes up after 6am, he is likely to feel heavier both in the morning and for the rest of the day.
A more subtle natural law can be associated with mental activity. Ones mind should be under the control of ones Self. When ones mind is in a state of desire, this a rajasic or passionate state of mind. It will not give rise to inner calmness or tranquility. The art of accelerating mental evolution lies in the promotion of positive spiritual desires and techniques to calm the mind and, in such process, subdue ones materialistic desires. By having spiritual desires such as spiritual enlightenment, or serving others , these slowly inhibit the growth of material desires. Practices for divine realisation such as meditation, pranayama, chanting and bhajans will all improve calmness of the mind, in this way destroying past negative influences that always express themselves as desires.
Dear reader I invite you to live in tune with the above laws of nature, and to feel and experience the positive effects of spiritual evolution. In life we never know when our last breath will occur. By living in tune with nature our progress on the spiritual path will be rapid and instantaneous.
Mother Divine
by Suren
As a weeping child aches for the touch of his mother, so too do we, the divine children of this universe, long for the experience of our eternal selves.In this way may we all cry in sincerity to be touched by our eternal Mother Who art in heaven, and who hath given us all things in this life and the life eternal.
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Overcoming Negative Emotions
by Paramahansa Yogananda
Whatever you give out will come back to you. Hate, and you will receive hate in return. When you fill yourself with inharmonious thoughts and emotions, you are destroying yourself. Why hate or be angry with anyone? Love your enemies. Why stew in the heat of anger? If you become riled, get over it at once. Take a walk, count to ten or fifteen, or divert your mind to something pleasant. Let go of the desire to retaliate. When you are angry your brain is overheating, your heart is having valve trouble, your whole body is being devitalized. Exude peace and goodness because that is the nature of the image of God within you - your true nature. Then no one can disturb you.
Whenever you are jealous, you are in collusion with the cosmic delusion of Satan (maya). Whenever you are angry, Satan is guiding you . . . Any time the voice of jealousy, fear, or anger speaks, remember that it is not your voice, and command that it be gone. But you will not be able to expel that evil no matter how you try, so long as you give that negative feeling a safe harbour in your mind. Eradicate jealousy, fear and anger from within, so that every time an evil impulse tells you to hate and to hurt, another stronger voice within tells you to love and to forgive. Listen to that voice.
Practice consideration and goodness until you are like a beautiful flower that everyone loves to see. Be the beauty that is in a flower, and the attractiveness that is in a pure mind. When you are attractive in that way, you will always have true friends. You will be loved by both man and God.