It was almost three years ago, on September 2006, that by chance I heard a talk given by Swami Paramahamsa Nithyananda at a Hindu cultural program held in Cupertino, CA. It was in a relatively small auditorium and he – although obviously well-respected and revered – showed up with not much more fanfare than any of the other speakers scheduled to appear during that segment of the program.

This month I had another opportunity to listen to him speak, and this time the reverence and venue were kicked up a notch. Yes, this young enlightened master’s recognition had clearly spread in both intensity as well as numbers.

Who is Paramahamsa Nithyanda? The following was gleaned from various sources, including his website Nithyananda Dhyanapeetam:

He was born in India as Rajasekaran. Practically from birth his life has been centered around spiritual events and pursuits. Shortly after his birth, an astrologer cast his horoscope and, based on the unique configuration of planets in his birth chart, declared that he would grow up to be a Raja Sannyasi (King among Swamis). Since a young age, Rajasekaran would show interest in spiritual things – when he was a young child he would make idols out of mud, clay, and soap stone, decorate them and worship them. And from the age of three he was under the tutelage of various spiritual teachers. Upon graduating from high school, he studied mechanical engineering, but then decided to pursue the life of a wandering sadhu at the age of seventeen. This he did for nine years.

In 2003, Nithyananda founded a meditation ashram in Bidadi, India as the headquarters for his social activities around the world. He also founded the Life Bliss Foundation in Los Angeles, USA, to serve as the headquarters in the West. His mission statement is the “Transformation of humanity through transforming the individual, and spreading global peace and inner bliss”. In his own words, “Enlightenment flowers when individual consciousness disappears into Universal Consciousness. When you start living enlightenment, you automatically raise the human consciousness around you. Living enlightenment holds the key to global peace and inner bliss. Every individual should be a pioneer in the transition of human consciousness to divine consciousness.”

And so it was only six years after he started his work that he appeared at a Hindu cultural event held at a community college in Cupertino, California. What was his recent visit like, three years after that?

Another Darshan Experience

In 2009, he came to Milpitas, California as part of his Yogam 2009:North American tour for teaching the principles of yoga as created by Patanjali, the Father of Yoga. Accompanied by my son, I attended one of the free public talks that he gave. As we arrived at the Indian Community Center, the place was already filled – mostly with members of the Indian community! We made our way through the crowded lobby area, signed in at one of the side tables and received our token for the darshan, then went directly into the main auditorium and found a seat a few rows from the front. Yes, there were definitely more people to see him at this event than there were three years ago.

At the scheduled time, a devotee welcomed the audience, made some miscellaneous announcements, and then announced that after the talk there would be a darshan. OK, now this was getting serious. The only darshans I had ever attended were the ones that Amma gave. Nithyananda’s spiritual stature had now developed to the point where people would not only listen to him speak, but would also wait in a line to receive his blessing – to be close to an enlightened being and have an audience, however brief.

I have to say that I enjoyed the talk, based on Patanjali’s 22nd Yoga Sutra, which discussed how making intensity your focus is more important than pursuing enlightenment. More on that in another post. He definitely knows what he’s talking about and doesn’t claim to be presenting anything new – at least as far as world knowledge is concerned. This is how I evaluate the legitimacy of any self-proclaimed spiritual teacher. The information must harmonize with and build upon the core spiritual teachings underlying all religions. This was true of his talk, which he presented in a very personable way, yet with authority. As when I heard him in Cupertino, I was impressed by this event.

Afterward he finished his talk, the welcomer started to announce who could get in line for the darshan, based on the color and number of the tokens handed out. My son and I waited for our turn, which didn’t take long at all – especially since we were used to having to wait hours for Amma. This was a less involved process. Slowly we made our way up the stage to finally come face to face with the young guru.

I’m still not completely at ease at these things, so things kind of went by in a blur. I remember kneeling at his feet and bowing my head in reverence as he touched my forehead. My son stood behind me and actually held out his hand, which the guru took for a moment to bestow his blessing. They exchanged smiles, but when I looked up at Nithyananda to establish eye contact the time had passed and the next people in line were already approaching as the attendants guided us away from the platform. Still, to be that close to one whom I do believe is that spiritually evolved was not something I would have wanted to miss. Even my son, who has very little experience with these things, later exclaimed “that was awesome!”

So what’s the big deal?

I do understand that “belief” plays a role in the whole experience. Without some degree of belief, it would be hard to see any value in kneeling before another human being only to receive a token gesture in return. But even without believing in the exchange of spiritual energy that accompanies a darshan, I also feel there is more to be learned here.

The teachings such as those passed on by Nithyananda represent years of study in the human consciousness, carried out by through a system of reflection, and trial and error by wise men thousands of years ago. There have been those who have refined the teachings, such as Gautama Buddha, but even his teachings represent a discovery of truths already in existence – that there is a way to realize our human potential, a way to transcend suffering, and way to achieve peace in any situation. Seeing someone who has accomplished that to a significant degree in our day and age serves to remind us of that, and inspires hope that such a path is not futile.

See my related posts:

• Are there really enlightened beings?
• Journey into Spirit Time with the Hugging Saint

I was working on a post about my experiences visiting a Hindu saint known as Mata Amritanandamayi or Amma, and I realized that first I needed to address the reasons for making such visits. Well, as I opened the Sunday newspaper today, an article in the main section jumped out at me, “Trying to Explain a Brush with the Divine“, and it provided a good introduction to explaining the effects that some spiritual people have on others, especially when they are considered to be self-realized, or enlightened. You can read the entire article at the link, but here are some key excerpts:

“But some familiar with the Dalai Lama, and those who study religious figures, agree that every so often, people emerge who are perceived to offer proof of a higher authority, understanding or wisdom. …

In India, one of the most popular spiritual leaders is Mata Amritanandamayi, a Hindu woman who is said to impart divine energy with a hug. Over the years, according to her followers, the “Mother of Divine Bliss” has hugged more than 20 million people. …

What these special figures have in common is their effect on others. They are perceived as being able to bring people to a higher state of being through their example, teachings, sufferings or touch. “

This is very real, but the true evidence has to come from personal experience. What I find interesting is that the mainstream media is acknowledging the phenomenon. Hopefully, this is a good sign of the spiritual direction towards which our society is headed.

This message is being spread worldwide! And it made it to my door the other day.

A friendly, well dressed man carrying a young child came up to my door and dropped off a pamphlet. I immediately recognized the “look” of the tract as being from the WatchTower Bible & Tract Society, the publishing arm for the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Evidently they are in the midst of a worldwide campaign to spread this particular message. I’m all too familiar with this work as I was actively involved with the Jehovah’s Witnesses for a number of years, until my heart led me in other directions.

Now this message is not a new one for them. It’s been published from door to door since the early part of the 20th century. And while I was tempted to refute the tract, point by point, instead I started to think about what truths the tract might contain. Instead of assuming that everything it stated was wrong and a lie, I started to think that, maybe, some aspect of the universal human consciousness was speaking. And if so, then there should be some truths there, if I looked at it the right way.

I was surprised at what I found.

The Surface Message

On the surface, the basic message of this particular tract is that religions that do not teach the truth are responsible for so much pain and suffering in the world. But God will soon put an end to that and destroy all “false” religions, and then bless mankind. Of course there is also the warning – do not be caught having anything to do with these religions or else you will suffer the same fate.

Under the Surface

In the Bhagavat Gita, the story of Lord Krishna’s discussion with Arjuna represents the progress we each make on the road to enlightenment. It is a story of our own struggle. I believe that all religious and spiritual writings reflect this core theme. It’s a theme that can be found even within this tract from the Jehovah’s Witnesses.

A fundamental concept is that destructive and negative beliefs will eventually be purged from the hearts of people as if they were cut down and thrown into a fire to be destroyed. It doesn’t happen to everyone at the same time, but everyone is on that same path and will experience this cleansing in one way or another.

One way that this happens is when our higher Self directs the controlling ego to purge unhealthy and destructive concepts from our hearts. If we have distanced ourselves from these concepts and no longer identify with them, then we do not feel the destruction. But if we identify too strongly with them, then we suffer the loss as if we ourselves were being destroyed. On its own, the ego would not do this, but at some point our higher self “puts it into the heart of the beast” to carry out this act. Total enlightenment comes afterwards when the controlling ego itself is destroyed.

The question we need to ask ourselves is – how attached are we to our beliefs? If we are too attached, then we’ll experience grief when we realize that those beliefs no longer work.

How to prepare for the end of false religion

One way to “prepare” for this event is to determine as much as possible the ideas that are destructive and misguided. As Jesus stated, these can be identified “by their fruits”. Religious beliefs that dictate the killing of others. Spiritual traditions that foster oppression based on gender, race, or social class. These are a couple of obvious examples. Others are more subtle, and may not even apply to everyone equally. Perhaps a belief that was valuable at one time might no longer serve us in a later stage of life. How can we prepare in that case?

The phrase “non-attachment” usually conjures up thoughts of not being attached to material things. But the practice of non-attachment also applies to not being attached to ideas. To not identify strongly with an idea. Why would we not want to be attached to something we believe in? For one thing, no matter what view we have, there is always the possibility that it might be proved wrong at a later time. We might need to discard ideas that are actually harmful, or we might need to accept other viewpoints that foster our continued growth.

In yogic philosophy there is the concept that everything in the world is comprised of some combination of three basic qualities, called gunas. The person on a spiritual path is encouraged to cultivate the highest guna (sattvic) in their life. But, that is not the final goal! Even this highest spiritual guna is itself an attachment that must be discarded in order to truly transcend the world.

So it might be that beliefs that were invaluable at one time, now serve as a hindrance. The spiritual person must be prepared to evaluate how well certain beliefs continue to promote their spiritual growth, otherwise if a change is needed, the adjustment can be traumatic. For example, the Jehovah’s Witnesses cultivate a mindset that makes it very difficult to change ideas, particularly with regard to JW beliefs. They are taught that they have “the truth”, which gives them the needed conviction to pursue other aspects of their worship, such as preaching to strangers on a regular basis. But when some found that that particular path lost its usefulness for them, they’ve had a hard time adjusting, even to the point of being bitter over the whole experience.

The irony of that situation, in light of this tract, is not lost on me.

“One who is grounded in the practice of nonstealing experiences the jewel of abundance.”

Yoga Sutra

Is it possible to attract things to yourself by not seeking them? Can you be content with what you currently have, and end up with more?

A couple of years ago, I took an introductory class on living by the principles of Kriya yoga, and one section covered the practice of nonstealing. Key to the success of that practice is cultivating contentment with your present situation, and being comforted by the knowledge that, as a spiritual being, you have all that you need.

First, let me explain how that is possible. How can you feel that you have all that you need? Isn’t that just self-delusion? Well, what I am talking about is you as a spiritual being. This, of course, requires that you are able to be aware of yourself as a spiritual being, and that comes from other spiritual practices such as meditation and introspection. But really, the spiritual part of you, the ‘real you‘, lacks nothing. That ‘you’ doesn’t need material things, doesn’t need emotional releases, doesn’t need to solve anything. That ‘you’ isn’t sick, and doesn’t have problems.

Eckhart Tolle, in his book The Power of Now, explains it another way. He states:

“Narrow your life down to this moment. Your life situation may be full of problems – most life situations are – but find out if you have any problems at this moment. Not tomorrow or in ten minutes, but now.”

When I do this – narrow my life down to this moment – I have to honestly say that I do not have any problems. Likewise, my spiritual center has no problems. In fact, it is joyful in the mere awareness of its own – my own – existence.

Getting back to the class … The teacher then described a phenomenon that occurs once we go about our lives with this awareness that we lack nothing and, in fact, have everything we need. God then responds by saying “Oh, you have all that you need? Well, here’s some more!” And then He proceeds to provide you with more. Whoa. This was the first time I had heard God described in such a way – as a being that would automatically respond this way as if on command. Now the converse is also true. If we feel that we do not have all that we need, then God responds by saying “Oh, you don’t have much? Well, here’s even less”. And so the more we fret over a lack, be it a lack of resources or a lack of friendship, the more that lack increases.

This, of course, is echoed in the law of attraction. The key is that the happiness must come first, and it starts from within. Jesus made a statement (one of many) to that effect. In one passage he states that the kingdom of God is within you, then in another he states that we must “seek first the kingdom, and then all these other things (of a material nature) will be added to you”.

The trick is, once we experience some abundance, to not become attached to it and go back to becoming dependent on it for our happiness. Jesus actually said “Keep seeking first, the kingdom …”. Do not crave what others have, do not feel that we are wanting. Only then will we experience true abundance.

You might have heard such expressions as ‘finding your center’, ‘getting in touch with the real you’, or ‘finding your true self’. But what does that mean? And what does it feel like?

The concept of the true self is a fundamental one. It is crucial to the idea of being conscious, or awake – a state that sounds simple but is actually not easy to maintain for long periods of time.

In this post I’ll share a couple of exercises that might be helpful towards getting an idea of what the true self is. These are best done in a peaceful, quiet setting, free from interruptions, and they involve thoughtful introspection.

Exercise #1

This first exercise is actually a game of sorts that you might have played while exploring your own mind. Many children have a fascination with how their bodies work, what limitations there are, and what effects they can achieve. Ever see how red you could make your face while holding your breath? Remember how it felt when you found out that your knee cap could be moved around over your knee? Well, in the quietness of my own room at night, I would sometimes play a little game with my mind. It was the simple ‘thinking about what you’re thinking about’ game – a kind of recursive thinking, where you become conscious of the fact that you are thinking.

To begin, reflect on that fact that you are starting this exercise. Then reflect on the fact that you are thinking about starting the exercise. Then reflect on the fact that you are thinking about that you are thinking about starting the exercise … and on and on. Don’t try to keep track of how many levels you’ve accumulated – just focus on your current thought. It might help to visualize yourself observing the thought “I am starting the exercise”, then in your mind back up to notice what you just thought, then back up again to notice what you just did …

I used to think that it could make you crazy if practiced for too long a time, but now I believe it to be very beneficial to your self awareness.

As you practice this, try to figure out who is really doing the thinking. After awhile, you start to recognize the separation between the thinker and the thoughts. You become aware of your self.

Exercise #2

The second exercise involves recalling an experience you had when you were younger. The experience can be anything, but the more vivid, the better. Also, try to select a time when you were much younger, perhaps even when you were a child. These are your memories, your experiences. Now reflect on the fact that you were a much difference person back then – less experienced, perhaps naive. If someone observed you then, and compare that to the you that they see today, they would see two different people. Maybe you acted or reacted in a way that you would never do so today. Maybe you said things, felt things that you would never say or feel today. You looked different, talked differently, acted differently. In fact, you were a different person.

So if you were so different, how can you still recollect the experience as if it happened to you? What part of you is doing the remembering? What part of you is the same person that went through the original experience and is able to now view that experience as happening to you? Strip away all the differences between who you are now and who you were then, and there remains a core essence – a core witness – that connects the two expressions of yourself, and in fact has remained constant throughout your life.

This is the real you. It is not your body – your body changes. It is not your emotions – those change as well, over time. It is not your thoughts, for your mind is constantly changing. Such a realization can be very liberating, because once you develop this awareness, you can now see the true value of yourself – a value that has been there all along; a value that is independent of what you look like, how much money you have, or what skills you possess or don’t possess. Those are external things that you can control if you choose to, but that does not change what you are in the center of your being.

This awareness, which is actually just the tip of the iceberg, can be a springboard for other practices that I will cover in future posts, so have fun with these exercises and see where it takes you in your own journey in finding your true “you”.