Want an Enlightenment Experience? [Video by Yogiraj Siddhanath Gurunath]

I first went to see Master Yogiraj Siddhanath Gurunath when I was 18 years old. At the time I was studying at Aston University in Birmingham, and had just been watching a few videos on YouTube of him when curiosity made me check out the Hamsa Yoga website. Miraculously enough he was visiting Birmingham the very next week! Can you believe it? I was over the moon! It was one of those WOW moments when destiny becomes crystal clear. I vividly remember it being a Thursday, the same day I used to do a Kundalini Yoga class. In fact, the exact date was Thursday 14th of June 2007 (thanks to Gmail). So I text my yoga teacher to ask permission to see if I could go to this event instead and she text back with the simple words "Follow your intuition. Sat Nam". And so I did, and went along, knowing it to be a part of my destiny.

I was intrigued by what the master said he could do, and indeed what all masters are able to do:

1. Shivapat - Sharing his Enlightened Consciousness of thoughtless awareness
2. Shaktipat - Transmitting center to center in the disciple’s Chakras the Kundalini Energy which burns their negative karmas
3. Pranapat - Breathing his spiritual Prana (life-force) through the breath of the disciples in their spinal cord flushing out all toxins & emotional stress.

So I went with the sole purpose of experiencing these transmissions from the master.

I went away that day, after also having the chance to eat opposite the master in a restaurant after the event, experiencing all of those graces of the master and getting a direct initiation into Kriya Yoga by Yogiraj Gurunath Siddhanath himself.

I left that evening with a much wider heart, a much wider mind, an experience of a still mind state and an experience of enlightenment. I went back to see the master many times at different retreats, but I'll save those enchanting and more miraculous stories for another day.

Now for the real deal, experience what I experienced that day for yourself. Drop your mind, drop your doubts, drop your thoughts, drop your scepticism, open your heart, feel love for the master, connect to the master's heart, trust the master, look at him with eyes of love and you will be well on your way to an unforgettable experience...

Sat Nam...

After watching the following video, it brought all those wonderful memories back of the first time I got to see him. The time and grace I enjoyed with this very rare master whom I believe I am related to from previous lives.

Are you trying to fix yourself?

It is obvious from all of our childhood comic book heros like Superman, Superwoman and the X-Men, that we all wish to have super powers and become perfect human beings, just like these superhuman caricatures.

However, the only reason we do not believe it is possible to become a Superman or a Superwoman is because we THINK there is something INHERENTLY WRONG with us which we spend our entire lives trying to FIX, either through worldly activities like parties, drinking, drugs, or even through spiritual activities like meditation, yoga, prayer. The side-effects may be different but the disease is the same - the disease of trying to fix ourselves constantly in order to feel 'OK' or 'normal' again.

We lead ourselves to believe that, "of course we have to fix ourselves, because nobody is perfect!" and "we all have weaknesses, emotions and habbits which we cannot overcome". Both of these are lies which we have led ourselves to believe.

The truth is very hard to accept: each of us are already perfect as we are, without needing to change a single thing about ourselves

It's one of those lovely paradoxical situations where as soon as you truly, whole heartedly accept and take on this above statement, then suddenly you will find yourself transform in an instant. The things which you thought were weaknesses or things you needed to change, automatically are transformed and no longer become limitations in your character - often they transform into your greatest strengths.

Accepting this statement TRULY does also give rise to super powers inside of you which shall help you in your path.

Stop trying to fix yourself through ANY means - only a person who is sick tries to fix themselves. A person who is healthy has no need for a fix, they already know they are healthly and need no medicine. Often the trap 'spiritual' people fall into is using meditation or yoga or prayer to fix themselves - but then they are no different to the alcoholics, junkies or socialites all who are trying to fix themselves because they think something is wrong which they must bring into balance.

Read this meditative poem:

• You are perfect as you are even with all of your biologoical needs for food and sex
• You are perfect as you are even with all of your emotional needs for having people around you, for wanting to feel loved, for feeling that your are somebody significant
• You are perfect as you are even with all of your sexual desires, anger, greed, attachment and ego, there is nothing wrong with any of these emotions
• You are perfect as you are even with all of those 'bad' habbits which you cannot seem to break
• You are perfect as you are even with all of your insecurities, fears and challenges
• You are perfect as you are even with all of your imbalances, diseases and illnesses
• You are perfect as you are even with all of your unluckiness, untidyness and ugliness
• You are perfect as you are even with all of your complaints, criticisms and blocks

Read this quote:

"Gurbani was not designed for the sick, it was designed for the Sikh"

By Guru's Grace - 05-09-2011

The meditation and quote above does not mean that a person who is sick cannot pray or gain benefit from reading the words of the Guru, it means that you can only truly understand the words of the Guru when you stop fixing yourself, and understand the who you were, who you have always been, who you are now and who you will continue to be in the future is perfect - because ultimately we are God masquerading as ourselves in the guise of a human body.

So LET IT GO! LET IT GO! LET IT GO! You're PERFECT as you are, accept yourself as being a perfect being.

Are you trying to fix yourself?

It is obvious from all of our childhood comic book heros like Superman, Superwoman and the X-Men, that we all wish to have super powers and become perfect human beings, just like these superhuman caricatures.

However, the only reason we do not believe it is possible to become a Superman or a Superwoman is because we THINK there is something INHERENTLY WRONG with us which we spend our entire lives trying to FIX, either through worldly activities like parties, drinking, drugs, or even through spiritual activities like meditation, yoga, prayer. The side-effects may be different but the disease is the same - the disease of trying to fix ourselves constantly in order to feel 'OK' or 'normal' again.

We lead ourselves to believe that, "of course we have to fix ourselves, because nobody is perfect!" and "we all have weaknesses, emotions and habbits which we cannot overcome". Both of these are lies which we have led ourselves to believe.

The truth is very hard to accept: each of us are already perfect as we are, without needing to change a single thing about ourselves

It's one of those lovely paradoxical situations where as soon as you truly, whole heartedly accept and take on this above statement, then suddenly you will find yourself transform in an instant. The things which you thought were weaknesses or things you needed to change, automatically are transformed and no longer become limitations in your character - often they transform into your greatest strengths.

Accepting this statement TRULY does also give rise to super powers inside of you which shall help you in your path.

Stop trying to fix yourself through ANY means - only a person who is sick tries to fix themselves. A person who is healthy has no need for a fix, they already know they are healthly and need no medicine. Often the trap 'spiritual' people fall into is using meditation or yoga or prayer to fix themselves - but then they are no different to the alcoholics, junkies or socialites all who are trying to fix themselves because they think something is wrong which they must bring into balance.

Read this meditative poem:

• You are perfect as you are even with all of your biologoical needs for food and sex
• You are perfect as you are even with all of your emotional needs for having people around you, for wanting to feel loved, for feeling that your are somebody significant
• You are perfect as you are even with all of your sexual desires, anger, greed, attachment and ego, there is nothing wrong with any of these emotions
• You are perfect as you are even with all of those 'bad' habbits which you cannot seem to break
• You are perfect as you are even with all of your insecurities, fears and challenges
• You are perfect as you are even with all of your imbalances, diseases and illnesses
• You are perfect as you are even with all of your unluckiness, untidyness and ugliness
• You are perfect as you are even with all of your complaints, criticisms and blocks

Read this quote:

"Gurbani was not designed for the sick, it was designed for the Sikh"

By Guru's Grace - 05-09-2011

The meditation and quote above does not mean that a person who is sick cannot pray or gain benefit from reading the words of the Guru, it means that you can only truly understand the words of the Guru when you stop fixing yourself, and understand the who you were, who you have always been, who you are now and who you will continue to be in the future is perfect - because ultimately we are God masquerading as ourselves in the guise of a human body.

So LET IT GO! LET IT GO! LET IT GO! You're PERFECT as you are, accept yourself as being a perfect being.

Transcend Suffering & Become Enlightened

"...identification of the true self with that which is changing is the cause of suffering" - Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, 2:17

If you can understand the above quote, you'll easily transcend your individual suffering and become enlightened.

The secret within this quote is to question what our anchor in life is? Is our anchor a friend? Is it money? Is our anchor an object? Is it a girlfriend or a boyfriend? Is it our parents? Is it God? Is it a supreme being? An anchor can be anything we hold on to which makes us feel happy, loved, significant.

Most likely our anchor is external to us, even if it is God, it may still be a concept which is external to us. This external anchor, this faith which we have put into other people and things, is the cause of suffering because everything external to us changes. People can pass away. Things can pass away. Everything external to us is always changing, and this change itself brings rise to uncertainty, and human beings suffer when things are uncertain because uncertain things can never our full expectations.

The key to conquering life therefore lies in (1) getting rid of our expectations about people and things and (2) anchoring ourselves within our own selves, our own heart, our own identity. IDENTITY. Who are you really? Really you are a being who is immortal, unchanging, permanent. You are love, you are joy, you are bliss. When you remember who you are, and always keep it in mind, then you anchor into yourself and your life becomes full of love, joy and bliss in an instant.

Anchor into your unchanging nature which is your true identity. Sat Naam.

Transcend Suffering & Become Enlightened

"...identification of the true self with that which is changing is the cause of suffering" - Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, 2:17

If you can understand the above quote, you'll easily transcend your individual suffering and become enlightened.

The secret within this quote is to question what our anchor in life is? Is our anchor a friend? Is it money? Is our anchor an object? Is it a girlfriend or a boyfriend? Is it our parents? Is it God? Is it a supreme being? An anchor can be anything we hold on to which makes us feel happy, loved, significant.

Most likely our anchor is external to us, even if it is God, it may still be a concept which is external to us. This external anchor, this faith which we have put into other people and things, is the cause of suffering because everything external to us changes. People can pass away. Things can pass away. Everything external to us is always changing, and this change itself brings rise to uncertainty, and human beings suffer when things are uncertain because uncertain things can never our full expectations.

The key to conquering life therefore lies in (1) getting rid of our expectations about people and things and (2) anchoring ourselves within our own selves, our own heart, our own identity. IDENTITY. Who are you really? Really you are a being who is immortal, unchanging, permanent. You are love, you are joy, you are bliss. When you remember who you are, and always keep it in mind, then you anchor into yourself and your life becomes full of love, joy and bliss in an instant.

Anchor into your unchanging nature which is your true identity. Sat Naam.

5 Rules to Enlightenment

1. Process the emotion before reacting
2. Transcend your limitations
3. Remember everything is possible
4. Find your passion, do what you love
5. Meditate a little everyday

5 Rules to Enlightenment

1. Process the emotion before reacting
2. Transcend your limitations
3. Remember everything is possible
4. Find your passion, do what you love
5. Meditate a little everyday

Becoming Enlightened

I sometimes find it hard to put into words what it means to be enlightened and liberated. There comes a time on the spiritual path when one has this realisation, that there is no need to do anything to be enlightened, it is rather the undoing of everything that makes one enlightened.

I can openly, easily tell you: I'm liberated, I'm enlightened. I know it. It's just a realisation. It doesn't really mean anything though, doesn't really make much difference. The only difference is that being enlightened, I don't have to struggle with life, life just works because I'm not going against its flow. I can handle it. Not being enlightened means always struggling towards some goal, aim, perfection and never achieving it and then feeling guilty your whole damn life. The saying "running like a headless chicken" comes to mind. But you see, even if you're enlightened, you're still an idiot. If you're not enlightened, you're just a bigger idiot. In the world, we have a lot of big idiots. Majority of people are big idiots running around like headless chickens. I'm not sure how a chicken runs without a head, this appears to defy all logic, but you get the gist of the quote, I hope.

One is always an idiot, because one can never know The Truth. No matter how enlightened one is, one can never know The Truth. Perhaps there is no such thing. Perhaps not. Perhaps. Perhaps. Perhaps not. Perhaps. Perhaps. I love that word, it has a ring to it.

One can only know a truth, their own truth, their own selves. That's it. That's where is finishes. This is because all our five senses are flawed, they give us incorrect impressions about life and existence. Even the sixth sense is flawed, its open to error. Also, we're only 3 dimensional beings - we can't understand the other dimensions - we can't understand what wider organism or existence we are a part of.

One idiot creates a theory, that the Universe is X, Y, Z. It'll always be a theory. No maths is sufficient to explain the Universe. No science or physics is sufficient to explain it, neither is any philosophy or any religion. Everything is either interpretation or assumption. It's all flawed. Yes, we've worked out some rules which make cars run and propel rockets into space, but ultimately nothing is absolute. Laws change. The universe changes. There is a constant flow which cannot be captured by any formula. A formula is static. Existence is changing.

When one dissolves all their notions, one can just simply be themselves. Just simply be, without "having" to be something, or "needing" to do anything or thinking that one "should" do something. Without being driven towards any aim, any goal, any standard. The emotions are there, but there is no fight towards them. It's not anything but a choice, albeit a courageous choice. Doesn't matter what the emotions are, however disturbing or not disturbing, there's no fight and there's no running away from them. It's not anything but a choice. Just let go of it. Drop it. Simply choose to be.

The process of enlightenment is simply the process of learning to experiment with your emotions. Meditation is just experimentation. You get to experiment with what's in your head, in your conscious, subconscious, in your unconscious, in your super-conscious. Then after you know it, you have no fight or flight towards it. You give you those beliefs or ideas which go against your biology, against the needs of your body, and you simply learn to be. You become very human, very normal, very down-to-earth. You become innocent, and you know you're innocent. You become simple. You become uncomplicated. You become open to all views, even those that directly oppose yours. You stop reacting against idiotic people, you learn to accept them. You stop reacting against your parents.

Even if you come across a real bitch, or a bastard, you learn to accept them as a part of yourself. The bitch that you see, is just a projection of the bitch in you. The pretty girl that you see, is just a projection of the pretty girl in you. The ugly person that you see, is the ugly person in you. You learn to not invest your emotions in anybody, not your family, not your friends, not God, not your teacher, not spiritual angels, nor the devil. You learn to be alone, not needing anybody, not needing anything. Simply being alone, happy, content, joyful.

Osho, in the video below, describes the same kind of process I myself went through to become enlightened. I was just as strict with my routine, getting up at 4am without fail each day. Having a cold shower. Doing hours of meditation. Everything timed perfectly. Everything considered. Everything disciplined. Until a time comes, when one must let go of everything. And I mean everything, including your religion, your spirituality, your views, your God. It's all something which you think you "should" do or think. You don't realise it is just something which you have been led to believe is important, but really nothing is important by itself, unless you chose to give it importance. One must destroy everything one has created, every concept, in order to be left with nothing but nothingness, zero, nothing but one's own aloneness, one's own self without desiring anything, including God. Enlightenment is not something, but quite the opposite, it's nothing:




Osho - The Day I Became Enlightened from arun prem rajasingh on Vimeo.

P.S. I'm now changing the tagline of this blog from "A blog about how to become a better human being day-by-day, moment-by-moment" to "A blog about how to be human in each moment, everyday", which better reflects its purpose to allow people to learn to be, rather than aiming towards something or trying to be be something.

Becoming Enlightened

I sometimes find it hard to put into words what it means to be enlightened and liberated. There comes a time on the spiritual path when one has this realisation, that there is no need to do anything to be enlightened, it is rather the undoing of everything that makes one enlightened.

I can openly, easily tell you: I'm liberated, I'm enlightened. I know it. It's just a realisation. It doesn't really mean anything though, doesn't really make much difference. The only difference is that being enlightened, I don't have to struggle with life, life just works because I'm not going against its flow. I can handle it. Not being enlightened means always struggling towards some goal, aim, perfection and never achieving it and then feeling guilty your whole damn life. The saying "running like a headless chicken" comes to mind. But you see, even if you're enlightened, you're still an idiot. If you're not enlightened, you're just a bigger idiot. In the world, we have a lot of big idiots. Majority of people are big idiots running around like headless chickens. I'm not sure how a chicken runs without a head, this appears to defy all logic, but you get the gist of the quote, I hope.

One is always an idiot, because one can never know The Truth. No matter how enlightened one is, one can never know The Truth. Perhaps there is no such thing. Perhaps not. Perhaps. Perhaps. Perhaps not. Perhaps. Perhaps. I love that word, it has a ring to it.

One can only know a truth, their own truth, their own selves. That's it. That's where is finishes. This is because all our five senses are flawed, they give us incorrect impressions about life and existence. Even the sixth sense is flawed, its open to error. Also, we're only 3 dimensional beings - we can't understand the other dimensions - we can't understand what wider organism or existence we are a part of.

One idiot creates a theory, that the Universe is X, Y, Z. It'll always be a theory. No maths is sufficient to explain the Universe. No science or physics is sufficient to explain it, neither is any philosophy or any religion. Everything is either interpretation or assumption. It's all flawed. Yes, we've worked out some rules which make cars run and propel rockets into space, but ultimately nothing is absolute. Laws change. The universe changes. There is a constant flow which cannot be captured by any formula. A formula is static. Existence is changing.

When one dissolves all their notions, one can just simply be themselves. Just simply be, without "having" to be something, or "needing" to do anything or thinking that one "should" do something. Without being driven towards any aim, any goal, any standard. The emotions are there, but there is no fight towards them. It's not anything but a choice, albeit a courageous choice. Doesn't matter what the emotions are, however disturbing or not disturbing, there's no fight and there's no running away from them. It's not anything but a choice. Just let go of it. Drop it. Simply choose to be.

The process of enlightenment is simply the process of learning to experiment with your emotions. Meditation is just experimentation. You get to experiment with what's in your head, in your conscious, subconscious, in your unconscious, in your super-conscious. Then after you know it, you have no fight or flight towards it. You give you those beliefs or ideas which go against your biology, against the needs of your body, and you simply learn to be. You become very human, very normal, very down-to-earth. You become innocent, and you know you're innocent. You become simple. You become uncomplicated. You become open to all views, even those that directly oppose yours. You stop reacting against idiotic people, you learn to accept them. You stop reacting against your parents.

Even if you come across a real bitch, or a bastard, you learn to accept them as a part of yourself. The bitch that you see, is just a projection of the bitch in you. The pretty girl that you see, is just a projection of the pretty girl in you. The ugly person that you see, is the ugly person in you. You learn to not invest your emotions in anybody, not your family, not your friends, not God, not your teacher, not spiritual angels, nor the devil. You learn to be alone, not needing anybody, not needing anything. Simply being alone, happy, content, joyful.

Osho, in the video below, describes the same kind of process I myself went through to become enlightened. I was just as strict with my routine, getting up at 4am without fail each day. Having a cold shower. Doing hours of meditation. Everything timed perfectly. Everything considered. Everything disciplined. Until a time comes, when one must let go of everything. And I mean everything, including your religion, your spirituality, your views, your God. It's all something which you think you "should" do or think. You don't realise it is just something which you have been led to believe is important, but really nothing is important by itself, unless you chose to give it importance. One must destroy everything one has created, every concept, in order to be left with nothing but nothingness, zero, nothing but one's own aloneness, one's own self without desiring anything, including God. Enlightenment is not something, but quite the opposite, it's nothing:




Osho - The Day I Became Enlightened from arun prem rajasingh on Vimeo.

P.S. I'm now changing the tagline of this blog from "A blog about how to become a better human being day-by-day, moment-by-moment" to "A blog about how to be human in each moment, everyday", which better reflects its purpose to allow people to learn to be, rather than aiming towards something or trying to be be something.

The Awakening - By Sonny Carroll

A time comes in your life when you finally get it...when, in the midst of all your fears and insanity, you stop dead in your tracks and somewhere the voice inside your head cries out...ENOUGH! Enough fighting and crying and blaming and struggling to hold on.

Then, like a child quieting down after a tantrum, you blink back your tears and begin to look at the world through new eyes.

This is your awakening.

You realize it's time to stop hoping and waiting for something to change, or for happiness, safety and security to magically appear over the next horizon. You realize that in the real world there aren't always fairy tale endings, and that any guarantee of "happily ever after" must begin with you... and in the process a sense of serenity is born of acceptance.

You awaken to the fact that you are not perfect and that not everyone will always love, appreciate or approve of who or what you are... and that's OK. They are entitled to their own views and opinions.

You learn the importance of loving and championing yourself... and in the process a sense of new found confidence is born of self-approval. You stop complaining and blaming other people for the things they did to you - or didn't do for you - and you learn that the only thing you can really count on is the unexpected.

You learn that people don't always say what they mean or mean what they say and that not everyone will always be there for you and that everything isn't always about you.

So, you learn to stand on your own and to take care of yourself... and in the process a sense of safety and security is born of self-reliance.

You stop judging and pointing fingers and you begin to accept people as they are and to overlook their shortcomings and human frailties... and in the process a sense of peace and contentment is born of forgiveness.

You learn to open up to new worlds and different points of view. You begin reassessing and redefining who you are and what you really stand for.

You learn the difference between wanting and needing and you begin to discard the doctrines and values you've outgrown, or should never have bought into to begin with.

You learn that there is power and glory in creating and contributing and you stop maneuvering through life merely as a "consumer" looking for your next fix.

You learn that principles such as honesty and integrity are not the outdated ideals of a bygone era, but the mortar that holds together the foundation upon which you must build a life.

You learn that you don't know everything, it's not your job to save the world and that you can't teach a pig to sing. You learn that the only cross to bear is the one you choose to carry and that martyrs get burned at the stake.

Then you learn about love. You learn to look at relationships as they really are and not as you would have them be. You learn that alone does not mean lonely.

You stop trying to control people, situations and outcomes. You learn to distinguish between guilt and responsibility and the importance of setting boundaries and learning to say NO.

You also stop working so hard at putting your feelings aside, smoothing things over and ignoring your needs.

You learn that your body really is your temple. You begin to care for it and treat it with respect. You begin to eat a balanced diet, drink more water, and take more time to exercise.

You learn that being tired fuels doubt, fear, and uncertainty and so you take more time to rest. And, just as food fuels the body, laughter fuels our soul. So you take more time to laugh and to play.

You learn that, for the most part, you get in life what you believe you deserve, and that much of life truly is a self-fulfilling prophecy.

You learn that anything worth achieving is worth working for and that wishing for something to happen is different than working toward making it happen.

More importantly, you learn that in order to achieve success you need direction, discipline and perseverance. You also learn that no one can do it all alone, and that it's OK to risk asking for help.

You learn the only thing you must truly fear is fear itself. You learn to step right into and through your fears because you know that whatever happens you can handle it and to give in to fear is to give away the right to live life on your own terms.

You learn to fight for your life and not to squander it living under a cloud of impending doom.

You learn that life isn't always fair, you don't always get what you think you deserve and that sometimes bad things happen to unsuspecting, good people... and you learn not to always take it personally.

You learn that nobody's punishing you and everything isn't always somebody's fault. It's just life happening. You learn to admit when you are wrong and to build bridges instead of walls.

You learn that negative feelings such as anger, envy and resentment must be understood and redirected or they will suffocate the life out of you and poison the universe that surrounds you.

You learn to be thankful and to take comfort in many of the simple things we take for granted, things that millions of people upon the earth can only dream about: a full refrigerator, clean running water, a soft warm bed, a long hot shower.

Then, you begin to take responsibility for yourself by yourself and you make yourself a promise to never betray yourself and to never, ever settle for less than your heart's desire.

You make it a point to keep smiling, to keep trusting, and to stay open to every wonderful possibility.

You hang a wind chime outside your window so you can listen to the wind.

Finally, with courage in your heart, you take a stand, you take a deep breath, and you begin to design the life you want to live as best you can.

By Sonny Carroll

The Awakening - By Sonny Carroll

A time comes in your life when you finally get it...when, in the midst of all your fears and insanity, you stop dead in your tracks and somewhere the voice inside your head cries out...ENOUGH! Enough fighting and crying and blaming and struggling to hold on.

Then, like a child quieting down after a tantrum, you blink back your tears and begin to look at the world through new eyes.

This is your awakening.

You realize it's time to stop hoping and waiting for something to change, or for happiness, safety and security to magically appear over the next horizon. You realize that in the real world there aren't always fairy tale endings, and that any guarantee of "happily ever after" must begin with you... and in the process a sense of serenity is born of acceptance.

You awaken to the fact that you are not perfect and that not everyone will always love, appreciate or approve of who or what you are... and that's OK. They are entitled to their own views and opinions.

You learn the importance of loving and championing yourself... and in the process a sense of new found confidence is born of self-approval. You stop complaining and blaming other people for the things they did to you - or didn't do for you - and you learn that the only thing you can really count on is the unexpected.

You learn that people don't always say what they mean or mean what they say and that not everyone will always be there for you and that everything isn't always about you.

So, you learn to stand on your own and to take care of yourself... and in the process a sense of safety and security is born of self-reliance.

You stop judging and pointing fingers and you begin to accept people as they are and to overlook their shortcomings and human frailties... and in the process a sense of peace and contentment is born of forgiveness.

You learn to open up to new worlds and different points of view. You begin reassessing and redefining who you are and what you really stand for.

You learn the difference between wanting and needing and you begin to discard the doctrines and values you've outgrown, or should never have bought into to begin with.

You learn that there is power and glory in creating and contributing and you stop maneuvering through life merely as a "consumer" looking for your next fix.

You learn that principles such as honesty and integrity are not the outdated ideals of a bygone era, but the mortar that holds together the foundation upon which you must build a life.

You learn that you don't know everything, it's not your job to save the world and that you can't teach a pig to sing. You learn that the only cross to bear is the one you choose to carry and that martyrs get burned at the stake.

Then you learn about love. You learn to look at relationships as they really are and not as you would have them be. You learn that alone does not mean lonely.

You stop trying to control people, situations and outcomes. You learn to distinguish between guilt and responsibility and the importance of setting boundaries and learning to say NO.

You also stop working so hard at putting your feelings aside, smoothing things over and ignoring your needs.

You learn that your body really is your temple. You begin to care for it and treat it with respect. You begin to eat a balanced diet, drink more water, and take more time to exercise.

You learn that being tired fuels doubt, fear, and uncertainty and so you take more time to rest. And, just as food fuels the body, laughter fuels our soul. So you take more time to laugh and to play.

You learn that, for the most part, you get in life what you believe you deserve, and that much of life truly is a self-fulfilling prophecy.

You learn that anything worth achieving is worth working for and that wishing for something to happen is different than working toward making it happen.

More importantly, you learn that in order to achieve success you need direction, discipline and perseverance. You also learn that no one can do it all alone, and that it's OK to risk asking for help.

You learn the only thing you must truly fear is fear itself. You learn to step right into and through your fears because you know that whatever happens you can handle it and to give in to fear is to give away the right to live life on your own terms.

You learn to fight for your life and not to squander it living under a cloud of impending doom.

You learn that life isn't always fair, you don't always get what you think you deserve and that sometimes bad things happen to unsuspecting, good people... and you learn not to always take it personally.

You learn that nobody's punishing you and everything isn't always somebody's fault. It's just life happening. You learn to admit when you are wrong and to build bridges instead of walls.

You learn that negative feelings such as anger, envy and resentment must be understood and redirected or they will suffocate the life out of you and poison the universe that surrounds you.

You learn to be thankful and to take comfort in many of the simple things we take for granted, things that millions of people upon the earth can only dream about: a full refrigerator, clean running water, a soft warm bed, a long hot shower.

Then, you begin to take responsibility for yourself by yourself and you make yourself a promise to never betray yourself and to never, ever settle for less than your heart's desire.

You make it a point to keep smiling, to keep trusting, and to stay open to every wonderful possibility.

You hang a wind chime outside your window so you can listen to the wind.

Finally, with courage in your heart, you take a stand, you take a deep breath, and you begin to design the life you want to live as best you can.

By Sonny Carroll

Rising in Love vs. Falling in Love

Between 19th - 20th September 2009 I went on a very transformational spiritual retreat organised by the Chinmaya mission about how to rise in love (called the higher love of selflessness or Prema), which is the opposite of falling in love (called the lower love of attachment or Sneha). The distinction between Prema and Sneha is very clear, but is blurred by our existing notions about love and so as humans we think that loving always brings pain because our relationships don't seem to work out. I shall try to summarise what I learnt in as few sentences as possible so that you can all get the benefit of this retreat's learnings.

Usually we go into a relationship to get something out of it, for example, to receive love, acceptance, comforts, material goods, money or to escape our own loneliness. Contemplate on this deeply in all of your life's situations to see where these aspects are coming into play. Recognise that this is not true love, this is just a bargaining game - its the lower love of attachment or Sneha which we are just so accustomed to, that its normal for us to 'love' in this way. We have never been taught the way to love truly, unconditionally.

True love or Prema is where you go into a relationship to give love without any expectations of reward or failure. I repeat, giving love without any expectations of reward or failure. Everyone is always waiting for when they will receive love, but the key point to understand is: giving love is our privilege as a human being, and we all have the ability to choose to give love in all situations, and when we give love, the giving of love is in itself the fulfilment! This fulfilment is automatic as soon as we give love, so all we have to do is give love! Therefore, we all have the power of fulfillment at our finger tips! Just contemplate on this for a moment. If this is so, they who can hurt you or stop you or bring you down? Your love becomes an immortal love, a higher love, an everlasting love because the choice to give love is in your hands, in your control! So now time to go out there and give love without any expectations of reward or failure! If you have understood the above paragraph, your heart should start to beat with love because you have discovered that the source of love is YOU!

With this as our basis, now we move onto some more of the semantics of love. Giving love makes you irresistible, because today there is a famine of love, there is a recession of love and a credit crunch of love! There is such a demand for love, that wherever there is a supply, people will flock the whole world over to receive it. Giving love without expectations of reward or failure makes you completely irresistible as a human being, you will always be in demand so long as you can give love in this pure way of Prema! But when love is not pure, it just becomes a bargaining game, it become Sneha.

Let's take our relationship with God as an example. With God we also play a bargaining game, "God if you give me this, I'll do this for you", "Please grant me XYZ". This is love, but its a love which makes you dependant on God, you become a slave to God, when instead God wants us to become independent of everything including God. In this bargaining game, you want to get something out of the relationship, but you are not willing to sacrifice your own likes and dislikes so that you may serve God unconditionally in the way God wants. Seems a bit strange right, because surely God doesn't NEED your love? You're right, but if you love God truly, you'll stop playing a bargaining game and ask that may you continue to be at the feet of God and serve God in whatever way God wants. And what's the best way to serve God? Serve the creation of God, the people. That's pure love for God, Prema!

So when should you stop giving love in this pure way without expectations? Well, to answer this question let's look at the love of a Mother. Does a mother ever stop loving her child? No. Does a mother ever say "Right, I'm not going to make food for any of you today"? No, otherwise the family would go hungry. A mother doesn't even have to think about making food, she just makes it as a matter of-course because its part of her duty towards her family, to ensure they have a good well-being. That duty is ceaseless - it has no end - there is never any thought of not doing that duty. And this is the second biggest point to concentrate on: true love is where you only look at the well-being of your Beloved. So again, with the example of God, this means that we all have the ability to serve God ceaselessly because as devotees of God it is our duty to do so - the thought of not serving God should not even come into your mind for a moment if your love for God is true.

Another way to see where Sneha or Prema are in play is to look at the effect of love. If by loving a person your love becomes exclusive to that one person, then this is just attachment or Sneha. If by loving a person, you begin to love the many, the whole world, then this is true love or Prema. For example, relationships usually become quite emotional where one partner becomes extremely jealous if their partner is around other women or men, and as a result, just wants their partner to exclusively look at them and love them. This is attachment, Sneha. Prema is where there is a confidence, trust and truthfulness in a relationship, so much so that the love from this relationship expands and expands so that the love between two people begins to spread to other people and there is no jealously. The following excerpt of the poem Love For Each Other by Onkardeep Singh Khalsa portrays this well:

The love of two for each other moves the world,

It travels into the hearts of all uncurled.

Piercing all problems and conflicts, it rides the high bird unfurled,

Such is the power of love, of love.

Perfection exists in this state of bliss,

A time of stillness not to be missed.

Light in the dark, the heart carries you,

Little things in life left, the two so true.

The souls rejoice, they have united once more,

Two become one, the spiritual law.

The individual crawls through their journey,

But together do they grow, the Thou and me.

In joy, in sadness, in conflict, activity,

The comfort in silence a sure sign of clickery.

Create, take and sharing all things,

Realising the oneness, the angels sing.

Two become four and then still more,

Unity, love, self sufficiency universally core.

A utopia? Ideal? Perhaps nothing more,

But a worthwhile aim, love not war.

There is an adage that 'love is blind', however its only blind in attachment or Sneha, not in Prema. In Prema, love is all seeing. For example, sometimes in a Sneha relationship couples are blind to the negative tendencies of their lover including problems of anger management, problems in personal hygiene, problems in control etc. This blindness only occurs through attachment, because the person is only in a relationship to escape their own loneliness, and this utter selfishness makes them blind to the negative tendencies of their partner however severe these may be. However, in Prema, both partners are completely aware of each others' negative tendencies and not afraid to point them out whilst at the same time being all-accepting of their partner, because the underlying interest is in the well-being of their beloved, as mentioned earlier, therefore if one needs counselling or help with anger management, the other partner should pro-actively organise this if their truly care about their partner. In Sneha, there is a lack of response to do what really matters and waiting for things to happen, in Prema, there is a deep proactive response to action what needs to be actioned by making things happen!

Finally, sometimes people have been married for a very long time and yet seemingly have nothing in common. So what thinking is it that makes their relationship work? I leave you all with a beautiful quote from the retreat:

True love is not where you love someone because of something, it's where you love someone in spite of everything

We have now discussed the main aspects of attached love of Sneha and selfless love of Prema. Please save a version of this article and come back to it regularly, each time you read it you will understand it in some more depth and in a new more relevant way. The table below should help to make the distinction between the lower love of attachment (Sneha) and the higher love of selflessness (Prema) clearer for you:

The Lower Love of Attachment - Sneha	The Higher Love of Selflessness - Prema
Waiting to receive love	Actively giving love without expectation
Thinking that receiving love will fulfil you	Knowing that giving love is itself the fulfilment
Love for the one creates love exclusively for the one	Love for the one creates love for the many
You want things to remain separate	You want things to be united
Concerned with your own well-being	Concerned with the well-being of your beloved
Compromising with your beloved about your likes and dislikes	Sacrificing your own likes and dislikes to serve your beloved
Love is because of something	Love is in spite of everything
Love is blind	Love is all seeing and all accepting
A lack of response of 'now is the time to share'	A deep response of 'now is the time to share'
Waiting for things to happen	Making things happen
Living with fear	Living with courageous love
Involved with the future or the past	Involved with the present
Being dependant on somebody or something	Being independent of everybody and everything

Sat Naam.

Rising in Love vs. Falling in Love

Between 19th - 20th September 2009 I went on a very transformational spiritual retreat organised by the Chinmaya mission about how to rise in love (called the higher love of selflessness or Prema), which is the opposite of falling in love (called the lower love of attachment or Sneha). The distinction between Prema and Sneha is very clear, but is blurred by our existing notions about love and so as humans we think that loving always brings pain because our relationships don't seem to work out. I shall try to summarise what I learnt in as few sentences as possible so that you can all get the benefit of this retreat's learnings.

Usually we go into a relationship to get something out of it, for example, to receive love, acceptance, comforts, material goods, money or to escape our own loneliness. Contemplate on this deeply in all of your life's situations to see where these aspects are coming into play. Recognise that this is not true love, this is just a bargaining game - its the lower love of attachment or Sneha which we are just so accustomed to, that its normal for us to 'love' in this way. We have never been taught the way to love truly, unconditionally.

True love or Prema is where you go into a relationship to give love without any expectations of reward or failure. I repeat, giving love without any expectations of reward or failure. Everyone is always waiting for when they will receive love, but the key point to understand is: giving love is our privilege as a human being, and we all have the ability to choose to give love in all situations, and when we give love, the giving of love is in itself the fulfilment! This fulfilment is automatic as soon as we give love, so all we have to do is give love! Therefore, we all have the power of fulfillment at our finger tips! Just contemplate on this for a moment. If this is so, they who can hurt you or stop you or bring you down? Your love becomes an immortal love, a higher love, an everlasting love because the choice to give love is in your hands, in your control! So now time to go out there and give love without any expectations of reward or failure! If you have understood the above paragraph, your heart should start to beat with love because you have discovered that the source of love is YOU!

With this as our basis, now we move onto some more of the semantics of love. Giving love makes you irresistible, because today there is a famine of love, there is a recession of love and a credit crunch of love! There is such a demand for love, that wherever there is a supply, people will flock the whole world over to receive it. Giving love without expectations of reward or failure makes you completely irresistible as a human being, you will always be in demand so long as you can give love in this pure way of Prema! But when love is not pure, it just becomes a bargaining game, it become Sneha.

Let's take our relationship with God as an example. With God we also play a bargaining game, "God if you give me this, I'll do this for you", "Please grant me XYZ". This is love, but its a love which makes you dependant on God, you become a slave to God, when instead God wants us to become independent of everything including God. In this bargaining game, you want to get something out of the relationship, but you are not willing to sacrifice your own likes and dislikes so that you may serve God unconditionally in the way God wants. Seems a bit strange right, because surely God doesn't NEED your love? You're right, but if you love God truly, you'll stop playing a bargaining game and ask that may you continue to be at the feet of God and serve God in whatever way God wants. And what's the best way to serve God? Serve the creation of God, the people. That's pure love for God, Prema!

So when should you stop giving love in this pure way without expectations? Well, to answer this question let's look at the love of a Mother. Does a mother ever stop loving her child? No. Does a mother ever say "Right, I'm not going to make food for any of you today"? No, otherwise the family would go hungry. A mother doesn't even have to think about making food, she just makes it as a matter of-course because its part of her duty towards her family, to ensure they have a good well-being. That duty is ceaseless - it has no end - there is never any thought of not doing that duty. And this is the second biggest point to concentrate on: true love is where you only look at the well-being of your Beloved. So again, with the example of God, this means that we all have the ability to serve God ceaselessly because as devotees of God it is our duty to do so - the thought of not serving God should not even come into your mind for a moment if your love for God is true.

Another way to see where Sneha or Prema are in play is to look at the effect of love. If by loving a person your love becomes exclusive to that one person, then this is just attachment or Sneha. If by loving a person, you begin to love the many, the whole world, then this is true love or Prema. For example, relationships usually become quite emotional where one partner becomes extremely jealous if their partner is around other women or men, and as a result, just wants their partner to exclusively look at them and love them. This is attachment, Sneha. Prema is where there is a confidence, trust and truthfulness in a relationship, so much so that the love from this relationship expands and expands so that the love between two people begins to spread to other people and there is no jealously. The following excerpt of the poem Love For Each Other by Onkardeep Singh Khalsa portrays this well:

The love of two for each other moves the world,

It travels into the hearts of all uncurled.

Piercing all problems and conflicts, it rides the high bird unfurled,

Such is the power of love, of love.

Perfection exists in this state of bliss,

A time of stillness not to be missed.

Light in the dark, the heart carries you,

Little things in life left, the two so true.

The souls rejoice, they have united once more,

Two become one, the spiritual law.

The individual crawls through their journey,

But together do they grow, the Thou and me.

In joy, in sadness, in conflict, activity,

The comfort in silence a sure sign of clickery.

Create, take and sharing all things,

Realising the oneness, the angels sing.

Two become four and then still more,

Unity, love, self sufficiency universally core.

A utopia? Ideal? Perhaps nothing more,

But a worthwhile aim, love not war.

There is an adage that 'love is blind', however its only blind in attachment or Sneha, not in Prema. In Prema, love is all seeing. For example, sometimes in a Sneha relationship couples are blind to the negative tendencies of their lover including problems of anger management, problems in personal hygiene, problems in control etc. This blindness only occurs through attachment, because the person is only in a relationship to escape their own loneliness, and this utter selfishness makes them blind to the negative tendencies of their partner however severe these may be. However, in Prema, both partners are completely aware of each others' negative tendencies and not afraid to point them out whilst at the same time being all-accepting of their partner, because the underlying interest is in the well-being of their beloved, as mentioned earlier, therefore if one needs counselling or help with anger management, the other partner should pro-actively organise this if their truly care about their partner. In Sneha, there is a lack of response to do what really matters and waiting for things to happen, in Prema, there is a deep proactive response to action what needs to be actioned by making things happen!

Finally, sometimes people have been married for a very long time and yet seemingly have nothing in common. So what thinking is it that makes their relationship work? I leave you all with a beautiful quote from the retreat:

True love is not where you love someone because of something, it's where you love someone in spite of everything

We have now discussed the main aspects of attached love of Sneha and selfless love of Prema. Please save a version of this article and come back to it regularly, each time you read it you will understand it in some more depth and in a new more relevant way. The table below should help to make the distinction between the lower love of attachment (Sneha) and the higher love of selflessness (Prema) clearer for you:

The Lower Love of Attachment - Sneha	The Higher Love of Selflessness - Prema
Waiting to receive love	Actively giving love without expectation
Thinking that receiving love will fulfil you	Knowing that giving love is itself the fulfilment
Love for the one creates love exclusively for the one	Love for the one creates love for the many
You want things to remain separate	You want things to be united
Concerned with your own well-being	Concerned with the well-being of your beloved
Compromising with your beloved about your likes and dislikes	Sacrificing your own likes and dislikes to serve your beloved
Love is because of something	Love is in spite of everything
Love is blind	Love is all seeing and all accepting
A lack of response of 'now is the time to share'	A deep response of 'now is the time to share'
Waiting for things to happen	Making things happen
Living with fear	Living with courageous love
Involved with the future or the past	Involved with the present
Being dependant on somebody or something	Being independent of everybody and everything

Sat Naam.

Using Love as a Gateway to Higher Consciousness

In this video Living Enlightened Master Paramahamsa Nithyananda talks about the difference between lust and love, the difference between something that is unique and something which is just an object. Paramahamsa uses many stories to explain the concept of love which I found very enlightening:

First Samadhi Experience of Living Enlightened Master Paramahamsa Nithyananda

I found this video very inspiring. All those on a spiritual path should listen to this all the way through =). Sat Naam.