Q. What is Reality?

A. Reality is indescribable (in words) and unknowable (by the mind) and is inexpressible to another. It is a state of fathomless and absolute Silence that is beyond speech and mental perception. For the purpose of teaching it is said to be a state of peace that passeth understanding and unalloyed happiness. But being beyond the mind, it is something that cannot be described and has to be experienced. All sages and saints guide their devotees towards this ultimate experience which alone is Real (permanent, un-changing).

There are 2 aspects to Reality – The Absolute Reality (Nirgun or without attributes) afore described and the Relative Reality (Sagun or with attributes).

Relative Reality falls in the ambit of mental knowledge is what all saints and sages describe for the benefit of their devotees. The Absolute Reality is conditioned into its relative form as a natural phenomenon and in the conditioned Reality inhere countless attributes or qualities (e.g., love, attachment, greed, etc.) that qualify it. Relative Reality in its essence refers to pure consciousness that is aware of itself as a subject that experiences Itself in the form of countless objects (i.e., the world). God and the entire creation falls in the realm of relative Reality. An object is known by its qualities and attributes and entire creation is created by the intelligence and the will power of the relative or conditioned Reality from a combination of the above attributes by assigning name and shape to various objects. An important aspect of relative Reality is a sense of duality which gives rise to the idea of a subject that perceives an object. Another noteworthy aspect of relative Reality is that of law of pair of opposites and all the qualities are interlinked, e.g., hot and cold, love and hate. The entire creation manifests from these attributes related to each other through this law. Relative Reality is known by various names that describe its various aspects such as Ishwara (God), Brahman, Gobind (protector), Omkar (reality as a principle of sound) etc. Some of the commonly used words to describe absolute Reality are Parbrahman (absolute Brahman), Self, Truth, Siva (the Pure One).

Simply put, all that the senses perceive – the world with its countless objects is considered to be relative Reality. It is subject to change and modification and hence impermanent and most importantly can never give anyone everlasting happiness on account of it being impermanent. By way of example, one’s feelings for a loved one such as a spouse or child being relative are subject to change with time and on account of that one may feel happy one day and unhappy the next.

Q. How is Reality attained?

A. The mind (whose palpable form is thoughts) is a veil between the individual self and Absolute Reality and by controlling the mind (making thoughts dormant) and subsequent destruction of the mind, one attains the knowledge of absolute Reality. Reality is not even aware of an entity called the mind and hence can not be comprehended (by the mind) and has to be experienced.

Q. What is control of mind? How is it achieved?

A. The palpable form of the mind are the ceaseless thoughts that we all are accustomed to and control of mind means to stop their eruption. All thoughts have their roots in the I-thought (or ego sense) of an individual and the identification and removal of this I-am feeling is what is implied by control of mind. By way of example, deep sleep is a state where thoughts are dormant (temporarily) and is associated with peace and happiness by everyone. Through control of mind, the same peace and happiness can be experienced during the wakeful and dream sleep state. The mind is controlled through self-effort and divine grace. Self effort implies using the positive aspects of the mind; primarily discriminative intelligence and will power to do sustained and hard spiritual practice (sadhana) over a very long period of time. By divine grace the allusion is to the blessings one receives from a Guru (or God).

Q. Can those who have a more modest goal than to attain Reality benefit from these teachings?

A. Yes, those individuals who seek a happy, peaceful and stress free life will benefit from practice of these teachings as well. Reality is the ultimate goal and requires very hard practice carried over a long period of time. A beginner may be even put off by the esoteric explanation provided above. In order to make the goal more relatable and to encourage beginners to take to spirituality, Sri Sivabala Yogi emphasized happiness as a more modest goal. Anyone who does a little self analysis will realize that one’s graph of happiness is constantly going up and down on account of one’s desires and whether they are gratified. Most inquiring individuals would have realized that the mind and more specifically the uncontrolled negative thoughts it entertains affect our well being and happiness. By practising control of mind, one is assured of having a more peaceful and happy life as thoughts lose their intensity (ability to cause turmoil) and the mind is less restless. Furthermore, belief in God is not necessary to practice Swamiji’s teachings – anyone who desires to be happy and worry free would benefit from practice.

Q. What is the need and role of a Guru?

A. A Guru is a must for a serious seeker as practice can not begin without one. A spiritual journey is a long and hard one with no clear milestones and many apparently insurmountable obstacles. The jungle of sensual experience created out of pride, jealousy, desire, greed and anger is so vast and almost impenetrable without special guidance that a Guru can provide. A Guru knows the way across and has spiritual power to take others with him.

Q. How does one meet a Guru? Who is fit to be a Guru?

A.One meets a Guru through a strong desire and sincere prayer done over a long period of time. A Guru is a rare being who has the love and compassion to teach others and most importantly has the spiritual power to impart to all those who seek his or her grace. A Guru is not only self-realized but is also divinely ordained to teach others and guide them.

Note

Etymologically  “Guru” is made up of two syllables ‘Gu’ and ‘Ru’. ‘Gu’ means darkness or ignorance and ‘Ru’ means dispeller, so the guru is one who removes or dispels ignorance of the disciple

 

Q. What kind of spiritual power does a Guru have?

A. To be a Guru, one needs to have a special kind of spiritual power known as tapas shakti. This power is vouchsafed for divine incarnations and is acquired by a special yogic discipline as explained earlier on the introduction page. A Guru transfers this power to an aspirant in seed form. No one by themselves can control the eruption of thoughts (as many who have experimented with meditation may have noticed). It is the power a Guru imparts (during initiation in seed form) that enables the control of thoughts provided self effort is put in.

Q. What is the starting point of practice? What is initiation?

A. Spiritual practice begins only when a spiritual aspirant is initiated by a Guru who in the process reveals the particular path or method that one should follow. Through initiation, a Guru confers grace on an aspirant and takes the responsibility to guide them. Practice is essential as long as one’s I-sense (or ego) exists and ends with the destruction of the mind or in other words when one attains Realisation.                                                                                                                        

A Note on Sri Sivabala Yogi’s Method of Initiation

Sri Sivabala Yogi used to initiate devotees into the path of yoga (meditation on the self) by touching the brikuti (space between eyebrows) and in the process, transfer his tapas power to them in seed form.

Q. What is self effort?

A.Self effort in the spiritual context refers to the disciplined, regular and dedicated endeavor made over a long period of time to realize one’s Self. It is known as sadhana (practice) when done under the guidance of a guru. The goal of spiritual self effort is control of mind and must be pursued with all of one’s energy. Effort goes to waste if one forgets the goal is to control the mind. For example, repeating a divine name or reciting scriptures without exercising restraint on the mind is of little spiritual benefit. Divine or guru’s grace is an absolute must to succeed in it. One should, however, realise that even grace dwells in the mind only and it plays its part if effort is made. Those who depend on fate or are looking for magical mantras or indulge in rituals and other similar activities to attain instant salvation are bound to fail. Control of mind requires hard work; neither learning nor erudition nor cleverness (of mind) is of any avail in doing so.

Q. What is divine grace and how is it linked to self effort?

A. Grace denotes divine pleasure and blessings and takes the shape of the Lord drawing a devotee closer to Itself when pleased with their love, devotion and remembrance. Effort done rightly and sincerely (as described above) is the surest way to receive grace. It is important to understand the link between divine grace and self effort. Lord (or the guru) does not favour anyone with grace capriciously. Grace accrues only when effort is made to control the ego sense and know God. It is another name for the power that inheres in the mind when it is ripe for guidance and manifest for most individuals in the form of help from outside (as the blessings received from a sage). Grace is essential for a spiritual quest to succeed and can be thought of the power that fructifies one’s self-effort. Grace is like the wind blowing across the ocean ( is available to all in equal measure) but can be harnessed provided one sets one’s sail to it. The wise understand that grace is a quality of one’s own mind, which manifests when effort is made (by the mind) to arouse it from its latent state.

Q. What is the nature of the individual mind?

A.The palpable form of mind is the ceaseless chain of thoughts that keep it in turmoil and impel it to look outwards to satisfy desires. Almost everyone succumbs to its whims and fancies and one has little control over it (the implication is that thoughts impel one into action). The mind also has another aspect which is the power of introversion that uses its intelligence and will power to reign in the outgoing mind by exercising control over it. It is this aspect of the mind that is strengthened through spiritual practice that allows for control of the individual mind.

Q. What role do intelligence and will power play in a spiritual pursuit?

A Spiritual pursuit is meant for those who have the mental toughness to carry on despite all obstacles. Control of mind is a long and hard pursuit and one invariably finds an excuse to give it up. The strong willed use their discriminative intelligence to make proper self effort and don’t give up until the goal is reached.

Note

Discriminative intelligence which is unique to humans and allows us to exercise control over the whims and fancies of the mind.

 

Q. What is role of Maya (power of illusion)?

A.Maya is an invisible power that affect the consciousness in general as well as the individual mind. It is responsible for the feeling of I (or ego) in an individual and leads to the subjective awareness of objects. It causes the motion in the mind experienced as thoughts. It is shed once the mind is controlled through spiritual practice.

Q. What are the steps that lead to control of mind?

The mind goes through the following 5 steps before it is said to be controlled. These are

1. Self-Discipline
2. Self-Purification
3. Self-Abidance
4. Self-Subsidence (Manolaya)
5. Destruction of Mind (Manonash)

These stages are used to describe in a general way how an aspirant evolves spiritually. Self-discipline and self-purification are basic states that cannot be quantified. Mind passes through them from the beginning of the quest to the end where they attain the highest level.

Control of mind starts with disciplining the mind to adhere to a set routine of doing regular spiritual practice such as meditation and adhering to a code of conduct that accentuates the positive or divine attributes such as love, devotion, humility, detachment  and refrains from its harmful counterparts such as hate, jealousy, pride and anger. The most important facet to ensure progress is the regular and sincere practice of the guru’s teachings. As one practices, it leads to the purification of the mind which is a very slow and gradual process and one must not expect sudden or rapid changes. As the mind gets purified, thoughts that in the past may have caused a lot of turmoil are not that bothersome and lack intensity or the ability to agitate the mind. As the mind gets purified, the next step that results with continued practice is the state of abidance (in which the mind can dwell on a though such as a name or mantra for an hour without interruption) . With continued practice the mind becomes dormant and subsides in itself (known as manolaya). This state of the mind can be compared to the peace felt in deep sleep except that one is awake and alert. Continued practice leads to the state of samadhi in which one gains awareness of the primordial ‘I’ thought and experiences it as a potent current or pulsation or vibration  in the consciousness. Samadhi can be can be categorized as lower, higher and highest. Lower samadhi is known as Bhava samadhi or Savikalpa samadhi, the higher state is Nirvikalpa and the highest is Sahaj samadhi or Self-realization. With continued practice one progresses from Savikalpa samadhi to Nirvikalpa in which the mind is destroyed and what is left thereafter is described as Self-Realization or Sahaj Samadhi.

Q. What are the primary methods to control the mind ?

A. Traditionally, sages have devised certain disciplines for purposes of teaching. Their delineation is based on two primary factors; first, varied temperaments of aspirants and two, on certain attributes of the mind. A reader ought to note some points in this regard. One, division into various paths is more for ease of imparting instruction than separating them into watertight compartments. All paths are the same in their essence and aim to achieve the same end, i.e., control of mind. They differ only in laying emphasis on certain points. Two, there are four basic temperaments that jivas usually display, which are derived from the predominant traits of their nature; they are, active (karmic), devotional, intellectual and scientific. three, each path stresses on a certain trait of the mind, without ignoring its other characteristics, and then exploits it to gain control over it. Based on the above discussion, the primary paths or disciplines generally advocated are as follows :-

1. Path of service – To do one’s karma in a selfless and unattached manner forms the core of teaching on this path. It is an excellent means to purify the mind and should be practiced by everyone either in combination with other disciplines or as an independent path. It is followed mostly by persons of extroverted nature who live to work.
2. The Path of Love and Devotion. It aims to control the mind through remembrance of the Lord done with love and devotion. It is suitable for those who are ready to submit to the Lord’s will in a spirit of self surrender.
3. The Path of Yoga. It lays emphasis on meditation done on an object to conserve mind’s out flowing energy as well as to purify it. People of scientific temperaments find its practice very useful. The mind is destroyed through the development of power of concentration (yoga shakti) by following this discipline.
4. The Path of Knowledge. Those who have intellectual bent of mind are attracted to this path. Its primary purpose is to locate the source of ignorance (or the point of origin of mind, i.e., the ‘I’-sense) and then discover its unreal nature.
5. The Path of Silence. It uses the power of Silence earned by a satguru through the practice of a special yogic discipline called tapas yoga to silence the mind of a devotee. It can be followed as a path by itself or in combination with others, usually the latter. All aspirants are capable of practicing it in the second aspect.
6. Worship. It is not a discipline by itself but is practiced in combination with any of the above paths. It is especially useful for beginners and consists of prayers, various modes of worship, rites, rituals and so on.

Q. What is the essence of Sri Sivabala Yogis teaching on service?

A. The divine will has ordained that selfless service done with love in the current age (kaliyuga) reduces an aspirant’s effort, to attain salvation, by half. There is, therefore, special merit in learning to act motivelessly, without desire and expectation to receive its fruit. No jiva can avoid or give up doing one’s karma. It is in that sense that it is regarded as the fundamental discipline that everyone must follow. Why not then carry it out in the spirit of service to the Lord who dwells in every heart? Always act without the I’s involvement or a feeling, ‘I am the doer’. Selfish actions strengthen a jiva’s bondage of ignorance whereas unselfish ones remove it totally. They purify the mind and lead to its control. A seeker’s spiritual progress becomes faster if one carries out sewa (service) in addition to the practice of some other path

Q. What is the essence of Sri Sivabala Yogis teaching on love and devotion?

A. The mind’s impurities in the form of samaskaras and vasnas (mental impressions and latent tendencies created by past karma) dwell in its memory. They are the cause of mental extroversion that makes an individual forget one’s true (i.e. divine) nature. Many undesirable attributes like attachment, pride, greed, jealousy etc manifest in the mind due to them. The path of love is based on the mind’s inherent nature to remember things. An average jiva’s mind is characterized by remembrance as well as forgetfulness; when one thing is remembered the other is forgotten; as, for instance, there is no thought in a mother’s mind when she remember her son (i.e. she forgets the world). A jiva’s mind is constantly fluctuating between remembrance and forgetfulness. The path of devotion aims to prolong the period of remembrance to an almost infinite level and in doing so make it (i.e. remembrance) as thing in itself (i.e. reach its absolute state). In this process, an aspirant is detached from (i.e. forgets) the world and one’s self (‘I’-ness). Remembrance, in the relative sense, requires an object to dwell on. Worldly objects create bondage when they are remembered; a mother becomes attached to her children due to constant remembrance. The memory of a divine object (e.g.God or Its incarnations, holy sages etc), on the other hand, purifies and introverts the mind due to its inherent sanctifying qualities. The crucial element in remembrance is that is must be done with love, devotion and concentration. Thus, this path is distinguished from others in the emphasis that it lays on a focused (i.e. on God) mind’s ability to control itself through its own activity to remember the Lord out of love and devotion.

Q. What is the essence of Sri Sivabala Yogis teaching on Yoga?

A. The practice of this path aims to control an extroverted mind through yoga shakti (the power of mental concentration) by introverting it on its source (i.e. the ‘I’ thought) and then destroying the latter. The method of intelligent application of yoga shakti (power of concentration) to control the mind is called meditation, which is the chief characteristic of this path. Meditation must be done intelligently (i.e. by using the power of discrimination to reject thoughts from the mind) and by using will power. Intelligence is employed to restrain the motion (in the mind) to put a brake on the functioning of the roving mind (manas) and senses. It introverts the mind and purifies memory of its samaskaric dross through yogic heat (brahman agni) that burns it. Regular practice of meditation develops yoga shakti (power of mental concentration), which in turn improves its quality and in the end makes the mind completely motionless (i.e. it is controlled fully).

Q. What is the essence of Sri Sivabala Yogis teaching on knowledge?

A.The divine knowledge that a guru imparts to a seeker is used as a tool to destroy the false subjective and objective knowledge. The basic premise of this discipline is that the knowledge that a jiva gains through the mind, of the world or of one’s own self, is unreal and illusory. How has this delusion arisen? Maya or ignorance is its cause and its effects must be removed from the mind to know the Truth. The root of individual ignorance lies deeply embedded in a jiva’s mind, i.e., the ‘I’-sense. A jiva’s problems would end if he or she could find the ‘I’ and discover its unreality. This is done through control of mind by practising vichara; which, in its essence, means to reject, with a laser sharp intelligence all that is unreal, i.e., the triad of a seer, seeing and seen (or the ‘I’, the experience it or the mind has and the objective world) by constantly dwelling on the query, ‘who am ‘I’.’ What is left after that is the real Self and that state is known as Its Realization.

Q. What is the essence of Sri Sivabala Yogis teaching on Silence?

A. In its classic form this was taught by the celebrated guru, Sri Dakshnimurthy, to some sages at the beginning of time (i.e. the current cycle of creation). There was no exchange of words between the guru and disciples; the former divined the latter’s desire for liberation, initiated them in silence and they practiced in silence to attain Self Realization. Just as a lighted candle melts on its own, so do the mind’s impurities burn away automatically when the power of Silence is transplanted in it by a satguru. This way can be followed only by highly competent seekers, usually the ever free souls. The second method is to combine this path with the practice of other disciplines and every devotee can follow it. An aspirant is initiated into any of the paths described earlier but the guru also gives the power of Silence (or tapas) along with it. For example, a devotee maybe asked to repeat a divine name, which is blessed with the power of Silence. The mind is pulled inwards or is introverted by tapas shakti as one does japa (repetition) of the name. It makes the repetition for more effective than it would have been otherwise.