Reconciling Kundalini and Jnana yogas

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Reconciliation

I would like to further clarify kundalini versus jnana yogas.

Self enquiry:

The Self is the "Watcher". Although the Watcher has directed attention,

which is likened to a flow of energy or shakti, to the

five senses, the Watcher has never actually left the Source, which

is why the direct approach of the gyani works. Become

aware of the Watcher, and the "outward" flow is cutoff, which results

in loss of body awareness, or the realisation occurs that

the Watcher is all that exists, which may or may not result in loss

of body awareness.

Kundalini yoga:

The kundalini yogi treats the shakti as real and behaves as though

there is an energy or divine power that has to be returned to

the Source by some process. The perceived outward-flowing energy flow

is reversed, removing the illumination of the five

senses, and redirected to the source, thus illuminating the Source.

This backward process is likely to exhibit a multitude of

symptoms of emotions/visions/sounds at the various levels of the return

process.

The end result is the same. Many people do not "get" this idea of the

Watcher, but they can get the idea of the attention flowing

to the five senses. Therefore, for many people, the tackling of this

energy is the best approach.

The kundalini and gyana yogis will both experience withdrawal of the

outward-flowing energy. Classical kundalini yoga

describes complete loss of outer awareness, though this need not necessarily

happen. Some yogis have experienced a

"distancing" of their awareness from the physical world. Gyanis also

have been through phases of complete body unawareness

or partial separation. There are also similar reports of lights and

sounds, and in particular a changed perception of the world.

I would like to finish this section with a quotation from Talks with

Sri Ramana Maharshi, section 616:

If one concentrates on the Sahasrara there

is no doubt that the ecstasy of samadhi ensues. The vasanas, that is

the latencies, are not however destroyed.

The yogi is therefore bound to wake up from the samadhi, because

release from bondage has not yet been accomplished.

He must still try to eradicate the vasanas in order that the

latencies yet inherent in him may not disturb

the peace of his samadhi. So he passes down from the sahasrara to

the heart through what is called the jivanadi,

which is only a continuation of the Sushumna. The Sushumna is

thus a curve. It starts from the solar plexus,

rises through the spinal cord to the brain and from there bends down

and ends in the heart. When the yogi has reached

the heart, the samadhi becomes permanent.

Ramana did not teach the techniques of the yogi. Instead, he advocated

the seeking of the Source of the "I" consciousness or

ego (that he calls the Heart):

This is the direct method for Self-Realisation.

One who adopts it need not worry about nadis, the brain, the

Sushumna, the Paranadi, the Kundalini, pranayama

or the six centres.

Sadhana: kundalini & jnana

By Shunya Muni

"Sadhana" is a Sanskrit word for one's spiritual practice. In this

page I have reconciled the great sadhanas of kundalini yoga and gyana

(jnana) yoga.

Kundalini yoga

After I had visited Swami Muktananda in 1981, I came back to Australia

with a peculiar sensitivity to music. I obtained a job, and at

lunchtime I would drive to a quiet spot, eat my lunch, then turn on

the radio, tuned to a classical music station, and go into a light

trance.

I would sit with a straight back, and feel the music "going into" the

point between the eyebrows, or Ajna chakra. By also consciously

suggesting that the consciousness should ascend the spine, it did,

and the boundary of my body became inside the head only. I felt a

delicious peacefulness.

Our consciousness flows into the body in the normal waking state, and

we feel our personal boundaries to be the tips of the toes, fingers,

and top of the head. Beyond that we consider to be "outside" the

body. I discovered that the boundary is variable (in both

directions). Certain schools of kundalini and kriya yogas aim to

contract that boundary, by consciously withdrawing the flow of

consciousness up the central column of the spine (sushumna).

When my consciouness-boundary was within the head, the rest of my body

felt "external". A phase beyond that is that body-awareness is totally

lost, yet the person remains aware -- the practitioner is thus

intensely focussed within a boundary close to the "source" of

consciousness, or Self. This is samadhi as described by the classical

yoga books, in which bliss and boundlessness are experienced, but

there is no physical awareness.

When the practitioner comes back to physical awareness, the samadhi is

gone. Yogis claim however that repeated practice will gradually bring

Self awareness regardless of where the consciousness flows or how

many thoughts occupy the mind.

I am very ordinary and had no spiritual or psychic abilities

beforehand. In fact I had an awful handicap of physical tension and

irregular breathing from my SRF days. I developed the above-described

capability after staying just five weeks at Swami Muktananda's ashram

-- and I lost it some weeks after leaving. I gained the special

sensitivity to music, in which a note from a musical instrument would

sound extremely attractive and would penetrate through what I think is

my ajna chakra. I think that this came about mostly from swadhaya,

which is recitation of scripture (it is sung to a classical tune,

known as a raga) and singing of ancient Hindu chants.

(I must emphasise the importance of these ragas. Many new-age groups

sing spiritual songs, including traditional Indian, but use their own

tunes or rhythms. They don't know what they're missing, which is a

great pity.)

As my focus was at the ajna chakra while reciting the scripture, it

seems that this centre got activated. While chanting loud and fast I

also experienced the sound resounding in the pit of the stomach.

There are many yogas involving sound, sight, and chakras, but

classical kundalini yoga as I have described above is to reverse the

flow of consciousness and become focussed on the Source, or Self.

This flow is also referred to as the shakti or prana.

The gyani (knower of the Truth) tells us that the only thing that

keeps us from experiencing our true nature is that we are always

"looking out" and differentiating between perceived objects. In deep

sleep we are no longer looking out nor are we differentiating, but we

are not conscious either (or rather have no recollection of

consciousness). The raising of the kundalini in the classical sense I

have outlined above, is like going to sleep, except awareness is

retained.

The practitioner is consciously aware of the centre of one's being,

without distraction of the five "outer" senses. This essentially is

what the practitioner of Self-enquiry, or gyana yoga, also aspires to

-- that is, to have undistracted Self-awareness.

The problem for me is my sadhana was very haphazard, and I never was

able to stabilise the ability to consciously raise the kundalini. I

got it back a few times, then it was gone again. I ended up feeling

very frustrated. I would dearly love to meet someone who can

stabilise me in this practice. I wish to take this sadhana to its

end.

I have seen kundalini and kriya yoga practitioners after 30 years of

practice fail to awaken the kundalini. Many have woken It in a fitful

fashion, not permanent. Most have some experiences, that soon fade.

Muktananda sometimes referred to old devotees as "old shoes". A major

question then, is, having once stirred the kundalini, how is the flame

fanned ever higher?

Gyana (jnana) yoga

A person who decides to follow the sadhana of Self-enquiry, also

described as a "non-path" or a path without teaching or teacher, or a

practice in which there is nothing to attain, listens to words of

Truth as spoken by a gyani, dwells on them, and becomes aware of the

Self directly.

The cunning teacher of Advaita (non-dualism) may tell you that you are

"already realised". The intention of this is to stop your mind, but it

is also a mental trap. The teacher is actually playing with the

meanings of words, and the subtlety of this escapes most people. The

true gyani realises that there is no such thing as non-realisation or

ignorance, but there is the experience or appearance of ignorance. We

say that we are ignorant, the Advaita teacher says that we are not.

But, you are being fooled by this play on meaning -- you are ignorant

in your day-to-day experience.

You went into the satsang thinking yourself to be ignorant, and you

came out dazzled by the teacher's logic, convinced now that you're

realised! The "dazzle" of this non-dual logic may amaze you, and

satori (temporary) experiences may happen. Maybe you too will get on

the guru bandwagon! But, maybe you're just spinning subtle ideas

around in your mind. Maybe you mistake an emotional high for a

genuine spiritual breakthrough. Maybe there's the occasional satori

experience, which is a momentary breakthrough. In time though, the

gloss will fade.

I recently listened to a teacher of Advaita say that karma does not

exist, and also that personal spiritual experiences such as seeing

lights are worthless. Again, if the experience of the non-existence

of karma is carried to you by the power of the teacher, or you are

ripe enough to immediately recognise the Truth, then well and good.

However from the average person's standpoint such a teaching may not

be helpful.

Ramana spoke of personal experiences such as visions and lights as

useful in that they provide encouragement. Other than that they are

mostly a distraction, and should not be given any inflated

importance. Some experiences may be a "marker". You have the

experience of feeling hungry when your body needs food -- this

feeling is a marker, or an experience that tells you that your body

has reached the stage of needing food. Similarly, a blue light or a

golden circle may manifest as a marker to indicate a degree of inner

awakening.

Papaji spoke about the listener "getting it", while Ramana spoke about

the "knack" or the "current" felt within. The knack is when it

suddenly clicks in your mind that the only thing that exists in your

whole universe is your Self. The problem is though that the mind has

not been killed, and it comes back, and back, and back. So, "getting

it" is only the first (but very important) step. Then it's practice,

practice, practice -- no, there is no instant enlightenment, unless

you are already "ripe".

(Note that when I use the word "killed", I don't mean that the mind is

gone. This is a very subtle point. There is a phase of sadhana in

which thoughts may be gone, but ultimately it does not matter. The

mind is killed when it is relegated to an automatic process. That is,

it functions like your liver, automatically. More to the point, you

have separated from thoughts and you are not bound to them. You could

still create thoughts, but for entertainment value only.)

I've seen people practice "jnana yoga" for years, but they're not any

different than Muktananda's "old shoes". So, how does the jnana yogi,

having recognised the "I", hold it and plunge into it, without falling

back into the mind and its tired old mental patterns?

Reconciliation

I would like to further clarify kundalini versus jnana yogas.

Self enquiry:

The Self is the "Watcher". Although the Watcher has directed

attention, which is likened to a flow of energy or shakti, to the

five senses, the Watcher has never actually left the Source, which is

why the direct approach of the gyani works. Become aware of the

Watcher, and the "outward" flow is cutoff, which results in loss of

body awareness, or the realisation occurs that the Watcher is all

that exists, which may or may not result in loss of body awareness.

Kundalini yoga:

The kundalini yogi treats the shakti as real and behaves as though

there is an energy or divine power that has to be returned to the

Source by some process. The perceived outward-flowing energy flow is

reversed, removing the illumination of the five senses, and

redirected to the source, thus illuminating the Source. This backward

process is likely to exhibit a multitude of symptoms of

emotions/visions/sounds at the various levels of the return process.

The end result is the same. Many people do not "get" this idea of the

Watcher, but they can get the idea of the attention flowing to the

five senses. Therefore, for many people, the tackling of this energy

is the best approach.

The kundalini and gyana yogis will both experience withdrawal of the

outward-flowing energy. Classical kundalini yoga describes complete

loss of outer awareness, though this need not necessarily happen.

Some yogis have experienced a "distancing" of their awareness from

the physical world. Gyanis also have been through phases of complete

body unawareness or partial separation. There are also similar

reports of lights and sounds, and in particular a changed perception

of the world.

I would like to finish this section with a quotation from Talks with

Sri Ramana Maharshi, section 616:

If one concentrates on the Sahasrara there is no doubt that the

ecstasy of samadhi ensues. The vasanas, that is the latencies, are

not however destroyed. The yogi is therefore bound to wake up from

the samadhi, because release from bondage has not yet been

accomplished. He must still try to eradicate the vasanas in order

that the latencies yet inherent in him may not disturb the peace of

his samadhi. So he passes down from the sahasrara to the heart

through what is called the jivanadi, which is only a continuation of

the Sushumna. The Sushumna is thus a curve. It starts from the solar

plexus, rises through the spinal cord to the brain and from there

bends down and ends in the heart. When the yogi has reached the

heart, the samadhi becomes permanent.

Ramana did not teach the techniques of the yogi. Instead, he advocated

the seeking of the Source of the "I" consciousness or ego (that he

calls the Heart):

This is the direct method for Self-Realisation. One who adopts it need

not worry about nadis, the brain, the Sushumna, the Paranadi, the

Kundalini, pranayama or the six centres.

The attrition of focus

The next page on sadhana is titled Sadhana: illumination of "I". I

recall Swami Venkatesananda once saying that the more you practice a

meditation technique, the less effective it becomes! The "I" can be

grasped one day, yet elusive the next. How is the "I" targeted and

held?

Love,

Shunya Muni

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