Stages of Spiritual Development by Prem Prakash

[Guest guest]

, " jagbir singh "

<adishakti_org wrote:

>

> As i have said before - Never ever allow anyone to come between

> yourself and the Adi Shakti. This is of utmost importance if you

> want to advance. i just cannot emphasize this cardinal rule more.

> And by Adi Shakti i mean the eternal Primordial Mother who exists

> in your own Sahasrara, and that of all beings. Shri Mataji Nirmala

> Devi is just Her physical incarnation required to deliver and

> explain the Divine Message to humanity in detail. She is also on

> Earth to give evidence and bring to remembrance that She is the

> Divine Feminine, the Shakti of God Almighty/Brahman. She is Avidya-

> Nasini, Bhranti-Nasini, Jagat-Janani Ananda-Dayini, Vidya-Dayini,

> Moksha-Dayini Ananda-Karani, Kalyana-Karani, Moksha-Karani .....

> Probably this will be your final birth on Earth. So strive with

> all your heart, mind and soul to merge (your consciousness) with

> Her!...

>

> The physical incarnation of the Adi Shakti is as human as can be.

> As an incarnation Shri Mataji has Her limitations. Only the

> eternal Adi Shakti within is omnipotent, omnipresent and

> omniscient. She is Shri Lalita Devi, the Divine Mother, the Shakti

> of all - Brahman! SHE knows everything and nothing can be hidden

> from Her. She is the One you should at all times meditate and seek

> guidance and protection. That is why i am convinced you will

> advance in a year what most SYs will easily take a decade.

>

 

Stages of Spiritual Development

by Prem Prakash

 

In this essay I would like to outline five stages along the

spiritual path. These are intended to serve as a contextual map

which I hope can help the aspirant make sense of the major issues he

will face in his spiritual growth....

 

Stage 1: Shanti (Peace)

 

The first noble truth of the Buddha is sarvam duhkam, " all is

suffering. " Some Buddhists say this means that the world is like a

house on fire, within which we play like little children, unaware of

our true situation. The house is our ego, our self-centered,

separative identity. Like Midas, with his powerful but horrible

touch, our ego-based identity brings suffering to every sphere of

life that it contacts. Though this may sound drastic, the

realization of the pervasiveness of suffering throughout the

manifest universe is an important stage in spiritual growth. For

many Westerners, to say that all is suffering may sound somewhat

pessimistic. We think this is how the world must look to somebody in

a third-world country surrounded by poverty, starvation, and lack of

television. But if we turn the coin around, we can see that our

wealth and leisure actually keep us from probing the depth of the

human condition. We are so busy with superficialities that we never

glimpse below the tip of the iceberg of our small anxieties and

worries, beneath which lay mammoth fears and terrors. The pleasures,

entertainments, and distractions that our abundance permits can be

seen as endless avoidance activities. For if we ever sat still, in

silence, that creature from the depths of darkness that we so fear

may have a chance to rise up and devour us.

 

When we do probe beneath the surface of superficial life, we find

that the only thing worse than not getting what you want is getting

what you want. For all selfish desires are but seeds of discontent.

They sprout roots of separative consciousness and branches of

competition. They flower in pride and produce the fruit of

disappointment, within which are more seeds of discontent. The

realization that all ego-based desire results in suffering brings

forth the search for its opposite, shanti, peace. This longing for

peace is the wisdom which begins to untangle the knot of ego.

 

Stage 2: Shakti (Energy)

 

In the quest for peace, the aspirant comes to the recognition that

he will need great energy to accomplish all his life tasks without

being overwhelmed and stressed-out. The aspirant is drawn to

sadhanas which will improve his health and stabilize his emotions

and mental framework. Experiments with diet, sleep, lifestyle, and

various formal practices -- such as visualization, pranayama (breath

and energy work) and asana (physical exercises) -- come into play in

the pursuit of shakti.

 

During the search for shakti, one undergoes processes of

purification. To maintain a state of high energy, the aspirant

realizes that his body, emotions, and mind need to be pure and

strong, capable of maintaining a high degree of energy. The ordinary

person is like a low-wattage light bulb: channel too much

electricity through the medium and the bulb will burn out. The

aspirant seeks to make himself capable of holding high levels of

shakti, that he might enjoy the divine luminance.

 

Purity of body means that the essentials of daily life must be met

in a balanced manner. The Ayurvedic medical system, sister science

to yoga, states that there are three pillars of life: food, sex, and

sleep. Food for an aspirant must be nourishing, fresh, and

appropriate to season and his lifestyle. A vegetarian diet is

extremely helpful for many reasons, though one should not become

fanatical about any aspect of diet. After all, it is only fuel for

the physical vehicle; it should not become a means of distraction

from the goal itself.

 

Sleep should be taken in moderation. One should sleep neither too

much nor too little. As the body becomes healthy, less sleep is

needed because the body is not stressed and wasting the energy it

obtained through food, water, air, and sunshine.

 

Sex, an activity that gibes rise to great confusion and one too

complicated to discuss in detail here, is not inherently a barrier

to spiritual growth. Sexual activity, within the context of a

consensual, mindful relationship, can be an avenue for the

maturation of the personality and the satisfaction of the emotions.

Sexual behavior, like eating and sleeping, is an issue of exercising

moderation and using common sense.

 

Purity of the emotions and mind means that one must learn to remain

positive and upbeat. One should look for the noble in all people and

God's will in all situations. One must cultivate attitudes of

friendship and compassion towards all other beings. One must serve

as an example of positive energy for those who are dispirited. This

is not to imply that life is to be seen through rose-colored

glasses. The aspirant should, however, strive to serve as a beacon

of happiness in the night of depression and despair in which ego-

based persons live. Being happy is amongst the greatest services one

can provide for his brothers and sisters.

 

Stage 3: Ramlila (The Play of God)

 

As shakti develops, one feels himself powerful and confident. Life

loses its burdensome nature and becomes worthwhile. The insight

arises that one's small life is in harmony with the great tides of

God's creation. And since God's nature is joy, likewise does one

begin to experience joy in his own life.

 

Spiritual exercises which were previously undertaken in an effort to

obtain a goal, such as gaining shanti or shakti, are now done simply

because they are enjoyable. At the early stages of sadhana, one

feels like a child forced to do homework when he would rather play.

The alarm clock rings in the morning and the beginning yogi wishes

for nothing more than to roll over and go back to sleep. He does not

understand why his teacher requires daily practice. He would prefer

his sleep or coffee and newspaper to his morning sadhana.

 

Just as the child would rather play games than study, so would the

immature yogi favor goofing-off to undertaking his practices. Later,

however, like a student who has matured and become an enthusiastic

scholar, the aspirant looks forward to those periods when he can

focus on his spiritual practices. He no longer performs them because

he seeks something further down his path, but because he finds

gratification in his sadhana. Like an artist who enjoys painting or

an athlete who delights in exercise, the yogi relishes the

opportunity to express his creative life force through his sadhana.

 

Stage 4: Lankabhayankaram (Terrifier of Lanka)

 

With the acquisition of the vision of Ramlila, one might feel that

his journey has reached completion. But this stage is only the

prelude to full accomplishment. First, great obstacles which prevent

permanent abidance in the sacred inner space must be overcome. From

the very depths of the chitta (personal consciousness) arise fears,

doubts, and defenses which are like a mighty wall obstructing

further progress. In psychological terms, we might say that this is

the appearance of the darker aspects of the subconscious which are

resistant to change. They seek to remain the dominant forces in

one's psyche, reluctant to surrender before the tendencies of peace

and harmony.

 

This insight has been presented mythologically in the tales of

Christ being tempted in the desert, and of Buddha being tempted and

attacked by Mara as he sat under the bodhi tree. In both cases the

aspirant was victorious. Jesus put Satan behind him and went on to

fulfill his mission. The Buddha persisted in his meditation until

the forces of Mara were depleted, and he attained his supreme

enlightenment dedicated to the welfare of all beings.

 

The term " lankabhayankaram " is an epithet given to Hanuman, one of

the heroes of the great Indian epic, the Ramayana. It literally

means " terrifier of Lanka, " as Hanuman is depicted as the destroyer

of Lanka, the stronghold of demons. Hanuman is able to recognize a

demon, no matter how subtle be his disguise, and he holds nothing

back in his battle to destroy the negative forces. Symbolically,

Hanuman (the accomplished aspirant) is able to recognize the demons

(negative thoughts and feelings) which might present themselves to

his consciousness, no matter how disguised (attractive, distracting,

or logical) they might be. With his mighty club (the power of his

own devotion) he destroys their presence in Lanka (in his heart).

 

Each aspirant must eventually find that fiery part of himself

symbolized by Hanuman – selfless server and noble warrior. The

spiritual path is not for the meek or those who give lip service to

some amorphous, un-tested virtue described as " non-violence. "

Gentleness towards others is always to be demonstrated, but one must

be a mighty conqueror of the Lanka within. The demons of selfish

desire and laziness will not surrender without a fight. They must be

slain with the sword of vitality and enthusiasm for the battle!

 

Stage 5. Ma (Mother)

 

The primal human sound, Ma, universal throughout virtually every

tongue, holds special significance in the yogic tradition. " Ma, " in

Sanskrit, refers to the Great Goddess, the Divine Mother, the Alpha

and Omega of existence. It is She who remains ever transcendent, yet

permeates every atom of existence with Her loving presence. From

Her, the One Absolute, arise the multitude of relative beings. She

gives them birth and She nurtures their lives in the form of Mother

Nature. She beguiles them with her veil of spiritual illusion,

causing them to forget their divine status, while She also provides

the props and supports they will need to become free of the

illusion.

 

She laughs in divine intoxication at the blissful paradox of Her

game. She is the peace that surpasseth understanding because she

lives always beyond the known. She is never bound by any human

concept or idea. In India, She is depicted as Kali, the dancing,

black Goddess with a garland of human heads hung on her chest. For

all people will be called to offer their heads (egos) to Her. They

can do so lovingly, in devotion, after which they rise from their

beheading reborn as Children of God. Or, if ignorance and pride

prevent them from humbly submitting themselves to this process, Kali

ends up with their heads anyway through the defeats that life heaves

upon the egoic man -- ending with the supreme defeat, the

humiliation of death.

 

Yoga is a rational system of steps that lead to this fifth stage,

the trans-rational leap of faith into that which can never be known,

only loved. Depicting this Transcendent as Goddess is very

appropriate for our time, for we have become estranged from nature

and the feminine values of sympathy, tenderness, and an appreciation

for the cyclical nature of life. Our rocket ships, our computers,

and our atom bombs prove our ability to construct devices that

demonstrate our cleverness at applying reason and manipulating

Aristotelian logic. Great as these achievements might be, they leave

us empty in heart, for the heart is the realm of intuition. Like

Adam and Eve, we have tasted the fruits of our knowing, only to find

how bitter is the cost.

 

I am not proposing that we abandon reason, only that it be informed

by intuition. For unless we are able, when necessary, to leap from

the knowing, defensive mind into the innocent, intuitive heart, our

earthly accomplishments are nothing but dust. And, as our weapons of

destruction suggest, we may end as dust if we don't heed the voice

of this inner Goddess. Bedecked with Her garland of severed heads,

She appears dark and frightening only because she lives in the

shadows of our unconscious. As one progresses through the stages of

spiritual growth, one comes to know that fear of Her is nothing more

than a self-perpetuating illusion based on ignorance.

 

Aspirant, fear nothing! Doubt your doubts, be angry with your anger,

and penetrate through the darkness of terror-induced nightmares to

the bliss-soaked dance of divine life: born, sustained, then

destroyed by Ma.

 

Of Kali, Swami Vivekananda wrote,

 

Dancing mad with joy,

Come, Mother. Come!

 

For terror is Thy name,

Death is in Thy breath,

And every shaking step

destroys a world for e'er.

Thou 'Time', the All-Destroyer!

Come, O' Mother. Come!

 

Who dares misery love,

And hug the form of Death,

Dance in destruction's dance,

To him the Mother comes.

 

 

Prem Prakash is the founder of the Green Mountain School of Yoga. He

have been practicing yoga and related arts and sciences since 1979.

Other essays by Prem Prakash go to :

http://homepage.mac.com/ppkgmsy/essays.htm