Digest 974

[Guest guest]

Greetings SRK Child:

 

Among your interesting questions, you asked:

 

>6. What you people think about - Paramhansa Yogananda's Kriya Yoga

Meditation Techniques ?<

 

As a practitioner of Yoganandaji's Kriya Yoga technique, I have found it to

be extremely effective in enriching my spiritual life. I believe his

contribution toward the science of meditation (i.e., a specific technique)

to be his great legacy. As Sri Ramakrishna passed this knowledge on

privately, and as we are living in a time with few gurus, Yogananda's

writings are a Godsend. (I am not aware if Swamiji's recorded teachings

include the specifics of how to meditate. However, Swami Brahmananda's

teachings have instructed me on how to practice japa, which Yogananda,

interestingly, did not specifically teach. Now, I view japa as a way to

continue my meditation during daily activities.) I should also credit

Yogananda's spiritual classic, " Autobiography of a Yogi, " as what lead me

to know, understand and follow the teachings of Christ and Sri Ramakrishna.

 

Regarding your question:

 

>1. Why we have to pray to our ONE personal deity / ishtadevata ? <

 

I would say it is important in order to raise your consciousness from the

relative to the absolute. God is One, but His forms are many. Therefore, we

must have a singular focus in our japa and meditation, in order to achieve

Realization of the One. However, when it comes to prayer, maybe requests,

praises, thankfulness, etc., to different forms of God are not harmful.

 

Let me share a quote from, " Sayings of Sri Ramakrishna " :

 

529. " As a chaste woman wholly devoted to her husband is united with him

for ever even after death, so the man who is solely devoted to his own

Chosen Deity certainly obtains union with God. "

 

Regarding your question:

 

>3. Does eating / diatery habits harm your spiritual life ?<

 

I believe the Master is quite clear that the harm or benefit of food

selection is based on our level of spiritual maturity. Let me offer another

quote from the same source:

 

392. " He who eats simple non-stimulating vegetable food, but does not

desire to attain God, --for him that simple food is as bad as beef. But he

who eats beef and desires to attain God, --for him beef is as good as the

food of the gods. "

 

Swami Brahmananda also had some excellent teachings on diet, which I will

quote from, " A Guide to Spiritual Life, " by Swami Chetanananda:

 

" People differ widely in their constitutions, so it is not possible to lay

down any hard and fast rule about food. One kind of food may agree with my

system but not with yours. For this reason the scriptures did not give

specific instructions about food. "

 

" Devotee: 'Maharaj, isn't it cruel for man to eat meat and fish?'

Brahmananda: 'Nonsense! . . . You will be established in ahimsa (i.e.,

nonviolence) when you realize that the same Atman resides in you as well as

in the little ant and that there is no difference between the two of you.

You are talking about nonviolence, but truly speaking, can you avoid

violence?. . . Examine a drop of water through a microscope and see how many

millions of tiny lives are there. . . You don't feel bad killing all these

lives, but you think you will lose your religion if you eat a piece of fish!

.. . . The ancient Hindus held no such ideas, but later they were introduced

by some religions sects.' "

 

" Eat that food which is easily digestible (for you). Never fill your stomach

more than two-thirds with food. This will increase your strength and energy.

If you overload your stomach, most of your energy will be consumed in

digesting the food. . . A healthy body is very helpful for sadhana. "

 

God Bless,

Brad