Raja Richard
Recent Activity
Raja Richard commented on The Importance of Meditation on January 22, 2008, 10:04 AM
Hi Sharon, the form of meditation you speak of, which seems to be in the category of mindfulness meditation, is not different from conventional waking except that you choose not to act upon whatever stimuli come into the mind. This is indeed a form of rest and is, as you rightly inform, beneficial. In the waking state there is the knower (perceiver), there is the process of knowing (perception), and there is the known (perceived). Though in mindfulness meditation some separation occurs between the knower and the known (engendered by the attitude of passivity in the presence of mental stimuli), by remaining attentive to thoughts, feelings, etc., the meditator continues to engage, however delicately, with the objects of perception, and does not do what she could be doing, which is engaging with herself alone, devoid of any object. To experience the Self alone, the mind must not merely be passive but turn inward, away from the objects of perception. In essence, consciousness must turn back upon itself. This is accomplished by using a technique for transcending (ergo, transcendental meditation=beyond thinking), which results in disengaging from objects completely. With transcending, the tripartite structure of consciousness that is the waking state is broken, and the knower rests in herself alone, not only liberated from the bondage of the object, but awake in the singularity of Being. This unitary structure of consciousness is completely different than that of the three states of waking, dreaming, and sleeping. Coming out of samadhi, the absolute ground state of restfulness, the arrow is pulled fully back on the bow, ready to be released. Upon the platform of Being, the energy to perform action (activism!) is unlimited. Yogasthah kuru karmani--established in yoga, perform action! Gita 2.48
Raja Richard commented on What is Jivamukti yoga? on January 21, 2008, 1:46 PM
Dear Sharon, you have a beautiful radiance. On the issue of yamas/niyamas: I think that Patanjali did not intend that the eight aspects of his yoga be taken as STEPS to be mastered on the path to Unity, with samadhi being the final step; the word anga (Ashtanga Yoga) means not step but LIMB. Limbs do not grow sequentially, i.e., first the right leg, then the left, etc., but grow simultaneously and spontaneously as the body as a whole grows. Nor does a limb require special attention in order to grow; all that is necessary is to nourish the body as a whole. When Patanjali layed out the limbs of yoga, his intention, I believe, was not to set forth practices as such, but to describe what life is like in each of these areas when YOGA IS ESTABLISHED. Trying to practice ahimsa as a means of attaining Unity is like trying to grow a perfect limb in an unhealthy body--one is putting the cart before the horse. Not that we should not strive towards perfection in these areas while on the path, but real success in the yamas and niyamas requires taking our awareness to the field of Unity directly, establishing ourselves there first. In my thirty-eight years of yoga practice, the first few were wasted trying to grow limbs and to meditate without instruction from a genuinely enlightened master. Then I found that samadhi can be experienced straightaway through the simple practice of transcendental meditation, which brings the mind to Unity quite effortlessly. Coming out of samadhi into activity, I noticed from the very first week that every aspect of my life was growing simultaneously in an integrated manner. As Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who instructed me on Patanjali, told me: Water the root to enjoy the fruit.
Raja Richard commented on What is Jivamukti yoga? on January 21, 2008, 8:46 AM
Dear Sharon, you have a beautiful radiance. On the issue of yamas/niyamas: I think that Patanjali did not intend that the eight aspects of his yoga be taken as STEPS to be mastered on the path to Unity, with samadhi being the final step; the word anga (Ashtanga Yoga) means not step but LIMB. Limbs do not grow sequentially, i.e., first the right leg, then the left, etc., but grow simultaneously and spontaneously as the body as a whole grows. Nor does a limb require special attention in order to grow; all that is necessary is to nourish the body as a whole. When Patanjali layed out the limbs of yoga, his intention, I believe, was not to set forth practices as such, but to describe what life is like in each of these areas when YOGA IS ESTABLISHED. Trying to practice ahimsa as a means of attaining Unity is like trying to grow a perfect limb in an unhealthy body--one is putting the cart before the horse. Not that we should not strive towards perfection in these areas while on the path, but real success in the yamas and niyamas requires taking our awareness to the field of Unity directly, establishing ourselves there first. In my thirty-eight years of yoga practice, the first few were wasted trying to grow limbs and to meditate without instruction from a genuinely enlightened master. Then I found that samadhi can be experienced straightaway through the simple practice of transcendental meditation, which brings the mind to Unity quite effortlessly. Coming out of samadhi into activity, I noticed from the very first week that every aspect of my life was growing simultaneously in an integrated manner. As Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who instructed me on Patanjali, told me: Water the root to enjoy the fruit.
Raja Richard commented on The Importance of Meditation on January 22, 2008, 3:04 PM
Hi Sharon, the form of meditation you speak of, which seems to be in the category of mindfulness meditation, is not different from conventional waking except that you choose not to act upon whatever stimuli come into the mind. This is indeed a form of rest and is, as you rightly inform, beneficial. In the waking state there is the knower (perceiver), there is the process of knowing (perception), and there is the known (perceived). Though in mindfulness meditation some separation occurs between the knower and the known (engendered by the attitude of passivity in the presence of mental stimuli), by remaining attentive to thoughts, feelings, etc., the meditator continues to engage, however delicately, with the objects of perception, and does not do what she could be doing, which is engaging with herself alone, devoid of any object. To experience the Self alone, the mind must not merely be passive but turn inward, away from the objects of perception. In essence, consciousness must turn back upon itself. This is accomplished by using a technique for transcending (ergo, transcendental meditation=beyond thinking), which results in disengaging from objects completely. With transcending, the tripartite structure of consciousness that is the waking state is broken, and the knower rests in herself alone, not only liberated from the bondage of the object, but awake in the singularity of Being. This unitary structure of consciousness is completely different than that of the three states of waking, dreaming, and sleeping. Coming out of samadhi, the absolute ground state of restfulness, the arrow is pulled fully back on the bow, ready to be released. Upon the platform of Being, the energy to perform action (activism!) is unlimited. Yogasthah kuru karmani--established in yoga, perform action! Gita 2.48