TRIBUTE TO THE GURU

The YOGAMAHARISHI DR SWAMI GITANANDA GIRI JI GURU MAHARAJ

by William Uber

Centre of Rishi Culture Yoga, 311 North 10th Street, Wausau Wisconsin 54403 USA

Those who have never known a Guru can not possibly understand what such a man means to the world and its children. Where will we go, those of us who seek to know the Truth, and how can we find our way without his help?

We come to him, caught in the many traps we have set for ourselves, puffed up with pride, and hemmed in by fear - living despairingly in the endless night of our ignorance, and hoping without reason for dawn. We think we are happy, but we don't  know ourselves well enough to be sure. We think we are healthy, accepting that our shameful weakness is only the natural order of things. We believe we know what it means to live a spiritual life, yet our ego-centric preoccupations and sub-conscious desire for self-aggrandizement are without bound. We arrive on his doorstep with intemperate words on our lips;

"Yeah, I'm alright , Jack! Just the usual quantity of disease in the body, chaos in the emotions, confusion in the mind, all wrapped up nice and neatly in a thick blanket of existential despair. Maybe I'll  stay on a week or two 'til I've learned all you know. Then I'll accept my certificate of merit and go.  By the way, where's the kitchen?"

And so, for the hundredth or thousandth or ten thousandth time, the Guru sighs for the impoverishment of the human race - once so grand and glorious - and begins to teach.

Poojya Swami Gitananda Ji is a human being so vast and incomprehensible, so facted with talents and accomplishments, so relentless in his pursuit of Tat Sat, that he could only be a Guru. No other role in this life could possibly contain him. His personality is an explosion and one fragment of him or another is bound to penetrate even the thickest human carapace.

It may be possible to ignore for years that Self that resides within us, but it is impossible to ignore for a second the Self within Poojya Swami Gitananda Ji. It will overwhelm us, drive us to the brink of desperation, and then yank us back, delivering us finally to the very gates of Paradise. The Atman in the Guru knows that nothing but the Atman in the disciple is real; this he loves with a purity that nothing can touch. All else, he treats with a severity that borders on the ruthless.

  If the personality does not serve the Atman, and does not serve the goal of spiritual evolution, it must be cut away, and the Guru says, "So be it, Bring me my sword."

And we are cut to pieces, winnowed, cultivated. Poojya Swami  Gitananda Ji has removed many pieces of me. And each day he continues to remove more. For the miracle-which is no miracle, but merely the birth of love in the heart of one more student-is that Swamiji lives on inside me. The sword his hand once held, my hand now holds, and I perform the cutting operations on myself, as  needed.  The tender words of communion he sent straight to mySelf, I now send as tenderly. The tirelessness he whowed in exhorting me to live up to the highest ideals of Goodness and Truth, I now show in pursuing my destiny, my re-union with God, my Paramyoga.

The Guru`s gift to the world is the knowledge that all of us may open ourselves up to the perfection of the Universe; all of us may know the Infinite and experience the dissolution of all boundaries and barriers; all of us may feel the timeless flow of Love moving through our bodies, connecting us with each other and with the Nature that sustains us. None are doomed, none are damned, except that, by their own willfulness, they reject the life of the Spirit, and seek to destroy it. What greater gift can be offered? What greater gift is there?

All I have to offer in return is my pledge to walk the path of spiritual unfoldment-resolutely, courageously, compassionately-until my journey is complete. Along the way, if any should note in me traces of the man who showed me how to walk when I could only crawl, they could pay me no higher tribute than to say this :

"His light, I see in you." Thank you, Swamiji. May a thousand blessings be upon your immortal  soul.

Om Shanti Om Shanti Om

“We are all one, whether we like it or not. Everything we do, say or think affects everyone else. We must take total responsibility for our own life and live consciously, so our life puts into “ripple effect”, Truth, Consciousness and Bliss everywhere we go! That is the real “Yoga Life”, not standing on your head or bending your body into contortionist positions!”

Yogamaharishi Dr. Swami Gitananda

YOGA: A COMPLETE SPIRITUAL TECHNOLOGY

By Yogamaharishi Dr Swami Gitananda Giri Ji Guru Maharaj

     Modern man, even here in india where people should know better, completely misunderstands the nature of Yoga and fails to realise that Yoga is a spiritual science. Even many of our Swamijis confuse Yoga as simply good physical exercises which produce excellent health.

    Many Vedantists dismiss Hatha Yogis as gymnasts and acrobats who are hung up in their bodies. Yoga has become synonymous with Asanas or body postures. How this gross error has crept into modern consciousness is difficult to understand.

Yoga is one of the Shat Darshanas or Six Acceptable Views of Spiritual Inquiry. It encompasses a vast body of knowledge. It is based on sound cosmic principles. It perhaps excells the other five systems in that is possesses a sound and efficient technology. It does not simply discuss spiritual concepts, but provides a method as to how those concepts can be realised as living truths. It provides a whole way of life and shows the sincere aspirant how to live.

Swamiji on SEEKING.

A true seeker seeks within....the search is for the essence...seeking and searching is never "without" in the outer world. Roving and moving about can give you wide experience of travel and develop your mind as to the great expanse and beauty of this God created earth...but it will never give you an inner experience.

That is why it is necessary to find yourself or "enough of yourself" and a principle upon which to begin your inner search. You must be careful that you do not overreach the mark and pass right thru the target like an arrow that is "spent"in its way, an arrow which overshoots its target.

You must prepare yourself for this inner journey and "when the student is ready the master will appear." I know this is true because it happened to me. Stop your search for a Guru...begin looking for "yourself". I When you find even an iota of yourself you will be ready for the Guru.

For now, service, Seva Yoga, and inner commitment to the path of Yoga are the tools, while your own consciousness is the field in which you explore the Universe.

Constant awareness  should be your state...Yoga your goal.

AWARENESS AS A YOGA TECHNIQUE

By Yogamaharishi Dr.Swami Gitananda

I tell my students that I can give them some 600 definitions of Yoga, every one valid and unique in itself. One of the most often used definitions is that

"Yoga is AWARENESS"

"Yoga is skill in action," says Sri Krishna to Arjuna in Srimad Bhagavad Gita.

This AWARENESS technique leads to "Yoga as conscious evolution".

If Yoga is "skill in action", then AWARENESS is that state which produces the skill. It is possible that a skill may be developed by constant practice, but only AWARENESS can truly bring skilful living which results from the sincere practice of Yoga.

Four-fold AWARENESS is not to be considered a mere tool of the senses. Nor is it restricted to those taking up the Sanyama, the higher phases of mental practice, such as Dhyana, meditation . Please do not think that meditation and the yet higher phase of Samadhi, Cosmic Consciousness, is only for the chosen few. Many ladies have been led to believe or feel that the higher phases of Yoga are not for them. This is not true. A woman may aspire to and attain the most lofty spiritual states, as long as she has an inquisitive or inquiring mind, reinforced by patience and regular Yoga practice.

The Yoga concept of meditation is not one of mysticism, but rather, is an open approach through the human mind to higher states of consciousness. Its by-product is contentment and happiness, peace of mind, along with a knowledge of ones self which leads to a greater wisdom, knowing Life.

DR SWAMI GITANANDAS "EIGHT - STEP" RISHICULTURE YOGA:

By Yogacharini Sonia Allen-Wall

1) YAMAS - awareness of how you live your life and treat others;

2) NIYAMAS - awareness of how you treat yourself;

3) ASANA - discipling the body, understanding and becoming aware of its weakness and strength, awareness of the vehicle which we inhabit;

4) PRANAYAMA - awareness of breath, lifes energy, the energy of all things, external and internal, and how it affects both as individual and en masse;

5) PRATYAHARA - awareness and control or lower mind, awareness of the powers of the senses and how to master them (this is certainly not as easy as it sounds - roll on many lives!!!!);

6) DHARANA - awareness of higher mind and its use in concentration;

7) DHYANA - moving beyond the mind into meditation;

8) SAMADHI - total awareness, more subtle than we can imagine!

Although most of us are still struggling with the first few steps, we never forget the goal, constantly remembering that we are at the beginning of a much greater journey, and this is what turns Asana into Yoga and not exercise.

ASANA: OUR STATE OF BEING

The word "Asana" derives from the Sanskrit root "Asi"

which means "to be".

Therefore, your "Asana" is a

manifestation of your "state of being"

SURYA NAMASKAR :

OFFERING A REVERENT ATTITUDE TOWARDS LIGHT

By Yogamaharishi Dr Swami Gitinanda Giri Guru Maharaj

This beautiful collecton of Swaamiji's writings over the decades may remind our students world wide of the great importance the Yogis have always accorded to the Sun, the source of all life on this planet.

     There are many forms of Sun Adoration, Surya Namaskar, in Yoga lore. I have made a collection of some seventeen different routines that span a period of time from the Vedic tradition through to recent time. Usually during my yearly International Yoga Teachers Training Course, I try to get through a number of variations on these Solar  Adoration techniques, but rely heavily on teaching three major variations: a simple three-part Surya Namaskar that goes back to Vedic times; a more elaborate Surya Namaskar which includes the Vedic Adoration just mentioned but continues on through some 18 movements, and the now popular Rishikesh Series, first expounded by the late Rajah of Aundh which has some twelve movements.

     Virtually every modern Hatha Hoga text-book has a section of Surya Namaskar and its benefits, yet the Surya Namaskar was never a part of the Hatha Yoga Asana system. It is rather a pure ritual taken from classical Hinduism that has found its way into the Asana cult. One hardly expects to find the ear-pulling genuflection to Lord Ganesha in a Hatha Yoga class, or the elaborate face-prone arm movements used by the devotees of Devi, Divine Mother, although I strongly feel that they would be an excellent addition as they supply incredible vitality to the body through the stimulation of vital organs and the glands associated with the Devas and Devis. Somehow, the ritual to the Sun God alone has become popula, and in the passage of time has evolved into various forms that suited the teacher of a particular system.

Perhaps the reason for the popularity of the Surya Namaskar is that it is a complete unit of body movement which offers an excellent "warm up" or prelude to other Asanas and Pranayamas. Some teachers advocate rapid movement in the various steps of the Surya Namaskar and recommend as many as 200 rounds of the Adoration done one after other. This does turn the whole routine into an exercise, rather than a ritual. In the ritual form, the movements are done very slowly with deep concentration, even with the sense of devotion to the upcoming sun and with strict adherence to a breathing cycly, coincided with each of the body movements. An experienced Yogi always uses the Mantras either audibly or inaudibly, thinking  the Mantra on the incoming breath and expressing the Mantra on the outgoing breath. One can choose a single form of Surya Namaskar and perfect it or better still, learn many of the routines for a fuller understanding of this beautiful form of greeting to the sun.

The Surya Namaskar can be taught to a child. Teenagers will find it of immense benefit and it is perhaps the best all-round body movement that I can recommend to mature adults whether make of female. For modern man, the Surya Namaskar may be one of the few routines that a busy time schedule will allow. The health benefits cannot be under-estimated and particularly for the sedentary life of modern man and the problems  that are being created by modern living and by the clothes we wear. The Surya Namaskar counter-balances the tension to the body caused by wearing tight shoes, high heels, belts, collars and ties, and tight undergarments. Some authors claim that the Solar Adoration prevents and cures flat feet while strengthening the ankles. Certainly all of the muscles, major organs,and the glandular system benefit by the free-flow movements of this solar ritual.

INVOKING THE DIVINE QUALITIES OF THE SUN

The benevolent, powerful nature of the sun and its overwhelming importance to human life is very much reflected in the beautiful Mantric names associated with the sun in Hindu rites and rituals. The following Mantric names are often chanted as the SuryaNamaskar is performed, either chanting all the names before beginning a round, or chanting one name with each movement of the sequence.

SOMETHING TO CONTEMPLATE WHEN YOU FEEL TERRIBLY STRESSED IN A CRISIS

by Yogacharini Meenakshi Devi Bhavanani

Dr. Swami Gitanananda opened a whole new window in my brain once during a class.

"Why are you so afraid of crises" he asked his students.

Many, many answers were given which ranged from "failure to meet the challenge," "loss of something or someone we love," "reversion to certain previously unwanted stages of existence" and so on.

      The great Guru pushed a button in my brain and forever after enabled me to see a crisis in a different light when he said,

"Dont you know the root meaning of the word "crisis"? It comes from the Greek and it basically means "an opportunity to change."

A crisis is simply natures way of informing you that you have gotten stuck in a mode of existence that is no longer evolutionary, and you must change and grow or be broken by it and die  (or devolve)"

He added, "You cannot stand still in the Evolutionary Flow of Life Force,just as you cannot remain in one place in the torrents of a raging river current. You either must go forward or backward, but you cannot stand still. Going backwards is death, disease, destruction, insanity. Going forward is a spiritual growth, stability, life, joy, and development."

The crisis is the catalyst that forces you to choose "which change you will make."

Swamiji always added at the end of such discussions, "Love your crises! They are your GURUS.

Another interesting thought he gave us to hold onto when in the midst of great flux was this,"Eventually you will achieve Moksha, whether it is in this life time or a thousand lifetimes from now. So, why worry? Once you reach that exhalted state of consciousness, it doesnt matter how long the dream was, once you are awake."

      Another way the same thought can be expressed is like this. Imagine that you are a passenger on a flight during a severe storm. The plane is shaking and you see lightning all around you. The "fasten seat belt" sign is illuminated and you start to get frightened. No one is saying anything, and you wonder if the pilots are in control. Suddenly the plane calms down and the cabin lights come back on as you hear an announcement: "Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We are out of the storm now and it should be pretty smooth for the duration

of the flight" Some passengers applaud, and you are overwhelmed with relief.

What if you were watching a movie of yourself in this situation and knew the ending? Would you have been as scared? What if you knew during this predicament that everything would be OK? Like that, Once we know that all of us, each and every one will have a "happy ending," what is there to fear? That is why the Hindu gods are shown holding the right hand palm forward, fingers up, in a gesture of blessing called Abhaya Mudra. It literally means "Do not fear". There is nothing to fear, nothing to fear at all. THE GREATEST CRISIS IS THE GREATEST OPPORTUNITY IN CHANGE. Where is the fear in that?

YOGA: A Complete Spiritual Technology

 By Yogamaharishi Dr. Swami Gitananda Giri ji Guru Maharaj

Modern man, even here in India where people should know better, completely misunderstand the nature of Yoga and fails to realise that YOGA IS A SPIRITUAL SCIENCE.

Even many of our Swamijis confuse Yoga as simply good excercises which produce excellent health. Many Vedantists dismiss Hatha Yogis as "gymnasts and acrobats who are hung up in their bodies."  Yoga has become synonomous with Asanas or body postures. How this gross error has crept into modern consciousness is difficult to understand. Yoga is one of the Shat Darshanas, or six acceptable views of spiritual inquiry. It encompasses a vast body of knowledge. It is based on sound cosmic principles. It perhaps excells the other five systemsin that it possesses a sound and efficient technology. It does not simply discuss spiritual concepts, but provides a method as to how those concepts can be realised as living truths. It provides a whole way of life and shows the sincere aspirant how to live.

A toxic condition is one where your body is backing up its own waste matter as the result of the use of various toxicants, like alcohol, excess sugar and salt, and the multiplicity of harmful chemicals in the food, air and water we take in. Because of our ignorant life style,so-called "the modern life", we are taking toxic material into our body that upsets the normal metabolic functions of the body. The body fights back by trying to expel these toxins like toxalburnin, which are toxic proteins produced in our body. We can become so toxic that we suffer from toxemia, a form of blood poisoning. Ninety per cent of all people claiming to be sick today are not sick at all. They are toxic! Cleaning up the diet and using only fresh natural grown foods, eliminating flesh, fowl and fish and sometimes even dairy by-products using plenty of fresh fruit and vegetable juices, and clean pure water is called a detoxifying diet.

     The human body produces waste matter at the cellular level. These are simply by-products of cellular metabolism. This toxic material is excreted into the surrounding tissue, carried by capillaries and veins to the various organs of the body associated with cleansing. Heavy toxins are excreted by the bowel and the skin. Medium toxins are eliminated through the urine, while gaseous toxins are expelled from the lungs. The body has a full time "work load" to deal with its own process of throwing off body made toxins. When we deliberately,even thoughtlessly, take toxic forming material into our body, we complicate nature's defense system. Toxic waste matter then increases beyond any hope of the body being able to expel it!

     Most sickness begins as a toxic condition. When one is toxic one is wide open to infections from germs, virus, spores and other forms of lower bacterial life. THEN WE REALLY ARE SICK. Sadly we are responsible for our toxic-sick conditions of body and mind, and toxicity is the cause of most "so-called accidents".

      The Yogic style of life, non-violent in thought, word, deed and diet is a natural non-toxic way of life. You have to start adding toxic-producing toxicants to your diet to overwork the body`s natural toxic elimination system. Unfortunately, modern industry has polluted our air with incredible death-dealing toxicants, while the same industries plus modern living has polluted our water supply. To find clean air to breathe, clean water to drink may be even more difficult than finding non-toxic food for your diet. Man the polluter has not only polluted the earth, but polluted himself by his wrong way of living. Sickness, anxiety, even madness is a by product of our modern life and its "pollutants". We have achieved near total pollution while claiming to be the "most scientific and advanced civilization of all

times". I must term that "toxic thinking".

     The best service we can perform for our poor, polluted planet, is to first clean up our own dirty lives. Disciplined, aware living, using Yogic guidelines to help us walk the "straight and narrow" is the need of the hour. Environmentalists! First clean up your own "inner space" and the "outer space" will reflect that shining pure consciousness.

     Happily, the Yoga way of life advocates some very excellent ways to cut down body toxicity.

     There are specific Pranayamas for this purpose as well as a number of Yoga Asanas, Kriyas and Mudras. These practices should be learned from a qualified teacher.

contact INTERNATIONAL CENTRE for YOGA EDUCATION and RESEARCH.

Email: yognat2001@yahoo.com   

 HARI OM