12 21 12, 2012, 21 december 12, dec 12 2012, december 12 2011, december 12 doomsday, december 21 2012.
My former Guru
There was a time in my life were I followed a guru. A
spiritual guide as you will. A father figure for the holes I couldn't fill. Meeting figures like that in my life was very specific I can see that now and it's fascinating to observe myself within this point. I met this man via my Yoga teacher who was very 'into him' at the time. Being one of the last svara yogis I already gave him this aura of exclusivity before I even met him. My Guru was born and raised in India. At age 12 he met his spiritual teacher in the Himalayas and spent several years under his guidance. The Guru initiated him into the Saivite tradition of Tantra, imparting a rare oral tradition of sacred sounds (naada yoga), breath (svara yoga), and spiritual 'wisdom'.
The spiritual practices he imparted (sadhana) gave him a rare ability for chanting sounds and mantra. For millennia this tradition was passed down from generation to generation through an oral tradition which preserved its so called 'purity'. In the scene It is seen as a rare opportunity to learn the science of sound from a true master. Yes it's a very elite club of people. One can compare it to Aikido, KungFu or whatever club is elite in nature.
Coming to America
My former guru studied with 'renowned' vocalist, Pran Nath, and his disciple Jagdish Mohan. Pran Nath held fast to the premise that the expression of music was a sacred art, a spiritual offering and a deep direct pathway to the Divine. He also learned how to play the tambura (an ancient drone instrument). In college he studied philosophy, comparative religion and history. At age 24 he migrated to the States and eventually became a citizen. Initially he lived in California. In the 1970s, he frequently taught at Esalen and was a guest lecturer at Berkley California. During this time he played tambura with Ravi Shankar on tour in several concerts, including Lincoln center and Carnegie Hall. He relocated to New York city where he worked extensively with youth who were struggling to find their 'spiritual identity'. He became known as the 'holy man' of Greenwich Village due to his 'unending compassion, effective therapy and esoteric wisdom'. He was quite the man. He also taught classes at the New School for Social Research in Manhattan.
In 1966, he undertook an intensive pilgrimage in the Himalayas. It was at this time that he had a so called vision of his own chakras. This vision was the beginning of a path which led to the discovery of the components of his chakras. That year, he co-founded ‘Satyam Shivam Sundaram’ (goodness, truth, beauty) together with his friend and a Pundit. This organization was founded with the intention of synthesizing the knowledge of East and West in order to aid those seeking to conduct the principles into their every day lives. In early 1967, he had an 'intuition' where he revealed that each of the seven major chakras contained 21 microchakras and described the precise details of theire functioning. This revelation formed his basis fore the Microchakra Psychology system. This system (his system) he trademarked!
Building the brand
My Guru began presenting his work internationally in major growth centers and Universities, including New York University, Bombay University, Asia Society, De Kosmos (Amsterdam) and many others. He introduced a unique method of education for young children. His first open air mantra meditation concert was at the Museum of Modern Art (NYC). In 1968 he was invited to the neuro-psychiatric institute of Princeton, to experiment with the effects of sound. Around this time he commenced his international teachings in Europe. In 1970 he established his Center as a non-profit organization for the promotion of the integration of ancient Indian wisdom and artistic expression with modern science and psychology. This Center has hosted 'rare spiritual teachers'. It has also sponsored some of the greatest Indian artists to perform in the U.S. such as Pran Nath, Karunamayee, Kundan Lal Sharma and Salamet Ali.
In 1975, he was invited to the Royal Tropical Museum in Amsterdam to present his model of Microchakra Psychology. A department of Chakra Studies was created at the University of Lugano, awarding him an honorary professorship. In 1991 het met Dandi Swami Atmanandendra the foremost disciple of Satchidanandendra Saraswati, the internationally 'acclaimed authority' on Shankar Advaita Vedanta. He met SwamJi while walking in the high Himalayas (you always meet your gurus). His life and work have been profoundly affected by SwamJi and his teachings. Currently he has a world wide network of students which he teaches at various locations. He is also on the faculty of the Open Center, New York’s center of holistic learning.
The Guru and his teachings
One of the lazy students was me. I met my Guru because I was at a point in my life where I was completely stuck. I worked my first job. I started my own company together with my best friend which became a, let's say, 3 year learning experience with a twist. I wanted to give up but was too young according to the system. I had to be re infused. That's the point where one meets his guru's. In that state I started doing yoga. It saved me in a way sports have stabalized me trough the years. Yoga confronted me with my body and it allowed me to become gentle with myself again. It also showed me that when I used ego in order to get things done things would always be damaged. I saw a glimpse of what it meant to have patience with oneself. Anyway it was time to review things I had done in my life up to that point and I became very depressed. It was my wake up call to life and this reality, especially to the money point. I realized that my actions and approach to life had been that of a spoiled child. I realized I didn't understand the world I was living in and that I needed help. A lot of these insights I suppressed immediately because they were just too much.
That's when I visited my former Guru for the first time. From his perspective I must have been an open book. He has skills there is no doubt about that. He examined me thoroughly and as he reached a certain spot in my lower back he stopped and put his thumb there. I started crying before I realized I was crying. I never cried like that let alone in front of someone else so I was rather impressed by what happened. I felt this energy within and as an embrace and I was overwhelmed by this intense feeling of respect.
As I sat up and faced him he asked me if my father had been absent in my early youth? What he saw was the fact that my father had tried to raise me with as much freedom as possible. Which meant I was gone like a wild dog the moment my father let me out only to return if my stomach started roaring. My guru told me that everything I did in life was recorded as sound vibration and the more I did the more it would manifest as the reality and personality I was creating myself. It made total sense to me. It also solved my question of storage of information as karma because I saw sound as infinite. I mean where do frequencies stop? So I 'totally' thought I understood what he was saying. I found my master. I found the one to take the role of my father. The one that gave me the answers with that authority my father never claimed. I was deeply touched by this experience. I felt special! I was home and not alone anymore.
The ancient Indian metaphysics of sound, from which my guru derived his teachings, teach that the universe is created from sound. It conveys to us that earth, sun, moon, stars and planets are all born of sound transformed into light. The universe is a luminous whole with degrees of luminosity. In essence light is sound of a particular frequency. The primordial sound is sound without vibration. It is the static matrix from which dynamic movement of expansion and contraction takes place. It is the cause rather than the effect of vibration. This was exactly what I wanted to hear because it was right up my alley. It really gave me a buzz because I was really into
quantum mechanics and I had just read Autobiography of a yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda. I really thought I had a connection with ancient india from past lives and that my time of revelations had finally come. I was 'energized' again. I really believed I had found a key. That my depressions would soon be gone. I had a guru now and was one of the lucky ones. I felt privileged and special.
Krsna-Christos-Christ-Christus.
Every Guru has his teachings like a bird sings his songs. Me being one of the chicks meant I had to learn new songs. So what was my Guru about. First of all he didn't want to be called 'A Guru' he always said "I'm a common man" (speak with indian accent). Excellent public relations we get to this later. Secondly, he never wanted to talk about religion. He rather spoke about 'spirituality'…
Let's take a look at the word 'Guru'. My Guru came from India so his tradition, his roots where from india. In India the importance of finding a guru who can impart transcendental knowledge is considered honorable. In Indian culture, a person without a guru or a teacher (acharya) was once looked down on as an orphan or unfortunate one.
Because I read a lot from the Bhagavat Gita (My Bible) I could relate to a lot of concepts very easily. In India the most famous Guru is/was Krsna, a horse/battle carriage driver who reveals himself as 'god' to Arjuna (his famous general) who finds himself in moral conflict during a huge battle/conflict. One of the main texts in the Bhagavad Gita, is a dialogue between Krishna and his friend Arjuna. In this conversation Krsna repeatedly tells Arjuna how important it is to find a guru and acquire transcendental knowledge from a Self-realized master.
What's striking is that this story is very appealing to the classical male loyalty and bonding expressions. At one moment Arjuna voluntarily accepts Krsna as his Guru. Also interesting is that you submit to your Guru and he accepts you as his student. The principle of equality is not present at all.
"By humble reverence, by sincere inquiry, and by service. The wise ones who have realized the Truth will impart the Knowledge to you"
Krsna to Arjuna
The science of the Guru
I was convinced I had found my master. He lived in America, was modern and he had a great sense of humor. It was just perfect. It was not cheap I must say. He didn't live in an ashram so he had to travel around the world to meet us. That was expensive. He had a wife and a former wife with children (expensive). He ran an institute/company which means he had to make a profit. He was very open about this stuff and because he wasn't a guru he had no moral issues with making money. My spiritual master and I had a business deal. Like I said he was very modern. The basis of his teachings have to do with Prana and Apana. His observation was this: Between the cells of our physical body there is considerable space. This space is pervaded by two invisible bodies just as radio waves pervade the “solid” walls of a room. Ancient Indian teachings call the first invisible body, the subtle body. It is the seat of our feelings. The second invisible body pervades both the physical body and the subtle body. It is called the causal body and is the origin of our thoughts. The subtle body has seven major spinning wheels of energy (chakras) which obtain most of their energy from the five basic elements of Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Akash.
Elements and combinations of elements play an essential role in determining how we feel. For example, when Earth is in abundance, we feel solid and grounded. We feel confident. When Air is plentiful, we may feel roomy and more loving. Under conditions of stress and toxicity, the elements lose some of their purity and potency. They may then have a 'negative' effect on our feelings. A dispersed Earth element may make us feel weak and sluggish. Polluted Air can cause us to feel uncaring etc.
My Guru had over four decades of experience in helping people to purify the elements and integrate the three bodies. As a consequence, thousands of people have had the personal experience of 'strengthening' they're so called 'positive feelings' and 'thoughts'. Fasting was fundamental to his purification process. I did purifications where we didn't eat solid food for a five-day period. During this time we where provided with high quality herbs and husks, teas, vitamin C and special tonics. This process cleansed the internal organs (liver, kidney, bladder, spleen) as well as the blood and intestines. I was very much into this part because I could feel the results in my body very clearly. Those where awesome experiences. Other practices included synchronization of the brain hemispheres with the breath at dawn followed by dawn meditation. Prior to dawn meditation, a class of 'innertuning' movements and rhythmic breathing would be held. This prepared the body for the stillness of 'meditation'. There where yoga practices, visualizations and deep tone chanting.
Sometimes, emotional bodies would emerge. This was part of the purification process. Since all members where there for the same purpose, they would provide a supportive environment for each other. Purification of the causal body would purify our intentions. Interest in abstract thinking was enhanced. The desire to turn the senses inward was amplified. If everything went well, on the fourth day, purified energy from the physical and subtle body would be refined enough to penetrate the causal body.
The process of thinking itself would begin to feel clearer. Special sounds which produce surya (golden) akash were chanted. This highly refined akash pushes more dense and toxic akash out of the causal body. Consequently the breathing rate drops and participants feel free to meditate. I remember drinking a cup of coffee after a purification. It felt like a shot of chili peppers up my spine lol. My experience with my guru felt like coming home. I really thought there would be a day that I would become a yogi in some form or another. I'm laughing out loud because from my present perspective I couldn't be more of a monk. A Destonian Monk.
Guru CONclusions
Guru's had a very specific function from a 'spiritual' perspective. I'm grateful for my experience within this point. Going trough the motions of love and light and this relationship with the so called Guru. Having the luxury of a spiritual master and belonging to the spiritual elite that place themselves next too or above God. The whole concept of religion, believes and spirituality in general. It would have been much more difficult for me to grasp the Desteni message without these experiences. It also made me realize that spirituality fucks one up more than religion does. I realize that this whole Samadhi thing is a fuckup within and as the ultimate ego-trip. So from that perspective we are al Guru's blinded by the light.
Coming from the earth I would say our ascension would be to emerge from the mud to find solid ground with a solid principle of being here as self as who we are as humanity relying on equality instead of religion. That's ascension in the true sense of the word.
Study the Desteni Material and wake up the inner guru if you dare. For those who still believe we are going on a ride in a space ship. Here's my top ten ascension playlist for your mp3 player, in case you don't have a guru. A farewell to all Gurus that claim to guide you to the light. Thanks.
Two Lips/Rags & Bones Live and Cuddly 1990 (Nomeansno)
Big eyed beans from venus (Captain Beefheart)
No One Knows (Queens Of The Stone Age)
What if GOD was one of us (Joan Osborn)
Thriller (Michael Jackson)
What have you done for me lately? (Janet Jackson)
I wear my sunglasses at night (Corey Hart)
What's another year (Johnny Logan)
Blinded by the Light (Manfred Mann)
Why Me Lord (Ray Charles Ft. Johnny Cash)
