A correct start for Jnana Yoga.

[Meditator]

Namaste All!

Let me begin that I have never practiced any form of meditation or yoga before. And I know it's a long shot to practice Jnana Yoga, but what I'm looking for, is a right start for Jnana Yoga. Where to begin? With what technique? Please also specify the time needed for the technique.
Also, if someone can recommend me a good book on Jnana Yoga, it would be great.
Thanks for your answers.

[Shanti]

Hi Meditator,
Funny I just answered this question in my Amazon review for Yogani's Liberation book...

Here is what I wrote:

This may be one of Yogani's best books! The first time I have seen him express the process of "Liberation" so openly. And... it contains practical information on how to find your own "liberation" ... and not have to fit into someone else's definition of "liberation".

The highlight of this book is chapters 3. He has talked about the evolution of the mind as we continue with practices, in other writings, but here he adds a special treat. Based on what stage our mind is at (pre-witness, witness, discrimination, dispassion, unity) and our "ripeness", he outlines self inquiry techniques that can be effective to us at that point in our practice and how to evolve the self inquiry techniques as our mind evolves.

Being at a pre-witness stage and trying a self inquiry technique that involves inquiring into "who am I" is a practice that will lead to frustrations. Similarly being in a discrimination phase and doing "only mind based" or "unstructured" self inquiry techniques is not using the stillness we have access to, to it's full potential. Knowing there are various techniques available and picking one that works for us and allowing it to evolve, is making sure we are working with a technique that is the most effective for us at the stage we are at.

One other key thing he covers is the pitfalls of the mind. It is an important thing to be aware of... liberation is going beyond the clutches of the mind based suffering we all live in... but once we have seen through mind stories and freed ourselves of the suffering caused by these, there is a good chance our minds will make up another story to attach to (may be very subtle, very sneaky)... being aware of this, and not attaching the mind to anything, allows us to grow and open to the divine more and more... the less boundaries (created by the mind) we have, the more we can be in awe of the boundless divine.

There are many books that will tell you how beautiful Liberation feels... but very few (like this one) that will give you practical information of how to get there.

I would really recommend you get the liberation book to get an idea on where you fall and what would work for you.

[Shanti]

BTW, I had written a post on certain self inquiry techniques that worked for me along my path over here: http://www.aypsite.com/plus-forum/index.php?topic=9607#82630

I would really recommend reading Yogani's Liberation book and then supplement it with things in that post if you think it may help.

Wish you all the best!!![]

PS: And here is a lesson that may help as well: Lesson 326 – Styles of Self-Inquiry and Bridging the Gap

[SeySorciere]

Hmm.. I think it's time I go re-read Liberation.

Thanks Shanti

[8] - Love your heart

[SeySorciere]

It's amazing how you don't understand until you understand through direct experience. My "Witness" (I remember when I first experienced it years ago, I called it a scary Alien inside of me)is no longer an Awareness as such but a steady Nothingness. Wow. Light-bulb going of.

Sey

[Shanti]

Yes... direct experience is always different from an imagined one.

I have been finding more and more that we don't experience what we are really experiencig because of three things... one, we have imagined what something should feel like and it does not match the image the mind has and so we miss it. Second is fear... amazing how much fear keeps us from letting go and experience what is. And the third is attachment to the form of an experience... trying to hold on to an experience or recreate it... this keeps us bound to a place from where we have moved on... our inner world has grown but we are still trying to hold on to the past experience and don't realize just letting it go can show us so much more!

[8]-Love your dear heart as well Sey!!!

[mr_anderson]

Dear Meditator,

Absolutely Yogani's book and a clear understanding of witnessing / inner silence and so on is useful. This will put the whole process into the correct context. Unfortunately some modern teachings present Jnana Yoga out of the right context, leading to confusion and adopting mental algorithms, beliefs, and identifying with inflexible mental positions, all of which can be incredibly destructive to your growth and engagement with life.

My advice on this subject is as follows:

1. Meditative explorations and inquiries, that use a combination of Jnana Yoga type reasoning and self inquiry, combined with inner stillness, and hence take you beyond thought, are more productive than cold-reasoning. Deep inner stillness is a pre-requisite for effective self-inquiry.

Here is an excellent two part Jnana style guided meditation by Adyashanti:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCrWn_NueUg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=783Gb4KbzGY

2. A living teacher is ideal to guide one on this path. Ramana and Nisargadatta were great, but they weren't user friendly. There are just recorded talks by their devotees. If only they'd written books designed to be an easy and user-friendly approach to Jnana, easily accessible to all - like AYP! ;-) Living teachers who present very clearly are Rupert Spira (he's best listened to or watched on youtube) and Greg Goode (Standing As Awareness and The Direct Path : A User Guide are good ones).

3. Liberation Unleashed (.com) is quite good. But tread with care. There's so much rubbish neo-advaita spouted about on there by people who are supposedly 'liberated'. A lot of people taking fixed mental positions. The overall sense I get from LU is there's a trend in their community, rather than taking an active role in growing, evolving, dissolving old conditioning and blocks and using spiritual practices to take ourselves beyond the confines of our old, limited and worn-out self-centered ego consciousness, they'd rather just hunker down in fixed mental positions like 'there is no dooer' and 'there's nothing to do' and 'i'm already liberated' or whatever. There's a tendency to just mentally negate everything, rather than follow the guidance of the heart. People stuck in their minds, basically. It's sad and could be a trap for someone who doesn't have the right context for Jnana.

I hope that is helpful.

Love,

Josh

[yogani]

Hi Meditator, and welcome!

Great advice you are receiving above. I would only add the obvious, that if you are going to pursue jnana yoga and self-inquiry, then begin with your namesake, and be sure to have an effective daily meditation routine in place. That will ensure that you have the growing inner silence (witness) necessary to facilitate effective results coming from the methods of jnana yoga. The methods of inquiry you resonate with will evolve as your inner silence does. Daily meditation is the master key in that. So, from the AYP point of view, a "correct start for jnana yoga" is daily meditation. With that, the rest will come naturally.  

For that reason, AYP begins with instructions in Deep Meditation in the online lessons and books, evolving through a range of practices addressing the many aspects of human spiritual transformation, leading finally to jnana yoga and advaita/vedanta (non-duality). Daily deep meditation is continued throughout.

Along the way there is another important practice introduced that prepares us for effective self-inquiry -- "Samyama," which is a structured sitting practice that develops our ability to release desires, intentions and inquiries in stillness. This leads ultimately to realization of the non-dual nature of enlightenment, while at the same time enabling us to engage fully and effectively in the world as unifying "stillness in action."

Wishing you all the best on your path. Practice wisely, and enjoy!

The guru is in you.

PS: Here is a lesson that discusses the role of self-inquiry (a primary tool of jnana yoga) as beginning inspiration and ending realization on the path, and what is necessary to get from inspiration to realization: http://www.aypsite.com/plus/324.html

[Meditator]

Thanks for all of your answers! They were all helpful!