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Lesson 74 - For This Life, and the Next One
(Audio) Jan 8, 2004 Q: I am 73 years old and live alone, so I thought I would have plenty of time to learn to meditate, but I was told that it could take a lifetime to reach the state of bliss that meditators are reaching for, and I don't have much of a lifetime left. Do you have any suggestions? A: It is very inspiring that you want to make the best, spiritually speaking, of the time you have left. The rest of us should all be in that mode too, no matter what our age.
One thing I can tell you for sure. Whatever you accomplish in spiritual practices now will not be lost. Later on, you will pick up where you left off and continue somewhere else, carrying on with your journey to enlightenment. Not only have I heard and read this from every sage I have encountered over many years, it is also my direct experience. I was born doing spiritual practices. Why? It had to come from somewhere. Maybe I was a 73 year-old man who kept up spiritual practices sometime in the past. Who knows? All I know is that I was born with this stuff singing inside. The fact that you are interested indicates you are not new to spiritual practices either. We have all been here before. What we do in practices now brings us closer to enlightenment. It will not be lost. As you get further into the lessons, you will find things getting more aggressive in terms of practices. It is not recommended you try and tackle all that is in here, not at your age. Too much stress and strain. Aggressive yoga is for the younger folks. But there is still plenty you can do. Twice-daily meditation is the best foundation. That alone accomplishes huge things. It is your daily dipping into the infinite, as mentioned above. Some light spinal breathing before meditation can help, and maybe some daily yoga postures if you are willing and able. There are yoga (postures) classes for seniors available almost everywhere. Those three things are more than enough. If there is any discomfort with pranayama (or anything), scale back or stop immediately. See if you can find a steady, comfortable routine. The most important thing is to have a comfortable daily routine with no strain in practices. Then, doing that each day, you will know you are making a big contribution to the future in both this life, and the next one. I am honored by your presence here. I am honored by everyone's presence here. It is a sacred thing for me. Thank you so much. I wish everyone on earth could be here. Not for my sake, but for the sake of all the sincere longing that is out there.
Q: I just completed reading Volume 1 of the AYP lessons. Practices are going well. The AYP Lessons refer to practices in previous lives as a primary cause of the preexisting condition of our spiritual progress/nervous system purification in this lifetime. Your writings are definite about the reality of past lives. Do you have proof of the reality of past lives? Experiential knowledge? This is not a challenge. My community and peers accept the idea of past lives dogmatically. I have no personal knowledge of past lives. Maybe you can make a substantial testimony?
In any case, the fruit of karma is not set, as discussed in Lesson 344. There is a lot we can do to transform the influence of our karma and put it to good use. That is the real game, not dwelling too much on where we have come from. The past is the past, and the future will be the product of what we are doing in the here and now. If you are looking for some objective research on the afterlife and reincarnation, performed over many years with many subjects, you might find "Journey of Souls" by Michael Newton interesting. You can find it on the AYP extended booklist. Again, it is not essential to buy into reincarnation, or anything other than making the most of the here and now. Just practice every day and the truth will come from within you, and resonate with the truth you encounter in this life. That is the best evidence any of us will find on what we are doing here. Seeing is believing, and no amount of intellectual convincing can replace our direct experience. All we have to do is keep working on improving our seeing (opening from within) and the rest will take care of itself. Glad to hear that your practices are going well. All the best!
Q: Since my school days I have been searching for adequate spiritual paths. But all systems available were not satisfactory to me, as all of them ended with not enough results. I even got initiation in Kriya Yoga. None could show me the path to proceed. Only I used hear, "Carry on, you will advance." But how? Can I dig a well with a spoon? How long will it take? Am I having enough life span to dig in their way? No answer, no milestones. Finally, scrapping all the practices at the age of 59, I started AYP practices from scratch. Let me see how much can I do.
AYP is a powerful self-directed system, and it is never too late to develop a consistent practice that can bring steady results. I am 68 and still here by the well, sharing the best spoons I have found in over 40 years of practice. Unfortunately, there are limits in time for what each human nervous system can accommodate in the way of inner purification and opening. There is no such thing as "instant enlightenment," at least not in what I have seen in this life. It does take some time. If we go too fast, it can be uncomfortable and counterproductive to progress. As you read through the AYP lessons, you will see clear experiential milestones, many scenarios of purification and opening, and how to handle them for continuing good progress. The good news is that we can experience improved quality of life in the short term, in the here and now, and that is really the best reason to be doing practices. If we take care of the short term with consistent daily practice and enjoy the increasing peace, energy and creativity that come each day, the long term will take care of itself. All the best on your path. Still plenty of time. Practice wisely and enjoy!
Q: I am enjoying the main lessons. I've had an on again, off again, meditation practice since 1986. Currently I am steady in my practice. My question is at age 76 can I activate my ecstatic sexual energy; can I get my Kundalini to rise up my sushumna? When I was younger I had glimmerings of it happening when my practice was steady, but nothing now. Thanks.
Seniors especially should not strain. I happen to be a senior also, on the path of daily spiritual practice since the early 1970s. You may also find the above Lesson 74 for seniors helpful. Wishing you all the best on your continuing path!
Q: I am over 90 years old. This contribution concerns my personal experience of awakened Kundalini energy. First signs of this occurred about six years ago after the death of a life-long friend and a period of 'dark night of the soul.' This led me to resume the spiritual practice which I had followed for twenty years in my earlier life but which had then lapsed for over thirty years. Realising 'something more' than before was needed, I began the advanced yoga practices described in Yogani's printed version of his online course. I cannot thank him enough for this life-changing (if unwitting) intervention at a critical stage in my life. The results were immediate and extremely intense, especially in the region of the two lowermost chakras. The effects continually intensified over the following three years and eventually I became unable to continue my twice-daily practice in a sitting posture, beginning with ten minutes of pranayama, followed by twenty minutes of deep meditation, and instead needed to lie on my back and begin with twenty to thirty minutes of deep meditation, followed by a much shorter period of pranayama, which then immediately initiated intense Kundalini energy flow with the first breath. Ten minutes now seemed far too long to continue to experience this flow, and I reduced it to two or three minutes. Actually, no Pranayama is necessary at all, as the energy flow can be induced instantaneously by vocalizing OM (or similar reverberative sound, such as 'I Am', or just humming 'mmm...' in a low register). My brain is greatly stimulated by this practice and it is usually difficult to return to a quiet state. I've found the best way to do this is via a relaxing exercise where I (attempt to) fix my attention for about twenty seconds at a time successively on the soles of my feet, then the knees, then the seven major chakras in turn ascending up the spine, then on the moon, the Earth, sun, milky way, and beyond into boundless space and silent 'nothingness'. If this state is reached, sometimes I fall into deep sleep for variable periods of time, after which I awake calm and relaxed. No-one among my former spiritual-seeker friends (whose practices had not lapsed during the thirty-year 'holiday period' that I had taken) has had a similar Kundalini awakening. Being now an old man (over 90), I am not usually a contributor n the online world, but am now venturing into this sphere in the certainty that reliable advice from seasoned practitioner's will be available, should comments be offered, but also with the feeling that my experience may be of interest, and perhaps even of some benefit (be it perhaps only of a cautionary nature) to other members of the forum. If nothing else, the age at which I first experienced awakened Kundalini energy flow (84) should give hope to older practitioners, and affirm that age is no barrier. I should end this by saying that I regard the intense experience of this energy flow as - in Yogani's terminology - merely 'scenery along the Way', the main value being in the enhanced spiritual understanding it has brought. I could share aspects of this with other members, but only in words, none of them original. It is a matter of personal understanding, the words chosen to try to convey such understanding probably depending on the culture within which one has conducted his or her individual search. With respect and sincerity.
It is an honor to hear from you who have been on the path for so long. Welcome, and wishing you all the best as you continue! The guru is in you.
Reincarnation Related Lessons Topic Path Discuss this Lesson in the AYP Plus Support Forum Note: For detailed discussion on spiritual desire, action on practices we take in this life, and karmic consequences, see the Bhakti and Karma Yoga Online Book. |
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Yes, the party line is that it takes a
long time. But it is a relative thing you know. In the Bhagavad Gita, the
great Indian scripture, it says that just one dip into the infinite erases
lifetimes of mundane struggles in the future. So whether we are 23 or 73, if we
can start dipping into pure bliss consciousness, there will be big progress. If
you can entertain the possibility of reincarnation in that vein, it can be a
great motivator. It is a form of bhakti, you know. We all have much to work for
spiritually, no matter how young or old we are. No one should delay a minute.