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kami
USA
921 Posts |
 Posted - Mar 23 2013 : 10:30:59 AM
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Babaji came into my life recently.
And nothing is the same anymore.
Everyone who has read the Autobiography of a Yogi has heard of Babaji, the immortal Siddha who initiated Lahiri Mahasaya into Kriya Yoga. Word has it that he also initiated Shankaracharya and the great mystic poet, Kabir into these techniques. When I read the book several years ago, I was intrigued, but also intimidated - thought he was a mystical figure accessible to only a few blessed souls.
A few weeks ago, I met a friend who is a yogi and mystic, and a great devotee of Babaji. We talked quite a bit about him.. A desire arose to connect with him, to receive his blessings.. two days later, Babaji appeared in meditation - as a sense of bright light and an overwhelmingly powerful feeling that had hit me quite hard.. For a few nights thereafter, his mantra kept playing in my mind all night long. Not a conscious doing, but an automatic and forceful repitition that seemed to push out dreams and thoughts. During those days and nights, I could not turn my attention away from his presence for more than short bursts of time. It was a trance like state, except I was still functioning.
During that time, all the "stuff" that seemed important and hard to let go of was washed away, replaced by his light and love. And such love!! I have never known such love. My heart is undergoing an untying of all kinds of knots.. Now, it feels that my whole life and spiritual path are divided in two: before and after Babaji's appearance.
There is intense longing to hear about him from anyone that has experienced his touch... Would be grateful for any accounts.. Please share. |
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Bodhi Tree
2972 Posts |
Posted - Mar 23 2013 : 10:49:47 AM
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I can't relate any direct experience with Babaji "per se", but I can say that reading Autobiography of a Yogi propelled me onto the spiritual path, big-time. That book really inspired me to devote myself to daily practice and to meeting new people. I go to the Self-Realization Fellowship sometimes, and they have paintings of Babaji (and the rest of Yogananda's guru lineage) at the center of the sanctuary. So, that is very comforting and inspiring. High vibrations in that room.
One night I was walking down a dark road in the North Georgia mountains, and I could faintly see and feel two towering astral-like figures of Yogananda and Sri Yukteswar--one on each side of me. Not sure how "real" it was, but I certainly felt fully alive and in touch with some divine presence. |
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sunyata
USA
1513 Posts |
Posted - Mar 23 2013 : 1:44:12 PM
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I'll share an experience with Yoganada that I had during my initial awakening which the members in AYP members (Christi and Maheswari  ) confirmed I had. I was drawn to read Autobiography of a Yogi during that time and was going through Self Realization website. One night I woke up saying Parmahansa Yogananda and the next thing I see is Yogananda's figure near my bed. His face was not clear but his form and hair was. I knew that it was him. I got scared and started chanting lol. I feel Yogananda's eyes are so intense- I can't look into them. But a friend of mine who is very close to him said he is such a loving soul. I'm such a chicken, I sleep with a night lamp lol. I've talked about my fears in another thread. I think I would freak out if I see Krishna..lol. But then I think AYP is helping me.
Sorry didn't mean to write this long post and veer off topic. But your experience is beautiful.
Love,
Sunyata |
Edited by - sunyata on Mar 23 2013 1:54:17 PM |
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nirmal
Germany
438 Posts |
Posted - Mar 31 2013 : 2:48:49 PM
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Hello Kami,
Yes,I can say I have been touched by Babaji's touch of Divine love,and you're right, it is fathomless and indescribable, the depth and intensity and divinity of it,and His incredible sense of humor, if you haven't experienced this yet, just hold on!He has been for the past almost 3 years my constant
companion and source of guidance,strength and instruction on my spiritual path. So, yes Babaji has profoundly impacted my life, and like you, there was before Shri Babaji in my life, and after Babaji in my life.
I could go on and on,and if you wish,you can email me privately.
love,
nirmal |
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vijikr
United Arab Emirates
413 Posts |
Posted - Apr 12 2013 : 08:53:08 AM
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| For me reading Autobiography of a Yogi was a turning point and its indeed a book which can alter the path of person.But I haven't had vision or dreams about babaji or paramahamsaji either.great to see your experience. |
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kami
USA
921 Posts |
Posted - Apr 12 2013 : 3:04:41 PM
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Thank you all!
Nirmal, yes, would love to talk with you, and will send you a private message..
Recently read Sri M's "Apprenticed to a Himalayan Master", and it has intensified my connection with Babaji. And yes, he is funny! Some of the responses I have gotten to questions are very witty.. The longing for a guru has finally been quenched.
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Govinda
USA
176 Posts |
Posted - Apr 21 2013 : 09:14:48 AM
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Greetings All,
This inspiring thread is so beautiful to read and I rejoice that the great one, Sri Babaji Maharaj, has deeply touched your souls, kami & nirmal. I also live with his light shining within my mind and his love vibrating within my heart. He is always near and dear, always silently guiding my way, steadily calling me back to the Divine remembrance. Sure, I sleep and I dream... in fact, I seem to be dreaming that I am sleeping. But in rare moments, I am internally still enough and focused enough, to consciously merge within the field of the Infinite Presence of God, to freely awaken to the living reality of the immanence and indivisibility of the living Spirit.
Tat Tvam Asi.
I am like so many of you good people. I was also inspired by Sri Swami Paramahansa Yogananda's magnificent autobiography, way back in 1977. I had been doing Korean Seon meditation for a few years, taught by my Korean martial arts instructor... but Zazen is very difficult for an adolescent mind to embrace. I needed something to replace my restless thoughts and the void was too much for me to contemplate. Quite naturally was drawn to mantra repetition and became involved with TM. No, I never paid money for a mantra, as I felt it was somehow wrong and/or a blatant form of corruption. I found a book of Sanskrit mantras and chose to do japa with three Sacred syllables: Om Ah Hu.
After art school, I moved to Boulder, CO in search of a more spiritual community. I wanted a more powerful and direct method to activate my chakras and incrementally shift my awareness into heightened states of conscious-awareness, and scientifically at that. I took the SRF lessons and became an initiate of Kriya Yoga. Once during a 5 days water-only fast, I had the most beatific vision of Sri Swamiji Yogananda.
I was looking at one of his photographs and the picture began to vibrate and oscillate in a quite peculiar sort of way. A tremendous light began to emanate from the picture frame, washing away his facial features, by it's blinding luminosity. My ration mind began to observe the phenomenon with a kind of cerebral detachment. I have always believed that one must maintain a modicum of critical thinking, to some extent, for the human mind is a creative machine and we often manifest what we desire or believe we need, through our searching and devotion. But this was totally different... it was hyper-lucid in every single way. It made my everyday, ordinary reality seem like a faint dream I was having, right up until that day!
The Master enlarged exponentially, until he emerged from the picture frame on the wall, full sized and shimmered translucently from his astral body. If this was all I had experienced, I would have been eternally grateful but Sri Swamiji had come to deliver a message to me. He spoke with his eyes and communicated telepathically to me about many subtle spiritual experiences I had been going through.
Yet, somewhere in the back of my mind, I thought to myself, "Isn't this great? My spiritually-induced hallucination is actually speaking directly to me and diagnosing many of my specific sadhana-related issues."
Honestly, I did not really believe my eyes. At that he grew stern for just a fleeting moment, before returning to his usual loving demeanor. Then he spoke very clearly and audibly.
He spoke to me in English and despite a marked Bengali accent, he was quite eloquent and most specific. Years later, when I bought few of his bhajan/kirtan inspirational albums, recordings of him speaking and singing, I nearly fell of my chair, as it was the very same voice I had heard several years prior! That same goose-like tonality and childlike enthusiasm. Sigh... he was and still is a pure channel of love. Anyway, he said this to me and it has stayed in my memory and in my heart, ever since that cherished moment.
"Do not doubt yourself, my child, for I am no imaginary daydream. I have come to you for a purpose. I have been quietly observing your quest for truth and have been silently guiding your footsteps. I have always been beside you, though you knew it not, and will always remain by your side until we both evaporate joyously into the eternal bliss of Cosmic Consciousness. I come on behalf of the great Mahavatar, Sri Babaji Maharaj. We are all his children and it is through his grace that we awaken. Purify your mind and heart, devote yourself to your daily sadhana in preparation for his radiant touch. It is he who has sent me and out of his great compassion, he has sent this simple message."
He continued, saying, "The Mahavatar wishes you to know that there is naught else but God. Though ensnared in Maya, humankind are unaware of this truth. Awaken from your slumber, dear child. Open your entire being to the immanence of the Divine, both deep within you and shining all around you. Seek within yourself and find the Light and the very source of the Sacred Word. Immerse yourself completely in the Holy vibration of the Sacred Word, AUM."
With that, he began to shimmer and flicker more brilliantly, until my entire visual field was whooly washed-out by the blinding effulgence. And then, poof, he was gone (leaving me stunned and amazed)! While I have had many visions of Sri Swamiji since then, and felt his sweet presence around me quite often, none were so vivid and oh so, lucidly life-like.
And frankly, I thought his comments were figurative and more philosophical, than literal. Sri Babaji Maharaj notice a nobody like me? I believed it to be a looooooong distance into my soul's future, or even another incarnation down the cosmic road a ways. I never thought that I would ever be pure enough to have the Darshan of the great Master-Sage, himself.
So, I was naturally quite surprised and overwhelmed, when I had my first of two direct encounters with Sri Babaji Maharaj. Now, these two experiences were separated by some 32 years, as the calendar counts these things. As each communion was so powerful and wholly life-changing, I cannot encapsulate them briefly... nor do I have the time to write them out and do justice to the events, just now. I have to leave for work soon, as I work on Sundays. So, I must begin the inspiring tale tomorrow, when I have enough space to clearly share what I have leaned... and what I have felt, from the impact of his incredible Shaktipad. So, until the morrow, I bid you all a fond adieu and wish you much inner peace and contentment.
Hari Om Tat Sat, Govinda
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Edited by - Govinda on Apr 22 2013 09:10:17 AM |
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kami
USA
921 Posts |
Posted - Apr 21 2013 : 9:34:48 PM
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Govinda,
That incredible story touched my heart deeply. Your description reminded me of the Autobiography of a Yogi, the part where PY's guru, Sri Yukteshwar comes back after his Mahasamadhi and gives him the knowledge of the astral worlds..
Thank you so much for sharing.. Can't wait to hear more!
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BillinL.A.
USA
375 Posts |
Posted - Apr 21 2013 : 10:25:22 PM
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| Can't wait for part 2 tomorrow Govinda! |
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Yonatan
Israel
849 Posts |
Posted - Apr 22 2013 : 9:09:35 PM
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Govinda, thank you for sharing, I feel blessed that you are sharing your very inspiring story on this board, and that I had the chance to come by it.
Thank you so much!!
I also can't wait to hear about the next encounters.
Love!! |
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Govinda
USA
176 Posts |
Posted - Apr 23 2013 : 11:54:59 AM
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Thank you all for the kind replies, especially kami, as I am not intentionally hijacking this thread. I have rarely ever mentioned any of these things to anyone, as they are deeply personal and such non-ordinary encounters (with unique beings as these high Masters), and these kinds of experiences are not material exchanges or physical meetings... they are wholly spiritual in nature. Also, it must be accepted that what we each experience subjectively, within our minds, begs to question the very nature of reality (as we know it,living within the time-space-continuum).
IMHO, some of the most profound soul experiences occur in non-physical states of heightened awareness. And I should mention here, that I went to art school and have a vivid imagination. Creative visualization is quite natural for me and I can easily visualize the image of Lord Buddha, Jesus Christ or Sant Kabir, just by focusing my thoughts on the picture of them which I store in my storehouse of imagination. In fact, I can see Sri Babaji in my mind's eye, even now, if I concentrate enough.
But this was something entirely different than mere visualization. It was a high-energy transfer of knowledge and an attunement with the Divine current. It was also a one-on-one communication. To this day, I still feel unworthy of such an experience. Believe you me, I am just like anyone else who seeks truth and the quintessence of God. Just a pilgrim on the path, really. With that creavate, I will honestly share the first of my 2 direct contacts with the great sage, Sri Babaji Maharaj.
In November of 1981, I was deep in sitting meditation. It was late in the evening and I was particularly absorbed that night. So, as I was focused on the inner light, rapt with the vibration of the Sacred Word, AUM, I had the most amazing encounter with Sri Babaji. I will simplify this tale by shortening what could easily become a short story. OK?
As I was concentrating upon my Ajna, focused on the inner light, I could see that within the center of the effulgence, there appeared to be a slightly less blinding point. A shadow of something? This grew larger and larger until I could make-out the from of an upright human being, walking quickly towards my awareness. Almost like the exuberant way young children skip along to some interesting new thing they have discovered. The step were not measured or heavy, they were joyfully light and fluidly placed. This being within the light came very close to my central vortex of attention.
At first, I could barely make out any details, as the field of light before my perception was not so dissimilar from the being of light emanating out of it. But gradually, some details became more and more evident. And when this spiritual light body made telepathic contact with my mind, I knew instantly that it was the Mahavatar himself! I was in a state of shock, yet was also quite overwhelmed with happiness. How could this be? I was certainly not pure enough for his Darshan, so why did he come to a novice seeker like myself?
In a moment, these thoughts silenced themselves, as I could now clearly see his eyes. They were nearly black but shone with an inner light. His entire face beamed with incredible love and wisdom, more so than I have ever seen on any other human face. I could make out the lines of his face, the flowing, shoulder-length hair and his lithe figure. He wore only a simple loincloth and appeared to be in his early twenties. He leaned forward and placed his right palm on the top of my head, right on the crown. Kaboom!!!
Instantly, I was electrified by the immensity of the touch. It felt as if 10,000 volts of juice had been poured into my entire being! There is no other word that applies but explosion, for it was an incredible explosion of blinding white light. Yet, the light contained refractions of all of the colors I know from my material existence and some I have never seen again. But more than anything else... it was a translucency and a oscillation of purest energy, like none I had never known before.
I was beginning to realize that the Master was opening my Sahasrara and shifting my attention from simply witnessing the light from my mind's eye, to what looked like passing through a portal of sorts, merging within an infinite field of transcendental luminosity. It was so blinding, it washed away any differentiations to my perception. My consciousness moved directly into the fulcrum of this luminously expansive emanation. My mind literally stopped thinking.
I was no longer an observer or a witness. I did not exist! And yet, I was aware of being that intense light. The soul is a spark of the Supreme. Yes, I was a being of light! How truly simple it all seemed. I had always been existent within the Divine field. I was alive in the only moment there is, the eternal now. And I was shining like a lightning bug on a summer night. I had instantly been awakened to an understanding of my truest nature, my core and my innermost self. And while I remained buoyantly floating, higher than I had ever been before, I still maintained a membrane of separation. I was in bliss and holding onto the joy of being a creature of light. I was intoxicated by the enlightenment!
During this tremendous shift in perception, Sri Babaji was sending me telepathic messages. So much of it was non-verbal and a lot of it is beyond my ability to clearly recall. But I was being taught certain lessons, throughout the trance-state. I was instructed to release my idea of being a person living in a linear progression. It was revealed to me that this material paradigm is wholly an illusion, a hallucination of sorts. I was not just a human being dreaming of being sentient and born of material construction... I was a ray of God's infinite consciousness. I was no different than my source, in fact, I was my own source. This is the trickiest part of telling this story. You see, Master was forcing me to die and be reborn again. I trusted his wisdom implicitly.
I was being devoured by a force of love and knowledge, which erased much of who I had believed I had previously been, as an ego, as a point of self-orientation. I was hesitant to accept that I was not just a part of God... that I was none other than God. We all are naught but That. Brahman being God-self and dancing throughout the creation of these many levels and planes of consciousness, without ever losing itself in the ever-changing play.
I watched the birth of the universe, experienced dividing myself into the realm of multiplicity, evolving through all the stages,felt myself being compressed into a finite self. A self deeply seeking meaning and wanting to know who and what I truly was. It was almost as if my awareness had grow of exponentially, so intensely expanded, that I witnessed galaxies forming from cosmic dust and then, wholly dissolving back into the emptiness of the Absolute Void.
It all seemed but a flicker, a brief pulse! Now I understood for the first time, exactly why it is called, "Cosmic Consciousness". We are the very cosmos itself, unfolding and falling away like petals in the breeze. We are all rushing within the current of God's shakti and are washed by the tide of Divine Mind.
From where I sit today... this seems the height of blasphemy! It sounds megalomaniacal and quite possibly delusional. But the greatest delusion of all, is that we are separate parts of a vast totality. The separation is only a mirage. A dream.
All parts contain the whole within them. There is no difference, as all is most assuredly One reality. Tat Tvam Asi. I realized I was Brahman. We are all Brahman! There is only one of us. We share a singularity of Omniversal being. I knew that I had been Void of any feature or any distinguishable characteristic. I had chosen to manifest division and create the entirety of the limitless cosmos, the Unified Field of Being.
I projected myself as Ishvara and had spun the whole universe out of my complete emptiness. I initiated vibration and created light. Like a vast spiral, everything emanated out of my Sacred core.
But just why? Why did I create duality? Was there any purpose for it? The only thing I recall now, is being so full of love that I wanted to experience this love in all of it's infinite ways. Was it curiosity? Was it loneliness? No... it was nothing that can be spoken of. It simply is... what it is.
God becomes the many, divides into myriad dimensions and vibrations for reasons which cannot be translated by any human concept. But by the grace of Gurudev, I had the direct gnosis that I was responsible for my own existence. I was alive within all things, yet, remained untouched by any form or frequency of thought. And for the first time in my experience, I was totally free!
It began to dawn on me that I was no different that Sri Babaji. Who was I? Who was he? Why was I dissolving in his illumined presence? I recognized that I was the same Absolute state of supraconsciousness. I was both Babaji and I was myself, simultaneously! Say what? Unbelievable! I was unbound conscious-awareness in it's most basic essence. Sat Chit Ananda.
Then the most startling thing happened. The I that is the primary witness to my dreamscape of mortality, began to incrementally disappear entirely! At the apex of the Samadhi, there was no more observation by a self, nor any recognition of subject and object. I went into what I now call a "whiteout experience". I cannot describe just what was taking place, as I was not there anymore to observe anything. I'm sure most of you have had this epiphany before. No thoughts. No identity. No mind. Only serenity.
One of the oddest sensations throughout, was of being in a timeless vacuum. I sensed this on the way into the Samadhi and on the way out of the Samadhi. In the fulcrum of the Samadhi... I can say nothing about it. In my present, compressed form of awareness, all I can do is conceptualize about what I had undergone.
But the experience changed me dramatically. For who could ever be the same again? It opened me to many new ideas and many unknown realities. It awakened me to the Divine symmetry of all things. I have come to understand that I am within everything else and vice-versa. We are irrefutably, an Omniversal phenomena in bloom.
Now, at a certain point in the flow of events, I became aware of the Master's hand releasing my crown. He gently retreated back into the blinding radiance of the light. His smile was so beatific, that it burned itself into my soul. I will forevermore in awe of his advanced level of existential being. He is is very same being and spiritual essence as: Krishna, Buddha, Mahavira, Lao Tzu, Socrates, Christ, Patanjali, Mohammad and Chaitanya.
It became apparent to me that my density of vibration had been difficult for Master to be around, as my auric vibe was and frankly, still is quite crude and spiritually coarse. Ironically... just moments before, I couldn't even tell if I was myself or Sri Babaji! Now I was acutely aware of being who I believe myself to be. Just an ordinary Joe with a whole lot of Sadhana left to do! Amen to that, guys.
And for almost 32 years, I have been integrating and balancing this epiphany with my ordinary role as an an earthling with a sequential lifespan. Yet, my awareness of the eternal reality of the present moment, the here & now, is my constant companion. Like most seekers, I fall in and out of conscious-awareness. This is the path we tread, while we are mortal human beings blossoming into the Godhead.
I hope you good people don't think me quite mad or conceited, for I have come to believe that I do not really even exist. At least, not apart nor separated from you, the macro-cosmos or the micro--cosmos. None of us are anything but the Spirit in disguise. I am surely dreaming, even as I type these words to you all. We share this dreamscape and we also share each others presence, even as we share the same atmosphere and breathe the same air. Namaste, dear friends! 
I must prepare for work now and will return to relate my second visitation with the Mahavatar. It was nearly a year ago and I never expected that I would be blessed by his Darshan, ever again. I will share that occurrence when I am able, either tonight or tomorrow morning. OK? Thanks for caring enough to read through this long-winded narrative.
Shine brightly folks and love without reservation, Govinda |
Edited by - Govinda on Apr 26 2013 09:19:36 AM |
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kami
USA
921 Posts |
Posted - Apr 23 2013 : 5:02:01 PM
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Beautiful, Govinda!!
Very much appreciate your writing style; speaks directly to this heart.. Any mention of Babaji melts it.
Hijack away!! Please!!! Can't wait for part 3.
Much love. |
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Yonatan
Israel
849 Posts |
Posted - Apr 23 2013 : 5:10:49 PM
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Thank you Govinda, very beautiful story of your encounter.
Love |
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BillinL.A.
USA
375 Posts |
Posted - Apr 23 2013 : 8:13:02 PM
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Govinda make your next long-winded narrative even longer!
Just glorious that you so sweetly share such intimate spiritual stuff...I promise to try to appreciate your effort. |
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rce
USA
50 Posts |
Posted - Apr 24 2013 : 07:17:40 AM
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| Excellent, Govinda! I'm enjoying your posts very much. |
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Govinda
USA
176 Posts |
Posted - Apr 26 2013 : 09:37:36 AM
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Hey folks,
I'd like to clarify that many of the terms I may use in this narrative are Yogic in origin and also, many are my own personal semantics. I am in no way implying that Sri Babaji used such language, as his communication was wholly nonverbal and more of a transmission of Gnosis, bypassing thought and linguistics, as a form of pure spiritual energy. It was spoken in the language of Light, the essence of love and the vibration of AUM. I have been left to translate the meaning in my own way, from the Shaktipad he gifted, lo these many years, like a tapestry unfolding.
I have come to believe that what is described in Sanskrit as Jivatman, is the Iso-self. As in isolated self or individuated soul force. More than ego or id... it is that spiritual core of the human being which is linked seamlessly to the eternal. That aspect of conscious-awareness which is both, separated and united with the Supreme Divinity. Just as a drop of water is both, separated and united with the wave. And the wave is in truth, the entirety of the whole ocean.
The Paramatman is what I term the Omniself, that aspect of conscious-awareness which is one with the Godhead, wholly united and fused within pure Spirit. So much so, that it is God-conscious and it is God become incarnated. It is the Oversoul. We all share this deepest self. It is the hub of the cosmic wheel and we as individuals, are the spokes radiating from it's empty center.
Sure, there is still a membrane of substance to the interphase. This quintessential substance is the singular current that flows within all that exists. It is pure awareness and while it manifests through it's own Sacred expression and as I understand it, there is no loss of the awareness of being Divinity (as oneself and as everything else intertwined).
But beyond such a causal plane, there is the highest of the high, Nirvana/Heaven/Sat Lok... which defies quantification. As all manifestations of form, even the subtlest kind, are a refraction of the undifferentiated Brahman or The Clear Light of The Void.
What Lord Buddha called Anatman, I what I feel is the Zero-self. It might just as easily be called Brahman directly, as it is the indivisible quintessence and the only reality. It is the truest aspect of consciousness, unmanifest as any form of self. When our mind ceases to hold on to any iota of subjectivity, we become aware of That state. It is unborn, unmanifest, undying. It absorbs our attention and dissolves our last membrane of self. But not as a negative polarity to the manifest existence of the Omniself, or some kind of non-state which is akin to eternal darkness... as that would simply be the mirror of the universe of form and substance. It is the all-in-all, the Supreme Being.
No-thing (and not a thing, per se, as we think of things) that can be labeled or described in any relative way, rather, it is that which cannot be contained in conceptual terms. That which cannot be defined or seen within the dichotomy of a subject-object relationship. The infinite field which all of this phenomenon is miraculously superimposed upon. It is aware of naught but itself as Absolute. Yet, it makes no note of itself, as it knows nothing but the freedom of complete emptiness.
So, enough of my own personal brand of descriptives. And I have no idea what His Holiness would have said linguistically, in Hindi, Bengali, Sanskrit or even in English. But I believe understood everything he transmitted to my mind, experientially and intuitively. Most of this stuff is quite universal, so I know you all get the gist of his Darshan.
I just wanted to put that out there, before I relay my most recent encounter with my beloved Gurudeva, last May, in 2012. It was quite unexpected, really, but it has left me a little shaken and deeply inspired. I will relate what I can of the most recent communion. It was another whiteout experience and much of the transmission is beyond any verbal description. Still, much of it is easy to communicate... and I will do my best to share the message with you good people, as best I am able.
Thanx for your many kind replies, Govinda
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Edited by - Govinda on Apr 27 2013 09:02:34 AM |
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cosmic
USA
821 Posts |
Posted - Apr 27 2013 : 01:23:17 AM
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I have prayed to Babaji. So far, he has not prayed back.
Namaste |
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Govinda
USA
176 Posts |
Posted - Apr 27 2013 : 10:13:14 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by cosmic
I have prayed to Babaji. So far, he has not prayed back.
Namaste
Many people share this same frustration, cosmic, you are not alone in this regard. This is also true for millions of folks who pray to Shiva, Krisha or Jesus and do not have any visionary encounters, let alone a direct physical materialization. How rare are such occurrences? I believe that Self Realization is not dependent on encounters with Saints or Satgurus. It is far more dependent upon meditation and the ensuing shift in our own conscious-awareness, integrated with much internal transformation in our spiritual perspective and overcoming our daily habits.
And as we are limited by our own mental fixations, we maybe blind to blessings we receive, which we may not even be conscious of. Right? This doesn't mean that the Master does not receive our heartfelt prayers. How can we know that higher Sages are not indeed, quietly praying for our awakening? How can you, I or anyone else truthfully say, with any certainty, that Sri Babaji doesn't respond to our earnest pleas (without our even be conscious of it)? We cannot.
Sri Paramahansa Yogananda clearly states that anyone calling upon the Mahavatar for guidance and blessing, shall receive his benevolence and this will help to facilitate the bloom of realization. This may or may not include his immediate Darshan but on many levels, the groundwork must be prepared for such an experience.
If one applies the old parable that our sadhana is like unto a garden, the bloom only comes when the soil is properly tilled, the seeds have been carefully planted and the daily care required to nurture the desired fruit, has been thoroughly and steadily undertaken.
But I must emphasize that often we receive silent blessings from spiritual entities, without even realizing it. If we exponentially build our concentration levels to an acute degree... we can see what is happening behind the veil of this physical illusion. You may be surprises to find out that Sri Babaji is watching you and sending his love and light to your hungry soul, though you know it not?
My advice is to keep cultivating deep internal calm and a steady focus upon your third eye. Seek the light itself, not the incarnation of the light. Open your Ajna in incremental steps and attune your consciousness to the Inner Light within you and listen for the Sacred Sound Current. these are the real teachers, the real Gurus.
If spiritual visions come, cool... if not, don't worry. The Guru is the form of the Divine inspiration, it is not the reality. Even the visitation from Sri Babaji, Jesus Christ or Buddha, can be illusory membranes within the subjective mind of the seeker.
IMHO, it's more important to touch your own internal light, directly, than to meet ascended Masters, enlightened sages and Bodhisattvas, on the higher planes. Find God first, and then the rest is just gravy on top.
Namaste and do keep the faith
The 1970s rock group Supertramp wrote a song called Babaji and it echoes this same sentiment.
"Babaji, have you a song for me
To tell the world of its guardian angel
Bring it out so we can sing it out
Oh must you always remain a stranger?
At night when the stars are near
And I long for delusion to disappear
The I see the reflection that's in your eyes
Is it time, is it time, is it time to know?"
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Edited by - Govinda on Apr 27 2013 10:30:14 AM |
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Govinda
USA
176 Posts |
Posted - Apr 27 2013 : 12:00:00 PM
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As I promised, I will share my most recent encounter with the Mahavatar. It was nearly a year ago and had been over 32 years since the previous contact. I was not searching for his Darshan, nor trying to meet him on any of the Astral or Causal planes. It just happened of it's own accord (unless it was his intention?). I was sitting in deep meditation and was without any expectation. I was centered and my mind was quiet... but I kept returning to thinking about some silly philosophical/metaphysical technicalities. Thoughts, thought, thoughts... and more thoughts.
Anyway, I was reiterating in my mind some of the things Sant Hazur Maharaj, of the Radhasoami faith (or Sant Mat), had taught. These folks practice Surat Shabd Yoga, which is in some ways quite similar to Kriya Yoga but without any pranayama. I was initiated into this system in 1982 but left shortly after, as they deride and dismiss the Hindu saints and sages. I really hate religious politics and sectarian competition. Basically, the Radhasoami Faith practices meditation on the Inner Light and the internally heard, Sound Current.
Sant Tulsi Sahib had removed all methods of pranayama and all kundalini yoga aspects from the practice, nearly 200 years ago. Replacing them with total dependence on the physical Sat Guru. so bizarre, considering Tulsi Sahib had no human Gurudeva. But the religion itself, fosters a blind faith in the sole importance on the human Guru's intervention (no comment) .
Sant Hazur Maharaj, incidentally, was also known as "Babaji", as are many male gurus throughout India. As all of the teachings of the Radhasoami lineage emphasize, material existence is a blatant lie. The body is considered sinful in nature and it is only when we return to Sat Parush or Heaven, that we will know God directly.
They ascribe to the belief that there are 8 ascending planes of consciousness above the material and only upon the pinnacle, is Divine Being existent in it's true reality. They are transcendentalists and do not believe, as many Yogis and Sufis do, that God is most immanent and wholly substantial within the material paradigm. They are a staunchly dualistic school of thought, as are most religions of mankind.
So, I chose to open my eyes for some reason. I was absent mindedly gazing up at the corner of the room, where the wall meets the ceiling. I could still see the light shimmering beatifically, even as my material eyes saw the shape and lines of the room's interior. I suddenly saw Sant Jaimal Singh sternly looking down at me. He was emanating from the light and while he was known for being a saint of love, in the Sant Mat tradition... yet I felt nothing even remotely similar to love, radiating from his translucent form.
I thought this quite odd. His eyes were both accusing and seemed to look a little bit angry. If you Google his picture, you will understand exactly why I say so. He once referred to the human body as being, "a bag of filth". I never liked such analogies, really, as I feel the human organism is a miracle itself. It is made from cosmic dust and is divinely created to attain spiritual awakening. The only "filth" is that mental delusion which obscures our vision and muddies our thoughts.
So, as my mind revolved around the notion that God is here, now, present and Supreme, within all that exists. I noticed that the face and figure of the Radhasoami Sant began to gradually transform. The odd scowl changed into a beatific expression. A knowing face, radiating inner peace and expressing a love beyond measure. Then I knew that something was going on... Sri Babaji Maharaj, the great Mahavatar, was manifesting within the vision I was having and superseding the image of Sant Jaimal Singh, entirely!
The light grew in intensity and I could clearly see, with my eyes wide open, Sri Babaji's saintly continence and figure. While I had aged more than three decades, he had not aged a day. Our eyes locked and I was drawn into his joyous effulgence. As before, my mind began to stop thinking, I became very still and internally calm. Again, no words were spoken. Ideas in general, seemed somehow crude and cumbersome to me, at that moment.
I surrendered willingly and merged into the rushing current of his Shaktipad. I knew without any thought or reasoning, that the myriad levels and planes of existential beings are but one phenomenon. There is naught but God, everywhere and within everything. Suddenly, there were no imagined lines of separation, no distinctions between this or that, inside or outside. All is Sacred Being, present right here and now! This moment is the very quintessence of all that is the unbound Spirit of the absolute, as it dances from one form to another form, one dimension to another dimension... eternally.
There was a lot of telepathically received knowledge and many instructions pertaining to my own incarnational mirages. I won't go into any of that, as it was quite personal and while we are all symmetrical facets of the same jewel of conscious-awareness, we all have unique paths and specific lessons to learn and samskaras to burn.
After a blissful exchange, one which seemed to last for years and years, I began to dissolve into the effulgence of the Divine Field. I had a harder and harder time making out any of Sri Babaji's human features. He was revealing his true form, an effulgent energy and an aura of pure spiritual being.
I lost myself within the immersion. And gradually, I became aware of only the radiance of the Light of lights and the rumbling sound of the AUM vibration. Master dissolved along with my mind and I was empty of any subjective reference points. Iso-self melted away and the Omniself arose to shine brightly and ineffably. The Godhead was within my own mind and I was aware of having always been this clear reality.
As this focus expanded and expanded further, I had a whiteout experience. I was evaporated into the great silence and I knew nothing but my own Omniscient existence. But who was I? What was I? One last profound thought popped into my head and it was, "I am that I am". I am... yes, I am. I had arrived to myself. How simply delicious an idea this seemed!
Even this dissolved in the blinding radiance and I was left completely void of self. I was Zero-self, if I were to label such an eclipsing, from this side of the samadhi, as anything conceivable at all. But at that moment... I simply was awareness. I was aware of being Brahman. I recalled always having been God. I was aware that I was within everything, that everything was within me. I was everyone and I was free of any imprisonment within any form. All is One.
Yet, despite my epiphany, no thoughts existed in my mind... just a spiritual Gnosis. I began to loose my ability to even witness myself, in any Divine state. I entered into the fulcrum of Clear Light of The Void and was awakened to the only reality... Divine Being. The infinite moment is all that exists, Heaven is here, yet it shimmers freely, outside of the constraints of the time-space-continuum.
This trance-state went on for an uncertain amount of time. Who knows what the soul measures, as it blooms effulgently? The experience was taking place in an instant, which seemed to last forever. So, what is sequential time but an illusion we are dreaming?
When next I returned to consciousness of being a separate aspect of Zero-self, I found myself gazing into the Master's shining eyes, once more. We were the same being, reflections of one another, standing on two sides of the very same mirror. We were twin flames, joined in the fire of love, and we were united. We emerged as the force of Ishvara, creating universes out of no-thing and spinning galaxies, out of sheer cosmic dust! I knew right there and then... that I had actually been Babaji all along. Say what?
I had been everyone all along and yet, no one in particular. I saw that through all time periods and within all the limitless frequencies of consciousness, forever existent is the same force, shifting into endless variations. There is but one conscious-awareness looking out of the myriad eyes of this kaleidoscopic phenomenon. And I had feverishly sought myself, throughout the ever-changing dreamscape of my separate organism's material paradigm.
Yes... I somehow knew there was only one of us present, there can only ever be only one. We are one. All existence is an indivisible singularity of conscious-awareness. It is all so unbelievably simple!
As I experienced such unity,serenity and bliss... I gradually began to loose my sense of being the Omniself. I was returning to my sentient understanding of being a sequential,material entity, who is little by little, slowly transforming into a clear channel for the Divine light's eternal play. I had returned to myself and identified with my body, mind and ego. I wept intensely at the compression and the pain was overwhelming!
I literally feel back down into myself and found that I was, once again, seeking the truth. I was on a journey with a definitive beginning and no perceivable end in sight. I cried like a new born baby for a few agonizing minutes. And when I looked back up at the radiant form of the Mahavatar, I recognized in him the universal soul of all manifested life forms. He is the Ancient One, an incarnation of the Light, Sri Krishna, the Buddha, the Christ, Kalki emerging to bring a new age of spiritual understanding.
As for myself, I had fallen back into the realm of the Iso-self. I knew that Sri Babaji was my Master. I returned to the mortal consciousnesses that I had still a looooooong way to go, and walked a path which directed my steps homeward.
How ironic it all is... to ascend to the level that one touches the face of God, realize it is also one's own face, and then, to loose the knowledge and enlightenment, once again. But life is all about paradoxes and riddles. All we can do is take one step after the next and seek to attune ourselves to the highest awareness (even as we struggle with our stubborn egos and material bodies). Sigh... even the full eclipse of spiritual Nirvana passes and human separation resumes it's measured sequential dreamscape.
I must get going to work now. I am employed 6 days a week and time is fleeting in my world. Thank you so much, for reading of my experiences with Sri Babaji Maharaj. I left out much of what I had received, out of necessity, and will touch back upon some pertinent details, when I have some spare moments. God bless you all, my dear friends! |
Edited by - Govinda on May 03 2013 11:11:35 AM |
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BillinL.A.
USA
375 Posts |
Posted - Apr 27 2013 : 2:57:18 PM
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| Govinda I feel like you've given me a mirror to see a part of me I'm blind to. What a precious, sweet reflection. |
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cosmic
USA
821 Posts |
Posted - Apr 27 2013 : 6:07:32 PM
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| Beautiful posts, Govinda. Thank you. |
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kami
USA
921 Posts |
Posted - Apr 27 2013 : 6:33:01 PM
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Govinda
USA
176 Posts |
Posted - Apr 28 2013 : 12:41:15 AM
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Hello Folks,
By gosh and by golly, life is a roller-coaster for sure! Hehehe... go figure, what would living be without endless challenges? I got home from work late today, as my car would not start. Groan, I left it in the parking lot and will have to deal with cold, hard reality on the morrow. But I really wanted to touch on a few of the primary ideas I had hurriedly blurted out this morning.
Now, if I was to place one aspect of the experience foremost, one that stood above any other detail... I would emphatically stress that the human immersion into the unity and indivisibility of the Godhead, reveals that the Omniversal presence exists within all things. We are truly the same being, splintered into infinite vantage points. Such a miracle!
To see directly within oneself, that one conscious-awareness perceives through all of the multiple views... somehow seems pretty sweet and wholly freeing. Who could possibly feel imprisoned, lonely or isolated... knowing that everything we see is our own reflection? Admittedly, ego is a charlatan, imposter and a fraud. Call it natural gravity, causality or whatever you want to. But the separate and isolated ego is most certainly, an illusory phantom, a total liar. Again, Tat Tvam Asi.
It's totally cool to accept oneself as a ray of the effulgence of Allah, but when we accept the evidence presented by our 5 senses and intellect, we fall helplessly into a virtual nightmare. We've surely all been there, eh? Dichotomy stinks. So, how are we to reason out egoism? We cannot, surely, but we can choose to leave it by the cub and enjoy the ecstasy of the journey back into the perfection of Oneness.
The most powerful message I received from Sri Babaji Maharaj, one short year passed, was that NOW is the only time. Here we are. In a second here will become here, yet again. The present moment both eludes or mortal grasp and magically, re-incarnates itself as the Sacred present. We are called, through our hearts, mind and our intuition, to join as a singular force of universal love. God is indeed love. Love is the only thing that I know of, that even remotely resembles the Supreme Being. Light and AUM vibration emerge spontaneously, from such a titanic, cosmic love.
And it is our calling, to bring our focuses together in one harmonious chorus. This is the only moment that will ever exist. Wow... here we are,forevermore transfixed by the interconnection with the totality of that elusive quintessence, that state of unbound,immortal Brahman. Together, we can weave a sweet dreamscape full of peace and cosmic understanding.
I did receive the repeated impression of the idea of the Light-seed. We are souls in germination, destined to bloom triumphantly before the source of our own being. And in so blossoming, we merge within the dynamism of spirit and matter and unite to shine, ever so brightly (forevermore). Bless you all, dear fellow seekers. May your awakening be bright, beautiful and more than anything else, become exponentially freeing.
Cheers and Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti. |
Edited by - Govinda on Apr 30 2013 11:29:16 AM |
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vijikr
United Arab Emirates
413 Posts |
Posted - Apr 28 2013 : 12:52:46 AM
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BillinL.A.
USA
375 Posts |
Posted - Apr 28 2013 : 09:23:44 AM
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" Love is the only thing that I know of, that even remotely resembles the Supreme Being. Light and AUM vibration emerge spontaneously, from such a titanic, cosmic love."
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Yonatan
Israel
849 Posts |
Posted - Apr 28 2013 : 9:00:02 PM
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Thank you Govinda. There are so many insights in your posts, I appreciate you sharing everything you did.
You feel like an old friend here.
Much Love, Namaste
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Mahavatar Babaji
