Spiritual Portal

If thine eye be single thy whole body wil be filled with light~Jesus. The Christ conscious center is at the point between the eyebrows. The energy of the body leaves through the medulla at death which is a reflection of the third eye.

If you concentrate on the third eye you may begin to feel something or see something. concentrate deeply at the point between the eyebrows. The ajna or third eye is the center of will. it is also where you can send peace or other messages to others. you can send energy out to others thru this broadcasting center. the heart is a receiving station and the third eye is a broadcasting center. Long concentration on the liberating third eye will help you see thru the illusion of this creation.

in india the women and some men put this symbol on their forehead. paramahansa yogananda was once asked if there was another way to find god except by just kriya meditation. he said  a  sure swift way is to concentrate on the third eye. you can sense there's something going on and eventually you will be able to do something at the ajna center at a point that is not high on the forebear. it is between the eyebrows and slightly up.

you can walk and your attention can still be at your third eye. spiritual walking is walking and being into the third eye. you can also be using a mantra while you walk.

the more we are locked into lower consciousness the more we are trapped in this physical existence. we are just visiting here. we are not morbid about this but this is a temporary existence here.

many of us are living in a higher age now. concentration at the third eye. You can help yourself rise above pain and suffering. if you put yourself more at the christ center it will help you be more detached from pain.

the more you meditate the less your attached to the physical form. there is a disconnection as though you are observing the body. you can rise more above pain if you concentrate at the point between the eyebrows.

We make emotional situations in our lives worse by thinking about them. we make them worse by how we are thinking about ithem. remember you do not have to have your eyes lifted. you can but you don't have to. your attention can be there to help lift your consciousness out of these emotional problems.

Brother Bhaktananda used to take care of the gardens at self realization fellowship. Paramahansa Yogananda would walk in the gardens. he would come up to him and say: every now and then lift your eyes and say that what your doing id for God and Guru. it is 1 way to connect with God.

you can imagine someone at the ajna center and bring them to you. Amma has pressed there when I saw her. With eyes completely closed or half closed from that center you concentrate while practicing a mantra.

sometimes people produce healing through the spiritual eye. press there to feel that pressure. you can also tense and give pressure to the chakras in the same way. you do not need the body to be aware. we can go out of the medulla which is part of the third eye and see light. it is astral light which you are seeing. you may also see other lights at the third eye. these can be the chakras or astral lights.

there is a fine line between imagination and reality. If you are experiencing peace, bliss or feel good during the practice you are experiencing reality.

intensity is of benefit. with concentration and devotion release the soul from the imprisonment of the body through the spiritual eye. the consciousness can be withdrawn from the body. Put all your thought is feeling in the spiritual eye. Mirilini Mata had all the nuns and monks do this at christmas meditation everyone in the room seemed focused. There was such an energy and focus in the room.

chant om christ om christ as you concentrate there. with infinite concentration and devotion  pour your consciousness thru the center of the spiritual eye into infinitude.....PY

inspired by Brother Devananda

more to come

Jitendra

Mccoy i appreciate your inspiration to concentrate more on the ajna center.

We also have a thread here for the third eye that was started sometime ago. I am happy that u have such an interest in it because it reminds me to keep up the practice... specifically - 'jyoti mudra'. At this point I just can't relate to making a marathon out of it as u have on another forum. But if it works for u and others, that is great!

I remember thinking for years I wish Amma would bless me with opening the third eye. Suddenly; quite often she would put paste on that center on my forhead.

Steve

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Steve thanks for reminding, we can never talk too much about the SE, the Spiritual Eye.

If we were able to concentrate constantly on that while carrying out our duties we would already be within the saints.

I appreciated all you post and this part I find particularly inspiring and is what I'm goign to practice, at least trying to practice:



I think our job will carry power that way.

If we have a job which is not mental rather physical, we can draw coordination, efficiency or simply work with a blissful mind.

If we are committed to an intellectual job, we can receive inspiration and creativity. connecting with God means connecting with his infinite creative power, which will flow back from the mind to the results of the job. I'm firmly convinced about that.

It seems to me that we need to get out of this idea that we are doing all these activities we do in life for ourselves. It becomes ridiculous
when you consider the fact that in a few years we will b gone from here and in a few  more years never remembered. All we really have to take with us is our spiritual accomplishments. i too will give this practice much more attention.

Mccoy have u noticed how people get obsessed about certain things and their minds rotate around certain ideas and thoughts? It is like they are trapped in those thoughts. Most all of us are to some extent. Think of how we could change our thoughts and reality if we were obsessed at looking at the third eye.

Jitendra

Quite true, and that's a good practical idea, start to develop that kind of spiritual obsession, swapping good obsessions for a bad ones.

Actually, the term obsession alwyas carries a negative connotation, implying anxiety or negative mental states.
But it implies fixation or concentration, without effort. So we may turn that negative fixation with another positive fixation, taking advantage of the fact that they share a similarity.

Now Steve, you gave me an idea which is Worth experimenting. Obsession changing scheme. On to next post.

Obsession degradation scheme.

A procedure which will weaken the power of an obsession by substitution the negative fixation by a positive one.

1)Observe the obsessive idea(s) by mentally detaching from them
2)Plant a positive idea in the mind and charge it with will power, make it revolve in your mind taking advantage of the same mechanism used by the negative fixation. Take advantage of the law of affinity shared by fixations, we can ride the energy of the obsession and turn the thing into positive fixation.
3) By reiterating this procedure, there will be competition in the neural pathways between the negative and positive fixation. We want to feed the positive one, subtracting mental fuel from the negative which has the mind producing lots of it. If enough mental fuel (neuronic energy) is diverted into the positive idea, the negative fixation will inevitably starve.
4) We keep taking advantage of this affinity to feed the positive fixation, until the obsession looses energy and decays.

This scheme requires the application of willpower at the beginning since the existing obsession will turn up in the mind self-fueling with no effort,  whereas we must fuel the positive, antagonist fixation by conscious effort and diversion of the feeding channel.

The basic idea is well know by the early treatment of drug addicts. The understanding father, as soon as he realizes his son or daughter is starting to use, will buy him or her musical instruments, games, he will enroll him/her into gyms or physical activities or whatever interest can disloge the unhealthy fixation.

We also have a supreme undestanding Father to whom we can ask for help to start this obsession degradating procedure.

Enjoyed your entry below. I am unaware how it is used in drug abuse rehabilitation but found your idea of a 'father's help' particularly useful since having a guru would mean that help is available for the asking. In line with this topic is the picture of Sri Yukteswar... presently at the top left side of the forum... showing the spiritual eye... visibly in his for head.

 

Hope you haven't given up on your obsession changing scheme. i do believe I have been practicing third eye viewing much more during meditation and energization exercises... i just need to extend it to my daily activities.... pause a bit look in the third eye and tell the divine it is all for her.

I remember my first attempts at meditating as a teen ager. I would get a candle out; look into the flame for a long period of time, then close my eyes and view the lite of that flame. I visualize the third eye in much the same way. Anybody want to share their experiences?

From the SRF Lessons (S-4 P-101)

"It is only by deep concentration and fixing the eyes on the point between the eyebrows, and by being able to hold the light before our inner gaze for any length of time with open or closed eyes, that we can gradually learn to send the consciousness and the life force through the spiritual eye into the Infinite . . .

The two physical eyes are given to us by our human parents to cognize this world of matter, i.e., a limited range of vibrations: owing to their limited sensibility, the physical eyes see only certain vibrations of matter. But by opening the spiritual eye, one may behold God.

A guru - literally, one who leads from darkness ("gu") to light ("ru") - is he who is sent by God to help aspiring devotees to open the spiritual eye.

. . . Deeply meditating SRF students will not have to die in darkness. They will be guided by the SRF gurus through the luminous spiritual eye into the infinite light of God

There is little to share I'm afraid. I only saw the spiritual eye occasionally and fleetingly. At least I know it's there.

i know the feeling. There is a close connection between the physical and spiritual realms-the spiritual realm being the architect for the material world. So often we have experiences that are difficult to differentiate one from the other. Seeing lights is not so uncommon when someone closes their eyes. Even if one wants to explain it as a physical phenomena.... everything has a spiritual basis. In this sense we perhaps cheat ourselves out of spiritual experiences.

I remember a behavioral psychology professor remarking that psychic experiences i gave to him were nothing more than superstitious behavior. Certainly he only recognized one reality. That is the one measured by the senses. It is important to b among people who understand even our limited spiritual awareness rather  than ridiculing us and stifling our progress.

I have found that practicing the higher kriyas and 'jyoti mudra' has brought more of this phenomena 'to light'.
(See reply #1 this thread.)

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Demand for the Opening of the Spiritual Eye,
to Find God in Everything

My eyes are enthralled, O Father,
with the beauty of the flowers,
the passing scenes of life,
and the sailing, silent clouds.
Open that eye in me which sees
nothing but Thee.
With that gaze — above, beneath,
around, within or without
may I behold Thee.
Teach me to see in all things
nothing but Thee.
Open in me that eye
which beholds in all beauty
only Thy reigning beauty!


[This demand is to be repeated mentally with deep concentration,
until the prayer-thought becomes fixed in the super-consciousness by faith and conviction.]

Paramahansa Yogananda - "Whispers from Eternity"

The spiritual eye is one thing to open but perhaps we have had experiences in our life when our 'inner eye' was open to the beauty around us. We experienced a moment of connection with God in nature and everything had a heightened sense of Gods presence in it because we could perceive it.

A guru--literally, one who leads from darkness ( "gu ") to light ( "ru" ) -- is he who is sent by God to help aspiring devotees to open the spiritual eye.

Paramahansa Yogananda

I found it interesting that upon receiving darshan from Amma many times... She often would press my third eye and massage my spine which is known as the altar of God.

Paramahansa Yogananda: "Though the light of the spiritual eye may be seen by pressing the closed eyes gently, its secret door can never be opened just by physical pressure." In this statement PY discloses the basis for 'jyoti mudra' and other higher forms of meditation in which the devotee is given glimpses of the spiritual eye and the light in the third eye through the blessings of a guru and practice of the techniques.
Amma also has techniques designed to glimpse the light from the the spinal centers and the third eye.

The life force is present in all the sensory motor nerves and cells in the body, but it is very strong in the eyes. Pressure on the eyes causes the energy or astral light to be squeezed out and made visible in the darkness of closed eyes. A blow on the head produces "stars" because astral light wants to be separated from the physical. If the head were hit hard enough, we would see these sparks of life forever separated into space. Many people think that this is a physical light and had no significance--and utterly erroneous idea. The light is astral, and it can be seen with the eyes either open, or during meditation, or at death. Many adepts, remaining conscious at the time of death, have beheld the tunnel of light in the spiritual eye ushering them into the Infinite.

~Yogananda

Often our duties r so all consuming and intense that we loose our spiritual practice during the day. This has been my personal observation.

I also believe that as spiritual aspirants our minds have a tendency to belittle or take too lightly the experiences we may have and to take our physical and material life more seriously.

I have found myself seeing things in the spiritual eye and hearing things with my spiritual ears that I can easily write off as imagination. While it may be important to recognize that we can believe things that are not true because of our imagination... i still feel that the boderline between imagination and true spiritual experience is often not as distinct as one would think.

After some understanding of the subtle nature of spiritual experiences I have recognized that each one of these experiences is noteworthy and we should continue to feel enthusiastic when they occur. They inspire us to continue in our practice.

We are fortunate to have meditation techniques that help develop our spiritual awareness. I am encouraged to be around others such as mccoy who make a concerted effort to practice and discuss such things as the spiritual eye.

Imagination vs. true spiritual experience, hard to say isn't it? Is imagination something that is formed in the mind, or is it coming in thru the same spirit (or thought?) channel that a real spiritual experience does? Or is a spiritual experience something that forms in the mind as thought just like imagination?

And who can really tell another how this really works, just because someone has true spiritual experiences and talks a great talk, maybe it is all their own imagination that they believe so hard in, it manifested as something very spiritual?

SI, there is no other proof than subjective proof, and that can be indeed tainted by imagination.

On the other side, there are minds which can by nature (not my case) or by development (my case I reckon) analyze in an objective way such episodes and assign an objective degree of reliability to their objective existence.

In other words, I can remember all the past occurrances of supernatural episodes in my life (not all of them glamorous many subtle) and assign subjective degrees of reliability to them, often using an objective bayesian procedure. The bayesian method has been formulated by Reverend Thomas Bayes in the late 17th century and has been recognized to be the way human reasoning often proceeds.

We have an a priori probability, which depends on the objective knowledge in that field.
We have an empirical probability (likelyhood), which depends on data collected
We have a posterior probability,   mathematical conditional combination of a priori and likelyhood function.

I may come up with a posterior probability that describes the degree of reliability of such supernatural experience (the probability that it is indeed objective and not a figment of my own fantasy or imagination).

I'll start up with a 50% priori, which means total neutrality; the experience has the same probability of being true or false. This because I want to start in the less biased way as possible. I may also change the priori, for example, noticing that I was in a very lucid and objective state of mind, no influences, so the a priori probability was less favourable to imagination.

The critical analysis of the experience, any connection with hard evidence or the lack of it, can yield a likelyhood score, always expressed in unitary likelyhood: zero= experience imagined; 1 or 100% = experience absolutely true and objective.

I don't know if you guys followed me but, when I have time, I may prepare a very simple calcsheet based on the conjugate normal priors by which anyone can apply such method.

I'd like to score some of my past experiences. It is crucial that the evaluator, ourselves, be objective, critical and not influenced by the outcome.

Some of my past supernatural experiences woudl score a very high degree of probability of being true.

For example my experience of seeing with the astral sight while sleeping.
Or my experience of being X-rayed by a clarvoyant who told me an anatomic detail she would have never been able to know in other ways.

Some others would rate low. For example my seeing or dreaming the devil pretty often as a young boy.

Subjective spiritual experiences are more difficult to rate, as Steve implies since they are often tenuos or subtle. The best discrimination should apply there.

As soon as I'll prepare the spreadsheet I'll publish it here with a case history.

Interesting, I guess it would also depend on the reliability and accuracy of remembering what happened.

In the world of audio, some claim that they remember what something sounded like years ago, and swear they have either acquired that sound again or will never hear it like that again. The argument is how can they reliably know without a doubt what they experienced long ago, taking into consideration current physical & mental abilities and matching with past physical & mental abilities, as one parameter for example.

Also thanks for sharing some past experiences, you & Steve and others have so many it seems of these little episodes, and I have basically none. Am I not advanced enough or are these apparitions apprehensive about me? When I was younger I used to dare in my mind ghosts or satan or whatever to show themselves, and knowing that if that happened, it would only further prove God's power/existence, so maybe I'm left alone.

i believe that like anything else... a lot of it is the law of association. Want to be a musician or a sports jock. U need to associate with such people see what they fo... what they practice... be influenced by their aura... their vibration. So i have spent many years around spiritual people... around saints.. i have spent many years watching what they do. I practice many things they practice. It helps. It rubs off a bit.

That is one important reason I had this idea about this forum. It is time to give back what I have gotten. You'll have some of these experiences Jeff. It will happen. There are many initiations we go thru in life. Developing the right attitude towards practice and life is essential. I have found that this preparation continues for me. I see how I have changed as a spiritual being. This is the most important thing to recognize. To look back and see that you are a different person. You have such a different response to lifes drama and other people's actions.

I see that happening in you Jeff. It is nice to see that progress. That self evaluation. That ability to be receptive to others. That subtle humility that recognizes we have so far to yet go and we want to be receptive. We want to listen. Because we know that each moment is one more chance for our enlightenment and a truer understanding.

i believe that like anything else... a lot of it is the law of association. Want to be a musician or a sports jock?....
 U need to associate with such people...see what they do... what they practice... be influenced by their aura... their vibration. So i have spent many years around spiritual people... around saints.. i have spent many years watching what they do. I practice many things they practice. It helps. It rubs off a bit.

That is one important reason I had this idea about this forum. It is time to give back what I have gotten. You'll have some of these experiences Jeff. It will happen. There are many initiations we go thru in life. Developing the right attitude towards practice and life is essential. I have found that this preparation continues for me. I see how I have changed as a spiritual being. This is the most important thing to recognize. To look back and see that you are a different person. You have such a different response to lifes drama and other people's actions.

I see that happening in you Jeff. It is nice to see that progress. That self evaluation. That ability to be receptive to others. That subtle humility that recognizes we have so far to yet go and we want to be receptive. We want to listen. Because we know that each moment is one more chance for our enlightenment and a truer understanding.

Well, from some of the reports I have read from many people, some of the experiences I could do without. So hopefully only the best will rub off. Maybe I will get thru just one day and will be able to say, that battle was completely, concisely, perfectly won.

i could not agree with u more SI. Sorry if some of my experiences  effect u adversely. Perhaps your strong points will influence my weaker ones!

That quote by Brother Bhaktananda keeps coming back.
The power of thought to influence behavior and habit is amazing.

Once i heard Amma say something. She said 'The Master and devotee are one." It was like a zen koan. It opened up my heart chakra. It was so imbued with her power. i know you will never underestimate your courage and resolve to practice looking and being in the third eye mccoy. It has strengthened my own practice.

Ever since I read that u said that Paramahansa  Yogananda said it is one of the quickest ways to spiritual realization. I forgot the exact words but wouldn't mind hearing them again if u can remember.  More frequently... i practice the higher kriyas which develop seeing the chakras and the third eye. Similarly part of Amma's iam technique does also.

Here i am not speaking of ghosts. i would say that i am very fortunate to have jyoti mudra and the higher kriyas to start getting glimpses of the lite which i am speaking of here on this thread. Even though they may be at first physical in nature we can still have something to focus r awareness on. If we see nothing at times we will still have  moments of intense peace that well up from the souls deep well of inspiration. Keeping our eyes in an upward gaze helps in access to these realms. Letting the eyes drift below an even level brings us to subconsciousness and sleep. If u do not even access these moments remember i was in the same place when i first started meditating. It seemed like only drilling and practicing.

Good advice, though I have never drifted off while meditating, my eyes do tend to forget.

I recently read something that mccoy wrote:

In page 1097 of the SCOC the great Master Paramhansa YOgananda writes:
Often it's not possible to have a good meditation. Getting up early for work; household chores; kids; sleepiness; restlessness.
Whereas it's always possible to center on the spiritual eye.



U r really fortunate in this sense since many of us- including myself- have had to wrestle with nodding off and sleep during meditation. Meditation is a relaxing practice which makes it easy to relax too much.

Gazing at the third eye can be done while taking a shower, going to the bathroom, brushing teeth, eating, driving as a passenger in a car etc. It is a good practice to get into.

I guess I am trying to remain aware instead of sliding into a trance or something like that. When meditating, feeling energy and serenity, for me, I'm fully aware and vigilant. A very interesting balance that takes half the time spent to get to.

I often meditate before bed after the kids are in theirs - when I am less likely to be interrupted.  By that time, my body is tired!  Often I am sleepy.  I find it helps to shower first - a shower is invigorating, and staves off sleepiness a bit.  I also like the ritual of getting 'clean' - almost as if for a date, or special event.  I sit with my hair wet, but my body relaxed and put in my twenty or thirty minutes.  Often my back hurts, even after all these years, becuse my posture is awful; too much time spent in front of computers! But I try not to think about that and do my best.  My meditation space is beautiful, and private.  It helps SO much to have a little corner set aside just for that.  Years ago, the only place I had in our home was an extra bathroom nobody used.  I had my meditation space set up in the bathtub!  it was perfect.  Ha ha.  These days I use a corner in my bedroom, but it is lovely and set-aside - there is nothing to do in that space but that which it is meant for.  After, I go to bed - but even in bed, I continue the meditation and drift off to sleep communing with God.  The older I get, the more I realize we have to be kind to ourselves and do our best.  Maybe God would prefer I spend an hour with an erect spine, sitting in lotus position!  But, I am sure He is pleased by whatever I do, as long as I do something.  Nodding off is a problem, but falling asleep with God is also a very good thing to do.  No?  We cannot all be monks! 

Loving Him is Like That

Have you ever slept next to an ocean -
Felt the breatheless awe
of unending space
So close to your beating heart?

Loving Him is like that -

Waking, soaring with gulls
Knowing the day will be special
For having slept near something so

Vast
Rhymthic
Comforing

And beautifully unfathomable.

<3

Beautiful post, Shannon.

Blessings

What I do is the first 5 minutes or so, is hongsau, but on the out breath, tighten/flex lower back muscles, the outside ones and the inside if possible, then totally relax them on the in breath. Just like PY mentions you can heal by focusing on the area and tighten the muscle. It takes a lot of time like anything else, but eventually it has helped, over time it can only strengthen at least.

Thank-You for sharing your meditation routine with us. I need a little corner like u. For winnie the pooh. Have to think about that one. Hope u can do some of the back exercises in energization to stave off back pain. Sweet dreams... then.... Think of a way to start the day!
ha ha to u too!

mccoy

Do you remember Brother Turiyananda? Did you ever meet him?

i think i am getting more and more receptive to your ideas of a marathon for the kutastha center! i think we are very fortunate to have a technique to awaken this center; Jyoti Mudra
Quite often i can see some form of light even if it is physical nature it is a good way to start!

Do you remember Brother Turyananda? Did you ever meet him?

I met him once at the Lake Shrine. It was not an inspiring meeting, rather a strange one. I asked if I could take a swim in the lake since I believed I remember there was a special blessing attached to it. He answered NO and gave further explanations in a preaching-like tone. At the moment he seemed to me curmudgeon-like. He was looking at me as if I told some blasphemy. After a while I recalled the blessing was simply attached to being in that place.

The two physical eyes are given to us by our human parents to cognize this world of matter, i.e. a limited range of vibrations: owing to their limited sensibility, the physical eyes see only certain vibrations of matter. But by opening the spiritual eye man may behold God. A guru---literally, one who leads from darkness ("gu") to light ("ru")--- is he who is sent by God to help aspiring devotees to open the spiritual eye.~ Paramahansa Yogananda

Found this in Wikepedia:

Function:

"Ajna translates as "command," being considered the eye of intuition and intellect.[4] When something is seen in the mind's eye, or in a dream, it is being seen by the Ajna. It is a bridge that links gurus with disciples, allowing mind communication between two people. The sense organ and action organ associated with Ajna is the mind."

i have been attempting to start all my activities by saying a small prayer and gazing into the Ajna Center.

That sounds like a good practice. When I used to try to focus on the third eye I would do it with too much tension and cause myself discomfort. I didn't really know what I was doing. Yogananda taught to ever so slightly lift the eyes in their sockets. Right? When I strain too hard to see something it creates mental tension too.

Q: We are advised to concentrate on the spot in the forehead between the eyebrows. Is this right? 

A: Everyone is aware - 'I am'. Leaving aside that awareness one goes about in search of God. What is the use of fixing one's attention between the eyebrows? It is mere folly to say that God is between the eyebrows. The aim of such advice is to hep the mind to concentrate. It is one of the forcible methods to check the mind and prevent its dissipation. It is forcibly directed into one channel. It is a help to concentration...

Yes Yogananda told us that we can keep our consciousness in the spiritual eye even while having our eyes open in daily activity. This is something that i have yet to accomplish.

i really appreciate this question and answer you gave us from Ramana Maharshi. It is interesting how Ramana says that God is not there but that it helps us concentrate. Without being exposed to other people and others we often fall into the view that we 'know'. It also seems important on the spiritual path to remain open to the fact that we do not have all the answers and we can learn from the views of others. When people isolate themselves and insulate themselves from the views of others they often loose sympathy for others and become rigid in their own views. Many times i have had to adjust my own and recognize there are many ways of looking at things-- mine and what i have been told is only one. Perhaps it works best for me but perhaps not always and it may not be for someone else. This universe and other realms as well are vast with many ways of approaching things and many ways of understanding them as well. This means that someone else may have a different way of explaining things which may even help me in my own views if i remain impartial.

i do believe in the truth of the spiritual principle that it is still important to respect the views of others. There's is a path that is different and necessary for them and without tolerance how can we ever develop spiritually?

Tolerating people's views is just a matter of practicality. As you say, something is necessary based on individual needs. Beyond seeking clarification, there is no point in arguing over spiritual practices. There are some people whose views I don't care for and I simply avoid their company whenever possible.

 8)

"Tolerating people's views is just a matter of practicality."  ;D :D ;D Sometimes tolerating our own views is even more difficult!  :P

Heh, I just meant it's not practical to correct everyone we disagree with in the slightest. Thankfully I am not anyone's guru or teacher. As your post implies, it's enough work correcting myself. I'm not against a sincere discussion for the sake of learning, though.

I thought Sri Ramana's statements on the ajna point were helpful so I shared them. You can just think about it logically. If God is all, he can't be only between the eyebrows. But concentrating on that point, as per the Guru's instruction, may be the means for someone to get that realization (that God alone is).

It is a strange thing this thing called faith. We practice something to some extent and find that there was truth too the instructions and their assertions. Then we realize we have only chipped a little bit at the surface and there is much much more to discover and manifest in our lives. We recognize that we are in a sense just beginners who have yet much to uncover which is our true nature. Outwardly speaking we are not aware of spiritual progress. Yet now we have the buzz; we are inspired for action. Yet what is the course for us from here on out?

We can't but help recognizing that we have a veil obscuring that realization. We just can't find the light that removes it. So we use every tool available and we hope to see more clearly the flaws in our own character that keep us in the clench of darkness; In the self- satisfaction of our daily routines and finding little tid-bits of pleasure offered by this world.

It is a strange world we have been accustomed to that seems to rob our happiness intermittently with glimpses of happiness. For the most part we see what the eyes and the senses show us. But we have had encounters beyond the senses. Now we are told by the Masters we have chosen to follow that there is much more and we have just scratched the surface. They seem to be pulling us into something larger then ourselves. We begin to experience that pull. We realize more and more that it is our only salvation. We witness these Masters in action and recognize they have something we really want. We recognize they are delivering us from harm. They are coaxing us onward. They are our only hope because as much as we practice our dharma we still believe what our mind and our habits and desires tell us.

Am i alone in these thoughts? Or does someone or something respond to them?  Perhaps it is a way to get them clarified to make sense of them. ???

One devotee was dozing off as he was trying to meditate. Amma threw a chocolate Kiss at him. Amma has perfect aim. The chocolate hit  right on the spot between his eyebrows. The man opened his eyes with a start. With the chocolate in his hand, the man looked around to find out where it had come. Seeing his plight Amma burst into laughter. When he realized that Amma had thrown it, the man's face lit up. He touched the chocolate to his forehead, as if bowing to it. But the next moment he laughed aloud, and then got up from his seat and walked up to Amma.

Questioner: The Kiss hit the right spot, between the eyebrows, the spiritual center. Maybe this will help to open my third eye.

Amma: It won't

Questioner: Why?

Amma: Because you said "maybe"; this means you are doubtful. Your faith is not complete. How can it happen if you have no faith?

Questioner: So are You saying that it would have happened if I had full faith?

Amma: Yes. If you have full faith realization can happen at anytime, anywhere.

Questioner: Our you serious?

Amma: Yes, of course.

Questioner:Oh, my God... did I lose a great opportunity?

Amma: Don't worry. Be aware and be wakeful. Opportunities will come again. Be patient and keep trying.

The man looked a little disappointed and turned to walk back to his seat.

Amma: (tapping him on his back) By the way why did you laugh out loud?

Hearing the question the devotee again broke into laughter.

Questioner: As I dozed through my meditation I was having a wonderful dream. I saw you throw a chocolate kiss to wake me up. I suddenly woke up. It took me a few moments to realize you really had thrown me a chocolate Kiss.

Along with the man all the devotees who sat around her broke into laughter.

This post makes sense to me... i just did not understand the part where you said;  "Thankfully I am not anyone's guru or teacher. As your post implies," Could you point out where you thought i implied that? Thanks b. It was not intended. But i cannot even find the source of the implication you are speaking of. Or perhaps you are agreeing with me that it is enough to work on ourselves? How can any one be a guru or spiritual teacher until they have mastered themselves? i have much to conquer yet. Sometimes people do not even understand that when you try to explain it to them. Yet my hope is that we can continue to discuss our practices and learn from one another.

Yeah I was agreeing with you on that.

I too have been reminded by your aspirations. It is easy to forget but i have found myself gazing more and more often at the spiritual eye especially when meditating. It really keeps your consciousness awake and ready and u r less likely to slip into a passive or subconscious state.

i  usually look up towards the spiritual eye most of meditation practice. i do not know y it is so hard to remember the technique that Paramahansa Yogananda gave to  Brother Bhaktananda though i am trying to implement it more and more in my life. It is nice to have the inspiration of another devotee that has a similar aspiration. i find myself often remembering people and friends i have known in my life and the various spiritual practices and qualities they had/have as well as the pleasantness and humor they exude. This is true of u as well!

Helpful thoughts mccoy.

Paramahansa Yogananda said this: The two physical eyes are given to us by our human parents to cognize this world of matter, i.e. , a limited range of vibrations; owing to their limited sensibility, the physical eyes see only certain vibrations of matter. But by opening the spiritual eye man may behold God. A guru--literally, one who leads from darkness ("gu") to light ("ru")-- is he who is sent by God to help aspiring devotees to open the spiritual eye.

Steve, too bad the opening keeps so long. At the beginning of my practice I was really convinced it would have taken just a few years...

In some ways we reflect some of our challenges. Inner struggles are often magnified in outer events and people. Perhaps we r meant to help one another and 'see' things together as we aspire to find the portal to freedom thru the spiritual eye. As a kid we used to have this idea of how ugly a cyclops was. Now a days i get this feeling that i am looking out into a world of darkness with my physical eyes since the spiritual eye can see so much more that is really there. We r like prisoners of our own sensory jail cells. The fact that there are others out there who are making attempts of proving to themselves that what the Master's said is true is quite an impetus in our practice. We are always heavily influenced by the vibrations of others.... Their thoughts and their presence. We may be with someone for sometime and suddenly realize how much we are selves have changed form just being in their presence.

i have noticed a few results of practice though. One is this; God does not seem to follow a logical sequence of outcomes. That is; we may be gazing at the third eye for many hours but not 'see' anything. However after practice we may have this incredible feeling of calm peace and focus and thinking much clearer; as just one example. Another part of practice is that i have noticed if i am at all feeling exhaustion the practice is just not going to be good. It is hard enough holding your eyes slightly upwards without feeling tired besides. Those eyes are just going to come down. So it is very important to feel rested before endeavoring long practices keeping the eyes in an upward position. One other important part of practice is relaxation. As soon as the body starts tensing or the mind resists,we are going to have challenges. So i have to be in constant observational mode; watching my attitude towards practice. Often i have to tell my mind and body to calm down. To tense and relax body parts and possibly move in a different position.

i think most of us go into this with naive optimism only to later realize the work to be done. But it separates those who endure from those who fall off along the way. There is really no turning back now mccoy it all looks so superficial the way we see others live and the way we once did....the way we often view ourselves. We just have to appreciate the small accomplishments we make. Because; they are there if we do not expect too much. If we do expect to much we may find ourselves expecting too much of others as well. There is so much to recognize about attitude in our practice. We may even find that God has a whole different plan for us then we have conjured up in our little thought processes. There may be some other things that the Masters are working on us about and the ajna practice is a convenient way to get thru to us about other spiritual issues. SlOw by SlOw!

i fond your experiences of interest to me especially seeing with astral sight while sleeping. Can you remember any of these and describe?

Brother Bhaktananda on the third eye retold:

Brother Bhaktananda used to take care of the gardens at self realization fellowship. Paramahansa Yogananda would walk in the gardens. he would come up to him and say: every now and then lift your eyes and say that what your doing is for God and Guru. It is 1 way to connect with God.

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I totally concur about the naive optimism and the endurance test

Steve, I still remember those instances.

First one, I was a young boy about 15 of age. I dreamt a dark shape slowly approaching me during sleep, coming close to my head. I got scared and woke up... And there was the shape of my father in the darkness, who came close to the piece of furniture alongside the bed to grab some object (he used to suffer insomnia). My dream was rather something occurring in the real world which I saw with my astral eyes. My father confirmed me that I was sound asleep and with closed eyes when he approached me.

Second one, I was 33 and sleeping in a backpackers hostel in Australia. It was a wooden bungalow. One of the roommates, the one occupying the bunk bed above me, was a young German lady but that night she was out. In Aus often they didn't worry about sex separation in sleeping rooms and girls apparently did not worry about that. I dreamt an aboriginal woman coming outside the bungalow and opening the door, then climbing the bunk and falling asleep. When I woke up during the night (I never sleep without waking up several times) I realized the German girl had returned late at night and gone to sleep. My astral sight saw her, during my sleep and it was not a dream. Only inaccuracy was that the astral sight, maybe because of the darkness, mistook the German lady for an aboriginal Australian lady.

I had a few more instances of that, especially when people approached me during sleep. It seems to be the leftover of an ancient survival mechanism not related to the physical sight, since the eyes are closed. Astral sight seems to be the only plausible explanation.

 

Thanks mccoy it is quite Intriguing just what sleep and dreaming gives us in visions and soul travel. It is a way to relax the conscious minds hold on our reality. Which is often needed to experience 'altered' states.

Where to find God?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPDvpyAEjBo

Resurrecting this thread, but the spiritual rewards we've been promised by the great saints are too hard to achieve, objectively too difficult.

Time to quit? Nope, but when there is no reinforcement, no positive feedback, meditation just becomes a grinding along without real enthusiasm.

I don't know what's wrong with me or with Raja Yoga, maybe nothing, maybe it's just supposed to be a boring grinding along and Yogananda wrote his book just as an enticing supersalesman. He was successfull and I'm very glad I bought his teachings and went thru his discipline, but I imagined something far more lively than this meditative dullness.

I believe that u r going thru a temporary period. We are all satisfying desires here on this planet. When our desire for spiritual growth and understanding is uprooted by other worldly desires the gurus help us with those as well and we are exposed to others with similar desires. It is not that you are not making progress and finding people with similar aspirations because i have some of the same struggles u have. I think we just expect too much when our thoughts and consciousness is still very materialistic. Yet we find others who have made some progress as limited as it may seem. If we cannot or do not continue our association with others of like mind and aspiration we are likely to fall further into worldly associations.

Please consider someone who has found enlightenment. It is important to associate with those who can lift us out of our own despair and and spiritual doldrums. Amma will be in Italy next month. I believe being in her presence will help you. It always exposes me to spiritual inspiration and lifts me out of self indulging despair. Being around materially minded people day in and day out can thwart are spiritual progress and dull our spiritual awareness. If we have not made sufficient progress on our own we may at times find ourselves on a spiritual oasis amid a vast spiritual desert around us. This can be discouraging and we often have to reach out to others and recognize help when it knocks softly at our door. It is important to continually bring the presence of others of like mind into our orb as well as asking for the help of the great ones. Our thoughts and moods are often great barriers to spiritual unfoldment. These have been present for many incarnations and such samskaras are not so easily removed as we comfortably fall back into the amnesia of our previous habits of many incarnations.  Yet we come to have more compassion when recognizing that changing our thoughts is not as easy as it may seem. Having friends like u here brings out the highest qualities in me as well.

Thank-You