Saturday, March 24, 2012

Naam is the base behind all entities. So is Naam a vibration?


nwm ky Dwry sgly jMq ]
naam kae dhhaarae sagalae ja(n)th ||
The Naam is the Support of all creatures.

nwm ky Dwry KMf bRhmMf ]
naam kae dhhaarae kha(n)dd brehama(n)dd ||
The Naam is the Support of the earth and solar systems.

nwm ky Dwry isimRiq byd purwn ]
naam kae dhhaarae simrith baedh puraan ||
The Naam is the Support of the Simritees, the Vedas and the Puraanas.

nwm ky Dwry sunn igAwn iDAwn ]
naam kae dhhaarae sunan giaan dhhiaan ||
The Naam is the Support by which we hear of spiritual wisdom and meditation.

nwm ky Dwry Awgws pwqwl ]
naam kae dhhaarae aagaas paathaal ||
The Naam is the Support of the Akaashic ethers and the nether regions.

nwm ky Dwry sgl Awkwr ]
naam kae dhhaarae sagal aakaar ||
The Naam is the Support of all bodies.

nwm ky Dwry purIAw sB Bvn ]
naam kae dhhaarae pureeaa sabh bhavan ||
The Naam is the Support of all worlds and realms.

nwm kY sMig auDry suin sRvn ]
naam kai sa(n)g oudhharae sun sravan ||
Associating with the Naam, listening to it with the ears, one is saved.

kir ikrpw ijsu AwpnY nwim lwey ]
kar kirapaa jiaapanai naam laaeae ||
Those whom the Lord mercifully attaches to His Naam

nwnk cauQy pd mih so jnu giq pwey ]5]
naanak chouthhae padh mehi so jan gath paaeae ||5||
- O Nanak, in the fourth state, those humble servants attain salvation. ||5||


In another blogpost I have mentioned the meaning of  cauQy pd which is a state of mind beyond the three gunas of maya - when the brain has no worldly desires but only the urge to meet God.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Neurophysiology of chakras

Every person is at a certain point of evolution and that determines how we see this world.

Mooladhara - 1st - base chakra lies in the perineum and controls very deep, powerful, primitive, animalistic, unconscious urges and instincts related to self-preservation and reproduction. A person living at 2nd chakra - swadhisthana (sacrel) sees the world in terms of gratification of physical desires. I see earning more money, buying properties and luxury items, looking for a life partner as living in the lower chakras. In the 1st part of our life we all do this. Medulla Oblongata and the lower areas of the brain are responsible for these functions.

The Navel (anahata) and heart (manipura) chakras are associated with the limbic system which control emotions (ida) and memory (pingala). The emotions like rage, fright, fear, feelings of punishment, anxiety, hunger, desire, pleasure, pain, playful behaviour, thankfulness, awe and wonder, joy and love are located here.

Ajna (3rd eye) and vishuddhi (throat) chakras are associated with intellectual, intuitive, creative and expressive functions. Ajna relates to the pineal gland, midway between the hemispheres and  thalamic area. In front of pineal gland is the thalamus, at the top of the limbic system. Thalamus regulates the interaction of our senses (ida) and motor activity (pingala). It handles degrees of perception, therefore helps us experience the subtle things of life like the psychic sense. Hypothalamus integrates senses, thought, emotion and action. It recognises sensory modalities like pain and pleasure and also is involved in controlling the degree of squeezing and contracting of muscles and joints.

Fusion of ida and pigala at Ajna leads to an explosion within the nervous system which fuels and activates a much larger number of circuits within both hemispheres and the limbic system. It is as if our nervous system suddenly becomes charged with a high tension electric line called sushumna nadi. Ajna is the highest centre in which we still feel that we are separate from the universe / God. In Sahasrara / 7th chakra, the union / cosmic consciousness is said to be experienced.

http://dailyreadings.com/hatha-7.htm is a good read on the topic.


Sunday, March 11, 2012

Kot brahmand ko thakur swami, sarab jiyan ka data re.

Matter in our physical universe is in its rawest, densest form with a tiny addition of spiritual substance which is just enough to enliven matter and to preserve life.

The source page is worth reading. I am pasting part of the page here

The physical structure of our universe is the lowest projection of a cosmic idea, which is guided by the medium of the universal mind. The whole physical universe with its millions of galaxies that are a vast number of light years apart from one another, is just like a dust particle if compared to the inner realms beyond it.
Guru Nanak describes the three grand main divisions as follows:
The first is the 'Region of Truth and Pure Spirit' unmixed with matter.
Ramkali M. 5
Here the spirit reigns supreme and there is total absence of matter. This is the region where the Lord Himself dwells and may be defined as the purely Spiritual Region. This is free from the haunt of death and destruction. Whoever reaches its domain, obtains true salvation.
The Master says:
Once you reach the region of the Formless, you obtain the abode of everlasting Joy and Peace.
Sorath M. 1
The Formless dwells in the Pure Spiritual Region.
Jap Ji, Stanza 37
The Second Grand Division consists of Pure Spirit and a subtle form of matter combined in varying degree.
The upper part of it is called Par Brahmand, wherein the spirit is more to be compared with the subtle forms of matter. In the lower parts called Daswan Dwar, both (spirit and matter) are in equal part. This is the region of the Universal Mind and is termed by various names by various Master. Here the spirit is mixed with matter in its subtlest form, the latter being totally subordinate to the former. Spirit in this region predominates and it is preeminently the ruling force. This region undergoes a change at the destruction of the universe in the Dissolution (Pralaya1). A man in this domain is safer than in the one below it.
Explanation: (1) In the Pralaya the material world is dissolved. In the Maha Pralaya the spirituo-material worlds are dissolved.

The third region is the Grand Division of spirit and matter in its grossest form and it's called "And". It is comprised of Trikuti and Sahasrar planes. It is the sphere of Maya or matter. In this region matter has the upper hand and spirit is subordinate to it, so much so, that the latter feels dependent on the former for its manifestation. In this region the spirit, on account of its association with matter, undergoes untold miseries and is subjected to the law of transmigration.
Both these divisions are referred to as Kal and Maha Kal respectively.
This, in brief, is a sketch of the Macrocosm - the Great World Universe as Guru Nanak has described it. These three divisions also exist in man on a miniature scale. If you want to know about macrocosm, you must first know about the microcosm.
Man is an Epitome of the Three Grand Divisions of the Creation
1. Spirit or the soul, represents the region of the spiritual division.
2. Mind or the mental plane, refers to that of the universal mind.
3. Physical body or the material planes, consist of three bodies: the causal, the astral and the gross.
* The gross body is the fleshy sheath we have. It consists of the gross matter and gross organs of actions and senses: eyes, ears, nose, tongue, skin and excretory and generative organs. It is shaken off at the time of physical death.
* The astral body consists of subtle matter and subtle organs and it active in dreamland state. In this is located the mind.
* The causal body is the root cause of the other two bodies. Its activity is confined to the deep sleep state.
The latter two bodies along with the mind continue to exist after death and create a new form or physical frame at each rebirth. Macrocosm thus exists in the microcosm of the human body. The knowledge of the latter serves as means to the comprehension of the former.
If one could succeed in attaining the Region of the Spirit within himself, by shaking off these sheaths, he can cast off all pain and misery and enjoy incessant Bliss and Peace untold.

A life of matter is all misery which one cannot escape until one is able separate oneself from it.
The attainment of the Region of Spirit then is the thing that is required, for it can lead to the abode of Perpetual Joy and Supreme Happiness, even while living in this physical body.
It is only by riding the current of the Holy Naam, (the Eternal Music in man), that this state is reached, with the help of the True Master. The Holy Naam - the Word - comes down from the highest spiritual planes, the region of Truth, into the material planes.
It is the saving lifeline that can carry souls into the plane beyond the reach of dissolution. All other means fall short of the goal.
The kingdom of God is within you, you may seek it there. It is within your finite body that communion with the Word can be held. This ultimately brings you to the Region of Infinite Truth - Sach Khand.

Drawings of chakra centres and kundalini path

    
The book 'Kundalini Tantra' helps one understand the body's invisible energy centres and the path of kundalini energy.


When one meditates, one starts to understand the subtle body system. We do not need the knowledge from the books but they do help one get enthusiastic about meditation. These images clarify that meditation is not a pastime or simply an exercise to relax oneself but a very intense experience, an adventure which unfolds itself slowly. 

Friday, March 9, 2012

Naam is food, enjoy it

Naam hamara bhojan chhati prakar

Naam helps one understand one's subtle body and the only food the subtle body sustains on is Naam. If the subtle body is healthy, one won't have any physical problems. Therefore, its important to understand that its not the food and nutrition that makes us healthy but the feeling of wellness.

I undestand Naam as vibration that is produced when we chant. Repeating a word, making a sound is like creating ripples in the water by a drop of water. The point is not to simply make ripples but to observe those ripples and notice how far they go. Feel the peace when you travel with a wave of ripple.

Once you learn to observe, experiment with the way to expand your subtle body beyond the walls of your physical body. Feel the peace within your extended body. Now pull your body together, small enough to become a dot. With each in-breath expand as far as you can and with each out-breath become the tiniest dot above your navel.


Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Game of Karma doesn't lead to God's Door

Karmi Sahej na upjai
Vin saheje Sahsa na jaye

Man dhovo Shabd lago
Har syon raho chit lai

Kahe Nanak, Gurparsadi Sahej upjai....

Chit jinka hir laya Maya, bolan paye ravani

Shabad seti man milya sache laya bhao

Kahe Nanak, so tat paye
jisnu andin har liv lagai, jagat raen vihani

Eh dhan tina milya, jin har aape bhana