My experience of the Tree of Knowledge

I can't believe that all this time I didn't know what was that green thing that came from above and rested in the middle of my body. I didn't know this shape of some rough rock that looked like a gemstone. It was the exact shape of the Tree of Life

It came and healed me. I was so suspicious, I even asked it are you sure you are not spreading some cancer in my body. Then I remembered I am suppose to be positive. So I asked it to heal my lower back pain. The tree of life symbol then disintegrated slowly into small green particles and spread all over my body. As I requested it to fix my memory problem with a big piece of it filling the void in my head as I keep loosing my memory, it did that.

I wonder how I know nothing about the world of meditation and all these powerful things have been offered to me. In a way its good as I have no reason to doubt the experiences as being brought on by my desire or visualisation. I only found out what these things are afterwards.

Other than what I experienced, the diagram of the tree of life gives me a different explanation. Qabbalah - Tree of Life" src="http://emeagwali.com/speeches/immortality/Qabbalah-Tree-of-Life.jpg">

Misunderstood Shiva and Shiva nagari mentioned by Guru Nanak

Based on my personal experience during a meditation session, I believe that the Hindu God shiva is grossly misunderstood. I will first explain my experience and then with refrence to a website giving probable meanings associated with shiva and the items he carries, I will try to explain what the real meaning, as I now believe is.

My experience

I had the most impressive and confusing experience ever. I firmly believe in Guru Nanak and the Sikh religion that he started. I do not have the slightest doubt that he can ever lead me astray about anything. So in my meditation, when I was yearning to see the formless God, I prayed to Guru Nanak to show me what he saw. The next minute Ifirst saw Guru Nanak, a 65 year old Sikh man, with a white round turban and white robe looked like a kurta from the neck, on my right hand side. Then Guru Nanak moved in the background to show me what he saw. I saw someone sitting in meditation pose far away on a mountain. I noticed the hair tied up, resembled the perfect temple dome. Since I have seen Hindu calendars of Shiva in India, I associated this figure as Shiva. As I am not a Hindu, I questioned Guru Nanak, "I asked you to show me what you saw. This is not what I want to see. I am a sikh, I do not intend to change my religion". I probably was trying to spell it out just in case Guru Nanak has misunderstood me just because I am meditating. Guru Nanak stopped me right there and indicated to become quiet and said thats exactly what I am showing you, just see. I realised that I was arguing with Guru Nanak! How foolish of me. I became quiet to see whatever he was showing me without judging and analysing. I will have time for that later.

Then that far away shiva came closer and I saw a very beautiful big eye with pink shaded outline of the eye. It was truly beautiful. Then my mind said, "Hey, its not angry at me!"According to myth, when shiva opens his third eye during meditation, beacuse it was disturbed, he burns everything in his way. Then I realised that it is not angry, on the contrary, its very pleased with me. While I was admiring it, I saw two rays of light came out of the eye. I have mentioned the rest of experience in an earlier post.

Guru Nanak's shabad on page 901 of Guru Granth Sahib ji in Raag Ramkali reads, line 8, Shiva nagari meh asan audhu, alakh agam apari.

Guru Nanak made it very clear in the MoolMantra that the God he talks about and sang the praises of is a formless God. Then what does Shiva Nagari meh asan means? According to Hindu facts on the website http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Shiva#encyclopedia

Shiva is the god of the third eye. I was meditating on the third eye at that time after reading the first chapter of the book opening the third eye by Samuel Sagan. I recommend this book to everyone interested in meditation without any religious jargon or baggage.

All the symbols mentions in the website as linked to Shiva have a symbolic meaning like the snake, a symbol of kundalini energy which I felt rising and hissing like a snake upto my neck, in another session. Then I couldn't figure out where it should go afterwards. I sang all day that day. May be because it rested in the neck area. As is the nature of the energy, a couple of days later this energy went back in the base. The nine snakes that shiva is shown to wear is infact the energy points where the energy resides in everyone's body. Read some articles on meridians and pressure points and you will find out.

So shiva is basically the energy of the third eye. Once the third eye is opened, naturally it will help the throat chakra open as it is the one next to it. The colour of the throat chakra is Blue, hence the blue neck of the Shiva depicted in the paintings. So shiva bhaktas should really meditate on the third eye rather than do idol worship of a human figure shiva. The symbols have a deeper meaning than the physical objects. I am sure the serious bhaktas would know all this anyway. As much as I would love to paint what I saw, I think the paintings lead the ignorant ones astray. Without the personal spiritual experience, its very hard to tell in words the serenity and beauty of the formless.

So Guru Nanak has advised us to meditate on the third eye in his words "Shiva nagari meh asan audhu."

Another website mentioning the symbols worn by shiva http://www.hindujagruti.org/hinduism/festivals/mahashivratri/

My understanding again is very different of these symbol, based on my meditation experiences. The River ganga flowing from Shiva's head is a symbol of the Pranic energy that flows like a river, gushes from above into your body. If you had the experince of this energy, you will agree with what I am saying.

-----------------------
23rd June, 2010

I discussed my experience of Guru Nanak showing me something with Baba Thakur Singh ji yesterday. I am so glad that he clarified to me that I misunderstood God's nirgun saroop with Shiva. Thakur Singh ji said that God wears a white turban. The moment he said that I recalled the image I was shown by Guru Nanak. His head was the same shape as the dome of a Sikh temple. I then tried to remember the other things that would ensure me that it was not Shiva. This prompted me to remember that I didn't see all those things that are shown on a Shiva's calendar - the snake around his neck, the three edged sword -trishool, or any other things that would indicate that he was Parvati's husband shiva, the father of the elephant head lord Ganesh.

May be Hindu mythology has degraded God's Nirgun Saroop and created this mythical God Shiva who has a wife and a son etc, which does not exist. If that is true then someone truly mislead the Hindu people, while whoever first invented those symbols of snake etc was trying to explain the stage when a person is ready to see God's Nirgun Saroop. To be ready to see that image a person's kundalini should have risen upto the neck, revealed by the symbol of snake around the neck.

Its clear to me that without the perfect Guru I wouldn't have been able to see God in his Nirgun Saroop. I now understand why Guru asked me to not argue, just see and said that he is showing me exactly what I asked him to show. I had asked him to show me the formless God. In that experience straight after the Nirgun Saroop, I then was able to see the third eye, one dot that turned into two rays and then developed in to one triangle and then another bigger triangle appeared followed by the light coming out of my temples onto my hands etc. The whole thing probably would have gone for nearly 40 days, if I wasn't disturbed by the family. What a pity, it didn't happen that way. I am sure its not family's fault but predestined as I hadn't done my share of meditation to be able to see the whole show. But the Guru took pity on me as I was desperate and showed me enough to help me believe in him and God. Now I must work on my meditation so I can have my 40 day experience.

"Why is god laughing/ Deepak Chopra"

What a great quote
"True spirituality means not taking ourselves too seriously"

Ten basic principles that Deepak has mentioned are below. He believes that reality shifts as these principles unfold as realisation tranforms the events around you which mere belief can't.
1. The healthiest response to life is laughter.
Golden rule : What's true in the material world is false in the God's world and vice versa.
2. There is always a reason to be grateful.
3. You belong in the scheme of the universe and are safe.
4. Your soul cherishes every aspect of your life.
5. There is a plan and your soul knows what it is.
6. Ecstasy is the energy of spirit. When life flows, ecstasy is natural.
7. There is a creative solution to every problem. Every possibility holds the promise of Abundance.
8. Obstacles are opportunities in disguise.
9. Evolution leads the way through desire.
10. Freedom is letting go.

Celebrating festival of lights / Diwali with emphasis on Spiritual Light

Guru says "Mun Tun Jote Sarup Hai,

Apna Mool Pachan"

Oh mind, you are an image of light,

realise your true source.

By simply searching the word meditation on the internet, one comes to realise that there are groups in every religion and every culture that talk of exactly the same god source and seek the same light that Sikh Gurus spoke about. Its another thing that some are more open about sharing their knowledge and techniques than others.

Sadly, Sikhs have grossly misunderstood their own Gurus straight message on the light within that one sees when he/ she does meditation. Sikhs try to give it a more philosophical approach when in reality the gurus are trying to explain the light as they saw it.

Jote means light. Rang means colour. One can do a simple search for the two words separately in the "Sikhi to the Max" program which gives the original words of the guru with english transliteration and translation (Occasionally misinterpreted).

Raag Maru Mahla Pahla (p. 1041)

Guru Nanak says

Bharam Ka Sangal Torh Nirala

[Snap the chain of doubt]

Har Antar Har Raas Paya

[God is within, thats where the necter of His name (Har) is found]

Nis Daman Jiyon Chamak Chandayan Dekhe

[ Just as you see the lightening in the sky]

Ahnas Jote Nirantar Pekhe

[that the kind of light you see within]

Aanand Roop Anup Sarupa, Gur poore Dekhayan

[That blissful beauty _____ ______, true guru can show you]

Satgur__________

Sas Ghar Soor Deepak Genare

[True guru can show you, how Sun is found in the moon chakra? The book on Kundalini youga talks about it]

Dekh Adisht Rahuh Liv Laagi

[When you see the unseen, stay in meditation state]

Saabh Tribhavan Braham Sabaya

[You will see all, the three worlds, the whole universe, everything there is]

Nanak Ko Joug Joug Har Jas Deeje

[Bless me so I can sing the praises for centuries]

Har Japiye Aant Na Paya

[Chanting Har, I haven't found your limits yet]

Guru Nanak and the quotes from "The Divine Matrix by Gregg Braden"

The force before the beginning

ੴ ਸਤਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਕਰਤਾ ਪੁਰਖੁ ਨਿਰਭਉ ਨਿਰਵੈਰੁ ਅਕਾਲ ਮੂਰਤਿ ਅਜੂਨੀ ਸੈਭੰ ਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥

Ik oaʼnkār saṯ nām karṯā purakẖ nirbẖao nirvair akāl mūraṯ ajūnī saibẖaʼn gur parsāḏ.

One Universal Creator God. The Name Is Truth. Creative Being Personified. No Fear. No Hatred. Image Of The Undying, Beyond Birth, Self-Existent. By Guru's Grace (Translation source- Wikipedia)

On p. 40-41, chapter 2, Greg has written -

Rig Veda calls this force underlying creation from which all things are formed Braham- the force that was there before the "beginning" and identified it as the "unborn, in whom all existing things abide." "the one manifests as the many, the formless putting on forms. Gregg has taken this information from the website http://www.spaceandmotion.com/Philosophy-Hinduism-Hindu.htm

I have been on this website prior to seeing this reference and was pleased to realise that besides believing in many gods, Hinduism believes in the formless. In 24 years of my life in India, nobody, including hindus, had ever mentioned that they believed in the formless. The book that I have recommended on this blog "The kundalini yoga" says that there are two types of hindus - one that believe in deities / several gods and those who believe in the formless.

In Guru Nanak's time apparently, there were majority of Hindus who worshipped the Deities only and didn't bother about the formless. Hence he travelled far and wide to remind them of the formless, as he had realised during his enlightenment. No wonder then that he was called the Guru by the Hindus and Pir by the Muslims. Christanity also believes in one God as well as all other majors religions that I know of.

According to Gregg "the divine matrix" can be thought of in the same way - as the force before other forces. "Its the container that holds the universe as well as the blueprint for everything that happens in the physical world. This primal force of energy provides the essence of all that we experience and create. It holds the key to unraveling the deepest mysteries of who we are, as well as to answering the oldest questions about how things work in our world." p. 41

Greg has mentioned three scientific experiments -

1st experiment - the phantom effect and our relationship to our universe -

testing the behaviour of our DNA on light particles (photons) - which proved that there is a type of energy that exists in the space besides air, previously unrecognised by the scientists and secondly, cells/ DNA influence matter through this form of energy.

Does this concludes that we, the living beings, matter made of DNA can influence the primal energy? This experiment showed that human DNA has a direct effect on the vibration of light.

2nd experiment - Do feelings and emotions have +ve or -ve impact on our cells function?The experiment showed a powerful electrical response at the instant emotional "peaks" and "dips" experienced.

My personal experience is that when I feel the real urge to see God during meditation, or become emotional, thats when the magic happens and I see colour purple and whatever else afterwords. However, if I become overemotional and the concentration goes on the fact that I am crying, I get distracted. So if you become sad during meditation, try to concentrate on the breathing and get over that sad emotion. However, when you start to see the colour purple, I naturally become happy and a smile comes on the face. I start to play with the energy. If at this point you become involved with the colour purples beauty only and forget the breath and the god, the meditation session will end. Its rewarding either way. The first time you see the colour, you would be too happy with that experience itself. Next time try to see beyond the purple, the black space spinning with the purple. Try to spin forward into this space to go astral travelling. I haven't been able to do this yet. I have been too involved wondering if it is spinning clockwise or anti-clockwise. Now I know, mine spins clockwise. It spins in different direct for men and women, I have heard.

Guru Nanak tried to focus on this fact when he knocked yogis for practising hatta yoga. He was right in saying that without the feeling, the breathing exercises will not make you realise god. I have at times tried to get the same results in meditation by forcing myself to concentrate on the third eye. It only makes you have a severe headache, if you are concentrating on the physical level and do not have the feeling of actually meeting god as you are too worried about other things happening in life and want to fix them. The point is you haven't let go. Its not easy to let go every time. I thought that having seen what I have seen in meditation, it would make it easier to re-create that urge to meet god. Its doesn't happen that way. You need gods grace each time to have that feeling.

Greg has written that 2nd experiment suggests four things

1. A previously unrecognized form of energy [god] exists between living tissues.

2. Cells and DNA communicate through this field of energy.

3. Human emotion has a direct influence on living DNA.

4. Distance appears to be of no consequence with regard to the effect.

The 4th conclusion has deeper influence than what you can imagine. So I better explain what the experiment was. A swab of tissue and DNA was taken from a person's mouth and taken to another place. The DNA was measured electrically and it responded to the genuine state of emotions felt by this person's body while watching documentaries. The DNA acted as if it was still physically connected to his body. Why? Greg further asks, "Does this mean that when a living organ is successfully transplanted into another human being, the two individuals somehow remain connected to each other?"

My question is, "Does this means that the mother and the baby are still connected even after birth?" I would like to extend this to the siblings as they are connected to the mother. Is this the explanation to my feeling of loss when my dad died in India, my sister feeling the loss at the moment he died and hear her deeply sad voice saying my name and asking me what I was doing here in Australia, I should have been in India a moment ago. I woke up from my deep sleep very sad, confused and with a shock, my husband woke up and asked. As I was saying, I should have been in India a few minutes ago, I knew it was a few minutes too late. I couldn't understand what it meant and yet felt the deepest feeling of sadness and loss the moment my dad died, as the feeling experienced by my sister and yet when a year later I visited her and asked if she remembered me at that moment, she said "No!".

Greg wrote on p. 50 - HeartMath foundation documented finding a doughnut-shaped field of energy that surrounds the heart and extends beyond the body. This electromagnetic energy in torus form is five and eight feet in diameter. Greg says that although this heart field is not the aura or the prana, it may be an expression of the energy that begins in this area. I don't need to repeat that Guru Nanak has emphasised on the heart and the feeling in finding god more than knowing the breathing and yogic exercises. Nanak says, "Mun (Heart) Jeete (Winning) Jag (World) Jeet (victory) - You have won the world, the moment you have won the heart."

3rd experiment - "using specially designed mental and emotional self-management techniques which involved intentionally quieting the mind, shifting one's awareness to the heart area and focusing on positive emotions. Again, "using special techniques that analyze the DNA both chemically and visually", the results showed that the Human emotions changed the shape of the DNA! without physically touching it or doing anything other than creating precise feelings in the their bodies, the participants were able to influence the DNA molecules in the beaker. The experiments revealed that different intentions produced different effects on the DNA molecule causing it to either wind or unwind.

The above experiment proves that we are responsible for our own health. Something that I have always believed. We cause the diseases in ourself due to our negative feelings. When we desire bad results for others we are the one feeling that bad feeling and cause our DNA to respond to it. Then we blame god for giving us the disease. Saint Farid said, "Farida Bure Da Bhala Kar - desire goodness for the one that did something wrong to you." This DNA theory proves how God does justice. You get what you desire for yourself or for others. What you desire is what you deserve. As they say world is a mirror.

Gregg suggests two similar conclusions from the three experiments

1. There is matix of an energy that connects any one thing with everything else in the universe, which accounts for the unexpected results of the experiments.

2. The DNA in our bodies gives us access to the energy that connects our universe and

emotion is the key to tapping in to the field.

I believe these conclusions are in line with what Guru Nanak preaches. "Bhagtan tera tan; tun bhagatan ke vas". Guru Nanak says that the You (God) are in control of your believers. Dhan Guru Nanak.

My heart desires you

Sawal Sundar Ramiya, Mera man Laga Tohe

Prab mohe Kab Gal Lavehnge

Ik khin daras dikhaye ji

Darshan mangon deh pyare

Kaise kahon mohe jiya bednai

Mera man loche gur darshan tain

Mil mere pritama,

Darshan dekne ka chao

Milo pyare jiya

Saas saas japiye gobind

Vaje anhad vaja

Nam japo mere sajan saina, nam bina mai avar na laina

Meditation 2 Nanak

Ek Om Kar

Drink some water before starting meditation

Vahe guru

Inhale Exhale

Expand Contract

Become aware of the third eye

Expand to the corners of the forehead, contract, a few times

Feel the energy coming in from five inches above your head

Pull it in with each breath in, a few times

(Expand so your body can fill the whole room, contract to the point of a dot)

Expand heart to touch the ribcage, contract to a dot

Expand heart up-to the shoulder blades, contract to a dot

Feel the spine, while breathing

Breathe into the spine

Feel the breath touching the tailbone

Feel the tailbone expand with each breath in, and contract with breath out

Feel the breath expand the 5-6 vertebrae, from the tailbone

Push the excess air out like a spear going out either from the spine side

or the front side of the body with force

This is awakening the sleeping energy and activating it

to make it move around and rejuvenate the area

by giving oxygen to the deprived cells.

Become aware of the area below the ribcage

inhale and exhale out of this area a few times

Do the same with the heart area and then the throat area.

Note the sequence of awareness of the energy: 3rd eye, 7th chakra (above head), heart, Base chakra (tailbone), 2nd (, 3rd, 4th (heart), 5th (Throat), 6th (3rd eye). Its called chakra as the energy moves in a spiral within an energy centre.

As you meditate, you will start to feel the clockwise and anti-clockwise spiral movement of different chakras. You do not need prior knowledge of this to feel it. You will know from your experience.

The above breathing will stop the thoughts from overpowering you. Now that your mind is quiet, you can listen to your chanting that you did while breathing.

Hear within and observe. Do you feel anything?

Observe yourself from outside your body.

Watch yourself meditating.

Observe your pose from front, right side, left side, back and above.

How does it feel?

Enjoy the calmness and stillness for as long as you like.

Do you see your astral body floating and still connected to your physical body

with a string of light?

Do you see the yellow sun in the head of the astral body?

Is it going to fill your physical body with a yellow light?

Enjoy the connection.

Hear

Did you hear the bells ringing far-away or close-by?

Don't be surprised if it is close, Its OK, just enjoy the sound.

Enjoy the feeling, the calmness, the stillness

Thank the creator for revealing the inside you

Thank for showing the physical self meditating

When you are ready, become one with the physical self

by bringing the astral body back into the physical

Remember what you enjoyed, Smile

Feel the ground on which you are sitting

Feel yourself sinking into the ground

When ready and stable open your eyes.

Wait until you are ready to stand up.

Without vibration there is no place

Jeta Kita Teta Naw

Vin Nave Nahin Ko Thao

Whatever has been created, is all Nam = Sound = Vibration = Colour

(see previous blog for clarification or see the science articles on how sound is vibration)

Different pitched sounds have different vibrations, hence, different colours of this world. There is a world outside and a world within. Its easier to contemplate on the world within to understand the outside world as one is connected to the other.

In meditation, make a sound, choose any, for example Om, Vaheguru, Har.

Once you start feeling the vibration which is a higher manifestation of sound,

you don't need to make the sound anymore, however, if you start getting distrated by thoughts, start making the sound again, hear the sound and think nothing, to quieten the brain.

The objective is to make the brain sleep while the body is awake, so the subconcious can give us the messages of the core truth that we are part of. The creator is in itself in its creation. Therefore, we already know the eternal truth, how the world was created, what its doing and what will happen, we have part of the creator within us that we need to awaken. But the mind doesn't let us get to the core intelligence within us by overpowering the body and keeps it in his own control.

In meditation, we are trying to gently get out of the control of our dictator mind. If the mind is keeping you busy in thoughts or telling you what you should experience, then your true self is not in control yet. So chant a sound to quieten the mind until, your true self is in control of the session, not your mind.

Once you start feeling the vibration of the sound, you will be enjoying listening to that vary sound that you were making earlier. By engrossing in the vibration, you will get to the stage of seeing the colour. Its like body building, you won't build all the muscles in one day. Its a slow process, so keep meditating regularly. When you think, you are not seeing any results, be patient as you actually are. You will see that very soon, just when you are ready to give up. Request the energy to reveal itself to you. Feel the need for it as a lover feels the thirst to see, feel and touch the lover. When you see the colour, play with it like you would, with a friend. Talk to it in feelings. Feeling is the key to the secret.

Meditation 1 Nanak

Ek Om kar

(One Om - the creator )

Sat Nam

(Truth - the sound)

Sat Kartar

(Truth- the creator)

Sat Shri Akal

( Truth - respectable one - beyond death/time)

Vaje Nad

(Sound vibrates)

Colour is a manifestation of Sound

Rang = Colour

Gurbani says

Rang Ratta Mera Sahib

Rang Maan Lai Pyarya

Laal Rangile Pritam Manmohan Tere Darshan Ko Ham Bare

Method to see the colour

Create sound with each breath

Listen to the sound

Feel the vibration in the third eye and the throat area simultaneously

Drop sound after 10 minutes

Keep listening to the sound

Feel the vibration

See the colour in the third eye

Feel the happy feeling of the colour

Play with the colour

Enjoy the feeling

See beyond the colour

Feel the message

Feel the love

Ask for revelation

The one will reveal itself to you

various manifestations beyond doubt.

I wrote this on the 8th June 2009 in the notebook

What's in the space in between?

I started reading the book "The divine matrix" a few days ago. This book was recommended by a library client who happens to be part of a sect called "White eagle brotherhood". This sect (of christainty?) also believes in meditation.

Sadly, there was a technical glitch and the blog I wrote was lost in the cyberspace. I will try to quote the lines from the books again and hopefully make the same connections between my understanding and the quotes.