Spiritual Experiences
Posted December 3rd, 2009 by tejvan_13
in
(#24183)
After reading An Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramhansa Yogananda, I had an idealised view of the spiritual life which seemed to suggest spiritual experiences were an almost daily occurrence . Every chapter of Yogananda's classic is inundated with the most beautiful spiritual experiences, which cannot fail to inspire and move a sincere seeker.
"...An oceanic joy broke upon calm endless shores of my soul. The Spirit of God, I realized, is exhaustless Bliss; His body is countless tissues of light. A swelling glory within me began to envelop towns, continents, the earth, solar and stellar systems, tenuous nebulae, and floating universes. The entire cosmos, gently luminous, like a city seen afar at night, glimmered within the infinitude of my being. The sharply etched global outlines faded somewhat at the farthest edges; there I could see a mellow radiance, ever-undiminished. It was indescribably subtle; the planetary pictures were formed of a grosser light..."
http://www.crystalclarity.com/yogananda/chap14.html - Autobiography of a Yogi, P.Yogananda (just in case you haven't read it I do recommend it)
I naturally presumed that if I took up the spiritual life, I would soon be experiencing these states of Cosmic Consciousness with the soul dissolving in ethereal realms of ecstasy and light. I fully expected that my 30 minutes of daily meditation would soon give me an access to these transcendental states of an advanced yogi.
Alas, I soon realised that for most of us (at least, those who were not yogi's in previous incarnations), the spiritual life is not so much about startling spiritual experiences, but more about the long, and challenging transformation of human nature. Alas, facing up to our weakness' and seeking to transcend our limitations is not quite as appealing as seeing divine lights or experiencing the peace that passeth understanding. But, as the Upanishads say. -" Nayam atma bala-hinena labhya. - "This soul cannot be won by the weakling"
The spiritual life is certainly not an easy ride of constant divine inebriation. But, then neither is it a desert of austerities.
There are times when suddenly we can forget the concerns of our daily life and we feel our heart and soul have come to the fore. The spark may be meditation, it may be music, it may be washing dishes or it may just be when we are in the company of fellow seekers.
The cares of the world and our limited self evaporate, and we can feel sincerely happy - at peace with ourselves and the world. No longer are we the grumpy old man finding fault with anything and everyone. We feel inundated with a charitable feeling towards others, ourselves and the wider world. We can taste and live that most precious and elusive aspect of human life - sincere happiness - what is this if not a most precious spiritual experience?
"Finally, I have an open secret for those who want to launch into the spiritual life. The open secret is this: you can change your life. You need not wait years or even months for this change. It begins the moment you dive into the sea of spirituality. Try to live the life of spiritual discipline for a day, a single day! You are bound to succeed."
Excerpt from Yoga And The Spiritual Life. The Journey of India's Soul. by Sri Chinmoy.
http://www.srichinmoylibrary.com/books/0003
-
Tejvan 'Two Veg" Pettinger
- login to post comments
Spiritual experiences vary with each person. But once you have had one, you want more! I find it intoxicating to feel the vibration of Mother Earth blessing her children. And to soar into the cloudless Father Sun is a joy beyond measure.
What urges us on to leap higher than ever before, to escape the confines of the material world, more than spiritual experiences? It is a joy given by God himself.
To be in the world, but not of the world, is a magic trick that very few can accomplish. But those who dive the deepest and feel the bliss can accomplish this on earth. It is not the goal, but it is part of the delightful journey. Namasté.
I'd forgotten how beautiful that book is, Tejvan. It was always one of the few books outside of Sri Chinmoy's writings that I really, really treasured. So, so beautiful.. sigh :) One day!
Sharada
[Moderators Note: Posted on Behalf of maja1327. For Posting instructions, please read:
http://www.srichinmoyinspiration.com/content/joining-sri-chinmoy-inspiration-group]
----------------
Dear Tejvan,
It is nice that you recommended Yogananda's Autobiography, it's a great book and great Yogi. In our Serbian translation we managed, with the help of Mahatapa and some other disciples, to put Sri Chinmoy's song dedicated to Paramahansa Yogananda, written on Sept 21st, 20002.
It gave us so much joy when we saw it in the book, as this is one of the most popular books for last three decades in my country.
All the best with your experiences in the transformation world, it is the only thing that matters.
Some twenty years ago (before I came to know about our Path and Guru)for two years I was going through extremely high experiences (for 3 days I saw only light in everything around myself and much, much more)but it was only God's game to show me that there is another existence but material world, and on that way I was prepared to recognise Guru's Light. When I saw his photo I was immediately driven to him without asking any questions. It was funny that I expected I would realize God very quickly, because I got such a Master to guide me. But instead of it the process of personal transformation started and it still goes on and on, until we come to the state of such a purity that we are able to receive and keep the highest light from above.
Anyway, it is a good feeling when I remember these spiritual beginnings.
Much love to all,
Jadranka, Belgrade
Hi Tejvan,
By chance this week I was reading Guru's book about Lahiri Mahashoy who was the Guru of Paramahansa Yogananda's Guru; Sri Yukteswar.
Lahiri Mahashoy met Yogananda when he was only a baby and predicted that he would become a great yogi who would serve both the east and the west.
Guru's comments after each essay in the book are soul stirring and illumining.
Here is my favorite;
"When the Master initiates a disciple, the Master accepts everything that the disciple has and is, and he offers to the disciple everything that he has and is. The supreme initiation is when the Master says to the disciple, 'Take what I have',
and the disciple says to the Master, 'Take me as I am."
>From Lahiri Mahashoy: A Revelation of the Beyond by Sri Chinmoy
(unnofficial)
I enjoyed your post about spiritual experiences.
I would love to be inundated with experiences that take to the highest on a regular basis, but I guess it's looking at the small miracles in our everyday lives that will help us to make progress; the little happenings that very deeply remind us that Guru is still with us still guiding us.
Purnakama