|
Kundalini Shaktipat
The term "Shakti"
is very popular today, but is usually misunderstood. Shakti
can be understood by thinking about electricity. The fan will
function as long as electricity powers it; the moment electricity
is withdrawn, it stops working and become useless. The same
is true of humans. We are alive as long as Shakti powers us.
The moment Shakti life force withdraws, we die.
When Cosmic Energy or Universal
Shakti comes into contact with Its residual Shakti, called
Kundalini, hitherto lying dormant in the individual, It awakens,
activating the sleeping Kundalini. The awakening of Kundalini
is a sure sign of active Shakti (although even in its inactive
state it still supplies the energy that keeps us alive). The
individual consciously feels the oneness of one’s own
Shakti Kundalini with the Universal Shakti, just as a drop
of water feels the union when it contacts the ocean. With
the rising of the serpent power or Kundalini comes the intuitive
knowledge that there is no death. When this happens, the inner
state of the aspirant quickly changes; there is calmness,
an inner contentment, and a synchronicity with life not present
before. Accumulated karma from other lifetimes gradually loses
its potency until all karmic debt dissolves. The practitioner
then experiences Shakti active within him/her as an all-encompassing,
expansive energy. The body of the practitioner becomes the
entire cosmos as the cosmos and the practitioner complement
each other. Practitioners experience a unified, eternal flow
of life force or energy circulating between them and Universal
Consciousness. The physical limits of the practitioner now
extend to the cosmic level and all distances come within his/her
reach; one's third eye is opened, so that other dimensions
can be seen and travel to higher realms becomes a reality.
One begins to live fully and become totally awake for the
first time. At this level, the Self-Realized person can do
anything on earth except the Divine processes of creation,
preservation and destruction. A kind of "mechanical switch"
develops enabling the person to live either in this world
or another world, if and when one likes.
Traditionally, Kundalini energy
can be awakened through three main practices:Asanas
(yogic postures), mudras (hand positions), and pranayama (breath-control
exercises)
Kundalini Shaktipat - Grace of the Guru
The accumulated results of devotional practices through several
lifetimes.
For the first set of practices, there are several rules to
be adhered to for the energy to rise. One has to learn unnatural
yogic postures, mudras, and breath control practices of Hatha
Yoga. These may not be easy for everyone, and having embarked
on the path of learning these postures and mudras there is
no certainty how long the person will have to practice before
Kundalini rises and the person "awakes." For this
reason finding a Guru and receiving his/her grace is helpful;
then there is no need for rules or regulations.
Awakening Kundalini through
the grace of a Guru is traditionally seen as the best and
most natural way of stirring this energy. When Kundalini energy
awakens through the grace of the Guru, yogic postures, mudras,
and breath control exercises do not need to be performed in
an unnatural way. Rather, everything unfolds by itself according
to the individual's karmic history. Awakening through the
grace of the Guru is sure and quick, although finding a Guru
is not so easy. When the consciousness of the inner and the
external Guru is integrated, the external or physical Guru
is not needed for awakening. Where it is not possible to receive
grace from a Guru then the first set of practices can work
but may be slower.
Using examples we can compare
the three methods of awakening. The first method is comparable
to someone who works very hard, tolerates the sun and heat
of the day, working relentlessly to earn a living. The second
method is similar to receiving great wealth from a rich person
through an act of compassion. The third method is comparable
to suddenly discovering wealth on the way home or while sitting
at home, it is instant and without too much effort. Whatever
the method, those who have had successful Kundalini Awakening
can be recognized by their healthy body, happy countenance,
appearance of anahat-shabd or the "inner sound"
known as AUM or WORD, beautiful, peaceful eyes, becoming an
urdhvareta or one in whom the reversal of the flow of semen
has taken place or the one who has attained the power of retaining
the semen, and the purification of body and nerves.
In my own experience, when
the Kundalini awakened I felt extra activities in my testicles,
a squeezing sensation that seemed to be directing some fluid
upward to the brain through unseen capillaries. Sexual arousal
passes on to other parts of the body as sublimated energy.
There is a cooling down and an upsurge of pure love for every
one ( Swami Muktananda and Pundit Gopi Krishna have described
similar experiences in their books. Female practitioners have
reported similar experiences, for example, a college professor
and Siddha-Yoga practitioner, Karen felt energy rocket up
from the first chakra (Mooladhara) at times, causing her whole
body to vibrate and shake. In the case of Beth, from Arkansas,
there was often a sucking sensation around the cervix, as
if vaginal fluid was needed by the energy (Greenwell 1990,
p. 203). Thus, whether the person is male or female, it seems
that vital sexual fluids are used to enrich and strengthen
the brain making it strong enough to receive enlightenment.
KUNDALINI SHAKTIPAT OR MAHA-YOGA
Kundalini Maha-Yoga is a self-proven
and self-perfecting spiritual practice. The power of Kundalini
can cause an initiate to perform kriyas (automatic movements)
through the power of Kundalini itself. The force of the Kundalini
is such that the body performs these asanas unconsciously.
Another name is Siddha-yoga, or the self-proven path of meditation.
In all aspects, body, mind and intellect, Shakti uses Kundalini
to perform the meditation. The initiate is drawn into flowing
with the energy and must surrender to the process. When and
how Kundalini-Shakti manifests is the work of the divine power
(Shakti) Itself. To practice Siddha Yoga one must allow the
divine power the opportunity to perform the meditation and
yogic postures without interference.
Traditionally, it is believed
that without initiation it is difficult to realize the fruits
of knowledge, meditation, yoga, japa (chanting), tapa (austerities),
devotion, karma, and dharma (religious duties). Kundalini
Maha-Yoga (Shaktipat) as a path of initiation is different
from other paths of meditation and/or initiation, because
on other paths one has to learn certain tasks or master specific
techniques. Practitioners are responsible for doing meditation
or they may have to learn about different stages in meditation.
Ceremonies may have to be performed or different yogic postures
or asanas assumed, or they may have to struggle to eject undesirable
thoughts from their mind.
In Kundalini Shaktipat it
is not necessary to do any of these things. All the person
has to do is sit with a complete sense of surrender to the
present moment and experience. To achieve Shaktipat a person
should be warm and welcoming to all thoughts or emotions as
they occur, allowing inner life to flow effortlessly through
the body without interference or judgement. Then, according
to the nature and state of the spiritual consciousness of
each initiate, different meditative experiences — emotional,
intellectual, or creative in nature — will occur by
themselves.
GURU AND INITIATE
In the Shaktipat tradition,
a Guru is a person who can awaken Kundalini energy in another.
The one receiving the energy from the Guru is the initiate.
A person in whose presence or by whose touch one feels inner
happiness and bliss is a Guru. In fact, one's Atman or Soul
is the real and ultimate Guru — there is none above
Atman. But this concept is too abstract for many on the spiritual
path which is why they take a physical Guru. One may adopt
a Guru until the realization of Atman (the inner Guru) takes
place. Sometimes one is dissatisfied with the Guru. There
is always the freedom to choose another, but this should only
be done when following the same Guru doesn't feel right intuitively
anymore. A Guru is there to reveal and dissolve the ego, which
is never easy. Vigilance as to why there is discomfort working
with the Guru is vital, because when the ego feels threatened
it will find reasons to leave the Guru to stop any further
spiritual advancement. Just as a bee goes from one flower
to another in search of honey, a practitioner can also go
from Guru to Guru in search of knowledge but one needs to
be aware that superficial flitting about will not aid spiritual
unfoldment.
In an initiation, if the initiate
does not feel inner happiness or bliss — and certainly
if one year after initiation (and having rigorously followed
instructions and been vigilant with the ego) one does not
experience bliss and intuitive knowledge — then it may
be time to look for another Guru. Finding a self-declared
Guru who is ready to work for money is easy; finding an authentic
Guru is difficult.
The aspirant needs to be prepared
for the initiation, too. This means the mind and body must
be made as strong as possible. If cement is put on mud, its
utility is weak like mud; but when applied to brick, it becomes
as strong as stone. Similarly, when practitioners prepare
themselves through the training of Hatha yoga and achieve
renunciation of the world before Shaktipat initiation, they
will attain a high state of spiritual development soon after
initiation. However, Gurus normally do not insist on prior
preparation. In cases where the aspirant is unprepared, after
initiation some of the Shakti is used for clarifying and transforming
the neo-initiate, strengthening the body and mind. After being
initiated, one should build better foundations for spiritual
advancement by assuming a spiritual practice of life. Yogic
postures provide physical stability, mudras give the body
strength, and pranayama or breath-control provides subtlety,
cleansing the nerves and prompting focus on the inner world.
Determination and meditation provide single-pointed-concentration
on consciousness, and samadhi (inner absorption) provides
the final absorption of consciousness. The Vedanta points
out that knowledge without practical application in the form
of spiritual practice is insufficient for Self-Realization.
Building strong spiritual
foundations generate in the practitioner two qualities. First,
Non-attachment, the state of controlled Chitta (mind-stuff)
containing no movement toward anything desired or away from
anything not desired. This does not mean that there is a physical
disassociation with the world, but more a sense of detachment
at the mental level breaking the cycle of desire and attachment.
When this happens, the second quality of renunciation follows.
Discarding materialistic attachment completely is renunciation.
A practitioner develops non-attachment first and then renunciation
follows naturally. Non-attachment and renunciation are the
result of a meditative and contemplative life and are the
pillars for the highest good. They are called Parmarth (for
the highest good). These two are very important for the initiate
to possess, in order to experience successful and effective
Shaktipat.
To understand the above and
the suffering that arises when one hasn’t these qualities,
one has only to look at the average person and how they suffer
because of their attachment to worldly affairs. The physical
body is everything for them, and the fear of death is often
paramount in their thoughts. Little spiritual progress is
made when the mind is consumed with the fear of death. Nevertheless,
by controlling the Chitta through making it dispassionate
in gradual steps, non-attachment can be achieved. Slowly,
one understands that this world is transitory, changing constantly,
and ultimately decaying. The pursuit and satisfaction of desires
cannot lead to inner happiness, since one desire leads to
another in an unending chain of dissatisfaction. Combining
this understanding with the study of spiritual literature,
contemplation and meditation, increases detachment from the
objective world. This results in corresponding gains in spiritual
advancement. An initiation at this stage can produce wonderful
direct experiences with Shakti.
Also important is the relationship
between the path of knowledge and the path of yoga. Those
on the path of knowledge experience yoga (joining the Soul
with Super-soul or Self-Realization) after many lifetimes.
A yogi acquires knowledge through the practice of yoga becoming
liberated in a single lifetime. Therefore Yoga is a method
by which results can be achieved in a single lifetime. Just
as a monkey jumps from one branch to another to finally reach
the desired tree laden with fruit, so the yogi moves from
one chakra to another. He/she gradually crosses the first
six chakras until he/she finally arrives at the seventh/crown
center, where consciousness and prana are anchored. At this
stage the yogi acquires intuitive knowledge and liberation
at the same time. An ideal way for spiritual advancement is
to pursue the path of knowledge and the path of yoga simultaneously,
as they complement each other. This may also be the fastest
way to achieve spiritual advancement.
(Continued In Kundalini Shaktipat Part 2...)
| Authors Details: Kundalini Shaktipat
for Beginners Ravindra Kumar, Ph.D. |
More Articles On Kundalini Shaktipat
(Kundalini
Shaktipat Pt 1)
(Kundalini
Shaktipat
Pt 2)
(Kundalini Energy
Awakening)
(Kundalini
Symptoms)
(Kundalini
Meditation)
(The
Great Invocation Kundalini Meditation)
(Kundalini)
(Kundalini
& Prana)
(Kundalini
Yoga)
(Kundalini
Awakening) |
