Transformation
The human nervous system is extremely flexible. It allows for a vast array of different kinds of experiences at different levels of consciousness. It can be a vehicle to experience the deepest and darkest ignorance and separation from the Ascendant and it can also be used to experience the highest state of human evolution, complete consciousness in the Ascendant. And everything that lies in between those two.
Within the nervous system itself there are no limits to what is possible. Only our own accepted beliefs about reality create the boundaries that we experience in our life.
There are many ways to improve ourselves and live a better life within the boundaries that we have created. We can be in better physical condition and can feel better about our own self and perhaps have more abundance in our lives.
That, however, does not really transform the foundation that we stand on. It does not question ego’s judgments about the nature of reality.
Ascension does offer a way to completely transform the very foundation of our being. Through regular practice of Ascending the nervous system is gradually cultured into a higher way of functioning.
Eventually the shift that we experience is to become fully united with the Ascendant with all the belief in separation completely removed from our minds and our bodies.
That is transformation that is much like a caterpillar turning into a butterfly. It is complete and irreversible.
We all understand that caterpillar lives very differently from the butterfly. And so does a human that has let go of the weight of the twisted beliefs of the ego.
This transformation is the promise of this age, the third millennium. There is infinitely more in store for humans than we have yet begun to even dream of.
But before the butterfly emerges the cocoon needs to be broken and discarded. What may seem scary and unreasonable is in fact the greatest blessing in disguise.
Nataraja Ishaya
Perfect Intimacy with Being
Truly there is in this world nothing so purifying as knowledge; he who is perfected in Yoga, of himself in time finds this within himself.
(IV:38 Bhagavad-gita)
The pure state of Being is realized by knowing the relative and the Absolute components of life. This knowing comes to perfection when the knower gains perfect intimacy with Being and becomes fully aware of the basic activity of life, the activity of the three gunas as separate from Being. Perfect intimacy with Being is gained when the mind gains the transcendental state of consciousness. This is the absolute state of knowledge, which can be described as the state of knowingness. When knowledge becomes perfect, it arrives at the state of knowingness and brings life to perfect purity. In this way knowledge removes ignorance, which is the greatest impurity of life, and takes life out of the cycle of birth, death, and suffering.
The Superficial aspect of knowledge is knowing and understanding; the real nature of knowledge is the state of knowingness, the state of pure consciousness, or Being. Considering knowledge in this way, we find that transcendental [ascendant] consciousness represents the real nature of knowledge. Another phase of knowledge is where transcendental consciousness co-exists with the activity of the waking state of consciousness. In this state, when transcendental consciousness becomes permanently established in the very nature of the mind, the absolute and relative phases of life begin to be appreciated simultaneously: the Self is experienced as separate from activity. There is yet another state of knowledge in which the separateness of the Self and activity dissolves into the Unity of God-consciousness, which is the most purified state of life, free from any stain of impurity. Such a life in absolute purity represents the supreme state of knowledge, about which the Lord says: ‘he who is perfected in Yoga, of himself in time finds this within himself.’….
Any state of consciousness is the expression of a corresponding state of the nervous system. Transcendental consciousness corresponds to a certain specific state of the nervous system which transcends any activity and is therefore completely different from that state of the nervous system which corresponds to the waking state of consciousness.
Now, for transcendental consciousness to become permanent and to co-exist with the waking state of consciousness, it is necessary that the two states of the nervous system corresponding to these two states of consciousness should co-exist. This is brought about by the mind gaining alternately transcendental [ascendant] consciousness and the waking state of consciousness, passing from one to the other. This gradual and systematic culture of the physical nervous system creates a physiological situation in which the two states of consciousness exist together simultaneously. It is well known that there exist in the nervous system many autonomous levels of function, between which a system of coordination also organization in the nervous system function simultaneously while maintaining their separate identities. By virtue of this anatomical separation of function, it becomes possible for transcendental consciousness to co-exist with the waking state of consciousness and with the dreaming and sleeping states of consciousness.
In the early states of the practice of TM [Ascension], these two levels of function in the nervous system are unable to occur at the same time; the function of the one inhibits the function of the other. That is why, at this stage, either transcendental consciousness or the waking state of consciousness is experienced. The practice of the mind in passing from one to another gradually overcomes this physiological inhibition, and the two levels begin to function perfectly at the same time, without inhibiting each other and still maintaining their separate identities. The function of each is independent of the other, and that is why this state of the nervous system corresponds to cosmic consciousness [perpetual ascending consciousness], in which Self-awareness exists as separate from activity. Silence is experienced with activity and yet as separate from it.
In order to develop cosmic consciousness to God-consciousness, the nervous system needs to be cultured further so that these two levels, which function independently, come to function in an integrated manner. This will give rise to a state of consciousness in which the sense of separation between the Self and activity is dissolved, and this duality constituting cosmic consciousness is subsumed into the Unity of God-consciousness.
This integration of functions on the physiological level is brought about by a mental activity of ultimate refinement. In order to define activity of this quality, we must analyze the whole range of activity. The activity of the organs of action is the most gross, the activity of the senses of perception is more refined, the mental activity of thought is finer still, and the activity of feeling and emotion is the finest of all. One could further classify different levels of quality in emotional activity, such as anger, fear, despair, happiness, reverence service and love.
The activity of devotion comprises the feelings of service, reverence and love, which are the most refined qualities of feelings. It is through the activity of devotion that cosmic consciousness develops into God-consciousness.
When the nervous system is constantly exposed to this most refined activity of devotion, the physiological integration of functions that has been described takes place. And it is the permanent state of this condition of the nervous system that enables a man to live God-consciousness in his daily life; acting in the midst of all sorts of circumstances, fulfilling the purpose of cosmic life, he carries the totality of existence within himself and moves in the unity of God.
From this it is clear that to develop God-consciousness which represents the supreme state of knowledge, it is necessary to culture the physical nervous system. This requires regular and sustained practice, which obviously needs time.
’Within himself’” by this expression the Lord wishes it to be clearly understood that the supreme state of knowledge is not gained from outside. It is gained within oneself, when one has lived for some time the perfected state of Yoga in God-consciousness. The element of time indicates here that during the early stages of God-consciousness life is full of such overwhelming experience of Unity in diversity that one live deeply lost in it. Gradually as time passes one begins to appreciate this Unity in terms of other things and activities in the world. It is then that one has realized God, that one has the knowledge of God. Thus is becomes clear why the Lord speaks of the necessity for time in gaining supreme knowledge.
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi on the Bhagavad-Gita
The mind and the body already know how to Ascend.
The mind is naturally seeking for greater happiness and the body is always healing itself.
The greatest thing the surface mind can do to align with this natural flow is to think the Ascension Attitude easily and let go. Engaging the mind in any effort or trying while Ascending will always become a hindrance instead of help. As long as we are completely simple Ascension will work for us.
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Pada I Sutra I, Enlightenment!
Now, the teaching of Yoga"
The typical experience of the adult human mind is that awareness is rarely in the present moment. Scientists have estimated that the average adult thinks some 100,000 thoughts every day; these are almost without exception concerned with the past or the future or the distant. There is little or no experience of life as it is Now and Here. When we do rarely for an instant slip beyond the continuous barrier of our unending thought streams, we find that life suddenly becomes vastly different from our typical Waking State experience. Instead of being caught by regret for the past or worry for the future, we are free to experience life as it is right now, free from self-defeating
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beliefs and judgments, free from the limitations imposed by past experience, established in peace and joy.
Therefore the Science of Yoga begins and ends in the present moment. Everything to be understood about the transformation of life from suffering to permanent happiness, from failure to success, from ignorance to enlightenment is to be found in the present instant of time. Life in freedom is the result of learning to turn from the imperious demands of our past experience. Nothing can be done for the past, it is over; nothing can be done for the future, it never comes; all that can be done is to make the present the Ideal. Then the future will take care of itself. Perfection of the present instant is at once the goal and the means of the Science of Union.
MSI, Enlightement!
The Sacred Seed
It is a sad mistake to regard life as a bore which must be endured, with all its hardships, until death comes to set you free. Death is not the road to freedom, it will merely retard your progress. The life force in your body is the key to the freedom that you seek.
Take the old, familiar example of the caterpillar and the butterfly. If the caterpillar had been born, lived a while, then died, where would the butterfly be? The soul of the caterpillar is the sacred seed of the butterfly. The beautiful butterfly pattern is contained within the caterpillar even while it is a lowly worm, crawling on its belly.
In this case, I have predestined that the butterfly come forth. The caterpillar cooperates by instinct. It withdraws into its closet, its cocoon. A scientist has said that a “wave of determination” seems to start the process of metamorphosis on its way. Indeed it does. This wave of determination releases a hormone, an exciter, from tiny cells in the caterpillar’s brain, these hormones stimulate the release of other hormones from the caterpillar’s endocrine glands, and in the secrecy and silence of the little sealed cocoon a miracle of transmutation, of pattern fulfillment, begins to be accomplished.
When the brightly-colored butterfly emerges, it is an entirely different creature, free to fly about the earth in a dimension new to it. What has happened to the hull that fell away, that limited little worm.
With you, the fulfillment is not predestined. You may live and die time and time again before the truth about your sacred seed of life is consciously understood and subconsciously accepted.
When you do accept the Light of Life within you as being the route to a higher dimension, a “wave of determination” will be released in you and the needed alteration of attitude can be set in motion. Like the caterpillar, or the tomato seed, you will start to change. The wisdom the of soul, as it begins to assume command, knows every step that must be taken to transmute your physical body into quickened, refined substance.
This wisdom of the soul is me, your indwelling Father consciousness, doing the mighty works for you, rebuilding with the substances of life which are abundantly available in nature, in that ever-flowing River which fills the entire cosmos – my Holy Spirit.
Ruby Nelson, The Door of Everything
Teacher Training 2009
Oct. 1st, 2008 – April 1st, 2009
A $2,200 non-refundable deposit will reserve your space for this course.
The course fee is:
$10,800 USD, if paid in full by June 1.
$12,800 USD, if paid in full by August 1.
$14,800 USD, if paid in full by Oct 1.
($2,200 of the above fee is nonrefundable).
Space is limited
Call 1-888-474-2921 for application
The minimum requirement
to attend Teacher Training is the First Sphere of techniques,
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This is the 39th edition of the Ishaya Foundation newsletter.
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