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Belief in gods of the celestial world
(Bhagavad Gita 3.11-3.12)
by Swami Rama
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The ignorant think that gods dwell in celestial worlds
and have power to control
human destiny. Such gods are merely projections of one's internal
organization,
the creation of gods in the external world is a projection of the
unconscious.
The belief in gods was created to help those who are not aware of their
internal
resources and are in need of an objectification of supernatural powers.
They
need to believe in gods that will help them fulfill desires that they
feel
inadequate to fulfill through their own means. It is said that those who
have
seen gods are fools, for they have seen something of their own self and
mistakenly believe that they have seen gods. Externalists have created
gods for
their own convenience, but in actuality those gods are symbols of
unknown
phenomena that occur within.
For those aspirants who cannot contemplate on the attributeless Eternal,
symbols
are recommended by spiritual teachers. In the path of meditation certain
symbols
are used to make the mind one-pointed. The student is then advised to go
beyond
the symbol to comprehend its meaning rather than remaining dependent on
the
symbol forever. Thus in meditation one leaves the symbol behind and goes
forward.
The ignorant worship the symbols without knowing and understanding that
which
lives behind and beyond the symbol. But if one is capable of exploring
that
which is being expressed by the symbol, he may eventually discover the
existence
of the formless archetype that is clothed in the forms of the symbol.
With
further work he may attain direct experience of the archetypes, not as
objects
but by becoming on with the archetypes themselves.
Swami Rama (Commentary on Bhagavad Gita 3.11-3.12)
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This site is devoted to
presenting the ancient Self-Realization path of
the Tradition of the Himalayan masters
in simple, understandable and beneficial ways, while not compromising
quality or depth. The goal of our sadhana or practices is the highest
Joy that comes from the Realization in direct experience of the
center of consciousness, the Self, the Atman or Purusha, which is
one and the same with the Absolute Reality.
This Self-Realization comes through Yoga meditation of the Yoga
Sutras, the contemplative insight of Advaita Vedanta, and the
intense devotion of Samaya Sri Vidya Tantra, the three of which
complement one another like fingers on a hand.
We employ the classical approaches of Raja, Jnana, Karma, and Bhakti
Yoga, as well as Hatha, Kriya, Kundalini, Laya, Mantra, Nada, Siddha,
and Tantra Yoga. Meditation, contemplation, mantra and prayer
finally converge into a unified force directed towards the final
stage, piercing the pearl of wisdom called bindu, leading to the
Absolute.
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