Your creative powers have become viable to the point where your presence will spark fire and enthusiasm among your peers. Rather than looking to others for leadership, look to yourself.
Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's and subsequent translations of the I Ching
#1, line 5, #30 Heaven above and Heaven below:
Heaven in constant motion.
With the strength of the dragon, the Superior Person steels himself for ceaseless activity.
Productive Activity.
Potent Influence.
Sublime Success if you keep to your course. The time for action has come.
You now have the focus and the stamina necessary for accomplishing great tasks.
The path before you is being cleared and reward lies ahead.
Here the great man has attained the sphere of the heavenly beings. His influence spreads and becomes visible throughout the whole world. Everyone who sees him may count himself blessed.
Confucius says about this line:
Things that accord in tone vibrate together. Things that have affinity in their inmost natures seek one another. Water flows to what is wet, fire turns to what is dry. Clouds (the breath of heaven) follow the dragon, wind (the breath of earth) follows the tiger. Thus the sage arises, and all creatures follow him with their eyes. What is born of heaven feels related to what is above. What is born of earth feels related to what is below. Each follows its kind.
Fire sparks more Flames:
The Superior Person holds an inner Fire that ignites passion in every heart it touches, until all the world is enlightened and aflame.
With so searing a flame, success will not be denied you.
Take care to be as peaceful and nurturing as the cow in the meadow; you are strong enough to be gentle. A Promethean flame is delivering light and heat to the situation at hand. This radiance will cause such an alchemical transformation of circumstances that the changes will seem magical, miraculous.
Yet they are only shifts of perspective and attitude that bring clarity.
The passions kindled by this fire must be harnessed and used judiciously, or they threaten to consume your hopes and dreams..
“The whole world is to realize yourself what you are and to be what you are. Do not inflate and do not deflate. Find the median point. The problem with man is that he is asked, “Are you this or are you that?” But you are not this nor that, you are as you are.” Yogi Bhajan
A meditative mind gives one the intuitive ability to realize the consequences of a sequence of actions and therefore gives one a guideline for dealing with cause and effect and minimizing karma. 1:00 min.
First Hold:
Sit in Rock Pose on the heels with a straight spine.
Press the palms together, with the fingers and thumbs pressed together, and stretch the arms straight up over the head with the elbows locked and the upper arms pressed against the ears; apply about 15 pounds of pressure against the ears.
Eyes are 1/10th open.
Deeply inhale, suspend the breath and mentally vibrate any mantra you wish.
To End:
Quickly exhale. 1:00 min
Second Hold:
Repeat the inhalation and suspend the breath.
To End:
Quickly exhale. 1:00 min
Third Hold:
Repeat the inhalation and suspend the breath.
To End:
Quickly exhale, and then relax.
Comments: Repeat the series three times total. The inhalation and retention, together, should last 60 seconds per repetition. Exhale completely between inhalations.
Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's and subsequent translations of the I Ching
#10, line 2, #12 You tread upon the tail of the tiger.
Not perceiving you as a threat, the startled tiger does not bite.
Success. You have reached a perilous point in your journey. This is a real gamble — not a maneuver, not a calculated risk.
The outcome is uncertain.
If it goes as you hope, you will gain — but if it turns against you it will cause serious injury, at least to your plans.
The best tack is extreme caution and a healthy respect for the danger involved
The situation of a lonely sage is indicated here. He remains withdrawn from the bustle of life, seeks nothing, asks nothing of anyone, and is not dazzled by enticing goals. He is true to himself and travels through life unassailed, on a level road. Since he is content and does not challenge fate, he remains free of entanglements.
A man of modest independence treads a smooth and level path.
Good fortune if you stay on course.
It is natural to assume that, if Earth above Heaven forms the hexagram for Peace and Paradise, then the opposite configuration, with Heaven over Earth would represent the antithesis of Paradise, Hell.
Not so.
This hexagram is actually the Dark side of Peace, its unsavory byproduct, Stagnation.
In a time when most of our wants are provided, there is little need for the heroes, the artists, the great thinkers and innovators.
As they recede into the shadows, Idleness, Apathy, and Lassitude come to the forefront.
Peace has become boring, bland, unchallenging — Stagnant.
Now our attention turns to the quick fix, the instant celebrity, the fad, the one-nighter, the current buzz.
There is no room for depth.
If you are a passionate soul, you must wait for a better time to find kindred spirits.
In these times, they are only curious legends, bas-relief, dead poets…
Sit in a cross-legged position. Fold your hands in front of the heart. Eyes are closed. Chant the mantra, “Raa Maa Daa Saa, Saa Say So Hung”(“Ra Ma Da Sa” by Gurunam). Be very sincere, very devout and solid. Continue for 11 minutes singing with a full voice, then for 5 minute in a whisper and then for 1 minute in silence. To end, Inhale deeply, hold, and give this breath to those who need it. Exhale and relax.
Many times we may have differences between our concepts but, when the time comes, we must stay together.
This is not a small tragedy. The insanity is around the corner and we have to act right and fearlessly, being alert.
Lecture – Attack on America Yogi Bhajan, Ph.D. – September 11th – Espanola, NM, USA
You must have watched the tragedy. So it comes true, that it takes one thought to make an enemy or a friend. It was the thought of animosity against the openness of the United States. We do not know how many people have died, but America is under attack. They have attacked our symbol of trade; they have attacked our symbol of strength and, if that plane had not fallen, they would have attacked the White House. So there’s no might, there’s no superpower. A handful of people, when they put their life at stake can do all this. Don’t be amazed at what reaction there will be tomorrow. There will be a very severe tragedy to face for the people who have done this.
It is true that we have a collective responsibility. That is why Guru Nanak gave credit to sangat. We are one.
We will also suffer as one and we’ll act as one. All these people who died had not even a thought. Their only crime was that they were Americans. It was a well-planned attack, hijacking our own civilian planes full of gasoline and diverting them into the act of terrorism. Now you figure it out, that when I’m crying that the Age of Aquarius is coming, this is a period of insanity in between. See what has happened, and many more things are expected. It’s a tragedy we have to face.
What we can offer is one minute of prayer in our silence, with our heads bowed to the Almighty seeking His protection, kindness and compassion for those left behind. Seeking the healing energy for those who are injured. Let us pray from our hearts to God Almighty.
Now it is up to us not to react but to root it out. Sometimes it is better to root out the tooth. By filling the cavity, the temporary pain will go away, but the danger shall still be there. In World War II, it was Japan who attacked Pearl Harbor. We could have pocketed it, but we didn’t. It’s the faculty of every American to keep on pocketing a lot of things until it goes over the line. Then we won’t pocket anymore. Pearl Harbor brought World War II, and made us participate. Our whole lifestyle changed. We were not the same again and we are not going to be the same again. Similarly, this attack has done it. This attack is going to change our lifestyle.
America will never be the same. You will have to go at least two hours earlier to the airport. Things will look rough. The policy in the domestic world will be changed and everything will be searched out. Similarly, in the foreign world everything will be changed that way.
That is what religion is all about. Search your inside, give yourself a chance, eliminate your fantasies and your imaginations. Don’t live in a dream world. Things can happen, and that is what has happened. When the World Trade Center was attacked a couple of years ago it was not much of a damage, but the method was not very sophisticated. So, they have been planning. Remember that the enemies do plan all the time. You have to defend a thousand times; the enemy wants one chance, which they got today. Now it is upon the nation to respond.
If America does not respond these kinds of things will be repeated. It’s very unfortunate for those people who have done this that our whole country is not divided at all. Because everything has been glued together–America will act with one voice, with one determination and with one strength, which is huge.
Our spirit of America does not lie in those towers and that side of the Pentagon. Those are symbols, which have been disturbed. Now there is a time for reaction. That’s why the concept of saints and soldiers, which was given by Guru Gobind Singh, comes in handy. People used to say, “What do we have to be a soldier for?”
We have to be a soldier for this insanity. And we have to be a saint for this kind of insanity. What Guru Gobind Singh said was that there can be a possibility where you have to defend yourself in a very saintly, firm way.
There are a lot of religions that say if somebody hits your left cheek, turn your right. And I used to say, if somebody hits your left cheek, hit his right cheek so there should be no cheek. Otherwise, some other poor fellow will get it. We must have an applied spiritual strength. Time is on us, and we are walking into that time where we have to relate to our inner and outer strength both.
You’ll be hearing a lot of talk about it in the next few days, but I can assure you that they are planning quite a big number. Don’t get into your hippie mood. They’ll put you behind bars such that you will never be heard from again. Everything is on candid camera; every word said will be seen. So I’d like you to be very cautious. Learn in sympathy that life is a commanded sense of coordination, cooperation and projection. You have to survive as an individual, and you have to survive as a collective individual. When you, inbetween yourself, do not find the cohesiveness, exclusiveness, and strength, you can’t survive.
The circumstances which are going to face us will tell us that the world has really changed. You can learn it the hard way, or you can learn it by the collective way. It is up to us whether we have peace of mind and we can live collectively to face the tragedy, or to be shattered individuals. This is a very condemnable act, but when you leave tomorrow for your offices or for work or sit down and talk with your colleagues, keep your spirits high and be effective.
At this time with the sorrow there is a great anger. Throughout the world there is a frustration and this act has triggered that frustration. Sometimes, being naive, we start talking about something which is not responsible.
Please avoid such conversations and discussions. It will not benefit you; rather, it may put you into jeopardy.
This whole thing has hurt every American. Whether we like it or not, there shall be a reaction. Don’t become victim to that reaction. It has to happen. World shall act insane. There’s no sanity in what has happened. Nobody among you could believe that this would happen. Still it has happened. Unknowingly, people are attacked personally, collectively, and nationally for no reason. We should send the healing energy to those who are still in pain. We should show our oneness of that heart.
What has saved us in the past cannot be counted on in this time. We must find a new path to salvation. We must wait and be careful not to become mired in the mud. Stay clear and determined.
Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's and subsequent translations of the I Ching
#48, line 1, #5 Wood is below, water above. The wood goes down into the earth to bring up water. The image derives from the pole-and-bucket well of ancient China. The wood represents not the buckets, which in ancient times were made of clay, but rather the wooden poles by which the water is hauled up from the well. The image also refers to the world of plants, which lift water out of the earth by means of their fibres.
The well from which water is drawn conveys the further idea of an inexhaustible dispensing of nourishment.
If a man wanders around in swampy lowlands, his life is submerged in mud. Such a man loses all significance for mankind. He who throws himself away is no longer sought out by others. In the end no one troubles about him any more.
WAITING is not mere empty hoping. It has the inner certainty of reaching the goal. Such certainty alone gives that light which leads to success. This leads to the perseverance that brings good fortune and bestows power to cross the great water. One is faced with a danger that has to be overcome. Weakness and impatience can do nothing. Only a strong man can stand up to his fate, for his inner security enables him to endure to the end. This strength shows itself in uncompromising truthfulness [with himself]. It is only when we have the courage to face things exactly as they are, without any sort of self- deception or illusion, that a light will develop out of events, by which the path to success may be recognized. This recognition must be followed by resolute and persevering action. For only the man who goes to meet his fate resolutely is equipped to deal with it adequately. Then he will be able to cross the great water – that is to say, he will be capable of making the necessary decision and of surmounting the danger.
People who have come to power by illegitimate means are beginning to have regrets. The damage they have done can be repaired once they are discredited and have left. There is nothing to do now but wait.
Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's and subsequent translations of the I Ching
#12, line 3, #44 Heaven and earth are out of communion and all things are benumbed. What is above has no relation to what is below, and on earth confusion and disorder prevail. The dark power is within, the light power is without. Weakness is within, harshness without. Within are the inferior, and without are the superior. The way of inferior people is in ascent; the way of superior people is on the decline. But the superior people do not allow themselves to be turned from their principles. If the possibility of exerting influence is closed to them, they nevertheless remain faithful to their principles and withdraw into seclusion.
Heaven and earth do not unite:
The image of STANDSTILL.
Thus the superior man falls back upon his inner worth
In order to escape the difficulties.
He does not permit himself to be honored with revenue.
When, owing to the influence of inferior men, mutual mistrust prevails in public life, fruitful activity is rendered impossible, because the fundaments are wrong. Therefore the superior man knows what he must do under such circumstances; he does not allow himself to be tempted by dazzling offers to take part in public activities. This would only expose him to danger, since he cannot assent to the meanness of the others. He therefore hides his worth and withdraws into seclusion
Inferior people who have risen to power illegitimately do not feel equal to the responsibility they have taken upon themselves. In their hearts they begin to be ashamed, although at first they do not show it outwardly. This marks a turn for the better.
The rise of the inferior element is pictured here in the image of a bold girl who lightly surrenders herself and thus seizes power. This would not be possible if the strong and light-giving element had not in turn come halfway. The inferior thing seems so harmless and inviting that a man delights in it; it looks so small and weak that he imagines he may dally with it and come to no harm.
The inferior man rises only because the superior man does not regard him as dangerous and so lends him power. If he were resisted from the first, he could never gain influence.
The time of COMING TO MEET is important in still another way. Although as a general rule the weak should not come to meet the strong, there are times when this has great significance. When heaven and earth come to meet each other, all creatures prosper; when a prince and his official come to meet each other, the world is put in order. It is necessary for elements predestined to be joined and mutually dependent to come to meet one another halfway. But the coming together must be free of dishonest ulterior motives, otherwise harm will result. .
“You cannot love me if you will not love your first teacher, who is woman. You are born of a woman. If you do not learn to respect woman, the Supreme Consciousness will not talk to you. You will end up with broken homes and broken hearts.” Yogi Bhajan
MEDITATION – Correcting the Sensory System
Yogi Bhajan – Espanola, New Mexico September 5, 2001
Sit straight in a cross-legged position. Hold the right hand up in front the right shoulder with the elbow relaxed down. Point the index finger up, the source of your wisdom, and hold down the other fingers with the thumb. Extend the left forearm forward, parallel to the ground, with the elbow relaxed down. Make a tight fist of your left hand with the thumb outside. Eyes are closed. Do Long and Deep Breathing as you mentally chant the “Wah-hay Guroo Jio” shabd by Bhai Avtar Singh. Keep the index finger, the fist and the navel point tight. Connect your inner ear with the navel point and move it in rhythm with the mantra. Digest the sound! Continue for 11 minutes. To end, inhale deeply, hold, and strongly tighten the index finger, fist and navel point. Exhale. Repeat 2 more times. Relax.
“Wah-hay Guroo” is the glory of the One who takes you from darkness to light. On hearing it, feel light at the navel point and heart chakra. God lives with you, but you ignore it! It does not take much to enrich yourself with the strength of divinity. Once you have strength of divinity you will not barter and bargain your grace, and you will win. Nothing is permanent—partner, students, wealth, health. Only one thing is permanent—you and your divinity; you and your God within you. Do this kriya for 11 minutes. Once you get a little bit tuned with it, you can hear the unheard. Something in you will start talking to you. And that is the relationship you need.
Lecture – Congeniality Yogi Bhajan, Ph.D. – September 5th, 2001 – Espanola, NM, USA
We have many libraries and books and stories. Can you believe how many things we talk about? There is so much to learn, but if we do not know how to be content, we are not ourselves. Our life is full of earthquakes, sometimes because of anger, sometimes because of greed or attachment, sometimes because of pride. “Oh, if I had that…!” “I wanted to, but I couldn’t!” From this “couldn’t” comes life and we are not content. We live by the Will of God, we are surviving by the flow of energy and we are penetrating in our life by our own psyche. Still we are very discontented.
God created you, and His own Hand will carry you. But you do not want His Hand to carry you! You want, “kam, krodh, lobh and aunkaar” to carry you—desire, anger, greed and ego! There is curiosity about what tomorrow will be. Everybody wants to know what tomorrow will be! I tell you: Tomorrow is what you are today, and today, if you can flow with the magnetic field, the sun flares can connect and change your whole destiny to prosperity, richness and health.
The collective applied mind is the reality of the human mind in which there is no question of anger and no question of defeat. When you are involved in any relationship, you must speak and guide and sometimes goad, like those who sit on the neck of an elephant with an iron goad in their hand. The elephant knows that he must behave, or that goad will go right into his head.
Tragedy is for you what the iron goad is for the elephant. It puts you back on the path. You hate to suffer, but you are born to suffer when you are wrong. Fortunate are those who suffer and immediately correct themselves. But you want to do wrong and not suffer at all! It does not happen that way. God will forgive you when you reach Him, but Mother Nature will never forgive you.
Man is a social animal. Without this, he is a brute. Living in a collective congregation is the source of all knowledge and all excellence. And that is Sahej Yoga—when things happen in a very simple way. You have to learn what is called “congeniality.” Congeniality is a sensory union. In the future, a sensory human will have congeniality to everything on this earth—not only to humans, but also among animals, root life, and bird life and among all that there is.
Once a shark came into shallow waters by mistake. 200 people were there, but nobody killed it. They successfully put it back into deep water. That is the bondage of selfless existence and service. Because of the pollution of the ocean, the sensory system of sharks is so damaged that they come on the beach. You do the same! You beach yourself in such a situation of life that does not belong to you! Why? Because your sensory system does not work either! Now let us act correctively.
Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's and subsequent translations of the I Ching
#40, line 2, #16 A Thunderous Cloudburst shatters the oppressive humidity: The Superior Person knows the release in forgiveness, pardoning the faults of others and dealing gently with those who sin against him.
It pays to accept things as they are for now. If there is nothing else to be gained, a return brings good fortune. If there is something yet to be gained, act on it at once. The relief you experience here is not your own personal pardon, but the release of others from your rigid expectations. Like a hot air balloon, you will rise to new heights as you cast the heavy sandbags of resentments and restrictions away from you. Feel the lightness of being that results from forgiving others and accepting them as they are. Free yourself of the endless vigil of policing the behavior of others. See them for who they are, not what they can or can’t do for you.
The image is taken from the hunt. The hunter catches three cunning foxes and receives a yellow arrow as a reward. The obstacles in public life are the designing foxes who try to influence the ruler through flattery. They must be removed before there can be any deliverance. But the struggle must not be carried on with the wrong weapons. The yellow color points to measure and mean in proceeding against the enemy; the arrow signifies the straight course. If one devotes himself wholeheartedly to the task of deliverance, he develops so much inner strength from his rectitude that it acts as a weapon against all that is false and low.
Thunder comes resounding out of the Earth:
Similar thunder roars up from the masses when the Superior Person strikes a chord in their hearts.
Whip up enthusiasm, rally your forces, and move boldly forward. There is a rhythmic force, a world music, that lives deep in the Unconscious of each of us. It’s a primitive drumbeat, a shaking rattle, a tribal chant that invokes the primal self to rise up and join the dance. This is the enthusiasm that is generated now. Not rhetorical persuasion, not a play on the emotions, but a charismatic, irresistible Call of the Wild. Confucius said that the person who could comprehend this could ‘rule the world as though it were spinning in his hand.’
This is a time for instinct, not intellect — the Thunder from the Beneath..
Sit straight in a cross-legged position. Interlock your hands in Venus Lock in front of the heart center, with the thumbs crossed so that you are locking your ego represented by the thumbs. Elbows are relaxed down. Eyes are closed.
Chant the mantra, “Har, Har, Har, Har…” (“Tantric Har” by Simran Kaur and Guru Prem Singh), powerfully vibrate the hands up and down 11 times on each “Har.” Continue for 31 minutes. During the last three minutes move so fast that you feel it in the spine. To end, inhale deeply, hold it tight. Exhale. Repeat one more time. Then inhale deeply, hold, and flex your spine 3 times. Exhale and relax.
Lecture Reach Out!
Yogi Bhajan, Ph.D. – March 20th, 2001 – Espanola, NM, USA
Some people are not covered with skin; they are covered with ego! They are so well isolated that then have no friends, no God, no surroundings—nothing but ego. They prevent everything from entering, for they are not humble enough to allow things to come in. That is how they survive.
No one wants to do wrong. Everybody wants to be good, but being good takes discipline! Take the time to teach your child the pros and cons, and manners, and values. Parents presume that children know it all. Children know it all, but are begging, requesting, “Please make us better. Please help us!” You let them go like baby birds, taken from their nest and made to fly.
Some people have no roots. They talk and there is no juice. They punish themselves with isolation and looking down on others. I once told a gentleman, “You are good. Just learn one thing—do not take it for granted that people will respect you. Be in a position to communicate with others and not isolate yourself.” With all goodness of the heart, his isolation was killing his whole dream of tomorrow.
Those who care are forklifts; they uplift other people and spend time with them. It is important to be social, kind and compassionate, even to those who do not deserve it. Those who cannot reach out, have no way to grow up! They forget that their cells live and die everyday. They forget that everyday we are new people dealing with new people. That is why man is a social animal. Our whole essence is discipline. The highest point of discipline is to be in love with others and carry them, with your head and your heart. If you cannot be friendly, if you are indifferent, no matter who you are or who supports you, you will not be able to sustain yourself. People who are uptight and indifferent in society are dead for that society. They commit crimes against their own personality and identity, and they have not learned humility and grace; they do not give themselves a chance! There is a humungous infinity available all the time. Reach out and touch people!
Do not count their faults. Start counting the ways you can help them. Let your nature be helpful! You will build compassion, character, dignity, divinity, grace, power to sacrifice and happiness.
While living in Toronto, I saw a man fall into the snow. I got up and pulled him out. Somehow I got him to the corner of the road and made a phone call. An ambulance came and took him away. Two weeks later I received an invitation, “You are requested to visit the Director of Planning and Human Resources.” Someone said to me, “He is the most powerful man in Canada—he can do more than the prime minister can do! ”When I met him, he stood up from his chair and said, “Welcome, angel. Please sit down.” It was the same man who had fallen into the snow.
For as long as I lived in Canada, whenever I needed anything, he gave 100% to see that it was done. “That is my special person. Please take care of it.”That is how it works.
One day on a long journey we ran out of gas. The car stopped. Soon a huge gasoline truck parked on the side of the road. After filling our tank the truck driver said, “There is no charge; I am not a company driver, I’m a private driver. In this area, you won’t find a gas station for miles and miles.” It was many years ago, but I still remember that greatness. I still remember that touch. I still remember that help. I still remember that kindness. Nothing can match it. Stop for a moment and look around, see if you can help somebody!
Remember that you are just a bunch of molecules and cells and that the life of your cells is only 72 hours. In 72 hours a person totally changes. Sit and meditate, let your blood flow through areas of discomfort and disease. You can be treated. You can solve problems by provoking your higher self.
Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's and subsequent translations of the I Ching
#16, line 5, #18
Thunder comes resounding out of the Earth:
Similar thunder roars up from the masses when the Superior Person strikes a chord in their hearts. Whip up enthusiasm, rally your forces, and move boldly forward. There is a rhythmic force, a world music, that lives deep in the Unconscious of each of us. It’s a primitive drumbeat, a shaking rattle, a tribal chant that invokes the primal self to rise up and join the dance. This is the enthusiasm that is generated now. Not rhetorical persuasion, not a play on the emotions, but a charismatic, irresistible Call of the Wild.
Confucius said that the person who could comprehend this could ‘rule the world as though it were spinning in his hand.’ Here enthusiasm is obstructed. A man is under constant pressure, which prevents him from breathing freely. However, this pressure has its advantage – it prevents him from consuming his powers in empty enthusiasm. Thus constant pressure can actually serve to keep one alive.
Winds sweep through the Mountain valley: The Superior Person sweeps away corruption and stagnation by stirring up the people and strengthening their spirit.
Supreme success. Before crossing to the far shore, consider the move for three days. After crossing, devote three days of hard labor to damage control. You are blessed with an opportunity to resuscitate that which others have abandoned as beyond repair. This ruin wasn’t caused by evil intention, but by indifference to decay. Just by addressing yourself to the problem, you exhibit a new awareness, a fresh perspective. This is a time of recovery, renewal, regeneration.
“If your words have the strength of the infinite in them and you value them and they are virtuous, you are the greatest of the great. If you do not value your words, you have no value. Your own word is your value as a human being. Your word is your value. In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” Yogi Bhajan
1. Sit straight in a cross-legged position. Eyes are closed. Chant from the navel in a two and one-half breath cycle, “Ek Ong Kaar – Sat Naam Siree – Wah-hay Guroo” (from “Raga Sadhana” by Sangeet Kaur & Harjinder Singh).
Continue for 11 or 31 minutes.
(Each sound of this mantra vibrates and integrates a different chakra within the aura. Take a deep inhale and chant “Ek Ong Kaar.” Ek is very short, as when we split the atom, releasing a humongous amount of energy from the first chakra. Ong is vibrated from the second chakra, resonating through the nostrils to experience the conch of the third eye. Kaar is vibrated from the navel. Take another deep inhale and chant “Sat Naam Siree.”
Sat is short, coming abruptly from the navel, pulling up the diaphragm. Naam is very long and resonates through the heart. Siree, the greatest of all the great powers— the Shakti—is chanted with the last bit of breath. It is pulled from the navel and up through the neck lock. Then take a short half breath and chant “Wah-hay Guroo.” Wah-hay and Guroo are released through the top of the head.)
2. Chant from the navel, “Sat Naam Sat Naam, Wah-hay Guroo Wah-hay Guroo” (“Sat Nam Wahe Guru” by Jagjit Singh). Continue for 3 minutes. To end, inhale deeply, hold, and meditatively recollect the sound you were chanting. Exhale. Repeat 2 more times. Relax.
In the first part of the meditation we break the atom to release power: we break the words, using the length of the breath, and we align the chakras. The central nervous system is involved. In the second part of the meditation we practice Bhakti, devotional chanting. It is most powerful when we chant and listen to our sound at the same time. If we only chant it has only half the power. Chanting and listening to the chant at the same time engages the higher consciousness, the circulatory system and the nervous system.
When you develop this listening power, you will be able to analyze what is good for you and what is not. Whenever another person talks. It is a very simple way to have knowledge. I hope you practice it.
Lecture
It takes many acres of grass to feed a cow to produce milk. When we add a culture to milk it becomes yogurt. When we churn yogurt it becomes butter. When we heat butter, the cholesterol and all impurities come out and it becomes ghee. Ghee is the purest form of grass. If a cow does not eat grass, and if its milk is not cultured, and butter is not heated, then ghee is not possible. Similarly there are stages of growth in a human mind. First is to evolve to group consciousness, where you merge with the Sadh Sangat—the holy congregation. Then is to have the touch of the master, a wise person who adds the culture. Then time churns you, and the heat of ecstasy purifies you. Meditation is when you force your mind to aim at something higher than yourself A statue of Krishna is not Krishna: is a statue! You meditate on it. It is you who, taking the guideline of that statue, become Krishna! We are very fortunate to have the Siri Guru Granth Sahib. We churn the words of the Siri Guru Granth Sahib to understand its meaning. It talks to us about our single and collective life. It is a meditation for us. The beauty of that is that it does not alter its statement, whether single or collective. Your power resides in your discipline. When you combine the elementary power of a human being with the power of discipline, you have the power of excellence. Then you cannot be swayed by anything. Then you see the highest self and the highest grace. A life without confirmed discipline has no foundations. Storms come and change the atmosphere, but those who live in a solid space are unshakable.
