SLOKA 118 FROM DANCING WITH SIVA
WHAT IS THE SANNYASIN’S KUNDALINI PATH?
The sannyasin balances within himself both the male and female energies. Complete unto himself, he is whole and independent. Having attained an equilibrium of ida and pingala, he becomes a knower of the known. Aum.
BHASHYA
There arises within the sannyasin a pure energy, neither masculine nor feminine. This is the sushumna current coming into power through which he gains control of the kundalini force and eventually, after years of careful guidance, attains nirvikalpa samadhi. Eventually, in one life or another, all will turn to the renunciate path. However, it would be equally improper for a renunciate-minded soul to enter family life as for a householder to seek to be a sannyasin. A word of warning. Be cautious of those who promise great kundalini awakenings and spiritual rewards from severe practices without preparation, initiation and renunciation. Those entering the serious life of sannyasa must be prepared to follow the traditional path of unrewarded sadhana through the years, apart from dear family and friends. Such is the way to reach the truth of yoga. It takes many, many years for the soul to thus ripen and mature. The Tirumantiram affirms, ”Many are the births and deaths forgotten by souls shrouded in ignorance, enveloped in mala’s darkness. At the moment Great Siva’s grace is gained, the renunciate attains the splendorous light.” Aum Namah Sivaya.
LESSON 273 FROM LIVING WITH SIVA
THE URGENCY OF VEGETARIANISM
Nonviolence should be clearly defined to include not only killing, but also causing injury physically, mentally or emotionally–even in the most subtle ways. We can injure ourselves, we can injure our environment, we can injure nature’s other creatures and thus be a source of pain and sorrow. Or we can live a harmless life and be a source of healing and joy. My satguru instructed, ”Do good to all. God is there within you. Don’t kill. Don’t harbor anger.”
Vegetarianism is a natural and obvious way to live with a minimum of hurt to other beings. Hindu scripture speaks clearly and forcefully on vegetarianism. The Yajur Veda (36.18. ve, p. 342) calls for kindliness toward all creatures living on the Earth, in the air and in the water. The beautiful Tirukural, a widely-read 2,200-year-old masterpiece of ethics, speaks of conscience: ”When a man realizes that meat is the butchered flesh of another creature, he will abstain from eating it” (257). The Manu Samhita advises: ”Having well considered the origin of flesh and the cruelty of fettering and slaying corporeal beings, let one entirely abstain from eating flesh,” and ”When the diet is pure, the mind and heart are pure.” In the yoga-infused verses of the Tirumantiram warning is given of how meat-eating holds the mind in gross, adharmic states: ”The ignoble ones who eat flesh, death’s agents bind them fast and push them quick into the fiery jaws of the lower worlds” (199).
Vegetarianism is very important. In my fifty years of ministry, it has become quite evident that vegetarian families have far fewer problems than those who are not vegetarian. The abhorrence of killing of any kind leads quite naturally to a vegetarian diet. If you think about it, the meat-eater is participating indirectly in a violent act against the animal kingdom. His desire for meat drives another man to kill and provide that meat. The act of the butcher begins with the desire of the consumer. When his consciousness lifts and expands, he will abhor violence and not be able to even digest the meat, fish and eggs he was formerly consuming. India’s greatest saints have confirmed that one cannot eat meat and live a peaceful, harmonious life. Man’s appetite for meat inflicts devastating harm on the Earth itself, stripping its precious forests to make way for pastures. The opposite of causing injury to others is compassion and love for all beings. The Tirukural (251) puts it nicely: ”How can he practice true compassion who eats the flesh of an animal to fatten his own flesh?”
If children are raised as vegetarians, every day they are exposed to noninjury as a principle of peace and compassion. Every day they are growing up, they are remembering and being reminded to not kill. They won’t even kill another creature to feed themselves. And if you won’t kill another creature to feed yourself, then when you grow up you will be much less likely to injure people.
There are other ways that we as individuals or institutions can responsibly promote nonviolence. Make a list of all the things you have purchased in the last six months that bring harm to humans, animals, fish, fowl and other sentient beings. Read the labels on simple things like glue or soap and scratch off the list all the things that contribute to violent acts or aid in the destruction of the planet. Then find the willpower to not, for convenience sake, fall back into purchasing these things again.
SUTRA 273 OF THE NANDINATHA SUTRAS
SEVERING FORMER RELIGIOUS TIES
My ardent devotees of other religions or lineages who seek to enter my Saiva Church must, with authorized guidance, formally sever all loyalties by talking with former preceptors and gaining a written release. Aum.
LESSON 273 FROM MERGING WITH SIVA
A NEW SPIRITUAL BIRTH
”Through experience the soul learns of the nature of joy and sorrow, learns well to handle the magnetic forces of the world. Only when that learning is complete is true sannyasa possible. Otherwise, the soul, still immature, will be drawn back into the swirl of experience, no matter what vows have been uttered. True renunciation comes when the world withdraws from the devotee. Sannyasa is for the accomplished ones, the great souls, the evolved souls. Sannyasa is not to be misinterpreted as a means of getting something–getting enlightenment, getting punya, or merit. Sannyasa comes when all getting is finished. It is not to get something, but because you are something, because you are ready to give your life and your knowledge and your service to Saivism, that you enter the life of the sannyasin. The kavi, or saffron robes, are the royal insignia of the sannyasin. Those in kavi the world over are your brethren, and you should feel one with each of these hundreds of thousands of soldiers within.
”The ideals of renunciation as practiced in the Sanatana Dharma are outlined fully in these Holy Orders of Sannyasa. Live up to them as best you can. You need not be a saint or jivanmukta to enter into the ancient world order of sannyasa. Renunciation in its inmost sense is a gradual process. It does not happen instantly when a vow is spoken. Do not mistake sannyasa diksha as the end of effort, but look upon it as a new spiritual birth, the beginning of renewed striving and even more difficult challenges. There will remain karmas to be lived through as the soul continues to resolve the subtle attachments, or vasanas, of this and past lives. It is enough that you have reached a knowing of the necessity of tyaga. It is enough that you renounce in the right spirit and pledge yourself to meet each challenge as befits this tradition, bringing honor to yourself and your religion.
”Finally, you are charged with preserving and defending the teachings of the Siva Yogaswami Guru Parampara and the Saiva Dharma as brought forth in Dancing with Siva–Hinduism’s Contemporary Catechism and The Holy Bible of the Saivite Hindu Religion. You are cautioned against being influenced by alien faiths or beliefs. You are the vault, the repository, wherein are kept the priceless treasures of Saivism, secure and available for future generations. All who accept these Holy Orders accept a selfless life in which all monastics work their minds together, thus keeping the sangam strong and effective. You must not veer from the San Marga, nor follow an individual path, nor remain remote or aloof from your brother monastics. It is a serious life which you now enter, one which only a sannyasin can fully undertake. Remember and teach that God is, and is in all things. Spread the light of the One Great God, Siva–Creator, Preserver and Destroyer, immanent and transcendent, the Compassionate One, the Gracious One, the One without a second, the Lord of Lords, the Beginning and End of all that is. Anbe Sivamayam Satyame Parasivam.”
