Ryan Kurczak's Official Blog

Yoga, Enlightenment, and Vedic Astrology

2011-06-09T05:11:00.000-07:00

This past week traveling through Scotland and Southern England was enjoyable and illuminating. The following talk was given on June 3rd, 2011 in Somerset, England, Poplar Farm at the annual Spring Kriya Initiation Weekend hosted by Center for Spiritual Awareness Minister Richard Fish. For more information about these annual offerings, please see http://www.kriyayogacentre.org.uk/.

The information covered in this short talk includes how Vedic Astrology can optimize your life and help guide you to your goals. I also discuss how regular meditation practice, specifically Kriya Yoga meditation, quickens one's evolution and helps us rise above our karma to experience Soul Liberation.

Follow the link below to watch and listen.

http://youtu.be/bqVXkpcrIcA

Yoga Sutras Kriya Yoga Commentary Part 2, 3, and 4

2011-05-03T07:57:00.000-07:00

Here is part 2, 3, and 4 of the commentary on the second chapter of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, entitled Kriya Yoga. This was presented at the Om Seva School of Yoga in Charleston, WV.

Part 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0wcuLbiJJw

Part 3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyD6BMEFxM8

Part 4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zjWmVHNC8I

What is Kriya Yoga?

2011-04-28T06:29:00.001-07:00

Here begins an audio commentary on the second chapter of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, entitled Kriya Yoga.

Kriya Yoga is a spiritual process that removes all obstacles to Self and God Realization, which results in enlightened living.

Part 1

Click Here to Listen to the Audio Commentary

Meditation Class Helps Lower Violence in AL Prison

2011-04-26T06:36:00.000-07:00

By JAY REEVES, Associated Press Jay Reeves, Associated Press – Wed Feb 2, 8:39 am ET

BESSEMER, Ala. – Deep inside an overcrowded prison with a reputation for mayhem, convicted killers, robbers and rapists gather in a small room. Eyes closed, they sit silently with their thoughts and consciences.

Their everyday life is just outside in the hall — a cacophony of clanging steel doors, yelling and feet shuffling along cold concrete floors. The noise never really ends; peace is at a premium in Alabama's toughest lockup.

Despite a history of violence at the William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility, which is named for a slain corrections officer, the prison outside Birmingham has become the model for a meditation program that officials say helps inmates learn the self control and social skills they never got in the outside world.

Warden Gary Hetzel doesn't fully understand how the program called Vipassana (which is pronounced vuh-'POSH-uh-nuh) can transform violent inmates into calm men using contemplative Buddhist practices.

But Hetzel knows one thing... Click on the link below to read more.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_prison_meditation

Some Thoughts on Prayer

2010-12-27T15:09:00.000-08:00

I've been reading a book called "the Energy of Prayer" by Thich Nhat Hanh. As I've been giving more attention to prayer lately, today I read the following passage.

"Sometimes when we pray, we see that the words of a prayer are effective. Sometimes we get a result so strongly, it is as if God is saying "yes." Sometimes we get the reply "not yet," sometimes "maybe," and sometimes "no." That "no" is hard to hear, but know that this is not the refusal of God, of the Buddha, of the bodhisattva, but the energy sent is not yet strong enough to change the situation. We need a few more conditions. Prayer always has a result, but the level of the result varies."

In the book I AM THAT, it was written:

"M: How do you go about finding anything? By keeping your mind and heart in it. Interest there must be and steady remembrance. To remember what needs to be remembered is the secret of success. You come to it through earnestness.
Q: Do you mean to say that mere wanting to find out is enough? Surely, both qualifications and opportunities are needed.
M: These will come with earnestness. What is supremely important is to be free from contradictions: the goal and the way must not be on different levels; life and light must not quarrel; behaviour must not betray belief. Call it honesty, integrity, wholeness; you must not go back, undo, uproot, abandon the conquered ground. Tenacity of purpose and honesty in pursuit will bring you to your goal.
Q: Tenacity and honesty are endowments, surely! Not a trace of them I have.
M: All will come as you go on. Take the first step first. All blessings come from within. Turn within. 'l am' you know. Be with it all the time you can spare, until you revert to it spontaneously. There is no simpler and easier way."

It looks as though where we put our attention is where we go, and that somethings take some adjusting and some time. To me this uncovers possibilities, and also shows the process. When we cannot accept immediately what we want, there are those things which need adjusted and identified. Once all is in line, then it happens naturally. Practice and time and understanding are key.

Quotes on Friendship from a Spiritual Perspective

2010-10-03T03:49:00.001-07:00

A pure mind holds the state of meditation more easily...
Yoga Sutras 1:33 "The mind is purified by cultivating thoughts and feelings of friendship for others, compassion for those who are suffering, happiness for the well-being that others enjoy, and dispassion regarding what is observed."

"You can make more friends in two months by becoming really interested in other people, than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you."
-- Bernard Meltzer

"A friend is a person with whom I may be sincere."
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Let there be no purpose in friendship save the deepening of the spirit."
-- Kahil Gibran.

"A mirror reflects a man's face, but what he is really like is shown by the kind of friends he chooses."
- Proverbs 27:19

Being the Divine Friend - From the Gita - "When we behold all sperate beings as existant in the One that has expanded Itself into many, we merge with the Wholeness of God." XIII:30

"A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked." -- Bernard Meltzer.

Yoga Sutras 1:34 "Or one may definitely overcome all such obstacles by the practice of Pranayama."

Grace is Your Life

2010-09-08T07:25:00.001-07:00

Your body and your life are filled with grace. I would even go so far as to say they are pure grace. Many people are not aware of this truth. They struggle and search and pray and beg to feel and to know grace. All the while, the same grace they are searching for, is the very thing that holds their form together and is the very essence of their being.

People who report having transcendent experiences almost always affirm having a sense of peace and familiarity about the episode. The deep stillness they sense is described as being something they have known all along, not as something new or strange or foreign. It feels like coming home.

At first, on the spiritual path, we may be enamored with strange perceptions during meditation, such as radiant lights or perceptions of astral landscapes, or feelings of bliss and ecstasy. We may long for visions of Gods, Goddesses, Angels, or Ascended masters. Our imagination will provide them of course, but in reality, this is entertainment no different than what you get at the movies or on your computer. Anything that you can perceive, is “out there”, and we want you to be “in here” existing freely as your Self. We want you know what you are, rather than searching for interesting phenomena.

As a person goes through the stages of spiritual awakening, it becomes more and more ordinary. Gone are the desires to seek a sense of completion or fulfillment through something external. If it is appropriate, a tranquil spiritually aware person can sit for long periods of time, simply being. To someone hypnotized by the mind and addicted to sense stimulation, this seems outrageously ludicrous. Isn’t the act of spiritual awakening meant to lift you out of the human condition and into a divine condition? Yes it is, but the divine condition is not a glorified human condition, as our minds would like to believe.

Spend some time in nature. Watch the wind blowing through the trees as they sway back and forth, or how the wind rolls over the long grass of late summer. See how the sun and moon cross the sky, and the stars shine as if eternally fixated in the heavens. Nature can show the consistent tranquility of simply being.

See how there is no clinging to the past or expectation of the future in nature. When the rose blooms, it is beautiful. Its scent fills the air. As the season passes, it fades, and dies. There is no argument. The Spring will come again. Even if it doesn’t for this particular rose bush, it will for some other plant. There is no need to worry about which plant. It does not matter what names or forms are given to the rising and falling waves on the ocean of consciousness, because it is all the same ocean.

Improving Your Relationships - Technique

2010-08-06T14:02:00.001-07:00

To exhaust your relationship karma a decision is made. Decide that you have had
enough of the relationship experiences you have been attracting. Really mean it! No
longer will you put your happiness in the hands of ‘other’ people, by having expectations of what they should be like, and then being disappointed when they simply act how they are. To exhaust your karma in relationships first requires that you take the time to pay attention to how people really are, to love and bless them in all their actions, and then to intentionally decide if you really want to be a part of all that a relationship with said person entails.

Step 1 – When going into an interaction with anyone, remember that most people
are on autopilot 95% of the time. There actions are based on conditioning, how they’ve been raised, how they choose to see the world, and their motives in life, most of which they are not even aware.

Step 2 – Practice bringing conscious awareness into your relationships,
specifically the ones you would like to change. To do this, remember your past
encounters with the person you are about to interact with. How did they make you feel? Bad? Guilty? Shameful? Worthless? Stupid? Anxious? Fearful? What did they do or say to make you feel that way? What language did they use? How did they catch you off guard? What did they talk about? Etc.

Pay attention to their patterns of interaction. Remember those patterns before you
go into the interaction, either in person or on the phone. Then watch and wait for those patterns to repeat, and how they make you feel the way you always do, like clockwork, when you are interacting with this person.

Step 3 – Don’t judge these people. You do it too! The point of all this is to bring
you in line with reality, so you can see, that the way people act towards you is nothing personal. They are on autopilot, and you happen to be receptive to their programming. Your karma matches up. It’s as much your fault as it is theirs.

Step 4 – Don’t try to change them. You will only frustrate your self. Admit the
truth of their being and love them. Decide if you really want to continue playing this game with them. If so, fine. If not, don’t engage the program. It’s up to you!

The more skillful you become with this exercise, the more comical it will become.
You will no longer be triggered, and it becomes a game. “How are they going to try and trigger me this time,” you will ask. Most of the time you will catch it, before it happens, before they do their usual spiel that will make you feel un-tranquil. As you continue the relationship they will unconsciously learn that they no longer have an effect on you. Then you will relax, thinking you have it mastered, and BAM, somehow they found another way to nail you, out of left field. You won’t take it so personally, unless it’s terribly cruel, and you will chuckle to your self. They got you that time!

But this is not about wasting your time playing games with people. It is about
seeing the truth of the quality of the relationship. It is about inspiring you to see
“realistically” where you are in life in regards to relationships. This creates the ground work, the foundation, for you to begin the process of change, of attracting what you do want out of your interactions with people.

Living Between Two Worlds

2010-08-05T05:27:00.001-07:00

"External forms of worship do not contribute to a person's spiritual life and development except in proportion as the outer rite is accompanied by an inner Spirit or Grace. It is the experience of the Presence Itself that is necessary for spiritual progress. While we cannot see, hear, taste, touch or smell the spirit of God, we can experience It by opening the inner door.

Meditation is the key that opens the door. By opening the door, we become aware of a realm, an activity, a law, which in spiritual language has been called "meat," "bread," "wine," "water," the substance of all life and of all form.

Once we have reached or touched the inner kingdom, we are no longer living unto ourselves, not even living unto our families exclusively, but we are participating more actively in the affairs of the world, and in those things that make for a happier, more successful, and more peaceful way of life.

The kingdom of God does not deal with something separate and apart from living. The kingdom of God concerns itself with our daily life. It is not meant to take us out of the world, but rather to leave us in the world, separate and apart from its negative aspects.

There is no use looking outside and wondering in what form that peace will come, because it does not come in a worldly form. Strange enough, however, when the inner peace comes it forms and re-forms our outer life. It changes our relationships with other human beings. It changes the nature and the amount of our supply because it is its function to see that we are fed and clothed abundantly. All things will be added unto us but they will not be added by taking thought for the things.

In our work, the emphasis is not on trying to be more loving, more just, or more gracious. Our entire attention is centered on admitting the Spirit, and then It will be more loving and gracious through us. It will be expressing patience and benevolence within us. We will not have to take thought for things: we will be instruments for Its grace and glory. We will bear witness not to our own goodness or our own benevolence: we will bear witness to God's grace functioning in us."

Excerpts from pages 2-4 of Joel S. Goldsmith's Living Between Two Worlds

Contentment -Vasistha's Yoga

2010-07-14T13:19:00.000-07:00

A talk given on Vasistha's Yoga and the power of Contentment in spiritual growth.

The Spiritual Practice of Contentment

Best Wishes,
Ryan Kurczak

What is coming through you?

2010-05-20T04:36:00.000-07:00

Your mind-body-personality-unit is the lens that colors and shapes the light of consciousness as it projects on the screen of the world. When we are unconscious, meaning not aware of or fully in control of our actions and mental states, we are inclined to let random moods and whims determine how we feel and interact with our environment. What ever is presented to us, we react to as if on autopilot, based on the accumulated responses we have learned from others or from our own past experiences, which are often not relevant to the current circumstance. Living life in this way does little to improve the picture show of the world, serving only to sustain the status quo. To encourage a different experience, we can choose to think and feel in ways that support the circumstances we desire to see.

As conscious beings, we can learn to envision and thereby create future possibilities and opportunities. We are not separate entities from the Universe, and the Universe provides for us based on the thoughts in our minds. It also takes note of emotional states we seem to enjoy, and presents circumstances to experience those same emotions again. The emotions we enjoy are the ones we allow to fill our awareness on a regular basis. The label of good or bad is irrelevant to this process. When we can sincerely accept positive feelings as the norm, circumstances will align to provide the opportunity to encourage the experience.

These things take practice and time. Sometimes the way we see the world is deeply ingrained and it seems like it is going to take a lot of work to change our perspective and thereby our experiences. It may take work, but there are two important things to remember. The work is worth it, and the Universe, once assured of your sincerity, is unconditionally supportive. Once you are established in a joyful, peaceful, discerning, loving, mentally clear, and fully conscious state, that state will maintain itself just as your past negative state did for as long as you choose to sustain it.

So you see, there are no punishments or rewards in life, only the effects of the choices we have made. There may be some choices we have so strongly empowered that time is necessary for the full force to exhaust itself, but with patience we can wait out the effects, all the while changing our life’s momentum by changing how we decide to think, feel and act in the present moment.

From the Asheville Kriya Yoga Bulletin

2009-12-22T14:33:00.000-08:00

Our intention is the vehicle for our life experiences. It carries us to the circumstances we want to have. Good intentions are not enough if a person does not have the fuel to power the process. This is why so many people wander through life from one haphazard experience to another. They have dreams, but don’t stay focused on taking the time to feed the fires that would make those dreams a reality. To bring our intentions into manifestation, what is required is the ability to hold the vision through to completion, while taking the necessary and practical steps to achieve our goals.

This is why meditation is so important. It trains us to concentrate, so we can avoid distractions. To be truly effective, meditation is practiced daily. This creates the necessary discipline to continue on our path in life, even if results are not immediately forth coming. Meditation takes us away from our “immediate gratification” mentality and shows us that by persistence and enthusiasm (sometimes self created) we can be who we set out to be, and live the life we want.

When we are new to harnessing the power of intention, it is common to think that there is a special magical power in the universe that will fulfill all our wishes, if only we could ask in the right way for what we want. As we mature, we discover that, really, everything is magical if anything is magical, and that the real secret to our success or failure in life are the thoughts we habitually think, the people we socialize with, and the actions we consistently make.

You can say that “God made such and such happen.” But when it comes right down to it, since there is no separation between you and God, and everything is interconnected, it was really you who made such and such happen. So take responsibility for it, which ever way it goes. If you claim the bad things that happen in your life as your fault, you might as well claim the good too!

Or you may say you have a particular set of lessons to learn before you can be successful. The only lessons you have to learn are the steps it takes for you to get where you want to be. The other “karmic” lessons are just part of the story you have about who you think you are. The more energy you give the story, the more real it will become. Make up some new positive lessons to learn, such as “I need to learn the lesson of accepting my good fortune, or that I really am a capable individual, and that I will be a positive impact on the world with my new found health. I can be wealthy and helpful in the world by donating my time or resources to those who need it.” Those are the best kinds of lessons.

Decide what you want. See the end result in your mind. Take the necessary and practical steps. Remember, it has nothing to do with deserving, it has to do with accepting that it can be your reality and then living it until it becomes as natural as the reality you currently have.

December 2009 Astrological Trends

2009-11-30T11:35:00.001-08:00

December 2009 Astrology
December 2009 Vedic Astrological Trends

December dawns with the Sun, Venus and Mercury in Scorpio aspected by the moon going to full. Now is the time to investigate the ways to improve your health or strengthen an ailing longevity. Intuition will be higher, and healing capacities will be on the rise. Most problems will come from sexual or sensual excess and sentimental attachment as well as poor ability to make rational decisions. Use your intuition along with your common sense. When they both align, you are making the right move.

Mars is still debilitated in Cancer, and will be for a number of months. However, December is born with the ruler of Mars (the moon) placed very strongly in the 7th house of Taurus. Emotional stress dealing with mothers and mothering will not be entirely eliminated, but the full moon will help to shine the light on where that stress is coming from and how to overcome it, or at least avoid it. The next full moon occurs with the nodes of the moon and won’t be so helpful. Make the best of this months Sun/Moon opposition. Things will get “crazy” during next months full moon, particularly in regards to technology, and getting delusional advice from those who are supposed to be guiding us.

Sun enters Sagittarius with the new moon on December 16th. Often times it is said that when the Sun or Moon go from a water sign (Scorpio) to a fire sign (Sagittarius) this can result in unstable energy. However, I have found this is an excellent time for spiritual practice. Experiencing long, deep, refreshing meditations are much easier. So is connecting with your concept of the divine. The fact that the new moon is also occurring simultaneously strengthens this sentiment. Meditate or pray more for optimal results on this day.

Overall the Sun in Sagittarius will bring more of a fun loving nature to our interactions. It could potentially cause us to say things without thinking. Keep tabs on your speech.

Jupiter has been debilitated in Capricorn since December 10th 2008, in the natural 10th house. This causes our exuberance and careers to falter and sputter. Add the debilitated Mars aspect since April 28th of 2009, and you have a mess. Feelings of being taken advantage of, or making decisions too quickly based on unfounded optimism. Essentially, hopes and dreams fail to manifest. Too much expansion too quickly, burns up our financial, emotional and career opportunities There is good news! Jupiter leaves its debilitation and goes into Aquarius with a waxing moon on December 22nd. While still weak, only in the first degrees of Aquarius, hope can now dawn. The light of a better year ahead breaks through. Now is the time to turn within and reflect on what you’d like to see for the new year. Jupiter will continue to move through Aquarius and into Pisces. The world will start to feel “right” again.

These past few months we’ve seen many difficult cosmic trends. At one point, the Sun, Mars, Jupiter, Venus and even the moon has been debilitated this Autumn. The nodes of the moon have changed signs and Saturn has entered Virgo. The winds of change have definitely been blowing. The worst has past. This will become more apparent as Jupiter leaves Capricorn. Next Spring we will see Mars enter Leo, and so our vitality and enthusiasm and will to achieve will also return. New beginnings are best put into action after Mars leaves Cancer. This includes the beginning of new ventures of any kind.

Note: The above trends are based on the general indications of where the planets are by sign. Specific results can only be given when the birth chart of the individual is taken into consideration. We all respond to cosmic influences differently. This will serve as a foundation for the collective consciousness. You will be affected in regards to how deeply you identify with the collective consciousness.

Spiritual Fasting

2009-11-13T08:58:00.000-08:00

How to fast for spiritual benefit. Presented by Center for Spiritual Awareness Minister Ryan Kurczak.

From the South Asheville Yoga Kriya Satsang.

Ryan Kurczak talks on Freedom From Karma

2009-11-03T07:19:00.001-08:00

Ryan Kurczak presents a talk on "Freedom from Karma". Presented at South Asheville Yoga Kriya Satsang.

Skillful Action

2009-10-19T13:24:00.000-07:00

From the Kriya Satsang Bulletin - By Ryan Kurczak

As long as our awareness is distorted by erroneous ideas and faulty perceptions endeavors to promote psychological transformation and spiritual growth are necessary. The positive results of yoga practice is due to the unfoldment of our soul qualities, and not our personal actions. Our skillful actions clear the way for our Self-realization to blossom and grow naturally.
Whether meditating, praying, or taking appropriate action in our mundane affairs, the key is to act without attachment to the results. By remaining present and focused on the task at hand without anxiety about the results we are able to work more effectively in the world without distraction from worry or other useless debilitating mental states. With practice, living in this way can enable us to experience life as oneness, free of compulsion or inner resistance to the support of grace.
When our intelligence is firmly established in the realization of our immortal soul nature, through skillful living and proper meditation, life becomes joyful. No matter what work we are called to do, we can do it with ease because of knowing that we are supported in God.

Bhagavad Gita Verses Covered at the Asheville Kriya Yoga Gathering on 10-4

2009-10-08T12:45:00.000-07:00

Chapter 2 Commentary on the Bhagavad Gita with Ryan Kurczak.

31. Knowing now the duty before you, do not hesitate; indeed, there is no higher good for a warrior spirit than righteous endeavor performed as duty.
32. Happy are such devotees to whom such a fortunate endeavor is presented as an open entrance to spiritual fulfillment.
37. If you are slain, you shall attain spiritual fulfillment; if you are victorious, you will enjoy life in the world. Therefore stand up, resolved to do your duty.

38. Considering pleasure and displeasure, gain and loss, victory and defeat, with even-mindedness, engage in righteous endeavor. Thus shall you not incur misfortune. 39. With this Yoga of knowledge you shall rid your self of the bondage of karma. 40. Even a little of this practice protects one from great dangers.

41. On this path, those who are firmly decided are resolute; the thoughts of the uncommitted branch out in many directions and in endless variations.
42. The undiscerning people who rejoice in the letter of the scriptures , who contend that there is nothing else,
whose nature is driven by desire and who are intent upon heaven (somewhere other than here), proclaim flowery words that result in birth as the fruit of actions.
43. They prescribe various rituals for the attainment enjoyment and power.
44. Of those whose minds are enchanted by these words because of their craving for enjoyment and power; intellectual ability is flawed and meditative insight is not possible.

47. You have the right to actions only, not to the results of actions. Let not the results of actions be your motive, neither let there be any attachment to inaction.
48. Firmly established in Self-realization, do the work at hand; giving up attachment to it, be even minded in both success and failure, for, truly, mental poise is yoga.
49. Those who work for results alone are to be pitied.
50. One who has realized the true Self abandons both the good and the ungood. Therefore, aspire to the yoga of Self-knowledge. Skillful action is yoga.
51. The wise who have actualized enlightenment, who have renounced the results of actions and are free from compulsion to be reborn, are beyond sorrow because established in soul-bliss.

53. When your intelligence, which was bewildered by conflicting [philosophical or scriptural] information, is stable and unshaken in realization of oneness [samadhi], then shall you awaken to flawless, insightful knowledge.

54. What is the description of one firmly established in Self-knowledge?
55. When one has put away the desires of the mind, and is content in Self-knowledge, such a one is said to be established in wisdom.
56. One whose mind is untroubled in the midst of misfortune and is free from craving in the midst of pleasurable circumstances, from whom passion, fear, and anger have departed, and whose meditative concentration is steady, is said to be a Sage, to be wise.
57. That one who is without sentimental attachment, who does not rejoice because of pleasant circumstances or feel aversion toward that which is unpleasant, is firmly established in understanding.
58. One who withdraws sensory awareness from temptations as a turtle withdraws its limbs, is firmly established in wisdom.
59. The objects of the senses turn away from one who abstains from them but the taste remains. Even this turns away when the supreme reality is apprehended.

Vasistha's Yoga II.19

2009-09-08T10:28:00.001-07:00

II.19 “Non recognition of the existence of Supreme peace in the heart and assumption of the reality of imaginary factors, are both born of imperfect knowledge and the consequence of perverted logic.”

In this verse, what is referred to as the heart is the essence of one’s being. It is the eternal spirit that is the foundation for all that is experienced in the world and the enlivening power of all life. Recognition of the Supreme peace within the heart requires one to keep awareness centered in the clear stillness of the spirit while functioning in the world. To not do so, fragments consciousness and leads one to mistake transient experiences for reality.
Reality (something that exists independently of all other things and from which all other things derive) is the essence of one’s being. Much like when one dreams, everything within the dream is the dreamer and also the product of the imagination of the dreamer, the objects of perception in the world are products of the imagination of one’s true self.
To entertain the notion that the products of one’s imagination is real results in ignorance of one’s true self and is the cause of misunderstanding about the nature of reality. The more attention given to the transient things of the world the less attention is given to the eternal changeless nature of one’s own spirit, resulting in less peace and more attachment to things that cannot last, further blurring the clarity needed to remain fully awake to what is real.
Knowing that the world of experience is ultimately imaginary does not require a denial of the world. The objects of perception are to be related to appropriately as they are experienced. The purpose of acquiring flawless knowledge about what is and what is not real is to enable one to participate in the game of life without losing the perspective that it is a play of consciousness in the field of nature.

Blessings, Ryan Kurczak

2009-08-31T02:14:00.000-07:00

Question Asked at the Satsang- "Last week we talked about the "Spirit" or whatever expressing itself through you with the assumption that its a "positive" expression. What's going on when that expression is "negative"?"

Answer- From a yogic perspective, yes, the negative in a person's life is just as "divine". At the most basic level beyond thought and concepts, no difference is seen between good and bad. They are all expressions of the same fundamental substance. Yet, of course that doesn't change the crappiness of some situations. A lot of people want to create an evil or anti-divine force contrary to the good. That's fine, but it doesn't help one rise above duality. If there is evil, there is good, if there is good there is evil. If there just is...well...that's it. Most of the problems in the world occur because of people's ignorance or misunderstanding or warped sense of things. That's what people choose to do with this substance of "God", unconscious or conscious. And from my experience we've all made mistakes at one time or another. Some more troublesome than others. In nature, life and death isn't so twisted. The mind is not present to make it so. When the light of the divine can shine clearly, it is radiant and wholesome. When it shines through lenses that are clouded or distorted, that is what appears in the world- yet another reason for us all to get as clear as we can when we can.

I know its a silly comparison, but just think about entertainment. People always have the option to create uplifting wholesome entertainment, but for some reason there are a lot of really disgusting and tasteless movies out there. Someone must like it! The light that shines through the projector is just the same for both the good and the bad. It is the nature of the film within the projector that creates the experience on the screen.

Further on that brings up the age old question of why does God let good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people. Again, this would go back to the idea of "karmic law" that what is put in motion even if it is several lifetimes ago, can pop up in this life if the seeds of those karmas are not roasted in practices such as meditation or living a wholesome life now. I don't like to get too much into the ideas of karma etc, because it opens a whole philosophical can of worms that serve little purpose to living effectively now, and it can often give folks a reason to act in foolish ways because that is "their karma."

Kriya Yoga Satsang Second Q&A @ South Asheville Yoga

2009-08-30T12:46:00.000-07:00

Part 1

Is it necessary to breathe deeply the entire time of meditation?

What would be the benefit of initiation?

Is it true that after initiation God takes 50% of your karma, the guru takes 25% and you are left with the remaining 25% to work out?

What are the dominant old beliefs I can let go of?

Part 2

Who is that identiy that I experience as separate from the world?

What's going on when God's expression through you is "negative"?

Part 3

Are there any guidelines or methods for making a leap of faith
from one personal reality to another - to be more open, loving, wealthy, healthy, etc?

Best Wishes,
Ryan Kurczak

Mastering States of Consciousness

2009-08-27T04:57:00.001-07:00

During these past 10 years, doing my best to follow the example and instructions of spiritual teachers, I have found that meditation and study of the teachings alone were not sufficient to experience the soul peace promised by the lineage of gurus.

It is my understanding that to experience full unqualified soul freedom requires not only the discipline to meditate daily and endeavor to understand the writings and instructions of the teachers that came before, but to also accept responsibility for our states of awareness. Complete spiritual practice requires us to make an effort to dis-identify with and eradicate the subconscious conditionings that blur our awareness that, when allowed to express, lead us to make inappropriate choices.

Meditation gives us the ability to find out “who” and “what” we really are. Once we know our immortal eternal nature, it is not enough to continue to act like a human being blown by the winds of fates. First, find out “what” you are. Empowered by that knowing, make different choices. When you see your self acting in a way contrary to what you know to be beneficial to your spiritual growth, act appropriately. It doesn't always work, but in time, with practice, you will do this naturally.

This is how you become a master, and that is what the masters really want for you. Not to be a perpetual seeker, but to be a knower, and to then share that consciousness with others as you are led. You are in control of your life. Claim that realization now.

Best Wishes,
Ryan Kurczak
www.Ryan-Kurczak.com

Attuning to Enlightened Beings

2009-08-27T04:56:00.000-07:00

From the Kriya Satsang Bulletin
(Meets every Sunday Morning at South Asheville Yoga at 8:15 AM)

Reflecting on who we regularly associate with physically, mentally and spiritually serves as a guide to revealing our own priorities in life. The company we keep indicates our clarity of consciousness.

It is no coincidence that many ancient spiritual texts and teachers extol the virtue of keeping company with holy people. In our modern world, holy people can be interpreted as any Self-responsible, happy, and functional person who demonstrates mental, emotional and spiritual maturity.

If we find that our friends and associates are habitually mentally and emotionally confused and are caught up in dysfunctional circumstances and relationships we will be more prone to experience those same experiences, either directly or vicariously. On the other hand, when surrounded by positive, wisdom guided, and supportive people, we too will develop those qualities.

By reading the works of enlightened people, thinking of them at the onset of our meditation practice and throughout our day, or simply being in their presence physically or spiritually, we are keeping the company of holy people, and our consciousness will be uplifted by their grace.

Blessings, Ryan Kurczak

www.Ryan-Kurczak.com

What is Kriya Yoga

2009-08-27T04:54:00.000-07:00

According to Roy Eugene Davis in his book Paramahansa Yogananda: As I Knew Him Kriya Yoga involves, “disciplined thinking and behaviors, profound Self- inquiry, and awakening from the mistaken sense of Self”. Mr. Davis also states, “Because attentive Kriya Yoga practice weakens and removes the obstacles which may interfere with the emergence of innate knowledge, it is extolled as the fast, direct way to awaken to Self- and God-realization that is suitable to anyone who sincerely aspires to be spiritually enlightened.”

Generally speaking Kriya Yoga is a way of life that involves dedicated practice of advanced meditation techniques and applying the principles outlined in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and the Bhagavad Gita.

What is the History of Kriya Yoga?
In the current era the knowledge of Kriya Yoga emerged through a lineage of teachers that began in India. Mahavatar Babaji met and taught Lahiri Mahasaya in 1861. Through intensive training Lahiri Mahasaya was instructed to initiate people in all walks of life the path of Kriya Yoga. Previously the practice was reserved for renunciates unattached to worldly life. Lahiri Mahasaya was married with children and worked for the railway. By day he attended to his secular duties. At night he met with students and practiced Kriya meditation.

Swami Sri Yukteswar was a student of Lahiri Mahasaya. He was a Vedic astrologer and possessed knowledge of Ayurveda. Sri Yukteswar had a keen interest in the West. He authored the book The Holy Science at the request of Babaji in order to demonstrate the similarity in purpose of Eastern and Western spirituality. He was also the teacher of Paramahansa Yogananda, who he trained to carry the teaching of Kriya Yoga to the West.

Paramahansa Yogananda came to America in the early 1900’s. He lectured extensively throughout America teaching Kriya Yoga and established the Self Realization Fellowship in California. Although a prolific writer, he is best know for his book Autobiography of a Yogi, which is an excellent source of information on Kriya Yoga.

On December 23, 1949 Roy Eugene Davis met his teacher, Paramahansa Yogananda at the Self-Realization Fellowship headquarters. Mr. Davis was ordained as a minister of SRF and authorized to teach and initiate others into the practices of Kriya Yoga. After leaving the monastic life of SRF, Mr. Davis also traveled the United States hosting seminars on Yoga. He then became the spiritual director of the Center for Spiritual Awareness in Lakemont, GA.

How do I Learn to Practice Kriya Yoga?
Basic meditation techniques and lifestyle guidelines can be learned from books on the subject. Recommended reading in this regard are any commentaries on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and the Bhagavad Gita by Roy Davis or Paramahansa Yogananda, Seven Lessons in Conscious Living by Roy Davis, and Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda. If a person feels a strong resonance with this Kriya Yoga tradition they can then learn the advanced meditation practices through an authorized teacher.

Meditation Practice Explained

2009-08-27T04:53:00.000-07:00

First sit in a comfortable position with the back straight. Close your eyes and look slightly upward gazing into the darkness of your eyelids. Upward gazing will keep you alert and awake. Take a few deep breaths, and feel the air come in and leave your body. With each exhalation let your worries or concerns fall away. As you settle into a relaxed attentive state set your intention to experience the essence of divinity within and without you. This can be done with a prayer if you are inclined. Now, return your attention to your breath. For the next fifteen minutes just breath, and be aware of breathing. Should thoughts arise, let them pass.

Remember to give yourself fully to the practice. Become absorbed in the breath, prayer or stillness. This is the time for inner rejuvenation. You have all day to attend to other matters. After any form of distraction, gently return your attention to your breathing. When you are ready, drop the breath from you attention. Rest within the stillness that has been allowed to emerge from this simple practice.

After a few weeks gaining proficiency in the above routine, utilizing the following schedule can deepen the practice. Twice a day sit for thirty to forty-five minutes. Set aside the same time every day. Sit where you will not be disturbed. Take a few deep breaths and get comfortable with your back straight. Close your eyes and direct your attention within. Again, looking slightly upward to stay alert and affirm your innate divine nature. Recite a memorized prayer, or speak one spontaneously silently to allow the connection with the divine to become more real. Now, use a two word phrase to direct your attention toward. This can be as simple as “Peace, love” or any other word that positively attracts your attention. With your breathing recite your word phrase. On the inhale, listen to the first word inside your head. On the exhale, listen to the second word. Let it fill your entire awareness. Give all of your attention to it. Should thoughts or distractions arise, gently bring your attention back to your word phrase and breathing. Practice feeling the word phrase resonating in your awareness for the next ten to fifteen minutes. This will calm the mind and allow the body to relax deeply. Now rest in this relaxed, yet alert peaceful state. Remain calm and poised for as long as possible. Once internal or external distractions begin to make themselves known, start over again.

Continue practicing in this way until you have reached your proscribed time. Finish with a silent prayer, and acknowledge the divine peace you experienced, and let it fill your day. After resting for a while in the pure state of awareness you may conclude and go about your day, or remain a little longer engaging in constructive problem solving. It is after the practice that we can most appropriately address any issues in our lives that need it. When our awareness is not clouded by overactive thoughts or emotions we are more easily able to understand why things are the way they are. With this understanding proper action can be taken to change.

This practice creates the structure in life for the unfoldment of self-realization and spiritual knowledge. Without this understanding we wander pointlessly into suffering. Each day we meditate or pray to realize our spiritual purposes and how they transpose into our physical life, we lay a few more bricks into the structure. With patience and consistency we will eventually wake up to find that the last brick was set yesterday morning, and from there all we need do is let life happen spontaneously and constructively.

The Origins of Vedic Astrology

2009-08-27T04:51:00.000-07:00

Origins of Vedic Astrology
By Richard Fish (Ryan Kurczak's Astrological Teacher)

The Origins of Vedic Astrology

“Thus was narrated by the illustrious sage Parashara to his disciple Maitraya this unique Hora Shastra (astrological scripture) containing rare and invaluable information (previously only found scattered in long lost ancient texts) for the benefit of the world. Afterwards it came into usage on planet earth and was received and respect by all.”

This is from the concluding chapter of Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra, the source text of Vedic Astrology. Its author, the sage Parashara, live thousands of years ago (we have no way of exactly when – but sometime between 3,000 and 1,500 B.C.). He was a descendant of the great rishi Vishishtha (the teacher of Lord Rama) and was the father of the famous Vyasadeva, compiler of the four Vedas, the Puranas and of the epic Mahabharata (which contains the illustrious Bhagavad-Gita).

Parashara was one of eighteen sages who mission was to transmit the principles of astrology to humanity. His astrological masterpiece, Brihat-Parashara-Hora-Shastra, takes the form of a dialogue between Parashars and his disciple Maitraya. This is the same Maitreya whom he instructs in Vishnu Purana – one of the most esoteric of the Puranas. Maitreya is refered to in the Mahabharata and in the famous devotional scripture Shrimad Bhagavatam. Among the eighteen sages, Parashara’s text is only one that has survived down to the present day. Because Vedic knowledge by its very nature is revealed knowledge – illuminations that have descended from divine realms – it is accepted that Parashara’s book is valid and authoritative. For this reason most later authorities and exponents of Jyotish refer back to Parashara’s work for their inspiration and guidance.

In ancient texts it is mentioned that Lord Brahma, the creator of our present universe, transmitted astrological knowledge to his son Narada. Narada transmitted this to the sage Shaunika who in turn transmitted to it to Parashara. Thus to the extent that we posses Brihat-Parashara-Hora-Shastra in a pure form (some chapters or verses may be later interpolations) we have available the astrological verities, unaltered, that were transmitted by the gods to mankind in the far and distant past. That these are still applicable today, despite a cultural gulf of many centuries, can be tested by anyone with an open mind who is willing to make a study of the subject.

Best Wishes,
Ryan Kurczak

Ayurveda-Your Constitution-Food

2009-08-27T04:48:00.001-07:00

In Ayurveda, health is achieved through self-knowledge. By knowing how your body and mind work and respond to the environment you can learn what supports health and what does not. Ayurveda provides a system called the Tri-Dosha theory that gives useful information and guidelines enabling a person to effectively relate to their environment. The three Doshas are variations of prana that create the body. These are Pitta, Vata, and Kapha. Everyone possesses a portion of each of these, and that proportion creates the mind/body constitution. By understanding the qualities and predominance of the Doshas in the body you can effectively learn how to keep them in balance. Balance of the Doshas is the key to health and developing your innate vitality.

The Doshas are forces that create the physical structure of the body and the environment. In Ayurvedic theory, each Dosha is given a certain quality, function and location in the body. The quality of Vata is similar to the wind. It is agitated, subtle, rough, cold, light, and dry. Vata Dosha helps keep the senses in coordination, governs exhalation and inhalation, gives the ability to move and discharge waste. It is located in the body in the thighs, hips, ears, bones, skin, and primarily the colon. The quality of Kapha is similar to water and earth. It is soft, fixed, sticky, dull, heavy, cold, and wet. Kapha Dosha helps to hold together the joints, gives stability of mind and body, lubricates, and conserves and restrains the other Doshas. It resides in the chest, throat, head, pancreas, sides, lymph, fat, nose, tongue and primarily the stomach. Pitta is similar to fire. It is oily, sharp, hot, light, sour in smell, mobile, and liquid. Pitta Dosha is the fire that cooks and processes things. It governs digestion, perception, hunger, thirst, complexion, intelligence and courage. Pitta primarily resides in the small intestines. It is also located in the stomach, skin, blood, lymph and eyes.

Every person has a unique Doshic constitution, and one is not better than another. Each constitution has its own strengths and weaknesses. In Western culture most people are overweight with the desire to be underweight, and it is helpful to keep in mind when you apply Ayurveda to your diet and lifestyle, there is no superficial physical ideal you are striving for. The goal of Ayurveda is perfect balance, perfect health. As you learn about the Doshas you will learn which ones have a tendency to be thin, average, and stocky. If you are currently plumper than average and apply these Ayurvedic principles you may find that you do, in fact, lose weight. Also, if you or others consider you unnaturally skinny you may find that you gain weight. What you are looking for to see if Ayurveda works for you is a healthier life and person. Remember, the goal is not to change to fit a societal stereotype; the goal is to optimize your health and prana capacity.

http://www.banyanbotanicals.com/constitutions/index.html

Fill out the questionnaire in the link above to determine your constitution. The column with the highest score will indicate your main constitution. This is the one you will be working with to balance. If another column is within two to four points of you main constitution you are a dual type. This requires that you learn and apply the principles that help balance both types. If you are undecided between two items either circle both or ask someone who knows you well to help you decide. You may want to fill out this questionnaire again after six months of implementing Ayurvedic principles in your life. Often if the body is imbalanced a different constitution will be determined initially. For example, when I first learned of Ayurveda I determined I was a Pitta/Kapha type. This was because I was eating lots of processed foods, meat, and excessive amounts of sugar. After applying the principles my health improved and I realized I was really a Pitta/Vata type. Once I removed the unbalancing factors of diet my body had a chance to express its natural constitution. Balance the Doshas you determine as your constitution now, and if needed reevaluate your plan as things change.

Now that you know your Ayurvedic constitution, familiarize yourself with basic indications of each Dosha. Begin consciously adjusting your lifestyle and attitude in accord with the factors that will strengthen your constitution. Use the dietary information that follows to help. If you would like more information on the Doshas than what is provided here, information can easily be found on the Internet. I also recommend Ayurvedic Healing by David Frawley, or An Easy Guide to Ayurveda by Roy Eugene Davis. If you would like more personal instruction, feel free to contact me at Ryan.Kurczak@gmail.com. Or visit www.healingeasy.com.

All foods have an effect on the Doshas. The food lists below explain which foods are best for each individual Dosha. Take the list that is appropriate to you and post it where you keep your food. Begin incorporating the proper foods into your diet and see what happens. Note, just because a food is labeled “should be avoided” doesn’t mean you have to cut it completely out of your diet. If you are living a balanced life and are relatively healthy, your body can probably handle an indulgence in a forbidden food here and there. Do your best, but avoid fanaticism.

Diets for the Different Constitutions

General Diet for Vata

Fruit

Apricots, bananas, cherries, dates, figs, grapes, grapefruit, lemons, limes, mango, papaya, peaches, pears, persimmons, pineapple, plums, pomegranate, orange, raisins, raspberries, strawberries, and tangerines are excellent.

Most fruit is good. If it is dry, soak it in water.

Raw apples, melons, and cranberries should be avoided.

Vegetables

Beets, bell peppers, carrots, cilantro, hot peppers, Jerusalem artichokes, mustard greens, okra, onions (well cooked), parsley, radish, sweet potatoes, winter squash, and yams are all good if well cooked.

Alfalfa sprouts, artichokes, asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cucumber, egg plant, green beans, peas, potatoes, spinach, squash, tomatoes, turnips, and zucchini may cause difficulty.

Too many raw vegetables as well as lettuce and mushrooms are to be avoided.

Grains

Basmati rice, brown rice, oats, and wheat are all excellent.

Barley, buckwheat, corn, millet, and rye may cause difficulty.

Dry grains, granola, and corn chips are to be avoided.

Beans

Mung beans are good.

Aduki, black grams, chick peas, lima beans, peanuts, and tofu may cause difficulty.

Fava beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, lentils, and split peas are to be avoided.

Nuts and Seeds

All nuts and seeds are good except in excess, particularly almonds and sesame seeds.

Oils

All oils are good. Almond, sesame, and ghee are excellent.

Dairy Products
All dairy products are good. Those that are sour, buttermilk and kefir are excellent.

Sweeteners

Sweeteners are all right in moderation. Natural sweeteners are excellent.

Condiments

Spices, pickles, and vinegar are excellent.

Animal products

All animal products are generally good for grounding Vata. They are deranging to the mind and are not advised for those endeavoring to cultivate spiritual awareness and clearer consciousness. Fish and eggs are better than red meats. The karmic consequences of meat-eating must not be forgotten for its possible disease causing potential.

General Diet for Pitta

Fruit

Sweet and astringent fruit is best. Apples, cranberries, dates, figs, grapes, mango, melons, pears, persimmons, pineapple, plums, pomegranate, and prunes are excellent.

Sour fruit, apricots, bananas, cherries, lemons, limes, oranges, papaya, plums, peaches, and strawberries may cause difficulty.

Vegetables
Alfalfa sprouts, asparagus, bell peppers, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, cilantro, cucumber, green beans, lettuce, mushrooms, okra, peas, potatoes, squash, turnips, and zucchini are excellent.

Beets, carrots, chard, eggplant, mustard greens, parsley, spinach, sweet potatoes, and tomatoes may cause difficulty.

Hot peppers, garlic, onions, pickles and radishes are to be avoided.

Grains

Basmati rice, oats, corn, granola, and wheat are all excellent.

Brown rice, buckwheat, millet, rye, and corn chips may cause difficulty.

Beans

Most beans are ok but are Rajasic. Aduki beans, mung beans, and tofu are Sattvic.

Lentils are to be avoided.

Nuts and Seeds

Coconut, and sunflower seeds are good.

Pine nuts, pumpkin seeds and soaked almonds may cause difficulty.

All other nuts, especially roasted and salted are to be avoided.

Oils
Butter, coconut, ghee, corn, sunflower, flax seed, and olive in moderation are all good.

All other oils are to be avoided.

Dairy Products

Sweet diary, milk, cream cheese, and cottage cheese are excellent.

Buttermilk, kefir, and yogurt may cause difficulty.

Sour cream and salty cheese must be avoided.

Sweeteners

All natural sweeteners are good except Jaggary, honey and molasses.

Condiments
Condiments are to be avoided especially spices, salt, and vinegar. Exceptions are coriander, cumin, fennel, mint, turmeric, and soy sauce in moderation.

Animal products

Animal products should generally be avoided, except egg whites and the white meat of chicken, if you want to take them. They are deranging to the mind and are not advised for those endeavoring to cultivate spiritual awareness and clearer consciousness. The karmic consequences of meat-eating must not be forgotten for its possible disease causing potential.

General Diet for Kapha

Fruit

Dry fruit, apples, cranberries, raisins, and prunes are excellent.

Apricots, grapefruit, lemon, lime, mango, papaya and pomegranate may cause difficulty.

Sweet fruit, bananas, cherries, dates, figs, grapes, melons, oranges, pears, peaches, persimmons, pineapple, plums, raspberry, and strawberry should be avoided.

Vegetables
Astringent and pungent vegetables: alfalfa sprouts, asparagus, artichokes, beans, beets, bell peppers, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, celery, chilies, cilantro, lettuce, mushrooms, mustard greens, parsley, peas, potatoes, radish, and turnips are all good.

Cauliflower, cucumber, eggplant, squash, spinach and tomatoes may cause difficulty.

Okra and sweet potatoes are to be avoided.

Grains

Barley, buckwheat, corn, rye, and dry grains are all excellent.

Millet, rice, and granola may cause difficulty.

Oats and wheat are to be avoided.

Beans
All beans are generally good, particularly soybean products. Tofu can aggravate in very high Kapha conditions.

Nuts and Seeds
All nuts and seeds should be generally avoided with the exceptions of pumpkin and sunflower seeds.

Oils
Corn, safflower, soy, sunflower, or a little ghee can be taken in small quantities.

Dairy Products
Goat’s milk, small amounts of buttermilk are ok. Soymilk is preferable.

Dairy products should generally be avoided.

Sweeteners
All sweeteners should be avoided except cooked honey.

Condiments
All spices are good, particularly cayenne, black pepper, garlic, and ginger.

Salt, vinegar and pickles should be avoided.

Animal products

Animal products should generally be avoided. Pork, beef, and chicken are ok, if you want to take them. They are deranging to the mind and are not advised for those endeavoring to cultivate spiritual awareness and clearer consciousness. The karmic consequences of meat-eating must not be forgotten for its possible disease causing potential.

Best Wishes,
Ryan Kurczak

Staying the Course to Self Realization -Kriya Satsang

2009-08-08T12:01:00.000-07:00

Staying The Course

What does it take to stay the course to Self-Realization?

1) One pointedness – The ability to stay focused, and to avoid distractions.

2) Sincerity – Willingness to come to terms with your changeless nature, and to remain earnest in doing what needs done to stay established in the Self.

3) Adaptability – The ability to change thoughts and behaviors based on inner realizations. Casting off what is no longer needed without attachment.

4) Contentment – To let be “what is”, while taking appropriate action in the present.

5) Stillness – Learning to be still externally as well as internally.

Self-realization is not what we “think” it is. It is beyond the mind. Learning to go beyond the mind takes dedication and a willingness to confront erroneous ideas about who and what we think we are. Preconceptions and expectations about the process can get in the way of real progress.

While being the Self does not take progress, because you can never not be the Self. Knowing the reality of what you are is a whole different matter. For the majority of the population, to know the Self takes commitment, intention, and work. For a world attached to the material creation (objects of the mind included) the results of this work are often very intangible, and so many give up or don’t even try. Those who are inspired to take up this task are blessed. They will see the other shore, and finally understand “why all the fuss?” so long as they stay the course and do not waver.

Ryan Kurczak

Fate & Freewill

2009-08-04T13:37:00.000-07:00

I was recently at a meditation retreat and came across a small old book called, Dialogues with the Guru. You can find a copy here...

http://www.amazon.com/Dialogues-Guru-Changrasekhara-Bharati-Swaminah/dp/B0026WAR80/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1249418331&sr=8-1

The following is an excellent excerpt from that book called Fate A Guide to Conduct.

"D.: Does your Holiness then mean to say that we must resign ourselves to fate?

H. H.: Certainly not. On the other hand, you must devote yourself to freewill.

D.: How can that be?

H. H.: Fate, as I told you, is the resultant of the past exercise of your free will. By exercising your freewill in the past, you brought the resultant fate. By exercising your freewill in the present, I want you to wipe out your past record if it hurts you, or add to it if you find it enjoyable. In any case, whether for acquiring more happiness or for reducing misery, you have to exercise your freewill in the present.

D.: But the exercise of freewill however well directed, very often fails to secure the desired result, as fate steps in and nullifies the action of free-will.

H. H.: You are again ignoring our definition of fate. It is not an extraneous and a new thing which steps in to nullify our freewill. On the other hand it is already in yourself.

D.: It may be so, but its existence is felt only when it comes into conflict with freewill. How can we possibly wipe out the past record when we do not know nor have the means of knowing what it is?

H. H.: Except to a very few highly advanced souls, the past certainly remains unknown. But even our ignorance of it is very often an advantage to us. For, if we happened to know all the limitless varieties of results which we have accumulated by our actions in this life and the countless lives that have preceded it, we will be simply staggered at the magnitude and number of such results and give up in despair any attempt to overcome or mitigate them. Even in this life, forgetfulness is a boon which the merciful God has been pleased to bestow on us, so that we may not be burdened at any moment with recollection of all that has transpired in the past. Similarly, the divine spark in us is very bright with hope that makes it possible for us to confidently exercise our free-will. It is not for us to belittle the significance of these two boons, forgetfulness of the past and hope for the future.

D.: Our ignorance of the past may be useful in not deterring the exercise of free-will and hope may stimulate that exercise. All the same, it cannot be denied that fate very often does present a formidable obstacle in the way of such exercise.

H. H.: It is not correct to say that fate places obstacles in the way of freewill. On the other hand, by seeming to oppose our efforts, it tells us what is the extent of freewill that is necessary to bear fruit. Ordinarily for the purpose of securing a single benefit a particular activity is prescribed; but we do not know how intensively or how repeatedly that activity has to be pursued or persisted in. If we do not succeed at the very first attempt, we can easily deduce that in the past we have exercise freewill just in the opposite direction, that the resultant of that past activity has first to be eliminated and that our present effort must be proportionate to that past activity. The obstacles which fate seems to offer is just the gauge by which we have to guide our present activities.

D.: The obstacle is seen only after the exercise of our freewill; how can that help us to guide our activities at the start?

H. H.: It need not guide us at the start. At the start, you must not be obsessed at all with the idea that there will be many obstacles in your way. Start with boundless hope and with the presumption that there is nothing in the way of your exercising the freewill. If you do not succeed, tell yourself then that there has been in the past a counter influence brought on by yourself by exercising your freewill in the other direction and, therefore, you must now exercise your free will with redoubled vigor and persistence to achieve your object. Tell yourself that, in as much as the seeming obstacle is of your own making, it is certainly within your competence to overcome it. If you do not succeed even after this renewed effort, there can be absolutely no justification for despair, for fate being but a creature of your freewill can never be stronger than freewill. Your failure only means that your present exercise of freewill is not sufficient to counteract the result of the past exercise of it. In other words, there is no question of a relative proportion between fate and freewill as distinct factors in life. The relative proportion is only as between the intensity of our past action and the intensity of our present action.

D.: But even so, the relative intensity can be realized only at the end of our present effort in a particular direction.

H. H.: It is always so in the case of everything which is adrishta or unseen. Take, for example, a nail driven into a wooden pillar. When you see it for the first time, you actually see, say, an inch of it projecting out of the pillar. The rest has gone into the wood and you cannot now see what exact length of the nail is imbedded in the wood. That length therefore is unseen or adrishta, so far as you are concerned. Beautifully varnished as the pillar is, you do not know what is the composition of the wood in which the nail is driven. That also is unseen or adrishta. Now, suppose you want to pull that nail out, can you tell me how many pulls will be necessary and how powerful each pull has to be?

D.: How can I fix the number of pulls now? The number and intensity of the pulls depends upon the length which has gone into the wood.

H.H.: Certainly so. And the length which has gone into the wood is not arbitrary but depended upon the number of strokes which drove it in and the intensity of each such strokes and the resistance the wood offered to them.

D.: It is so.

H. H.: The number and intensity of the pulls needed to take out the nail depend therefore upon the number and intensity of the strokes which drove it in.

D.: Yes.

H. H.: But the strokes that drove in the nail are now unseen and unseeable. They relate to the past and are adrishta.

D.: Yes.

H. H.: Do we desist from the attempt to pull out the nail simply because we happen to be ignorant of the length of the nail in the wood or of the number and intensity of the strokes which drove it in? Or, do we persist and persevere in pulling out by increasing the number and intensity of our present efforts to pull it out?

D.: Certainly as practical men we adopt the latter course.

H. H.: Adopt the same course in every effort of yours. Exert yourself as much as you can. Your will must succeed in the end."

Best Wishes,
Ryan Kurczak

Love

2009-07-24T13:17:00.000-07:00

Love: Why We Do What We Do

Originally posted at: http://hubpages.com/hub/Love-Why-We-Do-What-We-Do

When you look back on your life I am sure it is filled with a mixture of pleasant and unpleasant memories. There were times when you felt great love, anger, peace, hatred, laughter, resentment, joy and grief. There were times when people treated you in ways that exceeded your expectations and other times when you wished people treated you better. You may have often wondered at why people did what they did, what their motivation was to be so kind or so despicable.

As I was meditating last week a flood of memories pushed up from my subconscious. I remembered all kinds of interactions with people and the corresponding feelings from those moments past. A whirl of emotions ran through me. After they passed a realization dawned. Every experience I have had, no matter if I labeled it good or bad, was an act of love.

How can this be?! You might ask your self. I understand that all the good things I've experienced are an act of love, but how can the bad be love too? You might say. If you take the time to observe the interactions you have with people you might notice one familiar component. Almost everyone you interact with is gaining your attention or giving you attention.

How they do that is an individual preference based on how they were raised, taught to behave, and a little of their own experimentation in the process. Maybe they buy you flowers, clean the house before you get home, hit you, call you names, flatter you, give you a massage, cook you dinner, or undermine your confidence. Some are easier to digest, and some are perverted actions of the initial impulse. Many people are unconscious and do the nice things out of compulsion or fear because they don't want to lose you. Others act in menacing ways because they don't know any better. The point is, in any interaction there is an exchange of attention. It is attention that is love.

Many years ago I discovered that no matter what healing protocol I chose from, the force that empowered all healing was attention. The clearer my attention, the less of an agenda I had to disrupt my attention, the more authentic was the healing experience. The same holds true in all human interactions. The clearer and less distracted your attention is on the person in which you are interacting, the greater the love that is generated.

When you decide to give someone attention with conditions, you are giving conditional love, which may be helpful when certain conditions are met. You say, "I will give you love when you stop nagging me, or when you learn to appreciate how I'm different than you!" Then you wait for the love to be returned and they do the same, providing the same conditions. Really, if you are nagging a person to stop nagging you so that you can give them love, its the same thing.

They nag you because they want you to be different, because their mind impels them to think your life would be better if you were different. That's love. Why? Because the motivation behind it is your highest in best (as they see it). You hope they will be different because you really would like to spend some "quality time" (by your standards) with them without all the stress. That's love too.

Now back to my point. It may not be that people will give you love the way you want it, but they will give you love the way they know how. It may not be pleasant, but it is still love nonetheless. In unpleasant situations you don't always have to accept the conditional love you are being given. You can remove your self from the situation, and that is sometimes necessary and beneficial. However, if you decide to love without condition, which also means without expectations, you may catch a glimpse of real love at work within your relationships.

By expectations I mean that you do not expect the people in your life to be any different than they have proven to be in the past. When you can love them as they are, you in turn will set the example to be loved as you are. You will bring into the relationship a dynamic they have never experienced before: peace, acceptance, and no standards (unspoken or not) to live up to.

All of this begins with you and no one else. It is your responsibility, whether you want it or not. When you claim it for your self, you will find the strength of love in your life that you have been looking for all this time.

Sri Yukteswar - Selected Sayings
"Ordinary love is selfish, darkly rooted in desires and satisfactions. Divine love is without condition, without boundary, without change. The flux of the human heart is gone forever at the transfixing touch of pure love."

"The Virture of Love the Heart’s natural love is the principal requisite to attain a holy life. When this love, the heavenly gift of Nature, appears in the heart, it removes all causes of excitation from the system and cools it down to a perfectly normal state; and, invigorating the vital powers, expels all foreign matters- the germs of diseases-by natural ways (perspiration and so forth). It thereby makes man perfectly healthy in body and mind, And enables him to understand properly the guidance of Nature. "

" When this love becomes developed in man it makes him able to understand the real position of his own Self as well as of others surrounding him "

Best Wishes,
Ryan Kurczak