Thu March 4th, 2015 7:41pm Manhattan, NYC

OUR BELOVED MASTER, WELCOME TO NEW YORK!!!!!!!

Wed March 4th, 2015 8:30pm Manhattan, NYC

EXPERIENCE:
The Benefits of PRANAVADIPA in My Daily Practice

Three Months have passed since the online magazine PRANAVADIPA began to be published by the Mahayogi Yoga Mission. PRANAVADIPA has shown what a powerful tool it can be in the lives of fellow disciples and devotees of Sri Mahayogi. Every thirty days our Guru’s teachings are equally available to us all, no matter where in the world we are.

Having the opportunity to sit in satsangha with Sri Mahayogi is always wonderful to strengthen our spiritual growth and deepen our faith. Sadly, these opportunities are limited to the few months he is able to visit us in New York. With PRANAVADIPA, it is like we are able to have a satsangha every month, and although these are articles from past satsangha we have the chance to reflect and contemplate on his teachings of wisdom.

What I have enjoyed and benefited from greatly so far is hearing the inquiry from some of the more developed disciples of Sri Mahayogi. What we must remember is that Sri Mahayogi will answer us according to the depth of our inquiry and our ability to understand. Reading these satsangha and observing the depth of the questions and Sri Mahayogi’s answers to them helps deepen my understanding of the practice, such as the correct or incorrect way to discriminate against the tendencies of the mind. PRANAVADIPA also has examples of actual practice from practitioners. In the series “What is Yoga?” by Mr. Shimada, he writes of his introduction into the practice of Yoga, which most of us, whether long time practitioners or relatively new, can relate very well to. He goes further in great detail into the different aspects of the practice such as asana, understanding karma, and later, into meditation.

Since PRANAVADIPA’s publication, the benefits to myself and many others have been many, from having the continuous availability of the satsangha for us to ponder and meditate on, to seeing how others apply the teachings of Yoga in their everyday lives. One of the greatest benefits to me has been the sense of community I feel towards the brothers and sisters around the rest of the world. Reading their words through the pages of PRANAVADIPA let me see that we are all on this journey to conquer life, and by applying the teachings of our loving Guru, Paramahansa Sri Mahayogi, victory can be ours.

Aniruddha

 * * *

PRANAVADIPA Vol.4 will be available on this Sunday, March 8th!!!

and, most importantly…

This Sunday, March 8th, will be the first class with our revered Master,

Satguru Shri Mahayogi Paramahamsa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 Thu Jan 29th, 2015 06:00Am Manhattan, NYC

DEDICATION:

What is Yoga?

“Yoga is to realize the Truth.
It is to realize the True Self.”

-Satguru Shri Mahayogi Paramahansa,
The Universal Gospel Of Yoga

The Purpose of Yoga

“The purpose of Yoga is very clear from its beginning.
Our True Self is the Pure Existence called Atman,
and the purpose of Yoga is to ‘realize It’ and ‘live It.’ ”

-Satguru Shri Mahayogi Paramahansa,
Teachings on the MAHAYOGI YOGA MISSION web-site

“Hear the words of Truth, reflect upon them, and meditate.”
-Satguru Shri Mahayogi Paramahansa

 It is said that when we practice Yoga, it is important to go through the three processes mentioned above. Have you ever thought about why this is significant or why this is so?

“Hear the words of Truth, the words of the Awakened Ones, think through them thoroughly and then meditate.” This teaching alone represents two of the three components of kriya yoga, the daily practice that practitioners of Yoga must carry out. It also encompasses two of the five niyama (observances) from ashtanga yoga (The Eight Limbs of Yoga).

The teachings of Yoga are for those who are seeking Truth, and their purpose is that of Self-Realization. As practitioners of Yoga, we treasure each word of Truth and, with the aim of realizing the Truth, dedicate ourselves to fully understanding the depth of meaning behind the words, intuiting their very essence. Understanding of the Truth does not come merely by reading or hearing the words of Truth, no matter how much we might hear or how many times we may read.

We should think thoroughly about why it is important for the practitioner to go through these processes and why it is important for us to understand deeply for ourselves rather than just remaining on the surface of the words, understanding them simply ‘through much hearing’ as mentioned in the sutra below.

“This true Self cannot be attained through doctrines, nor through intelligence,
nor through much hearing.
It can be attained only by one whom this Self chooses and
[to whom] this Self reveals Its own nature.”

-Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1-2-23

During the summer of 2012, for the three months that Shri Mahayogi was in NY, a group of disciples and students in Kyoto, Japan came together and dedicated themselves to studying the yama (abstinence) and niyama. Each disciple chose one yama or one niyama to explore deeply. They were to think thoroughly about it, including throughout their daily activities, meditate on it and later present what they had come to understand about it to the rest of the group in order to study the subject together. One disciple, Satya, chose to study svadyaya, the study of sacred scriptures. Recently, the notes she took about what she learned from this program and her experience after three years were posted on MYM of Kyoto’s blog. The following are the translations of her notes:

• First of all, reading sacred scriptures is completely different from regular reading.

• On reading books = books are for activating the mind, causing it to move.

• On reading sacred scripture = these books are for restraining the activity of the mind.

• We must NOT interpret the meaning in our own way or to please the ego. → Cultivate the ability to listen. Acceptance with humbleness, without protesting, is important.

How to read the sacred scriptures–

• How much and how in depth you relate yourself to the teaching is essential.

• Trying to feel and understand the teachings through sensing and experiencing the depth of their meaning is important.

• It is possible to meet one’s Ishta (one’s personal ideal saint) !!!
It seems that it happens as a result of studying sacred scriptures.

After sharing these notes, Satya wrote that she realized that now, three years later, she has verified it to be true, “you can meet your Ishta.”

The third issue of Pranavadipa will be released in 10 days!
For those who hunger for Truth, this has been a powerful way to stay connected to the teachings of Shri Mahayogi and His energetic presence that can be found within them. It is as if we are receiving the spiritual food we need to sustain us for one month. How have you been relating the teachings to yourself and to your daily life? Exquisite food has such a wonderful and enticing aroma! However, unless we take it into our mouths and chew, swallow and digest it, we never get to taste how truly delicious it is, nor can we experience the sustenance that it brings us. It sits outside of us, only pleasing us with its sweet aroma.

Don’t you yearn to partake in and enjoy this splendid feast with all of your senses?!

Wed Jan 7th, 2015 07:00Pm Manhattan, NYC

CONVEYANCE:
Greetings from snowy New York,

The second volume of our monthly publication, Pranavadipa, will be available online starting tomorrow, January 8th.

Along with newly translated teachings from our Master, Shri Mahayogi Paramahamsa, this volume includes a section entitled: Testimonies from Actual Practitioners—writings from dedicated practitioners of Shri Mahayogi’s teachings. For the first one, we have decided to introduce an article by Mr. Shimada, the first in a series of his articles that will run through the next several issues.

Mr. Shimada, the disciple who has been contributing this inspiring series of sincere reflections about Yoga for Paramahamsa (the Japanese MYM bi-monthly newsletter), has been practicing with Mahayogi Yoga Mission in Japan since July 2010. He related the impact that his discovery of Yoga had on him, and his transformation is even more inspiring considering the difficult personal situation he was going through when he began to practice. In addition to sustaining a committed practice of Yoga, he is a single father of a teenage son and has a full-time corporate job.

This testimony reveals the real-life experience of an actual practitioner of Shri Mahayogi’s teachings. His words come from his firsthand experience of the practice and his great dedication and faith in the Yoga he has received from the Master. He is living proof of the results that come through Yoga and Shri Mahayogi’s teachings when they are lived out every moment and placed at the center of our hearts. These articles are a valuable source of inspiration and support for anybody attempting to enter Yoga and transform their lives through it, as well as those who are already on the path.

Today, we posted Mr. Shimada’s first article in this series on our website under “teachings.” We recommend that you read it because it serves as the introduction to the second article, which will be available in Pranavadipa Vol. 2 starting tomorrow.  (click to read the article)

Stay connected to the Truth!

Jai Satguru Shri Mahayogi Paramahansa Ki, Jai!

Thur Jan 1st, 2015 00:00am Manhattan, NYC

DEDICATION:
The image of Sahasrara Chakra (Thousand-Petaled Lotus) used for the PROJECT SAHASRARA blog, is a symbol of Satori, Awakening. It came from the tapestry created by our Master, Shri Mahayogi in 1976, the year Mahayogi Yoga Ashrama was established. Shri Mahayogi designed it to symbolize Yoga, and one of his students from the inaugural year dyed the tapestry. This piece is especially treasured as the first artwork he created since the establishment of the Ashrama.

In the center of the sahasrara, surrounded by petals, each of which are delicately painted, the symbol of the Holy Feet is drawn. In the most ancient times, the human form was not used to depict God or Buddha (an Awakened Being). Instead, the Bodhi Tree or a Dharma Wheel were said to be used to convey their Existence. Truly, Buddhapada (The footprint of Buddha) is a symbol of Supreme Existence or the Truth itself. Furthermore, such symbolic forms must have come from concrete realization experienced by yogi in deep, profound samadhi, which they then revealed as a gift for generations to come.

Isn’t it fascinating to see this image of Truth drawn by an Enlightened Master, Shri Mahayogi?

Isn’t it fascinating that Sri Mahayogi drew this symbol, of the sahasrara, which is the final chakra, and representative of the sole aim of the practice of Yoga?

Isn’t it fascinating that Sri Mahayogi drew footprints in the center of sahasrara chakra? It must be the symbol of Lila, the True Reality!

Isn’t it fascinating that the great yogi have left us these symbols that lead us to the Truth and, at the same time, are the Truth?

So then, how is the Truth revealed?

When the mind is unveiled, the Truth emerges!

Through single-pointed concentration all is revealed!

It is the same now as it was in the past. Until recently, the teachings of Yoga were not readily available and were conveyed only to those who were truly seeking above all else, driving them to search for the teacher who abided in that state of Truth. Even though today there is a multitude of information at our fingertips, unless one really wants to know more than anything else, the Truth will not be revealed.

Yoga requires one to take concrete action, seeking the Truth. It is nothing about gaining knowledge, rather, Yoga is about realizing the Truth with your very being.

Do you want to understand the meaning of such symbols? Do you want to understand Sri Mahayogi? It is possible if we actively seek that! Just as the ancient yogi dedicated themselves to discovering the secret meaning of the world and the Self, and experienced it, we too can come to experience That!

Today is our new beginning.

With humble dedication to our Honorable and most Beloved Master,
Satguru Shri Mahayogi Paramahansa,
We bow in gratitude.

Wed Dec 31th, 2014 05:18pm Manhattan, NYC

Dearest my Beloved, Shri Mahayogi, … …

Sun Oct 18th, 2014 04:20pm Washington Square Park, NYC

This is the last demonstration of Project Sahasrara
at Washington Square Park in 2014.

EXPERIENCE:
Meditation has always been a battle between focusing on the Truth and fighting against the impulsive thinking of the mind. The ability to engage in single-pointed concentration is what I need to work on. It seems the more I try to bring my focus to the Truth alone, the more my mind rebels against it, bringing up all kinds of random thoughts to keep itself busy and secure in its false sense of individuality. But I believe serenity and peacefulness will surely come after the raging storm. And with that will come the passion for liberation and the boundless love that resides within all people. But as long as I see separation and not unity or Oneness, I will continue my struggle, and I will fight!                   -Nandiswara

A very curious little girl walks by.

Sun Oct 12th, 2014 04:30pm Washington Square Park, NYC

WORDS OF THE SEER:

“Yoga is the restraint of the activity of the mind.”
-Yoga Sūtra 1-2

“Then the Seer remains in Its own natural state.”
-Yoga Sūtra 1-3

Translation by Sanatana

Sun Oct 5th, 2014 04:45pm Washington Square Park, NYC

WITNESS:
They exuded serious dedication to Yoga, which seeped into the depth of my being. Yoga is Concentration—That place conveyed it to me directly. Energy of concentration crystallized into visible form. It made me want to deepen my asana and meditation practice further. Time slowed to a standstill. It’s something we’ve forgotten in our busy lives. I wanted to remain there forever.
-Jyunko Koshikawa from Tokyo, Japan

Wed Dec 24th, 2014 00:00am Manhattan, NYC

CELEBRATION:
Tonight, December 24th, we joyously celebrate the 18th year of the official recognition of the MAHAYOGI YOGA MISSION as a non-profit spiritual organization.

Interestingly, it was on the same night 110 years ago in India, that the young Narendranath— soon to become world-famous as Swami Vivekananda—in his understanding of the essence of the teachings of Jesus Christ, spontaneously began speaking passionately about the exemplary life of Christ and exhorted his brothers to live like Him, who had had no place “to lay his head.” Inspired, his brothers took monastic vows that very night while gathered around a fire under the stars and formed the Ramakrishna Order. To honor the memory of their Master, they devoted their lives to actualizing the teachings of Shri Ramakrishna. It was only after taking these vows that they realized it was Christmas Eve, the night that heralded the birth of Jesus Christ.

When Jesus preached his gospel to his own people in the first century it was largely rejected, because it was not according to their expectation. They wanted a fighting warrior, but they received a preacher of love and compassion. Jesus did not seek the desires or ambitions of the world instead he preached contentment and the seeking of the kingdom of God. During that time those who chose to give up worldly attachment and follow his teachings were few. Almost 1900 years later, Narendranath and his brothers, in the true spirit of the Christ, demonstrated their willingness to follow those teachings wholeheartedly.

This Christmas Eve let us reflect on what it means to be the Christ. If he were among us now, would you recognize him? How willing would you be to truly follow his teachings above all else?