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YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED: F.A.Q. 9
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LINES OF TEACHING QUESTION: Are there any other authentic Lines of
Yoga Teachers apart from the one promoted by The Yoga Order? ANSWER: What is important to understand is that Truth
is a free, independent and self-existing reality on which nobody can claim to
hold a monopoly. We, therefore, do not promote any particular Line of
Teachers as "the only true one" even if such a line existed. Our
aim is to help Spiritual Seekers to establish a direct link to a Higher
Reality. At the same time, however, it is our duty to ensure that the
practical, theoretical and Spiritual framework through which this link is
established remains in harmony with the Original Yoga Tradition as we understand
it on the basis of historical and Spiritual evidence. The Tradition of Shiva is known by the general name of
Shiva-Aagama (Revelation of Shiva) or Shiva-Shaastra (Teachings of Shiva).
Because the essence of this Tradition is Unity or The particular line of Teaching to which The Yoga Order
belongs is known as Rahasya-Sampradaaya (Secret Tradition), a name derived
from this tradition's historical transmission within a limited group of
Teachers and disciples, as well as from its main Scripture, the Shiva Rahasya
(the Secret Teaching of Shiva). This tradition belongs to a very ancient Spiritual Line which
was graciously initiated by the Supreme Being (Parama Shiva) Himself
through His Divine Manifestation Lord Shiva Shri-Kantha and continued
down to the present day by the World Teachers, Duravasa, Dharmakunda,
Satyapati, Mahakala, Adinatha, Ramanatha, Jaleshvara, Svacchanda,
Shambhunatha, Guptanatha and Mahaguru Soma-Natha Maharaj Dev, the
Supreme Leader of Shri Yoga Mahasamaj (The Yoga Order). The Rahasya Sampradaaya may be regarded as having particularly
close connections to the Trika Shaastra of One Source, many offshoots The fact is that there is only One Spiritual Reality (God). In
consequence, all Spiritual traditions are necessarily rooted in the same One
Truth. This is particularly true of the Eastern traditions belonging to Glorious
Dharma-Aagama which is the Original Divinely Revealed Tradition of the Supreme
Eternal Law of Heaven (Sanaatana Dharma) which was established by the
Supreme Being at the beginning of Time. These traditions are: Yoga, Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism and
Sikhism. They are the five main branches of Divine Revelation, which Parama
Shiva, the Supreme Being, broadcasted in the five directions of the World
(upwards, eastwards, southwards, westwards and northwards) for the salvation
and upliftment of the human race. All other traditions are just offshoots of
this Original Divine Revelation (Aadi Dharma). As far as Western
traditions are concerned, it almost goes without saying that they are true
when and to the extent that they agree with these five and false when they
disagree. However, even in the East, some lines of teachers have strayed
from the Original Path (Aadi Dharma). Some Spiritual leaders are
attempting to portray Hinduism or Buddhism, for example, as separate from,
and even contrary to, the Tradition of Yoga (Yoga Dharma). To
understand how such deplorable deviations from the Original Path are
possible, it is necessary to acquaint ourselves with the Spiritual facts of
life. The total World population has been estimated at about 6
billion, a truly impressive figure. Yet we must not forget that there are far
more Souls living on other planes of existence. They too have to be included
in the Spiritual Process. Being infinitely more numerous than those on Earth,
this means that the real Spiritual Work is being carried out there, rather
than here. In consequence, the Original and Authentic Streams of Spiritual
Instruction are much more pure and powerful on the other planes. By
contrast, those operating on Earth are necessarily smaller, weaker and susceptible
to contamination by un-Spiritual energies. The Infinite Ocean of Universal Intelligence can
without doubt generate and support any number of Spiritual currents, just as
a great lake of pure water can feed several outward-flowing streams. However,
while on the Higher Planes, due to the greater purity of those regions, the
Streams of Yogic Teaching retain their purity to a large degree, those
operating on Earth inevitably become affected by the un-Spiritual and even
anti-Spiritual situation of the material World, just as in the case of
ordinary water streams, due to the chemical or physical composition of the
terrain through which they take their course, some or all of them may become
sufficiently polluted for their water to be rendered unsuitable for human
consumption. This is only natural, since on the physical plane to which
Planet Earth belongs, even Spiritual Energy is more dense and less active or
less efficient than in the higher dimensions of existence. Thus, while all Streams of Yogic Teaching - with the exception
of bogus ones which do exist - are legitimate in the sense that they
originate in the same Authentic Source, the fact remains that due to
the influence emanating from the environment in which they operate, some have
become contaminated with, or distorted by, cultural, psychological or
socio-political issues that render them unsafe for Seekers who are
susceptible to such contamination. In the interest of truth and without
wishing to appear uncharitable, it must be said that, since in this material
world the value of Yoga practice is mainly seen to lie in its capacity to
resolve physical and mental issues, certain "Yoga Schools" have
come to exhibit a greater resemblance to medical or gymnastic institutions
than to places of Spiritual learning. While the desire to help people find mental and physical
well-being is in itself admirable, this selective approach has sadly resulted
in the Spiritual side of Yoga being largely overlooked and neglected. Now
from the perspective of Yoga, no healing process is complete without
reference to man's Soul or indwelling Spirit. Moreover, the aforementioned
enterprises have consistently failed to produce any Enlightened Souls, which
is what the World at present urgently needs and which is the true function
and purpose of Yoga. This is also the reason why we are strongly appealing to
all genuine Yoga teaching agencies to urgently join forces and double their
efforts to resolve this deplorable situation. Yoga must urgently regain
Worldwide recognition and influence as the indispensable force for good that
it evidently represents. As regards the authenticity of a Preceptorial Line, uninformed
outsiders often entertain the opinion that Self-Realised Masters must appoint
a successor in a formal transfer of authority. This is a superficial
perception of reality. Initiated Yogis know that contrary to the expectations
of outsiders, the transmission of Spiritual authority can and does occur
quite naturally and spontaneously. Indeed, the Universal Yoga Stream
is like a subterranean current that may spring to surface anywhere and at any
time, or again, like a plant that grows offshoots at the most unexpected
points in time and space. This being so, the sole criterion of authenticity
that we may reasonably apply to a particular Spiritual line is that it
operates in Unity with the Original Teaching (Aadi Dharma) as defined
above. The fulfilment of this criterion will suffice to qualify it as
authentic even when the question of preceptorial succession has found no
clear conventional answer. All true Spiritual Activity, such as a Yoga Class, Group,
Circle or Order, is a living channel through which the Original, Unique
and Eternally One Source Teaching can express itself unimpeded and
according to its own inner dynamics. Although Spiritual Conduits of this
order may be found in operation on Earth, they are not only extremely rare
but, as a rule, beyond the reach of outsiders. To our best knowledge, The
Yoga Order represents one of the very few currents of Yogic Teaching that meet
the criteria of Authentic Spiritual Activity while being at the same time -
and to a large extent - available to the public, indeed, it was brought into
being with the specific intention of enhancing public awareness of the true
spirit of Yoga as originally revealed. |