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YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED: F.A.Q. 14 |
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Who is a Yogi? QUESTION: What is the correct definition of a Yogi? ANSWER: The Sanskrit word "Yoga"
means "Unity with the Supreme Being". A Yogi,
therefore, is one who either has attained, or is striving to attain, the
state of Unity with the Supreme. However, in order for a course of action to lead to the
desired result, it must be based on certain facts. In practice, therefore, in
his quest for Unity with the Supreme, a Yogi must embrace, and act on, the
following Spiritual facts: 1. There is One Supreme Being (Shiva or God) Whose
Essence is Pure Goodness. Explanation: Yoga believes in a Supreme God Who is called Shiva
(Good, Auspicious, Beneficent) because He embodies everything that is
Good (Shivam): Truth, Beauty, Goodness, Love, Justice and Compassion. 2. Though being Eternally One, the Supreme Being
manifests Himself in many ways. Explanation: Life has many different aspects or facets, like a
crystal that reflects light in many different colours. Similarly, Shiva Who
is the Lord of Life, manifests Himself in many different ways. The whole
Universe, from the Gods down to a blade of grass, is a manifestation of God's
Supreme Majesty and Glory. 3. All things are created by the Supreme Being out of
Himself and to Him they ultimately return. Explanation: As the World is a Manifestation of God's Glory,
it cannot be made out of nothing. Nor can it be made from a substance other
than God. For, firstly, there is no reality apart from God and, secondly,
even if such reality existed, it couldn't match the Glory of God. The World
therefore is made of God's Own Luminous Essence in the same way as the day is
made of the Sun's own radiance. Furthermore, because God is the Ground of all things, all
things come into being in, and return to, the All-supporting and
All-encompassing Ground, just as stars appear and disappear in the same Sky. 4. All things have an Inner Soul who is essentially
identical with the Supreme. Explanation: Because all created things are a Manifestation of
God's Own Glory, they all carry a spark of Divine Light within themselves.
This spark is called Soul (Atma) who is the True Man as opposed to mind, body
and physical possessions. 5. The Universe is governed by the Creator through His
Supreme Eternal Law (Sanatana Dharma). Explanation: Everybody can see that there is a certain Order
in the World. What not everybody can see, however, is that this World Order
is upheld by certain principles or laws which philosophers, religious
authorities and scientists have been studying for millennia. In Yoga, the sum
total of universal principles or laws whereby everything is held together and
governed by the Supreme Being, is called the Supreme Eternal Law. 6. Salvation, Freedom from Suffering and True Happiness
are attained by adhering to Divine Law (Dharma). Explanation: In the same way as the Universe is held together
and kept in order by the Eternal Law of the Universe so also, man's life can
become a source of happiness and fulfilment by following the same Law.
Disregarding this Law, on the other hand, leads to pain and suffering. 7. Supreme Salvation is attained when a Soul becomes
God-like (Shiva-sama) and experiences Unity with the Supreme. Explanation: Human beings suffer due to the fact that they
perceive themselves as different and separate from God. This erroneous
perception causes them to act in ways that are contrary to Divine Law, thus
reinforcing this experience of division and the resultant feelings of
isolation, confusion, fear, etc. All this suffering comes to an end the
moment man realises that he is made of the same essence as God and begins to
act like a Divine Being. It is essential to understand at this point that there are various
degrees of Salvation, Enlightenment, or Freedom from Suffering. In general,
Yoga recognises five such stages known as: Salokya, Sannidya, Sarupya,
Sayujya and Sarshti. In the first type of Salvation (Salokya-Moksha), the Soul
takes up residence in Heaven, in the presence of God. This stage is described
in the Quran, the Holy Book of Islam, where it is said that those who go to
Heaven enjoy themselves in the presence of a great King (presumably God). It
is the reward of those who led a righteous life while on Earth. In the second
stage (Sannidya-Moksha), the Soul draws nearer to God and lives close to Him.
It is enjoyed by Souls who lived their lives in close Unity with God, without
experiencing Identity with Him, such as Prophets and Saints. This is described
in the Christian Bible where it is said that Jesus sits at the right hand of
God. In the third stage (Sarupya-Moksha), the Souls who realise
their Divine Nature, acquire the form of Divine Beings such as Angels or
Gods. This stage is described in the Scriptures of Ancient Egypt. In the
fourth stage (Sayujya-Moksha), the Souls merge into the Supreme Being, as
described in the Holy Scriptures of Hinduism. In the final and highest stage (Sarshti-Moksha), the Soul
having become One with God, enjoys the same Divine Powers as God Himself.
This is the stage described by the Holy Scriptures of Yoga. Thus the Souls
who through a righteous life have gained entrance to Heaven, must turn to
higher forms of Spirituality in order to attain the Highest, Eternal Salvation
of Shiva (Shiva-Nirvana). Those who adhere to lower forms of religion either
are denied entrance to Heaven or, having entered, may still fall to lower
planes of existence. This is only natural if we consider that so long as a feeling
of difference and separation from God persists, it will provide a gate of
entrance for further divisive thoughts and actions, which will eventually
bring about the Soul's fall. For this reason, it is written that,
"Having had enjoyment in Heaven, they re-enter this World or a
lower" (Mundaka Upanishad). 8. The means of attaining Supreme Salvation are
Spiritual Practice and the Grace of God. Explanation: Spiritual Practice is the means whereby man
allows the Light of God to enter his life that he may see the right path and
know the right actions from the wrong ones. However, developing an interest
in Spiritual Practice, as well as persevering and attaining success in the
same, ultimately depend upon the Grace of God. 9. The journey to Unity with the Supreme requires many
lifetimes to complete. Explanation: It is a matter of commonsense experience that an
imperfect being like man, cannot become perfect in just one lifetime. In
order to become Perfect and fit for life in the Presence of God, man must
undergo a long process of life and rebirth. In consequence, the teachings of
other faiths, to the effect that adherence to them results in automatic and
permanent entrance to Heaven, are wrong. They must be rejected as dangerous
and harmful to the Soul's Spiritual welfare. 10. The Practice of Yoga can shorten this Spiritual
Journey to just one lifetime. Explanation: The conscious and deliberate effort of a person
to become perfect can bring about Perfection (or Godhood, Shivatva) in a much
shorter time than in the natural course of ordinary life. This conscious and
deliberate, Spiritual effort, is called Yoga ( 11. All living beings are responsible for their own
actions and are capable of experiencing pleasure or pain as a result of such
actions. Explanation: All religions admit that every man is accountable
for his own actions. In Yoga, this accountability is called Karma. Karma is
both the action (karma) performed by a person and its effect or reward
(karma-phala). Generally speaking, Karma may be said to be of two kinds: good
or white (shukla) and bad or black (krishna). Actions done in accordance with
Universal Law constitute Good Karma and result in happiness. Actions done in
breach of Universal Law constitute Bad Karma and result in suffering. Although man is responsible for his own actions, it is God Who
ultimately determines the reward or punishment for all human agency. He also
arranges suitable bodies and circumstances necessary for the enjoyment or
suffering warranted by human actions. Karma may also be individual or
collective. When different people belonging to a unity such as family,
religious community or nation experience similar circumstances at the same
time, this is an example of collective Karma, even though the actions that
attracted or brought about those circumstances may individually differ. Karma may also result through association in thought, word and
deed. Thus association with righteous people may result in good or white
Karma (shukla karma) whereas association with anti-Spiritual elements may
result in bad or black Karma (krishna karma). 12. God shows Mankind the Path to Happiness and Freedom
from Pain through Direct Revelation, Sacred Scriptures and the Teachings of
Living Gurus. Explanation: God is Truth (Satyam). He is the Eternal Light of
Reality. Therefore, as the Sun always shines upon the World, God perpetually
shines in all His Glory upon His Creation. Due to variations in the Souls'
capacity of perception, the Light of God is perceived differently by
different people. While some have a clear perception of Truth, others have to
content themselves with a dim, hazy, blurred or obscured vision of the same. While some are granted a direct perception of Truth, others
have to rely on secondary sources such as Scriptures and the teachings of
Spiritual Leaders. What is important, however, is that the World is never
without Divine Guidance. While God fulfils His Duty of Supreme Spiritual
Teacher and Guide, man must also make an effort to find a reliable source of
Truth according to his abilities. A person who embraces, understands and correctly
follows these twelve principles, qualifies as a Yogi. For more information
see How to become a Yogi. |