Arjuna, human Icon of the Path of Action which introduces to the 12 Yogas of the inner Illumination
The words of a
sacred text or belonging to the initiatory Tradition can be
interpreted in an exoterical (moral) sense or in an esoterical (mysterial) one.
The moral sense is
given by a reading (evaluation) of the text which is rigidly
literal; whereas the mysterial sense, that is the occult one, is
given by the esoterical study of the words and the position they
have in the text (as for Hebrew kabalah). The ability to
distinguish and appreciate them both depends on the reader.
The researcher is
first of all a scholar, therefore he is taught not to
underestimate any of these two meanings and not to "prefer"
one to the other.
Both the exoterical
and the esoterical aspect are means of knowledge.
Nevertheless, even
if the esoterical vehicle is the major one, they both must be
acknowledged, because it is the only way for the researcher to
relate both with the exoterical and the initiatory parts of the
Idea. Every thought, in fact, must include in itself both "hemispheres
of consciousness" in order to be complete. This is the
"esoterical sense" that every Candidate should wish to
reach. We&rsquoll give an example, read it carefully and then
analyze it.
Let's start from a
sentence by the Master D. K.: "...The sentence "the man
who meditates" refers to the soul. Arjuna, the disciple,
renounces the fight and gives his weapons and the reins of power
to Krishna, the soul, and eventually gets his reward, that is he
sees the divine form that veils the Son of God, which is himself.."
Arjuna:
1. If you think
that the attitude of the mind is more important than
action, why do you impose this terrible war on me?
2. My mind is
confused, because I see a contradiction in your words.
Will you tell me definitely which journey I have to go
through to meet the Most High?
Krishna:
3. As I have
already told you, oh spotless hero, you can walk through
two paths, in this world: one is the discipline of
cognition through reason and the other is the discipline
of action through Yoga.
4. It is not
through abstention from action that men can reach freedom
to act; renunciation is not enough to reach perfection.
5. Because,
actually, a man can&rsquot be without acting not even
for an instant; willing or not, human beings are forced
to action by nature.
6. The man who
refrains from acting but recalls the pleasures of action
in his heart, will feel disappointment and he is a false
follower of the Path.
7. Great is the
man who, free from any attachment, can control in harmony
his faculties through his mind and goes through the Yoga
of Action.
8. Action is
superior to inaction: therefore accomplish your task in
life. Without action even your physical existence might
not reproduce.
9. Except for the
sacrificial actions, all man's actions connect him to
this world. Do your best for your actions to be pure,
uninterested and free from desire.
Beyond the "metaphorical"
contest in which the inner dialogue between an impermanent
self and the divine Entity has been placed, the terms of an
"occult" teaching are pointed very clearly.
To let it stand out, though, we need to take apart the text and
gather the "key words" which reveal the deep nature of
the dialogue, which is based on the principle of
intelligent Action (3rd Ray).
Maybe the "clear reading" of some indications will let
us understand how the Way that leads to the Spiritual
Principle of Humanity (White Hierarchy) is made of Action and
not of poetic mawkishness.
Every word is a door that "opens" on a world of
meanings which are different from the literal sense.
"For those who have eyes to see" every word is the seed
of a thought whose meanings are often invisible. They are brought
to the surface (see "Fragments of an initiatory reality
– Postulate on the meaning of surface esotericism and
deep esotericism") only through a deep understanding of the
word that transmits it.
The word, therefore, is a kind of access code to
initiatory statements which are invisible to a profane eye,
because they are confused in the text that protects them.
These codes, or more correctly principles, cannot be seen through
a superficial reading, where they remain unknown, therefore
"secret".
The announced work on the "Languages of the Rays"
moves towards this direction. It deals with the use of languages,
which are referable to the seven human tempers, in esoterical
terms.
Languages are only "exoterical containers" used to
transmit many "keys" of the Living Teaching.
Since reading and thinking are connected, we must consider the
esoterical ability to read a text as a proper initiatory
instrument.
To break apart a text means to point one's Attention on what every single
word represents and Focus one's mind to penetrate its deep
meanings.
The esoterical
process of "Occult meditation" consists of entering the
inside of words (seeds of a deep thought), which is different
from simple thinking. Therefore, by recognizing what one is
reading, it is possible to see the thought (see visualization) of the man who "planned" the Idea and his reasons.
If the Idea is the expression of a Master, through the use of the
word we will be able to understand his intentions towards us.
And this is really important for a Disciple. Through the right
education, then, it is possible to find all the "seed-thoughts"
available in a text.
By opening them the access to the occult meanings of any
sacred text can be earned. Now let's see how we can find out
some words by breaking apart the key words pronounced by Arjuna (the
Disciple) and Krishna (the spiritual Master). These words are the
key to access some meanings which are less obvious than the text.
They are, at the same time, an indication to some kind of Yogas
that someone "wanted to communicate to us"
through this dialogue.
To make it easier, we&rsquoll place an asterisk next to each
reference to a different Yoga; we will then leave it to the
reader's intuition to find the correspondence with the twelve
Yogas mentioned below.
Arjuna's Words:
1. ...attitude
of the mind* ...action* ...
2. ...confused
mind (see Maya), ...words ...journey ...to go through - to meet ...
Krishna's Words:
3. ...hero* (see heroic path) ...paths (are) two: discipline
of cognition through reason* ...(and) ...discipline of
Action* through Yoga (in sanskrit: ùnione or Bridge; Editor's
note.).
4. It is not
through abstention from action (non-action)*...reaches ...freedom to act* (see "Act of spiritual Will"
or "Free Will" of the superior Ego, which many
postulants mix up with the "freedom of choice" of the
inferior self; Editor's note); ...renunciation* ...perfection *.
5. Because, ... without acting; human beings ... forced to action.
6. The man
who refrains from acting ...is a false follower of the Path*.
7. Great is
.... who, free from any attachment*, can control
in harmony his faculties through his mind*, goes through the
path of the Yoga of Action* (see also Raja Yoga)
8. Action (Will of action, 1st Ray) intelligent (3rd ray) is superior to inaction of Devotion (the 6th Ray) ...
9. ...sacrificial
actions, ...uninterested and pure actions, actions which
are free from desire* (of others' approval; Editor's note).
Every Candidate
must "practice" the occult meaning of words. The
esoterical and mysterial sense hidden in every word can be reached through analogy (see the principles of initiatory
science), starting from its exoterical meaning. This invitation,
although it looks personal, is "repeated again and again"
on each occasion by the Masters of Wisdom.
Now we will deal
with the "official" conclusion of our short journey,
with:
The 12 Yoga
Philosophies are the "12 Stages of the inner Illumination"
The 12 Yoga
Philosophies (ùnion or Bridge) are the "12 Stages of
Illumination"; going through them, humanity, or the single
initiate, can turn back from material conscience to spiritual
essence.
It would be necessary to know the 12 "Yogas" or at
least their most common meanings, in order to understand their
aims and their useful application.
We'll give a short explanation starting from the most ancient:
1) Hata Yoga;
it is the ùnion of mind with vital strength, through the use of
40 asana (positions) of the physical body.
2) Laya Yoga;
it is the ùnion of the centers of the ethereal body with the
physical conscience, which activates and purifies the 6 spinal
centers (chakra), it awakens Kundalini (the Serpentine Fire
sleeping in the coccyx) which leads in the "re-ascent"
to the mind.
a. Kundalini
Yoga; it is the minor branch of the Laya Yoga which is
directed to the activity of the magmatic forces of the physical
body (sacral center). These forces must be awaken only to be
directed towards the activities of the superior centers of the
head.
By practising this
branch of yoga outside of its main Yoga, we might have: risk
of discouragement; risk of sexual unbalance; risk of atrophy of
the inferior self (see egotism); risk of physical and
mental insanity (see priapism, erethism, sexual hyper-excitability); risk of freeing undesirable forces and contact with hidden
entities; risk of loosing the sense of reality; risk of
satisfaction.
3) Bhakti Yoga;
it is the ùnion with the divine ideal through devotion and cult.
a. Mantra Yoga;
it is the science of sound and word: the living energy,
vibrating, re-sounds and creates resonant forms which the
initiate as well can create. A very interesting activity is the
one of learning how to build resonant images or forms of thought,
through the "sound of word", which doesn't have
anything to do with the common talking.
b. Shiva Yoga;
it is the ùnion through contemplation, with Self, the Supreme
Self and God.
c. Asparsha Yoga;
through contemplation occurs the detachment, addressed mainly to
the dissolution of one's (Maya-Illusion) and others' (see oneiric
cultures) dimming.
4) Karma Yoga;
it is the ùnion with the spiritual Principle through the
uninterested and impersonal Act of Service. It is an important
step for the devoted (see Bhakti Yoga) to enter this spirit of
Service, in order to move his devotion from the personal axis to
the Services unconditioned by personal aspirations. The way of
action without action or non-action is also to serve without
desire for acknowledgments.
5) Jnana Yoga;
it is the ùnion through wisdom which is consciousness of:
Seeing that
all that changes is illusory or illusion;
Feeling that
in every living form the unique Self (God) lives;
Seeing the
difference between real and unreal (see discrimination and Free
Will),
Feeling the
detachment for the changing world, for the world of changing
thoughts, going towards the world of Ideas where unchangeable
principles rule; these principles can be reached by developing
intellect and intuition; and then realize the fusion with the Knowledge
of the superior Self (knowing through contact) can be
realized. Its "instruments" are active intelligence (3rd ray), love (2nd ray) and will (1st ray).
6) Raya Yoga;
it means "Royal ùnion" (in the West Ars Regia); it is
the ùnion, through the full power of intellect (see Siddhi) on
"one's own matter" with the Inner Master (see spiritual
Monad).
It is based on the
so-called "Four Points of Observation" (the four stages
of occult development) also described by Patanjali. The full
psychic development is the essence of Esoterical Psychology (see
article in Esonet). It helps to perceive the "Consciousness
of the Soul" and to reach the part of our conscience called Solar
Angel.
The instruments
that the raja yogi (the initiate) commonly uses are,
together with the deep visualization, the respiration
and concentration of prana (vital energy), which it
transforms into energy to be used for the construction and the
sending of "forms of thought".
a. Samadhi Yoga;
includes the most evolved status of consciousness of the
raya yogi (the Initiate):
Status of
beatitude;
Status of peace (nirvana);
Status of freedom (maha-nirvana);
Status of silence, which resounds of Knowledge, preceding the
Agni Yoga.
7) Agni Yoga; it is
the Yoga of Fire and it means the ùnion of the self (transpersonal)
with the Fire of spiritual Ideas. In other words: this Yoga is
the philosophy that takes to the inner, therefore spiritual,
illumination.
The Master Morya (1st
ray) teaches that: "the Agni Yoga leads to the simplest way;
if any youngster asks what Agni Yoga is, the Disciples can answer
that it is to perceive and to apply to life the fire element,
which embraces everything and feeds the seed of spirit";
furthermore, he adds: "all the forms of previous Yogas,
issued by the highest Sources, are based on a specific quality
of life. But now that the Age of Maitreya is imminent,
we need a Yoga which includes the whole essence of life,
which contains everything and excludes nothing".
Then, he says:
"....just like those youngsters who, in the biblical myth,
heroically sacrificed themselves by leaping into the burning
furnace, but they came out of it unhurt and became, therefore,
powerful. It is just the fire element that gives its name to this
Yoga of the Sacrifice of self.
Whereas in other
forms of Yoga the dangers decrease through practice, in this one
they increase. The fire, in fact, element which connects
everything, expresses itself everywhere and therefore it allows
to realize the most subtle energies of the true human essence,
which is of a spiritual origin.
Fire doesn't
estrange from life but, like a safe guide, leads to far-off
worlds (see Great Lodge of Sirius). Besides, what else if not
Fire (of the spirit) floods the immensity of space? Let's
contemplate with a smile, then, the burning life".
Comparing the
several Yoga Philosophies, Master Morya said:
"Let's analyze
similarities and differences between the Agni Yoga and the Yogas
which preceded it. When the Karma Yoga acts with earth elements
it has many contact points with Agni Yoga, but when Agni Yoga
leads to realize "far-off worlds" (more subtle
dimensions), the distinction is clearer.
Raja Yoga, Jnana
Yoga and Bhakti Yoga are all extraneous to the reality that
surrounds them and therefore they can't participate to the
evolution of the future.
It is understood
that an agni yogi (the Initiate) must have been already a
perfect bhakti yogi and then a jnana yogi, so that
the development of his spiritual strengths could turn him into a raja
yogi as well. The Agni Yoga overcomes the limitations of the
previous Yogas, because it is direct to the exploration of the
superior kingdoms, like the intuitive, the animistic, the
monodical and the divine one which is inside every Man, in the
planet, in the solar system and in the cosmos.
Agni Yoga is also the process of construction of the most
interior part of the Antahkarana. The first part, which
goes from the personality to the Soul, is built with the best
mental substance (intellect). The second part of the Antahkarana,
which goes from the personality pervaded by the Soul to the spiritual
Triad, is made of substance of light. The "substance of
light" is made of the fourth and third ether. Let's not
forget that the Buddhist plane is the physical substance of the
Planetary Logos (see Anima Mundi).
The main goal of this Yoga, therefore, is to elevate the
consciousness of the Adept up to the point of reaching the
consciousness of the spiritual Triad and get in touch with the
Sources of Fire on the planet. Some teachings call them Shamballa,
others Tower or White Island. This is the Yoga of
the New Era, through which it is nice to prepare oneself to the
tasks of the future evolution, without rejecting the spiritual
conquests of the past. There isn't any innovation to be proud of,
because it is only the combination of the elements that "regenerates"
the possibilities. "
In conclusion, the
superior Yogas Raja and Agni include all the
previous Yogas, so much that their use is out of date.
As an epilogue we'll
synthesize the whole journey.
The Bhakti Yoga is the path of the heart, because it is
based on the development of feeling and devotion, even religious.
It is the yoga of feeling and heart, but also of the astral body,
in which it encourages the submission of desires and emotions,
bringing them at the feet of the Loved one, seen and met in the
heart. It becomes, then, the sublimation of all the inferior
loves. All the desires become prisoners of only one yearning: to
know the loving face of Divinity and love of God.
Bhakti Yoga was the initiatory science of the last mother
race, the Atlantides', while the Raja Yoga is the highest
science of the Aryan civilization.
The Bhakti Yoga turned a high Initiate into an Arhat (Master of
Compassion) and guided him towards the fourth initiation.
Whereas the Raja Yoga leads to the Threshold of the fifth
initiation. Both Yogas liberate the Adept from the cycle of
re-births, but the Raja Yoga let him free to serve as white
Wizard in the Great Work of "Consecration of the
Matter".
This ancient Yoga
finds a development which is still actual, in the soul of
those who can perceive the devotion not as a personal feeling or
as an expression of faith for a particular religion, but as
an altruistic and fully comprehensive feeling which makes
devotion grow, up to become the immaterial Devotion for an
abstract and most of all impersonal Ideal.
The Karma Yoga is specifically linked with physical activity and with the
expression of all the inner impulses. In its most simple and
ancient form it has been the yoga of the Lémure race which, together with the Hatha Yoga, was meant for
students without an evolved reason, to teach them to consciously
control the co-ordination of the physical body, as they were
still unable to dominate. This happened through physical
practices which allowed the control of the different organs and
the whole physical mechanism. The Laya Yoga, on the other
hand, penetrates the mysteries of the ethereal body and its
centers of strength (the chakra). It distributes its vital
currents and awakens the serpentine fire (see kundalini). The Karma
Yoga leads to the domain of the physical condition, that is
all those aspects in relation with the Law of Cause and Effect (see Karma).
If we consider the
human body divided into three parts we must observe that:
The Karma Yoga in its evolution awakens the four
centers placed under the diaphragm.
The Bhakti Yoga in its evolution transmutes and
transfers the inferior energies in the two centers above the
diaphragm, that is in the heart and the throat.
The Raja Yoga in its evolution synthesizes in the
chakra of the head all the vital strengths of the centers
underneath (the coronal center), and re-distribute them according
to the priorities of the superior Ego or Self.
The Raja Yoga is the science of the fifth race (the actual)
and is based on the development of the latent faculties (siddhi) of the mind (not of the brain) through the intelligent use
of will.
It is the Yoga of the intellectual synthesis which occurs at the
intellectual development of humanity.
It is the science of mind and of will directed to a precise goal:
the one for which the human being abandons his "profane
being" to subdue it voluntarily to the inner Power of the
Soul. Here, Raja Yoga co-ordinates the inferior triplicity of
man, helping him to become an instrument of the soul. It includes
and uses all the results realized by the ancient Yogas.
It is the synthesis of the individual evolutionary work and it
gives man the crown of King of his own kingdom. But we can
already see the effects of another Yoga, which is directed to the
essence of life, which contains everything and excludes nothing.
This is the Agni Yoga.
It is a Yoga that acts on the manifestation of fire, giver of
life and creator of will.
The man who is able to build himself and his life, according to a
discipline which is invisible from the outside, is called to the
Yoga of Fire. He co-operates with far-off worlds and is able to
understand the fundaments of evolution. The main characteristic
of the School of the "Red Dresses" is the lighting of
the fires of knowledge, which allows their Disciples to interact
with the more subtle energies and to develop, in this way, the
direct-knowledge and the "knowledge through contact"
with the Soul.
Many Adepts already work to the advent of the Agni Yoga,
which will be the "science" of the next Sixth
race. 
