Hinduism : in brief

From a Western lexical standpoint, Hinduism like other faiths is appropriately referred to as a religion. In India the term dharma is preferred, which is broader than the western term "religion". Hindu traditionalists prefer to call it Sanatana Dharma (the eternal or ancient dharma).

Dharma Artha Kama Moksha

Millenia ago, seers in the ancient Eastern tradition articulated the blueprint for the fulfillment of the objectives of human birth as was shown to them in the highest supreme levels of consciousness. The Supreme Self pervades and exists in all dimensions in all beings, sentient and insentient. It is that Supreme Self that exists inside each individual self, in each individual person. And therefore every individual person is none other than the Supreme Self, for how can the part be different from the whole.

In order for an individual to realize their supreme Self, they need to identify the reasons and objectives why they came into being on this earth plane, and fulfill them. The ancient seers clearly articulated the objectives of humankind as "Purusharthas" -- 'Purusha' means an individual or person, and 'Artha' means meaning or objective or pursuit. They articulated four Purusharthas as:

Dharma : Righteousness, Duty
Artha  : Wealth
Kama   : Desire
Moksha : Liberation
The four purusharthas are really the objectives of God, of the Supreme Self, the qualities of God. And since an individual person is a reflection of God, is a part of God, it is the rightful pursuit of a person to fulfill these four purusharthas.  In fact, it is both your individual and soul purpose. 

An individual can realize him or herself by balancing and fulfilling these four objectives. These four objectives are not independent of each other and should not be viewed in a stand-alone manner. They define and refine the other objectives and allow the other objectives to define and refine itself. The activity of fulfilling one objective should also support the fulfillment of the other objectives. By maintaining a balance between the definition and fulfillment of the four purusharthas, a symbiotic evolution of the individual self takes place. Exclusive pursuit of one purushartha creates an imbalance in a person's life, and prevents the person from reaching the ultimate destination of their life. As a person progresses through the evolution of their soul, they find that some of the objectives eventually lose their place and importance to more predominant objectives. For example, the desire to earn wealth may diminish and disappear, or a person may come to the realization that there are no more material desires that they need to pursue, and hence more room is created for the pursuit of the ultimate objective, Moksha.

Ekatvam is founded on the four pillars of Dharma, Artha, Kama, Moksha. The mission of Ekatvam is to help people realize their True Selves, to become one with the Supreme Self in this lifetime, to achieve moksha. Often, people make the mistake of renouncing everything in the pursuit of Moksha, but that can frequently turn out to be the wrong path, and is not suited for everyone. Ekatvam is in place to help people identify their true purpose and their unique purusharthas.  Ekatvam shows the way to each individual by helping people see the underlying unity, Ekatvam (oneness), of themselves with the Universe. The path for each individual to reach the ultimate destination is different, and it is only the individual self that can identify and see the path with the help of the Divine guidance.

Dharma: A person is born on this earth to perform certain duties. The soul houses itself into the physical vehicle that is the body which most suits for performing these duties. The physical work that a person needs to do, the duties of the person on this earth plane are termed as the Dharma of the person. Dharma is a difficult term to translate into English, but can roughly be translated as the rightful duty of a person. This is the true calling of a person, what they are born to do. Examples of a person's dharma are to be a doctor, teacher, writer, warrior, priest, parent etc. Sometimes a person's dharma is decided by their birth, but not necessarily so. A person's dharma can be a combination of things, and as a person progresses through life, different stages of life may call for different dharmas and purposes. Tuning into the inner guide of the heart allows a person to identify their dharma, their true calling.

Artha: Artha is the pursuit of material wealth, which brings material comforts to a person. People sometimes believe that the path of spiritual growth and pursuit of material wealth are mutually exclusive, or even that a spiritual seeker needs to be in poverty. But that is not true. If we look at the Universe, it is a reflection of abundance. Nature is abundant in everything, poverty is nothing but a state of consciousness. If abundance is the quality of the Divine, how is pursuit of abundance in contrast with the pursuit of the Divine? If one is in poverty, in a state of constantly worrying about how to support and feed, if that is what the focus is on, how can one pursue spirituality? Only when there are no worries is one able to focus their attention to the goal of union with the Divine. The important thing to remember is not to be attached to the possession or attainment of wealth. It can be either transcended or sought with detachment, and with awareness. When done in this state of mind, the pursuit of wealth is not different from the pursuit of the Divine, because one sees abundance, or wealth as a form of the Divine. And in this state of detachment, one recognizes when one has attained their financial objectives, and hence the desire to pursue automatically dies away, paving the way for Moksha.

Kama: Kama is fulfilling one's desires.  Desires are in various forms -- to be wealthy, powerful, sexual needs, recognition, service, etc. The Kama purushartha advocates that one's desires in this lifetime need to be fulfilled, albeit in a state of awareness and without harming anyone in the process. For a person to evolve spiritually and to reach the ultimate destination, the barrier of desires needs to be crossed. This can be done either by fulfilling the desires, or by sublimating or transcending them. Suppressing of desires is certainly not recommended because it is like a fully coiled spring that is held down by force, it can erupt unpredictably causing undesirable consequences. As one becomes aware of their desires and one goes about fulfilling them in awareness and without judgement, one soon reaches the stage of being able to sublimate them. The Divine, the Universe, lends a big hand in the process.

Stages of Spiritual Evolution

The ancient Siddha tradition, which has been revealed to Amma and Swamiji, has its origin in India. The seers in the Siddha tradition, were able to transcend the limitations of the human mind and body and attain liberation. They reached supreme states of consciousness in which they became one with the primordial, Supreme Self, while still in the physical body. And in those states of consciousness, they realized that it is possible for any person to reach the same state, if only a person has the desire and is willing to walk the path. They devised methods and practices which, when followed, allow a person to become increasingly closer to God. Said another way, these ancient Siddha masters devised ways where anyone can become a saint, anyone can attain Union with the Divine. Innumerable times it has been shown that while saints are born, they can also be self-made by pursuing a path of self evolution.

In general, for a person to reach the Supreme, they need to go through increasingly progressive stages. The Siddha masters have defined and devised a 4-stage path for self-realization. This is a broad framework which describes the stages of spiritual evolution in an individual. Each stage is described in detail with respect to the activities that need to be performed, the type of changes one experiences in different levels of consciousness. The four stages are Sariyai, Kriyai, Yogam and Gnanam. These four stages are a continuum, and there is often an overlap between them. As a spiritual seeker goes through these stages, he becomes increasingly closer to God, and eventually becomes One with God.

The human mind is constantly engaged in thought process, jumping from one realm to another, worrying about things. It constantly deludes a person in thinking that the five sensory organs define the complete reality of the person. Consequently a person is caught up in everyday life, and there is little time or inclination to think about the real reason for their existence. The four-fold path of Sariyai, Kriyai, Yogam and Gnanam encourages a person to increasingly detach themselves from the sensory inputs and to go inwards.

Sariyai

Sariyai is the first step, where the spiritual seeker worships a deity. This can be anyone – Lord Krishna, Jesus, Kali Ma – whatever form if Divinity that connects with the devotee. The deity is considered to be a full representation of the Supreme Divine, and in fact is considered to be God in the full form. The devotee worships and serves the deity. This worship can take many different forms, such as cleaning the altar and premises, bathing the idols, decorating them with flowers, lighting a lamp and incense, helping other devotees in worshipping the deity, etc. The person is constantly engaged in serving God in the form of a deity. All thoughts and actions are directed towards this activity, which helps focus the mind of the devotee. A deep love for God develops in the mind of the devotee.

The spiritual seeker should adhere to the principles laid out for Yama (moral principles) and Niyama (discipline and responsibility) in the 8-fold path. By paying attention to moral principles, developing discipline and accepting responsibility, purification at the external level starts to manifest.

Kriyai

Kriyai is the second stage in the spiritual evolution. As one matures in Sariyai, like a fruit which ripens on the tree but is not yet ready to fall off, the soul seeks a greater longing to be one with the Supreme consciousness, and Sariyai falls short on this. Kriyai is characterized by a combination of external worship to a deity and worship to the Divinity within. In this stage, the devotee is advancing from worshipping a concrete form to realizing that form within and consequently reduces the amount of time spent for the external worship of the deity, making way for internal worship. This internal worship is in the form of "mantra japa" which means chanting of the mantras, often silently. This helps calm the constant chatter of the mind and to go more silently inwards. Often, a spiritual master, a Guru, is needed in this stage to guide the devotee towards the correct mantras to use.  In this stage the devotee feels increasingly closer to the Divine, as it starts to blossom within.

In this stage, the spiritual seeker needs to go deeper, to begin the inner purification. Asanas (perfection and mastery of the body through yoga) as described in the 8-fold path are recommended to help with the purification both at the external and internal levels. Developing a deeper inner discipline happens naturally in this stage.

Yogam

Yogam is the third stage and is the maturation of Kriyai.  It is a pivotal point for the realization of the self. Yogam is not to be confused with Yoga, although Yoga can be one of the practices. In Yogam, there is a full maturity of the intuitive mind and the spiritual seeker is able to bring the mind to a standstill, and is able to catch glimpses of the Supreme Divine God and starts merging and becoming one with God. There is a detachment from all things worldly.

The emphasis in Yogam is on the withdrawal from the external sensory stimuli in order to perform internal purification. The internal purification is done at several different levels: physical, mental, emotional and etheral. This is done using a combination of methods described in the 8-fold path, such as 'pranayama' (harnessing and perfection of breath), 'pratyahara' (withdrawal of senses) and 'dharana' (single-minded focus).

At this stage, the branch is ready to release the fruit which has ripened, and the spiritual seeker is ready to enter the final stage, Gnanam.

Gnanam

Gnanam is the fourth and final stage in the spiritual evolution. This stage is one of pure knowledge and knowing. One does not need to do rigorous practices such as prayers or japa in this stage in order to go towards moksha, liberation. They happen by themselves. One needs to just be still, sitting in one place. Everything is empty, the person goes into the Void, which is the source of creation and manifestation. True knowledge is experienced as it shows itself.

In this stage, the spiritual seeker effortlessly goes into 'Dhyana' (uninterrupted meditation) and 'Samadhi' as laid in the 8-fold path. This stage is absolute bliss,Sat-Chit-Ananda. The spiritual seeker and the supreme Self and the Universal Spirit, become One, there is no difference. This is similar to melting of an earthen pot which separates a handful of the water in the ocean.

Ekatvam is about unveiling the truth of the totality of spirituality. It is about striving for everybody to reach the stage of Gnanam, to lead everyone to moksha, or liberation.

8-fold Path to Enlightenment

In the spirit of universal consciousness and uplifting the truths found in all religions, the Eight Fold path is a guide to how one should strive to live. It is a way of living on the path of Truth.  The Eight Fold path is both a step-by-step process, and also a simultaneous development of our beings all at once. The first five steps are the preliminaries of yoga and build the foundation for spiritual life. They are concerned with the body and the brain. The last three, which would not be possible without the previous steps, are concerned with reconditioning the mind, preparing the whole being for Divine Union.  Amma and Swamiji, through Ekatvam, are honored to work with your Divine Soul and grow awareness of this Path to Enlightenment.

Yama is action with moral principle. There are five yamas:

o    Non-violence (ahimsa). Do no harm to any creature in thought or deed.

o    Truth and honesty (satya). Telling no lies, to oneself or others.

o    Non-stealing (asteya). Do not steal material objects or intangebles.

o    Non-lust (brahmacharya). This is seeing divinity in all, and is not a call to celibacy. It is refraining from selfish and meaningless sexual acts. 

o    Non-possessiveness (aparigraha). This is detaching oneself from greed and not pursuing material gains as one's sole purpose.

Niyama is inner discipline and responsibility. There are five niyamas:

o    Purity (shauca). Purity is achieved through the practice of the five yamas, which help clear away the negative physical and mental states of being

o    Contentment (santosha). This is having fulfillment with who you are and what you have in any moment, while maintaining that these things are not the true self.

o    Austerity (tapas).  In order to fulfill one’s higher purpose it demands discipline of body, speech, and mind.

o    Study of the sacred text (svadhyaya). These could be texts of any religious affiliation as long as you find that the text resonates a feeling of Bhakti or devotion within you.

o    Living with an awareness of the Divine (ishvara-pranidhana). Coming to a place where all actions are a form of devotion and performed in love of the Divine.

Asana is perfection and mastery of the body, which frees the body and mind from tension and restlessness allowing for undisturbed meditation on the Divine.  This could be yoga for instance.

Pranayama is the mastery of breath or Prana.  This is the life force or energy that exists everywhere and flows through each of us.

Pratyahara is directing awareness inwards.  It is a withdrawal from the material senses.

Dharana involves teaching the mind to focus on one point or image.  It is concentration that allows one to rise above the seemingly endless flurry of thoughts.

Dhyana is perfecting meditation without objective, it is only with the purpose to create a heightened awareness of oneness with the universe.

Samadhi or absolute bliss. This is pure contemplation, in which you and the universe are one. Those who have achieved samadhi are enlightened.  This is the God-union and the goal of the eight fold path, truly the achievement of success.

Liberation

Moksha, or Liberation, is the ultimate goal of every individual. Moksha is the experience of, and realization that the individual self is the same as the Universal Supreme Self. It is an expansion of individual consciousness into the Universal consciousness. Liberation is not something attained after one's life, rather it is a permanent merger with one's True Divine Nature.

Every individual soul has their own unique path of evolution. This is a path that one chooses to gain the necessary experiences and to repay the karmic debts. One's birth ends with the death of the body, but the soul has accumulated karmas. The soul takes birth as a different personality and starts with the karmic balance that was accumulated. And instead of bringing the karmic balance to zero, more actions are performed, increasing one's ties to the material world.

Moksha is being liberated from all bondages. Moksha is about transcending this seemingly endless cycle of birth and death. It is about preventing a soul from taking birth on this earth within this perpetual cycle. If one is bound, how can they be free? One can be bound either by a golden chain (good karmas) or a rusting chain (bad karmas). Either way one is still bound.

However, it is possible to attain Moksha in one's lifetime by accelerating the process of the evolution of the soul. The seers and sages in many traditions have shown paths for people to follow so that they can evolve themselves into perfected souls, in this lifetime. They have articulated frameworks which give broad guidelines to people for walking the path to Moksha. These frameworks not only contain the teachings and insights that are necessary, but also lay down specific practices and methodologies to awaken the Divine within.

Moksha: Moksha means liberation, realization of the Self, and is the ultimate destination of this human birth. It is the stage of inner realization that the individual self is the same as the Supreme Self. It is the experience of the cosmos within one's self. It is the experience of the flow and fusion of the Shiva and Shakti energies in one's self. It is the experience of union, oneness, Ekatvam, with the Universe.

As all the rivers must eventually lead to the sea, there are many spiritual paths leading to the same destination.  Some paths are shorter than others, some are more arduous than others. The path can be difficult to navigate, and the path may not always be visible. A guide, in the form of a Guru is needed to traverse this path, someone who holds the person and shows them the Way to their inner Guru. It is Ekatvam's mission, and it is the Dharma of Amma and Swamiji to help people find their way to Moksha.

The Role of the Teacher

Many of us begin as wanderers in the ocean of life. We seek purpose and fulfillment. We accumulate karmas, which bind us to the cycle of life. Until the karmas are exhausted, our soul endlessly goes through this cycle of life, death and rebirth.  However, awareness can be raised to transcend this cycle, with proper guidance, and with Grace. On our own, we may seek fulfillment in wealth, in status, in perfecting some art or in relationships, but ultimately we must realize the true nature of these pursuits.  They are not bad - in fact many of these pursuits may aid in our spiritual fulfillment and evolution - but these actions must be performed with proper awareness to prevent attachment and disillusionment.  It is only through a Guru, through the Divine reflection of our own inner guidance, that we find true purpose and true fulfillment.

Volumes have been written and lectures have been orated-- all trying capturing the essence of the Guru-Disciple relationship.  Some of the major lessons are explained and some of the divine subtleties are acknowledged.  However, it is only through experience that one will ever appreciate the true greatness of this relationship.  This is undoubtedly the most unique relationship one will have in their life. It is Divine, it is selfless, it comes from a place of love that transcends the world as we understand it, and holds only the disciple’s spiritual evolution foremost.

A spiritual seeker can benefit from a true Guru more than with any practice or sadhana, more than any prayer or puja in a temple. For through the Guru’s Grace, great spiritual growth occurs. While on a pilgrimage in the Himalayas, Amma and Swamiji remarked to their disciple:

All that we see outwardly, the mountains, the valleys, the love and the suffering, all of this is a reflection of what is within us.  And yet, the inner world is deeper still, for it includes all which we see and all which is unseen.  Along the path to liberation, the journey into the inner-Self, there are countless pitfalls. There are steeper mountains to climb and more dangerous roads to traverse. These pitfalls come from the two biggest enemies to self-realization, the mind and the ego, and they are constantly present. Just as we need directions to get from where we are, to where we are going in the external world, we too need directions to navigate the inner realm, for it is far more harrowing. Trying to navigate alone can create complete disillusionment within a seeker. However, the presence of a true Guru sheds light on these hazards. The Guru takes on the role of making the disciple see both the outward and inward pitfalls and how to avoid them. That is the true Grace of the Guru. -Swami & Amma

 The relationship with the Guru can take on many different forms. The depth of the relationship will vary for every disciple. The relationship is a very dynamic one, it is ever-changing and yet it is always the same. The presence of the Guru in one's life clears obstacles on the spiritual path. The Guru's Grace is always there upon all the people who are connected with the teacher. It is a bond of love and trust, more than anything else. This is because the hardest lessons to receive are about the self and the hardest places to look are within our own reflections.  Once this trust is established fully, the Guru becomes the mirror and shows the disciple not just who they are, but who they can become - and how to fulfill their highest purposes.

 The teacher illuminates the light that has always existed in one’s own heart.  The Guru is the ultimate reflection of the Self. Gracefully, the student is shown his self-destructive tendencies and how to transcend them.  For these teachings to be bestowed and accepted fully, they can only be received in one's heart.

Soruba Samadhi

The drawing seen here is a teaching from Sri Mahavatar Babaji directly. It came at time when Amma was crying out, in tears praying and asking for the Truth to be shown to her. Babaji descended into the Singapore ashram and beautifully taught with a profound-simplicity, that can only be Divine. There is a small garden at the ashram, Babaji gracefully pointed to a Tulasi plant and said, “You should be like that.” In that moment Amma’s whole being experienced the Tulasi for what it really is, for what we really are. It radiated a golden effulgent light, much like a halo.

This teaching is about the essence of soruba samadhi, transforming the body into divine light. That life is about lifting our consciousness to reveal the radiant light that emanates from within. We must simply be in the truth of soruba samadhi, continually seeking to live in bliss. Amma was immersed in gratitude for the Grace and beauty of the teaching.  Several students living at the ashram at the time were absorbed in the presence of this great light energy. All in the ashram were moved to partake in some creative pursuit whether it was drawing, painting or contemplative writing.

The effulgent light of all beings… be like the Tulasi plant seeking the bliss of the sunlight and drawing the golden light of the sun into itself and thus attaining soruba samadhi.  I believe Ambaa and Babaji are drawing this through me as I am learning to be like the sacred Tulasi myself. Jai Pratyangira, Jai Babaji  - Amma

Sadhana

The saying, practice makes perfect, holds true in many instances in our modern world.  Spiritual practice or sadhana aligns with this saying.  In order to fulfill our highest purpose and realize the inner Truth, Sadhana is needed.

A person undertaking a spiritual practice is known as a sadhaka.  The goal of sadhana may vary, it may be spiritual-realization, enlightenment, pure love of God (prema), liberation from the cycle of birth and death (Samsara), or the blessings of a deity.  It is most important to perform any practice from a state of bhakti or devotion, while holding pure, Dharmic intentions.  The importance of spiritual practice cannot be emphasized enough, sadhana is extremely valuable to a spiritual seeker because is plants the seed of the fruit which will eventually sprout and ripen in later stages. It is essential, for without the seed, the fruit will not grow.  

Sadhana may involve yoga, meditation, pranayama, chanting of mantra (sometimes with the help of a japa mala), puja to a deity, among many others.  A practice given to a student from a teacher should be received with respect and practiced intently.  A practice given with this type of blessing is aligned with our highest purpose.  A spiritual teacher tailors an individual’s practice, as well as their experience of the sadhana, specifically for their unique path towards realization.  Under the guidance of a teacher, a practice can open one to levels of Grace and blessings that are tremendous at any stage of our lives.  It is a true blessing to have a practice bestowed by a teacher or Guru.

Sadhana helps to focus one’s mind and soul, and realize the harmonious relationship between the two.  Sadhana is both an art and a science.  It requires discipline by the sadhaka at each step, in order to practice with pure devotion from one's heart and also deep observant contemplation.  Developing a sharp focus, while maintaining a pure heart, enables us to evolve into the highest levels of consciousness through our spiritual practices.  A student on the path must be ever diligent.  One must be self-aware of their practice and their intentions.  A student is part-yogi, part-scientist, remaining astute and observant of their actions and reactions.  The ultimate key to an advanced spiritual practice is diligently performing one's sadhana, with a sense of detachment from the results, while maintaining a deep sense of love or devotion. 

The maturation of the sadhaka pinnacles at the point when one’s whole life is enveloped in spiritual practice.  The highest form of practice is when one’s daily life becomes the state of sadhana – when every step and every breath is in unity-consciousness.  To illustrate, a practice might begin in the form of a prayer, eventually this practice permeates the actions that we perform, that is, the prayer becomes present in our day to day lives. We incorporate this prayer in our work, our errands, while we cook and clean, etc.  Eventually, the actions we perform and the prayer become one, and there is no difference.  Ultimately, you realize that you are the prayer. Becoming the practice is the goal of a true sadhaka.  Living the Truth is the ultimate sadhana.

Source: http://ekatvam.org/sayujya-yoga/sadhana.html