What
is the philosophy of Siddha Yoga?
Perhaps its best to say that contemporary forms of Siddha
Yoga have a core of underlying tenets but not a philosophy.
These tenets include: the central role of kundalini in the
manifestion of the universe and the evolution of the individual
and the culmination of the evolution of the individual in
a state of complete unity.
Different teachers have exposited
Siddha yoga in different ways. Swami Muktananda drew on a
wide variety of Indian literature but principally relied upon
the Shiva Sutras, the Spanda Karikas and other literature
of the Trika school of Shaivism. Swami Shivom Tirth has also
relied up on the Shiva Sutras to define the different stages
of evolution. Both Swami Shivom Tirth and Swami Kriplavananda
have used Patanjali's Yoga Sutras for their elucidation of
the states of samadhi. All of these teachers are quick to
note that the use of these scriptures does not imply that
Siddha Mahayoga is a form of Hinduism. Instead the emphasis
is that each of us has the force of kundalini within us and
having awakened the kundalini our life and religious practice
will be enriched.
There are really only a few
tenets of the practice of siddha yoga. The first is that the
process begins with shaktipat initiation by the guru. This
initiation may begin with a formal request from the disciple
and culminate with a formal initiation ceremony or it may
occur informally through a impromptu manifestation of the
guru's grace in intention, glance, word or touch. Through
the initiation the kundalini shakti is awakened and begins
to move in the disciple's body. The practice then consists
of deeply surrendering to the spontaneous manifestations of
kundalini shakti, as described above.
What is the precise
role of the guru in Siddha yoga?
The role of the guru is laid out in the text the Shiva Sutras
where it says "gururupaya"; the guru is the means.
Because it is the guru who awakens your kundalini the guru
is given great reverence in this tradition. The awakening
of kundalini that many people struggle, with effort and danger,
to accomplish in a lifetime a true guru can accomplish in
a few seconds. Nevertheless the role of a guru is to awaken
the kundalini within you; then the practice takes place between
you and your kundalini. The guru is a facilitator in the process
of awakening kundalini not an ongoing intermediary between
the disciple and kundalini.
With respect to the guru the
classical Shaivist literature takes an especially pragmatic
attitude. Classical literature of Shaivism, such as the Shiva
Purana, states that if after one year the disciple has not
arrived at some direct inner experience through the agency
of the guru then there is no fault in seeking another guru.
What I read from this is that this path is not one of years
of wondering : "Is something happening?" but a practical
approach in which one should, through the grace of the guru,
be brought into direct experience of kundalini.
Is Transcendental
Meditation a kind of Siddha Yoga?
In Transcendental Meditation practice individuals are given
a mantra. If one believes that this mantra, through the preliminary
puja, is "awakened" or infused with consciousness
then this technique is precisely the same method that is used
by some teachers to initiate their studentsinto the practice
of kundalini yoga. The idea as exposited by these kundalini
yoga teachers is that the consciousness of the mantra resonates
with the the slumbering kundalini and awakens her. This is
not the same as the exposition of the Transcendental Meditation
practice nor is it straightforward to resolve these two models
of mantra meditation.
In practice many TM practicioners
experience kundalini awakening. Some experience it quite violently.
Survey books on kundalini experience, such as Sannella's 'The
Kundalini Experience' contain many such case histories although
these case histories are not comprehensive enough to indicate
whatother factors might have led to the kundalini awakening.
Through checking notes and Teacher Training Courses TM checkers
and teachers are minimally prepared for the possibility of
kundalini awakening. So while not entirely outside the range
of TM practice one would assume that a strong kundalini awakening
is not central to TM practice or a high probablity result.
In the use of the flying sutra
in the TM Sidhis program it is much more the norm to have
kundalini related experiences. Many, perhaps most, Sidhas
will experience a wide range of activities, technically know
as kriyas during the practice. The mechanism by which the
flying sutra actually awakens the kundalini is unknown to
me. I'd be interested to hear any explanations.
| Authors Details:
Kurt
Keutzer Email: keutzer[at]eecs.berkeley.edu |
Read about this in a modern context
(Enligtenment
Pt1)
(Enlightenment
Pt 2)
(Enlightenment
Pt3)
More Articles On Kundalini / Shaktipat
(Kundalini
Shaktipat Pt 1)
(Kundalini
Shaktipat
Pt 2)
(Kundalini
Energy Awakening)
(Kundalini
Symptoms)
(Kundalini
Meditation)
(The
Great Invocation Kundalini Meditation)
(Kundalini)
(Kundalini
& Prana)
(Kundalini
Yoga)
(Kundalini
Awakening) |
