Yin-yang, masculine vs. feminine

"Won't" power, "No" power - masculine

"Will" power, "Yes" power - feminine

neti, neti;

na iti, na iti - masculine

(iti, iti)

idam sarvam - feminine

Attributes and Qualities:

- reject all to reach simplicity & purity- masculine

- accept, integrate, and transcend all - feminine

Immanent Divine - masculine goal

Transcendental Divine - feminine goal

Yet, both approaches --

- diving or rising or subtilizing

to subtler and subtler, 

to more and more abstract levels within oneself

until infinity, total a-dvaita, is reached

and

- accepting 

more and more broadly, 

to more and more transcendency, 

more and more integration, 

until the simplest and purest commonality 

within all others is reached;

arrive at the same location.

One finds or dissolves into infinity within oneself.

The other finds or dissolves into the same infinity within all other selves.

Jnaana yoga - masculine

Bhakti yoga - feminine

Yet again, physical sex or gender need not and often does not match mental attitudes and approaches.

Also, both physically masculine and feminine humans 

must work both physically and mentally, 

must practise aspects of karma yoga and raaja yoga 

- neither of which fit as neatly into the yin-yang dichotomy 

as do jnaana-bhakti yoga.

Bhakti yoga is more difficult intellectually, just as integration is more difficult than differentiation :-) Finding subtler and simpler and more and more general commonality amongst more and more data, among more and more beings, is not a trivial effort.

Why bring this up at all?

Science strives to find a single or unified field from which all else emerges. In the sense above, this is a feminine approach, an integrative and simplifying method, and indeed, even an objective or saaksHI bhaava approach. However, at the subtlest levels, material or even energetic instruments are grosser than what they are to measure or observe, (IOW, direct perception), and inferencing or extrapolation becomes necessary.

The Sufis have a concept of Arc of Ascent and Arc of Descent. This approach transforms seekers by removing accretions, biases, and complexities until the Ultimate, the Absolute can work, can flow freely and without distortion through them. Ascension is the seeker's work and descending that of the Divine.

Here, as in science or in the yogas, physically-gendered activity is not an issue. Instead a gender-neutral consciousness and/or energy is purified and simplified until they can both unmanifest and manifest freely. Obviously, however, physical expression will be varied and gender-driven, and indeed unique due to the remaining saṁskāras.

In the Indian tradition, the guru tattva includes both father and mother tattvas, both masculine and feminine. A real guru then can guide both men and women, and along both depth-first and breadth-first paths.

Heartfulness does both, for all practitioners. Meditative, closed-eyes, or inward, depth-first practices, followed by open-eyed practices. Daaji puts it as actively meditating and meditatively active! Or spiritualising all normal life activities, instead of distinct meditative and non-meditative activities. Or, an arc of ascent and descent every day. Interactions with others outside of closed-eyes activities lead to a different arc of ascent - within others than within oneself.

In sum, both yin and yang, both masculine and feminine, both unmanifesting and manifesting, are needed - first for removal and then for evolution, for individual praLaya and individual sristHti.

Human to humane to divine

[Disclaimer: Daaji's phrases and concepts as I understand them. All errors mine.]

Human to humane -  I to We

Humane to divine - We to He

Level Agent/Subject   Object   Possessive

-------    --------------------  --------------------  -----------

Human     I-ego       my-ego mine-ego

Humane   We-ego       us-ego   our-ego

Divine He/It-ego       Him/to it-ego his/its-ego

I to We, 

expanding from individual to group, 

is active expansion of ego,

from     self-centred 

     to group-centred,

from     self-ish activity

     to group-ish activity

We to He/It,

expanding from group to cosmic/universal,

is subconscious & unconscious 

    relinquishing 

    of agency,

from group-centred

     to        un-centred

Beyond He/It is the Absolute, bhooma.

Expansion from I to We

can occur through

(at least) 4 different attitudes and approaches:

logical, emotional,

experiential/transformative, activity

(jñāna yoga, bhakti yoga, 

 yoga yoga or rāja yoga, karma yoga)

(But these attitudes and ways are always active together, 

only the preponderance varies.

E.g.,

jñāna mārga includes

bhakti for the guru,

activity and transformation/change

through experiences,

through mental practices, and

through mental and physical activities.)

All of these are for three deceptively simple purposes:

1. to purify one's heart and one's mind
2. to simplify one's heart and mind
3. to lighten or enlighten one's heart and mind

Leading then 

to synchronization with 

  subtler and subtler vibrations 

  of the Divine,

or 

to osmosis with the Divine.

Both are practically impossible to do

without an intermediary

who can sync with or be in osmosis with both you and the Divine.

Babuji puts it algebraically (!):

If 

A is in laya with B, and 

C is in laya with A, 

then 

C is in laya with B.

Of course, the dynamic aspect, the changing aspect, the evolving aspect of the process must be understood from other, less simple, descriptions of Babuji - 

a guru in laya with, merged with, the Absolute 

nourishes the practitioner lovingly in his mental womb and 

delivers them to the Brighter World after seven months. 

Of importance is "lovingly". 

Such nourishing is therefore not forcibly done. 

The practitioner has to have implicit faith, total trust, in the Guru, exactly like a baby. But a human adult behaving a spiritual baby means relinquishing conditioned behaviour and attitudes, letting go of distrust, discomfort, or shopping around - to name but three issues.

Imagine how difficult it is to guide someone's physical actions. Their sensory and motor nerves are out of sync with yours if they are uncomfortable, let alone distrustful of you.

Now imagine guiding someone's subconscious activities.

This is the work of a guru.

Fortunately, an authentic guru does not rely on his own conscious efforts all the time, but lets the guru tattva, the guru principle or energy or force, the guru śakti, flow through him to direct his thinking and actions towards the practitioner. 

This is where the Guru's laya with, osmosis with, the Absolute comes in handy.

He simply makes a very gentle, very tender, absolutely subtle saṅkalpa and 

its results are immediate, manifested by the Absolute.

But, it only works for such a human guru

in such complete laya, complete surrender, to the Absolute.

Returning to the main topic, in Heartfulness, Daaji gave 

I-to-We as the purpose of the Heart Region, and 

We-to-He as the purpose of the Mind Region. 

The first requires our daily activities, 

the second our daily relinquishing 

  of their ego-building effects.

In sum, I to We is my work. We to He is His work!

Love and saṁskāras

Love is the same or 
its flow is the same 
always and everywhere.

That which love flows through, 
its medium or channel or container, 
changes its expression.

Subtlest medium - closest to absolute, divine love

Grossest medium - closest to relative, separative, divisive physical love

Think of 5 levels or kośās or sheaths of subtlety:
- ānanda-maya
- vijñāna-maya
- mano-maya
- prāṇa-maya
- anna-maya

Now think of love manifesting at 
grosser and grosser levels 
as one goes "down" each of the 5 levels.

Another set of 3 levels or śarīrās or bodies 
of subtlety, using a different set of factors or attributes:
- kāraṇa or causal
- sūkṣma or subtle
- sthūla or gross

Now, think of love manifesting at 
increasingly grosser levels, from causal to gross.

In the SMS, love flows 
through infinity at the subtlest centre
(OR love is infinity),
through increasingly gross mediums 
  from the subtlest material inner level - non-physical - 
  to grossest material inner level - physical brain and heart, 
through physical body,
through the physical outside.

Now imagine love flowing 
through the physical outside 
to another physical body.

What if this love doesn't stop at the body, 
but also goes to the mind?

In other words, 
what if one loves another 
not just physically or energetically, but also 
mentally or emotionally and intellectually?

And through the subtlest of material sheaths - 
the ānanda-maya kośa?

There is yet another level, 
but that is 
beyond material expression, 
the ātma or jīva.

Daaji talks about 
consciousness and modes of consciousness 
as another set of subtle bodies - 
cit, ahaṁkār, buddhi, manas 
(in that order, 
differing from the well-known 
manas-buddhi-cit-ahaṁkār, and 
also from the sāṁkhya-yoga sequence 
puruṣa/consciousness, mahat/buddhi, ahaṁkāra, manas).

Imagine love flowing through these different subtle bodies.

At the level of cit or consciousness, 
the flow of love is 
absolute, inexhaustible, unchanging 
as observed or experienced from a grosser level.

Flow at the 
buddhi or intellectual/discriminative, and 
manas or emotional/thinking 
subtle bodies 
have been mentioned above and again, below.

Love flowing through ahaṁkāra creates 
possessiveness, care, responsibility, guidance, etc. - 
anything and everything associated with 
I, me, my/mine.

Love as obsessive possessiveness 
manifests as
  control and subjugation, 
OR
distorts responsibility and support,
changes freedom to slavery.

Surprisingly, perhaps, 
"I" love may manifest 
not as loving a clone of oneself, but 
an opposite of oneself.

Thus, masculine and feminine, 
not masculine and masculine, or 
feminine and feminine.

This is not consistent across 
all kośās, all sheaths, though.

It is obvious 
in the physical sheath - 
the grossest opposite pairing is 
a plug and a socket, 
to be euphemistic.

It is somewhat obvious 
in the energetic sheath - 
manifesting in opposite - 
subtler and grosser - 
directions 
(perhaps a controversial assessment).

The mental and intellectual sheaths are 
more random and unclear - 
moods and thoughts of another matching yours 
may make them your friend, if not a lover.

Or not matching, or opposing.

Matching intellectual processing, judging 
also may lead to friendship, 
especially in niche areas.

And at the ānanda-maya kośa, 
especially if it is also the kāraṇa śarīra 
(that which causes future events, 
 in order to unwind saṁskāras)?

love simply brings together 
those who must undergo bhogam together.

Exact opposites are as possible as exact clones, 
as well as any and all variant pairings 
between those two extremes.

Someone inflicting 
physical pain and mental suffering on you 
can clear 
your individual relationship saṁskāras 
as well as theirs and 
also other related individual ones.

Similarly, someone giving you pleasure and joy.

And this may not be restricted to just two, a couple.

After all, one's interactions with others are
many hundreds, perhaps thousands -
without closure,
with emotional residues, 
with emotional stickiness -
in one life.

Total unwinding or cleansing 
of one's individual and shared samskaras 
may well need 
a similar hundreds or thousands 
of interactions.

Yet, the further inward, 
the subtler the level or body 
one's attention goes to, 
the easier it is 
to love, 
to let love flow, 
to stay present 
instead of dwelling on, acting from,
the past, i.e., from saṁskāras.

Or acting 
from fear or caution 
  regarding one's future, 
from one's vāsanās.

Then?

Surrender 
all my saṁskāras, 
all my vāsanās, 
everything that makes up 
the I, the me, the my and 
simply be,
simply become, 
simply let love flow 
as it will.

And like the madman 
who exploded 
with joy and gratitude 
on hearing of the mere possibility 
of liberation 
even after hundreds of lives, 
your total surrender means 
total relinquishing, 
total laya.

Instantly.

A little solid static drop of love 
melting and disappearing
into the ever-flowing ocean of love.

Then?

You remanifest, 
completely new, 
completely changed internally, 
but looking perhaps the same 
externally, physically...

Before satori, carry water, chop wood.
   After satori, carry water, chop wood.

Freed of old saṁskāras and vāsanās, 
no longer creating fresh saṁskāras or vāsanās.

Friendships

Why were Chariji and Babuji 

against friendships in ashrams or 

even outside ashrams?

Friendships are usually 

transactional, conditional, 

limiting, limited, 

between two separate beings. 

Based on a shared past. 

Trying to recreate its 

past positive aspects 

for a shared enjoyable future.

When only the Guide 

is considered as a friend, 

he changes your understanding 

of friendship 

as a relationship 

from limited and transactional 

to unlimited and flowing, 

ever-present.

Even the Guide is not 

a conventionally human friend.

He is a channel 

for love to flow through 

to you 

from his inside 

to you externally and 

for love to flow through 

from you 

from your inside 

to him externally.

Why flow? 

Why not just give and take?

Because flow is 

never-ending, 

inexhaustible, 

ever-present.

Flow never started.

Flow never ends.

But its expression 

ebbs and flows and 

even pauses, seemingly halts - 

depending on 

the channel's capacity, 

its expandability, 

its ability to sustain 

tsunamis as well as zephyrs.

If you understand yourself 

to also be a channel, 

then your transactional attitude 

will change.

Now your friendships with others 

will become 

subtler, deeper, wider, dynamic, 

but all in the present. 

And so, 

most importantly, 

independent of 

the residues of 

a shared past or 

imagined future. 

Natural. 

Easy-going. 

Non-sticky. 

Non-manipulative. 

Wholehearted. 

Positive. 

Energizing, not enervating.

Flowing.

Living.

No, thriving!

Conscious to subconscious to superconscious - HFN techniques

Usually, subconscious is considered to be in a different direction than superconscious - down vs up, sub- vs. super. But what if subconscious is merely a layer between conscious and superconscious?

Consider what happens in meditation.

You start with a focus on something.

After a while, you realise the focus has shifted.

There are four parts to "After a while, you realise":

1. Awareness shifts from conscious to subconscious level

2. One or more distractions shift subconscious attention from initial focus to other thing(s) sequentially

3. Awareness returns to conscious level

4. Awareness of shift in focus occurs

(What am I doing now? What should I be doing now? - two questions that help in training attention.)

A simple question - is it possible to stay with the initial focus subconsciously?

If yes, what prevents it?

Simple answer - distractions or triggers.

How are distractions removed?

1. Let them occur without getting involved - sākṣi bhāva.

2. Heartfulness rejuvenation/cleansing - a more purposeful and less random activity. sākṣi bhāva is replaced by attention on cleaning steps or cleaning effects, making it easier to avoid involvement in what is being cleaned away.

Then what?

Once distractions or triggers are mostly removed, 

it is easier to keep the initial focus both consciously and subconsciously.

Then?

If the initial focus is on 

something totally abstract - 

  light without luminosity, 

  light without shape or form or colour, and 

something infinite - the source of such a light, and

something actively pulling your attention - the same source,

then one attention goes beyond the conscious and subconscious,

to the superconscious.

Put differently, the superconscious vibrations are now able to go through the subconscious layer to the conscious.

What are these vibrations?

A matter of experience and transformation of consciousness.

Reaction to response - HFN techniques

Right after, soon after reactions

[1]

Or bring up reactions

While still fresh, stinging

1. Do paired HFN cleaning

Take individual sitting

[2]

From app or from trainer

But do reverse of accepting

No longer give attention or energy to reactions

Ignore reactions

Pay attention to heart

Pay attention to light in heart

Pay attention to source of light in heart

Surrender to its pull inward

Let it turn you into clear sky, peaceful ocean

2. Do solo HFN cleaning

Cleaning, emergency cleaning, spot cleaning

Here do reverse of accepting

No longer give attention or energy to reactions

Ignore reactions

Pay attention to cleaning steps

Pay attention to cleaning effects

Ignore what is being cleaned away

Let the current of purity to your heart transform you

Turn you into clear sky, peaceful ocean

NOTES

[1] Or immediately after, or soon after a disturbing event

[2] Daaji said once that his turmoil and grief at the rejection of a marriage proposal was completely cleansed by a sitting the same day.

[3] I have both taken and given individual sittings after funerals and deaths - the weight of both suppressed and expressed grief and other emotions was palpably reduced.

Reaction to response

Accept totally

Let energies, reactions arise

A whirlpool, a tsunami, overwhelming intensity

 

Lightning strikes, overwhelming speed

Surrender

Surrender again, and again

Accept totally

Forgive the tsunami, forgive the lightning 

You are ocean beyond whirlpool or tsunami

Whirlpool dissolves back into ocean

Tsunami subsides into, returns to ripples, pacific flow

You are sky beyond cloud or lightning

Cloud dissipates, disappears

Lightning ends, dazzle ends

Sky continues

Take a break if it hurts too much

Take a break for minutes, hours, days, months, even years

While your will, courage, energy rebuilds

But return and witness repeatedly

Until flinching stops

Until thinking stops

Until words stop

Until heart is at peace

Life resumes