Progress in laya

The general approach in spiritual progress is:

1. turn attention inward
2. move or let the attention flow to subtler levels progressively
   
3. receive the communication or inspiration from the Absolute more and more clearly

Another perspective:

Dissolution or laya of effects into their causes until the ultimate cause or level is reached. This merges 1. and 2. above since dissolution requires going from the grosser (outer) to the subtler (inner).

Consider this sequence of subtle causes manifesting gross effects, from traditional Samkhya:

1. unmanifest pradhana or prakrti, unmanifest guṇas
   
2. mahat (sattva-predominant, rajas-tamas minimal)
   
3. ahaṁkāra (sattva+rajas, tamas minimal)
   
4. manas (sattvic ahaṁkāra) and
   tanmātras (tamasic ahaṁkāra)
   - impelled by rajasic ahaṁkāra
5. jnanendriya and karmendriya (from manas) and
   pancabhūtas (from tanmātras)
   

A subtlety at the end of this sequence makes the practice of Samkhya - progressive laya - elegantly logical and consistent. All three elements in 5. refer to the sensing and acting of a jiva, an embodied entity, in a "sensed world". Thus, pancabhūtas, matter and/or energy outside a jiva, are known to it only by inward sensations resulting from their impinging on its sense organs - jnanendriyas. Outward interactions with matter and/or energy occur through the karmendriyas.

 Consider a similar sequence, from science:

1. Energy fields
2. Subatomic particles
3. Atoms
4. Molecules
5. Elements, compounds, visible matter - gas, liquid, solid
   

To go from the grosser to the subtler requires greater and greater input of material energy, as from solid to liquid to gas, from gaseous matter to molecules to atoms and so on, to energy fields.

This could be why spiritual seekers, especially the scientifically-minded, believe more and more mental and/or physical effort is needed to go to subtler levels. On the contrary, relaxing more and more in meditation is the real meaning of surrendering more and more. Keeping up the artificial barriers of individuality and holding on to just my mental stuff takes much more effort than letting go.

(Important Note: The physical body does not change appreciably during the spiritual journey. It may become more sensitive and healthier as various kośas synchronise and eating habits become regular and better. But mental or non-physical changes won't automatically result in a fitter or healthier body.)

A systematic inward journey to subtler levels in sāṁkhya-yoga is simply this:

First pay attention to the outside, one sense organ at a time if you like, but letting the attention of each organ drift easily from sensation to sensation. E.g., the sounds around you, without analysis or visceral mental reactions - liking or disliking. Simply let your attention drift to whatever draws it.

Next, pay attention to the sensing organs themselves. Systematic physical relaxation from feet to head will do this effortlessly.

Then move inward even further to the mind, manas, itself. The easiest way is by choosing an infinite or transcendental object, especially one that goes beyond verbal limits, and resting the attention on that. An increase in subtlety and successive laya [1] will occur naturally. This and the following three require guidance. [2]

Next the ego, ahaṁkāra.

Next the discrimination, buddhi.

And finally back to a balanced state. But like a salt doll, which goes into the ocean and loses its tiny amount of individual salt, while "getting" all the salt of the ocean, there's no "I" left to discuss its state.n

Ispiration/communication from the Absolute - 3. in the first sequence at the top of this post - is a matter of experience.

NOTES

[1] In the Sahaj Marg spiritual journey, Babuji describes laya as divided into multiple stages which repeat at each point.

[2] The Heartfulness Way/Sahaj Marg practices, especially meditation and constant remembrance, use this technique with the inner Master as the guide.

A Fable Across Lives

Once there was a human with a sincere interest in the highest  spiritual goal.

It had many lives as both man and woman, as father,  mother, daughter, son, lover, husband, and wife.

It tried many different  spiritual practices - some lifelong - and slowly built up, from life to  life, its understanding of effective techniques.

It had deep, broad,  and intense relationships with other humans - positive, negative, and  neutral. In these relationships, it hurt others - knowingly and unknowingly. Yet, it also helped others, again knowingly and unknowingly. Other humans hurt and helped it similarly, physically and emotionally and  intellectually, in the course of their own strivings, conscious and  unconscious, towards the highest.

It built up many layers of behaviours  and biases from these relationships and thought they were solely its  own.

Now, at the outset of this life, this human decided that, no matter what, it would reach the highest in this very life. No more getting sidetracked by non-eternal goals. For many years, all went well.  It lived and worked on its own, isolated mentally, even if not  physically. Then it started an effective spiritual practice that rapidly  removed the layers from its individual activities across many lives.

Relationships got made and unmade easily, with seemingly few residues. It reached a particular point in spirituality.

Then the residues of relationships also started getting removed and other humans from those relationships, themselves spiritual seekers, rejoined its life, physically and mentally. The variety of those relationships and the effects of  unravelling their residues were some or all of these - blissful, painful,  uncomfortable,  deeply comforting, joyous and depressing.

All this came as a  shock to this human who had thought the spiritual journey to be a solo adventure. Which it is, in that its own effort and understanding is a must. Each human hews its own path. Yet it is not completely solo, either, in that the residues from the relationships of many lives require an engagement at the spiritual level, which gets translated into social, emotional, and  physical engagements.

A rising tide lifts all boats, true, but how about a group of swimmers? Can't they stay afloat with reduced individual effort if they link with each other?

A spiritual  journey is akin to swimming in an unknown ocean of consciousness, where one learns various swimming strokes, how to drown and come back to life, techniques for saving others, other group behaviour, and so on, all the while being in the water.

Frustratingly or happily, depending on  your view of spirituality, there is no ultimate static spiritual goal as a human. The higher spiritual goals come into a human's conscious awareness when it has gone beyond normal human states of consciousness. Is it then still a human?

Thus a fable without a neat ending, but some elucidation, reassurance, and promise.