Day: June 11, 2018

Pran Sutra – for Dying

It has been said that all yoga is preparation for the moment of death.  That in the instance that our final breath expires, the soul is confronted with the choice to move on into oneness or continue on with the world it knows.  Yogi Bhajan referred to this time as “choosing the cold path”.  He said the soul would confront two roads, one cold and unfamiliar, one warm and cozy.  The cold path would lead the soul onwards and the warm familiar path would lead one back into the womb for rebirth.  To escape the wheel of karma is the goal of each soul, and so the moment of death is incredibly important, as that is when the choice is made. The discipline of sadhana, cold showers, waking up before the dawn and keeping up in meditation…all of these practices train the mind to follow choice and intention rather than laziness and ease.  We are literally training ourselves to take the difficult but ultimately more rewarding road.

In the moment of death, mantra can help a soul move into the blue ethers and escape the electromagnetic field of the earth.  The difference between dying with a swear word on your lips and dying with “Waheguru” can make all of the difference. There are many stories from India of parables about this.  One story that I love is that a very bad man, a thief and liar was killed by a man named Ram.  In surprise he exclaimed “Ram!”  (a name of God in addition to the man’s name) and was surprised to find himself elevated in a more powerful incarnation, such was the power of the vibration of the name.

Whether you believe the parables or not, Yogi Bhajan gave a mantra called the “Pran Sutra” which literally means the “Teaching of Life Force” and refers to teaching the life force what to do at the moment of death to train and focus the mind onto a higher vibration.

The Pran Sutra mantra is “Nanak too(n) lehanaa too(n) hai Guru amar too(n) veechaariaa Dhan Dhan Ram Das Gur Jin sireeaa tinai savaariaa” (from Spirit Voyage).  This mantra brings you through the energy of the first four Sikh gurus, ending at Guru Ram Das, Lord of Miracles and the Guru associated with the heart chakra.  It focuses the consciousness of the reciter onto the energy of the heart, the energy of miracles, and entreats divine assistance with the passage of life.

The Pran Sutra is a tool given by Yogi Bhajan to prepare our soul to take the right steps in the moment after we pass.  It is a beautiful gift that we can give to ourselves and a wonderful teaching to include in our life as well as our death.

via Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa

Today: “Confront yourself to eradicate all remnants of compulsion” – I Ching

Confront yourself to eradicate all remnants of compulsion.  Even when hidden, emotional indulgences bring forth bad behavior and undesirable consequences.  It’s like a pig raging about with his pig nature.  As humans, we can transmute base compulsions into compassionate intentions.  This path leads to great success and wealth.

Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's translation of the I Ching

This hexagram indicates a situation in which the principle of darkness, after having been eliminated, furtively and unexpectedly obtrudes again.
If an inferior element has wormed its way in, it must be energetically checked at once. By consistently checking it, bad effects can be avoided. If it is allowed to take its course, misfortune is bound to result; the insignificance of that which creeps in should not be a temptation to underrate it. A pig that is still young and lean cannot rage around much, but after it has eaten its fill and become strong, its true nature comes out if it has not previously been curbed.
The sun in heaven above, shedding light over everything on earth, is the image of possession on a grand scale. But a possession of this sort must be administered properly. The sun brings both evil and good into the light of day. Man must combat and curb the evil, and must favor and promote the good. Only in this way does he fulfil the benevolent will of God, who desires only good and not evil.
The time is favorable – a time of strength within, clarity and culture without. Power is expressing itself in a graceful and controlled way. This brings supreme success and wealth.  

Meditation

Tao Te Ching – Verse 35

Previous readings
Today: I Ching

 

Today: “You run after wealth and glory and glamour” – Yogi Bhajan

SSSYWaYou run after wealth and glory and glamour. But it will run after you, providing you are an open channel.” Yogi Bhajan

 

Meditation

Today: “Allow for unplanned deviations from your duty’s path” – I Ching


If fulfilling your duties in the traditional ways does not work out, allow the deviation from the prescribed path and follow it.  We are sometimes derailed by things we do not see, yet they serve everyone the best in the long run.

Read the text from Richard Wilhelm's translation of the I Ching

Exceptional modesty and conscientiousness are sure to be rewarded with success; however, if a man is not to throw himself away, it is important that they should not become empty form and subservience but be combined always with a correct dignity in personal behavior. We must understand the demands of the time in order to find the necessary offset for its deficiencies and damages. In any event we must not count on great success, since the requisite strength is lacking. In this lies the importance of the message that one should not strive after lofty things but hold to lowly things.
The structure of the hexagram gives rise to the idea that this message is brought by a bird. In Ta Kuo, PREPONDERANCE OF THE GREAT (28), the four strong, heavy lines within, supported only by two weak lines without, give the image of a sagging ridgepole. Here the supporting weak lines are both outside and preponderant; this gives the image of a soaring bird. But a bird should not try to surpass itself and fly into the sun; it should descend to the earth, where its nest is. In this way it gives the message conveyed by the hexagram.

She passes by her ancestor
And meets her ancestress.
He does not reach his prince
And meets the official.
No blame.

Duration is a state whose movement is not worn down by hindrances. It is not a state of rest, for mere standstill is regression. Duration is rather the self- contained and therefore self-renewing movement of an organised, firmly integrated whole, taking place in accordance with immutable laws and beginning anew at every ending. The end is reached by an inward movement, by inhalation, systole, contraction, and this movement turns into a new beginning, in which the movement is directed outward, in exhalation, diastole, expansion.
Heavenly bodies exemplify duration. They move in their fixed orbits, and because of this their light-giving power endures. The seasons of the year follow a fixed law of change and transformation, hence can produce effects that endure.
So likewise the dedicated man embodies an enduring meaning in his way of life, and thereby the world is formed. In that which gives things their duration, we can come to understand the nature of all beings in heaven and on earth.

Meditation

Tao Te Ching – Verse 37

Previous readings
Today: I Ching