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Raj Yoga Meditation |
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Human World Tree |
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Introduction |
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OM SHANTI. 'Om'
means 'I am a soul'. 'Shanti' means more
than peace, it means 'full of peace'. The
soul is filled with essence of peace, as a
seed is filled with the essence of the
emerging tree. Let me return to my own
original seed form. When there is the
consciousness of 'I, the seed', it is
possible to understand the significance of
all human creation, the entire human world
tree. I, the seed that designs the tree of
my own future, can recognise that God the
Supreme is the seed of this tree, it is
possible to understand all of its secrets.
If you hold a seed in your hand, you are in
fact holding the secrets of the potential
tree as well.
This world tree has been transferred to as
the Kalpa (Cyclic) tree, and it is said that
if you sit beneath the kalpa tree, all your
desires are fulfilled. It is also said to be
the inverted tree, because God, the seed, is
up above in the incorporeal world and we are
down here in the corporeal world. First let
us see how this tree can fulfill all our
desires.
With an ordinary tree, there would first of
all be the roots, from which a trunk
emerges. Then branches develop from the
trunk, and eventually, the tree would have
expanded to such an extent that it could
grow no further; at this point it would
begin to decay. In just the same way, with
the kalpa tree there is birth, growth,
sustenance and then the period of decay.
However, decay does not mean the end. When
the tree reaches a critical point, before it
dies, it leaves a seed which can provide the
continuity, and again a new tree emerges. In
this way the human world tree is also
eternal; constantly changing, constantly
developing, but at no time is there no tree,
or no human world. We can understand those
changes more easily if we look at the world
alongside this analogy of the kalpa tree.
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The Roots of the Tree. |
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In a normal
tree, the most important part can be
considered to be the root, the part through
which the life-giving water is absorbed for
the creation of the tree. Similarly, with
the kalpa tree, the time when the roots are
growing, when the tree is being planted, is
the most important. The deeper the roots and
the stronger the fountain, the more
beautiful tree can become. At this
particular period of time it is possible for
us to lay the foundation for our whole
future, for the entire period of the tree,
because it is at this time, the Confluence
Age, that we are able to experience a
connection with the seed of the tree, and we
are able to understand the laws of karma.
Action has also been called a seed. The
seeds I sow now will bring fruit at some
time or other. By understanding the seed of
the tree, God, and by understanding the
seeds which are my own actions, it is
possible for me to plant for myself the
future of my choice. But just as when an
ordinary tree is being planted, there is a
specific season, an auspicious time, so if
advantage of that time is not taken, and it
is allowed to pass then no matter how much
effort is made later on, t still isn't
possible to obtain any fruit. If time is
wasted during the planting season, there
will only be regret later on. In the same
way, if I realise that this is the
transition period between the old world and
the new world, the old tree and the new
tree, I can take advantage of it and plant
for my own future. It's the same with
education in that there is a particular time
for study, and if that opportune moment is
missed then, without that foundation the
future is unstable. Now is the period for
the study of spiritual matters, for the
realisation of the self and of the Supreme.
Education is like the planting of a tree.
The period of planting is comparatively
short, but the time in which the reward of
fruit is experienced is much longer. So too,
we study Raja Yoga for a very short time,
but the effects of this last for many
thousands of years. The seeds of pure karma
that we now sow beings us fruit far into the
future.
As one digs and goes deeper and deeper into
the soil in order to plant a seed, others
passing will see this labour and try and
distract the person's attention, saying it's
not necessary to be putting in so much
effort, it's time to be enjoying the
sunshine. If that person is distracted, the
time passes and the opportunity is gone. In
the same way, as I study Raja Yoga, as I
build my foundation for the future, a
thousand and one distractions will come. It
is only with spiritual consciousness that
there can be the awareness of what needs to
be done at this time. I will only continue
to prepare my future if I am aware of the
time period and my own responsibility. In
the Confluence Age, with knowledge,
meditation and yoga, the soul has the power
and understanding to perform the fight
actions so that it can create for itself the
foundation of the Golden Age that is to come
very soon. |
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The Trunk.
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Once the roots
have been established and the foundation of
the Golden Age laid through the change in
human consciousness, that Golden Age will
become a reality here on earth. In the
context of the tree, this period, also known
as the Sun Dynasty, is the trunk. There is
one religion, one government, one world
family, one kingdom, one language. All are
happy in whatever role they are playing in
that kingdom, there is contentment and
satisfaction in relationships, and peace and
harmony prevail. The sun is shining - it is
the period of the Sun Dynasty. No clouds
mark the horizon, for this is the day -
there is the light of the highest
consciousness. Humans can be described as
Deities, for although they are human, their
qualities are divine. They are one hundred
percent perfect. Life-span are long as they
follow a yogi way of life: i.e. there is no
religion in the sense of ritual or worship
of God, but the sanskaras of the deities are
those of the highest religious qualities. In
this way, the religion there is the religion
of divine beings, the Deity Religion,
existing here on earth. There is a divine
way of life for everyone, whether they are
the emperor or the subjects of that golden
age kingdom.
As time goes by there is birth and re-birth.
This wouldn't be described as death, but
merely the shedding of the old skin and the
taking on of a new, perfect costume. In that
world of immortality, the word 'death'
doesn't even exist. No suffering, no
attachment, no fear - in this way human life
can be enjoyed to its fullest extent.
Throughout the period of the Golden Age the
soul adopts eight different 'costumes'
within a period of time which God has shown
most precisely as being of one thousand two
hundred and fifty years. This means the
life-span is approximately 150 years,
because the soul is pure and powerful, so
the life-span is long. As birth and re-birth
continues, we move gradually from the Golden
Age to the Silver Age, from the Sun Dynasty
to the Moon Dynasty. Here there is still
light, but there is a little coolness in
that light. The word 'paradise' is till
appropriate for there is still great purity,
harmony and peace. Still the one trunk of
the tree continues and there is one religion
and one undivided kingdom. However as the
soul passes through its eight births in the
Golden Age, it loses a little power so that
within the Silver Age, again a period of
1,250 years, there are in fact twelve
births. The life-span has become a little
shorter. |
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The Branches Begin.
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Here we reach a
point when half the period of the kalpa has
gone by, also by this time, half the power
of purity in the soul has slipped away.
There is no way of regenerating this power
and so the Copper Age begins, and there are
dramatic changes. Suddenly there is a vast
change in consciousness and the soul becomes
very aware of its physical costume; it is
attracted by its physical body. It begins to
enjoy the physical senses, and due to this
change in consciousness, the soul is no
longer master of those senses. It is pulled
by them and gradually becomes their slave.
With this change, not only is there
attraction for the soul's own body, but for
the physical costumes of others, and it is
at this time that the Deities fall from
their pedestals of purity and the first
violence of lust comes into the world. Once
lust has entered the kingdom, anger,
attachment, greed and arrogance follow soon
afterwards. The undivided kingdom is now
divided. The one trunk now splits and
branches appear. The Deities can no longer
be called Deities, and the divine way of
life has now disappeared. Immortality has
been lost, and humans become mere mortals.
They begin to seek the protection of God as
they experience sorrow and suffering - the
results of their own actions. In their
distress they begin to worship and remember
the One Supreme Eternal Father. First and
foremost there is the worship of the
Incorporeal, represented by a diamond -
symbolising the Incorporeal, radiating light
all around. The Koh-i-noor diamond now found
in the English Crown Jewels is one part of
that original diamond which represented
incorporeal God Shiva. But there is not only
the pure, loving, unadulterated worship of
the one God; there is also the memory of
their former selves, and images of those
Deities are created. Humans have forgotten
that they themselves were those divine
beings and now they make images of their own
past selves and worship them. Worship, or 'bhakti'
has become adulterated. There is no longer
worship of the one Supreme. When there was
law and order in the world, in the time of
the Deity religion, there was no need for
courts, judges or even laws, as there was
natural justice. But now, as man falls,
there is the need for spiritual laws to be
written, and so religion in the way we know
it begins. Laws for social defined, and a
world of structures begins. As a reaction to
the beginning of idol worship, a prophet
comes, and the message of Abraham is one
that makes people realise that it is not
through idol worship that there is reunion
with God. Thus the firs tbranch of the tree
appears. Abraham comes onto the world stage
and the branch of Judaism begins. Man is
given spiritual laws, and Judaism is the
path of law. There are laws of man's
behaviour with God, of man's relationship
with his family, the relationship between
priest and followers, between man and wife,
children and parents, teachers and students.
Judaism defines each of these aspects of
life with laws, and in this way the first
branch of the tree appears.
At this time, violence also begins. Another
messenger appears, and he preaches the path
of non- violence, the noble way of life, the
eight-fold path of nobility. His name is
Buddha and the path he shows is one of
purity and nobility in action. However, when
questioned about God, there is no comment.
It is understandable in a world of confusion
to lay emphasis on man's actions rather than
going into abstract discussions and
philosophies concerning the inconceivable
being. Attention is diverted from the
abstract towards the more practical side of
activity and there is concern for the
behaviour of individuals. This aspect of
responsibility is fulfilled.
In Buddhism, because of the awareness of
karma, action and reaction, the concept of
rebirth remains, and there is the acceptance
that the soul moves from one body to
another. On the Western side of the tree, we
see how, from the path Abraham has shown,
another branch appears. With Abraham there
was just law, and now another messenger
appears pointing out the need for the
balance of love with that law. Judaism has
described the laws of God, and has shown Him
as the fearsome Jehova, with whom there is
absolute justice. But there is also mercy in
the Supreme Father, and this quality of
mercy, founded in the quality of love, is
demonstrated by the appearance of Christ,
and we see the development of this new
branch.
It can be seen how each of these branches
begins with complete unity and purity, so
the powerful pure message brings great help
to millions. But with the passage of time
the purity of their messages becomes
adulterated, although to begin with each
messenger has served a purpose and given
souls an awareness that was previously
missing.
On the Western side of the tree, the semitic
side, there is the awareness of one God and
love for God the Father. We can see the
development of the other side of the world.
From the trunk, the Deity religion, came the
Hindu religion with its idol worship and the
beginning of corruption. We see how the
branch of Buddhism emerged as the Hindu
religion continues to decay. From the empire
of Hindu Kings another great branch appears
- the branch of Sanyas, the branch of
renunciation first established by
Shankaracharya. His message of renunciation
is most appropriate for the period of
history when there is just the indulgence of
the physical senses without concern or
responsibility. There is the power of purity
in the lives of the sannyasis so that,
although the overall stage of the world is
one of decline, their power helps to sustain
the world and keep the tree alive.
There is Abraham, Buddha, Christ and
Shankaracharya. Moving to the western side
again, another prophet appears. His name is
Mohammed, and his message is very simple,
clear, direct and most essential. Judaism
spoke of the one Incorporeal and showed a
total rejection of idol worship. With the
coming of Christ, love and attention were to
a certain extent, diverted from the
Incorporeal, towards Christ. So the message
of Mohammed - that there must be the
remembrance of only One, there is only one
God. His name is Allah. All others are
prophets. So this is a reminder of the one
Supreme Father. Indeed, this message is
taken so seriously in Islaam that no images
whatsoever are shown; there is just the
decoration of the mosques with script. We
can see the great need for this branch to
appear.
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Twigs.
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In this time of
the Copper Age, all the great world
religions have appeared on the world stage,
and each branch flourishes. However, by the
end of the Copper Age, divisions have
already appeared. There is now a split in
the theories. Some interpret things on one
level, others differently. Although there
was one message and one messenger, human
interpretations vary. The tree continues to
grow and we come to the period of the Iron
Age. Now many branches appear, but they
cannot be described as world religions so
much as sects, cults, and 'isms'. As the
Iron Age, or Kaliyuga moves towards its end,
a great number of tiny twigs appear and
every day brings another new cult or ism. By
this time all the original, major branches
have also reached a point of decay. Not only
is there the variety of interpretations, but
there is a vast difference between the
original preaching and the practical
activity of those who now preach it, or
profess to follow that faith. No longer does
a Buddhist follow the footsteps of Buddha;
no longer a Christian truly Christ-like.
Further, there is even the questioning of
the message itself, and doubt and confusion
arise as to its validity. Thus the tree
enters a stage of complete decay. The
branches which once sustained the tree have
become weak, and the foundations of the
world religions seem to be crumbling. It is
the end of Kaliyuga, the Iron Age - the end
of the old tree. Souls who originally
belonged to the Deity religion have moved
through a cycle of eighty- four births.
Eight births in the Golden Age, twelve in
the Silver Age, twenty-one in the Copper Age
and forty-two in the Iron Age. With each
birth there has been further loss of power
and now at the end of the Iron Age, all
souls, including those of the original Deity
religion, have become very weak. |
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The Seed.
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When this old
tree can continue no further, the seed, God
the Supreme, appears. The Seed incarnates on
earth and through His teachings, lays the
foundation for a new tree. Out of the old
tree comes the foundation of the new tree,
and the sapling for the new world planted.
Those who are the leaves of the old tree,
the souls of Kaliyug, experience
transformation and become the foundation for
the new world. This comes about through a
change in consciousness, and then a change
in sanskaras, the personality traits. But
the destruction of the old tree must also
take place at the same time, so that on one
hand, there is the foundation of the new
tree through the message of the Supreme and
the power of Yoga, and on the other the
destruction of the old tree. This occurs in
different ways. The old tree goes through
great upheaval due to natural calamities;
earthquakes, floods, and great violence in
nature. There is confusion amongst human
beings and this leads to anarchy and civil
strife - signs of which already apparent.
Then the tree is finally made to topple with
the power of nuclear weapons. Once the old
tree has fallen the sapling, which has
already been established, begins to bloom.
The new world, the new tree, begins and the
whole cycle starts once more. |
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Suggested Thoughts for
Meditation. |
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With the
power of pure thought … I go beyond my
physical costume … this body … I travel to
the World of Light … the Home of my Father,
the Supreme Soul … I bathe in the light of
Baba … my Father … I am filled with such
peace … such calmness … such stability …Baba
is the Ocean of Love … I drown in that love
… I become that love … and the fire of that
love burns and dispels all that is negative
within the soul … and I am filled with the
virtues of God.Baba is the Ocean of
Knowledge … the Seed of the Tree … As I come
to this my Father … my Teacher … I am filled
with all Knowledge … all understanding … I
see the significance of the Drama … I see
the role of all actors …Now I am content …
for all is revealed … I am the peaceful
soul. |
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Questions
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In what way is
God the Seed of the Tree?
What do the separate parts of the Tree
represent?
What happens in each of the four ages?
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