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Raj Yoga Meditation |
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Wheel |
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THE COSMIC CYCLE |
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This lesson is
on the subject of the Cosmic Cycle according
to the teachings given by us by the Supreme
Father through the human instrument who was
given the name Prajapita Brahma. Every
aspect of these teachings has relevance,
both to our stage of meditation and also to
our day to day activity. This is the purpose
of spiritual knowledge: that it should bring
me closer to the Supreme Being, so that I am
able to take power and strength from Him. It
would be knowledge that will help me in my
day to day activities so that I then know
how my karma, my own actions, should be
transformed. The transformation should be
such that, each moment of each day, I am
moving further towards my destination. If
spiritual knowledge is merely for the
satisfaction of my own human curiosity, it
will not help me reach a state of
perfection. The spiritual knowledge I need
to know is one, which has to serve the
two-fold purpose of bringing me closer to
the Supreme, and helping me in my dayz to day
activity.
The secrets of the cycle cover the three
aspects of time: the past, the present and
the future. It is interesting that there are
only these three aspects. There just isn't a
fourth. There is that which happened in the
past, there is the present and then there is
the future. And that which is in the past
was at some point the present, that which is
the present will immediately become the
past, and that which is of the future will,
within the next moment, become part of the
present. So we see that past, present and
future are only terms applicable to physical
dimensions of consciousness and the physical
dimensions of time. What would happen if we
were to move beyond physical consciousness?
Then we would see that in fact thee is
absolutely no difference at all between the
past, the present or the future. We would
see instead a rotating cycle: the future
becoming the present, and that very soon
becoming the past. We would see a wheel
spinning, and it is this concept of the
wheel that brigs about a real awareness of
the whole idea of eternity.
Perhaps eternity is one of the most
difficult things for the human mind to
comprehend, and even with understanding, it
is difficult to apply that awareness to
one's day to day activity, because the human
mind is accustomed to thinking in terms of a
beginning and an end. When we think about
eternity, no beginning, no end, there is a
tremendous fear because then the mind is
trying to think of a past that stretches
beyond the limits of awareness, things that
I cannot remember, things that I cannot
recall. And one tries to comprehend a future
that reaches out towards infinity, a time
without end. To be suspended in this
timeless state is likely to cause great fear
if there is "physical" consciousness.
In physical consciousness I am content to
stay within the walls that I have built
around my consciousness. I do not wish to
know the distant past or the distant future;
I am quite content just to know the past I
can understand immediately, a past that
takes me back maybe ten years, twenty years,
thirty years of this human life. And very
often I do not even want to know about the
next ten years. Yes, perhaps I would be
curious to know what the next year will
bring, hence the great interest in
horoscopes, astrology and such things, but
am I really concerned about knowing what the
next ten years hold? Obviously, there are so
many unknowable factors that I would wonder,
will I be alone, or will I be with someone
whom I love, will I be old and gray, will I
be weak and infirm - what will my physical
situation be? There are so many question
marks, and so many fears and doubts in just
thinking about the immediate future, even
just in terms of my own personal identity,
let alone the state of the world, that often
the soul is happy to stay in a state of
ignorance. In this situation, it could be
said that "ignorance is bliss", because
there is no need to be making any extra
effort - let me just work for my day to day
survival, let me just be concerned about
what tomorrow will bring. Why should I care
about anything further in the future?
And yet, it seems the soul is not content
with these physical restrictions of time and
space. There is something within the self
that asks, "Where was I before this
particular body came into existence?" And
even the most stable person, however caught
up in materialism, will sometimes have the
question, "Where will I go once I leave this
body? Will there simply be death and ashes?
Is there anything else beyond?" Where there
is this curiosity, and the soul begins to
search for its own identity, it becomes
aware of itself as a greater being, a being
of light, separate from the physical body.
In this consciousness, it has risen above
the dimensions of time and distance, and it
begins to experience its own immortality,
its own eternity - I have always existed, I
exist now, and I will always exist. I become
aware of my eternal existence without a
beginning, without an end.
In this state of awareness I begin to see
the cyclic patterns of events within the
cosmic history. I see my own eternal being,
I see within myself my own eternal
personality traits or sanskaras, and I see
how I the soul move through an eternal, and
complete cyclic pattern of existence. I see
how this is not only related to myself, the
individual soul, but, being aware myself as
a soul and recognizing others around me as
souls, I see how they too are part of this
whole cyclic patter. I see how the cycle is
made up of actions and reactions; actions
and interactions interweaving with each
other so that the history of one soul
becomes inseparable form the history of
others. I see how, going through a cyclic
pattern, there must be change at every step.
At no two points on the circumference of a
circle is there movement in the same
direction. I begin at one point facing in
one direction, at the next step my direction
has changed, and so I see how there is
constant change and yet, because there is
very definite pattern within the constant
change, there is still stability. I see a
spinning wheel, yet it is not one spinning
in chaos, I see a wheel spinning in order,
with perfect accuracy |
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The Unlimited Drama
- Scene I. |
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The sun and the
moon provide lights for the stage, and we
can see the drama as it begins. Of course,
the drama is eternal, infinite, without
beginning, without end, yet there is a very
specific sequence of events, so let us make
a starting point. The most logical one would
be when the drama scene first of all opens
up with just a very few actors on the world
stage. We see the earth in its youngest
form; we see the earth in its newest form;
we see nature and all blending together to
provide the most beautiful background for
the actors to make their appearance. In
fact, the beauty is so tremendous, that this
can be described as Perfect Paradise, it
could even be called the Garden of Eden. We
see beauty in the flowers, we see beauty in
the waters, there is fragrance all around.
We feel the touch of the wind on our cheeks
as if caressing them, and we are here in
this land where beings do not seem to be
ordinary mortals, but it is as though
deities have incarnated on this earth. I see
men and women with smiles in their eyes,
smiles on their faces and laughter in their
words. I see the love radiating from each
one all around touching everyone they meet.
I see my dream of Paradise here on the
earth. This is the Age of Truth, this the
Age which is Golden, this is the Age in
which man is perfect, in which there is
love, in which there is harmony. I see the
rulers of this perfect Paradise, for it
seems to be a kingdom. I see in which there
is harmony. I see the rulers of this perfect
Paradise, for it seems to be kingdom. I see
these rulers ruling with total love and
complete authority. I see how their words of
wisdom are sought by their subjects, so that
there is no need for them to write down
laws, to make laws, for their words are
instantly obeyed, their word is the natural
law. In fact, not only is their word the
law, the life itself it based on law, and so
this is the kingdom of the Golden Age. This
is the new age that awaits us. This is
Satyuga, the Ancient Kingdom of the deities.
In this world of Satyuga, there are human
beings, but human beings who are deities. A
kingdom, but a kingdom which is based on the
disciplines of divinity, in which there is
no need for advisors, a kingdom whose rulers
have God given gifts of wisdom and justice.
I see how they wear a crown, a crown of
light - a halo that surrounds them. I see
them also wearing a crown of jewels, a crown
showing their governing strength, their
power. It seems to be a world in which there
is total unity, a world in which there is
oneness, one world kingdom, one world
religion. The language of these people seems
to be one of sweetness and silence and so
there is one language for all.
I look around and see happiness on every
face. Whether young or old, there is still
absolute beauty. I see no signs of sickness
or even death. I see how a soul leaves one
body when it has become too old to carry on
further, and simply moving away, out of that
costume and flying within a second to
another tiny body which awaits to receive
the spirit. Another more beautiful, more
perfect little form awaits the soul and so
those around the old person have no need for
tears. There is no sorrow, there is no
separation. The soul has simply gone on to
the next part of its journey, leaving one
shore yet having friends and relatives
waiting to greet it as it lands on the other
shore, like a ferry boat going from one side
to the other. There is no question of sorrow
or suffering at all. I see a world where
there is not only beauty of spirit, and the
eternal beauty of nature, but where there is
also beauty in human beings themselves.
Every being has been shaped with the hand of
the Supreme so that the physical form
reflects the beauty of the spirit within.
Faces are glowing, eyes are perfect, every
aspect of each human being is divine. These
human beings live together, they work
together. Yes, there is work, but not the
toil and labour we know today, even as they
work, it is as though they are dancing. As
they go into the fields to sow the seeds,
there is none of the tedious labour of
digging the land and soil, the earth is
fresh, it is fertile and waiting to receive
those seeds and with just the wave of a
hand, it is as though the seed is sprouting,
and beautiful fruits emerge so quickly. How
was all this achieved ? Everything around
the soul, including nature, exists to serve
that soul, so, naturally, when the soul is
pure and the spirit powerful, it brings
about purity in the world. This is the
Garden of Paradise where human beings first
live, in the first part of the world cycle.
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Scene II.
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However, the
cycle has to move on as souls pass through
the different ages - different scenes within
the Drama. They move form the Golden Age
into the Silver Age, that is, from the time
of the Sun Dynasty where the sun spread its
powerful light to the period of the Moon
Dynasty. Here too is Heaven on earth. The
same purity and divinity; one kingdom, one
land, and one law, as before, but a certain
lustre has been removed and the purity has
diminished a little. We have moved from the
stage of being 100% complete to a stage of
80%. As the soul has passed through its
different births, it has gradually been
losing its original energy and power, thus
moving from the Golden Age to the Silver
Age. But these two ages, the whole of the
first half of the cycle, could be described
as the Day of Divinity, a time when there is
light and awareness, when there is the
spirituality and souls are aware of their
true identity. Why was the soul referred to
as being like gold in the Golden Age? Pure
gold is a metal which is completely
unaffected by the external elements - water,
wind, air. It remains untarnished.
Similarly, the soul in that first period on
the world stage, unaffected by anything
external, the master in charge of its
situation. Once the soul has moved into the
Silver Age some of the power is lost, so,
like Silver, it becomes tarnished after a
while.
From the Day of Sunshine, the light of total
awareness, the soul continues to move round
- to the third scene of the Drama Cycle, the
Copper Age. |
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Scene III.
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Here there is a
vast change in consciousness. That soul that
was silver aged, has, through the passage of
time lost its power and become tarnished.
The physical elements have affected it, and
it moves into a stage, which is described as
body consciousness. Man falls from his
pedestal of divinity, the spirit now comes
into the bondage of matter. Man is no longer
the master of matter, but matter now
dominates man. And this is the age that is
described as the age of duality. In the
first two parts of the cycle, half the
cycle, there was complete unity, for there
was the consciousness of the spirit. Now
through the loss of power there is a change
in consciousness and a duality. Sometimes
there is the consciousness of the spirit,
but more often than not, the awareness of
the physical, which means the awareness of
the body. This split in consciousness brings
about a total split within the personality,
so that those qualities, which were divine -
purity, peace and love - are now coming into
conflict, or are now being challenged by
other aspects. There is sometimes confusion,
and the soul is pulled from its stage of
complete purity into thoughts of the
physical attractions of the body and
impurity begins to pull it down from its
highest level.
Because of this change in consciousness
there is bondage for the soul. It no longer
has the strength to maintain its pure stage,
and negativity of many different varieties
begins to affect it. Sometimes there are the
thoughts of lust, of anger and greed - and
attachment begins to emerge. There is also
arrogance and ego. Where before there was
the purest vision of love for all, there is
now the vision of lust, because the body is
pulling the soul. Now because there is
concern for the self rather than for others,
and my desires are not fulfilled, violence
erupts; there is anger. Previously,
absolutely everything was available, but now
I begin to have thoughts of greed, and to
covet other people's things. I desire to
have more than I need. When there was pure
love there was complete freedom of spirit;
but now there is the grossest form of
attachment and possessiveness. Not only do I
think of myself as a body, but I also begin
to demand possession of other bodies as
well. I make demands on my relatives and my
friends, and so the ropes of attachment grow
stronger and stronger. My vision is tainted
with the consciousness of my own physical
being; this causes ego and arrogance. When
such a transformation has taken place within
the soul, it is not surprising that it is
now referred to as Copper Aged, it is being
influenced by the external elements, like
copper, it has become very tarnished.
Parallel to these changes in the soul, there
are changes in the world; now many kingdoms
arise out of battles caused by greed and
jealousy. Instead of one religion, the
religion of peace and purity, many 'bodily'
religions come into existence. Messengers
are sent to us from the Supreme Regions to
try and show us the path of light, but the
Night has already started and dusk grows
deeper and darker. It reaches the stage of
total darkness, when there is not a trace of
light anywhere. |
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Scene IV. |
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We are now in
the Iron Age. The age when the soul is so
completely under the influence of the
external that it has become rusted, even
poisonous. Just as iron is affected by water
and wind, similarly the soul, is so full of
evil that it is dominated by Body
Consciousness - lust, anger, greed,
attachment and ego. The world itself is also
influenced, and we see before us a period of
extreme violence, corruption, great sorrow
and suffering. Since the beginning of the
Copper Age, nature, which at one time used
to serve man, has been reacting against him.
It is now so violent that man is struggling
for survival. There is untimely death, and
this death comes with great sickness, pain
and suffering. Once man was in the land of
happiness, but this is the land of sorrow,
and he wonders: is this the story of
existence? Is there any purpose to existence
at all? From freedom to bondage, and now
there is nothing but chains binding the
soul. Even in relationships - where in the
Golden Age was just pure love - now there
seems to be pain and sorrow. Every
connection; mother and child, husband and
wife,
brother and sister, is one of bondage. |
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Scene V.
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It is at this
period, however, at the very end of the Iron
Age that the Supreme Soul the Sun of
Knowledge intervenes. When the Sun comes,
the darkness of the night is dispelled, and
day can begin once more. We are so fortunate
to find ourselves in this period of time,
for this is the dawn, leading to the day. We
are no longer in the Iron Age. The Iron Age
continues to exist, but, for those who
recognize the Sun of Knowledge and who
experience a relationship with Him, there is
light. Such souls have moved out of the
darkness and into the dawn. They prepare
themselves to greet the fresh new day, and
help others by leading them to that New Day.
This period of conjunction, the end of the
old cycle and the beginning of the new, is
called the Confluence
If the new age is described as the Golden
Age, then this period of Confluence can be
described as the Diamond Age. Within such a
short space of time so much is experienced,
so much transformation takes place and the
soul becomes as valuable as a diamond. It
bridges the gap between the end and the
beginning; it moves from darkness into
light. This is the age when the entire
knowledge is revealed, the age of wisdom,
the age of preparation. As the soul passes
through this part of the cycle it
understands the World Drama, and is able to
see the entire stage, to see its own role
within the drama and it prepares itself with
complete purity, so that it can move forward
into the Golden Age. We are just a short
step away from that Golden Age of Paradise.
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Suggested Thoughts
for Meditation. |
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om
As I become aware of myself, the being of
light
I step beyond my costume
beyond
the stage of this physical world
I see how
I the soul travelled through the ages
I am
the actor, the player, of the drama
who
has come through so many scenes
so many
episodes
from the great, golden Kingdom of
the sun
with its glorious beauty and
perfect harmony
through the kingdom of the
Moon
to the Copper Age, where all cried
out, searched for truth, for light
through
to the darkness of the Iron Age
And in my
moments of desperation the Supreme Father
intervened
and now I find myself in front
of the Supreme
a being of light
I stand
on the Confluence
the age between the old
and the new
and I bathe in the light of
God
I am transformed
my own original role
is experienced quite clearly
I was pure
now in this consciousness I become pure once
again
It was I who was the embodiment of
love
I forgot myself and developed hatred
but now I know who I am
a deity soul
with love for my entire family of all
humanity
I become the embodiment of love
the instrument to spread love into the world
In this awareness I prepare my role for the
New Age which is about to begin. |
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Questions
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Can you explain
why the World Cycle is called the Drama?
Briefly state what the lifestyle is like in
the first two scenes of the Drama.
What factors have come into play in the
third and fourth scenes of the cycle that
have led to a radical change of
consciousness?
What happens at the final scene, or
Confluence Age? |
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