THE LONG AND WINDING PATH OF SPIRITUAL PRACTICE
Those who had listened to yesterday's lecture may think as
follows; "That's why one can't attain enlightenment in one life.
That's why it is written in sutra that a Boddhisattva will become
Mahayana Buddha after more than 1,000 times of reincarnation.
Let's look into the attainment of Raja Yoga. There are millions
of spiritual practitioners in India, the mother land of Yoga. Only
1 or 2 practitioners can reach its attainment in 10 years. And
this is only the Raja Yoga which is the beginning part of the path
of Mahayana. From this you can imagine that the path of Mahayana
is really the long and winding road.
Kundalini Yoga is waiting after Raja Yoga, and then Jnana Yoga,
Mahayana Yoga, Astral Yoga, Causal Yoga, and Mahayana in the end.
It is unbearably long path.
So we have to think of the method to go on with this process of
spiritual practice as fast as possible. What can we doto make it
faster? I shall now tell you the system of practice which can be
the key for the attainment of each Yogas.
LOVE ALL LIVING BEINGS
I shall begin from Raja Yoga which is the first perfection which
you should attain after the process of four steps and four results.
The first thing which is necessary for the attainment of Raja Yoga
is non-violence. Non-violece means taht you should love all living
beings.
Buddha Sakyamuni also preaches about non-violence. The late
Buddhism changed this non-violence into non-killing because they
considered that this restriction is too severe. You can easily
understand that non-vioilence is included in non-killing. So I
shall use the word non-killing because this is much familiar for
you.
Why does it necessary not to kill? It is because there is the
mind of anger behind killing. And behind anger, there exists the
working of mind to distinguish between self and others. For
example, to think that I want to be happy even if I were to crush
down others.
You can find the advertisements on insecticide on television. I
only know one type of advertisement, but I am sure that there
should be many types of advertisement which recommends people all
over the country to kill insects. This idea comes from the mind of
superiority to think "It is up to human beings how to take care of
little insects." and anger to think "Nuisance should be taken
away.".
This is not correct. Human realm also exists in very low part if
we look into the whole structure of the universe. It is the fourth
from the bottom. Do you think it is all right if the beings in the
higher world such as the heaven of desires say "Nuicanse should be
taken away."? If human beings have such idea of superiority and
anger which far from the truth, it means that we are not in the
holy stream but in the devil's stream.
All livnig beings have the right to live, because they wash off
their karma by living. This is same with not only human beings but
also insects, cats, or dogs. They all have true selves. They have
true selves to enter the world of absolute freedom, happiness, and
joy in the end, no matter how long it may take.
So we can say that all living beings are equal. If you understand
this fact, you will be able to love all living beings, or be kind
to all living beings.
YOU SHOULD OFFER
Let's go on to the second key for Raja Yoga which is to observe
the precept "not to steal". On the contrary, the precept of "you
should offer" is also necessary.
Let me explain this to you. If you greed, or if you steal things
from others, naturally there will be a slash in one's heart. And
not only that, there will be the result that you will be tied up in
this world of rough dimention where material is dominant. It is
obvious becuase everything you steal is the material in the rough
dimention.
In spiritual practice, one will go into Astral world and Causal
world by detaching from the rough dimention, but it is completely
the opposite direction if you are caught to the rough dimention by
stealing things. You will be unable to know or experience other
worlds. That's why you need the precepts, "not to greed, not to
steal".
This "not to greed, not to steal" is the passive method in a
sense. On the contrary, active method is "to offer".
NOT TO COMMIT ADULTERY
The precept of not to commit adultery is also important. Since
the law of the origination of conditions which was taught by Buddha
Sakyamuni is the process of Kundalini Yoga, it has the meaning that
you shouldn't lose your sexual energy. This is the same case with
Raja Yoga, because the power of will which supports Raja Yoga will
be weakened if one loses sexual energy.
The sexual energy is equal to life energy. So the attainer of
Raja Yoga can easily be ruined just by losing life energy by giving
Shakti-pat, because life energy is less compared to that of
Kundalini Yoga.
In other words, the attainer of Raja Yoga can not give Shakti-pat
as the attainer of Kundalini Yoga. When they lose life energy
(sexual energy), the power of will will be weakened and the
protection around oneself breaks down. In professional
terminology, Pratiyahara, the state of control of sense, breaks
down. He will be an ordinary person then. That is why one should
never leak energy in Raja Yoga.