Mind & Meditation

MIND & MEDITation STUDENT MANUAL

The Aquarian Teacher™ KRI International Teacher Training in kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan®

Transformation Level 2 Practitioner certification course

Kundalini Research Institute The Aquarian Teacher ™ KRI International Teacher Training in Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan® TRANSFORMATION Level 2 Practitioner Certification Course

Mind & Meditation Student Manual Produced and Published by Kundalini Research Institute

Copyright © 2006 Kundalini Research Institute. All teachings, yoga sets (kriyas), techniques, and meditations courtesy of YB Teachings, LLC. Reprinted with permission. Unauthorized duplication is a violation of applicable laws.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of these YB Teachings may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted in writing by the Kundalini Research Institute.

To request permission please write to: KRI 3 Ram Das Guru Place Española, N.M. 87532 USA or email [email protected].

II • KRI INTERNATIONAL TEACHER TRAINING MANUAL LEVEL 2 • MIND & MEDITATION PILOT MANUAL DRAFT © 2006 Kundalini Research Institute Many people served to create the Mind & Meditation Course and manual, one of five modules in the Level 2 Transformation Series of The Aquarian Teacher™, Kundalini Research Institute’s International Teacher Training Program in Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan®. The teachings represented here are based entirely on the teachings of Yogi Bhajan, Master of Kundalini Yoga and Doctor of the Psychology of Communication.

We would like to acknowledge the following people for their dedication and service to the teachings throughout the development of this course.

PRINCIPAL WRITER & COURSE DESIGN Gurucharan Singh Khalsa, Ph.D.

SENIOR EDITORS Gurucharan Singh Khalsa, Ph.D., Nirvair Singh Khalsa, Shakti Parwha Kaur Khalsa, Guru Raj Kaur Khalsa

MANAGING EDITOR Sat Purkh Kaur Khalsa

CONTRIBUTORS Satya Singh Khalsa, Nirvair Singh Khalsa, Tarn Taran Singh Khalsa, Tarn Taran Kaur Khalsa, Guru Raj Kaur Khalsa, Dharma Kaur Khalsa, Satya Kaur Khalsa, Gurudass Singh Khalsa, Karta Singh Khalsa, Gurucharan Kaur Khalsa, Gurudarshan Kaur Khalsa, Guru Atma Kaur

BOOK DESIGN Guru Raj Kaur Khalsa

PHOTOGRAPHY Grace Hopper

MODELS Bhajan Kaur, Hargobind Singh Khalsa, Amrit Singh Khalsa, Ph.D., Siri Dayal Kaur Khalsa, Dharma Kaur Khalsa, Panch Nishan Kaur Khalsa, Sopurkh Singh Khalsa, Suraj Kaur

COVER PHOTOGRAPH Narayan Singh Khalsa

COVER DESIGN Harbhajan Singh Khalsa

Special thanks to all the members of the KRI Teacher Training Executive Council who have guided and held the vision for this project.

THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS MANUAL comes from ancient yogic tradition. Nothing in this manual should be construed as medical advice. Any recipes mentioned herein may contain potent herbs, botanicals and naturally occur- ring ingredients which have traditionally been used to support the structure and function of the human body. Always check with your personal physician or licensed health care practitioner before making any significant modification in your diet or lifestyle, to insure that the ingredients or lifestyle changes are appropriate for your personal health condition and consistent with any medication you may be taking.

The aquarian teacher training level 2 Program

Welcome to Transformation: The Aquarian Teacher Training, Level II. This will give you an overview of the purpose, goals and approach of this second stage of training in Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan.

THE VISION OF THE AQUARIAN TEACHER TRAINING PROGRAMS this stage of training makes you an acknowledged and certi- is to produce teachers of Kundalini Yoga who demonstrate fied teacher of Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan. awareness in consciousness, excellence in teaching skills, and Each stage has its own tasks, criteria and inner and outer serve as an example of depth and maturity of character. The disciplines. When Yogi Bhajan gave the task of completing purpose of creating our global community of teachers has this course of training to KRI he used the analogy of a B.A., three main parts: M.A. and a Ph.D. In the intimacy of your own consciousness it is similar to youth, adolescence and adulthood. It is a con- 1. Prepare the foundations for the shift of humanity to the tinuous process with distinct stages of growth and develop- Aquarian Age by applying the legacy of the teachings, the ment followed by accomplishments and service. The Aquarian Golden Chain and the example of Yogi Bhajan. Academy supports this process by providing the training, 2. Serve and uplift individuals to be healthy, happy and selection and support of trainers for each of the three stages. holy. I welcome all of you who have taken on the challenges 3. Provide the opportunity for each person to awaken his and opportunities of the Transformation stage of our training or her capacity, character and sensitivity as a self-sensory program. You are all instructors who have successfully com- human being who can be effectively intuitive, creative and pleted studying the Foundations of Kundalini Yoga and apply- compassionate. ing your awareness to cultivating the identity of a teacher within yourself. To certify as an instructor is quite an arduous To achieve these goals we have created, with the direct process filled with challenges and insights. guidance of Yogi Bhajan, a training program whose core In the first stage of study you must master a lot of con- process has three stages: tent: kriyas, breathing, postures, philosophy, sadhana, medi- 1. Aquarian Teacher: Foundations. This stage includes the tation and the basics of instructing students. Along with this, fundamental understanding and experience that the basic self many of you had to understand and commit to breaking old is always one with the One (Ek Ong Kar); understanding of habits and establishing new ones that support the lifestyle and the essential parts and character of a human being; and the applied consciousness of these teachings. Kundalini Yoga is all fundamental principles and practices of Kundalini Yoga as about direct experience and the capacity to apply that experi- taught by Yogi Bhajan. Completing this stage makes you a cer- ence to your life. It is not simply a collection of techniques, tified instructor of Kundalini Yoga. concepts, good ideas and inspiring beliefs. So I congratulate 2. Aquarian Teacher: Transformation. This stage includes you for your efforts, accomplishments and heart. the projection of identity (Sat Nam); the embodiment of char- The Aquarian Teacher: Transformation is the second stage acter through word and behavior; and the expansion and of training and personal development. It is fundamentally dif- deepening of the teacher's state of consciousness. ferent from the first stage in which you established the foun- Completing this stage makes you a certified practitioner of dations for becoming a teacher and for a lifetime of personal Kundalini Yoga practice. 3. Aquarian Teacher: Realization. This stage is the experi- The second stage of training is about the transformation ence of ecstasy (Siri Wahe Guru) in all states of awareness. and deepening of your own core capacities, character and con- That experience is expressed in the teacher's words, actions, sciousness. In this stage we will share a lot of new content in accomplishments, character, seva and reputation. Completing terms of information, techniques and themes, but the essence

of this stage is about your establishing the ability to use your The idea is to build the foundation of a new age. Only applied mind, applied intelligence and applied awareness. people of experience will be talked to and listened to in the This is why we require at least two years of teaching expe- Age of Aquarius. For the past five thousand years religion rience during your mastery of the five modules of study con- has taught you to redeem your soul. But the soul is already tained in this stage. It will give you the opportunity to apply redeemed! Rather you should redeem your “shallowism,” the ideas, habits and techniques to yourself, both in your own redeem your “cheapism” and your not being true to your life, and to a broad range of different classes and students. In own words. Redeem your “pimpism” and your “prostitution- this stage of training, we are establishing depth: the capacity ism” of your self. to reflect on your own experience and to analyze your own Sensory humans will be deeply sincere. They will per- habits, communication, mind, and relationships, and then to ceive and act on the fact that they are factual. We are a act with consciousness, intuition and compassion. When this fact of life; A fact of existence born in the image of God. is fully embodied, it shows clearly in your words and actions Understand that there is nothing more beautiful than you. through your kindness, service, willingness to accept and give The time of self-value has come. It is time “to be, to BE.” feedback, capacity for effective teamwork and your focus on The time to know that “I am, I AM.” The time has come uplifting others. Critical to this stage is the practical ability to not to search for God, but to be God. The time has come step back from your impulses, attachments, fears, and agen- not to trust in God, but to dwell in the working God. You das and apply your neutral mind to your own inner conflicts, must be aware of how ugly we have made this earth and of imagined limitations and projections. how beautiful it's supposed to be. Every grain of sand is Each of the five modules of Transformation focuses on a God but we have to have our subtle body, our sophisticated crucial facet of your mind and consciousness. Think of all the self, in order to see it. That's why over the last thirty years modules as parts of a single process. To master the lessons of of teaching I couldn't fit in with your concept of reality. each module is to cut the facets of your own diamond mind You are a collection of molecules living by the pranic so that it can scintillate and reflect your spirit. This stage of body. The pranic body and the psychic body in proportion Transformation will take all that you have learned before and and in conjunction with creation, make you clean and clear. polish it and let you apply it. It is a time to clear inner con- You stop searching and you begin practicing. Your flow flicts, along with any mental and emotional blocks that might becomes as vast as the universe—and sometimes beyond the inhibit your full linkage to the Golden Chain and to the radi- universe. ance and responsibility that comes with being an adept I don't want anybody—because I want everybody! teacher. That's a difficult concept. I run with the flow of the psyche It is not a small thing to know how to zero your ego and of universe. I go as it takes me, moves me and desires me to allow the Infinite to serve through you. Without the ego con- go. Man will finally stop cutting corners and come to live a stantly dividing the world into polarities there exists only God. real existence. We must help each other and deal with each The energy that generates, organizes and delivers all of our other as equals. existence and experience. The love of existence—of our life and reality—with the This is a special time in the evolution of human conscious- flow of the psyche, will give us the flow of Self within the ness. People's sensitivity is changing and the pressure of the self. Our sensory system will be our archangel, protecting world growing and evolving is provoking us to become self- and glorifying us. Those who hustle and hassle will die suf- sensory humans. We who go through these courses and mas- fering. Your mind will direct you toward the right channel. ter the consciousness within ourselves are the teachers and Our presence is our purity. We won't have to create fan- guides of this new age. tasies and imagination of the unreal. Yogi Bhajan presented his vision of the coming times and who we are to become as self-sensory human beings:

Aquarian Teacher TRANSFORMATION

We will master ourselves and our service, character and When we learn deeply it requires a real transformation: commitment along with the most powerful thing, our indi- a transformation of thought, in the neurons, in the dance vidual grace. Our nobility is our projection. Gracious, kind and intelligence of the trillions of cells in our body and in and compassionate: these are our central features. Our cre- our capacity for intuition and subtlety. We want to learn, ativity will be our sensory system. We will be overflowing but it only happens with discipline and with the rhythm and with energy, touching the hearts of people and filling their regularity of applying that discipline. That change is painful. empty cavities. Our actions will be great, and our flow will We want it without “deserving it.” We want to build and fulfill the hearts of others. We will create a new humanity. decorate our spiritual house without having to lay and test We will have a new sensory system and thus will create the the foundations. Because laying solid foundations means Age of Aquarius. This is the fundamental character you digging, which often uncovers old assumptions, perspectives must remember. This is how you will purify yourselves.” and beliefs that we don’t want to face or confront. An important part of this first problem of truly learning Learning Versus Knowledge is avoidance. When something is painful, our negative mind The first problem for us is that we must learn. Not just acquire protects us. We limit the feedback, advice and assessment things or knowledge. We need clear eyes, not simply new that a teacher gives us or that our peers give us. We react sights to behold. In order to do that, Yogi Bhajan has given us against things that do not agree with our self-image and an impeccable and grand discipline: a platform of practice on with the strategy and interests to which we have committed which we can test ourselves, heal ourselves, expand ourselves ourselves. Most of the time, we do not even know that we and gradually become Aquarian Teachers. That individual and do this. We rationalize it. We slip into a quiet self-decep- group discipline produces the base of experience that becomes tion. We demonize the other. We form into cliques that the wisdom within us, which gives strength and reality to our only agree with us for their own reasons. It is a normal consciousness and actions. Our practice and training must go human behavior, but it is not the standard of a good stu- beyond the mind while also training the mind. dent, or a good teacher. Yogi Bhajan put it this way: Learning at this stage requires discipline, humility, vitality and courage. For the change is inside you. He explained this You are lying to yourself as a matter of habit…I know you. goal: I know you what you think, I know what your base is, I “I am just trying to make you change, because you want know what your projection is. I can understand your psy- to change but you don't change. I know you. It is very diffi- che. I understand the frequency and I can compute it in a cult for you to leave your habits. First we create habits and second. If I start telling everybody what I know, anybody then our habits create us. who sees me coming will cross to the other side of the Lots of people say, “We want to learn.” Not true! It is the road. Because nobody wants to know! last thing we want to do. Learning is as painful, as difficult, For Transformation to fulfill its purpose we must each and as tragic as tragedy can be. Learning is training the commit to the discipline of regular practice and to the disci- subjective to read the objective. Learning is not about the pline of communication that is direct, open and real. We must object. Learning is not “Okay, I am going to do business. I never isolate ourselves from each other. Part of the growth that am going to reach the goal.” That is objectivity. Learning is happens during this stage is the dynamic interaction with no such thing. Learning is first subjectivity and then objectiv- other students and teachers in authentic conversations from ity. The problem is that no human has the nerves for it. the heart. Forgive me for that. You are wonderful people but you are bad students. That is just the way the Western mind is. You want what you want. The first principle of the world is to deserve what you want, not to desire what you want.

Conscious Communication When we learn deeply and we clear our inner capacity to Conscious communication is the second skill that it is criti- perceive; when we stay open to listening and correction; when cal to master during this stage of learning. We will dedicate we apply the art of conscious communication as students and an entire module to this key capacity. It is something we cul- teachers, then, we become simply who we are. We share that tivate and improve in every moment of the Transformation with each person so they, too, may become themselves in the training and, in fact, every day for the rest of our lives. Yogi light and reality of their own spirit. Bhajan taught volumes on this topic and even completed his doctoral dissertation on it. It is central to success at this The Core Capacities of a Teacher stage. Demonstrating this core capacity is one of the para- The third problem Yogi Bhajan identified is the challenge of mount criteria with which to assess your progress. character and virtues. We might call them the character and core capacities of a teacher. Having a good time learning Communication is a gift to know. Communication is a something is not enough. We need to embed the lessons gift to understand. Communication is a gift to realize. If into our body, mind, habits and life. He forewarned us, “You you do not use communication for these three things you do not develop in you the inner vitality to grab the virtues.” had better shut up and not talk. When we have enough vitality, devotion, focus and neutral- Communication plays the most vital part in anybody's ity to invite virtues into our own character, then we can live human life. Mostly seventy percent of your talk is uncon- them. He called this the ability to live and act personally, but scious and about sixty percent of your communication is decide impersonally. We live by certain virtues and charac- purposeful. In that communication, you have an aim. You ter no matter what our personal characteristics, tendencies want to achieve something. That is another category. or situation may be. Consciously working on this depth of Third category is your approach to another person where character is central to Transformation. you want to impress. You want to control. You want to be From his first class to his last, Yogi Bhajan taught us to acknowledged. This is eighty percent. These are the three rise to our caliber and character. He spoke about this chal- main categories of human talking. lenge this way: Three things are unfortunate. You have never learned to talk in order to know each other. You do not have a Life was not given to you for play. Life was given to rapport with the other person at the same frequency. You you for one simple thing: to experience life. Life was given do not have the strength to acknowledge the other person— to you to experience life. Life was not given to you to expe- to acknowledge not just the character of that person, but rience traumas. Life is a caliber. It is given to you once, also the characteristic of that person. and it's not meant to be wasted in games. That is why you don't talk truthfully; because, truth is ••• simple, straight and with a smile. You don't have to remember it. You have to say it. You know it and then you You have two options: you can serve the ego or you have to live it. It is so simple. You make it so complicated can serve the truth. There are three ways to live: live by and then you mess yourself up in the end. You all die of your spirit, live by your mind, or live by your ego. You your own entanglements and your life suffers because of cannot live by your mind because your mind is etheric. It your own entanglement. Communication is one of the best goes back and forth. So you have to either live by your arts God gave you as human. It can make you the best! spirit, by your soul, or you have to live by your ego. If Worst of all is that you can't talk to yourself. That is the you live by your ego, then you are going to do funny worst. Three things you can't do. You can't listen to your- things. Then you are going to do what you want, not self, you can't talk to yourself and you can't be yourself. what the universe wants.

What is the problem? The problem is that we don't you? I give you one simple answer for all. Just to tell you have depth. We have dimensions. We have so many how refined you are. Maya is a faculty to test your steel. dimensions that we do not know which direction we have. Can you cut through time and space or can't you? So we have neither depth nor direction. All we have is Nothing can make you great. Nothing. If money can dimensions. And we play games with our dimensions. We make you great, there are many billionaires here. Are they definitely play games with our ego. Heavily. great? No. If a wife can make you great, there are people We love games. Why? Because we do not know how who have married ten times and divorced twenty times. If to pass time. We love going outside ourselves because we children can make you great, there are people who have a do not know how to go inside ourselves. We have to cre- great line of them that goes on forever. Does your own self ate one situation or the other because we do not know make you great? No. Great is when you impossibly make how to meditate. We have to play games because we do the impossible possible. When you project to make the not know truth. Why does a man who knows truth have impossible possible that is called? to play games? Students: Great. In our caliber of consciousness the purity of our mind Yogi Bhajan: That needs a commitment and character needs to have a base. Can you build any house where you in your base, because you need a projection into the don't build a base first? If a human being wants the life, Infinity. In reality, you are trying to stimulate your own self and the life is without the base of character, do you think into the Infinity. That's a law. that life will be a life? And do you think without commitment there will be character? How can you know your Assess your own character as you go through the character? First you know “dos” and “don'ts.” And when it Transformation training. Find your base. Establish your princi- comes to temptation you conquer it. That means you have ple commitment without any split of personality. You, reality character. and God are a unity, a non-dual presence in every moment. All facets of the human body have to be controlled and The exploration of character begins with the dos and don'ts. characterized by the character of commitment, and that The discovery of your depth and virtues happens with chal- has to be tested by the principle of commitment. That's lenges and tests. The ecstasy of your character is effortless the beauty of Dharma. Dharma is nothing, my dear folks, grace and innocence that sees the impossible done by the but a principle commitment. It is not whether I am reli- Infinite. Character, as understood in Kundalini Yoga, is not gious or I am not religious. I am a good man or bad man. good or bad, but a property of consciousness. That's not the test. The test is: Do I have principle com- As a Master and as our teacher, what does Yogi Bhajan mitment and do I live it? want in us and from us as practitioners of Kundalini Yoga at Are we crazy that we do not have character and con- this second stage of training? What is the charge we accept stant strength and we still feel that we are human beings from him to guide us as we open up to learning, to com- and we can carry our life? No! It won't happen. Treachery municating consciously, to expanding our own conscious- shall meet treachery, betrayal shall meet betrayal, non- ness and cultivating our character? He gave a lecture after commitment shall meet non-commitment. What is the twenty-three years and thirty days of teaching us. He evalu- result? Agony, pain, disease, and death. ated our efforts as students and said exactly what he want- Who can say whether you have a committed character ed and what we had to deliver at our next stage of growth or not? Maya. Maya has a very subtle way to test you. and maturity as student-teachers. Maya has to do just one thing. It splits your personality. Sometimes you might be worried, “Why do all these things come to harass me?” Why do all these things come to test

Now I want the result. I want you to grow up. Because as dents and in your life. We do not need you to simply teach my students you do not understand what will happen to about intuition. You must be intuitive, recognize it, and form you. The whole world is going to fall apart in such a way an effective realistic relationship to that capacity. Most that only the few of you will be the hope. The time has capacities are life-long studies. But at this stage you must changed. It is not the Piscean age. You must go out and demonstrate them, not simply understand them. uplift people and not worry about yourself. Do not worry References and links to web resources will encourage you about facade and fads, and what you like and you dislike. to expand your knowledge, practice additional techniques Have you learned something? You are responsible. and master background materials for each area of study. The Nothing but responsible! And there is no other way but to courses themselves emphasize carefully chosen meditations, be responsible. If you can't show a response to me then kriyas, and quotations. All needed information is presented you have no relationship with me. If I can't respond to in highly interactive learning environments. You will explore you then I have no relationship with you. That word topics and discuss them with other students in both small “response” makes the word “responsible.” If I am not able and large groups. You will answer questions, generate ques- to show you the response then I am no good. If you can't tions, role-play, solve puzzles, and write short and long respond you are no good. Let's face the truth. essays. You will have the opportunity to practice meditations We have to learn something today. And that is how to deeply over an extended time. You will test and observe the talk, how to work, how to live, how to have facets and application of these techniques and attitudes in your life. facilities and how to have the characteristics and character to live. I want to live as me. I don't live like you. You Experiencing the Master don't have to live like me. You have to live like you. Each Pivotal to this path of study is a chance for you to encounter person must live it to his infinite psyche. Then there will the energy, teaching, and character of Yogi Bhajan as direct- be harmony. ly and personally as you can. We will see many videos of him teaching classes. You will study those classes, feel the In order to deliver an effective response to another per- effects, and explore the edited transcripts, and then write on son or to a student, we need to be stable, trustworthy, and the key ideas that create a meaningful unity across the great mature. We need to be able to apply our intuition and ele- diversity of topics. vate them in consciousness to heal, become clear and live There is also a mentoring process that occurs throughout in the creative reality of their own soul. We need the caliber the time you are studying in these Transformation classes. It to do this in each and every circumstance. is designed to catalyze your capacity for self-examination. Transformation is organized with this challenge and goal Ideally you will have a mentor who will help you reflect on in mind, so that all five modules are a single process. Each how well you have integrated these teachings into your life, module has a central theme. That theme is reinforced in all how deeply you have confronted and dealt with your own the other modules. The links between the different ideas are inner conflicts, and how your actions as a teacher embody forged through your experiences and by constant exercises grace, character and conscious communication. Questions and efforts to refine your ability to reflect, to be aware and about the content, philosophy and application of what you to be consciously conscious of what you are learning. In learn can be shared and explored in student groups, with addition to the central theme of each module, we have iden- your mentor and with your primary course teachers. tified core capacities, which you must master. Powerful and For each of the five modules there is a brief overview of clear intuition, the capacity for shuniya (living at the still the specific goals for the course. The student manual will center), the mastery of polarity, and the ability for harmo- guide you through the materials, primary exercises and nious communication are examples of those capacities. Each tasks, and link you to other resources on the Web that sup- module cultivates those capacities and asks you to assess port all the modules. how well you can use those with yourself, with your stu-

As Director of Training for KRI, I welcome you to a new level of challenge and accomplishment. Many trainers have contributed to the development of these courses. Those contributions have been honored and brought to reality by an excellent development team headed by Guruka Singh Khalsa, Tarn Taran Kaur Khalsa, Gurucharan Kaur Khalsa, Tarn Taran Singh Khalsa, and myself. Creative ideas and practical tests of the exercises and processes in the modules have been an exciting group achievement over several years. The goal is to give you a course of study that authentically embodies the intentions and directions of Yogi Bhajan so that you may all experience the touch of the master. It is also part of a systematic presentation that can be used worldwide and in many languages. His vision was to have unique and vibrant differences all working in unity. Having been his student since he began teaching in the United States in 1969 up until his death in 2004, I know that in- depth training has been paramount in his efforts. He wanted to give each of us a chance to be a realized, content human being, capable of happiness, excellence and fulfillment in the Aquarian Age—to give peace a chance and to give God a chance in every heart.

Gurucharan Singh Khalsa KRI Director of Training

MIND & MEDITATION

© 2006 Kundalini Research Institute KRI INTERNATIONAL TEACHER TRAINING MANUAL LEVEL 2 • MIND & MEDITATION • 1 “Without a spiritual teacher, you are in darkness. It is not true that with a spiritual teacher you are enlightened and without a spiritual teacher you are not enlightened. A spiritual teacher looks at things spiritually. What is spirituality? Consciousness and intelligence put together. Why can a spiritual teacher answer your questions satisfactorily and why couldn’t you yourself answer them satisfactorily? When you put forth a question, he comes out from the head and the heart at the same time. He understands your feelings. He understands where you are at. He understands what you want, and then he understands what it means to you in the long run, in the short run and now. And he knows your past also. With such a past, with such a present and with such a future, is it a possibility? If he says no, and you get sad. Either you learn from a spiritually conscious person or you will learn through time. What is the difficulty? Take any route you want and you are always free to do it.”

—YOGI BHAJAN, IDENTICAL IDENTITY, VOL. I, P. 145

Welcome to MIND & MEDITATION

In this course, we intend to help you deepen your practice of knowledge available to any student willing to connect with meditation, clarify the relationship between you and your the consciousness of the Golden Chain, practice with disci- mind, and introduce some fundamental conceptsmin pline to refine the mind, understand with humility, and exam- Humanology about the basic nature and dynamics of the ine themselves and uplift others. mind. Yogi Bhajan used the term “Humanology” when refer- This attitude of openness to all is part of the dawning ring to the applied psychology of Kundalini Yoga for human consciousness of the Aquarian Age. With that consciousness fulfillment. Using awareness as the primary tool and ultimate- comes the responsibility of each student to “self- initiate.” ly the goal, it looks at all aspects of the body, mind, spirit and We must commit, bow to our higher awareness and come being. The mind and our relationship to it are pivotal for our before the teachings and the touch of the Master with the ability to act effectively, realize our true nature and fulfill our openness and willingness to be corrected and to learn. Yogi potential. If you engage your mind in this course and commit Bhajan often said that the greatest gift a teacher gives is to to developing your relationship to your mind, nothing can be a mirror that reflects for the student the gap between their stand in your way as you excel, awaken, serve, teach and live consciousness and their Self, and share techniques that pro- this healthy, happy, and holy way of life. vide the awareness in each moment in order to cover that gap. These teachings and techniques embody Yogi Bhajan. The Mind: Its Projections and Multiple Facets They mirror our unconscious habits and provide direction and We have selected the materials and meditations to accompa- guidance—what should we pay more attention to and which ny the primary text, The Mind: Its Projections and Multiple habits serve us versus those that continue to hinder our Facets by Yogi Bhajan and Gurucharan Singh Khalsa. In The progress. They awaken us to recognize the infinite within and Mind, Yogi Bhajan has done what only a master of Kundalini without. The goal is to increasingly dwell in awareness and Yoga could do: he outlines the structure of the functional act with compassion, courage and kindness. parts of the mind in terms of our experience. He shares med- Yogi Bhajan often reminded us that we come to Earth in itations to strengthen and balance the many dynamic parts of a human form not to seek anything but to recognize our our minds and provides many insights in his lectures that humanity and the One infinite being that creates all and help us confront and refine our own mind. He explains how which is in all. We go astray seeking, grasping, declaring per- the personal level of our experience connects to the imper- fection that can only reside in the One and in all. As we go sonal levels of our being. In doing this, he fills in a gap that through this adventure of learning about and mastering our exists in the usual presentations of yoga philosophy. mind let’s remember that the goal is to train the mind to rec- Most presentations of material on the mind give the well- ognize what is. To love all that is. To see the One in each known samkhya categories of the cosmic mind—Citta, and all. It is not about becoming perfect, becoming better Manas, and Ahangkar—but leave out how these connect to than others or attaining special powers. The greatest power is the individual through the negative, positive and neutral the ability to act with a neutral mind, to use intuition along minds. Many of these techniques and ideas that form the sci- with intelligence and to lean on the infinite through the ence of Humanology and Meditation were passed on through power to create a sacred space in prayer. oral traditions to the best students, or were transmitted through the direct perceptual capacity of a student under the guidance and blessing of a master. Yogi Bhajan has made this

THE OBJECTIVES OF THIS COURSE This course is not.... To enjoy and master this course you should be clear about . . . just a compendium of meditations to practice. This is a what it is and what it is not. The positive objectives of this course for you to confront and refine your mind and your curriculum are to: approach to your mind. This course will not present all there is about the Humanology of the mind and meditation but it 4Enhance the depth of your understanding of meditation. is an excellent foundation. Yogi Bhajan was like a great arte- This course is an opportunity for you to assess your sian well, constantly giving more and more with every lecture meditative skill and your approach to meditation and refine and in every relationship. Over the years he outlined with me it. To master the mind you must master meditation. and others several more books of material that go into how to apply these teachings to healing and therapy, how to 4Help you focus on and explicitly elaborate your relation- understand the stages of meditation, how to deal with the ship to your own mind. Many people practice basic thousands of sub-personalities and identical identities that meditation without consciously assessing, understanding populate our mental processes. He has spoken extensively to and commanding the mind. therapists, psychologists, healers and psychiatrists about the consciousness and approach of a Humanologist to deal with 4Increase your ability to observe neutrally, to become still, mental and physical problems and potentials. He looked to clear your mind of distractions and intrigues, to ahead to the future challenges of mental health as we recognize when you establish a state of shuniya, and to encounter new levels of sensitivity, stress, infodementia, cold recognize the different functional parts of your mind. depression, interlock neuroses, dissociative, blue gap phenomenon and much more. He has given us a vision of how 4Experience and practice the use of intuition as a primary to live with this new level of humanity and awareness as a skill that comes from Kundalini Yoga and Meditation. Self-Sensory Human. This course lays the foundation, the concepts and the vocabulary for further study. 4Learn the structure of the mind as described in The Mind Successful completion of this course will enhance your book. Examine all the impersonal minds, guna qualities of capacity as an instructor and prepare you to be a Practitioner the mind, and the 9 aspects of the mind. as you complete the other core courses and continue to teach. We did not design this course to make you a therapist. 4Understand how to use the 27 projections of the mind. It does not explore how to clinically apply this to mental dis- orders, but it will increase your ability to heal through medi- 4Examine how to apply this in your life and to your own tation and use your skills to help people. mind. Beginning the Journey 4Be confident to teach and incorporate these ideas in your Think of this training as a journey. We begin with our inten- classes. tion to learn the approach to the mind used in Kundalini Yoga, to refine our meditative capacity and to enhance our No, you will not be a master of all this in six days of study. ability to teach. We invite our mind into our conscious pres- This journey will lay the foundations for ongoing personal ence, investigate its nature, and learn to master it so that it development and increasing skills as a Practitioner in the Level serves our consciousness and our soul. We will share our 2 Aquarian Teacher Training: Transformation. This transforma- observations with our co-explorers and follow the road map tion process means you begin with this class. The class real- laid out by Yogi Bhajan to recognize and develop the many ly has no end, only a good beginning. parts of our functional minds. After we understand the fun- damentals and experience the qualities of our mind in deep

meditation, we will integrate what we have learned as we Yogi Bhajan is the source. I worked extensively on the mate- apply it to our daily habits and behaviors so we create a clear, rials in The Mind and other books on this topic with Yogi intuitive, effective mind. Bhajan. Expert teams of trainers from our advisory group The motto for this course is “If you conquer the mind, worked actively on design, syntax and editing. Satya Singh you conquer the world.” However, there is one caveat: the Khalsa, Gurdass Singh Khalsa, Karta Singh Khalsa, Tarn Taran mind is not a thing. Not in the way a piece of wood or a Kaur Khalsa, Taran Taran Singh Khalsa, Nirvair Singh Khalsa, stone is. It is a process. It is a network of relationships. It is Shakti Parwha Kaur Khalsa, and many others contributed energy seeking and relinquishing form incessantly. In many substantially to our efforts. Gurucharan Kaur Khalsa was languages, there is no noun for the mind. In Spanish and invaluable for her editing and insight in producing the origi- German, words for the mind name what it does, such as nal book and course flow. Guru Raj Kaur Khalsa spearheaded remember, think or give thoughts. In English, it is easy to turn our editing and layout of materials. Sat Purkh Kaur Khalsa is verbs into nouns and therefore we are easily misled into the project manager and primary editor that kept the team believing the mind is an object that can be separated from the aligned. I anticipate that as we teach this internationally, we matrix of emotions, relationships, and processes it exists will add additional teaching aids and processes as we contin- within. To conquer your mind, cultivate a relationship to its ue to improve and deliver this foundation for the Humanology actions and an awareness of its many functional parts neces- of the Mind. sary to carry out those actions. Form a relationship to your Humbly in Gratitude to Yogi Bhajan, awareness, your self, your mind and your infinite being. Life Gurucharan Singh Khalsa, Ph.D., LPCC will blossom with unlimited blessings. Director of Training Many people have worked to create this course and to insure it has a good blend of experience as well as concepts.

© 2006 Kundalini Research Institute KRI INTERNATIONAL TEACHER TRAINING MANUAL LEVEL 2 • MIND & MEDITATION • 5 6 • KRI INTERNATIONAL TEACHER TRAINING MANUAL LEVEL 2 • MIND & MEDITATION PILOT MANUAL © 2006 Kundalini Research Institute CHAPTER ONE

Mind, meditation, & consciousness

Meeting & Greeting each other

PART ONE MEDITATION Leave your study groups behind. Sit straight in a comfortable meditative posture. Allow your 4Stand up and began walking around the room chanting Sa breath to gradually become slow. Close your eyes or leave Ta Na Ma. When the facilitator calls out stop, stand still with them 1/10 open. Become aware of the flow of your thoughts your eyes closed. Take in one deep breath and hold it. As you and the passing of your feelings. Notice the sensations that hold the breath, use your intuition to know exactly where to go through your entire physical body. Allow in all sensations go to meet someone. and changes that come from your aura in the meridians and flows of your energy body. 4When you exhale, open your eyes and go meet that person. Tell them how you sensed they were who you should 4Allow your mind to meditate and become absorbed in the meet and exchange with them something significant about first thing you wrote down: the state in which your mind you and your intention to take this course. was fearful or anxious. Meditate for 3 minutes as you observe the flow of your thoughts and how these thoughts, 4After 2 minutes say Sat Nam and leave your new friend in particular, affect your physical body, your energy body, behind. Begin chanting as you walk about, once again. your feelings and other thoughts. Repeat the procedure and find a new person to share your 4 4For the next 3 minutes bring into your mind the second greeting with. Using your intuition, continue this process of thing you wrote down: when you were hopeful, enthusi- meeting people. Find out where your intuition, the energy of astic or engaged and expansive. Once again notice the the group, and the qualities in this moment of time will lead flow of thoughts, feelings and associations that come to you you. What will you explore and discover in one another? as you have your mind dwell on and process this particular experience.

PART TWO 4For 3 more minutes, bring your mind to dwell on the A Guided Self-Evaluation: third experience: a moment of clarity or insight. Let Meeting Your Mind your mind absorb into that experience, situation or state. Prepare to meditate: Consciously write down on a sheet of 4Finally, for three minutes meditate on thoughtless- paper four mental states or experiences that you consid- ness. Allow the only thought in your mind to be thought- er when you meditate: lessness, nothingness, nonexistence or being zero. React to 4The first is an experience in which you are fearful, anxious no thought. Accept or reject no thought. Observe how your or apprehensive. mind behaves as you enter into this state of being. The second state is a time or experience in which you 4 4Now remain mindful for two more minutes. During this were hopeful, enthusiastic or engaged and expansive. time remember all the things that you experienced in all the 4The third state is a time or experience in which you different conditions of the meditation process. You will share gained clarity, insight or growth. your observations with your team in a few minutes. Clarify 4The fourth state is the same for all of us: simply write the what it's like to be within your own mind. Find a metaphor word “nothingness” or “thoughtlessness.” to describe what it's like to be within your mind. 4After you identify and select each of the states, look at what you wrote for each of them and let your mind be clear 4Take notes on your experience, capture the metaphors that about each one so that your mind can easily go to that state represent what your mind is like and answer these simple when you wish to during your meditation. questions to evaluate the relationship between you and your mind:

PART THREE FLASHWRITING: A METAPHOR FOR MY MIND

What I noticed about my mind as I encountered the different types of thoughts during the meditation. What I noticed about the sensation of myself or my consciousness in relationship to my mind during the meditation process.

PART FOUR Small Groups Share your evaluation and your experiences from the meditation with your study group.

PART FIVE twelve stations in all. A sample travel ticket reads: Yellow 2, Red 1, Green 3, Blue 1. Each station has a color and a num- Interactive Group Exercise ber associated with it. As the blindfolded person is guided to Meeting Your Mind & each station, they must press their hands firmly onto the tar- Meeting the Unknown get. Guides must make sure that they feel that station’s particular texture when they touch it. Be sure to go in the order on In order to meet and to embrace our minds fully, we need to the ticket—no shortcuts! As the blindfolded person touches experience it under varied conditions. Your mind can behave the target, read aloud the station name: Blue 2 or Yellow 4, quite differently in conditions that have lots of accurate infor- for example. mation and frequent immediate feedback and in unfamiliar or As the guide, you must find the stations which are ran- unknown conditions where feedback is sparse or confusing. domly spread out around the designated area of the game. In such conditions, the mind responds with anxiety, stress There will be monitors available to steer you in the right direc- and offer reverts to defensive postures. It becomes difficult to tion should you stray too far. The goal is to complete the jour- decide what is true and what is not; what is real and what is ney in 15 minutes from start to finish. not; when to act and when to hesitate; whether we can succeed or even what success might be. Second Journey: Once the first journey is complete, go back to the starting We will play a little game. It will be fun and stimulating, and point and trade blindfolds and begin the second journey. it will help to shake up what you think you know about your- After you’ve each completed your journey, return to the self and your perceptions of the world around you. starting point and share your experiences with your partner. In this exercise you will enter the realm of the unknown, If the second journey is not completed at the end of 30 the unfamiliar. This will give you the opportunity to practice minutes and the trainer calls time, you must return with your self-reflection, to step back and observe how your mind func- partner to the starting point and call upon the experiences you tions under different conditions. completed.

HERE ARE THE RULES OF THE GAME: First choose a partner. Decide who will go first and put the PART SIX blindfold on. Your partner will be your guide. Group Discussion Guides: Be alert and tuned in to both your partner and the Experiencing the Unknown surrounding environments; move with caution. When confronting the known and the unknown, what Blindfolded: Follow with trust and be attuned to your sensa- came up for you? Panic, anxiety, fear, desire to control, tions, feelings and emotions. release, surrender? Guiding your partner on a journey: You will be guiding your partner on a short journey. To com- What grooves of the mind did you find yourself falling into plete it successfully, you’ll need to work together and stay in reaction to your emotions? The mind likes to predict; the attuned to one another. Allow the blindfolded person to have mind likes to control; the mind likes to remember; the mind their own experience, to trust, explore and accomplish. Talk likes to fantasize. What did your mind do? very little—only when necessary. Guide with your touch. How did your subconscious act? The Journey: Each participant has been given a travel ticket with its own What helped or hindered your journey? unique trip. Guides, you must guide your partner to each of Did it help to be second with the blindfold? twelve stations in the sequence listed on their ticket—each journey is unique. There are four primary color codes, and How is it different for your mind to be in action versus within each of these there are three different textures, making sitting in meditation?

PART SEVEN Self-Assessment for mind & meditation Date: ______

For each of the following statements rank yourself on a scale of one to nine. Marking one or two means very little, not at all or completely disagree. Marking a five means neutral or you cannot tell or doesn't apply. However, do your best to give a mark for each item based on your normal experience of yourself, your meditations and the experience you just went through. Marking an eight or nine means very much, completely agree or definitely true for me. Mark all of these questions quickly, according to your first instinct.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 I easily focus my mind. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 I easily find the point of stillness within me that lets all thoughts go without reaction. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 I understand and can produce the state of shuniya in an instant. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 I recognize the mental intrigues that my subconscious tries to play between my ego and my mind. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 I consciously cultivate my intuition regularly through meditation. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 I can guide the flow of my thoughts through the three minds so that I can act with intelligence. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 I have a strong and balanced negative mind. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 I have a strong and balanced positive mind. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 I have a strong and balanced neutral mind. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 I can identify which of the nine aspects is strongest and weakest within my dynamic personality. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 I use both intuition and intelligence to serve my consciousness. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 I have a habit to commit my mind by the use of the committed word. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 I can identify the qualities and the gunas of my mind as my ego over-stretches or under-stretches itself. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 When my mind over-stretches with the ego, I practice bringing it back to the sattvic quality with buddhi, and only then do I act. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 I do sadhana and consciously clear my subconscious regularly. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 When I recognized a fear going through my mind, I poke, provoke, confront and elevate that taught rather 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 than simply moving away from it or hiding within a positive feeling. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 I use the sensation of vastness to become zero. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 I use the feeling of love and bhakti, or devotion, to become zero. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 I use the process of letting go, forgiving and releasing to become zero. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 I cultivate my daily, promoting habits in order to balance my tattvas and master my mind. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 I do not identify with my mind. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 When I meditate, I can sense my sensations. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 When I meditate, I can sense myself sensing my sensations. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 When I meditate, I can sense my awareness sensing my sensations. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 When I meditate, I can release my sense of self and become selfless in the infinite matrix of what is. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 When I meditate, I can use my intuition & my intention to merge into any object or person in the universe. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Whatever I feel or sense, I can synchronize with my awareness into infinity to create a neutral state that produces healing and a neutral presence.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 I can easily locate, recognize and teach the Blue Pearl meditation point which we also called the Neelkant. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 I often act on impulse before I know what it is. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 I use my meditative mind when I meditate, but often, I fail to use it when I'm in situations of conflict at work or in interpersonal relationships. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 I know which kind of foods help my mind be meditative and I choose to include those in my diet. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 I can merge my mind into the shabd guru. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 I control my mind, rely on my intuition, trust my consciousness and act with fearlessness. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 I create the state of shuniya each day and in each important moment and place within that an intention that comes from my neutral mind and fulfills my soul. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 I can meditate for 2 1/2 hours without distraction or movement. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 I understand & can teach how the dynamics of the mind generates the 9 aspects and 27 projections.

Yogi Bhajan • February 11, 1992

1 1. Sit in Easy Pose. Hands are locked in front of the heart center, palm to palm, the four fingers folded around the opposite hand. Look at the tip of the nose. Squeeze the hands. 3-1/2 Minutes. Synchronize the entire body. Squeeze the entire body as tightly as you squeeze the hands. 3-1/2 Minutes. Comments: Squeeze like you are squeezing water out of a stone. You will find an air vacuum in your palms. It will give you sensitivity of how life flows. Experience it. Squeeze the hands with maximum tightness. Look at the tip of nose, concentrate, and squeeze. You will breathe differently, exist differently, and start to eliminate disease from your body. By fixing the optical nerve—bifocally to zero 2 angle—the pineal and the pituitary come to one obedience.

2. Immediately lie down on your back. Bring the arms and legs up to 90°—straight and tight. Palms are facing the knees. Spread the fingers wide. 2 Minutes.

3. Bring the knees to the chest and wrap your arms around the knees. Bring the nose to the knees. Don’t cross the feet. Stabilize. 3-1/2 Minutes.

4. Come into Corpse Pose and let the body relax. The Kulwant Singh Version of Chattr Chakkr Varti is played. 1 Minute. Comments: Nap. Hypnotically sleep. Conquer the environments. 3 Don’t let the body move but imagine you are out of your body, let your soul look at it, and dance.

5. Cat stretch to each side and transition to standing. 5 30 Seconds.

6. Dance with hands up above the shoulders. Keep the hands up the entire time. Chattr Chakkr Varti continues playing for 2-1/2 Minutes. Rhythms of Gatka is played for the remainder of the dance. Keep only one foot on the ground at a time. Dance vigorously. 11 minutes total. Open the hips, shake the rib cage, tighten and loosen the neck, the face. Every part of the body has to dance. Eight twists of the body in one beat. Raise the Kundalini. 6 Infinite healing can take place. This is an Ashta—eight— beat rhythm, an Ashtang Natiem. It is called Shiva Dance.

7. Relax and sit down. 3-1/2 minutes.

8. Massage the armpits deeply; each hand massaging the opposite armpit concurrently. 1-1/2 minutes. This will stimulate the three nervous systems and give you a new life.

9. Beat the upper part of your chest with your fists. 1/2 minute. Then beat the thighs just above the knee. Fast and heavy. It has a soothing effect. 1/2 minute.

8 9

BREAK THE MIND’S HYPNOTIC TRANCE An Experience with Yogi Bhajan

October 31, 1994

What does it mean to qualify yourself? How do we rise above the quagmire of our emotions and feelings? In this lecture, Yogi Bhajan challenges us to identify our higher values and live to them; quit wearing the masks and break through to our true Self—the Soul. We are known by what we do, who we’re married to, how much money we have; but are we ever known as a human being. Find yourself—“that is the real purpose of life.”

An edited transcript of this class is included in your Study Guide.

Yogi Bhajan • October 31, 1994

POSTURE: Sit in a comfortable, meditative posture. 1

MUDRA: Bring your hands into fists with the thumb over the middle finger; place them in front of the chest about six inches apart. Point your Jupiter finger up to the sky.

1. Begin moving the hands alternately, in a precise way, forward and back, in a mechanical, slow, almost jerky, motion—with a steady, even cadence. Do it with full awareness. 6 Minutes.

2. Continue the movement of the hands and bring the eyes to the tip of the nose. 3 Minutes.

3. Continue the movement and begin chanting “Thou” with each movement of the hands. 4 Minutes.

4. Close the eyes. Still the hands and relax them down. Come to 2 absolute silence and stillness. Practice nonexistence. For a moment forget who you are. 6 minutes.

TO END: Inhale deep and stretch the arms up. Exhale. Inhale deep and twist to the left. Stretch. Exhale in the center. Inhale deep and twist to the right. Stretch. Exhale in the center and relax.

EFFECTS: Breathing through the mouth will relax you very fast. It is a very vital exercise.

Small Groups

Gather in your small groups and discuss the following:

How do you qualify yourself?

What is your answer to “Who are you?”

Did you have a reaction to Yogi Bhajan’s discussion about qualifying God?

In your daily life, what things can you identify as operating from a place of hypnosis?

What parts of the lecture did you identify with as a Teacher and the caliber and projection of that role?

Consciousness and the Mind: Its Qualities, Nature, and Dynamics

WHAT IS CONSCIOUSNESS? Is it simply our thoughts? Or Qualities of Consciousness is thinking not consciousness at all? What is the nature of the So as Kundalini yogis, do we equate consciousness and mind and its relationship to what we know as consciousness? awareness? Is there a difference between being in a height- How do we reign in these 1,000 thoughts per blink of the eye ened state of awareness and consciousness? Let’s take a look and master the mind? What would mastery even look like? at a few more terms in the vocabulary of consciousness. These are some of the many questions that we’ll explore. There are many aspects of consciousness and these terms represent a stratification of consciousness, increasing in sub- Everything is process from non-being into being; being into tly and refinement. non-being. Without qualifying our existence, we live in tragedy. When we qualify ourselves, intuition and self- Arousal—activation, creates an interchange reliance awaken the god within. We can truly know that God Alertness—begin to scan, relate the object of arousal and me, me and God, are one. (All that exists and does not to the environment or yourself exist is what we call god.) Attention—broad and focused, limited Experience—composed of arousal and alertness; Each moment—what we perceive—is made up of our tattvas what you think you know composing themselves spontaneously and instantly in Consciousness—awareness in relation to something else response to the environment, our thoughts, emotions, and Awareness—qualified state of non-existing existence feelings. The mind creates multiple windows with many per- Shuniya—Opens to intuition; the silence and stillness spectives, many parts; in an individual it looks like many per- beyond awareness sonalities. It is only the Self that is continuous, beyond space Intuition—applied awareness; a place from which and time, because it is both existence and non-existence awareness can act together. Turiya—no scope, pure being Intention—our neutral mind projecting into infinity MIRRIAM-WEBSTER DEFINES CONSCIOUSNESS AS: as creator 1 a : the quality or state of being aware especially of Metacognition—Observe the observed something within oneself b : the state or fact of being conscious of an external These are the qualities of consciousness. object, state, or fact c : AWARENESS; especially : concern for some social or political cause Consciousness in Yogic Terms 2 : the state of being characterized by sensation, emotion, In yogic terms we apply the following terms to conscious- volition, and thought : MIND ness: 3 : the totality of conscious states of an individual Awake—engaged with the senses; 4 : the normal state of conscious life automatically; 5 : the upper level of mental life of which the person is Sleepless/Dreamless—non-existence existing; and aware as contrasted with unconscious processes Turiya—“awakened sleep,” always being in a state of heightened awareness in which intuition is a living reality—a natural part of your daily rhythm.

What do we really see? A Short Video While you watch this short video, your job is to count how The nature of the mind and consciousness is so vast that it many times the ball is passed among the players. is often hard to speak to; we get lost in a sea of terms, when truly the mind is meant to serve as a rudder toward our purpose—our Soul. In Chapter One of The Mind, Yogi Bhajan speaks about this fundamental role that the mind should play. Large Group Discussion But it demands a relationship. The mind must be shaped, Because our mind’s were directed to attend to something—to framed, and sometimes even cajoled (especially when the ego pay attention—it narrowed the focus and we were unable to gets involved in the play). see, literally, the pink elephant in your living room. The fundamental question is whether you will be subject to your mind or your mind will be subject to you. What is What are we not seeing in our lives? the answer? What are the primary playing pieces? What is the field? Implicit in the discussion of consciousness and the How does this affect your sense of knowing or witnessing? mind is the metaphor of seeing—even when we don’t physi- What do we really see? cally see with the eye, we speak of seeing in the ‘mind’s eye.’ What are some of the things you attend to that may be If we are going to master the mind, we must understand blinding you to the “pink elephant”? some of the inherent challenges to consciousness. Do you think there is a way to truly see in our day-to-day What do we really see? Scientists have been studying cogni- lives? Or are we programmed to our own blindness by tion, action, and perception and their relationships for many Alertness, Attention, and Experience? years now. From what we know today, the mind is fundamentally a storyteller. The body acts and the mind interprets. The What’s the key to breaking through to higher levels of quality of consciousness called Experience and Attention are awareness? keys to understanding the mind’s uncanny ability to not see.

Creating our Reality Much of the current research is putting into stark relief our notions of free will and our perception of ourselves as the actor and meaning-maker in our own lives. How can what we know about the mind and the way it works as yogis address these questions? This is the question posed by Guru Nanak in the first pauree of Japji. By thinking and thinking, what actually happens? We’re trying to understand the mind and the only mechanism we have is the mind, and really we’re trying to go beyond the mind to this place called consciousness—it’s tricky work.

SCIENCE BOX: Consciousness and the Brain

On the flow of thought and consciousness, Dr. James tion exchange (the global workspace), allowing some spe- comments: “Consciousness is not an entity, not a cialized processors—such as sensory systems in the thing, but a flux and system of relations; it is a brain—to distribute information to the system as a whole. point at which the sequence and relationship of thoughts [The] theory may be thought of as a theater of mental coincide illuminatingly with the sequence of events and functioning. Consciousness in the metaphor resembles a the relationship of things. In such moments it is reality bright spot on the stage of immediate memory, directed itself, and no mere 'phenomenon,' that flashes into there by a spotlight of attention, under executive guid- thought; for beyond phenomena and 'appearances' there ance. The rest of the theater is dark and unconscious. For is nothing. Nor is there any need of going beyond the sensory consciousness, the bright spot on stage is likely experience-process to a soul; the soul is merely the sum to require the corresponding sensory projection areas of of our mental life, as the 'Noumenon' is simply the total the cortex. Once a conscious sensory content is estab- of all phenomena, and the 'Absolute' the web of the rela- lished, it is distributed widely to a decentralized “audi- tionships of the world. ence” of expert networks sitting in the darkened theater, presumably using corticocortical and corticothalamic “Have you asked what kind of mental fact is your inten- fibers. This is the primary functional role of con- tion of saying a thing before it is said? It is an entirely def- sciousness: to allow a theater architecture to oper- inite intention, distinct from all other intentions, an ate in the brain, in order to integrate, provide absolutely distinct state of consciousness. . . . and yet access, and coordinate the functioning of very how much of it consists of definite sensorial images, large numbers of specialized networks that other- either of words or things? Hardly anything! Linger and the wise operate autonomously.” (Baars 2003) words will come into the mind; the anticipatory intention, the divination that there is more. But as the words Dr. Hawkins speaks of consciousness in terms of feeling that replace it arrive, it welcomes them successively and your cortex, and qualia, the expression of the senses as calls them right if they agree with it; it rejects them and ‘bytes’ of information in the brain: “[Your] cortex has a calls them wrong if they are not. It has, therefore, a clever learning algorithm that naturally finds whatever nature of its own of the most positive sort and yet what structure exists and captures it (p. 127) . . . . Brains are pat- can we say about it without using words that belong to tern machines. It’s not incorrect to express the brain’s the later mental facts that replace it? The intention to-say- functions in terms of hearing and vision, but at the most so-and-so is the only name it can receive.” fundamental level, patterns are the name of the game. No matter how different the activities of various cortical areas On the brain and its process, Dr. Baars suggests the may seem from each other, the same basic cortical algo- metaphor of a global workspace of the mind: [the brain rithm is at work.” (p. 62) works with] a fleeting memory capacity that enables access between brain functions that are otherwise sepa- Hawkins goes on to separate consciousness into two cat- rate. This makes sense in a brain that is a brainweb, egories: self-awareness and qualia (p. 196). Hawkins dis- viewed as a massive parallel distributed system of highly cusses qualia in terms of the qualitative differences specialized processors. In such a system, coordination between the senses, offering two possible explanations and control may take place by way of a central informa- for the phenomenon: (1) That sensory input is processed

uniquely prior to reaching cortex, and that this process- tion are inseparable and thus interfere with each other, ing is connected to the emotional centers; and (2) That a dualistic point-of-vew is impossible. Forced by empiri- the structure of perceptual input itself determines quali- cism into a monistic perspective, the brain–mind tative differences in experience. In support of the latter appears as neither embodied by or embedded in physi- he cites the fact that the optic nerve has a million fibers cal reality, but rather as identicial to physical reality.” and carries primarily spatial information, while the audi- tory nerve has only thirty thousand fibers and carries Ted Honerick on the world of the mind and the world more temporal information. of existence: “. . . in thinking about the mind and what He reduces self-awareness to declarative memory, exists, we have been stuck with two categories. These providing the following thought experiment as proof: are, in the most general terms, the mind-independent “Let’s assume you go through today and wake up worlds and mental worlds. It is not only philosophers of tomorrow. But just as you’re waking up, I flip a switch the mentally realist kind who have been stuck with not and erase the last twenty-four hours [from your memo- only mind-independent but also mental worlds. ry]. You would have zero memory of the previous day. Philosophers skeptical about mental worlds, indeed with From your brain’s perspective, yesterday never hap- some reason disdainful of them, have nevertheless not pened. I would tell you it’s Wednesday and you’d escaped them, but write more and more books trying to protest, “No, it’s Tuesday. I’m certain of it.” Everyone accommodate them. you met with on Tuesday would say you had been conscious throughout the day. . . . Finally, shown a video “To come to the very nub, what we need, in order to of you having lunch, you gradually become convinced deal first with perceptual consciousness and thereafter that the day did happen, even though you have no with all of consciousness, is a new category: worlds of memory of it. . . . Your belief that you were conscious perceptual consciousness. They take a good deal from disappeared only when your declarative memory was both mind-independent and mental worlds. We do not erased.” (p. 197) need new kinds of properties or events. We need this different way of looking at what we have got. Or, to Dr. Bell, when speaking about artificial intelligence (AI) remember my doubts and worry, and to be properly hes- and the brain as analogous processes, concludes the fol- itant, we need some new way like this, something along lowing: There are two themes regarding AI and the these lines. We need some view of perceptual con- organic processes of the brain. “The first is the univer- sciousness as existence, or, if you like, existence sality of cycles (or loops): sets of variables that affect as perceptual consciousness. We need an idea to each other in such a way that any feed-forward account the effect that for something to be conscious is of causality and control, while informative, is misleading. for a world to exist, although certainly not a world “The second theme is based around the observation wholly dependent on it. This, in my submission, is what that a computer is an intrinsically dualistic entity, with we have missed out on in being anchored in the two its phsycial set-up designed so as not to interfere with categories of mind-independent and mental worlds.” its logical set-up, which executes the computation. The brain is different. When analysed empirically at several different levels (cellular, molecular), it appears that there is no satisfactory way to separate a physical brain model (or algorithm, or representation), from a physical imple- mentational substrate. When program and implementa-

Meditation and the Need to Control the Mind: Man Jeetai Jag Jeet!

Guru Nanak told us: Know Your Guna First we need to understand the basic constructs of the Man jeetai jag jeet mind’s many parts. Let’s begin with the gunas which are part (Siri Guru Granth Sahib, page 6, 28th pauree of Japji Sahib) of the Universal mind—the source of all these myriad By conquering your mind, you conquer the world. thoughts. There are three gunas as describe on pages 30 and 31 of The Mind. They are in constant dynamic play with your The mind has no basic reality of its own. The mind’s 1000 tattvas to project your personality, your quality, and your cal- impulses per second are not personal; they are not yours or iber. Each of the gunas has a particular role to play in your your mind’s. Some of those impulses become thoughts, and life as a human being; but in your life as a yogi and a Teacher, some of those thoughts you react to. How you select which certain lifestyle habits must be incorporated and mastered thoughts, which fleeting moments, impulses to turn into into your daily life to support the sattvic guna—the angelic thoughts, and how you respond and creatively interact with way of being. those thoughts is what you know as your mind. Look at the We often associate a particular guna with particular figure on page 126 of The Mind for an image of this process tattvas. The tattvas are correlated with the first five chakras. at work. So if you’re not controlling your mind consciously, what First Chakra—Earth is? There are many possibilities: your subconscious, your Second Chakra—Water unconscious, your shadow self, your projections, your inse- Third Chakra—Fire curities, you name it. Fourth Chakra—Air Fifth Chakra—Ether

“If we can master the use and command of the mind, we can Because of this association with the wheels of power in the enjoy this world and live truthfully, gracefully, and prosper- body, the tattvas are limited to the human realm. So the ously.” (The Mind, p. 3) tamasic guna is often correlated to the Earth and Water elements or tattvas—dense, heavy, cold. The rajasic guna is So how do we manifest this mastery? How do we bring under often associated with the Fire element among others—intense, our conscious control this runaway train that is the mind? hot. The sattvic guna is most often associated with Air and How do we make it our servant? Ether—light, elevated, pranic elements. The tattvas don’t How do the three gunas, the five tattvas and the three expand into the realms of consciousness or radiance (Sixth, functional minds along with the universal minds function Seventh or Eighth Chakras). These are the godly realms of the together to create our reality? And how do we learn to dis- human consciousness. cern and interpret that reality? Yogi Bhajan, in speaking about the gunas, challenges us First, we recognize that we don’t make up reality, we qual- to observe the animals. (The Mind, p. 34) The tamasic quali- ify it; and second, we qualify ourselves through awareness, ties: carnivorous, fighting, surviving; rajas: territorial, majestic, through meditation. leaders; and sattvic: caring for their young, mourning their dead, and building their homes. The human being’s primary guna is sattvic; we are to be angels; it is our nature. Instead, he insists we look at our own inability to live up to even the animal kingdom.

Elevating the Tattvas this breaks up the hypnotic process of thoughts that uses We must use meditation to elevate the tattvas so that the polarity to entangle you. We can seed the body with the sattvic guna can be expressed naturally in our everyday lives. quality of stillness—shuniya—to stabilize the self and simply This doesn’t mean there isn’t a place for rajasic or tamasic allow all the feelings and sensations qualities; they are what makes us more complete as humans We can use distraction to control the flow of thoughts in and able to act with courage or patience. But to live in peace the mind. Mantra is an excellent tool for distraction as is the and in harmony with ourselves, our families, our neighbors, mala. Mantra is basic but there are subtleties in the naad that our nation, and the world, we must master the tattvas and rec- affect the mind’s basic guna: ognize the guna from which we are responding and consis- Do you speak from gross tattvas? tently elevate and uplift ourselves so that we can uplift others. Do you do it as mind? Do you do it in love? Do you allow its intention? Experience the Mind Do you become completely shuniya—zero—relaxed and let Much like our ‘gorilla experiment,’ there have been many fur- it flow from you, the you that is in every atom? This is ajap- ther studies that question our idea of a free, independent pa jap. Can you speak from this place and only this place? agency of action in the human mind. What we can truly This is mastery. know? Do you act by free will? Or is your free will determined Conversely, when are we convinced that we are in con- by circumstance, nature, and even biology? And what hap- trol but we are not, what happens? When we feel something pens to the identity if “free will” is no longer a concept we is important or valuable or it is our wish, our desire, as if it can hang our hats on? Who are we and how do we experi- must be, this same proposition or assumption limits what we ence ourselves in the mind without the notion of ‘free will’? perceive and believe to be possible, instead of just allowing There exists a choice at the level of consciousness and what is. neutrality; but not once the sequence is activated from a non- neutral space. Transcending the gross elements of the mind Science Box is the only way that we can truly express our divine nature. What do we really know? To transcend these elements we must gain some level of mas- Much of science is beginning to explore these realms that tery over their expression: how much room we give them, tended to fall into the laps of philosophers or sages. The how much time we dwell on them. There have long been tra- gross and the subtle now merge in the laboratory. Wilbur, ditional stages of meditation: remarking on the inability to truly trust our ‘sight’ notes Pratyhara (be and not be; allow the senses to equalize), the following phenomenon: “‘change blindness’—the Dharana (focus the senses or concentration), then bizarre, but absolutely normal, inability of people to notice Dhyana (let go and dwell) and finally quite massive changes to a scene so long as the changes Samadhi (merger in consciousness; all is personal and are masked by an interval where no scene is presented or infinite). where the change is very gradual. This leads naturally to the big question of whether what we call visual experience How do we control the mind? We can concentrate to elimi- is a kind of ‘grand illusion,’ lacking the depth, continuity nate a thought or go into deeper levels of it. We can concen- and qualitative richness which it ‘appears’ to possess. trate on thoughtlessness—non-thinking. We can project our- Another psychological-level phenomenon involves the selves into the vastness of Infinity. We can merge into the misattribution of agency. It is remarkably easy to get peo- soul, through neutrality and love. ple to believe with complete conviction that they inten- We can practice stillness or shuniya. We can dwell on in tionally performed an action which was not at all their the quality of sattva that this stillness and surrender of action doing. As Blackmore notes, such findings put considerable engenders. Or we can use paradox to be and not be at once; stress on our conceptions of freedom, agency and self.”

Interactive Group Exercise Clarity and Japji: The First Pauree

Chant the first pauree of Japji together 11 times and allow Group Discussion yourself to transcend the ‘thinking and thinking’ and get absorbed in the sound current. What state of consciousness is achieved through japa? What level of consciousness did you perceive yourself moving through and beyond in order to achieve that state? FIRST PAUREE OF JAPJI SAHIB: Looking again at the English translation, what lines particu- larly speak to you and your perception of consciousness in socY soic n hoveI jy socI lK vwr your daily life—the way your own mind works? cupY cup n hoveI jy lwie rhw ilv qwr BuiKAw BuK n auqrI jy bMnw purIAw Bwr What does Guru Nanak mean by cleverness and in what shs isAwxpw lK hoih q iek n clY nwil ways does that same cleverness obstruct your ability to perceive the truth, speak the truth, and act from the truth? ikv sicAwrw hoeIAY ikv kUVY qutY pwil hukim rjweI clxw nwnk iliKAw nwil ]ñ] Sochai soch na hova-ee jay sochee lakh vaar. Small Group Exercise Chupai chup na hova-ee jaylaa-ay rahaa liv taar. English Mantra Bhukhi-aa bhukh na utree jay bannaa puree-aa bhaar. The following is an English Mantra that uses the mirror effect Sehs si-aanpaa lakh hoheh ta ik na chalai naal. in language to emphasize the essential nature, the elements Kiv sachi-aaraa ho-ee-ai kiv koorhai tutai paal. of the language and the truth therein: Hukam rajaa-ee chalnaa naanak likhi-aa naal. So Be It, Be It So By thinking & thinking, nothing happens, Be to Be though I may think a thousand times. Deep in silence, nothing happens, Get together in your small groups and practice this English though the string of longing plays. mantra. Place emphasis on various words; play with the language until you, as a group, find the resonance that speaks The hungry people stay hungry, to you as truth. Once you’ve identified the mantra you want with the weight of the world on their backs. to work with and the naad that expresses the truth, in neu- You may be incredibly clever, trality, of the mantra, repeat it for 5 minutes in a soft mon- but you can’t take that Home with you. otone. How can I live the Truth? How can I cut through the net of lies? Then take another 5 minutes to discuss the effects of these mantras on your psyche, your identity, and your notion of Walk in God's Will within and without. ‘free will.’ O Nanak! It's written in your Soul. || 1 ||

MEDITATION from the mind book Dancing and Movement Meditation to Command Your Five Tattvas 11 minutes 62 minutes We’ll close the day with dancing and movement. Release the tattvas; let everything go and dance freely from your heart. Find this meditation on page 152 of The Mind. Break through to your angelic nature and enjoy the bliss of being one with God.

Small Group Discussion

What guna do you believe your personality most consistently relies upon to express itself?

Which tattvas do you associate most with yourself and your essential nature?

Identify the ways that the three gunas serve each other in expressing the perfect human psyche that is the healthy, happy, holy way of life?

If we can learn to act from the self in stillness, then there is no time. Yogi Bhajan gave us nine seconds to process, sense, and act—beyond that is a lie. Why?

What is the relevancy of the control of your mind to your life personally?

CHAPTER TWO

Awakening intuition: synchronize Your brain & your mind

The Brain: How It Works

The Brain and the Mind Connection mind. The interplay between all these factors—mind and In Kundalini Yoga we recognize the mind, with all its facets brain, thought and neurology, psychology and biology—is a and tricks, and we train it. We equally recognize, cultivate constant reality woven into the subtle design and practice of and optimize the brain through mudras, meridians and our meditations and kriyas. breath. We approach the brain and mind together in order to be healthy, happy and holy. We use many techniques: some The Yogic Effect: Integrating the Subtle and Scientific are primarily physical and employ reflexes, meridians, glandu- Yogi Bhajan constantly shared the effects of the kriyas in lar and nervous system stimulation and directed movement to terms of how they affect the brain and nervous system. directly change our brain. We also use “mental” techniques Sometimes he would describe meditative phenomenon by in meditation using attention, mantra, inner stillness and the translating from the ancient scriptures and sometimes by senses that create profound changes in the brain and other using the more modern language of scientific and anatomical bodily systems. terms. He saw that science would progress very rapidly in the The brain and the mind are so intimately intertwined, it can next few decades. Concurrent with that progress will be an seem that the mind is just the brain or that the mind is what entirely new language to describe and understand these very the brain does. The sensations, feelings, emotions and per- effective practices. He would imitate and foreshadow that ceptions are just the outcomes of having a cortex as some future integration of the subtle and the scientific by saying scientists have suggested. The state of our brain and nerves things like: they will say your meditation was at a depth 2.3 affects how we experience our mind and our self. As Yogis megawatts at a projective frequency and correlation of so- we experience and understand that the mind, in its universal and-so with Infinity. He said we will have the instruments to sense, is far greater than the brain itself. The mind has a dis- measure each atom of intelligence in the body and the pro- tributed existence throughout the Cosmos as well as an indi- jections of the aura as well. We will not have to guess if vidually located nature with our brain and body. someone is in meditation or telling the truth or accomplished Philosophically, we can say that in deep meditation there is in their experience of the self and infinity. We will have tech- no separation of space or time; we experience the Cosmos nical shorthand for the states of consciousness that we can directly through our self as our self. Because Kundalini Yoga now only experience ourselves or speculate that someone else is based on experience and our capacity to apply that experi- has attained. ence, we enjoy the various philosophies but approach the Fortunately the complexity and sensitivity of our mind and mind in a practical way that engages both a dimension of per- brain means that very simple but precise actions can engage sonal and universal functions. innate capacities for perception, intuition, creativity and com- The brain is the most complex, creative and adaptive con- munication. Even the realms of spirit can be accessed as we centration of matter that exists. Nothing else that science has calm our minds and nerves to allow space within us—beyond explored, from the structure of the sun and the swirling gases our ego and emotions. Yogis have mapped the way to attune of galaxies to the intricate patterns of microtubules in a cell, the Self through the body’s basic rhythms that they observed is layered with so many levels of feedback and sensitivity, and tested carefully over time. Breathing is the classic exam- interacting and changing, all the way from genes to the envi- ple. Breathing is so natural, automatic and ever-present that ronment, as our brain and nervous system. Its function and we do not notice its tides and moods or its enormous effects health are essential for a realized life and a clear, intuitive on our energy, perception and judgment. Which nostril has a

dominant flow of breath affects brain function; the flow of Then we will consider how we react to, perceive, and con- thoughts and emotions; and even the “higher” functions of trol pain and what that tells us about why many yoga exer- judgment, aesthetic preferences, and the sense of identity— cises are so effective for pain relief. We will note a few char- who we are. As yogis, we attend to these basic patterns of acteristics about how the brain perceives music and why energy and use them to communicate and synchronize with mantra is so effective. Finally, we will look at the powerful and our body and mind. Many of our lifestyle choices and ability of the brain and mind to heal and change through yoga practices honor these inborn patterns as gifts to be placebo with only a few words to prime and direct the sub- cared for and maintained through considered and consistent conscious. practice—sadhana. There is a vast amount of literature and research you can explore to your hearts delight using the resources on the Tour of the Brain internet. The material here is composed mainly from the lec- Let’s take a quick tour of the brain, its development and structure series Grey Matters, broadcast on WebTV by the ture, and review a few basics. We learned some descriptive University of California at San Diego. These lectures are by anatomy and fundamental physiology of the nervous system leading researchers and can be viewed free or ordered on in Foundations—Level One Instructor training. Here, we will DVD. See Resources page for more information. touch on a few of those basics and look at the brain through several different lenses that relate to our priorities as yogis. We will observe adaptive and sensitive the brain is and how our actions and thoughts affect its development and use. Yogi We will next look at a few topics which illuminate how the Bhajan said we need two things: intuition; and subjective brain and the mind connect and how we approach their use. control of our thoughts and mental projections. Both of these need optimal brain function as well as a strong frontal cortex. First we will look at how the brain develops into this magnificent sensory instrument. By looking at what we know about development we can become aware of:

How vast and complex the brain is. How little we know about its functioning—still. How responsive the brain is to the environment. How responsive it is to training, to repetition and to focus. How the brain’s fundamental qualities—neuroplastic, neurogenerative—are affected by exercise. How even a few neurons can display intelligence and adaptation.

SCIENCE BOX: COMPONENT PARTS OF THE BRAIN The adult human brain is made up of over 100 billion neurons. do not have this covering and they transmit information much There are estimated to be 60 trillion connections between those more slowly. At the end of each axon is a tree-like structure cells or neurons. This matrix is composed in two sides of the called a dendrite. This is how neurons connect. By following brain, the left and right hemispheres. These are connected by a chemical and electrical signals, we can watch two neurons grow major bundle of nerves called the corpus callosum. If you view toward each other and connect. the wrinkled, convoluted surface of the brain from above, it looks There are many other cells that support all these neurons: glial like the two halves of a walnut. The right side develops a little cells and astrocytes among many others. They make up more of faster than the left. Although many of our most important activ- the brain than the neurons themselves and function in repair and ities use areas from many places in both hemispheres some gen- grouping and shaping neurons as experience alters the environ- eral activities tend to organize more on one side than the other ment. Many of their functions are still being discovered. during development as the two hemispheres compete with each These are the basic building blocks of the brain. If we look at other to form an optimal organization. the adult brain, the surface looks very uniform. If we use micro- With all of this complexity and enormous number of neurons, scopes and look very closely at each area we can easily find dif- the average brain weighs only about 3 pounds and arises from just ferent kinds of cells that vary in their types of inputs and out- a few initial stem cells. How does the brain become this incredi- puts. Broadman in the early 1900s identified 47 different areas of ble structure from a few primitive cells? In the first few weeks of the brain. For example, the information from the eyes travels back pregnancy a “neural tube” forms; it’s about 2 mm—very small. to the area near the occiput, the back lower area of the skull. This From this tiny neural tube, the fetus continues developing and is the visual cortex. It has several zones. When information responding to sound and light within the womb—already forming comes from the eyes it passes through these areas. A little for- networks and connections for recording perceptions and feelings. ward from the occiput, there are two areas that activate when How does the brain organize into functions and functional you produce speech and another for understanding speech. areas? These are difficult and complicated questions that concern Brain Development: What can we learn about the unique matrix developmental neuroscientists. We will touch on only a few of awareness and our personality from how the brain develops? ideas they have discovered. There are 100 billion neurons in the brain. Almost all the neu- The brain has grey matter and white matter. The grey matter rons that make up the brain are created in the early pregnancy. looks grey because it contains the cell bodies of the neurons. In order to produce such a huge structure, neurons are created at There is thin strip of grey matter, the neocortex or “bark,” that a rate of 200,000 neurons per minute in early pregnancy. surrounds the brain. We see this neocortex in all mammals; it is Brain development occurs not only during pregnancy, but also responsible for sensations, perception, cognition and motor func- into childhood and adolescence, not completing until the age of tions that we perform all the time. Looking at a cross-section of 21! One thing that is surprising to many people is that newborn the brain, we see deeper pockets or areas of the brain that show infants in the first year of life have more than twice as many neu- grey matter. These are called nuclei and serve to relay informa- rons in the brain than an adult. They also have twice as many tion from the senses and outside world to the neocortex or to connections between the neurons. send information from the neocortex to the rest of the body. It’s So between he first year and the 21-year-old there must be sig- a two-way highway: sensations from the outer world affect the nificant “pruning” and shaping of the neural network. Each per- cortex, our perceptions and reactions; and how we think and son will lose neurons and networks they do not need to conform process those sensations affect how they are, in turn, filtered and to whatever environment they are in. The interaction of the envi- perceived in the first place. ronment and the innate growth urge as well as the genes give a The white matter consists of fibers that connect the neurons. tremendous opportunity to the developing human being to be Each neuron has an axon extending from it like a tail encased in expansive, creative—even genius. This is one reason why the layers of a white fatty substance known as the myelin sheath. early-childhood environment is so critical; the more varieties of Neurons that have this insulating sheath can pass on electrical stimulation in the environment, the greater the complexity of the impulses quickly and efficiently. There are other nerve fibers that neural networks.

The brain, the mind, and pain perception

A common theme in Yogi Bhajan’s teachings is that pain is is in your brain. Hold the arm still from your consciousness; something we have a wide range of choice over; and yet pain for you and your brain will release a natural morphine. You is inevitable. Each challenge is something we can use to go will be fine.” Or he would instruct us to go beyond the reac- deeper, to center in our spirit, and to act from a place beyond tions and dwell in the infinite with trust and devotion. the elements and polarities of life and our mind. He says that The brain is filled with mechanisms to overcome pain and most of our pain we cause ourselves, from our emotional reac- to respond to pain with an inner healing force. Exploring how tion to life, lack of a neutral mind, and from the habits of our we experience pain, and how meditation and exercise help to subconscious to avoid the present moment and its reality. alleviate pain and suffering, give us an inroad to understand When we do yoga, there is often some discomfort associ- how subtle and complex the brain–mind relationship is. ated with it, for example, holding our arms above our head Before we go too deep into this topic, let’s start with an for several minutes. When teaching he would say, “The pain experiment.

Interactive Group Exercise Pain Perception: An Applied Experiment

In this experiment we will observe the affect of meditation It’s in Your Brain and the power of Word on the perception of pain. We will Descartes wrote about pain and showed a pain reflex arc to observe three different conditions and the ability of the par- the brain. In modern times we can track those fibers with ticipants to modulate their experience of pain based on these magnetic imaging machines. Sensory nerves connect to varied conditions. nerves (a synapse) in the spinal cord, then up to the thala- mus in the brain, then on to the cortex where you experience To Begin: Ask for a group of volunteers (up to 9) and have pain. If pain were only perceived via this arc, you could just them divide themselves into three groups. With the volun- cut the nerve and the pain would go away, even to the point teers waiting outside the room, set up the experiment: 3 sta- of cutting the nerve directly at the spin. This has been prac- tions with ice cold water. ticed for years in neurosurgery. There are more than 16 com- 1. Call in the first group. Without much explanation, mon areas that are cut. But oddly enough—and even counter have them place their hands in the water and time them. intuitively—you can produce more pain through this proce- Note the time. dure, and sometimes paralysis. So it is usually a last resort, 2. Call in the second group. This time prepare them done only if someone is imminently dying. So what does this with a brief introduction to the exercise and plant the seed of tell us about pain? The reality is there is no pain pathway; in a time limit. Note how long the participants are able to keep fact, a spinothalamic cordotomy for patients near death still their hands in the water and compare that to the first group leaves 50% of patients in pain, others are relieved before as well as the ‘planted’ time—did they exceed the time, not death. People have even had a limb removed because of pain. exceed it, or other? But pain is in the brain. 3. Call in the third group. Once their hands are in the So how do we get to the brain? People ask, Where in the ice cold water, have the rest of the group begin chanting Long Brain is pain? We don’t know yet. Bertrand Russell, the well- Sat Nam. Note the time difference. What is the effect of known British philosopher, went to the dentist. The dentist group consciousness on the individual? Did the times increase asked him, ”Where does it hurt?” Russell said, “In my brain.” from the two other experiments? It is as hard to locate consciousness. You can look at the

32 • KRI INTERNATIONAL TEACHER TRAINING MANUAL LEVEL 2 • MIND & MEDITATION PILOT MANUAL © 2006 Kundalini Research Institute MIND & MEDITATION brain and see visual stimulus, but not pain. The following statements are from The Mind: Pain without emotion is not pain. It is like asking where beauty is. Pain is right next to beauty. Pain equals stimulus “Excellence, awareness, and caliber come to you when you plus emotion plus cognition plus experience. make your mind play the game you and your soul want. Emotional response to pain is cultural. We are taught how When you play the game your mind makes you play, it ruins to respond emotionally and differently to pain and sensations. you and creates your pain. The mind is vast and extends Penfield explored brain structure as patient is awake. Brain throughout the totality of the universe. It is involved every- doesn’t feel pain so you stimulate cortex to see what is pro- where. So you become a victim in many ways. You are a vic- voked. Math, grandmothers, memory, dreams. . . . You can tim of your subconscious, which is part of your mind.” never stimulate pain. It is not in the cortex, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it is in the lower nerves. Rather, pain is a “Look how your memory works. Suppose you recall a painful composition. or embarrassing incident. The moment the Negative Mind starts to act on that memory it magnifies the events and tries Placebo to protect you. That is its basic function—to give protection Placebos are very effective for more than a third of patients. to your life.” (page 18) Every time a doctor gives you a drug, he or she is giving you a placebo because the placebo effect is inherent. The catch is “Pain and calamity are challenges that give us strength with- that the patient must believe you know what you are doing. in us and within our prayers. When you are in pain, your prayers become very strong.” (page 23) Acupuncture Some believe it is placebo—a psychological mechanism. It “Never forget God has made you a human. Never misunder- doesn’t really matter where the needles go. Some studies have stand, He could have made you a snake or a donkey. God suggested that needle placement has shown no difference in made you for a purpose. Those who don't live their purpose, effect. It doesn’t matter. live in pain.” (page 23) S. Sebastian painted with arrows and his expression was of bliss. Guru Arjan laid on the hot plate for hours, days at a “You cannot hold to something external. You must find your time. Ronald Reagan was shot but didn’t know it for over a own depth and test it, confirm it. So, calamity is not a bad minute. The brain overcomes pain. thing. Calamity is a right thing. Calamity only tells you that life has a climate, and climate by nature constantly changes. Hypnosis and Meditation How can you train your mind to handle the calamities? These are the most underutilized approaches. It doesn’t block stimulus from the spine. It works through the brain. In stud- duKu prhir suKu Gir lY jwie ies, they’ve shown that the stimulus is the same but area of Dukh parhar sukh ghar lai jaa-eh emotion in the brain isn’t stimulated as strongly and the pain (Guru Nanak, Siri Guru Granth Sahib, p 2, 5th pauree of Japji Sahib) is gone. This is central to meditation and the self-hypnotic Pain will fly away, and peace will come home to your heart. approach to pain management. Give that calamity to God who has sent it, and take happiness home. Don't think a tragedy is only a tragedy. It is also to test your courage. In this life you have all come here fully equipped. You can face whatever comes in your life.” (page 24)

“The mind must serve you. The mind has to be developed to “Uncommitted relationships are very painful. There is fear, no give you supportive strength. There is no reason to be unhap- trust, unconscious anger, and mistake after mistake. To get rid py other than the pain you get from the results of these of that pain, you drink. You drink so much you can become intrigues.” (page 51) an alcoholic. If you don't drink, you find some other drugs. You become a drug addict. You do all kinds of other weird “You react and try to expand any way you can. You may try things and damaging habits to avoid the pain. All these neg- to blow apart the feeling of limitation by stimulating the mind ative habits that belittle and subject your life are just tactics with drugs or with some type of extreme or extraordinary to cover over one great pain: your own hollowness. You try experience. That approach just causes more problems and to bury the shallowness you feel. You have no depth because pain. Anything that pushes you up and out instantly, and you are not committed. Without commitment in your lan- unnaturally, will have a powerful reaction of at least equal guage and actions you feel that you do not know what is force that pulls you down and back in. Your efforts will back- going on. You are unsure and lack control. You react by feel- fire. You can't become spiritual or wise overnight by some ing irritation and anger. Then you find lots of ways to let that grand effort. You cannot be impatient and greedy and gobble anger out.” (page 74) God like It is a cookie. To stop the games and mental intrigues and to truly be “How can you fail your own conscious being? How is this happy you must develop a consistent attitude of human life betrayal of your own consciousness possible? It is the same in which you can excel above time and space, using your answer: There is a joy in ego because it is now. But the ego mind at the frequency of your soul. That is the attitude of a is also blind, and that is why there is pain in life. So what happy person. Every other approach and short-cut will prove other power can we use to put the hole in the mind? What to be false.” (page 53) pearl can focus us beyond the immediacy of the ego? The problem is you cannot control your own mind with your ego. Yogi Bhajan speaks of the need to situate in shuniya and still- It only produces more of the same and more complications.” ness to become vast and dwell there, first: (page 97) “This is the key to training the mind. Use the mind to project to and stay at a point beyond the mind's own nature. When your mind stays with the self-illumined soul within Music you, then all pains and suffering disappear and your presence Much relief of pain has been experienced by those who use radiates and works. If you try to train your mind by con- music as a distracter. The grammar, rhythm, tone, and feeling fronting your ego and desires, it only causes pain. Train the of the naad can help to generate the relaxation response and mind by directing it to confront your unlimited soul. The release the mind’s grip on pain. Music is all the more power- mind will be elevated, and you will be elevated. That consis- ful when it has inherent meaning-making. That is, if the tent projection and training is called a permanent state of music is intended to be healing, strengthening, planting the bliss. Your mind is your projection. Your mind is not your seeds of change or transformation, then the effect on the pain confrontation.” (page 56) response is even greater. Music sways and moves the emotion of tattvas, which can totally change your experience of the present.

The Game of the Tattvas

We Are a Process in action. To a Yogi this is a key realization—that there is no A key concept that we must grasp in order to understand separation at all between you and God, between you and mastery over the mind is that we are a process—not a static consciousness: thing. We are a whirlpool of form created from the formless by a matrix of energies or tattvas that reflect our actions and “There is an old story about how the body, mind, and soul our gifts, given by the creator. In a real sense we are constant- came to be. That story tells us how they relate with each ly created, in each moment. We are different with every other. It begins with the Infinite presence of God. When God breath, breath to breath. decided to come into the Creation to have experience a Yogi Bhajan puts it this way: change occurred. That change came in stages like the gradual changes in the colors of the dawn. In each stage there is a “A person can totally evaporate and reform because there is little less Oneness and a little more separateness. That no such thing as time and space. There is matter, the tattvas. process that makes everything seem separated is called maya. The five tattvas join and become something, and then they Each new stage of separateness has its own qualities. The disintegrate and there is nothing. The tattvas go into tattvas, yogis call each new stage a tattva. There are about 31 stages mind goes into Mind, and soul goes into the Infinite Soul. going from complete Oneness through Prakirti—all of our Then who is alive and who is dead? Dead and alive are finite experiential world— down to pure individual atom separate- consciousness. Infinite consciousness is neither dead nor ness. The final five tattvas give rise to the qualities of matter alive.” and sensations we are used to. Creation has layers. It is subtle. In the West we pay atten- This means that at any moment we can reconstitute our tion only to the last most dense layer of matter. Guru Nanak Self; reclaim our Self and renew our Self. What stands in the and other saints tell us there are worlds upon unseen worlds. way? The games and ego reactions that play out from our The mind senses all those seen and unseen worlds. Each of subconscious and unconscious; and the effects of actions us must maintain a special balance in the tattvas with our through time. Both require a gradual, disciplined sculpting of mind in order to have a strong body and a unified personali- our mind and character to live an excellent life informed by ty. The quality of our life, our mind, and our health is main- the direction of our consciousness. tained by the tattvas. As we discussed in the previous section, much of our pain The five densest of the tattvas are experienced as qualities in life comes from the reactions, emotions, fears, insecurity in the body and in all matter. These essences are called ether, and games our minds play. Instead of distilling our tattvas air, fire, water, and earth. The Ether gives you the space to from negative reactions to neutral reality in the here-and-now, exist and the quality of that space or form. Air gives the we become clever and believe we can outwit our own movement of spaces, thought, and the life force we call groundlessness, our own hollowness. When we try those prana. Fire powers your digestion and your lifeblood. Water things, we always get a reaction that intensifies the problem. composes most of you and flows with emotions and impres- Instead we need to acknowledge our negative reactions and sions. Earth gives the final base structure. It is all that is left emotions and let them go. Direct them into the infinite. after the fire of the funeral pyre is done. It is funny. In the Resolve them as they relax into an experience of our strength, realm of maya and earth there is a law of polarity that gov- our ground, our basic guna of subtle reality. erns our perceptions and desires. The ash that is left from the Yogi Bhajan explains that the tattvas are part of the process funeral pyre is the smallest part of you, and yet it is what you of creation as God goes from the unmanifest to the manifest; spend most of your time and attachment on. from formless to form; from God within its own being to God

Each soul that comes to this earth has come with a partic- The third thing agreed and given to the soul was the mind, ular combination of prana and tattvas to have an experience given as a vehicle, as a servant. Just like when you marry your unique to it. Here is how the story of the soul is often told. daughter and you give her gifts—clothes, money, and a car. In When the soul was asked to come into a body, the soul that way the soul was given a kind of vehicle through the refused. God wanted to separate the soul because of His power and faculties of the mind. With the mind, the soul can boredom. He wanted to experience Himself. He created maya always tune into and experience God. It can always tune back and nature (Prakirti) and all that. Guru Nanak explained this to the Earth, to this moment in time and space. It is also the very beautifully in Japji. You have to read and recite it to real- mind which adjusts the five tattvas into a balanced propor- ly understand its depth. Guru Nanak explains that there was tion to match your character and activity.” not a separation as just Prakirti and Purkha—the creation and (The Mind, p. 43-44) the soul. That is not how to understand it. Japji explains that it is the Karta Purkh. Normally it is explained as Purkha and Emotions Associated With Each Tattva Prakirti, God and His Creation, as if they are totally separat- The game of the tattvas is the play of the basic qualities that ed. In Japji it is just the reverse. It is God in the creation and form the temperament of our body and mind. Each of the five God. So, God is in every atom of the creation and also com- basic tattvas or elements gives rise to positive and negative pletely within Himself. emotions. In the yoga tradition five of the great obstacles to In simple English, when God out of His boredom wanted reaching a sattvic, centered mind and to the release of suffer- to create Prakirti, to see His own Self, the soul did not want ing are emotions associated with each tattva: to go. The longing and love of the soul for God was so great. They are the same frequency and being. So it was decided Earth Greed, insecurity they could not be truly separated. It was agreed that the soul Water Lust, desire, fantasy, resentment would not accept the tattvas, the divisions, and categories Fire Anger, jealousy, irritability that devolved into matter and the creation. Furthermore, the Air Attachment, or detachment soul could not accept any confinement since it is against its Ether Pride, Ego nature. In order for God to have the experience, three things were agreed upon. First there would be a time limit for the experience; that would be regulated by the amount of prana given to the soul through the breath. That is why a human being was called a praanee—one who carries the prana. After a certain amount of prana was used, the tattvas that gave the condition of the mind and the existence would leave, and the soul would be free to go. That was one condition. Second, the soul was given a subtle body to accompany it and give it clarity and distinctness. With the tattvas balanced, it was agreed that all people of higher consciousness would be completely tuned into all subtle life around them. With this link they could be very peaceful, very unique, and excellent people. Excellent people are those who can look into the fineness of everything. They can understand the implications and connections between things. They can sense the intentions and are less emotional, commotional, and neurotic. So there is a way to experience everything with grace.

Interactive Group Exercise Small Group Discussion Tattva Clearing Ceremony Discuss your transformation.

Which emotions and tattvas need balancing in you? We will create a little ceremony to call on the negative energies of each of our five main tattvas as we personally experi- Discuss how we transform, redirect and elevate the energy ence them; and then we will transform them to serve our of negative emotions and then act from consciousness. soul. There are three steps to the transformation. Why do emotions often seem more real than your own Self STEP ONE and consciousness? Meditating on Each chakra First we meditate on each chakra for 3 minutes each—from the First to the Fifth. We consciously observe how we become emotional in each element. We identify that manifes- Dancing and Movement tation. Name it. Notice how it changes the body and energy approximately 11 minutes when it is present. Then we release that energy by becoming Movement and Dance. Shake it all up. Let the tattvas fly as still and vast. you move every part of your body. Dance!

STEP TWO Write the name of the manifestation Second, we write the name on a flat wooden stick. We pro- ceed through each chakra in this way. When we have all five identified, released and captured on the wooden sticks, we wrap them together in a bundle with a string. Then we put all the sticks in the center of the group in a sacred vessel.

STEP THREE chanting ong Finally we all meditate and chant the sound ONG. Invoke the power to penetrate from the Fifth Chakra. Turn yourself and the vessel and all the negative reactions of the tattvas into a flame of light. Continue chanting ONG projecting from the sixth center to go beyond these elements. When your personal negative emotions are gathered with everyone else’s, it means that your impersonal reactions from your unconscious realms are transmuted as well. End the chanting by holding the breath and expanding your light to infinity. As you all exhale the vessel is quickly removed from the circle and sent to be burned. We already burned it in our mental flame. We will complete the physical process later.

Awaken your dormant human consciousness An Experience with Yogi Bhajan

March 8, 1995

Yogi Bhajan speaks about the fundamental human power—consciousness. Commitment, conception, deliverance, intuition are only available through our consciousness, our awareness, our excellence. He says that our consciousness is dormant and until we wake it up, become alive to life, we will constantly fall short of our intention, our word, and ultimately, our destiny.

An edited transcript of this class is included in your Study Guide.

38 • KRI INTERNATIONAL TEACHER TRAINING MANUAL LEVEL 2 • MIND & MEDITATION PILOT MANUAL © 2006 Kundalini Research Institute a Authentic Relationships • STUDY GUIDE KUNDALINI YOGA MEDITATION SELF-HYPNOSIS TO DEVELOP INTUITION

Yogi Bhajan • March 8, 1995

POSTURE: Sit in a comfortable meditative posture.

MUDRA: Bring your hands up by your sides, palms up toward the ceiling, elbows at your side. Place the thumb and mercury finger together in Buddhi Mudra.

EYES: Close the eyes. Focus on the back of the neck. Look through the back of the neck.

BREATH: Long and deep. “Longer the breath; longer the life.”

MUSIC: Singh Kaur’s Guru Guru Wahe Guru, Guru Ram Das Guru

TIME: 11-22 minutes

TO END: Inhale deep. Press your hands into your chest. Press hard. 30 seconds. Exhale. Inhale deep. Press your hands into your navel. Press hard. 30 seconds. Exhale. Inhale deep and fold the hands at the heart (prayer pose) and press the hands together—hard. 30 seconds. Exhale and relax.

COMMENTS: You must understand, if your eyes cannot see in the back of your neck, you are not covered. This is the first step of intuition. If you cannot see the unseen, you cannot know the Unknown, you cannot talk the unutterable, then you are not a human. Get lost. Float with the music. Do it consciously. You’ll learn to ask yourself instead of others. Your Self is the only God you can ask. Be very relaxed.

Practicing Shuniya, Mindfulness (Metacognition) and Intuition

There are three specific practices: metacognition, shuniya, We’re trying to establish the vocabulary of consciousness. and intuition. In the video class, Yogi Bhajan guided us to a Can we accept the gift of uniqueness and dwell in it? Or do specific place, using specific words. we not trust it? Or are we afraid? Or do we get lonely? “I’ve He calls us a dormant donut. You can awaken! You’re not got it, but now I’m afraid.” Go stand and look in the mirror a human unless you have the ability to know the unknown. for 11 minutes. What do you see? First you see an image. Until you have this capacity—this ability to lock into YOU, Actually, you’ll see some sensory object, a reduced impres- your consciousness, and your creator—you will never master sion of you, some gross imprint in manas, in the mind of the mind. He guided us into that space—now lock it, catch it, senses. Your mind activates and processes all those thoughts. try to stay there. Notice what happens—the moment we Either you get trapped into the processing—hypnotized—and attach to a particular feeling, we lose ‘it.’ you never see you; or the beauty—the attachment—and you don’t penetrate to the subtle. Locate Yourself Locate yourself and preserve, dwell in that location, because Trust the Unknown, the Flow, and the Fantastic Flaw everything is there. He gives very clear instructions about the The Unknown exists even if we don’t realize it. It’s not like structure of a practice. What is its importance to us as teach- one can go find it. Stop searching! Yogi Bhajan says recog- ers? Yes, there are certain skills and we have to practice; it nize. Recognize what exists. How? Wait; wait for the flow. takes time, as he said. This is one of the reasons we’ve But if you’re too busy thinking, then the flow doesn’t come. designed the Transformation Level Two Practitioner curricu- Knowing the Unknown is a paradox. How do we find any lum—these five mirrors of the self—to be completed in no less words if we don’t speak? It’s a relationship in which you than 2-1/2 years. It takes time. Life and your demons, life and stand with the Unknown and wait. your excellence, will give you plenty of opportunities every Through the process of meditation, the brain changes, the day to locate yourself. chemistry changes, the hormone levels change. But why does Why is it that some people can practice meditation for a it change? When we let go of the usual constraints that long time and they never seem to change? It’s possible define us, the mind gets very active. The mind immediately because of the structure of the mind; all these practices still says, “Hey, there’s something new! What’s that? Should I feel never seem to take us beyond the mind. What does it mean this vast? Is it okay to feel me? Is it okay to feel me if this to lock you, your creator and your consciousness? What isn’t usually me?” Trust your own radiance and beauty. If you would this look like? look in the mirror and think: “I’m flawed,” then can you transform and elevate that thought? So instead of seeing the Accepting the Gift of Uniqueness flaw, can you see the ‘perfect’ flaw? Did you know that if you Often, we think it will create some kind of uniqueness; we’ll get an emerald and it’s not flawed, it’s not real. Did you know be ‘special.’ The problem with that thought is that we’re that in the African and Native American traditions, beadwork- already unique. If you can understand and allow and trust ers and artisans intentionally introduce a ‘flaw’ so as not to your uniqueness from infinity to unique you’d be fine; instead offend the gods. It is the perfect flaw that gives depth and you look for a difference, and while you’re busy trying to be beauty. Own the Fantastic Flaw and suddenly energy is different you miss out on being unique. Uniqueness allows released. you to accept the gift of yourself from the creator; whereas difference means you have to compete from within somebody else’s situation.

Continually Re-locating in the Self The Naad of Consciousness As you progress in your meditation practice, after a while, “Lock in you, your creator and your consciousness.” you get into the ‘zone’. The twilight zone. Sometimes you’re “I-the-self, call on my psyche to show me the vastness of the more comfortable in some zones than others. Sometimes creation.” you’ll get lost and never really go to that edge of discomfort. These two statements are the same; they have a structure of Yogi Bhajan paced us through these stages of change and three. The creator represents the Infinite that dwells in your outlined a way to continually come back to the Self. We’re own infinity; you is the observer; consciousness is the thing learning a process—if you can locate into that mindfulness— being perceived—that’s what we lock in. It’s usually the ‘I’; I there’s no limit. But in our consciousness, we form con- am this and this and this and I am involved; and within me, structs; we limit ourselves. This occurs quite naturally, in con- within the observer, I can see all of this. And as I let my ‘me’ cert with our own mind. Suddenly you’re in your negative, merge into total shuniya and stillness and become all, positive and neutral minds, and you feel trapped. You start become the Unknown, then I have the lock, then I have acting it out—this play of the mind—and suddenly you’re access to this constant rhythm. That’s the goal. That’s the small. You’re like the ocean contained in a thimble and your conscious place. That’s the healing place. That’s the place of Self cries out, “Wait a minute! Aren’t I the ocean?” You transformation. That’s what it really means to go deeply into remember and recognize your Self. You start expanding; and meditation. things begin to happen; you start reaching to the Unknown. The words we’re using to describe this state of mind are As we process the thoughts in the mind—using the positive, mindfulness; awareness; metacognitive, the observer, observ- negative and neutral minds—there are two primary ways to ing the self. From this state you then progress to the place of shift our relationship to the ‘thought.’ We can take the zero, stillness, where you don’t react to mind, you simply thought or feeling and expand it to the Infinite, or we can allow it. You get bigger, much bigger. zero it out. We’ll explore today the various ways to practice The last step is intuition; but intuition is the automatic con- these two techniques. dition of being aware. It’s not attainment; it’s already there, just like the Unknown. In terms of the three minds, it means allowing each thought to complete itself through them, and at each stage of completion, not forgetting ‘you’. But if you spin the thought and all the associations with it and you’re able to quote “process” it by dwelling still within you, then you’ve self-qualified. You don’t chase the thought. You include the thought as it goes through the natural cycle; when a thought completes the cycle in the neutral mind, you can decide in consciousness—buddhi—and start acting from a new place. That’s what it means to process an experience. Again and again Yogi Bhajan says, “But you haven’t qualified yourself. You haven’t processed your thought. You haven’t allowed your subconscious to be processed.” What does it mean to process it? Exactly what we’ve just described. It’s a very simple skill.

Guided Process: your mind tries to figure it out, take that as just one more Observation and Shuniya sound in the environment of sounds. These are just sensations of the tattvas and the thoughts. Just accept your mind Exercise One and locate that sense of you. Sit Straight. Come into the state of observation. That’s the Inhale deep. Stretch up. Exhale. Could you recognize when first step. Observe things as you go. We’ll create three con- you pulled away from the space and when you were able to ditions and spend a few minutes with each one. In each con- pull back and recognize you were back? dition, we’ll put ourselves into the place of observing and Don’t try to remember that spot; because as soon as you allowing everything that comes up without getting lost, with- try to remember it, you betray the Unknown. It’s as if it’s not out dissolving into the twilight zone. What happens if you you; it’s not intimate enough. If you try to return to that don’t make it through the twilight zone? What state do you ‘spot’ the next time you meditate, you’ll be encountering your end up in? How would you know you were caught? What are memory, your subconscious, which is different from encoun- the signs? tering you, coming into the immediacy of this moment and Jerking awake—sleeping. being you. Alertness is lost. There’s a command—Be You. Many times when I watched You get lost in the hypnosis. Yogi Bhajan work with someone, he’d say, “Son, you agree to You get involved in fantasy. drop it? Yes. Done.” He was in the authentic, unique moment, now—be it so. He wasn’t suggesting that you remember to Your tattvas will determine where you get caught. Slow your drop it, but simply to drop it. Otherwise you just continue in breath—less than five breaths per minute. Start noticing all your mental processes; you stay stuck. your sensations, your thoughts, and more importantly, notice that you’re dwelling in you. Call on your Self to observe your Exercise three consciousness. Repeat silently: Self is here and I’m observing. I’m going to say: Go there! And with that command, just be Maintain this state even as the conditions change. in that space. After 30 seconds, we’ll begin chanting Har and I’d like you to maintain being in ‘you.’ Hold the space of you Exercise two as you produce the sound. First establish your Self, become Sit straight. Establish your Self. Sit still, slow your breath. Use the observer, from you as you, watch your consciousness. alignment: Chin in and relaxed posture makes it easer to Don’t try anything, just observe from you. Be to be. Have no sense this quality of Self-Location. As you do this, your condition. mind—not you—wants to figure out how it’s going to be the Now stay in the “be to be” condition and simply notice as most helpful. What should it present? It will comment to you chant what its effects are: how your mind goes, you you. That’s fine. No matter what it says, you’re just observ- enjoy it, you don’t enjoy it, but maintain that subtle sense ing. You let it in. Your mind will say, pay attention, I’m telling that you’re fully present—not concentrated, not over-focused— you about what you’re doing. You be larger than the stream just present, allowing in everything that is unique in this of thoughts and narrative of the mind. Don’t get caught. moment, speaking these things, in this group, as you, by your Make yourself vast. Allow the voices to grow smaller. Locate own choice, of the Unknown becoming known to you. yourself with a steady breath. Don’t try to sort out one thing Maintain that sense of ‘you’, observing. from another; just enter into that metacognitive, mindful Now go silent, establish your Self within you. Now men- state—the observer state. If you have thoughts notice that you tally pulse Har. Remain in that place that is the observer that can have many thoughts all at once. If you have feelings in is you. Pulse Har. Your mind will project Har. Tell your mind: your body, notice that you can feel them all. Don’t jump “Project Har.” Observe. You’ll hear the sound Har and you’ll around like a grasshopper, just dwell in you. Allow them all notice many other things. Allow everything to be what it is, in from all directions at once. Expand. Open all the doors. If to change. Some things may be uncomfortable: Negative

mind, you want to get away. Some things may be very entic- Group Discussion ing: Positive mind, you want to acquire. Some things may be Allow: Fight the Battle and Lose the War very clear: Neutral mind, seems real, acknowledge it. Let all those things go on and maintain you. There’s nothing to do; Was it easier after you’d done all three? Was one harder than be to be. another? When you notice that your mind is all over the Let your mind relax, discontinue pulsing Har. Locate your- place, you have to allow that sensation of your mind not stay- self. You can sense the impact of chanting, everything going ing and just let it to be with you. Rather than trying to force on in the entire room, you can sense you. You observing. In it into stillness, allow and observe. Notice the mental frames his words. You relaxing, but alert, here. Here within You. Now and presuppositions: “you’re acting like a 3-year-old.” Your maintain that space and put your palms together. Make a mind uses these familiar frames to interpret thoughts and small chopping movement with the hands, with each Har, project negative thoughts. Just let it in. Keep Inviting. Keep but keep your location of You as you create the sound. expanding and getting larger; then you’ll find just you. It’s not Become Still, let the sounds go. Relax the hands down. about fighting the mind. You’re just trying to become you. Locate the ‘me’ within the ‘I’. Observe your consciousness. When we fight the mind, we end up ignoring a lot of it; Allow it to be exactly as it is; it’s perfect. Maintain your alert- it’s like letting 12 gorillas in. This reminds me of Yogiji’s story ness. Inhale. Stretch up. about his relationship to his mind in The Aquarian Teacher: “Here’s what happens when I talk to my mind: my mind says this and I say shut up, I don’t need you.” He gives this whole argument. But he’s locating himself within himself when he’s doing the arguing. If he was in his mind doing the arguing, it wouldn’t work. You’re fighting to win the game. Don’t fight the mind, but locate yourself until you can observe the mind within your Self and smile at it. When you allow thoughts instead of fighting them, transformation occurs automatically. In psychology, we tell a client to take a certain emotion and sit with it, appreciate it and hold it; and if you keep doing that, even though it goes up and down in intensity, pretty soon it changes. This is seemingly a very universal experience. When you take these objects of the mind—feelings, sensations, images, or thoughts—and you stay in relationship to them, centered, they change. The mind doesn’t stick too long.

Guided Process Part One: Maintain your presence by letting in everything that goes Observation, Shuniya, and Healing on and notice how your mind acts and reacts—all the sensa- Pick a partner. Have one of you lie down. The other sits up. tions—and yet you dwell very steadily. Notice if anything pulls This is one of the simple healing techniques that Yogi Bhajan you out and allow yourself to come back and let it be with gave us: put your hand above the heart of the other person, you. Notice the momentum of your mind. about three or four inches. Once you establish your Self and Inhale deep. Allow your hand to relax and exhale. Let are calm, you simply hold it there. You’ll have all kinds of sen- everything go. Inhale stretch up and rotate your wrists and sations; a healing circuit will be created. Once you make con- exhale. You who are lying down come back and sit up. tact, you’ll immediately have an exchange. He described it Doesn’t take a lot of time, does it? That place within you this way: “You have to win.” You win not by confronting but doesn’t have a time. The presupposition of time is a mental by centering your Self and allowing everything that’s there. As structure. One thing you notice is that you experience things. soon as you do that, everything changes. You don’t do any- While you were going through all that, did you notice that thing; instead you keep coming into the present without the place, that ‘you’ within you? What happened to that? What loss of you. Now the ‘you’ that is the observer will be observ- we know of boundaries and Self, goes away. Because there’s ing this: you, your partner, and your hand. You’re going to no place to go or not go—there’s only a place to grow. As the have all kinds of sensations. Keep yourself in that simple facilitator, where am I going? I’m with me—just as you are metacognitive, mindful space and make your breath slow. with you. In that consciousness, I can sense whatever is Here’s what you don’t do: Your mind will say, “Healing, going on—one body. If you can be in that neutral minded okay I’m looking for a kidney.” You’ll notice all these presup- relationship, then you can access this universal space. positions come up. It’s not only natural but also enjoyable; just notice it. Stay with the sensation—‘you’ staying and dwelling within yourself. Guided Process Part Two: Here’s what you do: Establish the space for one minute Observation, Shuniya, and Infinity with your hands down. Get into the place of being. You can First, shake your hands. Take your thumb, pick one, and look go all transcendent and infinite if you like, but all that’s need- at your thumb. Get some impression of your thumb. Now ed is the simple observation from the ‘me’, all that’s going on close your eyes and keep your impression of your thumb, to the ‘I’ of the consciousness. You might have an impulse to locate yourself, observe the thumb. Observe your mind’s sense the person in front of you, but instead, do what Yogi observation of your thumb. Actually you don’t see your Bhajan says in this lecture, “I ask my psyche to show me the thumb; you see your mind’s observation of your thumb. total infinity of all creation.” So that in the same way that you Allow that in, be in that place that ‘you’ are and observe the are in your Self, you let your psyche present to you the full thumb, the impression of your mind: a feeling, a color, a sen- scope of all the sensations around you and you stay present sation, a dimension. Allow that to be whatever that is. Just within you. locate yourself and notice. First locate you, be in the ‘me’, As soon as you establish that, float your hand over the watch the ‘I’ through the mind, observe your thumb and all heart of your partner. Let that healing circuit connect. It will the other sensations that come with it. In this case I want happen automatically. Simply stay in that place and be you to notice the thumb. absolutely present. There could be any number of sensations Now, take each dimension of the thumb and expand it to coming from the person or other places you’re not even aware infinity. If it’s a color, suppose it’s a blue, make it so intense- of that might try to pull you toward a finite self. Instead, ly blue and vast that it’s blue unto infinity. If it’s tall, stretch establish yourself in your Self by allowing it all in, by being that feeling of tall to infinity in all directions. If it’s hot, so vast in your presence that everything can be included in stretch that feeling of hot, like a billion trillion suns bursting you, right here, the center of the hub, no matter how many unto infinity all at once. If it’s vibrating, then the vibration spokes may be added. becomes a wave of God with the breath through every atom

44 • KRI INTERNATIONAL TEACHER TRAINING MANUAL LEVEL 2 • MIND & MEDITATION PILOT MANUAL © 2006 Kundalini Research Institute MIND & MEDITATION in the universe so that every single being and planet and cell This is the beginning of good meditation. To help you is your thumb. Expand every sense you experience to infini- interpret, let’s look again at the stages of meditation: pratya- ty—Now—just do it. Keep yourself located. Feel the sensation har, dharana, dhyana, samadhi. Pratyahar is often of relating to this and what happens—feel it. Expand it to described as containing the senses: see no evil, hear no evil, infinity, every direction, all at once. Inhale deep—shake your etc. Instead, we simply allow. Allow everything and expand it thumb and bring it back. Exhale. so that no one sensation is at the center of our awareness. Dharana is concentration, should you concentrate or not What did you experience? concentrate? This is the wrong question. When you dwell Did you succeed? within your Self, the mind begins to concentrate on you— Where were you? dharana. In dhyana, you begin to dwell within the Self and What happened to you and your state? you start projecting the mind. In samadhi you get into shu- When you become zero—shuniya—when you get there, niya and become one within you, the creator. This is a you experience an odd sensation in which everything is sequence across all the teachings of yoga. present. What is it like to get infinite?

The infinite is ultimately personal. Right here, it’s me—it’s personal; it’s not ‘I’, but it’s ‘me’. You get this sense—not that SMALL Group Exercise you travel or go or do anything—that there’s no gap. The Structure of Your Thought

Come into your small groups. Sit in silent meditation for 7 minutes. During this meditation watch your thoughts. The Roots of Meditation One technique is the cosmic smile, the jeddi glance, a per- Immediately after finishing the meditation, draw one of the spective on the experience itself. Antar, jantar, bantar, man- thoughts that came up during your meditation. Try to draw tar, yantar, remember that whole sequence? (see p. 193 in the Antar (essence), Bantar (supporting structure), and the The Mind) From the essence, the initiation of the thought, Yantar (visual form or radiance). Take about 5 minutes. the seed, the antar, it starts getting a dimension, it has a height, a depth: oak and its hard, pine and it’s soft. Jantar, Then share and explain your drawings with your group. In bantar, there is something that makes it a thing in your mind. addition to the visual forms of the thought, discuss the It acquires these things. There is a sound and a projection Mantar, Jantar, Patantar, and Sotantar qualities of the and an angle of movement through the universe. Take any of thought. it’s jantar and expand it to infinity and it bursts apart and you’re only left with antar, with an essence, which is you; nothing but you, you in the beginning, you in the end. You’re Whole Group Sharing left with you in that relationship. Select one of the drawings from the group to share with the Now the movement of it can be different. With this move- entire class. ment—the energy of consciousness Yogi Bhajan called the kundalini diagonal force—suddenly there’s a way through. As long as your subconscious is locked into your thought about that or how you should think about that—you’re just square (and we don’t mean a nerd or a geek). We mean literally a square, you’re boxed in, there’s no diagonal way through.

The Three Minds: Negative Positive and Neutral

Known as the function minds, the three minds are the primary way that the mind processes thoughts and makes decisions. Whether conscious or driven blindly by the subconscious, the three minds work to make decisions. The more you become aware of the process, how the three functional minds work; and the more you can integrate the observer into that process; the more power and authority you can bring to the ‘you’ within the ‘I’.

Interactive Group Exercise Step three Expressing the Three Minds Whichever mind you are representing—Negative, Positive, or Neutral mind—you comment from that position. Allow the Look at Yogi Bhajan’s drawing on p. 14 of The Mind. Notice cycle to process in order: those representing Negative Mind the qualities and shapes of the Negative, Positive and Neutral comment first, then Positive, then Neutral. Continue the exer- Minds. Meditate for a moment on this drawing and feel with- cise with other thoughts. The object is to experience the pro- in your ‘me’ what each action stirs in you. cessing of the mind while you meditate in this place. Take a piece of paper and draw your own version of Negative, Positive and Neutral Minds. When you’re in this place, it’s usually because you’re in silence, but it can be a place you’re in all the time. With this Then share your drawings with your small groups. exercise, we are creating an environment that’s really like your mind. If you really want to meditate, you have to allow the mind to process. The mind itself gets stuck. It may just stick Interactive Group Exercise like a record—negative, negative, negative, run, run, run. It working with the Three Minds may never go to the positive. If you’re just observing and allow the natural change, then it may eventually move to the You know the mind isn’t going to stop anytime soon. In order positive. We’re generating the cycle through the group. to enjoy the play of it, we want to process and allow the First establish yourself within you, become ‘me’ within the mind to cycle, without losing the place within our Self. ‘I’, go to your place that embodies to “be to be.” If you can, Get into small groups. go to a place even beyond shuniya—being nothing, it means you’re so still, you’re so within that self, you can sense the Step One tiniest ripple in the universe. It’s right here; it’s part of your Divide yourself into thirds, representing the Negative, hand; it’s part of your heart; it’s part of your head. You’re sim- Positive, and Neutral Minds—like a pie. Before beginning, ply being zero. You maintain your dwelling even as you do establish that space/place within you. That stillness. the exercise. It’s strange, isn’t it? And yet, even in life, if you speak you Step two want to have this same presence. If your presence doesn’t Then, one of you will give a thought—any thought. For exam- work, what does? The sense of what you have to allow in ple, “I sail a beautiful boat.” That’s a thought. Stay in the order to be present within all three minds changes, so it’s an meditative space and experience what happens within you as interesting process to witness and observe. you process the thought from the Negative, Neutral, or Positive Mind. Repeat the exercise several times.

Rahao—Pause and Assess Large Group Discussion Is it more challenging to hold the space? Can you notice What was the most important thing you learned about you within yourself what you have more difficulty allowing in? in relation to your own mind? There’s a push in the subcon- Each mind will provoke thoughts; thoughts will provoke feel- scious to get things structured so my ‘I’ can do it—or just let ings, emotions, and reactions; which will in turn project the it go, let it process. That’s why we did it slow and we did it subconscious; which will in turn overlay its own images, quickly. We’re reconditioning our relationship to the mind memories, patterns and thoughts. All you have to do within and its normal activity and process. all this activity is stay present. You’ll get an experience of the structure of your own mind. This exercise is a good diagnostic: how much do we really Dancing and Movement know about the Negative, Positive, Neutral Minds. But more approximately 11 minutes importantly, this exercise is about the experience of witness- Dance: Move the body freely. Dance energetically. Shift the ing. Neutral is sattvic, neutral, pragmatic, factual, is what it consciousness; shake it all out. is, on the spot. What is the assessment? What is it from the soul? Negative is going to notice whatever you need to avoid, what the problem is. Positive moves toward something, expansion, utilization.

Repeat the exercise. There’s nothing outside your mind. This exercise, this course, this world is just a mirror. The choice and the opportunity is to come from ‘you’. What do you need in order to do this? You’re starting to realize what you know or don’t know about Negative, Positive, and Neutral mind. Notice how your mind reacts to whether you think you know or don’t know—that’s part of the mind. But if you remain with you, establishing the ‘me’ within the ‘I’, you can simply observe and allow the thought to process through the three minds. In the boundless space this is you—everyone in the room is you.

Experience you within the vastness of the creator creating you as you, in this moment of absolute stillness, in this beautiful, loving reality. Just establish the ‘me’ within your ‘I’, the stillness within your movement, allowing everything to be as it is. Sat Nam—I love all that is. Sat Nam—I allow all that is. Wahe Guru—what bliss, what beauty. Wahe Guru—beyond expression I dwell in the unknown. Wahe Guru.

Inhale deep, stretch up and shake your hands.

Yogi Bhajan • February 12, 1992

1. Lie down on your back. Bring your arms and legs up to 90 1 degrees. Toes point toward the ceiling. Spread the fingers wide, palms facing the thighs. After 3 minutes begin singing loudly, from the navel, to the Aquarian March by Nirinjan Kaur. Continue for 7 minutes. Let the energy come in and take care of the lower back. If you knees bend it means you worry too much. This posture is between headstand and shoulder stand and gives you a new brain, new pelvis, and takes care of the liver.

2. Immediately bring your knees to your chest and wrap your arms around the knees. Press very firmly. Bring your nose up to your knees. Do not let your feet cross. Continue chanting powerfully 2 with the Aquarian March. 5-1/2 minutes. Pressing the knees to the chest will open the 2nd and 3rd lumbar vertebrae.

3. Shiva Dance. Stand up immediately and dance with hands above the head and shoulders. Fingers towards the ceiling. Allow only one foot to be on the ground at a time. Rhythms of Gatka is played. 15 minutes. You must have 8 movements, 8 curls in your body per beat; it is called Ashtang Natiem; it is a Temple Dance. You must not lower the hands; if you do so it neutralizes the energy—reversing the effect. Heal yourself.

4. Immediately come sitting on your heels. 4a,b,c a. Dance with the arms. 1-1/2 minutes. This will heal the stomach and it will hurt because you’ve been eating junk. b. Continue dancing with the hands over your head and move the rib cage. 1 minute. This will get rid of disease. c. Now begin moving freely, dance vigorously and fast with the beat. Move the whole body. 1 minute. This will give you perfect healing and energize the body. d. Now begin clapping the hands. Do it hard and pressure the fingers. 1 minute. This will help to get rid of arthritis. e. Beat the chest very fast and hard with your fists. 1 minute. To End: Inhale deep and hold. Exhale. Repeat twice more—letting the breath grow deeper with each consecutive breath. Twist the body slowly to the left and then to the right. Relax for a few minutes before moving to the next posture. 4e 5. Easy Pose. Sit solid and contained. Bring the hands to Prayer Pose at the heart center—apply equal pressure in both hands. Keep this pressure in the hands. Eyes at the tip of the nose. Sing with Se Saraswati by Nirinjan Kaur. 8 minutes. To end: Inhale deep. Hold for 15 seconds. Exhale cannon breath. Repeat twice more. This will crown the entire kriya. You are getting the entire universe in you— all powers—nine special powers, eighteen occult powers, total knowledge, total power, total prosperity, all the three universes, freedom from death, power to uplift and serve, victory over cause and effect, infinite to the infinity of God, all transparent and nontransparent powers shall serve thee.

Meditations for the Three Minds

Now we are going to move seamlessly through the meditations for the three minds. Read through the three meditations found on pages 152, 153, 154 of The Mind, so that you are familiar with them and then listen attentively. Notice the mind, the thoughts, the effects of each meditation.

We’ll do each one for 11 minutes to complete the day.

CHAPTER THREE

Dynamics of the mind: Chambers, Aspects, & Thoughts

What are the fundamental dynamics of the mind? How do the Functional and Impersonal Minds relate? We’ve explored the Functional Minds and the natural flow How do Aspects, Projections and Facets relate? of processing a thought through the Negative, Positive, and What part do the gunas and the tattvas play? Neutral minds; and also witnessed how the mind sometimes How do I transform this ‘knowledge’ into ‘wisdom’ gets ‘stuck’ in one position never moving forward in the so that I can apply it to my personal experience? process toward neutrality. We’ve discussed the habits of the mind and the matrix of our personalities that contribute to As a teacher you need to be fluent in how to talk about these repeating patterns. these parts of the mind.

We continue this exploration of the dynamics of the mind If this Aspect of my mind is active how do I relate to it? by looking at the three Impersonal Minds and how they con- How do I maintain the Self or not? tribute and align to our gunas. We also observe their inter- How do I follow a thought, initiate a thought, or divert play with the Functional Minds and the tattvas to generate, a thought? in turn, the 9 Aspects, 27 Projections, and 81 Facets. Here are some of the questions we’ll address:

The Impersonal Minds

First let’s do a short review of the terms and concepts we first Tamas—Manas and Negative Mind; explored in Teacher Training Level One: Foundations. Open Rajas—Ahangkar and Positive Mind; up the chart from the back of The Mind as we go through Sattva—Buddhi and Neutral Mind. these terms. Look for, identify, and become familiar with the We’ve already delved into the Functional Minds and how they interplay of these various levels of consciousness. Knowledge work within their own dynamic. Let’s turn to the Impersonal is the first step toward mastery; therefore, understanding the Minds and review their major traits and functions. various functions of the mind and how they interrelate and In describing Buddhi, Ahangkar and Manas, Yogi Bhajan express themselves in our daily lives via the Projections and gives three statements: Manas is “heavenly activity of the Facets is essential in our quest for Mann Jeetai Jag Jeet. coexistence of totality within the finite”—clears that up right? Ahangkar: “heavenly activity of the coexistence of Totality At the top of the chart you find Chitta—the Universal within a vacuum.” Buddhi is “heavenly phenomenon in activ- Mind, also known as the waves of the mind. In Patanjali’s ity of totality as totality.” second sutra he defines yoga as stilling these fluctuations of What does this mean? “Heavenly activity of the coexistence the mind—the chittas—and goes on to identify the ‘seer’ or of totality within the finite.” Manas is going to give you all observer. Here are Patanjali’s first three sutras: the earthly senses, sensory impressions from the five chakras associated with them: sight, sound, touch, taste, smell. All 1.1: “With prayer for divine blessings, now begins an these sensory impressions compose to give you a feeling and exposition of the sacred art of yoga.” experience of the world—so Manas is the sensory and sensi- 1.2 Yoga chitta vritti nirodha. “Yoga is the individual tive aspect of the infinite and finite mind. Everything is “heav- discipline that leads to the cessation of the fluctuations enly activity” from his perspective. Everything is coming from of the mind.” this stillpoint within you; so “heavenly activity” is the activi- 1.3: “When this happens then the Seer is revealed, ty, co-existence or synchronization of that totality active in the resting in its own essential nature, and one realizes finite world. What are you going to be when you grow up? the True Self.” You need direction, intention—some link through Manas. The problem is that you can’t have only Manas, because then So from the earliest writings available on the practice of yoga, you’ll have attachment through the projected senses, which the essence and intent of yoga was codified: find the Self. In you forget that you project. There are so many ways of per- another module of the Transformation Level Two Teacher ceiving things based on our impressions, emotions, and Training—Lifecyles and Lifestyles—we will look at these funda- actions. mental questions of Who am I? and Why am I here? Until then, Patanjali, Yogi Bhajan, and many other masters have Ahangkar: “Heavenly activity of the coexistence of totality already given us the answer—find the Self and the key to the within a vacuum.” To think of it simply, Ahangkar is some- mysteries of the Soul will be unlocked. thing that coheres. From nothing something is there. It’s your Turning again to the chart, we see that Chitta manifests in attaching function; the limbic system, your emotions, to the world through the gunas: tamas, rajas, and sattva. These know when something is important; the ability to form a three gunas correspond directly to the Impersonal and shape, a gestalt, your ability to identify a form from some- Functional Minds in the following way: thing. Ahangkar isn’t negative just because it’s associated with attachment. Don’t you want to love? Don’t you want an

© 2006 Kundalini Research Institute KRI INTERNATIONAL TEACHER TRAINING MANUAL LEVEL 2 • MIND & MEDITATION • 53 MIND & MEDITATION electron to hook up with a nucleus? The problem is when you For further clarification, here are a few, more formal definitions: get lost in the attachment. You can’t see, feel, or understand what’s happening in the larger picture and when you can’t IMPERSONAL MINDS see the larger picture, through intuition, you can’t predict. The three major functions of the Universal Mind that create Yogiji has often said that we must know—we must use our qualities of experience, cognition, and judgment. They are intuition and our subtle body to know—for if we don’t, we’ll Buddhi, Ahangkar, and Manas. They are impersonal because be destroyed by those same people who came to us for the they exist independent of or before the individual sense of answers. self.

Buddhi: “Heavenly phenomenon in activity of totality as Manas—The lower or sensory mind. It is one of the three totality.” Why is it a phenomenon instead of a “heavenly impersonal functions of the Universal Mind. It deals with sen- activity”? From the buddhi, from the reality of the infinite self, sory impressions, sequences, and the desire and impulses things just are—it’s a phenomenon, not an action. These are generated from their combinations. It is the closest to what very high functions of the mind that come directly from the traditional western psychology deals with as the mind. sattvic guna. Buddhi is the background; if you associated with the functions of the brain, it’s certainly connected to the Ahangkar—The transcendental ego, the fundamental princi- frontal cortex and the associative qualities. You have to have ple active in nature and mind that creates boundaries, identi- conscious intelligence and intuition. It’s the quality of the ty, and attachment to things. It creates the sense of “me and mind that is able to identify as totality and not anything else. Mine” which is considered a fundamental tendency in the It’s the frontal cortex, but also the hypothalamus, pituitary evolution of complexity and differentiation of objects and and pineal function. Most neurologists would not throw in thoughts in the universe. the pineal. We as yogis do; it’s the radiant body which connects you more to the subtle existence. Buddhi—This is the first, most etheric manifestation of the Universal Mind from which all other areas of mind are derived. Its quality or function is to give the clarity, discern- ment, and wisdom that recognize the real from the imaginary. It forms the deepest core of the human psyche but is imper- Small Group Discussion sonal, existing independent of the individual sense of self. Take this opportunity to review and discuss the Impersonal Minds and their relationship to the gunas—their qualities and manifestations—so that you have a clear handle on their qualities as we go into the exercises around the Aspects.

What is Chitta?

Describe the function and qualities of: Buddhi Ahangkar Manas

Why does the mind project a cloak around a thought?

In the make up of our personality, we have nature and nur- sometimes it’s not. When you get to quantum mechanics, ture. We have these fundamental genes and old patterns that everything is and isn’t at the same time. There’s a dynamic come from who knows where. In a similar way you have between these two resources of our being. In that place of components of the dynamic of experience. Some are person- shuniya, dwelling in your Self, you command the mind. This al, some are more structural. In psychology we sometimes call is a philosophical problem: How do you do that? The simple them archetypal. In this discussion we refer to them as the answer is you ‘just do it’. The capacity is already built in. If Aspects. Even when you express a certain Aspect, it’s not you keep thinking there’s something in-between, you fall into what we would call personal. Having a body isn’t personal; an infinite regress, you get stuck, depressed even. Or instead your own body is personal, but actually having a body just of ‘just do it’, you could say you have intention, but when means you’re a part of the species. Aspects are generated you’re in shuniya, there’s no difference between intention and from the interaction of the Impersonal Minds—Manas, action. You’re God. You say, ‘So,’ the ‘be’ is there, the ‘it’ is Ahangkar and Buddhi—and the Functional Minds, which there. ‘So be it’ and it is so. make up the next layer of consciousness. You know the idea of the Big Bang. What did God have to Even though everyone has these universal functions— do to do that? Bang. There was no 1-2-3-bang. There was no Negative, Positive, and Neutral—they vary tremendously in time. Time did not yet exist—to whatever extent it exists or their expression from person-to-person as we witnessed in doesn’t now. But when the time dimension is added, then the exercises from Chapter Two. They are plastic; your actions you have preparation; that’s Prakirti. The being (Purusha) has can affect them a lot. They feedback upon one another and no time dimension. There’s no gap. The relationship you form change each other. They’re not isolated. There’s a level of with that being and ways that you operate in being; and the change and adaptation that personalizes your experience relationship you form with the mind and the ways you oper- coming from the functional minds. ate with the mind; these are two very different things.

The Flow of Existence Stirring the Gunas Yogi Bhajan has laid out how these various levels of mind In our being we radiate, we intend, and that radiation stirs interact and start developing the flow of thought. We can the gunas, the energy: tamas, rajas, and sattva. Being, as it look at this two ways: from the top down or the bottom up. starts coming into existence, begins to have qualities: Manas, Turning to the figure on page 122 of The Mind: from the top Ahangkar, Buddhi, which then combine with the Functional down if you begin as Purusha and start to meditate and real- Minds to form the dynamic that is the gift of the mind. From ly relax within yourself and within stillness, we find that at that wholeness—chitta—there starts to be a distillation. That’s the base you are God. When you are in shuniya and your what the chart in the back of The Mind goes through. These conflicts and fears fall away, all that is left is God. It’s a label qualities exist everywhere; they’re always together; so it’s we put on all that exists and all that doesn’t exist—totality. about proportion. There’s totality in experience—Prakirti—the lower part of the If my soul’s destiny is to act, to manifest something, to feel chart; and totality in being—Purusha—before it’s divided up something, my mind starts to formulate a thought. And into little parts. thought is important because it’s energy. It gives perception, We embody both of these in every part of our being down emotion, it leads into action. A thought gets crafted by these to the atom—it is and it isn’t; we are and we aren’t. Most of three gunas. You can craft that thought with its own essence, the time, we’re trained in classical physics—everything is or it’s essence of projection, but it’s going to have to have some

© 2006 Kundalini Research Institute KRI INTERNATIONAL TEACHER TRAINING MANUAL LEVEL 2 • MIND & MEDITATION • 55 MIND & MEDITATION structure in order to operate within the normal world of polar- Aspect 2 or 9. Are these Aspects (archetypes) set in stone, or ities. You want a soft squishy thought or a prickly cactus would my dominance of some of these Aspects and Facets thought or a stainless steel sword thought? These are quali- change based on environment? If I were German would I be ties. Literally the thought itself, as a composition, is going to substantially different? Yes and No. It’s an interaction, just like have these qualities and you can sense it. genes and environment. Your subconscious plays a role, holds In a purely bottom-up way we perceive it through our sens- beliefs and experiences that start to bias your temperament. es. Through our feelings, smell, taste, touch, sight. When The deliverance of a final action are through the Facets— you listen to music, you instantly know when one note is habits of action and predispositions—that comes through off—you sense it. When they study the brain to determine everything you do. how long it takes you to determine if you like something—it’s the minimum time for the conscious perception of a sensa- The Aspects are Dynamic, Not Static tion, that is, you didn’t think about it. This sense of immedi- All these categories, these levels of mind are in dynamic; ate, embodied, dynamic engagement of everything is where it’s not just slots or boxes that you fit in forever and always. we live. And depending on how you meditate, and where you focus, you can create a training program, a synchronization. You can Training the Mind begin to affect how all these parts work together. The problem is we have a fantastic mechanism—the mind— These automatic thoughts that you establish partly by your which needs to be trained. There’s a process. Being able to nature and partly by your habit and training can, depending shape and to initiate a thought, a mental projection, that sup- on the context, be fabulous or disastrous. If my guitar hand ports our intention, our action, our destiny cannot be auto- suddenly starts ‘playing guitar’ while I’m cooking, it could be matic. Once the behavior or the mind becomes automatic, we disastrous or mundane depending on what it’s holding. If lose adaptability; we become purely instinctual, without any these automatic habits cannot act correctly within new or dif- variance. We are given an innate flexibility. The plus and ferent environments and contexts then you have a problem. minus of this flexibility is that we can make mistakes; we get If a certain Aspect is too strong, it pushes its pattern or its entangled; we pay too much attention to one thing and not agenda even in situations or contexts that don’t apply. another; we want to play the guitar but never practice and so When you read through the various Aspects, you’ll find we’re ever the amateur. There are requirements in order to some things that are too strong, some things that are bal- manifest certain thoughts. anced and some things that are weak. So the intention is to There is an entire dynamic. All these minds are constantly notice the imbalances and work with the mind so that it can interchanging their aspects, their facts, creating a kind of come to balance in relationship to your intention and the background foment. Now if we’re in relationship to them, if environments and contexts you find yourself in. To accom- we in our capacity to identify are not lost, then we can direct, plish your goals, your relationship to the dynamics of the correct, understand—no problem. That’s where meditation mind must be flexible and on-going—a work-in-progress. comes in. But we also have to understand that these are func- Are these the only Aspects of the mind? Yogi Bhajan’s tions; we don’t want to cut any one of them off, instead we Teachings say no. This is the dynamic that come from the have to deal with these aspects and balance them in relation two levels of our being; you could form thousands of differ- to each other and in relation to our intentions. ent sub-personalities based on this inherent structure of the When we look at the fold-out chart from The Mind, we mind. These aren’t lists of personalities, although you can often over-identify with a particular Aspect. We lock ourselves associate some personalities with them. But if you take these into a particular space and time. We say, What am I? Aren’t Aspects and link them to your subconscious, you can gener- I Aspect 2? The truth is you are Infinite God, but your mind ate infinite numbers of personalities. Aren’t there places in is acting out a dynamic at this time because of your tenden- your life where you don’t even recognize yourself? Mask One, cies, environments, and habits which looks like this or that, Mask Two. In terms of personality, that’s normal. That’s the

56 • KRI INTERNATIONAL TEACHER TRAINING MANUAL LEVEL 2 • MIND & MEDITATION PILOT MANUAL © 2006 Kundalini Research Institute MIND & MEDITATION flexibility of the mind. He said that normally you have 16 Identifying Your Aspects functioning at any one time, if you had the normal scope of An Exercise personalities. So within all these personalities, the question Who am I? becomes silly. We know who you are, you are The interaction of the Functional Minds and the Impersonal Infinite God. But this Infinite God is formless and in the Minds generates the nine Aspects. Each one is a stance, an form—it’s hard to pin down. archetypal persona in the world. If you are leading with your In the Earthly realm, you are the Self, the miniature God. Negative Mind and you have certain strengths from the The Self has continuity through consciousness, through Impersonal Minds, then you project a particular Aspect. developed and refined sattvic consciousness. Even in the The mind, like life, tends toward balance. So, as you look realm of all these dynamics, he would call it the one consis- at the ranking you gave to your own Functional Minds, read tent thing across all the different personalities and sub-per- the three Aspects that fall under that mind (refer to the fold- sonalities and projections; there is a sense of relatedness to out chart from The Mind). For example, my number one rank- your Totality. That sense of relatedness is when you start ing was Negative Mind, so I would study the Defender, the observing your meditation, the observer who is right here in Manager, and the Preserver, and use my intuition and my the consciousness. Then through shuniya it becomes vast. It intellect to determine which aspect most resonated with my bcomes the dwelling in the God—it’s a little doorway. So we own perception of myself. Be sure to note which Impersonal do have a sense of self; we have many personalities; and we Mind is associated with that Aspect. In my example, I chose have a dynamic that underlies, constructs and interacts with Defender, which is associated with Manas. all of it, which are the Aspects. Now, take a look at your weakest Functional Mind. For most of us it will be the Neutral Mind. Again, study the three Aspects associated with this mind: Strategist, Leader, and Small Group Discussion Teacher. Identify which one resonates with you. Now because Rank yourself within the Functional Minds: Am I Negative the mind tends toward balance, most likely, your aspect from Mind first? Neutral second? Or other combinations? We will this mind will not be associated with Manas, but rather one use this ranking later in our further exploration of the of the remaining qualities: Ahangkar or Buddhi. Aspects. Discuss the following questions in terms of how you Now that you’ve found your Aspects for your strongest and ranked your Functional Minds: weakest projection, turn your attention to the third Functional Mind. In the case of our example, it is the Positive Mind. And How would each of these rankings affect my approach to again, because the mind tends toward balance, this aspect experience, solving problems, leaving or entering a should be easier to identify because there is only one relationship, eliminating habits? Impersonal Mind remaining of the three. Using this process, you can identify your strongest Aspect, How would it affect my approach to meditation? which you may need to balance; your weakest Aspect, which How would I as a teacher try to convey to my students you may need to strengthen; and your third Aspect, which what the neutral mind is? How would I speak? you can explore and discover how it serves you and your pro- How is that different from being detached? jection. Can one have a Neutral Mind and say something tough? Think of Yogi Bhajan’s example. What does it actually mean to come from the Neutral mind?

Here’s a quick outline to review the process based on the Small Group Discussion example provided: Compare your pattern with others in your group. A. Rank Your Functional Minds, here is the ranking Discuss how this pattern drives or limits your life. from our example: 1. Negative Mind How would you recognize this in others? 2.Positive Mind 3.Neutral Mind

B. Strongest Functional Mind—Negative Mind 1. Review the three Aspects 2.Choose the one you resonate with most— in this case, Defender 3.Note the Impersonal Mind identified with Defender— Manas

C. Weakest Functional Mind—Neutral Mind 1. Review the three Aspects 2.Choose from the remaining two Impersonal Minds— Ahangkar and Buddhi—let’s say, Teacher 3.Note the Impersonal Mind identified with Teacher— Buddhi

D. Remaining Functional Mind—Positive Mind; Identify the remaining Impersonal Mind In this case, Ahangkar—Producer

Yogi Bhajan • From The Inner Workout

1. Sit in Virasan and place the palms together at the sternum. Extend the left arm out to the side, 60 degrees above parallel, palm facing down, and 1 move the left hand up and down at the wrist as fast as possible (1a), keeping the elbow locked. Coordinate the movement with Breath of Fire for 3 minutes. Change arms and continue for 3 minutes. 1b) Finally, extend both arms and resume the motion with both arms for 2 minutes. Close your eyes and visualize yourself flying high in the sky. Take yourself through the five elements and totally identify with each. First imagine you are ether, then air, then fire, then water, then earth, then ether again. Feel the difference between each, especially when you return to the ether. Spend about 15 seconds on each tattva.

This exercise helps differentiate the left from the right hemispheres of the brain. Normally Breath of Fire creates a neutral state. Here, however, the movement of the hands creates that differentiation and synchronizes the hemispheres as well. Additionally, this exercise is said to balance the tattvas. For optimum results, practice it every day. 2

2. Sit in Easy Pose. Make fists of the hands with the thumbs tucked inside, and place them palm down in front of the chest at the level of the heart. Now, without moving the wrists, rotate the fists rapidly around each other in coordination with Breath of Fire for 1 minute.

Comments: As explained in Yogic philosophy, all living matter is comprised of five elements: earth air, fire, water and ether. These are known as the five tattvas. Practice of this short kriya will bring the tattvas into a state of balance and will synchronize the hemispheres of the brain. This is a very powerful set of exercises to practice every day.

3 4

being human is being intuitive

An Experience with Yogi Bhajan

November 21, 1990

In this lecture Yogi Bhajan challenges us with the question: Can we be happy? The answer: only if we have intuition. Most of us are good at some things and terrible at others, so we have to be human first—not an engineer, or a mother, or whatever. As an answer to this fundamental unhappiness in the human experience, Kundalini Yoga was developed. Yogi Bhajan exhorts us to become sensitive. “Become Intuitive. You must know.” It is the only way to a happy life.

An edited transcript of this class is included in your Study Guide.

Yogi Bhajan • November 21, 1990

1. Sit with a straight spine. Eyes are at the tip of nose. Make a fist of the 1 right hand, extend the index finger straight up with the thumb over middle finger. Place your hand in front of right shoulder with the closed palm facing the left. Keep the extended finger straight and stiff. The left hand is in Gyan Mudra. Breathe long and deep. 7 minutes. To end: Slowly begin to raise your right hand over your head, maintaining the mudra, and inhale very deeply. Stretch and suspend the breath. Exhale. Repeat twice more. Relax. Comment: Within 3 to 5 minutes you should feel the energy flowing through you. Rishi Daman experimented his whole life, 120 years, to find this simple truth which you are practicing right now. His realization was that if man can enforce the tip of his Jupiter finger into steel stiffness, he can grab from the universe the Jupiter energy; and If by the optical nerve, he can totally shut off the mind to misbehave, it will create a basic pattern of intuition. If you change the eyes for a second, you must start again from the beginning.

Break: Talk to your neighbor. You must talk—about anything—but don’t meditate, don’t relax, talk. 5 minutes.

Comment: Forget about yourself. My right hand is at 60 degrees; armpit must not be straight, must not be higher than 60 degrees. The nervous center of the sympathetic, parasympathetic, and action system is in the armpit, remember that! Armpit is the most important part of the body, and you neglect it the most. You think it is just a joint. It is not. The entire nervous system is based in the armpit. . . . Now you are getting all the five energies at the same time. The thumb represents the id, the ego, Jupiter, Saturn, Sun and Mercury. Five main planets, underneath is the Mars planet, and the Venus is under the id. . . . So please understand, you are almost in control of your total energy. This exercise adjusts the ribs automatically.

Break: Talk to your neighbor. You must talk—about anything—but don’t meditate, don’t relax, talk. 5 minutes.

© 2006 Kundalini Research Institute KRI INTERNATIONAL TEACHER TRAINING MANUAL LEVEL 2 • MIND & MEDITATION • 61 Authentic Relationships • STUDY GUIDE a KUNDALINI YOGA MEDITATION MAKE YOUR MIND SENSITIVE

3 3. Sodarshan Kriya: Bring the hands into fists in front of the chest, at shoulder level—about 6-9 inches apart. The fists are facing each other. Extend the two Jupiter fingers straight up. Begin rotating the Jupiter fingers in circles toward each other. (The left finger moves clockwise and the right finger moves counterclockwise.) Move only the fingers, not the hands.

Breath: A quick Breath of Fire. 7 minutes.

To end: Inhale deep, stretch the hands very tight, over the head, and hold. Exhale with a cannon fire breath. Repeat twice more and relax.

Comment: We are hitting at the chemistry of our blood formation. It's so important. What you are doing is much healthier than taking two tons of vitamins. It is not guaranteed, but it will avoid cancer in your body. It is a help to that precaution. You can make your body disease free by doing it for 7 minutes. I did it myself to heal myself. It is called Sodarshan Kriya. It is very important. You will see Lord Vishnu raising one finger and moving it. He moves so fast that the whole wheel moves with it. It is symbolic, but we can learn from that. We are not going to become Lord Vishnu. Neither do we want to raise the whole wheel. All we want is to change the entire Sun and Sun means blood.

Break: Talk to your neighbor. You must talk—about anything—but don’t meditate, don’t relax, talk. 5 minutes.

62 • KRI INTERNATIONAL TEACHER TRAINING MANUAL LEVEL 2 • MIND & MEDITATION PILOT MANUAL © 2006 Kundalini Research Institute MIND & MEDITATION interactive group exercise show and tell: exploring the aspects

Small group exercise Group Discussion Get into your small groups or divide yourselves into triads. What is your strongest Aspect? Your most frequently used Aspect? Step One Your weakest? Each group or triad will explore one Aspect. Ask yourselves the question: Share an example in your life of how the positive mind might If someone keeps locking into this one particular Aspect link inappropriately with the negative mind through the sub- and isn’t flexible and incorporating some of the others, how conscious. What were the consequences of that? would that manifest? How would you notice that behavior or projection? Look at the diagram Yogi Bhajan drew on page 126 of The What would it look like if it were balanced? Mind, why do the lines of the neutral mind always come back Discuss. to center? What is that experience like?

Step two Then look at the meditation that accompanies the Aspect— really study it.

Are there are any secrets to teaching the meditation well? What is the sound current used? What quality should it project? Is there anything you would call attention to in the meditation to allow the practitioner to really go deeper into the meditation? Read over the descriptions, study them, formulate your own understanding and concept of your assigned Aspect.

Step three Now create a skit that reflects that particular Aspect. Use your imagination. Help the rest of the groups encounter that particular Aspect. Assign someone from your group or triad to summarize the aspect. Show and Tell.

Step four Finally, practice dealing with a particular problem from your Aspect’s Projections and tendencies. The facilitator will give you a question and you will respond as a group from your particular Aspect.

The Projections and Multiple Facets

Projections develop the attitude and skills related to Small Group Discussion their particular Aspect. They are generated from the com- How the Projections and Facets Work bination of the Functional and Impersonal Minds as they relate to a thought and a particular Aspect. If your Projections How does each thought record itself in akasha? are balanced within any given Aspect, the expression of that Aspect will be perfect. Typically, though, one Projection is A thought travels through your mind like a faceted gem and stronger than another; there tends to be an imbalance based has an impact. What is the function of the subconscious in this? on our fundamental gunas. Review pages 120-132 of The Mind. How do the Facets work to cloak our thoughts? Facets are generated from the dominant interaction of one of the three Functional Minds. So if in any given projection, How can we breakthrough our patterns? you tend toward the Positive, Negative or Neutral Mind, then any given thought will generally enter through that particular Facet. See the figure on p. 126 of The Mind. In this way, our own tendencies color every thought that crosses our consciousness, and unless we can see and mitigate the natural tendencies of our mind—our perspective—we constantly see things through a distorted lens, that is, the Facets. Review pages 132- 135 of The Mind.

Learning to regulate the flow of thoughts by either balancing your Aspects through the Projections; or recognizing the pattern once it has reached the “emotion/feeling” stage and not identifying with it, recognizing it for what it is—a pattern, a habit of seeing—you have the opportunity to break the cycle and recognize truth.

Interactive Group Exercise Kundalini Yoga Kriya Following the Cycle of a Thought Next we will practice the Kriya called The Brain Doctor. After that will be some time for Group Discussion and Q & A. Step One Pick a single thought to follow. Then become shuniya. Allow that thought to come. Notice all the other thoughts and feelings that arise. Note what supports or reacts to the thought. When you focus on the thought what happens? If you neutralize the energy around the thought by neutralizing your Self into a deep centered place, what happens? What happens to your intuition? Explore this for 10 minutes.

Step two Now pick a single thought you want to initiate and project. Make it a thought that is an intention of your consciousness or soul that means something to you in living your life from this day forward. It must be real, direct, from the heart and simple. Accept, dwell in that thought and project it through the Infinite and trust that it will be returned completed. Observe and feel what happens. How does it arise in its most subtle form and how does it travel through the structures of the universal mind to manifest? 10 minutes.

Step three Discuss your experience of the thoughts. How does your experience relate to the structures and dynamics of the mind we looked at earlier?

How can you successfully redirect a thought? Initiate a new one? Have an original one?

What would give you the greatest increase in your ability to direct the thoughts of your mind?

Yogi Bhajan • From Inner Workout

1 1. Sit in Lotus Pose. Place the hands by the hips and bounce up and down using the hands to push the body up off the floor. Move rapidly in coordination with Breath of Fire for 2 minutes. To the Yogi, one’s own age is measured by flexibility. When a man cannot sit in Lotus Pose he is equivalent to 40 years of age and when a woman cannot sit in Lotus Pose, she is equivalent to 120 years of age.

2. Lie on the stomach with the forehead on the floor. Interlock the hands at the small of the back. Inhale and raise the head and upper torso as high as possible then exhale down to the original position. Repeat the cycle 52 times. This exercise helps adjust the ribcage. 2

3. As in Exercise 2, inhale and raise the head and upper torso as high as possible, and at the same time strike the buttocks with both heels. Exhale and relax down. Repeat this cycle 52 times, then relax with the arms by the sides. This exercise strengthens the lower back and helps eliminate lower back pain. 3 4. Lie on the back with the fingers interlaced at the navel point. Jump the legs up and back toward the head, lifting the buttocks off the ground. Repeat this jumping motion 52 times. This exercise is great for releasing pent-up tension and frustra- tion!

5a 5b 5. Squat into Crow Pose. Extend the arms straight in front parallel to the ground with the palms together (5a). Inhale, stand up and clap the hands over the head (5b); exhale, squat down and clap the hands straight in front. Repeat the complete cycle 52 times.

6. This is a four-part exercise. Each part is done for four counts. a. Begin by sitting in Easy Pose with the arms extended to the sides, parallel to the ground, palms facing down. Keep the arms perfectly 6a, 7a straight and tight like iron throughout the following sequence. b. First pump the arms 3 times as though you were flying. On the fourth count, firmly slap the ground with the hands. c. Second, pump the arms 3 times and on the fourth count clap the hands above the head. d. Third, pump the arms 3 times. On the fourth count extend the arms in front parallel to the 6b, 7b 6c, 7c ground and clap the hands. e. Finally, pump the arms 3 times and on the fourth count clap the hands behind the head.

When the sequence becomes familiar, substitute the mantra Har Har Har Hari for the counting. Chant in rhythm with the movement for 2 minutes.

This series of exercises focuses on the brain. Using the mantra Har Har Har Hari causes the projective brain to assist the initial brain. Keeping the arms straight and tight stimulates reflexology points along the arms 6d, 7d and “is better than the best acupuncture.” 6e, 7e

7. Repeat the entire series of postures in exercise 6 using the Guru Gaitri Mantra:

Gobinday, mukanday, udaaray, apaaray, hareeung, kareeung, nirnaamay, akaamay.

The sequence is the same but the pumping motion is faster. Pump the arms up and down once with each word of the mantra. Clap the hands on Apaare and Akaame. Continue for 3 minutes.

Using the Guru Gaitri Mantra is more difficult because there are more words to match with the actions. The eastern zone, or the initial and projective part of the brain, is stimulated by the word difference in the mantra. The Guru Gaitri Mantra is unique in its ability to effectively balance the initial and projective brain. When both parts of the brain unite in a balanced way, it enables the brain to function creatively, to communicate effectively and project any necessary defense. This exercise tests your I.Q.

8. Repeat Exercise 6 for 3 minutes.

9. Sit in Easy Pose with the eyes closed and meditate on the song, Himalaya or another beautiful song. As you listen to it let the sound of 9 the words and music create a frequency for the right brain to receive and then stimulate the left-brain to create movement. Sing along with the tape and imagine you are flying at 40 thousand feet. Meditatively move the shoulders, torso, arms and hands to creatively express yourself. This is a basic human movement. Express your feelings freely through your body movement for 5 minutes.

You can develop great healing power in your hands by learning to project beautiful songs in this way. It is an effective means of communicating with your inner self and of projecting your essence outward. And that essence is the healing force within you, which is God. It is especially beneficial for a woman to develop the ability to express herself through her body language to effectively communicate her presence. Otherwise, she taxes her sensual, sexual and sensitive self and loses her balance.

Comments: Effective communication is when you can communicate the total you, honestly and freely. The two hemispheres of the brain must be in synchronized relationship for this to happen. This kriya is a brain doctor. It patches the two hemispheres together so you can both sense and project who you really are. This series reduces overall body tension and enhances the awareness of the self. The inner creative self can project its essence outward. Equally, it can receive the wholeness of others with complete empathy and intuition.

Deep Meditation: Balancing Your Aspects

Silence: An Intention

After our initial check-in this morning, we will begin conscious Kundalini Yoga Kriya silence together. We ask that you set your intention and com- We begin the day with a vigorous kriya to set our bodies and mit your mind—and your tongue—to experiencing deep silence our minds to the practice. Then we’ll spend some time with together. In the early days, Yogi Bhajan would have us on the Master and experience thoughtlessness through his guid- complete silence during the White Tantric practices, which ed meditation. were often 10 days long. This is a great opportunity for you to take this one day and commit your mind to the experience of immersing yourself in silence. In this way, you allow the pulse of the Naad to surround you, penetrate you, and carry you through this entire day.

Assigned Reading Chapters 12 & 13 from The Mind.

Yogi Bhajan • July 4, 1984 • From the Fountain of Youth Manual

1. Sit in Easy Pose, and raise the arms up level to your face 1 with bent elbows and begin shaking the whole body. It should be an inward body massage. Every muscle and fiber must shake. Arms, body and head should be moving. Create your own rhythm and style. You should be generating some heat. 15 minutes. This will release toxins from your muscles. When people get confined in a 4x4 foot cell, this is the only exercise that they can do. Get wild. Shake like an earthquake. It would take 20 hours of massage to get to this point. Cheeks should get red. You must come to the dead end of tiredness. 2 2. Come standing up straight. Shake your hips from side to side by bending your knees alternately. Feet can either stay on the ground and your hands can 3 dangle loosely or really twist your hips and jump in the air while pumping your arms. 8 minutes. Make it an energetic dance. Your thigh muscles should sweat. Gets rid of all the toxins, all the dirty fat, all the tissue deposits. This will get out all the old anger in your body.

3. In Easy Pose, extend your arms straight over your head with your palms together. Arms against your ears. Twist your body left and right. 4 minutes. It is a triangular move and, if done powerfully, it will release your shoulders.

4. On your hands and knees, lift your left leg straight out 4 behind you. Then touch your forehead to the ground and come back up, like push ups. 52 times.

5 5. Come standing on your knees and bend back into Camel Pose, resting your hands on your heels. Then straighten back up onto your knees. 55 times.

6. Lie down flat on your back. a) Lift your knees up to your chest and place your hands under your hips. You may elevate your hips with your hands slightly, in order to get your knees to your chest. b) Swing your legs straight out. c) Then raise the legs up to 90 degrees. Then bring your knees back to your chest. 108 times. 6a It is the movement of the Pavanmuktasana, where the prana is controlled by will.

7. Lie down flat and put both your hands over your heart and relax. Raise your torso up and bring your forehead to your knees and then relax back down on your back. 26 times.

8. Lie down flat on your back for a gong meditation. 6b 8 minutes. You will become weightless and enjoy it. Relax.

Comments: Woman only has two problems—locked up pelvis and locked shoulders—otherwise perfect. This is to tune-up the nerves. If the nerves are not tuned-up how are you going to stand the pressure of time? 6c

The science of shuniya An Experience with Yogi Bhajan

November 16, 1994

In this lecture, Yogi Bhajan guides us through the science of zero—shuniya. He says we think that our lives, our surroundings, our jobs, our ‘busy-ness’ is what really matters. Instead, “what is critical is that in reality, you have no experience of your life!” You fill yourselves with this “hypnotic go, go go” and miss out on the opportunity to actually live, to be guided by intuition and to clear the unconscious.

An edited transcript of this class is included in your Study Guide.

Yogi Bhajan • November 16, 1994

1. Sit with a straight spine. Hands are out in front of you at the navel point, 1 palms facing each other, elbows at the side. Lock your mercury finger with your thumb (id or ego) in Buddhi Mudra. The meat of the thumb rests on the nail of the pinky and locks it down. Bend it very tightly. The rest of the fingers are straight. Make circles with the hands—180 times per minute; the hands circle toward the outside. The movement is very fast—about three times per second. 8 minutes. To end: Inhale deep. Squeeze the shoulders tightly together and push the chest forward, while holding the hands in the mudra at the sides of your shoulders, palms facing forward. Release the shoulders, bend forward and exhale. Repeat twice more.

2. Curl the tongue and breath through the mouth—Sitali Pranayam—throughout this next exercise. Bring the hands in front of you, palms down, one hand over the other and begin making circles—180 revolutions per minute. Keep the hands at the level of the navel point and slightly apart. Fingertips point toward opposite elbows and the hands move in circles toward the torso; right hand moves counter-clockwise and left hand moves clockwise. 8 minutes. To end: Inhale deep. Squeeze the shoulders tightly together and push the chest forward. Release the shoulders, come forward and exhale. Repeat twice more. 2 Comments: This exercise can take away headaches. Create a magnetic field with your hands. This breath . . . it’s very cooling; it’s best for kidneys and it’s wonderful for adrenals, wonderful, absolutely wonderful, wonderful for urinary system, best for testosterone and most helpful to pituitary.

3. Close the eyes. Bring your hands in front of the heart center— 3 palms down, right hand resting on the left—and just balance and be steady. 15 minutes. To end: Inhale deep. Squeeze the shoulders tightly together and push the chest forward. Release the shoulders, bend forward and exhale. Repeat twice more. You won’t feel tired, you won’t feel heavy, you won’t feel anything. . . . Close your eyes and just have no thought. Entertain no thought. Stay in a thoughtless state. I repeat, you are in a habit to hypnotize yourself. So please hypnotize yourself in a thoughtless state, ‘I am, I am not’ at the same time. Create a vacuum to allow prosperity, real happiness and infinity to enter.

4. Chant—using the tip of the tongue—with Har Singh Nar Singh by Nirinjan Kaur. 9 minutes. Har singh nar singh neel naaraayan, Gursikh gur singh har har gayan Wha-hay guroo Wha-hay guroo, har har dhiayan, Saakhat nindak dusht mathaayan

To end: Inhale deep. Squeeze the shoulders together and push the chest forward. Release the shoulders, bend forward, exhale and relax.

Core Alignment Meditations

We’ve spent a lot of time in the last three days in intellec- The Meditations tual discussion and reviewing the Aspects and their role in All of these meditations can be found in The Mind book. the play and matrix of the mind. Today we focus on embodying the various Aspects by experiencing the medita- ASPECT 1— Defender (page 156) tions aligned with each of them. Negative Mind x Manas

ASPECT 2— Manager (page 160) We’ll do the meditations for 31 minutes each. We’ll expe- Negative Mind x Ahangkar rience two Aspects within an hour and then have a short break in-between. ASPECT 3— Preserver (page 164) Negative Mind x Buddhi

ASPECT 4— Artist (page 168) Positive Mind x Manas

ASPECT 5— Producer (page 172) Positive Mind x Ahangkar

ASPECT 6— Missionary (page 176) Positive Mind x Buddhi

ASPECT 7— Strategist (page 180) Neutral Mind x Manas

ASPECT 8— Leader (page 184) Neutral Mind x Ahangkar

ASPECT 9— Teacher (page 188) Neutral Mind x Buddhi

ceremonial burning of the tattva sticks

We close this day of silence with a ceremony. As you gather to burn the tattvas from the group exercise on Day Two, take a moment to remember those five qualities that you are ready to now release into the flames, allowing the tapas, the fire, to transform them from living reality to ash, carried away on the wind.

Meditate on the flame—as if it is a tratakum—and witness the transmutation of your elements. Know yourself to be purified by fire and commit your mind to live from this renewed state—your Self as perfected human psyche and its elevated angelic nature.

CHAPTER FIVE

Mental Intrigues

Small Group Check-in The Experience of Silence

Find a comfortable place to sit with your study group and What was the content of your mind during yesterday’s med- check-in. Discuss the experiences you had on Day Four dur- itations? Did you have mostly thoughts about the past? What ing the meditations and period of silence. kind of other thoughts? Doubts? Emptiness? What kind of feelings? Fantasies? Consider some of the questions below. Pay attention to the nature of the meditative experience; how consciously medi- Give an analogy of your mind during the different medita- tating this week might be different than in the past for some tions? Was it like a quiet pond, or like a deep stormy ocean, people, how each Aspect brings with it a nuanced flow of or like the moon? thoughts and feelings (these can be bodily sensations, images, memories, attitudes about the meditation, etc.); and how the mind ensnares each of us in intrigues from our feelings, needs, fears and assumptions.

Which meditation was the most difficult for you? Why?

Which meditation was the most important to you? Why?

What did this deep process of meditation bring up in you?

Were you able to dwell in the shuniya stage and observe how you experienced your mind/thoughts/feelings as you stimulated each Aspect?

Were some Aspects more interesting, provocative, hypnotic or disturbing than others? In what way?

What sensation or feeling triggered your subconscious and allowed the mind to lead or be led? For some people it may be curiosity, or appreciation, or anxiety? Feelings that arise due to certain Aspects act like a hypnotic king and are accompanied by his servants—rationalization, special importance, familiarity, fear, necessity and opportunity. What do you experience as your mindful presence wanes and the train of thoughts and feelings waxes into mental dominance?

be happy, be neutral An Experience with Yogi Bhajan

October 27, 1992

“Technically speaking, man is born to be happy and man is born to be neutral.” By understanding the nature of polarity, man can develop the projection and breadth of an awakened human consciousness. Yogi Bhajan speaks to the false divisions that we create in religion, spirituality, god, humanity, politics, and so on. He says these divisions are pointless and painful. In the play of the universe, these polarities are seen for what they are—not good or bad, evil or godly—a dynamic. What is good for you may be painful for me; what is a gift for you may be a curse to me. He guides us into the deep stages of meditation and delivers the Neelkunt (the blue pearl) in which we can allow our mind to float, relaxed and free. A relaxed mind is a committed mind.

An edited transcript of this class is included in your Study Guide.

Yogi Bhajan • October 27, 1992

1 1. Sit in a very easy, graceful posture. Straight spine. Chin in, chest out. Your eyes are at the tip of the nose. When your eyes are at the correct angle, (about 60 degrees) you should see a little blue circle—a slice of the moon. Don’t loose sight of it. Turn your tongue and press it into the upper palate. Keep your molars locked. Watch your breath—concentrate on both nostrils (the ending points of ida and pingala) and breathe gracefully and consciously. Concentrate. Be alert. Remain absolutely still. Do not move. 11 minutes.

To end: Inhale deep and focus and the brow. Hold the 2 breath and contract. 15 seconds. Exhale. Repeat twice more. Relax.

2. Bring your fingertips together and press the fingers in and out making circles with them. Expand and contract. Wiggle the toes, too, in a circular manner. 1-1/2 minutes.

3. Stretch the legs out in front of you. Make your hands into claws, in front of the shoulders. Flex the ankle and the toes

toward your head. Stretch the Achilles tendon. Lock the 3 molars. 3 minutes. Your fingers have to be steel claws and your toes must come backward at the maximum. Be steady.

4. Look toward the sky and laugh with a very open mouth. Keep the neck extended and the face up. 2 minutes.

5. Now lock your lips together and shake your head very quickly. This is a very small but rapid movement from side to side. 15 seconds.

4 5 6. Talk, relax and visit each other.

Small Group discussion on the master’s touch class

When the meditation called for a focus on the tip of the Many people, with good reason, distrust or reject understand- nose, to see the Neelkunt (subtle blue lotus), could you fix ing the world or themselves from an “informed” first person the eyes successfully? How did the blue arc appear to you? perspective. That subjective position is filled with presuppo- What made you successful in creating and locking that focus? sitions, cultural overlays and emotional cloaking. The yogi in When you attained that focus, what was helpful in staying meditation would agree that a first person perspective is there? How would you guide others to locate that focus in inherently corrupt. We prefer an impersonally personal first themselves? person, not subjective nor objective but awakened. This is what we refer to as intuition. In this position it is possible to What was the sensation like to dwell in your Self? Describe notice any variation, no matter how minute, from the state of the contrast between meditating on something versus medi- shuniya. In this way we can know—and know accurately. It tating as ‘you’ in stillness, receiving all, equally, as unlimited? does not mean we have no presuppositions or commotional Have you always meditated in this manner—mindful pres- fog; it means we can locate our self and recognize the pre- ence? If not, what is the experience to open the field of your suppositions and commotions for what they are. We can sensations and awareness and keep it open no matter what “know without knowing.” This is a special perceptual posi- arises? tion that is cultivated with great discipline and grows gradually as a skillful means within our consciousness. What was Yogi Bhajan asks us to “process” our subconscious. When your experience of the intuitive state? How can you recognize each thought or feeling arises, we recognize it not as our Self, the difference between a first person perspective and an even as we accept it as part of our experience and creation. awakened first person perspective in your body and mind? We continue to establish our Self and our embrace of all that How does trust relate to your ability to develop or block this? arises as God’s expression and an expression of our non-dual Self in the polar activity of the world. We process the reactions of our mind, our projections and our emotions by sensing and relaxing with each impression. In this way we explore the entire matrix of thoughts, reactions, projections, causa- tions and consequences that come with each movement of the mind. What was your experience as you “processed”? How is this different than an intellectual or analytical process?

Mental Intrigues: The Games People Play

We are all familiar with former versions of ourselves: times Quotations from The Mind on Mental Intrigues when our image was more important than who we really were; Here are some quotations from The Mind to stimulate your times when we were willing to sacrifice our truth to fit in; awareness of your intrigues and their effect in your life: times when we didn’t even know who we were, only that we were lost in a tangle of internal narratives and the confusion What is the problem? of hidden motivations. As teachers, many of us see that “The mind has to be developed to give you supportive painful ‘play’ still happening in our students—and if we’re real- strength. There is no reason to be unhappy other than the ly honest, in ourselves, too, depending on the circumstance pain you get from the results of these intrigues.” p. 50 and our particular weaknesses or strengths. Yogi Bhajan talks about this play: “Why not play one game Why do intrigues get the upper hand in our life so easily? to become timeless and one with God? That is the game of “You know better than to be unreal and to play games. You how you recognize and love your own deep truth in life. know if you lie and play games that it will come back to you When you can play just one game that is boundless in time ten times stronger. Then why do you act wrong? Why do you and space, then all others stop. The measure of the game is engage in endless petty games? You do it because your mind how near you are to your own truth, to the reality in your is ruled by mental fogginess. That fogginess comes from the soul. How much consciousness and control of that truth do power and craftiness of your mental intrigues. You have intel- you have? You will be happy in your life in proportion to the ligence and common sense, but you don't meditate regularly degree that you have a handle on that truth, and that you are to clear out the mind. willing to pay for that truth, and that you can commit to and When you fail to meditate, the combined strength of love that truth.” With this statement, we recognize that the your subconscious and your thoughts catches you. This tables have been turned and we are asked to play a very dif- combination, when the subconscious links with the play of ferent kind of game. A game of destiny, not fate; a game of the mind, is the origin of mental intrigues and most of your truth—at any cost. self-defeating patterns. You need a habit to relate to your Mental intrigues are mentioned many times by Yogi mind. You need to sit with your mind and review it, polish Bhajan. Mental intrigues are what happens when the mind is it, and direct it.” p. 51 left on automatic; thought streams and feelings take the lead When did it start? and dominate you. Those intrigues limit our self-experience, “If your inherent creativity expands that intrigue, your mind self-trust and self-love. The intrigues create bad habits, self- will spin it, magnify it, and spread it in every direction. It will defeating patterns and confusion, making them all appear dif- weave that intrigue into your words and then project those ficult, if not impossible, to change. words to every part of your mind. The result is you lose track As we took the journey through all the meditations and of your real self and become shallow, hollow, and full of Aspects, you may have noticed some of these intrigues in your games. You lose your power of prayer. You lose your inno- own thoughts. cence. There is no one who can save you from this mess other than yourself. Your ability to get into trouble was given to you at the same time as your ability to excel and be great. It started in the very beginning.” p. 51

How many intrigues are there? How do we try to deal with the bad feelings that You have “as many minds as you need to do any action. Each arise from the intrigues? part of the mind will have its own positive power as well as “Sometimes you sense when you are caught by your mental its own mechanism and its own intrigue. . . . But your mind intrigues and feel limited and small. You react and try to always has the capacity to act beyond time and space. Simply expand any way you can. You may try to blow apart the feel- direct it toward me.” p. 52 ing of limitation by stimulating the mind with drugs or with some type of extreme or extraordinary experience. That What is the mechanism like that produces the intrigues? approach just causes more problems and pain.” p. 53 “The mind is a vast, automatic mechanism that processes thoughts and sensations. When you focus on a thought and What is the best way to deal with the intrigues and gather its associated thoughts—a double thought—the mind respect the inherent creativity of our mind? produces feelings. When your creativity spins out even more “To stop the games and mental intrigues and to truly be thoughts about the feelings and thoughts, the mind produces happy you must develop a consistent attitude of human life in fantasy and imagination—a triple thought. All these thoughts, which you can excel above time and space, using your mind feelings, and fantasies mix, contrast, react, and project. The at the frequency of your soul. That is the attitude of a happy mind flips and twists. It changes perspectives and intensifies person. Every other approach and short-cut will prove to be each sensation. Without any effort on your part, the mind false. . . . That is why you have a deep and profound instinct produces many intrigues.” p. 52 to feel the Infinite in you, a spiritual longing.” p. 53

What type of feeling does an intrigue produce and “The cosmos is set up so that it is possible for an individual's what is the effect of keeping that intrigue unprocessed magnetic field and mental projection to imprint and prevail on by my meditative mind? the universal magnetic field. When you know this as an expe- “Your mind is constantly in motion. It produces every kind of rience, integrity and innocence replace your intrigues.” p. 57 thought. It has no base or fundamental reality on its own. It requires your direction. In order to act and create you must “You must understand the problem. Mental intrigues are just use the mind, but the mind can also use you. It can convince like handcuffs, leg cuffs. They totally tie you down, they do you of something, encourage you, then abandon you when it not let you expand as the world into the bounty, the beauty, is wrong. Suppose you start to act on a bad thought. The the infinity. Your God becomes the money-God. In reality, mind encourages you. It tells you your idea is the best oppor- money-God is the wife of the Lord God, it is Lakshmi, it is not tunity. Your Positive Mind stacks up many examples of similar the Narayan and this is your mental intrigue, it is your men- ideas and the good that could happen. It does not give you a tal puzzle, it is your mental misplacement and misconception. critical comparison to the problems that could happen, and it God shall be, will be, and is always the source of all life, all doesn't ask how this idea is related to you and your purpose. creativity. And to merge in God and in the bounty and beau- When a tragedy finally happens the mind suddenly tells you, ty and infinity of God is the job, ‘You were the one who did something wrong. You did a bad job. You are not worthy.’ The mind that brought up the plan Ek purkha sagli pahi naar. and supported you now judges and condemns you. This cre- There is a one being and everybody is the female (bride) ates a guilt concept. That guilt weakens you emotionally. You of that being. begin to feel small and out of control. You followed it, got caught in its impulses, and tangled in its intrigue. Everybody is the creativity of that being. and to remerge that Unnecessary guilt is only one of many of the mind’s is the principle which is involved.” intrigues.” p. 52 —Yogi Bhajan, April 13, 1983

What is the quality that we awaken in shuniya and deep meditation? “You have not learned how to depend on the unseen and unlimited within you. Your soul has a fundamental property that when aligned with your mind gives you impact, intelligence, and effectiveness. Its fundamental property is to be saibhang—a self-illumined, aware, and radiant identity of God. It is not subject to anything. This has been a known fact, explored and experienced for centuries. The soul is a slave to none. In fact, everything else is subject to the soul and connected through its projection. So if you call on that and dwell in that, it works where no logic, reason, or mental intrigue can.” p. 55

How does stress affect the minds process and its intrigues? “In this game mastery is the goal and your main enemy is stress. When you are under stress you begin to lose your mind slowly, to a very polite degree. Your mind starts to wander on its own. It looks elsewhere for shelter and hope. It looks into your subconscious and pulls out of it every memory and every fragment of intentions and actions left incomplete in your life. You begin to live in the past. You do not act in the present but according to overlays from your past. When you cannot sense the present and you cannot connect to the future, life becomes very difficult. It is exactly that day that you are confused, and you lose mastery over your mind. You suddenly feel that you cannot meditate, do sadhana, or anything else to clear your mind. You start to feel bad and you want to defeat yourself, so you pick up every habit that makes you not prepare yourself for confidence and success. . . . Do you understand how this stress pattern works to lock you into the mind's intrigues? It turns the three minds against you.” p. 54

Interactive Group Exercise Exploring Your Mental Intrigues

Part One Step four partner work on the intrigues Write the two words or names for your two intrigues down Step One Meditate silently into the expanded self on a piece of paper and give it to your partner. One partner Take a moment and meditate into your expanded self. Then lies down and the other sits in meditation. The partner who become still in shuniya and sense the boundless openness is sitting goes into shuniya. Make your aura and energy of the universe as you allow and invite all its movements expanded, calm, still and equal in all directions and dimen- and projections into your awareness. Now become nothing. sions. Feel the clear presence of the Self. Still. Let your intrigues become present to you. Allow the Sense your partner as they lie calmly. Place a hand over patterns and feelings that seem to limit you or your relation their heart center, without touching them. Sense how your to your Self become present. Do not react to them. Sense energy shifts as you link to their aura and become one with them. Observe them. Welcome them as part of your inher- them. Do nothing but connect, sense and accept. ent creativity to be you, this soul, in this experience. Then Once you are clear and stable in your perception, say gradually become increasingly neutral and relax completely aloud one of the words your partner shared with you, invok- in the feeling that these intrigues are not to be fought but ing one of their intrigues. Sense how your energy shifts with understood, blessed and transmuted; just as the ocean sens- this. Allow the changes. Just notice with your intuition the es the waves and accepts calm waters and angry storms into energy, the flow of thoughts and sensations; stay present, its nature and depth. calm, dwell in saibhung. Then invoke the name of the second intrigue. Just say it aloud once—the mind of your part- Step two ner only needs one word. Sense again the change in your identity two intrigues energy field. Notice how it is similar or differs from the first. Identify two intrigues that are frequent visitors in your mind. After you establish this for a minute, begin to mentally They could be beliefs, past tendencies, a particular feeling chant Guru Guru Wahe Guru Guru Ram Das Guru. Feel about yourself, anything that limits you from your true iden- your calm center. Anything that is less than infinite—pleas- tity, which is Infinity. Identify the habits that accompany ure, pain, enduring, fleeting, rational, irrational, gross or sub- them. Assign one word or name to each of these familiar tle—invite it into your heart center, the healing pool that is intrigues. Guru Ram Das dwelling within you. Invite it into you as a (Please note that this exercise can arouse very vulnerable healing pool of the Golden Temple. Allow yourself to be that feelings. In order to avoid any undesired or unnecessary inti- expansive, that radiant. Relax every atom. Bless all and macy, assign a word that is very neutral but calls up within become completely neutral, relaxed, loving as your Self, one you the familiar intrigue. You may still experience discomfort with the infinite in ALL. but it won’t be compounded by an intimacy that may feel Then relax, release the connection by resting your hand inappropriate in the group environment.) down in your lap, and become centered in your Self. Share with your partner what you noticed and experienced with Step three each intrigue. Again, be sensitive to and aware of the inti- walk with sa ta na ma, choose partner macy that this exercise elicits and allow your partner to Walk around for a few minutes chanting SA TA NA MA. establish the appropriate boundaries for themselves. Choose a partner for this exercise and sit together. Then shift roles and repeat the same procedure.

Part TWO As teachers, share examples of intrigues that emerge in your relationships with students from them or from yourself. Small Group activity Share examples of your intrigues that may arise in dealing with other teachers. Step One Get into your small groups. For 3 minutes make a list Step three together of all the mental intrigues you noticed in yourself Using the mental intrigue you’ve been discussing, come up and others that you have noticed personally or as a teacher. with a 1-2 minute skit that reveals the intrigue and an Sample List of Intrigues: approach to overcome it from the many strategies you’ve Tantrum discussed. Stress Living in the past not the present Childhood strategies Interlock neurosis Interactive Group Exercise Unnecessary Guilt Mental Intrigues: Skits Lying Each group will now present their skit to the rest of the par- Addictions ticipants.Take a moment after each skit to discuss the Feeling that you are limited and inferior intrigue, its dynamics and primary elements, as well as the Negative emotions of the tattvas expanded strategy to divert or change the course of the intrigue. Self-deception Inferiority Did it work? Why or why not? Intellectual rationalization Confabulation Are there other strategies you’ve used as a Teacher for Depersonalizing (Using higher chakras to rationalize and similar situations? see others as a problem to be solved and not a person to be in relationship with.)

Step TWO Group Discussion Select one to focus on in your group. What are some of the most common intrigues? What is its nature? What is its effect? How does it manifest in behaviors? How is it revealed in various situations? Can Share the strategies that you arrived at for these particular others sense the intrigue being active, even if the person intrigues. Do they seem to be universally applicable? with the intrigue does not? If not, why?

What are some strategies that can release you and your How do we as Teachers overcome the psyche of the mind of the shackles of this intrigue: meditation, communi- individual personality and find tools that can apply to cation, habits, relationships, feedback, other? What would everyone? make this intrigue seem hard to change? How is it easy to change? Most feelings and behavioral intrigues have a belief What are some particular meditations or other technology or an internal narrative that supports it. What type of nar- that came to mind to deal with these most common rative and beliefs tend to go with the intrigue you chose? mental intrigues? What would be a new narrative, self-talk, affirmation or belief that would facilitate the change?

The Two Capacities: Shuniya and Applied Intelligence

Shuniya In order to address our mental intrigues and free ourselves from the trap of hypnotic action and reaction, it is essential that we develop our meditation and the mindful state of shuniya. We’ve spent a lot of time cultivating shuniya. Shuniya resolves and heals many problems in the mind and also the body. Heal your relationship to any thought and that shift can affect anything from a momentary mood to a relentless emotional interlock, from an atom to the universe.

Applied Intelligence The other capacity Yogi Bhajan emphasize in the lectures is applied intelligence—its capacity to select and direct, to be in subjective control of its projections. We’ve spent a considerable amount of time exploring the Projections and Aspects and the way the mind functions in relationship to finding balance in relationship to thoughts, feelings, and intentions. To increase this capacity, we will work directly on the frontal brain and our sensitivity to the flow of thoughts the mind gives us. Does each thought relate to the success of my souls intention? If not, reject the thought. Send it back to the infinite mind or let it become nothing.

KUNDALINI YOGA KRIYA The next set will help stimulate this capacity for applied Intelligence. After we make the brain very alert and gather our energy for change, we will do a class with the master that will provoke a fearful intrigue. It will clear mental paranoia by using the body’s automatic response to fear. It is a great example of how the yogis used the patterns of the body without prejudice and transformed them into an elevated capacity to act with steadiness and excellence in the world.

Yogi Bhajan • From Yoga for Youth & Joy

1. Sit in Easy Pose with your hands on your knees. The 1 2 chest is out and the shoulders are back. Maintaining this posture, begin vibrating the front of the face, using a very rapid and short up–and–down motion. Try to move just the forehead. The breath will adjust itself. Continue for 8-9 minutes. This exercise is called Mastak Subhaee. It works on the change and replace- ment of gray matter in the brain.

2. Remain in Easy Pose with the hands on the knees. Begin rolling the head on the neck in the shape of a figure eight. The chin comes down to the center of the 3 chest with each circle, twice in a full repetition of the movement. Make sure that the exercise is performed powerfully and steadily with equal timing for each rev- olution of the head. Continue for 3 minutes at a mod- erate pace and then sit still for 30 seconds. This exercise is called Infinity Kriya. It is very powerful and must be done carefully and consciously. The effect is to balance the central ear, which affects clear and conscious thought.

3. Still in Easy Pose, bring the arms straight out 3 from the sides of the body palms up at shoulder level. Bring the hands into fists with the thumbs outside. Inhale and bring both fists in to the top of the shoulders while stretching the elbows out as powerfully as possible and flexing your biceps. Return to the original position on the exhale. Continue the motion for 9 minutes. 4 Recording: Sukhmanee Sahib.

4. Remain in Easy Pose. Still listening to Sukhmaee Sahib, stretch the arms straight out in front of the body at a 45-degree angle with the palms facing down, fingers held together on each hand. In this position begin shaking the head as fast as possible in a very short side- ways motion. Shake the skull in a continuous motion for 1 minute. Inhale and relax.

stop your mental games An Experience with Yogi Bhajan

February 21, 1989

In this meditation, Yogi Bhajan says that he’s going to ‘jerk the jerk out of us.’ The capacity of our mind is infinite and yet we are drowning in thoughts. We believe these thoughts and they reign over us. Instead of relating to our newness in each moment, each breath; instead of rejoicing in the fact that every cell is renewed within 72 hours, we carry around stories from our childhood, adolescence, and adulthood about this and that—how I’ve been hurt, how much pain I’m in, and so on. So, Yogi Bhajan says we must be able to use our applied intelligence, the capacity of the mind, to determine the thoughts we dwell on, the intentions we manifest, and the actions we take. He basically challenges us to grow up—quit playing games and master our mind with all its fears, pride, paranoia, and fecklessness: “Process yourself first by cleaning, cleansing, marbleizing, lifting your values up and then lifting yourself up.”

An edited transcript of this class is included in your Study Guide.

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Yogi Bhajan • February 21, 1989

1. Sit in meditative, yogic posture. Stick out your tongue—not all the way— 1 & 8 just relax the tongue. With the diaphragm, strongly exhale through the mouth over the relaxed tongue. This is called Paranoia Breath. This is a heavy, deep breath from the diaphragm. 1.5- 3 minutes.

Comments: Feel afraid! Do it heavily from the diaphragm. You think this is a joke. If you do it about twenty times a day you shall never have nightmares. It is not a joke—this breath. If this breath is practiced two things will never hurt you. One is hysteria, the other is paranoia. It is a yogic breath. You only do it in a natural emergency. We are asking you to do in a conscious emergency. I want it to be done by the pull of the diaphragm. When paranoia hits you, hit it with this breath.

2. Open your mouth and do Breath of Fire through a rounded mouth. Very quickly and forcefully. 30 seconds. 2 & 9 3. Bring you hands into Ravi Mudra—ring finger and thumb together. Other three fingers are straight and open—stiff. Now circle the hands around each other in front of the chest. Only the fingers move over each other—not the entire hand. Move as fast as you can. 4 minutes. To end: Inhale deep, close your eyes and lock the hands at the heart center.

Comments: Your nostrils will start having pressure on ida and pingala, if you really do this exercise faster. You will have a very impulsive state here, right on the both sides where ida and pingala starts. That is all we want. Actually we want that pressure and the moment the nose starts showing a little red color in the aura. I want the big nose. They call it clown nose.

3 & 7

4. Meditate with the hands gripped at the heart center. Right hand over 4 left, grip tightly. Eyes are closed and focused at the hands. [Gong is played.] 7 minutes.

5. Relax the hands down and continue to meditate to the gong. The body will naturally adjust itself. [Music is played over the gong for the last 5 minutes: Singh Kaur’s Beloved God.] Total: 8 minutes. Mentally go with the sound but not the words.

6. Begin Breath of Fire. 30 seconds. Now begin to clap the hands over the head—fast and powerful! 30 seconds.

7. Repeat Exercise #3. 1 minute. 5 8. Repeat Exercise #1: Powerful Paranoia Breath. Move the tailbone. Pull it. 1 minute.

9. Repeat Exercise #2: Breath of Fire through rounded mouth. 15 seconds.

10. Relax.

Recommendation: Drink juice and liquids after this meditation. No solids. Also drink lots of liquids on the following day.

Comments: This meditation is to jerk out the jerk in you. 6

Yogi Bhajan • April 19, 1990

A rare secret kriya of the very inner essence of the sacred yoga. 1

1. Sit in Easy Pose with a straight spine, chin in, and chest lift- ed. Place your hands on the gates of your face in Shanmukhi Mudra. (See commentary.) Whistle along with the music of Sat Nam, Wahe Guru Indian version #2. Whistle both on the inhalation and on the exhalation. “Use your whistle with a double force: out and in.” Do not put pressure on your fingers in the mudra, keep your touch on the gates light and polite. 31 minutes.

2. Relax your hands and take your fingers off your face. Remain 2 sitting and begin shaking every part of your body as fast as you can. (This exercise was done to the rhythm of the Bhangra Rhythms tape.) 5-1/2 minutes. Use power, use strength, use projection and imagination. Be creative. Dance your body away. Let the circulation (flow), let the nervous system put a combination. You must bring the body to a sweat. If you do not sweat you will lose this best chance to be young.

To End: Inhale deeply, hold your breath for 15 seconds while you stretch your body upward, spreading the fingers apart and letting the five tattwas balance themselves. Make the fingers like steel prongs. Exhale. Inhale deeply, hold the breath (5-10 seconds), and repeat the stretch. Exhale. Last time: inhale deeply, hold the breath (5-10 seconds), and repeat the stretch. Exhale and relax.

Sitali Uni Kriya tattvas once again in the following meditation. We are Throughout today’s exercises, we’ve provoked, processed, and promised with this kriya that we will not be the same tomor- cut through the intrigue by either projecting it to infinity— row as we are today. After the work we’ve done, how can we expanding ourselves in relationship to the intrigue—or using not be changed? So rejoice in the shift and allow your Self to mantra to heal and protect and break through the patterns dance in this new freedom, this new awareness, this new long established in the subconscious regarding any particular relationship to time and space and intention. The only thing intrigue, thought or feeling. we are asked is to be ourselves—to quit playing the games and From this place of applied intelligence and deep relation- to simply be. Be to be. Be you. ship to shuniya, from this neutral space, we revisit our

Comments: These are the most delicate points in your whole body. Now look straight through your closed eyelids and create a screen. Bring your body to a standstill. This is just an acupuncture touch. It is just a very light, polite touch because the five antennas and five tattvas (earth, air, water, fire and ether) have to be balanced. That is all it is. Sun point is the earlobe down. Sun, the heat is in the earlobes. Upper eyelid is for the simple sense of the ether. Ida and Pingala (the nostrils) is the prana (air tattva). The lips: upper lip is water and lower lip is earth. All these tattwas can be experienced within the body. You may feel irritated in this position, but focus on the achievement. . . . And tomorrow (after doing this kriya) you will not be the same as you are today. There is no way. That is a gospel truth.

Shanmukhi Mudra (delicately touching the seven gates in the head to help us focus on the inner world): Raise the arms in front of the face with the elbows pointing out to the sides. Place the thumbs gently on the sun point of the ears (from the earlobe down, “those little things which the master pulls when you do wrong”), place the Jupiter (index) fingers lightly and delicately on the closed eyelids, place the Saturn (middle) fingers lightly on each side of the tip of the nose (where the Ida and Pingala end), place the Sun (ring) fingers on the upper lips and place the Mercury (pinkie) fingers on the lower lips.

Commentary by Hari Jot Kaur: The label on the videotape of this class says, “this class is required to be done in evening, with only citrus eaten after 12pm (lunch).” Nothing was said in this class or in the previous class giving this instruction. Rarely, however, this type of instruction was communicated by phone to the majority of students in time for them to meet the requirements before class. No instructions were given whether or not the citrus diet is required for when this kriya is done as a 40-day meditation. Without having other information, we can probably assume that the citrus requirement holds whenever this kriya is practiced.

CHAPTER SIX

The committed Mind: Effective Action & Happiness

The committed mind effective action & happiness

To be consciously conscious, our actions must originate from consciousness in each moment. Awareness of our demoting habits and cultivating promoting habits is a lifetime exercise—breath by breath, moment to moment. The singular goal of the awakened, diamond mind, is the experience of the committed Self and being able to use the mind to project that commitment into each moment of our lives. Let’s explore our ability to awaken our virtues through the neutral mind, committed language, and meditation.

We can approach neutrality in the mind—that zero point, or shuniya—through vastness and the experience and realization of Shakti or by becoming humble and embodying Bhakti through devotion, love and selfless service of the Infinite and God in each person, in each moment. We will play with the structure of the mind, look at our habits— those that serve and elevate us and those we wish to change. Then we will transmute those areas of our mind and self using the synchronization meditation, awakening our intuition and doing a deep meditation on the foundation mantra of Kundalini Yoga, the Adi Shakti Mantra: Ek Ong Kaar, Sat Nam Siri, Wahe Guru.

Assigned Reading Chapters 7,8, and 11 from The Mind.

Speaking from your committed Self, your true identity, takes Interactive Group Exercise courage, awareness, and sensitivity. So often we speak only Projecting Infinity through our Speech from fear or anger—or worse, we lie. Yogi Bhajan has said: From the examples given by Yogi Bhajan on p. 77 of The Mind, we will practice speaking from this projection. Get into “Normally you do not speak with committed language. triads and practice the following three examples: The result is your love is not committed, your compassion is not committed, and your relationships are not committed.... 1 Two Stroke Language What is a lie? It is anything spoken with uncommitted lan- In committed language, say, “I am your friend.” guage. Any word spoken under fear in which your personality Speak from the heart. is not clear is a lie. Lying is not a sin. Lying is a habit. It is a Committed language would simply say: “Hey friend!” This is damaging habit, but just a habit lik any other habit. Why do the Naad language; it has two strokes to its impact. “Hey” is people lie? They lie because they cannot love.” p. 74-5 the projection and “Friend” is the confirmation. Practice saying it in this way and feel the difference in the Heart Center. We don’t use our applied mind to speak from the truth of Practice several other examples speaking from the heart, our personality, our reality. We play games; we try to be using Naad Language, this two stroke language for impact. clever; we cut ourselves off from our own reality. And then, how do we ever find our way back? Yogi Bhajan continues: 2 Triple Stroke Language In committed language, say, “You are very beautiful.” “Who do you think you are? You are not your mind, nor Try it out yourself first. do you belong to the mind. The mind is yours. If the mind Committed language would say: “Wow, hey you.” This basic is yours, where do you apply the control to direct it? Where phrase has a triple stroke to its impact and accent. “Wow” is do you apply the analytic mind to understand what you have the projection. “Hey” expands the projection. “You” is the done? That is the use of committed language—where the self personal penetration. This triple stroke commands the mind is projected in its totality without limit. Instead you just speak from the heart and reaches the Neutral Mind. your fears, your anger, your hatred, and your ignorance. . . . Practice using the triple stroke to speak from the commit- To understand how to use your mind and break the web of ted heart and penetrate the Neutral Mind of the listener. lies, you must grasp the nature of committed language.” 3 Capturing the Three Funcitonal Minds p. 76-7 Committed language captures the Negative and Positive There are three levels of speech that we’re familiar with Minds and uses the Neutral Mind. All three are balanced. Any from Kirtan Kriya: confirmed commitment must contain both polarities. When Human (spoken) you speak a promise, speak to both sides of the coin—nega- Lover (whispered) tive and positive. Instead of saying to someone, “I have told Angelic (silent) you the truth,” you must qualify it in committed language. So too, there is a trinity present in the language of pro- Say, “This is the truth, take it or leave it.” That is committed jected Infinity: the body, the mind, and the soul. language. People who speak the truth do not sell themselves “Projecting with Infinity in our speech is the base of com- to you. When you speak truth you don’t need to sell any- mitted language.” thing. It is already sold. Practice projecting the truth from the Neutral, Negative and Positive Minds—all three in balance.

develop your mental strength An Experience with Yogi Bhajan

September 12, 1989

“The subject is ‘getting it together. . .’” Yogi Bhajan addresses our basic tendency to avoid the mind, to avoid discipline, and says that if we would only rely upon our basic mental strength, it would be very simple. “Switching gears from a negative mind to a positive mind to a neutral mind” is our strength. He speaks about the power of the subconscious, especially when the thoughts, motivations, and feelings from the subconscious roam freely through our conscious mind—without the discipline of applied consciousness. This ability to apply the mind’s own inherent mechanisms toward our intentions, projections and consciousness is the key to our strength, our happiness, and our mastery.

An edited transcript of this class is included in your Study Guide.

Yogi Bhajan • September 12, 1989

POSTURE: Sit on your heels.

MUDRA: Bring the heels of your hands together in front of the throat— making a V with your hands. The four fingers are together and the thumbs are touching and stretched back toward the body.

EYES: Closed eyes at the tip of the nose.

MOVEMENT: From this V, begin rhythmically clapping the hands. The movement is like a hinge or a butterfly. Keep the thumbs together and the heels of the hands together as you open and close the hand. Not too fast, but steady.

TIME: 11 to 62 minutes.

COMMENTS: It will create the sound, Har, Har, if you really do it right. That’s where the sound Har came. Har, Har —if you accurately take pavan, the air, it will create the sound, Har. It’s a natural thing. Mentally the sound is Har, physically the sound is Har, concentrate.

Group Discussion: preparing to choose a Meditation Applied Consciousness for a personal sadhana and the Committed Mind Now we return to the work we did earlier in the course and use what we know about how habits, our tendencies, and How can we apply what we’ve learned from meditation our essence to choose a meditation to work on for the next to our habits? 90 days. In combination with the Adi Shakti Mantra, this What can you apply from the committed language particular selection will be your personal sadhana, your exercises to support and cultivate your promoting habits? opportunity to work on a particular habit and projection.

How do you respond to Yogi Bhajan’s statement: “You is not a criteria which is negotiable. You is Dharma. Kundalini Yoga Meditation You is the God. You is the truth. Everthing that is, is in Before we begin the selection of a projection, let’s do a med- you.” itation to center ourselves in our intuition.

Discuss the notion of mental strength in relationship to “you” and your ultimate projection, ultimate truth, ultimate reality. interactive group exercise an aquarian interview

Part one small groups Come into your small groups and create an Aquarian questionnaire of about 10 questions which test the level of relationship that one has to his or her mind. For example: 1. How often do you do things out of habit? 2. Do you ever think about your thoughts? 3. Do you usually act out your impulses? 4. Do you see yourself as a demanding person? And so on. . .

Part Two interviewing people in the community Find a partner and set out into the community. Find a place where people are waiting: bus stops, food court at the mall, etc. Interview one or two people and be very courteous.

Part Two share with whole group Come back to your groups and evaluate the answers. Compare your group’s questionnaire and the results of the different interviews.

102 • KRI INTERNATIONAL TEACHER TRAINING MANUAL LEVEL 2 • MIND & MEDITATION PILOT MANUAL © 2006 Kundalini Research Institute a MIND & MEDITATIONKUNDALINI YOGA MEDITATION FOUR STROKE BREATH TO BUILD INTUITION

Yogi Bhajan • June 9, 1998

MUDRA: Place your hands together in Prayer Mudra. Keep the Jupiter (index) fingers extended as you interlock the other fingers to clasp your two hands together. Cross the thumbs.

EYES: The eyes are nine-tenths closed.

POSTURE: In a comfortable seated position, place the mudra a little below your nose where you can look at the tips of your Jupiter fingers through the one-tenth opening of your eyes.

BREATH: Inhale in four powerful strokes through the “O” mouth (1 stroke per second = 4 second inhale) and exhale in one powerful stroke through the nose (1 second). Continue for 16 minutes.

Whosoever does best, will get the best experience. I can’t do this for you, I can only tell you what to do. Use your own diaphragm, move your own central (channel), open up your own chakras, achieve your own results. These exercises are time bound. Within that time you should achieve a sensory system. Take a heavy stroke through the mouth and push it out through the nose.

To end: Sit straight, inhale, hold your breath 20 seconds, and stretch your arms out to your sides. Palms facing upward. That will give you power to balance your central spinal column. Exhale. Inhale deep, hold your breath 20 seconds, and stretch your arms horizon- tally and stretch your spine vertically. Make a T-square. Exhale. Inhale deep, hold your breath 20 seconds, and open up your fingers, making them like steel. Squeeze your entire energy and bring it into your arms. Exhale and relax.

Comments: In the Aquarian Age intuition will be the principle of identity. This is a little meditation to see how well we can tell our own pituitary to work for us. . . . You must know reality by intuition. Not by knowledge. (By the time reality becomes knowledge) It’s too late.

Identifying Your Projection Here’s a summary of the steps: for your 90-day meditationsadhana You’ve Identified your three Aspects—one from each of the Impersonal and Functional Minds. Continuing our earlier exercise of working with the chart in the back of The Mind book, we now turn to look more close- 1 Meditate on the intrigues associated with your ly at each of the projections. Remember the three Aspects strongest and weakest Aspects. you identified for yourself. There are three projections associ- 2 Review the three Projections from each of these ated with those Aspects (9 of the 27 Projections). Using your Aspects—9 in all. intuition, determine which of these meditations you should pursue as a 90-day sadhana to balance that particular Aspect 3 Meditate and use your intuition to determine which and Projection. of these Projections would bring one of your Aspects into To review, let’s look at the chart again. You established greater balance—either balancing a strong Aspect, strength- which mind was strongest and weakest. And you selected ening a weak Aspect, or discovering a new mirror of your- your strongest and weakest Aspect. In determining the pro- self through the most neutral Aspect. jection you’d like to work on, a good place to start is to look at those two Aspects. Think of the mental intrigues that trap You’ll do a 90-day sadhana using this Projection (11 minutes you. What behaviors and what decisions distract you, block a day). After 90 days of that projection, switch to another your intuition or lead you to a poor choice? What feeling or Aspect. Re-evaluate at that time and look for ways to create sense of importance hypnotizes you in relationship to this balance again. Aspect and keeps you from fully functioning in your daily life? With those intrigues in mind, look at the projections associated with your three Aspects. The projections reflect an Group Discussion attitude of your Self in the functioning of this Aspect. When We have mental intrigues to watch; Aspects to balance; the Aspect is well-balanced then the projections are synchro- Functional Minds to switch gears within and process nized and support the Aspect. Look at your strongest and thoughts; projections to synchronize; and facets (habits) to weakest Aspect. Which is more imbalanced in your habits be aware of. At this point, ask questions regarding the pro- and relationships? jection you’ve chosen or the details of the meditation associ- Select the projection that will adjust the attitude and created with it. Use your peers and your trainer to prepare your- ate greater balance in that particular Aspect. When the self for the best and most fruitful experience in this effort to Aspects are balanced then you can shift gears smoothly balance the Aspects and project Infinity. between the three Functional Minds and deliver your Self fully to each moment, completing necessary actions and expressing your reality and destiny. You will be intuitive and happy.

104 • KRI INTERNATIONAL TEACHER TRAINING MANUAL LEVEL 2 • MIND & MEDITATION PILOT MANUAL © 2006 Kundalini Research Institute a MIND & MEDITATIONKUNDALINI YOGA MEDITATIONMIND & MEDITATION BALANCE THE MIND 5

Yogi Bhajan • April 7, 1992

1 1. Sit in Easy Pose. Sit very calm and quiet. Close the eyes. Bring the hands to the brow point in Prayer Pose with the thumbs locked. Begin moving in counter-clockwise circles from the pelvis all the way up the spine including the hands. Keep the hands above the eyebrows. Matamandir Singh’s Halleluiah. Start singing with it after 12 minutes. Total: 20 Minutes. You close your eyes and worship God. It is called Arta. It’s actually a self-worship if you really want to understand. It is called Jan Puja— self-worship. Loosen your pelvic bone. Move your own universe. Get into a state of ecstasy. Inhale. Exhale and immediately move into the next exercise.

2. Hold hands with one another and close your eyes. No hand should be single. Sit with chin in and chest out. Sit straight. 3 Concentrate at the soft-spot at the crown of the head—the 10th gate. Breathe long and deep. Breathe consciously. Be steady. This meditation is done in silence. 15 minutes. To end: Inhale deep and release your hands. Exhale. If you can concentrate on this point at the time of death, the scripture says you go straight to God. This is the time to prove to yourself that you and God are One. You can free yourself of all diseases at this time. Inhale. Exhale and immediately move into the next exercise.

3. Bring your forearm to 90 degrees so that the hands are above the shoulders with the fingers open. Begin making counter-clockwise cir- 4 cles with your arms and upper body. Sing along with Nirinjan Kaur’s Every Heartbeat. Move the energy in all parts of you. 5 minutes. As you complete this exercise, look around and choose a partner as you get ready for the next exercise. Inhale. Exhale and quickly move into the next exercise.

4. Stand up and dance with a partner. Punjabi Drum music is played. a. Look into the eyes of your partner. Move your hips. Move your arms. Hands stay above the head as you dance. 2-1/2 minutes. b. Dance freely moving your waist; hands can move as you like. 4-1/2 minutes. c. Begin to clap your hands. This removes arthritis. 30 seconds.

5 5. Sit in groups of four and play patty cake. Clap your hands. a) Then turn and clap hands with your partner. b) Clap your hands then clap hands with the person sitting across from you. c) Clap your hands then turn to the opposite side and clap hands with your other partner. 2 minutes.

Begin chanting Har with the tip of the tongue on every clap of the hands. 1 minute. Begin chanting ‘I God’ as you clap your hands and 5a ‘You God’ as you clap your partner’s hands. 1 minute.

6. Inhale deep and raise your hands up—as if you were surrendering. Concentrate at the 10th gate. 1-1/2 minutes. To end: Inhale deep and hold tight; synchronize the body and spread the fingers. Cannon fire exhale. Repeat twice more. Relax. 5b

Comment: This is one of the most sacred kriyas of Kundalini Yoga

Interactive Group Process The Adi Shakti Mantra: The Foundation of your 90-day Sadhana

Long Ek Ong Kaar can be done for many different time peri- Group Discussion ods; even saying it 1-7 times can change your consciousness. Check-in with your small groups and then open the discus- The first sadhana given to us by Yogi Bhajan was 2-1/2 hours sion to the larger group. of Long Ek Ong Kaar. He used it in many different kriyas for What are some of the refinements that you noticed when you many different time periods, 11 minutes, 22, etc. When he were led through the various meditations? explained the benefits, the first thing he said was to do it for at least 37-1/2 minutes for the following reason: Think of the What is best way to teach meditation or “to act as a teacher kundalini rising until all the fibers of your aura are vibrating to guide the experience of student?” and the circumvent field is fully activated so that you, as an As Teachers, what one thing will you bring from this individual unit, your psycho-electromagnetic field, can now course back into your everyday Kundalini Yoga classes? In project into the universe; it takes this amount of time for the your personal life? In your work? Self to reflect the Total Self—the macrocosm of you to the microcosm of you—to awaken the kundalini and create the communication with our universal self. 90-day Personal Sadhana Follow this with 11 minutes of the projection meditation Part of elevating the consciousness and experiencing the because at that moment you’re open, beyond whatever emo- Transformation necessary in the Level Two Curriculum is par- tional pattern you might have, to allow your larger self to be ticipating in a 90-day follow-up with your groups and your able to guide you and expand you. When you get your entire own mind. For 90-days you will be doing the 37-1/2 minutes self vibrating—ang sang wahe guru—it allows this connection. of Long Ek Ong Kaar (The Adi Shakti Mantra) along with 11 When you allow the universe to come in, at that moment, minutes of your personal Projection meditation you chose. the meditation can become very effective. Most of the time This is not to replace the early morning Aquarian Sadhana, we are afraid to make that connection, to allow that kind of but rather, an opportunity for you to dive deeply into the union; so the benefit of Long Ek Ong Kaar for 37-1/2 min- workings of your own mind, habits, and consciousness and utes is that it reaches that very human moment, that point of balance your projection as an individual Self and as the iden- antar naad gyan, where the inner power of the naad brings tity of Teacher. knowledge to you, and at that point of openness, you do the projection meditation and it accelerates the progress. Every Teacher should master this. Closing Ceremony Return again to the First Pauree of Japji and will all you’ve learned and experienced throughout the course, meditate on the sound current and relax the mind. After chanting for 11-31 minutes, sit in silence and recognize where you are in space and time. Become aware of a new understanding with this First Pauree; become aware of a new understanding of your Self and your mind; rejoice in your new skills and approaches to your seemingly incontrovertible “problems”; and reflect on your newly attained clarity.

Self-Assessment for mind & meditation Date: ______

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 I use my meditative mind when I meditate, but often, I fail to use it when I'm in situations of conflict at work or in interpersonal relationships. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 I know which kind of foods help my mind be meditative and I choose to include those in my diet. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 I can merge my mind into the shabd guru. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 I control my mind, rely on my intuition, trust my consciousness and act with fearlessness. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 I create the state of shuniya each day and in each important moment and place within that an intention that comes from my neutral mind and fulfills my soul. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 I can meditate for 2 1/2 hours without distraction or movement. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 I understand & can teach how the dynamics of the mind generates the 9 aspects and 27 projections.

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STUDY GUIDE MIND & MEDITATION • STUDY GUIDE

Table of Contents

Introduction 5

Chapter One: Mind, Meditation & Consciousness 9 Lecture: Break the Mind’s Hypnotic Trance Study Questions and Projects

Chapter Two: Awakening Intuition: Synchronize Your Brain & Your Mind 21 Lecture: Awaken the Dormant Human Consciousness Study Questions and Projects

Chapter Three: Dynamics of the Mind: Chambers, Aspects & Thoughts 31 Lecture: Being Human is Being Intuitive Study Questions and Projects

Chapter Four: Deep Meditation: Balancing Your Aspects 45 Lecture: The Science of Shuniya Lecture: Be Happy, Be Neutral Study Questions and Projects

Chapter Five: Mental Intrigues 61 Lecture: Stop Your Mental Games Study Questions and Projects

Chapter Six: The Committed Mind: Effective Action & Happiness 75 Lecture: Develop Your Mental Strength Study Questions and Projects

Journaling: A Journey 85

Introduction to The Mind & Meditation Home Study GUide

THE GOAL OF THE TRANSFORMATION COURSE WORK— with the ego of each student. Finally, he blessed us all Teacher Training Level 2—is to awaken in your heart and to through the power of his prayer and his guru to always have embody in your life the skills of a Teacher. You are not here a chance and an open door to bow and transcend our ego. to simply learn more exercises and meditations. You are here Technology, timelessness and values—his gifts to us unto to deepen your practice, your commitment, and your pres- Infinity. ence as a Teacher. You are here to discover all the implica- “Home study” can have two meanings: the first and more tions of just what that word, Teacher, really means—not only common notion is to study outside of class; the second and sitting in front of a yoga class, but also in the world. deeper meaning is to study from the perspective of the A central problem for all paths of consciousness is how “home,” which for us is the soul and consciousness. We do we sustain the insight, energy and practices we learn dur- want this guide to be a means toward both. The work you ing an intensive training once we find ourselves back in the do outside of class is a simple but important step toward familiar environments we live in? Back home, immersed in embodying what you learn—which is a fundamental need and our routines, our habits loom large. We become forgetful. our minimum standard. We rationalize, get distracted and often coast along, some- Yogi Bhajan always said to really learn something we must where knowing that in order to coast, we must be going first read or experience something, then write it, then teach downhill; and therefore, not reaching for the excellence of it. Passive learning is not enough, no matter how attentive which we are capable. we are. We need experience. Then we need to act on it. Yogi Bhajan approached this several ways. First, he Writing is one form of action. Anything that helps our phys- acknowledged the dignity and sovereignty of each person and ical body to enact what we have learned and that tests our left it to each of us to “self-initiate.” If we do not take on the ability to use that experience in diverse circumstances will challenge to respect and care for ourself, who will? So, there deepen our practical knowledge. Even with this accomplished, is no trick, no short cut. It is up to us to become still and still we need to teach. In teaching, we shift perspectives. We present, then decide, commit, practice and allow the natural reformulate our experience, discover significance, recognize urge of consciousness to transform us to full awareness. meaning and learn to translate our personal experience to Second, he gave us very precise, effective and efficient others. technology to change quickly and automatically. Third, he encouraged a lifestyle that supports consciousness in our THIS HOME STUDY GUIDE HAS SEVERAL PARTS TO IT. nutrition, exercise, service orientation, honest work and rela- Each one is designed to help you deepen and embody your tionships. Fourth, he gave us the Golden Link to connect to experience and build your caliber as a Teacher and as a sen- the Master's touch of compassion, awareness and vastness. sory human. He did that in the Adi Mantra and in his direct confrontation

THE MASTER'S TOUCH: new situations. If your trainer has established study groups, WORKING WITH THE VIDEOS you can create some projects and explorations among your- In each course we use videos of Yogi Bhajan teaching. selves that use the unique talent of your group and the cul- Nothing can replace or substitute the direct experience of the tural environments you are in. Master's touch. Fortunately, we have many examples of his Answer all the questions in writing. When you do the unique style and consciousness as a Teacher. If we engage in journaling exploration, include the results of your projects and the classes with him we are transformed, consciously and experiments. subconsciously, by his insight and energy. We need to stay with that experience and distill it in terms MENTORS AND MENTORING that we can understand and use for ourselves. Listening to his Mentors are teachers who engage you in authentic conversa- class repeatedly reveals new insights, confirms things we tions and dialogue to help you assess and reflect on your per- know and shifts our attention to points we overlooked the sonal transformation as you go through all the first time. In this guide, we have included extensive excerpts Transformation training modules. The minimum time period from the video classes. There are also excerpts from other for taking all five modules is two years. During this time you classes that directly relate to and elaborate points from the continue teaching, refine your disciplines and apply the con- main class. At the end of each excerpt, there are study ques- sciousness of a teacher to your community and professional tions, exercises and projects. These are designed to help you associations. reflect on, process and personalize what you learned in the The mentor is not a “study buddy” or tutor. Their focus is class and through the videos. on your process—not the direct content of the courses. The person you choose to be your mentor should be a teacher. Engaging with the Master Perhaps there is a senior teacher within your 3HO community Read through the transcript of the video and then complete who could serve in this capacity. Seek assistance from your the study questions. Then, view the video—more than once if trainers, if necessary. you can. Listen and be with it. Do not listen with the study Your mentor should be someone who is knowledgeable, questions in mind or any other agenda. Just be open. Let it communicative and willing to give you support and neutral call your attention to what you need to learn most. Then go feedback to help you assess yourself. You may or may not like back and read the transcript again and review the questions your mentor. It is more important that you respect and trust once more. Are you relating to the questions differently now, them. For some people it is difficult to accept positive assess- after seeing the video more than once—and on your own? ment and praise. For others it is hard to accept feedback that What new insights or meanings came to you with this sec- contradicts their own impressions. A mentor should ask those ond viewing? Can you identify the nuances and changes in challenging questions that help you look at all aspects of your your relationship to him one-on-one versus with the group? growth and progress. One purpose of this relationship is to develop your capacity for self-reflection and meta-cognition Questions and Projects (the ability to perceive your own perception). The questions The questions serve to identify key concepts and terms as from your mentor should become a working part of your own well as to help you reflect on how the principles you are sensory self. learning relate to you and to concepts throughout the Individuals who work with you as a mentor should adhere Transformation training. They also focus on how you can to a strict code of ethics; they are there to help you without apply what you learn. any personal agenda of their own or to advance their status The projects and exercises ask you to try experiments or to or finances. The mentoring relationship should be transparent explore applications of what you learned with others or in and there to serve you and your Transformation process.

Your trainer is a teacher. He or she may also act as a men- TEACHING AND SERVICE tor. To use a mentor well, arrange a regular check-in at certain We have no specific requirements for these two areas. You points of your study or periodically, every 4 to 6 weeks. This will be teaching according to your intention and to accumu- way you can note your progress, your growth areas and your late hours of experience. Work with your trainers for guidance patterns. on this. During Transformation it is important to stay open. There is a tendency in the ego to feel it has accomplished some- MEDITATION: YOUR COMMITMENT thing. Once that happens the impulse is to isolate and insu- TO TRANSFORMATION late from other teachers, students and sources of assessment After each module, you should practice a 40- to 90-day sad- and feedback. Resist this tendency if it arises. Attend classes hana with one of the meditation techniques given during the with other teachers. Co-teach. Be with and share with every- training. This develops your capacity as a sensory human, one, not just the group you like, or that agrees with you or masters a meditation, and creates continuity with your inten- your style. Cultivate the spiritual availability of a true Teacher tion from the course. Nothing works better than a disciplined by consciously observing your mind's tendencies. Act from practice. You may choose it independently or there may be a the consciousness that God is the doer, that guru is the seer, selection process by the trainers for your course. not just you. Throughout your 40- or 90-day meditation, you will be Service can be through the act of teaching. Or, service can asked to keep a journal. The insights and experiences of your- look like finding ways to support and awaken individuals and self and others that accompany you in the meditation prac- communities. There is a great need for the touch of compas- tice are rich sources for exploring your relationship to the sion, the courage of contribution, the creativity to initiate teachings, Yogi Bhajan as a Master, and yourself as a Teacher. projects and the love infused by conscious communication. Besides cultivating your skills using a meditation over time, Some groups have organized a day of service or a project in you may also do an intensive meditation. Some of you have a community. Be inventive and find a natural expression of done 2-1/2 hour meditations, others may not have had the the consciousness that teaches through you and the Golden opportunity. Take an appropriate meditation and do it for 2- Chain. 1/2 hours either individually or in a group. Some groups have even committed to 2-1/2 hours a day for 40 days! Additional Resources Regular meditation, as in sadhana, and intensive medita- You may find additional resources that deepen your study. tion are central to this study. To read everything, understand The resource can be people who represent expertise or appli- it and do the class exercises are not enough. The goal is to cations of the area you want to master. It can be articles, master yourself as well as the material. For that you must books, web pages and more. This course and guide are refine your sensitivity and your relationship to you—in con- focused on the core teaching of Yogi Bhajan. They provide a sciousness. You must have a crystallized habit to process your framework for viewing all the other areas of study that may subconscious and conscious flow of thoughts and feelings interest you. The clarity and self-awareness that comes from and penetrate through the still point of shuniya into your intu- the practice of Kundalini Yoga and meditation are essential ition and being. Meditation nurtures that development. when researching the vast creative flow of information and Mentoring, feedback from your teachers, and testing yourself ideas now at our fingertips. But no amount of knowledge or through teaching and action are the other hand of the process. facts or intellectual prowess brings us wisdom. Begin with wisdom and then use the resources you find intelligently to serve your consciousness and your identity as a Teacher.

Many of the themes that Yogi Bhajan illuminates are A PROCESS MAP perennial. Many of the techniques are uniquely shared by him This diagram shows the relationship between our as a legacy to us all. As you participate in his classes and Transformation course work, your experiences teaching and study his teaching you will notice that he has a distinctive in sadhana, and the greater community of service, IKYTA approach. He defined it as a teacher chipping away at your and 3HO. All these parts work together, but sadhana is at ego. He confronts, up-ends you, opens your mind, plants a the heart of the process. seed, and asks each of us to gain our own experience of the Infinite as a natural step in blooming as a fearless, compassionate and intelligent human beings. Keep this beacon of consciousness in your heart and research the whole world as a mirror to yourself. There are many sources for Yogi Bhajan's teachings, including the KRI and 3HO websites, and links provided on the support website for Transformation: Teacher Training Level 2.

CHAPTER ONE

Mind, meditation, & consciousness

BREAK THE MIND’S HYPNOTIC TRANCE An Experience with Yogi Bhajan

October 31, 1994

SO, WE ARE TRYING TO QUALIFY OURSELVES. Do you with feelings, with thoughts. Everyone is given the same, but understand that everyday you exist you try to qualify yourself? people cannot accept their higher Self. Without any deep understanding or rational behavior, you When you cannot accept something which is real, which have to qualify yourself everyday in existence. That’s why is you, then you have to accept the alternative and the alter- there are many teachers and many students and many ideas native must help to support you to qualify yourself. That’s and many ways of life; because each person has to emotion- why people wear makeup. Why do they wear makeup? They ally qualify himself or herself. Nobody tries to consciously have to make up for something which they are not; they think qualify themselves. As long as the world deals with emotions this is how they should look. When you put on makeup you and feelings, the path of life will be difficult. We as a human are not yourself, you are making up for yourself. It’s not that race cannot accept our higher values because they are too a stick of lipstick and hairstyle and all that means anything; challenging; and those challenging values put us on a system, it’s a question of consciousness. It’s a fight within humanity. a personal, rational, logical system. It’s not that we are born You are known by your profession, your designation; you are weak or we are weak—that’s not true; nobody is weak and known by your wealth, your political power. No human being nobody is born weak. Try to understand, every human has shall be known as a human being in this lifetime. No human one constitutional unity, the Self, and that is why everybody being will find himself and herself in their lifetime—and that is born with a soul, with a consciousness, with emotions, is the real purpose of life.

It’s a very funny story—I will explain it to you: once a very to do with your dictionary, your vocabulary, your thought, great, wise man came to meet another wise man. So they your form. Because God has nothing to perform, you have were sitting and they were talking about things which are sup- nothing to do with God. Because of your ego, all you do is posed to be talked about, and all of a sudden, this man who qualify yourself emotionally and personally. Amazing, the day was visiting said, “Have you found God?” will come when you will be, with all the emotional qualifying The other replied, “No.” success, and you can only say one statement, “I have lived.” He said, “You have been so many years in all this medita- Which you would have lived anyway! So, the psychological, tion and work and all this kind of thing, why have you not sociological, biological and personal rhythmical self is to cre- found God so far?” ate nuisance and then make sense to clean the nuisance and He said, “I don’t want to waste my time.” then find that you are clean in the nuisance—it’s a nuisance He said, “Finding God is a waste of time?” itself. That’s why there are so many teachings, so many teach- He said, “Yes.” ers, so many systems, because so long as you live without He said, “Why?” God, you have to qualify yourself. There is no other way. He said, “I don’t have to qualify myself that I have found Every religion is a justifying, qualifying sense of reality—it’s not God.” a reality. “So what are you living for?” Every human is a justified sense of self; it’s never a self. He said, “Why don’t you go and ask God whether He has And it is from time immemorial to time immemorial that the found me or not; I am not finding God. It’s not my preroga- human has lived this nuisance. It takes so much doing to tive, I am not finding anything, I am not even finding myself, become human and then it takes so much doing to blow it I am not qualifying myself.” that there is no possibility of realizing that what we are doing And the other man said, “Why?” is not right. And nobody wants to listen to this. In our life we He said, “I am what I am. I have nothing to qualify for, have relationship: we are sensual, sexual, personal and imper- nothing to find, nothing to go to.” sonal, platonic, magnificent, magnetic, psyche, sense, rela- Do you understand the mental capacity and the happiness tionships—seven chakras, seven relationships; but do we ever and ecstasy of a man who is just what he is? Have you any have a relationship—a relationship built on me to me? Never, idea? But, if that’s the only thing and that’s the real thing, not one. We are five billion people on the earth right now, that’s all it is—then there will be no libraries and no books and not one person can claim ‘I have a relationship of myself with no profession left—nothing. People will come; people will live; me’; that means, you know what that would mean? That people will die; that’s it—yeah. Without emotion there would would mean every molecule on this planet is myself. Me is be no nuisance. So nuisance is needed; and then sense is myself and myself is the entire existence that ever was or is needed to cover the nuisance. First you create nuisance; then to be. you make sense to cover the nuisance; and then you find that I asked once a very, very great man—I had reverence for the sense you used to cover the nuisance is nuisance; then this man—after that I thought he was super stupid. But you you make more sense to cover more nuisance; and this is the know I was not that qualified to judge anything and I don’t way you go. One day you sit back and you say, “Well, you want to judge anything. I asked him one day—we were just know, I am eighty years old and I have looked, I have lived.” discussing—and I said, “What is God?” and he gave me the That’s all you can say. biggest bull which I know and hear everyday, you know, “It is Eighty years you may live—whatever fun you think you the energy of the infinity of the infinity,” and I heard myself wanted and didn’t have, you would not have sought anyway, say to him, I said, “Well, this I teach the Americans, you so why are you hassling over it? That’s the freaky nature of know. They are—they don’t know anything. You have to keep every human being. Stupid as you all are from birth to death them going and this is how you talk to these guys; but you because why? Because you don’t trust God. God has nothing can’t talk to me like that.” I said, “What is this? You think that

because I have gone to America I am supposed to hear this rational coexistence and that’s how this universe is. It’s a nonsense from you? No! That’s not the question.” rational coexistence. It’s a rational coexistence exploited irra- He said, “No, but Yogi Ji, it is Maha Adi Shakti.” tionally. Now that hurts, but you all do it—you are all I said, “Swami Ji, I know that; this is a ridiculous situa- exploiters of irrational existence, though it exists rationally. tion. You know when I started writing English I had four lines That’s why we collect wealth, we collect money, we collect and I would draw A and B and C and D and then those lines things; we have everything we want. Our want comes disappeared; and then one line and then no line. And now I because in us there is a brute, an animal and because of that don’t even raise my pen— tititititi—it is for somebody to read animal we are irrational, illogical, without harmony. what nonsense? Have you ever seen a person who writes We do not have the power of surrender. We have been shorthand? Does she write any difference between A, P, Q, Y? taught surrender is a weakness, it’s a coward’s act. Now I mean there is nothing—tirrrrr—that’s it.” I said, “We are two believe me or not—if spermatozoa does not surrender into the mature people; what do you think God is?” egg you would never have existed. Basically all life is created After a while he stared saying, “Actually you took away out of death, all existence is created of nonexistence. So I my question; I was going to ask you the same question.” thought tonight we will just talk about nonexistence and carry I said, “That’s too much! No, no, no, just tell me what is it, because the seventh chakra, sahasrara, has the capacity God.” within the human existence to give a little bit of that taste. He said, “Now you have put me on the spot but you will So can we do that all right? That was my intention, my very explain to me it.” positive intention, that we would take the class to that kind And I said, “Okay I will explain. What do you say?” of atmosphere. He said, “Out of all that nothing there is, that nothing Now—how many of you have heard the word hypnosis? there is, that is God.” How many of you have experienced hypnosis? Oh, okay, it’s And I said, “In 1972, I gave a lecture in New York, you very easy, you wanted to know—you have all lied. We have all took those lines from there and don’t lay it back on me. That’s lived in a state of hypnosis. Are you with me? Because once not right.” you live in a real self and break through hypnosis, you are God. He said, “Then let’s qualify to ourselves what God is.” Do you know that? God is not what you think God is—God is And we both spoke at the same time: all there is and there is when you live outside a state of hypnosis in your real Self. not happens to be called God. It happened to be called God It’s very funny, once in India I was lecturing. Later on my because man has a unique nature to create a creative sense of college friend came, he said, “Where did you learn all this infinity. But that infinity cannot be realized if you do not know wisdom? You used to be dumb, silent, football player. What the nonexistence, which you are not qualified to understand. the hell are you talking about?” You can understand existence. You are all you are, what I see I said, “Nothing I am just playing football, that’s all. I used in you, through existence. You are what all that nonexistence to play football and now I am playing football with God—same is, but I feel that nonexistence is part of existence. You are football, there is no big deal.” beyond that what it is, but still, forgive me, I praise you and He said, “God, I am convinced you are very wise.” pray for you and pray through you. Why? Why do I do that? I said, “Thank you.” Because me, within myself, is existence; I can never forget (Students laugh.) it. Though the nonexistence creates the existence, my experi- I said, “Don’t forget, I was your captain.” ence cannot qualify it; therefore I have to have a title. This is (Students laugh.) a very simple thing that ‘Guru bina nai chela,’ without Guru (Yogi Bhajan laughs.) there is no disciple; ‘chela bina nai mela,’ without disciple So it is a qualifying factor. We are all, in one way or the there is no festivity; ‘mela bina nai tela,’ without festivity there other, in a state of hypnosis and the tragedy is when the hyp- is no money. So, these are rational things; the world is a nosis becomes neurosis. Hey, hey! Are you with me? Then

your trouble starts. As long as you are in hypnosis you are It’s amazing what this little exercise can do to you. It will ask fine; but when it becomes neurosis you are super stupid you what are you doing, what is the purpose of it, and why raised to the square of one thousand per second. Then you you are doing it the way you are doing it. The moment you are too terrible, too bad. You become very cheap; and it’s that apply consciousness, a question starts arising. Right there. cheapness which is called suffering. And that is not going to And then it will start beating you at your own game. And if work in the Age of Aquarius, so before we all vanish as a you don’t listen to that negative self and keep doing it and race—Piscean race—let’s pull ourselves out of the Piscean self. keep breaking it, you will start breaking the walls. You will Let’s break the Piscean hypnotic trance. come out of it. Steady, steady, steady. Move that hand steadily, consciously, with a conscious jerk, so that it can break. MEDITATION: BREAKING THE PISCEAN HYPNOTIC TRANCE You get into hypnosis, a higher trance form, into a deeper [See the end of the transcript for a complete write-up.] trance where you cannot feel pain and pleasure where you see everything and all distances disappear. But that’s how life is, What is Piscean? “Learn, I want to learn, I want to learn.” when all distance disappears and you become very much in Isn’t that all you know? This I am going to learn right—I want it—in common man language, it’s called love—but mind you, it to learn. Aquarian is—I just want to be. See the difference? is hypnosis. Love is not a power of disappearance; love is a There’s a difference in feeling: I want to be. I want to learn. power of appearance. Move, move, move. Yeah you should be What do I have to learn? What can learning do for you? It miserable now if you are moving it right. There is no (pause) takes you deeper into hypnosis, to neurosis, to psychosis— this is absolutely exact, doesn’t matter who you are. that’s what it’s going to do to you. Finish you, forever? After three minutes it is an uphill battle. It is miserable! Just to be. Just a feeling—quick left right, left right, rhythm And the more you do it, the more miserable you are, and the it. Now, if the rhythm, the motor system in the brain, betrays more miserable you are, you will enjoy it because you will you. Come on try this, this, this will break your self-hypno- start questioning yourself. It’s a very—I do not know why they sis. Can you believe it? You have done this before; no, not like teach self-realization in any other way. They should put peo- this, it’s just like this— um, um, um, um, um, um, um—con- ple like this before a wall and let them do it the whole day. scious. Move your index finger consciously and you will go By the evening everybody will be self-realized. berserk in exactly three minutes. In your life you have to break this hypnotic state of self- (Students laugh.) ego. You have to in order to see the glimpse of the creativity Oh yeah! Because you live in an aroma of hypnosis! You of Almighty God, who is nothing. You want to see everything. are very hypnotic. You all the time move not as a human, you Nobody wants to see nothing. Do you know that? Yeah, yeah, just move in the trend of being human. You just take it, take you will do it. Strictly, consciously and with a jerk like an elec- it. It’s a Halloween—you know, bring your ghost house. Like tric shock, so that it can give you control on the hypothala- this, um, um, um, um—why can’t you do it? It’s very simple. mus—not the automatic power. Normally the hypothalamus You do this (this won’t work) then you are with a flow. This takes over and everything becomes automatic. That’s ridicu- is beyond you; this is conscious, very aware, awakened thing. lous, now put your eyes, because you have done exactly five It’s not the body that is doing it. It’s not an automated assem- minutes, at the tip of your nose and then hold yourself. Don’t bly line, like cars or fast food. Do it with awareness. Move misunderstand, Salk Institute found a medicine for polio. This those two fingers very consciously. Be aware that you are mov- is miraculous, too. Any nervous disorder you can conquer by ing. Exercise your awareness and it will conflict your hypnotic this exercise. Look at the tip of your nose please and do it state. Isn’t funny, because within three minutes it starts telling consciously. I want you to go home enriched with something; you what nonsense you are doing. It starts talking to you. don’t just come to the class and learn something. No, come (Students laugh.) to class to be something. Don’t come here to learn with me. It’s not that it’s . . . There are so many people who teach you to learn things. See (Yogi Bhajan laughs.)

the difference—here you have to be not to learn. Learning, go this, kill this, kill this, get this, get this and exist. If the whole somewhere else. Move, move, move, don’t give in. Don’t world dies, you must exist. What a terrible lesson. When life worry. One more minute. Consciously, it will take you away. is a balance, every existence must have equal nonexistence, It will take you to a state of relaxation. You will like to sleep; every beauty has equal ugliness, every good manner has don’t do that—just be conscious, conscious. Break it, break it, crudeness hidden in it, right there. break it! You have the right to break this damn spell. Now Try to understand life. The moment life is taken on one with each hand you will say, Thou, Thou, Thou side, extended to one side, it becomes hollow, shallow and Students: Thou, thou, thou, thou…. empty; that’s not the way to go. You must know worst before Yogi Bhajan: Close your eyes, absolutely go silent, you know best; and if you are anybody, then you must know absolutely. In your body, no movement, nothing. Still your best and worst at the same time. Pair of opposites must not body, like a rock, absolutely still, complete stillness, no affect you. You know it was unfortunate, the last three days, thoughts, no movement, and nonexistence. Practice nonexis- I was communicating with a living master, a Yogi, and he tence. Practice. It is in English; practice nonexistence. You said, “I want to resign, I want to resign, I want to admit, I have a bad habit of self-hypnosis, so use those bad habits to want to do everything; whatever they are telling me—admit, make good results. Practice nonexistence. All your life you are admit.” yelling and screaming and impressing and telling to whole I said, “What you are admitting? What are you talking world I am, I am; now, just say I am not. Just for a change. about?” Bring yourself into state of total forgiveness and forgetfulness, “Oh, I want to be the first Guru who can say, ‘I have missed forgiveness and forgetfulness, nonexistence. the preparation and I have done this and I have done wrong.’” You always want something; this moment you want noth- I said, “Yeah, you are only thinking about that one percent ing. Just don’t want. For a few minutes, just don’t exist. wrong not ninety-nine percent right, right?” Forgive yourself and forget yourself. If we do not forgive our- He said, “I just want to leave these Westerners forever.” selves or forget ourselves, we cannot forgive anybody and for- I said, “Where are you going?” get anybody. We remain in a very imbalanced stage. If we He said, “Puerto Rico.” cannot non-exist, we cannot also exist, because they are two (Yogi Bhajan laughs.) sides of the coin. You have been taught very fundamentally I cracked up, I said, “That is still the United States.” wrong things. You have been always taught to exist, to be— “You are not going anywhere.” And I said, “You came in this way, that way. Whereas life has to end in nonexistence, this country to teach people what a Guru is. Aren’t you called remember that the end of this existence is nonexistence. Guru Dev?” Uh-huh. Disappear from yourself. For a moment, forget He said, “Yes.” who you are. Correct. Inhale deep and stretch your hand up I said, “That means the personified light that brings out of straight and stretch God. Your whole spine—stretch it, as the darkness, that’s what you really are.” much as much you can. Stretch, stretch, stretch, I said. “No, no, no, no they have liked me thus, they have liked Exhale, inhale deep. Stretch high and take a twist toward the me thus. I want to go and tell them—and just exactly what left—stretch, stretch, stretch. Come forward and exhale. Inhale you say—thank you very much, goodbye.” deep. Take a turn to the right. Right turn, stretch, turn stretch, I said, “How will that make a difference?” turn stretch, turn stretch. Come forward and relax. We have “No, I want to admit.” done a job—that’s it. Hello. I said, “Eighty million Catholics admit everyday! It has You have been fundamentally ill-educated, taught bad made no difference for the last two centuries. Two thousand manners and you have been made to believe to act anti-God. years are going to go. They admit everyday: Father, Holy Because you must understand, it is the nonexistence which is Father, I have sinned, I have sinned, I have sinned. I mean, the source of existence. So all you have been taught: to exist, nothing works.” to exist, to exist, to exist, even to the extent of grab this, grab I said, “Your admission will do nothing, it is just that you

© 2006 Kundalini Research Institute KRI INTERNATIONAL TEACHER TRAINING LEVEL 2 • MIND & MEDITATION STUDY GUIDE • 15 are angry. Neither denial nor admission will do a thing.” do this in one stroke. It will be a continuous class, whether “What should I do?” you come or you don’t, and then I will go to New Mexico. I said, “Bless them.” Thank you very much for prayers and sharing my pain, it was That’s the job of a teacher, a job is to bless. Those who the most neurotic nonsense treatment I ever had medically in serve you, bless them; those who allege you, bless them; my whole life. those who curse you, bless them; those who are sweet to (Yogi Bhajan laughs.) you, bless them. Job of a teacher is to bless. If I had known this is what it meant, I would not have Karam Kar phal kee yachana na kar. come near it. But anyway I feel comfortable now, little bit. Call of duty must be done, neither admit nor disagree; So the caravan moves on and the winds bring the morn- bless because neither denial can do anything nor admission ing message and the dew tells the night is on his way out and can do anything. the travelers look to the journey through the bright burning “No, I have got to give them a chance.” sun to the sand dunes till another moon comes and comforts I said, “Give a chance, giving is forgiving. You know the for the night. I just made it up. English word for giving?” (Students laugh.) For the sake of giving is called forgiving—from the heart not from the head, not from the anger. Those who cannot for- May the Long Time Sun give themselves and forget themselves, they shall never exist. Shine upon you That’s the law of nature. Those who shall never surrender will All love surround you, never rise. A seed has to go in the ground, surrender itself And the pure light within you with the dirt; grow up as a plant and carry so many seeds in Guide your way on. the fruits. I understand today also that Swami Satchitananda is not feeling good, so all these old captains are leaving the Bless us, bless us, bless us, oh the blessed self within self, ship and the most beautiful man of all men, the very beloved bless us for the virtues, for the values, give us all into the self of God, that singing rabbi, Schlomo Carlbach, he disappeared. so we can feel Thee, Son of a gun, he just left without even saying hello or good- Sat Nam. bye. I was so mad at him. He brought newness and heart to Judaism. He brought songs, he brought singing, he brought dancing, he told stories. He was great. Very popular. So whatever life is—it has a question in it. The answer is the old has to go to become young and young has to go to become old and that’s the process of life. I think we will meet again when? Students: Tomorrow. Yogi Bhajan: Oh yeah, yeah, oh I was compensating for my not being with you, so we will meet tomorrow again and I will teach you trance and hypnosis. That’s the course I have to complete or forget. I just made it up that day that I, I never wanted to do it, but I thought because I have not taught you for a long time (pause) so I will be with you this week and I will teach as many of you that come. Don’t feel miserable about leave your appointments and night and all that kind of stuff, but if you feel you can spare time, we will go into the self-breaking, self-hypnosis everyday. Slowly, by time, we can’t

Yogi Bhajan • October 31, 1994

POSTURE: Sit in a comfortable, meditative posture. 1

MUDRA: Bring your hands into fists with the thumb over the middle finger; place them in front of the chest about six inches apart. Point your Jupiter finger up to the sky.

1. Begin moving the hands alternately, in a precise way, forward and back, in a mechanical, slow, almost jerky, motion—with a steady, even cadence. Do it with full awareness. 6 Minutes.

2. Continue the movement of the hands and bring the eyes to the tip of the nose. 3 Minutes.

3. Continue the movement and begin chanting “Thou” with each movement of the hands. 4 Minutes.

4. Close the eyes. Still the hands and relax them down. Come to 2 absolute silence and stillness. Practice nonexistence. For a moment forget who you are. 6 minutes.

TO END: Inhale deep and stretch the arms up. Exhale. Inhale deep and twist to the left. Stretch. Exhale in the center. Inhale deep and twist to the right. Stretch. Exhale in the center and relax.

EFFECTS: Breathing through the mouth will relax you very fast. It is a very vital exercise.

Chapter One Study questions & Projects

1. Why does it seem so difficult for the mind to support you 2. In this lecture, Yogi Bhajan says: “Every human is a jus- in being you—just you? As Yogi Bhajan tells us in this lec- tified sense of self; it's never a self.” With this statement, ture, there is an ecstasy that comes and resides in our heart he gives us the criterion to be considered a full self-sensory when we are able to be who we really are, to be real. So human being in our life. We are all born, live and die. To what property of the mind repeatedly traps us and leads us live takes no effort; just as having a self takes no effort; toward false masks and the entanglements of emotions and these are gifts. But for the yogi, to be fully human means commotions? living consciously, qualifying our sense of self within ourselves, and delivering that sense of self and our virtues in Exercise: Write down some examples of situations in your each of our actions. This precious opportunity of a human life where you feel you became entangled in the mask life is not to be used just to exist, but to live fully, con- instead of expressing who you actually are. sciously, compassionately and prosperously. Consider what Take a minute or two to meditate. Guide your mind into this actually means for you personally. Share your feelings a state of presence, stillness and alertness. Open up to your and thoughts with your study group or study partner. feelings and accept yourself exactly as you are, accept the situation and accept your role at this moment in time. Exercise: Find a place to sit, where there is a lot of activity Now step back and re-see that situation; stay in the or where many things of interest surround you. Enter into a moment, with your senses alerted and with the confident meditative mind and be still. Sense everything around you. presence of your consciousness. After you stabilize your meditative state, pick out some- If you had been able to drop the mask and be present in thing interesting and pay attention to only it. Choose a per- the moment, how would your observations have changed; son, or an interesting conversation, or a fascinating plant or what would you have noticed? object to give your focus to. Meditate on your choice for How would you have acted differently? three or four minutes. After you work through each of the situations that you Then take a slow deep breath and allow the entire envi- chose, share your observations with your study group. ronment to flood back into your senses. Notice what hap- Notice that each situation induces a kind of forgetfulness as pens to your mind and the feelings moving through your emotions and the subconscious focus your attention and body and awareness. senses. The first choice we must make is to be mindful and What happens as you focus your mind and allow it to present. hypnotize itself into the sensations of the object of your choice? What happens to your awareness of all the other activities in the environment?

How would you describe the sensation of slipping into 3. Exercise: Write a paragraph that describes the essence of and out of your state of concentration? the process that lets you break the hypnosis of everyday life Let yourself go with the mind into the experience. and the hypnosis of the Piscean Age. Describe an example Repeat the process while maintaining a neutral observer or experience that you can share with others that clarifies position; allow the mind to hypnotize itself into something. this sensation of breaking the hypnosis. Note how the mind’s focus can move separately from your consciousness. Discuss the stages in the sensations of this process with your study group. Besides the classical stages that you move through—pratyahar to dharana—what natural stages of feeling and attention did you experience, in your own words? What does this experience tell you about how our minds usually work and what our normal consciousness is in our day-to-day lives?

CHAPTER TWO

Awakening intuition: synchronize Your brain & your mind

Awaken your dormant human consciousness An Experience with Yogi Bhajan

March 8, 1995

WE STARTED, YESTERDAY, A CLASS ON SELF. It was the comes food, then for the animal, it is food. Stretch, then for first class in which we looked at self-hypnosis. We have been the animal, it is a stretch. Yawn, then for the animal, it’s a taught in the West that we can learn enlightenment. It’s just yawn and it gets up in the morning. Everything to an animal as if one day, perhaps, we’ll switch on a bulb and we will have is impulse and that impulse guides the animal. light. We do not understand that the most powerful thing in So we have three parts: We are beast, which is animal; we a human is consciousness. We don’t have the power of com- are human, which is a rare one of us; and we are angel, which mitment if we do not have consciousness. We don’t have the is the real one of us, which we never (or sometimes) reach. power of conception if we do not have consciousness. We How many people are there among us who can give and for- don’t have the power of deliverance if we do not have con- give and never lie when it comes to giving? Search your sciousness. When we do not have consciousness, we do not hearts. No, I am not asking you to confirm with me—your have basic intuition. Now, the problem is that the intuition own heart you have to know. If somebody comes and says, has to be developed. It is there, but it’s dormant. Everybody “Hey, I need this.” And you have it but you won’t give it, and is not intuitive. You can be intuitive, but you are not. That’s you say, “I am tight these days. . . It’s not possible.” If you why they say the soul is dormant. The dormant soul means have a hundred thousand dollars, somebody else does not that you are alive, but you live by impulse. So what is the dif- have that hundred thousand dollars. So, you have that hun- ference between you and an animal? An animal lives by dred thousand dollars but somebody else doesn’t have it; if impulse also. An animal is impulsive. When to an animal you have a million dollars, somebody doesn’t have that mil-

lion dollars. So matter and energy is a matter of exchange, it They look at the earth like this. Aggh! Why? They think they is not a matter of authority. Simply you hold it. That’s all it have been betrayed. And generation after generation we pro- is. And the more energy you hold, in case of money or mat- duce these angry children. And then we blame the society for ter, (money is a medium) that’s the amount of insecurity you crime. have. Have you seen an animal holding stockpile of money? One of my staff members went to participate in a festivi- They don’t know, because they live only by impulse. When ty. Wanted to go, I said, “Just go, go, it’s fine.” a she-dog is horny, she is horny. The whole town knows that Day and a half later came; that was the point, too. It did- she-dog is horny. There is nothing you can do to stop it. Here n’t hurt me. Since then, the person is so religious and so we are all the time—horny or not horny at all. We use the humble and so sweet, and I looked around and I said, “What impulse of sex to control our relationship. And that’s why we happened?” have married, we have divorced; we are divorced, we are mar- “Oh, they were all animals.” ried. That’s the curse of the modern age. Because we use sex- I said, “What do you mean they were all animals? We are ual intercourse and sexual relationships to control, we are all animals.” made insensitive by this control system. Conscious control. “No, no, no, no. They have gone animal.” We are dishonest. I was asking somebody today, “Hey, why Don’t forget. We all have in us that animal; we are sup- did you get married?” posed to get out of that animal. I don’t blame people when He said, “Oh, it was her idea.” they drink, when they take drugs, when they smoke, all that I said, “Why did you get divorced?” is because they have no self-control. Self-impulse. All habits “Oh, it was her idea.” which bring outside poison into your system, or any stimula- I said, “You got married, her idea; you got divorced, it was tion, any stimulation of any sort, is because of the indisci- her idea; but was there some idea of yours?” pline, because you have no control on your impulse. And He said, “No. I never wanted to get married.” when you don’t control your impulse you have no intuition. “Then why did you get married?” And when you have no intuition, you are not human. You are “Oh, she wanted it.” a mammal which walks on two legs and looks like you. “Why did you get divorced?” Sometime, sit down and talk to yourself. You will find the “She wanted it.” greatest difficulty in self-communication. Why do I do the “But what do you want?” things which I do? I was joking with somebody today, I said, “I don’t know, I never wanted to get married.” “This is a good cake, you should eat.” Very undeveloped sense of relationship—you have a very “No, no, no, I have stopped eating cake.” I have?” undeveloped sense of relationship. So, the fact is you are mar- Repeat it. ried or you are divorced or you are unmarried; three stages can Yogi Bhajan and Students: I have stopped eating cake. happen, right? You have no sense of relationship because your Yogi Bhajan: How difficult it is! Just watch when you are sense of relationship is by impulse. And your relationships are not eating cake. This person ate cake all their life, without based in sensual control. I mean to say, is there anything knowing, until they reached a point where they couldn’t take more stupid than this? Have you any idea that how sick you it anymore. You always do things until you reach a point people are? I mean just (pause) just think of that. Because you, where you can’t do it anymore. That’s why your marriage is to start with, you are never real to each other. Not at all, you not a marriage, your life is not a life, your relationship is not are emotional, impulsive, relative. You are? Emotional, impul- a relationship; and you never asked this question, “Why is sive, relative. That’s called I, I, I! That’s all you are. And if this happening to me?” You must live by intuition and by either the emotions are gone or the impulse is gone, you are consciousness and not by commotion and by impulse. You gone. So what happens? There are children involved. And are a human. Unfortunately, one day I sat in on a Festival of what happens to those children? Angry bugs. Have you seen Consciousness, a New Age Festival of Consciousness. There those children? They are angry—like in hell. Fangs. Aggh! were seven hundred therapies—seven hundred options avail-

able in that festival to cater to a person’s impulse. So animal and they read the menu first, they want to know what is is being made a better animal. That’s all. So what is your going to be available inside. They are not hungry; they are just impulse? You should have a better coat, like a horse, a shin- looking for something to eat. You are looking for some satis- ing coat. So, moisturizers, creams, and facelifts and whatev- faction. You don’t think that you have satisfaction inside. er, whatever you do, like I was joking that day, I said, “Hum, Therefore you have to look outside for satisfaction. And unfor- how much money you spent?” tunately, outside of you there is no satisfaction. “Two hundred eighty bucks to look like a natural blonde.” You can waste money, time and your life. Nothing exists Two hundred and eighty dollars and three hours to look outside you. If that is not true, when you are dead, what hap- like a natural blonde, the person will look really ugly. pens? Where are your thoughts? Where is your wealth? And I said, “What is this all about?” Where are your games? What happens to you? Have you any “Oh, as if you have never gone to a salon.” idea? It’s done, over with, you are finished. And you have no And you laugh at it. control over it. Hmmm. And that’s it? Therefore on one side You do not want to impose yourself. You don’t want to be is Maya, Maya is me. And mission is Thou. Mission is when impressive anymore. Why? Oh, there are thousands of artifi- me humbles itself and serves others. That’s Thou. When I cial blondes so one has to live now natural blonde. You consciously humble myself and serve others, that’s Thou. If always want to look different. Fundamentally each one of you you cannot see God in all, you cannot see God at all. is different. You don’t have to look different. Just recognize Whether you are a black person or you are white person or you are different—that you are not willing to recognize. If you you are a redneck or you are this or that, the color of the recognize you are different, you become lonely, you become blood in your veins and your arteries is the same. The only insecure and you freak out. That’s how bad it is. Just tell you, difference in you is your thinking because you can never think “You are you.” Aha. You are scared, you scream, because you as you. “Oh I am British.” Then what? There is a little island can’t accept you as you. So what do you do? Go to a psy- somewhere that makes you British or this makes you chologist, tell what your parents did wrong, blame them; American or that makes you Canadian? So you always try to what your boyfriend did wrong, blame him; what your girl- bifurcate and identify yourself with something else. Never that friend did wrong, blame her; all you find in society to spend you are one big human race created by a Creator to experi- money on to find excuses, where excuses are abuses. Self- ence intuition and consciousness. And for centuries you have abuses. You are never willing to become you. You refuse! been asked not to practice—any practice which teaches you Twenty-five years ago I came. When I started, I said, “It intuition. Because then you become stronger than the teacher is always you which matters. Come with me and I’ll give you, and every student of today has to be ten times better than or teach you, how to be you.” It became popular with some their teacher, tomorrow. That’s the principle of life. And it people, but it didn’t hit the road because fundamentally you cannot be denied. It has been denied all these centuries. are afraid to be you. You always want to be somebody else. Therefore man is totally wrapped up into Maya. If you are not you, what else can help you? Just give your- One day a lady died, she left everything to her butler. self a break. Now, they say, butler is no good. When she was alive, butler So, yesterday we tried self-hypnosis for intuition. And was good. Now she is dead, butler is no good. Now every- today is the second class and that is how, gradually, we are body else is good but that butler. When she was alive, there little–by–little teaching you to experience you. Little–by–little. was only one person—that was that butler. Because every- I am not saying that because these are the classes we can’t body wants to have what they don’t have, the fight is always push you to a hilt in one day, overnight. We could say, “Okay, between the haves and have-nots, fight is never between two okay, close your eyes, now watch your wings coming out of persons. Fight is not between two individuals. Fight is your arms.” No, there is no such thing. It is a process of learn- between those who have and those who don’t. Those who ing, gradually, slowly. You are Western. You are window-shop- have, there are others who don’t. Those who don’t have, they pers. You go. I go to the restaurant to eat; many people come will never try to earn a process of intuition and consciousness

they can have. No, they will like to grab what somebody else you may not spoil yourself by asking others. You may learn to has. And when you wear somebody’s shell, it doesn’t fit you. ask yourself all the time. And that is where the trouble begins. There is an old saying, (Singh Kaur’s Guru Guru Wahe Guru is played) somebody else’s coat will never fit you. You hear that many Yogi Bhajan: Your Self is the only God you can ask. Be times. So this is an intuitive world in which we are supposed very relaxed. Where there is a tension or duality there is no to live as a human and practice. divinity. I am going to teach you twice a week; only with the idea Yogi Bhajan: This Saturday you have every healer here at that you can go home and practice what I taught yesterday this center. And they are inviting you to come between 2pm and what I am going to teach today. Simple exercises. They and 5pm. For twenty bucks you can get all this chiropractic, are not very heavy ones, but they are good ones. They are chronic healing, massage therapy, flower essence, Sat Nam steps to grow human. Human is a qualified individual who Rasayan, gem stone healing, card reading, wow, and much has dormant intuition and regulatory consciousness and you more, more, more, more. That is cheap. There is going to be need both so that you can match up to the challenge. healing fair here. But right now, if you just relax, you are healing. And that can save you right now. Relax, but don’t fall apart. Be alert and exert. Alertness is the key to life. You cannot exert in life if you are not alert in life. They both go MEDITATION: SELF-HYPNOSIS TO DEVELOP INTUITION together. There is a 900 number in you, it’s called self-psyche. [See end of transcript for complete write-up.] Sometime dial that, you dummies, instead of paying three dol- So tonight, we’ll go into a posture as we did yesterday, we did lars a minute, you can call your own number. Say 900–I, I the like this. Remember that? You remember that? We did like idiot, what do I say? What do I say about my idiotic-ness? this? Now today, you do the same but you catch the Mercury And you will get answers you can’t believe. If you just sit and and the? relax and call your own psyche inside and save yourself the Student: (No response.) bill. If you are very sexual and sensual and you call that num- Yogi Bhajan (Demonstrating the fingers): Id, id, id, id. This ber where the girl talks, you better call your own inside and is id. This is Jupiter; this is Saturn; this is Sun; this is Mercury. close your eyes and see the stars, the moon, the sun, the These are your inlets, antennas. That is why your hand is space and then it’s far out. Whenever you mentally expand split. Now you do like this and sit like this, please. And close yourself you save yourself trouble. When you mentally con- your eyes, and bring them to the tip of the nose and give a tract yourself, you will trouble yourself. That’s how trouble is. long life to yourself with a long breath, because you live by Trouble is defined. You go vast, troubles become zero. You go the breath of life. And relax and let it go. Breathe long and in, troubles become big, you become small. it’s (pause) it’s amazing what this simple thing can do. Steady now. You are just on the borderline of the twilight Simple effective thing can do. And you look! Your eyes are in zone. Your body will go through changes, the glandular sys- the back of your skull and you look mentally behind it. Forget tem will start now merging differently. Your bloodstream will you have frontal eyes. Just understand your eyes in the back change, chemistry will change. The muscles will react. Just of your neck. Just look at your (pause) create the mental eye, stay where you are and let it flow. Compute your psychic not between your eyes and third eye and try to pretend to be power now. I–the–self call upon my psyche; I–the–self, that’s great which you are not, but just that there are eyes in the the keyword to it, I–the–self call upon my psyche to come in back of your neck. And you have your Mercury, your id com- and show me the Infinity of my Creator. Show me the future bined and your breath is long life, long life means long breath. and find me the facts. That’s the basic function of intuition. Longer the breath, longer the life; shorter the breath, shorter That most wonderful, divine in you, I–the–self, call on my the life. And you get lost. And we’ll give you simple music psyche, take me to the Infinity and show me the vastness of so that you can float with it. And you will do it very con- this creation. Body will go through the realm of changes now sciously. In this gradual step-by-step you will grow, so that because your blood chemistry has changed and so has your

aura. So basically you are not what you were before you sat ter, please, and breathe in, and put all the pressure together down. So at this time self-control is very needed, very to neutralize energy into the entire being, this is the most required, because handling the energy is a basic requirement; important part. Let it disseminate into all fibers right from so please, be in self-control. Sit like great Buddhas and let the here. And you relax. Good. It’s all right. heavens walk in you. Where there is good fortune there are Well, we’ll go through the forty steps of it slowly, slowly, heavens. Fortune comes from heavens and earth is blessed slowly, slowly. It’s unfortunate that it’s not like an old school with it, that’s how the relationship is. Too much earth and no that a person comes and learns one lesson and goes through heavens—that relationship doesn’t work. Don’t complain, the eight weeks of it and then tests it out and is then given don’t cry, be compassionate and caring right now and just a second lesson, like that. Here, if we cannot have best, we control yourself, this is the moment of life which is asking for make best of what we have. But, you must understand, if your self-control. Keep the posture, let the Mercury come through. eyes cannot see in the back of your neck, you are not covered. The space will open to you, the heavens will open to you, First step of intuition: if you cannot see the unseen, you can- that’s the beauty of the Mercury—Celestial Communication. not know the Unknown, you cannot talk the unutterable, you That’s how the Lord of Miracles, Guru Ram Das, helps those are not a human. But nobody has told you that way, you have who meditate on him, with that angelic power to come the vote, you are going to elect any idiot you want. You think through, things which cannot be explained, things which are you are American, you are democrats, you are republicans, beyond human. you are the government, you are a person. Actually you are a Let the breath be longer so that you can live longer, bunch of nothing, because you are dormant. Dormant dough- healthier, richer. If you take a long breath and you can control nuts do not make sense. I used to say in Canada, dormant your breathing to five breaths a minute, you can never be doughnuts do not make any sense. They are only good when poor, period. Normally you breathe fifteen times a minute they are fresh. Then how long the freshness of a doughnut and when you are upset you breathe sometimes twenty-five lasts? You know that. So, you have to gradually grow to devel- breaths a minute. You are crossing the twilight zone of the op your intuition and your consciousness and you have to do pain into the zone of space that means humongous insecuri- it consciously. Once you consciously reach your intuition, you ty. Just be you and start floating. The one who created you will be a totally different person. Then you will be: I call on is with you. You are not alone. You and your Creator and myself and my psyche. your consciousness have to now lock in. I said, lock in. I made one mistake in America, I told somebody where Clamp it. You, your Creator and your consciousness—lock in their lost dog was and I remember that for six months my now. It’s a priceless experience. See the planet earth as you telephone never stopped. “My cat is lost, my dog is lost.” are standing on the moon. Mercury–moon–communication. And I am the only one who can find it. And I said to myself, Sustain yourself in this zone for another couple of minutes, from today onward I‘ll never do this wrong again. I just did that’s all you can do. (Niranjan I am watching you, and you it out of goodwill, I never meant to impress anybody. But I must meditate. Good girl. I know you are hiding behind your was very innocent, I was new, and I was hungry. The person mom, but that doesn’t make any difference. I can see through, couldn’t come, because the dog was lost, so I said, “Go and you know what I mean? If you won’t meditate you won’t go find your dog such and such place and bring it home and skiing, you know. So let’s make a deal. You do it right.) bring my food.” That’s all I did. I was straight, honest per- Longer the breath, longer the life—more opportunities, son. And somehow the word spread that I can find a lost dog. good luck. Inhale deep, put your both hands on the chest So if I can find a lost dog, I can find a lost cat, but actually, please and press hard, as hard as you can, hold the breath and I can find a lost soul, that’s my specialty. That’s where I come press hard. Hard, actually hard! Breathe out, now please from. And I believe in the beauty of the individual. That’s breathe in again, deep! Put both your hands at your navel where I do not fit in with the normal trend. I believe that point and press really hard. Hard, hard! Your hands must every individual is very bountiful, beautiful and blissful, but come through. Breathe out, now fold your hands in the cen- simply undeveloped—this undeveloped, dormant self, just sit-

ting there and rotting for nothing. So if we can somehow Hope to be with you next week, just for two days, mean- work it out, then we are complete. That’s a great joy to live. while I have taught you yesterday and today, and there is a I am not saying that you are going to be all good. No, no, week in-between to practice that. So, please don’t waste time, no, no. What I’m saying is that when things are going badly, just continue everyday for eleven minutes or twenty two min- the worst, you are going to be good. That’s real good. Then utes, whatever time you can spare to practice and just go you will have the courage, the endurance and the grace to go through it as you went with me. Meanwhile . . . through all that there is. Then everybody will say, “Oh my God, that person is a saintly person.” That’s a real human. May the Long Time Sun Then everybody will trust you. They will respect you, they will Shine upon you adore you, they will communicate with you. They will trust All love surround you your forgiveness; they will trust your projection; they will trust And the pure light within you your personality. Because they will see the shining soul in Guide your way on. you, the spirit of God, that’s what you are. Then you don’t Sat Nam. have to pay two hundred eighty dollars to look natural blond, look what? Then your looks will be your looks. And within Yogi Bhajan: It is our prayer. the eye there will be a look which will look at you and say, “Oh, beautiful.” There is a richness of a human, which you May Thy light grow; may Thy consciousness guide; may Thy can share. And that’s what we’ll develop slowly through these endurance sustain; may Thy character work. May you live in classes, and keep going. beauty, bounty and bliss. Sat Nam.

© 2006 Kundalini Research Institute KRI INTERNATIONAL TEACHER TRAINING LEVEL 2 • MIND & MEDITATION STUDY GUIDE • 27 Authentic Relationships • STUDY GUIDE a KUNDALINI YOGA MEDITATION SELF-HYPNOSIS TO DEVELOP INTUITION

Yogi Bhajan • March 8, 1995

POSTURE: Sit in a comfortable meditative posture.

MUDRA: Bring your hands up by your sides, palms up toward the ceiling, elbows at your side. Place the thumb and mercury finger together in Buddhi Mudra.

EYES: Close the eyes. Focus on the back of the neck. Look through the back of the neck.

BREATH: Long and deep. “Longer the breath; longer the life.”

MUSIC: Singh Kaur’s Guru Guru Wahe Guru, Guru Ram Das Guru

TIME: 11-22 minutes

Chapter two Study Questions and Projects

1. How would you describe the relationship between con- 3. Exercise: Gather examples from the news around the world. sciousness and intuition? Without consciousness we do not Find examples of exemplary individuals who carry out their have basic intuition. Without intuition can we have basic con- role as an angel or earthling well; and then suddenly, the ani- sciousness? mal takes over. In turn, find examples of those who seem to be prisoners 2. Our embodied mind is always subject to the dynamics of of their habits and completely identified and hypnotically our three parts: the animal, the earthling, and the angel. These entranced with their own darker side who then act in ways are regulated by our consciousness and presided over by the which are clearly from their angel or human aspect. Self. Contemporary research has shown us how the brain is Share these in your group. What characteristics of the part of the dance between these three aspects of our human mind hypnotize us into being unable to see how we change experience. We know that all of the meaningful associations, from breath to breath? value decisions, and the ability to assess the implications of How can sensing our own changes from breath to breath our actions suddenly turn off under certain emotional chal- allow the gradual birth of compassion for our own foibles and lenges, especially fear. The old brain turns off the frontal brain. those of others?

Exercise: Examine several times in your own life when the old brain, or animal aspect, has put aside the earthling or the angel. Identify for yourself the conditions that provoked this pattern. What emotions are you susceptible to? Is it the emotion itself, or is it the intensity of the emotion? In exploring your own experience, try to identify three different ways to redirect the powerful old emotions and allow for a victory to come through; how can you elevate your reactions and experiences so that you express the consciousness of the earthling and angel within you. Share your experience with your study group and allow the energy of the group and their experiences to generate the necessary awareness and heat to cultivate new pathways which serve you to stay conscious and human under any emotional challenge.

CHAPTER THREE

Dynamics of the mind: Chambers, Aspects, & Thoughts

being human is being intuitive

An Experience with Yogi Bhajan

November 21, 1990

WE ARE HUMAN BY NATURE. And we develop our attitude, ition. You have the apparatus and the process of intuition in we develop our nature, toward success. The main concern in you but, in most cases, it is very under developed. our life, whether we are young or old, whether we are male or One may be a very successful engineer and be very suc- female, is to be successful. Actually, the spiritual path is not a cessful in the life of his profession but will fail terribly as a very easy path. It demands a very strong discipline and it’s not father, or may be a miserable failure as a husband. A woman easy. We have a nature ; to develop our facility, our faculties, may be very successful as a housewife, but may be a terrible our facets of life to be happy. Even the religious discipline is failure as far as working is concerned. We can specialize in to reach the ultimate infinity. one aspect of life—a field of expertise is a necessity of sur- Question is can we do it? Answer is no. Whereas I’ve vival—consciously or subconsciously. But it is not granted imposed a question; I’ve also answered in a big no. So what that we are all-around successful. And there’s no special mir- are we working for? Is there any way that we can get to be a acle except that we humans have to be human as our first happy person? Normally the answer is “No.” The real answer identity. And to be human means to be intuitive. It does not is yes; because as a human being you do not have any capac- mean to be a Christian, a Jew, a Buddhist, or a Muslim or a ity to gain knowledge and be happy if you do not have intu- Dutch or a German, or an American or an Englishman, or tall

or small. It doesn’t make any difference. Either you are intu- ings, duties and relationships. The elements of the body will itive or you are not. be subjected and put in their proper place, and your direction That is how this Kundalini Yoga came to exist—to become shall be intuitive. intuitive. Not to be a psychic. To be psychic is a natural gift. The science which develops in a human mind an intuitive You may have it, you may not have it. But to be intuitive, you procedure of life and living is called Kundalini Yoga. Normally can process, progress, develop and you can become that way. it is said to be a dangerous science. Yes— without a teacher it Just look at your nature. You don't have any hooves, horns, is; just as driving a car without learning means you can have or coarse skin like a rhino, or any other defense mechanism. an accident. Kundalini Yoga means subjecting your ego to your The natural defense mechanism you have is your intuition. creative consciousness. In other words, don’t become a habit- You must know, before the space and time hits you, what it ual animal, but become totally trained in sensitivity. It means shall be. super sensitivity, not within yourself, but in relation to all the We ignore our basic capacity and we don't work for that. people you know, how you deal with and feel about them. We put our whole energy into becoming professionals and Naturally, it is a very powerful way of living. becoming rich. We think by money and by our capacities and My process in teaching this is based on the subject: “Am by our resources we can succeed in life. Our trend is that way. I supposed to suffer?” The answer is no! “What is the way? Some people are very dry of love, some people are overflow- Can I protect myself?” Answer is no! But I want to protect ing with it. We all have temperament and tendencies. The myself. I want to have a relationship. “Can I have a relation- majority of what governs us is our subconscious. Our sub- ship?” Answer is no! But I want to have a relationship. “What conscious creates patterns in our neurons in our brain which should I do so I can have all those things that I want—to not we copy again and again and again and again. And our ten- suffer, to have a relationship and to be protected?” dencies lead to a life where we repeatedly make mistakes. In Become intuitive. You must know. Be sensitively learned. one counseling case, I found out that this woman marries My antennas must guide me to what is going on. Am I not every third year. Period. She marries every third year; she tired of living a ridiculous, dumb life; to be a pawn of circum- remains married two years; she divorces; waits for one year; stance, emotion and feelings; to be intellectual but not intelli- marries again. And this goes on. Twelve years, four marriages; gent? Am I not tired to just be in the process of the subjective you can count on it. And if you ask her, what are you doing? mind as it goes on and on? Ultimately it takes over all of me. She says, well time is ticking. Time ticking! Why can’t you find It consumes me. Then finally there is nothing left of me. I live and understand beforehand the ticking of time? We’ve become 50, 60, 70 years and then go empty-handed. What did I subject to what we call “time clicking” We can also call it achieve? A few sexual relationships, a few dialogues, a few “subconscious patterning”; we call it “hidden desire”; we call friends, a few enemies. Somewhere I won. Somewhere I lost. it many things. But the question is how long as humans we Some money in the bank; some in taxes; some few kisses, are willing to suffer under those patterns? some few slaps; some sweet loves and some bitter reprimands. First, we don’t know. Then we come to know, after we act. Is that all that life is? That is the question which was asked by Then we struggle. We want to get out of something we got the yogis and the siddhis and the wise men or men of great into. People became tired of this tug–of–war way of life— religion or men of great experience; that was the question: “As pulling and pushing. They started to look into some kind of humans, do we have the right to live an absolutely happy life?” discipline where they could concentrate and by the intuitive Answer is yes! How? Develop your intuition. clock, they could guide their way and their life. That means that all the influences from outside shall be filtered by your MEDITATION: MAKE YOUR MIND SENSITIVE intelligence and shall be worked out by consciousness. When [See end of lecture for complete write-up.] you do this the scenario will be nothing but pure higher con- Are you ready? Is it attractive enough? You are willing to scious wisdom. There will be a place for emotions and feel- work for it, in spite of your inflexible bodies? Okay. (Yogiji

laughs.) Let us do the first exercise. Please sit down with a result. That’s why it is so exact. It is given and said to be fol- straight spine. Just see how little it is, how simple it is, but lowed exactly. That’s why we learn it under the guidance of an how powerful it is. That’s all I want to show you. Just keep expert so that we may not miss the point or any points about the spine as straight as you can. That’s all that’s required. I’m it. Please concentrate more and more; keep the finger absolute- not asking you to do anything other than that. And raise this ly stiff. And keep the optical nerve totally under control. Get a finger. Just this right index finger. And put your eyes at the tip perspective of size, color, . . . beliefs. Concentrate, concen- of your nose. That’s all. Now be honest! Your eyes must see trate. Don’t move. Still yourself. Let the energy come in. Let the tip of your nose. And your one finger should stand up. your subtle senses feel it. Give your neurons in the brain a That’s all—nothing more, nothing less. Something will start chance to reformulate the pattern. The spine will start chang- happening in three minutes. You can guarantee it. ing the serum and the grey matter in the skull will start chang- The finger you are using upwards is the Jupiter finger. ing its qualities. These are the simple things which will hap- Jupiter is the guru of all knowledge, within and without the pen and are happening now. human being. If the finger is straight and stiff, the patterns of Now you are reaching the irritating zone and you will want the brain will respond automatically and the neurons in the to change or shift or move. Block it; stop it. Contain that brain will regroup themselves. And if your eyes are looking at impulse. Concentrate now. For seven minutes, totally keep the tip of the nose, so you’ll be in control of the optical nerve, yourself under control. We shall call on you in seven minutes. action shall happen. I am watching my watch. Within three to Keep concentrating. Don’t allow the eyes to close; don’t allow five minutes, you will feel the energy flowing through you. the finger to be loose, keep it stiff. We have two more min- That means your sensitivity is increasing. Now ladies and gen- utes to go. What you can learn by experience you cannot learn tlemen, that’s all it takes, as a first step in the alphabet of intu- by talking. ition. But if you cannot keep your eyes at the tip of the nose Now it is very important that you concentrate with full and you cannot keep one finger stiff, tight, steel-stiff, it’s heart and head. Time will move very slowly now. You are on nobody’s fault but your own. So please try to gain an experi- the last minute. Reinforce your determination. Very slowly ence by looking at the tip of the nose. Try harder. Don’t look start raising your hand straight up and inhaling slowly, deeply. left and right, don’t let the mind play games. And keep that Stretch your hand totally up straight, inhaling deeply, keeping finger stiff. Put your entire energy into it. Just watch how only one finger up. Inhale deep and hold the breath. Stretch inside the body the sensitivity will change. the hand totally up, as much as you can. Now exhale. Inhale It looks very simple to you. Rishi Dusht Daman experi- again deep, deep, and stretch up. Exhale, inhale again deep, mented for his whole life, 120 years, to find this simple truth deep, stretch up. Please relax. which you are practicing right now. His realization was that if Now the way to circulate this energy that you have gained man can enforce the tip of his Jupiter finger into steel stiffness, is to turn around and talk to each other. You have fifteen min- he can grab from the universe the Jupiter energy; and if by the utes; do nothing but talk, whatever you want to talk about is optical nerve he can totally shut up the mind and its misbe- your option. Don’t meditate, don’t be calm, don’t relax, keep havior, it will create a basic pattern of intuition. And you are talking. exactly doing what he said, the result will follow. But if you Now the question is we can sit here all night and we can change the eyes for a second, you’ve got to start again from wait for 20 years to do something really good. But it’s not pos- that second. So please, continuously continue. Concentrate sible for me to come from the United States all the time; it’s deeply. Breathe long and deep. And just make it happen. very rare and foreign that I get a chance to come from my As we keep on speaking to you about Kundalini, we will headquarters. Number 1: I have overworked. Number 2: I am also try to give you certain experiences along the way so your a workaholic and I have too much work. Number 3: It’s not development may be by your own right. It’s a very mathemat- right to work so much now. Number 4: I love people too ical science. Just follow the blueprint and you shall have the much. Number 5: I must go and share with them. Number 6:

People respond or not. Number 7: I will try my best. Number you. I mean, just try to understand it, give it your attention 8: Doesn’t matter what happens. and effort. Spread the fingers equally, as much as you can. Now the second exercise is very painful and is very diffi- And then bring the hand right at the center, it is called the cult. Well, I have to be very honest with you. I’m not going heart center, Hirday Chakra they call it. to hide things. And you may not do it. But if you care to do Now this hand, this is my right hand, take it 60 degrees it, it is a very good one, not the very best one (that will come up and forward, palm down. Spread these five fingers. Look at later). Working with me is very hard because I don’t believe in the tip of the nose and forget about yourself. [question from wasting time; I don’t believe in initiation; I don’t believe in audience] No. This is my left hand, that’s on the heart. This buying your attention. I believe in one thing—one, two, three: is my right hand which is at 60 degrees. The angle from the Come, do the job, see it is done, out. (Students laugh.) I have armpit must not be straight, must not be higher than 60 no axe to grind. You know all my life I’ve never worked for degrees. money. I have never worked for attention. I don’t need any- The nervous center of the sympathetic, parasympathetic, thing. I just work because some great man taught me a great and action system is in the armpit, remember that! Armpit is science and I found my happiness. I believe that because I the most important, and often ignored, part of the body; and found my happiness and I am just a human being, that every- you neglect it the most. You think it is just a joint. It is not. body should find their happiness and be who they are. It’s a Your entire nervous system is based there. We are dealing with very simple rule with me, try to understand, I’m not one of one of the most dedicated points of our energy—the nervous those yogis and swamis who lay the trip and the personal energy by which we live. So it is very important. Now you are number and agenda and all that stuff, I’m just a scientist. I getting all the five energies at the same time. The thumb rep- found it because I was the greatest rebel. I was not a very easy resents the id, the ego, Jupiter, Saturn, Sun and Mercury. Five as a boy, I just wanted to know: why sun is round? Who says main planets, underneath is the Mars planet, and the Venus is earth moves? Why is there a nose between two eyes, why it’s under the id. So that makes seven and there are two left: moon not on the knees? You don’t ask those questions; I did ask head and moon tail. So please understand, you are almost in them. If the nose would have been in the knees, the gravity of control of your total energy. [Editor’s Note: He refers to the quali- the neurons in the brain would not have been that balanced ties of energy in the macrocosm of your body/mind. The fingers and because then the pituitary would have to have been in the areas of the hand share these energies as a microcosm. The qualities ankles. You didn’t ask those questions; I did ask; and I did get of those energies are represented classically by the planets and stars the answer, so there’s the difference. So, now are you ready to at different locations on the hand.] Look at the tip of the nose do this next exercise? again. If your vision is blurry, don’t mind. When the optical [Question comes from a student.] nerve needs to be strengthened, it sometimes starts letting you Yogi Bhajan: You are dizzy? When you were doing it? see two, three, four things. Now? That’s all right. That’s not a problem. This is the first You are gradually getting intuitive. Steady, steady, breathe time you’ve done it. Let us see what you do the second time. long and deep and be constant and consistent and try your All right? best. I’m not saying it’s an easy exercise so if you jerk around These are your five fingers, left hand. Spread them equal- a little bit or something like that it is expected, but I don’t ly. Just equally. Spread them equally. All right? Have you done think you will do that, you are good students. I think you will it? And bring them to the heart center. Spread equally. There stick around pretty good. I’ll give you a handicap. I’ll count the should be no difference in their spread. Completely spread time you started. Not now. I’ll count the previous time. That’s them. You know you have to go to a guru and bring water to a concession isn’t it? So it means you have already done it for him for twenty years and then he may, in the end, while dying, two minutes. That’s good news. teach you this one exercise. Try to evaluate it. It’s very (Yogiji (Students laugh.) laughs.) So, I’m just sitting here and I’ve started to give it to You may be Mr. Sweden, but in seven minutes you will

understand where God is. You will exactly find the location of Student: What is a Mahan Tantric? Almighty God within seven minutes with this exercise. Your Yogi Bhajan: Tantric is that he knows longitude and lati- own body will say, “I don’t obey you. Who are you? Watch tude, that is where the cross energy is. Mahan Tantric, by prac- out. Watch out, watch out, something is going to happen.” tice, takes the diagonal route of the energy and controls it. This body you think is yours and is your vehicle that you can Student: So you are the center of the energy? move around. This body and all your senses, your sexuality, Yogi Bhajan: Yes, of the diagonal energy. your sensuality, your emotions and feelings, this very body, is There are two things in life, lever (is a diagonal energy) and going to say “Mr. what’s your name, what are you doing to a lens. Through the lens you can see what you cannot see. me? I am no friend of yours; you are no friend of mine.” With a lever you can move what you cannot move. And it is That’s going to happen. It is a parting of the ways. That rela- the diagonal energy. tionship, which you think and presume is forever, you’re going Student: So the diagonal energy, it's spiritual energy? It is to appreciate as something is going to tell you that it is actu- not psychic energy? ally separate from you. Watch out. This ‘ha ha’ has started. Yogi Bhajan: It's spiritual. That is the beginning—you have started feeling that some- Student: True spiritual energy? Pure? thing is happening. Yogi Bhajan: It has to be pure; because if it is impure, it It will start first at the elbow, then it will come down to shall bend. Because energies do cross, so it has to be the the armpit, then the hand will start shaking, then the ribcage supreme energy, the Adi Shakti, the primal force. will start changing. That’s the most important thing you can [continues social dialogue with student . . . ] do to yourself. To bring the ribs to the original birthrate adjustment and it’s automatic. It’s really painful, but not as All right. Your five minutes is up. Now, we’ll do the third painful as you think. You can still hold your ground. And you kriya of this exercise. We have done twice, right? I will not know, you have already done it for five minutes. Can you leave this room without completing something. So, I am very believe that? I gave you two minutes handicap, remember? pleased that you are very cooperative, but I need a little more Now try these last two minutes—with full force. Become Mr. cooperation, just a little more. You take these two fingers, sim- Tough. Miss Tough. Mrs. Tough. Ms. Tough—whatever you ple thing, just move them; just the fingers, not the hand; just are. Stretch the arm out. Doesn’t matter: “I must win.” Now the fingers. And breathe breath of fire. You know breath of this is a matter of determination. It’s not a matter of thinking, fire? And move concurrently. Just thefingers. (He moves both or imagining, or exercising your will. That’s all passé. “I shall index fingers in quick circles with the breath rhythm). And win now. And within two minutes I’m going to prove to Yogiji breath should be quick. Now you know what we are doing. that I am the victor.” That’s what it means. Now, actually, We are hitting at the mystery of our blood formation. It’s so time moves slowly but it is moving. Come on. Come on, for important. What you are doing is much healthier than taking your own strength. The entire pattern will change. Seven min- two tons of vitamins. You understand? Just move it. Na, na, utes is not a big deal in life. Stand–stand–stand. Resist. Resist Not the hand, just the finger. Round and round—not this the temptation of giving up. Win! This is the last minute! way—you are moving the hand, just the finger, one finger. No Totally last minute. Absolutely not a second more. Believe movement of the hand. Command your finger, not the hand. me! Now it is just half a minute—30 seconds. 15 seconds. 10 [Student: I am pregnant, three months, I read I shouldn’t seconds. 5 seconds. Inhale deep. Deep. Hold and stretch. do Breath of Fire. Stretch. Exhale. Inhale deep and stretch. For God’s sake! DO Yogi Bhajan: No you are okay. Up until the seventh month whatever you can do, but must you stretch. Exhale. Inhale you can do it.] again. Deep. And this is last time--stretch tight. Relax. Very Don’t take the help of the hand at all. The blood chemistry good. Look at the one man he is still keeping it. You know at will change to be normal and you must do it. It is not guar- least we have one hero. Very good. Now you can talk, con- anteed; but it can help avoid Cancer in your body. It is a help verse. Talk. Talk. Talk. to that precaution. If your blood chemistry is original, you

shall not get blood disease. And it is this exercise, normally, quick breath, quick breath. We have to change three circula- that I give people because a lot of people have problems and tions of the whole blood going through the lungs, it takes these fatal diseases are very much on the increase My own time. Hit, hit with the breath hard. Harder you hit, better will trouble started—my own blood started clotting- because of be the result, deeper the breath, more goes to the oxygen, overwork, over-flying, high radiation areas I had to cross more blood changes, more the chemistry changes, the Jupiter through; I did this exercise myself to heal myself. finger changes the pattern and then you are set! Otherwise, It is called Sodarshan Kriya. It is very important. You will remember the chemotherapy. Oh, that is more painful than see Lord Vishnu raising one finger and moving it. He moves anything. Move, move, move. Breathe, Breathe, Breathe. Move so fast that the whole wheel that hangs on it moves with it. the finger. Very good. Very good. Neck straight. Yes. Hello? It is symbolic, but we can learn from that. We are not going Hello. Sit Straight. Move the finger. Breathe hard. You can to become Lord Vishnu. Neither do we want to raise the change the entire basic chemistry of the blood, now, right whole wheel. All we want is it should change the entire Sun— now, not going outside, not asking somebody, now, this “Sun” means blood. It is not difficult so I won’t give you any minute. All you have to change is the basic molecule so that handicap to shorten the time. Now start working for seven it can be healthy. It should be disease free, that’s all. That’s all minutes. No, no, no. No arms. You are a young man, just use I’m giving you: a chance. Give yourself a chance. the finger. You can make your body disease free by doing it for You know my dressage teacher, she was from Stockholm. seven minutes. I am sitting before you as an example. I did And she died of Cancer. I couldn’t believe it: she was young, abuse my body, I overworked, I agree, I should not have done tall, beautiful, intelligent, international. The disease got her it; I did it; then I got sick, I got ill, then I recuperated. You can quickly, like one, two, three, gone. I wish I had taught her this do the same. You can take the precaution. Breath of Fire. kriya; I knew it at that time also. But nobody knew that some- Change the blood chemistry. Create the fire in the breath, in thing wrong inside was happening; you don’t know either. the lungs. Inhale, exhale quick. [Yogi Bhajan does Breath of Fire.] Change the fundamental molecule of the blood and change Just like that. It is considered one breath if you don’t discon- the chemistry to be protected. That’s all you’re doing. It’s a tinue it. Breathe, breathe, breathe. Some of you are not breath- hard effort. But seven minutes is not a long time in life. Oh ing quick. That’s cheating. That’s not right. You’ve got to yes, you have done pretty good. Five minutes, wow. Two more breath quick so that the blood chemistry must start changing minutes. It’s very easy to reach. Come on. Come on. now. We have to change the pattern here. Kundalini Yoga is not a useless thing--to just sit in one You have to hit the pituitary with that breath. It’s a very posture for 36 years and hope you’re going to find God; in simple scientific fact. It will give you a new health. That is Kundalini Yoga it is here now, in seven minutes. You’re going sure. If I tell you to move the whole hand you’ll love it, but to find, through your finger, that almighty God is Jupiter. Don’t no, it’s one finger. It can’t be the whole hand. It is only the worry. Hurry up. Keep doing slowly, little–by–little, index finger. It works from here (Yogiji points to the top of his one–by–one, one step at a time. Win! Win! Win! One more head – the crown chakra). Very good. Very good. Keep doing minute. Keep going; keep going, move fingers; move fingers; it. I’m watching the time, don’t worry. The moment the seven move the breath. Very good. Inhale deep. Stretch both hands minutes are over, I’ll let you know. I promise. up. Stretch up and hold the breath tight. With a cannon fire , Look, it is very difficult to come to Stockholm from the exhale. Very good. Inhale deep again. Deep. Stretch tight. USA; it is almost 6,000 miles. It takes 20 hours sitting in a More! More! More! Just get up. With a cannon fire, exhale. plane. I’ve come here because I love you. So we must achieve Inhale again, deep. Stretch up. Stretch tight. Inhale more. something. We’ve come here to do something real. I can talk Stretch up. Relax. and charm you and go away. That won’t work. Come on. Now this is a question and answer period, so feel free to Come on. (Yogiji laughs.) I am looking at each of you. No ask questions and we’ll give you the reply as best we can. cheating. It is working; your aura has started changing. Keep Student: These exercises that we have done—are they dan- going. You are really good students, I agree. Quick breath, gerous to do by yourself?

Yogi Bhajan: We have done them, we have practiced Student: Is Kundalini Yoga just the same as Tantra? them. They were very well done, now you keep on practicing Yogi Bhajan: White Tantra is not the car, but is taking the them, and you perfect them. They are not dangerous. Even car through car washer—to take the car through the car wash- eating a banana is dangerous when you are not hungry. I er, to wax and clean and polish it, and then keep it going. supervised it; I studied it and you did very well. Kundalini Yoga is becoming the adept, becoming the Student: How often do you suggest we do it? expert. It is something you do everyday. White Tantric you do Yogi Bhajan: Once a day. Once a day: 7 minutes for each, once in a while. It is the same thing. It is just as you drive the 21 minutes total with 5 minute interval between. car everyday, you are okay, you go to office, go to work, go Student: Is there any danger? shopping, but once in a while you take it through the brush- Yogi Bhajan: Sometimes the energy rushes up and people es at the car wash. And the water, the brushes, the wax, and normally get phobic or fearful about that. That's the only dan- they clean it all out, it comes out new. That's the difference. ger one can be involved with. I mean to say, it is dealing with Kundalini Yoga is a way of life. For every householder it is the life force itself. It is not something very casual and it does a way of life. Everybody must practice for 62 minutes a day to give you an experience. We don’t expect a person to be off keep fit, to keep going, to keep alive, to keep being intuitive. base under any circumstance; therefore, we would like you to These are small exercises, but they are very powerful. have a supervisor as we did. That’s all, no big deal. It’s not Student: You called the Aura a magnetic field. So can’t we that you’re going to fall from the sky. It’s not that dangerous. measure it? We don’t want people to use yoga as an excuse either and say, Yogi Bhajan: That’s true. It is an electromagnetic psyche. “Because I’m a yogi, therefore I don’t talk to anybody,” etc. Yes. Yes. Yes. Ultimately in another 10–20 years people will We want people to live a normal life. Kundalini Yoga is a yoga start measuring, diagnosing, and treating. It will become a way for householders. People who run their families, people who of therapy. I think once people start measuring auras, then run a married life. They face everyday difficulties and in spite we'll develop electromagnetic machines for it. The magnetic of them they become yogis. Normally you see in other yogas: therapy which is now going on is like the very old science, it’s we don’t get married, be single, be celibate, be this, be that. not contemporary; it’s a 3,000 year old science. They used to In Kundalini yoga we allow a normal life. And still, we want put a magnet at a certain part of the body to attract the blood people to be excellent. and change the chemistry and heal the person. They will start Student: What is White Tantra? doing it now. [Student asks question.] But it is not totally Yogi Bhajan: White Tantra is taking you, putting in a developed yet. We are working on it. That is our 21st century mold, and clean it out. It is washer/drier together. Normally, medical system. They will put you through a tube, pass you you know, you exercise slowly, gradually, and it takes time. through certain electromagnetic fields, and you will come out And once in a while, we do that course and one, two, three, next side, totally new. No problem. 6,000 karonas (units of go through it, and you are fit for next time. It's a diagonal money)—something like that. Yes. It will develop like that. energy which we deal with. That's what Kundalini is also, Because your life force is in your arcline, from earlobe to ear- diagonal energy. There are two forces in life, the diagonal force lobe, and the moment it can be corrected, your disease can and the lens—the lever and the lens. The lever moves that disappear. It's true, and they will develop it. which cannot be moved and the lens sees what cannot be Student: What if you do it for a shorter or longer time seen. These are the only two forces. We deal with them, we than we did? deal with intuition, and we deal with them in the movement. Yogi Bhajan: Period? Time-wise? You just do the time. Tantra. Tantra means length and breadth. And that is how we Longer is neither good, nor shorter is good; because time has weave the cloth. You know, threads are threads, but once you been found out to be enough effective. They call it enough weave the cloth, then they become very strong. Then you can effective. Too much is crazy; that’s why you need a teacher. hold anything in it. Too little doesn’t work. If it is seven minutes, then it is seven

minutes. Nine minutes is no good. That’s what they say. sonal, bare infinite truth. And that’s the job of the teacher. That’s why we always, with each exercise, give the time. Otherwise, it’s all hocus–pocus. Then one can do anything Student: Is there a difference between Black and Red one wants. That’s not admissible; because you’re supposed to Tantra? serve the life of a person, to guide the life to complete happi- Yogi Bhajan: There's a difference between day and night. ness. It won’t happen if there’s an error in advice. White Tantric is to help and serve, and a person who does Student: Where did it develop from? that has to be completely a servant and humble. Red Tantric Yogi Bhajan: I don’t remember, I think about 5,000 years is for sexual energy and the senses. And Black Tantric is for ago, some great man under the guidance of God got tired of mental control and controlling other people. One is being celibate. I think he wanted to get married and still be a Stockholm, other is Oslo, and third is Berlin. It’s totally differ- yogi and worked it out. That’s as far as my recollection is con- ent. They are definitely different in quality, quantity, direction, cerned—that’s what it was. There are a lot of scriptures on it practices, methods, facets, use. if you want to read them. They are very confusing, but they Student: What is the relationship between yoga and are pretty good. Because they are written in indirect language, Tantra? I trained for yoga, can I not lead a Tantra? a normal person should not understand them. So that’s also Yogi Bhajan: Your training is your personal responsibility. I why also we require a teacher. It’s a yoga of the householder, have not trained you; I shall not comment. Correct? Correct? you understand? It’s not a yoga of the celibates. So it has all What you have been told, you’ve been told. What you know, the worldly problems with it. The idea was to remain above- you know. I don’t know. I have not examined you; I do not board. know what your training is. And I do not know how far you Student: What effect does so little light have? studied or accomplished that subject matter , therefore, what- Yogi Bhajan: Here? When you come here in the summer, ever you have learned is very useful. But I shall not comment. there’s absolutely no night. It all balances out. You know how You can’t ask me to comment on that. But if I examine you, I long their summer days are? Yeah, that’s true. I mean, now touch you, I’ll tell you this is right, this is wrong; I’ll take the they are just mellow. (Yogiji laughs.) That’s why I always responsibility. Then I’ll comment. Right, Thomas? choose to come in the winter. And the more earth is slow, it It’s a serious science. We do not certify a teacher until we is true north. It’s very effective. If these people practice really are sure. As a teacher, first you must understand, the oath of well and constantly, as the flood of energy comes in the sum- a Teacher: “I am not a woman, I am not a man, I am not a mer and less in the winter, their progress can be faster; person, I am not myself, I am a Teacher.” (He curls each fin- because they get balance out of the imbalance. That’s why the ger then extends the thumb up as he says “I am a teacher”.) yogis go to the heights, the Himalayas, and to all those places, We lose four privileges to become a teacher. It’s not a joke. A just to get balance out of the imbalance. person has to be competent to go through those four aspects. Student: I wanted to ask about food. There have been very I am a man and I am a person, but I have to forego. I am not good Golden Temple restaurants you ran, but few now. a woman, I am not a man, I am not a person, I am not myself, Yogi Bhajan: Yeah, we started with the restaurants. But it I am a Teacher. It’s a very powerful oath. You have to be is a very hard time to run a restaurant. But normally—now absolutely, completely impartial. It may be against you. Still there are very beautiful books-- every home can be a restau- your word and opinion should be absolutely impartial. rant. Keep the recipe book in front of you and cook it well. Therefore, it is a very great responsibility. Because whatever Yeah all recipes are standardized and they are very good, very you say will affect the other person, so whatever you say has healthy. And clientele is always there. Those two good things to be absolutely truth. Not circumstantial, not environmental, are there. But it is hard work—normally you close the restau- not personal, not subjective, neither objective, it has to be the rant at 1 o’clock and you start early in the morning at 4am truth. And it doesn’t matter, pair of opposites does not affect. Very long hours. Very tough job. It may please, it may displease, but you shall speak the per- Student: Could you say something about GOD?

Yogi Bhajan: God is a very wonderful thing. You can find That’s it? Should we meditate now? Come on, let’s sit down— it in the English dictionary. It is a word. It has three letters in last part of the class today. Please fold your hands, this way, it. G-O-D. One who generates, one who organizes, one who at the heart center. (Locks right hand fingers over the top of the delivers the totality. It is a constant infinity within the infinity. left hand fingers and graps them into a lock.) And close your eyes. And that is the faculty of a human also. Student asks, “So, And very kindly look at the forehead (put on that mantra God is a reality?” God is the absolute reality and absolute infin- Waah Yantee) and just hear these sounds and copy it men- ity and absolute totality. It is perceivable within the senses of tally. the finite because our mind is also at the electromagnetic energy of the infinity. Therefore we have a touch of infinite through [Nirinjan Kaur’s Waah Yantee is played.] our mental powers. That’s why we have access to God. If you ever want to find God, just open up the English dictionary. It Now put on the English version of it. is sometimes very funny, very, very cozy, it’s very comforting. [Nirinjian Kaur’s Waah Yantee English version is played.] Normally we just say God is God, but when you look at it, they give four or five meanings. It’s quite, quite useful. Do it May the long time sun shine upon you tonight if you have a dictionary at home. Open it up. Find the All love surround you word “god”; you will be surprised. And the pure light within you That is where God lives: In the beginning was the word, Guide your way on the word was with God and word was God. His home is in the dictionary right? That’s where I found it. That was the first Heavenly Father, Divine principle, Infinite Creative: give the question I was asked in AmericYogi Bhajan: Have you found world a chance to peace and tranquility. Silence the drums of God? I said, “Yes.” Where it is? I said, “I know the address.” war and let the songs of rejoicing and unity be played. Give It’s true. It’s really in all rational senses it is true: God is a mankind a chance to survive itself and this generation. Give word. It’s made of three powers: Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh, peace and tranquility to the mother earth. Give us the capaci- [Yogiji quotes a Sanskrit scripture] . . . so you look at that. It ty to work for it. May, in thy name and thy prayer, we ask for tells you that ultimately the three powers of generating, organ- all of mankind to be happy healthy and holy and peaceful. izing and delivering is the essence which is beyond and with- Sat Nam. in beyond, and still beyond and still within that still beyond is that what it is that it is not that it is not because it is that not; Thank you very much and God bless you. If heaven’s willing, therefore it is God. That is the exact translation of that. we’ll meet again. Good bye and best of luck and happy New No, it’s very enjoyable to be spiritual, once you reach a cer- Year. And on my way I go. tain status of spirituality, it’s very enjoyable. Less than that, it is a little jerky; it’s stormy. It’s landing in bad weather. But once you are a good ace pilot and plane is good and weather is nice, it’s very cozy. It’s very good to be spiritual. It is. It’s the best profession. Everybody looks to you, great! People give you things and everything. But you have to be unattached. That’s the beauty of it. It’s something that is more subtle and more decent than subtlety and decency; that is spirituality. Because it’s the totality, reality, infinity, dignity and divinity all combined in one. It’s a good thing to be.

40 • KRI INTERNATIONAL TEACHER TRAINING LEVEL 2 • MIND & MEDITATION STUDY GUIDE © 2006 Kundalini Research Institute Authentic Relationships • STUDY GUIDE KUNDALINI YOGA MEDITATION MAKE YOUR MIND SENSITIVE

Yogi Bhajan • November 21, 1990

Break: Talk to your neighbor. You must talk—about anything—but don’t meditate, don’t relax, talk. 5 minutes.

2. Sit with a straight spine. Spread the fingers of the left hand as far apart as possible. There should be an equal distance between each finger. Place the palm flat against the center of the chest. Extend the right arm up at a 60 degree angle and to the right about 30-45 degrees with the palm facing down and fingers spread wide; the elbow is locked and straight. Eyes are on the tip of nose. Breathe long and deep. 7 minutes. To end: Maintain the posture and inhale deep. Hold and stretch that arm out. Exhale. Repeat twice more and relax. 2 Comment: Forget about yourself. My right hand is at 60 degrees; armpit must not be straight, must not be higher than 60 degrees. The nervous center of the sympathetic, parasympathetic, and action system is in the armpit, remember that! Armpit is the most important part of the body, and you neglect it the most. You think it is just a joint. It is not. The entire nervous system is based in the armpit. . . . Now you are getting all the five energies at the same time. The thumb represents the id, the ego, Jupiter, Saturn, Sun and Mercury. Five main planets, underneath is the Mars planet, and the Venus is under the id. . . . So please understand, you are almost in control of your total energy. This exercise adjusts the ribs automatically.

Break: Talk to your neighbor. You must talk—about anything—but don’t meditate, don’t relax, talk. 5 minutes.

© 2006 Kundalini Research Institute KRI INTERNATIONAL TEACHER TRAINING LEVEL 2 • MIND & MEDITATION STUDY GUIDE • 41 Authentic Relationships • STUDY GUIDE a KUNDALINI YOGA MEDITATION MAKE YOUR MIND SENSITIVE

Breath: A quick Breath of Fire. 7 minutes.

To end: Inhale deep, stretch the hands very tight, over the head, and hold. Exhale with a cannon fire breath. Repeat twice more and relax.

Break: Talk to your neighbor. You must talk—about anything—but don’t meditate, don’t relax, talk. 5 minutes.

Chapter THREE Study Questions and Projects

1. What is the difference between being psychic and being 3. In order to be happy in life, we have to be aware and act intuitive? How does the practice of Kundalini Yoga relate to correctly in each moment. Normally our actions are deter- each of these? mined by the many signals we receive consciously from the environment as well as the many patterns that subconscious- 2. Yogi Bhajan often said “God save us from the psychics, they ly direct us from within. Do we learn from and pattern our pollute my faith.” In this talk, he also says that being psychic brain more from the environment or from our subconscious? is a gift which you have at birth. In his many talks, he shared If we learn and pattern our behavior based on the repetitions his own intuitive, psychic and spiritual experiences. He shared of our subconscious, how is that affected by our conscious his knowledge openly with every kind of person. He enjoyed use of intuition? the psychics he met and often invited them to share their tal- ents in private and group settings. From the lectures in this 4. Exercise: In the three-part meditation that Yogi Bhajan course and The Mind book, and in your own experiences as guides us through there is a sequence to help us develop intu- a teacher discuss with your group the positive uses and the ition. The first exercise focuses our mind and connects us to potential dangers of the psychic gift and the necessity of the larger sensations of the matrix of all reality. developing intuition. The second exercise helps to balance our elements so that we can perceive clearly what we have allowed into our mind Exercise: Try an experiment. With your study partner, friend during the first exercise. or your group, have someone take a container—a cup or a bot- The final exercise increases the vitality of our blood and tle or box—and fill it with objects that are unknown to you or our magnetic field so that we can act in synchronization with the rest of the group. Get into a meditative state. Try to pen- our intention once we've perceived things clearly. etrate the secrets of the container with the psychic projection Practice this meditation—Make Your Mind Sensitive—for to know. several days and notice what your experience is as you do Then take a short break, do some warm-up exercises or each of the parts of the kriya. Discuss in your group how the meditate silently. Try to access the secrets of the container by development of mental focus, physical energy and clarity in first becoming zero and forming a simple relationship with the your emotions helps to develop your intuition step-by-step. container and its contents. Set your intention; allow your relationship with the object to inform you of its nature; let your intuition be your guide; merge with the object so that it and you are not separate. In other words, practice intuition and dwell with yourself in a manner that includes the object; let there be no barrier. After you do these two processes compare your experiences and the results.

5. Discussion: In the second exercise of the kriya, Make your in sharing it with others who may sense it more directly than Mind Sensitive, Yogi Bhajan calls our attention to the sensa- you do? What's the best way to present the information and tions that go through our body. Sensations start with the fin- the ideas that we know as yogis about the aura to people who gers and the arms and progress to the torso. He says the sen- are not familiar with that? sations are normal and are part of the change in the neurons Write out your own experiences in dealing with this topic in the body. He also says that if we allow the meditation to and your students. continue our energy body will enter into a very sensitive orig- Then discuss your experiences in your study group or with inal state. He also says that some people get scared by the your mentor. From this discussion, would you handle this change of sensations in the body. The mind starts searching topic differently in the future? How? for explanations for the changes in sensations. Even though the sensations simply represent normal change, the fear in the 7. Discussion: Yogi Bhajan often refers to God in his teach- mind sometimes takes over and gives us a phobic reaction. As ings. But for him it is completely tangible. It is not a thing. It a teacher you need to guide people very gradually into the is the reality that creates each thing. It is not a concept. It is state of stillness, the state of awareness and conscious sensi- a consciousness. God is not something that can be contained tivity. How do you handle their fears? What's the best way to within a concept of the mind, but the three qualities of God frame and guide your students’ experiences? Students some- can be experienced through a frequency of the mind. He says, times become attached to the change of sensations in the “God is the absolute reality and absolute infinity and absolute body instead of dwelling in the awareness that resides within totality. It is perceivable within the senses of the finite their consciousness. because our mind is also at the electromagnetic energy of the Discuss with each other, as teachers, what types of situa- infinity. Therefore we have a touch of the infinite through our tions arise and how best to handle them. mental powers. That's why we have access to God.” So the mind is not God; spirit is not God; but we can be a channel 6. Yogis used many sources of information to discover these through which our experience, even in the finite, can merge techniques. They used their own experience. They used their with God. This is an unusual concept. Many people are quite subtle senses to see the radiance of the aura. They tested the allergic to the idea of God. Or they are so attached to it and effects of these exercises on health and illness. Science and use it as if they own it. the scientific method is becoming the language we use to dis- Discuss with each other, how Yogi Bhajan presents the cuss these things now. We can image the brain and we can concept of God throughout the teachings. What is the best watch its electrical and magnetic impulses. We can explore way to represent it accurately so that each student can have individual molecules and examine molecular structure to their own experience within themselves? understand how change occurs. We cannot yet measure the aura itself; Yogi Bhajan indicates that in the future we will sci- entifically understand it as well, which will require new tools. The brain is our most sophisticated instrument. Many people increase their sensitivity and intuition in order to sense the aura. Still, at this point in time, there is a gap between what we can measure with scientific tools and what we can perceive with our individual sensitivity. How do you present the idea of the aura to students? What is your own experience of the aura? If you do not see or sense the aura yourself are you confident and comfortable

CHAPTER FOUR

Deep Meditation: Balancing Your Aspects MIND & MEDITATION • STUDY GUIDE

The science of shuniya An Experience with Yogi Bhajan

November 16, 1994

I HAVE STARTED TEACHING IN A NEW WAY which will we do not have any of our senses. We go and go and go in not be very popular for the majority of people because it will this rush. It is all go, go, go, go! We just move hypnotically clash with their belief in knowledge and the practices we to have, have, have; to go, go, go; to be, be, be; that’s all it have. We have been taught to trust God. We have been is. That was the Piscean Age. It is gone. taught to be good. We have been asked to be rich, success- Now, you have to realize something for this Aquarian Age ful and many other good things. So we have set a standard in and learn something new: that what is, also is not. In each civilized society and that is the way it should be. We have moment, you must realize that what is, is not so that you can made freeways and we have made travel lanes and signals, so be impersonal in your movement, in your decisions, in your it is well controlled. We make money, so our businesses are life and your projection; so you cannot be a fool. You don’t taxed, our inventory is taxed, we are taxed, and even after our need to learn. There is nothing to learn actually. You may have death our estate is taxed. Still we are alive and we call it all to unlearn, at the same time, what you are learning. civilized; civilization. Nobody knows why we are being taxed. So, technically speaking what we are teaching in this We don’t know where it goes. We have no control over it. course series is a workshop. It was not well advertised that Somewhere in our foolishness, we have elected some fools way, but that’s what it is. and they came out with taxes. So, life is actually a burden, it’s We’re teaching the science of shuniya, zero. This is how like a heavily taxed business. Under the pressure of that bur- it works. If you are rich or poor, or you are lucky or unlucky, den, the majority of the time, we don’t have any feeling and or you have a chance or you don’t have a chance, that is not

critical, that is just what happens to be. That is your base. MEDITATION: KRIYA FOR THOUGHTLESSNESS What is critical is that in reality, you have no experience of [See end of transcript for complete write-up.] your life! If you had no sub-conscious—filled with this hypnotic go, go, go, go of thoughts and impulses—and you could Sit straight with a straight spine. We will do the workshop. keep a clean and clear unconscious, then the unconscious Please lock your pinky, which represents the Mercury qualities, would give you intuition. That intuition can guide you. You with your ego head represented by the thumb. Lock your would know where to go. Why go. You would know, “Who Mercury, see how I bend it very tightly, underneath totally are you? Who is going and who is making you go? What is connected it. The connection is the meat of the thumb is on your origin? What is your reality? What is your personality? the nail of the pinky. It is a very good combination, very right. What is your identity?” With intuition it is a different story. This is what you are going to do: You have to move this Without that, it’s all just one mad race. We are all running in quickly at one hundred and eighty times per minute. That’s that race. It doesn’t make sense to anybody. Everybody’s try- the frequency required for this exercise. Nothing I can do. Fast ing to make some sense of it, but nobody knows, people get really means fast—three times per second! A second is like tired, but still it is just go, go, go. The majority of the time “tick, tick.” You must have a second hand to see how, it’ll go, you can have a sense of control. Sometimes the secretion of like that. So, within each tick of the time, you can move three the glandular system takes you in a new direction and guides times. Those who diagnosed these things five thousand years you. At that time you are not totally in control. When your ago knew what a second is; that’s why they came to these glandular system is effectively different than your intention calculations. They didn’t have watches at that time. There was then you are different under that push and pull. not even a sun dial. Time was their conscious estimate, life We are trying to prepare you for what you have never was their unconscious experience, they had a combination. learned so far. Yes, yes, yes, yes, you are! That’s the fact. But That’s how this science grew. you have to realize at the same moment you are not. Without Unconscious experience in conscious subjection can make this realization you cannot make a right move. This planet you a perfect human being, absolutely divine and beautiful. was without you and shall be without you—that’s the truth. When you are unconscious and your intuition gives you guid- So, when this planet is with you, do not create chaos, ego- ance, the poverty stops, prosperity starts and life is really mania, and commotion so that as a living psyche you affect happy—so move fast! How fast? Justify yourself honestly that everybody without knowing what you are affecting them for. you are moving one hundred and eighty rounds (rpm, revolu- Sex is very important, very important, but there is nothing in tions per minute) per minute. Some of you have good cars sex and there is nothing without sex. Life is very important, that show you the mileage and everything. It also shows the there is nothing in life and there is nothing without life. If you rpm, how many revolutions per minute your car engine is look at the total sum of it, you will be shocked. going. I am not expecting you to become very meditative and It cannot be philosophy, it cannot be knowledge, it cannot be spaced out, flying yogis. Just start with a simple thing. an experience, it has to be that moment when the guidance You can go to a Gold’s Gym and you can exercise but this of yourself balances your perceptions, when your unconscious exercise, for five minutes, you can’t do; it shocks me! gives you the consciousness that ‘is and is not’ are the same. Somebody was showing me, “See my muscle, Yogiji.” I just That is not a small thing to know. Is and is not are the same. saw some very big stuff. But when they started doing the The life of a Yogi is when the pair of opposites doesn’t affect kriya in the class, after a minute or so, the person was flat. I him, when praise and insult are the same. said, “Baba, watch it, this is something very funny.” So please How you can know that and live that yourself? We will try move fast, move. Cycle it quickly. When you make the today. Mercury and id (thumb) locked and you make one hundred and eighty circles per minute, you are actually telling the motor command center in the brain to change the laziness

© 2006 Kundalini Research Institute KRI INTERNATIONAL TEACHER TRAINING LEVEL 2 • MIND & MEDITATION STUDY GUIDE • 47 MIND & MEDITATION • STUDY GUIDE into high frequency attention, that’s all it is about. It’s a ther- Now you have to do the second set. apy but you have to do it. Move, move, move, move! It is very The second set is this: do you see my tongue? Use the difficult to keep the Mercury finger pressed. The Mercury fin- same fast movement and breathe through the rounded ger controls the sense of coordination, communication, and tongue. The breath is called Sitali Pranayam, the breath of the the heart. If you can do this exercise as I have told you to do nectar of life. It is very cooling. [Editor’s Note: The position of the and do it right, then your communication about desires will hands is actually different; but the frequency of the movement is the be clear. At least you will not be foolish by desiring everything same.] Move fast—one hundred and eighty circles per minute, and doing nothing. You will change; your breathing will yeah, yeah, yeah move. I am very good at it. I would say, “I change automatically. If that rate of movement is there, then pray for good mastery of it.” If you do this exercise, it can the result will be there. You know the beauty of this exercise? totally refresh you and take away your entire internal fatigue. The teacher has to do nothing; all he has to say is a few Very good. See, how fast I can do it? Yeah, very easy. Both words and then sit and watch everybody freaking out, but hands move underneath round and round and break the mag- that’s also how good it is. netic field, that’s all it is. It’s not going anywhere, it creates a It is not that I dislike hatha yoga. Somebody asked me that magnetic field right there. It can totally take away your question, “What about hatha yoga?” I liked hatha yoga; I headache for centuries. It’s very good if you make the mag- practiced it for a long time but it’s unfortunately a very long, netic field on the spot, though. Move fast, one hundred and drawn out science and—I hate to exercise in a loin cloth. It’s eighty times per minute creates a magnetic field between your not something I ever liked; it’s my personal thing. I am not two hands. I’ll tell you what, watch me. This is how you have saying it’s a bad thing; but if one practices hatha yoga by the to move. See how I do it. It’s very electrifying. It’s something book, exactly as it should be, then humanity will be finished very funny. If you do it, that’s how you do it. Not like that— in seventy-five years. First rule of the hatha yogi is to be celi- otherwise you will hit your hands. Hold here; one over here bate. You can’t marry. Then there will be no second genera- and move, ahh, ahh, it’s fun. Move, move, move, move, tion. Period. Finished. move! You are stopping for what? Some visitor is going to come Sometimes you don’t understand this breath through the from Mars? No, no, no you move and move beyond being rolled tongue. It’s very cooling, it’s best for kidneys and it’s tired. You move beyond being crazy. You move beyond being wonderful for adrenals, wonderful, absolutely wonderful. It’s, conscious. You have to create that ecstasy of the unconscious wonderful for the urinary system, best for testosterone and factor in you. You have to work hard around yourself. You are most helpful to the pituitary. Pretty good breath, they call it not this body and this movement, discard that notion and go Sitali, which cools everything. Learning is only possible by beyond it. experience and experience is only possible by loyalty: loyalty Now inhale, and please watch me, open your eyes. Now to learning. If loyalty includes discipline, then you become this is what you are doing right now. I’ve told you to inhale learned. Come on, do not stop. Come on, come on! You think and hold your breath. Right? Hold it tight. Now what you I am not looking at you, hurry up. Don’t be slow. Take your have to do is put your chest out as much as you can and put tongue out, roll it up and breathe. You have one more minute your shoulders back as much you can, to the point of ‘no to go. Hard, work hard, work hard so you can build your expe- death, zero’ they call it. This way you can master your death rience. You know you guys think it is just fun; it really brings in your last minute of life. Go, now come forward and breathe very good changes for your personality; it’s going to put you out. Now inhale again and repeat that lock, just go, go! Pull on the map. Getting rid of your subconscious nuisance means it all out. Put your shoulders back so they can meet in the that you no longer commit mistakes that, normally, you back. Tight, go forward, breath out. Inhale deep, deep, and shouldn’t commit. Inhale deep. Hold tight, take your shoul- provide that shoulder lock again, please, tight, go, go tough. ders back and lock it and pull your rib cage out as much as Come forward and relax. All right, this is the first exercise set.. you can. Hold tight, push, push, push out and see that your

48 • KRI INTERNATIONAL TEACHER TRAINING LEVEL 2 • MIND & MEDITATION STUDY GUIDE © 2006 Kundalini Research Institute MIND & MEDITATION • STUDY GUIDE shoulder blades meet. Now come forward and exhale. Solidly What are you doing to yourself? Hang in there with thought- exhale. Inhale deep and please apply the shoulder lock so lessness, hypnotically, unconsciously to the strength of the tightly that you can be proud of yourself—tighten every mus- unknown in you. Keep up, don’t give up. Fight it out—unto cle in the back, all the way. You know, just pull it like tug-of- victory. Try, try! It’s worth it. Have patience. There is a minute war. Come forward and let it go. Now, if you have cheated and a half left, try your best. Win you must; a coward dies this is the last chance. Inhale deep, deep, deep, yeah, and many deaths. Life of courage brings many victories. Come on, now apply the lock tight and pull every fiber into it totally, come on try it in thirty seconds. Put that tape on—Har Singh, totally! Come forward and relax. All right. You know, you get Nar Singh Neel Naaraayan—that Shakti power tape. many type of headaches. It is said if you know these little [Nirinjan Kaur’s Har Singh is played.] things to do, you can get rid of the whole problem spontaneously. Har singh nar singh neel naaraayan, Now comes the third set, D-day, ‘the eagle must land.’ Guru sikh guru singh har har gayan This is a very critical situation: put your hands like this please Wahe guru wahe guru, har har dhiayan. and just close your eyes. Put the left under, right over, and Saakhat nindak dusht mathaayan just balance. It’s a very good balance. Once you find a bal- [Yogi Bhajan talks over the tape.] Inhale deep, go back and ance spot you will not have any problem whatsoever. You lock your shoulders, lock it. Bend forward and let it go. Inhale won’t feel tired; you won’t feel heavy; you won’t feel anything. deep, lock your shoulders again, tight and squeeze your entire It all fits in; the psyche holds it. fiber; bend forward and let it go. Inhale deep; do the same. Close your eyes and just have no thought. Entertain no Bend forward and relax. Wow! thought. Stay in a thoughtless state. I repeat. You are in the This is a very simple tape. This is the word combination habit of hypnotizing yourself. So please, hypnotize yourself of the impersonal God; listen and repeat the words. Try to now in a thoughtless state. Think and feel, “I am, I am not” reproduce them with the tip of the tongue. Copy the sound. at the same time. You are a statue of clay, dancing on the Follow the law of sound current. Sound current and soul. string of the breath of prana, which is granted to you for a Come on, come on, one more minute. Use the tip of the specific period of time. You have been given light in your eyes tongue. to see the light of God; you have been given ears to hear the Inhale deep, apply the shoulder lock please. Tight, ecstasy of God; you have been given the tongue to speak the squeeze every fiber in the back, from the lowest spine to top. glory of the God. God is what created you. You have become Hold tight, bend forward, relax. totally deaf and dumb. Because of your ego, you are running a rat race. Therefore, from now until I ask otherwise, put your- May the Long Time Sun self in a thoughtless state. Within your home become home- Shine upon you less. Be very loyal to yourself. Create a vacuum to be filled by All love surround you prosperity and pleasure of life. Suspend yourself in a state of And the pure light within you thoughtlessness. Guide your way on. Steady. If you are yourself, in the state of absolute Sat Nam. thoughtlessness, the path to prosperity, real happiness and infinite wisdom opens to you. Hang in there. No thought, go Give me the identity, my ID, my imperial divinity, my freedom, deeper into the hypnosis of no-thought. Get rid of this death my consciousness, my intuition, my intelligence to live my life of your real self,-it is like a spell of thought, thought, thought, in grace, in purity and piety, in service with kindness com- bombarding you all the time and killing your total self. It passion and care. Guide me to the brightness of that light, of makes your nervous system weak and eats up your neurons’ warmth, the love, so I can smile and make the whole world a energy. It empties your brain of the vitality of the gray matter; smiling place in peace, in joy, in trust and happiness. it takes away from you the strength of the serum of the spine. Sat Nam.

To end: Inhale deep. Squeeze the shoulders together and push the chest forward. Release the shoulders, bend forward, exhale and relax.

be happy, be neutral An Experience with Yogi Bhajan

October 27, 1992

WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO THIS PLANET, we don’t positive. Because every negative is somebody’s positive, and know. Okay, sit down. We are going to do a job, just relax, everybody’s positive is somebody’s negative. There is an don’t expect too much, pray for you and your luck. Is it okay? honor among thieves. So when thieves sit together, if you find . . . We are alive, is that true? The fact is, for five thousand six hundred thieves sitting, they are as good a congregation years—there’s a written record—we found out through many as if you found six hundred saints sitting. Even thieves share. versions, through many religions, through many people, how They tell how they steal, how specialized they are. They are to be happy. And the biggest lie is that we divided the world experts. I mean, they exchange their knowledge exactly as you into Black, Brown and White. We did this. Though our blood exchange your golf tips or yoga lessons, or any lesson. is red whether we are Black, we are Brown or we are White. Thieves also have their lessons. You ought to never undermine Our structure and look is as it is and it’s not important. You a reality in life. You have the capacity not to judge. Not to are ugly or you are beautiful or you are a thief or you are a judge, not to grant to somebody that they are a sinner, not to saint; it’s not important. Try to understand. But you do not blame, and not to claim. You have been made in God. So be have projection and breadth of consciousness. That’s truly the that way. ugliest thing; the curse the human has. Now where you will get the capacity to be able to do that? Technically speaking, man is born to be happy and man is As long as you don’t have the capacity to just be you, all the born to be neutral. Man is not born to deal with negative and time, it won’t matter what you try, you will never be happy.

Period! There are sixty thousand therapies, over forty thou- exchange of spiritual realms, I should say; and God, it was a sand systems. Every person has a thought and you get one joyful television show. I wish you could have seen their dis- thousand thoughts per wink of the eye. Each thought is a dis- coveries and their feelings and how they talk. And they were crete unit. Pursue your thoughts and your whole life will be all real. But everybody had to speak. He was going to speak gone. We pursue thoughts. We don’t enjoy thoughts, we last. So at four o’clock my time to speak came. Nobody knew don’t feel thoughts. We cannot magnify thought. My thought me, except him. He just introduced me, is “I should be so and so.” I should be in a position to sit and “He is Bhajan, he comes from the northern side of India magnify my thought and enjoy it and let it go. I shouldn’t and he is tantric.” have to hassle; I shouldn’t have to sweat; I shouldn’t have to He didn’t add any titles. No “his holiness,” no “hundred work; I shouldn’t have to walk on anybody’s toes. You know and eight elements or names of God, nothing but my name. what the world has created? Religious fanatics, mental fanat- I said to myself, “well, we are on the spot.” ics and creeps. Yeah? You know what I mean? I will tell you; I said, “Right now, I am having a tremendous experience I will top this off with my dialogue and a little story about my of God’s presence. But I see him crying, yelling, pulling his experience. hair, mad and he is saying to me ‘Why did you come among I knew one swamiji. He was a great man in Rishikesh. He these idiots?’ ” used to be an admirer of mine and I asked him favor. I said, I saw the face of swamiji. He was sitting like that and his “I understand you are going to have sixty people come to a eyes went like this (rolled up) and he dropped his head down gathering before a Kumbha Mela [a rare gathering—only every 12 to the earth, like a devil has spoken. And I said, “I see it, I years—of every variety of religious persons and sadhus; many come am a tantric. I see it, I understand it, I fully understand it. I from mountains, retreats, ashrams and reclusive venues] These are am asking the reason for this. And God says, ‘At nine o’clock, rare and extremely spiritual people. And I want to be invited.” all these sixty-two people came here. And at four o’clock, they He said, “Wait a minute. First of all, you are a uniformed are still sixty-two separate people. And I am One God and officer; second, you are a government officer; thirdly, you do they are not one’.” not know anything like this, how can I do it?” I said, “I don’t know what it means. I really don’t under- I said, “Just do it.” stand it. In my humble way, I’ll ask you the question, “Is God He said, “Give me a one sound reason to do it.” saying what He is saying? And do you hear it? And aren’t you I said, “This is the deal. You invite me as a great Mahan ashamed of it?” Tantric, which you know I am, but you are not supposed to You should have been there and seen their faces. And you say it. Just invite me as a Tantric. There is no degree required should have seen the face of my friend, the swamiji. He did for that; there is no definition of it. And you will not be lying, a wonderful job. So anyway, later on I was very loved and because truly I am, and the rest I’ll take care of.” hugged. I was talked to and catered to by all these people. He said, “Well, you know what kind of people I am invit- And some, I don’t even want to tell you their age. Their skin ing?” was just like an elephant’s. They had seen too many winters, I said, “I know. You are inviting those people who can many freezes, much weather of all kinds, and many many talk, communicate, and play football with God. Okay? What moons. Even in this divine gathering there was a gap to cross. do you want to know? You are being invited. Somehow invite So I ask you that question: “Do you understand the purpose me.” of the spirit, the soul, the body, mind, tattvas, gunas? Do you He said, “Okay, I’ll do it. But after that, I take no respon- understand all the knowledge in the libraries, the spirituality sibility.” of religion and God? Do you understand? Do you know the I said, “Fine. What responsibility are you supposed to take fact that the God doesn’t know He is a God? He is Infinity anyway?” within Infinity. And do you know you have the same capaci- So I got the invitation. I walked in and with everyone ty? Do you know that your vitality and your reality and your included, we were sixty two people total. There was an divinity and your infinity and your neurosis and your psy-

chosis, whether you are an idiot or you are wise is all infinite? God. Because He cannot create one single thing—God—He It’s endless? It’s a drama?” creates two things. He creates idiots and wise men. He cre- It comes, goes and then goes and then comes. In this ten- ates ugly and beautiful. He creates polarities. The test is, dency and reality, we are born as a human. We are born when you see ugly, don’t go by it and when you see wise, human to experience our infinity, so that we can be neutral don’t go by it. If you see wise, be wise; if you see ugly, don’t in totality. In truth, nobody teaches us, nobody knows us, be ugly. Take care of yourself. Everything is for you. There is nobody wants us. What we are learning here is survival— nothing for anybody else, for any reason. And have no argu- nothing beyond that. And we lean on each other for survival. ment and waste no time. You are a complete, absolutely com- Somebody asked me to define love. I said love is like a tsuna- plete, unit. mi which comes after an earthquake. After that nobody If somebody’s husband is no good, a good wife should knows what has happened. You know? And whosoever is not mind it. This world accommodates thieves as well as rich divine and defines love, is the biggest fool and a hypocrite. people and the law of nature is that everything comes to bal- That’s what Nanak said, ance. You have to understand this once and for all. You are luckiest when you are in tragedy. Right? Tragedy will eat you Thaapi-aa na jaa-ay keetaa na ho-ay. up or you will win over it. Think of those miserable people Aapay aap niranjan so-ay. who have no experience of tragedy. Think, think, think, think, - Guru Nanak, Japji Sahib think! Just think. You are poor, think of those miserable rich He cannot be established, He cannot be created, people who can’t sleep, take sleeping pills and they are so He himself is immaculate and pure. rich. And look at that poor man [Yogiji pretends to sleep and snores.] Just watch him sleep better. One line. One simple line. He cannot be established, by We have the capacity to meet the challenge and call on doing, there is nothing we can do. By itself that flawless is our self. within His flawlessness. It can’t change. But we do not have Once I had to travel with somebody. They said, “The the capacity to be impersonal in that totality. That’s why I guide is very sick. He’ll be available to travel with you after an said, “When you cannot see God in all, you cannot see God hour delay.” at all.” If you cannot, if you are very, very miserable and you I said, “Okay.” don’t love misery, you can never love happiness either. Love After an hour I went there. He hardly could dress himself. is love. Love has no dimension. He started walking and I said, “Are you sure that you have to I was saying today, ‘Those who do not deserve misfortune be our guide? If you want I can let you go.” cannot enjoy fortune. Those who do not desire calamity, do He said, “No, I am fine. And I am very grateful to you.” not know victory.’ We are born to conquer. That’s our spirit. And then he walked faster than us. He was tougher than Our mind has the capacity to get into infinity and go beyond us. infinity. And we have the opposite capacity to understand He was fine with us. When we reached the destination, I everything is wrong. We think everything is wrong. Look at said, “How do you feel?” the whole Hindu philosophy. Don’t ask me if the lotus is in He said, “I feel much healthier.” the mud. You can’t separate mud from lotus and lotus cannot He was fine and we were dead tired! be without mud, right? Lotus enjoys mud, mud enjoys lotus. Is that true? You all love lotus; nobody loves mud. Now, how stupid are we when we know that they cannot be separated. If you take a coin and you rasp off one side of the face, then just try to sell it. It will only be scrap metal. In five thousand years, humanity has not understood that God Almighty is impotent, because He cannot create another

MEDITATION: PARBATI’S KRIYA “Thus spoke Lord Shiva: Oh Parbati,I’ll share with you [See end of transcript for complete write-up.] the secret of my soul. Sit in a graceful posture. Impose in My approach tonight is very classical. I want to show you the you the feeling of the Trishula.” seat of the soul. I have told you that I am starting the series because I do not want to leave you in the dark. I want you to Your Trishula means you are the past, you are present and experience things the way I experience them, not the way you you are the future. want to experience them. I have nothing to do with you guys. You keep doing what I am saying. I’ll translate into English You come here because you are in some kind of tragedy. You as best as I can. still deal with me, knowing me, knowing I am no good. You “Impose on you the feeling of Trishula, my thunderbolt of know what I mean? If I had been better than you, I would delivery. Whosoever feels that he is the past, he is the have been more miserable than you. And you are in a good present and he is the future makes a place for me to amount of misery. You have much less width. You have no come in. My seat is the agiaa (ajna) chakra.” width. Thank God I don’t belong to you and you don’t belong to me either. So what we are going to do tonight? We will That means the Third Eye, between the eyebrows, that little test it out: who belongs to whom. Okay? What I am going to place you have in the forehead. He should have said pituitary, do tonight I have already done. So don’t feel that I am in any but he was not modern back then. miserable state, I am not. We are doing the Kriya which Lord Shiva taught to “In that seat is the dormant projective soul of every Parbati, his consort, his only love. You know that naked guy, human. Oh Parbati, light of the eyes, it’s the gift of me. Shiva, who delivers you or destroys you in the end? He is a Put your eyes at the tip of the nose and see the deity and he has the most beautiful woman to relate to. She Neelkant.” is called Paar-Bati. Bati. Bati means light. Paar means beyond light. When you say Parbati, it doesn’t mean anything to you. This is that blue, that little blue circle. If you really put your Paar, aparam paar, para , pavan, pavan, pavan, pavan, you eyes on the tip of the nose, downward, underneath at sixty understand that song, what is it? degrees, you will see a blue lagoon, you will see a blue circle. Really you will see a straight line, but it forms a circle, it’s just Pavan, pavan pavan pavan paar para, pavan guru, like a cup. And you will see the corner of the cup. You will pavan guru, Wahe Guru, Wahe Guru, pavan guru. see the “Neelkant.”

You don’t know anything; you are Western, that’s okay. I am “Don’t you lose, my divine love, the sight of that blue not Eastern either you know. My east is New York and my cup. This shall activate the psycho-radiance of my west is Tokyo, so, I have a problem too. Paar-bati, bati, bati. personal domain, which is under the domes of Bati means light. Flame. Paar means beyond light. That’s His the heaven.” wife. He is called Shiva, the redeemer of sadness. When a Jewish person dies, the relatives sit “shiva” and they remove That means pineal. I am translating it for you. their sadness. “Oh Parbati, the word is Infinite. And the word is the Tonight, we are doing this. I’ll go exactly by Sutras, I am not ultimate silence. Turn your giver of the word and touch going to add anything from my side to this: your upper heaven.”

It means, in English, turn your tongue up and touch the upper palate That’s all it means folks.

“Thus, I will come in you through the fragrance Hey, what are you doing? Commandante, put your spine of my divinity.” straight son. If it is hurting, it is natural; it is curing. It’s a very tough thing: when you press the upper palate, all the merid- That means concentrate on your nostrils, ida and pingala, left ians of the body go berserk, because they have to come to and right, and let your brain’s neurons— seven layers, fourteen their original birth formation. It means they have to come to levels with plus and minus—regroup themselves. a child’s form; it means they have to come to their maximum. And if you don’t lock your back teeth and keep the spine “Oh, Parbati! As you feel my vastness in you, be still, straight, you will go to sleep faster than your sleeping can take undisturbed, in harmony and enjoy. This is the first you. Sit confirmed, sit alert, sit extremely gracefully. step to ecstasy.” Don’t be alien to yourself. You want to have love and life and happiness? Be happy that you love yourself. Be alert and Don’t forget to look at the tip of the nose and don’t look conquer yourself. Man jeetai jag jeet. If you conquer your at the wrong angle. If you put your gaze at the proper angle, mind, you are going to conquer the whole world. you will find the little blue stuff. It may be faint or it may be This is just one step tonight. You are fortunate you came. darker, but it is there. And then concentrate on your left and Think of those who are not here. But if you are here, then be right nostril and just breathe consciously. And keep your here. You are doing very well. Now folks, you have crossed tongue pressed upward. Turn it under your upper palate and the seventh minute. Be super alert now because all the glands keep your back teeth, your molars locked, and you are set. will start secreting. The blood chemistry will go through Now we will go through the time realms; and folks, if you are changes. Hello—keep your neck up. Don’t allow the posture to in a right posture, everything in you shall start changing. In fall into any alteration. the first seven minutes, I’ll remind you, because after eleven Still there are four minutes to go. Solidify yourself. When minutes, your trend shall change. But you have to stay in it you put your eyes on the tip of the nose at the right angle, and be neutral, only for the first eleven minutes. Make no you will see a blue, I think little first moon, first moon lining. move in the body. Make no move of any muscle. It is, in Stick with that. American, called ‘Solid state.’ Solid state is a status, which our Wow, Hari, see what a great experience it is! Imagine your American goods have on them. Sit in a solid state and in a house is on the top of the mountain, sit like Shiva. Chin up, perfect posture. And listen to the teachings that Lord Shiva chin up, chin up. You are going into deep sleep, that’s not gave to his consort Parbati. Act under those instructions. right, keep the chin up. Still sit firm. Don’t let the blue circle Prove to me, whether he lied or he spoke the divine truth. lose you. Steady, don’t drop your head man. For God’s sake it Don’t wink your eye, don’t move your body. For eleven min- is just a few more minutes. If you nod your head now, I am utes, I am just timing you. going to put a bucket of water on your face, I can tell you Don’t drop your head. This will take you to the place right now. Make your body firm. Firm your body, firm your where God lives. Don’t try to sleep. Alert! Be alert; be kind to muscles, be in command. I need absolute command for yourself; be alert. another minute and a half. Absolute command. Absolute Learning is the will of God, not of the human. Human will command with absolute self-experience. is just to make an effort. Don’t discuss it, don’t expect it, Yeah, come on, we are doing it. I wish you could see what don’t announce it, just be alert. You have come here by the I see. But if you don’t want to trust me then let me boast, will of God. You have come here by your will. Now you are you are in a good shape. It’s another minute now. You can using your will to practice the will of God. If practice is right, make it. Solidify your posture. Concentrate on your breath. you shall be granted the experience of the will of God. But Here we go for the last leap folks. Forty-five seconds. Control please don’t sleep. Stay alert. Alert, alert, alert. Be alert. Chin yourself. Thirty more seconds. That one niche in the end is in, chest out, don’t be sleepy. Wow, what he is doing? Don’t all you have to do, that will do it all. Just get ready. Fifteen sleep. Stick around folks. seconds. Alert. Top alert, ten seconds. Get ready, inhale deep,

hold, tighten yourself with absolute accuracy! mally, it’s a very potent way to do it. It’s not a gimmick. You Absolute accuracy. (Student coughs persistently.) Cough, have done it for two minutes, one more minute left. Steady, cough, cough, cough, its OK, let the body change. steady, it is a steady thing. Let it go, exhale. Now, inhale deep, exhale deep. It is that big tendon, it is called the Achilles. Between the Inhale deep. Hold tight and zero between the eyebrows, heel and your calf, turn it inward and push hard on it. It’s a contract. Contract. Contract your forehead. Absolutely con- direct meridian with the pineal and pituitary. Steady, breathe, tract. Breathe out. Inhale again, deep. Hold tight, contract. be hard. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, Oh wow, you only have twenty seconds left, fifteen sec- eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, let it go. Relax. onds more to go. Harder, harder, harder. Relax and look Now please take your fingers and press them like this— towards the sky and laugh loudly. move them and your toes—move them. Underneath, move (Students laugh.) your toes and move your fingers in a circular manner and your Neck up, neck up, neck up. toes, toes, toes, toes, toes, toes—because they need blood Open your mouth, relax. You have to relax your lungs, right away. Move them! Move, move! They’ll go away, you otherwise they are under pressure. Laugh, laugh, make up a won’t even feel it, later on you will cry. Come on. Your toes, joke, laugh! the claws, human claws they call extremities, move, move, Inhale deep, inhale deep. Lock your lips and go like this. don’t sleep, wake up. Watch me. Move your head, shake your head as fast as you (Yogiji demonstrates toes wiggling and moving in small circles can (small quick side to side movements), very firmly. This will at same time.) open up your entire neck. Hurry up, move, move. Relax. I am not worried about you; I am worried about your toes. Now sing: You are fine. Move your toes. Move them, move them like this. You will lose them if you don’t move them, this is wrong. May the long time sun shine upon you Move them all in one circle, like this. You see, how I move. All love surround you Just like that, do them. Your toes, not mine. And the pure light within you Okay folks, now, bend your toes inward towards the torso; Guide your way on and your hands are like this, bend them outward and make Sat Nam. them as stiff as you can and breathe normally or abnormally, it doesn’t matter, but create so much tension, it will change This is one in the series. I am trying to not pacify you, it’ll your metabolism right now. God knows what sickness might become harder and harder. It’ll be experience after experience be there, but a finger should be like this. It’s a very simple the- because we must do what we have to do. And what we have ory. It’s not something you have to do. Watch me. I am very to do, we must do it ourselves. Nobody can do it for anybody good at it. That’s how I survive everyday. Watch this. No, no, else. Somebody learns, somebody shares, somebody does, I give you my own posture; I am not going to tell you some- somebody learns, somebody shares. That’s the process of life. thing which I don’t know. Nobody is superior and nobody is inferior. Nobody is great, You can’t forget to lock your molars. You may end up cut- nobody is small. We are all in one world for one reason—hap- ting your tongue. Tense your extremities. Three minutes—you piness. And now if you care to sit and talk to each other and have to stay in this posture without moving anything else. become human again, it’ll be nice. Please share food, as lan- Inward, inward. Maximum inward. Concentrate. Your fingers gar will be served. have to be steel claws and your feet and your toes must come Sat Nam. backward to the maximum, because that will create a lot of pressure, on the, heel, the Achilles heel, they call it; and your pituitary and your senses and sexual senses will grow up nor-

1. Sit in a very easy, graceful posture. Straight spine. Chin 1 in, chest out. Your eyes are at the tip of the nose. When your eyes are at the correct angle, (about 60 degrees) you should see a little blue circle—a slice of the moon. Don’t loose sight of it. Turn your tongue and press it into the upper palate. Keep your molars locked. Watch your breath—concentrate on both nostrils (the ending points of ida and pingala) and breathe gracefully and consciously. Concentrate. Be alert. Remain absolutely still. Do not move. 11 minutes. To end: Inhale deep and focus and the brow. Hold the breath and contract. 15 seconds. Exhale. Repeat twice more. Relax. 2

2. Bring your fingertips together and press the fingers in and out making circles with them. Expand and contract. Wiggle the toes, too, in a circular manner. 1-1/2 minutes.

3. Stretch the legs out in front of you. Make your hands into claws, in front of the shoulders. Flex the ankle and the toes toward your head. Stretch the Achilles tendon. Lock the molars. 3 minutes. Your fingers have to be steel claws and your toes must come 3 backward at the maximum. Be steady.

4. Look toward the sky and laugh with a very open mouth. Keep the neck extended and the face up. 2 minutes.

5. Now lock your lips together and shake your head very quickly. This is a very small but rapid movement from side to side. 15 seconds.

6. Talk, relax and visit each other. 4 5

Chapter FOUR Study Questions & Projects

1. What are three effective approaches to describing shuniya 2. In our normal training, to know something means receiv- to students? Why do we need to use multiple approaches? ing or acquiring something. In intuitive knowing, we both If shuniya is ultimately understood within each person indi- get and not get simultaneously. Many people in the West vidually why offer any descriptions of it at all? resist or misunderstand this way of knowing. To know through being and intention is a mode of knowing for Exercise: Go deeply into the meditation state of shuniya. which people have very few models. Three concepts often Once you have stabilized that stillness and clarity, con- get in the way of experiencing this: nihilism, narcissism, and sciously extend your awareness out several kilometers. passivity. Why do some people confuse these concepts Explore how your sensations within your own aura or ener- with the state of shuniya and intuitive knowing? How do gy body change. Bring it to equilibrium again. you create experiences that help guide them pass those Then extend it even farther out, thousands of kilometers blocks? What does the ego have to do with this? Why is out. Once again sense how that inclusion of more space changing the body play so powerful a role in allowing this alters your sensations and gives you information about the state of shuniya to emerge? Why does fear often emerge as world. one begins to explore the state of shuniya? Enter once more into a deep confirmed state of shuniya. Now extend your space out to the total infinity all at once. 3. Explain what it means to hypnotize your self into the Become infinite and absolutely zero at the same moment. thought of thoughtlessness. How do we use the mind's Explore your experience. Notice how trying interferes with ability to hypnotize itself in order to enter into the state of the experience. Notice that in this state of shuniya, you are shuniya? able to be that which you already are. Exercise: Write your description of how to experience the Discussion: With your group, devise five ways that you Neelkant, the blue pearl. Do the meditation of Parabati. can actually encounter a taste of shuniya in a normal, every- Based on your doing the meditation on your own, what day life. Create five aphorisms or short phrases appropriate are the challenges the student might have in doing it them- to post in an office environment that would help people selves? find and remember that state as they go about their daily How much of the challenge is learning how to focus the jobs. eyes and how much is learning to focus the mind? If focusing on the tip of the nose helps to control the hypothalamus, then in what ways is it helpful to first exercise the body and to do significant pranayam?

4. What does it mean as a teacher to speak with a thun- 5. In a deep intuitive meditation, both the pituitary and the derbolt voice? This is an important concept in the art of pineal glands are activated. How are these glands related to conscious communication. In this meditation, we are asked each other and to the experience of deep meditation? How to impose on ourselves the feeling of Trishula and the thun- does the state of the hypothalamus affect the relationship derbolt. It is only from there that we are able to invite in the between the other two glands? consciousness of Shiva and the Infinite. How do cultivating meditation, the art of shuniya and the technique of the blue pearl develop the mind to be able to speak in the thunderbolt voice? What is the quality and impact of that?

CHAPTER FIVE

Mental Intrigues Mind & Meditation • STUDY GUIDE

stop your mental games An Experience with Yogi Bhajan

February 21, 1989

I AM NOT DOING A COMMERCIAL BUT I AM IN A GOOD MOOD I also found out that mostly people are not right. One says to teach you this class. I am going to be sixty years old this this, one says that; you know, it is a bizarre thing. Then I year. This is my life history. I became a Master of Kundalini found out that spirituality and religion are the most corrupt Yoga when I was sixteen and a half years old. It is the things on the planet. And when I had that experience, they youngest age at which anybody could achieve this status. If made me the head of the religion! Do you understand this status is a lie, it is fine; if it is a truth, who cares? There is huge dichotomy? I couldn't say to them, “No, I don't want it. nothing to gain or lose by it. It is between a Master to a I don't believe in it.” On the other hand I definitely knew that Master. After doing Kundalini Yoga and becoming a Master I they used spirituality as nothing but a salesman’s shop and went crazy and wanted to do these occult powers. I really promising people God. Neither the man who is promising wanted to know how the five tattvas affect a man and how knows what God is, nor the man promised. Everything lives they do this and that. So I practiced all that, too. It is not on a hope and it goes on. You pay me thirty dollars, I pay you that I didn't learn. I learned it. I practiced it and it works. It twenty dollars, or something like that; money is exchanged. is a truth. You can make a donkey out of anybody and make Religion has come down to the grassroots, to the individual. an elephant out of anybody. It is the most vicious side of the It is that bucket which goes around the church to collect the power, energy, and divinity which I ever experienced. money to sustain the church, which is the compromise.

And I tell you for a fact, that in science and in art, when shall receive them without knowing. That is the unconscious it comes to compromise, it is totally not real, period. When state which the mind has. And then what happens? You get you are real, you are real, there is no compromise with your bloated. Overloaded is called bloated. And then your own life self or God. I was fortunate that I got sick. I couldn't even starts falling apart. teach if I wanted to. Then I started looking into why I get Whatever comes from your soul shall stay. Whatever sick. Then I realized: how can a man of my caliber and with comes from your mind has to be worked out. Whatever my kind of sadhana get sick? Why? That was the question. comes from your mind will be faster than you can understand And I found that as the doors to the Golden Temple got and so shallow that you can walk into it. That is what mind locked up and the blood started going, the same happened does. Mind is quick. Mind is actually a contact between you to my heart. [Editor’s Note: This refers to the tragedy from 1984- and God, without you even knowing it. It can make you feel 1988 when the Indian government ran a pogrom against the Sikhs you are nothing. It can make you feel you are everything. and in the process attacked and destroyed temple buildings at the Now within that philosophy, when the subconscious gets most sacred place of healing and worship for the Sikh Tradition.] overloaded it starts blowing the circuits and a state of numb- Man is a prototype, a copy, of his belief. This experience only ness is reached in your physical action. It can be mental proved it to me. Otherwise, if anybody would have told me impotency; it can be physical impotency; and it can be sen- this—and I tell you, I would not even hurt an ant but I might sitivity into impotency, which we call, “I don't have a spirit;” have slapped that man's face—I would have said, “Liar, shut “I don't feel like it.” In medical science they call it—in psy- up. You are just laying a number on me.” But the fact is that chiatry, “He is psychotic; he is neurotic.” They have got a when I was into my illness and I experienced it, it happened. whole science about it. Then they say, “His brain doesn't Then I started looking around at you guys. You are work.” You know one very funny thing. I can never believe American? Very good. You have good sex every night. You do this thing—that somebody's brain doesn't work. The brain is everything in the world. You dance. You pretend you are this, such a highly sophisticated computer God gave to a person, pretend you are that, when you are really just the most beast- if it worked out, even if a part of it could work out, it’s more fully, commotionally and emotionally satisfying people on the than anything we have ever produced or we know how to planet. You can afford it. Everybody can't afford it but you produce. can afford it. Your leftovers could feed one third of the world. Look at the situation of the mind. You have ten trillion That is how wasteful and irrational you are. But I feel God cells. Your body has ten trillion cells. These cells change has given you a vast land, less population, a lot of money every seventy-two hours. Old age is when they start chang- and you can afford to do it. It must be the karma which you ing from seventy-two hours to eighty hours and to eighty- can enjoy for a while. five hours or more. That is all. No big deal. You know the But I do understand where the pain and the problems are doctor is right. We die of old age when our cells start taker in life. They are not anywhere. It is a simple theory. Let us longer to change; you start becoming senile, old, and capac- put two and two together. Soul is deep and dormant. Mind ity-wise, a little wrong. Now, ten trillion cells you have got is shallow and yellow. And when I say yellow, it means and each cell has three parts: electron, neutron, and proton; cheap. Yellow journalism is a term which you all must under- so it means that each cell has three things to take care of it. stand. When we color over things and cheaply try to attract That means thirty trillion units live in you. So you are a liv- other people and lay a number on them—that is how it all ing combination—a living, organic combination of thirty tril- came about. Now, should we blame people for it? No. lion units. Watch, as per impulse, or beat of the heart, your Because the subconscious records day dreams, night dreams, mind receives, controls, administers and keeps the change thoughts, desires, wishes, and emotions. It records your own going. It means that your mind has the capacity, per plus all the people you know who project them onto you. impulse, to receive, control, and administer thirty trillion Now, what you do not understand is that everyone is a sig- messages. I mean it is simple, layman mathematics. That is nal station and if a million stations send signals to you, you how the mind is.

Tonight, we are going to deal with this mind of ours and aftershock, like an earthquake, can go on for about a week to unload our unfulfilled dreams so we can have a little space ten days. And if it is unfortunate enough to fall within the to live. It is called jerking out the jerk in us. You know. In half of the moon, meaning you are in the seventh or eighth simple American slang English— we say, “It is too much, we or ninth day of the moon and you reach the eleventh day of can take in no more!” the moon; that becomes a permanent scar. If it is your thir- One day I was very funny and said to somebody, “Believe teenth, fourteenth, or fifteenth day onward you are safe. And in God!” He said, “No, no, no. No belief in God. Nothing that is how body works. It is a very, very highly sophisticat- outside.” I said, “God is inside.” The person said, “If God is ed system. So I thought I would just share with you a cer- inside then absolutely no belief. I know what is in my tain series in which I am going to get rid of this subconscious inside.” If you know, I said, “Breathe.” The person breathed. stuff. I said, “How much of your left lung and right lung at this It is easy and you should know the art of it and science time has been filled with the oxygen and how much is the of it and experience of it, so that you can live light. These difference between the blood underneath and your air? And days, lots of people are selling enlightenment and meditation how much is the diaphragm pulling into you at the capacity and lots of things. But basically you must understand you rate to bring the air down to have the oxygenation of the have but one power, mental power. You cannot avoid the blood done?” And the person said, “What? What are you interlock between you and the sound of the gong, because asking?” I said, “Each breath means it must go deeper to fill you are the byproduct of the wave and the strength of the the lungs and oxygenate the blood to make it healthy and wave. That is called light and sound. Playing the gong is an then come out with the unwanted wastes and that is how art. It took me about four to five years to perfect it. I can cre- the breathing is.” I said, “My dear person, you only breathe— ate the effective rhythm with it; I can play it; I can interlock remaining there is if I estimate right, a four inch distance it. I can see your aura and I can push you through. I don't between the air you breathe and where your blood is ready need you for that. I mean I don’t mind if you do not medi- to be oxygenated; your diaphragm puts the pressure and that tate on me; I am going to just push you, push you through pressure touches it. It means you are only breathing 25% out anyway. It is just like pulling the tooth out of man's mouth of this. Five percent oxygen potential is oxygenating the when the forceps are in and the dentist has the strength and blood and then we take vitamin E, Geritol, Vitamin D, the Novocain has already worked. All there is left now is to Vitamin this, good food, etc.; but the very oxygen in your pull it out. And for that we need only one tenth of a second. breath does not touch your whole blood. We have the shal- If in the whole meditation today you can coordinate yourself lowest breathing habits.” for one tenth of a second that is all we need. After all, to Mindwise, whatever we think in messages, receive in burn a big heap of good, dry firewood you need one little messages and take care of regarding the messages—whether matchstick. So, if in this whole series, little–by–little, you just those messages are done, fulfilled, or understood or analyzed give us one tenth of a second, the rest will all work out with or processed or progressed or rejected or accepted—beyond you. That is all we need. Once that sound sinks in—where that they are all stored in the subconscious. Finally they start you are not hearing it—and you are getting it; it will do the overflowing. They overflow in three ways: One is through work. And that is what the science is about. daydreaming, which is the worst. Night-dreaming and night- I am not going to make you Christian. I am not going to mares and that kind of stuff is reasonable if it’s not to the make you Buddhist. I am not going to make you divine. I am extent that it taxes the nervous system. I don't mind if a per- not making you Allah Azraheem. I do not know what Wahe son sleeps the whole night, but most people are not actual- Guru says. I am just trying to clean your garbage. That is all ly sleeping. He is working through a dream which is equal to this night is about: cleaning your mental garbage. I could say sixteen hours of hard work. If a person digs a six foot by six other words but because I am a holy man, I can't. I love that foot by four foot deep trench during the day time at the noon word which you Americans have taught me. But, unfortu- of the day that is what one nightmare is equal to. Plus the nately I am Siri Singh Sahib and I am not supposed to say a

lot of uncouth things. I am also bound down by unwanted coming toward Tampa. Somebody bought our tickets and we discipline, but I think in my religious world, they knew I was sat down. There was a person I know and respect; she a rebel and they just tied me in to fix me. wouldn’t sit on the one empty seat, even though the Mind. Mind. Mind. The right side of the mind is not with Secretary told her that she had to sit, because the person sit- men. Left side of the mind is devastating because it is with ting on the next seat was black. Now watch this American the female; it makes her confused about what is right, what humanity; this is something I saw and experienced myself. is not right, “I am too much, I am too little.” You know, it is This woman would not sit on the next seat because the next a Libra balance. person sitting was a black person. And finally the bus driver Have you seen the real picture of a Libra? These two pans stopped the bus. He said, “Lady, either you sit down or you of the balance are always upside down as if a high wind has get off the bus.” So I said, “Could you? I’ll sit there and you hit it. So it is not the quality of the woman which matters, it can sit in my place.” I provided a seat to sit down. Now that is the balance of the woman. Unisonness of the mind, which person who I’m referring to was our student. Four years later woman has to use and the unit of the mind which man has she developed a disease. Half of her face became so black to use, if they want to be happy and successful in life. You that even she couldn't believe it; and it was not just black can be successful—not happy. That is the criteria you have to only. That could have been tolerable. It was that disease— understand. what do they call it? Acne or something like that. She had I don't mean the spiritual experience. Well, I know God, those little blackheads all over her face and there was noth- God knows me. Then what? God knows everybody. If I know ing she could do. She tried creams and this and that and the God knows me, so what? Big deal. Question is how much other and I said, “Well, it is a day and night. You should mental garbage have I got. The bulb is on whether the glass enjoy it.” She replied, “I don't like it. My liver is bad or my is clean or not, whether the light comes out or not. It takes kidneys are bad. I don't know what is bad but there is some- that light to be able to go to others and not cheat them, not thing wrong.” I said, “Definitely, I am the only one you don't hurt them, not reject them. You know all the negative things believe. Everybody else you believe; but look which side you we do to others, we do to ourselves. You do not hurt any- sat on and look which side that person was sitting.” I think one; neither can you, nor do you have the power to do it. the man on the bus realized what happened in his heart and You first hurt yourself and then that hurt reaches the other got hurt. He thought, “God, if you have made me black. This person and he returns the hurt through a curse which multi- woman hates me just because you made me black.” And he plies your hurt many, many times. That is actually what hap- was just over-tanned and she was totally under-tanned. That pens. You might be thinking you are hurting somebody. Oh is all it is. you son of so and so; oh you dog. You know you abuse and You know our mind does play games. Our mind auto- make a person look inferior and make them feel absolutely matically hates things. We are brainwashed. We have been good for nothing and bring tears to somebody's eyes. You brainwashed by religion, by society, by our social structure did a wonderful job, but that person will say nothing to you. and by our own parents, by our own, you–name–it. We do Instead he will say, God make him impotent, make him blind, not even see the other human as a human if in that micro- make him dumb. You know, God knows how many curses his scope of ours he or she does not fit our number. If a rich per- mind is going to send on you. You, idiot human, living nice- son comes, we go and open the door. If a poor man comes ly, knowing kindness and compassion have created a machine we kick him out. It is all mental games. Mental games are of abuse for you for almost a couple of hours—and you think very heavy and we play them consciously and unconscious- you have hurt somebody? You have dug your own grave, ly. Today we are trying to explain to you how your mind is because when there is a pain, whatever comes in pain and in loaded and how you feel it. Right? All right. reaction has the force. I saw one time a very funny thing and it is true what I am saying to you. We were sitting on a bus and we were

MEDITATION: ize. It practically does not seem so sophisticated. It doesn't KRIYA TO CLEAR OUT YOUR MENTAL PARANOIA suit you. Now who wants to sound like a duck? But that is [See end of transcript for complete write-up.] what you do when you are in those situations. God bless you, that situation may never arise but if it does arise, it can Let's work it out. Sit down, like a yogi, and pretend to be very take so much energy away from you that you cannot even real. All right. Done. Now this is the thing you have to do. relate to it. But if at this time you force the diaphragm deep- Don't take the tongue totally out; just make the tongue a lit- er and let the air come deeper, in few minutes we can pro- tle loose. Have you ever done this breath? (He inhales quickly ceed. Come on. (Students resume briefly.) That is good. through the mouth and makes a little sound “huh.” As he inhales Enough. Enough. the tongue comes out and down then back in quickly.) Come on. Now come on, just here, don't touch anything. (He Wait, wait, it is a breath of paranoia, don't joke about it. It demonstrates a quick breathing through rounded mouth. Equal in is a paranoia breath. You only do it when you are hit by your and out, very fast.) Come on quick fast, you will feel light- own paranoia. That is what you do. And I am not asking you headed in seconds. Come on quick. That is how forceful it to shake about, I am just asking you to take the paranoia should be. (Does it about 30 seconds as part of the first exercise.) breath, that is all. Don't look like the ocean birds. Come on. Before the paranoia hits you, charge it with the breath. Heavy, All right exercise number two. One, two, three exercises. heavy, deep breath. It will give you oxygen. We need that red Hand with sun finger like this. It is called Ravi Mudra. Ravi blood. Mudra and hands like this. Three fingers extended and sun Hold on, hold on. You think you have become ducks! finger in Ravi Mudra. Like this. See this and here we go. Only This is not true. When you are hit by a definite attack of pho- fingers over fingers. Not the whole hand. It is very light and bic paranoia within yourself you breathe this way because balance is very difficult. Just keep it and do it faster than you you need oxygen. You need the pranic body. That is why can afford to do. Do it fast. It will give you something to you—Huh! (He takes one quick inhale with a sound.) You know understand; and put that twisted finger, the side finger, you breathe that way. It is a natural process. All these are nat- straight. Try to make it just like this. It goes like this. This ural processes, don't feel ugly about them. Do it conscious- one. This is the Saturn finger. It will bend automatically but ly so that the lungs and the blood in one or two breath cir- if you just consciously do it and do it like that it will work culations become strong enough that we can do the exercise. out perfectly. Fast, please move. We are just sending a mes- Hurry up. Feel, feel afraid. Come on. Do it heavily from the sage to the brain—brain doesn't know what. What is a diaphragm. Okay, okay, listen to this. You think this is a joke. mudra? Mudra is a physical connection that forces the neu- If you do it about twenty times in a day you shall never have rons to move or not to move in the brain, to create patterns; nightmares. It is not a joke, this breath. If this breath is prac- it activates them to think, what is going on? Fast, fast. ticed two things will never hurt you: One is the hysteria, the You know my problem is? If I do not give you a good class other is paranoia. It is a yogic breath. You only do it in a nat- you are not going to come tomorrow. You know what I mean? ural emergency. We are asking you to do in a conscious And if you don't come tomorrow and I do not do a good job emergency. That is what we are asking. We are asking you to and then a week later you are going to hit the wall; and it is breathe the same way. not required. The thing is to get rid of the junk, stay clean, Normally, in three minutes, your aura should totally get going, enjoy your life. Powerful! I mean powerful, fast. change; but you are just practicing it, you are not doing it. I Quick. Quick, quick. Could you stand up and show them how want the breath to be done by the pull of the diaphragm. (He quick you can do and that they are human beings too, and at demonstrates a powerful quick pull from the diaphragm.) That is least they can learn from you. (Student demonstrates how fast the what I want. I want it to hit deep. (After students practice a hands can rotate.) They only think they know. Is it possible? minute he stops them and explains.) You know one thing. I This is what I want. Come on. No he is not joking, he is real- know why people do not practice Kundalini Yoga. Now I really doing it, I can understand. Come on, come on, come on.

Your nostrils will start having pressure on ida and pingala if between sixty and seventy percent. (Has assistant find Har you really do this exercise faster. You will create a very impul- singh nar singh, neel narayan, guru sikh guru sikh har har gayan sive state here right on the both sides where ida and pingala by Nirinjan. Music is played briefly then switched to “Beloved” by starts. That is all we want. We don't want to harass you. Singh Kaur. This song is very etheric and light.) [Editor’s Note: This Actually we want that pressure. The moment the nose starts is a case where he searches for the right tape to use based on aura. showing a little red color in the aura. That is what we want. Selects Har Singh then switches energy to deep relaxed projection.] Keep up just a little more. We want a light pink color, it is Let the body adjust and relax. Mentally go with the sound not right yet. Hurry up, hurry up. You are cheating. This is not but don't utter a word. good. I don't have time. I have called for my hot pizza and I Please start doing the breath of fire as powerfully as you have to eat it at five minutes to nine, whether you take the can. Quick, quick, quick, use the diaphragm. Open up the class or not is your problem. Hurry up. Don't waste my food. cells of the lower lungs for God's sake. Live full. Give the Come on, quick. I have ordered today from California Pizza energy you need. Very good. Put your hands up and clap as kitchen a special pizza with basil on it, so I mean business. powerfully as you can, powerful, powerful. Fast, fast. Move (Students laugh.) Come on quick. Even sometimes I tell them faster than that. Come on for God's sake. Move fast. All what to do. What kind of teacher I am, I don't know. Hurry right, all right. up, hurry up. Ha, ha, ha. Hurry up. Fast. Just become a little Thank you and move those three fingers and make the cir- more tense and that will work. I want the big nose. They call cle again as we did. Remember that. The sun finger and those it clown nose. Your nose will become big like this on your three fingers, move fast. Because you understand it is not aura and that is all I want. It is only little yet. It is not work- good to create energy and not then circulate it into the body. ing. Hey you! Come on blue turban. Hurry up. Fast. The bad Then it is wrong. Return to normalcy. Keep going. Come on, people who sit over there, they think I can't see but aura is you have done very well. I said, “You have done well, you above you. Little more. See, he is doing it. Watch it. Okay believe me. If I said, you have done bad, you believe me.” inhale deep and please lock your hands like this in the heart No, no that is not. Move fast. You don't understand. Time is center and start meditating. Inhale deep, close your eyes. very, very important factor in this. I don't want to point to Tight!! See, even this sounds. (The gong vibrates from the force somebody and say, “It is a perfect aura.” For just a flip of a of his command voice.) Tighten those hands for God's sake. minute the pressure on that hand lock was loose, for just one Don't let them go. second. I mean that is the problem. Fast, fast, fast. (Exercise three.) Tighten them to the best. Close your eyes All right relax the hands and get to that fast breath we and from the closed eyes look where you feel the tightness started. (Breathing through the mouth quickly as before.) Now of the hands. Angle your eyes that way toward the center of you will do it fearlessly I can understand. Come on—all the energy you have created with those tight hands. Tight. And way from the tailbone. There is a tailbone underneath. Pull it angle it from the closed eyes. And get vast, vast as the sound from there. Hold on, hold on, you have got to move your tail- of the gong pulls you out of your body. (Yogi Bhajan plays bone which is the first, lowest vertebra and if you pull it real- the gong.) Keep the grip. Tighten the grip. It will carry you ly you will feel there something. Come on. Okay, okay. automatically if you keep the grip tight and optical nerve seen Diaphragm, diaphragm—move it. And relax. through the closed eye. Remember you have got to go Now, I do not know what I have done and you do not through the journey yourself. Tighten it, tighten the grip! know what you have done; but just go in your mind about Relax the grip, relax the grip. Let the grip go. (Continues thirty, forty minutes back in time before you did this, that you gong more lightly and deeper sound.) Let the body now relax can do, and just feel yourself and find out how you feel now. with it. Keep meditating. Please let the grip go. Separate the Make no concession to me. That’s how much it takes to hands. Body will automatically adjust to the changes. Please clean your garbage. It is an initiation to get into the house let it happen. Relax. Striking time was two minutes, projec- and clean it. Tomorrow we will see, what the garbage collection time was at the three and a half cycle capacity, result tors will come and get. (Yogiji laughs.)

You know, we have initiated it only with the idea that you Yoga is the union between man and God, within the God will go through it for a day. When you come tomorrow, do and within the man; and there are no two opinions about it. me a favor, do not have anything in your stomach except liq- But the test of it, after all, everything has a test, an examina- uids. I will personally ask you—I don't know how regular you tion, the test of it is when the time hits you, time and space— are—but I will expect you to go on some kind of mild laxa- time hits you and space fixes you—at that time if your answer tive so that in your capacity as a human being you may be is kindness from the heart and compassion from the head, reassured that you are clean. It is important. We are going there is no saint greater than you; there is no God but you; through this series on a relationship of faith. You trust me. I and there is no truth but you. These are the virtues of an ordi- trust you. You come here to learn from me. God has given nary grassroots human being. You can tell me I am idiot, me the privilege to serve you. I don't play that game of, “I thank you. You can tell me I am wisest, thank you. You tell have got you and you have got me.” You don't get me; I me I am a sage, thank you. You tell me you are nothing, or don't get you. It is just a simple privilege to serve you; and everything, it doesn't make sense. That is all it is about. If you it is a privilege to honor that somebody touched me and I are in love and you are not kind and you have a romance and learned it and I enjoyed it and I still recall and relish those you are not compassionate, you are just an animal. experiences. The problem with me and you is that I must make you Capacity of the man is not that he can catch God by a tail. understand that the problem is not between you and some- Capacity of man is not that he can create miracles. Capacity body—the problem is you and within you. Problem? I have of a man is not that he is most successful; he is beautiful; he nothing to do with who does what to you and what you do is a multimillionaire. He is president of the whole world and to them. This is not an idea. The question is: God made you. world bows to him. Capacity of a man depends on two God made you. He made you rotten or he made you the best. things—two things. When it is impossible, according to that He couldn't do better than this. So you are the best identity person, when it is impossible, his heart is kind and his head and psyche created by God. You are a prostitute or you are a is compassionate. There is nothing beyond that. Heart is kind. goddess. You are the holiest and you are the most unholy. Kindness and compassion are the two things which guaran- That has nothing to do with the circumstances. You are what tee your strength. There is no such thing as God. It is a gim- you are and then within you, what you are. No questions mick if you produce it, anyway. It is a reality if you dispense asked. There are two things which shall totally test you. It is it in a simple way. You must be kind and compassionate when time and space. At a certain given time, at a certain space or it is absolutely by all standards not possible. in certain environments, when by your standards, not by Do you understand what God is? God is not twenty God's standards or my standards or anybody standards, but hands and sixteen legs and an elephant nose and Allah lives by your standards it is impossible, at that time if you are kind on seventh story and God lives on thirteenth story and Ram at heart and compassionate at head, then you have already lives under the backyard. All this is just to teach us that A is found God. Whether you mend tires or you run 1600 apple, B is book, C is cat, D is dog. Neither D is dog nor dog Pennsylvania Avenue. It makes no difference. The fulfillment is D. It is a learning process. Graduation? When do you get is yours. Everything is within you. If God would have want- your PhD? When by all standards of your capacity, your intel- ed something outside of you, he should have created some- ligence, your intuition, your ego, your identity, it is impossi- thing outside of you. He couldn't. He didn't because he ble, and you are kind at heart and compassionate at head— doesn't know better. It is all within you and each one of you. you have found God. Otherwise you are Mr. Bogus and you How rotten you are or how great you are, you have that are hocus-pocus and you talk religion and reality and you capacity to experience. read books and you lecture. You do everything! You have a [Editor’s Note: Video ends here. Remainder of lecture is edited meditation practice and you have seen the Avtaras and you and provided from the archived transcript.] You know we carry have seen the Samskaras and you have seen—you know—it is tons of garbage in our head and we do not know what we all jerk yoga. It has nothing to do with anything. are carrying. Only later on things fall apart and then we say,

“I don't know.” The first time in United States when some- he not know, when every question has an answer in it? If body told me, “I don't know,” I had the shock of my life. I somebody is asking you, “Do you love me or you don't?” Just am telling you honestly. I did not know before that that a per- say “I don't.” But you say half and half, maybe, sometimes son can answer like that. You are really free people, absolute- not. You can say something. The answer comes out as, “I ly loose. All you have to say is one thing, “I don't know.” don't know.” Will you go to dinner with me? “I don't know.” Then you think there is nothing anybody can do to you. Will you call me tomorrow? “I don't know.” When they say What you are really saying to another person is “Be dead.” that just watch their face. Sometimes it looks like a monkey, That is all you are saying. When a person does not commu- sometimes it looks like a bear. You will find one very spe- nicate or communicates in a vernacular language of his own cialized animal exactly coming through their face. I mean, I mind or choice in which he does not communicate; it exact- am not kidding. It is reincarnation. People ask if there is a ly means one thing only, “Be dead.” It doesn't mean more, reincarnation or not, I don't discuss it. I discuss reincarnation it doesn't mean less. And I think on average during the day like this; don't talk to her, she is a snake. Well there is a rein- I hear it five to ten or twenty times. “I don't know.” And they carnation right there. You don't have to look at a snake and say it with such a style. determine that it’s a snake. A person is being called a snake There is a friend of mine in India. He wrote me question because of their behavior, their habits, their treatment and all on health. I said, “I am very glad to see you” and all that. that. No, no, that all is not needed. All that is needed is two The letter came through a personal friend. He never thought things, compassion is your art and kindness is your science. that my secretary would even give me the letter. I said, And then you can get your PhD in sainthood. You have to “Okay.” He asked me, “What you have learned in the West? process yourself first by cleaning, cleansing, marbleizing What is the best thing you have learned in the West? Please (adding marble to a temple to honor its sacredness), lifting tell me.” I wrote on the letter itself, on the other side of it. I your values up and then lifting yourself up. said, “These people are freer than free will itself. All they have Take it or leave it, it is your choice I do my best. May the to say is, ‘I don't know,’ and they get out of everything and long time sun shine upon you. Guide your way on to your anything. It is very difficult to look at them and still smile. homes and I am going to go to my pizza party because I have Thank God, I have kindness and compassion as the very called the little ones. I just wanted to play with the kids, First maximum part of me.” I play with these kids, you are divine kids, and they are super I have lived through it. When I came to this country I was divine kids because they are real kids. So see you tomorrow almost forty years old. I have never heard in my life any at about seven forty-eight or something. human being saying, “I don't know.” I mean it is impossible, Good night. it can't be imagined that a person doesn't know. What can

© 2006 Kundalini Research Institute KRI INTERNATIONAL TEACHER TRAINING LEVEL 2 • MIND & MEDITATION STUDY GUIDE • 69 MIND & MEDITATION • STUDY GUIDE a KUNDALINI YOGA MEDITATION KRIYA TO CLEAR OUT YOUR MENTAL PARANOIA

Yogi Bhajan • February 21, 1989

3 & 7

70 • KRI INTERNATIONAL TEACHER TRAINING LEVEL 2 • MIND & MEDITATION STUDY GUIDE © 2006 Kundalini Research Institute MIND & MEDITATION • STUDY GUIDE KUNDALINI YOGA MEDITATION a KRIYA TO CLEAR OUT YOUR MENTAL PARANOIA

4. Meditate with the hands gripped at the heart center. Right hand over 4 left, grip tightly. Eyes are closed and focused at the hands. [Gong is played.] 7 minutes.

6. Begin Breath of Fire. 30 seconds. Now begin to clap the hands over the head—fast and powerful! 30 seconds.

7. Repeat Exercise #3. 1 minute. 5 8. Repeat Exercise #1: Powerful Paranoia Breath. Move the tailbone. Pull it. 1 minute.

9. Repeat Exercise #2: Breath of Fire through rounded mouth. 15 seconds.

10. Relax.

Recommendation: Drink juice and liquids after this meditation. No solids. Also drink lots of liquids on the following day.

Comments: This meditation is to jerk out the jerk in you. 6

Chapter FIVE Study Questions & Projects

1. Comment, in your own way, on the quote by Yogi Bhajan: 4. Yogi Bhajan informs us that the mind always plays games “I do understand where the pain and the problems are in life. with the ego. Our mind is subject to the many thoughts gen- Let us put two and two together. Soul is deep and dormant. erated automatically by our physiology and our innate drives. Mind is shallow and yellow.” This could be a painting, a If we watch the thoughts as they flow through our mind, we poem, an essay, or simply an insight. Don’t limit your mode become aware of how many are put there by society, parents, of expression in reflecting what this statement means to you. the Cosmos, and other people. As he puts it, we are sensitive and we are brainwashed. Observe your own mind in 2. Again, comment on this quote from Yogi Bhajan: meditation for 15 to 31 minutes. What thoughts and feelings “Whatever comes from your mind will be faster than you can are projected by your mental games? What things do you understand and so shallow that you can walk into it . . . that find you automatically dislike or hate? What things do you is what the mind does. Mind is quick. Mind is actually a con- absolutely feel you must have? tact between you and God, without you even knowing it. It Think of somebody that you know. Meditate on them can make you feel you are nothing. It can make you feel you briefly and sense your own sensations about them. Then are everything.” Give an example of how this applies to you meditate deeply and noticed each of your impulses and men- personally in your life. What does Yogiji identify as most sig- tal games but don't react to them. When you feel very steady nificant for practical living and happiness in this quote? and clear under the onslaught of your subconscious mental games, meditate again on that same person. What changes 3. The use of the gong is a central technique in Kundalini in your perception of that person? Yoga. What cautions in the use of the gong do you need to abide by as a teacher? In your experience, how does the gong 5. We use many techniques of meditation in our tradition of interlock the mind? Just as each language has an innate gram- Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan. We do sit very still mar and meaning, so do the language of the gong and music and calmly as many people expect of yoga and meditation. have a grammar and impact. What are the best ways for you However, we also do such things as Paranoid Breath. In that to learn and be sensitive to the syntax, grammar and mean- exercise we are active, provocative and stimulating. Explain ing of the sound of the gong? If the teacher plays the gong why such techniques are so effective. When you practice this without such sensitivity, what is the impact of the sound? technique and then go into deep stillness, how does it differ from simply sitting and becoming still? How does this relate to our nature in which we have polarity, unity and infinity? Some people like these techniques, some don't. As a student, should you only choose those meditations that you like? What special benefits do you gain in the practice of meditations which are inherently provocative? How can they serve you in your everyday life?

6. One concept of meditation is that it cleans out the garbage of the subconscious. Another concept of meditation is that it is the capacity to use compassion in your life. An especially provocative concept of meditation is that it is essentially the union between the human and God both within the God and within the human. Is it enough just to meditate on being compassionate? Is it enough to cultivate this positive neutral emotion? Is it enough to clean out the garbage of the subconscious? How do these three orientations relate to each other in the fullness of what we mean by meditation and being human?

Exercise: With your partner or in your group, have someone ask you questions about how you feel; about your opinion on things that you are both familiar and unfamiliar with; about how you perceive them, the person asking the questions. In each case, respond with a simple phrase: “I don't know.” Pause meaningfully and with sensitivity between each question. Continue on as the questioner poses 10 to 15 questions in all. Then become still for a moment. Sense within yourself what happens to you and your experience of yourself as you continue to say: “I don't know.” Now consider what Yogi Bhajan has taught us about our natural ability to be real with ourselves and to use our intuitive knowledge in each moment. Discuss how it feels to continually say “I don't know” and why Yogi Bhajan was so insistent that we not make this a mental or emotional habit in the face of the challenges of our life.

CHAPTER SIX

The committed Mind: Effective Action & Happiness

develop your mental strength An Experience with Yogi Bhajan

September 12, 1989

THE SUBJECT IS VERY FINE, THIS WEEKEND. The subject is ing, the blood runs from inside to outside to defend the body “Getting it together and your mental strength.” We as peo- temperature, which flushes the capillaries and keeps you ple take certain things as automatic, such as breathing, the young. A cold shower is to maintain youthfulness, that’s heart beating, circulation, the brain computing, body devel- what a cold shower is for; and a cold shower is not one oping, getting sick, getting well. For as much time as we minute; it takes about half an hour. Stand there and keep on spend on our physical body, we spend very little in propor- massaging until you become hot. Otherwise, don’t take a tion to our mind. To the Western world to meditate is a very, cold shower. Otherwise it’s useless, and defeats the purpose. very, new thing: Why meditate? Why do we have to sit Take a cold shower, get hurt, massage your body, go again, down? It’s very difficult. It is so difficult that for the past get hurt less, massage your body, get hurt again, a little less; twenty years, I have met a brick wall. In the West, nobody it will take three to four times depending on your circulation. understands that meditation is just taking a bath in the morn- One cold shower a day can keep the capillaries open. And ing. Why take a cold shower? Why not hot water when it is then, afterwards they say a shawl has to be on the shoulders, available? We are Americans. Oh, we know you are around the neck, and wrapped all over; and it should be Americans. That’s not what we are talking about. warm, then you sit with crossed legs. The Jews used to know The fact is that when you take a cold shower in the morn- about the importance of the shawl. The yarmulke and the

shawl have become so small, but at one time they knew the your God given gift of the negative mind. God gave you the significance of being covered. What does that do? Not much, negative mind, that’s the first mind you deal with. That is but it takes all the blood from the outer areas to the inner your initial mental strength. The negative mind tells you, organs and strengthens them. “Uh-oh, watch out, there is danger for you”—that’s it—creat- So it is a very nurturing situation for the body, mind and ing ideas and doubts, which the mind reinforces. The intel- soul. But it is the mental strength we talk about mostly; and lect gives you thoughts and the mind reinforces the negative if you go to all the spiritual traditions, there are one or two thoughts, it’s the job of the negative mind. Without that, no hidden ways to develop mental strength. Jews have Kabala human being can live. It is a requirement to be negative. It’s and the Menorah meditation, which is called “Traatik,” not that because God gave you right of life and as long as which they don’t know. I have taught it to rabbis. They say, you have the right of life, you should only think negative. well, it’s a Menorah, you know, we burn candles, we pray. First thing is to think negative. Is that all? Yes for majority of Christians burn candles in church; they don’t know why they the people, 95.6 percent of people think negative and get are burning them. Why are you burning candle wax, what struck with it. That’s how we live. Then to get rid of the neg- for? For light. What does it have to do with a person? Why ative mind, its uncomfortable thoughts and feelings, we have do you burn a candle and waste money? For light? Yeah, to drink, we have to dance, we have to socialize, we have to those days, there was nothing; we used to burn candles, it’s take crack and cocaine, we have to drink more, smoke mari- understandable. And we used to have a candelier, now we juana, have sex. Ninety-nine point nine percent of all our call it chandelier. We put thirty, forty candles, bring it down activities are to get rid of the negative mind. Yet we must also and pull it up and let it burn and at night, we put them out. keep on developing it, it is a God given gift, it’s a must in Now it’s a luxury—switch on, switch off. And sometimes we life, also. That’s part of our mental strength. even have electric candles. How is it a strength? When it is used with the other parts But the strength of the mind which we are very proud of of the mind—positive to neutral—when the negative mind is not in the body, and not in our knowledge. It is not what tells you what is negative, can you ask the positive mind we know; it is not what we have. Then what is it? It is in what is positive? No, most of the time without training, the switching gears from a negative mind to a positive mind to a subconscious will take up all the fears and the complexes to neutral mind. It’s a very simple process. If a person does not tell you the negative mind is right. Everybody gets lost in this train himself or herself in those gears, life is lost. It doesn’t game. That’s why there are divorces; that’s why you can’t matter whether you are a Sikh or a Muslim or a Hindu or a love; that’s why you rape each other; that’s why you call each Christian or a Jew; it doesn’t matter if you are a millionaire or other names. The whole world is based on this simple sub- you are a pauper. It doesn’t matter whether you are beautiful conscious reinforcement. They call it a mental reinforcement. or ugly—that doesn’t matter either. You are wise or foolish— Negative mind tells you negative things; positive mind puts that doesn’t matter either. If you do not know how to switch up everything negative from the subconscious, from the those three gears and you happen to be wise and powerful, memory and says, “Wait a minute.” you will do more damage than anything else. You will be more We have two witnesses: the subconscious and memory. dangerous. Can you imagine a man driving a car and getting You start to remember things: in 1976 this happened; you stuck in fourth gear and that’s it? Can you believe how mis- know, in 1932 it was in the newspapers; and you know, 200 erable that would be? Or once you start a car, you get into years ago, in the history of United States, I read that some- reverse gear and there is nothing you can do about it? Can thing like that happened, and so on. You go on reinforcing you believe what that can do to you? Can you believe, if an the negative mind with memory and the subconscious. airplane with five hundred people tries to go upward and Unfulfilled dreams, unfulfilled records of your life, they join instead it goes nose down and you have no way to stop it? together with the negative mind and reinforce it and that’s Every accident in your life, any destruction to you or to the only use of the positive mind you have. any person because of you, is because you are only using Positive mind is not meant to touch the subconscious.

Anybody whose subconscious memory is related to the pos- and say, ‘Oh, in meditation, I enjoyed myself, it was so bliss- itive mind is unswervingly negative. And that’s why the ful.’ You know what I say inside, “Oh, God.” [Yogi Bhajan majority of us are negative. Your mind shows you, “This is shakes his head]. I don’t want to say that word because I am negative,” then what is the other side of the coin? That’s the a holy man, but you understand, it starts with an ‘S’, because positive; the positive mind. After seeing both sides of the no meditation can really just be beautiful, wonderful and coin there is one more step. Without any help from memo- blissful. ry and the subconscious there is a third part where you have You know what meditation is? Meditation is like cleaning to go: it is called the neutral mind. What should you do? You the cesspool. Have you seen a cesspool? Have you gone to cannot do anything in life by negative mind or positive mind, where the city sends all used up things, its waste? Meditation by negative thought or by positive thought, by negative emo- is opening up the lid on the cesspool and cleaning it out. All tion or positive emotion, you can’t do a thing. You can’t perpetual thoughts, unused perpetual thoughts in the sub- move. Instead first, don’t move, be still and complete the conscious, all samskaras, penetrating thoughts of the past, all process, the study. And to complete that entire study, you focal and vocal thought created by the galaxy itself, all that only have nine seconds. If you cannot conclude the entire which acts together on you, you deal with it meditatively and mental strategy in nine seconds and be absolutely, actively clean yourself out by using a mantra. Negative thought is this prepared for it, that part of the confrontation of life, thought, way (Yogiji indicates a minus sign), mantra goes that way (Yogiji form, situation or facet has been lost. Have you seen certain indicates a vertical dash that crosses the minus sign), cuts it, people? You ask them question, “What is this? I am talking make it a plus. Finally, after a long, long habit of meditation, to you, what is that? Can you not talk to me?” Hum, that’s the negative thoughts can be rinsed out very clearly. You it—nine seconds are gone and it is lost! Whatever reply know you get off of the toilet seat, then you press the lever comes to you after that will be a lie. It will be in self-defense and in a minute everything goes out with the water. Your and it will be totally to save face for the situation at that time. bathroom is clean. There is no other remedy for the mind Don’t we all do that? Yes, we do. than meditation which is just like that bathroom in every- That’s why with all the wealth, all the richness, all the one’s house. Meditation is nothing but taking a mental show- clothing, all the love, all the sex, all the drinks; with every- er, cleaning yourself, and answering the call of nature with a thing, with every religion, with biggest church in the world mantra. Answering the call of nature, that’s mantra. And and synagogue and temple, the Yogis, the Swamis, the what is mantra? Doesn’t matter what happened or how neg- Priests, the spiritual teachers; the courses, and seminars, and ative it may be, a man will say, Wahe Guru, Wahe Guru. It colleges, universities; we are all sick because we have not is irrelevant what he is going through. You can say anything learned how to have our mental transmission—how to switch for this, Sat Nam, one, seven, take any word, it doesn’t mat- through the three minds. Plus, there are eighty-one areas of ter. You can redirect your mind and its thoughts. the mind which work at the same time: mental integration, For the full impact on your subconscious, pick that one mental correlation, mental alternation, mental speculation, word which you think has the vibration that can control your mental penetration, many mental parts and facets. Eighty-one five tattvas and correlate to your intensified life and relax it areas work at the same time. The mind and its functions is so that you can understand your life. If it does this, it is not a small game. It’s a reality of life. It is what defines us as called mantra: the resounding sound of self-esteem—resound- human. The human is very unexplored, virgin territory. The ing sound of self-esteem. Mantras are not something you can human mind has not been touched. The human brain is just pick up. In the west they say, if you repeat, “one, one, being found out now; they talk about it, explore it and see it one,” that is a mantra. Yes, The sound Ek is a mantra. The with new scientific tools. In all this there are certain things Sanskrit/Punjabi sound Ek is a mantra we translate into in the human mind which meditation can do and do excep- “one.” But try to understand how it works. If you don’t take tionally well. a bath, for a long time, say a couple of weeks you are in trou- All the people I have seen so far in my life come to me ble. If you don’t go to the bathroom, you get constipated, or

78 • KRI INTERNATIONAL TEACHER TRAINING LEVEL 2 • MIND & MEDITATION STUDY GUIDE © 2006 Kundalini Research Institute MIND & MEDITATION • STUDY GUIDE you can’t even urinate and there are no urinals around, what anybody have an old car? No, you can’t even enjoy the joke. state would your physical body be in? If you drive a wobbling car, you turn your steering wheel and Now, just imagine that is your mental state. You can’t drive one direction the car goes the other way; it has its own give yourself that sense of ease you seek; and you can’t clean situation going on. And it shakes like an old man. And the yourself. It is that inner stink which makes life unfulfilled and Guru describes this state like that of an old man: miserable and that is where everybody goes berserk. You feel emptiness, you feel unhappy, you feel angry, anger makes you Sir kampio pag dagmagai, nain jot tay heen numb, you react, you become revengeful, you get upset and - Guru Tegbahadur, Siri Guru Granth Sahib, p. 1428 you lay your stuff on one another. You become hysterical, The eyes can’t see, head shakes and body shakes you have nightmares. Then your life is like one long class: and hand shakes you love, you promise, it is not good, then you promise it is good, then you say, I will do it, then you don’t do it. Every Sir kampio pag dagmagai: feet go one left other right and the weakness in your mind is because you are not in touch with man is still walking, feeling alive. It is unfulfilled. But here, your neutral mind. you think you are strong if you are physically strong. You are Neutral mind is when you are not bound down by the not strong mentally, and your mental clarity is not there. negative force or the positive force, then you are the force. If Normally you want gem quality in everything. Yet your mind you are looking for God, there is no such thing! It doesn’t is the foggiest mind . . . matter how religious you are, you have no real touch of God, no experience, until you become neutral. In the face of neg- Es mann ko janam janam ki melh lagay kala hoya sa. ative and positive vibrations, you remain neutral. When the pair of the opposites does not affect you and a higher alti- “This mind has come to the court of blackness and black- tude is received from infinity and the personality becomes so ness and blackness; it has no clarity to see.” Human life is dominant and so radiant that one can understand, “Within given to see through that gem of the mind and see through all, All is, and the effectiveness of all becomes One,” that’s the light of God. The Menorah, in which there are lit candles, God. It is not what you think God is. I have met a lot of peo- is the symbol of that. That is the mental strength. ple. I have not wasted my life. I am very happy about what With mental strength you can process a thought. All I have gone through. Yes, suffering, hardships, negativity, right, this is my negative. Now, what is the positive? And this slander, insults, abuse, that’s all the experience of earth. is the positive of this negative. What is neutral? This is the Compare it with the joy of uplifting people, elevating people, neutral of the negative and positive. Now, the majority of making them happy, helping them plan, helping them to neu- people who cannot think right and get struck with the ideas tralize their depression and make an impression so that they of their negative mind are very rude in their conversation. can have happiness in their life. That’s worthwhile. That’s the They cannot understand that rudeness and abusive language worth. is only made to wake-up somebody, not to curse somebody— You do not need an outside enemy; you have your own it has a positive use. Abuse is a shocking language. It can nightmares, your own fears, your own insecurities, your own only be used when somebody is totally deliberately asleep aggressiveness. You don’t even have to worry. And some of and you are interested in waking him up. A mother does it you in the Western world, I have realized, and now also it is to a child, a teacher does it to a student and God does it to same situation with the Eastern world, you believe that humanity. It is just a thunderbolt, lightning, like a storm: This money can buy everything. However, money cannot buy Mother Nature has a language which we cannot even under- meditation. Money cannot buy that experience and without stand. The earth starts shaking, there are earthquakes, that experience you are nobody. You will wobble. How many destruction—it is nothing but to shake you up. They say, of you have had a wobbling car experience? When it wob- symbolically, there is an ox. On the two horns of that ox are bles you want to fix or change your car very soon, yes? Does the negative and positive, negative mind and positive mind.

The earth stands between these two horns, a ball. And when divinity and song and music heard: it is the harmony and the the ox gets tired and falls onto his forelegs, he shakes the music of All that all is. Call on it anyway you like: call it in horns and the earth trembles. Whether there is an ox or not, poetic form, call it in a medical form, call it in a mathemati- we don’t care. Whether there are horns or not, we don’t care. cal form, call it in a religious form, these are all expressions. The fact is, the earth trembles. And when the earth trembles, The mind has to be neutral. Otherwise, you don’t have a there is an earthquake. mind and you cannot mind your own business and you can- Go and watch the history of San Francisco, see what hap- not get peace of mind, if you have no neutral mind. The idea pened there. Do you know in your life, within every two and will then be, you start a fire, put wood on it, and it burns; a half hours, by the change of the dominant nostril, there is put more wood on it, it burns more; put more wood on it, a small earthquake—about three point five, four point five, burns more; desire after desire, one day you will be con- five point two? Did you know that? Every human being goes sumed. That shall be end of you, without ever knowing through turmoil and earthquakes in their behavior within the where you are going. In the end, the subtle body will take space–time of two and a half hours because after two and a the soul with the strength of the neutral mind’s development half hours the nostril changes. You don’t notice, right? You to go to the infinity of God. You need three things at that don’t even know. It’s true. Your behavior pattern, if you do time: you need the soul, which is always there; you need the not know how to change gears to the neutral mind, shall give subtle mind, which is always there; and the subtle body. you an adverse attitude in your projection within two and a Nothing goes with you if your subtle body does not. And half hours; you will be out of gear, out of rhythm, out of har- how and where will you go? With the strength of the neu- mony and out of self-esteem, self-thought, self-respect, self- tral mind you go into the unbiased God’s land, to ever shin- fulfillment and self-confidence. Everything positive within the ing, ever living, all potent, omnipresent, God—that one God. self will become shaky within you. People normally say, ‘Oh, It is not your God of Los Angeles and New York; not the God because I was greedy; oh, because I was not thinking; oh, of Rome or Greece; not the God of Sikhs, Hindus, Moslem, that’s not true.’ These are only our expressions. For the neg- Jews and Christians; not the God of the Buddhist; not the ative mind to work for you in a positive way, it must be God of the Yogis, Swamis and the Nadas or Siddhas; It is that brought through to the neutral mind. God which has form and no form, which has light and no Meditation does not mean that we will get rich and we light, which exists but doesn’t exist, which is now and are going to shake hands with God. What does that mean if never—that God. Where there is no polarity, no sides, no divi- it happened? Nothing. If God shakes hands with me every sions, no section, no plus, no minus, zero, shuniya—that morning, what happens? I suddenly get sixteen fingers? What God. Can you be that neutral? Can you think in neutral, can is all this about? Man was told that God is infinite. Man was you act in neutral, can you rationalize in neutral, can you phi- told there is one God, the creator, because man is the cre- losophize in neutral? ator. So he was told not to be a multiple creator, him and For example, mother is stuck on the child, ‘It’s my child.’ God, and be diversified, but be one creator and to join in My child, and she takes care of it, she works, she loves, she unisonness. The human being has to work it out. hugs, does the whole thing. The child looks back and smiles When the pair of opposites ceases to work on a man and and in this way the mother teaches dependency to the child. affect him, then that man knows the oneness of Oneness She takes away sovereignty, takes away intuition and makes and that unisonness is what the God experience is about. that child a cripple, absolutely lethargic, dependent idiot. And That is the mental strength. When the relevancy of the cen- yet she calls it love. Well every side has the other side. “Oh, tripetal force and centrifugal forces coordinate and do not cre- she is beautiful, she is wonderful, I love her. God it’s a beau- ate any hiss of the sound and stir of destruction, man finds tiful life, wonderful sex, everything is fine.” When he is adult, the total field. The non-dual, neutral mind senses the infinite. he cannot get up the next morning on his own feet, his legs And the value of that? There is a breeze and fragrance and shake. “Oh, I can’t live without her, I can’t do without her,

it’s impossible, everything is there with her.” Look at how I will give you a rhythm, so that you can do it right. [The blind. We get stuck and jammed so badly, even ordinary beat is played by Yogi Bhajan.] Now stop it. Open up your machines can’t break that way. eyes, behave normally. How do you feel? This is not some- We have no flexibility of mind at all. We can’t switch. thing super spiritual, it’s just a purely physical exercise. You Because we can’t meditate and we can’t clean the garbage. might have done it wrong but if you do this, open this way We don’t clean the mirror so that we can see, through the and meet this way and this way, not this way, just this way, gem quality of it, that light of that infinity in experience. That one side close, one side open, one side close, one side open. is how you get it together, with your mental strength. Then Move it this way, it will create the sound Har. And in that life becomes blissful, then poverty and richness, then beauty sound you keep on correlating and correlating and correlating and ugliness, then nothing and everything, means nothing to and mentally coordinating the sound with it. Synchronize you. mind, attention, action and perception. You will reach an Mitthee kanchan ek samaan. experience where you will see all that garbage start floating The Gold and the earth are the same. through the subconscious. Once you can develop that release, then you have some- Then the thief and the saint look alike to you. Then beauti- thing to clean. If subconscious only releases to you through ful and ugly both look unique to you. That’s the mind and dreams and through nightmares and through the daydream quality of mind we are talking about. Are you ready tonight and the imagination and the speculation and through the to go deep into that mind? projection, you don’t have a chance in your life to be you. Who are you saying you belong to? You belong to nobody. MEDITATION: BUTTERFLY KRIYA You belong to your daydreams; you belong to your night [See end of transcript for complete write-up.] dreams; you belong to your fears; you belong to your Sit on your heels. Sorry if it is a little tough night. If you can’t thoughts, emotions, and feelings. You have never belonged to conveniently sit on your heels and you don’t have that priv- you because you is above all. ilege, it’s all right, try to do your best. Fold your hands like You is not a criteria which is negotiable. You is Dharma. this and keep it open. That is how it will look. Right, under- You is the God. You is the truth. Everything that is, is in you. stand? Good. Butterfly. Move the hands open and closed like But there is something above this: ultimate experience, ulti- a butterfly. It will create the sound, Har, Har, if you really do mate reality, ultimate truth, ultimate light. You can see it, that it right. That’s where the sound Har came from—Har, Har. It light, you can see through the gaze of your mind and you will create this if you accurately take pavan, the air, between can see your soul. That is how you get it together, through the palms as they meet—it will create the sound Har. It’s a your mental strength. That is how you find God, through natural thing. Close your eyes, look at the tip of your nose, your mental strength. That is how you find experience, and create the sound and create it in harmony. Mentally the through your mental strength. Is that understandable? sound is Har, physically the sound is Har, concentrate. Some You have any questions? We did it for eleven minutes. of you doing it wrong, let me check you. Open up, stop. See Did you feel any rhythm between your physical and your this hand is open this way and this is closed right. You fol- mental activity? Can you do it for sixty two minutes at home? low? And what we do is this. We don’t open like this. This Yes or no? remains one side, you know, two sides of the triangle. One Students: Yes, sir. side and two sides of the triangle are equal, then the trian- Yogi Bhajan: Don’t do it for me. It’s not my prerogative. gles are equal. That’s geometry, did you study it? No. I have done it all my life. I realized, when I was very young, (Students laugh.) Very good. Open only one side, the pinky that if I do not know me, why am I cheating people, why am side. I lying to people, what am I saying to people? I don’t know

me and me is talking? Which one is talking, me or I? When is realized, ‘Thou’ sits in it. And that’s the state of ecstasy I is talking, me is not talking. I talk, me doesn’t. I don’t know called turiya stage. me. You are not confused by what I am saying? You make love with ‘I.’ You talk through ‘I,’ you have expectations May the longtime sun shine upon you through ‘I,’ you have everything through your imagination of All love surround you ‘I.’ You have absolutely not opened the Third “Eye” and you And the pure light within you have no ‘Me.’ Guide your way on.

Palach palach sagalee mu-ee jhootai dhandhai mo-ho Yogi Bhajan: Now guide your way on to one thing, we -Guru Arjan, Siri Guru Granth Sahib, page 133 have reached the state of life and we want to clean it out. Everybody dies suffering in false entanglements with worldly things. Guide your . . . Students: Guide your way on. False love—it is just ‘palach palach,’ it is in-between itself. Yogi Bhajan: You know why we fold our hands? [prayer There is no realism, there is no reality, nobody knows any- pose] To neutralize our magnetic field. We greet each other body. You think you know anybody? Yes, you know the ‘I’ of on neutral grounds. When we do this, this is no man’s land; everybody, but you don’t know the ‘Me’ of anybody because when this is it [left hand up at the navel; right hand open ‘I’ doesn’t know its own ‘Me’. Then you are saying “me”: why and up beside face] it is the blessing, when this is it [left is this man divorcing “me?” Why is this man in love with hand on the heart; right hand open and up beside the face], “me?” Why is this man negative to “me?” Why is this man it is grace. Sometime I will teach you those languages. When positive to “me?” What else can they do? That’s all they we do this, when we shake hands, it is a welcome, it is an know. Rock has to strike against a rock and it creates a spark. exchange of energy. My right and your right meet. These Sometimes it burns the whole jungle, doesn’t matter. It’s a human body languages are just to accommodate each other, continuous process from century to century. one psyche into another psyche, one psyche out of another psyche; but there is a mind, too. Ay man mayri-aa, too sadaa raho har naalay We’ll continue, thank you very much, God bless you, Har naal raho too man mayray, dookh sabh visaarnaa Sat Nam. Angeekaar oho karay tayraa, kaaraj sabh savaarnaa Sabhanaa galaa samarath su-aamee, so ki-o manaho visaaray Kahai Naanak man mayray, sadaa raho har naalay - Guru Amar Das, Anand Sahib Oh, my mind, remain with the God always. If you remain with God, then all the pain and the disease and everything will be gone. That one who moves your limbs and gives you the strength to live by, that’s the one who will adjust your affairs. Oh my mind, why do you lose the one God, who is capable and competent of all what all that is. Sayeth Nanak, oh my mind, remain with God all the time. That’s what Nanak is. Not the Nanak we represent. Nanak saw within his inner eye, the Third Eye, the ‘Me.’ And from ‘Me,’ it is very easy to see ‘We.’ And the moment ‘We’

Yogi Bhajan • September 12, 1989

POSTURE: Sit on your heels.

MUDRA: Bring the heels of your hands together in front of the throat— making a V with your hands. The four fingers are together and the thumbs are touching and stretched back toward the body.

EYES: Closed eyes at the tip of the nose.

TIME: 11 to 62 minutes.

Chapter SIX Study Questions & Projects

1. Yogi Bhajan describes mental strength as the ability to Exercise: From your meditation experience on the nine switch gears smoothly and appropriately between the nega- aspects and your study of our primary text for this course, tive, positive and neutral minds. It is also the ability to notice The Mind, what is your most dominant aspect? What is your when you're not doing this. Many of us as individuals and weakest aspect? Which projections help balance both of as teachers demonstrate our mental strength in normal activ- these? How do your dominant and weakest aspects affect ities and in our roles as a teacher. But when conflicts arise, your projection as a teacher? Share your observation with especially around issues that seem to be valued by society, others in your group. our friends or things we are emotionally invested in, our mental strength seems to disappear. In the United States, the 3. Understanding and cultivating the neutral mind is para- slang for this is a “hot button” or a trigger. It is a very use- mount for a yogi. Without a strong neutral mind it is impos- ful exercise to recognize your hot buttons, learn them from sible to live in the consciousness of non-duality. others and test your own mental strength in the face of them. What is the difference between the neutral mind and a Take a few minutes to survey your own behaviors. Identify detached mind? Can you be neutral and still be fully engaged? three of your hot buttons. How can you practice exerting Can you be fully engaged with something and not have neu- your mental strength so that you have it when you need it— tral mind? If the neutral mind is so central to the yogic con- when those feelings or situations are present? What role sciousness, why bother to develop the negative mind? might others play in helping you develop that strength? 4. To a yogi, the brain is a small part of the mind. To engage 2. When our teacher says the positive mind is not meant to the mind’s full potential, we need the capacity of the neutral touch the subconscious, does he mean no positive thoughts mind in the state of shuniya. The brain and the mind devel- come from the subconscious or does he mean that in the op in concert with each other as we grow up. Part of our dif- face of a negative thought the positive mind is not to rein- ficulty is that we are not trained to use the neutral mind force it by a search of the subconscious? when we're young. Our brain and our neural patterns naturally grow in response to what we sense as our challenge or Exercise: With your partner or your study group develop a our stimulation. sketch of the stages of emotions that we go through in the What kind of parenting styles and environmental situa- meditation process. He tells us several times in this course tions open or close us to our full potential and attuning with that meditation is not being blissful, or dwelling in a positive our neutral mind? thought or feeling. When you meditate deeply and you encounter your subconscious, it's always a bit of a struggle. In fact, in another course he identified twenty-one stages of meditation and explains the experiences a person goes through—the emotions and changes of each stage. How many stages can you identify? Three? Five? Twelve? Why do we not talk extensively about the stages in our normal classes? As a teacher you need to be aware of all the stages and how to guide someone through them.

Journaling: A Journey

The Purpose of Journaling The Goals of Journaling

Yogi Bhajan often asked his students to write on a given 4Discover the meaning of your experiences in and out of topic, to analyze themselves in a self-reflective manner or to the class as they relate to the course focus. journal experiences past or present.

Journaling is one process that let's each of us deepen our 4Connect class experience to real life encounters and your learning so that we can apply it to our life and gain mastery ability to apply your skills with confidence. and wisdom. This is different than simply doing a diary or a descriptive summary of events or personal feelings. These can 4Increase your capacity to step back from the flow of be done without self-reflection, without a shift in perspective, thoughts and feelings to establish a perspective on yourself and without assessing how you could apply the techniques through consciousness. and skills to actual situations. The process we're asking you to engage in is a learning journal. In this process, you will 4Strengthen the habit to process your life with intuitive reflect on your experience with the techniques and perspec- insight and critical assessment. tives developed in the Transformation training. These are the kinds of questions to ask yourself and write about: 4Recognize your blocks and your potential.

What have I learned? 4Instill the values of a Teacher in yourself as you How can I apply this to each area of my life? encounter each area of your life. How does it enhance my ability to teach and serve? Care for and cultivate your Self. Using these techniques, what would I do differently 4 in situations where in the past, I had not applied Make connections between your perceptions, skills and the awareness engendered by the course? 4 concepts within each of the five modules in the How does my experience and learning affect others? Transformation training and certification.

4Take ownership of your growth and establish the perspective that each of these courses is about your personal, interpersonal and transpersonal awakening, not just techniques or ideas.

How to Journal unconscious in an interaction and how you would do it dif- There are many ways to journal. The approach we use here ferently in the future, applying the principles of conscious is to record observations about yourself, the world, your communication. You may write as long as you like. experiences and your practice—reflect on that from multiple perspectives. Use the insights for yourself and share with oth- Second, look over what you just wrote. Now, from the per- ers in your study group or with a mentor. spective of the negative mind, write about the same things. You can choose to use the basics: paper and a writing The negative mind filters experiences to protect you, to rec- instrument. Or use a computer. Or you can even find on-line ognize what is wrong and alert you to error. (free or paid) journals. Pick what is comfortable for you to Third, immediately write about the same experiences from use or what is recommended in your particular training. the perspective of the positive mind. The positive mind filters Other suggestions include: Date each entry; Customize experiences to find opportunity, things you want, ways to each day by adding a quotation by Yogi Bhajan on the topic expand or move forward, and skills, feelings or actions you of your course; Use quotes from various sources to broaden want to use or improve. the scope of your reflections. You will be expected to spend at least 3 hours doing this Fourth, get into your neutral mind. Now, look at both of once your journal is set up. In reality, many students find this these perspectives—the negative and positive minds. The so useful that they spend 30 to 120 hours on average, over neutral mind assesses everything from the perspective of your several months. Journaling is for you, during and after the consciousness, identity, intuition and the short- and long- classroom training. The classroom puts all the ingredients term consequences. Write quickly about what you note from together and turns up the heat, but it is applying the tech- this perspective. Insights, implications, values demonstrated, niques and processing your awareness and feelings that does integrity in your actions, and recognition of positive and neg- the baking. It takes some time, patience, consistency and dis- ative effects. cipline. Do at least 40 days. We recommend 120 days in order to watch the unfolding of your efforts and make the Fifth, go beyond thought for a moment. Enter into the state skills you acquire conscious and seamlessly sewn into your of zero (shuniya) and from You within you, write a comment. life. Many people keep a journal from one course to the next It is a comment between you and yourself. Simple, direct and as they progress through all the Transformation modules to real. It need not be profound or clever, just real within you. be aware of and reflect on all the changes they go through in It is often short. this process of becoming a Teacher. Once you try this process a few times it begins to be easy The format of the journal is a bit unusual. For each day and flows as you turn the facets of each part of your mind you write in five ways: and consciousness to reflect on what you have observed, First, take a few deep breaths. Become still. Open yourself to experienced and done. Many students find it useful to add a everything you felt, observed, imagined and did this day. color code—a border to each perspective: Red for the negative Become open without censorship or editing. Begin to write. mind; green for the positive; blue for the neutral; white for You may flow in your writing. You may jump from experience the shuniya state; and an earthy grey, tan or yellow for the to idea to feeling—as you wish. It is your unique expression. initial first person writing. Write about things, internal and external, that relate to the How you write—in blocks, single flows, poetry, conversa- module content. For example, for Conscious Communication, tions between parts of yourself—is up to you. Each of us has you might note how you spoke with friends, enemies and a style that flows best and expresses ourself. colleagues; how a critical news event involved good or poor Some people are unfamiliar with writing or are shy or communication; what insight you received from reading a unsure. Go beyond your doubts or insecurities—your blocks. familiar scripture or inspirational source; or how you became Journaling is a simple practice to express yourself and observe

you and your life. If you do not know how to start, just start How to Use the Journal writing without precondition. Or pick one event, idea or feel- Doing this journal is a “realtime” process. You are affected by ing to start. Some people prefer a structure and systemati- it as you do it. It is also a reflective process that invites occa- cally ask themselves a number of questions each day as they sional review. Look back over your insights and gauge how scan through their experience. Experiment until you learn well you have progressed in noticing areas you need to what works best for you. If you need inspiration or help, improve, skills you have mastered, and capacities and ideas check with your teacher, study partners or mentor. you have taken into your teaching and daily life. Remember: However you structure your approach to journal- Your journal can also be used for sharing. Sharing can be ing, do it with curiosity, joy, alertness and openness. as simple as extracting insights, events or issues from your One way to assess how well you are matching the objec- notes and engaging a co-student in dialogue so both of you tives of the “learning journal” is to check if you have, in your gain from the experience. If you have a study group you can own way, covered these five questions: take time periodically—every 1-4 weeks—to talk about what you observed, the level of change you have been able to 1. What happened? You wrote descriptions of events, feel- internalize and crystallize in your actions and perceptions, ings, new ideas, issues or situations that apply to the mod- and how to solve problems that arose. You could also decide ule. as a group to engage in a meditation process together to support the development of your core capacities. You can also 2. What are your reactions and behaviors around the event, use your journal as a tool for processing with your mentor. If issue, situation or experience? Examined in terms of negative you are in a course that takes place over several weeks or ses- and positive minds, relate what you observed about your sions, the journal can be invaluable in generating questions own attitudes, feelings and previous knowledge, history or for class discussion. It also helps you formulate how you skills. would teach the topics to students in your personal interac- tions as well as in classes. 3. What is the value of the event, situation, experience or We hope this journey—through journaling—will enrich practice to you as a person, teacher and student? your experience in this module or the Transformation course as a whole and that you will be able to turn again and again 4. What is a new understanding of the event, issue, situation to your reflections in these pages to inform not only your or reaction based on all the above? What have you learned teaching but your life. about awareness and the area of yoga you are studying?

5. How will you approach the same or similar event, situation, or issue in the future? Indicate what new effort, approach or clarity you will apply and what the result would be.