Jnana Yoga
Jnana is wisdom or true knowledge that is received via intuition or
revelation after the seeker or sadhaka has purified the Physical, Astral and
Causal bodies. It is Brahmajnana received only after becoming one
with the ultimate Self in Samadhi.
Jnana Yoga on
the other hand can be practiced until transmission of Jnana is possible.
This can be
practiced by reading authoritative Texts by realised masters on the nature of
reality, Vedanta the Philosophies of Tantra (Shiva/Shakti) Samkhya
(Purusha/Prakriti) etc. and contemplating their inner meaning and implications.
By gradually assimilating this wisdom and pondering their meaning we begin to
formulate some kind of positive philosophy about life itself, its meaning and about its ups and downs.
In my own life
and experience, I can say that for me as an aspirant the most important
knowledge that I have attained are the instructions that I received when I
first met my Guru Paramahamsa Satyananda in 1988. Some of those words struck
such a deep chord that I have felt that those few words spoken with the force
of realisation have carried me through some of the most turbulent years of my
life.
An instruction
or "Sankalpa" received from your preceptor or Master might not make
sense initially, but by contemplating it regularly with faith it can lead one
deep into the Psyche etc. I can honestly say that Paramahamsaji's few words
along with Swami Niranjan's occasionally, help me
focus my motivation and direction and prune back my Ego, which I need
regularly.
Needless to
say Satsang with your Guru is imperative to remove the ignorance, prune the Ego
and also lead one to inner communication with the Guru (Guru Tattwa). This
develops real Jnana, Bhakti, Surrender and Bliss and makes one ultimately a
Jivanmukta Sannyasi or Avadhoota Sannyasin like Paramahamsa Satyananda.
© - Satyam Yoga Centre - August 2000 (Swami Mounamurti
Saraswati)
mailto:satyamyoga.com@bigpond.com
The author grants
the right to use this file only in its entirety and authorship must be
acknowledged