Teachings of Shri Mahayogi
Satsangha, Kyoto, 2019
Eternal Life
• Amida or Amitabha Buddha, the Symbol of Truth
• Renounce Your Own Life to Gain Eternal Life
• For What Purpose and Aim Are You Living Your Life?
Testimonies from Actual Practitioners
• To Have an Aspiration
by Shinji Fukami
September 2020, Matsuyama, Japan
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Teachings of Shri Mahayogi
Translation of Satsangha
Eternal Life
December 7, 2019, Mahayogi Ashrama, Kyoto
Satsangha is being held today amidst a blissful reverberation that can still be felt from Satguru Jayanti, which took place two weeks ago.
Shri Mahayogi arrives a little before the starting time, and takes ample time to gaze tenderly at each and every disciple. No one utters a word and it feels as if only this eternal moment exists, filled with Shri Mahayogi’s blessings.
Reports from Taiwan, Tokyo and Matsuyama are shared: how they were moved by Jayanti, and how they have been since. The disciples, sharing overflowing joy, made a new resolve to continue boldly moving towards the Truth. Shri Mahayogi accepts that resolve with a big smile.
Amida or Amitabha Buddha, the Symbol of Truth
(Ms. Yamada, who is participating for the second time from Tokyo, humbly begins to speak, “Thank you truly for providing this wonderful opportunity to learn.” Shri Mahayogi responds jovially, “Please begin.”)
Ms. Yamada: With regard to meditation, in Shri Mahayogi’s book it is written many times to inquire, “Who am I?” I began to try it, but I feel like oftentimes it somehow ends up easily connecting to the ego side of myself. I was wondering why, and then I read in a book which said, “Amida Buddha abides in the lower dantian (kikai-tanden in Japanese), in the dantian located in the arch of the foot (yo-kyaku-soku-shin in Japanese).” To think of Amida Buddha with all my might, is this a good method for the time being?
MASTER: (after some silence) That is fine. In India, Amida Buddha is called Amitayu or Amitabha.
The name Amitabha means infinite or immeasurable light. It is the expression that symbolizes the Truth as light. On the other hand, in the case of the name Amitayu, it means infinite time, therefore it expresses an infinite amount of years, that is to say, eternity. Either word expresses the Truth, and that is how these names are derived. The form you have all come to know as Amida [in Japan], is modeled after Lord Shakyamuni, Buddha. Therefore, it is fine for you to meditate knowing that Amida’s form symbolizes the Truth itself.
Ms. Yamada: (smiling) I understand. Thank you very much.
(Shri Mahayogi observes Ms. Yamada diligently taking notes in her notebook, then continues after some pause.)
MASTER: By the way, in esoteric Buddhism, the main deity is Dai-nichi-nyorai [in Japanese], Vairocana is the name, and this name symbolizes the rays of the sun.
Ms. Yamada: As time goes by, is it alright to chant different names? For example, at first, I might chant Amitabha, but then at a certain time, sensing something in meditation, might I change to Vairocana?
MASTER: That is not a problem. The substance, or rather, the essence of what is being symbolized, is light, and its substance is the Truth. Therefore, that is not a problem.
Ms. Yamada: (with an expression of her tension released) Yes, I understand. I feel relieved.
MASTER: Is your faith Buddhism?
Ms. Yamada: Yes, through some connection, after I got married, all family members have been familiarized with Buddhism. In Shri Mahayogi’s book, there are many stories about the Buddha, along with gods from India, so I have shared it with my husband and we have been studying together. Thank you so very much.
MASTER: (with extreme joy) Ah! I see. The understanding of Buddhism in Japan is very small, well, honestly, it is like a frog living in a well, [which is an analogy of not knowing what exists outside of a small area yet believing as if it is everything,] but in India and in the world, it is common knowledge that Buddha, Lord Shakyamuni, realized Satori or Awakening through Yoga. Therefore, the core essence [of Yoga and Buddhism] is undoubtedly the same.
Ms. Yamada: (nodding, deeply touched) I understand. Thank you very much.
Renounce Your Own Life to Gain Eternal Life
Ms. Oomori: About life, ever since I became aware of the world as a child, I always felt that it was something obviously within me. However, when it comes to God, I only began to become aware of It a few months ago, so even if I’m taught that it’s within everyone, it doesn’t seem familiar to me. When I think of life, I can understand without any difficulty that it’s the same within everyone, and in flora or fauna, everything exists because of life. I thought then, perhaps God is actually life itself. However, if we get attached to life, then it becomes a pain-bearing obstacle, so it’s different from God. Was life given by God?
MASTER: A holy man from Nazareth once said these words. (in a louder voice) “Those who cling to their own lives will lose them, and those who lose their lives [for God’s sake] will gain Eternal Life.” The meaning of the first part “those who want to cling to their own lives” refers to the life of a limited physical body in this world. Everyone clings to life. The person who clings to the life of a physical body will lose the true Life. However, by giving up this life to the Truth—which is the expression of “those who lose their lives”—proactively taking such actions, as if not needing the physical body’s life, knowing that the life of a physical body is meaningless, then the Eternal Life must be there, even if that life, the physical body’s life, is discarded. That is to say, the Eternal Life is the Life of such [Eternal] Existence, the life of God. Originally, “life” is the content that expresses God itself, but when That is bound within a limited life in this world, within time and space, and simultaneously, the mind arises, then the mind mistakenly understands life in a limited way. This teaching says that this is an incorrect understanding.
Ms. Oomori: I have been holding onto the words that Shri Mahayogi told me a while back, “I am always with you,” like a protective amulet; and when I was contemplating these words, wanting to understand them even a little, even if I may not understand these words completely, I wanted to understand them a little more, I thought, “perhaps, the fact that I am alive, that I have life, that this itself means that Shri Mahayogi is with me…” (trying to overcome emotion and struggling to get her words out).
MASTER: (as if surrounding her with kindness) Yes.
Ms. Oomori: (with tears) …I thought that since I was born and until I met Shri Mahayogi, I was never even aware of God, and the fact that even today, even right now, I am alive, that means Shri Mahayogi has been with me all along, all this time. So, I was very happy…is it okay to think in such a way?
MASTER: (with a full smile) Yes. That is fine.
Ms. Oomori: (crying) Thank you very much.
The Vibration of OM
Yogadanda: I have been granted the opportunity to chant Om (sacred vibration) at a puja (worship), and several years back when we were still allowed to have the Jayanti at the Ashrama, and when the puja began from Om in complete darkness, then, when Shri Mahayogi’s form was lit with fire, I deeply sensed that God itself, which developed this world by the vibration of Om, took on the form of Shri Mahayogi. In that moment, I felt like I straightforwardly and undeniably understood what was written in the scriptures about the primordial Guru, Ishvara (the personified form of God)—His name was Om (Shri Mahayogi nods deeply). May I ask, is this intuition and understanding correct?
MASTER: (with a big smile) Yes!
Yogadanda: Thank you very much. Once, Shri Mahayogi mentioned that during an auspicious time like Jayanti, and during the puja, Shri Mahayogi is not breathing. So, is this related to such a thing being revealed?
MASTER: Right. (towards everyone) The ritual of arati, which is a puja using fire, is performed daily in India, for example during dawn or dusk. A puja for a Guru is not performed daily, and it is only done on a special, auspicious occasion. That is how precious the opportunity is. We can no longer perform puja because we can’t use [open] fire here anymore [since this is not the Ashrama], but I think that there will come a time when we can perform it again.
(Everyone’s faces soften, and some are joyfully nodding.)
Yogadanda: The scriptures say that it is beneficial to chant Om while concentrating on the meaning of Om. Will it be more of a straight shot if we chant Om while thinking of Shri Mahayogi’s form?
MASTER: Right.
Sarani: Some time ago Shri Mahayogi mentioned when visiting Ramakrishna’s room in India, there was a continuous reverberation of Om, and then Shri Mahayogi thought, “That is Nada Brahman.” Please teach us once again about Nada Brahman, and also I would like very much to hear about whether the sound of Om is reverberating always as a ceaseless manifestation of Brahman.
MASTER: It wasn’t Ramakrishna’s room, but in the basement of the most sacred sanctuary at the Kali Temple, where there is a small room in which a Shiva lingam is enshrined, and puja is performed to offer flowers and incense to the Shiva lingam. There are several swami that take care of it, and they chant Om ceaselessly. When I entered the sanctuary, at first, the sound of Om consisted of voices, but then, the quality of human voice disappeared, and the sound of Om—which is extremely subtle, yet even in its subtlety, the primordial impression could be felt intuitively—resounded ceaselessly as a vibration emanating entirely from the air of the room, and from all things. Yet even in its subtlety, the primordial impression could be felt intuitively. (Everyone is completely quiet as if holding their breaths.) In that moment, it is like paraphysics, but I experienced and perceived it as a physical sound, which is what is referred to as Nada Brahman, what is called the sound that occurs during the beginning of the creation of the universe, the very initial… I remember mentioning something like that.
When you unravel the philosophy of India, the Truth, which is formless and nameless, or the true Existence that evolves into all things—even all of the cosmos is born out of this—and its beginning, the primordial beginning, is the vibration of Om. Probably, even from the [perspective of] physical process, science is currently trying to gradually decipher from the most gross to the subtle, and then to the super-subtle. However, that original sound Om, indicates the primordial, the earliest occurrence which lies at the root. Therefore, there are various concrete forms in this practical world after that, yet that too is the same, they have evolved and become the mind, prana, bones, flesh—all came to be from that primordial Om at the center—thus, the primordial Om dwells within each and every cell, without a doubt.
(after a while, gazing at Ms. Yamada) Buddhism has the same view towards it; there is a well-known giant statue of Lord Buddha in Nara, and that form is of Shakyamuni. [It is the statue of Lord Buddha] yet at the same time, it expresses the Truth itself. The essence of Buddha is the dharma-kaya—body of dharma—it is the word that expresses the true Existence, the Truth itself. And a divine incarnation, an incarnation of Truth, as a form appearing in this world is called nirmana-kaya or sambogha-kaya. The form of this big Buddha statue in Nara is sitting on top of a lotus flower, and each flower has the same Buddha drawn on it. What that symbolizes is that all and everything has Buddha’s essence, that is, true Existence, within it; all is a manifestation of true Existence. You can view that it is expressed in such ways in order to symbolize that.
For What Purpose and Aim Are You Living Your Life?
Ms. Sasanuma: Actually, before coming to Satsangha, as a part of my work I had to listen to others talk about politics; however, I feel relieved seeing Shri Mahayogi and hearing about the Truth and God. But conversely, it means that I was in a different place, so that makes me confirm again that in front of Shri Mahayogi, I am able to feel stable and at rest, but I think that I ought to be in this state of mind always. What is the most necessary thing in order for me to remain stable and at ease?
MASTER: (calmly and gently) The simplest, most beneficial method, well, it’s not really a method, but sure enough, it is to repeat Om. And, to imagine an existence symbolized by Om.
Ms. Sasanuma: I understand. I will put it into practice.
I have another question. In Jayanti, I heard the celebratory messages from the gurubai, then heard the words of Shri Mahayogi afterwards—I am late in thinking about it, but I also thought that as long as I have a body, I would like to use it in a meaningful way. I had some time to think, from Jayanti up until now, and I noticed that I have a great lack in the practice of “contentment” and “non-greed,” and that I need to organize and clear my external [environment]. Will you please teach us the meaning and importance of contentment (santosha) once more?
MASTER: “Contentment” means to be completely content with and be completely accepting—that means, to be content with, or accept having the bare minimum possessions or circumstances. This world is flooded with material objects, and there are new things coming out one after another, and on the other hand, that stimulates your wants. However, when you think simply, you don’t need that many things. Practice simplicity, especially when it comes to the basics—food, shelter and clothing—“simplicity” is important. You must practice to eliminate the desire to possess things and objects. Of course, you need the necessities. However, beyond that, you don’t need things that are non-essential, naturally, and if you are constantly discerning, or in other words, bearing in your mind this “being completely content or accepting,” then naturally, you will come to be able to control them. What is of paramount importance, more than anything else, is what you are living for—it boils down to this fundamental issue.
(looking around at everyone) Everyone is born and is living—and everyone knows that eventually, death comes. Now today, there was a topic of “Life” that we had a conversation about—then what is “Life” truly? Are you born to become very busy and worry, make a living, then die—is that all there is? So then what exactly is the meaning of life? If the purpose is simply and only to devour material pleasures and stimulations, then what is life, really? That is like losing sight of life. These material things cannot bring happiness. So, when you say “Life,” the inquiry into, “What is true happiness?” arises from that. “True happiness” is the phrase that expresses something like the “Joy of Life”—[you inquire,] “What is that true happiness?” and “Do I become happy by getting something, or is there something different from that?” In this, there is something there—this “something” is not a material object; when the mind is unshakable, not confused, and constantly calm and at peace, the mind does not complain or express discontent, but it is content with everything as it is, indeed—once you understand these things, then contentment swiftly comes into practice [in your attitude and conduct]. That is why you have to study the Truth, and employ your own self and your own life for the realization of Truth. That is where Eternal Life is, and this is how you gain It.
What Buddha taught, referred to in Buddhism, is to aim for Nirvana. The teaching for attaining that aim, Nirvana, is that of the Four Noble Truths. Everything is suffering. There is always a cause for bringing about suffering. That is, karma and sanskara—the mind’s latent impressions—and the root cause of the creation of sanskara, ignorance. Ignorance is not knowing the Truth, and in opposition [to that Truth], the mind wishes for that which is not the Truth. It teaches that [the view of] the mind that considers eternity, pleasure, happiness, and various things and matters in this world [as real] is incorrect, and that actually, the Truth is nothing like this… For eliminating ignorance, there is a practice called the Eightfold Right Path, which lays out the content of the concrete practice of [what is called] yama, niyama, meditation, etc. in Yoga. The state you reach as a result is Nirvana. Nirvana is often described as the condition in which it is as if a candle flame is being blown out; and when translated as one word, it is simply serenity. Although the word “serenity” is a very gentle one and is not an uncommon word, Nirvana can be said to be the state of a truly peaceful and utterly content Bliss. That is the serenity indicated by Nirvana. The candlelight symbolizes human life. That means, as one’s own life keeps burning (waving his hand like a flame), that life is being consumed with each moment. That is how the candle and the flame of the candle are. Therefore, the flame being blown out is the symbol of you having cut off your connection to things such as the incorrect pleasures, incorrect happiness, etc. of this world! (with a fresh and pristine smile) And of you having extinguished ignorance! That is why this symbol is referred to as the state of the flame being extinguished. That is Nirvana, the ultimate state that Buddha taught.
Dayamati: Sanskara is caused by ignorance…
MASTER: Exactly.
Dayamati: When that ignorance is gone, will the past sanskara or something like memory disappear, or do these memories change color? What will it all become?
MASTER: There are cases when it becomes weaker, it disappears, or it appears as if it has transformed. Just as in the analogy of an arrow, once the arrow has been shot, it has already flown away, and then the rest is the result. Now, the arrow you have set on the bow—you can still choose not to shoot it, and take it off the bow. Then (gesturing to hold something under his right arm), you can even abandon the arrows, which are the sanskara that might be kept in a quiver (makes a gesture of throwing away), throwing them away. In this way, while the mind still contains sanskara and karma, on the other hand, by deepening the path of Satori, as its result, a transformation of the sanskara like this can take place.
Dayamati: Is it okay to select an arrow I have here and try to shoot it? (everyone bursts into laughter)
MASTER: (while laughing) That is dangerous. (Everyone laughs.) Because, the Yoga Sutra too states thus: “The karma of a Yoga practitioner is neither black nor white, whereas the karma of others is mixed.” That is to say, white means good karma, black symbolizes bad karma. Normally, everyone has both purity and defilement; while having good karma, one has much bad karma as well—that is the common way of thinking. The ratio too is different between people, of course. However, Yoga practitioners abandon both karma. (smiling) Both will disappear.
Ms. Mori: (with a serious expression) I have been thinking about the purpose of life. Despite the fact that for a long time Shri Mahayogi has taught me to think about the aim of life with as much seriousness as if to occupy myself with the thought for days without sleeping, and Shri Mahayogi has taught me what the purpose and aim of life is (with a quivering voice)—I can understand it intellectually but I haven’t gotten it. Since I am not convinced, many desires arise and these have had a reputation of arising and then me catching them, and so it is such that my life passes in vain… If I keep going in this way, I feel that my life—will end in a flimsy way. Eating, going to work, sleeping—my life has been spent on routines like these. Today, I came here wanting to hear again from Shri Mahayogi’s mouth, what the aim of living is. And, there was a mention of it just now, so I heard it with gratitude.
(Shri Mahayogi gazes towards her with a light smile.)
(with an urgent mood) Shri Mahayogi has taught me so many times, and even though every time I have felt like I understood in that moment, it hasn’t become a part of my core. If I continue to ask myself, for what purpose and aim do I live, will I eventually be able to understand it?
MASTER: (immediately with a louder voice, and powerfully) No, you have to discriminate proactively much more.
Ms. Mori: … (as if grasping something) oh.
MASTER: In other words, using the question, “Truly, for what am I living?”—you must examine your mind’s thoughts. If there is still something that you are caught up by or a slave to, then through confronting it with the Truth, whether that has the Truth, whether that has any eternal value, discrimination happens. You have to push yourself onward by practicing this actively.
Ms. Mori: Yes, I will do that. So by doing that, an unshakable core will be established within me.
MASTER: Yes, that is correct.
Ms. Mori: (with a serious expression) I understand. Thank you very much.
MASTER: In my case…indeed by elementary school I had already experienced such things as Atman or true Existence; but from junior high school to high school age, I began to recognize that I was thinking about “why people are experiencing something different than I was,” because I began to see and understand many things—and that troubled me, and I wondered, why?… Then, when I was a high school student, I was absorbed in meditation to the point where I didn’t even have time to go to school. It was continuous; that was in my teens; and I was in an intense state of concentration throughout this time, so by the time I was nineteen, I no longer had any issues emerging—there were no longer any mysteries, nothing left, or everything became clear, all meanings were revealed.
In other words, what I’d like to say to you is, do it eagerly, actively—truly as ardently as [in that example], so that you may not even be able to feel like doing your job. By saying that, what I mean is to tackle it with that level of seriousness.
(Shri Mahayogi finishes speaking with a smile and a casual atmosphere, but hearing the Master’s words, the disciples must be feeling like their hearts have been pierced. Ms. Mori is crying and has her palms together for a while.)
Dismantling the Mind
Gopala: The other day, Shri Mahayogi taught me to look at the structure of the mind; and Shri Mahayogi has also taught me before about meditating on the Twelve Dependent Originations—as I started to examine the thoughts and compare them against this, I had a sense as if the mind was being dismantled, that the mind itself had no reality. Then, I had a sense that trifling thoughts and memories from the past were so insignificant; and since then, the things that used to dwell on me from work have now come to be seen as “the mind having no reality,” so that now even if such things appear, I have come to be able to get rid of them immediately.
Once I came to see that the mind does not have reality, then what remains ultimately is Om, which was mentioned in today’s topic, or Kali, and Shri Mahayogi. These three indeed remain, even after meditation. Is this correct?
MASTER: (with a full smile) That is wonderful!! (everyone bursts into laughter) Wonderful.
(with an elegant, graceful mood) Yes, the dismantling of the mind—truly, the mind can be dismantled. But even if it is so, for me too, right now, the mind is working. What is being dismantled?—dismantling it is about dissolving the ignorance, the pain-bearing obstacles, clinging to the mind. That is what the dismantling of the mind is. As I always say, the mind cannot be independent. Without depending on something always, the mind cannot act. That is why the mind brings up various thoughts. Without having these thoughts, the mind can no longer act. Constantly bringing up some kind of thought—it could be a desire, or it could have grown into attachment—the mind is only creating a condition for its activity, and nothing more than that. Then, dismantling means nothing but removing these conditions. What is left? It is the empty mind. Yet, since the workings or the function of the mind itself won’t disappear, it’s not at all a problem to hear, see, understand, and have thoughts of the quality of sattva for the functions that remain. If the ingredients or conditions that you’re attached to vanish, then the mind will always be in a state as if it is empty, the void or emptiness. That is (jovially) so easy. Indeed, it is precisely serenity—such a state is born.
(When the ending time arrives, the announcement is made about Shri Mahayogi’s visit to the United States next week. In the atmosphere filled with everyone’s wanting to stay longer with Shri Mahayogi, he says with a brilliant smile, “So, be well, and continue to deepen Yoga!”)
(Shri Mahayogi stands up while keeping his palms together, as he looks around at everyone, slowly exuding an extraordinary presence, then leaves the room.)
(Through the great blessing we received in Jayanti, each and every one of us were given the opportunity to confront the purpose and aim of our lives, how we live, and how we face our lives, which is what led to the questions and answers today. Shri Mahayogi poured his spirit and soul into us, as if to make up for the time he will be absent.)
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Testimonies from a Practitioner
To Have an Aspiration
by Shinji Fukami
September 2020, Matsuyama, Japan
The following account began only two years ago.
The [Japanese] social virtues that have been instilled in me from the world, such as, “Do not trouble others,” and “Take care of your own matters with your own hands”—have all warped into stubborn attachments, manifesting as the thought that, “I do not want to depend on anyone else”—I developed a one-sided disgust toward the world full of contradictions and dependencies, and eventually, before I knew it, being in contact with others or being involved with them, working in the world or with others became very painful for me.
However, another pain-bearing obstacle, “I don’t want anyone to hate me,” did not allow me to cut off all ties to the world and to others. I hated others, but I did not want others to hate me.
While having this embarrassing contradiction in my mind, it was absolutely painful to get by in the world, while trying so hard to keep it hidden. Even so, I could not properly understand why I was suffering. Because I was ignorant, I mistakenly believed that the cause of my own suffering was outside of myself, at the same time, even though that was so, fortunately or unfortunately, I didn’t have the reckless audacity to forcefully change the world or others, or to try and conquer them. So, I, who did not act upon this, yet who could not rely on anyone, ultimately led the situation to gradually worsen as I postponed solving the issue of suffering at its root, and was instead temporarily filling myself up with worldly pleasures.
Nonetheless, this seemingly endless suffering had the effect of having me ask these fundamental questions: “For what purpose am I living?” “What is the aim of this life?”
“Ask and you shall be given”—then one day, exactly as these words indicate, I was given an answer.
On May 2018, on the occasion of a Satsangha in Matsuyama that I attended, due to a serendipitous connection and miraculous timing, I mustered up all of my might and asked the awe-inspiring person sitting immovably, as if enshrined, in front of me: “What is the purpose of life?”
The answer I was granted from this person who was called “Shri Mahayogi” by those surrounding him was surprisingly simple: The purpose and the aim of life is ‘To realize the Truth.’”
However, I could not understand right away what it meant “to realize the Truth,” even though it was carefully explained at that time, of course. Regardless, I felt utter relief, seeing the figure of Shri Mahayogi in front of me, asserting the purpose and aim of life dynamically, as if it were something obvious.
I was so captivated by Yoga—looking back now, I was probably captivated by the existence called “Shri Mahayogi”—since that day, I gradually deepened my bond with Yoga.
Upon the recommendation of direct disciples, I began to visit Kyoto where Shri Mahayogi resides. From the guidance received from Shri Mahayogi in the Direct Asana classes, to the words I received from him during Satsangha, to the joy of the celebrations—every time when I have had an opportunity to be in the presence of Shri Mahayogi, my world transforms as if scales fall from my eyes. Although I must say, on the other hand, that the fact was that every time I returned to my hometown of Matsuyama, the scales went right back onto my eyes and a familiar world came right back. In this way, as I was inconsistent, wavering in the space between the path of Yoga and the path of karma, I was able to somehow maintain my bond with Yoga without getting ripped away from it by the power of karma.
In daily life, the habit of sadhana (the discipline of Yoga) gradually became established; I confess that I was working hard, mostly encouraged by having my main goal as receiving the visible fruit of practice day by day, which was a lighter body and mind—that being said, I practiced every day as much as possible anyway. I practiced during the Japanese holidays for honoring ancestors in August, at the end of the year, and at the new year, [which are the main holidays in Japan]. I practiced when I had a cold. It might include some occasions that may not have even counted as one practice, but I did it obstinately in any event. No matter how short, I read the words of the scriptures every day at least once, and no matter how short, I sat down once a day with closed eyes. I did it, whatever it took…no matter what…
Now, have you noticed this parade above of “I did this” and “I did that”?
One day, I noticed that the ego still remained there. In other words, I realized that it was nothing other than me replacing the worldly pleasure, which was the means of turning my back on the ego, with a sense of conceit in “I am undertaking Yoga.” I felt that the ego still remained in an uncontrolled state. And not only that, of all things, I was also secretly rebelling against the teaching—“In order to perfect Yoga, the guidance of a Guru is absolutely indispensable”—by daring to think, “I bet I can do it alone,” and I had not been able to accept the necessity of a Guru at that time.
Since Yoga is described as the restraint of the activities of the mind, I will never be able to realize Yoga if I leave the work under the charge of my own mind, which fears its restraint—obviously I cannot quell this arrogant resistance at the level of such a know-it-all interpretation.
As long as I kept my attachment of “I do not want to rely on others” in order for [the mind] to do whatever it wanted, and as long as I kept limiting the Existence of the Guru to one single other person, my resistance continued.
One day, I was reading a back issue of Paramahamsa. As soon as my eye caught sight of the Satsangha from the second day of the special Satsangha in Matsuyama, which was a day after I was taught that the purpose and aim of my life is to “realize the Truth,” shock waves ran through my entire body.
That day, I must have had further thoughts around the guidance given me—“The purpose and aim of life is to realize the Truth”—because I saw that that following day, I asked, “Is it acceptable to consider that out of everything I will receive from now on, there is nothing that is not connected to Satori, and everything is there to bring me to Satori?” With a full smile, Shri Mahayogi said, “That is for certain”—from the way he affirmed this, I felt something definite that was not blind faith.
As I re-read the Satsangha intently, how vividly I felt revived within myself, and I felt even more than at that time that, “There is nothing [in the world] that does not lead me to Satori; the guide that is indispensable to the realization of Yoga is everything.” “The world, the others, are all the Guru. All things in the universe and all phenomena are all the Guru. Each and every thing becomes as one team, and guides me, using various methods and manifestations such as good and evil, joy and sorrow, sacred and mundane, life and death.” It felt to me exactly as if by shining the light, all darkness was swept away.
When I was enveloped in this sensation, deep emotion pierced my heart, and when, from the impact of that, my entire body was entirely covered with rash-like goosebumps, I found myself no longer having any resistance whatsoever to worship Shri Mahayogi, who gave life to this insight, as the Satguru, the primordial essence of all teachings and guidance.
It’s been two years since I met Yoga and Shri Mahayogi; yet at the same time, there is a kind of struggle smoldering in my mind.
“Am I really worthy of being Shri Mahayogi’s disciple?”
Shri Mahayogi says about the relationship between Guru and disciple, that it is, “Not like a mundane teacher and student. It is truly a ‘relationship between God and soul’.” He says, “The disciple is one who makes the way of life of his or her Guru as their own.”
What would make me a disciple of Shri Mahayogi is neither self-proclamation nor trumpeting, but simply, nothing other than the way I live. If I want to truly be a disciple of Shri Mahayogi, then through the way I live, I am obliged to alter the current “relationship between God and ego” into a “relationship between God and soul.”
Just making a daily habit of doing asana, reading a book on Yoga, and closing my eyes to sit, such a habit will not immediately make me a disciple of Shri Mahayogi. Using my entire body, mind and spirit, I have to transform everything in my daily life, all of my life, the way I live itself, into Yoga.
With this aspiration, and while bearing the words of Shri Mahayogi—“Your aspiration must be acted upon and must be realized”—in my heart, I sincerely desire to always be a disciple of Shri Mahayogi.
Satguru Shri Mahayogi Paramahansa, with the deepest gratitude for all the blessings, and with joy, I worship at your holy feet.