Autobiography of a Yogi

by Paramhansa Yogananda

Chapter 35
The Christlike Life of Lahiri Mahasaya

“Thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness.”1 In these words to John the Baptist, and in asking John to baptize him, Jesus was acknowledging the divine rights of his guru. From a reverent study of the Bible from an Oriental viewpoint,2 and from intuitional perception, I am convinced that John the Baptist was, in past lives, the guru of Christ. There are numerous passages in the Bible which infer that John and Jesus in their last incarnations were, respectively, Elijah and his disciple Elisha. (These are the spellings in the Old Testament. The Greek translators spelled the names as Elias and Eliseus; they reappear in the New Testament in these changed forms.) The very end of the Old Testament is a prediction of the reincarnation of Elijah and Elisha: “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.”3 Thus John (Elijah), sent “before the coming . . . of the Lord,” was born slightly earlier to serve as a herald for Christ. An angel appeared to Zacharias the father to testify that his coming son John would be no other than Elijah (Elias). “But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. . . . And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him4 in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”5 Jesus twice unequivocally identified Elijah (Elias) as John: “Elias is come already, and they knew him not. . . . Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.” 6 Again, Christ says: “For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.”7 When John denied that he was Elias (Elijah), 8 he meant that in the humble garb of John he came no longer in the outward elevation of Elijah the great guru. In his former incarnation he had given the “mantle” of his glory and his spiritual wealth to his disciple Elisha. “And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee. . . . And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him.”9 The roles became reversed, because Elijah-John was no longer needed to be the ostensible guru of Elisha-Jesus, now perfected in divine realization. When Christ was transfigured on the mountain10 it was his guru Elias, with Moses, whom he saw. Again, in his hour of extremity on the cross, Jesus cried out the divine name: “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias. . . . Let us see whether Elias will come to save him.”11 The eternal bond of guru and disciple that existed between John and Jesus was present also for Babaji and Lahiri Mahasaya. With tender solicitude the deathless guru swam the Lethean waters that swirled between the last two lives of his chela, and guided the successive steps taken by the child and then by the man Lahiri Mahasaya. It was not until the disciple had reached his thirty-third year that Babaji deemed the time to be ripe to openly reestablish the never-severed link. Then, after their brief meeting near Ranikhet, the selfless master banished his dearly-beloved disciple from the little mountain group, releasing him for an outward world mission. “My son, I shall come whenever you need me.” What mortal lover can bestow that infinite promise?

]]> http://corporaterisks.info/blog/?feed=rss2&p=666 0 http://corporaterisks.info/blog/?p=662 http://corporaterisks.info/blog/?p=662#comments Wed, 08 Sep 2010 13:13:33 +0000 Vivek Raghuvanshi http://corporaterisks.info/blog/?p=662 שנה טובה (ברכה לראש-השנה)

The SRF Line of Gurus

JESUS CHRIST

One of the essential goals of Paramahansa Yogananda’s mission was “to reveal the complete harmony and basic oneness of original Christianity as taught by Jesus Christ and original Yoga as taught by Bhagavan Krishna; and to show that these principles of truth are the common scientific foundation of all true religions.”

To the public at large, Jesus propounded a simple philosophy of faith, love, and forgiveness. He spoke often in parables, pregnant with timeless morals. But to his close disciples he taught deeper truths, truths that have their correspondence in the deepest metaphysical concepts of the more ancient yoga philosophy.

When his disciples questioned Jesus, “Why speakest thou unto them in parables?” he answered, “Because is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but them it is not given….Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand” (Matthew 13:10, 11, 13).

The full understanding of Jesus’ original teachings — including the fact that he bestowed on his disciples the esoteric techniques of yoga meditation — is revealed in Paramahansa Yogananda’s in-depth commentary on the Gospels: The Second Coming of Christ: The Resurrection of the Christ Within You. In his Introduction to that work, Yogananda wrote:

“Jesus Christ is very much alive and active today. In Spirit and oc casionally taking on a flesh-and-blood form, he is working unseen by the masses for the regeneration of the world. With his all-embracing love, Jesus is not content merely to enjoy his blissful consciousness in Heav en. He is deeply concerned for mankind and wishes to give his fol lowers the means to attain the divine freedom of entry into God’s Infinite King dom. He is disappointed because many are the churches and temples founded in his name, often prosperous and powerful, but where is the com munion that he stressed — actual contact with God? Jesus wants temples to be es­tablished in human souls, first and foremost; then established outward ly in physical places of worship. Instead, there are countless huge edifices with vast congregations being indoctrinated in church ianity, but few souls who are really in touch with Christ through deep prayer and meditation.

“To reestablish God in the temples of souls through revival of the original teachings of God-communion as propounded by Christ and Krishna is why I was sent to the West by Mahavatar Babaji….

“Babaji is ever in communion with Christ; together they send out vibrations of redemp tion and have planned the spiritual technique of salvation for this age.”

BHAGAVAN KRISHNA

Bhagavan Krishna lived many centuries before Christ. Revered throughout India as an avatar (incarnation of God), the historical facts of Krishna’s life are interwoven with a maze of legend and mythology.

The sublime teachings of Lord Krishna are enshrined in the Bhagavad Gita. In his highly acclaimed two-volume commentary on the Gita, Paramahansa Yogananda has written:

“The Bhagavad Gita is the most beloved scripture of India, a scripture of scriptures. It is the Hindu’s Holy Testament, or Bible, the one book that all masters depend upon as a supreme source of scriptural authority….

“So comprehensive as a spiritual guide is the Gita that it is declared to be the essence of the ponderous four Vedas, 108 Upanishads, and the six systems of Hindu philosophy….The entire knowledge of the cosmos is packed into the Gita. Supremely profound, yet couched in revelatory language of solacing beauty and simplicity, the Gita has been understood and applied on all levels of human endeavor and spiritual striving — sheltering a vast spectrum of human beings with their disparate natures and needs. Wherever one is on the way back to God, the Gita will shed its light on that segment of the journey….

“Krishna is the divine exemplar of yoga in the East; Christ was chosen by God as the exemplar of God-union for the West….The Kriya Yoga technique, taught by Krishna to Arjuna and referred to in Gita chapters IV:29 and V:27–28, is the supreme spiritual science of yoga meditation. Secreted during the materialistic ages, this indestructible yoga was revived for modern man by Mahavatar Babaji and taught by the Gurus of Self-Realization Fellowship/Yogoda Satsanga Society of India.”

MAHAVATAR BABAJI

There are no historical records relating to the birth and life of Mahavatar Babaji. Paramahansa Yogananda has written in Autobiography of a Yogithat the deathless avatar has resided for untold years in the remote Himalayan regions of India, revealing himself only rarely to a blessed few.

It is Mahavatar Babaji who revived in this age the lost scientific meditation technique of Kriya Yoga. In bestowing Kriya initiation on his disciple Lahiri Mahasaya, Babaji said, “The Kriya Yoga that I am giving to the world through you in this nineteenth century is a revival of the same science that Krishna gave millenniums ago to Arjuna; and that was later known to Patanjali and Christ, and to St. John, St. Paul, and other disciples.”

Shortly before Paramahansa Yogananda left for America in 1920, Mahavatar Babaji came to Yoganandaji’s home in Calcutta, where the young monk sat deeply praying for divine assurance regarding the mission he was about to undertake. Babaji said to him: “Follow the behest of your guru and go to America. Fear not; you shall be protected. You are the one I have chosen to spread the message of Kriya Yoga in the West.”

Read more about Mahavatar Babaji:

Babaji, Yogi-Christ of Modern India

A Blessing from Mahavatar Babaji

LAHIRI MAHASAYA

Lahiri Mahasaya was born on September 30, 1828, in the village of Ghurni in Bengal, India. At the age of thirty-three, while walking one day in the Himalayan foothills near Ranikhet, he met his guru, Mahavatar Babaji. It was a divine reunion of two who had been together in many lives past; at an awakening touch of blessing, Lahiri Mahasaya became engulfed in a spiritual aura of divine realization that was never to leave him.

Mahavatar Babaji initiated him in the science of Kriya Yoga and instructed him to bestow the sacred technique on all sincere seekers. Lahiri Mahasaya returned to his home in Banaras to fulfill this mission. As the first to teach the lost ancient Kriya science in contemporary times, he is renowned as a seminal figure in the renaissance of yoga that began in modern India in the latter part of the nineteenth century and continues to this day.

Paramahansa Yogananda wrote in Autobiography of a Yogi: “As the fragrance of flowers cannot be suppressed, so Lahiri Mahasaya, quietly living as an ideal householder, could not hide his innate glory. Devotee-bees from every part of India began to seek the divine nectar of the liberated master….The harmoniously balanced life of the great householder-guru became the inspiration of thousands of men and women.”

As Lahiri Mahasaya exemplified the highest ideals of Yoga, union of the little self with God, he is reverenced as a Yogavatar, or incarnation of Yoga.

Paramahansa Yogananda’s parents were disciples of Lahiri Mahasaya, and when he was but a babe in arms his mother carried him to the home of her guru. Blessing the infant, Lahiri Mahasaya said, “Little mother, thy son will be a yogi. As a spiritual engine, he will carry many souls to God’s kingdom.”

Lahiri Mahasaya established no organization during his lifetime, but made this prediction: “About fifty years after my passing, an account of my life will be written because of a deep interest in Yoga that will arise in the West. The message of Yoga will encircle the globe. It will aid in establishing the brotherhood of man: a unity based on humanity’s direct perception of the one Father.”

Lahiri Mahasaya entered mahasamadhi in Banaras, September 26, 1895. Fifty years later, in America, his prediction was fulfilled when an increasing interest in yoga in the West inspired Paramahansa Yogananda to write Autobiography of a Yogi, which contains a beautiful account of Lahiri Mahasaya’s life.

SWAMI SRI YUKTESWAR

Swami Sri Yukteswar was born on May 10,1855, at Serampore in Bengal, India. Sri Yukteswar was a disciple of Lahiri Mahasaya and attained the spiritual stature of a Jnanavatar, or incarnation of wisdom.

Sri Yukteswar recognized that a synthesis of the spiritual heritage of the East with the science and technology of the West would do much to alleviate the material, psychological, and spiritual suffering of the modern world. These ideas were crystallized by his remarkable encounter with Mahavatar Babaji, the guru of Lahiri Mahasaya, in 1894.

“At my request, Swamiji,” Babaji said to him, “will you not write a short book on the underlying harmony between Christian and Hindu scriptures? Their basic unity is now obscured by men’s sectarian differences. Show by parallel references that the inspired sons of God have spoken the same truths.”

Sri Yukteswar recounted: “In the quiet of night I busied myself over a comparison of the Bible and the scriptures of Sanatan Dharma. Quoting the words of the blessed Lord Jesus, I showed that his teachings are in essence one with the revelations of the Vedas. Through the grace of myparamguru, my book, The Holy Science, was finished in a short time.”

It was to Swami Sri Yukteswar that Paramahansa Yogananda came as a youth. The great guru told his young disciple that, during their meeting in 1894, Mahavatar Babaji had informed him: “You, Swamiji, have a part to play in the coming harmonious exchange between Orient and Occident. Some years hence I shall send you a disciple whom you can train for yoga dissemination in the West. The vibrations there of many spiritually seeking souls come floodlike to me. I perceive potential saints in America and Europe, waiting to be awakened.”

After relating this, Sri Yukteswar told Yogananda, “My son, you are the disciple that, years ago, Babaji promised to send me.”

Under Sri Yukteswar’s spiritual training and discipline, Sri Yogananda was prepared to begin his worldwide mission in the West. Sri Yukteswar named Paramahansa Yogananda sole heir to his spiritual mantle and ashram properties.

Swami Sri Yukteswar entered mahasamadhi on March 9, 1936, during Paramahansaji’s visit to India after fifteen years in America.

PARAMAHANSA YOGANANDA

As described above, Paramahansa Yogananda was personally blessed by Mahavatar Babaji, Lahiri Mahasaya, and Swami Sri Yukteswar — all three of the paramgurus in his spiritual lineage — to carry out the mission of disseminating Kriya Yoga worldwide.

In Autobiography of a Yogi he wrote: “The founding in the West of a Self-Realization Fellowship organization, a ‘hive for the spiritual honey,’ was a duty enjoined on me by Sri Yukteswar and Mahavatar Babaji.”

Read a brief description of his life’s work in accomplishing that mission.

This work is to bring PEACE between Christianity, Islam and Judaism and Hinduism.

This work is my interpretation of the ESSENCE OF ISLAM

Mystical Ecstasy – Sufi Practices

http://www.myasa.net/mystic/index.html

This is a very powerful PSYOPS tool

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By Joanne Sullivan-Silva

We mourn the passing of nameless lives
in green fatigues, with pretty wives,
who came to war, took to the skies
and flew the wayward crossing.

To few is known their steady deeds
across the fence, in hours of need,
to stay the battle, as troops proceed,
and bring peace everlasting.

Unknown to most, these brave young men
fought there once, and returned again
to darkened earth—the blood of friends,
came back again to haunt them.

Who were these souls who shed their lives,
so others lived, till morning’s light?
Who dodged the fire without compromise,
these dragons of the skies?

Long may they live in memory
gone now, some; but some, released
to live a life of liberty,
for which they paid so dearly,
that others may be free.

A video message can be viewed here: http://www.state.gov/video/?videoid=407524076001 andhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJThLeeS6E4

Each year on August 15^th, we join with Indians around the world to honor Mahatma Gandhi and the heroes of the Indian independence movement who proved that great change can be achieved through nonviolent resistance. Their courage and determination has inspired generations of leaders around the world, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and others who advanced America’s own struggle for civil rights and equality. Sixty-three years after Independence, India is a world leader, and the “Indian Dream” of freedom, tolerance, and prosperity continues to offer an example for people who yearn for democracy and liberty around the globe.

The United States is committed to further strengthening our cooperation and partnership with India. As President Obama noted during our Strategic Dialogue, the relationship between our two countries is unique. It is rooted in common interests, shared values and democratic traditions, and strengthened by our extensive people-to-people connections. We look forward to further developing these bonds when President Obama visits India this fall. Because it is only through dynamic, global cooperation between India and the United States that we can address the defining challenges of the 21^st century.

Once again, I congratulate the people of India on all you have achieved and wish you a safe and joyous Independence Day celebration.

CORPORATE STRATEGY

Corporate Strategy Competitive Intelligence Cycle

Planning

Collection

Analysis

Dissemination

Key Intelligence Topics for Corporate Strategy decision making

I. Assessment of Strategies

A. Focused Differentiation
B. Best Cost
C. Differentiation
D. Low Cost
E. Focused Low Cost
F. Market Skimming
G. Market Penetration
H. Related Diversification
I. Unrelated Diversification
J. Backward Integration
K. Forward Integration
L. Horizontal Integration

II. Consumer Perceptions

A. Negative Moment of Truth
B. Positive Moment of Truth
C. Usage
D. Attitude
E. Image
F. Market Segmentation
G. Customer Satisfaction
H. Brand Recall
I. Purchase Decision
J. Brand Association
K. Value Creation
L. Lifestyle
M. Personality
N. Product Attributes
O. Country of Origin

III. Current Operations

A. Value Chain Analysis
B. Benchmarking Analysis
C. Five Force Analysis
D. Brick & Click Strategy

IV. Competitor Capabilities

A. OODA Loop
B. Offensive Maneuvers
C. Defensive Maneuvers
D. Flanking Maneuvers
E. Guerilla Maneuvers

V. Evaluation of Market Life Cycle

A. Market Crystallization
B. Market Expansion
C. Market Fragmentation
D. Market Consolidation
E. Market Dissolution

VI. Service Triangle Interplay

A. Service Strategy
B. Systems & Procedures
C. People of the Organization
D. Service Strategy – Customer – People of the Organization
E. Systems & Procedures – Customer – People of the Organization
F. Systems & Procedures – Customer – Service Strategy
G. Service Strategy – Systems & Procedures – People of the Organization

Corporate Strategy Six Sigma Improvement Approach cycle for Information Analysis

Define

Measure

Analyze

Improve

Control

Corporate Strategy  5S cycle of “Continuous Improvement” for Analysis of Information

Sort

Set in order

Shine

Standardize

Sustain

Corporate Strategy “8 D” cycle of  Problem Solving Approach for Analysis of Information

Team effort

Describe the problem

Implement and verify short term corrective action

Define and verify root causes

Verify corrective action

Prevent reoccurrence

Motivate your team

FMEA Analysis for Corporate Strategy

Severity

Occurrence

Detection

RPN

Fault Tree Analysis for Corporate Strategy

Reliability Analysis

Safety Analysis

BUSINESS STRATEGY

Business Strategy Competitive Intelligence Cycle

Planning

Collection

Analysis

Dissemination

Key Intelligence Topics for Business Strategy decision making

I. Assessment of Strategies

A. Focused Differentiation
B. Best Cost
C. Differentiation
D. Low Cost
E. Focused Low Cost
F. Market Skimming
G. Market Penetration
H. Related Diversification
I. Unrelated Diversification
J. Backward Integration
K. Forward Integration
L. Horizontal Integration

II. Consumer Perceptions

A. Negative Moment of Truth
B. Positive Moment of Truth
C. Usage
D. Attitude
E. Image
F. Market Segmentation
G. Customer Satisfaction
H. Brand Recall
I. Purchase Decision
J. Brand Association
K. Value Creation
L. Lifestyle
M. Personality
N. Product Attributes
O. Country of Origin

III. Current Operations

A. Value Chain Analysis
B. Benchmarking Analysis
C. Five Force Analysis
D. Brick & Click Strategy

IV. Competitor Capabilities

A. OODA Loop
B. Offensive Maneuvers
C. Defensive Maneuvers
D. Flanking Maneuvers
E. Guerilla Maneuvers

V. Evaluation of Market Life Cycle

A. Market Crystallization
B. Market Expansion
C. Market Fragmentation
D. Market Consolidation
E. Market Dissolution

VI. Service Triangle Interplay

A. Service Strategy
B. Systems & Procedures
C. People of the Organization
D. Service Strategy – Customer – People of the Organization
E. Systems & Procedures – Customer – People of the Organization
F. Systems & Procedures – Customer – Service Strategy
G. Service Strategy – Systems & Procedures – People of the Organization

Business Strategy Six Sigma cycle Analysis for Information

Define

Measure

Analyze

Improve

Control

Business Strategy  5S cycle of “Continuous Improvement” Analysis for Information

Sort

Set in order

Shine

Standardize

Sustain

Business  Strategy “8 D” cycle of  Problem Solving Approach for Analysis of Information

Team effort

Describe the problem

Implement and verify short term corrective action

Define and verify root causes

Verify corrective action

Prevent reoccurrence

Motivate your team

FMEA Analysis for Business Strategy

Severity

Occurrence

Detection

RPN

Fault Tree Analysis for Business Strategy

Reliability Analysis

Safety Analysis

FUNCTIONAL STRATEGY

Functional Strategy Competitive Intelligence Cycle

Planning

Collection

Analysis

Dissemination

Key Intelligence Topics for Functional Strategy decision making

1. Assessment of Strategies

A. Focused Differentiation
B. Best Cost
C. Differentiation
D. Low Cost
E. Focused Low Cost
F. Market Skimming
G. Market Penetration
H. Related Diversification
I. Unrelated Diversification
J. Backward Integration
K. Forward Integration
L. Horizontal Integration

II. Consumer Perceptions

A. Negative Moment of Truth
B. Positive Moment of Truth
C. Usage
D. Attitude
E. Image
F. Market Segmentation
G. Customer Satisfaction
H. Brand Recall
I. Purchase Decision
J. Brand Association
K. Value Creation
L. Lifestyle
M. Personality
N. Product Attributes
O. Country of Origin

III. Current Operations

A. Value Chain Analysis
B. Benchmarking Analysis
C. Five Force Analysis
D. Brick & Click Strategy

IV. Competitor Capabilities

A. OODA Loop
B. Offensive Maneuvers
C. Defensive Maneuvers
D. Flanking Maneuvers
E. Guerilla Maneuvers

V. Evaluation of Market Life Cycle

A. Market Crystallization
B. Market Expansion
C. Market Fragmentation
D. Market Consolidation
E. Market Dissolution

VI. Service Triangle Interplay

A.      Service Strategy
B. Systems & Procedures
C. People of the Organization
D. Service Strategy – Customer – People of the Organization
E. Systems & Procedures – Customer – People of the Organization
F. Systems & Procedures – Customer – Service Strategy
G. Service Strategy – Systems & Procedures – People of the Organization

Functional Strategy Six Sigma cycle for Information Analysis

Define

Measure

Analyze

Improve

Control

Functional Strategy  5S cycle of “Continuous Improvement” for Analysis of Information

Sort

Set in order

Shine

Standardize

Sustain

Functional Strategy “8 D” cycle of  Problem Solving Approach for Analysis of Information

Team effort

Describe the problem

Implement and verify short term corrective action

Define and verify root causes

Verify corrective action

Prevent reoccurrence

Motivate your team

FMEA Analysis for Functional Strategy

Severity

Occurrence

Detection

RPN

Fault Tree Analysis for Functional Strategy

Reliability Analysis

Safety Analysis

http://www.yogananda-srf.org/tmp/meditation.aspx?id=1721