On the Kundalini Issue
Date: 03-09-02
From: http://www.saiguru.net/english/last_updates/
Document date: 02-24-02
Contents:
Points of View:
Dear Readers:
For over a quarter of a century I have been hearing about kundalini, kundalini force, kundalini power, etc… and I always thought that it was something almost as complicated as the Holy Trinity.
I’ve always taken it as something I should know about, but at the same time felt confident about the fact that I wouldn’t, at least for the time being, be able to really understand it to its full extent. So, together with many other subjects that I believe cannot be fully understood by reading or hearing about them, I have put aside all hope on the matter until that divine day comes when I merge with my inner knowledge.
However, for the benefit of many who have been reading about the allegations surrounding Sathya Sai Baba, (being that kundalini has become almost a household word) I offer this compilation of knowledge from different sources so that at least, you may have some idea of what is being discussed.
Please don’t feel insulted if I start from the very basic known-to-all facts.
After the excerpts from Ajit Mookerjee's book there is a contribution from the Kundalini Foundation explaining Sai Baba's approach to the subject and letters from former devotees. Your own commentaries on the subject are welcome.The webmaster.
THE FOLLOWING EXCERPTS ARE TAKEN FROM A BOOK
ENTITLED:
by Ajit Mookerjee
Clarion Books
G.T: Road, Shahdara
Delhi-110032
Copyright Thames and Hudson Ltd, London
There is widespread and growing interest al lover the world in the means of tapping the vital energy (Kundalini) that lies latent in each of us. Tantra, which does not deny the body, but harnesses its energies and powers for spiritual growth, is the most detailed and authoritative teaching of this kind in existence.
<>Ajit Mookerjee’s magnificent Yoga Art introduced many readers to the tools of meditation, and his Tantric Way (with Madhu Khanna) was brilliantly successful in its exposition of Tantric philosophy and practice. Now in Kundalini Mr. Mookerjee writes of the core-experience of Tantra, the situations in which the energy is awakened and rises through the energy centres (chakras) to unite with Pure Consciousness at the crown of the head.
The Indian sacred texts are an indispensable authority, and of these the author is a scholar; but here Mr. Mookerjee also looks at the modern accounts of Kundalini-experience, Eastern and Western, and describes the findings of the clinical studies and research so far undertaken in the West.
His new study will be read not only by those who already practise meditation and yoga -with or without guidance -and who wish to learn more of the potential of these methods to assist personal growth, but also by newcomers to this field, who are attracted by the strangeness and power of the visual imagery. As with his previous books, Mr. Mookerjee has been able to draw for his illustrations on a wide and magnificient range of original manuscript sources.
Human experience owes to Tantra the discovery and location of the centres of psychic energy, chakras, in the subtle or astral body. Kundalini Sakti, coiled and dormant cosmic energy, is at the same , time the supreme force in the human organism. Every individual is a manifestation of that energy, and the universe around us is the outcome of the same consciousness, ever revealing itself in various modes. The passage of the awakened Kundalini through the various chakras is the subject of a unique branch of tantric esoteric knowledge whose goal is the merging of the Kundalini energy with cosmic consciousness, so that one may realize one’s real self, ultimately unfolding the mysteries of the whole universe.
Kundalini-yoga is an experience of the actualization of human potentialities. A deeper understanding of the awakening of this cosmic energy can only be felt when one decides to become actively involved in it. As Dr B. Bhattacharyya remarks: ‘Whenever in the future, man awakens to the necessity of psychic development, spiritual advancement, or of stimulating his latent magical faculties, all eyes must turn towards this branch of Sanskrit literature, and to those few Yogins India still possesses, for the most minute, thorough, accurate, easy and practical system of psychic exercises ever conceived by man in any country or at any time.’
The Kundalini awakening or rebirth-process has been studied both from the classical and clinical point of view. In this study, my special thanks are due to Dr Lee Sannella, Chief of Clinical Services of the Kundakini Clinic, whose permission to use the clinical findings has been very useful. I am grateful to pick Price and Stanislav and Christina Grof of the Esalen Institute, Big Sur, California, for providing me with opportunities to meet American researchers on kundalini-yoga. I am also indebted to Madhu Khanna for her several suggestions and to Pria Devi for going through the manuscript.
A.M.
The Kundalini, in the form of latency, is coiled like a serpent. One who impels this Sakti to move will attain liberation. - Hathayoga-pradipika, Chap. 3, v. 108
Liberation while living is considered in Indian life to be the highest experience -a fusion of the individual with the universal. The individual manifestation is like a spark of the cosmos, as the human organism, the microcosm, parallels everything in the macrocosm. The complete drama of the universe is repeated here, in this very body. The whole body with its biological and psychological processes becomes an instrument through which the cosmic power reveals itself. According to tantric principles, all that exists in the universe must also exist in the individual body. If we can analyse one human being, we shall be able to analyse the entire universe, because it is believed that all is built on the same plane. The purpose is to search for the whole truth within, so that one may realize one’s inner self, unfolding the basic reality of the universe.
The point of connection is yoga, for yoga is the ‘way’. In bhakti-yoga, union takes place through love and devotion; raja-yoga is the path of realization through meditation; karma-yoga is the way of salvation through works; jñana-yoga leads to union through discernment, while hatha-yoga develops psychosomatic forces towards the ultimate goal.
An important tantric contribution to consciousness-expanding experience is kundalini-yoga. The Sanskrit word kundalini means ‘coiled-up’. The coiled Kundalini is the female energy existing in latent form, not only in every human being but in every atom of the universe. It may frequently happen that an individual’s Kundalini energy lies dormant throughout his or her entire lifetime and he or she is unaware of its existence. The object of the tantric practice of kundalini-yoga is to awaken this cosmic energy and cause it to unite with Siva, the Pure Consciousness pervading the whole universe.The Kundalini Sakti or ‘coiled feminine energy’ is the vast potential of psychic energy, the body’s most powerful thermal current. The arousal of Kundalini is not unique to tantric practice, but forms the basis of all yogic disciplines, and every genuine spiritual experience may be considered a flowering of this physionuclear energy. Even music and dance can arouse the Kundalini’s dormant force and direct it to higher planes, until its perfect unfolding and our conscious awareness of its presence within us is realized. When this Kundalini Sakti moves to manifest itself, it becomes dynamic. The one Consciousness is polarized into static (Siva) and dynamic (Sakti) aspects for the purpose of manifestation. Kundalini-yoga is the resolution of this duality into unity again.
In the concept of the Yoga Kundalini Upanishad (1.82) :
The divine power, Kundalini, shines like the stem of a young lotus; like a snake, coiled round upon herself: she holds her tail in her mouth and lies resting half asleep at the base of the body.
The static, unmanifested Kundalini is symbolized by a serpent coiled into three and a half circles, with its tail in its mouth, and spiralling around the central axis or Svayambhu-linga at the base of the spine. When the Kundalini Sakti (Power Consciousness) is ready to unfold, she ascends to unite above the crown of the head with Siva (Pure Consciousness), whose manifest energy she is, through the psychic centres, the chakras (or cakras ), that lie along the axis of the spine as consciousness potentials. All the chakras are to be understood as situated, not in the gross body, but in the subtle or etheric body. Repositories of psychic energies, they govern the whole condition of being.
Tantras commonly mention six principal holistically organized centres of consciousness, though the number varies from text to text. Starting from the base of the spine, these centres are known as Muladhara, Svadhisthana (around the prostatic plexus), Manipura (around the navel), Anahata (near the heart), Visuddha (behind the throat), and Ajña (between the eyebrows). Sahasrara, the seventh, transcendent chakra, is situated four-fingers’ breadth above the top of the head. The Sahasrara chakra is said to be the region of Siva, Pure Consciousness, while the Muladhara chakra is the seat of Sakti, whose form here is Kundalini. Through certain prescribed disciplines the Kundalini Sakti rises through the psychic centres until it reaches its full flowering -that is, fusion with the Absolute in Sahasrara as Kula-kundalini, generating bliss-consciousness (ananda) from the union of Siva-Sakti.
Tantrikas regard the human organism as a capsule of the whole. ‘He who realizes the truth of the body can then come to know the truth of the universe’ (Ratnasara). The adept accepts this with, an almost existential awareness. The psychic and physical organisms are interdependent, since each makes the other possible. The forces governing the cosmos on the macro-level govern the individual on the micro-level. Life is one, and all its forms are interrelated in a vastly complicated but inseparable whole. The underlying unity becomes a bridge between the microcosm and the macrocosm. ‘The human body, like the electro-magnetic bodies of the sun or the earth, has with our present knowledge expanded beyond its physical confines, revealing the subtle human faculties beyond the five senses: the auras of the ‘aetheric’ body, and its organs- the ‘chakras’ -of religious tradition, the streams of ‘qi’ energy which the acupuncturist traces -all of which emanations parallel and fuse with the energy rhythms of our planet, and beyond.’(Blair, Rythms of Vision, pp.8, 148-9)
Each human being has an ‘etheric double’, a subtle or suksma body. Besides the ‘gross’ body (sthula sarira), there are the ‘subtle’ body (linga or suksma sarira) and the ‘causal’ body (karana sarira). In the Tantras, the human body is regarded as made up of five envelopes or cosmic folds, the sheaths or kosas, creating layers of decreasing density. The physical metabolism is known as the Annamaya-kosa (food-formed sheath) of the gross body; more subtle is the sheath of circulatory vital air, the Pranamaya-kosa ; the third and fourth sheaths, more subtle still, are the cognitive and discriminatory processes, the Manomaya and Vijñanamaya (mind and intelligence sheaths) of the subtle body. The final sheath, Anandamaya, the most subtle of all, is identified with man’s extraordinary capacity for joy (the bliss consciousness), and belongs to the causal body.
The physical sheath of the body, Annamaya, is connected with three of the five elements -earth, water and fire -which are represented respectively in the Muladhara, Svadhisthana and Malnipura chakras. The Pranamaya sheath, bearing the universal life-force, Prana, expresses itself through the air and ether elements which are represented in the Anahata and Visuddha chakras; the Manomaya and Vijñanamaya sheaths have the Ajña chakra as their centre. It is the activation of the Ajña chakra that gives the initiate inner vision, a simultaneous knowledge of things as they really are, as the ‘third eye’, cosmic consciousness, opens at this centre. These subtle envelopes are related to the gross or physical particles at several psychic points, and these points are interlinked by numerous subtle channels known as nadis (from the Sanskrit root nad meaning motion, vibration). Though attempts have been made to identify these subtle channels with the anatomy of the physical body, they are practically untraceable by direct empirical observation. If the nadis were to be revealed to the eye, the body would appear as a highly complex network.
The most important of the nadis are the central channel, Sushumna, and its two flanking channels: the white, ‘lunar’ nadi, Ida, on the left, and the red, ‘solar’ nadi, Pingala, on the right. The Sushumna nadi runs from just below Muladhara, extending to the forehead through the spinal column. Within the Sushumna nadi there are three more subtle channels: Vajra, Chitrini, and Brahmani or Brahma-nadi, the innermost, through which Kundalini moves upwards. Two currents of psychic energy flow through Ida and Pingala from the perineum at the base of the spine, spiralling in opposite directions around the Sushumna, which meets them between the eyebrows. Sushumna remains closed at its lower end as long as Kundalini is not awakened.
A dynamization, transformation and sublimation of the physical, mental and spiritual state is only possible with the arousal of the Kundalini Sakti and her orientation from downward to upward movement as she rises to unite with Siva, resulting in the flooding of the whole being with indescribable bliss. The aspirant raises himself from the grosser elements to the subtler and realizes, in a transcendental experience his union with Siva-Sakti, to become a cosmic mind.
Long training and preparatory disciplines are undertaken for the arousal of Kundalini, but there is no fixed rule, and practices vary considerably. To activate the Kundalini energy through yogic methods for the upward journey along the Brahma-nadi, the aspirant must summon all the strength and skill at his command. Taking up the posture he finds most suitable, the aspirant initiates the process by which Kundalini is aroused through ‘sense withdrawal’ or pratyahara, concentrating all his attention on a single point (dharana) until normal mental activity is totally suspended. The will-power is directed inwards to the vital air (Prana) that is inhaled and held in Pranayama, guiding its circulatory movement through Ida and Pingala down to the base of the spine into the space where Kundalini lies coiled. The entry of Prana produces an abrupt effect like sudden combustion in a confined space, and its heat and sound combine to awake the serpent-power from its trance-sleep (yoga-nidra). This discipline of psychosomatic regulation and breath-control is the contribution of kundalini-yoga to tantric ritual. Pranayama reinforces the power of meditative practices, and it is upon this technique that the Tantras lay the strongest emphasis.
Breath provides the means of symbiosis between different forms of life and also between existence and awareness. Yoga is concerned to direct this bio-motor force towards the expansion of consciousness in the human organism. It is through the science of breathing that the body’s subtle centres are vitalized.
Yoga has developed systematic techniques of breathing, regulating its speed, depth and rhythm. In normal circumstances our breathing is very irregular. Not only are inhalation and exhalation shallow but they lack harmony. While every individual’s respiratory cycle reacts dynamically upon the latent Kundalini a reaction that takes place about 21,600 times a day, that is, at a frequency more or less equal to the individual’s number of breaths -this respiration is shallow and rapid, filling the lungs to only a fraction of their capacity, and supplying a current of oxygenated energy flowing downwards to strike Kundalini that is wholly inadequate to awaken her.
Yogananda in his autobiography, while narrating his guru’s explanation that the ancient yogis discovered the secret of the link between cosmic consciousness and breath-mastery, writes that: ‘The Kriya Yogi mentally directs his life energy to revolve, upward and downward, around the six spinal centers (medullary, cervical, dorsal, lumbar, sacral, and coccygeal plexuses), which correspond to the twelve astral signs of the zodiac, the symbolic Cosmic Man. One half-minute of revolution of energy around the sensitive spinal cord of man affects subtle progress in his evolution; that half-minute of Kriya equals one year of natural spiritual unfoldment.” (Yogananda Autobiography of a Yogi Pg 279).
Pranayama is reinforced by such yogic practices as asanas (sustained postures), mudras (gestures),mantras (seed-sound syllables) and bandhas (internal ‘lock’ or muscular contraction). A compact and relaxed bodily position that may be sustained for long periods is first adopted. In Padmasana, the lotus posture, one sits crosslegged with the right foot resting on the left thigh and the left foot crossed over the right leg; in Siddhasana, the posture of accomplishment, the left heel is pressed firmly on the perineum and the heel of the right foot is placed on the left thigh, touching the abdomen. In both these positions, the body is upright, with the head, neck and spinal column balanced naturally on their axis. The eyes are directed towards the tip of the nose for deep concentration, while the hands are laid on the knees. Yogis explain that sitting cross-legged in either of these postures provides a stable triangular base which sustains the ‘closed circuit’ of the energy field.
The first step in Pranayama is to regulate the breathing. Rhythm is all-important, as it is this that supports concentration and harnesses the impulse of the autonomic nervous system. By taking deeper and fuller breaths we begin to absorb the maximum Pranic current with each inhalation. To proceed further, a knowledge of the phasing of respiration’s units is required. Each unit consists of three parts: inhalation; retention of breath at any point during inhalation, the chief method of absorbing energy from the atmosphere; and exhalation of the used air. Balanced rhythm in breathing depends on achieving the correct ratio between these three units. The ideal phasing of inhalation (puraka), retention (kumbhaka) and exhalation (rechaka) is 1:4 :2.
The air is inhaled slowly through the left nostril (which is connected with the lunar channel, Ida) while the right nostril is closed with the thumb. The breath is then held, while meditating on the seed-sound syllable Yam, and exhaled in the correct rhythm. The same procedure is repeated using the right nostril (which is connected with the solar channel, Pingala) and the seed-sound syllable Ram. Ida and Pingala, as they rise from the region of the coccyx, entwine around the Sushumna, crossing from side to side at nodes between the chakras. (It is interesting to note that the same spiral pattern is seen in the double-helix configuration of the DNA-molecule containing the genetic code of life.) In the practice of Pranayama, these pathways are purified (cleansing of the nadis) to allow the free flow of psychic forces.
During this yogic discipline, the primal sound Om (A-U-M), or a similar seed-sound syllable drawn from the Sanskrit alphabet, is uttered repeatedly, not only as a measure of duration, but to provide a sound-vibration which has a connection with the subtle channels and chakras; for each chakra has a corresponding sound and colour, vibrating at different frequencies. Starting with the root chakra and working up to the top of the head, these vibration-rates are given by the Tantric texts as 4, 6, 10, 12, 16, 2, 1,000; and the number of ‘rays’ of tattvas (subtle elements) has been mentioned as 56 for Muladhara, 62 for Sviidhisthiina, 52 for Manipura, 54 for Anahata, 72 for Visuddha and 64 for Ajña.
One of the vital airs of Prana is the Apana, which controls the situation it occupies below the navel region. It is associated with the colours purple and orange, and is linked from below with the fire element. According to the Yoga Kundalini Upanishad (42-46), ‘When one causes the downward Apana to move upwards [by constriction of the sphincter muscles of the rectum], it is known as Mulabandha. When the Apana, moving upwards, reaches the region of the fire [element], the flame of fire, caused by the vital air [prana] to ascend, increases its intensity. When the fire and Apana reach the heated Prana, a current is generated in the body. By that current the sleeping Kundalini, being very much heated, is roused, and like a snake belaboured with a stick, becomes erect with hissing and by way of entering its hole, reaches the interior of the Brahma-nadi.’
The cosmic principles moving with the outgoing (i.e. descending) current of vital air are involuted with the starting of the return current. Ascent is to be made in the reverse order to descent. This repeated filling and emptying of breath is the rhythm of the universe itself, sending waves to strike at the root-impulses of Kundalini. When Kundalini is struck, she awakens, uncoils (i.e. is dynamized), and begins to rise upwards like a fiery serpent, breaking upon each chakra as she ascends, until the Sakti merges with Siva in laya-yoga (laya = absorption), in deep union, samadhi or enstasis.
It is to the Tantras that we owe the mature development of a system of sound equations (mantra-yoga). Ordinary speech employs sound to express meaning; mantra, the sacral sound, is concerned with sound as being, i.e. with pure sonic vibration. This knowledge did not originate with the Tantras, but with the Vedic yajña and the extreme precision necessary to the original science of sacrifice. The Vedantic meditations of the Upanishads continually invoke the mystic Udgitha (literally ‘ultimate song’) of the pranava : Om.
With Nandikesvara, one of the earliest masters of Saivagama, all the sounds known through the Sanskrit alphabet are identified as the vocables sprung from the cosmic drum of Siva, i.e. of creation itself. Sound is the paradigm of creation, and its dissolution is reabsorption into its source. While this directly inspired the Indian science of phonetic and morphological systems under Panini, the famous grammarian of the third century BC, it even more directly strengthened speculation into nada (sonic vibration) and its relation to sphota: awakening, manifestation-revelation of being. So that by the time we arrive at the Tantras themselves, there is already a sophisticated working tradition and notational system that is three to four thousand years old.
This composite wisdom was carefully guarded, and only entrusted to those who had the spiritual authority (adhikara) to recognize its significance. While some part of this knowledge was transcribed in the tenth century AD, it is essentially oral and esoteric. For these reasons, it is generally acknowledged that the initiate may only receive the mantra appropriate to his need, stance and chosen deity in accord with his spiritual standing, on the judgment of an experienced preceptor .
According to the Tantras, to ‘awaken’ a mantra is to activate vibration channels and produces certain superconscious feeling-states which aid the disciple in his sadhana. The very sound of a mantra, or combination of mantras, has the capacity to arouse the divine forms or their energies. Each divinity possesses a bija mantra, a seed-sound syllable, which is its equivalent. Thus the bija mantra Hum is the root vibration or atomized form of sound representing the essential nature of Kundalini Sakti who ‘encompasses the mantra-sounds’ (Laliti-sahasrannma, 103). ‘The sadhaka [aspirant] whose mind is purified by the practice of Yama and Niyama [Pranayama techniques] and other forms of spiritual discipline, learns from his guru the way to the discovery of the great liberation. By means of concentration on the letter Hum [the bija-mantra] he rouses the Kundalini, pierces the centre of the Svayambhu-linga, the mouth of which is closed, and is therefore invisible, and by means of air and fire places her within the Brahma-randhra.’ (Satchakra-nirupana, v. 50)
As to the working of the mantra sakti (literally ‘energy of the mantra’) in the arousal of Kundalini, the bija mantra repeated according to the rules of the doctrine serves to centre and support the aspirant’s auditory perception by its very continuum. In this way it contracts and intensifies the field of awareness to a single point, under pressure of which Kundalini stirs towards awakening. It is important to remember, however, that the mantra is not merely a technique of awakening; it is actually and in itself a state of being indicative of the presence of divinity.
As the American researcher Bernbaum writes: ‘The mantra bestows no magic power from the outside; rather it releases latent forces within each person which are normally suppressed by the ego. Proper use of the mantra enables the adept to control and direct these forces, primarily toward dissolving the ego and opening himself to the universe within and around him. This control is crucial and is the reason for much of the secrecy around Tantric yoga. (Edwin Bernbaum, ‘The way of Symbols’ in The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, No. 2, 1974. pp. 99-100)
Note: Even though the above methods (pranayam and mantra) are well known to almost any westerner that has practiced yoga, especially since the influx of eastern gurus in the 60’s, the following two methods are not as familiar to the western sadhakas or aspirants.
While mantra-sakti acts to awaken and sustain a heightened plane of being-awareness, it has already been prefaced by important, indeed indispensable, supporting means. Nyasa and mudra are considered by tantrikas to be the correct way to open the yoga. Nyasa is the rite by which the aspirant consciously enters the sacred space. It is the cleansing and purifying process in which the body, its key-points and zones of renewal are sensitized by the placing of the fingertips. The body is now ‘awakened’ from its dormancy and made ready for its sacral role. To the accompaniment of mudra, it is now offered to the deity. Mudra is the ritualized body-language both of offering and of surrender. The body is depersonalized and the deity is invited to enter its pure dwelling-place.
Tantrikas believe that the flesh must be ‘awakened’ from its dormancy. ‘This gathering up is effected by cosmicizing the body, and treating it as a ‘tool’ for inner awareness by taming it with yogic rituals, awakening zones of consciousness and activizing its latent subtle energies. ...In the Tantras the relationship of man and cosmos has been reversed, and man himself has ‘become’ the cosmos. That is, his significance in the cosmic order has been exalted to the extent that he, and his body, are seen as a tool (yantra) of unlimited power, capable of transforming even his baser capacities into eternal values, an exaltation considered as a movement of power from the realm of god to the realm of man. ‘ (Khanna, Yantra, p. 119)
Finger-positions (mudras) are connected with nyasa in tantric ritual. Ritual gestures create a reaction in the mind of the adept, evoking divine powers in order to intensify concentration. The Yoni-mudra, for example, represents Sakti’s yantra. It is performed with the object of invoking the divinity to infuse the aspirant with her energy. Mudras such as Vajroli, Asvani, Sahajoli, Khecharl and Maaimudra are sakti-chalanas, ‘energy-movers’, and are combined with postures, breath-techniques and mantras to awaken Kundalini.
The immediate physical world of the body is now pure, impersonal; the mind is poised and alert, the spirit awakened. Having invoked the collaboration of the deity and aroused the coiled energy within, the climb at last begins, and with it the actual drama of tantra-yoga. For unlike the inherited systems of Samkhya-yoga that lead by stillness to the turiyavastha, the fourth state beyond waking, dreaming and sleeping, kundalini-yoga is the dynamic, the kinesthetic way.
Returning to the cosmic axis of the self, the aspirant passes upwards: the graduated planes of unconscious, subconscious and conscious experience open like flowers, yielding under pressure of this charge that mounts from that which is veiled and restricted to a sense of being that is progressively more open, unrestricted, heightened.
Each knot, each psychic blockage that binds the individual to the common order of knowledge or of action, must be served in the ascent to truth.
This upward journey through the self refines and subtilizes the energy that is the Kundalini, until at the sixth chakra, the Ajña, centre of command, a qualitative change has taken place. This is, as it were, the last pause in the climb from sthula, concrete and perceptible matter, through suksma, the subtle, to para, the causal or ultimate state of being that Kundalini will encounter at the Brahma-randhra, the ‘opening’ at the point of perfected being.
Each of the chakras, according to the Tantras, corresponds to one of the elements of which the known world is compounded, and of which the individual constitution is but a simulacrum. Muladhara represents solidity; Svdhisthana, liquidity; Manipura, the gaseous; Anahata, the aerial; Visuddha, the etheric, or space. One can see the whole process as a progressive transformation of the elements, with an increase of volatility.
In the Visuddha centre, beyond the four elements, one reaches a sphere of abstraction, the centre of space (akasa), the principle of vacuity. There one steps beyond the empirical world; as it were, beyond the ‘world of concepts’. C. G. Jung, using the language of archetypes (or the residual images retained in the collective unconscious that surface in dreams, in myths, and in the creative psyche), has suggested the mandala or cone of experience by which to visualize this journey. He sees it as a spiral climb inwards and upwards from the circumference of the sphere or the base of the cone into the point-experience or crest-experience at the centre of being.
The following method or discipline the author explains in this book is indeed the least known practice by the western sadhaka and presently, one could say, the most controversial, due to the fact that it easily becomes subject of much speculation and in certain cases a way of taking advantage of the innocence, and lack of knowledge of the trusting disciples.
In the process of self-realization the highest goal, identified with the arousal of Kundalini, is recognized as a microcosmic version of the feminine power of Sakti. The tantrikas identify the power of Sakti with Cosmic Consciousness, since she projects the bi-unity of male and female principles.
In order to realize this, the discipline of tantra-asanas ( sexo-yogic postures) has developed into a formidable series of psycho-physical practices requiring the same type of discipline as meditation. According to tantra, the Kundalini Sakti can be aroused by the practice of tantra-yoga-asanas, as it asserts: ‘One must rise by that by which one may fall.’ What on the cosmic plane is fusion of polarities is, on the biological level, the sexual union of asana -not sexual ‘intercourse’ as commonly and wrongly stated.
Through the ages, the sex act has been generally associated with procreation or gross physical satisfaction. Tantrikas, however, realized the immense potentiality of sex energy, and, through tantra-asanas, transformed the energy of sex and freed it to a plane of cosmic awareness. Sex is seen as divine in itself, and a source of a vital energy capable of acting with tremendous force on the physiopsychic state which in turn reacts on the higher cosmic plane.
Tantra prescribes the discipline which sublimates the physical union of man and woman into a creative union of Siva-Sakti. Among the most important tantric practices undertaken to awaken Kundalini are those of Dakshina marga, the ‘right-hand’ path, and Vama marga, the ‘left-hand’ path. The followers of the left-hand path practise the Pancha-makara rites, a term which refers to five ritual ingredients beginning with the letter M: madya, wine, mamsa, meat, matsya, fish, mudra, parched cereal, and maithuna, sexual union. The ritual of collective sexual union performed in a circle is known as chakra-puja. The fundamental principle of the left-hand path is that spiritual progress is not to be achieved by shunning or avoiding our desires and passions, but only by transforming those very elements which make us fall, as a means of liberation.
In kundalini-yoga the kinetic flow of Kundalini Sakti, which in the ordinary course is in a downward direction, is made to reverse to an upward flow, finally to unite it with Siva, Cosmic Consciousness. To this end, the physiological functions of the body also undergo progressive transformation.
The ritual of tantra-asana (For details see: Mookerjee and Khanna, The Tantric Way (Ritual), pp. 175,194) performed with a partner of the opposite sex. The female participant is seen as the reflection of Sakti, the dynamic female principle of the universe. The ‘devout woman’ epitomizes the entire nature of the eternal feminine. Prior to the commencement of the ritual, a choice of environment, and determination of propitious time and hour, are made with the help of a guru. It is ideal to have initiation from a Bhairavi (female guru). Tantrikas stress the need to perform rituals in solitary places in an atmosphere free from disturbance and pollution. The acts of bathing, dressing, sitting for worship, offering of flowers and other ritual ingredients, along with rites like nyasa and bhiita-sudhi (purification of body and elements) are performed to prepare the right atmosphere. The relevant instructions are carried out literally in Vamachara or left-hand practice, but taken in a metaphorical sense in Dakshinachara or right-hand practice.
In the Pancha-makara rite, the nude female worshipped is no longer regarded as flesh and blood but as a goddess, as Sakti who embodies the fundamental forces of the cosmos. ‘The transference of divinity is not something which is detached from the real but is within the reach of experience. The man and the woman both are parts of a drama to which they conform in perfect lucidity. Their interplay is a complementary movement of thought and feeling; there is no place for abstraction here, but only constant reference to a tangible human condition. Hence the experience of the transubstantiation of a woman into a goddess is viewed as a very special revelation of reality which can be seen, felt, and apprehended in no other way than what it is.
‘The man and woman encounter themselves in one another; in doing so more completely does one relate to one’s inner self. This continuous activity of ‘seeing’ into one another through the various ritual acts climaxing in sexo-yogic-asana plunges the group into an anonymity in which personal ego-sense is dissolved for the acceptance of the common goal. By the process of ritual projection, the adepts are imbued with divinity until both the male and female, who represent the dialectical principles, achieve an existential awareness of unity similar to the symbol of the circle: “So ‘ham: I am He” or “Sa ‘ham: I am She”, for “There is no difference between Me and Thee.”' (Mookerjee and Khanna The Tantric Way (Ritual), pp 175,194)
Rajneesh remarks ‘Sexuality and spirituality become two ends of one energy. Tantric sexual union is falling in love with the Whole Cosmos, it is a total surrender to the Whole Cosmos.’ In surrendering we become feminine, the feminine depths of our psyche then dissolving, transcending -a total experience of oneness and a tremendous energy is released. From the tantric point of view, the consummated human being is man and woman fused into a single unit. When the idea of basic unity, that the two are inseparable, emerges, the state of ananda, of infinite joy or perpetual bliss, is reached. This state of bliss is the closes approximation one may experience to the state of liberation. The inner life-force is aroused to its full potential through the mystic process of awakening the Kundalini Sakti.
‘One ho has attained transformation, a spiritual rebirth, has no more desires. All external aides become symbols of phases and forces. They are no more ‘links’ of different parts of the whole and all the means that we require to reach the ultimate goal are within us. “What need to I have of an outer woman? I have an inner woman within myself,” as tantra says. When roused, Kundalini, the ‘inner woman’, shines like ‘millions of lightning flashes’ in he centre of the sadhaka’s body. Hethen thinks that he himself is shining like everything that is reflected. He looks upon the entire objective world that is reflected as surging within him.’
I’ll leave it to the reader to come to his/her own conclusions…..
Since our main objective in this section is to come to some understanding regarding the accusations of sexual abuse of young men by Sathya Sai Baba and his devotees’ explanation of it being a sacred ritual for the arousal of their kundalini, we will go from here to some of the commentaries made by present and former devotees regarding the possibilities of these molestations being indeed of a sacred nature:
Kundalini Foundation for Self-Realisation
February 1999
THE TEST
For some years now, Sai Baba has told people that a time will come when a great number of His devotees will leave Him; that Prasanthi Nilayam will become empty before people come flooding back. Then, people will only be able to see Him from a few miles off.
It would take a major crisis of confidence in Sai Baba to cause most of His millions of devotees to abandon Him. It is difficult to imagine the circumstances in which this could happen. This great Avatar work on every level in the cosmos, whilst at the same time attending to our little lives. He is far beyond our ability to understand. He says that we will never fathom His mystery.
Of course, it could be part of the Cosmic Plan to sort out the wheat from the chaff, Baba’s great test to weed out those of little faith.
So, we ask, what will happen? Reason tells us that this event must be based on ignorance on the part of those devotees who leave Him. Such a circumstance now seems to be upon us.
Rumours about Sai Baba are rife at Puttaparthi. Those most frequent heard refer to Baba touching the genitals of young men. We have heard from trusted sources that Baba has touched people in this area.
This paper is designed to throw some light on the subject.
There are several reasons for a God-man to touch the Perineum of a devotee:
1. “Psychological Disturbance” If the subtle nerves (the Granthi Knot) near the Muladhara Chakra are entangled, the Kundalini will not be able to rise. This usually causes serious psychological disturbance in the individual. In such a case the Guru, and only a Guru blessed with this power, will touch the Perineum to get the Kundalini moving. Guruji told us in class that He had to do this with one of the Sadhaks at the Ashram. It is several years since then, and this advanced soul is still not free of his serious problems. This practice of working on the Perineum has also been followed by the Taoists who massaged have (note: here the sentence suddenly stops )
2. “Initiation” There are three physical places, levels of consciousness, that the Guru touches to awaken the Kundalini of a disciple: at the Ajna Chakra between the eyebrows; at the Anahat Chakra near the heart; or at the Muladhara Chakra near the sexual organ. It was with this touch that Ramakrishna gave Vivekananda an instantaneous experience of Divinity.
3. “Bringing in a Divine Soul” An Avatar will know if one of His disciples is to be the instrument for bringing in a Divine Soul. He will do what is necessary to prepare the seed and ensure that everything is perfectly set for such an important event.
The Granthis: These are very strong locks, knots of subtle nerves near the three Chakras mentioned above, namely, the Muladhara, the Anahat and the Ajna Chakra. Guruji says:
“The three knots are very important, they are very difficult to open. Either God’s mercy will come to you from within of some great master who has the authority from God, can open them by touching. They can sometimes take twenty years to open.”
There are more than three million nerves, starting from the Kanda (Perineum) just above the rectum. This is the place where Kundalini gets active and the energy starts going up. These are the major sticking points of a person on the path to God-realisation. An entanglement at one of these centres means that the person has a serious blockage at this level of consciousness.
It can take a great deal of work by the Guru, over a long period of time to eliminate what are in effect the deeply rooted sense impressions carried by the soul from one incarnation to the next. These sense impressions are also what causes us to experience what we call our Karmas. If Sai Baba is touching this point it means that He is coaxing the Karmas out of the soul of that person, such an Avatar would be aware of the Karmas and their accompanying incarnations as they fell away. A person receiving such Grace from the Avatar is an advanced soul who has been prevented from reaching Liberation by some great karmic blockage from the past.
The Kundalini is the very same energy as the sexual energy, or libido. Once it is awakened it no longer only is expressed outwardly in the sexual act but also travels up the spine, cleansing the Chakras of thoughts and feelings of hatred, envy lust etc., that are present at the se subtle levels of consciousness. At the same time it also feeds those previously unused chambers of the brain which are instrumental, on the physical level for equipping the aspirant for God-realisation.
The perineum can be located in the male half way between the anus and the scrotum. It is a small indentation that is not easy to find, especially if you are looking for it on someone else. The location on the female is at the anterior part of the cervix. There are certain Yoga postures, Asanas, which are designed to put pressure from the heel of the one foot onto that point at the Muladhara Chakra to help the Vital Essence rise up the spine. In the Karma Sutra the technique of firmly pressing the perineum is advised for men who wish to delay ejaculation and prolong the sexual act.
Many devotees of Sai Baba are deeply concerned by the rumours of which we speak. There is also danger that some people will, with great energy, broadcast these rumours to the Four Corners of the world. This could be the Event that will cause many devotees to abandon Swami. If this is so you can be sure that Swami is fully aware of every small detail of the Drama. Like Jesus, He will have known from the start who the players are and how the play will unfold. And like Jesus, He will not act in any to alter the Divine Plan. His actions, however incomprehensible to us, are essential to the unfolding of the Plan.
To quote Guruji:
“The Absolute Truth controls all the Gurus. It even controls the Avatars. Avatara does not control the Absolute Truth. Understand this principle! Even Rama, Krishna come as Avataras, they are also working under the control of the Absolute Formless God. So whatever planning has been done by that absolute Formless God, that which has been planned, will take place through that form.”
Whatever happens, and however bad it may seem to be, we need to remember that Baba has proved to many millions of people on an individual level that He is the Embodiment of Divinity. We each have our role, whatever it may be.
God has infinite love for us all.
SAI RAM
Points of View:
from Dr. Timothy Conway
Regarding this “kundalini raising” matter, there is NOTHING in the literature I’ve ever seen from the Hindu, Buddhist or Taoist tantric traditions or Hindu shaktipat guru traditions—and I have read widely and extensively in this literature—about “raising the kundalini” by sexually molesting male youth. It is a bald lie that Sri Ramakrishna initiated Narendranath (Swami Vivekananda) or anyone else in this manner. The accounts all state quite clearly that he would touch the disciples on the chest or head. He wasn’t taking them off in private to massage or suck the penis or have male youth do the same to him. I have an extensive library of many rare Buddhist, Taoist and Hindu works (in addition to a huge collection of works from western mystical traditions) and I’ve NEVER read anything that would suggest that what SSB is doing to male youth has been done by ANY other spiritual master in any tradition.Again, I wrote my M.A. thesis on the cross-cultural phenomenon of shaktipat or “energy empowerment” and I’ve never seen any document that alleged that the “kundalini” or vital force or subtle energy could or should be awakened in this manner.
The question exposing the faulty logic here is that, if the kundalini could be raised in this manner, why isn’t SSB providing the same service for less attractive young men, or older men, or any females?
Barry, please feel free to send this posting to anyone on your list who is either sympathetic or critical of SSB. It’s time for the truth to be told about this matter of the kundalini and SSB.
Best wishes to all,
Timothy Conway
Santa Barbara, CA USA
from an Anonymous source to Barry Pittard Feb 2002
I know the people of the Kundalini Foundation in the U.K .and I know where they received this information. It came from Shri Siddheswar Baba, who was also my Kundalini Guru in Northern India. What my Guru described and what these Kundalini Foundation people are writing about is not the same. I was there when he said it. I also talked to a young man who had his K.... adjusted by those means described. This man remained fully clothed and it was not sexual whatsoever. I feel very saddened that the words of my Guru are twisted to proof that it is ok what sb does with the boys.
from David Lyons - February 2002
Dear Friends: There shall never be a time that will alter my love, devotion, and affection for you—no matter which side of this controversy you are on, whether you are devotee or former devotee. Most of us came together with a common belief that Sai was the poorna avatar. But all that we did together, spoke together, sang together was Sanathana Dharma—the message was and IS divine. The only thing that has changed is the belief ABOUT the messenger. Some of us have defected from Sai and the organization, but I, personally, will never defect from you. All of you are the best people I know.
Dr. Timothy Conway has shared this short message with us, but he has written volumes which have been posted on various web sites. Many of you know that I teach a course on Comparative Religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, & Islam) and that Timothy has been the source of inspiration and edification that I am now emulating. Neither he, nor I, nor anyone else I know of has EVER purported that what Sai is doing can remotely be attributed to kundalini raising. That is so far-fetched from Sanathana Dharma that it falls into the category of a joke.
And do you think that the sexual abuse re the pedophilic priests of the Roman Catholic Church is coincidental to what is being reported about Sai throughout planet Earth? I would call it synchronicitous. It comes at a time when many people in authority that we look up to can have a dark side, whether they be spiritual, religious, political or otherwise. Much damage has been done by these people, and it is up to all of us to see that no more crimes are committed. No matter what side you are on in this controversy, YOUR dharma is on the line and is inescapable. The ball is in your court to determine what is true and what is false. And despite what spin doctors like Bongiovanni spit out, you must determine for yourself, without prejudice, what is really happening here and now.
Regarless of how it all turns out, you will remain my friends and cohorts in bettering this beautiful Earth.Dave Lyons
Dave Lyons was President of the Sathya Sai Center in New Orleans
from Elena Hartgering - May 2001
See Elena Hartgering's Story in Personal Experiences
Dear Friends,
On July 13th 2001 it will be a year since I read with sadness “The Findings” compiled by David and Faye Bailey. The past year has been a time of deep contemplation and reflection, and a transformative time, moving on from ardent and loyal Sai devotee to a seeker of truth, no matter where that truth would take me. It has been a time of re-defining reality and discovering God, the real one, not in the confines of any faith community, but rather, in my own heart. I was a Sai devotee for 20 years, a very long time to be wearing blinders.
A question has tugged at the corners of my mind. Others ask the same question, perhaps in different ways, but nevertheless, the question remains – WHAT ABOUT BABA’S POWERS? All of us in our term of devoteeship have had ardent prayers answered, and perhaps experienced the miraculous. I have told numerous miracle stories, because I experienced what I believed to be Baba’s miracles. Baba appears to devotees in dreams leaving a profound impact on the dreamer’s life. He appears from great distances and rescues devotees in distress or danger. He has healed many from catastrophic illnesses. He became part of our thoughts and answered many inquires telepathically. Baba seems to have supernatural powers. He is also a liar, a criminal, a charlatan, a fraud and a child molester, and perhaps even a murder. How can we explain his powers in the context of his crimes?
Most sai devotees have read Howard Murphet’s Sai Baba Man of Miracles. Actually, this was the first book I read about Sai Baba and it convinced me that he was truly a divine incarnation. It is also a book that I shared with many seekers, some who also became devotees, and sadly, remain so. We are familiar with the “scorpion story” which was purported to be the event that set Baba off to proclaim himself a reincarnation of Shirdi Sai Baba, a deceased saint from Northern India. He later became a self proclaimed god of the universe, an avatar, the Poona avatar, the avatar of the age. Is he a god, or is he a demon? This was the question asked by Pedda Raju, Baba’s father who was exasperated with his son’s bizarre behavior.
When we take this story out of the context and examine it with a critical eye, a different picture emerges. What Murphet described was actually a psychotic episode. If a youngster in the United States suddenly became delusional, reciting scripture, breaking out in song, falling into long periods of unconsciousness, speaking gibberish and remaining in this state for weeks or months, and then declaring himself god of the universe, he would be committed to a psychiatric facility. In this remote and backwards village, untouched by the modern world, young Raju was revered without question because his bizarre behavior was viewed as the sign of one touched by the divine.
I am reminded of a case a woman who was the victim of brother/sister incest shared with me. Her brother, seven years older than she had a strange occurrence. One night he awoke out of a sound sleep and went running out of the house shouting incoherent words and phrases. In subsequent days he broke out into operatic arias to which he had not been exposed. He masturbated almost constantly and began sexually molesting his two sisters. Eventually he became a fugitive from justice when his children accused him of sexually molesting them. The family discovered quite by accident many years later that he had been brutally raped by a male sex offender. The excruciating pain of anal penetration had apparently set off a psychotic episode that went unrecognized for his entire life. He was 13 at the time, coincidentally the same age as Baba’s “scorpion event.” This also occurred in 1945 when child sex abuse was not recognized as a crime in the same sense it is today in the western world.
Sai devotees tend to idealize both Baba and India. For some, the disdain for western religious dogma and practices, and I plead guilty to that, led to the absolute idealizing of all things eastern while turning blind eyes to the social, political, and economic ills of India.
India, socially, if not legally, upholds a caste system that grants privilege to those whose only claim to high rank is the accident of birth. They attribute their good fortune to the law of karma. That same law condemns the misfortunate born to the lower classes to a life of demeaning labors and social ostracism. India is where girl babies are slaughtered daily because females are considered another worthless mouth to feed. In India brides are burned by their in-laws so the kingly sons become eligible once again for another bride with a larger dowry. In India women and children are possessions of the male dominated culture; rape and sexual abuse is rampant, and almost never prosecuted, and female children who are not murdered at birth, are often sold into slavery or indentured servitude. Many crimes in India go unpunished. It is not surprising that two of its northern states, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, are virtually lawless and dangerous to Indian citizens, let alone westerners. There are areas of India that still practice the black arts of witchcraft and sorcery. This is the backdrop that spawned Sathyanarayana Raju, a 13 year old, who had a psychotic episode and declared himself lord of the universe, and now at age 75 boasts a worldwide following of millions of devotees.
To spiritual seekers India is the Mother of Spirituality with its various yoga, ascetic practices, and spiritual disciplines. Many westerners benefit from these practices. It is not these that concern us here. It is the dark side of some of these practices that may explain Baba’s supernatural powers, as well as that of other self-aggrandizing gurus.
Tantra yoga is commonly understood to be spiritual sexuality which became quite popular in the west with the publication in English of the Kama Sutra. There is, however, another side to Tantra. In one of our trips to India we met an Indian gentlemen who told us he had been possessed by his daughter-in-law whom he claimed was a Tantric witch. Through sorcery she acquired all of his property which he said was substantial and he was left ruined and penniless. In his book, “Riders of the Cosmic Circuit” a former Baba Devotee, Tal Brooke says of these practices:
“ ‘All features associated with European witches are…claimed also by Indo-Tibetan yogis and magicians.’ And, along with a range of occult powers common to both, the Indians, ‘boast that they break all the religious taboos and social rules: that they practice human sacrifice, cannibalism, and all manner of orgies, including incestuous intercourse, and that they eat excrement…and devour human corpses...’” (Brooke 2000, p. 205). (Tal Brooke took this quote from a publication of the University of Chicago, entitled “Occultism, Witchcraft and Cultural Fashions” by Mircea Eliade).
Sai Baba is accused of 50 to 60 years of sexual misconduct with young men and boys. Rajneesh the now deceased sex guru who had ashrams in Poona, India and Oregon, was a sexual fanatic. Many of his followers were subjected to group rapes, ritual murder, and other perversities that many succumbed to insanity. Muktananda was accused of molesting young girls. Satchidananda, was accused of sexual involvement with female employees and devotees at his ashram in Pomfret, Connecticut. The allegations tore the community apart and have followed him to his new residence in Virginia. Amrit Desai of the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in Lenox, Massachusetts was ousted for committing adultery with numerous female attendees. Each of these men are or were spiritually enlightened, touched by the Divine, if you will, and possessing supernatural powers. Yet, each was inappropriately sexual with their devotees, and often with the weakest and most vulnerable amongst them? Why? What is the correlation between advanced spirituality and sexual impropriety? It is suggested by a number of sources that it is the premature awaking of the kundalini energy. It can be described as the awakening of divine power in an impure vessel. All manner of power in the absence of goodness and conscience seems to make monsters out of holy men..
When kundalini is awakened in one who is not sufficiently pure there is a danger. Rather than moving along the spine and energizing the chakras in a balanced, orderly and highly spiritual fashion emerging through the crown awakening one’s latent divinity, it instead charges downward exacerbating the functions of the lower chakras, the seats of human greed, power, and sexuality. There is an expansion of consciousness that can be confused with divine powers which are in fact, in the hands of these unfortunates, demonic powers. When this happens the conscience is crushed and what is left is a shell of a human being whose humanness is replaced by demonic power far beyond our understanding. I suspect in Baba’s case some dangerous occult practices were the precipitating factor that set off his psychosis. This is obvious because her parents believed him to be possessed by something or someone evil. Why else would they take him to various witch doctors and exorcists?
Words of caution concerning the misuse of these practices have been handed down through the ages. Charles Leadbeater, the co-founder of The Theosophical Society said:
“The Danger of Premature Awakening: This fiery power, as it is called in The Voice of the Silence, is in very truth like liquid fire as it rushes through the body when it has been aroused by the will; and the course through which it ought to move is spiral like the coils of a serpent. In its awakened state it may be called the World’s Mother in another sense than that already mentioned, because through it our various vehicles may be vivified, so that the higher worlds may open before us in succession (emphasis mine).
For the ordinary person it lies at the base of the spine unawakened, and its very presence unsuspected, during the whole of his life; and it is indeed far better to allow it thus to remain dormant until the man has made definite moral development, until his will is strong enough to control it and his thoughts pure enough to enable him to face its awakening without injury (emphasis mine). No one should experiment with it without definite instruction from a teacher who thoroughly understands this subject, for the dangers connected with it are very real and terribly serious. Some of them are purely physical. Its uncontrolled movement often produces intense physical pain, and it may readily tear tissues and even destroy physical life. This, however, is the least of the evils of which it is capable, for it may do permanent injury to vehicles higher than the physical.
One very common effect of rousing it prematurely is that is rushes downwards in the body instead of upwards, and thus excites the most undesirable passions --- excites them and intensifies their effects to such a degree that it becomes impossible for the man to resist them, because a force has been brought into play in whose presence he is as helpless as a swimmer before the jaws of a shark. Such men become satyrs, monsters of depravity, because they are in the grasp of a force which is out of all proportion to the ordinary human power of resistance. They may probably gain certain supernormal powers, but these will be such as will bring them into touch with a lower order of evolution with which humanity is intended to hold no commerce, and to escape form its awful thralldom may take them for than one incarnation (emphasis mine).
I am not in any way exaggerating the horror of this thing, as a person to whom it was all a matter of hearsay might unwittingly do. I have myself been consulted by people upon whom this awful fate has already come, and I have seen with my own eyes what happened to them. There is a school of black magic which purposely utilizes this power for such purposes in order that through it may be vivified a certain lower force-centre which is never used in that way be the followers of the Good Law. Some writers deny the existence of such a center; but Brahamanas of Southern India assure me that there are certain yogis who teach their pupils to use it – though of course not necessarily with evil intent. Still, the risk is too great to be worth taking when one can achieve the same results in a safer way.
Even apart from this greatest of its dangers, the premature unfoldment of the higher aspects of kundalini has many other unpleasant possibilities. It intensifies everything in the man’s nature, and it reaches the lower and evil qualities more readily than the good. In the mental body, for example, ambition is very quickly aroused, and soon swells to an incredibly inordinate degree. It would be likely to bring with it a great intensification of the power of intellect, but at the same time it would produce abnormal and satanic pride,(emphasis mine) such as is quite inconceivable to the ordinary man. It is not wise for a man to think that he is prepared to cope with any force that may arise within his body; this is no ordinary energy, but something resistless. Assuredly no uninstructed man should ever try to awaken it, and if such a one finds that is has been aroused by accident he should at once consult some one who fully understands these matters…..
…..The force is a tremendous reality, one of the great basic facts of nature, and most emphatically it is not a thing with which to play, nor a matter to be lightly taken in hand, for to experiment with it without understanding it s far more dangerous than it would be for a child to play with nitroglycerine. As is very truly said in The Hathayoga Pradipika:, “It gives liberation to yogis and bondage to fools.” (III, 107). (Leadbeater, pp. 82-85)
It is interesting to note that Leadbeater also sexually molested young boys. That was common knowledge in his time, and obviously ignored. Howard Murphet was a member of The Theosophical Society. Actually, he came to India to explore some of the esoteric teachings and occult practices he learned from the two founders, Blavatsky and Leadbeater. What he found instead was a young Sai Baba, and wrote his first book, Sai Baba, Man of Miracles.
Another interesting point to be made is this. The seminal work that defines The Theosophical Society is Madame Blavatsky’s, “The Secret Doctrine” which in addition to cosmology, also describes in detail many of the occult and esoteric teachings of ancient India and other ancient cultures. The world’s power mongers seem to gravitate to these teachings, whether they be set forth as pure spiritual teachings for the good of humankind as is obviously the intent of The Secret Doctrine, or the twisted and perverse kind that are passed on from generation to generation in the darkness of ignorance.
It may surprise many of you to know that Adolf Hitler was an initiate of The Secret Doctrine and a practitioner of the black arts. He even derived the symbol of the Nazi party, the swastika, from India. Actually his inner circle of henchmen were required to be initiated in the same way as was he.
“Attainment of a certain high degree of initiation into The Secret Doctrine was the only acceptable qualifications or entry into this exclusive satanic circle.” (Ravenscroft, p. 244).
Baba is extremely charismatic, so much so that we, his former devotees, gave him our undying love and devotion, we surrendered our will to him, believing that he was our savior, the lord of the universe. We believed he loved us, and had only our best interests at heart. He filled our hearts and our heads, and there was no other love truer and deeper that that of Sai Baba. He read our minds and often spoke to us, it seemed from the divine mind to our individual minds.
We live in a world of opposites. Where there is good, there is also evil. I hesitate to use the word, “evil” because it has such a strong religious connotation. Yet it is the only word that fully describes the enigma which is Sai Baba. I frankly do not know if Baba is all good or all evil. I believe he has supernatural powers which many of us have experienced both in his presence and at great distances. I believe some of what appear to be powers are simply magicians tricks which we have already seen on the video tapes. I believe he has the power to use group hypnosis and much of what we believed to be miracles are only his control over our minds. Minds that were brain washed, tired, and deprived of sleep and appropriate nutrition.
Let us not forget a very important fact. We surrendered our will to Baba in many ways. We prayed to him and when those prayers were answered we gave him the credit. We grew spiritually and again, gave him the credit. We became more loving, caring of others, and compassionate, and gave Baba the credit. When I think about it, Baba was actually a neutral force in my life. I did the spiritual work, not he. He was merely the focus of my devotion. I have changed the focus of my devotion to God and the changes keep taking place within me. We so revered him that I believe this too gave him extraordinary powers in ways we cannot understand.
For me it is ended. I am pleased to have left the darkness behind me in order to find the light of truth that lies before me.
My Love and Blessings,
Elena A. Hartgering
Blavatsky, H. P. (1982) The Secret Doctrine. The Theosophy Company, Los Angeles, California.
Brooke, Tal. (2000). Riders of the Cosmic Circuit. iUniverse.com,Inc.
Leadbeater, C.W. (1927). The Chakras, The Theosophical Publishing House, Wheaton, Illinois.
Ravenscroft, Trevor. (1973) The Spear of Destiny. Samuel Weiser, Inc. York Beach, Maine.
from Glen Meloy, February 2002
Dear Barry,
I want you to know that I do appreciate your willingness to follow-up and investigate these alleged kundalini raising claims by contacting Timothy Conway and others. It’s been on my mind ever since I first heard of the practice from then dear friends of mine, a Mother and Father of one of the California boys in Hal Honig’s group in 1993 who had his genitals oiled during the same time period when the murders were being committed at the ashram.
Many red flags were popping up when I heard their story, but they were interpreting it as a blessing because they felt their young son was sexually hyperactive and that it seemed to tone him down a bit. Since they were accepting it as a blessing and as a healing, I decided not to research it further, but the thought lingered in my mind for quite some time as I wondered to myself why sb would have to heal in such a manner.
The thought of discussing it further really never entered my mind because this was the first time I had heard of it and I thought maybe it was just a special blessing from God that had been bestowed upon my friend’s son. The very fact that he had been chosen to be in Hal Honig’s group was, to me, in itself, a special blessing for the boy and his parents.
That was in 1993.... Now fast forward to December 1999 when I heard directly from Bob Bozzani similar stories of how either his son or son-in-law had his genitals oiled and he had the gall to tell me that all the stories on the Internet were “Old hat” and that he was wondering when the subject would surface again.
When he used the term “old hat”, It again sent off red flags in my mind, but as he went on to explain that the procedure made his relative or sibling a better Father and a better husband, I realized that Bob was treating it as a blessing and a healing so I again dropped the whole subject and didn’t pursue it further.
The reason for having this conversation with Bozzani was because I had received a letter from an American Mother who was at the ashram in Puttaparti, India and she requested that I go on the internet and verify the negative stories that were starting to circulate on the web from people like David Bailey etc. etc.
At the time, her request seemed rather strange because I thought she was in the presence of the Lord and had settled in for a long extended stay with her son and husband at Puttaparti. I briefly wondered why she would even challenge her own faith by making such a request of me.
Since I had never in 26 years ever doubted or questioned the Divinity of Sai Baba, I felt these alleged stories had to be evil attacking goodness and that I should have nothing to do with them; and I politely declined her request to search on the Internet.
The months went by and then all of a sudden, the first of a series of bombshells arrived in letter form on April 7, 2000 from India........Again, it came from the same Mother in India, but this time I learned for the first time the real reason for her earlier request.
In a very distraught and anguished tone, she told me, that outside of her son and two daughters, I was the only other person in the entire world that was now being told that her son had been sexually molested (She used the word raped) by Sri Sathya Sai Baba on two separate occasions in September 1999. And to make sure she had my full attention, she included an exact copy of her son’s very personal handwritten journal accounting of the entire sordid experiences on those two fateful days.
My whole world was immediately shaken from top to bottom and an immense feeling of the worst kind of betrayal filled my body, mind and soul. It was then and still is now described as the biggest disappointment of my entire life.
26 years of uncompromising devotion was now instantly down the drain of what could only be termed as a “river of sorrows” that penetrated my entire being.
My life had instantly changed from being a devout believer and worshipper to crying out a barrage of questions that had never been asked during the previous 26 years.
After I cleansed my immediate environment of all the photographic evidence of his presence, I finally went on the Internet and discovered to my horror that a deluge of stories were starting to circulate about the molestations that had been occurring for many years
Now I knew what Bozzani meant when he said “old hat”,........Obviously he and a select few had known about these events for many years, but they never told the membership at large.
That was only the beginning of what we now know to be a carefully orchestrated conspiracy by the top Sai Organization Officials to cover up the truth. These self righteous “Rogues” have taken upon themselves the power to decide whether or not devotees or newcomers had a right to know about these sexual allegations. In so doing they have deprived every parent and every relative or friend of these innocent boys and young men the right to make an adult decision concerning their safety and well-being.As most of you know, I soon confronted Bob Bozzani again when the same Mother asked me to contact him after he had received the identical package of information she had first sent to me. It was at that time that I formally announced to Bob that I was no longer a believer in Sai Baba nor a member of the Sai Organization.
After telling me he was sorry to hear of my decision to leave the organization, he tried to explain that the trouble with devotees was they had a tendency to bring God down to the human level and that it was just not possible to do that. He told me the famous line that was to be repeated over and over again by other officers, such as Michael Goldstein, that Baba was “Pure” and that it was not possible to understand the ways of God.
My answer (at least 4 times in our conversation) was...that the God in my heart does NOT molest little children. Bob never once denied the molestation charges nor tried to refute the accounting of the events by the 15 year old molestation victim
I then decided to be one of the active Global coordinators who were pledged to expose and stop these human rights abuses......... The Mother had originally hoped that Bozzani, after reading her letter and her son’s journal notes, would call an emergency meeting of the Southern California Region and disband the entire Sai Organization.... I had warned her that was highly unlikely. Naturally she was very disappointed , but she then organized a campaign with volunteer helpers to send out their story to all devotees.
After some of the letters reached many of her California friends, all of us started hearing excuses for these so called kundalini raisings from Sai coordinators such as Berneice Mead who asserted that Sai baba was out of the goodness of his heart saving all these boys from their overactive hormones and bad karma by oiling their genitals. She even claimed the boy was overprotected by his Mother, but never once denied the actual molestation events.
But at almost the same time, her husband Ron Mead was Emailing me and saying that Baba would be extraordinary if he could perform ejaculations at age 74 with a few motions of his pelvis.
“IT IS OBVIOUS TO ME THAT YOU CONSIDER SSB TO BE AN ORDINARY MAN OR A LITTLE EXTRA ORDINARY IF ATAGE 74 HE COULD HAVE AN EJACULATION WITH THOSE FEW MOTIONS OF THE PELVIS. THE ACT WAS NOT FOR HIS GRATIFICATION”
and earlier in that same mail, Ron said that he had actually spoken to some of the males involved going back to 1968 and concluded that sex is a mental process.
“Glen, I have dealt with the issue you are dealing with for many year numerous times and have searched for clues and “I” have talked to some of the males involved. I did not jump to the same conclusions that you have. My first case goes back as far as 68 and 69. When possible I always ask question but did not always get answers because The boy involved would not or could not relate their thoughts and fantasies prior to the act that would be described as sexual. Remember sex is a mental process.”
The entire text of that Email is reproduced below.
From: Berniece Mead <meadmead129@yahoo.com
Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2000 22:53:07 -0700 (PDT)
To: Glen Meloy <yesontruth@earthlink.net
Subject: Re: BABA DOUBTING
GlenI have dealt with the issue you are dealing with for many year numerous times and have searched for clues and “I” have talked to some of the males involved. I did not jump to the same conclusions that you have. My first case goes back as far as 68 and 69. When possible I always ask question but did not always get answers because The boy involved would not or could not relate their thoughts and fantasies prior to the act that would be described as sexual.
Remember sex is a mental process.
You face the same situation. Those boys did not tell you or anyone else their thoughts or fantasies,
related to sex, that repeated themselves perhaps most of their life.
Homosexuality is brought on by an Aberration of the mind, (thoughts) in some form related to sex.
AND can only be controlled in the same manner.I COULD GO ON AND ON FOR HOURS. I WANT YOU TO KNOW IT IS NOT MY INTENT TO CHANGE YOUR MIND ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE DOING BECAUSE I THINK YOU HAVE YOUR MIND MADE UP. IT IS OBVIOUS TO ME THAT YOU CONSIDER SSB TO BE AN ORDINARY MAN OR A LITTLE EXTRA ORDINARY IF AT
AGE 74 HE COULD HAVE AN EJACULATION WITH THOSE FEW MOTIONS OF THE PELVIS. THE ACT WAS NOT FOR HIS GRATIFICATION.I will just consider this time wasted motion. If I had the time a conversation with you I think would
be interesting just to find out how you are reasoning.
R. MEAD
The strange logic employed by Bozzani and the Meads is interwoven with excuses for the oilings , but no outright denial that they took place. And somehow they seem justified in their minds because they believe sb to be pure and that he is only involved in a healing ritual and does not receive any physical gratification for himself.
This reasoning is absurd.... Even if the oiling was the only act performed, one could still legitimately question why if he was really God, does he need to actually touch their genitals? Would not a gesture or a look from the all powerful God of the Universe be enough to effect a healing without touching the individual?
Surely, the God of the Universe would not have to engage in oral sex and/or ejaculate in the mouths of his devotees to effect a healing?. Where is the healing in an act which most prudent persons would characterize as pure self gratification?
Barry, I want you to know that I am grateful to have Timothy Conway’s documented research on the record, but we still need an authentic voice from the hierarchy in the Hindu priesthood in India to speak out on these alleged kundalini raising procedures employed by Sai Baba.
I think that the Hindu spiritual leaders owe it to all the faithful followers of Hinduism to set the record straight. It’s time for them to come out of the closet and dispel the false notion that shaktipat can only be done by touching the genitals or the muladhara region.
It’s actually an insult being hurled by Sai Baba to all the Deities such as Lord Krishna, Lord Rama, Lord Jesus, Lord Buddha , Moses or any of the names of God.
Let’s put this kundalini raising claim to rest once and for all, so that the leadership of the Sai Organization cannot hide behind those false assertions.
As Timothy so aptly stated...... I have NEVER read anything that would suggest that what SSB is doing to male youth has been done by ANY other spiritual master in any tradition
Barry, you have my permission to distribute this to anyone on your mailing list and to also post it on any web site, both pro and con.
Much Love and Light,
Glen Meloyfollowyourownheart@earthlink.net
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