Timeless Questions
- Who am I?
- Where do I come from?
- Why am I here?
- Where am I going?
- What is the purpose of my life?
For thousands of years, people have been pondering questions like these to discover who they truly are and why they are here. While answers may be found in books, online, or through courses, knowledge alone does not yield realisation.
Realisation
Realisation is an 'ah ha!' moment that transforms knowledge into insight. It doesn't come through reason, it comes through having a lived experience that goes beyond the mind. It happens in an instant, and it changes you forever. Realisation radically transforms the way you experience yourself and the world around you. There are many levels of realisation.
Self-Realisation
Self-realisation comes when you have a first-hand experience of your eternal nature and the bliss that comes from deeply knowing that 'You' exist beyond your body, mind, and emotions. With proper focus and commitment to a proven practice, you can ascend to Self-realisation through your own effort. Atma Kriya Yoga provides you with the means, all you need to do is to make a sincere effort and to do it with love.
Aim Even Higher
Many gurus, or teachers, talk about Self-realisation and some can even give you the sadhana (spiritual practice) to attain it. But, Self-realisation is not the end of a soul's journey. A Self-realised person can still be trapped in the endless cycle of birth and death for hundreds, or even thousands of more lives. It is only through realising God that one can be forever free. Yet very few even set their aim to attain God.
Among thousands of men, perhaps one strives for perfection; even among those who strive for perfection, only one may know Me; and among those who know Me, maybe only one alone knows Me in truth.
- Bhagavad Gita Chapter 7, verse 3
God-Realisation
God-realisation is when God reveals Himself to you. It occurs when the ego is no longer present, and all that exists is only God experiencing Himself in His own creation. God-realisation is only possible through the grace of a God-realised master. Grace is earned through intense longing and full surrender to the Lord.
By devotion alone, he gains the true knowledge of who and what I am. Knowing Me in this way, through devotion, he unites with Me.
– Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18, Verse 55
Qualified Teachers
When you want to achieve something that is beyond your reach, it is important to get qualified guidance. If you want to learn to swim, you need to find someone who can swim on their own, and they must be competent enough to teach you how to swim as well.
If you want to attain realisation, you need to go to a realised master. If you want to attain God-realisation, you need to find a God-realised master who also has the grace to grant that same realisation to others. Paramahamsa Vishwananda is such a master.
Grace of the Masters
Paramahamsa Vishwananda and Mahavatar Babaji are both God-realised masters, together they collaborated to bring Atma Kriya Yoga to the world. The techniques were specifically chosen to support spiritual growth and advancement in our current age.
Atma Kriya Yoga carries the grace of Mahavatar Babaji, Paramahamsa Vishwananda, all the kriya masters, and the Divine Mother Herself. This grace is delivered through Shaktipat Initiation given at the end of an Atma Kriya Yoga course.
Shaktipat Initiation
'Shaktipat' means 'decent of grace'. It is the essence of kriya-yoga; it is Mahavatar Babaji and Paramahamsa Vishwananda Themselves. The Shaktipat Initiation transfers energy from the master to the student.
After the initiation, the masters are present whenever the yogi sits to do their practice. They are there to guide, support, protect, and help the yogi dive deeper into their experience. And, when the time is right, the masters are also there to bestow higher levels of realisation.
Effort
One cannot attain higher levels of realisation without making a sincere effort. That effort comes from the consistent and focused practice of a proven sadhana. However, more importantly, it requires a clear aim. Where do you want to go? Are you seeking material gain? Self-realisation? Or, do you want to attain the Ultimate Divine Love? The choice is yours.
Bhakti
If you want to attain moksha (liberation from the endless cycle of birth and death), or God-realisation, you need to cultivate bhakti, Divine Love.
Divine Love is the core of everything. Bhakti path means a love relationship with God, the Ultimate, a love affair with the Whole. It means that one is ready to dissolve into the Whole, that one is ready to invite the Whole to come into one's heart. Bhakti path means awakening the inner Heart, the reality of the Heart.
– Paramahamsa Vishwananda
Awakening Bhakti
Bhakti is present in everyone, but it remains dormant in our hearts until it is awakened through a proven spiritual practice.
When your mind becomes calm and serene, when your meditation becomes firm and steady, when you enter into that absorption of love, you will feel yourself in the presence of the Supreme. You will feel that your consciousness is devoid of all duality. This is where the devotee attains that grace of guru and Bhagavan, guru and God.
– Paramahamsa Vishwananda commentary on the Narada-bhakti-sutra
Bhakti-Yoga: the Yoga of Love
The Bhagavad Gita offers a road map to attain Self-realisation and ultimately God-realisation. The pinnacle teaching of the Gita is known as Bhatki-yoga, the Yoga of Love. The same principles are deeply rooted in Atma Kriya Yoga.
Atma Kriya Yoga gives you a proven sadhana to awaken bhakti as it is inherent to the practice. With practice, each of the 15 techniques awakens one of the nine forms of bhakti. The practice is flexible enough to fit into your daily life, yet powerful enough to take you to God.
Bhakti is another dimension of life. Bhakti is a personal religion because it is a personal relationship with God. It is a very, very personal loving relationship with God.
– Paramahamsa Vishwananda
Sadhana
A daily practice of Atma Kriya Yoga opens the door to a miraculous transformation in your life, it can bring true love, lasting happiness and real joy. It is like making a daily date with God. You may not see Him in the beginning, but He is there. The masters are there to take you to Him. You just have to have to be clear about your aim and make a sincere effort.
Next Step
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