 India is not a piece of land or some political entity or a part of some historical facts. It is not a mad race for money, power, position and prestige. India is a longing, a thirst to attain truth - the truth that resides in every heartbeat of ours, the truth that is lying asleep under the layer of our consciousness, the truth that is ours but yet forgotten. Its remembrance, its reclamation, is India.
The days of the Upanishads in this land were the most glorious. The only search, the only seeking, the only longing, was to know oneself - no other ambition ruled mankind. Riches, success, power, everything was absolutely mundane. Those who were ambitious, those who were running after riches, those who wanted to be powerful were considered to be psychologically sick. And those who were really healthy psychologically, spiritually healthy, their only search was to know oneself and to be oneself and to declare to the whole universe the innermost secret. That secret is contained in this statement,
''Aham Brahmasmi''
The lotus flower has been very symbolic to the East, because the East says you should live in the world but remain untouched by it. You should remain in the world, but the world should not remain in you. You should pass through the world without carrying any impression, any impact, any scratch. If by the time of death you can say that your consciousness is as pure, as innocent as you have brought with you at birth, you have lived a religious life, a spiritual life.
The lotus flower grows from the mud in the water, and yet remains untouched. And it is a symbol of transformation.
Osho
SPIRITUAL HEALING
Spirituality involves the recognition and acceptance of a God beyond our own intelligence and with whom we can have a relationship. This God can provide an experience of inspiration, joy, security, peace of mind, and guidance that goes beyond what is possible in the absence of the conviction that such a power exists.
Spiritual healing is when energy is transmitted to the person who needs it. The treatment works on the body, mind and spirit, which are seen as one unit that must harmonize for good health. If a separate healer is involved, the healer will place the hand on the person being treated to channel the energy from the Higher Source. The spiritual healing can help mental and emotional problems and physical conditions such as a frozen shoulder.
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MEDITATION
The history of meditation is as old as the history of religion. The relation between religion and meditation is such that one cannot be without the other. Meditation is fundamental to religion. Still, a time came when meditation and religion got separated. I have mntioned about it in my tract Treapanth-Prabodh
Some people thought that there is no tradition of meditation in Jainism. I do not agree with that view. We find meditation interwoven in the life incidents of the Jain Tirthankaras and religious teachers. Innumerable ideas of the Tirthankaras in meditative poses can be found. However it is not without reason that despite so many evidences available with regard to meditation, such an impression had stuck deep roots. Jainism had to pass through a phase when under special circumstances, the monks and the nuns probably did not find time for meditation. It is a natural human tendency that once a particular practice ceases to be part of the daily routine, one does not feel inclined to reinstate it. I can be said that probably that was the case with regard to meditation.
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YOGA
An ideal religion should be able to satisfy all types of minds, and all types of questions. Singing, weeping and preaching of love is not all. Modern man wants something stronger than that. He wants a little more reason and wants to understand things step by step and more rationally. Hinduism strives to be such a religion - "a religion that will be equally acceptable to all minds, equally philosophic, equally emotional, equally mystic and equally conducive to action".
Like people of most other religions, Hindus have associated the ideas of holiness, purity, truth, omnipresence, and such other ideals with various icons and forms. But the fundamental difference is that for Hindus, religion does not mean an intellectual ascent to certain doctrines. It is centrally focused on realization. As said Vivekananda, "Man is to become divine by realizing the divine."
Swami Vivekananda has succinctly explained this as follows: "To the worker, it is union between men and the whole of humanity; to the mystic, between his lower and Higher Self; to the lover, union between himself and the God of love; and to the philosopher, it is union of all existence. This is what is meant by Yoga."
Theologically speaking, there are four divisions of Yoga. In Sanskrit, they are called Raja-Yoga, Karma-Yoga, Bhakti-Yoga and Jnana Yoga. And the person who seeks this kind of a union is called a Yogi. The worker is called the Karma-Yogi. One who seeks this union through mysticism is called a Raja-Yogi. One who searches this union in love is a Bhakti-Yogi. And one who seeks this Yoga through philosophy is called the Jnana-Yogi.
Yoga is not a religion...in fact you might say that it is an 'umbrella'. Under it and in it and all around it contains all the worlds' religions, belief systems and philosophies. Yoga is not a religion...it is a universal concept that brings things scattered together. That may be people, ideas or simply the exercises that helps one to bring him/herself together.
Yoga and Meditation go hand in hand and Pranayama is an integral part of both. The Asanas' we practice (postures) stimulate nerve energy. Of course we all know that nerve energy passes along the spine and sends impulses to our brain and through-out the body. Stimulating and increasing nerve energy through-out the body gives us more energy, clarity and awareness (hightened consciousness).
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