Pathways to Spiritual Unity___903
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Posted by ~Å~ on November 03, 2009 at 18:12:31:
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Pathways to Spiritual Unity
by Owen Waters
In "The Book of Secrets," Deepak Chopra updates the Vedic spiritual
paths in a way which aligns these paths with the modern Western
lifestyle. According to the Vedic tradition, each person can choose from four
paths to unity consciousness. The word 'yoga' is an ancient Sanskrit
word meaning "union with God." The four paths, or yogas, seek unity
through thinking, feeling, acting and being. They are traditionally
called: Jnana ("Gya-na") Yoga - thinking. The path to unity through knowledge.
Bhakti Yoga - feeling. The path to unity by loving devotion to God.
Karma Yoga - acting. The path to unity through selfless action.
Raja Yoga - being. The path to unity through meditation and
renunciation. People may pursue one or more path at once. In fact, Raja Yoga, which
literally means "The King of the Yogas," embraces aspects of all the
other three paths within itself. It achieves this by the fact that
meditation transcends and includes the end result of what the other
paths - thinking, feeling, and acting - are trying to reach, which is
the essence of being. You could say that meditation is a short-cut to spiritual union, or
unity consciousness. Instead of working through actions, thoughts and
feelings, you go right to the end result and become enlightened by
inner awareness, by inner beingness. The Four Paths to Spiritual Unity Thinking The path of knowledge begins with concentration upon a subject or an
object. When long, focused attention is given to a subject or object,
intuitive information begins to enter into your awareness. While
intuition is your link to inner guidance, it can also provide
knowledge directly from a physical object via the subtle senses. For
example, if you saw a piece of previously-owned jewelry for sale, you
could pick it up and feel it in your hands through your physical sense
of touch. At the same time, with a little focus and some quiet time,
your subtle sense of touch could enable the transfer of the object's
memory into your awareness. Intuition is the gateway to inner
connection and the wisdom that it brings. By following the thread of
knowledge, through intuition and then deeper into your inner
connection, you experience glimpses of the unity consciousness within. Feeling The path of feeling is traditionally thought of as one of devotion to
God. Deepak Chopra defines it more lucidly as love in its various
expressions - the love of self and family evolving into the
unconditional love of humanity. Then, in its highest expression, the
yearning heart finds fulfillment when the individual reaches for unity
with God, with the heart of Creation. Acting The path of acting is traditionally one of monastic service. Again,
Deepak Chopra updates this definition with a practical, modern
interpretation. Right action, he says, is action guided by a force
beyond the ego. Personal attachment to your own actions gives way to
nonattachment through performing God's actions, or inwardly,
spiritually-inspired actions. This eventually leads to fulfillment, he
points out, when your surrender is so complete that God runs
everything you do. The path of acting can be recognized in today's popular idea of
following your inner joy, i.e. your inner, spiritually-inspired path
of action. Your 'dharma' brings your destiny. Dharma is your inner
path based upon your inner nature, your pattern of existence over many
incarnations. If, deep down, you are an artist, a musician, a poet or
a scientist, then that is probably your dharma, your inner pathway to
spiritual consciousness - the one that you explore in every
incarnation when the opportunity arises. It is vital to know your
personal destiny, your personal path. Meditation will reveal it, and
keep filling in the details, as you follow your unique personal path
back to spiritual unity. Being The path of being, Deepak Chopra says, is a cultivation of self beyond
ego. A growing awareness of the "I Am" presence within, your pure and
simple inner sense of existence. There is a renunciation aspect to
this path, and he redefines that as renouncing your old perceptions,
rather than renouncing your possessions. These days, let's face it, it
would be a little hard for most people to get to work with no car and
no clothes! Possessions, he points out, are only an outward expression of what
occurs within. Even the ancient tradition of wandering as a monk with
a begging bowl is, after all, an outward expression of what has
transformed within. When you renounce the belief that the outer world
has power over you, then you begin to create your life from your inner
joy. States of being along this path include the realization that your life
has a purpose, that you are a unique individual and that you are
guided and cared for by your inner self, by your connection with all
that is. Now, Here's the Fast Track These inner realizations dawn and develop when you practice regular,
daily meditation. The practice of meditation, as Raja Yoga points out,
is the fast track to spiritual awareness. The ultimate meditation can be found in the Infinite Being meditation
technique. To read more about "The Book of Secrets" by Deepak Chopra and other
helpful books, see our Recommended Reading list.
This article was written by Owen Waters, author of
"The Shift: The Revolution in Human Consciousness"
http://www.infinitebeing.com/0505/pathways.htm
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