YOGA  LADDER

SPIRITUAL  WISDOM  TO  KNOW  YOURSELF  TO  KNOW  GOD

Articles by Anandamayi dasi


AN INTRODUCTION TO YOGA LADDER PHILOSOPHY

Spiritual Wisdom is a gift offered to someone who wants to find one's spiritual position and the origin of one's existence. This wisdom covers many layers of knowledge through a whole spectrum of religious paths or the philosophy of one's level of consciousness. We can say that as many religons exist as many persons are there, and what is the most interesting, each philosophical conclusion of such religion's position is serious, right and unavoidable to pass through in the future or was experienced in the past. 
In Bhagavad Gita, the ancient Hindu religious text Krsna the mine character and speaker of the Gita, God Himself,  says we are all on the path back to Godhead, but at the end of His teachings He advises us to give up all religious paths and just surrender unto Him, and He promises at the same time complete care and deliverance from material bondage. 
What it means? Surrender? We have mentioned that each of us is on a certain position with one's own religion or philosophy of leaving, or pertaining to a certain religious group institution, or so one and this constitutes our existence, and that is to be given up, all at once, everything what we believe, want, desire, hanker etc. Our whole world is to be left behind with the only one goal to absorb completely our consciousness in God.
That is of course very difficult task, even if one wishes to do that he has too strong ropes binding him to the past life and future desires. Therefore Krsna as universal God advises us in Bhagavad Gita ch.12.8-12 to follow more easy ways which we call generally Yoga Ladder. First He is mentioning complete absorption in Him alone as the best, but if this is too high level to adjust He suggests Bhakti Yoga, the yoga of devotion to God through regulative principles as the second solution. Then many other paths saying 'If it is too difficult for you to follow the path of unalloyed devotion do this, if it is also too difficult then do that, etc. This statement of God alone gives us some idea that we are not so ready for the highest platforms of meditation, that our bhakti is tinged by some influences, that we need some other way or process to follow, to realize it and rise above it, but gradually. This means we cannot jump immediately to the top and claim we are the first class Yogis. If someone claims he sees and still keeps a stick in his hand to walk that means it is only a cheating and that he is still blind.
Therefore we want to discuss here the Yoga Ladder not from the top but start from the beginning to gradually guide one to the higher understandings, rising consciousness through the Chakras not only within one's physical body but also high above it. 

Continuation on page Introduction toYoga Ladder