The Supreme Art and Science of Raja and Kriya Yoga The

Ultimate Path to Self Realisation

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First published in 2015

by Singing Dragon
an imprint of Jessica Kingsley Publishers
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Copyright © Stephen Sturgess 2015

Foreword copyright © David Frawley 2015

Kriyā Yoga symbol used on the title page copyright © Stephen Sturgess

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Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

Sturgess, Stephen, 1951-
The supreme art and science of Raja and Kriya yoga : the ultimate path to self-realisation / Stephen
Sturgess.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-84819-261-4 (alk. paper)
1. Yoga, Raja. 2. Yoga, Kriya. 3. Self-realization. I. Title.
BL1238.56.R35S78 2015
204'.36--dc23
2014047510

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN 978 1 84819 261 4

eISBN 978 0 85701 209 8
 DEDICATION

I dedicate this book with love and gratitude to Swāmi Pragyamurti, my very first
Yoga teacher back in 1970, who set me with my feet firmly on the authentic Yoga
path. And to those four great souls whom I was personally taught by, who were direct
disciples of Swāmi Sivananda of Rishikesh (1883–1963):
Swāmi Satyananda Saraswati (1926–2009)
Swāmi Vishnudevananda (1927–1993)
Swāmi Ventakesananda (1921–1982)
Swāmi Satchidananda (1914–2002)
They taught me all about Patañjali’s Eight Limbs of Yoga and more.
To Swāmi Atmananda Saraswati (1939–2003), who was the first teacher to give me
the Ashram experience of discipline and austerity with love.
To His Divine Grace, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swāmi Pabhupada (1896–1977), who
gave to me blessed food (prasadam) from his very own hand in the Krishna temple
in Māyāpur, West Bengal, in India. And who initiated me with the Sanskrit name
Vratabrighu in a dream a year after he passed away.
To Dr Swāmi Gitananda (1906–1993) of Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu, India, who taught
me all about prāṇāyāma.
To J. Krishnamurti (1895–1986), whom I personally met in 1981, who opened my
mind to a deeper understanding of living in awareness.
To Derek Ireland (1949–1998) and Radha Ireland, who taught me the rejuvenating
Aṣṭāṅga Yoga Primary Series One, a dynamic flow of Yoga postures, in an intensive
two weeks on the Greek island of Skyros in 1986.
To Swāmi Kriyananda (1926–2013), who first initiated me into Kriyā Yoga and who
spiritually guided me for 30 years. And to Roy Eugene Davis, who in 2011 ordained
me as a Kriyācarya (Kriyā teacher) to teach and initiate others into Kriyā Yoga.
To my line of great spiritual Masters: Babaji, Lahiri Mahasaya, Swāmi Sri Yukteswar,
and Paramhansa Yogananda, at whose feet I lovingly and humbly bow.
To all my spiritual brothers and sisters (gurubhais) at Ananda.
 DISCLAIMER

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this book is
correct, but it should not in any way be substituted for medical advice. Readers should
always consult a qualified medical practitioner before adopting any complementary
or alternative therapies. Neither the author nor the publisher takes responsibility for
any consequences of any decision made as a result of the information contained in
this book.
 CONTENTS

Foreword by Dr David Frawley. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Acknowledgements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

PART 1 THE LIGHT WITHIN

1.1 Our Search for True Joy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
1.2 Knowing What God Is . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
1.3 Sanātana Dharma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
1.4 Six Qualities of a Devotee on the Spiritual Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

PART 2 ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF YOGA PHILOSOPHY

2.1 The Beginnings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
2.2 The Pre-Vedic Period. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
2.3 The Vedic Period. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
2.4 The Post-Vedic/Upaniṣadic Period. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
2.5 The Pre-Classical Period. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
2.6 The Classical Period. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
2.7 The Post-Classical Period – Tantric. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
2.8 The Modern Period. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

PART 3 YOGA IN INDIAN PHILOSOPHY

3.1 The Ṣad Darśanas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
3.2 Nyāya (Valid Knowledge Through Logical Criticism). . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
3.3 Vaiśeṣika (Analysis of the Aspects of Reality). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
3.4 Sāṃkhya (Enumeration). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
3.5 Yoga (The Science of the Soul) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
3.6 Mīmaṃsā (Inquiry; Investigation). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
3.7 Vedānta (The Ultimate Truth). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

PART 4 THE SUBTLE BODIES AND THE CHAKRAS

4.1 The Subtle Bodies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
4.2 The Soul. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
4.3 The Chakras: The Body’s Energy System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
4.4 Nāḍīs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
4.5 Kuṇḍalinī . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
4.6 The Seven Major Chakras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
4.7 The Descent and the Ascent of the Soul Through the Chakras . . . . . . . 155
PART 5 MANTRAS
5.1 The Spiritual Discipline of Mantra Japa. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
5.2 The Significance of Aum (Oṁ). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
5.3 So’ham, Haṁsa and Hong Sau. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
5.4 Bīja Mantras. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
5.5 Hūm Mantra. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
5.6 The Two Greatest Healing Mantras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189

PART 6 RĀJA YOGA

6.1 The Royal Path. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
6.2 Introduction to Aṣṭāṅga Yoga (The Eight Limbs of Yoga). . . . . . . . . . . 206
6.3 The Yamas and Niyamas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
6.4 Āsana (Posture). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
6.5 Prāṇāyama. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
6.6 Pratyāhāra (Withdrawal of the Mind from the Senses) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300
6.7 Dhāraṇā (Concentration) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312
6.8 Dhyāna (Meditation). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324
6.9 Samādhi (Total Absorption). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 392

PART 7 KRIYĀ YOGA

7.1 An Advanced Spiritual Accelerator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 404
7.2 The Four Yugas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 406
7.3 The Kriyā Yoga Masters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 408
7.4 Kriyā Yoga Plus Devotion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 419
7.5 Consciousness and Cosmic Energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 434
7.6 Kriyā Yoga Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 439
7.7 Initiation into Kriyā . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 483
7.8 Why the Secrecy in Kriyā?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 491
7.9 Spiritual Guidelines for Practising Kriyā Yoga . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 496

Appendix 1: An Introduction to Sanskrit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 497

Appendix 2: Properties of the Chakras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 502
Appendix 3: The Five Great Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 506
Appendix 4: The Seven Chakras Centres of Consciousness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 507
Glossary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 508
Bibliography. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 517
Kriyā Yoga Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 520
About the Author. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 523
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 526
 FOREWORD
Yoga contains much depth and many dimensions that go far beyond the common
Yoga classes that have now spread throughout the world. Many Yoga teachers know
this, but few have mastered the deeper teachings of Yoga and can teach these in a
comprehensive manner. The Supreme Art and Science of Kriyā and Rāja Yoga is by
a modern Yoga teacher from the West, who has articulated the deeper art and science
of Yoga in detail and shared it in a practical and lucid manner.
There are many branches and traditions of Yoga and many styles of āsana
practice. Often Yoga is divided into its higher meditational practices, Rāja Yoga,
and its foundational practices of āsana and prāṇāyama, Haṭha Yoga. There is
considerable overlap between these two sides of Yoga and both are part of Yoga as
a whole, but we must remember that the outer practices are preliminary to the inner,
not an end in themselves. More accurately, we can speak of the outer Yoga of āsana
and physical practices, and the inner Yoga of meditation or psychological practices,
with meditation being the essence of Yoga.
One of the most important modern Yoga traditions in India and worldwide is the
Kriyā Yoga tradition that goes back to Mahavatar Babaji and Lahiri Mahasaya in the
nineteenth century. The Kriyā Yoga line is reflected in millions of followers today,
particularly through the teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda, the veritable father of
Yoga in the West, who lived and taught in America in the twentieth century for over
30 years. Ancient aspects of this Kriyā Yoga tradition may spread back through such
great yogic figures as Gorakhnath, Shankara, Patañjali and Lord Krishna. This book
explores and explains the greater tradition of Kriyā Yoga, particularly in the modern
context.
The Supreme Art and Science of Rāja and Kriyā Yoga is formulated almost like a
textbook or course manual for students of Yoga, specifically Kriyā Yoga, and covers
a number of topics in a detailed manner. The book begins by awakening the reader
to our inner search for immortality and union with the Divine that forms the deepest
wish of our soul. This soul orientation is the foundation for true Yoga practices,
not merely wanting to feel better or become fitter, which have value but are only
preliminary to the real yogic quest.
The book takes a systematic approach to the many sides of Yoga, starting with an
interesting discussion on the history of Yoga from the esoteric point of view of the
great Yogis. It reveals the importance of Yoga in world history and the evolution of
our human species overall.

9
 THE SUPREME ART AND SCIENCE OF RĀJA AND KRIYĀ YOGA

10 It follows with an examination of Yoga and its related spiritual philosophies. We

need to understand the worldview, psychology and cosmology of Yoga in order to
truly practice Yoga, not only with our bodies but also with our minds. This requires
study, thinking, introspection and contemplation. The yogic vision is a cosmic vision
that embraces and transcends our human culture and directs us to the eternal truth.
The book explains Yoga more through the subtle body than through the physical
body, linking up to the ancient Yoga traditions of chakras, nāḍīs and energy fields,
which afford access to higher states of awareness. Yoga shows us the nature of
the universe relative to body, energy, information, intelligence and consciousness,
moving from a physical to a spiritual science that opens up the inner worlds for our
experience. In this way it embraces and transcends the findings of modern physics,
showing us how the entire universe dwells within our own minds and hearts.
The book, at its title indicates, explains modern Kriyā Yoga at some length,
including the full range of its primary practices seldom taught outside of guru-disciple
relationships. It follows from several recent books that have unveiled previous secret
methods of Kriyā Yoga not shared at a public level. These are powerful practices that
must be done in the right manner and sequence, and with the right concentration.
Kriyā Yoga forms a well-structured and scientific system of inner development that
can energise the Yoga practice of any sincere awakened aspirant. The book notes the
need for a guru and the fact that techniques cannot work on their own, without the
proper guidance, initiation, empowerment and preparation.
We must not forget that Yoga, in the true sense of the term, is a way of giving up
the ego and moving beyond body consciousness to a universal Self-awareness that
is not bound by time, space and karma. This inner Yoga practice is a monumental
endeavour and one that requires tremendous dedication, perseverance, patience
and inspiration. It can only be achieved by grace, surrender, and opening to the
higher Self, not by anything we ourselves can personally do by our own energy and
motivation. It is not another activity for our ordinary mind or willpower but requires
that we move into the unknown and go beyond the mind. We must approach it with
humility and consistency, as a way of Self-transcendence.
It is heartening to see such new books on Yoga coming out today, written by
seasoned Western teachers, who know both the outer and the inner Yoga, and are
carrying on older India-based Yoga traditions in an authentic and accessible manner
in their own countries. The approach of the book indicates a growing maturity in the
Western Yoga community.
Certainly, Yoga has its diversity of teachings and branches. The Kriyā Yoga
tradition, like a great Banyan tree itself, has a number of important lines and
representatives and several angles of approach. The current volume provides another
important angle on this tradition that shows its living power, capacity for adaptation
and continued relevance for all humanity.
Stephen Sturgess reflects a wide experience of Yoga and contact with many
important Yoga gurus East and West. He shares this life-long yogic quest throughout
the book, giving life and a personal touch to the teachings.
 Foreword

The author has produced other important books on Yoga and is making a notable 11
contribution to the field of yogic studies that the greater Yoga community can
certainly benefit from. The Supreme Art and Science of Rāja and Kriyā Yoga will
provide not only extensive information about hidden aspects of Yoga, but also an
opening to the deeper wisdom of Yoga within ourselves.
Dr David Frawley (Pandit Vamadeva Shastri) D.Litt.
Padma Bhushan, Vedic Education (Government of India)
Director, American Institute of Vedic Studies (www.vedanet.com)
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to express my thanks and gratitude to all the Singing Dragon production
team, who did a wonderful job in publishing this book, and particularly to Bethany
Gower and Victoria Peters, who edited this book very professionally. A big thank
you to my lovely niece, Heidi Smith, who modelled for the Energisation Exercises,
and to my dear Lithuanian friend, who is also a Kriyā initiate following Paramhansa
Yogananda, Lina Kurlinkus, who kindly modelled for the Yoga and meditation poses.
And a very special thank you with gratitude and great respect to Dr David Frawley
(Pandit Vamadeva Shastri), Director of the American Institute of Vedic Studies, who
very kindly wrote the wisdom for the foreword for my book.

12
 PREFACE

T he Supreme Art and Science of Rāja and Kriyā Yoga provides the Truth-seeker
with a comprehensive and complete overview of the supreme spiritual path of
Yoga, while simultaneously creating a context that inspires and guides you to place
yourself consciously on the spiritual path towards Self- and God-realisation, so that
you may understand and realise through your own direct experience the deeper
meaning and purpose of your existence in your relatively brief sojourn in this world,
and thereby attain your divine inheritance of inner freedom, ineffable peace, and true
joy or bliss.
In its completeness, this book gives you both the sound philosophy and the
practical Yoga disciplines, techniques and methods of authentic spiritual Yoga that
can help and guide you on the spiritual path.
For a spiritual seeker on the quest for Truth, who wants to have that transcendent
experience of Reality, it is not enough to merely practise Yoga disciplines; one also
needs to have a philosophical understanding of what Truth or the Ultimate Reality
is: What is the nature of Reality and our relationship to that Reality? What is the
nature of mind and consciousness? Who or what is God or the Self? A seeker needs
to know why he or she exists, and how to end suffering and find true joy in life.
To understand the philosophy of Yoga, it is helpful to have an understanding of
the Indian philosophical tradition that has its roots in the ancient Vedic culture and
illustrious Sanskrit literature.
Indian philosophical literature such as the Kātha Upaniṣad (2.3.12) guides seekers
with practical purpose by profoundly stating: ‘First, accept that the Self exists, and
accept that it can be known. Then its real nature is open to experience.’ This should
be the starting point for all sincere seekers who want to know the meaning of their
existence, who want to find freedom from sorrow and suffering, and who want to
attain the supreme spiritual goal of life: total freedom in Ever-New Bliss – the true
nature of the Self.
You need to look within yourself and realise your own power, your own Self. You
need to discover the inner reality of who you are by unfolding the Self-knowledge
that is lying dormant within you. In order to realise and enjoy your totality you have
to expand your limited awareness into pure, infinite Consciousness. First you will
need to control your body, mind and senses, which starts from a disciplined and
moral routine.
The Supreme Art and Science of Rāja and Kriyā Yoga discusses the various
systems of Indian philosophy that arose as a product of the meditative insights and
direct inner experience of various spiritually elevated seers, sages and yogis. To give
a complete picture of Yoga and its spiritual dimensions, the history of Yoga and its

13
 THE SUPREME ART AND SCIENCE OF RĀJA AND KRIYĀ YOGA

14 origins are also covered in this book, and is to be read as a background knowledge to
Rāja Yoga (the supreme or royal path of Yoga) and Kriyā Yoga, of which this book
is primarily concerned as the supreme spiritual path to spiritual awakening or Self-
realisation – to become established in our own blissful divine nature.
This book is divided into seven main parts, each part having a number of chapters:
Part 1: The Light Within. This begins with your search for Truth, discussing
topics on realising your true nature, and understanding what God is, so that you may
understand the deeper purpose of your existence.
Part 2: Origin and History of Yoga Philosophy. To set Yoga as an authentic
spiritual path and in a wider context, Part 2 discusses the origin and history of Yoga
philosophy, from the early beginnings and the Pre-Vedic period (6500–4500 bce) to
the Post-Classical period and Tantra (500–900 ce).
Part 3: Yoga in Indian Philosophy. Part 3 covers the six main philosophies (Ṣad
Darśanas) of India: Nyāya, Vaiśeṣika, Sāṃkhya, Yoga, Mīmaṃsā and Vedānta. In
relation to practising Rāja and Kriyā Yoga, this book is primarily concerned with
Sāṃkhya, Yoga and Vedānta.
Part 4: The Subtle Bodies and the Chakras. The topics discussed in Part 4 cover
the subtle anatomy: chakras, subtle bodies, nāḍīs and kuṇḍalinī, which all aspiring
yogis should be familiar with.
Part 5: Mantras. One of the most powerful ways of focusing the mind is using a
mantra. The Sanskrit word mantra means ‘that which protects or liberates (trana)
the mind (manas)’ and is a spiritual formula or sacred sound (letter, syllable, word
or phrase) which is inherently connected with the reality it represents. Part 5 gives
a comprehensive view of mantras, their effects and how to use them. It includes the
significance of Aum (Oṁ), bīja (seed) mantras, healing mantras, and useful mantras
for repetition (japa).
Part 6: Rāja Yoga. The longest of the seven parts, Rāja Yoga, covers the disciplines
and practices of Yoga. The relevance of Yoga to the ultimate spiritual goal is
explained through such topics as Patañjali’s Yoga Sūtras, a definitive work of Rāja
Yoga, the Eight Limbs of Yoga: yamas and niyamas, āsanas, prāṇāyāma, pratyāhāra,
dhāraṇā, dhyāna and samādhi.
Part 7: Kriyā Yoga. Kriyā Yoga is the essence and synthesis of all Yogas and
religions, which includes the highest Yoga and meditation techniques from Haṭha
Yoga, Rāja Yoga, Laya Yoga and Mantra Yoga. It became known in the West through
Paramhansa Yogananda (1893–1952). Part 7 covers the teachings and techniques of
Kriyā Yoga that Paramhansa Yogananda taught, and short biographies of the great
Kriyā Masters.
 Part 1

THE LIGHT WITHIN

 1.1

OUR SEARCH FOR

TRUE JOY

T here comes a time in everyone’s life when they begin to feel a sense of loneliness
and inner emptiness; a feeling that something is missing. We may have all
the material comforts that life can give us – a house, a car, the latest fashions in
clothes, the latest digital technology, a good marriage or relationship, sex, family
and friends, a successful career, wealth and health – all the things that are believed
by most people to bring them happiness and security. But even when we attain the
acquisition of wealth, power and prestige, happiness can still elude us. You may be
very successful in the external world, but what good is that success if you have not
found contentment, inner peace and happiness within?
From morning to night millions of people are working hard to attain some
happiness. A happiness that is fleeting – sometimes we experience happiness,
other times we experience sadness, sorrow or discontent. This duality causes us to
continually seek something without knowing what it is.
Through not understanding the distinction between pleasure (an attribute of the
senses) and happiness (an attribute of the mind), we become restless seeking the
delusory charms, pleasures, thrills and temptations of the world. In trying to give
meaning and purpose to our lives we fill it with events, activities, things, people,
and we create circumstances that will fill our emptiness and remove our discontent.
Some people gain success in the world and become rich and prosperous, and
gain distinction and celebrity status. But as we know from reading or hearing from
the media, their successes in the world have not always brought them true happiness,
peace and contentment. At some point in their lives they may have wondered what
else there is to be achieved, and perhaps they would have come to a turning point
where they questioned the meaning of their own existence.
That turning point in one’s life may come through a crisis – health issues, broken
relationships, economic condition, for example – or it may come in a less dramatic
way in moments of quiet reflection.
Knowingly or unknowingly we are all seeking a lasting happiness: true joy of
total fulfilment, and freedom from suffering, pain and sorrow. Most people in the
world believe that they can attain happiness through material goals – wealth, power,
position, name, fame, ownership of possessions and property. They also believe that
they will find perfect happiness in another person – within a loving relationship,
and with security in a marriage that brings a family, a house, a car and a career. The
Lonely Hearts columns in newspapers and magazines, and online dating websites,

16
 Our Search for True Joy

are full of such people who believe that if they find their perfect partner they will be 17
happy for the rest of their lives.
We are conditioned to believe that happiness comes from having a good
relationship, becoming successful, or accumulating wealth. This conditioning starts
from birth and continues throughout our life until we die, that is unless we have an
awakening in deeper awareness to see clearly the delusion that we have been living.
For most people this is not an easy task, and even the most sincere seekers struggle
with it constantly. One of the most difficult things in life is to see clearly, to see
things as they are.
We live in a world of ego – the separate personal self – that equates happiness
with all that we long for in the external world. We have a strong desire, a wanting
for something or someone; for objects outside of our own selves. The mind and the
senses become excited with anticipation and intense longing for the beautiful dress,
the new car, the beautiful woman or the tall, dark, handsome man. The image in our
mind excites us, but also distorts our perception of reality, for we imagine that the
object of our mind and senses will fulfil our happiness.
Once we have attained the object or person of our desire, there is a sense of
fulfilment and happiness. But it is only a temporary fulfilment, perhaps a fleeting
moment of joy, then we usually experience a process of gradual or even immediate
disillusionment.
The transitory moments of happiness were equated with the thrill of wanting
to acquire or possess the object or person for oneself, and the moment of attaining
the object or person of desire. This wanting of instant gratification goes back to our
childhood. As our ego-personality developed so did the wanting and desiring. We
experienced pleasure and happiness from the gratification of our senses – the toys,
the sweet lollipop and the ice-cream. Our happiness was equated with the objects of
our senses. But, because it was a momentary pleasure of happiness the wanting is
not pleasure, but pain. Sometimes a child may ask their mother for an ice-cream, and
be refused. The wanting is so great in the child that they throw a tantrum. They cry
and scream so much that sometimes it causes the mother to give in to the child by
buying them an ice-cream. And for a while, the child’s tension ceases as they enjoy
the pleasure of their senses. They equate happiness with an ice-cream. But at this
young age the child does not understand the duality of pleasure and pain.
As we continue in life through childhood, youth and into adulthood we become
more conditioned. Our desires continue to grow and our wanting happiness never
seems to be truly fulfilled. It’s an endless tension that creates restlessness in the
mind. There is a restlessness of unfulfilled desires, and the world around us does not
help. We are constantly bombarded by the power of advertising, with its seductive
promises of perfection that play on our fears and insecurity. Its subtle powers of
persuasion entice us to find our happiness in what we think will make us happy. It
creates endless desires in us and conditions us to believe that happiness and fulfilment
are inherent in what they are promoting and selling.
Advertising creates the illusion of a fulfilled happiness, and many people buy
into this distracting illusion only to find that this kind of happiness is elusive.
 THE LIGHT WITHIN

18 And so, knowingly or unknowingly, we continue searching for happiness in the

external world, while not realising that happiness is a state of consciousness that
already exists within us.
There is a beautiful story that illustrates the search for true happiness.

THE STORY OF THE MUSK DEER

Once upon a time, there lived a musk deer who was foraging for food in a dense
forest. It was the time of the mating season and at this time the deer naturally
secreted a powerful fragrance from a gland hidden in a pouch between its sex
organs and navel.
One early morning as the musk deer was ruminating on grasses and
herbaceous plants, while being inconspicuous to avoid predators (snow leopard,
lynx, yellow-throated marten), he became aware of an exquisite and beautiful
scent. Intrigued by the tantalising fragrance, the deer raised his head and sniffed
the air. The enticing scent stirred the deer’s soul so much that he became
determined to find its source.
The musk deer searched everywhere. He reached up into trees and sniffed
the bark, the mosses and the lichens. He looked in the rhododendron bushes
and in the grass, but wherever he went the source of the beautiful scent eluded
him. The undaunted deer became more and more agitated and restless in his
search as he desperately looked everywhere for it. Night and day he relentlessly
searched, and moved higher and higher up the steep slopes covered with
coniferous trees, where there were loose rocks.
In a final desperate bid to find the source of the scent the deer precariously
climbed up to a higher precipice, but lost his foothold on the loose rocks and fell
into the valley below. The deer lay at the bottom of the cliff with his limbs broken
and his body torn. His underside was ripped apart. The torn pouch holding the
musk gland fell out and released the sweet fragrance that he had been so eagerly
searching for. He sniffed the scent and, as he was dying, he finally discovered
and realised that the sweet fragrance he had made great efforts to search for
was within his own navel.
In the deer’s last moments he expired his last breath with a joyful and serene
smile. He was at last content and at peace with himself. It was the happiest
moment of his life, for he had found the joy he had been searching for.

So, like the musk deer, we are in a similar predicament. We are searching outside
for that which is inherent within us. We must discover the true source of happiness
and joy. We need to realise that the true source of happiness, which is joy, does not
lie outside of us in any thing, object or person in the world. No one can give us
happiness, because it is a state of consciousness that exists within us. Joy is an inner
state of consciousness, that is our true nature; we are that joy! Joy is another name
for the Self, for God – the one and only Reality of our being. The ultimate goal of
life and the true nature of God is Sat-chit-ānanda (Ever-Existing, Ever-Conscious,
Ever-New Bliss).
‘All things are born out of bliss, are maintained by bliss, and ultimately merge
into bliss.’
Tattirīya Upaniṣad 3:6
 Our Search for True Joy

We seek joy in everything, because the very nature of the Self is ānanda (joy or 19
bliss). Our spiritual quest is to seek that joy and realise it within ourselves. Then,
having found and realised that eternal Self, the source of light and joy within, we can
share it with others. For joy is the light of God, our eternal Being that is ever-present
within us.
‘True happiness is never to be found outside the Self. Those who seek it there are
as if chasing rainbows among the clouds!’
Yogananda 2006, p.15
‘Remember that he who seeks only material pleasures will lose the divine
joys hidden behind them. He that finds the cosmic joy of meditation loses the
attachment to the pleasures of material life.’
Yogananda 2006, p.117

OUR TRUE NATURE IS DIVINE

The aim of human life is to realise our Divine nature. To realise and become
established in the awareness of our true Divine Self. Until we come to this realisation,
no matter how many of our desires are fulfilled, we will never be happy. We will
remain discontented and continue to suffer in ignorance of not understanding the
mystery of our own existence. There is a feeling of being disconnected, separated,
a feeling of something missing from our life, an emptiness that cannot be filled
by endless desires and their promises of fulfilment. The happiness that originates
outside of ourself, that we invest in things, objects and people is always elusive and
transitory. Our pursuit in a futile search for happiness is a poor investment; there is
no security or fulfilment in it. Our greatest investment is to regain our awareness of
our Divine nature and discover the reservoir of power within us. When our life is an
expression of the inner state of joy, we discover and experience true happiness and
regain our freedom.

REALISING YOUR TRUE NATURE

‘Enter eagerly into the treasure house that is within you and you will see the
things that are in heaven.’
St Isaac the Syrian, in Laird 2006, p.47
If the aim of life is to realise our divine nature, the Self, then first we need to
understand the mystery of our own nature. Through our own experience we need
to discover who and what we are. The realisation has to come from ourselves –
no spiritual organisation, religion, teachers or books can do that for us; they can
only make us aware and guide us towards Self-knowledge. We have to light our
own lamp.
First know yourself. You need to regain awareness of your real nature, to awaken
and transcend the illusions and limitations in which you are involved.