Some personal Reflections on
A Meditation Retreat

INTRODUCTION

The following are some personal reflections on aspects of a recent meditation retreat I attended at Die Quelle in late February 2004. Please note that these are my reflections and that doubtlessly any of the participants could write a different account. Where I (may) quote Ishpriya I will place that in italics.

Each of us in on our own unique Journey back to the Source ( God ) and many of us are rooted in our own Faith Tradition. However, increasingly we are beginning to understand that other Faith Traditions have offerings and insights which are part of the great Spiritual Richness that is available for all. Consequently, in our regular Satsang Meetings, and also at Retreats at Die Quelle, we are encouraged to share of that richness. Recently, at our regular Satsang meetings, we have begun to look at the richness of the Hindu Tradition and to relate that to our own Tradition. The Retreat I attended took this further and looked at how a greater and deeper understanding of the Hindu Yoga Tradition could benefit us. I certainly found that it benefited me and re-affirmed many of my Celtic Christian roots. So it is in the spirit of sharing that these notes and reflections are offered. Throughout I will first outline the common English expression and follow it with the Sanskrit (Language of many of the Sacred Indian Scriptures) term.

TWO YOGIC SYSTEMS

The two Yogic Systems covered by Ishpriya were ASHTANGA (Eight Limbed) and KRIYA (yoga of purification). I wish to reflect mainly on the first TWO limbs of Ashtanga Yoga and three aspects of Kriya Yoga. Much more was explored under the guidance of Ishpriya. The TWO limbs of Ashtanga are part of what we, in the Area Satsang, have been exploring in our recent meetings. They are concerned with the disciplines of our Outer Environment and how we interact with God, others and ourselves. The two are :

There are five of these (see Table)

There are five of these (see Table)

These are shown in the Table on the next page and also outlined are the 5 elements of Kriya Yoga

Where possible I have given a Scriptural References. Most of these I have gratefully found in Ishpriya’s notes and references. These are NOT meant to be exhaustive and come from my own Faith Tradition. In the case of the Self- Disciplines, the whole of the Scriptures, along with our own development and relationship with God are designed to aid these. I have, however, given one or two references

APOLOGIES To friends from other Traditions, I can only apologise in advance for my ignorance of your Tradition but would love to share with you any insights and sources you might have.

Finally, I feel ‘compelled’ to write down these reflections. They are part of my ‘processing’ of an important experience and turning point in my Journey. I would now like to give an outline of some of the important (for me) aspects of the experience.

THE YOGIC SYSTEMS & SOME DISCIPLINES

KRIYA YOGA

This has 5 elements: Practice – Detachment and then (interestingly & importantly) the SAME final three Self- Disciplines – Tapas, Syadhyaya and Ishwar-Pranidhan

THE TWO DISCIPLINES

The Social (Yama) and Self Disciplines (Niyama) are complementary. The Social Disciplines are prohibitive but depend mainly on our social circumstances of where we live and in what society. They are involved with our environment and how we interact with that and others. We could escape the ‘pressures’ of these by living in isolation and therefore finding some of these easier.

The Self- Disciplines (Niyama) are another matter. These are constructive and help us to ‘organise’ our spiritual and psycho-social life. They need to be practiced even when you live alone. Before looking at the final three of these in detail I would like to re-visit Contentment, which we (as a group) looked at very recently.

CONTENTMENT (Santosh / Samtosa)

This is NOT a ‘wishy washy’ negative form of Practice involved with ‘being content with your lot’ No, rather it is more about the essential inner you. On reflection, I now realise that unless I cultivate this inner contentment then there is no way of keeping my mind in any reasonable equilibrium. This contentment is connected with Tapas (Inner Light). Like many others, I can get ‘tossed about’ on the waves of life..

Contentment is based on a thorough understanding of who I really am and on my ‘quest’ in life., my Journey back to the Source. It assists me to cultivate a measure of indifference to the things of the world that can so easily sway my mind. It is aimed at allowing a Peace which takes us beyond the pettiness of this life. For Christians, the nearest might be the saying of Jesus in John 14:27 which He uttered to His disciples shortly before His arrest, trial, execution and resurrection.

’Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid’

For Muslims it is inherent in the very meaning of their faith ‘Islam’ - A peaceful surrender to Allah. For Sikhs and Hindus the term ‘Santosh’ is deeply embedded in their Spiritual heritage.

This contentment (Santosh) requires a constant discipline – don’t I know it!. It requires more than my will. It means that I need to be aware of God’s Grace (free in-dwelling gift) and In-Dwelling Presence.


Now I would like to look at the last three Self- Disciplines and to share some of the reflections which I received both through the Grace of God and also from Ishpriya’s guidance, sharing and inspiration.

THE THREE GREAT SELF DISCIPLINES

The final three Self-Disciplines (Niyamas) are found in BOTH Yogic Traditions. This, as Ishpriya emphasised, stresses their importance. She also reminded us that the Mystics from all traditions stress this importance. I will start out of sequence with Self- Study ( Svadhyaya)

SELF-STUDY (Svadhyaya)

Self- Study is the study of the Self (note capital S referring to Spiritual aspect). Ishpriya suggested that a better term might be Self- Education, coming from the Latin ‘Educare’ meaning to draw out. This I remembered from my Teacher Training and also that little of today’s education seems to be about ‘drawing out’ – but that is another matter!

So Svadhyaya is to ‘Draw or Tease Out’ what is best in the person – what is best in me. This Self- Study is Self- Knowledge and is achieved by study of and by one’s Self. Ishpriya reminded us that when we meet in Groups (such as in Satsang) or more likely when someone (like Ishpriya) is facilitating a day of Self- Study, we all need to be aware of the following:

• This is NOT a lecture, workshop, seminar or a list of instructions.

• Mutual respect is required between all – speaker(s) and listener(s)

• Self- Study ( Svadhyaya) release the Inner Wisdom of all involved and we gain insights and understanding as we listen and speak respectfully to each other

• Contemplation and/or study of the Sacred Scriptures and other areas such as science and cosmology etc were great aids to Self- Study. The In- Dweller is also the Ultimate Reality at the heart of Creation.


Ishpriya reminded us that all study is meant to lead us to the Source of Life. It is not meant merely to sully facts, theories, worldly knowledge etc, although these might happen.

I realised at a deeper level that our Satsang Meetings can be one powerful form of Group Self- Study, particularly when they are informed by the above points. They provide one form of companionship and support which I find very beneficial. They also provide me with challenge and insights.

This Self- Study demands that I constantly reflect on my life, its meaning and my relationship with God, my Self and others. It prepares my consciousness for deeper spiritual insights and is helped greatly by the inner light of Tapas. - Often referred to as austerity.

INNER-LIGHT / Austerity ( Tapas)

Ishpriya reminded us that this self-discipline was often referred to as austerity but felt that it might better be understood by looking at the root of the Sanskrit word Tapas. Tap = meaning to burn, to shine. She stressed that this ‘burning’ was meant to form an Inner Light that sets our heart and life aflame. Its focus is on Body, Speech and Mind, where we show respect for self and others in all these three aspects. She used the following powerful symbol to demonstrate this Inner Light

She produced a ‘pot’ with an unlit candle inside. The Pot is our outer, basic and lived life. Whilst, the candle (which she then lit) is the Inner Flame that shows its light to all we meet. This ‘lighthouse’ effect is a real demonstration/symbol for the REAL meaning of Inner-Light / Tapas. Perhaps, for Christians there are two examples in the life of Jesus. The first is his ‘transfiguration’ on Mount Tabor and the second His meeting with Mary Magdalene in the Garden after the Resurrection, when she almost failed to recognise Him. These are my own reflections and may or may not help fellow Christians. In Hindu and Sikh symbolism, the Gurus are always depicted with this ‘Tapas’ shining forth from them.

DEDICATION/DEVOTION (Ishwar-Pranidhan)

This comes from the root Ishwara = God. God revealed in name and form. And Pranidhan = Dedication/Devotion. Consequently this then means Devotion to the Lord. Ishpriya reminded us of the difficulty that most humans have in relating to an Ultimate Reality that is often totally abstract. She suggested that most of us needed a Name and Form for God. All the major religions have focused on this. Hinduism – Brahma, Sikhism – Satguru, Christianity – Jesus the Christ – to name a few. A Christian example of Devotion to God is in the life of Jesus, who constantly devoted himself the Abba ( The Father) and in one of his famous saying in the Garden said ‘ Not my will but Thy will be done’

Each of us is on a Journey and therefore we need to find our own way of integrating the abstract Ultimate Reality with the God of Name and Form. For me, based in my Celtic Christian heritage, this is through the Presence of Jesus. But one thing we may need to realise – and this was strongly emphasised by Ishpriya, is that we CANNOT ‘do it all with our own resources’ God cannot be found by our will or intellect we need the light of the Spirit to assist and guide us. This true Devotion to the Lord (Ishwar- Pranidhan) can only begin when we realise what and to whom we are trying to relate to and that Devotion to God requires an element of ‘surrender’ (Islam) and God’s Grace. This is what many of the saints and mystics stress. It is also very hard for us to do (Correction – I can ONLY speak for myself and state that I find it hard to surrender so completely.) But I know that somehow this Devotion and Surrender requires that I re-engage with and become more ‘childlike’ ‘Unless you become as little children… ‘(Jesus the Christ)

So I can often get discouraged and my ‘intellect’ suggests that it is O.K and easy for Jesus and the Buddha and the Gurus etc to surrender to God. After all they are realised souls. This can be an easy ‘cop out’ for me. I need to remind myself of the countless men and women from all Traditions and throughout the ages who provide living examples of achieving this Ishwar- Pranidhan, Other Faith Traditions have their own examples, Islam has Mohammed (Peace be upon him) and Sikhism has the splendid example of the ten Gurus. Two of these I now share from my own Tradition. The first is the example of Mary – the Mother of God – who freely ‘bent her will’ to God and truly dedicated herself to Him ( see Luke’s Gospel ). The second are these words from Meister Eckhart, a 13th Century German Mystic.


‘A perfect and true will is one completely aligned with God’s will and void of everything else. The more a person succeeds in following God’s will, the more he/she joins in union with God. So if someone wished to touch them, they would first have to touch God; if someone wanted to approach them, they would first have to pass through God.

By aligning itself with God’s will, the soul takes on the taste of God. Therefore : grief and joy, bitterness and sweetness, darkness and light all become divine, whatever happens to this person.

To me these words speak powerfully of a deep understanding of all of the three great disciplines – Self- Study ( Svadhyaya), Inner Light / Austerity ( Tapas) and of course that of Devotion to the Lord ( Ishwar – Pranidhan. Towards the end of my time at Die Quelle I began to increasingly return to the ‘devotion of my childhood’ and to realise that this ( for me) is a key to this Devotion to the Lord and to see how all three disciplines are like strands of a rope, woven together to form a greater strength.

I received many graces, one of these is deeply personal but another concerns Ishpriya’s reflection concerning the Christian Season of Lent. She remarked that we could either see Lent as stretching from Ash Wednesday to Good Friday or for the Forty days to Easter and the Resurrection, when Jesus left the binding of the grave clothes behind. The former could lead us to one reflection and a consequent series of actions e.g. giving – up things for Lent. The latter, could lead us to see this as an excellent opportunity to take up things and to reflect on what ‘binding cloths’ could we release so as to increase our awareness of the In-Dwelling Spirit. This could lead to each successive Lenten period becoming an opportunity for growth, renewal and an increasing depth of understanding and insight on the Journey. This was a powerful symbol for me and re-affirmed me in my previous attempts to ‘take –up’ something each Lent.

SOME FINAL COMMENTS

For those who read this – and particularly friends from other Faith Traditions. I apologise once again for my ‘ignorance’ concerning your Tradition. All I can share is my limited understanding, knowledge and perceptions of my own Tradition. However, I would love to share with you your perceptions.

The seven days were rewarding, challenging, insightful, enjoyable and exhilarating. Aided by Ishpriya’s inspiring and supportive presence, Pravachan (conferences) and Practice, I was greatly assisted in deepening and furthering my relationship with the In-Dwelling Presence. Inspired to deepen and remain constant to my Practice and grateful for the friendship and support of so many Satsang Companions. These reflections form only a small part of my experiences at Die Quelle. There is much still to ponder and reflect on. Two things stand out, the importance (for me) of Ishpriya’s guidance and a deepening ‘Desire for God’ in my life.

May the Love – Peace and Joy of the In-Dwelling Presence continue to guide myself and all those who read and share in this reflection and also in the Journey back to the Source.