Question
Saint Paul said I die daily. Was he referencing to the kriya yoga. Are there people in Ananda who can testify they have experienced death through the practice of kriya yoga. How many years one has to practice to reach up to that level. I am asking about time taken to reach up to deep meditation level.
—Aasheesh Chhabra, India
Answer
Dear Aasheesh,
Yes, Saint Paul practiced Kriya, according to Yogananda in the Autobiography of a Yogi. Through that practice, by switching off the life currents from the senses, he “died” to the perception of being a man, and was born to the perception of being Spirit. Yogananda calls this process being “twice born”. Jesus Christ says in the Bible: “Except ye be born again, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven”.
Yogananda explains that Brahmins in India are therefore called Dviija: “twice-born”. He explains: “Divija (twice-born) means the second birth, when one’s consciousness is awakened in the spine. This is the baptism by the Spirit.”
Certainly some devotees at Ananda have reached that state of not feeling themselves a body, a man, a woman, in deep meditation. How long does it take to get there? It completely depends on individual karma and personal intensity of effort. Nothing is fixed or predictable.
The thing is: the more one is tensed by trying to get somewhere specific in meditation, the longer it takes. It is better to meditate regularly and sincerely, and let the results take care of themselves.
All the best,
jayadev
