Did Master ever emphasize observing one’s own thoughts/body reactions/emotions to calm one’s mind and burn past karma causing those thoughts/body reactions/emotions ? Would love to know the teachings of Master on this approach if any.
—SS, India
Dear SS,
We can never resolve a problem at the level it was created. Past karma resides in our subconscious, the reservoir of all of our past history, habits, and old reactions. Yogananda’s emphasis is always to use our spiritual practices to lift our consciousness to a higher state of awareness, superconsciousness, where we are able to contact God in the form we feel closest to. At this level there is no past, only the infinite Presence, and past karma does not touch us.
In meditation practice, even though our mind may wander restlessly, the instruction is to be aware that we have drifted, and resolutely bring our concentration back to our practice and the point between the eyebrows, the seat of superconscious awareness. Concentration at this point acts as a magnet and will draw upward the energy that is trapped in old patterns.
Advanced yogis who have established their consciousness firmly at the point between the eyebrows, also known as the spiritual eye, may still have some past karma to work out but it does not affect them, as they are soaring in God’s presence.
Many blessings,
Nayaswami Mukti
