When Swami Kriyananda gave me the spiritual name, Jyotish, he said that it means โInner Light.โ Seeing light in the forehead during meditation has always been a cornerstone of my practice, which is probably why he chose this name for me.
Yogananda explains that one of the hidden teachings of the Bhagavad Gita is that each character, good and bad, symbolizes a different psychological trait within our psyche. Each quality we express in this life has been trained by the same teacherโDronacharya (past habit). Yogananda says, โNo matter how many times a man suffers from very powerful attacks of sense-habits and restlessness-producing material desires, he finds that the meditation-born, occult soldiers of this life and past lives still come to his aid.โ One of the greatest generals in the spiritual battle is Dhumata (Calm Inner Light), who arranges our pure discriminative faculties for spiritual battle. Though the Gita appears on its surface to be a mere philosophical discourse, when we meditate we can actually experience the realities it describes.
Most people, even beginners, are able to see some kind of light in the forehead during meditation. This is because light is an innate aspect of our spiritual essence and is reawakened by any spiritual effort.
When his mind becomes very calm and focused, the meditator can see the spiritual eye as a golden ring enclosing a deep-blue field with a silvery-white five-pointed star at its center. Seeing the spiritual eye clearly is challenging, and many people get disheartened if they canโt. Donโt get discouraged. Any perception of the inner light, even as only a kind of ephemeral opalescence, is extremely beneficial.
“Make Me One,” by Swami Kriyananda.
The inner light can deepen our meditation in many ways. Typically, we begin our meditation by praying to God and our line of gurus. Unfortunately, this is often done absentmindedly. It will be much more effective if you first take a few moments to center yourself and connect to the light and energy in the spiritual eye. Then, as you pray, clearly visualize each of the masters, especially their eyes. It adds even more power if you also feel and direct devotional gratitude to each of them from the heart.
After your prayer, move on to the practice of watching the breath. First, feel the cool and warm currents of the inhalation and exhalation high in the nasal area. As you get calmer and more focused, feel that each breath is awakening and energizing the inner light in your forehead and prefrontal cortex of the brain.
After the inner light has been awakened, it can become a kind of โhome base.โ When your mind wanders, bring it back to the inner light. For me, this is the best and fastest cure for restless thoughts.
When practicing other techniques, especially Kriya Yoga, use the inner light as a reference point, continually returning to it and strengthening its power. At the end of all techniques, focus there as deeply as possible. The spiritual eye is the gateway through which the deep meditator exits the body and enters Christ consciousness, experiencing his unity with everything in existence.
The inner light is useful also throughout the day. Swami Kriyananda advised that when relating to others, especially if giving advice, we should feel love and goodwill arising in the heart and being projected from our forehead to the spiritual eye of the other person. This will connect us soul-to-soul and make possible much deeper communication.
The inner light is, indeed, one of our greatest allies in our spiritual journey. In his great book of prayers, Whispers from Eternity, Yogananda wrote the following: โMy eyes are enthralled, O Father, with the beauty of earthly flowers, with lifeโs passing scenes, and with the sailing, silent clouds. Everywhere, all I see hints at Thy hidden presence. Open that eye in me which sees only Thee. With that gaze may I behold Thee above, beneath, all around, within, and outside me. Teach me in all things to see only Thee. Open in me that eye which beholds everywhere Thy hidden but ever subtly reigning wonder.โ
He further suggests, โThis demand, especially, should be repeated mentally with deep concentration until the prayer-thought becomes fixed in your superconsciousness by the conviction born of deep faith.โ
May the inner light guide each of us back to our one true home.
In the light,
Nayaswami Jyotish
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31 Comments
Thank you for your words. Blessings to you.
Thank you , your insights are always very profound and an answer to questions that I was not aware to need answered .
With blessing and gratitude
Fabiano
Thank you!
Dear Director, your words arrived in me just in time … I believe Master inspired you because these were exactly what I was needing. And Swamiji knew it too in advance we would all need the same at a moment in our somehow difficult path.
Thank you Sir!
๐๐น๐
Thank you for sharing your experience, strength & hope with us.
I too only catch glimpses occasionally but i continue nonetheless as my motive is to just sit.
Thanks to all here. Blessings to everyone here.
Thank you Jyotish for this beautiful guidance.
May you have a blessed B-day.
In His joy,
Anaashini
Jyotish, this may be my favorite of your posts so far! It was very helpful, thank you.
I woke up this morning to this wonderful message. Thank you so much for that beautiful connection.
Beautiful! TY. Much joy to you.
Dear jyotish and Devi, I loved this. Many years ago my son Zach and I became meditation teachers with Savitri and Diksha just before Zach went off to college. All my training has been used in meditatio and reiki teaching and I am forever grateful and blessed. My husband just had knee surgery and speaking of light, we pictured the operating room in love and light and the doctors rested and the nurses vigilant and happy, loving to serve . it was a successful surgery and I meditate using light also. Thanks so much! Please say hello to Savitiri and Diksha and share this with them if you have time.
Dear Jyotish, thank you for your light and guidance on this path. And Joy : ). Meri
Grazie di cuore per la luce ,che irradiate dentro i voi ,fuori di voi e tutto intorno a voi .
immensa gratitudine
Grazie di cuore per la Luce e la Gioia ,che irradiate dentro di voi ,fuori di voi e tutto intorno a voi .
Immensa gratitudine ,
This is very helpful. Thank you, Jyotish. I am very grateful to you both.
The light of Jyotish and your discipleship is one of the greatest allies of Ananda Sangha Worldwide. Swami and Masters must be pleased. Thank you for everything. Happy Birthday, great soul โจ
In divine friendship ~
Thank you for your guiding words. As a beginning meditator, I am still working to understand how to still my mind enough to see and feel the divine spiritual eye. I appreciate the idea that even intuiting this light can be enough. I am inspired to keep practicing. Also Blessings for a Happy 80th Birthday! Mariana
Jyotish Sir, your comments are always insightful.
At times I do experience a subtle vision of this light that comes and goes during a meditative
session. I just go with the flow and come out feeling very subdued.
Kind regards.
Dear Nayaswami Jyotish and Devi!
Nayaswami Jyotish, I wish you health and a long life for a Happy 80th Birthday. The Ananda Spiritual Community changed my life and set me on a spiritual path, which is considered good karma.. If we devotees are very lucky and meet a person who has the Power of Deepest Aspiration on the spiritual path of Kriya Yoga, a spiritual revolution takes place that our ego-consciousness she would never have considered possible. When we are overwhelmed by that power, we resonate with it and we can forget about not only our own personal happiness or liberation, but about the happiness of the wider community.. This self-forgetfulness is actually the realization of our true happiness or liberation.. “In the end, only three things matter: how much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you..”
In divine friendship,
Mario Vukelic
CROATIA
Thank you for the blessings of your teachings,and happy birthday! Truth is one.
Thank you, this is just what i needed to deepen my understanding.
Thanks Jyotish ji, for reminding us that the focal point of meditation practice is to look into the “Inner Light”๐
Wow, I never knew that most meditators, even beginners, see some kind of light in the forehead when meditating! I never have, and I’ve been meditating (though not regularly or long) for more than two decades.
Is a simple snd beautiful narrative of a personal experience to be embraced snd emulated.Aum Guru๐๐น
Dear Jyotish ji,
Thank you for helping us with these words. Please accept our love and gratitude.
AUM ๐
Thanks for sharing this message. Thank you for helping us.
Thank you very much, Jyotish, for yet another great inspirational post!!
And may God Bless you too, dear soul. I am finding some resistance to taking these wise words into my heart. I will keep this ‘blog'(is there not another word for encompassing these wise words) handy and continue to read it until I am able to practice seeing and feeling the Inner Light more clearly and more frequently in the way you have described it. I know the resistance will fade and I will be able to ground myself in the wisdom presented here, to me. Deep gratitude for this deeply uplifting practice and direction to become ever more one with God and Guru. Namaste
Dear Nayaswami Jyotish Ji,
Thank you for this blog! Very useful guidelines
Joy,
Prem
Thank you Jyotish ji for taking us to the inner journey with you. It’s a blessing !
Thank you for the wonderful quote from Shri Shri Yogananda in Whispers from Eternity. What a Blessing from this Divine Guru