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The brahmachari moves, strengthening both the worlds. In him the devas meet in concord; he upholds earth and heaven.
Atharva Veda 11.5.1. AVG, P. 55

Monday
LESSON 64
The Power Of Purity
Every culture acknowledges the power of
relationships between men and women and seeks to direct it toward the
highest good, both for individuals and for society. The masculine and
feminine forces, partly sexual but more broadly tantric, can
either create or destroy, bring peace or contention, foster happiness
or misery, depending on how consciously they are understood and
utilized.
Hindu ideals of manhood and womanhood and their
interaction are among the most subtle, insightful and graceful in all
the world. When followed, these principles strengthen man and woman,
sustain a joyous and balanced marriage, stabilize the family and assist
husband and wife in their mutual spiritual and worldly goals. Of
course, such high ideals are rarely followed to perfection. But the
soul's inner perfection is naturally revealed in the attempt.
What
is religious life? It is the balance of two forces, the odic force and
the actinic force. In married life this means that there is a
prevailing harmony between the man and the woman. This guides and
governs the inner currents of the children up until the age of
twenty-five. For the single person living a celibate life and
performing sadhana, this means balancing those same forces --
the masculine/aggressive force and the feminine/passive force -- within
himself or herself.
Brahmacharya, the yoga of
celibacy, is a traditional practice in Saivite Hinduism. It allows the
adolescent or young adult to use his vital energies to prepare for a
rewarding life, to develop his mind and talents for his chosen
vocation. The first of the four stages, or ashramas, of life is actually called the brahmacharya ashrama. Love,
including sex, is one of the legitimate four goals of life, according
to our religion. Sex is not bad. Its place, however, is properly within
the confines of a sanctified marriage. Nor are sex drives unnatural.
The goal of the brahmachari and brahmacharini is not to become fearful of sex, but to understand sex and the sexual impulses in a balanced way. During the time of brahmacharya, the
goal is to control the sex urges and transmute those vital energies
into the brain to gain a great mental and spiritual strength. Yes, this
vital life force must be focused on studies and spiritual pursuits. Brahmacharya
maintained until marriage, and faithfulness thereafter, helps enable
the devotee to merit a good wife or husband, a happy, stable marriage
and secure, well-adjusted children.
The spiritual value of
celibacy has long been understood in the Hindu tradition. Most
religions also provide a tradition of monastic life in which young men
take lifetime vows of celibacy. Many of our greatest spiritual lights
were celibate throughout their entire life, including Siva Yogaswami,
Sankara and Swami Vivekananda. Others, such as Buddha, Gandhi and Aurobindo, became celibate after a period of marriage. For the individual preparing for monastic life, brahmacharya is essential in harnessing and transmuting the powerful sexual life energies into spiritual and religious concerns.
Tuesday
LESSON 65
Psychic Tubes
It is said that when man first killed a kinsman,
great strength came into the nerve system of the animal body of all
upon this planet. Normal seasonal cycles of mating turned into
promiscuity. The population increased and is increasing even now with
this intensification of kundalini fire through the sexual nature of men and women.
Through the ancient traditions of Saivite monasticism, the inner laws of brahmacharya have
been preserved down through the centuries to help guide humanity
through the Kali Yuga. This knowledge records the methods of how to
preserve the vital energy within the body of men and women so that
Saivism, the remembrance of Siva and His crystal clear shakti, can be passed through the darkness of the Kali Yuga in unbroken continuity. For only through the power of the tapas of brahmacharya can His shakti be passed on from one to another until the individual's shakti finally accrues enough intensity so that the brahmachari becomes as Lord Siva Himself.
It
is when fear pervades a country or the planet that the impulses of the
animal nerve system cause desires for mating to intensify for the
prolongation of the species. During intercourse, the astral bodies of
the man and woman merge together, and conception may occur, as a person
in the Devaloka gains a body from the woman to enter this world. The
connection formed between a man and a woman during intercourse makes a
psychic, astral, umbilical-cord-like tube in the lower astral-plane
world which lasts for twelve years or more. Providing no other
connection with the same or other individual occurred in the meantime,
the tube would slowly wear away during the ensuing years. This is
provided that, at the same time, sadhana or tapas is performed and regular pilgrimages and visits to Saivite temples are made.
Brahmacharya
is holding the power of the Divine within the core of the individual
spine so that, as Lord Siva sends His power through the five great
winds of the astral body within the physical body, the winds adjust
among themselves and emanate a shakti strong enough to adjust the five great psychic fluids within everyone around. This power of brahmacharya is
accrued and disseminated through sublimation, then transmutation, of
the sexual force. Transmutation occurs automatically through regular
daily sadhana, the rigors of positive living and adherence to the ceremonial customs of our religion. Ideally, brahmacharya begins at puberty for virgins and continues on until marriage. Otherwise, brahmacharya sadhana begins
after the last sexual encounter with a member of the opposite sex has
occurred and when a conscious decision is made to begin the practice of
brahmacharya.
While "in the process" of brahmacharya, those
who have had sexual encounters with one or more members of the opposite
sex experience times of trial. Great temptation may occur on the
physical plane as the astral matter of the animal nerve system and
systems of fluids and odors that attract the opposite sex store up in
great abundance. This creates a magnetism which attracts those of the
opposite sex. Especially attracted will be those of a similar nature
and deportment as those of past encounters.
Each person is born in a full state of brahmacharya. Upon reaching puberty, those boys and girls who remain virgins maintain the inherent state of brahmacharya. They
are able to ward off, and may not even notice, many emotional and
sexual temptations that would be troublesome to the nonvirgin. This is
because the psychic shield surrounding the virgin's aura has never been
penetrated. They are the ones "who walk in the rain without getting
wet, sit long in the sun without getting burned." They are the ones for
whom reading about worldly experiences nurtures only their curiosity,
whereas had they established psychic tubular connections with a member
of the opposite sex, the reading would nurture a much deeper sexual
desire. It is the virgins performing brahmacharya sadhana since
puberty who can, if they persist, live in "Brahm," or God
consciousness, most of the time, even without performing intense sadhanas. This
is because they have never consciously entered into worldly
consciousness. Instead they look out into it as if through a veil.
Wednesday
LESSON 66
Astral Magnetism
The force of kundalini flows as a river
through men and women. Sexual intercourse gives that river an outlet,
creates a channel, a psychic-astral tube between their muladhara chakras. After
the first intercourse, awareness is turned outward into the external
world and the man or woman is more vulnerable to the forces of desire.
The ramification of the intellect can now be experienced more than ever
before. If the force is contained within the marriage covenant, with
blessings from the Devaloka and Sivaloka, rays similar to the astral
tube established between the couple are established between each of
them through the higher chakras with the Mahadevas and their devas. A holy state of matrimony has been entered into. Dancing with Siva, Hinduism's Contemporary Catechism states:
"When a young virgin man and woman marry and share physical intimacy
with each other, their union is very strong and their marriage stable.
This is due to the subtle, psychic forces of the human nerve system.
Their psychic forces, or nadis, grow together, and they form a
one body and a one mind. This is the truest marriage and the strongest,
seldom ending in separation or divorce. Conversely, if the man or woman
has had intercourse before the marriage, the emotional/psychic
closeness of the marriage will suffer, and this in proportion to the
extent of promiscuity."
The higher rays and lower
astral-psychic tubes that are created between husband and wife can
contain the forces of desire within them. They also control the
instinctive curiosities of the intellect, allowing its full power to
manifest and create a productive and abundant life for the family which
has continuity and consistency. A life of dharma can be lived.
The release of the sacred seed into the woman during sexual intercourse establishes, through the first chakra, a
connecting psychic astral tube which can be clearly seen on the astral
plane. It is through this psychic tube that desires, feelings and even
telepathic messages can be passed from one to another. This connecting
tube is generally about six inches in diameter.
Nowadays,
because of promiscuity, masses of people are connected one to another
in this way. A great bed of astral matter envelops them as they go from
one partner to another. This causes the forces of intense fear to
persist. From an inner perspective, their soul bodies are obscured by
this astral matter, and it is most difficult for those living in the
Devaloka to contact anyone on the Earth plane who is thus involved.
Such individuals must fend for themselves, with little or no protection
from the Devaloka or the Sivaloka, as do the animals, who do not have
benefit of the intellect to guide their actions.
Any two
people touching in other ways -- kissing, embracing -- also establishes
a temporary connecting link of astral matter which penetrates their
auras and completely covers their forms. This is sometimes called the
great magnetism, for it appears in the Second World as a psychic mass
connecting the two of them as wide as the length of their bodies. This
astral matter is created from the diverse expulsion of emotional
energies, blending their auras together. The psychic connection is
magnetic enough to repeatedly pull them back together or cause
emotional pain if they are separated. But unless the encounter is
repeated, the astral matter will wear away in three or four days, a
month at the most. In this way, touching or caressing someone causes an
abundant release of magnetic force to occur.
Thursday
LESSON 67
The Path To Perfection
It is the brahmachari's duty to be the
channel of the three worlds. In this way he can help stabilize humanity
through the Kali Yuga so that the forces of promiscuous desire do not
blot out our culture, creativity and all connection with the Sivaloka.
This is why the sadhana of brahmacharya is so extremely important for each unmarried Saivite to understand and observe.
As a brahmachari or brahmacharini, you
must endeavor to hold the force of the Sivaloka and the Devaloka in
line with the higher forces of the Bhuloka, the Earth plane. This
happens naturally through the transmutation process and living a
contemplative life. Regular personal sadhana and noninvolvement in the emotional nature of others is the practice to be observed.
A great aid to the accomplishment of this is to invoke Lord Siva daily. Then the higher chakras open within your psychic body. Peace of mind comes unbidden, and bliss flows forth from your aura for all to feel. Regular puja invoking
the assistance of Lord Murugan will also greatly aid in a premature
banishing of connections with the external world and in severing the
tubular connections with inhabitants in it. When Lord Murugan is
reached through your puja, He will also give wisdom and the divine understanding of the transmutation process.
An occasional loss of the reproductive fluids does not "break" or interrupt brahmacharya sadhana, though this should be avoided and is minimal when the brahmacharya sadhana takes
hold. If one does have a "wet dream," this should not cause undue
concern. Rather, this should be regarded as simply the natural release
of excess energy, of which the vitality, or prana, goes up into the higher chakras as the physical fluid goes out. This does not happen during masturbation.
Those who have resolved to follow the path of brahmacharya, but
are troubled by sexual fantasies and nightly encounters during their
dream state, should not despair. These are simply indications that
their creative energies are not being used to capacity. The brahmachari or brahmacharini should
simultaneously resolve to work more diligently in guiding the flow of
thought through the day. They should work harder, mentally and
physically, get up early in the morning and do sadhana, go to
bed early and seek the more refined areas of consciousness during the
dream states. How can you seek these more refined areas during sleep?
This is done through chanting and meditating before going to sleep, and
through praying for guidance from Lord Ganesha.
There is a
simple remedy or penance, self imposed, that we recommend for one who
indulges briefly in a sexual fantasy: to have just rice and dal for
lunch, rather than a full meal. If he indulges longer in such
fantasies, he fasts for that meal with his empty plate before him to
remind him of the need to control his inner forces. The instinctive
mind will eventually get the idea that if you persist in these
visualizations in moments of careless fascination you don't get to eat.
And what's more important?
Friday
LESSON 68
Psychic Ties With Parents
It is only sexual intercourse between a man and a woman that breaks brahmacharya sadhana, causing
an astral umbilical-like psychic cord about six to twelve inches wide
to form in the inner ether between them. It is within this psychic tube
that the forces of energy and desire flow from one to another. These
are the same forces between mother and father which culminate in the
birth of a child and surround and protect him or her through earthly
consciousness until age twenty-five. The psychic connection between
mother and father emotionally stabilizes all children of the family.
But if there are other tubes involved due to pre-marital promiscuity,
or new ones being created with members of the opposite sex outside of
the marriage, the children suffer emotionally while growing up. The
unleashed forces of instinctiveness may often cause them to be
disturbed or frustrated.
As a child grows to maturity, he
gradually detaches himself, year by year, from the connection between
his father and mother. The detachment is complete by the age of
twenty-five. But if the son, or daughter, develops a psychic, astral
tube with a member of the opposite sex before this age, he disconnects
from his father and mother immediately at that point. From that time
onward he no longer relates to them in the same way as he once did.
Through the sexual act, he now has "left home" and entered the world.
The mother and father can feel the difference, and so can the son.
Virgins
also have strong temptations with the opposite sex from time to time,
especially if they meet former spouses from past lives. Unless a strict
understanding of brahmacharya is observed, these encounters
with past-life lovers may move their fluids and emotions to the point
of intercourse. All parents should explain to their children at an
early age the importance of remaining virgin until married. They must
be taught that the elations and the depressions that follow from
disciplining oneself are a part of life on this planet. They can be
gently but firmly taught the practice of mentally and physically
"walking away" from temptation.
Learning to walk away from a situation in dignity is more effective than almost anything else in protecting the brahmachari and the brahmacharini from
the overpowering temptation to allow their sacred power to flow out to
those of the opposite sex. Walking away from temptation, mentally,
emotionally and physically, is so easy to remember, so easy to
practice. Teach it to the children. Practice it yourself. And through
the grace of Lord Siva a new generation of knowledgeable people will
walk the path to His holy feet.
Saturday
LESSON 69
Redirecting Sexual Desire
Brahmacharya literally means Godly conduct, which in practice and by tradition means celibacy, complete abstinence from sexual relations. Brahmacharya
is practiced traditionally by: 1) monastics; 2) young persons living at
home with parents prior to entering marriage or a monastery; 3) single
persons living alone in the world; and 4) married couples who observe
celibacy in later life, generally after age sixty. In our traditional
and strict organization, the formal title brahmachari (or brahmacharini)
is used only by single men (or women) who have taken lifetime vows of
celibacy under the auspices of our Saivite Hindu Church.
To
aid in fulfilling the principles of purity, the devotee commencing this
discipline is encouraged to take a vow of celibacy and purity, known as
brahmacharya vrata. In fulfillment of this solemn oath, the
individual vows to value and protect purity in thought, word and deed,
and chastity in body, and to sublimate and transmute the sexual
energies and the instinctive impulses of anger, jealousy, greed, fear,
hatred and selfishness. In our Hindu Church, all young persons take
such a pledge and promise to remain virgin until such time as they are
married, preferably to another Saivite Hindu by arrangement of the
parents of both families and with the blessings of the satguru.
The sacred cord is worn around the waist to betoken this solemn oath.
The formal study of the Saivite religious teachings is begun under an
authorized catalyst and with the supervision of parents. The parents
share in his oath and accept full responsibility to see that it is
fulfilled. As the fourth yama, or restraint, brahmacharya is emulated in married life in the sense of fidelity, confining all sexual thoughts and expressions to one's spouse.
Brahmacharya
is transmutation -- the changing of a grosser form or force into a
finer one. It can be likened to the boiling of water into steam to give
a greater power. As the fluids are reabsorbed by the bloodstream, the
actinic force of them feeds each of the seven chakras in turn. The Tirumantiram states,
"If the sacred seed is retained, the body's life does not ebb, and
great strength, energy, intelligence and alertness are attained"
(1948). Transmutation of the sacred fluids does not mean to suppress,
repress or inhibit.
Just lift your arm. It took energy to lift
it. If you were tired, it took even more energy than usual. This energy
does not come from a power plant outside you. It comes from within you,
of course. Your stamina, the actinic glow in your eyes, the radiance of
your personality -- these are all manifestations of energy, of your
creative life force. And so are the male and female reproductive
fluids. They comprise aggressive and passive forces drawn from the pingala and the ida currents within the soul body. They are sparked with pure spiritual force from the door of Brahman, at the core of the sahasrara chakra. When
correctly channeled, the subtler forms of this creative energy are the
essence of artistic, intellectual and spiritual expression. Those who
practice transmutation awaken many latent talents from within. It
becomes second nature for them to create and express, being in tune
with the essence of creative energy.
Sunday
LESSON 70
Inner-Plane Education
The goal of perfect brahmacharya is the
continual re-channeling of sexual desire. This is also the practice,
for one does not suddenly reach a point where desire goes away. Desire
is life. Desire can be directed according to the personal will. Living
life according to basic spiritual principles is your sadhana. Through sadhana you
can gain mastery over all the forces of your mind and body. As man
leaves his instinctive-intellectual nature and unfolds spiritually, the
forces of that nature must be brought under his conscious control.
We
hope that you have been able to set aside half an hour a day, or at
least fifteen minutes, for the study of these lessons. If not, don't be
discouraged. Keep trying. If nothing more, please try to read a little
from your daily lesson each night before you retire to sleep. These
holy teachings will then draw you naturally into the more spiritual
areas of the Devaloka while you sleep. Many inner-plane people are
there to help you. You are not alone in your study and desire for
spiritual unfoldment. It is known by all mystically minded people that
"As we think, so we become." Thinking of the great Mahadevas and
Deities of high evolution stimulates our own evolution. Our spiritual
unfoldment is hastened.
Each night you are taught many
wonderful things on the inner plane during sleep. You may not realize
this upon awakening or even remember what you have learned. This is
because the astral brain functions at a much higher rate of vibration
than the physical brain. Most nights, you probably spend several hours
learning from gurus and guides in Saivite schools within the
spiritual areas of the Devaloka, the astral world. Sometimes dozens,
even hundreds, of devotees with similar interests gather together to
learn. They are all in their astral bodies, on the astral plane, while
their physical bodies are asleep. When one is firm in the practice of brahmacharya, it
is possible to remain for long periods of time in inner-plane schools
and absorb much more of the teaching being given there. Those who are
not strong in brahmacharya are often seen appearing and then
disappearing from among the group as they are drawn back to their
physical bodies by emotions and desires.
Remember, your own
soul knows the reasons why you were born in this life. It knows what
you need to accomplish in this birth. As a soul, you know what
obstacles and challenges you need to face and overcome to grow stronger
and conquer past karmic patterns through fulfilling your chosen dharma. These
and other matters are examined by you and your teachers in the Devaloka
schools while your physical body sleeps. The more fully established you
are in bramacharya, the more religious you become and the more able to face the world with a positive mental attitude.
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