New post on Vivekananda Kendra Hyderabad RAJA YOGA – SIXTH LESSON by Ravi Sharma SIXTH LESSON (These lessons are composed of notes of class talks given by Swami Vivekananda to an intimate audience in the house of Mrs. Sara C. Bull, a devoted American disciple, and were preserved by her and finally printed in 1913 for private circulation — Ed.) Sushumnâ: It is very useful to meditate on the Sushumna. You may have a vision of it come to you, and this is the best way. Then meditate for a long time on that. It is a very fine, very brilliant thread, this living passage through the spinal cord, this way of salvation through which we have to make the Kundalini rise. In the language of the Yogi, the Sushumna has its ends in two lotuses, the lower lotus surrounding the triangle of the Kundalini and the top one in the brain surrounding the pineal gland; between these two are four other lotuses, stages on the way:          6th. Pineal Gland.          5th. Between the Eyes.          4th. Bottom of the Throat.          3rd. Level with the Heart.          2nd. Opposite the Navel.          1st. Base of Spine. We must awaken the Kundalini, then slowly raise it from one lotus to another till the brain is reached. Each stage corresponds to a new layer of the mind. ********************************************************** With this we complete the six lessons on Raja Yoga given by Swamiji. , next we shall be taking up Yoga Sutra's of Patanjali ....may be some time after meetings at Kanyakumari and Coimbatore. we may start it from Diwali. So be ready for deeper inquiry...

Vivekananda Kendra Hyderabad RAJA YOGA – FIFTH LESSON by Ravi Sharma FIFTH LESSON (These lessons are composed of notes of class talks given by Swami Vivekananda to an intimate audience in the house of Mrs. Sara C. Bull, a devoted American disciple, and were preserved by her and finally printed in 1913 for private circulation — Ed.) Pratyâhâra and Dhâranâ: Krishna says, "All who seek me by whatever means will reach me", "All must reach me." Pratyahara is a gathering toward, an attempt to get hold of the mind and focus it on the desired object. The first step is to let the mind drift; watch it; see what it thinks; be only the witness. Mind is not soul or spirit. It is only matter in a finer form, and we own it and can learn to manipulate it through the nerve energies. The body is the objective view of what we call mind (subjective). We, the Self, are beyond both body and mind; we are "Atman", the eternal, unchangeable witness. The body is crystallised thought. When the breath is flowing through........ For complete article please go to... http://rvshyd.wordpress.com/2011/10/04/raja-yoga-fifth-lesson/

Vivekananda Kendra Hyderabad RAJA YOGA- FOURTH LESSON by Ravi Sharma FOURTH LESSON (These lessons are composed of notes of class talks given by Swami Vivekananda to an intimate audience in the house of Mrs. Sara C. Bull, a devoted American disciple, and were preserved by her and finally printed in 1913 for private circulation — Ed.) Before we can control the mind we must study it. We have to seize this unstable mind and drag it from its wanderings and fix it on one idea. Over and over again this must be done. By power of will we must get hold of the mind and make it stop and reflect upon the glory of God. The easiest way to get hold of the mind is to sit quiet and let it drift where it will for a while. Hold fast to the idea, "I am the witness watching my mind drifting. The mind is not I." Then see it think as if it were a thing entirely apart from yourself. Identify yourself with God, never with matter or with the........... For complete article please go to .... http://rvshyd.wordpress.com/2011/10/03/raja-yoga-fourth-lesson/

Vivekananda Kendra Hyderabad

Vivekananda and Gandhi by Ravi Sharma Vivekananda And Gandhi : (A thought on Gandhi’s Birth Day 2nd Oct- by Shri Jagmohan)  Reawakening the Slumbering Soul of India. What is there in common between Swami Vivekananda and Mahatma Gandhi? it is both interesting and instructive to reflect upon the bonds that existed between the spiritual emancipator and the political emancipator of India and also upon their overall contribution of putting “the Indian way” at the centre- stage of world thought. On Swami Vivekananda,s birthday, an elegant Vivekananda Centre is being opened at Porbandar, the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi. This is an appropriate occasion to recall the great contribution made in reforming the Indian religion and society by these two great prophets of the Indian Renaissance of the late 19th and early 20th century.  Justice Both Vivekananda and Gandhi had an original and powerful mind. Both had innate faith in the inherent strength of Indian culture. Both believed in practical Vedanta and viewed Hinduism as a service-oriented way of life .........  For complete article please go to... http://rvshyd.wordpress.com/2011/10/01/vivekananda-and-gandhi/

Vivekananda Kendra Hyderabad

RAJA YOGA – THIRD LESSON by Ravi Sharma THIRD LESSON (These lessons are composed of notes of class talks given by Swami Vivekananda to an intimate audience in the house of Mrs. Sara C. Bull, a devoted American disciple, and were preserved by her and finally printed in 1913 for private circulation — Ed.) Kundalini: Realise the soul not as matter, but as it is. We are thinking of the soul as body, but we must separate it from sense and thought. Then alone can we know we are immortal. Change implies the duality of cause and effect, and all that changes must be mortal. This proves that the body cannot be immortal, nor can the mind, because both are constantly changing. Only the unchangeable can be immortal, because there is nothing to act upon it. We do not become it, we are it; but we have to clear away the veil of ignorance that hides the truth from us. The body is objectified thought. The "sun" and "moon" currents bring energy to all parts of the body. The surplus energy is stored at certain points (plexuses) along the spinal column commonly known as nerve centres. These currents are not to be found in dead bodies and can only be traced in a healthy organism. The Yogi has an advantage; for he is able not only ........ for complete article please go to... http://rvshyd.wordpress.com/2011/10/01/raja-yoga-third-lesson/