Q: Hi, Swami Tay!
A: Aloha, ******, and mahalo [Hawaiian for 'Thank you'] for your examination of the web site.
Q: Thank you very much for your very nice mail. I preserved your web-site in my computer. And I printed the photo of you & put it in a very beautiful frame. It is in my room & see it so often. That is so special. I feel & love your energy.
A: What a nice thing to do! Mahalo again. That will give me a nice way of connecting with you.
A lot of the words in the web-site are not English. I use concepts from
Sanskrit, Tamil, Pali, Thibetan, Hawaiian, Shum, and several Native
American Languages. I would be glad to explain anything that is un-clear
to you because it is probably unclear to others as well.
Q: Thanks a lot. I reread it & checked all unfamiliar words.
I will write the parts which I couldn't understand. But you don't have to
answer them because I think I could understand the outline.
A: I get too busy and forget sometimes, but I always love communicating with other yogis and meditators -- especially if I can help and if they return some love and enthusiasm as you do.
Q: First of all, 'the Yanaguru Yoganathan Kailash Parampari', is it
the ancient lineage name from India and Sri Lanka?
A: Right! "Yanaguru" is a title for a Guru who holds a 'knowledge' type
lineage. (Gu- mean darkness, and Ru- is one who removes darkness -- like a
light bulb). Yana- is the Tamil spelling of the Sanskrit Janana or
Knowledge.
"Yoganathan" is used as a name for my Guru. Nathan- is another
Tamil word for 'gateway' so it says that he is a gateway for his students
to enter into Yoga. Nathan is also an english name that comes from the
Hebrew language 'Nathanael' which means "A gift from God".
Kailash is the
name of the mountain in the Himalayas that is thought to be the home of Lord
Siva, and in this context says that the lineage came from either the
Himalaya mountaind or from Siva Himself.
Parampari is a Tamil rendition of
a Sanskrit word for lineage.
Q: Is 'Advaita' a kind of yoga?
A: Right again. There are two main philosophical/religious mind-sets. "Dvaita" is related to the Indo-european root word which means 'to divide' and those thinkers believe that God and the Human Soul are different things and forever remain seperate. "Advaita" with the sanskrit prefix "A-" for negation means 'no division and these thinkers feel that God and the Human Soul are not only not seperate, but exactly the same thing only God knows it and we mostly do not.
Q:
Is 'Saivite' an ancient Hindu lineage name?
A: Yes. In Hinduism there are 3 main branches. "Vashnavis" worship Vishnu,
the preserving aspect of the Great Spirit. "Sakthas" worship the Great
Mother or the Energy (Sanskrit - Sakthi) of the Great Spirit. And
"Saivites" work with the Transcending aspect of Siva, the Great Spirit. I
like the Americian Indian "Great Spirit" better than the word god. I think
that it gives a better idea of the Reality of the universe.
What an uncommon guru does is vibrate to his or her own Being -- that's
with a capital B -- until those around him start doing the same thing.
Q: What does 'with a capital B' mean?
A: Giving a word like that a capital is a way of giving special emphasis or meaning in english. For instance, the word "self", I use to mean the ego-self, or lower self that must be balanced out and transcended. But when I capitilize it "Self" means the God-Self, or the part of the individual that is intimately connected with the Great Spirit, and with which we need to more and more identify.
Q: "5. Contemplation" --
What do you mean? To watch carefully?
A: Not exactly. This is a rather speciallized use of the word. In my teaching there are 5 steps to Self-realization; attention, concentration, meditation, contemplation, and samadhi or absorbtion:
"Attention" is just focusing the mind on a subject or object.
"Concentration" is watching carefully and gently bringing the mind back to
the focus whenever it wanders. "Meditation" is holding focus long enough
and firmly enough so that the mind no longer wanders, but stays put on the
desired focus, -- this happens automatically if one concentrates long
enough.
"Contemplation" also happens automatically if one meditates long enough --
it is a semi-mystical state where the boundary between the self and the
object or subject begins to disolve and one can know the subject or object
from the inside out.
"Absorption" or "Samadhi" is when you hold contemplation long enough on the
Self, or God, or Nature. and realize your absolute identy with That.
Q: What is 'japa'? Words?
A: Japa is a Sanskrit word for a spiritual practice of repeating a word or phrase over and over (usually some multiple of 108) as a means of learning concentration, aiding meditation, or helping devotion.
Q:
What is 'siddhi'?
A: Siddhi - Sanskrit for perfection, or power. With meditation one may develop the siddhi of reading another persons mind. One has to be very careful and moral when the siddhis start to appear. One can get in all sorts of trouble by using them in any way but "for the Good of All."
Q: What is 'diksha'?
A: Diksha is initiation in english -- I think it is a Tamil word, but it may be Sanskrit. Ashland is a 3.5 hour drive from my home, and I go there twice a month to lead a meditation class.
Q: I wish I could be there.
Do you have classes at the Jothi Marga Temple?
A: We have meditation classes at the temple in Ashland, at a rented church in Klamath Falls Oregon and at our Center in Cedarville. Now and then we have classes in Hatha Yoga, Tibetian Yoga, general metiphysics, and a host of other topics when enough students express an interest.
Q: Do you live in the temple?
A: I think of my home as a temple, but it is just an old house that I inherited
from my Grandfather.
I'm glad to hear that you meditate regularly. I have been remembering
you
in my meditations, and sending energy through the altar candles.
Q: Wow! How sweet you are! I feel so happy & special.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Love & a big hug,
Lucky ****** ^-^
A: Lucky Swami!
Love&Light
SwamiT
P.S. These questions and answers are very helpful. I am sending a copy to Yogi Atmananda, my student who runs the web-page and will ask him to put
them in the "Ask Swami" section as soon as he can.
