Re: Doctor Lewis stories -- Kriya Yoga Discussion Board Archive 2

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Date Posted: 00:03:12 06/19/04 Sat
Author: Sundarar - 18 May 2004
Subject: Re: Doctor Lewis stories
In reply to: ketch - 22 May 2004 's message, "Re: Doctor Lewis stories" on 23:59:09 06/18/04 Fri

In reply to Ketch, there is a bit of debate in yogic circles as to whether you can have the highest realization in the body or whether you have to leave it and the other 2 bodies as well. Master was an avatar and said he could help us more apart from the body--so perhaps there is truth in both views. There is no doubt the body makes a limitation on us--even if the soul is free you have to identify with the body to make it function it would seem.

Yogananda in the last of the kriya lessons seems to lean to the view that ascension (or full liberation / siddhahood) is accomplished when one is free of the 3 bodies and merges in the absolute.
However, in other places in the teachings he seems to go the other way.
Seems there is a state called siddha that has to be attained before physical death to enable one to ascend straight to the One.

Master differentiates between a jivanmukta and a siddha. Look in the Gita index or listen to the Anandamoy tape "The Importance of a True Guru".--
you will hear the following: A jivanmukta has attained liberation while in the body, (Master also calls it salvation). A jivanmukta has experienced nirvikalpa samadhi (the absolute) and so has dissolved the ego to a degree where he can make no more new karma. However, some past karma remains--the effect of this is he cannot hold to nirbikalpa samadhi all the time and has to work through his spiritual eye and discrimination. His acts are not spontaneous in the samadhi state (sahaja samadhi).

A siddha is a fully liberated being. Master also calls it param-mukta, or supremely liberated. Sometimes this state is referred to as videha-mukta, or bodyless liberation. He has roasted all karmas. Master said to quite a few chelas this was rarely attained but only because saints do not care what happens to them once they get jivanmukta, the bliss is so great. Baktananda told me this also. Doctor Lewis said he was intoxicated for years and in the late 40's he didn't have to meditate anymore. Master also told him in 1946 when he moved to California he should stop the 1000 kriyas once a week as it was no longer needed. However, Doc was smart enough to go after the final realization...It took him another 15 years. He told a few that his bliss was so great he couldn't have cared if it took 1000 more years to attain it, but it happened in 1958.

All yoga sources say jivanmukta can be attained while in the body. That's what the word means. Videhamukta means bodyless--but if you are the Oneness perhaps you have no consciousness of a separate body--this may be the meaning...You can have it while alive.

Sivananda (of Divine Life Society) addressed this problem in his book "Samadhi Yoga". His verdict is that it is possible to have sidda/param-mukta/videha-mukta in the body but it is very very rare and only a few such as Shankara and Dattatreya have attained it where they can hold to a formless absolute samadhi and still function. He also says it may be mostly due to the will of God as to how you are meant to express.

Doctor Lewis said of his 1958 samadhi in Borrego (read about it in the SRF Doctor Lewis book) that he saw "God's great face" and there was no separation left after that. You can read about Mr Lynn's experience of this in 1953 in his memorial book. He says he attained the state where "my realization of the One is permanent."

Ramakrishna was fond of saying that once a man got this state he could only stay in the body 40 days or something.
If he stayed longer he has to do things purposefully to bring the consciousness down--ie Ramakrishna smoked to accomplish this.
Mr. Lynn appears to have gotten this siddha state in 1953 and Doctor in 1958. The both of them only lived 2 more years each.

It would be very good to see what Brother Anandamoy would say on this. I have been meaning to ask him a long time.

My view: there is jivan mukta, siddha (in body--not ascended), siddha proper (out of 3 bodies / ascended), and then there is the avatar.

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