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Date Posted: 00:11:22 05/18/03 Sun
Author: Hendrik - 26 March 2003
Subject: A clue for Lahiri's development
In reply to: Carris - 25 Mar 2003 's message, "Dzogchen and One truth" on 00:09:26 05/18/03 Sun

An interesting talk.

It appears that Lahiri Mahashay traveled the same path in regard to seeing the truth for a short time and with continued practice went past his Hindu conditioning and experienced his truth more and more clearly untill it became his natural state.

This is interesting and well possible. There is this story from the AY about Lahiri's introduction to Nirvikalpa Samadhi by Babaji in a cave or palace which I never understood the meaning of. The AY, similar to the Bible, is written in an inconsistent manner and it is not always possible to discern between allegory and historical accounts, between the simple presentation of facts and the intention of teaching some sort of lesson.

Another factor is that Yogananda changed the more common definition of Nirbikalpa Samadhi from a certain sort of temporary experience to a continuous state of the same.

The Dzogchen story plus some none-AY accounts of Lahiri's life (like the biography that can be read at Yoganiketan) help bring back sense to the story as narrated in the AY. I do not know his notebooks however (except from some excerpts).

The most natural interpretation that comes to mind is something like this:

Shyama Charan Lahiri was a young man with an inborn attraction to yoga (as is evidenced by his spontaneous adoption of yogic postures as a child). He was an educated man and hence may have studied scriptures and yoga traditions in his youth and practiced privately; for a traditional Brahmin this would indeed have been the natural thing to do and there are hints to this in his biography. Some exceptional yogis do not require a living guru and are not led astray. Perhaps Lahiri was guided by an invisible presence ("Babaji"), perhaps not (it could have been a later interpolation, I don't know about the sources).

After many years of practice and inner progress, during a period of staying in a remote place near the Himalayas, he had an experience of Nirbikalpa Samadhi. This experience got later elaborated upon by Yogananda or others and some decorative details were added to make it comprehensible for the masses, originally an Indian audience (Yogananda borrowed this story from earlier sources) which is traditionally fond of clothing spiritual advice in simple stories.

After this fundamental experience Lahiri proceeded with his spiritual practice in order to deepen his realization and make it a constant factor of his life with the corollary effect of losing his attachment to the images of his culture. Perhaps this is a process that is equivalent to what is called "liberation".

What he may have attained in the end may have been the majestic state of yogic aloofness exemplified by such masters as Ramana Maharshi. But who can tell?

The Kriyas itself are probably nothing else but a blend of Lahiri's favorite yoga techniques that he acquired throughout the years and arranged in a uniform manner for public use. Perhaps he found them in various traditions of his time, perhaps he got them taught later in Benares, perhaps he received some of them inwardly, as sometimes happens. It doesn't matter.

What I fail to understand is the bias against "conditioning" which is the pet of some contemporary teachers. Without being born in the heart of Indian culture or without having been born at all Lahiri Mahasaya would never have progressed the way he did. Indian mentality and its sense for imagery is apparently highly conducive to getting on the spiritual path no matter how "superstitious" it may seem to modern men. It is the chaos of thousands of godheads itself that in India's case easily leads to the conception of formlessness. Already 200 years ago Goethe was aware of this fact.

Hendrik

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