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Date Posted: 02:45:55 07/13/03 Sun
Author: Hendrik - 13 May 2003
Subject: Re: Kechari mudra
In reply to: Shivanath - 12 May 2003 's message, "Re: Kechari mudra" on 02:44:40 07/13/03 Sun

I think the SRF Kriya is complete in itself. Certainly there are many differences between the different lineages, but the basic constituents have been retained by most of them. There are no doubt several ways the order and number of these stages can be categorized, here is one that may be characteristic for many systems:

(1) Maha Mudra / Pranayama / Yoni Mudra
(2) Thokar
(3) Omkar
(4) Dhyana

What does SRF teach?


(1) Maha Mudra / Pranayama / Yoni Mudra

All three are part of SRF's First Kriya, some of them further refined in SRF's Second Kriya


(2) Thokar

Equivalent to SRF's Third and Fourth Kriya


(3) Omkar

Meditation on OM (/ SRF's Second Kriya)


(4) Dhyana

Hong-Sau


Someone who is in contact with senior SRF monks confirmed to me that for a long time Yogananda taught his Kriyas to be practiced in the aforementioned order. Only shortly before his passing he had Om and Hong-Sau shifted to the first positions or outside the regular routine, presumably in an attempt to give Kriya Yoga a more prominent place in the attention of beginners.


Kechari Mudra. Reportedly Yogananda taught it to some of his disciples and there are still some monastics around who can teach you this technique. There is also a substitute being part of SRF's Second Kriya, but not the real Kechari which is a bit strange since Yogananda mentions its beneficial effect repeatedly in his Gita.

Navi Kriya is not part of all Kriya systems. According to Shibendu Lahiri the prime objective of Navi is getting rid of fear; it acts as a counterpart to Maha Mudra which is meant to reduce desire.

Different from the other lineages SRF's schedule includes the Energization Excercises which consist of physical exercise and Hatha Yoga practices of which some are clearly designed to work with subtle energies, supporting the meditational sadhana, and taken from various sources including the Hatha Yoga Pradipika.


Modified or not - what does it matter when it is a fact that a large number of Yogananda's direct disciples made tremendous progress? In fact the rapidity in which previously more or less common people got transformed into advanced yogis in spite of moderate practice is nothing less than a miracle and perhaps unparalleled in American history.

Doctor Lewis had a full-time job, a family to care for, and hosted Yogananda in the early years; there was no time for excessive practice. Later in life he drastically intensified his practice but eventually stopped it altogether as he was living in a constant meditative state by then. His late photographs show a venerable man of surrender and dignity.

Rajarsi performed one Kriya session lasting two or three hours in the morning before starting his daily work. Perhaps there were times when he did more Kriya, as on week-ends, but he was definitely no excessive practitioner. He is said to have attained Nirbikalpa Samadhi after twenty years.

Durga Mata practiced only 36 pranayamas, twice a day. In the beginning she had neither much devotion nor did she have a philosophical mind; she was of a practical nature. Nevertheless she made so much progress that Yogananda later compared her to the greatest Christian saints.

Gyana Mata started her Kriya Sadhana at about age sixty only. All of these people were or had been married, too.


If someone wants to make me believe that those other Kriya lineages with their twice as much techniques and thousands of pranayams are in any way superior to the SRF system, I demand to be shown evidence in the form of a multitude of practitioners and teachers that have made at least the same progress as the aforementioned direct disciples of Yogananda.

Hendrik

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