Jerry Katz
photography & writings
Nonduality Salon (/ \)
Nonduality for the People
every once in a while I would send him a note about the continued evolution of the Self-abiding experience, and he would always respond with a blessing and to always abide in the non-dual Truth
BIRTHRIGHT AND TRUTH: THE EXPERIENCE AND TEACHING OF YOGI BHAJAN
I was
noticing in Jerry's list of non-dual advocates that the
name of Yogi Bhajan is missing. While many may have
interesting words regarding their experience or idea of
what non-dual means, few can provide a means through
which the body mind can become adequately purified to
recognize their inherent non-dual link or substratum.
There are also not too many where when you meet with or
happen to see the advocate you are caught into an upward
rushing streaming or polarized pillar of live light that
disengages your thoughts from the content of
consciousness, leaving you in an unparalleled non-dual
nirvakalpic consciousness (as happened to me a few times,
in recent years, when I happened to glance at a video
image of Yogi Bhajan).
It's clear that the 10 Sikh Sat Gurus and 11th eternal
Guru Granth Sahib is all about the non-dual reality of
the Sat Nam, and that Yogi Bhajan emanates the living
essence of That - Siri Wha Guru.
In chapter 26 of the Ribhu Gita, verse 43 Ribhu states:
"The endless textbooks of spiritual instruction have
already prescribed meditation for attaining purity of
mind. In order that those who have become pure in mind
may easily attain liberation and, realizing that they are
absolute and boundless Bliss, remain still like a stone
in the undifferentiated and all-comprehensive Supreme
Formless God, the nature of this immaculate state has
been expounded by me."
Providing a means (of a very scientific and all
encompassing Yoga) and framework (Satsangat) through
which this purity can be realized and the Non-Dual Truth
recognized, without imposing himself as a Sat Guru, but
always to emphasize that this is one's own inherent
birthright and Truth is what Yogi Bhajan has been
teaching since arriving in the US back in 1969.
Siri Singh Sahib Harbhajan Singh Puri Yogi.
My own view on this is that, back in the late 60's and
early 70's when I was practicing Raja Yoga in
Monasteries, which I learned from Baba Ram Dass, and
having many psychic and superconscious experiences, with
very little guidance, apart from books (Upanishads,
Bible, the life of Milarepa, Vivekananda's Raja Yoga and
others), several momentous circumstances brought me to
Yogi Bhajan. After he explained what was happening and
what to do next I went off to a small village in France
to practice again for many more months, after which, upon
happening upon and reading about the Life and Path of
Ramana Maharshi, the Hrdayam opening and began to radiate
and the Atma/Para nadi began to pulsate "I" and
"I" outshining the body/mind.
Of all the numerous people I would turn to to ask what
was happening and what to do next at each stage,
especially the dramatic revolution in consciousness when
the attention to the mind was severed from the
"I" and Hrdayam and Atma nadi began to radiate
and pulsate, Yogi Bhajan was the only one that completely
understood what I was talking out, had very clear
explanations of what was happening and gave very clear
direction, guidance and instruction.
What I discovered was that, even though Yogi Bhajan
doesn't overtly represent himself as a Guru, he may be
the only person I have met that is a True Guru in every
sense of the word, or someone that is there for you and
with you at every stage, and as you progress from an
earnest seeker without a clue to a very evolved being
abiding in the Truth, at every turn of the Path, when
you're not quite sure what is next, he is there to
welcome you and to guide your way on.
On the one side there is this complete knowledge and
fearlessness and on the other the permeation of absolute
humility, caring and patience. Neither does he flaunt his
state or raise himself above others, nor does he allow
the people around him to promote anything but the most
practical aspects of the instruction, practices and
guidance.
As time passed, even when I was not in contact with him
for many years, every once in a while I would send him a
note about the continued evolution of the Self-abiding
experience, and he would always respond with a blessing
and to always abide in the non-dual Truth.
Interesting that his early yoga classes always ended with
singing a refrain from the Electric String Band:
"May the long time sun shine upon you, all love
surround you. May the pure light within you guide your
way on. Guide your way on." Then a long "Sat
Nam" From the reminiscence above, one might get the
idea that Yogi Bhajan is the "Long Time Sun"
Even though my own mind pulsates with the radical
rejection of all images, here is an image that seems to
prevail even in the outshining light.
------------
I don't
know if there is a student teacher relationship, but for
whatever reason, he has always been willing to freely
guide me along and continue to be supportive. I would
take what I needed from time to time and go off to work
on that.
We can read a lot and practice what we understand from
the teachings of Saints and Saviors, but some
transformation has to emerge out of the dross in the
heart. The realization has to awaken from within.
It's like climbing a mountain where you don't really know
the path and you cannot see the top through the haze, and
yet you hear that there are others that have made it to
the top and you have some instruction to guide your way,
tools and methods of discerning the path.
You start off on your own, as we all do, and then as we
ascend we happen to meet guides along the way.
It may be that you will not be prepared to hear the
message from just one teacher and may need to have
someone else provide the direction you can hear, but in
my case, when significant realizations occurred, leaving
the question "what now?" I discovered that Yogi
Bhajan was always there waiting with the answer and
encouragement.
The amazing thing is to discover that all along the Path,
however high and steep - you traverse a stretch where you
can hardly see or breath through the brightness and
pureness of the atmosphere, then you emerge and see that
the one, just waiting there for you, to greet you and
encourage you on, is always Yogi Bhajan.
Sort of unobtrusively there to say, "Ah, here you
are, glad to see you, 'Keep UP!' follow this way up - and
- see you when you get there."
Abiding as the Singularity of one's own Self, the
identity of the "I" to the objects seen
dissolves and the mind is outshined, the atoms of the
body seem to disengage and, a one's corporal substance
seems to fade, one abides as spirit and light, yet a
prevailing image remains to give encouragement from time
to time.
I remember him, and he seems not to forget me.
visit Pieter's web pages