Quote of the Week 41 - Kundalini Vidya

“In the monist philosophy of Advaita Vedanta, the grand illusion of duality is called Maya. According to this view of monism, there is only One, yet there seem to be many, and they appear to be separate. This is due to the nature of Maya, which creates the illusion of duality by concealing and projecting. All the while, she remains inseparable from the One. Yet she seems to be other than the Absolute Reality in her guise as its manifestation, the apparent reality. Thus comes the need for reunion with the One, with whom she is always inextricably linked and who indeed she is. This is the odd and difficult predicament of human life: our unity with the One is fact, yet we do not know it, and so we struggle to attain it. Therefore, the idea of separation must be broken, and that is the task of the divine within, who is our guide to the One. At the same time, it is the very phenomena of her manifestations that cause all the myriad confusions and distractions that block the undiscerning. This is the divine lila, the play of the universe.”
“In the individual person, the goal of spiritual striving is to be aware of and realize oneness with the inner spark of Pure Consciousness within, called Atman. The means for doing this is the living divine power that emanates from the One, which is called Devatma Shakti or Kundalini Shakti [‘Shechinah’ in Jewish mysticism]. She is the sacred omnipotent presence, the divine within, the Holy Spirit dwelling in the inner sanctuary of every human being.”
From Kundalini Vidya, The Science of Spiritual Transformation, A Comprehensive System for Understanding and Guiding Spiritual Development by Joan Shivarpita Harrigan