Quote of the Week 78 - Ethics of the Fathers

"I was brought up all my life amongst the Sages and I have found naught so essentially good as silence,…"

Chapter 1, Mishnah 17, from Ethics of the Fathers, Pirkot (Tractate) Avoth, (Being the Ninth Tractate of the Fourth Order Nezikin) by Philip Blackman, revised by Rabbi Isaac Waller

Further Correlations: Yoga and Judaism Levels, Layers, Concepts

1. Ashtanga Yoga Limbs: 1, Yama, 2 Niyama, 3 Asana – Relating to the physical material world
Yoga Kosha (Sheath, Veil, Layer): Annamayakosha – Food/Material/Physical
Yoga Practice: Karma, Asana
Jewish Layer of the Soul: Nefesh
Kabbalistic World: Assiyah
Jewish Practice: Mitzvot

2. Ashtanga Yoga Limb: 4, Prana
Yoga Kosha: Pranamayakosha
Yoga Practice: Pranayama
Jewish Layer of the Soul: Ruach
Kabbalistic World: Yetzirah
Jewish Practice: Breath Awareness

3. Ashtanga Yoga Limb: 5, Pratyahara
Yoga Kosha: Manomayakosha
Yoga Practice: Pratyahara, Sense Withdrawal
Jewish Layer of the Soul: Ruach ha-kodesh
Kabbalistic World: Briyah
Jewish Practice: Hitbodedut

4. Ashtanga Yoga Limb: 6, Dharana
Yoga Kosha: Vijnanamayakosha
Yoga Practice: Dharana, Concentration
Jewish Layer of the Soul: Neshamah
Kabbalistic World: Atziluth below the triad of Keter, Chokmah, Binah
Jewish Practice: Kavannah

5. Ashtanga Yoga Limb: 7, Dhyana
Yoga Kosha: Anandamayakosha
Yoga Practice: Dhyana, Meditation
Jewish Layer of the Soul: Chaya
Kabbalistic World: Triad of Keter, Chokmah and Binah of Atziluth
Jewish Practice: Hitbonenut

6. Ashtanga Yoga Limb: 8, Samadhi
Yoga Kosha: The Pure Inner Spirit beyond the koshas; the realm of Sat Chit Ananda; in a lower level of samadhi, some sense of a separate self remains, but in a higher level, there is complete absorption/union of the separate self with the One
Yoga Practice: The culmination of the preceding practices
Jewish Layer of the Soul: Beyond layers, Devekut (clinging, cleaving) is the level where some sense of separate self remains, Avodah Be-Bittul, Yechida, Yichud is the level where there is complete absorption/union of the separate self with the One
Kabbalistic World: The realm of Ein, Ein Soph, Ein Soph Aur beyond the 4 worlds
Jewish Practice: The culmination of the preceding practices

Quote of the Week 77 - Gopi Krishna

The following is excerpted from an article appearing in a long-defunct magazine that had been published in New York City called Inner Paths. It is about a man by the name of Gopi Krishna, who experienced a kundalini awakening. He often authored articles that appeared in this magazine. Many years ago, I went to a New Age type of conference in New York City specifically to hear him speak, because I was very taken with him. I was not as impressed with him in person as I had been with his writings, and it was clear that he was not interested in taking on students. However, my impulse to see him led me in another directions. For it was at that conference that I first encountered people associated with the Himalayan Institute, which led to my ultimate involvement with the Institute and its founder, Swami Rama, who became my primary spiritual mentor.

The story of Gopi Krishna’s lengthy ordeal can be taken as a cautionary tale to be careful about what you wish for. It had a happy ending for him, but not without much turmoil and instability preceding it. Part of his problem may have been due to the fact that he never appeared to have been involved with a protective lineage that generally assures that one is never given more than they can handle, although one is still challenged, sometimes fairly uncomfortably, to expand one’s “comfortable capacity”. Rather, it appears that he was able to experience his awakening through sheer determination and sustained effort, but he suffered certain consequences from his crashing the Divine Wedding Party before he was really ready. If you Google his name, you will find a wealth of references and some extraordinary materials in which he describes his experiences.

“At the age of seventeen he began to practice concentration exercises because he felt his own mind was shamefully undisciplined. His interest soon led him towards meditation, and within a few years he was sitting three hours daily, concentrating on the top of his head, where he visualized a luminous lotus. When he was thirty-five, after eighteen years of practice, he felt the stirring of intensely pleasurable energy at the base of his spine, which soon moved up into his brain, filling it with an infinite, blissful light. Instead of forever vanishing his suffering, the experience depressed him tremendously. Nevertheless, after about a decade of physical illness and mental instability due to the intensity of the force released in his system, his condition stabilized. Now he enjoys a blissful state and considers himself an authority on spiritual matters, based upon his own realization.”

Inauguration Thoughts

On the verge of the momentous and historic inauguration of Barack Obama, I would like to share a few thoughts.

First, an excerpt from the epilogue of my book:

“The most virulent form that the Dharma has taken in the West is the pseudo-religion of liberty-equality-democracy worshiped in the shrines and institutions of the West. Although the New World, led by the United States, has emerged as the premier leader, exemplar and disseminator of this creed, the question remains whether a mature equilibrium, fed by ethical, moral and humanitarian guidelines and considerations, can be established. Or will it continue along certain current lines of juvenile excess and abuse, driven by greed and selfishness, that distort and make a mockery of the values and principles of its founders?”

When I first embarked upon my adult study of Judaism in light of Yoga, in addition to these subjects, there was a third prong of study in my long-range plan that I have not quite gotten to, and that was to study the founding of the USA and the philosophies of the various people involved. I was interested in discovering any connections between that movement and Yoga and Judaism and underlying spiritual aspects in general. What first spurred me in that direction was a trip I took with my family several years ago to Washington, DC. It was the first and only trip I have taken there as an adult. What struck me in my visits to the various monuments, especially the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial, was the extent to which the founding principles of our country, as embodied in these monuments, incorporated a kind of national pseudo-religion to which all of its citizens subscribe, and which binds all of us as one. These were shrines, temples, as much as they were monuments. I was particularly awestruck standing in the Lincoln Memorial and reading the incredibly powerful and poetic words of this great man engraved on the walls. It was apparent to me that among many of his other traits, here was a spiritual giant who had come to earth for a specific mission from a realm far more superior and sublime.

And now, once again, we will be celebrating a refreshing and much-needed renewal of the spirit of the founders. I hope that all of us will join in wishing Mr. Obama all the best in his efforts to renew and uplift.


P.S. We watched the two-hour celebration of the inaugural at the Lincoln Memorial on Sunday. For anyone who hasn’t seen it, I highly recommend tracking it down and watching it. It was a fantastically orchestrated event and very inspiring. One thing that struck me as very cosmically humorous, in beholding the many shots of the Washington Monument from the perspective of the Lincoln Memorial, and vice-versa, with the reflecting pond in-between the two, I had a sudden flash of spiritual insight. Obelisks, of course, are obviously phallic, and here we behold this fantastic phallic symbol as the monument to the father of our country. Yogis and Hindus must be veritably impressed by this humongos shiva lingam! But then, in contrast to and across from this extremely male, vertical structure stands the horizontally-oriented Lincoln Memorial, much wider than it is tall, with its large and welcoming entrance, leading to the dark, womb-like inner sanctum. And thus we have the corresponding female monument, the national yoni, with the reflecting pool serving as the birth canal connecting the two. Think about it. How cosmic!

Quote of the Week 76 - Modern Day Samurai

Excerpted from an article in the January 2009 issue of the Decatur Dispatch about the servicemen who guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. What discipline concerning these modern day samurai! It would be interesting to interview some of them to explore what kind of insights they gained and impact their service has had on their lives.

“In 2003, as Hurricane Isabelle was approaching Washington, DC, our US Senators and Representatives took two days off in anticipation of the storm. On the ABC evening news, it was reported that because of the dangers from the hurricane, the military members assigned the duty of guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier were given permission to suspend the assignment. They respectfully declined the offer: “No way, Sir!” Soaked to the skin, marching in the pelting rain of a tropical storm, they said that guarding the Tomb was not just an assignment, it was the highest honor that can be afforded to a serviceperson.

“Interesting facts about the dedicated guards of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier: Guards are changed every thirty minutes, 24/7, 365 days a year. The tomb has been patrolled continuously in this fashion since 1930. Guards must commit 2 years to guard the tomb, live in a barracks under the tomb, cannot disgrace the uniform or the tomb in any way, and cannot drink any alcohol on or off duty or swear in public for the rest of their lives. After their two-year duty, the guards are given a wreath pin that is worn on their lapel signifying their service. Guards must obey these rules for the rest of their lives or give up the wreath pin. There are only 400 presently worn.

“The shoes are specially made with very thick soles to keep the heat and cold from their feet. There are metal heel plates that extend to the top of the shoe in order to make the loud click as they come to a halt. There can be no wrinkles, folds or lint on the uniforms. Guards dress for duty in front of a full-length mirror. Every guard spends five hours a day getting his uniforms ready for guard duty.

“The first six months of duty a guard cannot talk to anyone, nor watch TV. All off-duty time is spent studying the 175 notable people laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery. A guard must memorize who they are and where they are interred.”

Quote of the Week 75 - Vincent van Gogh

“It often seems to me that the night is much more alive and richly colored than the day.”

Vincent van Gogh

Quote of the Week 74 - From Rabbi Jesus

The followers said to Jesus, “Tell us how our end will be.”
Jesus said, “Have you discovered the beginning, then, so that you are seeking the end? For where the beginning is, the end will be. Fortunate is one who stands at the beginning: That one will know the end and will not taste death."

From The Gospel of Thomas, The Hidden Sayings of Jesus, Translated by Marvin Meyer

Shechinah: Rise of the Feminine

Shechinah: Rise of the Feminine
Or, Eve and the Serpent Revisited
By Steven J. Gold

One continuing criticism of traditional Judaism has been the dominance of male images and authority throughout its many varied aspects. Of course, over the past several decades, there have been significant inroads moving towards a more egalitarian approach, with a growing recognition of Bat Mitzvah, women rabbis, cantors and teachers, and changes in liturgy to reflect female involvement and energy. Even within certain sectors of mystical Judaism, there is a growing recognition of the lop-sided male domination of the past and an anticipation of an upcoming rising of the Female aspect.

Eastern spiritual traditions, such as Yoga, Hinduism, Buddhism and Taoism, have generally been more balanced in depicting the essential equilibrium between masculine and feminine energies and depictions, such as the Yin-Yang of Taoism, and the depictions of both male and female energies in the gods and goddesses prevalent in Hinduism and Buddhism. Judaism includes portrayals of some significant feminine figures, such as the Matriarchs, Tamar, Miriam, Deborah, Ruth and Esther, but they are relatively few and far between. “El Shaddai” is a designation of The One contained in the Torah whose meaning includes the aspect of balanced nurturance, providing the right amount of energy to create and sustain life as we know it. It shares the same root as the Hebrew word for breasts, signifying the feminine nature to this suckling nurturance. The noun, “Torah” itself is feminine in gender, and has a curiously close phonetic relation to “Tara”, a designation of the Divine Feminine in both Hinduism and Buddhism. On the spiritual/mystic side of things, there is the extraordinary Song of Songs, an erotic, ecstatic, poetic celebration of the Divine Feminine shunned by traditionalists and embraced by mystics; the concept of the glorious Sabbath Queen; and references, without much elucidation or elaboration, to the Shechinah, the aspect of the Divine Feminine.

So what about this Shechinah, the female aspect of the Divine, meant to dwell among us mortals to provide guidance and inspiration, as is related to have occurred during the existence of the Ark of the Covenant? Let us begin at the beginning, with the infamous incident concerning an apple, a snake, and the first woman.

The traditional theology in both Judaism and Christianity portrays the incident involving the serpent in the Garden of Eden as humankind’s first sin and accompanying fall from grace, for which we have been suffering and seeking salvation ever since. However, viewing this incident and subsequent events in the Bible through the eyes of yogic and Jewish mysticism can yield a very different interpretation, and cast a much different light on our infamous “snake in the grass”.

The motif of encountering in some form or fashion a snake, serpent or dragon can be found in myth and lore transcending time, place and culture, as it is a powerful archetypal figure that resonates deep within. The biblical Hebrew term for this serpent in the Book of Genesis is “nachash”. This is a reference to that same power known in yoga as kundalini/serpent power. Both mystical yoga and Judaism warn against trifling with such a power without proper preparation and great caution, as it is the most subtle, but greatest, power of all manifestation, from which the rest of manifest life emanates. The snake was left to slither at the lowest level of earthly life because it represents the primordial power that animates all of life, including life at it lowest forms.

“Kundalini” and “Schechinah” both contain within their meanings the idea of a “dwelling” or “abode” for this feminine aspect of Divinity. And they both function to assist with individual spiritual development and as a medium to commune with The One. Mystical Judaism informs us that it was this “Shechinah” power that dwelled in the Ark of the Covenant, with whom Moses and the High Priests after him communed; the same power depicted in the movie, Raiders of the Lost Ark, which so graphically portrayed its ability to annihilate forces of evil. The connection between this “Shechinah” aspect and the snake aspect is illustrated by the fact that the Hebrew consonants for “Shechinah” are phonetically similar to the Hebrew consonants for the snake, “nachash”, reversed.

The true function performed by the serpent in the Garden of Eden was to act as an agent of The One to complete the task of bringing manifest life as we know it into being, by causing primordial, prototypical, androgynous Man/Woman to be propelled out of the Garden into the life of manifestation and duality, retaining both the “good” knowledge to remember that all emanates from The One, and the “evil” inclination to forget that and become lost in a sense of separation, the primary root of all evil.

Skipping ahead to the Book of Exodus, we find the figure of Pharaoh representing the ultimate expression of the worldly power of the evil “dark” side of kundalini gone astray. Pharaoh represents the height of a sense of separation, deified as the Be-All-and-End-All god on earth, represented by none other than the same serpent embodied in his headdress. Moses’ first encounter with Pharaoh was to illustrate, not only to Pharaoh, but to the people he had come to liberate, that this ultimate of earthly power of manifestation was not to be deified, but rather to be used as our support to praise and do the work of The One from which it emanated. This power was embodied for Moses not as an ornate headdress as with Pharaoh, but rather served as a simple staff/walking stick, broken off from the Tree of Life, depicting it as a tool useful for his ability to function in the world. By no coincidence, the Hebrew word for the snake that emanated from Moses’ staff is none other than “nachash” the same term designated for the snake in the Garden of Eden. “Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.” It is indeed tricky to take the snake by the tail, as Moses did, and convert it back into a walking stick, but that is what is necessary to achieve the mastery of life which leads to the ability to become the perfect humble servant to the Originator of Life. And thus, to master life is the same as to master service. True mastery does not lead to an arrogant display of triumphant majesty, as with Pharaoh, but rather to an acknowledgement of an Awesomeness beyond earthly comprehension, and thus to humble service, as with Moses. And to this, we owe a great debt of gratitude to the Shechinah, the Divine Mother, without whom Nothing would be the only possibility.


Bio

Steven J. Gold is author of the book, Yoga and Judaism (sub-titled Om Shalom: Explorations of a Jewish Yogi) available at http:/stores.lulu.com/yajc, and at major online retailers. Author’s blog: http://yajcenter.blogspot.com.

Quote of the Week 73 - Studs Terkel

The Great Depression. I was about 17 years old. Hoover was still president. People had been living high off the hog. And then, boom, comes the Crash. It was so sudden. Guys jumped out of windows. They didn’t know what to do. The wise men ran around, and then they cried out after Roosevelt for the government to help them out. Regulation. They asked for it. They cried for it. The wise men were lost, just as they are today. The free market fell on its fanny. We learned nothing. It’s exactly the same today.
The lessons of the Great Depression? Don’t blame yourself. Turn to others. Take part in the community. The big boys are not that bright.
Hope dies last—“La esperanza meure ultima.” Without hope, you can’t make it. And so long as we have that hope, we’ll be okay. Once you become active helping others, you feel alive. You don’t feel, “It’s my fault.” You become a different person. And others are changed, too.

--Studs Terkel, shortly before his death this October at age 96, as quoted by Alex Kotlowitz in an article in the January/February 2009 AARP magazine

A Mystical Perspective on the Biblical Serpent

[Following is an article created for Oracle 20/20 magazine, submitted with the title "A Mystical Perspective on the Biblical Serpent" published in their September 2008 issue under the title created by their editors: "The Power of the Serpent: A Mystical Perspective"]

The traditional theology in both Judaism and Christianity portrays the incident involving the serpent in the Garden of Eden as humankind’s first sin and accompanying fall from grace, for which we have been suffering and seeking salvation ever since. However, viewing this incident and subsequent events in the Bible through the eyes of yogic and Jewish mysticism can yield a very different interpretation, and cast a much different light on our infamous “snake in the grass”.

The motif of encountering in some form or fashion a snake, serpent or dragon can be found in myth and lore transcending time, place and culture, as it is a powerful archetypal figure that resonates deep within. The biblical Hebrew term for this serpent in the Book of Genesis is “nachash”. There is no question in my mind that it is a reference to that same power known in yoga as kundalini/serpent power. Both mystical yoga and Judaism warn against trifling with such a power without proper preparation and great caution, as it is the most subtle, but greatest, power of all manifestation, from which the rest of manifest life emanates. The snake was left to slither at the lowest level of earthly life because it is the primordial power that animates all of life, including life at it lowest forms.

The kundalini is also described in yoga as the feminine aspect of The One dwelling within all manifestation, by which all manifestation is made possible, and through which one can spiritually develop and use as a tool to commune with The One. There is thus also no doubt in my mind that what is called “kundalini” in yoga is the same as what is called “Shechinah” in Judaism, the feminine presence of The One dwelling amidst manifest life. Mystical Judaism informs us that it was this “Shechinah” power that dwelled in the Ark of the Covenant, with whom Moses and the High Priests after him communed; the same power depicted in the movie, Raiders of the Lost Ark, which so graphically portrayed its ability to annihilate forces of evil. The connection between this “Shechinah” aspect and the snake aspect is illustrated by the fact that the Hebrew consonants for “Shechinah” are phonetically similar to the Hebrew consonants for the snake, “nachash”, reversed.

The true function performed by the serpent in the Garden of Eden was to act as an agent of The One to complete the task of bringing manifest life as we know it into being, by causing primordial, prototypical, androgynous Man/Woman to be propelled out of the Garden into the life of manifestation and duality as we know it, retaining both the “good” knowledge to remember that all emanates from The One, and the “evil” inclination to forget that and become lost in a sense of separation, the primary root of all evil.

Skipping ahead to the Book of Exodus, we find the figure of Pharaoh representing the ultimate expression of the worldly power of the evil “dark” side of kundalini gone astray. Pharaoh represents the height of a sense of separation, deified as the Be-All-and-End-All, represented by none other than the same serpent embodied in his headdress. Moses’ first encounter with Pharaoh was to illustrate, not only to Pharoah, but to the people he had come to liberate, that this ultimate of earthly power of manifestation was not to be deified, but rather to be used as our support to praise and do the work of The One from which it emanated. This power was embodied for Moses not as an ornate headdress as with Pharoah, but rather served as a simple staff/walking stick, depicting it as a tool useful for his ability to function in the world. By no coincidence, the Hebrew word for the snake that emanated from Moses’ staff is none other than “nachash” the same term designated for the snake in the Garden of Eden. “Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.” It is indeed tricky to take the snake by the tail, as Moses did, and convert it back into a walking stick, but that is what is necessary to achieve the mastery of life which leads to the ability to become the perfect humble servant to the Originator of life. And thus, to master life is the same as to master service. True mastery does not lead to an arrogant display of triumphant majesty, as with Pharaoh, but rather to an acknowledgement of an Awesomeness beyond earthly comprehension, and thus to humble service and gratitude, as with Moses.